Okay. Throwing out a general warning. Not as dark as last chapter, but...you'll see. All I can say is please trust me.
Songs this chapter was written to: How to Save a Life by The Fray; When a Heart Breaks by Ben Rector; Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan; and Terrible Things by Mayday Parade.
Whoever wills the ends, will also…the means.
-Immanuel Kent, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, 1785
Present:
"What was that?" Pitch strode into the cavern from one of the shadows on the high platforms, looking around at the hanging cages. When he saw the missing cage he slipped back into shadow and came out near the ground.
Jack looked up at his approach, breaking into a cold sweat as he took in Pitch's expression. Outrage was warred with cruel amusement. Pitch halted ten feet from the cage.
"You broke your cage," he observed. "But not well enough, it seems. You still can't fly away." Pitch slinked forward like a moving oil slick. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as he hissed, "Did you enjoy your dreams, Jack? After this stunt, I may have to give you more."
Jack clutched the anklet. No. No, he couldn't take any more dreams like that. He didn't want to see any more blood or bone or betrayal…
Please, he begged to himself, please hurry. Bunny—Aster, I need you.
"What is that?" Pitch glared at Jack's hand, the one holding the anklet. When Jack stared at him quietly, unanswering, Pitch's face twisted into a snarl. "What is it?"
Pitch came forward a step, but before he could come closer the ground opened up in a wide hole between them. From the hole came a tiny green feathered blur of speed that was Baby Tooth.
Pitch cried out as Baby Tooth went straight for his face, pecking at him with her sharp beak. He swiped his hands around, trying to knock her away, but she dodged him readily.
"Baby Tooth!" Jack said, relief sharp in his voice. Bunny came moments after her from the tunnel, snarling as he joined Baby Tooth in fighting Pitch. As more people emerged, Jack let out a giddy sound that was thick with amazement.
They'd come for him. They'd come for him.
Suddenly nightmares began creeping from the shadows. There weren't enough to prove a huge challenge, Pitch hadn't had enough time to build himself up that strong again, but there were enough to be a slight threat. "Get them!" Pitch growled, fending off a blow from Bunny.
The nightmares reared, and converged on the hole. North pulled twin swords from his belt, and began fighting with a loud laugh. Sandy took to the air, Toothiana following with her own wickedly curved saber in hand. Several mini fairies aided her.
North sliced through a nightmare, and spotted Jack in the cage. "Hold on Jack! We'll get you out!"
Jack nodded. He sat up, making a pained sound when his arm was jostled.
"Are you hurt?" North ran a nightmare through the middle with his blade.
Bunny's ear perked at the question, and paid for the momentary distraction. Pitch knocked him in the chest, but Bunny bounced right back with more force.
"I think my arm's broken." He put the anklet on one-handed, and cradled his broken arm tight to his right side. He heard the wrench of metal, and looked up to see the cage bars being pulled apart by Phil.
"Phil?!" Jack reached with his good hand, happy to see him.
Phil reached through the opening and bodily lifted Jack from the cage. He held Jack to him, mindful of Jack's arm, mumbling words in Yettish.
Jack buried his face in Phil's chest, but before he could speak a nightmare came at them without their initial notice. Jack prepared for the impact. The nightmare was suddenly knocked aside by an angrily yelling yeti.
"Debbie?" Jack blinked. "You're here too?"
Debbie huffed at the fallen nightmare, and smiled at Jack. She greeted him in Yettish.
Jack looked up at Phil, entirely serious. "I like her."
Phil nodded his agreement.
Jack searched the air for Tooth, and spotted her fighting off two nightmares. She, North, and Sandy were doing well keeping the nightmares away from Jack, Debbie, and Phil while Bunny and Baby Tooth went for Pitch.
"Tooth!" Jack called. "Pitch hid my staff somewhere!"
"Got it!" She ordered the fairies to look for the staff, and they flew off as she resumed fighting.
Jack squirmed in Phil's grip. "Put me down. I can still help."
Phil put him down, but stopped Jack from trying to fight.
"For once, let us be helping you, Jack," North called. "Take care of arm. You are in no condition to fight."
Jack, oddly enough, listened. He was tired, and nearly sick with relief now that they were here. He wasn't as scared anymore. Pitch wasn't near strong enough to fight them like he had last year. This was a battle the Guardians would win.
"Enough!"
Pitch, who had been on the losing side of his fight, got a hit in on Bunny. As Bunny was knocked aside, Pitch snatched up Baby Tooth. She screeched her protective rage, struggling valiantly in his hand.
"You," Pitch hissed, "are an annoyance."
He covered her head with his thumb, and squeezed. There was a tiny snap.
Pitch tossed her aside to the dirt. She hit, rolled a bit, and didn't move. Bunny came at Pitch, roaring his anger with sharp nails extended.
"Baby Tooth," Jack said, horrified. "Baby Tooth!"
Jack ran, ignoring the concerned calling of Phil and Debbie. He ducked around nightmares, rolled under hooves, desperate to reach her. He tripped, arm shooting fiery pain up the limb, and crawled the last few feet to her side. She lay in the dirt, unmoving, colorful feathers muted by the dust from the ground. In his head a memory flashed.
"Wow. I've never seen one of you up close before."
Shaking, he turned her over gently.
"You…wait, can you see me?"
She stared blankly ahead, mismatched eyes dull, and they shouldn't be like that. They were supposed to be big and warm and bright, not dull.
"You're real. You're really real."
Gently, so gently, he shifted her into his palm. He suddenly realized how tiny she was, to fit in his hand so well.
"So…can I name you?"
Jack whimpered at her limpness. Heads weren't meant to loll like that.
