Chapter 20

I sat on one of the large egg rocks, my skin starting to glisten from the humidity in the warren as the rest of the eggs(or as Bunny calls them googies.) filed down towards the tunnels for the continents.

"So..."

I jumped slightly as North and Bunny approached me, looking up at me warily as I sat up straighter.

"You and Frost bite?"

I blushed deeply as I curled in on myself, trying to hide my embaressment. Tooth laughed lightly as she fluttered up to me and pressed a reasurring hand on my shoulder.

"Of course they're together guys. Leave the girl be."

North and Bunny laughed as Tooth shook her head apologetically at me as they then lasped into a deep conversation about Bunny's system of egg decorating.

"Don't worry about them. They're no worse than old women when it comes to gossip."

I smiled as I folded my legs Indian style as Tooth sat on the rock across from mine. She smiled expectantly at me, her wings fluttering every now and then. I pressed my lips together into a thin line as I looked away from her awkwardly.

"I.. I don't wanna talk about it..."

Tooth nodded, her large smile never fading. I rolled my eyes as I slouched and leaned my elbow on my knee while resting my chin on my palm. Tooth sighed and slouched herself when she realized I wasn't going to speak about it, even if it was to a girl. To be honest, I don't really know what Jack and I are. We kissed, yes. But we haven't known each other longer than a Moon cycle and a half.

Sighing I slid off the top of the rock and walked towards the large tunnel with a carving of North America to watch all of the eggs continue to file in. I smiled as I spotted the yellow and blue egg Jack and I decorated when I heard a high pitched shriek.

I looked up at the Guardians to see if they heard it, only to find them chatting away. I shook my head and looked back at the egg Jack and I decorated as it hopped onto my converse shoe again. I smiled as I picked it up, only to almost drop it when I heard the shriek again, only louder.
Now I know the Guardians had to of heard it. I looked up to see Bunny, North and Tooth staring at the tunnel I was in front of, their faces drained of all happiness. I bit my lip and looked down the tunnel, only to be welcomed with a slight glowing from the end. I sat the egg down and summoned my grace daggers into my hand as the Guardians joined me.

"Where is Jack. He..."

I swallowed as the Guardians looked at me, their eyes filling with fear. I shook my head at their un-spoken conclusion.

"No. He's to strong for Pitch."

"Who's to strong for me love?"

I turned to my left, only to jump away at Pitch's nearness.

"Now, let's see. One, Two, Three, Four. No Frost? Now, why is that? Did he not want to join the club?"

I growled lightly as the hairs on my neck stood up, and my daggers glowed brighter.

"One day before Easter, and you're down two men. You lot are pathetic. You think you can win but you all reak of fear, and all that does is make me stronger."

I scoffed as I set my feet apart to shoulder length and raised my daggers up at Pitch in defense.

"No one here is afraid of you Pitch. So why don't you run along and hide under a bed, hmm?"

Pitch growled at me before stopping the growl in his throat and laughing it off.

"You, my dear. Are a treat. But you see, you are afraid."

Pitch fell down into the shadows, encasing the Warren in a premature twilight.

"You may have put up a brave front. But I can taste your fear. You are dripping with it actually."

I started to back towards the Guardians as they drew their weapons(or fists).

"You see, although you two haven't known each other for long. We all know you're in love with that brat of a winter spirit."

I felt my blood leave my face immediately as a horde of Nightmares emerged from the shadows Pitch created.

" You're afraid that he made the choice to not come back, to leave you forever. And now, you'll never see him again."

I looked up to North and the other Guardians, my eyes filled with tears as my daggers glowed brighter.

"Destroy the eggs. Leave this decision for me."

********
Jack's POV

I placed Sophie onto her bed gently, trying to pry her fingers away from my neck. I smiled up at Baby Tooth as Sophie sighed happily, only to roll off her bed and land onto the floor. I jumped, trying to get to her, only to fail when I heard the thud. I looked at Baby Tooth with my face scrunched up when Sophie and Jaime's mom called out.

"Soph, is that you?"

I jumped, flung one of Sophie's blankets then threw one of her stuffed bears next to her, then rushed out the window grabbing my staff in the rush. I gently closed the window before looking at Baby Tooth apologetically.

"We should get back."

She nodded her head vigorously then started flying off. I went to follow her when I heard a faint cry.

"Baby Tooth. Did you hear that?"

She turned back and looked at me, shaking her head as her face looked at me with concern.

"That voice, I know that voice."

"Jack!"

I shot off towards the voice, looking down each street quickly with Baby Tooth keeping up barely as she tried to avoid the cold currents of snow and wind that fell behind me. I landed on a attic fan, spinning slightly from my momentum. Where was that voice coming from?

"Jack!"

I jumped and looked to my left, my head swimming with questions when all I saw was the forest. I flew towards the trees as fast as I could before landing on the ground, running as my body agreed with gravity.

"Jack?"

I ran through a snow pile and entered a clearing that had the skeleton of a bed in the center of it. I furrowed my eyebrows as I started walking towards it, ignoring Baby Tooth's chatter and tugs at my hood.

