Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm not gonna do a long author's note I'm just gonna jump right into the chapter.
Jamie was sound asleep in his bed. Pitch had not left his side through this whole thing. He had comforted the boy when his mother had to go to bed. Jamie had cried himself to sleep and Pitch had sat and watched over him. Sandy had come to give the boy happy dreams and was shocked to see Pitch in the room. Pitch stood up and put his hands up.
"Oh calm down!" Pitch said angrily. "I am not plotting another way to take over the Guardians. I am watching over him."
A question mark appeared over the Sandman's head.
"I tried to save his sister," Pitch said looking at his hands. "I couldn't get a hold of her until it was too late. Do the other Guardians know?"
Sandy nodded and looked at Jamie sadly.
"They need to come see him." Pitch said crossing his arms.
A snowflake appeared above Sandy's head followed by a question m
ark.
"I have no idea where Jack is," Pitch was not looking at Sandy he was fidgeting too much.
"Sandy?" A small voice asked from the bed. They both looked over at Jamie who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Did we wake you up?" Pitch asked concerned.
"I had a bad dream. Can't you make sure I don't have those?" Jamie asked sniffling a bit.
"I'm so sorry Jamie. I got distracted talking to Sandman." Pitch said frowning at the small golden man who was glaring right back.
Sandy formed a few pictures over his head. He was telling the two he had to leave and threatening Pitch that if he harmed Jamie he would be in a world of trouble. He also was telling Jamie that he would return with other Guardians tomorrow.
"Bye Sandy." Jamie said as a ball of dream sand knocked him out for the night. The small guardian left leaving Pitch and Jamie alone again. Pitch settled back down in his shadowy corner to make sure Jamie was alright.
Pitch knew that he had not fooled the Guardian with his lie about Jack. He knew he was going to have to figure out what needed to be done about the winter spirit and fast. He couldn't kill the kid. He was growing attached to the white haired boy. Besides he really didn't like killing people unless it was one of the Big Four. That was only when he had plans to do so anyway. He couldn't set the boy free. Then Jamie would know that he was the reason Sophie had died. Jack had been freezing the pond when he took him. Jack was the one who had told him that something was wrong at his pond.
Flashback
"Somethings wrong!" Jack suddenly said breaking the silence between him and his captor. He was locked in a cage suspended above Pitch.
"Be quiet!" Pitch said staring at the globe.
"Pitch please! Something is wrong!" Jack yelled desperately standing up.
"What? What is wrong?" Pitch yelled turning to look up at him.
"It's Jamie or Sophie! It has to be!" Jack rambled. "They're in danger!"
"How do you know?" Pitch asked confused.
"I don't know how I know I just do!" Jack said grabbing the bars. "Please let me go save them!"
"You think I'm that stupid?" Pitch asked laughing.
"They need help!" Jack said falling to his knees begging. "If you won't let me help them then will you please go help them?"
"I didn't think I would ever see the day they would that you would be begging for anything!" Pitch was laughing again.
"I am begging!" Jack yelled. "Please! Just go make sure they are alright!"
"If I do will you shut up?" Pitch asked.
"Yes! Yes I will!" Jack said as he watched Pitch sink into the shadows. "Save them please!"
End flashback
"Pitch?" Jamie asked quietly looking around his room for the man.
"Yes child?"
"I don't think I can do this." Pitch walked towards the boy.
"Yes, yes you can." He placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder just as a small knock sounded on the door.
"Jamie? Honey are you awake?" His mother poked her head in through a small crack.
"I'm up."
"I have some planning can you go to the twins or Pippa's for the day?" She asked holding back tears.
"Can I just stay here?" He asked.
"I don't want you to be alone honey." She said quietly.
"I want to be alone today though mom." He said tears threatening to fall again.
"Jamie, I have to go back to my place for a little while. Just go to your friends." Pitch told the boy. "I don't want to be worried about you, and your mother doesn't need to be either."
"Okay, I'll go to Pippa's," he told both of them.
"Thank you honey." His mom left the room and Jamie stood up to get dressed.
"Would you like me to leave so you may change?" Pitch asked the boy.
"Just don't look." Jamie muttered pulling out a pair of blue jeans and a green t-shirt. He looked at the shirt for a minute realizing it was picked out by his little sister. He threw it to the side and picked a plain brown shirt and quickly changed .Pitch stayed and made sure Jamie actually did go to Pippa's. The girl was shocked to see Pitch to say the least.
