"No no." The room twisted around, Jack wanted Jamie... why was he not here with the others? The Guardians charged forward without hesitation even as the room shifted and twisted about them. They were determined to fight to release Jack who screamed his lungs out.
"NO! LET ME GO PLEASE!" He was scared, the Nightmares fed off fear as well and he forgot, it was getting to the point where his powers were no more and his heart and center were dimming.
"J-Jamie..." He called. Kaiu shivered, and then she saw him; the most beautiful, amazing pooka she had ever seen on the screen.
"I thought I was the only one so far..." She murmured to herself. Unaware he was being observed, Bunny didn't waste any time dispatching any of the Nightmares that were sent his way as he and the other Guardians fought their way to Jack and to the cell that held him.
Back at the pole, Jamie was trying to calm himself down. Geez... what a nightmare... Why was it so specific though? Am I that concerned about... but no... the Guardians didn't fail... I... Jamie sighed inwardly. He had been trying to be better, be what Jack wanted him to be... but was that really for the best? How much would he sacrifice of himself to make Jack happy?
Jack screamed out one final cry, that was it... all was silent and Jamie felt it a weak touch to the bond.
Jamie... my love, I'm not going to make but know I love you. The Pooka in the cage saw the creature it saw most often tortured, the frost spirit.
"No!" She cried, her suffering was being forced to watch this day in day out, to watch another creature of Mother Nature's making and love, die. Jamie winced at that, could the Guardians have fa- No... he had to have faith in them. He reached out over the bond.
Just hold on a little longer... please... Bunny was the first to reach the cell, sending his powers into the cell to it to try and free Jack. North was right behind him, cutting into more Nightmares that tried to push him from the cell; Tooth followed closely behind, cutting into more and allowing North the opportunity to get over to the cell to assist Bunny. Jack squirmed in pain only weakly holding onto Jamie and he could feel it; Jack was going to fade if he didn't get out of there soon. There was a loud bang from the cages room, Bunny could hear a voice calling.
"PLEASE LET ME OUT! I CAN STOP HIM! I CAN STOP DUSK! JUST LET ME OUT!" She cried, the Pooka was crying for help; it's been years since she's seen another Pooka but she needed to stop this bloodshed. Bunny's ears twitched at the sound but they needed to get Jack out first.
"Go! Spell broke!" North grunts as he smashes into the cage that's holding Jack prisoner and being made mostly of ice it shattered under the larger Guardian's weight. Bunny rushed off to heed the call coming from a different room. Hearing the sounds of that made Jack freak out.
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Now that the wards were broke Jack held an ice knife in his hand and a protection dome around him.
"Stay away you bastard... you're sick, making me think this rescue was real!" The real Dusk was already taken down, thanks to the help of Kaiu once Bunny had freed her. Jamie could sense Jack's fear... this couldn't be good... After several moments of debate he sighed and flew towards where he knew the battle was, he slowly made his way through the various rooms until he came up on the room where Jack was holding an ice dagger; Tooth and North were trying to calm him down.
"It's okay Jack, ve won't hurt you." North nodded.
"Easy does it. Is all right now. We take you back to pole." The two glanced at one another, Bunny and Sandy were off in other rooms, helping Kaiu free other prisoners now. Jamie didn't speak but he did touch the bond gently; sending a wave of reassurance as he stopped just beyond the other two Guardians. Jack panted, eyes slits of fear, but seeing Jamie brought tears.
"No... no stay away all you want is my anger and energy, just stop it!" Jack cried out, he stumbled back the dome growing stronger and more dangerous as Tooth was sliced into by the cold energy, piercing her wings and core; Jack panted.
"Please... no more." He begged, holding his head. None of the others could get close, but Jamie could... and he knew it. He slowly walked towards Jack, trying to reassure him as he saw the tears.
Jack... it's okay... I promise... Have I ever lied? He slowly moved towards Jack while the others kept their distance. Bunny kept Kaiu back as well, muttering.
