Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "Dream On!" =D This chapter is where the action sort of starts to pick up. =) Other than that, I don't really have anything else to say. X) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Seven: A Risky Attempt

He wished that the Guardians weren't so fussy.

Often, Jack found himself enjoying the Guardians' constant companionship. From the moment he became a Guardian, North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy had been doing their best to spend as much time with him as possible. Being alone for 300 years without being acknowledged made Jack long to be noticed. To have someone to talk to. Share a laugh. Or simply just be there for him when he needed them. The Guardians had given all of that to him and more, and Jack cherished it.

The winter spirit couldn't remember the last time he had been cared for. Even back in his human life, where he lived with a kind loving family, Jack had been alone for so long, it seemed as if none of that had ever happened. Jack was still getting used to being noticed, and although he never said it out loud, he loved the care and attention that the Guardians gave him. They made a great effort into making sure that the winter spirit was never alone again, and they had come through for him more than once. Despite his occasional doubts, Jack knew that the Guardians did genuinely care for him, and that feeling of being cared for was like the warmth of a burning hearth.

But sometimes, that recognition and care could become, well, superfluous.

Jack knew that the Guardians were overprotective of him, but as he laid in bed with the Guardians hovering over him, he found that overprotectiveness wasn't enough to describe their current state. The Guardians buzzed and fussed over him; their concern and worry rubbing off each other in waves. They asked Jack many questions, some necessary while others were nugatory. Was he comfortable enough? Was he hungry? Did he need another blanket? Did he need extra pillows? Was the room temperature reasonable? Did he really want to sleep in his usual clothes? And was he sure that he wanted to do this?

The Guardians poked and prodded at him like pins and needles. The winter spirit let out an irritated groan.

"Guys…I'm not dying," said Jack. North, Tooth, and Bunny stopped babbling. Sandy's dreamsand images disappeared over his head in a poof. "I'm just going to sleep for a little bit. I'm fine."

"What you're doing is still dangerous, Jack," Tooth said worriedly. Her feathers twitched anxiously. From her shoulder, Baby Tooth looked just as concerned. Tooth's wings fluttered, and she wrung her hands together. "What if Pitch hurts you?"

From the other side of the bed, North nodded. Worry was blatant in his bright blue eyes. "Toothy is right, Jack," he said. "We won't be able to protect you once you are asleep. You will be the only one there to fight Pitch off."

When Jack had proposed the idea to lure Pitch to the North Pole by having him sleep, the Guardians were more than reluctant. Pitch had been plaguing Jack's mind for a while, meaning that Jack would make the perfect bait, but the Guardians were uncertain about going through with such a dangerous idea. There were many risks, and with Pitch regaining power, the Guardians didn't want Jack putting himself in harm's way. Especially since he was already injured enough.

But Jack was insistent. And with a little bit of convincing, the Guardians came up with a plan that would lessen the chances of Pitch getting his hands on Jack. Since the Boogeyman would appear only when one of them was asleep, the Guardians would stand near Jack's bedside not only to keep an eye out for the Nightmare King, but for support. There wasn't much they could do once Jack was asleep; he would be on his own once he closed his eyes, but not entirely. Sandy would be ready with a ball of dreamsand to place over Jack in case the nightmare grew too intense for him.

The plan sounded foolproof, but there were still several holes that Pitch could weave his way through. Jack was well aware of this, and he shifted in bed at the thought of the Boogeyman managing to gain a hold of him. Of course, he wouldn't let that happen. But still, it was possible.

"I know. But I'm sure I'll be okay. Really," reassured Jack.

But the winter spirit wasn't entirely sure. To be frank, Jack was rather fretful about his own plan. He had been suffering from nightmares for months, each one more horrific than the last. The terrifying images still flashed through his mind even when he was awake, making it difficult for him to focus or stay at ease. Jack didn't know what Pitch had in store for him, but from what he had said when he had extravagantly revealed himself to the Guardians, it was probably far from good. Perhaps even worse than the nightmares that he had been tormenting his mind with.

