Sorry it's been so long... I've been busy and tired and I also had to let Eren write up his little Christmas one-shot (go read that, too!). But I'm finally back, and stuff is happening.

This one starts off with some direct book tie-ins, so you might do better to read the books before you read this. Skipping sections would be quite awkward at this point.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Bedtime For Pitch

Among the many questions rattling around in my mind, three rose to the surface as I flew back to my world: How had Bunny and Sandy taken North's news? Did Pitch really have a new set of baby teeth, and did that mean Tooth would come visit him when he lost them? And, biggest of all, was my friend the Man in the Moon still that friend I had known all those years ago? Was it really like the books—me his guardian when he was just a baby?

I had found that I could do the time-adjustment thing without Leo's help now, but my other thoughts were too urgent for me to take the time to celebrate this accomplishment. The moon was on the horizon and I skidded to a stop in a shower of sleet, staring up at it.

"Mim?" I said quietly. I swallowed and spoke a little louder. "Are you there? Do you see me? Do you remember me... my old friend?"

I couldn't see or hear or feel any kind of response. I felt kind of silly, but I also had tears starting to form. "You haven't said anything since you told me my name. Can't you just say something? Send me a sign—send down a moonbeam at least!" I put my arm out, as if reaching for something the moon was supposed to offer to me.

And a little light did stir... not from the moon, but from my staff. It crackled along the wood in a blue, sputtering line like a little fireworks display until it reached the tip and jumped off, landing in my hand before circling my head.

You is my Nightlight boy, the light said in an otherworldly language that I found I understood perfectly.

"Moonbeam!" I exclaimed. I sank to my knees on the ground. "Have you been with me this whole time?"

Ofs course.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

You wasn't ready.

The tears were on my face now.

Don't lose those, the moonbeam warned me. Precious useful, those are.

I gathered the tears off my face and held them out. Moonbeam slipped in and out of them as I held them up to the tip of my staff. They seemed to fuse into the wood and disappear.

Safe for later, Moonbeam said. Big help.

"Thank you, dear Moonbeam," I said. "I forgot you for a long time. I'm sorry."

Don't be sorry. You wants to help.

"Yes." I realized that Moonbeam, riding around in my staff, must have observed everything I did and heard all my plans..

Be most careful. Katherine had a pity spot for the Pitch, too.

"I know... but the last book isn't out yet, so I don't know how all that ended," I lamented. "I searched online. I couldn't even find a sure release date..."

Doesn't matter much. Can fix that later.

"Yeah, I guess so." I smiled at my staff as the moonbeam's glow faded. I knew he would be there if I need him. Now I wanted to see Pitch.

/'*

I called to Pitch as I hurried down the dark passageway. When I pushed the door open I saw him crawling out from under the bed. He looked a little different somehow, but I hardly noticed because so much else was on my mind. I wanted to tell him everything I had learned, and about Christmas, but I knew I could never tell him about the other world. It would be too easy for him to become greedy for a new place to conquer.

He could tell I was in a good mood though, and looked up at me expectantly.

"I missed you," I said.

"Did you tell North about me?" he asked.

"Yeah." I knelt beside him on the floor. "He took it pretty well. And he's going to tell Bunnymund and Sandy, if he hasn't already."

Pitch looked down in silence a moment before suggesting, "Maybe he's trying to trick you."

"No way," I answered. "I know him too well for that. He wasn't trying to trick me. He trusts me because I believe in you. So does Jamie, and more will soon."

"I don't know... I liked being the Nightmare King."

"I didn't say you can't anymore. But you can be so much more than that, Pitch."

He leaned back against the bed and I noticed what was different: his messy hair now seemed to more or less go all in the same direction. I couldn't resist reaching over to fluff it. He huffed and raked his hands through it until it all went back again.

"Hey, Pitch," I said, leaning back beside him. "Do you have baby teeth now?"

After a moment of quiet he said, "I guess."

"Can I see?"

"No."

"Fine."

He yawned, putting a hand over his mouth—probably more to keep me from seeing his teeth than out of politeness.

"Are you tired?"

He nodded.

"Do you need to sleep?"

He crossed his arms. "Never used to," he complained.

"I know the feeling," I muttered. "Well, if you need to sleep, that's ok. Hey, I could even tell you a bedtime story."

"I don't need a bedtime story," he said, sounding extremely disdainful.

"Fine. But you should go brush your teeth. If you want Tooth to bring you a gift when you lose those things, you need to take good care of them."

He snorted. But then he looked up at me. "You don't think she actually would."

"Sure, why not?"

"'Cause she hates me."

"No, she doesn't."

"Oh, yes she does," he insisted. "She always has."

"Then it's time to change her mind," I retorted. "Go brush your teeth. And floss."

"Ugh."

"Go on."

"You're not the boss of me, Jack Frost."

