A/N: Hey, everyone! It's been a while. Thanks to those who are still invested in this story. I've had a crazy year or so, but what's new? Last update was January 2nd, 2022 with 185 reviews, 414 favs, and 537 follows. I'm not sure when the next update will be as usual, but let's keep it going!

So, without further ado, enjoy!


Chapter 12: You Did This to Yourselves.

Bunny, of course, was the first to notice the sudden temperature change, his arms wrapping around himself as he inched closer to the diminishing fire.

"Geeze, North! I know you live here an' all but from time to time, it wouldn't be a bad thing if ya kept all the windows closed! It's bloody freezing in here!"

A great wind began to wail throughout the Main Hall of Santoff Claussen, the fire almost going out completely, which drew the Guardians' attention. The yetis slowed to a stop on toy production and the elves stopped their squabbling. It was nearly silent besides the wind's hauntingly low howl.

North didn't move, eyes searching the halls with suspicion. "All windows are usually closed, even window to Manny iz completely closed right now. Something iz wrong."

Sandy formed a question mark over his head (?) and looked at Phil beside him. The head yeti listened, as did the rest of the workshop. The breathing wind seemed like it came from everywhere, an unstoppable and ominous constant with no source it seemed.

As the wind continued, the main trio itched for their weapons. They all had the same feeling about what, or rather, who was the cause behind the violent wind.

And as soon as it came, it stopped, with dead silence following it. Then, a voice.

It was loud enough, and it reverberated in the large space, making it difficult to pinpoint the source. The tone was cold and undeniably belonging to Jack Frost.

"First, you track me down and try to kill me."

The Guardians looked around, brows furrowed in a ready expression. Bunny staggered for a second as he noticed that the walls nearest to him were becoming encased in frost. Where was Jack Frost? It seemed he was somewhere up high, on one of the rafters maybe. They could not tell whether he wanted to fight or just threaten them and escape away to lick at his wounds.

"And second, you lock me up in a cage like I'm some scolded puppy. Like, who even does that?"

"Shut it, Frost! We know you are up there, just come on and get this over with!" The Pooka yelled out.

The elves in the room began to shuffle out or hide in empty boxes and containers, sensing the danger. The yetis remained mostly stoic at their stations.

"Hold on, kangaroo. You need better listening skills." The winter spirit tskked and laughed lightly from his hiding spot around the ceiling before a swift force blew at Bunny's ears, coating them in thick ice. The others startled, seizing their weapons as Aster grabbed at his ears, his head now lopsided from the weight.

"I'm not finished talking."

Jack revealed himself from one of the highest rafters. The enchanted manacles were still around his wrists, but now he had his staff in hand, floating effortlessly as the wind kept him elevated out of reach from anyone who dared to try and grab him. It would have been a marvel to anyone looking to see a seasonal spirit do this, but not at this moment; not with this one. "lt may be a newer concept to you guys, but it's called innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around."

Jack continued, watching as the Guardian of Hope struggled to break the ice off his long ears with his paws before directing his steely eyes to the man in red. "Santa-man, did anyone tell you that you are very skilled in ice sculpting with all your toy designs?" He complimented very matter-of-factly. North quirked his brow while Sandy remained vigilant, knowing what the winter spirit was capable of. Jack must have visited the Guardian of Wonder's office on his journey to this room. "Very interesting work, I'd thought you'd be a winter spirit yourself if I didn't know any better-"

"What iz it, Jack Frost? Why did you break from cell just to talk, why not run?"

A pause.

"Well, I just don't understand you all. To be honest. I did nothing wrong contrary to what everyone says about me. You tracked me down just to throw me in a cell and for what? To pat yourselves on the back?" The crisp white smile he flashed was mockingly evident in his voice, and it did not reach his eyes.

"Congratulations!" He sang in ridicule. "The children of the world are finally safe from Jack Frost! Don't worry about the spirits and monsters that actually roam the earth looking to harm children, I'm glad we took down a spirit that just spreads snow, ice, and frost!" The smile in his voice vanished when he spoke again, flat as a sheet of ice.

"You did all of this for nothing. So. What I'm going to do is I'm going to leave and when I do, you are not to follow me. You are not to ever even think of me. I know I'm certainly never going to think of you again."

