Chapter 3

It took Bunnymund even less time to get back to the North Pole. He bounded up the snowy planes no longer caring that his feet were numb with cold. He only had one thing in mind. Get to North. They had to find Jack. Now.

Bunnymund burst in through the great doors to Santa's workshop. The great man immediately spun around - noticeably tense but this tenseness did not ease with Bunny's arrival - it grew.

"Did you find anything?" North asked instantly.

Bunny came to a stop his fear and worry written all over his face "you could say that, mate" he replied solemnly as he untied Jack's broken staff and handed it to North.

North was dumbfounded at first - simply staring down at the fragile looking wood. A twig in his enormous hands - he held it as though if he shifted the placement of the staff it would break further. His eyes glanced back up at Bunnymund and they shared a look - their eyes both read the same thing: "We have to find Jack."

/

Jack yelled as he began to fall again - through the darkness. Landing on the same very uncomfortable bed. His sister beside him again tugging at his sleeve. He didn't know what was happening. But he couldn't let it keep happening he knew that much. Everything he did however - proved fruitless. Jack continued reenacting his death. Over, and over, and over, again. He fall back onto the bed just as he always did but this time he did not move he did not open his eyes. He felt Pippa tugging on his sleeve but all he mumbled was "No - we're not going skating - we are never going skating ever again."

"But we've never gone skating together this is the first time!" Jack heard Pippa reply.

This is when Jack's head snapped up "I said that out loud?" he asked staring down at his sister dumbstruck.

Pippa raised an eyebrow "Yes brother dear you did - now if you don't mind You are suppose to be taking me skating right about now so..." she went to grab Jack's arm and pull him out of bed as she had done countless times already. But this time Jack pulled his arm away before she could grab it. It was obvious that they were both equally shocked at Jack's sudden resistance and regain of his body control.

Pippa frowned "Jack..." she whined "why are you being such a bad brother?" she added her large brown eyes suddenly sparkling with fresh tears.

Jack's chest constricted at seeing his sister cry but he shook his head "no" he said firmly "you're not real...none of this is!" he yelled at her without realizing Pippa's tears were now running full stream down her face.

"Ah Pippa i'm sor-" Jack began to get out before he literally bit his tongue.

"No. You're not real. You. Are. Not. Real" he said aloud as he brought his knees up to his chin and dropped his head closing his eyes shut repeating the same sentence over and over again until a maniac laugh broke the pattern.

"Aw did I actually break poor little Jack?" an all to familiar cold voice rung throughout the room like a frozen bell in the dead of winter.

Jack's eyes snapped up darting around the room trying to find the source of the voice but he couldn't see anyone. But he heard the laughter again and stared down at his sister. Whose demeanour had changed completely along with her eyes. No longer their deep sparkly brown - they were now gold but the coldness that could only be seen from them sent a chill down Jack's spine (which was difficult to do).

"Pitch" Jack spat as the little girl smiled darkly up at him.

"You caught me," Pitch chuckled, "so a cookie for you - but we're no where close to being finished yet" he added maliciously.

Jack narrowed his eyes "what do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

This only made the grin on Pippa's face grow "We're going to have some fun," Pitch chuckled making Jack's skin crawl.

"A memory game of sorts - I have 300 years worth of solitude and pain to use against you Jack," his silky voice dripping with vindictive pleasure, "lets see how much you remember..." he added with a laugh that brought darkness surrounding everything.

Once again Jack found himself floating in darkness but this time it felt different...it felt painful rather than numb.

"Come on Jack you have to wake up," the Winter Sprite declared angrily to himself, "you aren't going to let this creep get a hold on you"

"Oh Jack..." Pitch's laughter rang throughout his head, "it won't be that easy."

/

"What's going on?" Tooth asked anxiously as she fluttered into the globe room at the North Pole.

"It's Jack" North started but Sandman began making various pictures above his head - the most prominent one being a question mark.

