Chapter nineteen- Sharing is Caring

Bunny's heart dropped onto the floor to join his knotted up insides. His ears flattened without him really having to think about it and he could feel his nose going a mile a minute. She was hearing Boogey too?! This was escalating quickly.

"Just breathe, mate. Don't listen to it, just talk to me, okay?" He tried as calmly as he could. The others were quickly piling up behind him, confused and more than scared.

"What happened?" Jamie asked frantically, seeing his mother's distress.

"Mate your momma is helpin' Pi-…I mean James, and in the process Boogey found a way to get his voice bouncin' around in 'er head." Bunny offered quietly, not taking his eyes off of Jessica. "We just need to be calm, and work as fast as we can." He said soothingly. Pitch was looking better by the second, and they could see Jamie's mom getting a little paler as he improved.

"Well it looks like more distractions are better, why don't we work in here?" Jack suggested. There was a collective nod and North all but sprinted out the door. The sounds of him calling to Phil could be heard as he ran.

"James?" Tooth asked, having remembered him through all the searching. "Try to think about your center. You were so good at it, try to connect with it." She provided sweetly, resting on her knees in front of where he sat on the couch. He opened his eyes and looked at her in confusion.

"You…but, I'm older than…" He stumbled over the thought but it was there.

"I know, but when I was chosen I inherited all the memories of everyone who was ever a child. We actually created memory canisters for them before moving on to collecting the teeth. It's an older part of the palace and, like everything else, I can access them. I remembered you a while ago while we were working, and it occurred to me that you never lost your center." She borderline rambled. The soothing timbre was enough to banish the knot in his stomach and pull Jessica's attention to her. Both of them had stopped the shaking they had been doing.

"Really? That seems like a whole lot of work." Jessica commented. "Seems like it would overlap."

"Oh not at all. With so many faries helping it went by like nothing." Tooth chuckled. That was a common thought. Nothing she hadn't heard before, and it was always amusing. They were magical, they had ways. Wonder oozed from them in enough quantity that North felt it grow.

The sounds of books being put down and Yeti carrying in more started as Boogey's influence dampened on both of them. Within James he started to rage and fester.

I'm losing them! NO! Stupid seer! Wait…the girl… Boogey began to push himself on her with a force he would admit he hadn't known he possessed. Through conversing about their jobs they had ended up in a circle. Now that circle tightened as Jessica shook once and collapsed, crying out as Boogey's magic slammed down on her.

"Jessica!" James shouted in surprise and worry. He felt Boogey's efforts shift and started to panic. "STAY AWAY FROM HER YOU NASTY-" He yelled but his cry was cut off by a large wave of magic, a shadow. It was taking all he had to manifest it, but with most of his energy in the mortal, it was doable.

"She dies or you release me." He threatened dully, like he was about to fall asleep and really couldn't care less either way. James closed his eyes and Boogey smirked for the half-second before he was drawn back through her and into James. They all watched the shadow recede and breathed a sigh of releif.

They were silent for a moment and Jessica lay unconscious but also unharmed.

"Mom?" Jamie's small voice broke through the silence.

"Jamie. She'll be alright. Get her off this couch, someone." James gritted, brown hair starting to look a bit more matted and his entire frame shaking. Sandy obliged, creating a whole new seat for her and Jamie.

"We've got to do something." Jack looked to North and Sandy who were both at a loss.

"Right, you can't keep this up, mate. We need to get him outta you somehow. Is there any other way you know of?" Bunny asked. James shook his head.

"Unless we can find something…that can absorb him…until we can contain him permanently that…wouldn't have so much trouble." He offered.

"That would have to be whole other person, and there is easy way but…wait! Idea! Could have someone else, other immortal, share containment until we find spell!" North put out excitedly. It was a long shot but James knew it would work. He still looked like he could barf.

"No. You can be infected. All of you. It's not safe." He offered.

"Neither is letting you sit here with your insides fighting themselves." Bunny countered easily. He did have a response for that.

"…well…I guess that's true, but…" he shook his head, not liking where this was going.

"Who would it be?" Tooth asked quietly.

"Someone we know wouldn't be corrupted, someone who can handle that pressure and pain." Bunny mused.

