Crossing the Pacific had been an ordeal. Jack felt like he was fighting the wind half the time and he was sure he'd been blown off course. He hadn't realized exactly how far off course, but when he saw the Golden Gate Bridge, he felt a stab of surprise. California? Jack thought. How had that happened? At worst, he thought Northern Mexico, but San Francisco?

He gave in and made landfall, exhausted in a way he hadn't been since fighting against PItch. Jack took stock of his powers and realized he was coming up short. Something was putting a drain on his abilities and he couldn't place it. He only had one idea as far as getting some answers, but the informant in question had a...checkered past when it came to his relationship to Jack. Although, Jack realized, it was mostly his own fault that he and the Groundhog didn't get along.

Phil was bound to be in San Fransisco this time of year; he'd always loved sunny California. Why he didn't make it his permanent home was beyond Jack, but that was the Groundhog's decision. Besides the sun, the Groundhog loved the old tunnels in San Fransisco. He'd even taken to vacationing in a mostly abandoned subway station. Of course, Jack hadn't ever been to it, but he had heard about Phil's off-season habits from the Tooth Fairy.

With his abilities exhausted, Jack took to the streets and walked, something he hadn't done for extended periods of time in years. For once, he was grateful he didn't have any believers in the city, he went unnoticed. By the time he made it to the old station, he was about spent physically and he slipped through the locked doors like they weren't there.

After a cursory look around the old station, he realized Phil wasn't around. He tried calling out to Phil, but then wondered if Phil would even show. The Groundhog had skittish tendencies in all the times that Jack had ever seen him. Of course, Jack had probably exploited that weakness one or two (dozen) times. Jack put a hand up to his forehead in frustration. Should he really be blaming himself now? Sure he'd tormented the Groundhog, but the guy possessed the ability to make winter longer or shorter just by when he left his burrow on one day of the year! If he hadn't, then his own fun would be cut short and he'd have to move on to the next Wintering place.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, glad that Jamie never knew about the Groundhog. He'd never told Jamie about all the other non-Guardian immortals, although he suspected Jamie guessed about a few of them. And just like that, Jack caught himself thinking about Jamie. It had only been a few weeks since the tragedy, but every time he started thinking about his boyfriend, his soul-mate, he felt a terrible pain in his heart. Jack leaned against the wall.

That's when his feet left the floor and it had nothing to do with his own powers. A big furry paw had closed around Jack's neck and lifted him up by his throat. Jack's eyes snapped open and he looked straight into the face of a very angry and very large Groundhog.

"Hey, Phil. Long time no see." Jack tried to say casually. It came out a bit more raspy than he had intended. His only response was a low growl.

With an effort, Jack summoned his staff. It was a trick he'd figured out only in the last few months; he could make his staff appear out of- or disappear into- thin air. It took too long this time, and the effort combined with being strangled nearly made him pass out. Effortlessly, the Groundhog knocked Jack's weapon out of his hand with the paw not holding him to the wall.

Jack placed both of his hands on the Groundhog's wrist, trying to get some leverage so he could breathe. Not that he needed to breathe exactly, but without air he would have a very hard time talking. "Phil, hear me out." He croaked.

"NO!" Phil roared in his face. "This is going TOO FAR, Frost! You torment me enough on the one day a year when I have a job to do. Now you come and find me on my off-season! This is why I come to California in the summer; to get away from you!"

Jack tried desperately to make ice on the Groundhog's wrist, but nothing was happening. Luckily this went unnoticed, but Phil continued. "What's the practical joke this time? Going to freeze my paw to some subway tracks? Huh? Or maybe you'll stick to your old favorite, dropping snow on my head? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" This last sentence saw Phil emphasize each word by slamming Jack against the wall repeatedly. Jack felt dizzy and more than a bit scared by now.

"I'm…sorry." Jack managed a small whisper. In shock, the Groundhog dropped Jack.

Hitting the ground in an unceremonious heap, Jack gasped for air. He looked up, and realized just how much taller the Groundhog was. Phil was taller than the Easter Bunny! The Groundhog took a step back and light filtered around the massive immortal. "You're sorry? Years of torturing me on the worst possible day and all you have to say is you're sorry?"

"I...shouldn't have treated you...like that." Jack wheezed. "I just...didn't want winter to end so soon those years."

"So that's why you put me through that all these years?" Phil crossed his arms over his chest. "You did all that just to keep having fun?"

Jack struggled to sit up and finally managed to get his back up against the wall for support. "More than that." Breathing was getting a bit easier. "I thought I was close to getting a believer. So I tricked you into making winter longer so I could keep working on the child." Jack coughed a few times but felt a bit better. "Didn't matter, though." Jack laughed bitterly. "Each one of them never became my first believer."

"Yeah, that only happened recently." Phil said with a bit of a smug look on his face. "How is your first believer? He must be an adult by now, these humans have a way of getting old fast."

"He's dead." Jack said, his voice filled with sadness.

Embarrassed, the Groundhog stammered out a reply. "Oh, ah, well."

"Save it." Jack said as he shakily got to his feet. "I guess I should have known better than to expect you to care about me. I've been a pain in your furry behind for too many years. I just thought...you know what? I wasn't thinking." He turned to leave. "Bye Phil, I won't bother you again."

