Sorry for not publishing this sooner. I got distracted and didn't know how to finish it T-T But here it is!

The year was 2013

It has been a year since the Great Battle against Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. A year since Jack Frost, Winter Spirit, pranker, became a Guardian, one of the highest titles a spirit could ever receive, named by The Man in the Moon himself.

Now, Jack had the family and friends he had always dreamed of. He had not one, but four places where he could go crash on and visit his new partners and friends.

He laughed as the wind ruffled his white hair while he flew, soaring the skies to arrive to Santoff Claussen, hidden fortress of the former bandit Nicholas St. North, commonly known as Santa's Workshop .

The boy smiled contently when he caught sight of the lights of the place and sped up.

He greeted the few yetis outside of the place and used His window to get inside.

His window was actually a normal window in the Globe Room, but he used it so much that the yetis started leaving it open just for him, complaining just a tiny bit about 'snow inside the place' and 'not using doors'

Jack flew around the place laughing, a big smile on his face as he waved at the furry workers of the Workshop. Said yetis grumbled a greeting but were happy to see the child there.

"Phil! Do ya know where North is?"

He startled the poor security yeti, surprising him flying upside down in front of him.

Phil growled something and Jack's eyes lit up.

"Of course! His office! Duh!" Jack laughed, smacking his forehead. "Thank ya, Phil! Oh by the way, I think I kind of let the elves enter to the candy room..."

The yeti's green eyes widened in utter terror and ran away screaming for help to his co-workers.

Jack laughed mischievously, Phil will realize it was a...Not truth later, and floated lazily to the ex Cossack's office.

He eyed the toys being made by busy yetis and smiled contently. Captain America's Shields, action figures, Thor's Hammers... With the latest released movie of Marvel, Thor 2, and Avengers still so famous to be forgotten, it was almost everything kids were asking for this year.

He had gone with Jamie and his friends to watch Avengers and he couldn't really blame the 9 year olds for not appreacting the complex plot or jokes! He had to educate Jamie in Marvel universe! Perhaps he could get him to read the comics and-

'I give this 'Marvel' a few more years...'

His smile disappeared when he heard the soft voice in his mind, a dull pain aching in his chest.

He stopped mid-air and frowned.

The picture of a blurry young face with yellow eyes forming in his mind

'That cave isn't that safe anymore anyway...I trust you.'

Jack shook his head, refusing to think of that anymore. It had been decades ago, he didn't care!

If he repeated it enough it would be true...

He forced his smile to return and walked the rest of the way to North's office. He knocked, knowing full well his old friend was more than capable of throwing a sword to whoever interrupted him while working, especially so close to Christmas as they were.

The door was opened and a really sweaty North was on the other side, wiping ice off his shoulders.

His eyes gleamed with surprise at the sight of the newest addition to their team.

"'Sup!"

"My boy! What a great pleasure to see you! Come come!"

Jack smiled and entered, sitting down on a chair, or more exactly, on its backrest.

North marched back to his working table, reassuming his work of adding details to the beautiful sculpture.

"So, Jack, what do I owe this visit?"

Jack stopped playing with the left over ice and looked up. "Don't know. Thought I'll pay you a visit, maybe help, of course I can go if you don't want the troublemaker Winter spirit here" he shrugged with a big smile.

North frowned and looked at the young teen next to him. "No, of course I want you here, мой сын! It-It just surprised me, da? That is all"

Jack smiled. "Oh, ok! How can I help?"

The two white haired spirits spent the rest of the morning working on designs. Jack proved himself useful not only to imagine differentt toys and designs, but also because he could make the ice and North didn't have to stand up and lose time asking a yeti to bring him blocks of them.

"You seem to know a lot of this, Jack" North commented with a chuckle.

"Of course! I love this! I have been a fan since the comics came out! I am practically an expert" Jack gave North a proud smile and the older Guardian chuckled.

He smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. He loved the enthusiasm and wonder the young teen had in his blue eyes when he talked about the movies.

"It makes us good to be with you, Jack" North said sincerely and the boy tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh?"

