Things weren't really going well at all for Nathaniel Cross: 27-year-old Englishman who had studied Psychology at The University Of Reading. It had been his dream to move to America since he first completed his course. He so desperately wanted that job in Pennsylvania. He was meant to catch a Plane from Heathrow to Pittsburgh International the Sunday morning before travelling by taxi to the small town of Burgess. It was going to be a long journey, but very much worth it. But now he wasn't going at all. Completely out of the blue, he had received an E-mail from the Doctor in charge of employment who had originally confirmed his placement reading that she regretfully had to decline his acceptance of the job offer. The job opening he applied for no longer existed. Nathaniel was confused and down-trodden.

Of course, according to all of Burgess State Hospital's records, Nathaniel Cross was still due to arrive and start work on the Monday as planned.

It was the morning after the incident with Daisy, and Sophie's shift had only just finished. She completed her notes and gathered her things together quietly, sleepily, ready to catch the bus and return to her little apartment. Dr Towle trudged into the office looking equally as exhausted, although she had had a full 8 hours sleep. Still, it was only 8 Am on a Friday morning. She hobbled over to the mirror on her desk and began to neaten her messy auburn bun. Sophie smiled and she headed to the door, looking a bit like a pack-mule with all her bags. "Have a nice day, Dr. Towle, I'll be heading off now. I've left some notes on the notice-board for you to have a look at when you've got time..."

"Oh, Sophie, I did want to catch you before I left. Dr. Cross will be starting on Monday. It appears the two of you have the same shift pattern so don't forget to show him around and make him feel welcome." Sophie bobbed her head with as much eagerness as she could muster through the early morning shroud of sleep. "Don't worry, I will, Dr."

"And please don't bombard the poor man with questions when he first arrives? I know you're here to learn from us but your enthusiasm can be pretty over-whelming sometimes." Sophie blushed a little, an awkward smile tugging at her mouth, "Yeah, I know, sorry."

"Don't be. You just get yourself some sleep okay? I'll see you Monday."

It was Sunday night. Pitch black stood before a grand floor-length mirror deep within his lair. He examined the image that reflected back at him with a self-satisfied smirk. He had forgotten just how convincing his mortal form really was. His hair was still the same luxurious crow-feather black, but his iris's had lost their luminescent gleam, their feline likeness which made them glow through the darkness and pierce the hearts of frightened children. Instead, his pupils nestled comfortably on two chestnut beds. But, for Pitch, that wasn't the most striking change of his appearance. His deathly ashen skin had life breathed back into it; his skin taking on a healthy tan which made him look very much alive instead of very much, well, ghostly. He still remained his daunting height.

Pitch, being the vain creature he was, couldn't help but think that the man looking back at him from the mirror pane looked very dashing, and he was surprised at how well his outfit suited. He wore a dark grey waist-coat, with matching trousers, over a pristine white shirt. The open white coat that hung off his wide shoulders gave him an academic, important look that he was greatly impressed with. His tie was made of blood.

Danger with a silent promise of psychological dislocation wore black shoes with bloody soles.

He let the image fall. The Nightmare King stared back from the mirror once again. He felt tiered. He was reminded of his urgent need to regenerate his powers. But tomorrow was the day, the day things would start going his way again, the day he would take back the reins of his life and chose his own destiny by warping those of others. His mind's eye rested on the image of the small, blonde haired young woman with the leaf-green eyes, so full of hope and life and happiness. "Sophie…" he hissed, working the word strangely out of his mouth, as if getting his lips accustomed to forming the two syllables. A spider-like feeling twitched its many legs inside his belly. He just couldn't help himself feeling a playfully nasty excitement at what he would be doing in the following weeks to come. After his years of suffering and torment, this would come as a pleasant change.

He was so excited.

So brilliantly brutally excited.

If only she had chosen a different profession, if only she had chosen a different place of work, hell, if she had only chosen a different shift pattern she could have escaped her fate. For once in a very long time, coincidence had played right into Pitch's hands.

He let out a nasty little snicker at Sophie's great misfortune.

He couldn't wait.

He simply couldn't wait for his wicked intentions to unfold.

Here's the fourth instalment, folks! It's a bit short, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I've updated a little earlier than I had planned, but life has a funny way of crushing away all the free-time I have (had) on the weekends so it was either today or Monday. So yeah, I have a lot on my plate this weekend, first on the list being grocery shopping as I have finally ran out of food in my flat. Well, I have a few cans of soup left and a single random frozen burger in my freezer. That'll do I suppose.

Sophie is finally going to meet Pitch in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Oh, and in case you're wondering why I've put Jack up as one of the main characters in this fic, don't worry, that white haired rascal will be making an appearance soon enough ;D And if you're also wondering about why I've chosen Pitch's mortal appearance to have a slightly dark complexion, it's because in the original book, before Pitch became Pitch Black he was a Roman general called Kozmotis Pitchiner. So, I thought I'd hint at his Italian roots.

Thanks for the new follows guys, you make me a very happy person.

AlyKat16 thank you so much for the review, I'm glad you liked it, I do try my best to write as well as I can!

SamanthaSamma, cheers for your continued support, I hope I can write up to your expectations :)

Thanks again for reading peeps, remember, reviews make me happy and if you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them!