Snowfallen-(Jelsa)

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Visitor

The first thing Jack noticed was an agonizingly consistent, throbbing pain attempting to drill its way through his skull. Amidst the cacophony, he could vaguely make out voices nearby that seemed familiar. A strange fuzziness tickled his face, and it took a moment for him to realize he was laying on a bed, covered in furs. Despite the pain, Jack smiled when he realized that on his head was, of all things, an ice pack.

The other Guardians must have carried me back to the workshop when I blacked out.

Jack struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. Finally, he succeeded, and was rewarded with his headache doubling in intensity. He groaned, immediately clenching his eyes shut in hopes that the pain would lessen. It didn't.

"Jack?" Tooth's anxious and worried voice distracted Jack from his misery. "Jack? Are you awake?"

"No," he moaned as he reached up and brushed the pointless ice pack off his forehead.

"He's awake! Get in here! Come on, he's finally awake!"

Jack winced as Tooth's exclamations intensified the waves of pulsing agony of his head.

Does she really need to make this much of a fuss? It's not like I've risen from the dead.

Jack kept his thoughts to himself and said, "Yeah, I'm awake, and I have a wicked headache."

"Oops, sorry," Tooth said, lowering her voice.

Jack tentatively opened his eyes again, and was relieved when no additional pain ensued. The bed, a night table, and a spindly wooden chair were the only furnishings in the small, wood-paneled room. A window on the far wall revealed that night had fallen while he was unconscious. Jack's perusal of the room halted when he saw North and Bunnymund hurrying through the doorway, joining Tooth at his bedside.

"By Svarog's beard! He lives!" North bellowed as he picked Jack up, crushing him in an enormous bear hug.

"North!" Tooth scolded, "He's still not better yet."

"Oh!" North set Jack back down on the edge of the bed.

Jack looked down and patted his torso, surprised his ribs were still intact.

Note to self: never get a hug from North when you're not in perfect health—it may kill you.

"We thought you'd never wake up. It's been a for'night since you passed out like a pansy," Bunny commented.

Jack opened his mouth to deliver a sharp retort, pausing when he noticed the relief in Bunnymund's eyes. Then the meaning of the rabbit's words sank in.

I was out for a whole two weeks?! Geez, now he'll never let me hear the end of it.

"How you feeling, Jack?" asked North.

"Terrible. Worse than before I blacked out," Jack said as he rubbed his forehead, hoping to alleviate the ache. Looking up, he realized the other Guardians' cheery moods had evaporated. Jack felt his eyes narrow as he studied them; concern and anxiety were evident, but none of them would meet his gaze.

What's going on? Did I accidentally cause a blizzard in Hawaii?

Jack targeted Bunny to provide answers. "What aren't you guys telling me?"

The oversized rabbit shifted from paw to paw, reluctant to begin. After a moment's hesitation, he finally lifted his gaze from the floor. Jack was astonished when he realized that—though Bunny tried to hide it—there was fear mixed with the worry in the rabbit's eyes.

His ears twitched as Bunny finally attempted to answer Jack's question. "Well, mate... Ya see..."

Tooth took over the explanation when Bunny failed to continue. "After you collapsed, I went and grabbed the others. I was only gone a minute, but when I got back..." Her voice broke with emotion, and Jack caught a glimpse of tears before Tooth buried her face in her hands.