Summary: Slightly AU, set somewhat if in the middle of the movie, it took a different turn. Mentions of Dark!Jack. And a much more evil Pitch.

In order to once again claim the world, Pitch had to trick a winter sprite into falling under his control. The Guardians had been too focused on themselves and their duties, and had not caught onto Pitch's plan until too late and are now paying the price. The remaining Guardians must now hold on to the one called "Shadow Creeper" until they can find Nightlight, the one The Man In The Moon has told them to temporarily recruit.

But little do they know that she is a target for Mischief. And who is hellbent on capturing her.

*Jack/OC
one-sided Tooth/Jack
maybe Tooth/Bunny

T for language and mentions of death. May be rated M later for future mature content and maybe graphic writing.

A/N: Writer's block has been creeping up on me and has hit hard and I'm caught on where to go with this right now. Because I REALLY need help getting the plot bunnies running.

Listen to: "Trust Me" by The Fray

Ch7:Disclose

ˈdisˈklōz | (verb) 1. make (secret or new information) known.

Shadow was roughly ushered in another room, this one much larger than the bedroom, and was what she guessed to be a sort of makeshift workshop. There was a large wooden desk that sat lonely at the side of the room, littered with papers and work tools of some sort.

One of the elves at her feet nudged her angrily and she almost tripped.

The two yetis that had followed her stood at either side of the large door. Shadow turned and saw ol' Saint Nick walk in and close the door. He was not happy, she could tell. His arms were crossed and again Shadow pulled at the rope tying her hands behind her back. No use, they were tied tight.

"Please," North began. "Explain how in world your door was locked."

"I told you. I. Don't. Know," Shadow almost sneered. "And are the ropes really necessary?!"

"Well, after that little stunt you pulled earlier, we are just taking precautions."

Shadow turned to see Bunnymund step away from the wall to stand next to North. She hadn't notice him in the room and scolded herself for her slacking.

Bunnymund added, "it should be only temporary. Surely you understand, mate."

Shadow glanced around. The room was mainly empty except for the yetis guarding the door and elves littering the floor. She was greatly outnumbered.

Shadow remained silent, stuck out her chin and plopped, cross-legged, on the wooden floor.

Bunnymund stared down at her with crossed arms. Toothiana hovered high in the air, not bothering to hide her glaring. North's arms dropped to his side and he let out a heavy sigh. Sandy was the only one missing.

'Typical,' Shadow thought. 'He's probably still asleep.'

North knew now that interrogating her was not going to get any answers. He turned just in time to cut off one of Bunnymund's snark remarks. "Out, please," he ushered the remaining guardians and his entourage out into the hall. North whispered, "give me a minute."

Shadow waited until hearing the door click shut to look from the ceiling to North. She saw him lean a hand on the door. He didn't turn around and Shadow's brows furrowed a little.

He let out another heavy breath. "Shadow, you do know that you are a very critical and special piece for the world's future, don't you?" He turned, finally meeting her gaze.

Suddenly, North looked a lot older. Shadow straightened her posture. "...Now I do..."

She watched North walk to the other side of the room and pull out the large cherrywood chair from the desk. He made a loud noise when he slumped down in it.

"Do you know why you are here..?"

Her brows furrowed. "No, I think someone forgot to mention that earlier."

North smacked his forehead lightly as if saying "of course!" or "how could I forget!"

"Well, Shadow..." He hesitated, wondering how he should go about this the right way. "...You are very powerful, whether you know it or not. In fact, one of the few most."

This earned a blank stare.

"It is because of your power that we are hoping for your help to find Nightlight—-"

"-—Who's Nightlight," she unintentionally interrupted.

North shrugged. "That is what we are confused about. And it is your power, that is why with every trick you can do, can help us hopeful find him or her and save the world. ...Which is why, Shadow, I ask...how did the door unlock?"

She perced her lips, and silence continued for some time. She began shifting but stopped feeling a cold breeze on the back of her neck. She swallowed, pushing the vivid memories to the dark corners of her conscious.

"I'm sorry North. I didn't do it," she admitted, but then, "I don't know."

She saw him hang his head and couldn't help but feel something along the lines of pity. North raised his hands to his face and remained that way for some time until he slowly stood from the chair. And as he did, he reminded her more of an old man than the jolly Claus.

Shadow didn't divert her gaze as she watched him walk and pick up something from a bookshelf. "You know, Man in Moon has been around for a long time. Far more than I or you combined."

Shadow had wanted to say "so?" but remained silent.

"He is the one who picked me, Toothiana, Sandy, Bunny and the others to become guardians. He granted us everlasting life to protect those innocent and who cannot fight for themselves." He turned the object over in his hands. "So there must be a reason why you were chosen. The only problem is why?"

"What do you mean 'chosen'?" For as long as she knew, her life was a curse she couldn't put an end to. North didn't answer her question, however.

She watched in silence as he came over and kneeled in front of her. In his hands was a large Russian doll that had a picture of himself painted on it with a scowl.

"I showed this to...the last Guardian here, before he was captured by Pitch," North explained. "This is something that I keep to remind me of my center, why I do what I do with children. You see, I represent the wonder found in a child's eyes, that's why I build the toys and deliver them on Christmas. On the outside, I appear to be a large, mean old man, but underneath," he unscrewed the outside to show a smaller, smiling doll, "I am very jolly, mysterious, fearless, caring..." North continuing opening doll after doll until coming to a tiny one with big blue eyes. "But at my center, I am very wondrous." He didn't look back at her after that. "Every Guardian has one of these, and whenever times get tough and feeling like we are losing our way, these help to remember why we are here."

Shadow looked up to him and saw that there was something different and very particular about his eyes. Then it hit her: he was reminiscing.

Then all too suddenly, he stood. He was looking at her now. "Come, Shadow. There is something I want to show you."

Luckily, none of the yetis or other Guardians were waiting outside the room like she'd thought.

Shadow followed North down the walkway to an elevator-looking contraption. All the while, she stared in wonder—the place was glorious! Everywhere she looked were toys, working yetis and elves. Everywhere, someone was doing something wonderful and it looked like there was constantly something to do, given she had unlimited time on her hands.

But it was the platform that held a gigantic globe is what took her breath away.

"Every light that you see is a child that believes," North answered the question she had been ready to ask.

"That believes in what?"

"In us," he explained. "The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, Santa, Cupid—all of us." He pointed to a few lights that flickered before going out. "But with every light that disappears...those are the kids that stop, and instead believe in only darkness."

She mused this over. "Darkness...?"

"Pitch. Pitch Black. With every child that stops believing, that takes away a little of us. Our existence relies on them, and if enough children stop believing, then we...eventually..."

'Die,' is what he was going to say but wouldn't, Shadow thought to herself.

She frowned. This place, she thought to herself as she took another look around, she could understand North's distress. It would be a shame to lose a place as this.

"Do you know the boogeyman?" He had his back turned so he didn't see her shudder from the name.

It did sound familiar but she wouldn't have said.

North continued, not bothering for an answer, "Pitch, the boogeyman. It is because of him that we are here in the first place. You see, the boogeyman is older than Man in Moon himself, and is because of him that we became Guardians in order to stop him. But now, fear seems to be taking hold of the all the children and is why we need your help."

As if to emphasize his point, both watched as a handful of believers in Iceland flickered off. He turned to her.

"So, Shadow," his eyes sparkled with hope, "what do you say.? ...Will you help us...?"

A/N: What should happen next?! Should Jack reappear? Would Pitch make an entrance? You tell me! Like I said before, I need you all to send in any thoughts, requests, ideas, suggestions and other things that have to do with the story to get the plot bunnies running .