A/N: I'm not sure I like this one (it's only chapter 2 but whatever.) I did a few drafts of this one and tried to stick to what actually happened with a few minor changes. Hope it's okay? Enjoy!

—

"Bunny, no! Wait!" Tooth cried, starting to fly after him, but North grabbed her arm. She turned frantically to him, fighting him, hitting him, trying to break free, but to no avail. The mighty Russian held firm, and when Tooth knew she couldn't escape his grip, she collapsed into him, sobbing, "please come back."

"I know, Tooth, I know," North said soothingly, "it's alright." He was well aware of the pain Tooth must be going through. Of course they were all deeply affected when Pitch killed Sandy, but Tooth loosing her palace and her fairies was a personal blow. And now with Jack and Bunny gone, it seemed like her world was falling apart. But this was North's world, too, a world they shared.

Tooth continued to cry, mumbling incoherent words in between sobs. After several minutes of this, and when North felt she had calmed down a little, he pulled her out of the hug

He met her eyes, teary and bloodshot. "Listen to me, Tooth," he whispered, making sure she held his gaze, "we must stay strong. Sandy would want that, no? We need to figure out way to set things right."

Tooth sniffled and wiped her eyes, and, eventually, she nodded.

"Good. Now," he said walking to retrieve his swords, which were stuck in the ground a few yards away, "we should probably—"

He stopped, hearing something crunch under his boot. Picking up his foot, he saw something small and red pressed into the ground. When North crouched down to retrieve the object, he found a tiny wooden figure with large blue eyes. It was the center of his Russian nesting doll set, the one he had given to Jack; it was his center.

"Jack," he whispered, realizing the teen must have dropped it when he flew off. He turned back to the fairy, who had sunk to her knees in the grass, "we need to find Jack. Try to get him to come back."

"But Bunny—,"

"Will be fine," North said reassuringly. He knew the Australian rabbit could handle himself and that he needed to be on his own for awhile, to sort things out. "He is big boy."

—

Bunnymund took off as fast as he could. He refused to have his friends catch up to him. He needed to be alone. He needed to take in what had happened. He needed to think about what he'd done.

He hopped out of the park and turned left down a busy street. The sidewalk was packed with people going about their day, but Bunny just charged through them. He figured if no one believed anymore, he had no reason to avoid the people shuffling by. Plus the feeling of the bodies phasing through him sent a shock of pain that was helping clear his head.

He was one for self-induced punishment.

He stopped abruptly at a corner, after going several blocks and taking several different turns, and listened carefully for his friends, making sure they had lost him. When he was satisfied they weren't anywhere near, he tapped his foot and opened a rabbit hole. As much as Bunny was worried about where Jack had gone, he needed to take his mind off of it. He needed to check on his warren.

—

Jack didn't know know where he was going; he was completely at the mercy of the wind. He had zoned out as he stared at the land that passed beneath him, completely lost in his mind. Pitch had tricked him and just when he thought he had become friends with the Guardians, especially Bunnymund, he lost them. Just when he and Bunny were starting to trust each other, Pitch framed Jack and Bunny had betrayed him. The young immortal had never imagined that this could happen. He had never felt more alone.

Once the land turned into open ocean, and the open ocean became scattered with icebergs, Jack snapped out of his daze and realized where he was. The South Pole.

He landed on an icy cliff overlooking the cold, dark ocean, waves crashing angrily below. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the tooth holder, but before he could do anything else, he heard a voice,

"I thought this might happen," Pitch said coolly, not too far behind Jack, "They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that. But I understand."

Jack whipped around, staff swinging wildly, a burst of frost shooting from it, "you don't understand anything!"

Pitch just blocked the attack, swinging his arm up to form a shield of Nightmare sand, "No? I don't know what it's like to be cast out?" A pause, as Jack closed the range between him and the Boogeyman and shot another volley of frost, only to again be deflected, "To not be believed in? To be beaten down?" He added lastly, yelling it louder to make sure Jack had heard.

He did hear, and Jack hesitated with his next attack, hand subconsciously moving to his face.

"That's right, Jack, I know what happened. Imagine how I feel, being many centuries older and spending many more centuries alone. And to think, all those years in the shadows I

thought, no one else knows what this feels like. But now I see I was wrong."

He looked into the eyes of this dark man before him, examining him, trying to read his thoughts.

Finally, Jack lowered his staff.