A/n: I freakin' love Pitch. I would totally let him live in my closet. He won't get a lot of appearances, but I hope I did him justice.
.:08:.
Jack spent hours silently watching Sophie's neighborhood. Part of him desperately wanted it to be a misunderstanding, the girl thought she saw something when she didn't, and after a few days Jack would be able to relax and forget about it. The rest of him knew all too well that one thing Pitch was good at was popping up where he wasn't wanted, and he never once trusted that he'd seen the last of him.
He was sitting on a rooftop a few houses down from the Bennett residence when he finally saw it. Just a faint flicker of shadow, something he could have easily missed, but it was enough and he launched himself off the roof and took chase. It was nothing more than a slight shift of inky blackness, flashing across a garage door or a fence, then it flitted down several side streets and up along a footpath. Jack made no attempt to hide his presence, he wanted Pitch to know he was being watched.
He was winding through a knot of trees when he saw the figure ahead. Skidding to a stop with his staff held aggressively before him, Jack watched the man as he slowly moved out from behind the twisted form of a large, dormant tree. Refusing to give him a chance to think he was afraid, Jack strode purposefully forward.
"Good evening, Jack. Tightening the leash, are we?"
The bitter drawl almost sent a shiver down his spine, but Jack gritted his teeth and slowed to a stop a few paces away. Pitch's shadowy form was outlined against the lights from the next street. His head was lowered and his shoulders slumped, and he turned his gaze on the boy as if it was a game he'd grown weary of.
"Crawled out of your cave, I see." Jack bit back.
Pitch turned toward him, his eyes momentarily flashing a dull yellow before the light was behind him and his face fell into shadow.
"And what would you have me do? Sit in my prison and twiddle my thumbs?" Pitch stared at him with a mock-dumbfounded look.
"Sounds about right to me." Jack responded quickly. Frost began creeping up along his staff, adding a soft blue glow to their surroundings. Pitch glanced at it, unimpressed.
"You can't hate me for what I am, Jack. That wouldn't be noble." He gave him a vicious grin, and Jack scowled hatefully at the man.
"I honestly don't care, after everything you've done. As long as I'm a Guardian, you have no right to show your face." Jack's voice was confident and strong, but a wicked grin crept across Pitch's features.
"Ah, but without fear, what keeps children tethered to the Guardians? If I were to vanish, children everywhere would become complacent, boring, and fearless. Can you imagine? Millions upon millions of children that simply don't care anymore because there's no fear to drive them to become better people?" The words fell from Pitch's lips like warm honey. Jack stared at him with disgust and had the sudden urge to spit.
"You're insane, Pitch. You literally make me feel sick." Jack ground out furiously. "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but get out of my town. Next time you won't get a warning."
"Don't threaten me, little boy. I've done nothing. That's all you Guardians will let me do, nothing! All I have left is to wander this accursed planet, hated and alone! You asked me once to leave you alone, and I granted you that. Why not return the favor?" Pitch murmured venomously.
It wasn't what Jack had expected, and he found himself blinking in surprise at Pitch's retreating form. He took several long, careful steps, then vanished into the heavy shadows of the trees. Jack was left to stare after him as waves of bad memories assaulted his mind. He felt like he'd just lost a battle, and somehow he felt guilty. It took him a few startled moments to realize he felt sorry for Pitch. He knew all too well what it felt like to be hated and alone.
The thought that Pitch could be attempting to manipulate him crossed his mind, but the damage was done and Jack was full of bitter memories and bad experiences. He remembered all the desperate attempts he'd made trying to get people to believe in him, and every single time they had ignored him and walked away. He still felt the shudder that always went down his spine when someone walked through him.
He turned sharply on his heel, shouldered his staff, and walked quickly back the way he'd come. It had been a noble gesture, but Pitch had won this round and Jack found himself hurting. What if Pitch was right? What if the world needed fear? He didn't want to even consider that thought, and kept trying to convince himself he would go talk to North about all of this within the next few days.
Fed up with his own depressing thoughts, he took to the air and glided slowly back to the Bennett house. He knew Sophie and Jamie were fast asleep, but when he landed in the yard he noticed with a small smile that Sophie had left her window cracked open. He knew he shouldn't go inside, but he couldn't stand the thought of going back and moping around his sad little pond.
Before he knew it, he was leaning cautiously in Sophie's window. She was curled up under a pile of blankets, sleeping soundly with a peaceful look on her face. He knew Sandy had been by earlier that night, and he wondered what dreams he'd given her to ease her stressed imagination. Unable to stop himself, Jack entered the room and set his staff on the floor. He closed the window, locked it, then moved as quietly as possible to the bed.
He felt like he was intruding, but he didn't want to be alone anymore and hoped she would understand. He tried justifying his creepy behavior by telling himself it was different since he was the spirit of winter and not some weird homeless boy. Besides that, he considered the two of them to have a pretty solid friendship, and Sophie obviously enjoyed physical contact with people she cared about. Steeling himself, he climbed onto her bed, careful not to jostle her awake. She stirred slightly, and when she was finished readjusting, he settled in beside her. He could feel his worn-out body succumbing to the warmth and comfort of her bed. It only took a few minutes for him to fall asleep, cuddled up beside one of his only friends.