"Jamie!" She said rushing to his side throwing her hands around him. Jamie was surprised and hesitant to return the hug. When she let him go he continued into her house without saying a word to her or her parents.
"Don't be rude!" Pitch said told him frowning. "I realize you are upset, but these people invited you over you should thank them."
"Thank you for letting me hang out here today." Jamie muttered after a short stare down between Pitch and himself. The girl's parents nodded and the kids went up to Pippa's room.
"I'm going to leave now." Jamie gave him a panicked look. The boy had not noticed how much Pitch's presence was a comfort to him. Upon seeing this Pitch knelt down and placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I will be back as soon as I can. I promise I will not leave your side and if you need me just yell I will come."
"Okay." Jamie said still looking a bit panicked.
"Jamie?" Pippa ask quietly after Pitch left. "Why was Pitch here? Where's Jack?"
"Please don't mention him to me." Jamie said in a creepily calm quiet voice.
"Jamie-"
"He didn't come!" Jamie yelled tears starting to fall. "I fell through the ice and he didn't come to save me! I found the opening though," Jamie was calmer now. "I couldn't pull myself up onto the ice. Sop-Sophie came and pulled me up. I didn't even think she wouldn't be behind me I just crawled to the shore and when I turned around she was gone!"
"Jamie-"
"I was going to go get her! I really was!" Jamie said crying. "Pitch, he came and ordered me to stay where I was. He pulled her out of the water, but it was too late." Jamie stopped wiping his eyes of the tears. "Jack never came. He told me that pond would be safe. That he was going to strengthen the ice while I was sleeping."
"What if something happened to him?" She asked her friends cautiously. She was clearly walking into danger with this conversation.
"I thought of that," Jamie said shrugging. "Pitch is the only person or spirit that Jack or the other Guardians have ever told us about trying to hurt them. Pitch swears he hasn't seen Jack."
"Jamie, I know he tried to save your sister, but what if he's lying to you?"
"He's hasn't left my side since it happened." Jamie said sniffling. He was getting a little angry at this conversation. "I trust him."
"Okay." Pippa said deciding not to push the topic any further. "Lets watch a movie."
After Pippa put in the movie Jamie had picked out, Zombieland, they both sat next to each other on her bedroom floor. Jamie ended up falling asleep his head falling onto her shoulder about halfway through the movie. Pippa looked sadly at her friend. The two had grown extremely close since they had help defeat Pitch. She had a very bad feeling about Pitch being around him. She didn't like it, but she didn't want to voice her opinion. She could not lose him. He needed her to just be here for him and support him anyway. As long as he didn't get hurt she could do that.
With Pitch
"Pitch!" Jack yelled upon seeing the Nightmare King. He lept to his feet and grabbed the bars. He already knew that one of the Bennett children was gone he couldn't explain it he could just feel it. "Which one?"
"Sophie." Pitch said simply pacing around beneath him. Jack chocked back a sob and sank to his knees. Pitch stopped his pacing and sighed. "Jamie fell through the ice and found the way to the surface. Sophie helped him out of the water, but ended up falling in herself. I arrived just as Jamie was going to run back onto the ice. I stopped him and pulled the girls body out of the water."
"Why were they on the ice?" Jack asked quietly. "They know better then to go there if I'm not around."
"Jamie said you promised to strengthen the ice." Pitch said looking up at him.
"I was in the middle of doing that when you captured me," Jack muttered he still had one hand on the bars of the cage the other was just sitting on his knees. He wasn't looking out at Pitch he was looking at his lap tears starting to fall. He looked so defeated. Normally Pitch would love to see one of the Guardians like this but not this time. Not after spending time with Jamie and trying to save Sophie. "This is my fault. I never should have left their house. I should have stayed there and just went to the pond with them in the morning."
"Can you please talk to yourself quietly. I'm trying to figure out what to do with you." Pitch said starting to pace again.
"Let me go!" Jack said head snapping up. "I have to go see Jamie."
"I can't let you go," Pitch waved that idea away. "The boy doesn't want to see you any how."
"He told you that?"
"If you blame yourself who do you think he blames?" Pitch asked raising an eyebrow.
"I have to at least try to explain to him that you captured me!" Jack yelled angrily.
"NO!" Pitch roared startling Jack. "This boy is actually talking to me like I am his friend! I have been comforting him and have been there for him! You are not going to take that away from me!"
"Pitch-"
"Shut up!" Pitch snapped waving his hand swiftly. Jack was hit hard across the face by a thin stream of sand. He had a cut across his cheek. His hand went up to it in shock. Angry Pitch left to go calm himself down before returning to Jamie.