"It would have to be ones of us that wouldn't be helpful looking for spells, so not you." Tooth nodded to North who nodded. He would have, gladly, but she had a point.

"Well, Boogey prays on the fear of everyone, not just children, so no big risk if-"

"No." James countered sternly. "If you insist on doing this, not. Jack. You're young soul is…more…susceptible than…you'd…think." He offered. Jack didn't want to cause him more stress so he held up his hands in front of him in compliance.

"Okay, okay." Jack agreed and he saw the poor man visibly relax.

"That leaves me and you." Bunny said, looking to Tooth who nodded her understanding with determination shining in her brilliant purple eyes. James was clenching his teeth and digging his nails into the palms of his hands for control over the ancient entity and really couldn't have said anything if he'd tried. Bunny and Tooth took up sitting on either side of him. He met Tooth's eyes in pleading.

They each took a shoulder and braced themselves for the worst.

As they each drew a bit of the entity to them they realized the extent that he was containing alone. He was definitely more hurt than he was letting on. By a lot.

"Dear moon, what the bloody-" Tooth shrieked, cutting Bunny's curse off.

"Stupid fary! I will have my freedom!" Boogey's voice echoed through the room causing Jessica to start and Jamie to scream. Bunny shut his eyes and tried to block out the pressure building in his chest from his attempts at possessing him too. Tooth started to convulse violently, so much that Sandy had to catch her and hold her up.

"Get her away!" James yelled frantically, shaking his shoulder free. Unfortunately the damage was done and Boogey's magic radiated from her. Sandy noted the black irises in her eyes and quickly wrapped her in dream-sand. She was contained for now, but shrieking in anger.

She was a fearling!

"Tooth? Tooth come on, you can beat this." Jack plead with her quietly as Sandy struggled to contain her and North poured all his attention into combing through the most promising of the books he had. Working as quickly as he could he scribbled notes and ingredients, having Phil gather all the potions and casting supplies he found even remotely useful. The colorful fary was screeching in ways none of them could recognize as language. It was the language of darkness and nightmares.

Sandy started to notice a building pressure under the sand and recognized it as…nightmares. It was the pure essence of what Pitch had been and used, and it was trying to taint him. He kept letting go and adding layers to keep her contained, Jack adding layers of ice to it but the two of them were getting nowhere fast. It was a quickly deteriorating stalemate.

Jack knew there was no sense calling to North to see what he had. If he had something he would tell him, but there was something in his child's nature that desperately wanted to. He was holding the barrier with Sandy until finally Sandy slipped up. The nightmare essence made it to his hand and started to taint him.

"SANDY!" He couldn't help it, he was truly in a panic. Bunny's eyes snapped up to see this and his concentration shattered. The tips of his fur started to taint and he struggled to push it back. He almost succeeded too, pushing Boogey down for another few seconds before he collapsed and Jack had to freeze his three fellow guardians solid.

"North…" It was a small, scared voice and when North looked up he saw Jamie looking at him pleadingly. "Are they gonna be okay?" He asked, eyes shining.

"If we have anything to say, yes. Come." He waved he and his mom over where they'd be shielded from the fallout. To him it seemed that a calm washed over the room, with Tooth, Bunny and Sandy frozen the shrieking had stopped and the only sounds left were the heavy breaths of Jack and James, and Jamie's sniffles.

"If we can stay calm, we can beat this." Jack panted.

"You're right, Jack. Do not feed his power with fear." North advised.

"This…has…gone on…too….too long." James managed quietly, exhausted to extreme and dangerous levels but needing him to hear this. "There's a…way."

"What is it?" Jack asked, clearly seeing where this was going and not liking it.

"He'll die if I do."

Sorry I've been gone but I have all day to write! I'll be updating again today, the smaller chapters seem to work better for the breaks I have in mind but you will get your story! Thank you for sticking with it, and it's not over yet!

abroks1234-Thank you so much! Reviews keep the updates comin' much faster! I'm so glad you're havin' fun readin' and y'all are who I write for. Also on that note, if what I'm planning works out you'll really start to love him later! :)

As usual let me know if you notice an issue/continuity error/misuse of word and the like and let me know whattca think! Ya'll are wonderful people!