"Whatcha growin'?" Karma asked as she plopped down next to Mary. The older girl flinched, but didn't react nearly as violently as she had been recently. In the last two days she wouldn't even let people sit with her for longer than a minute. Maybe there was a breakthrough on the horizon. But, Karma doubted it. Not without some help. And as the silence got longer, Karma started to think it might take a lot of nudging to get this girl to return to herself. "We're all curious. It looks cool from afar thought." Mary glanced at the ground where the plant would eventually sprout, a bit of a protective shine in her eyes. Obviously she wanted to be left alone with her garden and not listen to Karma theorize, but the annoying shrimp was not deterred.

Karma kept sitting there, looking between the pond, Mary, and the plot leisurely. Mary never stopped looking at the soil. Mary wondered just how long the kid could hold out. She was sure eventually the young looking girl would loose her willingness to sit for long periods of time and would skip off once she got really bored. But Karma surprised her when, two hours later, she was still there. In fact, it was Mary who was starting to get restless.

With a heavy hearted sigh, the immortal gardener laid back and watched clouds again. She didn't realize just how tired she was as she slipped immediately off to sleep. And almost immediately, her dreams turned dark.

Pitch looked lovingly at Mary as she struggled against her bonds. The poor girl was trying so hard to escape and reach the Pooka handing from the ceiling by his arms. Bunny still had yet to wake up, but Mary was sure he was still alive. Why else would Pitch keep him so close but so unreachable to Mary? He was taunting her. Making her chains just loose enough to almost wiggle out of them. Giving just enough light for her to see Bunny's unconscious body. Getting her so close to the one she loved, but not close enough. It frustrated Mary beyond greatly.

The Nightmare King finally decided to put an end to the girl's petty fighting by making his presence known. He noticed her wrists bleeding from her struggling, deciding he should stop her before she got seriously hurt. Putting his hands over the girls, he roughly pulled Mary away from Bunny and against him. Instantly the puny girl fought against him. She winced though, finally noticing the sate of her wrists now that pressure was taken off them.

"Let me go! Why are you doing this Pitch?!" She demanded, trying frantically to get away from the Boogeyman. Pitch just chuckled deep in his throat, lightly toying with her hair.

"I'm doing this...because you are irresistible Mary. Even as good as Auryn has made you, the past haunts you and makes your fear so sweet. It's entirely satisfying." She shuddered as he licked his lips. "Do you remember when the men came for you Mary? When they killed your mother because she stood between them and you." He purred into her ear, nuzzling her neck happily. A single tear trickled from Mary's eye, dripping down her neck where Pitch gleefully sucked up the salty drop. A happy smile hit his face, knowing he was getting to her.

"They were just scared men." Mary tried to tell herself, remembering the training Auryn had given her to control herself. Still, something something felt like it was writhing in her, trying to make her listen to Pitch. She groaned at the unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling. She glanced at Bunny, nearly smiling when she saw he was awake. But she was horrified to see he was having the same problem she had. His binds were just to tight. A low growl of frustration slipped from his throat before he could stop it. Pitch's attention turned to the large rabbit with a smirk.

"Finally awake Rabbit!" He said, a little too happily. "Well good, I wouldn't want you to miss the main show." Both Bunny and Mary ceased moving for a moment, both knowing exactly what he was saying, and both horrified by the intention in his tone. Pitch, once noticing he had his audiences attention, smiled devilishly and looked down at Mary. "All those years wandering the world as an angry child...must have been so lonely Mary. Without anyone to hold you or touch you." Greed shone in his amber eyes as his lips hungrily sought for her own.

"Get yer hands off her!" Bunny exclaimed.

"Oh, but it's my realm. I can do anything I want here. Until you wake up, you're mine." Pitch smirked dangerously, making sure his eyes never left Mary's. "That first nightmare I gave you was just the tip of the iceberg. You're weak and entirely too tempting my dear." He gushed. Mary had tears trailing down her pale cheeks as a constant line of cusses came from Bunny. "You...are...mine."

