Jack was used to being alone, to keeping things to himself. Which was why he closed up when the other Guardians tried to get him to talk about himself. He'd looked after himself for 300 years with only the wind for company and he'd managed just fine, so why all of a sudden did he 'need' to open up to people?

"Frostbite? You comin' in or what?"

Jack looked over his shoulder at Bunnymund. Maybe he should go inside. Everyone else was in there.

The wind whirled around him, whipping his clothes and hair and Jack smiled as he heard it whisper to him.

"Come and play. Come with me."

Jack tightened his grip on his staff and grinned at Bunnymund. "Just close the door, Kangaroo."

"What? Where do you think you're going? Hey -!"

Launching himself into the air, Jack felt the wind carry him to his lake, where it dropped him gently onto the ice.

"What's wrong?"

Jack sighed and sat down, drawing patterns into the snow. "It's nothing."

The wind brushed him again, soothing, waiting for him to speak.

"I don't need anyone, I never have. I don't know why they're so interested all of a sudden. I got on alright by myself before."

His hair was ruffled again and Jack smiled. "Well, I had you too. I'll always have you, won't I?"

"Always. Come and play!"

With a laugh, Jack flew through the clouds, spinning and twirling, dancing with his only friend.

…...

"Bunny, where is Jack? He is supposed to be here."

Bunnymund shrugged. "Flew off a few weeks ago. Haven't seen him since."

North looked at Tooth, who looked at her fairies and shook her head.

Sandy raised his hand, waving, and they turned to look at him. Images flashed above his head, then stopped on one.

"Jamie? The kid's with Jamie?"

Sandy nodded at Bunnymund, who tapped his foot on the floor and disappeared.

Sandy made a plane and got in it, waving at Tooth and North cheerfully.

Tooth shrugged. "We may as well go."

North nodded. "I feel he is in trouble."

…...

Jack chuckled as he skated around Jamie. "Come on, Jamie! I know you've skated before!"

Jamie laughed. "Never that fast!"

They skated around each other for a while before Jamie froze. "Jack…"

Jack looked over at Jamie and felt his heart fall. Cracks were spreading out from Jamie's feet. Cracks that Jack wouldn't be able to seal until Jamie was off the ice.

"Jack!"

Quickly, Jack moved to hover over Jamie. "Take my hand! Jamie, take my hand!"

Jamie reached up, the cracks getting bigger every time he moved and Jack begged the wind to carry them both.

"I can't."

Jack felt tears prick his eyes. If he fell, he wouldn't have enough time to seal the cracks and freeze the lake again. Jack knew what he had to do, and he didn't want Jamie to see it.

"Jamie." Jack said calmly. "Hold my staff, and don't let it go. Do you understand?"

Jamie nodded and moved his hand from Jack's to the wood in Jack's other hand. Jack closed his eyes tightly.

The wind realised what Jack was doing and whirled fiercely around Jamie, who hovered over the ice slightly.

"Jack?"

Jack looked into Jamie's eyes. His first believer. His second friend. "Don't let go. Promise me you won't let go of the staff."

"I won't."

Jack smiled. "Take care of him, my friend." he whispered.

"Jack?"

Jack let go.

The ice broke around him, dropping him into the water. Jack heard Jamie's scream echoing in his head as he choked and thrashed. Even though he was immortal, Jack panicked as water filled his lungs. His vision started to cloud and Jack gave up, letting out the last of his air as he closed his eyes.

…...

Bunnymund popped up next to Jamie as Sandy landed next to him. He frowned as he saw Jamie's hand was wrapped tightly around Jack's staff and his face was tear-stained.

"Hey kiddo. Where's Jack?"

Tooth and North arrived as Jamie burst into fresh tears and pointed to the lake. "He made me promise not to let go of the staff and the wind won't let me go back."

The Guardians looked at the lake and felt fear trickle down their backs. Jack was nowhere to be seen and there was a gaping hole in the ice.

"Oh no." Tooth whispered.

Sandy made a question mark appear above his head.

"He let go so the wind would be able to carry me, but he fell in." Jamie sobbed.

Bunnymund blanched and jumped onto the lake, scrabbling to get to the hole. Jumping in, he swam down and cursed in his head as he saw Jack floating near the bottom, his eyes closed and his skin marbled with blue.

Dragging him to the surface, Bunnymund passed Jack to Tooth, who carried him to the shore.

Sandy put his head on Jack's chest and stood up, shaking his head.

"He can't be dead, he's immortal!" Bunnymund frowned.

Sandy made a heart appear above his head then made it disappear.

"No heartbeat?" Tooth fluttered around anxiously.

"Jack's cold, so he has a slower heartbeat." Jamie sniffed. "I fell asleep on him a few times."

Bunnymund and North growled slightly and pressed against Jack chest several times, sighing in relief as the teen coughed up water. Jack drew in a shuddering breath, drawing into himself. He shook violently for a while and the Guardians looked at each other helplessly, before Jack slowly sat up and looked at them.

"Jack!" Jamie launched himself into his friend's arms.

