Rise of the Guardians 1. Chapter 1

Utter terror filled me as the darkness closed in once again. Over the time I had spent here in this dark prison I'd given up any hope of rescue or escape, my suppressed moans becoming screams as my hope and will to live quickly left me. There would be no running, my legs couldn't even help me stand, let alone walk out of this place. I didn't even know where to start running from. I couldn't even remember how I had gotten here. Tears slid down my face in a steady stream as I lay motionless on the ground waiting for the nightmare to come.

My captor stepped out of the shadows. Jack Frost stood before me once again, bloodied staff in hand. He cackled at my motionless body laying before him. This spirit had once seemed harmless, but now I knew him for what he really was. He lifted the staff above his head and brought it down on my side where it hit with a sickening crunch. Pain exploded along my side, bringing a scream to my mouth. "Tsk, tsk." the smile on his lips was just enough to make me cringe, "Thinking we can escape to a nightmare just yet darling? Now, now. We both know that you haven't had a beating yet. Can't let that happen now can we?"

The fear just kept coming, I had to stay strong, I couldn't let this monster see he had almost broken me. I managed a sneer and drawing upon as much hate and loathing as I could, I spit on the ground by his feet. "You son of a bitch. Is that all you've got?" for some reason this seemed to please him. His smile grew even more and he cackled again.

"Wonderful! This is going to be even better than I thought! Breaking you will be incredible fun!" he seemed delighted at the prospect of breaking me. The feeling of hopelessness was back, bringing me down a whole new level of pitiful. A sob escaped my throat and I crashed to the ground as the last small bit of energy was sucked from my veins. The staff came down again, this time finding my head. Lights danced before my eyes and I brought my head down, cracking it on the blood-covered floors. Jack laughed and slowly drew a knife from his hoodie pocket. He had used this countless times before to carve his name into my back.

I felt the white hot pain as the knife sliced through the scars again. I screamed, tears flowing from my eyes. Soon my whole body felt numb, throbbing with new pain. My body threw itself into convulsions, which had started occurring more frequently now that Jack had thought to start using the knife.

He finished on my back and then bent down and started slicing into my arms. I barely felt the blood as it streamed down my arm. I must have lost to much blood, because Jack had started easing up on the cutting. He stood up and pulled a cloth from his pocket, wiping the knife clean of blood.

Putting the knife away he bent down and looked into my eyes. A darkness clouded my vision and I slid from one torture to another. I braced myself for the nightmares.

I stood beside Jack in a small dark room. A small boy sat in a chair before us, looking mortally terrified. At first I thought he must be another one of the torture victims of Jack's, but then I realized that he wasn't looking at Jack. He was looking at me. Without my telling it to, I started to summon the powers that I thought Jack had taken away from me, with bewilderment I watched as my arm moved itself and aimed at the child. I screamed and closed my eyes as I fired a blast of fire at the innocent boy. I could hear the sickening sizzle of burned skin before the scene could change.

I now sat in a chair, my arms and legs bound tightly, and a gag in my mouth. I watched in agony as my mother's body was burned at the stake, with Jack Frost watching.

The scene changed and I found myself drowning in a river, my parents faces frantic as they tried to save me. I let myself drown. I watched as my body began to sink to the ground. My skin fell away from the rest of me, leaving a pile of bones at the bottom of the river.

I woke up shaking and panting after many other horrible nightmares had invaded my mind. Jack stood above me, looking pleased with himself. An awful smirk played on his lips as he bent down to my eye level, "There we are darling. How do you feel now?" I was going to kill that bastard. Kill him for taking pleasure in my fear and torture.

"The second I get out of these chains, I'm going to rip out your throat." I spat at his feet even knowing that I would never escape. I had given up all hope the moment I had seen the nightmare of myself in my worst fears, my parents watching me die drowning in a river.

Jack laughed, "Have I broken you so soon, pet?" I hated his names, "We were only beginning!" a look of mock disappointment crossed his face. "Maybe not though...you still seem to have some bite to your bark. I'll see you tomorrow then!" he clapped his hands and turned to leave the room.

I summoned what little energy I had, which wasn't much, and pulled against the chains, tears running down my face as the cuffs cut into my wrists. "Just...just...just let me go...please." I sobbed, unable to remain strong anymore. Let him hurt me, I prayed he would just get it over with already and just kill me. I landed with a thud onto the floor, my head lolling to the side, attached to the rest of me by almost nothing.

For a moment I thought I caught a look of panic register on Jack's wretched face. Then he smiled, "Let you go? Now why in the world would I do that?" I sobbed again, unable to stop myself.

"Just kill me already!" I tried to shout, but it sounded like a soft croak in the back of my throat.

Jack strode over to me and stroked my face, "Now why in the world would I want to kill you my dear?" I didn't understand. If he didn't want to kill me, what did he want? Fear overtook me. If he didn't want to kill me, what sick thing was he planning for me? What had he meant when he'd said countless times that we were "just getting started."? I started sobbing again. There was no hope for me, no one was coming to save me, why had I even thought someone would in the first place? There was no one on earth who even knew or cared that I existed. This must be what it felt like to be broken. I tried as hard as I could to push the thoughts away, but I couldn't find a optimistic side to this. I would be damned to live out the rest of my days here, if it was even considered living.

Jack started laughing again, as if he could read my thoughts. I no longer cared what he said, no longer cared of my fate. All I knew was that I was going to die a long and painful death. "You see, my dear," Jack continued, "I just want to feel your fear. There is no fear quite like the fear of pain." he smiled and stroked my cheek lightly, "You are so afraid of me, you are like a never ending pool of fear. I could keep you here forever and you'd never run out of fear. Unfortunately, when I break you, you'll just be as worthless as the rest of my servants. Although you do seem to have some untapped potential...maybe you're ready for my machine." he paused, seeming to consider this, though he said nothing more.

I was terrified. Whatever this machine was, it didn't sound good. Jack smiled and left the room without another word, leaving me alone in the awful dark room now painted with fresh blood. I felt sick. Whatever tomorrow would bring would happen and there was no stopping it now. I would just have to wait and find out.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke from the nightmare feeling dazed and frightened. My heart rose to my throat as it dawned on me that I had been moved into another room. I was floating in some kind of blueish liquid, a mask on my face and cords in my arms, legs, and chest. Around the tank there was machinery beeping and flashing in a confusing manner.

Jack was leaning against the wall, toying with his staff. Another boy stood beside him, his skin was a sandy black, darker than any night sky I had ever seen. He was dressed in clothes that looked like they were made of black sand, and his hair and eyes were the same color as his clothes. I shuddered at the sight of him, he reminded me to much of my father's fearlings. Jack must have created something similar to them. Jack looked up from the staff and wickedly smiled. He stepped over to the machine and started pressing buttons, saying something to the boy without looking at him. I tried to struggle, but could find no energy in my broken body.

The liquid around me started pulsing and suddenly waves of energy were coursing through my body, so much I felt like I was to explode. The energy kept coming in waves overwhelming me until everything went dark.

I woke in a dark room laying in a large four poster bed covered in sandy black sheets. I sat up in the bed and looked around. A door was on the left wall of the room, and a mirror next to it. Next to the door was a pair of black lace up combat boots. _My boots_, I realized with joy. A black nightstand stood next to the bed with a hairbrush and a glass of water. I got up from the bed and walked over to the mirror, examining myself. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and was startled at what I saw, I looked like myself again, like who I had been before Jack had ripped me away from my father and my home. I had orange hair that had a strange glow to it, reminding me of fire, and my power to control it. My eyes were a startling red with flecks of black covered with long dark lashes. Dark tattoos picturing fire ran down my arms and ended at the tips of my fingers, they were how I channeled my powers, I thought, confused, remembering how Jack had removed them so I wouldn't be able to use my powers against him. I wore black jeans with chains on the pockets and a black sleeveless top with a flame design on the side. From my neck hung a small silver chain with my heart-shaped locket my father had given me.

I wandered over to the door and turned the knob, testing my luck. To my surprise I found it opened. I stepped through the doorway and into a small dining room. Seated at the table was a man in a black dress with dark slicked back hair and yellow eyes. He had sandy gray skin and sharp, angular features. I shouted with happiness when I realized it was my father, Pitch Black. He looked up as I walked through the room and smiled. Standing up, he walked over and embraced me.

"Ava, darling, good morning. I'm glad you're awake" he stroked my hair lightly and sat in a chair beside mine.

"How am I here?" I asked, confused. How did my father find me? How had he gotten me away from Jack, and then healed me so quickly?

My father grabbed my hand, stroking it with his thumb, "I rescued you from Jack, it's a good thing I got there when I did. He was trying to strip you of your power before you could finish your training. When I rescued you, you were in pretty rough shape, he had beaten you within an inch of your life." my father look upset, more than I had ever seen him before. Anger, and pain flashed in his eyes.

I thought of my father and I playing together when I was a child, learning how to control my powers with him, learning as he taught me all there was to know about the spirit world. I remembered brief fights with the Guardians, and with a wave of hate, I remembered my rival and enemy, the Guardian of fun, Jack Frost. Just the thought of his name drove me crazy. I wanted to rip away from him everything he loved and held dear to him, just as he had done with my father. I remembered Jack Frost dragging my mother away to be put on trial with the Man in the Moon, who had ordered her to never see my father or I again. I remembered Jack Frost dragging me away from my father and beating me within an inch of my immortal life.

"Father, can I ask you a question?" my voice was dripping with anger at Jack Frost and the other Guardians.

"You can ask me anything." he smiled gently, giving no sign he had detected the anger in my voice.

"Why haven't we destroyed the Guardians yet?" I spit the word Guardian out like poison.

"You haven't fully mastered your powers yet, darling, you know that. I promise we will as soon as possible. We must finish your training by your one thousand eighteenth birthday. Remember our plan?" he answered.

"Yes" I looked up at his golden eyes and smiled. We had devised a plan just before Jack Frost had kidnapped me. Before I turned eighteen, my father would complete my training. My father would alter my appearance and I would pretend I was a newly created spirit and reveal myself to Jack Frost and the other Guardians. Once I had gained their trust, my father and I would destroy them from the inside out.

"Wonderful." my father smiled, "Because your birthday is tomorrow."

My father was leading me down a dark, narrow hallway. We were heading to the training room my father had made for me when I was young. As we neared the door I smiled, remembering all of the training I had already endured. I enjoyed training with my father, it allowed me to uncover undiscovered areas of my powers, and it also helped ease my mind. My father pushed the door opened and ushered me through. The walls were scorched from my fire and I smiled, remembering how this room had gotten it's burns. Training dummies and targets scattered the room, and a forgotten pile of coals lay in the corner. My father walked to the middle of the room where a table sat with a strange object. As I neared the table, I could see the object was a large snowflake, covered in intricate designs.

"This is the last part of your training my dear." my father said, gesturing to the snowflake. It seemed to glow and pulse with odd intensity. Suddenly it exploded in a flurry of snow, covering the room in white. My father was gone, leaving me in the room by myself. I searched, frantic, trying to find my father. I turned to see a pale teenage boy standing in his place. Jack Frost. I gasped as he smiled wickedly at me. With a roar I summoned the fire within me, creating an inferno with the anger towards Jack. All the pain he had caused me was pulled into this one gigantic blast of heat. With a roar I released all the energy at him, directed straight to his black heart. A stream of molten lava erupted from my hands, hitting Jack square on. Just as he had appeared, he was gone. My father stood in his place looking pleased. Confused I asked, "Father what just happened?"

