A/N: Alrighty. I am Back! Yay! Hazzah to me. I'm so glad you guys are still here waiting. I know it's only been 1 month... but it feels like forever! UGH! So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get back into my scheduled weekly updating thing, because I want to try writing out a different chapter story, one which I'd rather not star posting till its basically complete, but I'll finish up this arch, it'll have 2 or 3 chapters I think.

Also, note. Maybe you should re-read the movie chapters, just to refresh your minds about what Phil was present for and what he missed. If you feel like you know it pretty well, go ahead, and just dive on in to this.

"No, Phil... I-I don't want to talk about it..." Jack couldn't meet the yeti's eyes. He turned away from him, and brought his hoodie over his head.

Phil growled out at Jack, wondering what was so bad about that day? Wondering what had happened. He placed a paw on the boy's shoulder, saying that he wouldn't be mad at Jack. He just wanted to know what happened, or if Pitch or any of the Nightmares had attacked Jack during that time. He wanted to know if Jack was okay. He pleaded as Jack just shrugged the paw away.

"I c-cant... Just, don't ask... Please..." He looked up at his friend, his eyes begging the yeti not to bring it up again.

Phil looked into the blue eyes, trying to figure out what could have happened. He saw regret, anguish, disappointment .. and fear. The yeti bowed his head and gave a hug to the winter spirit. He couldn't make himself push Jack. Something awful happened during Easter, and it scared him.

He let the boy go, and turned away. He wasn't going to get any answers from Jack... Would the other guardians know anything?

:::

"Sandy... Please, do not ask me that. I-I cannot..." North said. He couldn't look his companion in the eye as the Sandman tried to ask, once again, what exactly happened while he was 'dead'.

None of the Guardians would say anything. Sandy had gotten a bit of information from Phil, the head yeti at the North Pole. It was nice to know what happened... but there were some gaps. Gaps, that Sandy felt, where big pieces to the puzzle.

He sighed as North just turned and left before anymore questions could be asked of him. The Guardian of Dreams let loose some sand in frustration, and tried to think about what could have happened... Which was anything, really...

A growl sounded behind him, and he quickly turned to find the very yeti who had helped him before. Phil. They both asked each other the silent question 'did you find out anything?' Sandy frowned, and Phil let out a groan. They had decided to work together to try and piece together that missing day, yet it still came up empty. They thought for sure that the Guardians would open up more to Sandy than to Phil, and that Jack would be more willing to talk if it was with someone he trusted, not that the winter spirit didn't trust Sandy. Actually, out of all the Guardians, Sandy was the one he was most comfortable with... he just didn't know him as well as he knew Phil.

Phil growled out the question of what they should do next? They can't keep bugging them about it... at least for Jack, it would only make him more tight lipped about the whole thing.

Sandy agreed, yet couldn't come up with a new approach.

:::

Days had passed, and the two were still no closer to finding out what had happened. They had hoped that as time passed, the Guardians would be more wiling to talk about it, yet the longer they waited, it seemed like the more the others didn't' want to talk.

Phil tried asking the Guardians, instead of Sandy, yet that yielded even less results than when the Sandman had asked.

A few time, Phil would look at Jack, not even voicing the question, just making a pleading look at him. When Jack would see it, he would always turn away, like he was ashamed to tell the story. It was this burden that Jack was carrying all by himself, and Phil hated seeing the boy under such pressure. He wanted to relieve it of him, but the yeti couldn't... not if Jack wouldn't let him.

:::

It was now a few months after Easter, and Jack was cornered by Phil once again. The yeti asked, even for just the basics of what happened. Jack opened his mouth, like he was going to reply... yet he hesitated. He couldn't seem to find the words to say what he wanted. "Phil, I... I didn't..." He cast his eyes down, and turned away.

Phil gently grabbed the boy's chin, making him look into the yeti's eyes. He growled softly, telling Jack that what ever happened, it was still affecting him. It wasn't over, and it wouldn't be till he told some one about it. He was here to help and listen, and to not judge the boy. Phil would be there for him, like he always had been.

His words seemed to help Jack, but he still didn't' tell what happened. Instead, he gave a small smile to Phil, and hugged him, whispering a thanks.

Phil let Jack leave, content with helping take even the smallest of steps towards helping him. It was progress, though only a small amount, it would help in the end.

