Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "Dream On!" =D I don't really have much to say at the moment, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! ^u^

Chapter Fifteen: The Guardians Regroup

Jack had never experienced true warmth.

He was a winter spirit, meaning that him and heat did not mix very well When it came to spring and summer elementals, Jack always made to stay clear of their path to avoid being caught into a quite literally heated brawl which he would most likely lose in.

Jack couldn't visit the desert, or any place that was too close to the equator. Jack could stand in hot places for very long without feeling like he was about to collapse, so the winter spirit made sure to only stick to the places where the temperature was bearable enough for him, and thankfully, the Guardians' homes were such places. The North Pole was in the middle of an arctic region, adn Sandy's island drifted all over the world, but it often stayed in the places that weren't too hot or too cold. Punjam Hy Loo was high enough in the sky that it was cool enough for the winter spirit, and the lush, spring-filled Warren had a reasonable humidity, and Bunny didn't seem to mind when Jack lowered the temperature a little whenever he swung by.

Very few times had Jack been caught in a situation which involved heat. He had found himself stranded in the middle of forest fires whenever he tried to slow down the flames. Or he'd encounter the aggressive Summer Sprites, who never hesitated to blast their fiery rays of pure sunlight in his direction. When he was first learning to fly on the wind, Jack had crashed in the Sahara and narrowly escaped. Hidden under his hoodie were the many burns and blast marks from these experiences, and Jack couldn't help but grimace at the sight of them.

Yes, the winter spirit and heat did not cooperate, and when they did run into each other, chaos and catastrophe often followed. So when North introduced Jack to hot chocolate, the winter spirit was more than baffled.

He still remembered the day pretty clearly, and North's booming laughter at his comical reaction upon taking a sip. The heat from the drink wasn't too hot to the point where it was uncomfortable; it was just right so he could drink and sip as much as he wanted without turning into a puddle. Since that day, Jack had a sheer fondness for hot cocoa, and never refused a cup when he was offered one. The drink was the only heated thing that didn't bother him, which Jack considered somewhat of a victory.

So there Jack sat in his favorite armchair in the library, drinking a fresh cup of hot chocolate that North had brewed for him. The cocoa was warm and comforting, and Jack sunk into the cushioned chair as he sipped on it. Warmth spread through his aching bones, and the throbbing pain from his abdomen seemed to melt away. Shortly after waking up, the Guardians had taken Jack to the infirmary to treat his wound, which still came as a shock to them all. Pitch had the ability to hurt them through their dreams, and they would transfer to real life. Whatever pain or injury that the Boogeyman inflicted on them during their nightmares, they would experience it once they woke up. The Nightmare King was growing more powerful by the minute; the Guardians realized that the stakes were much higher than they had thought. The worry was palpable, and even the creatures of Santoff Claussen, who didn't get too involved in the Guardians' battles, could feel the anxiety that they were experiencing.

Jack rubbed his eyes, trying not to let his mind wander back to what he had seen in his nightmare, but his thoughts kept on falling back to what Pitch had said when he tried to recruit him a second time. After his first attempt, Jack thought that the Boogeyman wouldn't even give a thought to offering him another partnership, especially since he was a Guardian of Childhood now. Jack had made it rather clear that there was no way he would join Pitch's effort in turning the globe into a realm of fear, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder if Pitch had offered him the alliance so they could conquer the world…or because he was desperate for company.

Much like Jack, Pitch had been left on his own for a long time. A lot longer than the winter spirit in fact. Jack didn't know how long Pitch was left by himself, but from what he could perceive, it must have been a while. A very long while. He was probably just as longing for some recognition and company as much Jack had been when he was alone. The winter spirit felt pitiful toward the man; he could easily empathize with him. But if he told the Guardians what he felt, they'd probably think he'd gone mad.

Jack sighed, pulling himself out of his thoughts as he looked up. Across from him were North, Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny, who were frantically searching through several tomes for any information regarding his nightmares. They weren't normal and were perhaps enchanted, and the Guardians needed to find out what they were, how Pitch was making them, and how they could stop them. They stood over a table, which had towers of books circling it. Bunny, North, Tooth, and Sandy had just opened another large book, and were flipping through its worn, ancient pages.

Tooth fluttered above the group, Baby Tooth flitting beside her. Upon hearing her queen's call, Baby Tooth had rushed to Santoff Claussen. She was glad to see Jack but was also greatly worried about his condition. The two fairies looked up from the table and turned to Jack, who was sitting some distance away from the group. The winter spirit seemed troubled, so the two fluttered over to him to see how he was doing.

