A/N: I'm unsure whether I've said this in any of the previous chapters, but I do accept anonymous reviews. So anyone can drop me a compliment, advice, or critique. Also, I've reached over 1,500 views in the course of one chapter. That still amazes me, how strong the Guardians fanbase is going.

I apologize for the lack of updates the past few days. My best friend has stayed the weekend, and I'm just now able to settle down and get to writing, since she's writing on her own book. I think the wait is worth it, though, hehe...

/x/x/x/

Blue depths drown in yellow. Raven can't believe the figure in front of her is real, but he will not disappear, no matter how many times she blinks or pinches herself.

Raven is no longer dreaming.

She's about to be thrown in a waking nightmare.

Pitch moves towards her. Raven's reaction is almost immediate. She throws the comforter at Pitch, not covering his head as she intended, but distracting him long enough so she can open the window. Where is Sandy? He'll be able to help her. He has to be able to help her.

"Ah ah ah, little bird."

Shadows slam the window shut, barely missing her fingers. Raven twirls, throwing her fists up in a fighting posture. Pitch laughs in amusement.

"You truly think a human such as yourself can hold her own against the King of Nightmares?"

Pitch steps closer to the dark-haired woman, relishing the look on Raven's face when her back meets the window.

She begins fiddling with the window latch behind her back. Raven would rather duck out into the falling snow and risk hypothermia than deal with the Boogeyman alone in a dark room.

"Your fear is intoxicating, little bird. Tell me, how have they kept the children believing through the years? Jamie is an adult, Sophie a teenager. The little brat friends of Jamie's will be adults, too."

Raven snarls at Pitch, bringing her hands back around and clenching her fists tighter, her nails biting smartly into her palm. This startles Pitch into halting.

"Tell me, how is it you believe in the Boogeyman?" The smirk on his lips infuriates Raven... He looks at her as if he knows exactly how she can believe in him, as if he knows every single thing she fears.

"Though, really, the question to ask you would be how can you believe in the Guardians with so much darkness in you?" Pitch's voice is silk as he tries to throw Raven off-guard.

Raven can take no more of the Boogeyman's antagonizing. She throws a punch, her knuckles solidly connecting with Pitch's ribs. She pays no attention to the pain that flares in her hand, because she's given herself a chance. As Pitch doubles over at the sudden burst of pain, Raven turns and throws open the window, jumping out. She slips on the ice that has formed beneath her window, but quickly regains her balance, running from the room.

Her fear spurs her to run faster than she ever has, giving her the speed and agility like that of an animal. Raven gasps as the shadows to her side begin moving, lashing out at her feet in an attempt to trip or catch her.

She is able to evade the shadows, her breath coming in short, terrified pants. Raven has no idea where her feet are taking her, but if it is somewhere far from the Boogeyman, somewhere safe, she doesn't care.

A furious Pitch shoots up from the shadows in front of her, startling a scream from her. Raven slips on a patch of ice, careening into a streetlamp. The force with which she lands against the metal pole takes the breath from her lungs. Coughing, she staggers, trying to run again.

Somewhere safe, anywhere safe! The game of cat and mouse continues for an amount of time Raven can't even begin to comprehend, though it feels like she's been running for an eternity.

It's once she hits the woods that she realizes what Pitch is doing. He's allowing her to get away from him. Now when Raven glimpses those glowing eyes, they are mocking and filled with mirth. He is feeding off her fear.

Once she reaches the edge of a frozen lake, Raven has nowhere else to run. She has no idea whether the ice of the lake will hold her, and the paths around the lake are over-shadowed, no moonlight able to reach the ground.

The woman turns to face the Boogeyman as he melts out of the shadows. His grin is almost feral.

"You've given me a good chase, little bird, and your fear..." He inhales deeply. "Exotic. The fear of an adult is so much different than a child's... More potent. Deadlier."

Raven tenses as Pitch walks towards her.

Should she fight?

Should she run?

Where would she run?

