A/N: New chapter! Hooray! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this story, it helps me continue on. Again, sorry that last chapter got a little dark, really don't know where that came from but it seemed to fit. Hope you enjoy this next part! (try not to kill me...)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians

~~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~~

The Guardians sat, feeling completely helpless as they watched intently for any sign that Jack was recovering. But there was none. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to hours.

The only mark of passing time was the slow fading of what little color remained in Jack's skin. His white hair lay plastered against his forehead as his breathing came in slow, shallow breaths.

"Jack," Bunny whispered, feeling his heart skip a bit when he realized Jack's breathing was getting slower and shallower.

"Please, no," Tooth whimpered.

"Jack," North repeated.

Sandy was blinking rapidly.

The only thought in their minds was the knowledge that they couldn't lose Jack, not now, not like this. None of them had expected it, but Jack had been the one to make them a family. He was the one that made them smile and laugh, that got them to stop working so hard and have a little fun.

They couldn't just lose him.

Not now.

But Fate is a cruel mistress, and she knew Jack had accomplished what he was meant to. He had helped to defeat Pitch and bring fun back into the world. And now it seemed his 300 year reprieve from death would come to an end.

Jack's breath shuddered on the next inhale and caught in his throat. The others didn't realize they, too, held their breaths, only breathing out when Jack did. Long seconds passed before another breath was drawn, longer seconds as the air trickled back out.

The Guardians felt dizzy as they waited for Jack's next inhale, only to find it would not come.

It would never come.

~~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~~

A/N:

JUST KIDDING!

That's not the real chapter, just teasing you all :)

'Cause I can, that's why.

Here's the real next part!

And it's from Jack POV (sort of), so bonus there!

ENJOY!

Jack opened his eyes and glanced around. He wasn't quite sure where he was or how he had gotten there. A soft breeze circled around him and ruffled the leaves on the trees. Everything was lightly frosted, sparkling in the sunlight, and Jack wiggled his toes in the cool ice that covered the springy grass.

He doubted he would ever stop enjoying the feeling of cold against his skin.

The breeze blew once more, creating the only sound in a frozen forest of silence.

"Wind?" Jack called out, sensing his friend was nearby.

To his surprise he heard a faint squeak, before something tumbled through the tree leaves to land in front of him.

Jack squinted his eyes, unsure if he was really seeing what he was seeing. Small particles of ice, snow, leaves, dirt, and grass were swirling around, caught in a breeze, and soon formed the figure of a girl.

She wore a dress of green that sparkled with ice, her hair falling in waves of brown down her shoulders. Jack could make out these details, even though the figure was mostly transparent; the items used to create the image swirled as though caught in a peculiar tornado.

"Hello Wind," Jack said, smiling. He had never seen his best friend take on human form before, but he knew his friend well enough to know it was her.

"Jack!" Wind exclaimed, a relieved smile touching her lips. "Are you okay?"

Wind was honestly surprised to see Jack, and quite pleased. She had felt her connection to the boy break and was horrified there was nothing she could do, especially since Jack had been taken deep underground where she could not follow. It pained her to know that she could not even be there for him.

That in turn had infuriated her to the point that several tornados had touched down around the world and the coasts found themselves dealing with the unexpectedness of a sudden hurricane or tsunami. But Wind didn't care about that.

All she cared about was the fact someone had taken her Jack.

Taken him and hurt him.

And nobody took Jack from her and hurt him.

Nobody.

She would make Tommy Rawhead pay.

In her anger she had been flitting about the area Jack had disappeared, hoping to catch sight of the one who had stolen him from her. So it was much to her surprise that Jack had called out to her and now stood before her. Although, on closer look, Wind realized he wasn't truly there, even if he had yet to realize that fact himself.

A touch of sadness marred her smile.

Jack was still stuck underground; they didn't have much time together.

"I think so," Jack said, answering her question and pulling her from her thoughts. "I mean, I don't remember what happened. Or where we are. Or what we were doing." Jack looked down, studying his feet. There was something odd about them.

"Jack," Wind said, wafting closer to him. She reached her hand out, placing it under his chin. He moved his head up to meet her eyes.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, feeling strangely lightheaded.

He had just noticed what was odd, had just realized that while his feet were touching the ground there was no mark to show where he stood. And while Wind's breezes danced through the trees and all around him, they never actually touched him, they never ruffled his hair like usual.

It was almost as if he wasn't really there.

"You're not," Wind said, as though reading his mind.

"I'm not?" Jack asked, confused.

"Really here," Wind explained. She wished she could tell him otherwise, wished he really was, but it wasn't to be.

"I don't understand," Jack said. He reached a hand up to touch the dangling leaves of a tree, but his hand passed through it. "Am I dead?" As he said it he felt he should feel afraid, or at least worried. But all he felt was calm.

"I do not believe so," Wind said, thinking.

Wind was old, had been around for thousands of years, witnessing many strange and wonderful occurrences. But she had only witnessed what was occurring just once before in her lifetime, or at least, what she thought was occurring.

"Then how am I here? And where am I really?"

"Jack," Wind said, fighting to find the right words. What was happening was extremely complicated and even Wind did not fully understand it, making it hard to explain precisely what it was. "Your body is still down in the ground where that awful Tommy character took you."

"Tommy," Jack said, his mind flashing back to losing his fight with Bloody Bones and consequently getting thrown in that awful cage.

"Yes," Wind said. "And now something has happened that has allowed you to wander free of your body, although I do now know for how long."

"My staff," Jack said, suddenly remembering the resounding crack and the breath-taking pain. "It's broken."

"Yes, it is. I believe it being broken is what brought you here."

"But North," Jack said, glancing around as if the Russian would pop out of the woodwork. "Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, they should be free now."

"They have not returned to the surface," Wind said. "I have been watching."

"Then that means Tommy still has them."

Wind remained silent. It was getting harder to retain her form, and even more difficult to speak while doing so. It was her first time attempting it, after all.

"I have to help the others, if they're still trapped in those awful cages…" Jack ran a hand through his hair. "But then again, I'm probably still trapped too, right?"

"Yes, I believe so," Wind said.

"But," Jack said, feeling desperate. He wanted to get his friends out of this mess. He wanted to get out of this mess. "Wind, what can I do?"

Wind was silent a moment, preparing herself. Jack had made the first step, whether intentional or not, now it was her turn to choose. She could decide not to take the next step, but she feared it might bring an end to Jack if she did so, and she definitely did not want that.

But this next step...It could destroy them both.

Jack shuddered, a ripple of pain shooting through him.

"What's happening?"

"You're waking up," Wind said, making her decision. Really, it wasn't a decision after all; Wind knew she would do anything for Jack.

"But, no, we've got to do something," Jack said, fighting back another wave of pain. "Please."

"We will, Jack. Now take my hand," Wind said urgently, holding out her hand.

"But I'm not really here," Jack protested, remembering how everything just passed through him.

Wind smiled. "Neither am I. Quickly now," Wind's form flickered as she fought to keep it. "We do not have much time left."

Wondering what would happen, but knowing he trusted Wind beyond anything in the world, Jack reached his hand out and gripped the swirling winds.

A rushing sound grew in his mind, forming into the words of wind and ice until they drowned out all else and the world went dark once more.