Silence greeted Pitch's ears. Blessed silence that made his sore, aching body relax a little with relief. They were all gone. There were no other children to send on. Three entire Earth days they had spent in the tunnels, giving peace and comfort to children. And now it was over, and Pitch was ready to sit down and rest. So they headed for the exit, the quiet between them comfortable and peaceful.

Lunar smiled at him as they emerged into the starlight, bright compared to the dark tunnels. Nightlight must have been watching out for them because he hurried over, his glowing eyes sweeping their faces. He paused before them, looking from one to the other.

"It is done?" he asked.

"It is done," Lunar assured him. "There are no more. They're all gone."

Nightlight reached up and tapped the crystal. "Jack will prepare some hot food. We have a short walk, little Lunanoff."

They walked back to the ship, or more specifically, a small camp that Jack and the others had set up near the ship. The smell of hot, cooking meat made Pitch's stomach rumble, and he placed a hand there, grimacing at the sharp spike of pain from his untended wound. That would need to be cared for. Lunar patted his arm reassuringly.

"I'll look at it after we eat," he said.

"Good. It's getting worse," Pitch grumbled.

Jack looked up from the fire he was cooking over. His fingers were blue from the heat, which was needed to cook the meat. Pitch paused several steps away, warily glancing at the Guardians, who were staring at him curiously. He didn't sense hostility, and he didn't understand. Jack shook his head quickly.

"It's okay, Pitch," he said. "The veil is gone."

"How?" Pitch asked.

"The shadows couldn't stand your light," Jack explained. "When they saw what you really are, the shadows fled and withered. They're not going to hurt you anymore."

Pitch hesitated until Lunar pulled him forward. He sat down, cringing at the pain in his stomach. He needed to drain the darkness from it; usually he never let it fester for so long, but the children came first. Lunar patted his shoulder then turned to look hungrily at the food.

"Is it almost ready?"

"Yep," Jack said. "North, hand me those plates."

The Guardian of Fun piled the plates high with food then passed them over. Lunar picked up a large piece of meat and bit down with relish. Pitch was so tired that he ate slowly, which gave him a chance to savor the food for the first time since the feast on Icentuva. Both Lunar and Pitch cleaned their plates and drained their cups. Jack took the dishes to wash, and Lunar turned to Pitch.

"I need any medical supplies that you have."

Jack and Nightlight stood and headed for the ship to retrieve the supplies. While they were gone, Lunar carefully unwound the makeshift bandages to see the damage. He paled a little, his light dimming at the black mess that was revealed.

"Oh my," he murmured.

"Wow, that's bad," Jack said carrying a jar full of the anesthetic gel and bandages. Nightlight carried a knife and several other supplies. "Want to be numb?" the ice boy said, holding up the jar.

"Give it here, Jack," Lunar said. "Lie back, Prism."

Pitch eased to the ground, and Jack stripped off his hoodie, folding it over and placing it carefully behind the man's head. A mumbled thanks was all he got, but Jack didn't mind. Pitch was pale with pain, so Jack sat down and held his hand. The Nightmare King smiled a little and squeezed Jack's hand slightly. Jack smiled back, then turned his attention to Lunar, who was mixing the gel with a spoon. After a moment, the Man in the Moon carefully scooped out a bit of the gel and smoothed it onto the wound. Pitch sighed softly as it was spread around and absorbed into his skin, immediately numbing it and taking away the pain.

"That's nice," he said softly.

"I've never seen a wound like this," Lunar said, clearly unsure about what to do.

"I have," Jack said. "Here, Nightlight, give me that knife."

After preparing the knife, Jack carefully sliced into the wound. Lunar watched, waiting to help. Nightlight handed him a thin, needle-like object.

"Now slip that in the wound and pull on the end," Jack said, his focus on the wound.

Lunar obeyed, and the ugly wound began to lighten immediately. They worked to get the slithering creature out of Pitch's wound, and when the blackness was gone, Jack nodded.

"Pull it out, but don't let it bite you," he warned.

"Something might bite me?" Lunar asked in surprise.

He withdrew the needle to see a thin, snakelike creature writhing at the end. It lunged for Lunar's hand, and Lunar yelped. Jack was there at once, slashing with the knife. The creature turned to dust, and Lunar stared in surprise at where it had been.

"What was that thing?" he asked. "I've seen many strange things in my days, but not that."

"It's like a virus," Pitch said, still lying back and staring blankly at the stars. "They slither through veins and drain lifeforce. It's one reason I'm not silver anymore. I don't think it'll ever fully go away for me. But that's okay."

Lunar nodded then grabbed a needle and thread. "It's too deep, Prism. I have to stitch you up."

"That's fine," Pitch replied. "I can't feel anything."

Ten minutes later, Lunar snipped the thread and looked over his work. The wound was pale against Pitch's grey skin, and there were hundreds of lines that mirrored the fresh cut on his stomach. Lunar felt his throat constrict with anger, and tears burned in his eyes as he bandaged the wound.

"I know I'm ugly," Pitch said, his lips quirking. "You don't have to stare."

"You are not ugly," Lunar said sternly, blinking away the tears. "Scars are not ugly."

Pitch gazed at him with an almost unfathomable gaze. "If you say so, Lunar."

Lunar nodded. "Now, let's get some sleep."