Jack wondered if Pitch was watching him and the Guardians at that very moment. He could be spying on them from the shadows under the beds he spent a lot of time in. Or he could be looking at them from the murk pooling behind the closet pressed against the wall. In the corner of the room sat a pit of darkness; the perfect place for the Boogeyman to hide while he surveyed the Guardians and their actions. The moment Jack fell asleep, Pitch could easily leap from the shadows and attack the unsuspecting Guardians with ease.

Jack gulped and gripped his covers, suddenly feeling a lot less confident than he had been before. The Guardians had said that he could back out if he wanted to, knowing that the mission was rather hazardous. The winter spirit considered telling them that he didn't want to do this. That he wanted to find another way to stop Pitch. One that didn't involve an awful nightmare that would frighten him. But how long would it take for the Guardians to concoct another plan that would be effective against the Nightmare King, who was quickly regaining power as they sat there?

They didn't have time. They didn't have time to sit around and wait for Pitch's next attack. Jack reminded himself that he wasn't the only one at risk, but the thousands of children around the world. Nightmares were roaming the globe freely, looking for young minds to torture with bad dreams. Sniffing out for fear to lick up without leaving a trace behind. No child should be stalked by a nightmare, and no child should have to suffer at the hands of Pitch Black because he didn't go through with the plan that would either stop Pitch or slow him down just enough so that the children wouldn't be threatened so soon.

No, the winter spirit wasn't doing this just for the Guardians of Childhood or himself, but for the thousands and thousands of young, innocent children around the world. That calmed Jack down just a little, and he slipped under his covers, resting his head against the comfortable pillows behind him.

Jack admired the Guardians' efforts into making him as comfortable as they could as he slept. The winter spirit knew that he wouldn't feel the cushioned pillows that were as soft as clouds propping his head. And nor would he feel the light blue, silk-like blanket tucked snuggly around him. Regardless of the blankets being, well, blankets—an item that was mostly used to retain heat—North had enchanted them so instead of retaining heat, the blankets kept Jack cool. The winter spirit had to admit that he was rather impressed, even though he was already comfortable before the Guardians' tweaking and readjustments.

"If Pitch does show himself, what will be our next move?" asked Tooth.

"We'll be ready," answered Bunnymund, crossing his arms. He nodded toward Jack. "All Frostbite has ta do is lure him in, and then we'll launch our attack if the bloke does show."

"Which we're all assuming he will," Tooth countered with a slight frown. "If he doesn't show up physically, Jack will have to fight him off in whatever nightmare he created for him."

"I can handle him," Jack said. "...I think."

"There's no way yer facin' Pitch on yer own, mate," Bunny said firmly. "Ya won't stand a chance."

Jack frowned, but he knew that the Pooka was right.

"Then we will wake Jack up," proposed North. "Pitch does show, we fight. If not, we wake Jack."

Sandy nodded, agreeing with the idea.

"Sounds good to me," said Jack. He yawned, sinking into his pillow. Since he hadn't slept in months, Jack was more than drained. The coolness from the blanket swept over him, and his pillow felt as light as freshly fallen snow. Sleeping wouldn't be a problem; Jack could already feel his eyes beginning to close.

The Guardians either stood or sat on either side of Jack's bed, watching him. They were all worried for their winter spirit, but they tried not to let it show. Jack would need all the courage that he could get in order to endure what he was about to face.

Tooth flitted over Jack's bed, pulling the covers over him caringly. "Be careful," she whispered.

The Guardians wished Jack good luck, and the winter spirit's eyes slipped closed. His breaths evened out. Exhaustion took him over. And Jack fell asleep.

…

He found himself standing in a forest. One that he didn't recognize.

The second thing Jack noticed was that this staff was gone. Vanished. Disappeared as if it hadn't been in his hand when he had fallen asleep. The winter spirit panicked without the familiar feeling of wood clutched in his grip. Jack looked around widely, hoping to find his staff strewn on the ground or hanging from a tree branch, but he didn't see any sign of his beloved staff, meaning that he would have to do without it.