He smiled and answered me, "I created an apparition of Jack, and allowed you to kill it. This was your final test, and it proves you are ready. You have passed your final test with flying colors my dear. Congratulations." he smiled at me and embraced me in a warm hug. I hugged him back, tears streaming down my face. When he realized I was crying my father's face looked concerned. He reached down and wiped the tears from my cheek. "I know my darling, I know. But we must do what is necessary to destroy them. Do you think you are ready?"

I sniffed and then regained my composure. "I am ready father."


	3. Chapter 3

My father cast a spell that did not alter my appearance, just made it so that when looked at, no one would recognize me except my father. I would go by the name Amber Fireheart and say that I had no memory of who I was before I was chosen. To my disgust my father made me wear a dress so the Guardians wouldn't recognize my clothes. The dress was mainly orange, with layers of orange and yellow.

My father and I had worked out most of the plan last night. My father would have one of his nightmares steal a box of teeth from the Tooth Palace, therefore making Toothiana believe that my teeth had somehow been lost, so they would think I wouldn't ever know my memories. Once the Guardians completely trusted me, I would contact my father and he would start a false battle with a few nightmares in Burgess, Jack's beloved home. The nightmares there would turn Jack's precious lake to nightmare quick sand, and give Jack's friend Jamie a vision to see who Jack really was. My father would then come meet me at the Guardian's castle, bringing an army of nightmares and fearlings. My father said he would take it from there.

I gave my father one last hug, and said goodbye to my two best friends, Eric and Sasha, fearlings who worked with my father. With one last wave I turned and headed to Burgess.

I spotted Jack the moment I set eyes on the lake. He was making a snowman with Jamie's little sister, Sofie. My father had told me that once Jamie had moved away to college, Jack had started playing with the girl more often. Jamie no longer lived in Burgess, but still came to visit Jack from time to time. Sofie was now thirteen years old, if I recalled correctly, and very tall and uncoordinated from the looks of it. I hid in a nearby tree until Jack left with Sofie to put her to bed. I then waited until Jack was almost in sight, and quickly curled up in a snow drift next to the lake.

As Jack's footsteps neared, I slowly opened my eyes, glancing around in fake confusion. Jack saw me and started running over to see if I was alright. He must have thought I was human, because he regarded me with interest, but didn't say anything. "Wh-who are you?" I asked, shivering in the cold.

He looked startled, then, pointed at himself questionably said, "You-you can see me?"

I pretended to look confused, pushing all the hate down, "What do you mean?" I asked, "Of course I can see you." Jack shook his head and then held a hand out to help me up. I took it, using all of my self control not to burn it off.

"How did you get here? What's your name? Oh, I'm Jack Frost by the way." he seemed to brace himself for a human reaction, and was surprised when I faked a blank stare. "I-I think my name is Amber Fireheart...at least that's what I heard. I-I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I think the moon told me." I tried my best to sound innocent and truthful.

Jack seemed to realize what this meant and looked at me with curiosity. "Do you have any memory of your former life?" he asked

"Former life?" I asked in return, "No, I just remember waking up here and seeing you." I gave him a quick glance from underneath my eyelashes. He had to buy this, or my father's plan was never going to work.

He seemed to buy it because he said, "I think there's some people you need to meet. They're my friends, and most people call them the Guardians." he said, smiling and spinning his staff. I glanced at it, and noticed that my blood must have been scrubbed at until nothing was visible anymore. Jack didn't even seem like the same person he was when he tortured me. Rage boiled up inside me. I couldn't wait to take him down. I smiled back at him, excitement mixing with the rage as I realized that our plan was going to be even easier than anticipated. Jack was leading me right to the Guardians front door.

"The Guardians? Who are they? I don't think I've ever heard of them before." I tried to plaster an innocent look on my face.

"You wouldn't have. We protect the children of the world, for example, I'm the Guardian of fun." Jack explained. I tried my best to look like I cared, "I think North will want to see you and explain some things so you'll be able to learn more about this new world you're going to be living in." I thought of how badly Jack was explaining this. If I really were a new spirit, I would be extremely confused.

"What do you mean new world?" I asked.

"Well, the spirit world or course. You were once human, but you died and the Man in the Moon choose you to become a spirit. A long time ago I was in the same boat as you. That was about three hundred ten years ago." he looked distant, "So I guess this is day one for you." he said, looking at me happily. I almost laughed. If only he knew. I had seen the Guardians bring my father down as a spirit child, had seen even before that when my father hadn't even know of the Guardians. I had been born before those retches had even been reborn. My father had fallen in love with my mom during the Dark Ages, and they had lived in all their glory. The Man in the Moon had created the Guardians then, when I was only three years old. They had brought my father down and separated my parents, taking my mother away from us forever. Many years later my father had almost completed my training. I was around three hundred at the time, when he had broken us out of the hell hole prison we had been banished to. It took dad a few years to perfect his black sand trick, and once he had he tried to attack the Guardians again. The Man in the Moon had made Jack a Guardian and he had destroyed my father again. I had taken care of my father once his nightmares turned against him, allowing the Guardians to banish him once again under the enchanted bed frame. Jack had been told of me about that time, and decided to kidnap and torture me. I came so close to laughing at Jack's saying three hundred years had been a long time.

"I died?" I asked, wishing I could rip off his face

"You probably died and were reborn as a spirit." Jack tried to explain

"I-I don't think I understand."

"That's why you need to meet the Guardians." Jack responded excitedly, "They can explain everything."

"Ok. I'm ready." I said, faking a nervous smile. It was time.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack flashed an impish grin before scooping me up in his arms and flying high into the air. I let out a small yell of surprise and started screaming. Flying was to much. I didn't care how badly I needed to keep things normal, I heated my body and let a blast of fire out of my hands, burning Jack's arm. It was his turn to let out a yelp of surprise and in his pain he dropped me about ten feet. I instantly regretted burning him and screamed again as I fell. I braced myself for the pain of falling, but it never came. I opened my eyes and saw I was lying in a huge pile of snow which was melting from my leftover heat.

Jack was flying next to me with a look of utter surprise on his face. "So...I take it you can control fire?" A small flicker of shock shot through me before I could regain my composure. I had just _shown_ Jack my power, he knew who I was...was this some kind of trick?

I couldn't take it anymore, he was trying to trick me. Plan or no plan Jack Frost had to pay. "YOU TAKE IT?!" I shouted loudly, fire erupting from my body and burning the ground beneath me. Jack slowly backed up, holding his hands in a mercy position. Good, I thought, let him beg for mercy until the last moment. "What is this?" I asked, my voice was dangerously low now, "Some kind of trick? Do you think I don't know what you did to me?" I undid the spell that was altering my appearance and stared down at him, my eyes burning hell fire. "Recognize me now Frost? Did you seriously think you could get away with torturing me and not have me come back to rip out your throat? You deserve a long and painful second death. I'm not stupid. There's no way you're taking me back to your hell hole." My body was exploding in fire now, and I was about to release it on him.

"STOP!" Jack yelled, now sprawled on the floor with his hands held in front of him. "I don't know who you think I am, but that wasn't me! Trust me, I know people who can help you! We can sort all this out, I promise!"

"What do you mean, it wasn't you? Are you calling me stupid? To hell with the Guardians! To hell with your help, you damn near killed me! If my father hadn't saved me, I'd be...I'd-you'd you'd have killed me, or...worse." Jack's eyes softened. I was good at telling emotions, but it couldn't be true. Jack Frost had tortured me, there was no other explanation.

"Look, Amber, whoever you are, whoever you think I am, it wasn't me I swear. You said your father saved you right? Take me back to him and we can see who it really was he rescued you from." Jack gave me a look of pity. I spit at his feet.

"Fine. We'll take you back to my dad. He can deal with you then." I hid a smile, if Jack was truly oblivious, he had no idea what was in store for him.


	5. Chapter 5

I restrained Jack with a ring of fire around both wrists. I connected the rings to a rope of flame and dragged Jack back home. It wasn't all of the Guardians, but it was a start.

Eric greeted us at the entrance to the enchanted bed, and gave me a look of surprised confusion. "Change of plans." I grunted, pushing past him and jumping into the hole, dragging Jack behind me. "What are we-" Jack screamed as we fell into the welcoming darkness.

We landed with a thud onto the cold floor. "Dad! Father!" I yelled

"What are we doing here? This is Pitch's lair! Amber wha-" Jack was cut off when my father entered the room, carrying a large staff covered in blood. What? Why did my father have Jack's staff? I glanced back to Jack's hand, which was still holding his frost covered stick. "Pitch." Jack sneered

Ignoring Jack my father glanced over to me, "Ava, darling, what are you doing back so soon? What about the plan?"

"Father, he tried to fly with me. I couldn't do it. There's no way I can keep my self control while he is around. Father I've failed you. I just...I'm not strong enough." Disappointment crossed my father's face, and filled me tenfold.

"It's alright. You've brought Frost. We can take down the rest of the Guardians quickly. This one needs to be punished for what he did to you."

Jack seemed to connect two in two and looked from me to my father in shock. "You have a daughter? But what about all of the 'I've been alone so long' you said to me ten years ago? What do you mean what I did to her?"

Anger filled me again. He was still pulling this shit. "Frost! You're done for! Why keep up this act? We know what you did! You've been told of my existence already! Do you think we're stupid?" A sinking feeling came to my gut again as I looked back at the bloody staff in my father's hand. I pushed the thought away. Jack Frost was finally in my custody. I would let my father punish him.

I shoved Jack towards my father, who caught him by the back of his hoodie and pulled him down the hall. I followed just behind, my eyes still on the bloody staff.

My father dragged Jack into a dark room and shut the door in my face. I felt a slight tap on my shoulder and turned to find Eric standing in front of me. His sandy skin was damp and his face was wet with tears. "Eric, what happened?" I asked, worry shooting through me.

"Ava, I can't lie to you any longer. I shouldn't have let you go without knowing the truth." he sighed and more tears came from his eyes, "The truth is that Jack didn't torture you. You weren't even tortured in this reality." Eric grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall and towards my room.

"What do you mean I wasn't tortured by Jack? I wasn't tortured at all? Eric you're not making any sense! Of course I was tortured! I think I would know that."

"You're father made me promise that I would never tell you the truth, but it just feels so wrong to keep it from you."

"Eric, what are you even saying? That my father tortured me? That's ridiculous! I know what I saw, and it was most defiantly Jack Frost!"

Eric shook his head, frustration crossing his face, "Ava I know you're not blind! You saw the staff. And how would your father have rescued you so quickly, and unscathed? It was all a nightmare your father created to make you hate Jack! Think Ava, come on! You know it's true. You need to get Jack and get out of here before your father can release ten years of anger on Jack."

The feeling of realization was setting in again. Was it true? Was Eric telling the truth? It made sense. But what about all of the pain and agony I had endured? It couldn't have just been a nightmare. It was all to real. But wasn't that what my father did best? Turn nightmare into reality? My father had tried to use me to bring Jack and the Guardians to him.

A scream of pain came from down the hallway. I turned back to Eric with a renewed sense of urgency. "Eric. Thank you for telling me. But once we get Jack back, what are we supposed to do?"

