A/n: I know this chapter is going to make certain people angry, so I just wanted to say, fuck off.

.:2:.

Jack paced in front of a window looking out into snowy nothingness. Sophie was drifting in and out of consciousness on the bed nearby, and Jack clutched a tiny bundle to his chest. A soft crying could be heard from the corner of the room, and he stopped to stare and bite his lip. He brought the bundle in his arms closer to his face and it huffed in frustration from the other infant's cries.

Urgent knocking sounded at the door, followed by the sound of ice cracking. Jack moved over to the bed as Sophie groggily tried to sit up. She propped herself up on a elbow and gave Jack a long, tired look. Brushing a hand through her hair, she sat up and held her arms out.

"Jack, please. I know you're trying to let this sink in, but we have to do something." Tooth's voice wavered emotionally from the other side of the door.

Jack handed the bundle to Sophie, and she hugged the tiny infant reassuringly.

"Please, just let me in. I'm sorry I couldn't get here in time, just please…" Tooth sounded nearly panicked, and Jack looked from the door to Sophie.

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded solemnly. Jack sighed and his breath puffed up in a cloud of mist. Tendrils of ice crept out around him where his feet touched the floor, but he moved toward the door. He put his hand on the doorknob, and the ice around the bottom shattered as he sharply jerked it open.

Tooth fluttered nervously in the hallway, with North and Bunnymund lingering worriedly behind her. Jack motioned for Tooth to come in, then softly closed the door behind her before the other two could object.

Tooth immediately shot to the corner of the room and gently lifted the sobbing infant from the cradle. She held him to her chest, cooing gently in his little ears as he sniffled. A sob ripped its way out of Sophie's throat, and Jack sat on the bed beside her to offer comfort.

"We can't even touch him. The moment the umbilical cord was cut…" She sobbed again and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I just want to hold him…"

"Sophie, you just need to calm down… You two radiate cold when you're upset, and this has been a very stressful day. North told me everything, I'm sorry it wasn't the easiest delivery…" Tooth floated next to the bed, holding the tiny infant as close to the winter spirit as she dared while ice crept across the bedspread.

"How is this even possible..?" Jack murmured. He was still in shock, but he took the tiny baby from Sophie when it looked like she might faint. "One is some kind of… Springtime spirit? That I understand. But her twin brother is human..?" Jack gazed pleadingly at Tooth, hoping she would have some kind of solution to the problem at hand.

"How are we supposed to raise a human?" Sophie sobbed. She tried to hug her knees, but winced in agony and drifted backward into the pillows as Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, North would be happy to offer you a home here. He's mentioned it a thousand times." Tooth tried to reassure her friends, but she was getting distracted as she gazed down at the human infant in her arms. He had a mess of brown hair and big blue eyes, and Tooth was absolutely in love.

"Or you could raise him in the Warren, Bunnymund-" Tooth tried to offer, but Jack cut her off.

"Would love to have me there full-time, I'm sure." He drawled out sarcastically.

"Well, you could come to my palace…" Tooth trailed off because she knew it was a long shot, what with the rampant safety hazards for a human child, but she wanted to help her friends.

"We need to call Jamie." Sophie hugged a pillow to her chest as tears rolled soundlessly down her cheeks.

"We can't raise a human child, we'll kill him. All it would take is one of us losing control even for a second, the temperature dips too low, his blood freezes. It's not worth the risk." Sophie closed her eyes, and Jack's gaze drifted to the baby in his arms.

His daughter looked so much like Sophie, it made him feel a kind of familial joy he didn't know he was capable of. She had big round cheeks, and huge brown eyes framed with a puff of white hair. She wriggled a hand free and clutched at his face, and he put his thumb to her palm for her to grab. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his thumb, and he saw frost creep across her skin. It only made it about an inch before it melted and an uncomfortable warmth spread into his thumb and across his hand. He slipped his thumb from her grasp and touched the tip of his nose to hers proudly.

"Touché, my princess." He murmured lovingly. He set her gently beside Sophie, who turned to curl protectively around the infant.

"Tooth, please get him fed. I'll go talk to Jamie." He said softly.

"Wait, you don't have to- We can figure this out! You can't just give up-" Tooth started to cry, but Jack moved forward to hug her gently.

"We can't raise him, Tooth. If we try we're going to ruin or kill him." Sophie bit out angrily. Jack put a hand on her hair but she slapped him away and curled tighter around the infant beside her.

"Sophie's right. We have no place raising a human child. Even if we don't kill him, what kind of future can we offer? How is he going to connect to other humans if he grows up in a magical household of mythical beings? Giving him to a human household is the best thing we could do for him." Jack brushed the tip of his finger over his son's cheek, but frost spread across his skin and he let out a startled shriek.

Sophie jerked at his words, but remained silent.

Tooth hushed him and brushed her hand over his cheek to warm him up, then shared a look with Jack. She nodded in agreement, then turned to carry the infant boy out into the hall. Jack opened the door for her, then left it open. North and Bunnymund crept forward, and Jack nodded respectfully at them before striding into the hall.

Bunny rushed to the bed to fawn over the tiny Spring spirit Sophie was comforting, and North stopped Jack with a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"You are doing the right thing. He might be happy here, but he would always feel empty inside. Like bird in cage." North's words reassured him, but still stung. He nodded, but didn't dare try to answer the way his throat was constricting.


