The Boy in the Tower

by Frostfox

Chapter Warning: This is a bit of a heavy chapter, dealing with betrayal, abuse, manipulation, and ending in blood and tears. Please be kind to yourself while reading this.

There's nothing too graphic, but if you need to skip anything there is a brief summary of the chapter at the end you can read to catch up.


In Which Jack Reads a Book

Jack was gone.

Aster still couldn't believe it. It had all happened so fast. Jack had been standing there, listening to their damning fight.

For how long?

Aster didn't have a clue. How had he not noticed the boy arrive? How had he not heard him?

This was a disaster. The very last thing he wanted to happen. How much had Jack heard? That whole conversation was filled with landmines, all of which would ruin Jack emotionally all on their own, but all at once? Aestyr didn't want to even think about it.

The last thing Aster had ever wanted Jack to find out...the worst of all the secrets that Aster had been keeping from the boy, that was the one that he was absolutely certain Jack had heard.

Bunny's real name. Aster.

As soon as Jack was gone, the pooka turned on North, angrily spitting his words at him, "This is exactly why I told you no." He growled at the big man, "He wasn't ready, but you, in all your self important reckless disregard, have ruined it!" He wasn't even sure if he was more angry, or hurt. If North had just listened to him, not pushed the boundaries that Aster had set.

But no, North always thought he knew better than Aster. It was infuriating on a good day. And this wasn't a good day.

Usually Aster would wait until he was outside the workshops walls to open a tunnel, respect and age-old friendship staying his hand.

But not today.

North had broken that trust when he forced Aster to break Jack's, he didn't have time to wait or delay his departure. He had to fix this mess before it snowballed out of control.

North stared sadly at him all through his verbal lashing, the man's whole countenance bowed and morose. Aster knew he was beating himself up inside, but the pooka had more important things to worry about at that moment. The man would have to deal with his guilt on his own.

Aster had to find Jack.

He was out there, right now. Hurting. And alone. And it was all Aster's fault. If he could just explain...

The Easter Guardian called up his magic, reaching down under the layers of stone and snow and ice; into the sleepy surface of the earth itself, and pulled. He didn't have time to gently coax it awake like he usually would, especially in an area where the earth was usually asleep. He simply gripped the magic firmly and yanked it up and open with a sharp tap to the stone floor above the seething mess of Nature magic as it opened a tunnel. He didn't even spare North a glace before he dropped down into the dark pit.

When the portal closed behind him, the tangle of magic he'd dragged to the surface went wild. Where Aster's tunnels usually left a small singular bud instead, a mass of rapidly growing vines erupted from the ground, twisting wildly about the room like an alien entity seeking its prey.

North cursed as he danced away from the greedy curl of spring magic, ducking out the door and slamming it behind him. He could do nothing as the vines outgrew the room, pushing under the door and bursting it open like a shaken bottle of soda.

North sided heavily, shaking his head and muttering to himself under his breath...something about over emotional rabbits and having the elves handle it.

Bunny raced back to the hidden Tower glade. His mind raced to try and figure out how to explain everything to Jack.

That is if Jack would even allow him a chance to talk and didn't just attack him the first chance he got. He didn't like thinking about that possibility, but lashing out was one of the boy's fight or flight responses.

From what little he had managed to glean from the boy regarding his thoughts on the Guardians, that was the more likely outcome if he was feeling threatened and defensive.

Pitch had done a very good joy brainwashing the kid, but Aster wasn't just going to give up. He couldn't. Just the thought of never seeing Jack again hurt.

It shouldn't. He barely knew the kid. Yet...somehow, Jack had dug himself a place in Aster's heart and not seeing his laughing blue eyes and blinding smile everyday would leave a hole almost as large as losing his home and people had.

It just wasn't an option.

Not anymore.

He wouldn't let Pitch take something away from him again. He wouldn't allow Pitch to strip him of everything he held dear. Jack was a part of his life now, an important part. And he wasn't going to just give up on him.

Aster's world would be empty and grey without Jack in it. He had to make him understand, he just needed to explain.

The tower and courtyard were exactly how Aster remembered leaving them. Cold and grey, with shifting shadows that almost seemed to move on their own.

He ignored the shadows stalking him as he headed to the tall lonely tower, standing as a bleak reminder of how badly the Guardians had failed Jack. He flew up the stairs, a whispered worry in the back of his mind noting that there was no ice lacing the steps.

Jack had to be here.

He had to. There was nowhere else Jack could be. If he wasn't here, Aster didn't know where else to look. So Aster continued up the stairs, ignoring the unease seeping into his heart and sending it racing, in his frantic search.

He tore through the living quarters, green eyes searching every empty corner.

If he wasn't down here, he had to be up in the garden.

