Part five of the Fun Times Are Over arc.


The scene was familiar to Jamie. Comforting. The Moon shone in the sky, bright and big, its light reflecting on the pristine snow and the frozen lake. At the center of that lake, a slender figure held a crooked staff encased in frost. Jack turned and smile at him, that same familiar smile he had missed do much in the past few days.

"Jamie! Come over here."

Jack's playful tone filled him with hope. This was the Jack he knew. He took a step on the ice. It cracked under his feet. Jamie's eyes widened and he looked up at Jack. A patch of dark sand bloomed on the Guardian's chest and spread from there. His smile faded, the playful glint left his eyes and all that was left was an accusatory stare.

Jamie swallowed. He did not want to watch this again. But he could not look away even as his friend turned to black ice under his eyes again and shattered into a thousand pieces. Thick clouds blocked out the Moon and, in the darkness, he could hear Pitch's voice.

"This is all your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you. "


Jamie woke up with a gasp. A nightmare. It had only been a nightmare. Again. Before he could catch his breath his eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to make out a figure bending over him. He let out a strangled cry and scrambled away. Ashley groaned when his elbow connected with her shoulder. The figure straightened and Jamie recognized the silhouette lit from behind by the moonlight shining through the window.

"J-Jack? W-what are you doing here?"

"I just came to check up on you. You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Jamie shivered. There was something about Jack's tone, a hint of some sinister enjoyment, that scared him more than the nightmares that plagued him since his friend's return.

"I-it's nothing."

"Jamie, who are you talking to?" Ashley mumbled in her pillow.

Jamie looked at Jack again. Other than a few silvery strands of hair lit by the Moon, all he could see of the winter spirit was a dark figure standing ominously by his bed.

"No one..."


"There's something wrong with Jack."

"You don't say."

Sophie looked as exhausted as he felt. She had not left the house since they went to see Jack at the lake three days ago, not even to get spare clothes from her apartment, so she was currently wearing one of Ashley's old pajama pants and Jamie's shirt. She hadn't brushed her hair in just as long. She glanced nervously at the window. The Guardian tended to visit when they were alone.

"Soph... do you think it's possible that the nightmare arrow made him... Pitch-like?"

She looked down at the bottom of her cup of coffee as if she would find some answer there. She didn't, so she took a long gulp instead.

"You think it... corrupted him or something?"

"I think, well, maybe. There's something very wrong with Jack. Something scary. I'm not just scared for him. I'm scared of him."

She nodded, bit her lip, looked back into her cup. "It feels different from last time... you know, when his staff got infected with fear? I was afraid of him, that time. But he was even more afraid. I don't think... I don't think he afraid of what he's doing to us this time. And that scares me even more."

Jamie had to admit she was right. This was nothing like last time. And he didn't like the only reason he could think of for that.

"Maybe he only came back because he surrendered to the darkness... not because we believed. He didn't, last time."

Sophie shivered. She drank more coffee.

"You think that the Guardians would have let him come back here if he was turning dark? Wouldn't they keep an eye on him?"

Jack's short trip to the Pole had bothered Jamie since the first day. If they had even an inkling that something was going on, even just knowing about his powers not working right, they wouldn't have let him leave so fast. They would have been concerned for him. They would have at least checked up on him often.

"I think... I don't think he ever went to see them at all. I don't think they know he's back. I don't think he wants them to know."

"We got to tell them!" She stood. Jamie grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere.

"Wait! Wait. Let me try to talk to him first. I don't want to go to the Guardians behind his back without at least trying to talk to him."

She hesitated, biting her lip again.

"Jamie... are you sure that's a good idea? He's not... he's not the Jack you knew."

"I got to try it, Soph. I have to... believe in him."


Jamie went to the lake in the middle of the day. Ever since Jack came back, he did not want to go there at night. He told himself it was merely the memory of what happened, the memory he had been replaying in his dream since, but truth was, the place creeped him out almost as much as the Guardian himself did. Meeting Jack at the lake at night was not something he wanted to do again.

"Uh, Jack? Can I talk to you a moment?"

Jack flew down from his tree and cocked his head to the side, a smile on his lips, his eyes dead and shadowed by the hood of his cloak he had pulled up. No frost mixed with the embroidery on his clothes or covered the staff. The snow had melted around the lake.

"What do you want?"

"You, uh... are you alright?"

"Sure. As good as I can expect to be. My powers are still taking a while to come back, but it'll happen."

Jamie looked down, shuffling in place. He almost regretted coming here. Almost. But this was his friend and he had to do this.

"You didn't really go see the Guardians, did you?"

Jack's smile disappeared.

"Of course I did. Why would I lie to you?"

Jamie flinched. If he was wrong, he was an awful friend to think that Jack had been lying. But he had gone this far, all he could do now was to be honest about his reasons and hope Jack would do the same.

"Because... you changed. And you scare me. They need to know. They–"

"No."

"W-what?"

Jack leaned his staff against a rock and gripped both of Jamie's sleeves, shaking him. The Guardian gave him a desperate look. Jamie was relived to see anything at all in those cold blue eyes.

"They can't know. They can't see me like this. Please." Jack surprised him by pressing his forehead against his shoulder. Ever since coming back, he had merely tolerated physical contact. "Please."

Jamie hesitantly wrapped his arms around the winter spirit. Who might not quite be a winter spirit anymore.

"You need help, Jack. They can help you. They love you."

The Guardian shook his head without lifting it.

"Please. Give me a chance. I'll get through this. Don't you believe in me anymore?"

"Of course..."

"Promise me you won't tell them."

Jamie squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Jack close. His friend did not protest. Maybe he would let him help. Jamie felt hope again. They could get through this. "I promise."


This is going to get long, since I keep cutting chapters and adding stuff. But this felt like a nice place to stop and I couldn't have posted before the week-end otherwise. If I don't add any more stuff, there should be three chapters left to the main arc plus one or two aftermath chapters. After that, I'm taking a break.