Hey everybody, and welcome back to Running for Life! (Little late again because I slept in 'til noon and still had to finish up this chapter, so...yeah XD)

Anywho, first thing's first! Review time! Many much thanks go to Andipandi5, Brenne, BooksAreMedicine, OneWhoDreamz (Whoa, long review! [Don't worry though, I kind of like it :)] Hm...well, I won't give anything away, obviously, but I will say that, while you're not entirelycorrect, but some of what you're saying is definitely on the right track! But because I'm evil, I won't tell you which parts are more right than wrong ;) Thanks for the kind words though, and your reviews can be as long or short as you want them to be, because I'll read it in its entirety all the same!), justsomeone, RrenAndore (Hm? Well, I'm glad you like the story, but I'm slightly confused at your statement. Though the timing of my updates haven't always been consistent, they've only ever been on Saturdays, and I've never updated twice in a row...perhaps time zone confusion may be at play? I'm not sure. Thank you for reviewing, though!), MagicWarriorDragon, Serami Nefera (Well no, Jack's blood is supposed to be red, he just doesn't like seeing it. And no, there wasn't anything on the knife...except for maybe Jack's blood now :), Nekohime1 (Even though you may not actually see this, thank you and good luck!), 1, jackandelsaforever101, WickedInk, Randomly Talented (Well, North's sad mainly because Jack is so out of it and doesn't realize his sister is dead. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough!)!

PLEASE READ! ...did I get your attention? Haha, anyway, since I didn't get any responses to this last chapter, just wanted to ask again: Do you guys know of any songs other than Kingdom Come that would fit this story? Not like to actually go IN the story, just to kind of represent it as some kind of soundtrack. If you do, let me know the title, artist, and why you think it fits! Thanks!

With that out of the way, on with the chapter!

Chapter 21: Everything's Okay

"Hello."

The man in red had returned.

"Ah, hello, Jack," he said, closing the red door behind him. The man walked over to the boy and gave a slight smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still funny," Jack replied with a silly smile. He sat up, pain shooting through his entire body. He didn't mind. His smile only grew brighter as he happily looked up at the man. "Pain doesn't hurt," he said wisely.

The man seemed like he expected as much. "Yes," he said thoughtfully, more to himself than to Jack. "Is true medicine causes euphoria and contentedness...only makes sense that pain would not bother him."

"Those are long words," Jack commented. He smiled, proud that he knew what such complicated words meant. "I know what they mean, though."

Jack thought the man must not have heard him, because he did not respond. Instead, he mused, "It also seems to revert recipient to childlike state…"

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked curiously, tilting his head to the side. He liked the nice man in red, but he could be confusing sometimes. He didn't like the man's clothes though. Too much red.

"...do not worry about it," the man said after a moment's pause. He held up his hand, revealing a bundle of clean bandages. "I have to change your bandages, okay Jack?"

Jack blinked. "But you just did that," he said.

The man in red shook his head. "No, Jack," he said patiently. "I did that yesterday."

"Oh." Now he remembered. He had fallen asleep. He laughed and beamed at the man. "Okay," he said.

Jack looked down at his bandages and smiled. They weren't blue, but they weren't red either. "They're not red," he pointed out brightly.

The man in red smiled as well. "No, stitches have held," he replied. He seemed relieved. "I am sorry it took so long to work. Aster is better healer, but he has been busy with making medicine for both you and townspeople who were wounded in initial attack."

Jack got the feeling the word "attack" was supposed to bring him some kind of concern, but he didn't mind. "It's okay," he said. And it was. Everything was okay. Nothing was wrong, and it never would be.

The man in red changed Jack's bandages, none of which were very red, without any problems. When he stepped back, he frowned, looking at the boy for a long moment before hesitantly saying, "Jack, do you...know who I am?"

"You're the man in red," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You came in before. I know you." He frowned slightly. "I don't like red. No offense."

