SHOUT-OUTS TO YOU LOVELY PEOPLE:

Lindyn Guards: Haha Deal!

Darkblade 2.0: No words can explain how excited I got over reading your review *Super Awesome Happy Dance* Thank you for making me smile uncontrollably! :D

Number1PercyJackAnnabethFan: I can't even tell you how hard I laughed! Trust me, I'm not through with Jack *Evil Smirk*

TurtleLover0511: Aww, thank you :) Your scary thought will be answered in the chapter.

Dancing with the Clouds: Really? I thought it could have been better, more emotional. BUT I appreciate your thought of it :)

Crystal Di Angelo: I won't make you all wait in the dark. I'll continue updating as usual. Although, I might end up slowing down after a few chapters if I'm running out of time to write.

Chapter 21, peoples. I'm glad I made it this far. By now, I probably would have just ended it, but I'm still going strong! Enjoy:

"You let them escape?!" Pitch yelled at his apprentice as the portal vanished along with the last of the guardians.

"Easy there," Shadow Jack muttered while morphing his staff back to its original form. "It's fine. We still have the upper hand."

"This was not a part of the plan for taking over, you imbecile," Pitch insulted. "I wasn't finished with Jack. My plans for him were not finished!"

The shadow boy smirked. "I'm not done with him either. But you have me, and, being a part of the guardian of fun, I have plenty of tricks and ideas."

.../\...

Father Christmas and Jack Frost fell as they passed through the portal. The room they landed in was the globe room in the workshop.

"North," Jack panted as he got up. "We-we made it! North we're-" He stopped as he saw the blood trickling on the side of the old man's mouth. North covered it with his hand as he coughed. When he pulled it away, more blood was splattered onto his hand.

"We got ta get ya to the infirmary," Bunny stated as he helped North to his feet. The bearded man clutched at his abdomen as he was led to the infirmary by the rib-broken and battered Pooka. A yeti put North's arm around him and half carried the man to the hospital wing.

Tooth had already gone down there to clean her wound from the whip. As Jack tried to rush after them, a golden figure stopped him in his tracks. The golden man smiled at the winter spirit and waved.

"Hey Sandy," Jack greeted him.

The little golden man pointed to Jack's left hand. Blood still streamed down from the shard that had embedded itself in his palm and hadn't melted. The other was still punctured in Jacks thigh, as well. He winced at the sight of it. "I kind of forgot about that. You know, adrenaline rush." Sandy took Jack's staff out of his hand and grabbed the now empty hand then led him down the hall towards the infirmary.

As they walked and limped to where the others were, Sandy formed two Jack's above his head, one with a sword and shield which would be the Shadow Jack. The Shadow Jack said something and the other Jack attacked. Sandy conjured a question mark after.

"Oh, you're wondering why I got angry at him when he said those things?" After Sandy nodded, he continued. "Well, because he's right. It's stupid, really, but I have some fears that I should have gotten over of hundreds of years ago. It's a bit pathetic, I have to admit."

Sandy patted Jack's back and smile at the young boy. Another image of Jack and the other guardians surrounding him appeared above the sandman's head. All of them appeared to have their hands wrapped around the winter spirit.

Jack interpreted. "You guys will be there for me?"

Sandy made a string in his hand a pretended to try to break it, but failed. He then had all the guardians holding hands.

"We're connected? A unit?"

The little golden man rolled his hand in a pattern as if to say, keep going, you're close.

"We're a family?"

Sandy smiled with pride as they reached the infirmary door. The place was already packed. Yetis and guardians laid on the white beds while others had to sit on the floor for there being no other beds. They weren't prepared for all of the injured at one time. Several of the yetis were unconscious as others wrapped the bites and claw marks from the wolves that littered their bodies, blood matted in their fur. Jack's eyes widened at the sight of his two favorite yetis.

Little Eddie, a young creature that Jack had always called a "little ginger" and reached to Jack's waist with a cream-colored beard. His eyes were big and green, just his father's who laid on the bed next to him.

Phil.

A claw mark stretched across his chest and bite marks were visible around his ankles and arms. Crimson stained the creature's left temple. Another line of red passed over the yeti's left eye down to his cheek. A part of his beard had been cut off from the wolf's claws.

"No... Oh, no," Jack mumbled to himself before running to the yeti's side. He knelt next to the bed and grabbed the creature's hand. "Phil, I'm so sorry." He held back the threatening tears to show his weakness to the others. No, he had to stay strong. "It's all my fault." He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry," he repeated to the unconscious Phil. Eddie wailed for his father as Jack attempted to stop his own despair to comfort the little creature he had grown to love. The spirit rapped his arms around the little guy as Eddie leaned into the embrace. The poor Little Eddie didn't understand it was because of Jack that his father had gotten hurt.

The young spirit felt a hand on his shoulder. After releasing Eddie from his hug, turned to see Tooth. Bandages covered her arm and cheek from where the whip had lashed her. "Come on, Jack," she said soothingly. "It's time to get you patched up."

After another glance at Jack's favorite yetis , he reluctantly left his friends' sides to follow Tooth with a limp to an opened bed. Jack stopped in his tracks as he looked around him. Other yetis around him with large gashes and were unconscious laid on the floor around him.

Tooth grabbed an aid kit and motioned for Jack to sit on the bed.

