Hey guys. I know this has been like forever coming. I actually thought I had already posted it. But I have been crazy busy and writing has unfortunately been last on my list. Anyway, all my school for the summer ends this week and I will have more time for writing between my work schedule. So I hope you enjoy! Thank you for waiting

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of The Guardians

Jack could not help but worry. How could he not?

It had been two days since Chaya had taken Pitch's ring and disappeared. There had been nothing from Manny and none of the other Guardians seemed to know what to do. Even now, they all sat around North's globe. No plans had been made and Jack was getting irritated.

Tilting his head, he tried to catch Bunny's eye, but the Australian Easter bunny seemed to be somewhere else. North as well was deep in thought. It was becoming abundantly clear to Jack that the Guardians were lost without proper direction. Since Manny had been absent, nothing would to get done. Jack had only been a guardian for a few seasons, but her could not help feeling like they were weak without the spirit of the moon. He was used to action and while they had battled Pitch, he never thirsted for the drive of purpose. But now, in the prospect of their newest member, the Guardians were stunted and dead in the water. A fire was needed to get them back on their feet. Jack had seen what they could do when they worked as a team and he knew that it was what needed to happen in order to bring Chaya back to them. The moon had helped last time, but it was their time. They needed a plan!

Turning around the other way, Jack cleared his throat, catching the attention of Tooth, who looked at him absently.

"We have to do something,"

They all knew what he was talking about. North nodded his head, as if Jack's words had brought him back to life.

"We know dis Jack, but what is to be done? We do not know where Chaya is,"

Jack frowned.

"We know she went to Pitch and we know where he's been before. Where else could he be?"

Bunny spoke up.

"That's where he was before, mate. How do we know he's still there? He was defeated, he was supposed to be dead. Who know's how differently he came back,"

Jack rolled his eyes. Now they were making excuses.

"What is the harm in looking for him? Sure, we may not find him. But it's better than sitting here!"

North's gaze hardened as he looked at Jack.

"We must wait for Manny,"

"Why?" Jack's voice was strained as he stood up and walked over to the window, to the right of the globe. He gestured up into the sky. "Manny has not shown himself in these last few days. Why are we waiting for him? We can do things alone, can't we?"

He turned back to look at the Guardians. They were staring at him. Tooth and Sandy looked worried, Bunny was unimpressed and North stood up, his eyes still hard.

"We have lived under da rule of Manny for centuries, Jack. He is the leader of us and he decides who is to be a Guardian. Such as you Jack, you were chosen by da Man in the da Moon!"

Jack waved him off with his stave, turned back with his head in his free hand.

"I know all that! But why? Why do we only follow his orders? Have you ever once stopped to question why Manny chooses the Guardians?"

North looked about to say something, but Jack continued. Chaya's words rang through his mind and he had to know the answer to her question.

"Why does he choose us to be Guardians? Like Chaya. She's Pitch's daughter! Have anyone of you thought of that. Pitch is evil, why does Manny want his daughter to be a Guardian?"

North did not speak, Jack's questions seemed to have hit him. Tooth looked even more worried, fluttering about the globe as if seeking an answer. Sandy flashed several sandy symbols over his head, but Jack could not read their meaning. Only Bunny seemed to have an answer.

"Because he's Manny, that's why,"

Jack didn't answer. He hadn't expected a full answer and they obviously were in no position to give him one. They did not understand all the workings of the man in the moon, but for some reason, they trusted him. But why?

Over the time he had been a Guardian, he had accepted all the strange dealings of being a Guardian, seeing the magic all around him and even talking to the moon on occasion. But up until now, he had never questioned him.

Chaya had been the only one to actually raise question about the Man in the Moon and his choices. Why had he chosen her to be a Guardian? As far as any of them knew, being the daughter of Pitch, all she could bring was darkness and fear. So how could that make her a Guardian?

Looking back up at the Guardians, Jack realized that they were not going to make a move without waiting for Manny to speak. But he could not wait for that. There was no telling how long that would take and there was no telling what was happening with Chaya. Finally, Jack made up his mind. Opening the window before him, he jumped up onto the ledge.

"I can't wait around any longer. I have to go find her,"

Tooth finally spoke, flattering closer with her hands out.

"Jack you can't leave. We need you here when Manny speaks to us. He will give us a plan,"

Jack shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. I have to know,"

Without another word, he leaped out the window, caught a strong northern breeze and was gone. Tooth made as if to fly after him, but North stopped her.

"It's no use Tooth. He's made his choice. We must wait for Manny to guide us. Jack is on his own,"

The window slammed shut as another gust of wind hit it; sealing Jack off from the Guardians.

