A/N: Well, I can finally say that I have finished my first fanfic ever. I really hope you guys enjoyed this story, and this final chapter. I am really happy with how it turned out. Even I didn't expect it to go how it did, but here it is. Wow, thanks so much for all the support and for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. Thanks so much for following the story guys!

"He's what?" I could feel my eyes growing wide with shock and fear as I looked up at Bunny. It was all too soon. My father couldn't come. Not yet. We had a plan. What if Jack or I didn't make it?

"He's almost here. And he's not alone. North found a giant black sand cloud making it's way towards us." Bunny shook his head as if we were already defeated, "I don't know if we can stop a force that strong.

Just over the past few days, I had seen this group-this family-function. And now Bunny was giving up? I couldn't let that happen. Not after all that we had been through. "Don't just give up Bunny! I haven't been here all that long. You and the rest of the Guardians took me in, even though I was the daughter of Pitch Black. You treated me with kindness that my own father never truly showed me. You Guardians are like a family. You care for children you will never meet. You brought Jack in when he didn't know where to go. You saved countless children from my father's nightmares, and you have stopped him twice. Just because my father can make a big entrance doesn't mean that you can't still have a chance at defeating him. Don't just give up!" I was standing now, emotions overwhelming me.

Bunny looked taken aback, and Jack was beaming with pride. After a few moments, Bunny smiled and nodded slowly, "You just keep surprising me, sheila."

He turned and motioned for us to follow him. We did, going through the castle and into the globe room where the rest of the Guardians were. Tooth was flying back and forth muttering to herself. North stood with his back facing us staring at the globe. Sandy was sleeping.

An idea took root in my mind as I saw them all standing there. "I know how to stop my father."

The Guardians, including Sandy, looked up at the sound of my voice. My father had spent his whole life building up to another attempt to defeat the Guardians. But why on earth did he want to defeat them? Because they had taken my mother. Or he thought so. Now two thoughts came to mind. A plan and a back up. "My father hates you because he thinks you killed my mother. He needs to know the truth." I said, "But if that doesn't work..." I sighed, "Then I have to kill him once and for all."

Jack whipped around to face me, "Ava, you know you can't do that!" he yelled, "We can't make you kill your own father! Even if he is Pitch, he's your father!" Jack was trying to protect me, I understood that. But- "Jack." I spoke softly, and just to him. In just one word I tried to explain that killing my father was the only way to truly defeat him. And I couldn't let any member of his family kill him. It had to be me.

Jack shook his head, pity and love shone in his eyes as he responded, "I don't want you to get hurt."

I nodded, understanding that it wasn't easy for either of us, but it had to be done. "I won't. I promise." and I meant it. I would do anything in my power to come back to Jack, and I knew that he would do the same.

The rest of the Guardians were still standing there, looking at us seriously. North was nodding, "Jack, Ava is vright, she must kill Pitch if we do not convince him about Rachel." Rachel. That was my mother's name. I had forgotten it.

Suddenly a bright light came from the window above us. I turned quickly to face it, and the Guardians followed suit. The moon looked gigantic, swelling to a size I had never thought it could look. The light shone brighter now, so bright I had to squint to see the Guardians around me. I looked around at them all, counting to make sure that they were all still there. But when I counted, I counted six figures. I tried again, making sure to count correctly, but no. There were defiantly six figures around me. Not five. The light dimmed again, making it so that I could see my surroundings again. And what I saw rendered me speechless. Before me stood my mother; beautiful as ever, in a brilliant white dress, smiling at me.

"Mom?" my voice was barely a whisper as I took her in. She was standing in front of me, smiling at me. Was this real? Could this even be possible?

"Ava. My baby, it has been so long. You are so beautiful." my mother opened her arms, inviting and loving. I ran towards her and wrapped myself up in her warm embrace. She squeezed me tightly, somehow making up for all the lost time. "I missed you mom."

I wanted the moment to last forever, but after just a moment, Bunny stepped in, "I hate to ruin this moment, but Pitch is still coming."

At the mention of my father, mom's eyes went wide with emotion. "Ava baby, Manny has allowed me to watch you grow up from afar. Your father is not the man he once was. I fear that he may be beyond our help. But we can try. I heard your plan. It is with good intent, and I hope that you will not need to..." she trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

I nodded, tears forming at the corners of my eyes at the sight of my mother in front of me.

Not even a moment after, Jack, in a low voice said, "He's here."
I looked out the large window to see a large dark cloud slowly approaching North's castle. My father rode a large nightmare, and next to him I could see the captives he had taken. Jamie, now a tall college student was bound together with black sand on a nightmare. His sister Sofie was tied to another. I could see all of Jack's human friends, each tied to their own nightmare. I could see three more nightmares following the group of hostages though, and I was shocked and horrified to see Lauren, Autumn, and Eric, each bound to a mare as well. "No!" I yelled at the sight of my best friends bound the way they were.

