7. The Calm Before the Storm

The winds were getting restless. Their companion had been forcefully taken from them, and even they didn't quite know where their frost child was. But they were Baby Tooth's best lead, especially combined with her own instincts. Queen Toothiana had dispatched a group of fairies to look for Jack, who had been taken by some men in funny suits. Baby Tooth had insisted to be a part of the search party, and her queen had of course said yes. The queen herself had taken to the field as well.

They had started from Chicago, where Jack had been attacked. From there they had scattered, systematically searching. Now Baby Tooth was as alone as she could be, considering she could always sense her sisters and her queen wherever she went. She could also almost sense her Jack-boy as well. Her Jack, who had protected her when she had been alone in the claws of that monstrous Pitch Black. Her Jack, who had given her her nickname. Her Jack, with whom she had spent enough time to know exactly how his presence felt like. Now it was her Jack-boy who needed her help. And Baby Tooth would find him.

Baby Tooth couldn't quite communicate with the wind, not like Jack could. But she could read its worry from the way it swayed her when she battled through the air with her tiny wings. The winds had followed Jack's captors to a secret place, a place so secret even the winds could barely get into. Then they had lost him. Jack had to be indoors somewhere. Somewhere with very little points of entry for anyone larger than a small bird.

It was three days after Jack's disappearance when Baby Tooth found him. She could feel the chill that wasn't a sinister kind of chill emanating weakly from a fortress of a building hidden in wilderness. It indeed had very few points of entry that weren't guarded. Even the air vents had very thick gratings on them. But a tooth fairy could enter any place if she just wanted. And Baby Tooth definitely wanted. She needed to see if her Jack-boy was all right.

Jack had almost fallen asleep. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been in the cell. A few days, maybe. The air felt too thick to breathe properly, and the burning hollowness in his chest had gotten worse. Fury had visited him a few more times, but Jack didn't really know what more he should say to the man. He had tried his best convincing the man that he and his companions just needed to be left alone. The man hadn't believed him, no matter how many times he tried to explain it. Thankfully, Fury hadn't resorted to using the floor again. In fact, Jack was fairly sure Fury wasn't inherently a bad person. He was just very dedicated to his job. Too bad said job required him to know about things that could threaten people. And people were always threatened by something they didn't know. North had been right; adults seeing them definitely wasn't good.

Jack was brought back to awareness when he heard a very familiar chirp. He immediately looked for the source, and saw a small colourful form floating right behind his cell.

"Baby Tooth?" Jack asked quietly. The agent guarding him looked at him questioningly, and Jack decided it was best to not bring the man's attention to Baby Tooth. The man might not see the fairy, but it was better to be cautious. Jack slowly rose to his hands and knees and crawled to where his food was deposited. He hadn't touched his food yet, but now the needlessly complicated system it was brought in with would be of some use. He motioned silently for Baby Tooth to come closer, and the little fairy quickly found a gap in the system she could easily squeeze through. Once the tiny fairy was in the cell, she immediately rushed to cling to the front of Jack's frosted hoodie. Jack pressed his hands to his chest, around her small body, and crawled back to his old spot and rolled onto his side so that his back was turned to the guard.

"You have no idea how glad I'm to see you," he whispered, clutching Baby Tooth to his chest.

Baby Tooth chirped in response.

"Can you tell the others I'm all right?" Jack asked, "And let them know where I am?"

Baby Tooth nodded, giving Jack a look which Jack assumed meant: "What did you think I came here for? We've all been worried sick about you and we need to get you home." Or something along those lines.

"You're awesome, you know that?" Jack said and grinned at the little fairy.

Baby Tooth nodded proudly and then looked around as if searching for a way to get Jack out of the cell. She zipped over to look at the machines on the other side and pointed at them questioningly. Jack just shrugged, not really knowing what to say or do. He had been thinking of finding a more peaceful route out, but on the other hand, the Guardians were already looking for him...

Baby Tooth squeaked when the guard knocked against the cell's wall.
"Hey, kid? What are you doing there?"

Jack looked at Baby Tooth. The little fairy was a fierce fighter, but if the cameras around them spotted her, she would definitely be overwhelmed and caught. Jack couldn't let that happen.
"Go," he whispered.

Baby Tooth cast a hateful glare at the guard and then looked sadly at Jack.
"I'll be fine," Jack mumbled almost inaudibly, "Now go."

"What did you just say?" the guard demanded, "And who're you talking to?"

Baby Tooth slipped out of the cell and disappeared somewhere into the tiny gaps and routes only someone small like her could find. Jack rolled over to face the guard.
"I was talking to you," he said to the agent, "But I doubt you want me to repeat what I said."

The guard rolled his eyes.
"Goddamn teenagers these days..."

