"What are you doing here Frost?" Pitch's eyes narrowed, normally he wouldn't have bothered, but Jack was a threat to his plans; the biggest threat really.

"None of your business Pitch and can you tell old diver here to let me go?" He growled, struggling though it was useless to do so against the mare who held him, managing somehow to snicker even with his foot in her mouth; her teeth bit a bit deeper and it hurt. Pitch's eyes narrowed further.

"You have a bad habit of interfering Frost. It is perfectly my business." He waved a hand and the Nightmare dropped Jack before moving over to Pitch's side. He stroked her a moment before murmuring quietly to her.

"Go see to it that the Fearlings do not disturb our guest." The Nightmare snorted and disappeared into the shadows; Pitch never took his eyes off Jack the whole time. Guest? Jack's mind began to put the puzzle together as to what reason Pitch had for doing in this place and where Mysterie was. Jack snarled, anger flaming in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Pitch raised an eyebrow.

"She? Did you lose someone Frost?"

"You now who I'm talking about." Jack growled, narrowing his eyes; ready to kill him on the spot, no questions asked, wanting to strangle the Boogeyman. Pitch snorted.

"You mean that dream walker? Really Frost, can't you keep track of one little girl?" He stepped back, disappearing into a shadow only to reappear behind Jack from another shadow.

"I knew you had issues, but losing a person?" He laughed.

"Really now, have you made a mess of things again?" Pitch's lips curved up in an amused smirk. Jack swung at him without thinking of the consequences, he wasn't exactly helpless even if the other Nightmare still had his staff.

"SHUT UP!" His anger fueling him. Pitch ducked away, laughing.

"Oh Jack... You really should know better by now... Much as I'd love to stick around and play... I wouldn't be a good host if I left my guest waiting for me." He slid into the nearest shadow, vanishing with the other Nightmare. Jack snagged his staff, freezing the spot that Pitch had vanished in but too late to actually hit. Jack slammed the butt of his staff in anger, freezing the other Nightmares that were fleeing; none of the others escaped the freezing blast and he sighed; he headed off to his pond past the woods towards where he remembered the entrance of Pitch's lair was, ignoring Sandy who'd watched the whole exchange. He flew off in his sand plane to get back to the pole quickly and tell the other Guardians what he'd learned.

Mysterie was up again when Pitch returned, her heart was heavy from the whispers of Jakul; Shadow seemed content to let him say whatever he pleased and the only reason he'd been silent the last few hours had been because Shadow had decided to "reward" him for being good even without her say so. She could tell due to just the "tone" that underlay his words. Mysterie shuddered, not from cold or fear, but because she was fighting so hard against the temptation that Jakul was whispering in her ears and all of the ideas he was getting from Shadow. The things he said were causing her cheeks to heat in a mix of embarrassment and shame; she almost didn't notice that Pitch was next to her, cooing softly as he slid one hand along her hair.

"You could be a legend, you know... Children would believe in you and all you'd have to do would be to join me. Agree to be my queen and the world will be ours... You will never have to worry about being rejected. I will never reject you, ever." Mysterie pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms, sobbing quietly. Pitch sighed inwardly, but instead of stalking off as he usually might have; probably should have, he settled next to her and pulled her into his arms, holding him close... A smirk tugging at his lips. He'd get his revenge on Jack through this girl... and Jack... well, he'd learn to not dismiss the Boogeyman again and as a plus, he'd also get his revenge on her once the darkness in her took over. It was night time when Jack found the old hole that was the entrance of Pitch's lair. Jack was grossed out when he realized a vein of darkness pulsated in the hole; Jack groaned, why couldn't anything be easy? He jumped down the hole into the inky black. Nightmares and Fearlings surged towards him the moment he had arrived, shouting and whinnying at him. The racket was enough to alert Pitch who disappeared into the shadows; letting her go but wordlessly instructing a group of Fearlings to shield her and quiet any noise Mysterie might make, but to not harm me while he went to deal with his "new guest." Jack froze, stabbed and slashed at any of the Nightmares or Fearlings that got in his way. He growled when he saw Pitch who seemed to smile and then smirk even as his minions were beaten.

"Where is Mysterie?" Jack pointed his staff at Pitch, the end crackling with his power, his eyes almost pure white and glowing with rage that could be felt by both her and Pitch as it came off in wave upon wave of anger. Pitch merely smirked.

"So you HAVE lost her then... Well I suppose it's only to be expected. Although I have to applaud you on one thing... You're a lot colder than even I could have imagined... Tossing her aside like that. Who knew you had it in you after all this time?" Jack winced at the truthful jab but shook his head.

"It was a mistake. I know that now, but this time I won't make any more. I love her too much to do that to her and I feel really bad for what I said." Energy crackles at the edge of his staff, the energy was ready to blast Pitch until he was a frozen statue. Pitch arched an eyebrow at Jack.

"Love? What do you know about love?" He scoffed.

"You really shouldn't claim to understand something that's out of your reach. Obviously you have no idea what love is if you were so careless with her." Pitch circled around Jack, keeping just out of shot range while Nightmares and Fearlings clung to the walls and ceiling.

"After all she's done too... Oh yes, I know all about the darkness that she tries so had to keep locked up. How she manages is a feat indeed... but you know, where ever she is now... There's not much of a chance that she'll be able to hold it back for much longer. I wish I could be there to see what happens now that you've left her on her own... Poor little thing... Only a matter of time..." He began laughing and Jack covered his ears from the assaults of the truth, knowing how much he'd screwed up.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He yelled, losing it now.

"You don't know how much I love her! You don't know what it is like to be in love!" Jack screeched, shooting a bolt of ice at him only to miss as the shade dodged the shot. Pitch hissed, dodging a second blow.

"Insolent boy! I know what it is to love! I know what it means! You have no concept of the very MEANING of the word!" He summoned his scythe to counteract a third blow.

"If you even knew what it meant you wouldn't be here would you Frost? Even now you're wasting precious time! Or have you forgotten already what happened LAST time you were here?" The Fearlings block out any sound of the battle from Mysterie, just as they quiet her sobs from the cage dangling above the two.