As soon as the response was echoing through his door and out into the hall, Jamie felt immediate regret and found himself cringing when his mother repeated the call of his name. The door swung open, and Jamie quickly grabbed the open bag on his bed and dropped it to the ground, kicking it under the frame before his mom could notice. He cast a quick glance at Jack, who remained still and silent. Jamie found the action pointless, seeing as, as far as his mother was concerned, the teenager was alone in his room.

Jamie's mother stared for a beat, taking in the image of her son with a shaken expression. The brunette didn't look her in the eye and was caught flinching as she began yelling.

"Where have you been?!" Anger; the first emotion she let her son see.

"I was at a friend's." Well, he wasn't lying.

Her hands flew up in the air, disbelief apparent. "For two days?!"

"Technically a night, a day, and a morning..." He attempted a joke but was immediately shot down when his name was screamed again. "Okay, I'm sorry. I know, I should have told you."

"Yes, you should have! I've been worried sick, young man!" Her hands were on her hips. Jamie noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the messy state of her brunette hair in its bun. With a jolt of guilt he realized that she probably hadn't slept since he left.

"I know, mom, I'm sorry." He repeated because what else could he say? 'It's cool, mom; I ran away with my imaginary boyfriend!' didn't seem like enough of an excuse. A glance at Jack, whose eyes were fixated on his mother, did nothing to assist the situation. "But at least I'm okay. I'm here, now."

This got her attention. Her face fell and she faltered. "Yes..." She said after a moment. Her expression changed and she was soon displaying a relieved smile. "Yes, you're okay."

Jamie was surprised by the sudden wrap of her arms around his shoulders. He accepted the hug, just glad she wasn't yelling at him anymore. She kept repeating "You're okay. You're safe. That's all that matters. You're okay." She seemed to be reasoning with herself more than him.

"Y-Yeah, mom. I'm fine." He looked over at Jack, who hadn't moved during the entire conversation. His eyebrows were raised, as if the whole concept of scolding was some foreign activity and observing it in silence would further his knowledge. Jamie cast him a desperate look, but the Guardian wasn't paying attention. His eyes darted between Jamie's mother and the tense body language the teenager upheld, even while being embraced. Why did Jack keep looking at them like that?

Jamie was suddenly held at arm's length and his mother looked him in the eyes with a gentle expression attempting to be stern. "Promise you won't ever do that again." She commanded. Jamie saw the tears forming in her eyes filling him with even more guilt than before as he gave the automatic response

"Yeah, of course I won't. I won't, I promise." His repeat solidified the false promise and accepted a final hug from his shaken mother.

"Okay, good... Okay..." She straightened her hair, avoiding eye contact as she fussed over Jamie's clothing and appearance. With a quick hand she discreetly moved Jamie's sleeve up, letting out a sigh that almost went unnoticed. "Right. So." She cleared her throat. "You're home. You're safe. No problem." She confirmed with a nod. She looked into Jamie's eyes again, placing a concerned hand on his forehead. "Dinner will be ready in a moment. Do you need a few minutes to rest, sweetheart?"

Jamie shook her hand off his head. "No, I just, ah, I've got a lot of... homework, and I kinda..." He shrugged vaguely, failing to come up with any further excuse.

"Ah, yes... I understand." She nodded again, placing her hand on the doorknob. "I'll just be making dinner, then. You take your time, sweetheart. You can take the day off of school tomorrow, if you're not feeling well by the morning."

"Right..." Jamie stared. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem, honey." She gave another smile before opening the door.

There was silence for a moment after she'd left. Jamie's shoulders relaxed and he turned to a quiet Jack. He stared at his unresponsive Guardian for a moment before rolling his eyes, bending over and picking up the bag he'd kicked under his bed. As he resumed stuffing clothing into the bulging fabric, Jack finally spoke.

"What are you doing?" He looked directly at the brunette.

Jamie looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Packing?" He waved a black shirt at the spirit, offering visual representation to the obvious response. "Would you like to actually help now?"

