-A Cave- Boston's p.o.v***
It hadn't changed in over a thousand years. Every cracked crevice, every twisted staircase, every arching, endless bridge giving way to open, crater-like cave openings, it was all just the same as the last time I'd been here. Dark, requiring a small, solitary spark ahead of me to light the way for the others. I didn't need it, though, barely casting the little ball of light a glance as I traversed ahead of the others, knowing exactly where to go and how to navigate here.
After Pitch fell from Manny's good graces, he relocated us here, where he could be free from Manny's judging shine. I'd spent the last two or three hundred years here, before I decided to stomp out Pitch before he caused any further harm to children. This was, in all honesty, my second home, though I'd abandon it long ago. I still knew it like the back of my hand, mind thinking ahead to which turns to take and what spots in bridges to avoid.
We'd been walking for five minuets, sensing how tense the others were behind me as nightmares and fearlings slowly spread up the walls, keeping a distance and pressing to the walls like ink spilt upside-down. The whinney of nightmares below us as we crossed a bridge roared to life, a sudden upward burst of shadows swarming up to the bridge, cascading over as the sand quickly morphed into black mares the second they splashed onto the black granite bridge.
I paused, the others behind me gasping and tensing up, looking into the coal-red eyes of the nightmares before us. There was a silent moment, a silent moment where we just regarded eachother like long-lost friends not sure if they should greet eachother with trust or not. Yes, I'd known these nightmares since most of their conceptions. In fact, I'd played with them and lived with them for the thousands of years I'd been with Pitch.
It was morbid, thinking of how I would run and pet and treat these animals like my own, as if they were pets or friends. They were the darkest thoughts a human mind could create, the very things that terrified people to their absolute cores...and yet I'd viewed them as harmless playmates. Everyday, whenever Pitch was gone, I'd spend my time with them. After awhile, we formed a kind of...connection. An almost telepathic way of them to look into my eyes and tell my feelings, read them like a book. It was, afterall, what they were created to do.
Back then, it was just a minor nusaince. They could read my emotions, good and bad, with just a look.
Now, looking at eachother thousands of years later, with so much having happened, with alliances having changed numerous times...nothing had changed. Their eyes searched mine, the four that stood in front of us having one ahead of them, our faces two feet apart, eyes locked on without a hint of anything, and yet this nightmares saw every emotion swirrling through my body.
He saw my excitement, to see Pitch despite all that had happened. He saw my weakness, worry, and anger at my current situation. He saw my fondness for him, after all these years. But, above all, he saw my fear. Yes, my fear, that I felt might be apparent even to the nightmares in the other parts of this underground maze. It twisted inside of me ever since we'd set off this morning, a tightness in my chest that I couldn't ignore.
My fear of what I was going to see when we walked past the door ahead of us, where the bridge ended and met a pair of ornate, black-and-silver, double doors. My fear of really seeing what I'de done to him. I'd only ever seen Pitch strong and confident...I did not want to see him weak. Didn't know how I would react to what I saw when we passed those doors...
And every two steps I'd wanted to turn back. Not just because I knew he was too weak to defend himself if anything happened, but because I had a horrible feeling that, like most of my decisions, this was going to get me in deep shit.
A mutual respect was passed through the Nightmares, all recognizing me and immediatly relaxing, deciding to not change into my fear like they'd been trained to do with others. The head one trotted lazily up and nuzzled it's head under my hand, a small smile creeping onto my face as I drug my fingers through its locks, feeling exactly like I was sifting through sand.
"Hey there, buddy. Been awhile."I greeted, the horse beneath my hand whinneying in agreement.
"You can talk to them?"Jack asked incredolously, quickly followed by Bunny's sarcastic clip,
"What a surprise."
I turned around and winked at him, his face still grumpy albeit a bit more playful than before. At least he wasn't as moody as I expected him to be with this, still not able to shake the feeling of his kiss from my lips, as hard as I'd tried to. I faced back to the nightmare, lightly brushing a hand along it's smooth, silky face as I said quietly,
"I have to see Pitch. He's going on a little vacation for awhile, but I promise he'll come home safe and sound, alright tough-guy?" It nodded it's head once, twice, three times before turning and rearing up ten feet tall, flailing out its front hooves at the others that quickly dispersed in whisps of black sand. The nightmare walked up to the door and turned to face me as I walked up to it, hearing the other's tentative footsteps behind me.
