This is the pre-quel to Dealing. This is all about how Jack was killed.
Bunny stared blankly out the window of the Pole. Every so often his eyes would wonder to his paws that were still stained red despite his best effort to clean them. They served as a reminder to the days failure. Although they had succeed in putting an end to Pitch's latest plot to spread fear it had came at too high a price. He allowed his eyes to glance at the two small items he still held in his paw. As he stared at the snowflake pendant and wedding band his heart once more filled with grief.
The battle between the Guardians and Pitch raged. This time Pitch had gone too far. His need to be feared by everyone had caused the lose of a child. Now it was the Guardians's job to stop Pitch before he could do any more harm. Even before the battle the Guardians knew it would not be an easy task. They had learned some time before that Pitch had a new weapon that was dangerous to spirits. The Guardians had heard several months prior that Pitch had used it agains another spirit. In the end the weapon had ended the spirits life. At the time there had been nothing that they could have done because what he had done while horrible had no effect on the children of the world. That had changed when Pitch's new weapon cause the death of a child.
Now here they were in the heat of battle some where in the forests of Europe. Tooth and Sandy were high in the sky fighting off nightmares. North and Bunny were on the ground doing the same. Jack on the other hand flew in between giving aid where it was needed. He was the only one of the Guardians that was able to fight in both the sky and on the ground.
The battle was starting to turn in their favor. They were cutting down nightmare faster than Pitch could reform them. Soon there were only a small number left before they would be able to turn their full attention to the Nightmare King himself.
Pitch was no fool he could see he was loosing the fight, but what he also saw brought a cruel grin to his face. The Guardians were too involved in the battle to notice anything he did beyond create more nightmares. What stood out most of all was how open the Guardian of Fun had left himself. Pitch took the last of the nightmare sand he had at his disposal and mixed it with a thick ink like substance before finally forming it into a dagger like shape. Without another though he back into the shadow to wait for the right moment to strike.
Bunny tossed a boomerang and watched as it sliced through the last of the nightmares.
"El' that wa' much of a Challeng' now was it," Bunny said with a smirk catching his boomerang as it returned.
"It's never a challenge for you is it," asked sarcastically as landed a few feet from his Bunny.
"Damn straight," Bunny gave a playful grin before turning serious once more "naw were da Pitch scamper off ta," Bunny asked scanning the skies. The rest of the Guardians joined in as the searched the skies and shadows with their eyes.
"Right here," and sly sounding voice laughed. The others turned too late for any of them to react. A sharp cry of pain was heard and Bunny watched in horror as his mate fell to the ground gripping his side.
"NO," he breathed as raced to catch Jack as he fell to the ground. He caught him just before he hit the ground. He looked at the face of his mate and saw that it was twisted in pain. He looked to where the winter spirit clutched his side and was mortified as he saw blood seeping through his fingers. Pitch had stabbed him with only Moon knows what. All Bunny knew was it was anything but good. He had seen Jack with similar wounds but never had he seen them cause the winter spirit this much pain. Bunny looked up from Jack to where Pitch now stood several feet away. There was nothing but rage that filled the look he gave the Nightmare King.
"Whatcha' do to 'im," Bunny demanded allowing his anger to spill into his voice. Pitch only smiled as if it were obvious.
"What does it look like I have done," Pitch asked letting the question linger before he continued "I've just put an end to Jack Frost." Pitch did not bother to hide the amusement in his voice he simply held the cruel smile that had fallen over his features.
Bunny felt his rage starting to boil over and would have lunged for the Nightmare King if it hadn't been for Jack.
"Aster," Jack said weakly. Bunny looked down to the frost spirit in his are forgetting his rage.
"Yes snowflake," Bunny asked gently.
"Don't,"
"Don't what," Bunny asked not sure what Jack was asking from him.
"Don't...leave...not now," Jack said in between jagged and shallow breaths. It was in that moment Bunny made the realization of just how fast Jack's condition had deteriorated. He could hear his mate's futile attempts to take in deep breaths. He could see him growing paler from blood loose if that was even possible. What made it worse was that he could now feel his mate spilling away.
"I won't, I promise ya tha'," Bunny said as look into the eyes of his mate. Despite the pain Jack was feeling he had managed as small sad smile. Bringing up his free hand Jack reached into his hoodie pull out a small snowflake shape pendant. Jack let go of his side instead grabbing weakly at Bunny's paw. When he had it he press the snowflake into his paw.
"Promise me...something," Jack asked weakly.
"Anythin'," Bunny said trying to hold back the tears.
"Take...care of...this...for me," Jack said softly in between breaths.
"Of course," Bunny said closing his paw over the pendant as well as Jack's hand. Jack reached his other hand so that it was now resting on Bunny's paw as well.
"Aster," Jack said after a moment.
"Yeah Snowflake," Aster asked fight the emotion that threatened to over take him at and moment.
"I-I love...you," Jack whispered his eyes were closed now being too heavy for him to keep open any longer.
"I love you to," Bunny responded just as Jacks hand slipped from his and head lolled to the side.
Bunny didn't know how long he had sat there holding Jack's now lifeless form, but when he had finally looked up it was to be met with the mournful and grief stricken faces of the other Guardians. After a moment or two Bunny noticed a Black orb held within North's hand. He knew when he saw it, it meant that they had succeed in imprisoning pitch for eternity. Manny had ordered the guardians to do such. He had not wished for them to kill him, but after what he had done to Jack the other Guardians had considered just that. At that moment it frustrated them to no end knowing that they could never in a eternity take the life of another no matter what they had done.
It wasn't long after that the form of Jack Frost became nothing more that snowflakes in the wind leaving no trace that he had been there save for his fallen staff that laid a foot or so off, the blood stained snow below, and the snowflake pendant and wedding band that remained clutched in Bunny's Paw.
