A/N Sorry for being MIA - again. I rewrote this chapter a couple of times because I wasn't satisfied with it. I'm not sure if I am still. I'm unsatisfied with this story as a whole because I feel like I could've done a whole lot better.

But I'll think about a rewrite when I actually finish this version.

For now, thanks for those that are actually still awaiting chapters for this fic. I know it's been several months since the last update and my life has just been getting busy.

Enjoy the moment

Marionette

Chapter 37 - Near Death

"What the hell is going on? Didn't I specifically tell you all to make sure nothing like this happens tonight?" Peter hissed in between clenched teeth as he scolded his apologetic bodyguard.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we need to leave," he hurriedly said as he tried to coax his boss into the backseat of the luxurious Rolls-Royce.

Peter growled under his breath and very unwillingly slid into the backseat. He turned back, watching his party devolve into chaos as his bodyguard took the seat beside him. The reputation that he had built from the ashes of the former Pitchiner household were burnt down once more. It was hard to look away, but Peter sharply turned back around for his own sanity.

"Let's go back to the estate for now," the bodyguard hastily instructed their driver, who gave a curt nod of his head in response.

The car gently rolled down the road, away from the resort. A few minutes passed and finally the bodyguard let out a soft sigh of relief. He slumped back into his seat and at this, Peter scoffed. "You can relax at a time like this?" he spat out, expressing his mixture of emotions with a voice that reflected seething rage.

"Sir -"

"- This is precisely why this sort of thing happened. You all slacked off even when Jack and I gave you specific instructions not to. Do you understand what will become of my reputation now?" Peter stressed the gravity of the situation immensely with his firm tone. His expression and voice relaxed as he whispered pathetically under his breath, "my efforts have all gone to waste in a blink of an eye."

"Sir, I understand, but -" The bodyguard stopped mid-sentence when he put more focus on the passing scenery outside.

"What?" Peter snapped impatiently. "Tell what you do understand, Simmons -"

"- Excuse me," Simmons asked the driver, ignoring Peter entirely. "Where exactly do you think you're going? This isn't the route to take - !"

It all happened so fast. A single gunshot, silent, struck the bodyguard in the dead center of his forehead. His lifeless body went limp next to Peter, who sat there in complete, frigid shock. He was petrified to even look at the driver as he was too busy trying to process what had just happened.

The driver who had fired the gun, spoke up. "We're taking a slight detour, Mister Black. Or should I refer to you as, Mister Pitchiner?"

Peter turned his attention towards the mysterious man who had disguised himself as his usual driver. His hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion and wariness. "Who...are you?" Their gazes met in the rearview mirror.

The driver simply smiled and returned his eyes back onto the road in front of him. He drove in silence, only to have Peter retort in anger a few seconds later.

"I'm speaking to you -!"

"- Emily."

Peter grew still at the mention of his late daughter's name.

"Emily Jane Pitchiner," the driver recited monotonously. "She was your daughter, wasn't she?" He paused, finding enjoyment in seeing confusion cross the Pitchiner's face. "She was also fond of dolls, was she not?"

His eyes widened at the stranger. "How did you -?"

" - Of course," the driver nonchalantly shrugged. "I'm just fishing. Doesn't every girl like playing with a doll?"

Peter shot a wary glare over at the mysterious driver. "...Who are you?"

He smiled at him through the rearview mirror, cleverly hiding the malicious intent in his eyes. "Why don't we go for a drive, Peter? We have a lot to talk about."

Astrid grit her teeth as she threw another punch that barely grazed Jack's cheek. The fatigue in her body grew steadily, but she forced herself to continue throwing kicks and punches. There was no way in hell that she was going to lose to the likes of him.

Her footing slipped slightly when she missed another kick, providing Jack with a clear opening for an attack. His foot connected with her sides, sending the young woman tumbling down onto the uneven dirt and gravel covered ground.

Jack stood over her limp body and simply stared at her as she attempted to regain her breath and energy. After seeing her struggle to pick herself up once more, his frown deepened as he questioned her coldly. "Did Manny send you after me?"