"Better let his mate handle this... it's getting too dangerous for us." Kaiu nodded but she was worried for everyone. Jack panted, shivering and shaking; he knew Jamie would never lie to him but his brain was shot and the dome grew stronger. Seeing Jamie he wasn't sure if he was real or not.
"Tell me something only the real Jamie would know."
"The first time you kissed me and told me that you loved me... I thought it was a dream I'd had. That it wasn't real, because I'd been hiding it for so long of a time." Jamie says, it's the first thing that comes to his mind, that he knew of that no one else could possibly just know. No one else had been around the first time Jack had kissed him and told him that he loved him. Tears fell, only the real Jamie could know that; he dropped the ice knife and the dome dissipated. He walked to Jamie, collapsing into his arms.
"J-Jamie." Jamie wrapped his arms around Jack, murmuring softly.
"It's okay now. It's over." He said as he held Jack close; he flew back to the pole with Jack in his embrace. Jack was weak, but he tried to stay awake for Jamie; he clung to him tightly. Kaiu looked at Bunny with eyes green and innocence. Bunny took Kaiu back to the Warren while Jamie settled Jack on the bed in his room at the pole.
"Rest easy love, I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." He said softly as he tucked the two of them into the bed, keeping Jack in his embrace. Jack fell asleep in Jaime's embrace; Sandy came by to give good dreams and it worked well. Jack awoke the following morning to find Jamie was dozing, but true to his word he is right next to Jack; he hadn't moved the whole time.
"J-Jamie." Jack looked at him with eyes full of joyful tears and hugged him tightly, crying a little, but for joy that it wasn't a dream. Jamie slowly blinked, murmuring sleepily.
"Ng... Jack?"
"Jamie." It's all he says before snuggling into him exhausted from the fight and the rescue as well; his stomach growled for food but he still was skittish around others, still trying to get used to reality again. Jamie smiles a little.
"Sounds like we should get you some breakfast." Jack looked at Jamie with eyes full of happiness, but also fear for what else could happen.
"I'll be back with something. Just sit tight okay?" Jamie meets his gaze, his tone gentle. Jack nodded, shaking a little; his mind kept thinking everything was an illusion but he kept telling himself it wasn't, it was real. Jamie was real... all of it is real. Jamie gently kissed his forehead before he slipped from the bed, letting Jack go, and headed out of the room to the kitchen to get something to eat. Jack shook like a maraca, every sound he heard he would jump; even icing a yeti who came in to clean the room and forgot he'd been rescued. Jamie comes back in the room as the poor, iced, yeti leaves.
"Jack?" Jack squealed and hid under the covers, shaking harder than before; abnormally so. He whimpered.
"Don't let them get me." Jamie set the plates on a nightstand and slowly and gently pries Jack from beneath the covers, murmuring softly the whole time.
"It's okay. No one here is going to hurt you, you're safe now." Jack clung to Jamie like a baby would it's mother for safety and protection; he nuzzled into Jamie's neck and slipped under his hoodie, trembling like a chihuahua. Jamie slipped his arms around Jack, gently rubbing his back; murmuring gentle reassurances. Jack nuzzled into Jamie, scared out of his mind; he didn't know why he was so scared, his mind kept telling him to run, run away. Jamie continued to hold Jack close even as he shifted close to the nightstand to try and draw him out with a bite of food. Jack sniffed, smelling food; he popped his head out cautiously. He looked at the food and ate it. Jamie slowly feed Jack to draw him back out, murmuring reassurances with each bite. Jack whimpered a little when his eyes meet the light but he ate and nibbled until finally he was just in Jamie's hoodie but his head stuck out, eating each bite given; the room started to snow from his emotions, it was relaxing for him.
"See? It's alright." Jamie murmured, holding out the last bite for Jack. Jack took the bite and slowly felt tired, like a young baby in its mama's pouch he fell asleep for a little nap. Jamie smiled a little, holding Jack against him as he ate his own breakfast; once done he wrapped the blanket around him like a cloak, settling with Jack against the pillows and dozed off, propped up against the headboard. It's a few hours before he woke again, Jack yawned and squirmed in Jamie's grip.
