A/N: Welcome back, I hope everyone has had a great week. Mine was full on but that's nothing new. And if it wasn't the best, I hope I can cheer you up a little with this brand new chapter. As always my love goes out to those of you who followed/favourited this week, and to those who are still reading quietly.
Slang:
Bugger off = For want of a more appropriate phrase: Get lost.
Reviews:
Crossover Junkie: That sounds fantastic. Yes the people of Darwin have been resilient, and Cairns is beautiful so I hope you get to see it. I will be going forward, I have a great plot figured out and there's so much to draw upon from William Joyce's work. Don't worry, I gave him plenty of hugs in this one, whether he wanted them or not (I think he did).
Skyress1: I'm just going to let you keep guessing ;)
Valentina did not cry. She didn't scream or wail pathetically. She made not so much as a whimper. Instead she sat in silent traumatism staring unblinkingly at nothing.
"Valentina"
Pitch's voice barely reached her. Blood was rushing in her ears, drowning out everything else.
"Valentina, did you hear what I said?"
She gave a slow nod with her gaze still fixed on the empty space ahead of her. "Yes, Pitch. I heard you," she replied absently, and had no desire to have it repeated.
The Book of Guardian Law held all the answers North had promised and presented to them, in merciless detail, the ghastly nature of what ailed the Guardian of Love.
"Three moons, starting from the cycle we're in. If the last was on the 18th…" Pitch was so quick he practically glided over to the astronomy section of North's library. Ripping open the first one he found that appeared as though it might be of use, he skimmed until he found exactly what he was looking for. "The 16th," he determined faintly, "Valentina, you have until the 16th of February."
There it was: The day she ceased to exist as she knew it. The day she would turn to stone and crumble to dust, truly representing the heart of a Guardian who could find it within themselves to harm the very children they were sworn under Oath to protect. There was no refuting the conditions, she was being punished justly and fairly. What would a few tears do to change that?
Trying to come to terms with what was essentially her death sentence, she pulled the heavy book lamely onto her lap and stared at the page, watching meaningless words swim before her eyes. She felt Pitch slump quietly next to her. Being the Spirit of Fear, he knew all kinds of ways to scare a person into oblivion. He revelled in misery and woe, and found solace in the cold dark of the shadows. As such, he felt helpless in the art of providing comfort. There was nothing more to be said, so he did the only thing he could think of and clasped her hand tightly in his. There they stayed for what seemed like hours, unmoving and silent. But while Pitch brooded over the thought of her eminent demise that would see him falling back into the despair of isolation, Valentina was formulating a plan.
Something had caught her eye as she studied the page. Eventually, what her mind could only comprehend as a muddle of words reformed and focused, revealing to her a section of fine print that Pitch had missed the first time.
"Pitch." She nudged him out of his melancholy state. "Pitch, look at this."
"What is it?"
She pointed to the section and began to read: "The Oath of the Guardian is sacred and binds an appointed spirit to the duty of protecting the innocence of all children in the world, allowing them to lead lives free of fear…"
Pitch couldn't help the scowl that curled his lips into an ugly sneer.
"…By taking the Oath," she pressed on, "said Guardian bears the responsibly that should grievous harm befall even one child by their hand, the price of their own life will be exacted."
"Valentina, I don't understand how this is new information," he interrupted. There was pity to his tone, assuming that she was grasping at straws in a hopeless situation.
"No wait, there's more," she assured him and stood up with the book in hand, continuing on. "In the event of such a tragedy, the accused will begin to deteriorate and fracture. After three moons they will be irreversibly turned to stone."
"February 16th," Pitch specified looking slightly nauseous.
"However. If in this time the accused is able to prove their remorse and redeem themselves, the curse will be reversed and the spirit no longer afflicted."
Pitch gaped at her in disbelief. "What are you saying, is there-"
"-A chance that I can fix this, yes," she cried happily. She threw the book aside and, in her elated state, pulled him from his seat to hug him unexpectedly. Although it was done somewhat awkwardly, the sentiment was still there when he held her close in return. The execution of a simple hug ever eluded him and he mentally scolded himself for feeling so inept. She had just kissed him after all, how could this be more difficult than what he'd thought to be impossible? He said nothing, instead mouthing a thank you to the universe for granting her one last chance. Unpracticed though Pitch may have been, Valentina could feel it in his cautious touch and had seen it in his face. Real, uninhibited affection, the living embodiment of a sigh of relief. Wrapped in his arms, it was as though she'd fallen into the embrace of an inky black night, cold and calm. Yet, she still had a burning question for the Nightmare King.