:::

Phil stood by, waiting for Jack to join him. They had planned on having a nice chat, over a cup of hot coco. They enjoyed getting some time with just them, not any of the guardians, and it didn't happen often. It was a time for both of them to relax, and bond as friends, yet Phil could see no sign of the winter spirit.

He was about to go ask North if he had seen the boy, when Jack finally appeared. His hands were hidden inside his jacket pocket, and he wore his hood. Something was up with him, and Phil grew worried.

"Nothing's wrong, Phil... I just... Can I show you something?" He looked into Phil's eyes, and the yeti saw all his worries and doubts. There was also a bit of hope in them, and Phil gladly agreed.

Jack led him to an empty room. Nothing was inside it. No furniture, no supplies, nothing.

"I wasn't sure... uh, how to tell you.. So, instead. I...I decided to show you instead." His voice was quite, and he slowly brought out his hands from his pocket.

Inside them was a cylindrical golden tube, holding Jack's memories.

"I asked Baby Tooth if I could have one of my memories from an immortal time, and she placed it in here... I just..." He took a deep breath and tried to explain more...

Phil grabbed his hands and growled out that he could do this.

Jack nodded and looked at Phil. His eyes pleading as he spoke one more time. "Please... don't be mad..." He whispered just before he opened the box.

:::

A light flashed and Phil blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust his eyes. When it died down enough, the yeti saw that the whole room was projecting Jack's memories. If Phil didn't know any better... he would have thought he'd some how been transported to Burgess.

He turned and saw Jack standing beside him, looking away. When he heard Jack's voice come from behind him, he turned to find that another Jack stood had just finished putting Sophie down to bed.

Phil's eyes widened as he realized exactly when this was, and exactly what Jack was showing him.

"We should get back." Jack smiled at Baby tooth after setting Sophie down to sleep.

Phil waited for something to happen... Something had to have stopped Jack from returning-

"Jack!"

A light vice filled the air, and Jack's turned recognizing it.

Phil looked around, trying to figure out where it came from. He noticed the memory Jack doing the same.

"That voice.. I know that voice..." He mumbled, turning around, searching for the source of the noise.

"Jack?"

"Jack!"

The voice kept calling out, and Jack kept flying, looking for it.

"I know... " Jack spoke up, causing Phil to turn towards him. "I know I should have just gone back to you guys..." Jack said, still not meeting Phil's eyes. "Something just... pulled at me though. I needed to find out what that voice was..."

Phil saw how distressed Jack was, and wanted to go comfort him, but he suddenly noticed something in the memory... A broken bed frame.

He came across an old bed, underneath it, a tunnel leading to the shadows.

Baby Tooth chirped at him, trying to get him to go back to the others, yet he brushed her aside.

Jack looked at the Baby Tooth memory at that moment. "I should have just listened to her. She knew something was up... but I just ignored her..." He mumbled.

Phil could tell that this hurt him to relive these moments... What would they lead too? What was haunting him so badly?

"Don't worry, there's still time." Jack said distractedly as he looked at the bed. Bringing his staff up, he slammed at the bed frame, making a large enough hole for him to fit.

"Jack?"

He took a final look around before jumping down the tunnel.

Shadows danced around him as he followed the voice ever deeper into the cave. Baby Tooth tried again to pull Jack away, to get him to leave this strange place, but he brushed her away.

"Baby tooth, baby tooth, come on. I have to find out what that is."

Phil looked at Jack's memory self and frowned. He could hear the desperation in his voice. What ever was calling him... even if Jack wanted to ignore it, Phil didn't think he could.

This was something he needed... just maybe not in the way it happened.

A sudden creak, one that seemed outside of the memory, made him turn. If he really tried, he could distinguish the rooms walls and ceilings, even just barely make out the windows and door. He stared at it for a bit, but returned to the memory, thinking it was just his imagination.

He continued walking when he paused in his steps as he heard something... it wasn't the voice, it was something else.

It was like the fluttering of thousands of wings... mini wings.

Jack's eyes lit up with realization, and he ran forwards. He got to the end of the tunnel and saw hundreds of cages suspended above him. Each one was filled with the mini-tooths that had been taken. All of the fairies chirped at him when they saw him, they all tried to escape their cages.

Phil let out a roar of anger at Pitch. He watched as the little fairies called out to Jack, begging for a release. The yeti glared at the shadows on the walls, wishing he could have had a chance at Pitch, himself.

Jack flew up beside them, whispering words of comfort to them, yet also trying to silence them in case Pitch was near. "Shh, keep it down. I'm going to get you out of there as soon as I-"

"Jack!"

