Part three of the Insidious Fear arc.
Bunny felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He stared at the sobbing blonde girl in his arms, then at her brother who still wasn't looking at anyone as he rubbed his bruised arm. He could not process the words he had just heard. That Jack could play with his feelings out of a desire for comfort and affection was one thing. But to hurt the kids who trusted him most, who looked up to him like he was some kind of hero? He could not believe Jack would do something like that. It made no sense to him.
Jamie finally noticed the way everyone stared at him in horror. His eyes widened and he waved his hands frantically.
"Oh, no. That really came out wrong. I don't think he meant to do that!"
North firmly placed both hands on the teen's shoulders, bending down to look into his eyes.
"Tell us what happened."
Sophie raised her head from Bunny's chest, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
"D-does Jack hate us?"
The girl looked heartbroken. Bunny could not answer her. He wanted nothing more than to find the winter spirit, shake some answers out of him and drag him back here to fix the mess he made. He remembered the still raw pain the kid had caused him, their reconciliation eclipsed by Sophie's tears. Jack would have to learn to deal with people without hurting them, or Bunny would be damned if he let him anywhere near kids again. As guilty as he felt over the young Guardian's emotional scars, he could not let him hurt the ones they lived for. Their one job as Guardians was to protect the children.
"N-no! Soph, he doesn't hate us! He just... he's just scared."
That gave everyone a pause. The Guardians exchanged worried, confused looks. Sophie raised her head again to glance at her brother, her eyes wide and pleading. She wanted to believe him.
"Scared of what, Jamie?" Tooth asked softly.
"I... I don't know. I thought I was just imagining it, at first. But then Soph asked him for one of his snowflakes..."
Sophie shivered and huddled against Bunny, raising her distressed eyes to meet his.
"The snowflakes are usually fun. This one wasn't. It was scary."
This couldn't be good. North took a shocked step back, letting go of Jamie.
"Jack... he... he lost his center."
"But how?" Tooth asked in a breath. "What happened to him?"
North planted his gaze in Bunny's. He crossed his arms and stared down at him.
"Something happened between you, yes? What was it?"
"W-what? Wait, you think that this is my fault? Look, we had a little disagreement, but I don't think it would... I don't think..."
He wasn't sure what he thought. The boy had abandonment issues and Bunny had thrown him out in anger. Could it have affected him that much? Enough for him to lose sight of who he was, of what made him Jack Frost? Little Sophie was staring at him with eyes full of worry. He may have caused what happened to her and her brother. Bunny swallowed.
"What is it, Sandy?" North asked suddenly, turning to the short man tugging at his sleeve.
Two shapes appeared in the sand above Sandy's head. The first was a very familiar broken staff. The second, the equally familiar features of the Boogeyman. North scratched his beard.
"What? You think Pitch broke Jack's staff again?"
Jamie threw him a shocked stare. He hadn't been aware of what exactly happened in the spring, obviously. Bunny ignored him for now. He thought he knew what Sandy meant. And he felt awful at how relieved it made him. At how much he wished it was true. He did not want to be the one responsible for this.
"You think Pitch did something to Jack when he broke the staff?"
Sandy nodded.
"Fear has always been his weapon..." Tooth trailed off.
"Wait, Pitch... that's the Boogeyman, right? The one you guys fought that time... I remember now. Why was it all fuzzy before? More like a half-forgotten nightmare than a memory..."
Bunny's heart sank. He knew why Jamie had forgotten and why he remembered now. He was afraid of the Boogeyman once more. They had to find their frightened little winter spirit and fix this.
Jack would like to tell himself that he tried everything, but he knew it would be a lie. He made a half-hearted attempt at willing the darkness away from the staff. It had been more than a little pathetic. As Cupid had told him, his heart was full of fear. He could draw no strength from it. Fear could not fight the darkness. It only helped it spread.
The blizzard had been raging for over a day, now, and he was not even trying to stop it. He just sat there despondently, staring at the corrupted staff in anguish. He needed to leave, he knew. This storm was hardly subtle. He could not let the others find him. After what he had done to Jamie and Sophie, he couldn't let anyone near him again. He could not stand the thought of hurting someone else. The memory haunted him. Sophie's fear, Jamie's questions...He would go to Antarctica and spend the rest of his existence there, alone with the fear. This was the only thing he could do. Stay where he would hurt no one until the darkness consumed him. And then...
He swallowed hard. He had been turning this question in his head for the past day. What then? He was terrified of what he could potentially do, once the fear overcame him, once the darkness swallowed him. He could imagine himself lashing out at the world, spreading cold and desolation and terror. This must be what Pitch was aiming for, why he did this to him. His only comfort was that the Guardians would stop him. He wished they never saw what he could become, but if it came down to it, he wanted them to stop him.
Or maybe he should do something himself before it was too late. To make sure he could never harm anyone again...
"I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I am to see you like this, Jack."
The smooth, sinister voice caused a spike of fear and anger within him. He tried to only let the latter show as he turn to glare at the black-clad man.
"Pitch."
The Boogeyman bared his teeth in an ominous grin.
"Hello, Jack. How do you like my little gift?"
I thought this arc would only be three parts, but I'm taking forever to get to the end. I'm about halfway done, here.
On a totally unrelated note, I'm preparing to spend the week-end doing research and concept art for a personal project set in an apocalyptic setting and I can't help but wonder how the Guardians would survive an apocalypse. If nightmares were enough to shake the beliefs of children, I guess they wouldn't fare well. On the other hand, they would be needed more than ever. Just a thought and not one I'm planning to explore in this little drabble collection. If someone want write that, go right ahead.
