Okay so this chapter is different as it's setting up the next story!

That's right.

This is going to be a trilogy!

More Zoe and Jack! So it'll confuse you at first, but give it time. There's no gore in this one. It's more sappy and sweet. Need a nice ending.

Seabiscuit: He does indeed live and he's back cheekier than before!

Dex Zabeth: Heloo! No, it won't make the pain go away. But it's a good start.

DevineGuardianAngel: I was looking forward to writing this.

Koryandrs: That's true, some of them were. Sorry!

Panda-Chan8: I'm afraid she's not the new mother nature XD Although that's a brilliant idea. I have worked out the next storyline and it's focused on their happy ending.

SoaringPheonix86: Your wish is my command. I know that as a detail hound you will be tearing this next chapter apart. Have fun!

Chapter 15 – A new beginning.

'Okay, so it's cold. It's not uncomfortable, but it is freezing. There's snow falling, I always reach out and manage to catch a flake. It never melts, never. I close my hand around the crystal, it makes me feel happy. I always feel happy in snow. I don't know why. Anyway, I'm getting distracted. Trees surround me, tall pines, I can smell them clearly. Cinnamon! There's always a hint of that as well, which confuses me. Christmas isn't really my thing. I understand the whole Crimbo deal, I just don't get into it like everyone else. Well, everyone associates cinnamon with Christmas, I don't. It reminds me of somethi- someone else. Again. Getting distracted. Sorry. Okay, so there's trees, snow and uh coldness. I begin to walk, still holding this snowflake which I can feel dig into my skin. I walk and walk and walk and walk, until suddenly, I hear something. A voice, yet, I can't figure it out. It's a guy's voice. I recognise it. I really do. It makes me happier than the damn snow but I can't ever hear what he's saying. I stop and spin around, looking for this voice. It echoes around the trees, it drives me mad. I recognise it! Yet, nothing! I can't even see the guy speaking, it's so frustrating! The only thing I can see is trees! Oh. No wait that's wrong. I see blue, light blue. Through the snow, like the shape of a guy and he's wearing the blue shirt thing. I can't see clearly, there's too much snow. The closer and closer I try to get, the further away he is.' I say breathing in heavily.

'And how does that make you feel?' Dr. Allen replies.

'Okay. Fuck this,' I sigh getting off the couch. How did I know that generic reply would be what I get. He's not the first ''doctor'' to try and figure me out and assess me. Dr. Allen merely raises a brow. He looks at the folder that he has sitting in his lap. He turns a page and begins to speak as I touch the door handle.

'It says here: The subject will attempt to leave halfway through the session. She will use excessive bad language if stopped and has previous episodes of becoming violent.' He says calmly. He looks over at me where I've paused in my storming out. 'So, Zoe. Are you going to leave? Or are you going take a seat and let me help you?' He steeples his fingers and peers over them at me. I sigh. Fine. Fucking hell, I would have to get the one psychiatrist that won't let shit go? Without saying anything I cross back over to the couch and sit down.

'Fine,' I reply tartly. I roll my eyes as he begins to speak, I'm not listening. I've heard it all before. I just want to get home, to my flat, cuddle up with my two dogs and ignore the world. I'm only here because I legally have to be. My eyes drift out the window and I notice it's snowing, making me smile.

'Zoe? Zoe are you listening?' Dr. Allen says sharply.

'No,' I say back. 'Not at all. What were you going on about?'

He sighs and leans back into his chair. 'Zoe. In all seriousness this repetitive dream means something. It is clearly a repressed memory, even memories. It has been with you... according to this file since you were a child. Every year something new happens in the dream. As you get older, more and more becomes revealed. Is it not your birthday in a couple of weeks?' He asks. I give him a sour look. He knows it is. He's got my fucking file. 'We need to keep talking about the dream and more may come to light,' he says softly. I sigh and nod my head. Sure, whatever.

'What do you want to know?' I ask. What doesn't he know. Everything about this damn recurring dream is in that fucking file that he just keeps perched on his lap.

'Tell me about this darkness,' he says looking at the notes. 'The darkness that swirls deep inside and whispers,' he reads from the paper. Oh yeah. The comment that made the nurses worried and the doctors get sweaty palms. The reason that I'm on legal medication.

'It haunts me,' I reply stiffly.

'Yes, you've said that before. Now. What is it?'

'I don't know,' I mumble.

'Why?'

'What do you mean why? I don't know why!' I say getting angry.

'Others have suggested that your abnormal fear of the bogey man where you were younger seems to have stayed, creating a case of Bogyphobia.' He explains over his fingers, I have to stifle a laugh as he says the name of the phobia, it's utter bullshit.

