The menacing creatures galloped onward, as they closed in on each other Sandy could sense that these were Jack's Nightmares…they sensed his fears. This shocked him to a certain extent; there were still some things the new Guardian wasn't telling them, he knew that, but still…

Sandy stretched his left hand in front, staff held on the other. He just believed that clutching at the thing could make things better. It was one thing he made sure to do, it was to have faith in the power of others, and it really helped a lot when Pitch got him…the belief of the children had guided him out of that darkness. He hoped to do the same for the white-haired boy trapped under the ice.

Bright golden sand sprayed outward as the first Nightmare came in contact with the Sandman. A set of white, shiny teeth peaked its way through Sandy's victorious smile. The yellow dreamsand spread and swiftly twirled into threads, embracing the lake in a comforting light. The other Nightmares, although initially shocked, continued to charge. He looks down at the creatures with pity holding up a finger in front of his mouth as if silently saying "Shhhh" and then gently pats the head of the first horse. The next thing that happened took the golden guardian by surprise, this time the broken dream burst into a bunch of gold snowflakes, well… an imitation of snowflakes. He wondered what dreams the other Nightmares used to be, there was something Sandy needed to do quickly, and it was to restore all of them.

What was seconds above felt like hours below. Jack was conscious. He could feel himself sinking as the cold water surrounded him. The black sand had shot upward to cover the crack in the ice, shielding the remaining light of hope the moon had to offer. He was alone. And he felt empty.

Jack kept his hands close to his chest, how he felt so powerless without his staff. There he was again, under the ice…scared. History has a habit of repeating itself.

This was where he died. Once.

The mixed emotions from the last day of his old life overwhelmed him. Saving his sister…bringing her skates…hearing her call his name for the last time…the memories brought him joy, pain, and regret.

Everything felt so detailed that day, as if it were only yesterday. The sound of the ice cracking under their feet. His determination to reach out to her when she needed him the most. The calm voice he tried to muster while he panicked on what to do. The last laugh they shared together. At first he was ecstatic over remembering the important memories of his previous life. At least the last thing he did was protect her. He couldn't imagine what happened after he was gone. She must have gotten over his death one day…Jack didn't know whether to feel hurt or relieved when he thought about it. He only hoped that she got to live out her dreams.

At that time when he fell in, all he felt was worry for his sister. Sure, he wasn't the best big brother in the world, but he always wanted to make her laugh…and have fun with her. He'd never get tired of the snowball fights and tricks. He wondered whatever happened after that, after he was revived by the Man in the Moon and learning how to use the staff as a magic amplifier. Did they quickly move on with their lives? Or did they mourn for days? He wasn't sure whether he wanted to know or not.

"…There will always be fear."

He realized that he was being too afraid of what has already happened in the past instead of focusing on what was happening now.

"So what? As long as one child believes…we will be here to fight fear."

Ah, yes…

When their enemy declared that fear would always remain, the immortal knew it was true, and it made him confused. For a while he was at a loss for words, unable to disagree. But North knew just what to say. He smiled at the older Guardian in admiration. After the whole scenario with Pitch settled down, Jack knew what his purpose was and so chose to become a guardian. It was their duty to protect the children of the world, and to spread wonder, hope, dreams, and now…fun.

I'm gonna play snowball with Jamie, and show Sandy how to do surfboard tricks in the air, and definitely check out the toys at the factory…definitely.

Although all that the boy could see was pitch black he made up his mind. He struggled in the water, even if he couldn't see he tried to head upward…or what felt like upward anyway. Suddenly, a faint light started to glow, it felt so warm and gentle as it glowed brighter and reached farther. As its radiance continually pierced through the thick ice, he began to push his way toward it by flapping his arms up and down. At that moment he felt a strong sense tugging at him… calling him.

Jack's eyes brightened has he realized it was Sandy, a determined expression covered his face. The Guardian could sense the feeling of someone believing in him. He felt stronger and confident, ignoring the increasing need for air in his lungs. Being an immortal, he wasn't going to die, but he'd rather not give Sandy the courtesy of fishing him out of the bottom of the lake.

The darkness above being eaten by the light could give anyone hope, but the ice was thick, then thought of getting out the way he came in, the hole he was dragged in through was still there, the nightmare sand actually only covered it to prevent his escape. It only took a while to find, the black sand was all gone when he reached his hand through the gap. Two small hands pulled him up from the water; he gasped the cold air around him, and then repeatedly took deeper breaths. Sandy brought him over to a sturdier layer of ice. The golden guardian looked at him relieved and patted his back while giving his friend a thumbs up, he picked up the boy's staff from the ground (where he had left it for a while) and presented it proudly to its owner. Jack's face seemed to lighten up at the sight of it, he held onto his only possession with both hands. "Thanks, Sandy, I owe you." He breathed out, nearly in a whisper, yet in a genuinely thankful tone. He smiled at his friend. "Thank you for believing in me", his voice was a bit clearer now.

