I was just review-spammed by a guest reader named Frostbite. Weird, but appreciated. ^.^

Oh, and I have a question for Raven: Do you happen to be a Harry Potter fan? Because if so, then I immediately respect and admire and worship you. :D

Um, what else? Uh, I think I made the basketball team, but I won't know until Monday. I'm so scared. /.\

I own nothing.

Two days had passed since Jack had been brought in, and Tooth could easily see the difference between Jack before and Jack now. He was no longer trying to hide his pain, or trying to assure everybody that he was alright, that nothing was wrong; she guessed that it was because that they now knew that everything was not okay, that he was not alright. There was no use in pretending anymore. But he refused to allow them to work on his injuries, insisting that they would heal on their own. Nor would he tell them what had happened between him and Pitch. Even though they knew that Jack could die from them being untreated, though, they respected his decision and left him alone, and instead focused on trying to make him eat. He cooperated willingly, and they tried all sorts of foods special-made by . But each and every time, he would immediately throw it up less than a couple minutes later, as if his stomach was too curdled with disgust to even try and process any food.

For the first time, she actually saw how deeply scarred Jack had been from whatever happened. Each time he drifted off to sleep, which would be four to five times a day(something the Guardians worried about- what if he never woke up?), he would wake up and hour or so later, screaming at the top of his lungs, writhing around in the bed so violently that she feared that he was going to break something. It would take the strength of both Bunny and North combined to try and pin him down, and even then, sometimes Tooth or the sandman had to pitch in. Even though nobody would mention them after they had occurred, Bunny or North always hovered by Jack when he happened to have fallen asleep, ready to keep him from hurting himself.

Then, during the day, he would attempt to be his normal self, and make a joke or two, but they were dry and humorless, and more than often would just stare out into space, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Tooth could see that he was forcing himself not to space out and become lost in another flash. They were often worse than his nightmares. He would just stare at an object, then he would start convulsing terribly, each cough wracking his body, blood spattering his mouth and landing on the starch-white covers as his pupils eclipsed his irises. He would make no sounds or signs for help, nor could the other Guardians try; he was in a place so far away from them, and no matter what they did, nothing could bring him back. He would be gone in that place for a couple minutes at first, but then, as time wore on, so did the time he spent in there. Minutes stretched into hours, and Tooth often found herself losing feathers as she watched him mentally leave her. For the first time in over a thousand years, Tooth felt...helpless.

Maybe if he just told me what had happened I could help him, she had thought in frustration after he had refused to talk to her after another horrible dream.

Perhaps had MiM seen her frustration, and had broken Jack down a little inside, because one day, after he had woken up from a nightmare, he had finally broken down.

"Pitch…" he tried, but his voice cracked. He swallowed, trying to flush the images from his last nightmare down the mental drain as he looked up at Tooth. But they flooded back through his gates, and again he could see her falling...falling into a sea of fire... "Get the others in here," he rasped, his voice low and colder than he had wanted it to be. "I…I-I need to tell them what happened."

"Okay. I'll send in one of the yetis to watch you." She stood up, then leaned over and gently kissed his forehead before flittering out of the room. Phil then shambled into the room, waving at Jack. He attempted to grin at the yeti, but the muscles in his face weren't working right, and he ended up making an odd sort of grimace at him. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to find that momentary peace between sleep and awareness.

"He's awake!" The words were blurted from Tooth's mouth as soon as she threw open the doors of North's office.

The other three Guardians looked up from something on the table. "What? He is awake?" North demanded, leaning away from the others, an incredulous look on his face.

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, he just woke up. He had this really bad nightmare, but I think he's ready. He seemed a bit strange, though."

"What do you mean, really strange?" Bunny asked, raising a furry eyebrow.

"He…I don't know. Just the way he was looking at me, and he seemed so cold. But I think I got him back. And…he's ready to tell us what happened."

They exchanged glances. "Well, we don't want to keep the frostbite waiting, now do we, mates?" Bunny said in the most cheerful voice he could manage, though everybody could hear the strain in his voice. But they just went back up to the infirmary.

Jack was propped up against the bedpost, staring at the plate of cookies and a cup of milk just lying on the table next to him. He looked up at the sound of feet.

"Bunny. Sandy. North," he rasped when he saw them, grinning slightly, though the motion just made him resemble a grinning skull.

