A/N: Long a/n so bear with me...

Slang: I am literally the worst, I know I said I would do this and last update was a doozy.

Chapter 3:

Furphy = a rumour or myth

Angrier than a cut snake = pretty bloody angry

Fair Dinkum = true/absolute

G'day = (I know you all know this one)

Crikey = an exclamation that can be used in almost any situation

Bloke = in reference to a man

Not playing with a full deck of cards = crazy

Sheila = in reference to a woman

Chapter 4

Tradie = a workman of a trade, commonly construction workers, plumbers, electricians etc

Ute = Utility vehicle/pick up truck. Used by aforementioned tradesmen.

To my reviewers: You all made my day, thank you.

Crossover Junkie: Man I wish you had an account so I could pick your brain. I love Bunny's character too, its very fun to write for, but I had no I idea about the kirk/spock thing (I've never seen the show) but from what I know that does make sense. And thank you for that other insight, it compliments my idea well, so thats a relief. But you're right, terribly tragic.

Cody Hanna: See above (I'm sorry for that), yours in eternity, PaperGirl ;)

Guest: That's so sweet, thank you!

James Wolfe: You're right, I'm just getting started *cue evil laugh*. But yeah, plz don't throw me to the Night-Mares, I can think of nothing worse. Plus I wouldn't be able to finish this story which is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it would (wayyy longer than 5 chapters). We're gonna be here a while mate, get comfy.

And a big shout out to AngelaLove072101, WinterCrystal1009 and Metaljinx.

The Pole had always been, at some level, chaotic. But this time, when the Guardians were preparing once again to face their mortal enemy, the frantic preparatory bustle was tinged with unease.

"I am not liking this, Bunny," North confided quietly to the Pooka as the others of their team were ensuring all loose ends were in order, "there is something… off."

Bunny rolled his eyes at the mountain man who had a tendency for dramatics at the best of times. "Ya reckon that might have something to do with, I dunno, the fact we have to go find this lunatic again?" He suggested to point out the obvious, "I mean maybe, I'm just taking wild guess."

"Is not just that," came his gruff reply, "something is wrong. I feel it. In my-"

"In your belly, I get it. Geez, would you just relax? This plan is solid. There's nothing he's got up his grimy sleeve that we haven't seen already." Of course, Bunny had no real way know knowing that for sure. Six years may not be long by a spirit's standards, but it was more than enough time to develop something new. After all, the corrupted dreamsand hadn't just appeared out of nowhere. But he decided to save face and reassure North. "We've beaten him before, we'll do it again," he continued, "I mean if you look at our history, Pitch is always put in his place by either us or his own plans, which is actually kinda funny if you think about it." Bunny forced a laugh in an attempt to get the Russian to lighten up.

"I am not convinced. We must be prepared for anything. Have your booms ready," he warned.

"When do I not?" he asked in bewilderment, "and they're called boomerangs, mate."

North's resonant voice filled the room to get the attention of the other Guardians. "Make sure you have all necessary weapons, even ones you're not thinking to use. Magic is strong, yes, but brute force can be just as useful." He addressed Valentina specifically now. "Do you have something? To protect yourself with?"

"I have a quiver of arrows and a bow," she confirmed. North could see nothing, but at that moment two objects materialised in her hands. "I usually use them for my work, but if I remove the L'Amour they'd pack a pretty mean punch."

"L'Amour?" he repeated.

"It's my own formula containing endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine, all the strong stuff. I guess you could call it a love potion, but really I use for almost everything; romance, platonic love, resolving arguments, in the appropriate amount, of course. And because I coat my arrows in it I just aim one of these and bam!" she laughed, "they usually disintegrate on impact," she explained.

"Ah, I see!"

"But anyway," she realised she'd gone off track, " the arrows themselves will do just fine."

"Very good to be hearing," he approved. "Jack, Tooth, you have snow globes ready?" he called to the two.

"They're in here," Tooth held up the satchel from earlier.

