Woo! I'm so happy with this chapter! You guys will love it if you love fluff!

Guest Reviews:

Guest: You're missing the point. He helped them with the teeth, battled Pitch briefly before and even tried to save Sandy. He expected them to have a little more trust, or at least a chance to explain himself. But they shouted and shamed him, and he kinda feels betrayed. You have to remember, he didn't have to help them with the above. He was originally 'a neutral party'. He tried to help and they lashed out at him. And if you heard a voice calling you, after no one has for 300 years, wouldn't you get a little curious? Anyway, everyone has their own perspective. This is mine.

Yellowmiki98: You don't need to lie. There are loads of author better then me.

Enjoy and don't forget to Review! It makes my day!

"JACK!"

The spirit didn't hear Jamie's call, running as far as he possibly could.

The young human boy picked up the staff and looked to Baby Tooth sadly. There was a yell in the distance and not two minutes later, Bunnymund appeared, back to his normal size. Jamie gasped, however, when he noticed his ear was ripped halfway down the middle.

"What happened to your ear?" Jamie asked.

Bunny sat exhaustedly. "That ice thing fell and kinda impaled me in the ear. Kinda had ta rip it out when I got my power back."

"Why would you do that!?"

"Had ta make sure ya were alright." The Pooka eyed the small cuts on his face. "C'mere." Jamie shuffled towards him, kneeling beside the exhausted Easter Bunny. Aster put a paw on Jamie's head, and quite soon, the cuts

were healed. "Simple healing spell. Learned it as a kit." He said when Jamie was about to ask what he just did.

"Can't you do it on yourself?"

Bunny just laughed. "Do ya ankle-bitah's always ask so many questions?" He frowned when a memory infiltrated his mind.

Jack chuckled as Sophie ran off crying. "Blood and gums?" He asked in an entertained disbelief. North just shrugged. "When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?" He continued, watching in amusement as Sophie chased some eggs under a rock, screaming, "Peek-a-Boo!", at them.

'Jack was right.' Bunny thought, miserably. The young spirit knew more then the Guardians did about kids. What they like, what they don't. 'Why did we ever believe he would team up with Pitch? Against the children?'

Bunny's silent musing was interrupted by the sound of a swishing robe.

He turned to see none other then a weak a Pitch Black.

"Did it work?" He asked Jamie.

Jamie noticed him swaying as he stood. The boy got up and pulled the Nightmare King down. "It worked alright. Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Groaned Pitch, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.

Aster was too tired to protest sitting next to the Boogeyman, so instead, pointed out the portal not too far from them. "Look."

An exhausted Tooth and North walked through and slumped down next to Pitch and Bunny. "I see we're not the only tired ones." Yawned Tooth, giggling as Bunny's head kept dropping, then snapping up in a vain attempt to stay awake.

North was the first out of the spirits to notice two things. "Bunny?! What happened to your ear!?"

Aster waved a paw dismissively. "It's nothing. It'll be alright."

North then saw the second thing. "Jack's staff..."

Everyone followed his gaze towards the old branch. Jamie picked it up, surprised at how heavy it actually was.

How on Earth did Jack fly around with that thing, Jamie would never understand.

"He left it just after he gave the powers back." Jamie said. He looked to Pitch. "He's gonna be fine."

Pitch looked at the horizon, as if he was looking for something. He felt his heart sink when he couldn't see what he was looking for.

"Pitch." North said, grabbing his attention. "What is wrong?"

Ignoring the question, Pitch turned to Jamie. "What happened after you broke his staff?"

A collective gasp came from the Guardians. Tooth was ready to shout at Pitch, when she realised the staff was in one piece. Her anger subsided for the moment.

"I showed him the memories and he watched them. Then he got up, fixed the staff, and smashed the end in the ground. A bunch of colourful lights burst out of his chest."

"Did you see any black shadows leave him?" Pitch interrogated.

"No." Frowned Jamie.

"It just as I feared." Pitch said.

"The Nightmare King can...Fear?" Aster yawned. Pitch, Tooth and North glared at him. "What?!" He said, defensively.

"As I was saying...? Pitch continued through gritted teeth. "We have to find him, now! The Fearling is still inside him! If he's doing what I think he's doing, he'll be lowering his mental barrier! The Fearling will possess him fully and there will be no way to fix it!"

That woke all the exhausted spirits.

"Which way?" Tooth asked Jamie.

Jamie gestured for them to follow him. "This way!" He sprinted off in the direction he had last saw Jack run. He held the staff in his small grip, hoping they could fix this once and for all.

Tooth was the first to see him, her position in the air giving her a clear view of the snowy landscape. "There he is!" She told everyone beneath her.

A few moments later, they saw him. He was sitting, hugging his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth. In the little while he had vanished, a lot had changed. Jack's hair was a mess, some of it flat and some of it sticking up. His hoodie and trousers were scuffed and blood seeped through his trouser's right knee. It seemed as though he had fallen several times, running.