"Mary!" She jumped as Karma shook her awake. "You're bleeding." Karma pointed to Mary's palms, where her nails had dug into her skin so deep that blood was covering her hand.

"N-nightmare." Mary said dismissively.

"About Pitch." It wasn't a question.

"He was touching me all over. Making me kiss him. And making my head feel like it liked it." She admitted, tear rimming her eyes. Karma nodded, her eyes suddenly serious.

"I didn't always look this age, ya know." Mary quirked an eyebrow. That came out of nowhere. She wondered why Karma was bringing this up.

"Of course you didn't. I'm sure you looked one, two, three, and four years old first." She, hopefully, didn't sound condescending when she said it.

"No, I mean I was older when I was made immortal. I was nineteen when MiM chose me. I was another charity case." Mary felt like she should be offended by the statement that she was a charity case, but let it slide for the moment. "I reverted to this age because even when I was alive, I never wanted to grow up. I thought being a kid was the best thing ever. Until my daddy told me I needed to grow up. He locked me in a room with a boy from the village. He wouldn't let me out. Not until I lost my virginity. Became a woman instead of a girl.

"I ran away after he let me out. I was so sad, so broken, that I wandered aimlessly for near a week without food or shelter. But when I finally got hold of some food, I gave it away. I think that's why he changed me. Cuz that stupid loaf of bread I gave away when I had nothing. I went to sleep, hoping I wouldn't wake up, but when I did, no one could see me. No one could hear me or feel me. I remembered everything though. And I realized I was immortal, so I set to work.

"First thing I did was spoil all the food or drink my daddy touched. He got real sick before I decided to leave him alone. And the boy who took my flower tripped one day. Broke his leg. Never walked right again. But then I saw a little boy being picked on. I got all the bullies to pee themselves and I helped the boy get all the girls to like him. I think that made MiM happy because he then told me my name was Karma. And that I was going to be responsible for turning the tide of a persons life. Bad people who had it good would suddenly reap the fruits of their rotten lives. And the picked on and oppressed would get a little touch of luck.

"Over the years, I guess I've misused a few of my powers. Sometimes I'm vindictive. Everyone thinks Karma is bitch but Lady Luck is sweet. Truth is, we're the same." She stopped, her face drooping a bit with memories and sadness. Mary bit her lip slightly and shuffled nervously.

"What are you telling me this?" She asked gently. Karma smiled ruefully.

"You're not the only one who's felt these feeling Mary. Feeling alone or broken. But come on, I didn't turn out to bad. And anyway, you need to snap out of this funk so I can give you your present. Just wait until-" She abruptly stopped when the soil above the mystery plant trembled a little. Karma watched in amazement as a thin green ribbon slowly rose from the soil, getting thicker as it grew. Leaves peeled off the stem, blooming into umbrellas of the richest green. The whole plant smelled like silence and looked like sleep. She felt motionless just watching it grow. It stopped at about four feet, just stopped. But Karma couldn't stop looking at it. "What...what is it?" She asked with awe.

"It's a Pollito Plant. It has paralytic leaves, the only things in the world that can paralyze immortals. Lethal to mortals, but completely safe in low doses to us." Mary explained, touching a big green leave with a slim pale finger. She looked at her creation lovingly. "If even a piece of the leaves gets inside one of us, it'll take months before they can move, unless it's removed. And the juice within the stem can permanently put someone in a coma like state." She went on. Karma's face got really happy suddenly.

"You could use it on Pitch!" She shouted excitedly. Mary got wide eyed in shock at her outburst, but then a guilty look shadowed her eyes.

"Uh...yeah." Karma stopped rejoicing at her tone.

"It is...for Pitch...right?" She asked, almost afraid of what Mary would say.

"You don't understand. Immortals in a paralyzed state are basically dormant. Sleeping. But they can't dream. No good dreams, but more importantly, no nightmares. None. If I just took one leaf...Pitch wouldn't be able to manipulate me. You'd all have a better chance of fighting him if I'm not in the way and he doesn't have control over me." She sounded almost pleading. Like she was begging Karma to understand.

