Author's Note: This story came to me out of the blue. Something that's a little different than the regular BlackIce. I do not own Rise of the Guardians.
It has been a year since the defeat of Boogeyman, the Nightmare King. Jack Frost was now a guardian, and part of a family. However dysfunctional the guardians may be, they were his family now. He finally had some believers who could see him. Jamie Bennett was still his favorite believer, because he was the first one to see him and believe. Jack felt great happiness, but he still felt a void in his life. He always pushed that void to the side, thinking that he just needed to adjust to his new life still. That void would go away.
"Whoo hoo!" Jack howled flying high in the sky bursting through clouds.
It was a clear day full of sunshine and cold crisp air. Jack was headed towards the town of Burgess to visit his friend Jamie. Today they were supposed to hang out and spend some time playing games. Jack arrived at Jamie's window sill excited. All his excitement died when he saw the little brown haired boy in bed still dressed in pj's asleep. Jack twisted his face in concern.
'This doesn't look right. Jamie should be up by now.' Jack thought to himself for a moment observing Jamie. 'It should be about eleven am here. I can't have the wrong time.'
Just then Jamie jerked himself up and to the side of the bed making a disgusting gagging sound. The sound of something watery and chunky fell into a trash can by his bed as Jack watched Jamie empty his stomach. Jack's stomach dropped as he realized his friend was sick, and waited until Jamie was done vomiting to announce his presence.
"Hey there, kiddo." Jack said comfortingly opening the window. Jamie's face lifted a little upon seeing his frosted friend.
"Oh, hey Jack." Jamie responded thickly clearing his throat. He looked at Jack sorrowfully. "I can't hang out today. Mom says I have to stay in bed because I'm sick." Jamie's voice was a little hoarse and weak.
Jamie did not sound good at all, and Jack didn't know what he could do for him. Jack always felt a sense of dread when his human friends became ill, because he knew human life was short and fragile. There were so many ways for life to be taken away, and he couldn't bare being reminded of it. Every moment he had with the children he cherished dearly. Jack put on a small smile to ease Jamie's mind.
"Don't worry about it, kiddo. You just rest and get well. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you." Jack placed a hand on his forehead. It was warmer than usual and the poor kid's face was flushed.
"Okay… I'll get better soon and then we can have loads of fun!" Jamie responded settling back into his pillows. Jack smiled at Jamie's spirit. He was a tough kid with a lot of heart.
"Alright, see ya later, kid." Jack responded walking to the window. He looked over his shoulder at Jamie and waved. Jamie waved back as Jack leaped from the window.
Jack pursed his lips trying to decide where to go next. Surveying the neighborhood he observed that all Jamie's friends were inside doing homework, or housework. Sighing he finally gave up and decided to go to his pond to think for a while. The water froze upon landing, so Jack took to skating around aimlessly wondering when Jamie would be better.
'Humans are so fragile. Why did they spend so much time working if their life was so short? Maybe I should talk to the guardians about it to see if there's anything I can do to help Jamie. No, they're all too busy. They're always busy.' Jake paused becoming still looking up at the sky.
"Maybe I could pay Pitch a visit." He whispered to himself conflicted.
After all the hype calmed down from defeating the Nightmare King, Jack was once again left with no one to talk to. The guardians went straight back to work after holding a week-long celebration. In their hurry to make up for the damage Pitch caused the guardians unintentionally pushed Jack to a back burner. With all the time Jack was given to himself he couldn't get Pitch Black from his mind. Something just did not sit right with what happened. Of course the Nightmare King was wrong, but Jack understood his reasoning behind his actions. Pitch just went about it the wrong way. The frost spirit empathized with the Nightmare King's loneliness. Being forced to live alone and no one acknowledging your existence…. The frost spirit was well too acquainted with. He admitted to himself that even with the guardians as family and his believers, something was still missing. There was a void, loneliness; a need for someone to understand him. To know for a fact he was accepted.
One day the need to know how the Nightmare King was and if he was still alive won. He flew to where the opening to Pitch's lair was and dug it open. When he flew down into the lair he found the Nightmare King laying on the ground with his own nightmares surrounded around him. Pitch was hoarsely screaming in misery holding his head with his eyes closed as if he was in a never ending night terror. Enraged at his state Jack froze all the nightmares causing them to shatter to the ground. Pain seemed to have eased away from the Nightmare King, and Jack cautiously approached him. Pitch's eyes were still closed so jack gently shook him.
"Pitch…?" He questioned. At first he got no response. He tried again, this time with more force. "Pitch.. are you alright?" At that moment Pitch sat straight up with a monstrous roar and then fell back again gasping. It took Jack by total surprise so he accidentally froze him.
