A/N: I just wanna say thanks to all of the reviewers and faves/follows so far! It makes me feel all bubbly when I see the numbers go up. :P I can't wait to see what you guys think of the later chapters; I'm having a lot of fun writing them!

Please read, review, and enjoy! :)

Chapter 14 - Protector or Babysitter?

Jack had just walked into the North Pole's globe room with Bunny to find that Pitch had given the Guardians a message. On the globe etched in black sand was a warning, and it left little guess room as for whom it was meant. The Last Light glittered in black, blue, and purple specks that shifted constantly under the waning sunlight, and the town of Burgess was circled hastily.

"We have to go tell Jamie!" Jack was already hopping above the globe and heading to the window.

"Jack, no!" North's sudden voice boomed. "We must think first. If we jump in, we fall in Pitch's trap."

"You think this is a trap?" Bunny piped up.

Sandy nodded his head furiously.

"I don't understand. Why hasn't the Man in the Moon warned us?" fussed Tooth.

"Hey, he didn't speak to me for three hundred years! I'm not surprised," Jack sat perched on his staff. Baby Tooth flew over to him and hid in his hood, chirping nervously. Jack whispered to her soothingly and smoothed her feathers.

"Maybe because you never took anythin' seriously," Bunny chided.

Jack flipped his staff off his shoulder and pointed it at Bunny. "Then why'd you bring me back here?"

"I made him, Jack," North stepped in front of him and held the tip of Jack's staff in one giant hand. Jack's anger subsided, albeit slowly.

"Why didn't you just use the Lights?" Jack asked.

"Did not want Pitch to think we think it important," North clarified.

It made sense. The Northern Lights that North used could be seen almost anywhere. Pitch would surely be watching for them, and not using them did give the Guardians an advantage of sorts.

"But Pitch was able to get into the North Pole, mate," Bunny pointed out. "What if he's still in here?"

"I'll go," Jack volunteered immediately and started flying out of the room when Sandy stopped him, shaking his head. Gentle bells rang when he did this, and it calmed Jack down a little.

"Jack," North began, "We need you to go back to Burgess. Stay with Jamie."

Jack was confused. Wouldn't Pitch being inside the North Pole be a little more serious? He turned around to spite them only to see Sandy materializing images above his head. A barber pole, Pitch's face, a "G," and a semi-clear sphere, among others whizzed by too fast for Jack to read, and he looked at Sandy quizzically.

"I have force field 'round entire Pole," North threw his arms wide, "Pitch could not have stayed long if he was here."

"But then how did he get in?" Tooth asked.

Jack furrowed in concentration for a moment. "What about where the black sand is on the globe? Could it be the fire guy? Maybe Pitch had him burn places in order to make writing on the globe?"

North shook his head gravely. "I saw no fire in globe portals."

"Fear must have escalated in those areas somehow," Bunny suggested.

"Perhaps, Bunny," North stroked his beard in thought. Out from behind him, he withdrew a cutlass and tapped it against his skull as he paced the room. Everyone moved out of the way when he did this for fear of getting cut accidentally. North was fairly unpredictable sometimes.

Sandy rang an elf's head to get the Guardians' attentions; it was still one of the more effective ways of communication for Sandy. When they all turned to him, he pointed to the door and a series of images told them he was going to check the place out just in case. They nodded and Sandy took off, trailing dream sand as he left.

"Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the other day. But I'm going to head back to Burgess and warn Jamie," Jack said. Baby Tooth was about to fly back to Tooth when she sent her back.

"You stay with Jack, sweetie," Tooth ordered the mini fairy gently, "I can take care of your shifts."

Baby Tooth chirped and squeaked excitedly and hugged Tooth. The little purple pendant around Tooth's neck shimmered, catching the light from the windows. Tooth mouthed a word of thanks in Jack's direction and flashed a small smile. Baby Tooth flew back to Jack and fluttered into the side of his neck, which tickled Jack a little. She then traveled back into his hood's folds and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Jack," North cut in before he could leave, "you cannot stay all time, Pitch may find out you are watching him. We take shifts. Bunny," he turned to the oversized rabbit, "you take next one."

"When's that gonna be?" Bunny exasperated, "I have to prepare for Easter, mate."

"Bah, Easter not so important now," North flicked his hand in Bunny's direction. Bunny sniveled but remained silent. "What is important is we pretend not to get excited. Everybody, take few globe portals. Less chance we are seen by Pitch, the better."

