Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/4783697. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: M/M Fandom: rise_of_the_guardians, Guardians_of_Childhood_-_Fandom Relationship: Jack_Frost/Pitch_Black Character: Jack_Frost, Pitch_Black, North_-_Character, Bunnymond, Sandman_- Character, tooth_fairy_-_Character Additional Tags: Manipulation, Redemption, Anal, Sex, Blow_Jobs, Rape, Forced_Orgasm Collections: Things_I'll_Reread Stats: Published: 2015-09-12 Chapters: 18/18 Words: 51197 ****** Shadow and Ice ****** by Jettara1 Summary Still reposting fics that were taken down from fanfiction.net What if Pitch won? What if he made Jack his? ***** Chapter 1 ***** Shadow and Ice For the BlackIce fans who asked for Pitch/Jack fic where the Guardians don’t make away with Jack and Pitch gets a happy ending. Also there’s a kink out there were Jack was the last light not Jamie so this is what I came up with. “The staff, Jack.” Those words had unknowingly sealed the fate not only of the Guardians but the frost spirit as well. Pitch saw the determination in Jack’s eyes fade to uncertainty and fear as he stared at the little fairy in the Nightmare King’s clenched hand. Then the boy twirled the staff and handed the butt of it to Pitch. The shade reached for it, his fingers gliding over the ancient wood, tempting to grab the small pale hand instead and simply drag the boy into his realm but then he felt the power of the staff, the way the boy’s very being was tied to it and he wondered just how much of the child’s power was his and how much resided in the stick. So he grasped the staff and took it as Jack let go. He held it aloft, a triumphant look plastered over his smug face. Jack held out his hand for the small tooth fairy, his big blue eyes hopeful. Pitch was tempted to withhold the tiny creature - after all didn’t Jack just say he wanted to be alone? But as he ran his fingers of the wood of the staff another more cruel thought took him. So he deposited the fairy in Jack’s hand and watched as the boy’s eyes lit up as he held her close and she nuzzled into his cheek like a good little pet. The boy wasn’t prepared for what was to happen next. He wasn’t suspecting Pitch to break the staff over his knee or the way his own power suddenly burst from within his chest, exploding with the heat and unimaginable pain. The tiny fairy in his grasp flash froze and fell from his grasp as he staggered back. His pained filled eyes looked from her to Pitch, silently pleading for answers but instead from himself being hit by nightmare sand. The Nightmare King caught him as his legs gave out and hauled his slight form into his arms. The youth passed out as the pain consumed him. Pitch thrilled when the child stilled and his head fell slack against his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jack, I keep my promises,” he said as he admired the boy’s pretty face. With a sick smile he stepped on the frozen mini fairy, crushing her small form. “Your little friend is free.” The shadows wrapped around them, transporting them to his underground palace. The cries and tweets of thousands of other mini-fairies filled the warm, stale air at his return and grew more frantic when they saw Jack’s limp form. Pitch only threw them a cruel smirk as he carried the boy to an empty cage and deposited him inside. He magically locked it and reinforced the nightmares now consuming the boy’s mind. It would not due for Jack to wake up just yet. There was no telling just how much magic the child still contained and Pitch was not about to tempt fate. There were still three Guardians to rid the world of. So leaving a contingent of Fearlings to guard over his prize Pitch left for Santoff Claussen. Now, days later there was only one Believer lift. Only one precious light still somewhere in Burgess. Both Pitch and the remaining Guardians fought to find the Light, Pitch to extinguish it while the Guardians fought to preserve it. So far neither had any luck and Pitch was at a loss. He stood before his iron globe, studying it carefully. He had searched every room or every child in and around the city but the light never changed, never moved for surely if the Guardians had found it they would have whisked him or her away by now. But the light still glowed brightly right there in the world above. It irked him how something so small could hold so much power. Once that light was extinguished the Guardians would be no more and this planet, like so many before it, would be his. It was almost another two days of sending out his dark creatures on futile searches that a thought it him. There were no living child left believing in the Guardians, of that he was certain for he had painstakingly searched every child’s mind and found no trace of even a memory of the Guardians. There was no Hope, Wonder, Dreams or Memories left in any child around the world, only Fear. So whoever the Light was it was not a mortal child. His gaze settled on the cage containing the young winter sprite. Jack was still comatose. Nightmares still held him in an endless slumber. Pitch studied him for a long time. The temperature in the palace was warm, nearly hot to keep the boy lethargic and weak and under his control. He looked more dead than alive. Was this why the Moon wanted the boy as a Guardian? Someone who would forever be trapped between child and adult, and never ever be able to move beyond? Someone who would forever believe in the Guardians with all his heart no matter how much they turned their backs on him? It almost seemed cruel. And knowing the Man in the Moon, very intentional. Jack, it would seem, was created as the Guardians last hope should Pitch come into power. It was a stroke of genius of MiM’s part but the Nightmare King highly doubt the Moon being expected him to discover his little secret before the Guardians. Of course it was only a matter of time before those fools figured it out as well. The question became how to break Jack’s belief in the Guardians? The Big Four had failed the boy more times than any other child on the face of the planet. For 300 years they ignored and shunned the child until MiM named him the next Guardian, and still the boy believed in them. Still the boy all but worshipped them. And while Jack could get angry and lash out at them – there was a long time rivalry between him and the Easter Bunny – he still held hope and faith in them, no matter what happened to him, even if he never received a Christmas present or Easter Eggs or Memories of his past life. Sandy was maybe the only Guardian who every paid attention to him before MiM’s decision. Maybe it was just a matter of twisting his dreams and destroying his vision of the Guardians. Sadly, Jack was just as stubborn asleep as he was awake. Pitch grew frustrated by the little light and his inability to extinguish it. He would glare at Jack’s sleeping form and rage about how no matter what nightmare he created the boy would still hold tight to his faith. In his dreams he made the Guardians cruel, monstrous beings that cared nothing for children and even less for Jack. In his dreams the Guardians beat him, called him names, said he would never be good enough. He drew on Jack’s fears and highlighted them until he thought the boy’s mind might break, for surely he must hate them for their betrayal. Yet still he held onto them. No matter how much he cried or his powers erratically unleashed, freezing the cage and coating the boy in ice. It soon became evident that Jack Frost was much more powerful than Pitch imagined. He paced before the globe, glaring at the now iced cage as he debated what to do. As long as there was still one Believer the Guardians had a chance of defeating him. Just one Believer out of billions could change the tide of the war. He ran a long curved blade over his fingers. Immortals were hard to kill but not impossible. One blow to the child’s heart and it would all be over. Jack Frost would be no more and neither would the Guardians. They would all fade the mere legends and then from memory all together. It would be so easy and over in a matter of moments. Jack wouldn’t even feel a thing – his mind was so deep in layer after layer of nightmares. Yet Pitch found himself hesitant. There was something about Jack that called to him. The child was lonely, much like Pitch. He was lonely and afraid and in need of someone. Those things called to Pitch. Three centuries was a long time for one so young to be alone. Pitch had suffered much longer but he was older and had the Fearlings and Shadow Men for company, albeit not the most suitable of companions, but the boy had had nothing in comparison. Perhaps that was the way to break his faith. Maybe if he gave the boy something the Guardians out right refused Jack would see things his way. 300 years was a long time to not be held or touched or loved. 300 years was a long time to be denied a chance to grow up and experience the joys of life. After all, wasn’t that one of the reasons he took such an interest in the boy to begin with? He never would have taken an interest in the boy had he not stood up to him and proved his power and bravery. There were few who defied him – other than the Guardians – and for one so young to stand up to the Nightmare King as Jack did made primal urges fill Pitch. It was not hate or disgust or even the need to over power. It was the need for partner who could potentially be his equal. Jack was young but held a lot of promise. The shadows extracted Jack from his icy prison and gently deposited him in Pitch’s room. The nightmares left his mind and for the first time in days he no longer whimpered and his mind relaxed as the ice melted off him to soak the soft bed and silk sheets. Hours later he finally moved. Pitch watched him with great interest. He had watched the boy a number of times in the past but never with such interest. It was not uncommon for elementals to be young, they were the most wild spirits around the world, but Jack was different. His power radiated from him. It made his pale skin glow like freshly fallen now even in the darkness. Funny how he never noticed just how beautiful Jack was until the boy defied him, until he witnessed Jack’s power. It had nothing to do with that silly staff, it was just a conduit to help him focus and channel the power within him. In time he would learn to control it on his own. But that would be quite some time from now. Pitch would train him, as soon as the boy was completely his. Jack shifted in his sleep and moaned ever so softly. He stretched his legs and rolled onto his back, not waking but finally being able to stretch out after days of being trapped in the cage. Pitch’s gaze traveled from the boy’s bare feet up his long, thin legs and tattered deerskin pants, his narrow hips and lightly sunken belly and pale flesh that was revealed under the raised hoodie that was bunched midway up his torso. It then continued past the wet article of clothing to the pretty face that was far too feminine for his own good. His thin lips were pouty and demanding to be ravished or maybe have something long and thick pushed between them. Pitch hum appreciatively at the thought as a long forgotten heat pooled in his groin. He had been so long since he had a lover. It took great willpower not to simply strip the boy and make him his right then and there. No, he wanted a partner, an equal, not some toy. If he moved to quickly he would damage the boy and while that may break his faith and belief in the Guardians it would take far too long to make him reliant on him. So he ignored his arousal as he knelt between the sprite’s legs and undid his and ties to his trousers. He slow lowered them, just enough to fish out the boy’s small limp penis and see the silky white of his pubic hair which was just as baby soft as the hair on his head. Jack mumbled in his sleep but didn’t waken. Pitch lowered the pants just a little more to reveal his balls. “Beautiful,” Pitch hummed, admiring the boy’s manhood. Not that of a full grown man but more than delectable for his tastes and still so creamy pale. He gently took the penis in his hand and ever so gently peeled back the foreskin the reveal the head. He gave the length a few gently pumps and pulls, smiling with Jack’s breathing grew a little more rapid. Then, keeping his eyes on Jack’s sleeping face, he licked the little slit and then wiggled the tip of his tongue in just a little. Jack gasped but stayed asleep. Pitch chuckled as the boy’s cock grew hard. He took it in his mouth, giving it a little suck before sliding down to the base and taking the ball sack in as well. Jack jerked under him but his eyes stayed close. Holding the boy’s hips down he had a large shadow man hold down the boy’s shoulders and then, never taking his gaze from Jack’s face, he began to lick and suck his length, enjoying the way it swelled in his mouth. He swallowed it back until it was deep in his throat and sucked harder as the boy began to fidget and move, moaning and sobbing at sensations Pitch was sure he never felt before. Frost spread from clenched fingers as Jack grasped the sheets beneath him. “Huh…ngh…what…” he mumbled, eyes opening. He didn’t seem to notice the shadow holding him down as he gazed down his body and into the golden eye of the face staring up at him from his groin. His stomach knotted at the strange and undeniable pleasure coming from there. He saw Pitch’s mouth on his penis and his eyes widened. Then his head fell back as the Nightmare King began bobbing his head. “Stop!” Pitch chuckled and did the exact opposite. He sucked hard, bobbing his head as he pressed a hand on Jack’s belly and slip the other under the hoodie to tweak one of the boy’s budding nipples. The shadow kept him from thrashing about as Pitch brought him to his first ever orgasm, not once but twice until the boy was boneless and mind numb with confusion. Then Pitch tucked the boy’s now very soft and sensitive penis and balls back into his pants and did them up as the shadow let Jack go. Draping himself over his soon to be more than willing lover – Jack just didn’t know it yet – he kissed the boy’s lips. “Welcome to your new home,” he purred, nipping his nose and making sure to grind his hips just a little into the sprite’s. “Did you enjoy my gift to you?” Jack stared at him with wide frightened eyes. “What did you…why?” He started pushing at Pitch, trying to escape. “Get off me you freak! Leave me alone!” Pitch frowned in mounting anger. “Fine, suffer in your cage.” With a wave of his hand he had the shadows take the boy back to his cage as he dealt with his own burning arousal. Patience, he told himself as he leaned back on his bed and fantasied about all the things he would teach Jack. Yes, the boy was being foolishly stubborn and the desire to simply strip him down and fuck him until he submitted was strong but he would keep himself in check. He had all of eternity to make Jack his and soon Jack would be the one between his legs and sucking on his cock. He came imagining that mass of white hair bobbing up and down on his length and sucking deep and hard. Soon, Jack Frost would make the perfect companion. ***** Chapter 2 ***** Shadow and Ice 2 The second time Pitch tasted Jack was only a day later. The boy, who had never experienced such pleasures and was thoroughly confused by what he awoke to the day before, and was not expecting it to happen again. He was sitting in his cage watching in horror as one by one the mini fairies succumbed to the loss of the Tooth fairy’s magic. They were starting to disappear. He never noticed the shadows wrap around him until it was too late and he had been transported to Pitch’s bed. Too shocked and confused he didn’t put up a fight when the shade knelt between his legs and opened his pants. He didn’t understand until his length was taken in his enemy’s mouth and sucked and licked like some exotic treat. Jack screamed beautifully when he came, his seed filling Pitch’s mouth with icy wonder. But again the boy vowed never to submit and the Guardians would find him and again Pitch sent him back to his cage. The third time was much more entertaining. While still watching the little fairies vanished with increasing horror, Jack was also keep an eye on the shadows around him at all times. When they came for him he tried to back away, to push himself against the bars as if he might somehow escaped them. This time when they took him it was kicking and screaming. When he appeared once more on the bed with Pitch moving to enjoy his new favorite treat the boy had landed a firm kick to the shade’s gut and solid punch to his face. Needless to say Pitch was not amused. The boy wanted to play rough then he could too. It took great restraint to not strip the sprite and simply screw him into submission - although the idea of the boy’s beautiful voice screaming as his prostrate was rammed into over and over again did dance through his mind and made him impossible hard with desire. No, Pitch had a much better idea that was sure to fulfill his most erotic dreams until the boy was ready. The shadows held Jack down as Pitch undid his pants and as before pulled out the length and balls but this time they were only for display. Rather than go down on him as he oh so badly wanted, he pulled the pants down just a little more, just below his hips. The boy yelled and pleaded, begged Pitch not to touch him again and so the Nightmare King didn’t. Instead a shadow slipped inside his pants and Pitch allowed his mind to join its. This way he didn’t need to physically take Jack to feel the immense tightness of his anus. He was not about to take the boy virginity just yet – Jack would beg for that when the time finally came – this was just a little tease of what was to come if Jack only submitted to his will. Jack’s reaction was immediate. His arched as the shadow tickled his rear but rather than a large cock forcing its way into that oh so tight ring of muscle a tiny string of shadow slipped through without causing harm. It pooled into his rectum, growing larger until it filled him and pressed into his tight walls. To Pitch it felt as if his hard cock was surrounded by the boy’s sweet little rear. It was like his walls hugged him and he moaned at the delicious feelings. Jack on the other hand was panicking. His eyes were tightly closed as he tried to push the foreign object out of him. “Get it out!” he cried, thrashing under the other shadows. “Damn it, Pitch, whatever that is get it out!” He chuckled and spared the boy a chastised kiss. “Oh Jack, you’re about to be very happy it’s there.” The boy went to argue but then the shadow moved inside him and went against his prostrate. Whatever he was about to say was overshadowed by a surprised gasp as his eyes grew impossibly wide. His body practically froze to the bed. He opened his mouth again to speak and again the shadow cock hit his sweet spot. While on the outside no one would guess what was happening, not yet at least, the shadow man began moving in earnest, Pitch’s mind guiding it. Together they plunder that tight hole as the other shadows began caressing Jack. The sprite cried and whimpered, begged and bucked his hips in time with the cock gently pounding his insides. “Like that, Jack?” Pitch purred, running his tongue over Jack’s thin lips. He gently teased the boy’s hard erection and squeezed his balls in time with the shadow inside him. “Ngh…no! Please stop…ngh!” Jack begged. He fought so hard, Pitch couldn’t help but admire him. Of course it was fruitless, in the end Pitch would win but Jack’s defiance was quite beautiful. It would just make his surrender all that much sweeter. Lowering his head to Jack’s groin and took his erection in his mouth and began sucking good and hard. The boy screamed and thrashed about at the dual sensations. Pitch pulled and squeezed his balls and the screams took a higher pitch. The shadows beings caressing him attacked every sensitive area on him and for a touch starved hormonal teen that was just about everywhere, especially his pebbled nipples, shell of his ears and behind his left knee. When all attacked at once the boy became a quivering mess consumed by sensation and his toes curled as he tried to fight against it. His voice gave out when he came, his seed shooting in an endless stream down Pitch’s throat that the shade hungrily drank. When he lifted his end and the shadows lowered Jack back to the bed he was pleasantly surprised to see Jack had passed. His mouth hung slightly open and hands curled into loose fists next to his head. His hoodie was still push up under his arms to reveal a thin layer of sweat and frost over his narrow chest and belly. And best of all his hair had that sexy bed head look. Jack Frost was going to make the most beautiful partner. Pitch gently rolled the boy onto his side then carefully pulled the deerskin pants a little lower to reveal the firm globes of the boy’s wonderfully ass. The shadow was still firmly inside and without any real thought he had it fuck the boy again and let his mind join it once more as he extracted his own hard erection from his pants. He didn’t enter the boy that night, not physically at least, but with the shadow being he thoroughly shagged him as he stroked himself. When Jack’s muscles tightened around the shadow Pitch would grip his own length tightly. He thrust into his hand in sync with the shadow in Jack. The boy’s seed soon cover satin sheets and Pitch’s covered the boy’s back and rear. Seeing Jack covered in his seed only caused him to go more round before allowing the shadows beings to clean them. The shadow in Jack’s tight hole remained as a reminded of things to come, although Jack didn’t need to know that little detail just yet. The sprite was returned to his cage none the wiser. The fourth time Pitch had planned to leave the boy in his cage and simply let the shadow screw him and maybe deny him release until he begged for Pitch’s touch. His plan was all set and he was strolling toward the cage in a pleasant mood and raging hard – he really wanted to bribe his little sprite into touching him today, maybe coax him into placing that deliciously cold mouth on him – when he saw a flash of grey and white run over one of the bridges and leap toward the cages. It surprised him just how small it was and it took several moments for him to remember why the being was so small. A small annoyed growl escaped him as he followed the creature. A tiny grey and white rabbit with the unmistakable tattoos of the Brotherhood of the Pookas jumped from one cage to the next, opening doors and trying to revive the few remaining fairies with no luck. How he had found his way to Pitch’s palace the shade did not know nor care. Obviously the remaining Guardians had figured out where the last light was. His eyes narrowed as the diminutive Bunnymund neared Jack’s cage. He was not about to let the Guardian make away with his prize. . . . Bunny was shocked when he saw Jack in one of the ancient lead cages. The boy was leaning against the bars, his knees to his chest and a lost and confused look marring his usually happy face. The Pooka did a quick glance around before leaping toward the cage. He had just about every cage hanging from the ceiling, all the prison cells he could find and every room with a door he could push open with no luck of discovering the last light. The child had to be around the palace somewhere. If Jack was here perhaps he knew. He firmly ignored the nagging feeling that twisted his gut. They had searched the globe for the last light but the Globe of Belief still signaled the child to be somewhere in Burgess which left only Pitch’s lair and after finding no child but Jack Frost he was almost sure it was Jack he was looking for. That made his stomach twist in guilt. Jack was in this situation because he couldn’t keep his anger in check after his Easter was ruined. His now tiny paws stretched out in mid-leap and he managed to slip through the bars with ease. His landing was a little off and rather than gracefully landing on all fours he belly flopped. Oh how he missed being his full size. As this small ball of fur he could barely do anything. He was almost defenseless. A yelp of surprise escaped him as cold hands suddenly wrapped around his middle and he was lifted up to face a very surprised and curious winter sprite. Jack studied the bunny with interest. “Now where did you come from?” he asked, depositing the bunny on his lap and scratching just behind his ear. Bunny couldn’t help it, rabbit instinct took over and he leaned into the touch, one leg thumping against Jack’s as he purred. Wow…that felt unbelievably good. Why did that feel so good? Tooth had scratched behind his ears many times when he was in his full form but it never felt this good. “I’m sort of surprised the Nightmares haven’t tried eating you. Maybe Pitch is used to having rabbits visit considering were somewhere underground,” Jack was saying, a soft smile tugging his lips, a vast contrast to his red and puffy eyes. “Wish I had a carrot to give you but sadly I’m kind of stuck in this cage and I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for a kitchen around here.” “It’s okay, Frosty, just keep scratching like that we’ll be all good, mate.” He yelped when he suddenly tumbled off Jack’s lap as the boy jumped away from him and pushed himself more firmly against the bars in suddenly fright. It took a moment for Bunny to right himself and Jack to recover from his shock before either spoke. Jack got down on his knees and stared at the diminutive size Easter Bunny with surprise. “Bunny?” he asked in disbelief. “Is that you?” “Aye,” the bunny said sadly. “It’s me, Jack.” “What happened?” Bunny glanced up at the boy, silently wishing he’d pick him up again and scratch behind his ear. It felt good, the best he felt since being trapped in this tiny form. “All our Believers are gone but one. I was forced to take this form to conserve energy.” “I didn’t know you could change forms.” He nodded. “It’s a Pooka thing.” “Oh.” This time Jack did pick him up but only placed him on this lap so they could be a little closer in height to speak. “So, how did you find me?” The tiny bunny looked up at him in surprise and then his ears pressed firmly against his head as shame crossed his face. “I was looking for the Last Light,” he said just above a whisper. Jack stared at him in confusion. “There’s no children here, just me. Wait…you didn’t come here to find me you came for the Light? I just happened to be here?” His eyes closed and tears shimmered on his long lashes as he pushed the rabbit away. “You didn’t come here to save me just the Light.” Tiny paws touched his knee. “Jack, you are the Light,” the Pooka explained. “I’m the Light?” The boy didn’t look up but his shoulders shook with sobs. “But you didn’t know that, did you? Neither did I, but that doesn’t matter, does it? You don’t care about me, you just want to keep the Light for going out.” “Jack…” “Go away.” “Jack, please…I’m sorry. I never should have yelled at you,” he said, trying to climb back in the child’s lap. “I was a fool. Snowflake, please…look at me.” “I said go away! Leave me alone!” He shoved the bunny away and when Bunny resisted he glared at him with such hatred the small animal cowered. “There’s no such thing as the Easter Bunny!” Jack yelled before striking out with his foot. His eyes widened in panic as Bunny tumbled out of the cage and hit the ground below with a muffled thud. He rushed to the bars but could not see the animal in all the darkness. Ashamed he curled in on himself. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed softly. “I didn’t mean it.” But something deep inside him broke and through his sorrow a tiny spark of hatred ignited. Hatred for being left behind, hatred for never being wanted until suddenly after 300 years of isolation he was suddenly needed and hatred for letting it hurt so much. This time it wasn’t the shadows that came to gather him. There were no whispering shadows to wrap around him but strong warm arms that gently pulled his head against a firm chest where he could hear a strong heartbeat. Long fingers stroked his hair. “Selfish little beast,” Pitch purred in his ear. “H had not a care in the world for what might have happened to you only finding his precious last Believer. Do you think if he had known you were one of those little lights that he might have treated you different?” He gave a gentle squeeze. “The Guardians care for no one but themselves, Jack. They only want to find the Last Light to save themselves. Do you understand now? Children’s belief in them is what gives them power without it they’ll be just like the rest of us lowly spirits.” Jack nodded, pressing his face into the shade’s chest. Pitch was right. The Guardians didn’t care about him. They hadn’t bothered searching for him, they were more interested in keeping the last light from extinguishing. But now that light was beginning to flicker and Jack wasn’t even sure if they were worth believing in anymore. Pitch smiled triumphantly in Jack’s hair as the shadows took them to his room. That night Jack didn’t fight when Pitch knelt between his legs. He didn’t quite submit either. He wobbled on the fence, his mind muddled and confused, and his heart full of sorrow. “Forget them, Jack,” Pitch whispered against his lips as he gave bent to give him a kiss, a real kiss this time. Jack hesitated but after a little coaxing he opened his mouth and shyly returned the kiss. He mewed as Pitch flicked his tongue over the inside of his mouth and challenged his tongue in a war of dominance which the shade easily won. This time Pitch did away with the hoodie and adorned Jack’s pale flesh with kisses and hickies, taking full advantage of just how touch starved he boy was. The sprite arched into kisses and gasped when teeth grazed over his nipples. Pitch still took his time, fearful that the wrong move might undo all his hard work. He gently suckled dusky nipples and licked a trail of freckles that covered narrow pale shoulders. He nuzzled ribs and nipped his soft belly. He made note to have more food brought to the boy. Up until now Jack had refused to so much as look at any food presented to him, but that would now change, one way or another. Spirit or not, the boy needed to eat even if only a little. He was far too tiny. A soft moan came from Jack as his pants were opened and tug down so that they rested under his rear. “Tell me what you want, Jack,” Pitch said softly. It was still too soon to take his virginity, the boy might try to run but it was the perfect time to move things to the next step. “I…I don’t know,” he confessed and his wide eyes looked so adorable that it was sinful. He closed his eyes and hummed softly as the shadow still inside him began to move and stroked those special little places hidden in tight muscle. Pitch moaned as he felt what the shadow felt and wanted so much for it to be his cock filling Jack tight heat – it seemed to be the only place the youth had any warmth. “Like that, angel?” Jack blinked through the immense pleasure at the endearment. No one had ever called him an angel. “Yes…” he moaned softly, pushing his hips against Pitch’s. “Do you like when I suck your dick?” The shadow twisted inside Jack causing the boy cry out. “Yes! God, yes!” Pitch chuckled darkly. “Do you want me to do it again?” Jack nodded, his head bobbing up and down. “Please.” The sprite’s erection was hard, his balls low and swollen. But rather than simply take that beautiful length in his mouth right away Pitch began to lick and kiss it. “I want you to watch, Jack. Keep your eyes on mine at all times.” “Okay,” Jack said, leaning on his elbows to watch but another twist from the shadow in him had him crashing back down and Pitch laughing. “How can I watch if I can’t keep myself up?” “Improvise.” The shade lathered up two of his fingers with his own saliva and slipped them between Jack’s thighs. “Improvise?” He gasped as the shadow pushed down, as if trying to force its way out as something circled the ring of his anus and pushed in. “Oh God! What are you doing? Oh! Ngh…Pitch!” Rather than answer Pitch went down on him as he worked his fingers into Jack. The shadow pushing him open made the process easier and much faster and soon he was fingering Jack in earnest. He stretched tight muscles until he could fit three fingers in. He thrust them in and out of Jack, mimicking the movements his cock will make when he finally entered him. He tickled and torment Jack’s prostrate as he sucked his youthful cock, not once breaking eye contact with the boy as he trashed about in pleasure. And, just because he loved Jack’s scream, he stabbed that bundle of nerves hard with the tips of his fingers as he scrapped his teeth along the underside of his erection and sucked hard. Jack screamed, his hips bucking as his cum filled Pitch’s mouth. Swallowing, Pitch let his deflated cock fall out of his mouth with a little pop and one last lick that sent a shiver through Jack. He slowly crawled up the length of the sprite’s body like some large black cat until they were face to face once more. He brought his lips to Jack’s, letting him taste cum and to his delight the boy took it. He licked Pitch’s lips and drank from his mouth and while the kiss was sloppy and Jack’s movements unsure there was a growing passion in the boy as the realization sat in. Pitch could give him what the Guardians refused him. Pitch would make him feel alive again. ***** Chapter 3 ***** Shadow and Ice 3 Pitch took much pleasure in watching Jack sleep and even more so in created such wonder nightmares of the Guardians for him. Jack’s soft moans and the way his hands curled into fists as the horrid dreams took hold of him sounded very much like he was in the throes of passion rather than fear. It made Pitch hard with want and he had to continuously remind himself that the sprite wasn’t ready for him just yet. Soon, soon he would make Jack his. Just a little longer. He didn’t want Jack associating sex with fear. But his own need was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Gently, he pulled Jack into arms, turning him so that they’re facing each other. He tilted Jack’s face so could watch the emotions that raced over his