(Note1: I was scared from this chapter, more like I was scared if I had enough energy left writing it and not making it lame after the last week of the semester full of exams and with the deadline of my project task, but I made it (or I hope at least)! I have mixed feelings with this chapter (maybe just the tiredness is speaking from me and I haven't yet relaxed enough after the last two weeks, who knows...), but I am - kinda - happy how it ended.)

(Kinda spoiler-ish: the rest two chapters won't be from other POVs, I am finished with 'outer' visions :) )

Summary: Maths is scary but not as scary as a Guardian asking for help in a case that scares him.

It was far away from the evening, yet Jamie felt as his eyes were closing slowly. God, how he hated Maths! He wished that someone just could have somehow saved him from studying – or rather from Maths completely. But that wish was unimaginable, he was unfortunately well aware of that. He sighed resignedly and tried to focus on the question which he had started like an hour ago. God, that would feel like an eternity to finish the whole…

"All right, if y is… then…" was Jamie thinking aloud gazing at the drawing like it would have told the solution if he was looking at it enough time "Oh, come on!" was he forcing it and tried to clear his mind and focusing only on the paper, closing every other thoughts out of his mind "…then x is…"

Jamie almost, after an endless gazing could catch it, but a high click interrupted his thought process just before he could have got to the solution. He tried again. He was so close to see the missing number, just a little bit more, he kept telling himself to hang on… click. It sounded like something was knocking on the windows, he realized, then again, and another 'click' sound came. Stupid birds! He exclaimed and covered his ears to close the annoying sound out. He wished to be a bird, bored as much that knocking on a youngster's windows with his beak would be his only thing to do out of sheer boredom. He really needed that x!

Jamie once again concentrated on the question mark, the number behind it was nearly visible. If he truly focused enough on the paper, it would appear, he not just believed, he knew that. He tried not to blink if he would miss it, if looking away for a mere second, would have decided it. But then again, at the edge of his concentration, he heard the high sound again.

"Oh, come on!" he jumped frustratedly from his desk, pushing his chair back hard and stepped to the windows. He must have scared the birds, with the sound how harshly his chair landed on the floor. The windowsill, as he reached to it, was empty. Jamie snorted from the frustration that he couldn't shout to them to knock off, but he, a bit, was satisfied how it turned out. He would at least have some peace from the bored birds for a little time before they could get their nerves again and return back. He relieved a sigh and got his rolly chair up, but then something in his eye corner moved right to the glass and hit it. Click!

Now, he really had enough! It hadn't been the birds; he saw it now. Someone was doing it! Someone on purpose tried to get his attention from understanding Maths! Who and how dared them!

He stepped back to the windows and furiously opened it, just on to tell from his heart what he thought about this whole ridiculous and childish behaviour. "Who do you think you are?! Someone here tries to- " but before he could have finished the sentence, he recognized a very familiar face standing in the middle of the garden, just on to throw an other small rock again towards the windows. "Jack?"

Jamie didn't ask anything, just closed back the windows and grabbed a jacket from his wardrobe as fast as he could, just to take it on as he was rushing down the stairs.

"Mum, I'm going out!" he notified the situation halfway on getting on his shoes when his mother looked out from the kitchen.

"Jamie Bennet, you aren't going anywhere until you finished your homework!" her voice wasn't strict, but it always clearly told the situation. Jamie had to improvise quickly, counting with that he wasn't really good at lying and on the other hand his mother could always detect a lie. He tried to stick to the truth as much as he could.

"I've got stuck on an example; a friend called he'll help me," Jamie said, taking on his other shoe now. He could feel the examining gaze of his mother's on him. For a moment, he gave it up and was on to accept that he couldn't go out, but then he realized technically, he wasn't lying. He hoped his mum saw it too. Partly, the situation was just as he described it. He, overall, just skipped the part that the so-called friend helped him from making the example. After a short silence, his mother turned back to the kitchen.

"All right, but came back to lunch," she stated. "And I'm gonna check your homework then."

"On it!" Jamie promised and before he could have visibly sighed with relief, or before his mum could have changed her mind, he ran out from the house as fast as he could.

Jack wasn't in the garden, but Jamie knew where he could find him. Evidently, he was pretty sure either the newest Guardian would have liked to meet with him in plain sight, rather somewhere that was out of other people's vision. Jamie headed right to the pond.

As he reached the trees, Jamie immediately saw Jack back to him, sitting on the ground thoughtfully.

"You know, you just saved me." he greeted the spirit thankfully.