"Then how about…"
"Baby Tooth," Jack whispered. Tremors claimed his voice with each word he spoke. "Baby Tooth? Come on. This isn't—you're not—you can't—" His words descended into gibberish.
"Baby Tooth? Will I ever see you again?"
Jack hunched over, and screamed.
Aster jerked his head around at Jack's scream. "Ja—ooph!"
"Don't look away, rabbit." Pitch shoved the butt of his scythe into Aster's stomach.
Bunny coughed, and swiped his arm to knock the scythe aside. Loosed from Pitch's grip, it disintegrated into shadow. He jumped forward and tackled Pitch, pinning him to the ground. Pitch laughed up at Bunny. "What now, then? You can't kill me, rabbit, just as I can't kill you, else the world go along with you. What are we to do; stay locked in an eternal duel?"
"No."
The voice was quiet. The silence that followed seemed to be lifted straight from a midnight graveyard. Aster noticed that the nightmares had all been dealt with, as the Guardians and yeti had come closer and not a single bit of the creatures was left. He focused on Jack.
The boy was hunched over, with Baby Tooth cradled to his chest. His right arm was held close to his side.
"Aster, get away from him."
"Jack…"
"Please."
The way he said it made Bunny listen, despite his misgivings. Once he was away, Pitch scrambled to his feet.
Jack stood slowly. "Where's my staff?"
Phil came forward with it. The fairies must have found it and given it to him at some point. Phil offered it, concern scrunching his eyes.
Jack hesitated, and then transferred Baby Tooth to Phil in return for the staff. Phil was careful to be gentle.
There was something off. There was a strange, foreboding feeling in the room. Even Pitch was aware of it, backing slowly away. The Guardians were spread out on all sides of the Bogeyman, excepting behind him, but the only thing that was back there was a stone wall. There were no shadows thick enough to be used for transport, and he wouldn't be able to get past the Guardians or yeti, so his escape routes had been effectively cut off.
When Jack turned around, Bunny finally saw Jack's expression for the first time in the whole encounter.
There was no smile. There were no bright eyes, or quirked brow. Instead there was a strange stillness; a heavy calm. It made Bunny uncomfortable to see him like that. Jack Frost was not suited to stillness.
Jack stepped forward, and Pitch stepped back, pressing against the wall.
"What will you do, Jackson?" Pitch smirked his bravado. "You can't kill me."
"I can't," Jack admitted. "The world needs fear, if only so that they can have courage as well." Jack looked him in the eye, and seemed disappointed for a brief second. "But I can't change you, either."
Jack's grip became so tight on his staff, Bunny saw his knuckles turn deathly white.
"Someone once told me," he said softly, "that people are scared of winter, because they're afraid they'll become trapped in it forever. He wasn't right," Jack paused, "but he wasn't wrong, either."
"What does Kozmotis have to do with this?" Pitch hissed. He tried to move carefully to the side, but Sandy was there instantly, blocking his way. The Sandman wagged a chastising finger at Pitch. Pitch glared and moved back.
"Because he wasn't wrong," Jack repeated. He pointed his staff directly at Pitch. "He wasn't wrong, and I am going to make you fear winter."
Bright blue light shot from Jack's staff, hitting Pitch in the chest. From the point it hit ice spread in sharp tendrils, wrapping around Pitch's limbs and torso, spreading out to connect him to the wall.
"What?" Pitch gasped, trying to shake the ice off, but already barely able to so much as twitch in its hold. "No!" The ice squirmed up his neck and jaw, into his screaming mouth. It covered him entirely, and in mere seconds Pitch Black was no more than a frozen screaming statue on the wall.
Jack breathed deeply. He'd drained a lot of magic to do that. Ice that wouldn't melt was hard to make, and would require future upkeep to be permanent.
But he had done it. He had trapped Pitch in ice, forever frozen. Not dead, but not a threat anymore, either. He hadn't know he could this sort of thing. How was it that he only discovered his ability to do grand feats of magic when he was suffering? When something precious was taken from him? When…
Jack closed his eyes, shook with exhaustion, sobbed once, and passed out.
Dream:
"Baby Tooth, have you ever made a wish?"
He felt her shake her head from her position nuzzled into his chest. He was laid back on a rooftop, the moon bright in the sky.
"That's no fun; why not?"
A shrug this time. She lifted her head, and cooed a question at him, poking his chest.
"Me?" She nodded. "No, I haven't."
She hummed a tiny concerned sound.
"It's not any big reason," he assured. "I guess I've just seen too many wishes go unanswered." He closed his eyes.
Baby Tooth crawled up his chest, and cupped his face. Jack reopened his eyes, and frowned. "What is it?"
She stared at him for a moment, then up at the stars. She seemed to pick one, and clapped her hands to her chest. She closed her eyes. She muttered soft little he didn't understand. After she stopped, she smiled gently down at him.
"What did you wish for?" he asked.
She laughed, high pitched and sweet, and shook her head. She pointed at him.
"Me?" Jack blinked. "You made a wish for me?"
She nodded, and Jack bit his lip, touched and momentarily stunned. He closed his eyes again, if only to hide their sudden wetness. He didn't cry, but he did smile. "Thank you."
Present:
Jack woke briefly to the careful sway of being carried. He was warm, and the arms holding him were covered in soft fur, as was the chest he pressed his face into. Bunny was holding him, then. They were walking through the tunnels. Behind them, he could hear Toothiana crying.
"Aster?" he mumbled. "Where's Baby Tooth?"
Bunny's mouth tightened. "We've got her, Snowflake."
Jack sighed in relief. "Good."
He fell back asleep.
