10 - 1

The place was dark, though Jamie wasn't surprised by this as he slid to a stop; he had never seen this place but Jack had once told him about it so he wasn't surprised when he saw the hanging cages above several catwalks that led to nowhere; shadows were everywhere, but none of them stirred. The entrance had been a hole in the ground, but the wooden bed frame that Jack had told him about hadn't been there. As he wandered further in, he saw the throne room below him on a platform a few feet beneath a catwalk. He didn't see Pitch, but he did see the globe, its lights were bright with believers; Jamie tried hard not to shudder at the thought that some of those lights might soon go out and not because they had stopped believing.

"Pitch!" Jamie called out as he floated to the throne, glancing around as if it would summon his enemy.

"I know you're here! Come on out!"

"To what do I owe this intrusion?" Came a silky voice, he could hear the slight weariness in it and he spun around to see that Pitch was sitting on the throne, looking very bored; his head propped on one hand.

"I came here for information."

"Why should I provide it? You and your friends destroyed my plans." Jamie was silent.

"Yes, I know who you are Jamie. I'm not that out of touch." Pitch said with what seemed like a sigh.

"It's the Jabberwocky." Pitch slowly sat up, but Jamie swore there was a brief look of surprise in those golden eyes.

"That creature hasn't been around in a long while."

"Doesn't seem to have stopped it from returning. What do you know about it?"

"Why should I tell you?" This again, Jamie gave the Boogeyman an irritated look.

"No humans means no one to give nightmares to. We're just as much at risk at losing those who keep us here as you are." Pitch frowned thoughtfully, but Jamie knew that PItch relied on the existence of humans just as much as they did.

"You've read the poem, haven't you?" Jamie nodded.

"Your answer is there. In the words." The summer spirit scowled, that wasn't the answer he wanted, but it was an answer. Before he could question him further, the shade had disappeared again and Jamie knew he wasn't going to get anything further from him unless he could find a way to corner the Nightmare King, which wasn't likely to happen. Jamie flew back to the pole, wondering if the poem itself could lend a hand. When he arrived back minutes later he didn't see any of the Guardians except for Jack who seemed to be content to sit in a chair, one arm curved protectively over the orb. He smiled at Jamie when he saw him.

"Hey." He flushed a little, as if caught with his hand in the cookie jar or something to that effect. In truth, he'd been talking quietly to the orb. Jamie couldn't help but think it made the winter spirit look all that more cute.

"I managed to corner Pitch for a little while." Jack raised an eyebrow and Jamie shrugged.

"All he had to tell me though was that the answer to our problems was in the poem."

"Poem?"

"The one about the Jabberwocky. Haven't you heard of it?"

"Yeah, I suppose I have... though I can't say I know anything about it, I've just heard about it."

"Wouldn't North have a copy of it somewhere?"

"I'd imagine so."

"Might want to see if he knows where it's at."

"Where is everyone by the way? I thought they'd be here with you." Jack shrugged.

"North's in his office, Tooth went back to her palace, no idea where Bunny went."

"Coming?" Jamie asked as he headed towards North's office. Jack nodded, floating behind him. Jamie knocked.

"Come!" Came the booming voice of the Guardian inside. Jamie opened the door to find North was bent over an ice sculpture of a mermaid. He glanced towards the door.

"Ah! Jamie! Jack! What can do for you?"

"Do you have a book with the Jabberwocky poem in it? Er... more to the point, do you know where to find it?" North looked thoughtful a moment then nodded.

"Is old poem. I think I know." North moved out of the office with the two spirits following behind him. He led them to the massive library and headed over to a section that seemed to hold various fairy tale stories like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. North plucked out a book and held it out to Jamie who took it.

"Through the Looking Glass, And What Alice Found There?" Jamie asked, looking up from the book by Lewis Carroll at North who nodded.

"Is in this book."

"Thanks North."

"Any time! Be needing anything else?"

