Pitch stood on a rooftop and watched the Guardians as they fought his Nightmares once again. There was nothing special about this fight. It was just one in a long string of battles that the Guardians always won. No, this was nothing special. Not yet, anyway.
A flash of blue light lit the dark alleyway. Jack backed up another few steps as the Nightmares ran at him. He sent out wave after wave of frost, but they kept coming at him. He was slowly but surely being overwhelmed. He looked around desperately. He had been separated from the other Guardians some time ago, so he wasn't counting on their help. He couldn't fly away, seeing as the alley was covered by the neighboring buildings. He snatched a glance behind him, seeking an escape. No doorways, but the alley turned right at the end. He started running, firing at the Nightmares as he went. He ran for what could have been a few seconds, or an eternity before he reached the bend. He flew around the corner, only to be covered in a cloak of darkness. He struggled, striking at anything that appeared to move. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he was compelled into unconsciousness.
Jack woke groggily, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling. He tried at sit up, but was immediately dizzy and lay back down. He closed his eyes and fought back the rising nausea. He struggled to remember what had happened, how he had gotten here. He remembered fighting some of Pitch's creations with Tooth and Bunny, being separated from the group, the alley...
He sat up suddenly and forced himself to stand, ignoring the throbbing pain and the sense of vertigo the action caused. He suddenly knew where he was, though he had never been there before. Pitch's dungeon. Pitch had captured him. For what, he didn't know, but it couldn't be good.
He took a deep breath, almost sighing in relief when the pain in his head receded. Being immortal had it's perks. He finally opened his eyes and looked at the room. It was a prison cell, so it was expectedly bare, consisting of a bed (metal and chained to the wall) and a small bucket to 'do his buisness' in. No windows, just a set of iron bars.
He walked up to the bars and looked out. His staff! It was leaning against the wall across from him. If he could reach it, he could escape with no trouble.
He cautiously looked around. It would be just like Pitch to set a trap. Seeing no one and hearing nothing suspicious, he put his arm through the bars and reached across. The staff was just out of reach.
He stretched his arms as far as they would go. Just a few more inches and he would have it. He pushed his entire body against the bars, forcing himself to reach further. He shoved his entire shoulder through the bars, ignoring the slight twinges of discomfort. He was less than an inch away from the staff. He stretched and pushed and reached as hard as he could, but it still wasn't enough. He finally let his arm drop and pulled away from the bars.
At least, he tried to. His shoulder was stuck. He tried to pull it out, but it was no use. He tried to twist it, but it just sent spikes of pain through his already-sore shoulder. He stood there for moment, desperately trying to think of a way to release his shoulder without any pain.
Seeing none, he resigned himself to his fate and started to rotate and pull his shoulder out. He pulled harder, gritting his teeth at the pain. He gave one last tug, and his shoulder popped out from between the bars. He stepped back and rubbed it, knowing that the pain would be gone in a few minutes.
He walked over to the bed, such as it was, and sat down. It was then that he noticed how hot it was. He wiped at the little beads of sweat that had gone unnoticed on his forehead. He was sweating. He, Jack Frost, was sweating!
That was a first. Normally when things got too warm for his liking, he either moved somewhere else or cooled things off himself.
Over the next few hours, it got even hotter. Jack had long ago taken off his hoodie. The blue shirt he wore beneath it was soaked with sweat. His lips had cracked and started to bleed. His head felt like it was filled with cotton, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He had tried to retrieve his staff multiple times, but his strength waned with each attempt.
Now he simply lay on the metal bed, ignoring the stinging of the hot metal.
This was the position he was in when Pitch came I see him.
"Oh, Jack," he mocked. "You aren't looking so good. Is it too cold in here for you? Maybe I should turn the heat up."
He walked away from the cell for a moment, only to reappear with a torch. He tossed it into the cell. It landed right beneath the bed where Jack lay. He held back a groan at the extra heat.
"I've never been a big fan of fire, you know," he said conversationally. "Too bright for my tastes. But it makes excellent shadows with the way it flickers and jumps. In the Dark Ages, I would use those shadows to mess with people's heads. It was great fun... For me, anyway. But you know all about fun, don't you? After all, you are it's Guardian."
"What do you want?" Jack rasped out. "What do you want with me?"
