Thank you, everyone, for review and reading. I was contemplating on how to set up MiM asking Mother Nature to help him resurrect Jackson. Thank you Randomly Talented for you review. Your review actually gave me the idea to start off the next arc. I hope you enjoy Sanderson and Emily!

Chapter 26: The Uninvolved

Sanderson stared at the globe with a huge smile. Lights! Beautiful, beautiful children were believing in him again!

Sanderson smiled as he tried to make his sand cloud. Little specs of sand swirled around to make a small fluffy cloud of golden sand. It was a bit smaller than he usually had it, but there was nothing he could do. Out of all the Guardians, he was affected the most. He had fallen unconscious when his belief got too low. Unlike the others, Sanderson did not have extra help or have a holiday one time a year. His job involved him going to each child every night to give them beautiful dreams.

But when he got locked in, no children were getting his dreams. They were getting empty blank canvases. And if they got a nightmare, there were no dreams to replace it. This was why it took longer for him to regain his strength. With the belief of Christmas, children were believing in all the Guardians again, including himself. But it was slow due to his non-presence to give them dreams.

Also unlike the others, he needed a certain amount of belief to be able to do anything. When belief in him is below thirty percent, he would fall into a coma. When belief is forty-five, he would wake up and might be able to move. Half way would allow him to walk and float an inch off the ground. Three-fourths would allow him to fly and give dreams, but at a slower pace in comparison to being fully believed in.

At this current moment, he was close to three-fourths. He wasn't there yet, though. Because of this, he was only able to make smaller creations. Sanderson could wait a little longer, but something was telling him he needed to get to Burgess and fast. Without a second thought, Sanderson got on his cloud and flew out of the Workshop.

His destination: Burgess.

Getting to her father was a bit longer than she would have liked. It was sad she didn't have any powers over shadows. Traveling through the shadows and getting to Burgess would have only taken a second or two. Shadowing was definitely so much easier than her method of transportation.

Unlike most spirits, Emily had two methods of transportation. Like any Seasonal Spirit, Emily could call upon any of the Four Winds: the North Wind of Winter, the South Wind of Summer, the East Wind of Spring, and the West Wind of Autumn. The Winds were always happy to assist her when they are not busy with her children. However, in most times, Emily just sticks with her own special ability for travel: Tree Shimmering. Tree Shimmering was in a way a lot like her father's Shadow Shadowing, only without the shadows.

When Tree Shimmer, Emily's body would change and morph into the right essence to allow her to walk through it. However, unlike Shadowing, Tree Shimmer took a bit of time. Not all Trees know where the exact location that she wanted to go. It all depended on how old the Tree she entered was. If a Tree was young, then they would not know the exact location; they would know a general location, instead, but they would have to whisper to an Elder Tree for direction placement. This often took some time and often lead to her being placed several miles away from where she wanted to go.

Elder Trees were very knowledgeable and knew exactly where a location was, anywhere in the World. Most times, Elder Trees would place her at her desired location within minutes. However, all Trees were very protective of her and knew she was Mother Nature, their nurture. If an Elder Tree sensed a fight or danger in a certain area, they would place her several miles away from the action of danger. They would often place her deep within the forest, but would not intervene if she decided to walk or fly there, which also took a long time as well.

It was a shame she couldn't shadow like her father. It so would have been a help right at that moment when the Elder Tree sent her deep into the forest of Burgess. Emily sighed as she walked down the path that she knew that would lead her to her father's lair. Emily had a very bad feeling that something bad was happening if the Elder Tree placed her this far. She frowned as her mind wondered to her father. He must be fighting the Guardians, then. That is the only explanation I can think of. I hope I'm not too late.

And then an explosive and painful tightness of her chest was felt as her magic returned to her. Jackson had been harmed. The protective barrier had shattered.

Emily paled as she gasped for breath, trying to get air into her lungs. She fell to her knees as the pain intensified. Tears stunned her eyes as the whisper of her protective magic told her what happened.

