Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "Dream On!" ^u^ I don't really much to say other than this is where the real action begins to pick up. =D I know I've said that for, like, several other past chapters, but I swear, this chapter is where the actual action begins, haha. XD

On that note, I hope you guys enjoy chapter twelve! =D

Chapter Twelve: Mind Games

They just had to survive a couple of nightmares, face their fears, and then escape. Nothing to worry about…right?

The Guardians sat in their cages, all of them deep in thought, but not as deep as Jack. North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy spoke with each other; their voices drifting over Jack's head. The winter spirit stayed silent, too engrossed in his own musings to focus on paying attention to what the Guardians were saying. He was still processing the fact that he wasn't as okay as he thought. He was dying. Slowly, but it was happening.

Jack still felt upset toward the Guardians for not telling him sooner. They had apologized, and Jack understood why they had kept the information himself; they were only trying to protect, but he felt disappointed that they hadn't enlightened him. He trusted the Guardians, but they had waited until late to tell him the truth. To tell them what was really wrong. All that time, Jack had wondered what was ailing him. The reason behind the nightmares and what they would do to him if they continued. He feared for the worst, and he longed to find the true reason behind his bad dreams and the purpose behind the mysterious bite on his arm. The Guardians had known all of that. They knew what was wrong. They knew why he was hurting. They didn't know how to take it away, but Jack wasn't leaning on that. The fact that the Guardians refused to tell him what was wrong with him up until this point shook his trust in them. Like Pitch had said, how was he supposed to believe in them if they wouldn't even tell him what was wrong with him?

Jack would've deeply appreciated it if he had been enlightened, and he didn't know what to think now that Pitch had proposed a deal that ended either in Jack being cured or…Jack shook his head. The other outcome. The one that Jack didn't want to come true.

Pitch had proposed his little game to all of them, though Jack knew it would be anything but little. The Boogeyman held the remedy to his nightmares, and the Guardians had all agreed to play along, knowing that it was the only way to save Jack. But Pitch was known to tist the rules. Bend them so that they were in their favor, so Jack had no idea what he and the other Guardians would face. Pitch had mentioned that he'd use their greatest fears against them…

With That thought in mind, Jack wondered if the Guardians really did fear anything. He knew that everyone had a fear, no matter how big or small, but even in the direst of situations, the Guardians managed to stay calm. They were brave, much braver than him, Jack deemed. He knew right now that the Guardians were scared for him since he was…fading. But what did Pitch know about the Guardians that he didn't? What scared the Guardians? Jack didn't know, and it was then that he realized that he didn't know as much about the Guardians as he originally thought. He still had a lot to learn about them, and whether he liked it or not, he was about to discover what they most feared as they ventured deeper into Pitch's realm of nightmares.

Bunny was always stoic. North was always jolly. Tooth was bubbly and Sandy was gentle and calm. To think that any of them had a fear struck Jack with bemusement; the Guardian didn't seem like the kind who possessed a fear that brought them down so low. If they did have fears, they hid them well. The only being who knew of them was Pitch, who had the power to sense everyone's greatest fears. Jack sighed and ran his fingers over the black bars of his cage. They were smooth like glass and thicker than tree trunks. The holding space rocked back and forth, making Jack feel uncomfortable. He didn't know how the chains that were keeping the cage in place held so well. With a snap of his fingers, Pitch could make them break, and he'd fall into the pit of blackness that laid below him.

Jack pulled himself out of his thoughts and decided to listen to what the Guardians were saying, he'd need to be in on whatever plan they came up with to face the nightmares that Pitch was about to send their way.

"We need a plan," said Bunny seriously. "We only have a few minutes left with each other, and we don't know what kind of nightmare Pitch is gonna place us in."

"I doubt that it'll be a light one," commented Tooth, smoothening the ruffled feathers on her arms.

"We stick together," North said. "If we separate, we will not manage very long."

Tooth nodded in agreement. "We'll work better as a team."