Astrid managed to pick herself up so that she stood up on one knee. She held her injured side, but was quickly struck down once more with another kick from Jack. A strangled cry left her mouth upon impact with the ground and she coughed violently, trying to regain her breath. Despite the pain that wracked her body, Astrid shot a sharp glare up towards Jack. In a display of defiance, she spat out a bit of blood off to the side, all the while keeping her gaze on him.

His blue eyes flickered to the fresh bruises that colored her face, then back up to her eyes. Impassively, he commented, "is it worth giving up your life for him? Is Henry okay with that?"

Astrid's eyes went wide in a defensive rage at the mention of her master. "Don't act as if you know our situation!" she yelled as she used her remaining strength to throw herself at Jack, tackling him down to the ground.

The two tumbled on the uneven ground, nearly on the edge of the steep cliff. A cold wind blew past them as Astrid finally managed to gain the upperhand against him. She pinned the young man underneath her and clenched her jaw as she looked into his eyes, his gaze cold.

"And what situation would that be?" Jack asked, his composure being shaken when he could hear several loose rocks tumbling down into the valley below. His hands instinctively flew up to Astrid's wrists, tightly holding them as she held him down by the shoulders.

A cold wind whipped all around them. Astrid shouted over the howling noise it created. "Why do you oppose Manny so much!? He's only doing what's right - !"

" - Don't ignore my question!" Jack interrupted, his voice rising in frustration. "What kind of situation have you two been placed in that you're willing to blindly follow that man!?" He let out an involuntary gasp when he could hear the ground continue to crumble beneath them.

Astrid seemed oblivious to the dangerous situation they were in. She was too caught up in her own desperation to think straight.

He called to her to grab her attention. "Astrid, we're both going to die if you keep this up -"

"- Jack...please give me your answer, but please don't make me do something I will regret later."

He grew still at the sound of his name. She had almost never called him by his first name, nor had she ever shown such desperation in her eyes towards him. A single wind gently tousled his black bangs across his forehead as he remained silent towards her. Finally, he answered her. "I...will never...go back to following Manny or rejoining the guardians."

Astrid bowed her head and grew ominously silent.

He tightened his hold on her wrists. His cool blue eyes narrowed at the sound of the ground giving way beneath him. "Manny sent you to kill me, didn't he?"

She continued to remain silent above him.

"Do it then. Push me off this ledge right now." Jack tested her. "I gave you my answer, didn't I? Or...my answer didn't even really matter from the start. Manny told you to kill me no matter. That's why you were so hell bent on chasing me down. ...What is he going to do to you and Henry if you can't kill me tonight?"

"I can't -" Astrid breathed out in a harsh exhale just before the ground finally gave way.

As soon as the earth beneath them crumbled, Jack used all his strength to shove the young woman off of him and away from the weakened section of the cliff. She fell back and watched in horror as he disappeared from sight. Her blue eyes widened considerably as she quickly crawled over to the edge of the cliff, careful not to further disturb the cliffside.

It was pitch black at the bottom of the deep valley, preventing her from seeing where Jack could have fallen. A cold wind blew over her again and she stood there on all fours, in shock and disbelief that he had fallen presumably to his death while saving her. A hoarse whisper of his name passed her lips at first, but as she opened her mouth wider to let out a shout, she was interrupted by another familiar voice behind her.

"Stormfly!"

Astrid sharply turned around in time to see Aster running up to her hastily. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away from the dangerous edge.

"A - Aster...Jack...he - " she stammered, still in shock over the events that transpired.

"Damn it," the older man cursed behind clenched teeth. He shot a look down at the dark valley and then back at Astrid, who was in a catatonic state of shock. "Stormfly, listen to me, stay here."

"H - Huh?"

"Stay here. North and Sandy will be here soon to take you back to Henry."

"What about you?"

Aster pursed his lips tightly together as he stood up and walked over to the edge. Gathering up all the air he could in his lungs, he let out a bellowing shout. "Frostbite! If you can hear me, I'm getting you out of there! Just hold on!"

The young woman stared at him as if he had lost his head. "...There's no way Jack could have survived that fall," she whispered breathlessly.

"Something like that wouldn't kill Frostbite. No way." Aster hurriedly adjusted the rifle that was slung over his shoulder and turned back towards Astrid. "I'm going down there to bring him back." He pulled out a pocket flashlight and it flickered on at the touch of a button. Before he left however, he stopped and addressed her.