Phil actually let Jack take a few steps towards the door before stopping him. "Jack!" He said finally. "Follow me."

The Groundhog led him to an old maintenance closet and ushered Jack in. The closet was actually a lot bigger that Jack thought it would be, but then again the Groundhog was very good with making a den.

"Alright, what's the story?"

Jack told the Groundhog everything. The stupid jealousy that Jack felt anytime Claire was around, the kiss that had driven Jack away right before Jamie would need him most, and his maddening search through the wreckage. He told Phil about Sophie's letter and the ominous reply she got from North.

"So now what? You're on the run from the Guardians and trying to clear your name at the same time?" The Groundhog whistled low. "That's a tall order."

Jack heaved a sigh. "Don't I know it?" Casually, he flipped up the hood of his blue jacket, but not before Phil saw the glistening on his cheek.

Awkwardly, Phil got up and walked over to his makeshift kitchen. As an immortal, he didn't really have to eat, but he found it nice every once in a while to indulge himself. Luckily, he still had some hot chocolate left and he had it ready in a minutes.

Turning back around, Phil saw Jack holding his face with both hands. The young immortal's shoulders were shaking with quiet sobs. A bit unsure, Phil decided to at least try to help Jack in the small way he could. He set the hot chocolate to one side and sat down next to his former tormentor. When Jack turned in surprise, Phil pulled him into a side hug by one massive arm.

Shocked, Jack almost resisted, but then Phil spoke. "Jack, you've been through hell and you look worse. And the people who ought to be helping you are hunting you down. Just let it all out, the sooner the better." Jack felt overwhelmed at the gesture and relented. He sobbed shamelessly into the fur of the Groundhog. For his part, Phil alternated between patting Jack's back and rubbing a paw through Jack's hair consolingly. He murmered a few comforting phrases, ran out of those and switched to humming a few songs in his deep bass voice.

When Jack was finally dried out; a process that took longer than either immortals realized, he pulled away from the Groundhog. "Thanks, I didn't realize I needed that." Phil rolled his eyes as if to say obviously and Jack continued. "But I came here because I think I'm getting weaker. My powers, I've never had to fight with them like I've done lately."

Phil considered Jack thoughtfully. The Groundhog is THE expert at sensing the flow of energy. His job was to gather the necessary energy to help change the season and on Groundhog's Day, either release it or hold on to the energy a bit longer and add to it. After a brief glance, Phil frowned. "Well, that's odd."

Jack didn't know how to respond. Finally he settled with a very confused, "What?"

Phil seemed to remember that Jack was there and he scratched his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, here, stand up and let me get a good look at you."

Jack got up, feeling sore from crying and from sitting for too long. He was unsteady for a bit before he got hold of himself. Turning to face the Groundhog, he awaited the expert's opinion. That's when he noticed the furry immortal's eyes were closed.

"Um, Phil?" Jack asked, wondering how he could fall asleep like that.

"I'm not looking with my eyes, but with my mind." Phil answered, slight irritation registering in his tone.

"Oh, sorry." Jack said quickly.

"Shh. I'm concentrating." Phil rebuked

"Sor-" Jack almost apologized again but managed to shut his mouth in time.

After a full minute had passed, Jack was starting to feel really uneasy. Why was it taking so long? A few long seconds later, Phil's eyes opened again and he spoke. "Well, I've got a few theories."

Jack only just managed not to sigh in frustration. He was hoping for answers, not theories. At this point, though, he was willing to take what he could get. "Okay." He folded his arms across his chest to keep him from shaking.

"Here, let's switch places while I explain. You should probably be sitting for this."

Jack almost objected out of nerves alone, but then realized there was a slight shake in his knees. Wordlessly he switched places so that Phil was standing and he sat on the couch.

"From what I can tell, there is a definite drain on your powers. Unfortunately I can't pinpoint the source." Jack's shoulders fell in disappointment. "However, I do have a few ideas."

"Let's hear them." Jack said, unenthusiastically.

Phil ignored the tone and continued. "I can think of three reasons why you would lose power. The first is that you've been kicked out of the Guardians. As a Guardian, your powers are augmented by your believers. That's why the Guardians lost so much power during the battle with Pitch; they rely exclusively on that source of power. But you were fairly strong even without having any believers so you shouldn't be suffering from this level of power loss if that was the case. Also, from what I understand it should be impossible to cut your Guardianhood without you present."

"The next likelihood is that you've been out of your season for too long. This is the most likely, as your abilities are winter based and you've been in the summer, in Hawaii no less, for a month. Being out of your element like that is very taxing on your abilities and could lead them to break down. The biggest problem here is how to get you back in your element. It would be easy to go back to Burgess or even up to the far north but then you run the risk of meeting up with the Guardians, which I doubt you'd want to do."

"Not in my condition, no." Jack answered hastily.

"Well then, the question then becomes how to get you back in your element. I think you'll have to try going south, for the Winter." Phil chuckled a bit at his little joke. Jack wasn't as amused.

