Okay, guys, I have pretty much accepted and come to terms with my unhealthy obsession for this story. It's becoming almost as addicting as coffee, at this point, all because of the reviews. Reviews are a drug for me. FEED IT.
And now to those reviews.
sassysaw- Why, thank you.
KikaKatTIOI- Well, Jack is a very laid-back, go with the flow kind of guy. (Who am I kidding, he's wild and reckless, yet sweet. I thought it to be his personality.) As for Mary and Cody, Mary doesn't really come across as a hugger (though neither does Willow, yet you see how that turned out), and Cody just seems flat-out too shy. They're getting there, though
Fluffythorne- The Insanity bit will be revealed in the next few chapters, though it is hinted at here. No, she does not know Pitch, and for the last question, see the footnote of chapter 3.
FFC3- Though you told me to just ignore it before, you bring up a good point with the age thing. I reasoned 324 years, because the movie said the Moon hadn't spoken to him in three hundred years, implying it had been exactly three hundred years since he was brought back to life, not three hundred years since he was born. I went with the director and placed him at seventeen, and my story is placed eight years after the movie, logically placing Jack at 324 years old. Does this ease your confusion?
Lokirka- Yes, PRIZE ACCEPTED! I am your favorite OTP?! *gasp*…actually, I don't know what OTP means, I've only been posting online a little over six-seven months, and I've seen the abbreviation before, but I could never figure out what it meant. Halp?(before I go sit in the corner to think about what I've done?)
MoonGirl1155- Well, here's another one of those updates. I honestly have no idea what's gotten into me, I've NEVER been THIS obsessed with a fic. Y'all should all be proud of me, I'm doing this for you(my lovely reviewers).
Jack had brought Willow home late into the night, per her request. She was trying to wait out her mother until she fell asleep, so that she could slip inside without repercussions. She entered her bedroom window, the house silent, the sounds of her own steady breathing quickly joining the sounds of the night.
The Winter Spirit was now sitting in the center oak tree, not wanting to stay in the once closest to her window, and he could no longer see the window from the farthest one, leaving him with the one he was currently stationed in. His feet swung aimlessly from the branch as he recollected upon their time at the pond.
Jack's arms were wrapped around the shaking girl, tears seeping from her eyes .He could almost feel her desperation as she clung to him, feel her craving for someone to be there for her. Someone who wouldn't leave her.
She stepped back, carefully brushing the tears from her face and flinching as their salt burned her cut.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I don't usually react to things like that." she wrapped her arms back around her torso, her eyes on the snow once again as a slight red tinge spread across her cheeks.
"Don't apologize. After what happened, most people would have had some kind of mental breakdown. You're stronger that you think you are to be able to endure that." His voice was somber, but his smile was sincere, bringing a weak one to her face. Glancing up at the sun, he said, "I should probably get you home. One less reason for…" he trailed off, anger bubbling in his chest once more.
"Actually, I would rather just wait her out. Do you mind waiting until tonight, after she's asleep?" her soft voice and hopeful eyes obliterated any notion that Jack would even consider saying no.
"Okay, we'll stay." he agreed without hesitation, actually a bit relived that he could keep her from her mother's grasp that much longer.
They spent the hours shuffling aimlessly around, just talking. Their conversation drifted from topic to topic, never lasting long as Willow still hesitated to really open up. It was late into the night, Jack asking her about the private music lessons she took and how she managed them.
"After a few tryouts, I managed to get a scholarship. Apparently they liked me enough that my payments were waved. Whenever I go, my mother thinks I'm at work." She laughed bitterly. "Then, she doesn't care. More overtime means more money for her liquor."
A low breeze blew her hair from her eyes, raising chill bumps on the backs of her hands, the only skin Jack could see.
"I think it's time I take you home. Your mother should be asleep by now and you're getting cold." He said, quieting the winds.
She rolled her eyes a bit. "Jack, I spend almost every waking minute I can out here. It's not like the rock is heated or the tree magically blocks the cold. I'm pretty used to it."
"That may be true, but infection thrives in a cold environment. At least, that's what I was taught, and I don't think bacteria has changed all that much since the late 1700's." he said.
At this, Willow agreed to go, her arms wrapping around his neck. He leapt from the ground, but her arms didn't tighten up as much as they usually did. She was beginning to get used to flying.