'There's no way I'm afraid of the bogeyman,' I reply tartly. 'That's a children's story. Something children are afraid of, not something a nineteen year old is scared of.' I scoff refusing to look at him.

'Why so defensive Zoe? What is it about the bogeyman that you're afraid of?' He persists.

'I'm not afraid of the damn bogey man,' I snap.

'You're getting defensive,' he says raising a brow.

'Fuck you!' I shout getting up. I've got tears in my eyes and a tightening feeling in my chest. 'Fuck you! I don't need to listen to this shit! You don't know me! All you know is what's written inside that fucking folder. Not one of you have ever taken the time to get to know me, all you've simply done is picked and probed inside my head. Trying to figure out what makes me fucking well tick!' I say as I storm past him. He merely wears a inane, simple smile. Which annoys me more. I grab the door handle and almost tear the door off it's hinges as I slam it open and walk out.

…

Zoe grumbles and buries her hands in her hoodie as she walks down the corridor. Dr. Allen walks calmly after her and as she walks through the reception. He speaks to the receptionist quietly, who nods and begins typing.

'I will see you again next week Zoe, same time,' he says after her. Zoe scowls and gives him the finger as she pulls open the front door and steps into the snow. She pulls up the hood, not bothering to tuck in her long hair. It's not far from the doctor's office to my home. Again, a legal requirement. The snow has fallen quite quickly and she feels her heart pick up, along with her sour mood as she walks. It was her favourite weather. She lingers more than she should in getting home, but she couldn't ignore the bubble of happiness inside her chest at being outside. Too soon she reached the block of flats she lived in. She entered the code at the door and instead of taking the lift, she took the stairs. Her flat was on the fourth floor and she felt comfortably tired as she got to the door, taking out her keys she could hear two noses snuffling at the bottom of the wood.

'Yes, yes, I'm home,' she laughed quietly. Opening the door she was greeted by her dogs, neither of which had names, one was black, the other white. 'Hello!' She cooed. 'Did you miss me? I missed you!' She said rubbing their heads. She had no idea what breed they were, people had tried to guess but no-one really knew. They were both a cross of everything. Large dogs, that came up to her hip, but not German Shepherds, Labradors or Czechoslovakian wolf hounds. They were just big dogs. Her best friends. There was a big argument between all the doctors she had seen about her dogs. Half of them insist that she get rid of them; 'They're stopping her from forming human interactions and relationships.' They tried once, to get rid of the dogs. Zoe damn near pummelled the dog catcher to death. Her medication was raised after that incident. The other half say that it is good that she has responsibility. That argument suddenly appeared after the attempted catch.

'Okay guys. What do you say to a walk? In the snow?' She said smiling. They tilted their heads in unison. 'What? Do you not wanna go out?' She pouted. 'Aww come on. I know it's a little chilly but you like the snow.' They looked at each other before walking off into the flat and jumping onto the sofa. Zoe grumbled and followed them, shutting the door behind her. She walked down the corridor and stood in the front room door way. 'Okay. What do you guys wanna do?' She asked rolling her eyes. She had found them as pups when she was sixteen and legally allowed to move out. They had been with her ever since. They barked at her and she knew what they were saying. She had always known. But it was a fact that she had kept to herself instead of sharing it with the whitecoats.

'I've eaten!' She protested. Again the dogs looked at each other and then back at her and got up bouncing on the sofa as they barked back. 'Okay! Okay! Fine! I give in!' She laughs holding up her hands. They settled and laid back down. 'Can I eat when we're out? I can't be bothered to cook anything and that burger van is back.' Zoe teases. 'You know that you always get a free sausage,' she adds stifling her giggle as both of them lick their chops. She knew that she had won them over. She nodded with her head towards the door. 'Come on, let's get a shuffle on.'

…

Jack flew over the town, he brought the snow with him. It fell heavily, this place was due a snow day or two. He landed on a chimney and perched on the edge. As usual his mind began to stray the moment he paused in his work. He idly tapped his staff on the brickwork as he prepared for a trip down memory lane. It didn't take long but he was distracted today. His head was actually elsewhere, for once. He sighed and sat down properly, pulling his hood up, he had changed his style, simply because wearing the blue hoodie brought feelings of Zoe that he would rather bury. So he wore a navy zip up hoodie, black top and a pair of dark jeans with the converse that Sandy got him. Quite different, but to him, different was good. He kept his hair a little longer than he used to. Again, the difference was comforting. He looked over the streets watching people go about their lives. Not a lot had changed in thirty years. Technology had leapt in bounds, but it influenced the lives of people very little. It was used more in industries then everyday life. They say that the longer you live and the older you are, the faster the days pass. But it isn't true. Every day since she passed felt longer and more painful. About ten years after everything Tooth appeared one day, a massive smile on her face. She hugged him tightly, ignoring his stiff reply at the physical contact and babbled on about how everything was going to be okay. It confused him even now. She had never explained herself, then North caught on. About five years later, every Christmas he would show Jack a particularly fine toy, for a reason that eluded him. He was sure that they were just trying to include him in their work so that he didn't feel so lonely. It was sweet, kind, but not needed. Jack moved out of the home that he shared with Zoe, unable to be there without her. It was too empty. He went back to Burgess, where Jamie joined him. It was a gift that Zoe would never be thanked for, which was a painful sting. Being able to see and speak to Jamie for the last thirty years had kept him sane. They watched Sophie grow up together. She had a husband and a little girl, Jamie visited often and the family was looked after by the Guardians.