"Don't worry, there's still time. Besides, the guys have Eva with them."

I neared the wooden bed, gripping my staff tightly in my right hand as I looked through the broken bed boards to see a large tunnel beneath it. I lifted my staff and broke the boards out of the way when I heard the voice call my name again.

"Jack?!"

I hummed low in my chest before jumping down the dark hole, hoping to find the source of the voice. It was dark before there was any source of light. When I reached the end of the tunnel what light there was, it was very dim. I looked around the cave I was in and frowned at the emptiness it had before continuing through the cave. As I neared the cave's entrance, Baby Tooth started to pull at my hood and peck at my face.

"Baby Tooth, come on!"

I walked out of the cave into a larger one as I looked Baby Tooth in the eyes.

"I have to find out what that is."

I turned from her to look at the cavern we had just entered to see millions of hovering cages. I gasped and flew to a ledge that was closer to the cages and stopped for a moment when I heard a high pitched fluttering. I narrowed my eyes before flying up and looking from cage to cage to see each and every one of them full of tooth fairies.

"Shh! Keep it down! I'm gonna get you out of here just as soon as-"

"Jack?"

I stopped mid-sentence as the voice called out to me from below. I looked at the Tooth fairies then leaned back from the cage I had latched onto and looked down below me, to see piles and piles of the teeth canisters from the Tooth Palace.

"As I can."

I jumped down onto one of the many large piles of teeth and started to slide down as I looked at all of the face on the ends. I searched as quick as I could when I a deep voice echoed across the cavern walls .

"Looking for something?"

I growled and swung my staff around shooting a blast of ice at Pitch's shadow, only for it to miss just barely. I ground my teeth together as I shot off in the direction of Pitch, his chuckles causing the hairs on my neck to rise. I ran up staircase after staircase and I jumped from ledge to ledge as I looked for him, when I landed on a shadow encased bridge Pitch finally materialized across the room.

"Don't be afraid, Jack. I'm not gonna hurt you."

I scoffed as I shot towards him, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of you."

I glared at him as I squared my shoulders and aimed my staff at him. He chuckled as he examined his nails, keeping his back turned to meas he spoke.

"Maybe not. But you are afraid of something."

I shook my head as I continued my advance towards him my eyebrows furrowing even further.

"You think so, huh?"

"I know so! It's the one thing I always know."

He looked at me over his shoulder then he looked over the shadows of his lair, his hands clasped behind his back as he held his head high.

"People's greatest fears. Yours is that no one will ever believe in you, that you'll be all alone. Forever."

I gulped in audibly as he melted into the shadows causing them to grow stronger and to hide what light there was. I looked down as a large hole opened up beneath me and I went falling onto a ledge at the bottom of Pitch's lair.

"Worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why."

I snatched my staff up and ran towards what light I could find as Pitch continued his intimidation technique.

"Why you? Why were you chosen to be like this?"

I reached the end of the tunnel only for it to dissolve into a brick wall. I grasped my staff with both of my hands and turned around as I searched for Pitch's shadow.

"Well, fear not. For the answer to that is right here."

I looked up into Pitch's bright golden eyes as he held his hand out, hold a golden tooth canister with a picture of a boy with brown hair smiling mischievously. I stared at it for a while, my mouth moving but words not leaving my throat. Pitch shook it slightly to break me from the trance the canister had put me in.

"Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?"

He smiled slightly at me, looking from the canister to me. I held my breath as I began reaching my left hand out, when a whisper ran through my mind.

"I trust you."

I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut as I dropped my hand slight at Eva's words. Pitch chuckled loudly as he dissolved into the shadows once more, the sound echoing eerily across the caverns walls. I flew towards a dark globe in the center of the lair, the Tooth Fairies fluttering noisily as I moved past them.

"Everything you wanted to know, in this little box."

I jumped slightly as Pitch's shadow moved on the fall, his hand holding out the tooth canister. He melted away along the wall, causing me to growl in frustration as I chased after him.

"Why did you end up like this? Unseen. Unseen by all, except an annoyingly young spirit who is seen by children."

"Leave Her Out Of This!"

I turned around to stare into the dark depths of a tunnel, Pitch's voice echoing up to me from it.

"But she IS apart of this Jack. You want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them. But you're afraid of what the Guardians will think. Of what Eva will think. Do you think, if she saw you torn between this and the choices she believes are right, that she'll be understanding? No, she would be disgusted with you. Because the choice is so simple to her."

"I said leave Eva Out of THIS!"

I shot a blast of ice at one of the shadows of Pitch circling the walls.

"You're afraid of disappointing her. Of not being good enough for her."

I looked up at the ceiling, my shoulders sagging slightly in defeat as his words stuck in my mind.

"Well, let me ease your mind about one thing, Jack."

"They'll never accept you. Not really. They'll accept Eva, because she's already apart of the team. She's already a guardian. Yes, she's already a Guardian it's just not been officiated yet. She'll be the one children believe in, and no matter what promises she's given you about making children believe, is all rubbish."

A blob of Nightmare sand rose from the ground and started moving as Pitch spoke, his words causing my head to pound painfully and my heart to grow heaving.