"No, I'm stuck." Jack struggled and struggled in the little blanket. Jamie chuckled softly, murmuring as he's awoken by it.
"Stop squirming, you're only making it worse."
"Jamie, I can't see!" Jack fought, struggled, kicked and screeched; apparently he didn't like tight spaces.
"Calm down, Jack. I'll get you out. Just trust me." Jamie said gently, trying to calm Jack down and get them both untangled from the blanket at the same time. Jack panted, scared he may never escape, but he does when Jamie untangles them; he looked at the blanket with worry as if it would wrap him up again and trap him forever. Jamie managed to easily untangle them once Jack had stopped thrashing so much.
"Take it easy Jack. It's just a blanket." He gently rubbed Jack's back. Jack nodded his head slowly, but sadly.
"All I can see is Dusk's Nightmares taking my energy, filling my head with lies and tricks, Jamie." Tears fell fast and his throat choked up on the verge of sobs. Jamie sighed a little.
"I'll be here to help you through it. I promise." He murmurs, brushing away the tears gently. Jack sniffed.
"Oh, I have to make snow it's 2:00, the children need me." He said pulling from Jamie's grip and grabbing his staff. Jamie nodded a little, following Jack without a word; just in case... Jack sniffed the air and felt free for once but not yet, he was skittish around the people and children; only sprinkling snow and frost at windows and icing walkways once in a while before flying as fast as possible away from the town to the next and the next eventually he hid in a tree. Jamie didn't follow him into the tree but has followed him around. Causing a few snowball fights in his wake. Jack shivered, shaking like a leaf as he had fallen asleep again only into the grips of a horrifying and most awful Nightmare. Seeing Jack asleep, Jamie picked him up with a gentle touch. Lightly brushing his cheek with a kiss before flying off to the cave near Jack's pond. He gently tucked him into the bed there. Jack whined and fought against the nightmare.
"NOO! PLEASE STOP!" He screamed, even the children at the pond heard him and worried, they started towards the cavern.
"NOO!" Jamie shook Jack gently from the dream.
"Jack, wake up hun. It's just a dream." Jack howled in protest, scaring the youngest of children as they had come to the mouth of the cave.
"Is he ok mr. Jamie?" They asked him worriedly as Jack thrashed, cried, scratched and kicked Jamie in his nightmares. Jamie winced.
"Just a dream." He called back to them, shaking Jack harder. A blood curdling wail left Jack, scaring the children the most; they ran away to their houses the day of fun dead from his cries. Jamie shuddered, doing everything he could to wake Jack from the dream. One last blood curdling scream and he was awake, crying and shaking harder than he's ever shaken.
"Jack..." Jamie says softly, deep concern in his eyes. Jack shivered, shaking more and more.
"Make it stop it wont stop."
"Sweetheart..." Jamie murmured softly, gathering Jack into his arms; holding him close... what had this Dusk done to his love? Jack shivered, his eyes glazed over; what did he not do, manipulating Jack's mind into thinking that Jamie was there but to rape him... Rape him with his manipulation and stealing Jack's essence and repeating it as well as giving him nightmares that would make him scream that way; it's all he told Jamie but he was crying again when he spoke.
"HE USED ME JAMIE! HE MADE ME SCARED, JAMIE... SCARED YOU WOULD NEVER COME FOR ME. HE USED YOU AS A SICK AFFECT TO STEAL MY ESSENCE... EVERYTHING THAT IS ME. HE'D REPEAT IT, TELL ME EVERYTHING WAS OK AND THEN I'D FEEL LIKE MY ENTIRE BODY WAS ON FIRE! LIKE MY INSIDES WOULD MELT AND LATER I WOULD THROW UP... FOR THE PROCESS TO REPEAT AGAIN IN MY SLEEP... AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!" Jack screamed loud enough for every child in the neighborhood to hear.