North handed a few globe portals to Jack first. They shrunk as he touched them in order to fit into his sweatshirt's pocket. Then North leaned close and whispered directions into Jack's ear. His eyes widened, then he nodded and said his goodbyes to the other Guardians. With his face set in determination, Jack flew out of the window. He wasn't to use a globe portal for this trip. He needed to take his time, because Pitch was probably watching the place as they spoke. If Jack appeared suddenly, it would raise suspicions.

Upon reaching Burgess an hour or two later, Jack flew down to the street on the opposite side of town from Jamie's. He walked cautiously through the streets, although he felt this mode of transportation to be insanely slow. Jack was glad he could fly at will, otherwise being an immortal spirit wasn't entirely beneficial. Thankfully, the Guardians who couldn't fly couldn't hear his thoughts.

The town was mostly asleep, except for lights from adults' rooms, which Jack wasn't worried about. A few cars drove down lonely roads and some older people were talking in whispers at corners. Jack ignored them like usual. If they couldn't see him, he didn't bother with them unless they were in danger. Walking underneath a streetlight, he looked behind him and saw that he cast no shadow. It meant no kids were in sight to see him, so he held no physical attribute in the present environment. He took a deep breath and carried on.

Once he finally reached Jamie's, he flew up to the roof and checked all of the windows. Jamie and Sophie were both fast asleep. Careful not to leave frost on the windows or rooftop, he tiptoed lightly across the building, laying low. He checked Cinder's window last, hoping that she would be awake and they could talk. She left in an upsetting mood earlier in the afternoon, and Jack wanted to cheer her up. But upon looking into her window, his eyes grew wide in disbelief. Cinder wasn't in her room. Jack waited a few minutes to see if she was in the bathroom, but when she hadn't come back up, Jack began to panic. It was the second time she had left the kids alone, and Jack wanted to know what was so important that she had to slip out of the house at night.

What he hadn't expected to be the reason was that she had been drinking. Jack had left their house and went immediately to the pond, hoping she might have gone somewhere close. Jack thought she may have been on the ice, given the way she had been skating earlier that day. It was graceful, and Jack smiled at the memory.

It was then that he had heard a soft, breathy voice in the distance. It was low at first, but it slowly picked up volume as Jack listened. Curious, Jack walked toward the voice. When he got closer, he realized that the sound was coming from above him. Looking into the trees, he was shocked to find Cinder sitting lazily against a tree with her leg hanging over the branch, singing with her eyes closed. Her voice wasn't anything wonderful, in fact it had very little talent, but it had an emotion in it that made Jack take a step back. He listened for a little while until he figured he'd wasted enough time. Jumping onto the branch hoping to scare her, Cinder reacted very differently.

She said weird things, like flying and always feeling warm. Jack finally pieced it together and realized she was drunk and didn't take her words as seriously. Is this what she did that other night as well? She's a horrible sitter. Jack shook his head, but decided to carry her home anyway. Whether or not she'd remember any of it later, Jack could only guess. He hadn't necessarily dealt with drunken people before, as far as he knew, and Cinder probably wasn't a good example. Despite his instructions, she squirmed in his grasp and he was constantly scared that he would drop her. He was tempted to scare her sober by pretending to drop her and then picking her back up again, but he didn't want to risk making her scream and being caught. He wasn't supposed to by flying while he was in Burgess, but moving Cinder otherwise proved impossible.

But then she stilled. Jack looked down at her worriedly, thinking she had finally grown cold in shock. But her drooping eyes stared back at him as best they could. She said something incoherent and Jack thought he heard Jamie's name. Then, Cinder leaned into him and wrapped her arm around the back of his neck and her other arm lay gently on his chest, her head resting heavily on his shoulder.

"I think I like you, too," Cinder murmured, "even if you're a winter spirit and I'm a..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Jack didn't think he needed to hear anymore. He stiffened at her contact and stared straight ahead, determined to not think about it. Cinder was drunk, he repeated to himself. She shouldn't have been and she shouldn't have even left the house. Granted, she didn't know about the current situation with Pitch, but Jack was still angry with her. He'd have to speak with her once she sobered up.

Gliding down to the road, he walked across slowly, Cinder's weight burdening him. Jack set her legs down so that he could open the front door, and both of Cinder's arms wrapped around his shoulders in a drunken response. She muttered something into his sweatshirt's hood and rubbed her head. That was when Baby Tooth popped out and chirped loudly, because Cinder was messing up her little nest she had made. She muttered something rudely to Jack and wagged her finger at him.