Jack closed his eyes quickly. He clutched at Jamie's shoulders and sobbed jerkily into the boy's jumper.

Jamie drew back and placed Jack's staff in his hands. "The wind needs you."

The Guardians blinked in shock as the wind seemed to scream around them and Jack winced.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry! But would you rather it were Jamie?" the teen glowered at thin air and the wind lessened. "Didn't think so."

Sandy frowned as he saw that Jack was still paler than normal and trembling, his voice hoarse. He poked Jamie, and pointed to Jack. Jamie got the hint and slithered onto Jack's lap.

"Jamie, are you alright?"

"No! No, I'm not!"

Jack sighed as Jamie hid his face in Jack's jumper. "Jamie -"

"You could have died, Jack! Please don't do that again, I can't lose my big brother!"

Eyes widening, Jack hugged Jamie tightly. "You won't lose me, Jamie. I promise."

Sandy smiled and sent both of them to sleep. He pointed to the sleigh and North nodded.

"I will carry them."

…...

Jack opened his eyes and looked down. Jamie was curled against his chest, crying in his sleep.

"Sandy?"

The little golden man popped his head around the door.

"Jamie needs a dream."

Nodding, Sandy waved his hands and Jack smiled as a snowball fight appeared above Jamie's head.

Gently sliding out from underneath Jamie, Jack stumbled slightly as he tried to stand up. His cane was handed to him and he used it to prop himself against a wall. "Is it possible to ache every time you blink?"

Sandy shrugged then slowly dragged Jack to the door.

"No, Sandy, I want to stay with -"

"Jack!"

Jack winced as Bunnymund hugged him roughly. "Kangaroo, get off."

Tooth fluttered back and forth. "Jack, are you alright?"

Jack looked up at her. Baby Tooth was the only fairy with her and suddenly Jack knew that Baby Tooth had lied when Jack asked him if he saw the memories too. The little fairy had seen, and he'd told Tooth.

"He called me a kangaroo. He's fine." Bunnymund frowned, but Jack shook his head and sat down heavily.

Tooth landed on the floor and sat next to him. "Bunny, be quiet. Jack?"

"I was scared." he whispered. "I saw Jamie standing there with all the cracks under his feet, just like her, and I was scared because I couldn't do anything."

The Guardians were silent. They'd wanted Jack to open up to them for so long, they weren't going to let the chance slip away.

"I didn't know what to do. I couldn't do anything to the ice until Jamie was off it, but I couldn't get him and me away without one of us falling."

Baby Tooth chirruped and sat on Jack's knee and Jack gave a wry smile. "You did see, didn't you? When I watched my memories. You saw me save my sister."

Baby Tooth nodded.

Jack laughed, but it quickly turned into a sob. "I didn't want to die, Tooth. Sandy died, but the dreams of children brought him back. If I die, there's nothing to bring me back. I was in the water, the moon wasn't there and I was terrified. I didn't want to die again."

Tooth hugged him comfortingly. "You didn't die, Jack."

"But I did. I was in the water, and I was scared and it was dark and cold but then the moon was there and I wasn't scared anymore. This time the moon wasn't there. I didn't want it to happen again."

North and Sandy looked confused but Bunnymund sucked in a harsh breath as he realised what Jack was talking about.

"You didn't want to drown again."

Jack shook his head. "I'm so stupid."

The Pooka knelt down. "No. No, you're not. You think that the only safe water is frozen water because you drowned before you became Jack Frost. Don't ever call yourself stupid for being afraid of the thing that killed you. Because being afraid of what killed you isn't stupidity, Frostbite. It's common sense."

Jack shook his head, but Bunnymund looked at him sharply. "You saved Jamie, Jack. Even though you were scared, you saved him. That's not stupid."

"Jack?"

Jack looked at the door then opened his arms. Jamie ran into then and snuggled sleepily into Jack. "Learn to swim, Jack. Then you won't be scared of falling in anymore." he said, before falling back to sleep.

Jack looked up at Bunnymund. "Will you teach me?"

Bunnymund was about to say something sarcastic, but looked at Jack properly. All he saw was a child. A scared, lonely child that had no-one but the little boy in his arms and the spirits around him. That's all Jack ever was, Bunnymund thought. That's why he's a good Guardian, that's how he taught us how to spend time with the kids instead of just protecting them. Because he is a kid.

"Yeah." Bunnymund said softly. "Yeah, I'll teach ya."

Jack smiled a small smile then rested his head on Jamie's lightly.

"I'm here."

"I know you're there. You always are."

Sandy touched Jack's head softly. "So are we." he whispered.

Jack's eyes widened at hearing Sandy talk. "I thought you never spoke."

Sandy shrugged. "You needed to hear me say it."

Jack smiled as he looked around at them all. They were all smiling at him, even Jamie was smiling in his sleep.

"Maybe talking to them is a good thing?"

"Maybe it is, my friend. Maybe it is."

A.N. Argh! You know that feeling you get when a fandom just grabs you and ties you to a chair inside it's house? Yeah, I got it. I haven't even seen the film and I'm hooked. And Kit-Kat, I am prepared ti fight you for Jack.