The man looked sad. "Yes, Jack, I did come in before, but...I mean from before even that. Before you were injured."

Jack blinked. "There is no before," he pointed out, confused at why the man would think something happened before the red room. He blinked again and tilted his head. "Injured?"

"You are lucky to be alive, Jack," the man said sadly. "You were stabbed in shoulder, leg, and side. You lost much blood...medicine and stitches are only things keeping you from dying."

"Oh." Jack smiled. "Lucky" was a good word, he knew. He decided to make the man feel better, because it was the nice thing to do. "Okay," he said cheerily. "Thank you for helping me not die."

The man nodded, but still looked sad. "So you really do still remember nothing…" he murmured, stroking his short beard.

Jack was confused, but he let it pass. It was probably nothing important. Everything's okay anyway, he thought with a cheerful grin. I don't even need to think about it! And so he didn't.

Heaving a sigh, the man in red prepared the needle with the green paste once more. "Hopefully you will not need many more doses," he said. "You are recovering surprisingly well."

The boy smiled, then frowned. He had seen the needle. "Doesn't that put me to sleep?" he asked, eyebrows creasing. Jack felt tears fill his eyes as an immense sadness washed over him. "B-But I-I just woke u-up...I-I don't w-wanna go b-back to slee-eep…"

"Jack, you need to rest more," the man in red said quickly. "You need medicine to heal. Otherwise...uh...there will be more red."

"Oh." The tears were gone. Jack blinked. "I don't like red," he told the man.

"I know Jack, I know," said the man, nodding. "That is why you need to take your medicine, so red will go away."

"Oh," Jack repeated. He mulled over this for a long time. I want the red to go away… he thought. But what if the man in red goes away too? I like him. He's nice. I don't think I want him to leave. It's okay if he does, though. Everything's okay. I would just like him to stay here to talk to me. I like talking. It's fun!

"Medicine also seems to cause minor breakdowns…" the man was saying to himself. "I will have to tell Aster…"

"It's okay if you do it," Jack spoke up, blinking up at the man in red with heavily dilated blue eyes.

The man nodded in what Jack figured was relief. "Alright," he said. "Now hold still, and I will-"

"But I don't want you to go away." Jack knew it wasn't nice to interrupt, but he also knew that he wanted to be able to talk for a little longer before he had to go to sleep again.

Now the man looked confused. "What do you mean, Jack?" he asked curiously.

Jack thought it was obvious, but he explained anyway. "You said the red would you away." He pointed at the man. "Red." He nodded wisely, then shrugged. "I don't want you to go away. You're nice. I like you."

The man seemed even more confused now. "You...like me?" he asked. His tone was surprised, and now Jack was confused too.

"Yes," he said, blinking. "You're not mean. You talk to me without yelling. You wanna help me, not hurt me." Jack blinked again and nodded, beaming at him. "So I like you."

The man in red blinked. "Jack…" he said slowly, somewhat unsure of himself. "Do people...try to hurt you often?"

Jack nodded. "Uh huh. It's okay though. I don't mind." Just like the holes in his side, shoulder, and leg, the thought of being hurt by someone didn't bother him in the slightest. Just like everything else, it was okay. Besides, there must be some kind of reason that justified it all. Jack didn't care enough to find out what it was-in fact, he didn't care at all-but he was content in the knowledge that, if he was attacked, there was a valid reason, and he probably deserved it.

There was a strange expression on the man's face. Jack couldn't tell exactly what it meant, but he somehow felt that, whatever the man must be feeling didn't feel good to be felt. Wanting to help him with that, Jack gave a wide, goofy grin.

The man didn't seem to get the message. The odd expression morphed into a much more readable frown. Jack understood better now, but still, he kept the silly smile on his face in hopes of cheering the man up. He never got to find out whether or not it had worked, though, because, as he grinned, the man in red inserted the medicine needle into the small hole on the boy's neck.