The Guardian of Wonder broke the ice.

The Guardian of Hope prevented Night from saving the children, putting them at risk.

Jackson sacrificed himself to save Flee.

Emily gasped in pain, ignoring the fact that the clouds were not supposed to be turning gray.

The future Frost and Nightmare Prince has fallen into the ice.

Tears began leaking from her tears at the news. She had known Jackson would die. Father Time and Death told her. Death had mentioned that he would not come for him, though. He was destined for another life among the Great Spirits of Nature and Children. But what she heard next…completely shattered her heart.

Pitch Black has lost control.

Emily sobbed for her father and uncle.

The Fearlings have escaped and are attacking the Guardians.

A bloody, heart-wrenching scream, filled with pain and angst left her lips.

And then the winds whipped violently around the trees, reacting to Mother Nature's emotions. And the clouds darkened and roared for an incoming war.

Being the Sandman was not an easy job. Every time he came upon a town, a city, or a village he would hear their wishes. Sanderson's instincts were in tone to these wishes and it was by instinct that he would grant them by dreams; it demanded it.

It was second nature to give the Children of Earth his most beautiful dreams. They had gone months without it. Sanderson, unlike the others, was always closer to the children and would rather be doing his job than fighting in a losing war with Pitch. The children were everything and at times he felt that he might had been neglecting them.

It always made him sad to hear Pitch's wishes. All he ever wanted was to find his family and then accelerated to making the Guardians pay for destroying his remaining people and for trying to destroy fear.

Sanderson never told the Guardians of this knowledge, not that they would listen or understand anyway. Sanderson always felt that they were wrong, that Pitch didn't intend to harm the children with his nightmares. Nightmares were needed in the unconscious world to help a person fear certain things in order for them to be safe from harm.

He sighed as he watched over the children as he worked. He smiled softly as his sand created a dolphin for the little girl. She smiled and sighed in her sleep, finally having a peaceful rest.

Sanderson smiled as he finished the area he was in. This was his last stop before going over the ocean. He was glad he was strong enough to make his plane again.

Sanderson created his plane, placing his goggles on, and sat in his plane; an excited grin crossed along his features. He so loved flying planes. Sanderson turned on the engine and soon he took off. A silent laugh (one that could not be heard by those of the modern and the new) left his lips as he was propelled into the semi-dark sky of the east coast. Sanderson tilted his plane a bit to see his reflection. It had been awhile since he saw himself smiling like a child and wearing plane goggles as he flew over the blue ocean.

Sanderson relaxed as the sky got lighter and turned into morning, a definite sign that he was switch time zones.

"I hope I'm not too late to stop my friends. I have to make sure they understand Tsar's errors," Sanderson spoke in his ancient tongue to himself as the winds edged him on. Sanderson knew it would be a difficult task to do. Unlike Pitch and Emily Jane, who were human before turning into spirits, Sanderson had never been human, to begin with. He was an ancient being among others who's sole purpose was to travel the cosmos and space to grant wishes and dreams. The Sand Wielders were ancient beings and had been alive since the universe was created and that was eons ago.

They were made of sand and spoke the language of sand and the stars. To others, it would seem as if they were mute and couldn't speak at all. However, that was far from the truth. Their sand was laced with very old magic. Only those who could understand old magic or are sand wielders themselves would be able to understand them.

When Sanderson crashed onto the planet many decades ago, he was baffled that no one could hear him. He was able to understand the thousands of languages that the different children and adult of Earth spoke, but no one would be able to hear him at all. It would be as if they were talking to the ancient winds. Sanderson had resorted to making symbols with his sand to get his point across. But even then it was difficult; no seemed to have the patience to understand them. It was frustrating at times.

Sanderson stared at the sun rays as he got close to the barrier of Mother Nature's realm. He had been there a few times in the past. But with the war going on, he decided to stay back. He didn't want to get on her bad side.

