And she's back! This was a bit longer that what I would have liked, but my mom just got her house, and there's been lots of appointments with the realtor, and summer school is almost out, so there's been a lot of last minute bustling with that. BUT, we closed a few days ago and just have inspection to get out of the way, and school ends tomorrow, so I wanted to post to celebrate. Plus this has been open on my desktop for a week now as I typed it little by little and I was sick of it always being the same chapter.

So, here it is! And now to the storm of reviews I got as new people discovered this and decided to comment on every chapter(which, I'm not about to complain, but you know who you are)

sassysaw- If you like that one's cliffhanger, you'll love this one.

KikaKatTIOI- Yes, you were… until you said role instead if roll. Being the grammar freak I am, I had to comment on that.(Yes, I know there are errors in my own chapters, probably this one, too, but I type incredibly fast for a fifteen year old and don't always catch them when editing. I also don't fix them, usually, because I like to compare the first and lat chapters for mistakes to see if I improved any.)

cherriepudding- Thank you so much, I really do try! What I try to do is write what I look for in a good story, and apparently it's working. If you want help, go to my Beta Profile and see if you like it. I'm always willing to help, just ask sassysaw up there!(hey girl!)

Lokirka- No, I didn't want this to be another story where Pitch comes back, I find that way too overused. The antagonist in this story is going to be an OC, but it's going to be a while before much is explained of her, besides the little ghost poppets. I want the suspense to explode like C4 when I do the big reveal on her, I don't even want to spill her name for a while. Sorry, I promise everything will be explained in due time.

Fluffythorne- Yes, Bunny is an awesome character. I am trying to put him in where I can, but not too much. I'm also trying to push his and Jack's relationship along(NOT like that. I have no quarrel with slash pairings, I'm a Dick Grayson, Conner Kent shipper*blame foREVer Nightwing*, but the whole Jackrabbit just seems wrong to me. Sorry JR fans, but I just can't do it.), and I think after Jack and he found Willow in the woods, they hold more respect for each other. Her mother is there because, yes, she fears her. He mother is the only actually, physical person whom she is afraid of, and her father will be explained later. And the fact Willow can see then is a direct effect of… things with the antagonist that will also be explained later.

MoonGirl1155- Why thank you, I rather like my taste in music as well Questions of Willow's well-being will be partially answered in this chapter, but I don't want a flood of questions as to what's up with her, because you're simply going to have to wait, and that goes for everyone*mock-stern look that no one buys*

Fellowship of Avengers- Nice avatar, by the way. Wow, I wake up and see a torrent of emails on my phone from all of your reviews. Thank you for the consideration, I'm glad you took the time to review every. Single. Chapter. Well, here's another one!

Wind ruffled through the snowy strands of Jack's hair as he flew, pushing as fast as he could. He knew Bunny would be there when he arrived, but it made him uneasy all the same. It had been nighttime when he had been called, when she was most susceptible to… whatever it was that was after her.

The glint of Burgess' lights twinkled on the horizon as he neared the town. Just a few more minutes, and he would know if she was safe.

Unfortunately, quite a lot can happen in a few minutes.

The trees rushed up to meet him as he landed in her backyard, glancing around for Bunny.

"Here, mate." He was studying the snow a few yards from her window.

His paid no attention to what the rabbit was doing, instead going to her window and peered anxiously inside.

"She's not in there. Do ya really think I'd be standing here if she was?" Agitation bubbled within Jack at his rhetoric.

"But where would she be? We can't just- what is so interesting about the ground?" he hissed in exasperation.

"Tracks." He gestured to the ground with a furry hand.

Sure enough, there were light indentations in the snow, still slightly visible beneath the gently falling snow. Heading in a familiar direction.

"The park."

(*)

Willow stumbled around blindly, her toe seeming to catch tree roots that hadn't been there a split second ago. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so clumsy. Of course, it wasn't as if she was too keen on recollecting her moments of oafishness at this very moment.

She was too busy trying to bat away the voices that screamed at her so loud, there was no way they could simply be in her head.

