A/n: Just a heads-up, I am going to start using page breaks to reduce the amount of filler I have to write to tie chapters together. Hopefully this will make it easier to write longer, more interesting chapters. Also, I totally do not have blueprints of the North Pole, so I am just guessing at what rooms would most logically be found there.

.:21:.

"I'm going after him." Sophie turned on her heel and stomped toward the house to find Jamie.

Jack felt sick, and he moved slowly as he retrieved his staff and stared down at it.

"Sophie… Wait." Jack called weakly.

Sophie paused with her hand on the doorknob. She turned to look back at him with worry as he lowered himself down to sit in the snow. He held his staff to his chest like a security blanket. He put a hand to his head miserably, and Sophie sighed heavily and sat down beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I should have known. I guess I did, I just didn't want to believe it would happen to Jamie." He said softly. Sophie reached over to take one of his hands.

"Has he been acting weird?" Sophie asked quietly.

"I don't know, maybe a little. It's just… He told me the other day that the Boogeyman wasn't real, and I wanted so bad for him not to believe in Pitch that I just took it. I never stopped to think what that might mean, I guess I just thought he decided not to believe, I don't know. I feel so stupid." He leaned over and Sophie sat back as he rested his head on her chest and hugged her.

"I can go talk to him, we can get this straightened out." Sophie said reassuringly. Jack sighed.

"I don't know if we should. Everyone needs to grow up sometime, I guess I just thought Jamie might be different. He wants to be a paranormal investigator, you'd think he'd be wide open to believing in weird stuff. Maybe we should just leave him alone…" He sounded so miserable, Sophie's chest tightened.

"Jack, if it was me, would you just walk away?" She asked softly in his ear. He tensed a little and tightened his arms around her.

"No." He mumbled into her jacket.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would feel like if the girl he loved couldn't see him. If Sophie were to walk through him, he wasn't sure he wouldn't die from it. He knew someday he would have to let her grow up, but somehow he had thought he'd always have Jamie at least.

"I need to go…" Jack said miserably. Sophie nodded in understanding.

"You should go see North or Tooth, someone that's been through this before and knows what it's like." She said softly.

Jack slowly let go of her, kissed her cheek, then got to his feet. He took a few steps, then paused just before the wind picked him up.

"It might be better for him this way…" Jack said sadly. Sophie's eyes looked determined and she crossed her arms.

"You know that's not true." She stated. Jack cringed a little.

"I don't know what else to do. I'm tired of feeling like I'm being selfish." He shrugged, and before Sophie could say anything else he vanished into the sky and she was left clutching her jacket to her against the harsh winter wind.

It had been over a week and Jack hadn't come back yet. Sophie knew he needed some time to be alone and think right now. Jamie had been like a brother to him, and losing him so unexpectedly had been a major blow. She knew he must feel torn between letting Jamie grow up and intervening to keep him as a believer. Sophie was more than willing to force her brother to believe in Jack again, but it was his decision.

She leaned against her window frame and sighed. It was Christmas Eve, and she had really been hoping Jack would have at least come to see her tonight. The sun had set and she had gotten excited when it started snowing, only to realize it was slow, lifeless, normal snow. There was nothing supernatural about it.

Sophie watched from her window as a car pulled up slowly along the curb outside her house. She opened her window curiously, and after a moment a girl stepped out and put an elbow on top of the car, smiling up at the house. The front door slammed, and Sophie glared a little as Jamie dashed across the front lawn and climbed into the car. The girl ducked back in and she could hear them laughing together before they shut their doors and drove off into the night.

She would have been surprised, but she had suspected it was a girl that had finally distracted Jamie enough to forget his childhood. Leaving her window open in case the missing winter spirit decided to show up, Sophie dragged herself back to her bed and flopped down face first.

Losing herself in thought, she dozed off comforted by the soothing silence of her bedroom. A few hours passed, and Sophie was suddenly jerked awake.