"Hello, Jack. How are you feeling?" asked Tooth gently as she hovered over to his seat. Baby Tooth perched on the arm of Jack's hair, twittering worriedly.

Jack shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess…" he replied. He lifted a hand and rubbed his eyes. "Although, I'm still pretty tired…"

"I know but just keep hanging in there," Tooth encouraged. "I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this. And then you'll be able to sleep for as long as you like."

"I sure hope so…" Jack mumbled. He frankly didn't know how he and the Guardians would put a stop to Pitch. There was an answer to every problem, but Jack didn't see one for this situation. How was one supposed to stop someone who's not attacking physically…but mentally?

Sensing his worry, Tooth caringly wove her hand through Jack's hair. Unlike Pitch's, Tooth's touch was warm and comforting. Jack leaned into Tooth's hand with a small sigh; his worries eased, and he felt a little bit better thanks to Toothiana. He had never said so out loud, but he secretly loved the Tooth Fairy's gentle touch as well as her hugs, which always made him feel safe and at home. The winter spirit had begun to see her as a motherly figure, and it was in moments like these where he felt it the most.

Baby Tooth flitted upwards and nuzzled Jack's cheek. The winter spirit chuckled softly. "Baby Tooth…you know that tickles," he said. Baby Tooth only chirped and continued to rub her feathery head against the winter spirit's cool cheek.

Tooth smiled, silently taking pleasure in the acne unfolding before her; she hadn't heard Jack laugh in a long time, and even though this particular laugh was only a small one, it warmed her to hear just a small bit of his loving laughter.

After a few moments of silence, Tooth perched on the other arm of Jack's chair and said, "Jack…can I ask you something?"

"Sure," said Jack. Baby Tooth nestled in the nook of his hoodie. "As long as it isn't anything embarrassing," he cracked with a small smile.

Tooth smiled briefly, but her expression soon morphed into one of concern. "I was wondering…What really happened on that iceberg with Pitch?" she inquired.

Jack hesitated, and he took a sip of his hot chocolate. He didn't feel like talking about it, and Tooth could sense that. She knew that something deeper must have happened during the time Jack was by himself. She found it a little odd when he had suddenly tripped up while he was telling the Guardians what had occurred. He was hiding something, Tooth knew, and she was desperate to discover what it was that he was keeping from her and the others.

Tooth laid a hand on Jack's shoulder, and the winter spirit looked up at her. "You know you can talk to us about anything, Jack," she said softly.

Jack chewed his lower lip and gripped his mug. "Yeah, I know, but I—"

Jack cut himself off when North, Bunny, and Sandy approached. Noticing the three, Tooth fluttered up from her seat. Jack let out a breath, glad that he didn't have to say anything about what happened on the iceberg…yet.

"How are ya holdin' up, mate?" asked Bunny.

"I'm doing fine," replied Jack. He rubbed the area where the bandages had been wrapped. "Thanks to the treatment that you guys gave me at the infirmary."

"Wound will heal in time," North told the winter spirit with a smile. He then addressed everyone. "We found some information related to the new nightmares that Pitch has created."

Jack leaned in, eager to hear what the Guardians had to say. Baby Tooth scooched forward in his hoodie.

"The nightmares that you have been having started four months ago, da?" asked North. Jack nodded, confirming his statement. "How bad were they when they first began?"

"They weren't as horrible as they are now," answered Jack. "They kind of worsened as time went on."

"And when would ya say the nightmares began to get really bad?" questioned Bunny.

"Uh…not too long ago, actually," said Jack, remembering the nightmare he had about the blizzard he had created that killed an entire park of children and adults. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we wanted ta see if our assumptions were correct, which they are," Bunny said, crossing his arms. He nodded at Jack's wounded arm. "That bite is the key ta makin' yer nightmares so vivid. When that nightmare took a nip at ya, it created a link between ya and Pitch."

Jack looked bemused, so Bunny further explained.

"That bite on yer arm is a tether," Bunny elaborated. "Ya know, like a cord or rope. Pitch and his nightmares are like the thing that's attached to that rope. And in this scenario, they are. Yer nightmares grew worse after that bite was given ta ya, and it wasn't until then that nightmare sand started sinkin' into ya."

Jack furrowed his brow. "But how do you know that?"

"Sandy told us that he stopped by your lake earlier," explained Tooth. The Sandman turned to Jack and smiled softly. "He said that he gave you some dreamsand so you could sleep that night."