"Stormfly…"

She raised her head to look at him.

"...Don't ever lose your composure like that. You need to stay strong for yourself and for Henry."

"But," she whispered, "Manny...what will happen to us now?" Her voice quivered in fear. "He said if I don't kill Jack tonight -"

"- you did. You killed Frostbite by pushing him off a steep cliff. That's what you'll tell him when you get back to headquarters, understand?" Aster reiterated sharply before leaving without saying another word.

Astrid watched as he turned his back towards her and began his slow descent down into the valley through a narrow path. She could hear his footsteps disturbing the loose gravel until both his form and sounds were swallowed up by the darkness. It was completely silent all around her except for the ambient sounds of nature providing what little noise they can.

A disappointed sigh passed her lips as she sat there. It was true that as soon as Jack mentioned Henry, she had lost all rational thought and even nearly jeopardized them in the process.

"Damn it," she whispered as she tilted her head back to look up at the moon. It was silhouetted behind a thin shroud of clouds, providing very little light to the earth. Astrid kept her gaze on it as she began to wonder if she and Henry made the right decision siding with Manny in this entire conflict.

She brought her gloved hands up in front of her face and bowed, as if she were praying. The uncertainty and unrest that was growing within her was consuming her entire being.

"...He's alive. I didn't kill him. I didn't kill anyone…" she muttered as her tightly laced hands shook against her forehead. "He's alive. Jack's alive."

Jack could barely hear or make out who was calling out to him. He wasn't even sure if he was alive until he finally came to his senses when a chilly wind awoke him. His head was rattling with pain and it felt as if every single bone in his body was shattered. Surprisingly, he was alive.

He grunted weakly as he lay there in the pitch black darkness. His hands felt around the ground and he found himself pushing down on something prickly, but soft. Perhaps he had landed upon a bed of pine needles, he thought to himself as he managed to bring his arm around to feel around for his phone.

'At least my arms are fine,' he thought as he felt no pain pulling out the phone from the pocket of his blazer. 'Did I just get extremely lucky?' he asked himself as he used the light from his phone screen to regain some vision.

With some light, Jack confirmed that he indeed survived by landing in a pile of dead pine needles that appeared to litter the floor of the valley where he was. He assumed that he didn't fall too far down either since he was still alive with no major injuries.

"Great," he whispered as he attempted to pick himself up. "I guess I can just slowly climb back up -" Jack stopped and gagged violently, followed by a sudden rush of blood that spewed out from his mouth. He stared at the splatter of blood beneath him as he coughed, getting rid of the excess, in bewilderment at first. His expression quickly changed into that of horror when he looked down at his body and saw what had actually happened to him.

"No way…" Jack's eyes went wide at the amount of blood matting the pine needles beneath him and at the long, thin metal pipe that stuck out from the ground. The rusted pipe, which was probably someone's careless act at throwing out junk onto the side of the road, disappeared into his side and exited out his back, impaling him completely.

His body shook at the realization that he had suffered a fatal wound. Jack grunted and let out a loud, strangled cry in pain as he attempted to keep himself up on all fours, only to fall back down and slide his wound over the pipe.

'No way…' he thought to himself as he lay there, shaking violently at the fact that he was impaled. His head spun at the blood loss and he could feel his eyes rolling back into his head. 'No way…'

Jack's hand trembled as he desperately tried to grab at anything he could use to save himself. He grasped at the dead pine needles beneath him in a fit of desperation. The shock he felt was now being mixed in with the excruciating pain that tore through his body. He gasped and coughed out more blood as he attempted to move.

'I can't die yet,' he thought just as he moved slightly so that the necklace Elsa had given him was poking him through the fabric of his pants pocket. His body broke out into a cold sweat, causing his black bangs to stick messily against his forehead. Images of Elsa began flashing before his eyes as he cried out loudly in pain at the sensation of the pipe sliding through his injury once more.

'I still need to protect her.'

Jack stifled down a grunt as he released one of the liquid nitrogen canisters he kept holstered on his side. He managed to lift himself up off the ground just enough to expose enough of the pipe for him to splash the chemical on. A cloudy mist engulfed him as the chemical hissed against the pipe before it was frozen completely through. The brittle metal allowed for Jack to break it easily, freeing himself from its confines.

