Part 2 of the Fun Times Are Over arc. I wasn't planning to take this long to write it, but things got a little chaotic and I was too stressed to write.
Pitch Black stared at the bed. It looked so innocuous, just sitting there in the middle of the wood; a normal bed. Nothing about it would let anyone believe that it hid the entrance to the Boogeyman's lair. Or that it had been put together by the Spirit of Winter. Or rather, the Winter Prince, as he was known these days. Pitch could still see him kneeling there, in the moonlight, trying to puzzle out the hieroglyphic instructions. He could still see his embroidered velvet cloak snapping in the wind as the arrow connected with his back. He could still see the Guardian's disappointed gaze when he turned to face him.
"This is perfect. It's a blessing. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. Jack Frost is dead. Dead! And little Jamie will pay. His light will burn out. I will be rid of both of them. It's perfect."
Pitch trailed his fingers along the bed frame. It might not have as much potential as his original plan, but that one had always been too risky. Jack might not have done what he was supposed to, no matter how hard Pitch pushed him. This was better. He got his revenge. Now, he could deal with the Guardians without the little winter spirit's interference. It was time for a new plan. He had just the thing needed. Maybe he still had some use of the Guardian of Fun, after all.
The night was chilly. A thin layer of frost had formed on the mattress. Pitch remembered the kid's proud face when he placed it on the Boogeyman's new bed. His fingers curled on the bars. He pulled, pushed, bending them until he twisted the frame into a properly sinister form. The mattress popped out, unable to fit into the new shape. Pitch threw it aside and smirked. This was much better. Pitch had no time to rest and stare up at the sky.
This was much better. He needed to keep reminding himself of that.
Once they got closer to Jamie's home, Sophie had to drag him along. He dug his heels in when they reached the corner of his street. She turned to face him, trying to make out his expression through the veil of her tears. He was hugging Jack's staff to his chest. It looked wrong without it's coating of frost.
"Soph, I can't. I can't just go back. Not after... what am I supposed to tell Ash?"
"I'll talk to her. Later. I'm taking you home with me. We just need to get to my car. We can worry about everything else later. Later."
He followed along, trailing a step behind her. A light still shone in the living room window of Jamie's house, but Sophie saw no movement. They got in the car without a word and remained silent through the short drive to her apartment. She could barely see the road through the tears clouding her vision. Jamie stared ahead, but she doubted he was seeing what was in front of him. She knew what her brother saw. Sophie shuddered and chased the thought away. She needed to get them home.
Jamie didn't move even after she parked the car. She went around to the passenger door and pulled him out. He stumbled after her, up the spiral staircase and into her apartment. She led him to the rarely used guest room. He staggered to the bed and buried his head into the pillow, the staff still held against his chest.. Sophie wanted nothing more than to do the same, but she still had some things to handle. She squeezed her brother's shoulder, hoping he would be alright but knowing he wouldn't, and she picked his cell phone from his pocket before leaving. She didn't want him to be disturbed. He needed time.
She sat at her desk, pulled a blank sheet out of the printer and picked up a pen. It had been a long time since she had written a letter to Santa. She promised herself that, next Christmas, she would write something nice to the Guardian of Wonder. But today, she had sad news. She could not even begin to think of how to announce this. How do you tell someone that the youngest member of their family was dead? By the time she was done, her desk was covered in crumpled papers full of scratched out lines and wet spots.
Sophie folded the paper into an envelope and scribbled the address at the back. She peeked into the guest room on her way to the door. Her bother was still sobbing into his pillow.
"Jamie... I'll be gone a moment, alright? I'll come back soon."
Jamie made no signs that he heard her. She bit her lip, hesitating to leave him. But the Guardians had to know. She closed the door softly.
Her walk to the mailbox went by in a blur and she was there without remembering walking there. She stared at the letter in her hands, replaying the scene at the lake in her mind. She saw again the brief widening of Jack eyes, carefully wiped away in favor of a blank look. If Jack had been afraid, he didn't want them to know.
It took her long to realize that the sappy love song she was hearing wasn't the badly chosen soundtrack of her memories, but Jamie's cell phone. She blinked away her tear, shoved the letter through the slot and answered the phone.
"Ashley?"
"S-Sophie? Where's Jamie? It's late and he isn't back yet and I saw that your car was gone–"
"He came back home with me."
"Without telling me anything? Sophie, what's going on? Why do you have his phone? I want to talk to him."
"He's not with me."
"You said–"
"I'm not home. Please calm down. Jamie needs some time, okay? He's... really upset right now."
"Is this about this Jack Overland again?" Ashley snapped. Sophie winced. "What did he do, reject Jamie's declaration of love?"
"He's dead."
There was silence on the other end. Sophie squeezed the phone in her trembling hands. She needed to get back home. She had sent her letter to North, she told Ashley what she needed to know, now she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
"I'm so sorry, Sophie. I... take care of Jamie, alright? And tell him... tell him I love him."
"I will."
When she returned home, she crawled into her brother's bed like she used to when she was very young and woke up from a nightmare. But this time, he was in no state to comfort her. She whispered Ashley's message into his ear and buried her face into his back. She still hoped she would wake up from this nightmare.
Jamie waited until he was sure Sophie was asleep to get up. He was too restless to sleep, too afraid of what he would see if he closed his eyes. He needed to take a walk, to try to clear his mind. The cool spring air would help.
But the chill in the air merely reminded him of his lost friend. The friend who died to save him. Jamie felt dizzy just thinking about that. He had killed Jack. The Guardian of Fun was dead. Because of him. Pitch's words wouldn't leave his mind. "This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."
