ROTG-Frozen Wonder

15

  Battered from the fall, Jack helps me to sit up then slowly looks up and notices Baby Tooth, lying lifeless on the ground.

"Baby Tooth!"

He pulls himself to her and cradles her in his hands.

"You alright?"

Baby Tooth nods, but she's hurt and cold. Jack does his best to shield her, but quickly frowns.

"Sorry, all I can do is keep you cold."

I rested my hand on his, making him slowly look up to meet my gaze.

"Let me."

I then took Baby Tooth into my hands, holding her against my stomach, shielding her from the cold as she quickly snuggles up to me and squeaks in content.

Jack sits up rakes his hand through his hair.

"Pitch was right - I make a mess of everything."

My eyes saddened.

Seeing Jack like this, it broke my heart. It made me want to hug him and never let go.

Baby Tooth's expression hardens with determination as she wriggles out of my hold and into Jack's pocket.

"Hey?!"

Realizing he won't really get an answer Jack leans back and begins to close his eyes when he seems to hear something

And then he feels something and looks down.

There's a soft, golden glow coming from his pocket.

Jack jumps, taken aback.

He reaches in and pulls out the box as it pulses with said light.

I look up to him.

"Jack...What is that?"

He looks me in the eye.

"It's a box of my teeth from...before. It has all of my memories."

My eyes soften.

"You don't remember anything from your life before?"

He shook his head, looking down at the box.

Baby Tooth gives him a reassuring look and motions to the box, then looks back at Jack as I rest my hand on his arm, smiling as he looks up at me. Jack reaches to touch the box, but as he does its top magically unfolds to reveal a handful of baby teeth then the box and everything else glows bright with intense light.

Soon Jack comes out of his trance and looks between Baby Tooth and I.

"Did you -- did you see that?"

She shakes her head 'no' then tweets as if to say 'Of course not!'

"It-it was me! I had a family! I had a sister!"

His excitement suddenly turns to realization.

"I saved her!"

He looks up at the opening above as the moon peeks out from behind the clouds.

"That's why you chose me. I'm-I'm a Guardian."

The Moon then seems to shine a little brighter.

Baby Tooth tries to take flight but she sputters and lands back in the palm of Jack's hand and my eyes soften at the sight, sympathy filling them.

"We have to get out of here."

Jack looks down at the two halves of his staff and picks them up. He tries to fit them back together, but nothing happens. He tries again, this time using every ounce of strength left in him. Baby Tooth and I watch, our eyes widening as a spark of blue light shoots off the staff. Jack continues to push, until an icy blue light spreads and melds the two ends of the staff back together. Jack smiles and grabs my arm, pulling me into him. Suddenly Jack, with Baby Tooth tucked safely in his tunic, shoots up out of the fissure, high into the sky and through the clouds.

"Come on, Baby Tooth! I owe you one."

Soon enough we make it back to Pitch's lair to rescue the rest of Tooth's faeries. The Mini Teeth twitter as Jack jumps from cage to cage, opening them as he goes. Jack opens another cage and notices the fairies standing still.

"Come on, let's go."

Jack looks around and notices that all of the Minis are still in their cages.

"What's wrong?!"

The faeries are just standing around, listless.

"None of you can fly?"

Baby Tooth directs Jack's attention to the Globe at the base of Pitch's lair.

"The lights..."