From his cage, Sandy lifted his hand and waves his dreamsand around. "I can use my dreamsand in case if things get too rough…It may not be able to turn these nightmares into dreams, but I'll try my best to work with what I have."

"Good idea, Sandy," North said. "Whatever Pitch sends our way we will face together. Hopefully, things won't be too difficult…"

"This is Pitch we're talkin' about, North," said Bunny, leaning against the bars of his cage. The Pooka seemed unfazed by the fact that his cage swung rather precariously over the deep pit of shadows below him. "The bloke isn't goin' to go easy on us."

"But as long as we know that these are just nightmares, we'll be fine…right?" Tooth said.

"That's the hope," said Bunny. He looked over to Jack, who hung two cages down. "Ya doin' okay over there, mate? Ya've been awfully quiet."

"Yeah…I'm fine," replied Jack. He let out a sigh. "I just wish Pitch would make things easier. And leave us alone for, say, another few centuries?"

"Pitch was going to come back at some point," stated Tooth from her cage. "Whether we wanted to or not. Like he said, we can't completely get rid of fear, but we can lessen it so that he doesn't have so much power."

"At least he hasn't touched the ankle-biters yet," remarked Bunny. "Pitch better keep things that way."

Jack thought back to when he had encountered Jamie and Sophie. The two were desperate for him to play with them, but he had turned them down. The winter spirit wondered how the two were dnow…and if they were still upset with him. Jack hoped he'd get the chance to explain what was going on to them. The situation looked bleak now, but Jack knew that he and the Guardians would make their way out of this.

Perhaps there was an easier way out of these nightmares…Jack remembered that he could wake up and release himself and all of the Guardians from the nightmares that they were about to endure. But when the Guardian of Fun tried to open his eyes, he found that they were glued shut. Jack slept on, and the winter spirit frowned. Pitch must've cast some sort of enchantment that kept them trapped in this dream world…

Bunny's ears twitched and he scowled. "The ratbag's back."

Right after the words left his mouth, Pitch returned in a burst of nightmare sand. He stood in front of the Guardians on top of a swirling cloud of his corrupt sand, smiling down at the Guardians cruelly. "I hope you spent your time wisely and planned well."

"Just get on with it," snapped Bunny. The Guardians glared at the Boogeyman, and Pitch smirked.

"The first few nightmares will tie specifically with Jack Frost's," Pitch told the Guardians. Upon hearing this, Jack stiffened. The Guardians would witness what had been happening inside of his head for four months as well as discover his true fears. His doubts. His worries and darkest thoughts that he had kept hidden away behind his smiles and laughs. The Guardians looked at Jack worriedly, but the winter spirit made sure to conceal his apprehension.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jack said bravely, though he felt as meek as a leaf. "Bring it on, Pitch."

Pitch chuckled with amusement. "As you wish." His nightmare sand began to swirl around the cages, blanketing the Guardians in a thick layer of darkness. "Good luck," he whispered.

And as the Guardians were whisked away by darkness, they all knew that the Boogeyman didn't mean it.

…

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in his cage anymore, but out on his frozen lake in Burgess.

But it didn't look like the place Jack lived at and loved. It was a shadowed, darkened version of his home that made the place look unrecognizable. The Moon hung in the sky, duller than grey. No stars twinkled above him. The trees were bare, no snow rested on their branches. The shadows extended from the forest like stretching arms. No squirrels scampered by. No lullaby came from the owls. The Wind didn't sail by. All that hung around Jack was stiff, empty silence. It was unbearable.

The only thing that looked the same was his lake, which was frozen over like it always was. It didn't shimmer in the moonlight since it was faint and lifeless, but the familiar coolness was a comfort to Jack's aching feet.

Jack looked around, wondering where the other Guardians were. He had expected at least one of them to say something by now. Belatedly, he discovered that none of the Guardians were there. Tooth didn't hover nearby, and North wasn't standing there with his swords. Sandy's golden glow wasn't present, and Bunny's furry form was absent. Panic began to take hold of the winter spirit; he was alone.