"Sorry, Baby Tooth," Jack apologized, "I don't know what's gotten into her. Just deal with it until we get her to bed, alright?"

Baby Tooth huffed and disappeared inside his hood once again. Jack opened the door and picked up Cinder again. It was difficult because of the way that she clung to him, but he managed to get her into her bedroom. He tried to set Cinder on the bed, but her arms wouldn't let go. In fact, her hands were slipping and her bare skin was about to touch his and in panic, Jack ducked his head and let Cinder's arms slip over his hair. Sighing in relief that the maneuver had worked, he took the blanket folded at the end of the bed and was about to toss it over her. Then he looked at her hand and saw that the ring he thought she had been wearing was in fact, not there. Jack was confused but he shook off the feeling and laid the blanket over the drunken girl. It was then he realized that she would not be able to get up in time to get the kids to school and still function.

He left the house and perched himself against the side of Jamie's window. In the morning he woke them up, saying that Cinder was sick and that he would take them to school. Jamie looked at him skeptically, not quite believing him. He tried to question Jack about how he knew and if Jack had visited her last night, but Jack remained silent. Even when Jamie questioned about Pitch, Jack only said that he would tell Jamie later. Sophie was constantly trying to get into Cinder's room, but Jack caught her with his staff every time and brought her back downstairs. They could see her after school, he said. He hated not telling them what was important, but it was one of North's instructions. The kids weren't allowed to know what was going on unless it became apparent that something bad was happening soon. Jack didn't like leaving Jamie out of this since it was he who was at risk, but he knew what North meant. Needless worrying and fear would tip Pitch off, and the Guardians couldn't let that happen.

They had finally walked out of the house and were on the way to the school, with Jamie not talking to Jack and Sophie incessantly asking about Cinder. When they rounded the last corner before the school, Jack was about to leave when a boomerang swung around him causing him to halt in his tracks.

"Easter Bunny!" Sophie cried before Jamie covered her mouth.

"Hey, Bunny," Jamie said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "are you here to take Jack back to the North Pole again?"

"Not quite, mates," Bunny smiled at them reassuringly, "just head on to school, awlright?"

The kids nodded and walked onward hesitantly. When they were inside the school and out of earshot, Bunny hopped over to Jack and took him aside to where no believer could see or hear them.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked angrily. "Do you want them to figure out what we're doing?"

"Calm down, frosty," Bunny retorted, "I'm just here to tell you it's my turn to watch them now."

"I've hardly been here a day!"

"North told me to go," Bunny explained, "and I don't normally question the big guy. He makes sense a lot of the time."

Jack nodded, realizing what Bunny was saying was true. Still, he needed to speak with Cinder. He'd left her a note promising that he would be back to speak with her, and he didn't want to be a liar.

"I've still got to go speak with Cinder," Jack admitted.

"That angry sheila the other night?" Bunny raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't mind havin' a few words with her, myself."

"I know, she was pretty rude, but..." Jack's voice trailed off. "But she didn't necessarily mean it. She sometimes forgets she shouldn't be able to see us."

"Doesn't she believe?"

"No, I mean, not really," Jack hesitated. "She didn't believe in me at first but she could still see me."

"Well does she know about the Guardians? About Pitch?"

Jack tightened his lips in a straight line for an answer.

"Are you serious, mate?" Bunny palmed his face in disbelief. "She's involved now, you know that? You've involved an innocent human girl, and there's no doubt Pitch is going to pick up on that."

"He's only after Jamie," Jack insisted, "and Cinder's his and Sophie's sitter for the week. She was bound to figure it out, anyway."

"Well, that makes it so much better!" Bunny said with sarcasm. "Now we've got a furless Tasmanian Devil on our side, there's no way we can lose!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She was wearing a skirt and no jacket in ten-degree-weather, mate," Bunny clarified. "I was feeling cold just lookin' at her."

"Cinder said she doesn't get cold so─ her sweater!" Jack interrupted himself.

"The sheila had one of 'em?" Bunny asked skeptically.

"Yeah, but I didn't see it... she must have left it at the pond," Jack reasoned to himself. "Sorry cottontail, I've gotta go. You can continue hopping around and coloring eggs or whatever, I've got this."

"Jack! Remember the last time you told us that?" Bunny asked after him, referring to Jack bringing Sophie home and abandoning the Guardians to Pitch's wrath, destroying Easter.

Jack stopped and let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't like that time. You know I'll come back."