'Ello mate,' Bunny said appearing next to him. Jack jumped, but only because he didn't expect anyone to be around. Bunny closed his portal with a little tap, the flower was a blue daisy. It would puzzle the inhabitants of the building for years to come.

'Hello Bunny,' he replied nodding.

'Haven't seen ya in a while,' Bunny says patting his shoulder. 'How ya doin?'

'I'm good. Same old story,' he said with a slight chuckle. Bunny nodded. Conversations with Jack were stilted nowadays. He would let you go on and on and then give you a one word answer. Which didn't bother Tooth who could talk for months, same with North. Conversations with Sandy were interesting to watch. Jack sighed and looked at Bunny. 'I miss her. More and more.' He admitted. Bunny squeezed his shoulder. His fellow spirit rarely opened up.

'I know mate. I miss Sheila as well,' he replied. 'I still get twinges in me back where she beat the living daylights out of me,' he chuckled. 'That'll teach me to tease her into sparring,' he smiled. Jack chuckled and nodded.

'You're lucky. She always refused to spar with me in case I got hurt,' Jack added. Bunny was shocked, he's actually continuing in a conversation. About a subject that he's refused to talk about for the last thirty years. Bunny was clued in to a secret that the rest of the Guardians knew. Apart from Jack. That was the reason he came to visit Jack today. He wasn't going to spill the beans, but Jack was dangerously close to finding out. They didn't want to be cruel, keeping it from him, but they were worried that it would be dangerous to his mentality if he found out.

'Yeah, lucky,' Bunny winced.

'It was funny, she wouldn't hesitate to hit me if we were arguing and I was being difficult. Or 'bloody cheeky,' as she used to put it.' Jack smiled. 'She could never be mad at me for long, seeing as we all know how well she held a grudge. After about ten or fifteen minutes of arguing she used to start laughing and get angry at me for making her laugh.' Jack's heart clenched in pain, but he actually felt good talking about her.

'I still don't see how you think I'm lucky mate,' Bunny laughed. 'When I argued with her, I would damn well know that I was rooted. She wouldn't speak to me for months. I swear mate, it's like you knew a whole different Sheila to us.' He smirked.

'I guess I did,' Jack chuckled. He began to look over the streets again, getting distracted. Towards the park something caught his eyes. He shot upright. Bunny jumped and looked to where his sight was drawn. There was a young woman with long dark hair and a dog either side of her. One black, one white. It was hard to tell from here but she looked incredibly familiar. Jack's breath came quickly as he leaned forward to look. 'Zoe?' He said softly to himself, his voice full of happiness.

'Ah shit!' Bunny cursed as Jack leapt from the chimney. 'Jack! Wait!' He shouted jumping to the next roof. His claws skidded on the tiles and scrabbled for purchase on the icy slate. 'Strewth!' He grumbled, his paws finally getting a grip. He jumped and followed the winter spirit. Jack ignored Bunny's calls and flew quickly over the town, moving from roof to roof. He could feel his heart beating faster the closer he got to the park. She had disappeared under a canopy of trees and he felt his heart stop. He had to see her face to face. Had to know. He was tackled at the gates of the park by Bunny who was panting. He was knocked into a deep snow drift.

'Bunny what the hell?' Jack said pushing him off and getting up, brushing the snow from his clothing as he looked around for the woman.

'Jack you're chasing a damn memory, there's no way that's Zoe,' the Easter Bunny said holding his wrist in his grip. 'Don't be so bloody one minded mate. She's a mortal, she won't be able to see you!' He added. This wasn't good. Jack wasn't ready for this. They weren't even sure that this woman was Zoe's reincarnation, even if she was, she would have no memories of her spirit life. Nothing of Jack. The Guardian twisted out his grip and began to walk off, in a desperate bid Bunny grabbed the staff and managed to pull it from him. 'You're not getting this back until you stop,' Bunny warned. Jack shrugged and continued to walk, half run down the park path.

