AN: Hey guys sorry it has been so long. All I am going to say is college. That is all. Hopefully it'll be easier to find time to update, but there are only a few more chapters left so we are nearly done :). Also, I sort of mention events from the book, not in detail at all but when Pitch mentions things that happened "all those years ago" it is basically me referencing the books, though I haven't finished them yet lol. Also I apologize if Jack seems really out of character at the end. Think of it less as Jack suddenly accepting everything and more as he is now more informed and can't bear losing his sister all over again. He is doing what he is for her, not Pitch. Read and Review and again I apologize for how long this took. - Kay xoxo

Chapter 25

"I stayed with Pitch for the most part after that. Sometimes I'll go and stay in my home in Paris for a week or so, but I basically live with Pitch. I just feel more comfortable there."

The large room was silent for a little bit. Jillian's grip on Pitch's hand tightened as she looked over at Jack. If this didn't work, didn't help in any way, even the smallest bit, she wasn't sure if anything else would.

Jack couldn't speak for a moment. So much was running through his mind: Jill's story, it's ending and the implications that went along with it. His gaze fell upon Pitch and Jill's entwined hands. They had been close friends for so long, Pitch had basically been Jill's only friend besides Sandy, and Jack had never known. He had forgotten her but why? Why had he forgotten his past, his family? And now that he had those memories back and had found his baby sister, he finds out that she has chosen his enemy, the one person he probably never would have forgiven. But Jill wants him to forgive Pitch, she wants him to understand the man she loves. Could he?

He didn't even know how long they had been a romantic item. Jill had been fifteen when she was… murdered. Somehow he didn't think that Pitch and Jill had been so in love at that point. And where was Jill during the battle? Surely she hadn't been supporting Pitch, had she? Had she even known? Would Pitch have destroyed her with the Guardians? Did he even love her as much as she seemed to love him?

Jill's story left him with so many more questions than answers. It was maddening.

Everyone's stares began to weigh on the struggling boy. He didn't know what they were expecting of him. He was still trying to figure out how he felt, he didn't know how to react for Moon's sake. He was at the end of his rope here, didn't they realize.

All he wanted right now was some uninterrupted peace; he hadn't been able to get any it seemed since he became a Guardian.

And he probably wouldn't get it at all until this whole thing was sorted out.

"I need some air. I'll be right back," he said finally.

Jill's face grew a bit concerned, but he just got up and headed to one of Sandy's many balconies, ignoring it for the moment. He needed to clear his thoughts, not wonder how often Pitch had been on the receiving end of that worried look.

He stood outside, eyes closed as he tried to organize his mind. Wind brushed against him comfortingly, sensing his inner turmoil.

"Thanks old friend," he sighed before startling as a tiny hand came to rest atop his own where it was placed on the balcony rail.

"Oh hey Sandy. You freaked me out for a second there."

Sandy gave him an apologetic look before patting his hand as if to say "It'll be okay."

"How are you so okay with this Sandy?" Jack asked, confusion in his tone. "I get that this supposed Other Half bond is a big deal, but Pitch killed you. You aren't okay with that truly, are you?"

"Actually I didn't." A voice said from the doorway.

Pitch walked forward, none of his usual arrogance in his air. In fact, the infamous Nightmare King looked almost weary, as though there was something weighing on him and that it had been there for a long time. He stopped about two feet from Jack and Sandy, not daring to come any closer.

"What do you mean you didn't?" Jack retorted, standing straight up as he faced the Boogeyman. "We all saw you shoot Sandy; he disappeared into your dust!"

"But did you see him die?" Pitch said, tiredly. "I didn't kill him. I sent him to Jillian's. She would have never forgiven me if I had killed him."

"But it was okay to destroy the rest of us?"

"I didn't think things through well enough ok?!" Pitch finally shouted. "You were alone for three hundred years, you know what it feels like. Try feeling that way for nearly a thousand years. Yes I had Jillian toward the end, but…" he paused, seemingly unable to go on for a moment. "But sometimes it wasn't enough. I was losing hope that I would be believed in again, losing my will to go on. Jillian would always tell me that someday we'd find a way for me to gain a proper place among the Spirits, that Manny would allow me to do my job the way I was meant to without being hated and shunned. But that day was taking too long to get here. I didn't know how much longer I could wait. I could feel myself fading, bit by bit everyday. I was dying Jack."

There was collective gasp heard at that, the loudest and most heartbreaking coming from Jillian. Pitch had never told her that he was slowly dying, fading away as children continued their disbelief of him, never acknowledging his existence. He couldn't bear to see her pain and anguish over the thought of his death. He was going to tell her, but not until he was certain that nothing could be done. He didn't want her blaming herself if, or when, he finally faded from existence all together.

"Pitch?" Jillian asked, tears building in her eyes. "Are you still-?"

"Yes." He said sadly, walking over to her. "I'm surprised you couldn't tell. The Nightmares have been disappearing more and more and I've been growing greyer and greyer. I'm sorry love; I didn't want to worry you if I could stop it."

"Why didn't you talk to Manny, Pitch?" North asked. "Surely he would have helped you."

"Manny doesn't speak to me. Not anymore. After what happened all those years ago, surely you didn't think he still cared for me, North?"

"But he let you have Jillian. He let you keep something that you obviously loved. Why would he ensure Jillian would be able to stay with you forever if he didn't care?"
Pitch sighed, his hand stroking Jillian's cheek as he closed his eyes.

"I don't know. But even Manny can't help me now; it's too late."

Jack didn't know what to do. As the tears began to fall from Jillian's eyes, he simply watched as she threw her arms around Pitch and began clinging to him for dear life. Pitch wrapped his own about her, resting his face in her pink hair. Jack's eyes widened as he saw the feared Pitch Black, Nightmare King, Boogeyman, enemy of the Guardians begin to cry as well.

It wasn't fair, Jack thought. Yeah Pitch attacked the Guardians and tormented Jamie and his friends, but… he was dying. Having someone believe in him was the only way to keep from fading entirely. As much as Jack hated Pitch's actions, he couldn't help but to pity the man, knowing what he knew now. It didn't seem right for Pitch to die simply because Manny didn't see a use for him as a good Spirit. Especially after all Pitch had done for Jill.

And that was another thing, Jack realized with dawning horror. If Pitch died, Jill would be inconsolable. Like North, she would be without her soul mate, her Other Half of herself. But unlike North, Jack didn't think she would be able to handle the loss. She was the protector of Love; if she lost the person she loved the most it would destroy her. In time she might fade as well, despite the belief in her. A broken heart was a cruel thing, especially to the benefactor of love.

He couldn't lose his sister, not again. As much as he disliked it, Jill loved Pitch Black with every piece of herself. And it seemed like those feelings were mutual, considering everything he did for her and her happiness. He couldn't let Pitch just die.

Sandy tugged on his hoodie and gave him a look that read "You know what you need to do."

And indeed Jack did. He knew exactly how to save Pitch. All he needed was a few friends to help him out.