Wow, well thanks to Twilight16, this 'oneshot' has now morphed into at least a 3 chapter story, and I 'aint even mad.

So BIG shout out to Twilight16 for making this happen, and I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I tried to get right in the feels and stuff, showing lots of pain. Personally, I think I'm better at writing male character's pain, but you guys can be the judges of that.

I hope I haven't ruined Pippa (as I'm calling her, I know that's Jamie's friend) for you guys and I am willing to take feedback to address characters more accurately (but only minor things, it's not like I can make them have a complete personality change in the middle of the story). Also, I am willing to take ideas, like that Twilight16 has done but maybe on a smaller scale and won't impact the story so far. If you've got an idea for me to add or even if you want me to continue the story beyond the funeral and to Jack's resurrection, I will listen and if I like it then you can expect to see it!

Thank you all, again, for your wonderful support and reviews, if it weren't for you guys, my stories would not exist, no shit. I apologise for any mistakes too. keep giving me feedback and check out my other stories too if you haven't already, cuz if you, like this, you will love 'You were Only Five' with some Jelsa. Don't be afraid to share my stuff with friends too! and if you've got something you want me to review, let me know! I'm always looking for ROTG etc fanfics!

Thanks again and see you next update!


I had never experienced fear quite like that night. It was petrifying, and I was shaking all over, unable to move, scared to even breathe! I had curled away as far as the hole would let me, covering my ears and closing my eyes, like doing so would protect me. I think that the worst possible thing was what happened after I heard Jack scream 'no' and then a series of bumps and crashes. I didn't know what to do! I heard Jack scream and I could just hear him making pained sounds, but Jack had told me to never come out until he found me but… I don't think he was going to find me now. I had a choice; Jack could be hurt by the intruder and may need help, but what if the intruder was still walking around? Should I stay hidden and wait or should I go help my brother?

I couldn't bear to wait any longer. As quietly as I could, I crept from my hiding place, ignoring the voice of Jack's scolding for disobeying him in my head, and crawled across Jack's bedroom to the door. Poking my head out, I looked around, searching for my brother above everything else. I longed to see his smiling face and his relaxed stance with his hands on his hips, telling me that everything was alright.

"Jack?" I called out, my voice sounded tiny and weak in the expanse of the empty house.

I looked to my right and gazed over the edge of the stairs. I could see something heaped at the bottom and when I stood up, I could make out what it was with the help of the moon's light through a window above. To my absolute terror, I could see Jack lying on the stairs unmoving and the body of the intruder splayed awkwardly below him. Jack lay facing upwards and there was a long object protruding from his chest, his clothes had something that looked like liquid silver in the moonlight, but it wasn't.

"Jack?!" I cried out, running down the stairs to kneel beside my brother.

My shouting didn't disturb the intruder and I wondered if he was dead. I placed my tiny hands on Jack's arm and shook him gently, trying to get a response. Jack's eyes were closed and his face looked beyond peaceful except for the fresh trails of blood that ran from his mouth.

"Jack, please! Wake up, Jack, please, wake up!" My voice became frantic and shrill as I called for Jack, begging for him to hear me and shaking his arm harder.

"No… Jack… Wake up, Jack…" My voice quivered as tears blurred my vision and my throat seemed to close up. I then grabbed the sides of Jack's face, making him face me. I gasped at how warm his skin was and I hoped that it meant that he was still alive, "Jack… no… no… please, no… Don't… Don't do this, please…"

Absolutely nothing I did had any effect; no twitch, no sound. I observed the foreign object in Jack's chest and saw that it was a blade! It must have been the intruder's weapon and now it had stabbed my Jack!

"H… Help…" I could barely whisper through my tears, "HELP! Somebody, HELP ME!" I screamed into the night. No reply came.

What would Jack do? Would he call mummy and daddy first? Or… I ran as fast as I could to the house phone and dialled the emergency number. It picked up instantly.

"You have called the 911 emergency help line. What service do you require?" A feminine voice spoke softly and clearly on the other side.

"A doctor!" I cried down the phone, rushing, "An ambulance! My brother's been stabbed!"

"Is he conscious?" She asked.

"I don't know, he's not moving, there's blood from his mouth!" I babbled desperately, clutching the phone close to me, "There was an intruder,"

"What is your address?"

"Ninety-one, Trias Road," I blurted out.

"What's your name, sweetie, and how old are you?"

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering and my head spinning, "Uhm, Pippa… my name is Pippa. I'm… I'm eight years old,"

"Thank you, Poppet. Now, Pippa, I want you to tell me your address again."

"Ninety-one, Trias Road," I said again carefully and clearly.

"Okay, Pippa. Are there any other adults?"

I pause for a second, "N… no,"

"Your mentioned and intruder?" The operator inquired, "Where is the intruder?"

My voice choked up again and I think it was from fear, "He's next to my brother. I… I think he's dead,"

"Pippa," the operator spoke with such kindness and care, "an ambulance is coming to you right now. I think it will be there in five minutes. I need you to stay calm and-"

I slam the phone down not needing or wanting to hear any more, and rush back to Jack. He was just as I left him and I feared that I was away too long for whatever reason. I felt his skin again, noting that his warmth was fading.

