Wow you guys! Thank you SO much for all the reviews and follows! It really made the day. Thank you thank you TheImaginativeOne, Alaee301, Lady Minuialwen, That Girl in the TARDIS (I threw back my head in laughter at your imagery), iMusicMonstrosity, and Anon-e-mouse (I'm glad you appreciate my shout out, I love giving them :) ) for your wonderful and encouraging reviews!

I'll just get right into this, because we all know that it's gotta get just a bit worse right?

Right? Hehee!

Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights

Chapter Eight: What You Didn't See Coming

"Claire?" Jack called as the two arrived at her apartment. He hovered in front of her bedroom window while Bunny waited on the pavement out front. "Claire?" he called a little louder as he knocked on her window. He looked down at Bunny, who raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?" he called.

"I'm not sure," Jack replied, slightly puzzled. He hesitated before pulling open the window himself. If nothing's wrong, she's going to kill me, he thought as he let himself into her bedroom.

"Claire!" he called loudly, breezing through her apartment. She was nowhere to be seen. He flew back out the window in a panic, barely remembering to shut it behind him before landing next to Bunny on the pavement.

"She's not there; she's gone!" he all but shouted, eyes scanning the surroundings as if she would just pop out from behind the nearest lamppost.

"Calm down mate," Bunny said, making deliberate eye contact, "What if she's still at school?"

"Not by now," Jack replied, panic increasing. "It's so late already; if she stayed at school to study she would have told me so I could meet her," he explained.

"So you think—" Bunny started.

"I know Pitch has her!" Jack shouted, already taking to the air, unable to sit still. "Bunny, go back to the Pole, tell the others! When I find Claire, she'll call for you to meet us!"

"But how will you find her?" Bunny asked as he began to soar away.

"I don't know," Jack called down as he flew higher, "but I have to try," he said with determination as he took off down the street with a burst of speed.

-((Meanwhile))-

I'm not crazy, Claire thought determinedly as the nightmares raced before her so quickly she lost track. This is all an illusion, and there's nothing to be afraid of. She sat encased in her familiar grey fog, surrounded by visions of Jack dying, Hunter murdered, killing Hunter's wife herself—

"Stop already!" Claire shouted into the mist. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Oh, but you should be, dear girl," a voice said right next to her ear. Claire shivered with revulsion as she turned to face Pitch. The fog faded away to reveal that the two were in an underground labyrinth of caves and tunnels. Relieved that her senses felt in a semblance of order, Claire immediately sprinted for the nearest tunnel, hoping it was an exit. Immediately, black sand swirled underneath her feet. Her feet sunk into the sand beneath her, and tendrils of sand shot out to bind her hands behind her back. She glared as Pitch approached, grinning.

"Foolish girl," Pitch said softly with a smile, "Did you think you could escape?" He called some of the sand to him and it ran through his fingertips. "You'll never get out of here. After all, none of the guardians have been to my new hideout." His smile grew as he ran his fingers through her hair, tangling it with sand. "He'll never find you here."

Claire's eyes widened a fraction as she realized her way out. Of course-! She was quick to cover her elation however, and jerked away from Pitch's grasp. "Jack will have no trouble finding you," she spat, trying to edge away from him and failing.

"Oh?" Pitch said, amused. "And why do you say that?"

"Because he's Jack Frost!" She continued, trying to mention his name as much as possible. "Jack's defeated you before, and he'll defeat you again!"

"This is true," Pitch allowed, studying the sand on his fingertips. In an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind her, a blade made from black sand pressed to her neck. "And what makes you think that you'll be alive to see that happen?"

Claire tried not to whimper as the blade was held tighter and tighter to her flesh. "I have my reasons," she said cryptically, trying not to move her neck. "Jack's a better man than you'll ever be."

Pitch chuckled. "I never said I wanted to be the better man; I just want to be better than your precious guardians!" he exclaimed before he drew in close to her ear again. "And you've been the perfect bait," he whispered.

What-? Claire thought, but was distracted as he moved to draw the blade across her neck. However, he was stopped by a stream of ice at his hand.

Jack stepped into view, staff at the ready. "Not if I can help it," he said with determination, steely gaze focused on Pitch.

Pitch immediately withdrew from behind Claire, gathering a large amount of sand to him that slowly took shape into his massive sand scythe. "Jack, how nice of you to join us!" he said with mock warmth in his tone. "It's been too long!" he shouted as he swung the blade at Jack. Jack dodged it easily, sending shots of ice at Pitch in retaliation. Pitch used tiny walls of sand to block each shot, and the two flew around the room, exchanging blows.

Bait…? Claire's mind whirred, trying to make sense of his meaning as she watched Pitch's scythe transform into a spear, trying to impale Jack to the wall. Jack ducked before sending a harsh gust of air filled with icicles at Pitch.

