Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 8

Jack appeared in his suite of rooms; the sleeping Jamie held to his chest. The others would have appeared in the throne room since only he could appear in his rooms. He walked to the small room off to the side and carefully lay Jamie down on the slab of solid ice within and hesitated before removing the horrible black clothing, fighting tears as he took in the changes to the body he'd known as well as his own. A little magic had his own clothing returning to his more casual outfit since there was no need to be so official, letting him set his staff aside. He went to the bathroom and returned with a bowl of warmish water, gently washing Jamie down, grimacing at the black sand that he wiped off of him but feeling sick when he cleaned Jamie's lower body. It had been one thing to hear of what Pitch had made him do but to see the evidence was even worse. He hoped Jamie wouldn't remember what had happened.

Once Jamie was clean, Jack opened the highly protected chamber hidden in the wall, drawing out the box within. He opened the box to reveal an elegant circlet, the match to his own. He combed Jamie's hair out with his fingers before gently settling the circlet on his head.

He was shocked when Jamie stirred slightly, whimpering in distress. His eyelashes fluttered, eyes trying to open, and Jack sat on the edge of the slab, stroking his cheek softly. "Shh, it's okay Jamie, you're safe," he whispered, shocked when Jamie leant into his touch.

Slowly, golden eyes opened, focusing on him. Jamie tensed, trying to jerk away from him, his breathing speeding up in fear. He hadn't been afraid in Pitch's lair, angry and violent, but not afraid. How was he even awake? His eyes wandered, searching for a way out? Danger?

"Look at me Jamie," he urged without raising his voice and slowly he looked at him, so Jack smiled gently. "That's it. You're okay, I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, still stroking the clammy skin.

"No…Master…" he mumbled, so he hadn't fully shrugged off the magic, still tired obviously.

"He's gone Jamie, he can't hurt you again. Please, try to remember. It's me, Jack Frost, the Snow King, you know me." He leant in slowly and kissed him again, gently, shocked when Jamie responded weakly.

"J…Ja…ck?" he slurred, fighting to keep his eyes open. There was something in his eyes…a flicker of recognition. Jamie shook his head, obviously trying to focus, and Jack cautiously lifted the magic from him, watching him become more alert, ready to restrain him in a second if needed. Jamie stared at him, wincing in pain, pressing a hand to his head. "Ja..ck," he whispered. "Jack." Jamie reached out to him and Jack wrapped his arms around him, pulling him up, feeling shaking arms wrap around him. "Jack, Jack, Jack," he sobbed, hands fisted in his jumper.

"Jamie," he whispered, pulling back enough to look down into golden eyes. "Do you know me?"

"Jack," Jamie said, trying to press closer, whimpering.

He was worried that all Jamie was saying was his name but at least he seemed to recognise him now. He moved a hand to run through stringy black hair without dislodging the circlet, had its magic done this? He was surprised when Jamie climbed fully into his lap, clinging on as tightly as he could.

"Shh, it's okay, I've got you." He rubbed Jamie's bare back, feeling his body heaving for air, his heart obviously struggling.

Jamie sobbed, burying his face in Jack's blue hoodie. "Hurts."

"You're becoming a Spirit, do you understand?" he asked gently, hating that he was in pain but relieved to hear him say something other than his name. Jamie hummed softly, rubbing his face against the soft material and Jack kept up the gentle rubbing of his back. "We don't have much time before what Pitch did becomes irreversible."

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Jamie clung to him…to Jack…Jack was important, but he didn't know why. He felt so weak, it hurt to try and breath, to do anything. The hand on his back felt really good, right. He could feel something happening to him, struggling to understand what Jack was saying. Pitch? Master? Jack was Master's enemy…not his?

He shuddered as he remembered…Jack holding him somewhere, doing something that felt so good…better than Master had made him do for training. That…didn't feel right now… he…he wanted…he wasn't allowed to want…but Jack always asked.

"Jamie?" Jack whispered and he felt lips press to his head.

He pressed himself closer, rubbing his body against Jack's.

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Jack bit his lip as Jamie rubbed against him. He pressed his hand to the back of Jamie's shoulders and then eased his upper body back a little to look at his face, seeing glassy golden eyes, Jamie whining softly. He eased him back down onto the ice, Jamie trying to cling to him instead. So he shifted around, bracing himself over Jamie. Even if Jamie wasn't at risk of dying and finishing the transformation into a Spirit though, he wouldn't do what Jamie was obviously seeking, he couldn't consent at the moment and Jack wasn't sure if he was doing it because he remembered them or because of what Pitch had made him do.

"It's alright Jamie, I'm going to make it stop hurting," he promised. He kissed him tenderly one last time and then carefully but him to sleep again.

