Author's Note: Heyo, everyone! =D Since I missed some days on posting, and my hiatus starts today, I'll be posting the two final chapters to this story today! =) They both are pretty short, so...yeah. This works out pretty well, ahaha. XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy chapter forty! Chapter forty-one should be up shortly. ^u^

Chapter Forty: Just Sleep

Jack hadn't slept in a week.

The winter spirit had gone back to work, but he hadn't slept a wink since he and the Guardians had escaped the realm of nightmares. Jack said frequently that he would stop and rest once he was all caught up with his work, but the Guardians knew that he was pushing himself. Jack was exhausted, and they could all see it. The winter spirit came later and later for each Guardian meeting, tumbling in on the Wind and nearly tripping over his feet. The circles under Jack's eyes had gotten deeper, and he could barely stay awake for an entire meeting.

The Guardians were worried for him, and though they told Jack that he needed his rest the winter spirit refused to lay down and sleep. None of the Guardians knew the reasoning behind this, but they didn't want Jack to hurt himself. They couldn't watch him as he struggled and suffered from sleep deprivation any longer.

At the next Guardian meeting, the Guardians arrived on time. A little while later, Jack came flying in, but like most of his landings were, he was unsteady and unbalanced. The winter spirit wobbled on his feet before regaining his equilibrium. Then he walked up to the Guardians of Childhood, who were standing in a circle in the center of the room.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," said Jack, rubbing his eyes. "I had a blizzard to redirect in Siberia, and there was a crazy hailstorm that I had to go and take care of—"

"Jack," North interrupted. The winter spirit stopped talking. "You haven't slept, da?"

Jack was silent for a few moments. "Um…no, I haven't…"

"When are ya planning on gettin' some sleep, mate?" asked Bunny.

"Soon," replied Jack curtly. But the Guardians knew otherwise. They all knew how hard Jack had been working to get winter back on schedule. Due to his lack of sleep, Jack wasn't able to fulfill all of his Spirit of Winter tasks, and he had fallen even further behind since he had been venturing through his nightmares along with the other Guardians. Jack had been all over the Globe, handling blizzards, stopping violent winter storms. He spread his wintertide in the places that needed it or hadn't received it in a while, all while balancing his duties as the Guardian of Fun. He didn't stop or pause to take even the shortest of breaks. When Bunny had gone to visit Sophie last week, she and Jamie had reported that it had been sometime since Jack last played with them.

The Guardians were growing increasingly worried for their winter spirit, but before they could ask any more questions, Jack flew up and through the window to do whatever he had to do. Tooth was about to fly after him, but Bunny stopped her.

"Let 'im go," said Bunny. "He'll tell us what's goin' on when he's ready."

"But Jack needs to sleep," Tooth insisted. "He can't go on like this any longer! He's obviously frightened, and he needs our help!"

The experience in the nightmare realm had rattled all of the Guardians. While they hadn't had any nightmares after the ones they had recently faced, they still found it difficult standing alone in a dark room. They were jumpy, frightened by certain noises that reminded them about something that had gone through in their nightmares. They were also a little behind on rest, but after sleeping for a good number of hours, they were able to return to their work.

But Jack hadn't slept at all, and he was more on edge than the other Guardians. They were all wondering what was bothering the winter spirit and what was preventing him from sleeping. He wasn't having nightmares again…was he?

"That is why we will bring him here," said North, crossing his arms. Sandy created a question mark of his head and looked at the Guardian of Wonder questioningly. "But we are going to need a little help."

…

He wasn't having any nightmares. He was just…scared.

Jack felt uncomfortable, uneasy still when it came to sleeping. Even though he and the Guardians had defeated Pitch and there was no worry for nightmares anymore, he feared resting alone in his own room. What if Pitch suddenly popped out of the shadows and tormented him with night terrors again?

To distract himself from his uneasiness, Jack plunged back into his elemental work, ignoring the urge to fall asleep. He was pushing himself too far, he knew. He'd eventually collapse from exhaustion if he continued to push himself beyond his limits. Bunny had talked to Emily Jane and explained what had happened, and she had gone easy on Jack and took on the more difficult winter jobs. Still, Jack had trouble keeping up. He was tired, and needed to sleep, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Needing to pull himself away from his worries, Jack flew high into the air and perched himself on a cloud. A strange but rather fascinating ability of Jack's was that he could stand or sit on clouds if he wanted to. They were made of multiple tiny water droplets, so Jack simply froze a small patch of them until the cloud could be seated on. The winter spirit settled on his cushioned seat, staring out into the light blue sky as his little cloud drifted on. He allowed his thoughts to wander, but he still found himself feeling perturbed about his predicament.

A cool wind blew past him, and Jack recognized the powerful presence immediately. Without looking to his side, he knew that Mother Nature (or known by the Guardians and a few others, Emily Jane), was standing on a cloud of her own beside him. Her raven lack hair billowed behind her, twisting and curling like live serpents. Jack hadn't seen her in a while; she usually communicated with him through the Wind, since she could carry messages on her gales. The winter spirit hadn't been expecting a visit from her.