Jack examined his surroundings, finding that this wasn't the forest that surrounded his lake. Those woods, he knew like the back of his hand. Jack had spent a lot of his time exploring them during his 300 years alone. He even acted as a tour guide to Jamie and his friends whenever their imaginations led them to the woods surrounding Jack's lake. The winter spirit remembered their adventures vividly, but those bright, cheerful memories did little to quell the building up trepidation in his chest.

As he looked around, Jack discovered that he was in the middle of a dew-covered clearing, but it looked nothing close to morning. The grass was black like charcoal, and the dew glistened like the flashing eyes of a Nightmare. The trees that circled the area were eerie and loomed over Jack like giants. Their branches long and gnarled, they reached out toward the winter spirit like the crooked hands of a witch. The forest was dark and ominous, and hardly any moonlight leaked through the dense, leafy canopy that hung over Jack. Shadows curled and twisted around him like venomous snakes, and Jack felt his fear begin to rise. He drew in a deep breath and calmed himself. This is only a nightmare, he repeated to himself over and over. It's not real. It's not real…

His only goal was to find Pitch. Complete that task, and the Guardians would wake him up in an instant. Before him laid a worn, dirt path that didn't seem like it had been used in a long, long time. There was no other way to go but forward, so Jack trekked down the used trail, venturing deeper into the darkness.

As Jack trekked forward, he wished that he had his staff with him. The wooden object greatly helped control his power, and with it, he could fly on the Wind. If he had his staff, he could summon a gale to carry him over the dense wood so that he wouldn't have to walk through it on his own. Thinking about the Wind made Jack miss her company. He knew that the Guardians were only inches away from his sleeping form, but in his nightmare, it seemed as if they were as far away as the Moon.

Though the Wind wasn't nearby, the leaves and branches on the trees swayed ominously, as if it were blowing. Jack heard creatures—creatures that he didn't recognize—chittering and scampering through the underbrush. The bushes were large and thick; their branches studded with sharp, frightening thorns. The leaves were as big as umbrellas, making it difficult for Jack to navigate his way through the foreboding wood.

The path grew narrower and narrower; silence accompanied the winter spirit as he continued to walk. The air was thick with tension, and a cold feeling not from his wintery aura but from the fear that threatened to constrict him ran down Jack's spine. He sensed someone—something. He wasn't alone.

Something was following him.

He couldn't hear whatever it was, and that unnerved him even more. Jack had learned to trust his instincts during his 300 years alone, and even though he wasn't on his own anymore, he still found himself leaning toward his predisposition in the moments where it was most needed. Now, as Jack ventured through an unknown, dark wooded forest, his instincts were telling him one thing, and one thing only: run. He needed to run, but his legs moved on their own now. He had no control over them.

Suddenly, there was a loud THUD from behind him. Jack whirled around, alarm spiking through his veins. His heart nearly broke through his chest. Oddly, nothing stood behind him.

But something had made that noise, hadn't it?

Without his permission, Jack turned around, his legs carrying him further down the used path.

The hairs on his neck stood on end as he pressed on. He wanted to run, move, escape the thing that was following him. But no matter how many times forced his legs to break into a sprint, they'd continue their slow-paced walk. He needed to run—he wanted to run. He had to flee from whatever was—

From behind him, a large, hulking mass burst from the murk. Jack's body finally listened to him when he turned around. The winter spirit's eyes widened at the sight of the…the…Thing. Jack couldn't tell what it was, but he knew one thing for sure.

It was out to kill him.

The Thing let out a blood-curdling screech that echoed long after it had been released. The black, lumbering mass of darkness used whatever was around it to pull itself toward Jack with a hand that looked vaguely similar to Pitch's. Jack didn't spend any longer scrutinizing the horrific creature, for once it got within ten feet of him, Jack forced his legs to carry him into a run.

