Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hey guys! I decided to bring this story onto Archive of Our Own- I've had it on FF for a while but a friend recommended this site so..here it is!

The first 8 chapters were written back when I was a wee little lad in 2013, so Chapters 8 onward may have a slightly different writing style. 

Anyways, let me know your thoughts (not quite familiar with how this site works yet but feel free to PM me or leave a review), and enjoy!!

I…I can't breathe.

The Wind tried to swerve the tumbling Jack Frost onto a soft pile of snow located in the middle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, his high fever did not help the maneuvering and he ended up crash-landing off the roof of a nearby house, landing on the pavement with a sickening thud.

He was having trouble breathing. Thick puffs of fog came out from his dry mouth and he struggled to inhale and exhale. The Wind circled around him with anxiety at his collapsed figure. The people who continued walking through him did not help his current condition. The cold, empty feeling as human flesh casually slips through his body. The feeling of being abandoned…not believed in…alone.

He was a Guardian for God's sake! Guardians never fall ill…at least to this extent. His mind flashed to the other four and he let out a weak smirk. Ha…I wonder how the kangaroo would react if he saw me now… He can imagine the Easter Bunny shaking him rigorously while scolding him for letting himself get so weak, but then he would immediately gather herbs from his warren that would help ease his illness. Tooth, meanwhile, would frantically flutter left, right, up, down…not sure what to do first. Get warm water? Get some food? No, make some soup. No, he needs to bathe first. AH! Jack laughed at her voice as he imagined the scene. Sandy would try to cheer him up with a game of charades using his sand. North would…yeah, he would probably try to sing some Russian folklore or bring some cool inventions that he made to try to distract Jack from his pain.

Since Pitch's fall, they've become a big family- always watching out for one another's backs. However, everyone still has their own tasks and Jack, whose basic job was to make snow, did not want to intrude on anyone else as they hurried to make the prettiest Easter eggs, collect teeth, distribute dream sand, or create the coolest toys. As a result, he ended up growing very ill and stubbornly refused to seek aid, hoping the cold would just go away on its own.

Am…I going to die here…? He heaved another raspy cough and closed his eyes, praying the snow would cool his dangerously high temperature.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his forehead. "Jesus Christ…he's burning up! How can you all be just walking by this poor kid?!"

"Lady…what the hell are you talking about? There's no one there!"

Jack weakly opened his eyes to see a young woman quickly shrug off her jacket and drape it over his body. "Don't worry, I'm going to help you right away."

Her raven-black hair was covered with a thin layer of snow as she regarded him with large, anxious chocolate eyes. "I need you to stand up for me though…come on." She gently tugged on his arm and managed to get him onto his feet. She wrapped one arm around his waist while the other kept his arm draped over her shoulders. His clouded mind became even more messed up.

"H-How can you see me?" He whispered. She had to be at least in her early twenties. Everyone around them stared with confused eyes. He didn't blame them- to them, the woman looked as though she was carrying empty air.

"What nonsense are you muttering about…of course I can see you!" She muttered angrily. "I can't believe how stupidly ignorant and selfish people are in this world…"

"N-No…I mean-" He coughed harshly again.

"Save your energy and stop talking! We're almost there." They slowly trudged towards a small suburban home. Her boots made low crunching sounds as she walked through the snow in her driveway.

As she opened the door, warm air with the smell of vanilla and cinnamon met Jack. "Come on, one more step!" The woman urged.

Jack couldn't find the energy. He tried to raise one foot and ended up tripping over the doorstep, landing on the soft carpet.

"Kid?! Hey, kid! Get up! Hey!" Her voice slowly faded away as his mind drifted into the darkness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2! Enjoy!

He was floating on the waves of a clear-blue ocean. He felt gentle nudging to his side and turned to see several dolphins chirping worriedly as they led him to the shoreline.

Wow...this is the first time I've fallen asleep in a long time. He softly smiled at his favorite animals and he gently patted their heads, silently thanking Sandy for such a pleasant dream. Being the winter spirit and now Guardian, his body was accustomed to the absence of sleep. After all, if he slacked off for a single minute, numerous children would be devastated to see their cities' weather forecasts be incorrect.

Thinking about that now made him frown with anxiety. How long had he been out? How many disappointments did he create? Suddenly, the dolphins nudging grew stronger and stronger...

"Cedric! Stop poking him like that! The poor kid needs rest!"

"But Moooom..."

Jack slowly blinked open his cerulean eyes and met bright green ones in return. "See? Look, Mom! He's up!"

The woman from before immediately came to his side. "Well I'll be darned...it's about time!"

They were in a simple living room and Jack was covered in blankets on the couch. He noted that he felt significantly better and his chest no longer felt like it was on fire.

"H-How long was I out?" He rasped, cringing at the soreness in his throat.

"Over two days I believe..." The woman replied regarding her watch. "I was worried that I would have to take you to the hospital!"

"Two days?!" Jack immediately threw off the blankets and tried to stand, only to collapse back on his knees. Cedric immediately supported his weight and pushed him back on the couch.

"Oh no you don't!" He scolded in his best attempt at imitating an adult's voice. "You need to stay here and rest!"

"I don't have time for resting! I need to-" He looked around him. "Where the heck even am I?!"

"Oh...this is awkward. I totally forgot to introduce myself." The woman sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Well..the name's Ariadne Ciaste, and this is-"

"And I'm Cedric Ciaste!" The boy grinned. Ariadne playfully ruffled his dark hair at his interruption. "And you're at our house right now!"

Suddenly, the phone rang with a loud BRRRRIIINGGGGG! "I'll go get that." Ariadne stated. "Ceddy, make sure Jack doesn't move from this couch. I do NOT want to heave his sorry butt back here, you got it?"

Cedric gave her a mock salute. "Yes ma'am!"

She ruffled his hair again before regarding Jack with a wink. "You better stay put, kid. I'll be right back."

"Wait...do you know who I am?" She was already in the next room, however, and didnt hear him. Cedric, on the other hand, grinned and eagerly tugged on Jack's shirt.

"You're Jack Frost, aren't you?" He whispered in his ear excitedly. Jack smiled. He was always happy to hear the awe in children's voices when they meet him for the first time.

"Yeah...haha. How'd you know?" Jack asked with playful sarcasm.

Cedric pouted. "Hey... A lot of kids my age have no idea what you look like. Heck, even my mom doesn't know!"

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "And yet...she can still see me...?"

"Well yeah! I mean...who doesn't?" Cedric naively replied.

"...how old are you?"

"Five and a half." Cedric said with his chest puffed out in pride.

"And..your mom?"

"Twenty-two I think..."

Jack's eyes bulged out. "Twenty-two only?!"

"Yeah...? What's the problem?"

"See...that's the thing. Usually only...er... kids who believe in me are able to see me. And when they see me, they usually know who I am."

"So mom believes in you...but she just doesn't recognize you?"

"Well that's the thing...only children usually see me...not-"

Cedric shrugged. "There's an exception for everything! Don't worry...my mom's super nice!"

I already know she is... After all, she did bring in a random stranger into her own home. "I don't know...your mom seems a bit too old to actually believe in me, Cedric."

"Just introduce yourself!" He urged. "And then if she still doesn't get it...then just show her what you can do with your staff!"

"Haha...I'll think about it." Jack reached to his side, only to meet empty air. He suddenly looked around in panic. "Wait, where is it?!"

Chapter Text

Thank you for the kudos!! :D You guys are the BEST! Enjoy!

"Whoa! Get back here!"

Jack sprinted out the door in, wildly looking left and right on the deserted snowy streets for the familiar Shepard's hook. His rapid breaths came out as puffs in the winter night as he looked through bushes, under benches, anywhere he could lay his hands on.

Ariadne immediately came to his side and yanked his arm. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"M-My staff…" Jack wheezed. "I-It's gone."

"What are you talking about?"

Cedric was not far behind them, quickly hopping down the front door steps. "Jack, don't worry! I'm sure someone just picked it up!"

"Ceddy, get back inside!" Ariadne scolded. "It's too cold out!"

Ceddy pouted, but obeyed her nevertheless. Ariadne turned her gaze back to Jack. "So, you're name's Jack?"

Jack, whose eyes still scanned the landscape in hopes of finding his staff, nodded. Ariadne, annoyed by his distracted gaze, stood on her toes to direct his face directly at her. His eyes widened in surprise at their close proximity.

"Look at people in the eyes when they talk to you!" She growled angrily. She suddenly noticed the heat in his pale skin. "Damn it, you're burning up again…let's get you inside. We'll find your staff… thing… tomorrow."

"But-"

"No buts!" She began dragging him back inside. "The faster you get better, the sooner we'll be able to get you back to your family." When they came back into the toasty house, Ariadne noticed Cedric already passed out on one of the armchairs near the fireplace. She softly smiled and quickly grabbed a blanket to drape it over his small figure while Jack tiredly plopped down on the couch, suddenly realizing how little strength he possessed. Ariadne then came over to Jack and patted his head with a warm towel.

"They must be really anxious…" She muttered. Jack's thoughts drifted to his new family: North, Bunnymund, Tooth, and Sandy.

"Yeah…probably." He unconsciously nodded his head in agreement…They must know by now that something happened to me. I hope they're not too worried.

As silence overcame them, Jack regarded her. She continued to pat his face with a blank expression.

"Why did you decide to help me?" He finally asked. She looked surprised at his question.

"What are you talking about? What kind of person would leave just a young kid like you on the streets when you obviously needed help?" She turned around to reach into the cupboard.

"Even if I'm not a human?"

Ariadne snapped her head around. There was a pregnant silence before she laughed. "Pfft…what are you talking about?"

"Look…I don't know how to put this gently but…" He took the towel off his face. "My name's-"

"Mommy?"

Jack frowned at the interruption, which was unseen by Ariadne. "I'm right here, sweetie." She looked over her shoulder and saw Cedric slowly climb down from the armchair. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, but upon seeing Jack sitting in front of his mother he immediately brightened up. "Jack's still here!"

Jack couldn't help but share the boy's enthusiasm. "Haha yeah…I'm not going anywhere yet." Well…It's more like I can't.

Cedric grabbed his mother's arm excitedly. "Mommy, can Jack stay here forever?"

Ariadne stroked his hair. "Ceddy…he can't. He has a family he needs to go back to."

"But if he stays…we can be his family!" Cedric whined. His eyes then shone with realization. "He can be my new daddy!"

Jack and Ariadne practically fell over. Not good…my fever is increasing. Jack thought in embarrassment, placing the towel back on his blushing face. Ariadne coughed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before grabbing Cedric's shoulders. "Ceddy, um…Jack is a bit too young to be your new daddy just yet."

"But weren't you his age when you had me?" Cedric protested. "That's what grandma told me!"

Jack noticed Ariadne flinch at the question, clenching her hands. She forced a smile. "That's true! Now come one Ceddy, let's get you to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow!"

"Aw…I don't wanna!"

"Don't 'aw' me!" She picked him up and threw him over her shoulder while he giggled, trying to break from her grasp. "I'm going to drag you up there if I have to."

"Bye Jack!" He laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Jack raised his hand and waved at his retreating figure. As the stairs creaked from Ariadne's steps, he took the opportunity to look around.

Frames of Ariadne and Cedric hung on the walls. One small picture in particular caught his eye. He got up to his feet and approached it, getting a closer look.

Chapter Text

Thanks so much for giving this story a chance :) Enjoy Ch 4!

It was of a man and woman holding a baby, taken presumably in a park seen by the greenery surrounding the couple. He was able to discern Ariadne and Cedric, even though the latter looked far chubbier and smaller. She had a soft smile as she looked at the camera. The man had rich chocolate hair and bright green eyes. Probably where the boy got his irises from, Jack concluded. He was also smiling, except his was a wide grin and he held up two fingers as a peace sign while the other arm was hung around Ariadne's shoulders.

"If you couldn't tell…that's Cedric's father."

Jack looked behind him and saw Ariadne leaning against the door frame. He gave a small smirk, "it wasn't that hard to guess." He straightened up and cringed as his aching body protested. "So…what happened to him?"

Ariadne chose to ignore his question and instead took note of his cringe. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself. Here, I got some Advil for your headache." She came forward and held the bottle out towards him. Jack gently pushed her hand away.

"I'm alright, my head doesn't hurt anymore." He replied. "Rather, I'm curious."

"They say curiosity killed the cat." She teased as she placed the bottle on the table next to them.

"Well I'm not a cat, am I?" He returned her jest. He couldn't help it…there were so many questions on his mind that he wanted answers.

She gave him a knowing look. "Well…someone's feeling a lot better." She turned away while raising her arms up to tie her hair into a ponytail. "Too bad…it's none of your business."

Jack opened his mouth to argue and Ariadne held up a hand. "There are some things a kid like you doesn't need to know. You'll learn when you get older."

If only she knew…Jack mused as he clenched his jaw. Wait…why am I getting so angry over this? She's right. It really isn't any of my business.

But he couldn't help it. Something about her attracted him. Maybe he still had a slight fever, or maybe he felt indebted to her, but he just had to learn everything about her.

"Anyway, get some rest. Tomorrow we're going to look for your staff…thing." She instructed as she began heading towards the staircase. She gave a slight wave. "See you in the morning!"

Jack returned the wave and sat back down on the couch. He heaved a sigh as he laid back on the pillows, bringing his hands behind his head. So if Cedric is five…that means Ariadne had him when she was around the time I died. What could have possibly led her to become a mother at such a young age?

His thoughts swirled around her so deeply that he barely heard the excited chirps and buzzing of wings that was right beside his ears. He sat up with a start. "Baby tooth?"

The adorable mini tooth fairy appeared right in front of his face and hugged his nose in glee. He laughed as he gently pried her away and held her in his hands. "What are you doing here?!"

She chirped quickly and happily as she pointed towards the window. He followed her gesture and grinned widely before quickly running towards it and opening the latch.

"Ayyyy there 'e is!" North greeted roughly as he immediately put Jack in a headlock, ruffling his hair.

Tooth fluttered beside the pair and gently put an arm on North's shoulder. "North! Give him some space!"

"Well whaddya guys know…he looks perfectly fine!" Bunny grumbled as he stepped out of the bushes. "All that worrying bout his disappearance for nothin'!"

Sandy frowned at Bunny's rude remark and a big X appeared above his head. Bunny sighed. "Alright, alright…cut me some slack, Sandy."

Jack finally escaped North's grasp. "W-What are you guys doing here?!" He asked breathlessly with a bright smile.

"Obviously makin' sure yer okay!" North stated as he harshly patted the boy's back. Jack coughed at the impact. "Ya been missin' for a couple days and e'ryone was worried bout ya!"

"But what about the factory?! And the fairies?! And the eggs?!" Jack demanded with anxiety. He hated the fact that he dragged all his friends away from their most important jobs.

"Oh Jack! Your welfare is more important than them!" Tooth assured. "It's only one night that we're away after all…you've been gone for at least two!"

"How did you even know I disappeared?" Jack looked at all of them. Sandy immediately began showing a series of images above his head but Bunny quickly opened his mouth.

"The Wind, mate." He stated. "She came to all of us in a big frenzy. Her gust was so strong it almost destroyed my eggs."

"She blew all my fairies away!" Tooth added with a smile.

"Fortunately, the yetties were able t' catch all the toys as she toppled 'em over!" North chuckled.

Jack gave a sheepish grin and silently thanked the Wind. "Sorry about that…I forgot how emotional she gets…"

"Ehh…no worry bout it!" North reassured. "'Nyways, what happened to you?"

"I don't even know…I never felt so weak before in my life." Jack recalled the events that happened in the past couple of days. "It was weird…I mean, I never get sick! Since I became Jack Frost I was always healthy and kicking but that day...man I actually felt like I was going to die."

Tooth worriedly placed a hand upon his cold forehead. "Well…at least you don't have a fever anymore. Heat is especially dangerous since you're the spirit of winter."

"I know." Jack affirmed. "I just don't understand why it suddenly happened…"

"Maybe you overwork yourself?" North suggested.

Jack barked a laugh. "Me? Overwork? North if anyone overworks themselves to this state it would either be you guys!"

"He's right." They all looked at Bunny expectantly. "I don't think this is a simple cold, mates."

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Sandy nodded, agreeing with Bunny, and began showing a series of images. Bunnymund once again interrupted him by raising a paw up to stop him. Sandy pouted angrily and sand steam poured out of his ears.

Bunny sighed heavily. "A'ight. So the other day I was talkin' to Mother Nature and she told me about how recently she also got ill. It was so bad that she had to eat numerous rare herbs that even she herself has difficulty growing in order to get better."

"So what matter?" North asked in confusion. "She get cold as well, no problem!"

"Uh… big problem ol' pal." Bunny corrected. "This is Mother Nature. She's supposedly immune to every possible disease that exists because without her, catastrophes happen. For example, while she was sick, the weather has fluctuated throughout the world, causing sudden thunderstorms, hurricanes, and storms-like Hurricane Sandy at the Northeast region of the United States."

"That was because she was sick?!" Tooth exclaimed.

"Yeah…it ain't pretty." Bunnymund stated. "Her illness even disrupted my warren. All the painting flowers were dying and the coloring river began to run dry…it was terrible. Fortunately Easter wasn't anywhere close at the time."

"So, basically you're saying someone…or something…is out to get us." Jack concluded.

Bunny nodded. "Ya got that right, but it ain't just us. It's everyone. Sandy has even noticed that people's fears have begun to rise in their sleep because of the calamities that was caused by Mother Nature's pain."

"So it's Pitch!" North exclaimed, immediately drawing out his swords.

"Hold your horses there." Bunny raised his paws. Sandy raised a finger and made a no-no gesture. "It's not just Pitch…he's working with someone far beyond our power. But we have no idea who it is."

"But I don't understand…why target me?" Jack mused. "Honestly you four are WAY more important than me and you've been guardians far longer."

"Honestly, I don't know." Bunny admitted. "All I know is that while you were gone, there has been no snow anywhere and temperatures have not gotten cold enough. As a result, animal migration has been screwed over. More importantly, ice storms have gotten out of control in the tundra regions since you weren't there to monitor them."

"Damn it…" Jack muttered. "I can't leave now though! I lost my staff…without it I'm powerless."

"Jack, it's have to make sure you're better first." Tooth assured.

"She's right." Bunny agreed. "Mother Nature's gotten better and she was able to prevent any terrible damage.

He shuffled his feet and rubbed his fur to get warm. "Anyways, we all have to be careful now. If Jack has already gotten ill…who know what could happen to us. " He turned to the boy. "And be more wary, mate. Even if you've gotten better…a new illness can come back. I'm going to make a trip back to Mother Nature and see what other details I can find."

He turned to Sandy. "And Sandy'll try to see if he can track down Pitch. Hopefully when he does we can catch him and make him spill the beans."

Everyone nodded their heads. "I'll help by sending out some of my fairies." Tooth offered.

"Gah…I would send some o' my yetties…" North admitted guiltily. "But Christmas is just 'round corner."

"It's fine, big guy." Bunny reassured. He smirked. "Even though Christmas isn't as important as-"

"DON'T START IT." North boomed, his voice sending tremors down everyone's spines. "CHRISTMAS IS VERY IMPORTANT. MOST IMPORT-"

"Guys! Quiet down!" Jack shushed. "The people who've been taking care of me are sleeping at the moment!"

"Psh, they probably wouldn't be able to hear us anyway." Bunny scoffed. "You said the ankle-biter was five. At that age, kids sleep like crocodiles on a hot day. And the woman definitely wouldn't."

"Uh…actually she might." Jack corrected, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "She was able to see me so I wouldn't be surprised really."

Almost everyone's eyes popped out of their sockets. "What?!" North shouted.

"But you said she's 22!" Tooth exclaimed. Sandy had dozens of question marks popping up above his head.

"How is that even possible…?" Bunny muttered. "One, she's an adult. Two, she's a parent…when one has a child they immediately lose any childhood beliefs they had."

Jack shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea. She doesn't even know who I am, which is the most bizarre part."

"That's crazy…" Tooth murmured. "Sandy, has this ever happened before?"

Sandy scratched his chin in deep thought. He then shook his head in denial.

"Well, I guess there's a first time for everythin'." Bunny commented. "Anyways, let's get going. Jack needs his rest."

"Right. Bye Jack!" North gave Jack one last big hug before he whistled for his reindeer. Tooth hugged him in farewell and she took off with a burst of her wings. Sandy conjured up a large sand Pegasus and he hopped on its saddle. As he tipped his hat, the flying horse galloped and flew away into the night sky. Bunnymund tapped his large foot twice on the ground and a hole opened up.

"Look… I know it ain't really any of my business about who you meet." Bunny began. "But be careful of her, mate. That ain't normal."

Jack rolled his eyes but appreciated his friend's concern. "Don't worry about it, Bunny." He gave his signature lopsided grin. "I'm old enough to handle myself."

Bunny smirked in response. "A'right, kiddo. See ya soon." He then hopped into the hole, which closed back up with a blooming marigold in its place.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Jack woke up to the amazing smell of pancakes. He cracked an eye open from where he was laying on the couch and saw Ariadne in the kitchen, dressed in a bright blue plaid apron with a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"Today. Yes, that's the plan." He slowly got up and felt his bones and muscles crack as he stretched. Is she talking to someone? He ran a hand through his hair as he walked into the kitchen.

She had her long hair tied up in a bun and held her cell phone between her shoulder and ear, "Look Dr. Wetzel, there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Jamie and I will be finished growing the bacterial samples by tomorrow, giving your team plenty of time to analyze them by the end of the week." She was completely unaware of her guest's presence behind her.

Jack couldn't help but smile at her obliviousness and sat down at the counter. He rested his chin on his hand as an evil idea came up in his mind. He slowly got up and crept behind her so that he leaned against the counter instead.

She flipped another pancake. "Alright, sir. Okay….okay. See you tomorrow, have a good day!" She slid the pancake onto a plate and wiped her hands on her apron before she grabbed the phone and pressed the "end call" button. Ariadne let out a huge sigh. Despite it being a Saturday, it looks like she has to go into the lab again. Better call Jamie. Her fingers swiped through her list of contacts.

"So…bacterial samples?"

"EEEP!" She screeched with fright and her phone clattered onto the floor. She turned around swiftly, glaring at the perpetrator before she knelt down to pick it up. "Jesus, kid. You scared the hell out of me."

"It's Jack. For the umpteenth time." He grinned, amused at her reaction and giving himself a mental pat on the back. "And I bet that I'm not that much younger than you." It wasn't really true but it wasn't a lie either…after all he's technically 17 years old since that was when he died.

"Anyone who's under twenty I consider a kid." She grinned as she took off her apron. "And you, kid, are definitely not over twenty." She draped it over a nearby chair.

Jack frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Look in a mirror." She raised both arms and undid her bun, her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders. She ruffled it a bit. "You have one of the babiest faces I've seen."

"What?! No way." He felt his face. "I do NOT have a-!"

"I SMELL PANCAKES!" Cedric popped his head in, his green eyes shining in excitement. He was still in his PJs and he had a teddy bear in one hand.

"Good morning sweetie!" Ariadne greeted as she placed the plates on the counter.

"Morning, Mommy! Morning Jack!" He ran up to them and climbed up onto his seat. "So today we're helping Jack find his staff right?" He grabbed the maple syrup bottle and squeezed the syrup all over his plate.

Oh yeah! Jack completely forgot.

Ariadne swallowed a bite and looked at her watch. "Mm…maybe not today honey. Mommy's gotta head back to school and finish up some stuff."

"School?" Jack grabbed his fork and used it to cut a piece of his pancake before popping it into his mouth. "You're still a student?"

"Not exactly, no." She took a bite. "I work in a laboratory with a research team. We're studying this new strain of bacteria."

"Mommy's gonna be a mad scientist!" Cedric gushed. He waved his arms around him with his fork still in his hand. "She's gonna have the crazy hair and goggles and everything!"

Ariadne laughed and Jack couldn't help but grin at the child's enthusiasm. When she recovered, she looked apologetically at him. "Sorry about such a short notice. Tomorrow I'll definitely have time to help you."

"Oh no, it's fine. No worries." Jack waved his hand in front of him.

"What if Jack and I go search for it while you work?" Cedric piped up. Ariadne immediately shook her head. "Noooo way. It's way too cold outside and far too dangerous."

"Hey, have a little faith in me." Jack grinned. "I'm stronger than I look. Besides, do you really want to coop Cedric inside all day?"

Ariadne pursed her lips. "No…but it's not that I don't trust you, it's just…"

"PLEASE MOM PLEAASSSEE?!" Cedric clasped his hands together in prayer. "I really want to play in the snow!"

She looked at Jack and Cedric, who both stared at her intently. She groaned. "Oh fine…but-"

"YAY!" Cedric cheered and he leaped onto Jack in happiness.

"Whoa there kiddo!" Jack laughed and steadied himself in his seat. He then looked at Ariadne, who surprisingly was smiling softly at their interaction.

"OKAY I'm going to go get into my snow stuff now!" He immediately jumped off and raced upstairs.

"Alright but bring it downstairs so I can help you dress!" She called after him. She chuckled and shook her head. "Kids…it's amazing how enthusiastic they can be."

"I agree." Jack thought back to all the children he's played with. "They're really something."

"You know…he's never been so forward with someone so soon before." She murmured, resting her hands on the table. "It took one of my good friends at least a month of constant visitations in order for him to at least start talking to him."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really…?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "Meanwhile, it only took a few days with you. No-not even. From day 1 he was excited to meet you…" She trailed off. "I wonder why."

Jack looked away, choosing to focus on a spot on the wall. Should I tell her now…that I'm Jack Frost? He clenched his fist, suddenly feeling nervous. How would she take it? I mean…now's better then ever.

"Well…" He coughed. "I kind of have an ide-"

"Oh shit, is it 11am already?!" She quickly stood up and gathered the plates. "I'm terribly sorry, but I totally lost track of time. I better get going!"

He wanted to bash his head against the wall, but managed to restrain himself. "It's fine…" He grumbled through gritted teeth.

"I should be back around 4-5pm." She hastily put on her coat and grabbed her bag. She walked over to the living room. Jack sighed and heaved himself up, following behind her. "CEDDY?! ARE YOU DONE YET?!" She called upstairs.

"I'm coming!" The boy hopped down the steps looking like a pillow with all the layers he was wearing. Ariadne quickly knelt down and buttoned/zipped up his coat/pants.

"Anyways, just…" She ruffled his hair and stood up, locking eyes with Jack. "be careful all right?"

"I'll take care of him." Jack assured.

She gave him a grateful smile. "I'll see you later, then."

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Jack plopped down in a pile of snow. "Geez, I'm exhausted." He groaned, lying down and enjoying the feel of freshly fallen snow.

"No Jack! You can't give up!" Cedric waddled over to him and tried to bring him to his feet. "I'm sure it's around here! I know it!

It was now around 3pm. They've been searching for his staff for hours and so far…nothing's come up.

"Honestly…someone probably took it already Ced." Jack admitted in defeat. "It is a pretty cool looking thing so some twerp thought it would be a cool new souvenir to show his parents or something."

"No!" The boy shook his head stubbornly. "I KNOW I saw it here last night before I went to bed! I was looking through the window and it was glittering as the moon shone on it right…" He waddled a couple feet away and stamped one of his feet on a spot. "…here! It was right here!"

Jack sighed. "I know but still…anyone this morning could've seen it and took it."

"Not just anyone though!" Cedric protested. "It's gotta be one of the kids around here then, since only they would be able to see your staff."

"Right. But that doesn't really narrow down much." Since every single house in this neighborhood has kids. He thought bitterly. He really didn't feel like looking through every single window in search of it.

Both were silent as they thought about what to do. Suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind that swirled and wrapped around Jack.

"What is that?!" Cedric yelled over its howling. He squatted on the ground, shielding himself and looking more and more like a big ball rather than a human.

Jack laughed as the wind caressed his face and hair. "Hiya Wind…how've you been?" It ruffled his hair some more. "I know, I know. Sorry about that. But I've been good! I'm better now!"

He walked over to Cedric's crouching form. "He and his mother have been taking care of me." Jack bent down. "Hey, Ced. It's cool. It's just my friend, Wind."

The Wind eased her fury and began to caress the little boy as well. He timidly looked up at Jack and around him. "The wind…is your friend?"

"You bet!" Jack grinned, opening his arms out wide and taking in the breeze. "We've been together since the beginning. She's the reason why I'm actually able to fly."

Cedric slowly got up to his feet, looking up in awe. "That's so cool!" He gushed. He quickly spun around and yelled. "Hi Wind! My name is Cedric! It's really nice to meet you!"

The Wind, in response, ruffled his hair and he giggled. "Hey, hey! I have an idea!"

He began unzipping his outermost jacket. "Let's race! I bet I'm faster than you AND the Wind."

"Uh…not sure if that's a good idea, Ced." Jack warned. There was a main road just at the end of the col-de-sac and lots of cars were zooming by.

"READY SET GO!" He was already running down the street.

"Cedric hold on!" Jack immediately sped after him. "Wind! Speed me up!"

And so she blew a huge gust from behind, propelling him forward. Cedric meanwhile was laughing in glee. "Come on, Wind! Is that the best you got?!" He was looking over his shoulder, not noticing how close to the street he was. Just a couple more steps and he would be right in the middle of traffic.

"CEDRIC STOP!"

Suddenly a young man grabbed the boy from the hood of his coat and yanked him back.

"WHOOAAA!" Cedric yelped as he was thrown in the opposite direction.

"What the heck are you doing?!" The man cried, steading the boy back on his feet. "You could've gotten run over!"

"I-I'm sorry, mister!" Cedric stammered as he shyly looked up. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Uncle Jamie!?" He grinned and immediately gave him a big hug.

Jack finally caught up to them. The man was now holding Cedric's hand as the Guardian immediately doubled over, catching his breath. "Jesus, Cedric…" He gasped. "You almost got yourself killed!"

"Jack? Is that you?"

He looked up at the young man's face. "…J-Jamie?!"

19-year old Jamie Bennett grinned and immediately pulled Jack into a big hug, "Well, I'll be!" He pulled back and Jack noticed that they were now around the same height. "If it isn't Jack Frost!"

"I-I can't believe it's you!" Jack exclaimed incredulously. "You've gotten so tall!"

"Uncle Jamie? You can see Jack too?" Cedric tugged at Jamie's coat.

"You bet I can!" He knelt down and ruffled the boy's hair. "You see, Jack and I were the BEST of friends when I was just a bit older than you."

"Oh man…those were the days." Jack laughed. "With Pitch and everything. I can't believe it's been so long…so many years!"

"I know right? It feels just like yesterday." Jamie chuckled at the nostalgic memories.

"And you still believe in me." Jack couldn't help but cough in order to repress the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. "After all this time, I thought you've long forgotten me by now."

"You're kidding me." Jamie looked at him dead in the eyes. "Jack, I could never forget you. Or stop believing in you." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter how much time has passed, you're still my old friend."

Jack smiled. "You haven't changed Jamie. Maybe slightly more mature, but still the same." He teased.

"Hey. I'm technically like two years older than you now." Jamie punched him in the arm. "But I'm surprised, how do you know Cedric?"

"Ouch…! And you've gotten stronger." Jack rubbed the sore spot on his arm. "But I could ask you the same." He scratched the back of his head. He suddenly remembered the phone call Ariadne had this morning. "Hey…do you happen to know Ariadne?"

"Ciaste? Of course! She's my mentor in the research project I'm part of at my college."

"And he's our best friend!" Cedric chimed in, pouncing on Jamie's back.

He laughed and heaved him up in proper piggyback style before standing up. "Here, let's head to my place. I actually live on this street as well- makes things easier to commute to school." They began walking back down the col-de-sac towards his house. "Yeah ever since I got involved in Dr. Wetzel's- a biology professor at the school- project last year, Ariadne's been like a surrogate mother to me." Jamie began. "Despite her age, she's really mature and always takes care of everyone on the team."

"I'm not surprised, honestly." Jack murmured. "Since she's a mother and all."

Jamie scoffed. "Just being a mother doesn't make you mature." He gestured to Cedric using his head, who ended up falling asleep. "Even Ceddy's pretty mature for his age- he never complains or anything. Even after what happened with Leon, he's been pretty strong."

"Leon?" Jack stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket.

"Cedric's dad, Ariadne's husband." Jamie quirked an eyebrow and Jack's blank expression. "She didn't tell you?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. She seemed to avoid the topic when I wanted to ask."

"Hm." Jamie looked ahead, deep in thought. "I don't know why she would avoid it. She freely talked to me about it when I asked her." He shrugged. "Try asking her again when she comes back tonight. She stayed behind overtime to finish collecting some samples."

"Alright, but I mean…if she doesn't want me to know then I don't want to push her."
"Whooaaaa since when did Jack Frost become so soft?!" Jamie jested, using his elbow to shove Jack playfully.

He shoved him back. "I'm not soft! I'm just curious is all." He muttered the last part to himself, almost as if he was trying to persuade himself that was the real reason.

Jamie grinned and patted Jack on the back. "A'ight, a'ight… I gotcha. I mean…if you do, you know, have a thing for her… you got my support."

"Oh shut it." Jack rolled his eyes, fighting down the redness the already began to spread across his pale cheeks.

"So now it's your turn to spill. Not that I'm not happy to see you but…what happened?" Jamie questioned. His eyes noted Jack's empty hands. "And what happened to your staff?"

Jack inhaled. "Well…it's a strange story." He told him about how sick he was a couple days prior, and how now his staff is missing. "The other Guardians came to visit me the other day. Something is really wrong and I need to see Mother Nature but without my staff, I can't go anywhere."

"That is really strange how you got a cold…" Jamie murmured. "I mean, heck, you are the cold! The cold can't catch a cold!"

"Ha…funny."

"But seriously. The fact that not only you but Mother Nature is also affected means that someone, or something, is after you and the other Guardians." Jamie looked around to make sure there was no one else in site. "This does not smell good, Jack. Whoever it is wants to tip the balance again- just like Pitch. Maybe it's better to lay low here in case whoever is out there is trying to find you."

"There's too much at risk. He or It will find me eventually, and not only will I be a sitting duck, but you and the Ciastes are in danger too." Jack sighed, looking at Cedric. He immediately thought of his mother and fought to ignore the emotions that arose from it. "I do want to stay here but…I need to meet up with the others and make a game plan. As long as the culprit isn't caught, we are all in danger."

Jamie nodded in understanding. "Well…" He shifted Cedric's weight on his back. "I do have an idea as to who might have your staff."

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Ariadne sighed as she ripped off her goggles, collapsing in her seat. Finally she finished collecting all the friggin' samples! She felt bad for keeping Jamie here (especially since he has a huge exam that he had to study for, so she let him go early). Her coworkers remained behind, on the other hand, and they also sat down in their chairs.

"AH MAN FINALLY!" One of them, known as Balto the boisterous, groaned out loud. "THAT TOOK SO GODDAMN LONG! I'M DRAINED." His giant, 6'5" ripped figure barely fit on the tiny lab chair. He propped his large legs onto the table and placed both hands behind his spiked, chestnut hair before letting out a giant yawn.

"Oh shut it…you're not the only one who's exhausted." Navi snapped, flipping her short goldenrod hair out of her eyes. She crossed her legs and fixed her floral skirt. She flicked her ice-blue eyes at Ariadne's unmoving form. "Look at her. Poor girl, has a kid at home and has to work this late…the boss is too harsh!"

Ariadne raised her head and let out a tired laugh. "No worries…it's thanks to him that I even got this job." She sighed, undoing her hair from her ponytail. "Although now it's not just Ceddy at home though…" She muttered to herself, unfortunately audible to both her friends.

"WHAAAAT?!" Balto immediately shot up from his chair, which fell over in a clatter. In two steps he was in front of the poor girl, towering over her figure. "WHO ELSE ARE YOU TENDING?!"
"Is it a guy?! HAVE YOU FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE?!" Navi squealed as she rushed to her side.

"Whoa whoa whoa guys, guys!" Ariadne leaned back in her chair as much as possible to create space. "He's just a kid I found collapsed on the streets! I swear!"

Navi puckered her lips in disappointment. "Awwww that's no fun. I thought finally you found a hunk to settle down with…"

Balto pulled out his hankerchief and leaned over 90 degrees to cry on tiny 5'4" Navi's shoulder. "F-FOR ONCE…I AGREE WITH YOU!"

Ariadne rolled her eyes. "Guys come on. I'm fine on my own!" She rubbed her temples, beginning to feel a headache.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" They both screamed at the same time, toppling Ariadne over her seat. Navi was the first to recover. "Sweetie…you need to move on to bigger and better things! Leon would've wanted you to!" Balto vigorously nodded his agreement while extending his giant hands to help her up.

She smiled in thanks and thought back to her late husband as she stood up. His smiling face when he told her he loved her, his emerald-green eyes that always seemed to shine when he was around her… "Maybe…but that's not the point. I don't think Cedric wants another father besides his own." She began to pack her things. Her two friends looked at each other in worry but shrugged, knowing that the conversation was over.

As Ariadne walked back to her car, she couldn't help but remember that fateful day…when she received the news about Leon being KIA.

A soldier approached her home, holding his cap tightly in his hand as he apologized profusely- saying how amazing and courageous HE was and how he sacrificed himself to save his team.

Two-year old Cedric confusedly waddled over to his mother who was lying on the couch. "Mama?" He squeaked, placing his tiny hands on her face. She held his hands and looked at him- his eyes.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered. She held Cedric to her chest. "I'm sorry…"

Their relationship was typical. It was their first, for both of them. She was the naïve but top student of her class who only wanted to know love. He was the quiet but sporty soccer-player. She asked him out. He said yes. They spent a lot of time together, eventually growing fond of each other. She thought she was in love.

Then he had to move away, to a different country. But yet, they managed to keep in touch for a whole year. Then she went to visit him one summer- the hottest summer she ever experienced. They were curious, and lonely. So they ventured further than she ever dared that night.

When she saw the plus-sign on the test result…she wanted to kill herself. She felt ashamed- her life was over. Everything was over. If only she didn't see him…if only she controlled herself. Nevertheless, she took it out on him. She locked herself in her room for what seemed like forever. Her parents were disappointed, but they allowed her to still live with him. Months passed and she never heard, nor spoken to him.

Then he suddenly appeared on her doorstep- on his knees and forehead pressed to the dirty doormat. He quit school and decided to join the military, thinking it was the only way where he would have a stable job and income, even if it wasn't much. He also begged for her hand in marriage.

When her parents dragged her to meet him at the door, she collapsed on her knees and cried. She wanted to have an abortion- she didn't want to be married this way. She didn't want to tie him down to someone like her. But he hugged her tightly and promised to protect her. He would be able to make enough to support her education.

So they got married in a tiny office. They signed the papers and moved to Pittsburgh. His parents bought them a small, suburban house. He was deployed, she began going to college. Dr. Wetzel, head of the biology department, saw the potential in her. His top student, Navi, was against it. A pregnant college student working on such a vital project? Everything about her seemed irresponsible, but he took a gamble. He gave her a paid internship, and she cried in gratitude. She proved her capabilities and gained the respect of Navi, and all of Wetzel's coworkers. Then Balto joined the team and she became his mentor, when suddenly she went into labor.

He was on Skype video call when she gave birth to Cedric.

They rarely talked when they were apart- only through Skype video chats. But when he returned from deployment, they spent every day together with Cedric. She wasn't sure what love was anymore, but she was comfortable and happy with him. He was her best friend, she trusted him like a brother. He also felt the same way- deep down she felt that they both felt the truth, in that their relationship may not be based on love, but certainly years of friendship.

Then he was gone. Her best friend, the only person in the world who she could turn to, was gone. She felt numb. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't cry.

Again, she wanted to kill herself. Everything was falling apart. Everyone at school thinks of her as a whore. Wetzel's superiors were threatening to cancel the funding as long as she stayed on the team. No one was there for her anymore.

So she lied on her couch, thinking of ways to die, when suddenly Cedric appeared. When she looked into his eyes, that had HIS eyes, everything in her dark mind disappeared.

"Ceddy! You're such a big boy now!"

"Come on Ced! Just onneeee more step!"

"ARMY CRAWL! ARMY CRAWL GO GO!"

She remembered his baritone voice, his hearty laugh, the way he acted like a kid in order to inspire Cedric, the way he ruffled her hair in comfort.

Cedric…Cedric! He still needed her…how could she think about leaving him behind? She clutched Cedric tightly, as if her life depended on it.

At the funeral, she watched them bury him. She gripped Cedric's hand tightly.

Don't worry, Leon. She looked up at the clear sky. I won't lose myself anymore.

She blinked back tears as she continued driving. She kept on hand on the steering wheel and rubbed her eyes furiously.

"Come on! No use in crying now!" She muttered to herself. She took in a breath and grinned. The past was in the past…and everything turned out alright. The superiors finally acknowledged her, she graduated, and she was a full-time researcher at Wetzel's laugh. And Jamie joined them, proving to be a huge help for her.

She pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket and took out her phone, noticing a text message from Jamie: Hey Jack, Cedric, and I r chillin out at my place! Just letting u know so u dnt need 2 worry.

Ariadne smiled and responded back: No worries, thanks for letting me know. I have to go grocery shopping so I'll be back in around half an hour. Thanks again.

She slid it in her pocket, grabbed her purse, and made her way out of the vehicle.

Thanks so much for all the views on this guys! It really means a lot to me :) let me know what you guys think of my story so far, feel free to leave a comment or PM me! You all are the best!

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Any references made in this chapter to other works belong to said works XD I just referenced them for the fun of it! Virtual cookies will be handed out to ppl who can identify what movie/book the reference is :D**

"Well…here we are…"

Jamie, Cedric, and Jack stood at the steps of a large, daunting mansion that looked like it had seen better days. It was at least three stories tall with ivy clinging to the outside – if you really stared hard at it, you could tell that it used to be a beauty with a bright yellow exterior and a dark blue roof. But after years of abandonment, its once vibrant walls were now peeling due to dry, crusted paint. Some of the window hinges were barely hanging on and most, if not all, the windows were pretty much broken. Jack rubbed his eyes to clear his vision because he was pretty sure there was a dead squirrel hanging upside down from the rusted rooftop gutter-

Cedric was in Jamie's arms and he hugged the teen tighter while Jack slowly turned to look at Jamie. "…you know Halloween was two months ago."

Jamie playfully kicked at his shins, but in vain since the Winter Spirit was much too nimble. "Shut up." He sighed. "Look, I know it looks scary but if your staff can be anywhere, it's gotta be here."

He lowered the child in his arms to the ground and kneeled besides him so he was at the same height. "Listen Ceddy, if you're scared, I can take you back to your mom's house- okay?"

Cedric gulped as he looked at the house with wide eyes. "I-I'm not scared." He stammered, darting his eyes between the two men.

Jack admired the kid's attempt to act tough and smiled sympathetically. "Cedric, it's okay to be-"

"No!" The boy shook his head. "I promised I would help Jack, and Mom always told me to never back out on a promise!"

Jamie chuckled and ruffled his head. "…alright kiddo. But you have to hold either my or Jack's hand okay? Don't wander off." Cedric nodded and immediately grabbed both their hands- much to their amusement. They started up the steps and Jack looked up at the porch entrance.

