Recap: Pitch tests Jack's loyalty, and takes away his recently discovered memories when Jack doesn't cooperate.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. Thank you toPuppetMaster55, Reid Phantom, defying gravity10, Runic Healer, Guest, Shrinking Heliotrope, isthisparadise, Emptydarkneification, bloodysword99, JackFrostRoxs, EnvyYou, orecooky, Wolfwhispers, CelestialTomatoMonkey, mintsoff, fanfictiongirl12345, and Phantom Trainer for reviewing! Special thanks to remo-shagwell for asking me on tumblr! Sorry I didn't answer, but I dedicate this chapter to you.
Love you guys!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Chapter Three: Press Play
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Jack, I'm scared."
Rewind.
"Jack, I'm scared."
Rewind.
"Jack, I'm scared."
Rewind.
"Jack -"
"Stop."
"Hm?" With a click of a button, the screen paused on a blurry image that Jack couldn't make out. There were brown eyes, and brown hair, but everything else was indistinguishable.
Was it a girl? Was it a boy? Was it in the forest on a frozen lake? Was it in an alleyway in the middle of the night? There was snow…or was there? Were there others? Was it just the two of them? It was a child; he knew that. That person was important to him, he knew that too.
But if that were the case - if this person was so important to him - then just who was it?
The Other Jack placed down the remote on the table in front of them, and spoken word soon broke through the low static emitting from the fuzzy screen. "Funny, isn't it?" He…no. Impossible, Jack refused to acknowledge it as such. It? That's more fitting.
It smirked, placing its feet on the table and held its head with its arm on the armrest as laid its own eyes on half-lidded blue eyes captivated on the screen. It continued, "You've been on this plane of existence for over three hundred years and yet you didn't find it important to keep up with modern technology?"
"Don't be stupid," Jack snapped. "Of course I know what a television is. What else do kids do when they're not outside?" He lifted his head from his reflection's lap to glare, with the Other Jack offering a sly smirk as a reply.
The Other Jack watched him for a few moments longer, staring into those frosty blue crystalline eyes as Jack continued to frown, displeased at the assumption.
It took Jack a split-second to realize how close he had been to his mirrored self. It was about to place its fingers in his snowy hair, before Jack gasped and shot straight up in his seat. He quickly recoiled and retreated to the other side of the couch, pushing himself as close to the other armrest much as he could. There wasn't much distance between them, it being a two-seater couch, but at least he no longer resting his head on the other's lap. Jack stared, shaking and wide-eyed, at his reflection who stared at him in return with pursed lips.
The Other Jack pouted, unhappy with Jack's almost forgotten reply. "Oh, that's no fun at all. You've never set foot in another's house. You're supposed to be afraid of technology. "
Jack frowned, sidetracked. He always hated when people made assumptions about him. No one had that right. Nobody knew him. "I have been in some kids' houses," he corrected. "Like…"
Like that child. That important child. That child that may or may not have been on the screen. That child whose name he really should be able to recall as if his life depended on it.
And Jack was almost sure that it might have.
Jack didn't notice, but he had bitten his lip hard enough to draw blood. Feeling something trickling down his lower lip to his chin, he raised his fingers to find it stained red. Confused at the sight of blood, he just stared at the crimson that looked so foreign to him – the fact that it was coming from him was mind-boggling. Because Jack had never been able to bleed, or at least the cuts made from sharp ice never… He never understood it, but now that he knew that he was…
That he was what?
"Oh, Jack, you're so cute," his shadow self cooed, licking its lips as it crawled closer to him while Winter Sprite was lost in thought. It chuckled, reaching over and running its finger along Jack's icy cheek, leaving a warm, tingling sensation. Jack was unable to retreat any further, not willing to leave the couch and be engulfed in total darkness again after what happened last time.
Something bad happened - but what?
It hurt and was too warm to think. Instead, Jack cringed, faintly wondering how long had he been in that lying position and why hadn't he realized it earlier, before his eyes wandered back to the brown on the screen. Jack stared, fixated, struggling to recall something that should never have been forgotten.