HIs arms pumped furiously at his sides as he pressed himself to move faster as the Thing quickly caught up with him. How was it moving so fast?! Or was he just moving slow? Sweat dripped from Jack's brow, blurring his vision, but he kept going. He couldn't stop running, for if he did the Thing would take him, and he'd never again see the light of day.

Jack's chest burned as if a flame had been ignited within him. His lungs felt like they were about to burst from effort, but he kept on going. He needed to run, move, escape from his pursuer, but his legs were sluggish and his body was tired. Jack felt his strides beginning to hinder; he was slowing down!

No, no! Jack willed, forced himself to move faster. Thorns, sticks, and twigs stabbed and scratched at his unprotected skin. Jack shoved branches and leaves out of his face as he continued to sprint. The ground below him grew rocky and uneven. He stumbled several times, which only slowed him down even more. Blisters covered his bare feet, bleeding as they were cut by sharp stones that littered the ground. They tore at feet like knives; pain stabbed from the bottom of his feet. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, breaths heavy and labored. His legs felt gelatin, and his body was close to collapse.

The shadows loomed over him, and the tree branches reached out to grab him. Their rough bark brushed against Jack as they slowly pulled him toward the Thing behind him. It was slow close, only a few feet away. Jack jerked and struggled against the constricting tree limbs fruitlessly.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Leaves and twigs crunched and snapped as the horrible creature grew nearer. Jack could hear its gravely breaths. The winter spirit squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the awful thing. He heard the hand that protruded from the large mass reaching toward him. Jack prepared himself for his demise when suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and everything changed.

The Thing screeched as it was burned away, becoming nothing but black specks that blew away in the breeze. The dark, haunting forest around Jack crumbled away like dust. The branches' grip loosened until they were no longer holding him.

When Jack's eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself not in the middle of a dark, bleak wood, but flying over the ocean, his staff magically returned in his hand. Below him, a playful pod of dolphins leaped out to greet him. The sun shone from above, its warm rays touching the blue, shimmering ocean below.

His fear melted away, and Jack found himself laughing as he reached out to touch one of the frisky ocean dwellers, which had jumped close enough for his pale fingers to brush against. Soon, he realized the cause of the sudden shift in his dream.

"Sandy…" the winter spirit whispered. With a silent thanks to the Dream Maker, He grinned and continued to fly amongst the dolphin pod, laughing and smiling all the while.

…

Jack's once strained face was decorated with a light smile as he rolled over in bed, a golden dream taking place over his head. The dreamsand winter spirit was soaring over a pod of cheerful dolphins, who were leaping out of the ocean to greet him. It was a pleasant dream, and the Guardians smiled at the sight of it. Their built-up tension ebbed away.

"Nice save," North said kindly to Sandy. The Guardian of Dreams nodded with a grin. A short while after Jack had fallen asleep, he had begun to toss and turn in bed, a look of terror on his face as he slept. The Guardians didn't know what he was seeing, and Sandy couldn't reach into his sleeping mind to find out what was troubling the winter spirit. There had been no sign of Pitch since Jack went to sleep, and the Guardians didn't want to put Jack at risk any longer. But they bottled up their worry and waited, hoping that results would show sooner than later.

For ten minutes the Guardians waited for some sort of sign to alert them to Pitch's presence. Still, the Boogeyman didn't show. And the only sign that he gave that he was nearby was Jack going through his current nightmare.

Ten minutes had never felt so long to the Guardians of Childhood. Jack turned and twisted; his face scrunched up in pain. Whimpers soft but audible sounded from him, causing the Guardian's hearts to plummet. Finally, they couldn't stand the visible suffering that he was going through any longer, so they decided to give him some dreamsand to counter the nightmare that he was going through, and the winter spirit immediately calmed down.

There had been no sign of Pitch, and the plan had failed, but what was most important to the Guardians was that Jack was okay.

Tooth watched the dream play over Jack's head thoughtfully. "He did his best," she said.

