Jess took a step back and stared at Pitch with wide eyes. "M-my father?"

"Yes," Pitch crooned, walking around Jess. "You could go back to that day and save your father. Your family would be happy and your mother wouldn't ever abuse you, blame you, drive you to your self-destruction," Pitch said quietly as he gestured to her bandaged stomach. "Don't you want that?"

Jess hesitated a moment. Then she whirled on Pitch. "Wait, you're the one who likes spreading fear, who feeds on children's desperation and anxiety. Why would you want to help me be happy?"

Pitch sighed, almost in an annoyed way. "I've already told you. I'm tired of fighting, of going back and forth between having you as my prisoner, and Jack as my prisoner. And if you go back and fix this, none of this will have ever happened and I would be spared this annoyance."

Jess looked at the dark tiled floor and thought about Pitch's offer. She so badly wanted to accept, to go back and fix everything. But another part of her screamed at her to not trust Pitch, that he had something planned that would come back to blow up in her face.

After what seemed like hours, Jess looked up, meeting Pitch's eyes. "I accept your offer."

Pitch smiled, his lips curling back into a malicious looking grin. "Wonderful! Follow me and I will instruct you on your return."

Jess paused a moment before following Pitch deeper into his fortress. As she followed him, Jess traced her fingers along the walls of the cavernous tunnels. Jess glanced over her shoulder, feeling as though the shadows were following her. But she knew that was ridiculous since the only creature to waltz through shadows was leading her through this tunnel.

Jess turned her head to look forward again and found that Pitch was holding open a door for her. "Come on, we don't have all day."

Jess removed her fingers from the cold wall and walked briskly through the doorway, Pitch following and closing the door behind her.

Jess took in her surroundings, though they were very small. The room was thrown with shadows from a small oil lamp that sat on a short wooden table in the center of the room. On either side of the table were chairs, short wooden chairs. Pitch gestured for Jess to have a seat in one of them as he took the other chair.

Jess slid into the empty chair and stared across the lamp at Pitch. "What now?"

Pitch grinned and touched the lamps surface with a finger. The flame sputtered and then grew larger, filling up the space between the two. Jess pushed back from the table in shock and pressed against the wall. "W-what-?"

"It's a portal to wherever you wish to go in time. Just say the time and place you wish and you will be transported there. But this is a one way trip, I must warn you."

Jess took a deep breath and said, "My house by Spring Creek Bay, eight years ago in the winter."

The orange flames swirled around becoming white hot before taking for and color. Jess gasped aloud as the scene of the day of her father's death took form in front of her.

"Step through, it won't stay forever."

Jess stood there, staring at the portal holding the scene in a frozen moment. Jess so badly wanted to step through it, to go into her father's embrace and keep him there. But at the same time, she knew she might never meet Jack or the other Guardians. Jess stood there, tears of frustration welling in her eyes.

"Jess!"

It was a distant voice, it sounded like Jack. Jess turned and realized it was coming from the other side of the door. "J-jack?" She couldn't believe they had already come back for her. Had they even gone back?

Pitch scowled. "Jess! The portal won't stay open forever. "Have you made your decision yet?"

Jess turned to face the portal, staring at the scene in front of her. She took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder.

Jack stumbled through the halls of Pitch's lair, hissing as he felt pain shoot through his body from his reopened wounds. "Jess!"

Jack had refused to leave Jess here, he had forced the Guardians to turn around immediately and take him back. Bunny followed Jack through the halls, glancing at the young winter spirit every now and then, making sure he wasn't over exerting himself. As much as Bunny denied it publicly, he cared for the boy and his safety.

Jack found a closed door at the end of a long hallway and tried the knob. It was locked.

Jack turned back to Bunny, desperation lighting his eyes. "Bunny, Jess is in there. I can feel it."

Bunny narrowed his eyes at Jack, thinking that Jess had said the same thing when they were looking for him. Bunny nodded eventually. "Alright, stand back mate. I'll knock the door down."

Jack took a few steps backwards and watched Bunny as he charged at the door. The wooden door splintered on impact.

Jack raced over, ignoring his wounds. He raced in through the door and scanned the room. There was a single person standing in the room.

"Pitch! Where's Jess? I know she was in here!"

Pitch laughed and smiled cruelly. "She's not here anymore. You were right though that she was here. But she took me up on a little offer I made."

"And what offer would that be?" Jack growled.

"I offered her a chance to go back to the day her father was killed and stop the incident from happening. And you know what that means, don't you?"

Jack stood there, Bunny tense beside him, confused.

Pitch sighed, exasperated and said, "She will never meet you. The way her timeline starts going after her father is saved, she will never have met you, never know you at all."

Jack gasped audibly. "No! She would never-! But we…I mean, she wouldn't…no…"

Bunny pushed Jack behind him and glared at Pitch. "You're a liar! Give Jess back to us now!"

"You don't believe me? Take a look." Pitch tossed a small black orb in their direction. Jack reached around Bunny and caught it. Jack looked into the orb and saw an image of Jess hiding behind a bush watching a man and a young girl who looked a lot like her.

Jack's eyes widened. "No…"

Pitch laughed harshly. "You know she went back for more than just saving her father. She went back to save herself the agony of living with an abusive mother. But more importantly, she left to save herself from another agony."

"And what the hell would that be?" Bunny growled, standing protectively at Jack's shoulder.

Pitch let out a hark of laughter. "She left to save herself from the agony of meeting you, Jack Frost."

A/N: Sorry that this took so long to update and that it's so short. But I promise that the next chapter will be longer. I'm just working on gathering up my thoughts for the final chapters since I have something awesome planned! Anyway, enjoy, R&R. Thanks!