He had given up too easily. Pitch had just simply disappeared from the scene. Was it because he was weak? No. That couldn't be the reason. He could've just taken Anna's memories and left without them ever knowing he was there. Yet he made himself visible to them. He didn't even mention his motives. Did he simply have the same motives as last time? To be believed in and feared? There was something strange about this and the guardians knew he had to be stopped.

The guardians had retreated back to North's Workshop. North had his large eyes on the globe. Specs of lights flicking off as time went by. As Pitch grew stronger, they grew weaker. They'd have to act soon, before none of them would be strong enough to take down the Nightmare King.

"I said I'm fine, Anna." Jack said.

Anna had been examining his body for wounds. He did take a pretty hard hit. His chest was exposed and had a few bruises. His healing process was starting to kick in. Which was a good sign.

"It doesn't hurt to check." Anna exclaimed. Honestly, the boy was stubborn. She was just helping out.

Jack rolled his eyes and smiled. She was just being her usual caring self. He got off the infirmary bed and took his jumper, putting it back on.

"How can you wear that?" Anna questioned.

"Not everyone feels the heat, princess." He chuckled.

Outside the infirmary door, two fellow guardians were busy eavesdropping on the two immortal teenagers.

"Do you think there's more between them than what they lead on?" Tooth whispered to Sandy.

The golden man shrugged. For a long time now, they knew that the two had spent an awful lot of time together. When they weren't busy doing their seasonal jobs, they'd be in each other's company. It made sense since they were physically and mentally the same age and were both one of the rare immortals who got their powers after dying as a human. Not to mention, currently being two of the youngest immortals in existence.

Most of them were over five hundred years old. They were barely four hundred. Jack was a few years over three hundred and Anna was almost half way through two centuries. Practically young children in their eyes.

"What are you two bats spying on?" They were startled by Bunny, who seemed to have gone up to them unnoticed.

"Shhh!" Tooth shushed him and motioned for him to keep his voice down.

Bunny held up his hands defensively and kneeled down. "So what are Frostbite and Sunburn doing in there?" He asked. Clearly he was just as curious as they were.

"Don't know. They're just talking." Tooth replied unsure and pressed her ear against the door. They weren't saying much. Mostly it was about how one could stand a certain temperature the other couldn't. It was like they were complete opposites. They were in a seasonal sense, but if you knew them well, you'd see that was all the opposites they had, that and genders, but everything else was similar. Both young...in a none immortal way, playful, mischievous, daring, caring, selfless and as Bunny liked to call them, irresponsible, selfish, egg hunt wreckers. You get the blizzard of '68 and bushfire of '09. Everyone told him that not everyone has full control of their powers. Summer and winter were both unpredictable and could be dangerous if things got to extreme. By extreme they meant either one of them having some sort of strong emotion that causes them to lash out. But they honestly never meant to hurt anyone. A child doesn't know they done a bad thing until they see the aftermath of their actions. Plus that was all in the past.

Their voices became muffled as large steps stopped behind them and all three of them slowly looked up to see a rather intriguing looking North staring down upon them. It just so happened, at that second the door opened, causing all three of them to fall down and stare into the faces of two confused teenagers.

"You're one to talk. How can you stand wearing that?" Jack gestured to her outfit.

Clearly the concept of the fact that heat or cold didn't bother the other had not gone into their subconscious. It was a common topic that came between them. Jack didn't really sweat and so he could wear a jumper in the hottest desert. Anna could be in her shorts during a blizzard and not be affected by the cold.

"I could always change if you have a problem with it. But I don't think it would make sense if the spirit of summer wore a large wooly jacket."

"I didn't say you had to change. I was asking why..."

"Shh.!" Anna interrupted and pointed at the door.

There were voices outside. They were hard to make out as they were almost inaudible and muffled. Jack slowly and silently walked up to the door, Anna following behind, and he gently turned the knob, opening the door.

They blinked when they saw Sandy, Tooth and Bunny below them on the floor. Were they listening on them? They then noticed North, who seemed to be giving the three a disappointed look, as if a child had misbehaved by stealing a cookie from the cookie jar after being told not to take one.

"What are you doing?" Jack blinked questionably.

Tooth was the first to get up and she quickly brushed her feathers. "We just wanted to see if you're okay and it seems to be you are." She quickly said and gave an innocent smile.

Sandy too grinned innocently and Bunny simply smiled sheepishly. Anna and Jack exchanged glances, mentally figuring out if they should believe their answer or not. In the end they decided to drop it and let them get away with eavesdropping this time. Next time they may not be so merciful.

"Yes. I'm fine." Jack gave a nod.

The bit of nightmare sand that had latched itself onto Jack, was slowly making its way through his body, working its dark purpose it was created to do. The winter boy would start to feel the effects soon and by the time the rest of them knew what was going on, it would be too late for him.

What goes better than cold and dark?

It had been a few hours and Jack was already completely healed. Anna was currently outside in the courtyard with Olaf and Baby Tooth. The two got along quite well. Olaf was fascinated by the small creature and same with the small fairy towards the snowman.

"Oh, yes." Olaf giggled after Baby Tooth said something. Anna hated how she couldn't always understand the fairy. She was probably missing out on a good joke or some juicy bit of news.

"What did she say?" Anna asked, eager to know.

The two beings simply smirked at her, an indication they weren't going to say.

"Don't worry, Anna." Olaf patted her on the shoulder. "You'll get it one day."

