"About that. Those things are pretty fallible. I read about such spells when I was alive and you know, having been in the hands of Death not once, but twice... it's enlightening. You're not as strong as you boast. You just have the illusion of power. Any idiot can make a puppet of someone. Make someone fear them." Jamie said calmly, inside his mind was purely blank; there was nothing for the demon to read even if it could. He knew, even as he spoke the words that weren't entirely his own, that he was playing a dangerous game here, but he would take the gamble for Jack.
"But having loyalty... love... now THAT is a great feat and one someone as powerless as you simply can't pull it off." The demon chuckled.
"That's what you believe, of course, it's weak though. You think I'm weak, look at yourself. How long as it been since Jack told you about this huh? He lied to you and oh boy, Jamie, he's lied about his entire life. He was never even resurrected by MiM." He chuckled.
"All that MiM said about him was a lie." Had Jamie's thoughts not been blank before, they would have been then. He had long been suspecting something was off from all that Jack had told him, the blood stone had been a shocking revelation and he'd realized then that there was a lot that didn't fit. Now it all made sense in one final, crushing blow.
"I am aware of that." Jamie said calmly, his mind barely aware he'd even spoken. He seemed way too calm for all of this. The demon snickered.
"And when do you suppose he'll tell you his true life?"
"When he feels like it, I suppose. I've noticed something about you... you seem weaker than I expected... more... inexperienced let's say. How old are you? 300? 500 years old?" He narrowed his eyes and Jamie felt his windpipe seeming to close. Jamie raised an eyebrow, despite the pressure he found it only slightly disconcerting and chuckled a bit.
"You have mistaken my former humanity for stupidity. I am already dead. What do you think choking me will get you? Beyond making it difficult for me to talk in the next few minutes." The demon snickered.
"To answer that." A voice in Jamie's head screamed, a familiar one; one that he had, years before, longed to hear but couldn't... his sister's.
"Don't be cocky Mister Bennett." Jamie met the other's eyes with a slight frown.
"Resorting to childish trickery are we? You see... no matter how old you are... you really are still very naive and might as well not even have bothered to toy with me. You see, I happen to know something you, with all your years, have missed. A blatant truth you should have learned far before now, but something I learned as a young child." Up until now, Jamie had been bluffing as to his knowledge, but now he wasn't. The other simply batted away Jamie's words like a bothersome moth.
"Whatever, your precious winter spirit's life is practically in my hands." He said, now rolling the blue stone between his fingers.
"What if I were to make him too hot... would he melt?" He smiled darkly, heating up the stone.
"I wouldn't say melt. You see, I have figured out something. You might be powerful... but you can't kill anyone. Well, not anyone under my protection at any rate. Do you know why?" The other growled.
"No, I can't melt him and apparently yes I do, but the same doesn't go for me. You see Jamie, I collect souls, you're silly rule doesn't apply to me, only Death and I had him long before you met him." He smiled an unnerving smile as Jack gasped out in pain, it was very hot; so much so that he was sweating up a storm, Tooth tended him and Roxas screamed.
"I-i-it's okay Roxy, daddy's j-j-just fine." He whimpered, a poor attempt to soothe the child.
"You think so? By the way... this isn't a rule of mine... just a simple truth. I will prove it. Granted... I am not the best of healers this should at least begin to prove my point." Jamie replied and knelt next to Chris. He gently moved the various limbs back the way they should be and sent his light into the other spirit who groaned in agony, but he opened his eyes. Obviously wondering how it was he was still alive through the pain of a broken body. He should have been dead, by all accounts, but here he had survived. Why? How? Jamie shifted his gaze from the now-conscious spirit.
"I had no reason to protect him... and yet, I apparently have. By all purposes were you really as in control over souls as you thought he should have perished, but you know as well as I that those who are truly dead cannot move and I am certainly no puppeteer." The creature, having had enough, growled.
"Leave, and be lucky that I let myself spare you and that weakling." He said, crushing the stone, making it hot as lava as Jack screamed, arching in pain as suddenly Jack found himself red hot, even as the yetis tried everything to cool him down but the ice cubes only melted on contact with his skin and the water evaporated. Jamie smirked a little.
"Be grateful I didn't come here to end you." Jamie picked up Chris gently, though the other still grunted in pain. Jamie carried him out of the castle without a second glance to the creature. Only once they were back where they started did he speak.
"I know you're in pain, but can you open the portal again?" Chris winced.
"S-sure, I'll try my best." He weakly grasped Jamie's hand as he opened the portal. It hurt him a lot more than Jamie knew, but he knew he was free from the evil that lived behind the portal.
