Okay! Well, I realize that the last to chapters most likely didn't meet your expectations so I'm going to try to explain things more thoroughly in this chapter, I hope you enjoy!

I own only my OC and nothing else!

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Winter stared out the window blankly adjusting herself in the chair, she couldn't remember who she was, why she was here, where she came from... She heaved out a large sigh, staring at her reflection of the window. She didn't look like herself, she looked more menacing, more evil. Everything about her just screamed DARK. Then again, that's what she was supposed to be, right? The apprentice of The Nightmare King, who represented all things evil towards children.

"You having second thoughts?" A voice came from behind her, she jumped slightly and turned to see Jack leaning on his staff. He had a smirk on his face.

"You have no idea." Winter said, looking away from him. She heard him edge closer, he placed his freezing hand on her shoulder, allowing frost to cover the cape, he pulled away when he noticed it.

"I was the same way. I didn't have any interest in joining these guys, they seemed like the types that bribe kids with candy and toys and money. I didn't want to be apart of that." Jack said, sitting across from her.

"But it's the stereotypical story, 'don't judge a book by it's cover' kind of thing, right?" Winter asked, slumping down in her chair and crossing her arms.

"Actually, no. They where giving out candy and money and toys to get children to believe in them." Jack said with a smirk. "But I found out it wasn't what I thought it was about. It was about making children happy, it didn't benefit them personally at all. They did it to make the children happy, that's why they where made who they are. To bring happiness to the children of the world. Come with me, I've got to show you something." He said, standing up and turning to leave.

Winter hesitated.

"Well?" He asked as he began walking away. She reluctantly followed.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in the room she was originally brought to. Winter hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings then, now she noticed a large globe at the center of the room. Sparkling the globe were many yellow dots all around the world. It was beautiful.

"This shows all the children who believe... Who believe in us, who believe... No, know that we protect them." Jack told her, gesturing toward the globe. A small smile passed Winter's lips, but vanished as quickly as it came.

"But none of them believe in me, do they?" She asked, turning her head away from the ball covered in shimmering lights.

"...No, they don't. They don't know who you are, not yet at least. One day they'll know, they know me now. It took over three hundred years but I finally made a name for myself. I'm not an expression anymore, and I definitely don't nip at peoples noses." He smirked.

Winter turned back to the globe, then began thinking. Before she even registered the first thought in her head, she heard the thundering sound of boots.

North walked in, looking at the two.

"Jack, if you will excuse us." North said, Jack threw his staff over his shoulder and waltzed out like the hot-shot he was.

"What do you need Ded?" Winter asked, approaching him.

"I must ask you something, follow me to my office." He told her, turning on his heels and walking away, Winter followed close behind.

They entered the room, a ice train track was placed on a table. North had his back to her, he turned and faced her quickly. "Who are you?" He asked her.

"What...?" She questioned, shaking her head a little.

"WHO ARE YOU, WINTER NORTH?" His voice boomed, it made her take a step back. He approached her, making her lean up against a wall. He prodded his index finger into the center of her chest. "What is your center?" His voice had gone back to being calm.

"What do you mean 'center'?" Winter asked, tilting her head to the side. He walked to his desk and pulled out a set of Russian Nesting Dolls and handed them to her. She looked down at them and back up to him then back down.

Winter looked at him blankly. Then back to the Russian Nesting Dolls.

"This is how to see me, no? Big, intimidating. But when you get to know me." He gestured to the doll, she twisted one of them off and seen him smiling. "You're jolly?" She asked hesitantly. "Yes, but at the same time." He took it from her and opened another, he had a cape over his face.

"Mysterious."

Then another.

"Fearless."

Then another.

"Caring."

Then opened the last one and grabbed her hand, putting a small wooden baby in her hand.

"And at my center..." He said, waiting for her to finish the sentence.

"There is a baby?" She said, staring down at the small piece of wood. "Yes, but what do you notice?" He asked patiently.

"You have big eyes I guess?"

"YES, big eyes, very big! Because they are full of wonder. That is my center." He told her, making his way across the room, thrusting his arms out as if to show her the entire room.

She hadn't noticed before but it was beautiful things moved by themselves and a fireplace roared in the corner. Something flew around the room as he spoke again.

"It is what I was born with, eyes that have only seen the wonder in everything!" He told her.

"Eyes that see lights in the tree's and magic in the air!" He continued, the thing that flew around the room exited the slightly ajar door and went into the workshop. They both followed it out.

"This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children." North said and turned back to her.

"It is what makes me a guardian. It is my center, what is yours?" He asked her, she was still confused.

"I…. I don't know…" North looked at her and sighed. She seen Bunny approach. "Pitch, he's back at the tooth palace."

"What does he want now?" He asked, his voice was hard. Winter shifted on her feet. "Stay here." He told her, pushing Bunny away. "Why?" She asked, following on his heels. "If Pitch is there, he can't see you with us." He stated, not looking back at her.

"But can I leave with him there, you 'captured' me, remember?" Winter asked. Jack came up and put his arm around her shoulders. "That's not actually a bad idea, we could 'trade' her over for whatever Pitch is trying to take."