"Jack," North greeted, pulling a chair out next to his bed and sat in it. He took one of the cookies from the tray and handed it to Jack. He hesitated, then took it with a trembling hand. He examined it curiously before taking a bite out of it. He chewed it for a while, then his face puckered; hastily, he grabbed a bucket that was lying beside his bed and vomited into it.

North stared as he pulled his head out, his face sickly green. Nobody had EVER gotten sick from his cookies! Not ever! They were the best of the best, purely homemade, even baked with actual love! And if Jack couldn't even hold that down…...no wonder he was so skinny.

"Are you okay, mate?" Bunny asked, laying his paw on Jack's shoulder.

He nodded. "Yeah. I-I'm ready to do this." Tooth gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Sandy perched himself on above Jack's head post and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"We're all here for you Jack," Tooth whispered.

"I know." He took a deep breath. "I was out in Burgess one night, working on my house when I saw a Nightmare. I didn't have my staff, so I couldn't stop it when it dragged me down into the forest. It-It pulled me down a hole, down into—into Pitch's lair."

He shuddered. North laid a huge hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Jack jumped at the touch, but didn't move away. "You can stop if you want to, Jack," he told him.

"No." He took a deep breath. "I need to do this. H-He tried to strangle me until he heard w-what he wanted. Then he chained me up. He whipped me. It had little…little spikey things on the whip so that it ripped out more flesh." He shuddered as he wrapped his arms around himself. "Then he…..he stabbed me. All along my chest. He even….he even ripped it across my chest and-and-and down my back."

Tooth lifted her hand up to touch him, but restrained herself when she remembered how he shied away from touch. Bunny noticed her, though, and whispered in her ear, "Go fetch the mugs on the counter. I made some tea for you two."

She nodded, and hastily got up from her chair and hurried down the hall. She came to the kitchen that looked like what she had imagined a chef's in a fancy restaurant. The yetis were preparing various dinners, a couple wearing chef hats who roared to people. Tooth supposed that they were the head cooks; she flew up to one.

"Excuse me, where would the drinks that Bunnymund made be at?" she asked hurriedly. He pointed at the counter across the row from him. "Okay, thank you!" Tooth flew over there and picked up the tray that each had a decorative cover on it. It didn't surprise her; North had made each Guardian one.

Hers had teeth against a pale green-and-white background and in a shape of a tooth. Bunny's was a large Easter egg, colors and all. Sandy had a regular-looking mug that had a peaceful night and a calm shore with sparkling golden sand. North's own mug was extraordinarily plain compared to the others, it looked like it could've been bought at Wal-Mart. It had gingerbread men-and-houses dancing with candy canes.

Then she noticed the fifth cup. She would have also called it plain, covered with snowflakes and a winter wonderland on it if it weren't for the fact that it was in the shape of an ice flake, the center being the mug, and the icy branches serving as handles. It was beautifully made, cut with precise precision. She drew her thumb along the cup, remembering the snowflake that he had showed her from Karaoke Night.

Just then, she caught a sweet scent coming from the cups. Curious, she leaned over and sniffed them. Most them seemed like regular SleepyTime tea, but as she smelled the last one, Jack's, it was….different. It had a minty scent, but also the smell of something heavy.

Probably added too much spice, she thought as she carried it out of the kitchen and back up the hall. She hesitantly opened the door to Jack's room in the infirmary.

"Jack, how did you ever get out of there?" she heard Bunny say in horror as she timidly flittered in. She tried to close the door as quietly as possible, but as soon it clicked shut, Jack glanced up. His eyes met hers. She didn't know whether to look away or just pretend that she hadn't noticed.

"Tooth," he whispered, and the Guardians turned to look at her in surprise. She flushed, in both flattery and confusion.

"Jack, I didn't even know you had been captured—"

"Your music box," he interrupted. "Baby Tooth brought it to me. It—"

"Wait, Baby Tooth knew?" she cried, outraged, almost dropping the tray. Sandy could see that she was about to, though, and quickly took it from her and began to pass out the mugs.

"Don't be mad at her," he protested weakly, then started to cough violently. Bunny immediately grabbed a white towel and held it to his mouth until he had finished. Tooth immediately lost her rage as she saw red flecks appear on the towel. She flew back to her seat and covered her mouth with both hands as she watched. He waved away Bunny once the bout had finished, then continued in a hoarse voice, "I made her promise not to tell any of you. I-I thought it was a trap for the rest of you," he confessed.

