Alright, I've got a freakishly long chapter in store for y'all. I started writing, and I literally could not stop for two and a half hours. I tried to find a place to split it up, but there just wasn't anywhere that would work, thus, this monster heap gets splurged on you guys. I'm a-thinking that this might send me flying over the 55k+ mark on words, but there was so much I needed to get out. So I did, and this monstrosity was born.
Okay, I'll stop wasting your precious reading time and get on to replying to those reviews(which I'm pleased to say I saw a great many of.)
Fellowship of Avengers- Yes, but we're only halfway down the hill. This chapter is my second arc of the story, and boy is it big, but I didn't know what else to do with it, other than just keep going.
bluealonealexarose- Wow, that username is quite a mess to type. From now on, of you so choose to review again(and I hope you do), I will simply refer to you as alexa, if you don't mind. Thank you for reviewing, so here is an enormous update for you!
KikaKatTIOI-Yes, I couldn't resist giving her a cameo in here. Her story is just too sad and I think I needed to pay my respects to her as well. (For those of you who don't know, Mary Katherine Joyce is the daughter of William Joyce, whom is the author of the Rise of the Guardians books. All of the books are dedicated to his daughter, whom I do believe died when she was rather young. I don't know the full story, as I have yet to read the books, so I don't know the age she was, but twelve seemed reasonable to still believe in the Guardians and spirits.)
Teshka-...well, this is rather awkward to reply to. When I first read your review, I was rather angry and thought it was rude, and almost PMed you an angry rant. Later, I went back and read it, then re-read my Authors Notes where I asked for more reviews, and realized... you're kind of right. I thought you were a little harsh in the way you said it, I still do, but when I read what I wrote, even I found myself a little whiny. I understand that sometimes there isn't anything to say, but it was pretty disappointing to see how hard I worked on that chapter, and no one gave me any feedback on it. But that also doesn't excuse me griping about it the way I did. It always irritates me when authors write in every chapter and beg for reviews, and I now realize that what I did was no different. I'm sorry to you and everyone, and I don't think I would actually with-hold the story from those who do review, because that isn't fair of me. The one thing I didn't want to become was a whiny author, and that's exactly what I was. Even though you were a little harsh about it, thank you for telling me I was being petty. I will keep that in mind from now on.
Sloppy Joe 313- I seem to remember you from several chapters ago. Your username is familiar. As for the girl of '68, she was more than some little girl, and if you don't know why already, I explained in Kika's comment.
Alysiana- CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE MY 100TH REVIEWER! You have won the amazing prize of a cameo in my story, as Mia's daughter! Thank you for your review! As for the music, don't worry, I was just as bad. Up until three years ago, I had no idea who Avril Lavigne, OneRepublic, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182 and Coldplay were. Yes, I was THAT out of touch with reality. That is because the only radio stations I listen to are 96.3, 98.7 and 99.5, which are all country stations. Yes, I am that girl who can sing just about every song that comes up. So goes life.
Savarra- Why thank you! I do appreciate it when people like me enough to favorite me, especially when I write in three or four other categories, too. I am glad you find me "awesome".
ELEE555- Nah, don't worry about it. Review when you can, and I'll add my reply in when you do;)
PCM- Yeah, I wanted to do something different with the blizzard. Another good one was a fanfic called Dance of Death. The author of that did a freaking FANTASTICABULOUS job telling a story. (Yes, fantasticabulous is my own personal word, and is a mishmash of fantastic and fabulous. I use it when I can't decide which word to use.) I'm actually not 100% sure if that's what happened to Mary K., and I explained why in Kika's comment, but I thought it flowed nicely into the story. Yes, I made Willow fall. I needed some good drama in this thing, but to figure out a way for her to hit the ground, WITHOUT dying was actually rather challenging. That spire was really high, and a human can't survive a sixty foot drop, never mind the impact of a 300 foot one. But no, she won't die. As I've said before, I have other things planned and this is only my second arc, so I'm safe from Lego bricks for now.
sassysaw- Willow was both stupid and petty, but I would have done the same thing if I was a pissed as she was, and have done equally stupid things when in a rage(like punching a tree and ripping the skin from my knuckles). But she did, and now she has to face the consequences. Don't growl at me, growl at Willow for walking to the edge of the roof when she knew she was standing on ice and snow. Just not me.
