"What do you want, Pitch?" I growled, struggling against the dry, brittle, black vines wrapped around my wrists, suspending me from the ceiling. I glanced over at Sophie's slumped form hanging beside me, her head occasionally lolling over to a different side. Still, she never opened her bright green eyes. Jamie stood next to Mother Nature, a tortured look on his freckle-free face. I could tell he wanted to help us, but Mother Nature was controlling him somehow. He didn't need any bindings, and Mother Nature knew it.

Pitch glided towards me, the darkness swallowing his lower body completely. He played with a lock of Sophie's hair, and my face burned with anger. "Don't touch her," I said lowly.

"What? Don't tell me you actually care for this weak, gullible, little girl?"

Jamie opened his mouth to say something, but Mother Nature snapped it closed with a flick of her wrist. My eyes trailed back to Pitch. "I can't exactly tell you otherwise."

Pitch rolled his eyes and made a gagging motion with his finger. Mother Nature shuddered and stuck out her tongue. I bit the inside of my cheek and kept my anger inside. I knew what he was doing. I wasn't stupid.

"Really, what is this all for?" I asked again, wiggling my rope-burned wrists.

Pitch grinned, and just as he was going to answer me, a bright white light flooded the room. Pitch shrieked in pain, stumbling away from me. I watched through squinted eyes as Pitch and Mother Nature shrinked away into the whiteness, and Jamie knelt down on the ground, his hands over his eyes.

"What is this?" Pitch screamed. "We had a deal, you know very well!"

Pitch dropped to the ground, his agony reaching him to a breaking point. He clawed at his face, as if trying to escape his own skin. Jamie and I watched in horror, jaws dropped as Pitch seemed to melt. I could feel my eyes widen and eyebrows shoot straight up as Pitch glanced up at the sky.

"How could you?" He seemed to have whimpered to the glowing sky. "I'll have nothing; I can't have nothing again."

Pitch began hyperventilating, staring at his own hands. He most likely could see the blood from many others stained on them. Heat curled into steam around Pitch's figure.

"You there, boy," Pitch suddenly turned to me, acting fierce. Unexpectedly, his features softened and-was that a tear I could see?

"Jack..." Pitch whispered, his voice cracking. His legs were slowly disappearing into the ground, being replaced with nothing but ashes. I covered my eyes at the harsh light, but turned to him. I felt like I should help him, even though he'd basically been the bane of my existence since I found out about the guardians. We understood each other in a way nobody else could.

"Help me..." He pleaded. "Please..."

Before I could say anything in return, the shutters shattered, releasing all the moon's light an energy into the room. The last thing I heard was a blood-curdling screech, and a giant flash of light overpowered the lair.

Jamie covered his head with his arms, crouching down low. Sophie was still knocked out cold, and I was almost glad about it. She didn't have to see all of that. I squinted my eyes shut from the blinding flash of light and prayed Sophie wouldn't pick this exact moment to awake from her dreary unconsciousness. Honestly, Jamie couldn't have hit her that hard.

After at least a minute of searing white light, I peaked through my tightly shut eyelids and glanced at Jamie, who was slowly rising from his hunched position and rubbing his temples.

Then I saw someone standing a few feet away from Jamie. He wore a bright white suit, with a light grey button-up and a darker grey tie with little crater designs on it. His hair was jet-black like the night sky and was slicked back in a perfect, Superman-style comb-over. The pupils of his eyes were an unnatural dark grey with small lighter flecks scattered in their pupils, and seemed to demand attention. His skin was pure and pale on his face, but his hands looked old and grey, with various "craters" and spots.

His eyes didn't leave me as he spoke with a gentle but commanding voice, "Jack Frost. It is time you make your decision."

I just stared at him, completely baffled. What the hell was this guy going on about?

Sophie took that particular moment to arouse herself. She let out a soft moan, her head turning towards me. Her bright green eyes slowly opened, catching sight of me as soon as they did so. They stood out like stars from the dirt and grime on her pretty face. Her long blond hair fell in front of her face a little, and she blew an unruly layer from her eyes. "J-jack? What happened?"

Before I could answer her, the Man in the Moon stated plainly, "Jack Frost can stay a guardian, or he can become a human again. If he stays a guardian, he will never see you again, Sophie. If he become a human, he can stay with you."

The ropes around our wrists slowly disintegrated, and both Sophie and I fell to the ground. Sophie shakily stood up, staring at me like it was the last time she'd ever see me. "If he stays with me, he loses his powers, right? But if he doesn't...then I won't ever see him again?"

"I can make him forget you, if you wish, child," The Man in the Moon suggested.

Sophie's bright green eyes welled with tears. "Anyway to make me forget?"

The Man in the Moon shook his head sadly.

My blood suddenly boiled, and my fists clenched. "Nobody's forgetting anybody. Where the hell did this come from?"

"You're almost 350 years old. Every guardian has to face this decision-some sooner than others. A human having so much access to our world is dangerous-as you can see from what just happened. It's ultimately your choice, Jack. You can forget this child and continue being a guardian, or you can remain with her as a human," The Man in the Moon explained.

Sophie's eyes and mine locked with each other.

"Jack," Sophie murmured, "You have to forget me. You can't give up your powers just for me, okay? I'm not important. Kids are counting on for snow days, remember?"

I could see her own heart breaking as she said the words to me. A single tear trickled down her cheek, and the tip of her nose was starting to get red from sniffling. I reached out my cold finger tips and wiped the tear away, hooking my hands under her thighs and scooping her up. I kissed her, and she kissed me back despite the hot tears on her face. She wrapped her arms around me, trying hard not to sob as she slowly stood back up.

I leaned my forehead against hers. I wasn't leaving her. Not now, not ever. "I'm not going anywhere, love."

Sophie hit my chest, anger bleeding through her sadness. "God, Jack, you're so stupid! I'm nothing, I'm nothing compared to Jack Frost."

I shook my head furiously, "You're everything. I wouldn't be me without you."

Sophie kissed me again, and I could taste her salty tears. She still smelled faintly of hot apple cider, and I knew I'd never smell that again without thinking of her. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut as buried her face in my chest. "Don't do this, Jack. Don't give up who you are for a stupid, ordinary girl."

I held her face in my hands and crouched a little bit so she'd have to look in my eyes. I smiled, and a faint trace of the happy grin I longed to see crossed the crying girl's lips. "Sophie, you're anything but stupid and ordinary."

Sophie let out a sad, broken laugh. "You're impossible, Frosty."

"That makes two of us, Blondie."

I'm so, so, sorry this took so long, guys! I've been extremely busy with sports, finals week, and babysitting. I still really hope whoever is still reading likes this, and I appreciate so much! Thank you to everyone who favorites, follows, or reviews!