Chapter 3, The Reuniting of the Guardians

Even with the coming of spring and another Easter just a day away, Jack Frost's mischievous tricks of winter did not see their end. Though it was spring in Burgess and the snow had melted away many weeks ago, the time of winter was still persistent in such others places in the world. For as the early night now dawned in the city of Novosibirsk, the winter spirit glided high in the air over the towing building as snow flakes twirled and descend to the snow covered earth below. It was all the while that he laughed and cheered, spreading his joy and wonder of winter to the people and children below. He the dived down to the streets below, descending like an eagle about to claim a fish from the street.

"Look out below!" He called to the people who walked along the streets below.

Many of the children and people gazed up, where they spotted the winter spirit diving in from above. Though it right before the moment he was to touch upon the ground below, he quickly pulled up and was snow souring through the streets. Spreading a trail of ice behind him, Jack passed by the children who walked upon the sidewalk.

"Excuse me, heads up!" he said as he zipped around each person he passed.

"Coming through!"

All of which then cheered and followed after him. Jack turned and came onto his back, gazing to all the kids who followed behind him. He in turn smiled and laughed along with them.

In the year that followed the defeat of Pitch, Jack had gained the belief of all the children of the world. Like North and the others he upheld his responsibilities of winter, though unlike the four he made his presence clear to sight. Bringing the joy and fun of winter where he goes and also stays and plays with the children like in Burgess, all the while earning their affection like he did Jamie. Finally was he given what he had desired for so long of being isolated and alone.

The winter spirit the children all the way across the streets to the park, where landed near the play ground before turning to the pack of kids who raced toward him.

"Alright." Jack said, conjuring up a snow ball in his hand.

"Who's up for a little fun?"

He then tossed the snow ball at one of the kids, which struck him in his face. His magic swept upon the boys face, causing him to laugh like it did Jamie and his friends. He then leaned down and made a snow ball before he threw it to another. Upon the balls impact, the children had all began tossing snow balls to one another and a snow ball fight then broke out.

Jack ran a muck among the crowd, creating snowballs with his staff. All the while he reached down and grabbed one, throwing it at a fellow opponent. As the children continued to play, Jack leaped into the air and flew over to the nearby tree, where he came down upon his bear feet and lean against the trunk, watching the kids continue to throw snow balls at one another.

"Now that was fun." He said, turning away as he placed his staff atop his shoulder.

Though right at that moment, there suddenly came a yellow light glistening from above. Jack turned his head and gazed up into the air, where he saw strands of dream sand descending from the heavens along with his snow flakes. It was then that he saw Sandman, floating down on a magic carpet made from his dream sand.

"Hey, Sandy!" Jack called to him, waving up to him.

Sandy waved back to him as he descended down to the winter spirit while his dream sand made it's way to the city, to the children who were sleeping at this time. As he was just a few feet from the ground, his Carpet burst and Sandy floated down to the ground.

"Right on time as always." Jack complemented, as he walked up from the tree.

"Hows it been?"

He smiled as his sand formed a thumb pointing upward over his head, signifying he was good. Though it then changed to a question mark to him, asking how it was with his new duties as a Guardian.

"Oh, you know." Jack said.

"Same old. Going from here and there, giving people snow days, having fun..."

There was the sound of laughter nearby, to which the two Guardians turned and saw a boy and girl racing up to them.

"Hey Jack!" The Boy said as they passed them by..

Jack smiled as he watched them race one another.

"Being believed in."

Watching the two chase one another, he glanced ahead and saw a nearby pond which had been frozen over from the cold weather he had brought.

"Huh, whats going one here?" He said to himself.

Jack walked after him and came up upon the bank of the frozen pond, where he saw a few people skating. There was a few children, as well as some the same age as him. There were also a few adults too, most of which were skating along side the children. Jack leaned up against his staff, taking in all the joy which transpired around him.

As he looked about the pond, his gaze turning over to his right before stopping. For it was there that the winter spirit saw a tall man with black hair wearing a large brown jacket with a brunette haired women wearing a light blue coat walking up to a nearby bench, both carrying their own set of skates in hand. They came to sit upon the bench before strapping on their skates.

In the moment to follow, he saw the women gazed up to the man who in turn looked back at her. For a moments time, they gazed into each others eyes and smiled to one another. The man then came to take her hand and the two stood up upon their skates and walked together up to to pond, coming onto it's solid cold surface. They then began skating together along the outskirts of the pond. The women wrapped her arms around his, resting her head over his shoulder.

Jack only watched in utter silence, never once turning away to any of his other surroundings. All the while, a strange and unfamiliar feeling came upon him. It was one which he had felt many times in the past, through the many years he had walked the Earth alone and Isolated from those around him. He had longed had a desire to be seen and experience companionship for himself. While he now had Jamie and all the children of the world, even they were not enough to quell the void he had felt for so many years. For there was a small desire of the winter spirit, to experience a feeling that was much like the sight he was seeing.

For there was one feeling he had always carried a fond desire for, and that feeling was... love.

He knew of love of course and had seen it before. Though it often times made him roll his eyes, so naive to such a feeling. Yet even still, there was a small part of him which desired to experience such a feeling. After three hundred years of being alone, it would be nice to have someone to be with. However he knew well that was nothing more but a pipe dream, for never would he be able to have someone to love in such a way. After all, he was immortal and was responsible for the season of winter. He never had time for such a thing, nor would he ever.

It was just then that he felt a tug on his sweater, snapping him back to reality.

"Wha...?" He said, glancing down to see Sandy standing beside him.