"T-there." He said, shivering. Jamie stepped through and waited for him to close it.
"I might not like you or what you tried to do, but I'm not heartless. I'll see that you're taken care of. As I told that... thing... I'm not much of a healer, but I know someone who can help." Jamie said as he called the wind to take him to the pole. Chris was too weak to protest or comment. Jack was settled in a snow casket full of ice water and ice cubes now, a constant air conditioning for him as he had melted most of the ice and nearly evaporated everything. He panted, he wasn't doing so well as his body heat increased a few degrees. Jamie set Chris down in a bed in the infirmary; a yeti warbled at him.
"He's got broken limbs and he's in a lot of pain, see to him will you?" The yeti nodded and Jamie headed to where he sensed Jack... he wasn't sure how this was going to work... but he was going to do what he needed to. It didn't take him long to find Jack. He slipped his hand into the water and gently threaded his fingers into Jack's.
"I came back to fulfill my promise. That I'd always be here for you." He murmured gently and pressed his forehead to Jack's as he closed his eyes and sent his power into Jack, both the light of his center and ice. He poured the strength of his belief and all he had into Jack.
Jack's unconscious form brightened with the power and belief; he squeezed as tightly as he could, letting Jamie know that he felt him and loved him very much. The yetis nearby had to shield their eyes as the room brightened momentarily.
"I love you." Jamie whispered before he passed out. Jack opened his eyes once... twice before he found Jamie passed out on him.
"J-jamie... oh God is he ok?" Jack looked around that the yetis, wanting one to provide an answer right that second. They didn't say a thing, they didn't know the answer to that question; they could only hope as one of them settled Jamie onto a bed nearby even as another came in warbling about Chris' condition, thinking that it's talking to Jamie until it stops mid-sentence, seeing the unconscious winter spirit and Jack. Jack was worried very much about Jamie.
"J-jamie." He realized he needed to end this madness, with or without Jamie's help. Sandy floated into the room, a question mark over his head and one of the yetis nearby warbled at him, a thoughtful look crossing the little Guardian's face as he listened then he turned to Jack and carefully explained:
It seems that he has a rather unusual burn, something in his pocket must have burned him and he is out cold. They do not know why but I can guess, considering what they have said of how you were only moments before.
He looked over at Jamie a moment even as he continued the explanation slowly so that to make sure Jack understood what he meant:
From what I can tell, he has managed to harness the power that is his center to help you. He is likely very drained as I imagine he mixed it with his abilities to create winter to cool you down and return you to normal.
Jack shuddered.
"Sandy, tell Jamie I'll be back within the hour and not to worry." He stood up, ignoring his unhealed body's painful protest.
"Because where I'm going there is going to be hell to pay." He said walking out of the room to fight this thing, and beat it once and for all. Sandy floated after Jack quickly, floating in front of him, an exclamation point over his head:
Hold on! Can't this wait at least until he's conscious?!
Jack pushed passed Sandy without any emotion.
"No it can't, if you don't want the world to be destroyed by evil. I suggest you stay out of my way." Sandy frowned and followed Jack who glared at Sandy. As soon as he came by Jack drew up a wall to block him, the entire way this goes on, each wall popped up when the others fell. It's like a walking wall, Jack growled.
"Sandy I'm warning you, it's not the best time to fuck with me ok." Sandy followed him; a determined look in his eyes before he built a sand wall in front of Jack to get his attention, spelling out:
I'm not letting you go alone.
Jack growled.
"No, Sandy, absolutely not!" Sandy crossed his arms, the sand writing again:
Whether you like it or not, I'm coming. You've been alone too long.
Jack growled and took off full speed, trying to lose Sandy in the sky.
"LEAVE ME BE SANDY I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Sandy kept pace with Jack, like it or not he wasn't going to let the boy set off on his own, much less while still injured... he'd never live that one down if he did. Finally Jack snapped, a wave of icicles came towards Sandy faster than a blink of the eye. Jack hit him with his staff, knocking him from the sky before taking off and opening a portal to the under realm. Sandy shook it off, darting into the portal before Jack could stop him. Jack growled again.
"Fuck. Fine, Sandy, but don't touch anything don't even write any words let me deal with this." He snapped as he led Sandy to the same castle Jamie had been led to only the beings around stopped their work, the torture, staring at Jack; smiling evilly... every single one. Jack held himself tighter.
"Just think happy thoughts... fuck, what am I Peter Pan?" He hissed out; he took a deep breath as immediately the guards let him in but not Sandy. Jack sighed.