"I swore to myself I would never, ever do this to you," she began quietly, "but, in light of everything that's happened, I have to know; Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"
Pitch tensed and he pulled away from her entirely, breaking the spell. Although he had no hesitations with instructing Valentina to face her anxiety, he himself was decidedly against having to confront any emotions that weren't fear and loathing. "I just… do. Can't it be left at that?," he grumbled, which had Valentina raise an eyebrow at his lack of composure.
"God forbid, the Boogeyman is capable of feeling something," she teased. When he scowled displeasingly she pulled him back to her by taking both his hands. "Pitch, please don't be angry. I can't help knowing these things, just as you can't help reading my fears. It's what we do. I knew you wouldn't like it if I asked, but no one has ever cared about me in the slightest and I just want to know, why now? Why you?"
He'd pondered this question fruitlessly himself only a short time ago, but it had taken for Pitch to see exactly what he'd lose with her gone before he realised why he was so desperate for her to stay. He let out a sharp sigh, well aware that his walls were about to come crashing down. "Because…" he tried to search for the words, words that had eluded him until she was standing there in front of him, light, bright and broken. He cupped her fractured cheek gently, concerned she might just shatter in his hands.
"Because I've never felt more alive than I do when you're with me. You give me the closest thing I have to a memory of what I once was."
"And what was that?" she asked in a tremulous whisper, not expecting a revelation so poignant from him.
"I don't know if I'll ever remember."
"Oh Pitch…"
"You gotta be kidding me."
They flinched away from each other, startled and embarrassed to find five utterly appalled Guardians had appeared at the North Pole thanks to a snow globe portal. It was Jack they'd heard, and he stood gawping at the scene in a slack-jawed stupor.
"What in the bloody hell?" Bunny looked absolutely revolted at having walked in on something that was evidently intended to be private.
If Pitch had ever been angry at the brigade of childhood heroes, it was nothing compared to how he felt with the knowledge that they might have over heard his confession. "So, the great heroes finally decided to show up," he spat scathingly. In an instant, the oddly affectionate Pitch Black vanished, replaced by the menacing Nightmare King who rounded on the Guardians instinctively.
"No thanks to you two," Bunny retaliated, poised to strike at any moment. North halted him by placing a large hand on his furry shoulder.
"What happened?" Valentina asked looking from one spirit to the next, biting her lip, "was everything ok? Did you get to everyone?"
"Only just," said North in his gravelly register, "was not simple task. The Night-Mares must have known you were only one not weakened. As soon as you were gone, they were everywhere, cities, towns, countries. No where was completely free of them. You were right, they were aggressive. Much more than last time." He glanced at the globe above them. There were slightly more lights than before they'd left, but the Guardians and their dwindling strengths had been far from successful. Receiving presents was all good and well, but as they'd seen with the boy Thomas, children around the world were becoming more unreasonable, less tolerant. Less easy to bribe, as Jack might have once said.
"North, I'm so sorry." It devastated her to think that she might have sabotaged their chances at a successful Christmas.
North shook his head and appraised her in ernest. "Val, it was not you. You were not in right mind. I do not hold you accountable for things that happened tonight. Sandy was with you for most of your time, he explained that you were not yourself at some point. If he is believing that you are not at fault, then neither am I."
She was taken aback by the Sandman's verification and gave him a grateful smile, which he returned with kind nod of his head.
"Perhaps I can't be held accountable, but that doesn't make it any less serious," she reasoned. "Pitch found the Book of Guardian Law. As far as it's concerned I am the one who has to shoulder the blame, regardless who's hand it truly was. I appreciate your forgiveness though, I really do."
Tooth saw by the pained expression on Valentina's face that she had more information to impart, and it wasn't good. "What is it, what do you know?" she pressed.
"The 16th of February. That's how long I have before…"
Tooth's hand shot to cover her mouth. "No!" came her muffled exclamation.
"Tooth, it was my fault and I'm ready to take full responsibility for everything. Whatever that thing is that hurt that boy, she's a part of me for better or worse and I have to accept whatever punishment is seen to be fit," she reminded her friend solemnly.
"That doesn't make it fair, you weren't in your right mind!"
"Life rarely is fair." Pitch's contempt was evident as he glared at the newly arrived party. "Take it from me."
