This is my first venture into the Rise of the Guardians fandom. I've been reading stories here for a while and have been meaning to add my own stories to the mix, but I'm only just now getting the chance. Had to get some ideas first. Good news is that I have this one entirely planned out, so that should be quick updates (hopefully) and no worry about whether the story will ever actually get finished. I know the ending!

Anyway, this story came to me after watching the movie and listening to the song "Wrong Side of Heaven" by Five Finger Death Punch. I'll be listening to that as I write this story. I see this story as the teenager/adult version of the movie Rise of the Guardians. The movie is designed for children. This story, however, begins and ends with the movie and provides a darker final match-up between Pitch, the Guardians, and…Jack Frost. Just make sure to keep that in mind while reading the story.

By the way (and I promise I'll only say it once in this story), if you want to keep up with information about my stories, I have a Twitter (not my personal account-Fanfiction news only!) that you can follow. Info for that is on my Fanfiction profile.

Okay, so…here we go. I hope you enjoy the story!

Chapter 1: Betrayed

Jack Frost couldn't believe it. He thought he had been doing a good deed by offering to return Sophie home. Instead, this good deed turned into something that Jack could never have imagined. Pitch Black had lured him to his lair and caused him to be late in returning to Bunny's warren. This distraction gave Pitch's Nightmares the opportunity to destroy every single egg that Jack, Sophie, and the Guardians had worked to paint for Easter.

In England, Jack found the Guardians. He arrived just in time to see a dejected kid walk right through Bunny as if he was not even there. Instinctively, Jack placed a hand over his heart. That feeling was one that he was all too familiar with; it was the feeling of disbelief. The English kids had come to search for Easter eggs and they had left disappointed…and now they no longer believed in the Easter Bunny. If this was how it was all across the globe…then Easter truly was ruined…and it was all Jack's fault.

While Tooth tried to console Bunny, North explained to Jack everything that the winter spirit already knew. When Tooth joined North and Jack, she immediately noticed what Jack held in his hand, his teeth…his memories, that Pitch had thrown at him before Jack had found himself back in Bunny's Warren.

"Jack! she gasped. "Where did you get that?"

Tooth already knew the answer. She already knew where Jack had gotten his memories from, but still he tried to explain his actions. I need them to know that I never intended for any of this to happen! "I was…it's…" He couldn't finish. What was the point? What answer could he give that Tooth didn't already know?

The full impact of what had happened started to sink in. They must think that I sided with Pitch. I've been calling myself neutral this whole time, but… To think that I would choose to help Pitch!? That couldn't be further from the truth. If anything, I'd…I'd want to side with the Guardians.

"Where's Baby Tooth?"

Jack tried to answer, but he couldn't form the words. What could he say? He didn't know where Baby Tooth was either. She had not followed him back to the Warren.

"Oh, Jack, what have you done?"

"That is why you weren't here? You were with Pitch?" North accused.

"No! Listen…listen. I'm sorry," Jack tried to reason. How could he explain to them that he had been lured by a voice? One that he thought was so familiar yet still couldn't place. "I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"He has to go," Bunny spoke, his voice flat.

"What?" Jack questioned. How did it come to this? They're just going to kick me out over one mistake?

"We should never have trusted you!" Bunny yelled this time, approaching Jack and causing the winter spirit to take several steps backwards.

Now Jack felt betrayed. All he'd wanted for 300 years was to feel as though he belonged, to be among those who could see him. He'd finally thought he'd found just that and now…all he could do was gape at what he had just heard.

Softening slightly, Bunny continued, explaining, "Easter is…new beginnings, new life. Easter's about hope and now it's gone." Finishing, he turned and walked away from Jack.

Jack couldn't help but to feel as if this was Bunny's way of asking him to just leave. Desperate, he turned to face North and Tooth behind him, hoping to see some reconciliation. Instead, they both also just turned away. All three of the other remaining guardians had now officially turned their backs on Jack.

As if it could comfort him, Jack looked down at the tiny wooden Santa that North had given him. Finding no comfort in the little figurine, Jack dropped it down onto the grass and allowed the wind to lift him into her comforting embrace. Wind could sense the boy's frustration and grief so she did not have to ask him where he would like to go; she already knew well his place of solitude.

Jack let the wind carry him south to Antarctica. Usually, he enjoyed flying through the sky with wind, but today he just felt numb. He let a few icy tears slip from his eyes. In all of his 300 long years as a spirit, through all the times that he wandered alone, he'd never cried, but right now he couldn't stop it from happening.