Fluffythorne- I understand it was not your intention to be offensive, and now that you have elaborated in person on what your meaning was, the way I had interpreted it now seemed petty and foolish and I feel rather stupid for thinking you would be so intentionally insensitive. Wow, I get bizarrly formal when I'm either a) pissed off (hehe, Razer...) or b) explaining something myself. Weird. Anyways, I'm no longer offended in any way, and I had been unnecessarily to begin with. However, I hope you will continue to review what your favorite chapter line was, because I really enjoy seeing what little detail your mind so chose to pick up on.
Bunny's ears twitched at the sharp creak of the window in the other room, followed by the shout of a certain teenage Guardian.
"Can I get some help in here?!" It said, the edge of panic setting off worry in the Pooka's mind.
"The kid needs help." he said, and the others turned to him. "I can hear him, and it doesn't sound good."
"Oh my." said Tooth, her wings a blur of color as she flitted from the room, others close behind.
She gasped when she arrived to the room Willow had been staying in, the hearth still dancing with indefinite flame. Tooth's hand covered her mouth at the sight of the girl's limp form in Jack's arms.
The soft thump of Bunny's feet sounded behind her and he looked at the pair in shock. "What in bloody hell happened to her, Frost?!" he asked, the anger obvious. In the rabbits mind, Willow was his responsibility, and now she turned up unconscious, and probably hurt? To him, this showed his lack of ability to take things seriously.
"I... she fell. I brought her up to the roof, so she could draw the landscape. I didn't think anything would happen, all of us have been up there at some point or another, and she has good balance." he started.
"But that doesn't tell us how she fell. Why was she that close to the edge?"
"Look, I'll explain later." he said, walking forward quickly. Bunny stepped to the side to allow the boy to pass, and he watched as Willow's long hair swung loosely over his arm.
North led Jack to a smaller room with three cots lined against one wall, and a set of cabinets along another.
"You have an infirmary up here?" Jack asked as he gently laid Willow onto one of the cots.
"Yes, even Guardians get hurt, Jack. It doesn't get used much, but anything can happen." he explained, pulling a flashlight and a pair of latex gloves from one of the cabinets.
"You're a doctor?" It seems there was much about North Jack did not know about.
"As a human, I was a soldier. Basic medical skills were taught in training." he explained, shining the light into her eyes, before lightly touching her neck as Jack had. "Over the decades, I have picked up a bit more than the basics, but nothing too elaborate. Setting broken bones, knowing when someone has a concussion. Things like that."
Jack nodded and he and the others watched in silence as North checked the girl over.
"Well," he finally said. "She is breathing normally, her pulse is a little weak, and she doesn't seem to have any head injuries. Beyond that, we will have to wait for her to wake up and ask her ourselves." He gave the girl a long look, before leaving the room.
Baby Tooth fluttered over and landed on her shoulder. The little fairy's wings drooped at the state her human friend was in, and sat down on her shoulder. Tooth also drifted over, brushing her messy hair from her face with an anxious touch. She clasped her hands to her chest and left the room, Sandy following her out.
"Frost."
Jack internally cringed at Bunny's tone, knowing he was about to get the lecture of his life.
"Look, I know it was stupid, but-"
Bunny cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but there's something else to this." Jack was surprised at the lack of anger in his tone, though still was still plenty to go around. "You and I both know that this isn't something she does. I know she had good balance, because when you were gone, I found her up on the windowsill." Jack raised an eyebrow. That sill was a good twelve feet off the ground. "When I asked her how she got up there, she told me she climbed up the column by the fireplace, and when she got down, I would swear she had rehearsed it."
"Yeah, you should see her in a tree." Jack commented wryly.
"But the point is, this isn't something she would do. I don't believe she just slipped. What really happened, Jack?" he asked, the emerald of his eyes not only questioning the truth, but questioning Jack's own actions. No one else was up there but him, and he doubted she would have fallen all by herself.
Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "It was an accident. I made her angry, and she started backing away from me, even though she knew the edge was there. I tried to grab her with my staff, but... she saw it coming. When she smacked it away, I guess that was enough to throw her off balance, and she just... fell." His aquamarine eyes landed on her face, and guilt nestled into his chest once more, but there was something else, too. A tug in his chest that went deeper than worry.
"How did you make her angry?" The one question Jack knew was inevitable, but dreaded all the same.
"When I went to her house, I found this book." he began, and Bunny deadpanned.
"You read the girl's journal." he stated flatly, and shame leaked into Jack's eyes.
"I didn't mean to. It looked like a regular sketchbook, but the things she drew inside..." he shuddered.
"And you just found this book?" Bunny asked disbelievingly, and Jack looked at the ground.
"Well, no. It was under the edge of her bed and I kicked it on accident." he admitted.
"There are an awful lot of "accidents" in the mess, kid. But it was obvious she was trying to hide it, so why did you open it?"
"Well, I knew she could draw, and I told you it just looked like a sketchbook. I was curious." he said, but it sounded weak, even to him.
Bunny just shook his head, furry shoulders turning towards the door. "I hope you learned something from this. As for whether she forgives you... that's your problem."
Jack had no answer for that as he left.
(*)
At first, it had been nothing, only empty blackness stretching on in silence. Then, small wisps of pale blue began to flicker at the edges of her vision.
"For the love of god, stop your little games. I know you're there." she called into the darkness, her tone almost bored. She turned and found Hysterium only a few feet away.
"Mm, a sharp one, aren't we?" she trilled in her falsetto, before dropping her tone. "So, the boy let it slip, did he?"
"As much as I hate to admit it to someone who thinks messing with my head is some kind of game, you were right. He was hiding something." she said, her tone as melancholy as her eyes.
"Hm, not quite so panicky, are we dear?" the tiny woman asked, observing her distinct lack of emotion.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood for your stupid little illusions." she answered.
"Yes, my influence doesn't seem to have its usual effect on you." she said in mocking agreement.
"Why are you doing this? What's so special about me?" Willow asked.
"At first, you weren't all that special. Not really, I just picked you because your mind was rather weak as a child and you weren't cooped up in that asylum like your cousin. With you, I could spread my influence into the rest of the world." Hysterium shrugged.
"But that doesn't answer why you picked me, neither then nor now." she pressed.
"Well, I was hoping to avoid the whole back story explanation, but I guess it's inevitable now." The psychotic woman sighed dramatically. "As I'm sure you've figured out, not many people know of my existence outside of the Man in the Moon. There are actually quite a few creatures the Guardians don't know about, but we like to keep a low profile. For the most part, my power comes from those blubbering idiots in asylums like your cute little cousin Steph. Well, I say little, but she's thirty four, yet she acts six." she commented. "Anyways, I usually stayed in places like that. I don't really drive that many people insane, their own paranoia usually does a pretty good job of that for me. Either than, or there's people there who don't belong. Those people on the news with a so-called second sight? The ones who get put away are telling the truth more often than not, but aren't crazy for that. In fact a lot of them either get released because they give up trying to get people to believe them, or go crazy anyways, because no one believes them." Willow huffed impatiently as she drifted from the topic once more, but it did not escape the woman's notice.
"Oh, come now. I am the embodiment of Insanity, you can't honestly think that I'm not a bit off-kilter myself." she tsked.
"No, I pity the person that does think you are sane, but can you please get back to the point?" she asked, exasperated.
"My my, you're no fun." she pouted. "Spending years just going from nuthouse to nuthouse gets rather boring after a while, but I can't really move through the public without sending everyone through minor widespread Insanity, and to settle on one random person and just send them flying over the edge without cause is bound to raise some eyebrows. Most people who come to an asylum to visit someone are usually very stable, or else they wouldn't go someplace like that. Because of that, I can't really get into their head, and I can't just go out looking for someone, because then I'm back to minor widespread Insanity. So, I was stuck waiting."
