Clementia was feeling panicked. She wasn't sure when there had been so much fear in the world as there was now. Day to day life had never been this bad. She knew something was wrong. Something was making the mortals afraid and uneasy. She was working nearly double and she could hardly get to everyone in time. She had never flown so fast in her entire three hundred years. She could sense the dark cloud hanging over everyone and the gloom and tiredness of them all. She could see the adults struggle to stay awake and stay busy. They spoke less and dragged their feet to their destinations instead of the incessant scurrying. She had saved more people in a single day than she had in a week.

When she found herself saving a child; wrapping her arms around the small body and imploring the child to not do what they were about to; she had had enough. Something was seriously wrong and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She knew she wasn't supposed to speak to the Guardians, but if the children were in danger then she knew they would be able to do something.

Finding the Guardians was harder than she had thought. She first flew off to North's palace, but only seemed to anger the yetis. Afterward, she went to Tooth's palace, but found it scarcely empty. She had never been the Warren, but she had some idea where it could be located. However, before she could rush off, she had a small group of children to comfort before. It was a holiday; she knew that. Something had happened to the holiday to make the children sad. She had never sensed so much lost hope before in her three hundred years.

The children were dragging their feet through the grass, holding colorful baskets and clearly upset. Clementia saw the banners that hung in the trees about an Easter egg hunt. They were huddled together, walking slowly out of the park together. Clementia wept for them, not understanding why they were so sad on such a joyous day. She flew over to them, reaching out for their hands and small bodies, hoping her compassion would be able to give them back some of their lost hope. She enveloped them all briefly. One at a time, they gained some semblance of happiness again, but she knew it wouldn't be for long. Something was taking over the world.

Once she did all she could, she let them go. Their baskets were still dragging on the ground, but she could tell they knew it would all be okay soon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a mass of gray hidden in the brush. If it was Easter, this gray that was hiding was more than likely the Easter Bunny. She walked over to the brush quietly, peering into it to see the larger than normal bunny curling up onto a ball. She had never seen this intimidating creature look so helpless. Surely what was happening couldn't be affecting the Guardians too?

"Bunny?" She asked, moving branches away so she could use her powers to console him.

"It's over. We lost." He murmured, flinching slightly when she touched his shoulder.

"You! What are you doing here?" bellowed a voice thickly laced in a Russian accent.

Clementia jumped, but not removing her hand. It was burning, but there was something else that was happening to her. It wasn't the normal burning sensation that mortals gave her. She let her mouth hang open when she made eye contact with North. How was she supposed to answer him? She didn't know what she was doing. She had never consoled another immortal before.

"What are you doing to him!?" Shouted the Tooth Fairy suddenly, startling Clementia even more. The deity turned her gaze back to the bunny and saw him shrink. Slowly, he was becoming smaller and smaller. She released him immediately, thinking she had somehow taken his power, but he kept getting smaller until he was the size of a normal bunny. Nothing about him said tough and intimidating.

Blisters were forming on the palm of her hand, but she was too distracted by the sudden change of the Easter Bunny. Tooth bent down and picked him up, tears welling in her eyes. North's large stature towered over Clementia, but his head was down as if in defeat.

"What's going on?" Clementia squeaked out.

"Pitch…Pitch Black is taking over. He took all of the fairies and now ruined Easter. There's nothing more we can do." North answered, sheathing his swords.

"If only Jack had been here," Tooth started to say.

"Jack? What does he have to do with anything?"

"He's our new Guardian. He's the only one that can stop Pitch."

"Where is he?" Clementia perked up, hoping he was somewhere around. She liked to look at him every chance she could.

"Gone."

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Clementia was flying over the world, touching the mortals briefly. She couldn't afford to lose any more time. This was the most impersonal she had ever been, but she had to be quick. The moment she saw all of the color drain from North's face and the Tooth Fairy unable to fly any longer, she knew despair was sweeping across the world. Pitch was the Guardians problem so she could only let them handle it how they could. She wouldn't have been able to do anything. She wasn't involved with the Boogeyman.

Whatever had happened between the Guardians and Jack was none of her business either, but it saddened her that they were putting so much pressure on the boy. He was used to being alone, like her. She knew if she was suddenly thrust into responsibilities and rules than she was used to, she would have fled too. She couldn't blame Jack for leaving.

The voices that echoed in her head were getting louder with the more people that were depressed. It had taken quite some time to get used to hearing all the mortals pleas, but she discovered it was the best way to find the ones that truly needed her help.

She was flying over the small town of Burgess when she was stopped by a high pitched scream in her head. She followed the voice, listened to the screams and cries for help to a small red house. She had seen this house before, but it was always happy. She never needed to stop here before. One time she had seen Jack sitting on the roof and watching the children of the home play. This house had to be special to Jack and although she was extremely busy, she would spend a little more time with whoever needed her.

Once inside the house, the voice stopped. She found a woman sitting in the kitchen, clutching a tissue and tears running down her face. Clementia didn't hesitate and sat beside her. She reached for her hand and spoke softly, telling her it was all going to be all right. There was nothing to worry about. It was strange that inside this house, there was still the sense of despair, but there was also a flicker of hope. It was something that usually filled the world until recently. The blisters had disappeared slightly, but they had scared her lightly. It was startling to think that consoling one of her kind could cause such a flaw. Touching the woman didn't burn her at all, but simply warmed her skin. That was something Clementia felt rarely. It meant that this was not poisonous thoughts, but environmental. Pitch Black being at large certainly explained this as well. This woman was only suffering since the Boogeyman was back.

After a few moments, she could hear a disturbance outside, but decided not to leave. It was imperative that she help this woman, even if it was only for Jack. There would be a price to pay for spending more time with a single woman over the others, but she was ready to face the consequences. This world was dark and needed her.

She had complete faith in Jack and the Guardians. The Boogeyman wouldn't be around for much longer.

Okay, this is going to get interesting for Clementia soon! Obviously the Regina in her still loves Jack, but since she's a deity, she can't interact with him. Drama is coming next chapter!

P.S. The movie plotline is done now. We'll move on to after the defeat of Pitch