You guys came really close to not getting a chapter either today or yesterday. My old computer that I had been trying to keep alive for weeks finally died, right after I posted the previous chapter. I don't think I would have had the motivation to rewrite it if I had lost it. Can you believe that the first thing I thought about was that I wouldn't be able to post a chapter today? There's no way I'm paying to have that old thing repaired, so I braved the freezing cold Canadian winter and went downtown, bought a new one and dragged it back home (literally, it got really heavy after a while. It's not a laptop). Since I'm not really one to procrastinate for things like that (I procrastinate on a lot of things, but not having a working computer) I was reading your wonderful reviews two hours after my old computer crashed. So you get a chapter today.

This comes after Recovery.


Jack opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of his room at the Pole. He sighed. He had been here for a while, now, and he was getting sick of waking up to that same ceiling everyday. He wasn't used to that. Jack Frost was a free spirit and he needed to roam the world.

"Jack, boy, how are you feeling?" North boomed from next to the bed.

The Guardian of Wonder was the only other in the room. Tooth and Sandy, he remembered, had needed to return to their duties as Guardians. They had stayed as long as he had been fighting the darkness in his mind, but now all he needed was rest. He had slept little in the last few months and the past days had been spent struggling even when in his dreams. The darkness was gone now, but his body still needed to recover. The two Guardians needed to go, but they promised to visit often. Sandy would return every night to give him sweet dreams.

"I'm better."

He wondered where Bunny was. He had still been there when he fell asleep. He tried not to be disappointed. Surely the Pooka had better things to do than watch over a sleeping kid. Jack didn't exactly need them now. North must have been able to see what he was thinking, because he answered his silent question.

"Bunny will be back soon. He had to make small trip to Warrens to see to things there and he wanted to stop by Burgess."

"Burgess? Why Burgess?"

"To fill in Jamie and Sophie, of course. They must have wondered."

Jack gave the other Guardian a taunt smile. Of course they must have wondered. Who wouldn't wonder why a man who had sworn to protect children would attack them? They had considered him a friend. He hid his hands under the covers so North wouldn't see them shake, while his brain tried to come up with some sort of casual answer. He didn't need to, as a hesitant knock on the door saved him from having to say anything.

"Just a moment," North told him, getting up.

The visitor turned out to be a yeti waving some toy that Jack could not really see from where he was. He and North had a small argument over whether or not it needed glitter before the yeti left, grumbling, and the Guardian took his place on back on the chair. He grabbed a platter of cookies on the nightstand and offered them to Jack with a smile.

"Cookies? I brought you milk, too."

Jack smiled back a little shakily and pushed himself on one elbow, attempting to sit. North quickly stood to help him, pulling him up and adjusting the pillows so he could lean back on them. He set the plate in Jack's lap before sitting back down. The winter spirit had barely put one of them in his mouth that a new knock on the door disturbed them. With a sigh and an apologetic smile, North stood again.

Jack did not really know what the issue was this time, but what he did know was that he was keeping North here when he was obviously needed elsewhere. Christmas was getting nearer and North had needed to leave the workshop to find him, drag him back here and nurse him back to health. And he was still willing to keep him company, no matter how busy he was. He bit his lip nervously as North came back, looking troubled.

"You... you should go help them. It's a busy time. They need you."

"Nonsense! They can handle things. You need me."

Jack gave him the most convincing reassuring smile he could manage.

"I'm fine. I can handle being alone. You don't need to stay."

"Jack, I'm not leaving you—"

"North. I'll feel better knowing I'm not making you waste your time this close to Christmas. Really. I'll shout if I need something. There plenty of elves and yetis around, someone should hear."

North frowned and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"You are never waste of time, Jack. But if it make you feel better, I'll go. For now. Bunny should be back soon."

Jack smiled in relief when North left. He had caused the others enough troubles already, he did not need to keep them from doing their work now. He finished the cookies in silence, the Wind his only company. He placed the plate back on the nightstand before fumbling with the glass of milk. His movements were still awkward due to the exhaustion and he spilled quite a bit on himself, but he managed to drain the glass. He settled back on his pillows, watching the ceiling.