Yes, of course. That was Jack's sanctuary. Of course that was where Jack would go when he was hurting and needed comfort. A small piece of his heart relaxed at the thought, if Jack was up in the garden with Bunny's flowers, then not all was lost. He could still fix this.

It would not be an easy talk, and it would take forever for Jack to trust him again...but he would! He would earn Jack's trust back, even if it took him until the end of time.

At least he had a chance. And Aster would take that chance.

The pooka easily scaled the side of the tower, ducking around the roof and slipping into Jack's hidden alcove. "Jack!" He exclaimed, speech ready on his lips, only to putter out when his eyes only found empty space.

His whole body slumped in defeat, his ears drooping with the realization that Jack wasn't there after all.

A strange, slick scraping sound accompanied the shiver that overcame the pooka in the ensuing silence, his hackles raised and his instincts screamed 'danger!' before his ears and brain caught up.

The glow of the sunstones was smothered as a cloying darkness seemed into the alcove, and a low voice crooned from behind him. "Well, well, well. I must say, this is a surprise."

Aster's body went tense, his fingers twitching towards his missing boomerang. He hadn't needed it, hadn't thought to stop at home and grab it. His ears twitched, swiveling around trying to pinpoint where the snake would be coming from.

Out of the darkness, black vines dripping a cold black ichor, lashed out, wrapping around Bunny's wrists and ankles, restraining him, and anchoring him in place, before the pooka even had time to react.

Aster thrashed violently, eyes locked on the familiar white-gold eyes now staring back at him from a cloak of shadows.

***Frostbunny***

Jack didn't think as he fled North's workshop, he had leapt out the nearest window and let Wind catch him. He darted off, not really caring what direction he headed in, struggling to control the tears that were blurring his vision.

Jack tried very hard to forget everything he had overheard and for a while it would work, but inevitably something would sneak past and echo around in his empty brain. His thoughts circling pointlessly.

Worse still, his magic was out of control. He knew it, could feel it thrumming inside him, could see the turmoil inside himself echoed on the environment around him. Yet he couldn't really find it in himself to care. The outward expression of the inner turmoil he was experiencing was almost a relief.

And even if he had cared he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. The white-out blizzard that rose up around him and followed him away from the North Pole was feeding off his chaotic emotions, and he was in no more control over those then he was over his wayward magic.

It didn't take too long for the storm to leech so much power from the boy that his magic failed him. Jack gasped as he lost what little control he had been able to maintain, and then screamed when the magic failed him completely and he dropped out of the sky like a sack full of rocks.

He had no idea where he was as he crashed down through a bright green canopy. He scrambled to find purchase on the massive tree he was plummeting past, but he was falling too fast, and gravity had too strong of a grip on him.

He hit the first branch hard enough to disorient himself and slow his response. He slipped over the edge and plummeted towards the next branch.

He didn't even have enough time to brace himself before the next hit, then he was falling again, continuing his harsh, downward descent.

He landed on the ground bruised and out of breath, and more than a little dazed. His staff had landed not too far away from him, thankfully in one piece. He dragged himself back to his feet, wincing as his entire skeleton seemed to crack and creek with the movement and his bruises screamed in protest.

Everything hurt.

His outside now matched the way he was feeling inside. And wasn't that just poetic.

He limped over to his staff, and as he bent down to pick it up his eyes fell upon something half buried in a bush.

His fingers wrapped around the wood as a small frown creased his brow. How did that get there? It looked like the book he'd been looking at before...well...before.

Now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't remember actually putting it back. He'd completely forgotten he was holding it when he'd heard Bunny's voice.

Jack had accidentally stolen from North.

With a self-amused shake of his head, Jack dug the book out of the bush. All Jack wanted to do was forget any of this had ever happened, but it looked like an important book. He couldn't just leave it there. He tucked it back under his arm and finally looked around himself.

He still had no idea where he was, some sort of forest, but that was the extent of his knowledge. He really just wanted to go home.

Father had been right.

Of course he had been right, he always was. Jack wished he had listened to him...wished he'd never left the tower. Bunny's grinning face popped into his head and he froze, so many emotions fighting for control. With an aggravated growl Jack forced the image away. He wished he'd never met the bloody pooka. Everything was his fault. He lied to him, made Jack like him.

He'd made Jack leave the tower and now here he was: lost and alone, with no idea how to get home.

He walked for a while, his thoughts in a continuous downward spiral. Bunny's face and voice kept popping up out of nowhere to counter every effort Jack made to forget or distance himself.

When his thoughts strayed again, and Bunny's face drifted into his mind's eye Jack screamed in frustration, and threw himself against the stone wall he'd been walking next to. It was at the base of a mountain and the stone was covered in thick foliage, the canopy of leaves above him stopped the majority of his snow from reaching the ground, but some of it trickled down, wafting through the air like particles of dust hovering in a beam of sunlight.