"Yeah," Bunny agreed. He sighed, sitting down in his chair. "But it looks like Pitch is playin' smarter than we thought."

"We will have to find some other way to stop him," said North. "We've fought him off before; we can do it again."

"But how?" asked Tooth, gesturing to Jack. "Jack needs his sleep, and these nightmares need to be stopped. If he falls any further behind on his work…"

"We'll be gettin' an earful from Emily Jane," Bunny said with a small roll of his eyes.

"And the children will be more than worried," added Tooth. "And we can't let them stop believing."

"We will find a way," North said hopefully. "Is like I said, we fought Pitch before, we can do it again. For now, we will let Jack sleep."

"The kit sure does deserve it," Bunny remarked. Sandy nodded in agreement.

The moment ended when there was a sudden ZAP from above Jack's head. The Guardians quickly turned to the winter spirit, finding that the dreamsand was corrupting into its evil counterpart. The golden, glittering grains of dreamsand darkened and twisted, turning the gritty, unpleasant nightmare sand. The darkened grains sprinkled over Jack's sleeping form, and the Guardians started, horrified as they watched the nightmare sand sink into the winter spirit, causing him to shudder. Jack moaned and he turned around, his breaths quick and heavy as he gripped his bed covers as if they were his lifeline. Jack's eyes were screwed shut, and his features were tight as he jerked and thrashed violently. Panic took hold of the Guardians.

"Sandy! Give him more dreamsand!" exclaimed North. Sandy hurriedly brushed his dreamsand over the winter spirit, but every time he did, it would convert into nightmare sand once it touched Jack's skin.

Jack let out a strained cry, his movements becoming more and more rigid as whatever nightmare was unfolding in his head played out.

"What do we do?!" cried Tooth, her feathers bursting. "We need to intervene!"

"There isn't much we can do," said North sadly. He looked down at the winter teen. "Jack is on his own."

…

There was a reason why Jack Frost hated water.

A clear, blatant reason that could only be said in one word: drowning.

Before he had become the Spirit of Winter, before he had become Jack Frost, he was Jack Overland, the fun-loving, carefree teenager who loved his sister more than anything in the world. It was this love that made Jack take her place on the cracking ice and fell through it instead of her. That sacrifice had been noticed by the Man in the Moon, so he brought Jack back to life in the form of a winter spirit. Jack Frost, which became his new title. His new name. The new him.

Jack had forgotten his past life. He had forgotten the happy times that he had shared with his sister before he had become the embodiment of winter. It wasn't until MiM suddenly chose him to become the fifth Guardian of Childhood that he finally regained his memories and remembered. He remembered everything. He remembered his past life, the times that he shared with his family and friends in 1700 colonial Burgess.

And he also remembered his death.

Though it was only a memory tucked away in his teeth, Jack felt like he had relived the moment that he had drowned. He could feel the cold, murky water of the lake wrapped around him. The aching, burning in his chest as he felt himself losing oxygen. He could feel the water leaking into his lungs. And he had felt his life drift away as his eyes slipped shut.

It was a horrible feeling. A horrible experience, one that Jack never wanted to go through again. He had never understood the uncomfortable feeling that he would receive when he was near a body of water, but when he had received his memories, he finally understood why.

Which was why in this nightmare, Jack was more than scared. He was petrified to the nth degree.

Waves. Waves with crests as tall as skyscrapers rose over Jack's shivering form as he gazed at towering water that stretched over him. He was in the middle of the ocean with nothing to grab onto, bobbing in the water like a lost, helpless buoy. Land was nowhere to be seen as the ocean churned and shifted. Lighting split through the sky, and dark, intimidating clouds billowed together from above. The water looked as black as ink as it violently twisted around the winter spirit.

