um, hehe. yeah... this is the actual 2nd chapter, sorry about not posting it sooner guys/gals. well, anyway...TO THE STORY!

Bunnymund hopped out from the hole expecting freezing cold weather, since it was supposed to be winter, but was surprised when he actually felt warm.

He was about to leave, because Jack obviously wasn't here. When suddenly, his ears twitched at the sound of a sob.

He slowly hopped towards the direction of the noise and went through a rather dense forest. With every hop, the sound of sobs became louder and clearer. When he approached the lake Jack frequented, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. As he crept silently to a tree, he saw the very person he was searching for: Jack. He was in the middle of the lake on a single patch of ice with his knees drawn up to his chest, and he was... crying.

Bunny was taken aback; he'd never seen the boy cry before. He had a knot in his stomach because he knew this was his fault. He was about to get Jack's attention, when his sensitive hearing picked up lyrics in between Jack's softening sobs.

Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck.

Some nights, I call it a draw.

Some nights, I wish my lips could build a castle.

Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off.

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost.

Oh Lord, I still don't know what I stand for, oh.

What do I stand for?

What do I stand for?

Most nights, I don't know anymore. Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh.

Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh.

Bunny couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't stand hearing such sadness from the usually happy-go-lucky spirit.

"Hey Jack." He called out while emerging from his post, scaring the winter sprite off his small patch of ice and into the water.

Bunny waited a moment for Jack to come out of the water, but he never did.

"Jack?"

Bunny called with trepidation, surveying the water for any movement, but only saw bubbles.

"JACK!"

Bunny shouted before plunging into the slightly cold waters. He squinted through the dark waters, searching frantically for the white-haired spirit. He swam towards the patch of ice Jack had previously occupied, before quickly surfacing for air and diving back into the water. Gritting his teeth, he dived deeper and saw Jack's prone form sinking slowly but surely to the bottom of the lake. He shot towards Jack's unconscious form, pulling him back to land.

"Come on, Jack. Wake up." Bunny murmured while performing CPR.

"Come on, Jacky!" Bunny cried out as fear and panic crept through his veins like ice.

Sapphire eyes snapped opened, wild with unadulterated panic, before calming down when he saw a certain Pooka wavering above him. Jack took a breath of air and started coughing.

Bunny let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, and gently patted Jack's back.

"Jack, why didn't you mention that you couldn't swim? And why is your lake melted?" Bunny asked concernedly.

"F-first of all, no one ever cared to know. And second, w-well, whenever I'm sad or depressed I lose some of my powers. Remember global warming? Yeah, well. It was a pretty bad time for me." Jack said in between coughs, and gasps for air.

'Depression?' Bunny thought to himself. This was shaping up to be worse than he thought.

"Jack, what do you mean 'depressed'?" He asked with a lump in his throat.

"U-um..." Jack stuttered before cursing his idiocy.

Jack shouldn't have let that slip out. He felt so stupid. He should've just said sad; then Bunny wouldn't have asked such a question. But then again, since when Bunny's so attentive to his words? He knew it wasn't the first time he had slipped up in front of him. Why now? Why notice it now? When he was starting to believe that no one would ever notice; no one would ever care.

"Um, nothing. Never mind that. Why are you here?" Jack's weak attempt at changing the subject didn't go unnoticed nor did it work.

"I came to apologize, but Jack, why were you depressed?" Bunny pressed. If his fears were true, Jack was still in clutches of depression and he would try all ways and means to pull him out of it.

"W-well," this was Jack's chance to let it all out, to tell somebody how he felt after being alone for 300 years. Would he take his possibly last chance of a peace of mind? Or would he let it go and suffer in silence like he always did?

'No. Not anymore. I'm tired of being miserable.' Jack thought, clenching his fists.

"Because, I was alone. I was alone for 300 years, Bunny. It wasn't easy, having no one to talk to but the wind; having no one see you; having people walk through you like you're nothing. It hurts." Jack said, baring his soul. He looked at Bunnymund's face for his reaction, but he couldn't read it.

'Hate? Disappointment? Pity? Disgust?' Jack wondered with morbidly, shrinking into himself every passing second as he stared into the rabbit's eyes.

What he didn't expect was what happened next: Bunny pulled Jack into a hug. He wasn't expecting the kindness shown to him at that moment, but he welcomed it. Gladly.

He gripped the Easter Spirit's fur tightly and tears of gratefulness leaked out, soaking his companion's fur.

Bunnymund went to rub Jack's arm to comfort the boy, but Jack flinched and winced in pain. This made Bunny frown with worry, as he knew that depression usually came hand-in-hand with self-harming and/or self-destructive behavior. He sniffed the air around them, now identifying a metallic scent coming from Jack's arm. He looked at Jack's sleeve and saw rusty red stains on the blue fabric. He let his hold on Jack loosen so he could reach his arm and pull up the sleeve.

What he saw had him frozen in shock; there were scars all over his forearm. Some were pink and healing, some were fairly new. Bunny had counted seven that were still oozing blood.

"Oh, Jack." was all Bunny could utter at that moment. Sorrow tugged at his heartstrings. What had Jack gone through, to make him think of cutting as his only reprieve?

"I-I'm sorry." Jack whimpered. He was scared. What if he leaves? What if he hates me now? What if he tells the others? What if I end up alone again? With that last thought, a hysterical sob clawed up his throat. He was absolutely terrified. He didn't want to be alone. Never again.

Jack was broken from his increasingly hysterical thoughts as Bunny pulled him into his chest again, but this time even tighter.

"Oh, Jack. Don't be. We should have been there for you. I should have been there for you. I'm so sorry Jack." Bunny held onto Jack, silently vowing to never leave him alone

again, another SUPER HUGE thanks to my be-awesome beta: insanepanda! guys, you could not I repeat not! get a better beta and friend than her.