Bunny laughed mirthlessly, glad to finally have a scapegoat of some description in this disaster without a guilty party. "Cry me a river, mate. You know just cause your life sucks, it doesn't mean you have to drag all of us down with you. We'd be a whole lot better off if you could just bugger off back to where you came."
Pitch sucked his teeth in condemnation. "You think this ordeal affects you nearly as much as it does Valentina? Now look who's being selfish." He slipped into the shadows and reappeared behind the Pooka. "You're quite the hypocrite, rabbit," he breathed, causing Bunny to jump in fright. He hopped several feet away from the Fear Spirit and beheld him scornfully.
"He's right though, you're the one who should be held accountable for all this," Jack accused, "you twisted her mind just like you tried to with me, I know it."
"Jack, please," Valentina pleaded, "that's not true."
Pitch smirked. "Well if isn't Jack Frost, the eternal screw up. Did you miss me?" he chuckled, "It must be so cold up there on the moral high ground, but I'm sure you're well equipped."
Jack gritted his teeth in anger. His grip on his staff tightened considerably, and at his feet the floorboards were soon covered by a thin sheet of glistening frost.
Pitch raised his voice slightly to address all of them . "I don't know what it would take for you all to finally grasp this wild concept, short of me scaring you senseless, but I have done nothing to harm Valentina. I only want to help her."
While the Guardians regarded him though trepidatious narrow gazes, a stunted figure marched haughtily to meet the Nightmare King, and he was furious. Sand bellowed like steam from his ears as he glowered at him, and though a series of aggressive (and at times profane) symbols, Sandy let Pitch know exactly what he thought of him.
"Oh come now, Sandman, where's your sense of humour," he chuckled darkly, "aren't we past that little hiccup? I mean here you've been, better than ever while I've rotted away, festering in my eternal loathing for you. I think we're well and truly even." His superficial calmness veiled a venomous undertone that Valentina picked up on before any of the others could register it.
"Pitch, whatever it is you're thinking, don't do it," she warned him in a low whisper.
"Why shouldn't I?," he hissed back. "They want to bring up the past then by all means, I'd be happy to oblige." He turned to glare at them once more. "I'm far from forgiveness."
"Pitch, you have only self to blame," North addressed him sternly, "we all made choices long ago and you chose fear."
"You blindly agreed to whatever the Man in the Moon decided," Pitch cried. "We are all powerful beings and yet our destiny is supposed to be determined by the whims and fantasies of children? No. We are the ones who should influence their fate, not the other way round. I chose to forge my own path, but I didn't choose fear. I am fear. There's quite a difference."
"As is difference between being feared and being believed. You see for yourself which is superior."
That last remark, that little revile from the Guardian of Wonder was the final straw the broke the proverbial camel's back. Nightmare sand materialised and Pitch aimed straight for the group of five that he so repugnantly hated. The Guardians retaliated just as forcefully until all Valentina could see standing on the sidelines was a blur of sand and flashes of magic. It was happening again, she could feel it. She was slipping away and Hate threatened to consume her whilst those she cared for more than anything in the whole world battled each other out of unadulterated loathing…
Wait. That's it, she realised.
"STOP IT!" she yelled above the din of their scuffle. They each froze in place mid attack and glanced at her, hesitant to drop their defences. She could already begin to notice dark fog in her mind dissipating. "All of you, just stop," she begged. "Hasn't this petty feud gone on long enough?"
"Petty?" Bunny repeated incredulously, "we're talking about the protection of children worldwide here. This is war, that's what it is."
"No, not anymore," she declared. "You all are important to those kids out there. Each of you serves a purpose to guide them. Even fear. I will not stand by and watch you destroy each other over a grudge, because if you do it's going to destroy me as well."
Pitch, to the surprise of the Guardians, was the first to break his stance. "What do you mean?" he enquired with worry.
"I've figured out what's causing me to lose control," she revealed with a newfound composure. "Your ill-will towards one and other is being intercepted by me and I'm absorbing it whether I want to or not. If you keep fighting and attacking each other, it's going to bring her back." In a squeamish manner, the collective of five followed Pitch's example and ceased their attack formation. "It wouldn't just be you either," she continued, "I started to turn when Sandy and I found that boy. I suspect anyone with as much malice could trigger the reaction. Hate always breeds hate, and in this case it's doing so in a very literal sense."
"And you turned just now?" Tooth reiterated.