"Jack, you did brave thing, but we can take care of ourselves," North reminded him.

"Yeah, mate. You shouldn't have worried about us. We would have done anything to get you back," Bunny added as he took his mug from Sandy. "Even if it was a trap."

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't let you guys sacrifice yourselves for—" Another bout of coughing interrupted his fragile body, and this time, when Bunny pulled his towel away from him, it was entirely red. The rabbit's face was a combination of disgust and worry. He set down the towel, then grabbed Jack's cup and handed it to him. "Here, drink this, mate. It'll make you feel loads better."

The ice spirit took it in visibly shaking hands and lifted it up to his mouth. He took a few hesitant sips, then lowered it to his lap.

There was an awkward pause for a while. Tooth finally broke the ice. "Jack, your wounds are really bad," she said softly, laying her hand on his. "A few of them are internal, and…..they need surgery on them. Then there's the, uh—"

"I know." He took another shuddering breath. "And I'll do it. But….can we start tomorrow?" he asked. He looked so young and vulnerable, looking up at them with wide, frightened, tired eyes. Tooth felt her heart break in two. How could this have happened? Why?

She tried to put on her most assuring, comforting smile for him. "Of course, Jack. Whatever you want. We just want you to get better."

"And I know you will," he replied, attempting to smile. She felt her heart almost break. Smiling for her sake. Even though he was the one that had a foot in Death's door.

She felt tears sting behind her eyes. She hurriedly blinked them away, and clumsily patted his hand. "Well, you better drink up your tea," she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's been over two minutes and I haven't thrown up yet, so I think I can drink it." He lifted it back up to his lips. He made a startled, yet pleased sound as he drank some more of it, tasting it. He set down the empty cup, licking his lips eagerly. "That was good. What's in that—?" Without a warning, he slumped over, the cup tumbling out of his hands towards the ground. Tooth caught it in surprise.

"Nimutahita. Sleeping tisane," Bunny said proudly as he stood up from his seat. "Knocks them out in a wink. He'll be getting the sleep he needs," he said softly. He looked up at Sandy, who was perched on the bedpost above Jack's head. "You know what to do, mate?"

He nodded.

"Good." To Tooth's confused look, he explained while moving Jack's limbs so that he was in a more comfortable position, "Pitch would infect Jack with nightmares almost hourly. It got so bad to the point where he can't sleep without nightmares. That's why he's been making sucha fuss whenever he goes to sleep. But the point is—" He stood up and drank a bit more from his cup—"Sandy is going to stay here and try and fight the little buggers until they're gone."

"Though I doubt that we can get rid of them in single night," North groaned he got up.

Tooth glanced at him. "He told me that my music box barely kept the nightmares away."

"Ah, but I'm pretty sure that Sandy's sand is a lot stronger than a music box away, mate," Bunny reminded her. Sandy nodded, then pulled out a long sandy, gold whip. "Which is why we should get out of here before the battle begins," he said hastily, pulling the other two Guardians out of the room.

He dragged them out of the room, then shut the door behind them. "Pitch did a pretty bad number on him, Tooth," Bunny murmured as they walked down the hall. "He…was chained and stabbed and whipped. Pitch would feed him these lies, to make him feel even worse. Then…..something happened—he wouldn't say—that finally broke him. You should have seen his face. He just….." He shook his head.

They were silent for a while. "He had torn rectum," North murmured. "Maybe—"

"No!" Tooth shouted without meaning to. They stared at her. She smoothed her head feathers back in embarrassment. "I mean, yeah, Pitch has been known to do some very bad things, but he wouldn't—he couldn't—"

"We do not know what Pitch is capable of anymore. What he did to Jack is worse than what he did to us."

"I know, but—" she bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself. "Would he really go that far?" she wondered.

"Well, whatever happened, you saved him," North said warmly, patting her shoulder. "He said that your music box woke him up from his depression. He was able to get out of there before he was hurt any worse."

"Technically, it was Baby Tooth who brought the music box and made the way out, mate," Bunny added quickly.

"But if she had never made it, then we would still be wondering where he is," he argued. "And now, we have him. He is safe, and we are going to disinfect wounds tomorrow. Then we'll start on surgery, then—"

"Then what?" Bunny demanded. "You forgot, he's still scarred mentally from whatever Pitch put into his brain, mate. You can't expect us to dig into his brain and fix that."