Her face didn't hold its usual awe as they silently soared to the trio of oak trees. He set her down in the soft cushion of snow, thanking him and entering through her window, which seemed to be a more used door than her actual door. She had slipped into the void of sleep almost immediately.
Jack had been lounging in the tree for a few hours now, biding his time by creating little statues out of ice in his palm and sending webs of frost crawling over any nearby surface that remained unfrozen.
His attention was pulled from the tiny kangaroo in his palm, thinking it would be a nice little present for Bunny, when he heard Willow cry out quietly in her sleep. He dropped the partially formed statue, instantly sliding from the tree as he drifted down to her window.
Her brows were furrowed and her lips were twisted into a tight grimace. He watched as the golden sand above her slowly stopped its swirling images, the glittering grains morphing into a gently pulsing mass hovering above. A strange, pale blue haze began to drift over it in a thin fog, Willow's breath picking up and hitching.
Jack rapped sharply on the window, causing the sand to shift as the sound penetrated her mind, but she still didn't stir. He knocked on the widow again, harder, while shouting her name, knowing no one would be able to hear him. The blue haze thickened as the sand shifted again, this time faster as she cried out again.
"Willow!" His hand hit the window one more time, before her eyes flew open, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as she sat up strait. He tapped the window gently and her torso whipped around, though she visibly relaxed when she realized who it was.
Her hands trembled as she slid the pane up, but Jack didn't enter. "Sorry, I heard you in your sleep. What happened?"
"It's nothing, just a bad dream." she said, not elaborating.
"Are you sure?" His tone was doubtful.
"I'm fine."
He gave her a long look, but didn't say anything as she eased the window back down. He stayed at the window until she curled back up, then returning to the tree.
Leaning back against the broad trunk, he sighed and ran a hand through his white mess of hair.
"For being the Guardian of Fun, there sure has been a lot of tension around here." he murmured, looking up at the silvery disk in the sky, but it remained silent as ever.
Then, he got an idea.
(*)
After slipping through her window, Willow collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Colors and images flashed, vibrant hues of green, brown and white whipping by as she sailed over the trees. The blur of the forest would shift from the light of Burgess to wide open seas, changing every few seconds.
The scene shifted before her, and she was sitting in the tree by the pond with Jack on the branch opposite to her like he was when she first sketched him, but the setting was different. Instead of mid afternoon, the moon shone down on his still figure, the light illuminating his face and making his hair shine like silver. Her hands blurred in and out of focus as the lines came together in a matter of seconds, the final image far beyond her true capabilities, looking like a black and white photograph.
His head turned to look at her, but something was different. His eyes were no longer a bright, aquamarine blue, but a soft green that felt so familiar, but she couldn't figure out how. She paper slid from her hands, drifting into oblivion as everything, including Jack melted into oblivion.
Voices echoed through the blackness, becoming louder and clearer. It sounded again right by her ear, but when she whipped around, no one was there.
"Willow… I've been waiting for you, my love…" it whispered. Her eyes searched wildly around, until they found a tiny figure standing in the distance. She sprinted towards it, but just when it was beginning to clear, the figure vanished.
Her feet slowed and she spun around, nose to nose with… Jack? No, not quite Jack. His clothes were the same and his skin was still paler than a sheet, but his hair was a fiery ginger and about an inch shorter.
Her eyes widened at the sight of her father's light green eyes, finally realizing why that struck her with such familiarity.
"P-Papa?" her quiet voice broke the stark silence, her voice sounding much louder in it that it was.
"My dear, how you have grown." her father's deep voice tumbled from Jack's lips, a fond smile pulling at their corners.
"Papa, how are you here?" her tone showed the confusion that flitted through her mind. "I thought you were dead." her voice faltered.
His eyes softened in sadness. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to leave you."
"Why would you want to go to war? More fighting won't solve anything, Papa." Her voice tremored as she spoke.
"I realized that too late." Shadows crept closer and she could feel the nothingness under her feet weakening. Panic gripped her, but not in a way that made her fearful. It made her feel as if she was beginning to teeter on the line of insanity, and she felt like any moment she would go into hysterics.
"I'm so proud of you Willow. I couldn't have imagined someone stronger than you, even when you were young." His voice grew distant as tendrils of darkness seemed to wrap around her ankles and pull her down. His voice faded away and the vague solidity beneath her dropped away, a piercing shriek sounding as the fell.