"Remind me why you think my staff will be at the Shrieking Shack?"

"Okay for one thing, It's not the-" Jamie stopped in his tracks and turned to stare with a quirked brow. "…You read Harry Potter?"

The white-haired teen shrugged. "Who hasn't?"

The brunet gawked. "I mean…can you even touch books?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Just because I can't touch most people, doesn't mean I can't touch inanimate objects."

"But…" Jamie sighed. "Never mind. Anyways, there's this old homeless man who lives here- used to be a war veteran you see. Kind of went off the deep end...but he has a...tendency...to collect weird weapons and artifacts that look fancy. So a wooden branch that's shaped like a Shepherd's hook? That'll definitely be here."

"Okay first of all, it's not just a wooden branch, it's a staff." Jack corrected and Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, same thing. Just…follow my lead alright?" He let go of Cedric's hand and held his hand up to the front door. He hesitated for a moment.

"Just to remind you…the guy's a bit uh…" He twirled his finger around his temple to mimic the coo-coo motion. "So just, go along with it." He tapped his knuckles three times against the wood.

The door slammed open and a hunched old man wobbled in view. His long, wispy grey beard dragged across the floor with every step, his gray cloak fluttered in the winter breeze. His balding head had a couple of stray grey hairs and with a wild eye, he looked at Jamie and Cedric and bellowed in a loud, raspy voice. "WHO GOES THERE?"

Cedric gripped Jack's hand tighter and Jack clenched his jaw. Jamie on the other hand, remained relaxed as he remained kneeling before the man. "Jamie, what are you doin-" Jack whispered fiercely.

"Gandalf, it's me! Frodo Baggins!" Jamie cried as he hobbled on his knees over to hug the man.

Jack's jaw dropped as the man hugged Jamie back. "Oh my brave little hobbit, how do you fare today?"

"I bring good tidings, kind wizard!" Jamie cried. Jack almost choked with laughter as he noticed that Jamie's voice was considerably higher pitched. "Sauron's remaining forces have all but disappeared from the land of Middle Earth. All that's left is a few stragglers…but alas…I've lost my trusty blade. I request for another weapon. I plead for your aid!"

"Of course, come! Come!" The old man hobbled back inside and Jamie gave a knowing grin before following. Jack and Cedric followed suit.

As they entered the living room, Jack felt like they transported back in time. The walls were filled with glistening blades of all kinds, swords, knives, daggers, you name it. Cabinets were full of odd-looking trinkets, and in one corner, there were large branches and wooden sticks shaped like wands and staves. He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized his Shepherd's Hook on display amongst the others.

"Now my dear hobbit, select any weapon you please!" The man trudged to the wall and plucked off two daggers. "If you would like to use another blade, I must recommend either Anduril or Garudin. They may not be as enriched with magic as Sting was, but they remain sharp and lethal for any foe laced with black magic."

Jamie dipped his head. "I humbly thank you for your recommendations. However, I have been uh…practicing magic recently and I would like to start utilizing one of those staffs if I may." He glanced at the corner. "Perhaps…that hooked one over there? That looks mighty powerful-"

"FOOLISH HOBBIT." The man bellowed. Cedric squeaked in fear and Jack tightened his hand. "You are not powerful enough to handle such a powerful artifact…I know for a fact that this-" He hobbled over to the staffs and plucked the Shepherd's Hook from its hold. He stroked it with his withered fingers. "This staff…is imbued with such power that no mere hobbit can withstand any spell that is cast from it."

"But I am no ordinary hobbit, am I not?" Jamie prodded. "I was the one who destroyed the ring!"

"Bah humbug- you gave into Sauron's seduction…you were going to keep it for yourself if it not for that pitiful creature-" Suddenly the man stopped talking. He turned and looked at Jamie with horror in his eyes. "You…" He gasped. "You're not Frodo."

Oh…shit. Jamie paled and Jack's heart thudded in his chest. Cedric was now clutching Jack's hand with both of his own, trembling in fear.

"W-What are you talking about…? Gandalf, it's me!"

"No…the real Frodo would never take sole credit for the ring's destruction! He would say that his friends were the reason for his success…he would never-" The old man suddenly opened his cloak to reveal a pistol. "You have made a mockery of me, boy…"

Jack couldn't help it- even though he knew that there was no way the old man could see him, he whispered a soft but quick apology and plucked Cedric's hands off his own before immediately standing in front of Jamie in two long strides. "STOP." He held his hands up, "Stop. Let's talk this through." He didn't really know why his body moved the way it did. Bullets are inanimate- so he's get shot…but could he die from it? It's not like doing this will help anything anyway-

"Who the hell are you?"

Jack blinked in shock. The old man was looking straight at him. He looked down at Jamie, who shook his head as if saying Not me, you! Jack looked back at the man. "I uh…I'm a…"

His face turned red with embarrassment at the thought of what he was about to say. "I'm…a… winter elf."

"HAH? A winter elf?" The old man guffawed. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Well, I can prove you my worth." Jack crossed his arms. "Just give me that staff right there, and I'll show you how powerful I am."

That got the man's interest. "You think you can use this staff to its full potential?" He grinned, revealing yellow, decaying teeth. "Interesting. Alright, I'll play your game. Show me your worth." He lowered his arm, shielding the pistol from view as he held out the hook with his other hand. Jack heaved a sigh of relief and grabbed the staff.

"You might want to stand back a bit." He muttered as he flexed and rolled his shoulders. He took in a sharp breath. "Wind, let's show 'em what we're made of."

Suddenly, wind surged through the open windows, slamming the front door back open and jostling all the artifacts that hung on the walls. The old man gasped as he fell back from the sheer force of air and Jack began rising from the ground as the Wind caressed his form.

"Like I said." Jack grinned cheekily. "Not bad right, old man-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as a shocking pain pierced his heart. He gasped in agony and immediately fell forward, dropping the staff and thus losing Wind's embrace in the process.

"Jack!" Cedric cried as he raced towards him. The Winter Spirit was able to gently fall onto the boy with Wind's fleeting touch and Jamie rushed towards the pair. He felt Jack's forehead. "He's burning up again." He muttered while turning to look at Cedric. "We have to get out of here. Grab his staff."

He heaved Jack onto his shoulder, slinging the spirit's right arm over his neck.

"Worthy! The elf is WORTHY!" The old man babbled as he struggled to get back onto his feet. "I've been blessed by the HEAVENS to witness such a debacle. PRAY, before you leave, PLEASE TELL ME HIS NAME. This winter elf is no elf… he is a GOD-"

But the trio were already out of earshot. The old man quietly regarded their retreating figures.

As soon as they were out of sight, he let out a smirk. Behind him, the shadows began to dance and a pale being emerged from the darkness.

"So that is Jack Frost…" The old man murmured, any trace of his delusional persona gone. He now spoke with a perfect English accent.

The being stepped into the light, revealing Pitch's wicked smile. "Yes, my friend. You were right that he would personally come to retrieve it and attempt to use it."

"Of course I was." The old man sniffed. He tilted his neck and rolled his shoulders back with sickening cracks. He began to straighten his back and within a few minutes, he stood tall and proud, as if he was fifty years younger. He shrugged off his cloak completely to reveal a slim-fit suit, with his pistol tucked neatly at his right hip. He stroked his beard and slicked his hair back, both of which magically changed to a rich rusty-red color. Pitch snapped his fingers and from the shadows, a night-mare's head emerged, holding a black fedora between its teeth. The man plucked the hat from the hand before placing it on his head.

"As I predicted…" He grinned sadistically, revealing now perfect white teeth. "Now, let the games begin."

Please comment/PM me your thoughts! Who is this mysterious man? What does he want with Jack? Why does he have so many things? HOW THE HELL DOES HE KNOW SO MUCH LOTR LORE? So many questions…muahahahaha…

***BTW this chapter begins the new writing style- aka me hopping back on this story after 6+years of hiatus lol. Chps 1-8 were written back in 2013 and Chp 9 onward were written more recently. So lemme know what you think- how's my writing now? Has it gotten worse? I'm all for constructive criticism so please feel free to express your feelings! Also thanks so much for those who are expressing interest in this story- it's really motivating for me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Ariadne burst through the door, somehow able to carry all ten bags of groceries in one hand. Black wisps of her hair framed messily around her face- a few strands loose from her bun. In the midst of her heavy breathing, she managed to call into the house.

"Jamie, I got your text! Is everything okay?" She immediately dropped everything (mind the eggs...which she gently placed on the floor) and rushed into the living room.

Jamie was sitting next to Jack, who laid passed out on the sofa. "Yeah everything's ok. Cedric's napping in his room, we had a long day."

The young woman sighed in relief. "Thank goodness," she shrugged off her jacket and laid it across the back of a nearby chair, "and how is the kid?"

"He's alright…" he trailed off before standing up and facing her "...for now. Listen, Ariadne, there's something you need to know."

But the young woman wasn't listening. She instead walked over to Jack's side, resting her hand on his forehead. "Jesus he's burning up even worse than before...what happened? I thought you guys were just hanging out on your place?"

"-Wait..." She backpedaled, thinking about the events that happened throughout the day. "how did you even run into them? I thought you went home early because of your organic chemistry exam tomorrow?"

"Well, I figured I could stop by and see how Ceddy was doing- I mean…I get that he's mature enough to be home alone, but he's still only five so I wanted to make sure he was okay!" He exclaimed defensively. "At least, I THOUGHT he would be home alone but you never told me that you had him over!"

"And I would have told you if you had told me you were coming to check on Cedric!" She laughed, "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your kindness- but I was just so caught off guard that you even knew Jack in the first place. Were you two childhood friends or something?"

"Uh…not exactly…" Jamie ruffled his chestnut-brown hair awkwardly. "I mean…kinda? Okay, alright, you know what, hang on… let me explain." He took a deep breath, running a hand through his locks, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "How do I say this… okay, so you know about Santa Claus, right?"

She scoffed. "I mean, yes of course! Who hasn't?"

Jamie sighed, already knowing where this was going. "I know but…what if I told you that he actually exists?"

Ariadne blinked owlishly at the teen.

Once.

Twice.

Then she burst into laughter.

"Jamie Bennett! Do…Do you actually believe in Santa Claus at your age?" She couldn't stop and had to cover her mouth with her right hand to stifle her chortles. "Aren't you nineteen years old?!"

He frowned in disapproval and crossed his arms. "Ariadne, I'm being serious. Santa Claus and other spirits exist in this world."

"Sure, sure! And I'm the Tooth Fairy!"

"Well…no because the Tooth Fairy has long, thin, almost transparent wings- kind of like a hummingbird- and blue, green, and gold feathers. She also has dozens of miniature versions of herself that do all the collecting and exchanging of teeth and coins." Jamie said sternly but as-a-matter-of-factly. Ariadne shut her mouth when she saw how serious he was.

"Jamie, you can't be serious?" She scratched the back of her head, feeling guilty that she just made fun of her friend. "I mean, aren't they just children's stories? Like…made up?"

He shook his head. "They exist. Absolutely. But you can only see them if you believe in them."

"Okay. Okay." She straightened her back. "I'll bite. Now, since we are both scientists here, prove it." She crossed her arms. "Give me some evidence to support your…theory."

"Well, for one, it's not a theory because you are basically proof in itself." Jamie looked down at Jack's unconscious form, sticking a thumb in his direction. "You can see, feel, and touch him."

The dark-haired woman raised a brow. "Of course I can see him, what does that have to do with anything?"

Jamie rolled his eyes. He then took out his phone, snapped a picture of the spirit, and walked past Ariadne- grabbing her arm in the process.

"H-Hey!" He dragged her out the front door- with her barely grabbing her coat off the chair in time. He took her onto the sidewalk near the main road. "Where are we going?"

"Not far." Jamie glanced around and saw an older woman in her mid-forties walking by them.

He stepped in front of her. "Hi, sorry, excuse me ma'am. We're working on a school project and was wondering if you could tell me what you see in this picture?" He holds out his phone with the picture of Jack on the screen.

The woman looks down at the device and regards it thoughtfully. "My, that is quite a beautiful couch you have. Is that an antique?"

Ariadne choked. "Uh…ma'am, don't you see a young boy lying there? He's wearing a blue hoodie and has white hair."

She looked at Ariadne with a bewildered look. "What do you mean? There's nothing there."

Jamie grinned triumphantly. "That's okay, thank you very much for your help!" He grabbed Ariadne's arm and pulled her aside. "See what I mean?"

Her mind was whirling and she struggled to find the right words. What in the world is happening? Jamie looked at her sympathetically and sighed. "Here, let's go back inside. I'll explain everything."

They made it back into the warm living room and Jamie shrugged off his jacket. He leaned against the edge of the staircase as Ariadne walked into the middle of the room.

"He's Jack Frost." He said nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She whipped her head and stared at him in shock. However, after a moment, she seemed to calm down. "Oh you mean like…in relation to Robert Frost?"

Jamie wanted to slap himself in the face with frustration. "No! Like the Winter Spirit. Aka, the reason why we have snow."

Ariadne was speechless. For a few moments, they were just standing in the living room facing each other. "That…doesn't make sense…" She muttered almost inaudibly, slowly sinking into a chair nearby. She brought her fingers to her lips, seeming in deep thought.

He shrugged and sat down next to her. "I mean, I should be saying that to you. Like how the hell can you see him, but not believe in him?"

There was a tense silence. Finally, she took a deep breath and slowly turned her eyes towards Jamie. Their eyes met- his chestnut-brown irises regarding her chocolate-brown ones with confusion. She, however, stared back at him with shining eyes, filled with emotions he couldn't recognize.

"Who said I didn't believe in him?"

Feel free to leave a comment/review/pm me your thoughts as usual! :) I love hearing from you guys, it gives me strength XD

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

Hiya everyone! Okay so for this chapter I need to give a huge warning- remember, this story is rated T so there will be some angsty/dark themes/moments…such as this one.  **There are talks of suicide and depression in this chapter**  If you want to know what happens without delving into the dark details (which I completely understand, it's a difficult topic), you can just scroll to the bottom and I'll give you the TL;DR version. For those who are ok with moving forward, enjoy!

"I was about seven when I first learned about him."

Jack was still sleeping on the couch and Ariadne was patting his forehead with a wet towel to cool down his fever. Jamie was sitting next to them, holding out a bowl of ice water. She nodded her thanks as she soaked the towel in the water once more before placing it back on Jack's face, wiping off his sweat.

"I was in the library while my parents were at work. They both worked full-time so oftentimes I had to stay late after school until one of them came to pick me up." She wrung the towel out in an empty basin and gestured Jamie to bring the bowl closer before dipping the cloth back underwater. "I was just skimming through a bunch of picture books when I stumbled across it- a book that had him in it." The corners of her lips curved upward and she smiled fondly at the memory. "It was a silly tale about him having a fight with Santa Claus over who should be in charge of Christmas. In the end, Santa won of course."

"But I was more fascinated with Jack more than anything." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "For one, I've never heard of him- I knew about Santa Claus, obviously. But Jack Frost? No."

"And...what really captivated me about him was…at the end of the story, even though Santa won- even though he was known and loved by everyone because of his gifts and jolly nature- Jack still continued to bring snow days when winter came along. And no one appreciated him for it." She placed the cold towel on Jack's forehead before she sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. 

"And the more I thought about it, at least to me, Christmas wouldn't feel like Christmas if there's no snow around.  Without him, there would be no snow days!" She laughed. "We wouldn't be able to have snowball fights, go sledding, snowboarding, skiing…we'd just be stuck inside, waiting till it gets 'warm enough' to go back out."

"So since that day, whenever it snowed, I would run outside and hope to see him. I really just wanted to see what he was like. Was he really as mischievous as the book made him out to be? Was he as old as he looked in the book? I had so many questions I wanted to ask him… but even though I would sit outside, waiting for hours in the snow, I never actually saw him." She sighed dejectedly. "So gradually as I grew older, school got busier, grades actually became important…so I stopped going outside and stayed inside to study- but I still looked out the window whenever it snowed, holding onto that hope."

"Then, when I was seventeen, after I met with Leon that August and, well…became pregnant…everything changed. I tried my best to scrape together enough money on my own be able to afford an abortion. My parents were too poor and couldn't help cover it- not that I wanted them to because it was my fault- so every day, I would rush to my part-time job after school, then run home to study, sleep for 4 hours if I was lucky, and repeat everything the next day. But in blink of an eye, it was already November, and I had only made half of what I needed for the surgery. By then, it was already too late to perform an abortion due to the laws of Pennsylvania."

"Eventually, the stress was too much to handle and all I could think about was how I just wanted to… disappear." She paused and Jamie placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled sadly and placed her hand over his. "At that time I felt that if I was gone, my parents wouldn't have to deal with such a disgrace in their family; there was no future for a single young woman with a child…hell, there was no future for even the child. Who would want to grow up in an environment with a psychologically unstable mother, with the prospect of not even having enough food on the table to eat, with the chance of getting bullied at school for not having a father…there was just nothing for me or the child within me to live for."

"So I first looked up the quickest ways to die. The fastest methods were instant death via cyanide, arsenic, or a simple shot to the head. But the chemicals were too difficult to get, and the gun laws didn't allow minors to purchase a firearm without parental approval. Then, I researched painless ways to die. Carbon monoxide was the best, but the thought of my parents seeing my dead body in their garage with the car running was too painful to imagine. Even though they were disappointed in me, they did let me stay with them, so it would be too cruel."

"The next best thing was hypothermia. I read that you would be cold but, then you'll start feeling tired, and it'll be like going to sleep. So one night, I left a note in my bedroom saying that I 'ran away from home' so that my parents wouldn't worry, and rushed out of the house while there was a huge blizzard outside. I trudged for maybe one or two miles until I reached a forest, where I continued traversing deep through the trees until I found a rocky clearing through the wind and snow."

"Somehow, I was able to make my way next to a large boulder and sat down. The cold was so painful- the freezing winds ripped against my cheeks, the ice burned against my skin, and my fingers and toes felt like they were on fire from the frostbite... but soon enough I started feeling sleepy and I closed my eyes, finally ready to go and just leave everything behind."

"Yet suddenly, the wind stopped howling in my ears and I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer blinded by the blizzard. Instead all I saw was the darkness behind the trees, and I never felt more alone."

"I first felt angry. I just wanted to die, why was it so hard for the world to just let me be. I remember the angry tears that began to flow down my cold cheeks, and I drew my limbs closer, curling myself into a tight ball."

"But suddenly, I felt a soft touch on my head, as if someone placed their a soothing hand. I looked up to see gentle snowflakes falling like white feathers from the sky. The clouds seemed to part, revealing a full moon that illuminated my surroundings. I could see through the trees and realized that I actually wasn't very far from a suburban neighborhood. In the distance, I could see kids bursting out through their doors, running onto their front lawns to roll in the snow. Parents were standing on the porch, laughing as they watched their children. Some were yelling things like 'be careful!' or 'it's late, don't stay out too long!'. But the kids didn't care, they were all giggling and laughing as they hurled snowballs at each other."

"In that moment, I remembered that book I found so many years ago- how Jack Frost did not let the pain of loneliness stop him from living. Despite his isolation, he did his best to make everyone happy. Just with his presence, he was able to make all the pain, troubles, and burdens of everyday life go away… He didn't let the fact that no one probably knew about him, or cared about him, dictate his life. He didn't let the horrors that were happening all around the world- the wars, the corruption- stop him from doing what he needed to do."

"So then I thought to myself: why can't I be the same way? Why should I succumb to this darkness? Why couldn't I also continue moving forward with my life, why was I running away like a coward? Dying wasn't a real solution, because darkness is everywhere no matter what. Even if I come back into this world someday, the malaise will still remain. However, with these dark moments- these feelings and experiences of sorrow and anguish that people witness every day- there are also moments full of feelings of happiness, joy, kindness, excitement. Wouldn't it be better to have a rich, fulfilling life where you would witness these better times, rather than end it during a time filled with pain?"

"I thought about this child, this little boy or girl sitting in my belly, waiting to experience the world. If I was gone, sure, they would not experience days of failure, sadness or pain, but they would also never experience days of laughter, happiness or success. Days that, for example, a simple snow day could bring. Who am I to deny them their right to live- of being able to see and breathe in this world?"

She leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her lap and lacing her fingers together. She leaned her chin on her thumbs, her fingers covering her lips. Her eyes shone with resolve. "I was the one who made the mistake, I cannot punish this innocent soul because of it. Will I let myself be weighed down by the 'what ifs' or 'what could happen'- the infinite possibilities of what the future may hold? In the end, none of it matters. 'What if I can't make enough money?', or 'what if I really am a failure?'…. these kinds of insecurities and questions will run through my mind, I am sure of that. But will I let them constantly rest on my shoulders and whisper in my ear, consuming my thoughts? No, because even if I think they may happen, there is also simply a chance of them never happening or never coming true."

"Therefore I asked myself- am I going to let myself be dictated by my insecurities and anxieties? Or am I going to seize every day as it is and keep moving forward?"

"And with that, the rest is history." She inhaled and leaned back to rest on the chair. "Don't get me wrong, on some days, I still have those insecure thoughts and stand on the brink of despair. But then, other days come where I am able to overcome my fears and simply be happy with myself."

She turned her head to look at Jamie, smiling fondly. "Jack Frost gave me a second chance at life. I could never forget that- I just never realized that…because I lost hope of it before...he would actually ever appear before my eyes."

TL;DR version: Ariadne was very depressed after becoming pregnant and tried to kill herself, but Jack's presence and abilities to bring out the happiness in people brought her back from the brink of despair and gave her a second chance at living with a new perspective.

ANYWHOOS! Lemme know what you guys think for those who made it through! Was it too dark…? I apologize if it was- a lot of her thoughts actually came from personal experience so it was cathartic to write it all out in the open… anyways, comment/PM me your thoughts! And thank you for all your support! I appreciate each and every one of you for sticking with me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

BTW if anyone is interested, I did some fanart of Jack and Ariadne- I'm an amateur with digital art though so warning, it's not the best XD...but it's a passion of mine- just like writing! You can find it on deviantart under my username Alili-Arts (https://www.deviantart.com/alili-arts) and lemme know what you think :D

Thanks guys, enjoy the latest chapter!

"Looking back at it" Ariadne sighed and chuckled. "I was kind of being ridiculous. Me, seventeen years old at that time, believing in a children's fairy tale. But somehow, that childish logic was able to get me back to my feet, bringing me back to reality and how I wanted to live my life."

Jamie shook his head. "I don't think it's ridiculous. I mean, Jack changed my life too. Back when I was about eight years old, I was really close to losing my childhood innocence." He looked solemnly at his hands deep in thought. "You've heard of the Boogeyman, right? Well, he tried killing the Guardians by destroying dreams, hope, and wonder in kids in order to wreak havoc on the world. If it weren't for Jack, he would have succeeded."

"Guardians?" She inquired.

"Yeah, the Guardians of Childhood. They protect the virtue and purity of children so that they can grow up to be morally good individuals of society." Jamie walked to the side of the room, rummaging through the drawers of a nearby desk. He grinned in satisfaction when he found a notepad, bringing it back to his seat. He reached into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a pen.

"This is Sandy, or Sandman. He's the oldest and the first of the guardians." He quickly sketched an image of the short man and held it up so Ariadne can see. "He's the Guardian of Dreams, responsible for allowing kids to let their minds wander and dream as they sleep, which leads to the development of their future aspirations and goals in life."

He turned the page, running his pen across the sheet. Ariadne came by his side and looked over his shoulder. "And this…is Bunny. Well, formally known as E. Aster Bunnymund but we all call him Bunny. He's the Easter Bunny if you didn't guess already, the Guardian of Hope. He makes sure that children are optimistic and have a positive outlook on life."

"You're a really good artist… why the hell did you decide to go into the sciences?" She grinned slyly.

He shrugged, continuing to draw on the next page. "Being a scientist pays my bills." After a couple of minutes, he holds up the sketch. "And this is North, also known as Santa Claus. He's the Guardian of Wonder, accountable for children's imaginations and fantasies, which leads to them exercising and shaping their creativity."

"And this is Tooth, the Tooth Fairy. She's the Guardian of Memories, making sure that the kids retain the most memorable moments in their lives while also ensuring that, as they grow older, they don't forget who they are and where they came from."

Ariadne's eyes widened as she looked at the sketch. "Wow, she is nothing like what I imagined at all."

"Yeah…" Jamie scratched his head sheepishly. "To be honest, me neither- she later told me that she's part hummingbird. Need for speed to get all the teeth in one night, y'know?" He drew the smaller Baby Tooths. "These are mini-extensions of her, known collectively as 'Baby Tooths'. They mainly do all the collecting and delivering of the teeth and gifts under the pillows."

"And last but not least, Jack Frost." Jamie closed the notepad, gesturing to the guardian resting on the couch near them. "He's the newest member, becoming the Guardian of Fun eleven years ago. He brings blizzards and snow, which you know about, but he is also responsible for making sure that kids have fun and aren't weighed down by their troubles." He turned to face Ariadne. "But you already knew all of that too, based on your past."

She smiled softly. "Yeah, but that's amazing that he's a guardian."

Suddenly, Jack started coughing violently and both immediately whipped their heads. Ariadne was the first to stand and reach his side, placing her hand over his forehead. She patted his chest to sooth his exhalations, frowning in worry.

"His fever is getting worse, and nothing is helping." She said grimly. "I've tried giving him Tylenol, Nyquil…but nothing is working," She gritted her teeth in frustration. "Not that it's any surprise since they're supposed to ameliorate human conditions. This is so bizarre, he shouldn't ever get sick since he's not human, right?"

Jamie nodded his head gravely. "These symptoms seem to suggest something worse than a cold, maybe like a mutated form of pneumonia or strep throat, but we can't be sure unless we take him to a hospital."

Ariadne smirked in response. "Yeah, like that's going to work-" she stopped herself mid-sentence. "Actually…"

The chestnut-haired teen rolled his eyes. "Ariadne, you can't really expect that the doctors will be able to see him."

"No, no not that." She tapped her chin, standing upright. After several minutes of thinking, she let out a bright grin. "We can collect his blood samples and analyze them in our lab!"

Jamie didn't say anything for a moment, deep in thought. "You know…" He slowly smiled, "that could actually work! With all the technology we have at our disposal, we can figure out what's infecting him-"

"-and possibly reverse-engineer a cure based on its genetic material depending on if it's a bacterial or viral attack!" She finished triumphantly. She immediately went to grab her coat. "I'll go get the flasks right away."

"Whoa there, hang on a sec." Laughing at her uncharacteristic childish excitement, he grabbed her shoulder. "You stay here and get dinner ready. I have a feeling that Ceddy's going to wake up any minute and I doubt he's not going to be starving. I'll be back right away with what we need."

She frowned but knew he was right. "Alright, be careful out there. Call me if you have any trouble, okay?"

"Yeeesss, mom." He mocked with a salute. As he closed the door behind him, surely enough, light footsteps came down the stairs. Cedric popped his head out from the railings, his messy black hair sticking up in all directions.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!"

(LINEBREAKKKKKKKKKKKK)

When Jack opened his eyes, the sunlight was already streaming through the living room window. He groaned and slowly sat up from the couch, his head pounding. He ran a hand across his face in exhaustion. How long was I out this time... He suddenly paused when he felt something weird on his face. Is this...facial hair...? What the-

He threw off the covers and raced to the bathroom, regarding himself in the mirror. With wide eyes, he scrutinized his form. Before, he used to be about 5'9" but now his head was about the height of the mirror, which he approximated was at least 6' tall. His hair was slightly longer as well, his jawline more pronounced and studded with a thin layer of stubble.

What the hell?!

OOOOH BOY Jack grew older?! What happened? What does this mean? *dramatic music** Comment/PM me your thoughts as usual- thank you and love y'all for sticking with me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

Hope you enjoy this chapter! I know I did...hehehehehe *evil laughter*

Jack scrutinized himself in the mirror in awe.

"This...can't be possible." He felt his face and his body, realizing that he's indeed in fact not only grown taller, but his muscles have become more toned. Hm…I wonder if…He looked down his pants-

Yep. that grew as well.

Speaking of pants, they now felt super tight. His hoodie also no longer fit, with the sleeves only now reaching his forearm and the bottom barely covering his abdomen. He frowned and began to take off his clothes, deep in thought as to what the hell he was going to do.

"Hey! I heard you running around, is everything ok-"

Ariadne came by the open doorway, a bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other. Despite wearing an apron, she was covered with flour, apparently in the middle of baking something, when she heard Jack get up. There was an awkward pause as they just stared at each other; him in surprise at her appearance, and her simply in shock at his new form. After a tense silence, she cleared her throat.

"Well now…someone hit puberty at last." She managed to choke out, trying to compose herself but still couldn't help gawking at the spirit. She couldn't tear her eyes away and Jack smirked in amusement.

"Like what you see?" He joked. She immediately tore her eyes away and frowned at him in annoyance.

"No. I'm not a pedophile." She huffed, shaking her head and forcing herself back to reality. She put the bowl and whisk down on top of a dresser in the hallway next to the door and wiped her dusty hands on her apron before crossing her arms. "As a matter of fact, I'm actually a bit worried. As the Winter Spirit, first you get sick, and now you're getting older? This is getting dangerous, Jack."

"Relax, I feel fine now. Besides-" He faltered, looking at her with a shocked expression. "Wait, you know who I really am...now?"

She clamped her mouth shut, immediately realizing her mistake. "Y-yeah, Jamie told me."

"But why did you believe him?" He narrowed his eyes, becoming suspicious. "Usually adults wouldn't believe something as far-fetched as the existence of 'Jack Frost', the Winter Spirit…why would you be the exception?"

"Because…I'm…childish?" Ariadne said slowly but deliberately, trying to come up with an excuse. She thought back to her last conversation with their friend that night.

The fire was crackling loudly, its flickering lights dancing on the walls of the living room. She carefully inserted a needle into the guardian's left arm while Jamie held the supplies next to her. Both were quiet as they focused on their task at hand. After a brief silence, Ariadne began to speak.

"Jamie listen..." She murmured softly, "if Jack ever asks you anything, please don't tell him what I told you tonight."

His eyes widened in shock. "Why not? I think it's such an amazing story! He would be so happy that he saved your life!"

"No." She shook her head, her eyes filled with pain. "He would be appalled. Think about it, Jamie. I wanted to use him to ease my death."

"But you didn't!" Jamie protested, "You weren't using him- you didn't even remember his existence until you had that epiphany and recalled that book you read!"

"Doesn't matter, I still tried to use his abilities to kill myself. It's not right. It's immoral." She sighed and looked at Jamie in the eyes. "Imagine someone using your…I don't know… coding skills to hack into the government's database. Or using your scientific abilities to create a biological weapon. Wouldn't you feel betrayed?"

"I mean…" The teen faltered. "It's not the same thing though."

"But it is." She wrapped Jack's arm with a bandage and gave Jamie the blood sample. "He would feel miserable and betrayed by my abuse of his power."

Jamie looked down at the glass vial in his hand, deep in thought. "Ariadne, you can't actually believe that-"

"I do." She gripped his hand and slowly closed his fingers around the vial. "In the meantime, just take this back to the lab and let's start the experiment tomorrow."

"Ariadne-"

"Please, Jamie." She turned around and bent down to grab the rest of the equipment, her jaw clenched. "Promise me you won't tell me."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Jack hissed, taking a step forward. He was getting annoyed. "You are a MOTHER. That in itself states that you're not childish. You're clearly hiding something, but you're trying to cover it up with some pathetic excuse."

To be honest, he wasn't sure why he was getting so emotional. It was her own business, he had no right to pry. But for the past few centuries since he became a guardian, he's seen many different kinds of people. All children were the same: innocent, pure, naïve, and joyful.

But adults were different. Most were sinister like Pitch; greedy, corrupt, manipulative. Some were nice, sweet gentle mothers, or caring, protective fathers; and yet this woman surpassed them all. Going out of her way to help people when she, as a single mother herself, had her own troubles. Extending a hand to a total stranger and bring him into her home when he very well may be a criminal. And the most mind-boggling thing is: she sees him. Even to this day, not many kids can see him. So he needed to know, and he needed to know the truth.

"Why can you, out of all people, see me?"

Ariadne, on the other hand, was stunned by his sudden aggressive behavior and began to get frustrated as well. Who does he think he is, interrogating her like this? Yes, he is the reason why she was given a second chance at life, but still…that doesn't give him a free ticket to act this way.

However, since that night, when she realized that her childhood hero was in front of her eyes, she's been experiencing a muddle of emotions that she couldn't identify. She knew that she felt admiration- he was everything she wanted to be. She felt gratitude- he saved her and she wanted to pay him back for that one night, five years ago. She was also appreciative- he's been around to keep Cedric company, and from what she's seen, he's been kind to Cedric and treating him as if he were his own son. But she was starting to feel something else...something beyond admiration...an emotion that she hadn't felt in a very long time...

But she promised herself that she wouldn't feel again ever since Leon passed, and she intended to keep it.

"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms, as if to protect herself. "For one thing, I'm not hiding anything. Secondly, why do you even care if I know now? You didn't seem to before."

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's because I've been practically a vegetable recently." Jack jeered out sarcastically. "We've literally had at most two conversations and now you suddenly find out who I am, and simply accept it without question? And you find out through a 'friend' of yours, who literally tells you what seems like something out of a…gah I don't know...like…a fantasy novel or something, and you magically believe in his words?"

"What's wrong with you?!" She didn't mean to raise her voice, but she was getting so irritated by his questioning, which led to her emotions starting to spill out. "I've done nothing but help you since you came here, you could at least be a little more respectful." She hadn't felt this anger like this since Leon, and she knew that she had to stop herself before things got worse.

"Why should I respect someone who hides things from me?" Jack roared back. "Since you won't tell me the truth, how do I know you're not going to just stab me in the back? No adult has ever seen me, but yet here you are. How do you expect me to trust you-"

"I don't!" She gritted her teeth after her outburst, feeling hurt that Jack questions her goodwill. There was a tense silence before Ariadne took a deep breath.

"You don't want to trust me? Fine. You don't need to. You'll be gone in another couple weeks anyway." She turned her back towards him and began to leave.

"Hey!" Jack was fast and quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, we found you a cure." She had her head turned away from him, her hair covering her eyes. "Jamie and I took some of your blood while you were unconscious last week. Since then, we were able to identify that you had a unique viral infection that turned your cells against each other, like an autoimmune disease. We're now in the middle of reverse engineering a new virus that will convert your cells back to their original form. You should be be able to use your powers again and be back to your old self within a few weeks- hopefully within a month."

Jack was speechless, touched by her ingenuity and prompt action. "…Ariadne, I didn't know…"

"But hey, maybe I'm secretly creating a worse virus that will kill you instead. To 'stab you in the back' like you said, right?" She spat. "Save it."

She whipped her head around to glare at him. "Let go of me."

For a moment, his hold seemed to loosen and Ariadne almost missed his warm hand. But suddenly she felt his grip get tighter and she herself was soon pulled backwards, her back hitting the wall behind her, his strong arms pressed against either side of her shoulders. She looked up at him with wide, shocked eyes, and he stared back down with pain in his ice-blue gaze...their faces only inches away from each other.

DUM DUM DUHHHHHH *dramatic music* OOOOOoooooh goodness Jack, you sure have a way with the ladies don'cha *fans myself, sighs dreamily*

AHEM *coughs* anyways lemme know your thoughts as usual! Love y'all and thank you again for reading!

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

Enjoy!

For a few moments, Jack simply stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"Look, I'm..." Jack sighed, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you...I just want to understand you."

Ariadne, meanwhile, was having a mental battle with herself and could feel her cheeks growing hot. Really? What are you, a high school girl? She berated herself, embarrassed by her own reaction. She swallowed thickly to try to maintain composure and managed to keep a straight face, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

He clenched his jaw, biting the inside of his cheek. "I've just...seen a lot of terrible people in this world. People who seem nice but then take advantage of others. I don't understand why you are different."

"I mean, you're not wrong. The world today has mostly been corrupted." She turned her head away, starting to really become uncomfortable with the close proximity.

"But…" She sighed softly, gathering her courage and tilting her chin to look back up at him. "There are good people out there; trust me, I'm not the only one. You don't need to understand anything about me." She looked at the ground. "I'm nobody."

"Trust me, I know what it means to be a nobody, and you're not." He lowered his head and managed to lock eyes with her once more at her height. "For one, you, as an adult- as someone who has gone through childbirth and actual adulthood- still possesses some purity to be able to see a spirit like me. And I need to know: why you?"

Ariadne was unable to suppress a blush, and redness began pooling on her cheeks. There was only a small amount of space between them and she began to panic, realizing the flood of emotions that began racing in her heart.

"I-I don't know but...I...should probably go finish the pancakes before Cedric gets up." She gulped, placing her hands against his arms and trying to push them away.

But he didn't budge. Instead, he leaned down closer and whispered in her ear. "But I'm not done talking and you haven't answered me." He noticed how red her ears were and internally grinned at how flustered she was getting.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, her face completely red at this point, and began to squirm. "There's nothing I need to say, please just let me-"

"Mommy, are the pancakes ready?"

Oh thank god. She immediately recognized her son's sleepy voice from the top of the stairwell.

"Yes! Just about, Sweetie!" Ariadne called back. With Jack suddenly distracted, she was able to quickly duck underneath his arms and race out the door, grabbing the bowl and whisk on her way.

Jack sighed in defeat and stood there in the same position for a few more minutes before slowly sinking to the floor, appalled and embarrassed by his own behavior. He folded his arms across each other and dug his face into them, feeling his pulse racing and fighting a mad blush that dusted his pale cheeks.

Ariadne, meanwhile, was back in the kitchen, frantically mixing the batter in the bowl and scooping cups of it onto the frying pan. She forced herself to focus on the pancakes but her mind was traveling to back to the event that just occurred- her face still pink and flustered.

What…just happened?

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Cedric swung his legs underneath his chair while he happily took a giant bite into his chocolate chip pancakes. With full cheeks, he looked at his mother, whose dazed face was bright red while she nibbled at her own food. He then looked at Jack, who was looking down at his own pancakes and silently taking slow bites.

"Alright...what happened between you two." Cedric said with a huff, putting down his utensils and placing his tiny hands on his waist with annoyance. "You both are acting weird."

Ariadne was in the middle of taking a sip of water and she immediately choked. Jack on the other hand, began coughing on a piece of the dough that went down the wrong tube.

"W-Weird? Sweetie, we're fine! We're not acting weird, right Jack?" She forced a smile as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Jack was still too busy coughing and Ariadne had to give his back a hard smack before the food dislodged itself and he was able to force it down his throat.

"R-Right. Yep. Totally normal!" Jack agreed, bobbing his head up and down.

Cedric didn't look convinced. Before the boy could say anything, the doorbell rang.

"Ariadne! It's me!"

Cedric hopped down from his chair. "It's Uncle Jamie!" He began to run to the door.

"Ceddy, what have I told you about running in the house!" Ariadne stood up from her seat as well and headed to the door. Jack also got up, taking the plate of pancakes with him because hell, they were damn good and he was famished.

The boy turned the knob and swung the door open, revealing Jamie with a backpack swung over his shoulders and-

"Sorry," He sheepishly grinned apologetically, "they insisted on coming along because they heard there was 'someone else' in your house now…I tried stopping them-"

"ARIADNE, CEDRIC, MY FRIENDS. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Balto shoved the poor teen to the side and stepped through the front entrance, scooping the shocked woman and her boy in his beefy arms and swinging them from side to side. "I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN SO LONG."

"B-Balto…Y-You've seen me…in lab…all…throughout…this…week…" Ariadne wheezed, her innards feeling crushed by his embrace.

"It's…good to see you too…Uncle Balto…" Cedric gasped out, despite grinning from ear to ear.

"Balto, you're hurting them!" Jamie laughed, trying to pry the two free from his arms.

"Jesus Christ, Balto, put them down, you're killing them!" Navi popped her head out from behind his bulky frame. When the man finally put them down, she walked around him and gave each of them a softer hug.

"Ariadne, even though you still come to lab every day, you always leave so early and we've barely seen you all week!" She knelt down in front of Cedric, pinching his cheek. "And I haven't seen this little cutiepie in forever, how's my favorite munchkin?"

Cedric giggled, trying to free his face from her assault. "I'm not a munchkin anymore! I'm five years old now!"

"Oh, I know! Such a big boy, aren't ya?" She chuckled. She stood back up and tried looking into the house. "So where's your secret boyfriend?"

Ariadne's face reddened once again. "He's not my boyfriend! And…he left." She fibbed, knowing that her two lab-mates definitely aren't the type to believe in silly things like spirits and therefore definitely not going to be able to see Jack-

"OH MY GOSH." Navi suddenly grabbed Ariadne's arm and whispered excitedly in her ear. "Ariadne is that him? You didn't tell me he was such a hunk!"

"Wait, wha-?" Ariadne followed her friend's gaze and saw that Jack indeed was standing in the hallway, leaning a shoulder against the wall with his plate of pancakes in one hand. He was happily munching away, looking down and stabbing each piece with a fork held in his other hand, before bringing it to his mouth.

There was a long pause and only the sounds of Jack's chewing could be heard. When Jack realized they stopped talking, he looked up and locked eyes with both Navi and Balto.

"Uh…" Is it just me or… are they…looking right at me?

"Wait, you see him?" Jamie asked cautiously, worry creeping into his voice.

"OF COURSE WE DO, HE'S RIGHT THERE!" Balto exclaimed.

"Okay, but have you heard of Jack Frost?" Ariadne asked quickly, an alarm going off in her mind.

"Jack who?" Navi replied with confusion at the sudden question. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer me."

"Okay, okay yeesh, Mama Ariadne-mode on much?" Navi held her hands up in defense. She then tapped her chin for a moment deep in thought. Suddenly she perked up, like a lightbulb just went off in her head. "Oh, isn't he like that character from that song? Or like a saying or figure of speech? Like 'Jack Frost nipping at your nose' or something like that?'"

"I THOUGHT HE WAS FROM A FAIRY TALE OR SOMETHING." Balto shrugged, his large boulder-sized shoulders going up and down.

"Well, yes but…" Ariadne sighed, knowing she was going to sound like an idiot. "Do you…think he exists?"

Everyone was silent for a moment before Balto guffawed, his voice resonating and practically shaking the entire house. "SILLY GIRL. I'M NOT A CHILD!"

"Pfft, hell no! What am I, 5 years old?" Navi laughed heartily, flinging her hand in front of her. She coughed, stifling her giggles, before looking down at Cedric. "Ahem…no offense."

"None taken!"

Even though the two were chuckling, Ariadne looked at Jamie with evident worry. Jamie returned her gaze with equal concern and they then both turned to look at Jack, whose pale face began to whiten even further, realizing that something was terribly wrong.

They don't believe in me, but they can see me?

Thank you so much as usual for all your support! It really means a lot :)  Love y'all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

"Jack, stop, wait!"

Jack rushed down the hall and ran back into the living room. He frantically grabbed his staff, before running into the kitchen and opening the sliding doors that led to the back patio.