"Ha!" Bunny piped up as he held his ears at an odd angle, "What makes you think you can jus—"

"Alright, Jack." North interrupted. "But we cannot let you leave, not yet. There iz something we have not told you."

Jack, still in the air, turned his head with derision and waited. There was no audible answer, not that North expected one, so he urged further, stepping nearer towards the spirit. The others gave him a look, silently bracing themselves for the reaction. Then, North cleared his throat:

"The Man in the Moon told us something about you. Something very important. You are to be next Guardian."

There was nothing at first and then the air in the room plummeted to below freezing.

Jack busted into a roaring fit of laughter.

"I can't believe you think I'm that dumb! The Man in the Moon! You're joking!"

The Guardians shared a look amongst themselves; Bunny even paused at the outburst.

North continued earnestly, "It iz true, Jack Frost. Man in Moon chose you like he chose all of us…and we are sorry for attacking you, we…had no idea until later. We thought you were a threat to children."

Jack stilled. The only movement seemed to be the dark clouds rolling into view outside the windows. The elves around the room hid further.

"I don't believe you." Jack stated frankly. "The Man in the Moon doesn't talk. Not a lot anyway. You can't just apologize for what you all have done. I don't need your apology. I was never a threat to anybody. And what makes you think that I would ever want to be like you anyways? A Guardian?! Seriously?"

Before North could explain further, a slam was heard accompanied by a rush of wind, making them almost jump back as they saw the winter spirit now in front of them and wow, he did not look very happy. The enchanted manacles were still around his wrists, but by the looks of it, did little to impede him. The workshop just stood waiting; the air was thick as it was cold.

His shoulders were tense as they had their standoff. Looking closely, North could see that the Winter Spirit was hurting inside by looking into his eyes. He wondered if the other Guardians saw it for the first time as well. The Guardian of Hope certainly did not, his green eyes burning a hole through the cold spirit as he continued to hold his frozen ears. Jack shook his head in anger as he twisted his staff upward, ready for the fight.

"I will never be like you."

The screeching of winter sounded, and the Guardians' feet were immediately entrapped in ice. Bunny quickly disregarded his ears and pulled out his boomerang, throwing it at Jack. The winter spirit merely dodged before blasting the rabbit with more ice. Curses ensued while North and Sandy speedily got to work trying to free themselves. Sandy was the first to be successful, launching himself towards Jack. Meanwhile, the boomerang made its way back and before it could hit him, Jack froze it midair, catching it on its descent and then pitched it at an incoming Sandman, who was hit hard.

From the ground, the wintry teen smirked as Yetis tried to tackle him. One by one, they were shot down with blasts of wind and ice as he rose up further into the air, creating a pile of yetisicles below him.

After hacking the ice at his feet with his sabers, North finally freed himself. He quickly looked beside him. The Guardian of Hope was covered in frost and ice almost completely, trying to claw it off his feet.

"Bunny!"

The Pooka looked up just in time to be clear of North's sword, the blade making a clean chop at the ice around his big feet, freeing him as well.

"Thanks, mate!" Aster shouted as he shook off the remained frost from his fur. He quickly gained sight of the laughing hellion blasting yetis to the ground while Sandy recovered, and North started his way to the Winter Spirit.

The rabbit grabbed an egg bomb and aimed.

It was on.


Toothiana grabbed the soft sheet of the cot and gently wrapped it around herself as she felt the temperature of the air change.

She had a bad premonition of the sudden drop in temperature, but she couldn't bring herself to investigate; the sadness she had in her chest weighed her down too much. Her feathers had become even more dull than before. She sat with her arms crossed over her knees as she huddled closer into the sheet, her cheek resting on the top of her arms.

It was happening now. She was fading, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. In a few days to weeks, she would be gone. The children will have to find a new Guardian of Memories, one that could do her job right next time. One that could protect their memories, one that could protect them, because she certainly was not qualified. Not anymore.

Maybe Jack Frost was to be her replacement? Maybe that's what Manny wanted with him? She sobbed again at the thought. No, she shook her head. Surely, this was not true.

Toothiana must have been so distracted by her own self-pity party that she failed to notice the small humming sound coming towards her from the open door. It was Baby Tooth, who finally made it to Santoff Claussen to her mother. She made it past the yetis and elves unnoticed to where she thought her Queen mother would be.