No, no…we were supposed to stick together! Jack thought. Where were they? Where had Pitch transported them too? Were they even in the same nightmare? Had the Boogeyman separated them permanently?

Jack balled his fists, and then did he find that his staff wasn't in hand. The white-haired spirit looked around, his sapphire orbs scanning the lake around him for his beloved staff. His eyes landed on the wooden object; it leaned against a tree that sat near the edge of the lake. The staff seemed to beckon to the winter spirit as he gazed upon it. Jack's fingers twitched; he needed to get to his staff. Without it, he felt like a part of him was missing. And that hollow, empty space could only be filled by his conduit.

Jack pursed his lips, and he took a step forward; a voice interrupted his movement.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Out of the shadows stepped Pitch Black. He stood next to the tree where Jack's staff was resting against. The winter spirit squeezed his fists as the Boogeyman plucked up the elongated stick from where it laid. He ran his long fingers over the rough wood.

"It's funny how such a simple stick is the source to all of your power," remarked the Boogeyman. He twirled the staff in hand. "Take this away from you, and you instantly become weak."

"Put it down, Pitch," ordered Jack, trying his best to conceal his unease. The last time Pitch had taken hold of his staff, he had broken it. Jack still remembered the horrible, burning feeling that he felt within his chest when Pitch had snapped the wooden object in two. He felt like his insides were being pulled apart. Like his chest was burning with an invisible flame. Jack didn't know how he bore it; the winter spirit had never felt such pain. Since then, Jack had made sure to never let his staff out of his sight. He didn't want to risk anyone breaking it, even though Pitch was the only one who had the audacity to do so.

Although Jack tried to hide his fear, he knew that Pitch could feel it. The Boogeyman laughed with diabolical glee.

"I'm not going to break your staff, Jack," reassured Pitch. He set it back where it had previously been. "At least not right now."

That didn't make Jack feel any less apprehensive.

Pitch glided toward the leery winter spirit, pausing at the edge. He looked around Jack's lake, seemingly admiring its features.

"You know, this place looks much more haunting in shadow," Pitch said. "Have you considered a makeover?"

"Where are the Guardians?" asked Jack sharply. He had had enough of Pitch's frittering.

"Wondering where your friends are?" Pitch remarked. Jack glowered at the Nightmare King. "They're around here somewhere…Perhaps they decided to take a stroll?"

"What did you do to them?" Jack demanded.

"Have a little patience, Jack," Pitch chided. The winter spirit's frown deepened. "You've grown rather clingy to the Guardians," the Nightmare King said, folding his hands behind his back. "So, I decided to separate you briefly. You've been alone for 300 years…this shouldn't bother you too much."

Jack's gaze only hardened.

"Oh, but don't worry. All they have to do is find you, and this will all be over," added Pitch sinister grin.

The Boogeyman made it sound simple. Too simple. He was clearly hiding something.

"What aren't you telling me?" asked Jack.

"I've told you all that you need to know," Pitch answered astutely. He turned around, walking toward the shadows he had emerged from. He paused at the edge of the darkness. Then he turned around and looked back at Jack.

"Oh, I forgot to mention…you and the Guardians are on the clock," said Pitch.

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion, and suddenly, he heard a sharp crack break through the silence. The sound was a shock to the winter spirit, and it echoed long after it had been heard. Looking down, Jack found cracks and fractures skittering out from the ice below him. The ice creaked and groaned under his weight. Jack's breathing hitched and his heart thudded against his chest as haunting memories from the past bubbled up inside of him. Jack was about to use his staff to thicken the ice…

But he didn't have it.

Jack looked up, eyes wild. "Give me back my staff!" he cried.

"But that would spoil all the fun, wouldn't it?" Pitch purred, stalking into the darkness. "All you have to do is stay still until the Guardians find you, which shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

More cracks spread out from underneath Jack. They climbed and crawled across the icy surface, thickening and expanding as water began to seep through. Jack knew that the ice wouldn't hold him very long, and he began to panic. The winter spirit looked up again only to find that Pitch was already gone. His staff laid longingly against the tree ahead of him; the only thing that could save him from falling into the murkiness of the lake.