"Oh God... Jack... I..." Jamie just stared, stumbling... he should have gotten there sooner... There was nothing he could say... nothing that would ever comfort his love... and tears streaked down his face in the absolute silence that followed... Snow fell sadly outside the cavern, as if it could weep for the winter spirits within the cavern. Jack curled up in a ball, looking at the wall shaking, thinking nothing was safe anymore.
"I'm not awake, it must be a dream that my body dreamed up to survive. I know I'm not here... I can't be cause I'm already dead."
"You're not dead Jack, because if you were... how would I be able to follow? My dearest love... I would do anything for you. If it meant carrying on after..." He swallowed, but pushed on.
"Then I would... I would protect the children in your stead... I would make sure they NEVER forgot you..." Jack loved Jamie so much and cried into his arms.
"I love you Jamie, I'm just so scared; I don't know what's real and what's an illusion anymore!"
"The now is real Jack. I will do anything that I have to in order to prove that."
"Y-You're real, that's all I k-know." Jack said, shaking as he felt flashes of that fiery pain well up inside him. Jamie gently brushed away the tears.
"Yes, and everything around us is real too. It's not an illusion. You know I wouldn't lie to you." Jack sniffled.
"Y-yes." He looked outside.
"B-but what of the c-children... are they real?" He asked, throat closing up. Jamie sighed a little.
"Yes, Jack. The children are real too." Jack hugged Jamie tightly.
"C-can we go out and play in the snow?" He asked, it's only thing that seemed relaxing at the moment besides sleeping.
"Of course Jack." Jack clung to Jamie as he carried him out, the wind blowing and ruffling his hair in a motherly way of saying 'you're ok.' Jack looked at the snow, letting go he made snow angels and rolled around playfully in the snow. Jamie smiled, watching Jack romp about a bit before starting to build a snowman. Jack giggled and had rolled into the woods having fallen into the darkness; he gasped, he had gotten lost in his blinded fun, rolling about; hearing twig snaps he yelled and crawled away back from what it was only to be attacked by some stray nightmare no bigger than Sandy. Jack yelled in pain as it had bit him, feeding off his fear, reminding him of the darkness Dusk had put him through. The Nightmare bursts as if it had a bomb inside it, falling harmlessly into the snow. Jamie moves over to Jack's side, kneeling next to him.
"Jack... are you okay?" Jamie's eyes were slightly stormy with the anger he is wrangling. How DARE they think to attack Jack! He would not show anyone who got near Jack now any sort of mercy if they had even the slightest bit of ill will. Jack was shaking, not scared of Jamie but what the Nightmare forced him to see.
"It won't stop p-please make it s-stop." He cried shaking. Jamie sighed.
"I can only do so much my love." He murmured as he gently picked Jack up and headed back to the cavern, gently brushing his lips to Jack's forehead. Jack shuddered, whining that their fun was ruined again, by himself, he was getting fussy again; he didn't wanna sleep, he wanted to play no matter how much painful that was. Jamie settles Jack at the cavern entrance and creates a few frost creatures for Jack to play with. Jack giggled and petted the bunny frost creature, playing with the interesting animal frost creatures; he looked like a child in many ways at this moment.
"Bunny." He thought about the new rabbit that Bunny had found during his slight rescue, bringing back memories and he shook like a leaf, but shook his head of the pain. He settled to quietly playing and playing tic tac toe with the creatures.
"AWW NO FAIR!" Jamie chuckled, playing with them and Jack as well. Jack finally began to fall asleep, shaking as he didn't want to fall into another nightmare.
"No no s-sleep." Jack was holding the leopard cub snow creature, having crushed it in his tight embrace but it was fine since it was living snow. Jamie wished he could do something about Jack's dreams. Golden sand drifted through the air and over Jack, spinning a pleasant dream about snow and Jamie couldn't help but smile a little. Jack giggled now, playing in the dream snow; everything fine and perfect.
"YAY!" Jamie keeps watch over Jack's dreams all night, just as he imagines Sandy is doing as well. It's a few hours before Jack wakes from a more peaceful slumber for once. Jamie smiles when Jack begins to stir.
