So, here's the deal. I have a handful of chapters that have been outlined for a while and I was feeling bad about abandoning them, so I'm going to try and write them. So there may still be a few more chapters. But I make no promises. This could still be the last one.
This takes place after Still Sinking In and Who I Am (so, very shortly after the movie)
The morning after Pitch's defeat was disorienting. Jack hadn't been prepared for the shock of waking up curled up on a thick carpet in North's workshop with confused memories of his life completely changing in ways he didn't quite understand yet. He didn't remember falling asleep here and would probably have chosen to return to his lake after the celebration so he could at least wake up in familiar surroundings, but he supposed he had been too exhausted, and not only physically. And this was a very comfortable carpet.
A yeti he recognized as Ben slept in a nearby armchair, but the room was otherwise deserted and the workshop was quieter than he ever remembered it being. Not that he had often been this far into the building, but during his recent visit, everything had been so busy he hadn't been able to take everything in. Now, though, he barely heard a sound.
Jack got up from the floor and flew out of the room quietly, not wanting to wake Ben. He couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't really belong here. That he would be thrown out if someone saw him. The celebration was over and he had no real reason to be here anymore. He looked for a window he could sneak out of, to return to his lake. He could think about all of this once he was there. He may have come to term with the fact that he was now a Guardian, but that still left him with a very important question. What now?
He reached the familiar hallway surrounded by small storage rooms through which he had sneaked in many time before and he opened the first door he found. It was just like he remembered it: unlit, with crates and various supplies sometime covered by sheets and a window on the opposite wall. It felt a bit odd to be using it to leave rather than enter, but life had turned a bit odd, lately.
He never made it to the window, however. A big furry arm wrapped itself around his midriff and he soon found himself thrown over Phil's shoulder. He struggled to free himself through sheer habit before realizing how absurd the situation was.
"Phil, I was leaving! You don't need to throw me out." He sighed when they reached the main hallway that would take them to the front entrance. "Fine. I see you're a stickler for traditions."
But Phil didn't stick to traditions. Instead of turning right, towards the exit, he turned left, heading deeper into the complex. The yeti must have noticed how surprised Jack was, because he took pity on him and told him what was going on. North wanted to see him. Jack took in a sharp breath. He dreaded a talk with North about serious things like his new role as one of the Guardian, but at the same time, he needed the uncertainty to stop. He needed someone to tell him what would become of him now.
He gripped the yeti's fur a bit tighter than normal in their trip to North's office, but Phil didn't protest. He barely looked around during the trip and before he knew it Phil was knocking on the door where the Guardian of Wonder worked. When North shouted at him to enter, Phil opened the door and put Jack down just inside before closing it again and leaving the two Guardians alone. Jack made a show of straightening his clothes to hide his nervousness.
"Jack!" North shouted, turning from the ice he was carving. "Good morning. Had nice sleep on carpet?"
"Oh, er, yeah. Nice sleep. Thanks for, uh, letting me stay."
"You're always welcome here, Jack Frost. You are one of us."
Jack looked down, a little overwhelmed. "Are the others gone?"
"Yes. Returned home. There's much to do, to recover from what Pitch did."
"And... what am I supposed to do?"
North wrapped a big arm around Jack's bony shoulders and lead him to the desk. "The same thing you've always done. Bring joy to children. Guardian oath is just formality. The work of a Guardian? You were already doing that."
"I... I was?" A hesitant smile found it's way to Jack's lips. "I was."
"Yes! And that's not why I asked you to come here. There is important business that must be taken care off right now."
Jack's brow creased. "Is it about Pitch? Or about the children?"
"Is about one child."
"Is it Jamie?"
"No, not Jamie." North lifted a hand and pressed one finger on Jack's chest he much the same way the Spirit of Winter had done with his first believer when they parted. "Is about you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"What you did? Jack Frost, you saved the children! And us, too. And for that," North pulled a large, ornate scroll from a drawer of his desk, "I am putting your name on Nice list."
"I–you're what?"
"The Nice list, Jack! I said I wiped the slate clean, so what you did next would decide if you would be Naughty or Nice, this year. It wasn't hard decision."
And with that, North unrolled the scroll and picked up a pen. He scrawled Jack's name at the end of the list with a flourish. Jack shook his head with a bemused smile.
"So I'm a good kid, now?"
"Hah! You were always good kid; just troublesome."
Jack ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure how he felt about the situation. From the corner of his eyes, he could see another scroll resting at the bottom of the still open drawer. He bit his lip, hesitated, then plastered a casual smiled on his face.
"Well, that's nice, but you still owe me 300 years worth of coal for all my time on the naughty list."
"Coal? What would you even do with that much coal?"
"Oh, I'm sure I can figure out something."
North must not have thought that whatever Jack Frost planned to do with 300 pieces of coal was likely to be innocent, because he waggled a finger in front of the new Guardian's nose.
"Now, you be careful, Jack. I wouldn't want to have to cross your name off Nice list already."
Jack smiled. "Don't worry. I'll try to stay off the Naughty list."
"Hah!" North slapped him on the back. "Good!"
"At least until Christmas," Jack added.
I'd just like to say a really big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. It really meant a lot to me. I'd try to say something deep and meaningful here, but I should have been in bed six hours ago.
