-Guess whose back!? Hope you enjoy this epilogue since everyone wanted Jamie and Jack to meet. I haven't touched much on this story so my writing may not be that great as the other chapters but I still hope you enjoy the end of this story.
-Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of the Guardian/Guardian of Childhood characters. Inspiration comes from art/join-me-jack-352135568 by loonytwin
Jamie POV/General POV
It's been two years since he last saw Jack Frost. Jamie often noticed his thoughts drift towards the winter sprite. Growing up, he and Jack were always together, and even now, he still believed in him. All the other kids from the guardian fight no longer believed in any of the guardians.
Jamie still believed and always would. How could you forget about such an important battle? Especially since he gained so many invaluable memories. Unfortunately, his friendships with the others wavered over the years with him always bringing up the Guardians.
They thought he needed help. Jamie sighed.
He really did miss Jack. When Jamie came home from college, he would always be sure to meet up with Jack. It would be just like old times, they would spend hours at the lake and skate, or talk about how Jamie's school is going, Jack was like the big - little - brother he never had.
Jamie decided that he would try to see if Jack was by his lake. He never really understood why Jack suddenly disappeared, but hopefully, he could find him.
Just then, Jamie spotted a mini tooth fairy zoom by. He called out to her, hoping to get her attention, "Wait! Baby Tooth!" The mini tooth fairy stopped and turned towards Jamie. She stopped for a minute before she quickly flew over to him and started squeaking while rubbing against his cheek. "I'm glad you remember me, baby tooth," Jamie smiled. "Have you seen Jack?" Baby Tooth dropped her head and squeaked sadly. Just then. Tooth came zooming down, looking panicked.
"There you are, baby tooth! What were you?" Tooth stopped once she noticed a familiar boy sitting in the snow. "Jamie? Is that you? My look how big you've gotten! How old are you now? 20? 21? Are you still brushing your teeth? And remember..." Tooth began rambling but was cut off by Jamie, "... Don't forget to floss. I know Tooth." Jamie smiled at Tooth and gave her a hug.
Tooth spoke up after returning the hug, "Why don't I call the other Guardians down, and we can all get re-acquainted? It's not every day an adult still believes, especially one we all love!"
Jamie nodded excitedly! Maybe that means Jack will be with them.
Tooth turned to Baby Tooth and told her to round up the other Guardians and to meet at Burgess Lake. Baby Tooth nodded and took off, rounding up all the other Guardians as Tooth and Jamie finished walking towards the lake. After about thirty minutes, everyone was gathered at Jack's lake. 'But?' Jamie thought, 'Where was Jack?'
"Jamie!" North bellowed and engulfed Jamie in a hug. "How is favorite believer?" Jamie laughed and returned the hug.
Bunny rolled his eyes but smiled and greeted, "Can't believe this ankle-bitter still believes."
Sandy was standing beside Tooth, nodding his head and throwing up an array of symbols, too fast for anyone to try to decipher.
"Wow." Jamie said, "Twelve years, and it's still unbelievable to be able to see you guys." Jamie looked around at the other Guardians. They seemed...depressed. Maybe they were just over worked, it was right around Christmas, after all. "Where's Jack?"
All the Guardians froze and looked over at Jamie, neither of them knowing what to say. No one wanted to tell Jack's favorite believer that he wasn't a Guardian anymore.
It has been a year since the guardians last saw Jack, since the day he joined Pitch, since the day they lost their family, since the day they betrayed him and lost the trust of the one person most important to them. They always hoped that they would run into Jack, be able to tell him they were sorry for everything, and that they just wanted him back.
However, Jack never appeared, or if he did, he avoided them.
They knew that he was around. He was still spreading 'snowballs and fun times', but he was also helping Pitch collect fear. After all, he fed on it as well. That stopped them from looking, knowing that even if they ran into him, they would never be able to convince him to leave.
He was in love with Pitch. And surprisingly, was loved in return.
