A/N: I won't lie here, this chapter was a real pain to write. So much so that I wanted to scream every time I sat down at my computer. It's going to be awkward and clunky, especially the first half. Unfortunately there were certain marks that I needed to meet for everything to make sense later on, which has made me realise that I hate setting up a context! But one day, when I actually know how to write, I'll come back and fix it. I also feel like I need to give a shout out to my lovely followers and faves. I see you, and I appreciate the support!

Slang:

Drongo = idiot

Carked it = died

Crossover Junkie: Oh good! I'm glad you thought so, I don't want to be that predictable all the time. I've never seen Soul Music, but I found your sarcastic interpretation of the script hilarious. What I really want to address is your point on the personification of death. I feel like there definitely could be a reaper (or more). If the Guardians only represent a fraction of the spirits existing on earth (which I'm assuming, given that Bunny and Sandy tried to take guesses when Jack was chosen in the movie, plus there being Mother Nature) then there would have to be others that aren't necessarily concerned with the matters of childhood. Having a reaper would make perfect sense in that context. In fact you reminded me of the movie Death Takes a Holiday, and it's loose adaption, Meet Joe Black. I won't go into the synopsis, but it gives me grounds to believe a reaper is entirely possible in the Guardian's Universe. And the paper work regarding Jack's revival would indeed have been a MESS (my strange mind agrees).

"Phil! Making sure presents for sectors 3 and 4 are ready to go immediately after 1 and 2. No lagging, last year was almost disaster."

There were mere hours to go before the Pole's biggest night of the year was thrown in action, and the workshop was filled with frantic personnel trying to organise any last minute adjustments before the Santa Clause was on his way. North, despite the crippling deadline, was managing to keep an impossible operation running to time. If anything, he was in his element, working at the speed of light and energetically spitting out orders as needed.

The Guardians were gathered there with him at his request because what Tooth and Jack had suspected was indeed true. The Night-Mares were advancing rapidly but at this stage there was nothing that could be done. Their main focus was to make sure Christmas was a success and with the precarious position they were in regarding global child wellbeing, it made sense to have them at the ready in the possibility of a worst case scenario.

"DINGLE! STILL WAITING ON COOKIES!"

"Will someone get the bloke a cookie?!" repeated the tense Pooka, having never actually experienced the Pole during its last few hours before lift off. This time at least, it seemed Christmas was more important than Easter.

"I'm on it," announced Jack as he hopped down from his perch atop his freestanding staff. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. "Can't have our stoic leader running on low blood sugar." He winked at Tooth as he passed her, off to retrieve the cookies he'd stashed in his room - probably the reason why North was currently going without.

"You really are the back bone of this operation," she joked. As he strode off he flexed his biceps dramatically which were indistinguishable beneath the sleeves of his hoodie. Tooth laughed anyway.

Bunny glanced from her, to Jack's retreating figure though narrowed eyes. "What's up with you two?"

"Hmm? Oh nothing, he's just funny sometimes," Tooth giggled.

"Yeah. Hysterical." He was not convinced. Sandy shrugged, not quite sure what to make of it either.

Jack and Tooth had a tough time getting to the North Pole, and it was only thanks to the fairy's quick thinking that they made it at all. Tandem evaporative materialisation was not something she'd practiced recently but the circumstances were dire and she knew it was their only shot of getting there on time. They appeared about a mile away, but thankfully the wind wasn't overly strong (it wouldn't have obeyed Jack at all if it had been any stronger) and they were able to make the rest of the way supporting each other. Tooth could still fly, but it wasn't without effort. As such, she was now standing, rather than hovering as she usually would. It didn't agree with her one bit.

"You guys!" Jack was sprinting back to where they were gathered in front of the roaring fireplace.

"What? What is it?" Bunny demanded, assuming the worst.

He skidded to a halt in front of them. "You will not believe what I found."

"So tell us, ya drongo." With a slight frown at Bunny's impatience, Jack stepped aside to reveal a small, pink puff of… something.

"What's that?" Tooth asked in confusion.

"Hold on to your socks," he warned them. Before their eyes, the pink cloud transformed and took the form of someone they were not entirely prepared to speak to.