"Get away from me! What makes you think I believe you! Argh, get out!" Her shrill voice pierced the air, shouting back at voiced no one else could hear. Her fingers clawed at her ears, trying to block out the sound, even though she was only blocking it in.

The elusive woman's laughter sounded from the shadows of her mind, the sound only further taunting the fact that Willow could not escape her.

"Oh, my dear, I'm not going anywhere. This is just the little push you needed! You've walked the line of sanity for so long from your mother's abuse, though I must admit, you're rather talented in hiding it. But now, all you need is that little nudge, before you go over the edge!"

"Who the hell do you think you are? What do you want?" Loud curses bounced off of the trees as she stumbled once more, before finally falling to the ground. Unable to pull herself to her feet, she wrapped her arms around her legs squeezing them tightly, violent tremors wracking her body as Insanity poisoned her mind from the inside out.

"Get out of my head!" she screamed once more.

"Oh, darling, don't you understand? You belong to me now." The voice chuckled and spots of black and pale blue swam in her vision as the world darkened, snow biting her flesh as she collapsed.

(*)

The air cut around Bunny's body with every powerful leap, the muscles in his hind legs coiling with the tension of a spring before its release.

Jack flew overhead as they made their way to the park. Though the Tunnels would have been faster, he chose not to take them so he could follow the girl's scent. The tracks may have pointed towards the park, but that was by no means a guarantee. He could only hope they made it in time.

"Hang in there, girl." he whispered. "We're coming."

(*)

Bunny's gray form moved steadily on the ground as Jack soared above. The Pooka hadn't changed direction yet, so the likelihood of her being in the woods increased every minute. Moonlight shone off of the snow with a cold, unforgiving glare, as if to say You're on your own.

His altitude dropped when trees began flitting past, shadows consuming the snow like spilled ink.

"She must have stayed on the same path, her scent never shifted, though it got pretty stale from the snow covering it up." The Aussie accent sounded behind him, snow giving way quietly beneath his large paws.

"Okay, do you know where she is now?" Jack asked.

"Not anymore. She's been through here so many times, her scent is everywhere."

Jack sighed in frustration. "Okay, spread out. She had to be here somewhere." Bunny nodded and lunged into one direction. Leaping up, he went in the other.

He traveled through the trees, jumping lithely from one branch to another, not wanting to fly from the chance he missed her, the dark of her clothes apt to blend into the shadows near seamlessly.

He was a bit conflicted about finding her. On one hand, he would be relieved to know she was safe, but on the other, if they found her, she had spend who knows how many hours in the middle of the forest, alone, with the general temperature at below freezing. Such cold could easily prove fatal for someone as small as her.

Aquamarine eyes scanned the ground, but they saw nothing but shadows and snow. He was nearing the pond, hoping he would find her there, hoping that she would be, if nothing else, alive.

He almost missed it.

In the stark monotone of the black and white landscape, a flash of color caught his eye. He glanced over to see the ends of her deep auburn waves, glinting like dull copper in the light. His footing almost slipped from the branch at the sharpness of his sudden turn.

Jack dropped to the ground where she lay in the shadows, her hair strewn over her face. He knelt down and brushed the strands from her face, ensuring there was no other injury to her face.

He jerked his hand back and shifted away from her with a sharp intake of breath. There was only the angry scab on her cheek, but Willow's skin held almost no warmth whatsoever beneath his icy touch. Her skin was usually the shade of milk with a generous splash of coffee in it, but it was now a pallid, sickly gray, and once rosy lips were now blue.

He stood and backed a few feet away, fearful his body temperature, or lack of it, would lower hers even further. He raised his staff and shot a burst of ice into the air, the bolt shattering in the air in a spectacular explosion of white. It hovered above the treeline for a moment, before floating gently to the ground to signal Bunny.

Of all nights for this to happen, it just so happened to be when he left? No, he refused to believe it was just happenstance. Whoever it was had waited until he was gone.

Snow quietly gave way upon Bunny's arrival.

"What is…" His emerald eyes landed upon the girl and he trailed off, not needing to say anything else.

