Chapter Twenty-nine- Words

"Jack? Jamie?" James poked his head in on the two who didn't show any signs of hearing him. They were both sitting by the bed, Jamie clinging to her hand and Jack holding onto Jamie. They were borderline passed out and both looked like they were going to make themselves sick soon if they hadn't already.

North stepped up behind him and his eyes stung the moment he saw the two. Without saying a word he went up to them and put a hand on Jack's back in comfort. When he looked up there was nothing left of the filter he usually kept up around his emotions. There was no more Jack Frost, the boy who could brush it all off. Instead there was a scared, hurt little boy and North had to sniff back a few tears himself.

Jack looked back to Jessica, then North and shook his head slowly before looking down to Jamie and pulling the boy into a proper hug. Jamie's sobbing started picking up steam when he was moved from the bed, but it was needed. Of course that didn't help Jack's own composure any, and as hard as he was trying he just couldn't be the solid force Jamie needed.

James kneeled down to Jamie's level and put a gentle hand on his heaving shoulder. "Come here Jamie."

"J-am-mes?"

"Yeah, it's me, come on, that a boy." He soothed, "shhh, big breaths okay? Can you just take a big breath for me? Good boy, there you go." James prattled on and on, keeping Jamie from making himself sick, which wouldn't help things. While that gradually faded into the background North did much the same for Jack.

The two men locked eyes and North nodded toward the door. James nodded and they scooped the boys up as gently as they could and made for the living room. On the way down the hall Phil spotted them and North asked him to please call the others back to the pole for the ceremony. They would need a formal service for the poor woman. In the meantime the two sat on one of the big couches with their charges, desperate to keep them from becoming sick. As they settled down James snagged the giant box of tissues from the end-table and the wastebasket under it.

Tossing a couple throws and small blankets over the boys they settled down to wait.

Time was crawling to the point that North was about to hop into a globe and get them himself for the time passing when it had only been a few minutes. No one spoke but the room was filled with some of the most heartbreaking sounds there were. When Tooth finally made her way through the eternally open window she almost fell out of her orbit, catching herself just before impact.

"What happened?" She asked quietly as she approached the boys to try to add another layer of comfort to their obvious pain. Evidently Phil had been light on the details.

"Jessica." James whispered carefully. As vague as that explanation was it still wrenched some renewed sobs from both boys. Tooth's sharp intake of breath brought with it a bit of moisture in her eyes. It wasn't enough. She thought, horrified.

The poor fary sunk to the ground in front of them, clutching her hands close to her chest like she was trying to hold onto something.

"Tooth? Are you alright?" North asked on instinct though the answer was clearly no.

"I-I…" She shook her head, holding her breath unintentionally.

"Tooth?" North's hand on her shoulder was the only reason she had even heard him. She looked up, finding that he was a bit blurred. She tried blinking that away only to find that more accumulated. "Talk to us." Tooth shook her head insistently, looking to the boys who still had their own faces buried. North nodded his understanding and patted the empty spot on his other side. She settled down quietly until Bunny and Sandy appeared one after another.

Sandy, of course, already knew. He had known the moment it had happened. Something had happened to her and she had forgotten to call them, and so had Jamie. When Sandy came floating in he looked more serious than they had ever seen him before, and Bunny was floored by the utter lack of hope left in the wake of her passing.

"Come 'ere ya little ankle biter." Bunny said as he nuzzled Jamie's head with his nose, "yeah, come here." He picked the boy up and took James' seat next to North, opening an arm for Jack as well until Sandy came up to him and motioned to Jamie.

'Take care of him, I've got Jack.' Bunny understood. He nodded, and Sandy took Jack from North so the toymaker could get things ready for Jessica's service. James followed him to help with detail work, it would get done much faster if they both worked at it, and he could sense Boogey's magic. He was convinced he had something to do with it, and he wanted that essence gone from her, she deserved to be free of that grimy substance for good. Maybe something he hadn't been able to remove before was dying for lack of a host. As much as he hated it, he knew it had to be done. When he was leaving, North got Tooth to follow.

Before he started on anything, he sat Tooth down in one of the comfy armchairs he had added for meetings by the fireplace and knelt in front of her.

"Toothy? What is wrong?" He asked carefully, holding onto her fluttery little hands in comfort. She sniffled a little before even attempting to answer, and when she did her voice sounded painful.

"I-the…the potion we used…it…I should've-should've asked if…it was…" She was choking on her own breath, it was pitiful.

"Toothy, shh, easy. Breathe alright? Big, deep breath in one, two, three. Good, come on, more…" He coaxed her into a couple deep, slow breaths and absently pulled a box of tissues down off a shelf.

"I-" She hiccupped, cutting herself off.

"Shh, no Toothy, no. Listen, you did what you could." North assured her, following his own hunch. Tooth shook her head and curled in on herself, sobbing. North bit back the moisture in his own eyes and gently sat beside her, tucking her under his arm. "Is alright, we did everything we could do. She would not have blamed you for this, would she?" He asked lightly.

"How…how could sh-she n-n-not?" So much like a child… North mused. His throat started to tighten on him, forcing him to take a huge breath or start crying with her.

"Because was not your fault, Toothy." He insisted.

"He's right, Tooth. None of this was your fault, you did a really wonderful job taking care of her. She didn't hurt at all." James offered, looking up from the wooden panels of the unfinished coffin for the first time since he'd been in there. He hadn't felt it was his place to speak until just then. She needs someone outside her circle to convince her.

Tooth sighed, pretty much melting into the soothing half-hug that North had her wrapped up in and ending up with her face buried in his shoulder. North finally looked up to James, blinking the blur out of his lower eyes first, to see his progress. He hadn't even known he was starting it, so he was stunned to say the least.

"Is impressive." He offered, nodding his approval. James nodded that he understood. It was so quiet and no one seemed to want to break that silence. A woman they had only just recently met for real was gone, that wasn't why. It was because that kind, loving woman had touched their hearts and a child they knew so well and one they wanted to know better were both left shattered by it. It was because in their minds the Guardians had failed. Because children were hurting and they couldn't help. Because they were hurting and there was no relief. Simply because death was in their home and he wasn't much of a conversationalist. And so, they were still. They wondered at their silence when words seemed to be the easy fix, but they weren't. Sandy knew well why the room rang with deafening stillness.

Words just didn't couldn't fix this.

Words sliced at the paper-thin silence.

Words made everything seem normal when it wasn't.

Words stung their eyes and tightened their throats.

Words broke the sacred peace of mourning laid so thickly in the air.

Words were hollow.

It was only the heartbeat of another that was so close to the one that they could never feel beating again that could sooth the pain of its absence. Only the warmth of another could heal them, even a small bit, even for a moment. Only the care and love of another who was too still breathing could remind them that life and time still marched on without them, and that they would be alright someday.

It was only through the sheer love of another that Jamie and Jack finally fell asleep on their own, wet streaks still clinging to their cheeks and wetting the shoulders under them. Morning could take its time, too, because those poor hearts could only take so much damage before they were themselves crushed.

I knoooooow I knoooooow it's really sad, sorry! As usual I don't like skimping on story so this should ebb out in a chapter or two. I'll do my best to get it all back to something less depressing in the next one! As usual, let me know what you think! I hope this doesn't disappoint! :)