"No way," Bunny exclaimed, "what is she doing here?"

"Val?" Tooth pushed her way to the front of the clamour to better look at the Guardian of Love, or rather, her messenger.

"Yeah, it's me," the miniature translucent Valentina confirmed sadly.

"I got a question for you," Bunny interjected, "what the hell are you playing at?" His voice was a low growl, rather unbefitting of a rabbit.

"I know I don't deserve a second chance after what happened down here, but you need to let me explain."

Tooth didn't want Valentina to know just how hurt she'd been and steeled herself for whatever was about to be said.

"If you think you've still got our trust, you got another thing coming-"

"Bunny, enough," Tooth commanded, "let her speak." She was willing to hear Valentina out, but her tone was cold. "What is it?"

"Thank you, Tooth." She nodded slightly, aware that there was definitely tension between them. "So here's the thing, I'm still with you all, and I would never really accuse you of using me, I know you didn't. I was forced to lie otherwise I might have been in serious trouble."

"Yeah look, Val? Sorry, but right now we're having trouble knowing what to what to believe." Jack evaluated her with some contempt; He was still angry that she had managed to upset Tooth. "And the fact that you're still there with Pitch isn't a good look so if you'll excuse us, we have bigger problems-"

"No no, wait," she pleaded, "I'm not finished. Pitch took me down to his lair and in the time it took you all to find me, he tried to convince me that I was better off with him, that I was wasting my time with the Guardians. And while I managed to resist that manipulation, it did give me the idea to play along and gain his trust. My thoughts were that if I stayed, I would be able to keep an eye on him, give you intel from from the inside. But when you showed up there was nothing I could do other get you out of there as quickly as possible. Otherwise he might have suspected something was going on and who knows what would have happened at that stage. I wish I'd been able to tell you, I felt so terrible doing it."

"Oh my goodness, are you ok?" Tooth had abandoned her icy disposition in favour of concern. "I didn't realise."

"Good," Valentina grimaced sadly, "that was kind of the point. I'm fine, really. And it wasn't him that made me do it, it was all on me. Tooth, I'm so sorry, I know it was completely unforgivable and it was worse because I know you wanted us to be friends. Believe me, I want that too."

Really?" Tooth's eyes brightened in hope.

"I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose, I swear," Valentina promised, and the two shared a smile between them.

"Great, so I guess now that Tooth's forgiven her, everything goes back to normal," Bunny said bitingly, stepping to the forefront of the assembly. "Let's not forget she still made a deal with Pitch Black, of all people."

"I thought you said everything was a lie. It that true?" Jack asked her urgently.

"I'm afraid that part is," she replied solemnly, "at least he thinks so. I agreed to protect him from the Night-Mares, and in return he's teaching me how to control my fear. It was supposed to be my cover while I saw this through, now I'm not so sure about things. Don't worry about me, though, he wouldn't hurt me."

Sandy shook his head to himself and exhaled with a puff of his cheeks.

"He won't, Sandy, trust me on this. I know it hasn't been long, but I think there's more to him than any of us realised." She eventually noticed the looks of stricken panic upon each face. "What is it?"

"Sounds like you're the one who's been mistaken." Bunny informed her evenly, taking no delight in this revelation. "You don't simply make a deal with Pitch Black and treat it like something you might go through with if you feel like it. What ever you promised each other is binding. It's… you're indebted to each other. "

Her eyes flashed angrily for a moment. "Really," was all she replied flatly.

"Val, you have you be really careful. Whatever it is you're doing could have serious consequences," Tooth warned, " Pitch might not be as powerful as he used to be, but he does still know a few tricks to give him an edge. If he finds out what you're doing…"

"Remember who's side you're supposed to be on now?" Bunny advised with a scowl.

Valentina crossed her arms and looked pointedly at him. "I don't want to be on anyone's side, I want to help him. He needs believers just like you do. Don't you think that maybe he was supposed to be a Guardian all this time?"

"Yes he was, but that was a long time ago," Tooth informed her sadly, "North tried to convince Pitch to join us, but he was so set in his ways that he was convinced being feared was the same as being believed in. He turned his back on us and everything we stood for in favour of scare tactics. Val, he has done some truly awful things. He's terrorised not only children, but adults as well."