But before he could take another step, his arm was pulled back by Ariadne's grip. She regarded him with fierce brown-irises. "Jack, you can't. Take a breath," She whispered sternly, trying to ease the Winter Spirit. "You need to calm down."

She could tell he was freaking out, panic shining in his icy-blue eyes. He shook his head, breathing heavily. His voice was laced with fear. "I need to try. I-If this means what I think it means…then-"

"You can't-," She exhaled sharply, choosing her words carefully. "You shouldn't try to use your powers."

Ariadne grabbed his other arm, forcing him to look down at her squarely. "Jack, look at me. You need to calm down."

He became silent and looked away. Both could hear Jamie's anxious voice from the front door, ushering the two friends out. Then they finally heard the door close and Jamie speaking softly to Cedric, before the pair of footsteps headed up the stairs.

Ariadne sighed, going into mother-mode. He's a child after all.

She grabbed his arm and gently led him to the couch in the living room. She gently pushed his shoulders so he sat down and she knelt in front of him, putting her hands over his.

"Jack…the reason why I'm saying you shouldn't use your powers is because…well…" She trailed off, hesitating. "Every time you use them, you become unconscious. That's why you can't use your powers. You have been out for a week this time, if you try using them again, do you think you'll even wake up next time?"

He remained quiet, already knowing the answer. He stared at the ground between them.

After a long pause, he opened his mouth. "Sorry, I need some time to think."

She nodded her head in understanding and stood up. She walked towards the stairs and put a hand on the railing. Before she took a step up, she turned around to look at the guardian.

"Let me know if you need anything."

(LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKK)

A few moments earlier…

"Well, would ya look at the time! Sorry guys, but… you gotta go!" Jamie placed a hand on each of their shoulders, spun them around, and started pushing them out the door.

"BUT WHY? WE JUST GOT HERE." Balto protested, looking over his beefy shoulder down at the teen.

Navi also squirmed, trying to turn around. "Yeah, hang on a sec! What's the big deal?!"

"Everything's fine it's just…uh…" Jamie racked through his brain, trying to come up with a somewhat believable excuse. "Ariadne has to…give…Cedric a…bath…?" He gave a nervous smile.

All four of them were silent, Cedric especially giving Jamie a blank, disapproving look that even adults would be impressed by.

"A bath…at 10am…" Navi stated slowly.

"Y-Yes…?" Jamie was sweating, clearly realizing now that lying wasn't his strong suit.

The three adults just stood there, unsure as to what to do or say with Jamie's statement. Finally, Cedric puffed his chest and straightened his back.

"Yep! Mommy said that today I had to get my bath early because Mr. Plumber was coming to fix our water later, sorry I forgot!" He grinned sheepishly and looked at them with wide, innocent green irises.

Jamie sighed gratefully but discreetly. Navi and Balto stared at the child before looking at each other. Finally, Navi shrugged.

"…Alright, alright. You go and get your bath, munchkin." Navi grabbed Balto's arm and led him towards their car parked in the driveway. "Tell you mom we'll see her tomorrow bright and early!" She called over her shoulder.

Cedric waved bye to them as they drove away. When they were out of sight, Jamie placed a hand on the door frame and leaned over, heaving a loud sigh with exhaustion.

"Cedric, I know your mom probably taught you not to lie, but" Jamie raised his head to look at the boy and grinned, giving a thumbs up, "today you've made your Uncle Jamie proud."

Cedric rubbed his nose proudly, flashing his pearly white teeth. "I know, I know. I'm pretty great." He then looked at Jamie with questioning eyes. "But Uncle Jamie, why DID we have to send them away?"

"Well, kiddo, um… your friend Jack hasn't been doing so well." Jamie said cautiously but truthfully, knowing that the child was too sharp and could see through him if he tried to lie again. He knelt down to be at eye level with the boy. "He… he may not be able to make snow anymore."

"What?! Why?" Cedric whined, clutching Jamie's sleeves. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's…um…sick. But your mom and I are really close to saving him!" He exclaimed hopefully, placing his hands on Cedric's shoulders and his eyes traveling to the living room. He saw Jack sitting on the couch hunched over, his face covered by his hands.

Jamie's bright face darkened with worry, "At least, I hope so…" He whispered to himself inaudibly.

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It was late afternoon when Ariadne looked out her window and saw Jack sitting outside on the patio steps behind her house. The sun was setting, casting an orange light across the wet grass in her backyard, the snow already almost completely melted. She sadly looked at his figure, placing her fingers against the glass.

Shortly after she left Jack to his thoughts, she retreated upstairs to do some household chores and met up with Jamie and Cedric.

"Mommy, will Jack be okay?" Cedric cried as he saw her folding some laundry in her bedroom, running towards her and into her arms.

She softly patted his back with soothing strokes. "He will be fine, Sweetie. He's a tough cookie, he'll make it through this."

Cedric looked up at her with teary green eyes. "But Uncle Jamie said he may not be able to make snow anymore!"

"Well, did he now?" She playfully glared at Jamie, who was leaning against the bedroom doorframe. He shrugged and held his hands up in defense.

"But he DID said 'may not', not 'will not' right?" She giggled, cupping Cedric's cheeks and wiping away some stray tears that gathered under his eyes. "He's going to be okay. We will save him, don't worry, alright?"

The boy nodded slowly and buried his face in her shirt. She ruffled his hair. "Now why don't you go back downstairs and finish your pancakes, okay?"

He popped his head back up, almost hitting his mother's chin in the process. His eyes were back to their usual vigor.

"My pancakes! I almost forgot!" He leapt up and dashed past Jamie, zooming back down the stairs.

Jamie and Ariadne both chuckled at the boy's change in attitude. "Kids, you gotta admire how resilient they are." Jamie murmured fondly.

"Yeah, able to bounce back from anything really." She smiled but then let out a soft sigh. "But seriously, Jamie. Time is running out. The cure isn't ready yet- we were able to create a new virus that genetically altered his cells back to their normal state but… they were so weakened that it will take another few weeks before they've proliferated and grown strong enough to be re-injected back into his body."

She ran a hand through her dark hair in frustration. "We could try to reintroduce the newly modified cells back into him now but-

"-With so few of them, they'll easily be destroyed or taken over again by the current cells in his body." Jamie finished, nodding his head in agreement. "We have to wait until the culture is ready in order for it to actually work. We don't really have a choice here."

She clenched her fingers into a fist and went downstairs towards the patio. Right now, she was alone in the house- Jamie volunteering to take Cedric out to get ice cream to distract him from the current situation. She stood in the kitchen, and reached for the door handle but hesitated, looking down at her hands. What should she do in this situation? No, what can she even do? She was a mere human who just happened to run into him at the right place, at the right time. How could she expect to help him? Doubt swirled in her mind as she turned her eyes back forward.

He helped me once. There has to be something I can do…but…

She paced around the kitchen, massaging her temple in annoyance at her own uselessness. She rubbed her tired eyes and leaned against the glass sliding doors, crossing her arms. She then turned her eyes towards the yard.

Upon seeing Jack's hunched figure on the steps of the deck, all her insecurities seemed to melt away as she regarded him. The confusion he must be feeling… the sadness… the pain.

She was reminded her old self. Memories of her freezing body wandering in the cold… lost in the dark… resurfaced in her mind.

Before she could question herself again any further, she slid the door open and stepped out, shutting it behind her.

*Cue announcer voice* What's happened to Jack?! Are his powers truly disappearing? Is he becoming human?! Is there any hope for the Spirit of Winter?! WHAT WILL ARIADNE DO?! Find out next time…on THE YING-YANG BALANCE!

~Brought to you by *insert sponsor here*~

LOL jk jk sorry, had to spice it up somewhat XD. In all seriousness though, leave a review or a comment and lemme know your thoughts! I love hearing from you guys, it really means a lot that you're here with me on this journey :D  Thank you and love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

There was a gentle breeze as Ariadne headed to where Jack was sitting, before she seated herself down next to him on the steps. He was hugging his legs, his Shephard's Hook resting on the crook of his neck. Only his cerulean-blue eyes were visible as he faced forward, his mouth hidden by the sleeves of his crossed arms and his hood covering his hair but barely his eyes- given that his clothes no longer fit him properly.

They were both quiet, simply listening to the rustling of bare branches scraping against each other, the chattering of squirrels, and chirping of birds. The sky was painted pink and purple, with an orange overcast in the distant horizon where the sun began to set. The air around them was unusually warm for December, the ground wet and soaked from melted snow…

"…I can barely hear her anymore…or sense her really." Jack started, his voice muffled by the cloth. His eyes holding despair.

Ariadne didn't say anything, partially not knowing what to say- but also knowing that no words can be even expressed in the moment.

"The Wind I mean." He clarified, raising his head up higher, resting his chin on his forearms. He smiled grimly. "We were two peas in a pod, always there for each other. She was my only friend for the longest time… she was there for me when I woke up as Jack Frost. She was always by my side for 311 years…but now…"

"Jack…" Her heart tightening at his sorrow, Ariadne raised her hand and began reaching for the guardian, but she stopped midway, hesitating. Her hand fell back into her lap.

"Now…" He buried his face in his arms, fighting back tears that threatened to spill. "…without my powers…I'll never hear her again…"

He then moved his hands over his hood and gripping the cloth tightly over his eyes, clutching the fabric so forcefully that his knuckles turned white. "I just don't understand…h-how could this have happened?" He lamented. "Bunny said it was just a simple cold…one that Mother Nature recovered from…but I'm not getting better…my powers are disappearing, and I don't know why!"

His shoulders began to shake and she couldn't help but place her hand on his arm, pulling his body towards her. She circled her arms around him, drawing him into a hug.

For a few moments, they stayed in that position. She could feel all the emotions pouring out from his body: his anger, his confusion, his feelings of loss…

Ariadne took a deep breath.

"The reason…" She paused and cleared her throat, realizing that her carefully repressed emotions were starting to resurface, which made her voice hoarse from seeing his pain.

She swallowed and took another breath. "The reason why you can't use your powers is because…I believe that using them accelerates the degradation of your cells. I'm not exactly sure, since you are a supernatural being… but for a human, this is the same as if someone constantly overworks. The stress causes cells to continuously strain themselves, which results in them utilizing any resources available in the body. Eventually, they will run out of energy. As a result, they will begin destroying tissue and other cells to compensate for the deficiency.

She then looked up at the painted sky, resting her chin on his shoulder, her eyes still closed as she recalled the data she discovered back in the lab. "The virus itself is what programmed your cells to attack themselves, and the use of your powers serves as a catalyst to not only continue the destruction in your body, but also to escalate it even further.

"That's why for now, you need to avoid using your powers to slow down the degradation process." She opened her eyes and turned her gaze back towards the spirit. "At this rate, as long as you don't use your powers, your body will remain stable until the cure is ready to be used."

"But I can't wait!" Jack raised his head and stared at her angrily. "There are children out there who need me, waiting for me to bring them snow. And there's no promise that your cure will even work! Let's face it…" He turned his head back down in shame. "I'm losing my powers and…they're never coming back."

"Jack, everything will be alright. Okay? Just… listen to me." She placed a hand on his head, pushing his hood back to try to meet his eyes. "Your powers will come back. Jamie said-"

"No, they won't." He shook his head and moved away, eyes downcast. "What Jamie probably told you was…about that time… what happened 11 years ago. It was different. North, Tooth, and Bunny all lost their powers because children stopped believing in them.

"But this time…" He hung his head in anguish. "This time… it's not that I don't have anyone believing in me…it's because I'm just…losing it. My powers are disappearing and- and I don't know why! Without me, "

"Jack, hey! Stop." She cupped his face with both her hands and forced him to look at her. "Stop…"

She pleaded with her gaze and they simply stared at each other for a few moments. Jack took a deep, shuddering breath and squeezed his eyes shut, a traitorous tear escaping and rolling down his pale cheek. He looked down as he tried to compose himself, unconsciously leaned into her warm, comforting touch.

She swallowed, realizing their close proximity once again, but she internally shook her head- fighting hard to suppress the emotions welling up inside of her. I'm just doing this because he reminds me of Ceddy… there's no special meaning. She assured herself, trying to repeat those words in her head.

"…you didn't let me finish." She murmured gently, tilting his face back up to face her. Opening his eyes, he saw that hers were shining with hope.

"What I meant was…Jamie told me that the experiment is going better than expected, and your new cells are growing much more efficiently than we predicted." She gave a small, comforting smile as Jack stared at her. "Within a couple of weeks, we can re-introduce those new cells back into your body and you should go back to normal, with your powers and all."

"…really?" He sounded so quiet…so fragile, like a child, and- before she could stop herself- she used her thumb to wipe away the wetness on his cheek and placed her forehead against his, closing her eyes.

"Really. So you just need to hang on for a bit longer, alright?" She grinned and opened her irises, meeting his ice-blue eyes, which held surprise and a bit of amusement. Suddenly, the realization of her actions came crashing onto her and she immediately drew herself back in shock and horror.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was doing-"

But Jack, again with his quick reflexes, immediately grabbed both her wrists- stopping her in her tracks. Oh no you don't, not this time. He tugged her back towards him and she instantly flew back forward, her face soon once more inches away from his.

"What, are you going to say that you only did that because that's what you do to Cedric?" He grinned devilishly, all traces of his earlier desolation gone as he pressed his forehead against hers to mimic her actions before.

How was he about to recover so quickly? Her thoughts were racing in her mind as she felt, in her gut, her suppressed emotions starting to erupt. Like a pot of water that was filled too close to the rim and now boiling, the liquid droplets of her feelings beginning to spill out from under the lid.

"Y-Yes…but…" Though his statement was partially true, in that she has done this to Cedric when he gets upset, she knew she did this action to Jack because she truly wanted to comfort him. This was the best way she knew how…yet…

His smirk widened as her face reddened even deeper. "But what?"

Yet, in her soul, she knew that she never saw him as a child despite treating him like one initially. But she didn't have a choice! She had to, because the longer she's with him, the closer she was to distinguishing the muddle of emotions that swirled inside of her: gratitude, appreciation, admiration…and-

That feeling.

That feeling that she barricaded within the recesses in her brain, surrounded by the barrier she built up for five years. That feeling that broke through each and every wall that was constructed in her mind upon witnessing his grief… his brokenness…

That feeling, which compelled her to reach for him before her logic took over.

That feeling, which has flooded out over the pot that was her heart.

But even now, she still tries pushing the lid down- and she always will. She was a scientist, she was pragmatic. Her mature and rational mind prevented her from simply relying on something so subjective like feelings. She can't let herself be swayed- even though she knew that within her brain, her logic was actually siding with her heart and telling her the truth. Yet, that same logic drove her fear, creating her insecurities. So even though she was smart enough to realize what was spilling over, she had to stop it before it was too late.

Ariadne ripped herself away from Jack and stood up, placing her hands on her hips and forcing the biggest smile on her face. "BUT… you are such a bigger baby than Cedric has ever been!" She feigned a laugh to hopefully express what seems to be joking behavior. "Thank goodness that tactic worked on you, kid!"

Jack's face fell and his eyes narrowed suspiciously, also standing up. With his new height, he towered over her small stature. "Ariadne, what are you doing?"

She looked up innocently. "What do you mean?"

"Just now- you were just- we were-…" He ran his hand through his white hair in bewilderment. "I don't know…but… you are acting weird."

"Psh, me? Don't know what you mean." She waved her hand dismissively. She began hopping back up the patio steps, turning back to look at him. "Anyways, are you feeling better now?"

Jack's bemused expression was still evident on his face but upon hearing her last question, he was reminded of his initial despair and looked down at his hands, thinking deeply for a moment. Soon, he clenched them into fists in determination.

"Yeah, I know what I need to do." He reached into his hoodie pocket and took out a glass snow-globe.

"Wait…was that in your pocket the whole time?" Ariadne pointed at the object, her brow quirked up quizzically. "How did it not fall out while you were sleeping? What even is that?"

"Magic." He smirked before throwing it onto the ground and opening a portal. Gusts of wind poured out and began drawing in the air around them. Before she could argue, he hopped up the steps and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go!"

"What?! Hell no, I'm not going in there!" But his grip was strong and he dragged her back down the steps onto the soft grass.

"Of course you are! Think of it as…uh… a field trip!" He laughed and gave a final tug, flinging her forward into the mystical gateway.

"But I hate field TRIIIIIIII-" She wailed as they both fell in. Once they disappeared, the magical portal closed behind them with a loud pop.

In the distance, a black night-mare horse was standing on the roof of a nearby residence. It snorted harshly, onyx dust sprinkling off its mane, before galloping away.

*CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC*

LMAO thank you to those who have been reviewing/leaving comments- they literally make my day :) you guys are awesome!! Thank you all again for sticking with me- love you guys!

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Hi guys! Gonna keep it short and sweet this time- hope you guys had a great week and hopefully you enjoy the new chapter!

The night-mare galloped across the darkened sky until it reached a foreboding, ghastly mansion. As it flew through a broken window, it began neighing with excitement as it circulated its owner, nuzzling his cheek.

"Ah, it looks like it's working, just as you predicted, my friend." Pitch Black drawled amusingly. His dark hair was longer since eleven years ago, now reaching his lower back. He was standing in what appears to be a library, by a large bookcase, trailing his fingers along the spines of novels that line the shelves. His other hand petted the creature, which now rested on his shoulder.

Behind him sat the red-haired man from before, who was lounging in a robust, navy accent chair, facing the open flame of a fireplace. Shadows danced along the walls from the flickering light. His face was resting on his hand, elbow leaning on the armchair, a smirk plastered across his lips.

"Of course it's working." He scoffed, sitting up straight in his chair. "I designed the virus myself. It's flawless."

"Ah, but that is a lie..." Pitch drawled, listening intently to his servant's nickering. "It seems that there's a human who has been able to discover a 'cure' of sorts to counter your…disease."

The man's grin faltered, "…A cure…you say?"

"Yes, it seems that she will have finished procuring it within the next couple of weeks." Pitch droned, plucking a book from the shelf and turning its pages with disinterest. "Maybe you are not as clever as you think you are."

For a few minutes, the man remained still, his fingers thoughtfully stroking his rusty-red beard. Soon, he straightened his back and stood from his seat, walking past Pitch. He strode towards a large windowsill and regarded the sky. The moon was half-lit, shedding some light through the glass, but a shadow remained cast over his face.

"You may be right, perhaps I am only human after all." His smile widened upon gazing at the stars.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Another lie, you really are cunning."

"That is my nature, yes." The man turned his gaze downwards at his wrist, where a gold watch laid. He held up his arm and tilted it so he could fully see its face. "As such, I believe we have to…speed up the timeline of our agenda."

"Meaning…"

He turned back to face his comrade, his smile twisting menacingly. "Meaning, it is time we paid our new friends a visit."

(LINEBREAAAAAAKKKKKKKK)

"JACK! I swear to MOTHER FRIGGIN GOD that once I'm free, I'm going to KILL YOU!"

Ariadne had flown out of the portal headfirst and found herself launched into a soft, hearty shrub, trying her hardest to get herself out of its branches. Jack, on the other hand, landed gracefully on the grass and was simply leaning on his hook, hand on hip, enjoying her struggling display just a few feet away. Her butt was sticking straight out and her legs were flailing around trying to find footing to get herself free.

They were in a grassy, enclosed clearing, with vines and other greenery draped and growing all around the stony walls. Vibrant flowers were scattered all over the field and ivy with blossoms of all sorts of colors hung down from the ceiling. Sunlight peaked through the trees that towered over their figures, and a gentle breeze ruffled the foliage present.

"What's that? Are the plants talking to me?" Jack teased, cupping a hand to his ear and leaning closer. "Sounds like this shrub is threatening to murder me!"

Ariadne clenched her hands in a fist inside the bush and felt her temple throb with annoyance. Oh, he's gonna get it. She huffed and somehow maneuvered her hands to get her dark hair out of her face. Fine, have it your way.

She plucked a leaf and rolled it gently between her fingers, feeling a twang of guilt as to what she was about to do. Sorry, little guy, it's nothing personal. She began ripping apart the twigs and branches from the inside.

"Oh…" Jack watched in fascination as to what appeared to be the shrub shedding dramatically, leaves and branches flying everywhere while the plant itself was shrinking rapidly in size. Soon all that was left was the stump and Ariadne herself was back on her feet, dusting her clothes off from the debris and patting herself down to get rid of the dirt and dust.

She noticed Jack's slack-jawed expression. "What?"

"You just destroyed that bush like it was nothing!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking as he clutched his hair in shock. "What are you even made of?!"

She smiled with pride, rubbing off a smudge of dirt that remained on her cheek. "I've done a fair share of gardening back at home, this is nothing."

"Oh no, this is something." Jack sighed, running a hand over his face with exasperation. "He's going to kill me…"

"What? I already destroyed it." Ariadne undid her hair and began tying it back up again to fix it. "And I thought you were joking about the 'OOooooh a scary plant's gonna murder you' sorta thing?"

"No…" His voice was slightly muffled by his hand. "Not the shrub. I'm talking about-"

"OH BLOODY HELL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO FLUFFY?!"

Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "-that."

Ariadne could barely register the blur of gray and white that flew past her. She turned and saw what appeared to be a giant rabbit, his large ears flat across his back, kneeling over what remained of the bush that kept her prisoner. "Oh, my precious…you poor poor thing." He cooed as he gathered the leaves in his giant paws.

"…Jack." Ariadne whispered, shuffling closer to the winter spirit. "Is that...a giant bunny, or do I still have dust in my eyes."

"Ariadne, meet Bunnymund." Jack gestured to the grieving Guardian of Hope, "Also known as the Easter Bunny."

Ariadne blinked. "The wha-"

"FROST. WHAT DIDJA DO THIS TIME?!" Bunnymund charged angrily towards the two, grabbing Jack's collar and pulling him to eye level, nose twitching furiously. "WHAT HAVE I TOLDJA ABOUT DESTROYING MY PLANTS?!"

"Whoa there, Kangaroo, it wasn't me this time- it was her!" He grinned cheekily, motioning with a jerk of his head towards Ariadne.

Bunnymund immediately let go of his friend and cracked his fists, "WHY YOU…" He turned his eyes towards the woman and raised a furry finger at her in accusation. "I OUGHTA-"

Suddenly, he stopped, regarding her figure from top to bottom. Ariadne was no longer looking at them but instead simply standing there, with her eyes closed, rubbing her temple with confusion as to what she was actually witnessing. The Easter Bunny's jaw dropped, his finger still raised and pointing at her, and without turning to look at Jack, he began to speak.

"Frost…" Bunny swallowed, stupefied "…why did you bring an adult woman to my warren?"

"Oh, you noticed!" Jack placed his hands in his hoodie pouch, leaning back against a nearby tree in amusement. "What gave it away?"

"What gave it awa- what the bloody hell do you think gave it away?!" Bunny turned around to face the Guardian of Fun, his finger now redirected at him, but upon another minute of rapid visual inspection, the Easter Bunny once again was speechless. "And why the hell are you taller than me?"

"Bunny, relax!" Jack playfully flung an arm over his furry friend's shoulder, shaking him excitedly. "First of all, I'm happy to see you too!"

"Oh no, mate. This is nothing to be happy about." Bunny shoved Jack's limb off of him and grasped his shoulders, his eyes growing with more and more concerned upon realizing the winter spirit's new form. He kept scrutinizing him from head to toe. "This is really not good, mate."

"Bunny, I'm fine. Really, Ariadne has been helping me." Jack took Bunny's wrists and gently pushed them away. Ariadne herself perked up upon hearing her name, jostling herself out of her dazed state. "Because of her, I'm practically healthy once again!"

"Oh, yeah. Hi, I'm Ariadne, nice to meet you." She came forward and held out her hand, trying not to cringe at the ridiculousness of the situation. Well, Jamie wasn't kidding after all.

"How the hell can you see me?" Bunnymund asked harshly, not acknowledging her gesture and crossing his arms instead, chest puffed.

She took a breath, slowly pulling her hand back and stuffing it in the back pocket of her jeans. "I'm close with Jamie, he's told me about you and all of Jack's other friends."

He scoffed. "So what, you just magically believe the words of some kid?"

"Well, he's not a kid anymore." She replied with a bitter grin. "And I guess you can say, based on how I'm able to see Jack, I tend to have an...uh… inclination of sorts towards the presence of you guys. And once Jamie proved to me that you guys were- well, no offense- real...the rest is history."

Bunny looked at Jack with confusion and the latter shook his heads, holding his hands up with defeat. "Don't look at me, she wouldn't tell me the truth either."

The Easter Bunny put a paw under his chin, stroking his fur in deep concern. "…is all this because of that cold you mentioned before?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's why I need your help. I need to see Mother Nature. Can you take me to her? You're the only one who knows where she is."

Ariadne blinked and shook her head. "Wait Mother Nature actually exists?!"

"Okay, of all the things you don't believe in, I am honestly astounded that she's on that list." Jack rolled his eyes, crossing his arms while he regarded her. "She's literally responsible for all life on Earth."

"I mean- I get that but-"

"Frost." They turned to face the rabbit, who regarded Jack with grim eyes. "I..I can't."

"Oh come on, it was one April Fool's prank like fifty years ago- I'm sure she's forgiven me by now!" Jack grinned, swinging his hook. He playfully nudged Ariadne and lowered his voice. "I covered her home with layers of ice that day, and she had a FIT!"

"No, I mean-" Bunny rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating with his words. There was a moment of silence before he finally sighed. "A'ight, you said that this woman was able to help you get better?"

"Yeah…? Why?" Jack's eyes widened with realization, horror dawning on his face. "Don't tell me-"

"Yeah. It got to her again. And it's worse this time." The Guardian of Hope stomped on the ground with his feet twice and a large hole appeared in the ground.

"If you say she was able to cure you, then maybe she can help her too." He held his arms out in a mock gesture. "After you."

"Wait no." Ariadne shook her head vehemently. "For one, that cure isn't even ready yet. Two, we're not sure if it will even be successful. And three, there is no way in hell that I am going in there. One portal is enough."

"It will." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Now come on, we don't have much time!" He leapt into the hole and Bunny stared at her, waiting expectantly.

"Nope, I'm good. You guys go on ahead, I'll wait here." She sat on the ground and crossed her legs.

Bunny rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this." He stomped on the ground again and another hole opened directly underneath her.

"MOTHERFU-" The woman screamed as she fell through and disappeared into the hole. Bunny grinned.

"Maybe I should've told her to 'buckle up'." He chortled at his little 'inside joke' before hopping in after her. The holes resealed- leaving two single daffodils in their place.

(Meanwhile...)

DINGGG DONGGG

"I got it Uncle Jamie!" Cedric hollered as he raced to the door. "Mommy probably forgot her keys again!"

The little boy reached on his toes to turn the knob. He pulled the door open to reveal a familiar face.

The hunched old man from before, back when the boys went to retrieve Jack's staff, stood with a cane on the porch. His long, wispy grey beard reached the floor and a thick hood covered his balding head. He gave a wicked, crooked grin as he regarded Cedric with a evil eye.

"Hello, boy...is your mother home...?"

Let me know your thoughts!  Love you guys and thank you again for sticking with me! Sorry if I'm starting to bore you guys- I noticed that people are beginning to lose interest but regardless, I vow to finish this story once and for all! So I really appreciate those who are still here and bearing with the boring bits- if there's anything you think I can improve on, please don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me! I'm very open to ideas/constructive criticism and would love to hear from you!

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

"-CCCCCCCKKKKKKERRRRR"

Ariadne kept screaming as she flew out of the hole. She ricocheted off of a few bushes and finally landed with a loud splash in a shallow pond. Spluttering out the water that filled her lungs from her cry, she frantically waved her arms around to break the surface. While kicking around, she felt the ground beneath her and stumbled back onto her two feet and managed to resurface through the water, which fortunately reached her waist. Hair plastered over her face, she fumbled to clear her vision by rubbing her face with her drenched sleeve.

She suddenly felt a pair of warm hands on her elbows and dry cloth wipe away the wetness over her eyes. Blinking rapidly to regain her sight, she realized that Jack was standing in front of her- another signature grin on his face.

"Enjoy your bath?" He chuckled, pulling his sleeves forward, preparing to continue drying her face. She frowned and swatted his hands away.

"First, I get thrown into a bush. Now, I'm shot into a pond. What next, will there be a portal in the sky that will rocket me to the moon?" Ariadne grumbled while she stepped back to undo her hair tie, twisting her locks with both hands to wring out the liquid that still remained.

Jack shrugged. "I don't think that's a bad idea but thinking about it, I doubt the boss would like that."

"Who?"

"The Man in the Moon, you know, the one who created all of us?"

Ariadne dropped her arms, exasperated. "No, Jack. I don't know. I don't know anything. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS EVEN GOING ON!"

She waded out of the water and crawled to the shore, plopping herself on the ground with exhaustion. She took in her surroundings- besides the pond she fell into, she noted that there were other small bodies of water around them. Weeping willows swayed gently in the breeze, their long, dangly branches hanging low. A thick veil of fog seemed to flood the premises.

She placed her head in her hands. "Why the hell did you drag me here?"

Jack, feeling a pang of sympathy, reached the shore as well and sat next to her, unable to stop himself from putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey." He spoke softly. "Sorry I didn't clarify anything- I just…Mother Nature is basically- well literally- like a mother to me. She may know what exactly is going on and maybe tell me how I can get my powers back."

Ariadne sighed, running a hand over her face. There was a brief silence. "Jack…I already told you that once we give you the vaccine you should have your powers back-"

"-Well what if you're wrong?" She looked at the Winter Spirit with disbelief and slight offense.

"Excuse me?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, you're a scientist. You know…science-y stuff. But Mother Nature…she's the Man on the Moon's wife and she knows everything about my creation, intricacies about my powers, etcetera. She will know more about the foundation of my powers and- well, is able to do far more than anything your science capabilities can offer."

Ariadne also took a deep breath to calm her annoyance. "Okay, look. I now understand that magic exists. I do. I really do. But for you to doubt my knowledge- my abiliites- that's a bit harsh now isn't it?"

"Oi, sorry to interrupt your lover's spat, but d'you want to see Mother Nature or not?"

They turned around and saw Bunny stomping his foot impatiently on the soil. "Not to be a prick but if you wanna see her, you need to pick yer arses up and come along with me."

Jack sighed, reluctantly getting up to his feet. "Alright, alright, quit your yapping."

They made their way through the swampy area. Finally, they arrived at a small plot of land, a large weeping willow tree looming over it. Beneath it was a bed of sorts made out of vines and flowers, the foliage twisting itself around a figure that laid on top of it.

Bunny coughed quietly and the body stirred.

"My Lady." He whispered gently, kneeling down before a cobblestone path, and bowing his head.

The figure sat up in her seat, her back facing the trio. Ariadne could only make out a feminine shadow. "Aster. Is that you?" Her voice was weak but gentle.

"I've brought someone who may help you." He raised his head and gestured to Jack and Ariadne to come closer.

The woman stood up and made her way through the hanging foliage of the willow. When she fully appeared before them, Ariadne couldn't help but gasp in awe.

In front of her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Mother Nature stood at least six feet tall, her golden hair shimmering with various shades of sunlight curling down past her waist, her head adorned with the rarest orchids one had ever seen. She wore a long, dark, emerald-green gown, made with material that glistened brightly despite the gloomy atmosphere of the place. She regarded them with weary eyes of seafoam color; there was not a single wrinkle on her face despite centuries of her existence, age-old wisdom held in her gaze.

Despite her beauty, Ariadne was able to tell that her skin was pale white, and her breathing was labored.

"Jack? Oh my dear, what happened to you?" She slowly walked down the stony path towards them. "You've grown so much. And goodness, is that a human with you?"

Bunny immediately got to his feet and rushed over to her side, putting a paw around her shoulders for support. She gave him a grateful smile and turned to the other two.

Jack nodded respectfully, "…My Lady, it's a long-"

"Oh Jack, I've told you numerous times not to call me that." She smiled grimly. "You're my son, even if not by blood."

The Winter Spirit blushed. "…Mother, it's a long story-"

"One that must be related to my-" Suddenly Mother Nature coughed harshly, her body collapsing. However, Bunny's reflexes were fast and he was able to keep holding her upright.

"-my illness." She finished with a gasp, gratefully leaning against the Easter Bunny. "Forgive me, it has become difficult for me to speak."

"Mother?"

They all turned towards the sound of the new voice. Through the fog emerged a young man, his spiky hair a dark, maroon-crimson shade, with a loose strand hanging above his forehead. He wore a black tunic with long, onyx boots- a blood-red cloak draped over his shoulders that was pinned above his left breast. His ruby-red eyes narrowed at the sight of the Winter Spirit.

"Elio, my dear. You've returned." Mother Nature warmly greeted. "Look who came to visit."

"Why are you here?" The man spat, ignoring her, his brows furrowed deeply. Jack sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I could ask you the same question." The Guardian of Fun muttered. Bunny regarded the newcomer with confusion.

"Why is the Summer Spirit here?" He looked downwards at Mother Nature, his eyes shining with worry. "My Lady, what's going on?"

OH SNAP. THE SPIRIT OF SUMMER HAS ARRIVED. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?! *dramatic music*

as always, thank you for reading -i appreciate you all so much :) 

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Bunny tightened his grip on Mother Nature. "Has your condition worsened?"

She opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by Elios. "Answer my question, Frost."

Jack ran a hand through his hair with annoyance. "I just needed to ask Mother a question."

"Oh, so it's 'Mother' now?!" The man snarled, angrily reaching Jack in five large strides. He grabbed his collar, forcing the Winter Spirit to look at him in the eyes.

"Where were you all this time? Did you ever realize how dire this situation is, how much we needed you?" He growled.

Jack's expression didn't change, his ice-blue eyes regarding his rival's ruby-red irises steadfastly. "This year was forecasted by Mother herself, it was supposed to be a harsh winter so I had places to be…and I was sick."

Elios threw his head back and laughed harshly. "You? Sick? The spirit of WINTER. Literally the epitomy of the cold himself. Quit bullshitting yourself, Frost. You were gone for ELEVEN YEARS."

His fist trembled with rage as he gripped Jack. "You left us. You abandoned us."

"Elios, please! Stop." Mother Nature pleaded before succumbing to more coughs.

Jack shoved him away, growing more and more irritated. He turned away. "I didn't leave. Like I said, I was busy."

"Ooooh right, right – because now you're a fancy Guardian now yeah?" The summer spirit raised his hands and wiggled his fingers with mockery. "That gives you the excuse to leave your family behind?"

Jack clenched his hands with increasing frustration and Ariadne noticed with fear that the grip on his staff began shining with a light shade of blue. "You don't understand the responsibilities a Guardian has. Do you even realize how crucial it is for me to be out there?!" He roared.

She immediately took a step forward. "Okay, that's enough." Ariadne held up her hands, one facing each man, and regarded their faces. "First, you both need to take a step back and breathe. You're acting like my son when he throws a temper tantrum."

"Excuse me?" Elios scoffed incredulously.

"You, sir, especially. " Ariadne turned to the red-haired man. "You need to calm. down."

Elios gave a bark of laughter, taking a few steps forward to tower over her stature. He tilted his head forward slightly to regard her with a mocking glint in his eyes. "And who the fuck do you think you are?"

Before he could register what was happening, she grabbed his cloak and pulled the Summer Spirit down to glare at him with a lethal gaze. His eyes widened with shock.

"I'm the reason why this kid is still alive." She spoke coolly, gesturing with a thumb behind her. She yanked Elios towards Jack, who was now looking at them with confusion and slight amusement. "Take a good look, do you think he was just doing whatever he wanted and having fun all this time?"

Reluctantly, Elios blinked and began to take note of his rival's appearance. With growing horror, he realized Jack's new, aged form.

"Wait…why are you so much older now?" He swallowed thickly and gently pried off Ariadne's grip, slowly walking towards Jack. He placed a hand above his head to compare their heights. "And why are you…as tall as me?"

"Because he was sick- still is." Ariadne huffed, fighting the urge to say 'I told you so'. "He's lucky I found him."

"And I'm losing my powers because of it." Jack admitted grimly, looking down at his hands.

Elios opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish out of water, unable to find the right words. Finally, he turned away with embarrassment. "I…I'm sorry, Frost. I was out of line. It's just…we all needed you here."

He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temple with a thumb. His face grew grim, grief lacing his eyes. "If you were here, maybe Aurelia wouldn't have-"

Jack immediately raised his head with fear in his eyes. "What happened to Aurelia?"

"She's…gone." Mother Nature whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow. All three turned to face her. She was now sitting on a nearby boulder, with Bunny still standing by her side.

"She was supposed to meet me for tea to discuss about next year's autumn season, but she never showed up." Her eyes shone with despair before she looked away, reaching a hand up against her face.

"I reached out to Laverna and Elios for help and we tried searching for her…we searched everywhere…but instead…" Tears began pouring down her cheeks and Bunny placed a paw on her shoulder as she tried in vain to suppress a sob, hunching her body over and burying her face in her hands. Elios gritted his teeth.

"Instead, throughout the world, we found that the temperatures were no longer dropping." He snarled, crossing his arms slowly as if he had to restrain himself from attacking something. "Trees no longer changed color, and fall crops struggled to grow…"

"No…" Jack staggered backwards and leaned against his hook with shock. "That can't be…"

"She's gone, Frost." Elios muttered, his eyes dark with suppressed anger and grief.

Jack vigorously shook his head. "No, no way. I-It just means she lost her powers! She's the Autumn Spirit so she only lost her powers, right? Right, Ariadne?"

He turned and grasped Ariadne's shoulders with desperation. She was speechless, her head trying to wrap around all the newfound information all the while trying to dig into her mind and knowledge to answer his question.

"I…uh…Jack, I don't know…" She stuttered, recalling back to the night she found him and the days following afterwards while he was in her care. The gears in her brain clicked together rapidly and as soon as she realized the truth, she swallowed thickly.

"Jack, when I found you… you were in really bad shape." She began, her voice thick with emotion. "If this girl, Aurelia, had the same condition as you- I don't….I don't think she made it."

"But I got better! See?" He stood up straight, holding his arms out with frantic optimism. "I'm okay, I'm just losing my powers but otherwise I'm fine!"

"But that's the thing, Jack." Ariadne grasped his arms, pulling them down gently. "When I found you, I gave you regular human medication and thought it wasn't working because your fever kept returning. But I think…judging by how you are now… it actually was working because your body is still- well, theoretically- human in the physiological sense. Thus, it was helping to slow down the progression of your illness."

He opened his mouth to retort when she shook her head, silently telling him that she wasn't finished. "When I found you, your fever was 110°F and climbing, but then it went down for a while. It only seemed to return whenever you used your powers, which you didn't do for a while because we were there and stopped you from doing so."

"If no one found her and she also had that same fever… especially if she kept using her powers unknowingly…" She looked away regretfully, already mourning the words she was about to say. "If any fever is not addressed within 24 hours, it can grow lethal. And since the virus is designed to increase the progression of the illness whenever one uses their powers, then she's probably…"

"Stop." Jack whispered, covered his ears and taking several steps back. "She's alive, I know she is. She's just lost somewhere."

"Frost." Bunny murmured, his ears drooped back as he tightened his hold on Mother Nature. "Winter still exists around the world. Your powers may be disappearing yes, and that's probably why the temperature seemed warm where you were staying, but other cities still have snow, other regions still experience winters. That in itself means that you are still alive. If what Elios says is true, if there's no longer any signs of Autumn…not a single place around the world…then…"

Jack crumbled to the ground, unable to control the tears that escaped. He let out a sob, holding his face in his hands. For a few moments, all were silent as the Winter Spirit wept in anguish. Ariadne sadly watched him from a distance, unable to move, fighting an internal battle with herself. She was hesitating. Even though her heart cried with him, there was so much she didn't know. She didn't know what to say in order to make him feel better…in fact, this wasn't even her world. Who was she to comfort him? She was a mere human who knows nothing about him, his past, his world.

And yet, even with all these insecurities throbbing in her mind, she forced herself to take a few steps forward to kneel on the ground beside him. She placed her arms around his shoulders and cradled his head, her eyes squeezed shut, knowing that there was no use denying herself. Her emotions and logic were now driving her to do what she was doing. Even though her insecurities screamed at her to let him go, to not let herself fall any farther, she shut them away and only thought of one thing: His pain. She knew she wanted to help him…to pick up the pieces…to save him. Not because he saved her back then, but because…

Even though it's only been a month… she was spiraling down, falling fast into the darkness…falling so hard for this person who defies all laws and theories in the universe.

But yet, she was scared. What if the same thing happened again with Leon? What if she was just lonely and desperate- maybe this feeling isn't actually real? Besides, they weren't meant to be together. Even if the feeling is unmistakably there, she has to try her damned hardest to not let it show and make it go away.

But for now, she thought to herself, as she felt his trembling hands reach up to grasp her sleeves, this is okay. She tightened her grip on him.

"Aww… such a beautiful moment. I should have brought my camera."

Jack opened his eyes with shock upon recognizing the voice and immediately got to his feet, placing a protective arm in front of Ariadne. Elios reached behind him and drew out two blades, readying his stance. Bunny hopped in front of Mother Nature, snarling with his boomerang held out in front of him.

"Pitch. I knew you were behind all this." The Easter Bunny growled, his eyes narrowing with suppressed rage. "What have you done now?"

The fog seemed to disperse itself to reveal Pitch Black, who stood a few feet away, his hands folded neatly in front of him. He held up a finger, the movement causing the fog to whirl about him ominously.

"Ah, ah, ah. You may want to set those down if you don't want this little man to get hurt." He cooed, dragging a familiar-looking boy out in front of him by the arm.

"Ow! Stop, let me go!" The boy was squirming, trying to twist his arm free, kicking his legs about.

Ariadne's eyes widened with panic and pure fear. "CEDRIC!"

OH SNAP. So many things are happening at once! Sorry if things have gotten confusing, currently fighting off a fever...being sick sucks :(

please feel free to leave a review/PM me if you're confused about something, and I'll respond with clarification (sometimes I may leave my answer vague because things will be cleared up with later chapters though… ;) ….) Anyways thanks again for sticking with me as usual! 

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

GAHHH sorry for the delay -being sick sucks...lol

Anyways...enjoy!

Ariadne immediately tried to break past Jack, who had to use both arms to hold her back.

"Mommy? MOMMY!" Cedric tried running towards her but Pitch, with a smirk, lifted a hand to summon dark sand which swirled around the boy's body, dragging him back to his side. "MOMM-MMMGH" The sand covered his mouth.

"YOU- GIVE ME BACK MY SON!" She struggled in Jack's grasp. He lowered his arms and tightened them around her waist.

"Ariadne no! This is what Pitch wants, we have to think rationally!"

"LET ME GO!" Ariadne screamed, writhing her body violently to free herself from his hold.

Elios, meanwhile, took the chance to immediately rush forward, swords ready at his sides, with Bunny not far behind. He leapt up high and swung them downward at the Nightmare King, while the Easter Bunny threw his boomerangs with all his strength.

However, with a simple flick of his wrist, dark sand erupted from the ground like black magma escaping its earthly crust and halted everyone's movements. Elios was stuck in midair, fruitlessly using his feet to try to dig his arms and swords out of the sand's clutches, and the boomerangs were swallowed up in the darkness.

