Pitch stood in his lair where the globe stood, the tiny lights one of the few sources of lights in his lair besides the dabble of sunlight that came in through various holes. He stood looking at a creature that had intruded on his home. A fae that had been waiting for him. It was a kelpie, the figure looked a lot like a young man with some sort of moss or weed woven into dark brown hair and he was dripping water as if he'd come in from the rain though Pitch knew that was just the way they were. Kelpies were a type of fae that needed water to survive.
"What do you want?" The fae bobbed his head in respect.
"Cahal sends his regards. He hopes you are enjoying your freedom." Pitch frowned, he knew that name. Although he rarely bothered to meddle in the affairs of the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the name of Cahal wasn't unknown. A prominent Pond Sprite, a type of fae that was commonly mistake for Each Usage or other such water fae because of similar behaviors. Pond Sprites, however, didn't normally leave their waters but Cahal had. They also tended to use water nymphs to seek out their prey rather than hunt themselves. They weren't known to eat humans, but many did on occasions and unlike Each Usage, if they did eat their victims they didn't leave anything behind.
"So, he was the one who interfered." It was more of a statement than a question, but the water fae before him nodded.
"You can tell him that while I have no qualms with him, I detest intrusions. Leave us. While you still can." The fae blinked in surprise, but when several Nightmares sprang up from the shadows the fae was quick to scramble away without looking back. Pitch watched the fae leave with satisfaction. Once he was certain the other was gone he turned his mind back to the problem at hand. The problem being Jack Frost. He shouldn't have approached the Guardian, but he couldn't undo what he'd done. He wasn't even sure what he'd hoped to accomplish or what had compelled him to approach the frost spirit in the first place. The Nightmares around him watched closely as he slowly paced around the globe, peering at the little lights as if planning his next move against the Guardians, but that wasn't it at all. He was still trying to lodge Jack Frost from his mind and felt increasing irritation that it wasn't happening. The more he tried to think of what he needed to do, the more his mind kept circling back around to Jack. He retreated to his library, sending out Nightmares to feed as they willed and create more Nightmares from the dreams of teenagers, he forbade them from taking from children. At least for now.
Pitch was so lost in thought over the matter that he almost... almost didn't notice when the temperature of the room began to drop faster than normal. He paused and turned as a certain, irritating frost spirit seemed to want to drop in. Pitch scowled slightly as Jack rolled to a stop, obviously having fallen into the room.
"What do you want Frost?" He asked as the boy shook his head and got to his feet.
"I... actually wasn't looking for this place... I ... didn't know that cave..." He stumbled. Pitch sighed, it had been an accident. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later and the fact that Jack was covered in more snow than usual told him it was the entrance he had in Antarctica that the boy had stumbled through.
"There are many entrances." Jack blinked a little in surprise, but Pitch didn't seem to notice. Though he was staring intently at the boy for a long moment, a slight smile tugged at his lips as some interesting ideas came to mind.
"Exactly what were you looking for? A little fun in the dark perhaps?" Jack stared at Pitch in utter surprise, seeming flabbergasted for a moment, but he did have the decency to flush quite brilliantly; though on him it would seem that his pale skin took on a blue hue. Pitch chuckled at this, was the boy THAT naive? Perhaps this would be a lot more fun than he had anticipated.
"A-are..." Jack swallowed the lump, trying to forget the double meaning to Pitch's words. He wasn't so naive as to not know what the Nightmare King might very well be alluding to.
"Are you kidding?!" He managed, though his voice cracked a little and that made him flush all the more.
"Oh Jack... you really are young..." Pitch slowly walked towards the boy, unsure of himself or what Pitch intended, Jack took a step back for every one that the Nightmare King took towards him until he found himself up against a wall. His eyes wide as Pitch stood in front of him, his eyes gleaming like twin golden lights. He hadn't even so much as touched Jack yet and the frost spirit found he was sweating bullets. What the hell was wrong with him?! This was PITCH! His enemy! So why... Pitch stopped very close, close enough to be able to smell him.
