They landed, not far from their destination. Skyla climbed off his back and looked around at the street they were in. On their left side were large hedges and on the right was a vast, dry, field. The moon hung over the field and Skyla avoided looking at it.
"We're here. Can you talk now?" Jack asked and walked forwards.
She hurried to his left and took his hand to make him slow down. "Yeah. Just let me- This is really hard." She took a deep breath and let it out, "I want to tell you everything but I've never told anyone before and it's not something simple like, I don't know, shit just happens around me-"
"Can you stop cursing, Sky?"
"...sorry. As I was saying, it's something really complicated. I'ts why I don't dream, Jack. It's why I can't be a Guardian. Why I was so nervous to meet the Guardians! I know it seemed like I trusted you easily in the beginning but it was only for Lauren. I guess I thought that if you got what you wanted you would leave. Then I wanted you two to be happy. Then... I wanted you to protect me. To be the one person who knows about me and who can help me." She stopped for a moment, to stare at the hedges. "I've been afraid my whole life, Jack. I had my mother to help me, but even she couldn't-" She broke off, bit her lip, and started walking again.
Jack squeezed her hand, "Keep talking."
"R-right. I loved her. And for a while, in the beginning, I was happy. I guess I was too young to remember most of that. You know, Summers amongst raspberries. Winters in front of the fireplace. We never celebrated Christmas or Easter-"
"What?"
"Jack. Please. I'm getting to it. I used to have a lot of nightmares. They weren't all terrible, but it was still the Nightmare World and-"
"That's how Pitch knew you? He used to give you nightmares-
Skyla groaned and let go of his hand, "He gave me nightmares until my mother died and I was finally able to block him out."
Jack grabbed her hand again, "Can I ask?"
"I don't want to get into details. But after I ran away..." She took a deep breath, "Pitch told me earlier that he's been manipulating my life even after that point. My old friends, Daniel, Lauren, even Brandon. Like MiM, he was trying to get me together with you. Well, not together. He's pissed that I'm in love with you." She wiped at her eyes with her left hand after noticing a few tears in them, "But he wanted me to be able to use my abilities... So I could break him out of his prison." He tensed beside her and she stopped again, looking ahead of them. "That's what the deal was about. I would have had to break him out if you hadn't come back. There were a few other details but that's basically it. I-I had no choice. And I couldn't break the deal. But I would have fought, Jack. Even if I want him out-"
"You what?" Jack stepped away from her. "Why would you want him out?!"
"I'm getting to that part-"
"Get to it now!" He yelled.
Skyla started walking again, "I wouldn't let him out. And the entire week I've been thinking about that thing that you said. There are more important things going on than our relationship. I had to think about what to do with Pitch before I thought about what to do with you. And one of his conditions was that I couldn't tell you anything about it. Otherwise I would have. Well, maybe. I love you and I hate lying to you. I hate keeping secrets from you. Yes, Pitch is the one who's been giving me nightmares. He's the reason I never believed in the Guardians. I knew about them, but what did they ever really do for me?"
The Winter Spirit stepped into pace with her, "A lot. Even if they didn't have a direct influence they were always there for you!"
"Yeah, well. Like I was saying. Pitch is the reason for a lot of things in my life. Because he's the one who fought with my mother. He's the one who made sure I was raised under his rules. I was always surrounded by fears because..." She stopped in front of a lage metal gate in between the hedges. She grabbed onto Jack's hand again and said in one breath, "My full name is Skyla Grace Black and I was going to tell you eventually but I couldn't for obvious reasons so I guess what I'm trying to say is that Pitch is my father."
Jack jerked away. "That's really not funny. I'll get over the ice jokes but saying Pitch is your father?" He narrowed his eyes, "What the-"
"Don't start cursing, Jack." She stared ahead at the gate and gestured forwards, "Can you break that lock? Please?"
He did what she asked then moved away quickly so she could open it. "What are we doing at a cemetary?"
"Is it so bad that I want to visit my mother's grave?" She snapped, facing him, "Jack, I haven't been here in years! I've denied my entire past since it happened- since I ran away! Do you have an idea how hard it is to go back to any of this?!"
"Sky... I'm sorry, I just didn't think-"
"Yeah, I know. I couldn't come here alone but no one knew about any of this. Talking about my mother is..."
He sighs and puts his left arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He whispers in her ear, "I'm staying then. But I'm not over the whole Pitch thing.. Understand?"
"Y-yes. Thank you. I was so scared that you would hate me because of this so please tell me what you're thinking!" She held onto him tightly, her body shaking. No tears fell but they pooled in her eyes.
"I'm thinking... This makes so much sense. I totally get why you've always been so closed off. I'm not going to hate you because your father is the Boogeyman. I'm going to love you more because you need it. Your mother did well raising you though. And he wasn't around much, right?"
"Right."
"Still. I'm here, I'm staying, because I want to. MiM and Pitch may have brought us together but we're staying together because we love each other." He held her tighter for a moment, "This is kind of difficult. I still only see Pitch as the Boogeyman. But he's your father and I want to be sympathetic!"
