Chapter Eighteen

NOTES: Yet again, I'm sorry for a long absence. I got food poisoning, had to study for my SAT exam that's coming up in May, and work on art commissions. I'm a digital artist and commissions is how I get money so that comes first. Sorry. But now I finally have time to continue working on this! Sorry again ; v ;

Jamie's stomach felt like it was going to just explode and a million butterflies would just come out if he had to wait to hear Santa's story any longer. He just wanted to know what went down while he was gone. He especially wanted to know what happened to Jack.

"Well while we were all out lookin' for ya," Bunnymund butted in. "We met up with Pitch."

"Oh yes! And we demanded for him to fix Jack's staff!" Tooth exclaimed. "But um...that didn't exactly work."

"Of course that wouldn't work, Tooth," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "It is Pitch after all."

Jamie's face formed into one of confusion as he listened to them speak. This didn't really tell him anything about what happened while he was gone. Jamie bit his lip and then coughed loudly to stop their bickering of Pitch. They all looked at him.

"That's nice and all but you guys aren't telling me anything of what happened," Jamie said, squinting his eyes at them.

"Then I'll explain it all," Jack said quickly. "After we found Pitch we got into this giant fight. He kept asking where you were, which really pissed me off," he added in, mumbling the last part quietly, which caused Jamie to blush. "Apparently his magic or whatever hit me and now my eye is weird! On the bright side, my personalities aren't split anymore."

"Is...Is your eye going to be okay?" Jamie asked, rather concerned.

"Well we know he can't see out of it," Santa said and Sandy nodded quickly. "Show 'em Sandy."

Sandy then floated up to be eye level with Jack. He took his thumb and held it up to the all black eye.

"Tell us when you see Sandy's thumb," Santa said.

Jamie watched as Sandy moved his thumb along, Jack not saying a single thing. Yet, as soon as the thumb was in front of his bright blue eye, Jack spoke up.

"I see it," he mumbled in defeat.

Jamie's eyes widened and he gasped in shock. "S-So your blind in one eye?" he asked quickly, worry filling him now.

"Yeah. My staff still isn't working either. I've done everything I could," Jack replied.

Jack drooped his shoulders and looked up at the ceiling. Jamie noticed that they all looked worn out and exhausted, even Santa. It was like they had no motivation left. If that was the case, then Jamie would just have to give them some motivation!

"Well then I guess we'll have to find Pitch again and beat him once and for all!" Jamie said excitedly, putting his hands on his hips.

"But there will always be nightmares and fears, kid. He's not going to leave forever," Bunnymund said dejectedly.

"Okay well yeah but we can do what we did before! Drive him away! Make sure it's years before he ever returns! I'm a Guardian now, right?! Then I will help get rid of him! I'm apparently the Guardian of love and he's like, the boogeyman! Those two things don't really mix! So I can help!" Jamie took a deep breath, from having talked so much, and his face had turned a scarlet red.

They were all staring at him, shocked that he had voiced himself like that. Jack then chuckled slightly and the rest of them laughed.

"What's so funny?" Jamie demanded.

"Oh hun, we're not laughing at you or anything," Tooth assured him.

"She's right," Santa said. "We're just surprised you had that all in ya. But! You're right!"

"I am?" Jamie whispered, but then quickly changed his tone of voice. "Of course I'm right!" Jamie huffed and he felt like all of the anxiety had just left him.

Jack came up to him and patted him on the back. "Alright, well now that that's settled, I think I'll take Jamie to visit his family. They're probably heart broken."

Well so much for no more anxiety. Jamie had completely forgotten. How could he have done that? His poor mom and sister were probably so upset. Jamie looked down at Jack and gulped, wondering how they would take it.

"Okay...let's go..." Jamie breathed, his voice shaky and barely audible.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Jack assured him.

"You should consider yourself lucky. The rest of us weren't able to tell our families," Tooth said with a soft smile, although her tone of voice panged of jealously.

"You...You guys had families?!" Jamie gasped.

"Well of course," Jack said. "We all use to be somebody. Don't worry, I didn't know that either until around the time I first met you."

Jamie scratched his cheek and bit his lip slightly. He just got to keep adding information to his brain lately. He was surprised his brain hadn't exploded yet.

"Well, you ready to go?" Jack asked, reaching his hand out.

Jamie nodded slowly and grabbed onto Jack's hand. Jack walked backwards before he started floating upwards and Jamie followed. Jamie noticed a yeti throw a snow globe and they walked through it, landing in front of the home of the Bennett family. Jamie gulped and rose his hand up, like he was going to knock on the door. But before he could do that, the door abruptly swung open, and a blonde teenaged girl stood before him.

The girl's eyes widened and she dropped her cell phone and purse onto the ground.

"Sophie!" Jamie exclaimed, glad to see his younger sister.

"J-Jamie... Y-You're dead!" she gasped.

"Well I guess in a technical sense...but not really!" he told her, frowning slightly when he saw the confusion whoosh over her face.

Sophie's eyes were wide and her lip was quivering. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and her bottom lip puckered out.

"Oh no don't cry! Please don't cry!" he begged, putting his hands on her shoulders. Yet, she ended up crying anyways.

"Sophie!? Sophie what's going on out there?" he heard his mom call. The brunette woman ran out, her hair in a tight bun, and she started in concern at her daughter. "What are you crying at?"

"She...She can't see me," Jamie said, his heart feeling like it broke into a million different pieces.

"J-Jamie!" Sophie whimpered.

"Oh honey, I miss him too," their mother cooed, hugging her from the side.

"No mom! He's right here!"

She looked around and then back down at Sophie. "No he isn't hun... We talked about this..."

"Talked about it? What is she talking about?" Jamie questioned.

"She doesn't believe you're alive anymore, so she doesn't see you," Jack said. There it was, the truth was out.

EXTRA NOTES: Also, I have no idea what Jamie's mom's hair colour is since it never showed her, so I'm just guessing.