Bunny paused, watching North's expression changed. Bunny turned back to she and Jack, who's arm she had shoved off her shoulders. His cold hands caused her to shiver, despite having the same body temperature.

"Well?" She asked, North turned and with a heavy heart, sighed. I small smile made way to her face.

"Alright, it would be as good a time as any for you to go. You'll be at your most powerful in two days."

Winter tilted her head, then turned to Jack as he began to speak.

"On the holiday you represent, you are at your strongest."

She nodded and walked behind North as he walked away toward a door, when he opened it, her mouth gaped in awe.

Reindeer were walking out, kicking around as they pulled a large sleigh. "I'm taking my tunnels." Bunny said, and before anyone could object, he stomped on the ground and a hole appeared, which he jumped into. Everyone else was pulled into the sleigh as it took flight, well... Sort of, they went down a few slopes before bursting into the air.

Needless to say, Winter almost puked.

North threw a snow globe and whispered something she couldn't hear because of the wind rushing past them. A portal opened, she realized it was the one she had gotten here in.

Winter glanced over to Jack, still kind of mad at the manner she was brought in.

They shifted through the portal and out the other end, they came to a large castle, fairies where flying out. Tooth was already there. All the fairies where still there but were flying away in fear. The sleigh approached Tooth, landing on a platform. Everyone landed and Bunny had appeared just as they landed.

They all drew out their weapons.

"Awe, look at the welcoming party." A voice came from the shadows, everyone had formed a circle around her, their backs to her.

It quickly angered her, she didn't need protection. She bent her legs and jumped, not expecting to jump as high as she did but it gave her a good view of everything as she jumped out of the circle, landing on her feet.

"Ah, thank you for letting my little birdie out of her cage." Pitch's voice came, she felt a body against her back then a hand under her chin as it glided her head to the side, making her look at him.

"Winter!" Jack's voice came, she turned her head to them. They where all taken aback by the cold look in her eyes and the smirk that hit her face. She looked truly evil. They weren't sure it was actually a facade like they'd planned.

"Come on, my work here is done. All I came to do was take back what was mine." He purred, grabbing her by her shoulders and they both sank into the shadows. There where now two shadows that moved across the floor then disappeared.

Jack looked at North who was still staring at where they had disappeared.

"North?" Jack asked, breaking his trance.

"What is that wasn't the bravado we planned?" He asked, looking at the group. "What if she really was destined to be evil?" He asked. Everyone looked at each other, no one saying a word. The way she looked, the way she dressed. All of it.

Winter was flying through the shadows, Pitch right next to her. "Wow, this feels so... so..." She said, but she couldn't describe it. "Free." He finished for her. She nodded, a smile gracing her features. She pushed ahead of him, then flew up and appeared in the middle of a street. She heard a quiet crying sound. It was coming from a small apartment building. She looked around for Pitch, he wasn't there.

She walked up to the apartment building and slid through the door that was slightly ajar. There was a mother, then two children. There was a young boy who was crying, the little girl was sniffling.

Winter noticed a small Christmas tree, it was barely able to hold one ornament. "I'm sorry, Lucy, Robert. Please, we cannot afford Christmas this year..." The mother stated calmly. There was a strong wail that emerged from the little girls throat. The mother ushered the crying children from the living room and into their respective rooms. The mother closed their door and sighed. "If only..." She muttered and moved into separate room.

Winter slowly pushed the door open, then moved into the living room. She held up her hand and light exploded from it, the tree shot up in size, stopping at about 6 1/2 feet, ornaments covered the tree, followed by candy canes and lights where strung up around the room, it was illuminating the room in red, green, and blue.

Her eyes looked over the room and she turned back to look at the tree then felt a cold wind.

A cool breath stroked her neck.

"How sweet... But you're on my side. Remember?" He purred. He snapped his fingers and the tree caught fire. The fire didn't spread anywhere else, just the tree.

"Stop!" Winter shouted, the light emerged from her hand once again and the fire evaporated like water, the tree looked as though it was untouched. She spun around to face Pitch. He had a hint of anger in his eyes, but a signature smirk on his face.

"Come now sweetheart, just watch the beauty of the flames." He told her, the tree ignited once more and he restrained her hands and forced her face to look at the burning tree.

"No!" She shouted, struggling to get away from his grip.

She couldn't get out of it, she watched the tree burn into ash. After it was nothing but smoldering embers, he released her.

Winter fell to the ground, her knee's weak as she stared at the ash.

"No..." She said under her breath. Pitch watched, wondering what she would do.

"NO..."

"NO!"

She screeched at the top of her lungs, she slammed her fist to the ground. A shadow appeared on the ground where she had punched and flowed like a stream toward the ash.

The shadow surrounded the ash, Pitch knew what that shadow was. It was her anger, her beautiful, beautiful anger.

It began to take a shape, at first they both thought it was going to be a nightmare which scared her a bit.

But what they got was completely different...

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Sorry to leave it like this! I am working on two stories at once and it's kind of hard. The next chapter should be out soon! Reviews give me inspiration!

Bonjor my petite crassonts!

Word Count: 2,307