A/N Hey guys.. I owe everybody who has followed or read this story a really big apology for not updating in so long. I just kind of lost my mojo for the longest time and I've had a hard time finding it. But it's back full force, and I'm back to stay. I promise that this story will be finished within the next few months at most. So for those of you still around, kick back and enjoy the newest chapter of Black Rose! ^.^

~*Time Skip: About two weeks later*~

~Rose's POV~

The past two weeks passed by in a blur. The birth went as well as could be expected for someone who was nearly a month early and giving birth to a magical baby. I would like to say that I handled the birth as gracefully as I could, but to be honest I was terrified the whole time. Every single time a nurse made a face of concern about anything, I instantly thought jumped to conclusions. I kept thinking about how something horrible go wrong. Thankfully my dad was there to help me through it and calm me down every time I started freaking out.

Jack was there, but I ended up having to kick him out. I didn't want him to leave. I really didn't. But I didn't end up having much of a choice. No matter what I said or did I just couldn't get Jack to calm down. Due to his nervousness his was having a hard time keeping some of his minor powers under control. The temperature in the room kept dropping dangerously low according to one of the nurses. Not to mention that every time a machine went off frost ended up covering some part of the room. It was defiantly a head scratcher for the entire staff.

When it came time for the actually delivery, Jack seemed to have calmed down considerably. I have a good suspicion that the other guardians had something to do with that. I still smile a little to myself when I think back to Jacks face the first time he saw our daughters face. My smile on grows wider as I remember holding Syina in my arms. She seemed so small and fragile. I still can't believe that Jack and I made something so precious. I would not trade all of the money in the world for that particular day. It will always be remembered as one of the happiest days of my life.

The first few days after we all came home were filled with a more sleep-deprived type of joy. I was, and still am, exhausted. Even though he tries to deny it, I know Jack is just as tired as I am. But in those first few days we were so elated at finally having our little girl home that it didn't seem to bother us. The first time I tried to lay down to sleep, I ended up jerking awake because I was struck with sudden fear that something might be wrong with Syina.

I still do that. A big part of me is overly worried that she could suddenly stop breathing or be suffocated by the blankets that keep her warm. Every time I try to get any amount of rest, I end up having to check on her two or three times. Otherwise I sit there and worry myself sick. My dad says that it's normal to feel that way. He keeps telling me about how he had the hardest time when I was a baby, and that every single time I rolled over or made a weird sound he would bolt upright in bed. Whenever he told me those stories in the past I never fully believed them. Now, however, I know just how truthful he was being.

Sleep deprivation is starting to take it's toll on both Jack and me now. We both have bags under our eyes, and we walk around the house in a sluggish manner. It's a little worse for Jack, since he still has to leave every few days to spread snow out in the colder climates. By the time he gets home he's ready to wipe out. But he's been trying to pull through. My dad insisted that Jack and I try sleeping in shifts. He said that he would also be their to watch Syina if we needed help. I'm glad for his support, and I rely heavily on him when Jack's not there.

Jade's also been helpful over the past two weeks. She sometimes brings me food when I have my hands full with feeding Syina. Other times, Jade and Jack just play with her while I shower or try to nap. Then when I'm done, it's Jack's turn to lay down and Jade helps me. Having Jade here seems so natural that I can't really imagine what it would have been like if she wasn't here. I get along with her pretty well and everyone else seems happy to accept her into our family. She's been really comforting to me these past two weeks.

"Hello my beautiful little girl." I coo down at my daughter. She gives me the most adorable smile as I pick her up. I coo at her a few more times as I walk towards the door of my room. Jack's currently out working and my dad had to run a quick errand. Apparently we're getting low on food. I walk through the house towards the kitchen. On the table is a bouncer with bumble bee's on it. I strap Syina into it and give her one of the many binkies that are floating around the house. She seems content for the moment.

"Good morning." Jade says from behind. I turn around and give her a tired smile. She's wiping down one of the counters while the kitchen sink fills with soapy water. A stack of dishes is placed on the counter next to the sink. I feel a little bad that I'm not helping around the house as much as I used to, but every time I brink it up everyone tells me not to worry about it.