Even when Jack left, they still couldn't believe it. No way was a creature of darkness like Pitch able to love. But then they heard rumors from the other spirits. Rumors of how Pitch was under control never overstepped his boundaries, only fed on fear when necessary and almost never causing it, and never left his cave without a certain frost spirit by his side.
It wasn't until they saw it with their own eyes that they knew they made a mistake, knew that they should have given Jack a chance to explain, knew they should have listened when he asked to go back. But their pride was too great, and they paid the price.
Bunny looked over at the Guardians - North looked ready to give up on everything, Tooth was silently crying, trying not to show Jamie any weakness, and Sandy was just standing with his eyes closed, his way of blocking out the pain - before looking back at Jamie, "Jamie. Jack is..." Bunny began but didn't know what to say. Bunny regretted everything that happened that day and wished he could take it back. He hated how he regarded Jack. He hated that he didn't trust him. He hated that he never believed in Jack. However, more than anything, he hoped. Hoped that he would be able to tell Jack that he was sorry. For everything. "Jack is no longer with us," He whispered.
Jamie gasped and began panicking as he looked over at Bunny, "What do you mean he is no longer with you? What happened?"
Sandy began frantically signing once again, trying to answer all of Jamie's questions at once, but was unable to get his point across, Bunny was really the only one that understood the complex symbols.
North spoke loudly, "Jack resigned as Guardian." North's voice was shaky. He had the roughest time out of all of them. Jack was like a son to North, the son he always wanted, but the son he could never have. So, when Jack was taken, he lost control. That caused him to harm Jack, and he would never be able to forgive himself for that. He shut himself out after that day. Never really returned.
By this point, Jamie was frozen, not knowing what to do. If Jack was no longer a guardian, then what would happen if Jamie stopped believing in him? Would he, would he disappear?
"Jamie," Tooth called out, noticing the panic on Jamie's face, "I know that this is hard to believe, but it's true. We haven't seen Jack in over a year."
"NO! I don't believe you, Jack has to be a Guardian. It's what he always wanted, right? He would never just quit!" Jamie shouted at the four, "What if I stop believing eventually? What if I die! He'll have no one to believe in him." Jamie knew that Jack had many believers now, but he always felt like they had a stronger bond then him just being a simple believer, that maybe he was a key in making sure Jack stayed believed in. Jamie didn't know what to do. He frantically started calling out Jack's name. They were at HIS lake. He had to come if he called. "Jack... Jack please. I know you can hear me. Come out, please! Jack! JACK!" Jamie called into the forest.
The other Guardians hung their heads, knowing that this was their fault, "Jamie, he won't come." Tooth stated with tears starting to form in her eyes. "This is our fault," she sobbed. "We caused him to leave.
Jamie looked over at Tooth with despair covering his face, shocked beyond belief. Did they cause this? What happened? How did this happen? "What do you mean?" He asked, "How could you have caused this?"
However, none of the Guardians spoke.
Just when Jamie was about to start calling for Jack again, the air around them grew really cold, and a gentle snow started to fall from the sky. The Guardians and Jamie both looked up when they heard laughter around them, "Hey, Jamie. What's with the sad face?" A playful voice rang out.
All the Guardians froze in disbelief as Jamie whispered, "Jack?"
Just then, a voice spoke from behind them and chuckled, "Who else?"
The Guardians and Jamie turned around to see none other than Jack Frost. At least, Jamie hoped it was Jack Frost. The white-haired teen looked like the ends of his hair had been dipped in the blackest ink, his eyes shining an ominous gold. His attire was different than the usual sweatshirt and brown tights he always wore. Now, he wore a loose black short sleeved V-neck shirt that shined with ice crystals and jean skinny's. The only thing recognizable on Jack was his usual shepherd's crook.
Jamie looked on in awe and confusion. He looked like... Pitch?
"Jack? Is that really you?" Jamie asked?