"No, thanks. I'll let you know if we do."

"Be sure you do." North said, pointedly looking at Jack who just gave the other Guardian a small smile before leaving the two alone.

"Will you read it to me?" Jack asked as Jamie flipped through the pages looking for the poem.

"The poem?" Jamie asked, glancing up and Jack nodded.

"Sure, let me just find it first." There was a long moment of silence before Jamie found it. He read the poem slowly, careful to pronounce each word as he'd once read that they should be.

" 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand; long time the manxome foe he sought - so rested he by the Tumtum tree and stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through the vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head he went galumphing back. "And has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe." Jack was silent as he listened, his head cocked to one side as if curious about the whole thing.

"That made no sense at all." He said after Jamie had finished. The summer spirit chuckled.

"It wasn't meant to."

"Huh?"

"Lewis Carroll wrote this nonsensical poem as a way of showing how nothing in the world Alice had gotten herself into made no sense. It was never meant to make any sense at all, but many have tried. I studied it in high school and again in college; no one knows if anything is meant to be translated from the poem itself or if it is just meant to be gibberish and nothing more. Many scholars and the like have tried to translate it, even those of the time asked the author himself what the meaning of the various words were but even with the author himself translating, there was at least one word that the Carroll admitted himself had no translation. Maybe more, but a character in here later explains some parts of the poem to Alice."

"Who?"

"Humpty Dumpty." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"As in the egg no one could put back together again?"

"Yup. Anyway, I am not sure if there is a clue here or not." Jamie looked around the room before finding a blank parchment and an ink quill pen nearby. He picked it up and, holding the book in one hand, began to copy the poem down. It took a little while as he wasn't really used to using a quill inked pen before; he had to admit, to himself at the very least, that this was pretty old fashioned and once he was done he set the closed book down near the page; wiped off the end of the quill before replacing it and the stoppered ink and then picked up the page as carefully as he could. He gently blew on the page, his warm breath heating the ink and instantly drying it.

"There." He moved to put the book back where he'd seen North take it from earlier while Jack stared at the paper Jamie had left on the table. It was, to him, a very strange poem even if he'd been around to see the author who had penned this poem. It had been in the Dark Ages for the French, the rest of the world, however seemed to have gotten over the initial Dark Ages, which had occurred during the Middle Ages and that had been about seven centuries - give or take - before Jack had even been born. Which, when Jack thought about it, meant that each of the Guardians - not counting Jamie - was at the very least 700 years older than Jack himself was.

"I just had a thought."

10 - 2

"Hmm?"Jamie said as he walked back over to Jack.

"The Guardians... the others I mean, they're like 700 years older than I am... which makes them 1,000 years older than you."

"Really?"

"Well, North did once say that the Guardians were created to end the Dark Ages and that happened about seven centuries before I was even born so... yeah, give or take a few years."

"Geez, I knew they were old, but it never occurred to me they'd been around THAT long." Jack chuckled a little, that hadn't occurred to him either really until just recently. Jamie settled into a chair to stare at the poem. Jack stared with him for a while before becoming bored and so he floated over to a section of the library that had some children's tales and picked one which he then began to quietly read to the orb. Listening to Jack read to their child made Jamie smile even as he tried to focus on the poem itself. After an hour or so he began to just tune out everything, even his own thoughts and listened with half closed eyes to what Jack was reading. He hadn't even noticed that he'd all but fallen asleep listening to Jack tell the story of The Three Little Pigs until Jack's soft chuckle came from nearby. He shifted his gaze to look at the winter spirit sleepily.

"Tired much?" Jamie gave him a small smile and shrugged a little.

