Chapter One:
The light summer breeze ruffled the curtains by the window, carrying the soft chirpings of birds in its wake. Toothiana sighed contentedly, stretching out her arms and rolling on her side.
Her eyelashes fluttered softly as her gaze landed on the man sleeping beside her. A small smile crept onto her soft lips as she slipped her arms around his torso and snuggled into his chest.
The man stirred and slinked his arm around her waist, pulling her small body completely on top of his. Toothiana giggled softly, nuzzling her nose to his. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
His lips quirked up in a smirk, gently trailing his hands up and down the woman's sides. His amber eyes opened, gleaming mischievously up at her. "Well…" he drawled out, "I would definitely say there are far worse ways to woken up."
His hand slipped up her cheek and he gently pulled her face towards his. Their lips met and Toothiana felt his fingers running through her still tangled hair, snagging on curls.
"Ouch-" Toothiana pulled away, a smile still on her face. "Pitch that hurt!" She laughed, running her fingers through her hair.
Pitch sat up, resting his back against the headboard of their bed. Toothiana shifted so that she was now straddling his lap. "Forgive me." He chuckled, slightly mockingly as he leaned forward, his lips just barely touching hers.
"Always…" She whispered as she leaned into him, deepening the kiss. Pitch inhaled deeply through the nose as he felt her tongue gently trace the sharp edges of his teeth.
He slipped his hands down her waist to her legs and began to lift the hem of her nightgown-
There was a knock at the door. Pitch growled in irritation before pulling away from Toothiana who gave him a sweet smile, cocking her head slightly to the left, god he loved it when she did that.
There was another knock. Pitch sighed, irritated, but did not move. "What is it?" He asked, his fingers still playing with the bright fabric of Toothiana's nightgown.
The door opened, revealing two tall men completely dressed in black. Pitch felt his mouth twist into a glare and he instantly grabbed the sheets and pulled them over his lover's bare shoulders. No one should see her in such a state but him.
"Can I not have a morning alone with my wife?" he asked coldly as his eyes narrowed on the men. They were just two of many of his workers, 'nightmares' as he liked called them.
"Forgive us, master." The first said, bowing his head respectfully before the second stepped forward. Pitch's eyes narrowed.
"We have news from the docks." The second man explained.
"Do you, now?" Pitch said in a somewhat bored tone. He was not a very patient man and found it quite irritating when people beat around the bush.
"Yes." The nightmare paused for a moment. Pitch looked at him expectantly, as soon as his eyebrow raised slightly the man continued. "It seems Nicholas St. North has arrived with the cargo and should be arriving tonight. "
Pitch's lips widened into a smile, revealing his white, sharpened teeth. "Perfect." He said turning back to his wife and looking into her purple eyes. He moved to touch her face, but stopped as soon as he saw the two man still standing in the doorway.
"Leave us!" He snarled. The two men scrambled away quickly, slamming the door quickly behind them. Pitch felt himself chuckle lightly at their fear. It was incredibly amusing to watch them squirm, and no matter how often Pitch watched their eyes widen and faces pale, it never got old.
"Come on now, Pitch." Toothiana chided, intertwining her fingers with his. "That wasn't very nice.
"I wouldn't say that them barging in on my morning with my, rather beautiful wife, was particularly kind either. He replied teasingly.
Toothiana rolled her eyes and slid off his lap and onto the floor. Pitch instantly missed her warmth.
"Where are you going?" He asked, following her as she made the way to the vanity across from the bed. Toothiana took a seat in front of the mirror and grabbed her hairbrush. It was silver and was covered in intricate designs. She began to run it through her soft waves of hair, looking at Pitch in the mirror's reflection.
"I need to practice the routine and go into town today, I should be back by dinner." She explained as she fastened her hair up with a silver hairpiece that was decorated with green and blue stones. Toothiana stood up and began to walk towards the closet before Pitch caught her around the waist and pulled her against him. She had her back to him, which allowed him to place several kisses from her collarbone all the way up her throat.