"No!" Pitch gasped, jerking himself into a seated position.

There was silence, then Lunar leaned forward. "Why not?"

"B-because…" Pitch paused then thought about it. Was there a reason he couldn't sleep anymore? As if Jack heard his thoughts, the boy spoke.

"Obscurus is gone, Pitch," he said. "He can't take you over again. You can sleep. You can rest now."

"Take him over?" Bunnymund demanded. "What do you mean?"

Pitch's mouth went dry, and the shadows drained from his face again. He didn't have the energy or desire to talk to them. Jack saved him.

"I'll explain," he assured the Nightmare King. "You just get some sleep. Sandy?"

Sandy nodded and waved his hands. Before Pitch could protest, before he could think about it, he got a faceful of Dreamsand, and all of his exhaustion caught up with him at once. He fell asleep sitting up, and it was only Jack's quick hands that prevented him from toppling over. Lunar giggled then lay down tiredly, ready for a nice, long sleep. Pitch was settled back onto Jack's hoodie and curled up, muttering softly in his sleep.

Hours later, Pitch floated up from pleasant dreams to hear soft talking. He picked out Jack's voice first, followed by North's Russian accent. Bunnymund answered with his Australian lilt, and Toothiana's feminine tone cut through. For a moment, he considered sleeping some more—after all he'd been having a fantastic dream—but then he decided that he'd slept enough and allowed his consciousness to slowly spiral back up to waking.

Pitch opened his eyes, and he flinched at the bright fire. As soon as he thought about what he wanted, the fire turned black and warm. He stared at them for a moment, watching them talk. Sandy glanced over and smiled, waving at Pitch. His symbols began flashing.

"Welcome back," he said. "Come and join us if you feel up to it."

Everybody paused when Sandy waved, and then they realized who he was talking to. They all smiled hesitantly at him, except for Jack and Nightlight, who both grinned. Pitch slowly sat up, his stomach twinging with pain, but it was only a prickle, which meant that he was already healing, and the anesthesia hadn't quite worn off yet. He stood and stumbled over to the fire, watching for any sign of hostility, but all he saw was curiosity. He lowered himself by the fire and sighed as his stomach relaxed.

"Are you in pain?" Toothiana asked sympathetically.

"It's bearable," Pitch replied. "I'll put more anesthesia on it later. It will take a while to heal."

"The other one didn't," Jack said.

"This one festered for three days," Pitch said, brushing over his bandages. "It will take longer. It was deeper than most of his cuts, too."

Jack nodded, and they all lapsed into an awkward silence. Pitch's eyes fell on Lunar, who was sleeping peacefully with North's coat under his head. He shifted then relaxed again. North cleared his throat, and Pitch glanced at him.

"Jack told us what Obscurus did. How he took you over and made you do the things you did."

"And?" Pitch asked sharply.

They flinched back. "And we don't hold it against you, mate," Bunnymund said. "So don't be snapping at us. We were under his spell, too."

Pitch's jaw tensed as he stared at them, still looking for hostility, and it was only when Jack touched his hand that he relaxed. He nodded slowly.

"It will take a while to get used to the way things are now," Pitch said. "You have hated me for many years. There is no way that you are just fine with me."

"We've been talking about that," Toothiana said, drawing her knees up to her chin. "It's like a void now. For us, it's like a whole new opportunity to get to know you."

"From what they've said," Jack put in. "It's like somebody hit a reset button."

"But I do not have that luxury," Pitch said. "So forgive me if I'm wary. You have hurt me before."

"And we'll try to make it up to you," Toothiana said.

"Yeah, but ya've got to see that it's not our fault any more than the Night Mares were yours," Bunnymund said.

Pitch thought about it then nodded. "I shall try. We need time."

Then his eyes dashed to Lunar, his pupils contracting as a disturbed expression crossed the Man in the Moon's face. Sandy grimaced and stood up, but Pitch was closer, and he was faster, too. He was beside Lunar in a moment, passing his hand over the man's face. A dark, gritty substance came from his head, and Pitch clenched his fist around it, tugging it out. Then Lunar's expression relaxed, and he sank back into pleasant dreams. Sandy stared in surprise, and everybody else looked at Lunar.

"What just happened?" North asked, moving his eyes from Pitch to Sandy.

"Nightmare," Pitch ground out. "I took care of it."

"What was he dreaming about?" Jack asked, looking at Sandy, who shrugged.

"I can read dreams, Jack, not nightmares."

Jack turned to ask Pitch, but the man cut him off. "That is his business and nobody else's, Jack. I don't tell nightmares like I don't tell others' fears. Drop it."

The boy nodded, unoffended by the harsh tone. "It's personal. I get it," he said.

Pitch looked down at the sand in his hand, squeezing lightly. He saw the nightmare flashing into his mind, and it was the day that he left the moon for Earth. Now he knew the full impact of what his leaving with no explanation had left on Lunar. It had torn him up as much as it tore Pitch's heart apart. He regretted so much, but he finally breathed out and tossed the sand away, letting the soft breeze carry it away.

Things would be different now. He didn't know how different yet, but he was willing for the first time in years to work things out. He turned back to see Sandy staring at him while the others talked. Sandy gave him a respectful nod and Pitch knew that things would be okay, so he settled down to wait for Lunar to wake up.