Time skip
The day of the funeral arrived much too quickly. Jamie woke up before his mother came to get him. He looked around his room and saw the black suit laid out ready for him to get dressed. Pitch was asleep in the corner. Jamie was slightly confused he did not realize he needed to sleep. He got up and woke the man up.
"Jamie! Are you alright?" Pitch asked startled as the boy gently shook his shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare? I tried to stay awake and keep them away."
"It's morning." Jamie said simply. He didn't have any emotion in his voice and that startled Pitch.
"Oh," Pitch looked around and saw the suit. Jamie had walked to it and looked at the black fabric.
"It's my fault." Jamie said quietly.
"No!" Pitch said standing up. He grabbed Jamie's arm and forced him to look at him. "It's not! You were about to jump into that water to save her!"
"If I wouldn't have fallen through the ice she wouldn't have been out there!" Jamie yelled ripping his arm free from Pitch's grasp.
"You thought it would be strong enough to hold you she was just doing what any sibling would do. She was trying to save you!" Pitch told him.
"I shouldn't have been so stupid!" Jamie said looking down at the green t-shirt that was still on the floor. "She shouldn't have tried to save me! I should have drowned!"
"Jamie hurry and get dressed we have to leave!" His mom called up the stairs to him.
"I'll let you get dressed." Pitch said standing up and walking into the hallway. He hoped the Guardians would have come to comfort the boy by now. He had only seen Sandman and Tooth's helpers. None of them stopped by the house however. Not since Sandy had the other night. "Where are they?"
"Where's who?" Jamie asked coming out of his room straightening his tie.
"Have any of the Guardians stopped by?" Pitch asked.
"No." Jamie looked down at his feet. "I think it's because I'm not a child anymore."
"That shouldn't matter!" Pitch told him. "You saved them! The least they could do is come check up on you after something bad happens!"
"They have other responsibilities." Jamie said shrugging. "I don't think I want to see them anyway."
"Not even Jack?"
"I don't want to hear that name again!" Jamie said rounding on Pitch. "I don't know what I would do if I saw him, but whatever it is it wouldn't be good!"
The funeral was what one could expect for a 10 year old that shouldn't have died. It was very sad. Jamie's mother hadn't stopped crying since they arrived and she saw her little girl in the coffin at the end of the room. Jamie comforted his mother until some relatives arrived and took over. Some of the family tried to comfort him, but he just ignored them. Pippa stood by his side holding his hand looking at him worried. He was not crying he was just standing there staring at Sophie jaw clenched. Pitch followed his gaze and saw a small Easter egg in the coffin rage flared up inside him.
"Jamie, would you mind if I left for a few minutes?" Pitch asked not taking his eyes off the egg. Pippa looked at him shocked. He was seriously going to leave Jamie today?
"Where are you going?" Jamie asked looking at him concerned.
"I need to talk to someone, but it can wait until you are asleep if you prefer that." He said just realizing how bad of an idea leaving him would be.
"Please don't go yet." Jamie said quietly. He was kind of ashamed at the need to have Pitch around. The Nightmare King was becoming his best friend.
"I will stay then." Pitch said putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"What are you after?" Pippa whispered a little while later. Jamie was with his mother again and told Pippa he needed a few minutes.
"What do you mean?" Pitch asked raising an eyebrow.
"Jack would never half ass freeze that pond!" She hissed at him. "Not after what happened to him all those years ago! He sure as hell wouldn't leave Jamie alone at a time like this!"
"Are you implying that I know where Jack is and haven't told Jamie?" Pitch asked her.
"I think you had something to do with him disappearing!" She said angrily.
"Lower your voice remember you are talking to the air." Pitch reminded her as an old lady gave Pippa a worried look. "I already told Jamie I have no idea where Jack is. I am simply here to comfort and keep the nightmares away from the boy. I will leave when he wishes me gone."
"Everything alright over here?" Jamie asked looking at the two.
"It's fine!" Pippa said through gritted teeth.
"Right..." Jamie said taking her hand again. "We're leaving thank you for your support today."
"I'll be here tomorrow as well." She said hugging him.
They group left most of Jamie's family was staying at a hotel so him and his mother arrived home. Jamie went straight upstairs taking the stupid tie off as he went. Pitch followed him quietly.
"Go do whatever you need to." Jamie said as he flopped down on his bed.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah just go." Jamie said waving his hand. Pitch slipped into the shadows.