Rain pummeled down from the sky. The raindrops felt like stones as they beat against the Guardian of Fun. Jack's bangs stuck to his forehead, his eyes widening at the sight of the tsunami drawing closer. Snapping out of his shocked daze, Jack flailed his arms around in the water, desperately trying to swim away. He felt like he was swimming through mud, and his limbs wouldn't work properly. He felt his legs moving in all directions, and his arms moved helplessly through the ocean.

His attempts were fruitless. The enormous waves came crashing down over the winter spirit before he could prepare himself. Jack screamed as he was swept away by the ferocious currents. Water filled his mouth and lungs. His eyes and nose stung sharply. He could feel the ocean weighing him down, pushing him to the bottom. Terror gripped him tightly as he swirled and tumbled through the water like ocean waste.

The sea spat him out of the water, and Jack quickly took in a breath of air to make up for all that he lost, but it wasn't long until the ocean took hold of him once again, dragging him to the bottom of the roaring sea. It was so dark, and Jack couldn't see through the thick murk. Only the occasional crack of lightning illuminated the waters, but it never lasted long enough.

Mustering up all the strength that he could, Jack forced his arms and legs to work with him as he attempted to swim up to the surface. His lungs were screaming for air, his eyes blurry with water. His chest ached and burned as he pushed himself to continue swimming upward. He could hear the thunder booming from above. The lightning flashed grew more and more visible as he got close to fresh air.

Jack burst out of the water with a gasp. He coughed and choked on the seawater that he had absorbed. He was nowhere near land, and Jack didn't know where to go from here. The storm roared and screeched around him. The Wind's gales forceful and callous.

Again, the large waves rolled over him, yanking him down to the bottom. Jack absorbed copious amounts of water, and when the water thought that it had done enough, it would toss him out of the water like a useless ragdoll. The torment continued, near drowning only to be shoved out of the water again. Pain coursed through every part of Jack's body. Black dots dotted his vision. He could feel consciousness slipping away; he didn't know how much more this torture he could take…

The ocean dragged him down, pulling far stronger than it had before. Jack desperately tried to swim to the surface, but the water's grip was too strong for him to fight against. The tumultuous sea wrapped around the winter spirit, crushing out what little oxygen was left inside of him. Bubbles burst from Jack's mouth, and he was hurled out of the ocean again, being violently dragged to an even darker part of the sea.

Thunder boomed from above. Lighting painted the sky as Jack found himself approaching a huge, swirling whirlpool in the center of the murky waters. Nothing but blackness laid at the bottom. Cold, ill-boding darkness that caused the winter spirit's fear to spike. Jack tried to swim away, he tried his very hardest, but the waves pushed him towards the undertow. The roar of the violent, spinning currents even more deafening than the storm above.

Jack cried for help, but his voice was drowned out by the crashing waves.

…

The Guardians had never felt so terror-stricken.

Jack was thrashing in bed, his pale face strained and cries heart-wrenching. North, Tooth, and Bunny frantically tried to calm him down while Sandy attempted to force his streams of dreamsand into the boy with no prevail. Jack twisted and writhed; he kicked his legs, accidentally hitting North in the stomach. The ex-Cossack backed away as Tooth begged for the winter spirit to wake up. Her eyes were frenzied, and her feathers were twitching like mad. Baby Tooth buzzed around her, chirping hysterically. Palpable panic emitted from everyone in the room.

Bunny shook the winter spirit strenuously, but his eyes were forced shut. Jack wouldn't open his eyes, and the Guardians couldn't tell if he was trying to. The sight of him was painful, and Bunny felt his heart rip in two with every strained cry and scream that Jack let out. Despite the Guardians' efforts, despite their begging and the ample amount of dreamsand Sandy sprinkled over him, Jack just wouldn't wake up. He was trapped in a nightmare created by Pitch and was completely unaware of the Guardians trying to wake him. There were very few times where Bunny was scared, but as he watched Jack toss and turn before him, he was more than scared. He was terrified.

