When Silver made it back to the Cave, it was after dark. She stood there for a moment, wondering if Pitch was back yet when a noise turned her attention across the expanse of the Cave.
"Were you talking about me today?" The voice asked cheekily from the shadows.
"Who are you?" Silver demanded, ice-cold fear gripping her heart.
"You were talking about me! I'm flattered." The voice laughed.
"Pitch!" Silver called.
"When are you gonna call into the dark looking for me, my sweet?" The voice sounded different today, less angry, but somehow, more dangerous.
"PITCH!" Silver's scream echoed in the cavern and Pitch heard it from one of the far rooms where he had been musing.
"Silver? What is it?" Pitch asked appearing next to her. Silver grabbed his arm and held on tight.
"The voice is back," She whispered. Pitch frowned.
"I don't hear anything." Pitch said, but he felt the presence of something that wasn't his. He put his arm around Silver protectively.
"Kozmotis Pitchiner. Well, well. If it isn't the boogeyman himself!" The voice cackled from the shadows. "I'd say I'm honored, but I'm not." Pitch sneered at the shadows.
"Show yourself!" Pitch demanded.
"Make me!" The voice mocked. Silver gripped at Pitch's arm.
"Who are you?" Pitch demanded.
"I wouldn't tell my sweet little Silver, what makes you think I'll tell you?" The voice demanded. He sounded less pleased to be talking to Pitch, who was sneering into the dark.
"Why don't you just leave us alone?" Silver shot a bright light in the voice's direction, but it bounced harmlessly against the wall before fading.
"Leave you alone?" The voice made an odd gurgling noise. "Leave you alone?" Now it made a choking-laughing noise. "You would be nothing, had I not been there!"
"What do you mean? Been where?" Silver asked. Pitch didn't need to be the Nightmare King to know Silver was afraid. It was plain in her voice. The fact Silver was afraid this voice would take her away from him, however, only made Pitch angry.
"Little Cally, all alone in the dark…" The voice was making sing-song noises now. Silver shivered.
"Tell me who you are!" Silver demanded.
"You're making me angry boy," Pitch growled into the dark.
"I'm shaking in my boots, Mr. Boogeyman, sir." The voice taunted.
"What do you want?" Silver asked, pulling at Pitch's arm when he moved away from her as if to attack the dark.
"I want you, Silver. Just you." The voice purred. Silver's eyes went as wide as the full moon.
"What?" Silver felt fear race across her scalp as all her hairs stood on end.
"She's mine, you can't have her!" Pitch roared, shooting sand at the voice. Silver was taken aback at Pitch's sudden claim of her. The sand balled up at the wall and hovered there for a moment before shooting back at the one who had sent it. Silver stepped in front of Pitch and with a wave of her arms a bright shield had appeared, blocking the sand from hitting its new mark.
"What's this then?" The voice demanded, sounding angrier than before.
"You do not come into my home and attack my family. Either you calm down and tell us who you are, or you leave until such a time that you can be civil." Silver said in a very powerful voice. The voice from the dark was silent for a moment.
"Silver, I do wish you'll come with me one day." The voice said with an attempt at civility. She responded by shooting sharp beams of moonlight at him. In the sudden burst of light, Silver and Pitch both saw a shadow running the other way across the stone.
They both knew when the thing was gone.
"Pitch…" Silver turned to him, limbs shaking as she covered her mouth with her hands. Pitch ran his hands over her arms and she shook harder for a moment before burying her face in the front of his robes. Pitch found his arms went around her easily now and that his hand rubbed her back as she cried without him consciously trying to do it.
"Silver," Pitch said after a few moments of her silent crying. She could only shake her head against his chest. Her hair was long and straight and it didn't move around his fingers when he ran a hand over the back of her head. "Silver look at me." Pitch commanded, pulling her back. She blinked at him and wiped at her eyes.
"Pitch, I'm scared. He wants to hurt you and he wants to take me away." Silver whimpered, shoulders still not as square as they should be. Pitch put one hand against her cheek and the other was at her waist.
"I'm not gonna let that happen." Pitch said. "Do you understand me? That boy will not harm you…or me for that matter." Pitch's voice was strong and sure. Silver nodded with a sniff.