"Come on, we have to move her. At this point, she probably has hypothermia." Jack said, his hand holding his staff with a tense grip.

"Why haven't you gotten her out of the snow then?!"

"Because I'm afraid to even be close to her? Bunny, she's as cold as I am!" he hissed, but too much worry was in his eyes for Bunny to be even offended. "Please, just, get her out of the snow. Your fur should be able to keep her warm."

Bunny slid his furry arms around the girl's tiny frame. Jack was right, she was freezing. It was a miracle she hadn't…

"Let's get her to the Shop. The others may be able to do something." He thumped the ice twice and the ground dropped away as they slipped into the hole. The girl shook in Bunny's furry grip, her chest barely moving, but enough to indicate that she was alive. Barely, but alive.

The lights of the North Pole rushed up to meet them and Bunny's feet slid expertly as he landed neatly on his feet. The yetis back away from the entrance to allow them inside, quieting at the sight of a small human girl wrapped in Bunny's arms, her face an unnatural gray.

Low murmurs from the others also cut off when they burst into the room.

"Bunny, what's… is that her? Oh dear, she's freezing!" Tooth's soprano voice chirruped. Her wings were a blur of color, fluttering anxiously as he set her in the plush chair beside the fireplace. She still shook violently beneath his touch. One of the yetis threw a fur lined quilt over her tremoring frame, before bustling on.

"Where was she?" North asked, peering down at the girl. She didn't seem like much to be a target for this unseen foe. His eyes focused on the angry scab on her face, but now was not a good time to ask.

"I found her in the woods in Burgess. She was just lying in the snow, but her hair was strewn all over her face, as if she'd fallen. I barely touched her face to move her hair, but her skin was as cold as mine. After that, I was afraid to even be near her, so I called Bunny to get her out of the snow." Jack's explanation was brief and rushed, but it got the point across. She had lain in the snow for who-knows-how-many hours, and she seemed to have been running from something.

North, Sandy and Bunny dispersed, but Tooth lingered a moment longer. Her wings cut the air as she hovered closer. Something about how vulnerable the girl looked stirred a long-repressed maternal instinct within her, and she felt the urge to be near her. In an indirect way, she did remember the girl.

"She's a fighter." Tooth murmured to the white haired boy who worried the smooth wood of his staff.

"I know. I've seen some of the things she has to live with." he said, memories of her mother striking her bubbled to the surface.

"No, Jack, I mean she is a fighter, literally. About six of her baby teeth didn't fall out by themselves, they were knocked out in fights when she was young. She refused to let anyone put her down, and would pick fights with anyone who tried. She could dodge pretty well, but when it came to hitting them back, she never seemed to be able to get the upper hand. She was very good at not getting hit, but she didn't know how to fight back. Usually, she either lost, or the other person got tired of missing her and gave up." she explained. Baby Tooth zipped down and landed on the blanket covering her shoulder, prodding her face gently with a tiny hand, and pulling back at the coldness of her flesh.

"How do know all of that?" Jack asked skeptically.

"After I got the third cracked tooth, I started having my fairies keep an eye on her when they were in the area. It worried me a bit that so many of her teeth were being knocked out, instead of falling out like they're supposed to. I worried less when I realized she can handle herself just fine. She may not fight back, but she's a fighter all the same." Tooth smiled fondly down at Willow, but it was tinged with sadness at the gash on her cheek. That was something else, she wouldn't slip up like that. She usually didn't know much about people outside of the condition of their teeth, though, all things considered, hers were pretty good, given the circumstanced in which they were removed. But there was something different about her.

For as long as she could remember, the fairies had never taken her teeth from beneath her pillow. They were always on the table beside her bed, and rarely in the same place twice. She had always assumed it was her father who took her teeth, leaving the shiny round coin in its place beside her bed, not the Tooth Fairies.

Yet, she could see them.

At least, she could see Jack and Bunny, but Tooth was certain she would be able to see the others and herself, as well.

The question was, how?