"You are a child!" North ignored the offended pout Jack gave him and continued. "You help us remember what children are like! Remember Easter!? Pft! I haven't realized we have had spent too much time away from children till then. We are true Guardian of Childhood and we are glad you became one"

If Jack could blush, his entire face would be red now. Instead, he looked down to hide the frost covering his cheeks. "Oh...Shut up" He mumbled, making the giant Russian laugh.

Jack knew it was true though. Now that he was there, he was forcing them to interact with children more. He started with Tooth and now, she took her time to go to the field with her fairies. He loved that time Toothiana excitedly told him a child saw her and hugged her. Sophie loved to see Bunny, and the Guardian of Hope wouldn't admit it, but he sometimes kidnapped the little toddler to let her paint googies in the warren.

Unknown to Jack, his presence not only had forced the Guardians to interact with children, but among themselves too. They knew he had been alone for a lot of time, and they wanted to give the boy the family and friends he deserved. They wanted to become a family. They made much more meetings just to be together, to talk about their works and spend time with the boy.

It was not easy, of course. Three hundred years of solitude weren't erased in a year and they still had a long way to go, but the four veteran guardians were decided to become Jack's family.

The two guardians then fell in a comfortable silence, just working on the prototypes for the toys.

Jack studied the hammer he just did. He wished Jamie had asked for one of this. It would be amazing if they got to play with it!

"I...I was thinking if you would like to play with me"

"You want to Play? With me?" A laugh. "Oh child, it is obvious you don't know who I am"

Jack groaned. 'hut up, brain! He hissed in his mind. He had been thinking about...him, a lot lately, it was so annoying!

"Is something wrong, my boy?" North asked worriedly. Jack froze, not realizing he had actually groaned aloud.

"uh...nothing" He mumbled. Everyone who had met him had said he was the first inmortal kid they met...But that couldn't be. He was also a kid and he asked to everyone! Everyone! about a kid like him and no one knew!

"Jack? Son, calm down" North asked, putting a hand on his thin shoulder. "Come on, breathe with me"

Wasn't he breathing?

Jack breathed in and out a few times to calm himself down. When he realized North was looking at him worriedly, he brushed it off with a forced smile.

Mask. Don't drop your mask.

"North, I have a question...Have you met another spirit like me?"

The Guardian of wonder smiled. "Sure! I have many seasonal spirit friends! I am also in good terms with Seraphina, Mother Nature! No winter spirits though, I think you-"

"No, no, no I mean...young? A teen?" Jack bit his lower lip, hoping the older guardian understood.

North hummed in thought, stroking his beard as he thought. Did Nightlight count as a kid?

"Well...I had a friend...once upon a time ago...but he isn't a child. Was, yes. But not anymore"

Jack pouted.

"If I could, I would stay playing with you all year, I swear! I had so many games I didn't show you!"

"Jack...We will meet"

"You promise?"

"On my soul"

"Why the sudden interest?" North asked, making Jack shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Well...I-I just remembered someone...I met them a long time ago"

North's interest grew. "And...it was a child? Like you?"

Jack bit his inner cheek. "Yeah...But he never told me his name...I never saw him again..."

"Are you sure he was a spirit? Maybe a child who could see you?" North offered but Jack shook his head.

"He was walked through" He replied. Impossible for Shadow Boy to have been a normal boy. Normal kids didn't live in caves, they didn't have yellow eyes or greyish skin. He moved in the shadows! He thought exasperately.

"Uh...Is it possible...for-for a spirit...to-to become younger?" Jack grimaced and North hummed again, glancing at his small bookshelf.

"There are spells, da...I don't see why it would be useful though...Younger spirits have more hard time controlling powers. Some need conduit, like you" He nodded at his staff. "But..." He trailed offf.

"But what?" Jack insisted.

"Remember tiny Bunny?"

Jack snorted with laughter and covered his mouth. He had been so worried for the kangaroo at that moment, but after defeating Pitch it had been so hilarious to even think about it!

