* Please read this (please bare with me):
I technically made a reference to another ROTG fanfiction called "To Fall And To Rise". There was a concept in that story that inspired me to write this one-shot, with permission from the author (Hlbur14), of course. In my one-shot(s), though, the concept is going to be slightly different.
Again, I do have the author's, Hlbur14, permission to use that bit of concept from his/her story. I am not stealing anything from him/her. However, if any of you guys out there have any protest to this one-shot, I will have no problem completely removing it.
By the way, the story "To Fall And To Rise" is really fantastic, I highly recommend reading it!
Also, I referenced "The Guardians" book series.
I do not own "To Fall And To Rise" and I do not own "The Guardians" book series.
Way Too Late
"Get. Out…" Jack seethed. "of my way, rabbit!"
Bunnymund raised his paws to reason with him. "Easy, Jack," He backed away some, causing a pair of shingles to tumble from the roof to the ground. "Just think for a second…"
"Winter began over three weeks ago," Jack said, gripping his staff tighter. "And you're saying I can't even visit home?!"
"You're not listening to us, Jack," Tooth reasoned, floating behind the winter spirit.
"Right," Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You'll let me go home, but you won't let me see Jamie."
Then, Bunny saw the icy flash in those cerulean orbs, the way they sparked at the mention of the child's name. "Don't you think it's dangerous," Bunnymund offered. "To be spending this much time with him?"
"Pitch isn't our only enemy," Jack spun to face the fairy. "There are others who would think nothing of harming Jamie because he means something to you."
Jack tried to protest over the horn honk from a car in the street below. "We just think you should distance yourself from him, mate." Not wanting to hear further, he crouched to jump into the freedom of the sky. "For both of your own good."
"Think of Jamie's safety." Her words made him stop. Jack straightened up, indirectly looking at Tooth.
Sighing, he jumped from the building to let the wind carry him all the way to the pond in Central Park. The ice strengthened and made a frosted platform under his bare feet, a trail of intricate frost designs fanned out as he walked on the pond's surface. Tooth floated towards him and Bunny perched himself on the rail of the stone bridge that stretched over the water.
Jack stole a look at the moon. "I-" He finally began. "I don't know what's going on." The two other Guardians exchanged glances, but not out of confusion. "I mean," Jack started going in circles, frost and ice crackling with his pace. "I act normal outside of Burgess. Playful, carefree…"
"Mischievous, annoying?" The rabbit finished.
The winter spirit ignored the jests. "It's the same thing when I'm around Jamie just…Everything feels enhanced or stronger or something." He groaned and looked at his friends. "It's really weird to explain."
"Well," Tooth tried. "What is Jamie to you?"
His face lit up. "You're kidding? That little kid is like the brother I never had. I just…act differently around him, like a parent or..." Jack paused. "Why do you two keep looking at each other like that?"
The other Guardians stared at Jack before Tooth sighed. "Bunny?"
"Yep," The rabbit twitched an ear. "I think he ought to know."
"Know what?" Jack took his staff from his shoulder.
"Do me a favor, mate. Go towards the shore." Jack didn't budge. "Have I ever gave you reason not to trust me," He stopped. "Recently?"
Humming, Jack finally waltzed to the pond's edge in front of a tree.
"Good," Bunny nodded in approval. "Fellas?"
That's when Jack's eyes widened and he would've made a break for it if two yetis hadn't caught the scruff of his hoodie. He shouted furiously before being shoved into a red sack.
"Why do you always do that?" He growled at North. "One of these days I'm going to accidentally freeze those yetis."
North chuckled as he inspected a small dog figurine made of ice that looked strangely like Jamie's dog, Abby. "If they give you time to react." He pulled out a wooden barstool and slid it in Jack's direction. "Sit! We have much to talk about."
Jack leapt up and crouched on the soft, red suede of the seat, hooking his staff around the backrest. "Jack," North peered at the spirit's ankles. "Control emotions."
Jack looked down to see sharp icicles forming beneath the metal of the stool. He sighed and the ice stopped growing.
"That's one thing I actually want to talk to you about," Jack admitted. "The last time I had problems controlling my powers was over two-hundred years ago. And that was when I was just starting out with them."
