Jack was gurgling in pain, foaming at the mouth; the dream pain was too real.

"J-jamie." He gurgled.

"Jack. Hun, focus. None of this is real. I know it feels that way but it's just a dream. You can override it. You're not helpless." Jack panted, eyes dilated and trying to focus; it was hard, the pain too real to not be real.

"I-I's real, I c-can feel it... the pain." He yelled out as the liquid reminded him of the time he'd died and came back from the dead.

"No it's not. Once you realize it's not you'll feel better. Focus Jack. If this was real then why am I here? You KNOW I wasn't born yet. Yet here I am. " Jack shuttered, twitching; his eyes closed to darkness.

"J-Jamie I... you can't be here. It's impossible... I..." His tiny hands reached for Jamie's hand.

"Please, I don't want to be here anymore." Jamie took the offered hands. Gently pulling Jack from his place in this nightmare. Separating the conscious part from the dream part. Jack quivered, shaking hard; he was still a toddler in Jamie's arms. He held tightly onto him, his eyes seemed almost bigger and shinier, hair tossed about and long, but brown instead of white. Like it was before he'd died; Jack cried.

"Make it stop." He begged.

"Make it stop." Jack closed his eyes tight for a moment, clinging to Jamie. Jamie gently held Jack close.

"Jack... I'm only here because of Sandy's help... it's you who have control here." He gently wiped away the tears from the eyes he met, he was used to the icy blue, but it was like looking in a mirror almost... The same eyes he'd seen in the mirror so many times when he'd been alive were now looking at him, trusting him.

"I can only do what you let me do here." He murmured gently.

"B-but I don't know how, Jamie, I'm too scared." He cried, his my eyes grew bigger... more full of tears, sadder even and he clung tighter.

"I can't escape, I can't escape anything!"

"Yes you can." Jamie says gently, wiping away more of the tears.

"All you have to do is imagine. I know you have an amazing imagination... you lived in a world where you had to make everything up for your own amusement. You didn't have pre-made games and I have never seen a snowflake that looks exactly like another that you've ever made. You brought to life that bunny to make me believe. Who else would have ever thought to do that? You can do this Jack. I believe in you." Jack shivered, crying.

"I can't!" He cried, the room darkening to the lab again.

"NO! NO! NOT HERE NOT AGAIN!" He clung to Jamie and felt pain explode from his side, his father had repeatedly punched Jack when he hadn't cooperated.

"Daddy... I'm sorry please stop!" It's all he muttered as things turned worse than Jamie originally imagined and he realized nothing was working. That soon he might have to talk to Tooth about extracting the memories of all of what his father had done to him. Jamie didn't want to go that route if he didn't have to. Sensing the pain, he experimented, trying to send ice along it to see if Jack at least allowed his ice powers to work, let alone have the normal numbing effects that they would have on any human in the waking world.

"Jack, think of a different time... what about times you'd played with your sister? You've told me stories about her... I remember them, can you?" Jamie says softly, trying to refocus Jack's mind; knowing that - in life - Jack had loved no one more than his little sister... just like Jamie had Sophie. Jack struggled to remember, the beatings kept coming; he screamed in pain when the man snapped his arm like firewood; Jack squirmed.

"R-remember... remember..." The room started to shift, gone was the evil man that was his father; now was the time he'd taught my sister how to skate. Jack shuddered.

"E-emma." It's all Jack whispered, focusing on the girl younger than himself that loved snow, to draw, to hear stories from him. Jack burst into tears.

"Emma I miss you." Jamie gently wiped away the tears.

"I know... but like I said Jack... you did it. You have control here." Jack sniffled.

"Emma." He reached out to his sister, tears falling fast and sadder than before. Jamie didn't move away from Jack, but he didn't stop him either. This was Jack's dream after all. He watched the memory, old and forgotten; he sniffed and the room started to melt away. Jack was waking up. Jamie was next to him when Jack woke up; Jack looked at Jamie and, with all the strength he could muster, he sat up and hugged him as tightly as possible.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" He said over and over again. Jamie hugged Jack back.