"Spirits lose their strength...They become weaker version of them" North told Jack firmly, his russian accent stronger. "Toothy couldn't fly, I was feeling weak and old...Some spirits DOES turn into weaker versions of themselves...becoming kids. I can name a few, ahh poor, poor Patrick, you should have seen him angry!" his laughter startled Jack. "But it is not that common"

"Is there a spirit...in charge of the shadows?" Jack tried. He didn't know much about the Spirit World and how it worked, and he felt like he was missing out a lot!

"Nyet" North shook his head. "But some can control it. Pitch, he is one...though I feel that now that he is defeated his control will slip" He shrugged, not wanting to think about what has happened to their old enemy.

Jack sighed heavily, nodding at the information. Pitch really controlled the shadows (in a really awesome way he had to admit). That time they were fighting in the street and in Antarctica he had proved that ability was useful when...

Wait a second...

"Besides, what is better than cold and dark?!"

If the boy had been drinking water he would have spat it all.

The Boogeyman told him the exact same thing in Antarctica...

His breathing got faster, trying to grasp the crazy (no! it couldn't be!) concept that Pitch...that Pitch was...Jack groaned loudly, massaging his temples and North raised a worried eyebrow.

How had he been so blind?! He really, really should have known by now! He was so stupid! Everything, absolutely everything matched! The powers, the personality, the eyes, the skin, the hair!

Before, he hadn't thought it was posible to be this blind! He had a bet with Sandy about when those superheroes kids in Paris would realize each other identities. He really had to admit that when you don't want to see the truth, you wouldn't, even if it was just in front of you.

"I have to go" Jack declared, standing up from the chair and grabbing his staff.

"Jack! Are you sure you are ok?" North asked, watching a little stunned as Jack opened the window of his office.

"Yes" He smiled. "I just need to do something...Uh...Can I come back later though?" He grabbed the windowsill and looked at North with a sheepish smile.

North gave him a confused smile and nodded. "Of course, my boy"

Jack waved at him and threw himself from the window. The window loyally picked up its winter child and they flew away.

"Wind...take me to Burgess" Jack cried and soon he was soaring the skies, going to his town.

It took him a few minutes, but when he was there, Jack didn't take his time to mess with the townsfolk or freeze the electric wires. With a determined face, he flew to the forest. He passed by his lake, skiied on it with his barefeet and then jumped again, going to the clearing where the entrance to the boogeyman's lair had been.

He took a mouthful of air and ran a hand through his hair as his blue eyes looked around the place. Everything was so calm...

And there was no bedframe.

A sudden rage filled the teen's heart. He couldn't believe it was happening all over again!

"Oh, come on!" He growled, hitting the ground with his staff.

The movement caused a strong wind to fly around him, moving the fallen leaves, grass and freezing the spot Jack touched. The young boy pouted until something caught his eye. The wind had moved a group of leaves and moss on the ground and the apparently gone entrance to the lair was revealed underneath.

"Haha. Bingo" Jack celebrated.

Unafraid of the consequences, wanting answers, and knowing Pitch wouldn't be able to do anything at the moment, Jack jumped down the dark hole. Darkness enveloped him and he unconsciously closed his eyes until his feet touched the cold stone.

Blue eyes opened again and looked around the darkness. He sighed and with a confident nod, he walked down the tunnel until he was inside of the lair.

Everything looked exactly the same as when he came one year ago. The same darkness, the same confusing never ending stairs, the same chilly environment that made him, the Spirit of Winter, shiver.

"Hello? Someone's home?" Jack smiled. His voice echoed around the apparently empty cave.

Jack moved forward, his eyes always alert and his steps always careful in case he had to fight, his staff always in front of him.

The glow that the tooth boxes had casted was gone, and the only glow that the cave had was those occasional sunrays that managed to penetrate the underground lair, and the metal globe Pitch had, shining with the tiny lights that represented every child that believed.

"Heeeey! It is quite rude not to greet your visitors" Jack shouted, and once again, he was met with his echo. He moved around the place, jumping and moving from stair to stair, hoping that Pitch would magically appear in a shadow to scare him. What was he going to say anyway? Hi? Glad ya aren't dead?!

