A few days had passed since the incident in Antarctica.

Baby Tooth had developed a cold, they suspected t had something to do with the lack of believers as she was growing weaker each day. The only thing that had improved were her winds. Jack had made splints for them so they would heal back in the correct way after Pitch had bent them.

Loki had been delving into the magic books and artifacts he had in his possession, trying to find something that would fix Jack's staff. Truly, he didn't want to give up, but after days of futile attempts it was becoming hard.

Jack seemed to already have given up. He did try when Loki told him to try something, but he stopped trying himself. He would sit by Loki, trying to understand the books, or tend to Baby Tooth, but other than that he felt useless. He couldn't control winter so he couldn't spread snow like he used to, nor going he go for a relaxing flight with Wind. Without his staff, wind had a hard time connecting with him like they used to. So Jack ended up on aimless walks when it got too hot or stuffy inside. Rather than forcing the others in cold, he set out on his own until he felt ready to return. Loki had warned against going on his walks alone. Without his staff he was practically defenseless against danger, especially against Nightmares. The god of Mischief made Jack promise to carry at least one of his daggers when he went out so he could at least have a fighting chance.

That is where he was now. Walking through the woods. It had started to snow and though there was no merit to it, Jack wanted to be outside.

Out where the wind would try to cheer him up by blowing snow at him.

Out where he wasn't constantly confronted with the failure of his broken staff and sick friend.

He walked until he came across a small town he had come across earlier. Never before had he dared go inside, but he felt like he had to. With an extra nudge from wind, Jack made his way through the town. He didn't understand much of the language, but it was like the whole town was in a doom and gloom mood. The adults seemed easily agitated and the children almost lifeless, silently trailing behind their parents.

Jack was very confused. It was the perfect weather for a snow day, there should have been laughter and snowballs flying through the air. But there was none of that. Not a single child that had even tried to throw the snow. What was supposed to be a day full of fun for all ages bad boiled down to nothing but misery. Something about the town made him feel uneasy and scared. It felt like he was back at Pitch's lair, but more subtle.

The longer he stayed, the more he felt like he had to get out. He had to run from there as fast as he could before whatever happened there, happened to him as well.

He raced back to Loki's home and burst through the door, slamming it shut as if he was being chased. Loki jumped up from where he was sitting, ready to defend his home at the slightest sign of danger. "Jack! What happened? Were you attacked?"

Jack tried to even out his breathing as he eased Loki out of his defensive stance. "No, no attack. There was this town. Everybody was so...miserable. It's supposed to be a snow day. But there were no playing children, no sledding, no snowball fights, nothing! Something is wrong, I'm sure of it. We need to do something!" He was getting more and more worried about the towns people. Is this what the whole worlds looks like? Is this because of Pitch?

Jack looked up when Baby Tooth tweeted weakly at him. Jack ran over and lifted her up. With all the strength she could muster she pointed at Jack's head and then to Loki's pocket. "I think she means the memory box I gave you." Jack reiterated for her. Loki dig in the chest he had placed Jack's staff in and pulled out the golden canister.

Jack set Baby Tooth down and put the canister next to her. "Alright Baby Tooth, what now." Baby Tooth reached out to the canister and it glowed a golden color.

"Jack?"

Jack set up, looking shocked at the canister.

"Jack?!"

"That voice," he whispered, looking at Baby Tooth and Loki, "do you hear that voice too?"

Both Loki and Baby Tooth shook their heads no. "Don't start going crazy on me, kid." Loki said.

Jack got up defensively. "I heard a voice! The same voice I heard before going into Pitch's lair! It's calling for me, calling my name!" He looked back at Baby Tooth. She looked at him expectantly as he went to sit back down with her. Jack picked up the fairy and the canister. Baby Tooth placed her hand on the cover and nodded encouragingly at Jack. As he placed his fingers on the lid, his eyes started to glow the same golden hue as the canister did.

Loki freaked out a bit and looked at the small fairy. "What's happening to him?" He almost demanded but got noting but tweets in reply. He didn't have time to question more as jack's eyes stopped glowing and he shot up, picking up Baby Tooth as he did.

"Did you s-did you see that?" He asked excitedly. Both shook their heads no as Jack chuckled again. "It-it was me! I had a family! I had a sister! I saved her!" Realization hit him as he went over his memories again. "Wha-That's why he chose me" He breathed as he looked out to the clear full moon shining outside, "I'm...I'm a guardian."