It gave me a look, one of trust that you would never normally see a nightmare give. It was a look especially mine, a look not even Pitch would recieved. And I returned it, nodding as it quickly nuzzled my face before dissapearing, leaving a fleck or two of black sand in its wake. I brushed them off, stepping up to the door and pausing, a flood of worry pounding in my head and weighting down my gut.
What would I see in here? Would he be recognizable? Would he even be here? Or worse, would he be here and look...look... I shook my head, closing my eyes as I took in a deep breath. If I waited any longer, the others would think-
"C'mon sheila."A whisper came right next to me, brushing the tendrils of hair over the top of my ear as a shiver ran down my spine by reflex, a soft paw on my shoulder that I never expected in this situation. I turned my head a bit, seeing Bunny backing up a step and looking at the door with an unreadable expression. I stared a bit, not knowing what was going through his mind at this time. He didn't like Pitch, which was understandable, and the last thing he wanted after my angst-fest yesterday was said man sleeping in the same building as me...
But the alternative was letting me die. Part of me understood what he was going through, and the other part just wanted to get this over with. I motioned beind me, a very disgruntled, very here-against-his-will, very terrified Phil the yeti walking up behind me with a brown sack. I eyed it, then him, glaring at the means of travel he was expecting Pitch to use.
He gave me a shrug and pointed to Bunny, who gave Phil a shocked and guilty look, mouth open as he looked at me. The glare I gave him shut up whatever excuse he was about to use, rolling my eyes and whispering,
"Be gentle, and don't just dump him on the floor. Wait until we get to his room." Phil nodded as I turned, placing my palms flush against the door and taking in a deep breath. I didn't want to see this...really didn't want to see this...
I shoved, pushing open the doors with complete silence, not so much as a creak as I quickly moved into the darkened room, lit only by a single, black-waxed candle on a bedside table. I knew this room well, a room I'd slept in for two hundred years. I didn't need to look to know that the bed had all-black sheets, four towering posts of what was black sand until I'd heated it enough to create black glass. Didn't need to know the bed's head was against the far wall, an ornate table beside it.
I leaned against the wall, crossing my ankles and arms as a stir came from the bed.
"Wha...what on Earth...who is there?!"Pitch demanded, as I finally dared to raise my eyes to his level, the others crowded at the door as Phil entered the room tiredly, brown bag in one hand and shoulders slumped, looking like he'd rather re-paint all of the toy cars than do this.
To my relief, his voice only sounded a bit strained, not the horrible, cracked, whispy voice I'd imagined him having, imagining he could have spoken at all. The light flickered off his face as he sat up, slowly and his arms shaking in a way that made my stomach knot. Everything seemed tiring, looking much like how I felt at the moment; like everything was being drained out of me.
His face was a tad lighter than I remember, eyes just a bit less vibrant, a lock of hair falling in his face, mouth curled into a snarl at the intrustion. His robe hung from his body, looking thinner than he had when I'd last seen him, like the power was being literally sucked from him and leaving him thin and drained. His chest panted, as if sitting up were a feat in and of itself.
And I felt like I was going to be sick with guilt and worry. Because I'd caused this. Because I was here, asking for his help after I desereved absolutely none of it. I looked away after recognition flashed across his eyes, instead playing it cool and looking at my nails with the calmest face I could muster.
"Bloody hell do you all think you're doing here?! Get that thing away from me this instant!"He thundered, almost relieved to hear the old, angry Pitch in his voice, if not a bit diluted.
"Don't try to fight it, they didn't really give me a choice when they did this either."I mused calmly, immediatly feeling a pair of eyes on me.
"...Boston, what is the meaning of this-What?!"Pitch shouted as Phil threw the sack over his head and through his body, picking up the limp-looking package and turning to me. I glared at him as a warning, then walked up to the bag Pitch was screaming obsceneties from.
"Calm down, I'll explain it in a second. We have to get out of here, first."I assured him, his voice too muffled for me to understand. There was a flash of blue and white, North throwing the snowglobe in the center of the room and stepping through with one leg, ushering Tooth and Sandy through with one hand. Jack seemed to leave faster than anyone, tense and fidgety in the place he'd been tricked into visiting five years ago.
Bunny paused, looking back at me as I stood by Phil. Something crossed his eyes as he looked at me, then to where Pitch was still shouting angrily. It passed too quickly for me to see, him turning and jumping through the portal as I entered ahead of Phil, stopping right as I got to a certain room in Santoff Claussen.