'Okay keep it,' he laughed. He left Bunny cursing and swearing, the spirit of Hope opened a tunnel and vanished down the hole. Jack looked around the trees and across the field. There was a large lake in this park and it had frozen over. He couldn't see her on the ice, he couldn't see the two dogs either. He racked his memory, she was wearing a purple hoodie, black jeans and a pair of doc martins. 'Come on where are you?' He said almost spinning around in a circle. Then to his surprise, as he stepped back he tripped over a white dog. A rather large one. He fell ungracefully into a snow pile. The dog barked as if it was laughing. A black one bounded over, turned white from the snow and jumped on Jack.

'Guys!' A woman's voice echoed. 'What the fuck are you doing!' She scolded. Jack stopped in his struggles to remove dog and get out of the snow. There was no mistaking her voice. It had the slight lilt that she carried simply from being able to speak most languages. He felt his heart jump, he didn't care that she wouldn't be able to see him. He had to see her. The dog jumped off him, knocking the air from his lungs as it used him as a spring board. He managed to sit up and see the dark haired woman scolding the two dogs. She looked up.

'Zoe,' he said in a breathless whisper.

'Oh maker!' She swore. 'I'm so sorry! I didn't realise that they had knocked someone over,' she babbled running over to him. 'Please, they're really soppy, they just get excited,' she explained holding out her hand to him. He stared at her in pure joy and fascination. Was this his mind simply playing tricks? He took her hand and when he found that she could touch him, he began to smile more as she helped pull him out the snow. 'I really am so sorry,' she said looking at the dogs who grinned at her, their tongues lolling out.

'I-It's okay,' he said stuttering a little. 'Dogs, will be dogs,' he adds in vain hope to make her smile. It worked she smiled brightly at him, her eyes lighting up. His heart skipped and he could feel his hands shaking.

'Very true,' she nodded. 'Again, I'm sorry.'

'It's okay,' Jack repeated.

'Well, I hope they didn't do too much damage,' she says looking at them. 'Um, yeah, so... I'll see you around,' she says tilting her head at him.

'Oh uh, yeah, sure, see you around,' he replies, hoping that his voice didn't betray any of the emotions he felt inside. She smiled again, a slight blush hitting her cheeks. Her fringe fell over her eyes as she tilted her head. Nodding slightly she turned on her foot and began to walk away, she whistled to the two dogs and they bounded next to her, she put in some ear phones and began to hum to the music as she walked. He felt his heart clench in panic. What if he never saw her again? What if she was just here for the holidays. He snapped and grabbed her shoulder as he caught up. 'Wait, please,' he said.

'Woah,' she said pulling out an ear phone. 'Dude, chill,' she said smiling. She touched his arm as he breathed hard, creating small clouds. He grinned and chuckled at her.

'I uh, just wanted to know your name,' he said feeling a blush hit his own cheeks. She went equally pink in reply and looked at the floor biting her lip.

'It's uh, Zoe,' she said quietly.

'Zoe,' he repeated, the feeling inside his chest swelling. He wanted to grab this woman and kiss her, tell her everything. But he refrained from it. Bunny was right. She had no idea who he was. But that could change. Easily. She could already see him for one. He smiled at her and looked down catching her eye line, making her look at him. 'I'm Jack,' he says grinning.

'Hey Jack,' she laughed. 'Well, um. Thanks for scaring me,' she added. 'But I uh, gotta go.'

'Do you live here? I've never seen you around,' Jack says trying to get her to stay.

'I've just moved. I'll see you around Jack,' she smiles patting his arm and moving out his grip. Jack let her go, knowing that if he was too forward he would really scare her. He watched until she had almost vanished from view. He smiled to himself. She looked over her shoulder to see that he was still standing there. He could tell that she went pink in embarrassment. The dogs barked at him from her side until she said something to them. He felt a portal open beside him, but he didn't resist as he was dragged through by a large pair of hands.

He had found her.

His angel.

Well. I know that it was quite different from the previous chapters. Please be kind in your reviews. I would like to thank all of you who have followed me in this journey, all the reviewers and those who simply lurk. I love you all and you make writing a true joy. I know that my updates are fairly random, but I try to put a piece of my love for these characters into each chapter. I hope that it shows.

Just to tease you:

Next Story:

Ribbons entwined.

Can Jack make his angel fall in love with him again?

The darkness stirs inside her soul and it's getting stronger.

She's got two weeks till her twentieth birthday.

The dream will complete and she'll understand everything.

Will this bring the fear to life from inside her?

Or will she be reborn into the light?

Includes:

Gore.

Bad language.

Smut :D

More gore.

LEMON.

Filthy language.

MORE GORE!

Stay watching people.

Posting next week.