"I have you covered there. I talked to Autumn-you're familiar with her right? The spirit of Halloween?" I nod, Autumn and I had been friends since I was a small child, "She says she can watch over us awhile, keep us hidden from Pitch until we find a better plan."

"Ok." I sighed, "You better be right about this."


	6. Chapter 6

p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;"Eric went first, stepping lightly and checking around the corner to see if my father or any fearlings were wandering the hall. "All clear." he whispered /span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" We continued down to the door my father and Jack were in. I tried turning the knock, but knew it would be locked before I even tried. "Alright, we need to do this quick, Eric," I said, "I'm going to burn the lock off and put my father in a cage of fire. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it, so you have to be fast. Grab Jack and get out of here. I'll be right behind you." taking a deep breath, I slowly melted the iron door knob and kicked the door down. My father looked up from a chained and bloody Jack and was trapped in my fire cage before he could realize what was happening. "Hurry!" I shouted to Eric, concentrating all my powers on keeping my father trapped. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" Eric rushed over to Jack and dragged him towards me as far as the chains would allow. I shot a blast of fire at the chains causing them to sizzle and melt. Jack yelled as a stray spark hit his wrist. "Ava! What are you doing?!" my father yelled, confusion and rage were clearly written all over his face.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I turned away from him, sadness and anger filling me. I didn't know who to trust. Eric had been one of my two best friends for centuries, and my father had cared for me, and I for him. Jack, on the other hand, had been my enemy for as long I could remember. Could I really trust him? Doubt mixed with the other emotions creating a hurricane within my mind. I felt Eric tug on my arm, waking me from my thoughts. "Ava! Let's go!" he shouted. Jack leaned on Eric with one arm around his neck. I heard my father's yells from my cage which was slowly losing energy. "Go! I'll be right behind you!" I yelled.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I watched Jack and Eric run down the hall and towards the exit. As they rounded the corner I turned and faced my father. "You never had to do that." for the first time in a long time, I allowed my emotions to show. I could only imagine my father seeing what was there. Anger, sadness, confusion, pain. A tear slid down my face. "Goodbye, father." I turned and ran after Eric, leaving my father behind for good. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""span style="font-size: medium;"How badly is he hurt?" I asked as I caught up to Eric. They had made good progress, and I hadn't caught up with them until they were well away from my home. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "He isn't to bad. Just a few bruises. Your father was going to give him a nightmare, that's why he's out." I glanced over at Jack, who was draped over Eric's shoulder. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" My thoughts wandered to when Eric, Sasha, and I had first met. It was the day they were created. My father had made them as playmates for me, twins who had died in a car accident. I had showed them the forest and the places that were good for hiding. We had become inseparable from that time on. "Eric, what about Sasha?" I asked, looking over at him with concern in my eyes.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "We have to leave her." I could see the tears forming in his eyes, "I told her what I was going to do, and she tried to run and tell Pitch. I locked her in my room." A tear broke from his eye and slipped down his cheek. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "I'm so sorry, Eric." I reached out and grabbed his hand. He gave me a sad smile and squeezed my hand in thanks. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I tried to change the subject, "I can't wait to see Twix." I was referring to Autumn's dog, the ghost of a dead golden brown and white border collie. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "Yeah." Eric was quiet. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" We fell silent and walked awhile without conversing. After some time Jack woke up. "What.." he looked around, glancing at Eric and then to me, "What's going on? Where are you taking me?" he flew from Eric's grasp and grabbed his staff, which Eric had been carrying. Turning towards us he narrowed his eyes and pointed his staff towards us.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "Calm down, we saved your ass, you should be grateful." I growled backspan/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "What do you mean you saved me? I thought you handed me over to Pitch. Care to explain yourselves?" he asked, still pointing his stupid stick at us.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "Look, Jack. It's a long story, and I get that you don't trust us, we don't exactly trust you either, but for now I just need you to follow us and listen to what we have to say." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" Jack hovered for a moment before landing and walking over to us. "Fine." he said, crossing his arms, "Say what you will, but first, tell me who you are." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I stepped forward, "First off, my name isn't actually Amber. It's Ava Black. As you may have figured out, I'm Pitch's daughter. For a long time I've grown up, hating you for what the Guardians did to my father, what you did to him. A few months ago-or a few days-I'm not sure, my father put me into a long nightmare. In the nightmare, you kidnapped me. You tortured me and beat me bloody. I suffered for a long time in that nightmare. Two days ago my father 'rescued me'" I used air quotes with my fingers on rescue, "and told me that I must put into action the plan we had been making to bring the Guardians down. I guess he wanted to make me hate you even more than I already did by making me think you had tortured me. I was going to go through with the rest of the plan when Eric here told me the truth. I don't know what to think of my father anymore." the grief and anger came back in a fresh wave as I retold the story. Jack looked a bit startled and gave me an apologetic look. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "I had no idea that Pitch had a daughter. Who's your mom?" he asked, not realizing what a blow it was to me. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "My mom...she...I don't remember her well. We used to be a great family, my parents ruled in the Dark Ages. I was born during that time, and not long after that the Guardians were made. They took my mother away from us, and I haven't seen her since." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "I'm so sorry." Jack said, walking over to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I turned away, furiously wiping tears from my eyes and pushing away Jack's affection. Eric took Jack away and explained the rest of the story to him. I sat down on a rock and tried to regain my composure. When they came back I stood and started walking down the path again. "We need to get moving." I didn't look at either of them until we came into a clearing with Halloween decorations and a old wooden house. There was a sign in front that had, "LEAVE WHILE YOU STILL CAN" written in fake blood. I smiled as I remembered when Autumn and I had made it. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" I turned and smiled at Eric. "Autumn!" I yelled, running up to her porch. Twix materialized through the door, barking excitedly. I bent down and scratched his head. "Hi buddy! Long time no see!" Twix barked happily and licked my face. Autumn opened the door and smiled down at me, her arms outstretched. "Ava! It has been so long!" I stood up and hugged her, remembering all the times we had played as children. I looked down at her outfit, a stitched orange and black dress that was ripped at the bottom and at the end of the sleeves. She had long socks that matched her dress and she wore a pair of black boots. Her face would scare a mortal, she was very pale and had ruby red lips. A large smile had been carved into the sides of her face and was stitched up. She had glowing orange eyes and long dark eyelashes. She had grown very beautiful since I had seen her last. "I'm so sorry about what happened your father, Ava, darling." she said, a sad smile on her face.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" My smile faded as I remembered why we were here. I shook my head and turned to where the boys were standing. "Jack, this is Autumn, the spirit of Halloween. Autumn this is Jack Frost." she nodded and stuck her hand out. "It is very nice to finally meet the spirit who comes after my holiday." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" Jack smiled back, "It's nice to meet you too." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" Eric came up the porch last and smiled at Autumn. "Thank you so much for allowing us to stay. It means a lot." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" "Yes, thank you." I nodded to my friend, "I am in your debt." span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-size: medium;" Autumn shook her head, "Oh nonsense! We are going to have plenty of fun! Trust me, I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. Why don't you all come in? Take a candy while you're at it." she motioned for us to enter. It was time to begin living without my father for the first time in my whole life. I took a deep breath and walked inside. My father was gone now.span/p 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks so much for the support on the story! I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it so far. I apologize for the long wait, things got crazy with lots of homework to get caught up on after being sick. Thanks for being patient, so without further wait, here is the story!**

Autumn's house was furnished with blood red cushioned seats and couches, cobwebs, dim orange and black lights, and a black and white checkered floor made of marble. Half made costumes were thrown about, in the corner was a table with a sewing machine and piles cloth on it. The kitchen was in the far right corner of the room, and the oven looked like it was in the process of making what I guessed was some kind of candy. A large bowl of sweets sat on a round wooden table next to the door and a plastic hand held it up. I picked a Red Hot and popped it in my mouth with a smile. "Oh darling, you are soooo typical. Powers of fire, take the red hot!" Autumn waved her arms around and twirled as she said this, doing her own mad thing.

"You could say the same about yourself! Look at this place, it looks like Halloween puked on everything!" I gestured around the room.

Autumn grinned, "Touche."

Jack and Eric came in behind us looking around the room in awe. I chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. Spirit of Halloween, keep your jaws shut you gawking baboons." Autumn yelled, smiling and waving her hands about.

"Sorry!" Jack held his hands out in mock surrender. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"I don't know about the rest of you," I yawned, "but I'm exhausted. Same bedroom as before?" I glanced at Autumn and pointed up the stairs.

"Yes ma'm. Let me give you boys the grand tour, I think Ava knows this place already. See you tomorrow love." Autumn waved me away and gestured for the boys to follow. I laughed as she launched into telling the boys the details of her latest candy scheme.

I climbed up the stairs and looked around. Not much was different. Same old wooden table, decorated with jack 'o lanterns and candy. The large hall was lined with doors that led to the bedrooms, and the bathroom. I walked to the room that I had always used. The handle was melted a bit from my warm touch. Inside the room was a full sized bed with red sheets, a bookshelf filled with a few random books I had brought over the years, and a small round wooden table with a jack 'o lantern on top. I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

_"__You thought you could just leave? Darling, you will be sorrily mistaken." my father stood looming above me. I was expecting this. _

_"__Get out of my head, father. You lied and hurt me. You don't get your daughter back." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples slowly. He wasn't going to give up. _

_"__Darling, I was trying to protect you. I was teaching you to hate your enemy." his face spoke true, but his words were corrupt. _

_"__You were teaching me? Father, what you did was beat me. Plain and simple. I already hated Jack Frost. There was NO point in doing what you did. I will never come home. I'm staying somewhere safe. I didn't see your evil. I do now, so unless by some miracle you can change, you'll never see me again. Goodbye." I closed my eyes and pinched my arm_.

I opened my eyes slowly and sat up. My eyes focused on a figure with a blue hoodie and white hair sitting at the foot of the bed. I jumped out of bed with a yelp, "What the hell?" my body had already started heating itself and fire was tickling the tips of my fingers.

"Sorry! Sorry..don't cook me!" Jack held his hands up in surrender

"What are you doing in here?" I asked

"I was watching you sleep." he replied in a matter of fact tone

"Oh. Well in that case, you sound completely sane! I don't know what I was thinking, I mean, it's totally normal for some guy I barely know to just watch me sleep." my voice dripped with sarcasm

"Sorry, it's just...I had no idea Pitch had a daughter. I actually never knew there was any other spirit besides the Guardians and Pitch."

"Seriously?" I asked, "It seems like they would have told you.. I mean I know the Easter Rabbit has a few grudges against some spirits, especially the ground hog. They got into a tunnel accident once."

Jack shook his head, "No."

"Hey, I'm sorry for everything that went down yesterday. Did my father hurt you?" I had been worrying about this a bit last night.

"Not bad, he hit me in the head with my staff and knocked me out. About yesterday, I mean... maybe we should try this again. I think we got off on the wrong foot..."

"Yeah. I think you're right. Where do you want to start?"

"Well, neither of us know much about each other...maybe just start there?"

