This chapter is a little more graphic and violent than other chapters so if you're squeamish I would skip this chapter

The plan. The plan that they had made to free Jamie and take down Pitch. The plan made specially to take down Pitch. And free Jamie. Especially to free Jamie, and that was why the guardians came up with several plans just in case they happened to fail miserably the first few times. Which was likely.

"Ok, let's go over the plan again," Jack paced in front of North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny. "Bunny, you get us in and cover our rear, Sandy, you help me take care of any nightmares we come across, Tooth, you and some of your best fairies will scout the palace for where they are keeping Jamie. And North," Jack said brandishing his stick at him. "You will help where you are needed."

Everyone nodded and Jack went to sit down on his tree cot type thing.

Over the past few days he had been healing and now he was almost fully healed. Thanks to him being immortal and Bunny's magic healing goo (it's aloe vera Bunny kept telling him) Jack was pretty much healed. He was still sore but he pretended he was fine in front of his friends because he wanted to go and help Jamie faster.

North came over and sat down next to him. "Are you sure you are fully better?" Jack nodded without looking up.

"Alright." Jacks eyes widened and he stood up so fast North fell off the tree cot. "What, what is it?" North exclaimed.

"I have an idea! It might help Jamie! Tooth! Sandy! Bunny! Get over here! I have an idea!" He yelled. They all came rushing in and Jack filled them in on his plan.

"I don't know mate, seems pretty risky."

"I agree with Bunny," said Tooth. "It seems really dangerous."

"Yes but it could work." Chimed in North. Sandy made a flurry of pictures and symbols but from what Jack got he agrees with North. Soon everyone was arguing over if it was worth it or not.

"Enough!!!" Everyone stopped talking and stared at Jack. "Yes it's risky but if I can get close to him and it works, if it ACTUALLY works then it will be worth it."

"And, if it doesn't?" Questioned Tooth. "Then we'll deal with it," answered Jack.

Soon after that everyone was in position and Bunny got them all in the fortress. Jack could hear everyone taking care of the nightmares and causing distractions so he snuck away from the group, losing Sandy in the process, and went to find Jamie.

Jack wandered the halls of the dark fortress. He came across the odd nightmare and disposed of it and when he wasn't doing that, he may or may not have vandalized and drew moustaches and other things on one, or twenty, paintings, statues and tapestries of Pitch.

"Come on out Jamie, here I am! All alone. Perfect for anyone who would want to, I don't know, exact revenge?"

He started whistling and just being annoying in general. He wandered around some more, the sounds of battle fading into an uneasy silence, like like there was something wrong but Jack couldn't place it.

The silence seemed to throb more in one direction more than the others so Jack had to have a little think.

"So Pitch is a dark loser who deals in darkness and shadows and eats the tears of children for breakfast. Sooo," he mused, "I would want to find him and Jamie so I would go, in that direction!" He exclaimed pointing to the hall where the dark and silence was worse than ever. As he realized what he was getting into he looked at the finger he pointed to the hall of dark and sighed.

"It's for Jamie." He reminded himself as he started down the hall. Soon the silence was unbearable and Jack felt a trickle of wet going down his face. Being as it was colder than Jack was used to he doubted it was sweat. When he touched his hand to his nose and looked at what covered his hand he grimaced and whipped his nose with his hoodie sleeve. Nosebleed. Just great.

Just when Jack thought about turning back and going a different way the pressing quiet and dark let up. Jack could hear groaning and cursing from the room up ahead. He heard the voice of Pitch Black, cussing at somebody and then he stormed out of the room, shadows swirling around him. Jack held his breath but Pitch didn't seem to notice him. As soon as Pitch was gone Jack crept toward the room he came out of. He still heard groaning and what sounded like the clanking of chains from inside the room. Something told Jack he had to go into the room but he really didn't want to.

Jack slipped through the door and locked it behind him. When he turned around Jack gasped and almost fell to his knees. In the middle of the room was a stone table surrounded by smaller tables housing various hammers, small knife looking things and other things that Jack didn't even want to think about what they did. But the worst thing of all was what was on the table. Clothed only in shorts with various cuts, bruises and burn all over him, and still groaning and only half conscious was Jamie.

"Jamie? JAMIE!!!" Jack cried, rushing over to his side. Jamie was chained down so tight he could barely breath, let alone move or use any power what so ever.

"Hang on, I'll get you out" Jack told Jamie as he frantically pulled at the chains. Within seconds Jamie was awake and frantically trying to gasp something out to Jack.

Jack stopped pulling on the chains and stepped back, tears streaming down his face.

"Can't pull on them," Jamie wheezed. "They tighten when stretched." Jamie's face was turning a sickly shade of blueish purple.