He let out a relieved gasp and fell back down onto the ground with the rest of the pipe still sticking out from his back. At least, he thought, he wasn't stuck in an uncomfortable position anymore, but he was still in danger of bleeding out, even with the pipe still embedded within him. Not to mention, if any of his organs suffered any damage, he was in need of dire medical attention.

"Damn it," he muttered weakly as he tried to pick himself up, only to fall back down. All the strength within was gone and he knew that he had no hopes of climbing out of the valley by himself. Jack let out a soft exhale as he lay there. The air was becoming almost unbearably cold. Could he even last until the morning?

As if answering his internal question, Jack could hear the sound of footsteps rustling in the bushes and foliage surrounding him. It didn't sound human and when he flashed his phone light towards the source of the noise, he could see a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring back at him from the darkness. A cold dread filled him, which he projected outwardly as a wry smirk.

"Come on...give me a break," he breathed out raggedly as he heard the predatory growl of the animal approaching him slowly.

Jack closed his eyes, too weak to fight it off despite how much he wanted to live. He had lost too much blood and the pain was practically eating him inside-out. He braced himself for the animal's teeth to tear into him, but it never came. Instead, he heard a loud gunshot, followed by the whimpering groans of the animal as it quickly retreated.

"Frostbite!" he heard his once codename being uttered by a familiar voice.

"Bunny…?" Jack asked as he fought to open his eyes. He could feel himself being picked up slowly just so that he could sit up. "...What was that?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see it that well, but I'm guessin' it was a bear, mate. I only managed to clip it in the legs somewhere so it might come back soon." Bunny grabbed at Jack's phone so that he could illuminate the area a bit more. His green eyes promptly spread wide open at the sight of Jack's injury. "Crikey...Frostbite...it doesn't look good." Even he felt squeamish at the sight of the pole sticking out from Jack's lower abdomen.

"Yeah," Jack let out a weak laugh. "Obviously."

Aster eyed him worriedly when the young man started coughing violently in his arms. "Jack…" he said with a weight in his voice. "Do you think you can walk? We need to get you to the hospital -"

" - No. I can't."

"This isn't the time for you to be stubborn, damn it."

"I'm not going, Bunny," Jack growled as he resisted Aster's demands. "If I go to the hospital now, then Manny will know where I am. I'm as good as dead if that happens."

Aster furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about, Frostbite? Has Manny told you something we don't know?"

He gave out a wry chuckle as his eyes remained half-lidded from the energy that was being drained out of him. "Don't you think it's funny that you're here? I assume you were sent by Manny to oversee Peter Black's party, right? He's asked you to oversee his other events in the past too, right? He's not making you kill Peter, right? Just...to "observe"."

The furrow in his brow deepened at the slow realization. "You think Manny's coming after you, Frostbite? He's never given us any orders to kill you though."

"...Not to you at least."

Aster saw through the implication and his eyes widened. "...Stormfly? Astrid…? Is that why you ran, Jack? Wait...is that...why...with Winters -?"

Jack chuckled, his voice trembling weakly. "It was such a bittersweet feeling when Elsa told me that she was going to stay by my side. It was comforting, but at the same time...I was scared for her. She unknowingly painted a target for Manny on her back and I couldn't let that happen to her. I'm not going to involve her in my fate."

"- Is Manny trying to kill you just because you betrayed us, Jack -?" Before he could finish his question, Aster heard Jack let out a gagging cough, followed up more blood spewing from his mouth. He knew that the questions needed to wait for now. "Jack! We need to get you help -"

"- I told you that I'm not going to a hospital."

Aster saw Jack reach into his blazer and pull out the last two canisters of liquid nitrogen he kept at his side.

"...Bunny," the young man croaked out as he held out one of the canisters for him. "I need you...to pull the pipe out."

Aster's eyes went to the metal pipe sticking out from Jack's body. "Jack...you're going to bleed out. Have you gone crazy, mate? You'll die if we don't get you actual medical help -!"

"- I know that!" Jack harshly retorted, clenching his teeth as he slowly removed his clothes. "But this is the only way." The cold air practically stung at his exposed torso when he unbuttoned his dress shirt.

