Prism watched from the deepening shadows of the evening as the little boy sat on the front step, staring up and down the street. He was waiting for Jack Frost and the other Guardians to show up. Prism doubted that Lunar and Nightlight would come, but he had seen the Moonbeam dash down to place a reply on the front door. Prism had read it after the Moonbeam had gone, and it confirmed that Jack was coming with his "friends."

The Guardian of Courage didn't want to be seen just yet. He had come down in the late morning while the others had been eating, and he watched little Jackson Bennett. He still had all of his hair, which informed Prism that the chemotherapy hadn't started yet, or it hadn't been too long since it had begun. The little boy hadn't been in school, so Prism had perched in the shadows in the backyard, watching the boy play. His frolic was subdued, and he had to take many breaks to rest. Still, he ran around and laughed and fought imaginary pirates, calling out random nautical terms as he played pretend.

When the boy had been told that Jack Frost was coming by a rather skeptical mother, Prism watched her face pinch as he showed her three new bruises before running to sit on the front port to wait. Then Jamie Bennett had come to the door and held his wife as tears streamed down her face. Their fear beat a tattoo across his consciousness. They were terrified that they would lose their little boy, afraid of how much pain he'd be in, scared that they couldn't afford the treatments.

Prism hesitated then pulled himself out of the shadows and walked right up to Jamie. The man didn't move. His wife did, squinting at the place where Prism was standing. But still, she looked right through him. To be sure, Prism thrust his hand at Jamie's chest. It went straight through, as if he wasn't even there. That's when Prism knew that Jamie Bennett did not, in fact, believe in the Bogeyman anymore. As he pulled back, the woman reached for Jamie and his hand passed through her. The jolt that went from the top of Prism's head to his feet made him yelp, and he stumbled back as the woman shrieked, jerking her hand to her chest.

"Lucy?" Jamie gasped. "Lulu, what's wrong?"

She was gripping her arm tightly, her face deathly pale, staring at the place that Prism stood. But still, she looked through him. Prism had never heard of anything like this happening with any of the other Guardians, and he stood very still. Lucy finally turned to face her husband.

"Is one of your… invisible friends standing there?" she asked tersely.

Jamie blinked then turned to stare hard. "I don't see anyone, Lulu. Nobody's there."

"No Jack Frost? No Santa Claus? No Easter Bunny?" she asked, her voice faint.

The young man turned again and stared right through Prism, his eyes scanning the yard. "Jack?" he called. "This isn't funny! If you're there, come out! Now!"

No answer. Jamie walked out and climbed into the treehouse that was nestled in the big oak tree, his dark eyes searching. But Lucy stared directly at the spot that shimmered and shone, an almost-there phantom that she could tell was standing in front of her. She had no belief in those people that Jamie claimed were real. To her, they were the ghosts of childhood, a beloved fantasy that had faded as she had grown up. But whatever, or whoever, stood before her was familiar, something that was real, but she couldn't quite catch the memory. Still, she knew that whoever it was, they were friendly and kind and meant no harm.

Jamie climbed down the ladder. "Nope. Jack's not there. None of them are."

Prism watched as her eyes scanned his form, from head to toe, but it was clear that she couldn't see him, at least, she couldn't fully see him. He backed up a few steps, trying to indicate that he was no threat, and she looked away. Jamie rejoined her, holding her close.

"I know you're uncomfortable about the Guardians," he murmured into her hair. "It's hard to believe in them when you're our age. But I think they'll do Jackson good. He'll be able to see them, no problem."

"I hope so," she whispered. They shared a kiss.

Prism had left them to give their grief privacy, slinking through the shadows to where he now sat, shrouded in the dark as he waited for Jack and the others to arrive. To his great amusement, Jack came soaring through the air, whistling at the boy, who looked up and gave a cry of delight. Toothiana fluttered behind him, smiling and waving at the boy.