"I don't know why it frightens me so much…" Silver said rubbing again at her watery eyes. "But something about him…I think he's more dangerous than he's acting." Silver said. Pitch shrugged.
"We'll be fine, I've fought stronger enemies before, I'm sure." Pitch assured her, pushing the hair from her forehead. It swayed back slowly. Silver looked at him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tighter than she ever had.
"I hope so." Silver attempted a smiled then. "At least now you know I'm not crazy." Pitch grinned at her and nodded in agreement.
"I never said you were crazy." Pitch added. Silver laughed a little.
"You didn't have to." She rested her head against his shoulder and they just stood there for a moment.
"How was your day with Jack?" Pitch asked, hoping the change in subject would calm her. Silver leaned back in his arms and wrinkled her nose at him.
"He taught me to ice skate." Silver spoke as she unwrapped her arms from around Pitch's neck. "Should we do something about what happened?" She asked, looking behind her at the dark. Pitch shrugged.
"We can decide tomorrow. Come now." Pitch took her hand causing her hair to curl up in joy as he led her to the bedroom. "You look tired, my little nightmare." Silver nodded following him easily.
"Tell me more about your day." Pitch said as Silver curled herself against his chest once they'd laid down. She made a humming noise in her throat as if she didn't want to talk.
"Jack took me on a trip to some of the wintering countries and showed me how he spreads frost, and I managed to hear some wishes while we were around. Then we came back and he taught me to ice skate. I fell down a lot because I have terrible balance apparently." Silver smiled against his chest. "Jack laughed at me a lot." Silver yawned then.
"Sounds like you enjoyed yourself," Pitch said carefully.
"Maybe you could come sometime, I'd teach you to ice skate too." Silver's eyes were closed now and she burrowed closer to Pitch as she fell into sleep.
"I doubt Jack would take kindly that," Pitch said softly pressing his lips to her forehead. Then he closed his eyes and wondered what would happen if he tried to be as free as she was.
But even the thought of it was absurd.
Pitch found he was alone when he awoke the next morning. As he sat up a strange smell came to him…was someone cooking? Pitch followed his nose to one of the anterooms of the cave and stopped at the opening, perplexed.
"What is going on in here?" Pitch demanded. Silver grinned at him from across the room, a black skillet clutched in her hand.
"Pitch! I didn't think you'd be up yet. But what do I know?" Silver laughed nervously.
"What is all this?" Pitch asked entering the room. There was a large, flat-topped rock in the middle of the room and another along the left wall. The one along the wall had an opening in the middle, with a small fire burning in it, where Silver set the skillet that sizzled and popped.
"It's a kitchen. More or less." Silver shrugged, shaking the skillet.
"I can see that." Pitch frowned. "But how'd it get here?"
"Apparently I can grant my own wishes, if they're small enough." Silver grinned. "When I'm nervous I like to keep my hands busy. And I always liked cooking," Silver went to the center rock, a sort of island, and picked up a plate that had been sitting there. "So I'm making breakfast." Pitch watched her go back to the fire and shake the skillet again, the sausage links inside popped and sizzled as she did so.
"So you wished for a kitchen?" Pitch questioned.
"Well, sort of. I wished for some toast, and a loaf of bread showed up. Then I wished for something to toast it with, and the fire happened, and then one thing led to another and suddenly, Kitchen!" Silver smiled at him. "So you hungry?"
"You do know we don't have to eat, right?" Pitch offered stepping fully into the kitchen. Silver nodded, scooping the sausages onto the plate.
"But we can. Can't you?" Silver asked setting the plate before him. Pitch gave her an apathetic look and picked one of the sausages from the plate with his fingers, taking a bite instead of answering.
"What else are you making?" Pitch asked. Silver smiled.
"Eggs, toast, and anything else you'd like." Silver said with a wink.
"Come here." Pitch said. Silver raised her eyebrow at him.
"Why? I'm cooking." Silver replied. Pitch just looked at her and she sighed, walking over to him. "Yes, Pitch?" she asked.
"You don't have to be nervous." He said touching her face. Silver frowned at him. "Unless of course, you're nervous of me. That I can allow." Pitch teased. Silver snorted at him.
