Author's note: Thank you for all who reviewed! You have no idea how happy it made me to come home from work and see this. Anywho, I just need to say that I am excited to get out the upcoming chapters soon because I know what happens and you have yet to, and a story is all about the adventure and all that good stuff. So, onto the story! By the way, still don't own ROTG. Perhaps one day...

"I-I don't need them. They all lied to me. I knew it all along. Ev-everything was real after all. Months of waiting, and finally… finally I am free again. I am free again!" Jack yelled into the night, face toward the dim light of the moon. "And not you, or anyone else can stop me now." Jack lowered his voice to a whisper as he stared in fascination at the sheppard's hook in front of him. Jack felt a cold ice run through his veins as he stared at it, the memories of his adventures with the hook rushing through his mind, blurred and half-remembered memories, as if they had been fading. Jack held his head as a pounding headache began to form.

"Dammit. North almost had me, but not now. Not ever. I just need… just need to find a way to get my powers back. But… but how?" Jack hissed to himself as he began stumbling through the night again, no true direction set in his mind, just the one goal to keep moving, to not be found.

"Jack…" Jack stopped where he was and spun around, but found nothing. A drop of sweat slid down the side of his face as he listened to the dead silence of the forest. Jack stumbled on after another minute, not caring what it could have been.

"Wait Jack…" Jack stopped again, but this time did not turn around. The voice sounded like it emanated from all around him, a whisper carried by the wind. Jack pulled up his hoodie and held his staff closer as he made a step to move forward again, but paused when he saw a ghostly figure standing in the trees before him. Jack squinted into the night, trying to find out who or what it could be, and saw the soft glow of the moonlight being reflected from tears.

"Jack, please, don't go." The woman whispered. She did not move from her spot, merely watched Jack from the distance.

"Lady, please, tell me who you are. I want to help you, but I can't unless you-"

"You know who I am Jack." The woman whispered, then went to take a step forward, into a patch of moonlight, but was stopped when a much darker shadow appeared behind her.

"No…No! Look out!" Jack yelled then ran to the woman, but the shadow engulfed her before she could make it to the light.

"No! No, come back! Dammit! Pitch! Give her back, now!" Jack yelled into the night, then began frantically searching the nearby area, in case there were any clues left behind, anything that could help him figure out where they could have gone, or who she was, but Jack saw not even a footprint in the area besides his own.

"No…" Jack leaned against a tree after chest began to ache. "Please... don't leave me alone…" Jack whispered, his heart now feeling heavier than his body as he sank to the ground. He cried silently, his body shivering from the cold of the night and his breath coming in short gasps in between tears.

"North, I searched the whole bloody area already. I don't know how, but I lost him. I'm sorry North. We're going to need to get light in here. I can't make out one trail from the next. The damn leaves keep coverin' the trail." Aster shivered against the cold and watched North, worry for his friend obvious, but comfort would have to come after Jack was safe.

"North, what set him off? I remember you telling me how good the day was goin'. What happened?" North sighed and watched the leaves stir on the ground. He felt suddenly exhausted and hopeless. How could this have happened? He was supposed to be taking care of the boy, and he was doing so well. Why did he have to get that damned hook for Jack? Because he wanted it so bad, and North wanted nothing more than for Jack to be happy. Just, since the accident, he had never truly been the same anymore. Something inside of his mind had been lost, or had opened, and North didn't know-

"North!" Aster shook North's shoulder roughly and stared him in the eye. "Hey, North, are you in there?" North looked Aster in the eye and then averted his gaze. "I have been trying to get your attention for a minute now. What're you thinkin' about?" Aster gazed over North's face and let go of his shoulder. "That's a stupid question." Aster scolded himself then turned away.

"We'll find him, North, don't you worry. He can't have gotten that far. The pneumonia is still messing with his lungs and-"

"And that is why it is urgent we find him sooner rather than later. He is going to hurt himself, Aster. He believes himself to be the spirit of winter, Jokul Frosti. After the accident, he took on that identity. I- that book, Aster. That book he was reading! 'Norse Mythology and Culture'. He took up that identity when he could no longer find his own. Aster, this is dangerous. We must be careful."

"What do you think I've been doin'?"

North looked up at his oldest friend and gave him a half-hearted smile. "Thank you, Aster, but I believe we should get the local police involved. They will be able to organize a search party and find Jack faster than if we worked alone." Aster nodded as North said this, taking out his phone and dialing the local police station. North stared into the woods as Aster discussed details. He was hoping beyond hope that Jack would just walk out of the woods and apologize. He did not even have to apologize. North just wanted to see him safe and sound back at home. He was not in his right state of mind, and North was not going to blame any of this on him. Just… please come home Jack.