"And I've got a back up with me just in case," Jack added.

"Good work. Sandy?" He appeared by North's side almost immediately. "You know what to do?" The Sandman nodded, but held up a finger to hold his attention a moment longer, and demonstrated zaps of dreamsand that were more reminiscent of lighting bolts. "That's new," he observed, rather impressed with Sandy's latest trick. The little man nodded and folded his arms over his chest smugly. Pitch wouldn't know what hit him.

"Time to move, everyone," North summoned, having assessed that everything was prepared to ensure their success. They quickly made their way down to the loading dock below the workshop where their chariot awaited. When they arrived, elves and yetis were fussing over eight impatient reindeer, feeding them, attaching reigns and replacing shoes.

"Crikey not this again!" Bunny exclaimed in dismay, and Jack laughed at the look of terror on his face.

"How did you think we were getting there, Cottontail?" he asked mockingly as he accidentally whacked an unsuspecting elf into frozen paralysis with his staff, "whoops…"

"I didn't think about it. I'm telling you, I'd rather hitchhike with a drunk tradie in the back of his ute than go in that thing again," he protested.

"Now where is fun in that?" North called over his shoulder.

"It'd be on the ground for starters." Bunny was interrupted by a ground shaking rumble. The heavy wooden gates to North's holding shed opened, revealing the legendary, majestic sleigh in all its beautifully varnished, high-powered glory.

Valentina stared at it, slack jawed in disbelief. "That's the sleigh? Wow."

"Everyone loves the sleigh," agreed North, with a self-satisfied look at Bunny, who scowled directly back as he threw his pack in.

Within minutes they were in the air. For Valentina, there was a great deal of novelty about riding in the sleigh. She was an experienced levitationist (or flyer), but this really took the cake. With North at the reigns and everyone else sitting more or less comfortably at its rear, they used a snow globe portal to fast-track their journey to the place where their troubles seemed to begin and end.

"Why is it always Burgess?" Bunny complained through chattering teeth. The town was blanketed in snow that glistened dimly in the amber street light and it wasn't long before they realised the wind had an unfriendly bite to it. "Oi, Snowflake," he called to the winter spirit as a particularly strong gust ran chills through them, "make it stop would you?"

But Jack simply shrugged. "Nothing I can do about it, unless you want it even colder," he suggested with a sly grin, "I would be happy to-"

"Don't even think about it."

"The wind will listen to me, but if it's cold, then it's cold. Deal with it," he smirked. "Wind? Take it easy, would you?" The gale died down within seconds of Jack Frost's command. "A thank you might be nice every now and then," he bantered, "such manners would have people thinking you were raised in a barn... oh wait!"

The Pooka was looking positively murderous by this stage.

"We are having shush now," North adjudicated as they descended onto a dark side street. With a rough crash the sleigh touched down on the icy road. The Guardians quietly disembarked and North lead his faithful reindeer to an alleyway where they would be out of sight on the off chance that they might alert Pitch to their presence.

It was a tense walk through the park to the boundary of the forest. Though her expression was fixed with determination, Valentina wrung her hands the entire way there.

You'll be 'right. You'll be 'right. You'll be 'right.

She repeated Bunny's words like a mantra in her head over and over. She wasn't afraid, not of Pitch at least. She could take him on. Probably. More than anything she was anxious to get this right. Years of working alone may have been isolating, but it was convenient. There was no one to disappoint when she slipped up or made a questionable decision. Now there was a new set of unspoken rules to abide by. Perhaps there was no "i" in "team", but there was a "Val" in this one and acting selfishly was officially off the table. And she wanted, no, needed to prove herself to them. Besides, all she had to do was talk. To the most deplorable spirit to walk among them, but it was just talking. Just keeping him preoccupied.

You'll be 'right.

They reached the edge of the park, marked by a rusted, waist high, chainlink fence and prepared to go their separate ways.

"Everybody remembers plan, yes?" North whispered to them. There was a murmur in agreement.

