I meant to upload this on Friday, but two days later is better than nothing.

Time Travel and Tears

9

As Pitch helped himself back up, he looked around at the miserable village. He could feel the slight fear in the air, swimming from the children and adults alike. He was unsure of the time period but if he was to hazard a guess, it was a couple of years after the dark ages. He wanted to spit into the ground, the Guardians had always managed to defeat him even back here. The young boy's fear had gone, replaced by nothing. He growled, now what was he supposed do? Wait for another one to come?

A pang of fear floated through the air and his hand reached for it flickering in out. This was it. As he touched it, it began to flow through his skin. A girl, maybe about sixteen and she was afraid of everything. Nothing made sense for her.

His body began to distort as he followed the fear through the air like a hound on the scent of a fox. As he got closer to this girl, the fear got stronger and stronger. It was a sheet covering her whole body. This girl, he assumed she was young not quite an adult which meant that was high chance he could use most of her fear and establish his body again. When he touched into someone's fear, he couldn't really see the person's life but he could see the source of the fear. She had been wearing her fear ever since she was ten years old. She had pushed it down and down until it had come bubbling to the surface. It was a buffet, a harvest that was all for his taking.

He got closer to the house and could hear sobbing from inside. She was talking to someone but Pitch didn't care. He needed this girl's fear and her fear alone.

Luckily for him the window was open and then she said the words that he needed to hear.

"I'm scared."

The words were like coming home, it was right. He reached for the sand that coursed through his power and piled into the room and let it fester, circling the girl. He laughed to himself as he launched into the room, drawing himself closer. This girl was a gold mine. Nothing was making sense to her, and he could build on that fear, make her afraid of everything. As he began to carry on circling around her. He started to feed, the fear coming off in waves. This girl would be his return, the drug that he had desperately needed after all this months. Pitch didn't know why Father Time wanted to help him, the man had always been neutral when it came to the Guardians affair. In fact Pitch had only meet him in the Dark Ages in passing. The two of them had sat for a while telling stories, Father Time telling him that there would be a future where he was no long powerful. Pitch of course hadn't believed him.

He should have believed him back then. However his so called friend had given him a chance to do things right, to do what needed to be done so why not take the opportunity? The girl in front of him began to cry. He laughed as the sadness melded into fear. He had always been good at manipulating different emotions. He fed a bit more feeling his power responding to his fingers. He tested it out by sending a bolt of sand towards the wall. However the bolt was then shattered by a spattering of frost. Frost? Pitch growled. There was only one person who would do that.

"Jack Frost," He growled but then he stopped. Maybe this was the Jack Frost of the past? A thought formed in Pitch's mind then. He could use this. Manipulate the young and naive spirit into following him. However this plan quickly disappeared as he saw him standing his ground. He was wearing a blue hoodie, his eyebrows drawn into a scowl.

The Jack Frost of his time. He growled once again. He had trusted Father Time, but why on earth was Jack Frost in this time? There had to be a reason, and it was his old friend's fault. He shouldn't have trusted him. Of course this had been too good to be true, however he decided to use it to his advantage. This was his time to get his revenge.

"What are you doing?" Jack growled gripping his fist around his staff. Pitch thought that he looked angrier than he had ever seen the boy which was a feat in itself. The Guardian Of Fun, angry? Oh what sweet irony.

"What am I doing? Oh Jack, you know full well why I'm here." He smirked and he got closer to the boy.

"You're the Pitch of my time…" He growled launching a flurry of ice at him.

Pitch made sure that he melted into the shadows away from the ice.

"Is that the best you've got?" He laughed into the darkness and allowed the sand to develop into a twister. He launched it towards Jack who rolled out of the way landed into the house. The house shook a little and the girl stirred, and screamed as she noticed the sand.

It was another feast for Pitch as he began to suck into the power, it was building into his skin and soul. It was his old power, raw and rich. He was then knocked over by a bolt of frost that launched towards the man.

"You leave my sister alone," Jack shouted aiming his staff at Pitch.

As Pitch picked himself back up, he could feel laughter bubbling in his throat. This girl was Jack Frost's sister? She was human! A frail human afraid of everything. Jack Frost had once been human. Perhaps the only human turned spirit out of all the guardians then? Oh this was rich, this was something that he could use. As another bolt of frost launched itself at Pitch, he decided to retreat because he had a revenge to plan.