"Isn't that just the nature of fear though?" she argued.

"I'm not talking about just being frightened by things that go bump in the night. Do you know of the Witch Hunts that took place between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries?"

"I know of them, but I wasn't exactly around at the time…" Valentina groaned in realisation, "am I about to get a history lesson?"

"Oh yes," said Tooth sternly, "across Europe, and then America when it was colonised in the seventeenth century, there were witch hunts taking place to persecute people for committing crimes believed to be witchcraft and sorcery. Of course, you and I know that humans don't possess magic, but when they began looking for explanations to happenings that they couldn't understand, Pitch spread rumours that some did. Adults can't usually see Pitch but they can hear him, and those rumours, that nonsense, caused countless innocent people to be burned at the stake."

Valentina stared at Tooth in horror. "No, that can't be true," she gasped.

"He didn't care about it either," Bunny added, "'cause for him fear means power. We tried to convince him to use his powers for good but greed blinded him. Even Sandy thought once that perhaps Pitch could change, but he also learned that the guy is rotten to core." Sandy nodded in solemn agreement. "I know your job is to try and see the best in people but there are just some that you'll never find good in. Pitch is, and always has been, irredeemable."

She looked aghast with the knowledge of such an ugly truth and was shaking her head in denial. "He's not like that, not from what I've seen."

The holographic image of Valentina wavered slightly as a yeti practically steamrolled past, most likely on his way to tend to yet another glitch.

"I'm sorry, but those are the facts," Tooth said, providing little comfort to her aggrieved friend.

Their conversation was interrupted as the control station opposite the fire place, across the mezzanine, began pinging rapidly, spewing out meter after meter of receipt paper.

"Wait, where's North?" Bunny spun about, realising the mountain man had disappeared from the globe room. Jack raced over to see what the disturbance was. He hunched over and picked up the lengths, scanning what was printed as he went. When he reached the dispenser it had finally stopped running and he froze with the bundle in his arms as he read what it said.

"Uh oh." He turned around to face his fellow anxious Guardians. Behind him the lights on the globe flickered precariously as even more went out across an already dim landscape. "Somebody find North right now," he ordered.

"Maybe the machine's just carked it," Bunny offered, hoping against hope.

"No, Naughty List is never wrong," North muttered as he looked through the countless names that had been added in the last ten minutes. "Ivan Lewinsky, Genevieve Short, Fatima Aly, Cinzia Perino… Jake, Enya, Abdul, Katelyn… so many in such short time."

The Guardians peered over his shoulders at the list, at least they tried to given his height.

"It's got to be because of the Night-Mares, right?" Tooth posed to the group. Sandy replied with flashing symbols, eager to contribute to the discussion.

"Yeah you said it Sandy," agreed Bunny, who was the only one to understand, "the Night-Mares evoke fear, not rebellion. Something else has to be at play here. Val, what do you know about the Night-Mares?"

"Not much, they're aggressive though. They tried to attack us before they escaped.

"Us? You mean you and Pitch."

"Yes, he wasn't kidding when he said he had nothing to do with it. They're just as dangerous to him as they are to us."

"Ok, you can quit playing the devil's advocate," he said shortly, earning him a scowl from Valentina.

"Well you asked…"

"What does this mean for those kids then," wondered Jack aloud.

North squared his shoulders, looking more determined than ever but decidedly worse for wear. In fact they all were. These disruptions amongst the children had lost them many believers across the globe and they were starting to suffer for it.

"It means Christmas is only way to bring them back. For once," North brushed off his tattooed forearm bearing the word 'naughty', "we are wiping clean the slate, because forgiveness is sometimes more valuable than punishment."

He turned to face the Guardians in yet another address, except this time he needed a favour.

"If this goes well, we have shot at saving the day. But I do not think I can do alone this time. I'm afraid I must ask for your help, if you would all be so kind."

"You got it," pledged Jack. North had become like a father figure to him, and he would have done anything to repay him for the warm reception he'd felt since becoming a Guardian.