Pitch simply rolled his eyes, flinging his sand to flick away the two fighters. "Please, you're making this too easy."

But as soon as he spoke, a large shadow cast over him, causing him to turn around to behold a giant wave of water that was drawn from the surrounding ponds.

"Leave. My. Children. Alone." Jack and Ariadne looked over their shoulder to see Mother Nature, glowing with a cerulean light. She raised her hands and clenched them tightly before dropping her arms, resulting in the body of water to crash onto the Boogeyman. He collapsed onto the ground from the sheer force and him and his sand were now drenched with the cold fluid. Unfortunately, Bunny and Elios were also caught in the attack and they laid on the ground as well, struggling to cough up all the water in their lungs.

"Cedric!" Ariadne was finally able to wretch herself free and she raced towards the poor boy, who was also soaking wet and spluttering sand out of his mouth, shaking his head to clear the grains from his hair. She clutched him tightly in her arms, holding onto him as if her life depended on it.

"You are now unable to manipulate your sand, the power you stole from the Sandman anymore, Pitch Black." Mother Nature stated grimly, her glow disappearing. However, as soon as it dissipated, her labored breathing and pale visage was evident and she fell forward onto her knees, gasping for air.

"It's over." She wheezed, closing her eyes.

"Mother!" Jack ran towards her and took her shoulders with his arms as support. She leaned against him gratefully.

Pitch, however, was coughing up the fluid while crawling up onto his elbows. Despite his state, a sneer graced his lips.

"Oh, this is far from over." He snarled.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out from the fog and flew right towards Jack and Mother Nature. He barely managed to see it in time and threw himself forward, dragging her down with him flat onto the ground and the weapon whizzed by their heads.

"What the-?!" Jack quickly got to his feet, grasping his staff tightly. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

A figure slowly appeared out of the fog and into the clearing, slowly wobbling forward with his cane in hand. His other hand stroked his long grey beard and he eventually made his way in front of them.

Ariadne squinted her eyes in confusion. For a moment, she felt like she was hallucinating. "Isn't that...Why is that old neighborhood homeless man here?"

Jack quirked a brow as well, recognizing him as the war veteran with the absurdly large collection of weapons that he and Jamie went to see, but realization dawned across his face in bitter understanding. "So it really was no coincidence that you had my staff. It was all a ploy wasn't it?"

The man gave a wicked grin. "I guess I've finally been found out, haven't I?" Within seconds, his back straightened and he stood tall, his hair and beard no longer grey, but a rusty-red shade. "I wouldn't quite say a 'ploy', more of a strategy." He drawled.

"Who are you?!" Jack raised his hook and aimed it at the man, "What do you have against us, and why are you attacking us?"

"I suppose introductions are finally in order." He sighed tiredly, closing his eyes. He ran a hand through his thick locks.

"But first," He opened his hazel irises, which held an inhumanely evil glint. "You have to do something for me, Mr. Jack Frost."

"Aurelia~ …" He sang, turning around to behold her. An all too familiar figure came out of the fog, holding her signature bow. Jack's eyes widened with horror and Mother Nature couldn't stop herself from letting out a choked sob.

The Autumn Spirit's skin no longer had a rosy shade as it did while she was alive, but now it was a nauseating grey. Her amber eyes that used to hold so much life and compassion now held nothing but a cold, blank stare. Though matted, one could tell her hair used to be a rich shade of honey, but now it was a sickening flaxen color. Her clothing was tattered and in ruins, but despite her decrepit state, as she walked forward, the trees around them began to change color, and the air grew crisp.

When she came to his side, the man turned his back and ran a finger down her sunken cheek with repulsive affection. "My dear, Aurelia. Could you be a doll and eliminate the uh…extras for me?" His grin widened maniacally. "Oh wait, you are already one."

"HOW COULD YOU?!" Mother Nature screamed, her body now glowing with a blood red hue. Flames engulfed her hands and she threw a ball of fire towards the two.

But both were quick. The man simply stepped back to dodge the flame while the Autumn Spirit dove to the side before charging towards them whilst grabbing an arrow. Jack jumped in front of her but she simply leapt high above him, drawing her bow and aiming at the two humans.

"NO!" Upon hearing Jack's desparate cry, Ariadne turned her head and, with wide horrified eyes, realized where the attack was aiming. She clutched Cedric tight against her body and quickly got to her feet to escape, but the arrow hit its mark and pierced her leg. She fell with a sickening thud, shrieking with pain.

"MOMMY!" Cedric grasped his mother's shirt with terror.

Jack tried swinging his staff at Aurelia but missed as she somersaulted backwards out of reach. The man laughed humorlessly.

"You know that measly staff won't do anything Mr. Frost." He chuckled darkly. "You'll need to use your powers if you want to save them."

"DON'T DO IT JACK!" Ariadne cried, despite the searing pain and the growing pool of blood. He whipped his head towards her and saw her gripped her leg fiercely, hissing in agony. "If you use your powers, you know what will happen!"

"But if you don't, Mr. Frost…" He raised his fingers, and Aurelia cocked another arrow on her bow, already ready to fire.

Jack turned back around and took a desperate step towards the woman he once considered his family…his sister. His clenched hands already beginning to glow. "STOP…please, Aurelia, don't do this…please…!" He begged, his ice-blue eyes shining with anguish.

"It'll be simply…too…" The man snapped his fingers and the Autumn Spirit released the arrow.

"…late."

Again, so sorry for the delay :( I hope you guys liked this chapter and thanks for being so patient with me! Leave a review or PM me if you're interested!

Chapter Text

Chapter 21

Jack screamed and gathered as much energy as he could before shooting a beam of ice in front of Ariadne and Cedric. Within a second, a large, thick frozen wall was formed and the arrow that was just released pierced into the ice with a crack, halting it in its trajectory.

But as soon as he released his power, he felt the familiar searing pain surge throughout his body, causing him to stumble in his step. However, he forced himself to stay on his feet and he began charging towards Aurelia, summoning the Wind to carry him off his feet.

With his empowered speed, the Autumn Spirit didn't have time to react when he used his ice to completely freeze her against a nearby tree. Tears pouring down his face, he immediately whipped his hook around and shot icicles straight at the man, who did a quick sidestep to avoid the attack, a victorious grin spread across his face.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Jack roared, relentlessly continuing his attack. Every swing of his staff released icicles, which flew straight at the man, but he was too lithe and easily dodged every blow. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"

"Because I have to." The man stated gravely, all traces of his usual playful demure gone, eyes flashing eerily. Jack clenched his jaw and prepared to launch another attack when suddenly the pain grew so intense that he fell face-first onto the ground, his limbs numb and head pounding as if it were about to explode. He cried out in immense agony and curled his body, his entire body feeling as though it was being consumed by flames.

At almost the same time, Mother Nature also cried out in distress and fell forward, her golden hair starting to grow thinner and change to a shade of white. Her smooth skin began to wrinkle as she struggled to catch her breath.

Elios threw up the rest of the water and attempted to crawl towards her. "M-mother…" He wheezed, but Pitch recovered first and stepped on his back, shoving him back into the mud. Bunny was still cataleptic from the wave's impact.

The man knelt down next to Jack, placing a hand on the Winter Spirit's head. He glared at him, but his vision was becoming blurry. He felt his remaining bit of strength slowly ebbing away as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Shh, don't fight it. The pain will go away, you just have to let it go." The man whispered solemnly, his hand beginning to glow with an ominous purple light. "Death will bring you peace. You will be back, but you will no longer have your memories nor your emotions. You'll be nothing but an empty shell, yet serving a greater purpose."

Upon hearing his words, realization dawned across his mind and Jack let out a bitter but understanding chuckle. "Death. I thought you were just a myth."

Death smirked. "Says the spirit of winter, how ironic." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a gleaming dagger, placing it over the Guardian's chest, where his heart was beating. "Well, now you know I am real, just like you. And now, it's time for you to join me."

"Over my dead body." A voice growled from behind.

Suddenly, Death's smug face contorted with shock, followed by pain as his left shoulder blade was impaled with some sort of sharp piece of metal. He hissed in agony and twisted his head to see Ariadne right behind him, holding the end of what seems to be one of Aurelia's arrows.

He shoved her away, holding his injured shoulder. Despite the surprise, he smiled victoriously at her state- her weak, human state. She was barely able to stand, attempting to balance on her uninjured leg. But the feat was too difficult and she fell down sideways protectively in front of Jack's body, remaining upright with a fierce determination in her chocolate irises. She was heavily breathing as the blood from her leg trickled down, soaking the ground.

"Well, if you so insist, that can be arranged." He grinned sadistically, taking out multiple knives from underneath his cloak and grasping them between his fingers. "You amuse me, I think I'll take my time."

"Mommy!" Cedric cried from behind the wall of ice in the distance.

"Don't take too long." Pitch called from afar, continuing to hold the Summer Spirit firmly in place with his foot. He tried regaining back control of his sand but it simply crumbled as he tried bringing it back into the air. He cursed under his breath. "You have to be focused on the Winter Spirit once his life dissipates."

"Oh, don't worry, this will be easy." His hazel eyes glowed with purple light and the blades he held became infused with the violet shade. Ariadne gritted her teeth and gripped the arrow so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She desperately thought back to her teenage years when she briefly learned martial arts, but before she could think of a proper plan, he was already charging towards her.

But suddenly, a spear flew in and impaled the ground right in his path, beneath his feet. He barely reacted in time and tumbled forward, rolling back on his feet to hastily look around, trying to find its owner.

"You're right, this will be easy." A chirpy voice remarked. The air suddenly began to grow warm around them, causing the fog around to rise with the heat and dissipate, revealing a girl of short stature who looked no more than 14 years old, dressed in an olive-green sleeveless collared shirt, with dark oak-colored leather vambraces on her forearms. Her hair was the shade of clovers and pinned tightly upright in a side ponytail, a playful grin etched across her lips.

With one hand on her hips, she simply held the other arm out towards them, hand outstretched. The spear extracted itself from the ground and flew right back into her palm.

"What an honor." Death sighed with feign awe. "The Spirit of Spring herself."

"Can't say I feel the same." She quipped, readying her stance, spear aimed squarely at the man. "It's over, drop your weapons."

He laughed humorously. "Oh please, you may be the Spring Spirit, but do you honestly think that you can defeat me alone?"

Her smirk widened. "Who said I was alone?"

Man…I always love that line. Is it corny? Yes. BUT I LIKE IT. XD anyways, thanks so much again for your patience and comments! They really mean a lot to me and I love hearing from you guys- as usual, let me know what you guys think of this chapter and love you all for sticking with me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 22

Suddenly, one by one, bright luminescent portals appeared all around the clearing. Out marched the tall, brawny Yeties, followed by his scurrying elves from a few of them. From others, Bunny's large stone eggs rolled through and readied their stance, along with baby tooth fairies that flew high into the air. Golden sand rushed through and circulated the skies.

And finally, a familiar white haired and bearded jolly Russian man strode through the portal, followed suite by the fluttering wings of a half humanoid half hummingbird emerald-feathered woman, and a short, round man dusted with gold. Closely behind them appeared a young human male, his chestnut eyes holding nothing but resolve and determination.

Ariadne almost cried with relief. "Jamie!"

"Ha! You think this measely army of bafoons will be enough?" Death's hands began to glow with ominous purple light. "Please, you insult me with your underestimation of my abilities."

"YOU ARE THE BAFOON." North boomed, pointing one of his swords at him. "WE WILL DEFEAT YOU."

Sandy nodded with affirmation and Tooth readied her stance, fists held in front of her.

Death's eyes turned ghastly. "We'll see about that."

He shoved his glowing hands into the ground, crushing the earth beneath him. Through the cracks crawled out the rotting corpses of mice, birds, bugs, and all dead creatures that began to attack the newcomers.

"CHARRRRRGEE!" North cried, rushing forward with his blades to hack away at the creatures. Laverna, the Spring Spirit, charged at the man and Tooth flew into the air, out of reach, towards Elios and Bunny.

Pitch Black began chanting some sort of spell and some of the animals crumbled into dark sand, which he was able to manipulate to transform into his night-mare horses. Sandy, noticing his actions, immediately created a plane out of his sand and hopped in, strapping on a pair of golden goggles over his eyes to fly towards his rival. The Yeties, elves, and baby tooth fairies clashed against Pitch's night-mare horses and valiantly fought off the zombified animals while Death was engaged in a heated battle with the Spring Spirit.

Jamie took the chance to rush towards Ariadne, who Cedric was trying to help, and the now unconscious Jack. "Oh god… are you guys alright?!"

"Uncle Jamie!" Cedric cried with relief upon seeing his best friend.

"I-I'm fine…" Ariadne winced in pain as she rubbed Cedric's head before attempting to get to her feet. "Do you have another one of those portal globe thingies?"

Jamie rummaged through his pockets. "I don't…I always carried one for emergencies, but I used it to find North and the others. Tooth might?"

Said individual was tending to the wounds of Elios. "Bunny needs medical attention ASAP!" Tooth cried from the distance, barely audible above the chaos of battle.

Ariadne suddenly grasped Jamie's collar and pulled him down to eye level. "Jamie, listen to me very carefully, you need to get Jack and the others out of here and to the lab. We have first aid kits there to help the rabbit and that summer guy, but you need to administer the cure for Jack right now- he was forced to use his powers and he's now running out of time. And I have a feeling that if we can save Jack, we may be able to stabilize Mother Nature's weakened state."

Jamie turned to look at Jack with wide eyes, noting with fear that his skin was growing paler by the second. "But I don't think the cure is ready yet, we haven't converted enough cells to be immune to the virus and if we administer it now, it won't be able to proliferate to stop the viral attack from completely shutting down his body. We also haven't determined exactly the dose needed for this to work."

"Just put it all in a vaccine and give it to him." Ariadne groaned in pain as she finally got to her feet. "Listen, it's our only shot. We don't have a choice."

Jamie hesitated, then nodded. "I'll try to get a globe from Tooth and meet you back here."

She grasped his arm. "No, we don't have time. You need to carry him over to her now. I'll go get Mother Nature."

Jamie looked down at her bleeding leg. "There is no way in hell you are going anywhere with that injury."

"Honestly, my adrenaline is preventing me from feeling a damn thing." She lied with a bitter grin. "I can do this, go."

Cedric tugged at his mother's shirt. "Mommy you're bleeding!"

"Sweetie, I'm fine." She squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Cedric, I need you to do me a favor, can you carry Jack's staff for me?"

Cedric nodded desperately as Ariadne first helped Jamie get Jack's body off the ground before limping towards Mother Nature. She was barely conscious when Ariadne bent down next to her.

"My dear, you must go on without me, I fear I am lost." She croaked, her white hair covering her wrinkled face.

Ariadne shook her head. "Come on, I know you have a little bit of fight left in you, give me your arm." She abided and Ariadne was able to drape her arm over her shoulder, pulling her to her feet.

From the corner of his eye, Death saw their actions and cursed, aiming one of his glowing hands at the trio.

"Oh no you don't!" Laverna cried, coming down hard above him with her spear, forcing him to block her blows.

"You are starting to REALLY PISS ME OFF!" He roared, enraged. She smirked in response and continued her onslaught.

As the heated battle waged on, Jamie, Cedric, and Ariadne somehow managed to reach where Elios, Bunny, and Tooth were residing. Ariadne collapsed on the ground in a painful thud and Elios stepped forward to help catch Mother Nature, who had lost consciousness, while Jamie quickly recalled their plan to the Tooth Fairy. She fluttered her wings nervously.

"Do you really think this cure's gonna work?" She murmured worriedly. She had Bunny's unconscious head resting on her lap.

"It's got to. We don't have a choice." Elios muttered, looking down hard at the ground in deep thought.

Jamie nodded before placing two fingers underneath Jack's chin to check his pulse. "Tooth, we need to use the globe right away- we're losing him."

The Guardian of Memories reached into her feathers and pulled out a globe. "Okay, but we have to move fast. The portal will only stay open for 10 seconds at most so we have to get everyone in there before then. I can grab Bunny, but I can't carry anyone else."

Ariadne managed to push herself to a sitting position and Jamie regarded her with anxiety. She shook her head. "Go on without me, I'll be fine."

Cedric pulled at his mother's arm. "No mommy, you have to come!"

She clasped his face in her hands gently and gave him a warm smile. "Cedric don't worry, I'll join you guys shortly okay? Just stay close to Uncle Jamie and don't wander off on your own, you hear me?"

Jamie looked at the throng of people fighting, thinking for a moment. "No, there's got to be another way. We just need one more person."

He spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, throwing nasty punches at the zombified animals. Taking a deep breath, he screamed. "PHIL. WITH ME."

The yeti's ears perked up and he turned towards the voice, immediately recognizing the source and, in turn, began rushing towards them. Unfortunately, Jamie's voice echoed throughout the clearing and now the night-mares and zombie animals diverted their attention to charge towards the crew. Pitch snarled and shot out sand towards them but Sandy used a golden whip to block his attack. North, the other yeties, the elves, and the stone eggs leapt in front of the mob and managed to cut away at some of them, but the other dark spawns just ran around them and kept heading for Jack and Jamie.

Elios released Mother Nature's arm and gently set her to the ground. He stepped forward to face the mob. "Open the portal now!" He commanded, pulling out his blades and swinging them at his sides. "I'll hold them off." He ran off and began hacking away at the enemies.

Phil arrived next to Ariadne's side. Jamie shouldered all of Jack's weight. "Phil, can you carry her and Mother Nature? Cedric, stand right next to me okay?"

Phil grunted with affirmation and heaved the Goddess of Earth over his shoulder before bending down to pluck Ariadne up in his furry arms. Ariadne opened her mouth to say something but had a second thought, ultimately deciding that she was too exhausted to argue or even question what kind of creature this was.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Tooth cried, globe in hand. She didn't wait for any confirmation and immediately chucked it in front of them. The portal burst open, releasing a huge rush of air. She was the first to fly in, dragging Bunny with her.

"Ceddy, go!" Jamie shouted. The child hesitated for a split second but then leapt in, clutching Jack's staff tightly in his hands. Jamie turned around, "Phil, now!"

The yeti charged forward with thunderous stomps and dove into the portal, carrying the two women.

Death finally was able to land a kick straight into Laverna's stomach and she flew backwards, hitting a tree with a sickening crunch. However, he knew he was too far away to reach them in time, so he shot his glowing hands into the earth.

Jamie shifted Jack to better shoulder his weight before beginning to sprint forward, but a rotting arm shot up from the ground and clutched his ankle. He barely caught himself in time and looked down with horror.

It was a zombified human…or what used to be one. It screeched and Jamie almost collapsed from the piercing noise, but he used his other leg to stomp on its arm, crushing the brittle bone and forcing the limb to separate from his owner. He took the chance to throw himself in, right as the portal began to close. It finally sealed with a soft 'pop'.

Death howled with rage, only to be interrupted with a spear cutting across in shoulder. The Spring Spirit was breathing heavily, but managed to hold herself upright after throwing her weapon. She glared at him with resolute eyes.

Pitch managed to appear next to him from his shadow. "My lord, we must retreat. The Autumn Spirit has been secured by my shadows, and our forces are dwindling.."

Death spat at the ground next to him, knowing he spoke the truth. "Till next time then." He growled at the girl. He let himself fall backwards into the blackness.

"No!" Laverna rushed forward but it was too late, both he and Pitch had disappeared into the Nightmare King's shadow.

"Damn it." She cursed.

Sorry for the late upload! 

Chapter Text

Chapter 23

It was around noon at Dr. Wetzel's lab. Navi was looking in her hand-held compact mirror, applying some new lipgloss while Balto was leaning back in his chair, a book covering his slumbering face. All was quiet except the soft whirring of the computer that was analyzing some cell samples.

However, soon came a loud CRASH, knocking Balto off his chair and causing a bright pink streak to be drawn over Navi's face. Violent winds wrecked havoc across the room, knocking papers and binders off the lab tables and scattering everywhere on the floor.

"WHAT THE FUC-" Navi screamed, turning around to find a bloodied Ariadne, terrified Cedric, unconscious Jack, and exhausted Jamie. Little did she and Balto know (because they didn't believe in them), the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Mother Nature, and the large Yeti were also splattered on the floor and slowly recovering from the impact of being shot out from the portal.

"MY GOD…ARIADNE, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU?" Balto bellowed with fear, racing over to his labmate.

"Holy shit, Ariadne?! Jamie?! What the hell is going on?" Navi gasped, rushing over and helping the latter to his feet. Jamie gratefully thanked her and quickly patted himself down. "I'm fine, Navi. I need you to get me the first aid kit. There's no time to explain."

Navi didn't hesitate and raced into the other room while Ariadne just shook her head at Balto, "Forget about me, please, get this kid on the table."

As the large man gingerly lifted Jack into his arms, Ariadne turned to Jamie and whispered under her breath. "Take the others to the other room and treat their wounds. Navi, Balto, and I can handle things here."

Jamie nodded and motioned for Cedric to come with him before turning around to help Tooth carry Bunny, while Phil picked up Mother Spirit in his arms. Once they were out the door, Balto cleared some space and placed Jack's body on top of the table. He placed two large fingers under his chin and measured his pulse.

"I…I can't feel anything." For the first time, his bolsterous voice was at normal volume.

"Don't worry, I know what we need to do." Ariadne gritted her teeth as she heaved herself onto a chair. Navi was back with the first aid kit box and looked around in confusion. "Where did Jamie and Cedric go?"

Ariadne jerked her head towards the other room. "He's treating Ceddy's injuries, could you bring the kit to him?"

Navi paused, looking down at the bleeding leg. "Uh…I feel like you need it more than either of them do."

She chuckled humorlessly, leaning back against the lab table. "No trust me, he needs it more. Listen guys, sorry I know this whole thing is crazy but I need you to trust me and help me- I'll answer all your questions later but right now, Navi, go, I'm going to need you back here ASAP and we need to work fast."

Navi and Balto looked at each other before the former nodded. "Alright, you better tell me later okay?" She quickly ran to the other room while Ariadne turned back to Balto. "Balto, I need you to go into the incubator and take out sample 4587 and carefully isolate the white blood cells. Can you do that in 30 minutes?"

Balto didn't even falter as he let out a toothy grin. "DON'T WORRY BOSS, I CAN DO IT IN FIFTEEN." He immediately turned around and began working as Navi returned.

"Navi, I need you to get some IV fluids and start pumping them into the kid. He's going fast and we need to buy Balto as much time as possible." Ariadne pushed herself on the chair and leaned against the table, breathing heavily.

Navi nodded and ran to the fridge to pull out some IV packs and needles. As she took Jack's arm and injected the needle, Balto shouted from the lab-bench. "I'VE PURIFIED THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS FROM THE SAMPLE. WHAT NOW?"

"Carefully extract the cells into a needle syringe- we're going to create a vaccine and give it to him."

Balto rustled through the supply cabinet and pieced together the syringe before inserting the needle into the sample and drawing up the cells.

Navi, however, looked very pale as she clenched the IV pack to push the fluids through the line and into the Winter Spirit's veins. "Uh, Ariadne…you do realize this is going against the FDA guidelines right? We're going rogue here and could easily be sued for malpractice."

The woman shook her head. "Doesn't matter now. It's either we try, or we do nothing and he dies."

Balto stood next to the body. "WHERE SHOULD I ADMINISTER IT?"

Ariadne paused for a moment, gritting her teeth. "We need to target the area of the body that will disperse the components of the vaccine most efficiently."

"…we need to do an intracardiac injection."

Navi grabbed her shoulder. "OK NO. This is insane! There's a reason why that procedure is no longer being performed in the 21st century. If you're slightly off target by even a millimeter, you're puncturing the most vital part of the body, which will cause massive internal bleeding that we do not have the tools or means to stop!"

"The needle is thin enough that it won't cause that much damage." Ariadne reasoned, shaking her head. "We don't have any more time- I'll do it."

"No." Navi groaned, running a hand over her face, not quite believing what she was about to say. "…I'll do it. I used to be a nurse." She noted with amusement upon glancing at Ariadne's subtle shock. "What? I know my attitude doesn't suite the profession- that's the reason why I quit."

Ariadne simply blinked before she sighed. "Alright, you know what to do."

Balto quietly replaced the needle with a longer one before handing the syringe to his labmate. He took a pair of scissors to carefully slice open the front of Jack's shirt, revealing his naked torso. Navi put on a pair of latex gloves and a surgical mask, and held the syringe with a steady hand above his chest.

She and Ariadne made eye contact before the former nodded, plunging the needle into the fourth intercostal space between his ribs. With her thumb, she quickly pushed in the vaccines components and withdrew the needle, immediately placing a bandage over the wound. There was a long silence as they waited with abated breath. Ariadne leaned forward onto her chair.

Seconds turned to minutes and Ariadne's hands clenched even tighter, blood starting to drip down from her palms. Balto sighed sadly, resting his large head in his hands. Navi continued staring at the guardian, seemingly searching for something.

Suddenly, there was a subtle rise and fall of his chest as he took a shaky breath.

All three scientist almost collapsed with relief. Ariadne smiled weakly and fell back with exhaustion. "YOU DID IT NAVI, YOU'RE A GENIUS." Balto cried, scooping up the poor women in his massive arms and swinging her around in circles.

Navi's face began to turn green. "OKAY OKAY I GET IT LORD ALMIGHTY PUT ME DOWN BEFORE I THROW UP!" The man obeyed and she swayed on her feet, leaning against the lab bench.

Jamie rushed in from the other room wildly looking at the crew with wide eyes. "I heard yelling, what happened?! Is he…?"

Navi was still hunched over the table as she waved her hand dismissively. "Your friend's going to be fine. I, on the other hand…" She fought back a burp with nausea. "… may not be." Balto guiltily patted her back.

Ariadne gave a soft chuckle and Jamie sighed with relief. He reached into his back pocket to pull out a roll of bandages before walking over and leaning down to wrap her injured leg. "Everyone seems to be fine now." Jamie whispered quietly so that only she could hear. "Mother Nature is miraculously stable- she looks a hundred years older, but stable. Bunny woke up and he, Tooth and Phil used Phil's extra snowglobe to take her back to her forest to meet up with the others and recover. Cedric's asleep in the other room. Poor kid's exhausted."

She gratefully squeezed his arm as he finished. "Thanks Jamie."

"OOHHHkay so now that he's…well…alive. Unconscious, but alive and stable. What should we do with him?" Navi heaved herself onto the table, leaning forward on her elbows. "We can't just keep him here, Dr. Wetzel should be back any minute and I will bet my ass he's not going to be as happy as we are seeing this."

Ariadne painfully pushed herself to her feet. "We'll bring him back to my place and I'll take care of him there."

Navi huffed and grabbed a plastic bag from the drawers, placing a few IV packs inside. "Alright, then take these extra IV packs with you. He'll probably stay out for the next few hours…maybe days. He'll need fluids."

Ariadne accepted the bag. "Thanks Navi." She then embraced her two friends. "Thank you both for doing this, you have no idea how much it means to me."

Balto tearfully hugged her back and Navi made a fake gagging noise. "Yeah yeah we know! You better update us later." She grasped her friend's shoulder. "Now let me drive you guys home before Dr. Wetzel comes- we'll clean things up here."

Ariadne nodded gratefully and Jamie went back in the other room to grab Cedric. "Balto, could you help me carry the kid to the car?"

The five of them made their way to the parking garage. After they left, Navi began to clean up the mess and threw everything in a garbage bag. Heaving it over her shoulders, she left the lab to dispose of it.

The lab was silent once more. However, a dark shadow emerged from the corner of the room and Pitch Black peered from beneath the darkness. His cold eyes scanned the room- upon seeing the open tubes, medical equipment, and empty syringe, he cursed.

Impossible. He growled before slipped away.

Ariadne awoke to the sound of hushed but heated voices from down the stairs. Groaning in pain, she sat up and looked at the clock.

It was already 11am. Her mind reeled at the memory of what happened yesterday. Was all of that… real? She looked down at her bandages with a frown, running a hand through her messy dark bed-hair. Yep. It was definitely real.

She crawled her way out of bed and limped to the door, pulling the handle open to allow the voices to become more audible.

"…she's stable but definitely weaker than before."

"I just…How could this happen? Why is Death suddenly disrupting the balance? What does he have to gain from doing this?"

"If this keeps up, the big man will have to return to Earth- his presence alone could destroy all of humanity."

She recognized the Australian accent of the last voice as the Easter Bunny and moved towards the staircase, placing her hand on the railing. She paused, her head was pounding but she needed answers. With a breath, she began her descent.

The creaking of the stairs alerted the others in the living room to her presence. She reached the bottom and leaned back against the railing for support as she regarded the scene in front of her.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Jamie inquired with concern, getting up from his chair. He was standing in front of North, Tooth, Bunny, Elios, and Laverna. The Guardians had attempted to squeeze together on the tiny couch while Elios and Laverna wisely chose to lean against the wall and sit on the ground respectively.

Before she could answer, North immediately leapt to his feet, causing the couch to be knocked backwards. The other two guardians clung onto the fabric with a yelp (and a curse) and barely managed to stable themselves as the Jolly Old Man rushed up to the woman in two long strides, grasping her two hands with his large ones that were probably about the size of her face.

"My dear girl, you 'ave done so much fer us! I've heard much about you! YER A HERO." His wide blue eyes were beaming with awe and Ariadne felt flattered but couldn't help but lean away from his close proximity. Santa Claus or not- all of this was still just bizarre.

"Um…thank you but…it really was nothing." Shaking her head, she gave a sheepish smile. "I really only did what anyone else would have done.

"Yeah sure, except no one else could literally see him unless they were a kid." The Summer Spirit quipped from behind North. He walked over to the two and swatted away the Guardian of Wonder with a gloved hand, glaring at the woman with fire-red irises. "Cut to the chase. Who are you and how the hell can you see all of us?"

Jamie took a step forward protectively but Ariadne held up a hand, motioning him to wait. She regarded Elios with steady eyes. "I'm a human, but a kid at heart. How does that sound?"

There was a snort of laughter and everyone turned to look at Laverna, who had a hand over her mouth, struggling to conceal her amusement. "Nice spunk, I like her!" She chimed with a cheeky grin.

Elios was not as amused. "Listen, you-"

"No. How about you listen? Clearly, there's a lot more we need to worry about than 'who I am'." Ariadne pushed herself off from the railing, standing up tall despite the shooting pain in her leg. Her voice was low with controlled anger. "My son was kidnapped, we all almost died, there's this… this man who can summon zombies?! How about you tell us what the HELL is going on?"

Elios clamped his jaw shut and Tooth nervously fluttered her wings to propel her forward between the two. "Alright, let's just take a step back." She offered gently. "Sorry Ariadne, sit down, we'll explain everything."

Whew, hope you guys enjoyed this long one! Thanks again for sticking with me! Leave a comment or PM me your thoughts! Love you guys!

Chapter Text

Chapter 24

Hey guys! Wow…this is probably honestly the hardest chapter I've ever written. I had to do a lot of brainstorming and thought-mapping to make sure everything made sense. If you guys are still confused- I totally understand and feel free to PM me or leave a review.

Otherwise- HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Jamie came out of the kitchen with a large piece of poster paper. "Will this do?"

"Yes this is perfect, thank you Jamie." Tooth smiled gratefully. She popped the cap of the marker off with a satisfying 'pop', placing the tip on the blank sheet. "Oh geez, how do I even start? Um…"

Bunny placed a paw on her shoulder. "Maybe we should send a message to Sandy. He's the oldest out of all of us- he should be able to explain this the best."

Tooth shook her head. "No no no, he's doing his job on the other side of the world and making sure children are still dreaming. He's also keeping an eye out on Pitch and Death's activities for us…I-I don't want to burden him further. I can do this."

She took a breath, regaining her composure. "Okay. So. In the beginning of time, there was nothing. Just clear, empty space filled with random particles." She dotted the white sheet. "However, in one moment, all these particles randomly hit each other at the same exact point, and the collision created-"

"The Universe." Ariadne finished. She was sitting back on the couch regarding the drawing with narrow eyes. "I studied a bit of this back in school, we called it the Big Bang Theory."

Tooth blinked owlishly, looking at North. The large man shook his head, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "Well…not exactly… it created a sort of… being of energy…er… capable of thought. How do you say in english…uh…сознание?"

"A consciousness." Laverna piped up. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor and everyone stared at her. She held her hands up in defense. "What? My past self was Russian!"

"Um, right. Sure. So, a single consciousness." Tooth continued sketching. "Now, upon realizing Its isolation in the universe, It began to learn how it can- um, move itself. Kind of how a baby constantly tries and learns to walk. It learned how to move particles and atoms together to create at first just rocks and dust floating in space. As time went on, It evolved and was able to create mass objects… like stars and comets. Soon, these began to differentiate into galaxies because large objects attract other objects together."

"Huh…physics." Jamie murmured with understanding. "And here I thought all of science would be refuted."

Tooth shrugged. "If that's what you humans call it, sure." She then flipped the page over drew a line. "Anyways, soon It realized it can create other things…like planets. So in one particular galaxy, It created various planets. However, It started to feel lonely, so It used its abilities to create another entity…one which chose to reside on a particular planet and give it life. This planet became known as Earth- and that entity herself is-"

"-Mother Nature." Ariadne concluded. She rubbed her chin with awe. "Amazing. I always figured life just burst from bacteria or single-celled organisms."

Elios rolled his fiery eyes. "Do you always have to interrupt?"

Laverna smacked him against his arm and he grunted in pain. "Chill Elios. Anyways, Ariadne you're right in a way, but it was Mother Nature who produced those cells in the first place."

Tooth nodded in agreement. "Right, now the Original Being knew that while Mother Nature had the ability to produce life, but that was the extent of her abilities. So It helped her extend herself to create the seasonal spirits. Spring," Laverna raised her hand.

"Summer," Elios nodded curtly before looked away,

Tooth paused, "…Autumn," she eventually whispered sadly. The whole room was silent for a moment, remembering the fate of their beloved friend.

"And Winter." A voice came from the stairs. Everyone turned to see Jack slowly wobbling to the entranceway. North immediately walked over to him to hold him upright. The Winter Spirit wore a loose white t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, sweat matting his white hair. He was breathing heavily.

"Jack, you should be restin'." North spoke softly. "Yer in no state to be up and 'bout."

"How are you feeling?" Tooth fluttered her wings with worry.

"Loads better, thanks to Ariadne." Jack gave a tired but grateful smile to the woman. "Jamie told me what happened when I woke up earlier today."

Ariadne shook her head, rubbing her neck sheepishly. She hated how she suddenly felt self-conscious. "Nah, it's nothing. Anyone with the means would've done the same thing."

Jack opened his mouth to retort but Elios interjected. "Good, you're up. We need to talk."

Laverna grabbed the back of Elios' shirt to stop him. "Elios, let Tooth finish. We can talk to Jack after all this- it's all related anyways."

Elios looked down at the Spring Spirit and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Fine."

"Right, well…" The Guardian of Memories grabbed another marker. "As I was saying, so the Original Being created the seasonal spirits to aid Mother Nature in creating abundant life on our planet. It initially thought that, once she had successfully created life that was capable of evolving, she would leave to another planet and- along with the other seasonal spirits- continue to bring life to all other planets.

"However, she grew fond of Earth and yearned to stay. She saw first hand how her creations evolved to so many different and versatile forms of life and grew fascinated. Of course, if she stayed, then the seasonal spirits also stayed. And in turn, since the Original Being had come to love It's first and closest companion, It decided to stay too. It formed a moon that would forever orbit the Earth, and chose to inhabit it so It could watch Its beloved world come to life. It is now known as the Man in the Moon."

"Wait, hang on." Jamie cut in, waving his hands in front of him with confusion. "I'm confused…why did the Original Being become…well… a 'Man' in the Moon? Or I guess, how did any one of you become human…like?"

"We'll get to that in a bit." Elios answered. "But first, you have to know that naturally, with only life existing, destruction was about to follow."

"As he watched the world bloom, he also saw how it wouldn't stop." He continued grimly. "Everything kept being born and overrunning the planet. Imagine, the roots of trees and plants that would not stop delving deeper into the ground…animals and bacteria that kept digging apart the soil…everything kept occupying the surface and breaking into the Earth itself, so much so that the planet began to fall apart.

"Mother Nature was devastated. Here she was, given such a gift, only for it to lead to the destruction of her beloved's creations. So the Man in the Moon created a being that would bring balance, or that should only bring balance…"

"Death." Bunny muttered angrily. Tooth nodded sadly. "That was his only purpose, he was just supposed to end life so it could be a continuous cycle- one that would eventually lead to less chaos and more order. For example, only those who possess certain qualities will be able to continue surviving, and those individuals will continue to shape the world."

"Natural selection, or in other words, Evolution." Ariadne murmered.

"Sure." Bunny shrugged offhandedly. "Whatever you guys call it. And for decades they simply existed: Mother Nature with the seasonal spirits to help bring life into the world, and Death, in turn, ending it- all to continue the cycle."

"But then humans came to exist, simply through means of evolution. And they changed everything." Laverna chirped. "Mother Nature grew fond of these species in particular- how well they adapted to their environment, how vastly superior their intellect was to all other organisms, and especially how similar they were to us personally. They had a conscious, a drive for a purpose, an innate ability to create.

"So to answer your question, kiddo," she turned to look at Jamie. "That's why Mother Nature looks the way she is today, along with why the Original Being is known as the 'Man' in the Moon, and why Death also appears human-like. Now as for the seasonal spirits, because they were created by Mother Nature with the aid of the Man in the Moon, they did not possess the ability to change their form as they pleased. But this wasn't an issue for a long time.

"But soon, as time progressed, the seasonal spirits began to lose control of their powers and Mother Nature struggled to keep life in balance. In response to hurricanes, harsh winters, raging forest fires, and other environmental catastrophes, Death had to increase his activities and really began to see firsthand the suffering that he caused to all living beings. Animals mourned, but their emotional spectrum was not as advanced as humans – so when he witnessed the despair and agony that humans exhibited, he began to lose his sanity and sense of purpose. As a result of both the seasonal spirits and Death going berserk, a mass extinction event occurred and wiped out about 80% of all life. The Man in the Moon had to intervene, he was empathetic and understood Death's grief, for he also was able to observe the effects of Death and the fragility of human life. Thus, he subdued the chaos and gave Death a certain ability - a way for those who passed to possibly get a second chance at life… a chance that would not disrupt the balance but instead, continue to keep it. Certain individuals who he deemed worthy could be brought back to life by infusing a spirit into them. This solution also stabilized the spirits by allowing them to possess a human body, which had enough similar qualities to that of the original entities, while also being unique in the sense of the body itself being a physical manifestation of Mother Nature's original creations- the body was made of billions of cells. As such, the Man in the Moon and Death agreed that to keep the balance secure, Death and the four seasonal spirits would be infused into human vessels. The Man in the Moon would select four unique individuals, and Death would revive them to serve as vessels for the seasonal spirits."

"And to help humans prosper," Tooth continued. "the Man in the Moon created other spirits that would shape the pure minds of their children, so that they could become more resilient as adults. These spirits are what you know of today as the Guardians of Childhood."

Ariadne let out an amused smirk. "So Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman."

"Yes, so over time, more humans were chosen to become vessels that would possess these spirits. Naturally, Sandman was the first of the four. Next was the Easter Bunny, then Santa Claus, then the Tooth Fairy, and most recently, Jack Frost. And typically, or what things should have been, is that once a human was chosen to be revived, they possess immortality. However, there are rare cases where the frailty of humans prevails over the spirit's sense of duty. Some humans, because they still retain their memories of their past life and thus their personalities, sometimes go mad and cannot accept their deaths and thus cannot fulfill their duties. Other times, they may succumb to desire and go mad with the newfound power they possess. It is then Death's duty to end their life, separate spirit from body, and and infuse the spirit with a new human vessel." Laverna explained. "That's why my, Elios, and Jack's human forms differ than our predecessors. Aurelia was the only one who stayed as the same human vessel since the beginning. Meanwhile, I've been Laverna for…I think 200 years now. Elios around 500, and Jack when did you become Jack Frost…300 years ago?"

"311, to be precise." He corrected with a weary grin.

Laverna playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Anyways, Death, on the other hand, was unique in that because of his nature, his vessel would only last the average lifespan of a human, so he took on many different bodies over the millennia all the while continuing to maintain his original sense of purpose."

"Death, despite constantly inhabiting different humans, never succumbed to their immoral nature." Tooth murmured sadly. "He would never, ever, touch any life he wasn't meant to. He always did his duties, never strayed from his path."

"So what changed?" Bunny exclaimed furiously. "This form of Death seems to not give a damn about the balance of life, he's friggin' murdering the original entities! He has gone too far… it's like he's seeking to destroy the very essence of this planet."

"I don't know…but this Death… he 'as been with us for the longest- at least 100 years, no?" North inquired. "That's the longest I 'ave ever known Death to possess the same body."

"If he really wanted to destroy the very essence of this planet, I don't think he would have brought the Autumn spirit back to life." Ariadne's voice was quiet but resolved.

Everyone turned to look at her. "What do you mean?" Jack inquired.

She whipped her head up, not realizing that she had spoken outloud. She sat up straight and rolled back her shoulders, "I mean, think about it. If he was really trying to destroy the original balance that you so spoke of, then he would've just kept Aurelia dead right? Why bring her back to life and keep the Autumn spirit within her?"

Everyone was silent. "I don't know." Elios muttered finally but dejectedly. He then cracked his back and stretched. "Regardless, we're all targets here. We'll need to disappear, especially since he and the Boogeyman seem to know where we all would be. We need to find a new place to lay low."

"We took Mother Nature to the safest place we could think of- so we'll probably stay with her until she gets better. By then, she should be able to help us figure out how to stop this guy." Laverna informed. "It's unfortunate, but the seasons will have to disappear for a while."

Ariadne shrugged. "Humans will probably just attribute it to global warming, don't worry about it."

Bunny sighed and slapped a paw against his thigh before hopping to his feet. "Well…in the meantime, we'll just keep doing what we do. I'm heading back to the Warren. North, you gonna be okay with Christmas around the corner?"

North's eyes widened comically and he slapped one of his bear-like hands over his face. "Ah, черт…I completely forgot…"

"Hey! There's a child upstairs…no cursing!" Laverna hissed, whacking North in the leg due to her short stature.

"Oh…yes…sorry sorry…" North hushed. He then cleared his throat before trudging towards the door, pulling his thick fur coat off the rack. "Alrighty, Jack, I'll need yer help creating some ice for my sculptures…I have tons of toys in my mind waiting to be created!"

"Uh…yeah, about that…" Everyone suddenly turned to look at Jack, who eyes were facing the ground. Ariadne felt her blood turn cold as he brought his head back up and regarded everyone with a sad smile.

"Sorry North, don't think I will be able to help you with that anymore." He was still trying to maintain the jovial tone in his voice but his entire body sagged with anguish. His ice-blue eyes held unfathomable sadness.

"I don't have my powers anymore." He shrugged in defeat, his voice cracking with grief. Above their heads, deep in the starry sky, a dark shadow casted over the moon, as though the Man in the Moon himself was mourning.

