Jamie shivered, flushing.
"I like the sound of that..." He muttered. Jack smiled.
"Meet me there." It was then that he had slipped away and into the bedroom upstairs, already having something in mind. Jamie nodded, following Jack; already quivering in anticipation.
00000
The baby woke up to the sound of creaking and what would soon be groaning and repeated thuds near the ceiling... the moans and cries of pleasure from Jack and Jamie and the repeated thuds got faster; the baby thought in his mind that they were hitting rocks and stuff... No maybe it's a jackhammer... he thought of Jack using a jackhammer on a driveway. Jamie chuckled softly; wrapping a blanket about them before drifting off himself. Jack snored louder than normal, which was unusual; Jamie woke after a while though it's because Roxas was beginning to feel fussy. He got dressed and returned to the nursery.
"Hey my little snow prince. What's the fuss?" He asked gently as he picked him up. Roxas groaned within like 'tell me what the hell that noise was that kept me awake!' He yelled on the bond in his fuss.
What the hell was it that kept me awake?!
"I'm sorry Roxas... I will have to make sure I put a noise refracting spell for you in here. No more of that language little man, I don't want you saying bad words understood?" He said a little sternly before going on.
"As for the noise, it was just me and your father playing a game that grownups play sometimes with those they love very much. I am sorry we disturbed you, we didn't mean to." He said soothingly and began the spell he'd read about in one of North's books earlier about keeping noise from reaching a room. It took some concentration... and a lot of effort, but he managed it so that even Jack's faint snoring sounds couldn't be heard... that was actually how he knew it worked. The baby gurgled in response, smiling. Jack groaned in his sleep.
"There now, no more noises." Jamie says with a smile.
"Hmmm, but what shall we do now?" Suddenly there was a horrendous odor, the baby started to cry at this.
"Ah... I guess we should change you first." Jamie set to the malodorous task of changing Roxas' diaper and disposing of the thing in a trash bin; making sure to powder him so that he'd not only smell better but so his skin would stay soft and dry too.
"There now. All better." Jamie says once he's finished and gently tosses him into the air, catching him again. Roxas giggled happily, laughing; he wanted to fly. Jamie smiled and spent several minutes gently tossing Roxas into the air and catching him again. He giggled and giggled until he felt sick, puking on Jamie's shirt on the way down. Jamie shook his head and cleaned Roxas up, then set him in the crib a moment to clean himself up and find a new shirt. Jack slowly started to wake up, he was tired still, but he didn't care. He slowly got up and went to the kitchen, seeing a giggling Roxas he looked at him with a slight chuckle.
"What did you do to Jamie, huh?" The boy gave Jack a sly mischievous smile that, compared to his own, was the exact same.
"Ah, I see you're up too." Jamie said with a smile when he entered the hall to see Jack looking at Roxas. Jack smiles
"What happened to you? Weren't you wearing a grey shirt last I saw you?" Jack said, slightly curious.
"Yeah... it's in the wash. Roxas got a little sick while we were playing." Jack smiled.
"How did you get him sick?" He looked at the boy in his arms who giggled and said.
"FWY!"
"Um... I was playing catch... I guess he got a little air sick after a while." Jack smiled
"Well be careful next time, don't want his little stomach acting up do we, or getting air sick." He snuggled the little child close to his heart who in turn decided his ear was the best thing to play with.
"Ow ow ow, Roxas let go of daddy's ear. Roxas, ROXAS."
"Roxas, you listen to your father now." Jamie chides gently, he was pretty sure he wasn't going repeat the game of catch any time soon. Roxas giggles boredly, Jack smiled.
"Let's take him to the park."
"A good idea. I'm sure the children are anxious to meet him." Jamie said with a smile. Jack smiled and got a carriage he had built himself out of ice and put soft blankets in it and everything, including Roxas' favorite toy lion.
