A/N As always, I own only my two RotG OCs, Haley O' Eve and Mabella Amour. The rest, being the characters and mentioned plot of the movie, are owned by Dreamworks and William Joyce.
Chapter 12
The next morning, Haley awoke in her own bed, still smiling from the previous evening. After Pitch dropped her off at her house, she went straight to bed, feeling very sleepy.
Now awake, she went into the nursery, finding the presents she got at her baby shower in the room. The crib was against the dark-gray wall, the changing table was across the room, the stuffed cow was on said table, and she assumed the clothes and other things were in the drawers.
She took the stuffed cow, which she named Naturaleza, which was Spanish for 'nature,' and hugged it to her chest. She had three more months before she could meet her son, and she was very excited. What would he look like? Would he have green eyes? Or gold and silver? He would definitely have black hair/fur, since both Pitch and herself had black hair and fur respectively. On that note, would he be completely covered in fur, or would he simply have hair like his father? Would he have paws and a tail?
The more she wondered about what the baby would look like, the more excited she became.
Giving Naturaleza one last squeeze and placed it back in the crib. She stepped downstairs and into the kitchen. "Would you like a fish and cheese omelet, Badilón?" She mewed, laying a paw on her belly.
The baby, whose name had been unanimously chosen at the baby shower, pressed against her paw. "Muy bien. [Very well.]" She prepared an omelet with cheese and fish, a glass of warm milk—she never liked cold milk—and some licorice. Upon finishing her breakfast, she stepped outside to check on her pumpkin patch. Her large patch of pumpkins grew hundreds of pumpkins for the world's Jack O' Lanterns, so she took great care of them.
After checking all of the pumpkins, Haley curled up under her Haunted Tree. As she drifted off into a nap, she rolled onto her back, exposing her underbelly to the warm sun, purring happily.
Unknown to her, Mortem and three other Hellhounds were stalking close to her house from all corners.
Haley was pulled from her sleep by a foul scent. Wrinkling her nose, she rolled to her feet. "What on earth is that horrid smell?" She couldn't identify it at all. But as she continued to smell it, one element stood out: dog.
Her ears bent down and her eyes widened in terror. The fur on the back of her neck and on her tail stood up. "Where are you, ¿bastardos caninos?" She snarled, baring her teeth.
For one beat, nothing. Then, suddenly, Mortem leapt into the yard with a roar. Screeching in fright, Haley spun around and jumped over the fence, accidentally crashing into another Hellhound. She screamed again and ran away on all fours. Two things were on her mind:
1. Protect her baby.
2. Get away from these monsters.
Mortem and the Hellhounds chased after Haley, with shadows trailing behind them at their heels and tails. The leader growled at his companions, Circle around and cut her off! Surround her if you must. But do not harm her! Master Grimm wants her and her kit alive.
The three Hellhounds ran to the sides and ahead of Haley, who was beginning to tire; because she was still carrying her kit, she wasn't as fast as she used to be. She internally cursed herself for not having her weapons bag on her, especially since she didn't have her candy corn to transport her somewhere safer. But if she was right in that these were Hellhounds chasing her, they could find anyone in the world. She wondered if it was Hellhounds she and Pitch hear the previous night, since they were known for a chilling howl.
She glanced over her shoulder, flinching when she still saw the larger Hellhound was still chasing her. But where are the others?
Looking forward, to her horror, she saw two of the three missing Hellhounds running ahead. They skidded to a stop and turned to her, grinning evilly. When she tried to leap over them, the last missing Hellhound leapt from out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground, though he was careful not to injure her.
It's nothing personal, Ms. O' Eve, Mortem said, even though he knew she couldn't understand him, as he used his hypnotizing eyes to lull her into unconsciousness. It's just business.
When Haley slowly awoke, she found herself in a dark cave, with only a candle as a source of light. The air smelled salty, and she had a strange feeling that she was underground.
She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes with a groan. "What happened?"
"I do hope my Hellhounds treated you well."