The others were already gathered around the door to the darkened room, me moving to lean against the dark-wood bedstand, a bookshelf off to my left and the bed pressed to the wall on my right, a window with the curtains shut above it. The whole room was too dark for Phil to see, him stumbling out of the portal and a moment of panic seizing me as I saw him almost drop Pitch.
Instantly I shot out ten sparks, giving the room a nice glow that Phile immediatly sighed in.
"Bed. Now."I snapped angrily, Phil jumping and quickly placing the bag down, me noticing how Pitch only verbally fought back, his body seemingly...limp. I shuddered the thought away as Phil quickly pulled the bag down and away, revealing a clearly-frazzled, pissed-off, disheveled, glowering King of Nightmares.
"You will tell me why you decided it was a delightful idea to steal me away this instant, or so help me I will skewer you with-"
"Pitch, language. There all kiddies here."I scolded him, looking down as he noticed me for the first time in the room. His face changed, eyes softening and eyebrows furrowing, propped up on his elbows with what little strength it appeared he had. He certainly did not look like the King of Nightmares, but he damn well sounded like it.
"Boston...why on Earth am I here?"He demanded, tired-sounding and utterly confused. I paused, walking and sitting on the side of his bed, leaning forward enough to rest my elbow on my thigh as I tried to find the words to say this. If I said it wrong, we'd have a more-homicidal-than-usual Pitch Black to deal with. Then again, even if he did want to extract revenge on anyone, he didn't appear to have the strength to stand, as much as that pained me to admit.
So, casting caution aside as I felt a new wave of weakness wash over me, I explained in the most non-chalant manner I could muster,
"I'm dying...again."
What happened next could be compared to that one teacher you always had that would completely explode on the class to the point where you feared you might have to call 9-1-1 before their entire head erupted from the sheer fury inside of them.
His eyes went wide and, with a sudden burst of strength, he sat all the way up. Shadows erupted up the walls and made Tooth and Sandy jump, Pitch's face growing a slight red hue as a vein in his neck popped out, screaming at the Guardians with all the fury he could muster,
"WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU LET HAPPEN?! WHY ARE YOU DYING, YOU FOOLISH LITTLE GIRL?! I STAB HER AND SHE LIVES, BUT I LEAVE HER ALONE WITH YOU LOT AND SHE BEGINS TO DIE?! WHAT KIND OF SENSE DO YOU ALL HAVE?! DO YOU NOT KNOW THE KIND OF TROUBLE THIS CHILD GETS HERSELF INTO ON A DAILY BASIS?! HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELVES 'GUARDIANS' IF YOU ALLOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN?! EXPLAIN, OR I SWEAR ON ALL I BELIEVE IN THAT YOU WILL REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE RE-ANIMATED!"
"Pitch-"I tried, but his fury blew right over me, the Guardians stunned into silence near me, not used to seeing Pitch so...very adamant about something. The shadows grew more restless, physical manifestations of Pitch's shocked fury.
"Is this your fault?!"He shouted, "Here I thought you were SUPPOSED to PROTECT, and yet you allow this BORDERLINE-IMMORTAL to be put into some life-and-death situation?! What have you been DOING?! Don't give me that shit that it wasn't your fault, either!"
"Pitch, it really wasn't-"
"And what on EARTH do you believe I can do about this?! I'm half-dead as it is, but still I'M THE ONLY ONE HERE YOU CAN CALL UPON?! BY MANNY I HAVE THE RIGHT TO RIP-"
"Pitch! Down boy!"I snapped, his screams literally shaking the walls of the room, the shadows twisting like fire as Tooth and Jack dropped to the ground in fear, North's eyes wide and shocked with a guilty, frightened look on his face. Sandy was hiding behind Bunny, who was visibly glowering.
Pitch stopped, panting hard as I buried my face in my hands, shaking my head in exasperation.
"Well...that went well."I muttered sarcastically, the shadows around the room inching down but still there, still threatening as I looked up, Pitch's face flushed beneath grey skin. That outburst seemed to be the equivalent of running a marathon for him, his back hunched and panting heavily. I fought down the newest pang of guilt and pain, facing him seriously.
"I'll explain it all, I just need you to lie down before you hurt yourself, okay?"I insisted, voice quiet compared to the fury that his held. I didn't know if it were because I asked, or because he was about to collapse, but he shakily re-positioned himself, me restraining myself from reaching forward and assisting him, feeling Bunny's eyes on me from the back of my head.
