Chapter Text
Sweeping his staff across the field, Jack watches with great pleasure as frost forms and settles on the brittle grass. Taking a step forward, he throws his arms wide and spins; snow begins to fall around him. Stricken with good cheer, Jack begins to hum softly. Trekking back to the familiar lake of Burgess, Jack's nonessential notes take on a familiar tune; mouth opening, quiet, contented words fall from his lips.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." The winter sprite sings, humming a little more, his voice rises as he breaks into song again, "Jack Frost nipping at your nose!" He laughs abruptly, many would say his believers are non-existent; but, in his few hundred years he's managed to carve out a little piece of winter just for himself. Oblivious to the eyes watching and waiting on the outskirts of the woods he's heading straight for, the winter sprite's voice lilts in song once more; "To kids from one to ninety two, although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you; merry Christmas to you, merry Christmas to you, merry Christmas to you!" He closes his eyes then, later, Jack will be able to trace his downfall to this very mistake.
When Jack Frost comes to, he realizes with great excitement he's in Santa's Workshop; a place he's only every heard of from Mother and Pitch, a place he's only attempted to break into a billion times! Awing at the fantastic-ness of the place, he nearly misses the chuckle. Head whipping around he sees Santa himself-just as jolly as Mother always told him and just as fat as Pitch always described-Scrambling up to his feet, Jack blurts, "You're Santa, erm, North? I think I remember you prefer that name?"
The older male laughs good-naturedly and offers a hand. "Yes, North will do." He concurs.
Accepting the hand with a bit of hesitation, Jack tells North "Mother won't be happy when I'm not where I promised to be."
The man's eyebrows shoot to the middle of his forehead. "You know Mother Nature?"
Catching moving forms from the corner of his eye, Jack absently nods and cries with great enthusiasm, "Hey it's the kangaroo!"
"I'm a Pooka you brat!" Bunnymund snaps, glaring down the young winter spirit.
Waving a hand, Jack then tips his head to the Sandman, "Hey Sandy." He grins; the little man waves. He next walks over to Toothiana and he smiles with all his teeth and introduces himself. "I'm Jack Frost!" North watches the woman's eyes dilate, but before she can shove her hands into the poor boy's mouth Bunnymund's snagging her wrist and dragging her back. The young winter sprite looks on in mild confusion, but lets it all go with a shake of his head as he turns back to North.
"So, what made you decide to kidnap me? You could have just asked me to come." He says to the older man, slightly disgruntle at this point.
"We weren't sure you would come if asked." Toothiana explains.
Curiously, the boy glances at all of them and frowns. "Why's that? Is it because you guys have ignored me for the last odd hundred years?" He inquires, at their flinches, he half-heartedly tries to placate them. "It's cool, ya know," he remarks, "Mother and Pitch have been really good about keeping me busy."
"Pitch?" Is the strangled whisper of Toothiana.
Jack's face mars with confusion as the rest of them begin to fret and fight off fright. "Yeah?" Jack repeats uncertainly.
"He's why you're here!" Bunnymund roars.
Defensively, Jack mutters, "He didn't do anything."
The Pooka snorts and Jack fights the urge to bristle. "Look, I don't know why you think Pitch did something, but I'm not getting involved." He explains to them firmly.
"He's trying to bring the world back to the Dark Ages though!" Toothiana cries.
Jack faces her, frowning troubled. "No, I would have noticed that." He murmurs, "Mother and I visit often enough..."
"Mother? You mean Mother Nature, yes?" North demands quietly.
Jack gives the older winter spirit a passing glance. "Yeah, what of it?"
"She's never mentioned you." The old man mutters.
"You talk to the loony Sheila?" Bunnymund sputters.
North flushes an out of place red and shifts his eyes away. "Yes, something like that."
"Giving away our secrets are you North?" A crisp voice jeers from behind the gathered group.
"M!"
"Mother!"
The two winter spirits call simultaneously as everyone moves to stare at the interlopers. "I didn't realize Guardians are kidnapping children now." Pitch sneers, stepping away from Mother Nature's shadow.
Rattled, the Guardians stare at the pair coming up behind Jack Frost in shock. "What are you doing here?" Toothiana hisses.
Flicking back a lock of hair, Mother Nature sneers, (it looks like the one on Pitch's face a bit too much) "Do you think I'd come looking for my lost sprite without help?"
Some hesitate, but not E. Aster Bunnymund, "No, I'll give ya that, but!" Finger pointing accusingly at Pitch, he spits, "But, why him?"
Mother Nature's features morph to a look far too innocent and confused. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I bring my sprite's grandfather along?"
"We've talked about these notions MN, I watch him for you, I am not going to play at this game of family with you." Pitch chides the younger.