There was a second before Jack spoke. "...Jamie, you have to stay here."

The brunette faltered, glancing back up at the Guardian with skepticism. "What?" The winter spirit's deathly serious expression made him anxious. "But... you promised!" He felt a mix of fury and grief spread through his body as he slammed his clothing onto the bed. Jack had promised. Like, with his pinky and everything! Sworn they'd stay with each other. Together forever and outrun the pain of the real world. Avoiding responsibility and enjoying every moment they spent together. Was he seriously trying to break another promise?

Jack saw the immediate shock that overwhelmed Jamie and was quick to react. "What? No, Jamie, I didn't mean it like that. No." He moved close to the teenager, taking his hand and gently stroking his anger away. "We can still be together, just... You can't leave again."

The brunette glared at his Guardian. "Why?"

Jack looked at him as if the answer were obvious. "Jamie, this is your home... You've got a family here."

"I don't need my family." Jamie argued. "All I need is you and we both know that!"

"You've got a mother who loves you here. Do you really want to put her through the pain of losing her son again?"

"I..." Jamie didn't look at Jack as he mulled over an answer. "I worry her too much when I'm here. If... If I wasn't, she'd be able to relax for once."

"That's not true,"

"You're not here, Jack. You don't know how much I stress her out."

"She just loves you."

"No she doesn't."

"Of course she does! She's your mother."

"I'm just her responsibility."

"Not just—"

"And I only give her reasons to regret ever having me."

The delivery of Jamie's words were what shocked Jack most of all. They were so quick and exact. Those thoughts must have plagued Jamie for ages. When he shot them at the Guardian, they seemed like the opinions one might think over and over in times of desperation. Maybe when Jamie was in the middle of one of his fits. Clawing away tears and banging around his room. Each sound would worry a mother to no end, but Jamie couldn't help it. Just like his mother couldn't help the fact that he was born. He was a burden. His mother only worried and Jamie accepted no offer of help. It drove her to tears. She just didn't know what to do anymore. Jamie only worried her. Forced her to insanity. Left her helpless. Jamie wasn't the son she wished for.

He had come to accept this fact, with much difficulty. He tried to believe that he might get better. Maybe if he just stopped being sad… But of course things are never that easy. He was still a head case. He'd only ever be an unwanted burden who couldn't save himself. He'd relied on some figment of his imagination for seven years to come back and help him out of that terrible chasm of suctioning depression. The responsibilities he'd been expected to uphold were weighing him down, pushing him farther into that pit.

Then Jack showed up. Gave him hope and Jamie felt the weight lifting with each kiss they shared. He was so close to escaping that ugly black hole. He'd almost made it, too. Things were almost perfect again… But how would this new development affect Jamie's mental stability?

Jack didn't continue to argue. There was a beat before he moved across the room and wrapped his arms tightly around Jamie in one fluid motion. He didn't say any more. He couldn't. There were tears in his eyes as the Guardian found himself relating to every explanation Jamie had given. He thought of the connection he'd first felt when he saw Jamie again. Sweet, innocent, believing Jamie... All grown up and just searching for an easy answer. Why was he put here in this terrible place people called reality? Why was he still here? Why can't he make others love him like he loved them? Why can't he just be happy? It was only now that Jack realize how much Jamie and him really had in common.

Jack felt shock when Jamie let his pitiful expression be seen. Terror when he admitted the feelings he'd had. But through every emotion he experienced at Jamie's confession, the Guardian felt empathy above all else.

He knew what it was like to feel unloved. For three hundred years he'd been unseen, unheard of, unwanted. He knew how it felt to suffer through helplessness. He'd seen so many children grow old, feel pain and loss, and Jack was forced to stand through it all because there was nothing he could do. He was just a myth blowing with the frigid winter air. Not real. Not important.

He couldn't even help Jamie, the child he cared for the most. While the years inched by, Jack was forced to avoid his first believer while he watched him struggle through hell.

