This is a prequel to Who I am. As in, the first chapter.

The workshop was as rowdy as usual, but there was a very different feel to it. Rather than the frantic attempts to get everything done on time, work had taken a backseat to the celebration of their victory. The whole place was filled with laughter and music, the jingles of bells, the sound of running and dancing and everyone trying to talk over one another. Various objects crashed to the ground, but no one cared. They came so close to not having a Christmas at all; they could deal with small setbacks.

Smells from the feast that laid on the large table North had installed by the Globe filled the room. Elves careened around the dishes, toys flew overhead, yetis played games to show off their skills. All in all, it looked like the perfect party and everyone was having a blast. There was no reason for this not to be the happiest time for the new Guardian of Fun. And maybe it was, but he certainly wasn't acting like it, despite the smile on his face.

Jack wasn't sure what was the matter, but, rather than flying around making a mess like he was most likely expected to, he just crouched on the back of his chair at the table, staring at everything without really being a part of it. That was something he was used to, not being a part of things. But, this time, if he joined in the fun, people would know. Normally he would have taken that opportunity to cause as much trouble as he could to make sure he was noticed and remembered, much like he had when he brought that blizzard on Easter Sunday, decades ago, but things were a little different, now. He had always been fine with people thinking he was a nuisance, as long as they acknowledged him. But these particular people had welcomed him here and he didn't want to wear out that welcome.

"Jack!" North boomed. "Don't just stay there; eat something."

Jack raised his eyes to where the large Guardian was stuffing baked potatoes into his mouth. North waved at the food on the table with an encouraging nod. Lounging in a chair next to Jack's and nibbling on a carrot, Bunny snorted.

"Is the food not good enough for you, Frosty?"

Jack didn't reply. He looked around at the other Guardians. Tooth had been fluttering over the dishes, grabbing fruits and bread and whatever else caught her interest in between giving orders to her fairies, but she stopped to give him a concerned glance, as if asking him why he was not joining in. Sandy sat on the table itself and raised his cup of eggnog to him in a toast. With a hesitant smile, Jack jumped down to perch on the armrest instead.

The table was filled with food, but Jack had no idea what he wanted. He rarely ate anything. He did not need it to survive and had no way easy way to acquire it. He was curious enough to taste food left ling on tables in restaurants, but that didn't really help him make his choice. He settled on a slice of apple pie, liking the smell and vaguely remembering liking apples as a human. He blew on the pie to cool it, picked a small piece of it with his fork and put it in his mouth.

A hazy memory of running through an apple orchard floated to the surface of his mind, but it was gone before he could make sense of it. He let it go. That life was over, had been over for three centuries. His most precious memories had been safely kept at the Tooth Palace; the other ones didn't really matter to him.

It was still a lot to take in. He once had a family. A sister. People who loved him. He hadn't been alone. It was likely a good thing he hadn't remembered before now. It would have made his loneliness so much harder to take. But now... now he wasn't alone anymore. That was even harder to wrap his mind around. He wasn't alone anymore. He had people. He was here because they wanted him to be. They wouldn't throw him out. He couldn't help the silly grin that split his face and he hid it by taking another bite from the pie.

Still, he couldn't help being worried. It was all too good to be true. He felt like, the moment he left, everything would just return to normal. That he would be expected to leave the other Guardians to deal with their very important jobs without having him bothering them. And he couldn't even cause troubles to get their attention. Else he would just disappoint them.

Jack's train of thought was rudely interrupted when Bunny grabbed one of his boomerang, hooked it around Jack's ankles and swept his feet from under him. With a startled cry, Jack fell sideway into the seat of the chair, accidentally kicking Bunny in the jaw and a lot less accidentally whacking him in the ribs with his staff when he decided he liked the pained noise the Pooka made. He hastily set his plate down on the table before the pie could fall off and glared at Bunny over his knees slung over the armrest.

"Oi, why did you do that?"

"Do you need me to teach you how to use a chair? This," he said, pointing to the seat, "is where you sit."

"Bunny!" Tooth said. "Let him do what he wants."

"Just trying to teach the kid some table manners."

Jack righted himself in his chair, making sure to kick Bunny again as he did.

"Oops."

Bunny glared. Jack smirked. That little distraction over, though, he found himself wiggling in his chair. It was so formal, sitting like that. He straightened his back, placed his arms on the armrests and shook his head. He felt like a fool trying to look important. He slouched instead. He shouldn't be sitting here, at this table. He may be a Guardian, but he felt out of place, being part of this group. He fidgeted, pulling on his sleeves nervously. The others were looking at him. He tried a smile.

"Look, Frostbite, you can get up if you hate the chair so much."

Jack took a slow breath. These were the people he had just defeated Pitch with. There was no reason he couldn't sit here and eat a piece of pie with them. He was one of them, now. One of them. He let that sink in and his smile turned a lot more real. Sitting in that chair still felt overly official for his tastes, but maybe that wasn't a bad thing. This was a start to his new life. He picked up his fork again, scooped up another piece of pie and looked back at everyone with a deliberately casual raised eyebrow.

"What are you all gawking at?"

He placed the food in his mouth and took the time to appreciate the taste, to appreciate the noise around him, the sights of the celebration, the smell of the feast. This was all real. He was here, a part of this, sitting at a table with the other Guardians. It wasn't a dream; it wouldn't all go away if he blinked.

This was his life, now, and just thinking of that made the silly smile return with a vengeance.