After that he stayed by Pitch's side for a few days as he defrosted. Jack did his best to help the process, but there wasn't much he could do. When Pitch finally woke he seemed confused and angry. They talked for a while back and forth, and before they realized they formed some kind of weird friendship. They grew a little closer in some ways. Most of the time Pitch was hostile and defensive, but what can you really expect from the Nightmare king? Six months later and Jack still made steady visits to Pitch's lair. It was if a void was becoming fuller.
"I do believe that is the longest I have ever seen you sit still." The frost sprite heard a familiar velvety voice. He turned to see no other than the Nightmare King himself, and Jack felt a small flutter in his chest. That's why he was questioning whether or not to visit him. Jack started to have these weird feelings around the Nightmare King. As if something was pulling him to Pitch. "May I ask what it is that you are doing?" Pitch's golden silver eyes looked right into Jack's brilliant blue eyes. A half smile graced Pitch's face.
"I was lost in thought I suppose." Jack answered truthfully. "What are you doing here? I thought you hated being out during the day."
Pitch's eyes glinted and his smile swept into a wide grin. "I sensed your worry and fear." His grin exposed his sharp teeth. "Your fear is quite exquisite, Jack Frost."
Jack didn't let Pitch Black intimidate him. Instead he made a mischievous face with a smirk of his own. "You can still be really creepy, you know that?"
Pitch Black clicked his tongue. "Why Jack, you should take that as a compliment. I don't come out during the day for just anyone." Jack couldn't help but notice how smooth and velvety Pitch's voice always sounded. It was almost completely alluring.
"Yea, keep telling yourself that. Some people may take that comment the wrong way." Jack remarked. Pitch responded with a low chuckle and a sultry grin. They both stayed silent for a few seconds, just looking at each other.
Surprisingly it was the Nightmare King who broke the silence first. "Where have you been, Frost? It's been a few weeks since your last visit." Pitch asked placing his hands behind his back walking closer to the pond's edge.
"Aww, did you miss me?" Jack playfully jested, but regretted the remark when Pitch stopped walking. He always had to say or do something to mess up. Jack kicked himself internally.
Pitch's face scrunched into a scowl as he placed a hard glare at winter sprite. "I do not miss anyone. I am the Nightmare king, you snotty little brat." Pitch basically snarled.
Jack took a step back and clenched his staff defensively. Although he learned how to wield his powers without it after the whole artic incident, he still kept it with him. It served as a safety blanket you could say. Pitch Black made no movements of attack and stood there by the edge of the pond staring. Suddenly a nightmare came dashing out from behind the trees to the Nightmare King. Jack jumped startled by the sudden appearance. Pitch chuckled lowly at the boy.
"Don't worry Frost, she's not here for you." The nightmare King smirked darkly. Apollymi, Pitch's first nightmare created snorted, pawing at the ground. Her eyes blazed a golden orange. She was different from the others because she had two horns on either side of her face.
"I'm not worried. Polly won't bother me." Jack responded once he found his voice and smiled at the nightmare. Apollymi bobbed her head up and down at jack as a greeting. Pitch growled in aggravation and the nightmare quieted down and coward slightly.
'To think, someone is smiling at a nightmare. One of MY nightmares.' Pitch thought to himself bitterly. "Are you going to tell me why you are here interrupting me?" Pitch angrily questioned the equine creation. She made snorting sounds in response hesitantly standing a little further away from her master. "That can't be allowed now can it?" Venom could be heard in his voice.
Jack who had been watching had his curiosity peeked. "What can't be allowed?" He questioned apprehensive. Pitch turned his attention back to the winter sprite.
"Nothing of your concern, Frost. I will be bidding you farewell for now. Do drop in for a visit sometime." He responded with a light bow. His velvety voice full of promised mischief and seduction making Jack's face flush.
"Yea, sure. I'll bring some cookies for a tea party." He remarked watching Pitch melt into the shadows with the nightmare.
Jack couldn't figure out why he got more and more flustered the more he hung around the Nightmare King. Sometimes he just wrote it off as some kind of excitement, because Pitch was dangerous. Lately he was left with the wonder maybe that's not all there was to it. When the frost spirit was alone he would think about Pitch. Not in the normal way he thought about other people. He thought of how smooth Pitch's skin looked. How mesmerizing his eyes were, and how his voice made him want to melt. If he wasn't mistaken Jack felt as if the Boogeyman was flirting with him. He couldn't know for sure, because Pitch Black was known to play mind games.
Jack stood on his pond still gazing at the spot the Nightmare King had vanished. He blink a couple times shaking himself out of his thoughts.