"Hope you've been brushing your teeth," she said, her voice chipper.

Jack landed, laughing. "Come on, Tooth. That's not the most important thing in his life!"

"You're Jack Frost!" he shouted, his grey eyes shining with delight. "And the Tooth Fairy!"

His shout brought neighbors to their doors. The adults smiled, the teens sneered, and the children began to murmur, their eyes glittering. Then Jamie Bennett opened the front door and smiled down at his son.

"You should invite them in," he said casually. "We have plenty of dinner for all."

Prism could hear the neighbors chuckling at what they perceived as a concession to imagination then shut their doors and windows and went back to their lives. Prism took the opportunity to slide through the shadows as the door closed. He slipped under the couch, floating and as immaterial as a shadow. But he had a good view of Jack and Toothiana as Jackson Bennett showed him his toys.

"Where are North and Sandy and Bunnymund?" Jamie asked, crossing his arms as he watched his son.

"North has a surprise for Jackson," Jack said in a stage whisper, his blue eyes shining as Jackson turned his head.

"A surprise?" he asked, hopping to his feet. "Mommy! Did you hear Jack? I'm going to get a present from Santa!"

Lucy stood in the doorway, looking from right to left, her eyes not seeing the boy and the fairy in her own living room. Her face pinched again, and she looked desperately at Jamie. He looked from her to Jack.

"I was hoping…" he said softly.

"MiM said that it's very difficult for an adult to believe again once they've stopped," Toothiana said gently. "It's likely she never will."

Jamie sighed, looking around the room. "Maybe if you move something?" he asked, a hopeful lilt in his voice.

Jack shrugged. Jackson held out a toy. "Play cars with me!"

The Guardian of Fun reached out and took the toy. Lucy screamed, stepping back. She was looking, not at Jack, but where the toy had vanished from her son's hand.

"You see him!" Jamie exclaimed.

"It's gone!" she cried. "The toy! It just disappeared!"

Jack dropped the toy, and Lucy wailed as it came back in sight. She began to panic, her breathing becoming shallow. Jamie reached for his wife, wanting to soothe her and needing her to understand, but Prism could feel her terror beating across his consciousness. Her mind couldn't bend back to childhood, but it needed things to make sense. She shoved Jamie away, sobbing in fear, and she ran upstairs to their bedroom as Jamie stared helplessly at her shaking form.

"I'm sorry, Jamie," Jack murmured, his face as white as his hair. "Lunar, he said it would be difficult, maybe impossible."

"The thing that makes you invisible to nonbelievers," Jamie said hoarsely. "Will he… Can he remove it for her?"

"For one person?" Jack asked. He knew Lunar well enough to know the answer. "He won't do it. Not for just one person. It's so complicated, Jamie. The magic, it's far beyond any Earthly thing. It was hard enough for him to conform it to young believers. It doesn't work like that."

Toothiana fluttered her wings, looking nervous. A knock at the door sounded out, and Jamie went to answer it. It was North, Sandy, and Bunnymund. They greeted Jamie amicably, striding in. North held a big present in his hands, and Jackson leaped up, his eyes big.

"Santa Claus!" he shouted. He ran forward, but in his excitement, he hit the coffee table hard enough to knock over the candles. One of them shattered as it struck the table. The boy hit the ground, his face pale as he gripped his thigh. Jamie was beside him in an instant. He tugged the shorts up to see a nasty purple spot already forming. He closed his eyes, his face crumpling as he picked up his son.

"Why don't you open your present on the couch?" Jamie asked gently.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Jackson muttered, wiping his streaming eyes on his arm. "I broke Mommy's good candle."

"She won't care, Jacks," Jamie said. "As long as you're okay."

The door was still open, and a hesitant knock on the frame. "Um, pizza delivery," a teen girl said, staring at the mostly empty room. She held four boxes, and she didn't understand why two people needed so much.