Baby Tooth squeaked a few times, placing her small hand on Toothiana's head to comfort her. The Guardian of Memories sniffled, sat up, and focused her eyes on the little Fairy and a bright smile painted her expression in instant recognition.

"Baby Tooth! You are okay! How'd you get here?!" She hugged the small fairy gently before releasing, "Oh, thank goodness you are okay, you aren't hurt, are you? What has Pitch done to your sisters? Where are they?"

Baby Tooth twittered and told her everything including what had happened between her and Jack Frost. Toothiana's eyes widened. She rose to her feet on the bed as she gasped.

"Oh no, I must tell the others!"

Without a moment to lose, she shed the sheet from herself and beat her wings as best she could, zipping out of the room with Baby Tooth right behind her.

She hoped she wasn't too late.


Jack did a backflip away from the big rabbit coming towards him, his slender form dodging another boomerang as he shot some ice back in the rabbit's direction. He was careful of the handcuffs still around his wrists, though they began to become sore with all the movement, and would, no doubt, eventual break his skin if he continued. The yetis had quickly given up as a lot of them had been trapped in ice; the few who weren't had gathered materials in an attempt to free their peers while Jack's focus was solely on the Guardians right now.

The Sandman had returned with his sand whips, but Jack managed to evade them almost expertly. North would charge at the wintry teen, sabers in hand, and was blocked each time as Jack simultaneously shot an ice wall to occlude his way. The Easter Bunny kept getting the closest and was the one that Jack needed to keep an eye on as he remembered what happened last time with him.

"Look, Frost! Why Manny would choose you as a Guardian anyway is beyond me!"

Another egg bomb dodged, Wind pushed Jack up to one of the second-floor balconies, "I don't understand why the Man in the Moon would talk to you guys at all, you are all horrible!"

"Us?! Horrible?! Mate, I'm so glad you don't accept Guardianship, we dodged a bullet! I mean, what do you know about bringing joy to children anyway?"

A snowball hit Bunny squarely in the jaw.

"Ah, you ever hear of a snow day? I know it's no hard-boiled egg, but kids actually like what I do!" Jack readied another snowball with his staff, preparing to fling it again in the rabbit's direction.

"But none of them believe in you, do they?" He yelled as he wiped the snow from his face, "Y'see, you're invisible, mate! It's like you don't even exist!"

Jack faltered at the statement. He knew it was true, but that didn't mean it hurt any less when said out loud. The Easter Bunny smirked, and seeing his opportunity, bolted towards the winter spirit. Jack leapt to another level above, causing more boxes and toys to scatter sadly to the floor below.

"Listen, kangaroo! If the Man in the Moon really said that, why didn't he tell me that himself?! After three-hundred years, this is his answer? To spend eternity like you guys cooped up in some—some hideout thinking of new ways to bribe kids? Oh-no. That's NOT for me!"

Jack swung his staff mid-air, creating a wave of wind. Not only did this knock the Easter Kangaroo and Sandman back a notch, but this also brought down a bunch of beautifully crafted toys with it. A part of Jack wanted to care while the other part threw that care to the wind, the sound of a man's pleas made it more difficult to do that, of course.

"Jack! Let us talk! Please, stop this destruction!" North weaved out from behind one of the various ice walls on the main floor and looked up to the winter spirit. He was met with a snowball to the face.

"No!"

The Easter Bunny popped back up from behind a tower of stacked toy ovens and gumball machines. "What did you call me earlier? A kangaroo? I am NOT a kangaroo, mate."

"Well, if you're not one, then what are you?"

The rabbit was about to retort with an egg bomb in paw before a shrill voice rang out.

"WAIT! STOP!"

The Tooth Fairy fluttered into the now icy-laden Workshop. Shock laced her features at the sight before she pushed forward with determination. She soon fell at the feet of Aster, halting the battle, and held her hand out in tentative peace towards Jack as Bunny tried to prop her back up.

"Jack, wait! I understand now!"

The Winter Spirit scowled, but did not move from his defensive posture, staff held high enough and ready to send another blow like he was a batter ready for the ball. "Understand what?"

"Why you—you wanted me to ask my fairies—about you—I mean," she practically breathed out. The Easter Bunny growled almost impatiently behind her at the current impasse.

"What d'ya mean, Tooth?"

As if to answer, a small squeaking sound flitted into the Main Hall, and in an instant, Jack's expression softened, and he lowered his staff. It was Baby Tooth. He was glad she was okay.