The older man's hand shook slightly when Jack handed him the canister. "It's going to hurt like a bitch, mate…" He paused, waiting for Jack's response, but when he heard nothing, he sighed and muttered, "but I guess you know already." Aster wrapped his hand around the pole, however, before he pulled he reassured Jack, "if you make it - well," he paused, "when you make it, I can take you to an apartment I bought for myself. Manny doesn't know of it. You can stay there until you recover."

Jack breathed out a sigh of relief that came out sounding like a wry laugh. "Thanks, Bunny."

"Don't thank me just yet, mate. If you can't endure this, then I'm dragging your ass to a hospital whether you like it or not." Aster paused, tightly gripping the pole with both his hands. "You ready, Frostbite?"

Before the young man could respond, he felt the immediate pain of the pole being pulled out. The pain felt as if his body was being torn in half. Jack initially grit his teeth, attempting to muffle himself, but failed miserably as he very soon let a violent cry rip through his vocal cords.

Aster didn't stop however, despite the amount of blood that was being spilled. He pressed on, trying his best to ignore the pained sounds of suffering from the young man. "Almost, Frostbite. Just hang on."

Jack could feel the last bits of the metal pipe sliding out from his abdomen. He let out a heaving gasp once it was completely out, but he knew that he wasn't completely out of danger yet. Using the very last bit of strength that he had, he popped open one of the liquid nitrogen canisters he carried and poured the contents of it directly over his wound.

He tightly gripped at the dead pine needles beneath him as he fought to keep his consciousness. The pain was practically eating him alive, but he knew that he had to endure it one more time as he needed to get the wound on his back sealed as well.

"Bunny…" Jack breathed out raggedly as he handed him the remaining amount of liquid nitrogen to the older man. "...Please."

Aster stared at the cloud of vapor that was wafting around Jack's wound. From the little light provided by the phone, he could see the outline of the grotesquely sealed wound. His eyes then went to the still freshly open wound on Jack's backside. He took the canister from the young man and wordlessly helped seal the wound, once again trying his best to ignore Jack's pained cries.

Once the plume of vapor cleared up, Aster breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of the sealed wound. The bleeding stopped for now, but Jack was still in dire need of medical attention.

He chuckled. "You're a tough one, Frostbite. I'm surprised that you're still conscious -" As if on cue, Aster saw Jack's body wavering, then immediately, his body fell to the ground with a soft thump. "Oi! Frostbite!" He took the young man into his arms, carefully holding his discarded clothes tightly around his body to shield him from the bitterly cold winds that were whipping up once more. Jack's skin felt cold to the touch and under the dim light from the phone, Aster noticed his bluish lips, which only further alarmed him on the young man's worsening condition.

"Don't you die on me now! ...Frostbite! Jack!"

The last thing she could remember was the sensation of being forcefully kissed by Jack. A kiss that left her lips bruised and her mouth ravaged by his tongue. It still left pleasurable tingles shooting through her body as she slowly awoke from her unconscious state. Elsa arose from her bed carefully; her mind groggily trying to process where she was.

Once she realized that she was in the safety and comfort of her own bedroom, there was a delighted voice at the door.

"Sis! You're awake!"

Elsa turned just in time to receive a full blown hug from her younger sister. She stared down at the mass of strawberry blond hair that had buried itself into her narrow shoulder. "Anna…" she murmured, instinctively raising her arm up to return the hug. "...How long was I out for?"

"For an entire day. We were all starting to get worried," Anna responded with a relieved sigh. "The trip must have been tiring because you were out like a light!" She noticed Elsa's dejected mood and she sheepishly muttered, "but… I guess you already told me that when we spoke over the phone. ...Are you doing okay? With him…?"

Elsa ran her hand through her disheveled blond hair. "Yeah," she breathed out, not saying anything else.

Anna's eyes went down to her sister's bare neckline; the absence of the necklace she usually wore answering her question. "I see...that's good." She paused. "Dylan came by a few hours ago. He had hoped that you were awake but, obviously…" Her voice trailed off when she noticed that there was no reaction from Elsa at the mention of her boyfriend's name.

"...Anna, where's Thiana?"