"Flying is already difficult and unless you've forgotten, there are large stretches of desert between me and the southern hemisphere." Jack said icily.

"True, but you don't want to go by sea. For one, the Guardians are probably searching coastlines on both sides of the Pacific. For another, you probably shouldn't be flying anyways. Night would be the most dangerous, considering Sandman and Tooth Fairy's usual operating time. You would also want to avoid children, especially at night for the same reason. North and Bunny are more dangerous considering their usual temperament, but Tooth and Sandy are more likely to find you." Jack nodded, the Groundhog made a lot of sense.

"So I'll be fairly low powered for some time. Still doesn't answer how I'm going to make it to the South." Jack sighed; stymied at the problem.

"You could use the same transportation humans do. I wouldn't take a cruise, but planes, cars, buses and such should be good. Just be sure to avoid any sleeping children and you'll be okay.

"Well, thanks Phil, I think I should...wait." Jack paused as he stood up to leave. "You said there were three reasons that my powers would be diminishing. You only mentioned two; losing Guardianhood and being out of my season. So what's the third one?"

Phil paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He had avoided this last subject and had hoped Jack wouldn't notice his slip up. "I don't want you to get paranoid, because I don't know of anyone still alive with this ability." At the insistent look on Jack's face, Phil relented with a sigh. "You might have been cursed. A curse like this is something I haven't seen in many centuries, long before my holiday was recognized. The last one I knew was an immortal that is now dead. A few humans have had the ability to place curses, but they are even more rare."

"Do you know anyone who would know?" Jack asked. He wasn't sure why he was pursuing this lead. Maybe he wanted a backup in case going south didn't work.

Phil shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe Mother Nature. But she's not easy to find. Her island is somewhere along the equator. It keeps moving, so it's impossible to say where it is now. But again, that's a big risk searching the ocean with the Guardians on the hunt for you "

"I know. I just wanted to have all the information in front of me. Thanks Phil, for everything." Jack managed a tired turned to leave.

"Well, don't go yet!" Phil stopped him. "It's going to be dark soon and you haven't slept in at least a day. You can stay the night here."

"I don't know how to thank you." Jack said.

"Just prove your innocence. That'll be enough for me."

The day after Jack left, Phil faced two very angry Guardians.

"You told him what?" Tooth practically seethed.

"I just gave him a few common-sense tips on how to avoid you." Phil sighed. "And considering how quickly you got on his trail, you can see why that was necessary, given what he knew. How did you track him down, anyway?"

Sandy waved his hand at him and Phil suppressed a groan. He wasn't one for guessing games and the Sandman's method of communication (dream sand constructs above his head) could be hard to interpret. Luckily, Tooth spared him, taking charge of the conversation so they could finish as quickly as possible and get back to searching for Jack. "Sandy noticed a big up-tick in the number of children's dreams dealing with snow in the area. Even kids who've never been outside of the city were dreaming about sledding and ice-skating. Jack's still projecting a bit of energy around him without knowing he's doing it."

The Groundhog nodded, it had been a source of confusion when he looked over Jack to see the ambient energy radiating off of him but he'd written it off as some Guardian thing. Jack had never had the problem before, otherwise Phil would have noticed him coming and saved himself a few headaches. "Well, there you have it! I figured he needed to stay away from sleeping children if he wanted to avoid you."

The Tooth Fairy was having none of this. She fluttered up right in his face and prodded his chest as she spoke. "He should have trusted us to hear him out! You should have known us better than to think we would simply..."

"Blind-side him with a bag and toss him through a portal?" Phil offered as she stammered to find words through her rage.

"That was NORTH'S idea! AND that was years ago!" She dropped back down to the ground and sat down. "We need to find him, Phil. If he's really losing power like you say he is, then he's not the only one."

That got his attention. "Is this happening to all of you Guardians?"

Sandy shook his head. To prove it, he produced his dream-sand whips and gave them a few hearty cracks. Phil looked at Tooth, who shrugged, split into two and then fused back together. "Not us, but Cupid has come to us with a similar problem and who knows who could be next?"

"I don't know what to tell you other than to keep doing what you're doing. If he's putting off enough energy to affect dreams, then he'll be easy to spot. And if you really are going to give him a chance, then I'll tell you that he's probably using human modes of transportation. His goal is the South Pole, but once he gets there it'll be that much harder to track him. Even more so if that gives him back his powers."

"Let's go Sandy." Tooth turned to leave, but then quickly changed her mind and turned back on the Groundhog. "And if I ever catch you helping people escape from us, I'll knock every tooth out of your burrow-loving head!"

Sandy gently pulled the Tooth Fairy away from the Groundhog, smiling apologetically. As they left, Phil sighed. Jack was in more trouble than either of them had realized. Phil hoped that Sandy and Tooth would find him soon.

Note: Here we go! Glad to be back into the saddle again, so to speak. I took some time off, got my outline together (okay, most of it, I'm up to chapter 6 outlined), made a twitter account ( OfAFlamingHeart), and finished this chapter a day early. Truth be told, the outline called for this to be one chapter but after seeing how long it would most likely be, I decided to split it. Feel free to review, I could use all the encouragement I can get and the constructive criticism has been really helpful.