Noo…Jack….my baby….*sobs*… T^T

Anyways, feel free to leave a comment/PM your thoughts! Again, thank you for sticking with me! Love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 25

"What the hell are you talking about?" Elios growled. Jack merely shook his head and shrugged, not knowing how to respond.

Suddenly, Elios stormed towards Ariadne and grabbed her collar, shoving her against the wall. The back of her head hit the wall with a sickening crack. "This is all your fault! What have you done?!"

Everyone was on their feet in an instant, with Jack reaching him first. "Elios, calm down, this isn't her fault!" He yelled, grabbing his shoulder to pull him back.

"Stop, he's right!" Laverna clutched his arm and tried to tug him away.

"NO. She gave him that…that…ridiculous medicine and now he's like this because of it!" Elios roared, not budging from his spot.

Ariadne shook her head to try to shake off the pain before blinking her eyes open, narrowing her eyes at her assailant. "Listen, based off all my research, the evidence showed that it should've worked. I'm sorry it didn't-"

He gave a dry, bitter laugh. "Sorry? SORRY?! You think a weak-ass apology like that's going to cut it?"

"Hey, I-" Ariadne gripped his wrist tightly in fury.

"Dude, you need to calm down!" Jamie cried, placing an arm between him and Ariadne to try to get some space between them. "If anything, the vaccine probably is the only reason why Jack is still alive."

"You really expect me to believe that?!" Elios spat. "We should've just taken him to Antartica, the cold expedites the healing process for the Winter Spirit, we should have never-"

"The disease was specialized to attack the essence of the spirits, you know that." Bunny interjected quietly but sternly. "There was no other way, especially with the limited time we had. He was dying, Elios: both the Winter Spirit and Jack's human body."

Jack nodded solemnly. "Before I passed out, I could feel the pain all over. I would not have lasted much longer if she didn't do something."

Elios gritted his teeth before he snatched his hand back as if it burned. There was a collective sigh of relief as Ariadne collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. For a few moments, the room was silent. Finally, Jack stepped forward to help her up but her quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"No…you know what? He's right." She murmured in shame. Everyone turned to look at her. Her head was hanging down, hair shadowing her eyes. "I am a failure…the vaccine should have saved your life and allowed you to keep your powers…but-"

Tooth placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as she fluttered her wings to kneel beside her. "Sometimes, science can't explain everything. You did everything you could."

There was a momentary silence as everyone was lost in deep thought. Laverna was the first to speak. "Alright, well," she piped up, "there's no use sticking around here like a bunch of sore thumbs. We're basically broadcasting a giant target on our backs the longer we stay here."

North sighed. "She's right…we should get going." He gave Ariadne's back a gentle pat. "You 'ave done more than enough for us, please get some rest."

Ariadne didn't respond for a few moments before giving a subtle nod in thanks. As everyone got up to move and began heading for the door, she noticed from the corner of her eyes that Jack remained standing in the same place. She sighed in guilt and looked away. "Jack, you should go too."

"I mean, there isn't really a point anymore-" He began to refute, but her voice was sharp.

"You're in more danger if you stay here." She asserted, she then got to her feet, hobbling slightly. "I'll walk everyone out."

She limped briskly past him and Jack couldn't help but gape. North came up next to him. "Ah, the human heart is…quite complicated."

He looked at his old friend, stupefied. "Huh?"

North just chuckled. "Nothing, nothing. Anyways, Jack, I just want you to know, you are still welcome to come to my workshop. You will always 'ave a home there."

Jack gave him a grateful smile. "I know, thanks North. I just…" He turned to look at Ariadne who was holding the door open and exchanging a few words with the Tooth Fairy. "I feel like there's something else I'm still supposed to do here."

Unbeknownst to him, North gave a knowing smile and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Well, that depends on the young lady as well. I'll wait a few moments outside."

North strolled to the door and gave Ariadne another rough hug before he ducked underneath the door frame and walked down the porch steps. However, even when he was out of sight, Ariadne still held the door open, seemingly staring at a specific spot on the floor. Jack, on the other hand, awkwardly shifted in his stance, not sure of what to say or how to say anything. He opened his mouth but the woman beat him to the punch.

"I'm…truly sorry, Jack." She murmured almost inaudibly. She leaned her shoulder against the open door, crossing her arms. She still wouldn't look at him. "Based on my work…hell, based on the fundamental aspects of science and everything I've done, it should have saved your life and your powers. I don't know what went wrong."

Jack took a step forward. "Hey, stop. Really, this isn't your fault. I-"

"No, it actually is." She bit her lip in frustration. Memories of her seventeen-year-old self came flooding in, bringing back a range of emotions that she thought she outgrew. For the first time in five years, she felt like she wanted to cry. "If it weren't for me, maybe they would have found you on the street and maybe been able to save you. I just made everything worse."

"Whoa, okay no. Let's not go down that path alright?" He chuckled nervously, not quite sure why she suddenly became so cynical. "Ariadne, stop thinking like that." In two strides he was right next to her and reached a hand out to hold her arms, feeling them tremble underneath his grip. "If it weren't for you, that disease probably would have ended me that much sooner."

"No, Jack, you don't get it!" She shoved him away and stumbled back, falling against the wall behind her. She accidentally hit her head again and she groaned in pain, rubbing it painfully. His eyes widened with shock at her unusual outburst.

She sighed. "You were the Spirit of Winter and the Guardian of Fun… you helped so many children laugh and embrace their childhood…and I took that away. After what you did for me and after I found out who you were I wanted to do everything in my power to help you but instead-"

Jack was so confused. Even though he didn't know her long, he never saw her this emotional. He ran a hand through his hair in befuddlement, placing his other hand on his hip. "Okay yeah, I was, but that's fine, I'm sure the Man in the Moon will be able to come up with a solution for all of this. Ariadne, calm down, everything will be okay. And honestly, I don't know where you're coming up with this. I haven't done the slightest thing for you- I don't know have a clue about what you're talking about-"

"You did everything for me." She whispered, placing a hand over her eyes, unable to stop the memories from pouring out. Both were silent until she finally took a shaky breath. Removing her hand, she slowly raised her chin up to face him.

"When I was seventeen, and when I first found out I was pregnant, I wanted to kill myself." She confessed. Upon witnessing Jack's horrified expression, she let out a bitter smile and looked away, knowing that she was right in her prediction of how he'd react since she last spoke with Jamie. "I thought the best way to do that was to die of hypothermia. So one night, when there was a violent blizzard outside, I ran deep into a forest nearby my home, hoping that no one would be able to discover my body."

"I believed in you as a kid, and the dark part of me hoped that you would continue the blizzard throughout the night." She continued, crossing her arms over herself protectively. "So I sat there, next to this boulder, slowly beginning to fall asleep."

"But then, you stopped." She turned back to him. "I never knew why…but because you stopped, I was finally able to see the beauty in the world and I somehow found the will to live again."

Ariadne fell back silent and Jack still hadn't said a word. After a few moments, she exhaled and got back to her feet. "Anyways, that's why I feel…" She gulped, "personally responsible for all of this. This should not have happened to you. None of this."

She turned her back towards him and placed a hand on the railing, taking a step up with her injured leg. She paused. "That's why you should go, Jack. I'm just someone who tried to abuse your powers before, and now someone who just was seeking redemption for it. I didn't try to save you, I was really just trying to redeem myself. So just get out of here while you still can-"

"I think you're being ridiculous."

Upon hearing his stern voice, Ariadne slowly turned her head around to face him, shocked. "Excuse me?"

Jack crossed his arms. "You heard me, I think you're being ridiculous, and overdramatic."

Ariadne gawked and spluttered. "Wha- did you just-?"

"Okay yeah, so you had a dark moment in your life. Everyone does." Jack continued, slowly taking steps forward as Ariadne stood in place, still baffled by his attitude. "That doesn't mean that you're a failure. And what you tried to do, that wasn't 'abusing my power' or whatever you call it. That's your way of seeking help. Was it a dangerous way? Hell yeah. But because you did it, you were able to see the error in your ways, you found your own light."

He was suddenly in front of her and Ariadne snapped out of her daze and tried to move back but Jack was fast and gripped her arm tightly. His newfound height still made him slightly taller than her even though she was a step up on the stairs.

"I wasn't trying to seek help, I was trying to kill myself, how the hell is that 'seeking'?" She muttered, trying futilely to free herself.

"You were searching for some sort of way to relief yourself of pain. That to me is seeking help." He murmured. "I don't remember what exactly I was doing in Pittsburgh that night that you were describing, probably just doing work that Mother Nature told me to do, but regardless... it wasn't because of me that the blizzard stopped. I mean, yeah, I stopped it…but I didn't stop it for you."

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her bemused expression, raising a finger to brush a strand of hair from her face. As she started turning red, his grin widened. "What I mean is, you could have just stayed there and waited for death. But instead, you took the opportunity to open your eyes and really look at your surroundings. So you saved yourself, Ariadne. I didn't do anything."

"So…it was just coincidence that the storm stopped at that time?" She whispered in realization. "It wasn't you?"

"Nope. Call it coincidence…fate…I don't know what exactly it was, but it was one of those things." He replied. "So no, I didn't save you that night. And no, I don't believe that you were just 'seeking redemption'. I think you are just truly kind and know what suffering is, and that experience made you the person you are today; someone who helps random strangers like me. Someone compassionate and empathetic, and someone who leaps over as many obstacles that they can to do some good."

He smiled softly. "And lastly, you didn't even know who I was when you first met me, so your whole speech about just helping me to redeem yourself is just…well… bullshit."

Ariadne blinked as clarity dawned on her being. She felt as though a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders and she began to feel tears welling up. She gave a soft laugh. "Wow, you're a really good talker."

Jack shrugged playfully, "So I've been told."

She laughed again, leaning back to wipe away her cheeks with the back of her hands. "Well, thank you, Jack." She sniffed and smiled. "That speech was…really something."

But she found that his hands were still gripping her and she could not lean back any further. She looked at him with wide eyes, as his fingers brushed against her cheeks. He was regarding her with an unreadable expression and she began chuckling nervously, once again trying to free herself by pushing against his chest. "Okay… you can let me go now, I promise I won't be a Debbie-Downer anymore."

His ice-blue eyes held an unknown emotion. Suddenly, she was pulled forward and enveloped into a warm embrace. Her eyes widened even more as her face burned.

"Ariadne," He whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut, her previous sadness gone and now replaced with all-too-familiar emotions that she did not want to resurface. Her heart was thudding loud in her chest and she prayed that he could not hear her heartbeat.

"I know that I…don't have anything really to offer you." Jack continued, taking a breath. "But…if it's okay with you, I'd really like to stay here for a while. At least until I figure out what to do with myself…is that okay?"

Everything in her mind screamed no. She knew that it would be a bad idea, because the more she spent time with him, the more aware she became of her feelings and she knew that if she let him stay, she would not be able to hold back her feelings anymore. There was no way he, practically a God, would reciprocate her feelings, and they were from such different worlds there would be no future for them.

But even so, her heart kept beating faster and faster until finally:

"Okay."

AHHHHHH FINALLY SOME ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT…yayy…*cue confetti*

LOL anyways leave a comment/PM me your thoughts as usual! Thanks so much for your patience and for sticking around…sorry my uploads haven't been as frequent…I really appreciate you all so much for still being here! Till next time!

Chapter Text

Chapter 26

It was now Christmas Eve and despite the warm weather outside, people were still rushing about inside the mall buying last minute gifts. Children were running everywhere, couples were arguing, parents scrambling to grab their kids. Meanwhile, Ariadne, Jack, Cedric, and Jamie were standing by the entrance, unsure of what to do.

"Well, this is how I really die." Jack joked. "Not by some magic disease, but by a human stampede.

Ariadne sighed, running a hand across her face, already mentally exhausted. "I should have done my Christmas shopping earlier, this is totally my fault. You guys really didn't need to come."

"Hey, I needed to do my own Christmas shopping as well. Sophie's been begging me to get her this Gucci bag and I really do not want to go in there on my own." Jamie grumbled. In the distance, they could see the store and a bunch of screaming girls struggling to squeeze through the tiny entranceway. He shuddered.

Cedric clung to his mother's leg, fear evident in his wide green eyes. "Mommy, on second thought, I don't really want to get Serena anything for Christmas."

Ariadne cracked a grin and rolled her eyes playfully. "Ceddy come on, she got you that awesome action figure at school. You gotta get her something in return." And I'm also behind on my gift list with all the shit that's been happening recently. She thought to herself with annoyance.

Jack whipped his head towards her. "Wait, he's been going to school?" He exclaimed in shock.

Ariadne gave him a dead-panned stare. "Did you just think that I brought him to my lab everyday this week? Yes he's been going to school." The woman responded exasperatedly.

"But he's only five! He should take the time to be a kid!" He defended.

Jamie rolled his eyes with amusement. "He's not going to 'actual' school, he's only in kindergarten. It's technically a school because it's part of the state's education system but he's not actually studying anything."

"Hey!" Cedric pouted. "I'm learning math and how to write!"

Jamie chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Yeah, yeah I know. And you're doing great." He grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "Alright, how about this kiddo? Let's go get ice cream while your mom does all the shopping for us?"

Ariadne opened her mouth, about to retort, but Cedric immediately bounced forward. "Good idea! Bye mom! Good luck!"

"Hey! That's not-" She yelled, but the pair was already running off. Jamie looked over his shoulder and gave a playful wink, nodding towards her companion besides her. She blushed madly at his gesture and glanced over at Jack, hoping he didn't see anything. Fortunately, he was simply looking around the building with a fond smile and didn't seem to notice.

She coughed awkwardly, clearing her throat. "Sorry Jack, you didn't need to come with me here to this…chaos. Things have been so crazy that I didn't have time to get anything for Cedric and Jamie and everyone else in the lab so I kinda had to push things off until today."

"Hm?" Jack glanced at her halfheartedly before shrugging. "Nah I wanted to. Staying at home all the time was so boring- this gives me something to do."

She felt a twang of guilt. "Sorry, maybe it would've been better if you went with North to help him out in his workshop."

He turned his head to fully regard her. "What? No sorry I didn't mean that in a bad way. It's nice to, you know, actually have time to take a break after everything that's been going on." He gave a sad chuckle. "Trust me, after working your ass off 24/7 for 300 plus years, it's even nicer."

Ariadne opened her mouth to say something but then bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She then clenched her jaw and, with newfound resolve, she grabbed his arm with an evil grin. "Alright, since you asked for it, we're going straight for it."

Jack's eyes widened with horror. "You don't mean-"

"Oh hell yes, I DO mean." Her grin widening, she dragged him towards the Gucci store. "Think of this as payback for the Warren trip."

Jack's pale skin grew even paler as they finally arrived. Ariadne immediately began shoving herself between bodies and Jack felt himself grow nauseous from the amount of sweat and body heat that surrounded him. Somehow, she was able to keep a firm grip on his arm and he swallowed nervously, instantly regretting all the times he messed with her.

Finally, they arrived inside the store and the duo stumbled into a small open space by a rack of purses. Ariadne was breathing heavily but released a laugh. "See? That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Jack was doubled over and trying to fight down the urge to hurl. "Okay…I deserved that. I confess. But please let's not do that again."

She laughed again. "Well, we do need to get out of here somehow. But you can catch your breath for a while here while I figure out what to get for Sophie." She began to shift through the purses on the rack.

She found a lavender-purple cross-bag purse with intricate butterflies sewn into the leather. "Hey Jack, what do you think about this-?" She turned around to hold the accessory towards Jack but instead her face smacked into a wall of muscle.

"Ouch, Jack, what the hell-" She looked up intending to glare at him but instead suddenly felt embarrassed upon realizing how close he was. Jack looked down at her with an amused smile. "…are you doing?" She trailed off, her voice dropping down to almost a murmur.

"What? Didn't you want to show me something?" His voice was low and she could have sworn that he was doing this on purpose.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. There was no way that he was flirting with her.

"Yeah, I wanted to show you this!" She shoved the bag between their faces and Jack frowned, though Ariadne couldn't see it with the object blocking the sight. "Isn't it cute? I think it suits Sophie super well!"

"Uh, I guess. I honestly haven't seen her since she was like 4 or 5 though." He scratched the back of his head deep in thought. His frown then deepened. "How do you know Sophie so well anyways?"

Ariadne brought the bag back down to her level and opened it to inspect its inner pockets. "Jamie has introduced me to his family once or twice when they came to visit the university." She responded nonchalantly. She chuckled to herself at the memory. "His parents kept thinking that we were dating and Sophie gushed about wanting to be the maid of honor at our wedding."

She patted the bag down with satisfaction and stood on her toes to search for the cashiers above the sea of faces. "Alright, I'm gonna go buy this." She glanced at him before turning to begin weaving through the crowd once more. "You can figure out how to get out right? I'll meet you there."

"Yeah, sure." Jack muttered. Once she was out of sight, Jack had to take a shaky breath as he looked down, slowly opening his clenched fists.

(LINEEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKK)

They found Jamie and Cedric gobbling down giant ice cream sundaes in the cafeteria seating area. Upon seeing his mother and eight very large shopping bags in her and Jack's hands, Cedric leapt to his feet with his arms up in celebration.

"Yay! We get to go home!" He cheered.

Jamie also raised his arms childishly. "We didn't have to die by a human stampede!"

Ariadne rolled her eyes with reluctant amusement and dropped her bags in front of the teenager. "Uh-huh yeah and now you get to carry this back to the car." She scooped down to pick up Cedric. "Whew alright! Let's get on out of here!"

She immediately started walking towards the exit and Jamie laughed before bending down to pick up the bags. "Well, guess I deserve this." He straightened himself and noticed Jack's silence. "Jack? What's up, you okay?"

Jack seemed to snap back to reality as he blinked and shook his head. "Ah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I was zoning out." He began to walk forward.

Jamie smiled sympathetically and followed. "Look, if it's about the Death and losing your powers thing, don't worry. We'll figure something out. North and the others said they'll let us know when Mother Nature recovers so she can give us some answers."

Jack flinched and let out a half-hearted grin. "Ah, yeah…right. That."

Jamie realized his uncomfortable demeanor and narrowed his eyes at him with skepticism. "But that's not what this is about…is it?"

"Ugh, is it obvious?" Jack groaned, giving a bitter smile. He adjusted one of the bags in his hand. "I guess I kind of just realized how me choosing to stay here is probably just a hindrance."

"A hinder- what? Jack, that's ridiculous. We all want you here, trust me." Jamie let out a sly grin. "I know a certain someone who was ecstatic that you chose to stay."

Jack shrugged half-heartedly. "I mean, yeah Cedric's fun but-"

Jamie almost tripped in his step. "What? No, not Cedric! Are you being for real now?"

Jack quirked a brow in confusion. "Who else could you be talking about?"

Jamie wanted to facepalm himself at his friend's utter density but couldn't because of the bags in his hands. "Duh, Ariadne! She's literally been on cloud-nine since last week."

"Jamie, I think you need glasses." Jack chuckled sadly. "She's been the same, if not, colder honestly…more distant"

"Yeah, no. You're the one who needs glasses, my friend." Jamie shook his head with disbelief. "She's been nothing but smiles and laughter at work. Trust me, it's definitely you."

Jack stopped walking for a moment. "Jamie, look. I get you're just trying to make me feel better, but I don't think you should be saying these things about your girlfriend."

Now, Jamie tripped forward and fell flat on his face. Jack jumped with surprise and immediately put his bags down to kneel beside his friend while the throng of people around them began whispering hotly and awkwardly walked around the duo. "Oh shit, are you okay?!"

"Jack Frost…I swear to god-" Jamie's voice was muffled from the ground. Soon he popped his head up, a big red mark on his forehead from the impact. "You are probably the biggest idiot I've ever met."

Jack gaped like a fish. "W-what why-?"

"One, Ariadne is not my girlfriend." Jamie pushed himself to a sitting position and rubbed his forehead painfully. "Two, that's why I'm going to tell you this right now-she's gonna kill me for saying this but screw it- this misunderstanding between you two needs to stop."

He placed his palm underneath his chin and regarded the older man carefully. "Ariadne likes you."

Jack blinked once. Then twice. Finally, he shook his head with denial. "No way. She's always relying on you for stuff…and she met your family!"

"Yeah, we're lab partners. And she's literally like a sister to me. She knows my family because they constantly like to come surprise me at random times in the school year." Jamie scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's kind of a Bennett family thing. Anyways, because I work in the lab basically every day, they somehow managed to find me and saw how great of a mentor Ariadne was and believed she was the reason why I haven't failed out of school yet.

"It's like they don't believe I'm actually smart." Jamie muttered bitterly under his breath as an afterthought. He huffed. "Though I won't lie to myself and say that she didn't help me study for a few of my exams. But yeah, that's why they've met her multiple times."

"But you're always looking out for Cedric, he calls you uncle." Jack countered hotly.

Jamie sighed exasperately. "Yeah, uncle." He emphasized before getting up to his feet and dusting himself off. "Not 'daddy' or anything else. He sees me as 'that guy that actually plays with him.' Sadly, Ariadne's so busy all the time and never took the time to find him a babysitter so she's had to bring him to lab a few times. Since I'm was the newest member, I didn't have that many important projects going on, so I would keep an eye on him while her, Navi, and Balto were performing the critical experiments." He bent down to grab the bags and tossed them to Jack. "It just became natural for her to call me for help."

Jack barely caught the bags in time and had to juggle the contents a bit. He opened his mouth to argue again but Jamie walked past him and held up a hand. "Uh-uh nope. Not another word. I'm telling you the truth. She likes you, period."

"Alright, I'll believe you about the girlfriend thing. But her liking me? No way." Jack couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking his head and running a hand through his white hair. "No way…right?"

"Jack, you're one of the wisest individuals I've ever met, but sometimes I wonder how you're 311 years old." Jamie grinned teasingly. "Now my question to you is- and this stays between us bros- do you feel the same way?"

OOOOH JAMIE PUTTING JACK ON THE HOT SPOT! 

Anyways let me know your thoughts by leaving a review or PMing me! Thank you so much again for being so patient and sticking with me- love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 27

"YAY WE'RE HOME!" Cedric cried as he ran through the front door. Ariadne, Jack, and Jamie were not too far behind as they stepped through the entranceway. The woman closed the door behind them and began to take off her coat. She gave a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm glad we got all that out of the way." She rolled up the sleeves of her black turtleneck and tied her hair back into a loose bun. "I was going to do something easy for dinner and boil some dumplings. Jamie, feel free to stay for dinner if you'd like!"

Jamie placed all but one of the bags down in the living room. He gave a smile. "Thanks, I'd love to but I should probably get this," he raised the Gucci-labelled bag, "-wrapped up and head over to my parents' before it gets too late."

"Oh, sure definitely. Alright, tell them we say 'hi' and that we are wishing them a 'Merry Christmas'!" Ariadne walked towards the kitchen with a wave. "I'll see you on Monday!"

Jamie waved back as she turned around and gave Jack a nudge with his elbow. "Now's your chance to get your answer as well."

Jack sighed and placed the other bags down beside him, and Jamie frowned thinking back to the conversation they had earlier.

"Now my question to you is- and this stays between us bros-" Jamie grinned, "do you feel the same way?"

Both of them were silent and only the sounds of the surrounding crowd of people. Jamie's smile dropped as he noticed that Jack grew even paler.

He reached out a hand. "Jack-?"

"I don't know." He finally muttered. Jack ran a hand over his face with a tired expression. "I don't know."

Jamie's eyes widened with surprise. "Wait…what do you mean? You literally flirt with her all the time-"

"I mean, yeah she's fun to mess with but…" He sighed with confusion, grasping the back of his neck. There was a pause until finally he whispered, "…what does it even mean…to like someone?"

Jamie was stunned, he honestly thought that he returned her feelings- that's why he told him the truth!

Oh man…Ariadne is going to kill him!

Jamie half-heartily patted his back. "Well, regardless. You should definitely figure out your feelings now…before it's too late." He gave him a playful salute before heading out the door. "See ya later."

Finally, Jack was alone. His head hurt ever since his conversation with Jamie earlier. He honestly had no idea what it meant to have any romantic feelings for anyone. After being a spirit for 311 years, he lost most of his human emotions, especially the complex ones.

Scratching the back of his head, he took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen. Ariadne had the pot boiling and was pouring a few dumplings into it while Cedric was setting up the table.

"Ah Jack, just in time." She looked up at him with a smile. "You can just wait at the table. The dumplings should only take a few minutes."

Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the counter instead. She noted his uncharacteristic silence and quirked a brow as she poured herself a glass of water. "You okay?"

Jack remained silent, studying the tiles on the floor, and she shrugged, deciding to take a sip of her drink. However, he suddenly raised his head.

"What does it mean to like someone?" He murmured softly but inquisitively.

Ariadne spat out her drink and began coughing violently.

"Mommy?! Are you okay?!" Cedric cried, rushing to his mother's side.

She gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm fine sweetie, I'm…fine. Go sit at the table." She gave a few more coughs as Jack regarded her with a raised brow. Finally, she took a deep breath and regarded Jack with an unreadable expression.

"Let's talk about this after dinner."

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAKKKK)

After they finished eating, Jack collected the plates while Ariadne went upstairs with Cedric to get him ready for bed. Once Cedric was tucked in, Ariadne walked slowly down the steps, dreading the incoming conversation. She hoped that perhaps he forgot, or maybe he was just joking about it. Nonetheless, all she wanted to do was crawl away slowly and hide under her covers. She couldn't help but release a bitter laugh at that childish thought; she was a mature adult! She could handle this…right? Too soon, she found herself next to Jack by the sink, rolling her sleeves up.

"Thanks for cleaning off the table." She began awkwardly, grabbing a sponge.

Jack set the last set of plates down beside her. "Oh, no problem." Both were silent as she started to clean the plates, with Jack standing awkwardly to the side and Ariadne standing right in front of the sink.

He took a deep breath. "So, about what I asked earlier-"

"Ah, right. That." Ariadne coughed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah… where did that come from?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Just something that Jamie brought up made me wonder."

"What, you found someone you like?" She teased, despite the pang in her chest as she said those words.

She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she heard him sigh. "Maybe, but I don't know." He finally muttered. "That's why I wanted to ask you. How do I know when I like someone, romantically?"

She herself took a deep breath. "Well. Do you like talking to them?"

"Yeah?" Jack scratched his cheek in thought. "But I like talking to a lot of people."

"That's not- okay let me rephrase." Ariadne squeezed out the water from the sponge and put it by the sink to dry her hands. "Do enjoy spending time with them?"

"Uh…yeah, but I enjoy spending time with a lot of people." Jack shrugged.

She could feel a headache start to form and she crossed her arms. "Alright sure but… do you wish the time you spend with them never ended?"

"I-I guess so?" Jack thought back to the times they spent together, when she comforted him after he found out he was losing his powers, when they were in the mall…

He shook his head and cleared his throat. "B-but whenever I'm having fun I wish it never ended in general."

Ariadne raised a hand to massage her temple, beginning to feel annoyed. "Right right okay but like, with this one particular person. Not when you're having fun with people, not when you're having fun by yourself, specifically with this individual."

Jack also crossed his arms, thinking deeply. "…kinda?"

Ariadne pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "Alright how about this, do you enjoy teasing them and making them blush?"

Jack thought back to the moments when they were alone. Her smiling face, her laughter, her blushes whenever he teased her…

"Yeah…" He could feel his cheeks getting hot as the gears in his mind started to click together. But he still needed more confirmation. "B-but I am- well- was, the Guardian of Fun so I like teasing everyone!"

She rolled her eyes and placed a hand over her eyes to groan. "Okay fair, but do you look forward to seeing them and being with them?"

"I-I guess so but- " Jack faltered upon his realization. He whipped his head up but was surprised to see her with an angry expression. He grew confused, unsure as to why she was getting upset.

"Do you want to hold them?" She couldn't help but fume, moving away from the sink.

"Do I want to what-"

"HOLD them!" She whipped around, hair falling out of her bun. She angrily took out her hair tie and her locks cascaded over her shoulders. "Hold them like to hug them, or kiss them?"

Jack was stunned with the outburst. "I mean- I can probably imagine myself doing that to a lot of people-"

"Ok first of all- I don't understand why you would want to imagine that. That's just unnecessary." Ariadne let out a bitter laugh. "Secondly, its not just 'oh you can imagine yourself doing it'- love doesn't work that way. It is a matter of if you want to and are willing to."

"Willing to what-?"

She flipped her hands up exasperately in defeat, hating how her heart stung with every word she spoke. "In your gut, do you yearn to touch them?"

Jack was beginning to get more and more aggravated as well. Her pacing was starting to anger him and he roughly grabbed her arm. "Will you calm down and stop walking around? What's the matter with you?!"

"Nothing, just answer the question." She tried yanking her arm back. "Do you want to kiss them or not?"

…Yes. Jack gritted his teeth and before he could second-guess himself, he pulled her towards him and she fell forward from the force. Placing a hand under her chin, he tilted her head up and sealed his lips squarely over hers.

Ariadne's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she squirmed in his arms but his grip was strong. He turned her around and walked her back slowly to the counter and pushed her against the edge, wrapping an arm around her waist. She tried breaking away but he cupped her face and kept massaging her lips. She let out an involuntary moan and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss even farther, licking her lips and gently prodding his tongue into the corners of her mouth.

Despite her mind totally turning to mush, she somehow made herself place both her hands on his hard chest and tried pushing him back. "J-Jack…" She mumbled weakly against his lips. "S-Sto-"

For a brief moment, he tilted his head back, separating their lips and she let out a shaky breath as he regarded her deeply with a heated stare.

"Jack, what are you doin- no, why are you doing this? Didn't you say you had someone you liked?" Ariadne rambled uncontrollably, her brain reeling over the events that just happened.

Jack leaned forward again, his lips brushing against hers. She tried leaning away but his hand came up behind her head and held her in place. Her face was bright red and she had trouble breathing.

"I do, and I was answering your question." He smirked and tilted his head down to capture her lips once more. "And mine."

But she turned her head and his mouth settled on her cheek again. Undeterred, he began to kiss along her cheekbone and down her neck. She bit back another moan and tried to speak.

"W-what are you talking about?" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to reason with him whilst maintaining composure. Her thoughts were all scrambled, her emotions were bubbling over. She felt as though she was floating on Cloud Nine… but yet, she was so confused. Does this mean-?

He tugged the collar of her shirt down and nibbled at her shoulder. She groaned. "Jack…please."

Jack growled angrily and lifted his head up to regard her with annoyance. "I like you."

Her mind went blank. "You what?"

"I. Like." He pecked her lips with each enunciation. "You."

"But…" She faltered with each kiss. "Why? How?"

He rolled his eyes and grinned leaning his forehead against hers. "You're funny, you're kind, you saved my life-"

Suddenly, she shoved herself away from him with newfound force. Jack stumbled back and gaped at her. "What-"

"You don't- You only feel indebted to me." She muttered, feeling immense disappointment. "You don't actually like me."

Jack took a step towards her and raised a hand towards her, yearning to hold her once more but also wanting to grab her shoulders and shake her. "Ariadne. What are you talking about-"

She stepped back. "Please stop- You don't need to take pity on me. I saved you because I wanted to. You don't need to go this far."

"Far? Ariadne this isn't just me feeling obligated, these are my real feelings. And that kiss just confirmed it" He asserted, taking a step forward. Upon seeing her continue to back away, his hands fell to his sides. "Why won't you believe me?"

"What's there to believe?" She exclaimed incredulously. "Y-you're basically a god- why would you like a mere human like me?!"

"You're not just some mere human." He argued, continuing to approach her. "You're someone with a pure, beautiful heart who is caring, considerate, and willing to overcome any obstacle to help someone in need."

Ariadne's back hit the kitchen wall. "I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" He placed each of his arms on either side of her and leaned down. "Just tell me that you don't feel the same way and I'll stop. I'll go away and you'll never have to see me again."

She looked up at him helplessly. "It's not that- it's…complicated." She cried, hugging herself tightly.

He released an exasperated sigh. "What's so complicated about two people who have feelings for each other?"

"That's not it, it's just- I made a promise and I… I'm sorry I just don't feel the same way." She tried ducking under his arms but he didn't budge. She regarded him with wide, teary eyes before she looked down again. "Please just let me go."

His gaze was unwavering. "You don't or you can't?"

"What?" Her head shot up and she found herself once again being lost in his ice-blue gaze.

He leaned his head down and whispered once more. "You don't feel the same way?"

She turned away. "I- I don't, I'm sorry."

He cupped her chin and forced her to face him. "Then look into my eyes and tell me."

"I-I…can't." She tried again to turn her face away but she felt his warm hands cup her cheeks and almost cried at the gentleness she felt in his touch.

"So you can't, not that you don't." She could oddly hear the smile in his voice and she whipped her head up to look at him in confusion. Upon seeing his genuine smile, she felt her heart soar as she realized how deep she had fallen.

She could no longer hold back her emotions and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"Which means, you do like me but you don't want to admit it." He finished, affectionately brushing her cheek.

"Jack…this… I…" She choked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "I made a promise to myself long ago that I can't fall in love with anyone ever again. Not after what happened with Leon, I…"

"Wow, love huh? That's pretty bold but, it sounds right." Jack chuckled, kissing away her tears.

Ariadne wildly shook her head, trying to get some space between them. "Jack I'm being serious."

"Well, I am too." His face turned solemn once more and he simply pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent.

"Fall in love with me, Ariadne." He whispered. "You made that promise while you were hurting in the past, but I promise you that I will never hurt you. I won't go anywhere."

"You can't promise me that-" She muttered. "You're a spirit, one day you'll get your powers back and-"

"I can, and I will. I was one- not anymore." He murmured against her hair.

She squeezed her eyes shut, raising her arms shakily to embrace him. "I-I-"

Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking on the door and both leapt apart. Ariadne quickly stood up straight and walked towards the door, peering through the peephole.

"Oh my god…" She gasped incredulously. She fumbled on the locks trying to undo them and Jack came out of the kitchen into the hallway.

"Ariadne? What's wrong-"

She yanked the door open to reveal a tall, older man with a sharp cheekbone and snow-white hair. He wore the camouflage uniform of a military officer, his cap shadowing his eyes. He was breathing heavily and leaned against the doorframe in exhaustion.

"Ari…I can't-" He groaned before falling forward.

She barely managed to catch him in time and fell onto her knees from the weight. She frantically took off his cap and the man blinked his eyes wearily, slowly losing consciousness. Jack realized with shock that his irises were also ice-blue.

"Leon?!"

OOOOOOOH SNAP. WHAAAAT?! WHATTTTTTTT?!

LOL sorry it's another cliffhanger…BUT IT'S A GOOD ONE THIS TIME RIGHT?! RIGHT?! Jk I know theres no such thing….XD anyways love you all and thank you again for being with me! Sorry if things are moving too slowly…I noticed that fewer and fewer people are following this story but for those who are still here—THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME AND BEING HERE WITH ME ON THIS WRITING JOURNEY! :D Leave a review/PM me to let me know your thoughts!

Chapter Text

Chapter 28

With a shuddering gasp, Mother Nature suddenly opened her eyes and sat up abruptly on her bed. She looked around wildly at her surroundings, relief flooding her as she realized that she was in her bedroom at the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, tucked deeply away from civilization. Blossomed orchids hung down from the ceiling, walls lining with vines and foliage. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Laverna and Elios leapt from their seats and rushed to her side.

"Mother, are you alright?" Laverna inquired frantically, placing a hand on her back and shoulder to hold her upright.

"I-I'm fine…" She wheezed, swallowing air. She placed a hand on her face and, with shock, noticed that her skin was no longer dry and withery as they were before. Now, it felt soft and supple beneath her fingertips.

Elios' eyes widened. "Mother, your powers…"

"…are stronger...not fully returned ever since Aurelia passed but...stronger!" She exclaimed with glee. Feeling newfound energy flowing in her veins, she opened her palms to create an intricate bouquet of the rarest roses.

"But how is this possible, I thought Jack lost his powers!" Laverna pondered skeptically.

Mother Nature turned her seafoam irises towards her beloved in the sky. She smiled fondly, knowing he was protecting her always.

"He has chosen a new human to become the Winter Spirit." She murmured lovingly. Her gaze turned worrisome as she then regarded her two children.

"But whoever they may be, they are in grave danger. We have to leave."

(LINEEEEEBBREAAAAAAAKKKK)

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Pitch Black roared as he slammed a fist into the concrete wall beside him, shattering the cement into mere chips. The night-mares clammored and whinnied with anxiety at his brute force as Death remained seated in his throne, pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"My friend, be at peace. This isn't the end of the world."

"But it is!" The Nightmare King hissed, shoving a finger against the large globe. One by one, lights flickered on across the world. "This means people still, and are beginning, to believe in Jack Frost once again. But he is now powerless…so how. Is. This. POSSIBLE?!"

"He must have chosen a new Spirit of Winter." Death muttered bitterly. "Clever Old Man, I didn't realize he could act so soon. Typically, His selection process takes at least a couple of months to find a suitable human who is worthy of inheriting the power."

He couldn't help but release a dark chuckle. "I guess in this case however, exceptions must be made." He raised his eyes towards the sky to eye the full-moon almost mockingly.

"Fear not, my friend, we'll find them soon enough." Death grinned wickedly. "Send your night-mares out to search."

Pitch sniffed. "What about you, you'll just sit back and wait I suppose?"

The man stood from his seat. "Of course not. Now that we are all healed from out previous…encounter. My lovely dear and I will pay our friends another, let's say 'visit'." He snapped his fingers and Aurelia appeared by his side.

"How? Mother Nature isn't going to just be sitting out in the open." Pitch argued skeptically.

Death simply stroked a strand of her hair nonchalantly. "The Autumn Spirit, now trapped in this body, will always seek its creator in times of need. I've just been able to prevent her from doing so since I can control corpses. But if I release my grasp just a bit…"

Aurelia suddenly turned around and leapt out of the window, flying high in the sky towards a specific direction. Death, in turn, swung himself on one of Pitch's night-mares.

"Once I find her, I will send you the coordinates. When you find them, bring them to me. Alive." He ordered before giving the horse a harsh kick. The night-mare reared back with a snort before they darted out the window and into the night sky.

(LINEEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKK)

Leon, Jack, and Ariadne were now in the guest room. When he collapsed, Jack and Ariadne somehow managed to drag him upstairs and onto the bed. He sagged against the cushions, breathing heavily, yet he pushed himself forward to raise his head.

"I…I don't understand. I…was in Afghanistan…" He coughed violently and fell to the side, gasping for air.

Ariadne knelt beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Leon… please, rest." Her voice cracked and she swallowed thickly, suddenly realizing how dry her throat felt.

Jack crossed his arms, still not believing what he was seeing. All of the photos depicted him with chocolate-brown hair and bright green eyes like Cedric. Yet, even though the man in front of him shared the same face as shown in the pictures, he had a paler complexion and completely different eye and hair color. It was almost like he…

Leon shook his head violently. "No. Something...something is very wrong. I…" He looked down in sorrow. "I shouldn't be here- I need to tell you. Now."

Jack bit the inside of his cheek. "I'll…be upstairs." He began. However, the man's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"No, please stay." He regarded him with piercing ice-blue eyes and Jack suddenly became aware that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. "I don't know who you are… but I think you and I are connected in some way."

Jack paused before nodding hesitantly, taking a seat in one of the chairs beside the fireplace.

"I was stationed to protect a small village from Al-Qaeda." Leon started softly. "There weren't many people, just a small farmland with a few animals and people. Most were children."

He regarded his hands carefully, deep in thought. "It was supposed to be a simple mission. Just keep an eye on the people there, make sure no outsiders come in or try anything funny. One of the farmers there was our inside-man. He knew the organization was full of terrorists and wanted to put an end to it. In exchange for being an informant, he begged us to protect his family and village. So we agreed."

"But one day…everything went south."

Leon was sitting on a bundle of hay, regarding a wrinkled old photo thoughtfully.

"Yo, if you keep glaring at that thing you're going to drill holes into it." A voice from behind him joked. He turned to see a gruff, broad-shouldered man make his way around a few cows.

"Lieutenant Graves, sir." He stood up quick and saluted. The man waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, don't sweat it, kid." He chuckled, patting his subordinate on the shoulder heartily. He peered at the photo in his hands. "Is that your wife and boy?"

"Yes, sir." He smiled fondly as he looked at the pair. "Today would be his third birthday."

"Whoa, big boy now." Graves nodded his head approvingly before shifting his eyes to the woman holding the child. "Wow, such a beauty. I don't know how you can bear to leave them behind, son. That takes courage."

Leon laughed. "Well it's only three more days till this is all over." He looked back down at the photo, lost in thought. "And honestly, when we're done here, I'm thinking of handing in my uniform, sir. It's time I be there for Cedric. I've already missed so much."

Graves eyes widened in surprise and he stroked his beard pensively. "Wow, really now? You're such a good soldier, it would be a shame to lose you but…all the best."

The man grinned appreciatively. "Thank you, sir."

Later that day, the sun was high above their heads when Leon was kicking around a matted old ball with the children. The other soldiers were either standing on guard or snoozing away on the side. Graves was reading a newspaper while the kids screeched with pure glee.

"Whoa! You can't get past me!" Leon laughed as he dodged the kids one by one, all the while keeping the ball securely to himself between his legs.

One boy tried to kick it out from under his legs but suddenly tripped, falling flat on his face. The other children began to giggle, but Leon immediately knelt next to him and lifted his face, seeing tears pool from his eyes.

"Hey, you're okay bud!" He grinned, using his sleeve to wipe the grime from the boy's face. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

"It…hurts…" He whined. Leon shook his head. "Naw, see? Check it out. Not even a scratch! And you got the ball from me!"

The boy quickly looked down and, with pride, noticed the ball in his hands. He shot up and gave a cheeky grin before he tossed the ball back towards the other kids.

Leon smiled and rubbed the back of his head happily. Suddenly, his ears caught a distant whirring sound and he looked around in confusion.

"Sir, do you hear something?" He called.

Graves didn't look up from his page. "It's probably just the wind, son. Or a supply vehicle or something."

'No…it's definitely not wind, or a jeep. That sound…' He began to panic. '…it's-'

His head shot up and in the distance, he saw a tiny black dot in the sky. Cold sweat began to drip down his neck as he reached into his back pocket to take out a pair of binoculars.

'…a helicopter…and it's armed.' He realized with horror. 'But why…how did they find us-'

He turned and regarded his surroundings with wide eyes. All the adults were out in the fields, so if they heard shots, they at least have time to react and hide themselves amongst the trees. But the kids- they're wide in the open and the village is definitely the first target. There weren't enough men to carry all the kids to safety.

'And I can't just yell at them and tell them to run- that'll cause a panic- I have to think of something… c'mon Leon…think…!'

Suddenly, an idea popped in his mind and quickly rushed to the soldiers.

"Guys. Chopper coming in on our 6. It's armed." He alerted urgently but quietly so the children didn't hear. Graves' head shot up from the paper and everyone immediately got to their feet, reaching for their weapon. Leon held a hand out, motioning them to stop.