(*)

Jack's alabaster hands would twitch whenever Willow moved, and he was unable to sit still, constantly moving. Firelight danced off of the wild tangle of knots and snarls in a disjointed way, the uneven gleam reflecting the difficulties of her night. Her skin was still much too pale, only coloring with the barest hint of rose, but she no longer held the ashen pallor.

Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and lightly brushed her unblemished check with his fingertips. Though nowhere near the temperature it should be, he was relieved to discover a bit of warmth to them. She was no longer wracked with violent tremors, but she still shook every few minutes. Steam curled off of the mug of warm milk a yeti had left for her when she woke.

If she woke. No one said it out loud, but it still loomed in air ominously. She had spent several hours lying in the snow, in the middle of the night, with temperatures below freezing. It was altogether too real a possibility that the cold was simply too much for someone as small as her.

She shuddered lightly again and Jack pulled his hand away and stepped back, realizing it was probably his own freezing touch that was making her shiver. His nervous pacing resumed as possibilities of complications swirled through his mind. Hypothermia. Frostbite. It was endless.

"It's not your fault, mate." Jack started at the sudden break in the silence, due to Bunny's soundless entrance.

"I know, but she's only like this because I left. Whoever, or whatever, did this, waited until I wasn't there to do this."

"What do you mean 'until you weren't there'?" the mountainous rabbit asked.

"You know what her face looks like. Her mother did that. Ever since, I've stayed in the center tree in her yard when she sleeps. I' not spying on her or anything, but I'm not letting that happen again." Bunny did not miss the protective edge to his tone. He understood why he was looking out for the girl, he would have done the same thing, but the edge to his voice suggested more than an unwillingness to see her hurt. But not necessarily in a romantic way, either. He spoke of her as if they had been close friends for considerably longer than they had, as if his best friend was being threatened.

"If you're right, maybe it's best he keep her here, at the Shop. It would be safer for her and we can keep an eye on her." Jack nodded vaguely, but it was clear his attention was drifting back to the huddled girl. The Pooka sighed and slipped from the room.

(*)

Breath whooshed in and out of her chest as she ran, but she didn't know why she was running. Nothing was there except inky blackness. Silence pounded against her eardrums, the only sound coming from her gasping breathing. She fled from her non-existent foe, panic gripping her chest like a vice of iron. Empty nothingness rushed upon her without sound of tangibility and she stumbled, awaiting impact.

Earthen eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, certain the ground was about to meet her, but was instead met with a surprisingly friendly environment. Her eyes darted around erratically at the unfamiliar environment, panic never abandoning her. Chill cut to the bone, even beneath the thick fur quilt and she shrank back into the large chair she was curled in fearfully, until her eyes finally found Jack.

Her panic began to drain away, but slowly, because he was the only person or thing she recognized. His aquamarine eyes watched her warily, wanting to come nearer, but reluctant. Her hands unconsciously clutched the quilt nearer, and she wondered why Jack seemed almost… afraid, to be nearer than six feet.

"J-Jack, where am I?" her teeth quivered delicately at her question, her chill stuttering her speech.

"You're at the North Pole, at the Shop, North's workshop. Bunny and I brought you here after I found you in the woods. You were so cold…" his voice was soft, careful, as he tried not to alarm her anymore than being hundreds of miles away from home in a strange place would.

"I remember, I woke up. I looked outside, but… you weren't there." A comment meant to sound innocent felt like an accusation to Jack. He couldn't have known this would happen, but this wouldn't have happened if he had stayed there.

"I know, I was called away. There was an emergency, but I was coming back." he explained.

"I couldn't find you, so I went for a walk, to clear my head. I ended up at the park. Once I got to the forest…" Her eyes grew distant and, for a split second, Jack swore he saw a flash of an icy blue in her eyes, but then, it was gone.

"She wouldn't go away. She wouldn't leave me alone. She won't… get out of my head! You don't own me!" Willow shrieked, clutching her head. No longer caring if he made her colder, now that she was awake, Jack moved swiftly to her side, alarmed at her outburst.

"Willow, what is it?! Who is she? Willow, look at me!" Jack grabbed her shoulders gently, but firmly, and she finally glanced up at him, the icy glimmer in her eyes vanishing again. She was on the verge of hysterics, but began to calm down at Jack's soothing words.