He slumped back against the wall in defeat, groaning quietly, head tilted back and braced against the stone, "Why won't you just leave me alone?" He begged. The mental image of the pooka scoffed at him and Jack squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against the tears threatening to fall, they clung to his lashes, quivering with his suppressed sobs.

It just wasn't fair.

After everything Bunny had done, all the lies and deceit... he just couldn't seem to hate him.

Jack actually kind of missed him. Bunny always seemed to know what to do and -Jack swallowed, shaking his head violently as he forced the thought away.

Bunny wasn't real.

His name was Aster.

Jack slammed his hand back against the wall he was leaning on, and something gave under his fist. Behind him the wall opened up.

Jack yelped as the ground swallowed him, falling backwards into a dark tunnel, the opening he had fallen through closing and locking behind him.

Jack landed on his backside, book and staff clattering down beside him. Jack lay there for a moment, stunned, before looking around. He was in an old dark tunnel, the ground beneath him a circular brick pattern, and the walls were decorated with familiar carvings. Jack sat up and turned around to get a better look at the strange circular doorway cut into the stone and decorated with a thick layer of green moss.

He climbed to his feet and tentatively trailed a hand over the intricately carved stone, glancing behind him at the tunnel that disappeared around a corner.

Somehow he'd stumbled into one of Bunny- Aster's- tunnels. Just how many of these were there? Jack had assumed the pooka made new tunnels every time he tapped his foot and that it would disappear when he reached his designation.

That would not explain...this. Wherever he was was old, and it didn't look like this door had been opened in a very long time. And where most of bunny's tunnels were made of packed dirt, this one was carved in stone. It was all very peculiar.

Jack contemplated forcing his way back out. Leaving. But the lure of the familiar was too strong. Everything had changed so quickly and he just wanted something familiar, something he knew. Just for a minute while he caught his breath...then he would leave.

The Warren may belong to Bunny-Aster- but what he remembered of it was warm and serene. His mind drifted to where Bun-the pooka...had taken him to meditate and his mind was made up.

He needed someplace to sit and think, just for a minute to sort through all of his confused thoughts.

The boy gathered his belongings and headed down the tunnel (He wasn't sure he was capable of opening that door, so he needed to find another opening) in search of a place, somewhere as quiet and serene as he was remembering, to think.

It was a bit of a hike to reach the green fields and sprawling forests of the Pooka's garden and by the time he found a place that met his criteria, his magic was slowly trickling back to him. He was just glad the blizzard hadn't followed him into this paradise, even as upset as he was, he couldn't bear the thought of the damage his wild magic could cause to all the pretty flora that lived here.

He thought about meditating, but the presence of that mysterious book was too much of a distraction. He stared at it for a long moment, just trying to decide if that was what he really wanted to do. It was as good a distraction as anything, and would keep his mind off the lying pooka he thought had been his friend.

Despite this it still felt a bit like he was prying, like this book held secrets he wasn't supposed to know. But once the book had been opened and he'd started to read, he couldn't seem to stop.

He was right about the secrets, but wrong about the distraction.

The book was split into sections. Each section was a history detailing one of the Guardians. The same Guardians his father had warned him about.

Nicholas St. North. Toothiana. Sanderson Mansnoozie. E. Aster Bunnymund. Nightlight. Mother Goose. Man in the Moon (Mim).

It explained everything.

Answered questions Jack didn't even know he had. Jack lingered over Bunny's story and the actions of Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. It was a tale of tragedy, and Hope. The end of an Era, and the Beginning of something beautiful yet sad.

After the Guardians, were details of other beings, creatures with potential to be a Guardian. Jack had never even heard of these people.

The Leprechaun. The Groundhog, Br'er Rabbit, Peter Pan...and so many more. Everyone of these pages explained who they were, where they could be found, and just what about them made them special enough to have the potential of being a Guardian, and the reasons they weren't.

Jack flipped through the pages, awe slowly filling the place of confused betrayal. Then he reached the very last page, with an all too familiar name that completely froze him in shock.

Jack Frost.

That was him.

That was his name! Jack Frost.

But why...how?

His eyes slowly drifted to the words written below his name in shining silver ink. The words appear as he read them, scrolling across the page as if by magic.

He almost dropped the book in his surprise.

Jack Frost. Finally I have found you.

Jack slammed the book shut, heart pounding as he stared at the cover with eyes widened in horror.

The book was talking to him. What the bloody hell?

After a couple minutes where nothing happened, the book remained unmoved in front of him. It made no move to bite him, and the Warren itself remained completely silent. Jack slowly cracked the book open again.

The boy thumbed back to the page with his name. The writing had waited until he opened the book back up completely before continuing.

Three hundred years is a very long time. But Pitch hid you from my sight, shrouding you in shadows.

