Fear Itself

Chapter 6

Notes: Getting close to the end! This is definitely a short story, so maybe another couple chapters.

Thank you for hanging on this long!

Oh yeah and the belated 'doesn't belong to me blah blah blah' But a special thanks to William Joyce for creating this world and for Dreamworks taking a chance to make it into a movie.

OH and if you want to see a sequel? (They really want to do North's story) Dreamworks need help to make this movie enough of a success to make another. Meaning, they need you to go see it. Drag your friends, family, estranged neighbors. Get everyone to see this film and preferably more than once!

Because of current their numbers have not been good and unless they make back twice what it cost to produce, create, and advertise this film, they will not be able to make another.

000

Jack sat on the roof while Tooth buzzed about with her baby teeth and giving orders. For those who were still working (as she did have a job that never really stopped. It was always night somewhere in the world and children lost teeth pretty consistently) but also she had them helping her hunt for possible entrances to Pitch's domain.

It was where they figured they had the best chance of finding Ashley and the Key if they found Pitch's domain.

Jack wondered what prompted Pitch to drag her off like that. He knew time was running out, Key was planning to take drastic measures. She was sure that somehow Jack could save Ashley, but he wanted to save them both.

It would be a horrible loss to lose them. He felt it in his bones. They held so much of the magic and belief within them. Just having them near…

As he sat there he realized just how much their loss would hurt the world.

And North said Pitch's actions had to threaten the world, thus the world's children for the Guardians to act.

He was definitely doing that now and if they didn't see it that way, he was sure Key's boyfriend would calmly beat them in the head until they did see it.

That guy was seriously scary.

His foot kicking over the roof line he watched Tooth flit through the air like a humming bird and talk at break neck speed jumping from one topic to the other with her fairies. He couldn't help the bit of a smile that came to his face. The chuckle as he watched Tooth work. It was amusing and he wouldn't be himself if he couldn't find the humor in most everything.

It was about then that another figure jumped up behind him "Frostbite."

Jack leaned back and looking at the figure behind him upside-down. "Cotton Tail." He acknowledged the Easter bunny.

"I didn't get everything but I got the part where it seems Pitch kidnapped your girlfriend and she also has the other half of herself or something like that," he shrugged.

"Other than not being my girlfriend, yeah that's about right. In the end mostly the key things we need to know. Pitch, endangering world, and about to kill all Belief for everyone."

Bunnymund had started to scratch at his ear while Jack was speaking and stopped, one foot raised as he stared "Crikey, seriously?"

"Yep." Jack leaned forward onto his staff. Watching nothing beyond the empty parking lot below.

Bunny crouched down next to the white haired youth, "That bites, sorry mate."

"We have time. We have to still have time." Jack said his hands closing tightly around the wood of his staff and Bunny winced as he heard it creak. He hesitated a moment. Over the time since Pitch had attacked them and Jack had helped to restore belief into Bunny, while Bunny still found the other a bit annoying, he at least learned to respect the kid as a fellow Guardian.

Slowly Bunny reached over and laid his paw like hand onto Jack's shoulder and gave it a squeeze "Brighten up, if you give into despair and fear, Pitch will have already won."

Jack rubbed his face and nodded. "Right." He said taking a breath. "We just gotta find his entrance. Last time he had that bed over a hole, so there had got to be something like that around here."

Bunny though was leaning over the roof and looking in the window of Ashley's apartment "Or, he just turned her apartment into his entrance." He commented.

Jack popped down next to the other and looked in.

It was so dark, foreboding. No light, no Hope, nothing but fear and horror.

"That has got to be." He said and flipped down to hop back into the apartment pushing open the window. He went to the most obvious place first. Her bed. Lifting the blanket he frowned as it was a solid baseboard. No place under for Pitch to use really.

Must have been instinctual for her. To have her bed as close to the floor as she could get it to try and not give Pitch any openings.

So then where else? He looked up, Bunny was looking around. Ears twitching in all directions, his nose sniffing as he sought out danger. He was half crouched, on high alert.

"Bunny?"