Jack was left panting as he stared at his sister. She had stopped screaming and was now rocking back and forth in the middle of the room. His chest panged as he looked at her. It was his fault she was like this and he didn't know what to do. There had been many times in his long life when he had felt powerless and right now felt like the worst. He watched as Jamie came out of his hiding spot, glancing around the room to see if Pitch black was still around. When there was a clear lack of him, he turned to Jack.

"Was that the bogeyman?" He asked, glancing quickly at Emma who was still held tight into a ball.

Jack nodded and laid his staff on the ground. He sat cross legged to it and sighed.

"He's the future one." He mumbled.

Jamie sat down across from him and frowned. "The future one? But why? Could it be Father Time as well?"

Jamie's eyes grow wide like saucers.

"Yes but it doesn't sound good. He was after my sister. Jamie…can you still see him?"

Jamie shook his head. "But I believe in him, how does that make sense?"

Jack thought long and hard about it, Pitch's powers didn't work in the same way that the Guardians did. They didn't even work the same way that his did. He lived off fear, Jamie wasn't afraid of him. So now he couldn't use Jamie's fears against. However Emma on the hand was very much at risk and he hated it. If Pitch decided to come back, he would head straight for Emma. He had seemed weaker than the last time that they had fought but it still could mean that Pitch was able to best him in a fight. Jack rubbed his face, unsure of what to do. He had been thinking about going to the Guardians and asking for their help but he couldn't leave his sister now.

She mumbled something and then slowly crawled out of her position, she looked so gaunt and tired, he hated it. Pitch had done this to her, and he didn't know if she could even see the Bogeyman. Emma was looking at Jamie and she was wiping her eyes, she seemed to be coming to some sort of sense like she had been in a trance.

"What happened?" She asked in a whisper.

"The Bogeyman." Jamie replied, grimacing.

"Jamie, please. I have been through enough already. Stop your childish fantasies." Emma mumbled clutching her head.

"A bad spirit?" Jamie said after Jack told him to say it.

Emma nodded curtly. She seemed to accept that explanation and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Some colour had started to come back into her face. She began to sort her hair out, scraping it with her hands and playing with the hair tie. Once she was done, her hair was perfectly preened back into his usual braid. She knelt onto the floor, next to Jamie and tried to force a smile but it did not reach her eyes. The only thing that really gave away what had just happened was in fact the bloodshot eyes, but Jamie ignored that.

"Did Jack help me?" She asked the boy.

"Yes, he's a very bad spirit but I can't see him anymore." Jamie mumbled.

Jack wondered for a second. Had her crying been Pitch's doing? Would she accept who he was? He was terrified of finding out because she believed him to be a ghost, and he wasn't sure if she would believe in the world of spirits and guardians, despite how absurd ghosts were. He wasn't sure what they could do now. He could go and see if he could find Pitch, fight him and try to win. Or keep safe and waiting for him to attack. He felt like they were sitting ducks so what were they supposed to?

Just at that moment, the door opened and his Mother walked in. She took a look at Emma kneeling on the floor and frowned.

"Emma, my dear what is the matter?" She asked.

Emma looked up and bolted towards her mother wrapping her arms around her. Jack felt another pang in his chest, what he wouldn't give to be part of that hug. He walked towards them and leaned slightly. Even if he couldn't hug them, the illusion helped. He knew that Jamie was probably looking at him but he didn't care. His family were here, his sister was okay now but Pitch would return and he had to protect his sister.

"I do not know." Emma mumbled into her mother's chest.

Jack walked away from the embrace and let the two of them talk in hushed whispers. His mother fretting over her, touching her hair and hugging her even tighter. He sighed deeply and settled onto the floor. All of a sudden he felt a weight on his chest and saw that Jamie was hugging him.

"I thought you wanted a hug." He whispered up.

Jack smiled and patted his head. "Thanks kiddo."

The hug didn't last long though as Jamie pulled away when the two females looked in his direction.

"Jamie, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. I know that you have been with Emma today, well Joseph has been talking to his boss and they said they would be able to take you on as an apprentice." Mrs Overland said with a smile.

"Apprentice with Mr Overland?" Jamie asked. Jack knew that Jamie had no idea what Jack's mother was on about.

"Yes working the fields, you're old enough. It will give you some money for winter." She replied wiping her hands on her dress.

"Okay." Jamie said with a nod.

Jack had forgotten how young apprentices started out in his time, but hopefully they would have to get home before Jamie had to do any more manual labour. He patted Jamie's shoulder and grimaced. It was just a matter of waiting to see what Pitch would do.