As if a lightning bolt has struck him, Pitch freezes, eyes widening at something over Raven's shoulder. Raven has no time to wonder at what he is staring at with such animosity before what looks like a stream of frozen lightning flashes at him, making him disappear in a cloud of black sand.

Before she can move, Raven feels her feet leave the ground, though her stomach takes their place. Her mind shuts down for a few seconds...

Then Raven realizes she is flying.

Raven glances behind her frantically, trying to see who has saved her and is holding her tightly so she won't fall.

She can see no one.

She can feel the rough texture of cloth against her bare arms.

She can feel a chest rising and falling as someone inhales and exhales rapidly.

She can feel fingers digging deeply into her arm.

She can feel the cold body temperature of her savior.

The snap of realization is close to painful. Before Raven's eyes, the person who saved her comes into her sight as if fazing through teleportation in a sci-fi movie.

"Jack?"

/x/x/x/

They fly for some time, the temperature growing colder and colder. Raven is shivering by the time they catch sight of their destination. Raven's voice fails at the sight growing before her.

"This is..."

"The North Pole."

Jack has not spoken the whole flight, though neither has Raven since the forgotten memories resurfaced. Her head aches horribly, the pain deep behind her eyes. Her heart rate has yet to fall to normal levels.

A window on a higher level of the building is their entrance, Jack letting Raven settle her feet on the windowsill so she can jump through before flying in behind her.

Huge, furry creatures turn their shaggy heads to look at them. They seem to know Jack, paying him no attention. Raven is the object of their attention. She tenses, memories tugging in the back of her head as she looks them over.

"They're Yetis. And those little knuckleheads are Elves."

Jack motions from the big creatures to the little creatures in red standing around the room gibbering in excitement at the sight of Jack and Raven. Raven watches them, slowly relaxing as she realizes they can't possibly be a threat, and even if the Yetis were, Jack would protect her.

Raven looks at Jack from the corner of her eye. He's speaking to one of the Yetis, addressing him as 'Phil' and telling him to get someone called North, that the others need to be here. When the Yeti nods, lumbering out of the room, Jack meets Raven's eyes.

The two stare at each other awkwardly.

"Thank you... You know, for getting me away from the Boogeyman." Raven mutters.

"His name's Pitch. Pitch Black."

Raven chuckles at the irony. "Of course his name is something like that."

Jack frowns. "Look, I need to go check on Jamie. You'll be fine here for now. North will look after you."

Terror floods Raven's veins. "You're just going to leave me here?"

Jack frowns at the tone in her voice. "I'm not abandoning you. I just need to make sure Jamie and Sophie are safe. If they are, I'll be back before you know it. Trust me."

Before Raven can reply, Jack has jumped out the window and is too far away for Raven to yell after him.

The woman stares into the dark night, attempting to gather her scattered thoughts and will away the excruciating pounding in her head.

In light of recent events, Raven admits it is time to face the past she's been so keen on escaping.

/x/x/x/

North bursts into the side room where Phil told him he has a visitor. The woman jumps, ice blue eyes sharpening as her hands come up in a defensive posture. When she sees who the intruder is, she backs down, her hands hanging limply at her sides.

"You are..."

"Raven."

"You can see me? This is good!" North laughs, striding into the room and ushering Raven away from the open window. He leads her to a chair near a fire the Elves have started without her notice. "You are on way to regaining belief! Jack will be happy!"

Raven rolls her eyes. "He didn't seem too happy."

North blinks. "You mean you already see him?"

Raven nods. "Of course. He saved me from... Pitch..."

The name of the Boogeyman silences the large man, shining face darkening into one of seriousness.

"You can see Pitch? He spoke with you?"

A sharp bark of laughter escapes Raven. "Spoke? He chased me through town, like I was some damn animal and he was the hunter!"

North is about to say something when a Yeti knocks on the door. In their indecipherable language, he explains the other Guardians have arrived, minus Jack Frost.

"Well, we are about to see how far belief extends! Follow me!"