"He's with me." They looked at each other before letting Sandy pass, each step was like a walkway of sealing his own doom. Sandy rolled his eyes at the guards. He'd been here before, which was why the guards were hesitant... not because they didn't want to let him in... No, it was something different all together and the thing inside... it'd know Sandy on sight. After all, Sandy had been around for a good long while and he frowned as he realized where he's at and what it is Jack had gotten himself into. Before they got too far Sandy floated before Jack halting him a moment before his sand came up, there's no anger in his eyes but he seemed ... almost on the edge of being unhappy and at the same time sympathetic as the sand that floated over him spells out:
You mean to tell me you've been dealing with IT this entire time? That is what this is about?
Jack shuddered.
"Why do you care? It's not like you cared then and realized then how alone I was goddamn it! Now just be silent or leave, I don't care which." Jack said, snapping at him again and walking ahead. He felt chills go up his spine like something was caressing him; in fact something was caressing his birth stone; Jack shuddered.
"Malfor." He snapped the other smiled.
"Jack took you long enough to get the balls to see me again." Jack growled.
"Cut the crap Malfor I don't have time for this, give me back my birth stone." The other snickered but grimaced when Sandy came into view.
"Sandman." He growled squeezing the stone, Jack gasped for air, which made the demon lessen his grip, smiling now. Sandy ignored Jack as they appeared before the other. He crossed his arms, his symbols flashing too fast for Jack to understand but the look on Malfor's face obviously lets Jack know that neither are happy to see one another and Sandy has made clear what will happen if the other doesn't comply. Malfor growls.
"Fine, a deal is a deal." He handed over the stone.
"But don't you think for a second that this stone is gonna protect Jack forever; he is the portal and you know you can't reverse that." He smiled, Jack growled; shaking angrily.
"Shut up you bastard."
"Very well, skedattle... leave my realm until we meet again Jack, which shall be very, very soon." He snickered, Jack just growled as the portal opened up. Sandy merely glared at the other, a silent promise of retribution before leaving with Jack. Once on the other side Jack took the stone from Sandy.
"I didn't need your help you know." He said before taking off and leaving Sandy in the dust. Sandy didn't have to catch up this time, instead he used his dream sand to snag Jack and pull him back long enough to speak with him. He's far from happy this time:
Don't you think for one minute that THING would have just handed over the stone if you'd just asked. Malfor NEVER goes back on a deal. NEVER just hands over his stones like that. I don't care if you don't like the fact I went but get this straight Jackson, I went because I KNEW what would happen if I didn't. He and I have our own understanding and we're BOTH over your head. You messed up bad just making that stone, you and your friend should consider yourselves lucky to be free of the direct influence. For now.
Jack tore his arm free from Sandy.
"YOU DON'T FUCKING THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?! ALL THOSE YEARS BEING UNDER HIS GODDAMN CONTROL SANDMAN. HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU THINK I REGRET EVER FUCKING DOING THAT? I SIGNED AWAY MY FREEDOM, MY SOUL INTO THAT STONE SO DON'T TELL ME THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT!" He screamed, angry tears falling down; Jack took off afterward, leaving Sandy there. Sandy shook his head, thinking to himself. You really don't know the half of it Jack... you really don't... Jack had flown into the Workshop furiously, but it was not long before he was tackled to the ground by Bunny and Tooth, who both took an arm.
"HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA GUYS! LET GO OF ME!" He struggled angrily and furiously.
"You're not leaving this room until you're all healed and that's final!" They both spoke at once, Jack snarled, ice crawled up their hands and arms, making them drop Jack.
"I'M GOD DAMN FINE NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" He said, snapping; hurt flickered in their expressions.
"IZ ENOUGH!" North boomed. It's a little intimidating to see the normally jolly man being not-so-jolly. He looked at the two.
"You two, to globe. Sandy be wanting to speak to you. Az for YOU. Bed, now, before Jamie wake up and find you leave." Jack glared and left in a huff, his attitude was not doing so good. He didn't care what North said, he didn't care what anyone said at the moment. Roxas whimpered, reaching out to him as he entered the room. Jack sighed, picking Roxas up and he rocked him to sleep on his chest.
"It's not your fault, daddy's just stressed." Roxas clung to him, whimpering, but not yet crying. Jack sighed, starting to feel tired but he wouldn't succumb to rest. He just wouldn't; he petted Roxas' hair gently trying to lull him to sleep; Roxas clung to Jack, whining around sucking his thumb. He's worried about both of his parents, too much to sleep himself for the moment.