Although Jack had made as if he were confident he could act alone, in truth, he wasn't sure.

There was no doubt in his mind that Pitch had Chaya somewhere in his lair, meaning deep, deep underground… But Jack knew going down there alone would be going against Jack's initial instincts.

But Jack was conflicted as well.

In his mind, Pitch was dead and defeated.

They had drawn him back years ago on his rampage to destroy children's belief. They had not seen him since and nothing was said of him afterwards; Jack had believed him to be gone for good. For the second time since the dark ages, Pitch had been smote from the world.

But now… that was all gone.

Chaya herself had meet her father and he was indeed well and alive. But how?

Now that he thought back to the time they had fought Pitch, he realized something. Pitch had never been killed by the Guardians. They had left him to the fate of his very own nightmares and it had appeared to go badly for him. But in actuality, no one had seen Pitch die.

So it was possible that Pitch had been alive all this time. But it had been two years, why had he waited so long to come back? Where had he been all this time? And how did Chaya fit into the return of the Nightmare King?

Jack knew these were questions that only Pitch could answer, but it stopped him in his tracks at how he and the Guardians had been so quick to accept the lie that Pitch was gone for good. What proof had they of it? Manny had said he was gone and yet… here he was.

Looking up at the sky, Jack narrowed his eyes. Had Manny lied to them? Or was there something deeper about it all? Was Pitch truly defeated, but not in death? Manny had always been mysterious and nothing he said made sense unless you were willing to open your mind to the possibilities. Jack had to admit that sometimes, listening to Manny frustrated him. He was straightforward and the undertone messages from the man in the moon could be infuriating for someone who wanted simplicity. But through it all, Jack had to admit that he had learned so much from the moon spirit. If he had never listened to the moon, he would never have become Jack Frost or been part of the Guardians. It had been a long journey to become who he was now, but the man in the moon had pushed him the from day one. So in reality, Jack knew deep down in his heart that North had been right. Manny was their leader and acting out against him was nonsensical.

Even now, Jack and no idea how to start or where to begin to find Chaya. He was leaning against the trunk of a tree about four branches from the ground, surveying the expanse of the little village spread out across the land. He smiled faintly. When he had first become Jack Frost, the town had been so different from what it was now. There had been less houses, more space and very little to go around in terms of food and shelter. But he had been with them all the way through their growth and now the little town had become thriving in life. Although it was still on the smaller side compared to some of the places Jack had visited, he could not help feel at home here. This was where he had grown up, from the glimpses of memory he still held in his heart, this was were he belonged.

This was were he met Chaya for the first time, long before he knew she was to become a Guardian. He had seen her walking alone on the street with a large bag in her hands and the maturity in her face had intrigued him. From then on he had always kept on eye on her and soon realized that she lived quite close to where he had, merely a few blocks from the pond he'd fallen into. She was of the town as well. In another time and in another world, they might have been neighbours, living together as happy and perfect families. If only…

Family!

Jack snapped out of his thoughts.

Chaya's adoptive family.

Chaya was gone from them. Did they know where? Did they know how? Jack had never even thought about them. Chaya had come to them from Pitch.

That ring. She must have had that ring in her house. How? Confusion frustrated Jack and he scanned the buildings quickly. He had to find out. Chaya's family could not see him, but he could see them and they must still be looking for her. Maybe they knew something he didn't. Maybe they would have a clue. This was were he would start.

Briefly, as he flitted on the breeze of the early evening, Jack looked up on the faint moon, wondering if Manny approved. A soft glimmer shifted across the right side down, as if a cloud had passed over a small corner.

As if the moon had winked at him.

Jack smiled and picked up his speed.

It did not take Jack long to reach Chaya's house. He had visited her many times as he'd followed her from school.

Alighting on a branch in the front yard, Jack looked through the foggy window into what he imaged to be the living room. He could see fairly little and decided that he needed to be closer. Crawling closer to the window, Jack pressed his nose to the chilled surface, causing it to sparkle with frost. Irritated, Jack rubbed away the fog gently before peering more intently inside. Still, he could not see much in the darkened room.

There was a faint light flickering to his right, possibly a kitchen of sort, but nothing moved in the seemingly empty room. Jack frowned. Had they gone in search of Chaya? Did they know about Pitch and where he had taken her? It did not seem impossible, but Jack had a feeling they were here somewhere. Maybe asleep; it was getting dark.

Suddenly a movement to his right caught his attention. A figure moved into his line of sight and Jack squinted.