"Alright..." I sighed, "I guess I'll start from the beginning. My parents met before the Dark Ages. They got married and spent some time together, then they worked together and rose to power, which was the start of the Dark Ages. They had me not long after, and after I turned six the Guardians came to be. They took down my parents and punished them by taking away my mother. I don't really remember much about it, just seeing them drag her away...she was crying, I was crying, my father was hugging me. We were on our own after that. Banished under the bed. I took care of him, he was miserable after she was taken away. Eventually he got the idea that he could get revenge. You joined the Guardians and took him down. That whole time I was still in that hell hole being watched by the fearlings. After the Guardians defeated my father we were left with almost nothing. Eventually my father mastered his powers again, and we were planning on attacking you after I had finished training on my four hundred eighteenth birthday. I left and captured you. Eric told me what my father had done right after father shut the door in my face. That's pretty much it. I mean, there's more in between the big stuff, but I'd rather not get into it now." I finished, remembering all the things too personal to share with Jack.

"Wow. Well, I guess it's my turn." Jack ran a hand through his hair. "I died before I was brought back as a spirit. During our battle with Pitch I was given my teeth, which contain childhood memories. In my human life I had a mother and a sister, so kind of the opposite of you I guess. I was a troublemaker and played lots of jokes on people. One day I took my sister ice skating and to save her from falling through the thin ice I used a stick to fling her out of the way and fell in myself. I came back to this giant moon shining down on me. All he said was that I was Jack Frost. I started a life of freedom and jokes, but no one could see me. I don't know how much contact you've had with the human world, but if a child doesn't believe in you, they can't see you. So I was on my own for three hundred years, and then the Man in The Moon told the Guardians that Pitch was coming back, and that I was to be the new Guardian. Bunny and two of the yetis stuffed me in this giant bag and tossed me through this portal. They told me I was a Guardian and I flipped out. But I tagged along with them when Tooth was in trouble. I found out about the memories in my teeth and stuck with them. I guess along the way I discovered who I really was. I met this kid named Jamie and his friends. They believed in me, so I decided to become a Guardian, to protect them. I've just been doing my job and bringing fun to the kids for the last ten years. Jamie went off to college, so I've started playing with his sister Sofie more often. I had just finished putting her to bed when we met." Jack seemed nervous telling me this, because he kept running his hand through his hair. The fact that he had been alone so long struck me. I had been with my father my whole life. It might not have been the greatest, but it was better than being alone.

"I had no idea you were alone for so long. I mean, not having someone there...I'm sorry Jack."

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for hating you for something you had every reason to do. For not seeing through my father's lies before. For everything."

Jack was silent for a moment. Then, "I forgive you."


	8. Chapter 8

Jack and I walked downstairs for breakfast. Eric and Autumn were taking, Autumn dancing around the kitchen making some kind of sugar based meal. Eric saw the two of us and smiled. I took a seat next to Eric, and Jack sat on the other side of me. "What on earth are you making?" I laughed as Autumn dumped a cup of sugar in the pan.

"Morning darlings," Autumn swiveled her head to glance back at us, "homemade recipe. Candied bat and scrambled sugar eggs. Delish!" I made a face and turned to Eric.

"How did you sleep?" he asked

"Amazing. I was so tired. How about you?" I decided not to tell Eric about waking up to Jack. I figured it was sort of a between us situation.

"Good, it's so weird being somewhere other than my room at your father's lair."

"I would say the same, but I've only been in reality for two days." I forced a laugh, but it wasn't real. I kept thinking about what my father had done. What he had said last night. It scared me. The man I had loved for so long, doing something like that...

"Ava...Avaaaaa" Jack was waving his hand in front of my face. I blinked, bringing my mind back to reality.

"Sorry...my mind's kinda all over. What did you say?"

"I asked how long you and Autumn have been friends." he laughed

"Oh, gosh, I don't even know...something like three hundred years or so. My dad used to come and see how she was doing every three days. We hung out and he watched us."

Autumn smiled and stopped running around the kitchen for a moment, "Your visits often saved me, darling. Many times I was in a low spot, and found you and your father on my doorstep right when I needed you." she smiled sentimentally, her eyes distant. I returned the smile, and after a few moments Autumn resumed twirling around.

"Breakfast is served darlings." Autumn shoveled bat meat on a large plate and then put the eggs on another dish. I took some of the nasty looking meat, which I knew to be better than it looked. Jack eyed the food and took a small plate of eggs. Eric took both eggs and meat, he wasn't a picky eater, mainly because he couldn't taste anything. We all ate in awkward silence until Autumn asked, "So what are your plans from here?"

I looked up from my food. "I hadn't even thought about that..." my mind wandered to when Jack had told me about his inexperience with other spirits. I thought of all the spirits I had met in my life. To many to count. What if... "How long do you want us here?" I asked Autumn

"Darling, you know I love you. Stay as long as you need to." I wasn't sure if I had imagined it, but I thought I saw Autumn and Eric glance at each other before Autumn smiled at me. I looked from Eric to Autumn and raised an eyebrow. Autumn turned a deep shade of pink and Eric sat a little deeper in his seat. Ok, I hadn't imagined it. I couldn't help but smile a bit. My smile quickly turned into laughter, which confused Jack and embarrassed my unlikely couple even further. I pointed to Eric and then to Autumn. "You two? Now this is surprising."

"Ummm..." Autumn looked down at her plate. "We weren't sure whether to tell you or not..."

"How long have you two been...?" I asked

"Together?" Eric smiled nervously, "Well, two years...give or take. I contacted her about two weeks after your father put you in that nightmare. So yeah, a year or two."

My eyes widened when Eric said two years. "I was in that nightmare for two years?Actually, never mind. This is about you two. We need a plan, and I am not separating you. So you two talk and then Jack and I can make some plans." I stood up and motioned for Jack to follow. He did and I walked upstairs and sat on the table. I moved the candy bowl out of the way and patted the table beside me for Jack to sit. He stood there for a moment before flying up on the table next to me.

"So...what do you want to talk about?" he asked

I smiled as my idea began to take shape. "So when Autumn mentioned making a plan, I thought about what you said earlier about not knowing any spirits."

Jack looked confused about where this was going. "So?" he asked.

"Well..I've met my fair share of spirits in my long life, to many to count, and that's not even all of them. For example, I've met the spirit of the ocean, Leah, but I've never met, say...the Tooth Fairy. What if you and I traveled around and met a whole bunch of spirits? We could go where you needed to go to bring snow, and then you and I could meet the spirits there. If you ever had free time from spreading snow, we could meet some others from places where it doesn't snow. Like this amazing spirit named Ashley! She lives in Hawaii, we met at a spirit gathering I went to by myself when I was six. It would be the coolest adventure." I smiled hopefully at Jack. I knew this was a far shot. He was a Guardian, and the spirit of fun and snow. But when I got an idea, it wouldn't stop until I acted.

"That sounds...amazing. I just...could this really happen?" Jack seemed almost as excited as I was.

"Yes! This is going to be amazing! I just...I don't even know who to start with." I racked my brain trying to think of a good spirit to introduce Jack to first.

"What if we met the Guardians? I mean, I already know them, but you said you've never met them, so...how about it?"

It seemed a good place to start, but I had never met the Big Four. Would they like me? Would they hate me because I was Pitch Black's daughter? "Do you think they'd like me? I mean...being Pitch's daughter and all..."

"I think they'll love you. Just because your Pitch's daughter doesn't mean that your bad. I've just started to see the real you, and you're a great person. I think this trip is going to be fantastic." Jack smiled at me and I returned the favor. He didn't realize what a huge thing he had just said. My father had been a good dad, but I had never heard someone who wasn't family say I was a great person. Come to think of it, my father hadn't even said that.

I smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. I think this adventure will be good for both of us in different ways. I can get over my father, and you can expand your knowledge in the spirit world. The only question is: when do we leave?"

Jack looked at his staff and then back to me, "Tomorrow."

I smiled at him, "To new beginnings then." I raised my hand like I was holding a glass. Jack did the same, "To new beginnings."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am so terribly sorry for the long wait and short chapter. My laptop's charger broke so I had to order a new one. Don't worry I'm going to try to update extra frequently from now on, especially once winter break starts. Also, thank you guys so much for all the support on the story. I love all the feedback it's gotten. **

"You're sure you're ok with this?" I looked from Eric to Autumn, it was finally time to say goodbye.

"We'll miss you darling, but we have our own plans." Autumn gave Eric a shy look from under her lashes. I smiled at each of them. "I love you guys." I hugged them both and stepped back to let Jack say his goodbyes.

"Thank you both so much. Without you guys I would still be with Pitch. Thanks for everything."

"No problem darling. You watch out for Ava now. Don't be getting into too much trouble." Autumn shot me a smile and gave me one last hug. Twix, who was standing next to Autumn, ran up to me and licked my hand. "Goodbye boy. Take care of these guys for me." I pat his head and stood up next to Jack. "You ready?" he nodded

"Lets do this."

I walked toward the door and waved to Eric and Autumn one last time. I would see them again someday.

I watched as the last of Autumn's house disappeared behind the trees. Jack and I were officially headed to the Guardians. Well, our first stop was a nearby spirit, Lauren. The spirit of lost souls, she had a busy job of escorting souls to Death or wherever they needed to go. She was the quickest way I could think of to get to the North Pole besides flying, which I was not going to do.

"Tell me a story." I said, needing to hear something other than forest.

"A story? What kind?" Jack asked

"Anything."

"Alright. There used to be this girl named Kat. She was a freshman in college. I was flying by and stopped to watch this flustered looking girl trip and land right in this guy's arms. I started laughing and she looks up and kind of stares at me. She asks me what I'm laughing at and the guy is trying to see who she's talking to. When he couldn't see anything he gave her this weird look and walked away. She started talking to me and I explained who I was. She had her doubts but eventually came around. We became really good friends, but when I came back after the summer to see how she was doing, she couldn't see me anymore." He paused and ran a hand through his hair, "I followed her for a bit, but it got kind of depressing. Sorry, probably not what you were thinking. Let me try again-"

"It's fine." I laughed, "I kind of grew up on depressing. It's nice to hear stories from the heart. I feel like I owe you a from-the-heart story now. You want it now or later?"

"Let's hear it fireball."

I raised my eyebrow at this. "Fireball? Interesting."

"I think I found a nickname for you. Yep. It's growing on me." Jack smiled playfully

"Alright then, Frosty. I met Lauren once. She was in the process of creating a new fearling for my father. To create a fearling you must catch a lost soul and consume it with fear. She allowed a spirit to wander into my father's fear spectrum. She came up to me and told me that she didn't like helping him with the job. He had just lost to the Guardians a few months before so he was weak. I assume that she only helped him to keep good and evil in balance. Anyway, we walked around a bit. She lives in a cave but collects human items. She found a device that played music. I was mystified. She let me listen and she showed me how to dance a little. She is probably one of the kindest spirits I've ever met."

Jack smiled a little, "I'm really excited to meet her. She sounds amazing." his smile faded, "Can I ask you question?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you like flying?"

"Oh. I used to dream about it. One day I was on this really tall cliff practicing controlling my powers. It got out of control and I created this living blaze. I still don't know how it happened. I got scared and backed away from it. Before I realized what was happening I stepped off the side of the cliff and fell. I've been scared of heights and anything to do with falling and not being on solid ground."

"Wow. Sounds bad. The reason I asked was, I mean if you want...would you want to try to fly? Not for long, I mean just in case something happens?" I thought about it. Telling the story of my fear made me realize the whole thing was kind of irrational. Could I give it a chance? I could try.