It was a long walk to the lake from Sophie's apartment, but his aimless wandering brought him there anyway. He stood at the edge and stared at the spot where he last saw his friend. He fell on his knees in the wet snow. He turned the shepherd's crook in his hands, running his fingers over every groove in the wood usually covered in ice.
"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."
With Easter just past, Bunny had been hoping for some quiet time to relax. He was less than happy about being called to the North Pole. His annoyance faded when he entered the workshop to find the toys abandoned on their tables and the yetis sitting around, forlorn. He was directed to North's office when he asked where he was and he found the other Guardian sitting there, a cup of eggnog in front of him. When he saw Bunny, he poured another one.
"North? What's happening, mate? Why is everyone acting like somebody just died?"
A tear fell from the corner of North's eye and he took a long swallow from his cup. Bunny's stomach constrained in dread.
"Sit down, Bunny. We wait for others."
"What? I'm not gonna wait here while you cry into your cup."
"I'm not saying this twice."
"North, what's going on? You're scaring me, mate."
North pushed a crumpled piece of paper his way. Bunny smoothed it out and squinted at it. The handwriting was shaky and many parts were completely illegible where wet spots made the ink run. Some of the tear marks were new, but others were dry. Either North had been crying over this letter for a long time or whoever wrote it had been crying as well.
"This is gibberish. What am I supposed to do with this? It looks like it's saying... like it's saying... North?"
The Guardian poured himself another cup and pushed the one he had filled earlier toward Bunny. The Pooka stared at Sophie's tear-stained signature at the bottom of the letter. He gulped. His throat felt dry. He grabbed the cup.
They took North's sleigh to the lake. Bunny didn't even protest. The trip was gloomy, with no sound but Tooth's muffled sobs as she cried into his shoulder. He patted her back, but he had no words of comfort to offer her.
A kneeling figure turned its head at their arrival. The man rose, a familiar staff in hand and hope filled Bunny's chest. This was just a mistake. A misunderstanding. Jack was alive. He was right there, standing by his lake. His moment of hope did not last. This wasn't Jack's figure. Too tall, not as skinny. He recognize Jamie fast enough. He never believed he would ever be so disappointed to see the one who had saved them all. He jumped out of the sleigh and ran to the man.
"Where's Sophie?"
"Home. Sleeping."
"What happened? How—Sophie said that Pitch..."
"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I did this. He would have been fine without me."
"What are you talking about, mate? If Pitch did anything to Jack, that's not your fault."
Jamie told his story in a halting tone as the others gathered around him. He kept his eyes trained on the ground, unable to meet their gazes. He held the staff against his chest like it gave him some comfort. Bunny was surprised the thing hadn't broken when Jack died. When Jack died. Even thinking this made him shiver.
"We'll make Pitch pay," Tooth said. Tears still streamed down her face, but her back was straight, her chin raised. Her words had a boosting effect on the rest of them. They may be too late to save Jack, but they could avenge him. Sandy nodded grimly, North wiped his tears and wrapped his hands around the pommels of his swords. Bunny placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder.
"This isn't your fault, Jamie. It's Pitch's."
Jamie didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway. He looked down at the staff he still held against his chest and awkwardly held it out to Bunny. The Pooka could tell how hard it was for him to give up that small comfort.
"Keep it."
"A-are you sure?"
"Jack would want you to keep it." The kid had died for his friend, after all. If the staff helped him, the Guardian of Fun would want him to have it. Even if Bunny would like to hold that flimsy piece of wood himself.
"Jack said... he asked me to keep believing."
Relief flooded through Bunny as he considered those words. Of course. Trust Snowflakes to think more clearly than the rest of them even as he was dying.
"Yes," North shouted, "keep believing!"
"Right. Keep believing. You remember what happened with Sandy, right? Pitch killed him, too. And he came back." Sandy nodded, smiling encouragingly at Jamie. "So keep believing. It's not all over. There's still hope for Jack."
"T-there is?"
"There's always hope, mate. Always. Now, you're looking awful. I'm taking you back home. You guys come up with a battle plan; I won't be gone long."
He pulled the still stunned man in the direction of his house. Even if he couldn't wait to get a hold of Pitch, he owed it to Jamie. He had saved them, once. He kept him from disappearing entirely. He would take care of him. Sandy tugged at his arm before he could take more than a step. The little man held up a glass vial filled with luminous golden sand. Bunny took it and placed it into Jamie's hand.
"What...?"
"Just open it before you sleep. You can use some sweet dreams."
Jamie nodded choppily. He really did look awful, with circles under his eyes, pasty white skin and an unfocused gaze. Bunny tugged on his arm and he didn't resist as the Pooka brought him back to his house. The lights were still on and Bunny's sharp ears could pick up a panicked voice inside. Jamie made no move to enter. He just stood in front of the door, shaking and hugging Jack's staff. Bunny rang the doorbell.
Hurried steps came closer. A disheveled woman with a coat thrown over her pajama opened the door, a phone held between her cheek and her shoulder. She interrupted her conversation when she saw her husband standing there.
"Jamie! Thank God you're here." She pulled him inside, pulling her attention back to the person on the phone. Bunny could hear her even after the door closed in his face. "Yes, he's here. No, you stay where you are. I'll come to get you when I've taken care of your brother. Don't go anywhere. Either of you."
When he was satisfied that Jamie would be seen to, Bunny turned away from the house. It was time to avenge the Winter Prince's death.
Sorry, no Jack this chapter. He's kind of dead, you know? I'll try to have the next chapter up in a few days, but I make no promises.