"I don't understand." Jack murmured, wondering if the book would explain. That seemed impossible, but so was the fact that the book was talking to him in the first place.

It seemed to hear him, despite his near whisper. "When you gave your human life to save your sister-"

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Sister?!

The book didn't give him any time at all to process that bit of information, continuing on as if Jack's world had not just turned on its head.

I deemed you worthy then, and gave you life. I granted you your powers in hopes you would one day join the Guardians in their calling to protect the children of the world from the darkness that would steal their innocence away.

"Wait." Jack interrupted, "I don't...my father was waiting for me. Pitch wasn't there." Jack didn't think he'd ever met Pitch in his whole life, he would think he'd remember someone as scary sounding as a Nightmare King.

That man is not your father, Jack. He stole you from me. From your family.

"The Guardians?" Jack ventured, unsure if he was reading this right, his father's -not fathers?-warnings ringing in his ears.

Yes. You were meant to be with them. They will care for and teach you where I cannot.

"I still don't see how Pitch has anything to do with this." Jack admitted, his thoughts were racing, but he felt like he was still missing pieces to the puzzle. "And if 'that man' isn't my father...then who is he?"

When you woke and rose from the lake, Pitch sensed you and went to meet you. He sent his beasts to chase you directly into his arms. You had no way of knowing, and I had no way of reaching you...of stopping him. Before I could do anything you were gone.

"My father...was the nightmare King?" Jack asked, confusion and betrayal swirling inside him once again. How was this happening again? Was he going to lose everyone he loved today? Tears stung his eyes but he forcefully brushed them away. He wasn't going to cry...again.

He felt like a fool. Did everyone lie to him? North, Bunny, and now his father as well. Why? Why did everyone lie to him?

Pitch's lie ran deep too. He wasn't his father. Everything he'd told Jack about the Guardians was wrong as well...if he was to believe what the book was telling him anyway.

Could he really believe a book? What if the book was just another lie?

"How can I believe you? You are telling me my whole life was a lie. Everything anyone has ever said to me has been one lie after another. How do I know you aren't lying too?!" He was growing increasingly frustrated.

I have no way to prove to you I'm not lying. You will just have to trust in my words, and your own instincts on the matter. Jack wasn't so sure he wanted to trust someone else, all anyone ever seemed to do was lie and betray him.

Jack carefully closed the book after that, his thoughts swirling with everything he had learned, every lie he'd ever been told. Father-Pitch- had told him the Guardians were evil. But Bunny couldn't be evil. He was a little gruff, and more than a little rough around the edges, but he'd always been so kind and understanding with Jack. Gentle even.

Bunny had been nicer to Jack than his own father ever had.

And that couldn't have been a lie. If Jack couldn't trust people's words, he would have to use their actions to judge if they could be trusted. And everything was pointing to the fact that his father...pitch...had never loved him. Had never cared about him. But Bunny did.

Bunny brought him the sun. Bunny filled his life with color, and life, and warmth. Bunny was comfort, and a gentle Hope for something better. That was the truth that Jack clung to, when his whole world was set adrift. That would be his rock.

This didn't fix everything, not by a long shot. He still had so many questions, and he needed to talk to Bunny about all of it, but it was a start at least. He didn't feel so much like he was drowning, trapped under a sheet of ice too thick to break.

He could finally see a glimpse of moonlight. Hope.

It was a push in the right direction, to be sure, and it eased the tight clenching fist that had gripped his heart since North had said that dreaded name back at the Pole.

Aster.

But the pooka wasn't Aster. Sure that was his name, but that wasn't who he was...not to Jack. To Jack, he would always just be Bunny. His Bunny. And he trusted his Bunny.

Jack spent a good amount of time looking for a way out of the Warren, book tucked under his arm and staff in hand. He needed to talk to Bunny, and obviously he couldn't do that here. He would be sure to go find him, but first Jack really needed to return the book he had.. borrowed.

Bunny should still be at the Pole, after all he certainly wasn't at the Warren, Jack had looked.

So by going back to the Pole Jack would be killing two birds with one stone...so to speak...he didn't actually want to kill anyone. That would be bad.

He'd put the book back where he found it before anyone even noticed it was missing (North didn't need to know, not really), then he would find Bunny and they would talk. They would sort this whole thing out. He might even get a hug out of it, Bunny seemed to like hugging, and Jack found he really didn't mind. Enjoyed it, even.

Yeah.

Easy, peasy.

His thundering heart thought otherwise, but Jack thought it was just being a little overdramatic. He didn't really think Bunny would be mad at him. He'd just eavesdropped on a private conversation between him and his old friend. Ignored him when he'd tried to explain. Ran away.

Yeah, Bunny was probably furious. He'd probably yell at him.