"Because that didn't seem creepy at all…" he huffed to himself out loud. "What was up with that? And what did he mean about "can't be allowing that"? Maybe I should talk with Tooth about this.." Jack paused after saying that to himself.
The guardians didn't actually know about Jack Frost visiting the Boogeyman. The little winter spirit never told them. It's not exactly a subject to be taken lightly. Pitch had nearly destroyed them all, and not to mention the danger the children were in. Causing the children to grow up too soon would be a tragedy. Not just for the guardians, but for the children themselves. Everyone should be allowed to have a good childhood. The memories and lessons learned during that time is meant to help with adult hood. Humans had a delicate growing process indeed.
Jake sighed as a wave of guilt hit him. Those gnawing questions hit him once again. What will happen if the guardians find out I helped Pitch? That was always the first question that popped into his mind after visiting Pitch. As much as he tried to stay away, Jack always managed to return to the Nightmare King's lair. Letting out a groan of frustration Jack willed the wind to pick him up. He didn't care where he went as long as he was drifting freely in the cold air. He trusted the wind. It used to be one of the only things to give him comfort.
Pitch Black rode his nightmare practically snarling. How dare a group of human children set foot in his lair! They were going to regret the day they set foot in his home. He heard the two boys teasing the smaller boy, and his anger boiled.
"Go ahead. What's the matter? Still believe in the Boogeyman?" One of the boys sneered to the smaller one. "Yea pansy. Still scared of the monsters in the dark?" Another boy join in one the taunting.
Pitch could feel the boy's fear sky rocketing and grinned evilly. Dismounting his nightmare he melted into the dark shadows.
"Please guys, just let me leave. We shouldn't be in here." The smaller boy pleaded only making the older boys laugh harder. "I'm serious guys.. I think we should leave. I think the Boogeyman lives here." The boy's voice urgent and full of absolute fear. The other boys were about to make another retort when they heard a chilly voice.
"You two should listen to the boy. It would be a shame if something horrible were to happen to you." Pitch spoke in an unconcerned eerie voice.
His voice startled the boys. The youngest boy fell backwards in absolute terror, and the bigger boys jumped back looking around for the source of the voice, fear spiking.
"I wonder what I shall do with all of you. Especially you two older boys." Pitch clicked his tongue. "Being a bully sets a bad example. Does your mother know where you are?"
One of the older boys balled his hands into fists. "It's none of your business! Where are you? Are you too much of a coward to step out and face us?!" the boy shouted.
Pitch Black laughed a cold laughter giving the boys chills. "That is some talk coming from a boy who is scared of clowns. Tell me, did you enjoy the movie It?" The boy took a few steps back shocked. "And you, his brother. How am I supposed to be a coward to a boy afraid of cats?" Pitch's words were eerie and dark containing void of any kind of warmth. The boys trembled.
The boys looked to one another. "Let's get out of here!" They hollered.
"It's a little too late for that now boys, isn't it?" The Nightmare King taunted, making the last two words sing song.
Both the boys turned to run. Pitch commanded the shadows to form evil monstrous shapes around them. The boys screamed trying to escape to no avail. They tripped over one another finally falling to Pitch's feet. When their eyes opened to a dark figure in front of them they peered up to see the golden silver eyes of the Boogeyman himself. They shook in utter terror at the realization. The Nightmare King grinned wide revealing his sharp teeth. They boys just stared too terrified to utter a sound.
"Now, how do I make two naughty children pay for such behavior and trespassing?" Pitch questioned putting his hands behind his back. He already knew their punishment, but he did enjoy taking in the fear that radiated off them. "Oh I know, I shall let my darlings consume you." Suddenly there were childlike dark figures around him whispering excitedly. "Yes my lovelies, these two are all yours." Pitch said in an almost fatherly voice.
Pitch snapped his fingers and the fearlings wrapped around the two preteen boys. The boys screamed in pain and fear as the black inky substance covered their bodies. Pitch revealed taking it in. Trespassers really pissed him off. After a few minutes the boys stood no more, and in their place stood two black figures. The rest of the back inky substance melted away and the figures kneeled before the Nightmare King.
"You are mine, and you will obey only me." The Nightmare King spoke harshly. The new fearlings trembled bowing lower whispering. As if their voices could only come out in hushed words. "Go now, and join my other lovelies." Pitch ordered. The fearlings quickly left.
The young boy that was left whimpered on floor trying to process what he had just witnessed. Pitch walked casually up to the boy, stopping a couple feet away. Pitch could feel his fear come off him in large waves.
"Tell me boy; do you believe in the Boogeyman?" The Nightmare King hissed in deep spoken words.
The boy was practically shaking hard enough to bounce. "Yes." He whispered afraid.
Pitch laughed maniacally as a big black shadow appeared under the boy.