As more and more fractures began to appear, Jack's fear spiked. He squeezed his fists and gulped, forcing himself to stay as still as he possibly could. Where were the Guardians when he needed them most?

"You might wanna hurry up, guys…" Jack mumbled to himself. Another crack burst from the ice, causing the winter spirit to whimper. "Please hurry…"

…

The Guardians found themselves in the middle of a forest. This time, they recognized it. As they blinked and allowed their eyes to readjust, they found that they were in the same woods that surrounded Jack's lake. They had stopped by the winter spirit's home many times, sometimes for a visit or to check up on him. Jack didn't mind a surprise visit from the Guardians. In fact, he looked forward to them, and the Guardians could tell.

Of course, Jack had given them a brief tour of his home. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, and the Guardians were quite surprised that he had managed to commit the entire woods to memory. It wasn't huge, but it was rather large and easy to get lost in. Jack had no trouble navigating it, however, and he had shown the Guardians the fastest way to his lake through the forest. Just in case they couldn't come the usual way.

Now that they stood in a place that they were familiar with, the Guardians allowed themselves to relax. They had visited Jack's lake many times before; they wouldn't have any trouble facing whatever Pitch had for them here!

Bunnymund looked around, his ears upright. Something had been felt off ever since the Guardians opened their eyes. The Pooka turned to the other Guardians and did a quick head count. One of them was missing.

Jack.

"Darn it!" the Pooka snapped. The other Guardians looked his way, confused. Bunny gestured around them. "Frostbite ain't here! The shadowed bloke separated us!"

North stomped his foot and Sandy frowned. Tooth's head spun around, her feathers twitching madly.

"We have to find him! Jack won't last very long on his own!" the Tooth Fairy exclaimed. "Who knows what trouble he could be in right now?"

"Quite a lot, Toothiana."

Pitch Black stepped out of the shadows, a smug smile on his face. The Guardians drew out their weapons and Bunnymund threw a boomerang in the dark man's direction. Pitch leaned to the side, and the twirling object whizzed right passed him. When the boomerang came around, Pitch stepped out of the way of it again. The weapon flew right back into Bunny's paw. The Pooka squeezed it in his paw.

"What did you do with Jack?!" Tooth asked, raising her swords.

Pitch held up his hand in a placating manner, though none of the Guardians were pacified in his presence. "If you attack me, you won't know where to find your precious boy. So put down the weapons before we have any accidents."

Reluctantly, the Guardians put away their weapons. They still kept their eyes on the Boogeyman as he walked toward them.

"Answer the question, ya ninny," Bunny growled. "Where's Jack?"

"This is all part of the game," explained Pitch, gesturing to the woods around them. "All you have to do is find Jack's lake. He's waiting for you there. Get to him, and you will have the first nightmare."

"That is it?" asked North, unconvinced.

"That's all there is to it," replied Pitch, folding his hands in front of him.

"You aren't telling us something," Tooth said, balling her fists. Sany nodded firmly, his dreamsand glimmering brightly.

"We know the way ta Jack's lake," said Bunny. "We can get there before ya can sink into yer shadows."

"Have you forgotten that this isn't the world you know?" Pitch said pointedly. The Guardians silenced. "This isn't the forest that you and your beloved winter spirit venture through during your downtime. This is my world, and everything here stands against you. The woods you stand in is a complicated maze, and it changes depending on where you stand. To get to Jack you'll need to navigate your way through it. Then you'll be able to move on."

The Guardians looked at each other. They had been in mazes before, and they had found their way through them. If they hadn't, they wouldn't be standing where they were now. The Guardians didn't know what would lay in the forest ahead of them; it was dark and rather difficult to see past the shadows that occupied the area.

But Jack was waiting for them at his lake, and the Guardians needed to find him before Pitch decided to do something to him. The winter spirit was already vulnerable. Left alone, Jack was as exposed as a scarecrow standing in an empty field.

