Jack knew that he was spending less time with his girlfriend, Kailani and more time with the guardians. He missed holding her in his arms, missed kissing her sweet, plump lips, missed hearing her laughter. He plainly missed her. It was starting to get to the point that it was starting to hurt him the longer he was away from her.

He hated that his visits were getting shorter and longer in between. It had been nearly a month and he wanted to surprise her today because he actually had some time to see her now. He couldn't even sleep from the anticipation of it all.

He would finally be able to hold her in his arms and hold her tight like he wanted to. He didn't want to ever let her go. Not once. He needed her like he needed his staff. Maybe more.

He was actually just getting ready to go visit her when North came in with a somber expression on his face which made Jack feel a bit surprised at his expression since North was always smiling and laughing. For North to have a somber expression, the north pole would have to be under attack. Jack actually thought it was under attack and looked out the window to see nothing but snow and ice covering the north pole.

"Hey, everything okay? I'm just about to go see Kailani." Jack said, actually feeling the warmth fill his cold body. This time, he wanted the actual person who could give him warmth he never had when the man in the moon awoke him.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." North said and Jack didn't like the way North was avoiding his gaze when he knew North never avoided anything. North didn't run even when he was so weak and couldn't walk without the help of his sword helping him stay upright. Even then he stood upright and looked at Pitch dead straight in the eyes.

But this, this was a completely different ball game. This was something that Jack felt he wasn't going to like.

At all.

"Can it be quick? I have to see her tonight." Jack said as he rummaged around for those cookies he had the elves make.

"Jack, I feel it is best that you don't see Kailani anymore."

Jack froze. He felt everything inside him freeze like the ice he makes when he wants to cause trouble. Or at least he used to. How could North say that to him? Surely, he was joking. Everyone knew that he loved Kailani. He loved her more than anything. He would give up everything for her.

Jack actually laughed. A big, loud laugh because surely this was a joke. It had to be. They never stopped him from visiting Kailani before. Why now?

"Okay, North. That was a failed joke. Haha. I have to go see her. It's been a while and-"

"Jack."

"It's been a month and I wanted to tell her about-"

"Jack."

"-Tooth's scare the other day which I personally think she had it coming-"

"JACK!"

"What?"

North sighed in exasperation and gestured for Jack to follow him to which he did, confused and a little on guard. Once they reached the meeting room, Jack noticed that there was no one else in the room but he and North. Not even the yeti were there either. Jack looked at the earth where the hope of children glowed brightly and didn't flicker not once.

Jack didn't know what was going on but he felt something was off and he didn't know how to think.

"Where is everyone? North, what's going on?" Jack asked, holding on to the staff tightly as he felt a chill grow in his body and it wasn't from his powers either.

North said nothing as he headed towards the middle of the room next to the symbol that represented the four guardians where the man in moon talked to them. Rarely was it used unless there was danger ahead. Jack felt fear grow in him. Was something bad going to happen? Was Pitch back?

"What is it? Did pitch come back?" Already, Jack was wondering what he could do to help defeat him again and how to warn Kailani and her siblings so he could her protect them and herself.

"No, Jack. It's about you."

Jack jerked back, nearly dropping the staff at North's confession and somber tone. Jack was stunned into silence for the first time and North sighed and stepped back, letting the moonlight hit the floor, illuminating the ground and Jack was afraid to look. He didn't know what to think. Was something going to happen to him?

He slowly looked down and saw a shadow, a shadow of a girl with long flowing hair who was skating in circles, head thrown back, arms and another shadow following behind her, flying. With a staff. Both shadows morphed to form a big black cloud and it showed the girl shadow growing bigger as leaves flew by her and snow showed then flowers grew and it kept going until finally the shadow girl was bent over, hair still long and holding a staff herself, walking slowly.

Throughout all of this, he saw the boy with the staff stand behind her, never changing, never growing, always the same until finally the shadow girl disappeared in a burst of light while the boy with the staff stayed kneeling, hands against his head. The moonlight disappeared, taking away with it the shadows and the message it was trying to send.