"What do I have to do with any of that?" Willow pressed.
"You, my dear, were actually happenstance. I'm sure there are plenty of others like you, but few of them venture into the looney bin, and I was never around when they did. Not until you came along. The moment you walked into that building, I could feel the stability in your mind slipping, figuring out why after poking around in your head a bit. I picked you, because you would be easy to influence, and you weren't locked in a padded cell. It was working quite nicely those first couple of years, but then that damned Boogeyman had to start stirring up trouble, and of course it had to be in the boy's hometown. I knew the Guardians would be prowling around the area for a while, so I was forced to leave to stay undetected. I waited eight long years to come back, because I had to be certain that the coast was clear. Pitch isn't really one to give up, I should know," she mumbled. "but he showed no signs of returning anything soon."
"'You should know'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Observant little human, aren't you?" Hysterium grumbled. "Though the Guardians don't know of other immortals, the ones on the darker side of the line aren't quite as ignorant. For a few years, Pitch tried to pursue me. I told him I wasn't interested, but it was almost a solid decade before he finally left me alone and the black peonies stopped showing up. Peonies were always my favorite flower. But that's not important." she said dismissively. "Now, he spends his time cowering underground, barely having enough power to keep kids fearing running in front of a bus, or keeping young teenagers afraid of being alone at night. If that was gone, the world would fall into chaos. Even I must admit that, in small doses, fear is important. It would keep a pretty young thing like you from walking down a dark alley in the slums."
"Um, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not." said Willow, raising an eyebrow. "But you still haven't told me why you came back."
"Ah, yes. You see, you were one of the only ones who, either still believed that the illusions were real, which is why you can see the Guardians, or hadn't also been locked away from the rest of humanity. You were the only one that I still had some kind of hold on, however small." she said.
"You don't have any kind of "hold" on me, you don't control me." Willow said defiantly.
"Your little episodes, as the Winter Spirit calls them, say otherwise. You aren't a babbling mess right now, because I'm not really trying to do anything. Your mind is still stronger than my aura alone, but you're like putty under my full power." she gloated, her icy blue eyes sparking dangerously. It unsettled Willow how much they looked like Jack's, the shade of blue almost exactly the same.
Her hands clenched into fists ar her sides, and she went to take a step forward, but the impact of her foot caused her side to jar and sharp pains laced through her abdomen like tendrils of fire. She gasped sharply and wrapped her hands around her torso, only to pull them away when it brought forth another wave of fiery pain.
"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention. Your little slip broke one of your ribs and fractured three others. I'm pretty sure you wrenched your left arm, too. If you can feel it now, then you're probably starting to gain consciousness. At least, that's how it seems to work with the crazy folk when they start clawing at themselves." she said, her nonchalant tone irritating Willow.
"Oh, thanks for clearing that up." she droned, and a dull ache began to throb in her left shoulder, spreading to her elbow and intensifying with every second.
"You're welcome, dear, but it is time for me to go. This was a nice little chat we had, but don't expect it again. I have other plans for you." she said, and her body began to disintegrate.
"Wait, what do you mean plans! What do you want?!" she called, ignoring the spasms of pain that were sent through her body.
"Oh, you're just as ignorant as they are if you think I'm going to stop with you. No this was too much fun." Her voice was growing distant. "I think I'm going to check up on that cute little girl. Your friend really does have the most adorable children." Threads of laughter rang from all around her, and Willow's thoughts sang with their speed as she struggled to figure out who Hysterium was going after.
Her thought began to muddle her pain increased. She felt reality creeping up and her vision blurred. Her knees shook a moment, before folding beneath her.
(*)
Her eyes snapped open just as she was about to hit the ground, and she rocketed forward. A small cry of pain slipped from her lips as the pain of her ribs and shoulder slammed into her full force at the motion. Her eyes squeezed shut and her right hand clenched as she waited for the grip of molten lead to release her, but it was excruciatingly slow to subside.
She finally opened her eyes, her breath heavy as she struggled to maintain composure against the pain. Her eyes found where Jack sat on the cot beside hers, his azure eyes wide with anxiety. Frost formed rough circles around where his hands gripped the sheet on the cot.