"Anything new?"

Fury looked at Stark, who was sprawled on a couch in their small meeting room. Fury had called for a meeting as soon as Stark had come back in from his latest scouting trip. Hill and Barton had been quick to answer the call, and Rogers had been just a few moments late, looking like he had spent the last few hours punching trees outside. Fury reminded himself to get Rogers some new punching bags if he planned to keep the Avengers in the building for much longer.

"Nothing," Stark answered Fury's question, "Nothing out of the ordinary at least. How much longer are you planning to go on like this? I have other things to do than chasing ghosts, you know."

"That's why I called you here," Fury said, "These Guardians haven't shown themselves for three days. I've gotten a hold on Banner, and he agreed to come here."

"Banner?" Stark echoed, "Which one do you think we'll need? The scientist or the Jolly Green Giant?"

Fury didn't answer. Instead, he went on:
"I've also tried to contact Thor. If these Guardians really are spirits, we need someone who is more like them."

"You think Thor knows something?" Rogers asked.

"It is possible," Fury admitted, "We've been trying to get him here since yesterday. He should be on his way soon enough."

"And in the meantime?" Stark asked, "Has the Frost-kid said anything?"

"Nothing new," Fury said, "Unless you're interested in his age. He claimed to be three hundred and pushing."

There was a moment of silence.

"That's a lot," Barton said finally.

"And he is supposed to be the youngest of their group," Fury added, "If what he says is true, then whatever it is we're dealing with has been around for a long time. That's especially why I want Thor to take a look at him."

The group agreed in silence. Without the God of Thunder, it was very likely they would quickly hit a dead end with this, especially if the other Guardians weren't planning to show up any time soon.

Stark looked at his knees thoughtfully, crossing his arms over the blue glow of the arc reactor that shone through his shirt.
"Well, while we wait for old thunderstorm to show up, we could send Steve to see the kid."

Rogers' eyes widened.
"What? Why?"

"Well, the kid seemed to know you and didn't hate you. If he's not talking to Fury, he might say something to the nice guy."

Fury thought about it. He looked at Rogers, who admittedly was the only one in the whole facility who could be considered "a genuinely nice guy". And Rogers clearly wanted to talk to Frost as well. Maybe this really was a time when it was Fury's turn to leave the questioning to someone else.
"That is not a bad idea," he said, "Well, Rogers?"

Stark folded his hands behind his head, looking rather pleased of himself. Rogers shrugged his shoulders, only barely hiding a smile.

"Well, all right. It's worth a shot."

Fury had told the agent guarding Frost's cell to leave. Steve was surprised at this. Then again, it was unlikely Frost would try getting out while being in the presence of a super soldier. And Steve knew the others would be watching them through the cameras. Cameras that couldn't really see the boy. All in all, Fury put an awfully lot of trust in Steve at the moment. Then again, Steve was the nice guy. He could admit so much himself.

Frost was lying on his back on the floor of the cell, tracing pictures into the air with his finger. He looked up when Steve entered, putting his hand down and sitting up.

"Hi?" the boy greeted questioningly.

Frost sounded tired. He didn't look all that well either. The dark circles around the boy's eyes had become darker still. Not to mention how thin the child was. Steve remembered catching him in Chicago. The boy had been as light as a sheet of copy paper, and just as pale as well. Steve noticed a plateful of untouched food in the corner of the cell.

"Aren't you going to eat that?" he asked, pointing at the food.

Frost glanced at the food and pulled his knees to his chest.

"I don't need it," he said quietly.

"You look like you need it to me."

Frost smirked.
"Trust me, I don't. What are you doing here? Mr. Eye-Patch decided to send in the good cop?"

Steve chuckled.
"Well, I guess you could say that."

The boy crossed his arms.
"I've already told Fury all he needs to know about us. I don't know what more he wants."

"I think he just wants to know what to think about you," Steve said, "These people need to keep count of all powerful things they need to fight. Or that could fight for them."

"I was kind of hoping I would be let out if I just behaved nicely. But you're saying the only way to convince him we shouldn't be hunted down is to work for him?" Frost shook his head, "Not going to happen."

"It's not so bad," Steve said, "Working for him, I mean."

"That's not really the point."

Steve waited for Frost to say something more, but the boy was quiet. Steve wasn't sure where he should go next with the conversation. He needed something to get the kid to talk. Something Fury hadn't thought about. Then he remembered the thing he'd been curious about.

"Hey, you know what... um," he hesitated, "Let's forget about that for a moment. Can you tell me instead where you've seen me before?"

Frost stood up, stepping on the tiles of his cell floor and avoiding the seams. Steve wasn't sure if it was because the seams would conduct the most heat if someone decided to switch the floor on or just because the boy was superstitious. Or maybe it was just a game. Frost skipped over to the glass wall and gave Steve a mischievous grin.