North sobered a bit. "We will have to leave that bit of recovery to him. There will be nothing else we can do for him."

Sandy wondered what he had done to deserve this.

He had done what he had asked, and tried to give Jack good dreams for a change, sprinkling his sand into him. The first few times, he failed, the extension turning into black sand then falling to his lap after he touched Jack's head. The he had gotten frustrated and dumped a bucketful and the bucket on him. It swirled around him in a hazy mist, then turned black, too. But instead of turning limp, it gathered above Jack and took the form of a black Nightmare. And, of course, it attacked him.

Now he was fighting furiously with three others that had somehow split themselves from the first one. There had been a few more, but he had managed to neutralize them. But then there were four left.

He dove to the side, dodging a lunge from one of the Nightmares, and swung his golden whip. It shrieked as it melted into a pile of black sand on to the ground. Another dove in to nip him on the side, and he managed to flip over it. He slammed his palm into its side, and it quickly turned into a golden lion.

The lion growled as it turned around, facing the Nightmares, and leaped for one as Sandy whipped at the remaining one. It snarled as it dodged the blow, and charged at him. Before he could even breath, the lion was in front of him, and roared mightily, startling the Nightmare. It skidded to a stop in front of it, neighing in surprise as it began to blow away, bit by bit before exploding into pieces.

Sandy sighed in relief, and petted the lion gently. It nodded its head before gently blowing away. Just then, the door burst open.

"What has happened?" North demanded as the Guardians charged into the room, holding trays. The sandman picked up a bit of black sand and held out his palm to show them. "Nightmares? Here?" He pointed at Jack's head.

Bunny frowned. "They're his nightmares? And he had four?" The sandman nodded. Bunny groaned. "And you've been battling them all night? Mate, why didn't you call us? Blimey, four, from one dream."

He shrugged, not really in the mood to try and converse, and then yawned pointedly. "Sandy, you should probably get some sleep," Tooth suggested as she set down her tray on the table besides Jack sleeping figure. You've done enough."

That was enough for him; he waved good-bye to the others and floated out of the room.

Tooth turned back to Jack, and gently shook him. "Jack. Jack, wake up," she whispered.

The boy blinked open his sleepy eyes. "What hap—?" he was interrupted by a big yawned, stretching. "What happened?" he finished, rubbing his eyes.

"Bunny had you knocked out with a sleeping tisane," Tooth told him as she sat on his bed, smiling.

"Hey, it was for your own good, mate," Bunny intervened as Jack shot him a glare, holding up his hands defensively.

Tooth laughed as she took a wet towel from off the tray and laid it gently one his head. "Okay, so the schedule for today is that we're going to wash you down, get off all the blood and clean as many of your wounds as possible."

"Got it," he said, his eyes following her hand as it gently traveled across his face, enjoying her soft touch as she cooled him down, a tingling feeling in the places where she touched him.

"Then we're going to get the infection out of the really bad ones," she continued, dabbing at a particularly hot spot on his nose. "There's about ten or eleven, most of them on your chest, and a couple of them are burns, but there's a really bad one on your back."

He froze, memories that he would have rather froze and put away, never to be found again, flooded back into his mind.

"Don't worry, Jack. This will only hurt for a long time."

"No….Pitch…..please…."

"You look so beautiful like that, Jack. Say my name again, and maybe it won't hurt as much."

He was back in Pitch's lair, on all fours, shackled on both his hands and feet. He couldn't see him, but he could feel him pressing his large manhood against his opening, the knife that he was slowly drawing up and down his back, not hard enough to pierce the skin. But even then, the cold steel set shivers up his back.

"Come on, Jack," he purred as he leaned over him, caressing his throat with one hand. "Don't make me ask for it again.

"Pitch, I'm begging you…"

"That's it, Jack. Beg," he breathed, the knife back on his back. He pressed himself against his opening gently.

"No, please don't—" Jack cried.

"That's it," he panted, and pressed harder. His hole, already in agony, felt as if it was on fire.

"Stop!" he screamed.

"Oh, Jack. That temper," he sighed, leaned back. His fingers gently traced his spine, sending shivers up the trembling boy's back before wrapping a black cloth around his mouth. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

He brought down the knife, plunging it deep into his back. Jack screamed in agony through the gag, and didn't even stop for breath as he dragged it through his skin, traveling it down his back as he pushed himself all the way into him.