face. He was tempted to erase that fear from Jack and replace it with desire, to change the nightmare into an erotic dream – it wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough fear from the children of the world that he couldn’t spare Jack but he wanted that light to go out. He wanted Jack to forget all about the Guardians and if he could not do that he wanted Jack to hate and fear them so that he would never be tempted to join them. Wrapping one arm around the boy’s waist he held him close. He adjusted one of Jack’s legs over his, wanting his thigh to brush his erection and a hand low on his stomach so close to the tip of his erection that a quarter inch more and the boy be touching it. He wanted Jack to touch him, wanted Jack to be the one to jerk him off this time, but Pitch could wait. If there was one thing he was good at it was waiting. He twisted Jack’s dreams, made the boy gasp and moan and cling to him as he began pumping his length. He imagined Jack’s hand on him, pumping and squeezing him. He kissed Jack’s lips as he started pumping harder. Close, so close. He buried his face the boy’s hair and he turned his hips to him and squeezed his erection and with possessive growl came all over Jack’s stomach. “Mine,” he murmured in Jack’s hair as he pulled the boy closer to him and allowed himself to sleep to the music of his soft moans of the nightmares plaguing his mind. “You’re mine now, Jack.” Never again would Jack sleep in a cage. . . . His foot was broken, Bunny was sure of it. He struggled to get up but everything hurt. He whined, his ears pressed back as he stared in fear at the Nightmare the bent its head to sniff him. He closed his eyes, expecting the dark sand creature to finish him off, maybe crush him under its hoof. But his pain was so great he couldn’t even cruel into a ball to protective himself. He had nothing left, no way to save himself. He should have listened to North, he should have waited for the others. But they needed that last Light…they needed Jack. His heart broke to think of how awful he was to the kid. Yeah, Jack was a royal pain in the ass and seemed to enjoy bugging him but the ankle bitter was still just a kid. He should have known the child was one of the Lights. He should have been a better Guardian and protected him. Now all was lost. The Nightmare prodded his head with her snot, her hot breath ruffling his fur. He didn’t move, just let her sniff him until sudden she grabbed him by the tail and lifted him up. “Hey, put me down, ya gumby!” he yelled, kicking at her with his good foot. He yelped when teeth tightened and she snorted at him. “Alright, alright!” Falling silent he hung limply from her jaws and soon enough he was deposited in one of the tiny cages that had held Tooth’s fairies. Very few were left now and those that remained twittered when they saw him and nuzzled against his fur. Never had Bunny been so happy to see the little nuisances and he happily let them swoon over him and tend to his injuries. Although he was a little baffled as to why the ‘Mare would place him where help was waiting but he wouldn’t complain. . . . Jack fought the urge to jump when he awoke in Pitch’s bed with the Nightmare King watching over him. For a moment fear held him and all he could do was stare at him. Then Pitch smiled fondly at him and stroked his cheek and he relaxed. It wasn’t some strange dream. He was in the Nightmare King’s palace. They were…doing stuff. He gave a little nervous laugh and stretched out on the bed. A real bed! He never slept in a real bed before. Well that wasn’t true, he slept on one at a dump once or a mattress at least, and there was the old attic that had a dusty old bed that he had curled up on when a heat wave hit Vancouver early one March. Spring had decided it was time to shoo him away and nearly put him in a coma in the process. He never really got to enjoy it though, he was too weak and the attic was only slightly cooler than the outside and the dust kept making him sneeze. But this…this was nice. He could get used to this. “Making yourself at home?” Pitch asked, running his knuckles down the side of his cheek and along his neck. With a hum, Jack nodded. “You’re first bed?” “Yeah.” Pitch’s smile grew. “It’s yours as long as you want it.” Then he tilted his head to the right. “There’s also a few to choice from down the hall if you wish.” There was a slight hint of don’t you dare leave me in his words. They were barely noticeable but the look in his golden eyes reminded Jack or the loneliness and hurt he had seen in Pitch’s eyes back at the Antarctic. Smiling sweetly he reached up for the Bogeyman and pulled him down for a hug, sure that it was something Pitch desired as much as he did and was too afraid to ask for. “I’m good with this one.” Pitch froze in surprise, unused to such affection but he relaxed quickly and embraced the boy tightly. He should never have waited so long to take the boy. He should never have waited so long. Nuzzling Jack’s cheek he pulled him onto his lap and let him feel just how happy he was by his decision. His length was hard once more but he choose to ignore it when his hands settled on Jack’s far too narrow waist. “Let’s go find some breakfast,” he said, kissing the boy’s forehead and then his nose. “Then perhaps a bath.” Jack laughed softly, noticing just how sticky they both were. “I’d like that.” The clothes Jack had been wearing, most well over 300 years old, were declared inappropriate for him. Pitch’s honey coated voice easily convinced him to leave them as the older man wrapped him in an oversize cloak. It hung over one shoulder no matter how many times Jack tried to adjust it and the hem trailed behind several feet, the opening just above his knees to keep him from tripping. Despite the clothing Jack felt naked without proper pants but let it go with the promise of a bath. Pitch gave him an appraising look as he fiddled with Jack’s matted hair. It needed a good wash and comb through. He was almost afraid to see just how many knots he would find once he got started on it. Jack was anxious and fidgety but he stayed still and let him fuss over him even through it was obvious he didn’t like the attention, at least not the way it was pulled. Noticing this Pitch stopped and wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he led the sprite to the kitchen – well transported him there. The kitchen was brighter than the bedroom and it took Jack several minutes before his eyes adjusted enough to the sudden brightness. Pitch guided him to a chair and made sure he was seated before he went about making them something to eat. Jack was a little taken back by the Nightmare King doing something so…ordinary. Soon the table had two plates loaded with scrambled eggs and bacon with toast. There was a bowl of fruit and glasses of juice and milk. Jack blinked. There was so much food, more than the two of them could possibly eat. “Are there other people coming to eat?” he asked uncertainly. Pitch gave him a confused look as he sat down and placed two fine china cups filled with dark tea on the table. “No, why?” Jack bit his lower lip, staring at all the food. “That’s a lot of food.” He looked even more confused as he sat down. For a moment or two there was silence and then understanding seemed to dawn on Pitch’s face as Jack fiddled with the fork and poking at the eggs. For the longest time the boy just stared at the food, poking and moving it on the plate but not taking a bite even as Pitch ate as he chewed his lower lip. Then, glancing at the shade, he took the tiniest of bites. A small smile lifted his lips and he ate a little more but not nearly as much as he should and it left the shade wondering just how much food the boy those 300 years alone. He tried to encourage Jack to eat more but the boy seemed full. It wasn’t until he took Jack to the natural spring deep in the palace that he discovered the boy had hid some fruit in the cloak, as if squirreling food – as if he were afraid it wouldn’t last or that he might be sent back to the cage. Pitch was tempted to reprimand him but thought better of it. Lord only knew when the last time the boy had food let alone a meal. Leaving their clothes on the side of the spring, Pitch stepped down into the warm water and waited for Jack. The boy was hesitant, staring at the water with unbridled fear. A quick scan of his mind and fear showed no basis for it. Perhaps it was due to one of the memories stilled locked in his baby teeth. Pitch had taken the memory box back but perhaps now was a good time to let Jack see them – some of them. He was sure he knew the reason. He had been there that night over 300 years ago. He had been there the night Jack died and then years later when he was reborn but he never really thought the boy had developed any fear of the water, but of course it could simply be subconscious. Jack gave a small hiss as he stepped into the water. Although very warm to Pitch it felt scalding to Jack and it took all his focus to continue moving forward. The water quickly cooled though as his magic lashed out and made the water more suitable for him. It was soon Pitch who hissed at the sudden cold and thin layer of ice that formed, as if trying to keep the boy afloat. But it quickly melted as the spring kept pumping in warm water and it came to a comfortable medium. The sprite cleaned himself quickly and was in a hurry to get out after only a handful of seconds. Pitch caught his wrist as he moved to get and pulled him onto his lap. “What frightens you, Jack?” he asked softly, running a thumb over Jack’s cheek. “I’m not frightened,” Jack said defiantly. It sent a thrill up Pitch. The boy denied his fear no matter how much it ate at him. “Then what’s the hurry? Relax with me. I can show you some of the joys of water.” He seemed really afraid and completely lost as to why but now there was curiosity warring with it and true to his nature curiosity won. “What kind of joy?” Lifting Jack by his narrow waist, Pitch had him straddle his lap. “Did you like what we did last night?” A small nervous nod. “Good.” He slid his legs open and Jack’s at the same time. He traced the boy’s puckered entrance with one long finger. “This may be a little uncomfortable but I will stretch you good and well before hand.” He gently and carefully pushed the first digit in, gently pumping it in and out, making sure to hit Jack’s sweet spot. Then he entered a second finger. All fear left Jack then. He had grown to like the strange feeling as something in him, as that sensitive bundle of nerves hidden within him was touched. He moved with Pitch, pushing down onto those fingers and moaning softly. He was such a delightful sight. If only the Guardians were able to see how far their newest recruit had fallen, not that Pitch was complaining, he was quite enjoying the sprite. A sick thought occurred to him. Why not let the Guardians know the death of their failure? He silently called to the shadows and had them fetch the rodent and a moment later he saw the cage be hung from the ceiling directly behind Jack. He could barely make out the shape of the small grey rabbit poking his nose between the bars and bright green eyes stare at them in surprise. Pitch smiled as he hugged Jack to him and scissored his tight hole to add a third finger. Jack gasped and moaned as he pushed into his fingers. The shade kissed his shoulder. “Good?” “Yes,” the boy hummed, wiggling his rear. Pitch chuckled. “It’s about to get better,” he said, removing his fingers to take his hips and gently lift him and shift him forward and above his aching erection. Oh how he waited so long or this. Jack gave a little moan at the loss. Pitch immediately drew him into a kiss as he lowered him onto his erection. This would be so much better with proper lube but he was sure Jack could handle a little pain. Nonetheless, he took Jack’s ass in both hands and pulled his cheeks open and kept him wide as he pushed open. Jack suddenly broke away to give a pain filled cry and try to pull away as his muscles were stretched painfully wide. Pitch caught him and held his hip, pushing him down further as he grasped a fist full of his snowy hair and kissed him fiercely. He was tight. Oh God he was so tight. It was almost pain full but so deliciously good. He feared he might come right then and there. From the cage came a startled cry and tweets but Pitch only smirked as he filled the sprite fully. It took several minutes for Jack to relax and Pitch resisted the urge to move until his muscles loosened and Jack to adjust to something so much larger and longer than fingers. He didn’t seem to hear their small audience or maybe didn’t care. The mini-fairies grew quiet but the rabbit was cursing and Pitch formed a gag over its mouth and bound his paws to the bars so that he had a good view of what was about to happen. Once Jack began shifting on his lap Pitch began to move. He made Jack sit back so that he could look him in the eye. “How does that feel?” he asked. Jack bit his lower lip. “It’s tight,” he said, his eyes teary with pain he was trying so hard to suppress. “Rock your hips, angel, and bounce. I’ll help. It’ll feel so much better.” He seemed unsure but with Pitch’s encouragement he moved. Pitch’s eyes rolled into the back of his head at the amazing feeling surrounding his length. He moved Jack slowly, letting him get the feel for it before he began bouncing him up and down, aiming for his prostrate until he heard the sprite cry out in utter pleasure. “There! Oh..oh…ngh…Pitch, there, right there…ngh!” he cried, his fingers digging into Pitch’s shoulders as he began bouncing on him in earnest. Holding his hips tightly Pitch began thrusting up into him, pounding into the tight space and ramming into his prostrate. This is what he had been waiting for and he was startled by just how much Jack was taking, how much he seemed to want this and neither were being nearly as gentle as he thought he would have to be with him. No, the boy seemed almost desperate for this and their joint orgasms came all too quickly. Jack’s cum hit their stomachs and was washed away by the warming water while Pitch’s filled his rear. But for Pitch he wasn’t nearly done. He had gone centuries without and made himself wait days to finally take the boy, so while Jack rested in his arms he began thrusting once more. He made a show of pleasuring Jack, made sure this prisoner got a good eyeful. Having someone watch him deflower the sprite was an unbelievable turn on. He screwed Jack good and long, smiling when he felt the youth’s cool breath against his neck as he fell asleep in his arms and not minding at all that he had fallen asleep during sex. Nor did it concern him when Jack slept most of the day away, although when he thought back to it later own he should have known it was the beginning signs of what would prove to become a serious problem. He laid Jack on fresh sheets, the bed freshly made, and tucked his love in. Jack looked so peaceful and pale skin glowed oh so softly. He truly was the embodiment of a snow angel just not so pure anymore. Nonetheless, Pitch was happy, happier than he had been in centuries. For once he didn’t feel bitterness or hatred. How could he? He found someone to fulfill his desires and the Guardians were all but destroyed. Only one Light remained and he wasn’t going anywhere. With a skip in his step he went to his throne room where the cage with Bunnymund sat on a low table waiting for him. A surprise cry came from the diminutive Pooka as Pitch threw open the door and dragged the small creature out by the ears. One clawed rear paw lashed at his arm but one good shake made the rabbit stop. Pitch held him up until they were at eye level. “Enjoy the show, Bunny?” he asked with a smirk. “You sick bastard! He’s just a kid!” the rabbit yelled at him. “Such language for the Easter Bunny,” Pitch tsked, running his long fingers over Bunny’s injured foot. “Seems this foot isn’t so lucky, maybe I should remove it for you?” The threat had the right effect, Bunny tried to curl in on himself. “What do you want, Pitch?” “What? No witty banter, no snide remarks? I’m almost disappointed.” He sighed as if put out by Bunny’s lack of self-esteem. The Pooka was nearly broken, the last Light all that was holding him together. When it goes out so would the last of the Pookas. “Alright then, this is what I want from you. Go, find North. Tell him what you’ve seen. If he has the courage and strength to make it all the way down here than maybe, just maybe, I’ll give him a chance to preserve the last Light. I suggest you hurry, it’s already flickering.” He turned the rabbit enough to see the dimming light. Bunny’s eyes were large enough to feel his furry face as he was lowered to the ground. He stood for barely a moment before his broken foot gave and he fell on his side with a pained whine. His ears pressed to his skull as he struggled to get up. How in the Moon was he supposed to make it above ground and find North? He couldn’t even walk. “I suggest you get a move on, rabbit,” Pitch said as Nightmares formed all around him, their hoofs padding the ground and snorting sand plumes. “Or do you need more incentive?” The Pooka only had a moment and he struggled to his three remaining paw. He ran as fast as he could, the Nightmares hot on his heels with the threat of trampling him before he could make it to the tunnels. Pitch grinned as he watched the Pooka flee. Oh yes, he had already won, the Guardians simply didn’t know it yet and he wanted them to be see the moment when the light finally went out…and then their lights will fade as well. ***** Chapter 4 ***** Shadow and Ice 4 Bunny ran as fast as he could until he darted into small hole low in the wall when he took the next corner just seconds ahead of a hoard of Nightmares. For a moment he feared they might find him and it took all his training to calm himself and mask his fear for surely if they sensed it he would be dead. To his great relief the pounding of hoofs quickly passed his hiding place and he was able to catch his breath. His back paw stung far worse than before. He’d had no choice but to use it in order the stay ahead of the mares and now he was suffering for it. It didn’t matter though; he had to get to North. He just prayed the Russian hadn’t returned to the Pole yet because without his tunnels he had no idea how he would make the journey. But Jack needed them, no matter what he said. Jack needed them and by hell or high water he was not failing the little ankle bitter again. He shivered as he remembered what Pitch had done to Jack and the fact that the sprite had barely put up a fight. If Jack was the last Light what would such activities with Pitch do to him? Would that Light fade? Would Jack suddenly grow up – if only mentally – by experiencing sex? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to know. He sure hoped not. Whether or not Jack realized it he was the only one who could save the children of the world and the Guardians, but only if Bunny could wrangle up the last two remaining Guardians in time. . . . Why is it so warm? Jack wondered as he searched for his clothes. There were nowhere in the Pitch’s private chamber although Jack knew they had been thrown in the corner. Please tell me he didn’t get a rid of them. I’ve had those pants forever. Although he loved his hoodie it was the pants and undershirt that meant to most to him. Although worn and tattered he’d had them since the day he awoke in his pond. They and his staff – which was now lost to him – were the only belongings he could truly claim were his. The hoodie could easily be replaced – he had stolen in some twenty or thirty years ago, although he couldn’t quite remember anymore. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. It’s too warm. With a sigh he gave up. Pitch promised him new clothes and it would appear that until then he was stuck wearing the oversize robe. That wasn’t too bad. If it had a hood it would be better but beggars couldn’t be chooser, huh? Besides, he had more pressing matters, finding a way to cool down. He’d tried creating ice or even enough frost to cool himself down but all it did was make him wet and cause the robe to cling to him uncomfortably. It made him sleepy and it was becoming harder and harder to stay awake for more than a few hours. Spring was in full swing, he could feel it in the world above but it shouldn’t be hitting him this hard for another month. Usually it was near the end of April before he would go into a deep sleep until late Summer – if he didn’t hide in the Antarctic during those hot months. In all honestly he was rather surprised by how warm the underground palace was. Shouldn’t it be cooler underground? Must be the hot springs. Maybe there was cold water in the kitchen, or at least something cold he could drink. The palace was huge and the trek to the kitchen long. Jack absently wondered where Pitch was. Terrorizing some poor child? Gloating over the Guardians? A part of Jack felt guilty. He really did like them. North had been very fatherly to him and for a short time he had almost let himself believe the legendary Santa Claus cared for him, would have given him a family. And Tooth had been so sweet and lovely, if not a little obsessed with his teeth. Sandy had been funny and seemed to genuinely like him. And Bunny…he sniffled when he thought about the Easter Bunny. Despite their rivalry he really liked Bunny. He had wanted so badly to be friends, to prove that he wasn’t really some trouble maker, but that got been screwed up because of his own stupid curiosity. He ran a hand through his damp hair. It turned out alright, he supposed. He and Pitch were getting along pretty well, although he still was uncertain about how he felt about their “arrangement”. The sex was nice, if a little strange, but then it was all new to him. Pitch seemed almost obsessed with his penis. He seemed to take great joy in nuzzling and licking and kissing it then practically swallowing it as he sucked on it. Cock worshipping the shade had teased, explaining that anyone with half a brain would be begging for a chance to taste him. It always made Jack flush with a thin coating of frost in embarrassment, something Pitch took great joy in. That and the way he would scream when his orgasm – a pleasure that was so great it was almost painful – consumed him. Jack had never felt anything like it until Pitch. But it was a mixed blessing. While he had come to enjoy it, it always exhausted him. He got so incredibly hot that he almost always passed out either right after or during it, no matter how much cold he tried to generate. He missed his staff. If he still had it he wouldn’t have this problem. He was only a few meters from the kitchen when a sudden sense of vertigo took him. He paused, grasping a wall. Blinking, he tried to push away the dizziness and even shook his head when it didn’t work. Tunnel vision hit him next and sweat dampened his neck. No, no, no, not now. It’s too early for hibernation, he silently moaned, feeling his knees grow weak. Outside, I need to get outside and find cold and… His knees gave out and he fell forward as his vision went black. He barely felt a pair of comforting arms catching him nor had a chance to wonder where Pitch had suddenly come from but was more than happy to not be alone. “Jack?” Pitch asked, surprised when one of the Fearlings had rushed to him to inform him something was wrong with the sprite. He was just in the process of weaving a nightmare for a young girl when he was interrupted. He didn’t think twice. He slipped into the shadows and went straight to the youth just in time to catch him as he fell. It’s possible, Jack looked flushed. His cheeks, normally so pale had a – what most would consider healthy – tinge of pink. His hair was damp and skin unusually warm to the touch. He was far too warm for a winter sprite. It took a few minutes for Pitch to figure out what the problem was. The heat. Pitch had made it a point to keep the palace extremely warm when he had brought to it in order to keep him weak. That, and the change of seasons, must be the cause. He frowned at his own foolishness. The boy must be suffering from a mild – at least he hoped mild – case of heatstroke. He would need to cool him down as quickly as possible. It took only a thought to cool the palace down but there was only so much one could do when hot springs heated the place. So hoisting Jack’s slight weight into his arms he took to the shadows once more and went to the coldest place on Earth, the Antarctic. The cold air whipped around them as the reappeared in the shadow of the ice and black sand sculpture they had created when their magic mingles days earlier. It stood just as beautiful as when it was created and it seemed only appropriate to lay Jack on the snow before it. It didn’t take long for his skin to return to its normal hue but to Pitch’s disappointment Jack did not move or come to for the rest of that day, nor that night and the Nightmare King felt fear for the first time in many, many years. That night, rather than bringing fear to the children of the world, he slept under the sculpture with the winter sprite tucked safely in his arms. . . . His power was kaput. North had never felt his age as much as he had since the Light began to go out. Now they were down to just one and no matter how hard they searched they couldn’t find the child. Nor could they find Jack Frost. He had hoped the young spirit would return, that maybe he would forgive them and all would be well. He did not know the sprite very well, not for a lack of trying. Jack was just one of those spirits that was hard to get close to. Teenagers were hard to deal with as normal humans but an immortal elemental teen forever trapped during the most problematic time of their life made things even harder. The first time he met Jack had gone badly, the boy was only a few decades into being an immortal and extremely lonely and upset, but he had been trying to track down Pitch with Bunny and didn’t have the time to deal with what he assumed to be an overly emotional child. It wasn’t until later he had realized his mistake and tried to make amends, but while young the boy could sure hold a grudge and went to great lengths to stay on the Naughty List, a virtual “fuck you”. Although through the centuries they did have a few good encounters, like the time Jack was in Northern China spreading a healthy helping of snow on Christmas Eve. At first Jack didn’t seem overly happy to see him and even made to take off but the Wind didn’t agree with him departing so quickly and had blown the boy in the opposite direction than he wanted, and stole North’s fur hat at the same time. Then the reindeer were startled by something and the sleigh bounced. Several brightly wrapped gifts fell from the large sack but North could not steer his team quickly enough to catch them. To his amazement jack swooped down and retrieved them then flew up with the gifts and fur hat and nervously presently them to the Russian. North had smiled at him and thanked him as he fished through a pocket to find a suitable gift to thank him with. Naughty List or not Jack had just made a few children very happy and should be rewarded. But when he looked back up the boy was already flying away. And until Manny had chosen Jack to be a Guardian that was how much of their interactions were. Now Jack was missing and so was the last Light and he hadn’t heard word from Bunny yet so his worry was increasing. The Yetis were going about places all finished Christmas presents into the vault, the safest place in Santoff Clausen. Should his magic fail completely and the fortress fall the vault would survive and be transported to a safe location. It was one last spell to insure that some part of the holiday survived, even if it took a new form. He was certain the Manny would find a way to conquer Pitch, even if it meant drawing upon new Guardians or calling out those who had retired to the Moon. Somehow it would all work out, he was sure of it. He held the small nesting doll he had given Jack. He shouldn’t have been so rough on him. He hadn’t even given the boy a chance to explain but seeing the Nightmares destroy all those eggs and destroy Easter had enraged him as much as it had hurt Bunny. He hadn’t thought, his emotions got the best of him. Jack was supposed to be with them – he was sure they would have won had Jack been with them – and when he wasn’t and Easter was ruined only to appear just as Bunny lost his Believers with his Baby Teeth canister all he could think was that the boy had betrayed them. That Jack had sold them out for his memories. He dismissed the hurt and pain in the child’s eyes. He didn’t care about the way Jack flinched and raised his arms to protect himself as Bunny raised his fist to strike him. In that moment he simply didn’t care. He regretted it now. His heart ached at not knowing where the child was or if he was okay. He had searched everywhere he could until his power started giving out. The reindeer could barely fly anymore. Nonetheless he was preparing to go back down South even if he must walk the entire distance. He had once been a marauder; he had travelled all of Europe by foot and horseback long before flying reindeer and sleighs. Sure he was much younger then but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do it now. He would find Jack and the last Light if it was the last thing he did. He was just throwing gear into a saddle bag when he noticed a sudden change on the globe. The last Light was gone. For a moment North felt his heart stop and panic grip him. No…it couldn’t be… Then he noticed that it wasn’t gone so much as it moved. To the Antarctic? He blinked in confusion. How was that possible? How could the Light simply move such a distance in a matter of seconds? His eyes widened. Pitch. Pitch had the Light but why on Earth would he take the child somewhere so cold? He watched with baited breath, fearful of the Light going out, of some poor child succumbing to the harsh climate. He waited and waited, unable to do more than watch. His magic globes were no longer powerful enough to take him to the other side of the world. They couldn’t even take him to the other side of the workshop. So he watched and when that Light still shone long after any mortal child should have died hope filled him. How was this possible? Who could survive such temperatures? “Could it be?” he wondered out loud, staring at the Light. It had to be. There was no other explanation. His eyes widened and the feeling of Wonder filled him once more. How could he have been so blind? “Jack.” He threw the saddle bag over one shoulder with renewed vigor. It would be a long trek but he was going to find the boy and if Pitch had him then the Bogeyman was in for a fight. Magic or no magic Nicholas St. North was still the greatest swordsman in the world. ***** Chapter 5 ***** Shadow and Ice 5 Pitch was awoken by Moonbeams of all things. The tiny spectral creatures were darting about Jack with curiosity, touching his face, arms and bare legs as if they could wake him. Pitch watched them for a moment of two before gazing up at the Moon hanging high above them. He swore he could almost see MiM’s concerned face. “So, old friend, was this your plan?” he asked, shooing the Moonbeams away. “Recruit a Guardian who cannot handle the heat? Seems a little ill planned on your part. Someone with so much potential power reduced to hibernating during the hot months? What would have happened if I attacked at the height of Summer?” He laughed to himself. He was happy he hadn’t waited until then. He never would have discovered just how precious Jack Frost was. He carded his fingers through Jack’s hair. “Revive him and I will give the children a reprieve this coming weekend,” he bargained. He honestly didn’t think the Moon would grant him such a wish but to his surprise a Moonbeam returned to float before him. Now Moonbeams could not speak, not in the traditional sense, but Pitch had become accustomed to touching the little creatures to gather the information he desired. He touched the creature with one finger and allowed his mind to read its mind. “I can grant him life but cannot change the seasons,” Lunar said, his voice soft and rich. “Jack will sleep until the time comes for the colors to change need changing to Fall. To change the nature of his being you must seek the Mother of all Elementals for only she can allow a winter sprite to function through the coming heat.” And with that the Moonbeam was gone, tarnished by Pitch’s dark magic. The Nightmare King glared at the Moon. “You created him and you can’t change him?” he demanded with a snarl. He glanced at Jack’s sleeping form. His pale skin glowed softly in the moonlight, as if reflecting the Moon. He looked a lot healthier now, almost perfect. If it wasn’t for the fact he was in hibernation Pitch would be ravishing him now and fucking his pale ass into the snow for the Moon to see. Oh he would make the Moon watch one day. When Jack was awake and well he would let the Tsar Lunar watch as he pounded into the youth and let him hear just how much Jack wanted him to taint his soul. But for now he had to bring Jack back from his deep slumber and for that he needed another, someone he had not spoken to in many decades – not for lack of trying. He saw a series of Moonbeams shoot off into the distance as more danced around Jack. He ignored them as he called out to the one being who may help them; the Mother of all Elements, Mother Nature. “Seraphina,” he said softly, reaching out to her. “My child, I need you.” A gust of warm wind, something utterly unnatural in the frigid temperatures of the Antarctic, wrapped around Pitch before moving toward Jack. It ruffled the boy’s hair and then, as if he weighed no more than a feather, the wind lifted Jack. Pitch panic for a split second, fearing the boy would be taken from him, but he relaxed as Jack floated only a few feet away, still unconscious. The Moon shone brighter but now a young woman was with them. She floated just in front of Jack, her long sun kissed fingers cupped Jack’s pale cheeks. Her hair seemed to float all around her along with the hem of her spring green dress. Power radiated from her. It crackled in the air and wind and even the snow. The Moon’s light seemed to caress both of them and Pitch had the odd sense he was looking at parents caring for their son. He shook the thought away. Seraphina would never stoop so low as to engage in activities with Lunar. He was their sworn enemy…well his at least and no child of his would ever align herself with the likes of the Moon. He hoped. He suddenly had to retreat to the shadows as a burst of light passed between the Moon and Seraphina and directly into Jack. It was like being electrocuted. The boy’s arms shot out as his body jerked. It happened a second and third time as more and more magic was poured into him until suddenly startled blue eyes opened. “Mother Nature?” he asked in surprise. He rubbed at his eyes to clear his blurry vision and then stared at her. “What’s going on?” He gave a yawn, as if just waking from a deep sleep then gave a sleepy little smile. “Is it time to paint the leaves already?” She gave a musical laugh as she drew him near. “Oh my little angel, you still have many months before that. I came because another wishes you to experience the warmer months, however, I wish to know you thoughts. Are you happy?” He looked away. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. Out of all the spirits Mother Nature was always the one checking in on him. Sometimes it would be decades, even a century, but he always knew she was watching over him. He could feel her presence even if he didn’t see her. And he could never lie to her. “I’m confused,” he admitted. “About what?” she asked, glancing toward Pitch and pretty sure she knew the answer. There was little she didn’t know. He shook his head and gave his best smile. “It’s nothing. Can I really stay awake this Summer? I won’t have to hibernate?” “If that is what you wish.” A mischievous little grin lit his lips. “Can I make it snow in Brazil?” She returned his grin. “No.” He snapped his fingers. “Damn.” She tilted her head to one side with a reprimanding look. “I mean darn. Oh darn.” Laughing, she leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Be careful, Jack. Stay here. I must have a word with Pitch.” He nodded and gazed up at the Moon instead, his eyes closing as he basked in the moonlight. Seraphina floated to Pitch, her face a mixture of worry and anger. “What have you done?” she asked, her voice low and threatening. “He’s meant to be a Guardian not your…toy.” He snorted, folding his arms across his chest. “He is far from being some toy, my dear. The Guardians would never have appreciated him for what he truly is.” “And you do?” He glared at her searching eyes. She inhaled sharply and floated back as if struck. Pitch raised a curious brow but she only shook her head and smiled, the first smile she had blessed him with in many centuries. It made his eyes widen and something surge in his heart. It was as if for the first time since this all began she was agreeing with him and it made him immensely happy to see his daughter’s smile directed at him. “Take care of him, Pitch,” she said gently, kissing his forehead. “He is stronger than he appears but has a fragile heart. He would need your love and understanding if you intend to keep it at your side. Otherwise he could become your greatest enemy and bring about more destruction than you could possibly imagine. An elemental is not a creature to trifle with, no matter their apparent age.” He almost laughed, almost. Shouldn’t it be the parent warning the child to be careful? But before he could embrace her Seraphina was gone and Jack was floating down to him. The Moon was now shrouded in clouds that cloaked the South Pole in darkness. He was alone with Jack and while Pitch would have liked to talk with his daughter more, he was happy to have his younger lover back in his arms. “You should have told me the heat was bothering you,” he told Jack as the boy came to stand before him. “I would have brought you here sooner or had the Fearlings bring all the snow you needed. You would not have had to suffer.” Jack only shrugged. “I didn’t want to be a bother.” “You are anything but a bother.” A smirk pulled at his lips as the clouds moved and the Moon peeked out once more. “I think you are need of a little punishment.” He smiled at the momentary fear in his crystal blue eyes as he pushed the robe off Jack’s shoulders. It pooled at their feet, revealing Jack’s gleaming milky white skin that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. His beauty was enough to make him hard with desire. Pitch swooped in for fierce kiss. The boy pushed Pitch’s robes off him and placed his cold hands flat on the older man’s chest still unsure but really needing to be touched. He felt as if he had been sleeping forever and Pitch was his first breath of fresh air. The shadows pulled away the last of Pitch’s clothing as the king lifted Jack by his thighs and lifted him up so that his legs wrapped around his waist. He pushed Jack into the sculpture they created where the Moon’s light could not touch them but Lunar could see clearly see what they were about to do. “Create me a snowball, Jack. Something very tiny,” he instructed. He grinned as a ball of snow not larger than a ping pong ball was handed to him. Letting his heat melt it just a little, he rubbed it around Jack’s puckered hole before pushing it deep inside. Jack gave a surprised cry as not only the snowball was pushed into him but two fingers. His muscles were stretched quickly, Pitch only taking enough time to prep him and then thrust deep inside. This was just the third time Pitch had taken him and it hurt to be filled so quickly without a little more foreplay, but when the shade nailed his prostrate straight on he could help the shiver of pleasure or the scream that escaped him. Pitch hit it each and every time. “Yes…huh…ngh…yes, Pitch, there, more! Please, more!” he begged, hugging his hugs around Pitch’s narrow hips as he fisted his hair to hold his head to his neck where Pitch was licking and suckling his neck and collar-bone. A low chuckle answered him as he was bounced harder. “Like that? Let the Moon hear just how much.” Pitch gripped his hips tightly and began pounding harder, deeper, wanting to hear Jack scream his name to the heavens for all to hear. He would hit the prostrate and then his back walls, making it a two for one shot. Oh yes! This was perfect. Jack was mewing and begging for more and the Tsar Lunar was getting a good eye full of just what he could do the sprite. He used his power to change his size, making his length a little larger, a little longer and thrust faster and harder. Jack would hurt for a while but he had proven he could take it. Jack was not nearly as fragile as people might think. “Scream for me, Jack. Scream my name, let the Moon know who you belong to.” Pitch was touching things in him he didn’t know existed. His vision bled to white as a blinding mix of pleasure and pain mingled to form something he couldn’t fathom. His screams became hoarse and his muscles tightened around that impossibly large length in him. The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled his ears. “Pitch!” He cried, clinging to Pitch. “I’m going to…ngh…oh there, right there…I can’t…ngh…PITCH!” Pitch bit his neck so hard that Jack wasn’t sure if it was really painful or just another form of pleasure. He felt as if his inners exploded outward as his cum spilled all over their stomachs. The shade reared up, pounding into him with complete abandon as hot searing cum shot into the back walls of his anus in wave after wave. Then he still and shook slight as the last of it emptied from him. He leaned into Jack with a shudder and panted. “You, my boy, are such a delectable treat,” he said, kissing him of so softly. “Are you up to a second round?” Jack felt energized but his rear hurt now and he was unsure if he could handle another pounding just yet so he shook his head sadly. For a moment Pitch’s face was dark, as if he were angry to be let down but then he smiled as if an idea just popped in mind that would make it all better. He pulled out, letting his size return to normal, and let Jack stand as he grabbed some snow the clean his semi-hard length off, cursing slightly at the cold. Then he turned them so that he was the one leaning against the sculpture. “Then this would be the perfect time for you to learn a new skill.” He took Jack by the shoulders and made him kneel before him. Jack gave him a frightened look but Pitch smiled reassuringly. “You’ll love this almost as much – if not more – than having me up your ass. Now give it a little kiss. That’s right. Beautiful isn’t it? Now lick the head…oh, yes, wonderful, Jack. Do it again. Just like that. Now squeeze my balls at the same time. Hmm…good, good.” He leaned his head against the ice and gazed up at the Moon with a wide smile as Jack’s head nestled into his groin. “Now take the whole length in your mouth, love. Oh! Good boy. That’s right, flick your tongue, just like that. Now suck. Yes! Hard, suck hard, Jack. Swallow me!” He cried out, fisting the boy’s hair and thrusting slow measured thrusts. He didn’t want to hurt Jack, just encourage him to take him deeper. “You’re doing wonderfully, Jack. A real pro. I could almost swear you’ve done this before. Suck harder. Hard!” No matter how great the pleasure Pitch kept his gaze on the Moon, letting him know that this great pleasure was given to him by this young sprite that the Moon had denied him so long ago that would now and forever be his. His orgasm came quicker than he expected. His hips shot forward, gagging the poor lad as his cum shot into the back of his throat. Jack jerked, trying to pull away but Pitch held his head tightly to his groan. “Swallow Jack, drink me in. That’s my boy, tastes good doesn’t it? Drink it all.” He licked his lips as he felt the boy’s throat work around his length until he was completely empty. The he let Jack go and pulled out his length, taking great pleasure in seeing the spittle of cum spill over his chin. Oh what a gorgeous sight! “You are simply breathtaking!” he breathed, hauling Jack back up into his arms and kissed him deeply. He could taste himself on Jack’s lips. Thankfully Jack returned the affection. “We’re going to be here a while, right?” Jack suddenly asked, his posture a little sheepish. Pitch raised a questioning brow. “Yes?” “Then could you…to me?” A hungry smile made Pitch’s eyes glow with utter delight. Oh the Moon be damned, Lunar was about to get the show of his life. He lowered Jack to snow and slipped in between his legs to take his growing erection in his mouth. For hours he delighted in Jack’s passion filled screams as they brought each other to new heights in pleasure and for the first time in recent memory Pitch felt complete. . . . North, Phil and two other Yetis trekked through the deep snow as they made their way through the artic down to most northern land of Canada. He kept a firm hold on Blitzing, the lead of his reindeer team as the might beast carried their load of supplies. The trek was long and hard and would take many weeks before they reached Burgess by foot. The Yetis seemed at ease in the harsh climate and for the most part it didn’t bother North either. He’d dealt with it all his life but he had made Toothiana stay in India. Without her powers she would be no use to anyone in a battle, nor would she be able to handle the harsh cold of the far north in her condition. No, he and the Yetis would track down Jack. He adjusted his scarf over his nose as the blizzard grew in intensity. Night was falling in Nunavut, they would have to set up camp soon before it grew too dark and the temperature fell any further. This was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. It would seem without his power he was not as strong as he hoped. Phil placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “We’ll make it,” the Yetis said in his native tongue with a smile. North nodded, praying his friend was correct. They had to make it to Jack before Pitch destroyed his Light. Jack was their only hope. He would not sleep soundly until he knew the boy was safe and sound and he would kill Pitch if he so much as harmed a head on his snowy head. He only wished he knew where Bunny was. Something told him the Pooka was in great danger. His belly felt as if it was doing backflips and it wasn’t because he was hungry. Something was very wrong in the world, something perhaps more dangerous than Pitch Black.   *Note Seraphina was the name everyone originally used for Pitch’s daughter and it stuck, sorry to the books. ***** Chapter 6 ***** Shadow and Ice 6 I know Pitch and Jack are having a lot of sex as some have pointed out but hey wouldn’t you want to be in bed with a hot piece like Jack? But really, if you add up the days there’s only really one where they go at it for the better part of the day. As for Jack “letting: Pitch, I see it more as curiosity and spite after realizing he’s the last Light and that was the only reason Bunny had found him. The Guardians pushed him away but Pitch – as twisted as he is – seems to want him. Someone who’s been ignored and abandoned so long don’t always think things through but cling to those who offer any amount of “positive” attention even in the bad way. And while Pitch did rape him he also focused on bringing Jack as much pleasure as positive – what better way to get Jack to submit than to blow his mind with pleasure? I’d sure be coming back for more  That’s just my reasoning. As for the Moon helping Pitch, no he was helping Jack I don’t think he was expecting a show afterward. Okay, back to the fic. The dark palace was cooled down. Full blocks of ice were transported from the Antarctic and placed strategically throughout the coolest places in the palace and even one bedroom had been converted into an ice box of sorts for Jack. He no longer shared Pitch’s room but had his own in which they would mess around in. But as the days turned to weeks their long hours of sex had slowed to a more reasonable rate. Pitch had duties he had been neglecting and while his Nightmares were well accomplished at turning dream into nightmares and Fearlings capable of spreading endless fear to children there was nothing quite like twisting a child’s dream than by doing it oneself. Jack was still as nervous and finicky as a baby bird. While his self-confidence was returning and he was more willing to voice what he wanted and no longer afraid to say he was hungry or wanted his clothes back – those were destroyed shortly after he’d taken them from the boy, Pitch would not have his partner wear such shabby rags – he was also very mindful of his words after a heated argument about his missing clothing. “What do you mean you destroyed them?” he demanded in sudden unspeakable rage. “They were mine! They’re all I’ve ever own!” “I’ll give you new clothes,” Pitch tried to sooth. That only enraged the boy more. “I don’t want new clothes, I want my clothes! I’ve had those trousers since…since before I can remember. Isn’t it enough you broke my staff but now my clothes? What? Am I supposed to be naked for the rest of my life?” Pitch grabbed him and pulled him on his lap, intent on hushing the boy with a good fuck. It had been nearly two days since their last romp and Pitch had been working awfully hard to keep fear burning bright in the children’s hearts. He deserved a little fun. But Jack was having none of it. He slapped the shade’s hands off him and jumped away. “That’s all I am to you, a sex toy? I want more than this, Pitch. I don’t want you in me all the time. I want…I want…” “What do you want, Jack?” Pitch asked, his voice becoming low and dangerous. The boy didn’t seem to hear the threat in his voice. Since the Moon and Mother Nature revived him he had been energetic and stir-crazy. He couldn’t stand being cooped up and longed to spread winter to the world even though it was the wrong season. He had complained about the darkness and gone about freezing just about every surface he could. He couldn’t stay still and didn’t seem to notice the increase in his power or the way ice was spreading everywhere he walked. He would float or jump distances he should not without his staff but none of this he took notice of, as if he had always done so. But Pitch noticed. Jack’s power was growing and his anxiety with it. “I want to be free!” the boy snapped. “I want outside. I want my damn clothes!” He suddenly yelped when Pitch grabbed him and shoved him against a stone wall. Ice immediately formed where his back met it and Pitch absently wondered if he fucked the boy right then and there would that ice freeze the entire wall before he came? He growled low at the boy. “Maybe I should make you walk around naked outside under the hot sun,” he said darkly, although he would never do that. The sun was dangerous to them both. “What if I drag you above ground and simply screw you in front of all those darling children? Would you like that, Jack?” he asked the last part sweetly, as if trying to tempt the boy. He saw the horror in Jack’s eyes and smirked. “Then I suggest you be a little more grateful.” He turned and sat on his throne and undid his pants to let him know just what he expected from him. “Now come here.” Jack looked from his face to the proud erection between his legs then back. His frown deepened and rather than go to the dark king as Pitch excepted, he turned on his heel and hurried in the opposite direction. The sneer on Pitch’s face fell as he watched Jack flee from him. No, this wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want Jack to hate or fear him. He wanted Jack to want him as much as he did for him. His heart sank and he fixed himself. Letting Jack be he slipped into the shadows to spread more fear while he tried to think. There was something about Jack he was overlooking. It was time he started considering Jack’s feelings just a little more. Clothes were on the top of the list but what else could he do for him. There was no way he was letting Jack go, not now, not ever. For the rest of the day he searched the world for anything he thought might interest Jack, the boy’s happiness his sudden priority that soon consumed his need to frighten children. For the next few days Jack avoided Pitch as much as he could and even ignored the strange packages that would appear in his room. His body longed to be touched but he fought those strange desires and erotic dreams that plagued him even during his waking hours. He cursed Pitch for making him want his touch so bad. His insides missed the feeling of being filled and he fought the urge to apologize just so he could be in Pitch’s arms. It was weird. He was usually so self-confident and self-reliant. He never needed anyone before and he sure as hell didn’t need anyone now. But as the second day passed and Pitch didn’t come to him he found himself touching his length, wishing it was the shade’s hand on him, wishing that it was a warm mouth on him rather than his cold hand. And no matter how much he touched himself it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t make himself cum with the same intensity. Worse, he suddenly missed being held and the odd feeling of being protected. He missed Pitch. On day three he gave in. He needed to apologize and even if it led to nothing maybe he could strike up an actual friendship with the shade. He didn’t care if he had to wear a robe for the rest of his life as long as he had someone to talk to, who saw him and responded, even if it was mockingly. He hesitated in front of the door, wondering what he could say to gain the shade’s forgiveness. After all, Pitch had given him a home and bed and had gone out of his way to keep things cool for him even at his own discomfort. He should be thanking the man not disrespecting him, right? And he had given him the greatest pleasure he had ever felt before, right? He was incredibly conflicted. He wanted more but he was afraid. He didn’t understand his own body anymore. Sighing, he turned away from the door. Things were so much easier when he was on his own. Sure he was lonely and desperate for someone – anyone – to see him, and what would he have given just to be touched and held and told everything would be okay. Hell, he begged the Moon more times than he cared to count for an explanation as to why he had to suffer so much. Pitch took all that away. He made him feel wanted and even needed. He filled something in Jack that he never knew needed to be filled – and he didn’t mean his butt. He began pacing his room. “Okay, Pitch, here’s the deal. I’ll stay and we can keep doing…you know, but I want to be able to leave whenever I please and not be chased down by your stupid Nightmares just because I’m doing something you don’t like,” he said in preparation for the speech he would give the Nightmare King. “I want proper clothes and to be allowed to play with the children. Fear’s fine and all but the kids still need to be allowed happiness and…urgh! He’ll never listen!” Slumping on the edge of the bed he glared at the table across the room as yet another box appeared. They had been appearing for the last two days but he had yet to open even one. He didn’t want Pitch trying to buy his favor; he wanted him to understand that he couldn’t remain like this. He needed to be out in the open. He needed to fly and have fun. He was restless and even holing himself in his room and refusing food – he had hidden enough fruit and veggies and didn’t need some overbearing Bogeyman taking care of him thank you very much – was making him itch to create a blizzard. Oh Pitch would just love that. There was enough cold now that he could turn the entire palace into a winter wonderland. Yep, that wouldn’t make their problems any harder. Curiosity finally got the best of him. There were nearly a dozen wrapped boxes on the table and when he grabbed the first one he gave it a little shake. Didn’t sound like anything breakable. Carefully, almost fearful of something jumping out at him, he untied the bow and removed the top. Inside was a black silk shirt and grey jeans. Surprised and secretly delighted, he opened the next and the next. Each box had clothing and while most were far too formal for his liking he did find several pairs of jeans and slacks, and a variety of shirts, most button down but there were also a few t-shirts. Sadly, no hoodies but there was a rather large hooded overcoat in sapphire blue and trimmed with white fur. There was also an outfit more suitable for royalty than him. It was the only things with any real color - everything else was shades of black and grey. Still it was better that wearing Pitch’s robe. He grabbed a pair of jeans and the black silk top – what better way to apologize than to wear something he knew Pitch would most likely enjoy seeing him in – and quickly dressed. There were no underpants – haha, very funny, Pitch – and Jack forewent the socks and dress shoes as he had never worn such things and was not about to now. Taking one look at himself in the mirror he ran his hands through his hair to straighten it then ran out the door. Now he didn’t just need to apologize but also thank Pitch and he was sure he knew how. However, when he searched the palace from one end to the other, there was no sign of the shade. The palace was empty except for a handful of Fearlings and Shadow Men left to protect him. He flew up to the throne room, hoping that maybe, just maybe he had missed him somewhere but even after a second search he had no luck. Pitch was gone and he had no clue where to start looking. As the hours dragged on, he curled up on the throne feeling more alone than ever before. Where was Pitch? Why didn’t he say he was going out? And why oh why did he care so much? Maybe he should leave too. That was what he wanted after all and he was sure he could make it past Pitch’s minions if he really wanted to. He pulled his knees to his chest, unsure of the emotions rolling through him. He didn’t know what he wanted anymore. He wasn’t sure when he dosed off but some hours later he was awoken by the gentlest touch to his cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled when his gaze met Pitch’s. There was a happy smile on the shade’s handsome face. Whoa, where’d that thought come from? “Hey,” he said softly with a small smile. “Where’ve you been?” “Working,” the shade said, his golden eyes full of laughter. “I see you found something you like.” “Yeah, thanks.” He rubbed his eyes and went to get up only to have the older spirit push him back down. His brows rose in curiosity as the shade looked him over. “It suits you,” Pitch explained. “Especially if you wear the Winter Prince outfit he got for you.” “Where did you get all the clothing?” Jack asked and then quickly regretted it. He shouldn’t question a gift; he had never had any before and may never receive one again. Thankfully, Pitch didn’t seem offended. “Does it matter?” the Bogeyman asked. Jack took a relieved breath. “No. Thank you. I’m sorry for being such a brat.” It was Pitch’s turn to be surprised but he smiled softly as he bent down to kiss Jack’s forehead. “You are a prince, Jack, not a brat. People should be worshipping you. With or without clothing…or have you not noticed the attention I bestow upon you?” He laughed at Jack’s confusion. “You haven’t even come close to reaching your potential, my dear Jack. If only you knew just how powerful you are the world would kneel at your feet.” “I don’t want people fearing me,” Jack insisted as he had many times before. “Perhaps,” Pitch hummed, placing his hands on Jack’s knees and pushing them apart ever so gently as he kneeled between them. As much as Jack’s body ached to be touched he grabbed Pitch’s hands before he could undo his pants. “Could we…I don’t know, talk? You know, get to know each other. I’m not saying the sex isn’t good but I’d like to actually get to know you.” Pitch grinned and scooped him up bridal style. “Alright,” he started, carrying him to the library. “What would you like to know?” “Do you remember who you were before becoming Pitch Black?” Pitch slid through the shadows until they reached a grand library that took Jack’s breath away. He had never seen so many books. “Not much,” Pitch said, carrying Jack to a large reading table. “I was once a general in the Golden Army before becoming the King of Nightmares. I have a daughter, Seraphina. You would know her better as Mother Nature.” “Mother’s your daughter?” Jack asked in surprise as Pitch stood him up. Now that just made this whole affair at that much weirder. He didn’t notice Pitch undoing his pants. “Yes,” Pitch chuckled. “I do a lot of reading when not harassing the world above. Sometimes I enjoy visiting old libraries and museums.” “You love horses,” Jack added before giving a gasp Pitch slipped a hand down his pants to massage his groin. “Pitch…I…tell me more.” He leaned against the table and let the older man fondle him. “You like horses and reading and…” Pitch got real close. “I simply love the way a certain little winter sprite screams when my cock fills his tight ass. And you, Jack? What do you like to do for fun? Creating blizzards and snow days for children? Racing through the sky with the wind whipping through your hair?” His voice got low and husky with need. “Bouncing on my lap with my cock hitting your sweet spot until lights explode behind your eyes?” Jack’s eyes closed as he listened to Pitch and his privates were kneaded and squeezed. It felt so good. He hummed in appreciation. He missed this in the last few days and he’d be damned if he understood why. This time he didn’t object when Pitch knelt before him. “One of these days it’s going to be me topping you,” he teased as he ran his fingers through Pitch’s hair. “And then you’ll know what it’s like to be pounded into.” Then Pitch’s mouth was on him and his mind went blank except for the immense pleasure that teasingly hot mouth brought him. . . . North stumbled as he trek through the dense Northern Ontario forests. He grabbed his chest as a sudden pain shot through him. Immediately Phil was at his side with a canteen of water and a shoulder to lean on. But it wasn’t water North needed. This pain was unlike any he felt before and for a brief moment he feared Jack’s Light had gone out, taking the last of his power with him. He dug out a small globe from his coat pocket and checked just to be certain the Light was still there. His aching heart sang with sudden joy when he saw the Light but falter when it began to flicker. Why was it flickering? What was happening to Jack to make the Light respond like that? Only children on the crisp of adulthood had lights that flickered, usually just before their belief faded. No, oh sweet Manny no, don’t let this be happening, he prayed. Then, after several long heart-wrenching minutes the Light stabilized. With a sigh he sat on a large log and removed his fur hat. It was starting to get very warm and his hat and coat very heavy. He took them off and threw them to the side. They really couldn’t afford to rest but if he didn’t he would soon fall and be no good to anyone. “Oi! Put that somewhere else, mate,” a hoarse voice snapped from behind the log. “Stupid, bloody rat bags not caring ‘bout anything but themselves. Gumby! Can’t even get a decent sleep without some mangy human…” North lifted his heavy coat and peered over the log. There, hunched over on itself, was a small grey rabbit with very familiar symbols on its back. “Bunny?” he asked in surprise. For several long seconds the animal didn’t move and then slowly it lifted its furry head to gaze at him with worn, blood shot green eyes. It blinked in surprise. “North?” Feeling a sudden wave of energy, North bent down and scooped Bunnymund up in his arms and gave his diminutive friend a hug. “Ah, bunny, I feared we lost you when we could not find you in Burgess. How are you, my friend? We have deduced who the last Light is and there is much to tell.” “Jack,” Bunny said, stopping him before he went into a long winded story. “Yeah, I know.” He hung his head. “Pitch has the ankl’bittah. He’s been doing things to him.” “Bah, Jack is strong. Pitch would never break him,” North jest, happy to have his long-time rival and best friend back. “No, North, you don’t get it,” Bunny insisted, his large green eyes serious. “Pitch isn’t trying to break him like he would a normal youngling, he’s…he’s raping the kid. He’s going to make Jack grow up and I’m afraid Jack might just fall for it.” His eyes got teary as he curled up in North’s arms. “He hates us, North. Jack hates us and it’s all my fault.” “No, Bunny,” North said softly, allowing the tiny rabbit to cuddle into him. “Jack is confused and upset. We’ll find him and we’ll make everything right again. I promise.” Nonetheless North was worried more now than ever. Was it possible for Pitch to make Jack grow up and forget the Guardians? Rape and sexual abuse was a powerful thing. It destroyed innocence and made children grow up far faster than they should. But sometimes there were children who managed to hold onto their innocence and kept their faith strong. He just prayed Jack was one of those incredibly strong ones because if Bunny was correct there wasn’t much time left and the after math of something like that could spread much further than any could imagine. His belly did a double flip. This was bad, very, very bad. ***** Chapter 7 ***** Shadow and Ice 7 The weather was warm and sun bright. Jack winced when he stepped out from under the trees. After so long underground the brightness hurt his eyes. He shielded them with one hand as he looked out over his pond. A small laugh escaped him. Everything was so…green. He rarely got to see his pond during the Spring and never this late in the season…at least not until the end of Summer when he had to start painting the leaves for Fall. Despite the warmth he stepped out into the sun and raised his face to the sun. It was funny how a person could miss something as simple as sunlight. He took a deep breath of the fresh air. He wouldn’t be able to stay out long, an hour or two at most if he kept to the shade, but a little heatstroke was worth it just to be outside for a few minutes. As the sun moved and the shadows grew he felt Pitch’s hands on his shoulders. “Was your intention to just stand here and enjoy the sunlight?” he asked in that honey voice that pulled at something low in his stomach. “It that was the point I could have taken you someplace more…exotic.” His arms moved around Jack’s waist and his head came to rest on one slim shoulder. Jack giggled as his breath ruffled the hair at the back of his neck. “Someplace hot where I can barely function and you can ravish me to your heart’s content?” he asked. “Sounds wonderful, let’s go.” He giggled more, knowing that the shade was already calling forth the shadows. So instead of letting himself be taken he pulled out of Pitch’s embrace and danced away. “No…we’re trying to keep me from overheating, not putting me in a coma just so you can have your fun.” The Nightmare King looked as if he would mope over his refusal but he shrugged it off and replaced his frown with a predatory smile as he moved to grab the boy. Jack jumped back into the sun with a triumphant grin. “Jack, come here,” Pitch said, wiggling a finger at him. “Nope, planning on enjoying myself.” “And you can’t do that with me?” “Not that type of enjoyment.” Pitch rolled his eyes and gave an undignified snort. “Fine, have your fun but I plan to have mine before I set out to bring nightmares tonight.” Walking along the edge of the pond Jack let his feet get wet. He enjoyed the cool water as it washed over his toes without freezing. He didn’t even mind when the hem of his jeans got wet. The sand felt warm and grainy and he wiggled his toes into it. “Don’t you always get your fun before work?” he teased. Besides, do you really have to spread fear everywhere? I mean, I get it you know. I understand the need for fear. Kids do stupid things when they’re fearless, I’ve seen it, but do they need nightmares every night?” “And what, pray tell, would you have me do?” Pitch asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Jack shrugged as he held out his arms and balanced on a thin log on the pond’s