Frozen Heart Ch 6 - Need for Belief

/x/x/x/

North sits in his workshop, tinkering with the latest invention his imagination has conjured. It's always a joy to take time to sit back, relax, and craft his wondrous ideas, and a much needed excursion around Christmas time.

An urgent knock on his door before it burst open reveals a frantic yeti motioning and grumbling for him to come into the main workshop area. North grins.

"You remembered to knock! Good! Now, what has happened? Have elves set workshop on fire again?" North questions, standing and following the Yeti. The Yeti shakes his head, instead pointing to the Globe of Belief. A strong and terrible sense of deja vu suddenly fills North.

The lights are once again flickering, just as they had all those years ago when Pitch had made his move against the Guardians. The difference in this scene is that there is a group of lights in the Northeast of the United States whose flickers are more noticeable than all the others.

"Oh no..." North rumbles, blue eyes wide.

/x/x/x/

Raven can't help the smile that plasters itself on her face. She, Jamie, and Sophie have been in the Warren for what seems like hours. The blonde girl's excitement is infectious as she shows Raven everything there is to see, Jamie trailing after the girls with a grin of his own.

Sophie drags Raven to a field of hanging tulips. "This is where Easter eggs are made!"

Raven gives Sophie a look that clearly says she doesn't believe her. Sophie just reaches her hand out and runs it gently along one of the tulips. The older woman stares on in wonder as the flower closes, bulging around where the petals and the stem meet, before opening. An egg with little legs drops into Sophie's cupped hands, which she immediately sets in Raven's hands.

The egg acts as if it's studying Raven, before plopping down in her hands, sitting and looking as if it is watching her intently. Raven is watching the egg just as closely as it watches her.

"So... what do I do with it?"

Sophie laughs. "You decorate it, silly! C'mon! Just make sure not to drop it!"

Bunnymund finds himself smiling as he sees how carefully Raven cradles the egg against her stomach, unwilling to drop the tiny thing and break it.

"For someone who doesn' believe, she's a pro at handling strange circumstances." Bunnymund comments to his pale companion.

"You never answered me, Bunnymund. Why're you going to such great lengths to re-kindle her belief? Why're the other Guardians willing to go so far to make an adult believe?"

The Pooka groans at Jack's insistence, but realizes the frost child won't stop his questioning until he gets his answers.

"We don' like seein' ya so down, Frostbite."

Jack stares at Bunnymund. "You're doing this for me...? Why?"

"Why do ya have to come and ask me all the uncomfortable questions?" Bunnymund complains. "We just think it's abou' time ya have a bit of happiness, alright?"

After a few moments of terse silence, Jack grins widely. "Aww, you do care."

"Shut up, ya blighter..." Bunnymund snaps, hopping away from the younger Spirit to follow the three humans in his domain.

The smile on Jack's face doesn't fade as he floats lazily behind. The Guardians never cease to amaze Jack at how much they're willing to do for him.

Raven's soft laughter echoes through the Warren, complimenting the boisterous laughter that belongs to Sophie. Sophie has shown Raven the coloring flowers, and the two are covered in different pastel-colored powders. The girls are decorated more than the egg dancing around them which is barely keeping out of their reach.

"She almost looks like the child I remember..." Jack notes softly.

"That child is still there, Frostbite."

"I wish it was as easy to fix as you make it seem... Something's wrong with her. Something happened in the years she's been away from Burgess."

"That's not that hard to figure out."

Jack and Bunnymund turn their attention to Jamie, who has decided to join them to allow his sister and friend some bonding time.

"She's so guarded it won't be easy to get an explanation out of her."

Bunnymund shakes his head. "We don' need ta know what went wrong. We jus' needta be here while she's not ready to tell, and be there when she is." He grins at Jack and Jamie. "As Guardians, that's what we need to do."

Raven approaches Jamie, rubbing at her cheek and smudging the colors on her face even more. She smiles brightly at him.

"I haven't had this much fun in.... in... Well, since before I moved. I've never seen anything so bright. It almost makes me believe in the world again."

"You don't need to believe in the world, so long as you believe in the Guardians. They'll fight the world for you, so you won't have to worry."

Bunnymund and Jack share a look over the boy's head, Jack's look one of pride. The Pooka has to admit the kid sure knows how to find believers.

Raven takes on a look of deep concentration. "The Guardians, huh? That's what they're called?"

"Of course. You knew them before you moved."

Blue eyes dance as Raven stands just in front of Bunnymund.

"Well, I may not remember who they were to me when I was a child, but I fail to understand how I forgot a six-foot tall Australian rabbit."

/x/x/x/

Bunnymund brings everyone back to Jamie's house, where Jamie tells Raven she can use their shower to clean up. Sophie allows her to borrow some of her clothes while her colored ones are put in the wash.

Sophie drags Bunnymund into her room, showing him the new items she's bought since he last visited. Jack and Jamie watch in amusement as Sophie hands an embarrassed Bunnymund a small porcelain rabbit, large paws awkwardly holding the fragile item.

"It doesn't seem like she'll ever stop believing." Jack notes. Jamie nods.

"Neither of us will, you know. And Raven's on her way to remembering. She already believes in Sandy and Bunny."

Jack shakes his head. "The other Guardians can make her believe because they have places to call home. I can't do that. My home is the lake in Burgess, nothing extraordinary for her to believe..."

"She will sooner or later, Jack, and you'll be able to apologize."

The bathroom door opens. Raven exits, toweling her hair dry. Sophie's clothes are just the right size.

"Thanks for letting me use your shower, Jamie."

Jamie grins. "No problem. There would've been a lot of questions if you were to walk around town that dirty."

Raven nods. "So what do you want me to do with this?"

"Just throw it over the sink. I'll take care of it later. I don't think Sophie or Bunnymund would mind if you join them. Sophie would be thrilled you're interested in her knick-knacks."

Raven does as Jamie suggests. She's much better at handling the glass pieces. As Jack watches her, he wonders from where the gentleness stems.

/x/x/x/

"It is still happening! I tell you, Pitch is back and he is angry!"

North leads Toothiana and Sandy through the halls of his workshop to the Globe room.

"North, are you sure you're just not overworked? Christmas is around the corner, and you've been awfully busy lately." Toothiana hovers just above North, worry etched on her face.

North shakes his head, waving at the Globe of Belief. Toothiana and Sandy stare at the Globe. As North had explained, the lights on the Globe are acting strange. He draws their attention to the group of lights that previously caught his attention.

"I have feeling he is going to target Jamie and the believers that surround him. Would be good revenge on us, especially Jack."

A question mark appears above Sandy's head. What should they do? North watches the Globe spin thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

"Best we can do is wait and watch. Keep children and older believers safe."

Toothiana follows the group of lights as it turns, wings humming. "Jack's not going to be in good fighting form unless Raven believes in him..."

"Jack is Guardian. He understands what is needed of him." North booms jovially. Toothiana crosses her arms, looking unsure.

Jack may be a Guardian, but he still has the personality of a child. Her pink gaze finds the almost invisible Moon in the sky, watching the three Guardians as silently as ever.

/x/x/x/