"You don't need to do that." He breathed against her ear as he slowly began backing towards the bed.
Toothiana twisted easily out of his grip and flitted back towards the closet door, opening it and pulling out a long green dress with gold thread curling up and down the fabric. "You know I do." She replied slipping her nightgown over her head. Pitch took a moment to drink her in. Smooth, soft curves with pale skin, brown-blonde curls with streaks of green a blue, bright purple eyes that seemed to fly everywhere at once; taking the whole world in, and finally her lips: Soft and pink, just waiting to be devoured.
The moment was gone all too soon as Toothiana stepped into the new dress, letting the inch-thick traps rest on her shoulders. "Zip me up?" She asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
Pitch stepped closer, letting his hand grasp the small piece of metal. His eyes were fixed on the bare skin of her back as he led the zipper up, up, up. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him, allowing himself to feel her heartbeat against his. Toothiana turned to face him, rising up on her tiptoes so that she could give him a peck. Pitch still had to crane his neck downward to meet her lips, but he didn't mind.
Then she was gone, slipping on a pair of small silver heals and grabbing her purse. "I'll be back in time to have dinner with the guests." She said, opening the door. Pitch nodded and watched her step outside.
"Toothiana," Pitch called just before the door shut.
"Yes?" She replied, poking her head back inside.
Pitch paused for a moment before softly adding, "I love you."
Toothiana gave him a warm smile. "I love you, too." She replied, letting the door click shut.
Pitch stood in the now empty room. He couldn't go back to sleep, so he might as well get dressed and attend to business.
The theatre did need some new scares after all.
Toothiana made her way down the crowded streets, her shoes clicking against the cobblestone loudly. The sun warmed her face and shoulders as she darted around the people in her path, muttering apologies every time she accidentally bumped into someone.
She could have taken the car and had one of Pitch's nightmares drive her to the Theatre of Shadows, where she acted as an acrobat. It had always been a hobby of Toothiana's to swing from the tree branches at her old home when she was a child, and had it eventually led her to her first trapeze act.
Toothiana's family had been very poor, but it hadn't stopped her mother from always insisting Toothiana takes time from her many chores to play outside. Her father had always had a similar belief, but he had never been around very much because he had to work.
Then Toothiana's mother got sick, and her father had to work more hours and was hardly ever at home. Despite all the pain her mother was in, the frail woman had made Toothiana promise to make time for herself.
So it was that during Toothiana's eleventh year, a large man in a top hat and coat had just so happened to drive by her house. It was one of the rare hours in the day where she was outside and not indoors caring for her mother. The man had looked out his window just in time to see Toothiana swing from one of the lower branches of the tree all the way to one of the upper ones, catching herself not with her hands, but with her feet.
He had been amazed and introduced himself as Mr. Greene. Toothiana uncertain of what to do jumped out of the tree and shook the hand he'd offered her.
"What's your name?" he'd asked, his thick mustache bobbing with every word he said.
"Toothiana." She'd replied somewhat haughtily, crossing her arms as she looked the man up and down. Her father had always warned her about strange man who may try to approach her, but this man hadn't seemed very strange, just very large.
Mr. Greene had chortled at that. It was the strangest sound Toothiana had heard, it was almost like a bark, but at the same time it reminded her of the cows from the farm down the road.
"How would you like to change your life, Miss Toothiana?" the man asked leaning down to her eyelevel. Change my life? She'd thought.
"How?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. For some reason she'd felt like she was haggling, something her mother had loved to do at the market to get lower prices on food.
"Miss Toothiana, I believe that you could be the next 'big thing'." Mr. Greene spread his arms out animatedly, a far off look in his eyes.
"I don't know…" Toothiana said uncertainly, scuffing her toe in the grass and looking towards her front door.
Mr. Greene popped a cigar in his mouth and lit it before looking down at Toothiana with a gleam in his eye. "Say, little Miss Toothiana, how would you like to be rich?"