Jack couldn't help but laugh almost hysterically as the needle went in. The room blurred into all kinds of funny shapes, and Jack found that now, he was okay with even the fact that there was red all around him. He fell back giggling, his own voice sounding weird when it reached his ears. Turning over, the searing pain not bothering him at all, he hugged his pillow tightly, his giggles never ceasing.

He supposed it was a little strange that the medicine was causing a far more extreme reaction than before, but he didn't mind. The green paste made him feel so good, and he loved it. He loved it more than anything. Beaming and cuddling his pillow, Jack decided that this was the best feeling in the world.

I wanna feel like this all the time! he thought happily. I love it so much!

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

()()()()

When Jack awoke four days after he declared his love for his medicine, the blinding pain threatened to render him unconscious again almost immediately. His mind felt oddly muddled, but the pain was sharp and clear. He groaned audibly and tried to twist himself into a more comfortable position, but yelped when a fresh wave of pain coursed through him.

"What...the hell…?" he panted, wincing as he tried again.

"Jack?" came a familiar voice off to his left.

Jack started, and cried out again as the motion jostled the wounds that were apparently somewhere on his body. He craned his neck to see in the direction the voice had come from, but couldn't quite manage it. "North…?" he asked in a strained voice. "I-Is that you…?"

"You recognize me?" North's voice sounded surprised by this somehow.

The young sprite paused, unsure of how to respond to that. "Um...yes?" was all he could manage. Why the hell wouldn't I recognize him? he thought confusedly. I mean yes, I can't see him at the moment, but his voice is a little hard to forget…

He heard footsteps sound, and, sure enough, the Guardian of Wonder came around the side of the bed Jack was lying him, and into the boy's line of sight. He had a strange expression on his face. Jack frowned up at him. He detected sadness, shame...and pity.

The boy scowled at the thought. I must have been injured somehow, he thought. Why else would he give me his pity? Ugh… His scowl slipped off his face and reformed into a simple frown. But...what happened? Why can't I remember anything…? When North opened his mouth to speak, Jack felt his ears prick up in interest. I wonder if that disguise has worn off yet, he thought idly. Probably. Seeing as I remember nothing, I may have been unconscious for a few days...

"You may not remember…" North began uncertainly. "But about nine days ago...you were stabbed in side, shoulder, and leg."

That made sense. Now that Jack thought about it, those areas did seem to be where the pain he was feeling was centered. Although he had to admit that he was confused by a few of the man's words. "Wait," he said before North could continue. "You said nine days ago. I've...I've been out for nine days?"

"Ah...not quite," North responded. "You were awake after four days, but under influence of medicine we had to give you. Along with speeding up healing process, medicine gives...heavy sense of euphoria, so you were very...how should I say...out of it." He shook his head. "We had to give it to you many times, but was no problem. Aster designed it himself. He made sure no bad effects would come out of it no matter how many times in a row it was taken."

Jack winced at the implications of the phrase, "out of it". He sincerely hoped he hadn't sounded too ridiculous while on the medicine North spoke of. Still...when he thought about it, he seemed to recall a sense of intense happiness. He blinked, stiffening slightly as he tried his hardest to truly remember how it had affected him. I think I remember… he thought dizzily. It felt so good…'twas the best I've ever felt, really...I...I wish I could feel it again…

Jack blinked, startling himself out of his own thoughts. Okay, he thought, shaking his head ever so slightly. I really need to knock it off. No matter how terrible my life is, I can't just hide away in some medicinal fantasy land and pretend everything's okay. Ugh…

Suddenly, another thing occurred to him. "North, where are the other three?" he asked. "That is to say, how did you alone get saddled with the ordeal of watching over me? Draw the short straw, did you?"

"No, I volunteered," North said simply, surprising Jack. "Others have been taking care of town affairs, such as helping wounded and explaining situation. They have come to see you, of course, but you have been asleep every time."