edge. “Well, why not tone it down? I mean think about it…if kids are totally frightened all the time then they can never grow and parents will start to freak out and panic might set in and things can go to hell. I don’t know, it just seems a little unnecessary. Fear’s supposed to protect too, right?” “Yes?” “So?” Pitch let his breath out slowly. “Yes, fear protects, Jack, but I have Fearlings and shadow creatures to feed. They need children’s nightmares.” “Why? It doesn’t seem very fulfilling.” Counting to ten slowly, Pitch let the question pass. The shadows were growing as the sun moved behind the trees. He moved closer to Jack. “Let’s talk about you.” The boy shrugged. “Okay. So is this twenty questions?” “Just one,” he said, gliding up behind him once more and stilling the sprite. “Have you ever tried to make it snow in May?” Chuckling softly, Jack shook his head. “I’m usually asleep or down South.” He brought his mouth close to Jack’s ear. “Why not try?” Jack glanced over his shoulder at him. “My staff…” “Was only a tool to help you channel your power.” He said, kissing the side of his neck. “You can do this, Jack. You’re more powerful than you think. You just need to focus.” He hugged Jack to him. “Close your eyes, Jack. Clear your mind. Now think of snow and only snow. Big white, flurry and pure, falling from fat grey clouds. Now, open your eyes.” He did as he said and his eyes filled with wonder. It was snowing. The clouds now blocked out the sun and huge snowy flakes were falling from the sky and blanketing the warm ground. He laughed, utterly amazed. It was snowing…in May. He was making it snow in May! “How… I haven’t done this in years. I mean when I was new I did it by accident a few times and there was the odd freak storm but I never did this on purpose. Not here.” Wind ruffled his hair and pulled at his clothing, trying to draw him away from Pitch so they could fly and to Jack’s utter surprise the shade let him go. He didn’t go far, just a few meters above his pond. Throwing his arms open to the sky he summoned the snow, made it come down harder, creating a blizzard to rival any freak blizzard in history. “Snow day!” he crowed as the temperature dropped. And down below Pitched watched fondly. If there was one thing that could scare people faster than anything else, it was a freak snow storm. . . . The storm clouds spread out, covering much of North-Eastern America and Canada. The wind whipped through the trees and North and the Yetis were forced to bunker down much earlier than expected that day. North kept Bunny tucked safely in his heavy coat as they huddled in the hastily built tent. The Yetis were taking shifts guarding them – Phil’s idea due to the Guardians’ waning powers. For once North didn’t argue the point with his chief of security. The wind howled and tent shook and the temperature continued to drop far below seasonal. “It’s Jack,” Bunny muttered, his tiny form shaking against North’s chest. “Why would he create a blizzard in May? This is crazy.” “Pitch’s doing,” North murmured, adjusted his coat around Bunny as he tried to get some sleep. “Just a few more days and we’ll be in Burgess, Bunny. Just a few more days.” He didn’t want to admit that the trek was getting to him. He felt tired and weak. Every day was getting worse. He wasn’t nearly as young as the last time he journeyed so far by foot. He was exhausted and desperately needed sleep. But his worry was eating at him just as it was Bunny. Something was wrong with Jack for him to cause an unseasonal blizzard. They needed to get to him as soon as possible but he feared the storm might get worse before they get better. His gaze rested on the small globe that rested just a foot or two away from his face. The last Light still glowed but only dimly now. It was fading slowly. Jack’s Light was fading. He pulled Bunny closer to him, fearful of what this meant, fearful that if he let go of his dearest friend he might loss him when the light finally went out and prayed that if it did his friends would not suffer. He watched that light until his eyes grew too heavy to keep open and he fell asleep, fearful he may never awaken again. ***** Chapter 8 ***** Shadow and Ice 8 Jack was giddy. Children were playing the snow, laughing and creating snowmen and angels. Snow in May, it was unheard of! Pitch had let him go to spread more and he zipped across the Americas to ensure everyone could enjoy in the unseasonal weather. He even travelled to places he never went before feeling stronger than he ever had before. He brought snow to places that Brazil and Mexico, visited Italy and Egypt, and even gave Australia a good dusting of snow. It didn’t stay long in most places, melting within seconds of touching the ground. It didn’t really matter, he was just happy to be able to create snow so late in the year. North America and Europe soon became a winter wonderland and Jack skated across lakes and river, whooping with joy and throwing snowballs at children and adults alike. To him everything was utterly perfect. When Jack returned to Burgess it was dark and the children were all snug in their beds. Nightmares were on the loose, stalking from one house to another and infecting dreams with nightmares. Jack bit his lip and squeezed his hands into fists, unsure if he should put a stop to it or not. He didn’t like seeing children suffer but they had parents who would comfort them, parents who would chase their bad dreams away. Besides, a little fear never hurt anyone. Nonetheless, he flinched when he saw one of the ‘mares enter the Bennett’s house. He looked away. He wouldn’t let himself even think of what possible nightmares might haunt the two children inside. His breath hitched when he caught sight of Pitch standing on top a nearby apartment building watching him. He pushed away his anxiety and rushed to the Nightmare King with a huge smile. Throwing himself in the shade’s arms he embraced him tightly. “I can’t believe it!” he cried. “I made it snow in Brazil. Brazil! Do you know how hot it is there? I made it snow and it stuck! This is amazing! I never had this much power before. How can I do this?” He searched Pitch’s eyes, fearful that it was all some sort of trick even as he thrilled in his new power. “Perhaps Mother Nature gave you her blessing. She and the Moon did revive you from hibernation,” Pitch offered in way of explanation. Possible, it was better than the thought that momentarily seized him, that maybe Pitch had kept his word that the children would believe in them both – by fear most likely. He searched Pitch’s eyes, looking for some trace of deceit. What he found confused him. They only smiled at him, as if he were the most incredible being on Earth. After so many centuries alone to suddenly mean so much to someone in only a matter of weeks seemed so impossible, especially someone like Pitch Black. It sent a thrill through Jack, a sense of belonging and purpose. Maybe not in the matter he thought he wanted, at least not when Pitch first proposed them teaming up, but it was something he could get used to. He touched Pitch’s cheek and ran his fingers behind his ear and down to the back of his neck before pulling him down and into a heated kiss. The Bogeyman seemed a little surprised at first but smiled and returned it with just as much fever. He grabbed the smaller male, lifting him up until Jack wrapped his legs and arms around him then carried him to the shadows. “Wait,” Jack said softly, breaking the kiss. “My pond. Let’s go to my pond.” With a chuckle, Pitch nodded. A moment later they were standing on the now frozen pond. This time it was Jack who took charge, who made the first move. He felt powerful, more than he could ever remember and despite their age and size, he wanted to prove himself to Pitch. He kissed him fiercely, wanting to dominate his mouth, his body, everything about him. He pushed Pitch’s robe off his shoulders, letting them pool at their feet as he kissed the older man’s chin and nuzzled his neck. Pitch combed his fingers through Jack’s hair, with a happy hum. He greatly enjoyed the turn in events, the fact that Jack was pleasuring him without any coaxing or encouragement. He tilted his head, giving Jack full access to his neck. The boy’s lips were cool and they made wonderful chilly trail from his neck to his shoulders and then wondered lower until he was lavishing attention to his dark, hardening nipples. He suckled like a babe to his mother’s tit. Pleasure shot a line straight to his groin and causing his length. A small hiss escaped his as Jack twisted his other nipple before moving to suckle it. The boy had learned a lot in their short time together. And he had such a talented little tongue. He kissed and nipped a line down his chest and stomach. Without a thought the shadows parted from him, revealing his need to his younger lover. That was all the invitation Jack needed. He deep throated the entire length, swallowing it into his throat like a pro. He held Pitch’s hips firmly, not letting him thrust into his mouth, taking complete control. This was the first time the youth had demanded control and it sent a little shiver through Pitch to allow him such control. Jack sucked deep and hard, driving Pitch to near insanity as he bobbed his head and squeezed his balls in his cool hands. “Jack!” he snarled, fisted his hair. “Stop before I…Ngh!” The boy laughed, the vibration making him cum so hard his knees felt weak. But before he could collapse Jack had jumped to his feet and caught him around the waist. “Whoa, easy there,” he laughed, kissing his cheek and laying him on the snow. He knelt between Pitch’s legs with a predatory grin that looked so foreign on his pretty face. He bit his lower lip, his bright eyes full of lust and want, demanding something he seemed nervous to ask. Pitch gave him an encouraging smile not expecting what was about to be requested even as Jack climbed over him. “What is you want, Jack?” he asked in his silky smooth voice. Jack gave his a chastised kiss. “I want to top you,” he said, his voice husky and simply dripping sex. Pitch took it the wrong way and lay back with his arms folded behind his head. “By all means, Jack, you can ride me until your heart’s delight.” He chuckled and shook his head. “No silly.” He folded his arms between their chests and looked him straight in the eye. “I want to shove my cock up your ass and fuck you until you scream my name.” Blinking, Pitch could only stare at him. “Seriously?” “Huh uh.” He had to think about that. Jack had wanted to try topping him for some time now and while he wasn’t opposed to being topped he had never allowed one so young to do so before. Jack was so much smaller than him. He was made to be fucked not the other way around. Still, the idea intrigued him. Besides if the boy couldn’t finish the job he could always “punish” him for his failure with a good hard pounding. He grinned wickedly at Jack. “Alright,” he said smoothly. “I’ll tell you what, we go back to the palace and I’ll let you have your naughty little way with me but…” His grin grew. “You have make me cum before you and…if you don’t I get to let the shadows screw you senseless.” Jack smirked. “Deal, but…no sand play or cock rings. I don’t want you pulling any tricks just so your shadows can play with me.” “No tricks,” Pitch lied even as he summoned his shadows and transported them to Jack’s room. He helped Jack out of his clothes before laying back and displaying his naked body for Jack’s viewing pleasure. He folded his arms behind his head, ready to simply enjoy himself and let Jack do all the work. He gave a surprised yelp when ice formed around his wrists, freezing them to the bed. “Jack,” he snapped, glaring at the ice elf. “Let me go, now.” Jack held out a tube of lube he had stolen while on his travels. He squirted some on his fingers. “Nope. I told you I wanted to top and I know you…you’ll give me five minutes and then use the shadows to make sure I lose the bet. Not happening.” He reached between Pitch’s legs and twirled his fingers over his tight muscles before pushing one in. The Bogeyman gasped and closed his eyes at the odd feeling. When was the last time someone fingered him? He couldn’t remember the last time someone did this to him. No, the few times he had allowed someone to top him – those very few times when he needed to be touched so bad, needed someone else to take control – was many decades ago. The most resent being Bunnymund but there had been no preparation – he had tormented the Pooka until he had taken him. Before that had been North when he was still a young man and recovering from a recent battle, but again the Russian had not prepared him – he hadn’t even been in charge, Pitch simply seduced him and rode the man for all he was worth. This was so much better. Jack was attentive and totally focused on Pitch’s pleasure. He worked muscles that were long unused until they relaxed before slipping in a second slick finger and searching for that special spot long forgotten. When he found Pitch thought he might die from the sheer pleasure that clouded his mind. His back arched and he moaned loud and long, not caring that the little imp was laughing at him, not caring that he was rock hard again and may lose the bet before Jack even got started. All he cared about was that bundle of nerves being hit over and over again. “There, Jack, harder…yes!” he cried, rocking into those teasing little fingers. A third finger entered and he groaned as Jack worked him harder. He couldn’t help the sob he gave when they were removed. Thankfully he wasn’t empty for long. Jack cool length, only five inches long, slipped into him. For a brief moment Pitch feared it would not be enough, afraid the boy would not be able to fulfill his need, but Jack was full of surprises. While his movements were unsure and a little erratic, he tried to mimic everything Pitch had done to him over the many weeks since they began having sex. And while he was awkward he was very determined. Once he found Pitch’s prostrate he aimed and pounded on it with each thrust. The shade wrapped his legs around his waist and pulled him closer, made him go deeper. “Harder, Jack, fuck me hard,” he growled. “Make me cum or I – Ah…ngh…Jack!” The boy laughed and kissed him as his pace picked up. He pumped Pitch’s length with one hand in time with his thrusts. He was going to cum. Pitch’s insides were so warm and tight, it was as if his length was being milked, as if his muscles were sucking him in. He tried to hold it off, pulled hard at Pitch’s length. He wasn’t losing to challenge. Pitch will cum first. One way or another Pitch would cum first. Pitch’s long legs tightened around Jack as he arched his back. “JACK!” he cried as his hot seed splashed over their chests. “Oh God!” Jack screamed as the shade’s inner muscles squeezed him so unbelievably tightly that he was unsure if it was pleasure or pain. He continued thrusting as his orgasm hit him light a freight train. He pumped his seed deeply into Pitch before stilling as his body shuttered. A moment later what strength he had left seemed to melt away and he collapsed onto the shade with a little content sigh. “Wow…” Pitch only chuckled as his arms were released. “Wow indeed,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around the sprite and nuzzling his head. Jack smiled at the affection and he hugged Pitch as he rested his head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was strong and powerful like the man it belonged to. His eyes drooped as sleep tugged at him. “I love you,” he murmured oh so softly. The Nightmare King froze, as if Jack had just cast him into a block of solid ice. He stared at the mass of white hair and pale boy. He didn’t know what to say. No one had said anything like that to him before. Not since…not since he was human, oh so long ago when he once had a wife and family and… His mind went blank as the momentary memories of his past life passed. No, no one loved the Bogeyman. No one loved Nightmares, yet here was this sprite, a mere slip of a boy, who confessed to loving him. Pitch held him all the closer, wanting to never let him go. “I love you, too, Jack.” And he meant it. He was in love with Jack Frost and that confession scared him more than he would ever admit. . . . The lights of Burgess were a welcoming sight. North held Bunny close as they looked over the sprawling city. Here was the eye of the storm. While snow blanketed the ground and roof tops it was not nearly as bad as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. It looked like a winter wonderland, as if Christmas was only days away not seven months. Why would Jack do this? What did Pitch do to cause Jack to lash out in such a way? He leaned heavily on his swords. It had taken nearly three days to make it here and North’s strength was almost spent but he still held out hope as he spotted the source of the chaos floating across town at the center of yet another storm. But now that Jack was within sight North felt some of his strength return. “Crikey, he’s lost his mind,” Bunny muttered from the cradle of his arms. His back paw had healed but with the growing cold he was struggling to keep from going into hibernation. He was becoming more lethargic and sleepy but he was still very determined to reach Jack and saved the last Light from whatever evil Pitch had in store for him. Phil grumbled was he adjusted the bag over his shoulder. North gave a nod. Slowly the Yetis unpacked the bags and began setting up camp even as North began heading toward the city. Phil glanced up, surprised to see the Guardians on the move again. He jumped to his feet and went after them. “You need rest!” he yelled but despite his waning strength North could not be deterred. He headed toward Jack as if the boy was the most important person in the world. Phil yelled back to the others, telling them to drop everything hurry. Regardless what North thought he needed them and as small and innocent looking as Jack was he could also be a force to be reckoned with. Neither North nor Bunny was in any condition to deal with an emotional teenage spirit, especially an elemental. And Phil knew from experience, Jack was no mere child. “Jack!” North began yelling as he hobbled through the vacant snowy streets. “Jack!” The wind whipped around him and Bunny huddled deeper into the fur coat. “He ain’t listening, mate,” the tiny rabbit muttered. Nonetheless, North pushed ahead. The boy’s laugh echoed all around them, flowing on the wind and in the snow. Ice clung to everything as the spring heat tried to counter the cold and continued to fail. The whole climate was out of balance and it was all Jack’s doing. “JACKSON OVERLAND FROST!” he suddenly bellowed as he neared the boy not far from his pond. It was a name not spoken by anyone in centuries. A name North knew all too well even if the sprite thought he ignored him all these years. “Get down here right now before I put you back on the Naughty List!” Bunny stared up at him with wide eyes as they waited. The wind grew harder and North curled himself around Bunny as the temperature dropped even more. When next he looked up he came face to face with not the child who had been a part of their group just over a month ago. Gone was the unsure, almost skittish winter elf who longed for his memories and to be accepted into a family. The youth who floated in front of him now had the same face and hair but his eyes were different. They no longer held pain of sorrow. They were still bright with mischief and childlike joy but there was something different, darker and not quite Jack Frost. He no longer wore the tattered pants of old hoodie but finely crafted slacks and tunic with a long overcoat trimmed in sparking white fur and his feet were still bare. But what threw North completely off was the lack of his staff. Jack was flying and creating the storm without the use of his staff. “North?” he asked with a laugh. “What are you doing here?” He tilted his head to one side with a big happy smile. “Don’t tell me you’re here for the last Light, because it’s already gone.” Before North could respond the boy had already flown off leaving behind a gust of wind that knocked North and Bunny to the ground. “But if you want to know what happened you’ve got to catch me.” North struggled to his feet. This wasn’t Jack. This wasn’t the young spirit he had come to adore, despite what happened with Easter. Picking Bunny back up, he hurried after the boy. He had a good idea where Jack was going he just hoped it wasn’t a trap. In the distance he could hear the neighing of Nightmares and knew Pitch Black wasn’t far. They needed to reach Jack first. They needed to stop him before he brought about the next ice age and Pitch took complete control of the world. Not a bad chapter, Jack tops Pitch YAY! And is now the cause of so much chaos and fear that Pitch must be the happiest man on Earth  ***** Chapter 9 ***** Shadow and Ice 9 BTW regarding last chapter, I do know that occasionally it snows in Canada and in various places in May, June and even August sometimes but it is very rare for it to become a full blown blizzard or stay for more than a day or two, at least in the last two decades so that’s why I made it into a big fuss the last two chapters. I live in Northern Ontario and in my area this winter is the most snow we’ve had since the 90s and everyone is making a fuss out of it while my son and I joke about Jack besting Bunny this year, lol. Keeping up to Jack would be next to impossible if it weren’t for the fact the boy was simply dancing in the wind as if taunting them. Despite his fatigue and aching joints – he could never get used to that, especially consider how many centuries old he was and not once feeling an ache so deep in his bones – North kept up to him as best his body would allow. Soon they were at Jack’s pond and North was never so happy to have his Yetis at his side. Standing on the pond in front of Jack’s floating figure was a pack of snow wolves. North didn’t even know the boy could create such things and judging by his face Jack must have just discovered this new ability as well. He stared at them in awe and wonder and North felt a tinge of pride in the child. Too bad those wolves were meant for him. “Jack,” he tried again before the beasts attacked. “We must talk. Please, I mean you no harm.” Jack’s head shot up from the wolves, as if just remembering they were there. “Harm?” he asked, his voice holding a note of hurt. “You never meant any harm to begin with, did you, North? Of course not. No, you just had the stupid Easter Kangaroo and your Yetis kidnap me and throw in a sack, convinced me to help you fight Pitch and try to save they teeth and then because of one misunderstanding you threw me aside like so much garbage without even allowing me to explain anything. Why should I listen to you now? You never came after me. You didn’t even look for me until now. You don’t care about me. All you care about is the last Light!” The wind howled, pushing North and the Yetis back, but they were used to cold high winds and stood their ground. The wolves snapped their jaws warningly and rushed out to meet them. Phil and the Yetis charged forth to meet them, not allowing any near North or Bunny. It was a fierce struggle and had North been in better condition he would have gladly jumped in the fry, instead he held Bunny close and inched around the battling combatants. The down side to beings created out of snow was that light Pitch’s Nightmares they could be crushed under fist and it took much focus on Jack’s part to create new ones. North used that to his advantage as he palmed the small pouch in his pocket. He loathed using it magic sand within. It was all he had left of the Sandman. “Jack,” he called up to the frost child. “You’re wrong. I did search for you. I searched all of Antarctica. I travelled the world for you until my power was spent. I was wrong to doubt you. I should have listened but I was upset and a fool. Please, I wish to make things right.” Doubt and confusion flashed through those expressive blue eyes and for a moment North thought he had gotten through to him. But the boy leapt backward. “You’re lying! Why would you bother searching for me? You never cared before, why should I believe you do now. All you want is to use me to get the other Light lit again. You don’t care about me.” Tears streamed down his cheeks, freezing before they hit his chin and North’s heart ached to see them. Jack Frost, the mischievous little hellion who brought so much joy to children was crying. “I do care, Jack, I’ve always cared. I was wrong not to show you more but I always cared.” He glanced down a Bunny who had kept oddly quiet through the whole exchanged and decided to try another approach, one that if done wrong could cause more damage than good. “But I must wonder Jack, do you care?” The boy blinked as he landed on the ice. “What do you mean?” “The children, Jack,” North pressed, taking a cautious step toward him. “Do you still care you them?” “Of course I do.” “Then why are you harming them? Why are you causing this unseasonal weather?” Jack shook his head, stepping back and raising his hands as if to hold his missing staff before him. “They love what I do. They get to have winter much sooner and have plenty of snow days.” “Yes, Jack, but it’s the wrong time of year. People are not prepared for this much snow at this time of year. There have been many accidents, many deaths. People are afraid, Jack. Children are afraid.” It felt as if he was twisting a knife in the child’s chest, as if he was tearing out Jack’s very heart. It hurt North to bring Jack such pain but he had to make him see reason. “No…” Jack denied, his tears becoming a constant stream. “You’re lying!” “Jack… Mate, it’s true. There’s been a whack of accidents, people are dying,” Bunny said, staring at him with big green eyes. “You need to listen to us, Jack.” Jack just shook his head as he stepped back. The temperature dropped more and wind tugged at North’s coat as it howled in his ears. Still he fought, still he pushed forward. Jack didn’t look at him, didn’t seem to realize they had made it past his wolves and winds until North was standing right in front of him. He gave a startled gasp and went to take to the air only to have the large man grab him by the arm and yank him into a fierce hug. “Let go of me! Put me down!” he yelled, struggling with all his might. “Pitch!” North did the opposite. He held Jack closer, tucking the boy against him like a small child in need of soothing. “Shh…Jack. No one will hurt you. Not anymore. You’re safe now.” “No…you don’t understand,” Jack pleaded, pushing at his and trying to wiggle free. “You have to let me go, North. You have to…” His eyes widened as dream sand was thrown in his eyes. “No…you don’t understand.” He breathed, slumping forward in North’s arms, his head on one large shoulder. North sighed in relief when the boy settled into slumber. “It’s alright, Jack,” he whispered, wrapping one arm under Jack’s legs, thankful that the little sand he had still held enough of a punch without Sandy to control it. “We’ll make everything better, even if it takes me a life time I’ll make up for my mistake.” Bunny glanced down at the boy, ashamed at himself for being so cruel to the boy over the years. “The little ankl’bittah is a might bit stronger than I thought possible. His power shouldn’t be this strong in spring. He should be hibernating…unless.” “He has Believers,” North said in wonder. “Jack has Believers.” “Probably not in the good sense,” the Pooka muttered before he gasped. “North!” A blast of black sand sent them and the Yetis tumbling across the ice. North tried to keep his hold on Jack tight but the boy was ripped out of his arms and into those of another. “How dare you?” snarled Pitch, holding the boy bridle style and tight to his chest. “Keep you thieving hands to yourself, Cossack!” Nightmares padded their hoofs on the ice causing it to creak threateningly as North and the Yetis struggled to their feet and shuffled back toward the shore. Bunny on the other hand hoped forward. “Let him go ye sick dingo,” he yelled, pointing a small paw at him. “How dare you lay a finger on him! He’s just a kid.” He yelped as a Nightmare charged him and ran back to the shelter offered by North and his Yetis. “Pitch, you must let him go,” North tried reasoning. “The seasons are off balance. If things are not set right Mother Nature will-” “Do nothing,” Pitch said with a grin. “Who do you think allowed Jack to stay awake so long?” They all stared at him in shock, none wanting to believe that Mother Nature would allow Jack such power. However, Seraphina was Pitch’s daughter, his flesh and blood, and despite their difficulties she might very well give into his whim. Pitch’s grin grew as he eyed the two remaining Guardians. “You look awful. I’m assuming the Tooth Fairy is no more?” At the sudden hatred and fuming in North’s eyes he out right smiled at him. “No…not quite yet, there is still our last Light here isn’t there? A coma of sorts perhaps? Surely she can no longer fly and Punjam Hy Loo is most likely gone. How does it feel not being able to protect your lover, North? How does it feel to have the Light so close but in the arms of your enemy? You can’t save the world this time, North. Fear will finally rule.” “As long as one Light remains we’ll be here to fight fear,” North growled, holding his swords tightly. Regardless of his weakness and fatigue he would fight Pitch and his evil. Bunny bounced on his should, tiny fists at the ready while Phil and the Yetis readied their weapons. “Oh, how amusing,” Pitch laughed. “Very well, if you insisted. Take them.” Nightmares struck out, hundreds, even thousands seemingly coming out of every shadow. North and the Yetis fought valiantly but it quickly became apparent that they were out matched. Bunny was snatched from North and dragged into the darkness. Then Phil and one of his warriors. Then the second until all that was left was North who knelt on the ground, panting and covered in cuts and bruises. He glared at Pitch as he approached with his scythe in hand, Jack laying in the center of the pond. “Any last words, North?” the Nightmare King asked as he rose the scythe over his head and readied to give the finishing blow. “And don’t worry about Bunny, he’ll make a fine rabbit stew.” North closed his eyes and hung his head. He didn’t have the strength to continue fighting. He could no longer stand. Every inch of him hurt and all he wanted was to just give in and sleep. He readied himself for the end, prepared for the sharp pain that was sure to slice through his neck and said his last goodbyes to those he cared for most, Tooth and Bunny and Manny and Katherine and Nightlight and young Jack who he would never get to properly know now. He would soon be join Sandy whatever came after life. The blade came down swiftly. “STOP!” Jack screamed. A shield of hard ice erected between the falling scythe and North, stilling the blade before he could deliver the finishing blow. Jack darted between them, one hand pushing the scythe away from North as the other went to the shade’s shoulder. “No, please don’t. There has to be a better way,” he pleaded, eyes large and torn. “Jack, move out of the way. This ends now,” Pitch growled pushing the frost child away. “Why kill him when you can…show him exactly how much he failed?” Jack tried. A seductive smile curved his lips as he snaked his hands under Pitch’s robe to touch bare flesh and tweak a nipple. “You said yourself there’s nothing more powerful than a Guardian’s fear and with Bunny and North as our prisoners just think how powerful you’ll become. No one would be able to stop you. Not the Guardians, not the Man in the Moon.” He got up on his tip toes and brushed his lips against his love’s. “You’ll be the most powerful being in the entire world.” Pitch’s golden gaze searched his for any trace of deceit before a smile tugged at his lips and he pulled Jack tightly against him and letting him feel just how happy the youth made him. “Very well, Jack. I’ll spare them.” He grinned triumphantly at North. “They can rot in my dungeons as I blunder every ounce of fear out of them.” He kissed Jack’s forehead. “And perhaps I’ll even let you have a little fun with them.” Jack gave him a confused look but didn’t ask as the shadows engulfed them and North. He wasn’t sure where North or the others were taken, he assumed some deep dark dungeon with no light but he wasn’t given a chance to consider it as Pitch began stripping him, his arousal undeniable as he crowed his victory over the Guardians. “You did it, Jack,” he said, all but throwing Jack on his bed. “I now have five new victims to draw fear from and all five are the most power beings on the planet. If you think drawing fear from a Guardian is a challenge you should try a Yetis, but oh is it worth it. You are an amazing boy, Jack!” He pushed Jack on his hands and knees and began rimming his hole as he lubed up his length. “Are you going to kill them,” Jack asked, ignoring that warm tongue as best he could. Yes he was angry with the Guardians, hated them even but he didn’t want to see any of them die. Watching Sandy disappear had been hard enough on him. He had liked the little golden man and he liked North, no matter how upset he was with the Guardian of Wonder. Pitch paused. “Perhaps, in time or they may simply fade away.” “Why would they fade?” He gave a sudden cry as that hot tongue was suddenly shoved in him and Pitch grabbed his hips tightly. The Bogeyman tongue fucked him, going far deeper than any tongue should be able to. But as Jack had come to learn Pitch could change the size of any part of him or his whole body by absorbing his shadow creatures. He forgot about their prisoners as he laid his head in his arms and rocked into that wonderful tongue. “Uh…more, lick me good, ngh…oh…right there…uh…uh…” He whimpered as the slick appendage was removed from him only to be replaced by something much larger. “Yes! Stick it in me. Fuck me hard, Pitch, please…ngh…uh…uh…harder!” Pitch chuckled and pounded into the boy with all his might. He was beyond delighted, beyond happy. Jack had literally delivered the remaining Guardians to him. All