Jack stood frozen, still looking at the ground unmoving, still seeing those shadows playing. It didn't take a genius to know who the man in the moon was talking about.

"Do you know what it means?"

Jack didn't respond. He was still processing his thoughts and what he saw as North continued to speak. "You're immortal, Jack. She is not."

Jack closed his eyes, feeling his chest squeeze, a sharp pain growing, slowly spreading to his body.

"You knew this was coming, Jack. She's a human girl with human needs, human friends and family, who will grow while we never change."

Jack began shaking his head. He didn't want to hear it. Not at all. North didn't understand. He didn't understand. How could he understand when he's never been in love.

"I think it's best if you caught your contact with her now before it's too late."

"NO!" Jack yelled angrily, slamming his staff down, causing ice to freeze over the ground, his throat thick with emotion. "I love her! She loves me! I don't care when she gets old. She will always be beautiful in my eyes!"

"You don't get it, Jack." North said as he looked Jack in the eye. "You're a Guardian. She is human."

"I don't care. It never bothered us before!" Jack yelled, feeling the pain growing with every second of this.

"She will age and you won't. How does that not bother you?!" North began to raise his voice, stepping closer to him but Jack didn't want to hear what North had to say. They were lies. All lies. Kailani was the only thing keeping him happy and sane and after everything they went through, they loved each other and were making it work. They were no problems with their relationship.

"I don't care. I love her!"

"Love isn't enough!" North yelled, causing Jack to narrow his eyes angrily at him, holding the staff so tightly, it could've cracked. "How is it fair to her that she will age and you will not? How is it fair to her that no one can see you but children and her? How is it fair to her that in her world, she can never tell anyone about you because in their eyes you don't exist?"

"Stop! Stop it!"

"Can you give her a home, Jack? Can you give her a life? Can you be with her when she starts growing older and starts to grow up and become a woman? Can you marry her? Can you give her a family? How can you do this, Jack when you're immortal?"

Jack was kneeling, holding his head together, fighting the anger and pain and betrayal because everything North said was making their way through his head and forcing him to face facts. He didn't want to listen to it anymore. He didn't want to hear it anymore but it was all he head over and over in his head.

"Guardians aren't meant to love anyone. We're Guardians and we have to make sacrifices to protect the children, Jack. There's a reason why teenagers and adults can't see us. What will happen when Kailani can no longer see you the older she gets?"

"Please don't make me do this. I love her. I love her too much." Jack said, crying now as he felt the heartbreak attack his entire being with it sharp needles and pinpricks of its pain attack him.

"That's why you have to let her go, Jack. The longer this goes on, the harder it is for the both of us. Don't you want her happy? Don't you want her to grow and have a life?" North said as he placed his hand on Jack's shoulder gently. "You're a Guardian first and foremost. You're sworn to it and you must keep that promise at any cost, even if it means letting her go."

How can he? Jack couldn't just let her go. She was the first person to see him in thousands of years and showed him what love is and gave him everything he could hope for and ask for. She showed him a way out of the loneliness he was feeling. How could he let that go, let HER go when all he wanted was to be with her and show her the world, show her how much she meant to him.

He couldn't do it but yet his heart refused to believe what his mind was trying to say. Yes, she would age but he wouldn't. She would grow and he wouldn't. She had a life with friends, school and a job while his entire life was dedicated to protecting the children's beliefs and hopes. She would grow and die while he wouldn't. He hated the position he was in.

But he loved her. Loved her so much and wanted to offer her so much happiness and comfort that he would eventually stop giving her because at the end of the day, Jack was dead and frozen forever and destined to be a guardian and she was not and that just about ripped him apart to pieces.

He didn't want to let her go but then he thought about the shadows he saw and he was faced with a brutal truth that he didn't want to accept.

He had to leave her so she could move on with her life because he couldn't give her what she was going to need later on in life.

Because in the end, Jack was immortal and she wasn't. She aged everyday and he did not.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

So was he.