"I bloody hope so, mate," Bunny tipped his head in farewell and bounced off. "Send some snow while you're at it!"

Jack stood there for a minute before taking off. Did the Guardians not trust him? Was North sending Bunny to keep an eye on Jack? Shaking his head, Jack ran to the edge of town and flew off. Bunny was right about one thing: he had to send snow places or Pitch would get suspicious.

He flew as far as he could, far, far away from Burgess. For a few hours, Jack pretended to be cheerful as he blew snowstorms about in the Rockies and gave snow days to multiple schools in the far north. He debated crossing the ocean and paying Europe a visit, but he wanted to get back to Burgess as soon as he could. He had to discard whatever Cinder told him the other night and tell her about the danger she was potentially facing. Once he figured it looked like he had done his job, he called to the wind and speedily made his way to Burgess. Stopping in the forest outside the town, he walked the rest of the way to the pond.

Sure enough, a dark gray fabric was waving in the wind on a rock on the side of the pond nearest the road. Walking across the pond with ease, he froze it with every footstep and picked up the sweater carefully. Jack's eyes widened as he realized how thin it was, and thought not for the first time that maybe what Cinder had said was true.

Jack walked up to the house and went inside as silently as he could. He was about to walk up the stairs when he caught a glimpse of something orange moving around in the living room. Peering through the doorway, he saw that Cinder was sleeping fitfully on the couch, an empty glass standing on the nearby coffee table. Jack hoped water had been in that glass. He walked into the room with the intention of waking her up, but thought better of it and sat in a chair across the room, clutching her sweater in his hands. He set his staff leaning against the chair and waited in silence.

Cinder was just drunk, she didn't mean any of it, Jack thought to himself over and over, trying to justify Cinder's words and actions.

He had just relaxed when Cinder sat up screaming. Her eyes were a wild green, but they were beginning to shift. She clutched her head in one hand and her chest in another and began to hyperventilate.

"Cinder! Cinder, you're okay. Everything's fine," Jack tried to calm the horrified girl. But when she turned and saw him, she yelped again and scrambled backward, climbing higher on the couch. Cinder clutched her scar and her chest heaved. She was staring at him with little recognition, and Jack swore he saw her eyes change color. When he tried to hold out his hand to her, she swatted at him instinctually, their fingertips touching briefly. That was enough to send shock through both of them as Jack's hand burned and Cinder's froze. The girl freaked out and tried to back up farther, only to trip on a blanket that was lying on top of the couch and fall over backwards behind the couch. Her head hit the floor first with a sickening thud, and Jack winced, holding his hand tenderly.

"Cinder?" The sudden quiet scared Jack. "Cinder, don't panic. I'm here, okay? You don't need to worry. It was just a bad dream. Let me help you up," Jack peered over the side of the couch. Cinder was lying on her back, and she was still panicking, her chest heaving up and down in ragged breaths. She whipped her head around to glare at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"She grabbed the blanket she tripped over and tossed it in his direction, landing over his head so he couldn't see. "Get out!"

"Really, Cinder?" Jack asked incredulously, tearing the blanket away from his face. "I carried your drunken body into bed and ran back for your sweater today, and this is the thanks I get?"

Then Cinder saw his burned hand and gasped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that happened!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "It happened to your hand, too. Don't you remember what just happened?"

"Panic attacks don't really work like that, Jack," Cinder explained as she stood up and climbed back over the couch. "Come on, I'll get you an ice pack."

Jack followed her into the kitchen and hoped that Cinder's panic attack hadn't alerted Pitch. He sat in the same stool as he had the last time this happened and waited patiently. "You should probably take care of yours, first," Jack suggested.

"How chivalrous," Cinder muttered sarcastically. "Here," she tossed the ice pack at Jack and he caught it. "Next time, don't try and calm me down from a panic attack. It's better to just let them blow over." She bent down to open a lower cabinet and then frowned. "Oh yeah," she said in realization.

"You looking for the alcohol you downed last night?" Jack asked.

That's when Cinder straightened up and faced him. Jack swore he saw her eyes tearing up, but she blinked before he could be sure.

"I'm sorry about whatever happened last night," Cinder apologized, "I didn't think I drank that much."

"You don't remember anything?"

"I remember a little, nothing much though. Alcohol sure does do some funny things, huh?" Cinder tried to laugh it off, but Jack was furious at her.

"What were you thinking? You've left the kids home alone twice now!"

"You came to the house that night?" Cinder snapped at him. Jack realized then that she couldn't have known. Good going, Jack. A pat on the back for you.