Jack huffed. There weren't even nightmares to freeze. He stopped and the cavern was filled with silence. The guardian was about to look for an exit when something started sounding. Faintly, but his trained ears could hear it.

Music. It was music.

"Haha!" Jack laughed and followed the sound of the music, trying to be as quiet as possible to be able to hear better. The melody got stronger the more he got closer. It sounded so beautiful and sad at the same time.

Jack had heard it before...Shadow Boy taught him to play it...

He came to a stop when the music was strong and he could hear every detail of it. It stirred memories he held dear but at the same time he wanted to forget so much...

The guardian entered by the door the music was coming from. He looked around the place. Jack was surprised to see normal house furnitures down here. Then again, Shadow Boy had also lived in a cave and had furniture as well. There was a small couch, a lamp, a shelf full of books, a carpet on the floor and sitting on the couch, apparently oblivious to the presence of the Guardian, was the Nightmare King, Pitch Black.

"You play really nice" Jack leaned against the door's frame, watching as Pitch calmly stopped playing and looked back at him. Jack felt a bit disappointed. It would have been better to scare him, like he did the first time.

"Nice melody by the way...An old friend taught me how to play it...It is kinda weird though...He said he created it...I guess he lied, just like he did the whole time I knew him" Jack shrugged.

Pitch didn't utter a word, he simply stared at the young boy with unreadable yellow eyes.

"It is kinda fun, Pitch...He looked exactly like you" Jack stroked his chin, feigning confusion and naiveness.

The Boogeyman sighed tiredly. He left his violin gently on the couch and turned around to meet the boy's intense blue eyes. "It took you a while...What gave me away?"

Jack jumped and floated toward Pitch, landing just in front of him. "Well, the thing you said in Antarctica" He crossed his arms. "It was the exact same thing you told me when you said we were friends" Jack hissed the word at the end, glaring up at his enemy.

Pitch hummed, apparently not caring what the child told him and, putting his hands behind his back he looked down at the boy who barely reached his shoulders. "You considered my offer?" The man asked with indifference.

Jack glared at him and before the black haired spirit knew, Jack sent a blast of ice in his direction, slamming him again the wall.

Pitch fell to the floor with a thud and groaned, putting a hand on his throbbing head. He was on thin ice here...Ticking off Jack right now was not a good strategy, considering he was weak and tired and the teen was gaining believers.

Jack advanced toward him, his blue eyes full of hate, anger and betrayal. Emotions he had been holding down and hiding for 67 years. "NO! I didn't consider you offer because I will NEVER join you! You aren't my friend! You never were!" The boy shouted, his voice dropping at the end for the emotions the sentence contained and kicked the fallen spirit in his chest more than once.

Pitch cried out in pain, being weak made that efffect, and tried to shield his face from the blows. "Wait! Wait! Jack! Stop! Pl-Please!" He ended up begging and the Guardian pointed at him with the curve of his staff.

"Why?" He demanded. "Tell me a good reason not to turn you into a popsicle right now" Jack was hurt and he wanted him to know he hurt him. Why did he lie to him?! He really had thought he was his friend!

Pitch grimaced at the staff in his neck and gave Jack a small smile, trembling as he thought in something to say. "If you freeze me, then-then you won't know where your toys are"

Jack's glare softened and his tight grip in his staff loosened a bit, to the point where his knuckles weren't completely white. The boogeyman took his stupor to his advantage. He stood up slowly, eyeing carefully the boy's weapon.

"I can really show you, Frost" Pitch said and without a word, Jack nodded. The older spirit gave a silent sigh in relief (he really didn't have the energy to fight even if he wanted to) and led the boy to a room. Jack walked behind him with a suspicious look in his eyes, but he wanted to see if what the boogeyman was saying was true. Curiosity had always been his weakness after all.

Ah, Bunny was right. It was going to kill him one day...