"Oh, I remember that," said Jack.

Tooth nodded. "Sandy said that was the last time he gave you dreamsand. After that, it lost its ability to give you good dreams since it turns into nightmare sand once the grains make contact with you."

"The bite is radiatin' some kind of magical energy that causes dreamsand ta be ineffective on ya," added Bunny. "A tether with that kind of power has ta be injected into its victim, hence the bite."

"I guess that makes sense," Jack commented. He leaned back into his seat, taking another sip from his hot chocolate. "But it sounds like this has been done before…How come you guys didn't know about this until now?"

Sandy raised a hand, and instead of using his usual illustrations to get his point across, elegant, neat, swirly cursive began to form over his head, allowing an easier explanation.

"This technique isn't used very often," explained the Sandman. "In fact, it had last been used during the Golden Age by Dream Pirates, who sought out to consume and destroy every living good dream. It's ancient magic, one that's as old as it is dark. Most information on it has been lost or destroyed, so there isn't much we can go off of. This spell has hurt thousands of people, and not many survived. Some died from their nightmares—"

"And that's apparently happening to me," said Jack, cutting Sandy off. The words over Sandy's head disappeared in a poof, and he nodded remorsefully at the winter spirit sitting in front of him.

"The Constellations tried to get rid of every spell book that contained this crazy enchantment," said North. He pointed at the pile of books that laid on the table behind him. "Thankfully, my old mentor had a few of these books salvaged."

"Is there a way to break the bond?" asked Tooth.

"Da, there is!" said North happily. Hope surged in Jack's chest, but it began to flicker when the Guardian of Wonder's excitement turned into concern. "But…it can only be broken within a nightmare."

"Which means…" said Bunny.

"That we have to go back into my nightmares and face whatever the heck Pitch throws our way until we can break the tether," finished Jack with a frown. "Is there really no other option?"

Sadly, Sandy shook his head. Jack squeezed his mug, frost collecting around it. He didn't want to go back into his nightmares, but the Guardians said that it was the only way to break the link between him and Pitch. As much as Jack wanted his nightmares to be put to an end (and save himself before he…passed on), he had already gone through so much during his previous nightmares. And now that he knew Pitch could physically hurt them through his nightmares, Jack wasn't so sure about going back into them.

Tooth laid a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We'll take a break before heading back," she said. The Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies turned to everyone. "I'm sure we could all use one."

Bunny nodded. "We need ta do more research on this anyway," he said, turning back to the table where the books were piled. North and Sandy followed the Pooka while Tooth stayed beside Jack.

"Would you like to be taken back to your room?" asked Tooth, rubbing the winter spirit's back.

Jack shook his head. "I'd rather stay," he replied. "I need to know how we can stop," he gestured to his arm. "This."

"And we're goin' ta need ya ta stick around so we can examine that arm of yers," Bunnymund said.

Tooth and Baby Tooth fluttered over to the table, and Jack stood up about to walk over to the table as well. He winced as his side thumped with pain, and he wrapped an arm around his stomach.

"Ya can just sit there, mate," said Bunny. Jack sat back down and the Pooka walked over. He lifted Jack's injured arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bandages underneath. The white was stained with splotches of red; Bunny unwound the gauze slowly so he wouldn't jostle it. He removed them completely and set them aside, leaving the horrific bite mark open and exposed. The webs of black had grown thicker and longer; they almost completely covered Jack's entire arm. The winter spirit sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of it; the wound had definitely gotten worse.

Bunny examined Jack's arm. "When's the last time it bled, mate?" he asked.

"It only bleeds whenever I'm having a nightmare or about to," said Jack.

"That's how we know tether is in use," North said.

Grabbing a new roll of bandages from where Jack knew not, Bunny rewrapped the injury and said, "It's gettin' worse." He finished patching up Jack's arm and stood up. "The nightmare sand coursin' through the kit's veins is eventually goin' ta overwhelm 'im."

"Then we should start thinking about how we're going to break that bond," said Tooth determinedly.

"The tether is usually located within the deepest part of one's darkest nightmare," said Sandy. "Traveling so deep in a dream is dangerous and risky, and some never wake up when they do so."

"Well aren't ya just a little ray of sunshine, Sandy," Bunny deadpanned.

Sandy frowned. "I'm being serious. Even I haven't ventured so deep into a dream."

"But this is the only way we can save Jack," said Tooth. "So shouldn't we all take the risk?"