Anna frowned. She hated not being in on things that everyone else around her was apart of. The snow beneath her feet began to melt a little faster. It was already melting, but since she was calm, it was taking a slow pace. Now, she was a little upset at being left out, causing the process to speed up by a bit.

"Careful. North won't like it of you melted the Pole." A voice said.

It was Tooth and she flew down and sat beside Anna. "I think it's about time we got another girl guardian." The fairy smiled.

Anna returned the smile. "Before I can say yes to being a guardian, I'm going to need to figure out who I am first. Anna Dawn seems to be only half of who I am."

"I have faith in you that you'll figure it out. The answers always come to us." Tooth said. She was glad that Anna had been chosen, even if the girl didn't accept her destiny yet. There were something's she couldn't tell the other guardians because they were male. At least another girl might understand better.

"Why do you think Manny chose me?" Anna asked. "Of all the other immortals, why me?"

Tooth had to think for a moment to give her question a good enough answer. Manny was mysterious and even in her years of knowing him, he was still a mystery. "I suppose because you have something special. " Tooth started. "We were all chosen for a reason. Maybe you have something inside of you that the rest of us don't. Like how North brings wonder, Sandy gives us dreams, Bunny gives us hope, I protect your memories and Jack brings..."

"Fun." Anna finished.

"Yeah. It's our centre, what we represent. And once you find your centre, you are sure to win." Tooth grinned.

"You got that from a movie." Anna raised her eyebrow.

Tooth simply shrugged. "It's true though. When you figure out your centre, you become a true guardian."

This conversation with Tooth was actually nice and motivating. She rarely got to talk to another girl and only a few times before she talked to the fairy, but only on rare occasions.

"Oh." Anna suddenly gasped. "This is Olaf." She motioned to the little snowman. "Olaf this is Tooth. As in the Tooth Fairy."

"Pleasure to meet you, Olaf." Tooth smiled and held out her hand. "Baby's told me a lot about you." She smirked.

Olaf took her hand and shook it with his sticky hand. "Oh she has? And it's an honor to meet you." He slightly bowed.

Tooth and Anna giggled. Olaf may be a little strange, but he was surely a gentleman, gentlesnowman? Ahh...you get what I mean.

Their happy little moment was interrupted by a painful scream coming from inside.

"Jack!" Both girls shouted in alarm and quickly flew back inside. Baby Tooth and Olaf trailing behind.

He didn't know what happened. All he knew was that he was freezing elves as they passed by and then a cold burning pain was searing through his arm and it was spreading through his body like wild fire.

"Easy there, Frostbite." Bunny said soothingly, a tone he hardly ever heard from the Pooka. If he used that tone that meant one should be worried. He laid him onto the couch by the fire. North was ordering a yeti to fetch the first aid kit.

"What's wrong with him?" North asked worriedly, heading over to the couch.

"I dunno." Bunny replied and pulled one of Jack's sleeves up. To his surprise blacksand was crawling through his veins and spreading throughout his body. "I'll kill that rat bag." He said, as he knew all to well who was behind it. Clearly that Pitch attack had resulted more than they anticipated and Bunny was mentally hitting himself for overlooking their easy victory.

Tooth and Anna bursted in, Baby Tooth and Olaf appearing a second later.

"What's happened?" Anna asked and ran towards Jack, but North held her back and blocked her view. "Please please let me go." Her friend was in trouble. She had to see him. To know what was wrong and help him.

Seeing Jack would only break her. It would be too much for her child like mind to take in the sight. He couldn't give her that image. "It's best you stay out." He said.

Anna wasn't going to give up. "No! If he's hurt, I want to help." She was doing her best to hold back tears. She didn't want them to leave her in the dark. Jack was her best friend and she was not going to allow them to stop her from helping.

The nightmare sand had created a web around the winter spirit and his face was contorted in pain. Eyes were shut tightly and he gritted his teeth, sealing up another scream. It didn't seem to stop there. Now it was going through his jumper, making it pitch black. Sandy's dreamsand only seemed to slow it down and they were getting worried.

Something was burning. Like something was getting barbecued. North realized it was him who was being cooked. Anna was clearly beyond worried and so it resulted in her emotions going over the top, meaning she was heating up. North quickly let go and Anna ran over to Jack. Her eyes watched in horror as his blue hoodie was becoming black. Darkness was spreading to him. Her tears were pouring out like a waterfall.

"Don't let the darkness sink in!"She screamed inside her head and tried to reach out to him.

"NO!" Bunny tried to stop her, but she already grabbed his hand. They didn't know what it was doing to him, but it was possible it could spread and affect her too. Instead, a blinding golden light came from her. It spread through the whole room and when their eyes finally readjusted, they found Anna laying on the floor and groaned. Tooth came by over to her and helped her up.

"Wha..what did you do?" She asked, her violet eyes examining for any sign of injury. She felt slightly relieved to have found none.

Anna held her hand over her head and shook her head. "I don't know." She panted.

"I'll tell ya what she did." Bunny interjected. "She seems to have stopped the nightmare sand." Bunny was pointing over to Jack.

Their eyes widened. Not only did she stop it, but seemed to destroy half of it. It only seemed to get rid of part of the darkness and his blue jumper was stained with blotches of black and the sand that had webbed itself around his body had shrunk down.

Jack was currently passed out. He was breathing. A sign he was still alive. No one was as surprised as Anna. She had done something. Something she never thought she could do. She stared at the hand that had touched Jack and then back at the sleeping boy.

"You have something special inside."

The words echoed through her mind.