"So, Jack," North said, completely ignoring his statement as he placed the delicate little statue on a cluttered worktable. "How is Jamie doing?"
"No idea. I've been trying to see him for three weeks now, but Tooth and Cottontail won't let me. It's kind of driving me crazy at this point."
"And that is your answer," North waved a broad hand in his direction. "You cannot control powers because you are irritated." The Guardian leaned in until their noses almost touched. "Because you cannot visit Jamie."
"I'm," Jack drawled out the word. "beginning to gather that. Which reminds me, can I borrow a snow globe?"
"You can go to Burgess later, tell that to the others if they get in your way," The floor complained as North dragged out another chair. "But for now, we talk."
Jack groaned, sliding to sit correctly in his seat. He hated sitting still for too long.
"Tell me," North spoke softly after a moment. "Do you…act differently around Jamie?" Jack perked, and nodded. "Do you love the boy?"
Jack almost blushed at the way his friend worded the sentence before he held up a pale finger. "First off, the kid's nine years old. Second, he's like a little brother. Nothing at all further from that."
"Calm down, Jack," North's laugh bellowed. "Even if it was further, what I am about to tell you would not be altered." Jack sat up straighter, listening intently. "Do you know why we Guardians distance ourselves from children?"
"Because you're too busy?"
"Well, that," North shrugged. "And also for our sake and there's." Jack blinked and North could tell he wasn't following. Without looking, North shoved scraps of blueprints and paper away to finally reveal a facedown picture frame. He passed the photo to Jack who speculated with curiosity.
"That is Katherine," North explained just barely above a whisper. "She was very dear to me. She saw me for who and what I really was," he paused with a fond smile. "And all that I ever would be. I grew much attached to her, perhaps too attached."
"What happened to her?" Jack asked, not looking up from the picture.
His sigh filled with grief. "I never knew. I suspect, like all precious living things, she died." He shook a rag out of a side-pocket and wiped his face before any form of tears could spill. "This knowledge, of course, would be a lot less painful if I hadn't bonded with her."
Jack finally tore his gaze up to his friend's eyes. "Bonded," he repeated, not being able to help the small, but sympathetic chuckle. "You make it sound like you made some weird, mystical ritual with her."
"Well, certainly not a weird ritual," North copied the laugh before uncrossing his legs. "Has no one explained this to you?"
Jack shrugged. "You formed a bond with someone."
"Do you know why Bunny likes to spend so much time with Sophie?"
"Because he's jealous of me hanging out with Jamie so much?" He grinned cleverly.
North shook his head, not smiling. "Bunnymund desires to spend time with the child because he's already bonded with her." Jack just stared. North scooted his chair closer to Jack. "Have you ever felt very protective over little Jamie," North asked. "Almost needlessly?"
"Yes," Jack answered, not even thinking about it.
"What of your emotions? Around Jamie, have you ever felt sad one minute then utterly and completely energetic the next?" Jack nodded slowly. "Also, suppose the season changes and you must leave until next year, not that you follow that rule very well." Jack laughed with little regret and put his hands behind his head. "When you must leave him do you not feel irritated, angry?"
"Are you stalking me?" Jack asked with a hint of amusement, and slightly creeped out.
"I don't have to," North gestured to the other ice figurines on the shelf, all of them exact replicas of their fellow Guardians. "None of us do, for we all have done at some point." Accidentally severing the icicles from the stool, Jack finally stretched his legs to jump on the table to inspect his own model.
"Each of us," North continued. "had or has formed a special relationship with a child known as bonding, which is why we bury ourselves in our work, so we never have to go through it again."
"Wait a minute," Jack spun on his heels with an incredulous expression. "You don't hang out with kids anymore because you're afraid of being friends with them?"
"There is more to it than that, Jack," North's voice rose slightly. "This is not just any old friendship. Bonding is a process entirely connected through magic. 'Is something that almost every immortal creature does once or twice in their life."
"What does bonding do?" Jack leaned against the wall.
"What has been happening to you nowadays?" North stood and walked over to him. "Mood swings? Over protectiveness?" He stopped next to Jack. "Every decision or plans you make you immediately add Jamie into consideration, yes?"
