NMG: Oh god, what have I done?

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians

NMG: Just . . . read. That's all I can say right now.

It was just an ordinary day in Burgess, school was out for winter break, and Jack Frost sat in his favorite tree at the lake waiting for his best friend and first believer: Jamie Bennett.

Only now, Jamie wasn't a little boy anymore, now he was fourteen and a freshman in high school. But even though this was the point in time Jamie probably should stop believing in the Guardians, he still believed. His friends thought he was being silly or childish, but Jamie didn't care. He knew they were real because one of his best friends was a Guardian.

Jack waited for Jamie and the now seven year old Sophie to come because it was the day Jamie was going to teach Sophie how to ice skate. Jack, of course, wanted to keep an eye out for them to make sure nothing bad happened. Jamie thought he was being silly, but after what happened three hundred years ago, Jack didn't want to take any chances.

Soon enough, the Bennett children had arrived with ice skates in hand. Jack jumped down the tree to greet them.

"Hey, guys," Jack greeted.

"Hey, Jack," Jamie returned.

"Hi Jackie!" Sophie called, using her nickname for him. Jack chuckled and ruffled Sophie's already messy hair.

"Alright, I triple layered the lake so that it doesn't break, but since it's sunny it probably melted a little, so I'll be up in that tree over there watching to make sure nothing happens," Jack explained.

"Got it. Geez, Jack, you sound like a mother hen," Jamie joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny. But seriously, if you aren't careful then you could get hurt."

"We'll be fine, Jack. Thanks."

With that, the Bennetts put on their skates and Jamie began teaching Sophie how to ice skate. Jack sat in the tree branch watching carefully. For a moment, he saw himself teaching his own little sister how to ice skate just like that time three hundred years ago. But this time, he made sure nothing bad happened.

Jamie helped Sophie balance herself and from there, taught her how to skate around the entire lake.

"You're doing great, Sophie!" Jamie commented.

She giggled and looked to Jack and called, "Are you gonna skate too?"

"Nah, I'll just watch. But Jamie's right, you're doing pretty good so far," Jack called out.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

Sophie giggled again and continued skating with her older brother. After about a half an hour, Jack was positive it was safe and drifted into sleep.

A blood curdling scream let out that woke Jack from his peaceful slumber. The winter spirit got his staff ready for danger, but then he looked down at the lake. What he saw both terrified him and broke his heart at the same time.

Sophie was standing on thin, cracking ice and Jamie was at the edge, trying to calm her down.

"Sophie, its okay," Jamie comforted. He took off his ice skates and crept slowly over to Sophie. "I'm right here."

"Jamie, I'm scared!" Sophie cried, tears streaming down her eyes out of the pure fear that the ice may crack and she could fall into the freezing water.

At that moment, Jack froze. He couldn't bring himself to do anything, his mind flashed back to the moment he saw his own sister in the exact same position Sophie was in right now.

"Jack, I'm scared!" she said.

"Don't look down! Don't look down, just look at me. You're gonna be fine. You're not gonna fall in. In fact . . . we're gonna have a little fun instead," he said in an attempt to calm her down.

"No we're not!"

"Would I trick you?" He gave a forced grin to try to keep her calm.

"Yes! You always play tricks!" At that point, his sister's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Well, not this time. I promise, I promise. You're going to be fine. You just . . . you just have to believe in me."

And now, history was repeating itself before his very eyes and he couldn't find the strength to do anything about it. His mind and heart were screaming at him to move and help, but his body wouldn't obey.

"I know, I know," Jamie said in a soothing voice as he continued walking towards her.

He took a couple more steps and accidentally made the ice crack. Both Jamie and Jack flinched at the crack, but Jamie kept going, trying to keep Sophie from freaking out.

"Your gonna be okay. Just don't look down, look at me. I'm not gonna let you fall in. I promise. When have I ever broken promise?" Jamie asked.

Sophie sniffed, but managed to reply in between her sobs, "Never."

"Exactly. Now wipe those tears because I'm not gonna let you fall. In fact, we're gonna have a little fun instead," Jamie said, quoting Jack from when they were up against Pitch.

"How?"

"We're gonna play a game. You just need to believe in me. Like you believe in Jack."

Sophie choked on a sob and nodded.

"Good girl. We're gonna play a new game. We're gonna play pretend. We're gonna pretend that you're the damsel in distress and I'm your knight in shining armor!" Jamie said.

Even with the situation at hand, Sophie found the energy inside her to laugh a little.

"I'll be right back, I'm just getting something that'll help us with the game. Just keep looking at me," Jamie comforted.

He backed up, not taking his eyes off of Sophie. Once he got to the edge, he grabbed a branch that had broken off a tree and walked back to Sophie.

"Okay, now grab onto this," Jamie said. "Pretend it's a rope that your climbing to get out of the tower your evil stepmother trapped you in."

Nervously, Sophie took the edge of the branch.

"That's it. Now I'm going to count to three, just hold on tightly and when I get to three, I'm gonna throw you to the edge, like I'd throw you away from a fire-breathing dragon. Okay?"

She nodded and gripped the branch as tightly as she could.

"One."

Sweat began beading on Jamie's forehead, worry filled up his chest that he may be too late.

"Two."

He shoved that aside. He faced the Boogeyman when he was eleven for crying out loud! If he could do that, then he could save his sister.

"Three!"

Jamie threw Sophie to the thicker, safer ice. She landed on her butt, which was slightly painful, the young girl was very grateful that she wasn't in the icy cold water of the lake. She looked up at her older brother and the two shared a smile. A smile of warmth and love and faith in each other.

But it broke when in a gunshot sound let out and the ice cracked completely.

"JAMIE!" Sophie cried.

Jack snapped out of his trance and flew into action. Jack flew into the water and grabbed Jamie before he could completely submerge into the lake and flew the young adolescent to shore. Jamie coughed up the water he had accidentally swallowed as Jack rubbed the young boy's back.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

Jamie coughed again and responded, "I'll live."

Sophie threw off her skates and ran to Jamie and tackled him, tears pouring down her face.

"What's up, Sophie?" Jamie asked.

"I thought you were going to die, Jamie!" Sophie cried into his soaking wet shirt.

"I'd never leave you like that, I promise."

He hugged her and they stayed that way for a good ten minutes until Sophie cried herself to sleep.

"I'm so sorry, Jamie," Jack said after a moment of silence.

Jamie looked up at his good friend and said, "Why are you apologizing?"

"I should have done something. I just stood there and did nothing . . ."

"Hey, it's okay. You saved me when you could, better late than never." Jack opened his mouth to retort, but Jamie stopped him, "Look, you did what you did and it's better than nothing. I'm just grateful Sophie's alive at the very least."

Jack smiled at Jamie's selflessness. Even after all that, Jamie still believed in his friend.

"I should take Sophie home with me. Thanks for everything, Jack," Jamie said.

"No problem, Jamie," Jack replied.

And thank you, Jamie. For believing in me.

NMG: Kind of a corny ending, but the more tragic, angsty one is coming up tomorrow. I have no idea where this idea came from, but it's been bugging me for some time that I just had to write it down. So here's my attempt at a one-shot. Hope you liked it and don't forget to REVIEW!