Jack was surprised to find himself in the same room Shadow Boy/ Pitch took him when he had been hurt. it was the same decoration, simple, but nice, the same bed, the same books, the same dim light in the room.

What surprised him though, was the huge collection of comics and toys standing proudly and safe in some shelves. Jack looked at Pitch who stood tall with his hands behind his back, but avoided his gaze.

The teen advanced toward the childish garments in the room and ran a trembling hand by the toys, all of them good as new, and the comic books carefully placed on the shelf, protected by some kind of plastic. Jack pulled out one of them, and smiled slightly. Black Panther.

"Why did you keep this?" Jack mumbled, looking at the comic to avoid looking at Pitch who was standing a few feet behind him.

The Boogeyman advanced toward Jack and the boy took some steps to the side, keeping his distance. "You entrusted them to me..." Pitch trailed off. He wanted to say more but feared a negative reaction from Jack.

The newest Guardian looked at the comic book in his hands, feeling his sight getting slightly blurry. "Why did you lie to me...?" Jack asked as a whisper, so low it took Pitch a while to understand what he said. Jack left the comic on its place and looked up at Pitch's yellow eye, waiting for his answer. Pitch sighed. Jack seemed to be strong, but the fear radiating off him made him painfully aware that he was still a boy, a child.

Pitch decided to tell him the truth, something he should have done the moment they met.

"I have fought the Guardians during that time. World War II was for me one of my strongest moments. Everyone lived in fear" Jack was surprised about the lack of emotion in what the man was telling him. Pitch Black was a show off, he would be exclaiming loudly and smiling evily at his dark deeds during that horrible time.

This stoic, defeated face wasn't what he expected.

"The War ended and the Guardians, who had been fighting viciously to keep their precious children innocent, and I had a fight. However, the war was over, and the fear decreased tremendously. It was such a sudden change in the world's balance that it affected me"

"You got weak?" Jack decided to ask and Pitch looked over at him. "I mean" The teen mumbled. "North told me that-that some spirits when they get weak, they turn into a weaker version of themselves" He looked up to see if what he had been told was true.

"While that is true, it is not applicable to my case" Pitch sighed loudly and then looked down. Jack could swear he saw a tint of purple in his cheeks."I have the ability to shape shift...And it just wasn't a good idea to try to do it as weak as I was" He finished his sentence mumbling, hating to admit he was weak.

Jack blinked once, blinked twice and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAHA! OH MOON! OH MOON! YOU MEAN-YOU MEAN YOU GOT STUCK AS A CHILD?! HAHAHAAHAHHA" Jack fell to the floor laughing, holding his hurting stomach as the Boogeyman glared at him with a scowl.

"Now, if you are done laughing, I wish you get out of my property" He snarled.

Jack jumped to his feet inmediately and floated toward Pitch wiith a shitty grin. "No! Because that doesn't explain everything!'

"What more do you want, brat?" Pitch scowled, ignoring the hurt look in the child's blue eyes. His confidence decreased a little and the smile in his lips disappeared.

"Why did you lie?" He asked as a whisper. "We said we were friends and you promised we would see each other again!"

'And you left me...' Was unsaid. Jack's mask fell, and two salty tears streamed down his cheeks, freezing before falling.

Pitch laughed darkly. Jack was scared he was letting his real emotions show and he couldn't help but cherish the small fear.

"You want to know why I never came?" He walked menacingly toward the teen, and Jack started walking backwards, his staff pointing at his chest but unable to shoot.

"You are an annoying brat, Frost! Why would anyone want to be your friend?" He laughed darkly.

"I-It's not true!" Jack growled.

"I had to stand you coming and coming and coming! It was a bother for me having you here!" Pitch laughed. Jack's fear increased and he savoured it.

"You were soo desperate for attention it was comical! I can't really believe you thought I was your friend!"

"Shut up!" Jack shouted, trembling with rage.

"And you still don't have any friends! You are so scared of being alone! Of being like you were! Invisible!"

"Shut up! I am not alone!" Jack shouted to the Boogeyman,who looked big and dangerous now. "

"Oh you still think that?" Pitch laughed. "That's so funny! The guardians used you, Jack...just wait till they find how boring and useless you are, you will be all alone once again!"