The most evident thing, however, was the shimmering blue bubble around him. Bunny and North couldn't help the small shiver that traveled up their spines. The last time Jack had made a bubble like that, he had just sucked Tooth's power from her.

"Jack!" Jamie shouted.

Jack's head shot up, so quickly, everyone was surprised it didn't go flying off. His blue eyes widened when he saw the Guardians run up with Pitch and Jamie. He began to scramble backwards in terror, making all of the approaching stop in shock.

"Stay away." He told them, desperately searching for signs that they were listening to his pleas. "Please go. Please."

North shook his head. He couldn't believe that this was Jack Frost in front of him. This wasn't the young man, always quick on his feet and quick to comeback, joking, smiling, determined young man, that North had grown accustomed over the past few days.

This was a little boy, quick to apologise for something he couldn't control. A boy who wanted to be isolated, even though he hated it, to protect those around him. This boy looked for danger and found it in one place.

Himself.

"Jack. You will be fine. You are back to normal. It is over."

Jack shook his head at the Russian's claim.

"Maybe for now. But I know Pitch has told you. One wrong move and I'll go back to that state. And then I can't be stopped. It will be safer. For the spirits and the children."

"But, Jack!" Tooth cried. "We're not safe without you. You are probably one of the most powerful spirits. What if we're faced with a stronger enemy than Pitch?"

Pitch nodded, than realised the implications of the Guardian's words. "Hey!"

Tooth ignored Pitch as she continued. "Please. Come with us. We'll try to work something out."

Jack stood, suddenly fuming. "Why!? So you can exterminate the threat!? What happens when you get rid of the Nightmare?! I know what! You'll ignore me for another 300 years, carrying on with your happy little lives! Then once another threat rises, you'll look for me! I'll get rid of them, and then the cycle repeats!"

Jack was suddenly drained. He looked down for a moment, before deciding he would finish what he was saying.

"In those 300 years, only one spirit reached out to me." Jack locked eyes with Pitch. "Pitch. He's been pestering me since the beginning. He told me what I am. He told me about you. He told me that no one believed in me, so that's why they didn't notice me. More then any of you Guardians of Childhood have ever done. He left after the 50 years point because, what did I do? I pushed him away, hoping," Jack looked toward Bunny. "Hoping you'd at least try to find me. Wondering," North stared at Jack for a long moment when he said that. "Wondering what you were all like."

"Jack.." Tooth sighed, just before Jack turned to her.

"Remembering the stories children told about your kindness." Jack looked towards the sky as he sunk to his knees. "Dreaming that one day, you would talk to me. None of it ever happened."

"I can't believe it.." North, Tooth, Bunny and Pitch all looked down, remembering they were accompanied by Jamie. "I can't believe it!" Jamie shouted. "How could you just leave him!? He's a kid! He was alone! I bet you don't brush off other spirits, so why is he any different?!"

The three Guardians winced at being reprimanded by a child, while Pitch sniggered at their misery. Jamie was quick to turn on him.

"What about you!? Why'd you stop talking to him!?"

Jamie pointed to the different spirits. "I thought you were meant to look after kids!" Suddenly, the Guardians understood Jack. That anger and betrayal blazing in Jamie's young eyes, fear seeping between it. If their first believers hated them, they didn't know where they would be.

Jamie turned his back on them and walked slowly to Jack, who didn't move an inch. When he got to the bubble, Jamie touched it gently, gasping softly when it crumbled beneath his touch.

Jack was still.

Hesitantly, the Last Light tiptoed towards Jack. When he reached the spirit, he sat on his knees, then slowly reached around him, pulling him into a hug. He felt Jack stiffen, and for a moment, Jamie thought that Jack would lash out.

Instead, Jack relaxed, and ever so slowly, hugged Jamie back. The moment he fully relaxed, his tears gushed out. His sobs wracked his body and he pulled Jamie close, and carded the boy's hair. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

Jamie rubbed Jack's back soothingly, as his own mother would when he cried. He let Jack gush out the apologies he had been holding back and whispered, "It's alright. It's alright."

When Jack had calmed down, he looked up at the Guardians, worried that they would reject him after his fit. To his surprise, Aster ran up and joined the hug, the Pooka's own tears flowing as he whispered apologies to both Jamie and Jack. North and Tooth followed, both apologising for neglecting Jack.

Jack looked between the tangle of arms and saw Pitch standing to the side, left out. Giving him a teary grin, Jack mouthed. "Thank you."

Pitch moved forward close enough to hear what Jack was saying. "Why? I'm the reason for this mess."

"You've given me a family." Jack cried, reaching out and hugging Pitch. The spirit was delighted when Pitch hugged him back, shushing him.

"Hush." Pitch muttered. "It's over. We're all here. You..you're home."