Jamie read her expression and smiled. "Thanks. Our friends are almost here, and I was getting worried. Hot and fresh?"

She relaxed and nodded. "Yeah. Got friends coming over? Sounds fun. Is he okay?"

"I hit the table and broke Mommy's candle," Jackson said, tears still falling freely.

"Oh, it's okay. I break stuff all the time," she said.

Jamie handed her a fifty and a twenty. "Keep the change."

She brightened. "Thanks!"

She traded off the pizza for the money and went back outside, closing the door behind her. Jamie breathed out and set out the pizza. "Eat up. I'll take a plate to Lucy."

"She isn't coming down?" North asked.

"I'll explain, Jamie," Jack said, waving him off.

Prism watched as Jamie gathered half a pizza and carried it up to his wife. Prism was uncomfortable hiding from the Guardians, but he did not want Jamie to suddenly believe in him. He was afraid of his reaction. So when Jamie passed by the couch, Prism transferred his shadowy form to latch onto Jamie's. When he got upstairs, he slipped under the table's shadow and waited for Jamie to leave. There were no words exchanged between the couple, and Jamie left, a grim expression on his face.

Prism took his usual form and stretched. He wasn't used to being a shadow for so long. His eyes went to the master bedroom, which was dark. He considered going in to see Lucy, but he decided against it. There was no doubt she'd only imagined brushing up against him. He turned to sit on the landing and listen, but Lucy spoke from the dark room.

"I know you're there." Prism froze. Should he leave? "Please come in."

Prism slowly inched into the bedroom. Everything was perfectly clear to his eyes. Lucy lay on the bed, her head lifted, and her eyes trained directly on him. He stood there awkwardly, but Lucy sat up and gestured at the rocking chair in the corner.

"Sit down."

"Can you see me?" he asked, unsure.

She cringed and reached up to rub her ears. "Is that you talking?" She shuddered. "I can't hear your words. It's like it's muffled. I don't understand."

Prism looked around, his mind racing. She could see him but not hear him? He saw a laptop on her side table, and he reached out and picked it up. Lucy frowned.

"You can touch things. Did you touch me earlier?"

"Yes," Prism said softly. She flinched again.

Her eyes went to the laptop in his hands. "I could open a document for you," she murmured. "Is that what you want?"

Prism nodded his head very clearly, and she opened the lid and clicked around for a moment. Then she set the laptop on the side table.

"There. Tell me who you are."

Prism swallowed, but he knelt down and began to type. Her eyes didn't go crazy as they had with Jack grabbing the toy. So he asked the first question on his mind.

My name is Prism. Can you see me, Lucy?

Lucy read this, worrying her bottom lip. "Kind of? I mean, I can tell you're a person and that you're standing in front of me. You sparkle like pieces of broken glass, kind of shimmery and rainbow. Does that make sense?"

Prism smiled. Very much. I'm surprised that you have any perception of me at all. I expected you to panic like you did downstairs when Jack took the car.

Lucy paled. "I don't want to think about it. It doesn't make sense." She paused. "Why can I see you but not him?"

It's complicated magic. It's hard to explain to a human who has no inkling of what lies beyond their own perception. But it is unlikely that you'll ever see them. I'm surprised you can see me at all. I should be invisible to you, like the others.

"Well, you're not. Why aren't you downstairs with Jamie and his 'friends'?"

Prism hesitated. He can't see me like you can.

Lucy read this once. Twice. Three times. Then she leaned back and smiled. "Excellent. Let's keep it that way for a while. I don't like him having things that I don't. So he can be in the dark for a while."

She grabbed the plate Jamie had made for her and held out a slice of pizza. Prism took it, smiling at her. He raised the slice in a mock toast, and they touched their slices together. Then they ate while Jackson laughed and squealed about a pirate ship toy and how amazing it was to finally meet his childhood heroes. Prism knew that he had at least one ally in the house. Now he just had to meet little Jackson and give him courage for what he was about to face.