Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Re-birthday

Re-birthday

...

To say Jack was confused to see Jamie sitting there in the snow, legs crossed and slightly hunched over between two snow-free tombstones, was an understatement. The winter spirit himself hadn't planned on the impromptu visit, but somehow found he couldn't stay away – not after finally knowing the truth after 300 years.

Jamie hadn't yet noticed his presence, his back still to the winter spirit as he fiddled with what appeared to be a bouquet of hand-picked flowers. He'd really gone for the whole shebang, huh? Strange as it sounded, Jack felt like he was intruding on something explicitly personal. Fighting off the feeling – because honestly, the idea was ridiculous – he made to move over to where the boy was sitting but paused when Jamie's voice reached his ears.

"I guess normally I should say 'I'm sorry for your loss'," he said, his head turned slightly to face the tombstone on the left. "But while I'm sad that you lost him, if you didn't he wouldn't be here now… I guess that's kind of selfish, huh?"

Jamie turned back fully to the tombstone on the right, gently resting the bouquet on the snow before it. "I feel kind of silly for coming," he continued. "I mean, technically you're not dead, right?"

Jack struggled to maintain dominance over his now watering eyes as he watched the scene playing out before him. He liked to think that his family had come to visit his empty grave now and then when they were still alive, but since then the place hadn't received much love; they'd set up a new site and eventually there was no one left who was close enough to the people laid here to rest to bother coming to visit. Heck, he nearly hadn't bothered coming. And yet here was a twelve year old boy 300 years later, sitting in the cold and the snow, talking to a tombstone and the remnants of his sister.

"They say 'happy birthday' on birthdays," Jamie said, pulling Jack from his thoughts. "But I think 'happy death-day' is a little insensitive."

He couldn't watch anymore. Jack's steps were near silent as he closed the distance between them and plonked himself down heavily next to Jamie.

"Jack!" Jamie visibly startled at his sudden appearance, his face flushing in what was probably embarrassment. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," Jack forced himself to reply, thankful that his voice was steady despite the emotional turmoil roiling around inside him. What had he done to deserve this kid?

Jamie was staring at him, trying to be subtle but failing miserably.

"I didn't even know you knew about this place," Jack said quietly when the silence and Jamie's piercing gaze started to become uncomfortable.

"I did some research when I was making my family tree," Jamie explained. "It told me where the… where the gravesite was. I figured to would still be here."

Jack nodded, not trusting his voice. "There's no body, you know," he said after a time. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to say that; maybe it was an attempt to make the situation lighter, but from the look on Jamie's face, he obviously hadn't gotten the point across. "I mean, I'm right here," he gestured to himself, forcing a smile. "So there can't be."

Jamie, appearing slightly flustered, awkwardly grabbed the bouquet and held it out to him. "I… uh, I got these for you."

Jack stared at them for a long moment while Jamie shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. He knew he wasn't alone anymore – that he was part of a family – but right then it felt like the first time all over again. The first time in his long existence that someone had genuinely cared about him. The first time Jamie had seen him. The emotions had become too strong for Jack to properly control anymore but he found he didn't care. The first tears slipped down his cheeks, little frozen beads disappearing into the snow. With only a shaky breath for warning, Jack threw himself at his great, great, great whatever nephew, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy. Jamie, at first stiffening in shock at the sudden movement, returned the embrace. If he noticed the frozen tears dropping onto his coat or the way Jack shook every now and then he said nothing of it.

"Thanks, Jamie," Jack murmured when he finally pulled away. "Really; it means a lot."

Jamie smiled, albeit sadly.

"Why are we sitting here moping like a couple of weeping willows?" Jack jumped up, feeling the need to lighten the mood. Jamie looked at him in mild confusion. "I'm clearly not dead, so there's no point mourning." He extended a hand and pulled Jamie to his feet. Leaning in, he conspiratorially added, "More importantly, it's also my re-birthday."

Jamie's face split into a grin.

"I don't know about you, but I could definitely go for a snowball fight."

"I'll go get the others!" Jamie announced, running off in the general direction of the town. "I think I have enough pocket-money for a cake, too!"

Jack smiled fondly after the boy, giving him a few seconds head-start before letting the wind carry him after him. "Race you!" he called as he shot past.

"Hey, no fair!"