As the magic barrier of Mother Nature's realm gave out their warning that he was not allowed to enter, he gasped in horror as he felt the dimming of belief from one of his strongest believers.

Koz, please take care of…Mom and Flee. They mean...everything to me. Be there for them...please. They need you now more than ever.

Sanderson's heart ached as he heard the death wish of Jackson Overland. As the wielder of Dreamsand, he had the ability to hear all wishes, even ones formed from a child's death. That was one thing he always hated about his job. It filled him with so much sadness.

I'm sorry…I couldn't keep my promise…I guess we won't live…forever…as spirits…I love you…Koz…Don't…forget…me…

The poor child would never get one of his special dreams. Sanderson often enjoyed glimpsing at Jackson's dreams. They tended to be filled with snowballs and dolphins and seemed to be filled with so much laughter. It was a wonderful sight to see in such an innocent and maybe a bit mischievous child.

Sanderson's smile fell as he saw the land in the distance. It broke his heart to know that the child would not dream ever again. He was too late. Sadness filled him with dread as he approached the land.

Jackson! Don't go! Don't leave me! Please, come back!

Sanderson was shocked by the sudden wish. This wasn't a wish from a child. It was from Pitch! He knew he could hear all wishes. He usually only concentrated on children, though; but Pitch's wish was so overwhelming. He was glad that he was just over the land of the other country. Sanderson quickly lowered his plane to the ground before he ended up crashing. The emotions that accompanied the wish was so intense that it almost made his vision black out.

We just found each other! We were going to be a family again! LITTLE BROTHER!

"Little brother? Oh, my!" Sanderson straightened (after the surging emotions passed) in his seat and stared at the forest in front of him in shock. "Jackson Overland and Pitch Black are brothers?" Sanderson ran his golden hand through his hair. "This must have been what Tsar was worried about. Does this mean that Toothiana, Aster, and Nicholas had something to do with it?"

Sanderson wished it wasn't true. The others would never harm an innocent child. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad did happen and that the other Guardians and Pitch were involved.

Sanderson shook off his uneasiness that suddenly started to fill him. Something about the uneasiness suggested something dark and evil. It wasn't Pitch that's for sure. But he couldn't place what the source was. Sanderson frowned as he pushed the feeling aside and restarted his plane. He had to hurry. He needed to get to Burgess. He just hoped what he thought happened was wrong.

The scene before her was awful. It was no wonder the Elder Tree placed her far away. Her father had lost control of the Fearlings. She swallowed nervously as she saw her father crying softly as Susanna slept in his arms. Her own tears had yet to dry on her face as she stood behind a tree.

She slowly averted her eyes to glance at the damage around the lake. The scent of the Fearlings still lingered in the air. Emily frowned and gently touched the Elder Tree in front of her.

"Show me what happened," she commanded softly and waited as the tree implanted images of the fight into her mind. A low hiss left her lips as she saw three of the Guardians attacking her father. She saw Nicholas's sword struck the ice. She saw Jackson getting his sister to safety. She saw the damn rodent attacking Night, injuring her to the point where she could not save the children. She heard her father's screams. She saw Flee arguing with the Guardians as they tried to convince her that her father was a monster. She growled at the smirk that twitched on the rodent's face. Oh, she was going to make sure she skinned him alive and use his fur as a coat! And then she saw her father lose control.

When the image faded Emily collapsed to the snowy ground. She couldn't believe what she saw. Father Time was right. She remembered her husband saying that he saw snow and ice and shadow creatures. She should have realized what that meant. The Fearlings would only be set free if her father lost control of his emotions to that extent. Only death of a loved one would have driven him to that. The tears fell faster and her vision began to blur.

"Pitch!" Emily blinked her eyes and focused her vision back to her father. She recognized that old, calming voice anywhere. It was Sanderson!

