Chapter Five: Learning
Silver came in late that night and went straight to bed. She curled up next to Pitch and fell promptly to sleep. Pitch opened one eye, wondering if she was still mad at him. Seeing as she hadn't asked if he was awake, he assumed she was. Pitch just sighed and went back to whatever sleep he could have.
The morning couldn't have come any slower for Pitch. He didn't like that Silver was angry with him. She was still sleeping when Pitch got out of bed and went off into the other room. Maybe it'd be better to let her wake on her own.
When Silver joined Pitch in the large room she stopped across from him. Pitch watched her wondering if she were still angry.
"Good morning." Pitch said trying to look normal. What was it about her that always had him questioning what he was? But no matter, that was a thought for another time.
"Morning, Pitch." Silver was watching him with a similar expression.
"How was your night?" Pitch asked.
"I didn't have nightmares last night…" Silver said, but she didn't sound happy about it. "You stayed out of my dreams, didn't you?" Pitch nodded, his arms held behind his back as he paced. "Why?"
"I thought you'd like a reprieve." Pitch said not looking at her.
"Why would I want you to abandon my dreams? I've lived with them all my life, I can't sleep well without them." Silver took a few exploratory steps towards him. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised and she stopped.
"I wasn't aware of that." Pitch just watched her as she debated her next move. He watched her bite her lip, amused by the sensation it created in him.
"I'm sorry." Silver said abruptly. "About yesterday. I was just…" She ran a hand through her wayward hair which was hanging abnormally flat. "Overwhelmed." Pitch nodded at her. Silver rolled up to her toes then back down to flat feet again.
Pitch waited for her to say something more because she looked like she was going to, but she just bounced up and down on her feet. She was waiting for him too he realized.
"Pitch, come here." Silver said suddenly with a new look in her eyes. Her hair was suddenly wavier again. He watched her warily, wondering what she would do to him. Silver was smiling now. Pitch wasn't sure what that meant. "Come here." She commanded again, she held out her arms to him. Pitch stepped closer, still wondering what she was up to. When he was within arm reach, Silver grabbed the front of his robe and pulled his face to hers for a real apology.
For a moment Pitch was taken aback, but then he deepened the kiss. One of his hands wound around to the small of her back, holding her closer to him, as the other buried in her hair. Pitch pulled her head back so that he had full control of her kiss. Silver's hands tightened on his robes and the kiss faded. Pitch grinned at Silver with a darker sort pleasure.
"If we're going to play this game, we're going to play by my rules." Pitch said from somewhere deep in his throat. Silver nodded at him, wonderfully dazed. Pitch loosened his grip on her hair and she ran her fingers gently through his. Pitch was surprised at the sensation. Silver had her arms resting on his shoulders as they stood together in the dark.
"I have a deal for you." Silver said.
"Oh do you?" Pitch asked with a skeptical note. Silver nodded.
"I do." She smiled at him and pulled gently at the short hairs at the back of his neck. Pitch found his lips twitching towards a smile.
"And what's that?" Pitch asked, his hands resting on Silver's hips.
"I'll go to the Pole, but only if you take me." Silver met Pitch's eyes then and he found he actually wanted to say yes.
"I can't take you." Pitch said softly. "They don't exactly, appreciate my talents there."
"Oh?" Silver asked still playing with the skin at the back of his neck. "Why not?" She asked innocently. Pitch stepped away from her then.
"We had…a disagreement." Pitch said, crossing his arms behind his back. They were still somewhat fresh wounds.
"A disagreement?" Silver asked following him as he walked from the room.
"Yes. The Guardians don't care for me very much." Pitch said over his shoulder.
"I just need you to take me to the Pole, you don't have to stay." Silver said jogging slightly to catch up to him. She grabbed his arm and looped her arm through his. He looked down at her walking beside him and ignored his urge to pull away on principal. The boogeyman shouldn't touch such a wonderful creature unless he aimed to destroy it. "Please Pitch?" Silver looked up at him with her big, bright eyes. Pitch knew he could never destroy her.
"I should say no," Pitch said. But oh how he wanted to please her, to make her smile as he knew she would if he agreed.
"But you're gonna say yes?" Silver asked happily. Pitch frowned for a moment then smiled, showing her all those shark-sharp teeth he had.
"I think we should go." Pitch said with a wicked thought hiding behind the words. What would the Guardians think of him with such an innocent little thing in tow?
"I have another question." Silver said, twining her fingers in his. He overlooked the wondersome gesture.
"And what would that be, my little nightmare?" Pitch asked still smiling. Silver blushed at the endearment.
"Who are the Guardians?" She really was quite innocent, wasn't she? Pitch laughed then and twirled Silver around by their entwined hands. She laughed in response. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden Pitch?" Silver asked.
"Absolutely nothing." Pitch sober slightly. This next bit could be fun then. He wanted to see their faces when they saw them together. He wanted to show them he was loved.
"It's so cold." Silver complained as Pitch landed them in the snow.
"It's the North Pole. What did you expect?" Pitch said. Silver shivered for a moment before her shawl appeared and wrapped itself around her shoulders.
"Oh shut up." Silver said trying her hardest not to sink in the snow. Pitch gave her a shrug and pointed her towards the distant lights. "There's where you're going. Have a nice trip." Pitch turned to go.
"Wait!" Silver said. Pitch turned to her dramatically.
"Yes?" He asked with a slight smirk.
"Aren't you going to go with me?" Silver asked. "Not even for a little ways?" Her eyes were bright in the half-light.
"No." Pitch said simply. Silver crossed her arms over her chest.
"But it's so far away, what if I can't get there for some reason and I need your help?" Silver asked. Pitch laughed.
