A/N Set immediately after The Sleigh. The time skip is set during the summer of the year of the movie, so about three months after Easter. I actually have a timeline going for when each chapter occurs in relation to the movie and each other, so if anyone wants it I'll probably post the current timeline on my profile page. Apologies for not updating in like, a year… yeah…
Tooth and Jamie needed some love, so here's a story with them as more of focal points.
Jack thumbed the memory cylinder in his hoodie pocket. He thought of his sister's smiling face, his mother's warm hugs, and his father's deep laughter.
The guardians stood, casually discussing their plans for fixing the damages Pitch had caused. Next to them, Jack felt like a kid intruding on an adult conversation. The statement was somewhat true if one didn't take into account Jack's actual age. No matter the circumstances, Jack felt awkward around them, and searched for an excuse to escape.
The opportunity came in the middle of Bunny's Easter ramblings. At least, if Jack had to interrupt their 'adult' conversation, he preferred Kangaroo be the one he offend.
"My Warren's not gonna be in the best shape after all the lost belief, but I think if— "
Jack cleared his throat.
Bunny glared. "But I think it would help to— "
A cough this time.
"Is there something you want to say, Frostbite?"
"Actually, yes. Thank you for asking." Jack smirked as Bunny rolls his eyes. "It's been fun, but I have some winter stuff to take care of so I'll be heading out."
"Right now? Jack, we had long night. You should rest here before you return to your duties." North advised.
Listening to all of you talk about boring work isn't what I would call 'restful.'
"Yes, well, it's important, 'must get done now' winter stuff, so I'll see you all around." Jack spoke quickly, offering a casual salute.
"Better not be hearing about your 'winter stuff' too soon, you here? Don't be causing a snowstorm in places you shouldn't." Bunny said, using air quotes around "winter stuff."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Jack retorted, heading toward the nearest window.
"Wait, Jack." Tooth's violet eyes met his. Jack looked over her shoulder to see that the other three guardians had returned to their conversation. "Are you alright? You took a lot of hits in the battle today. I don't want you to overwork yourself."
Jack snorted. "Not overworking myself doesn't mean much coming from the busiest person, um, fairy, I've ever met."
Tooth sighed. "Just know that I'm here if you need anything." She concluded, fluttering back toward the guardians.
"Tooth." Jack called. I'm definitely going to regret this, later.
Tooth whirled around, her eyes pleased. Jack fiddled with the memories in his pocket, debating. Maybe I shouldn't trouble her about this. Ugh, she's coming this way. Why did I call her over before I made a decision? She's here! I guess there's no backing out now.
"Here." Jack said, hoping his voice sounded indifferent. He held out the golden memories.
"Oh, no Jack!" Tooth replied in haste, "Those memories are yours! I can't possibly— "
Jack lowered his eyes. "I don't want them, Tooth. I already saw them." Sandy, North, and Bunny had stopped their conversation and placed their gazes on the winter spirit.
Tooth's eyes jumped between the group and Jack. Shaking her head, Tooth flew directly in front of the boy, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the others. Won't you just take them? Why did this have to turn into a discussion?
"There is no possible way that you have seen all of your memories, Jack. That would be too much to handle at once. You may have seen bits and pieces, but it will be a while before all the memories will come back to you." Tooth paused, waiting for a response, but didn't receive one. "If you're worried because not all the memories have come back yet, don't give up. I'll give Baby Tooth some time off work so that she can— "
"Tooth— "
"Travel with you," The fairy continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "She'll see when it's time to show you more and— "
"No! Just listen for a second, okay?" Jack snapped. Tooth closed her mouth. The boy sighed, eyes closed for a moment before continuing. "Thank you for the explanation, but I've seen enough. I know who I was and that's really all that matters."
Tooth rubbed her hands together. "I don't know Jack, this isn't… " Tooth trailed off, her eyes darting around, nervously.
"Just take them," Jack said. "Winter stuff to do, remember?" He added playfully, trying to lighten the mood.
After a brief silence, Jack held the memories out to her once more. Tooth reached out her hand, but hesitated upon touching the cylinder. "Are you sure, Jack? If there's something wrong you know you can talk to us."