Sandy nodded with a genuine smile. He suddenly remembered to show Jack the reconverted dreams. He conjured up a ball of sand with his hands, much like in a way one would make a snowball, and playfully threw it at the air in front of them, where Jack could see. The ball of sand landed on the ice before them, its particles scattered to simulate the form of two children playing in the snow, throwing rounds at each other and falling over. One child was a small girl while the other was a tall, slim boy. Jack laughed in delight at the sight, the memories flooding into his brain. A small thread of sand floated its way to him, confirming that the dream really was his.

"Think fast!", Jack chuckled as he threw a rather small snowball at his sister.

"Ahahaha!", the young girl with shoulder-length hair laughed as she crossed her arms in front of her face to block the snowball, "Hey, that was a trick!"

"What part of the rules says I can't trick you?", he questioned with a mischievous grin, which was promptly wiped off when a snowball hit his face,"Pffffft!" he sputtered while regaining balance. The short girl covered her mouth, inhaling gasps of laughter. The two siblings were inseparable, although there was an obvious difference in height and age, they looked extremely alike with their brown hair and eyes.

"I wish we could always play like this, Jack."

Sandy went on to show him more dreams from the sand, there were flying geese, baskets of Easter eggs, chipmunks…

Jack was fascinated, these were really, really old dreams from a long time ago.

Out of the corner of their eyes, both guardians noticed in the nick of time, a lone Nightmare charging down at them. Its strong hooves cracked the ice. Jack backed away in shock, clutching his weapon tightly. There was a little bit of hesitance, then he felt a surge of power spread along the wooden stick. Seeing that Jack's staff was finally working in the right hands, Sandy stepped in front.

As it came closer Jack realized what it came for. In his life as a human, he did everything he could to distract others from their fears. But he had his own insecurities and weaknesses too. He was afraid to lose his sister, his family, people he loved. The memory was hazy, but he remembered that back then things weren't as safe as they were now, they were dark times. After his memories were wiped off, the nightmares no longer haunted him. But when he remembered, it was time to face them again.

"You were my very first nightmare…", he breathed out.

Sandy looked over at Jack for a moment, processing what he just said. This thing…was from his past? From before his immortal days? It both saddened and relieved him to know this, that he couldn't protect Jack's dreams when he was a child but he was reassured to know that the current Jack wasn't having any doubts or fears.

The dark creature attacked, Jack sent a bolt of ice its way and Sand lashed his whip at it. It neighed in pain and anger yet sped forward at a faster rate. Both jumped away, not wanting to be crushed. With their confidence back, they could now fight properly. It quickly turned around to ram them again this time sending out a slew of missile-like tendrils ahead. Both guardians had to make an effort to miss every one, it wasn't time to find out what would happen if the stuff hit them, being near the nightmarish sand was frightening enough. It took their combined efforts keep each other safe from the initial attack. Jack wasn't going to let this go on any longer, flying up in the air he shot another blow at the Nightmare, no longer afraid. Now with its complete attention, he swooped downward placing his cold and pale hand on the animal's forehead. "I'm not afraid anymore, it was all in the past," he spoke with the creature seriously, "I'm moving on." Frost and dreamsand began to spread upon the creature, completely covering the mare before it shatters to bright floating particles.

The two guardians smile at each other. Sandy sighs in relief quietly floating over. Jack decided to sit on the ice as he looked up at the falling sand, it was much like how his own snow descended gracefully without a sound. They kept the silence until the last piece had fallen.

"So…uh…what were you here for?", the younger guardian questioned.

Sandy awkwardly averted his gaze, what was he here for again? Oh, right, right…to spend time with him. Sandy patted the boy's shoulder, looked at him really deep, and pointed a finger at him with the other hand.

Jack's eyes widened, "For me…?", his voice was shocked and unbelieving," What'd I do? Is there something I did?"

Sandy shook his head so fast his head may have come off. Instead of trying to portray anything, he made himself a small floating cloud out of his own sand, much like a hand-made cushion, and sat on it comfortably beside Jack. His hand never left its spot on the 300-year-old boy's shoulder.

"Oh," he smiled shyly, scratching the back of his neck. The Sandman made an "ok" sign. He then crafted a miniature horse with his magic sand and raised his shoulders in a questioning gesture.

Jack sighed. "They were…my old fears. You know, back when I was a human?" He looked at Sandy expectantly, hoping that he would understand. The other nodded a mix of worry and relief colored on his expression. "I was scared, to lose everything I had, everyone I loved…", he explained further," I just wanted to have fun." The immortals sat in silence. "But that's over now", Jack stood up stretching his legs, "I promise, I won't let it happen again."

He understood why the Man in the Moon resurrected him, giving him a second chance in life. Granted, it took him hundreds of years to realize his purpose, but here he was now with a new family and a role to spread joy in the hearts and minds of children.

"I'm not afraid anymore," he swung his staff over his shoulder, "I've got you guys."

Sandy floated beside him, smiling proudly as they walked back up to the little town. The two communicated more than words, knowing each other's thoughts although never spoken.

We'll always be here for you.

And we have our last chapter! Sorry for the wait, guys. Tell me what you think, and thank you for all your previous reviews!