A snicker filled the otherwise rather silent air. "You're losing them, aren't you?" the Other Jack murmured softly, brushing some white hair away behind Jack's cold ear, warming it with its touch. "You shouldn't stress yourself over it, it's much better this way. Don't fight it."
The words and actions were lost as Jack was too mesmerized at the screen, struggling to recall who that person so important to him could be. That person he couldn't dare forget, and yet...
It was ticked at being ignored. "Hey, I'm talking to you." The screen was shut off, and Jack turned to watch his shadow chuck the remote away from the couch and into the unknown darkness, keeping its gaze on Jack all the while. After a moment, it said, "That's very rude, you know. Ignoring someone who's trying to talk to you." It reached out for him.
Jack immediately turned away, folding into himself. "Yeah, well, I don't want to talk to you," he mumbled, closing his eyes and sucking on his bleeding lip. The slight taste of copper was overwhelming to someone who doesn't really taste much besides fresh mint from his snow. Why hasn't his injury healed yet?
"Pitch is playing a very sick game, messing with my dreams like this." He snorted. "Like I need to be talking to a shadow version of myself."
A hand took gentle hold of Jack's shoulder, and he couldn't help but tense as that warm sensation filled him. "Of course you need to talk to me," his shadow crooned into his ear as it snaked its arms along Jack's own and took a strong hold of his wrists. It pulled Jack closer and back between its pretzel-folded legs. "How else are we going to communicate if not through your dreams where you're already fallen?"
Jack looked into purple eyes that could have been his own, but at the same time couldn't possibly be. Jack's blue irises contained brightness and innocence and… While those contained madness and hunger and other such things that Jack didn't want to name let alone see.
"Fallen?" he whispered, breath dying as Jack quickly turned his head so he didn't have to look into what his descent into insanity would look like. His eyes found a window, and he watched the snow – was snow usually that shade of grey? - gently fall from the grey sky and to the already snow-covered ground.
Jack kept his gaze out the window while the Other Jack shifted so that one hand now held both of his wrists. Its other, free hand trailed down Jack's dark blue sleeve and melted the thin layer of frost, crawling up to his neck and slid to his cheek. Caressing the soft skin, the Other Jack tilted Jack's head to murmur in his ear, "You're falling, Jack. And I'm the only one who can catch you."
Jack shivered, finding himself frozen in his reflection's searing hold as he burned from the constant touches. He just stared out the window, captivated by the snow as he felt himself growing tired every passing moment. "I'm falling," he murmured softly, dazed and eyes glassed over.
His wrists were released and fell unceremoniously into his lap like weights while free fingers laced themselves into his hair, making it slightly damp with the melting snowflakes. Pulling him even closer, the Other Jack subtly placed its lips on Jack's own, sucking on the cut and blood oozing from the unofficial Guardian. Jack couldn't help but moan as the reflection ravished in the life liquid, too disoriented to realize what was happening.
It shuddered and whispered, "Jack, your taste…"
Licking its lips, Jack could feel himself starting to grow even more lightheaded and with a pop, the reflection licked the clean cut once more and closed the wound, leaving the Winter Spirit's lips swollen and tinted pink. Jack panted, confused and lost in the heat - he was sure he was melting.
"Into the darkness," the Other Jack finished, as if nothing happened. It grinned, not that Jack could see it, as it released Jack's cheek and trailed down his chest to rest on his stomach. "That's right, Jack, just give in."
There was a very faint thud sound coming from a distance, from somewhere in the dark. Jack closed his eyes as fingers continued to run through his hair gently, petting him almost. He could feel himself adjusting to the heat for it to start to become pleasant, and that scared him.
However, he was unable to express his horror as his body relaxed against his will. "That's not fair," he mumbled, struggling to open his eyes and regain focus. "You have the advantage here."
Thud.