"SHUT UP!" The boy shrieked and ice exploded all around him. He pointed at Pitch with his staff and shot ice at him, slamming him against the wall.

"I don't even know why I came here! You are still a stupid and my enemy! And you will never change!" Jack shouted with anger and sadness, tears frozen in his face as he watched the Boogeyman groan on the floor.

Despite the pain, Pitch grinned. "Take your stuff, please, I don't desire them here much longer..."

Jack fumed with rage, his face blue with anger, and created a sack to grab all his stuff.

"Fuck you" He said as he left the room.

"Aww, I love you too, Jack" Pitch smiled.

When the winter boy was out of sight, he dropped his smile and sighed, his face showing sorrow.

"Oh, Jack...The man sighed. "It was stupid of you to befriend the Boogeyman..." The Nightmare King felt a strange sense of dejavu and a familiar sadness settling in his dark heart as he watched the teen fly away.

He had to hurt the boy once again...

He couldn't do this, he couldn't be close to Jack, he just couldn't! He was his enemy and it had to stay that way.

That didn't stop the single tear than streamed down his cheeks.

67 years ago, Pitch waited excitedly in his childish body for Jack to return. In that year, he managed to get back some of his strength and powers, but his appearance wasn't changing. And he actually didn't want to. He felt different like this, he made a friend like this, and he wanted to stay like this! He didn't care of the humiliation he would definitely get when people see him, he was determined to stay like this because he had a friend.

So bad his body changed back to his original form one night.

When he woke up that day, his grown up face staring at him with surprise, he tried to turn back to look like a kid, but he still didn't have enough energy or power to hold the form for too long...

What was he going to tell Jack?! If he saw him like an adult, he would know who he was, he knew he would, every spirit knew better than to mess with him, and he would hate him.

Just like everyone else.

"No! No!" Pitch panicked. He didn't want Jack to hate him, he was the only friend he had had in millenia!

He remembered the nice words Jack always told him.

"SERIOUSLY!? THAT IS SO COOL!"

"You play really nice"

"I have been alone for almost 300 years and...No one like me...But you did"

"You are good at the game, Shadow boy!"

How he thought he wasn't a monster, how he said he trusted and believed in him...

"I believe in you, Shadow Boy. I don't care what those people you fought with said! You aren't a monster!"

"That cave isn't that safe anymore anyway...I trust you"

How he called him a friend everytime the teen got a chance...

"You aren't telling me your name, so I needed something to call you with! We are going to be friends after all!"

He didn't want to see these memories tainted by the fear and hatred he would see in the kid's eyes when he discovered who he really was, he didn't want to remember his friend like this, and he didn't want Jack to know who he was...

He was scared...

So he left. He moved his lair from location. Going from Italy to a small town in the United States called Burgess. He moved all his belongings and made sure Jack's belongings were safe, hidden and well-kept. They were the only memory he had of that year anyway.

The year Jack returned to Italy looking for him, Pitch had been there the whole time. He hated the fear radiating off the young teen like waves, and how he unconsciously enjoyed it and savoured it. He looked with pain in his chest at the tears streaming down the teen's face as he cried for him, looking and searching everywhere for him, waiting him to fulfill the promise he would never do...

When he saw Jack again was a year ago, side by side with those goody two shoes. He didn't recognize him,for some odd reason, but he guessed he looked a lot differnt than when he looked like a brat.

Why did he even look like that,anyway? He had never been human and there was no reason for him to have a child form...

Pitch sighed and picked up his violin on the floor. He had hurt Jack and made him angry, telling him awful things just because he didn't know how they could be friends like this, because he was afraid of what he could say, and he hurt him to the point the boy was crying.

But...That's what monsters do anyway.

Well! It is finally done! :D Poor Pitch, still doesn't know about his past... I am currently writing 2 gravity falls fanfics! For those interested! Anyway, comment, i know I took f long but I love reviews :3

See ya!