Raven realizes there's nothing else she can do, so she does as she's instructed, standing and following the bearded man with some difficulty. As the adrenaline from the chase and the flight recedes, fatigue and pain settle heavily over the woman.

This does not keep Raven from looking around the workshop in childish curiosity. Memories re-surface as if in a haze, some teasing her with their presence while others are more willing to make themselves known. Are the memories she remembers things she truly experienced, or are they simply wonderful dreams she dreamt to escape the hellish life in which she'd been thrown?

Images of riding atop a Yeti's shoulder, of playing tag with the little Elves, of helping North chisel one of his miniature ice villages circle in Raven's mind, worsening her already sickening headache.

It isn't until she sees the Globe of Belief that the last Guardian zips into her head and into her physical body.

"I can't believe you're here in the North Pole, Raven! I remember when you were no taller than North's knee! You've grown so tall and well! Look at you! Beautiful hair, beautiful eyes, shining white teeth-"

"Toothiana, let the girl breathe."

The Tooth Fairy retreats from the hug, cheeks dusting a bright red as she grins sheepishly at Bunnymund.

"Besides, this ain't no house call, is it?" Bunnymund asks the question to both Raven and North, gracing them both with his green gaze.

Raven shakes her head, about to speak, when a cold wind flutters through the workshop, upsetting papers, toys, and Elves. Jack floats from a ceiling window, landing softly in Raven. He smiles weakly at her.

"Jamie and Sophie are fine, though Pitch gave Sophie a nightmare. They're worried for you."

Raven crosses her arm. "It's a nice sentiment, but I don't need their worry..."

"So ya sayin' Pitch went afta' the olda' believers?"

Jack nods, the solemn look out of place on his usually grinning face.

"What would he want with them?" Toothiana twitters, fluttering above their heads, wringing her hands in worry.

"They're not children, so they shouldn't be as frightened of him..."

Raven laughs coldly, waving her hand at North. "The Boogeyman is terrifying, no matter your age. He is all the fear, darkness, and violence in the world. His nightmares will make you cringe and follow you into the light." Raven glares at the ground. "Children find the Boogeyman frightening but are able to overcome his evil thanks to all of you. We adults don't have that advantage. Living nightmares are a part of life..."

When she clenches her hands, Raven notices a strange feeling crawling down her knuckles. She looks at her hands, just now noticing the blood dripping from the wounds she'd inflicted with her own fingernails. The hand with which she punched Pitch is beginning to darken into an ugly purple color, the knuckles swelling. Had she really hit the Boogeyman that hard?

Sandy floats forward, sending a scolding look at each Guardian before his images tell them they're horrible hosts. Raven is standing in front of them hurt and probably freezing in nothing but her pajamas and bare feet. The woman shrugs. She's been unable to feel her hands or feet for some time, but thought nothing of it when confronted with the strange circumstances to which she's been introduced.

"We will have to ask you about your experience with Pitch later, when you have rest and food under belt... A hot bath and new clothes probably won't hurt, either." North's voice is apologetic at having ignored her needs for so long in his excitement.

North is going to ask a Yeti to escort Raven around, while Jack moves forward, opening his mouth to say he'll take care of her. Sandy shakes his head, taking Raven's hand gently in his own and leading her through the small mass of Yetis that have accumulated during the short conversation.

"She's changed..." Tooth murmurs, wings drooping. Bunnymund nods.

"Sum'thin happened, and it wasn' pretty. She hasn' acted as if she wants ta share, though, so we've kept quiet."

Jack slams his staff against the ground in frustration. "Why won't she trust us?! She believes again, so why doesn't she talk to us?!"

North lays his hand on the frost Spirit's shoulder. "Calm yourself, Jack. She will tell when ready. This must be a lot for her to take in. Remember, she is no longer child. They are only ones who can believe in inherent good of the world."

Deep blue eyes train on the last place Raven was seen. "It looks as if only thing Raven believes in is inherent bad..."

/x/x/x/