"Shh, I can sense it." He said softly and with slow hesitant and careful hops- shifting forward with his form and touching the ground with his front paws before letting his back move- he made his way around the room.

And stopped before her closet. "Yeah mate, it's there alright."

Jack pushed the sliding door open and then shoved the few things she had on hangers to the side to see the hole in the back. As if someone had pulled out bricks, opening the wall. He peeked in, using his staff to give off a slight glow he could see the wall, and then down.

And down, and down.

Backing out Jack looked at Bunny "Oh yes, definitely."

"You guys find the entrance?" Tooth darted into the room.

Bunny nodded. Jack he could tell was ready to jump down with or without the rest of them "Tooth, you wait here and when North and Sandman get here, follow. Me and Jack'll head down ahead."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

Bunny gave a 'heh' that did not sound convinced of anything "The kid is already half down there now. If we try and make him wait he'll go and do something stupid." He told her "At least, if this is stupid, I can drop us a fast tunnel out of there."

She gave a nod her feathers slicked back tightly against her head.

With a gulp Bunny went to Jack "Ok kiddo, let's get going. The others will get caught up."

Jack nodded and did not hesitate in the slightest as he slipped through the opening and let himself fall.

There were days when Aster wished he could be that fool hardy.

With a sigh he hopped after him. Though he had to struggle a moment as the blasted hole wasn't nearly as easy to navigate with his fuzzy tail as Jacks near toothpick form.

000

She was going in circles. Horrible frightening circles. Every opening led to a tunnel, or room, which lead her again always back to the center chamber with no way of going back the way she came.

As where once there was a doorway there was nothing but stone walls.

She could go nowhere Pitch did not allow her.

"Feel the fear Ashley. Give into it." She heard his voice chuckle, and a shadow pass along the wall.

She fled from it again. Going once more though an opening, this one dropped her down into a room and in a panic she tried to find a way out in the darkness. Not seeing the way out immediately she pushed herself back against the wall. Then paused as there was a horrible chill down her back. Looking up she saw Pitch staring down at her. Slightly amused at her wide eyed panic. Ashley dashed to the other side her back to stone and looking for an escape.

"You are in my realm, no one will find you here, so if you try anything Key, you will only kill both of you. Then were will your hope for Ashley be then? Or the rest of the world?"

Ashley growled at him. Her eyes flashing as she leaned forward a little "Foolish Dark One! You kill all of us with your actions! Even yourself!"

He snorted "Oh? Trying to reason with me now are we? Why didn't you speak up before Key?"

Her baring changed, her step seemed to become light as a bird's and her eyes did become silvery, though fleck of brown gave them a creamy complexion "Because before it would have confused Ashley, she's pretty much checked out for now so one of us have to be in charge." Her accent was hard to place, almost more of a non-accent from any particular region. Her face was calm, though he could still see the shaking of her hands she clasped over the stones behind her. "If I had revealed myself then They would have come, I would be back in that Tower and Ashley would be dead."

"Well then, rather glad you just continued to allow me to work my wiles upon the girl then." He said looking mightily unimpressed.

"You will not stop my actions. I will do this deed. Because the slow death of everything by my action would be a far cleaner one that what we would see by yours." She told him.

He growled "You wouldn't be so rash woman! Work with me instead. I can keep you free of them better than those stupid guardians. They have no interest in anyone not a child."

"Because children are the vessels used to transmute the magic the death of the Gate brings to the world." She said.

That actually made him pause and raise a brow "Really? And here I thought they were killing Gates just to keep them out of hands like mine. That is interesting to know. So killing the Gate as a child is how they been getting the magic in here without you is it?"

Her nod was sad.

"And I thought others had it rough. Born to die, and at such a horribly tragic age." He smiled at her his face a mocking pity.

Her eyes steeled. He moved forward. Glad to see at least for now, she was done running.

"Perhaps then, we shall see what the Key fears most, shall we?" he said sweetly.

Before the girl could run he moved forward, one hand closing around the back of her neck and the other over her eyes. Forcing her into darkness.