"Morning. Do you want some help with those?" I ask, gesturing towards the dishes.

"If you want to dry that would be great." Jade replies. I give her a nod before grabbing a hand towel off of the stovetop. It doesn't take us long at all to finish the dishes. After I put the last bowl in the cupboard, Jade begins to sweep. I sit down in front of Syina and play with her for a bit while I wait for Jade to get done. My thoughts wander to where Jack was and how soon he would be done. I always end up missing him a little whenever he leaves the house for more than half and hour. I'm just overly used to him being here with me.

Jade sighs as she puts up the broom and dustpan. She walks her way back through the kitchen and takes a seat beside me. She makes an excited face at Syina, who smiles brightly at her in return. Jade makes a few cooing noises at her, and I smile a little to myself. Syina was almost always in a decent mood. The only exception is when she needs changed or fed. She loves to smile and giggle. Syina really loves it when daddy plays with her. Every time I see those adorable lips turned up in a grin my heart melts. I gently grip her little hands and kiss them.

"So, the other guardians are stopping by today?" Jade asks after a few moments of playing with Syina.

"Yea. They want to catch Jack and I up on everything that's been happening in the past two weeks." I tell her. She bites her lips and furrows her eyebrows for a moment before she speaks again.

"Is it really that bad?" She asks. I must have looked slightly confused because she goes on to clarify, "The whole thing with Pitch, I mean. I'm not really sure what happened in the past, or what's going on now." She finishes. It's my turn to bite my lip in thought. I guess she did have a right to know what's going on. She's somehow wrapped up in all of this, and, for all I know, Pitch is trying to use her like he tried to use me. I sigh a little and stand to make a pot of coffee while I talk.

"Well, he tried to take over the world and plunge it into darkness a couple of years back. He almost killed all of the guardians and everyone thought he succeeded with Sandy. He left Jack to waste away in the bottom of a trench in the artic. He was ready to kill every single person that stood in his way, and he almost got what he wanted. But the guardians managed to pull through and defeated him with the help of some faithful believers. Then about eight months ago he tried to rise to power again through me. He was trying to get me to do his dirty work for him until he was strong enough to do it himself. But he was defected once again, thankfully." I say. I pause and look over at Jade to make sure she understands everything that I'm telling her. She just nods for me to continue.

"As for what's going on now.. I'm not really so sure myself. More kids than normal are having nightmares lately. It's alarming because that may mean that Pitch is trying to come back to full power. At least, that's what we think is happening." I say. Syina's getting a little fussy so I make my way back to the table. I talk to her soothingly as I undo the straps that buckle her into the bouncer and pick her up. Jade waits patiently for me to settle down into the chair before she talks.

"Isn't their anyway that both the guardians and Pitch can co-exist peacefully?" She asks.

"Possibly, but I don't think it'll happen. As far as I know, it's always been a power struggle between them. Pitch wants full control and to see the world in chaos. The guardians want to protect the children." I say. Jade looks down at the ground while she bites her lip again. It's hard to tell what she's thinking, but before I get the chance to ask her I hear a loud noise coming from the living room. My eyes widen and I hold Syina closer to me. I quickly stand up and silently make my way to the living room. For a split-second I think about calling out to the nightmares, but I stop myself when I hear the familiar voices spilling out of the living room.

I walk into the room to see North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy in a pile on the floor. They all look dismantled and dazed as they try to untangle themselves from each other. Everyone is talking loudly, but not quite yelling, at each other. I can't help but let out a small chuckle at their predicament. Their heads all turn towards me before they rush to stand up. Jade makes a sound of surprise as she enters the room behind me, before she asks what's going on. I give her a small shrug.

"One of the elves got under North's foot just as the snow globe activated. He stumbled forward and ended up taking all of us with him." Tooth said as she smoothed some of her feathers. After she was done doing that she rushed over to me. She cooed down to Syina and softly stroked her face.