"Don't. That'll cause them to panic and we'll never get everyone away in time." Leon whispered. He regarded Graves with a steady gaze. "Sir, permission to advise a strategy?"

Graves nodded. "Granted."

"Alright." He looked at one of the men. "Fawkes. Head to the fields and tell the adults what's coming. But let them know the kids are coming so they don't come back here."

The man named Fawkes saluted and ran off. Leon then turned to the others, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Now I have a plan. A stupid one, but it's the only thing that I think will work."

"Let's hear it, we don't have much time." Graves ordered, turning his head to regard the black spot that was slowly growing larger in the sky.

Leon swallowed thickly. "…we're going to play tag."

Everyone's eyes widened comically and Graves wanted to smack his subordinate. "The hell do you mean we're playing a game? This isn't the time for games, soldier-"

"Sir, I know but- these kids… they always want to play. And in order to get them to actually listen, we have to give them some fun." Leon urged. He balled his hands into a fist. "We're wasting time. Does anyone have any better ideas?"

When no one responded, he released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay. Stevens, Brando, Higgins, M u ñez. Start running towards the fields. Run as far as you can, don't stop. Sir," He turned to his superior. "Once the kids start running, stay behind them to make sure no one strays."

Graves nodded solemnly. "Alright. But what about you, soldier?"

Leon, looked at the small huts around them. "I'm going to check around the area to make sure no child is left behind."

The lieutenant narrowed his eyes. "No. It's too dangerous. I'll stay behind-"

"Sir! With all due respect, we don't have time!" Leon blurted uncharacteristically. The men were taken aback by his outburst and he looked down. "We have to do this now."

"On my signal…" He began. "The minute I tell the kids, you all start running, understand?"

They hesitated for a moment but then nodded. He straightened his back and stood tall before taking a deep breath.

"Hey kids! Who wants to play tag?!" He yelled out with forced enthusiasm.

All the kids immediately raised their heads and the men bolted towards the fields. They all screamed with excitement and followed suite as Graves turned to his subordinate.

"Son…" Leon shook his head as he started running back into the homes.

"Sir, go. GO!" He bellowed.

Graves cursed under his breath and before he could second-guess himself, he rushed off behind the children.

Leon burst open the doors, tripping over furniture to check each and every room. By now the wind was picking up and the noise of the helicopter's blades drew closer and closer.

In the last hut, he kicked down a bedroom door and, with horror, found a little girl playing with her dolls. She looked up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

'Shit!" He rushed forward and scooped her up in his arms. She giggled, thinking that he was playing horsey with her again, as he raced out the door. Suddenly, he knelt onto the ground and placed her onto her feet.

"Jahine, listen to me. Everyone is playing tag right now and you're falling behind!" He forced a grin on his face. "If you start running now, you'll catch up to them, okay?"

Jaine hugged her doll tight to her chest. "But I… lose…me too slow."

Leon squeezed her arms as the wind started howling behind him. He didn't dare look behind him. "Jahine, you know you there's no such thing! You trust me, right?

When she nodded, he continued. "As long as you run as HARD as you can, you'll win okay?" He patted her head affectionately.

She finally smiled. "Okay!"

"'Atta girl, now GO! GO! GO!" He gave her a small push and she started bolting towards the field. He kept his eyes on her until she was a mere dot in the distance. Suddenly, he heard a sharp click and looked up to see the clear view of the helicopter, and something falling from it. His eyes widened in horror as he recognized what it was.

A bomb.

As usual, thank you for sticking with me! Love you guys!

Chapter Text

Chapter 29

I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE…Work and life got crazy…

"The last thing I heard was the ear-splitting explosion of the bomb reaching the ground, and the searing pain of my whole body on fire." Leon finished solemnly. He placed his face in his hands with exhaustion and grief. "I…I know I died. So that's why I don't understand why I'm back here, and why I look like…like this."

Ariadne had a hand over her mouth in horror and Jack clenched his jaw. Humanity, despite some exceptions, was disgustingly corrupt. He took a breath.

"Leon, I'm sorry to hear what happened to you but…there's a reason why you've been brought back to life." He started. "I know this is, probably unbelievable but, you have become the Spirit of Winter."

Leon turned to face him with shock. "The…the what?"

"The Spirit of Winter. I know because…I used to be." Jack looked away regrettably. He then shook his head. "…It's a long story but what you need to know now is that there is a Greater Being, someone who is watching over this world. His name is the Man in the Moon, and He chose you to help protect it."

Leon simply stared at him flabbergasted. After a brief moment, Jack felt silly. This guy was a full-on adult, who's seen the darkest parts of humanity. His mind is at least ten times more mature than Ariadne's…there's no way he would-

"I…see." Jack whipped his head and regarded him with wide eyes. Leon gave a crooked smile. "Well, you learn something new everyday, huh?"

Ariadne couldn't help but laugh. "You and me both."

Leon's expression turned solemn. "But why me? I'm sure there's…billions of other people who are more…uh, suitable, than me to be this so-called Winter Spirit."

"Because along with being the Winter Spirit, you also carry the role of being a Guardian. Specifically the Guardian of Fun." Jack explained. He cleared his throat. "Basically, there are these Guardians of Childhood who are spirits chosen or created by Man himself…"

Jack spent the next few moments explaining who the Guardians were, how he became a Guardian in the first place, and his duties. Leon was quiet the entire time and finally nodded his head in understanding.

"But still, you seem worthy because you saved your sister. I hardly seem anything remotely close." Leon glared at his hands, clenching them tightly. "… I killed people for a living…"

Jack shook his head. "You saved so many lives, children especially. And you did it in the way that the Guardian of Fun would have done- making sure there was no distress, fear, or darkness in their hearts." Jack crossed his arms and gave a soft smile. "Trust me, if anyone is worthy. It's you."

Leon returned the gesture. "…thanks. But tell me this. Why did you give up your role? Did something happen?"

Ariadne looked away with guilt and Jack's eyes darkened. "…It wasn't by choice." He muttered.

Leon's eyes flashed, recognizing that something terrible had happened. "Tell me everything."

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKKK)

The night-mares raced across the world with wicked desperation. They peered into every window, every bush, every cemetary…every place they could think of but all they found were live or dead humans.

One of them, however, happened to gallop past a familiar neighborhood. One house in particular felt oddly cold, the air surrounding it prickled with ice. It quietly approached the building and with a fleeting glance, it turned its beady eyes into the living room window and witnessed the occupants. With a victorious whinny, it scampered off into the night sky.

(LINEEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKK)

Leon's eyes were wide in disbelief upon hearing the entirety of the recent events.

"Wow…Santa Claus…the Tooth Fairy…spirits?" He murmured incredulously. He swallowed thickly and reached for his glass of water on his nightstand, thirstily swallowing the remainder of the liquid. "As a kid I was always into monsters and magic…I never knew they were actually real."

Ariadne took the glass from him. "I'll get you some more water."

"No, I'll get it." Jack heaved himself up from his chair and stretched. "I need to stretch these new, longer legs of mine anyways."

"Oh- are you sure?" He plucked the glassware from her fingers.

"Yeah, besides-" He turned away and a shadow cast over his usual bright blue eyes. "You two probably have a lot to catch up on anyways."

Ariadne immediately shot up, reaching out. "Jack, wait-"

But he was already closing the door. Once it shut with a soft 'click', she plopped down back in her chair with a defeated sigh, raising a hand to her face.

Leon's chuckle interrupted her thoughts and she immediately blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I-"

"Nah, don't be. I may not have finished school, but I am bright enough to notice when someone likes someone." He winked. Ariadne's blush deepened.

"L-like? N-no he's just a friend…" She protested, her voice slightly cracking as she waved her hands in front of her. She lowered them and clenched them tightly, her voice suddenly turning solemn. "Besides…ever since you…passed…I told myself I wouldn't fall in love anymore. I couldn't get hurt…not again."

Leon's eyes softened. "Ari…listen. There was something that I really wanted to tell you, well- planned on telling you once I finished my tour.

She looked up and regarded him questioningly. He took a breath. "I know that our relationship was…complicated to say the least. Hell, we had a shotgun marriage because you were pregnant. I know we loved each other, even now I still think I do, but not in the same way we used to. And I think you could sense that and felt the same way."

Ariadne opened her mouth but he held his hand up, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "Our love for each other gradually became more…familial. Like…more obligatory…and the funny thing was, you and I were both okay with that because we had a child. But Ari, that isn't the type of love that we should have."

"What do you mean, obligatory?" She frowned, her brows furrowed with confusion. "Isn't that what love is? Feeling like you should be with someone?"

Leon smiled sadly. "Ari, no. You should be with someone because you want to be with them…because you want them all to yourself…because you can't bear to be apart from them and can't bear the thought of hurting them or making them sad. For example- haven't you noticed that we were okay with not talking to each other for months, even years, while I was on tour? We barely wrote letters to each other. True love should have been missing each other desparately, unable to stand the thought of being separated…that kind of mindset. And when it came to feelings of jealousy or wanting to keep each other to ourselves- we haven't felt that way for each other in a long time."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I wanted an open relationship or anything like that. The concept of that just…boggles my mind and is definitely not something I could see myself doing. That just seems wrong." He laughed uncomfortably. "I'm saying that… I could see that we weren't happy together anymore. Content, yes. Satisfied, yes. But happy, truly happy…no. While I was away, I began to realize that even though we have Ceddy, we should both have the chance to experience a real love, not one of obligation."

"But… I was happy being with you." She murmured softly, as if she was trying to convince herself.

"Im sure you were," He placed a hand on her shoulder gently, "and I was as well but...not in the right way. We were had become comfortable with having each other, and that's different than being truly happy being with each other. We didn't long for each other, we didn't yearn to keep each other to ourselves- we wanted the other person to be happy, even if that meant separating and being with another person."

Ariadne was mystified. "I...I dont understand. It was more than just being… 'comfortable'… with you. You were the one who I could trust and count on- I've always thought these feelings were…love?"

"And I felt the same way about you, you were my confidante, my best friend. But no, love is not wanting to hurt the other person. Real love is wanting to keep them to yourself and feel a…a hollowing pain when imagining them with another person. We stopped feeling like that since Ceddy was born, and that's okay. We both love Ceddy with all our hearts and always will. But now with Jack… I can tell that you and him...well..." He gave a sly grin. "Anyone with eyes can see that's real love."

Aridne was stupefied as her thoughts raced through her mind. She remembered the jealousy she fought to suppress upon seeing Jack being so friendly with Mother Nature, the aching pain in her chest upon his expression when he saw Aurelia again...the longing feeling she experienced when North suggested that he moved away, even though she kept her mouth shut to fight her feelings. Meanwhile, with Leon, she would tease him whenever another person flirted with him- like a sister would to her brother. She felt as though she was holding him back, she never wanted to keep him to herself.

And the acceptance she felt when he had to leave on another tour- she never felt that need or anxiety of not wanting him to go. Granted, she did miss him, but she never went out of her way to write him letters- she always felt independent when he was away. She too would never allow for an open relationship- that concept to her felt foreign, as though there wasn't even a relationship at that point because you're not loyal to a single individual. But she was loyal to him, and he was to her…yet... he was right…because of obligation to each other. She recalled the late night talks they had that occured when he did return briefly: about possibly going their separate ways once Cedric was older. She never "craved" for him during his absence, nor did she feel lonely because he was gone. Rather, she also wanted Leon to find his own happiness. She never felt pain if Leon was hurting emotionally...but with Jack...it was different. His tears made her soul reach for him...his agony made her heart break...

It was only when he died when Ariadne fell apart- not because she lost the man she "was truly in love with"...but because she lost her best friend, the one person who was there for her and provided for her when she was at her lowest point. The man that she did love in a way, but out of familial loyalty and obligation.

Tears began to pool in her eyes as the understanding and newfound guilt welled up in her throat. "Leon...you...you were my best friend...you were everything I had. I feel like I'm betraying you."

Leon smiled sadly but fondly, moving his hand to gently caress her head. "I know, you were mine as well. But Ari, you aren't. You cared and raised such an amazing kid- our kid- on your own. You were there for me as much as I was there for you- and we will forever love each other and care about each other- but in a familial way. You have to let the past go and finally be happy. Our time together was so precious, I'll never regret it. But now that you've found the one person you truly love, you can't give that up. Not for anything." He grinned playfully. "You hear me, soldier?"

Ariadne let out a shuddering breath and couldn't help but laugh- finally finding her resolve. "I hear you, sergeant. Loud and clear."

He opened his arms and she immediately stood to wrap herself around him, finally understanding and appreciating their bond. The gesture was not only a final farewell to what they used to be, but also a welcome to the new future they have together as true friends- unburdened by past obligations and residual guilt.

"Thank you...Leon. And I am so grateful you came back to us." She whispered in his shoulder, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Leon chuckled heartily. "Y'know what? You damn right should be- who else would be able to teach Ceddy how to shoot a gun?"

At that moment however, there was a soft click at the door and a curse. Ariadne pulled herself away and shot up as the door slowly creaked open, revealing a guilty looking Jack holding two glasses of water that appeared to spill onto his hands.

Her ears and face slowly turned as red as a ripe tomato. "H-how much did you hear of that?"

Jack's face fared no better, for his deep blush was a dead give-away despite his contradicting words. "U-uh not much—"

"Fuc-shit—oh my god-I'm just gon—uh—go-" Ariadne spluttered some nonsense before she immediately rushed to the door, shoving herself past the Winter Spirit. Jack himself could do nothing but let himself be pushed back to gape after her.

Leon burst out laughing as Jack's attempt at speech came out as a garbled mess. "I-I was just getting back from refilling the water a- and… I heard you two talking…and got curious so I p-placed my ear against the door to make out the words b-but then i leaned too much- a-and—"

"Dude… just get the girl man and quit bitching!" Leon drawled with an amused twinkle in his new ice-blue eyes, resting back on the pillows with newfound relaxation- as if a burdens been lifted off from his shoulder.

"R-Right. Okay, I'm just gonna put these here-" He stumbled into the room to put the two glasses on the dresser nearby.

"Just GO!" Leon guffawed, and Jack staggered out the room- barely closing the door on his way out.

Leon chuckled softly and crossed his arms with a satisfied and relaxed smile. "Man...its good to be back." He eyed the glasses on the dresser and reached out his arm to attempt to grab his drink, but it was slightly too far. He comically tried swinging his arm around to try to at least grab the lip of it.

"Damn kid… couldn't even bother to put it a bit closer, huh?"

FINALLY, A CHAPTER THAT'S NOT (REALLY) A CLIFFHANGER! You may all rejoice…or throw rotten fruit/veggies at me…I deserve it XD LMAO.

Anyways, leave a comment/pm me your thoughts! Thank you SO much for sticking with me and being patient with these delayed updates…love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 30

Jack rushed into the hallway, craning his neck to barely see in time Ariadne's dark hair disappear around the corner- into her bedroom, he presumed. He raced down the hall- lightly of course to not wake up Cedric- and turned the corner to follow, but instead he practically faceplanted against the closed door.

"Ariadne…" He hissed, rubbing his nose painfully. "Come on, don't be like this. We need to talk about what just happened."

"There's nothing to talk about." Her muffled voice answered from behind the wooden barrier. "It's late, go to bed."

Jack sighed with annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose. Why was she still being so difficult?!

"Ariadne-"

"Jack just…go away." Her voice was now louder, indicating that she was closer to the door. "…please."

The guardian crossed his arms, gritting his teeth. He could just walk away from all of this, he knew that. There was no point in being with a human, or even a relationship in general. Even if he lost his powers, Mother Nature would probably still need his aid and he would need to return to her eventually. There were too many responsibilities on his shoulders, duties he still had to uphold. And honestly, he didn't need to be with anyone to continue living his life.

But there's more to life than just…a job. True, most people spend their entire lives searching for meaning by seeking a relationship, performing certain duties, or pursuing a career. For Jack, being reborn with a purpose and a reason for his existence allowed him to already reach that state of self-satisfaction, happiness. He has been content with his life so far, he needed nothing else… no one else.

But being able to share that happiness with someone, especially if that person causes that happiness to grow…to evolve… he never felt this way about anyone throughout his entire long life. He had his family, of course…but the person just beyond this door… the feelings he had right now…they had to mean something to his already full life. It wasn't just because she saved him. Yes, at first it was admiration, respect, gratitude. But as he spent more time with her… and partially thanks to Jamie's wisdom…he began to realize his own emotions. So he won't let it go, he won't let her go. No matter what.

She didn't give him any sort of new meaning, nor any new purpose.

He just could no longer imagine living his life without her in it.

So he relaxed his stance and placed his hands in his pockets. He held out his foot and made a soft creak in the floorboard, as if he was walking away. He then quietly shifted to the side, leaned against the wall right beside the door, waiting patiently.

(LINEEEEEBREAAAAKKKKK)

Ariadne's ear was pressed against the door, holding her breath as she waited, hoping that he would listen to her and do as she said. When she heard the soft creak of the floor, she released a soft sigh of relief.

She was still reeling from embarrassment that Jack heard her basically confess her feelings towards him. She cupped her cheeks in a vain attempt to cool her hot face as she recalled his expression of shock but also pure…hope…

Yet, she pushed herself up to her feet, hands shaking slightly as she hugged herself while leaning back against the door. Why did she push him away? On one hand, she felt as though she reached a state of inner peace after her talk with Leon, especially now that they've confirmed what their feelings exactly were for each other. But on the other hand… what was she so afraid of? Why not take the chance?

Because it's too risky. A cold voice echoed in her mind. What if things fall apart?

She couldn't help but agree. Especially after realizing that her feelings for Jack were so much more intense than with Leon…there was just too much to lose if something happened between them. She also knew that the problem lied within herself. Twice, she thought about killing herself. Her past, in general, made her too mentally unstable to really sustain another relationship.

She slowly pushed herself off the door and walked to the edge of her bed. This was all for the best. Tomorrow, she would act normal around him, continue to repress her emotions, and live like she used to.

However, once she reached the center of the room, the door creaked open and Ariadne whipped around in a mix of shock and horror upon seeing Jack.

"What the hell-" She took a step back.

Jack gently closed the door with a soft 'click' and turned the lock slowly. He held up both of his hands. "Look, I know what you're thinking-"

"You don't know anything about me." She whispered harshly, appalled that he invaded her privacy, yet also terrified of what he may say. She crossed her arms protectively. "We barely know each other- hell, we've only known each other for a little over a month."

"People fall in love in days, hours, even minutes every day." He murmured softly, though with a subtle grin. "I'd say over a month is plenty of time."

He took a step towards her, but she took a step back in response. He sighed. "Ariadne, stop being so difficult."

"Difficult?!" She squeaked. She continued walking backwards with every step he took, trying in vain to keep the distance between them. "You're the one who's practically…breaking into my room and invading my privacy!"

He ran a hand through his white hair in frustration, pushing his bangs back. "Listen, I'm trying to tell you I love-"

"NO! Don't say that!" She covered her ears and sank to the floor, turning away. The air grew more tense as she remained silent. Finally, she opened her mouth.

"No, Jack. This- this isn't love." She whispered harshly, lowering her hands onto her lap. "Like what we talked about before- down in the kitchen- you merely feel indebted to me because I saved your life."

"So what kind of logic is that?" Jack crossed his arms. "Does that mean that because I feel indebted, I couldn't have also fallen in love with you?"

"Yes... because your feelings are based on feelings of gratitude." Her eyes remained downcast as her fingers clenched into a fist. A bitter taste developed in her mouth as she spoke the next few words, knowing they were nothing but a white lie. "…just like mine were when you stopped that storm five years ago to let me live."

For the longest time, Jack remained silent, and Ariadne released a shaky breath- thinking he finally, finally would let it go-

"…liar."

Before she could react, he grasped her arm and pulled her down onto the bed. She at first attempted to break free and struggled in his hold but he immediately climbed on top of her and wrapped his arms around her, simply holding her in a tight embrace.

She could feel his heart beating fast above her and she couldn't help but melt at the warmth of his body.

"Stop, Ariadne. Just, stop." He murmured, burying his face in her hair. "You have to let the past go."

Tears began to pool at her eyes. Bottom lip quivering, she stammered. "What if I can't? What if the past keeps coming back to haunt me? What if it ruins us?" She released a shuddering sob, letting her tears fall onto her sheets. "I've been through too much… I can't handle another relationship because of my past…and there's too much at risk. What if we fall apart in the future?"

"We won't." Jack raised his head and stared deep in her eyes, blue clashing with brown. He raised a hand to stroke her cheek to wipe away her tears. "If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in me." He grinned lovingly. "Believe in the me who believes in you."

Ariadne blinked at him with wide eyes, taking in his words. She couldn't help but then let out a soft giggle. "What's that supposed to mean? That doesn't make any sense."

Jack's smile widened upon seeing her laugh. "Well, it does to me. If you're ever feeling in doubt, weighed down by your own insecurities…just believe in me and trust me. I'll always be here for you. Nothing will happen to us."

"But-" He suddenly leaned down, capturing her lips with his. Moments passed as they just laid there, for this kiss wasn't meant to be anything suggestive or sexual, but rather an act of a promise, of loyalty, of a vow.

Finally, they parted and Jack kept his forehead leaned against hers. He grinned coyly. "No buts. Okay?"

Ariadne stared deep into his eyes. Despite all the insecure voices filled with anxiety and doubt in her mind, when she saw her reflection in his irises, she felt a sense of belonging and acceptance… that he was someone she was willing to trust and place her faith in.

"…okay." She finally whispered, also releasing a small smile.

They leaned towards each other once more but suddenly there was a soft thud against the window.

They whipped their heads in the direction of the sound. "What was that-?" Ariadne inquired worriedly.

"Not sure, stay here." Jack immediately got up, walking cautiously towards the glass.

As he crept closer, he peered his head to look down at the windowsill and, upon seeing the source of the noise, he chuckled and unlatched the locks that held the pane in place. He placed his fingers underneath the hinge and pulled the window open. Cold wind rushed in and Ariadne held her hair behind her ear, a shiver running down her spine. She watched as he scooped up something small and bird-like. He closed the window and walked back to the side of the bed, sitting down beside her and holding open his palm to reveal the culprit.

A Baby Tooth laid there, face bright red with a blush as she kept squeaking with embarrassment, hiding her face in her small hands with mortification upon what she just witnessed.

"Sorry Baby Tooth, wasn't expecting an audience to peep on us." Jack joked, playfully poking at the little creature. "How perverted."

Baby Tooth shoved his finger away and fluttered out of his hand, flying towards his face and pouting adorably before squeaking more aggressively, as if she was trying to argue with him. He laughed harder before another knock appeared from the window. Both looked over and Tooth, with a few of her other helpers, waved at the couple. Jack once again got up and opened the window.

"Jack, thank god!" Tooth immediately wrapped her arms around him with relief. "I'm so glad to find that you are still here."

"What- why?" Jack hugged her back before pushing her away gently. "I told you guys that I would be staying here didn't I?"

"Well we weren't sure ever since Mother Nature spread the news." She hovered a bit before settling onto her feet. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" Ariadne got to her feet. "Did something happen?"

"You didn't? She's been looking for you all over!" Tooth's wings fluttered anxiously. "Apparently there's a new Winter Spirit- the Man in the Moon just imbued a new human a few hours ago. Everyone's been frantically looking for them all over."

Ariadne turned her head towards the door, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Oh, yeah about that-"

"Do you guys happen to have an idea as to where they could be?!" She was zipping back and forth in the air anxiously as her helpers flew around the room in all directions, expressing her nervousness and agitation. "We searched EVERYWHERE and can't seem to find them!"

"Yeah, I'm trying to say he's-" Ariadne pointed at the door.

"We have to find them IMMEDIATELY! With Death and Pitch out there, who knows what could happen to them—"

"TOOTH!" Jack whispered harshly. "Calm down. We found him. He's here. And you gotta quiet down, Cedric's been sleeping."

Tooth froze in place. "O-Oh…whoops." She nervously chuckled. "Sorry…sorry. Just on edge because…y'know. Don't want the same thing happening as last time…"

Jack sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "Yeah I get it. But you don't need to worry. He's perfectly safe-"

Suddenly two loud gunshots were heard from down the hall, catching everyone by surprise. Ariadne was the first to react.

"Cedric!" She yanked open the door and bolted down the hall. The other two guardians followed suit.

When they rounded the corner, they saw Leon's back against the wall, clutching Cedric tightly to his chest with one arm, while the other held a pistol that was aimed into the boy's room, smoke rising from its muzzle.

"M-Mommy!" Cedric cried, wiggling out of the man's grasp and rushing towards his mother. Jack and Tooth went past the trio to investigate the scene in the room.

"Oh god, Cedric!" Ariadne was on her knees and wrapped her arms frantically around the child. "Are you okay?!"

Cedric peered his large green irises up at her and nodded vigorously. "Of course I am! Daddy saved me!"

Both parents' eyes widened with shock, speechless. Leon slowly clicked the safety back on and stuffed his gun in the back of his belt before he kneeled before the boy.

"Y-You remember me?" The man's voice cracked as he struggled to speak.

Cedric grinned and placed a small hand on his father's face, patting it affectionately. "Duh, why wouldn't I?"

"W-Well because…" Leon stammered, unsure of what to say.

"You look…different…" The boy piped, tilting his head as he inspected his father's visage. "But…Daddy's Daddy. And I remember you being the coolest hero ever! I knew you would come back after you defeated the bad guys!"

Ariadne placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob as Leon sniffed, a traitorous tear escaping down his cheek. He laughed, reaching to pull his son into a crushing embrace.

"I'm sorry, Ceddy. Sorry it took me so long to come back." He murmured in his hair.

"Daaaaaad, leggo of me!" Cedric's muffled voice cried out from his chest. "You're embarrassing me in front of Jack and the Tooth Fairy!"

He chuckled and let go of the boy, who turned back to his mom. "Mommy, can I also dye my hair like Daddy? I wanna look like Jack Frost too!"

Ariadne shook her head and giggled, pulling her child close. Feeling pride well up in her chest, she stroked his hair fondly. "Maybe when you're older." She then turned to her ex-husband. "Leon, what exactly happened here?

Leon stood back up. "No idea, I heard weird noises coming from Cedric's room and I went to check it out. When I opened the door, there was this hideous, black horse-thing and my body moved on its own. Thank god I still have this thing, probably was on me when I died."

Ariadne stood up as well, still holding the boy, as she peeked into the room. Jack and Tooth were standing by what once was one of Pitch's night-mare, which was now a pile of black sand.

"This isn't good. They know you're here." Jack murmured angrily.

Leon blinked in confusion, pointing at himself. "Who, me?" His ice-blue eyes flickered between the three of them, staring a bit longer at the Tooth Fairy than he intended. "Sorry…we haven't met-"

"O-Oh, right sorry." The Guardian of Memories coughed softly, unconsciously fixed the feathers on her brow, before holding her hand out. "I'm the Tooth Fairy."

"Huh…nothing like how I pictured as a kid." Leon drawled smugly. Upon seeing Tooth blush, he grinned coyly before clearing his throat. "Anyways…why are they after me? I literally just came back from the dead, who wants me dead…again?"

Jack coughed awkwardly, pretending that flirtatious exchange between them never happened. He rubbed his temples, thinking deeply. "Not…dead exactly. They want your powers."

Leon, putting all the pieces together, crossed his arms in understanding. "They want to do to me what they tried doing to you."

When Jack nodded, Leon walked back into his room. Moments later, he returned fully dressed in his military gear.

"Well, in that case, I say let's bring the fight to them." Taking out his pistol and switching out the magazine, he pulled the slide back and released it with a sound 'click'. "Let's end this once and for all."

WHOO HOO EPIC FIGHT SCENE COMING UP (at least…I try to make it epic…Im bad at writing fight scenes lol…but I try XD)

Anyways, lemme know your thoughts! Sorry for the late uploads recently...adulting is hard :( haha thank you for being so patient with me, love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 31

So I realize there were a lot of plot holes that needed explanation…sorry about that… hopefully this chapter helps to clear up any confusion. If not, let me know!

Enjoy!

Tooth and Jack exchanged a brief glance before the latter nodded. "You're right. This can't go on. Death is disrupting the balance for…whatever reason…and we need to stop him to fix it."

"If he succeeds in bringing down the four seasonal spirits, like what he did to Aurelia…he could permanently destroy the world as we know it- everything the Man in the Moon and Mother Nature have done for us." Tooth agreed solemnly.

"Then we need a plan. And a damn good one. We can't get caught off guard again." Ariadne stepped forward. "I may be a mere human but I can at least help strategize."

"And I can fight!" Cedric made punching motions in the air. "I'll show 'em what happens when they try to take Cedric Ciaste twice in a row!"

"Oh, no no no Ceddy. You're going to Aunt Navi's house." She began to walk down the hall, despite the boy's protests. "I'll be back soon. You guys figure out the next step in the meantime, I'll be back in a bit."

"Alright." Once she was down the steps, Jack turned to Tooth. "Can you let everyone know to meet here? Judging by the amount of sand left behind, I bet more than one of Pitch's night-mares tried to take Cedric tonight and, when one failed, the other went to report the news. They've been compromised, they won't try to attack here again, making this the perfect place to meet."

Tooth nodded and immediately flew out the window, her little helpers following after. Jack then turned to Leon, staring at his arsenal blankly.

Leon blinked at him before realizing where his gaze landed, looking down at his weapon as well. There was an awkward pause. He then turned his head back up to face him.

"This…isn't gonna do anything to these guys… is it?" He muttered with grim amusement, flipping his gun in his fingers.

"Not in the slightest. Unless you have magical bullets in there. You were lucky you even managed to take out one of those-" Jack faltered, eyes widening in realization. "Wait, what did your shots look like when you fired at the night-mares?"

"Uh…like normal I think?" Leon turned his gun over, inspecting it thoughtfully, "Though funnily, when it hit those horse-things, it sounded more like…ice shattering then a gunshot. I figured since it's below freezing outside, maybe my bullets hit some ice shards or something."

Jack continued staring. "And you said you had this when you woke up?"

Leon nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Jack placed a finger on his chin, deep in thought. "Every one of us, when revived as a spirit, had a weapon beside us. For example, I had my staff, Laverna- the Spring Spirit- has a spear, Elios- the Summer Spirit- has dual blades. Each of these weapons has magical elements attributing to their season. I think this pistol may be yours.

"And you're lucky because it looks like you're already adept at using it." Jack concluded, eyeing it impressively. "It took me about three weeks to master using ice magic with my staff."

"Wait hold up- you're saying I can use magic?!" Leon's blue eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's so friggin' cool!"

"Oh, 'cool' is an understatement- pun intended." Jack grinned sneakily. "How about I show you a few other tricks?"

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAAKKKKK)

Ariadne drove slowly through the cold streets of Pittsburgh. She noted that with Leon's return, the temperature seemed much colder and ice now froze over the roads, so she had to be extra cautious.

Cedric threw a little tantrum when she arrived at Navi's apartment. Fortunately, the woman was staying up late, binge-watching the latest Bachelorette season apparently, and she readily agreed to take care of the boy.

"Girl, I swear to god next time you BETTER tell me everything!" She quipped as she walked out of her kitchen with a plate of cookies, proving to be effective in silencing the child. As he happily munched on the treats, she poked her friend in her shoulder. "I know I keep saying that but NEXT TIME for sure 'cuz right now Hannah's about to choose her final two lovers and IT IS INTENSE. I don't have time to play catch up."

Ariadne gave a grateful smile. "Thanks, Navi. I owe you another one."

She twirled her around and pushed her out the door. "Get goin', get goin'!"

When Ariadne finally arrived home, she noted with horror and, reluctantly, minor amusement upon seeing the giant icicles protruding out her windows and through her roof.

"Holy shit-" She immediately parked her car and rushed into the garage. Rummaging through her purse for her keys, she fumbled them into the lock and burst through the door.

"What the hell did you guys do?! Do you know how much insurance is going to kill my ass for this-" She trailed off as she came into the kitchen, which suddenly seemed much smaller because of the …unique…occupants in front of her.

"Heyyy Ariadne..." Jamie Bennet was awkwardly sitting on top of the kitchen isle, hugging his knees close to his chest due to the lack of space. "We got Tooth's message!"

"Ariadne, so nice of you to join us." Mother Nature greeted soothingly. She was awkwardly perched beside him, also on top of the kitchen isle, sitting in a cross-legged position which would seem childish to any normal person. Yet, any pose Mother Nature was in seemed completely natural and serene.

The Spirit of Summer, meanwhile, was standing off on the side, in front of the patio. Elios gritted his teeth. "'Bout damn time…what took you so long?"

Laverna, the Spring Spirit, somehow was able to balance herself on top of the curtain railings and had laid down on her side, as if she weighed lighter than air. She was chewing a small apple before throwing it at her adoptive brother in disapproval. "Elios, be nice!"

Tooth and her helpers simply hovered in the air to try clearing up floor space for those who couldn't fly and awkwardly waved at the woman.

"AH! ARIADNE! 'ow nice to see you again!" A familiar large-bellied jolly old man bellowed with glee, attempting to get up from the chair that he occupied. North and a few of the giant yetis somehow situated themselves around her tiny dining table and the others grumbled and barked with annoyance as their master tried to shoulder past them, already feeling very claustrophobic to the small dimensions of the room.

Bunnymund himself was originally seated, but had to stand to shove himself against the wall to avoid North's actions. "N-North, ya don't have to hug her every damn time you see her y'know?"

There was a sad squeak and pathetic jingling sound as a poor elf was squished by the movement. North seemed unfazed. "Why, Bunny! 'Is rude to not greet such a beautiful woman-"

"-Okay, I think I finally got it down!" Leon's voice came from the stairwell. He hopped down the flight of steps and held his pistol up in victory, not noticing the arrival of the house-owner, "MAN! Who knew using magical ice powers would be so easy-"

Upon seeing the frowning visage of his ex-wife, he chuckled nervously and immediately held his hands down behind his back, though it was too late. Ariadne noted that his pistol had traitorous ice shards dropping out of the muzzle. "Ari! Hey… uh…sorry about the uh…new furnishings."

Jack came down after him and simply grinned at the woman's disapproved look. "We'll fix it later, don't worry." He turned to the others. "He's ready."

Everyone whooped and cheered but Mother Nature suddenly got down from the isle and walked slowly towards the man. She gently placed a hand on his cheek and Leon's eyes widened with curiosity, but also wonder.

"So…you're the new Spirit of Winter…" She murmured thoughtfully, searching his eyes. Her voice became solemn with grief. "You've seen hell…yet you still hold such purity in your soul. Are you sure you want to fulfill this responsibility?"

Leon simply smiled in response, placing a hand on hers and holding it between his own. "All my life, all I wanted to do was protect people. I thought that by serving…I was doing something right in the world."

His eyes grew dark as he recalled his last moments. "But has been too much evil in the world. Regardless of all the good. So if by becoming this…Winter Spirit…or whatever… helps me bring balance back to how it should be, then I accept. I feel as though I've finally found what I've been searching for. So yes, I am sure."

Mother Nature smiled softly, turning her eyes at the moon. "My Beloved sure knows how to choose people."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the patio and everyone turned to see Sandy waving from outside. When Elios slid open the door, Sandy flew in and immediately symbols flashed rapidly above his head.

It took only seconds for Mother Nature to discern his message. "They're waiting for us. It's time."

"Where?" Jack demanded, standing up straight. Sandy formed more patterns above his head and Bunny frowned.

"The Bermuda Triangle?" He exclaimed incredulously, ears perking up rigidly. "Well…ain't that something."

"But…there's no way we can fight on fair ground there…right?" Leon asked in confusion. "From what I've been told, at least while I was in the force, it's just pure ocean there- do we fight navy style and borrow some ships?"

"No…there is an island right in the center." Laverna interjected, hopping down from the top of the curtains. "It's the origin of where all the spirits were created before they were infused with human bodies. It's heavily shrouded with mystical energy. That's why humans developed this notion that it's a deadzone, where things disappear, never to be seen again- when in actuality, Mother Nature and the Man in Moon implemented a spell in that region to wipe anyone's memory who encounters it. They get teleported back to where they were born, with no recollection of what they did or what they saw."

"Death probably plans to do…whatever he planned on doing if he successfully obtained our bodies…right there." Elios muttered. "He's grown impatient. If we go, we'd be literally serving ourselves on a silver platter."

"'Atever it is, I say no matter. I say we FIGHT!" North shouted, raising his sword high and impaling the poor ceiling with the blade. His fellow yeties cheered with him and the elves squeaked and jingled their excitement.

Sandy, however, frowned and made a stop sign above his head. Jack sighed. "Sandy's right North. You need to hold your hors- …er, yeties in this case. We can't just…fight Death. What kind of outcome are we expecting?"

"Why…to defeat 'im of course!" North responded, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But we don't know how to!" Tooth exclaimed exasperately. "He's the most powerful spirit, next to Mother Nature."

"Can't we just…y'know. Go pew, pew on him?" Leon suggested, making some shooting motions with his pistol. Ariadne frowned and he held his hands up in protest. "Hey, I don't know how old this little girl was!" He gestured to the Spring Spirit, "and I wanted to set a good example. I did say 'pew, pew'…I didn't say ki-"

"I'm 200 years old!" Laverna screeched, blushing with embarrassment. "Just because I'm 5'0 and have this chubby face doesn't mean I'm a kid!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT yes…whatever! You were saying Leon." Jack interjected, rubbing the bridge of his nose with exasperation. "That's the thing. You can't just KILL Death. The Spirit of Death itself is bound to its human vessel at this point. You destroy the body, you destroy the spirit, resulting in destroying the very balance of life itself and everything we've strove to protect."

Leon also frowned, crossing his arms. "Well that seems unnecessarily complicated."

Tooth sighed. "It is but…it's the truth." She perked up, wings fluttering nervously. "M-Maybe we can reason with him- get him to stop all of this and maybe release Aurelia so balance is restored."

Bunny scoffed. "Yeah right, y'think a little goodie-two-shoes pep talk will stop that madman from doing what he wants?"

Tooth opened her mouth to protest but realized she couldn't respond, already knowing the answer.

Jamie coughed awkwardly. "Okay, I'm going to ask a really harsh, and probably stupid, question- but I have to ask anyways." Everyone turned to him and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, suddenly unsure of how to begin. "Okay, so the Man in the Moon chose Leon as the new Winter Spirit right? Couldn't we just…not…go to fight Death? Like why doesn't the Man select another human to be the new Autumn Spirit and we just let the old one go? Why the need for all this bloodshed, when we can just avoid the fight altogether?"

Elios growled but Mother Nature shot him down with a firm glare. "In normal cases, we would never abandon family. You do have a point. Harsh, yes…but valid."

She sighed sadly. "But in this case, it's different. The main issue we have right now is that Death's abuse of his revival abilities has led to the Autumn Spirit itself remaining trapped in Aurelia's human body. The proper process in selecting a new Seasonal Spirit is that when the predecessor's human body dies, the spirit is released naturally from its vessel and the Man in the Moon will guide it to its new host. That's why in this instance, despite it being trapped, the Autumn Spirit is still alive. Thus, the Man in the Moon cannot create a new one. That is the law of the universe that he and I established to maintain balance- otherwise, if let's say we did decide to create another Seasonal Spirit while the other still existed, imagine the calamity that could cause. Rather than alternating seasons, you would have one overpowering the others and completely changing the Earth's ecosystem and climate. The existence of two spirits of one season would overrun the world."

"And in Jack's case, whatever your and Ariadne's medicine did, destroyed the diseased Winter Spirit that once inhabited Jack." She continued, settling down on a nearby chair. "Death's disease worked in a way where it targeted the Seasonal Spirit, weakening it and thus slowly killing the human vessel since the Spirit is essentially the body's soul. The instant the body expires, Death revives it before the Spirit can leave the body, thus efficiently trapping it inside. But in Jack's case, your medicine caused Jack's human body to reject the diseased spirit so that the spirit itself disappeared, and that's why Jack was able to stay alive. That's also why the Man in the Moon was able to create a new Winter Spirit. And that is why if we let Death continue wrecking havoc, the Autumn Spirit will continue to be abused and never be released."

Jamie nodded in understanding, feeling guilty. "Sorry, it was a bad question."

"No, no. You have a legitimate concern." Mother Nature held her hand up and placed it gently on the teenager's shoulder. Her sea-foam eyes softened. "We don't want to fight if we don't need to. My Beloved, I can sense, is in much pain upon witnessing his precious family bear arms against each other, but we have no choice now."

Ariadne was silent for a moment, crossing her arms deep in thought.

"What if…we do what we did before: separate the man from spirit?" She mumbled quietly, but audibly enough for everyone to hear.

WHEW that was a bit challenging to write. Hopefully that clears up some stuff! If not, please feel free to PM me or leave a review- if I made things more confusing…sorry about that… ^_^;;

Also sorry as well if these recent chapters seem a bit slow- I realize that I was rushing and leaving a lot of plot holes so now I'm taking extra time to make sure that things at least add up. If they don't, please PLEASE let me know! I definitely know I need improvement as a writer and would love any feedback anyone has!

And a big thank you to those who are still sticking with me despite this slowness! Love you guys so much, and thank you again for being patient with me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 32

There was silence as they took in her words. "You mean…" Jamie sat up, an idea starting to form in his brain. "Kind of like what we made for Jack but just, altered a bit?"

Ariadne nodded, raising her head up to face them, chocolate eyes sparkling with a twinkle of hope. "What if we could synthesize another vaccine that would force the human body to reject the Spirit of Death?"

She turned to Mother Nature. "Could you ask the Man in the Moon if he has any other candidate in mind to immediately host Death as a vessel?"

The primordial being nodded before closing her sea-foam eyes, taking a deep breath. The room was silent as everyone held their breath in suspense. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"Yes, he does." She whispered solemnly.

"To do be able to create such a vaccine though, we would need a sample of Death's blood." Jamie interjected. "And I highly doubt he'd just hand some over to us."

"More like goddamn impossible." The Summer Spirit growled. Elios came forward to stand in front of Ariadne in two large strides, towering over her small figure with intimidation. "Besides, we all know how well your…concoction …worked last time. You goddamn destroyed the Winter Spirit. If you kill Death itself, there is no knowing what irreparable damage you will have caused to this world."

Laverna nodded grimly from behind him. "Can't believe I'm saying this but, Elios is right. If Death is destroyed, Mother will again experience her home folding in on itself due to overpopulation. And the Man in the Moon is no longer as powerful as he was in the past before creating all of us, he can't re-create a whole new primordial being like Death. It's basically the same as creating a whole new Mother Nature."

"I get that but this time I'll get it right. I know what I did wrong before, and I can be sure this one is flawless." Ariadne straightened her chin to stare right back up into his fiery gaze unflinchingly. "I promise."

A smirk twitched on the corner of his lips as he tried to maintain his daunting stare. "Well now, aren't we confident?"

"The only issue with that is…" Mother Nature's soft voice came from the side and everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes shone with worry. "Let's say somehow we do succeed in separating the spirit Death from his host…what if Death continues his spree? What if he just continues doing what he has been doing in his next human vessel?"

Everyone grew silent once more as they pondered her words. Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully before taking a breath.