The fingers in his hair stopped. "Oh?"
"Dr-dreams," Jack breathed, struggling to speak with lethargy overtaking him. "We're…we're in dreams…." He coughed, now struggling to breathe. "Just-Just let me see!"
Thud.
"Fine." The hand left his head, brushed over eyelids and rested on Jack's stomach with the other before Jack was able to open his eyes. All of the energy was sucked out of him as he did so, and he was forced to take slow, even breaths as he tried to regain composure.
Thud.
"Dreams…" Jack tried to look around, but all he could see was darkness. He could still see to a certain extent, but at the same time couldn't see enough to put his mind at ease. "This isn't a dream. This is a nightmare," he said slowly, turning to the Other Jack, who smirked at his answer.
"Go on," it encouraged, gesturing with its left hand as it placed its right on Jack's shoulder, who didn't notice, as he was trying to figure out what else it wanted him to say. A few more moments of half-confused, half-amused silence caused for the Other Jack to add, "And in order to dream, one must…"
"Sleep." Jack widened his eyes, feeling more awake with the answer. "Does that -"
The Other Jack held out its hand to silence him. Lowering it, it asked, "When do people sleep, Jack? When the sun is high in the sky?"
Thud.
"Yes!" Jack retorted, smirking himself as he regained his energy. "Some kids don't come out to play until early afternoon, still in bed until late morning."
His shadow chuckled, deflating Jack's happy grin and flipping it to a confused frown. Placing its warm lips (Can a thing be so warm?) to Jack's cold ear, Jack gasped when he felt a nibble on his icy cartilage. "Oh, Jack, your naiveté is so refreshing," it purred, voice cracking with giddiness. "He really did choose the best. And now you're all mine."
"I-I don't belong to anyone!" he exclaimed, squirming a bit. Jack placed his cold hands on the warm ones on his stomach, only for him to quickly recoil from the scorching touch. He squirmed, the Other Jack laughing at the reaction, adjusting its heat as such. Jack yelped as it ranged from a furnace to a warm autumn day, shaking in his place.
Thud.
The Other Jack pulled its lips back, but continued to breathe softly on his ear. Jack shivered at the warmth the breath held, touch finally bearable. "But back to my main point. With sleep comes the darkness. You close your eyes to sleep, don't you? You shut yourself off from the light. Sleep is a darkness that everyone accepts.
"And with the darkness, comes fear."
Thud.
Jack finally – why did it take him so long – pulled himself away from that warm cage. He turned to his reflection, but refused to look into its eyes. Its mouth wasn't an option either, so Jack stared between the eyes, but a tad bit lower because it was too close to the maddening purple. "Is that what you want? Fear?" He rolled his eyes, looking for that ash-grey snowy window only to find it lost in the darkness. "Of course you do. What a stupid question." Pitch was the king of nightmares; this was his domain. He craved the fear that children emitted. And, in Pitch's eyes, wasn't Jack supposedly a child himself? An eternal child… and in this nightmare, Jack had no power.
Thud.
"Perhaps not."
Jack tensed when that warm hand was placed, yet again, on his cheek all questions were dropped before he could even open his mouth. The Other Jack chuckled once more, pulling Jack's chin closer and mouth open, to its lips…
Jack's eyes widened as his mind flashed back to the last time he was open-kissed on the lips by that-that thing. That searing heat, that pain. When something was placed inside him that was neither desired nor understood. He tried to pull back, but was powerless to do so. He closed his eyes and bit his lip as hard as he could, close to reopening his wound (Jack doesn't like the taste of blood as he so recently discovered) – it was all he could do.
"Jack!" The burning lips pulled back and Jack looked up as a banging off his vision surroundings revealed a wooden door in the far off darkness. There were shouts, and more banging, but Jack couldn't make anything out save his name - though that too was starting to fade.
The source of the faint thuds.
"Fuck." Jack heard his reflection curse under its breath before grabbing Jack and pulling him closer to its body, Jack shuddering under the heat.