"...can." He finished as he brought his gaze away from the mini-fairies. A golden shine caught his eyes, and he sped down to the ground.

Realization came to Phil when he saw the memory cases. That pull that Jack felt from the voice. It was one from his memories! The yeti turned to Jack, his Jack, and saw he had that same longing look that his past self had. Even though he now knew what they held, the thought of them still seemed to make his heart pound.

He landed in the pile of memory canisters, and his hands brushed against them as he searched for his own. It called towards him and he couldn't see it anywhere. He grabbed as many as he could, checking the picture on the bottom.

Even as Jack's memory self searched, Phil felt a chill come from behind him. He turned instantly, but saw nothing. His eyes searched the area, but there was no movement except that of the fairies up above them.

"Looking for something?" Pitch's voice called from behind him.

A cry of surprise and anger escaped Phil, and his paw shot out to punch the Nightmare King. He completely forgot that this was a memory. He could do nothing to change what had happened.

His curled up paw went straight through him, and Phil stumbled a bit before he caught his balance.

He heard a chuckle come from behind him, and saw that Jack had a small smile on his face. The boy still had sadness in his eyes, but Phil was glad to give him a small moment of peace.

The shadows around them shifted, and Phil felt himself being pulled. Jack's eyes shot back to the memory, all joy gone. Phil followed his gaze and watched the scene.

Jack flew into the air, following the silhouette of Pitch as his laugh filled the cavern. His feet pounded against the floors, the walls... the whole place was a giant maze of winding staircases, and confusing passages.

"Don't be afraid, Jack." Pitch's calm voice sounded, and Jack was able to pinpoint it's origins. He jumped into the air, and landed on the platform where Pitch stood. He slid into the wall, finding his footing as he brought up his staff to face the Nightmare King.

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of you." The winter spirit said, taking a few steps closer to Pitch.

The yeti smiled at that. He could hear it in his voice. Jack wasn't afraid, and that was a true feat... Pitch was the very center of fear after all.

"Maybe not..." The older spirit replied, "But you are afraid of something." He added.

Jack continued to walk towards him, watching his every moment. "You think so, huh?" He was going to be ready... ready for anything that guy could throw at him.

"Oh, I know so." Pitch turned to face Jack, "It's the one thing I always know... peoples greatest fears." He paused a moment, then looked at Jack, smirking. "Yours is that no one will ever believe in you."

Phil's smile vanished in an instant. He knew that none of the humans believed in him, Jack Frost, bringer of winter... yet, he never understood how it must have felt.

As a yeti, Phil could be seen by all humans. He had never been walked through.. he couldn't be walked through.

How often had Jack gone through that? And then, to go to the spirits, the ones who could see him, and be brushed aside. How many times had Jack recounted times when he encounter other spirits and it ended badly?

Jack always laughed and brushed them aside. He didn't mind it, he said. If he could be a part of the game, it didn't matter if the kids saw him or not. If he could have some interaction with other spirits, it didn't matter if they hated him or not.

Phil looked at both Jacks, and saw the same reaction.

So he was still worried? Phil wasn't surprised. Even now, he only had a few believers... they could easily forget about him, leaving him alone again...

He took a step towards his Jack, and grabbed his shoulder. Jack tried to shrug it off, but Phil brought him close. He wanted to make sure Jack knew... No matter what, even if the kids stopped believing, (Which they wouldn't… Phil would do anything to make sure of that...) He would always believe in Jack.

Jack flinched when it was said. He tried so hard to keep it hidden... to keep his greatest wish a secret, and Pitch just threw it all back at him like it was nothing.

The shadows beneath him swallowed him whole, causing him to fall rapidly. His hold on his staff was lost and he landed suddenly. He frantically searched for it. When he found it, he quickly got up and tried to escape from Pitch and his haunting words.

"And worst of all... is that you'll never know why."

Jack tried to ignore it, but he found himself blocked by a wall. When he turned, Pitch's shadow circled him.

"Why were you chosen to be like this..."

A rumble of anger came from deep in Phil's throat. Oh, how he wanted to punch Pitch right now.

He turned away from the memory for a moment, and looked at the other Jack, the present one. He knew. Jack had told Phil, almost right after the fight... he had found his center, and he knew why he was chosen. Jack hadn't gone into many details about how he knew, but Phil didn't mind.

The boy had just figured out who he was after 300 years. If he wanted to keep his memories to himself for a bit.. Phil understood that.