Valentina began to pace the floor, still trying to piece together what had just occurred. "Almost. Only when you stopped fighting did I actually start to feel normal again."
"What does this mean then?" North asked her, holding his sword limply by his side.
"It mean it's time for him to get lost." Bunny glowered at Pitch and stuffed his boomerangs away in his pack. "I'll have a much easier time convincing myself not to beat him up if I can't see him."
Valentina took a deep breath, knowing there was going to be opposition from everyone at what she had to say next. "No please, I need you to let him stay."
"What!?" came the unanimous exclamation from Guardian and Boogeyman alike.
"We still have a deal, and I agreed to honour that commitment. I'm not going back on my word," she announced definitively with an intent look at Pitch, who's stony gaze softened as he understood that she intended to be constant rather than fickle. "But I'm not finished yet. If I can't return to the shadow realm, then as long as I'm stuck here I have to be able to see him. It means that you all need to settle your differences, you have to quit with the animosity around each other and especially around me."
Jack and Sandy glanced at each other in consternation, the memories of their battle with Pitch still fresh even after six years. "I don't think you realise how big a favour it is you're asking here," the winter sprite informed her dubiously.
"I do, Jack," she assured him, "I don't deserve your help and I'm in no position to make so many demands, but please, if I'm going to have any chance of fixing this I need you to be civil at the very least."
"You can fix this?" Tooth wings twitched as her hopes began to rise with the sun that peaked over the mountain ridge outside.
She nodded. "Maybe. I have one more chance if I want to do something good. The book states that I have until my last day to make things right. I don't know exactly how I might do that yet, but I might have one idea," she alluded as a smile crept across her fragmented face.
Their hostility was forgotten for the most part as they all waited with baited breath for Valentina's grand scheme.
"What? Spit it out," North urged her impatiently.
"Well, it might be game over on the 16th, but it doesn't matter," she said with confidence, "Valentines day is on the 14th of February. That's the key, if I can somehow make this the greatest Valentines day ever, I might be able to save myself, and help us be able to get rid of those Night-Mares."
As the realisation of this last thread of hope circulated the room, the dour expressions of the Guardians brightened and they exchanged sanguine grins that perhaps things weren't as bleak as they'd first appeared. Pitch, meanwhile, had vanished from the midst of the throng and reappeared next to her, appraising her with admiration. "You really are quite remarkable." he muttered so only she would hear.
"I have my moments," she shrugged with a modest smile, before raising her voice again. "So even though you all might not like this situation, I need you to cooperate if this is going to work."
"But why can't you go just go with Pitch if you're so obviously joined at the hip?" Bunny complained with rolled his eyes.
Valentina blushed slightly at his implication that they were something of an item, and Pitch crossed his arms in indignation. "Because it would destabilise her," he explained with a great deal of condescension toward the pooka, "if she's so strongly affected by hate, then down there is the last place she should be. In my period of incarceration the hatred I had for everything was so poisonous it must have changed the properties of the nightmare sand." He then spoke to her specifically, "I think that might be why you can control it."
Valentina gasped softly when she realised what he said made perfect sense. "Of course," she agreed, turning to face him, "I can't control fear, but I can control hatred - at least until it gets the better of me."
"She can do what? Control the nightmare sand?" Tooth asked with increasing panic.
"No, not exactly," Valentina reassured her hastily, "I can control it for a little while, but it's too powerful. I was never meant to use it, so there tend to be some side effects, namely a pretty drastic personality shift," she laughed humourlessly, "You were right, Tooth, I can't go back there, it would be suicide. I guess I really am stuck here."
"Then is final," North agreed as he replaced his sword above the mantle of the fireplace, "Christmas is finished for another year so Val can stay for as long as needed. If incident occurs, only issues will be repair and maintenance. And we will help with preparation for Valentines Day."
"Aw seriously?" Bunny's face fell in dismay. "But Easter's only months away by then. Why do we even have our own jobs when we're too busy looking after everyone else?"
"Bunny," Tooth warned him, "We helped you when you needed it,"
"Yeah, and I still ended up looking… cute," he shuddered, "there's another thing we can add to the list of reasons why he…" he pointed at the Boogeyman "…should not be hanging around here."
Pitch emitted a soft chuckle that wasn't entirely friendly. "Now, now rabbit, there's no need to get riled up. It sounds like someone needs a little scratch behind the ears."
"It wasn't funny then, and it's not funny now," Bunny growled as he moved behind the chaise lounge, trying to put an obstacle between himself and the Boogeyman.