Jack nodded before realization widened his eyes. "Are you saying I bonded with Jamie?"
"You are in the process of bonding with Jamie, nothing is permanent…yet."
The younger Guardian pushed back from the wall. "So, what's the difference between being friends and being bonded?"
North paused to look at the picture of Katherine and Jack followed his gaze. "Being bonded is an involuntary instinct immortals possess," he explained, briefly reminiscing at the memories of Katherine. "You end up exchanging each other's emotions and thoughts, have a strong need to be near each other, and in some cases," he eyed Jack. "The capability of sharing powers."
"Sharing magic," Jack shook his head. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. Of course," North walked and propped the picture next to the nesting doll that represented his center. "Jamie's too young for that. He's not yet strong enough to bare any of your magical abilities."
Jack tried to shake his head again, snowy hairy waving in front of his dizzy eyes. "And," He blinked. "When is this process done?" The room filled with silence.
North turned with narrowed eyes and stalked until he towered over Jack. "Both of you must come to terms with being bonded, but I do not recommend it," he sighed. "Once you have bonded with him, he becomes your entire responsibility, becomes part of our world. None of that is law, but involuntary.
"When you bond, that child stands out like sore thumb. He will be very noticeable by everyone in our world, good and bad. Yes, you are strengthening your connection with Jamie, he will be able to see and believe in you until the day either of you die. However, you are also making him giant target for your enemies.
"Bonding makes both of you stronger, but 'is also curse." North fisted a hand, trying to predict Jack's next reaction. "If you choose not to bond, that is wise, but you must distance yourself immediately from Jamie."
Jack flew from the table and over to the window. He unlatched it, the wind forcefully blowing it open. "I need to think for a moment," Jack closed his eyes as the blissfully frozen breeze caressed his face.
North waited, leaning against the table's edge. He watched the emotions flicker over the winter spirit's features. It was such a mix, too: confusion, anger, exhaustion, and just overall conflict.
"He's my friend," Jack whispered to himself. "My first believer."
Empathy rose into North's throat. After three-hundred long, lonely years, the boy finally received his first believer, his first true friend, and now he may never be able to interact with him as much as he wanted anymore.
"I cannot tell you what to do," Jack felt a large hand clap his shoulder, but didn't seem deterred by its heavy weight. "But," North placed a glass object in Jack's front pocket. "I feel that Jamie should be part of this decision, as well."
After a couple seconds, Jack shut the window and took the snow globe from the pocket of his hoodie.
Jack switched off the lamp, staff in hand and ready.
He sat on the edge of the bed as Jamie's chest silently rose and fell. Jack reached forward and ran a hand through the boy's messy hair. Jamie mumbled in his sleep before rolling over to face Jack, letting a sleepy hand fall on the spirit's outstretched sleeve. Jack recoiled from the bed as if burned.
Jamie's eyebrows knitted together and he uttered a soft, confused little sigh. Jack's insides twanged dramatically at this. Every fiber of him screamed to go to Jamie, to comfort him again.
No. Jack thought. I can't let the bond get stronger. "I'm sorry Jamie," he whispered. With a silent wave of the staff, a steady fall of snowflakes filled the room.
Sure, he planned for more visits after this, but if Jack wanted to be certain to never bond with him, he had to get away, even for just a while, maybe until the last leg of the season.
Jack backed away, determined to look at his brother – er, friend – for as long as he was visiting. Both his heart and brain berated, yelling at him to stay, but as soon as the spirit's hand touched the frosted window, he gasped, breathing heavily as if he just ran a mile.
A chord inside him – where exactly? He wasn't sure – snapped like a guitar string. Whatever connection, whatever bond he began to form with Jamie, was gone. Vanished.
Jack staggered, leaning against the window. Groaning, he unhooked the lock and asked the winter wind to carry him. He didn't even take a step outside.
"Jack?" His breathing stopped.
Closing the window, Jack clamped his eyes before reeling around to face the bed. Jamie, his precious, most devoted believer, sat up and yawned to reveal the gap between his front teeth.