"Alright. But lets keep the air time to a minimum for now."

"Really? Great! Should we start now?"

"I guess?" I gave Jack an uneasy look

With a laugh Jack launched into the air. Before I could even look up he had grabbed me and lifted me into the air. I let out a small scream. "We're flying!" I tightened my grip on Jack and closed my eyes.

"Hey, open your eyes." Jack's breath smelled like mint and winter. It was so soothing I opened my eyes to find a beautiful sight laid out before me. The autumn leaves just turning colors, the woods bathed in sun. Autumn's house lay in the distance, a large body of water beyond the woods.

"It's so beautiful." I gasped


	10. Chapter 10

"Can we fly again?" I asked, adrenaline still flowing through my veins from the rush I had felt when in the air, "Lauren's cave is by that ocean we saw."

"Are you sure?" Jack flashed a smile that went way past his eyes, "ok! Hop on!" Jack assumed piggy-back position and I climbed on. In a flurry of snow and cold air Jack leaped onto the back of the wind. I let out a whoop and enjoyed the view.

"This is amazing!" I yelled

Jack laughed and I felt his body shake beneath me. "I'm glad you like it!"

"Me too." I closed my eyes and breathed in the cool air.

Jack and I flew in silence for awhile until Lauren's cave came into view. "That's it!" I shouted to Jack, pointing to the large cavern.

Jack picked up speed and then slowed as the ground came towards us. We landed lightly and I climbed off. I felt flushed and excited all at the same time. I channeled my feelings into a ball of fire and warmed my body with the flames. Jack's eyes widened for a moment, "I keep forgetting you're the spirit of fire." he laughed and ran a hand through his hair. I stood in the awkward silence for a moment before looking towards the cave and pointing. "The cave is just up here."

I walked towards our destination and felt a slight blush crawl onto my face. Why was I blushing? I was not going to blush for Jack Frost. I pushed my hair into my face and kept walking forward. Up ahead a rustle came from the bush. I looked up with a start and yelled as my father walked out, his arms outstretched and an evil grin on his face. Sasha trailed behind him with a grim look on her face.

"What the hell? Father?" I backed away, pushing Jack behind me. "What do you want?"

My father laughed mockingly. "I just wanted to see my daughter. How are you doing my dear? Going on a little road trip are we?"

Anger filled me. He wasn't allowed to see me. He was not going to ruin this. "Father. Leave. Now." I allowed the anger to fill me. My body heated itself up and almost overtook me. I would use my power if I needed to. My father stood over me and grinned. Suddenly a large pressure came over me. Agonizing pain rushed over me. Wave after wave of pressure was pushed inside of my head. I screamed but was unable to move. Far away I could hear Jack yell my name. More pain crashed into me. I writhed in pain and screamed again. I heard someone yell and then blacked out.

"How is she doing?" a male voice came out of the darkness

"She's been unconscious for a while now. I think she's doing a bit better though. I wish I knew what he did to her. Whatever it was, it was bad."

I groaned and rolled over, "You bet it was." my eyes fluttered opened and I grinned at Lauren and Jack, who were standing over me. Lauren looked pretty much the same as when I had seen her before. She looked about nineteen in human standards. One side of her head was shaved and the other had long brown wavy hair that went down past her shoulders. Her ears were pierced in many places and she wore large black hoops paired with black studs. Her necklace was a chain with a green gem hanging from it. She wore a graphic tank top and a leather sleeveless jacket with black skinny jeans. Her shoes were black ankle high boots with lots of gold buckles.

"Look who's awake." Lauren grinned

"Ava! I'm glad you're alright." Jack ran to where I was laying and knelt down next to me. I shook my head and stood up with a smile on my face. "Yeah me too. What happened back there? How long was I out?" I looked over to Lauren and gave her a questioning look.

"Almost a day. I heard you scream and came running to see what was wrong. Your father was trying to take you with him when I got there. Jack was preoccupied fighting that fearling girl so I ran over and fought your father. He's more powerful than I remembered. I tried to fight him off with my sword but the only way I could defeat him was by summoning five spirits to fight him off. I hate sacrificing them like that...but I had to save you. While he was fighting my spirits I knocked him out and grabbed you. Jack finished fighting the fearling and followed me. I had to explain who I was. Thank God you told him about me or I think Jack would have fought me too." Lauren laughed, "We brought you back here and now here we are." Lauren grinned and gave me a hug. "It's good to see you again."

I smiled at Lauren and then looked to Jack. "I'm sorry you had to fight Sasha. I can't believe that she still wants to help him." I shook my head.

"Anyway," Lauren clapped her hands together, "Jack explained why you guys came to see me. It might be hard, but I think I can get you guys to the North Pole."

My face brightened at this, "That's great! When do you think we can go?" I asked

"I'll have to rest tonight, and I need to get a separate form of me to escort souls while I'm helping you guys, but you should be able to leave tomorrow."

"That's great!" Jack said

I looked outside the cave to realize that it was dark outside. "We should probably get some rest." I said, "We have a big day tomorrow."

Lauren nodded, "Follow me, the bedrooms are this way."

We followed Lauren deeper into her cave until we came to a set of five doors. Lauren pointed to the door farthest down on the left. "That's the bathroom. The one next to it is my room. Ava, you can sleep in this one, and Jack you can sleep in the one next to Ava's."

I nodded and walked towards my room. As I opened the door I turned and looked to Jack. "Goodnight."

Jack smiled and nodded his head in my direction, "Goodnight."


	11. Chapter 11

"_Ava! My dear I simply couldn't wait to speak with you." _

_My head snapped up. I was lying in my bed, chains wrapped around me, holding me down to the bed. "Father." my voice betrayed a hint of fear. I was sure this was a dream, but why would my father chain me here? "What do you want from me?"_

_"__Darling, I just wanted to talk. Your friends took you away from me once again." _

_"__Pitch. They saved me from you. You hurt me. I know it was you that caused me that pain. It was a horrible feeling. I thought I was dying. Do you understand me? I thought you were killing me." _

_My father's face showed no signs of regret, he only smiled wider, "You have no idea what I did, do you?" _

_I scanned my brain for anything that my father could have taught me that was even similar to what I had felt. Then it clicked. He had used a memory charm. He could now see all of my memories. Past and future. "How do I stop it?" I asked, desperate to get him out of my head. _

_"__I thought you'd never ask." my father sneered, "But I think you already know the answer." _

_Unfortunately I did. The only way to reverse a memory charm was to kill the caster, or the one the spell was cast on. So I had to kill my father, or die myself. My heart sank. _

_"__You know," my father grinned manically, "there is another way to reverse the charm." _

_I stared at my father, not caring how I looked. I was desperate. "How?" _

_"__If I reverse it." _

_Pure evil resonated on my father's face. His smile was that of a killer. I was now in the palm of his hand. No matter what I did, my father would now know what I was doing. And the only way to protect the ones I cared about was to obey him. I lowered my head in defeat. "What must I do?" _

_"__You must carry out our plan as instructed. I can see that you have already gained the trust of our dear friend Jack. Now all you have to do is gain the trust of the Guardians. Once they are defeated, I will reverse the spell."_

_The small amount of hope left within me told me that there could be another way. That I had to do everything within my power to stop my father from getting revenge. _

_"__Ok. I'll do it." I lied_

_My father smiled, "Good girl." _

I woke panting and sweating. My sheets were a mess. "Are you ok?" Jack's voice scared me once again. I yelled and jumped back. "Holy shit! Jack! What are you doing?"

Jack, who was standing next to the door, raised his hands in defeat, "You were yelling in your sleep. I heard you and came running." I didn't know if it was the light, or did I see a slight blush on Jack's face? I shook my head and sighed, working on cooling my body down. My father was watching my memories, I was sure of it. But I had to say something. An idea came to mind. My father could see what I was seeing, but he couldn't hear what I was thinking. "Jack, do you have a piece of paper? And a pen? Sometimes I like to write my dreams down."

Jack looked puzzled but nodded, "I can try to find something."

"Thanks."

Jack returned soon after with two pieces of paper and a pencil. "Here you go."

I smiled at Jack, "Will you sit with me? That dream is still kind of getting to me."

Jack nodded and sat on the bed. I took the paper and without looking at it, wrote: _Jack, my father gave me a nightmare. He told me that he cast a memory charm, which means he can see and hear my memories. He says that the only way to reverse the charm is to kill him or go through with our plan. See if Lauren has anything to help. Don't say anything about what you just read. _Still not looking at the paper I slowly passed it to Jack who confusedly read the words I had written. His eyes widened for a moment before he turned the paper over. "You had a dream about meeting the Guardians?" My mind did a silent sigh of relief. He was going to help. I nodded in response to Jack's words and mouthed a silent _thank you _to him.

Jack smiled back at me. "I think I know a way to help get your mind off those nightmares. I'll be back." Jack stood up and left the room, taking the paper with him. I heard him go into Lauren's room, so I dove under the covers and tried my best to cover my ears. Satisfied when I was unable to hear Jack's and Lauren's voices, I waited in silence until my door opened.

I sat up and smiled when Lauren followed Jack into the room. Lauren said a few words under her breath and then pointed directly at me.

I felt a presence lift from me and waited a few moments. "I think it worked!" I shouted in excitement.

"That was much easier than I had expected." Jack said with a laugh

"I wish it was that simple." Lauren sighed, "It didn't completely erase the charm. You should be able to feel when Pitch is watching now though. I also cast a charm to block Pitch's ability to see you for the moment. When you feel his presence come back, say that you're nervous to meet the Guardians."

I nodded. Although the charm wasn't completely gone, Lauren had helped tremendously. "How does Pitch even know how to use charms?" Jack asked

"He started learning after the Guardians defeated him for the second time. He wanted a few tricks up his sleeve. He got Cassie, a human witch, to teach him. He tried to teach me, but no matter what, I couldn't cast the spells."

I felt an strange feeling come over me. It was like an angry wave washing over me, "I'm nervous to meet the Guardians." I practically belted out. Immediately Jack and Lauren went quiet. Lauren switched into character quickly, "It's alright, I'm sure they'll love you."

Jack smiled, "I know they will."


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning I awoke to the strange feeling of being watched. Everything came to mind in a rush. My father in my dream. Jack and Lauren helping me. The memory charm. Meeting the Guardians. As I thought of the Guardians and each of their powers, I began to wonder about the Sandman. He had the ability to bring good dreams. The opposite of my father. Could he know another way to reverse the charm?

Jack walked in as I mulled this thought around in my mind. He gave me a less than subtle questioning look. I mouthed, _he's watching_. Jack seemed to understand. The feeling of being watched intensified. "How did you sleep last night after I left?" he asked

"Fine." I answered flatly, "You?"

"Ok. Lauren wanted me to tell you that she is going to start preparing the portal."

I nodded, "Tell her I'll be right out." Jack nodded and left my room.

"How was that, Father?" I spit out, trying to keep the act up. The sound of my father's laugh filled my head. Bastard.