Wind set Jack down on a cliff in Antarctica. Aimlessly, he wandered the snowy terrain and replayed the events in his head. If only I'd never followed that voice! I still don't know anything more about it than I did when I left Jaime's and Sophie's house. For all I know, it was probably just some sound that Pitch came up with…and clearly it worked. He lured me away long enough to ruin Easter. The Guardians are right. This is entirely my fault.

Slipping his hands into the pocket in the front of his blue hoodie, Jack's fingertips found something smooth. Pulling it out, he saw the very cause of his problems: the golden tooth-holder with the picture of the brown-haired boy bearing resemblance to himself. This…this…Pitch knew that the Guardians would think I betrayed them if I showed up carrying this. He knew they would assume that I willingly went to his lair and they would think I did it because I no longer wanted to help them. This case has caused enough problems. Jack raced to the edge of the cliff with the golden tooth case raised high above his head, ready to fling it as far away as possible. Still, no matter how angry he felt at the case or at the Guardians or at himself, Jack found that he could not just throw away the case. Looking down at it, and, moreso, at the face upon it, he knew that this little golden case could very well be the only possibility to ever get his memories back. There was no way that he could just throw that away, especially knowing that Tooth and her little fairies had worked so hard to collect the teeth inside of it. Jack growled in frustration, but eventually lowered his hand in defeat.

"I thought this might happen," a dark voice spoke up, startling Jack. "They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that, but I understand."

The more words that Pitch spoke, the more Jack could feel his anger rising. Finally, he could no longer hold it in and fired an icy blast at the epitome of darkness. His attempts were blocked by nightmare sand, but Jack didn't care. "You don't understand anything!" he yelled, racing to attack the man who had ruined his budding friendship with the Guardians. Jack fired another shot, but it was blocked once again by Pitch's nightmare sand.

"No? I don't know what it's like to be cast out?" Pitch yelled back. This time, he threw nightmare sand toward Jack, but the winter spirit rolled to his left and jumped up before another shot of the nightmare sand could strike him.

In the air, Jack sent another wave of icy frost, but Pitch again blocked it with his nightmare sand. Touching back down on the ground, Jack was halted as the air was still clouded from the prior attack and block.

"To not be believed in?" Pitch continued his former question. The sound came from behind Jack and the boy turned sharply and raised his staff to attack. He paused though as Pitch continued again. "To long for a family?"

Looking into the Boogeyman's eyes, Jack lowered his staff. The man looked…sincere, as if he wasn't just saying these words; he'd really felt this way.

"All those years in the shadows, I thought no one else knows what this feels like. Now I see I was wrong. You don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you and I know children will too."

"In me?" Jack asked, a little unsure. The last time he talked one-on-one with the Boogeyman like this, it had cost him his friendship with the Guardians.

"Yes!" Pitch answered. "Look at what we can do!" He pointed to the tall, spiky formation that Pitch's nightmare sand and Jack's ice magic had created. It truly was impressive. Jack couldn't deny that. "What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe! We'll give them a world where everything…everything is—"

"Pitch Black," Jack interrupted, sensing where Pitch was heading.

Pitch stopped, obviously seeing his error. "And Jack Frost, too," he amended quickly. "They'll believe in both of us."

"No, they'll fear both of us," Jack corrected, taking a step closer. "And that's not what I want." Jack turned to leave.

"I hate to say this, Jack, but I think it's too late for that," Pitch spoke up, his words momentarily stopping Jack from walking away. "You may not be able to see it, but I can."

Jack whirled around, anger seeping into the words he spoke next. "You're wrong, Pitch. The children—"

"Oh, sure," Pitch interrupted, "the children of the world love your 'snow days' even if they don't believe in you. But, have you ever noticed their parents? They dress their children in layer after layer of clothing to protect them from the cold snow and ice that you, Jack Frost, create. You. Are. Dangerous."

Jack took a step back at the words. It was true. Just a few days ago, Jack had sat on the fence of Jamie Bennett's backyard and watched Mrs. Bennett place a warm hat on the young boy's head.

"I told you, Jack. I know peoples' greatest fears. While it is true, that children like you…or, more so, they like what you do. That is true…for now. However, someday, they too will fear you. Very soon, everyone will fear you, Jack Frost."

So many ways that I wanted to end this chapter! I went with this, though, because it foretells the future without giving anything away. We'll give this a try. If it's well-received, a new chapter will come quickly. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter!

Thank you all for reading and supporting I'm No Hero!

Posted: August 25, 2015