"You're running away." Karma frowned.

"What? No! I'm trying to help you! Pitch is obviously focusing on me, so if I was out of the equation, you could-"

"You're running away." Apparently there was no arguing with her. Mary's head bowed in a sort of shame. She was trying to hide from it all. But she didn't want them to think she was. She just couldn't take any of this anymore. And she'd used the Pollito plant before, back when she was Bloody Mary. When she'd have really bad dreams and end up taking out her anger on whole villages. She'd find the nearest Pollito leaf and go under for months.

"I just...I want to sleep and wake up to everything being better." She admitted, tears slowly dripping from the sides of her eyes. Karma sighed.

"The only way it'll get better is if you help them. I know they all think Auryn is gonna be the big help and all, but come on. This plant, could be the answer to all of it. But not for you. It's your choice Mary, but they need you. Awake and helping. And besides, I have a present for you." Mary cocked her head to the side, confused. Karma grinned and snapped her fingers. With a poof of unnecessary glitter, Pitch Black appeared about a yard away. Hog tied and gagged and not very happy about it. Mary jumped up, alarmed, but Karma only smiled.

"How did you-"

"Supreme decision over everyone's life, remember? Look this is your chance. Give him the plant. Just the tip of a lead. And Auryn can brainwash him while he's paralyzed. Or, take a leaf yourself and keep running from those horrible men the rest of your life. Always letting them get the better of you." Karma was...taunting her? Oh that was just evil. Mary glowered at the girl but slowly walked over to the plant. Stroking one of the smallest leaves, she murmured comforting words to her plant. She had to, otherwise it would hate her for pulling one of the magically intoxicating leaves.

After pulling off the leave and pacifying her plant, she walked slowly up to Pitch, who was glaring at her and cussing behind the gag. Mary carefully pulled off the top ΒΌ inch of the leaf before she pulled the gag off Pitch's lips. Karma glanced between the two and, content that Mary would be giving him the paralyzing plant and not herself, ran off to get the Guardians.

"I was doing it for you." Pitch hissed just before Mary went to put the leaf between his lips.

"What?" Her voice was small. Curious.

"Look at you. The most beautiful immortal besides Aphrodite. Beautiful, but weak. I was trying to give you the power you had. As bloody Mary." He explained bitterly.

"I don't want that power." She frowned. He too frowned, but his was more angry.

"You're a fool." She didn't doubt that he thought so.

"Maybe. But when I was young, my mommy told me to never let a man hurt me, or control me. And I'll be damned if I let you control or hurt me." She growled. He glowered, but then a small smile touched his lips that made her pause. With a chuckled he sat up so his lips were right by her face.

"Will you still hate me when I'm good?" He spat out the word like a curse. She looked at him right in his golden eyes.

"No." She decided. The smile barely twitched, but did none the less.

"And...will you still not love me?"

"Yes." She replied definitely.

"Because of the rabbit." Pitch's smile vanished, being replaced by an almost animalistic baring of teeth. Mary didn't want to admit it, but she was almost frightened by how strong he was even bound to the neck with Karma's ropes. She wanted to get this over with.

"I'll always choose him." She agreed, pushing the leaf between his gray lips before he could speak. The change was immediate. He went rigid, his eyes widened, and barely a breath moved his chest. Mary backed away from the paralyzed King slowly, her mind racing. He knew he was about to be changed. But the last thing he asked was about her. The last touch of shadow that would haunt Kozmotis Pitchiner had demanded to know if she would love him when he was good. She wasn't sure what to make of it. But she knew even if Pitch Black was gone, she wasn't getting rid of this man who was infatuated with her. But, she thought with relief, she wasn't getting rid of Bunny either.

She heard the Guardians coming from far off, running steps following the excited Karma. With one more look at Pitch, she turned and vanished from the site, searching for a new place to be alone. Just for a little while longer. Before all hell broke down and she would be expected to be happy.