"How can you say I don't have to be nervous?" She stepped back to her fire and skillet, cracking egg after egg into the pan.
"Easy." Pitch said after she added the fifth egg. "I won't eat that many." Silver threw the shells into the fire and placed her hands firmly on the rock before her, back to Pitch. "Why are you nervous?"
"Don't make me say it." Silver said. She moved from the rock to the fire again, stirring the eggs as they cooked. "What should we do about it?" She added when Pitch didn't say anything.
"What do you want to do about it?" Pitch asked. Silver added a plate of scrambled eggs to the center rock-table.
"I want to not worry about it. But I can't not worry about. He's dangerous." Silver said simply.
"Got any silverware?" Pitch asked, avoiding her statement. She glowered at him and suddenly silverware fell from the sky. Silver head-butted her palm.
"I didn't mean that much." She snorted, picking up the excess and throwing them onto the other counter.
"That's," Pitch thought for a moment. "A neat trick." He was mocking her.
"I don't need you to be mean to me right now, Pitch." Silver hissed at him. "I'm still distraught." She sat on the island next to Pitch, who was sitting on the only stool in the room.
"Distraught?" Pitch asked taking a bite of his breakfast, wondering when the last time he'd eaten actual food.
"I don't like not knowing what someone is up to." Silver said, nibbling at a piece of toast. "Especially when I know he means someone I care about, harm." Silver added, her fingers digging into her thigh where her hand had been resting. Pitch watched her.
"You told him I was your family," Pitch said. It wasn't an accusation exactly, but somehow it still seemed like one.
"You're all I've got, Pitch." Silver said not looking at him. Pitch moved to stand before her and she looked up at him.
"You talk too much." Pitch said with a smirk. Silver shrugged. Pitch leaned towards her and kissed her hard.
She was all he had too.
Silver and Pitch went their separate ways after the kiss ended, both having a job to do. Silver flew around the world, but wasn't focused enough to land and actually grant any wishes. Silver ended up by the pond where she and Jack had been skating.
"Silver?" Jack's voice came from behind her. Silver turned to him, surprised.
"Oh, hello!" Silver smiled at Jack. "Didn't really expect to see you here."
"This is my pond," Jack said, eyebrow raised, as he pointed to the ice beneath their feet.
"Oh." Silver rubbed the back of her neck.
"Is something wrong?" Jack asked running the end of his staff across the ice creating brilliant new patterns.
"The voice came back, I think he heard us talking about him." Silver said, looking at her feet. Jack frowned.
"What happened this time?" Jack asked. Silver took a deep breath.
"He threatened Pitch and said he wanted to take me away. He tried to hurt Pitch too." Silver spoke quickly, as if she wanted it out as fast as she could manage so that she didn't have to dwell on it.
"So Pitch heard him too this time?" Jack asked. Silver only nodded. "Why would the voice want to take you away?" Jack added.
"He said I was his." Silver said. "He said he wanted me to come with him." Silver shivered although she wasn't cold.
"That's strange." Jack said as he strode around her, adding layer after layer of ice to the area.
"Any thoughts of what we should do? Because I have no idea and I need something to do." Silver asked, her eyes were wide and searching. Jack didn't like seeing his friend so obviously worried.
"I'd go tell North. He's older than me, he'll know more." Jack shrugged. "Want me to take you?" He asked. Silver shrugged.
"I should talk to Pitch about it." Silver attempted a smile then. "But, while I'm here, wanna ice skate again?" Jack smiled back.
"Sure." Jack held out his hands and they spent the rest of the afternoon spinning around the ice.
Silver found Pitch wondering around the big cavern, followed by a large black horse made of sand. She knew it was one of the Nightmares that she had been told about, but it was different to actually see one up close. Normally they avoided her and her light. The creature snorted at her when it saw her, thinking she was an intruder maybe.
"Hello," Silver said, more to the Nightmare than to Pitch. "What's he doing here?" Silver addressed Pitch this time.
"They come and go. Usually they just hide in the shadows until I call them." Pitch said patting the horse on the side of the muzzle.
"Why'd you call him?" Silver approached slowly, the Nightmare snorted at her again.