Emily saw Sanderson land his plane near Pitch and jumped off; resulting in his plane returning to sand once again. Emily had no ill feelings towards the golden man. It was the others that she hated, but she did wonder why he was not with the Guardians when they attacked. Maybe he was somewhere else when it happened.

"Are you okay? I heard your wish," Sanderson said as he placed a hand on Pitch's shoulder.

"Do I look okay?" Pitch asked sarcastically. Her father's voice was filled with bitter sarcasm but was also hoarse from all the yelling and crying he had been doing since Jackson's death.

Sanderson gave him a very sad smile. "No, you look like crap actually." Pitch snorted at Sanderson's attempt in lightening the mood. Emily couldn't help but smile, though. It was sweet of him.

"I did just lose a family member and lost control of the Fearlings all in one day," he said with a bitter laugh. Emily shivered in response.

"I know. I heard both of your wishes, while I was on my way here."

Pitch stiffened and his eyes narrowed slightly, searching to see if Sanderson was lying. "You heard Jackson?"

Sanderson nodded; his eyes were filled with sadness. "I most likely heard the same thing you did. His greatest wish seemed to also be his greatest fear," Sanderson said softly. "I am sorry that I couldn't stop them and for everything else I've done; I was wrong. Tsar told us not to fight you. He said he was wrong in attacking you. He wanted the war to end. The others didn't read his message right I'm afraid."

Pitch nodded tiredly. "He told me the same thing." Pitch sighed as he securely held Susanna in his arms as he stood up. "Thank you for apologizing. I appreciate it." Pitch was silent for a moment as he stared at the lake. "I can not forgive the Guardians, though. It is because of them that my little brother is dead." Pitch turned back to Sanderson, who was looking very, very sad and guilty. Emily assumed he was guilty of not getting here on time to stop the other idiots. She knew she never really liked the rodent, bandit, or the fairy.

"I have nothing against you, Sanderson," Pitch said tiredly. Emily watched as her father's eyes grew dark with a need for revenge. Pitch's form started to fade as the shadows surround him. "But I will not let this go. I will get my revenge on the Guardians."

"Pitch! Wait!" Sanderson yelled, his sand creating symbols rapidly. But it was too late. Pitch was gone. Sanderson's shoulder slumped in disappointment. Sanderson stared at where Pitch was before he shadowed away. His eyes were downcast and his hands were clenched tightly as golden tears began to fall down his face. "I'm sorry. I should have never doubt you, old friend." Sanderson wiped away his tears and created his plane once again. He slowly floated into the seat and put on his goggles. "I'm sorry I got here too late to stop them. I hope you can forgive me."

Emily watched in silence as Sanderson started his plane and flew off. She didn't move when the golden plane got smaller and smaller. When the plane was completely out of sight, she decided to slowly move towards the ice. Emily looked down and saw Jackson's lifeless body. He looked so peaceful, so in tune with the ice that surrounded him. Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes began to moist once again.

"Why?" she whispered as she took in Jackson's still form. "Why did you have to die?" Jackson's body seemed to be frozen in time, like a beautiful ice sickle, shimmering in the moonlight.

Emily sighed heavily as snow began to fall around her. "You love the snow. Don't you Jackson?" Emily didn't expect an answer. She was to sadden with grief to care as her emotions caused the sky to make it colder and snow faster. The snow did not bother her as it touched her face. She welcomed the numbing coldness, even if she couldn't feel it. No weather bothered her.

The tears began to stick to her face as she watched the ice starting to freeze over, covering the hole that was once there. Emily rested her head in her hands and shivered. But she wasn't shivering from the cold. She was trying to get a grip on her emotions. If she didn't, she could bury Burgess and the surround villages in an eternal winter.

Emily took several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. It took a while, an hour maybe. But she did calm to the point that it stopped the snow. Emily sighed again and looked up from her hands and slowly got her way to her feet. She felt very numb inside and barely noticed the glowing of the moon until she was engulfed by MiM's moonbeam.