But Jack didn't think Bunny would stay that way, not when he went through so much trouble just to help Jack. So sure, there would be a little bit of yelling...but it would end in a hug, Jack was almost positive of that.

Jack didn't deserve him. He really didn't.

So they would talk and he'd finally have all his answers.

His thoughts had gone a complete 180 on him, he had gone from trying not to think about Bunny to trying not to think about his Father...Pitch. But it all seemed to just come back full circle. Most of Jack's questions revolved around Pitch and the tower, and the lake...why. He just didn't understand why.

It hurt. Everything was all tangled up now. Bunny and Aster. Father and Pitch. What was real? Who did he believe? His father, whom he'd known for over 300 years (his whole life!), or a book he'd ...met...mere hours ago.

One thing he did know, he trusted Bunny. For whatever reason he did. And that meant he had to believe the book...even just a little bit.

Somehow he trusted the book a little more than his own father, and that was an alarming realization. With that last thought lingering in his brain, Jack glanced around the warren with growing irritation.

"How do I even get out of this bloody death trap?" He snarled, sending a blast of ice at a nearby statue, unconsciously slipping into his father's accent again.

To his surprise, the statue came to life, a low grinding noise filling the air as it rose on two spindly stone legs and turned to look (as much as a statue of an egg with no discernable eyes could look) at Jack.

The boy took an involuntary step back and raised his staff defensively, warning sparks of frost bursting from it's tip with his nervousness and anxiety at the surprise movement.

The stone creature didn't attack him though, just stepped aside and hunkered back down, once again going motionless. Behind where the sentinel had been sleeping was a tunnel carved into the stone wall of the Warren.

Jack stared into it's depths for a long moment, unsure if it was safe. He shot a surreptitious glance back at the egg statue.

Was it helping him?

When it made no further moves Jack slowly advanced on the tunnel, keeping one careful eye on the sentinel. He didn't have much choice if he ever wanted to leave this place...which he did.

Otherwise there was just no telling how long he'd be down there waiting for Bunny to find him. He didn't know where this would spit him out, but it was a start, at least.

The tunnel turned out to be much longer than he had thought and when he did finally see light again he stumbled out onto a large snowdrift, the sprawling walls of Santoff Clausen spread over the mountain opposite him.

The cold bite of the frozen air of the North Pole came with a wave of relief. "The Workshop." Jack murmured to himself, he was so glad he didn't have to actually search the whole planet looking for the place...because he had no idea where it was actually located.

This made things so much easier.

His magic was still recovering from, but the cool climate was a soothing balm, easing his discomfort and boosting the recovery speed.

Jack relaxed minutely once exposed to his element, taking a moment to bask in the pure, untouched snow, before heading back to the workshop proper.

He stood before the door, minutes later, fidgeting. Was he even still welcome here? Would they just kick him out? Not even let him step foot inside?

Only one way to find out. Jack reached forward and knocked lightly on the door, then stood back to wait.

Jack hated waiting. His grip on the staff slowly became white knuckled the longer he stood there. He was starting to wonder if he needed to knock again when the door swung wide and the large furry form of Phil filled the entrance. The yeti loomed threateningly on the threshold, his arms crossed and a surly frown firmly planted on his fluffy face.

"Hi?" Jack offered with the most awkward wave he had ever waved in his life.

Phil stared down at him long enough for Jack to start squirming in unease. Then the yeti grunted and moved aside, turning to lumber deeper into the workshop. He left the door wide open for Jack to slip in behind him.

Jack took that as an invitation and stepped inside. He cast a nervous look about, his grip on the book and his staff becoming white knuckled with how tight he was holding them.

Phil was long gone and he was now alone, no one watching as he snuck back to the room he had found the book in earlier. If he remembered correctly it was a large room with a huge fireplace and a strange floating globe as the centerpiece.

Odd, but then again, most things in the workshop were odd, as he was reminded when a strange stuffed unicorn with pink glittery wings flittered past him, little legs trotting pointlessly through the air.

Jack watched it go with a peculiar look on his face, before shaking his head and pushing the door open. He stopped before entering the room, locked in place. North was in that room. Standing by the fireplace, bent over as he tended to the dying embers. His ample behind was swinging this way and that as he sang a Christmas carol to himself, the off key singing seemed to have drawn an audience because there was a small gaggle of elves gathered nearby eating cookies and joining in the singing with their own high voices and nonsense lyrics.

That put a bit of a wrench in his plan. How was he supposed to put the book away now? He would be caught for sure.

He ruminated on the problem for a few moments, but North seemed to be fairly distracted with whatever he was doing. So maybe, if he was careful, Jack could sneak in and the big man wouldn't notice.

Slowly Jack inched his way into the room, carefully laying his staff against the wall (he would be able to move more easily without it encumbering him at the moment.)