"There you go." Jack tucked him in and then got bottles, blankets, wipes, fresh diapers, a pacifier and some more toys just in case. Jamie insisted on carrying the bag that held the bottles and other things while Jack carried Roxas. The baby giggled, looking around as Jack walked down the nice little sidewalk; he had flown to close to Burgess' famous park. Jamie is right behind Jack and, as expected, there is a group of children playing the park. Jack smiled, walking to the park; he placed Roxas in the sand box and stayed right next to him at a bench. All the supplies needed for him next to Jack; Roxas wasn't sure what to do at the moment, he did try eating the sand though in which Jack made him spit out and showed him how to build things. The boy soon was building blobby buildings and snow men. The baby was giggling, smashing the little city he had made when some children came over. A pair of twins were the first to approach Jack and Roxas, twin girls.
"Is he yours?" One of them asked. Jack nodded.
"Yes, that's my 'lil roxy, Roxas." He said, Roxas huffed saying.
"No, no, dadwe. Mwe Woxas." He hated the name Roxy. The girls giggled and leaned down.
"I'm Lisa and this is Hannah." The only difference between the two twins were their eye color. Lisa had brown eyes while Hannah's were hazel. Roxas giggled and looked at a little bug, he picked it up and tried to eat it.
"Oh no, no Roxas." Jack immediately took action, taking the little beetle out.
"Ewwwwww!" The twins said while the boys just giggled. Roxas looked at the girls, not sure what was so gross about eating a bug. Jack smiled.
"Don't wanna eat that Roxas, icky. I'm sure the bug wouldn't taste good." Jack said as he cradled him to give him his bottle. Roxas took to the bottle immediately.
"Looks like someone was hungry." Jamie said with a chuckle.
"I'll say." Jack petted Roxas' head, gently closing his eyes, listening to his child's heart beat along with his own; tears started to fall, this was his baby... he was Jack's child and it was amazing.
"What's wrong?" One of the children nearby asked, unaware that tears didn't always mean someone was sad. Jack smiled.
"Nothing's wrong, I'm happy to have a baby like Roxas is all." Jamie nodded with a smile, the kids just looked at Jack in confusion.
"Just because someone cries, doesn't mean they're sad or hurt; sometimes people cry when they are very happy." Jack nodded, wiping away his tears before hugging Roxas who crawled out of his arms to play in the sand again now that he was full.
"Oh." One of the children said, though the looks on their faces seemed to convey that they don't quite get it. Jamie smiled a little at them.
"Well, you'll understand better when you get older." Jack suddenly felt a pain in his head.
"Augh." Roxas was worried, he knew exactly who it was; the one in Jack's mind, the dark being again, it was taking control. Jamie moved over to Jack's side, one hand in his pocket; he clutched the vial in it as he put his other hand on Jack's shoulder without a word. Jack grunted, the pain was unbearable and he needed to move from the children immediately; he picked up Roxas and said goodbye to the children. He handed Roxas off to Jamie and moved from the area and headed home, fighting the dark being all throughout the trip. Jamie did the thing he'd done before that had kept the darkness at bay the first time; he channeled his light through the serum and through it into Jack. It only worked though so long as he was he in contact with Jack. Jack groaned, shaking in pain as he finally reached home; he collapsed nearly by the door. Roxas all but glared at the darkness radiating about his body; Jack cried out as the serum was getting rid of the darkness but it was fighting hard.
"It w-won't let go." Jamie set Roxas down and slipped his hand into Jack's.
"I know... but I'm not giving up either." Jamie kissed Jack's cheek. Jack shook his head.
"I h-have to accept th-this is me now... I can't keep doing this forever." He said, he knew he had to accept that this was his body now, his hair brushed against Jamie's face.
"I know." Jamie replied softly, he stayed close to Jack; he'd already accepted the change and though he would always remember Jack as he had been when they first met, he couldn't tell the difference now between the two though he was sure there was one. It didn't matter. This was Jack, the winter spirit he had first believed in as a child, had come to befriend and eventually to love. Jack whimpered in pain; it kept growing and growing, it grew worse and worse... Jamie lightly pressed a kiss to the hand he's holding, offering what aide and support that he could through the serum and his light. Jack squirmed in pain, yowling; groaning in pain, finally he couldn't take it.