"Did I?" turned Jack towards him, standing up.

"Yeah, from a monster called Maths." he detailed rolling his eyes, Jack crossed his eyebrow confused.

"I haven't heard any monster called Maths." Jamie chuckled from the thought, and a little bit shivered from the idea if there was indeed any monster called Maths – that would have explained a few things then...

"No, it's a- it's a school thing." he laughed, shaking his head and suddenly hugging the spirit tight "I missed you, Jack" the Guardian froze from unexpected movement, but then embraced him back too.

"I missed you too, kid," Jack mumbled truly.

Maybe it was the season, but Jamie felt the spirit much warmer than in the spring. It must have been that during that time he had been covered by a thick coat and couldn't feel just now the heat of the Guardian. As this idea came to his mind, he realized it was summer now. Not that he would have minded, that Jack was here, but summer was clearly not a winter spirit's natural season. Jamie released him.

"Jack… why are you here?"

Jack ran a hand embarrassedly through his snow-white hair. "I thought I should say hi to a friend."

Maybe detecting lies was an inheriting gene, because Jamie eftsoons realized it was a lie. The fear and despair were visible in Jack's eyes. It must have been really serious if the spirit whom with Jamie had defeated fear earlier, was scared.

Jack started to walk up and down groaning constantly and shaking his head, but then after a few minutes, the spirit took a deep breath and sat down. "I- I need your help, Jamie." the icy blue eyes were clearly begging for help "I got into a situation and I don't know what to do," Jack muttered under his nose, seemingly giving up, resting his snow-white head on his knees in total hopelessness.

"Is it a Guardian-thing?" Jamie asked, taking place beside the spirit.

Jack raised and shook his head, but then corrected himself. "Well, it's kinda- but not related to being a Guardian, I mean it is connected but not really, but it would connect if you- but it's not really in real, but it is if you look from that way- so it's…"

"Jack, you are not making any sense!"

"I know!" cried out the spirit, and jumped up in frustration, kicking the grass with his bare feet. Then Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. Jamie was worried if Jack was losing his mind. Seeing the spirit like that, struggling and afraid and at wit's end, was just too much to comprehend.

For a moment the Guardian was gazing to nothingness, but then Jack started to talk with a really tired voice. "I lied to them. To North, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy. They asked what happened but I just couldn't tell the truth."

With the sentence Jamie realized what was so odd about Jack, he was in deed warmer as he had hugged him and Jack was here nearly in the middle of the summer and Jack had been standind in their garden, not floating or flying and the air wasn't colder nearby him either right now, frostbites weren't formed under his steps and he was… Jack right now looked like he wouldn't have been the embodiment of winter at all, like he would have been the lack of his magic powers or something.

"What happened?" Jamie asked in shock.

Jack stayed in silence, Jamie was worried if the spirit (or ex-spirit if his conclusions were good) would have at all answered his question but then, Jack sighed. "I don't know if I should tell you. I mean I don't want to scare you or anything, but…"

"I'm your friend, Jack" for a moment Jamie felt like he would have been the older, giving advice to a smaller one, but he put away the feeling, it was weird "friends always help each other even if it hurts" Yeah, and Jamie really wanted to know what happened, no matter how scary it was.

"You hope so?" a little sparkle shined in the icy blue eyes.

Jami cackled softly on a memory that suddenly appeared in his mind. "Not really, once I told Claude after P.E. he smelled like a rat. He wasn't speaking to me for an entire month!"

"So, you say, I shouldn't tell Bunny if he stinks, got it." Jack smiled at the idea.

Jamie couldn't do anything but laugh, it was stupid and Jack's face immediately turned back to bitter after a wide grin, but at least for a slight moment, Jamie could distract the spirit's mind. And the nonsense made the ice break, Jack seemingly felt his thoughts less heavy than before.

"I- I'm helping someone. Someone whom I shouldn't." Jack confessed.

"It's not bad to help."

"Believe me, in this case, it is." whispered the spirit the words barely audible.

"So, that's why you are afraid." Jamie pointed. The Guardian suddenly was gazing at him to be right on to deny the whole, but then Jack agreed, completely resignedly taking seat again on the ground.

"I think yes. I mean as, I'm not afraid of it, I more like afraid of failing to help, you know. They don't know about it and I'm worried what they would think if they know about it somehow and then… I don't know what to do then. I'm worried if I made a mistake and it would be my fault if something happens, but I think that's not what I am truly afraid of. I am rather afraid of failing to help, I think."