"What do I want? Just to be believed in again, feared as I once was. What do I want from you? Just companionship. We are alike, you and I," he said pacing back and forth in front of the cell. "We both know what it's like to be invisible, unseen and unheard. And even those who can see us ignore us, hate us, even fear us. We both know what it's like to be totally alone. Even now that you're a Guardian, the others dislike you. You were just a tool to them. They tolerate you because they fear you. You are more powerful than they are, Jack, more powerful than they could ever be." He suddenly stopped pacing and came up to the bars. "If you joined me, we would be unstoppable. We could rule the world, Jack, you and I. People would believe in us. They would see us! Isn't that what you want? What you have always dreamed about?"
Jack mustered up all the strength he had left. He slowly sat up, then stood. He walked unsteadily to the iron bars that guarded the cell and stared into the face of the Boogeyman. He leaned forward until they were mere centimeters apart, and told him to do something that was physically impossible.
Pitch drew back in anger, his shadow growing taller and taller behind him. He inhaled loudly, turned and walked across the hall, and grabbed Jack's staff. He held it out in front of him for Jack to see, and snapped it in two.
"No!" Jack cried in horror, falling to his knees. He could only watch as Pitch dropped the two pieces of wood on the floor. Pitch turned and walked away without a word.
How long he sat there, Jack didn't know. He eventually managed to stand. He ignored the rushing in his ears and the black spots that danced in front of his eyes. He staggered away from the bars, trying to reach the bed. He made it two steps before he passed out.
Had he managed to stay awake a few moments longer, he would have heard the voices calling his name.
The other Guardians had been frantically searching for him since they realized he was missing. After checking the usual places he could be found, they finally concluded that he had been captured. They arranged an all-out assault on Pitch's lair, using all of the resources at their disposal.
They eventually managed to fight their way through the tide of Nightmares to the dungeons. Pitch was nowhere to be found, luckily.
"Jack!" They called, praying they weren't too late. They looked in every cell they passed, but there was no sign of Jack.
"Over there!" Tooth suddenly shouted. They all rushed to where she was pointing. She picked up the broken pieces of Jack's staff. She looked up as the others approached. She wordlessly held the pieces out for them to see.
"He's got to be here somewhere!" North said, looking at the cells on the other side of the hallway. Just then Bunny raised a paw. "Stop," he ordered. "I hear something."
They all froze, holding their breath. Bunny's ears and nose twitched. He pointed. "It's coming from that cell."
They all rushed over and were horrified at what they saw. Jack Frost was lying unconscious on the floor. His face was bright red, lips so dry they were cracked and bleeding. His entire body was dripping sweat. His hoodie was lying discarded next to him, and his blue shirt was soaked through with sweat.
"Get him out of there NOW!" Tooth ordered.
North grabbed the iron bars and simply ripped them off. They came away like tissue paper. He rushed into the cell and grabbed Jack. He gently cradled the boy close to his chest. He turned to the others. "Let's get him out of here." They all turned and ran for the exit, tearing through the few remaining Nightmares.
Once outside, North set Jack down on the ground. Everyone was crowded around the youngest Guardian. His breath was only a slight rasp, and his face was red. It looked odd, considering how pale he usually was.
"What's wrong with him?" Bunny asked.
Tooth put a soft hand on Jack's head. "He's warm!" she exclaimed. "We need to get him cooled down. Is there a snowbank or a lake somewhere around here?"
"There's a lake just over that ridge," North said, pointing.
Bunny nodded and grabbed Jack. "I'm the fastest. I'll take him there." He shot off at top speed towards the lake. The others followed behind at a slower pace.
When he got there, Bunny slid to a stop just beside the water's edge. He gently lowered Jack into the icy liquid. The boy instantly relaxed, his breathing becoming easier. His face slowly lost it's color, returning to it's usual white.
The others finally caught up. They dropped down next to Bunny, watching Jack as his eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times as he looked up at them. "You came," he whispered. "You came back for me."
"Of course we did," Tooth smiled. "We're you're friends."
Jack nodded slightly as he fell back asleep. Bunny scooped him up, ignoring the water dripping on his fur. He handed the boy over to North, who put him in the back of the sleigh. Bunny and Tooth climbed in and sat next to him. Tooth put Jack's head in her lap, stroking his brow. Bunny didn't complain about the sleigh during the entire flight.
When they got back to the pole, Jack was placed in one of the guest bedrooms. There was someone sitting next to him at all times.
When he finally woke, he turned to find Bunny slumped in a chair next to the bed, fast asleep and snoring slightly. Jack smiled and whispered to the air,"I knew you cared."