Jamie Bennet was huddled on his bed, buried under his covers, trembling like a leaf in the wind. He couldn't believe it. He'd spent his whole life believing that the Easter Bunny, Santa, Sandman, and the Tooth fairy were real; but they weren't: sure his tooth was gone and he'd had that incredible dream, but there was no Easter, and his mother could have just taken the tooth. He really was just a stupid little kid.

He curled into himself more tightly, feeling his fears and newly found self-depreciating thoughts claw his mind. He wished he could have the faith and happiness of his little sister Sophie: she had been saying all day how Bunny had eggs for them, but even her smile had begun to fall when no eggs turned up.

There was no hope: no wonder: no good memories: no good dreams; not anymore. If they aren't real, then what was left? Nightmares, bad things to remember, apathy, despair? Was this all that adults felt? Fear alone?

Jamie pressed his hands over his ears. "I just want to forget all about them," he moaned quietly.

"Oh you will. It's bound to happen sooner or later." Jamie shot up in bed, looking about his room frantically. As if materializing out of the shadows, Jamie saw a man sitting on his desk, sipping a cup of what smelled like tea. The man looked up and Jamie saw that his eyes were gold. "Ah, about time one of you saw me." One corner of his mouth slowly curled upwards. "I'd almost forgotten the feeling."

Jamie scooted backwards in his bed, latching onto his flashlight like it was a weapon. "Who are-are you?!" He was trying not to shout, but his voice was far louder than it should have been.

The smile on the man turned into a smirk. He tipped the tea glass in a friendly gesture that didn't seem genuinely friendly. "I have had many names over the years: the Nightmare King, the Boogeyman, Lord High General once upon a time even; but you may call me Pitch Black."

Jamie did not know what to make of this. He somehow scooted even further into his headboard. "And wh-why are you here, Pitch... sir."

Pitch raised and eyebrow at the hastily added "sir", pleased that Jamie knew his manners. He pointed one finger at the abandoned rabbit doll on the floor. "Because of them."

The young boy screwed up his face. "The Easter Bunny?" His eyes widened in surprise. "But... but they aren't real! They can't be! I... I..."

"Oh, I'm quite afraid they are; for the moment at least. But they are far from who you think they are." Pitch delighted in how confused and torn Jamie was. Pitch waved aside his teacup and it vanished as he stood to his full height and walked slowly towards Jamie. The boy no longer tired to place more distance between them. Pitch bent down, scooping up the rabbit doll and with a vicious movement ripped off its head only to casually toss the body and severed head back onto the floor. "You see, for nearly a thousand years, the Guardians (Tooth, Santa, Bunny, Sandy, and a few minor helpers on the side,) have reigned over their believing children; soaking up the belief and spoiling you with gifts and money and pretty eggs and happy dreams. Meanwhile, all the other immortal spirits in the world were forgotten by the Guardians of Childhood. They were left alone, without many friends, to fend for themselves against their fellow kind while the Guardians lived on without care." He sat delicately on the side of Jamie's bed. With a wave of his hand, Jamie's childish drawing of his sledding adventure materialized in his hand. "Remember this?"

"My freak accident?" Jamie leaned forward trying to see his drawing better in the darkness. A smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth, but it was as if he couldn't decide of he wanted to smile or not. "That was... honestly the most fun I'd had in days. I've never felt an adrenaline rush like that before."

Pitch smiled. "What if I told you that there was an immortal spirit behind that accident? And the snowball fight before hand? In fact, he's behind every snow day you've ever experienced!"

Jamie's eyes were wide. He scooted forward slightly. "Who?"

Pitch's arm stretched out and scooped little Jamie to sit by him: Jamie tensed up, but didn't pull away. Pitch poked a long finger into the page and Jamie turned on his flashlight to see it better. Slowly, a dark form began to emerge on the paper, one Jamie had never drawn: it was a thin figure, holding a staff and flying through the air.

"His name is Jack Frost, and he is no expression. Every snowflake and snowdrift is under his power: icicles and black ice too; and every snowball sings of his fun. Jack is one of the most powerful spirits I've ever encountered, but even he does not know this, for all that he cares about is to see his snow bring joy and fun wherever he goes, whether or not he can be seen."

