Punishments in Time

Jack doesn't even process what he sees. Maybe it's his fault for not coming back sooner. Maybe that's why Jamie didn't wait. Maybe Jamie just got fed up. And Jack can't blame him.

It's the beginning of the Winter of 2021, and Jack hasn't been this happy since the day Pitch was defeated and in all honesty, he has a right.

He's going to see Jamie today. It's been 9 years and Jack knows that it's a long time to a mortal but he's been busy. He was apprehensive at first but he was sure that Jamie would love to see him.

That is, of course, if he remembers him.

Ah, the hardships of being a Guardian. Even though Tooth had told him that your first true believer never forgets you, there's that little void in his heart that has yet to be filled with hope.

But, nonetheless, Jack is excited for the day. He can imagine so many things now. The games they will play, the stories Jack will tell, the stories Jamie will return. It's going to be a great day.

A little voice tells him that Jamie might've changed. Jamie might've forgotten.

But Jack holds on to Tooth's words because the fairy has yet to fail him.

So he rides the winds that lead to Jamie's home. He perches on the window and look in, noticing that Jamie's not there, he frowns.

Maybe he's gone to play. If Jack is right, Jamie is now 18. The same age Jack was when he died. The same age that Jack will forever be.

Shrugging off the pessimistic thoughts, Jack jumps off the window and floats to the ground. Letting the winds swirl around him, he listens for an inkling that can lead him to Jamie.

A tinkling laugh catches Jack's attention. It is deeper and more mature than Jamie's but Jack knows it is the one he's looking for.

He follows the sound to its origin and catches Jamie in the park. He's grown taller, Jack tells himself fondly, probably around my height now.

He struts forward in the snow, opening his mouth to greet his friend when a voice beats him to it.

"Jamie!" a man says from behind Jack.

Jamie turns around in shock and his eyes glimmer. Jack thinks that he's caught his eye when Jamie just smiles and walks through him.

Jack freezes in shock and horror. He tries to voice out his friend's name but Jamie doesn't turn around.

He's too busy greeting the other man with a peck on the cheek.

Jack bites his lip to stop icy tears from falling. He tries to call Jamie again but the man doesn't even look his way. It's as if...

It's as if he's invisible.

His eyes water and he jumps onto a tree branch, just above the happy couple. The branch shudders and Jamie looks up. Jack holds his breath and wishes deeply that Jamie sees him but Jamie just shakes his head and walks away, arms around the other man.

Jack doesn't even process what he sees. Maybe it's his fault for not coming back sooner. Maybe that's why Jamie didn't wait. Maybe Jamie just got fed up. And Jack can't blame him.

But Tooth said that your first true believer never forgot you. Maybe Tooth was wrong.

He licks his lips and shuts his eyes in an attempt to comfort himself. Breathing deeply, he thinks it's alright. This was meant to happen.

This is his punishment for falling in love with a mortal boy. And he doesn't doubt it for one second.

He shakes his head. Nah. Maybe the others remember him.

Maybe Sophie remembers him!

He grins to himself, trying to be optimistic like the Spirit of Fun should be. She should be 12 by now. Still a child. She might still remember him.

Believes inhim, he corrects himself. Maybe Sophie still believes in him.

And with that, he rides the winds back to the Bennett residence.

Standing in front of the door to the home of the Bennetts, Jack wonders wether he should knock.

Chuckling bitterly to himself, he remembers that he's invisible now. Others may believe in him, but the older Bennett child obviously doesn't.

Thinking this, he opens the door and walks inside, shutting the door behind him and bringing a cold gust of air.

A vaguely familiar voice calls out, "Jamie, is that you?"

And Jack freezes into place. Should he even try? "No, Mrs. Bennett. It's Jack!" he calls back. He tries not to scoff when he realizes that Jamie and Sophie's mother probably doesn't even know who he is.

So of course he is shocked when she stumbles into the hallway, gasping, "Jack Frost?"

He blinks, looking behind him - no, no one there - and faces the woman in front of him, pointing to himself unsurely.

Her mouth is open. "It is you! Please, come in and have some food. Sophie has told me so much about you!"

He blinks as he follows her into the kitchen. Trying not to seem saddened at the fact that Jamie has clearly not mentioned him, he asks straight away how she could possibly see him, dropping into a chair.

She glances up at him with a twinkle in her eyes before giggling and placing a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Jack. He mumbles a quick 'Thank you'.

"Even as Sophie grew, she never seemed to forget any of you. Always telling me stories about you lot. Sightings and miracles. Especially the Easter Bunny."

"Bunny would be happy to hear about that," he laughs lightly. "I was wondering if Sophie still believes."

Mrs. Bennett smiles at him and tells him she's upstairs and to just follow the sound of pop music. And Jack does.

Opening the door to Sophie's room, he can't help but smile.

There are posters of every spirit imaginable on her walls. The largest being Bunnymund, he notices. There is one picture of Jack and Jamie next to her bed and he smiles sadly.

He calls out the name of the blonde on the bed and laughs when she screams and jumps into his arms.

She pelts him with question after question like bullets of a machine gun and he tries to answer them all.

That is, until she asks her final question. "Have you seen Jamie?"

Jack slowly let's her down on her bed and sits next to her. Her eyes are the same, maybe a little bit more wise, and her hair is pinned from her face. He brushes a stray band from her face before smiling grimly.

She frowns, maybe saddened for him and curses in a way that Jack didn't think a twelve year-old knows how. "Well, that asshole never really had much of a brain. He really was sad when you left, Jack.

"He waited year after year for you, but you didn't show up. After the fifth winter he just..." She trails off.

"He just gave up," Jack fills in slowly. "I'm really sorry, Sophie. And if there's anything I can do, I will. But your brother stopped believing."

Her eyes are downcast when she tells him that maybe Jamie still believes. That maybe he's just saddened. "He fought for you, Jack. When everyone else stopped believing, he told them that you'd come."

And Jack did. Every year. How else was he supposed to deliver snow? It was just he was always so busy. He never had time to stop by personally, he only had enough time to drop the occasional flake creature. He had to country hop, still does. He explains this to Sophie, hoping that she'd understand how sad he is and that he really was looking forward to a beautiful and fun-filled day but he can't.

He can't stay any longer, he tries to tell her. He has to move and bring a small snow storm to the next state over. He has to make a Christmas miracle by next week in a tropical country in Asia, a favor from North in the remembrance of this girl. He has to visit Sandman by later evening to make sure that the wind won't be a bother with his magic sand tonight.

"There are a lot of things I have to do," Jack says sadly. "But I'll be back by your birthday. Christmas eve, right?"

She laughs quietly. "Yea. With all this wish-making, you might put Santa out of business," she jokes.

He just hugs her and opens her window. He waves and then he's gone, thinking that he's an unlucky man.

The love of his life obviously doesn't even want to remember him. And again, Jack can't help but think it's all his fault. And only his fault. And somehow wish that he never felt for the child and lived forever with another Spirit instead.

But he know that it cannot be. This is his punishment, for what, he really, honestly doesn't understand. But he knows that if it's truly a punishment, the Man in the Moon has a reason because he always does.

A/N: I'm fairly happy with how this went. I tried avoiding dialogue as much as possible but obviously that didn't work out much.

I feel like there are gaps in this and I was thinking that, if in demand, I might make a part two of this. Most likely in Jamie's PoV. Whether it ends happily or not, I'm not entirely sure but...yeah.

Fan, fave, review please. So I know your thoughts on this.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

(April 3, 2013)