Self-Worth

"Do you have any idea what you've done!" Jane hissed at Sarah. Amelia was leaning against the door frame.

Sarah stared back at Jane her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Find out about the ultimatum?" Sarah said, knowing that that was the exact wrong answer to give.

"You subverted Jack's free will." Jane hissed. "Do you have any idea-"

"He wasn't telling me what I needed to know," Sarah said ignoring the pain in her stomach at the guilt she felt.

"He was trying to protect you." Amelia said, "And even so that doesn't mean-"

"By throwing one of my best friends under the bus." Sarah scoffed. "Great plan."

"Believe it or not Sarah, the Guardians and us do have things under control."

Sarah laughed hysterically. "No, you don't." She cried. "If you did, Will wouldn't have been taken from right in front of you."

Jane glared at her. "That's not fair."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?" She said. "You promised me, that you wouldn't let anyone get hurt, and you couldn't even stop Krampus from kidnapping someone."

"That's enough." Amelia cut in from her spot by the door a hand touching the broach-disguised Scythe on her chest. "You weren't there. You don't-"

"You're the reason I wasn't there!" Sarah cried tears in her eyes. "If I'd been there, Will wouldn't have been taken."

"Because he would have taken you instead!"

"I don't CARE!" Sarah cried tears in her eyes.

Jane stopped and stared at Sarah wide-eyed, but Sarah didn't notice and just continued screaming; tears streaking down her cheeks.

"At least if I was gone, Will would be alright." Sarah said, "If I was gone, I wouldn't have to worry about the fearlings coming back for me. I wouldn't be a danger to anyone and…" She swallowed and looked down. "I wouldn't hurt anymore." She whispered her voice cracking.

Jane desperately tried to hold on to her anger, no matter what Sarah said, nothing excused what she did to Jack.

But she'd been guiding Sarah for the past 3 years, she knew when Sarah was being manipulative, and she wasn't. This was her depression and pain rearing its head again.

She looked back at Amelia, and Jane relaxed her shoulders. She hadn't even realized that her shoulders had been so tense.

Jane sat on her bed and stared at little Sarah. "You're worth it." She told Sarah. "You are so much better than your worse moments."

"But worse than my better ones."

Jane sighed, "Yes. That is the next part of my line. But your bad moments don't automatically mean you deserve hell. Trust me. I've reaped so many people you never know where someone is

going to land at that final moment."

Sarah nodded, "You've said that before."

Jane nodded, "I have." She said, "You do listen."

Sarah rolled her eyes, wiped her eyes, and looked away. "How long?" She said. "How long till the ultimatum ends and William is screwed?" She asked.

Jane hesitated for a moment before she sighed, "The epiphany."

Sarah nodded and looked down, "I'll give you till then." Sarah said looking away. "Then I'm finding a way out here and saving Will myself."

"Sarah-" Jane sighed; she wasn't getting it. Not that she should have been surprised, it had taken Jane years to learn that she was worth saving. It had taken Jane until well after she'd died for her to understand her self-worth. Sarah had come far, but that didn't mean that those feelings weren't going to resurface, and learning one of her best friends had been taken would do that.

And… she couldn't blame Sarah, for wanting to save her friend. Of course, she wanted to protect Will, but negotiating with Krampus was not the way to do this.

Sarah looked away, "Next time you see Jack, tell him I'm sorry." She said cutting off Jane before they could get into another argument. "I shouldn't have ripped away his free will."

For a moment no one said anything, but Jane nodded. "I will," Jane said sharing a glance, they knew that five minutes was not enough, but they had time. They could revisit this argument when things were calmer.

For now, they just held Sarah, until she calmed down.