"Yeah, I know. It's not an easy thing to know, is it? To comprehend. I don't really get it either. Can we keep walking? So I can visit her- then so you can take me home?" Skyla pulled away, wiping at her eyes again. Taking Jack's hand, she started leading him into the cemetery. "Her name was Amira Warren. My name was only different because Pitch made her give me his."
"He's kind of-"
"controlling."
"Yeah. So... you still care about him? Sort of?"
"I guess so. I hadn't thought about him in a while but... I don't know. I wish I could have had a better relationship with him. He's my father after all. But he's also a monster and no matter what my feelings are, I can't even try to have that unless I let him drag me into the Nightmare World-"
"You can't do that."
"They're just bad dreams, Jack. I can handle them. And- and it really seemed like he wanted me to visit him. Like maybe he does care-"
"You said it yourself. He's a monster."
Skyla started walking faster, the grave in her sight. "Yeah, I did say that." She turned onto another path, stopping and pointing to a large headstone not far away. "T-that's it."
"Do you want me to wait here?"
She thought for a few moments. "She did love him, you know. A-and I think he tried to love her. And me. It's not easy for him. It wasn't easy for us, either. But whenever he came around, we tried because we wanted him to stay. Even if they fought till the sun came up I still wanted him to stay. He never hurt her, he just argued, made compromises, promised a lot of things he couldn't deliver. Sometimes we would see this change in him and he was... He was... He could have been a great man. He could have been a great father. But then he got this far off look on his face like he had been pulled inside himself and when he came back... He just left without another word. And he didn't come back for a long time. Then... Then he tried to bring about a new dark ages and didn't come back."
"Skyla," Jack watched her hands ball into fists. He put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, "I'm sorry that-"
She cut him off, continuing louder than before, "My mother died, and he couldn't make it to the funeral. I didn't let him in. I didn't tell him, but I should have. I should have visited some time! I don't blame him for what happened but he should have been there! He should have at least been there for me!" She wiped at her face with her sleeve, still refusing to cry but becoming so frustrated she almost couldn't help it. When Jack put an arm around her she leaned into him and let out a small sob, "I should have talked to him. He's my father and he loved her and- And she would've wanted me to, right? She wouldn't like that I cut him off- cut my entire family off after-" She cut off to sob again.
"Sky, I think you should settle things with your mother first. Visit her. Call me when you're ready for me to come over. Then we'll think about... about Pitch."
"I'm sorry, Jack. I should have told you long ago-"
"I understand that it's painful for you, and I understand that you wouldn't want a Guardian to know. None of us would ever use that information against you or make you feel bad about it. I'm sorry that Pitch wasn't there for you like you wanted, but you don't need him now. You're all grown up, Sky. You have a new family to take care of you. "
Skyla nodded and looked back at her mother's grave, "Just give me a minute alone? Maybe two. It's the first time I've visited."
"I hate saying this but... I'm sorry your father couldn't be here with me."
"I'm glad he isn't. That would mean you never came back to me and I had to let him out. There's no changing what happened in the past and, it sucks but, the past puts restrictions on the future."
"You sound old, Sky."
"I know I do." Slowly, she stepped towards the grave. It was facing away from her but she would never forget where it was. And she would never forget looking at the few trees that were around, and at the other large headstones and tombs, and hoping for a glimpse of her father. He never showed during the funeral because about half a year before her mother died; the Guardians fought him. That was 5 years ago. She was 14 when Pitch was put away, and 15 when her mother died. And when she was 17, she met Lauren. She was almost twenty and she both wanted her father to stay the hell away and to stay by her side at all times. She wanted him to stay the monster he'd been and to turn into the father she'd needed. Jack was right; she had a new family. She didn't need him. But he was still her father. Since she was an adult she hoped she could visit him now and then. Go to the Nightmare world and ask him all the questions she never dared to. But he was also keen on threatening her and her new life; her new family and that would always make her hesitate. Even if she wanted just one of her parents watch as she grew up. Not just watch; as he'd been doing. But actually know who she was at each point. Know her life. Know she loved them.
Crying, she stepped around the headstone and knelt by it, her eyes closed. "I'm so sorry I haven't visited. I'm sorry. I couldn't. Not alone. I-I brought someone with me. Jack Frost. I-I love him, mom. And he's going to take care of me- And I've been taking care of myself so I hope you haven't been worrying!" She tried to laugh but a sob tore from her throat. "Fuck... I'm sorry. I don't think I can do thi-" She opened her eyes and shrieked, backing quickly away from the grave.
"Skyla!" Jack was by her side in an instant, ready to defend her. "What is it?!"
She pointed to the grave. The dust had been brushed away from the writing and the mantle under cleaned. There was a single daffodil there, with a black ribbon carefully tied around it. "Th-that was my fathers flower for her!" Skyla ripped her eyes away from it and looked to Jack desperately, "He got out! Pitch Black broke out of his prison!"