"Just like that, Jack," he murmured as he made it go down all the way down until he reached in between his cheeks before yanking it out. Jack screeched again, writhing and trying to flail around. "Stay still," he growled, moving in and out of him, erecting even more pain. He leaned over and began to lick the bleeding wound. "Mmmm, your blood is so sweet," he chuckled. "I wonder what it would taste like from your other side."

"Jack! Jack! JACK!"

He blinked, the lair and the pain melting away from him. Tooth was in front of him, her face pinched with worry. "Jack, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, running his hand through his hair, still feeling Pitch's hot breath against his skin.

"Jack. You were staring at friggin' nothing with this-this LOOK on your face! And you've done this before!" Bunny hopped over to his side, and got down next to him. "What happened, mate?"

He took a deep breath. "Nothing, Bunny. It was nothing."

The Guardians exchanged glances, but didn't say anything.

Tooth got up and clapped her hands together. "So! Who wants to bathe him?" she said cheerfully.

Bunnymund and North stared at her. "You're not bloody serious?" he gaped.

"Well, I can't. So somebody has to."

"Uh, Tooth? No offense, but I am perfectly capable to wash myself," Jack put in.

"No, you aren't," she shot. "You are in a critical condition, and until you're better, Bunny and North will take turns washing you."

"Uh, no. I'm sorry. I like you, mate, but I am not washing you down."

"Don't worry. I don't want to be scrubbed down by your furry paws," he teased, feeling a bit better from his flash. The other rolled his eyes.

"I can't wash him, though!" Tooth pointed out.

"Why not?" Bunny demanded.

"Hello? I'm a girl!"

"У нас нет на это времени! I'll do it!" North exclaimed, and swooped Jack up into his arms. He yelped, surprised. "Do not fear, Jack! I am very soft with the loofah " he assured him as they strode out of the room. "And I will even bring rubber ducky!"

Jack rolled his eyes and groaned.

"See? That was not so bad," North said as he carried him back into the room where the others, including Sandy, who had finished his nap, were waiting. Jack was wrapped almost adorably in a cotton white robe with fresh white slacks, looking snug in North's huge arms. The look on his face, though, was anything but.

He glared up at North as he laid him in the bed. "That was completely unnecessary," he growled, crossing his arms.

"Ah, there's the old Jack!" Bunny chuckled, lightly punching him in the arm.

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't the corners of his mouth turning up in a small grin.

"Okay, time to move on." Bunny picked up a bottle from the tray. "This is a poultice that we made ages ago. Haven't had to use it in a while, but I remember using it." He chuckled. "Stings like a bi—"

"What Bunny is trying to say," Tooth interrupted hastily as she pulled on a pair of gloves, "is that this is going to hurt a lot. It's probably nothing compared to….what you went though. But it'll still hurt."

"Bring it on," he sighed, shedding his robe. His chest and arms looked considerably better, his skin scrubbed clean of blood, the gashes looking not as nasty.

"Okay, now lay down, mate," Bunny said as he unscrewed the lid. He did as he asked, and stared up at the ceiling. He wondered if it would compare to the times he was burned.

"Don't worry," Tooth assured him, soaking a towel in water.

"I'm not," he breathed. "You guys are here." His eyes flickered from Bunny's face to hers, his blue eyes searching hers. He could see nothing but assurance and a soft, affectionate look in the deep violet depths.

She smiled at him, then turned to Bunny. "Start on the smaller ones."

"Got it." He held the bottle right above one of the small stab wounds, about the length of his hands, that went right above his nipple. "Hold on tight," he whispered as he poured it.

There was a dull, stinging pain as the liquid hit the gash. It was more like a bee sting that seemed to last for a while. He lifted his neck up and looked at the wound mildly. "It's not that bad," he shrugged, laying back down as Tooth began to clean it out.

She grimaced as she scooped out the pus and dead skin. "Wait until the bigger ones." As soon as she was done, Bunny gently pushed up Jack's pants' leg to pour some over a long gash along his leg that went from his ankle to his midsection.

"Okay, this one is going to hurt a lot more, mate," he warned before pouring it.

He was right, Jack thought. This did hurt more. He gritted his teeth and stared up at the ceiling as Tooth hurriedly cleaned out the wound, trying to ignore the large stinging pain that ran up half of his body.