"Valentina, you go old entrance as close as you can, Bunny and I will keep track of you, try to stay in line of vision," he gestured with two fingers to his eyes and then hers. "Sandy, stay above tree line, make sure Pitch cannot see you, is dead giveaway. Wait for us to move, then go. Jack, Tooth, you will go to highest cliff on eastern side of lake and wait there for Sandy's signal. Then fly down and-" somewhere to the left of them a twig snapped. He paused to listen for a few moments. Out of the corner of her eye, Valentina thought she saw a flicker of yellow.

"…corner him," he finished cautiously. The Guardians were on high alert for whatever was lurking in the shadows, but it became evident that they were alone once more. Wanting to move as quickly as possible, lest their cover be blown, North beckoned that Sandy, Bunny and Valentina follow him. With a quick wave from each of them, they disappeared into the thicket leaving Tooth and Jack alone to make their way over to the predetermined camp. Initially they flew in silence, made tense in anticipation of what they had been assigned to do. Eventually though, out of wanting to make the most of his time with the Tooth Fairy, Jack decided to speak.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Her face was contorted in a slight frown. "I'm okay I guess, I just don't like not knowing what's going on," Tooth confessed, "and the entire prospect of a new dark age isn't exactly comforting," she smiled sadly at him.

"Yeah, there's… there's that," he sighed.

"I remember what it was like before," she continued, "people were scared at every waking moment, but nighttime was worst of all, it drove them to do terrible things."

"No kidding?"

"I wish I was. That's what fear does, Jack, it takes control of you. And some people aren't always strong enough to fight it. I couldn't stand to think that children of this age might have to live through something like it," she grimaced.

Jack felt an empathetic sadness as she spoke and wanted nothing more than to make it all better again. He took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Tooth noticed how her heart raced at his touch, how he, without even meaning to, seemed to chase her dread away.

"They won't have to," he promised her, "not if we have anything to do about it." A high pitched squeak that seemingly came from nowhere startled both of them. Glancing at each other quickly in concern, they raced down to the cliffs that had finally come into view.

"What was that?" Tooth whispered. They heard it again. Her eyes narrowed as they located the source. "It's coming from your pocket," she pointed to his jumper.

"What the.." with confusion etched on his face, Jack reached in and fished around, retrieving a slightly disoriented little fairy. "Baby Tooth!" he exclaimed in relief.

"How did you get here?" Tooth demanded rather than asked her helper. "You should be back at the palace."

"Tooth, she's fine," he laughed as the fairy hugged his nose and took up residence on his shoulder, "sometimes she likes to hang around with me." His face became serious as he turned his head to address Baby Tooth. "I thought I told you to stay put," he scolded. She shrugged and emitted a series of twitters that could only be described as nervous laughter and perhaps an apology. "Ok fine, but you stay in the pocket, got it?" he compromised. She nodded happily and zoomed back into the hiding place she had originally stowed away in.

"The only reason I'm letting this happen is because I know you'll take care of each other," she warned.

"Of course we do, Baby Tooth loves me, and I definitely have a soft spot for her," he said confidently as he leant up against his staff.

Her stern expression faltered. "Oh trust me, I know." she giggled nervously. After all, Baby Tooth was a part of her.

Almost a mile away, Sandy, Bunny and North were in position, and Valentina was ready to finally admit that what she was feeling was indeed something akin to fear with Pitch to blame. In a plan where she was placing herself in the most vulnerable position of any of them, he was he biggest unknown variable.

"Do you see that dark patch, the pile of rubble? You must go as close as you dare," North had told her. She was now walking towards it while Bunny and North hid among the thicker trees with fingers crossed and breath baited. She didn't know exactly where Sandy was, but the knowledge of him being close by was a slight comfort. Carefully picking her way there, she was almost on top of the remains of the destroyed entrance. Rotted wood was scattered, half buried among the dark earth. She took one final glance around. The air was different here, denser, colder. She wondered if perhaps… No. Enough stalling. No more doubting. Now was as good a time as ever to summon the Nightmare King.