"Any time Jack." Jack was shaking and crying joyfully now, tears of joy, but his body was so tired and took its cue to fail on him. Jamie smiled a little, holding Jack close. He gently nuzzled against the sleeping form. Jack awoke a few hours later, no nightmares; he smiled and stretched, hugging Jamie close but he now felt starvingly hungry. Jamie smiled when he saw Jack stretching, he's etching a snowflake pattern on the wall when Jack woke up.

"JAAAMIE!" Jack hugged him and sniffed him.

"You smell like flowers and I'm hungry." Jamie gave him a sort of strange look, he smelled like flowers?

"What are you hungry for?" Jack thought, thinking for a really long time.

"Uh... um... MAC AND CHEESE!" He finally yelled, enthusiastically hungry.

"Alright then. I'll be back with some." Jamie smiled and set off to retrieve the food. Jack thought for the longest moment of what happened back there but stopped his thoughts immediately.

"He's gone now; I'm here, he's dead." Jamie came back after several minutes with a couple of pots, about medium size; one had mac and cheese while the other had mashed potatoes. Jack took a big helping of mac and cheese and ate it faster than one could say 'north pole.' He was a mess afterwards, cheese all over his face, in his hair and staining his hoodie and clothes. Jamie ate the mashed potatoes while Jack enjoyed the mac and cheese, perhaps a little too much.

"I think you're gonna need a bath now, you're almost wearing as much as you just ate." Jack pouted adorably and shook his head.

"NO BATH." He hid under the bed afterwards.

"No bath." Jamie sighed and pulled Jack from under the bed and out into the snow to clean him off. Melting the snow to use as water. Jack growled.

"NO BATH." He flailed in Jamie's arms, even tried crawling up his neck and down his back to escape. Jack squealed as Jamie had him in his grip.

"LET GO! LET GO!" Jamie chuckled a little.

"Not until you're clean again." Jack squealed.

"NOOOO!" He tried to climb away. Jamie still managed to get Jack clean through masterful manipulation of the snow. Jack giggled and played with the snowflakes, unaware it was cleaning him.

"Pretty." He said, it was strange; he felt like he was still a toddler inside but on outside he definitely wasn't. Jamie smiled a little, letting Jack go.

"There now, clean." Jack squealed and plopped himself into a snow drift. He giggled and moved under the snow like a tunnel creature; he popped his head out a few yards away, faster than Jamie could blink he took out a carrot from a snow man and took a bite.

"Ehh, what's up doc?"

"Funny." Jamie grinned. Jack giggled and tossed the carrot away and went tunneling all over again, this time he bumped into Jamie's leg.

"Owie." Jamie leaned down, brushed away the snow and gently kissed Jack's forehead. Jack giggled and slunk under the tunnel, and before Jamie knew it a snowball smashed into his face; two to be exact.

"RIGHT ON TARGET!" He squealed as he tunneled away to safety.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" Jamie lunged into the tunnel after him. Jack snickered and took a different direction, blocking his end so it's a dead end for Jamie.

"HEHE!" He had dug his little tunnel into a pole without knowing.

"Owie." He dug around it afterwards. Jamie ended up backing up and digging his own tunnel, listening through the snow for Jack as he circled around and finally tunneled back into Jack's tunnel and scrambled through.

"I'm gonna geeet yooooou." He called to Jack as he crawled through the tunnel, giggling. Jack let out an eep.

"NOOO!" He tunneled away.

"EEE!" He squealed more and more, trying to get away, he dug himself in a circle. Jamie heard it and went the opposite way through the tunnel and Jack nearly slammed into him as he appeared around the "corner."

"Got ya!" Jack squeaked.

"NOOOO!" He dug under; surprisingly the snow was really deep, though they would need to surface for proper air soon. Jamie dove after him with a giggle and managed to catch up to him, grabbing him and popping them both out of the snow.

"Gottcha!" Jack giggled and tried to scramble away.

"NUUU!"

"Nope. All mine now." Jamie grinned, his hold tightened as he peppered Jack with light kisses. Jack squealed and squirmed.

"AHH NOOO!" He squealed with delighted laughter. Jamie just laughed between kisses; after a moment Jack nuzzled into Jamie as he felt tired, but he held his mouth as he began hiccuping.

"Oh no, you maked me hiccup." Jamie just nuzzled against Jack and carried him back into the cavern. Jack sniffed, yawning; he hiccuped again, and again, and again.

