It ached. Everything did. His whole body was absolutely alive with pain. It raced up and down his arms and legs reaching the tips of his fingers and toes. It rolled in his chest and seared over his skin where ever anything touched him. He had tried getting Sandy's attention but his voice had been nothing more then a raspy hushed gasping. No matter how hard he tried he could not pull any air into his lungs. It was like the oxygen was being eaten away before his lungs could even begin to fill with it. He clutched at his chest but a hiss of pain escaped his gaping lips as the touch caused white hot pain to blossom not only over his chest, but his hands as well. His arm raced with it as the cloth of his sleeve slid over his skin, aiding in the invisible force in it's torture of the sprite.

Forcing his eyes open Jack could make out Sandy's silhouette against the much to bright light. He reached his hand out to the small Guardian, ignoring the blistering pain in his arm as he tried so very, very hard to get his attention. He wasn't sure if he was being too quite or if maybe he was being ignored. The intense throbbing in his head was keeping his senses in a fog and he really had no idea if he was screaming or not, he knew he wanted to. He tried again to call out to the other, he felt the noise die in his throat coating his vocal cords in the same white hot pain that his skin suffered. He must have made some kind of noise because Sandy finally turned to face him, meaning he hadn't been being ignored.

The dream weaver was at Jack's side in a second his face twisted in horror and fear. He reached out to place a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder only to have the boy cry out breathlessly and jolt away from him. It hurt, it hurt so much. Like someone had taken sand paper and dragged it across his scorching flesh. Even after Sandy's hand was removed the place he had touch washed with the searing agony as if molten metal were held there. He could feel the tears on his face and wished he would stop. Stop crying. Stop the boiling sensation the tears caused his face to be alight with.

_V_V_V_

Sandy stood at the sprites side, his hand pulled back after he had tried to comfort him. Jack had been warm to the touch, not just warm but absolutely burning. Jack's normally pale skin was turning shades of red and ashen gray. His mouth was open in a horrid silent scream that never left his throat. From the looks of it the boy wasn't even taking a breath, or at least was unable to keep it. He inhaled but never exhaled. Panic and terror were etched into the teens face so sharply it was impossible to even recall if any joy had ever set across his features before.

Sandy's mind was in chaos as he tried to think of something he could do to help. He had to do something, anything! Jack's body writhed, though the movement was subdued as Jack tried to keep still. Sandy tried again to place his hand on the teen, this time on his hand, only to be met with the same reaction. Jack pulled away as if burned, the very action of retreating causing him to gasp and whimper heartbreakingly. Any interaction at all seemed impossible, making Sandy's heart sink and race all at the same time. He wished at this moment that he could speak, to comfort the other. The teen's eyes were tightly closed so his sand miming were useless, not that the boy would be able to focus on reading them anyway.

Sleep.

Sandy could put Jack to sleep, dull the pain and wait for it to pass. Gathering a handful Sandy wrapped it around the boys mind like a blanket, trying to lull him into slumber, even if it meant going as deep as that horrid void. Anything to try and get Jack out of this torment. The dream weavers eyes widened as his sand melted away as soon as it had reached the other. He tried again and again to no avail. His dream sand wasn't working. This time around there would be no escape for Jack. Once more Sandy could do nothing.

Looking around desperately the smaller Guardian tried to think of something else he might be able to use to aid the younger. He might not be able to touch him or send him into slumber, but there had to be something he could do to keep his temperature down. It was not good for a winter spirit to be so hot, so very, very hot. Snow, he needed snow, or ice. The ground and air were cold, yet there was almost no snow. Tiny patches here and there which Sandy began to gather quickly. He never left sight of Jack as he gathered the chilly substance as soon returned with his meager findings. Carefully Sandy deposited the stuff in small clumps to the boys head. An action, as soothing as it should have been, caused Jack to keen sharply at the contrasting temperatures. As much as he wanted to stop, to not add to the boy's discomfort he could not. He needed to keep Jack from overheating. Needed to keep him, somehow, cool. If Jack got too hot there was no telling what would happen. Wiping tears from his cheeks Sandy continued to add more snow once it melted away.