"I don't feel like telling you right away," the kid said, "Not without getting some answers of my own."

Steve stared at the kid.
"I don't think that's how interrogations work."

"Well, think of it as a game then. You look like you might agree to play one."

"You like games?" Steve guessed, deciding to humour the strange kid for the moment.

"I love games," Frost said.

"Do you have a favourite game?" Steve asked.

The boy looked at Steve very seriously.
"Hopscotch."

"Really?" Steve raised a brow, "I never would have guessed. I didn't find it very fun when I was little."

"It isn't, really. But you never said anything about fun, did you?"

"I... I see," Steve was at a loss as to what he was supposed to say. So he did what he figured was best if he wanted to get any answers from the kid, "Okay, fine you can ask me something if you want."

Frost grinned again, hopping a couple of light steps backwards.

"Where is my staff?"

Steve frowned. The boy probably meant the stick he had carried with him in Chicago. Tony had found it, hadn't he? But then...
"I don't think Fury wants me to say anything about that," Steve admitted.

"Yeah, I know," Frost said, "I tried to ask him, but he didn't say anything. Can you at least tell me if one of you got it?"

Steve could see it was important for the kid. The kid looked at him almost pleadingly, all the previous cheerfulness gone. It was not like the kid could get it now. To be fair, Steve didn't even know where the child's weapon had been placed after Fury had taken it from Tony.

"It's safe," Steve finally said.

Frost let out a sigh of relief. He really seemed attached to that old stick.

"Now will you answer my question?" Steve asked, "And I hope the answer isn't just 'on TV'."

"I don't watch TV that often," Frost said, "So no. But I've heard the news. You're Steve Rogers. Captain America. You crashed into the Arctic in the Forties."

Steve nodded slowly. He hadn't exactly expected the kid to bring up Steve's time as a human icicle above everything else. Then again, this kid was, as Tony had said, "a freezer with legs". Frost looked a bit apologetic, almost embarrassed. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and went on with his tale in a quiet voice:

"I was in the area back then. I saw you crash. By the time I actually got there, you were half frozen. I was sure you were dead. I stayed there for hours, though, just in case you were still alive and I figured it would be nice if you didn't have to die alone. Boy do I feel stupid now knowing I could have used that time to figure out some way to actually help. Sorry about that."

Frost fell silent and seemed to find the floor extremely interesting. Steve didn't know what to say. The silence grew uncomfortable. Steve knew he had to break it.

"That was around seventy years ago," he managed to say.

Frost laughed.
"Didn't Fury tell you what I said about my age?"

Yes, Fury had told them. Three hundred and something. It should have been hard to believe, but Steve had worked with the God of Thunder just last year. However, Frost looked and acted like a kid. Maybe the kid was lying, maybe he wasn't. In any case, Steve could only nod in response.

"I survived because of the super soldier serum," he said, "You know about that too?"

"I keep up with the news when I feel like it," Frost said, "But I'm usually not that interested in war."
He looked at Steve critically.
"You do realize that I'm not telling you these things just to mess with you, right?"

"I do," Steve said, "Why are you telling me so much?"

"Because you seem like a nice guy."

Steve smiled. It was that obvious to everyone, huh?

"A lot of people say that," he said.

"You're probably the most likely person here to believe me and actually understand," Frost started pacing in the small space, "And that Fury-guy probably listens to you at least better than he listens to me. Someone needs to convince these people that the Guardians need to be left alone. We don't want to fight you, but we won't join you either. That's not what we're here for."

"Then what are you here for?" Steve asked.

Frost stopped pacing, looking at Steve again with that very serious expression.

"We're here to protect kids and childhood. Yes, sometimes we may have to fight to do that, but mostly we just make sure kids have plenty of wonder, hope, dreams, and all that good stuff in their lives."

Steve leaned against the glass wall of the cell. The wall wasn't quite freezing, but it was cooler than normal.

"A lot of people might say that those things won't matter if you're dead," he pointed out, "That stopping people from dying is the really important thing."

"It is important," Frost said quietly, "Trust me, we do our best to protect people's lives too. But with the things we stand for, actually living those lives is much... nicer, don't you think?"

Frost took a step back, looking so much like the children he had just said he protected.

"I don't like being here," he said miserably, "And the kids will get upset if I'm not out there spreading fun."

The doors behind Steve slid open, and Steve took it as a sign that Fury had deemed the conversation too friendly. Maybe the man had suddenly started thinking Steve might just punch Frost's cell apart out of sympathy. To be fair, Steve almost did want to do that. But he still let the guard usher him out.

"Hey, Frost," he said before he left, "I think I might understand you."