"Stay Jack," I would whisper to him, or maybe myself, "please stay. Just 'till mummy and daddy come back… please, Jack…" Tears blinded my vision of his deathly pale face and my voice constantly cracks. I was sobbing deeply and it was making my speech hard and broken. "Please, Jack?" I grabbed his shirt again, always hoping, always wishing, "Jack, wake up!"

I knew it was over, all of it, when the doctors and police finally arrived. They had to break their way in because I refused to leave Jack's side to open the door. As they knelt down to inspect him and the dead man, someone wrapped a thick and soft blanket around me and held me close. When I turned to look, it was Abigail, my neighbour, and she had come to offer assistance. She knew that our parents were still away and promised to help me and my brother out should we needed any. But she had come too late. I was sobbing hysterically when the doctors shook their heads to confirm Jack's… death.

"Noo!" I squealed when they lifted him on a stretcher to take him away, "Take me with him! Oh, please let me stay!" I begged and begged to stay by his side, Abigail holding me back, hushing and cooing soft words of comfort.

My neighbour then reasoned with the doctors and they allowed me to go with them as long as Abigail could look after me. I couldn't even thank her though, as I held onto Jack's now cold hand during the whole trip to the hospital. It reminded me when we would go swimming in the pond and we would ice skate there during winter. Jack would always find a reason to go there, even when the water had just finished thawing for spring. He would come out shivering and on the brink of a cold, but his blue lips would always smile and he would say "That was awesome!" Oh, Jack, why did this happen? Everyone was silent as the ambulance rumbled through the dark, and I found myself gazing out of the small window to see the full moon, in all its silver glory. It smiled compassionately down at me and I could feel its sympathy as its glow bathed my tearstained face in light.

When we reached the hospital, they told me that they had to take Jack away to 'clean him up' as they told me, and though I cried, I nodded and agreed to stay in Abigail's arms until they were done. I was there for over an hour, resting my head against Abigail's bosom and my eyes gazing into nothing. I just couldn't comprehend exactly what had happened, I knew the words; Jack is dead. I guess I just couldn't believe it. I also didn't know why. Why was he taken from me? What did we do? What did he do? Countless other thoughts faded in and out of my head, unanswered and unheard, as the adults surrounding me talked things that just didn't matter anymore.

"Poor little thing," someone would say.

"He was so young and had such promise," another muttered.

"No one deserves this," these stupid, useless comments kept flying around, not bringing him back, not letting me forget, not even helping me sleep.

If I could just not be awake anymore, then this could all be a dream, and I could run into Jack's arms and never let go. As insane as it sounded, I wanted to sleep, but there was no way it was going to come.

Pippa…?

I felt empty, cold and alone.

Pippa, darling…?

Jack… my best friend and favourite person, the one who cared for me when mummy and daddy couldn't, the one who protected me from the nightmares and chased them away with his funny antics, the one who restored my faith in everything when I thought that it was all for nothing. Gone.

Pippa…?!

It took me a while to realize that someone was calling my name. I turned and looked up to see the face of a doctor and I recognized him as the one who was looking after Jack. He tried to look friendly but every feeble attempt the adults did to comfort me just went out the window.

"You can come and see Jack now."

They led me into his room, the lighting was low and gentle, highlighting only the important things. There were no electronics, no screen or bags of water standing patiently beside the bed. Those were for live people, people who were still breathing. Jack wasn't. His body lay there, silent, still and peaceful, his skin so pale it glowed slightly under the lights. A bed sheet had been pulled up to his waist, leaving his entire upper torso exposed. They had removed the white shirt he was wearing but a large white bandage wrapped around his chest, hiding what I knew was to be the gaping hole from sight. I walked up to his bedside near his head and watched him, holding on to his hand, still cold like he had just returned from the pond in early spring.

"Jack…?" I whispered.

My brother said nothing. He was sleeping so still, so peacefully, I almost felt ashamed for trying to disturb him. I observed his dark lashes which hid his beautiful eyes from sight, and his brows, smooth and relaxed, hung over them. I was happy to see that his brown hair, with its sheen of copper reflecting in the light, spiked out everywhere in its usual appearance, lively and fresh. Tenderly, I pulled the bed sheets up to cover Jack, dragging it right up to his chin.

"There, don't want you catching a cold…"

An overwhelming wave of guilt washed over me as I watched my brother. It smothered me and pulled me down like being dragged beneath the surface of water. I gasped and sobbed, trying desperately to breathe, but each breath seemed to make no difference. I felt like this was my entire fault. I felt like it was my fault for leaving Jack alone, for letting him feel like he had to protect me, and worst of all, I wondered that if I had left my hiding spot sooner, I might have let him… see me one more time. That hurt most of all; that I didn't give him the chance to see that he had saved me.

"Oh, Jack…" I gasped, "I'm… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" I cried the words over and over, burying my face into the bed sheets and staining them with my tears.

My love for Jack left no hate inside me for that stranger, I could only forget about him. There was no room in my heart for hate, for it was filled with my love for Jack. Gently and slowly, I hauled myself up onto his bed, cuddling up to his now stiffening body, but I didn't mind, and nestling my face into the side of his, "Jack…" the words slipped from my lips like a puff of breath on a cold, frosty morning, "Love… you…"