The veteran Guardians turned to Jack, who was tapping his fingers against his empty mug. Spirals of frost crawled onto the smooth surface as the winter spirit tiredly stared down at the empty cup. Though he didn't show any sign of it, Jack was dying, and the Guardians weren't going to let their winter spirit leave them so soon. Whether they liked it or not, this was the only way they could save him, and deep down, they were all willing to take whatever risks there were to save their boy.

"We will do it," said North. He crossed his arms. "This is only way."

Tooth turned to Jack. "Are you okay with this, Sweet Tooth?"

Jack hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I…Yeah," he said. He looked up from his mug, blue eyes hard and determined. "Let's do it."

…

After doing some more research, the Guardians dispersed and North took Jack to the infirmary so he could check the wound on his side. The winer spirit was glad to discover that it was healing nicely; he feared that he'd have to deal with the injury for a while longer.

But like everything in the North Pole, the medicines and concoctions in the infirmary were specially designed and made for any spirit, including winter ones. Earlier, North had given Jack a tablet to swallow that would soothe the pain and speed up the healing process. Unlike mortals, immortals didn't suffer from injuries for too long. Even the most serious of injuries took half the time to heal if it were on a regular human.

North gingerly wrapped another bandage around Jack; the wound was still bleeding, and he didn't want to risk it reopening when it closed.

"You will be as new as good in no time, moy mal'chik," said North reassuringly once he finished tying the bandage. "If you take care of yourself, wound should be gone by next week."

Jack chuckled. "North, I think what you're trying to say is 'as good as new.''"

North waved a hand as he put away the last of the medical materials. "Bah…Is what I said," he said dismissively.

Jack cracked a smile, and he pulled his hoodie over his head, feeling much better with his favorite piece of clothing in place. He often felt incomplete without the blue fabric, on him, and Jack refused to wear any other piece of clothing unless if he absolutely had to.

Once North was done putting the last of the health items away, he sat down next to Jack on the medical table. He looked at Jack and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"Jack…why didn't you tell us about your nightmares sooner?" asked North.

Jack looked down at his pale feet. "I…didn't want to pull you guys away from your work," he replied quietly. "And I was sure that I could handle them on my own. I mean, they're just nightmares, and I shouldn't be this afraid! And yet I…I…" Jack's shoulders slumped, his cerulean eyes flickering. "I am," he whispered.

The winter spirit didn't mention how he wasn't completely trusting of the Guardians just yet. Or how he often doubted his relationship with them. He didn't tell North how the majority of his fears revolved around the fact that he and the other Guardians didn't really care for him. That he feared they would turn their backs on him, just like they had last year's Easter Sunday.

North stood up and moved to stand in front of the boy. He bent down, face to face with Jack. The winter spirit's eyes looked up at him.

"Jack, we don't mind if you ask us for help with something serious or to hide you from elves when you eat all the cookies." A tiny, ephemeral smile crossed Jack's face. "We are all willing to help you, Jack. All you have to do is ask. We do care for you, my boy."

"Well…now you do…" Jack mumbled. The words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. Jack's eyes widened as well as North's. Jack didn't know how he let the words leave his lips.

"N-North, I'm sorry," Jack apologized quickly. "I—"

North held up a hand, stopping the winter spirit. "No, Jack…You are right." Jack's posture loosened. "We should have been there for you sooner, but we were too wrapped up in our hard work and deadlines that we didn't take the time to look out for you. We…" North sighed heavily. "We failed you, Jack, but I promise that we will not fail you again. 300 years is a long time to make up for, but we will do our best to atone for lost time."

The Guardian of Wonder pulled Jack into a hug, surprising the young spirit of winter for only a moment before he buried himself in the embrace. Jack wished that they could stay like that forever; he felt a comforting warmth from North's hug, and it was the type of warmth that he didn't want to escape from.

"Will we really be able to stop Pitch?" Jack asked, his voice muffled in North's shirt.

The ex-Cossack nodded confidently. "I'm sure that we will. We'll defeat Pitch faster than one can say, 'Christmas is better than Easter.'"

Jack couldn't help but allow a smile crawl onto his face.

Author's Note: Bunny: Did ya really have ta include that last line?

Yes. Yes I did. X)

I hope I did somewhat of a good job explaining all of that nightmare tether business...If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask away! =D I don't mind clearing things up. X)

I hope you guys enjoy chapter fifteen, and I'll see you in the next chapter. =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203