Jamie's eyebrows scrunched together. "Why couldn't I see him?"

Pitch raised a finger, like a teacher explaining a concept to a student. "Because you didn't believe he existed."

"But... I didn't believe that he DIDN'T exist either..."

"Irrelevant. Belief is a powerful thing, but you must be specific in what you believe. And I'm afraid, not one mortal person has ever believed in Jack Frost... and your precious Guardians did nothing about it." Here Pitch's voice took on a sinister note. "For three hundred years, they ignored him as they ignored all the others: one, that rabbit, was even far from friendly to the friendliest spirit around; all over a simple misconception and mistake.

"Then suddenly, out of the blue, they strung him into a series of events he had no part in, all because the Moon told them too." Pitch broke into a side explanation upon seeing Jamie's look of confusion. "The Man in the Moon is the magical spirit that gifts powers and immortality to mortals he feels are worthy, and he presides over the Guardians and their actions. He claimed that Jack was to be a Guardian, but, just like the others, he too has ignored the boy all these years."

Jamie hugged himself, fearing to hear but still asking, "what happened?"

Pitch didn't answer the question right away, instead jumping back to another beginning. "MiM and his Guardians have been at odds with me for longer than you would ever even belive. But, unlike them, I take time to know and help the other far more weaker spirits of this world: I've broken up fights, settled land disputes, rescued seasonal sprites from climates that they could die in. One of the many of these was Jack Frost. He and I have become quite close I dare say. For three hundred years the two of us continued my work.

"Less than a week ago, I rekindled my war against the Guardians, and this was when they dragged in Jack. What happened, you ask? Well he did what he always did: he had fun. Jack grew to like and even trust the Guardians to a small extent, even though he'd only been hanging around them for two days."

"So he took the Guardianship?" Jamie interrupted.

"No, but to use his own words, he got curious. I eventually pulled him aside, keeping him from a battle my forces were raging so I could speak with him as his friend. When he returned to them, determined to establish himself as a neutral party as he had been before, they turned on him, believing he had turned them in to me for a prize without letting him explain."

Jamie gasped. Pitch nodded gravely. "Oh yes. I wasn't there, nor did I have eyes to see what had happened, but they harmed him deeply." Pitch's eyes went distant and sad. "He's locked himself away in Antartica. The pure essence of Winter itself is protecting him, and I could not reach him to check on him... my boy... Jack..." his voice grew quiet, as if he was still back in Antartica.

Jamie looked down at the forgotten doll rabbit body in horror, as if he knew it had been Bunny who had attacked. "Why... why would they do that? He... he's a good person!"

Pitch tightened his grip on Jamie ever so slightly, handing the heartbroken boy his drawing. "Yes! Yes Jack is! He's the best of all of us." Jamie could hear in Pitch's voice that he was speaking what he truly believed to be true, that he truly thought so highly of Jack Frost. "But the Guardians never took the time to see that properly for themselves. They've spent centuries living off of the belief of children like it's a drug, coddling you all, keeping you innocent and ignorant of reality, keeping the natural forces of life at bay."

"The natural forces?" Jamie was looking up at Pitch with wide brown eyes that were desperately looking for comfort.

Pitch smiled. He saw why Jack liked this child so much: Jamie had a quick mind open to new information. "Fear, that which I control."

Jamie hugged himself. "But... I don't like being afraid."

"Because you haven't seen the good in it yet." Jamie looked confused at this. "Have you ever wandered into a part of the forest in fun, only to be suddenly afraid and to run right back out?" The boy nodded. "That is why we need fear. Fear senses danger and prompts us to escape to avoid harm to ourselves. And, if we find ourselves in danger despite our fear, it helps us remember our reasons to live. Sure, fear and nightmares are never pretty, especially not to the children, but they are necessary." Pitch pointed down to the beheaded rabbit doll. "But the Guardians would kill me simply because what I am is uncomfortable to the children. Imagine a world without fear, Jamie: a world where people don't sense danger: a world where they don't remember their reasons to live. These 'Guardians' would have this world."

Tears were beginning to well in Jamie's eyes now. "What... what are you doing about it?"