A series of low thuds resonated from the blackness around her and her falling slowed. Her mother's face flashed from the shadows, her muddy brown eyes glaring at her with burning hatred.
"…never do as you're told…"
"…I don't care…"
"…ungrateful little bitch…"
She screamed and pressed her palms to her ears, trying to block her mother's hateful words. More thuds bounced off of nothing, more urgent this time, accompanied by her name. Wisps of pale blue swirled in the depths of blackness.
One last bang as her name echoed loudly.
Willow's eyes snapped open and she felt a sharp intake of breath hit her lungs as she flew upright. She turned sharply at the sound of a soft tap, but let out her breath when she saw it was only Jack.
She slipped soundlessly out of bed, her hands shaking as she slid the window up.
He stayed where he was, saying, "Sorry, I heard you in your sleep. What happened?" He sounded concerned, but he tried not to let it show too much.
"It's nothing, just a bad dream." she replied, not wanting to recount what she saw.
"Are you sure?" She heard the doubt in his tone.
"I'm fine." His eyes were riddled with doubt, but he didn't say anything as she slid the window back down.
She curled back up on her bed, the shadow only she could see vanishing after a moment, leaving the cold square of light glaring on her wall.
(*)
The steady ticking of her clock was the only sound that cut the silence as the minutes turned into hours. Unable to sleep any longer, she simply stared at the clock, watching the second hand move around and around. Finally, at around six o' clock, she became restless. Pulling a pair of battered combat boots from beneath her bed, knowing the snow would soak through the canvas of her Converse as it had before, she zipped them on and grabbed her bag, before stepping through her window.
She closed the window and jumped a bit when Jack was standing directly behind her, a horrible sense of déjà vu washing over her as her dream played through her mind.
The worried look on his face evaporated quickly, being replaced with a grin, though it was a touch forced.
"I want to show you something." he said, the grin becoming wider and no longer forced.
"What?" she asked, suspicious.
He rolled his eyes at her question. "If I wanted you to know that, I would have told you to begin with."
He gestured for her to come with him, and with a fair amount of reluctance, she looped her arms around his neck. She already had a bad feeling about this.
Wind pushed her hair back as he soared across the sky faster than usual, her grip unconsciously tightening. A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.
He brought her to the outskirts of Burgess a tall hill looming in the distance, though it rapidly grew nearer. They weren't far from it, when he turned to her, his playful smirk still there.
"Do you trust me?"
Her eyes grew large at the sincerity in his tone, immediately distrusting it.
"What's that supposed to-JACK!" She shrieked as he tipped upside down, slipping her waist from his grip as her arms slid over his head.
Her arms flailed as she fell into open air, a blue and white streak appearing in her peripheral vision a split second before she felt something smooth and cold beneath her. Gaining back enough of her senses to, she glanced down to see Jack flying several feet in front of her, tracing her path with the curved end of his staff in ice. He laughed at her startled expression as she slid over the wild twists and curves of the trail.
"Damn you, Frost! Are you honestly trying to get me killed?!" her frantic shouts only brought another round of laughter. "What does this make you the Guardian of, Crackbrained Idiocy?!"
"Close, Fun!"
"You call this fun? I knew it, you're crazy!" Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she sped along.
"Maybe that, too, but I'm not going to let you fall, I swear!" The disbelief on her face overrode her panic for a moment.
"You said that before, yet, here you go-whoa!" she shouts stuttered as she flew around a particularly sharp turn. Her eyes squeezed shut.
"Willow. Look at me." One green-gray eye cracked open, his voice less joking as his icy gaze held hers. "I won't let you fall, I promise, but you have to trust me."
Wind whipped through her tangled hair, its ends sending shivers through her when they brushed her cheek.
"Okay." She relaxed as best as she could, tucking her arms against her sides and bringing her feet together.
The ice brought her through dozens of swirling loops and whirls, her small frame picking up speed quickly and easily because of how light she was. Shrieks bubbled past her lips once again as the world spun, but not of terror. Of pure, unbridled ecstasy.
They didn't last for too much longer, though, when she noticed the bottom of the hill was rushing up to meet her.
Her eyes widened as the ice ended, the track directed into the sky. She flew off the end, her small body sailing through the air for a moment, before cold arms wrapped around her waist once more. She clutched his neck with rigid hands, though if her eyes were wide with terror or joy he didn't know.
