Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish this last chapter, but I needed to take a break and think. I had so much fun writing this! Thanks for following, favoriting, and reviewing! Also, to any of you who like The Lord of the Rings, and my writing, I'll have a story in that section soon. Thanks again!

Chapter 10: Once In A Blue Moon

Jack groaned and curled up in a ball on the floor of his prison cell. The darkness was seeping into his veins. He could feel himself losing control. His chest ached as if a thousand bricks buried him alive. He sobbed in the red light of the flames around him. Any last bit of hope flickered and died. Any moment, the black hole inside him would take over, sucking out any light left in his soul. The tears he cried evaporated on his face, his skin hot enough to cook on. He'd failed Jamie and Sophie. He'd failed the missing parents. He'd failed the Guardians. And he'd even failed himself. All he wanted to do now was lie there and die. But Death wouldn't come so quickly. Jack looked up past the fire overhead, up into the never-ending space where the ceiling should be. "Please, Manny," he whispered, not really sure why or what he meant.

The dark space up above began to glow. Heaven, Jack wondered. But then the misty shape of a crescent moon faced him. "You're gonna be alright," Manny's voice floated down softly.

Blue moonlight burst from above, its radiance casting the shadow from Jack's soul. He gasped for air and jumped to his feet. His lungs filled up with frost, his skin chilling like ice. His eyes glowed blue. He spun, moonlight and frost erupting from his body, putting out the flames of his prison and knocking William back a few yards. Mr. Nobody clawed to his feet, enraged. He opened his mouth, fire shooting out like a dragon. Jack held out his hand, a shield of moonlight spreading around him, protecting him from the fire. Nob stumbled back in astonishment, Jack's luminous eyes striking fear into him. Jack raised his hand in a motion to attack. "W-w-wait! W-we can talk about this! Can't—we?" William stuttered in panic.

"The time for talking is over," Jack said, his voice sounding like two at once. "Set your captives free."

"I can't."

Jack knocked him back with a flick of the wrist. The back of Nob's head struck the floor when he landed on his back. He crawled until he bumped a pile of trinkets. "Okay! Okay! Just don't hurt me! Please!?"

As tears rolled down William's face, he waved his hands and the two of them appeared in Jamie's front yard in the middle of the night, followed by Jamie and Sophie. William waved his hand again, and Mrs. Bennett fell through a portal with their dog. She was unconscious. Sophie and Jamie rushed to their mom, trying to shake her awake to no avail. Mr. Nobody snapped his fingers and the Guardians rolled out of a portal. After a bewildered moment of figuring out what just happened, Tooth and Bunny helped North to his feet. He could barely stand, even with their help. "William?" he asked hoarsely at the sight of Mr. Nobody.

William's eyes filled up with more tears, and he collapsed to his knees. "Go ahead. Release me to Death or whatever punishment you have. I might as well die. The powers of the Moon are unbreakable," he muttered, glancing at the moonlit form of Jack Frost.

"Death will not have you, yet," Jack said two-voiced.

"Any second now, your strength will return to you, North. Along with the parents, I've given the presents to the children. When they awake tomorrow morning, they'll have their gifts," William told them before plopping his face into the snow to sob.

"But tomorrow's Christmas Eve, not Christmas," Jamie corrected.

"Tonight is Christmas Eve. Once midnight, it is Christmas," North explained. "You were gone longer than thought, huh?"

"What do we do with 'im?" asked Bunny, gesturing to the sore-loser weeping into the snow.

William repeatedly pounded the snowy ground with his fists, screaming. Huffing in anger, he slipped a piece of a broken mirror out of his pocket. He precisely threw it at North's chest. Time seemed to slow as the glass propelled toward the Guardian. Jack reached his hand out and the glass exploded into stardust. He picked up William by the collar of his loose, white shirt and held him close to his face. "Death may not release you," his double voice said. In his normal voice he whispered, "But I will."

Jack reached into Mr. Nobody's chest and pulled out a murky, black orb. He crushed the ball in his hand, William's features returning to normal. When Jack set him down, William embraced him, crying. Jack's glow dissipated as the powers of the Man in the Moon left him. "Thank you. I'm so sorry!" William sobbed.

"What did you just do?" Jamie asked Jack.

"I took the hate out of his soul. Everything's gonna be okay, Jamie."

00000

After the Guardians had helped Jamie, Sophie, and their unconscious mother into their beds for the night, they went back to the North Pole. William spent Christmas day with them before going to the Void to do some very early spring cleaning. Jack Frost had made Christmas a white one, having a snowball fight with Jamie and Sophie after they'd opened their gifts.

And on the first day of school after winter break, Jack walked with Jamie to the bus stop. Jamie stopped a few yards away from the bench at the corner of the street and turned to face Jack. "I'm gonna miss you, Jack."

"I'll miss you, too, kiddo," he said, leaning on his staff. "Oh, the bus is coming."

Jamie spun to glance at the big yellow bus rolling closer. He turned back, but Jack was gone. His gaze lowered; he was a little disappointed he didn't get to hug his friend goodbye. He wrapped his fingers around the straps of his backpack and trekked up to the halted bus. A few kids he knew sprinted past him, just barely catching the bus on time. As Jamie ascended the steps, an icy wind blew on him, and he knew. . . Jack Frost hugged him goodbye for now.

THE END