"Please." Jack whispered.
Tooth nodded, grasping the memories, and Jack darted out the nearest window before she changed her mind.
About 3 months later
"Animal, boomerang, celery. D is for… dragons." Jamie said, walking along the sidewalk toward his home.
Jack laid back in the wind, the back of his head resting on the back of his head. "Alright, A is for— "
"Are dragons real?" Jamie interrupted.
"Come again?" The winter spirit asked, turning 180 degrees so he was hovering on his stomach.
"Dragons." Jamie stated, matter-of-factly. "I mean, I've read about them. The Easter Bunny's real. Santa's real. You're real, too. So are dragons? Real, I mean?"
Jack tilted his head up, squinting his eyes at the sun. "Probably."
Jamie huffed. "Probably? Come on, you're a winter spirit. Can't you give me more than that?"
Jack pulled Jamie back as the younger boy began crossing a street into oncoming traffic. They waited for a moment, then continued crossing, and their conversation, when the road was clear. "Just because I'm one of the 'fantasy' beings in one of your books doesn't mean I know everything. Most stories come from somewhere, so I guess it's safe to assume that dragons are or once were real."
Jamie sighed. "You'll ask one of the other guardians for me though, won't you?"
"Of course," Jack laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Now quit trying to distract me from the game. You changed the subject just so I would forget the words, didn't you?" He accused jokingly. Jamie stuck his tongue out.
"Animal, boomerang… , celery, dragons. Hm…. E is for eggnog."
Jamie scrunched his nose. "Gross."
"Eh. It's alright once you get use to it. North always has some around his workshop." Jack responded. "And by always, I mean always. It's kind of weird, because I never see any of the yetis making it. It just sort of appears. Every time I turn around, there's another glass on the desk or chair, and sometimes the floor."
"Santa's workshop sounds awesome!" Jamie grinned. "You'll take me to see it sometime, won't you?"
Jack scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. North doesn't want to show favoritism to children." Jamie groaned at the word, 'children.' The Guardian of Fun smiled devilishly. "But maybe I can sneak you in."
Jamie's eyes brightened. "Really?" His smile, however, was soon replaced by a frown. "But won't you get in trouble?"
"Not if we aren't caught."
The boys jumped at the sound of flapping wings. Baby Tooth hovered in front of them, waving to Jamie, before fluttering about Jack.
"A spy!" Jack gasped, eyes playfully glancing at Jamie.
"What should we do?" Jamie asked. It was all he could manage, as he was too awestruck by the appearance of the young fairy. Though he saw her and various other mystical creatures from time to time, Jack was the only regular visitor, and he cherished each moment of the fantastical sight.
"Hmmm," Jack stroked his chin. He then thrusted his staff toward the fairy, though holding it far enough away as to avoid accidentally hitting her. "You won't tell anyone of our plan, will you Baby Tooth? If you do… " He hesitated, then gave Jamie a sidelong look. "I can't think of a threat," he whispered.
"You're the Spirit of Winter, say you'll freeze her!" Jamie whispered in return.
Baby Tooth glanced back and forth between the two confused. She chirped at Jack, tilting her head.
"You didn't hear any of our conversation, did you." Jack asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Baby Tooth shook her head.
"Okay, then, none of this happened." Jack said, though he could have sworn he heard an exasperated sigh from the fairy.
"Alright, I nabbed a snow globe, you ready?" Jack asked.
Jamie nodded, biting his lip and looking down.
Jack chuckled. "You nervous?"
"No, I just… " Jamie rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel kind of bad that we're not bringing Sophie."
Bending down, Jack tossed Jamie his coat. "I know it's not ideal, but this is the first time in months that North has left the Workshop. We may not get another chance and we don't have time to wait for Sophie to get home from her dance class." Jack held up the snow globe with a smirk. "Besides, Sophie already got to see Bunny's warren. It's your turn for an adventure."
"Alright, let's do it!" Jamie said, grinning.
Jack returned Jamie's smile and turned to the snow globe. "North's workshop," he muttered, and threw the snow globe across the room. Jack's grin widened when he saw Jamie's eyes light up at the swirling colors of the portal, and he promised himself he would show the kid the magical side of the world more often. The winter spirit grabbed Jamie's hand, and together, they jumped through.