Unless he had only been woken up daily for less than an hour at a time, Jack found this a little difficult to fully believe, but he let it pass. "I see," he said instead, falling silent for a time after speaking. Soon, however, his desire to know the answer to his one unasked question overtook him, and he said softly, "North...who stabbed me?"

North was silent for a long time. He seemed to be battling with himself whether or not he should tell the boy, and it was this that made Jack even more anxious to know. Finally, however, the Guardian heaved a sigh and answered reluctantly, "...Onyx stabbed you."

These three words caused the metaphorical floodgates that had closed in front of his memory to violently burst open. Jack inhaled sharply as the events of nine days ago threatened to drown him with their painful, suffocating natures.

The Nightmares attacked again.

I confronted Onyx.

Onyx wanted my sister.

I tried to stop her.

Onyx stabbed me.

She tried to kill me.

Livi jumped in front of me.

Onyx killed my sister.

Jack was silent for a long time. His heart felt crushed all over again. He wanted to curl up and cry until it hurt his eyes. He wanted to scream until the effort tore his throat. He wanted to open his eyes and have the past six years all have been a dream. He wanted to go home.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do any of this. The latter two were impossible, and he refused to let anyone see him attempt the former.

My family is dead, he thought numbly. I thought I lost them all before...and just as I found my sister...she was taken from me all over again.

"Jack…" came North's gentle voice, hoping to comfort the boy.

"Go." Jack's voice cracked as he spoke, but he didn't care. "Leave...Leave me alone."

It took North a long time to decide whether or not doing so would be a good idea to any extent, but eventually he nodded. "Very well…" he said sadly. "I will...give you some time to...take it all in…" Nodding at the young sprite, he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Jack lay still for what felt like an eternity. When he finally rolled over to position himself on his back rather than his right side, he had to bite his lip to the point of tasting blood in order to keep from crying out in pain. Breathing heavily, he stared up at the red ceiling and thought about how much he hated it.

Red had been his least favorite color for years. He didn't mind bright, cheery shades of red, but the dark red that the walls and ceiling of the room had been painted in disgusted him. It was too close to the color of blood for his liking. He was sick of seeing blood.

The blankets on the bed were bloodstained too, as though whoever had made the bed had run out of clean spares and simply went with the sheets and comforter that had the least amount of blood on them. Now that Jack thought about it, that was probably exactly what had happened.

Once his panting had subsided, Jack let his head fall to the left side, looking across the nightstand that was positioned within reach. He blinked in surprise. On the nightstand, there was what looked a little like a sewing needle, along with a small jar of an odd green paste. Jack frowned slightly in thought, then his eyes widened.

I know what that is.

It was the medicine that had made him feel like he hadn't a care in the world. The medicine that had alleviated his pain without any adverse effects. The medicine that he had decided he adored.

I sound foolish, he acknowledged, not taking his eyes off the soothing green color of the paste. Even if nothing bad will happen should I take it, I still can't live under the medicine's influence forever. I have to get up and face reality at some point.

He blinked and tilted his head slightly. Still… he thought. If I'm still in pain, it means I'm not fully healed...doesn't it? Right. I don't think me being aware of anything will help with my healing process at all, and North said that this medicine speeds it up...perhaps I will administer it to myself. Just until my wounds are healed, of course. I wouldn't dream of taking it any further than is absolutely necessary.

This thought in mind, Jack shifted his left arm, wincing against the jolt of pain that shot through it. All the more reason to get the medicine and take it… he thought. Slowly, he reached out across the nightstand and pulled the jar closer to him. Then, he picked up the needle.

Everything was going to be okay.

...this...isn't an excuse to write more delirious Jack, I promise...

Seriously though, I just kind of had an epiphany as I was writing the other day so...yeah, that happened. XD Wasn't my original intention, but I swear I'm not just trying to get to keep writing Jack like that! XD (Though considering how fun it is, it is an added bonus...)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you back here next week for Chapter 22 of RFL!

For now, Sapphire316, out.