Frosted Memories

Wrong

Jack woke with a start. Was it a nightmare he'd had? He couldn't remember what the dream was about, though that was normal, it still confused him.

Although he couldn't remember the dream, it left a feeling of dread and a sense of wrongness within him. Blinking himself into reality, he noticed Tooth was standing next to the bed, leaning over him with a slightly nervous expression.

He stared up at her, something in his mind telling him to ask certain questions. He mouthed words while making hand gestures, but Tooth wasn't good at reading them or reading lips. "S-sweet Tooth-" why did she sound so nervous?

Jack felt that something was wrong. He tried again, but she couldn't understand. He felt like he needed to hurry, he didn't know why but he needed to hurry. So he stood, his wound on his abdomen was nearly fully closed but it flared in a sharp ache.

Jack ignored it and motioned for Tooth to follow him, and after protesting that he should get back in bed and failing, she followed. 'Hurry.' Jack kept thinking. As he made his way down the stairs and reached the livingroom where Dalliah, Bunny and a few of the teens were, he wasted no time.

He began signing frantically at her, desperately trying to get his message across before- and he forgot the rest. He stopped just as he was about to get to the urgent part. Jack stared at the floor, desperately raking his brain to remember what he was trying to say.

He was getting frustrated. He was getting scared. He had finally noticed that this was wrong. He put a hand to his head, his expression becoming scared and panicked.

He looked over at Dalliah's concerned expression, then at Bunny's matching one. Bunny's, however, was also knowing. This confirmed that something was wrong. Jack felt his breathing pick up. Why hasn't anyone said anything?

"Jack?" Jamie's voice came from behind him. Jack turned to Jamie with tears in his eyes. The look on Jack's face shook Jamie to his core. "Hey- what's wrong? Are you okay?" Jamie was getting frightened now too.

He'd watched the scene unfold when he heard Jack hurriedly descend the stairs. Jack looked at Tooth. "Sweet Tooth-" she gave him a look of pity. A look Jack loathed with all of his being.

But the meaning behind the look almost broke him. They knew what was wrong. They all knew. But Jack didn't. He tried to speak, coughing at the pain but put a hand to his throat and coating it in thick frost to dull that pain.

He forced his voice out. "Why am I wrong?" He scrunched his face up in confusion, thats not how he wanted to word it. "Mate-" but Jack cut him off. "I can't remember-" he coughed hard and dry.

"I'm scared-" he shook his head, it was getting even harder to breathe. No one said anything. Tooth looked at him, about to say something but whispered "I'm sorry." But Jack didn't catch it.

He looked from Tooth, to Dalliah, and to Bunny, his eyes pleading and desperate. They all had that look of pity on their faces. Why are they doing this? Why won't they just tell him what is wrong with him? Why is he so wrong?

Jack was so overwhelmed with his thoughts and trying not to go into a panic attack that he didn't hear Jamie trying to calm him down. He looked around the room again- Where's North?

At this, he looked around frantically, panicking more. "Woah woah- hey! Jack what is it? What's wrong??" Jamie was getting scared, he wanted to tell Jack everything so badly.

"D-dad-" he croaked. He hadn't noticed he'd called North that out loud. "Bunny." Came Tooth's voice and Bunny made a tunnel, disappearing into it. Jack's breathing picked up and Jamie grabbed him by his arms, holding him in place.

An image flashed in front of Jack's mind at this. It was North, beaten up and- another image flashed before his eyes. It was of himself in a blind rage attacking Pitch. Jamie's voice came through, "Jack. Stay focused. Deep breaths-" Jack shook his head and jerked his arms away from the teen.

He looked around, everyone seemed to be farther away from him than earlier and Bunny was gone. Where's Bunny? Were they disappearing on him? Or was he missing something?

"Jack look at me!" Jamie raised his voice slightly, making Jack look at him. But once he did, there was a noise behind him, so he turned back around. North was there. He's here. "What is matter?" North looked at Jack with so much worry.

The boy's shoulders shook, trembling with fear, anxiety, and sorrow. And he cried. He cried as he tried to wipe his tears with his hands, only for them to be replaced by more. North scooped the frail boy into his arms with urgency as the sobbing Jack burried his face into the man's furry coat.

"It's okay, son. Do not cry, it's okay." He rubbed the small boy's back comfortingly as he felt his head shake in defiance. "S-something's w-wrong and-" he coughed really hard so North held him tighter.

"T-they know a-and-" he struggled to get his words out, but by now, North knew. He knew what Jack was trying to say. He's trying to tell them that something is wrong with him and he needs help, but no one seems willing to help.

"Jack-" North was about to try and tell him he was worrying over nothing, he was about to lie. He didn't want to lie to Jack, just the though of it broke his heart, but if he didn't lie then-

Screw it. "There is something wrong, and we will help you." He stated. Jack lifted his head to look at North with a stunned and hurt expression. So they did know.

"North what are you doing?!" Tooth practically screeched. "Look at him!" North was starting to yell now. "LOOK AT WHAT THIS IS DOING TO HIM!!" everyone backed away and Jack stared at his father in complete shock.

North never yells like this. "LOOK WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO HIM!!" North's protectiveness over Jack was showing clear as day. North looked back at the boy in his arms.

"Your fight with Pitch made your memories start flooding in." North took a breath, holding Jack closer. "They were coming in too fast and there were too many." North looked down, almost ashamed.

Jack stared at him, tears still falling but slowly. "We had to stop them or else your brain would have been destroyed." Jack's eyes widened in horror. "We agreed not to say anything or bring certain things up, fearing the damn we put in your mind would break." North looked into Jack's eyes.

They looked glossy and hazy, more tears forming in his eyes. "I am so sorry." North's voice faltered. Jack shook his head, "N-no sorry." He mumbled. He understood now.

Even though he understood, he was still angry that no one offered any explination, any help. Not even an 'I'm sorry, we can't tell you right now, but everything is okay.'

Jack burried his face back into North's coat, but before he did, his feartures expressed betrayal. Jack just wanted North to take him away where it was just the two of them for a while.

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Hello Snowflakes,

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Poor Jack, he knows it was all to protect him, but he was so scared. He just wants space at this point, he'll come around and forgive them, don't worry.

*Jack Frost*