"We'll do it," said Toothiana. "We'll get out of here and find Jack."

"Splendid," said Pitch. He turned around to leave, but before he left, a golden question mark burst over Sandy's head. The shifting of dreamsand was loud enough for Pitch to glance the Sandman's way.

"Anything else you should know?" Sandy nodded. Pitch hummed and he began to slip into the shadows, a devilish grin on his face. "Jack is on thin ice."

Then the Boogeyman was gone.

…

The trees blazed behind them as the Guardians rushed through the woods, taking the trail that they knew led to Jack's lake. They spotted a clearing up ahead, and they burst through the trees, only to find themselves back where they had started.

"Which way do we go now?" asked Tooth.

"Ah…This way!" Bunny said, pointing down another pathway. The Pooka bounded through the forest and the Guardians followed after him. Bunny had an enhanced sense of smell, so he could catch Jack's scent from miles and miles away. The Guardian of Hope took the lead as the Guardians tried to navigate their way through the woodland, but like Pitch had told them before, it wasn't the wood that they knew. It looked the same, the faded paths were still present. The tree where Jack and his younger sister used to climb when they were kids was still in the same spot. But when it came to heading toward Jack's lake, the thicket would shift and change. The Guardians didn't know how, but the forest seemed to know where they wanted to go, and it did everything that it could to prevent them from getting there.

This forest was alive. Pitch had control over it. Every path that Bunny led the Guardians down only took them back to the same clearing; the place where they had started.

After the process of picking random trails and heading down them repeated for the tenth time, the Guardians stopped in the open clearing. The circle of trees was beginning to grow sickening to look at.

"This isn't working," said Tooth, her colorful wings fluttering. "We need a better plan!"

"Can you catch Jack's scent again?" asked North, turning to Bunny, who was currently sniffing the air.

"What do ya think I'm doing?" the Pooka replied sharply, but North could hear the worry behind his words. The Guardian of Hope grunted and shook his head. "It's like Frostbite is everywhere!"

"Pitch must've scattered his scent to confuse us," Tooth mused. "Which means we can't rely on smell for this situation."

"But we've gone down every path and there is still nothing!" North said in frustration. The Guardians were stumped, and time was running out. Jack was out on his lake, the ice breaking below him. The winter spirit was probably more than terrified. Jack could plunge into the water at any moment, and the Guardians needed to reach him before he did.

But they had tried, done, and attempted everything. Bunny had tracked down the Guardian of Fun's scent. Sandy left grains of dreamsand behind so the Guardians would remember where they had been. But none of their methods had worked, and the situation began to seem bleak for them all.

"Then what do we do? Ask Pitch for a map?" asked Bunny.

"We have to find way out of here," said North. "Perhaps we call out for Jack?"

Sandy pointed above his head, creating the image of an ear with an x over it. "I doubt that he'll hear us."

"It cannot hurt to try, da?" North said.

"But Sandy's right. Jack may not hear us. We could stand here shoutin' at the top of our lungs while the ice is still crackin' below 'im," said Bunny.

"We have to get to Jack," said North. "There has to be some way we can reach him."

As the men continued to discuss, Toothiana was busy in her own thoughts. As the Tooth Fairy, Tooth had faced many problems. Whether a tooth wasn't where it was supposed to be or the wrong type of currency was left under a child's pillow, the Guardian of Memories was always quick to resolve them. A problem was only a puzzle that hadn't been solved, and Tooth was confident that there was a solution to the predicament that the Guardians were currently facing.

Tooth knew that Pitch didn't play by the rules, and the nightmarish world that she and the Guardians were in was warped and inverted. Pitch altered things, changed them, making what the Guardians thought they knew seem like something else. Like the forest that they were in right now; the Guardians were very familiar with Jack's lake, but in this nightmare reality, any path that led to it repeatedly tossed them back to start. They had already tried following Jack's scent, and they had looked for landmarks that they knew were near the winter spirit's home, but those hadn't brought them to Jack's lake either.

