Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart Preferences

Jack's Aftermath

Y/N had long since been sent home.

Sent was a light term to use compared to what actually happened. Y/N was stunned, frozen in place as she watched Madeleine throw everything off the table and place the unconscious Jack on it. He was paler than his regular self and his heart churned out black smoke and small embers.

The only thing that snapped her out was the praying she heard from Anna and Luna. She looked at them as if she were lost but she focused on Jack once more. The words got caught in her throat but she managed to spit them out, even if they came out like a choked cry for help. "Can he be fixed, Madeleine", she asked, looking up at they greying woman.

Madeleine's grip on the pliers and tweezers she had in her hands tightened. She looked at Y/N, her eyes were red and brimmed with tears. "Get out", Madeleine spat. She doesn't know what she would've done to Y/N if her son's life wasn't on the line but she knew it wouldn't have been pretty.

Regardless, Y/N heeded Madeleine's sharp warning. She staggered out of the house and trudged back home, her footsteps heavy on the clear snow.

Now, it was time to save Jack.

Jack laid on the table, as cold and pale as the snowflakes outside. The crevice where his heart was for the first 14 years of his life was now empty. The broken clock that was his heart was now a crumble of burnt cogs and wood. There was no definite way to know if he was alive.

Still, Madeleine couldn't just sit and cry. She'd worked so hard to give him a heart and she was more than willing to do it again. The problem was that she told him she couldn't. She had no trouble finding a heart, but she'd have trouble explaining to Jack how he survived. Regardless, there was no time to stop and think. She had a son to save.

...

Minutes later, Jack was back in bed. Madeleine was overjoyed to see her son twitching and coming to. She sighed with relief when she saw his chest rise and fall. It felt like a miracle.

Jack's eyes snapped opened as an unfamiliar ticking woke him from his deep sleep. He was still in his room alive, contrary to what he expected. 'It was all just a horrible dream', Jack thought. He sat up carefully and saw Madeleine standing at the foot of his bed.

She looked so defeated. Crushed, almost.

"Jack?" She approached him carefully and sat at the corner of the bed, keeping her distance.

"Yes, Madeleine?" Jack looked at her, oblivious to her worry. "Is anything the matter?"

Madeleine sighed. "It kills me that you might not remember the events that led you to wake up like this." Her softened eyes grew more and more upset as she recounted the events of the day that nearly led to his death. She realized there was no room for her to be anything but firm. "First, I want to say that it was beyond irresponsible for you to put yourself in harm's way like that. I gave you three rules- three easy rules! For years, you've managed to keep your heart at bay until today and when you broke that one rule, I found you on death's doorstep. Do you know what I'd do if something happened to you?"

Jack was lost. He hadn't the slightest clue as to what she was talking about until he pulled the blanket off of him and his arm brushed against his pale chest. He felt cold metal on his chest instead of the bulky block that was his cuckoo clock heart.

Madeleine noticed the shock in his wide eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what happened. I remember seeing you and Y/N have your little picnic together underneath the dead tree. I assumed nothing of it so I decide to prepare tea for the girls and I. Before I knew it, Y/N came in screaming bloody murder." Madeleine fiddled with the hem of her sleeve when she noticed the small stains of dried blood. "She was carrying you in. Your heart was on fire. The clock was burned to a crisp and the cogs were nearly melted."

Jack never looked away from the golden pocket watch that had found a new home in his chest. He let Madeleine's retelling sit in his mind for a little while before finally looking at her. "Where is Y/N?"

If looks could kill, Jack would've been buried already. "Where is she? Is that really the only thing you think of? Where is the girl that nearly put you in the grave?" Madeleine stood up and shook her head. "I told her to leave. If I had to look at her, I would've done something I probably wouldn't have regretted. Obviously", Madeleine walked to the door. "There were more pressing matters."

"I need to go see her." Jack got out of bed and began putting on his suit from earlier. "If you kicked her out, she's probably assuming the worst right now. I need to show her I'm still alive." He was going to walk out the door when Madeleine stepped in front of him.

"No." She glared at him. "I nearly lost you today. I can't have that happen again. It was a miracle that I managed to get you a new heart. You should be resting and taking care of yourself."

"Taking care of myself? You told me it was impossible for me to get a new heart! The cuckoo clock heart was the one heart I'd have for the rest of my life! How can I believe anything you say?" It was true. If what Madeleine told Jack all those years ago was true, then Jack should've died that day.

Madeleine stepped to the side but grabbed Jack by the arm before he could leave. "Go. I won't stop you but I need you to swear you'll come back. I'll go mad if you don't. If you make it back, I'll explain everything to you."

Jack yanked his arm back from her. He was hurt that he's been lied to for years but he couldn't be too mad at her. He was alive thanks to her, his mother. "I'll be sure to come back."