Jack was frantic now, trying to think of a way to get Jamie loose without cutting off his air supply and killing him. "How do I get you out? Please Jamie, tell me how!" Jack cried, tears running freely down his face and pitter pattering on the floor. "The... floor... link..." Jamie gasped out before going still and his face turned an even deeper shade of blue. "Jaime!!!" Jack shook his shoulders and could see the chains tighten around Jamie even more. "Floor link, floor link, what the heck is a floor link?!?" Jack frantically scanned the room, looking for anything that might resemble a floor link. Jacks gaze finally came on a circle of shadow iron on the floor that all of the chains were linked to. "Floor link!" Jack muttered rushing over to it and inspecting it. Jack could barley hear Jamie's gasping breaths and Jack knew he was out of time. Jack took his staff and froze the link, then shattered it. The link broke and the chains went slack. Jack rushed over to Jamie and pushed all the chains off him and dragged him off the table and over to the far wall. Jamie's face was turning back to its original colour and he gasped, sucking in the air. Jack finally got a good look at Jamie and that alone nearly had him sobbing again. Jamie looked worse than the last time Jack had seen him and that was saying something. The dark circles under his eyes were huge, like he hadn't slept for days, and he looked like he hadn't had a good meal in weeks. It broke Jacks heart to see him that skinny and sickly looking. Jack wrapped Jamie in a hug and they stayed that way until Jamie was strong enough to push Jack off.

"Go away," he said weakly, attempting to use his nightmare sand on him, but all that came was a swirl that soon disappeared. Jack smiled sadly and decided to put his plan into action.

He made a pile of snow on his hand and then blew onto it, filling it full of fun, like he did the day they first met. He blew it onto Jamie's face and he looked confused for a moment before breaking down and crying.

"Jack," he wept. "Jack, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, he got in my head and my made me do it! Please, please don't let him get me again," Jamie sobbed into Jacks hoodie. "Don't worry Jamie, he won't get you again. I won't let that happen. Never again."

Jack took off his hoodie and put it on Jamie's bare and burned chest. "Here, put this on," Jack told him gently. Jamie lifted his arms and winced. Jack helped him put it on and soon Jamie and Jack were huddled together on the floor, contemplating how to get Jamie out.

"The chains," Jamie said slowly. "What about them?" Jack asked. "They need someone in them at all times. They can reach almost all the way around the room."

No sooner than Jamie filled Jack in on the chains and how they worked, they fixed themselves up and zoomed toward them. They stopped mere inches away from where the boys were curled up, clanking and straining to get to them.

Jack frowned, trying to figure out a way to get him and Jamie to safety. They tried everything, from trying to skirt around the edges or the room to trying to get the chains to grab onto something else. Nothing worked. Soon it became abundantly clear that one of them had to step into the chains so that the other could escape. And Jack knew who it had to be.

"Listen Jamie, you know what has to be done, right? What we have to do?"

Jamie looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes cleared and he looked from the chains to Jack and back again, and promptly started shaking his head. "No Jack, you can't do that. If Pitch gets you-" Jamie didn't get to finish his sentence. Jack told Jamie what he was going to do.

"I'm going to give you my staff, and you are going to find the other guardians and you are going to get out of here, understand?"

Jamie looked at Jack, at his white hair, his light grey tee shirt, and brown pants. And tears welled in his eyes as he have Jack a hug. "No, you can't do it. You can't." Jamie whispered. Jack looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I can," and with that he threw Jamie to the floor before Jamie could grab Jack, and he stepped into the chains range.

Immediately they latched onto him and with little effort, they dragged him to the stone table and pinned him.

Jamie came running to him and cursed at him, weakly pulling on the chains.

"It's no use Jamie. Go," said Jack. "No! I won't leave you! I can't!" Jamie hoarsely screamed.

"Go, it's ok." Jack murmured.

"No, it's not," Jamie whispered. He bent down and hugged Jack, even though it hurt him.

In the hall they could hear someone thumping around, trying to get in the room.

"Go," Jack urged, tears in his eyes. He would be crying but the chains barely allowed him to take a breath, let alone sob. Jamie, on the other hand, was free to cry as hard as he wished. Jamie sobbed as he picked up Jacks staff and gripped it hard.

"Go," Jack whispered, the chains so tight he could barely talk.

Jamie wiped away his tears and turned back to Jack. "I'll come back for you. Brother," he added. Jack smiled a bit and Jamie unlocked the door and slipped out just as Pitch came barreling in.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Pitch crooned in Jacks eat. "A new toy to break. Marvellous! I can't wait to begin." Pitch strode over to one of the little tables and began picking out some of the tools.

Jack knew that this would hurt and that Pitch would take his sweet time doing whatever it is that he was going to do, but Jack closed his eyes and smiled. Jamie, his brother, got out. And that was all that mattered. Even when Pitch selected the right tool and the pain and screaming began.