"You can fly, you'll be fine. I'll be in the Cave when you're done." Pitch turned to go again, but stopped when he heard Silver yelp.
"Let go of me!" Silver shouted as a yeti grabbed hold of her arms. Pitch felt anger contort his face as he shot nightmare sand at the beast that had ahold of his Silver.
"Back away from her!" Pitch said in a dangerous tone. The first yeti had lost his grip on her when the sand connected with him. Another one came up behind Pitch and tried to grab him. Pitch sneered and swung his scythe at that one. Silver's eyes went wide as he fought. He was wonderful to watch. Another yeti had gotten ahold of her and she made a loud noise that distracted Pitch long enough for him to be tackled by another couple of the beasts. Silver got angry then and was able to break free of her captor.
As hard as Silver tried she couldn't seem to hit any of the yetis with her moonlight. It was as if it reflected off of their fur. So she danced around them, trying to help Pitch, but unable to.
"Pitch!" Silver shouted, he was bound by something now and he glared angrily at his captors.
"Silver!" Pitch said indignantly. Silver stopped halfway through turning to run away. It was enough that another of the yetis caught her around the middle and had her bound like Pitch. They were then thrown, unceremoniously, through a bright light that scared Silver to go through.
"RELEASE ME!" Pitch bellowed when the two of them rolled out of the other end of the wormhole. Silver's head was still spinning when she landed on her knees.
"Where are we?" She asked shaking the dizziness from her head.
"What is this?" An angry Russian voice said. Silver looked up and saw a large man in red with a white beard.
"Santa?" She asked. His attention diverted from Pitch for a moment. North frowned at her.
"Who is this?" He had a very thick Russian accent. This comment was directed to one of the yetis standing nearby, the yeti shrugged. Silver got her knees under herself more evenly.
"Leave Pitch out of it, he didn't even want to come." Silver defended.
"Now let me go North!" Pitch was furious, about being tied up, being thrown through a wormhole, and that Silver was scared for him. No one should be afraid on behalf of the boogeyman, especially not her.
"North?" Silver asked looking over at Pitch who was also on his knees now, working his way to his feet.
"That's his name, though I'm sure he goes by Santa too." Pitch directed at her. She nodded. Silver wiggled against her ropes and she felt something deep in her chest, she wanted out of these ropes because she thought someone was going to hurt Pitch. She could feel the tension in the air as North stood before the man in black. There were dark sorts of wishes in the air.
"What do you want with such a girl? What are you planning?" North asked with his arms crossed over his great belly.
"Let me out of these ropes, and let me explain." Pitch said with an angry sneer.
"You think I will fall for that?" North sneered. "And not as theatric this time, I see." North said. Silver frowned and looked around as the two of them argued. She needed to get out of these ropes. There were far too many people wishing Pitch harm.
Silver suddenly shot off into the air in a spark of silver. She could feel the ropes coming lose as she switched between her silver-light and human form. She shot around the room, blinking in and out of a solid form before she fell a good couple of feet. She finally managed to free herself from the ropes on the third try. She shot back to the platform, where Pitch and North stood, mouths equally agape, stumbling a little as she landed.
"That wasn't nearly as graceful as I was hoping." Silver said when she landed next to Pitch.
"Cally Moonborne?" North said suddenly in surprise. Silver's eyes went wide at the name.
"Cally died." She said taking a step back towards Pitch. She didn't want to think about what she had been right now, or how she had ended. She took another step back and bumped into her nightmare.
"Can you untie me please?" Pitch said angrily to whoever would listen. Silver darted behind him and undid the rope. "Thank you Silver. Now." Pitch turned to North, rubbing his arms. "Silver needs to talk to you." He motioned to his companion.
"My name is Silver Moonborne." Silver piped up standing in front of Pitch again. "I was told to come to the Pole, but I couldn't find it, so I convinced Pitch to bring me here. Please allow him to leave, unbothered." She was watching the group of yetis that had gathered behind North. They all wanted to harm Pitch, Silver could feel them wanting, wishing. North too, he wanted Pitch to pay for some wrong he had done.
"What does Peach have over you that you want to protect him? Hmm?" North asked. Silver stepped back and bumped into Pitch again. She reached behind herself to grasp the front of his robe.
"He's…" Silver stopped. What was he to her? "He hasn't done anything wrong today. I don't know what he did to wrong you before, but that isn't today. Please, let him leave." Silver said again.
"Silver," Pitch tried to stop her from defending him, but he knew that she was his only advocate in the room. Maybe North would listen to her.
"This is interesting." North said rubbing his great beard.
"I assure you, I came here meaning no harm." Pitch said, attempting to pull Silver's hands from his robes. Her hands didn't budge.
"Has Peach done something to you, Cally?" North asked the young woman protecting the nightmare king.
"My name's Silver now. Cally died. The only things that Peach has done to me, are things I am grateful for." Silver was looking at the group opposing her and Pitch, a small smile playing on her face at her own joke. North frowned at them, but looked at the yetis who all backed off.
"Did you just call me 'Peach'?" Pitch asked, but Silver ignored him.
"Alright." North said. Silver turned around to look at Pitch.
"Go home. I'll be fine." She said.
"Why are you so quick to get rid of me?" Pitch asked, amused.
"They wish to hurt you for whatever, disagreement, you had." Silver said softly. "Just go home Peach." Her lips curled as she said it.
"You better not make a habit of that." Pitch said ignoring the strange looks they were getting from their audience.
"You bet your peaches." Silver winked at him. "Now go. I'll be back soon." She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
"Well this has been…unpleasant." Pitch said as Silver turned back to North, the yetis and the array of elves that had shown up. She knew the instant he had vanished.
"Now," Silver said trying to break the growing silence. "Why would I be sent here?"