Author's Challenge: Listen to "Hanging On" by Ellie Goulding until you reach the xXxXx

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Toothiana could feel the tears streaming down her face and her breathing accelerate to an unhealthy pace as she watched the struggling dark figure in the water grow smaller and stiller. As the resonating sound of the ice died down, another sound took its place; the sound of the wooden staff splashing into the water. The old, lightweight weapon bobbed back to the surface for a moment before becoming water-logged unnaturally fast and sinking down after Jack.

Toothiana scrambled off the dream sand that had accidentally caught her and dove for the water, stopping just above the freezing surface. She couldn't swim, she knew how to, but couldn't because of her wings. She looked desperately to others for help; Bunnymund was physically incapable, North didn't know to and Sandy, well, he was made of sand and that didn't cooperate with water too well. Toothiana turned back to the darkened water; she could no longer see Jack at all. She suddenly made a decision that she didn't care what happened with her wings.

As soon as she angled herself to dive in, Bunnymund grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the dream sand cloud he stood on.

"No, Bunny! Let me go!" she cried.

She kicked and struggled against Bunnymund's grasp, but he just held her tighter.

"North, do something!" Toothiana pleaded.

"I….I cannot….I am sorry, Tooth," he murmured.

"Sandy?"

Sandy gave her the same helpless and apologetic look North had just given her. Her eyes darted between the three other Guardians, desperately searching for an answer of any kind. When she received no answer, she slowly looked back to the dark hole that had already begun to freeze over. Toothiana let out a choked sobbed and buried her face in Bunnymund's chest. Sandy solemnly brought the group back to the shore of the lake and gently lowered the clouds to the ground.

"North?"

North looked up at hearing his named called and saw Jamie, followed by his friends. The children had stopped upon seeing the Guardians' sorrowful expressions, but Jamie dared to walk closer.

"North…where…where's Jack?" he asked quietly.

The Russian glanced at each of the children's faces; all of them looked like they wanted to ask the same thing. He took in a breath to tell them what had happened, but the words never came. Their expressions became more worried as they walked closer. Jamie turned his attention to Sandy, who shook his head. Then to Bunnymund and Toothiana, neither of whom met his eyes. Jamie suddenly ran forward towards the lake, but North caught him in a strong arm. He moved Jamie back and stood in front of him to block his view of the lake.

"…Is not good idea," North said softly.

"W-what happened? Where is he?" Jamie asked.

"Children should not be here. Your parents will worry," North replied.

He gave Jamie a gentle shove back to the other children, half-heartedly waving his hands to shoo them back into town. But the children refused to leave without an actual answer. Sandy sighed and knocked all six of them out with a single ball of dream sand and caught each of them on their own little cloud. He pointed in the direction of the town, telling North he was going to take the children back home before they woke up.

"Thank you, Sandy…We will be at Pole, waiting for you…" North responded.

Sandy gave a short nod of acknowledgement, then started off for Burgess with the children, while North removed a snow globe from the inside pocket of his heavy coat. He muttered the named of his workshop and gave the globe a lazy toss. It landed only a few feet from them before shattering and opening its portal. Bunnymund picked up Toothiana and carried her through, giving North a questioning glance. North knew Bunnymund wanted to ask about the sleigh and reindeer. He waved the pooka off, reminding himself to send a group of yetis for them. Maybe if he'd given it a moment of forethought, he would have retrieved his sleigh and beloved reindeer. But as it stood, North had only brought one snow globe with him and its portal was beginning to close.

He trudged in after Bunnymund and was promptly greeted, unpleasantly, by Phil.

"Mitä ihmettä oikein ajattelit? Tiedät paremmin kuin menemään ulos kun taas loukkaantui niin!"

"Not now, Phil," North murmured, "There is time for scoldings later."

"Pohjois?"

North pinched the bridge of his nose, then rubbed his face hesitantly.

"Mitä tapahtui?" Phil prompted.

"Ah…I need for you to arrange memorial…again," North answered.

"…Mitä tapahtui?" Phil repeated, "Miksi minun on järjestää muistomerkki taas?"

Arranging a memorial service was not something the yeti liked to do; or anyone liked to do, for that matter. Sandy's memorial had been more than enough for him. He never wanted to do that for anyone again, especially for another Guardian. Phil stared at North, silently demanding an explanation until he finally got one.

"Is for Jack," North admitted.

Phil's eyes widened as he dropped the box of toys he'd been moving. The two stood in silence until North gave him a pleading look. Eyes that had once been so full of wonder now held nothing but despair. Phil let out a breath, retrieving the box from the floor and muttered he would start right away. North thanked him and retreated to his private workshop.

"Oh, and Phil" North stopped and turned back, "Someone will need to get reindeer. We could not bring them back."