"Whoa." Jamie gasped. His eyes danced back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. Elves tripped over each other in what Jack could only assume was a game of tag. A few yetis glanced up at Jack and Jamie, some rolling their eyes or mumbling something under their breaths, but most ignored the two and continued working.
"Neat, huh?" Jack said. Jamie nodded, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "Well, come on!" Jack continued, giving Jamie a light push forward. "Time for Jack Frost's Tour de Workshop. I think I saw some bicycles back there if you want to ride them, though I recommend the elevator."
"How big is this place?" Jamie managed in an awed whisper.
"Not sure. I haven't thoroughly explored everywhere, myself. But that just means we'll both be surprised by what turns up. Who knows maybe we'll even find a hidden room."
"Now that would be awesome." Jamie said.
"North!"
Jack and Jamie jumped.
"That's Tooth!" Jack whispered. "Hide!"
"North!" Tooth called again. "Is Jack here? I checked Burgess but he wasn't there."
Jack and Jamie searched around frantically. Sure, there were tons of places to hide, but Jack didn't trust most of the equipment in the workshop not to electrocute them if they so much as brushed against it. "She won't be that mad if she finds out I'm here, will she?" Jamie asked as Jack led him to a curtained window.
"No, but the other guardians will find out and I'm not particularly in the mood for a lecture."
"North!" Tooth's voice was closer now. Jamie ducked behind the curtain and Jack did his best to lean against his staff casually. Just act casual, Jack.
He watched Tooth flutter in. "Jack!" She exclaimed, racing towards him. "I'm so glad you're here! I've been looking everywhere for you and I mean everywhere. I tried the woods next to Burgess, Jamie's house, the— oh nevermind, but I need to talk to you."
'That can't be good,' Jack thought. If there was one thing he learned in his few hundred years it was that someone 'needing to talk to you' was never a good thing.
Tooth twiddled her fingers together. "Well, I was organizing the teeth and sorting through which memories I should remind the children of when I came across these." She pulled out a familiar golden cylinder. Jack frowned, knowing where this was headed. "I know you said you didn't want them, but I still don't think it's right for me to keep them when you still don't have all your memories. I mean, I wouldn't be doing my job as a guardian or as your friend if I don't return them to you."
The two fell silent, with Tooth staring determinedly at Jack and Jack seeming deep in thought. At last, Jack opened his mouth to speak. Apparently able to read the refusal in Jack's eyes, Tooth rushed to say, "Look, don't give me your answer now. But please, if you change your mind about your memories, just come to the Tooth Palace. I'll help you if you need to sort them out."
"I… " Jack wanted to tell her that it would be unnecessary, that he would never go to her in search of his memories. Instead, he offered a lopsided smile. "Thanks, Tooth."
Tooth returned his smile, her eyes soft. A few fairies raced to her side, chirping to their queen. Tooth nodded, going into work mode. "Instruct the division in charge of sector 6 that I will arrive shortly. I need to finish some work back at the palace, but I'll be there to assist as soon as I'm done. Until then, tell them to stick to their usual routes." She turned to Jack. "Sorry, but I need to get back to work. Remember what I told you, alright?"
"Sure," Jack said, as Tooth flew off.
Jamie peaked behind the curtain. "Is she gone?" He asked.
"Yep!" Jack replied. "Shall we get back to the tour?"
The two wandered around the workshop, taking note of the especially grand library and the enormous kitchens. Jamie was unusually quiet, and Jack noticed that most of the kid's enthusiasm for the tour had waned since Tooth's visit.
"Something bothering you?" Jack asked as they boarded the elevator to return to the globe room.
Jamie shook his head, hesitating before replying. "It's just… " He glanced up at Jack nervously. "Why don't you want your memories back?"
Jack cringed. "You heard that, huh?"
"I mean, you told me that was the reason you helped the guardians in the first place, right? Why wouldn't you want them now?"
