Jack couldn't sleep.

He really couldn't. He'd been lying there on the guest bed for hours, even the moon had gone to bed before he could. He didn't feel tired, but that didn't change the fact that a little shut eye would be more than appreciated after the events of the previous day.

Resigning himself to the fact that no sleep would be found for him today he slumped out of the bed and rolled himself to his bag to grab some clean clothes. He didn't have class today, but that still didn't mean he could just lay about all day. He hadn't heard Pitch leave the basement all night either and figured he might take a chance and try and lure Pitch up the stairs. That whole 'don't even breathe near the door' thing kind constrained his plans a little.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Jack felt better than he'd felt all week. Well better if you count the fact that it took him 20 minutes to find a comfortable temperature that didn't feel like it was going to melt his skin off (Almost as cold as the water could go.), and when he looked into the mirror, someone different stared back at him. Someone pale and blue eyed and frightened. When he stepped back out into the hallway the last thing he'd expected to see was Pitchner Black leaning against the adjacent hall waiting for him.

"Jack, we need to talk." The universal break-up sentence. Only they weren't dating, or even close to it. This was his boss.

"Oh Jesus," Jack groaned in resignation

"You're not firing me are you?" Pitch's eyes widened and then narrowed faster than a blink and he swept towards Jack with the intensity and wildness of a forest fire. Gripping Jack's chin with his hand, he stared deep into his eyes- eyes that had once been brown.

"This isn't about some silly college job anymore, Jack! You're never going to be the same! Never! I've looked through every spell I could get my hands on and even more books on resurrection. I can't fix you." Pitch was breathing hard, and his grip on Jack had tightened even more so. Jack wasn't sure what the big deal was though. Sure he'd never read 98.6 on a thermometer again, and yeah, his eyes are blue now, but he actually kind of thought blue suited him better.

Taking a sharp breath, Jack responded as seriously as he though the situation called for.

"So I'm not fired?" Pitch's eyes dilated and he released his grip on Jack's face as if it burned him. He let out a high, panicked laugh, before throwing his head back and laughing even harder. Jack hadn't been scared before, but now, with Pitch's dark, hollow laughter filling his ears he couldn't help but feel a sliver of fear snake around him.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Pitch had stopped laughing, but a dark smile remained on his face.

"It doesn't just stop here. That rune that you had around your neck, when it broke it formed the rune for water, but magic, magic isn't like anything you've ever encountered, Jack. It's volatile, explosive. One little thing can completely change a spell. Your little rune's magic was effected by the weather. Such a trivial thing, but what is ice other than frozen water? There was protection magic on the neckless, and it was amplified by the resurrection spell, enough to bring you back to life after dying just a few hours ago." He rubbed his eyes tiredly and Jack couldn't seem to understand what this all meant.

"But it brought me back again right? So the magic's all used up?" Jack's voice was more than hopefull and Pitch couldn't help but wince at it.

"I- I studied the staff last night. It seems that when the staff is more than… oh I don't know, maybe 20 feet away from you at the most, your lungs shut down. It mingled with the remaining magic of your pendant and now it's some sort of easy-to-carry oxygen tank."

Jack's breath hitched and his hands were shaking.

"But it's not effecting me now, maybe- maybe it's worn off? Maybe I'll be fine." His voice broke and his lip wobbled.

"You room and the bathroom are directly above the basement, specifically where the staff is being kept. That's nowhere near 20 feet away from you." Jack collapsed. It was so unexpected that Pitch didn't have time to catch him as his knees dropped out from underneath him.

He was shaking uncontrollably, but still managed to ask one more question.

"If I die again… Will I come back?" Pitch frowned.

"The staff is feeding off you as a source now. That mixed with the amulet, with a human life as a power source, the staff will never cease to amplify that protection spell." Pitch kneeled beside Jack, and picked him up off the ground. He'd picked up Jack more times since he'd met him than anyone he'd ever met all combined.

"So I'll never die? I'll just keep coming back to life again and again while everyone I've ever known grows old and dies?" Jack was nearly hysterical and he was clutching Pitch like a lifeline, his legs tightening around Pitch's waist.

"What about growing old too? Will I age or will the protection spell cover that too? What if I age and still don't die. I could last 200 years, would I look 200 or still look like this?" Pitch didn't know. He really didn't and it was killing him. He did this to Jack. Caused him all this pain, ruined his life. Jack would never be able to marry, or have children now. How could anyone be intimate with someone who could freeze you if you held them for too long?

"I'm sorry." He blurted out, unable to stop himself. Jack just cried harder into his shoulder, and Pitch couldn't help but cry too.

AN- About four chapters left now. This is the last short chapter and it really gets down to business next chapter. I've laid out all I can about the staff and his amulet now, Next chapter I bring back North's gang and a new enemy.