"It's okay," she assured him. "It'll be okay."

"That's not really helping but thanks for trying," he gasped.

They continued on doing the wounds, North and Sandy doing a couple of the burns. He would grit his teeth and try and imagine something else besides the pain. Only every once in a while would he let out a cry of pain, and once, on a whiplash across his back, he had begun to cry. North and Bunny had to leave the room, unable to bear his tears. He hated himself when that happened. He wasn't supposed to have cried anymore. Tooth held his hand, whispering soothing words as he sobbed. Finally, when the pain had faded away, Jack forced himself to stop.

Soon, only two were left.

"You ready, mate?" Bunny asked in concern, holding it over the one across his chest. It was easily one of the most deepest, and would probably hurt as much as the others combined.

He nodded. "Go ahead. The sooner it's over, the better."

"I'm right here," Tooth whispered from beside him, holding his right hand with both of her own.

Jack took a deep breath, then nodded at Bunny. "Okay. Go."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said before splashing the poultice on him.

As soon as hit him, Jack let out a blood-curdling scream as he arched his back. "Jack!" Tooth dropped his hand and tried to press him back on to the bed. "Jack, it's okay!"

He didn't seem to hear her, though. He was too deeply wrapped in his own pain. He writhed and thrashed around, throwing the covers off of the bed and flailing his arms.

"Oh, crikey!" Bunny hastily put down the bottle and grabbed one of Jack's flailing arms and pinned it by his side. Tooth quickly did the same, but he didn't stop wailing or his thrashing.

"Jack! Jack, stop!" Tooth cried, struggling to pin him down. His cries of pain overrode her voice, though, as he bucked his hips and kicked out. North hurried over and tried to pin his legs down, but they kept on bucking out of his hands. Sandy watched worriedly from his chair next to the door.

She glanced over, trying to find something to bind him up with or something, but froze when she saw his eyes. They were glazed over, filled with pain, but it was his irises that frightened her the most. They weren't even ice blue anymore, or even have the whites of his eyes. It was like his whole eye had been swallowed up by his pupil, all a dark black. They sent chills down her back.

"Bunny, his eyes," she choked.

"Tooth, do something!" Bunny yelled.

"What am I supposed to do?" she cried.

"I dunno, sing or something!" he shot, fighting to keep Jack from seriously hurting himself.

"Like what?!"

"I dunno, something!"

Tooth glanced down at Jack, who was still screaming out in agony. What do you have to lose? She thought. She took a deep breath, and began,

"Hush now, my baby, be still love, don't cry.
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream…..
Sleep and remember my lullaby,
And I'll be with you when you dream…."

His kicks and long-winded screams began to falter, to her surprise. "It's working!" Bunny hissed. "Don't stop." She nodded, and continued,

"Drift on a river that flows through my arms,
Drift as I'm singing to you….."

She let go of his hand and gently cradled his head in her arms. He stopped screaming, and let out a low moan that seemed to originate from the bowels of his stomach.

"I see you smiling, so peaceful and calm,
And holding you, I'm smiling, too….
Here in my arms,
Safe from all harm!
Holding you
I'm smiling, too…."

Bunny cautiously let go of Jack's other arm, and started to gently clean out the infection. He groaned, twisting away from his touch. Tooth gently laid one of her hands on his chest, and he stopped.

Sandy suddenly got an idea, and pulled out his flute, and began to play. Jack relaxed in Tooth's arms, closing his eyes.

"Hush now, my baby, be still, love, don't cry.
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream….
Sleep and remember this river lullaby.
And I'll be with you when you dream…."

"Here in my arms!
Safe from all harm.
Holding you,
I'm smiling, too…..

"Sleep and remember this river lullaby!
And I'll be with you when you dream….."

He opened his eyes again, and Tooth's heart whooped for joy when she saw that the icy blue irises were back, the darkness of his eyes gone. Bunny let out a sigh of relief when he had seen the eyes change back.

"Sleep and remember this river lullaby!
And I'll be with you when you dream.
I'll be with you….
When you dream….."

Jack glanced up at Tooth, then grinned. "Prince of Egypt?" he asked, the teasing tone back in his voice.

Everybody clapped as Tooth threw her arms around his neck, almost crying. "Jack is back!" North declared.

"Scared us for a minute there, frostbite," Bunny laughed, leaning on the bedpost.