"I have a feeling…that Death isn't actually doing this because it wants to…" He murmured hesitantly. "I think it's doing this because the human himself is abusing its powers for his own reasons."

Elios barked a harsh laugh. "HA! Always the softie. You think deep down in that dark soul of his, Death's a good guy?"

"I think that the spirit itself has continued to do its best to maintain balance since the beginning of time, despite all the negative connotations the people in this world has placed on it, people such as yourself." Jack spat out angrily. "I think we should at least be more open-minded about this- remember, the spirits are not just tools. They have a conscience as well."

Jamie raised his head questioningly. "What do you mean? Isn't the spirit and its human vessel basically the same person?"

"Technically, yes. But, no." Laverna responded. Upon seeing Ariadne, Leon, and Jamie's confused expression, she placed a finger on her lips, tapping thoughtfully before she took a breath. "Think of it this way. There's this disease that some humans get? Where you hear voices in your head? Schicho- no… schimo-"

"Schizophrenia?" Ariadne suggested hesitantly.

"Yeah that!" Laverna pointed her finger at her. "The spirit that resides in us are like that!"

"…So you're saying that you…hear voices- the spirit's voices- while being the one same person?" Ariadne answered quizzically.

Laverna nodded. "We are physically and spiritually these spirits, but the spirits still possess their own conscious as they reside in our bodies. We have our own thoughts and personalities, but we can still talk to the spirits that reside in us. They're not just a 'tool' that allows us to use our powers. They are an actual manifestation inside of us."

"And there may be a possibility that Death- or this human who is currently the human vessel for Death- may be ignoring the Spirit of Death that is in him and instead, just abusing its power." Jack proposed. He then raised a hand to his head, massaging his temples. "Though, this idea is admittedly giving me a huge headache."

"It's…confusing…but entirely possible." Mother Nature answered cautiously. "But how can we be sure of this without risking everything?"

Suddenly, Ariadne's eyes lit up as if a lightbulb brightened above her head. She came up and grabbed Jamie's arm. "Jamie- what if we-"

He also had a wicked gleam in his eyes, immediately clasping her shoulder. "I was just thinking the same- we could-"

"What are you guys whispering about over there?" Elios grumbled. Laverna swatted him on the arm.

Ariadne straightened. "Sorry, we just had this – have to say - genius idea."

Jamie grinned. "Have you heard of electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT?"

The group shook their head and Jamie took a breath. "Basically it's used to treat people with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or depression. It involves placing electrodes along the patient's skull and electrical impulses are applied to certain lobes in the cerebral cortex in order to stimulate neurological effects."

Everyone continued to regard him blankly and Jamie rolled his eyes. "…It electrocutes the brain."

"AH! BRILLIANT JAMIE! Why didn' ya say this before?" North bellowed with excitement. He then paused. "But uh…'ow does it work?"

"Like Jamie described, you place wires- or electrodes- along the individual's skull and then you induce an electrical current." Ariadne explained. She walked over to a nearby desk and rummaged through the contents in a drawer, taking out a notebook and pen. Holding up the paper, she drew a diagram.

"In humans with mental disorders, the procedure- if done correctly- usually results in the patients becoming less manic…or less 'crazy'." She outlined, depicting a human brain with her sketch. "The treatment's supposed to help bring them down to a calmer state because the electrical stimulus, which is applied at a low voltage in short intervals, usually causes a seizure, which sort of "re-sets" the brain. Kind of like an electrical shortage during a storm, a massive electrical outburst between two currents that causes the entire structure to shut down."

"This is why, as you can probably tell, there are some dangers to using electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment." Jamie interjected. "The mechanism of it is not quite fully understood, and that's why it is actually not used that much anymore. In fact, one of the greatest risks is that it could actually cause the patient to enter a comatose state if too much electricity is applied, which is where he or she becomes unconscious. In our case, however, we can use it to our advantage. If we can cause Death- its human vessel- to reach this comatose state… then theoretically, we will be able to communicate with the spirit of Death since it won't be inhibited by its human body."

"But how do we actually communicate with it? None of us are telepaths…we haven't been able to actually talk to Death itself, only through its human vessel." Laverna inquired, doubtful but intrigued with the idea. "Also, what if the human wakes up?"

"As long as the electricity is continuously applied at a moderately strong voltage, he should remain dormant." Ariadne then turned to Mother Nature. "You were the only one who actually knew the Spirit of Death and spoke to it, correct?"

The primordial being nodded solemnly. "Yes, but that was eons ago. At the beginning of this world's birth. I also have not spoken to its spirit form since then, and I'm not sure even how to at this point."

"I feel like since you two were the original spirits of this planet, it should respond to your voice despite being in numerous human vessels across time." Ariadne postulated, placing a finger under her chin, deep in thought. "Theoretically speaking, even as a spirit, there should be some physiological connection since it's reliant on its human body. If it is really being abused by this human, by inducing a comatose state and thus disinhibiting the activity of the human brain, the spirit should be able to tell us somehow."

Jamie turned to the guardians. "Has your spirit ever openly communicated using your vocal cords, like your body's vocal cords?"

They glanced at each other before shaking their heads. "We only ever hear the voices of the spirits inside our minds." Bunny responded hesitantly. "We may not be scientists like you, mate, but I don't believe they can really use these human bodies- otherwise, we may as well not have our own conscience and just let our spirits control us, eh?"

"Fair point." Jamie admitted. "If the spirit can't utilize the vocal cords to talk to us, then how do we know if it is being abused or not?"

Ariadne bit her lip, thinking deeply. "Any form of communication is technically a type of wave. Talking, for example, is a soundwave. Reading or text, is a lightwave which our eyes can see. Our own thoughts are a type of brainwaves, generated by the interactions between our brain cells. So maybe, since the spirit resides in the mind of its human vessel, it should communicate via brainwaves. Therefore, if we install an audio amplifier to the electrodes, we could convert any outbound brainwaves emitted into a discernable language."

"So you're talking about installing like a speaker of sorts, one that will elicit whatever the Spirit of Death would want to tell us." Jack murmured in understanding.

Ariadne nodded, but Jamie held his hands up. "Alright, playing devil's advocate again, but what if the Spirit of Death tells us 'ahhh please save me, I'm being controlled by this human man, he's forcing me to do his bidding' or whatever…and pretends to be the victim when in actuality, everything was caused by it in the first place. It would simply be removed and placed in a new body, and wreck havoc on the world again."

Elios chuckled darkly. "That's the funny thing with you humans. Spirits are not capable of deceiving, they only tell the truth. Humans were the ones who created the art of lies and deception."

Laverna frowned, swatting him on the arm once more. "Again…hate to admit it. But Elios is correct. The good thing with this plan is that the Spirit of Death will tell us with true honesty whether it is behind this madness, or just a victim to its human vessel."

"Great, so let's do this!" Tooth squealed with newfound enthusiasm.

"Ehhhh, not so fast." Jamie sighed with frustration. "Again, not constantly trying to be a glass-half-empty guy here, but we would need a real engineer to create this…communication device… to implement this entire plan. I mean, I could make one but I would need at least a week- which we definitely do not have."

Ariadne's eyes suddenly widened with realization. "… Well…you and I both know a certain genius engineer who may be able to whip something up like that."

Jamie paled in response, generating a confused exchange of glances between the magical beings around them. "Y-You don't mean- he'll kill us if we ask, let alone if we approached him at all! His first and only rule about letting anyone work in his lab was never to reach out to him!"

She rolled her eyes. "He's the only one with the capabilities to make a device like this, and the resouces! I doubt he'd actually kill us, who would run his lab if he did."

"But again, we don't have time!" Jamie argued. The room was silent for a moment before Sandy suddenly formed a series of symbols above his head. Bunny regarded him before nodding in understanding.

"Sandy says that we can stall at most, maybe 12 hours." He explained sternly.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up- hang on for just a damn second!" Elios scoffed angrily with skepticism, holding his arms out with exasperation. "Really guys? You all really think this bullshit plan's gonna work?"

Everyone fell back silent, but Jack simply crossed his arms. "Yeah, I do."

Leon, meanwhile, simply grinned at the Summer Spirit. "Yo, chill dude. You're looking at the smartest person I know. Trust me, I married her!"

Elios jeered before turning to his adoptive mother. "Mother, you can't- you can't be serious about trusting this measly human with such a responsibility, right? If she fails again, it's all over!"

"Elios, stop it!" Tooth interjected, flying beside him. "That's so cruel to say-"

"No, he's right." Everyone turned to regard Ariadne, who stood up tall, straightening her back. She took a deep breath.

"I know that I messed up before. Badly. I caused Jack to lose the most precious thing to him. I took away his powers, his sense of purpose."

Jack gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ari-"

"But nonetheless. I want to do everything in my power to fix this. I know I'm asking a lot of everyone but at least let me try." She suddenly bent forward, bowing deeply. Her dark hair shadowed her face and everyone glanced at each other worriedly, unsure about how to respond to her sincere gesture.

"Please, I'm begging you." She murmured softly. "Let me try to fix this."

Elios gritted his teeth. "You're asking us to risk our LIVES on some bogus theory-"

"That's enough, Elios."

Everyone turned to Mother Nature. She had an angry look in her eyes as she came forward and placed a hand on each of Ariadne's shoulders. "Ariadne, raise your head."

The woman slowly straightened her back and regarded the primordial being with a wary expression, slightly intimidated.

Mother Nature raised an arm and Ariadne squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for an attack. Instead, however, she felt herself drawn into a warm embrace.

"M-Mother-" Elios gaped.

"You have done so much for us in these dark times." Mother Nature's voice was soft and soothing as she held the woman. "Despite any hopelessness that we encounter, you constantly use your mind to think of innovative solutions. You never give up hope, you always look forward beyond the darkness that faces us right now."

She pulled away and regarded her, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "I can tell that you have also suffered in the past. That is why you have become the person you are today. So I say yes, we will gladly risk our lives for you. I trust that this idea of yours will work."

"Mother, you can't be serious!" Elios stepped forward, arm waving accusingly. "If she fails, then-"

"Everything is destroyed, yes I am aware." She turned slowly to face her adoptive son. "And if it does, we can say that we at least tried our best, right?"

"Mother, that's not-" Elios groaned, placing a hand on his forehead with exasperation. "That's not how we should approach this!"

"Oh shut up, Elios!" Laverna chirped, kicking him in the shin. As he doubled over, hissing in pain, she turned to the others, raising her spear high above her head. "I'd say Mother is right! I'd say we do this, who's with me?!"

Everyone around her cheered and Ariadne released a sigh of relief. "Thank you, everyone, truly."

Jack reached down to squeeze her hand affectionately. "We should be thanking you."

She regarded him with a grateful smile, squeezing his hand in return, before turning to Jamie. "Alright, so to be clear. This is the plan: step 1, figuring out whether the Spirit of Death is truly behind all this by using ECT and the audio amplifier; step 2, if it is not, we forcibly separate it from its human vessel by using a vaccine."

"The second task will be daunting," She continued solemnly, "because like Jamie said, we would need a sample of Death's blood, but we can obtain that while he's in his unconscious state. And, using North's snowglobe, we can bring it back to the lab to synthesize the vaccine before returning and administering it to Death himself, releasing the spirit and killing the human body, which will end this chaos once and for all. Then, the Man in the Moon will guide the spirit to a new host, maintaining the balance in this world. Does this plan make sense to everyone?"

The party slowly nodded their heads in agreement, and Mother Nature closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. "My Beloved is alright with this plan."

Ariadne sighed with relief, her mind reeling, but alert to the major task at hand. "Alright then, we have no time to waste. Jamie, let's go."

"B-But I don't wanna— I-I'm scared- If we go and ask him…he'll k-kill us! " He spluttered fearfully. However, the woman grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him out the door despite his whimpers.

"We will have the device ready within 10 hours and meet you there." She called over her shoulder, ignoring her lab partner's whines.

"ARIADNE, WAIT! You a'most forgot! " She turned upon hearing North's rambunctious voice and barely managed to catch the multiple flying snowglobes that were thrown in the air towards her in time.

"Say where you want to go, and throw that to open a portal!" The jolly old man bellowed, patting his belly. She smiled gratefully in response. "Right, thank you North."

Once she was out the door, Jack turned to the others, straightening his clothes. "Alright, let's go."

"Whoa, hold your jumpers, mate." Bunny hopped to his side and gently placed a paw on his shoulder. "You're staying, we're going."

WOW this chapter was hard to write…sometimes I feel like I overthink too many things. Sorry if things became confusing again. If anyone is totally lost, please let me know because I know my writing isn't perfect and could use some improvement.

Nonetheless, thank you so much for staying with me and for all the reviews so far! They really mean so much to me and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you for reading this! Leave a review or PM your thoughts! Love you all!

Chapter Text

Chapter 33

We're rapidly catching up with the chaps on FF! Apologies if the uploads become even more delayed since it takes me a while to write everything out!

Anyways...enjoy!

Jack's eyes widened with shock. "What?! Why? This is my fight too!"

Tooth fluttered down beside him. "Jack, you have no powers anymore. You're just a human- there's no way that you'll survive in the battle."

Jack gritted his teeth and looked away angrily, knowing she was right.

"Sorry, mate." Bunny shrugged helplessly. He then turned to the others. "We better get going-"

"Hannngggg on a sec."

Everyone turned to regard Leon with surprise at his outburst. The new Guardian of Fun in question scratched his chin thoughtfully, as a grin slowly began to spread across his face.

"I may have an idea- for the first time in my life." He slapped his thighs and headed to the patio, sliding the door open. "A crazy one- but an idea nonetheless!"

He hopped down the steps of the backyard deck. "So Mother Nature, since I'm the new Spirit of Winter, that means naturally, I have ice powers right?" Everyone cautiously peering out the door after him.

"Yes…?" The primordial being stepped out onto the wooden deck as she murmured in confusion.

Jack, who also came out onto the deck, crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at the dumb question. "Duh, man. That was what we were training for earlier!"

Leon's grin was cat-like. "I know, I know. But technically, since I have these…" He waggled his fingers around "…magical jazz hands…I can infuse an object with ice magic right?"

In his mind, Jack's thoughts began connecting the dots together. A slow smile also spread across his face in realization. "Yeah… that's what I did eleven years ago… back when Pitch broke my staff the first time."

Leon's grin faltered a bit, his ice-blue eyes bugging out of his sockets. "Oh…dude… man that's rough. I had no idea-"

Jack waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine- anyways, you were saying-?"

"Oh, right. SO, like I was saying…" Leon finally reached one of the large oak trees that loomed over the grass. He took a deep breath and crouched down, a rush of wind circulating about him, before leaping up high in the air.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!" He yelped as he waved his arms around as he shot up. He barely managing to hang onto one of the top branches. "I WAS AIMING FOR ONE OF THE LOW BRANCHES! WHAT THE FU-!"

"Oh right, forgot to tell you." Jack called, laughing slightly, as he leaned over the deck's railings. "Leon, meet the Wind. You two are partners now- she helps you…uh…get places let's say."

"YA COULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME SOONER?" Leon shouted from the top of the tree. He squeezed his eyes shut, not liking heights, before shaking his head to bring himself back to focus on his task at hand. With a harsh grunt, he yanked off a thick branch.

"Alright, Ms. Wind… could you let me down?" He clutched the branch tight to his chest, a hint of fear creeping in his voice. "…please?"

The Wind seemed to laugh as the foliage around them rustled with the breeze. She gently lowered him to the ground and he gasped with relief, landing on all fours. He shoved his face into the grass, inhaling the dirt deeply. "Oh sweet mother of land…"

Elios, who remained inside the kitchen, groaned upon seeing the display. He slapped a hand over his face. "Winter is doomed."

"ANYWAYS!" Leon shot up and held the branch out horizontally, grasping it with both hands. "Let's see if this works."

He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, an icy mist coming out of his mouth. Suddenly, the air around them grew frigid and a light azure glow emitted from his body. The Wind seemed to pick up and circulated around his form as the branch that was once a dull, wooden shade of brown began to glow blue. A blinding light shot out from the inside until finally, there was a huge burst of icy wind that flew in all directions.

One of the yetis stood in front of the patio door, using its thick fur to brace against the impact, while Jack stepped in front of Mother Nature, holding an arm over his face protectively as the gust of frosty debris flew towards them. The howl of the gale roared past them for several minutes before finally, there was silence. Blinking his eyes to get rid of the ice that clung to his eyelashes, he saw before him Leon, grinning as he held out the branch- now turned staff, which was now shimmering with an ice-blue glow.

"I dub thee, my fellow Winter Spirit." He announced with a feign accent, huffing his chest out with pride.

Jack smiled as he slowly got up to his feet. Behind him, Mother Nature's eyes widened with shock.

"Amazing…" She gasped with awe and wonder. "How did you-?"

Leon shrugged. "You tell me, I'm new to this magic thing. My gut told me to do it, so I did!"

Laverna peaked out from behind the yeti, eyes shining with excitement. "He must have channeled some of his magical powers into that branch to imbue it with ice powers." She leapt over the beast and rushed beside Jack and her adoptive mother.

"Jack, this is it! This is what you can use to fight!" She was jumping up and down with excitement, but Mother Nature placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But be careful Jack." She touched the staff carefully, her sea-foam eyes turning ice-blue as she studied its magical signature. "Despite Leon's good intentions, it seems that this staff has limited magic and can only be used to fight temporarily."

Jack nodded and swallowed thickly, reaching out to grasp the staff. He felt his body react to the familiar magic, a surge of cold, frosty energy radiating through his limbs. He squeezed his eyes shut, wincing slightly as his fully-human body struggled to adjust to the dangerously low temperature. Soon, he opened his eyes, his ice-blue irises shining brighter than ever, as he gripped the wood firmly. He released a breath, icy mist emitting from his lips.

"Temporary is better than nothing." He murmured, grinning at Leon. "Thank you."

Leon held his hands behind his head and shrugged. "Nah, what are friends for?"

"WEEEEEEEHOOOO!" North charged through the patio, resulting in the poor yeti getting thrown to the side.

"NOW WE GO!" He reached into the inner pockets of his fur coat, throwing out a bunch of snowglobes. "ORIGIN ISLAND, BERMUDA TRIANGLE!"

The wind again raked through the yard as numerous portals opened in front of them, ocean waves of the Bermuda Triangle. A small island, covered with large boulders and palm trees, was seen below.

"LEGGO!" He dove into a portal and his yeties barked after him anxiously, one by one diving in after him. Phil slapped a paw over his face and grumbled at his master's recklessness, giving the others an apologetic shrug before leaping in, jingling elves stumbling in after them.

"Damn old man…" Bunny also sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Alright mates, see ya on the other side. Let's pray this all works out." He hopped in and Sandy, after showing a skull icon above his head, also flew in.

"Sandy's right. We are so dead." Elios growled, taking out his dual blades before leaping into a portal.

Tooth and her assistants fluttered anxiously in the air. "Oh dear… well, Jack! I'm glad you got some of your powers back but…this will surely be dangerous…! See you soon!" She flew into another portal.

Laverna shrugged. "Don't get why she's so worried- you were the best fighter out of all of us when you had your powers! Oh, don't tell Elios I said that!" She winked before following.

Leon, in turn, cocked his gun as the Wind wrapped herself around his body. He gave a mock salute to his predecessor. "See you on the other side, buddy!" He leapt backwards into the portal.

Mother Nature stepped towards one of the portals, releasing an anxious breath. "10 hours, right?" She inhaled deeply, a golden light emitting from her form. She slowly rose from the ground, now hovering in the air as magical energy enveloped her. Her eyes opened and her once sea-foam irises were now shining with white light.

"I can sense his forces, his rage..." Her voice tremored with power as she regarded the scene through the portal. "Death has built an army. This will not be an easy fight." With a burst of light, she disappeared into a portal.

Jack took another breath, allowing the ice magic to envelop his form entirely. Feeling his human limbs now fully adjusted to the magic, he swung his staff around in one hand, hammering the end of it to the ground.

"Then let's make it one." He muttered before diving in.

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAKKKKKKKK)

"Ariadne- pleeaassseee don't make me go in!"

Jamie was clinging onto the car door handle while said woman, in vain, kept trying to pry him off. "Jamie, come on! You know this is the only shot we got, and we don't have time for this!"

Jamie looked at her with large chestnut-brown puppy-dog eyes. "BUT…but…"

"No buts!" She rolled her eyes and finally plucked his fingers off the car. "Come on, let's go!"

Jamie whimpered as he begrudgingly allowed her to lead him up the steps to their lab building. As they made their way into the elevator, she pressed the 13th floor and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

"You wanna know what he did to me when I first applied to join this lab?" Jamie leaned against an adjacent wall and held his face in his hands, recalling his memories with wide, horrified eyes. "He threw wrenches at me, Ariadne. WRENCHES! Shouting nonsense like if you can dodge all these wrenches, you have great intuition and dexterity to run experiments. What kind of madman would do that?!"

Ariadne couldn't help but release a smirk. "Oh shut it. At least you dodged all of them."

"I COULD'VE DIED!" Jamie all but screeched.

"Hey, he placed me in a boxing ring with his two sons- one was a Judo champion and the other a Mixed Martial Arts master." She shuddered at the memory. "Said that to show my resilience and determination to perform various scientific studies, I had to last thirty minutes in the ring against them. So I did, and I got the job."

Jamie's eyes bugged out of his sockets. "Wait, weren't you pregnant at that time?"

She shrugged. "He let me wear a torso protector."

Finally, the elevator reached the floor and when the doors slid open, she headed out first, towards a dimly lit office at the end of the hall. Jamie groaned, cursing to himself, before he grudgingly followed.

She gave three solid knocks before the door creaked open an inch. A wild bespectacled eye appeared.

"I tol' you to NEVER come to ma office." His voice was angry and harsh, but his eye had a glint of irrepressable curiosity. "You youngin's must have a death wish."

Ariadne sighed heavily. "Dr. Wetzel, please. This is urgent and we really need your help."

"…mo' urgent then the streptuberculosis fusion project?" He grumbled with a raspy cough.

"S-Strepto- wha-?" Jamie stammered.

Ariadne simply shook her head at him before turning her attention back to the door. "Yes, sir. Urgent as in global extinction is a high possibility."

Suddenly the door was yanked open from inside, revealing a short, gruff-looking man about 4.5ft tall. His lab coat was barely white, as it was stained with so many colors that others could mistake it as a palette, and he scratched his wild, untamed hair and a thick, gray mustache that grew past his chin. "WELL. Why din't ya say so from the start?! Come, come. I make whiskey."

Jamie leaned towards Ariadne, whispering. "Shouldn't it be tea at this hour?"

She only smirked at him in response, following the old man into the office. Dr. Wetzel hopped over piles of books and papers, crawling to the top of one particular filing cabinet to pull out beakers of mysteriously colored liquids, before he climbed back to the floor.

"Sit, sit." He rasped, kicking over a few piles of paper to reveal some wooden stools. As they managed to seat themselves, he himself, careful not to spill the liquid, sat in a large, leather office chair. He opened one of the drawers to bring out some empty flasks, mixing and pouring the mysterious liquid into the glass containers, before handing it out to the duo.

"Now, drink, and tell me- what this about?" He downed his glass in seconds before giving a violent cough.

Jamie cautiously sniffed his drink and subtly put it to the side as Ariadne took a breath. "Dr. Wetzel, we need you to build an ECT device-"

"BAH. BORING." He exploded, adjusting his spectacles with a wrinkled hand, before pouring more liquid into his glass beaker.

"-with a brainwave audio amplifier built into it." She finished lamely.

That peaked his attention. "Brainwave audio amplifier? What for?"

"Long story short- we need to get into someone's mind." Jamie nervously rubbed his hands together. "And we need this built like…right now."

"I know it's a bit complicated," Ariadne brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "But lives are at stake- can you do this?"

Dr. Wetzel leaned back in his chair with a huff, closing his eyes. For a few minutes, the room was silent except for the soft whirring sounds of his ancient computer. Finally, he opened his eyes and barked a laugh, glasses jostled on his face. "AH HA HA… ah, why not? Work so boring anyways. Was 'oping to find a challenging project. Gimme few hours."

He downed his drink once more, gave a harsh wheeze, before hopping down from his chair to rummage through a pile of books, digging out some wrinkled sheets of paper.

He took out a grimy pen and began to sketch. "Hrm. Need this 'ere to induce electrical current… need this to stabilize voltage…and this…" Finally, after a few moments, he held the pages out to Ariadne.

"Girl. Go collect the parts listed 'ere. Boy, come with me. We start building now." He turned towards the door and swatted through the towering piles of binders around him.

Jamie peaked over Ariadne's shoulder as she turned the pages over. Their eyes widened in shock and awe, recognizing that it was a set of crude blueprints.

"Holy shit…he developed this design in minutes…?" Jamie whispered incredulously.

"OY! YOU SAY YOU NEED THIS NOW. SO NOW WE GO. TIME'S A' WASTIN'." Dr. Wetzel's gruff voice bellowed from the door.

Jamie squeaked with fright and leaped away from Ariadne. "Well, good luck- to both of us I guess." He gulped anxiously before heading over.

Ariadne clutched the sheets, eyes shining with determination. "I'll get these parts. See you in a bit."

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAKKKK)

The ocean was calm in the Bermuda Triangle, with a soft breeze blowing throughout the island. A few dolphins leapt out of the water in the distance, almost as if they were trying to reach the bright blue, cloud-less sky above. Sitting on the sparkling gold sand were two figures, appearing to be sunbathing.

Suddenly, the sky darkened to grey. The wind was no longer calm, but instead growing increasingly violent as lightning soon flashed amongst the thickening clouds. Numerous portals began to open, one by one scattering across the atmosphere.

Pitch Black, one of the figures, looked up, unimpressed. "How adorable, they think they even stand a chance." He drawled, taking a sip of what appears to be a martini in his hands.

The other chuckled darkly. "Just as I predicted, as usual." Death crossed his arms as he observed the weather phenomenon above. "Mother Nature sure loves to flaunt herself."

Suddenly, a searing burn pierced throughout his brain and he doubled-over, gasping in pain. He gripped his hair in anger as a familiar voice echoed throughout his mind.

Please, stop this! I know you are still grieving but…it's not too late.

He grinned bitterly. "And here I thought I finally got rid of you."

Pitch glanced at his slouched figure and took another sip. "Still fighting, I see?"

The man clenched his jaw before opening his eyes once more, his once hazel-eyes now a bloody-red shade. "No. We are in agreement." He muttered coldly. His eyes soon went back to their normal shade.

The Boogeyman shrugged before finishing the rest of his drink. "This is why you primordial beings are so difficult. My spirit and I were always in agreement; we never fought, never conflicted."

Death ignored his accomplice and got to his feet, dusting off debris of sand from his navy-blue suit. "On your feet."

Pitch rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers. Shadows danced across the sand as night-mares slithered out from the darkness, snorting and stomping their feet in anticipation.

Death's hands glowed purple, a bloodthirsty aura emitting from his very core.

"Let's finish what we started."

Lemme know your thoughts! Again, thanks so much for sticking with me and being patient with me all this time :)  You guys rock!

Chapter Text

Chapter 34

Whew sorry guys for the late update! This chapter was pretty tough to write- I'm really really bad with fight scenes lmao…so I am open to hearing feedback especially with this chapter since it's something I need to work on!

Anyhoo…ENJOY!

Blood scattered across the sandy beaches as magical creatures of all sorts continued clashing against each other in a violent battle. Above their heads, beasts raged in the sky admist the thunder and lightning. Sandy and Pitch Black were engaged in a heated duel in the clouds, black and gold sand clashing head-to-head. In the waters, Jack and Leon managed to create platforms of ice as they fought against zombified sea creatures that continued attacking them from below.

"We've been at this for hours!" Bunny roared from the shore, where he and his stone-egg warriors continued fighting off the night-mares.

Elios wasn't too far away as he slashed at zombified creatures that crawled around him. "This is a waste of time, we're throwing out lives away for what, some mere human?!"

"She'll be here!" Jack bellowed, casting a hailstorm of ice to rain down in the water. "She just needs a little more time!"

Leon shot above them as skeletonized hawks swooped down with razor-sharp talons. "Yeah, have a little more faith in the human race will ya?! Weren't you one not too long ago?!"

"Yeah, and when she gets here, we won't!" Elios retorted angrily, spinning his swords to shoot a torpedo of fire around him. "And that was ages ago!"

Suddenly, Tooth flew down besides Jack, out of breath. "Jack! Mother Nature- she's fighting Death and…and- it's not looking good-"

Jack quickly glanced at Leon, who nodded his head. "Go! I got this!"

He leapt high into the sky, thanks to the Wind's assistance. However, as soon as his feet left the ice, the skeleton of a blue whale suddenly breached the surface, shattering the frosted platform they created.

"HOLY SHI-" Leon yelped as he grappled with his footing.

"LEON!" Jack immediately began to descend back down but Leon turned his body in time to shoot at the water with his pistol, creating patches of icebergs. He managed to twist his body and tumbled down to break his fall.

"I'M ALRIGHT, I'm alright. GO!" He hollared, groaning in pain as he got up to his feet.

Jack hesitated but Tooth grabbed his arm. "I'll stay with him- you get to Mother Nature."

Without waiting for his response, she dove down, hundreds of Baby Teeth following. As she landed beside Leon, her helpers immediately latched onto the zombified blue whale and began attacking with their beaks. Within seconds, the bones of the mammal shattered into millions of pieces.

Leon regarded the scene with wide, horrified eyes. "Remind you to never get on your bad side…" He gulped cautiously.

Tooth gave a nervous chuckle before Leon grinned. "Not that you have one of course."

She blushed but a zombified seal leapt out of the water onto their ice platform, releasing a sickening screech. Leon immediately turned around and engulfed it with ice before slamming into it with the butt of his gun, effectively shattering it to bits. "But I guess, we should probably focus on the task at hand."

Jack regarded the scene below him, shaking his head with disgust and slight amusement. He reminded himself to question Ariadne why she married such a sweet-talker before flying towards the cliffs on the south end of the island, where there was a violent clash of gold and purple light amist the heavy rain.

As he came closer, he noted with dismay that Mother Nature was on the defense. The dark magic that Death was throwing at her proved far superior as she couldn't help but take steps back with every attack, edging closer and closer to the cliff's end.

"Not so powerful now, huh, Mother Nature?!" The ghastly man bellowed, channeling more and more power with every burst of light that he threw from his hands. "Without the Autumn Spirit to do your bidding, you've grown weaker!"

The primordial being couldn't respond as she continued shielding herself with her magic. In response, Jack clutched his hook tighter in his grip, feeling the temperature grow cold around him. With a savage cry, he swung his weapon forward and a rain of icicles came down from the roaring skies.

She looked up above her with grateful eyes. "Jack!"

Death, however, nimbly leapt backwards to dodge the vicious attack. As he regarded the two spirits in front of him, he cracked his neck and straightened his back.

"Ugh, two against one? Isn't that a bit unfair?" He groaned with a mocking grin. He then snapped his fingers, and the dirt on the ground beside him began to crack. A lone figure slowly crawled out of the sodden mud.

When Jack recognized the woman, he felt bile rise up in the back of his throat. "You monster." He spat, feeling his face turn hot with rage.

Death placed a pale hand on Aurelia's rotting shoulder. "Had to keep her near me at all times, you know? Since I can't fly like you both, having her stay underground is my best option."

"Besides," He continued, taking a step to the side as his hands glowed dark-purple once more. His eyes suddenly turned to a dark shade of ebony. "Now we're at even odds."

"Jack!" He looked over his shoulder and saw Mother Nature, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down her brow, but eyes shining with resolution. "I'll take care of Aurelia."

"Good." Jack muttered, gripping his staff tighter. He swallowed thickly- he was running out of time. He could feel the magic Leon gave him was starting to fade, but nonetheless he had to keep going.

"JACK! LOOK OUT-"

He barely turned around in time to block Death's glowing fist with the wooden hilt of his weapon. Death, in turn, kneed the Guardian hard in his stomach. Jack coughed violently from the assault, doubling over, as Death threw another punch at his face- launching him deep into a nearby thicket of trees.

"JACK!" Mother Nature immediately shot forward but was intercepted by the Autumn Spirit. She grit her teeth in fury, having no choice but to counter. Death gave her a scornful sneer as he disappeared into the foliage after his prey.

Jack groaned in pain as opened his eyes, finding himself on the ground surrounded by a couple of fallen trees. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his hand. Spitting out some of the blood that built up in his mouth from the attack, he squinted his eyes to regard his surroundings.

"Ohhhhh Jackkkyyy~" He took a sharp breath as he heard Death's ominous voice call out. "Come out, come out, wherever you are~"

Jack rested the back of his head against what was left of the tree that withstood his impact. He couldn't help but gasp for air, his lungs burning in pain with every breath. He's strong. Do I even have a chance against a powerful being like him? He turned his eyes upwards, regarding the dark sky through the thick leaves of the forest around him.

"Come onnnnn, Jack… hiding isn't your style." Death crooned with mockery. He slowly walked through the trees as if he was strolling in a local park. He raised a glowing finger and tapped it against the ground and a horde of zombified forest creatures scuttling out of the dirt in response. Issuing them all a silent command, he continued his pace. "Let's be honest, it's more of your so-called Mother's."

"LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!" Jack couldn't help but shout angrily in response. He then felt something crawl on his hand and looked down to see a skeleton-mouse sniffing around. Horrified, he cursed under his breath and stumbled backwards, climbing up onto the trunk of a fallen tree. He took a shaky breath- it was only a matter of minutes before he's found, but maybe he could stall for more time.

"Why are you doing all this anyways?! You know the Man in the Moon won't stand for this!" He bellowed, summoning some small amounts of ice to freeze his wounds shut in what crude manner he could.

Death only guffawed bitterly in response. "You think HE would ever have the guts to destroy his own creation?! Doubtful." The skeleton mouse appeared before him and he grinned, knowing where the Guardian now rested. "But I'll humor you for a while, I suppose. Besides, sooner or later, the viruses I've administered to your friends should be taking effect soon."

Jack's eyes widened in horror. "How-?!"

"Oh, it's quite easy." He stroked his beard with pride. "I fortunately had experience with…biological physiology per say, and with the power bestowed upon me from being reborn as Death, you start realizing all the easy ways people get sick. All I had to do was create the cause- it's as easy as…oh, let's say, having an open wound and…being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

(LINEEEEEBREAAAAAKKKK)

Along the shore, Elios stumbled forward and fell on his knees, coughing violently.

Bunny swung his boomerang to terminate another night-mare before racing to his friend's side. "Elios! What's wrong, mate?"

"I- I don't know…" The Summer Spirit gasped heavily, sweat dripping down his face. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain. "I was doing okay for a while but suddenly everything just…hurts…"

He was breathing hard and the Easter Bunny placed a paw on the man's forehead, noting with horror at the burning heat.

"Oh bloody hell…"

(LINEEEEEEBREAAAAKKK)

On the other side of the island, along its Northern coastline, Laverna suddenly crashed onto the sand, spear falling out of her fingers.

"Laverna!" North bellowed in shock, rushing forward to scoop up the small girl.

She was sickly pale, her labored breathing coming out rapidly as she muttered incoherently. The Guardian of Wonder placed a huge hand over her forehead, cursing at the burning temperature.

He looked up at the sky with pleading eyes as his yeties and elves continued fighting around them.

Please, come quickly, Ariadne!

(LINEEEEBREAAAAAKKK)

"Since I designed it, it will only affect the Seasonal Spirits and no one else." Death continued, coming face to face with Jack, who clenched his jaw upon seeing him once again. The man, however, decided to lean back against a nearby tree, inspecting his nails. "I thought it was foolproof, until that pathetic-excuse of a human had to intervene."

"You're the one who's a pathetic excuse." Jack hissed, pushing himself to his feet. He winced as pain shot throughout his limbs.

"Oh ho? A little touchy are we? What's this…have you actually grown fond of this human?" Death feigned a gasp, stroking his trimmed beard in awe. "Oh, how romantic. A forbidden love between a spirit and a human- well, what once was a spirit that is."

Jack chose to ignore the taunt. "Yeah, something that you're clearly incapable of."

"Me? Incapable of love? What do you think I'm doing all this for?" Death suddenly turned furious as he angrily retorted, spreading his arms out with frustration. "You think that I'm just doing this for fun, as a…a game?!"

Jack shrugged, silently surprised at his unusual outburst. "I always figured you just wanted power."

"Power huh?" Death scoffed, rubbing a hand over his chin in irritation. "Power for what, do you think?"

"I don't know, seizing control of this world from the big boss?" Jack suggested, crossing his arms.

"Seizing con-" He stammered, growling in vexation. "-you think- you really think I'm doing ALL of this for a pathetic goal like 'ruling the world'?" He laughed humorously, raising a hand to rub his temples, falling silent. He then took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. The air grew tense around them as he rubbed his face in his hands, taking another deep breath.

"Tell me, Jack." He muttered spitefully. "You spirits…especially you 'Guardians of Childhood'….you preach and ramble on, and on, and on about protecting children and helping them nurture and grown and whatever. But have you actually ever… lost a child before?"

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Death suddenly took a deep breath, reaching up to take off his fedora and brush his rusty-red hair back with his fingers. He looked down solemnly at the hat in his hands, his eyes shining with unusual emotion. "In my previous life…I had a daughter."

Jack's eyes widened with disbelief as he observed an uncharacteristic gentle smile caress the man's lips. "She was…the sweetest kid. She would go out of her way to be friends with everyone, to help others, to stand up for those who couldn't."

He then swallowed thickly, his voice quivering with grief. "She was only 10 years old..."

It was a cloudy morning when they pulled up to the entrance of Junova Elementary School. He shifted his gear into the parking position and turned to look down at the little girl beside him in the passenger's seat.

"Now remember, Eve- Daddy has to stay late tonight. Make sure you stay at school till I pick you up, okay?"

Evelyn rolled her round apple-green eyes playfully up at her father as she opened the car door beside her, hopping out onto the sidewalk. She spun around to face him, her rusty-red curls bouncing in her ribboned side-ponytail.

"Daddy, relax! I'll be fine! Brett and I are just gonna play some board games while you finish up at work!" She chirped, smoothing down the plaited skirt of her school uniform.

The man adjusted his thick glasses with a sigh, trying in vain to finish tying his tie with his other hand. "I know, I know, I just- I want you to be safe."

She stood on her tippy-toes to reach her arms through the window, gesturing for him to come closer. As he leaned over the passenger's seat, she deftly looping his tie into a classic Windsor knot within seconds. "Daddy please. Aren't I always?"

"Well- yes but- that child…" He narrowed his eyes at the school steps, where a lone boy with greasy black hair sat alone, nervously rubbing his hands together. His skin was sickly pale and his eyes seemed sunken to the back of his skull. "…Brett…his family doesn't seem-"

"Daddy!" She straightened his tie harshly, causing the man to choke harshly. "Stop, that's mean! Just cuz he's from a bad neighborhood, doesn't mean he's a bad person." She pouted angrily, her cheeks puffing out like a fed hamster.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he pinched her face affectionately. "Yeah, yeah you're right, kiddo. Alright just…promise me you'll stay indoors, alright? You'll stay safe?"

She held out her pinky finger. "I promise."

He enclosed his larger pinky finger around hers. "Alright, I'll see you at 7pm, ok?"

Later that night, he was seated at the bench of a cluttered lab, carefully inspecting the contents under a large microscope.

"Um, Dr. Fogue?" A timid voice came from the doorway.

He looked up from the instrument, taking off his goggles with an exasperated sigh as he regarded his scrawny medical student assistant. "Yes, John, what is it?"

The timid man shuffled in his step. "Sir, there was a phone call-"

He rolled his eyes, pulling his goggles back over his face. "Tell them to leave a message, I've almost identified the mechanism of this unique virus-"

"Sir…it's your daughter."

An hour later, his car sped into the streets of a small shopping district, braking with a violent screech across the curb. He stumbled out of his car to see numerous police vehicles and an ambulance parked at the front of a tiny store, the red and blue lights flashing bright into the dark sky.

His mind was whirling as he somehow managed to shove his way through the throng of people, reaching the wet grass where a line of yellow 'Caution! Keep out!" tape was hung across. Without hesitation, he began to rip apart the tape and two uniformed policemen came up to him.

"Sir, we're going to need you to step back." One commanded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

But he slapped the hand away and continued to try pushing past him. "No, please. I got a call that….that my daughter-"

His eyes softening, the officer looked at his partner, who gave a firm nod. The two stepped to the side as the man staggered forward.

Everything seemed to be a blur around him, the smell of gunpowder and blood weighing heavy in his nostrils.

'Please…please…it can't be true…'

He saw the covered body in a grimy alleyway, and he fell forward onto his knees, his hands shaking as he reached for the tarp sheet. He slowly peeled it back and a violent sob racked his body as he saw her pale, bloodied visage.

"She and another boy were here, buying some sort of clothing for some reason." The faded voice of one of the officers echoed from behind him. "When they left, the store clerk was closing down shop when she suddenly heard voices. She said when she looked outside, there were a bunch of older looking kids shoving the poor boy around, demanding cash or what-not. The girl apparently tried to intervene, kicking one of the older guys in the shin. He got angry and pulled out a gun, pistol-whipping the poor child. When she fell on the ground, he gave her a few good kicks before turning back onto the boy, shouting more threats and shoving the muzzle onto his face with increased violence. The girl however, somehow managed to get up, and bit him in his arm. He finally lost his temper…and…"

The man released another sob as he shielded her body with his own and caressed her head against his chest, rocking her back and forth.

"Sir…we found this in her backpack." The other officer came forward and held out a ribboned box. Attached to the bow was a tag with scribbled writing.

'For: Daddy, Love: Evelyn'

With a trembling hand, he reached up to take the box with one hand. As he opened it with shaking fingers, hot tears began pouring down his face as he regarded the content inside. It was a sleek, black fedora hat, with a little card folded neatly beside it.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy! Thank you for being the best, funniest, daddy ever! I love you sooo much! Xoxo, Evelyn"

The card slipped from his cold, numb fingers and he clung desperately to his daughter's body, screaming to the sky in agony.

OOOOOMPH yep…definitely a tough one to write up. As always, please let me know what you think! And thank you all again for being so patient and sticking with me! It really means a lot to have you all here still with me :D you guys rock!

Chapter Text

Chapter 35

"For the next few years of my life, I kept asking to myself…why?" Death gingerly ran a finger over the rim of the hat in his hands. "Why her, out of everyone in this world? What did she do to deserve this?"

Jack couldn't help but swallow thickly, feeling sudden immense empathy for the man. "Sometimes, bad things happen to the best of people." He murmured sadly.

"But that's just it, what about the others- the worst of people? They can just…walk away from it, scot-free?" Death shook his head in fury. "No, they needed to pay for what they did…so I did just that."

Jack's eyes widened in horror as Death continued. "I dedicated the remainder of my life, hunting down that piece of trash who took everything away from me."

"And when I found him…that monster…" His eyes darkened with rage "…I made sure that justice was served."

"But- why didn't you take this to the police?" Jack retorted, a mix of shock and horror in his eyes, "Aren't these tragedies the reason why humans created the justice system in the first place?"

