Unknown Heir

You Don't Decide

Jack's POV:

I don't know how long I was carried by the winds. I don't want to know. My mind was only on what I last witnessed.

She's pregnant.

I land back at the Pole and my gaze turns up toward the moon.

"So that's why I needed to go back," I state.

Yes, you need to go back now Jack.

"I can't," I whisper, fear evident in my voice. "I'm scared."

"Back already Jack?" Comes a husky Russian voice.

I look up to see Santa with the door of the workshop open and looking out at me.

"Yeah," I call back as I go through the door that he held out.

"But Man in Moon said you would be gone for a few months," He states, obviously confused.

I just chuckle and look up at the moon. "Well, I found out something interesting," I report, shaking my head. "Something that I need to tell everyone."

He nods and gestures to the usual meeting space. We walk into the room and the other Guardians seem just as confused as Santa was by my presence.

"Jack?" Tooth asks. "Are you okay?"

"No," I reply. " I found out something crazy. Something that I didn't even think was possible for me."

A jingle sound comes from Sandy and a question mark appears above his head, his way of saying 'what?'.

"I found out that the girl that I met, Elsa..." I start.

"What is it mate?" Bunny questions, worry evident even with his accent.

"She's pregnant," I whisper, looking down at my feet.

The air in the room feels as if it's thickened. As if it's trying to suffocate us. Suffocate me.

"Then why are you here?" Bunny asks, anger present in his voice.

"What?" I ask, shocked by his question.

"Why are you here?" He says again. "Why aren't you there? With her? With your future kid?"

"Because I can't," I state, as if it's obvious. "I'm not fit to be a father. I'm not ready. I can't be."

"You don't get to decide that mate," He retorts. "It was decided for you. The minute that little ankle biter was conceived."

I shake my head and run out of the workshop. I run into the snow. I ask the wind to take me away. My head is filled with everything that Bunny said. Everything that I needed to hear.

But I'm not ready.

And then I'm gone.