"Yeah, while you were out drinking your fill, no doubt," Jack answered, his voice thick with venom.

Cinder's eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line. "You don't know anything, Jack."

"Alright, alright," Jack backed off. Her mood swings were completely unpredictable, he realized. "Just, can you take care of your hand? It must hurt," Jack pointed to her frozen hand.

Cinder looked down and swayed unsteadily. "I'll do that, but didn't you want to talk?"

"It can wait until you've taken care of yourself," Jack assured her. "Besides, your hair is a wreck."

Cinder turned and peered at her reflection on the stainless steel fridge. Her hair was knotted in a loose bun that swung freely, with wisps and flyaway hairs floating around randomly. Jack heard Cinder groan and walk upstairs. Jack laughed.

"I heard that!" Cinder's muffled voice came from the bathroom and Jack heard the bathtub water flowing.

Jack smiled and waited, lifting the ice pack temporarily. He was amazed that it worked better than his own ice, which hurt his hand whenever he touched the burned sections. Suddenly, Jack thought back to what Cinder had said the other night: she doesn't get cold. And whenever they touch, Jack got burned.

Is she really human? Jack eyes widened. Baby Tooth reappeared and muttered similar thoughts.

"Alright," Cinder appeared in front of him abruptly, "you want to explain to me why a giant kangaroo kidnapped you last night saying that Pitch was back?" She had somehow managed to make her frizzy red wreck turn into smooth waves that caressed her face and shoulders. "And who is that?"

Baby Tooth flew around Cinder in circles and Jack saw the ghost of a smile spread across her face.

"That's one of Tooth's fairies."

"She has little minions? Cool," Cinder pet Baby Tooth's feathers and she snuggled right into Cinder's hands. It must be pretty warm...

"So how much do you know?" Jack asked before his thought continued.

Cinder faltered almost imperceptibly. "Well, there's what you've told me before and then Jamie told me the full story. His version, at least."

"Well, that makes my job easier, I guess," Jack took a deep breath before continuing. "Pitch escaped our imprisonment last night. He left us a note at the North Pole."

"Why the North Pole? Were you meeting at Santa's Workshop?" Cinder asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes," Jack defended the statement, "North's place is plenty large enough and it's where the Guardians meet every year. Or more often if something comes up," he added after a pause.

"Or someone," Cinder led in.

"Right. Well, Pitch somehow found his way in, and he left a message on the globe."

"The globe?" Cinder raised a dubious eyebrow.

"It's a giant replica of the Earth with a bunch of tiny lights on it. The lights represent the children who believe in us," Jack explained.

"So four years ago, Pitch meant to make those lights disappear?"

Jack nodded. "Anyway, he wrote 'The Last Light' on the globe and circled this town last night."

"With what?"

"Black sand," Jack briefly described the frightening substance. "And it also appeared when some fire guy burned down villages a few days ago. He seems to be working for Pitch, and I don't want either of them to find Jamie. Not on my watch."

Cinder's face went gravely pale, and Jack could see that she knew something. Before he could investigate, she ran over to the phone and began dialing a number.

"What are you doing?" Jack stood up and walked next to her. A strange heat was coming off of her body, and Jack realized her warmth the other night may not have been the alcohol.

"I'm calling the school, we have to get Jamie away from here," her voice was urgent and her fingers were anxiously tapping the side of the phone. Jack took it from her and hung it up. Before Cinder could protest, Jack explained.

"We can't let Pitch know that we've begun to join together again," Jack told her. "If we let Jamie know, fear will crawl all over this house and Pitch will show up in a heartbeat. I'm surprised he didn't knock down the door after that panic attack you had!"

"I can't help those!" Cinder crossed her arms, defensively hurt.

Jack took a step back and apologized. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, Cinder."

Cinder's look softened and she let her arms fall to her sides. "I shouldn't have snapped..."

"It's fine," was all Jack could offer.

Cinder bit her lip and looked away. "So what do we do?" she asked in order to change the subject, which Jack wasn't sure if he was glad for or not.

"As much as I hate it, we have to lay low until Pitch makes his next move. He usually reveals his plans in parts at a time, so we're betting he'll do something if he thinks we aren't paying attention."

Cinder shook her head. "He can't be that oblivious. If he was strong enough to break out of prison and into the North Pole, he must know what you guys are up to."