His Formed a question mark over his head, asking to what he was looking at.

"Uh... nothing." Jack insisted.

Sandy smirked and raised an eye brow, as the sand over his head formed into a couple skating together.

"No, I wasn't." Jack denied.

Though just as Sandy turned and and glanced ahead, he gasped and formed an arrow over his head, pointing up to the sky above. Jack looked to where he was pointing and saw the Northern lights glistening in the far sight of which was all too familiar to the two guardians, for it was a signal from North for all the Guardians to gather and there was only one reason as to why.

Jack turned and looked down to Sandy, who looked back up at him.

"We gotta go!" He said before turning and leaping into the air.

Jack and sandy flew in through the skylight opening atop the ceiling of North's workshop. They descended downward and landed upon the balcony which stood before the globe, where they saw North, Bunnymund and Tooth talking by the fireplace. From the sound of it, bunny seemed to be complaining about something. Something to be expected seeing that he had just be called on the day of Easter. It was no surprise that he would be in such a mood.

Jack glanced down at Sandy, who in turned glanced up at him.

"Well Bunny's here." Jack said.

"Whatever's going on its important enough to call him here this close to Easter."

Jack then walked over toward them. Sandy rose up off the floor and flew after him.

"Hey, we're here!" he announced to his fellow Guardians.

"Whats going on?"

Upon turning to the winter spirit, Jack was met with a stern expression from Bunny. One which he was well accustomed to seeing before in the past.

"Jack, I got a bone to pick with you, Mate!" He said, stomping up to him.

"Bunny." North said reaching out to him.

Jack glanced curiously at Bunny, confused by his statement.

"Uh, ok?" He said, curiously.

"What did I do now?"

"You know what you did." Bunny insisted, poking at Jack's chest.

"I thought we agreed that you'd stop messing with my egg hunts."

Jack squinted his eyes, cocking his head back confusingly.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, confusingly.

"I was over in Russia for weeks now, I was nowhere near your egg hunts."

Sandy shook his head, confirming Jack's defense against Bunny's amusement.

"Then explain why I ended up hiding my eggs in over two feet of snow?"

By now Jack was even more lost then before upon hearing that statement.

"Two feet of snow?" He said, taking a moment to ponder over the factor that Bunny had brought up.

He had very little idea of anything that Bunny was accusing him of, he hadn't been to Burgess since spring had started. The very fact that there was two feet of snow covering the town was just as confusing to him as it was for bunny. He was the only one who had the ability top cause it to snow, it became even more of a mystery in of itself.

It was then that Tooth flew up from behind Bunny.

"He's right, Jack." She claimed to his word.

"Some of my fairies were there collecting teeth from the children. When they got back to the palace, they were shivering cold."

Baby tooth came up from behind Tooth, holding herself tight as she curled up, shaking from the cold which steeped through who green feathers.

"Like I said, I've haven't been to Burgess for the past few weeks." The winter spirit claimed, putting his hands upward.

"Yeah right." Bunny said, having little belief in his claim.

"If it wasn't you, then who was the one making it snow?"

Jack made an attempt to speak on his behave, however he came to find himself completely silent at Bunny's question. Like the rest of them, the facts of the matter were so confusing to understand. It was true that he was the only one with the ability to create ice and Snow. However his words did indeed speak the very truth. He had kept the promise he made to Bunny, he didn't interfere in anyway with Bunny's hunt. Nor did he cause it to snow in Burgess since he had departed at the arrival of spring.

"I-I don't know." Jack stated.

"But I swear, I didn't do it."

North raised an eye brow, curiously as he stroked his long white beard. While he knew well of Jack's past of trickery and carelessness, he noticed there was something quite off about what was happening. He had always remembered that Jack never did deny anything he did just to get a reaction out of Bunny. However in recent time, he had seen Jack mature since their encounter with Pitch. Like the rest of them, he began taking his responsibilities as Guardian as serious as everyone else did. He found it to be hard to believe that he would go back to his old mischievous way after all that had came to pass.

It was then that he stepped in and passed both Bunny and Tooth.

"North, can you believe this?" Bunny asked, turning to him.

"Actually, I may." North claimed, turning to him.

Bunny gazed shockingly to North.

"Wait, What?!" He gasped.

"I think, Jack may be telling the truth." North insisted, coming up beside the winter spirit.

"Telling the truth?!" Bunny blathered out, staring in complete and utter shock at what North had said.

"North you can't be serious!"

"Calm down, Bunny." North said.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Bunny argued, objectively.

"You know how hard it is to hide eggs in snow? My feet sank right through, I left a trail. The kids are going to follow them right to where I hid them thanks to this Dingo!"

Jack stared sternly to Bunny, seeing that his innocence could not be proved due to their long history. It already seemed quite pointless to argue about this any further, seeing that everything pointed to him being the one responsible for something he didn't do. However there was the matter that it had snowed in Burgess and he wasn't the one who caused it. Seeing that he was the one who brings the season of winter to the children of the world, there was something off about the matter. If what they were saying was true, it may be a good idea to check things out there and find out what was going on.

As North and Bunny argued with each other, Jack turned away and began walking back toward the Balcony.

"Jack?" Tooth called out to him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see whats going on." He insisted, looking back at her.

Jack turned and leaped up into the air from the balcony, souring high up to the skylight above. As the winter spirit entered into the cold arctic which lied on the other side, he flew off into the sky and made his way to find out the what was behind these mysterious events in Burgess.

(I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you have any critiques please feel free to share.)