"Jamie, get Roxas in the other room now. I mean it, NOW!" He shouted, the pain had grown ten fold. Jamie didn't leave Jack, instead he used the ice along the floor to send Roxas into the nursery and seal it off. With Roxas safely behind a very thick wall of ice, Jamie wrapped his arms around Jack. Silently refusing to leave. Jack cried and screamed... and screamed, and screamed; it went on for maybe an hour or so before he went limp in Jamie's arms, exhausted and out of energy. Jamie held Jack close, even if Jack was out of energy he would fight on to keep Jack with him. The darkness snickered and spoke to Jamie.
"Even if he is unconscious I will keep trying until he breaks. Soon you won't be seeing Jacky, but darkness in its purest form."
"I will not give up. No matter what you say or do. I will always be here for him." Jamie replied. The other snickered as if Jamie said a funny joke.
"It's only a matter of time before he breaks, and when he does he won't have a choice but to succumb to my power."
"Not so long as I am here." Jamie responded defiantly.
"We will see who has the last laugh." He said darkly before leaving. Jamie frowned, it wasn't about a last laugh; it was about strength and he was certain that darkness was a lack of light and not the other way around, which meant that as long as his light flickered in him... as long as he was a light for Jack, the darkness couldn't claim him. Jack groaned in pain, pain that had speared through his body as a last resort; Jack screamed, arching, and then stayed limp. His chest wasn't rising and falling, not a good sign. Jamie sent as much light through Jack as he could; murmuring reassuringly.
We've come this far... I'm not going to lose you now. I'm here, always, for as long as you need me to be and even if you don't want me to be. I will and have always loved you. Jack sniffed.
"Jamie, I do and always will love you too." He hugged Jamie tightly. Jamie held Jack close. Wishing he could do more but there wasn't much more he could do but wait and hope Jack accepted the new body soon. It is days, weeks... Roxas became distant from Jack. He knew what was wrong and he could do nothing to help; at night Jack would often scream in pain before forcing back the dark being. Each time it would become harder and harder to control and each time the pain would increase more and more to the point that Jack nearly died of a heart attack one night. Jamie did what he could with his light being boosted by the serum, even giving Jack small doses of what was left on the worst of nights, but he's aware this couldn't go on too much longer. Something was going to give and he was slowly being worn out from the constant fighting he's doing. One way or another... this fight between them and the darkness was about to come to an end. Jack panted, too scared to sleep or even just close his eyes.
"It hurts too much Jamie, I can't take it anymore." Jack cried one evening, tears falling. He looked a mess, his hair was sticking out in a wiry mess, his eyes were dead looking with bags upon bags under them. His skin looked dead, not even the healthy whitish pale it was supposed to be, his clothes were rumpled about and he smelled somewhat from crying all the time. Jamie cleaned Jack up without a word. He knew and it's in his eyes but he didn't say anything; he's too exhausted and it's evident that he might only be able to fight it off one last time... Jack winced in pain, struggling against it again; he arched off the bed, fisting the bed as he couldn't take it. Electrical sparks flew off Jack instantly, he had lost, the darkness had taken control; yellow orbs and blackened hair came moments after
"Finally, I thought he'd never break." Jamie clutched the serum, facing the darkness... he knew he'd have one last shot...
"Leave." It's all he said. He snickered.
"You are quite foolish aren't you?" Jamie was suddenly thrown through the wall splintering the ice and making a large hole almost hitting him into Roxas' nursery. Roxas was crying in fright.
"Aww, so this is the runt that nearly took me out." Roxas stopped crying and glared fearlessly at the dark form.
"Well you won't be around for long when I'm done with you, eh Roxas?" He said the name with venom.
Jamie rose, he ached, but he stood between the darkness and Roxas.
I will defend you Roxas... I promise... You will live... The North wind howled outside and Jamie has an idea... silently the wind carried Roxas out of the nursery from a back way and off to the North Pole and the safety he knew the other Guardians would provide the child. He glared at the other with determination, and poured everything he had into the serum; making it glow blindingly with the light... it's the last thing he could do before he collapsed. Too exhausted to continue and his final conscious thought was his love that he sent to Roxas over the bond.