"Your fear is making this very tempting, Jack." He said softly, his voice purred. Jack swallowed.
"Tell me... have you ever been this close to someone?" Jack couldn't make his voice work, he wanted to shove off and fly away but he found that for some reason he couldn't move. He could barely shake his head. He'd been utterly alone for 300 years... he'd never ONCE entertained such an idea... not once... he was too wrapped up in his loneliness. Jack could feel a bit of heat that he assumed was coming from Pitch just then.
"Hmmm, I see not... that would just make you all the more delicious..." Jack felt a shiver go through him, he wasn't sure what he should do, but he sure as heck wasn't really thinking about engaging in anything with Pitch that wasn't a fight ... Jack didn't think Pitch could look anymore dangerous than he did right now and that was saying something.
"Nothing to say? Hmmm?"
"I'm not afraid of you." Jack managed, thinking that he'd planned all of this out just to get under Jack's skin.
"No... but I can sense what you are afraid of ... shall I tell you? Oh, but I imagine we both know, don't we Jack? About what you're hiding... what you're afraid the other Guardians will do if they ever found out..."
"W-what are you talking about?!" Jack managed in an almost steady voice. He wasn't sure he liked the way Pitch was looking at him... as if... as if he was going to eat him like some steak or something after not having eaten anything in a long while... Pitch's soft chuckle washed over him.
"Come on now Jack, you aren't that innocent." Pitch lightly drew a finger down Jack's cheek and continued to slide down his neck, sliding across the top of his blue hoodie. Jack jumped a little from the unexpected contact, but it was utter shock that kept him still. Shock at how warm Pitch's finger felt against his cool skin and how he was heating beneath something so... innocent wasn't quite the right word for it, he wasn't sure what would be. It wasn't the heat of Pitch's finger that had sent him into such shock though, it was the fact that he realized he was liking it, the way that it drew warmth... even though he shouldn't enjoy it as a frost spirit... but he couldn't help it. It was a lot like hot coco... but in a completely different sense as the warmth that spread to him wasn't settling in his gut, which was starting to clinch, but the warmth was spreading to his limbs. Jack found he couldn't say a single word, no matter how much he tried. In his 300 years he'd never encountered anything like this and certainly had never expected it from Pitch. He felt his cheeks flush warm, it wasn't just his skin warming, he could feel a gentle throb in his pants. That was too much, he threw himself off to the side and away from Pitch, panting heavily as if he'd just been fighting with all his might. Pitch, on the other hand, simply stood there, watching him. The older spirit seemed to not have at all been affected by his own actions or suggestions and hadn't moved, his hands gently clasped behind his back now.
Pitch simply seemed to be waiting while Jack fumbled like a human teenager... ah screw it, he was a teenager still... even in terms of spirits. Jack got to his feet and was out of there in no time. Even as a part of him was screaming to go back, to get what he wanted... He thought only that he really needed to clear his head and burst into the air above the clouds, the winds of the Antarctic carrying him high enough to not be seen by anyone who would be on the continent, or on the planet for that matter, as he zoomed off. Trying to get his head straight and wondering if Pitch was merely laughing at him. What had that been about?! He felt... he felt... he wasn't sure WHAT he felt exactly, but he was pretty sure he shouldn't be feeling this for the sworn enemy of the Guardians. Even with the coldest winds at his beck and call to turn his body back to as cold as it should be, the winds couldn't erase the sound of Pitch's voice and how the purr of it affected him when he had said Jack's name. He really needed a diversion... and not that kind... He took a plunge into the icy waters and came up again, he didn't feel the cold of the water, but it did momentarily take his mind off things as he swam to shore, if clumsily. It was only after he'd plunged himself into the water did he remember why he kept his pond frozen... he still shivered at the memory of his own death... of the fear of drowning. Even as an immortal it was a fear he harbored, he didn't really know how to swim, but he'd seen some kids do it one summer and had managed to pick up the basics. Enough to keep him from panicking too badly at any rate. His heart was pounding in his chest, but at least this time it was from fear and not from... whatever it was Pitch had stirred up in him. The water had frozen where he'd dove in and around him, though it had been slower beneath the surface to freeze and mostly he'd left a trail of ice that looked rather odd. He'd broken through the ice he'd made to get onto shore and then broke up the ice trail he'd left into chunks. He shook off the ice that had clung to him, that had been water hitting his skin upon diving in. Now he watched the various chunks of ice drift off at the beckoning of the waves. He turned to look up at the moon. It was like a luminescent pearl in the sky, for here in the south pole it was winter. It was day time, but with the northern hemisphere of the planet facing towards the sun for summer, the southern tip was so far away that it would be dark all around the clock until the seasons changed.