Even during his first few encounters with the Guardians, Jack sensed that they were only speaking with him because he was their responsibility. The Man in the Moon had basically dumped Jack on their doorstep and left them to take care of him. He felt like a burden, and even as they started to warm up to him, Jack didn't believe they really cared about him. However, the Guardians were his family, now. But sometimes family meant tolerating the ones you've been stuck with.

The teenager and spirit's embrace tightened as Jamie buried his head in the nape of Jack's neck. The winter spirit felt Jamie's tears singe his skin on impact as Jack stroked the brunette's hair. This felt right. Safe. Jack blocked all bad thoughts from Jamie's troubled mind. There wasn't anyone the teenager trusted more.

But then Jack goes and says something like that. "You have to stay here." Jamie knew his Guardian meant well, but did Jack realize what a serious demand that was? Did he really want him to stay in this horrible world of reality? Where judgmental eyes stared him down on a regular basis? Where there was no safe haven aside from the solitude of his bedroom? Where time sped up, refusing to stop for anyone and forcing responsibility on those unwilling? Things were so perfect back at the Ice Palace. Didn't Jack see that? Couldn't he just let it all go and run away with him? Jamie felt like he was being thrown back into that chasm. And he didn't know if he could make it out again.

"Don't do this to me." Jamie pleaded into his Guardian's skin. "I don't want to stay here."

"Jamie…" Jack whispered and kissed the top of his head. "I can't let you give up on all this so quickly."

Jamie let out a cold, muffled laugh. "I've been enduring this hell for over seventeen years, Jack. I think I've earned the right."

The Guardian pulled away to look Jamie in the eyes. "Yeah, but this time it'll be different. I'm gonna stay with you, remember? I won't let anyone hurt you."

Jamie didn't respond. He simply gave his Guardian a soft and thankful kiss. He wasn't sure if he believed him—that school and real life in general might actually be tolerable if he had an invisible ice spirit as his bodyguard—but he appreciated the gesture.

"Five days." Jack broke away and moved a bit of Jamie's hair behind his ear. "We'll stay here until your birthday."

There was a pause, the ominous mystery of what event was to occur on the twenty second hung in the air. Jamie didn't want to think about his birthday. He didn't want to speculate what plans the Man in the Moon held for him. He didn't want to think about possibly turning into an Essence.

Jamie knew he would be able to handle becoming one. After all, from what Jack explained, it was almost like dying. The teenager wasn't going to pretend he hadn't thought about death, because it had occurred to him on many occasions. The ideas had circulated in his head on the days his fits were at their worst. He'd thought about ending the stupidly repetitive pain and rejection. He'd considered a quick and easy way out.

But now there was a problem: Jack. Jamie cared about the Guardian more than he ever thought he would. And now that they were together, Jamie couldn't bring himself to let the thought of ending his life even cross his mind. He had Jack's feelings to consider. How would the spirit feel after he was gone? Jamie's thoughts ran back to Jack's expression when asked about his family a few nights ago. When the spirit's eyes became distant and clinging to something he couldn't possibly hope to obtain ever again. That moment seemed so far away now. So many things had happened since then; Jamie had almost let that heartbreaking expression slip from his mind.

Joyful moments had replaced it. Moments that repaired the torn and useless memories he held beforehand. Jack had made an undying promise to stay by his side. Jack had kissed him. They had stayed together. They kissed some more. They told stories of their lives without each other. They consoled one another when their thoughts tried to wander into dark territory. The bond they shared had strengthened. They began falling in love.

How would it feel to see that expression on Jack's face again? But instead of the family he'd lost occupying his mind, it was Jamie. Jamie would be the one who he would miss and long for. Jamie would be the one he would lose unwillingly. Jamie would be the one he couldn't bring back.

That haunting outcome was definitely a possibility. The teenager could very well lose his memory, as Jack did, if he became an Essence. And forgetting these few amazing days he spent with his Guardian would be the worst thing Jamie could think of.

hey guys long time no see. im exhausted and completely surprised that i managed to finish this.

ghjutrsfdklj i kinda don't really know whats gonna happen next so yknow bear with me my friends.