"Pitch Black!"

Although Valentina's voice cracked slightly, the call seemed to have had some effect. Around her the shadows began to shift restlessly, as though being woken from a deep slumber.

"Pitch Black," she repeated stronger than before. "I know you're there." There was a certain reluctance she could sense, deliberating whether to listen or pay no mind to her. She just wanted this over with.

"I know you're there…" she repeated, and hesitated for a moment. It was an ill-conceived idea, but she knew it would be a guaranteed way to grab his attention. She took a deep breath. "…because I believe in you."

In darkness she called to him. It was murky at first, as though the sound was trying to reach him through water, bending and distorting as it met his ear. But it was enough. Despite his debilitating state somehow, against all odds, something stirred in Pitch Black's chest. Strength found him next, enough for him to sit up and remember where and who he was. He cradled his head as it rushed from the exertion while he lent against the unforgiving stone and as he did so, became aware of the fear that was no longer just his own. There wasn't much of it, no. It was faint, merely a niggling voice in the back of the head. But it would do. He was staggering to his feet, gripping the wall for support, when he heard it again. Louder this time, the undoubtedly female voice echoed softly around him. "Pitch Black… black… black…" there was a nervous inflection to his name and he drank it in after being starved for so long. Tentatively, he tested the shadows and, with only a slight resistance, felt himself melting into their embrace.

"Finally," he sighed. The strength he had yearned for, the fear of another, was what allowed him to move undetected. But the Night-Mares made sure he'd gone without thus far. Stealthily, he traversed from room, to corridor, to passage in search of the source.

"I know you're there," the voice said.

Do you just, he thought smugly. His instinct to find fear assisted his hearing and he determined that the voice was coming from above. Almost directly above. He grinned maliciously. And I know you're there. He had to question for a moment if it was worth the journey, which would expend what precious energy he had. He could ignore the stranger and finally reign in the monstrous Night-Mares. He could-

"I know you're there…" It interrupted again. He could sense this person's nerves doubling for some reason. Oh no, this was far too good an opportunity to pass up. Even just to be near them would be all the revival he would need.

"…because I believe in you."

His blood ran cold. A seething rage began to flood his senses. It wasn't real, there was no way it could be genuine. Then who…? His head spun in realisation. The fairy, those obnoxious, loathsome, "Guardians!" he spat. How dare they make a mockery of him! It left him incensed, but more than that, it was adding insult to injury when he had already rolled over and admitted defeat. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

This ends now.

Suddenly her calling was answered and the shadows surrounding the clearing seemed to converge (if that was even possible) on where Valentina stood. It startled her greatly and she remained rooted to the spot, unable to flee even though she wanted to. She looked around frantically trying to spot the demon, this fiend she sought and could have sworn her heart stopped beating when a sharp, foreboding, figure stood before her. His face, masked by shadow, was incredibly angular, and he wore robes that seemed to melt into the darkness at his feet. All that she could see with any certainty was the glint of his eyes that bore into her very soul .

"Pitch Black?" she asked hesitantly. It was undoubtedly him, but there was something about his presence that caused uncertainty in her conviction. He moved swiftly, calmly, yet she could tell there was a raging sea beneath.

"That is who you're looking for, isn't it?" His address was cold and although softly spoken, his voice echoed in her head with a strange resonance.

"That's right," she said stiffly.

"Then I would be most gracious in making your acquaintance." He held out a hand in offering.

"Valentina," she introduced herself, trying not to recoil as she, against her better judgement, accepted it. Wrong choice. His hand gripped hers as he pulled her uncomfortably close.

"Why are you here?" he demanded in a low growl.

"I've heard stories," she improvised bravely and wrenched herself away, placing a considerable distance between them. "I suppose I was curious enough that I wanted to find out their merit."

