NIGHTMARES
youknowitsmsrae

QS: In which Sophie has re-occurring nightmares, and her brother's favorite Guardians watch out for her.

I: THE FIRST NIGHT

"- oi, well there is lot's of preparation to be made still, don'tcha think there, Jack?"

North was humming to himself softly, rolling his sleeves up high right before he quizzed the Guardian of Fun on his opinion of the matter. There was no instant response, so the jolly man continued to mark off the correct number of toys to be made for the Christmas Eve trip to Florida on a clipboard handed to him by a shivering elf. Santa's wide, wonder-filled eyes, once completing the task, then shifted from the papers, to Mr. Frost, who still had yet to respond to the question.

The hoodied, quite comfortable Guardian sat softly on top of the Globe, twirling around and around and around as he let it move underneath him at a steady pace His posture was quite lanky, very stretched out. He held his staff over his knees, eyes gazing at nothing but his bare feet.

He looked quite bored. Or, North believed, he most likely zoned out for the 3rd time that hour.

North again cleared his throat, eyebrows raising as he began working on another clipboard. When Jack came around to face the buff, Winter Man who still had a question to be answered, Frost shook his head once, smiled awkwardly, popping up from his sat position to stretch high in the air. The blue hood fell off of his starch white hair, to rest on his shoulders.

"Oh, yes." Jack agreed to whatever it was North had asked of him. It made the elder chuckle deep under his breath.

While Jack struggled to pick out what it was that Santa had inquired, he dropped down from the Globe to the somewhat cleared walking area next to North with grace.

"I, uh, I already said I thought red looked better." He mumbled, gently, sneakily tapping an elf with his staff, turning it to ice from the center down. The elf narrowed his eyes, growling something in a language foreign to the Guardian.

Jack just grinned.

"Wrong conversation, Jack-me-boy." North laughed loudly, proudly, clapping a hand on the smaller of the two's shoulder anyways. Jack still grinned, even if he'd got caught not listening. However, his eyes were once more on the Globe, most importantly as the U.S.A. scrolled around in front of them. As always, he looked straight for Jamie, once more relatively relieved when his light was still bright, maybe even brightest.

Jack, though he was ice cold to the touch, felt warmth growing in the pit of his chest. It stretched there, and out, to his finger tips.

It made his grin go softer.

The thought of the boy who believed in him first always made him a kinder face, and person, all together.

North looked over his shoulder to where unconsciously, Jack had stopped his walking, eyes unseeing as he was lost in his thoughts. Shuffling back to him, Santa once more put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Ah, the Globe." North sighed appreciatively, letting himself gaze at it's magnificent beauty.

It was peaceful, watching the beautiful lit up Earth move in a circle around and around again without stop.

One might not believe it, how relaxing it could be, but then again, the Guardians were all about believing, were they not?

The Earth moved hesitantly.

There were lights twinkling in Australia.

Yellow dots growing in London.

In North America, the small brights were almost dancing -

One went out.

"Oi," Both Santa and Jack slowly moved with the Globe now to get a look at where the sudden dimming was a shock, "what was that?" North mused, scratching his chin, fearing the worst: someone had stopped believing. It was always a sad moment when they lost another child to disbelief. It, almost literally, hurt.

Rising up in the air to get a better look in curiosity, Jack hovered smoothly back to the spot where the light should have been. Somewhere high up in the northern part of the U.S. It honestly took him a full, long moment to realize he knew that light, or, at least where it had been.

He knew the light.

"It's Jamie." He shuddered in horror, and before Santa could stop him, even when: "Wait, Frost -", he dove down near a table lined with Snow Globes, snagged onto one, and flew straight out the open window without a second of regret. Throwing it out in front of him, panting in fear that Jamie truly had stopped believing, even if just a second ago, his light was so strong, the magic concealed inside the tumbling object sprung open, and the portal to it's desired destination shimmered to life. Speeding forward, shooting through without a moment to hesitate, he came through the other side, begging the wind to take him home.

Home was where the heart was, and Jack's heart was with his human friend who, as Jack approached the window, was sound asleep in his bed.

Christmas was just around the corner, the season, that is, and burrowed under his sheets, the brunette boy still had on a Santa hat from where he'd worn it throughout the day. Wrapped up in his arms was the Easter Bunny stuffed animal, and next to his head, sitting comfortably on the nightstand, was The Tale of Jack Frost by David Melling. Above his head, Sandy's dream sand was captivating to the sight: he was dreaming of a perfect snow day.

This surely didn't look like a boy who'd just stopped believing.

Coming through the open window slowly, hearing the pattering noise the glass made as frost grew under his finger tips in awe bringing swirls he paid no mind to, Jack raised a salt and pepper eyebrow, subconsciously pulling the hoodie back over his head. He shuffled towards Jamie, eyes on the boy who might still believe. Jack hoped and begged the Man in the Moon he still believed.

What if he didn't?

What would he do then?

He wasn't sure, so once more he sent a prayer to the glowing man in the circle in the sky.

"Jamie," He whispered, gently poking him with the end of his staff, "you okay, buddy?"

It didn't take long for Jamie to awake. Feeling the icy stick poke him in the arm shook him enough to start to seeing what was in front of him through thick, sleep filled eyes.

"Hm, but he is real - what," He mumbled when something poked his arm again, "what," another poke, "what?" He sat up, clearing his eyes with his palms and blinking.

It was none other than Jack Frost who clouded his vision, who had a hopefully broken face, who had eyes searching that the child still remembered.

Jamie scoot back a little at the proximity Jack had taken.

