Starting Over

21-Say You'll Stay

You woke up with a start, placing your hand against your chest and feeling the bumpity bump of your racing heart.

You breathed in and out deeply, trying to gather in your surroundings. You soon recognized it as your room, and you began to settle down.

Phew, you thought, lying back down into your bed. It was just a dream. It was just a really, really bad dream…

You cringed as part of your nightmare replayed in your mind, biting your lip as you remembered the feeling of your bracelet cutting into your wrist.

For the sake of putting your mind at ease, you looked at your wrist where your bracelet lay wrapped around it.

It had returned to the familiar sky-blue color it originally was—or more in fact; it never changed.

You tried to lift the strands up to see if there was any indication of it cutting into your wrist, but it wouldn't budge.

At least there weren't any blood stains on your hand.

Does that mean…? you began to think, but when you glanced to your window; no one stood there. Your heart sank and your budding belief faded away again. No, it can't be… Everything must've been a dream… The World of Whiteness, the North Pole, school, Paris…

The memory of Paris came flooding back into your head, and you nearly bawled your eyes out right then and there.

What was the meaning of life if that whole trip was just a measly little dream?

Your first kiss with him, first in general in fact; and it was all dream.

Just a stupid, heartbreaking, bloody dream.

You groaned and stuffed your head farther down in the comforts of your pillow. Unknowingly, you began to play with your bracelet, occassionally pressing the rainbow snowflake in the middle.

It started to glow a transparent blue, and your eyes widened at the sight in front of you.

Could it be…?

Jack hated crying.

Many a time he had urges in his long life to cry, but he held the tears back.

Now he knew why.

He hated the feeling of being alone, even though he had done so for 300 years.

He hated the feeling of his heart being ripped in two, like a piece was missing.

The piece that was vital for his survival.

He also hated how the tears spilled out of his eyes and froze against his cheeks.

It hurt like mad.

It hurt even more to try and wipe them away.

By now he had given up, he just let the salty frozen icicles stick to his cheeks. All it did was just add more effect to the feelings he was feeling now.

They were the same feelings he felt when he was walked through for the first time, the same way he felt when Jamie walked through him after the sleigh ride, the same when Bunnymund kicked him out of the Guardians, the same when his staff was broken in two… only this time it was amplified.

It was as if someone plugged a large amplifier into his heart and turned it on full power.

The pain, the sorrow, the lonliness…

It all just piled up and crashed down on him, burying him deep down under the ground.

He wouldn't be able to live without the knowledge that you still believed, even if you didn't love him anymore—he wouldn't care.

As long as you believed.

As long as you believed, he would be the happiest immortal to ever be in existence.

He'd bring snow to every town and every village, burying them until he could only see the tips of the roofs.

Heck, he'd bury the entire world if you believed in him again.

Every house, every river, every monument, all under the cool blanket of his white happiness.

And your house would be the only house not buried by his creations.

He smiled at that thought, stopping his sobs for a second.

But just the mere memory of you looking at him with that look pained him, and another wave of tears escaped from him.

Why? Why must everything happen to him? He had didn't do anything wrong, right?

A soft blue glow seeped through his shut eyes, and he opened his eyes just a tad to see what was causing the glow.

He gasped when he saw that it was his bracelet, and a glowing bracelet meant…

"(F/N)…" he whispered, wincing at how ragged and horrible his voice came out.

The bracelet glowed brighter, and so did Jack's smile.

"(F/N)," he said with more force this time, sitting up properly and turning around to peek up your bed.

"Jack?" your voice spoke, and Jack's heavy heart immediately lifted. Even though you said his name in a question, you still said his name. Jack watched as you turned over in your bed, beginning to crawl in his direction.

In his direction. Jack nearly cried for an entirely different reason as your eyes met his, and it felt like he was meeting you again for the first time.

"Jack!" you cried, smiling and wrapping your arms awkwardly around Jack's neck. "You're real!"

Jack laughed as he hopped up onto your bed to hug you better. "Yes, yes, I'm real!" he cried, feeling bad when his new happy tears froze in your hair. "Every part of me is real!"

You wrapped your arms around Jack, burying your face into his neck; the warm sensation Jack so missed in your short state of non-belief.

"I thought you had left…" you muttered, and it pained Jack at the mention of his actions out loud. He made a mental note to himself to never leave you again, even if Pitch taunted him so.

"No, no, I didn't," he cried into your neck, kissing you under the ear. "I would never do that to you, ever."

You pulled away from Jack, resting your forehead against his and giving him a huge smile. You kissed him passionately on the lips and pulled away again, sending happy jolts down Jack's spine.

"I've missed you so much, Jack," you whispered, kissing him again on the lips.

He kissed you back, loving everything from the softness of your lips to the warmth that melted everything inside of him.

"I missed you too, (F/N)," he whispered, hugging you closer and kissing you again.

You both pulled away again, and Jack saw that knowing look in your eye that meant you had another singing notion.

"It's summertime, and you are all that's on my mind, everyday," you sang, and instantly Jack felt happy and whole again."It seems like we, could stay up and talk through the night. Oh what do you say?" Jack took your lead and began to take up the back-up vocals.

Say you'll stay (hey-ey)
Heyy (Sta-ay)
I just keep on wishing everyday (Hey-ey)
Hey (Sta-ay)

No More running around, running around
(No more running around, no no no, no more running around, no no no)
Running around,
When I'm around,
Just say you'll stay…

You both finished that last lyric together with huge smiles on your faces. You hugged each other tighter, Jack kissing you passionately as you pulled away.

"Say you'll stay?" you whispered, lacing your fingers in between Jack's as you held hands on both of your laps.

Jack smiled, not able to resist kissing you again. "Forever and ever."

Author's Note: Oh my... I feel like that was the cheesiest thing I have ever wrote in my entire life. And I've written pretty cheesy stuff. But, no matter, I kept feeling all happy and fluttery inside as I wrote the second half of this chapter and I feel like y'all just about to die of fangirliness once more. Or at least from the romanticness of it all. XD Yeah, I said I was going to explain some stuff but I forgot what I was going to explain so, oppsies. XD Oh, I don't own R5's song "Say You'll Stay" which I am over-obsessively in love with, along with Ross himself, but... no need for that. :P This is about you! And Jack! Getting back together even though you really haven't been apart! XD Yeah, I really didn't expect this to happen either... But it did! And I believe it made all the difference in Jack's eternal life. :D Also, because of this chapter, I realized I really do have a dirty mind, even though I don't want it. I re-read the chapter to correct any oppsies (I tended to accidentally omit some words in my excitement) and I read the part about Jack covering the world in snow, except I wrote it as "his white happiness". :# Ick, it made me laugh and grossed me out at the same time... And I just realized that I probably shouldn't of mentioned that because otherwise you wouldn't have noticed it most likely... Sorry for the image! I don't really like it myself! :O Okay, I better stop now, since it's past 10:30 and I'm supposed to be showered and in bed by now, but I'm in here writing this and supposedly writing my Critical Lens practice due tomorrow morning... Opps. XD I didn't think I was that much of a procrastinator... oh well. That's all I have to say for now, I think. I realized that my author's notes are so long they could be a story in themselves! XD lol Okay, I'm done. Good bye-bye for now and good night! (or morning or afternoon depending on where you live XD )