"How do I stop -hic- this from -hic- happening?" Jamie offered Jack a glass of water, the 'glass' made of ice and the water from the snow and air around them.

"Try this." Jack drank it only to cough and choke from hiccuping during the drink.

"AUGH F-hic-" He whined and drank slower, the hiccuping grew worse.

"Now what?"

"Hmmmm... try breathing slowly." Jack tried only to hiccup.

"IT'S NOT -HIC- WORKING! -HIC-" Jack groaned.

"Well, try holding your breath... see if that works." Jack held his breath until he was purple.

"Hey, I think it worked." Then he hiccuped.

"AUGH!"

"Hmmmm... well, I don't know what to tell ya hun. I only know of a few ways to actually cure it." Jack whimpered.

"OH GREAT! I'm gonna -hic- hiccup forever."

"Now Jack, don't exaggerate. No one can hiccup forever." Jack sniffed.

"BUT IT WON'T STOP! -HIC-" He cried, Baby Tooth suddenly flits by, she sent a whisper into Jamie's ear that scaring him might get rid of his hiccups. Jamie looked over at the fairy, he'd thought of that too but that was easier said than done. Plus he wasn't sure he really wanted to do that... not to mention he wasn't exactly good at it. Jack hiccuped and cried, hiccups to him were miserable. Jamie sighed after a minute he gave it his best shot in terms of trying to startle Jack to stop the hiccups, but he wasn't too confident that it would work. Jack cried out and jumped when Jamie startled him; he stopped hiccuping for a moment.

"Jamie, why'd you do that?!" He cried and hugged himself. Jamie shook his head.

"Well, it was the only other method I really know of in terms of curing the hiccups... but it didn't seem to work either. I don't know what to do." Jack whimpered.

"I'm gonna hiccup forever!" He cried and ran away, hiccuping all the while. Jamie sighed again and followed. Jack cried, hiccuping, and ran faster than Jamie had ever seen him run. Jamie took to the air to keep Jack in sight. Jack tripped over a log and that startled the hiccups right out of him.

"OWWIE!" He had managed to split open his leg on a rock sharper than a shark's tooth; he cried louder, like a toddler would when they tripped and fell. Jamie landed next to Jack, icing the new wound and gently gathered him close, murmuring softly.

"It's alright Jack. You'll be okay." Jack sniffed, wailing and crying; it was like having a child again basically. Jack cried in Jamie's arms, he still loved Jamie all the same; he hugged Jamie close.

"It h-hurts!" He cried.

"Shhh... I know. I know it does love. It won't for long though." He said softly, gently carrying him back to the cavern.

Jack whimpered and buried his head into the crook of Jamie's neck, wetting it with his pained tears. Jamie did everything he could to settle Jack and soothe the pain of the wound. Jack clung to Jamie when he cleaned the wound, it appeared he would need stitches from his calf to the knee cap.

"OWIE." Jamie used microscopic ice to 'stitch' the wound closed until it healed. Jack sniffled.

"C-Can you tell me a bedtime story?" He asked, yawning as the pain hurt so much he wanted to sleep because of it.

"What kind of story would you like me to tell you?" Jack sniffled.

"One about animals." He said, eyes big and blue, dripping with sadness and pain.

"Alright." Jamie thought a moment before remembering the tale of Peter Cottontail and he began telling the story. Jack giggled and clapped like a small toddler, listening to him tell the story of Peter Cottontail. Jamie smiled a little as he told of the antics of the little rabbit. Jack gasped.

"NO! DON'T TAKE THE CARROTS!" He said, surprised and awed at the little bunny's bravery. Jamie continued about what all the rabbit ate from the garden and how he lost his clothes running from the farmer. Jack gasped and giggled.

"HE NAKED!" He squealed, laughing. Jamie chuckled a little and continued with the story about how the brave but foolish rabbit became sick and didn't get any of the tasty food his good siblings had that night. Jack gasped.

"Aww, but he was a bad rabbit to begin with." He said with knowing eyes.

"I'll never do that before dinner." Jamie smiled a little.

"Not exactly the lesson of the story but close enough. Anyway, the next day Peter felt better but..." Jamie continued the story about how he got back the clothes from the farmer who had put them on a scarecrow. Jack smiled.