"I'm sorry. I just—"

"There is nothing to be ashamed about! You're almost done healing, and that is what important," North assured him, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

He sighed, and smiled, his body relaxing.

"We still have the one on the back, mate," Bunny reminded him.

"We can do that one tomorrow," Tooth put in hastily, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

"Uh, Tooth? You're kind of choking me over here," Jack gasped.

"Oh, sorry!" she loosened her grip on him.

"Chill, mate, we can shoot you up with a few anesthetics," Bunny suggested.

"Will the shots hurt?" he asked worriedly.

Bunny held up a needle the length of his arm, and raised an eyebrow. "Your decision, mate."

The shots hadn't hurt, to his surprise. In fact, he didn't even feel them. For twenty minutes, he had laid on his stomach, holding Tooth's hand, patiently waiting for Bunny to stick them in to only find out that he had been doing so the entire time.

"Done," he announced, laying the needle back on to the tray.

Jack lifted his head up in surprise. "What? You haven't even started yet."

"Actually, I have," he corrected. "Now, ready for the poultice, mate?"

"You'll barely be able to feel it," Tooth assured him. "Watch." She gently began to run her fingers along his back. "Can you feel that?" He shook his head. She pressed her fingers on to one of the yellowing bruises. "How about that." He shook his head again. Hesitantly, she pinched the skin around the valley of the stab wound. "That?"

She expected him to start screaming, but he only frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm pinching the skin around the stab wound."

"Really?"

"Yep. Can you feel it?"

"A bit. It doesn't hurt."

"Good. Well, then, are you ready?" Bunny asked.

"Yeah, bring it on," Jack said confidently.

Bunny shrugged, and poured the poultice on to the wound. Jack bit back a shriek as it felt like hot lava was pouring down his back. So much for not feeling the pain! He groaned and buried his face into the pillows. Tooth gently stroked his face, whispering soothingly to him as Bunny started to clean out the infection.

He could feel something tugging at the edges of his mind, something born from the pain.

Good morning, Jack.

"No," he choked out. "Not again."

How are you feeling?

"Go away!"

I thought you would be used to this type of pain by now. Look at you, crying. I thought I've done worse to you. Maybe…maybe I should pay you a little visit tonight. Remind you what pain really is.

"Bunny!" he cried.

Your little friends can't help you, Jack. You're MINE.

He squeezed his eyes tight as he felt something curl around his throat. He flailed, terrified of the touch. Something grabbed his wrists, keeping him from hitting himself. "Jack, mate, it's okay!"

But he couldn't hear anything; blood pounded in his ears and everything was dark.

You won't be able to escape me, Jack, Pitch's voice whispered through the darkness. I will always find you.

Jack gasped as Pitch's figure arose from the darkness. "I will always find you, Jack," he said softly, stepping towards him.

"No!" Jack scrambled backwards, but then his back hit a wall. He looked up, his eyes wide with fear as the boogeyman approached him.

"Are you afraid of me now, Jack?" he asked, his black eyes gleaming cruelly.

"Get away from me," he spat.

"Jack, we have been over this multiple times," he sighed, stopping before him. He pulled out a knife from his robe. Jack felt a chill as he recognized it. "Your temper," he growled, lifting the knife up before plunging it towards him.

Suddenly, he heard singing. The sound filled the air, chasing the cool chill and bringing warmth and safety. It brought Pitch up short. He frowned as he leaned back up, then snarled. "That cursed fairy!"

Relief filled him. "Tooth," he whispered.

He whipped his head back to glare at Jack. "I'll keep on coming back, Jack, do not worry. There will come a time where that pester fairy or the sandman is not around. And I will have you."

Jack gasped as he felt himself being plunged back into reality. He felt the cool covers of the bed underneath him, somebody next to him. "Jack?" Tooth's worried face swam into focus. She was leaning over him from her seat. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he gasped.

"No, you're not, mate," Bunny growled from his other side.

"Jack," North began, getting up from his chair, "something happens to you when you feel lot of pain. What-What is happening?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's happening."

Tooth gently turned his face to hers. He refused to look into her eyes, afraid that she would be able to see into him. That she could see the pain and fear in his eyes. That he was scared. "Jack. You can tell us. We won't judge you."

