Jamie was a little dazed by the time Jack pulled back. Jack giggled and lay back in the snow while Jamie just smiled. Jack rolled back on top of him.

"It's comfortable now." Jamie chuckled, slipping his arms around Jack.
"Yeah." Jack smiled as the snow fell at his whim. Jamie's eyes sparkled with happiness, simply happy because Jack was happy. Jack snuggled into him, feeling free for once in a long while; Jamie hugged him close, happy that things seemed peaceful for once... they way they should always be. Jack giggled.

"I always take your breadth away, don't I?" He said before kissing him.

"Yeah..." Jamie murmured in reply as he returned the kiss. That wasn't all of course, but he couldn't really think of anything else when Jack kissed him... which was the other thing and a thing he couldn't admit to in the middle of a kiss... or between them... unless he had time to recover and that did take a little while. Jack stood up, brushing away snow as he felt sated of his need to be free. Jamie just watched Jack for a little while, he always had enjoyed watching Jack... how graceful his movements were like he was some sort of dancer and wasn't aware of it. Jack tried something he hadn't done in a while, flying. He smile as he floated for a moment and then in full swing he danced and swirled around the clouds, laughing in happiness. Jamie floated up, still watching Jack; unaware he was grinning as he watched. Jack swirled, making shapes in the sky, some of Jamie and himself dancing in the sky. Deciding that it looked like fun, Jamie soared up to join Jack in his "aerial ballet." Jack smiled, dodging Jamie and hiding the cloud 'kingdom' he'd created. Jamie soared about, looking for Jack curiously among the various clouds. Jack giggled, tagging him on the shoulder before disappearing; his laughter loud and everywhere in the clouds.

"Hey!" He spun around, but Jack was gone before he could really see where he went... He floated higher, trying to locate the lithe Guardian... It is quiet now, Jack had fallen unconscious during the game; he'd used too much energy flying about. Jamie wondered where on earth Jack had gone as he moved through the clouds one at a time, picking through them. Jack shook in pain as he'd suffered a painful fall, hitting a tree on his way down, branches had impaled his arms and one through his gut. Jack whimpered; Jamie winced, feeling an echo of pain. Alarm shot through him and he scanned the area suddenly, before noticing a tree that looked like it was out of place. He took off towards it, hoping to find Jack. Jack shook, trying to get up only to scream out in pain and managing to push the branch in his stomach further in, making him go unconscious. Jamie cried out, feeling the pain of the bond that time for certain; he felt like he was going to be sick from it, especially by the time he located Jack and was horrified by what he found. Hours later, Jack is stitched up and Jamie is ordered by the others to keep him in the room; there are a lot of disapproving glances from the other Guardians before they leave. Jack was as still as the stick that had been removed from his stomach; Jamie sulked in one corner. The reprimands from the Guardians had really done a number on him. He hadn't meant for this to happen! How was he supposed to know it would? He felt so guilty... He began quietly crying. Why did he mess things up so horribly? Jack started to stir.

"Jamie..." His voice was croaky and weak. Jamie nearly jumped out of his skin, he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't been prepared for the sound of Jack's voice. Calming himself he murmured quietly as he moved over to him.

"What is it?"

"What happened? Why is everything so painful and numb?" He was so very weak, his voice raspy.

"I... I'm not sure exactly... but you managed to get impaled on a tree.. I guess the meds are starting to wear off if you're feeling pain." Came the soft reply. Jack whimpered.

"How did that happen? All I remember was playing hide and seek in the clouds with you."

"I don't know." Jamie mumbled, he picked at the bed sheet, staring at his hands. Jack smiled.

"Well, at least I get to see you first thing." His eyes are glassy and fluttered closed. Jamie didn't respond to that and even if he could get himself to he'd no idea what to say to that. Jack coughed in pain; Jamie was silent as he moved over to the window, snow falling gently.

"Jamie, you okay?" He croaked again, coughing once more.

"I'm fine." He murmured, still gazing out the window. Watching the snow fall.

"No, you got something on your mind. You want to tell me?" He asked as gently as possible.

"Maybe later." Jamie replied absently. Jack sighed, shaking slightly as the IV dripped more nutrients into his system.

"It's nothing important really." He added as an after thought. It was more or less true... he had just been thinking about the comic he'd finished before things had gone wrong... it still lay where he'd left it. Jack got a slight impression of it over the bond and smiled a little.

"Cool." He slowly fell back into darkness as he no longer had the energy to stay awake anymore. The room was empty when Jake woke up again. The only company was a nurse yeti who checked the IV briefly before leaving the room. Jack coughed painfully, looking around the room shakily as he sat up. The minutes slowly tick by, but Jamie didn't appear. Jack started to worry.