"Jack? What's wrong, did something happen, wha -"

"You can see me." Jack breathed through his teeth, standing up straighter as his greatest fear was shied away from. Relief swam through his entire core, his body slouching, but, just in case: "You can still see me?" He assured that he wasn't hearing things, that Jamie wasn't still just half asleep. That everything was still okay and right as it should be.

Jamie raised an eyebrow in curiosity and a bit of worry as he moved the falling North hat to an upright position on his head.

"Uh, yeah?" He yawned, not really sure what's going on.

"Maybe the Globe was wrong?" Jack muttered to himself, trying to make amends internally on what he saw, but he was brought from his thoughts when for the 3rd time, a rough, large hand was placed softly on his shoulder.

Turning around, there North was, panting just a little bit. He'd come to see Jamie too; everyone had started to care for the Bennett's, but Santa also couldn't let Jack face something as large and terrifying like Jamie not believing, especially without a friend there to help him.

It would be a horrible moment for Jack to face alone.

"The Globe is never wrong." North spoke up, confusing Jack considerably. But it would have to have been; Jamie was still a happy believer, who, now, stood up on the bed, reaching for his flashlight to begin conversation with his friends.

Jack shook his head, giving a sideways grin.

"Nope, sorry for bothering ya, kid." Jack suddenly swept Jamie's feet out from under him with his staff, making the young boy laugh, but pout when he was instructed: "Go back to sleep." The staff pressed against the small child's chest to keep him still when he tried sitting back up for his flashlight.

"But you guys are here now!" He whined, batting the staff away as best as he could with slightly cold fingers. Pulling it back to his side gently, Jack leaned against it, deep grin taking over his expression as Jamie's illuminated face was pleading for them to stay. "I can't sleep!" He groaned, smacking his hands over his eyes as if it would help in someway. Jack just laughed sadly, gazing at the floor when Santa shook his head. They had to be getting back soon, even if the newest Guardian wanted to stay.

"Sorry, kiddo." Jack breathed, shrugging downwards a bit. "In fact...Sandy?"

"Wait, Jack -" Jamie began, but without further ado, a swirling array of yellow patterns skewed in threw the open window, curling around Jamie Bennett without permission. He tried brushing it away, but it in a couple of moments, he was snoring in a very awkward position, a little bit of drool hanging off the side of his face as the Guardians took over his dreams, instead of his reality.

Jack pursed his lips, eyes on the ground again.

"Good night, Jamie." He murmured, and the hand that was rest on his shoulder pat him twice. It was a signal that they had to go.

While North escaped out the way he came, Snow Globe brightly giving him passage back, Jack decided to take a different way back to the Pole. The very, very long way to the Pole, but riding the wind was a good time for him to think, as well as a very calming en devour to his falling chest.

Leaning out the window, beginning to hover away into the higher up air, he almost would have left without a second thought, when a very large thump noise came from a different side of the house. Head perking up just a bit in wonder, eyes narrowing, he bat the hood back down to his neck to listen better. The silence only loomed for a moment, before a small little cry brought him closer to a different window in curiosity.

Peering in, eyes watching, he found none other than Sophie on the floor, most likely rolled off in her dreaming state.

But then it happen, or, in poor Sophie's case, happen once again. The golden, happy warm dream sand turned dark as night. Dark as fear itself, and not for first time that evening. A shadow leered in the other side of the room, somewhat happily braying or enjoying the sight when Sophie shuddered in her sleep.

The too familiar Bunny that had been painting Eggs turned into a mere normal rabbit. Sophie's nose crinkled. The frost melted into water from a window pane, along with cookies made for Santa, straight into a bucket. Then the shadows took over. More disbelieving horrors followed in fast, heated movements, and Sophie struggled to wake up.

It was clear in her 4 year old face she wanted nothing more than to wake up.

Jack grit his teeth in fury, flinging the window open. He couldn't stand another second.

"Pitch!" He whipped the staff straight out in front of him, not afraid to use it either. So he was tormenting poor little Sophie?

It wasn't permitted to anyone, but especially not Sophie.

The shadow in the opposite side of the room shimmered with concentration, but without revealing a true face, form, or purpose, it zoomed, whisked, clanked around the sides of the room, wall to wall, before flinging straight out into the open air. Jack skid to the window sill, might have just taken off too, if Sophie hadn't awoke, and started crying to herself. The noise broke his heart, and watching the shadow disperse into nothing, he blinked.

"It wasn't Jamie." He whispered, slowly moving to look at the little girl who clutched her stuffed animal tightly. "It was Sophie. Her light went out because Pitch was making her believe we weren't real -"

Sophie crawled under her blanket while he mused, lying in a pile on the floor, burring herself deep underneath it's soft, fluffy folds. Her eyes were still brimmed with tears, wide, not ready to fall back into the hands of sleep. In fact, she shook, looking around from shadow to shadow with a terrified expression on her face.

Crouching down next to the blankets that she pulled over her head, Jack outstretched a cold hand to softly touch the top of the sheets.

Had Pitch won?

Did her light still shine?

"Sophie?" He whispered to her kindly, lightly pulling the comforter up. Her wild blonde hair was sticking up, mouth slightly open as she looked exhausted, but seeing who it was trying to be soft and gentle in front of her.

Did she still believe?

"I don't...I don't like him." She mumbled, and for a second, Jack really thought she meant him, and was talking to herself. But she changed his mind by crawling out from under the red and green blankets to half tackle him into a sitting position from his crouch, curling up under his arms like a small kitten. She clung to the cold, even if someone normal might have wanted warmth, but she loved her Guardians, she loved Mr. Frostie, and just needed someone to hold her tiny little frame.

So he did.

"Who don't you like, Sophie?" He muttered, truly caring, in her ear. She sniffed, tiny head hiding under his sleeve.

His teeth ground again at the answer.

"The Boogeyman."