The Ties of Family (RotG Fanfic)

Chapter 5

Mrs. Bennett and Sophie instantly hurried down the stairs. Halfway down, Mrs. Bennett turned and called up to her son, "Jamie, put on your coat, will you? There's a slight chill in the air."

Jamie turned to Jack, grinning. "It seems my mom can't see you here, but she can definitely feel you," he said. Jack grinned back, but then Jamie's smile faded. "That was my cousin. The one I told you who was dying. Do you want to see her?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't think I should," he said. "After all, I emanate coldness, and I think your cousin shouldn't have anymore of that, don't you think?"

Jamie thought it made sense, but then another thought crossed his mind. He remembered what his aunt had said on the first day. Estella believed in the Guardians with all her heart though her mother had tried to reason with her. Jamie then remembered something else. "Just a second, Jack," he said. He hurried back up the stairs. The Guardian of Fun flew up. Jamie ran into his bedroom and grabbed the Guardians of Childhood books. Upon checking the back inside cover of every book, he was soon aware of who its previous owner had been. For on the back of each book, a name had been scrawled there. Estella Warren.

"Warren?" Jack asked, smiling. "I'll remember to tell Bunny that."

Jamie grinned. But again, that grin seemed to fade as soon as it appeared. "Jack, I think you should see my cousin. She believes in the Guardians, and I think it would be a real treat if she could see Jack Frost before she dies."

The two of them hurried down to the room in which Estella lay. They waited till the adults cleared off but Mrs. Warren stayed, seated herself in an armchair by the fire, and gazed into it. Jamie noticed that she was about to doze off. He entered with Jack. Mrs. Warren looked up and smiled at Jamie.

"Close the door, Jamie Bennett, there's a slight chill in the air," she said. Jamie obeyed, though he knew closing the door would not keep out the chill as the source of the chill was in the very room. He waited till his aunt had completely fallen asleep before making his way to the four-poster bed. He parted the hangings.

Estella was awake and staring up at the ceiling. "Jamie Bennett?" she asked, turning slightly. "And who's that?" She pointed at Jack.

Jamie's heart thudded in his chest. Could she see Jack? Well, of course, she believed in Jack Frost! "It's Jack Frost," Jamie whispered. "You believe in him, don't you?"

"Of course," Estella replied. "But Jack Frost? Spirit of winter? How do you know him, Jamie? I thought these... guardians don't show themselves to the children."

"We do, but only during rare circumstances," Jack said. "As for Jamie, the other Guardians were accidentally caught by him. Which is why he never stopped believing in us. And he was my first believer."

"Mom and everyone, all the adults, they always said Jack Frost was just a figure of speech, an expression," said Estella, smiling weakly. "I see now that they are wrong and I was right."

"The others exist, too," Jack said. "Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and the Easter Bunny." He frosted a glass on the bedside table and traced shapes of the Guardians in it before making them come alive. They hovered above the dying girl who watched them with amusement. She touched one of them and it exploded into tiny flakes of snow.

"Santa Claus?" she asked. "If he exists, does that mean he'll be visiting on Christmas?"

"Perhaps he will, if you're on the 'Nice' list," Jack responded, grinning. "But I know him, so perhaps I could tell him to drop by here."

Estella smiled as she watched the other figures. "Then I have to live till then. I do want to see Santa Claus," she said. "I've believed in him for a long time, I do want to see him."

"Sleep well, then," Jack said. "Christmas will soon be along. Perhaps when Easter comes, you might be able to catch the Easter Bunny. He's full of himself and all, but he's still a nice soul."

"I don't think I'll be able to stay that long," Estella said, as she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Jack will get the Sandman to create good dreams for you tonight," Jamie said.

"Oh don't worry about that, I do have good dreams every night," Estella said. "I do wish I could see the Easter Bunny, though. Does he look like this?" She pointed up at the figure of a rabbit.

"Not really," Jamie said, smiling at the thought of Bunnymund. "He's really tall, about six feet..."

"Six foot one," Jack said.

"... yeah, six foot one, and he has this boomerang and exploding egg bombs and he's really cool! He hides the Easter eggs, you have been hunts, haven't you?"

Estella nodded. "You mean to say the eggs I find have all been hidden by the Easter Bunny?"

Jamie nodded. "Yes!"

Estella's smile faded. "What a shame. Mom makes me throw them all away. She doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny."

"You know what?" Jamie said. "I'll tell you all about the Guardians and about this crazy adventure I had with them a few years back! Sophie and my friends were involved, too!"

Estella's eyes lit up. "You've met the others?"

"Yes!" Jamie replied, enthusiastically. "And Jack here was like the protagonist of the story... you see, there was the Pitch Black, the Boogeyman or the Nightmare King..." And so, for the rest of the night, Jamie and Jack sat there, retelling their tale. Estella thought it was too good to be true, but somehow she knew it was all real. After all, here was Jack Frost. Who resembled Jackson Overland.

When Jamie had finished the tale, Estella finally understood. "Jackson Overland died and he was resurrected as Jack Frost," she said. Jack nodded.

"That's me," he said, grinning.

Estella smiled. "I'm in the presence of an ancestor," she laughed. All three of them shared a laugh.

Estella coughed once more. "I think I should go to sleep. Thanks for sharing your story with me, Jamie Bennett. I wish I had been part of it. And I can't wait for Christmas, when I will be able to see Santa Claus for the first time." Estella inhaled deeply once more, as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Jamie and Jack watched for a moment, before they saw some golden sand drifting in through the window (despite it being closed) and dreams formed above Estella's head. She smiled in her sleep.

Jamie returned to his room and after saying goodnight to the boy, Jack flew off. The next morning, Jamie was awaken by Sophie.

"What's up?" he groaned, feeling groggy. "What time is it now?"

"Eight in the morning," Sophie said. "I just woke you up to tell you that Estella died in the night. Mrs. Warren doesn't want to celebrate Christmas anymore."