Jamie whimpered, fighting the magic, but his body began to relax, hands dropping from where he'd been holding on to Jack, eyelids drooping. "Ja…" he went limp in sleep and Jack got off the ice, standing beside it, watching his chest struggle to continue to rise and fall.

"Sleep well," he whispered as he triggered the magic. There was only one person he could personally initiate the transformation for and that was his chosen consort. Unless the Snow Queen had one, he was the first to use the magic, to use the consorts circlet. He watched as the ice slowly formed, creeping over the slab and Jamie's sleeping form.

For a second, he hesitated, torn. He could give the Second Kiss, wipe Jamie's memories of Pitch but that would also remove whatever he had managed to remember about him. Pitch may have only sealed the memories away from Jamie's ability to access but if he gave the Kiss, they would be truly gone and for good. If there was any chance Jamie still remembered his childhood, his family, then how could Jack take that from him? The opportunity was gone as the ice covered his throat and then moved up over his lips. Once it was done Jack left the room to collapse on his own bed without even bothering to strip, utterly exhausted.

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Sandy floated on a cloud of Dream Sand, working to ensure the children received wonderful dreams, especially those in Burgess. Sadly, there was one home no longer in need of his services. Little Sophie had been too affected by Fey magic to return home and Jamie… he really hoped Jack and his Court could save him from what Pitch had done to him.

He had found Pitch, had seen what Jack had done to him, and it was likely the best way to deal with him. Though he wasn't sure how long the ice would last. Hopefully it would last long enough to give them a nice break, to let all the changed kids adjust to their new lives. The ones North had taken in didn't remember their time at the Markets, but they still had nightmares and he did what he could for them. The Workshop was a good place to heal in, filled with Wonder and lots of ways to have fun. Now if they could talk Aster into letting the kids into the Warren occasionally…

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Jack walked into the Throne Room, everyone falling silent as he took his place.

Skaði walked up and bowed to him, giving her report on the battle since he'd missed most of it when he'd gone after Pitch and then locked Jamie up. There had been a few injuries but nothing dangerous and no fatalities. Kuraokami then approached to report on the children and Jack was relieved to hear it was going so well. From there it moved on to more mundane matters…including dealing with the odd weather due to his temper.

He didn't want to be there, but he also knew Jamie would be mad if jack allowed his worry for him keep him from doing his job.

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North smiled as the young girl warily approached him, green/gold eyes wide as he worked. She was the youngest of the four that remained at the Pole. She hadn't spoken a word since waking up and she was the most changed of them, making it impossible for them to work out who she was. He smiled and pulled a bench for her to stand on and watch closer if she wanted to but kept working, not wanting to put any pressure on her. It took over an hour, but eventually she stepped up on it to watch.

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Jack walked into the room and over to the slab where Sophie lay, reaching out to run his fingers over the ice. He was nervous, how would their magic and the Fey's have interacted? Would her personality have changed much due to what the Fey had done or would she still be the Sophie he had known since she was a toddler?

The ice began to shimmer and thin, melting away, giving him his first look at the new Sophie. Once blond hair was almost silver, though still streaked with green, falling down to her waist. Her skin was almost as pale as his own, though without the slight violet tint his own had due to the whole dead thing. The most obvious change were the delicate wings unfurling out from where they'd been curled around her under the ice. They were incredible, delicate and shimmering like frost in the sun. She twitched slightly, eyelids fluttering.

"Sophie, can you hear me? It's Jack," he murmured, reaching out to stroke her hair away from her face.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked at him. "Jack?" she mumbled, sounding half asleep but then she sat up, looking around in confusion. "Jack? Where?" she looked around in confusion.

"Easy, you're okay Soph," he soothed. "You're safe," he promised.

"Jack what's going on?" she moved and then frowned, reaching out and touching her wing. "Jack?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked, would she remember anything from her time under the Piper's thrall?

"I…I went to bed. Jamie…was acting weird, I think he was trying to remember you. There was…something…"

"Music?" he asked, and she frowned but nodded.

"Ever hear of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?" he asked.

"Um…he got rid of rats?"

"And when the people refused to pay, he took their kids. He came to Burgess and took a lot of you as payment for targeting one person…Jamie."

She gasped, looking around, seeing the slabs of ice. "Jack what is this?" she asked.

"The only way to save you," he told her. "The Piper gave Jamie to Pitch. Some of you were sent to be sold to the Unseelie Fey, while he kept the rest. Those that were sold we found quickly and they're all safely at home without any memory of what happened. It took a few days to find the Piper's home and by then…the magic had taken hold. You were becoming Unseelie and there was no way to return you to fully human. We brought you here to stop the Fey magic but there was only one way."