This kind of thing went on for a while, but in the end, he did clean his teeth and get into a black sort of romper that was trying to be a nightgown. I managed not to comment on it and pulled back the bed covers for him.

He shook his head. "I'm not sleeping in there," he said.

"Oh, come on. This is where normal people sleep."

"Not me. When you're up there, you can't see what's down there," he said, pointing at the floor under the bed.

This argument also went on for some time, until I told him rather loudly, "There's nothing under there!"

"Prove it," he retorted.

I lifted the edge of the covers. "See, there's..." I froze, dropping the covers. Gingerly, I reached down again and looked under the bed.

There, in the extra-dark dimness that resides only under beds in already-dark rooms, was the shadowy but unmistakable form of a fearling. Nightmares are almost pretty in their way... fearlings are not remotely so.

It was a lifetime since I had seen one, (four or five lifetimes, actually) let alone this close. My heart was pounding. I tried to keep my fear under control.

"Toldja," I heard Pitch say.

"Stay back there," I said in a low voice. I lowered my staff toward the fearling.

Suddenly, it lashed out at me, and I had to call on my resolve to keep from shrinking back from it. Together, I thought.

Together, the moonbeam answered.

With the help of my friend, I thrust my staff forward as the fearling came toward me. The tears gleamed on my staff as we ran the fearling through. It seemed to shred apart and dissipate in ribbons like smoke.

I leaned on my staff, breathing hard.

"Was it fun?" Pitch asked.

I glanced back at him. "No... not really," I said. "I didn't have much time to make it fun."

"You're more like your old self."

I realized he was right. Putting kids to bed and scaring away the monster under the bed—that was more like Nightlight. "Maybe I am," I said. "I'd like it if you were like your old self... from back in the Golden Age, I mean."

He stalked across the room and got into the bed. "I'm going to sleep now," he declared. "Go away."

"You sure you don't want a story?"

"No. Go away."

I was disappointed that he was still going to so much trouble to keep me at a distance. I stubbornly stayed long enough to tug the covers up around his chin. "Good night, Pitch. I'll come back soon."

"Whatever."

I went out to the hallway and stood there for a bit, peeking in at him.

Nightlight, said the moonbeam.

I smiled a little. "Nightlight, bright light," I whispered. "Sweet dreams I bestow. Sleep tight, all night. Forever I will glow."

Moonbeam glowed faintly in my staff as I walked back up the hall.

When I got out of Pitch's lair, I flew up above it a ways and looked at the moon going in and out of the clouds. I wondered what Bunny and Sandy thought of the situation, assuming North had told them about it.

I flew higher, until the trees were tiny below me. I could see a few tendrils of golden sand in the distance and I knew that Sandy was hard at work, keeping away the bad dreams of the children whenever the moonlight couldn't reach them.

Then I noticed a curving line of sand branching out from the others. It bent around trees, over small buildings and rippled across a field, getting closer and closer. Finally, it wove through the woods and down the hole into Pitch's lair.

I grinned. Clearly Sandy wasn't holding a grudge. I could be sure Pitch would be safe from the fearlings and nightmares while I was gone.

I decided this had been a rewarding enough visit. I wasn't crazy about the idea of talking to Bunnymund... not just yet. I started back for this world, looking forward to helping the guys bring in the new year.

/'*

I think it was Friday night, the 30th... Levi and Eren went out on a call and I decided to stay home. I was tired again and just wanted some peace and quiet. About two hours after they left, I got the strangest feeling. I felt like Eren wanted me. Then I could hear him calling me.

I hurried out of the house (on our plane, of course, because Mairead was with them) and flew up into the sky. I don't think I flew the whole way... I sort of teleported or something. Anyway, I ended up in some town in the mountains where Levi and Eren were about to head back home again.

"Look, Jack!" Eren exclaimed as soon as I got there. "It's snowing!"

I looked up, and sure enough, it was just starting. I was so happy to see it on Mairead's plane for once. And it was a perfect night for it, too. I don't remember what I said, but I was babbling about it for a while, I guess, almost crying with joy. Of course, Eren made fun of me a little, but I didn't care.

We had to head back then, even though I wanted to just stay there and play in the snow. We had a long drive ahead of us and had to be ready in case we were needed again.

Eren said that since the sky was only partly cloudy and you could see the stars, the snow flying under it looked like shooting stars or comets—"Or is Jack making it look like that?"

It wasn't me, but it made me happy that he said that. It's so frustrating not being able to make snow on this plane. I can make it on ours, no problem so far. Oh, well. It was nice.

We had kind of a bad day the next day, but that night was better. We watched movies with friends, had pizza and counted down to the new year.

Levi is the one who pestered me into finally finishing this chapter. He feels guilty about not finishing his own story and he told me that the longer I leave it, the harder it will be to continue. Plus, I got another review today, so that encouraged me! It really is like seeing believers on the globe.

Give me some more faith-writing power! ^^ Comments, please.