that was remaining was Toothiana but she would be easy enough to acquire and he had a birdcage already set for her. Oh, if he could only see North’s face as he witnessed just how far Jack had fallen, how completely and utterly Jack was his. He imagined North’s horror filled face as he was forced to watch Jack’s milky white ass be pounded into, as he heard Jack’s delicious cries of need and want and dirty little things he said now. And a nasty, truly evil thought came to him. He grinned as he pushed Jack down on his belly and placed his full weight on his love. His thrusts slowly into something more tender as he laced his fingers with Jack’s. He kissed and nuzzled the boy’s neck and ears as he made sure to hit Jack’s prostrate with each thrust. The sprite pushed back into each thrust as he moaned and groaned, softly chanting Pitch’s name. “Jack,” he whispered between thrusts. He rotated his hips, pushing into a particularly sensitive spot. He waited until after the boy’s cry settled back into moans. “I want you to help me completely break North.” He changed angles and hit the prostrate particularly hard, knowing Jack would not deny him when screwed in such a way. The sprite always wanted to experience new things and a threesome with an enemy might peak his interest. “What?” Jack asked, freezing under him. Pitch kept moving, delighting in the sudden spark of fear that flashed through his love. “Oh, nothing so bad as actually fucking the old fart,” he assured. “No, I’m thinking more of showing him the depths of his failure.” Jack looked over his shoulder at the shade, his expression unreadable. “What do you mean by his failure? Because he couldn’t make me a Guardian?” Pitch smiled reassuringly. “No. For daring to neglect you all these years and the fact that he’ll never be able to make it up to you. I want him to know that I will make it up to you for the rest of eternity. I want him to know that you are mind and I yours until the end of time and not even the great Nicholas St. North could stop that.” He kissed Jack’s temple. “I want to make break the last of his spirit before turning him into my Fearling General and then we can do whatever we want with him.” “What about Bunny?” Pitch shuddered as he thrust deep. “I didn’t think you’d be into that but if you want…” Jack gasped as his back wall was hit. Pitch was making his length incredibly large again. It was almost painful but so good at the same time. “No, I mean what’s going to happen to him?” “Do you like rabbit stew?” “Pitch!” he snapped, trying not to let the Bogeyman distract him. “Seriously.” The shade began moving faster, harder. “I am serious. I haven’t had a good Pooka stew in centuries.” “Uh..ngh…no, no rabbit stew.” “Roast.” “No!” Harder now. The sound of skin slapping skin and Jack’s cries filled the room. “Fine, he can join his kind as a Fearling as well but I get something in exchange.” “Is that what happened to Sandy? Did he become a Fearling? Oh! Damn it, Pitch…I’m trying to…uh…talk to you.” His thrusts became brutal. He didn’t want Jack thinking of the Guardians anymore. He wanted the sprite to think only of him, of the pleasure they brought each other. He should never have brought up breaking North until after he sated his need. Now it took all his focus now to loss his arousal. A shadow slipped into Jack’s mouth, silencing him as it fucked him. Jack’s words became muffled as he was filled in both ends. “The shadows are going to finish you off, Jack,” he said, wrapping a thin ring of sand around Jack’s cock. “I’m going to pound into your sweet hole until I cum and then you and the shadows are going to give me a nice little show. That’s the price of saving the rabbit from being dinner. And before you even ask, yes, Toothiana will also become a Fearling. Are you happy now?” At the boy’s small nod he let himself give into the Fearlings that resided within him and began pounding into the boy with earnest, focusing entirely on his pleasure rather than Jack’s. He imagined the once powerful Guardians as Fearlings, as perhaps letting them having a little fun with Jack. Oh what a delicious sight that would be. The once noble Guardians bent over Jack and pleasuring him until he cried for release. Maybe the Pooka would pound into his tight ass as North did the same to his mouth and Toothiana lay beneath him. They would be Jack’s to command, Jack’s to control. Yes, his winter prince would be adored and pleasured more than any being in the known universe. He came with a roar, filling Jack’s hole with his cum before pulling away and letting the shadows have their way with his young lover. The shadows lifted Jack off the bed as they entered him. It was beautiful watching the way Jack arched and cried out silently as he was filled so completely. Many hands touched and caressed him as what must have felt like many cocks pushed their way in his wonderfully tight hole and mouth, caressing him inside and out. They were a little rougher this time, feeling their master’s displeasure at the boy but still they made sure to hit every spot that would turn the usually proud boy into a bumbling mess. Jack bucked and moaned, his body contorting in postures depicting his unspeakable pleasure. Pitch stroked himself as he watched. Jack was never more beautiful than when in the throes of passion. His erection pressed painfully into his belly, red and swollen and leaking pre-cum. Pitch retracted the sand cock ring when Jack’s back arched like a strung bow, looking as if he might snap his own spine. Then he came so powerfully it was like watching a fountain come to life. The shadows went down on him, drinking his juices in and becoming bloated on that momentary fear that always seemed to accompany Jack when the shadows took him. His body shuddered and quivered as he was lowered into Pitch’s waiting arms. “Now, about breaking North?” Pitch asked, kissing his damp forehead. “I’ll…I’ll do it,” he breathed, his body shivering after such a hard and powerful orgasm. He tucked his head under Pitch’s chin as exhaustion tugged at his mind. “I’ll help you break North.” “That’s my boy,” he purred, rolling so that Jack was under him and he pushed back into that well worn entrance. “And such good boys deserve my gratitude.” Jack arched his back, his muscles tender and sore but he didn’t stop Pitch from taking him again and again that night. Never had he seen the Nightmare King so happy or with so much stamina. For the rest of the night they celebrated their victory over the Guardians and what would soon be a new group of Fearlings. ***** Chapter 10 ***** Shadow and Ice 10 Jack was never so unsure of himself as he was when he stood before the dungeon cells. The Guardians and Yetis had been separate to help break moral. Bunny was in a tiny cage in the throne room, no more than a pet now. Tooth was in another cage somewhere else. Jack had no clue where the Yetis were although he heard their snarls and grunts from time to time. And North was all alone here in the center of the vast prison. After only a few days in captivity the man looked far older and frail than Jack had ever seen him. It tore at his heart. This was the man he had counted on to bring him out of his loneliness. This was the one person he had believed in so strongly and who had failed him the most. Pitch had decided to wait a few days before breaking the large Russian. He wanted North to feel hopeless and understand just how horrid the situation was. So rather than have Jack hang around worrying about the Guardians he sent him off to spread winter around the world. Jack had only been back an hour when Pitch said it was time and while he had agreed to it Jack was now having seconds thoughts. The Guardian of Wonder was not a threat anymore. None of the Guardians were. “Don’t lose your resolve now, Jack,” Pitch whispered against his ear. “You’re not going to heart him, just teach him his rightful place.” His fingers stroked his arms, easing some of the tension away. “When all is done he will no longer be this weak old man but a strong fierce general of our army as he was always meant to be.” Seeing Jack inner turmoil he gave the youth a hug. “But if you don’t want to I can always do it, I simply thought it would be easier for him to give in to you than me. He will fight if I do it. The Fearlings may have to fight him down and hurt him. You said you didn’t want that.” “I’ll do it,” Jack reaffirmed. “I just don’t like it.” “You will,” Pitch assured, kissing his cheek. “And I’ll be right here in case you need me. Now go on, my love. This is your chase to get the attention you so rightfully deserve from good old Saint Nick.” Taking a deep breath, Jack nodded and opened the cell door. He heard it lock behind him and a shiver of fear raced up his spine. He could do this. He had to. It was the only way to spare the Guardians any further torture. It was the only way he could keep himself from forgetting them. Already he had forgotten what Bunny truly looked like. No matter how much he tried all he saw was a small bunny with Easter Eggs like in those silly advertisements humans made. He couldn’t remember if the Tooth Fairy was really a woman with wings or some human-bird hybrid. All he remembered of the Sandman was a silent golden man. It was North who he remembered clearly. It was North he always felt the need to impress and be close to, as if somehow he could be a father to him, as if maybe the embodiment of Wonder could love him as his own child. He hesitated several feet from the man, sure that he was unconscious. North sat on the rock floor, his back against the wall and a short length of chain pooled on either side of him. Pitch had said that no one had been to bring North food or drink since he was captured and Jack feared, spirit or not, it was having a negative effect on the usually jolly spirit. He understood why Pitch did it – how else to you break someone than by denying them their basic needs? It was supposed to make all this a little easier but as Jack stared down at him he could help trembling in fear. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it should be. He’d rather face North on the battle field than do this. “Jack,” North murmured, his voice hoarse from days of disuse. He blinked a few times before gazing up at the youth. Despite his arms and legs being chained to the wall, his clothing stained and wrinkled he still bestowed a smile upon Jack and hope shone in his eyes. “I’ve been hoping you’d visit me.” Tears threatened to consume Jack as he knelt before him. “I’ve had duties to attend to,” he said matter-of-factly as he adjusted his robe so he wouldn’t trip. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.” “So it’s true,” the Guardian said, still searching his eyes. “You and Pitch are together now?” “Yes.” “Are you happy?” He blinked back his tears and gave an honest smile. “Yes. Why did you have to come here? Why couldn’t you leave us alone?” “Jack…” “I was happy and you had to try to destroy it!” He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “I’m happy, North. Pitch is happy. He’s not nearly as bad as you think he is. I…I love him.” North searched his eyes finding no hint of a lie. Sadly, he gave a nod. “And does he love you?” A small happy smile lifted Jack’s lips. “Yeah…I think so.” For several moments they sat in silence, neither knowing what else to say but both wanting to say so much to the other. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see Pitch watching them. He sighed and turned back to North. How was he supposed to tell North of all people what he needed to do. It had taken forever to rake up the courage to tell Pitch what he wanted in sex and they had been at it for quite some time. North…North was different. It wasn’t right. Swallowing his fear he leaned forward to kiss North’s brow. Okay, not bad. North didn’t flinch away or reprimand him just gave him a curious look. He kissed his nose next, gaining a little more courage at the soft chuckle North gave. He still had his Wonder. He wondered if the jolly man would still contain that sense of Wonder as a Fearling or if it would be twisted into something darker. “Jack,” North asked gently as he moved to kiss his lips. Jack paused just a breath away and gazed into his questioning blue eyes. “I need…I want you to…” He couldn’t find the words he needed to express what he needed him to do. He almost jumped when North large hands took his upper arms and drew him close. “Jack,” he whispered in his ear. “Whatever it is Pitch wants me to do to you I will, but only if you want it.” “I want you to give me head,” he suddenly said, startling them both by his boldness. North pushed him back enough to look him in the eyes and see for certain this was what the boy wanted. It wasn’t. He could see the fear and anxiety in Jack’s eyes but one glance toward Pitch’s dark form showed a much worse fate should he not do as Jack requested. So with the best smile he could muster he drew Jack back into his arms and hugged him close. “I will do this, Jack, because it is for you.” All the tension melted away from the boy as he hugged North back. “Thank you.” North lowered his voice and brought his lips close to Jack’s ear. “But I have one request; will you honor it for me, no matter what happens?” Jack nodded. “Leave here and check on the children. Make sure they are safe and happy,” North instructed softly. “If they are not, please…please…Jack, let spring come.” He hesitated a moment, pulling back to look at the older spirit. With a sigh he nodded. “I will.” He glanced over his shoulder again, feeling Pitch gaze boring into his back. Standing, he shrugged off his robe, revealing his nude pale skin and flaccid penis. He cupped North’s face, running his thumb over his cheek bones before guiding his face to his groin. He watched as the older man opened his mouth and took his length between his lips. His beard tickled Jack’s legs and groin and a giggle bubbled up in him only to be cut off by a cry as North began to suck. Only then did it really hit him that he was receiving head by the leader of the Guardians and Santa Claus himself. And Moon be damned the man was good at it. North’s hands held his hips securely. “I never would have taken you as one to give head, North,” Pitch chuckled as he came up behind Jack. His hands ran up Jack’s sides and over his stomach. “See, Jack, this is where he belongs – on his knees and between your legs.” He kissed Jack’s throat as he worked his hole, causing his moans to increase in volume. He lifted one of Jack’s legs, opening him wide, then, while North still worked on his length, he thrust into Jack’s rear. The boy gave a scream and North jerked back only to have his head shoved right back into place. “Jack likes it hard, North. Do a good job and I might consider leaving Tooth alone.” The Guardian of Wonder gave a muffled curse but renewed his efforts as the Nightmare King rammed into Jack from behind and subsequently Jack’s length down North’s throat. The boy was a crying and whimpering mess. His small hands knotted in North’s disheveled hair. North sucked hard, swirling his tongue and bringing Jack all the pleasure he could until he felt that tell-tale tremor and the boy bucked forward, his seed spilling into North’s warm mouth. A few more thrusts from Pitch and the Nightmare King pulled out of Jack. He held the boy close, as if they were indeed lovers as he kissed the ice elf with such passion it surprised the other man. North stared at them in surprise and wonder for a few shorts seconds before making his move. He slipped the now almost empty pouch of dreamsand into Jack’s robes before noticed. He sat back and tried and watched them for a moment, pretending to be old and withered and defeated, the same look he had been giving since the last few days. Yes, he was feeling weak but he was far from defeated. As long as Jack still believed in him he would still fight for him. He would fight for all children but never will he neglect Jack again. “I believe the Southern Hemisphere needs another dusting of snow, my love. The children are simply begging for your cold wet fun,” Pitch said when he pulled away. His grey hand slid down Jack’s pale chest and over his belly. The smaller male had an almost dreamy look in his eyes as he gazed up at the Nightmare King. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?” Pitch smiled sweetly at him. “North and I are going to have a little chat. Now off with you, Jack. You are too much of a temptation. Go, enjoy yourself.” Joy filled Jack for a moment as Pitch gazed at him lovingly. Such love took North back. Never would he have thought that Pitch Black of all beings would find love. Stranger still, Jack seemed to be in love with him as well, even if it would seem their relationship was twisted. It was twisted, North reminded himself, not letting the display discourage him from reaching Jack. Pitch was using him. He had to be. This was all some trick to make the Guardians drop the last of their defenses. Yet it was hard to look at the happiness that filled Jack and think just how wrong it was. Jack grabbed his robe and pulled it on as he headed for the door. He paused long enough to look at North one last time because they next time they meet he may no longer be the man every child knew as Santa Claus. Guilt filled him but he pushed it aside and hurried to his room as Pitch stepped closer to North. He did not want to see the change as it happened. ***** Chapter 11 ***** Shadow and Ice 11 If there was anything that cheered Jack up more than a good old fashion snowball fight he had yet to discover it. He dived bombed out of the air, snow and wind following in his trail as he headed for the park. There weren’t that many children out, not as many as he would expect on such a nice snowy day. It wasn’t that cold and the snow was light flurry flakes. He landed on the top of a swing set with a joyous laugh and a shot, “Snowball fight!” before throwing the perfect snowball at the nearest child. What should have been a yelp followed by giggles and an all-out war was replaced with a cry and then a terrified scream as huge hazel eyes met blue. The little boy cried for his mommy and ran away as other children began crying and hiding in fear. Jack stood up straight and watched them in surprise. The little boy had seen him. He had seen him and ran away. Scared. He looked around. All the children were gone. No, it wasn’t possible. No one ever saw him. No one believed in Jack Frost. Confused and heart-broken he moved on to the next town and on and on, each time his heart seemed to fall further and further into his stomach. His emotions became unstable and the snow began to fall faster and harder and no amount of concentration could make it stop. Children believed him, they really believed in him but they were afraid. They feared him. He dove into the entrance of the dark palace feeling anger and rage. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wiped away his tears as he touched down on the near the iron globe and stormed toward the throne room. “Pitch!” he yelled, looking into every shadow. “Pitch, where are you?” He gasped when warm arms sudden wrapped around him from behind and pulled him close. “Back so soon, my angel,” Pitch cooed, nuzzling his neck. “Not that I’m complaining I was just finishing up a few things before heading out. I thought perhaps tomorrow we’d-” Jack pulled away and turned to face the Nightmare King with angry, teary eyes. “They hate me,” he growled, fighting back tears. “Who, my love?” The smile was far too sweet, far too innocent. Pitch knew. He had to have known this would happen. He threw up his hands and began passing. “The children, they’re afraid of me. They’re not enjoying the snow, they’re not playing outside. They…they believe in me, Pitch. They can see me but they’re scared. I went to see Jamie just a few minutes ago. I’ve been watching over him and his sister since they were babies. I’ve prayed for them to see me, to actually be able to play with them. I made Sophie cry…Sophie. And Jamie…” He pushed back his tears and glared at Pitch. “I don’t want this. I never wanted this. Why did you have to bring me? Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?” Pitch stared at him for the longest time. A variety of emotions flashed across his face before settling on a gentle frown as he moved closer. Jack took a step back, avoiding his grasp. “Jack, if they fear you so much why not end the snow and only spring to arrive? I’ve not made you do anything you didn’t want.” “But the Nightmares?” “I simply whispered your name into a few ears, I did not create any nightmares regarding you,” Pitch continued, placing his hands on Jack’s shoulders and bending to Jack’s level. “I would not do that to you, Jack.” Jack sniffled and wiped at his eyes. “Then why are they so afraid?” “Because the world is not used to so much snow when it should be green.” “Oh…” He looked up with anxious eyes. “I shouldn’t have gone so all out. There’ve been a lot of accidents and people are really scared. I need to put a stop to it. I’ve got the pull the snow back.” He expected Pitch to be angry, to maybe even yell at him but instead the older spirit held him close and let his head rest against his shoulder. “If that is what you feel you must do, but I assure you, the children love you, Jack. They’ve just a little frightened by the strange weather. I time they’ll adjust and love the cold as much as you do. If there’s one thing I know about humans it is that they can adapt so much better than we can.” Jack gave a small nod, although he was suddenly very unsure of himself and the fun and joy he meant to bring the children. North was right; it was too late in the season for snow. Still, he allowed himself to relax in Pitch’s arms, thankful he wasn’t angry with him. “Can I see North?” he asked, his voice small and nervous. Since seeing all the upset children all Jack could do was think of North and what he had said. He needed to talk to the Guardian of Wonder, maybe learn how to fix all this. Surely just stopping the snow wouldn’t be enough. “Oh, Jack…” Pitch said softly, resting his cheek against his head. “North’s gone. He’s a Fearling now. He’ll never be able to hurt you again.” “What?” Jack gasped, pulling away. “No… Pitch, no…” He shook his head, unable to contain his tears anymore. He saw the huge Shadow Man standing next to Pitch. His eyes widened more. It had North’s basic shape but there was nothing even remotely recognizable about him now. There was no wonder left. There nothing of North left but his shadow. “No…” he sobbed. Turning on his heal he ran several feet before launching himself in the air and flew to his room. Right now he wanted as far away from Pitch and the shadow as possible. “Jack!” Pitch called after him. He sighed and turned to the Shadow Man. “Go,” he told him, waving his hand dismissively. He glanced at the rabbit in the change several feet from his throne. Bright green eyes glared at him. With a snarl he sent some black sand at it, making the cage swing and sent the rabbit bouncing. “Enjoy the show, rabbit. You’re next.” The rabbit just glared at him. . . . Jack screamed in rage when he slammed his bedroom door shut. He let his emotions take control and lashed out at everything in the sparse room. He didn’t own much but he knocked down the few objects Pitch had given him, letting them shatter on the stone floor before flopping on his bed and crying out his eyes. He should never have agreed to Pitch turning the Guardians into Fearlings. He should never have done what he did to North. He should have fought Pitch. Tears streamed from his eyes as his cries grew into painful sobs. Why did he have to be the last Light? He pulled his robe close to him, wishing he had something with North’s scent on it. He should have frozen North’s chains and freed him. He should have fought alongside the Guardians instead of against them. This was all his fault. He pressed his face into the dark robe and cried harder. Why? Why was he so stupid? How could he love Pitch so much when he was hurting so many people? And he was just as bad. He was hurting children with these stupid storms. Yes he wanted winter to last but not if it was hurting people. He wasn’t worth being believed in if it meant children being afraid of him. His hand fell on a small lump in the robe. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t remember putting anything in the pockets. He usually only wore it when going to Pitch’s robe or… Pushing back that thought he sat up and pulled the robe onto his lap and searched the pocket. He pulled out a small golden pouch. Where did this come from? Carefully he undid the tie and opened it. Inside was a handful of golden sand. Dreamsand. He inhaled sharply. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “Sandy…” He held in his hands the last remaining specks of dreamsand that was once the Sandman. He held it close to his chest. “Oh Sandy, I wish you were here. I screwed up big time. I don’t know what to do. North’s gone and it’s my fault.” His tears fell onto the pouch and mixed with the sand. “I Believe, Sandy, I haven’t stopped no matter how much I wish I could,” he whispered. “I believe in Dreams and Hope and Memories. I believe in Wonder!” He waited, his breath held and hoping his belief might be enough to revive the fallen Guardian. His heart sank when nothing happened. Frustrated, Jack flopped back on the bed. “This is stupid, Jackie,” he muttered to himself. “Sandy’s gone. He and North are Fearlings now and soon Bunny and Tooth will be too. It’s too late.” He closed his eyes, intent on sleeping when something tugged on his hair. Grudgingly he opened his eyes. What he saw made him raise a curious brow. The sand floated above his face in the shape of an arrow. “Wha..?” The sand backed back away as he sat up. He brought his face close to it. “Sandy?” The sand morphed into a happy face before returning to the arrow and pointing to the door. “Okay…” Jack said softly. Hesitantly he followed the sand back to the throne room. It was empty now, Pitch gone to spread his fear. The sand zipped through the cages as if looking for someone before settling on Bunny’s cage. Jack almost laughed. Had Sandy asked he could’ve simply asked. Jack jumped up to the cage, careful not to swing it too much. Inside the diminutive lay on his side looking half dead. “Bunny,” Jack called as he opened the cage door. Very gently he scooped the little grey rabbit up and held him to his chest as he jumped back to the ground. The rabbit didn’t respond and Jack feared the worse. “Oh, Bunny…I’m so sorry.” He held the rabbit to his cheek. He was cold, far too cold and there was nothing he could do to warm him up. “Bunny, please, please open your eyes,” he begged. His shoulders fell. Then a small wet nose touched his cheek followed by an equally small tongue. A small happy laugh escaped Jack. He glanced to the trail of golden sand. “Find Tooth,” he said and immediately the sand zipped off again. Holding Bunny close he followed the sand but was forced to stop as Fearlings appeared at the end of the next corridor. He tucked Bunny into his jacket as the golden sand hid up his sleeve. The dark spirits came toward him, giving him a once over before continuing on their way. Jack gave a sigh of relief before moving on. They were heading down to the dungeon. Wasn’t Tooth in a bird cage somewhere? That’s what Pitch had said. But no matter how hard they searched they could not find her anywhere. Maybe Pitch had lied. Maybe she was still at Tooth Palace. So why were they in the dungeons? They passed North’s cell, now empty and Jack’s breath hitched as he held back a cry. Bunny’s rubbed up against him, nuzzling his neck and cheek. He was becoming more animate the further away from Pitch’s throne room they got. “It’s okay, Jack,” he whispered softly. “We’ll find Tooth and get out of here. Manny’ll help us save North.” Jack nodded but it was getting late now. Pitch would be returning soon and he wasn’t sure how he would explain having Bunny and a handful of golden sand that had a mind of its own and he was pretty sure was Sandy. Yeah, the Bogeyman was sure to be thrilled about that. He was tempted to call Sandy back and return to his room. They could try again when Pitch left again. He was about to give up completely when they came upon a pair of Nightmares guarding a dark cell. The golden sand returned to Jack, swirling around him as if to urge him forward. “Are you crazy?” Jack snapped at it, trying to pull back. “If they see me down here with Bunny they’ll alert Pitch. I’m already in enough trouble as is.” A sequence of images flashed before him and Jack’s mind became a whirl as he tried to decipher the meaning. “Just act normal,” Bunny instructed. “Believe in us Jack.” Oh he was going to regret this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He did believe in the Guardians. He did believe in himself. He did believe that Pitch was about to have their heads for this. Squaring his shoulders he strolled up to the Nightmares as if he were the royalty Pitch always claimed he was. He took on the role of master and commanded the Nightmares as if they were his own creations. “Stand down,” he snapped when one of the neighed at him. He raised his hand to place on the nearest one’s muzzle when the oddest thing happened…the black sand turned gold. Jack let out a yelp and jumped back. The Nightmare contorted into a new form and then mingled with the stand of sand that was Sandy. The other Nightmare reared back in sudden fear and started running down the corridor. “Jack, stop it!” Bunny yelled. Moving quickly, Jack threw a ball of winter magic at it. The ball of magic bowled into it and caused it to explode into a shadow of ice and sand. “I’m in so much trouble,” Jack murmured as he stared down at the destroyed Nightmare. “If Pitch hasn’t been informed yet he’s sure to know in a few minutes.” “Then we better hurry and get Tooth out of here,” Bunny encouraged as they hurried to the dark cell. Jack ignored the mass of golden sand floating toward the fallen Nightmare and focused his powers on freezing the lock so he could break his way in. “Now when we Tooth free I’ll get you guys to the surface but from there you have to find your own way to wherever it is you’re going.” “Jack,” Bunny said anxiously. “You should come with us. This is no place for you. Pitch doesn’t care, he’s just using you.” Closing his eyes Jack let out a low sigh. “I know, Bunny, it’s just…it’s complicated.” He snapped the lock. “Tooth?” There was no answer. Pushing the door open he stepped inside and tried to peer into the darkness. Why would Pitch lock Tooth in the dark? Was she afraid of the dark? “Hey, Tooth, you in here?” A low groan met him. Definitely not Tooth. “Jack?” a deep voice called back. Jack stood still as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It couldn’t be. Summoning his magic he formed an ice crystal to light the darkness. There, tucked in the corner and chained to the wall was the one person that almost made Jack fall to his knees. It was like Christmas morning when everything one’s heart desired lay under the most wonderful Christmas tree. And even though Jack had never experienced those things he suddenly knew how all those children must have felt before opening their presents. He fell to his knees before the older man and sobbed tears of joy. “North!” ***** Chapter 12 ***** Shadow and Ice 12 He couldn’t stop the flow of tears, they just kept coming. They were tears of joy and heartbreak and he couldn’t tell which emotion was stronger. Jack was happy to see North alive but even in the dim glow of his ice crystal he could see the older man was in bad shape. His velvet shirt was torn and tattered in Pitch’s effort to break him. Jack felt ashamed for his role in all this. Had he only listened to Tooth when she said she was taking Sophie back rather than offering to do it himself none of the would be in this situation. Frost coated almost his whole body as his shame grew. Had he done as he was told the Guardians would still be powerful enough to stop Pitch. Had he listened he never would have fallen for Pitch’s trap or…in love with him. Was that part so bad? Was loving Pitch so bad? He stared into North’s pain filled blue eyes and the tears only got worse. He felt like curling up into a tight ball and block out the world but he couldn’t. North was injured and it was his fault. He needed to get him and the others to safety before Pitch found out. Swallowing his anger and hurt he went to North and began working on the chains. “Jack…” North whispered as he snapped the first chain. His voice sounded even worse than before. “What are you doing here?” “Getting you out,” Jack said in a flat voice, trying to keep his fear and self- hate at bay. He froze the second chain, then the third and fourth. These ones didn’t offer North the movement of the previous ones did. The moment North was free he slumped into Jack’s arms like a sack of potatoes with enough force that had Jack not been prepared he would have been crushed under the large man’s weight. Unfortunately, Jack got a good look at the man’s back and the raw and bleeding crossroads or lash marks. He felt sick to his stomach. North needed medical attention asap. Steeling his resolve, he stood, pushing with all his might until he got North to his feet. “Jack, you can’t carry me the whole way out of here,” North groaned. “I’m not,” Jack said firmly, forming a cane of ice for North to lean on as well. “You’re walking. Bunny, keep an eye for more Fearlings and watch out for the Shadow Men, they’re tricky buggers. Sandy…can you hide your glow or take on a less noticeable form?” North raised a surprise brow, as if just noticing the golden dreamweaver. “Sandy?” he asked softly. The Sandman gave a nod and smile before turning back into sand and shifting under Jack’s jacket and out of sight. Satisfied Jack kept an arm around North’s waist, mindful of his raw and lashed back and began moving his way out of the dungeon. There was no he was going to get North out of the palace without being caught, not in North’s condition. He wasn’t sure what to do or where to take him. All he knew was he couldn’t leave the older Guardian in that god awful cell. Okay, so