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Sophie listened to Jack, feeling sick. Pitch Black was behind them being kidnapped? "Where's Jamie?" she asked fearfully.

"Here," Jack promised, taking her hands. "We worked with the Guardians to storm Pitch's lair. Pitch has been dealt with, so has the Piper."

"What did he do to Jamie?" she demanded. She'd heard the story a million times, there was no way Pitch hadn't wanted payback. "Wait…Jamie doesn't believe anymore so how could he even touch him?"

"The Piper's magic works on anyone under twenty, as long as he was under then Pitch would have been able to touch him."

Sophie was glad she'd been too young to remember Pitch's attack and now terrified for Jamie, but Jack said he was wherever they were. Was this the Winter Palace? "What did he do to him?"

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There was no way he was telling her everything, she was still just a kid. "He was turning Jamie into a Spirit by killing him. We got to him before he died, but I don't know how much of what Pitch did to him will remain. In Pitch's lair he didn't recognise me, and he called Pitch, Master. He seemed to recognise me a little at least when I brought him here though. He's going to be under for a while though."

Sophie listened to him, obviously scared for her brother and Jack pulled her into a hug, being careful of her wings. "We can't go home, can we?" she whispered.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, rocking her gently.

"I have wings and it's not cold at all," she looked up at him and he nodded.

"You're part of the Winter Court now, you'll never feel cold again. Come on, let's get you settled." He stood up and led her out of the room.

Sophie looked around in awe as they walked through the Palace until they reached a door. At Jack's nod she pushed it open to find a beautiful set of rooms ready for her. He'd had to send out a few people to get things she would like and even raid her house for some keepsakes he knew she would want. Just because she couldn't go home didn't mean she couldn't have some of her things.

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Aster stopped and blinked at the small pile of snow with an envelope sitting in it waiting right outside of his Burrow. How had Frost gotten it passed his protections? He checked around and then picked it up, opening it to find a picture, green eyes going wide. He almost didn't recognise the person in the photo she had changed so much. It was Sophie… now a member of the Winter Court. She looked older than eleven now, likely due to the magic. He could see traces of the Fey magic she'd been exposed to in the streaked hair and multi-coloured eyes, but other than that she was pure Winter.

On the back of the picture was coordinates for somewhere in….Siberia? He blinked, had Frost given him an invite to the Winter Court?

He honestly didn't know what to think of Frost. He was the Snow King and everything he knew said that meant he couldn't be trusted. But if he really just the latest holder of the Title and those stories were of his predecessors… the way he had fought the Piper, gone after Pitch…the storm at the Pole when he'd realised who had Jamie. He'd seen Frost carrying Jamie's unconscious form, how gentle he had been, how sure he was that he could save Jamie.

So what did he believe; his own eyes or stories?

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Jack smiled as he watched Sophie and the others integrating well into the Court, learning fast. He hadn't told Sophie of the picture he'd sent to Bunny, better to not get her hopes up if the rabbit ignored the invitation. Jamie would be waking up soon and he was scared, who or what would be waking? He had felt the magic take, but would it be enough?

Sophie laughed at something Fuyuko said to her and then ran over to him, holding her hands up and Jack waved her closer, so she moved up to the Throne and he looked down at her hands.

"Did you do this?" he asked, and she nodded. In her cupped hands was a beautiful snowflake, as amazing as any he had ever made. He tugged her into a hug, and she grinned at him.

"It's good?"

"It's incredible Sophie," he praised. "I'm proud of you. What do you say to some flying lessons?" he asked, and she lit up.

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Aster popped up out of his tunnel and shivered, looking around. He seemed to be in the middle of nowhere but…there was something…and then Frost appeared out of nowhere.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," the young King admitted.

"Wasn't sure I would," he admitted. "Sophie?"

"Welcome to the Winter Palace," Frost bowed slightly, and Aster watched as a massive, sprawling, Palace appear from nowhere. It was…impressive.

The gates swung open and Aster followed him in, finding a garden of evergreens and ice sculptures. And then he saw the young girl in the air, stunningly delicate wings keeping her aloft. "Sophie?" he called, and she looked over and then she was tumbling form the sky, rolling awkwardly on her landing, running over.

"Bunny!" she threw herself at him and he caught her up, spinning around. "I missed you!"

"Missed ya too ya little ankle biter," he told her gruffly. "Not so little anymore though." She was still a kid despite the years, and he wondered if she'd stay one or eventually grow up. He listened as she began chattering, letting her drag him into the Palace and to her suite of rooms.

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Tooth flew in the window and smiled as she personally collected the tooth, pausing to gently run a hand through red hair. Little Matthew remembered nothing about what had happened when the Piper had called him thankfully. If he did, those memories would be front and centre of the tooth she now held, but there was nothing, not even a memory of the music. She was glad, the kids shouldn't have to remember what had happened.

