Author's notes-Okay, I'm reeaaallly sorry for leaving such a bad cliff hanger at the end of last chapter. But I'm back with chapter Eleven! So, how was everyone's Easter? I got Rise of the Guardians from Anthony Cooper (Best boyfriend evvver). What did you get? Post in your review for this chapter :D.

Okay, so there's a question that I want to answer, but I can't exactly PM this person because they left their review as "Guest" so I'm just going to answer it here:

Q: Guest: Why did you decide on 4 months? That got to me.

A: Well, if you're asking why they didn't find Jack sooner, like in a couple of days, is because of this. If you remember from the end of the movie, Pitch got sucked down into his lair, which closed off as soon as he went down. The guardians wouldn't think to check there because it's been about seventeen months since they defeated Pitch, and they probably forgot that the lair was even there in the first place. They only thought to check on the Earth's surface instead of beneath it, which then turns around when North and Bunny have the revelation in the last chapter. They wouldn't think Jack would be there because they probably forgot it had existed, and it was a place where she would never be.

I hope that cleared things up for you, Guest. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have been following and reviewing this story. Your support for this story helps so much and it makes me ecstatic every time I get a knew review or favorite.

Now that that's done, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eleven:

Because I Love You

Bunny's long ears were the first things to stick up from the rabbit hole. They twitched back and forth for a few minutes, listening before he hopped out. The tunnel had brought him to Jack's pond. Since the snow spirit's disappearance, the small area had been released from the cool temperatures that Jack always kept it at. Fresh green grass and flowers bent in the gentle breeze and cool water lapped at the pooka's feet. Not a speck of snow or ice covered the pond's surface. It made Bunny's heart ache.

Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to Baby Tooth, whose services he had borrowed from Tooth a few hours ago. The tiny fairy had been to Pitch's lair the first time with Jack, so she would probably remember where it was. And unlike the other tooth sprites that had been kept there, Baby Tooth had a close connection to Jack, so it was only fair she would be the one he would ask.

"Alright, sheila. The others are dependin' on us to find Snowflake. Can ya help me with that?"

Baby Tooth nodded and gave the pooka a small salute. She then flew through the trees with Bunny close behind her. They had been going for about five minutes when the little fairy stopped.

"What is it?"

Baby Tooth started squeaking away, a look of confusion on her face.

"You can't remember where to go from here?" Bunnymund had managed to pick up a little on this "fairy language", but he wasn't perfect yet.

The fairy nodded looking defeated.

"Perk up, sheila! You brought me this far."

"Aster?"

Bunny froze as his ears shot up. He thought to himself "Was that... Jack's voice? It couldn't be. Jack... hadn't allowed herself to call him by his real name."

"Aster!"

It came again, a lot clearer this time. Without another thought, Bunny raced ahead with speed only a pooka could run at. The voice called a few more times from different places, which caused the rabbit to veer in different directions. The second he stopped to take a breather, Baby Tooth flew in his face and started spazzing out with her squeaks and crazy hand motions.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. What's the matter?" he growled in annoyance as the tiny fairy started yanking on his ear in an attempt to pull him forward. Shooing her away, the pooka followed her for a minute until she stopped at the edge of a clearing. His jade green eyes widened at what he saw.

A wooden bed frame was just sitting there in the middle of the woods. The wood looked like it had been rotted and chipped away as time wore at it. Baby Tooth pulled at his fur again, trying to make him go toward the bed.

"This is the place, isn't it?"

"Aster!"

Bunny walked cautiously toward the bed frame. Taking out his boomerang, he broke off two of the already crumbling middle supports. The pooka stared down into the dark hole underneath. In all the years he had run through his tunnels, this one looked like it would swallow you up as soon as you went in.

"Aster?!"

Against his better judgment, Bunny jumped down into the dark hole. He landed on all fours as his feet met cold stone. After regaining his bearings, he slowly stood up and sniffed the air. He recoiled in disgust as a rancid scent hit his nose and made his eyes water. He couldn't see anything, but he could tell that Pitch sure had kept his lair in awful shape.

Baby Tooth landed on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. The pooka started making his way through the narrow tunnel. He kept both paws to the walls so he would know that he was still moving forward. He walked like this for a few minutes before a sudden white light flooded his vision. Bunny held his paw out in front of him until his eyes adjusted to the light. What he saw then made his blood run cold.

Jack had told them months ago what Pitch's cave had looked like. The hanging cages and the Gothic Venice architecture was gone. In its place was nothing but a huge crater that took up the middle of the cave and spread almost to the walls. The cave's stone was a rotten green color that looked like it would fall apart at the slightest touch. The whole lair was swamped in darkness with only the outline of the giant crater being visible.

Something caught Bunny's eye. All the way across the cave, a faint golden glow shone from the wall.

"Aster!"

Jack's voice came calling again. This time, however, it sounded different. She sounded like she was in so much pain. She sounded scared.

Bunny turned his gaze to the small fairy on his shoulder. "Baby Tooth, I need ya to go back to the Tooth Palace. Tell Toothiana that I've found Snowflake. Tell the others to wait at North Pole," with a hesitant nod, Baby Tooth flew back though the tunnel quickly. The pooka waited until he could no longer hear the beating of her tiny wings before turning back to the situation in front of him.