"The Tower, of course you fear your prison, and the loss of your Protector, being alone." He said "And Ashley never getting to grow up, fall in love. How quaint. Wanting to live vivaciously through another are we?" his grin grew very wide. "And you fear me." His eyes lit up, but then he paused in confusion as other fears hit him. Other memories and terrors.

"No…" he said softly. That wasn't what he wanted!

"PITCH!" The Boogeyman turned just in time to see the incoming snowball. Not a little one tossed playfully at his eyes either. A huge chunk of ice that struck him full on and knocked him into the wall.

Away from Ashley.

The girl's form crumpled but was caught by Bunny before she hit the ground. "It's ok Sheila, we'll get ya out of here. Get ya safe. I promise." He said softly to her. He saw her open her eyes briefly and look at him with an odd milky gaze for a moment, then her eyes were brown. Milky tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

He pressed her face into his fur and held her close his eyes sad and ears falling back. He knew that look. The poor thing was just so terrified. She was on nothing but baser instincts. It was not a reasoning human being, but a scared child.

And in that moment he felt what she was to his core. The last shred of Hope in her kindled because of him and in turn she rekindled his own Hope. Giving him strength.

"I'll protect you to my last breath" he promised her. Trying to bolster her spirits.

He looked up and saw Jack still going to town on Pitch. The other was so off guard that he was not fleeing fully into his shadows. Instead just dodging Jack's blows and trying to gather up enough of his shadows to counter.

But Jack wasn't giving him time for that.

"We got her Jack! Let's get out of here!" before Pitch got himself together. They had to get out of his realm, where he was strongest, if they hoped to beat him.

"Start ahead!" Jack shouted. He had to keep Pitch distracted, as long as he could mange.

Their words though seemed to have gone through that haze that Pitch had been under and his eyes flared. "NO!" the shadows suddenly flew in from all sides diving into Pitch, the other gone.

His laughter echoed and bunny hunched his nose working and ears shifting to try and locate the bastard "Oh Nelly." He said "Common Jack, time to run!"

He picked up the girl and attempted to make a hole with a tap of his foot. Nothing happened.

Jack ran by and grabbed him by one of his ears "This way!" he was somewhat familiar enough with this place to know the best chance for a real exit. They just had to get there before Pitch.

The shadows gathered and Pitch stepped out of the tunnel that would have taken them to the surface. "Going somewhere?" he asked sweetly "So rude, come in without knocking and then leave without saying good bye. My feelings are hurt." And reaching into one of the shadows he pulled out his Nightmare Blade. The huge Scythe looking deceptively light in his hands.

Bunny said something that was decided not his normal curses and ducked the blade. Jack threw up his staff to block it, sparks of ice and darkness flying off in all directions.

"Just the two of you in my realm Jack, you don't stand a chance." Pitch said pressing into Jack who's feet slipped and then managed firmer footing to try and push back.

Then he blinked and with a grin slipped to the side throwing off Pitch's balance. The Boogeyman falling forward with an undignified yelp. He turned slightly and eyes very wide dodged just as the whip of dream sand crashed the ground right where he was.

Sandy came out of the shadows, followed by North. Tooth dashed in at high speed trying to catch Pitch off guard. The other managed to dive in panic for one of his shadows.

"Maybe two would be no good against you here Pitch, but all five of us? It is you I think who is outclassed." North said twirling his blades in his hands to catch them.

"We have to get the girl to the surface." Bunny said coming up to them.

"Then go! We'll hold him off!" Tooth shouted flitting from shadow to shadow forcing Pitch into the retreat. North took up Guard on the exit while Sandman joined the Tooth fairy in her chase of Pitch.

Jack paused as Bunny made for the exit and North tossed his head "Go, cover Bunny. Man in Moon says you know the place to go."

Jack paused and then eyes widening he nodded.

He knew the place alright.

And between him and Bunnymund they could get her there easily.

He dashed after the Easter Bunny catching up to him "Quick, we gotta go Home."

000

End notes: bu-bu-bummmm! See you next chap!