This is a very fast moving chapter, just bear with me, OK?
"Hand over the star or I'll rip his heart out."
"Now that's a bit drastic, don't you think?" Sky clenched her fists. "You've done enough damage. I suggest you leave."
"Or what?" Pitch snarled. "Oh, you're making the room warmer. I'm terrified." The nightmare king glowered at the fairy. "The star. Now!" Tooth looked to her son's comatose form, Sky's determined expression. A single nod from the summer spirit and she held her hand out. Pitch smirked and snatched it away. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He started to crush the star in his hand, when a strange noise drew his attention. He stared about the room, confused. A white blur slammed into him, yelling. The ground vanished from under his feet, the wall snapping behind his back. He and his attacker crashed through the wall, slaloming into the floor. The air whooshed from his lungs, the star bouncing from his fingers. Stars danced in his eyes, white hot agony exploded across his left cheekbone, the right side of his jaw, his nose.
"HOW DARE YOU TAKE MY BROTHER FROM ME?" Aliesha screamed, landing hit after hit, summoning all her rage, all her frustration, all her hatred of this man, this beast. She snatched up a slab of plaster and brought it down on his head, the heavy material cracking in her hands. Pitch passed out, eyes crossed. Rolling and kicking him away, she grabbed at the star, stomping through the destruction. She raised the star above her head, digging her fingernails into the cracks Pitch had already made. Tooth started to speak, throwing her hands out. Aliesha ignored her, slamming the star down, straight through Cal's chest. The lights ruptured from the crystalline structure, dashing about Cal's body, lacing under his arms, criss-crossing across his chest, throwing themselves about until they covered him entirely.
Tooth watched from behind her fingers. Jack tumbled through the window, tripping over himself in his rush. He staggered to his feet, frantically searching. He frowned at the chaos and Pitch unconscious on the floor, then gaped at the colourful display that was his son. His lips moved quietly, what? None of the women noticed, Aliesha glaring at her brother, willing this to work, her eyes burning. The lights shimmered away. Jack joined his wife, tucking an arm around her shoulders. Tooth sniffed and leant against his chest, disappearing entirely behind her hands. Sky bowed her head.
Aliesha fumed. "Cal!" She scolded. "We did not just go through all that trouble for you to lay there like some dying fish! WAKE UP!" He started coughing. Tooth gasped, grabbing him by the shoulders as he choked. She pulled him into a sitting position, great shuddering breaths racking his frame. "Cal!" Aliesha beamed. He groaned and flopped back, arms over his head. Aliesha laughed, bouncing on the bed next to him. "Get up, get up! You idiot!" He peered at her from between his arms. Aliesha grabbed him in the biggest hug she had ever given anyone and started crying. "Cal, I'm sorry. This is all my fault, if I'd just stay'd put, you would have been alright. I'm a horrible sister, I don't deserve to have you for a brother."
"Lish..." Cal croaked. His fingers brushed her cheek, trembling as they tried to abate her tears. He said nothing else, mind wandering elsewhere. A shiver warped through him. His hand steadied and he started laughing. He scooped her in a mega-hug of his own. Aliesha's voice wedged in her throat and she hiccupped in surprise. "Don't you ever apologise to me, Lish. You're my sister and nothing is going to change that, do you hear me?" He took her face in his hands and held her at half an arm's length, looking her dead in the eye. His hair was its mess of colours, his eyes as purple as ever, gleaming with all the vitality of the good old Cal, pale as a Frost should be, even the yellow of his Pikachu jacket brighter than ever before. His thumbs traced semi-circles under her eyes and he grinned, squishing her cheeks. "Who da fish?" Despite herself, Aliesha laughed. "Blub, blub, blub." Cal chimed, mouthing like a goldfish.
"Oh!" Tooth sobbed happily, fanning herself. "Oh, my babies are OK!" She trapped them in her arms, Jack with her. Cal sneezed and they all toppled from the bed, landing at Sky's feet in a hysterical heap.
"Three Guardians and a frost fairy at my feet. The possibilities are endless."
"Sky!" Cal jumped to his feet, arms out wide. "You found my star!"
"I found your star!" The pair hugged, briefly, as she was still warm. Jack made it snow, cooling his children down. "But Alisha made it work?"
"Of course she did. There is only woman I'd trust with my life, I'm afraid to say. Don't get jealous, but my sister comes first."
"What about your mother?" Tooth demanded, hands on her hips.
"You're scary." Cal admitted. "Whoa, what happened to Pitch?"
"Your sister."
"Moon and stars, he's got a brick in his head! Aliesha!" He folded his arms and fixed her with a stern look. Then he started laughing. "Serves the bastard right!"
"Cal!" Tooth and Jack scolded together. Their son cackled and bounced excitedly. He jabbed a finger at Pitch.
"Get up, you lazy ass." He ordered. Pitch's eyes snapped open and he rose, swaying. Jack readied his staff, Tooth and Aliesha rising off the ground. "Ah." Cal half-bowed in their direction. "Allow me." He threw out his hand, blue light spiralling against his palm. It elongated, curving at one end, taking form of his beloved staff. "There we go. Oooh, this is going to be fun." He grinned menancingly. Pitch noticed, stumbling back. "Ah, Pitchy-boo, don't be like that. I thought we bonded."
"You... no, that's not possible." Pitch stammered. Cal took a step forward, lashing out with his new staff. Pitch tried to dissolve into his shadows. Cal yanked him back.