"Willow, look here. It is not real. Nothing I there, it's just an illusion. Nothing is going to hurt you." Her gasping breath slowed to a more reasonable pace as Jack spoke to her, Movement flickered in the corner of her eyes as the others peered into the room to see why she was screaming.

"Are you the other Guardians?" she asked, her tone returning to its normal volume. Jack removed his hands from her shoulders and stepped back.

"Ah, I see Jack told you about us." The tall, robust man in the red coat, presumably North, said.

"A bit. He failed to mention that Santa was Russian, however." she said, a bit shocked at the accent. Jack chuckled at her comment, glad that her sarcasm hadn't diminished any.

"So? Bunny is Australian!" he retorted, drawing laughter from the others, as well.

"So I've discovered. I bit bigger than the stereotypical Easter Bunny, too." she said, a microscopic half smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

North laughed, but his expression quickly grew somber. "What happened to you, child? When they found you, you had nearly frozen to death."

"I…I don't know. All I remember was this… voice." Her hands shook, though not from the cold. "It wouldn't stop. I ended up in the forest, but I tripped, and fell into the snow. That's the last thing I remember."

"Well, whatever it was, you're safe from it now. You will be safe here, until we-"

"Wait, what do you mean 'safe here'?" she interrupted. "Look, I'm very grateful you helped me, I probably would have frozen to death if you hadn't found me when you did, but I can't just abandon my life! I have a job! My boss may be lenient, but not if I disappear for who knows how long! I have to go back!"

"I'm sorry, dear, we can't do that. Something out there seems to have taken a particular interest in you, and we can't put you at risk. Please understand." said Tooth gently, Baby Tooth nodding furiously from her shoulder.

Willow opened her mouth to argue, but she hesitated and considered what the multi-hued woman said. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right. It's not like anyone would really be looking for me. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." she muttered.

She told herself that, but she knew that there was one person that just wouldn't buy that, she never did. Joe would worry, but he wouldn't report her, or anything. Mia, however, knew better. She just had to hope that she wouldn't act.

"So, what now?" she asked. Her lips and fingertips still help a blue tinge as the pulled the blanket closer and her face was still quite pale.

"Now, we need to get you warm. Your lips are still blue, you were in the cold for a long time." Jack said, motioning to the mug of milk. North, Sandy and Bunny had drifted away, once again trying to figure out what the threat was, but Tooth stayed behind again, this time settling into the chair opposite Willow's.

"I know you're probably sick of hearing this, but are you alright?" she asked.

"Still pretty cold, but I'll live." the girl answered. She seems to struggle to free her arms from the thick quilt, and her hand reached slowly for the mug. She fumbled for the handle, attempting to grab it several times before finally wrapping her fingers around the cup. She brought it to her discolored lips and sipped at the hot liquid, but pulled it away quickly.

Though it wasn't even remotely too hot against her tongue, the milk seemed to scald her lips.

Jack watched her carefully, eyes burrowing at her clumsy motions. It bothered him how much trouble she seemed to have moving. She was not a clumsy person, by any stretch, but no one would have ever considered that by the way her fingers fumbled for the cup. A sinking feeling churned in his stomach at what it could, and most likely would, be.

"Willow, what is the address of the coffee shop you work at?" he asked suddenly.

She looked up at him quizzically. "Um, it's… 6473… Weston? Or is it Westford? I don't know…" she muttered, and confirming, almost without a doubt, Jack's fears.

"Jack, what is it?" Tooth asked, also confused by the random question.

"Willow, it's 6474 Westing." he told her, before turning to Tooth.

"I think she has hypothermia."

Ooh, suspense! I can be so mean sometimes… Remember, you'll only find out what happens to her when I update, so asking me won't get you anywhere. Instead, filleth thou review with praise, I adore that stuff. The next chapter should be up in a few days(not another week, I swear), because I'm meeting… Fluffythorne, at the library, because I find her input incredibly useful(seriously, look at her reviews), so I'm confident she'll help me make a better overall chapter.