I walked from my room and entered the hall. I could see Jack sitting at the wooden table in Lauren's living area. I started towards where he was sitting. A strange noise came from outside the cave. I cast a questioning look in Jack's direction before looking out the cave. A strange object was on the floor. From what I could tell, the noises were coming from the object. Lauren stood a few feet from the loud thing, a portal beginning to form in front of her. Jack came out behind me and looked at the thing making noise. A memory came to mind of Lauren showing me the nick-knacks she had collected from the human world. _She was holding the strange object in her hand, "This plays music, a strange and wonderful kind of sound that humans listen to for fun. It's called a radio." she was ecstatic about the thing, making me all the more enthusiastic to know more. She pressed a button on the radio and it started to make loud and wonderful noise. "This is music." Lauren looked at me with a glittering smile on her face. I smiled back. _

"That's a radio." I explained to Jack, "Lauren told me about a long time ago. She said it plays something called music, which is that strange noise I guess." I pointed to the box of noise.

Jack smiled at me, "I know, Jamie had one. There's so much music, it's crazy. He tried to tell me all about how the different kinds, it's pretty incredible. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. Of course he would have known about music. I had completely forgotten that some humans could see him. Jack looked at my face and saw the blush on my face. He turned his head, but not before I saw a similar reaction on his face. Why was Jack blushing at me? "Why are you blushing?" I asked, a playful tone in my voice.

His face turned a deep shade of blue. I snickered at this and his face turned even bluer. "Uh.." he opened his mouth but no words came. "I- I uh..." Lauren came to his rescue, however, by yelling our names. Jack and I walked to where she was standing. "The portal is all ready, whenever you are."

I smiled, "Thank you so much. For everything." I hugged her tightly before backing up to stand next to Jack.

"It was my pleasure. It was wonderful to meet you Jack, and it was great seeing you again, Ava." Lauren smiled back at Jack and I.

Jack nodded to Lauren, "It was great meeting you too. Thank you so much."

Lauren gave a friendly smile, "Well, whenever you're ready."

Jack bowed and gestured to the portal with a playful grin on his face, "Ladies first." I laughed and turned to thank Lauren one last time, "Thank you for everything." I waved once and with a deep breath, stepped back into the portal.

The wind blew around me and picked me up. I felt extremely dizzy and lost. Where was I? Right, the portal. The wind blew and spun me around like a rag doll. It was if I weighed nothing. The wind howled in my ears and whipped my face. Colors slowly started to appear once again. I could see green and red, blue, purple. It was a beautiful sight. Things sharpened and my vision completely restored. I was laying on my back and staring at the sky. The colors I had seen were from the northern lights that lit the night sky like a shining torch. I heard a groan near me and my senses came back. I suddenly felt very cold. I started to shiver as I lifted myself from the ground. My frigid feeling was explained when I looked to see the ground was covered in deep snow. I raised my body temperature and then saw Jack out of the corner of my eye. He was, like me just gaining control of his senses. He noticed me and a look crossed his face, but was gone before I could determine what it was.

"Where are we?" I asked slowly, my words a bit slurred.

"The North Pole." Jack responded, looking off somewhere behind me. I turned to see an edifice in the distance. It was magnificent. With multiple different buildings and many windows that spilled warm light onto the ice cliff the structure stood on, the place screamed beauty. This must be the Guardians meeting place? "This is North's dwelling. We meet here when we discuss Guardian business too." Jack's face clouded with concern. "Speaking of which, that's what those lights are for. They go out around the world and call the Guardians here. Why would North call us together?"

Jack looked extremely worried, and walked forward a few steps toward the workshop. "Do you think you can fly with me?" he asked

"Yes." Jack wanted to get to the workshop as soon as he could, and I couldn't hold him back.

"Alright then, lets go." Jack let a mischievous smile go and picked me up bridal style and flew quickly towards the workshop. I let out a little whoop of excitement and closed my eyes as I prepared to meet the Guardians.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks again for being so patient with me. I am so sorry about the lateness of this chapter, but I had exams to prepare for. They're all over now though, so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently. I'm excited to share with you all what's in store for Ava and Jack. Enjoy!**

"Jack?" a female voice came from inside the room. Jack flew through the window and landed smoothly, setting me down gently. I smiled and looked around the room. Four figures stood slightly dumbfounded; staring at us. "Who is this?" an Australian accent came out of the large kangaroo thing. More importantly, who was this?

Jack took a breath and looked...proudly? Towards me, "Guys, this is Ava. Ava, these are the Guardians."

"Ummm...hi." I found myself suddenly very shy. I looked at each of them. There was the sandman, that was all he could be; a short little guy made completely of golden sand. Then there was Santa, tall and large, with a long white beard. Not what I had expected. Then there was the fairy, the Tooth Fairy, she had feathers all the colors of the rainbow, most though, were pink. Her wings fluttered quickly behind her, keeping her afloat. Multiple miniature look alikes floated around her head; all staring at me. The last, the Easter Bunny, who I had earlier mistaken as a kangaroo. He was huge, not at all what I had expected. Boomerangs hung from his back, and I made a mental note not to mess with him.

"Hold on..." the kangaroo, I mean...Easter Bunny spoke again, "is she human? A believer?"

Here we go. "No...no I'm a ah...a spirit.." I trailed off. Should I tell them about myself? Would they even accept it?

Jack looked nervous as well, but hid it. "She and I have become good friends, we were going to go on an adventure, and meet tons of spirits. We already met two, and then we decided to come here, because Ava had never met you." he explained

"Jack." Santa spoke now, "We have big problem. Your spirit friend will have to wait." coming as even more of a surprise; Santa was Russian.

"Oh, North, hold on!" the Tooth Fairy's high pitched voice startled me, "Jack has met a girl! Oh this is wonderful! You two are soooo cuteee!" Oh no.

"Uh...Tooth it's not like-" Jack tried to explain but was cut off.

"Oh let me have a look at your teeth!" Oh no no no no. The Tooth Fairy launched herself at me, in full flight; straight to my mouth. "Open up!" on up she yanked my jaws open and poked around in my mouth. Her enthusiasm died quickly. "North..." she said, slowly taking her hands from my mouth.

"Vwhat?" Santa, or North, looked at me with interest. Only then did I notice the Sandman making an image of my father out of sand above his head. I praised the man in the moon that I couldn't feel my father's presence.

I sighed and bent my head slowly allowing my hair to cover my face. Jack half-heartedly tried to explain, but then the Tooth Fairy said, "It's her."

Everyone's head shot up. What did she mean? I looked over to Jack who gave me a confused look and shook his head.

"You don't mean...?" the Easter Bunny began

"Yes, it's Pitch's daughter."

"How did you know?" Jack asked, looking worried

An image of my mother being dragged away came to mind. Little me was yelling for her to come back, but the Guardians kept dragging her away. I closed my eyes to keep the tears at bay. How could I have been so stupid. I didn't belong with these people. I was just like my father.

"Let us go into globe room. Vwe have much to discuss." North said.

We all walking into a large room. Thousands of tiny elves were inside, either running about or watching us. "Ok." I said slowly, taking in the sight that was the Globe Room. Jack sat down on a nearby table and motioned for me to sit. I moved to where he stood.

"Where should we start?" the Tooth Fairy broke the silence while the rest of us twiddled our thumbs.

I decided to answer this one, "Where's my mother? If she's dead, ok. But I need to know."

It was quiet for a moment before there was an answer,"Your mother...is..." The Easter Bunny looked awkward, "She's...she's with Manny."

"So...she's dead." I sighed and accepted what I had known to be true.

The Guardians looked confused and stared at me for a moment. "She isn't dead." came from the Tooth Fairy, "She lives on the moon under Manny's protection. There is a long story behind your mother, Ava. Would you like to here it?"

I stared at her. At them. Was she telling the truth? My mother was still alive? "Of course." I said quietly; still not sure what to believe.

North spoke this time, "Vyour mother came to us in the early years. She asked us to try and make Pitch better. You see, your father was once human. A spell vwas cast on him by witch, and he vwas corrupted by darkness. Vwhen we could not cure 'im; your mother wanted us to save you both. We wvere unable to save you both."

I sunk in the information. I felt Jack grab my hand and took comfort in it. "She's alive?"

The Easter Bunny answered, his voice sad, "Yes, but no one but Manny can see her."

I looked down at my boots, "Oh." Jack squeezed my hand.

I thought about my mother again, zoning out the conversation. I thought Jack was telling them of what we had been through, but I couldn't be sure. My mother had been crying because she couldn't save me from my own father.

"Ava?" I looked up, tuning back into the conversation.

"What?"

"I asked if you were ok sleeping in my room. We don't have any guest rooms." a slight blush crept into my face, and Jack's did the same.

"Ummm...yeah, sure."

"Why don't you get to bed? You look exhausted." The Tooth Fairy said.

They wanted to discuss me and my father. Whatever, I really was tired. The portal had drained my energy. I nodded and walked out the room and Jack followed me. "I'll be right back." he tossed behind his shoulders.

"Here I'll show you my room." he said, running a hand through his hair

I nodded again, still quiet from exhaustion and the load of information I had to soak in. My mother was alive. Giddiness shot though me. I could never see her, but she was alive. That was all that mattered.

Jack led me through the vast workshop. Yetis and elves wandered about. Toys of all kinds floated around me. A small dog, a huskie, ran up to me. He yipped at my feet and I laughed, bending down to pet his soft fur. The little dog licked my face, barking excitedly. "Who is this?" I asked Jack

He looked confused, "I don't know. North must have gotten him somewhere, or maybe he just snunk in by himself." Jack laughed, leaning on his staff.

I stood up, "Let's get going." Jack started to lead me through the workshop again, but the little pup continued to yip and follow close to my heels. I laughed.

"Looks like you've gained a friend." he smiled at me and I returned the favor.

"You have a nice smile." Jack said to me

My blush was intense.

"Ah...thanks...you too." I looked down at my feet awkwardly.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry, not sure what got into me there." he blushed too, his face turning a dark shade of blue. I shook my head and smiled, my blush refusing to go away.

We reached the end of the long hall and came to a set of doors. Jack opened one of them, the one with the large, intricate snowflake pattern painted on the front. As he pushed the door open I could see ice patterns painted onto the walls, an illusion of gently falling snow on the ceiling. We walked in and I got the full picture. Everything was beautiful. The floor looked like ice, his bed had frost designs all over. A long blue cushioned couch stood in the corner of the room. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, made to look like ice. "It's so beautiful." I marveled, soaking up the view.

Jack laughed nervously, "You think? Thanks. Umm.. you can have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch. He nodded. I tentatively took a few steps towards the bed and found that the floor was not, in fact, ice. I sat down on the bed and looked towards Jack. "Thanks." I said softly, allowing a small yawn to escape. Jack smiled, "No problem. Are you all set? I think I still have to talk with the Guardians some more."

I smiled, "Yeah, thanks again. I'll see you in the morning." I said, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes. I sighed as the door closed behind Jack and settled in for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks again for all the support on the story. You guys are my motivation for writing it! I know I haven't updated a lot like I've been saying, and this one is quite short, but I wanted to get this up because I think you'll really enjoy this chapter. So without further ado- ENJOY! Note: This chapter had been updated...not sure if there's an alert to notify you of it...**

I woke to darkness. My eyes quickly adjusted and I realized where I was. Jack's room. The light reflected off of his blue and white walls. Jack was passed out on the couch. The sheets were tangled around me and the pillow had dropped to the floor. I sighed quietly and stepped lightly onto the floor. The cold felt good on my bare feet, and I left my boots next to the bed.