For a moment, they simply held one another's eyes, Jack's with worry, Willow's with reminiscent anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"Don't even say anything. I don't know why you're still here, but I'm not very inclined to talk to you, at this point." she hissed, cradling her arm.
"I was just going to ask were you're hurt." he said quickly. "It's obvious you are."
For a few moments, she simply glared at him, however, a short flare of pain in her side brought her to speak. "A few of my ribs are messed up and my left arm was wrenched."
Another flash of guilt sparked in his eyes. "Willow, please, just-"
"No, I don't want to hear it. Yes, I realize the fall was an accident, I don't blame you for that. It was just as much my fault as yours, because I was the dumdass who stepped closer to the edge. But I'm not going to listen to all these "I'm sorrys", because that doesn't change what you did, or make it any better." Her sharp tone brought no words from him. A part of him was relieved that she wasn't angry at him for the fall, but it was heavily outweighed by her lividity at him for the original incident.
He bit his lip and slid off of the cot. He walked up to the side of her cot as she watched him warily and slipped his hand into his jacket pocket, removing something wrapped in his hand.
"I really am sorry, you know." he said softly, placing the object from his pocket in front of her, before picking up his staff and leaving.
She reached forward and scooped up her necklace, fingering the snapped ends of the chain. The end of his staff must have caught it when she tried to grab it. It was a miracle he had found it in the snow, especially since he had to have found it when she had fallen, but she couldn't help but be grateful he had. Just before he had been deployed, her father had given the necklace to her and she had always worn it ever since, rarely taking it off, even to shower since it was silver.
She slipped it into her own pocket, hoping she would be able to get the chain fixed. Her fingers lingered on the smooth texture of the crystal, and as much as she just wanted to be angry at Jack, she couldn't help but be thankful he had picked it up. He should not have read her journal, but now that she had calmed down some, she knew he hadn't really meant any harm, but was simply curious. That didn't make her okay with him opening it, or quite ready to forgive him, but she wasn't nearly as angry over his actions anymore.
She sighed, then winced when her ribs whined in protest. She lightly touched at them, almost letting out a shriek when her fingers hit home and she found its source. Spots of red danced in her vision, and she pulled her hand away.
"Okay, bad idea." she gasped to herself. When she was able to focus on something besides the death grip the pain held her torso in, she turned her attention to her arm, which has settled into a constant ache. Even though it had brought forth agony the first time, she began prodding her arm gently, as she had before. Eventually, she found the source of the ache there, too, it did not hurt as much, because nothing was broken. Her shoulder hurt quite a bit, but to make sure it wasn't dislocated, she gently lifted her arm. Yes, it hurt, but not to the point of unbearability, as her ribs had, and she was able to move it, meaning it wasn't dislocated.
Unsure what to do then, she began to turn her body to attempt to stand, but before she was able to move, the door opened and North walked inside, Tooth fluttering in immediately afterward.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" she said the moment she saw Willow awake. "I mean, you are alright, aren't you?"
"According to Jack, a few of her ribs are injured, as well as her left arm." said North, donning another pair of gloves. "Is that correct?"
Willow nodded. "Yeah. I think three of them are cracked, but one is definitely broken." She slipped off her jacket and carefully rolled up the edge of her shirt, revealing her entire left side to be mottled several shades of deep purple and black. The broken rib was obvious, the bones not quite lining up beneath her darkened skin.
Tooth's magenta eyes widened at the sight, but she remained silent.
North knelt down beside the cot, shining the light on her side to assess the damage. Finally he looked up at her.
"I am going to have to set the break. I will warn you now, it will hurt, but I cannot give you painkillers until I move it. The only ones I have will put you to sleep once They take effect, and I can't risk you moving once I set the break." he explained, the Russian accent rolling the r's softly as he tried to tell her in the way that sounded least painful.
"I don't want painkillers, I've had bad experiences with them." she told him. "I broke my collarbone once when I was seven after falling out of a tree, which by the way is a great teacher if you want to learn how not to fall, but the side effects messed with my head and I couldn't think clearly. I would rather live with the pain for a few days then be incoherent. And even then, it still didn't block all the pain."
