"Jamie!" Jack called out as he swooped down next to the small boy. "Ready to enjoy one of the last days of winter?" Jamie frowned as he kicked a small clump of snow as he walked.

"Jack, if it's the last day of winter, we won't see each other as much." He frowned more, his big eyes gazing sadly at Jack, making him shake his head and ruffle Jamie's hair affectionately. He conjured a snowflake that landed on Jamie's nose in his signature burst of blue sparkle, effortlessly making Jamie smile.

"Don't worry yourself, Jamie! Just cause I have to go bring winter to other kids doesn't mean I won't see you. You know the wind will bring me back home," Jack said comfortingly, patting Jamie's head before dropping a heap of snow onto it. Jamie laughed and ran after him, Jack reveling in the sound of the childish laughter ringing through the streets of Burgess. Jamie ran past Pippa, Claude, and Caleb, and when they saw he was running after Jack, they joined in the chase. 'How strange it must look to the adults, all these kids running after nothing,' Jack thought, amused. He dipped down, skimming over the snow covered sidewalk, and packed a snowball. When he got to the park, to the top of the Thomas Burgess statue, he threw the snowball at the back of Cupcake's head, and hid behind the stone figure while Jamie, at the forefront of kids, looked like the perpetrator. Cupcake grinned evilly as she looked down at the orb of snow bigger than Jamie's head. 'Uh-oh,' Jamie thought as he tried to run behind Claude... but he failed, and the huge snowball whacked him in the back of the head, knocking him face down in the snow. The small group laughed and laughed their heads off until Jamie grabbed Caleb and stuffed the icy slush down the front of his coat. Claude defended his brother by launching a snowball at Jamie but missing and hitting Pippa, and they were off, the children running around in a flurry of flailing, running, and giggling.

Jack perched at the top of the statue, one leg hanging down and one pulled up, tucked under his chin. His cerulean eyes sparkled with both mischief and amusement as the small group ran around, laughing, and not for the first time, Jack was extremely grateful he accepted the role of Guardian to these kids and the kids around the world. It had been a year since the guardians defeated Pitch, dragged to Moon knows where by his own fears. Jack observed the quaint townspeople, walking about, doing their shopping, playing with their kids. He observed some workers putting up Valentine's Day banners and sales people changing the winter clothes display in the store windows. He closed his eyes in a moment of serenity, drinking in the childrens' laughter and the smell of the snow and reflecting on the last year. It had been quiet, peaceful. He and the other guardians became quite close over that time, even him and Bunny, although he still liked to call him a Kangaroo occasionally. North and Tooth became the parental figures he never remembered having. Yetis became friends, elves became little siblings to take care of, Tooth's baby teeth became treasured companions, and Jamie and Sophie were important family to him and the rest of the guardians. Jack suddenly had the family and childhood that he could not recall for the life of him, and he was eternally grateful.

And yet... those nights where he wasn't with the guardians or Jamie, those nights were he overlooked snow capped cities and dimly lit villages at night from above, those nights where he propelled through the sky with just his thoughts, he couldn't help but feel something. The lack of something. Even with all that has been given him, he was still missing something, but he just couldn't figure-
WHAM! Jack fell off the statue and landed in the snow on his back. When he sat up, shaking the snow off his face, he realized the little ankle biters had thrown a snowball at HIM. The kids all bit their lips, holding in their laughter and pointing at one another. Not knowing who was guilty, and honestly not caring, Jack grinned mischievously, a grin that the kids knew meant evil, wonderful fun times. With one wave of his staff, he had five snowballs hovering in the air, like arrows at the ready.

"You have three seconds." The kids dispersed, all of them scampering off into different directions in hope of escaping the winter spirit.

Jack only gave them two seconds before all hell broke loose.
-

"I'll see you soon, Jamie. Go to sleep, okay? I'll be back before you know it," Jack said comfortingly, tucking Jamie in. However, Jamie still looked vaguely troubled as he laid there, nervous and fidgeting. "Something wrong, man?" Jamie still fidgeted, his fingers twisted around each other on the bedspread.

"Jack, what's it like to be in love?!" Jamie blurted out, his honest eyes gazing up at Jack in childish curiosity. Jack sputtered at the forward question and rubbed at the back of his neck in hesitation.

"Well... I don't really know, Jamie. I've never fallen in love before, I guess. When I was human, I was too young to fall in love, and since I've been Jack Frost, I was either alone or I can't look at the girls around me that way. What brought this on?" he asked, before pondering the pink, red, and white streamers being hung up earlier and the similarly red flush splattered across Jamie's cheeks. "Well, looks likes my little man is in love. Who's the lucky girl?" Jamie's face brightened as he sat up in the bed excitedly.

"Pippa! she's just the prettiest girl in the whole town, isn't she?" Jack chuckled in amusement before patting Jamie's head fondly.

"You know what, kid? Just like the guardians and I are real, Cupid is real too! Maybe I should ask her for a favor, huh, kiddo?" he teased. He walked to the window and opened it, winking teasingly at Jamie. While Jamie seemed to seriously consider it, Jack made note of the Valentine's Day banners and streamers outside. Instead of the vibrant, bright hues they were earlier, they seemed darker, smudged with dirt and grime. Instead of waving in the brisk Winter air, they seemed to sag in their spots, drooping like wilted flowers. What looked like a black blur of motion swept past in a flash, and one by one, the banners fell down, forlorn and discarded on the street. Despite him being the spirit of Winter, the sight put a foreboding chill tingling sharply though his spine.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Jack turned to look at Jamie, childish wonder and adoration replaced by an innocent concern.

"Don't you worry yourself, Jamie. Get some rest, and I'll see you soon, yeah? Go have sweet dreams of Pippa!" Jamie sputtered and flailed while Jack jumped out the window, a pocket of air cushioning his landing while his laugh floated up to the window and lulled Jamie to sleep.

He walked over to the banners on the snow and poked it with his staff. His frost flowered on the thin fabric hearts, but he was disturbed by the dark dullness of the ice instead of its usual white glow. A white beam shined upon the frost, and Jack looked up and smiled at his old friend.

"Manny! What's up?" He asked, looking up at the glowing moon and the man in it.

Old friend. Go to the guardians. They need you. Jack's smile fell as his brow furrowed, and the tingle in his spine was brought back with full, violent force.

"Why? What's wrong?!"

Just deliver this message, Jack Frost. Pitch is back. Pitch is back, and I will send help.