He pulled the book up to his chest and started tip-toeing across the floor. He kept a watchful eye on the group of elves, worried one of them would see him and sound the alarm.

Luckily that did not happen and Jack made it safely across the room to the secluded alcove he'd picked the book up in.

It was with great relief that he deposited the tome back in its place on the pedestal.

Now he could go talk to Bunny and get this whole thing sorted. Just the thought of confronting the pooka caused a claw to clamp down around his heart, nervousness digging in once more and carving out a place for itself in his chest.

"Jack!" The loud clap of his name startled the boy. Jack jumped and spun around, ice bursting from his fingertips and clattering to the floor like a handful of glass beads. "You are here! Good. Where iz Bunny?" North asked boisterously, clapping his hands and looking around like the pooka was going to jump out at him.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, "I thought he was here with you."

North regarded him for a moment, big bushy black eyebrows furrowed in a serious expression before he said, "He went to find you."

"Really?" Jack gasped, hardly able to believe it. Hope caused his heart rate to speed up again, and he had to fight against the instinct to hide it...Hope was a good thing, he reminded himself. And if it did bring Aster to him, he wasn't going to do anything that would actually harm Jack. Bunny wasn't like that, no matter what his father told him.

Maybe if he told himself that enough times he might start to believe it.

"Wait..." Jack said, a horrible thought settling in his skull. "he wasn't at the Warren. So if he's not there, and he's not here...then where is he." He looked at North, a sudden urgency taking hold that he wasn't quite able to suppress, "Did he go back to the tower?" It's fine. It's not like anyone was even at the tower right now, Father wasn't due back for...How long had he been gone? Jack wasn't sure, he'd lost track of the days and he wasn't sure how long he had until his father returned to the tower looking for him.

Jack didn't need North to answer him, it was already quite obvious that that was exactly what had happened. The tower was the first place Bunny would look for Jack.

He must be waiting there for Jack to show up. "Wind!" He called automatically, "Take me-" He cut off sharply, eyes going wide with sudden horror. North had said earlier that Wind wasn't real. If wind wasn't real, and he was just a figment of Jack's imagination then..."I don't know where the Tower is." He gasped. Wind couldn't take him home if Jack didn't know where home was.

A heavy hand settled on Jack's shoulder, North's thickly accented voice offering up an alternative, "Take snow globe. Iz faster."

Jack had no idea how to use North's snow globes, but he didn't have to worry about it for long because North pulled him around, spinning him in a tight little circle. The big man already had the snow globe in his hand, at the ready. Where it had come from Jack had no idea, but that was a puzzle for another day.

When North knew he had Jack's attention he winked at him then threw the globe to the ground a few feet away, shattering it on impact. "To Jack's Tower!" He informed the magic importantly, seconds before it shattered. The shards of glass got swept up in the swirling vortex of magic that opened a doorway to a familiar dark tower.

Jack glanced over his shoulder for one last look at the moon, gleaming full and bright outside the window, before stepping into the swirling darkness and magic.

He heard the gentle whoosh of the portal closing behind him, taking with it what little bit of light it had allowed to enter the courtyard outside his tower, effectively plunging Jack into a darkness he now found to be oppressive. How had he ever lived like this? And for so long. It baffled him now.

Jack glanced around the grounds he'd played on for three hundred years. It was a depressing sight, little more than old rubble in the vague shape of rooms. The only piece of the castle still standing was that single tower standing tall in the distance.

Jack's Tower.

Looking up at it now, Jack thought it looked like a prison. No real door, no windows, and only the long curling stairs creeping up the side of the tower's crumbly old stone walls, that had to be held together by pure magic at this point. Stairs that his father had expressly forbidden him from ever using.

If Jack had obeyed his father's rule he would have been locked in that tower for the rest of his life, however many long lonely years that may have been before he went completely insane.

That was the worst possible thing Jack could think of ever happening. The thought alone was enough to make his skin crawl. To never see the sky, to experience the gentle grace and sweet scent of a newly blossomed flower. The joyful laughter of the Pole, The warm rumble of Bunny's voice as he told Jack stories of all the wonderful things he was going to show Jack someday.

Jack's father had sentenced Jack to this. Eternity locked away from everything good in life. Alone, unwanted, unloved.

Jack banished those gloomy thoughts from his mind, he would think about all of that later, after he and Bunny were back at the pole, where they didn't have to worry about getting caught by Jack's fath-Pitch.

That sort of betrayal couldn't be dealt with quickly, he knew, and right now Jack needed to find Bunny and settle things between them. Bunny's betrayal, though painful, was much lesser in scale. He hadn't been trying to hurt Jack, he'd been trying to help. It didn't make it any better, but it was a far cry from whatever reason his father had for kidnapping him in the first place.

There was no good reason for that, that Jack could think of.