She turned sharply at the voice, finding a tall, clocked figure standing behind her. She couldn't see his face, but she did see two eyes that seemed to be glowing. "Who…who are you?" She whimpered.
"Now, how did I know you would ask that?" The figure asked rhetorically. "I am that person everyone eventually meets…though some, such as you and Jack Frost, were lucky ones." He muttered something about the moon and someone interfering with his work.
Haley's eyes widened in shock. "You're Death! The Grim Reaper!"
"Precisely, my dear. I am Grimm D. Reaper, a, I suppose you could call, unofficial Guardian of Death. But it seems there is no need for that. Well, no matter, I suppose."
"What do you want with me? Why am I here?"
"It's that prophecy I have a bone to pick with—no pun intended." He showed her his pale, skeletal-looking hands. "The one that says you are to have a child the first of November who will raise the dead." He clasped his hands behind his back, as he had been doing prior, and stepped closer to Haley, who had stood to her feet by now. "And that, I simply cannot allow. Why? Because once someone dies…they stay dead."
"But you said Jack and I were lucky." Haley pointed out, backing away from the cloaked figure.
"That I did." Grimm agreed. "But I had no choice in the matter. That wretched Man in the Moon stuck his nose where it shouldn't belong, interfering with the natural order of things! And now he has decided someone will revive the dead? As I said, I cannot allow that."
"Wh-what are you going to do with my baby?" She hissed softly, wrapping her arms around her belly as though she could protect him that way.
Grimm chuckled sinisterly. "Let's just say I will make sure this child won't see the light of day. Interpret that any way you want, seeing as there is no natural sunlight down here." He turned to walk away. "My Deathlins will deliver you food. After the first of November comes and goes, you may leave." But you can't bring your son. He implied as he disappeared through the wall.
"You monster!" She screamed, leaping after him. She crashed into the wall, leaving only minor scratches in the rock. "¡Es mejor dejar a mi bebé en paz! [You better leave my baby alone!]" She paced around the room on all fours, growling and trying to find a way out. The room was entirely made of stone, and had nothing in it save for herself and the aforementioned candle. But the candle would do her no good in escaping. And even if by some miracle she did escape her prison, she had no idea where to go to get back to the surface.
She was stuck, and the others didn't know what had happened to her.
She sat down with a heavy sigh, willing herself not to cry. I'm not going to be one of those damsels-in-distress who cries until her prince rescues her. Whether Pitch and the others rescue me, I'm not sitting around like a useless lump. I'm going to find a way out of here, if it's the last thing I ever do. Grimm D. Reaper, I slipped through your fingers once, and mark my words, not only will I do so again, but I will take my baby as well.
Pitch materialized next to the Haunted Tree, where he always came out of to visit Haley. He cocked an eyebrow when he noticed she wasn't lying by the tree. When the weather was nice, and the sunshine was warm, she was always curled up under the tree, or at least in her pumpkin patch. But both the tree and patch were vacant. And her witch hat was lying in the grass several feet away from the fence.
Perhaps she's inside. He grabbed her hat, walked in, calling out for the Halloween cat. But she was nowhere to be found. Not even in the nursery or her hidden candy factory. When he asked her two pet owls, Raúl and Sócrates, if they had seen her, they cocked their heads in confusion.
As he passed over her room, he noticed something odd: her weapons bag was still on the dresser. She never went anywhere without the bag slung over her shoulder and across her chest.
Pitch picked it up and tossed it once in his hand, humming in thought. "Where are you, Gumdrop?" He muttered. Where would she be if she wasn't at home? The only places he could think of would be Mabella's house, Burgess, or perhaps even Bunnymund's Warren.
He decided to go to Bunnymund's Warren first, knowing he would be the most upset that Haley was missing.
"Are you sure she's simply not somewhere else?" Bunnymund asked, crossing his arms.
"Are you calling me overprotective?" Pitch raised an eyebrow, not meaning any hostility. "After all, who was the one who got the most angry when we had our fight?"