Toothiana's heart had stopped for a moment. She knew being rich meant that her family would get money and lots of it too. Money for medicine. Money that her father wouldn't need to spend extra hours working for.
A gleeful smile spread across her face. "Alright!" she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Good choice little Miss." The man said his eyes twinkling as he ruffled Toothiana's hair. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Toothiana with an expensive looking pen. "Now, this paper is a promise that you'll work for me and I'll pay you a certain amount of money." His finger guided her eyes to each word as he explained the contract. "I'll give you a place to stay along with food. You'll also get a monthly check. You can do anything you want with that."
"Why can't I live with my parents?" Toothiana asked, the pen and paper suddenly feeling very heavy in her hands.
"Well, I'll need you living in the city where the performances are. That's how you'll make money-"
"Tooth?" A familiar voice called from the house. Toothiana turned around to see her mother leaning on the door frame, looking panicked. The shadows under her eyes looked darker, her wrinkles deeper. Her mother began to limp towards her, her eyes growing wider with every step. "What are you doing?" that question was directed towards Mr. Greene, and was laced with fury.
Mr. Greene promptly ignored Toothiana's mother and turned his attention back to the little girl before him. "How would you like to give the money to your mother? She looks unwell."
Toothiana's eyes shifted to her mother's thing frame. She looked so small, so weak. Almost like the slightest touch could break her. A slash of pain attacked her heart. With the money she could save her mother. She could give her family a better life. They could be happy.
Her grip on the pen tightened, and without giving it any further thought, Toothiana wrote her name in her best cursive on the dotted line.
"Toothiana!" her mother shouted shrilly, breaking into a limp run. "What did you do?" She asked falling to her knees next to Toothiana. Her mother grabbed her by the arms and shook her slightly. Toothiana saw her mother's eyes, wide with fear.
Toothiana moved to open her mouth, but was interrupted by Mr. Green. "Go grab your things Miss Toothiana, your training starts today."
"But-" Toothiana started, looking back to her mother who had begun to sob at the sight of her daughter's name on the parchment.
"Now!" Mr. Greene shouted, all friendliness gone. Toothiana shrunk back and her eyes filled with tears. What had she done?
The small girl slipped out of her mother's grasp and ran to the house, gathering all of her belongings, which wasn't much, into a small bag.
When she'd returned outside her mother was sprawled on the ground, her body wracked with sobs.
"Mother?" She'd asked, reaching out to her.
A hand snapped around her wrist, startling her. She turned to look at Mr. Greene, whose meaty hand had now enclosed itself around her small wrist. He didn't hold on tightly enough to hurt her, but more than enough to send a wave of fear through the eleven-year-old's body. "She'll be fine." He said, pulling Tooth behind him all the way to his car.
"Wait- let me say goodbye!" the cried trying to twist away.
"I'm sorry little Miss, but I'm afraid we're on a very, very tight schedule." Mr. Greene replied, shoving Toothiana in the passenger's seat of the car.
No! Toothiana thought as she looked at the haggard form of her mother lying on the grass with her face in her hands. With the roar of the engine the car had pulled away carrying Toothiana in it.
Life working under Mr. Greene was not completely horrible, though he did have awful mood swings. As long as Toothiana did exactly what he told her to during training and stayed out of his way he didn't bother her much.
Toothiana made good money with her trapeze act, and every penny of it was sent to her parents, who would write to her as often as they could.
Toothiana looked after any children who got pulled into Mr. Greene's contract. Most had been living on the streets and didn't want her help, but every now and then there was a child who desperately needed someone to take care of them and Toothiana was just the girl for the job. Eventually the children all left, either by their contracts expiring or Mr. Greene throwing them out on the street.
But not Toothiana.
Toothiana always stayed, no matter how many years passed she was always kept by Mr. Greene. That is, until he decided to release her from the contract, which Toothiana assumed would never happen.
