Jokermask18 suggested I do a sequel to 'cache' (pervious oneshot) and I thought 'what the hell', so here it is :)

It's longer than a typical oneshot I do for this series, but yeah. Hope you like it and I would suggest reading the previous chapter if you haven't already.

Please review :)

Catalyst, n
- causes change to happen

"Baby Tooth, go fetch Bunny please," she said gently to her little fairy, watching as she blinked her blue and pink eyes before nodding her little head and flying South East towards Australia. It took the best part of an hour, and Tooth waited nervously for Baby and Bunny to return so she could talk to him about her latest find.

When a hole appeared in the ground before her, she let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and mauve eyes watched as the grey and white Pooka emerged in front of her, looking worried.

"You alright Sheila?" he asked quickly, stepping towards her and placing a furry hand gently on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, but there's something I need to talk to you about," the fairy explained, and although his vivid green eyes expressed confusion, the great rabbit nodded his head and followed her down to the gardens. At first Bunny hesitated at the waterfall, looking at Tooth as she pushed through it and groaning inwardly at the fact that he was going to get wet. It was – he supposed – the least of his worries, and he went through to appear on the other side looking absolutely drenched, his fur hanging down and sopping wet with water.

"You never said I'd get wet," he mumbled, shaking himself and getting what he could of the water off him. He wondered why she'd brought him down here, and in the hundreds of years he'd known her, she'd never taken him to this part of the Palace. Nor any of the others, he imagined, otherwise they would have mentioned something.

"Bunny, I need you to promise you won't tell the others about this," the fairy said gently, landing next to an intricately carved maple cabinet, and he nodded his head jerkily as he went towards it. Something about this hide out seemed special, and he glanced around at the lights and colours cast up the walls before approaching her.

"Sure... Toothiana, you sure you're okay?"

The mauve eyed woman was caught off guard by the use of her full name, and she turned her head to look at him, his eyes narrowed in concern, his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to read her body language. She nodded, forcing a smile, when in all honesty she didn't know if she should be including Bunny of all the Guardians in this. Pitch had hurt the Pooka badly in the past.

"When I punched Pitch-" she explained, and he nodded without showing any emotion, and that eased her mind because she knew if he was going to be odd about this then he would have gloated in that fact. She started again, more sure of herself. "When I punched Pitch, one of his teeth came out. And I know... I just know it holds important information about him. Memories that we need to see to understand him."

"He's not really a man I want to understand," Bunny replied stiffly, but his curiosity was getting the better of him, and he shuffled forward on his haunches to see the white tooth she took out of the cabinet and held in her palm.

"I know Bunny, I know," she said softly, stroking her spare hand over his cheek soothingly. "I don't think I want to know more about him either, but I think it's important we do. There could be memories held in here that we need to see."

"How do we see them?" he asked, watching her hand as she lowered it, then tracking his green eyes back up to meet her mauve ones, and without blinking she told him.

"We just can... but I need you to tell me it's the right thing to do. I need you to. Because I don't usually do this, and it feels wrong, but if you tell me it's right then I will."

"I can't tell you that," he whispered, and he saw the disappointment in her eyes, and deep down he wanted to know what memories that tooth held. "I don't know if it is, but it's important we see them. I dunno love, maybe we'll see plans for a future attack or reasons why he did this one, but I think we have to, right or not."

Toothiana simply nodded her head, and she pulled Bunny's hand until it was hanging in the air palm up, dropped the tooth in his hand, then pressed hers over his. Instantly the lights in the hide out washed away, the rainbows cast up the walls melted into a bright white, and they stared as a golden palace stood before their eyes, and in shock they watched as a younger Pitch played with a small child.

Except he seemed... different. His skin wasn't as pale, his hair lighter, his eyes held such warm and happiness. The girl in his arms looked the spitting image of him, with thin lips that curved up into a smile and long brown hair that hung to her waist. She was talking to him about butterflies, and he listened intently as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Then another memory took it's place, the first melting and running away like water as the second rushed in, and they watched he Pitch talked to non other than Tsar Lunar, the man in the moon. Tsar referred to him as 'General Kozmotis', and Pitch listened to his instructions carefully, standing tall and proud in his golden armour, his face concentrated and determined. They were clensing the world of darkness, and fearlings.

A third memory came, where Pitch – Kozmotis – was pacing a darkened hall, looking weary and beaten. The sword in his hand glittered in the torchlight and he paused for just a moment as he took a locket from around his neck and cracked it open, looking down fondly at the picture inside. His daughter. A whispered word escape his lips – 'Seraphina'.

And then whatever was behind a door began calling him, it's voice high and scared, and he looked sharply as all sense left him, the sound of his daughter calling for help. Calling for him. Dropping his weapon, dropping the locket to the floor he rushed to the heavy prison doors and fumbled with the keys to the cell, calling back for his child. Promising her he would come, frustrated with himself that he wasn't moving quickly enough. And when he did swing the doors open it was revealed it was all a trap.

The fearlings inside swept forward and consumed the man they'd fooled. And in horror the Guardians watching the memories saw the proud and good man Kozmotis dissolve into something horrific, monstrous, and as the new being staggered backward they saw the man they knew now as Pitch.

Merely a shadow of what he once was.

Tooth ripped her hand away from the tooth, unable to watch any more, and she looked up with wide, shocked eyes at the rabbit that was staring back at her, the horror she felt mirrored in those green depths.

This meant everything they thought they knew about Pitch Black was a lie. He was not just a cold blooded man who desired to rule the world with fear. He was a prisoner in his own body, contorted by the fears he felt and plagued by his own nightmares. Not a word was spoken as the pair sat back and mulled over the new information, Tooth wondering if the good could be found again, Bunny thinking about all the wrong that had been committed and how the blame had fallen on the man who perhaps was not actually to blame.

The thoughts they shared in that instant, unspoken but known, were that whatever Pitch had done in this life was not entirely his fault, and perhaps if they could trigger some of his old memories, then they would be able to bring Kozmotis back, and the nightmares would end.

For everyone.