"He has been missing for 4 days now," Bunnymund continued, "I went to his lake and found this..." he added showing the remaining two Guardians Jack's broken staff.

Tooth gasped "Wha- but...what happened?" she asked her hands over her mouth unable to tear her eyes away from the all to familiar staff.

"We are not knowing," North answered, "but we must find him - whoever did this must have taken him and now he is powerless as far as we know."

Tooth and Sandy nodded instantly. "I will send some fairies out to search for him - the rest can keep an eye out in case they happen to see them on their runs," the brightly coloured Fairy declared as she flew off back to the Tooth Palace.

Sandy began making various pictures that North and Bunnymund gathered he meant he would would watch over dreams and see if he could find Jack that way.

North nodded "is good - I will continue to look on globe and Bunny will go where I tell him" he added with a booming laugh walking over to the front of the globe.

Bunny shook his head and muttered something about never getting any respect.

"We find Jack in no time!" North beamed trying to keep everyone positive even though he didn't feel any of the sort.

/

Tired, depressed, angry, hurt both physical and mental, Jack was almost at his breaking point. Pitch was changing his memories to the point he can no longer remember what happened in some of them. But they all had one thing in common: they were all painful beyond belief. However how much Pitch threw at him however he still braced it with all his might - each time. Jack wasn't about to let himself be worn out. Not like this.

Again he was thrown into another memory - although at this point he couldn't tell if it was real or one of Pitch's fabrications.

"We don't want you"

"You make a mess everywhere you go"

"No one believes in you for a reason - you're powers only cause harm"

Jack clutched at his head trying to block out the voices "not real. Not. Real," he muttered to himself starting to even doubt himself, "this is what he wants I can't give in..."

Pitch's laughter bounced off of every shadow.

"Well at least one of us is enjoying themselves" Jack grumbled as he brought his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms over his legs trying desperately to block out - well everything. He just wanted out. But he had no idea where the exit was.

"Useless"

"Stupid"

"The Guardians never wanted you - they only used you and now they've left you. You always knew they would"

"No," Jack said suddenly, "I know that one isn't true" he told the disembodied voice surprising himself.

"Oh?" the voice chuckled darkly, "is that so? Where is your proof?"

Jack bit his lip wishing he hadn't said anything - his best tactic had been to ignore everything that happened but anger suddenly stirred inside him.

"An entire year has passed and they never left me - they never not wanted me around" Jack answered calmly again wishing he had remained quiet as the voice's laughter boomed surrounding every inch of the darkness.

"Jack, Jack, Jack...I forget how innocent you can really be. How foolish. It's quite sad really - how you allow yourself to believe that the Guardians wanted you around. Are you really that lonely that you had to fool yourself into believing such a lie?"

Jack shook his head pressing his hands against his ears so hard he thought he was going to squish his head.

"No you're lying" Jack replied as calmly as he could but his voice broke and he cursed himself for it.

"How can you tell?" the voice cooed, "am I telling the truth...or are they?" it whispered maliciously in his ear.

"Stop it," Jack said before his eyes snapped open (not that it mattered since he was in complete darkness), "STOP IT!" he screamed and something erupted inside of him. Causing power to surge through his entire body - the black was blown away by complete blinding whiteness. Jack had reached his breaking point - but it wasn't at all what Pitch Black wanted.

Jack's eyes snapped open and he shot up his head banging against something as he fell back down then realized as he looked around at his surroundings that he was in a cage hung from the ceiling. He also became aware of a strange glowing light.

"What is-" he began asking himself before he looked down and realized the source was actually...himself, "what the?" Jack gaped down at his pale white glowing hands. This was new.

Jack reached out to grab onto the bars of his cage to try and peer down and figure out how he might escape but instead of his hand meeting solid metal it slipped right through. Of coarse he didn't realize this until he was falling out of the cage.

Jack yelped as he fell through the air and smacked hard into the ground.