Realization spread across each face of the Guardians in the short battle as the little fairy greeted the Winter Spirit sweetly. Tooth bowed her head slightly, but Jack's eyes narrowed again with hatred, Baby Tooth hovering between the opposing sides.

"I'm sorry, Jack. Baby Tooth told me…you didn't hurt her; you were kind to her. I did not think that was possible and for that, I am sorry."

The few yetis still standing watched them intently from the barricades of ice nearby. Jack huffed a cold puff of air out of his nose sharply.

"I told you…none of you wanted to listen to me. I'm not what others have said I am. The rumors you hear about someone need to be confirmed by that person. I am not a monster, and I am not a mistake."

The tenseness in the air could still be felt. North and Sandy slowly came closer to Bunny and Tooth while Jack stood his ground.

"Have they told you yet, about your Guardianship?"

He nodded a yes and her purple eyes shone with a hopeful light.

"I decline."

The light disappeared. Her mouth dropped open.

"Jack, I don't think you understand what it is we do." The Tooth Fairy explained earnestly. She took a tentative step toward him, unafraid. Surprisingly, Jack didn't seem to mind, but he kept his guard up. He focused on her but shot a quick glance towards the other Guardians behind with caution. Baby Tooth gave a nod to Jack before turning to follow her mother into the air.

The Fairy Queen gestured to the giant globe in the center of the room, now covered in random patches of frost and thick ice. The small lights scattered across different continents on the slowly turning globe could still be seen underneath, remaining bright. Jack tore his eyes from the Guardians to observe this sight closely, noticing Pennsylvania with slight fondness.

"Each of those lights is a child," she began.

"A child who believes," Santa stepped forward, making a point to sheath both of his sabers, "And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them."

Jack's brow furrowed, turning to face the other Guardians again. "You said the Moon chose me, right?"

"You were chosen like we were all chosen–by Man in Moon."

"Last night, Jack, he chose you." The Tooth Fairy confirmed.

"Maybe," the Easter Bunny added, crossing his arms.

Jack shook his head, not exactly excited by the news. "He really talks to you. But why? After all this time…three-hundred years, and this is his answer."

"You see, you cannot say no. It is destiny." Santa assured him with caution.

Assurances aside, Jack fumed at the statement, a fresh layer of frost surging from his feet. "No, no. If you think for one second that I'm joining your little group, you're more delusional than I thought! I AM NOT and never will be a Guardian!"

At the boom of his voice, a crash resonated behind him. With his teeth bared, Jack snapped to look behind him at the cause of the sound, and his anger faded almost as quick as it returned. Before him was a pile of elves trying their hardest to hide amongst the heap of destroyed toys from him. They must've knocked over the last remaining support that kept the toys from completely crashing to the floor. From what he could make out, broken parts and pieces of firetrucks, dolls, and guitars littered the ground like garbage. And that was just the floor level they were on.

Jack averted his gaze to the rest of the Workshop for the first time, and his breath caught in his throat. The yetis that weren't frozen below began salvaging what they could, separating the broken toys from the intact ones. Doll houses, bicycles, and robot action figures he could see made most of the broken pile further down. Some of the toys were under ice while others could still be moved.

His harsh expression completely melted.

He didn't care if Santa's feelings were hurt nor did he care what the spirits across from him thought, but he did care that now some children may not have Christmas this year as they expected. Watching through windows in the past, he knew how much a toy could mean for a child on Christmas morning, especially for those that did not have much.

And it was all his fault. No, he thought, they shouldn't have brought me here. It was true; he had wanted this destruction, to make them hurt, and to be spiteful for what he'd gone through, what they've put him through, but to see it on full display…it only left him feeling terrible and…empty.

Jack's mouth was dry.

"You…you did this to yourselves."

He turned to leave, but nevertheless, Santa approached him with a kindness he hadn't seen from the man before, a twinkle of forgiveness in his eye, making Jack pause. The Guardian extended a large, open hand. Jack immediately leaned away, eyeing it warily. The others' expressions were ones of shock as they waited for the Winter Spirit to do something, but the man in red simply nodded to him.

"Jack. Walk with me."


A/N:

What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in a review! I appreciate all feedback. Thank you all so much for your continuous support (I really mean it), and until next time, bye!