"Tut tut, Pitch! Stay and play!" Cal swung his weapon around, lobbing Pitch straight through the open window. He darted after him, up and out the window, free-falling after him. His family followed, Sky close on their heels. Ice and dark sand snapped back and forth, cracking the air like thunder, bursts of light that burned into their eyes, searing across their retinas. Cal was giving Pitch no chance, no pause, no moment for even a breath. He was here, he was there, he was everywhere at once, he was nowhere, Pitch couldn't land a hit no matter how hard he tried. The greyness of his skin, the dark of his robes grew paler and paler, frost and snow, winter at its very finest and most ferocious. Cal charged him from all sides, finally tackling him. They rolled through the sky, the second generation winter sprite adding to his sister's earlier assaults. He raised his staff above his head, drawing forth all his power, using Pitch to spring up into the sky. Pitch could do nothing to right himself. "AND THIS," Cal raged, "IS FOR HURTING MY FAMILY!" He swung his staff down, everything he could muster an avalanche five thousand feet up roaring down like death itself.
Cal's breaths heaved, gaze venomous as he watched the hurtling descent of his previous gaoler. Aliesha started towards him when he dived suddenly.
"Cal!" She called despairingly. Her father hauled her back, all of them having retreated inside. When she fought, he simply pointed up. "What is that?"
"One of Pitch's storms."
"But- how?"
"I don't know..." Jack leant out the window as far as he dared, keeping a wary eye on the menace above. Tooth joined him, a pair of binoculars in her hands.
"There!" She shoved the instrument into her husband's hands and he zeroed in on their son's location, swearing colourfully.
"Lish, don't repeat that. What the hell does he think he's playing? CAL!" He yelled. Thunder boomed, making Aliesha jump.
"What's he doing?" She squeaked. Neither of her parents answered. She squeezed between them, snatching the binoculars and looking for herself. It took a second to find Cal in the mayhem that was brewing. He had caught Pitch by the wrist, their powers combined thrashing around them, trapped in some hellish orb, backfiring. As she watched, the winter took over the darkness, Pitch seemed to get smaller and smaller, desperate, weaker, each second that passed grew closer to his ultimate destruction. "Cal..." She breathed. "Mam, what's he doing? Why's he doing that?" Tooth just shook her head, lost for words. Jack was chewing his lip, the scarlet stain a horrific contrast to the rest of him.
Sky alone seemed calm. "Sky?" Aliesha marvelled.
"Trust in Cal. He may not always look like it, but he knows what he's doing."
"But... he's insane!"
"Granted." Aliesha looked back to see the nightmare king had fully dissolved now, what was left of him creeping across Cal.
"No! We just got him back, don't take him again!" Tooth grabbed at the binoculars and Aliesha could see no more.
Down below, Cal was willing the very essence of Pitch to gather in one place, in the hook of the staff he still amazed himself with for having summoned. It was one heaving and writhing mess of putrid chaos, growling and hissing, cursing and whispering false promises and hints of despair, the Dark Ages reborn!
"Shut up." Cal told it, spinning the staff to throw the demonic ball off its bearings. "Here, Manny. Catch." He hurled his collection straight up, sending it further with a quick burst of winter. It vanished into the night sky quickly enough. Cal waited until Manny pinged him. Then he returned home.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Tooth bore down on him like a bull to a red flag.
"Yes." Cal answered calmly.
"YOU HAVE LITERALLY BEEN ON YOUR FEET FOR FIVE MINUTES AND YOU DECIDE TO COMPLETELY OBLITERATE PITCH? I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S NOT A BAD THING, BUT DAMMIT, CAL! YOU ARE GROUNDED, DO YOU HEAR ME?"
"I think everyone can hear you, Mam."
"DON'T YOU BE CHEEKY WITH ME, GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
"I'm already in my room!" Tooth burned crimson. Jack flashed his son a warning look. "You know, I don't like this room anymore, I might try one of the others..."
"OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU ARE STAYING HERE! ALIESHA, KEEP HIM OUT OF TROUBLE! SKY, BURN HIM IF HE EVEN TRIES TO LEAVE!" Sky grinned wickedly at that. Tooth stormed out. Cal smiled sheepishly at his father, hunching his shoulders. Jack just chuckled.
"Ah, it'll be alright. Let her calm down first, you maniac."
"You're not mad?"
"I'm mad alright, but I think she's got it covered. Welcome back, kiddo."
"Thanks Dad. I've really missed you guys."
"And we've all missed you. Sky included. She's just too proud to admit it."
"Like I'm going to miss his dumb jokes and puns."
"You just missed my charming smile instead." Jack rolled his eyes and left, smiling to himself. Cal stuck his tongue out at him then gasped excitedly. "Lish! Oh, you're my favourite sister, look at you! You punched Pitch in the face and gave him a brick for a brain!" Cal squashed her in a hug. "I'm so proud of you!"
"What are you talking about? You made Pitch space-dust!"
"He had that coming, don't worry about it!"
"Is he ever going to come back?" Sky asked.
"I don't know. I just space-dusted him, I don't even know how that happened. Maybe it's this star thing, put me in league with my space homies up there."
"You're such an idiot." Aliesha hugged him tightly. "Dad's right though, we've all missed you." Cal bear-hugged her, kissing her feathery head.
"I love you, sis."
"I love you too, you knucklehead."
"How's it going with the Thing?"
"Well..." Aliesha glanced at Sky and then looked helplessly at her brother. "Go." Cal said seriously. "I'm not stopping you."
"Really?"
"Go! Before I come to my senses!" He blew a raspberry on her cheek and she squealed in disgust, flying out the window. "Ah, I love being an older brother."
"What's this Thing you two keep talking about?"
"Oh, just a thing. Did ya miss me? Come on, admit it, you missed me." He elbowed her playfully, winking. He expected her to punch him or kick him to the floor, not grab him by the front of his jacket and kiss him.
"Does that answer your question?"
"Abaha-wha?"