Jack ran over to Loki's study and looked though all the books and scrolls he could get his hands on. "Glad you got your memories back, but does that mean you have to trash the place?" Loki tried his best to catch all the documents Jack threw out of his way.

"We need to find a way to beat Pitch! To fix my staff! The kids, they...they need me." He said solemnly as his search was leading him nowhere. After all these failed attempts of restoring his staff, and now finding out why he was meant to be a guardian, he needed to prove to himself he was still worthy of the title. "I'm supposed to protect them, keep them safe from danger. But all I have been doing is hide out here, throwing a pity party for myself! I can't just sit here anymore, Loki! I need to get out there and fight, no matter how small my chances may be!" Without waiting for a reaction Jack stormed out of the room and grabbed the pieces of his staff.

"Jack, you already tried that and it didn't-woa"

Jack forced the pieces back together and forced the magic to move through the wood. He thought of how badly he wanted to fight Pitch, how he wanted to protect the children, how he had to fight and make his sister proud of who he became. As he was focusing, a spark of blue came from the splintered ends. Frost patterns flew out from the spark and traveled back out to each end of the wood, once again decorating the staff with intricate designs. Jack smiled and jumped in the air as he felt his magic seep back into the wood and his connection to winter come back. He felt whole again.

He laughed as he rushed outside, where he was promptly picked up and tossed around by the wind. As he landed again, he let Baby Tooth run across his arm from Loki's shoulder to his own. Looking at the elder he smirked mischievously. "What do you say, Loki? Ready to have some fun?"

The god of mischief matched his smirk and materialized his daggers. "Ready when you are, Frosti."

"We need to find out how many children still believe. Knowing how much Pitch loves to gloat over victories, he'll likely be at the Pole. Think you can get us into his lair?"

At Loki's nod, Jack was about to speak up when Baby Tooth let out a frustrated tweet. She huffed and planted herself firmly on Jack's shoulder. The boy signed and picked up the little fairy. "Baby Tooth, I can't take you with us. You are still sick and you can't fly. You'd be in too much danger. It's safer for you to stay here until we're ba- AUW" Jack cried out as Baby Tooth stabbed his hand lightly. She tweeted angrily before climbing back up to his shoulder and setting herself down in defiance.

"I don't think you can talk her out of this." Loki remarked. "I'd say let the bird-child come, she might be of use to us."

Jack sighed as he looked at her. "You sure you want to go back there? All the other fairies are still in cages." Baby Tooth nodded, causing Jack to slump his shoulders in defeat.

Loki teleported them to Pitch's lair, and as Jack suspected, it was empty except for the bird cages filled with little tooth fairies. Jack flew up to one of the cages and unlocked the door. "Let's go." Before he jumped off to the next one, he saw none were flying off. "What's wrong?" He asked them, but none replied.

Baby Tooth walked off of his shoulder and went to stand on the hand holding the cage. She tweeted a little and tried to flutter her wings to no avail. Jack's eyes widened in horror as he realized none of the fairies could fly. Baby Tooth pointed behind Jack, where he could see the corner of another room.

In the middle of the room stood a black metallic version of North's globe back at the Pole. Jack looked all over, looking for a light to be on, but there was none. He felt his newfound hope shatter to pieces as fell to the ground in defeat. "The lights...We're too late, there aren't any children left who believe in the guardians anymore." He curled into a ball and apologized profusely to Baby Tooth who tried to calm him down.

Loki looked over the globe himself, surely Jack must be mistaken. From what he had been told, no believers means the end of their existence. Since the bird-child was still here there had to be at least one. He scanned every continent as something caught his eye. Bingo.

"Jack," He called out, "there is still one. But it's dim and blinking." Jack looked up to where his friend was pointing and jumped up onto the globe. He looked at the little light. It was very dim, and flickering, but it was there. One child who still believed. "Jamie!" He cried out as he jumped off. "I know where to go!"

Loki got ready to teleport them to wherever Jack told them but Baby Tooth stepped away. He looked at her quizzingly as she pointed to one of the shadowy corridors. Every now and then they could hear a tweet or two coming from that direction. Jack crouched down beside her with an understanding smile. "Your sisters are there, aren't they?" Baby Tooth nodded. Jack stood back up and went to stand back next to the trickster. "Don't get caught again, okay? I trust you." Baby Tooth nodded eagerly as she started to make her way to the other room.

Jack shared one last look with Loki before he teleported them to a certain child's bedroom.