"I had this one watching out for that voice." Pitch held the skittish horse still as Silver reached out to touch the front of his face. The Nightmare made a noise in the back of its throat and calmed as Silver stroked the sand of his face. Silver smiled.
"Did he find anything?" Silver asked cooing at the horse.
"No," Pitch said, running a hand along the creature's neck.
"Did you ever see my white nightmare?" Silver asked. Pitch looked at her, bemused.
"A white nightmare? No. I never saw such a thing." Pitch said.
"When I was at the Pole, I wanted to tell you I was ok, and this little white nightmare appeared and flew off. He must've gotten lost…" Silver said softly, slightly worried about her little white nightmare. She had assumed it went away with the other nightmares once it had returned, but she hadn't thought to ask about it till now.
"Maybe," Pitch said, dismissing the topic. Silver sighed, still touching the Nightmare before her.
"I talked to Jack today, he said we should ask North about the voice because he's older." Silver was scratching the Nightmare's ear and the horse whinnied at her.
"I'm older than North, and I've never come across such a thing before." Pitch said darkly. Silver's eyes widened in surprise.
"How old are you then?" Silver asked. The Nightmare shifted his weight towards Silver and she had to adjust her footing. The creature seemed to enjoy her scratches.
"I'm as old as the fear of the dark," Pitch said after a moment.
"So you're a pedophile?" Silver teased with a giggle. Pitch was taken aback and Silver laughed at how large his eyes grew in his surprise.
"Excuse me?" Pitch sputtered.
"I'm rather young compared to you." Silver said trying to hide her smile.
"I like to think I've transcended age," Pitch snapped.
"That doesn't sound pompous at all," Silver chided, eyes sparkling up at him through the dark. Pitch shoed the Nightmare from between them.
"You're awfully cheeky tonight," Pitch said watching her. Silver just smiled up at him.
"So what if I am?" Silver asked with a shrug as she rocked back on her heels.
"I might have to break you of that," Pitch warned with a dark smirk.
"I doubt you could." Silver rocked up to her toes. "Besides, you'd have to catch me first!" She turned on her toes and ran off into the dark. Pitch laughed then; glad to have something to do. His little Silver couldn't outrun him. Not here.
Silver was running, but not fast enough to turn into the shooting star she was famous for. Pitch moved easily through the shadows to stand before her, wicked grin splitting his face. Silver skidded to a halt, gave an adorable little squeak that Pitch rather enjoyed, and bolted off in another direction.
"Silver…" Pitch whispered into the shadows that chased after Silver as she ran. He could feel a sliver of fear forming in her mind as they kept up the game, but it was only the fear of getting caught. "Silver…" He purred again. She stopped and peered into the shadows.
"Pitch?" Silver turned and ran again with a little shriek when his grin became visible from one of the darker shadows.
"Silver…" Her name came again in the same tone. But this one was different. Darker.
Pitch felt Silver's fear spark and grow. There was something else she was afraid of that wasn't his. Pitch growled and moved faster through the shadows, appearing before Silver. She didn't seem to recognize him right away.
"Silver?" Pitch said scowling. She blinked and then sighed.
"I heard his voice." Silver spoke. "It was echoing in my head again."
"He's not here." Pitch told her. He would have felt the intrusion. "But he still ruined our little game." Pitch wrinkled his nose in distaste. Silver nodded and the fear drained from her face.
"You wouldn't have caught me," Silver said crossing her arms. Pitch narrowed his eyes at her and moved across the room before she could blink.
"You think so?" Pitch purred in her ear as his arms wound around her. Silver leaned back against him, slowly relaxing.
"We need to do something about that voice," Silver replied. Pitch growled, but she felt him nod against her hair.
"If I could just get my hands on him…" Pitch mused crossly. It was Silver's turn to nod.
"Should I go talk to North? Or someone else maybe?" Silver asked, still content to just lean against Pitch as they stood together in the dark.
"I have something else to check on first," Pitch said pulling away from her. Silver frowned at him.
"What is it?" Silver asked.
"I'll tell you later," Pitch said, placing one hand on either side of her face. "Now stay here." He commanded staring Silver down. Silver nodded absently with a slight smile. Then he kissed her briefly and left the room.