A/N: Ahhhh I'm sooo sorry for the delay! Was on a business trip overseas, then after that had to catch up on so much stuff, both personal/work related thanks to my hotel having absolutely no internet connection. Blech...that kind of situation really makes you realize how dependent we are on internet. -_- Thanks so much for your patience!

Chapter notes: I'm assuming Sophie is 4-5 years younger than Jamie.

Age II: Too Old

Jamie wished, not for the first time, that his sister could have stayed exactly the way she'd been eight years ago. Or five years, even. It was as if highschool had suddenly flipped a switch in her, resulting in this stranger who seemed determined to drive their mom crazy.

"Hey, Jamie. You alright?"

Jamie turned to greet the winter spirit currently lounging on his window sill. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got off the phone with my mom...seems like my sister's been driving her nuts again." He sighed wearily.

"Really? Sophie?" A look of puzzlement came over Jack's face. It was obvious he couldn't match the image of a troublemaker to the sweet little girl he'd encountered so long ago.

Jamie laughed, glad to feel his stress already beginning to fade away. "Oh don't worry, it's nothing dramatic. She's probably just going through a phase, that's all. I bet I did the same thing in high school too. Still, sometimes I wish she was still 5 years old."

Jamie watched curiously as an odd look flitted across Jack's face. "People...change." He murmured softly, clutching at his staff.

"Jack?"

The young Guardian shook his head, snow white locks falling across his eyes. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"About what?"

The silence that followed was so long that Jamie wondered if the other was even going to answer. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak however, soft words nearly made him freeze in place. "My sister."

Jamie didn't respond right away, mind racing. It was rare indeed for Jack to ever bring up his human past, and he didn't want to say anything to scare him away from the topic again. "You had a sister?" He winced as the words inadvertently left his mouth. That was the best he could come up with?

Thankfully, it seemed to be the right words, as Jack gave a small smile. "Yeah, I did. She was 5 when I saw her last - same as Sophie when I first met her." He paused again, as if deciding on something.

Sensing what it might be, Jamie asked softly, "What was she like?"

It was as if an invisible wall came down. Jack's bright blue eyes simply lit up as he excitedly began to talk about his sister. Jamie couldn't help but smile at the love Jack clearly still felt for that long gone little girl, as he told story after story of what they used to do together. At the same time, it made him wonder something he'd managed to push to the back of his mind for some time now.

How would things change between them when he grew older? Would it be strange for Jack to see him as a grown adult? The winter spirit was the Guardian of Fun - how much fun would he have hanging out with an old man? He couldn't be immortalized at one age as Jack's sister had been, after all. Perhaps the only disadvantage to being more than a memory.

Well no matter what, he would still love Jack for the rest of his life. He knew he was still young - many would say he just hadn't experienced enough of life yet, that this could very possibly be nothing more than puppy love. But it was something he just knew from the bottom of his heart, just as he knew when he'd stepped in front of the Guardians that he could protect them from Pitch Black.

Still, he feared being nothing more than a blip in Jack's long, immortal life.

"...and then oh my god, it was so cute, she actually licked my mom's face because she thought everyone was supposed to show affection that way, not just dogs..."

Then again, it had been over 3 centuries, and it was clear Jack still loved his sister, just as much as he did when she was alive. He could only hope for the same place in Jack's heart - to be loved and remembered long after he was gone.