Jamie couldn't know what to tell. All things considered, Jack was a Guardian, and he was just a kid, but Jack came to him for advice. He forced himself to say something logical, to remove the spirit's doubts, but Jack cut him in the middle of his thoughts.

"It's Pitch."

Jamie gazed to the ground like he would have heard it wrong or the note would have never happened. He stayed – just as Jack – in dead silence for a few minutes. He couldn't know what to say. His mind was empty. Had Jack really said that? Jamie shook his head. No, that couldn't be. Or could it? But after he glimpsed to the winter spirit, Jack seemed lost, hopeless, afraid, and helpless. Then it hit him. He had to say something. It didn't count if that was Pitch, Jack came here for help, for advice from a friend. Jack really was worried about it, and he, Jamie, as a friend, he had to help.

"I'm not afraid of him," Jamie said then and in mind, he immediately wanted to slap himself. That wasn't the best note to add really. But somehow, Jamie felt that he was just trying to convince himself, saying it loud. A bit, it worked, he felt it was truly the situation, he wasn't afraid of that man.

"I know" Jack nodded "and I even know, first hand, right now, he couldn't hurt anyone." the spirit added with a sad tone. "Or for a while. He is trapped and…"

As Jamie was looking at the spirit, he realized Jack was concerned. Maybe Jamie couldn't understand everything, just as being a Guardian was way above comprehending, but he was sure, Jack cared. It was really hard to believe, but Jamie did it, and a part of him agreed with Jack – even if it was really tough to accept. He tried to subtract the fact from the equation that it was Pitch whom they were talking about. (Subtracting? Equation? Did he really think that? Maybe he was starting to understand Maths in fine, Jamie noticed.)

"I think- I think it's worth a shot." Jamie breathed then shyly, on to sound convincingly. "It is better if you tried and failed, then not trying it at all. I think if the other Guardians find out, they would understand that you tried to help. Trying to help isn't a bad thing after all." he said, and suddenly thousands of questions filled his mind. What had exactly Jack meant under helping? Why would have the Boogeyman needed help anyway? What if… He opened his mouth to ask something, but Jack smiled and looked at him.

"Did you know I had a sister?" the random question, that didn't fit at all to the conversation, surprised Jamie and he immediately forgot the thousands of things he wanted to ask. Jack then was just talking about old-new memories and after a while, Jamie kinda couldn't tell why they were there or what they had been talking about previously.

Jamie seemed happy, as he waved goodbye and Jack waved back letting the kid go to be on time for lunch. The kid was now rushing home without any disturbing thoughts, only thinking about the curious case of Jack's earlier life. Jack didn't want to worry the kid much. Coming up out of nowhere with the memory of his late family seemed a really good idea. He managed to distract the boy's mind and definitely, he didn't want Jamie to worry much or be afraid. One person being afraid was far enough.

Jack got up and took a deep breath. In one thing, Jamie was right, trying to help wasn't a bad thing. Not that anyone else would have dared to go down to Pitch's Lair. Jack lied to them, and slowly he had enough of lying. He didn't want the Guardians to worry, that was for sure, so he had to handle this on his own to convince them that there was nothing they should have been troubled about.

They hadn't been down there, no one ever had been. They hadn't felt what Jack had felt and they couldn't see what he had seen, the mass of darkness, and they couldn't understand it, the loss, the endlessness, and the hopelessness, all filling the place. For a moment Jack felt just as Pitch could have felt, ready to fight anything to get rid of those haunting feelings. He wondered if he could turn just like Pitch was seen by everybody if he had been consumed by those influences for centuries, just like Pitch was. He was sure, undoubtedly, it could have occurred. By that thought, Jack realized if someone ever tried to help Pitch, it was only him. Upon the whole, who would have thought ever that the Boogeyman was more than just a shadow under the beds. He had to try.

He was surprised that the idea didn't frighten him at all, it rather strengthened him to actually do it and at the end be succeeded. Jack was determined now: he would help Pitch get out of that prison!

(Note2: Really a side note: I love Maths. Really, no kidding, I love Maths! Weird fact: I, for a while (and still a bit), would have liked to be a Maths teacher, I just don't like interacting much and well, for a teacher, it is hard to teach without that. And a scary note: I almost graduated as a Mathematical Analyst (yes, I am that old), I just never reached to get a degree. Now, I am instead studying Economics. (What a change!) I still miss studying Maths, maybe once I'll go back to finish my studies there. (Sorry, too much personal detail, I just really like talking about Maths and my connection to it))