"What am I supposed to do?" He asked the moon, as if it would answer him, but there was no answer. He sighed, he hadn't really expected one, but he really could use the advice. Trouble was, he really couldn't just go ask any of the Guardians. Crap. He hadn't told them yet that Pitch was back! Well, the Nightmare King wasn't exactly stirring up trouble and he had seemed strong enough even after his defeat... It didn't really matter if he was up and about as long as he wasn't causing any trouble. Jack blinked when he saw the emergency signal from North, pretty as the lights were, Jack knew it couldn't be anything good. He sped back to the North Pole as fast as he could, blocking out what had happened down in Pitch's lair. He was a Guardian and that came first, no matter what his old enemy had said or done.
When Jack reached the workshop, flying in from an open window, he saw that the other Guardians were already there and were waiting for him. Bunny was warming his feet by the nearby hearth while Tooth and Sandy were enjoying eggnog.
"Jack! There you are!" North boomed as soon as he saw Jack.
"What's going on?"
"Trouble all over mate." Bunny replied before North could, Jack glanced from one of his fellow Guardians to the others; each one had serious expressions.
"We were talking, have you noticed difference while out?"
"What kind of difference?" Jack asked.
"Like the people disappearing kind... and in a good handful." Bunny replied. Jack shook his head, he hadn't noticed anything like that when he'd been spreading his snow and frost.
"Apparently it's a widespread thing, Jack. A lot of people have gone missing, including children." Tooth said.
"What could this mean?"
"Is possible other spirits rising to take place of Pitch."
"I hate to say it, but North's right. There are plenty of other spirits out there that were only held back because of Pitch. Now that we taken the bugger out they're comin' in." Bunny said, Jack was surprised.
"Because Pitch is gone? But..." The protest died on his lips as he realized he'd not said anything about seeing Pitch. He wasn't sure what was stopping him from telling them he'd just come from seeing the boogeyman not long ago.
"Who is responsible then?" Jack asked before the other Guardians could question what he'd stopped saying before.
"Hard to say, but few spirits act like this. We find soon enough." Jack nodded thoughtfully.
"What do you expect me to do?" He wasn't much for research, heck he couldn't stand sitting in one place for more than ten minutes if he could help it; well, there were a few exceptions to that, but they were far and few between.
"Keep eye out for strangeness." North said before turning to the other Guardians and giving them various tasks. Jack stuck the hand that wasn't holding his staff into his hoodie pocket and stuck around to listen for a little while. An elf came by carrying a tray of eggnog, Jack picked one up and took a sip; he wasn't really into the stuff but he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more refined now and tasted better than he thought it would. Better than he remembered actually. He was quick to finish it off before he accidentally froze the stuff in the cup, as was what happened to any liquid in a cup he held for too long. He set the empty cup back on the tray and the elf wondered off before he could consider grabbing another. He soon became bored listening to North and the others discuss what fae they thought was responsible for the disappearances. Bored now, he wandered the workshop before deciding to head out altogether. He had a lot to think about, like whether or not Jamie had noticed anything different, or about keeping a better eye on things when he spread his frost and snow, and... Pitch. Now there was a topic he wanted to avoid, even in his own head.