The elevator reached its destination, and the boys exited. Jack debated on what he should tell Jamie. He didn't really completely understand why he was so loath to see any more of his memories. After some thought he decided that talking about it may help him sort out his own thoughts. "When I wanted my memories back," he began, catching Jamie's full attention, "it was because I wanted to know who I was. I wanted a purpose, I guess. And now I have that. I know that I had a family. Now, I'm a guardian. I have believers." He nudged Jamie at the last sentence. "I don't need more than that."
Jamie frowned. "It doesn't seem like that's very solid reason to not try to remember more."
Jack shrugged. "Maybe not."
Crash.
Jack and Jamie jumped for the second time that day, and they immediately ran toward North's collection of snowglobes. "North's probably back from testing his sleigh improvements." Jack said, grabbing one off the shelf. "We'd better get you home before our secret tour isn't so secret anymore." He winked and tossed the snow globe in the air.
Jack nestled himself onto a tree branch next to his lake. The plan had gone smoothly. Jamie was safe at home and neither of the two close calls led to them being caught by other guardians. He knew the guardians wouldn't have cared that much if they were caught. Sure, he'd get a lecture on responsibility, but they wouldn't really be mad. That would have defeated the purpose though. What was the fun in sneaking around if they were caught? Jack just hoped the yetis wouldn't rat them out.
The winter spirit thought back to his conversation with Jamie. He knew that the kid had a point and that his reason for not wanting to see the rest of his memories kind of stunk. It was frustrating. Jack felt he owed it to his sister and his family to find out more about them, but he was so afraid to. Good to know the boogieman's probably having a good laugh right now.
The thought of Pitch being satisfied by his confusion and fear snapped Jack out of his daze. That's it, I'm going to Tooth. There is no way I'm giving Pitch any more fears to taunt me with.
Jack hopped up and, before he could change his mind, shouted, "Wind! Let's visit Tooth!"
Jack arrived to Tooth directing her fairies. He made sure to stay out of their path and waited patiently for Tooth to take a break.
He laughed as a few fairies fluttered around him excitedly, drawing Tooth's attention.
"Jack!" She exclaimed, immediately flying over.
"Hey, Tooth." He replied, unsure how to approach the conversation.
"Are you here about your memories?" Tooth asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Jack smiled, glad that Tooth had mentioned the topic first. "Yeah, actually. I'm not sure why I've been so freaked out about seeing the rest of them. I mean, I was so happy to find out who I was, and I still am, but… "
Tooth smiled sadly. "Wait here." She flew away and soon returned with his memories in her hand. She glanced down at them before gazing intently at Jack. "I've been thinking about it since you gave me your memories a few months ago, and I think I can understand why you didn't want to see them."
"You… do?" Jack asked. He didn't even understand why he didn't want to see them, so how did she…
As if reading his thoughts, Tooth laughed softly. "I think you're forgetting that I am the guardian of memories, Jack. Of course, there were many reasons why you turned them away. At first, I thought it was because the memories were not happy ones, but the way you sometimes talk about your past and your sister makes me think that's not the case. I believe the memories are painful to you because they were so happy."
Jack crossed his arms across his chest. "I just miss them so much. I know it was a long time ago, but… "
Tooth nodded. "They're new to you. Jack, I've lost people in my life that I love, as well. You may have been without your family for a long time, but your grief for them is new." Tears glistened in the winter spirit's eyes, and seeing this, Tooth wrapped her arms around him. "You can let yourself be sad, Jack, but don't let that grief stand in the way of you remembering the happy memories you had with them. Being a guardian doesn't mean you need to forget your past. You need these memories to move on." She let go of him and gently placed the golden cylinder in his hands.
"Would you like to see some of your memories now?" She asked.
Jack opened his mouth, but no sound game out. He swallowed hard and nodded.
Tooth smiled and reached out to activate the memories.
"Tooth?" Jack's voice croaked.
"Hm?"
"Who did you lose?" Then, realizing the question may be too personal, continued, "You don't have to answer."
"The guardians have been around a long time, Jack. We have all lost many."
He nodded. I guess I don't really know much about the lives of the other immortals. Jack hoped he wasn't crossing a line here."But who came to mind when I asked?"
Tooth smiled softly. "My parents."
She touched the cylinder and a bright light filled Jack's vision.
He could feel himself smiling.
Thanks, Tooth.