Like a bubble bursting, an idea popped into Tooth's mind. She had followed the other's lead long enough; it was time for her to take charge.

"There's still one thing we haven't tried," said Tooth, turning to North, Bunny, and Sandy, who quieted at the sound of her voice. Tooth looked at each of them. "Everyone, close your eyes," she directed.

Bunny snorted. "If we can't see, how are we going ta find Jack?" he asked.

"Pitch said that this isn't the world that we know," explained Tooth, fluttering to the front. "Get in line and hold hands so we won't lose each other."

As the Guardians did as she instructed, Tooth further explained her idea.

"Things are different here," said Tooth, closing her eyes. She could sense that the others had done so as well. "We can't rely on what we've grown to know or what we do know. We have to think outside of the box. Use a different perspective. Anything impossible is possible here. Pitch altered this forest knowing that resort to sight and smell to make our way around like we usually do. None of those methods worked, so we have to try something else."

"And that something is…?" questioned North.

"Navigating the forest blind," replied Tooth. North, Sandy, and Bunny were bewildered. "I know it sounds crazy, but if we can't see where we're going, I think we'll find Jack." The Tooth Fairy held North's hand in her own and guided the line forward. "I don't know how it'll work…but I believe it's what we have to do."

And all of the Guardians knew the power that belief held, so they didn't question Tooth any further. They held each other's hands as they walked through the woods. They didn't bump into any trees and nor did they trip over any sticks or stones. Surprisingly, nothing stood in their way. Whatever path they were on was completely clear. The forest didn't fight against them. In their heads, the Guardians repeated the phrase "I believe, I believe, I believe…" to further ensure that they'd find Jack. The phrase was the beginning and fuel to every spell and hope, and all of the Guardians had learned this back when they had first been acquainted.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted and changed. The Guardians no longer felt lost. The woods were now behind them as they emerged not into the clearing that they had appeared in frequently but someplace new and familiar.

The Guardians opened their eyes, pride and relief washing over them when they found themselves standing at the edge of Jack's lake! As much as they wanted to celebrate their small victory, the Guardians didn't have time for jubilation. In the center of the frozen lake was Jack, who was trembling with fear. His bright blue eyes were wide, and his posture was stiff as cracks webbed their way beneath him. Jack must've been standing on the frozen surface for a while, for the cracks were thick and large and water was leaking through them, making it difficult to stay completely still. Jack yelped as another crack broke through the ice; he hadn't noticed the Guardians who had come to his aid.

"Jack!" Tooth hollered. The winter spirit looked up, spotting the Guardians standing the at the lake's edge. Jack's eyes flooded with relief, and he managed to crack a smile.

"Oh thank Manny…you guys found me!" he cried. Subconsciously, Jack took a step forward, and the ice groaned below him. The winter spirit froze.

"Don't move, mate! We'll get ya off of there!" called Bunny.

"I-It's okay, it's okay…" said Jack. He pointed at his staff, which was still meaning against a tree. "Could you toss my staff over? I can use it to freeze the water."

"How did it get all the way over there?" asked North as he walked over to retrieve the winter spirit's staff.

Jack frowned. "Pitch took it."

"He's going to regret that one day," said Bunny threateningly. The Guardians stopped at the tree where Jack's staff was leaning against, and North took the winter conduit in his hand. It looked like nothing but a twig in his large hand. The ex-Cossack tried to pick it up, but it wouldn't budge from its position. Bemusement, North tugged at the staff again. It stayed where it laid as if it were glued to the tree. Noth tugged at the staff even harder, a strained grunt leaving his lips.

"What's takin' so long?" asked Bunny.

"Staff is stuck," said North, backing away from the wooden object with an exhale of breath. "It won't move."

"Yer probably jus' tired," said Bunny, walking over to the staff. He grabbed it and tried to pull it from where it laid, but it wouldn't budge.

"What the…" Bunny muttered. He pulled even harder, but the staff refused to move from its position.