"NO!" he heard someone yell from behind him making Jack spin around as he laid his eyes onto a very sickly looking Pitch Black, "This wasn't suppose to happen!"

Jack sprung up and landed on his feet gracefully "well you know me - I always have a few tricks up my sleeve"

"Although I didn't know I had it myself" he thought to himself.

Pitch looked furious - being beaten again by a lowly brat such as Jack Frost - he wouldn't tolerate it.

"Do NOT let him escape!" He bellowed pointing a sinister finger directly at Jack. This was when the growling began - engulfing the darkness. He was completely surrounded by shadow mastiffs. A small white light in a sea of darkness.

Not wasting anytime he flew up completely forgetting he was missing a very key ingredient in his usual attire - his staff. It didn't seem to matter as his skin continued to glow. He just hoped it didn't let up.

The dogs were in every direction - never allowing a gap to form between them in case Jack just happened to slip through. Jack was running every which way but he couldn't find the exit and having to dodge the dogs wasn't helping. Growing frustrated with every passing minute he stopped abruptly making all the dogs confused for just long enough for him to jump over their confining circle.

"If I can fly without my staff. Maybe I can shoot ice without it too?" he thought hopefully to himself and turned around facing the hounds and attempted to shoot ice out of his hands. A streak of ice shot out and froze the first few dogs in front of him. A giant grin instantly planted itself on Jack's face as he continued down the corridor backwards shooting ice at the dogs that dared follow. However he soon became aware that his glow was beginning to fade and his ice blasts weren't nearly as strong as the first ones "uh oh..." Jack said aloud and spun around just in time to see himself fly directly into a stalagmite hanging from the ceiling. Dazed he fell to the ground and hit it with as much force as he had hit the rocky icicle. The dogs were on him in an instant and before Jack could even react to the situation he had just landed in they were clawing and biting at him - causing deep red blood to gush onto the floor. The winter spirit screamed in pain causing a gust of wind and ice to blast the dogs off him long enough for himself to get airborne. Although now he could fly - his vision was growing cloudy and his entire right side was gushing blood leaving a trail behind him that the dogs easily followed. Jack continued to fly forward - the only thing he could do at this point - trying to ignore the fact he was slowly descending. He could feel the dog's hot, sickly breath on his ankles now as he created one last gust of wind knowing it was his last. Jack crashed into something - it felt like a wall.

His heart felt like it jumped into his mouth as he went crashing right through it and landing into cold soft snow. The sun was dazzling bright - he glanced back at where he had just crashed into the wall and could see the hole he had just come out of. Now filled with many eyes staring back at him viciously. For many moments Jack only stared back at the eyes - both parties unmoving. Until eventually - one by one - each of the dogs left the hole and it remained black and empty once more.

Jack became vaguely aware of his ragged breath and the pain he was now feeling throughout his chest. Looking down the snow around him was now stained a deep red. He stood up with the last of his strength and tried to fly away - but he was no longer glowing. Gripping his side with his good arm he began to walk as far away as he possibly could from the side of the mountain before collapsing several kilometres away.

/

The Sandman was concentrating very hard as he shot out dream sand all over the world from the top of North's humongous workshop. That's when he saw it. It was Jack. And he was dreaming. Sandy's golden eyes shot open and he flew back to the globe room where North and Bunnymund were searching fruitlessly. He came bursting in a slight trail of golden sand following him as he flew along and stopped so abruptly that both North and Bunny turned around.

"Sandy! You have any news?" North boomed.

The small golden man nodded quickly and displayed an image of Jack above his head.

"Have you found him?" Bunnymund asked immediately to which Sandy nodded and flew to the globe - thinking it quicker to show them there since it took them so long to decipher his sand images. He pointed into the heart of Alaska and Bunnymund groaned "of coarse - more cold."

"This is great news!" North beamed, "we take sleigh so can carry Jack back if we need!" The great man added as he walked quickly to where his 'rickety' old sleigh was kept with Sandman and Bunnymund close at his heals.