Lady Eve, you understand that this disrespect CANNOT be allowed to continue." The Leader of the elves demanded, glaring at the huge dragon standing to their left as though it would do anything. From a few feet back, Jack watched on. Hallow had told him not to come too close - that dragons were wary of strangers and elves were proud creatures.

The change in her was fascinating. The playful, soft girl he had finally begun seeing was stuffed away, giving way instead to this marble statue of authority that now stood in front of the two great beings. The drake, with scales glinting in the artificial moonlight above them, snorted out a breath, its claws leaving gouges in the snow beneath their feet as it stamped. It wasn't as big as Jack had been expecting, maybe about the size of a bus instead of the giant that he had thought of. Hallow stood tall in the face of such might, her shoulders back and her head level as she looked from one to the other. The elven leader – Jack couldn't tell if it was male or female – hissed back at the lizard. Hallow raised a hand and both fell silent at her command. Jack was admittedly impressed.

"Dullirian, Eshod. You both have your own territories. You know the rules of this land. Why has happened this time?" she asked calmly. No anger, no aggression, the child was as cold and motionless as a windless tundra. Dullirian, apparently the elven leader, looked down their sharp, straight nose at the child.

"These lizards began to move their way into the caverns at the base of the mountain. The ones we use as food stores as they are specifically a part of our territory." They stated. Eshod growled and huffed out another breath of steam,

"And you know that it will soon be nesting time for my kind, weakling! The caves at the base of the mountains are larger and more protected! We have always had first choice of the caves at nesting time! Do you expect us to raise our young in the high alps? They cannot fend for themselves against the winds until their scales harden!" Eshod's voice rolled like a snow storm over everyone. Even Jack took a few steps back. So far, in his spot behind the tree line, he hadn't been spotted. He watched as the Ice Drake beat his wings, the wind combing through Hallow's hair as she stood like ice against them.

"If I were to expand the lands, creating another mountain that would give a vast choice of caves, would you accept that as a peace offering and cease arguing?" She stated to them. That silenced both of them, the drake's heavy scaled head lowering to beay eye level with Hallow. At this level Jack could see the sharp rows of teeth, and the guardian felt a pang of fear for her. But no, she had told him to stay behind the trees and as much as he wanted to go out there, she had only just begun to trust him. If he let them see him, it could ruin…whatever the hell she was doing now.

Jack watched as she sighed and walked behind the two emissaries. She stopped at what looked like the middle of the field of snow behind her. The child raised her hand, and Jack's eyes widened as he saw cracked appearing in the air ahead of her. 'It's like a mirror…' he thought to himself. The cracks spread out ahead of her until eventually with an almighty crash, the very image ahead of her shattered into dust. As the mirror layer fell away, only black void was left behind. Jack stared in wide-eyes wonderment as it almost seemed to reform, between one blink and the next, the void was altered. Shadows moved and shifted, smoke becoming solid as maybe a few miles of land now stretched out into the darkness, mountains and trees growing from the shadows, until eventually the moonlight touched them and they took on a solid form.

The final touch was the snow, ice and snow covering each inch, the very boundaries of the land rearranging themselves to spread and encompass the new edition until at last it blended seamlessly into the part where Hallow stood. Jack was speechless. It was beautiful, amazing, incredible –

Fake.

It was all fake, an artificial world that she designed. But from nothing, she could create something incredible. Jack snapped his attention back to her as he heard her speak again. "There are mountains now, for the drakes to rest in. There will be a frozen lake to our east, and more forest to the west. Please, with this, stop your bickering." She finished, turning away from the two of them, and Jack finally saw her face.

The poor girl looked green, frail and sickly. Like whatever she had just done had taken decades off of her life. And who knows, maybe it had. As she reached the tree line, Jack stepped out, ignoring the whispers and hissed that started up at the sight, and focusing only on Hallow. She looked so small now…Jack wrapped an arm around her, smiling down at her even as she looked up and glared.

"I told you to stay back."

"I am back aren't I? I didn't leave the trees. Now you look like you need your bed again." He told her, grinning as he half supported-half carried her. Hallow huffed under his arm, "you can put me down, I can walk fine." She told him, "besides. I don't have time to rest. There's more to be done before Halloween".

"You sound exhausted, and even if you can walk fine, sometimes it's good to reply on others to support you, Hallow." Jack reminded her again, still not losing his grin. "But you know…that was a pretty amazing thing you did. What was that? The black stuff?" Jack asked curiously.

"The void? It's the world outside this world. We exist in a very different plane right now, and that plane borders other that…I'm sorry, I'm far too tired for this. Ask me again later." She cut herself off halfway through, tipping her head onto Jack's shoulder with a sigh. "I'm going to regret that…" Jack heard her murmur as he finally caught sight of Mephisto. He pretended he hadn't heard.

North stormed into the Warren loudly, tooth flitting and fluttering close behind. "Bunny!" He bellowed. It didn't take long for two grey ears to perk up from behind a mound of grass.