He wondered if he could just summon a tunnel and travel over to the light. The idea was quickly cast aside. He didn't even know if the light was a room or if was just a crack in the wall letting it in. Bunny then noticed a narrow walkway going along the wall. Squinting his eyes, he saw that it wound all the way around the wall and to the light. Testing it out, Bunny shifted his weight to his toes and held onto the crags jutting out from the wall. He then cautiously yet quickly started making his way around the large crater.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed as a pad on his paw was cut by a sharp rock. It wasn't extremely deep, but it hurt. Trying to ignore the stinging, the pooka continued moving. It didn't take much longer for him to make it around the pit.

The light that he had seen was coming from behind a slightly open door. Jumping from his narrow walkway and onto the strong slab of stone supporting the door, Bunny took out one of his boomerangs and pressed his long ear to the first he heard nothing. Then, little by little his ear picked up on small whimpers that seemed to grow louder and louder. Pushing the door open, the pooka's eyes widened at the gruesome sight.

In the middle of the room stood a large stone that almost looked like a bed but without the blankets, mattress, and pillow. Jack was kneeling on the stone with her hands shackled above her and tied to the ceiling by an iron chain. Similar shackles bound her ankles and were tied to a iron stake on the floor. Her hair had grown longer, but it was severely matted in some spots and the snow-silver color had dulled. She had on a strapless blue dress, but it was torn in places and so dirty that it looked like it had been used as a rag. Emerald eyes then wandered to the snow spirit's now visibly skinnier arms. Large black and blue bruises traveled up almost every inch of pale skin. The spirit's head was hanging downward, her dirtied bangs covering her eyes.

Bunny always felt an aura of playfulness and optimism when around her. But that was gone now, he looked at her deeply, the look in her eyes he had seen before...on a small blue bunny seeing its reflection in a sea of tears.

"...Jack?"

Her head shot up immediately at the sound of Bunny's voice. Tears were streaming down from her enlarged blue eyes and over her now more prominent cheekbones. But what captured Bunny's attention most of all was the largest bruise he had ever seen that covered almost all of the half side of her face.

"Bunny..." her voice was so horse and quiet that the pooka almost didn't hear her. She suddenly burst into hysterical tears.

Bunny rushed over to her and was able to break the chain holding her hands. Before a word could leave his mouth, Jack threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest sobbing. Bunny wound one of his arms around her waist and cradled her head gently with his other paw. He wouldn't let her feel the suffering he had so many years ago, when he looked into the river. He had been running for hours, never stopping or looking back, until he got to a small stream and stopped. He saw himself in the crystal waters, but what he saw made him cry. He saw the truth in that reflection: that he was alone, that everyone he had loved was dead. It sickened him to his core...but he would not let Jack feel that anguish, he'd be there for her.

"Jack...what did they do to ya?" he asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

A loud knock on the wooden door made them both jump. Jack's eyes widened in fear and clutched on tighter to the pooka's fur.

"How is this door closed?! Lord Insid wishes to speak with you!" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

"Bunny, you have to hide, now," Jack whispered as panic slowly slipped into her eyes.

"No, mate, we're gettin' out of here!" he hissed back. The knocking became louder.

"We can't escape by tunnels. Insid will sick his nightmares on us. Please, just hide," she pleaded. Bunny looked into her eyes studying the panic and fear that had taken refuge in them. With a hesitant nod, he slipped into the shadows.

Jack's POV

The door finally burst open and two armored guards muscled their way into the small room. One of them grabbed the chain that was attached to Jack's hand shackles and pulled her forward while the other guard picked up the end. The snow spirit spotted Bunny following them by staying in the shadows.

"Please Bunny, don't follow," she pleaded silently. This was the worst part of her being captured. She hadn't eaten in three weeks and it had obviously taken toll on her body. The only thing keeping her from dying of starvation was her divine powers as a spirit, but even they seemed to be slipping away. She yelped as the guard in front of her yanked on her chain causing her to go sprawling out on the floor. Insid sat on his throne, the only thing of Pitch's that his younger brother hadn't destroyed.

"On your feet, filthy wench!" the Nightmare guard barked, grabbing a fistful of the winter spirit's hair and hauling her to her feet. Tears sprung from her eyes as another whimper escaped from her lips. Would the pain ever stop?

Insid held up his hand and the guards stepped back. The blonde walked down until he was a step above Jack. She was staring down at the ground, her bangs once again covering her eyes.

"Now, now Jackie, there's no need to be afraid. Let's see that pretty face of yours," he cooed, slipping his bony hand under her chin. The snow spirit recoiled from the appendage and whimpered like a helpless animal.

Quirking an eyebrow but saying nothing else, Insid began slowly circling Jack while wearing a "cat-who-ate-the-canary" smirk. "I hope that you've cleared that little head of yours and reconsidered my proposition."

Silence.

Stopping in front of her, the blonde bent down until he was level with Jack's bent head. "You do remember what that offer was...don't you?"

After a few seconds, the snow spirit slowly nodded her head.

"Good girl. Now..." out of thin air a small box of nightmare sand formed in Insid's hand. He held it under Jack's nose and opened it. Inside was a ring mounted with an extremely large emerald, "will you, Jaqueline Frost, be my Snow Queen? Will you marry me?"

Silence filled the cave for so long you could hear a pin drop. Jack finally raised her head. Fear was still in her eyes, but defiance suddenly flared in them. "No."

BAM!

Jack hit the floor with a sickening thud. Insid's acid green eyes blazed with fury as blood dripped from his knuckles where they had connected with the snow spirit's jaw. Suddenly, he seemed to calm down. Bending over Jack's trembling body he said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Just remember, I only hit you because I love you."

Post notes-

... *holds up shield* Throw all the things you want at me, I deserve it.