"I'm in." The guardians looked abruptly at the Valentina substitute. "I want to make up for what I did, and even if none of you ever forgive me I'll at least feel better knowing that I tried to help."

"Val, of course we forgive you." North had been given a run down of the situation and he was of the opinion that not only did Valentina make the right choice, but she had done so with tremendous courage. "You did what you had to do, and I am proud you managed to think so quickly. Is me who owes you apology for putting you in danger."

"It wasn't ideal," she agreed, "but I'm going to make this work."

Bunny sighed, still apprehensive about whether Valentina could be trusted, but in keeping with the atmosphere of understanding he finally conceded. "Look, as long as it doesn't wound your pride too badly, mate," Bunny quipped before agreeing on behalf of the group. "Yeah, we're in."

There were nods of approval all around, and in the spirit of camaraderie their feelings of doubt were dispelled just a little.

"How quickly can you get here," Tooth asked Valentina.

"Give me an hour. I won't let you guys down." With a grateful smile, the Guardian of Love disappeared into thin air, leaving the rest of them to prepare for whatever troubles awaited them outside as Christmas Eve drew to a close.

Hundreds of miles away Valentina sat in her cavern, utterly relieved that the Guardians had accepted her apology. As she got to her feet, ready to make a move, she realised with a start that black nightmare sand dusted every surface around her. Her memories from earlier that day flooded back to her; Curiosity had gotten the better of her. Despite Pitch adamantly refusing to teach her how to wield the stuff for her own sake, she trawled various passages picking up discarded nightmare sand like a magnet, and returned to practice with it in secret. It had a power unlike anything she'd ever known and she hungered for it. There was no reason why she should have this control and yet she did. But did she still have control of herself? There was a persistent side effect; after prolonged use she would black out, being unable to recall anything she said or did. At least, she did things according to Pitch, who was rather disconcerted that she had an aptitude for nightmares.

She had been in the middle of honing her skills when Cupid demanded her attention, having found the Guardians at long last. Even with the prospect of earning back their trust, she had felt noticeably irate, and her mood was not improved by the cognisance of Pitch's trickery.

If she was going to help the Guardians she needed to leave now, there was just the matter of a certain spirit to take care of. As she walked out, her foot accidentally kicked a small bottle, similar to those she usually kept L'amour in. It skidded away with a clink and she went to pick it up. As she examined it, she noticed the contents had the same pearlescent quality that L'amour usually did. But unlike her potion, which was usually a pastel pink, the stark contrast lay in its deep red colouring. Like blood. She shivered at the comparison and although she had no idea where it had come from, something compelled her to pocket it.

Valentina strode defiantly into the subterranean globe room, having more than a bone to pick with it's owner. Finding it empty she called him.

"Pitch! Get out here, I've got something to say to you."

She was answered by a resounding chuckle that came from nowhere and flinched slightly when she realised he had appeared next to her without a sound.

"So demanding," he tisked. "Although," he eyed her up and down with a smirk, "confidence looks good on you. Obviously you're feeling better?"

"Spectacular. Don't distract me."

Pitch chuckled once again in amusement at seeing her flustered. "Forgive me. Please continue."

"You lied to me," she spat, getting right to the point.

"My dear, why on earth would I do that?" His tone was even, yet to register the gravity of what she was about to accuse him of.

"Our deal is binding." It wasn't a question. "There's some fine print you neglected to mention. How much so?"

He laughed with a mirthlessness that caught her off guard. "Did you enjoy your little reunion with your friends?"

Valentina stared at him incredulously. "You're spying on me? I don't believe-"

"As I have mentioned time and time again, my dear, your fears are so easily accessible to me I really don't know why you would bother keeping secrets." His tone had become dangerously cold. 'It's rather unwise if I can't help but overhear them, don't you think?"

"Just tell me what our deal really means," she growled.

"When I broker a deal with someone, they're indebted to me until I believe it to be an equal exchange because, ordinarily, they are repaying me. The consequence for breaking that contract is to be cursed with only the most terrifying waking nightmares for as long as they live."

Valentina had to stop herself from trembling, having been given a glimpse what her future could hold if Pitch proved to be the merciless tyrant the Guardians tried to warn her of.