What had really happened down in the boogeyman's lair? Had it been an illusion? Surely the man had been toying with him, if only just to make him fear what would happen and get under his skin. That didn't mean that he could account for his own actions though, or in this case, lackthereof... A wave of disgust at himself washed over him just thinking about his own inactions towards... whatever that had been. He wanted to blame Nightmares, but they didn't do things like that when one was awake, he knew that. There were the Nightmare Men and Fearlings... but none of them had seemed to be around just then. In fact, he remembered seeing some hang out near the entrance he'd tumbled through, but otherwise the only other thing in the room besides himself and Pitch had been a handful of Nightmares. He could have easily taken them, and Pitch, on. In fact, for whatever reason, Pitch hadn't made any sort of move to attack him or even shown signs that he meant to, so... why? Jack couldn't wrap his head around what had happened anymore than he could erase from his memory what had been so blatantly offered to him and his own reactions. He shuddered, as much as in a rising wanton as in dread, he shoved down the thoughts as much as he could. He didn't know what Pitch was up to but he didn't put it past the Nightmare King to try and toy with him in that way just to keep him off balance. Hadn't he toyed with Jack when he'd been in Pitch's lair a year before, searching for the delicate golden tube that had held his teeth? His memories? Of course Tooth now had possession of them again, Baby Tooth, he knew, sometimes visited his teeth in particular if only because she had grown particularly fond of him after that year. Oh he'd messed up and she'd ended up captured along with her sister teeth, but she hadn't held it against him. He had, after all, more than made up for it when he'd relinquished his staff to Pitch in exchange for her life. His staff wasn't so much the source of his power as it was a vital part of him; feeling the staff broken in two as Pitch had done was akin to having someone rip out his heart... He'd felt as if some part of him had been missing when the staff had been broken, but he'd had just enough power to repair it and when it had become whole again his power had surged and he'd been able to beat Pitch back along with the other Guardians, Jamie and his friends. It wasn't something he liked to really remember, but he couldn't help but think of it every now and then because that year had brought him Jamie, his first believer. He could feel the flame of Jamie's belief burning bright inside him, it was a flame that had been joined so swiftly by others that sometimes he felt as if it were all a dream and he'd wake up, lonely, unseen and wandering the forests again. Jack couldn't be happier, and yet... He shook the thoughts away. He was a Guardian. He'd thought that he'd get used to all this after about a year, but the sheer wonder and joy he experienced from it all day after day had not died down as he had expected it to. Oh it wasn't always on his mind, but it was simmering in the back of it, just waiting for something to happen that would remind him of it or... waiting for something to happen to shatter the illusion that things were peaceful for once.
Jack wasn't sure why he was here, but he found himself back at the cave in Antarctica that he knew was the entrance to Pitch's home. He hesitated before deciding that his subconscious had drawn him here because he had questions and only Pitch had the answers. Taking a deep breath he decided it best not to tarry and ducked into the cave, this time he remembered not to walk inside and floated into the lair he remembered. He saw that Fearlings were darting about the place, they didn't make any sort of move towards him but they were watching. As if they expected him to suddenly do something, like attack them; there was a Nightmare standing next to the globe. He could see the reins around her and remembered that it was the Nightmare that Pitch had chosen to ride... at least he thought it might be the same Nightmare. She acknowledged his presence with a snort, but didn't actually move from where she was.
"Hey girl." He said softly, wondering if he really should be approaching the Nightmare as if she were a normal horse. The Nightmare tossed her head, letting out a soft nicker but when didn't seem to respond as he placed a hand on her nose. He wasn't too surprised at the quick sliver of fear that jolted through him from touching her, but it wasn't anything he couldn't shrug off. He'd never actually touched any of the Nightmares the year before... well, at least not directly.
"Where's Pitch, eh?" This elected a response, the Nightmare trotted past him then looked over at him and tossed her head in the direction she'd been going, as if expecting him to follow.
"I don't think I've been that way before... will you show me?" The response was a soft snort, which he took as an affirmation before she began to slowly make her way across the bridge down to an archway that led to one of the many tunnels in the lair.
Jack really had no idea where the Nightmare was taking him, the last time he'd been anywhere in Pitch's lair had been utterly confusing and topsy turvy as the shadows had tossed him about in no particular direction, not allowing him to ever get his bearings to know where he was in relation to the exit; Pitch had been toying with him then, that was also before he'd had his memories. The tunnel was dark and he could hear the soft whispers of the Fearlings all around him, it made him cringe to hear it.