"I'm only here, mate. No need to yell so loud. What's got your boots in a bundle?" Bunyn asked, standing up straight and frowning at the two of them. Tooth looked nervous, not even shooting orders to the fairies that usually followed her. Bunny narrowed his eyes at the pair of them and sighed,

"Oh. I get it. This is about Hallow, ain't it?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, Jack wanted to go, and he wasn't goin' to let up until I let him. Whatever he found there, it ain't my problem. Though I haven't seen him in a while now." Bunny said with a shrug. North gave a heavy sigh,

"Bunny, old friend, when did you take Jack to Hallow's lands?" North asked, running his fingers through his beard in a worried manner. Bunny cocked his head and shrugged, thinking for a few moments before answering.

"Couple o' months ago maybe. Think he went back in…late July…" suddenly, comprehension began to dawn on Bunny's face. Comprehension, then fear. "Wait…is he not – he's not come back yet? It's already October first!" He exclaimed, his ears flattening down in worry before flicking up in alarm at the realisation. That was almost three months without him! Tooth flittered forward at this, wringing her hands together in worry.

"We forget she's different. Time doesn't pass in Hallow's world like it does for us. What seems like only a few days for her is months for us! Jack probably doesn't even know how long he's been gone." She explained. Worry crossed Bunny's face again. There was another possibility…

"Or he can't get back out." He thumped one foot against the floor nervously. "Without the tunnel, he can't get back out. That place is usually locked tight. Even if we could get in usually, it's way too dangerous. But this close to Halloween? It'd be suicide for us to go." North hummed in agreement.

"Yes. Too dangerous. But! Halloween Night. On Halloween Night many of those monsters won't be in her world. We can sneak in then, and find him before she can hurt him!" Tooth's face broke into a smile,

"Yes! And! Hallow - she's always out on Halloween night, so she won't be around either! We'll have to plan more – Bunny! Your tunnels, we can use them to get in and out!" Tooth flitted from spot to spot, getting excited at the idea of being able to rescue their friend now they had the beginnings of a plan in place.

The group began to plan, unaware of how Jack was carrying a weak and tired Hallow to a couch, letting the poor girl collapse into a tired ball. He sat down next to her with a smile, watching her close her eyes and sigh softly. Within moments, she was sleeping once more. Jack felt a presence next to him and looked to his right.

"Hey, Aedan." Jack whispered, holding a finger to his lips. And looking back down at Hallow. The ghostly figure walked through the end of the couch, turning to watch his little sister with a sad smile. Jack looked from him to Hallow before motioning to the sleeping child. "So…she's pretty something, huh?" Jack said with a laugh. Aedan's mouth quirked up in a smile before he sighed, falling into sadness again.

"Jack…my sister is destroying herself." Jack froze at such blunt words, and found himself trapped as Aedan turned his gaze to him. Even when you could see through the other person, apparently it was still possible for their gaze to pierce you. "Hallow designed and created with world as a safe haven for us. When the Earth was no longer safe, and the world beyond the gate was too cruel, she designed this world. It was so small when she first started. But now it grows and grows with each passing year. She's exhausting herself trying to keep it up. None of us know how much longer she'll manage. The Fae queen demands my Sister's blood, the various packs, tribes and groups scattered through the land demand more space, and even those in Halloweentown want more free will, more freedom." Jack's eyebrows furrowed at the words. He turned his head slowly to Hallow again.

The poor girl looked so small and frail now. She was an old soul trapped inside a young body, and it was clear that if he could, Aedan would have been crying. Jack thought back to everything he had seen her do since he got here…only a few days ago? It felt like forever – but he thought back to the Fae queen quite literally demanding blood. Thought of how there always seemed to be something else to do.

"Time passes so differently here. A few days can be a few months, and sometimes a few months on Earth will be years for us. But it's already October out there, Jack Frost. When she wakes up, there will be no more time to play, and no more time to rest. You'll need to stay out of her way. This is the most important time of the year, and she cannot afford to lose her focus. But…thank you for playing with her. Thank you for giving her a childhood again." Aedan smiled softly at Jack, a fond, pained thing. He Reached out a hand, brushing through Hallow's coppery curls, withdrawing when she shivered. "This will be my last year here. It's time for me to move on now." Aedan said. Jack frowned at the cryptic sentence,

"Move on? To where?"

"To whatever lies behind the door. I've been too afraid before. Too scared of leaving my sister's side. But it's my time now. This year, when the door closes, it's my turn to make my journey. I need to go to what lies at the end of the journey behind the door."

"And what IS at the end?" Jack asked, looking up at Aedan with wide eyes. The iea that someone who had been dead for so long could tell him what happens when you pass over…it was terrifying and amazing all at once. Aedan simply chuckled, beginning to back up through the wall.

"Sorry, Jack Frost. I can't spoil the punchline."

The apple apparently didn't fall far from the cryptic, irritating tree it seems.