Jack shrugged because he didn't have an answer. If he had to watch over the house, just sitting here and talking wasn't exactly the most fun he was having. He stood up and walked back into the living room, grabbing his staff. When he came back, he tossed the ice pack on the counter and began walking to the door. He was expecting Cinder to speak up and stop him, or ask him where he was going, but she remained silent. Jack turned to look at her and saw sadness wash over her features.

"Jack, if anything happens to these kids," Cinder looked at him with pleading eyes, "I can't forgive myself."

"Hey, hey," Jack walked back over to her, "it's okay. Nothing's going to happen to them, alright?" An idea popped into his head. "Why don't we go outside? Let's play a game. Go get your gloves," he gestured upstairs, "and warmer clothes."

Cinder simply nodded and walked up the stairs. Something was off about her, again, but Jack decided to leave it alone.

When she came back down, Jack was relieved to see that she was actually wearing pants for once, but she was still only wearing a thin t-shirt. He frowned then walked into the living room and grabbed her sweater. When he got back to the kitchen, she was waiting for him with her gloves on. He handed her the sweatshirt and she took it carefully with a muttered thank-you.

"Now come on," Jack took her gloved hand once she buttoned the sweater, "I've gotta teach you how to have a snowball fight."

"What happened to laying low?" Cinder asked as he dragged her across the road and down to the pond.

"Don't worry," Jack answered, looking back at her, "we'll play in the woods." But for some reason, Cinder's face told him she still didn't believe him.

When they had gotten far enough into the woods, Jack taught her how to make a snowball, instantly forming one in his palm as an example of what the end result should look like. Cinder bent down and tried to pick up some snow, but gasped as the pile she picked up melted. Jack studied her closely, then figured it was because the temperature had warmed up outside. He aimed his staff upward and made it snow beneath the tops of the trees, so that it couldn't be seen anywhere else. He caught Cinder looking up toward the bare branches in amazement and he giggled. When she noticed him, she took her melted snow and tossed it in his face. The water slid down his hair and face and had gotten into his mouth. Coughing, he tossed his already made snowball and got her square in the face. He had been expecting blue sparkles to shimmer in front of her eyes, but nothing happened for a moment.

Cinder smirked and walked behind a tree. Confused, Jack walked around to the side of the tree, expecting her to be there. She wasn't. Jack looked around in disbelief. "Cinder!"

Suddenly, a bunch of snow fell on top of him, making him stumble out of the way. He heard Cinder's laughter above him. Jack smiled and laughed back.

"Nice one, I'll admit," Jack brushed the snow off. "But you left yourself open!" He formed another snowball and lobbed it up at her.

Cinder's surprised shriek made her lose balance. Before she fell to the ground, however, Jack shot out and grabbed her, not worried about skin contact because for once none of her limbs were exposed. They stared at each other momentarily. An awkward tension rose between them: one where both of their throats were thick and fell into their stomachs, as if both had something to say. But each waited for the other to say something, their eyes yearning to find each other's secrets and finding only the same impatience. Neither of them dared to make a noise for a few moments. The air was still but their hearts raced.

Baby Tooth popped out of Jack's hood and chirped hastily at Cinder. She shrieked again before recovering her composure.

"Jerk," Cinder jumped out of his arms before he registered what had just taken place.

They went on like nothing had happened. Jack taught Cinder how to make a better snowball, and this time she didn't melt it instantly. Jack had his doubts, but the fun kept them at bay for a few hours. It was after those few hours that Cinder shot up from her hiding place.

"Jack! What time is it?"

Jack looked at the sky and realized why she was asking. It seemed she understood what he was thinking. But before he could say anything, she was already moving.

"I'll go get the kids, you go freeze stuff," Cinder instructed as she began jogging out of the woods.

"Are you sure?" Jack called after her.

"Just stay out of sight like you're supposed to, Frost!" she called back. "And I won that fight!"

Jack smiled and shook his head. She had been smiling again. And after what she told him last night, he didn't have a doubt that they were becoming friends.

"Jack! Jack! Oh God, Jack! Where are you? Jack!" Cinder's frantic voice rang through Jack's mind. He had taken a nap in a tree in the woods.

"What?" Jack gasped as he fell out of his perch. "What is it, Cinder?"

"Oh, Jack!" Cinder crashed into his chest and took a minute before she backed away. Jack had been about to hug her in order to calm her down, but he could see that she was in hysterics. And not wearing shoes.

"What's wrong, Cinder?"

"It's Jamie," Cinder was panting heavily, "he's gone."

A/N: Dun, dun, DUNNN! Cliffhangers are fun, ja? Sorry not sorry. :)