Color blooms across the woman's face and she looks torn between a tirade and crying, but before she can do either, Jack bounds away from the Guardians and to those he calls his family. "Hey! I'm okay! You guys are okay! Let's get out of here, before they try and convince me Pitch not only wants to send the world into the Dark Ages again; but wants to rule the universe too!" As the teenager babbles this, the two dark-haired spirits stare down at Jack in astoundment.
"They said what now?" Mother Nature demands, snagging her boy's chin so he's to look straight in her eye.
Seeing that something very wrong's going on, Jack glances away and then back to Mother. "ThatPitchwasplanningtotakevoertheworld?" He slurs.
Apple-red lips thinning unhappily, she orders, "Enunciate Jacky."
The boy's shoulders slump, while he can't say he likes the Guardians (not after kidnapping him or after insulting his family), but he doesn't want to get them in trouble. Taking a breath, the boy slows his speech and says, "They said, MiM said that Pitch was planning to put the world back in the Dark Ages."
Standing back up, Mother nature ruffles her winter sprite's white hair. "Thank you, Jack, why don't you head to Pitch's lair? We'll meet you there in a bit."
The teenager frowns, "Why can't I stick around? They wanted to make me for some reason! Shouldn't I get to find out why?" He's scowling now, that stubborn planting of his feet bellying his seriousness.
Mother Nature sighs. "Okay," Turning a glacial glare to the gathered Guardians, she asks, "What did you need my winter sprite for?"
Jack protests at sprite, but everyone ignores him.
Taking up the challenge, North steps forward and answers his elder's question. "We don't know, Man in the Moon say he tell us once we all here."
Staring up at the ceiling, Mother Nature crosses her arms impatiently and shouts, "Let's here it Perseus*! What could you possibly need my boy for!?"
The Guardians look between each other than to Pitch and Jack, the teenager shrugs and Pitch's lips only twitch with a smirk.
"Oh!" North murmurs suddenly and at the same time, Mother Nature hollers,
"No!"
"He wants you as Guardian with us Jack!" North exclaims.
The Frost spirit cocks his head and frown. "What?"
"I don't care what that jerk says! He's so separate from everything, he hasn't a clue what he's doing!" Mother Nature protests.
"Do I get any say? What does he want me for anyway?" Jack inquires, struggling to be heard over his irate protector.
"He want you to defeat Pitch." North explains.
Looking to his longtime protector, Jack wrinkles his nose and questions. "You aren't planning to send the world into a new Dark Age are you?"
The Nightmare King snorts. "Hardly," the faces of the guardian's contort in disbelief, so Pitch hurries to elaborate. "In today's times, it's rather difficult for someone, such as I, to stay strong." A deprecating smile on his lips, he mutters, "It's rather hard to compete with terrorists, mass murderers and kidnappers."
Sandy makes a point of makes a giant billowing image of Pitch moving all over giving nightmares to children.
Pitch sighs, "If I understand, yes, I've been visiting more children-even ones who don't need nightmares-but, I'm simply trying to keep up, ensure I do not fade away into oblivion."
Mother Nature comes and clutches his wrist. "Then there's no reason for Jack to be a Guardian, right?" She implores, staring down the Guardians.
North hums. "We could always do with fresh blood..."
"No!" Mother Nature scowls.
"C'mon Mother!" Jack whines, "It'll be fun!"
The woman shakes her head. "No." She repeats
"You and your fun, Jack Frost," Pitch contemplates. Glancing between the boy, Guardians, and Mother Nature, he suggests to the younger spirit beside him, "Come now, MN, let the child have his fun in exchange for not having his first mission be to put my head on a platter."
Displeased, Mother Nature exhales an irritated breath. "I'm not going to get my way, am I?"
Patting the marble white hand, Pitch smiles at her in a vaguely fond way. "No, my dear, I think not."
Taking a breath, Mother Nature faces the three men and one woman, her eyes churning stormily. "Alright, Jack can be apart of your little 'club', but only! Only if you give up on that silly mission of Perseus's."
Jack whoops happily and bounds at the group, puppy-dog eyes full force. "Please guys! Pleeeaaase!" He begs.
"But-!" Bunnymund starts, but North holds up a hand.
"Da, we agree." He decides staring down into the stormy dark eyes.
Leaning in close, Mother Nature grins up at the old man in a lascivious way. "Thank you, Nicholas." She murmurs.
"Anything for you my dear." North tells her, eyelids heavy.
"Oh please." Pitch growls, coming forward and dragging back Mother Nature. "Control yourself." He snarls.
The woman only smiles up at him. "Sorry," she apologizes sweetly.
"Is that why I've never met North?" Jack asks, a bit green.
Taking pity on the young man, Toothiana pats his shoulder and mumbles sympathetically. "Yes, I assume so."
And that's how Jack Frost became a Guardian.