"Jamie..." It wasn't until sunset that he returned to the room, looking tired and he settled on the bed nearby, curling up to sleep. Jack was worried.

"Jamie, where were you?"

"Spreading snow." He mumbled tiredly before falling asleep. Jack shifted to rub his back; Jamie didn't seem to notice as he dropped off to sleep, not dreaming that night as he slept. The machine hooked up to Jack beeped dangerously loud as one of the wounds had reopened. Jamie slept through it, but a yeti responded to the machine and they had to put Jack under while they closed the wound again. Jack woke the next morning all stitched up and in pain.

"Morning." Tooth fluttered in with a plate of food, she was the only one in the room.

"Thought maybe you wanted some company." He smiled a little.

"Why am I in so much pain?"

"Probably because the first painkillers wore off. I brought some more." She fluttered over, setting the plate aside to help prop Jack up, very careful about not agitating the wounds anymore than they were. She then handed him a pill and held a glass of water to Jack's lips to drink.

"It will take a minute or two, but it should completely numb you." Jack nodded, drinking the pill down; he felt that Jamie was no longer there.

"Where's Jamie?"

"In the training room with North." She picked up the plate and proceeded to feed Jack the meal. Jack nearly choked in his surprise.

"What? Why?" Tooth shrugged.

"Hey didn't say why, that was just what he told me he was going to do when I talked to him this morning." Jack ate slowly.

"Oh." He sighed. Tooth set the plate aside when Jack finished it off. She offered him a drink of water to wash the last of the meal down. Jack whined sadly.

"I wish this didn't happen."

"You weren't supposed to even go outside." Tooth said, setting the empty glass aside with the plate. Jack sniffed.

"Well, Jamie was giving me freedom for once."

"He should have known better." She scowled for a moment before it disappeared and she sighed.

"What's done is done." Jack glared at her.

"Don't pin this on him. It's not his fault I fell through that tree. If you scold him so-" A cough racked his body harshly.

"Yes, well... we've already talked to him about that. You're both confined indoors until North says." She said matter-of-factly. Jack shook his head.

"WHAT?! THAT'S NOT FAIR TO JAMIE! I'M THE ONE STUCK! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE STUCK WITH ME!" He yelled only to cough again, this time coughing up blood and the heart monitor dropped up and down.

"He's not even supposed to be spreading snow, but North is allowing it. Jack, neither one of you are fully recovered yet. At any rate, North has his reasons now calm down before you accidently pull out some stitches." Jack growled and turned away from her.

"Still shouldn't have done that to him." Tooth shook her head, leaving the room with the empty plate and glass. Jack was in and out of consciousness most of the day; sometimes the machine beeped and he had to be put on a ventilator or his heart was slowing down too much. Jamie didn't return to the room this time until after dark. He settled into the second bed to drift off. Jack whined sadly, stroking Jamie's hair, his hand shaking.

"It's not fair that you got dragged into my punishment Jamie." He said slowly and carefully as he had a breathing mask on his face as he slowly fell into sleep.

"I promise... I'll fight for your freedom even if you don't want me to." His eyes closed and the darkness of sleep consumed him. One day to the next passed slowly, each day seemed to be the same as the day before it; Tooth visited with each meal, sometimes she knew were Jamie was... but other times she only shrugs saying she hasn't seen him. Jack was mad at North, when he tried to talk to him Jack only glared at him and yelled that Jamie shouldn't be in the punishment; making himself go unconscious from over exertion. North decided then to not try again until Jack was much better. Jamie spent most of his time either in the training room or up in the rafters, staring at the moon when it's out. Jack huffed; he missed Jamie so much, his heart yearned to see him. Jamie barely says two words to the other Guardians for the most part. Normally only returning to sleep, though it is one morning that Jack wakes up to find that Jamie is still there, asleep in the other bed. Jack smiled, yawning slightly; the stitches had fallen out weeks ago and he brushed the bangs out of Jamie's face. Jamie stirred slightly at the touch, but he didn't wake. Jack held onto him tightly as he slowly fell asleep again. When Jack woke up again, Jamie is gone but there's frost on the nearby window with a little smiley face drawn into it. Jack reached out, adding to it a smily face of 'I miss you.' Tooth came in to feed Jack lunch, but that was it. The sun was on the horizon when a yeti warbled a little outside the door, opening it as Jamie floated in, balancing two plates.

"Thanks Jim." Jack smiled.