"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Here." said Tooth, hovering down to sit in front of her on the cot and holding out her hand. "Squeeze my hand."
Willow eyes her hand for a moment. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I sprained my dad's pinky when the doctor set my collarbone, and I was seven at the time."
"Don't worry about it, we Guardians are stronger than we look." Tooth reassured her. The girl gave her a long look, but wrapped her slender fingers around Tooth's hand.
"Ready?" North asked, his hands poised above the uneven bones.
"As I'll ever be." she said, feeling a touch of pride her voice didn't shake. It was short-lived, however, when the pain of a dull, serrated dagger dig into her side. She squeezed Tooth's hand, trying not to grip it too hard, but that didn't stop a single shrill cry from ripping from her throat. Her eyes pricked as tears tried to well, but the forced them away. Glancing down, Willow saw her rib was now aligned correctly, but it still hurt like a branding iron beneath her flesh.
She glanced away and her gaze fell on Tooth's hand in her grip. The multi-colored woman held her back, but anyone could see the shade of light purple her fingers were turning. She quickly released her hand from captivity, cringing at the stripes of red her fingers had left.
"Sorry." she apologized as Tooth flexed her hand.
"Oh, it's fine. I'll admit though, you do have quite a grip." she said lightly, flexing her fingers, but she knew her hand would be a little sore for a few days.
"The worst of it is over, it just needs to be wrapped." North told her, gauze and bandages in his hand. "This will hurt a bit, too, because it must be tight, but not too much."
Willow nodded, tucking up the other side of her shirt so her chest was still covered, but her torso could be bound. She barely flinched when he tugged at the bandages over the gauze, because it was nothing in comparison to the setting of the bone.
"That should be all. As for your arm, you seem able to move it, so I warrant you tore a few muscles. There isn't much that can be done about that, except to keep from lifting too much weight with that arm. It should heal in a few days."
"Thanks, North. Can I walk around, or am I stuck in here?" she asked.
"It would be better for you not to walk around, but you seem to be too stubborn for that. Try not to move around too much, or you'll move the bones, but if you're careful, I suppose you can walk a bit." he said, and she immediately began to inch to the edge of the cot after wrapping her jacket around her shoulders. Her face paled at the strain, but she didn't react otherwise.
The Russian left the room, but Tooth remained, that motherly urge once again preventing her from leaving the girl.
Willow set her feet carefully on the floor, but when she stood, she pressure on her side increased and her knees almost buckled. Her right hand caught the edge of the cot, and Tooth clamped her hand on the girl's uninjured arm to steady her. After a moment, she dropped to the floor and pulled her arm around her neck.
"Thanks." Willow said gratefully, leaning on the feathered woman as she walked forward.
Her progress was a bit slow, but she eventually made her way to what she had begun mentally referring to as The Hearth Room, because it seemed to serve no other purpose that a nice place to sit by the fire. Within that room, was everyone else, sans North.
"See, I knew the sheila would be alright." Bunny said to no one in particular.
Willow gave him a small smirk. "I thought we had established my name isn't Sheila." she said dryly, and Bunny chuckled. A grin was stretched over Sandy's little golden face, and a puzzling flurry of gilded images danced above his head. "I have no idea what that means." she admitted.
"Simply put, he's glad you're okay." said Tooth. "We all are. That was quite a drop, and it's a miracle you survived."
Jack was perched up in the window sill she had been in not all that long ago, remaining silent but his look was pained when he took in the state she was in. She looked up at the young Guardian for a moment.
"If Jack hadn't have been there, I probably wouldn't have." she said quietly, and her eyes softened for a moment, then she looked away. With Tooth's assistance, she managed to settle into the armchair, tucking her legs beneath her body.
Sandy poked Bunny in the side before tapping his wrist and pointing at the window. "Eh, Sandy says it's time to spread the dreamsand." he translated, and the little Guardian waved at Willow, before snapping a pair of goggles over his face and flying out the window on a golden hanglider.