Jack's eyes moved quickly, trying to find out where Pitch would come from. He let out a gasp when the man appeared in front of him.

"But fear not, for the answer to that..." He brought out Jack's memories, offering them to the winter spirit.

"...is right here."

Jack stared in shock as all his questions... all the answers were presented to him.

"Do you want them, Jack... Your memories?" He held them out tauntingly and Jack started to reach out, he almost smiled as he thought of seeing them... but he hesitated. He couldn't do it.

Phil nodded and smiled. Jack was stronger than Pitch thought. He was stronger than anyone thought.

Pitch suddenly disappeared along with the golden canister. His laugh echoed through the lair, and Jack jumped into the air, trying to follow him. He couldn't let them get away... not after searching for his answers for so long. Jack couldn't let them go.

"Everything you wanted to know... in this little box."

Pitch's shadow danced across the wall near Jack, and the boy brought up his staff to strike. The shadow vanished, and Jack ran after it once again.

"Why did you end up like this... unseen, unable to reach out to anyone?"

The yeti closed his eyes in deep sadness. Even though those years were over... they wouldn't leave Jack's thoughts for a long time. Ages could pass and still, he could be haunted by his first years alone...

There was no visible window for Phil, but he looked up to where he thought the moon might be. How could he have been put through all that? Why did it have to have been that way? Couldn't MiM have sent some help?

Jack had had Phil... but what is one person, when the world walks through you?

His heart ached for the winter spirit. He wanted to go grab him. He wanted to hear Jack's light laughter ringing through the halls of the pole. He wanted his feet to freeze to the floor as the winter spirit ran away from him, playing like he always did.

Yet, he couldn't do any of those things... The memories, as they played... they transfixed the yeti. He couldn't tear his eyes away from what was happening.

The sound seemed to echo through Jack's mind as all the questions he's had through his lonely 300 years were thrown back at him.

"You want the answers so badly... you want to grab them and fly off with them."

Phil frowned as Pitch continued to taunt him, to pull at his very heart. He looked at the memory Jack, and saw his frustration... his fear growing. It was all being thrown him and he couldn't defend himself.

He let loose a growl, giving encouragement, even though he knew it would do no good.

Jack looked around, trying to find something he could fight against., He couldn't stand this. They were just words, yet he couldn't stop himself from hearing them!

They wouldn't stop... Pitch kept talking, kept voicing Jack's very thoughts!

"But you're afraid... afraid of what the Guardians would think. You're afraid of disappointing them."

More shadows came, surrounding Jack. Pitch... he was nowhere, yet everywhere at the same time. Jack couldn't focus!

"Well, let me ease your mind about one thing."

No... Pitch, don't even think about it! Phil wanted to yell out at him. Jack has been through enough already! He does not need you filling it with more doubt and fear!

Jack didn't want to hear it. He had thought it, but also thought... maybe it wouldn't be true. Maybe it could happen?

"They'll never accept you. Not really."

He couldn't help himself... Phil had to see. He glanced over at his Jack, trying to see his face, trying to see if he still thought that way after all this time.

What he saw made his heart drop. It was a face he knew well... One that said "You're wrong, it doesn't matter, I don't care..." yet, inside there was pain, doubt, fear... It was similar to his smirks, used just to hide away the loneliness he sometimes felt.

Phil wanted to go to him, to comfort the boy, but as soon as the thought entered his head, a shadow passed between them, separating them. It sent a chill through the yeti, and made it seem as though the darkness knew what Phil was trying to do, though that was impossible, seeing as they were in a memory...

Jack shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought of the Guardians leaving him. They wouldn't do that... It was all just Pitch... He was just saying things, trying to get in Jack's head. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop. He groaned and grabbed his head, trying to make this all go away.

He couldn't keep it in. He let out a growl, a yell of frustration that he could do nothing but sit back and watch Jack go through this!

All the past times when he thought about what might have happened to Jack during Easter... He had guessed Pitch had done something, but this? This was much worse then any attack he could have put against Jack. It was worse then just sending nightmares his way. Jack could fight those, he knew how to handle that.

Pitch's words? They were another matter altogether. The way the Nightmare King kept circling Jack, and weaving in and out of the shadows. It made it hard for Phil to keep focused... And it wasn't even directed at him!

Phil quieted down his growls to a low rumble, but inside, he cried out still. Pitch! Stop it!

"Stop it... STOP IT!" Jack yelled out. He didn't want to hear it.