They were almost upon us though, and there was nothing to be done. "Let's go." I said, grabbing Jack's and my mother's hands for support, leading everyone out the globe room and outside to where my father would be waiting.

I had my mother wait just inside, to make sure she stayed safe. We reached the outside just in time. My father sat on his nightmare, waiting for us. "Well, hello there Guardians. Ava, what a pity. I really thought you were smarter than that. I'm very disappointed in you darling. No matter. I will just have to see to it that you are disciplined. As for your new friends, they may not be so lucky."

"Let these poor children go! What do they have to do with anything? And Lauren, Autumn, and Eric? Why bring them into this?" I yelled back at him.

"Ava, your friends must be punished. They helped you get away from me. They tricked you into believing that I was a bad father."

"Father, I understand that you are upset that I left you. I know that it has been so hard. I know it has been for me too. Mother was gone and you wanted revenge. But they aren't who you said they were. Look father, just before you came, mother came back. Manny gave her back to us. She's back father."

My father's eyes grew wide at this, and my mother stepped out from the walls that hid her, and showed herself. "Hello Pitch. It has been a long time."

"Rachel?" my father's voice was soft. I looked back to my friends, who's eyes were all wide with shock. They had also thought that my mother was dead.

My parents ran towards each other, and embraced. I watched as the two hugged, my mother crying, and my father desperately grasping onto her like he would never let go. The Guardians, nightmares, and mine and Jack's friends surrounded us in a circle of shock and wonder. Tears of happiness had begun to form in my eyes. It was just like the stories when the princess got everything she could ever dream of-

Until it wasn't. I looked on in horror as my father drew a knife from under the folds of his cloak. It was the same knife he had used when he staged as Jack in the nightmares. I imagined it again, cutting into my back, carving Jack's name into my skin like a permanent tattooed scar. I watched as my father whispered, "I'm so sorry my love." And drew the knife behind him, aiming at where her heart was. Then he said, "Even spirits of those we love must die in the end."

I let out a scream of terror. He would not separate us again. He had wronged us time and time again. And then I did what I had prepared myself to do. With a final scream of letting go, I let my power take over. Flame engulfed my father's body, giving my mother the chance to push herself away from his evil form. I trapped him there, in that cage of flames, watching as he burned. All the anger and hurt and betrayal that he had caused danced in those flames. I let them all out, let them burn away who had caused them all. He was screaming, and Jack was yelling my name, but I couldn't hear it. I could only see my father's words, "Even spirits we love must die in the end."

And die he did. As he left this world, my fire mixed with his ashes I let myself cry. I watched in dismay as all the nightmares that he had created blew away. Black sand mixed with my flames. I let his corpse burn long after his soul left for whatever world was beyond our second death. He burned until even his ashes were gone. If it hadn't been so horrible it would have been beautiful. Black sand of the nightmares danced with my flames in the cool air. But it wasn't beautiful. I felt like the flames of hell had engulfed us all. I fell to my knees with tears streaming down my burning face. I was crying because he was gone and I felt nothing. Crying because he had never been the father that I had needed. I fell in a weeping heap onto the cold floor of the globe room. He was really gone. And I felt absolutely nothing. "No." all the hurt and fear and love and hope that I was feeling was released in that one word. And now, now I felt empty. I could feel Jack and my mother beside me, calling my name. Jack was holding my face, stroking it and kissing away my tears. My mother sat next to us, holding my hand and squeezing it, as if begging me to come back to her.

I kept crying, sitting with my mother and Jack as the Guardians looked on at us. I was a empty shell. I felt nothing. Everything was blurry behind the tears, smoke, fire, and black sand. Everything began to blur together until I could hardly see anything. I let myself collapse into Jack's arms. I let him carry me away, into North's castle, tears still streaming steadily down my cheeks. I buried my face into Jack's chest, breathing in his winter scent. I stayed like that and let myself drift away into the world of dreamless sleep.

I awoke to Jack's voice, which pulled me out of the darkness. His face was angelic. I stirred and sleepily kissed him. Then the weight of what had happened hit me full force. I went limp in Jack's arms again, letting him stroke my head with his lovely cold hands.

"Shhh...it's ok. Everything is going to be ok."

And it was. One hundred and ten years later, I found myself competing my journey with Jack, having talked to an uncountable number of spirits, and having amazing adventures for each new person that we met. Jack and I came back to North's castle to visit the Jack's friends, the Guardians, Eric, Autumn, and my mother. Jack still found time to make it snow, and we were happy. I always missed my father, but I knew that what was done had to be done. I thanked Manny everyday for giving my mother to me, and for giving me the strength to move past my father's death. Seeing the Guardians and my friends and being with Jack, I could finally say that I was truly happy.