"That's good for Peter Rabbit." He giggled, yawning and slowly started to fall asleep. Jamie chuckled.

"Cottontail, not rabbit." He settled next to Jack but doesn't sleep. As much as he loved Jack he can't help but wonder if things will ever be back to normal. Jack yawned, eventually he couldn't stay awake anymore.

"G-Goodnight Jamie."

"Goodnight Jack." Jack sniffed in his sleep, nuzzling into Jamie most adorably; dreaming of his sister and of Jamie as well as Peter Cottontail. Jamie eventually fell asleep next to Jack, dreaming of past times and fun in the snow. It's morning and Jack was still in Jamie's arms... only one problem, waking up in enclosed arms apparently freaked him out.

"LET ME GOOOOO!" He screeched then kicked Jamie so hard in the genitals that after he realized what was going on he hoped that Jamie could still make children. Jamie instantly curled up.

"Ow..." He wasn't awake before, but he was now... Jack panted.

"Oh God Jamie, I'm so sorry." He looked at him with concern. Jamie squeaked after a long moment.

"Really... gotta... stop... doing that." Jack sighed and did what he could to dull the pain; he kissed Jamie to distract him from it.

Jamie slowly relaxed with the kiss, the pain ebbing to a dull throb... it still hurt and would for a while, but the kiss was a good distraction. Jack smiled.

"Just relax hun." He hugged Jamie gently.

"I'll take care of you for the day."

"That's a switch." Jamie murmured. Jack smiled and cuddle Jamie gently before getting him all comfy.

"You hungry for anything?" Jamie smiled a little, thinking a moment.

"Not yet. In a while maybe." Jack smiled.

"Alright then, I'll just cuddle you then." Jamie smiled, he liked that idea and happily snuggled close. When was the last time they just did this? He couldn't remember honestly. Jack giggled and the next thing Jamie knew Jack's under his hoodie all snuggled up.

"So warm."

"How am I warm?" Jamie asked after a moment, simply enjoying being close; he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of just having Jack close like this, his mind strayed a little... Jack smiled.

"Because, well, to me you're warm." Jack said giggling and he lay his head on Jamie's bare chest; his hair tickling his neck.

"Hmmmmm." It's all he manages. The feel of it was reminding him of times past that were just a little more intimate. He shook the thoughts away for now. Jack smiled and kissed Jamie's neck gently.

"You're so cute when you're thinking." He said with eyes of lust and love. Jamie shivered, he couldn't help it. He flushed a little at the comment.

"Well... c-considering I do it a lot I guess that must be all the time then." Jamie said after a moment. Jack smiled.

000000000

"God that was amazing."

"Yeah... that's one good word to describe it." Jamie murmured, panting a little still. He didn't even notice the wound, his mind was so still befuddled with the pleasure. Jack snickered, laughing he threw a pillow at Jamie's face before settling down and sleep claimed him. Jamie just smiled a little, nuzzling close to Jack; murmuring a drowsy 'love you' before drifting off himself. Jack awoke a few hours later hungry as the dickens. Jamie gently nibbled on Jack's lips before saying.

"I'm hungry." Jack groaned a little.

"Ok, ok." He sat up and shook his head; he might be a wonderful cook sometimes, but with less resources he thought about grilling fish today. Jamie gently kissed Jack before he could leave the bed. Jack giggled.

"Morning to you too handsome." Jamie flushed a little, but smiled. He immediately went fishing, easily enough he caught a monster of a fish. When Jack came back, Jamie was dressed again but lounging against one wall playing with a single snowflake. Jack sighed.

"Grilled fish tonight." He said and set a nice fillet spread down for him. Jamie smiled.

"Your cooking never disappoints. Thanks." He ate his fish happily enough. Jack smiled, cutting into his slice happily eating his.

"Yum." Jamie enjoyed the fish; he really did enjoy Jack's cooking, he never could cook fish quite like Jack could... though he figured Jack had a few hundred years experience on him in cooking and that was probably why... plus he was almost sure that Jack added something that Jamie just couldn't pin down that just made the fish he cooked that much more succulent. Once done, Jack lay back, shaking his head; he felt more himself and less toddler-ish lately, more his adult self again. Jamie gave Jack a peck on the cheek before summoning a snowflake to play with. Jack smiled and watched the little snowflake dance about in Jamie's hands; his eyes glazed over at memories, old ones. Jamie directed it in its dance before making more, all of them various sizes and patterns, he juggled them in one hand gently. Jack shook his head, watching in awe.