It looked like her older brother. What was his name… Stoke! He was standing almost directly in front of Jack now, a large glass in his hand. His eyes looked strangely dark in the already dark room, but Jack could not see clearly enough to tell. Stoke's shoulders were slumped and heavy. He looked tired. Jack tilted his head for a better view as he watched Stoke. The sturdy adolescent stood still, the glass in his right hand, staring through the darkness, looking at something. His facial expressions were blank.

Another movement to his left made Jack turn his head. It was the younger brother, Joey, peaking his head around the door to the bedroom, that much Jack knew. His face was blurred by the glass, but his movements seemed tentative. A faint voice reached Jack's ears and he just caught the words.

"Stoke?"

The older brother's head did not move. Staring still, he seemed to clench the glass in his hand tighter.

"Stoke?"

Stoke finally turned to look at Joey, his face cast into shadow so Jack could not see. Oh, if only he could get into the house. All he could do was rub away the gathering fog once more and tilt his head further to see clearly. Stoke's voice was heavy, deeper than Jack remembered.

"Go back to bed, Joey,"

Joey moved closer, but not close enough for Jack.

"But I miss Chaya…," Joey's voice choked and he seemed to cry. "I want her to come home," the pitch of his voice gave away his despair. He ran toward his older brother and clung to him. Stoke did not move, merely draping his free hand over his brother's back. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a drink of whatever he had. Swallowing, he continued to stare into the darkness.

"I know, but I can't find her, Joey. We're doing everything we can," the shadow around his face deepened. "I'm doing everything I can,"

Jack tried to follow his gaze. It must be the room next to their own. Their father's.

What was happening? Where was Chaya's adoptive father? Was he not looking for his adoptive daughter? Surely he would not give her up to Pitch without a second thought. Did he even know about Pitch? Jack longed to be able to ease Stoke and Joey's minds. If only he could help.

Could he?

Backing away from the window, Jack looked around him. The ground below him was hardened. Could he somehow leave a message for them in the dirt? Or better yet, a window… Alighting up on the breeze, Jack swept around the house, his mind buzzing on what he could say in a simple sentence. There was so much that needed to be explained, but that was impossible for Jack. If only he could show himself to them, but that would be even harder to explain.

He knew that Stoke shared the same room as Chaya and that his bed was closest to the window. He had to look at it sometime. Jack would leave his message there. Looking to his right and to his left, Jack racked his brain. Something, he needed something. Ice was not easy to use in leaving a message. Dirt, he needed some dirt.

Jack kicked at the dirt, trying to loosen the hardened soil to use it. A few stray stones flew up, but the earth was solid. Turning, Jack faced the tree. The tree he often used to sit in to watch Chaya read Joey stories.

Could he scratch something into the tree? But would Stoke see it? He was running out of options. He needed something.

Around the tree, the ground was a little bit softer and somewhat wet. This was it!

Gathering some of the mud in his hands, Jack approached the window. A brief image of Chaya standing in the cold, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth flooded through his mind and Jack's heart ached. He just wanted to know that she was safe with Pitch. He was her father after all. Would he hurt her as he did everyone else?

He shook his head. He had to do this. Then he would continue his search. He had to find her.

Fighting back simple tears of anguish, Jack splattered mud onto the window as thickly as he could, trying to ensure enough would stay on to make his message clear. It worked better than he expected and he breathed a sigh of relief when the word stood out against the bright pane on of the window. The moon shone behind him and lit up his simple message. Jack turned to the moon a smile of gratitude on his face. Why had he thought he could do this without Manny?

"I promise, I won't doubt you again," Jack breathed another sigh as the moon faded behind a dark cloud. The evening was closing in fully now and the darkness would soon be total. Jack had to get back to the North Pole. He knew he couldn't do this alone.

Just before he could catch the next breeze, a flash of light blazed through the night sky. It was so brilliant that the memory was burned into his eyes. Jack caught his breath as the sound of sizzling reached his ears. The streak arched above the moon at lightening speed before peaking and making a slow descend past him. For a moment Jack was stunned, caught up in the suddenness of the light. Then, he felt something inside him alight; something strange.

Hope.

The light of the moon sought him out and Jack heard the words of Manny ring through his head.

Go.

This was it. He didn't know how and he didn't know why and confusion filled him now more than ever, but he knew clear as day what he had to do. He had to follow that light. Without another thought, Jack took up his stick from the ground and followed the dying ends of the light.

The moon once more shone clearly on the window of Chaya's old home, causing Jack's simple words glow.

Chaya is safe.

Alright, this may be a little short, I don't know. But I promise I will update my other stories as soon as I can. I am actually in the process of starting two new stories, so they may be posted in a few months time. Cheers guys!