I opened the door quietly and found the huskie pup waiting outside for me. "Hi, little buddy." I whispered quietly; bending down to pat him on the head. He wagged his tail and licked my hand happily. I giggled quietly and stood up to explore the workshop.

I walked down hallways with beautiful wooden walls and blue carpeting. Statues of various things decorated the rooms. I wandered into a large room with an enormous fireplace. Pictures of the Guardians decorated the mantle, and a wooden crest with a large G was placed in the center. A large window was on the adjacent wall and I walked over to it; noticing the latch to open it. The northern lights still flickered in the sky; showing colors of purple, pink, and green. I pulled the latch and pushed the window out a bit, stepping out onto the balcony. The husky looked at me with curiosity, but stayed in the workshop. I turned to see the roof dipped to into an arch over the window, low enough for me to climb onto. I did just that.

The roof was covered in snow, which I effortlessly melted away by heating my body up. I turned my head to the sky and absorbed the view. I lay down onto my back and closed my eyes; enjoying the peacefulness of the night.

After a while I heard a noise down on the balcony below. Dismissing it as the pup, I lay back down and closed my eyes. Cold hands suddenly covered my eyes. I let out a little yelp, but then laughed as Jack's voice said, "Guess who?"

"Jack, don't scare me like that." I said, sitting up to look at him. He smiled at me and I laughed.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I asked in a far away kind of voice.

"Not as beautiful as you."

The awkward silence slowly set in; leaving both of us with nothing to do but stare at the other. The moonlight reflected off of Jack's white hair in a dreamy kind of way. His brilliantly blue eyes caught the light of the northern lights and held it there. I looked down, feeling self aware. I had been around Jack for some time now, and never had he looked so brilliant. I could feel the weight of my father watching, but at the moment I couldn't seem to care.

I looked up to find Jack slowly leaning forward with closed eyes. This was it. I chose what happened. Like a switch I realized what I felt towards Jack was real. I closed my eyes slowly and let my first kiss come naturally. And it was perfect. Slowly I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. His mouth was soft and I felt Jack smile against my lips, his hands sliding through my hair.

The moment ended too soon. Jack pulled away slowly, the smile still evident on his lips, "I've wanted to do that for so long." his voice was distant and full of pleasure. A giggle escaped my throat. The heat from our kiss was still running through me. "It was amazing." I said softly, so quiet I was unsure if he had heard me. After a moment of pause Jack responded, "Good. I hope that can be the first of many."

His smile was a mile long as he leaned in again. I gave no resistance, leaning into the natural feeling of his frosty mouth. We broke apart only when we needed air; both of us smiling like maniacs. The tension was palpable as we stared into each other's eyes. The silence was finally broken by my pup friend's barking. I laughed, silently thanking the little dog for saving us from the awkwardness. Jack stood up slowly and offered his hand to me. I took it, feeling the coolness of his skin against my warmth. "Snow and fire. Who would have thought." I laughed

Jack pulled me onto my feet, smiling at my comment. "It's nice." he said, pulling me against him, trapping me in his arms with his staff. I smiled and snuggled into his arms. Jack floated down into the workshop, still holding me against him. We floated to his room with the husky trailing behind us. Jack floated to the bed and lay me onto it gently. "Stay with me." I whined, pulling on his hoodie.

"Whatever you say fireball." Jack laughed softly and lay next to me. I put my head onto his chest and allowed myself to drift slowly into sleep in his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Alright! I'm back at writing again. I apologize for the long break, thank you all for being patient. I'm not sure if it notifies you all or not, but I did update the last chapter so the kiss scene is much better. Thanks again for bearing with me!**

I woke the next morning to find Jack had already left. A pang of disappointment and slight relief set in. Would it be awkward between us now? I didn't know what to expect. The Guardians had most likely already spoken with Jack about my father. I would have to ask him what they had said.

A knock sounded at the door as I was sliding out of bed. "Yes?" was my groggy response

"Ava! It's me, Tooth. May I come in?" the Tooth Fairy's high pitched voice jingled like a tiny bell. My heart sank. She was going to tell me to leave. That they wouldn't trust me. As the door opened, I prepared to explain myself. "Ava-"

"I'm sorry about my father. I couldn't do anything. It's my fault that this even happened. If I hadn't been around none of this would have happened. Whatever he did or is doing, I am so horribly sorry. I can't help who my father is though. I just want a chance. I need a chance to undo this. All my life I have been raised to hate you, and fear you. And then I met Jack and my whole world suddenly changed. Now my father wants me to lead him to you anyway and I don't know what's going to happen or what he's planning. And I-"

"Ava, I wasn't going to tell you to leave."

"I need this- what?" I looked up, shocked, "You mean...I can help? I can stay?"

Toothiana smiled, "Of course. I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready. But before we go down, I think there's some things we need to talk about." Toothiana's smile was grim, "Your father attacked Jack's home in Burgess two days ago. He's captured Jack's human friends. That's why North turned on the Northern Lights."

My heart went into my stomach. "They're just children..." I said softly. Jamie was in college, but to the Guardians, and to me, he was still child. A child who believed. How could my father do this? "We have to stop him!" I shouted, red hot fury taking over my emotions.

"I know. I know, we're going to come up with a plan today. You'll help us then?"

I nodded slowly. I had lost everything. My family was gone. Maybe this could be my new family. I thought of Jack again. His face surrounded with a soft blue glow. The cold of his skin that made mine feel so wonderful. I could soon get used to seeing his wonderful face more often. I stood and walked with Toothiana down to the dining room.

"Jack, she could be a potential danger to the plan. What if she is still in contact with Pitch? The sheila could ruin-" before I could hear anymore from the Easter Bunny I coughed loudly.

"Uhmn. Good morning." Tooth said, a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

I walked into the dining room red-faced and slightly upset. Jack glared at the Easter Bunny with more than a slight amount of displeasure. He looked up at me as I walked into the room, and his face lit up. All thoughts of awkwardness faded as I saw his smile. I returned the gesture, albeit nervously, and took the empty seat next to him.

The silence in the room was almost deafening. If it was going to be this awkward every time I walked into a room I would go crazy. Now, with almost all of them here, I was going to have to step it up and earn their trust. I cleared my throat and prepared myself for a speech, "Look, I know that I am new, and I understand that you aren't just going to accept that I'm not here to spy on you or harm you. Tooth has told me that my father has kidnapped friends of Jack. My father is angry, and vengeful. He is desperate. So much so that he felt he needed to hurt me to get me to want to hurt you all. My father is hurt, and for all of the wrong reasons; all of us here know that there is no talking him down. The only way we are going to beat him is to fight back. And with all of us, I think that there is a huge chance of beating him. But trust me when I tell you that it won't be easy. He has fearlings and nightmares prepared and has grown strong. I need you to trust me when I say I am fully in on this. My father is beyond repair. At one point I thought he was better than the lies and the blackness. But he's not. He is corrupted and beyond anyone's help. I want to help you all, but in order to do that I need you all to trust me." I took a deep breath and looked with intensity at the large rabbit, "Can you do that?"

He was silent for a moment. Then he glanced at Jack and Tooth with a strange look in his eyes. "Let me tell you something sheila. Not many people have my respect. But you just earned it. I'm going to trust you. So you better not screw this up." I smiled with relief. It worked.

"I vwill trust you as vwell." Santa Claus stepped out from the doorway, his large hands on his hips and a giant smile on his face. The Sandman stepped out from behind the large Russian man and nodded towards me. I could feel myself start to heat up with happiness. For the first time in forever, people could see me for who I was, and what I wanted. Finally, I belonged somewhere.

I smiled to each of them, lastly smiling at Jack, who reached out and gripped my hand tightly in his, "Ava," he grinned, "I think they like you."

Throughout the whole morning I could feel nothing of my father's presence. This worked well to our advantage as Jack and I explained all that had happened to us thus far. We told them of our plans to meet spirits, and how we came to the North Pole. I explained how my father had used a charm to see what I saw, and how Lauren had cast the reverse charm so that I could feel his presence. I told them about how Jack and I met, and I told them of my father's former plan. This raised some discussion about what he could be up to now. "I think he's trying to lure you all out. He's using Jack's friends as bait." I looked nervously at Jack, "You're his main target. After you led in his second defeat, he developed this obsessive hate. That's why he specifically chose you to be..." I trailed off, not wanting to talk about the torture.

"To be what?" Tooth asked

I gave Jack a pleading look. I _really_ did not want to talk about what my father had done. Jack seemed to understand and gave me a small sympathetic nod.

"I'll explain later." he said, emphasizing the word later. The Guardians nodded with confusion written all over their faces.

"Anyvway," Santa, or North, said, "Vwe need to make plan. Pitch could strike at any moment."

I nodded in response, grateful for the subject change. I tried to think of something to do against my father. Anything. All I could think was that he would figure it out. What if Lauren's charm didn't work? What if my father had found out about it and found a way to remove it? "What if, when my father is watching, we make a fake plan to attack him in two days. We discuss coming up with a secret attack on his lair. But even when I don't feel him watching, I'm still nervous that he might have some way of watching through me. I don't think I should be near you when you're discussing the real plan. When you all have it, tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it. I just can't risk him knowing. I can't endanger any of you. I can't let him win."

The Guardians nodded when I had finished speaking. "Alvright." North agreed

I stood, ready to leave them to it. "Alright."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I know it seems like this story is slowly dying, but trust me, I have every intention on finishing it. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I'm excited to release the next chapter, I think you guys will really like it. I think the story is slowly winding down to the finish line, and I really hope you guys like how it ends. See you soon, and enjoy the chapter!**

I sat, bored, in one of the many fake plan meetings. My father had been extremely watchful today, most likely wanting to hear any plans we came up with. I glanced over at Jack, who looked almost as bored as me. We had come up with almost nothing, since this plan was unimportant. To say something, we told my father that we would be attacking in two days.

The Easter Rabbit, or Bunny as he was called by the Guardians, chirped in, "Why don't we just storm the front gates?" he suggested.

This was a bad idea on so many levels, but since this was, after all, a fake plan, we all nodded like it might work. Normally, I would have said that my father would be waiting with thousands of nightmares ready to jump when the faintest sound of a battle call was heard. But then again, normally Bunny probably wouldn't have suggested such a stupid idea. "We'll need to be prepared." I said, trying to sound interested in the staged conversation. "We'll have to train tomorrow." Jack added, "We need to be ready for anything Pitch has to throw at us.

The Guardians started discussing training and I began to doze off. My thoughts went to Eric. How was he doing? I wondered what he and Autumn were doing. Images of the pair happy and together dramatically improved my bored state of mind. Memories of Eric, Sasha, and I came to the forefront of my thoughts. My father had often gone off on business, be it learning new battle strategies, spreading nightmares, or whatever it was that he did when he left; I was given lots of free time. My father created Sasha and Eric specifically to entertain me when he was gone, which is exactly what they did. We would wander around the woods, dancing around and causing havoc wherever we went. We would make up games and pretend to be humans. Autumn would often join us, keeping us company, and in turn, we doing the same for her. We developed a close bond, all of us together like that. When one of us had a hard time, the rest would be there to support them.

"Ava?" Jack shook my arm, trying to get my attention.

I shook my head, clearing thoughts of my childhood from my mind, "Sorry, what?"

Jack shot me a crooked smile, "You should go practice some battle strategies."