"No. No, there's nothing," he lied. He knew that, in the end, they would judge him. Maybe not as harshly, but they would think different of him, that he would no longer be the mischievous, fun-loving spirit, but the beaten, broken little boy. Weak. Constantly needed to be looked after. Unable to fend for himself. That he was just a scared little boy. Oh, he could tell them different, of course, but they would stick to their thoughts, that because of just this one incident- no matter how big- that Jack wasn't at all what they had thought of him.

The other Guardians glanced at each other. There was some unspoken conversation between them. The tension was obviously thick in the air, making him squirm in discomfort. Finally, they all looked at him. "You're seeing Pitch, aren't you?" Bunny said finally.

He blinked. "How did you know?"

The Easter Bunny glanced at the others, then answered, "Because we've felt it, mate."

Jack's heart stopped. "What?"

"When we were new Guardians, Pitch sought to end us." Pain flashed into his eyes. "He captured us, one by one, and put fear into our minds, infecting us. We couldn't sleep, we couldn't think, and by the time we had rescued each other, the things we saw…." He shuddered.

"I was in there the longest," Tooth whispered, sitting back down in her chair and covering her face with her hands. "He…..he did things to me that he didn't do to the others. He even branded me. Like cattle," she whimpered. Jack flinched. He knew the feeling all too well. "Said I betrayed him, somehow, that I deserved it."

"Sandy was the only one not captured," North told Jack. "He was able to keep off the fear with his dreams, and bring us back."

"But, mate, what he did to you is far worse," Bunny put in. "He wouldn't physically touch North or me. Tooth was—" He hesitated.

Tooth lifted her head, her face surprisingly calm. "He shaved off the feathers on my chest and in between my legs so he could touch me there. He would make me act stripper for him, then called me his puttana, and would spank me with a leather belt, sometimes metal."

"Tooth, you don't have to tell me this," Jack said awkwardly. He had already been forced to hear the story once, and he never wanted to hear it again. It was becoming increasingly difficult to look at Tooth without imagining the things that Pitch had done to her. The story had been fed to him as a nightmare, but unlike real life, the end was that he had slit her throat and left her bleeding out on the dungeon floor, her figure crumpled in a heap, the blood staining her beautiful feathers...Jack surpressed another shiver.

Tooth shook her head. "Jack, I know that it's hard for you, and I understand how it feels to be chained up like an animal, to be humiliated and tortured."

Yeah, but he didn't rape you, did he? He didn't chain your ankles and wrist and fuck you until you had passed out from the pain? Or lubricate himself with your own blood? He didn't even touch you guys, but he decided to stab me and whip me and choke me while raping me, getting pleasure from my pain. How would you guys understand that? He longed to lash the words out at her, but he knew that it would cause more damage than repair.

"When we had our...flashes, we would be able to fight them off, with Sandy's help. But he can't even touch you, mate. And then your eyes…." Bunny trailed off.

"What about them?" he asked, touching them gently.

"They go full black," he said bluntly. "Like a nixie. And we can't reach you! You're…..somewhere else, so far away that even we scream at you, you can't hear us, mate. Do you know how scary that is?" he demanded.

Jack bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Oh, Jack." Tooth fluttered up and wrapped her arms around him, carefully making sure that she didn't touch any of his gashes. "It's not your fault. It's Pitch's, and as soon as you're better, we're gonna go after him and make him pay," she said firmly.

He smiled wryly. "Okay. But first, promise me something."

"Anything."

"I get to pound the crap out of him."

"Deal," she promised. "Now….." she reached behind her and pulled out a medical sewing kit. "We better get those shut."

"All of them?" he groaned.

"Unfortunately, yes, mate. But this time, we're knocking you out again. Sandy's getting you the drink now."

"Okay." He hadn't noticed that the sandman had left, but after quick glance around the room, he realized that he wasn't there.

They waited in silence until he finally came back, his snowflake-shaped cup in his hands. He handed it to him with a friendly smile. Jack smiled back, then lifted the cup to his lips and began to drink it.

It tasted as delicious as before, filling him up with a warm, fuzzy feeling as the minty taste stayed on his tongue. It was better than the ones that he had made at home, but it was probably because of whatever Bunny added to it to make him fall asleep.

He set the cup down on the nightstand, then was barely able to get into a comfortable enough sleep position before feeling the world slip away from him as he fell asleep.

Hey, does anybody have a drawing or a sketch of what Tooth would look like human? If so, could you send it to me? I need it for, uh, research.

Review-spam me as much as you like!