The heat sapped his strength, the vines strangled him, shutting off his breath. The laughter never stopped. He was alone. He was in pain, and he was so tired that he couldn't even lift his head. He opened his mouth to yell, to scream, to shout...

All that came out was a pathetic sounding hiss.

He heard voices...

"He began making that strange hissing noise long before Pitch got here. Obviously he was having a doozie of a nightmare."

"My poor Sweet Tooth."

He felt Tooth's hands on his cheek, and shied away

"Tooth?" he rasped, his voice refusing to go above a hiss. "Guys? What's wrong?"

"You were tossin' and turnin' fer three days mate." Bunny explained.

"Oh." He coughed heavily, spitting out coal dust into the provided trash can. "But it didn't improve my talking any did it."

"Jack, no talk." North said gently "Is no use, we barely understand you anyway, but it's no good for throat to try making noise."

He sighed and asked Sandy to open the window so Wind could get in. He had a pretty good idea on how to communicate, since he lacked sand to do charades. If this didn't work he would try something else.

Wind gladly lent him the tool he needed, and when Jack Frost opened his mouth, the voice iof a storm was heard.

"Where is Summer?"

The rest of the Guardians actually cowered and cringed at his tone, and Jack realized with a certain degree of misery that his idea had backfired. After all, the Voice of the storm should only be used when he was either extremely angry, or commanding someone to do his bidding with the consequence of punishment if they failed. No, he could not speak this way. Not to his new family.

Reluctantly, he told Wind that the idea was void, and his old friend took back the tools and caressed his cheek, as if apologizing.

Thus Jack began his other idea on how to communicate with the others. Taking a deep breath, he created some powder and caused it to morph and shift above his head. It was like Sandy's language, except he spelled everything out in white instead of pictures in gold. It would have to do.

"How much damage did she do? Besides torching my poor throat with her hand and coal, I mean."

North shook his head

"Broke ribs, wrist, burned badly back, neck and shin. You should not be able to stand on right leg, and there is much inside of throat scarring."

Jack tried forming more words, but this exhausted him, and he lay back on the bed, gathering his strength

"So tired" he said at last, gripping his staff hard "Maybe...I can sleep my silence away."

"Maybe, Frostbite." Bunny said, "Maybe." Leaning forward so as to speak in Jack's ear, the pooka whispered "You may try using the wind again mate. Not the storms, just the wind."

Jack smiled weakly, and spelled out "I'll think about it, Kangaroo."

Then he was asleep, his tormented and exhausted body shutting down for some peace. The others watched over him, making sure no nightmares haunted his dreams.