Once Sandy had left, Bunny shuffled awkwardly a moment at the room's tense silence. "So, I'm sure North needs some help with... something or other..." he cringed at the pathetic statement, before just simply leaving. He paused at the doorway, glancing back at Willow. "I'm glad you're alright."
She smiled at him and the rabbit was gone. She glanced over at Tooth, who in turn glanced at Jack for a split second, and nodded. Then, she too, was gone.
Her fingers twiddled in her lap for a moment and she gazed at the fire. After a minute, she heard the soft shh of fabric moving as Jack slipped from the sill, then felt the wind cushion his fall. He stepping into her vision hesitantly, but her face remained a calm, smooth poker face. He leaned his staff against the chair opposite to hers, before sitting on its edge.
He wanted to say something, but he knew if he tried, he would just cut him off again. So he waited for her to speak.
"You found my necklace." That was it? He had expected another lecture on how he was a liar and shouldn't have been poking through her things. Not an undeserved one, because she would have been right on both accounts, but he was still surprised.
"Um, yeah. I saw it on the snow after you... fell. I figured you might want it back." he said carefully, almost certain her calm behavior wouldn't last.
"I'm going to have to get the chain fixed, but I'm glad you found it." For a moment, they were both quiet. Once again, it was Willow who broke the silence. He braced himself for her shouts.
"Thank you for catching me." What?
"Wait, you're not... I thought... I didn't catch you." he managed, baffled at the route she had taken. She was thanking him.
"Well, if you hadn't been there, I would probably have a broken neck, not a broken rib." she said dryly.
"If I hadn't been there, you wouldn't have fallen to begin with." he pointed out. "If I had just left that stupid book alone, none of this would be happening."
Willow didn't contradict his statement, but neither did she agree to it or rub it in. "You may have opened the book, but I was the idiot who stepped closer to the edge. You warned me how close I was, but I didn't listen."
"But when I tried to pull you away, you only fell when you batted my staff away. You wouldn't have slipped if I hadn't tried to grab you."
"Yes, but I was being cocky. You were trying to keep me safe, and, in a way, I rejected your help. As a result, I fell. If I hadn't, nothing would have happened then, either." she retorted.
"This is going nowhere." Jack said.
"Exactly. It's no more your fault than it is mine." she said.
"Well, regardless whose fault it is, you're hurt because of it." he told her.
"But we both know I could be worse than hurt."
"Were going in circles again." he sighed.
"Might be a good indication to drop it, then." she said wryly. She shifted her position a bit, wincing at the movement.
"Are you..." he trailed off, leaving the question hanging.
"Yeah, I'll live. It's going to be hell to do much more than breathe, but I'm sure I'll manage." she said, forcing a small grin that would have fooled no one.
Her watched chimed, and she glanced at it to see it was three in the morning. "Wow, I sure have been out of touch with reality." She began to unfold her legs, intending to get her bag, but when Jack saw her face pale from the strain, he hooked the strap with his staff and held it out to her. "Thanks." she said, retrieving it from the wooden hook.
She pulled out the thin block of technology that barely passed for a phone, and the screen lit up to reveal the date. "Wow, I've been here over a week and didn't even realize it. I never was very..." she trailed off when her gaze settled on her wallpaper. "Oh no." she whispered, and horror settled onto her face in realization.
"Willow, what is it?" Jack asked when he saw her expression.
"Jack, I have to go." she said, struggling to sit up and grunting when her ribs whined in protest. He jumped up, holding her right shoulder to keep her from moving. She glared at his hand and he hesitantly pulled it back.
"Okay, I won't touch you. But you have to tell me what's going on." he said, holding his hands up, but he remained where he was. She held her phone up and his eyes focused on a picture of Willow with her arm around a little girl who couldn't be older than six. The girl had skin a rich chocolate and a small puffball ponytail, a ridiculously wide grin spread across her face.
"Who's that?" he asked, confused.
"Alysiana. Mia's daughter. I used to tutor Aly before I got a job at the coffee shop. She's eight now, and I think Hysterium is going after her." The little girl's features blurred as Willow's hand shook. "Jack, I have to go back."