"It's too late, he's mine," it cackled, cradling Jack back into that hot cage disguised as a 'hug', while the banging on the door was growing louder and more desperate.
"He's mine, all mine, and you can't undo what has been done," the Other Jack laughed, insanity seeping into its voice. "This child is mine."
The banging continued, not as faint as before but not loud enough to demand attention. Jack couldn't help but close his eyes, the heat making him unbearably drowsy.
"I...I thought..." He fell silent.
Fingers were playing in his hair again. Making him docile. "What did you think, Jack?" his shadow asked softly, no longer angry at whatever was calling his name.
Jack was breathless. This heat was no longer pleasant - it was killing him. He looked into those purple eyes, ready to plead for cooler temperatures, but the words died on his lips. They no longer held madness. Instead, they were twinkling with concern and affection.
For him?
In those purple, golden-sprinkled eyes, Jack could see that he was the only thing that mattered. In those eyes, Jack came first and everything – if there was even anything else – came second.
No one…no one ever looked at him like that before. Not from Sandy, not from North, not from Bunny or Tooth. Not even Pitch.
There was this one person, this one person that came close. This one person who looked up to Jack like he was a hero – but just the fact that he was even able to see him…
That…that child he'd forgotten.
Jack pushed those thoughts away. Now wasn't the time. It was too warm to think about that. "I thought..." He swallowed, mouth uncomfortably dry. What he wouldn't give to suck on some ice right now. "I thought I told Pitch to stop playing with the mind games."
The banging had faded away.
The Other Jack tilted…its head. "Mind games?" It… Wait. He? No it can hold such emotion, especially over him. He grinned. "I wanna play." He giggled as he took hold of Jack's wrist and held him by the waist as he fiddled with that remote from earlier.
"Hey, Jack," he called, turning his head. Jack followed his line of sight and looked back to the screen as it turned back on. Jack widened his eyes in horror but couldn't look away as that brown slowly came back into hazy focus.
Looking back into those purple eyes that only held amusement at his horror, Jack choked out, "Wh-what?"
The Other Jack grinned madly. "Do you remember who this is?"
"No!"
Click.
"Please don't!"
"Jack, I'm scared." Rewind. "Jack, I'm scared." Rewind. "Jack, I'm scared."
Jack whimpered, shutting his eyes and covering his ears with his hands. Quivering, he folded into himself, which his reflection carefully maneuvered for the Immortal teen to bury his head in that warm chest.
He placed his hands in his hair again. Cackling all the while, the Other Jack added seriously, "If you don't it's okay, it's better that way."
No.
Jack knew – needed to know, to remember – who this was. And he did. He really did. It was there, all the way in the back of his mind, trapped shut for safekeeping (from what?). He knew who this was.
Desperately tuning out the voice emitting from the screen and ignoring the unnerving feeling he got as the Other Jack continued to giggle softly with fingers still in his hair, Jack closed his eyes and concentrated.
He knew this child - this child who meant the world to him because he was the first person to see, to believe, in him. This child, who was the highlight of his existence as Jack Frost.
Wait - hang on. That statement confused him. His existence as Jack Frost? Was there ever a before?
Jack couldn't say for sure.
Regardless, there was nothing worth remembering when he had first risen from the lake all those years ago.
It's not that there was nothing to remember – there was nothing he wanted to remember. Nothing was retained because that life had been harsh and lonely. There were only bad times (cold, cold, cold) – like that time he tried to reach out (an act for attention, an act of desperation, and act to be noticed) to Bunnymund.
"Been a long time. Blizzard of '68, I believe? Easter Sunday, wasn't it?"
Like that didn't go and bite him back. If anything, he only managed to push the Keeper of Easter even further away – creating a petty grudge between the two (that was clearly one-sided) for a simple misunderstanding.
"Bunny? You're not still mad about that... are ya?"
"Yes."
