*~*Chapter 1:

Jack leaned his forehead up against the wall. Opening his eyes, he watch as a tear fell from his face and hit the floor at his bare feet.

"Whoa man... You okay?"

Jack turned around to face Jamie, blinking fast. "Yeah. Yeah.. Why would you ask?"

Jamie stood before him, concern tracing his brown eyes. A sarcastic eyebrow raised. "Something in your eye?"

Vigorously, Jack nodded, sniffing to prevent his nose from running. "Allergies.. Ya know?" He raised a hand, hoping that his friend would leave it at that, however slim a chance he had in it. Jamie was thoughtful and observant. Jack rarely found anything that he could get past him.

"You don't have allergies."

Jack smiled, looking down. That was a lame excuse.

"Something's troubling you?"

It sounded more like a fact than a question. But Jack just shrugged and walked away from the wall. "Jamie, I'm fine, it's all good. Just kinda had a bad day is all." He didn't make it very far before his heavy heart caused him to almost fall onto the bean bag on the floor.

"You're lying." Jamie's tone was firm.

Running a hand through his white locks, he rested his head on the palm of his hand, elbow propped on his knee. Giving a weak chuckle, he admired his friend's care. "Jamie, now why would I lie to you-"

"You always do."

Jack blinked, taken back. He always tried his best to protect Jamie and be there for him. Yes, there was always the occasional time when he showed up late, forgot something, or became too swamped with coating a city with snow to make it to that basketball game. But lying? No.. He didn't remember ever doing that before. "What're you talking about?"

Jamie huffed and gestured with his hands out to the world, as if it were the most known thing in history. "You always, ALWAYS say you're fine, when you're really not!" He crossed his arms and deepened his voice, mimicking his version of Jack. "'I'm fine! I'm fine! What could be wrong? I'm fine'. I'm not stupid, Jack! I can tell when a person is upset."

Jack frowned. Oh. That kind of lie. "Jamie, that's not a real lie.."

"Well, what is it then?"

He squinted one eye, irritation lightly coating his voice. "It's a diversion away from something I don't want to talk about. Besides I told you that I had a bad day. I'm not being dishonest."

"But you're not telling me what's wrong either." Jamie bit his lip in thought. After a moment, he pulled up his other bean bag next to Jack and plopped down on it. "Talk, Bro. You know I'm as much as a jackass as you."

Jack's found his eyes looking away from Jamie, but he chuckled. "Since when did you care so much?" He teased.

"Um, since like... FOREVER. Dude, I'm sick of you cutting corners and beating the bush. Talk to me! You know I want to help."

Jack gave an exhausted sigh. He couldn't tell Jamie. Jamie would hate him for the rest of his days. And if not that, then he would avoid him at the very least. Jack would become a danger in the young boy's eyes. A danger not wanting to be tampered with. Ice blue met chocolate brown as he contemplated the value their friendship was to him. He would kill to protect Jamie.

Kill...

Jack gritted his teeth at the word, his feelings being hypersensitive. He stood up and rubbed his neck, looking down at Jamie, whose eyes were pleading for his friend to talk. Jack suddenly felt all those 300 plus years that he had lived. How innocent the young man on the bean bag looked, so sincere, so alive. Jack consciously pulled a sleeve down over more of his frozen corpse skin. Jamie was his first believer, his first best friend in this life. He couldn't bear to have the younger man's heart crushed, his mind corrupted to think that his frosty friend was no longer innocent. That would open the gates to many thoughts and possibilities paranoia thrusts into a person's mind. Swallowing some thick spit, he shook his head slowly. He wouldn't do that to Jamie. He couldn't give up their friendship like that. He wouldn't.

"Jamie, we all have things we just don't tell anyone. And this is one of those things. I swear, I'm not keeping anything that you don't need to know. I just..." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop any more tears. "I just don't want you hurt. This is my burden to bear alone."

Jamie's eyes softened, and he stood up next to his friend. Even at age 15, he matched Jack's height. Tall genes, his mother had said. "Jack... You couldn't hurt me." He smiled crookedly, a light chuckle sealing his words. "I'm your best pal! I'm supposed to know this stuff."

Jack's heart throbbed in his chest. The disappointment he would now be to everyone he knew hammered somewhere in the back of his head. A hint of imbalance coming from his stomach made him shakily inhale. "Yes, Jamie... I can."

Finally, Jamie took a step back. His eyes moved back and forth at Jack's, searching. Jack found he couldn't look at him and instead stared at his blotchy feet. "Wha-... What're you talking about?... You're not making-"

But Jack turned and walked away, putting his hand at the level as his face as if to shield himself from Jamie's persistent care. He knew that he would eventually crack him if he just stood protect him, he would have to leave now. Grabbing his staff, he stepped up onto the window sill.

"Ja-JACK! Don't you dare leave!" Jamie ran to the window and grabbed the back of the blue sweatshirt. "You still haven't told me anything! Look, I promise I won't laugh if it's embarrassing. And if it's something very serious, well then I'll listen to it."

Jack paused. Why did Jamie have to be so dang stubborn. Reaching his free hand back and gently freeing himself from Jamie's grip, he just looked at his friend with downcast eyes. "Jamie... I'm a Guardian. I'm supposed to protect the children of the world.." The words that once lifted his joy to the peak now tasted sour in his mouth. "And although I don't always succeed.." His voice cracked, and he shut his eyes against it. At one point Jamie's hand lightly touch his arm in concern. "... I still have to keep trying. As I'm doing right now."

He gently took Jamie's hand off his arm, watching his hand closely, and stepped out of the window.

"JACK!"

The winter spirit turned his thoughts to snow and ice, a stream flowing from his staff as he worked his way from Jamie.

"Uuuurrrr!" Jamie stamped his foot and called out, "Stubborn butthead!"

He reached his dresser in two strides. Yanking open the top drawer, he fumbled around in his pajamas. His heart flooded with relief when he found it: the snow globe that Jack had given him a couple years ago.

"For emergencies," Jack had said with an encouraging smile.

Jamie now held the globe in his hand, the snow gently swirling in the liquid. He whispered a word, and a portal opened instantly. With a smirk of triumph, he grabbed a jacket and hopped through.

*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, hey! Me again. This one's a doozy. Oh the things I do to my poor favorite characters... But I think we're all in the same boat on that one. xD Hope you enjoy it!

I can't tell you how much authors love feedback... Hint! Hint! ;P