That was my signal to leave. I stood from my chair, pushing it back under the table carefully. I left the meeting room, the little husky trailing behind me. Even though the leaving me out of the real planning had been my idea, it didn't make it suck any less. I sulked to Jack's bedroom, slightly bored. When my father hadn't been listening in, Jack had told me little tidbits of the plan. We would leave three days from now, I would be coming with them, and when my father was watching, it would be staged as a mission to the tooth palace. I was to help them fight my father, for I was the only one who truly knew his weaknesses.

This, however, was becoming a slight problem. I didn't know many of my father's weaknesses. He didn't have all that many to begin with. I had tried mentally compiling a list of his weaknesses during my free time, which I had plenty of. He had a power lust, which could take a tight control on him at times. I was his daughter, which was a slight upside, but didn't seem as much of a weakness due to the circumstances. I had a few others, but none were very useful.

Jack came into his room about an hour later. He nodded slowly, smiling at me. I gave him a bored smile in return. "You look bored." he said

"That's because I am."

"I think I might know something to fix that." he said with a smile

"And what would that be?" I asked, knowing full well what he was planning.

Jack, slowly making his way towards me, shot me a wicked smile and then dove on top of me, kissing me with a passion. "You're so beautiful." he muttered as he kissed me

I smiled against his lips, "You think?"

He smiled back, "I know."

We stayed on the bed kissing each other passionately for a while until a knock sounded at the door, "Jack? You in there mate?" The Easter Bunny, or Bunny as the Guardians called him, yelled through the door. Quickly, we separated and I slid over father down the bed.

Jack, his face a bright blue yelled back, "Umm...yeah? What is it?"

The door opened slowly, "Sorry if I'm interrupting whatever this, uh, is... but we have a bit of a problem."

Jack gave Bunny an irritated look and then asked, "Well, what is it?"

Bunny paused a moment before speaking again, "Pitch is coming here."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Well, I can finally say that I have finished my first fanfic ever. I really hope you guys enjoyed this story, and this final chapter. I am really happy with how it turned out. Even I didn't expect it to go how it did, but here it is. Wow, thanks so much for all the support and for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. Thanks so much for following the story guys!**

"He's what?" I could feel my eyes growing wide with shock and fear as I looked up at Bunny. It was all too soon. My father couldn't come. Not yet. We had a plan. What if Jack or I didn't make it?

"He's almost here. And he's not alone. North found a giant black sand cloud making it's way towards us." Bunny shook his head as if we were already defeated, "I don't know if we can stop a force that strong.

Just over the past few days, I had seen this group-this family-function. And now Bunny was giving up? I couldn't let that happen. Not after all that we had been through. "Don't just give up Bunny! I haven't been here all that long. You and the rest of the Guardians took me in, even though I was the daughter of Pitch Black. You treated me with kindness that my own father never truly showed me. You Guardians are like a family. You care for children you will never meet. You brought Jack in when he didn't know where to go. You saved countless children from my father's nightmares, and you have stopped him twice. Just because my father can make a big entrance doesn't mean that you can't still have a chance at defeating him. Don't just give up!" I was standing now, emotions overwhelming me.

Bunny looked taken aback, and Jack was beaming with pride. After a few moments, Bunny smiled and nodded slowly, "You just keep surprising me, sheila."

He turned and motioned for us to follow him. We did, going through the castle and into the globe room where the rest of the Guardians were. Tooth was flying back and forth muttering to herself. North stood with his back facing us staring at the globe. Sandy was sleeping.

An idea took root in my mind as I saw them all standing there. "I know how to stop my father."

The Guardians, including Sandy, looked up at the sound of my voice. My father had spent his whole life building up to another attempt to defeat the Guardians. But why on earth did he want to defeat them? Because they had taken my mother. Or he thought so. Now two thoughts came to mind. A plan and a back up. "My father hates you because he thinks you killed my mother. He needs to know the truth." I said, "But if that doesn't work..." I sighed, "Then I have to kill him once and for all."

Jack whipped around to face me, "Ava, you know you can't do that!" he yelled, "We can't make you kill your own father! Even if he is Pitch, he's your father!" Jack was trying to protect me, I understood that. But- "Jack." I spoke softly, and just to him. In just one word I tried to explain that killing my father was the only way to truly defeat him. And I couldn't let any member of his family kill him. It had to be me.

Jack shook his head, pity and love shone in his eyes as he responded, "I don't want you to get hurt."

I nodded, understanding that it wasn't easy for either of us, but it had to be done. "I won't. I promise." and I meant it. I would do anything in my power to come back to Jack, and I knew that he would do the same.

The rest of the Guardians were still standing there, looking at us seriously. North was nodding, "Jack, Ava is vright, she must kill Pitch if we do not convince him about Rachel." Rachel. That was my mother's name. I had forgotten it.

Suddenly a bright light came from the window above us. I turned quickly to face it, and the Guardians followed suit. The moon looked gigantic, swelling to a size I had never thought it could look. The light shone brighter now, so bright I had to squint to see the Guardians around me. I looked around at them all, counting to make sure that they were all still there. But when I counted, I counted six figures. I tried again, making sure to count correctly, but no. There were defiantly six figures around me. Not five. The light dimmed again, making it so that I could see my surroundings again. And what I saw rendered me speechless. Before me stood my mother; beautiful as ever, in a brilliant white dress, smiling at me.

"Mom?" my voice was barely a whisper as I took her in. She was standing in front of me, smiling at me. Was this real? Could this even be possible?

"Ava. My baby, it has been so long. You are so beautiful." my mother opened her arms, inviting and loving. I ran towards her and wrapped myself up in her warm embrace. She squeezed me tightly, somehow making up for all the lost time. "I missed you mom."

I wanted the moment to last forever, but after just a moment, Bunny stepped in, "I hate to ruin this moment, but Pitch is still coming."

At the mention of my father, mom's eyes went wide with emotion. "Ava baby, Manny has allowed me to watch you grow up from afar. Your father is not the man he once was. I fear that he may be beyond our help. But we can try. I heard your plan. It is with good intent, and I hope that you will not need to..." she trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

I nodded, tears forming at the corners of my eyes at the sight of my mother in front of me.

Not even a moment after, Jack, in a low voice said, "He's here."  
>I looked out the large window to see a large dark cloud slowly approaching North's castle. My father rode a large nightmare, and next to him I could see the captives he had taken. Jamie, now a tall college student was bound together with black sand on a nightmare. His sister Sofie was tied to another. I could see all of Jack's human friends, each tied to their own nightmare. I could see three more nightmares following the group of hostages though, and I was shocked and horrified to see Lauren, Autumn, and Eric, each bound to a mare as well. "No!" I yelled at the sight of my best friends bound the way they were.<p>

They were almost upon us though, and there was nothing to be done. "Let's go." I said, grabbing Jack's and my mother's hands for support, leading everyone out the globe room and outside to where my father would be waiting.

I had my mother wait just inside, to make sure she stayed safe. We reached the outside just in time. My father sat on his nightmare, waiting for us. "Well, hello there Guardians. Ava, what a pity. I really thought you were smarter than that. I'm very disappointed in you darling. No matter. I will just have to see to it that you are disciplined. As for your new friends, they may not be so lucky."

"Let these poor children go! What do they have to do with anything? And Lauren, Autumn, and Eric? Why bring them into this?" I yelled back at him.

"Ava, your friends must be punished. They helped you get away from me. They tricked you into believing that I was a bad father."

"Father, I understand that you are upset that I left you. I know that it has been so hard. I know it has been for me too. Mother was gone and you wanted revenge. But they aren't who you said they were. Look father, just before you came, mother came back. Manny gave her back to us. She's back father."

My father's eyes grew wide at this, and my mother stepped out from the walls that hid her, and showed herself. "Hello Pitch. It has been a long time."

"Rachel?" my father's voice was soft. I looked back to my friends, who's eyes were all wide with shock. They had also thought that my mother was dead.

My parents ran towards each other, and embraced. I watched as the two hugged, my mother crying, and my father desperately grasping onto her like he would never let go. The Guardians, nightmares, and mine and Jack's friends surrounded us in a circle of shock and wonder. Tears of happiness had begun to form in my eyes. It was just like the stories when the princess got everything she could ever dream of-

Until it wasn't. I looked on in horror as my father drew a knife from under the folds of his cloak. It was the same knife he had used when he staged as Jack in the nightmares. I imagined it again, cutting into my back, carving Jack's name into my skin like a permanent tattooed scar. I watched as my father whispered, "I'm so sorry my love." And drew the knife behind him, aiming at where her heart was. Then he said, "Even spirits of those we love must die in the end."

I let out a scream of terror. He would not separate us again. He had wronged us time and time again. And then I did what I had prepared myself to do. With a final scream of letting go, I let my power take over. Flame engulfed my father's body, giving my mother the chance to push herself away from his evil form. I trapped him there, in that cage of flames, watching as he burned. All the anger and hurt and betrayal that he had caused danced in those flames. I let them all out, let them burn away who had caused them all. He was screaming, and Jack was yelling my name, but I couldn't hear it. I could only see my father's words, "Even spirits we love must die in the end."

And die he did. As he left this world, my fire mixed with his ashes I let myself cry. I watched in dismay as all the nightmares that he had created blew away. Black sand mixed with my flames. I let his corpse burn long after his soul left for whatever world was beyond our second death. He burned until even his ashes were gone. If it hadn't been so horrible it would have been beautiful. Black sand of the nightmares danced with my flames in the cool air. But it wasn't beautiful. I felt like the flames of hell had engulfed us all. I fell to my knees with tears streaming down my burning face. I was crying because he was gone and I felt nothing. Crying because he had never been the father that I had needed. I fell in a weeping heap onto the cold floor of the globe room. He was really gone. And I felt absolutely nothing. "No." all the hurt and fear and love and hope that I was feeling was released in that one word. And now, now I felt empty. I could feel Jack and my mother beside me, calling my name. Jack was holding my face, stroking it and kissing away my tears. My mother sat next to us, holding my hand and squeezing it, as if begging me to come back to her.

I kept crying, sitting with my mother and Jack as the Guardians looked on at us. I was a empty shell. I felt nothing. Everything was blurry behind the tears, smoke, fire, and black sand. Everything began to blur together until I could hardly see anything. I let myself collapse into Jack's arms. I let him carry me away, into North's castle, tears still streaming steadily down my cheeks. I buried my face into Jack's chest, breathing in his winter scent. I stayed like that and let myself drift away into the world of dreamless sleep.

I awoke to Jack's voice, which pulled me out of the darkness. His face was angelic. I stirred and sleepily kissed him. Then the weight of what had happened hit me full force. I went limp in Jack's arms again, letting him stroke my head with his lovely cold hands.

"Shhh...it's ok. Everything is going to be ok."

And it was. One hundred and ten years later, I found myself competing my journey with Jack, having talked to an uncountable number of spirits, and having amazing adventures for each new person that we met. Jack and I came back to North's castle to visit the Jack's friends, the Guardians, Eric, Autumn, and my mother. Jack still found time to make it snow, and we were happy. I always missed my father, but I knew that what was done had to be done. I thanked Manny everyday for giving my mother to me, and for giving me the strength to move past my father's death. Seeing the Guardians and my friends and being with Jack, I could finally say that I was truly happy.


End file.

Rise of the Guardians, Hurt-Comfort, Romance