where to go? The dark palace was huge, he could hide North just about anywhere but he wasn’t really sure how much of the palace was actually in use and how much Pitch had forgotten in his years of isolation. There were so many rooms that seemed unused. Did Fearlings and Shadow Men reside in them? He sighed. He should have paid better attention to Pitch when he explained all that weeks ago. Okay, let’s find a room, he thought, heading toward the residential section. Their progress was slow. They had to stop any times as Fearlings passed through corridors and unnatural shadows flashed by. Bunny would hop back every few minutes to report which corridors were safe or when to wait. He would sniff at doors and tell Jack which seemed to be in use and which weren’t until they found one across the hall and four doors down from Jack’s own room. Jack had to break the lock to get in and when they did he was taken back to find it had been designed with a young girl in mind. It was a little surprising but Jack pushed it out of his mind as he helped North to the bed. Carefully he eased the man onto the edge of the bed and helped remove the remains of his shirt. “Jack…” North said, trying to stop him. “I’m alright, no need to fuss over me, son.” “Yes there is,” Jack objected, throwing the rags aside. “You’re hurt because of me. Now lay down and rest, I’m going to get some supplies. I’ll be only a few minutes. Sandy, can you keep an eye on him?” Sandy reformed next to the bed and gave him a salute before forming his sand whips. Bunny jumped onto the bed next to North and nuzzled his head but to everyone’s surprise the Russian had already passed out, his head snuggled into the feathered pillow. His injuries had to be bad for him to fall asleep so quickly. How long had he been in such bad condition? Jack hesitated before hurrying out of the room in search of medical supplies. Pitch had to have some sort of infirmary or something that had antiseptic and gauze. He flew throughout the entire palace twice before settling on entering the Bogeyman’s chambers. He was sure Pitch wouldn’t notice anything missing, after all Jack spent a lot of nights in this room and had borrowed a number of things over the last few weeks. There was a cabinet to one corner that held a few bottles of strange colored liquids and powders. He read each bottle until he found the antiseptic and then grabbed a bundle of gauze. Making sure everything was back in order he hurried back to the room he had left the others in. North was still sound asleep but the injuries to his back seemed now stood out like a bright symbol of Jack’s failure to them. He held back his moan of distain. How could he have let this happen? Curling his hands into fists he straightened his back and headed to North. He’ll make this up to them somehow. “How is he?” he asked the other two Guardians. Bunny glanced up from where he had nestled next to North’s head while Sandy shock his head sadly. “Not good, mate. These wounds are infected. There’s black sand in many of them. Sandy can’t see to get it all out.” Jack’s face fell as he climbed on the bed next them. “Sand?” he asked, surprised that Sandy couldn’t remove it or change it as he had the Nightmares. He stared at the wounds in horror. They were indeed infected. Not just by the sand but also from the dank, dark conditions of the dungeon and his injuries not being taken care of immediately. “But, what does that mean?” He noticed another strange thing as he watched North, something he never noticed while helping the large man through the dim, dark halls. “And where’s his shadow?” Even in dim glow of the candle on the nightstand, North’s large form should have cast a shadow but there was none. His eyes widened as understanding hit him. Pitch had stolen North’s shadow but not changed him, not yet. “Wait…does this mean?” The other two Guardians looked at their leader sadly. “He’s infected, mate,” Bunny said softly, resting his head on the back of North’s neck and sniffing his mused hair. “He’s gonna become a Fearling and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.” Jack stared at Bunny in horror then turned to Sandy who looked just as broken hearted. “No!” he snapped at the two of them. “There has to be a way to stop it. North wouldn’t give up and neither will I. The children need him. I need him! We need all of you.” Bunny just snuggled into his friend more and Sandy placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Not given up Jack set to work cleaning each and every wound and painstakingly removing every stain of sand he could by hand. Sandy helped by pulling all the sand Jack managed to loosen until some of the redness from the wounds faded to a more healthy color. Then he gently lifted North’s heavy frame up enough for Jack to wrap the gauze around him and keep any further infection from occurring. When all was done the Father of Christmas was laid back down to rest. Jack sat back and sighed. It was a lot of work but with any luck it was enough to slow the change. He didn’t want North as a Fearling. In a few hours he’d come back and change the bandages and clean the wounds once more – anything that might stop the change from happening. But it was getting late now; Pitch would be back soon and was sure to notice Bunny missing, if not North. He had to get going. With luck he could stall Pitch until he figured out what to with the Guardians. He still had no clue how he was getting everyone out and he had yet to free the Yetis. Hopefully they hadn’t been changed yet. And where was Tooth? “Sandy,” he asked the dreamweaver. “Would you guard over North for me?” Sandy nodded and ruffled his hair. He had no idea what had happened since being almost corrupted by Pitch and made one with the Nightmares, but he trusted Jack to make things right. Jack gave him a tight hug. “I’ll be back in a few hours, I promise.” He grinned at the little man’s reassuring smile and scooped up Bunny. “No matter what happens or what you hear, don’t leave this room.” “Oi, what’cha think you’re doing, mate?” the rabbit snapped, raising his back paws to claw at Jack’s arms. “Put me down!” “Oh be quiet, cottontail,” Jack snapped back. “If Pitch doesn’t see you with me he might figure out what’s up and quite frankly I rather have the lot of you as far from here as possible before that happens. So button it.” For once Bunny was silent and gave him a defeated look. He curled into Jack’s arms without another word. Sandy gave them a wave as Jack headed for the door. Jack smiled back. He was worried for them. If North did change could Sandy handle him? Pushing those thoughts aside Jack closed the door and carefully locked it with his ice. With luck Pitch will never notice. Besides, it wasn’t as if he ever went in the room, right? He held Bunny close as he continued on to his room. Pitch would be back any – “Frost!” “Seriously?” he asked himself as he opened his door. “He’s like a freaking bloodhound.” He sighed but rather than run to the Bogeyman he went into his room and shut his door behind him. It wasn’t as if Pitch didn’t know where to find him. So he sat on his bed with Bunny on his lap and waited for him, already expecting the tongue lashing he was about to receive, hoping beyond hope that it won’t be nearly as bad as he feared. The door smashed against the wall when Pitch stormed in followed by the hulking new Shadow Man. North’s shadow. He bit his lower lip and continued petting Bunny as if not caring that Pitch was there and he was more than likely in a lot of trouble. He tried to act as if he didn’t care what Pitch thought one way or another. “What is that doing here?” Pitch snapped, reaching for Bunny. Jack hugged him to his chest and scooted back on his bed. “Hey! Leave him alone,” he yelled, glaring at the shade. “I changed my mind,” he said more calmly as he settled against his pillows. He stroked Bunny’s head as the small rabbit glared at Pitch and gave him a smile. “I decided I want to keep him as a pet.” “What?” Pitch and Bunny said in unison. Pitch lost his steam as he simply stared at the youth but Bunny was adamant with sudden anger. The rabbit hoped out of his arms and onto his bed, pointing a paw at him. “I am not body’s pet, mate,” he growled, hoping up and down as if he could take Jack on all by himself. “Pookas make horribly pets, Jack,” Pitch concurred, grabbing the rabbit by the ears as he sat down by Jack’s feet. “They’re aggressive, temperamental and completely un-trainable. They better off with their own kind.” Bunny fell silent in sudden confusion. “Yeah, but I sort of have a fondness for this one,” Jack continued, taking Bunny from Pitch. “Come on, Pitch, if I’m not spreading winter around the world I need something to occupy my time when you’re working.” The Nightmare King studied Bunny with cold gold eyes. Jack placed Bunny on the bed and got on his hands and knees, and nose to nose with Pitch. “I’m willing to pay for him,” he said seductively. He glanced toward North’s shadow and pushed back the fear he knew Pitch would feast upon at the idea of it touching him in any sexual way. He never wanted to think of North in such a way again but if it meant keeping Bunny from being changed he’d do it. Pitch grinned and signaled the shadow to leave, much to Jack’s relief. “Alright, Jack. I’ll let you keep him, but you know there’s a very high price to pay for him.” “Jack,” Bunny objected. Pitch snapped his fingers, creating a cage for the rabbit and placing him on the nightstand and out of the way. Jack shrugged off his jacket and tunic. “Oh? Any worse than the shadows?” “Maybe.” Pitch kissed him, his tongue flicking the inside of his mouth. “Have I told you what happened to the ancient race of Pookas?” He undid Jack’s belt and ties to his pants. “Only that you destroyed them.” He lifted his hips so the shade could remove his pants. He honestly couldn’t remember Pitch saying anything about Pookas. Pitch chuckled and nuzzled him. “Then you and Bunny are going to enjoy this.” His clothes vanished into the shadows as he prepped Jack. “You see, once there was a very powerful race of interstellar beings called Pookas. They looked like huge rabbit like beings.” He entered Jack in one thrust, making the boy arch beneath him. But rather than fucking Jack as hard as he wanted he moved slow and made love in front of him under that horrified gaze of Bunnymund. His eyes stayed on the Pooka as he told Jack the story of how his race was destroyed. “They nearly ended the war between Nightmares and the Golden Army. It was a fierce battle that I eventually won. Many were killed in the blood bath but many, many more were spared.” He grinned evilly at Bunny and gave Jack a deep hard thrust that made him arch and buck beneath him. “Do you know what happened to them, Jack?” he asked, nipping at his ear lobe. “What happened to them?” Jack asked between moans. “They became Fearlings, each and every last one of them.” His thrusts became more powerful as he let his mind travel back in time. He smiled at Bunny horrified whine. “But if there’s one thing I’ve come to appreciate about the Pookas it’s the way they mate. Of course as Fearlings they don’t mate any more but you should see the way they fuck one another. They’re so animalistic, almost brutal but it’s very filling.” “You’ve slept with them?” Jack asked, perplexed. He gave a small cry as his prostrate was hit. “Ngh…uh…” “On occasion,” he admitted. “When I’ve had the taste for something…wild. I would love to watch one between your legs. I know you can handle it.” “You want me…to…ugh!” “It’s the price you’ll pay to keep Bunny. Don’t you want to keep him?” “Yes…yes, I’ll do it.” “Jack, no!” Bunny yelled but he was unheard as their love making got louder and Pitch’s thrusts harder as a large dark form took shape just behind him. Bunny hissed, an odd sound for a bunny, as he backed into the corner of his cage. A large dark Pooka hunched at the side of the bed. Its green eyes glowed with lust as it watched Jack. The markings were unmistakable as was the face. “No, please no…” Pitch came with a cry, his back arching as he filled Jack with his seed as Jack came all over his chest. He leaned over the youth, brushing back his hair and gently kissing him. “Now I must warn you, Pookas have much larger cocks and even though I might change my size while in you when he first enters it’ll hurt so just relax. Understand?” Jack stared at the Fearling Pooka in sudden fear. It was huge. It was bigger that Bunny had been. How the hell was he supposed to fit that thing’s length in him? It growled at him, smelling his fear and had Pitch not been holding his right leg down, stroking that oh so sensitive place behind his knee he would have fled, especially when the Pooka lowered its head to smell his cum covered groin and hole. “Pitch, wait,” Jack said, reaching down to push the beast away. “How about something else? I mean any the shadows or…I don’t know…we can go scare a few kids or…” His breath hitched as the Pooka began licking him with its large rough tongue, from his leaking hole right to his twitching cock. “Oh no…oh God…Pitch!” Pitch stroked his hair and smiled down at him with adoration. “Just think of him as Bunny. I know you have feelings for the Easter Bunny, even if you’d never admit to him. Just think; if he becomes a Fearling he could be doing this to you. I’ll return him to his original form and he’ll do anything you want him to. He’ll be yours to command.” Jack closed his eyes, trying to shut out his words and ignore the creature between his legs. “No…” “Shame,” Pitch muttered, kissing his lips. “Now open you lovely eyes, Jack and look at me.” He did so without a second thought. A scream escaped him as the Pooka sudden grabbed his hips and thrust into him so hard his back arched and for a moment he feared he might snap in two. The Pooka growled in his ear as it leaned over him and began moving so fast and hard Jack didn’t get a chance to adjust to the impossibly large length. His fingers knotted in his dark fur as his bottom half was lifted and adjusted, the Pooka finding a better angle to pound into him. He tried to imagine this Pooka as Bunny in his original form, the smart mouth, full of himself Easter Bunny that he had secretly had a crush on for decades. He tried to imagine Bunny’s smirk and witty remarks. A cry torn from him as the Pooka bit his collar-bone and he arched as the pain slowly mingled with pleasure. Pitch smirked as he watched Jack. How he loved watching Jack like this. He wasn’t quite sure why he got off on watching the boy be fucked by his minions. He loved Jack and wanted him all to himself but he simply couldn’t help himself. Jack was so beautiful draped in shadow. But this, this was beyond hot. He never thought watching Jack be fucked by a Pooka Fearling was altogether something new and exciting. Unlike the shadows which he could see through and manipulate, the Fearlings were more tangible and able to go deeper and harder. He was already hard again just by watching them. Fear drew it attention and he grinned down at the caged rabbit. He lifted up the cage and placed it on the bed right where Bunny could get a good view. “Delicious, isn’t it?” he asked the last of the Pookas as the cage dissolved. “I bet you never thought he could handle one of your kind but look at him. A little pain gives way to unspeakable pleasure. Would you like that, Aster? To be a Fearling and be given back your true form? Just look at them.” Bunny did. He couldn’t help but look at them. Jack’s cries and moans were like music and the fact that one so small could take in a being so large as a full groan Pooka that had been twisted and made even larger and more feral by Fearlings brought something primal to Bunnymund. He could smell Jack’s need and the thick musk of the dark Pooka and it brought old forgotten needs to the surface. He pressed his ears to his skull and hung his head in shame. He shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts of the kid, even if he made a gorgeous sight. “I can give all back to you, Aster,” Pitch said in his honey smooth voice. “I can give you back your true form. I can give you back your people.” His voice grew low as Jack arched his back and screamed his release. “I can give you Jack.” Bunny lost his voice as he watched the Pooka started a second round with Jack, this time with the boy on his hands and knees and blood spilling from his collar-bone. He couldn’t understand why the boy allowed Pitch to abuse him or why he didn’t stand up to the man rather than letting these dark creatures take him. But deep inside something stirred in Bunny. He wanted Jack, too. MiM damn him, but he wanted Jack too. He wanted to go back to normal. He wanted to be one with his people again. He curled into a small ball, fearful of the feeling growing within him and wishing North was there to help him see logically once more. It didn’t help that his rut was so close and he hadn’t had a mate in so long it hurt. Why couldn’t Jack have left him with North and Sandy? Pitch paused in petting the diminutive Pooka. He stared at Bunny then Jack and held back an angry snarl as he tasted the animal’s fear. So Sandy was back and North was no longer in his cell. Very well, it just meant pushing up his plans. Nonetheless, Jack had to be punished for his treachery. He glared at the Pooka. “Harder,” he said in an even tone so not to alert the boy to him being found out. “I want his screams to fill the palace.” The Pooka roared as he began pounding into Jack with earnest, the boy bouncing under him and cries turned to screams of pain and pleasure. He soon collapsed, unable to hold himself up. The Pooka’s clawed paws held up his hips as he plundered Jack’s insides. “Stop!” Bunny yelled, reaching for the two, as if he could stop his brethren from screwing the much smaller sprite. Pitch grabbed him by the ears and yanked him back. He turned Bunny to face him. “If you don’t want to see the boy torn in half I suggest you tell me exactly where he took North,” he snarled. When Bunny didn’t answer he shook him hard. “Now before I have my pet ram right through him, and you out of everyone should know just how dangerous a Pooka male is during his rut.” Bunny’s eyes widened before they closed and he reluctantly told the Nightmare King everything. Pitch listened carefully before dropping him on the bed. He unwove the cock ring he had secretly placed on the dark Pooka during his second round – which had caused him to go so wild – and allowed him to finally cum deep inside the boy. Jack had passed out at some point – he seemed to enjoy rough sex but the moment his body got too hot he always passed out – and was not in the best of shape. He sported a number of bruises and claw marks and was bleeding from two bites as well as his well-used hole. But despite all that he was still a sight to behold. Pitch gently rolled him onto his back and admired the work his pet had done. He glanced to Bunnymund who was cowering at the edge of the bed. “Come here, rabbit,” he said sternly. For a moment Bunny didn’t move and then with a defeated sigh he hopped over. “Clean him up.” Without objecting, Bunny began licking Jack’s chest. Pitch petted him with a grin. The Guardian of Hope was just about broken and he was sure after this it wouldn’t take much more effort at all. “Just think, Aster, as a Fearling you could be doing so much more than cleaning up some else’s mess,” he taunted as the shadows dressed him. He paused to stroke Jack’s damp hair and kiss his forehead. “And you, my dear sweet Jack, are grounded. But I’m sure after that pounding you won’t be walking for a while anyway, but still…” He created black sand chains around his ankles and wrists, binding him to the bed, then a collar around his neck and one for Bunny that had a long chain connecting him to the bed as well. “I’ll give you some time to think while I check in on North. His change should be coming along nicely.” With that he headed toward the dark corner as two Shadow Men appeared on either side of the door. “Don’t let anyone near them. If Jack so much as frosts anything hit him with nightmare sand. I don’t want him waking up until I return. It’s time the boy knows what the word punishment means.” ***** Chapter 13 ***** Shadow and Ice 13 Pitch was ready for Sandy’s attack. With Jack as the only Believer left Sandy, like the other Guardians was too weak to be much of a threat. The sand whip wrapped around his forearm but Sandy didn’t have the strength to yank him toward him. Instead Pitch pulled the smaller man to him much to Sandy’s surprise. “Stand down, little man,” he snarled at the dreamweaver. “Oh my next arrow goes in your heart.” Sandy glared at him, his usually sweet and peaceful face full of anger and hate. Pitch just glared back. It was a test of wills and after several long seconds Sandy sighed and backed off, his whips turning back to sand and becoming part of him again. “That’s better,” Pitch cooed, pushing him aside. “Now, how is my newest general faring?” He grinned at the rage in Sandy’s face. Nonetheless, he turned his focus to the unconscious man laying on his daughter’s bed – not that Seraphina ever used it. Already there were notable changes. His skin had lost its healthy parlor and taken a slight grey tint. His silvery-white hair had several streaks of black. “Still fighting I see. No matter, it’ll just take a little more time but in the end they all give in.” Sandy folded his arms across his chest as images flashed over his head. “Oh don’t give me that, Sandy,” he said as he carefully pulled aside some of the crudely wrapped gauze on North’s back. “You know I’ve been trying to make him my general for centuries. Out of all you North was always the strongest. That Cossack training no doubt. But tell me, old friend, how is it you’ve returned? What? No charades?” Sand blew from the little man’s ears. “I’m assuming young Jack was the one to play medic? Not a bad job for someone who spent so much time alone. And such sweet dreams you’ve given him! Oh, what a lovely way to say goodbye!” He smiled brightly at Sandy. “Of course by the time I’m done he’ll have no good dreams left.” The Sandman’s tiny hands fisted and he flew up to Pitch’s face. If he could’ve screamed he would have, especially Pitch began laughing. He ran a hand through North’s hair as if they were long time lovers. Sandy fumed even more. His whips began to reform. Grinning, Pitch formed a sharp, black sand dagger and held it to North’s exposed throat. “Are we about to see just who is faster?” The whips faded once more and Sandy landed on the ground defeated. “That’s what I thought.” The dagger faded back to sand as Pitch adjusted the gauze over North’s back. “Another day and the change will be complete. If you wish to save him unnecessary pain I suggest you keep him asleep until the process is over, but I’ll leave that to you to decide.” Laughing darkly he left to ensure Toothiana was still where she was supposed to be. Her birdcage was at the other end of the palace, hidden in dark shadows and to Pitch’s great relief she was still in a coma as she had been since the last of her mini-fairies faded away. Even if she were awake she would be of no use to anyone. She could no longer fly and wouldn’t have the strength to run let alone walk. Once Jack’s Belief faded so would she. It was just a matter of making Jack forget the Guardians. That was proving to be far more difficult than he ever anticipated. Seeing as all his prisoners were accounted for, if not under lock and key anymore – that you very much, Jack – he took a moment to admire his iron globe. It was dark, only one tiny light left – Jack’s Light. He ran his fingers over it. It was brighter than it had been in over a month. He growled. Soon. Soon Jack would be his. The Guardians will all become Fearlings, whether they want to be or not and he would make sure each of them knew their failures first. For North it was Jack, not so much what he made the boy do to him but the fact that Jack was his. Tooth was her Believers, now all gone except Jack who had no baby teeth left to offer, Sandy would fade and become nightmare sand once North succumbed to the darkness within him and Bunny, now that he knew his people still lived within the Fearlings, who give in soon enough. He’d seen that light fade from the Pooka’s eyes when he saw the Dark one. In the end Bunny would be the one to go willingly, he was sure of that. Then Jack would be all his. He smiled at the thought as he ran his fingers over that tiny precious light. Jack. His Jack. Why did his heart clenched at the thought of this little light going out? It would be the end of the Guardians. The world would finally be his. Fear will rule the Earth and no one, not the Moon or even Mother Nature would be able to stop him. He sighed and placed his forehead against the cold metal. Where were these emotions coming from? Why did Jack bring all these feelings to him? He loved and cursed the boy in equal measure. Jack had practically handed him North on a silver platter, end helped try to break him and then, then the boy tries to save him and the others. Was he really prepared to spend the rest of eternity with a hormonal, over emotional immortal teenager? Maybe it would be best if he just gave up on a relationship with the boy – after all who was he to have a romantic relationship with anyone – and simply make him a Fearling Prince. They could still have all the sex they wanted – which was simply amazing with how needy the touch starved boy was, and teenage boys had amazing stamina – but there would no longer be the bothersome emotions. Jack would do exactly as he said, when he said without the cocky, smartass attitude and rebelliousness. It was tempting, so very, very tempting, but then he would no longer be his Jack. What was he to do? The boy needed to learn his place, he needed to be punished. The question was how. Jack liked rough sex, seemed to thrive on it, although Pitch suspected it was due to his years of loneliness and not being touched. At first he hated being touched, not just sexually. He shied away from any physical contact as if he feared it but now, now he couldn’t seem to get enough. The shadows – which had frightened him a first – didn’t even bother him. The Fearlings on the other hand were a new experience. He was actually quite impressed that the boy had been able to handle the Dark Pooka, even seemed to enjoy it. It was supposed to be a punishment yet once Jack got over the shock he seemed good with it. The boy was a complete oxymoron. No matter how hard he tried he could not understand the winter sprite. Elementals were an odd bunch. Perhaps he should speak with Seraphina…after the Guardians were changed and things calmed down. Rather than returning to Jack he left to spread a little fear and find his center once more. The snow was melting rather quickly without Jack to keep the weather cold. It was a little disappointing to Pitch. The ice and cold had brought about a great deal of fear to a large part of the world. The Fearlings had become bloated by it and Pitch had never felt so powerful. Now that fear had tampered down. He roamed the planet for hours, haunting children’s dreams and bringing terror where he could. It was all great fun but his mind continuously returned to the youth locked away in his palace. Soon enough he was standing by Jack’s pond, staring at the spot the boy had fallen over 300 years early and drowned only to be brought back to life by the Moon and Mother Nature. He gazed up the waxing Moon. There was nearly over. Soon the Guardians will be no more. Soon he would be free. “You lost, old friend,” he said softly. Not waiting for a response – he really wasn’t in the mood to speak to moonbeams – he slipped into the shadows, intent on having a good and proper talk to Jack about this whole Guardian nonsense before he did something else foolish. He was actually surprised to fine the boy wide awake and in a foul mood. He glared at the two guards who shrank away at his angry snarl. “I gave you orders!” Jack snorted. “Not their fault, dose me enough ties with nightmare sand I’m bound to develop a tolerance for it,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and he leaned against the headboard and glared at him. Bunny was curled up next to his hip and looking utterly miserable. “I wouldn’t have thought you capable of such a feat,” Pitch admitted, surprised and impressed that anyone could withstand his power. He smiled at Jack’s pouty face and sat on the edge of the bed. “Has anyone told you just how adorable you are when you pout?” Jack rolled his eyes and glared past at the wall to his left, pointedly ignoring him. “You do, every time I’m pissed at you.” Pitch laughed and leaned down to rub his nose against Jack’s. “Don’t,” the boy whispered, pulling away, only to have Pitch follow him until his head was pressed against the cushioned headboard and their lips a mere breathe away. “Pitch…uhm…” Pitch claimed his lips in a slow, gentle kiss. Jack resisted for only a moment or two before melting into it, never able to stay mad long with Pitch when he lavished such attention on him. When they broke apart Jack shook his head with a tiny smirk. “Okay…you want to tell me what’s going on or is this a new kink?” He rattled his chains. Pitch glanced at them and shrugged. “Perhaps…but that’s not why they’re on you.” He grew serious and focused on Jack’s lovely face. “I know what you’ve done.” He watched as the boy’s eyes widened and the guilt fill them. Jack looked away. “Why, Jack? We’re so close this winning this war and you nearly screw it up by freeing them?” “I’m sorry,” Jack whispered, tears shimmering it his crystal blue eyes. “Tell me why.” He took a deep breath and glanced at Bunny then back up to Pitch. “Because no matter how much I try I can’t forget them. No matter how much they hurt me I couldn’t forget them. Don’t you think I tried? I tried to hate them but…I can’t. The world needs them.” “The world needs fear.” “Yes but-” Pitch stood and stormed away. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Sanderson is back. I don’t know how you did that but he’s back. Not nearly as strong as before but he poses a threat. If he escapes he could unravel all my hard work. I’m sure you know by now North is not a Fearling just yet but that’s only a matter of time. He will be my general, Jack. Neither you nor Sandy can change that. If you hadn’t interfered I would not be forced to punish you. Why if Lunar learns they’re alive he might very well retrieve them. I will not have the likes of him in my domain. I will not lose this war because of your sudden bout of consciousness! I-” “You are the stupidest smart person I know!” Jack suddenly snapped. “And before you North held that honor! Why can’t you see how much damage you’re doing? People are afraid. Not just kids. Haven’t you seen the changes? Haven’t you noticed the rise in crime around the world? Pitch you need to stop. You need to let the Guardians go.” He whirled on the boy in sudden rage, his eyes glowing brightly. “Oh? And then what? I go back in the shadows to be forgotten and thought of as only a bad dream? I will not go back to that. I will not be forgotten!” He grabbed Jack by his hair and yanked his head back. “I will not let you destroy everything I worked so hard for.” Jack winced but glared back at him. “And I won’t be your toy,” he shot back. He stared into Pitch’s almost desperate eyes for a long time. “I’m not going to leave you, Pitch. I’m not going to forget you.” He pushed his lips against the dark spirit’s. “I’m here to stay.” He took advantage of Pitch’s surprise and wrapped his chained arms around his neck and pulled him down. “You’re never going to be alone again,” he promised. ***** Chapter 14 ***** Shadow and Ice 14 Pitch smiled at Jack’s soft snores as he ran his fingers up and down the youth’s arm. Jack had been willing to do anything he could to make Pitch understand his reasoning and while he had smiled and thoroughly enjoyed everything his love was willing to offer – who could ever deny pleasure such a delectable body as Jack’s – he was unwilling to give in, at least not completely. Over the weeks since the Guardians defeat he had immensely enjoyed the fear running rampant throughout the world. His dark creatures had feasted well and many had become quite bloated and lethargic. Of course after so long without a strong source of fear it was to be expected. However, Jack was right, the crime rate had increased and there was more talk of war than ever before and while that only increased fear and feed his creatures more he could see the down side to such a thing. This wasn’t the Dark Ages. War back then did not involve the entire planet or nuclear weapons. The children of the world had more to fear now than ever before and sadly, so did the immortal world. If the humans were launch their weapons at one another they could easily wiped the entire race out. Centuries ago Pitch wouldn’t have cared; he would have led the way even. He had once destroyed entire constellations without a care in the world. Something had changed after the battle against the Lunaroffs when he was stranded on this planet. Something had changed when the Guardians were assembled. No. It had changed when Jack stopped fighting him and gave in. Jack was changing him. The boy had wrapped hi around his pinky and Pitch wasn’t sure if he hated him for it or was willing to change more for him. All he knew for sure was that he had fallen in love with Jack Frost and felt the need to protect him and see him happy. It was a strange feeling, one he had not felt in many, many centuries. Sadly, he was now left with now left with a problem he had not counted on. He was not willing to simply let the Guardians go, not after all the work he put into capturing them. And most were in no condition to go back to their duties – assuming they could bring about belief once more. He rested his head against Jack’s, deep in thought. Toothiana had lost so much power she was in a coma, Sandy had only managed to reassemble himself because of Jack, Bunny was…well a bunny now, and North was in the process of changing into a Fearling. He only had a few hours left if he was lucky. His shadow was already Pitch’s. There was no known way to stop the process let alone reverse it. The fact of the matter was there was no saving the Guardians. The best he could do would be to change them all and wait for the Moon to elect new ones. Not that he was going to tell Jack that though. His gaze fell upon the small grey rabbit that had claimed the far corner of Jack’s bed as his own. There was a small mound of fabric bunched up into a nest of sorts and Bunny laid curled in it, pointedly ignoring Jack and Pitch and trying to act as if he were not there. Pitch plucked him up by the scruff and brought him a little closer to inspect. Bunnymund was barely a shadow of his former self. The once proud and defiant Pooka warrior was reduced to this tiny, miniscule of a creature. “Have you made your decision?” he asked quietly as to not disturb Jack. “Will you stay like this or become one with your people?” “I thought…” Bunny began, looking from Pitch to Jack and back before realizing Pitch had only agreed to Jack’s demands to silence the boy. His tiny shoulders fell. “I need more time.” Pitch only nodded. “Perhaps you should spend a little tie with them to remember who you are.” “Wha-” The shadows suddenly wrapped around Bunny, about to whisk him away when Jack gave a soft sleepy moan and opened his eyes. His gaze met the rabbit’s just as he vanished from sight. “Bunny?” he yelled, reaching out for him. “Bunny! Pitch, where did you send Bunny?” Pitch wrapped his arms around the smaller male, pulling him tightly against him. “He’ll be fine, Jack. I just wanted us to have some time alone.” “Uh huh…nope,” the boy said, clambering out from under him which was made easy now that the chains were removed. He was up and grabbing his pants when a whip of nightmare sand wrapped around his waist and dragged him back to bed. “Pitch!” he yelped but couldn’t help laughing. “You’re insatiable! I need to see North and make sure he’s okay.” “He’s fine,” Pitch insisted, tucking him under him. “Besides, I have better plans.” He kissed Jack, hoping to distract him for a few more hours. Soon North would no longer be the man they remembered. Problem was, Jack came to know him far too well. “Tell you what,” the youth said, kissing his chin. “You let me go check on North and Sandy and then…” He trailed his fingers down his grey chest. “I’ll give you the blow job of a life time. You can even use your tentacles on me.” “Jack…” He pressed his head against Jack’s. His small hand stilled on Pitch’s chest. “You’re not going to let them go, are you?” The shade sighed and rolled over to lay next to him. “Jack, you don’t understand.” “That you lied…again?” “No,” Pitch said staring at the ceiling. “It’s not as easy as just letting the go. You’re the only Believer left. They’re not strong enough to just leave. Sandy would have to work long on each child to generate enough Belief just to sustain himself let alone the others. And I will have to hold back all my minions. The Nightmares are easy enough but the Fearlings…they need a new general.” Jack stared at him in horror. “You’re planning to keep North! You promised to change him back if I stayed.” “No, Jack,” Pitch countered, grabbing his arms and pulling Jack onto him like some small blankie. The boy glared down at him. “You were the one who said you would never leave me. You asked me to release the Guardians and I will, however North is no longer a Guardian, therefore mine to keep.” “I don’t understand. Of course North’s a Guardian.” His eyes widened as Pitch’s words suddenly made sense. He laid his head on Pitch’s chest. “No…” “There’s no stopping the change, Jack.” He felt ice cold tears dampen his chest and he wrapped his arms around the boy’s small frame. “I’m…sorry.” “There’s nothing you can do?” Jack sniffled. “I’m afraid not.” Jack sighed and rested his head over Pitch’s heart and listened to its strong beat. “Can I see him?” “I don’t think that’s best right now. In a few hours, when the change in finished and he’s more calm, I’ll let you see.” “Wait.” Jack all but jumped and straddled him, his eyes suddenly wide and sparkling with sudden hope. “He’s not a Fearling yet? There’s still a chance?” Pitch blinked as the boy jumped off him and began pulling on his clothes. “What? Jack, you can’t go in there. Sandy shouldn’t even be in there. This is the most dangerous period of the change. The North you think you know is gone. The last shreds of his mind won’t even recognize you. Jack!” The winter sprite shrugged on a shirt. “I have to try,” he said rushing for the door. “I have to fix this.” Pitch thumbed the back of his head against the bed. “It’s not yours to fix,” he muttered before dragging himself to his feet and allowing the shadows to cloak him. But Jack was already out of the room and rushing to the room he had tried to hide the two Guardians in. Pitch was tempted to turn the other way, not wanting to bear witness to Jack horror and heart break when he realized just how far gone North was, but he doubted Sandy would be able to keep North at bay if the Fearling within him decided to attack Jack due to his sudden fear. Like the Dark Pookas it would time before this new North would be ready to be around children. “Jack!” he snapped when he saw the boy push open Seraphina’s bedroom door. . . . North’s hands fisted the thin sheets of the bed. His body burned, his mind felt on fire, he couldn’t think, all he felt was a strange dark anger that he knew was not his own but was impossible to ignore. He felt as if something moved within him, something dark and threatening. Something dangerous. And it was growing. Sandy was watching him with large worried eyes as he formed yet another ball of dreamsand. The Fearling inside North was fighting its effects. He couldn’t keep his friend under anymore. The Fearling was becoming too strong. North shook his head. “No, Sandy,” he said with a tired sigh. He could see the changes happening to him. His normal, sun kissed skin was now nearly as grey as Pitch’s. His beard was now black with just the barest hint of white. “You need to leave, my friend. I can’t hold it back much longer.” Sandy shock his head, still debated whether or not to hit North with another ball of dreamsand when the door suddenly flew open. Thinking it was Pitch he threw the sand and hit Jack straight in the face. His eyes widened in surprise as the boy tumbled in and only had a split second to catch him before he hit the ground. He knelt down, letting the child’s head rest on his lap. Okay, not good. He had an unconscious winter sprite in his arms, one of his dearest friends changing into a Fearling and…yippy, the Nightmare King strolling in to gloat. How could this day get any worse? “What the hell happened?” Pitch snarled, seeing Jack fast asleep in Sandy’s arms. Sandy shrugged an apology. Sighing, Pitch rubbed his forehead. “Why can nothing be easy?” He knelt down to take the boy from Sandy only to have the little dreamweaver hold him tight and golden sand wrap around his sleeping form and a warning glare directed at him. Pitch growled. “I have no intentions on haring him…?” Sandy’s eyes were suddenly very wide and focus behind him with unbridled fear. Pitch glanced behind him when a low and very primal growl filled the room. A small smile lit his face when he saw his new general standing tall next to the bed. “Now this is a general,” he said gleefully. His grin fell as North towered over him, his once blue eyes a burning gold. “Get away from them,” North growled in a voice that echoed his own and the Fearling within him. Before either Pitch could do anything Jack and Sandy was ripped away from him and the three vanished, leaving Pitch standing in the room slack jaw and confused. “Jack…” he whispered, looking around. What just happened? Was North still in control of himself or had the Fearling lashed at Sandy’s sudden fear? If so where were they now? Oh Gods no…a new Fearling was feral and next to impossible to control regardless of whose body it was in. And since this new Fearling was North he would be next to impossible to stop. If he didn’t find them soon Jack could be in great danger. ***** Chapter 15 ***** Shadow and Ice 15 To watch them from a distance no one would ever have thought the creatures below were once Pookas. Bunny watched the dark creatures with a mixture of awe and disgust. Awe because despite the darkness that consumed them they were indeed Pookas, thousands of them, in the mist of their annual rut and disgust because the once very logical and very discreet beings were acting like feral animals just grunting and grinding into each other in a very prehistoric mating ritual. Yeah, this was not the place he wanted to be. While he was happy that some part of his race had survived the destruction of their planet, things beings were no more than savage animals. Why Pitch would allow one to rut with Jack was beyond Bunny. The Nightmare King seemed a strange kink when it came to Jack and the fact the boy didn’t fight back worried him. Jack Frost was strong willed, hot headed and didn’t listen to anyone yet he almost bow down to Pitch. What had happened in the weeks since he found the boy in the cage up until Pitch caught him and North? He had done something to Jack, something very, very bad. No human, especially one as small as Jack should be able to handle a full grown buck yet he had and didn’t complain. The kid should be in much worse condition than he was but no, he had been giddy – if not a little sore – when he woke up, even after the Fearlings put him under twice he still had that smile, as if despite the size difference he had just experienced the wildest ride. And that was exactly how he explained it – the Dark Pooka hurt but touched things in him he never felt before, that even Pitch and the Shadow Men hadn’t found. He liked being filled and touched, even if it was in a bad way. Pitch had surely warped the boy’s mind. But then again, Pitch also seemed fond of being roughly fucked. He shivered as he remembered his rut many years ago when Pitch had decided to “visit” him. Maybe Pitch didn’t understand the difference between love-making and brutal sex. Gods only knew what the Fearlings did to him when they changed him but surely some part of his humanity survived. Of course, judging by the Dark Pookas and how little of their true nature remained he wasn’t so sure anymore. Or maybe Pitch was just a sick S.O.B. and was getting a kick out of messing with Jack’s mind and torturing his body. Bunny was too conflicted by recent events to really think it through. He was tired and suddenly feeling far too old for his own good. He missed his people, he missed being himself and painting eggs and seeing the ankle bitters smile. He missed being a Guardian but under it all he simply wanted to give up. He was useless in this tiny form and he was seriously considering giving it all up and letting Pitch change him into one of the Dark Pookas and be done with it. At least then he would be with his kin once more. It was better than fading away into nothingness, wasn’t it? “Aster!” He gave an undignified squeal when he was grabbed by the scruff and hauled up to look into the angry amber eyes of Pitch Black. “Where would North take Jack?” the Nightmare King demanded. Bunny stared at him in confusion. “Take Jack?” he repeated. His eyes widened at the fear barely hidden in Pitch’s eyes. “North has Jack…and he’s a Fearling now?” “Yes.” “Tell me exactly what happened,” the Pooka said with authority and much to his surprise Pitch did. His confusion only grew when he heard what happened, how Sandy had hit Jack with sleepy sand by accident and the boy fell, how Pitch had come in to find Jack out cold in his rival’s arms and that when he went to retrieve his young love Sandy had resisted and then North – now more Fearling than human – had wrapped both Guardians in shadow and disappeared, somehow leaving no magical trace of where they went. Bunny was perplexed. He couldn’t understand how North could control the shadows so easily and hide his magical signature unless… “Did you threaten Jack or Sandy?” “No…but Sandy was being overprotective of Jack. The fool wouldn’t allow me near him, as if I would harm my own lover,” Pitch growled, placing Bunny on as alcove as he paced. “I warned Jack not to visit North. Fearlings at this stage are very temperamental and unpredictable. In another day or two he would have settled and Jack would be fine to go near him. I swear shadows are easier to control.” Bunny watched the shade as he paced. The shadows were lapping at his feet, as if trying to feast on his fear. Fearlings and Nightmares were moving around him restlessly but either Pitch didn’t notice or didn’t care. His focus was on his missing general and frost child. The Boogeyman was afraid and the more Bunny watched him the more afraid he became as well. He glanced at the feral Dark Pookas who had been Fearlings for thousands of years. If they were this crazed after this long as these dark creatures what would a new born Fearling be like? How much of North still existed? “Santoff Claussen,” he said suddenly. “You said Sandy was frightened, right? And was trying to protect Jack from you? What if North felt that and went into Papa Bear mode despite becoming a Fearling? He’d do everything in his power to protect Jack. He’d take them were he felt safest.” “I would sense if they went to the North Pole.” “Not if he put it on lock down. No magic can enter or leave while in lock down. Trust me I’ve tried. Couldn’t open a tunnel no matter how much I tried.” “Then how do you propose we get in?” Pitch asked, stopping in front of him with his arms folded across his chest. We? Bunny nearly asked in surprise, his ears rising and nose twitching. “The Yetis. We needed them to get us in. They’ll know how.” Pitch gave a curt nod. “Very well. The Yetis will get us in Santoff Claussen while Toothiana does a little side job for me.” . . . North paced his workroom as he tugged at his hair and stared at his boots. His mind was muddled, not his own. He couldn’t think past one simple thought. “Protect Jack.” He repeated it like a mantra as he walked back and forth in front of the sofa where he had placed the sleeping spirit. Sandy was floating protectively in front of the boy, doing everything in his power to keep North from getting any closer to him. North could smell his fear. He never smelt fear before and it frightened him with only made the beast growing within him howl for more. “Protect Jack. Keep him from Pitch. Lock down fortress. Protect Jack. Keep him from Pitch,” he repeated again and again. “Have to keep Jack safe. Need him safe. Manny says he’s Guardian.” He began mumbling as his mind clouded with a more primal need to feed. Sandy was scared. Scared of him. Sandy was not supposed to be scared of him. They were friends. Oh but his fear tasted so delicious. Just a little. Just a small taste…NO! He held his head, trying to physically push the dark thoughts away. Must focus. I can beat this. I can beat this. Toys. Lots and lots of lovely toys. Trains and planes and dolls and fear and darkness and… “STOP IT!” he roared. That sense of fear suddenly exploded as the Yetis who had crowded the other side of his door suddenly fled and Sandy jumped in surprise. Even Jack was startled out of his slumber. He blinked blurry eyes and rubbed the sleep out of the as he pushed himself to sitting position. “Wh…what’s going?” he asked in a groggy voice. “Sandy did you hit me with…North?” He blinked and stared up at the former Guardian of Wonder with a mix of awe and horror. “No…” North inhaled sharply, the scent of Jack’s fear intoxicating. The fear of an immortal child. The beast within him roared to life, demanding to be fed. He stared at Jack and Jack stared back and North knew that his strength against the Fearling he was becoming would soon fail. He wanted to yell at Sandy to get the boy away from, to scream at Jack to run but all that escaped him was a primal growl. He couldn’t control what he was becoming. “North?” Jack asked again, his voice gentle and brave, trying to mask his fear as he stood. Sandy tried pushing him back to the sofa and away from North but the boy was determined. “Are you still in there? It’s me, Jack. Jack Frost. Remember? You had your Yetis throw me in a sack and kidnap me? You remember, right? You said MiM wanted me to be a Guardian.” North backed away, wanting to answer him but unable to without the Fearling speaking for him now. “I know you remember. I hold the record on the Naughty List. 300 years straight isn’t it?” Jack continued, pushing past Sandy. He held his hands up as if dealing with a wounded animal. “Do you remember when we helped Tooth collect teeth and made it into a competition? That was epic, wasn’t it? It was so cool when you and Bunny got trapped in one of his tunnels. Remember?” North tried, he really did but his thoughts were getting darker hungrier. That boy was still scared but not nearly as much as he should be. He should be terrified, huddled in a corner and crying in fear. He balled his hands into fists, trying to battle these dark thoughts but it was getting so much harder now. The Yetis feared him. The Sandman feared him and even this wisp of a boy feared him and it sent a shiver of pleasure through him that made him fear himself. Something in him snapped. He lunged out at the boy, his large hands aiming for his small chest. Jack gave a yelp and dived to one side. Rolling around, he stared up at the big man with wide frightened eyes. “North? North, please I know you’re still there.” He crabbed walk backwards, trying to think when sand whips suddenly wrapped around him and yanked him out of the path of the Fearling. He landed next to Sandy. “Okay, maybe our North is taking a mini-vacation. I think we need to get out of here, Sandy.” He turned to the large windows only to see them covered over by some thick metal. “So much for that exit.” He glanced at Sandy as symbols appeared so fast he couldn’t possibly understand. “Uhm…door?” Sandy gave a nod and when North came at them a second time they dived to either side of him and made a break for the door. Jack could see the lock was engaged but it didn’t matter, he threw his magic at it, freezing the door solid before pouncing on it. The lock and hinges gave and the door crashed to the ground. Elves screamed as they took to the air followed by a very angry, very large Fearling General. “Everyone out!” Jack yelled as they flew to the top floor and hopefully freedom but all the windows were covered, even the skylight that would usually reveal Manny. “Okay, we’re trapped inside North’s workshop with no escape route. Any ideas?” Sandy shook his head. “Okay…and I’m guessing your sand has no effect on North right now?” Another shake of the head. “And Pitch isn’t anywhere close by?” No. Jack gave a small whine as he face palmed. “Okay, think, Jack, you’re in Santa’s workshop with like a gazillion toys, an army of Yetis and a bunch of elves. What do you do?” He closed his eyes and thought for a moment then laughed at himself. “Let’s have a little fun. Sandy, gather the Yetis and elves I’m going make it next to impossible for North to move around here. With any luck backup might show up.” He only hoped it for them and not North because one oversize Fearling was plenty enough. . . . Phil glowered at the Nightmare King as he held a door open low in the side of the cliff. It took all his self-control not to throttle the dark spirit. He never felt so much hate as he did when Bunny explained what was going on. But right now North needed them; there would be time for revenge later. Bunny sat on Phil’s shoulder, his ears up straight and listening carefully. “Alright, troops, sounds like the battle’s happening up by the globe room.” He winced at the sound of a crash and a bunch of shrill screams and what sounded like a roar. “That cannot be North.” Pitch gave a snort. “You haven’t heard a Fearling roar until you’ve heard the Pookas,” he said giving Bunny a wink. Bunny gave a low growl his eyes narrow and fur on end. “Drop it,” he snapped. Pitch only shrugged. “Shame, you would have made an excellent general.” Phil snarled at the Nightmare King and gestured for him to get a move on. Of course the moment Pitch passed the entrance and into the dark shadows beyond he vanished. Bunny cursed. He should have known Pitch would only be interested in reaching Jack and his new Fearling, not to stop North but to retrieve the two. He glanced at Phil. “Come on, mate,” he said. “Let’s see what we can do.” . . . “How did I get here?” Tooth murmured as she looked at millions of canisters all around her. She’d woken up to Bunny rubbing his nose against hers and telling her she had to release as many memories as she could back to the children. He wouldn’t tell her what was going on or how she had arrived at Pitch’s palace. She was weak and tired and disoriented, as if she had been asleep a thousand years. Nonetheless the memories of the children’s teeth called to her and one by one she began to open each box and send the memories back to their young owners. This would be so much faster if she still had her fairies. . . . “Sandy, down!” Jack yelled as he hoped over the globe to one of the rafter beams where North couldn’t reach, or so he theorized. Yeah, the old North couldn’t reach him up here but the new one…used shadows just as well as Pitch and was far more agile. Jack leapt from one beam to another, trying to keep him distracted as the Yetis prepared a trap. The problem was that with the windows shielded and covered there was little light to push back the darkness. The power had been cut in the lock down and while a few Yetis went to fix the problem everyone else was relying on the backup generator to power the lights – the lights North was busting each time he got near one. Sandy had been trying to catch him in his whips but all that did was enrage North. Now they were playing a game of duck, dive and avoid North. Jack began icing the beams, hoping to throw the large an off balance and when that didn’t work he began whipping snowballs at him, hoping to at least knock him down long enough to freeze him to the floor while the Yetis bound him and Sandy doused him with enough dreamsand to put down a fleet of full grown elephants. So far no luck. He was in the process of leaping to the next beam when his plan went all to hell. He wasn’t expecting North to materialize right in front of him and slam into him with such force the air was knocked out of his lungs as he was thrown backwards. He had a split second when he hit the ground to roll out of the way before North slammed into ground. “NOW!” he yelled. Whips and chains were thrown around North as the Yetis rushed him, trying to hold him down as Jack threw his power into the mix. He focused on freezing North to the floor, and for a while it seemed to work. Jack relaxed a little as he sank to his knees next to the former Guardian. “Oh North,” he said sadly. “It’s going to be alright. I don’t know how but we’ll get you back to normal. I promise. I’ll fix this.” Sandy landed next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jack patted his hand as he sniffled. There was a collective gasp of horror when North managed to feet back to his feet, breaking and throwing ropes and chains as if they were nothing. Yetis were knocked aside as if they were nothing but rag dolls. Jack didn’t think twice, he shoved Sandy back, not wanting to lose him a second time and took the full brunt of the attack. He was thrown against a wall, North’s large hand around his throat with such a tight grip it threatened to snap his neck. He stared at the man in horror. There was no trace of North left. This creature was no longer the Guardian of Wonder or creator of such amazing things it would make one’s mind whirl. The Fearling was unbelievably strong, stronger than any Fearling Jack had seen before. He was feeding on all the fear in the fortress, on the fear of those who loved North too much to harm him even in this form. Jack clawed at the grey hand, trying desperately to free himself even as Sandy lashed at North with his whips and dumped endless amounts of sand over him to no avail. Nothing they did was any good. Jack’s vision darkened as breath was squeezed out of him. “ENOUGH!” Pitch bellowed suddenly. “Put him down this instant!” Jack hit the floor hard and watched in bewilderment as the Fearling turned to its master with an inhuman growl. Pitch grinned up at it like a proud father. “Ahh…very nice indeed,” he cooed, reaching up to touch the Fearling’s cheek. “I always knew you would make the perfect general. Now stop playing with these oversized teddy bears and attend to your master.” His grin vanished when the Fearling suddenly grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. Pitch’s eyes widened in sudden fear. The Fearling leaned over him. “There’s a new Nightmare King now,” he growled in that strange mix of North and beast. Silence followed his proclamation and fear came from every being within ear shot. ***** Chapter 16 ***** Shadow and Ice 16 The sight that met Bunny was like something from a horror film. Santoff Claussen was in chaos. Armed Yetis and elves were running about everywhere, all heading to the Globe room. The fortress was far darker than it should be in lock down and it didn’t take Bunny long to figure out why. Broken glass and overturned candles littered the floor. Barbaric snarls and roars came from the floor above. The battle was taking place not far from the Globe of Belief. “Mate, can you shut down the lock down?” he asked Phil. The Yetis gave a nod and gestured to his two lieutenants to follow him. “Hurry. We need to give Tooth more time.” He leapt from Phil’s shoulder to the nearest banister and raced to the floor above. He sort wished he didn’t. A huge Fearling that sort of resembled North had Pitch pinned to the floor, his large fist raised to punch the Nightmare King will more Fearlings, Shadow Men and Nightmares poured into the room. Sandy was lashing out at any that dared to come near him or Jack and the Yetis seemed torn between trying to capture North or battling the dark creatures. It was Jack who made their decision. He ignored Pitch’s minions and leapt onto North’s back, his thin arms around the much larger man’s neck. “STOP! North stop!” he yelled, holding tight. “Jack, get away from him,” Pitch yelled, only to be lifted and slammed into the floor again. “Stop it!” Jack screamed as frost appeared wherever his body touched the Fearling. “North, please…please don’t me do it. Please don’t make me freeze you.” But there was no reasoning with him. The Fearling slammed Pitch down again. Jack focused his power, pushing it into the dark being and a thick sheen of ice began to quickly form on the Fearling’s back as Jack closed his eyes and fought back tears. The Fearling North roared in rage as it reared back and snatched the boy. He dragged Jack before him and glared at the small sprite. “I will make you mine next,” he growled before back handing him and throwing him aside. Jack hit the edge of the fireplace, his head smacking against the red brink with a resounding crack. He slumped against the floor and didn’t get back up. “Jack!” Pitch yelled in horror. “Jack!” Bunny yelled in shock, rushing to the boy’s side as Sandy floated down to him, his own fear growing. “Oh no,” Bunny murmured, seeing bright red blood mingling with snowy white hair. He glanced toward Pitch, seeing the fear and anger in the shade’s eyes but also resolve. Despite his slender size Pitch was powerful. He managed to shove North back with his magic enough to roll out from under him. He gave a sinister laugh as he glared at the large creature. “You will learn your place and not to touch what is mind,” he snapped, taking a stance between the Guardians and the Fearling. “Jack Frost belongs to me.” He called forth his minions, signaling for them to subdue their newest member but to everyone’s surprise only the Nightmares stepped forward. Pitch glanced to the rest of the Fearlings and the Shadow Men. All stayed back and some shifted to North. His eyes widened and surprise and growing fear as he took a step back. The Fearling North gave a deep belly rolling laugh that was a sickening imitation of the man he once was. “No little shadow, the boy and you belong to me,” he laughed, stepping toward him as the shadows gathered behind him, his own shadow version becoming one with him again. “Face it, Pitch, you never had the balls to be the King of Nightmares. All you care about is playing with your little toy.” He tilted his head to one side. “Don’t worry, you still will but for my enjoyment now.” Pitch took another step back as North moved closer. The Nightmares reared behind him in growing unease. North only laughed. From the corner of his eye he noticed lights slowly lighting on the globe. He gave it a tiny smile. Tooth was working slowly but the lights were starting to return. Yes, it might weaken Pitch but it would also weaken the Fearling. Or so he hoped. The Dark North glanced at the growing number of lights as well and a sick grin lit his face. “Ah, my Believers are returning. Did you really think making the children Believe in the Guardians once more would stop me? I’m Santa Claus, you fool! You’re just making me stronger.” Pitch hesitated. He hadn’t thought this through. He hadn’t thought the Fearling would twist North in such a way. This wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted a strong general not someone who would replace him. The sudden whirl of machinery drew everyone’s attention to the windows being uncovered. Bright light began to stream in and the shadow creatures backed away. Pitch winced at the sudden brightness as a plan began to formulate. “Sandy, who would like some of your sand back?” he asked, silently ordering a few Nightmares to his fellow dreamweaver. The small golden an immediately touched them, turning the black sand back to gold. As the lights began to increase so did the Guardians’ powers and while Bunny had yet to change back to a Pooka, Sandy was beginning to glow brighter and converting Nightmares faster until he floated next to Pitch with two fully formed sand whips. Pitch formed his own whips – not his first weapon of choice but they needed to bind the large Fearling. He didn’t want to lose North but given the choice between changing him back or becoming his possession and losing Jack the decision was easy. He was not about to give up his Jack. “Get him under as much natural light as possible before he can take to the shadows,” he instructed, snapping a whip. Sandy gave a nod and together with the Yetis they lashed out at North and the Fearlings. Pitch danced around the growing light as he wrapped the “new” Nightmare King in nightmare sand – the one thing that was truly his invention even if it was originally Sandy’s. North roared and lashed at them with huge clawed hands as the Fearlings charged forth. Bunny wasn’t sure what to do. Trapped in his small form he was useless in battle. He stayed next to Jack, trying to think. They needed help. His green eyes travelled to the skylight as it opened to reveal bright daylight and just beyond…the Moon! He looked to the others deep in battle, no one, not even Pitch seemed to notice the Moon had arrived. “Jack, Jack, come on, mate. Nap time’s over,” he said, nuzzling the boy’s head. The blood on the back of his head was not nearly as bad as he feared, his advance healing taking care of the injury. There was a plus side to being a spirit. The boy moaned and grasped the back of his head as he pushed himself up. “Wha..?” He glanced up, eyes widening in surprise. “Bunny? What’s going on? How did you get big again?” Bunny’s nose twitched as he sat back. “What’cha going on about…mate?” Why did Jack suddenly seem so much smaller? Why was he staring up at him with big blue eyes? He looked at his paws and legs and then back into Jack eyes and his own reflection. He was himself again. He gave a tiny laugh of relief before reminding himself they had a crisis on their hands. “I’ll explain later, kiddo. Come on, the others need us.” Grabbing Jack’s arm he hauled the boy to his feet as Moonbeams began to pour through the skylight to highlight the crystal pillar rising out of the floor as it did when Jack was chosen to be Guardian but this time its glow bounced through the entire room. “The pillar!” Bunny yelled, jumping into the fry. He kicked North with all his might in that direction. “Get him to the pillar!” Sandy, Pitch and several Nightmares tugged and pulled North toward it as they fought off other Fearlings. Jack ran up to North, throwing all his weight into pushing him backwards. But even with all the tugging and pulling and pushing North was far too strong, the increase in Believers and everyone’s fear for him only increased his power and he was throwing people off him as if they were nothing but rag dolls. Bunny grabbed Jack as one of the whips snapped and just managed to duck in time before North could grab the boy. “Get Jack out of here,” Pitch ordered, trying to drag North the last few feet to the pillar. Another whip snapped and Sandy was sent tumbling back. Pitch reinforced his and he struggled backwards. “Aster, get him out now!” Phil took a few steps back then slammed into North with all his might. In was enough force to get North directly under the moonlight – and Pitch at the same time. Nonetheless, Pitch tethered his nightmare sand to the pillar and held North in place. His only thought was to protect Jack, to keep him from being harmed by this dark version of North. He had to keep Jack safe no matter the cost. He didn’t feel the pain of the Moon’s bright glow, didn’t register the screams of pain as darkness was sheared off not only North but himself as well. “Let me go!” North snarled, pulling at his bounds even as the Yetis circled him with more. He struggled and screamed profanities that one would never associate with the Father of Christmas. “Let me go before I kill you all!” Twin blades appeared in his hands but with his arms tied down he could not swing them. Regardless Jack jumped on him, his small hands on North’s large chest. “North! North, listen to me, you’ve got to listen. This isn’t you. You’re not like this. You’re the Guardian of Wonder. You protect children not frighten them. Please, you must remember.” Bunny went to grab Jack as North arched, pulling at his binds, but the boy shrugged him away. “North, I’m sorry. I was wrong not to listen to you. I screwed up Easter and got caught. I’m sorry for doing the things I did. It’s my fault Sandy was shot and Easter destroyed. It’s my fault you lost your Believers and this was done. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry but you have to fight this. We need you. The children need you. I need you!” He glanced down at Pitch who was silently laying in the moonlight with hurt amber eyes. “I need both of you.” His eyes widened at the pain he saw on Pitch’s face. “Bunny, get Pitch out of the light. It’s killing him. Bunny? Bunny!” he snapped, looking at the Pooka who only glared at the Nightmare. His sudden worry for Pitch out weighed his worry for North but as he went to save his love he was hit by dreamsand and passed out against North. Sandy doused both North and Pitch too, both now too weak to resist his magic’s effect. He sighed as he landed next to North’s slumbering form and placed a hand on the back of Jack’s head, carefully pushing the child’s head back against North’s chest as everyone righted themselves and surveyed the damage. Bunny rotated a sore shoulder as he hoped to him. His gaze travelled over the three slumbering spirits with worry. Other than a knock to the head Jack seemed alright but North was still fighting the change back – or maybe that was the Fearling he had become – and Pitch was curled in on himself, fighting the influences of the moon but too weak to escape to the shadows. His Nightmares had been too busy trying to hold North to the pillar to assist him and Sandy quickly changed the back to dreamsand when they made a move toward the shade. The other Fearlings and Shadow Creatures could do nothing in the light so hid in the shadows and watched with glowing gold eyes. “This is a right old mess,” the Pooka murmured. He glanced to the globe and the glowing lights. He was tempted to tell Sandy to go help Tooth and keep her away from Santoff Claussen at least until North had recovered but that could take days or even decades. He was fearful of the aftermath of all this to North’s mind. The man was strong, stubborn as an ox but there was just no telling what the change could have done to his mind. So rather than send Sandy away he asked him to stay to keep him and Pitch under until his was sure everything was alright. That might take a long, long time. ***** Chapter 17 ***** Shadow and Ice 17 He awoke to a splitting headache that felt as if it shot through his closed eyes, through his forehead and down the back of his skull. It felt as if his sinuses were on fire. Every inch of him hurt and his mind felt as it was being dragged through mud. His eyes stung when he tried to open them, making everything a thousand times worse. With groan and a curse he tried to turn away. Why were the curtains open? A pain shot up his arm as he tried to roll away from the piercing light and chains rattled. Confused, he looked at his left wrist. He was chained to one of the infirmary cots. “Какого черта?” “North?” He looked to his right. That arm was chained down as well. He pulled at them. Why was he chained down? In his own home? Anger and confusion warred within in until a new question came to mind. He was home? How did he get home? “North?” “Kак я сюда попали?” he muttered, pulling at his restraints once more. “Nicholas!” Startled he looked up, noticing Bunny for the first time. The Pooka gave him a grumpy look, his piercing green eyes boring into North’s. The Russian was startled to see his friend so angry and concerned and to have both looks directed at him. “Aster? What is the meaning of this?” Bunny studied him a moment longer. “Tell me your name,” he said sternly. “What?” “Tell. Me. Your. Name,” he growled, leaving no more room for argument. North frowned but gave in. “Nicholas St. North.” “Your birthday?” His brows furrowed. “You know very well I don’t know my birthday, I was orphaned over 500 years ago.” Bunny nodded. “My name?” “Seriously, old friend why are we playing this game?” “My name.” “E. Aster Bunnymund, Last of the Brotherhood of Pookas and old grump who won’t admit that Christmas is more important than Easter.” He gave a teasing grin. “And makes a rather adorable little bunny. Wait, you’re a Pooka again?” “Yes.” Bunny relaxed a little but didn’t undo North’s binds. “What else do you remember?” North tried to think. Everything was a blur. He remembered Pitch trying destroy Belief in the world. He remembered Easter being destroyed and Jack’s devastated face when they thought he betrayed them. He remembered searching for the child and then discovering he was the last Light. He remembered trekking from the Pole all the way to Burgess on foot, the horrid snowstorms and unseasonal temperatures. He remembered having to battle Jack and being captured by Pitch, of Jack visiting his cell with Pitch and…no, that had to have been some strange dream or nightmare conjured by Pitch. The boy would never have done such a thing – although he must admit he had the strange recollection of tasting a purely male musk and vanilla. He shook that thought away. Strange dreams. He remembered Pitch whipping him as he cast an enslavement spell and then Jack and Sandy freeing him. Sandy? “Sandy…he’s alive?” Bunny smiled. “Yes, thank MiM. And Tooth is fine as well, a little drained from creating new mini-fey but good. They should be back soon.” “And Jack?” “He’s…okay. I assigned him a room,” Bunny said, sitting on the edge of the cot. “The old observatory that you converted into a bedroom a few years back but never was used. Just until we figure out what to do with him and…Pitch.” At North’s confusion he gestured to another cot. North looked over but was even more confused by the man who slept there. His skin was not the grey parlor of Pitch Black but sun kissed with a number of old faded battle scars. His face looked peaceful but there was no mistaking it. There lay Pitch Black or perhaps the man he once was. “What happened?” he asked. “Same as you. MiM returned you both to your true forms. I suppose you should thank Jack though. If it weren’t for him he’d see be Pitch Black and you…would probably be the new Nightmare King.” “What do you mean ‘new Nightmare King’? There is only one and he is handful enough,” North scoffed, thinking his old friend had lost his mind completely. He, Nicholas St. North, father of the world’s greatest holiday, could never be a King of Nightmare. King of Bandits, yes, he had been that, but never of Nightmares. “Have the elves tainted the eggnog again?” At that Bunny finally cracked a smile. “I wish. I can deal with a stomach ache better than the chaos of these last few months.” He patted North’s hand and smiled sadly at him. “Look, I want to release you but I need to wait until Sandy gets back. Precautions and all.” “Bunny, you’re making no sense. Why am I chained?” North demanded, pulling at his restraints. The chains rattled and Bunny jumped back with sudden and undeniable fear. In seconds he had a rather large pouch of dreamsand. North’s eyes widened in surprise. He had never – ever – seen his friend frightened of him. He stilled and raised his hands as much as he could to show he only meant peace. “Easy, Bunny. I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you.” Nonetheless the fear stayed in the Pooka’s eyes and he held a paw full of sand, ready to douse North with it should he attempt to free himself again. When North relaxed he did as well. “Alright, my friend,” North said soothingly. “We’ll wait for Sandy. All is well, yes?” Bunny nodded but the fear never left as he handed the pouch to the Yetis medic who had come at the sudden commotion. “Yeah mate, peachy. Look, I need to check on the kid. He’s been popping in here every few minutes to check on you both. He’s having trouble adjusting to…” He waved a hand toward Pitch but settled on saying. “…everything. I won’t be long.” He hesitated but then gave North’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Just rest a little longer.” “Dah, dah,” North agreed. “Let Jack know I’m alright, please.” “I will,” Bunny promised as he headed for the door but North caught the pointed look he gave the medic and the fact that Phil and George stepped inside and took up guard posts on either side of the door inside the infirmary while two others guarded the outside. Bunny was serious about keeping him in custody until Sandy arrived. Bunny sighed once he was in the hall and let himself take a few deep calming breathes before making his way to Jack’s room. The last few days had been a challenge. It took the better part of the first day for MiM to push away the darkness that had claimed North, and surprisingly Pitch. It wasn’t until North looked like himself that they had moved them to the infirmary and had the skylight opened there as well. The infirmary had been designed with the thought of possibly saving someone from becoming a Fearling but this was the first time it had been used as such. No one had expected MiM’s glow to be able to revert Pitch back to his former self as well, even though it was well known the shade could not handle bright light. It would still be some time before they knew for certain it the change was just physical or mental as well. Bunny held hope that the man laying in the infirmary was the former General Kozmotis Pitchener. Knocking on Jack’s bedroom door he waited only a moment before pushing it open and entering. Jack didn’t look up from his window seat, just continued tracing patterns on the frosted window. “Hey, kiddo,” he said, plastering a smile on his face. He was trying hard to get along with the troublesome spirit. Of course, Jack didn’t acknowledge him as usual since being confined to the room a few hours earlier. He hadn’t touched the plate cookies or glass of milk Bunny had brought him his last visit. “So, North’s awake,” he reported, coming in a little further. Jack gave a nod but didn’t look away from the window. “Can I see them?” he asked as he did every time Bunny visited. “Not yet, mate.” He sighed and ran a paw over his ears. He had been delaying this particular conversation since North was cursed – it was a little hard digesting the horror his best friend was going through, baring witness to the abuse of an immortal child and learning the fate of his people. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around everything that had happened since Pitch made his bid for power. “Hey, Jackie, can we talk?” The boy stiffened. “Jack,” he corrected. “No one calls me Jackie but…” His brows furrowed as if trying to pull up a lost memory. “Does Pitch ever call you Jackie?” He shrugged. “Sometimes but that wasn’t who I was thinking of.” He looked up in surprise as Bunny sat across from him. “Did you ever get to see your memories?” Bunny asked, putting his large feet next to Jack’s hip and sitting back. When Jack shook his head he sighed. “Pitch take back?” The boy shrugged again, as if it no longer mattered. “Do you want to talk about what happened?” Jack raised a brow. “Such as..?” “You and Pitch?” “What about me and Pitch?” Bunny groaned and rubbed a paw over his face. He was never good when it came to talking to Jack. This was North’s territory. “Let’s try again. I want to know how bad Pitch abused you.” He raised a paw when the boy tried to object to the accusation. “I know you think you love him and he may even think the same of you but I can tell you from what I’ve seen that’s not love. When someone truly loves you they don’t rape you or allow anything else to. And they sure as hell don’t offer up your body to another.” “I like what we do.” “Jack he raped you.” “He did not.” “Jack…” “Bunny…” They fell silent for several long minutes, Jack stubbornly glaring at his drawing as Bunny tried to figure out another way to talk about the touchy subject. “Did you consent to him touching you when he first started?” he finally asked. Jack’s frown deepened and Bunny knew he just hit the nail on the head. “It felt good,” the ice elf said softly. “No one ever touched me before.” He pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them. “Do you know what it’s like to never be touched by anyone, to always be alone and then suddenly have someone touch you in ways that you never thought possible? It was scary at first. I never felt anything like it and all he was doing was giving me head. It was like pleasure overload and yeah I was terrified at first, even fought him but then after you showed up and I realized all you cared about was the last Light I decided what the hell? You didn’t want me to be a Guardian. You didn’t want anything to do with me and sure neither did he at first but when he realized I wasn’t some weak child that would bow before him he wanted me. And not because I was the last Light. He might have been trying to break my belief in the Guardians but it was me he wanted. I know it must have looked like he was trying to hurt me but he wasn’t. Everything he did was focused on my pleasure, on making me cum as many times as possible. Every shadow that touched me, that Dark Pooka, they all pleasured me and Pitch loved watching me.” He pointedly left out what happened with North because of all the things he and Pitch did together he was least proud of that. He was surprised by the sympathy he saw in Bunny’s eyes. “Trust me, Frostbite, I know where you’re coming from,” Bunny said. “I’ve spent thousands of years on my own. Sometimes centuries go by before I’m intimate with anyone. I’m the last of my kind; imagine how hard it is finding someone who can handle me during my rut. I usual go into hiding until it’s over but sometimes I need a mate so bad it hurts and I have to take solstice with someone I can trust and hand over all control to the for fear of hurting them. I suppose that’s one of the main reasons I’m so worried about you.” He looked at his paws, imagining them holding the boy’s hips as he rutted into him like the Dark Pooka had. He pushed that thought away. “That Pooka should have killed you yet you handled his rut as if it was nothing…as if you enjoyed it despite how scared you were at first.” Again the boy shrugged as if it were nothing. “It was…exciting.” He gave a small grin. “It scared the shit out of me at first but then I imagined it was…” He shook his head and banished any thoughts of a certain Pooka bending hi over and having his nasty way with him. “I just can’t get enough of being touched now because I know Pitch will always be there and no matter how rough or scary he will never let me get hurt. I might be a little bruised or sore but I can handle it.” “So I noticed.” Jack nodded. “He’ll always protect me.” Bunny sighed. He couldn’t picture Pitch Black as a protector – maybe when he was human but not the Boogeyman. Yet as he watched Jack he knew that nothing he said would change his mind. Jack was utterly in love with Pitch, he only hoped Pitch truly loved him just as much. Although considering what Pitch had given up protecting the boy he was almost certain the former general felt the same. So he smiled at Jack and patted his knee. “Come on, let’s go check on him and North.” ***** Chapter 18 ***** Shadow and Ice 18 North was proclaimed cured by Sandy and finally allowed to be unchained from his cot and allowed to survey the damage he had caused. He had set to work making repairs and reassuring the Yetis and elves that he was indeed himself again but Phil tailed him everywhere and would not allow him alone until he was certain his lifelong friend and employer was back to normal. Jack also followed him about when he was watching over Pitch, who slipped in and out of consciousness the last day or so, or confined to his room by Bunny for being constantly underfoot, even when he flew. He was constantly apologizing or trying to help fix something – which usually ended up getting broken instead. North found the boy charming but after hearing the same apology for the dozen time he finally took the boy aside. “Jack, it is fine,” he said as he had a number of times now. He sat the boy down in his office and sat across from him. He studied Jack for several seconds. “What happen, happened we cannot change it. I’m not angry with you.” “But if it weren’t for me-” “Jack, enough. You will make yourself sick I you continue to dwell on the past. Look toward future. Soon Pitch will awaken and he will need you.” He squeezed the boy’s arms reassuringly. “Especially now. I do not know what Manny did when he took the darkness. I do not know if that is Pitch Black in the infirmary or Kozmotis Pitchiner.” Jack sighed and leaned his head against North’s chest as he was hugged. “I just wish I had stood up to him more. That whole thing in your cell, before he cast the spell, I should have said no.” North squeezed him a little tighter. “Perhaps,” he agreed. “Not my best memory but…” He kissed the boy’s forehead. “Not my worse. If things were different and you a little older I might consider it.” Jack’s neck and face frosted in embarrassment. “Uh…okay.” The Russian gave his joyous laugh as he stood. “Now, I suggest you go check on your lover and leave e in peace. I have many toys to design and only a few months to Christmas. Much catching up to do. Off with you.” A nervous grin touched Jack’s lips. “I’ll visit later.” “Dah,” North said with a wave and smile. “Jack?” He paused at the door. “Yeah?” “You were a sinful treat,” he said with a wink that made the winter spirit’s face almost turn blue in a much thicker layer of frost. “A true delight in the darkness. Give Pitch my thanks.” Jack fumbled for words and resorted to hiding in the hood of his jacket as he raced toward the infirmary, North’s big belly laugh following him. North just smiled as he looked about his personal workshop and the utter mess it was. This would take some work to get back to a sub-balance of organized. And his door needed replacing. Well there was no time as the present and with Phil at his side he began gathering fallen blueprints and shattered ice sculptures. He would never admit to the nightmares that would plague him for many nights to come. Only Phil and Sandy knew and they kept his secret safe. . . . Pitch sat on the edge of the cot staring at his legs and pondering the color change. No longer was he grey but his natural skin color. He flexed his toes and silently wished his feet to fade into the shadows under the bed, seeing weather or not he could still slip into the shadows. It took more concentration than before, as if he had to force the darkness to merge with him but soon enough his lower half twisted and grew dark, becoming intangible. All this under the watchful eye of the medic and two guards. “Pitch!” Startled, he became solid again but unlike the usual easy transition he felt a jolt of pain and was knocked onto his back. He gave a small hiss, fearing that he had lost complete control of his power and the darkness was lashing back at him only to discover his arms full of winter sprite. “Jack, learn to give more of a warning,” he reprimanded even as he held his young lover tightly to him. “I’ve just been so worried about you,” the boy said pushing himself up to look him in the eyes. “How do you feel? Any different? I mean the shadows haven’t touched you since MiM changed you and…” Pitch let out a frustrated breath that ruffled the boy’s hair. “Jack, I’ve been awake less than thirty minutes, can we save the rapid fire questions for a while longer?” He frowned at the boy’s mischievous smirk. This could only mean trouble. “Jack?” The sprite straddled his hips and folding his arms over Pitch’s chest to lean on him. “Considering I’ve spent nearly a week watching over you I think I’m entitled. Besides, do you have any clue how hard it’s been for me to keep my hands off you? If you were in a private room I might have tried getting a little revenge on you for…how many times did you screw me in my sleep?” Shaking his head, Pitch brushed back Jack’s hair. “Oh you poor baby. Has no one been taking care of your needs?” “No.” Jack gave a mock pout. “So have you been given a clean bill of health? Can we go home?” Home. Jack considered the Pitch’s dark palace his home? Pitch shivered in delight and crushed his lips to the boy’s. He ran his hands down Jack’s sides and under his shirt then back up over his ribs, hitting a few little ticklish spots along the way. Jack giggled between kisses as he carded his finger through Pitch’s hair. He pulled back with a teasing grin. “Well I suppose we should stop. You’re technically a prisoner of war and a patient and I’m sure North won’t take too kindly to us making out in his infirmary. After all I’m pretty sure he wants to have a talk with you about messing with children’s Beliefs and enslavement spells that turn Guardians into Fearlings. He was not amused one bit.” He climbed off and straightened his clothes. “Besides, you’re still recovering and not quite yourself.” Pitch grabbed his arm and dragged him back. “Like hell,” he snapped as he sat up and pulled the boy onto his lap. “Don’t think for an instant that just because Lunar took away the darkness that I’m going to become some weak human. I am still the Nightmare King.” Jack tapped his chin in thought. “And here I thought you were to Golden Knight. Sandy’s going to be so disappointed.” “Screw Sanderson.” “I’d much rather screw you, but…since you’re recovering I’ll go bug North,” he said, remembering the way North had teased him. Nothing would come of it he was sure but it was enough to make Pitch extremely possessive. “Or Bunny. I wonder if his rut is anything like the Dark Pooka’s.” He gave a yelp as he was thrown on the cot and his clothing all but ripped off him in Pitch’s haste. He heard the medic give a surprise cry and start garbling some sort of reprimand about Pitch needing rest and not to be involved in such activity. Jack only laughed as Pitch’s lips attacked each piece of skin revealed as his clothing was removed. “Mine,” Pitch growled as he kissed Jack’s belly. “You belong to me and no one else’s, understand.” “Sure, sure,” teased, arching slightly under those delicious lips. “But you know North’s mouth was really warm and his beard – shit!” Pitch’s mouth engulf his semi-hard erection and sucked him hard, his tongue twirling around the head and poking at the slit before swallowing him whole. He’d never felt this sort of desperation from Pitch before. Jack grabbed the rails of the cot. It felt oh so good but hurt at the same time. “Ngh…oh wow…Pitch, you miss me or something?” He bit his lower lip, trying not to scream or be too loud. “God, Pitch…we’re not at the palace…you need to let up a bit…before…before…” He shoved his hands over his mouth trying to muffle his cries and screams as his lover took his balls in his mouth as well and sucked even harder. Oh God, he couldn’t keep quiet. Pitch let go of Jack’s erection rather than finish him off. It slid out of his mouth with a small pop and came to rest on Jack’s belly as he moved down to rim the sprite’s hole. “I’ll remind you who you belong to,” Pitch said darkly between licks. “You do that,” Jack agreed as his legs were hoisted over Pitch’s shoulders. He eeped as that warm tongue pushed its way into him. He groaned as the slick appendage licked his insides and stretched him in the most delicious way possible as his hand stroked his member. “Oh…ngh, ngh…deeper, good God, Pitch…stop teasing and fuck me already…I’m gonna…ngh, ngh…no! Damn you!” Pitch chuckled darkly as he squeezed Jack’s base and prevented him from coming. “Not without me, angel,” he said in a husky voice as he slipped up Jack’s lithe form. “We’ve both gone without far too long and I’m not letting you cum without me.” He fingered Jack’s hole as he leaned over him. “I’m going to fill with my seed until it’s leaking out of you in gushes. Every Yeti will smell it and either come to investigate or run in fear.” He kissed the side of Jack’s neck and nipped his Adam’s apple. “I want everyone to see and hear how much you want me.” The youth laughed as he arched beneath him. “You’re an exhibitionist.” Pitch chuckled. “Perhaps, but you like it.” “Too bad you don’t have any shadows to control…too much…ow, hmm…light.” “I don’t need them to give you a good hard fuck.” “You sure…ah!” He bit his lip until he drew blood as Pitch entered him in one hard thrust. That little saliva from being tongue fucked was not enough lube for Pitch to enter so hard. He arched in pain and heard Pitch’s groan as well. Jack couldn’t help but laugh softly. “A little too eager?” Pitch gave a shaky breath. “It doesn’t matter how many times I pound into your ass or how many of my shadows and Fearlings go into you your always so tight. Your body always returns to its original state. You’ll always be a virgin.” “Are you complaining?” The look Pitch gave him was one of such lust and want, that Jack felt his heart flutter as it did whenever he was given that look. He had not lied to Bunny. Jack could be happy forever if Pitch always looked at him like that. “No love, if anything I like breaking you in each and every time.” He lowered his lips Jack’s as he wrapped his arms around him. With on swift move he rolled the so that Jack as now on top. “But as you said, I’m still recovering so you can do all the work today.” Jack grinned as he sat back and rotating his hips. Yeah, this he liked. He liked being in charge and having Pitch beneath him. He liked controlling their pace and making it last as long as possible. The way Pitch’s length went deeper and he was able to guide it to just the right place. The Yeti had long since taken off so he no longer worried about being caught, the medic would likely keep everyone else out of the infirmary. He began to rock and rotate his hips as he leaned forward to kiss Pitch and engage in his favorite game of war with the older male’s tongue as Pitch’s hands took his hips and tried to make him move faster and harder. The door suddenly opened, shocking both Jack and Pitch and making them pause and look up, with Jack’s naked rear on full display. “Jack, I need to ask your opinion on…” the Guardian froze mid step, his eyes wide as his gaze fell upon the two. “Oh, dear.” “Leave,” Pitch snapped, using North surprise against him. Jack gulped, reaching for a sheet to cover himself with. “Sorry, North. We’ll be leaving soon.” North shook his head and turned to leave when Pitch suddenly chuckled. “Of course you could always join us. Jack seems to enjoy the feel of your beard on his thighs.” The Russian cursed and stormed out. “Get out of my home, Pitch,” he yelled before slamming the door. Jack slapped Pitch on his chest. “Jerk. That’s not how you treat your host.” “And how would you know?” “I may be lacking in people skills but I still have a brain.” Pitch snorted then grinned widely and rolled so that Jack was back on bottom. “Well then we should make sure he knows exactly how much we appreciate his hospitality.” He began thrusting, pulling out to only the head of his cock was in Jack and then slamming all the way back it and expertly hitting Jack’s prostrate. Jack fought not to scream or get too loud. He covered him mouth, muffling his cries until Pitch took his hands and held them down on either side of his head as his pace increased. “Don’t be so shy, Jack, let them hear you.” Jack fought it the best he could but just as he thought he was getting used to the pace Pitch would change his angel and slam into him just the way he liked it and he would cry out. Pitch nipped and suckled his nipples and chest and would bite his neck and encourage him to stop holding it in. He pumped the youth’s hard cock, squeezing it tightly until Jack’s inner muscles tightened painfully around Pitch’s length and the boy screamed his release, his seed splattered over both of them as Pitch pumped his seed into Jack’s tight ass. Pitch collapsed onto him, laughing softly. “I have missed you,” he said softly, nuzzling Jack’s hair. I thought I could last longer.” Jack held Pitch to him. “I missed you, too,” he returned. “Just one favor.” “Hmm..?” “Never try to change anyone into a Fearling again.” Pitch was silent for a long time as he stared at his flesh tone hand. While the medic said he was find physically his powers were not the same. He was able to withstand light – actual natural light. The shadows still responded to him but seemed distant and the Fearlings…they were no longer his to command. They were running rogue along with the Nightmares Sandy hadn’t converted. He was not truly the Nightmare King anymore even if he could still bend it to his will. He wasn’t sure who he was anymore or if he even had the power to create new Fearlings. “No more Fearlings,” he agreed. “And no more messing with kid’s Beliefs.” Laughing Pitch leaned over the boy. “You said one favor.” “Please? I’ll make it worth your while,” he offered, batting large baby blue eyes. He wiggled his hips suggestively. “Besides, like I said I have no intentions of leaving you so I have a life time to ensure your happiness.” “Jack…” Pitch sighed at the sight of those beautiful imploring eyes. He leaned his forehead on Jack’s. “You have no idea what you’ve done to me, Frost. I must out of my mind for agreeing to such terms.” “Oh yeah, before I forget there’s one more.” He closed his eyes waiting for the unavoidable. He had to get along with the Guardians or swear to protect the children or some such nonsense the Guardians had been trying to force upon him for centuries. What Jack wanted though was far beyond anything he imagined the boy to request. “Can I watch one of the Dark Pooka’s screw you?” he asked with such childlike innocence that Pitch had to blink twice to and stare at Jack to make sure he heard him correctly. “Please? I’ll gladly do it again after.” Laughter bubbled through Pitch. “How did I ever live without you all these years?” he asked, hugging Jack tightly as he lavished him in kisses. “I love you, Jack.” Jack grinned and kissed his nose. “I know,” he said cheekily. “I love you, too.” He gave a squeak of laughter as Pitch’s length, still buried in him hardened once more and for the rest of the afternoon Pitch showed Jack just how much he loved him, just how wonderful Jack was, and assured him that neither of them would ever be alone again. They made enough noise to assure everyone stayed far from the infirmary. Much to everyone’s surprise it was Jack who set the terms to the peace treaty between Pitch and the Guardians and everyone marveled at the childlike simplicity of it. The Guardians would go back to what they always did, protecting the children while Pitch brought about the odd nightmare and fear that children also needed to stay safe. But now that Pitch was no longer consumed by Fearlings and more his former self he also inspired courage in children, something that surprised everyone including himself. It wasn’t long before MiM declared him a Guardian and after some convincing Pitch took the oath and do did Jack. North seemed ecstatic, declaring it had all been a matter of time and that the two had finally taken their rightful places. Sandy was cheerful despite what Pitch had done. Tooth was still mad about the death of her mini-fairies and refused to accept Pitch in their fold. Bunny, surprisingly, shrugged it off and was more curious about what would become of the Dark Pookas if Pitch was no longer the Nightmare King. He took to tracking each one down – with Jack’s and Pitch’s help – and locking them in the dark palace where he would watch over them when not at the Warren focusing on Easter. He had made it his mission to try to change them back and slowly, with MiM’s and Pitch’s help he succeeded. Pitch kept his word. They were never alone again – at least for no more than a few hours. They both had their duties but spent every moment they could together. He never lost his little kinks and indeed did allow a Dark Pooka to ravish him in front of Jack – that was a sight the boy would never forget but he was also more tender and possessive, there wasn’t as much sharing or rough hard sex that made Jack feel as if he was being torn in two. Pitch new favorite past time was not the sex though, although he thoroughly enjoyed every inch of Jack’s body. He enjoyed standing in the sunlight or even the moonlight and simply watch as Jack danced through the clouds, summoning snow or playing with children and instigating snowball fights of epic proportions. It surprised him when Jack had grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the middle of one such battle. For the first time children saw Pitch and they did not cower in fear. To them he was not the Nightmare King but the Guardian of Courage. His dark robes were gone replaced by an outfit similar to what he wore in the Golden Age, rich brown trousers and gold tunic. It was the first snowball fight Pitch could remember ever participating in. But more often than not he simply watched. Being in the light was such a novelty to him. He smiled softly as the wind wrapped around him. Mother Nature appeared next to him with a sweet smile that was rarely directed toward him. She stood silently and watched the children, her amber gaze never leaving Jack. “You knew,” Pitch said gently when the silence grew too long. “Didn’t you?” “Yes.” “You could’ve told me.” Her smile grew as he glanced over at him. “No, father. Had I told you, you would never have allowed yourself to become so close to him. He would never have been able to open your heart.” “A dirty trick, Sera.” She laughed, the sound like musical bells in the wind. “You taught me well. You are happy?” “Yes.” Seraphina nodded before giving him a quick hug. “Good. Take care. I’ll be keeping an eye on you both.” She was gone before he could say any more. Her intangible form sped away from Pitch to wrap Jack in a gentle embrace before moving on to fulfill her duties around the world. Pitch smiled loving at his daughter before noticing Jack beckoning to him. He grinned. Yes, he certainly could get used to this new life. He had Believers and was more powerful than ever. He had a young lover who he adored with all his heart. Neither he or Jack would ever be alone again. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!