Jack! Help me! Jack flinched as if he'd been struck, it was Jamie's voice.
Jack please!
Help us mate!
We need help!
JACK! Each voice followed the first... He knew it wasn't real, that it wasn't Tooth or North... or even Bunny calling out to him... or any of the kids as their voices rang around him. His heart pounded as he followed the Nightmare, he'd no doubt that if it hadn't been for her that he'd have been engulfed by the Fearlings and by his own fears. The Nightmare stopped before an ornate door, stamping her hoof. Jack looked at the door as the Fearlings quieted and slunk away; there was a soft glow of light from beneath the wooden door, he lightly put his hand to the wood, frost crept from his fingers and wound itself around the intricate swirling patterns that encased it. In its own way, it was a work of art and that struck Jack as odd. Why would something, that would be so beautifully crafted, be down here in Pitch's lair of all places? He just couldn't see the Nightmare King bothering with something like art, but obviously he had. Just as the homes of the Guardians were places that reflected them, Pitch's lair would reflect him... Jack began to wonder if maybe there was more than what the Guardians had said to him about Pitch, which was - now that he thought of it - next to nothing. He'd assumed Pitch was how he'd been when he'd been trying to take over the world with his Nightmares, but there was that one moment in Antarctica that crept into his mind. Pitch had been vulnerable then... or had least seemed it. For that one moment in time... Pitch had seemed so approachable, almost likeable... so... understanding. Jack knew that Pitch had a lot in common with him, and the things that he had in common with the Nightmare King were the very same things the Guardians could never fully understand or appreciate. He fingered the carved handle before opening the door.
If Jack could read minds, he'd quickly find out he had more in common with the Nightmare King than he originally thought. Pitch was sitting in a cushioned chair before a fireplace that crackled. Behind him was a desk with a wooden chair that was less comfortable, but this chair was what Pitch prefered when he did his reading. He wasn't truly reading the book before him, a book on fairy tales humans had come up with in regards to encounters with fae. Though he stared at the words, his mind was flashing back to the last time he'd seen Jack Frost. Jack had certainly been afraid of him then, with the things he had found coming out of his mouth; he'd never thought before to say such things to anyone since before the darkness had overtaken him and the fear he'd gotten from Jack had been very potent indeed and had nearly made him tipsy over it. For him, it was like drinking a fine wine that hadn't had any of its purities taken from it. Pitch had relished the sweetness of the fear of children, but the fear that had come from Jack was something like he'd never known before and it was very much intoxicating and the more he'd taken from the Guardian the more he wanted. He'd gotten very, very close before the Guardian had managed to find his wits to elude him before he'd actually put action to his words. He had to admit it had been pure amusement at first that had led him to tease the frost spirit, but after that... Well, it was something he hadn't done in so long he'd almost forgotten what it could be like. Oh he knew very well the physical pleasure of the body, he might have been old but he wasn't a saint nor had he ever been. Still, it had been far too long since he had thought about such things and Jack was so innocent... It was like a moth to a flame. He had wanted, if he were honest with himself, to pull the Guardian into his private chambers and teach him the pleasures the darkness could bring. He was startled from his thoughts as he heard the soft whisper of the door moving, it didn't creak like old wood but it did softly scrape against the floor and he realized he wasn't alone. The nervousness he felt of the intruder was familiar, however, and he knew immediately that it was the Guardian of his thoughts who had interrupted his musings. What did the Guardian of fun want now? He didn't move, didn't care to as Jack shut the door behind him.
"Pitch?" Pitch considered not answering, just to see if the Guardian would think maybe he'd been misled, considering the chair fully hid him from view and he knew it. He dismissed the idea, however, and the book in his hand thumped close. He rose slowly and set the book on the chair before turning to face Jack. His expression blank of anything short of a steely look as he regarded the Guardian. He wasn't about to reveal anything of his thoughts to Jack, as a formal general of an army he knew too well that emotions could very well be weakness; even if they weren't weakness in and of themselves. He set the book on the armrest of the chair as he faced the young Guardian.
