Hey guys, thank you for being so patient with me as I had to really put all distractions aside and start studying my arse off. With no further ado, here's the new chapter. Listen to:

Heaven - Depeche Mode (OMG, perf! You have to listen to this for this chapter!)

He glanced with a look full of compassion as he nodded. "Hello, (F/N)."

You mutely got up from your awkward perch on the floor and slowly approached him.

He tentatively reached out for you and you grabbed his hand, his kind smile never leaving. His hand was warm and calloused with the same silver band that Jack had around his index finger. Just the way you remembered.

"How?" you asked simply as he chuckled.

"It's a long story," he said as he gestured at the cave. Your gaze swept around the dark place, and you were surprised. The only indication of this battle was Pitch who was passed out on the ground.

"Where did all the Nightmares go?" you asked, in a confused tone as Bunny hopped up next to you, his expression curious too.

"Destroyed," your father said simply. "Nightmares are no match for Manny's potent moon rays but don't worry, it's already over."

Your gaze hardened. "This isn't over yet."

Your dad looked at you in a quizzical way. You turned around to kneel beside Jack, placing his head back again on your lap as you did before. You brushed his dirty hair off his face as he stirred a little.

"How bad is it?" Bunny asked as he sat beside you, his expression worried.

You glanced down at Jack's face, shiny from the light sheen of sweat. "I don't know, Bunny."

Your father kneeled beside you and you were shocked to see that he ran a glowing hand over Jack's injuries, trying to assess him. Your father's face paled a little. "Pitch-

He threw a dirty look at the still unconscious nightmare. "He put Fearlings into his bloodstream."

Even though you knew that was Pitch had told you, you couldn't help but have hoped that the boogeyman was lying.

Now it was true.

Jack was slowly dying on the inside.

"What can we do?" you asked softly as your father gave a calculating stare. "I can try to reverse the darkness in him by making his moon centre stronger to fight it back, but…" he trailed off. "It's a lot of hard work and I'm not so sure that we have time," he said in a softer tone.

You could have sworn that your heart had skipped a beat as you glanced painfully down at the injured winter spirit. Jack's face looked calm as if he were sleeping but occasionally, his eyelids would twitch as if he was having a really bad nightmare.

He probably was, you thought helplessly.

"Wait, mate, wha' did ya mean by a 'moon centre'?" Bunny asked, his tone laced with desperate confusion.

"Every guardian was made by Manny himself, thus having a little bit of the moon's power in them. A moon centre is what the Man in Moon made you based on the feelings that the moon evokes," your dad explained as Bunny's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You mean to say that-" Bunny seemed to be composing himself. "That our centre was actually whatever people felt about the moon?"

Your father nodded. "But then, why would it be a tedious task to heal him?" you asked, looking panicked.

"Moon centres are very fragile things so if I were to heal him, I could even accidently…"

"… Kill him," you whispered as your father gave you a sympathetic gaze.

Bunny's ears went flat against his skull. "Mate, you 'ave to do something, this is Jack we're talking 'bout, there must be something," the Guardian of Hope said as he looked back and forth at Jack and then at your father's pensive stare.

"Can any of the moon children heal him?" you asked quietly.

"Of course, we can, no – (F/N), don't you even think of it-

But it was too late as you swiftly gathered up all your moon powers, forming it into a whirling, illuminating shape.

And placed your palms on Jack's heart.

The place where your palms connected with his skin was pulsing with life giving force. Jack's body jerked as if you had just electrocuted him. You close your eyes, drowning out all the sounds of your father's protest as you concentrated on Jack's face.

You thought of him in the café, how carefree he had looked when he smiled at you and invited to take you flying with him. The memory morphed to one surrounded by stars and cold arms; you thought of Jack's mischievous gaze. You remembered his arms around you, the feeling it evoked. You thought of the gleam in his blue eyes, how they would always sparkle when he smiled or how they practically glowed when you kissed him.

All that and more poured out of you as you concentrated on Jack; what made him who he was and who he has always been.

You thought of the way how he always seemed lonely in some way and that it would change when he was around you. Suddenly, your heart gave a sad tug and you realized that you were wrong.

You did know him.

In the short expanse of time that you had met him, you had known what made Jack happy, how he responded, even the way how he would always give you a sad smile when you talked about your father.

And all of the sudden, you realized you couldn't lose someone you knew so well.

Not now, not ever.

Every single memory, every bits and pieces of your time with Jack you poured it into the power flowing through you and then, as quick as lightning, other images assaulted your mind.

It was you. Everything was about you.

It was as if you were looking at a film roll unfurling, only you just knew what emotions the director was trying to portray to his audience.

You saw yourself in Jack's arms and the memory was tinged with exploding happiness. You saw yourself kneeling on the cold cave floor, just barely minutes ago, face ashen and stricken. You saw yourself in the light on the street where you had declared that you loved Jack. Even when the feeling evoke should've been sadness, it wasn't. It was happiness laced with apprehension and then you realized something.

This was Jack's memories and feelings about you.

You gave a little gasp as you fingers twitched.

And then, you felt it.

Warmth and tenderness, when Jack smiled at you before you closed the door, on the night of your first flight.

You felt it and you knew deep within you.

Jack loved you too.

With a mind numbing change, the scenery morphed as dark spots marred the picture perfect scene.

You felt a strange pressure deep in your chest and with a great heave, the world turned upside down and then, eventually faded away into nothingness.