Seeing that tensions were quickly starting rise again, Tooth stepped in to the middle of the room. "That's quite enough guys. Pitch, leave Bunny alone and we shouldn't have any problems." His mouth formed a twisted pout at being chided by her, but he kept it shut nonetheless. "Bunny," she pointed to him now, "you're helping."
"But-" He tried to protest, however the glare he got from the Tooth Fairy was so pointed that he found himself shrinking back into compliance. "Ok, ok. Fine," he agreed in haste.
"Good. Now can we all try to get along, please?" It was posed as a question, but everyone knew that the fairy was beyond requesting. She was ordering ceasefire.
"As long as we're all agreed, I'm happy to play nice," Pitch said with a unsettling smile. It was forced, far from genuine, and still hinted at danger. But after a nudge from Valentina he willed himself to be civil.
"As are we," North concurred gruffly on behalf of the group. There were halfhearted mutters of approval, for they were all wondering the same thing. Just how could they be expected to curb their hostility toward the Nightmare King when he was the bane of their existence? "Pitch, you are welcome to come and go at Valentina's request," he offered begrudgingly.
"Very well," he replied with only a slight air of distain. "Valentina, may I borrow you for a moment?" Pitch shot a dark look of warning to the hovering Guardians when they refused to take a hint.
"Would you mind?" Valentina requested with a grimace. "It's fine, really, I'll join you in a moment," she reassured them. After a second of deliberation, they dispersed with sidelong glances at the pair. Tooth made it known that she was keeping an eye on the fear spirit, still not entirely trusting him for the sake of her friend and Jack ended up tugging her away, chatting with her in a low voice. Most likely, he was trying to keep her and himself distracted from the discomfort of this predicament they'd all found themselves in.
When they were finally out of the vicinity, Pitch released a haggard sigh, already finding that being polite was going to be a tiresome challenge. "They're just as infuriating as ever," he grumbled with a glance over his shoulder to where the Guardians lurked on the opposite side of the mezzanine. He appeared deflated and Valentina acknowledged that this was going to be a trying task for all of them. The thought then occurred to her that perhaps she was forcing Pitch into something he wanted no part of. They had a deal, but there was nothing stopping him from breaking it off. After all, he had well and truly regained his strength, therefore it was really only she that benefited from their bargain at this point.
"Do you resent me?" she asked him abruptly.
He had an absent, pained mien about him, but then looked at her in mystification when she posed her question. "What are you on about?"
"Do you resent the fact that I was chosen to be one of them?" she said reiterated with a shaky breath. "Do you feel obliged to keep helping me? You know you don't have to, I don't want to make you do anything. Obviously there's a lot of resentment between you and them and-"
"Darling, I would face them a hundred times over if I thought it would do any amount of good." He interrupted and reached for her hand, enclosing it in both of his. Having realised her doubts, he then proceeded with absolute sincerity. "I don't care what you are. If you're one of them then so be it. As long as you remain yourself, that's all that matters to me. Without you, I would still be down in that pit of despair, at the mercy of Night-Mares out of my control, I owe you my life and I'll do anything I have to if it means you get to keep yours." He let go of her hand and grasped her shoulders in an effort to convey the significance of her situation. "You have a chance to redeem yourself, Valentina. You have no idea what I'd give for the same opportunity."
At this, Valentina wrapped her arms around Pitch and clung to him with a fierce gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest. "Pitch I swear, I'm going to do what ever it takes for you to be able to do the same. There's good in you, I know there is. And even if no one else does, I believe in you.
Pitch was stunned. "And I, you," was all he could muster at first and he gingerly enclosed the Guardian of Love in his own embrace. "One hurdle at a time though, let's try and sort you out out first," he eventually chuckled warmly.
Her laugh was muffled slightly as her head was still buried in his chest. "Way ahead of you."
They agreed that while North in his benevolence had opened the doors of the North Pole to the fear sprit, Pitch would be better off returning to his lair for a while. Understandably, there was still friction between the Boogeyman and the Guardians and it wouldn't do to encourage another brawl. Some distance might benefit everyone. In that time Valentina planned to begin preparations immediately. There was much to be done and only a month and a half until her chance was spent.
"I'll be back tomorrow," he promised. "But if you need anything-"
"I'll let you know," she finished with a grateful smile.
With one last lingering look, Pitch Black slipped away into the surrounding shadows of the lowly lit room and left Valentina missing him already.