This is a sequel to A Fateful Gift and the Insidious Fear arc. It takes place at some point between Once Upon A Time and Waiting For Winter (which are the two "epilogue" chapters of that arc).


North couldn't help it if he had been curious. The information was right here, at the Pole, so how could he not look? He kept careful records of every child he ever made a present for. It was just a matter of figuring out which one of those children was Jack. Then, he could get an idea of who the new Guardian used to be. He had not expected to be so horrified by what he would learn.

He had given the boy a pair of ice skates on two occasions. The first time, when he had been quite young and wanted to go skate with the other children on a small, frozen lake nearby. The second time, the boy had been older, but still a child at heart. He had received a letter in the awkward hand of one not used to writing, thanking him for the wonderful gift he had given him many years ago and telling him of how they should fit his little sister the next winter and he would very much like to bring her skate on the lake like he promised her long ago as soon as the small lake froze.

He had been quite eager to give the boy what he wanted and let him skate with his sister. He remembered, now, how he imagined the two children waiting impatiently for the water to freeze, the joy when they finally got to pull on their skates and get on the ice. But they may have been too impatient. His records indicated that the boy had died before the next Christmas. And now, he knew how.

Jack had told him, when he had just become a Guardian, that he died saving his sister when they went to skate on thin ice. Did he remember where his skates came from? The boy's memories of his former life were a little patchy. He might have forgotten. North could not even begin to figure out how to apologize for that. He should have waited a year. He should have known the children would be too eager. If he had received his skates only on the next Christmas, Jack could not have taken his sister skating before the lake was properly frozen. He should have known better.

For years, he tried to broach the subject with Jack, to apologize for the mistake that had caused the boy's death, but he could never bring himself to. With the boy warming up to them, he was afraid to shatter that still-new trust between them. He felt like a coward, but he simply could not announce to the Jack that not only had he ignored him for the past three centuries, but he was responsible for his situation in the first place.

When he finally did tell him, it was at the worst possible time. Right after that mess when Jack's staff had been infected with fear and the boy had been convinced they hated him.

"Here, I mended your clothes best I could. But it might be time to consider new ones. Those are threadbare, falling apart."

"Thanks, North," Jack said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Really."

"Ah, it is nothing. Just a few stitches," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

Jack inspected the repairs, testing the strength of the stitches, before smiling and pulling his pants back on. He stood, shrugging off the oversized shirt he had been wearing during his convalescence to exchange it for his blue hoodie. It felt good to see Jack looking stronger and seeing him back in his usual outfit helped a lot. It was as if life was back to normal. The Spirit of Winter looked back at him with a grateful smile.

"I meant thanks for everything. For not giving up on me. For helping when I didn't want help. For believing in me."

"Jack, of course we believed in you," he said, placing a large hand on the other Guardian's bony shoulder. "We won't ever give up on you. You are family."

"We're family. And I attacked you."

"Because of Pitch! Jack, do you think we blame you? How can we be mad for you not trusting us, after we abandoned you for so long?"

"North, I was willing to kill you!"

"And I did kill you!"

The words were out before he could think better of it. He just couldn't stand to listen to Jack blame himself for what happened. The young Guardian stared at him, baffled.

"North. I drowned. You didn't kill me, I managed that all by myself."

North sighed and squeezed Jack's shoulder. He just hoped that he could forgive him for failing in his duty as a Guardian. For causing the death of a child who had believed in him. He hope Jack could still trust him.

"The skates, Jack. They were gift. Christmas gift. From me."

"I know that—oh. You can't be serious. You think you killed me because you gave me skates?"

"I knew you wanted to skate as soon as lake was frozen. I should have waited next Christmas. Ice would have been thicker on Christmas. I should have known better."

"No, I should have known better. I was careless. I put my own sister in danger. The least I could do was get her out of it."

"I am Guardian. I should protect children."

"You can't protect them from their own stupidity," Jack snapped at him before calming. He sighed. "Look, North. I'm dead. So what? Things aren't so bad. Actually, they're pretty good right now."

"Jack..."

"Why do you believe it would have been better if I didn't die? I'd be dead anyway, by now. From what I remember of those times, adults were too busy working to have fun and didn't live very long. I mean, sure it was lonely for three centuries, but that's over. And now is great."

Jack gave him such a sincere smile that it broke North's heart. As much as he had felt guilty before, now he was almost glad he gave him these skates. Otherwise, they would not have the mischievous spirit as part of their little family. And that would be a great shame.


So, of course after writing A Fateful Gift, I had to do a sequel. Sorry it took that long. I could not figure out how I wanted to do it. I ended up just deciding to write it anyway and see how it'd go. Not sure how good it is. I should be in bed by now. I was only suppose to update in the week-ends. Ah, well.