"…Touché." The Pooka begrudgingly agreed.
"Besides, if she was indeed somewhere else, wouldn't you think she would bring these with her?" He held up her weapons bag and hat.
Bunnymund's green eyes widened. "Why didn't ya mention that in the first place?"
"You didn't give me a chance."
"Did you check anywhere else?"
"Not yet. I went to you first because I knew you would freak out and get upset that you weren't told first."
"Well, what are you waiting for?!" He practically stomped his foot on the ground and leapt into the hole. Not knowing where they were going, Pitch jumped down as well, melting into the shadows.
Mabella's house was the first stop. Unfortunately, the love spirit didn't know where her best friend was. "Perhaps we should go to North's Workshop and call together a meeting? She would surely answer. And even if she didn't, someone would surely know where she is."
"Good idea, love." Bunnymund nodded.
The trio soon arrived at North's Workshop. They explained what was happening to the Russian man, and Pitch showed him Haley's weapon bag and hat. He agreed to call all of the Guardians to the workshop. "Don't forget she is still with kit," He said. "It is imperious that we find her. There are those who may not be pleased that a spirit is having baby."
"There are other spirits?" Jack asked.
Sandy nodded, forming a four-leafed clover shape over his head. "And that bloody groundhog." Bunnymund grumbled.
"Not to mention the Master of Death himself." Tooth shuddered.
"The Grim Reaper?"
"Close," Mabella said. "He is known as Grimm D. Reaper. He knows when your time is up, and goes to collect your soul."
"Or he used to." Bunnymund scoffed. "For the past hundreds of years, he's been sittin' on his lazy arse; makin' his Hellhounds do all the work."
Pitch's ears perked up. "Hellhounds? Do they, by any chance, have a chilling howl?"
"Of course," Tooth nodded. "They're known for that. And a nasty smell."
"When Haley and I were sailing in the Nightmare Galleon, we heard a few howls like that. We only assumed they were wolves."
"Not technically, I suppose." Jack said. "Do you think Grimm knows about Badilón?"
"If he does, he better not harm neither Haley nor our baby." Pitch growled.
A/N As per usual, I had a bit of trouble starting this chapter. But I think it's a pretty good one, especially since the big part of the story is starting.
On the poll for Haley and Pitch's baby, Badilón was the only one that got votes; three at that. I like it the best as well, so it's gonna be canon :3 According to Google Translate (where I go to for my language translations and word pronunciations [I'm too lazy to check a dictionary/I get confused by the various letter symbolisims]) it's pronounced ba-dee-lohn.
Upon doing a bit of research about Hellhounds, I learned that they, according to folkore, have a nasty smell. So I worked that in, including that they smell a bit like dog (our own dog, who's outside [we live on a farm, so she has plenty of room to run around] smells really bad XP) And as we all know, poor Haley has a big phobia of dogs. And these are large, black, skeletal dogs with ragged wings, horns, red eyes, a nasty smell, and long claws.
Hellhounds speak a language all their own. The only ones who know it are Grimm and his Deathlins. To others, it comes out as growls. BTW, the "hypnotic eyes" are things I made up, and may/may not have been inspired by Kaa from Jungle Book.
I finally decided on a voice actor for Grimm. For some reason, Liam Neeson sounds like a good choice. He has kind of a raspy voice, which I imagine Grimm having. As you can see here, Grimm isn't entirely bad, though he's not really good either. He's just pissed that not only did the Man in the Moon cause two people, (Jack Frost and Haley) who were supposed to die, to be come immortal spirits ,(without telling him, to boot) but now a new spirit is gonna be born and make dead spirits rise, which in his stubborn mind means they're gonna come to life. He will occasionally revive a soul or two with reincarnation, but only when HE decides. Basically, he has a vendetta against the Man in the Moon.
I'm really trying not to make Haley a "damsel-in-distress" by having her sit and cry. She has a baby to protect and a family to get back to, so she's gonna try and get out.