"You want to hold her?" I asked, and Tooth nodded eagerly as her eyes lit up. I laughed at her enthusiasm and placed Syina in her waiting arms. Tooth carefully snuggled Syina against her chest and talked to her in a gentle voice, followed by a kiss to the forehead. I smiled as I watched the two of them. Tooth was really good with children of all ages. A small part of me wonders if she had ever wished for a few kids of her own.

"How're ya feeling?" Bunny asks from across the room once his standing.

"Tired." I respond with a laugh. I get a small chuckle from everyone in response. I smile as I cross the room to sit on the couch. Jade follows closely behind me. She sits next to me and curls her legs up under her. Everyone else finds a seat while we wait for Jack to get back. We all exchange small chitchat and talk about Syina for a little while. I watch with contentment as Syina is held by everyone. I'm comforted knowing that my daughter will never be truly alone. She's not even a month old and she already has so many amazing people that love her.

A while later, Jack comes in to the room looking at the group of us with a playful smile on his lips. He doesn't say anything as he makes his way over to me. He kisses me on the forehead before going to Syina. He peppers kisses all over her face as he picks her up. She smiles up at him and grips his index finger in her small hand. He sits down on one of the armchairs in the corner. He looks up at the rest of the group and gives a nod in hello.

"So, what's been happening out there?" I ask after a few minutes of silence. The mood in the room shifts dramatically. It goes from a warm, fuzzy mood to a colder one. Everyone looks around at each other before Tooth speaks up.

"More and more kids have been having nightmares. It's spreading rather quickly." She says.

"Have you guys been able to find anything else out?" I ask, and they all shake their head in unison.

"We've all been searching all over the globe for any clues, but we can't find anything. Not a single trace of Pitch, his lair, or his nightmares. But somehow the kids are still getting them every night, and a few adults are starting to have them too." Tooth says. I furrow my eyebrows in thought. If Pitch was truly back and powerful enough to give adults nightmares, then why would he still be in hiding? It just doesn't make any sense. Unless... What if he had somebody helping him? Somebody who wanted to stick to the shadows until the cost was completely clear?

"Are there any spirits out there that might be manipulated into working with him?" I ask.

"Most spirits won't go near 'em. It's unlikely, but not impossible." Bunny says, and I can't miss how he said 'most spirits'. That means that there are at least a few spirits out there that would be willing to help Pitch, if he could persuade them to. But where would we even start looking for them? It's not like we can just go around knocking on doors. That could take too long. Besides, there's really no way to tell if those spirits would tell the truth willingly. I pause for a second before turning to Jade.

"Jade, you were trapped with Pitch for over a month. Do you remember seeing anything or anyone else?" I asked.

"I don't think so... I'm still having some trouble remembering what happened while I was there." She says after a few moments of thought. I look back around the room. Everyone seems completely stumped by what's going on. I rub my temples as I try to think of a solution. My lack of sleep in the past few days makes it almost unbearably hard. All I know is that we need to find Pitch or his lair, and fast. But how are we supposed to do that? After what happened the past two times we've battled him I doubt that he would leave an open entrance to his lair laying around. But then how would he be getting in and out to spread his nightmares around? The thought clicks into my head almost instantly.

"He's using the shadows.." I whisper. Everyone looks at me with confused expressions. "He's using the shadows to move around. That's why we can't find him or his lair! He probably has it sealed off from the outer world or something. That also explains why there's been no trace of him. He can easily slip in and out of any shadow he wants to, making it easier to fly under the radar." I say excitedly. I look around the room and I can see the metaphorical lightbulbs going off one by one.

"That makes sense.. But how exactly are we supposed to find a lair that doesn't have an entrance?" Tooth asks.

"I have an idea, but" I pause for a brief moment to look around the room, "I don't think anyone here's going to like it."

A/N I leave it here for now guys. The next chapter will be up in the next few days. I have to say that I'm excited about where this story is going. Leave a review if you want, and until next time, stay awesome!