It's not like Jack meant to freeze those eggs the Australian Rabbit (No, Bunnymund was a special type of rabbit – rabbits aren't that tall but no, what would Jack know, no one tells him anything.) had carefully hidden for the Easter Sunday egg hunts.
"Hey, guys, wait up! Are you guys coming to the egg hunt Sunday?"
It was just…
"Wow, Easter Bunny is real."
Just…
"Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny? Sandman...The Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come!"
A simple…
"Okay, look, you and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads, so here's what's gonna happen: If it wasn't a dream and if you are real, then you have to prove it. Like right now."
Misunderstanding…
"I've believed in you for a long time, okay? Like my whole life in fact. So you kinda owe me now. You don't have to do much, just a little sign so I know. Anything… Anything at all."
"Snow? Jack Frost?"
"Jack Frost."
"Jamie!" Jack rasped, exclaiming the name as if it were his dying breath. He pushed himself away from the faintly warm touch, holding himself and trembling. "It's Jamie, Jamie..." He placed his hand to his forehead as his eyes widened, tears threatening to leak out. "Oh moon, no..."
How could I have almost forgotten?
The Other Jack laughed, and only now did Jack realize that he was crying as he turned back to that blurry screen of brown. Taking advantage of his distracted state, the Other Jack took hold of his chin and kissed Jack chastely on the lips - Jack ignoring the raging fire it caused as his tears cooled it slightly - and ran his fingers down the Winter Sprite's torso. Jack squirmed under his touch, feeling very warm and breathless as he waited for the image to clear – and confirm his suspicions.
The image growing more and more distorted, Jack frowned as fatigue started to seep into him. Closing his eyes, the Other Jack leaned into his ear and whispered, "Are you sure about that?"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Jack woke with a gasp, clutching his head as if in pain as he went through the memories he still had left.
There was the time when he created a few ice sculptures for an elderly couple walking in the wintery woods. The time he helped freeze a lake so it would be thick enough to support the skaters' weights. The time he helped save a few lives by making it too cold for them to jump, as well as alerting a few authorities with detours he created.
Then there were the times he caused the accidents, the times when his cold actually froze to death instead of providing a sense of relief. The times when he helped freeze over the ice when someone had fallen in, trapping them inside where their friends can't reach them in time. The time when he froze those campers in the woods, and prevented children from finding their home before nightfall.
Wait. No… no, those were not true. He never did those things. He could never do those things. He didn't… Did he?
Jack wanted to scream; Pitch obviously left some shadows in his mind to help his occasional nightmarish thoughts become memories.
Then again, the memories were always hazy at most; who's to say what's real or not?
"Failure."
"I'm a failure," Jack whispered, more to himself than to the voice in the room. "No hope of redemption, not worth it, doesn't deserve a second chance."
"It's quite alright, Jack. I will be willing to give it to you."
"No, it's not… Wait. Give me what?" Jack looked up, realizing that Pitch was there, and that he was speaking to the man who had him willingly stay with him. Using the term 'willingly' lightly.
"A second chance." A pause, soon followed with a grin. "It's what you always wanted, isn't it? Ever wanted."
Jack widened his eyes.
Pitch grinned wickedly. "Oh, I know, Jack." He caressed the shadows, and Jack could have sworn that a chill, a chill he's not comfortable with, went through him. "I know everything about you," he said, taking a seat on Jack's cool bed.
Jack didn't know how to reply. He didn't know how to cope with that information. Pitch grinned wider as he sniffed Jack's fear, fear of him knowing more about him than he probably knew himself.
Jack laughed nervously, trying to cope as best as he could. "Same can't be said for you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
Pitch chuckled. "All in due time, my boy. All in due time. Now," he held out his hand as he moved off the bed. "Why don't you come with me?"
Hesitantly, Jack got up to take it.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: The next chapter is already in the works and shouldn't take as long as this one.
Hope this was worth the wait! Love it; hate it? Have any comments? Be sure to let me know!
Of course, thanks for reading!