"Morning." Jack looked at Jamie with eyes of sadness, but he was happy at same time too.
"Good morning Jamie."
"What do you want for breakfast?" Jack look at Jamie, confused.
"I don't know Jamie, why don't you pick this time?"
"Hmmm, alright. I'll be back soon." He gently kissed Jack's nose before flying off from the cavern's entrance. Now Jack was just sitting quietly while Jamie was gone, too scared to do much of anything for the moment. Jamie comes back after a while with a couple of plates of pancakes with butter and syrup along with a side of some hash browns, pork slices and sausage. He hands one plate to Jack. Jack looked at the platter, amazed.
"Where did you find all this food Jamie?" His mind was slowly understanding things again since the scarring.
"From a friend." Jamie replied as he settled down next to Jack to eat. Jack slowly ate his sausage, eggs, and other items on his plate a little faster than Jamie ate his. Once the two of them are done, Jamie sets the plates and utensils aside to worry about later. He makes a little frost puppy for Jack to play with. Jack giggled and rolled with the puppy.
"You're so cute, yes you are." The little ice pup licked Jack's face, wagging its tail.
"Stop, stop it... so cute!" Jamie chuckled as the little puppy barked and licked Jack's face some more. Jack laughed, pure happy laughter and he tosses a snowball.
"Huh, you want the snowball? Huh, do you do you? Go get it." He tosses it next to the puppy, it landed with a plop.
"Oops." The puppy tried to pick it up anyway, managing only to pick up a small chunk and brought it over to Jack, tail wagging madly. Jack smiled.
"Good boy." Jack decided to give him a little treat, powdered snow treats.
"Here you go." The puppy drops the 'snowball' and happily gobbles the treats up like a real puppy. Jack giggled and lay down to make a snow angel; his ears started to ring suddenly, a age-old forgotten memory from his time alive...
"Ow." It's all Jack said, he whined when the flash of images left him.
"You okay?" Jamie asked, looking up from the snow collar he was making; he'd gotten an idea from watching Jack play with the puppy. Jack shake his head.
"Just a headache." He said, the snow puppy in his lap whined worriedly at him; Jack petted the puppy and thought only one thing... Who was that man? Jack had never seen this man before in all his 300 years as a spirit.
"What are you going to name him?" Jamie said as he walked over to the two, slipping the collar over the little puppy's head. Jack hadn't thought of a name, but something interesting came to mind; strange as it was he picked the name "Niko." Jack petted his head, he licked Jack's hand in appreciation of the name. Jamie nodded with a smile.
"Etch the name into the tag." Jamie said, pointing to the small disc on the end of the collar. Jack did just that.
"Niko." He hugged the little puppy and thought he was a perfect companion for when Jamie left for a bit.
"There, now he's all yours." The puppy wagged his tail, happily barking and licking Jack. Jack smiled and giggled.
"Yay!" Jack petted the puppy and played with him and taught him neat tricks; even as a snow puppy he grew to into a large canine, almost like a wolf, but a half breed husky. It's been six months since Jamie first made him and he was large.
"LOOK Jamie! I taught Niko a new trick!" Jack looked at him.
"Ready Niko? Ok go catch!" The dog ran into the woods and returned with a rabbit in his jaws. Jamie chuckles.
"That's handy." Jack nodded and petted Niko, he tossed his toys for him to catch; suddenly he felt queasy, stumbling a little it was that same memory only the man had a needle pointed at someone, he said they'd be all better...
"NOOOOO!" Jack screamed out, not believing a word.
"Jack?" Jamie moved towards him in concern. Jack shivered, holding his head in pain.
"You promised it make me feel better." It's all he whispered.
"Jack... hun... what are you talking about?" Jack shook his head, tears falling frozenly to the ground. Niko whimpered and licked his face.
"It's nothing forget about it." Jamie didn't say anything, though he wanted to, but he doesn't press it either; he didn't think trying to get it out of Jack would be a good idea.