The abrupt question left her flabbergasted, but she answered it anyways. "She should be in the library. I think she's giving an informational session on some of the new bodyguards she hired."

"New ones…?"

Elsa quickly got out of bed and changed out of her pajamas. As she threw on a shawl over her shoulders, Anna asked in confusion, "what's going on, Elsa? Why are you so frantic?"

Without answering her sister, Elsa strode out of her room in search of Thiana. Rather than the act itself, she was more concerned with the motive behind Thiana's actions. Did something major happen while she was unconscious?

"Thiana!" she called out to the green haired woman when she spotted her exiting the library with the group of new bodyguards. She ignored the small group that were giving her a bushy-eyed stare.

"Dismissed. We'll discuss your shifts tomorrow," Thiana told them before returning her attention to the young blonde. "Elsa, are you well? I was starting to get worried -"

"- What's going on? Why did you hire more bodyguards without my knowledge?"

"I was going to tell you as soon as you woke up."

"Yeah, but...why? Did something happen at the party that I'm not aware of?" Elsa urged her to tell her everything.

Thiana let out soft sigh as she quietly pulled Elsa along by the arm. She lowered her voice to a dull whisper. "It appears that Peter Black is missing."

"What…?"

"It appears that his aides are trying to keep everything under wraps for now, but Aster informed me that they haven't found the car that Peter left in and one of his closest bodyguards has been found just a few miles away from the resort - dead." Thiana paused to let the information sink in. "Apparently Manny had sent Aster to spy on the event...it was suspicious after all that Peter would suddenly throw such a lavish party."

"And after what happened…" Elsa muttered as she brought a hand up to her chin in deep thought. "Who was behind the attack?"

"I doubt it was Peter, unless he went mad. His public reputation is trashed at this point. Many of the party guests are furious with how everything transpired and he lost a lot of connections with prominent individuals in the corporate world. There's no way he would do that to himself. However, whatever happened that night...didn't leave you unscathed, Elsa."

She listened intently.

"The public eye is now on you, Elsa. Your father and then Kai, tried to keep the corporation's assets and other matters a secret from the public, but I'm afraid with this recent incident and Peter Black's disappearance, the public is more focused on you than ever."

"...That's why you hired more bodyguards," Elsa answered her own question.

Thiana gave a solemn nod. "It should have been done earlier, but with the protection of the Guardians, you were safe. Not to mention, your father's paranoia towards hiring any new staff for the estate. I'm afraid that things will have to change now. I apologize greatly for acting without your permission, but I hope you will now understand my decision, Elsa."

The platinum blonde simply nodded in response. She kept quiet for a bit, trying to assess the situation and how complicated her life may become starting today. Her eyes went back to Thiana, who appeared to be fiddling with another thought that she seemed hesitant on telling the young woman of. "Is there something else you need to tell me?"

Thiana continued to hesitate before finally asking Elsa, "are you feeling well?"

"Huh?"

"Perhaps we should sit you down first -"

"- Thiana. Tell me. What else is there?" Elsa's voice quivered warily. She had a bad feeling creep up her throat.

The petite woman bit her bottom lip before fixing her gaze with Elsa's and stating in a clear, solemn tone of voice, "Aster informed me...that Jack's gone."

"What?" Her mouth dried up. "...Y - You mean he disappeared again?"

"Not...quite." Thiana let out an exasperated sigh at herself in frustration. She began slowly. "I'm sorry, Elsa, but Jack's dead."

A/N Incredibly sorry for the short chapter after such a long hiatus. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, but depends on if anyone's still interested in this fic or not haha.

I won't be responding to reviews individually since some weren't questions or points I want to touch on without giving away too much, but yes - Jack flip flops a lot emotionally these past few chapters because he's playing like...triple agent LOL. Or something of that nature. Well I guess he won't need his emotions now. (Too soon for dead jokes?)

Only review I will respond to personally is Furiyan's because YES. OVERWATCH. ALL THE YES. I love all the characters, but Tracer is so annoying to kill in-game so I don't like her in that aspect hahaha. All the animated shorts are love. My favs have to be The Last Bastion, Alive, and Inflitration. Sombra is my all-time favorite aside from Lucio haha. Sorry, nerded out there for a moment, but Overwatch is life.