"You've gotten so good Jamie." It brought tears to his eyes. He smiled a little and sent the tiny flurry over to Jack to gently snow on him.

"Had a good teacher." Jack giggled, so excited and happy; he sent a flurry back Jamie's way before making dancing snow figures. Jamie grinned, sending some dancing snow figures to join Jack's. Jack's turned into beautiful fairies and woodland critters while Jamie's figures became children, boys and girls. Jack smiled and that thought again... what if they had their own children; they already had Niko but it's not the same as having an actual child. It would be nice to have a little baby, like Jamie and him... maybe if Jack were female he could, but alas he was not. Jamie watched the figures, his mind wandering a little... aside from adopting... was there a way...? He knew who he'd need to talk to, but he'd do that later; for now he wanted to simply relax with Jack. Jack sighed and smiled, hugging Jamie; afterwards he cleaned the dishes in a his lake, since he could by making a small hole. Jamie smiled, hugging Jack in return. Content just to be able to be near him; the more he thought, the more he felt lucky to be able to be here. To be able to be at Jack's side. Jack smiled and thought for a long time, only thinking of what it would be like having kids of their own. Jamie imagined various ways the conversation with a certain spirit would go even as he snuggled close to Jack. Jack smiled and thought of names he could name a baby boy or girl.

"If you had a baby girl... what would you name her?" Jamie asks after a moment, thinking on it himself. Jack thought for a long long moment.

"Mickaylah."

"Bit of a mouthful there." Jamie said with a chuckle. Jack smiled.

"Yes, but I love it."

"What about a boy?" Jack smiled and thought for about five minutes then it came to him, the name for a boy.

"Danny."

"Hmm, alright. Why Danny?" Jack smiled and whispered into Jamie's ear of the many meanings of Danny in the language back during his time, such as peace maker and brave; Jamie smiled a little.

"Those are good reasons." Jack smiled.

"But alas we lack a virgina and women parts." Jamie chuckles, instead of continuing, he asks another question.

"Do you remember when your birthday was?" Jack smiled.

"Not really, that's one thing I can't remember really." Jack grunted.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Did they celebrate back then?" Jack chuckled.

"Not really, but I made sure my mom, dad's and sister's birthdays were; not so much mine." Jack said whilst petting Jamie's hair off in thought.

"That doesn't seem very fair to me... but does sound like you." Jamie said after a moment. Jack sighed.

"I cared more about my family having the best birthday ever, I didn't really care if I turned older since then."

"That much I've noticed, but I care." Jack pet his hair once more off in thought again.

"But why do you ask of my birth...?" Jack asked, slightly trailing off.

"Curiosity. I mean, I celebrated mine but until now it never occurred to me to ask about yours." Jack smiled.

"Well I'm ok, I don't need to celebrate my birthday; I mean I won't grow older."

"Just because you don't, doesn't mean you shouldn't at least once in a while; birthdays are special after all." Jack sighed.

"I really don't care about my birthday."

"I've noticed. Why is that? If you don't mind me asking." Jack sighed.

"It only reminds me too much of my past."

"Fair enough, I guess, but why not back then?" Jack smiled.

" 'Cause it always landed on a unlucky number; my parents were highly superstitious, they said I was a devil's child... well my d-dad did at least." Jack said slightly, not wanting to talk about him, since the experiments.

"He was wrong about that. No such thing as an unlucky number... though it makes sense that they were for that time, superstitious anyway. You still could have celebrated, even if it was never on the day you were actually born." Jack sighed, starting to grow irritated.

"Let's not talk about my birthday anymore ok, 'cause I won't celebrate it. I'm sorry, but that's just how I am."

"Alright... were there other things that you did?" Jack smiled.

"I loved to climb trees, search for eggs on Easter; except not candy ones, real eggs. Mama always said to throw them out right after the egg hunt was done or they would spoil; I didn't listen and... well, it wasn't a good smell once you step on it." Jamie chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll say... I stepped on one when I was younger. I don't think I've ever had to take as many baths in my life as I did just to get the smell out!" Jack smiled.