_V_V_V_

The smallest movement hurt absolutely everywhere. It felt like all the pains were merging. When he shifted his leg from the pain it would travel up and through him until the small movement echoed and throbbed with it everywhere. There was a moment where he felt his mind slip, where he thought, pleaded, that this was it. That his body couldn't take it and he was blacking out, only to be brought back to the pain with sharp clarity. The hazy feeling rolled in his head, each time only to return back into the searing embrace of the white hot scorching with more awareness then he ever wished to have.

He struggled still to breath, his lungs still receiving far too little oxygen to function properly. There were tiny gasps of air that his body needed so desperately that not even the torture could make him waste it on screaming. His body jolted from the strain and he keened as blistering pain rolled through him again. He squinted as best he could. He needed to see Sandy. He couldn't hear him and obviously couldn't be touched by him. He needed to see him. To make sure he was there. He was so very afraid. He was terrified and he needed someone. The other's form was no longer in his sights and for a moment he feared that he had been left alone.

Alone.

Alone, alone, alone. No. Jack didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. Not now.

'Please.'

A shadow moved just in his vision and his fear spiked.

'No, please no. It's a lie, it has to be.'

After a second the slight traces of gold could be made out through his tears and Jack, as best he could, managed to find some comfort in that. Sandy was still there. He was not alone. But why? Why was he over there? He needed him, so why was he not over here, with him? Had the other given up on him? Was he being punished for trying to leave before?

The clarity was fading from his mind now and all Jack could think about was the burning. The searing scalding hot and his pleading. Pleading for it to stop. As if in answer a new sensation exploded over his skin and it was far from pleasant. It burst over his forehead with a similar scalding as his tears on his cheeks, only he could feel the biting cold of it. It confused and scared him and for the first time he hated, hated the cold. The only thing he hated more then the cold at the moment was the unbearable heat that coated every fiber of his being, that caused the cold to bite him so. His trusted element hurt him like it had never before.

He tried to open his eyes to see what was causing it. To find Sandy. To make it stop. To try and plead to the other to make it go away. He couldn't bear anymore. He could feel his skin cracking in places where, for whatever reason, the heat was greater.

_V_V_V_

Sandy could see places on Jack's once flawless skin splotches of rapidly drying flesh. When the patches broken open and wept blood Sandy couldn't keep his mouth from dropping in horror. The breaks turned discolored and spread slowly. Taking what little snow he had left he covered the wounds with them. Jack's mouth gaped and he tried to squirm away, but Sandy had no choice but to keep do it. If his skin kept drying out there was no telling what other kind of damage that would cause. There were no medical supplies around to help them and so he had no other option then to just try and cool and hydrate the young spirit.

Sandy jumped when suddenly a sharp and pained gasp escaped the other. He sucked in greedily at the air, the expanding of his lungs seemed to caused him pain which he ignored in favor of breath. The second time he inhaled he started shrieking. The most Jack could get out before were whimpers and keening, but now with the oxygen required he was crying out all that he had wanted to and needed to before. Sandy, forgetting momentarily about not touching him, moved quickly and pulled Jack's head to his chest in a desperate hug. Jack let out a whimpered sob but did not shy away. Whither because the pain was gone or he was ignoring it for the sake of comfort was not clear.

Jack's cries lessened in volume after a time until they were just sniffled sobs. Sandy still held him and was rocking back and forth, tears pouring down his own face. The teen was trembling uncontrollably, his whimpers broken only by the sounds of sobs and struggled choking as he still was hungrily devouring any and all air he managed to take in. He was still far too warm to the touch, but there was no snow left. Not unless Sandy wanted to go looking for it and there was not way he was leaving Jack. Luckily it was getting dark and the cool night was starting to add to the chill, though Sandy doubted it would do too much good. Jack was simply too hot already. How was he going to fix this? How were any of them going to fix this?

_V_V_V_

Pitch laughed darkly to himself as he inspected the charred sections of Jack's staff. The wood was black and brittle dropping she with the slightest of movements. Holding the instrument over the bowl of wooden flakes Pitch tapped the staff against it dislodging the dark dust from it. A grimy black residue remained where the ashes fell away.

Once done Pitch raised the relic up and ran his hand along it. Its recent time with the fire had given him such a serving of fear he nearly left it there to burn away all together. Jack and Sandy both had been absolutely rippling with it. Not only that but the other three Guardians were sending out waves of panic and fear as well. Pitch didn't even have to wonder why. He could feel it. His mouth curled up with this new information.

Jack, was no longer at the Pole.