Jack laughed his usual playful laugh and smirked up at Jamie, "Ah, come on, Jamie. I know I look different, but I'm still me. In a way. Let me guess," Jack looked up at the Guardians. All four staring at Jack with longing and sorrow, Jack sighed, "The Guardians never told you what happened?"
Jamie shook his head, unable to really process what was going on, "Jack, what happened? Why do you...why do you look like..." Jamie wasn't able to finish, afraid of what the answer might be.
"Why do I look like Pitch?" Jack finished for him. Jack sighed and looked up at Jamie. "Are you sure you want to know?" Jack asked him. "You won't like the answer."
Whether he liked it or not, Jamie wanted to know, "Yes, I want to know the truth. What happened to you, Jack? Why are you like this?"
Jack smiled and started to explain, "Well, let's start from the beginning, okay? You see, about a year ago, I was attacked by Pitch while I was sleeping. That's when the sandman found me," he paused and looked up at Sandy before looking back at Jamie and continuing, "You see, Pitch injected nightmare sand into my staff. The Guardians didn't know what happened or how, so they weren't able to get to me in time. So the nightmare sand started changing my memories and attacking my center, making me think Pitch was my friend and that I belonged with him."
Jamie gasped and cried out, "That's horrible! How could he do such a thing?" Jamie leaned over and hugged Jack. It's hard to believe he is taller than him now. Still, he felt terrible. Jack was like this because of Pitch.
Jack returned the hug but started laughing once again, "Yeah, it was pretty horrible, at first. But, something happened that I didn't expect. Something the guardians weren't able to accept, something that ultimately changed my fate." Jack paused before he backed away from Jamie and looked up at him, "I fell in love with Pitch."
This time, it was Jamie who backed away from Jack. He...he fell in love...with pitch? How is that even possible? Pitch was - is - a monster! After everything he did twelve years ago and then what he did to Jack again last year, how could he possibly want to be with Pitch after that?
"You fell in love with him? Is he even capable of love?" Jamie asked. He didn't mean it to sound so harsh, but he had trouble wrapping his mind around what Jack was telling him.
Jack stared at Jamie before frowning, "Yeah. That's what the Guardians asked, too." Each of the Guardians lowered their heads and looked away. "Jamie, Pitch is capable of love. He really does love me, and he has changed." Just then, Jack flipped up into the air and landed perfectly on his staff, supporting himself like gravity didn't affect him. "As to why I look like this? Well, I was hurt by someone I thought was close to me, and Pitch had no choice but to inject more Nightmare sand into my center. By then, my center had already changed, but the extra sand just...sped it along, I guess. Though I'm still adjusting to the recent changes." Jack says as he touches his hair. He looks back over, "Jamie, I'm not just 'snowball and fun times' anymore, I'm fear." As if reacting to Jack's words, Jack's eyes glowed a bright gold.
Jamie looked at Jack with...fear. He was scared of Jack. "Jamie, please don't be afraid of me. I may be a part of the darkness now, but I'm still the same Jack Frost. I still create snow and the perfect no-school days, I still protect the children, and I still care about you. However, I also feed on fear, I control the darkness, but I'm happy Jamie, finally truly happy."
Jamie just stood there for the longest time, thinking about everything that Jack just told him. Yes, he was scared of Jack, but he also knew Jack. Knew that he would never let any harm come to the children, always making sure that everyone was having fun, never letting you leave until you had a smile on your face, and will never let you be alone. Yes, he was scared of Jack Frost, but he was also happy that Jack finally had a place where he wanted to be.
Jamie stepped forward and hugged Jack while laughing, "I may fear you, Jack, but I know that you will always protect me. You are happy, right?" Jamie asked Jack.
Jack released a breath of relief, "Yes."
"Then I'm happy too. You just have to promise me one thing?" Jamie asked.
"What's that kiddo?" No matter how old Jamie got, he would always be the kid who first believed.