"You are probably just tired," North said with a deadpan expression. Bunny glared at him.

"Jus' get over here and help me," the Pooka said indignantly. North walked over and he and Bunny began to pull at the staff together. The Guardians guessed that Pitch was interfering somehow…He knew that the Guardians couldn't get to Jack by walking out on the ice. It would surely crack under their weight.

Another crack skittered out from where Jack stood. The winter spirit began to panic. "Do you guys mind hurrying it up?" he said. The ice popped and broke beneath him. Water burst from the fractures, splashing onto the white-haired teen that stood over them. Jack squeezed his fists and stifled a cry.

"It's going to be okay, Jack! Just don't move!" Tooth cried reassuringly. If the winter spirit panicked any more, the ice would break even faster. "We'll get you off the ice, I promise!"

Sandy gave Jack a comforting smile; the young spirit seemed to relax, but only a little.

The staff was stuck, and the ice was breaking. There were only a few mere seconds until the ice would finally give way. Regardless of Sandy and Tooth's attempts to solace him, fear and terror swirled within the winter spirit like a raging fire.

"Where's my staff?!" Jack shouted, hysteria beginning to take him over.

"Stuck to this bloody tree!" Bunny grunted as he and North tried to pry it loose from the tree. From where it laid, it looked like it could easily be taken, but an invisible force knotted the staff to the tree. Pitch was definitely interfering alright.

"Pull harder!" bellowed North.

"What do ya think I'm doing?" snapped Bunny, planting his furry feet into the snow. He put all of his Pookan strength and muscle into removing the staff from the tree. The rabbit's arms were sore from the effort, but he continued to pull. North's hands were beginning to blister from gripping at the rough wood for so long, but much like the Pooka beside him, he didn't give up.

Out on the ice, Jack was throwing every insult that he could come up with at Pitch. The Boogeyman just had to be shrewd with him and the Guardians, didn't he? Not only that, but he had created a nightmare heavily based off of one of Jack's greatest fears: drowning. Ever since he had seen his memories, the winter spirit was afraid of plunging into the water and being unable to swim back up. Jack had saved his sister from falling through the ice, and those few minutes under the cold, icy waters of the lake were minutes that he never wanted to experience again

But as the ice began to give way, Jack knew that he would be forced to endure that pain a second time.

Tooth and Sandy went over to help North and Bunny yank the staff from its place. Jack trembled in the center of the ice. It was about to break, he knew. Any moment now the ice would give way beneath him and he'd—

CRACK.

Jack stiffened, face ashen. The Guardians froze where they stood.

In a horrible instant, the ice finally broke. And with a shrill cry, Jack plunged into the frigid, murky waters of his lake.

His staff fell from where it laid. North bent down; he was finally able to pick it up.

…

Only a nanosecond had passed when the Guardians sprang into action.

"Oh no…Jack!" Tooth cried, she flitted over to the gaping hole in the center of the lake, buzzing around it frantically. Her feathers popped out in all directions, and her eyes were frenzied. "Where is he?! I don't see him!"

Bunny tested the ice and then rushed over to the hole. Sandy and North hurried behind him. Ripples circled from where Jack had fallen. The lake was darker than octopus ink, and just looking at the water made the Guardians shiver.

"I don't think he'll be able to swim up," said Bunny. He shifted on his feet. "I'm goin' in."

"What?!" exclaimed Tooth. "Bunny, it's pitch black and freezing down there!"

"Frostbite's down there and he needs help," the Guardian of Hope said. "I'll be fine...I think."

"Don't stay down there for too long," advised North, still holding the winter spirit's staff in hand. It was strange seeing Jack's crook held in someone else's hand. The Guardian of Fun carried it everywhere and was normally decorated with frost whenever the staff was in his grip. But now it looked like nothing more than one of the many branches on the trees surrounding the area. The staff looked lifeless and like it held no power.

"Hurry, Bunny. We don't know how long we have until…something bad happens," said Tooth.

