Chapter 8: A Snowstorm
NOTE: This chapter will include elements from my one shots.
Tooth and Sandy shared depressed looks. The other three Guardians had just told them everything that had happened. "So, if Bloody Mary has her, where did she go?" Tooth asked. "I have no idea." North admitted, sadly. "Well, you've got to!" Jack blurted out, "I mean, you've been fighting Pitch for hundreds of years! How do you not know where Mary is?!"
Everyone glanced at him. "Jack, I understand you're upset," North said, "but Mary's never been a problem. Man in Moon hasn't told us anything. We can't do anything until we learn more." "But, but we can't just leave her with that witch!" "Jack, listen." This time it was Bunnymund. "It sounded like they've met before. She's as cunning as a dunny rat, and she scared the bloody daylights out of me and North. She'll be fine. Now," he said, putting his paw on Jack's shoulder, "why don't you go and see Jamie or something?"
Reluctantly, Jack had taken Bunny's advice and flown to Burgess. The Early Fall Sun shone brightly on his hair, making it glisten like fallen snow. He laughed despite himself, happy to be free from being cooped up at the Pole.
Jamie had grown old, and had given his son, Jack, the belief of the guardians. Now, Jack Bennett had his own kids, twins Heidi and Cole. The entire Bennett family had a special place in Jack's heart, and he smiled at the thought of the twins and their snowball fights.
As he arrived, Jack flew over to the top of Jamie's house. It had been a while since he had been there last, but he felt something odd about it. Cautiously, he stepped inside. It was empty. No furniture, no people, dust all over the room, and it was freezing.
"Jamie?" Jack called out. No reply. Jack began running through the house, searching every room. "Jamie? JAMIE?" Jack paused as he got to the back porch. Leaves dusted the ground, looking undisturbed.
Jack took off from the porch, searching for his first believer. He searched Jamie's normal hangouts, the local coffee shop, the grocery store, and the library, where Jamie told the kids stories about Jack and his friends. No luck. He tried Jack's house, he wasn't there. There, the Winter Guardian noticed something about the family: they looked saddened. Jack frowned, then left the house, still searching.
Finally, Jack decided to search the outskirts of Burgess. Eventually, he saw an older woman standing in an odd field of stones. Jack flew over to her, and noticed she was crying with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She looked familiar, with her big eyes and blonde hair that was turning white. She didn't appear to see Jack, she just kept sobbing. After a short period of time, she kneeled down and put the flowers down in front of the stone. Then, she slowly turned away to the lone car in the parking lot.
Confused, Jack stared after her, then he ran to the stone. He took a step forward, reading the words on the stone. He jumped back in shock. "No, NO!" He flew away from the sight, reeling from the words carved into stone:
"I'LL NEVER STOP BELIEVING, EVEN WHEN THE CLOUDS BLOCK OUT THE SUN. I'LL MISS YOU, JACK, BRING JOY AND FUN TO MY GRANDCHILDREN. JAMIE BENNETT."
Jack immediately flew north, not knowing nor caring where he was going. His search had taken all day, and the Moon shined on him as he flew faster and faster. In his mix of anger and depression, he didn't notice Sandy's dream sand around him. He just kept flying north, letting his emotions out.
A snowstorm raged southwest of the Pole. Jack sat in the center of it, screaming in anger and sadness. He was tiring after making the storm for almost a day, now, so the storm was dwindling from what it had been. Finally, Jack gave in, and the storm stopped.
The Winter Guardian breathed heavily, worn out and tired from the past two days. First Gemma, and now Jamie. The news had taken its toll, and Jack knew he had reached his lowest point. Aimlessly, Jack reached for his staff. It wasn't there.
He whipped around, searching the snowbanks above him. It was nowhere in sight. Jack rushed up a bank, and looked out at the surrounding tundra. Nothing. "Oh Jack." A familiar voice was behind him, a Scottish voice. Jack spun around, staring into the hole.
Gemma was standing at the bottom, grinning, leaning against his staff. "Looking for this?" She held his staff up to him. He ran down to her, tripping and falling down. She laughed, but he didn't care. He went to hug her, laughing, but then he touched her. At his touch, black sand surrounded him. She disappeared, sand flying up above him.
"Gemma?" Jack said, staring around him. Familiar laughter engulfed the air. "PITCH!" Jack shouted, shaking in anger. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER?!" From behind him, Pitch's familiar voice rang out. "Oh, don't worry, she's fine. But I know your fears, Jack. You're afraid of losing her. You love her, you would rather die than have Mary put a finger on her. But your pride won't let you admit it."
"No I DON'T!" Jack shouted, spinning around to face Pitch. The tall skinny man held Jack's staff. Jack ran at him, yelling. As he was about to grab the staff, Pitch disappeared with it. "PITCH! GIVE IT BACK!" Jack shouted aimlessly into the air. "Oh, I will. But, I want to make a deal." Jack calmed down a bit. "What kind of a deal?"
"Oh, it's simple, really, I give you your staff for some simple information." "What kind of information?" "Oh, just the location of Bloody Mary's home." Jack turned again, saying, "You don't know where it is?" "No," Pitch bluntly replied. "Again, Jack, your staff for information to the location of Bloody Mary. I'm counting to three. One…" Jack stared at him, panting. "Two…" He looked at the ground, thinking. "Three!"
"Alright!" Jack said. Pitch tossed the staff in the snow in front of Jack. He bent down and picked it up. "Oh, and one other thing. You can't tell the other Guardians." "What? Pitch I didn't agree to this!" "Not a word, Jack, or I will get your staff back and destroy it. Permanently." Jack gasped.
"And I'll find your little Scott, and make sure she'll never see daylight again."
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