Frost smiled at him.
"Thanks. And you can call me Jack if you want."

Steve would try to have a talk with Fury. Although he doubted he would change the man's mind about anything.

Bruce Banner had to admit that he hadn't really expected he would be needed again so soon when he had agreed to work with the Avengers. Sure, he might have been slightly more okay with the idea of turning into a giant green rage monster than he had been before – as long as it was for the common good – but he still preferred a bit more normalcy. As much normalcy as someone like him could get, that is. So when Fury had called him about a new, apparently invisible group of people who had superhuman powers, Bruce wasn't all that thrilled. The reports Fury had given him had described some very odd events, but Bruce wasn't going to start doubting them. He was a freak as well. Why wouldn't there be more of them on this Earth? It was almost a comforting thought.

When the jet that had been conveniently arranged to pick Bruce up touched American soil, there was already a transport with a S.H.I.E.L.D.-agent in it waiting for him. Now said transport – an inconspicuous but most likely very well reinforced dark grey car – was driving him towards an unknown destination. The radio was open, and the music was fairly relaxing with a merry yet steady beat. Bruce leaned his forehead against the window frame and watched the trees that blurred into lines. The clouds were darkening in the horizon, but otherwise it was a nice day. Bruce could almost forget that he was being driven towards a place where the Other Guy could be needed.

The agent driving the car made a quick call to someone. Bruce guessed it was to Fury. That man really wanted to stay aware of everything that was happening. It must have been a very tiring job, at least it would be for Bruce. Definitely not a job for him. He would just stick to his research and helping people and, occasionally, turning into the Other Guy if it was really necessary.

"So I understand things have been a bit freaky around here?" Bruce asked lightly when the agent finished the call.

The agent shrugged.
"Maybe. I'm actually mostly here to drive things. I don't know much about what's going on."

"I suppose you're lucky, then," Bruce said.

"I guess so," the driver said, "From what I have heard, it's kind of a mess around here."

Bruce forced a smile on his face.
"Well, I guess we'll find out about that soon enough."

Toothiana burst into North's workshop with heart attack-inducing abruptness for the second time that week. This time North was in the workshop's huge globe room along with Bunnymund, both gathered around a bunch of papers and one of North's half-magical computers. They spun around in the blink of an eye when Toothiana zipped to a stop next to them.

"I know where Jack is!" she chirped excitedly, "Baby Tooth found him!"

"Excellent work!" North boomed, "Your fairies have been extra helpful!"

Baby Tooth puffed her tiny chest out with pride.

"Great," Bunnymund said, "Now we can get 'im back. We'll confront these guys on our terms."

"Exactly," North put in, "These 'Avengers' are the greatest threat. We need to convince them to give us back our boy. Is a good start, but I believe this man is the one with most power over it in the end."

North held up one of his papers for Toothiana to see. She quickly recognized the bald man with an eye-patch who glared back at her from a black and white photograph.

"Nicholas Fury," Toothiana stated, "He's going to be difficult to convince to leave us be."

"We know," Bunnymund sighed, "But now that we know where Snowflake is being held, we can make sure we get these Avengers away from there for as long as it takes to talk some sense to this Fury."

"Does Sandy know about this yet?" Toothiana asked, "He's on the field, right?"

"He is," North said, "And he doesn't know yet. He should be here soon."

North went back to his papers as they waited for their eldest member to arrive. Bunnymund looked occasionally over North's shoulder and gave a comment or a suggestion for their plan of action. Toothiana fluttered close to them, sending her helpers on their tooth-retrieving duties when she had to. She was feeling very restless, and she was finally the one to voice what was probably on everyone's mind:

"If these people won't listen to us, we will have to fight them."

The grim looks on the others' faces told Toothiana that they all indeed knew it. The Guardians had never waged direct war with mortals. They had influenced battles throughout history, and they had fought nightmarish monsters and of course confronted Pitch several times. But now these people, these agents, had discovered them out of trust in technology and paranoia. It was very likely that the Guardians would have to fight them. They didn't like it, but if it was to protect their own, they were all prepared for it.

Author's Note: For some reason I feel like this chapter is very similar to the previous one. Or maybe I've just been reading it too many times. Whatever, it had to be done to establish things so I can begin the real action in the next chapter. To make up for this a bit uneventful chapter I promise to post the next chapter quickly. I shouldn't give times but maybe tomorrow evening/night (GMT +2 time, that is)? Unless I decide to edit it even more. I do try to keep quality (what little I can manage at least) over speed as my policy when writing stuff.

I hope the fact that I don't like Steve that much didn't influence my writing negatively when doing his POV...

Also, I got soooo many reviews! I really didn't expect this much support for this. Thank you thank you all!