He didn't take me for revenge, Claire realized, struggling anew at her bonds as Pitch captured the icicles in a net of sand before turning them back on Jack, who blew them away with another burst of wind. "Jack!" she cried out, drawing his attention to her, "I'm not—" she was abruptly cut off as sand from the pool at her feet wrapped around her mouth, forming an effective gag. Pitch used Jack's split-second of inattentiveness to shoot four blocks of sand at Jack that pinned each of his limbs to the wall more effectively than concrete. The staff was knocked out of Jack's hand to clatter ineffectively to the ground.

"Ah ah ah," Pitch chided as he neared the struggling Jack, "Musn't give away the fun too early, little girl." Jack glared at Pitch, struggling with all his might against the bonds.

"Why, Pitch," Jack ground out as said shadow grew closer, "Why now? You're no stronger than you were before," he mocked, even though he was still pinned to the wall.

Pitch feigned hurt. "You wound me, Jack! I agree I'm not much more powerful than I was before," he said as he transported himself next to the still-struggling Claire. "But I daresay I'm doing a very good job of it," he grinned, running his fingers through Claire's hair again.

"Don't you touch her!" Jack said, using all of his might to release one of his arms from his sandy bonds; however, Pitch quickly replaced it with two more.

"Alright, since you asked so nicely," Pitch mocked, stepping away from her. "After all, she's not what I'm interested in," he said as he slowly approached Jack.

"What?" Jack said, momentarily stopping his struggle.

"I just admitted to you that I'm not much more powerful than I was before," Pitch repeated, drawing closer, "but I've discovered a new way to drastically increase it…that's where you come in," he said, smile growing as Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Me?" he said, confusion displayed in his blue stare. "I thought—"

"I don't care about your stupid little human girlfriend," Pitch said sharply, sending a jet of sandy spikes at Claire that missed her head by inches. As Jack protested, Pitch spoke over him, "Although she did make the most wonderful bait that drew you right into my trap."

"Bait?" Jack said, still dumbstruck.

"Oh come on Jack it's really not that hard," Pitch said, lacing his fingers together in front of his face as he stopped in front of him. "I need you for my little experiment, and I needed her so she would summon you to my side! Thank you for that, little girl," Pitch said with a nod in her direction.

"I'll die before I help you," Jack said vehemently.

"Oh I sincerely hope not," Pitch said as he opened his hands and formed a cloth out of black sand. "But I do hope that this is painful," he said before holding the sandy cloth in front of Jack's face and nose much like one would with a cloth of chloroform.

Claire's heart stopped as Jack let out a scream behind the cloth that Pitch held up to his face. He twitched and convulsed against the wall, yelling continuously. Claire renewed her useless efforts to be free, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at her inability to help him. All at once, Jack stopped moving and slumped against the wall. Pitch snapped his fingers, and his bonds disappeared; Jack fell to the floor with a thump.

Claire screamed from behind her own gag, fearing the worst. She felt a wave of relief when she saw Jack shift on the ground. Some of that relief subsided when she realized Pitch was grinning from ear to ear.

Why isn't he stopping him? Claire wondered, panic growing. Claire watched as Jack grabbed his staff and slowly stood, opening his now blood red eyes.

Claire gasped at the sight of Jack's eyes. At that instant, her own bonds were freed, and she took a large free breath of air as her confusion grew.

"Jack?" she whispered, garnering no reaction from said wintry legend. He just stood there, staring at Pitch.

"Shall we?" Pitch said, extending his hand. Jack nodded, stepping forward to stand alongside Pitch.

Claire felt her legs give out from under her, and she knelt on the unforgiving ground as she watched Jack join Pitch.

"What's going on?" she whispered in disbelief.

"I've turned him!" Pitch said with delight, marveling at how Jack fell into step behind him as he walked towards Claire. "He'll obey my every command," he said with sinister delight dancing in his eyes. "Want to watch?" Pitch asked before Claire's world went black.

In the next instant, Claire found herself on her knees in front of her apartment building. Jack and Pitch stood before her in the quiet darkness.

"Jack," Pitch said, and Jack looked to him for a word of guidance. "The worst blizzard you can create, if you please." Jack's grin was entirely too menacing as he took to the skies, summoning threatening clouds to the area. In a matter of minutes, the world was blanketed in white and ice. Harsh bursts of wind swirled the snow in every direction. Claire could barely see Pitch, who stood a few feet from her.

"How does a blizzard help you?" Claire yelled through the blustering wind as she gathered her coat more tightly to herself.

"It sets the stage for the coming destruction of the guardians!" Pitch yelled triumphantly, and in an instant he was standing on top of a light pole near Jack. "Until their appearance," he continued, "I am in need of some entertainment. Jack," he called again for his new wintry friend, who looked at him questioningly.

"See that girl?" Pitch said, gesturing to Claire, who carefully got to her feet, avoiding the ice.

"Kill her."

-((To Be Continued!))-

::dramatic music::

Let me know what you think! Reviews are most welcomed!

~freaky-hanyou