Once he settled, propped up on the head board and sitting straight, head resting tiredly back on the headboard. His eyes ran suspiciously over us as I turned, sitting cross-legged on the bed and musing,
"You remember Birchley?" His eyes snapped to me, a hidden fury behind them as he said in a low, angry tone,
"How could I ever forget? What does that sorry piece of firewood have to do with..this."
"Well...that's kind of a long story..."
-Twenty Minuets Later-
Pitch took in a deep breath, leaning his head tiredly back as I finished explaining what happened with Birchley, watching carefully as he tensed and frowned at certain parts. A shadow cast over his eyes, though his fury seemed to have subsided, darkening his face into what would be his normal skin tone.
"I see...and what solution do you have that could possibly involve an invalid?"He asked smoothly, not knowing the horrible guilt I had to fight down in order to keep talking.
"We want to find him and get my memories, then turn him into a number 2 pencil for all I care."I explained, and Pitch raised an eyebrow in tired confusion.
"And I can do what exactly?"He mused, and I frowned.
"Can you let me finish? What I was going to say is that we need that...key thingy that you took from Birchley, and the location of his home. Prefereablly soon."I said, and Pitch got a mildly surprised look on his face.
"Key thingy?"He asked, and his voice had a ring of amusement to it that almost lit up his darkened, hollow features. I smirked and, for a moment, almost felt like...like things were back. Back to how they were before everything, for just one small moment. It had been hundreds of years since we spoke like this, and while I wasn't sure that things could ever be the same again...it felt nice, at least, to be able to joke when things were far from funny.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, just hand it over, jackass. I don't have all week...literally."I deadpanned, and he rolled his eyes.
"Always so dramatic."He muttered, and I gaped, shouting defensively,
"I'm dying!"
"See? That's what I'm talking about. You wont get the key unless you ask calmly and nicely."He scolded calmly, and I deflated, frowning heavily at him. He sure seemed to cool down fast.
"Um, not to interrupt,"Tooth offered shyly, making me and Pitch look at the shy-looking fairy curiously, "But um...we really need that key, if we want to get Boston's memories back by the time Christmas is over."
"Christmas? Why on Earth are you waiting that long?"Pitch asked me, a bit of agression back in his voice. I rested my chin on my fist, part of me almost relieved that he was this concerned about me, that he wasn't angry at me for doing...this...to him.
"I can hold out that long. Besides, the Fall Spirits aren't home this time of year, anyway. Key please?"I asked in tired, broken sentences. He looked down at me with narrowed eyes, lips in a thin, dissaproving line as I felt his eyes travel across my face. I was damn well aware of the fact that I looked like I just worked the graveyard shift, and having the others glancing at me was bad enough, but for Pitch to be seeing this for the first time was twice as uncomftorble.
"Pitch, I'm literally dying to get that key."I scolded, and he gave an immediate shrug, the oddly angry look on his face dissipating as he flipped a palm upwards on the pillow he sat on, me taking into a concerning account that he didn't seem to have the energy to lift said hand. Shadows immediatly swarmed around it, spinning like a controlled tornado, until finally they died down.
A few black flecks fell on the pillow, but all I was focused on was the key in his hand. I reached down, taking the heavy, hand-sized key and looking it over. It was an exact replica of the one in the book, but I hadn't expected it to be this large, almost larger than my entire hand.
"What the hell does this fit into? Oprah's fridge?"I asked incredously, North suddenly in front of me and belly-laughing, taking the key in his hand as if it were a feather and inspecting it, twisting it in front of his eyes like a new toy.
"Opens large oak tree!"He exclaimed, and I frowned, wondering how they possibly got along without me.
"Oh yeah. That narrows it down."I deadpanned, Bunny rolling his eyes and Jack trying to get a better look at the key from over North's shoulder.
"I assume that's why I'm here?" I turned, looking up at Pitch as he gazed boredly at us, still resting his entire body against the headboard and looking like a shell of the powerful being he used to be. And, looking at how pale, thin, and weak he looked, thinking about how even a thrown stone could possibly shatter one of his fragile bones...
"No."I said, surprised at the bruntness of my voice, Pitch raising his eyebrows as the others grew quiet. I cleared my throat, trying to regain myself as I explained, "You're here because we needed the key and you're the only one who nows where Birchley's house is...but also because if we got you involved then that sack of twigs might try to take out some sort of personal revenge. You'll be here until he becomes a new brand of toothpicks."