There were moments where Jack would stop breathing, and he'd gasp as if he'd just come up for air. The first time it happened, Tooth had lost it, and North looked just about ready to pass out from the shock. But Sandy had quickly enlightened them, using his dreamsand images to guess that Jack was probably having a water related dream. The winter spirit began to breathe again, but his breaths were labored and sporadic. Even though Sandy reassured them that Jack would be fine as long as they woke him up, that didn't prevent Bunny from nearly having a heart attack every time Jack didn't inhale or exhale.

Bunny gritted his teeth. "C'mon, Jack...Wake up!" He shook the winter spirit even harder, but the bloke just wouldn't open his eyes.

"Moon above, we're losing him!" Tooth cried. She fluttered about the room, her eyes wide with panic. "What do we do?! What do we do?!"

"We need to wake him up!" bellowed North.

"But how?!" asked Tooth hysterically. "Jack's unresponsive, and nothing's working!"

Tooth was in a frenzy. North was panicking. Sandy was glowing brightly from concentration. The Sandman was trying to rpy his way into Jack's sleeping mind, but so far, he wasn't successful, and the Guardians doubted that he would be. They were losing Jack, and it wouldn't be long until Pitch came and claimed him, but Bunny wouldn't let that be so. Not now, not ever.

Like a switch being flicked, Bunny suddenly had an idea.

"I'll be back!" the Pooka shouted as he dashed out the door. North, Tooth, and Sandy watched their friend in shock, surprised that he had simply just got up and left. What in the world was Bunny thinking? He said that he would be back, so the three Guardians didn't wallow in their surprise for long. They turned their focus back to Jack, who wasn't getting any calmer. The winter spirit had kicked off his covers, and he still jerked around in bed.

Tooth placed her hands over her mouth, her eyes glittering. "Will he ever wake up?" she asked desperately.

North and Sandy didn't have an answer.

In a few moments, Bunny burst through the door, holding a bucket filled to the brim with ice water. The other Guardians were bemused, but they listened when Bunny yelled, "Gangway!"

North, Tooth, and Bunny backed away from the bed. Bunny dumped the contents of the bucket onto Jack's thrashing form. With a loud gasp, Jack's eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly. He was soaking wet, but he hardly noticed his sopping clothes as he frantically looked around. His eyes were filled with fear, and he didn't acknowledge the Guardians who approached him.

The Guardians were relieved that Jack was okay, but it took quite some time to calm the winter spirit down. Jack looked up at them, eyes sparkling with fear. He looked even more exhausted than he had been before he had gone to sleep. Jack trembled, and he turned away with a sniff. He hadn't spoken a word since he had woken up.

"Jack, what happened?" Tooth asked gently, but the winter spirit refused to respond. Tense silence hung in the air.

"We should let 'im take a breather," Bunny spoke up, placing the empty bucket down on the floor. "The rest of us can discuss what ta do next about Pitch. It looks like we'll be dealin' with a lot more than we thought."

"Will you be fine by yourself?" Tooth inquired Jack. Jack nodded, pulling his hood over his head to hide his face. He clearly didn't want to speak at the moment.

Tooth fluttered over to the door where the rest of the Guardians were waiting. Before they left, Sandy pointed to himself, and created an arrow over his head, which pointed to Jack.

"Ya want ta stay with Frostbite?" Bunny translated out loud. Sandy nodded. He knew that what Jack really needed right now was some company. He wanted to try and help the winter spirit, and someone needed to keep an eye on the winter spirit to ensure that he didn't fall asleep.

"Alright, Sandy," said North. "You can stay with Jack. Make sure he doesn't sleep, da?"

Sandy gave him an assuring nod, and North, Tooth, and Bunny left the room, leaving a concerned Sandman and trembling winter spirit behind.

Author's Note: Aw, poor Jack. =( I think the guy needs some hugs. Lots of 'em.

And darn you Pitch for messing with Jack's head. =/ Give the guy a break!

...And that's all I've got. X) Fresh out of comments on my own chap. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see ya in the next one! ^u^ (just learned how to make this emoticon...I'm in love with it, haha! XD).

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203