Jack shook his head. "Give one of the yeti's my bed. They need it more than I do."

"But, Jack, we need to fix you up."

"So do they. I'll just sit over here." he pointed to an empty chair. "I just don't need it as much as they do. You understand, right?"

She sighed, but agreed to his terms. Another yeti with a part of his arm nearly torn off from a wolf bite and more bites around his head took his bed, instead.

Trying to get the shards of ice out had to have been worse than them first lodging into him. Jack yelped at the first tug with the pliers from Tooth. "Can't you melt the ice?" She asked as she pulled again.

He held back a cry from the pain. "Already tried," he said through clenched teeth. "It wouldn't react to me..."

Sandy, who had just finished helping North and Bunny walked over to the distressed spirit. He rubbed at his chin in thought before laying a hand on the ice spike that was lodged into Jack's thigh. The black sand that had diseased it turned to gold. Jack notice the difference then laid his own hand over the spike with his good hand and the ice melted and dissolved.

Tooth and Jack's frown vanished. In its place, smiles of pure joy lightened their faces. Sandy proceeded to do the same with the other spike in Jack's hand as the tooth fairy started to work on his leg. The ice melted without a problem like the other after the sand had changed. Not too long after, Jack had been stitched and bandaged. The bruise that had swelled on Jack's cheek would heal within time.

He sighed. "Can I leave, now?" he asked. He had been in the infirmary surrounded by blood from others while waiting for Tooth to finish the stitching as Sandy helped the other yetis.

Tooth smiled to him and nodded. "Just take it easy. There should be a new hoodie and pants in your room, so you can get out of that golden sand." Sandy mumbled something no one could here at her comment. "Afterwards, head to the lounge, that's where Bunny and North should be. Sandy and I'll be joining later to discuss some plans." As Jack started off towards the door she added, "And what you promised to tell us."

Jack's breath caught in his throat as he went through the door back out into the hall. He knew he would have to tell them, but how would they accept it? How do you tell someone that you're hearing voices without them thinking you're crazy?

He planned his explanation as he walked to the lounge where he would have to explain it all.

.../\...

The guardian of fun reached the door where the lounge would be in bandages and a new blue hoodie and pants, just like his old clothes before he was attacked by Pitch. It was somewhat alien to Jack to wear them after the time it has been without them. Jack stood in the hallway in front of the door where he would have to approach North.

Relax, child, everything will be fine, the girl said to him.

Jack let out a struggled laugh. "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's friend may turn their backs on you."

You won't have to worry about that. They are you family, as the sandman had said. The will not leave again. Trust me, she reassured him in her motherly voice. It was so smooth, so calming, almost all of anxiety had eased.

He let out a deep breath made sure he held his head high as he opened the door that lead to his fate. He knew, without a doubt, the conversation couldn't end well, especially when he was talking to Bunny. His anxiety came back as he stepped into the room. The first thing he saw was North sitting on the couch with a list in his hands. The list, Jack knew, had every name of every child. Christmas eve was, after all, tomorrow. That night, North would leave to leave gifts to every child and coal to those who had naughty or didn't believe. Bandages were wrapped around the man underneath his loose red shirt that he always wore underneath his fur jacket. North noticed Jack staring at him and rose from his seat to meet the boy.

Before Jack could say anything, North pulled the little spirit into an embrace. "Are you alright?" he asked as he pulled the boy away to look at the patch that now covered Jack's cheek.

"I'm fine North," He answered, his eyes focusing on the stone flooring. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this. I'm sorry for almost getting you killed twice, now. I-" Jack never got to finish his words as he pulled into another hug by the chubby man.

"I'm just glad you're alright." The hug was a bit awkward for the child. He'd know little of physical affection in his lifetime, but he allowed North to do what he felt was right despite Jack's discomfort. The big man released him and went back to his spot by the fire. Jack followed behind and took the couch parallel to North's.

His eyes drooped and head felt heavy as he sat down. North started to speak to him as Jack sprawled out on the couch. The old man continued to talk as Jack's eyes closed and his breathing steadied. Only when North heard a soft snore did he realize Jack had fallen asleep on him.

North smiled and moved to a basket that was by the door. He opened it and grabbed a green blanket from the wooden basket and laid it over the tired spirit. Jack's reaction to the soft cloud falling onto him was to curl up into a ball and embed his face into the fabric.

Father Christmas went back to his place on the couch to finish checking his list. His eyes drooped as he stared at the never ending list. Maybe he could sneak in a little nap, then go back to his work after a bit of shuteye. As soon as the big man's eyes closed, his breathing steadied and his grip on the list loosened.

Little did either one know the terrors that would plague the winter spirit's mind.

.../\...

To tell you the truth, I cried while writing about Phil. Little Eddie will be mentioned again later on.

Alright, the battle has been put to a close. Now comes the revelation.

Chapter 22 will be posted on January 10th

Last thing, because this has been in my mind for the past few days: You know how in Harry Potter Remus Lupin is a werewolf? Well, I was thinking about how his 'condition' made him turn on himself sometimes and he injured himself. Now, my real question is why didn't they sedate him or something for the night? If they had knocked him out during the full moon, they wouldn't have to worry about Remus attacking himself or any near him. Sorry, that's just been bothering me...