"You think I didn't go to them first?! They dropped the case, saying they didn't have enough evidence…saying that they needed more witnesses…" He laughed bitterly. "Turns out, that kid was a part of a powerful gang that ran the city behind the scenes… he was an asset… and I had no chance if I followed the rules."

He clutched his hair with angry desperation. "So for the remainder of my life, I dedicated myself to bringing that bastard down. And one day, I finally did. I remember that day so vividly…because it was my last."

"I was face-to-face with the leader, the head of the entire operation…and I pulled the trigger. The last thing I remember was feeling that sharp pain in my chest, and looking down to see blood…bastard was able to get one last shot at me." He let out a sadistic grin. "But nonetheless…even as the world grew dark…I felt…fulfilled."

He sighed and placed his fedora back on his head. "Next thing I know, I wake up, feeling power coursing through my veins. And I hear this voice in my head, saying that I was 'chosen' by the Man in the Moon. This voice…he introduced himself as the Spirit of Death…echoed in my mind. He explained how I now serve a greater purpose, and that together we have a duty to perform. And for the next few years, I listened to everything he instructed me to do. I became Death."

"At first, I felt enlightened- even though I lived the rest of my life shrouded in anger, I was reborn as a savior with a purpose- someone who was able to take away the lives of those who had been suffering, or those who deserved to die. Old people fading away due to Alzheimer's or Dementia… adults deteriorating from late-stage cancers… humans who stole, raped, and killed others for greed…"

"But then… he told me that I had to start taking the lives of children." Death's voice dropped to a soft murmur, his face twisting into a expression of pain and agony. "Poor innocent children…none older than my Eve. He said that we had no choice, because we cannot control fate…but these kids- what have they done wrong? They were simply born in the wrong place, at the wrong time- right in the crossfire between humans who fought for greed and corruptness."

"And that was only one war, the Syrian Civil War, which is still ongoing to this day." He suddenly raised his eyes towards Jack, shining with resolve and barely suppressed rage. "I've lived through countless wars, forced to take countless lives…for what? To 'keep the balance' as all of you demanded?! How is killing hundreds… no, THOUSANDS of innocent people 'keeping the balance'?!"

He slowly began walking towards Jack, hands beginning to glow a familiar, eerie purple. "And then…he tells me I actually have another gift: the ability to give life- but only 'to those who deserved it'." He laughed cruelly. "Of course, the first thing I tried to do was revive my Eve- but I couldn't! ALL BECAUSE THAT MAN."

He pointed an accusing finger at the full moon that illuminated the trees. "All because only he had the privilege…the 'right' to select those who could be reborn. And for the longest time, I begged him. I BEGGED him...for years! All he said was that there were others who needed it, those in 'special circumstances'. Well…I decided that I will now make this world 'a special circumstance'- and it was time to take matter into my own hands."

In a split second, he shot out a beam of purple light and Jack barely was able to throw his body to the side in time to dodge. He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily as pain shook his already wounded body.

He tried to crawl forward, but a heavy food slammed on his back, shoving his face into the dirt. Death ground his foot deeper into the guardian's body as Jack screamed in pain.

"I hope you understand, Jack…this is not personal." He leaned down, resting an arm on his raised leg to apply more pressure. Despite his cruel gesture, his eyes softened with understanding. "I know that you all were brainwashed like me… the spirits told you that you were 'chosen' because you had a 'duty'…I get it. I really do. But to fulfill HIS wishes? All of the immorality in this world is HIS fault. I say that HE-" He raised a hand back to the sky. "-is the most corrupt of all! To save humanity…I will eliminate all of you seasonal spirits…and then revive you all for your true purpose. We have the power to make this world a better place, and we must."

His hands glowed purple and he lowered them to the ground, wrapping his fingers around the guardian's neck. Jack couldn't speak…couldn't breathe…he clawed at the man's grip desperately, gasping for air…his vision grew blurry…

Suddenly, the ear-piercing roar of a newly opened portal resonated throughout the forest. Death whipped his head up but could only barely discern a female figure before she fell onto his shoulders, roughly covering his head with a plastic bag. As his body crumbled to the ground beside Jack, a male closely followed and dropped on top of the primordial being, pinning his legs to the ground.

"Jamie! The device!" She screamed over her shoulder. Jamie shook off his backpack and rapidly began pulling out wires.

However, the man was too strong and kicked off the poor teenager. As he tried to push himself up and shake her off, Ariadne reached her elbow around his neck to keep the bag secure around his head, clinging onto him in a choke-hold with her dear life.

"YOU BITCH-" He roared, mustering the strength to push himself to his feet. His glowing hands clamped on top of the girl's arms around his neck, and she screamed in pain as his magic coursed through her, but she refused to loosen her grip.

A spear suddenly pierced the ground beneath them and a multitude of vines suddenly rushed out of the dirt, wrapping themselves around the man's legs, pulling him back on his knees. A ring of fire erupted around them, and the mangled roots of the surrounding trees clutched Death's arms, disrupting his magic and pulling him face-first to the ground.

He roared, enraged, and thrashed with all his might but his oxygen supply had been limited by the plastic bag secured around his head. The fire around them depleted the surrounding oxygen even further and he began to feel faint with every struggle. Finally, his eyes rolled towards the back of his skull and his head dropped to the ground- finally unconscious.

From the shadows of the trees, Elios appeared in the clearing. Though he was deathly pale and gasping for air, he weakly snapped his fingers to dissolve the fire before falling to his knees. Laverna, who had been leaning against a nearby tree, could no longer channel her magic and fell onto her side, sweat dripping down her brow. Mother Nature descended from the sky, her body no longer glowing as she stumbled forward, breathing heavily, to tend to her children.

Jamie quickly got to his feet to rush towards the spirits, but Mother Nature shook her head at him. "Do what you must, we will be alright."

He hesitated but nodded before turning back around to return to Ariadne's side, who still had not released her grip.

"Ariadne, he's out." He shook her shoulder roughly, "Let's get to work." He was breathing heavily as he placed a pair of latex gloves over his hands, removing a syringe set from his pocket.

His gesture snapped her back to reality and she whipped her head to face him with wide eyes, gasping with exhaustion. "R-right."

As he punctured the man's arm to begin drawing blood, she turned to the other two seasonal spirits and Mother Nature, giving them a shaky but grateful smile. "Sorry I'm late…and thank you."

Elios coughed harshly, using a nearby tree to help himself get back onto his feet. "Yeah, yeah save it. Just hurry up and do what you need to do- I feel like I'm going to pass out any minute."

Laverna gave a tired smiled and opened her mouth to reply. However, she was stopped by violent coughs that came from Jack.

Ariadne immediately crawled to her feet and stumbled towards the guardian, placing a gentle hand on his chest as she leaned over him. He opened his ice-blue eyes to regard her anxious chocolate-brown irises, placing a trembling finger under her chin. Despite feeling blood drip down the side of his face from the wound on his head, he grinned up at her coyly. "Took you long enough, you like making a boy wait, don't you?"

Ariadne released a shaky laugh, using her sleeve to gently dab at his injury. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm fine but…what about the others?"

She looked behind her at the other seasonal spirits, her eyes growing somber. "Not good, I think he gave them the same type of virus that attacked you before. We're running out of time."

He opened his mouth to reply but soon succumbed to another fit of coughs and Ariadne worriedly tried to pull him into a sitting position, but she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Mother Nature looking down at her. "Don't fret, we will take care of him."

She hesitated at first, but eventually nodded gratefully. She pushed herself back to her feet and walked back towards Jamie, who just finished collecting the man's blood.

He pocketed the sample and took out a snowglobe. "Alright, I'm going to get started on reverse-engineering this. Should take me no more than an hour- will you be okay?"

She nodded and he soon disappeared through the portal with a loud 'POP'.

After a few painful minutes of connecting wires and electrodes together, she placed the last electrode on the man's skull. She then pushed herself to her feet and took a few steps back towards the spirits who were watching anxiously on the side.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to Mother Nature. "Could you generate exactly 500Watts of electricity through these wires, at intervals of 5 seconds in between?"

"Of course." Mother Nature nodded. She then took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, the clouds darkened above their heads and a low rumble of thunder shook the skies. The wind picked up around them and the air grew humid with static electricity. Suddenly, within a blink of an eye, a huge bolt of lightning struck down towards the primordial being.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the bright light. Soon, when the smoke cleared, sparks of electricity glittered off of Mother Nature's form. Eyes glowing with iridescent light, she approached the body before kneeling down, extending her fingers over his head.

Small bolts of electricity shot out from her fingertips and the man's body began to convulse. Ariadne rapidly began pressing a few buttons on her controller, turning the knobs.

A crackling sound erupted from the speakers. "Hang on, I'm picking up something."

She twisted the knob a bit further and the crackling noise suddenly turned into a low whirring sound with a few high-pitched clicks that resonated throughout the clearing. Mother Nature's eyes suddenly widened.

"I…I hear him." She whispered in awe.

Ariadne's head shot up as she regarded her with curious eyes. "Don't stop what you're doing but…can you understand him?"

She nodded vehemently and bent down towards his ear. "Can you hear me?"

The clicks turned to beeps and the other spirits watched from the side with wonder. All were silent as the beeps continued at an irregular frequency.

"How…what language is it using?" Ariadne whispered.

Laverna gave a harsh cough before clearing her throat, her head pounding due to her fever. "It may sound like clicks and beeps to us, but to the primordial beings, they're communicating with their ancient language."

The clicks suddenly increased rapidly and Mother Nature furrowed her brow. "He's saying…this is all his fault. He should never have let it gone this far."

Elios growled, clenching his fist. "What the hell does that mean?"

The machine beeped. "He… at first, when the man began ignoring his instructions…he felt that his actions, though blasphemous, were…reasonable. He existed in order to ensure life remained in balance, and that meant taking lives, no matter what species, age, morals they held… But this man… one day refused to listen. And on that day, a critically injured teenager miraculously lived through their injuries from a school shooting. Instead, the shooter was gunned down by the police."

"At first, he did technically…maintain balance. One life allowed to live, one life taken. However, days became weeks, then months." She continued as it clicked and chirped.

She then sighed heavily. "Death, as a primordial being, never knew the consequences of this divergence…what would happen if the human vessel began using his powers however he wished. He had existed for so long, gone through so many different humans who always fulfilled their duties…that when this happened, he failed to remember the first rule that he and the Man in the Moon instigated when the origin of the world began, when he bestowed Death with his power of revival."

"The human vessel must be aligned with the moral and duty of the spirit. If they so happen to diverge, one shall perish." Laverna explained solemnly. She closed her eyes to take a deep breath before re-opening them to glare at the man that laid in front of her. "Throughout history, it has always been the human who deviates, and the spirit has always reported to the Man in the Moon before it worsens; so Death would decease the human, the Man would remove the spirit, and then Death would revive a new vessel for the Man to infuse. That's how I became the Spirit of Spring, my predecessor kept trying to use the Spring Spirit's power to grow plants used in the drug trade- so he was forcibly retired."

"But this has only happened with the seasonal spirits, it has never happened to Death before. His will has been strong enough to overcome any ounce of human nature that was tempted to take advantage of his power." Mother Nature continued. "But this man… this man's resolve was so powerful that he disobeyed his orders- and Death, for the first time, did not think his nature to be immoral – so he continued to allow him to do so…"

"And now, one must perish." Jack mumbled, running a tired hand over his face.

She nodded. "Yes, and for the first time, it will be the Spirit of Death."

Ariadne rubbed her temples, deep in thought. "So, what happens if he disappears?"

"Then this man will forever have the powers of Death to himself, become immortal like a true primordial being," Mother Nature explained gravely. "He will be able to continue his reign forever."

"So let's kill them both, right now while he's still human!" Elios growled, drawing his blades.

"No." Ariadne turned to regard the spirit with determined eyes. "If you do, then you'll become nothing more than a cold-blooded killer."

He barked a humorless laugh. "Me?! This man- no, this monster- he's the cold-blooded killer! And this spirit let him! He brought this upon himself!"

"Doesn't mean it's right! We'd be the exact kind of people that this man has sought to eliminate from this world." Jack interjected angrily.

Elios regarded him incredulously. "D-Don't tell me you think this man is some kind of hero for doing all this."

Jack sighed, wincing in pain as he sat up straight. "Before you guys arrived, he…told me some things. I'm not saying that he was right!" He argued as he saw the astounded faces around him. "I'm saying that…because of what he went through and…to be honest…I've seen these people with my own eyes…his motivations are…understandable."

Elios simply shook his head. "You're crazy. You do realize that the world is more than just about the bad guys and the good guys."

"Of course I get that! I'm just saying that we, as the seasonal spirits, should at least prove to this man that we are protecting the world in our own way, by not becoming senseless killers who decide to be judge and executioner whenever we want to be."

"Stop, Elios. They're both right- we are better than that." Mother Nature eyes turned downcast. "Besides, if we destroy them both now, then Death will cease to exist and the world will fall apart once more from overpopulation."

The machine clicked and beeped and she regarded the man sadly. "…He's now saying that he's not expecting forgiveness, he knows he has failed his duty and deserves to disappear, but he willing to sacrifice his energy and the entire remainder of his magic for the Man in the Moon to use… to create a new Spirit of Death, in a new human vessel. But he needs to be freed in order to do so.

Suddenly, the man began to groan and his brow furrowed. Ariadne cursed under her breath. "He's regaining consciousness- you need to apply more power to keep him catatonic!"

Sweat began to drip down her brow as the electricity Mother Nature was releasing began to grow weaker in brightness. "I…I can't! He's fighting it!"

"She's grown too weak because of us…" Laverna gasped in pain as she tried to push herself to her feet.

The man's hands began to glow purple once more and Ariadne gritted her teeth. "We're out of time!"

Wow…just realized that I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written…lol hopefully it wasn't too long for you guys!

Let me know your thoughts! Love you all and thank you for sticking with me!

Chapter Text

Chapter 36

A huge wave of dark magic propelled everyone backwards and Death was now shrouded with an eerily dark, almost black light.

"You…always…GET IN MY WAY!" His eyes were now blood-red as he snarled, raising his hands in front of him.

Ariadne shook her head, dazed from the impact. She barely looked up in time to see a dark wave fly towards her, throwing her body to the side right before it impacted the tree behind her. Within seconds, the trunk's brown luster turned brittle grey, its leaves rotting off the branches. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"The spirit's power- it's already begun fusing with him completely!" Ariadne shouted, crawling to her feet to duck behind another tree.

Elios cursed and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the heaviness in his limbs, as he drew his blades and charged forward, "We don't have a choice, we have to destroy him now before he kills everything!"

"Can we even do that?!" Laverna cried, struggling to stay conscious as she hopped from the branches of the trees above, dodging the beams of dark magic that came her way.

Mother Nature gripped her hands together and a shroud of fiery-red energy surrounded her body. "We can only try to keep him busy till Jamie returns!"

However, Death's eyes suddenly glanced at the Summer Spirit, as if he foresaw his attack. With a flick of his wrist, he caught the man in a web of black energy, shoving him against the tree.

Elios roared in sheer pain as the magic began to eat away at his flesh.

"ELIOS!" Mother Nature rushed towards him but suddenly, the fiery-red light about her dissipated and she collapsed on the ground with a sickening thud.

"NO!" Laverna dove towards the ground but Death, with a smirk at her predictive movements, turned his other fingers towards her and enveloped her in a burst of black magic, silencing her screams.

"DEATH! STOP, STOP!" Jack cried, his voice cracking desperately. "THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm doing what I've needed to do this whole time." He murmured coldly, smiling as he could feel their life energies slowly begin to drain away.

Jack frantically forced himself to crawl forward, despite his excruciating pain. "I know the grief you went through, I really do…but what you're doing is wrong-"

"WRONG!?" He turned his head to regard the guardian with furious eyes. "No- what I'm doing is righting the world's wrongs- HIS wrongs! This world has turned to chaos- Look at this world you live in- every day people die from murder, greed, hate, lust, betrayal. And every day, you spirits have the power to stop it from happening! You could save so many lives, prevent so many innocent deaths, punish those who did wrong…and what do you do instead- sit idily by and create 'pretty colors for trees' or 'fun snow days'?! What good is it when these children have no future, when their future is being destroyed by adults? We could change all that- together, we could change the world for the better!"

He ground his teeth in rage as the air around him grew heavy. The grass he stood on suddenly turned yellow and brown, and the trees above began to crack as their leaves began crumbling apart. "All of you spirits had the power to save people, to protect the innocent…but instead, you sit idily and create 'pretty tree colors' or 'fun snow days'?! No…I had enough…you are all worthless to humanity with the way you are all now. The world needs to be reborn in its entirety, and that includes all you spirits and Mother Nature. I will be sure that the re-birth of this planet you help me create will be truly cleansed of moral sin, a truly just and honest world."

"DEATH YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND!" Jack yelled in anguish. "This is not the way this world is supposed to be – you have no right to act as judge and executioner- you would be exterminating all life that currently exists…not just humans. Humanity is not the core of this planet; we are responsible for ensuring all life is in balance and safe!"

"Balance! Balance! Balance!" He chanted mockingly, his skin suddenly turning dark as night as the dark energy that once surrounded him in a glow now seemed like smoke, wrapping its wispy threads around his limbs.

Ariadne's mind began reeling as she watched in horror at the transformation, feeling her blood drain from her face. She swallowed nervously, as she rolled her fingers into a fist, an idea suddenly appearing in her mind.

"You keep preaching that word but don't you understand?!" Death continued, his voice no longer sounding human. "This world has already tipped off the scales! Destroying everything will truly bring back that so-called balance you all claim to be responsible for-"

"What about Evelyn?!" Jack suddenly interjected, his voice cracking with sorrow.

Death fell silent, his face darkening with rage. "What did you say…?"

"You daughter!" He clenched his jaw as he regarded the man in front of him, ice-blue eyes shining with resolution. "Do you think she would have wanted you to do all this? To cause so much violence and despair?"

"YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!" He raised a hand to strike but Ariadne, who had taken advantage of Jack's distraction, leapt up behind him, wires in hand. She had wrapped the cables around her wrists and looped one end over his neck before pulling back to create a firmly taut line.

The man stumbled back, choking and grappling at the woman who clung on frantically.

"You…will…not…use…the…same…trick…on…me…TWICE!" Despite her endeavors, he jumped into the air and landed backwards onto his back, crushing her instantly from his body weight. She screamed from the impact.

Jack reached out his hand in desperation. "DON'T-!"

"You…you were the most annoying of them all. If it weren't for you, my plan would have succeeded sooner." He raised a hand and with a burst of black magic, a looming scythe appeared in his hands.

"I will enjoy taking your life!" He swung down.

"NO!"

Suddenly, a series of ice pillars shot up from beneath the ground, causing Death to stumble back, falling onto his knees. Within an instant, he was entrapped inside its clutches. His scythe dissolved due to the surprise attack and he growled with wrath, twisting his body as he struggled to break free.

Leon hovered down from the sky above with a gentle breeze courtesy of the Wind's embrace before landing on his feet in front of the man, a cheeky grin spread wide across his face. "Hey man…didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to hit a lady?"

Death snarled as he turned his blood-red eyes around him to see Bunny, Tooth, and North appear from the trees with a few remaining stone-egg warriors and yeties. Jamie was not far behind, holding a small bottle tightly in his hands. Death scoffed, his eerie, dark magic already leaking out from beneath the ice. "I had hoped that Pitch would've at least put up a decent fight, I should've known not to place my trust in such a coward."

"Hey, don't sell 'imself short, mate." Bunny smirked, smacking his boomerang down on his paws. "Our Sandy's just stronger."

Somewhere, above the clouds…

"HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO TOY WITH ME LIKE THIS?!" Pitch screeched as he struggled to break free from his confinement.

The Boogeyman had become trapped in a large golden ball that bounced back and forth between playful dolphins of sand. Sandy himself had created a plush, sandy-gold sofa and was lounging on it comfortably as he regarded the scene with amusement, remembering with sadistic humor what Pitch did to him eleven years prior.

He snapped his fingers and another dolphin appeared, causing the bouncing to become more violent as Pitch continued his flailing with helpless screams.

Back on the island…

Death smirked. "No matter, I'll take you all on!" His hands glowed with a sinister light and the ice encasing his body began to melt. From all around, zombified critters began to crawl out from the ground and trees.

But Leon was faster and with a sharp breath, his eyes suddenly glowing bright with ice-blue light, he whipped out his gun and released two shots into the ground, causing the entire forest and clearing to be encased in ice.

"See the fun thing about ice is that…it's not living." Leon smirked, twirling his pistol around in his hands. He then squatted down to regard Death at eye level, his eyes unusually furious. "I can do this all day."

"NO! This isn't over!" Death barked ferociously, releasing more and more magic, but with a simple snap of his fingers, the ice encasing his body kept re-freezing over and over.

"You have done far enough." His voice was uncharacteristically grim, trembling with repressed fury. "This is the end of the line for you."

Jamie came up behind the man and Death twisted his head back to regard him with a jeer. However, as soon as he recognized the bottle in his hands, his eyes widened as fear creeped into his mind. "It's over, Death." The teen murmured softly.

"No…no!" He cried as Jamie took out a syringe, drawing the fluid inside the bottle into the needle.

"At this point, the fusion between the spirit and host has extended far beyond the possibility of saving both." Jamie continued, regarding the needle in his fingers. "If I do this, the body will get destroyed, are you okay with this?"

Mother Nature, who was now leaning against Tooth and Bunny for support, regarded the man before her with forlorn eyes. "Yes, unfortunately, we have no other option."

"NO!" Death roared, struggling in vain to channel every ounce of his power, but Leon continued freezing his body with every movement.

North came over to Jack and helped him back onto his feet. He coughed a few times, wincing at his broken ribs, but he looked onward at the man- pity in his eyes as he regarded his desperation.

"This world needs to be reborn in order to be saved…humanity is destorying itself…we need to save them!" He hollared as Jamie jammed the vaccine into the base of his neck.

"No, Death…" Jack muttered. He limped over and leaned down to regard him at eye level. "The world doesn't need saving. Humans are…complicated, yes. They will fight amongst themselves over the stupidest, most insignificant thing. They are willing to hurt each other over those same things. But I believe that eventually, good will prevail. That's the thing about humans, they are able to adapt, they are able to learn, they are able to grow. We all have flaws, you're correct about that, but that's what makes life in itself beautiful. Despite all their imperfections, there still exists those who go out of their way to help others, to save lives. Don't you think that's something worth protecting?"

"Then why…" Death couldn't help but release a sob as he felt the effects of the vaccine course through his veins. "Why did my Eve have to die?"

Jack could only shake his head. "The worst thing could happen to the best of us, but that doesn't mean that we should fall because of it."

"In fact, some people are able to become better because of it." Everyone turned to face Mother Nature, who was shrouded in moonlight. Despite her grave injuries, she smiled softly at the man.

"My Beloved…he has told me about who you were in your past life…about your daughter." She regarded the moon with knowing eyes. "That boy your daughter was with, the night that she died."

She closed her eyes with a deep breath, taking in the moonlight. "He was able to get himself out of that life." She continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "Because of her, he studied hard and pushed himself to become the best he can be. He became a pediatric surgeon."

She swallowed thickly, a tear dripping down her cheek as Jack released a shaky breath. "She wasn't meant to die, but her death did save one life, and numerous more after that." He concluded, his voice softening. "She died because she wanted to make sure that those around her survived."

The man released a shuddering gasp, feeling his body beginning to grow light. He then turned to the woman in front of him.

"You. What's your name?"

She regarded him with unyielding irises. "Ariadne Ciaste."

"Ariadne, huh?" He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony, closing his eyes with a sigh. "That was her middle name…"

Soon, his body crumbled to dust and a silvery, soft wisp remained left behind. It twisted and contorted in the air, slowly growing smaller and smaller.

Mother Nature extended her hands and the wisp came to rest itself in her palms. "The Spirit of Death itself…dying." She whispered with grief.

"I…I'm sorry…" A low, weak baritone voice whispered from it. "I failed you all…"

She shook her head. "Don't apologize."

"I…I am a disgrace but…please." The voice became barely audible. "Use the remainder of my vitality to create a new Spirit of Death… one that is better."

However, suddenly, the moon directed its light to shine solely onto the silver being. Within a few, tense moments, the wisp became thicker and darker.

"Man in the Moon… he's reviving it!" North whispered incredulously.

Tooth's eyes widened but then softened upon realization. "But…his light…"

His light grew dimmer and dimmer as the Spirit of Death began reforming. When it grew to its original form, the moon seemed to shine less than before.

"He…sacrificed some of his power…for me?" Death murmured incredulously.

"Like humans, we can all grow and learn from our mistakes." Jack confessed with an understanding smile. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

The moon then redirected the remainder of its light somewhere far away and Death leapt high into the sky. "He's found a human vessel…" The spirit hesitated before turning to the others. "Thank you…everyone."

And then he was gone.

Jamie then collapsed onto one of the yeti's shoulder. "Geez…I can't believe it's finally over."

"I hear you." Jack mumbled before succumbing to a fit of coughs. He then let out a tired but content grin. "So. Who's ready to finally celebrate Christmas?"

Chapter Text

Thirteen years later…

Pink petals fluttered to the ground as a young, eighteen-year old boy came out through the double doors of the entrance to a high school. His dark hair contrasted against the pastel-color scheme caused by the Spring season around him, though his emerald-green eyes shone bright against the sunlight as he raised his head. Squinting at the sun, he held up a hand and peered through his fingers at the crisp blue sky.

Perfect afternoon for a quick ride before the party tonight. He thought happily. Skipping down the steps, he jogged to the nearby bike rack and kneeled beside his vehicle, rummaging through his pockets for his keys. As he jiggled the lock, a few students made their way out of the entrance and one noticed the boy.

"Yo, Ciaste! See you tomorrow morning for practice?"

The boy turned his head and waved in confirmation. "You got it, Captain!"

As he hopped onto his bike, the kid who called out to him was nudged in the ribs harshly by the girl beside him.

"You idiot, don't you remember? His mom got married- his last name is Frost now!"

The former blushed with embarrassment at his mistake. He turned to the boy, rubbing his injured ribs apologetically. "Ah, sorry Ced...I've just known you for so long I kinda forgot..."

Cedric Frost, née Ciaste, used his foot to pop up his kickstand before turning back towards the two, a wide grin on his face. "Eh, it's no biggie! After all, I've always thought Ciaste sounded cooler."

He gave a sly wink and gave a mock salute. "See ya later!" He called as he pedaled away.

"Oh! And don't forget to fill out that career sheet! Mrs. Dimo said tomorrow's the deadline and I KNOW you've been pushing it off!" The girl cried after him.

Cedric rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her nagginess. "Yes, Ms. Student Body President!"

As soon as he was out of sight, she sighed dreamily and placed a hand on her forehead in feign awe. "Oh man...I can't believe he's single. Thank god..."

The boy next to her pouted like a puppy, still rubbing his wound. "Ouch babe, I'm right here you know?"

(LINEEEBREAKKK)

Cedric rode his bike down the pathways in Central Park, New York, breathing in the fresh spring air. He casually swerved past a few pedestrians before he felt his pocket vibrate. Keeping one hand on his pedal, he used the other to fish his cellphone out of his jeans.

He glanced down out of the corner of his eye to check the caller id before answering. "Yo! What's up, mom?"

"Hey Ceddy!" Ariadne's voice sounded excited but rushed over the speaker. "I'm so sorry but I'm running a bit late- the presentation ran wayyy overtime and I still need to go grocery shopping for dinner tonight before the others come over...could you please pick up Evelyn for me?"

Cedric couldn't help but chuckle at his mother's unchanging tendency to lose track of time.

"Yeah yeah, alright." He grinned evilly against the device. "What about your hubby?"

He could practically hear her face turn red over the mic. "Y-You! Don't worry about him, I-I'll get him on my way home!"

"Uh huh..." He struggled to suppress his snickers. "You sure you two don't wanna take a small detour to fu-"

"GOODBYE. CEDRIC. SEE YOU TONIGHT!" The phone went silent as she hung up with a harsh 'click', and he burst out laughing, barely dodging a lightpole in time. He never got tired of teasing her.

Pressing the brakes with his hand, he slowed down to take a right to exit the park.

When he arrived at the daycare, the receptionist at the front desk blushed with excitement upon seeing him enter.

"Cedric! It's so nice to see you again!" She gushed, standing up from her seat.

He grinned in response, oblivious to her feelings. "Thanks Kelly, how was Eve today?"

"Oh Eve was wonderful!" The young girl piped eagerly. "She's so smart, just like her big bro-"

On cue, a four-year old girl with snow-white hair, braided neatly in the back, and rich-chocolate eyes bounced in front of the desk, hugging the boy tightly around his long legs.

"Back off, Ms. Kelly! Ceddy's mine!" The girl pouted, her chubby cheeks extruding out more than usual.

"Heya, Eve!" He swooped down to scoop her into his arms. "How did my little sis enjoy school today?"

"Mehh...it was boring! They kept teaching me things I already know." The girl clutched her brother's shoulders tightly as she glared at the worker, who gulped nervously. Despite her young age, she was pretty damn intimidating!

Cedric was again oblivious to the exchange. "Atta girl! Mom and Jack will be proud!" He turned to the exit. "Well, thanks for taking care of her once again Kelly! See you later!"

The flustered girl opened her mouth to try to say something but Eve stuck her tongue out, effectively shutting her up. Once they were out the door, Cedric unlocked his bike and started leading it with one hand while the other continued to hold the toddler.

She leaned happily on his shoulder. "Y'know Ceddy, why don't you just call Daddy Daddy like what I do? Why d'you call him by his first name?"

Cedric paused in his step and glanced towards the girl, grinning softly. "Cuz big bro here has his own daddy, and he's very special to him."

"Where is he? Can I meet him?" Her brown eyes shone with excitement. "Our daddies will definitely be best friends!"

He laughed at her cute nature. "Maybe one day, my daddy's been traveling a lot for work." Cedric then turned his head to fondly regard the sky. "Maybe he'll come and visit someday."

As if on cue, an unusually chilly breeze suddenly blew around them.

"Well he better hurry up cuz I hate waiting!" Evelyn puffed her cheeks out with annoyance as she hung her head back down over his shoulder. He smiled and patted her head affectionately.

"You and me both, Eve." He then took a breath and hopped her up on his shoulder. "Anyways, you ready for your birthday dinner?"

Eve perked up and wiggled to get out of his arms. "I'm ready! I'm ready!"

"Awesome! Here, I'll race ya home!" He placed her down and pushed his bike forward as he began a light jog.

"Heyyy no fair! Thats cheating!" She screeched as she ran behind him, giggling all the way.

(LINEEEEBREAAAAKKKK)

When they got home, Ariadne was frantically running around in the kitchen. All kinds of smells were in the air and Evelyn was squealing in excitement as she saw the balloons against the ceiling.

"Balloons! Balloons!" She cheered as she hopped out of her shoes to charge into the hallway.

"Hey! Take off your jacket first!" Cedric called after her, laughing at her antics.

Jack Frost poked his snow-white head out from the living room. Adjusting his glasses with a hand, he waved the boy over with the other. "Ah, Ceddy! Good timing, can you help me blow up the rest of these guys? Jamie will be here any moment."

Cedric shrugged off his jacket. "Yeah, sure Jack!"

He came into the room and sat down beside his step-father. Taking a peak, he noted that despite becoming older and growing subtle wrinkles and needing glasses, he still had that bright shine in his eyes that held childish excitement and fun. He smiled fondly before grabbing one of the balloon pieces.

"Geez, how many more of these are we blowing up?" He whistled at the bags of balloons that still were unopened around them.

Jack just finished blowing up one and plucked it off the helium pump, tying it with a pink ribbon. There was a wicked glint in his eye as he regarded his step-son. "As many as possible. My girl deserves to have ALL the balloons in the world!"

Cedric smiled and shook his head at the sheer daughter-complex the once-winter spirit had for the his little girl. "Well, we better hurry up cuz everyone's gonna arrive-"

The doorbell rang. "—...now." He laughed as Jack attempted to stand. Cedric was up in seconds. "Don't worry old man, I got it."

"O-old?! Hey!" Jack spluttered as Cedric went to the entrance and opened the door. Jamie, Navi, and Balto stood on the porch, arms full with presents- with the exception of the latter, who held an infant in his arms.

"We're hereeee!" They chimed. Upon hearing their voices, Eve rushed from the kitchen and squeezed past her half-brother.

"Uncle Jamie! Uncle Balto! Auntie Navi! You made it!" She cried happily, diving towards them in a vain attempt to envelope them into a hug with her tiny arms.

"Sorry we're a bit late!" Navi rubbed the back of her neck apologetically. "We would've gotten here a lot sooner if Betsy's father here didn't decide to make a detour to the local candy shop."

"BUT SHE LOVES LOLLIPOPS! HOW CAN I, HER LOVING FATHER, SAY NO TO THAT?!" Balto held a hand up against his chest in defense while the other continued to hold the cooing infant, who affectionately played with her father's beard.

"You just say no, that's that!" Navi whacked her husband with her purse while Jamie rubbed his temples tiredly.

"Annnd you had to spend 8 hours with these two." Cedric noted with a chuckle.

"Sadly." He groaned. "Trust me, I wanted to drive off the edge of a cliff a few times."

"Dont blame ya." Cedric grinned, playfully patting his shoulder. "So hows the girlfriend?"

"Well..." Jamie blushed and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Actually, shes not my girlfriend anymore."

Cedric paled, feeling incredibly guilty. "Oh man...dude im so sorry-"

Jamie grinned victoriously and threw an Arm over the boy's shoulder, holding his phone up towards his face to show a picture of a girl with a raised hand, a bright diamond shining on her finger.

"Psssssych! She's my fiancée now!" Jamie gushed with pride.

"Yo! Congrats!" Cedric laughed proudly, smacking his back heartedly.

"About damn time I'd say!" Ariadne popped her head out from the kitchen, flour splattered across her cheeks. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Been dating for basically ten years now and you FINALLY grew a pair to ask the poor girl- I don't get how she put up with you for so long."

Jamie smirked. "Well ya know…I AM the best after all!"

Ariadne rolled her eyes right as there was a loud 'DING' from the oven. She disappeared behind the kitchen entranceway. "OH okay guys come on in and freshen up- food's just about ready!"

"Wow, smell's good! What kind of cake did ya end up making?" Navi called as she shrugged off her coat.

Her voice resounded down the hall. "Uh… not sure actually. It's one of Dr. Wetzel's recipes!"

Everyone stopped in their steps and regarded each other with wide eyes. Evelyn, on the otherhand, was giggling excitedly.

"Grandpa Wetzel says that it'll go BOOM BOOM when I blow it out…but-" She then lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. "Mommy doesn't know that so don't tell her!"

Jack groaned and took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Oh dear god." He regarded the others apologetically before releasing an exhausted sigh and turning to the kitchen. "ARIADNE HOLD UP-WAIT-"

(LINEEEBREAKKK)

Cedric sat alone at the dining table, now cleared of all the confetti that originally was scattered all over the tablecloth. Lost in thought, he stared at the sheet of paper that was laid in front of him, arms folded and resting on the wooden surface. One hand held a pencil that he tapped gently against his forehead. After a long silence, he groaned and let his head fall into his hands.

"Still up, Ced?"

He turned to see his stepfather enter the dining room, wearing a loose t-shirt and sweatpants while holding two cups of hot tea in each hand. Cedric gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I got this assignment due tomorrow and I'm honestly stumped. Sorry, did I wake you?"

Jack placed one mug in front of his adopted son and pulled a chair to sit beside him. "Nah, you know I've always been a light sleeper- especially with your mom snoring like an earthquake."

The teen snorted and stifled his chuckles as he took a sip from his drink. "Oh man, don't let her hear you say that."

Jack shrugged and winked. "Eh, I can handle her." He reached into his pocket and took out a pair of reading glasses, placing them on his face as he leaned over to glance at the paper. "So, what's this assignment?"

"Career Development Portfolio. I'm meeting with my advisor to go over potential colleges and possible careers I'd like to pursue." Cedric sighed dejectedly. "Honestly, I'm at loss."

Jack slipped off his glasses and looked at him with an inquisitive eye. "Oh? Why's that? I'm sure you have some ideas in mind."

"Well, yeah obviously I do but I just…" Cedric crossed his arms over his chest and slumped back in his seat. There was a brief silence as he pondered how to explain his thoughts. "…there's one thing I really want to do… like it's my dream! I can feel it…as your old pal once said- in my belly."

Jack laughed as he recalled his good friend from the North Pole. "Ah, that feeling huh? Well then there you have it! Why not put it down?"

"Well…because…" Cedric's eyes turned downcast, a dark emotion swirling in his usually bright-green irises. He leaned over, resting his elbows on the table with his head in his hands, swallowing thickly, before turning to look at Jack.

"What if…I mess up? What if I end up not being able to achieve that dream?"

Jack hummed in understanding, placing an arm on the table as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. For a few moments, he remained silent and Cedric held his breath.

"Let me tell you this, kiddo." Jack let out a soft smile as he regarded his adopted son. "I don't believe in that sort of thing."

Cedric quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"

Jack took a breath, leaning back in his chair. "Well, my dream was to make children laugh and have the time of their lives. Obviously, that was why I was the Guardian of Fun, if you remember way back in the day."

Cedric smiled fondly at the memory. "Yeah duh- I always loved your snow days!"

Jack grinned in return, staring at the mug in his hand. "Yeah, all the kids did. And your mom, her dream was to help people through her passion for science. That's why she chose to work in Dr. Wetzel's lab back then."

Cedric nodded in agreement as Jack then turned his eyes to play with the handle of the mug in his hand. "But then… you know…things happened and…I couldn't do those things anymore. And you know about, well…what your mom almost did with her situation in the past."

"Yeah, I know. She finally told me everything last year." Cedric's smile fell as he recalled that difficult discussion, when his mother admitted her darkest moment. "And yeah, I remember you losing your powers like it was yesterday." His thought back to Death's anger and pain, leading him to rampage the world and almost succeeding. He swallowed thickly. "That's what I'm afraid of-"

"Hey, hey hang on… I'm not done!" Jack whipped his head back to face the teenager, playfully nudging the kid.

"I'm saying that yeah…those few months really sucked. I honestly lost everything I thought I knew about myself- my powers, my magic, my sense of identity. Hell, everything was shaken. But despite that trauma, despite those setbacks, I was able to get back up, and look at me now! I'm still able to achieve my dream to this day, right? I'm now a gym teacher, I get to play with kids literally every day. That hasn't changed. And your mom- she managed to pull herself back from that edge and get herself back onto her feet. And look at her today, head researcher at one of the top labs in the country, still achieving her dream!"

He placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "And that's what I'm telling you here. Yeah, you're right. Sometimes, life happens and it's completely out of your control. But what you can control is how you come back from it to pursue that dream you have in your mind right now. As long as you hold onto that…hold onto what you value…I say screw it! Do what you want to do, don't let your insecurities ruin you. Easier said than done? Obviously, I'm not saying we're perfect. We will have doubts, that's a given. But are you going to let those doubts hold you back?"

Cedric sighed heavily. "I…I don't know. On some days, everything's great. I'm motivated, excited, determined…even when those 'what if' questions pop up, I can answer them with classic logic and they may go away temporarily. Like, for example, 'what if I fail a test?' Well, I tell myself, you won't because you'll study really hard for it."

He suddenly clenched his mug so hard that his knuckles turned white. "But then, on other days, those anxious 'what if' thoughts come back…and they don't go away no matter how I answer them, especially when I can't answer them…like 'what if I study really hard and still fail, what then?' Like, how do I answer that? And then because of that, they just keep coming and coming and haunting my mind…and honestly I'm so sick and tired of living like this."

Jack nodded sympathetically. "I get that, I know. And it's hard, trying to get out of that hole. Hell, sometimes people don't get out of it."

"But based on my experience, I say stop worrying about the 'what ifs'. I can tell you right now that as long as you treasure that dream of yours and believe in what you truly value…all those 'what if' situations will not happen. Because think about it, if you truly believe in that dream of yours, in what you want your life to be…you won't let whatever that 'if' stop you from achieving that. Yes, they will appear, again and again. And you won't be able to answer them every time they come to mind."

Jack gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "But trust me on this, you can be whoever you want to be…even without those answers. You don't need to have all the answers to everything. You don't need all those answers to succeed. You just have to look at yourself and think about this: even if life keeps throwing curveballs, it's really what you do that counts. Will you let the balls hit you and keep you down, or will you push through the bruises, face them head on, and throw them back?"

Cedric remained silent, letting his stepfather's words settle in his mind as he rested his chin in his hands. After a few moments, he finally let out a soft understanding smile and turned to face the original Guardian of Fun. "I think…I think I can do that."

Jack heartily slapped his back. "There we go, that's the Ceddy I know!"

Cedric coughed harshly at the impact, laughing as he playfully shoved his hand away. "Honestly, Jack. Maybe gym isn't quite your calling- have you ever thought about switching to psychology?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "And miss out on the chance of messing with kids? Not a chance!" He then cracked his neck and stood up to reach his hands high above his head, giving himself a nice stretch. "Not gonna lie though, you've inherited that annoying habit of your mother's, you both overthink WAYYYY too much."

Cedric chuckled. "Yeah, there are a lot of things I got from her."

"Yeah, tenacity being one of them as well." Jack gave a lopsided grin as he ruffled the boy's hair. "You can get through this, I believe in you. And if you can't believe in yourself, then believe in the me who believes in you."

"That…last part kinda makes sense…I guess?" The teen tilted his head up at the man, giving him a grateful look. "But regardless, thanks, Jack. Seriously, you really helped me out this time."

"And I always will, no matter what. You know I'll always be here for you." He playfully flicked his forehead before grabbing his now-empty mug and making his way back to the kitchen. "Now hurry up and fill that out and go to bed! Your mom will kill me if she knew I let you stay up this late."

"I will!" Cedric called after him while rubbing his new forehead injury, shaking his head at his stepfather's antics with a smirk.

He took a sip at his warm tea. He was now alone again in the room, staring at the paper in front of him. He brought his pencil back up and tapped the eraser end against his cheek, pondering deeply. After a few moments, he let out a satisfied smile and began to write.

For the career I'd like to pursue, I would like to be…

Fin

Annnnd that's a wrap! What did you guys think? Too cheesy?

I wanted to keep it open-ended because I feel like a lot of us struggle with these kinds of things every day and…well…hopefully the ambiguity will allow you guys to relate and possibly help you all overcome your own hurdles. Or…maybe I made things worse for those who want a firm, clearly-defined ending… I'm sorry if that's the case *braces self for the throwing of rotten vegetables*

But seriously thank you to everyone for reading this story of mine. It was a long, bumpy road, but I'm so grateful to have gotten the chance to share this with you and to hear from you guys as well about your thoughts!

As I mentioned before, I will be now diving into my own original story now that I kinda have a grasp of the kind of writing style I want to do/pursue. Let me know if you guys are interested and I'll send it out! I may make a website and post it there, or if anyone knows any open original story sharing sites I'd be down to join those too!

Love you guys so much! Thank you again for all your support- you guys have so kind to me and please keep in touch!

Love, A