"She's only ever cared about herself! You were just stupid enough to fall for those baby blues and blonde hair. You were just something for her to toy with until you did something she disapproved of."

I clutched my hands to my ears as the Nightmare sand formed an exact replica of Eva standing before me.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

I walked up the stair away from the Nightmare Eva and towards the dark globe once more. Pitch's voice moved along with the Nightmare Eva's lips as she advance towards me, a mixture of her voice and his combining eerily comforting and painfully.

"After all, you're not one of them/us."

I looked up as Pitch stopped behind the Nightmare Eva, whose eyes hadn't opened. I growled and raised my staff towards them, my grip causing frost to coat almost my entire staff.

"You don't know what I am! And you don't know Eva!"

"Of course I do! You're Jack Frost! You make a mess wherever you go. Why, you've already done it. And she?"

He pressed his hand to the Nightmare Eva's face, causing her eyes to open and reveal a mixture of gold and blue iris, then he threw my the canister of teeth.

"She's the girl that was foolish enough to trust you."

I looked down at the canister then up, my eyes wide as my entire body shook at the site of Eva's electric blue eyes and gold mixing together.

"What did you do?"

"More to the point, Jack."

He started to fall back into the shadows of his lair.

"What did you do?"

He completely disappeared into the shadows, causing me to start towards him when Eva's voice came from the Nightmare.

"Jack? You never came back."

I turned towards the Nightmare Eva as she turned towards me, a line of blue and gold streaming from her eye as she looked into my eyes unblinkingly.

"I trusted you... Where did you go?"

I growled as Pitch's laughter reached my ears and shot myself into the shadows, my staff glowing an electric blue in the shadows as I fell down another tunnel. I looked around seeing nothing but walls and turned to go back when I ran into an intricately carved wall. I pushed against it when suddenly I remembered something that caused my heart to drop.

"Baby Tooth!"

"Happy Easter, Jack."

I gasped as I turned around and was welcomed to the sight of broken Easter eggs. I looked down and gasped loudly as I bent down and picked up a broken Gold and Blue Easter egg.

"No..."

What have I done?
***
I walked into a clearing to see Bunnymund clutching an egg to his chest as a group of children walked away from him. I shook my head in disbelief as Tooth fluttered up to Bunny when North's booming voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Jack, where were you?"

I turned to see North clutching both of his swords in his hands, his shoulder drooping as he shook his head.

"The Nightmares attacked the tunnels. They smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface. Eva..."

North looked down, his face turning red as his voice broke slightly. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and took a step towards North.

"What about Eva-"

"Jack!"

I turned to see Tooth flutter up to me smiling, only for it to turn from a look of relief to a look of shock.

"Where did you get that?"

I looked down at the tooth canister then up to North and Tooth.

"I was... It's..."

Tooth's lip trembled as she looked around, tears forming into her eyes as she looked into my eyes.

"Where's Baby Tooth?"

I looked back and forth , words sticking into my throat as I felt the familiar sting of tears pricking my eyes and my throat growing thick. Where was Eva?

"Jack, what have you done?"

North glared at the canister then at me as he growled lowly in his chest.

"That is why you weren't here? You were with Pitch?"

North took a step towards me, his eyes filled with betrayal and hurt. I shook my head and took a step towards them, hoping beyond hope that Eva would show up at any moment.

"No! Listen, listen. I'm sorry! I didn't want anything like this to happen!"

"He has to go."

I turned to see Bunny walking towards me, his eyes filled with pain and loss.

"W-what?"

"WE SHOULD NEVER HAVE TRUSTED YOU!"

Bunny made a move to punch me, but stopped short as he shook his head as his eyes filled with tears.

"Eva... should never have trusted you."

I gasped and looked around at the Guardians, searching for Eva. Maybe she was hiding. I stumbled away from Bunny as he dropped his fist and stood up a little taller.

"Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter's about hope. And now it's gone... Now Sandy and Eva are..."

I turned to look at North and Tooth hoping that what I just put together wasn't true.

"No... she can't be..."

North looked down, his eyes glassy with tears and he shook his head in response and turned his back on me, Tooth right behind him. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the wooden baby from North's Russian doll and stared at it for a moment. I shook my head as the tears that were stinging in my eyes, finally escaped and fell down my pale cheeks. I looked up at North and bit my lip as I dropped the baby onto the grass and ran off, not even bothering to wipe my cheeks as I let the tears fall down my face.

Eva...

A/N: Okay, Some parts are good, some just plain awful. I will admit some of this I didn't expect to happen until I wrote it, but it will get better. Promise. Now, things won't ever be the same. But it will get better. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I already have twenty-one partially written down I just need to finish it. We're almost there. Almost to the end. I'm sad to see it end, but I might write a sequel. What's your thoughts on that guys? OH! Also a shout out to all of my followers will be done next chapter. Also we have hit a little over 7,000 views on FanFiction! Yay Cookies for all of you! The end of this Chapter was inspired by the song Breakdown by Seether. See you all in the next chapter which I should have up in a couple hours or sometime tomorrow!

Love you all and Don't forget to Read and Review!

~MP~