His question was answered when he looked up at him with a breathless smile, the unmarred areas of her cheeks bright pink from the cold.
"Maybe I'm crazy, too. That was the most fun I've had since… that's the most fun I've had." White steam curled from her mouth as she panted.
"I told you so."
She eyes cut to his face in a mock-glare, but it was short-lived. "I suppose you did." she admitted.
Streaks of pink, orange and gold began weaving through the town's eastern horizon as the sun began its daily ascent. Willow turned her face towards the sun and Jack marveled at the way her eyes reflected the colors of the sky, the bright colors mixing in with the soft greens and grays, creating an extraordinary effect.
Her feet gently touched the snow that blanketed the forest floor, the thin trees providing just enough cover that no one would notice a teenage girl floating down from the sky.
She turned around, the jewel tones in her eyes making them sparkle with excitement.
"I'm not entirely sure if that was the most terrifying or the most fun thing I have ever done." she said, more liveliness in her tone than Jack could remember ever hearing, though he had only known her for three days.
"For you? I think we can agree that it was a little bit of both." he chuckled.
"Maybe just a bit." Glancing around her, she realized that she knew where she was, and the pond wasn't very far off.
She started off through the trees, Jack following behind her, knowing the pond was only a couple of minutes away on foot.
Slipping her bag off of her shoulder, it was a miracle she hadn't lost it, she plopped it down in the boulder. She spun around to face him, her eyes holding a hint of their own mischievous light.
She scraped a handful of snow from the rock, out of Jack's line of vision.
"See, I told you. Just have to tru-" His I told you so lecture was cut off by the snowball colliding with his face. Shaking the snow from his face, he looked up to see Willow, another snowball in her hands. The grinned and ducked behind the tree.
Grinning, Jack's feet left the ground to circle the tree without sound, but quickly became frustrated when he was unable to find her.
"Where did she-"his unfinished question was answered when another snowball hit the back of head, the ice intermingling with his equally white strands of hair.
He looked up to see Willow perched several feet up in the tree, scraping together another snowball from the branches around her.
"How did you get up there?" He knew she could climb trees well, but that quiet?
She smirked and hurled the snowball, though he dodged it easily because he actually saw it. "I can't give away all my secrets." she taunted.
"Oh, really?" he hit the end of his staff against the trunk of the tree, her smirk quickly vanishing when most of the snow above her fell down all at once. Her arms crossed over her head in attempt to deflect the snow, but that still didn't prevent her from losing her footing. Jack's smug grin dropped when she slipped, her fingers catching a branch last second and she dropped to the ground, unhurt.
"C'mon, that was low, even for you." she accused, though she was unfazed by her slip. She eyed the pond for a moment, then glanced back at Jack.
"Are you going to go into panic mode again if I get back on that pond?" she asked.
Jack's demeanor sobered at her question.
"I told you what I thought about the ice. You-"
"Never know, I realize that, but I only weigh ninety five pounds. I highly doubt that is enough to even crack ice that has been thickening for almost a solid month, let alone to the point I fall through. Why are you so OCD about the ice, anyway? You said you were a Winter Spirit, right? An hour ago, you sent me flying through the air on a track of ice. How is that all that different from this?" she waited for him to answer, but the silence lingered.
In truth, he didn't really have any good answers. Not without dredging up his past and explaining why the ice, at least on this particular pond, made him nervous. Still, she was right. The ice track wasn't all that different, and if it was any other pond, he wouldn't have said anything.
He still didn't say anything, either. "You're right, it's not that different." He walked to the edge of the pond. "But, just in case…" he touched his staff to the surface, another layer of ice stretching across the area.
She hopped onto the ice, the only sound another dull thud, just like before. Before she did anything, she turned around. "Besides, if the ice did start to crack, I don't really believe that you would let me fall through, anyway."
She was right. He didn't the first time, and he certainly wasn't going to let it happen again.
And yet another chapter has been given to my adoring fans *bows flamboyantly* Thank you, thank you, you're too kind(though don't let that stop you from reviewing.)
I tried to go with a little more lighthearted in this chapter. The last ones were just anxiety and stress, and Jack is the Guardian if Fun, for crying out loud! Though he handles it well, "anxiety and stress" isn't really his forte.
And thus, this was born!
Well, I've got to go ice down my fingers, or something, now, and it's eleven thirty here. Night, y'all!