Chapter Text
The weather was acting... oddly.
That was the only way Jack could describe it. It wasn't wholly out of the norm, but it was different enough for people to take notice. A little warmer than usual in some places, a little colder in others. Odd storms would sweep through for a few minutes, then quickly disperse.
As summer moved into fall, Burgess experienced an unusually and mild season. A picture perfect autumn, with the leaves turning brilliant colors and the air carrying a crisp hint of winter to come, without any storms.
Through it all, Mother Nature was nowhere to be found. Sometimes, Jack would spot a few of her butterflies flitting about, and he was sure the weather in Burgess was entirely her doing, but she never once showed her face. The elves acted as go-betweens for her and North, hauling things to the workshop she thought he might find useful, but she never answered his requests for her to come visit. Her island sanctuary remained closed to the Guardians, surrounded by an ever-churning storm that none of them could get past.
Meanwhile, Jack did his duty. He spread joy and happiness and fun to children, he helped them believe, and he made their days just a little bit brighter.
Sometimes, when North was being too broody, or Bunny too snappish, or Tooth was too caught up in her work, he brought joy back to them, too. He'd drag North out of his workshop, reminding him that the Yetis could manage just fine without him for a few hours, or he's regale Bunny with the latest tales of Sophie's exploits until he could no longer fight the urge and went to see her for himself, or he'd grab Toothiana for an impromptu waltz around her palace (much to the delight of her fairies).
Sandman, when he could be found, would smile and bring Jack along on his rounds, crafting dreams just for him.
Sandman never needed to be reminded of joy. He was awesome like that.
Jack was helping Jamie and Sophie build a blanket fort in Jamie's room when Sophie let out a delighted gasp, rushing to the window to throw it open. Jack turned, fully expecting to find Bunnymund climbing through the window.
"Mermaid!" Sophie squealed with delight, holding her arms out in a clear demand to be picked up. Mother Nature pulled a face but acceded to the girl's request, barely wincing as Sophie's hands immediately tangled in her hair.
"Not a mermaid."
Outside, the wind rose and dark clouds rolled in to block out the moon. Jamie scrambled out of the half built fort, nearly undoing all the hard work while Mother Nature took a seat on the bed and began untangling Sophie's hands from her hair. It took some work; she'd been eating candy only a few minutes before, and she was especially sticky. "Monty's gonna be so mad he didn't come over!" Jamie announced with undisguised glee.
Jack balanced on the top of the blanket fort, resting lightly on the broom handle that acted as the main support. "Hey there, stranger! I was starting to think you didn't like me anymore."
"Mermaid, mermaid!" Sophie continued to chant until a butterfly floated through the still open window, distracting her. It fluttered through the room, landing briefly on Sophie's nose before taking flight again, circling Mother Nature and the girl. The nature spirit held Sophie on her lap, stroking the tangled blonde locks.
"I thought I should take a little time to remind myself of a few things," Mother Nature explained. "I've been a bit busy of late."
"I bet," Jack muttered, fighting back the urge to ask about Pitch. There were some things he had absolutely no intention of ever talking about in front of Jamie or Sophie, if he could avoid it, and Pitch Black topped the list.
Thunder rumbled in the sky, and Sophie let out a little squeak. Even Jamie eyed the first storm to hit Burgess in months with some trepidation. "I was just passing through," Mother Nature went on serenely, "and I thought your favorite children might enjoy a story. If you don't mind. Of course, you might want to finish your fortress first," she added, letting Sophie slip from her lap to chase the butterfly. Jack shrugged nonchalantly, pushing the window closed with his staff as the rain began to fall.
"You wanna help?" Jamie asked, suddenly full of eager anticipation. After her first visit, Jamie had become determined to quiz the nature spirit on each and every creature he'd ever read about in his books; he'd been disappointed that Jack had been unable to bring her back to visit.
"I would be delighted."
It turned out, Mother Nature actually knew a thing or two about building blanket forts. When construction was finished, she crawled inside with them, settling Sophie on her lap once more while her butterfly provided gentle illumination. Jack settled beside her, watching the storm outside. Rain slammed against the glass, and a sudden flash of lightning killed the question Jamie had started to ask.
"Once upon a time," Mother Nature began, "there was a little girl named Seraphina...."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three stories and a long question-and-answer session later, Jack Frost and Mother Nature slipped out the bedroom window of Jamie Bennett, leaving the boy asleep next to his little sister. The storm had ended, leaving behind only the dark clouds and the distant memory of thunder.
"North's been worried about you," Jack told her, walking along the power lines with his staff slung across his shoulders. "Well, I say worried, I mean mooning like a lovelorn teenager."
Mother Nature drifted beside him as lightly as one of her butterflies, the wind of her passage shaking leaves from the trees. "I'll pay him a visit soon," she promised. "You have something truly remarkable in Jamie Bennett."
"Yeah," Jack smiled softly up at the parting clouds, "he's great."
"He's so much more than that." Mother Nature landed on the power lines in front of Jack, balancing on them as easily as he did. "His belief is powerful, Jack. It's the kind of belief that will last until the day he dies. The kind that can infect others, convincing them to believe what he does." She waved at the sprawl of the town. "Surely you've noticed how quickly belief in you has spread. He's... Patient Zero, if you will."
"You make me sound like a plague."
"What I'm trying to say is that you should treasure him. He's literally one in a million."
Jack closed his eyes, basking in the gentle light of the moon. "Yeah, he-" His eyes snapped open, boring in to Mother Nature. "Where's Pitch." He demanded, bringing his staff around. She looked past him back at the Bennett house. "No."
Mother Nature caught Jack by the hood of his sweatshirt, keeping him from rushing back to Jamie's side. "Please, Jack. You've seen what's coming, and we need him at full strength." Jack wriggled and squirmed, trying to get free of his sweatshirt, or hit Mother Nature with a bolt of ice, something. But the ice would not come, and Jack was firmly stuck. "We're both right here. Jamie's going to be fine."
"Pitch tried to kill him!"
"I know. That is why we're staying here." Mother Nature released her hold on Jack, and he nearly tumbled off the power lines. A dark shadow slipped out beneath Jamie's window, chased by the sound of phantom hoof beats. "Ah, there he is..."
The shadow swept along the street, along the street, coalescing briefly beneath them. Jack Frost looked down into the face of Pitch Black, expecting to find a triumphant sneer and mocking words.
Instead, all he found was exhaustion, pain, and possibly even regret.
Pitch looked away first, melting back into the shadows. Jack felt the anger drain reluctantly away, watching him go. "It's a work in progress," Mother Nature noted. "He's... adjusting, still trying to find the balance between who he was and who he now is."
"Did it have to be Jamie?" Jack asked in a small voice.
Mother Nature nodded. "If there had been anyone else, or if I thought there was more time..." She smiled sadly. "Go to your Light, Jack. Do your duty, as I do mine, and my father does his." She turned, the wind lifting her into the night.
Mother Nature never saw the snowball coming.