Time for one tactful little lie, Pitch decided. Jamie would never know. "I wish it hadn't come to this, but, as I said earlier, I've restarted an old war with them. As we speak, they're slowly fading and dying. I'm afraid that there was no other way around the problem."

Jamie sucked in a terrified gasp. "They're dying?!"

"Mhm."

"But..." Jamie screwed up his face again, thinking hard. "Wouldn't that mean they would take the good things they gave as well? Even if they were corrupt, they still gave good, didn't they?"

Pitch was utterly delighted by this. Jamie Bennet really was quite smart for a child his age. He could see why Jack was so attached to the boy. "Oh they will, but I have a plan for that." Pitch waved his hand and black sand morphed itself into images at his command. "I haven't been saving and befriending hundreds of immortal spirits only because they needed my help (though that was a major contributing factor.) I'm planning to bring about a new world Jamie. A world where immortals and mortals both live in harmony and no immortal will ever have to endure being not seen ever again. A new golden age will span the entire globe.

"Now, as to how I will fix the problem of the lack of hope, memories, and wonder, imagine it like this: when the Guardians were created, each had a certain trait was attributed to them (such as Santa with wonder.) Wonder existed before they did, but they gained influence over it. When they are finally dead, those traits will still exist; but, instead of being confined to just one person, wonder will be in everyone, and it will be their choice to use it. You could chose to buy your friend a gift, or you could chose to save your money for other endeavors. You understand?"

Jamie nodded silently. His eyes were free of his earlier tears, and he looked like he might even smile. "So... what do I do then?"

Pitch grinned. "You wanted to forget earlier, didn't you?" Jamie nodded again. "Then do your best to forget the Guardians; and if you can't forget, remember how they have used you, and that they are now as good as dead."

He finally stood from Jamie's bed and with a simple motion tucked Jamie back in bed with his magic. "Now. It's far too late for you to still be up. Get to sleep and remember: the nightmares are just dreams. You'll get used to them eventually." Pitch turned to vanish into the darkness.

"Wait!"

Pitch paused, then turned back around. Jamie swallowed hard before asking, "what about Jack Frost?"

A flash of sadness crossed Pitch's face. He sighed. "As of right now, I cannot reach him. Though I promise, when I can, I shall bring him to the world: I'll even let you meet him properly. Until then, I'll be busy bringing about my world. Now go to sleep."

Pitch vanished and Jamie tucked himself back under his covers. He did sleep, though not very well: when he wasn't awake thinking about the Guardians and all that Pitch had told him, he was caught up in a nightmare. He murmured that it was just a bad dream to himself over and over.

Outside, Pitch was casually strolling down the street. At the far end he saw a crashed and broken sleigh: looking inside, he saw several fallen feathers, a tipped over basket of smashed chocolate eggs, and a broken boomerang. He laughed, genuinely laughed. With a wave of his hand the sleigh was enveloped in black sand and it dissapeared down into the darkest corners of his underground palace to be burned.

All that was left was for his reign to begin.

A simple enough matter, now that the Guardians were out of the picture. He laughed, and each peal sent new waves of fear across the globe.

A/N

WHOO BOI BUT DID YOU GUYS SPOIL ME WITH SOME GOOD COMMENTS LAST WEEK! Legit, its freaky how similar we be thinking, and how SMART you guys be thinking.

But back on track. What do yall think if this? Eh? I'm quite happy with it myself. Pitch is finally seen, the Guarduans are outta the picture, Jamie is the first to really know about Jack, and we have a sneak peek at the plan. Quite nice if I do say so. Next chapter will be mostly catching us up on what happens next.

So let's get to those comments!

ZeroGreenArrow, oh the winter does NOT mess around at all. You mess with Jack, you get messed up.

ILovebooks1234, yeah. The Guardians messed up big time. And just wait: you'll see what Pitch really has in store.

HP Girl 28: both: Bunny was both mad, and knew exactly what he was doing. He messed up the worst of the three, and he does kinda deserve to lose his followers. MiM saw. And just wait! It gets worse =D !!

Anywho, that's about all for now. So long Lovies! (Tell me if you perfer me posting these chapters on Friday or Saturday.)