"I guess I must be if listening to you read puts me to sleep." Jack chuckled again and set down the orb to pick up Jamie, shifting the summer spirit in his arms; Jamie gave him a strange look, Jack wasn't going to just leave the orb here was he? That seemed too odd, considering how protective he was of... well that answered that. He smiled a little, lazily curling one arm around the orb that Jack had plopped into his lap before flying the two of them out of the library and to their room. Jack tucked Jamie in, the summer spirit didn't bother to protest; he was too worn out. A lot had happened in such a short amount of time, it seemed. He found himself lulled into sleep at the sound of Jack's soft humming to the orb that was back in the winter spirit's arms. Jamie jolted from his sleep as suddenly he realized something. He'd not seen his mother. She didn't know about the Jabberwock or the fact that she would soon become a grandmother.

"Ah man... Sophie is gonna want to tell her." Jamie groaned a little, but quietly when he realized that Jack was curled up in a chair nearby fast asleep; the orb safely tucked against his cool body and the chair. Jamie chuckled softly at the picture that he made with their soon-to-be-born child. He couldn't stop the pride that he felt, seeing the orb and he lightly place a hand against it, still marveling how it could feel cool and warm at the same time. Neither he nor Jack had planned for this... heck, the two of them had only recently bonded with each other and he didn't think Jack even knew this was possible but it warmed Jamie's heart to know that it was. He picked up Jack, whose grip on the orb tightened a little, and put him on the bed; a small smile seemed to grace the pale lips before Jack settled back into sleep as Jamie tucked him and the orb into the blankets. He wondered, not for the first time, how he was so fortunate to have Jack and soon to have a child. He shook these thoughts from his mind as he remembered what had initially awoken him from his sleep. His mother could be in danger and the woman would never know it.

It had taken to following her. The human never knew that it was watching her, waiting; for there was no treat to be had more than that of a spirit not yet born. It wanted that treat, but to get it, it needed first a way to bargain for it. It knew how it would too and had the creature lips instead of a beat to smile with so it would have when finally after many nights of following the woman around, having eaten another before this night, was its patience rewarded as the summer spirit it was waiting for appeared.

"Mom!" His mother was on her way to the house, groceries in one arm and completely oblivious to the creature that stalked her in the shadows.

"Jamie?!" Jamie nearly smacked himself, forgetting that he hadn't actually had any contact with his mother since remembering everything.

"You're... but I..."

"Never mind that! You need to come with me. You're in danger!" He said, a chill went through him; Jamie hadn't felt cold since before he'd died and he knew this feeling couldn't be good. He was right and his eyes went wide when the creature stepped from the shadows and within distance of his mother; close enough to strike.

"Stay away from her!" He didn't need ask this thing what it was, he instantly knew it could be none other than the Jabberwock, though it looked nothing like what he had imagined and, for the moment, it was barely taller than he was! A chortle escaped the being. He did not expect the melodious voice that came from this being when it opened its beak.

"It is not the mortal I want." Jamie's eyes began to widen, but it was too late. The creature began to sing so beautifully that Jamie found he couldn't resist the magic that was woven into the words:

Come youthful spirit, I'll take thee away.

Into a land of enchantment.

Come youthful spirit, the time's come to play.

Here in my Garden of Magic.

Follow sweet spirit I'll show thee the way.

There be no pain or sorrows.

Weep not dear spirit for life is this way.

Murdering beauty and passions.

Hush now dear spirit, it must be this way.

You're weary of life and deceptions.

Follow my spirit, come with me this way.

To the calm and the quiet.

Come youthful spirit, I'll take the away.

Into a land of enchantment.

Come youthful spirit, the time's come to play.

Come to my Garden of Shadows.

Jamie's mother could do nothing but watch as the Jabberwock began to slink back into the shadows and her son, bewitched by the song of this beast, willingly followed while she herself was rooted on the spot by the magic. Tears ran down her cheeks, bitter tears for having found her son again only to have him taken away from her once more and again she could do nothing to stop it. Feeling powerless and angry, she dropped her groceries off in the kitchen, leaving them for later as she ran towards the frozen pond she knew belonged to Jack. She picked up a handful of pebbles and pelted the frozen water with them with the force of her frustration and anger. Jack woke instantly. He was pulled to go to his pond but at the same time he knew it wouldn't be wise to take the child with him; someone was calling him and he felt he had to go. He flew to North's office quickly.