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Jack watched the ice around Jamie as it began to shimmer, forcing himself not to hold his breath as he waited. Instead of melting, the ice shrank, Jamie's body absorbing it and the last of the magic. Jack swallowed, he was stunning, and thankfully looked healthy again.

Thick white and black hair fell to his shoulders in waves, no longer stringy and lank. His body was now fit, the weight he'd lost in Pitch's hands was back. It had been a shock to see him so skinny so quickly, but it had been due to the process Pitch was using to turn him into a Spirit, the magic using everything Jamie's body had to fuel the process. His skin was even paler than Jack's, almost iridescent in the low lights of the room, but he still looked human. He would have loved him anyway, but it would be easier for Jamie to adjust to a still human form.

Jamie groaned softly, head shifting restlessly. The circlet remained in place, delicate ice strands trailing from it to weave through Jamie's hair. He shifted on the table and Jack took his hand, stroking skin that no longer felt warm to him, their bodies now the same temperature.

"It's okay Jamie, take your time, you're safe," he whispered and then watched as golden eyes slowly fluttered open.

Jamie slowly focused on him, looking confused, but then the confusion faded. "Jack," he murmured, squeezing his hand, lifting the other and Jack took it, pulling him up and into his arms.

"Jamie," he whispered in relief. "You remember me?" he pulled back enough to look at Jamie who nodded.

He shivered and tried to get closer and Jack held him close. "It hurt."

"What hurt Jamie?" he asked gently, running his fingers through his hair.

"It…it was him, Ma…Pitch. He…"

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe. Pitch will never hurt you again," he swore. "He can never touch you again, even if he did get free."

"What?" Jamie asked, voice muffled from where he was pressed against Jack's shirt.

"Do I feel even a little cool to you?" he asked gently, and Jamie hesitantly pulled back to look at him, obviously confused. He reached out and stroked Jamie's cheek and Jamie leant into it.

"No," he admitted.

"You're Winter Court now Jamie, it was the only way to save you from what he was doing to you."

"I…I tried to hurt you…I was going to kill the Guardians…" Jamie stared at him with wide eyes.

"That wasn't you Jamie, none of that was you. They know that. Pitch made you do all of that and you couldn't say no."

"But I…"

"Jamie listen to me. Pitch has done stuff like this before; they know what that means. They don't blame you for any of it, they were so worried for you. When we saw you like that… they didn't know that as long as you were still even partially human that I could help you."

"How?" he asked, and Jack stood, taking his hands and guiding him to his feet. He led him from the small room and out into the main room and then through to the bathroom and the full length mirror. Jamie gasped as he stared at the two of them in the reflection. "That's…me?"

"Yeah Jamie, that's you," he rested his hands on Jamie's hips, feeling him tremble, slumping back against him and Jack supported him easily.

"What am I?" he asked, fingering a strand of black hair.

"What Pitch did was too far along to fully reverse," Jack admitted, lifting a hand to stroke his hair and he felt Jamie relax against him.

"He…he tried to make me forget you, to make me hate everything. To forget Mom, Sophie…everyone."

"I know, I saw how you didn't recognise me, but you do now."

Jamie turned around staring into his eyes and it was strange to find golden rather than brown eyes, but it was still Jamie. "I forgot you…I went to bed and when I woke up. Sophie talked about you and I just blew her off. He did something, made me remember it all so he could use me. But how…how did he get me?"

Jack took a deep breath and began explaining about the Piper again, how Jamie had been payment.

"Sophie?" Jamie somehow went even paler and Jack steadied him.

"She's here, she's okay," he promised.

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Jamie leant into Jack, trembling. It was all his fault. Sophie…all the other kids…they'd all be safe if it wasn't for him. He remembered now but it was all hazy, like a dream. Jack was easiest, Jack was right there. Sophie was hard to remember but easier than any of the others. "It's hard…it's all hazy in my head," he admitted.

"You remember Sophie and you remember me," Jack smiled sadly at him. "You're a Spirit now Jamie. Even if you went home…your Mom wouldn't be able to see you."

Jamie nodded…like how he'd forgotten Jack and been unable to see him. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it should. Maybe…it was better to have only foggy memories? He knew he feared and hated Pitch but loved Sophie and Jack. He pressed closer and then kissed Jack. He remembered this and it felt really right.

"I missed you so much Jamie," Jack admitted.

"I did what you taught me, meditation and exercises, buried everything I could."

"And it worked," Jack smiled softly at him. "Part of you knew me Jamie, even through everything Pitch did to you. You were stronger than him and you fought back the only way you could."

The why didn't it feel like he'd done enough?

TBC…