"BUNNY!" Pitch yelled as he entered the warren. Thoughts of how bad the security was briefly crossed his mind.
"What do you want mate?" An annoyed voice asked from a corner.
"Why haven't you talked to Jamie?" Pitch asked walking towards the giant Australian rabbit. "I know you were there today! I saw the egg!"
"I was there. Can't talk to him though" Bunny shrugged taking a drink from a glass in his hand.
"Why not?" Pitch asked his teeth clenched together.
"We all agreed not to get close to another child." Bunny said. Turning away from him. "I don't have to explain anything to you."
"I've been by his side since it happened!" Pitch yelled. "I told Sandman to tell you all to visit him! He needs its!"
"You also claim to have nothing to do with Jack disappearing." Bunny said hotly.
"Did you try Antarctica?" Pitch asked shrugging. "Not my fault you all lost the great winter spirit. I've been busy comforting his believer. You know the boy whose sister loved you. The boy who rode in the ambulance with his sister as the paramedic said quietly in the back that she was dead. Where were you to block his view of what was going on?"
"Do you understand how bad this hurts!" Bunny yelled throwing the cup at Pitch who easily dodged it. "I felt when she died! I don't know how or why it's never happened before! As soon as she was gone I knew it! I sent word to North, of course he already knew cause her light went out, but I can't get close to her brother! I don't even want to go to that town! It hurts too much seeing all the places I played with her and Jamie!"
"Put your own feelings aside and deal with it!"
"I went to that pond! I watched you pull her out! I knew she was already dead. I saw the anguish on that boy's face and it froze me to the spot." Bunny yelled.
"Just go let him know you're still watching out for him!" Pitch said annoyed.
"We're not," Bunny said shrugging. "We had a meeting about it earlier and decided that none of us are allowed to communicate with any of the children that helped stop you. They aren't children anymore. Besides every time I see him I think of the sadness in his eyes. I can't do it."
"You call yourself a Guardian," Pitch said in disgust.
"Get the hell out of my Warren!" Bunny yelled throwing a boomerang at Pitch's head. Pitch dodged it and swung at the rabbit with his black scythe. Bunny jumped out of the way and caught his weapon. Pitch slammed the rabbit to the ground using a wave of sand.
"You and the others call me horrible, but you are all the real villains!" Pitch said as Bunny struggled to get up. "They are still children! Despite their age they are not yet adults! You are suppose to protect them, but you all just abandoned them."
"Man in the Moon decided it!" Bunny said struggling. "North and Tooth are actually trying to visit him!"
"Tell them not to bother." Pitch said walking towards the shadows. Bunny was still trapped by the sand. "Your not worth his time."
As Pitch disappeared Bunny was freed. The rabbit sat up sighing. Thinking about what Sandy had said earlier in the meeting. About how Pitch had Jack. He definitely had Jack they just had to figure out where and why. Then they would go after Pitch and save Jamie. Bunny wasn't sure how, but he had a feeling that Pitch had a hand in Sophie's death. It had taken everything he had not to seriously fight the man right now.
"Did he say anything about Jack?" Tooth asked worriedly after making sure Pitch was gone.
"No and he's right we should be there for Jamie."
"Bunny we can't with Pitch there!"
"It's stupid!" Bunny yelled punching a rock.
"I know." She said nervously flying around him. "We're all sad she's gone Bunny."
"Ju-Just leave me alone!" Bunny said looking around himself. He thought of the day she had got in here and helped decorate eggs with him. He looked around to be sure Tooth was gone and then he fell to his knees and cried tears falling hard. "Awe Ankle-Biter! You can't be gone!"
With Jamie and Pitch
It was the day they were going to bury his sister. Jamie didn't think he would be able to get through this day. He wasn't aware of anything that went on really. He just kind of went with the flow. He didn't listen to the words being said he just stared at the wooden box in front of him. Pitch was by his side all day not saying anything just there for moral support. Pippa was holding his hand again. He hardly noticed. He didn't even notice people were leaving until Pippa squeezed his hand gently.
"Come on Jamie it's over." She said softly.
"Time to go home child." Pitch said on his other side.
"She's really gone." Jamie said crying still staring at the box.
"Yes." Jamie allowed Pippa to steer him towards the cars. Once they got back to his house she guided him up to his room and apologized for having to leave.
"Pitch?"
"Yes?"
"Can you find me Jack?"
This is probably the longest chapter for anything that wasn't school related I've written! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you all.