"North!" He didn't bother knocking. The Guardian of Wonder looked up, astonished.

"Watch my kid. I have to go... I'm being summoned by someone at my lack and... they're angry from the feel of it." North nodded and couldn't think to say anything as Jack set the orb on a chair nearby and was gone in the blink of an eye. Jack raced to his pond and found that Jamie's mother was posed to toss yet another pebble at his pond.

"Whoa there! What's the matter?" She dropped the stone, tears streaking her face though she had finally stopped crying and Jack felt his gut twist. Something was wrong, terribly wrong and as she sobbed out what she'd seen, Jack felt anger twist inside of him. Anger and sorrow. That creature had taken his beloved... and now... no... He would have felt it if Jamie had been destroyed. He wasn't sure why, but that thing was keeping Jamie alive. He took the woman in his arms.

"We need to get you to the pole, Sophie is already there. You and her can talk. I promise, I will do EVERYTHING I can to get Jamie back." She didn't doubt it when she met those blue eyes. There was something... almost dangerous in them now. What had her son been up to lately that had inspired such passion from the winter spirit? Yes she knew the two were close and that they were in love, but this... this was something that made her pause. Like there was something she didn't know. She thought about this as she was flown to the pole.

10 - 3

As soon as Jack set her down, she went off in search of her daughter and Jack flew to the globe. He didn't hesitate to call the other Guardians, using North's switch on the globe's control panel. North noticed the lights and snatched up the orb before he headed off to the globe room. He was met with a restless and angry winter spirit who didn't seem to want to calm down for anything, but managed to rein himself in when he caught sight of the orb. He nearly broke down then, his anger giving way to frustrated sorrow as he wrapped his arms protectively about the orb.

"This had better be -" Bunny began when he arrived but stopped when he saw the state Jack seemed to be in. Tooth and Sandy arrived next and nearly at the same time.

"Jack... what happened mate?" Bunny asked in a quiet tone. Jack looked up and began to tell the others what he had been told just moments before.

"Crickey... what does that beast mean to do with a spirit? I mean... we all know its a man-eater but..." Bunny trailed off and the others were saved from having to form any sort of an answer for the Pooka when what looked like sparkling gray sand swirled before them and formed into a figure. They stared.

"Is that...?" Tooth began. None of them had ever seen the creature before.

"Greetings Guardians, I am the Jabberwocky." The group let out a gasp and Jack swung his staff at the figure only to have it pass harmlessly through.

"Calm yourself winter spirit, I am not there in person... so to speak. It has been a long time since I have sent a message to anyone."

"What do you want? Why take Jamie?" North asked, one of the first to regain himself. All of the Guardians had expected some hideous creature when Jamie had first told them about the Jabberwocky, but the creature was handsome, in its own rights and was nothing like what any of them had pictured. It was not some ugly, reptilian creature that stood before them. Rather it was a lot like Tooth in that it was humanoid, except for the clawed feet and swan-like neck. It also had a multitude of brilliantly colored feathers all over its body and where it would have had hands, it had human hands and claw-like fingernails. Its eyes were a red that would rival any ruby and seemed cat-like in appearance. Decked in the same multitudes of colors as the rest of its body was a pair of large wings that shamed that of the mighty eagle in their elegance and where some might expect a huge mouth full of sharp teeth was merely a parrot-like beak that gleamed of gold. All in all, the Jabberwocky was a beautiful and magnificent thing to see just as its voice was lovely to hear.