The girl spent most of her time reading since Mr. Greene never allowed her out on the town without him. She read anything and everything from fantasy to biographies. Strangely she found her favorite books were the ones that held information on teeth.
Toothiana devoured any book that gave information on teeth. Soon she began to inspect the teeth of any person she met. If they allowed, she'd even poke around in their mouths to inspect the teeth farther back in the mouth. It was an incredibly strange habit and she sometimes felt insecure about it, but she just loved teeth. Maybe even more than acrobatics…
Unfortunately, about five years after Toothiana left her mother passed away, and her father quickly followed. With no one to send her money to, Tooth found herself making quite a handsome sum of money. All of which she spent on books.
Several more years passed and Toothiana began to feel incredibly trapped in her life. Without her parents she began to feel like she'd lost everything in life worth living for.
Then she met him.
It was a night like every other. Toothiana performed, swinging and flying through the air like a bird. She did flips and midair splits just like always, but this time someone was watching.
After the show, Toothiana returned to her room to find a man waiting for her.
He was tall. Incredibly tall, in fact, he had to stoop just to fit inside her room. His dark hair was pushed back from his angular face and his skin was a strange grayish color. However, his eyes were one of the most transfixing sights she had ever laid eyes on. They were shimmering amber with little flecks of brown and gold.
"Hello." He said politely holding his hands behind his back.
Toothiana nodded and quickly shut her bedroom door, If Mr. Greene saw her with a man in her room… She didn't even want to think about the consequences. "Hello…" She replied.
"I believe your name is Toothiana." He said, a faint smile playing across his lips.
"Yes," Toothiana nodded, "but how do you-"
The man raised his hand to silence her "I've known Mr. Greene for quite some time now…" He paused, "he speaks very highly of you."
Toothiana shrugged, uncertain as to whether or not to trust this man. "Who are you?" She asked suddenly.
The man chuckled a smile spreading across his lips to reveal… a row of sharp, pointed, white teeth. He was about to say something when Toothiana broke out into a large smile, darting forward and sticking her fingers in his mouth to get a better look. "Amazing…" She whispered as she examined, not hearing his garbled cry of shock. She gently prodded one of the sharpened points with her finger. "They're almost like a shark's teeth…"
Pitch's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Toothiana's tiny wrists in his hands and pulling them out of his mouth. He gave her a flat look and Toothiana's cheeks suddenly burned red.
"Sorry!" She gave him an embarrassed smile, touching his arm softly she added, "They're beautiful."
"Thank you…" He said, looking the woman up and down. She truly was a lovely sight, with nice wavy blonde-brown hair and mauve eyes. It was only now that he noticed how much smaller she was than him, she just barely came up to his shoulder when she stood in front of him, but then again people had always said he was tall. The young lady also had lovely curves, especially in the hips…
"Sir?" Toothiana asked, stepping forward.
The man shook his head quickly, "forgive me, " he said giving Toothiana a low bow. "My name is Pitch Black."
Toothiana felt herself giggle at Pitch's formality; a man had never treated her with such respect. She quickly bent her knees in an awkward form of curtsey, "and I'm Toothiana."
Pitch felt himself smile against his will. He had come here to make a business offer, but perhaps he could get more out of the night than just a new business partner?
"Miss Toothiana," He stepped forward, offering his hand to her. "I would be honored if you would join me for dinner."
Toothiana wanted to say yes, Pitch Black after all was a very handsome man, and not many people came calling on Toothiana given her living conditions, but…
"I can't." Toothiana said retracting the hand she had almost placed in his. Pitch's brow furrowed. He felt as though he had just been teased. He had never been a fan of being teased. "It's not that I don't want to." She added quickly, looking up at him shyly. It sent a shiver down his spine. "I just don't think Mr. Greene would-"
"Do not worry about Mr. Greene," Pitch said, placing a hand on her waist. "I can more than handle him, trust me." He allowed himself to place a hand on her cheek. Toothiana's eyes widened and her lips parted slightly at his forwardness.
