Ice Cubes

Summary: He was curious and frightened at the same time. The lake was calling out to him and Jack, brave Jack, decided to answer its calls.

Aquaphobia

Set before 'Weird Habits' and 'Sleeping Beneath Ice'

So.

This was the reason he kept coming back to Burgess, huh?

This was the reason he considered the lake outside of normal society his 'home', is it?

The fact that he died here, had been the answer to his strange attraction.

How weird is that?

Jack shivered, a first time for everything I guess, as he stared at the silent and frosted blue lake with slight apprehension and curiosity. He could feel it, like something tugging at the back of his mind constantly, the distant memory of coldness wrapped around his body, the feeling of his limbs locking together, unable to move, the water burning his lungs with unearthly coldness, choking him, freezing him inside and out-

Jack gasped, limbs flailing, falling ungracefully off the tree he was perched on seconds ago. Thankfully, the snowman under his tree- a tribute by Jamie and friends- broke his fall, holding the frail winter teen in its now scattered body- er- snow parts.

"Sorry Frosty." Jack had murmured apologetically to the snowman he had endearingly named after him, a little distracted as his blue eyes looked at the lake once more.

Memories he had unconsciously locked up suddenly busted through, dwelling on his thoughts, shadowing him, creeping his every waking moment as he sat on top of the old branch and thought and thought -

-and before he knew it, Jack was crossing ten feet distance of white snow to walk to the cool surface of the lake that had taken everything from him. His old mortal life, his family, his supposed fun day with his sister, and his sister. The lake nearly took his sister!

"Couldn't have been sturdier, could you?" Jack mumbled in annoyance as he hit the butt of his staff on the frozen surface of the lake. Blue frost spread across the cold, cold surface, making the ice go thicker, freezing even more of the water below.

The winter spirit kneeled down, observing the newly thickened ice and for his own amusement, he knocked his knuckles on the surface.

Good. It was sturdy.

No one's gonna experience death via hypothermia any time soon.

Satisfied, Jack stood up straight and placed one foot on the icy surface.

"-you always play tricks!"

The pain was like nothing he had ever experienced. It wasn't pain per say, more like getting caught by a whirlwind of surprise and confusion of memories locked up for three hundred years. But still it was pain to him.

So, unable to help himself, the guardian of Fun staggered forward, falling into a graceless heap.

"Ow." Jack mumbled, face against the hard ice as he sat up and tried to get himself together.

"Be careful."

A laugh. An old laugh filled with nothing short of happiness and love and-

"We will."

-and empty promises.

To be fair, back then, Jack didn't know he was gallivanting towards his own doom, his death. He didn't know that by going to the lake with his sister, he was somehow sealing his fate, end up dying, and being turned into a winter spirit on the same day. He didn't know that he'd spend the next three hundred years alone, wandering the world with no memories, forever wondering what warmth was, what family was…

He didn't know. He didn't know.

And probably, even if he knew what was going to happen next, he'd still probably go through with it again.

Because if it meant he could save his sister's life… Then Jack had no problem with dying a hundred times again for her sake.

Straightening up, Jack looked down at the cold surface of the lake once more. Blue eyes blank with thought and wistfulness.

The ice underneath his hands felt solid, unlike the ice of that early March. The ice back then felt so fragile underneath his feet, and despite already being as thin as he is, he couldn't help but feel worried that he was too heavy for it to support him.

But it was fine, right?

He saved his sister.

He didn't have to think or worry about fragile and breaking ice again.

As long as he was around, no one had to worry about thawing or breaking ice. No one would die the same way he did. Swallowed and surrounded by the darkness and cold.

Darkness and cold.

Cold and dark.

Unconsciously, Jack's hands formed into a fist before relaxing again. Standing up, the winter spirit walked gracefully to the middle of the lake.

"He was wrong." Jack thought aloud. "Dark and cold don't go together. It's scary and no one, not even me, would like that sort of world."

The wind blew softly, ruffling his hair in worry. The winter sprite talking to himself was never a good thing in her book.

Jack huffed as he plopped down on the smooth surface of the lake. He looked up at the sky, darkness blotted by small lights and the moon. Manny shone down on him, relieving him from his thoughts and fears, and Jack thought back to the first time he saw the moon. And with finality, he said, "He was wrong."

And Manny shone brighter to answer that: yes Pitch had been wrong.

And more than anything, Jack needed and appreciated that confirmation.

He was still lying there.

Three days have passed. The guardians would worry about him eventually if he didn't go to see them. Pitch's threat was still fresh in their memories. It has only been a few weeks since the battle of their lives had taken place.

But Jack didn't move.

He liked where he was: cold and smooth surface, the moon still shining down on him. Manny's full attention for the past three days never waning.

And attention was what Jack had always craved from the strange and silent guardian of the earth. So, basically, Jack liked where he was.

That and the fact that a certain death kept replaying in his mind.

He could almost imagine it happening right now, as he gazed up at the endless dark blue off the sky.

The fragile ice on his back making a horrifying sound, cracks appearing on the smooth level of the icy surface, the feel of his once warm heart beating rapidly in his chest as he thought, oh no, oh no, oh no…!

And Jack forgot that he could defrost ice as well as he could freeze water. He didn't hear the reality of the ice thinning under him, slowly cracking at his light weight as he let his imagination run wild with broken ice, broken dreams, broken family…

And Jack, so unaware, so trusting with his own powers, didn't move and didn't see the moon shining- glowing brighter in alarm as the ice gave one loud and final -

CRACK!

-as finally, the ice gave way and Jack plunged under the cold and dark nightmare he had imagined for himself.

Notes: Finished! And yes, as you can guess the polls had been up and the winner of which arc should be updated is: the Weird Habits arc! So here is the update of that arc entitled 'Aquaphobia'! Where I get my titles, even I don't know! Haha! The chapter entitled Trauma is its continuation (Jack's thoughts on why and how he started sleeping underneath the lake and how the guardians found him like that).

So yes, as per voting, the next arc to be updated will be Hibernation. And after that Droplets.

However those two could be easily be delayed because *drums* the 100th reviewer has already been decided!

Congratulations hisokauzumaki! You can now request any one-shot or else choose any of my lined up chapters to be updated! Hurrah!

Of course this will depend if the 100th reviewer will respond to me or not XD

But don't worry we still have the first three reviewers of the tenth chapter who will also be receiving the same prize. So yes, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter and good luck!

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and please, review again!

Your reviews keeps me happy and stress-free!

Thank you!

Edited: Title from 'Hydrophobia' to 'Aquaphobia'