And if everything the book had told him was true, then Jack might be able to forgive Aster, given enough time.

At the moment, Jack wasn't sure what was true. His heart was saying one thing, but it was all so messed up and he felt like he was swinging wildly. One minute he was thinking that Aster was just trying to help and they would talk and everything would slot itself into neat little boxes and everything would be okay again. But then one stray thought would brush into his mind and he'd take a wild swing in the opposite direction and he would only be able to think about what his father would think if he knew what was happening and that he was even contemplating allowing the Guardians to take him away.

That sent a shiver of pure fear down his back. He really didn't know what to believe anymore.

Pitch was his father. He really didn't want him to be evil.

But Bunny. Bunny was everything wonderful in the world. Jack really liked him. He didn't want everything Bunny had said to be a lie either.

But they couldn't both be telling the truth. Either Father-Pitch- was evil...Or Bunny-Aster was evil.

The boy slowly started up the stairs, he wanted a little more time to sort things out in his head, he didn't want to get in a fight with Bunny, not if it could be avoided. His thoughts seemed determined to wander in circles, always coming back to Bunny and how much Jack wanted him to be real.

Bunny was just so nice. Jack couldn't picture him doing anything to hurt Jack intentionally. His eyes were always so warm and his smile was so genuine.

The handsome pooka couldn't be bad. He just couldn't. Which was why he couldn't believe what his father always told him. It had to be a lie. He just knew it. He could feel the truth of it to his very core.

His father had lied to him.

So why was he having such a hard time believing it. And now he was back to that again. The painful reality of his father's deception and all the confusing thoughts and emotions fighting for dominance inside him.

He could feel tears prickling at his eyes, so he stopped on the balcony to wipe them away. He didn't want Bunny to see him cry. Jack would be strong.

He spent a few minutes repeating that to himself before he felt ready to go in and face Bunny.

Squaring his shoulders and adjusting his grip on his staff, he marched into the tower. A quick look around and Jack deflated.

Empty.

Bunny wasn't waiting for him. If he'd even been here at all.

But North had said Bunny was out looking for him and it wasn't like Jack had a ton of places to hide out.

The tower was it, really, and there wasn't exactly a lot to the tower either. The Balcony, the main room/bedroom, the toy room, the kitchen and the alcove.

That he had turned into a garden!

Of course.

His determination returned and Jack rushed back out the door and a short flight up the side of the building and he was there. "Bunny!" He exclaimed, looking around at the small garden area they had created together. But it was empty as well, save for the plants still sitting pretty in their makeshift pots.

Jack didn't head back down, he stared at the plants in confusion.

Something was wrong. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was at first. Jack slowly crossed over to the makeshift planters.

It was dark.

Everything was draped in a thick blanket of shadows, and the sunstones were completely black, as if someone had smeared charcoal onto them.

Jack spun around, his heart racing as he scanned the shadows, heart in his throat.

Now that Jack was looking for him, it was easy to peer through the cloak of shadows enshrouding the Nightmare King. His eyes glowing eerily in the dim atmosphere of the Tower alcove.

"Father!" He gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards. His hand collided with one of the plants, sending it crashing to the floor, but Jack ignored it, unable to tear his eyes away from where his father was standing watching him in silence.

Pitches eyes gleamed cruelty back at him from the darkness, fixed on Jack with such a sharp expression of malice that Jack's heart skipped a beat. But that wasn't the thing that made Jack stare in open horror.

Kneeling at Pitch's feet was the very pooka Jack had been searching for so frantically. He was bound with thick black vines, long needle like thorns digging deep into the pooka's flesh, staining his fur with spots of deep sticky red.

Bunny was completely immobilized, but Jack could see him straining against the vines, despite the pain he must be experiencing.

It was obvious that Bunny was still struggling to get free, and as soon as he saw Jack standing there he began to struggle even harder, "Jack! Run!" He called at him, panicked desperation painting his voice.

Pitch's eyes narrowed. "Yes Jack. Run. From your father." He said pointedly, venom dripping from his voice. It was quite obvious he believed that Jack would not do as the pooka instructed.

"Yer not Jack's father." Bunny's snarl was cut off when the vines tightened around him, digging the thorns into him in a vicious, vindictive move. The snarl turned pained, his bright emerald eyes scrunching closed as he clenched his teeth against the pain.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" Jack cried desperately, his heart twisting with every pained sound that escaped his friend.

"He's a pooka, Jack." Pitch hissed at him, "Do you remember anything I have taught you, you stupid boy?"

"You mean all the lies ye fed him." Aster snarled, forcing the words out despite the pain he was in the obvious effort it cost him.

Pitch sighed, rolling his eyes at the pooka. He twisted his hand and Bunny cried out, his whole body jerking and twitching with whatever it was that Pitch had just done.