"Well, well, well. This is an interesting turn of events. And here I was thinking I'd be confronting something far more arduous," Pitch said dismissively as he eyed her up and down. "But it appears I was wrong," he concluded with a sneer. As if to prove his point, he made a show of examining the dirt under his fingernails which had its desired effect on Valentina. Her blood boiled in irritation, but she also realised his goal was to make her feel amateurish.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you," she replied as nonchalantly as she could muster.

"Oh I would," he drawled, "in fact, I already have." He paced around her in a tight circle and a shudder ran down her spine. "I can tell you what your next move will be, what will get under your skin the most," here he paused for effect, and bared his jagged teeth in a hostile smile, "what your deepest, darkest fears are."

Valentina's heart raced as it pumped the adrenaline that coursed through her veins.

"You, my dear, are an open book." The way he said "my dear" in his rounded British accent made her flush in frustration. And to be read so easily! She was nothing if not private.

"I've never told anybody-"

"Darling, you don't need to. It's the one thing I always know. Would you like me to tell you?" he baited.

"I'd rather you didn't," she shot back icily.

"Pity," he smirked, "it's always such fun getting to see their faces. The shock, the betrayal, the anger." He relished in the thought.

Valentina felt inwardly that they were diverging from the agenda and she had no idea what was taking North and Bunny so long, so she decided to take action. "Because they never quite believed you, did they?" she asked slyly.

His expression remained steely but his eyes betrayed anguish. "Yes, well, some things are best to be left in the past." His soft voice had dropped dangerously low in a warning to not to over step this boundary.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

"Perhaps, but there is something I can tell you about yourself, Pitch." He raised an eyebrow at this claim, too cocky in his disbelief to stop her. "This will never just stay in the past. You will convince yourself a hundred times over but in the end you will come back to the same conclusion." She could feel her confidence growing and was determined to let it build unhindered. "Because what is this existence without being believed in, why else would you be here?"

"Why you insolent-"

"Here's something you don't know about me, Pitch. I can tell you your most desperate hopes, the dreams that beg to be realised. I know what lies deep within your heart." At least, she usually knew. With him though, something was blocking her from a clear transmission. At this point she was taking educated guesses, but she wasn't about to let him know that, not if she was right. "It's the one thing I always know." She was well aware that she was throwing that line back in his face and she could see that it visibly irked him. "You can't lie to yourself, and you certainly can't lie to me."

For a moment it seemed as though Pitch would actually tear her apart piece by piece. His eyes flashed menacingly, but he managed to regain his composure just as quickly.

"You are quite remarkable," he complimented, though his voice dripped with insincerity, "so bold, and yet so naive. Still, I must give credit where credit is due." Valentina had been uneasy for the duration of their encounter, but there was now something sinister in his tone that she couldn't ignore.

"There's just one thing," he said softly, "a rather fatal mistake I've noticed." She was sharply aware of how he seemed to hiss that last part jeeringly. To her horror, Bunny and North were revealed to her in the clearing, incapacitated by a tornado of black sand. It whirled around them unforgivingly with a dark iridescent quality. They cowered, trying to block out whatever personal hell Pitch was inflicting upon them.

"You one of them," he spat and dropped the two Guardians with complete disregard, ceasing his attack. They floundered weakly in the dirt, trying to recover from the hit.

"How did you-" she cried

"Obviously your heroic Guardians aren't quite as fearless as they'd have you believe. I sense fear, surely that was self explanatory?" he proposed mockingly. "I could have had this over with ages ago, but the Guardians hiding from the Boogeyman!? I just had to let it play out," he cackled.

"Val, you must leave," choked North. Without thinking twice she made to fly away as fast as possible and find Sandy, but instead was reeled back in by an unrelenting black rope that had latched around her wrist. Nightmare sand. With almost no effort, Pitch pulled Valentina into his arms and held her tightly.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he informed her matter of factly. Bunny and North made it to their feet just in time to see the pair disappear into the shadows while Valentina's world fell away into darkness.