Katherine and the Truth About Jack

Chapter 12: Old Scars and New

He could at least do that, and clean his jacket at the same time. He picked up on of the baskets and began to put them in the washing machine. Baby Tooth sat on his shoulder the whole time, once she pointed out the detergent he was using was wrong. Finally, he pulled off his jacket and threw it in. He looked at his T-shirt. He was always finding new ones. They were cheap and easy to get a hold of. This one he got a week ago, so he decided it wasn't worth cleaning. Finally closing the machine, he stood up and stretched.

"We'll do some more work until it's done. Then fold it up."

Baby Tooth raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

She crossed her tiny arms.

Jack sighed. "Listen, I'm just trying to be nice. Maybe if I just do the dishes--ow!" He rubbed his cheek as the tiny fairy had decided to him a sharp peck. She seemed insistent on leaving. But Jack was more determined to stay and make sure Katherine was alright.

So the next thirty minutes Jack did things he had never actually done before. He washed the dishes, folded her laundry, and even prepared a plate for when she woke up. Only two things he didn't touch. One was the stove. He had never cooked in all his life and was sure if he touched it, it would explode on impact.

The second was her desk, or rather the apartments desk. It was covered in books and papers and writing. And if he had learned anything from the Guardians, it was: leave their workspace alone. It didn't exactly need his help though. The papers were straight, the books orderly, he had the sense that no matter where she went the desk was always set the exact same way.

He chuckled, and then his eyes fell on Qwerty. The Book was asleep, or at least it looked asleep. Jack found himself wondering what was so important that this book guarded?

Jack cocked his head at the brown cover, shimmering with jewels and light. Despite the bells ringing in his head, he pulled out the book. Baby Tooth squeaked in protest.

"Shhhh...It will be fine." He whispered, but he still glanced at Kat to make sure she didn't see. Just as he was about to open it, it shouted, "Hey! Let go!"

Jack gasped and put his hand over the spines mouth, "Shhh!" He begged as the book let out muffled screams beneath his hand. "Katherine's sleeping."

The book continued to protest in muffled orders and wiggling legs. Qwerty's bookmark came out and slapped Jack's hand with a loud crack.

"Ow!"

"What do you think you're doing!" The book shouted at him.

Jack scowled, "Seriously Bookworm, be quiet, Katherine is trying to sleep!" He turned the book around so it could see Katherine curled up the window seat. She didn't even twitch.

"Oh," Qwerty said softly, but then he swirled around, "Well, that's no excuse for you to go through her stuff!"

"I wasn't going to!" Jack lied.

The face of the book scowled at him, crossing its many appendages.

"Okay, maybe I was." The spirit sighed, "But look!" He showed him the room, "I just want a peek, why all the secrets?"

"You may be a Guardian," Qwerty said, "But my pages were not made for you!"

He sighed, "Come on, I just want a peek." The book didn't even blink, and Jack grabbed one of the pages. "Let me have a peek, or I'll rip your pages out."

"You wouldn't dare!" The book shouted.

No, he wouldn't. But maybe he could bluff his way to get what he wanted. He had done it before, in more life-threatening situations. So why not here? Qwerty finally let out a breath.

"Finally, you can look at the pictures, but that's all!"

Pictures were better than nothing, so Jack agreed.

He opened up the book and slowly but surely watercolor images melted into the page. The first few looked ancient, sloppy even. But the images were still clear. They featured a dashing young man with a pair of swords fighting a bear. Above were written the words, "Nicholas Saint North." The image featured North, with a dashing black beard and chiseled figure. From her drawings, he could tell she had admired him as some sort of hero. But it was hard for Jack to imagine him as anything other than the towering jolly father-like figure.

"He's so...young," Jack commented, mostly to himself.

He flipped the page and almost laughed at the image that greeted him next. It was a bunny standing tall, in a robe with egg-shaped glasses.

"What is this? A Joke?" He flipped through the pages, each featuring something or someone he was familiar with. With each turn and glance his astonishment grew until some of the last pages.

He turned the page and almost dropped the book. There, drawn on worn, yellowed pages was the image of the boy who looked strikingly similar to the boy in Jack's mind. His hair was longer, and wilder, he wore some thick armor and a spear that seemed to glow. On his face was a smile that Jack could only describe as a perfect reflection of his smirk. Written in sloppy letters, was the word "Nightlight."

"Nightlight..." Jack whispered, why was that name so familiar?

This was just one of many drawings in the book. Some featured Nightlight alone, but most showed him with what must have been a younger Katherine. She would be reading, or talking or just smiling at him. He kept flipping the pages. They began to look cleaner, softer. All of them seemed to breathe and move and pulse as if alive. He stopped at one, one that seemed newer than the rest but somehow didn't fit with the chronology of the images.

It was warped with water damage and there was a sense of urgency. In it Katherine was much younger, her hair was scattered around her face and she was surrounded by darkness. In front of her was this Nightlight and she saw the way her hand went up against his chest. He looked dimmer in this drawing like his light was going out and he could see a fracture in the armor right above his heart.

Jack suddenly felt a sharp pain and grasped his heart with pale hands. He pulled down his shirt color to peer at a dark birthmark that lay over his heart. It was black and shaped almost in a star pattern. Then he looked back at the book. The page shimmered, and he thought for a moment that the boy had turned to him. Gasping for breath, he slammed the book.

Who was the boy? What had happened to him? He placed it where it belonged, taking care to make sure none of her desk was disturbed then walked over to Katherine. Kneeling next to her, he watched her sleeping face, relaxed but also sad. He brushed some hair out of her face and she shifted as he pulled the fleece higher, just over her shoulder. Tooth nuzzled in closer to him. Whoever it was didn't matter. Not right now. He would let her sleep, and they could talk another time.

He grabbed his jacket from the dryer, pulling it over his head and walked over to her. Then he turned and walked out, hand still pressed against the mark on his chest.