Chapter 16: The Enemy Within

The next memory abruptly came in, and it didn't look like a good one. For one, Jack was holed up in a cave somewhere, with a nice blizzard raging outside. For another, he was clutching his staff and his head rather tightly.

"Jack? What's wrong?" Tooth asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Go Away!" Frost growled out, glaring at a figure standing in the storm beyond the mouth of the cave. Their features were indiscernible in the thick wall of snow.

"You came all the way out here to Antarctica so I wouldn't hurt anybody? Ha. That's cute." The figure's voice was cold and somewhat familiar. It tickled the guardians' minds.

"Who are you anyways?! Why are you in my head!?" Frost cried out, frustrated.

"In your... head?" Bunny had a sinking feeling that that village did more damage to their Jack than they first realized.

"Haha... But you already know, Jackie." The figure stepped into the cavern, and the Guardians couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

He looked like a mirror image of Frost, but instead of white hair, it was black flecked with ash grey, and his eyes were a deep, haunting red that glowed like embers.

Jack sighed, resigning himself to the Guardians learning of him.

"I am Jokul Frosti." He grinned.

"Wait... Jokul... isn't that what some cultures call you?" Tooth puzzled.

"I'm nothing like him." Jack spat quietly.

"J-Jokul?" Frost repeated.

"Yes... I suppose you could say I'm you."

"What, like a split or something?" Frost obviously hadn't been serious about his comment, but the grin that came from Jokul made the white-haired boy startle. "Y-you mean you're seriously a split personality?! I'm really that crazy?"

The Guardians shifted uneasily.

"I'm a bit more than a simple split, boy. I'm your darker side. The side of you that enjoys what you do—killing, reaping, watching that village burn."

"That voice was you!" Frost realized. "That... the fire...?"

Jokul grinned as he formed a flame in his hand. "You mean this?" He shoved it closer to Frost, who flinched away from the heat.

"But I'm winter... No part of me should be able to control flames!" Frost protested.

"I puzzled over that, too, for a little bit. But you know what I realized? That place... that town we burned to the ground... it had a magic of its own—which is why you were corporeal there. In your moment of grief and anger, you absorbed that magic, creating me. And that burning anger and hatred that you harbored towards those villagers? That's what I was formed around. You can go around and pretend to be Mr. Innocent, but I'm the proof that you aren't."

"Y-You're wrong! GO AWAY! I don't WANT you here!"

"And yet you've been begging for companionship for nearly three hundred years. Now that it's finally here, are you really going to shove me away so easily?"

"I'm not like you! I don't take pleasure in watching people suffer." Frost bit back angrily, as ice crept out from his bare feet.

"And yet, you still watched that village burn, didn't you? You let children burn without a second thought."

"No! You did!" Frost denied.

"No, Jack. We did." Jokul grinned as he vanished. "I'm always here, Jackie... And the moment you decide to give in to those urges... I'll be waiting."

The Guardians found themselves abruptly back in the break room, and Jack was looking anywhere but them.

"Jack—" North started, but Jack cut him off.

"Go ahead." His voice was quiet and bitter, and it made the other four pause. "Say it. I'm crazy. I'm barking mad, and it terrifies you, right? I have no right to be a Guardian with a freaking madman in my head." Jack clenched his staff, hood up. He refused to turn and look at the Guardians.

"Mate, that isn't what we're going to say." Bunny stepped forward, placing a paw on his shoulder, causing the frost child to flinch.

"Why not?"

"Because we aren't scared of you."

"You should be."

"Why? Because you've been through so much that your mind had ta make another you ta cope? It isn't your fault, mate. We don't hate ya. We aren't going ta kick ya out or anythin'. You're still a Guardian."

Jack's gaze whipped up to the Pooka, showing the tears frozen on his cheeks.

"Bunny is right!" North smiled. "Even I have had other self at one point. Though that is story for different time."

"E-even you, North?" Jack blinked up at the man in surprise.

"Yes! Even me!"

"Jack. We've all been through our fair share of bad times. Some of us handled it better than others... And after what you've been through, it really isn't that shocking to find out that something like this has happened. But you aren't alone anymore, Sweet Tooth. We're still here for you." Tooth looked ready to fly over and give Jack a hug, but Sandy stopped her.

Jack was somewhat scared. Sandy was the only one that'd been by him for nearly his whole life. What if this was the last straw?

Sandy held up his hands and signed to Jack. 'I'm here for you, Snowflake. No matter what, I'll be by your side. And if he ever comes out, I'll put him to sleep, okay?'

Jack teared up a little more, nodding his thanks as his words caught in his throat. Sandy pulled the winter child into a gentle hug.

"Thank you." Jack sobbed. Was this what family was like? It'd been so long since he'd felt this warm inside, he'd nearly forgotten.

Sandy ran his fingers through Jack's hair. "We are here for you, Jack." Sandy spoke aloud, startling the other Guardians.

"S-Sandy! You spoke!" North gasped.

"Time's stopped. The kids won't wake up." Jack realized, wiping away the icicles forming on his chin from his tears. Sandy nodded. "But it's difficult because you're so used to not speaking, and it hurts your voice, right?" Jack guessed, and the golden man smiled.

"You're worth it." Sandy whispered in Jack's ear, causing the winter child to chuckle. Sandy smiled. Jack looked much better with a smile on his face.

"I think someone is in need of cookies!" North grinned, causing Jack's smile to widen a little.

"Oh, fine. Sugar just this once." Tooth relented, and Baby Tooth cheered, only to freeze when Tooth shot her a confused look. "Baby Tooth? You've never had sugar, right?"

Baby Tooth was quick to get out of there, hiding in Jack's hoodie and squeaking some kind of excuse that was a little too fast for Jack to translate in his head.

"Jack? You wouldn't happen to have given Baby Tooth sugar, would you?" Tooth's smile was too sweet, and Jack immediately hid behind the much larger Pooka.

"Oh no. You ain't usin me as your shield against the Sheila!" Bunny denied, but Jack didn't listen.

"It was just some hot cocoa!" Jack defended.

"JACKSON FROST, GET BACK HERE!" Tooth gave chase, causing Jack to flee to the kitchen.

"NORTH! TOOTH SAYS HOT COCOA IS WRONG AND COOKIES SUCK!" Jack shouted out, and North whirled on the fairy.

"I did not!" She tried, but it was too late. North was already in argument mode, always quick to defend his precious cookies, and Jack had made a clean getaway.

Bunny was too busy laughing with Sandy about the whole thing.

"Any clue what's comin' next?" Bunny asked as Jack came to sit with them to watch the fireworks of North vs. Tooth.

"I think it'll start with you stuffing me in a sack and tossing me through a magic portal." Jack chuckled.

"I think I remember that." Bunny grinned, leaning against the winter spirit.

"You should. You seemed to be having a blast with it." Jack chuckled.

"Well, you are the Spirit of Fun. It's kinda hard not ta have fun around ya."

"Thanks for the compliment ~" Jack grinned.

"Anytime, Frostbite." Bunny ruffled Jack's hair, earning a surprised smile from the kid. I won't lose any more family. The Pooka decided. And now, Jack's included in that.