He knew that the fear clawing at his mind this time was all his own. Bunny's visit to Burgess had him worried. How would the kids react? He could still see the scene on that Halloween evening replaying in his eyes if he closed his eyes. He tried not to close his eyes, even when he started to be sleepy again. He had slept enough lately, he decided.

He was getting sore and restless from spending so much time in bed. He wanted to get up and walk around a little, but he knew he would need help if he did not want to end up sprawled on the floor. North wouldn't trust him to stay alone if he found him like that. He would ask someone later.

"Jack, boy, are you busy?" North shouted, shoving the door open.

Jack threw him a disbelieving stare. How busy did he look? He shook his head, wondering what this was about. North proudly held up a colorful book showing a girl in a sparkly dress with an equally sparkly pony. Jack frowned, worried that the snow blowing in from the open window would damage it.

"I need your help to test this. It is new book, made so it doesn't get damaged in bad weather, so children can read outside. Like snow, here. This is perfect place to try."

Jack let one of his increasingly rare real smile grace his lips. He did not doubt that North could have just thrown the thing in a bucket of water. He likely had, actually. But he played his game and nodded solemnly.

"I'd be happy to help, North."

The Guardian of Wonder smiled brightly and handed the book out to him. Jack hugged it to his chest gratefully, the smile not leaving his lips. North winked and ruffled his hair before leaving again. Jack opened the book and gazed at the first page, glad to have something lighthearted to distract him.

But after a few minutes spent staring at that first page, re-reading the same line again and again, he realized that it was not enough. His worries over the situation in Burgess made it hard to focus on the book in his hands and his tired eyes were not making this any easier. With a sigh, he put the open book face down on his chest and stared at the ceiling some more.

"Why are you looking so down, Frostbite?"

Jack's mood brightened at the familiar voice. Bunny stood in the doorway, a basket in his hand.

"Bunny!" he said, smiling at the Guardian of Hope.

Bunny closed the door behind him to avoid letting too much warmth in, shivering as he walked to the bed. He set his basket down on the empty plate of cookies, sitting in the chair North had vacated.

"I brought you chocolates."

"Thanks, Bunny."

His good mood faded somewhat when he remembered what Bunny had been doing while he was away. He bit his lip nervously, hesitant to ask but to curious not to.

"What... what did they say?"

"They said they're glad you're recovering. They're happy you're safe."

"They're... not angry? They're not... afraid I could hurt them again?"

"No, Snowflake. Sophie was worried you hated her, before she learned what happened. Now she's just happy she was wrong. Jamie never believed you meant to hurt them. A good friend you have there. You should go see them, when you're better."

Jack let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding as a weight lifted off his chest. He had not ruined everything with the kids, after all. He would visit, as soon as he could. He would go apologize to them. They deserved that.

A much more physical weight was lifted of his chest a moment later as Bunny picked up the book he had forgotten all about. In his still weakened state, he was not fast enough to snatch it away before the Pooka had a chance to take a good look.

"The Princess and the Magic Pony? Really? You got strange tastes in literature there."

Jack wished he could have disappeared. He almost lifted the covers up over his head to hide his embarrassment.

"I-it's just light reading, alright? It passes time."

"Then why weren't you reading it?"

"I... my eyes were tired."

It wasn't really a lie. His eyes really were tired, making it hard to read even the large prints on the book. Bunny slowly flipped the pages, starting from the end. Jack had to keep himself from telling him that he shouldn't look at the end first. He tried to act like he did not care, like he was not utterly embarrassed by this. Bunny cleared his throat.

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of—"

"Alright, alright, you don't have to mock me."

"I'm not mocking you, Snowflakes. I'm reading you a bedtime story. Now stop talking."

Bunny started over, reading the magical tale of the princess in her magical land, with her magical pony, without ever letting a hint of mockery enter his voice. Jack stared for a moment before a large grin stretched his lips. He settled more comfortably on his pillow, grabbed a handful of chocolates and listened as the Easter Bunny read. He could not remember anyone ever reading him a bedtime story.


Next chapter should have Jack returning to Burgess to see the kids. After that, I'm pretty much done with this arc.