"What do you want, Frost?" Jack nearly winced, wondering where all of his courage suddenly went. Why was he back to using his last name again?
"I just had some questions." Pitch didn't say anything, merely waiting to see what the Guardian would say.
"Who was that girl... in the locket."
"None of your business."
"She was important to you, wasn't she?" Pitch didn't dignify that with an answer, but he supposed that the answer was in his eyes nonetheless as Jack nodded a little.
"I... wish I could have met her... I mean, she looked sweet... was she your daughter?" Shock flickered over Pitch's face a moment and in that brief moment Jack knew he'd hit the nail on the head with that one.
"Look, you don't need to hide it."
"I don't see that you need to know about it." Pitch gritted out, rather unhappy that Jack seemed to have correctly guessed the first time. Jack seemed to sigh, it was clear he wasn't here to pick a fight; especially not the way he was leaning against his staff the way he was, like it was a crutch instead of the weapon that channeled the Guardian's power. Pitch was silent as he regarded the frost spirit before him.
"Why did you come here?"
"I wanted answers."
"That isn't what I meant. Why did you bother coming the first time?" Jack pondered that one a moment, why had he? He considered it a moment, it was one of the many questions he'd asked himself before coming in a second time. Sure the first time had been an accident, he hadn't meant to fall into Pitch's lair, but if he was honest with himself he'd also kind of been looking for it. Well, not actively, it just had been in the back of his mind; he'd been... worried? No... not that exactly.
"I... don't really know. I don't think that you deserved that fate... being alone.. or forgotten." Pitch snorted.
"Sentiment. A weakness that got the other Guardians in trouble before if you remember." Jack narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe so, but as I recall it also is what was your downfall." Jack straightened as he spoke, pointing his staff at Pitch. He'd no intention of just attacking. He wasn't like Pitch, he needed a reason, but the boogeyman hadn't given him one just yet.
"Your curiosity, Frost, is going to get you into trouble one of these days and the Guardians aren't going to be able to protect you."
"I get by well enough on my own."
"Do you now?" Pitch's lips twitched slightly, Jack shifted a little uncomfortably as he wasn't sure what the boogeyman was getting at and he didn't like the sudden look that he was getting from the other. It reminded him of last time...
"Did you really just come all this way to poke your nose in my past?" Jack took a step back, not because of the way Pitch was looking at him so much as because he felt a shiver run up his spine that was a LOT like what he'd felt before. Pitch didn't step forward, but he did raise an eyebrow.
"I..." Pitch smirked a little when Jack found himself at a loss for words.
"I wonder... is there another reason perhaps? Something you want and yet you didn't allow yourself to have the first time?" Jack felt his face heat up, he swallowed nervously, but that didn't ease the lump he felt in his throat. Pitch circled around him.
"W-what are you talking about?!"
"Oh come now Jack, I can sense other things besides fear... Or didn't your Guardians tell you that? You're like an open book." Jack's heart was pounding now, he felt like he was going to simply collapse. What was wrong with him?! Why was Pitch doing this?!
"W-why are you doing this?" He managed, fumbling a little.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Jack shook his head mutely, he wanted to know the answer, but at the same time he feared what that answer might be; what it would lead to... Pitch chuckled, vanishing into the shadows. Jack whipped around, trying to see where the boogeyman had disappeared to but wasn't too surprised when he heard Pitch's voice right next to his ear.
"Your fear is irresistible, Jack." The purr in Pitch's voice made Jack shudder and not, to his immediate dismay, in disgust. He should have been repulsed by what Pitch was suggesting, but a part of him was crying out to take what was being offered to him. Jack wavered even as he spun around, but the boogeyman had vanished again. Jack began to back out of the room. He wasn't so sure he wanted to play this game with Pitch. Especially not since he could see that there was little power lost, oh he'd figured Pitch wasn't as powerful as he'd been when he'd taken down the Guardians and certainly no where near what power he'd had when Jamie had defied him and turned his Nightmares back into dreamsand. Still, Jack was wary, it would be unwise to underestimate his foe. Jack yelped when he took a step back only to end up falling through the shadows; Pitch's laughter following him. To his utter shock he found himself dumped on something silky smooth which, to his embarrassment and utter horror, he realized was a bed.