"However," he continued more softly, "that won't be any of your concern. What you failed to relay to the wonderful Guardians is that instead not only did I require something of you, but you were the one to finalise it."

"I dont understand."

"I asked for your assistance first. It is me who is truly indebted to you. As well as this, if I recall correctly it was you who struck the deal in the end, therefore my usual conditions are null and void. Although in the spirit of mutual agreements, it's always polite to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Why didn't you tell me this? You talk about keeping secrets-"

"Withholding information is not the same as lying and I did it because I didn't think it would be important when it's not even relevant. Although it was stupid of me to think the Guardians wouldn't use it to perpetuate their eternal vendetta against me!" By this stage Pitch was struggling to keep his temper under control. "And you're hardly one to preach about the virtues of honesty. What were planning to do, win me over and then stab me in the back while I looked away?"

"Fine, you want the truth? That's exactly what I had planned. I was going to turn you over eventually because I didn't trust you from the second I saw you. But then you showed me that fear doesn't have to be the enemy. You helped me, and for a moment I thought they were wrong, because I actually saw something good in you," she cried.

"You did?" His anger appeared to subside at her confounding confession.

"I did. Until heard about your hand in the witch hunts." She glared at him contemptuously and he faltered, casting his eyes down in anguish. "What about all those people who suffered, Pitch? They were murdered for no reason."

"I never told them to start burning people! It's not my fault humans are so superstitiously stupid. But yes, of course I regret doing it. If that's what you really want to hear, then fine. I should never have tried to meddle so much in their affairs."

"Yeah, and I can tell you right now that you made a terrible mistake when you rejected their offer to be a Guardian. You could have been so much more than this." She gestured to their surroundings, the palace of a fallen king.

"I will admit a lot of things to you, my dear, but admitting that the Guardians were right is not one of them. I will always despise them for what they did to me, and the Man in the Moon for his betrayal. I will always hate them with every fibre of my being," he spat unforgivingly. He had expected some snarky remark in return, but Valentina was uncharacteristically quiet. "Well I suppose now that I've offended you you'll fly back home to North and his team of imbeciles," he baited. Still nothing.

It wasn't that Valentina had nothing to say, it was rather she couldn't. Something strange was happening to her. Her head spun in a rush as one word rang in her ears over and over. Hate.

Pitch realised that she'd gone pale again and noticed that her gaze was unfocused. "Valentina?" He stumbled over to her, heart pounding in a panic with a sick realisation. "My dear, I'm sorry. Don't disappear on me again!"

Whatever it was that had possessed her seemed to have relinquished its hold. As though waking from a light sleep, she blinked and gazed around in confusion. "What happened?" she asked in a daze.

He sighed in relief. "It was like before. You were beginning to lose yourself, but not quite this time," he explained. His relief was short lived, however, when he noticed black markings, like soot on her hands. "Valentina," he grabbed her by the wrist to closer examine it, "where did you find nightmare sand?"

She glanced shiftily around looking for an exit. "I have to go," she said abruptly.

Pitch's brow furrowed in confusion. "Go where? Have you been using my nightmares? What have you done?" He asked these questions in a rapid, urgent fire.

"I promised I would help save Christmas." He was right, Valentina realised, now having her wits about her. There was no point in keeping secrets. "And yes, I found some of the sand, I wanted to practice." She wrenched her hand out of his grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"If you think I would let you go out there after-"

"I'm not your prisoner Pitch, I'm here by my own free will. I am doing this and I am coming back. Just trust that I will, that's all I ask." Without another word she departed the lair, leaving Pitch in a despair that was unbeknown to her.

"That's not what I meant!" he called desperately after her. Pitch had seen her change again, even if only for a brief moment, and now he was certain she had been foolish enough to tamper with his nightmares after he'd warned her not to. He suspected now, with the Night-Mares on a rampage, she was flying right into danger and it would only be a matter of time before she took others down with her. If he went after her, there was a chance the Guardians would take the opportunity to end him then and there. But if he let her go… he didn't want to think what might happen.

Pitch now faced one of the most challenging decisions he'd ever had to make and cursed his fondness of the girl. Did he go, or did he stay?