"Hello, Emily," said Jack. He was one of the very few along with the other Guardians of Childhood who was allowed to address her by her real name. He continued to stare straight ahead. "What brings you here?"

Mother Nature folded her hands in front of her. "I came to let you know that you have completed all the work that you missed."

Jack nodded. "I'm glad." He stifled a yawn, and Emily Jane took notice of it.

"Have you been sleeping?" she inquired.

Jack pushed down the mild jolt of irritation that he felt. How many times was he going to be asked that today? "No," he replied. "No, I haven't."

Instead of scolding him or forcing him to get some rest, Emily Jane simply hummed, her gaze turning to the horizon. "My father's nightmares do have a great effect on people," she said pensively. "And they are quite difficult to handle on your own. But if one receives the right help, it's like they never occurred."

Jack knew what Emily Jane was insinuating, but he didn't give her a reply. The Queen of the Elements bowed her head and said, "I wish you well, Jack." Then, she disappeared on the Wind. Once she was gone, Jack huffed and gripped his staff. The winter spirit looked down to see where he was floating over.

He found that he was directly above Santoff Claussen.

…

Yes, the Guardians had asked Emily Jane to bring Jack to the North Pole. And the winter spirit was not happy.

Jack had no other choice but to head inside, for he knew that Emily Jane would whisk him back to the North Pole if she found him wandering the skies. The winter spirit flew inside, a scowl on his face when he found the Guardians in the Globe Room, waiting for his arrival. Jack landed, frost spiraling from his feet as he marched up to the Guardians.

"What do you guys want?" he snapped. "I already told you that I'm fine!"

"No, you're not fine, Jack," said Tooth, fluttering up to the winter spirit. Her gaze softened. "We can all see that you're struggling. We just want to help you."

"I don't need any help," Jack said tartly.

"Then why have ya been avoiding sleep?" asked Bunny, his brow furrowing.

"I just…don't feel like sleeping, that's all," replied Jack, but the Guardians knew he was dodging the true answer.

"Jack, please. We only want to help you," said North sincerely. "Just tell us what is bothering you."

Jack sucked in a sharp breath and gripped his staff. The temperature dropped and the winter spirit's eyes grew icy. He didn't want to tell them. He didn't want to admit how he really felt…But he had no other choice, and the Guardians were only concerned for him. They wanted to help him, and Jack knew that he needed the assistance. He just refused to accept it…

Jack's posture loosened, and the room temperature returned to normal. His grip on his staff slackened and he sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor. The Guardians watched the winter spirit patiently.

"I…I don't want to sleep," Jack admitted quietly.

"Why not?" asked Tooth softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's just…I…" Jack shook his head. "I'm still kind of shaken up after everything that happened with my nightmares and all…I-I can't fall asleep by myself. Pitch is back in lair locked up and he's weak, but what if something happens while I'm sleeping? What if he sends another nightmare…?"

Jack stared at his feet and muttered. "It's stupid, I know…I'm not a child…I shouldn't be feeling like this and yet here I am…" The winter spirit sighed. "I just…I just don't want to have any more bad dreams…"

The Guardians were silent for some time; Jack couldn't bring himself to face them. He couldn't see their expressions and nor did he want to. He thought that they found the whole thing ridiculous…They had more important things to attend to than him and his sleeping issues. And what could they do anyway? Sure, there was Sandy's dreamsand, but what if Pitch attacked him anyway?

North was the first to break the silence. "Then we will stay with you as you rest." Jack looked up, surprised. "We can sit by bedside and make sure that Pitch does not harm you."

Tooth nodded. "I think that's a great idea." Bunny and Sandy agreed as well.

Jack blinked. "W-Wait, you guys don't have—"

"Up ya go," Bunny said, cutting the winter spirit off as he lifted him over his shoulder, carrying him to the bedrooms. The other Guardians followed, and Jack squirmed in the Pooka's grip.

"H-Hey! I still have a say in this!" he cried. But the Guardians ignored him. Once they reached Jack's bedroom, Bunny placed him in bed. The winter spirit frowned and crossed his arms.

"I don't want to sleep, you guys. At least not right now," Jack said petulantly.

"But you don't have any work to do. Emily said that you are done for now, da?" said North. Jack opened his mouth to protest but was beaten by Tooth.

"Just go to sleep, Jack," she said. "We'll be right here the whole time."

Jack could feel sleepiness beginning to take over, but he shook his head, resisting slumber. Eventually, Sandy created a ball of dreamsand and threw it at the winter spirit's face. Jack's eyes grew even heavier, and his head sunk into his pillow. Jack yawned as the dreamsand swiftly took effect.

Still, he felt the slightest bit fretful, so before closing his eyes, Jack asked, "You…You guys won't leave…right…?"

The Guardians shook their heads.

"We'll stay here until ya wake up, Frostbite," said Bunny gently. "Now hush and close yer eyes."

Jack hummed softly, and he allowed his blue eyes to slip closed.

And for the first time in four months, he had not a nightmare, but a dream.

Author's Note: Aw...sweet dreams Jackie. =3

Next chapter should appear in a couple of seconds! =D Be sure to keep an eye out for it! X)

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203