The bed was black as night, but there was no headboard, it was simply a mattress draped in black and dark gray silks. Jack scrambled off the bed even as Pitch appeared from the shadows that were cast by the fireplace on the other side of the room a few feet away from the end of the bed. Jack's heart was hammering now, his face flushed; something in him was screaming to get out of there as fast as he could, but there was an equally loud part of him that was tugging him back towards the bed. Who cared if Pitch was the Nightmare King? Who would know? It didn't matter... all that mattered was getting what he wanted... what he desired... and wouldn't someone like Pitch know just how to give it to him? Jack felt his breath hitch as he pressed himself against the wall, glancing wildly for an exit but there didn't seem to be a door to this room. Jack began to feel a deep fear... there was no where to go... Pitch had him cornered... A part of him screamed that this was a bloody nightmare, that he never should have come... The other part, the one fighting for his attention, was purring like a feline; enjoying the fact that he was cornered... knowing he could easily be overpowered by the numerous Fearlings and Nightmare Men so that Pitch could do as he pleased... Jack watched as he approached. Squeezing his eyes closed tight for a moment at that last thought. He didn't realize it until now, but he'd been panting; he felt the stirring in his loins and he wanted to be anywhere but here... Pitch didn't seem in any hurry as he walked towards Jack. The Guardian clutched his staff in front of him, as if it could protect him while he protected it in turn. Pitch stopped dangerously close, a breath's length away from pressing his lips to Jack's, there seemed to be something in those golden ellipses that sent a shudder through Jack; a shudder of desire.
"You fear what might happen... Of what you think will." Pitch lightly stroked one finger down Jack's cheek as he spoke.
"Such a pretty little frost spirit you are... Oh no, Jack... I can assure you of one thing. If this happens it won't be against your will... I'm not that kind of monster." Even as Jack felt relief on that score flow through him, he also felt ... disappointed?! By the Man in the Moon what was going on?! Jack hoped his unexpected desire would fade, but it didn't seem to want to; didn't cool as Pitch lightly traced his lips with a single finger. In fact, just that seemed to make it all the more worse.
"As I said before... your fear is intoxicating... "
"Why?" Jack managed to squeak, blushing furiously at the fact that his voice had been anything but steady.
"That's the question now isn't it? Why indeed." Pitch leaned away from him, his hand dropping, but the dangerous smile on his face didn't seem to waver.
"You're more afraid of the answer of that question because you know the Guardians would never approve... never really listen if you ever told them. They don't really understand you, do they Jack?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"They haven't had to live through what you and I have. They fell apart in a single night without their precious believers... but you and I... we've had centuries of this." Jack couldn't disagree there, if anything Pitch did understand him better than the Guardians... but Pitch didn't care about him, didn't have his best interests at heart. Jack's eyes narrowed, Pitch had only wanted to use him, to use his power and that's what he figured now. He pushed aside the simmering desire he felt.
"Oh? Think I have some big plan I'm not telling you about? Believe it or not Jack, I'm not the one you should be worrying about."
"Then who?"
"Oh Jack... you really are naive. Don't tell me you don't know about all the other spirits that live around."
"Yeah... but what's that got to do with anything?"
"Nothing... and everything." Jack frowned, he didn't like that answer. Pitch chuckled.
"Perhaps you should take some of your own advice Jack."
"Which is what?"
"Cool down." Jack felt himself falling through another shadow and was surprised to find himself dumped in the snow on the surface. He was back in Antarctica. Jack felt frustration well inside, Pitch WAS toying with him! And heavens be cursed he'd let him! He'd been overwhelmed yet again... except this time he'd almost given in to that other voice in his mind.
"I must really be losing it..." He muttered and flew off towards the North Pole.