Jamie was watching TV when Jack knocked on his door. He could hear the man laughing at the program, so when the door opened and he came face to face with Pippa, Jack was a bit surprised. She stared blankly at him for a moment, and at first he thought she couldn't see him. Then she stepped aside and smiled.

"Jamie, your brother is here!" She grinned and sang into the livingroom. Jack heard something fall off the table, then the table thumped as if it had been kicked, then Jamie cursed because he definitely kicked the table in surprise.

"Jack!" He grinned at first, then his face fell in concern when Sophie was not anywhere to be seen.

"What happened? Is she alright? What about the babies?!" Jamie rushed forward to grab his shoulders, and Jack blinked at him in shock for a moment before it sank in.

"Oh! No! Everything's fine, everyone's healthy. Umm… I need to talk to you, about… One of the twins…" Jack trailed off awkwardly and set his staff down against the wall as he glanced at Pippa. She seemed concerned, and invited Jack to sit on the couch as she paused the TV show they'd been binging.

"What's the matter? Did she give birth? Why didn't you call me?" Jamie pressed nervously.

Jack brushed his fingers through his hair and sighed. He sank down into the couch as Jamie loomed nearby. A cup of water on the coffee table iced over, and Pippa glanced at it curiously.

"I didn't… call you right away because it was difficult labor. It was early, but it was rough and she didn't want people there. She barely let me be there… It didn't feel right…" Jack tried to explain but knew he was mucking it up. He gathered himself.

"One of the twins is human…" Jack forced the words out, and there was a long moment of silence.

Jamie leaned back against the wall and shared a look with his wife.

"I don't- We don't know what to do…" Jack said quietly. "We can't even touch him. The moment the umbilical cord was cut, it cut off the magical ties between him and Sophie. When we touch him his skin turns icy, he screams…" Jack's voice wavered, but Pippa put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

Jamie didn't know what to say, and he walked slowly to the couch and settled down beside his closest friend. Jack was clearly upset, and Jamie put a hand on his back to let him know he wasn't alone.

"Jack, we're family. We'll do anything to help. Do you need a safe place to raise him? We have a spare room, it might be a bit crowded, but we can make this work." Jamie glanced at Pippa, and she nodded in agreement.

"No, we can't be around him like that. I don't…" Jack put his head in his hands and felt icy tears at his eyes. "I don't think it's safe…"

"Jack, what about the other baby?" Pippa asked carefully. Jack wiped his face and looked at her.

"She's fine. Oh, I mean, the second baby is a girl. Congratulations." Jack tried to sound playful as he elbowed Jamie, but it came off as stressed. "She's a seasonal spirit, like me. We think she's a Spring spirit, but it's kind of early to tell. It would make sense though, Spring always meant to much to Sophie." Jack let out a little laugh and Jamie smiled.

"Jack, what do you want us to do?" Jamie asked gently.

Jack clasped his hands together at his chin and thought for a moment. He didn't want to ask, but he had to find a safe place for his son, and this was the safest place he knew of.

"Is there any chance you would be interested in adoption..?" His voice trailed off, and Jamie stared at him in shock.

"Look, I'm not human. I was, a long time ago, but I'm not now. And Sophie isn't anymore. That's just another thing I've taken away from her." Jack started bitterly, and Jamie withdrew his arm of reassurance.

"If we try to raise a human child, assuming we don't kill it, he's not going to have a good life. It's going to be a permanent internship at the North Pole that ends with him being alone and isolated and out of touch with his own heritage. I'm not saying we want to cut contact with him, but he needs to grow up like a human. In a human home, with other humans…" Jack knew he was rambling now, and Jamie stood up.

"Pippa, let's talk about this." He said gently, and his wife stood up and headed for the stairs.

Jack listened to them go up to their bedroom and close the door. He sat there for a long time, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He knew in his heart it was the best chance for his son to have a good life, but there was still a lingering feeling of dread. He could hear Jamie and Pippa having a conversation, but he couldn't make out any words. They talked for maybe twenty minutes before the door creaked open and they came back down to the livingroom.

"Alright, if you're sure this is what you want we will adopt my nephew. But we are having this conversation again when my sister is here. You can go let her know if my nephew needs a foster home, he is more than welcome here. I wasn't going to say anything, but Pippa and I have been trying to start a family for years with no luck, so if you two are serious, you'd be giving us a real blessing." Jamie's cheeks flushed red and Jack's eyes widened at the revelation. He glanced up at Pippa as she hugged herself by the foot of the stairs looking embarrassed but hopeful.

Jack jumped to his feet, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from his soul.

"I'll let Sophie know. She's still recovering, but when she's ready we'll be here. Thank you, both of you." Jack said sincerely.

"Get out of here, go back to your wife and kids, dude." Jamie chuckled playfully and slapped Jack on the shoulder.

Jack nodded and moved toward the door. He picked up his shepherds' crook and headed back out into the night.


A/n: I put my daughter up for adoption in 2008 and I still don't regret it. I know a lot of people might be offended about adopting out a child, so I'm here to tell you to go fuck my big toe. When you know you can't give a child a good home, you know. And there is no shame in adopting that child to a home that can make them happy, and provide a family, and give them emotional and financial support. People might tell you that you're a monster for putting a baby up for adoption, but you're not. At all. You're a hero, if you truly love your baby but can't take care of it, you're a hero for giving it to a family that really wants it. And to make things even more clear, my daughter is 13, and she texts me now. We are building a relationship, and she still got to have a good and healthy and financially stable childhood without me. Because I admitted I couldn't give her that 12 years ago when I was 16 years old.