Jack was at a complete loss, he wanted to run to Bunny, but he felt frozen in place, unable to get any closer. He didn't know what to do. He just wanted his father to stop hurting Bunny.

"Yes. Yes. Of course I remember." Jack interrupted quickly, hoping to distract his father enough that he would stop hurting his friend. 'Please, just don't hurt him.' He pleaded silently, unable to say the words out loud in fear of his father's reaction.

He tried not to look at the pooka's disappointed expression. Every word that came out of Jack's mouth felt like a betrayal. Like he was twisting a diamond edged dagger into Aster's heart, then pouring acid onto it for good measure.

"And." Pitch prompted.

Jack looked down at his feet as he answered, his bare toes curling into the light dusting of snow coating the tower roof. "He's the enemy."

"That's right." Pitch crooned, voice turning syrupy, "So what is he doing here, Jack?" Pitch demanded. "After everything I have done to protect you, you would bring him here?"

Pitch's ringing disappointment in him wasn't as effective as it used to be. Not now, not with Bunny sitting right there, injured and tied up at his father's feet.

Jack didn't reply, just clenched his hands and stared resolutely at his feet while his father stalked towards him, snow crunching under his boots, deliberately loud in the otherwise deathly silence.

"What, exactly, did you expect to happen, Jack. Did you think he would be your friend?" The Nightmare king asked, his voice deceptively sweet, "You don't have friends, Jack." Pitch reminded him coldly, "You never will. You will stay here, in this tower, where you are safe."

"You're right." Jack agreed, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to get Bunny out of this. He would do anything, as long as Bunny was safe. "Please, just let him go." He pleaded, Make it stop, please!

Pitch was silent for a while, and Jack was afraid to look up. Afraid to move.

Finally Pitch spoke, his voice sliding into Jack's ear like a snake. "Why don't you tell him that?"

Jack swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Slowly, every so slowly, Jack raised his eyes to meet the beautiful spring green gaze of the pooka that he had come to care so much about.

Bunny was frozen, staring back at him with wide eyes, disbelief written, plain as day, on his handsome face. He was pleading with Jack not to do it, his eyes more expressive than a thousand words could ever be.

"I don't need you." Jack forced the words passed numb lips, watching the Hope fade from those expressive emeralds.

"That's right, Jack." Pitch whispered in his ear, "You don't need anyone but me." A pale, long fingered hand struck out in front of Jack, the long, spindly fingers twisting into a tight fist, black smoke oozing between the fingers and dripping onto the floor like honey.

Jack barely had time to gasp before the black vines curling around Bunny's lithe frame twisted again, constricting around the pooka, slithering over every inch of him and wrapping around Bunny's head like a mask, more spots of blood seeping out to Decorate Bunny's coat as he let out a piercing, gut wrenching scream.

It was a scream of pure pain, soul deep and heart wrenching in it's helplessness.

Jack cried out with him, making an aborted move to go to the pooka's side, but Pitch lashed out, wrapping his long, spidery fingers around Jack's wrist like a shackle, fingers digging into Jack's flesh hard enough to bruise as he pulled him back, lifting him off the ground until Jack was dangling a couple feet off the ground. Tears poured down his flushed cheeks as he struggled futilely against his father's restraining grip.

"This is what happens when you leave the Tower Jack." Pitch's other hand lashed out, calling on every shadow in the glen. They rushed the pooka, who didn't react other than to slump to the ground limply. Only there was no ground beneath him, a dark pit opened up below the pooka, and he dropped out of sight, tumbling into the darkness head over paws.

The hole closed up behind him, a twisted parody of the pooka's own magic sprouting out of the ground in a black, thorn covered vine.

"This is your fault, Jack." Pitch reminded him one more time. "You don't have friends, they lead to nothing but heartache. I'm the only person you need. This is where you belong, here, with me. You are mine, Jack. You should strive to remember that. Lest you hurt more innocent people." Pitch didn't stick around to console the weeping boy, vanishing into the shadows.

Jack crumpled, his legs giving out, no longer able to support him as he collapsed to the ground with an anguished scream of his own.


Quick Summery: Bunny goes looking for Jack, but finds Pitch instead. Jack try's to deal with Bunny's betrayal, then opens the Guardians gook he stole from North. The book talks to him, and he learns all about who Pitch is, and what he did to Bunny. He finds out that pitch kidnapped him and lied to him about being his father. Jack goes to find bunny and talk things out, but finds him at Pitch's mercy. Pitch grabs Jack, and sends Bunny's limp body into a bottomless pit.

...So...what did you think? This was definitely a difficult chapter, so I get it if you needed to skip for mental health reasons.

I love all of you and your reviews always encourage me to work on the next chapter. I'd love to hear all your thoughts when reading this, what was your favorite part? What was your least favorite part?

Thanks for reading,

See you soon.