An amused look danced across his face, lightening his eyes a bit as he mused,
"I believe I'm well able to care for myself-"
"So where's Birch's house?"I cut him off, seriously not in the mood to banter with him right now. He paused, about to say something, when he finally conceeded and mused,
"It's in the forest where he last attacked you a few thousand years ago. If you go far enough in, there will be one with no leaves no matter what weather it happens to be, even though it's an Evergreen. That's his home." I relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief that, at the very least, we had a way to get to him after Christmas...which reminded me.
I stood up abruptly, smacking the side of Pitch's head as light as possible and saying,
"Good. Tomorrow's a big party for all the spirits and figures, so just stay in here and try not to start a riot."
"I'll do my best."Pitch's teasing tone came as I turned and stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and mused, "Really, thousands of years old and you still act like a two-hundred-year-old. Glad to see Guardianship hasn't changed a thing." I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms and asking,
"How'd you know that I-"
"Please,"He dismissed me, shaking his head, "You think any information about you Manny wont still tell me?" Genuine surprise filled me, not thinking that Manny would tell Pitch..well...anything, not after what Pitch had done...and a thought came to me. One I'd have to ask Manny later, if he decided to tell me useful things for once...
Was Pitch's whole journey planned, too? Or was it just part of mine?..
"I suppose old habits die hard."He finished, in a tone that seemed to allude to something I couldn't quite figure out.
Though Bunny seemed to sense something, because in a second an arm snaked around my waist and pressed me to a muscled side, me looking up surprised and curious. Bunny's eyes were narrowed, his face in a calm form of hostility as I felt his fur bristle a bit, eyes burrowing straight into Pitch's. I turned my head slightly amidst the awkward stare-down, seeing a mild sense of surprise cross Pitch's eyes, and then...then something else. Something almost like expectance, like he expected something bad to happen.
And then a mild amusement.
Luckily, the others were too busy at the doorway to pay us any attention, North and Tooth talking at a lightning speed with Sandy flashing images above his head, Jack already out of the room, everyone in a frenzy over the details of the plan and what to do for the party tomorrow. Leaving me in the center of a rather uncomftorble glare-contest between the two men involved in my overly-complicated love triangle.
I paused a second or two in the silence, looking from one to the other, before rolling my eyes.
"You can get us if you need anything. I'll bring you some food and coma-inducing hot chocolate in a second."I said with a tone of frustration, pulling out of Bunny's grasp as I half-stormed out the door. As I walked down the hallway, hearing the excited chatter of the others ahead of me, I had to admit something.
I expected his hostility between the two. And I should be a big girl and suck it up, get my memories, and then get over all of my emotional scaring in time to actually enjoy the party tomorrow...
But I died 16-years-old, and that's how I was gonna act.
Bunnymund's p.o.v****
He was weak-looking, and some part of me was almost relieved, almost felt like he was getting what he deserved after what he'd done to Boston. That same part of me felt the need to warn him, the animal-part of me taking over and protecting what was mine.
"Don' think she fergives ya."I spat, knowing if Boston heard she'd skin me alive. He continued to give me those tired, amused eyes as he mused in the airiest of ways,
"Oh please, don't put words into her mouth. She can chose to forgive me or not, it's of no buisiness of yours. Or do you think that just because you love her that she's automatically yours?" I paused, taken so aback by those words that I wasn't able to express my absolute fury. He took the opening, narrowoing his eyes and saying in a bitter, reminiscent tone,
"Believe me, I've stood in your place. If you think you can control that girl at all, you're wrong. Even if, one day, she returns your feelings as strongly as you do, you will never 'have' her. She doesn't belong to anyone, and she never will. Not to Manny. Not to you. Not to the Guardians. Not to me. You'd best learn that before you do something you'll regret."
I felt my fur bristle at his words, hating having him lecture me like he knew so much more than I did, when he had no idea the level of trust she'd given me. I turned to the door, looking over my shoulder and practically growling out,
"You'd know 'bout regrettin' decisions, wouldn't ya?" Before I turned back and walked out the door, I caught a dark, almost shiver-inducing look in the King of Nightmare's eyes. But..it wasn't one I expected from him. I expected anger. Or sadness. Or something...
But not regret. Never regret...