Toothiana paused. It could be the only time she was allowed to go outside without Mr. Greene watching her every move. It could be the only night in the rest of her life where she could be free…
"Alright. " She slipped her hand into his and smiled up at him.
Pitch's heart thumped quickly in his chest. Never in his life had a woman enchanted him so. Smiling back at her he led her through the door and out into the world.
That first night they went to a cozy little restaurant where they ordered Toothiana's first glass of wine. It turned out, Toothiana did not hold her liquor well, and was feeling more than a little tipsy after a few glasses.
Toothiana and Pitch strolled down the street. He kept a firm hand on her elbow to make sure that she didn't stumble to the ground. The summer nights were pleasant, but it was late enough at night that only a few stranglers remained on the streets.
"You know-" Toothiana slurred as she tried –and failed- to throw her arm over Pitch's shoulder. "I like you Pitch Black." She poked him in the chest. Pitch chuckled down at her.
"Very well, Toothiana." He said.
"Wanna know somethin'?" She said, leaning heavily against his side. Pitch smiled and let his arm slide around her waist in order to steady her.
"And what is that?" He asked leading her across the crooked cobblestone.
"I really, really like you." She rested her head against him, and Pitch felt a pleasant tingling sensation spread through his body.
"Well Toothiana, I can say that I am rather fond of you as well." Pitch said as they reached her apartment building. He led her up the steps as Toothiana giggled something he didn't understand.
He opened the door and led her to the bed, gently easing her into it. He pulled the blankets up to her chin and brushed a stray hair away from her face. "Rest now." He said as he prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Toothiana exclaimed, her clumsy fingers snagging the edge of his coat.
Pitch kneeled next to the bed and looked deeply into her eyes. "What is it?" He asked.
"Is this the last time I'm going to see you?" She asked, her eyes growing wide. Pitch's heart clenched tightly in his chest. It was the first time someone had ever spoken so sadly to him. The first time someone had ever seemed to want him.
"No." He said, soothingly stroking a hand over her head. "I'm going to get you out of here." He assured.
A soft smile spread across her lips and her eyes seemed to glimmer with happy tears. He didn't know if it was the remaining alcohol in his system or the fact that she just looked so incredibly beautiful lying there, but Pitch found himself leaning down and pressing his lips gently to hers. She tasted like mint. Cool and clean.
He pulled away slowly and stood up, feeling her gentle gaze on his back all the way out the door.
Pitch kept his word. He was a rich and powerful man, so finding the right sum of money to get Mr. Greene to wave the contract was easy enough.
He then allowed Toothiana to stay in his home, and offered her a job as an acrobat in his 'Theatre of Shadows'. A place where people performed incredibly dangerous acts in order to frighten the audience. Toothiana had accepted, but still spent much of her free time reading about teeth. Most days she spent with Pitch, and it was plain to see that they were quickly falling in love.
After just two years they were married and running the theatre together, but Pitch had begun to feel something was missing from the show. They just needed an extra 'oomph' that would send the audience reeling, so Pitch phoned an old friend. Nicholas St. North, the ringmaster of a traveling circus that specialized in mysterious creatures and whimsical acts.
Toothiana approached the theatre and pushed open the doors. She was met with the noise of all the workers and performers buzzing about their jobs and rehearsals. Smiling she clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention.
"I need my fairies." She said. All at once several girls jumped forward, all wearing acrobat's uniforms. "Now, let me see what you've done while I've been gone."
A/N: Ok, so there's chapter one and it's the longest chapter I've ever written for anything! I'm actually pretty proud of myself :). Now let me be clear, THIS IS A BUNNY/TOOTH STORY! He (and the rest of the gang) will all be appearing in the next chapter.
Just so you know, the characters aren't in modern day or our world. It's an AU with the style and technology of the 1920's ish era if that makes sense, haha.
Now, I love advice, so please shower it down on me! If a character seems out of character go ahead and tell me, I'll appreciate it! I hope you enjoyed, please review!