Jamie smirked, "You better continue to come visit me."
Jack laughed, "You got it."
Jack stood there and laughed with Jamie while the Guardians stood off to the side and watched. They looked at the scene with different emotions. They were happy that Jamie still cared about Jack and gave him something they couldn't, his trust, but they were sad that they were probably never going to see Jack again, nor earn his forgiveness.
Suddenly, they heard whining as a nightmare came charging into the clearing by the lake. The Guardians tensed up and pulled out their weapons. Even Jamie tried to fight but was still standing just a little behind Jack. Jack just laughed and walked forward. "Nox, what have I told you about scaring people!" He stated as he began to pet the horses' mane. He looked back at everyone, noticing the tension and expecting a battle, "Guys, put your weapons away. Nox is one of mine, besides Pitch, doesn't fight anymore."
That statement caught everyone off guard. They stared at Jack like he had grown a second head.
"And whose fault is that exactly?" Came a sinister voice that everyone recognized and no one wanted to face.
Just then, Pitch appeared right beside Jack and put his hand around his waist. He looks up at the guardians before noticing Jamie. He smirks but makes sure to flash his canines, "Ah. I was wondering where you ran off to. Isn't this the brat that destroyed my plans 12 years ago and hanging out with the Guardians no less?" Pitch opened up his palm as nightmare sand began to swirl around his hand.
Jack rolled his eyes and hit Pitch on the arm, causing his hand to drop and the nightmare sand to fad, "Pitch, stop trying to pick a fight."
Pitch looked down at Jack with an innocent face and said, "Why? Whatever, do you mean snowflake?"
Jack rolled his eyes and pushed away from Pitch, "Fine. If that's how you're going to be. I'll sleep alone tonight." Jack crossed his arms and smiled over at Jamie, who looked on in shock. Pitch looked shocked himself and tried to reach for Jack, but Jack jumped up into the air and landed right in front of the Guardians.
They just stood there staring at Jack and Jack, staring up at them. No one really knew what to say. He smiled, getting ready to say something before Bunny spoke out, "No. Let me say this. Frosbi - Jack? I think I speak for all of us when I say, we...we are sorry. Sorry we never trusted you. We're sorry that we couldn't be your hope. That we let you down. We're sorry that we didn't believe you, didn't let you explain. We're not asking for your forgiveness, but we just want you to know that we made a mistake and we will always live with that mistake."
Jack looked up at Bunny in shock but then smiled at them with the largest smile they thought they would never get to see again. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fully trust you and we probably will never see each other again after today," Tooth whined at those words but Jack ignored her and continued, "but...I forgive you."
All four of the Guardians released the tears they had been holding after hearing those three words feeling like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
With that weight, though, was a realization, Jack wasn't the one that changed. They were. They never really were Guardians.
Pitch, who was still sulking about having to sleep alone, called out, "Jack. This is all very touching, but we do have some fear to spread." Jack looked over at Pitch and grinned, showing off his sharp teeth, causing the Guardians and Jamie to shutter at his demeanor.
Jack flew over to Pitch and hopped onto Nox, Pitch jumping on behind him and bringing his arms underneath Jacks, grabbing onto the reigns, before they took off. However, Jack looked at Jamie one more time.
"I'll see you soon, Jamie. Remember, I'm always around. All you need is a bit of fun..." Jack started.
Pitch smirked and finished, "...and a touch of fear." In a second, Jack and Pitch disappeared. Leaving Jamie and the Guardians to stare after him.
The Guardians finally realized that Jack was the one who held Pitch back. Jack loved Pitch enough to stay with him and to become part of the darkness. If it wasn't for Jack, Pitch would have destroyed them all. They knew then at that moment, Jack belonged to Pitch.
After all, what goes together better than Cold and Dark?
Authors Note:
Hope you all enjoyed this!
See you in the next story :) Don't forget to like, favorite, follow, and review!