Bunny nodded tersely, and he dived into the open space in the ice. Water sprayed on North, Tooth, and Sandy, but they didn't pay any attention to it despite how freezing it was. They watched, gazed, stared intently at the rippling water. Seconds past. Minutes past. Tension as thick as smoke hung in the air. The stillness of the night didn't help the Guardians' ferment.

A few tense moments later, Bunny burst out of the water with a gasp. Jack laid limp on his shoulder, cold and sopping wet. The Pooka placed him on the thicker ice, and the Guardians crowded over them. Jack was as white as the snow he created, and his bangs stuck to his forehead. The winter spirit was breathing, which was a relief to all of the Guardians. But his eyes were still closed.

"Is he alright?" whispered Tooth fretfully.

Suddenly, Jack's eyes snapped open, and he drew in a sharp breath. The winter spirit made the mistake of trying to sit up; he flopped back down on the ice, coughing up the lake water he had absorbed. Relief washed over the Guardians.

"Crikey, mate, ya scared us half ta death!" exclaimed Bunny. He looked Jack over, sniffing for any external injuries. "How are ya? Does anything hurt?"

Bunny was so close, that his whiskers brushed at Jack's cheek. The winter spirit chuckled softly. "K-Kangaroo…That tickles…"

"I think he's good," said Tooth, settling beside him with a smile. "Besides, this is only a dream."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful," said Bunny.

Jack slowly sat up, and Bunny supported him. "Ya need ta take it easy."

"I feel fine," said Jack. Although the winter spirit knew that wasn't entirely true. His chest ached from the water that had seeped into his lungs, and he was still rather shaken by the fact that he had almost drowned. Again. In the water, Jack felt like he was reliving the past, but this time, it was much scarier than the last. The waters were dark and frigid, colder than the freezing terrains of Antarctica. It was too real, too vivid...Jack shivered; he just wanted these nightmares to stop.

North kneeled down in front of Jack, holding his staff out for him to take. "I believe this belongs to you," the ex-Cossack said gently.

Jack's eyes widened, and he took the staff out of North's hand. The moment his fingers touched the wood, frost spread out from the center, curling and twisting into meticulous patterns across the winter spirit's staff. He tapped the end against the icy lake, thickening it with an extra layer just to be safe.

"Thanks, North," said Jack, smiling.

The Guardians embraced the winter spirit, all of them more than relieved that he was alright. Though this was only a nightmare crafted by the Nightmare King, the Guardians felt like they had been close to losing Jack, which was something that none of them wanted to come true. Pitch was using their fears against them, and he was using them well. What else lay ahead of them, and would they be able to get out of whatever situation they found themselves in as quickly as they had with this one?

Jack leaned into the loving embrace; he hadn't been expecting it, but he didn't reject it. The warmth that the Guardians provided made the winter spirit feel safe and loved, and that was what Jack needed most after what he had just experienced.

The atmosphere shifted, and Jack instinctively clutched his staff. A new presence had joined them. Pitch.

"How lovely…a familial embrace," the Boogeyman said as he slipped out of the shadows. The Guardians pulled away from each other and were on their feet in an instant. They pulled out their weapons and this time made no move to put them away.

"Is that anyway to address someone?" asked Pitch.

"Ya've got some nerve showin' up here," growled Bunnymund.

Pitch shrugged and he walked to the edge of the lake. "You all passed the first nightmare, unfortunately. But you still have a long way to go."

"Why don't you just tell us how to cure Jack right now?" asked Tooth, gripping her swords tightly.

With a smirk, Pitch replied. "That wasn't part of the deal, Toothiana."

The ice cracked and gave way below the Guardians, and they plunged into darkness. And in just a few moments, they were transported to the next nightmare.

Author's Note: *Inhales sharply* I'm realllllllly beginning to hate Pitch right now. =/ But at the same time, I'm kind of loving writing his character. X) He's so formal, even though he's the antagonist. I think that just makes him even more creepy. OuO

And now I've officially run out of words to say. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chap, and I'll see ya in the next one! =D *Sinks into shadows*

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203