Phil couldn't bare to see Jack like this. He wanted to leave, to forget about this whole thing!

One look at Jack, though... His Jack...

This is what he needed. Jack needed to get this off his chest, and this was the easiest way for him.

Pitch continued on, his words never ceasing.

"After all..." He said as he slowly appeared in front of Jack. "You're not one of them.

Yes he is! He is a True Guardian, and there's nothing you can do to change that! Phil thought angrily. Jack had proven his worth, his strength... Even before he was called, Phil knew that he had looked out for the children of the world, even when none had seen him.

He had protected them...

Phil looked at his Jack, just thinking of all the boy had gone through to realize that fact. It made him proud to know that Jack had survived all this... but it pained him to know that he went through this at all.

Jack... Phil stepped forwards to grab him, wanting to bring him into an embrace, to hold him tight and never let go.

Jack brought his staff up, ready to fight. Here was something he could defend himself against. A real foe, that his frost and wind could beat. "You don't know what I am." He said defiantly. He wouldn't let Pitch's words get to him...

Pitch looked amused at Jack's actions. "Of course I do. You're Jack Frost... You make a mess where ever you go."

Those words made Phil stop in his tracks.

How many times had he said those same things? Yes, he had said them in a joking manner, often ruffling the boy's hair, and laughing while saying them... but had they hurt him?

How did this make him feel, hearing the same words come from Pitch?

"Why you're doing it right now." The Nightmare King tossed the winter spirit something, and the boy caught it instinctively.

When Jack's eyes saw that it was the golden case holding his memories, he was surprised... then realized what Pitch had been doing the whole time.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"More to the point, Jack..." He started stepping back into the shadows, beginning to disappear. "What did you do?" He let out an eerie laugh as he vanished.

Phil couldn't believe what he was seeing. He let go of a breathe he hadn't even realized he was holding. Pitch had planned it all along. He had pulled Jack away from the others... he had made it so he wouldn't be there during the battle...

Why?

Phil recalled that day, and the days following. Sandy had said that the guardians didn't want to talk about Easter... that must mean something happened between Jack and the others... Something that Jack wasn't letting go, and that the Guardians regretted.

Jack ran forwards to try and stop him, to strike him with his powers, but Pitch was gone. Shadows closed around Jack and he tried to find his way back, back to the guardians... back to the warren... back to Baby Tooth...

Baby Tooth?

"Baby Tooth!" He yelled out as he realized she was no longer with him. He slammed his fist into the wall that formed in front of him.

Phil looked at Jack and saw him frowning at his past self. The yeti wanted to reach out to him, and almost did. He took a step, and heard a 'crunch' come from the ground.

Jack turned and took a step away from the door, deciding to find another way when he stepped on something. His eyes widened as he saw what was before him.

Phil held in a gasp at what he saw. Before... when he had been at the battle... when he had seen it happening, the ending result, though it looked bad... it didn't seem as bad as this.

To go from the Warren's original beauty to seeing the remains of Easter. It hurt. Everything was just...

Shattered... Broken... Dead...

Easter Eggs scattered across the grass. Their colors, now faded... their shells, now destroyed.

Jack looked down the tunnel in despair as the final words of the Nightmare King called out to him.

"Happy Easter, Jack."

Shadows swallowed the memory, and then turned into a bright light. Phil covered his eyes and waited for it to die down.

At last, he was able to see again. When he did, they were back in the room... though they never left it.

He felt exhausted, but he couldn't worry about himself. He turned to Jack, standing to the side.

When Jack looked up, his blue eyes were wet with unshed tears. He looked at Phil, almost like he was asking forgiveness... yet he couldn't figure out what for. Jack had done nothing wrong.

He grabbed him and pulled the boy into an embrace. At first, Jack was tense, and didn't return the gesture, but after a few moments, he relaxed and brought his hands up to grip the yeti's fur.

Phil smiled when Jack did that, and felt relieved that the boy was starting to return back to his old self. All these past months, Jack had been... almost normal... but he was hiding something. He was hiding this, and now that it was out in the open, Phil hoped the winter spirit would be fine.

Something nagged at the back of his head, though... Did the Guardians know about this? Probably not. Jack had known Phil for ages, and only just now was this being revealed. The yeti thought about Sandy, and how he couldn't get any information about Easter... Phil could understand why Jack wouldn't want to share this... but what had happened with the Guardians after Phil and the other yetis had left?

That was the question, now...