Chapter 13
Truth
Bunny was watching Jack outside of the Oak of Sorrow and watched Jack as he would gently place a pale hand on a thick tree branch and closed his sad blue eyes,
"What is Jackson doing?" Mary asked him.
I don't have a clue," Bunny tilted his head when he saw a then branch move out of the way of a Jack flew to the ground, "What were you doing mate?"
"Uh," Jack rub that back of his neck, "Talking to the trees."
Bunny blinked, "You can what?" Bunny's mouth dropped open.
"Is that even possible?" Mary asked looking her brother with wide brown eyes.
"I don't know how I do it I just can. I can also make the leave change colors and put them back on the tree if they fall too soon," Jack shrugged his shoulders.
Every spirit is different," Bunny explained, "Could you do that when you were human?"
"No," Jack saw Mary go near the lake, "go get Ezra," follows Mary.
"Flee," Jack watched Mary's brown eyes swam with tears, "Come here," He pulled her close and held her has tears started to fall.
"It's my fault," Mary said, "You died protecting me," Ezra and Bunny caught up. It should have been me."
"Mary Elizabeth Frost don't every say that. It's not your fault," Jack stated, "You're my sister and I love you, and I would do it again, I would do it for anybody. Ezra, Mom, Dad, and even Isabella. It's not your fault. I was never you fault," Jack held as she cried harder, "Don't even think it."
Ezra sighed, "See Mary, I told you the Jack wouldn't believe you," setting down next to them.
Just in that moment E. Aster Bunnymund found out how Jackson Overland Frost became Jack Frost the Spirit of Winter.
"We better get to the warren."
North was in the warren when Jack came in carrying his staff and his arms full of Mary who refused to let her brother go, with her pretty brown eyes.
"Mary, I got to put you down your getting heavy," Jack told her as his smiled fell when he saw North.
"What now?" Jack said putting his sister down. Trying to keep his cool (no pun intended) not wanting to destroy the warren.
Jack and North looked at each other as Ezra pulled Mary to him, "I thought about what you said, and you're right. We all want to help and be there for you, and you push us aside. Will you let us help you now? They are your family. The only family one true family and that were the guardians.
Ezra put his hand on Jack's should, "Jack, you know I won't push you, but if they want to help, they should know." Ezra saw Jack clench his jaw thanking of telling North off.
Sighing Jack looked at North, "Bunny, can you do me a favor and bring Tooth and Sandy to my place. Will talk there," Jack's ice blue eyes never left North kind blue eyes.
Jack waited for Bunny to return with Tooth and Sandy.
Jack really wanted to spend the day in the warren but if Jack was going all the guardians his story, he was going to do it on his turf.
North was looking around Jack's leaving room and was actually surprised that Jack actually had a place to live, and now knew why Jack always refused to stay at the pole with him. Right now, he sat on Jack's old couch saw how some of the furniture was worn and needed some repairs.
Tooth and Sandy came behind Bunny as Jack finished a bowl of oatmeal on the table for Mary as Ezra made a bowl for himself. Jack whispered something to Ezra who only nodded.
Tooth sat down next to North looking around in awe as Sandy sat on his cloud looking around with a smile in his face as Jack sat on an old worn chair leaving Bunny to set on his hunches.
"I'm only telling you once so listen up. Bunny knows some of it, "Jack started, "but not everything. It the reason why Hannah is after my family in the heavens.
Taking a deep breath and closed his blue eyes, "I courted Hannah fir six months when I was human and found out that if I married her, I would be making a big mistake and I called it off. Taking a shaky breath, "Hannah wanted the finer things in life, nice clothes, expensive shoes and hired help, and she was afraid to get her hands dirty. My family we worked hard every day. We were farmers, herders, and carpenters. Not a day went by that we didn't have a work to do."
"Jack, I'm sorry to stop you but what year did you grow up in?" Tooth asked.
"The 1700s," Jack said as Mary and Ezra came in and sat down where they could.
"Wow, North said surprised.
"A year later I meet and fell in love with Isabella Maria Brody."
"And fell hard," Ezra added with a smirk giving a knowing smile.
"I courted her for two years and I shook like a leaf when I proposed to her. I was eighteen.
"You were engaged," Tooth was shocked her pink eyes wide.
"I was," Jack took the picture he drew and opened it and showed a pretty redhead with midnight blue eyes and tears felled from his crystal blue eyes.
North looked at the charcoal picture of the lovely woman and saw why Jack fell in love with her, "She had a good heart."
Jack gave a sad smile, "Two weeks before the wedding Hannah shows up wanting to talk to me. The whole family was there, at the cabin I built for Isabella and me, even Father Ramsey, the man wanted us to be sure that we were serious about getting married, I told her whatever it was the answer was no."
Jack held his power back when he felt them, "Hannah told me she wanted to talk to me outside."
"What she wants?" Bunny ears flicked.
"She got married to a wealthy man. He could everything she wanted. He needed a child in order to keep his wealth the only problem was he was sterile. So, we were told. I had brown eyes and brown hair just like him. She wanted me to get her pregnant."
Everybody expects Mary's and Ezra's eyes got wide.
Sandy went into a flurry of images, "Sandy I can't understand when you go that fast," Jack was still learning how to understand the dream weaver.
"I think he is in shock," Bunny and Sandy nodded.
"I told her no. That the only woman who would carry my child was the one a married," Jack grabbed his staff feeling his powers fighting to get out.
"I never saw Father Ramsey face get so read. Mama and Papa look like they wanted to kill the woman," Mary explained, "Mr. and Mrs. Brody were furious.
"Isabella's Irish temper," Jack smiled remembering how Isabella told Hannah off, "do the two of you remember that she even offered me money." Jack reminded both of them making North cough back a swear word.
:"Isabella went up and slapped her telling no real woman would ask any man other than her husband to get her pregnant. That if she wanted child she should adopt and demanded that she leave."
"Hannah said she make us pay," Jack held his hand and formed life size sculpture of Isabella in her wedding dress, and she did," Jack voice cracked as tears fell from his eyes leaving twin trail of frost on his face.
"The day of our wedding she was coming down the aisle heard a gunshot come from the church door that was left open because of July weather. I ran up to her as she fell and she died in my arms."
"Hannah ran after she pulled the trigger and was hiding at her father house when they arrested her. She denied everything but there were witnesses who saw her pulled trigger with a smirk on her face," Mary's hands fisted in her lap.
"Jack went off the deep in," Ezra said sadly.
"What happened?" Tooth was in tears for what happened to Jack.
"I gave back what I could to the Brody's after Isa was killed and that night, I sit the place on fire."
Pa and I saw the flames from our homes and got to the cabin and saw the cabin ablaze and a hermit that we called Ol' Pete pulling Jack out of the fire."
North sat there with wide eyes looking at Jack, "It took Jack six months to get back on his fee, but he still had sadness in his eyes. He would see the Brody's now and again.
"It was three days after Christmas when I became the Jack Frost. The Spirit of Winter."
"Hannah was hanged for her crimes. They Brody's adopted a little boy named James."
"So, they finally adopted a child. The Brody's talked about when Isa was alive."
"He was adorable," Mary said with a smile.
"Jack," a female voice came from behind him.
"Grim, don't you know how to knock."