She was still sprawled facedown on her bed, and she was irritated to find she'd fallen asleep fully dressed again. Wondering vaguely what had awoken her, she sat up and rubbed her face. Ice cold air was drifting in through her window, and she rubbed a hand across her face as she got up to close it. Just as she was reaching for her window, a face popped down from above and she let out a startled shriek as she jumped back.

"Hah! Now you are awake!"

Sophie breathed heavily for a few seconds as a few thoughts registered in her head.

"North?!" She was both shocked and excited, she hadn't expected to see him this year.

"I was coming through and thought I would like to see little Sophie! Come! Christmas Eve is almost over, we will celebrate!" The large man was so happy, leaning down over her window from the rooftop. Sophie smiled and bounced a little in place.

She rushed to pull her boots on and grab a jacket, then snuck carefully to her door. Once in the hallway, she paused to glance toward Jamie's room. She didn't know if he'd come home yet, and she was suddenly filled with sadness when she thought of the past years the two of them spent waiting for North to show up in their livingroom. Pushing the thought from her mind, she tip-toed down the stairs and out the front door, easing it shut quietly behind her.

Sophie tended to share Bunnymund's fear of the sleigh, but recently flying with Jack had taught her to be more trusting. North was apparently finished with his Christmas Eve rounds, and the sun was coming up over the horizon as she took a seat a little nervously in the sleigh. North was just getting settled when something clicked in Sophie's mind and she shot to her feet.

"Oh! North, can you do something for me? Please? I thought of something to do for Jack, and it's Christmas." She rushed forward and dug her rather small hands into the sleeve of his coat. He looked sideways at her and put a hand to his chin as he considered it.

"I'm not sure, Jack has gotten back on top of Naughty list this year…" He said half-jokingly.

Sophie leaned down a little and did her best to pout and give him puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Santa?" She made her voice as small and adorable as possible and North nearly melted.

"Ah! So cute! Alright, what is it you want?" He asked, chuckling as Sophie beamed happily and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Sophie yawned and rubbed her eyes, following along behind North as he made his way through the workshop. Having finished her request in record time, Sophie judged she still had a couple of hours before she needed to be home, and there was no way she was going to miss out on visiting with North on his own holiday.

"Poor tired Sophie, would you like some coffee?" He asked over his shoulder. She gave him an odd, tired look.

"What happened to hot cocoa?" She asked. North laughed like she had just told a joke.

"I have cocoa, I can put some in the coffee if you like." He replied with an amused smile.

"That actually sounds really good." Sophie said, perking up at the idea.

"Good! Go wait, I think you will like what you find in there." North said with a wink, and Sophie paused to glance down the hall at the doorway he gestured toward.

There was an arched doorway off to the side of the hall, and Sophie wandered over toward it curiously. It had been a long time since she'd been here, but it seemed familiar. Peeking around the doorway she spotted a roaring fireplace with rugs and comfortable looking couches. Iced-over windows lined the back wall, filling the room with a beautiful glow. Benches sat beneath the windows and she saw a few bookshelves and tables around the room. Her gaze reached the far side of the room and there, tucked away in the corner farthest from the fire, was Jack Frost.

His hood was up and he held his staff over one shoulder and between his knees. He seemed deep in thought, but glanced up when she stepped slowly into the room. She wondered for a moment if he hadn't wanted to see her and thought she might be interrupting something, but his eyes lit up and he literally flew across the room to meet her.

"Sophie…" He breathed against her hair as he dropped his staff and pulled her into a hug. She wound her arms around his back.

"I was so worried…" She said softly.

"I'm alright." He leaned back to smile a little sadly at her. "I've been talking to North, I'm feeling better about it now."

Sophie reached up with one hand to pull back his hood, she didn't like how sad it made him look. His hair fell down around his face and she brushed her fingers through it affectionately. Jack leaned his forehead against hers and smiled to himself.

A/n: Sorry to cut it short, but it was either stop here and post a new chapter, or wait a few days just to make it a little longer.