"Thanks for the snow day yesterday," Jamie smiled.
"Yeah," Jack chuckled emotionlessly. "No problem." Jamie tilted his head, silently asking Jack to come sit with him. This was more evident as Jamie moved over a little.
"I-" Jack tried to step back, but his feet did the exact opposite. The next thing he knew he was sitting on the bed, sidling next to his best friend.
Jamie's grin widened before he hugged the Guardian's waist. "It's great to see you, bro."
"Yeah," Jack cleared his throat. "Good to see you, too." Once again, his own body betrayed him as he wrapped his arms around the child. Jamie nuzzled his face into the blue hoodie.
Jack felt the severed chord inside him twitch and he had the strange notion to ask a random question.
"What's bonding?" Jamie suddenly asked and Jack realized it was Jamie's question, not his. How on Earth does that happen, Jack asked himself.
"Um, well-" Jack started.
"I had a dream," Jamie explained as Jack pulled the blanket over the boy to coax him to sleep. "You and North were in the workshop, talking about some stuff. There was a picture of a girl called Katherine, there were ice sculptures of the Guardians, and then you guys started talking about 'bonding'."
Jack grit his teeth together. Sandy… How did he even know..?
"It was just a dream, Jamie." Jack waved it off.
"But it seemed so real."
"I know, but-"
"It was real, right Jack?" Jamie sat up again. "I didn't just dream it. You and North did talk about bonding, right?"
Jack looked into his eyes for a long moment before sighing. "You listened to everything in that dream?" Jamie nodded. The chord inside him jolted again.
Jack knew he wouldn't forget the dream so easily. The child was going to press the matter until Jack gave him a proper explanation.
Jamie's eyes fluttered when he looked at the time on his alarm clock. "We'll talk about this later," Jack said, shifting to get up. "For now, bedtime."
The two exchanged genuine grins as Jamie took the blanket, pulled it back over him, and used Jack's chest as pillow. Jack sighed before resting a hand against Jamie's back.
"North said it should be my decision, too," Jamie whispered. The child nodded once before his eyelids slid.
When Jamie fell asleep, Jack leaned over. Before he could set his staff down a glow of bright blue flashed from the bottom tip to race up and swirl around the hook. Shocked, Jack let the staff clatter to the floor. He exhaled again as an odd wave anxiety overcame him. Then, he blinked his cerulean orbs and the snowflakes that filled the room instantly disappeared.
Jack felt it inside him again and he had to suppress a strained 'oh, no'. The chord seemed be winding itself up, coiling and curling until it repaired the break. Jack gasped as emotions rammed back to him like a freight train. His head fell back against the headboard with a dull thump and he wiped the foreign beads of sweat from his neck.
"What…" Jack's words fell as a faint light filled a corner of the room. "Sandy!" He half-whispered half-yelled. The little man smiled and waved from the window before drifting over.
"Do you even realize what you just did?" Jack snapped. "Why did you give him that dream?"
The Sandman held a finger to his lips.
Jack felt his grip on Jamie tighten as a small string of sand flew from the spirit's hand and over Jamie's head. Jack half expected to see the images of sledding and snowball fights. Instead, the strand snaked and twisted until it tied itself, a chord forming into a perfect, golden sailor's knot. Then, the sand sagged and faded.
Jack stood stock-still as Jamie awoke again. Jamie looked at his nightlight, not taking notice to the other Guardian. He child blinked once and Jack's mouth fell open when the boy's chocolate brown eyes briefly flashed a brilliant cerulean blue before returning to normal. Shrugging, clearly oblivious, Jamie again rested his chin on Jack to fall back asleep. Not a moment later, Jack's whole body seemed to relaxed as if a great amount of weight had finally been lifted.
In Jack's absolute shock, he hadn't noticed the Sandman's departure. Not knowing whether to feel extremely happy or tremendously guilty, he sagged further back against the headboard of the bed. Jack Frost thought of only one thing before he closed his eyes and fell asleep that night.
The bond had been sealed.
* I think I may know of Katherine's true canon fate, but I've only read the first book so far. Please don't spoil it for me. I shall be posting a new one-shot soon. I am still taking requests.