"I want something. I know all about you Guardians and I want something only Frost can give." The Guardians glanced between themselves, an uneasy feeling came over Jack as he stared at this lovely creature that held such a cold heart. How could such a thing that was supposed to be a monster be so pretty? How come it wasn't some ugly thing that reflected its non-existent heart? Was it some cruel fate that let this... horrible thing, be something that many wouldn't mind just sitting and staring at? Jack felt disgust rise in him and he forced himself to look away; it was only because of the bitterness against the creature that he was able to do so. The others seemed to merely stare as if in some sort of a trance.

"What does he have that we can't give you?" Bunny asked only to be rapped sharply on the head.

"Ow! What the bloody 'ell was that for?!"

"Keep your head on rabbit. This thing entrances anyone who sets eyes on it."

"Very good Frost." Came the soft voice, but Jack and Bunny kept their eyes away from the figure before them and Bunny managed to shake the other three out of it by stepping in front of the figure. Soon, all the Guardians were either looking at each other or something else to keep from being entranced again.

"I'll give you points for figuring it out. My magic, which keeps me alive mostly, does indeed tend to enchant many though I wager its effects on you Guardians is nothing like it is with mortals."

"What is it you're after?" Jack asked through clenched teeth.

"To the point, I see. I want that spirit. The one you are guarding so closely Frost."

"The one I..." Jack paled, his eyes widening in sudden realized horror. The others mirrored the expression.

"A-and if I don't..." Jack asked in a whisper soft voice, afraid of the answer; knowing just as the others did that the price for getting Jamie back was the child that they had made together.

"Then I will just have to satisfy my hunger with your mate." Jack closed his eyes. What a mess this was. He couldn't give his child over to this creature, but he couldn't just leave Jamie in its possession either knowing that he would be its next meal.

"I will give you three moons to think it over. Bring the orb to the pond if you agree. You know which one I speak of." The figure dissolved back into sand again and was gone. Jack found that he was caught in a nightmare... this had to be one. There was just no way his world could be hanging on the balance like this... that he would have to make a choice as to who to sacrifice... the one he loved more than life itself or... his child. He knew, deep down, that if Jamie knew of this; that if Jamie was conscious of the decision that Jack was being forced to make... that he wouldn't hesitate to take the child's place. Would tell Jack to let him go... but he couldn't. Jack tried to force back the tears, but they fell anyway. How could this creature expect him to make such a choice? Oh, wait, this thing didn't have a heart. It didn't know what love was. It didn't have even the slightest clue. All it knew was hunger and seeking things for its own pleasure. This thing was the embodiment of both Greed and Selfishness. Even though he couldn't see past his tears, he could feel the other Guardians gathering around him; hugging both him and his child in a loving, protective embrace. He knew then that they had come to the same conclusion that he had. They couldn't save Jamie this time. They would have to let him go... Jack let go of the orb, falling to his hands and knees; unaware the orb was floating on its own as he broke down into uncontrollable sobs. Tears burning down his cheeks so fast that he didn't even notice that they hit the floor instead of freezing; no one really noticed this. Jack had thought that losing Jamie to death had been bad enough, but this... this was ten times worse and there was no mortal Guardian to comfort him. The others, try as they might, knew that there would be no comfort for Jack and that he would forever mourn Jamie. That each day with the child the two had created would be a painful reminder of what he had lost. What he could not have again. None of them made a sound, their tears for the pain that Jack was going through and would have to suffer through fell silently. The yetis and elves nearby became silent. Not even their bells rang as they too seemed to suffer along with the winter spirit who could barely hold himself up as he cried out his heart upon the floor. The storm that raged outside would be one for the history books. No storm had ever been so viciously cold or so violent in all of the world's history and there would never again be one like it.

A/N: as per on my profile... see if you can spot me in this story! also... please don't hurt me! yes this is the end of the story... but it's not over! there will be a third installment! I know it was evil of me to leave this story on that note.

Jack: Are you kidding me?! Don't do this to me!

Er... I'd say calm down but that's not an option is it?

Jack: NO!

Well... things will work out, you'll see...

Jack: They had better or so help me...

0.0

I think that's my cue to leave... until next time readers!