The yeti bowed his head and continued through the main workshop. When North reached his private shop, he dragged the large wooden chair back and collapsed into it. He leaned on his desk, propping his head up with one hand, covering his eyes. He remained motionless, wondering why. Why had Pitch gone so far this time? He could understand the fallen king wanting revenge, but North had always felt a sort of kindred feeling between Pitch and Jack. He turned the question over in his mind for hours until there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," North sighed, unmoving.

Phil opened the door and took a half step inside.

"Se on aika," Phil muttered.

North grunted, pushing himself up and following the yeti. Everything in the main workshop had been cleared out, just as it had been for Sandy's memorial. There was not even the slightest glimmer of life in the eyes of any yeti or elf; certainly not in the eyes of the Guardians. Toothiana appeared to have cried herself out and was now looking worn beyond her years. Bunnymund, still trying to be the brave one, kept his gaze fixed on the floor to avoid tears himself. Sandy watched the little flames dancing atop their candles until he saw North. The silent Guardian gave a curious look, as if asking if this was the way it had been they all thought he died.

North gave a slight nod and picked up the candle. He walked over to the elegantly decorated tiles set in to the floor, expecting to see an intricate snowflake in the center as Jack's symbol. Instead, there was a carving of Jack's face in the center; the same one as on the end of the capsule that held his baby teeth. North stopped, staring at the image of Jack's mischievous grin. He felt his heart hammering against his chest and tears blurring his image. North turned his head to Phil, wordlessly asking why he'd done that.

The yeti did not meet his gaze, but in the way he stood and held a candle, he could see the yeti deeply cared for the boy who'd given him so much grief over the years. North drew in a ragged breath, swallowing thickly and blinking away his tears. He forced himself forward and set his candle at the top of the tiles.

One by one, they all placed the candles around the memorial. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows across the carving, making it look as if the visage were alive. As if Jack was laughing at some prank he'd managed to pull over them. With that sight before him, Bunnymund's bravery cracked and tears slid down his face.

xXxXx

"Jack, relax…" a smooth voice echoed.

Though Jack had given up his struggle to swim, he mind still raced with fear of the darkness and hope that someone would bring him back up. It was that same darkness as when he'd first awakened beneath the lake's surface. There was far too much darkness; it was too thick, too suffocating. Even at this time of day, the sun failed to reach how far down Jack had sunk.

"You're perfectly safe down here."

He didn't know where the voice was coming from, but he was sure he knew who it was. Jack thrashed at the shadows that seemed to move as best as the water would let him.

"So ungrateful," Pitch tutted, "Even though I saved your life once before."

Jack immediately stopped thrashing and shot look of disbelief and confusion into the darkness. The Man in the Moon had saved him. Why would Pitch try to take credit for that?

"How long do you think you were down here, all those years ago?"

In all honesty, he'd never thought about it. Jackson Overland had died during the day and came back as Jack Frost in the night, so he just assumed it had been no more than a day.

"Tell me, when you…'wandered' back into to Burgess, what was everyone doing?"

Clearly, Pitch didn't expect Jack to say anything, especially now that his lungs were filled with the cold water. He just wanted Jack to think about what he was saying.

"Was anyone in mourning?" Pitch asked, "Or…were they just carrying on with their lives?"

Jack remembered that night perfectly, he would never forget it. He'd made his way to the town, in a far from graceful fashion, and just started greeting everyone. The only thing odd he had noticed was that no one said anything back to him. No one had been in mourning that night.

"That's right. You were down here for quiet sometime, dear Jack. The Man in the Moon," Pitch spoke the name with disgust, "was ignoring you even before you were Jack Frost."

Jack scowled and glared up at the darkened ice covering the surface so far above him. He couldn't see the moon, but hoped that Manny knew that look of hatred was for him. Jack's look softened when he saw an object drifting down, carelessly and slowly swinging side to side.

"I took care of you Jack…"

The shadows appeared to reach up and grab it, bringing it down to him and resting it in the crook of his shoulder. It was his staff and having it back gave him a profane sense of safety once again.

"I kept you safe from death's decay," Pitch said, "Were it not for me, you would be nothing but rotted corpse. Laying where you are now…"

And just like that, all safeness drained right out of him.

"I kept you safe, though," Pitch reminded him, "I knew there was something special in you before the Man in the Moon did. When that neglectful man realized your potential, he took you away from me…After I'd been looking out for you for two whole months…"

If he'd been breathing, that fact would have stolen his breath away. If he hadn't been underwater, tears would be rolling down his face. The Man in the Moon didn't save him. At all. He just wrote him off as another unfortunate boy who met an untimely death. He didn't make him a Guardian because he saved his sister, he made a Guardian because he didn't want Pitch to have him. Jack gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, subconsciously curling around his staff.

"What will you do now, Jack?"

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Author: if you did that author's challenge, I am so sorry to cause such sad feels. I was listening to that song while writing the memorial scene and I just couldn't not cry. you all should thank Little Kunai for boosting the reviews and motivating me to grind this out so soon. I was actually planning on putting it off until I had finished a drawing for the next chapter.

160 reviews please~