His hand tightened on his staff at her words. That psychedelic woman was now going after a child, apparently one that Willow knew, but she was in no shape to be leaving.
"We'll go check it out, but you need to stay here." he said, but she was already shaking her head.
"No, you don't get it. That little girl is extremely distrusting, because says she can see spirits." Jack began to ask how that was a bad thing, but Willow rolled her eyes when she saw his mouth open, and clapped her hand over it. "For Pete's sake, can I please finish?" she asked. Jack raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at her hand, but nodded. "I don't mean like Guardian spirits. I mean like dead people spirits. She was teased and bullied at school, and eventually Mia pulled her out. That's when I started tutoring her. I don't actually know if she can see the dead, and Mia doesn't want to take her to a doctor or anything, so we just leave it alone. But if that freak goes after her, there's no telling what could happen. I am one of three people she actually trusts, the other two being her parents, and she's not going to let any of you near her, Santa Clause or not." she said, her mouth moving almost as fast as Tooth's did, and she dropped her hand.
"So, this little girl can supposedly see the dead, and the only person she would trust to get her out of harm's way is you?" he summed up.
"Yeah, pretty much." she admitted.
Jack sighed, running his hands through the strands of white silk. "There's not any way to get around this, is there?" he asked.
"Unless you can get there before she does, and she has an hour head start, plus make a timid little girl trust you in under thirty seconds... no." Willow answered. Once again, she moved to stand, and she managed to get to her feet without sound, though the strain on her face was obvious and she had to brace her good arm on the chair to remain upright.
He eyed her movements. "Willow, you can barely stand. There has got to be some other way."
"Jack, we don't have the time." she said, her voice tight. Her hand slowly unclenched the chair and after a moment, she was standing without support.
He gave her an uncertain look, before stepping forward. She tried to lift her arm around his neck, but she could barely raise it higher than her own shoulder.
"This isn't going to work." he said, and before he could protest, he leaned down and gently scooped her up.
"Jack, this isn't necessary." she said, cheeks turning sanguine. "I can hold on, it won't be that bad."
"You're not that heavy, and, like you said, we don't have the time for this." With that, his feet left the floor and they sailed out the window.
"What about the others?" she asked, holding her hair from her face with one hand.
"If that little girl is as paranoid as you say, they won't be able to help us. We'll have to tell them eventually, but right now, we have to make sure she stays safe." He said, keeping his eyes forward as his speed increased. Then, he glanced down at her. "I know the speed isn't really your forte, but to get there..."
"Just go. I'm a lot more worried about Aly right now than I am about how fast we're going." she said. The ache in her side was beginning to dull from the icy caress of the quickly increasing winds. Her hands clutch the front of his hoodie as the ground became nothing more than a blur of white with threads of gray.
Her heart thudded with the hum of the winds, and her eyes shone with determination. Hysterium would not win.
And this concludes my beast of a chapter. I don't think I've ever typed as fast as I did to do this, the ideas just kept pouring on and wouldn't stop. I would love to know what y'all thought of it and I hope it was enjoyed! Things are about to get interesting next chapter, and I think I'm going to start wrapping this thing up pretty soon. My chapter mark will probably hover in the lower to mid twenties, unless I come up with some huge juicy plot twist that keeps it going longer. I actually never intended for this to be longer than twelve or so chapters, but we see how well THAT worked. I went for a more reasonable number this time, but my ideas are always in a state of constant shifting. This is also why I invested in an idea book(actually, it was a birthday present, in a color I would have never chosen myself, but it works and is already a quarter full and I've only had it a month or two), so I can go back and revisit old ideas to see if they can be used for other things. I might also have ideas for, like, nine other fics in there, but I was getting grief from a friend/reviewer on how I should finish some of my other stories before starting new ones. She's probably right, but there's so many storied to do, and so little time to type them! But, somehow, I will manage, because I actually have my own, granted quite small, group of people who like me and want me to keep updating my stuff. It is because of all of y'all that I update! Thanks for the support!(Wow, I got really mushy there all of a sudden... weird.)