Joy woke up snuggled up to her Mother, Jack's slow, gentle breaths betraying he was still asleep, hugging her to him. She heard the door open, quiet footsteps crossing the room. A grey paw gently shook her Mother, and Joy quickly shut her eyes.
"Jack, you got to get up." Whispered her Father. "We got a lock on Pitch. Mrs. Clause is watching the kits."
"I'm not sure I should have told her." Sighed Jack, kissing her head before getting up.
"I'm not happy about it." said Aster. "But, maybe it is better to tell her now than when she's much older. Little sheila probably hates us right now."
"She has no reason too." Said Jack. "We can't correct the past. Who knows how it would affect the future if we could?" She heard the door shut, and cautiously rose. She had no idea how long she had been sitting in bed, but soon the door creaked open.
"Joy…Mrs. Clause is worried about you." Said Hunter. Suddenly Emma and Rose bounded through, hopping onto the bed, giggling like mad men.
"Joy! Come play!" whined Emma, tugging on her sisters arm, Rose on the other.
"No! Color with me!" demanded Rose.
"Go play." Said Joy. "Leave me alone." Hunter let out a sigh, Nick hopping in as he flicked on the light.
"You're still bothered by last night, aren't you?" he asked.
"Do you think I'd just be OKAY with this?!" she snapped. Nick flinched, eyes watering as his ears went flat. Sighing, Joy picked up her youngest brother, letting him sniffle into his fur.
"No, but I thought you would have at least come out." He said. "If it helps, you're still my annoying older sister. It really doesn't matter to me. Doesn't seem to bother Mom or Dad either, or anyone else but you."
"Why's Joy sad?" asked Rose.
"I don't like it." said Emma, gripping Joy's arm.
"They think I hate them." Said Joy. Hunter nodded, giving her a thoughtful look.
"Do you?" asked Hunter. "Do you hate Mom and Dad?" Joy shook her head.
"No, I-"
"Then quit moping!" said Hunter. "So Pitch had a hand in your existence. You are nothing like him! You wouldn't burn down our home, or try to hurt us or Mom. You wouldn't kidnap someone and use psychological torture against them, and you wouldn't attack children in general. You're making Mom freak out and Dad worry, not to mention scaring everyone else. Now, Mrs. Clause is making hot cocoa, and she wants you downstairs, NOW."
"Don't tell me off." Huffed Joy, glaring at Hunter. Hunter's paws went up.
"Don't shoot the messenger Powder Puff."
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Joy lunged At Hunter, who quickly hopped out of the way. Joy was about to take another shot at him when the alarms rang in the globe room.
"What the-" began Hunter, Joy peeking out the door. Slipping out, she snuck to the railing, and looked down on the globe room. Black sand slithered about the globe, dropping bodies from it's jaws and pinning them against the walls.
"It's been so long since I saw the big five together." Chuckled a dark voice. "I'm practically star struck. But…you've gone soft. I wonder why that is, hmm? But, for another date. I've waited a long time for this moment." Pitch hadn't yet seen Joy or Hunter, Emma and Rose hidden under the banister with Nick, but Sandy had, as had the rest of the guardians. Sandy lashed out with a sand whip, the tip ripping free as Pitch effortlessly countered the attack, the little gold piece morphing to a bird and going pas the kit's ears.
Run! Joy watched, unable to move while Pitch laughed, pulling her Mother from the wall and dropping him on the ground, taking his staff.
"Powerless without your little stick." Chuckled Pitch. "I beat you pretty badly, I wonder…" Jack let out a choked gasp as Pitch dg his nails into the staff, smiling.
"Go to Hell Pitch." Growled Jack. "The darkest corner is even to good for you."
"Sad." Said Pitch. "We could have defeated the Guardians together, but no. You refused to hurt your precious rabbit. I even gave you another chance. The brat would have been a mighty Nightmare, and everything could have been cold and dark. Oh well. How does it feel, rabbit? Your mate is about to die, and there isn't a thing you can do." Aster struggled against the sand, but the darkness was too malleable, all his movements only further tightening his bonds.
"You can't kill an immortal." Laughed North.
"Want a bet?" A loud snap, followed by a blood curdling scream broke through the air, the staff snapped neatly in too, Jack falling to the ground, shaking in agony. Joy felt something bubble up in her chest, Hunter pulling their younger siblings to the hall.
"Joy!" he hissed. "We have to go!" Pitch formed an arrow of black sand, aiming at Jack.
"Take a good look Jack Frost." He cackled. "Because you will NEVER wake up from this nightmare." As Pitch loosed the arrow, time seemed to slow. Joy felt a growl build in her throat, and lunged at Pitch, loosing her boomerangs.
"Don't touch my Mom!" she screamed, hitting the sand arrow off course and knocking the broken staff out of Pitch's hand. The distraction was all the guardians and yetis needed to break loose from their bonds, another set of boomerangs striking Pitch in the head while Joy caught her own. She landed with a dull thump next to the railing, and dashed over to her parents. Aster stood in front of Jack, deflecting nightmare sand while Jack slammed the broken halves of his staff together, blue light encasing the damage.
"Get OUT Joy!" yelled Aster, Jack standing with the aid of his staff.
"No!" she said. Suddenly a tentacle of dream sand slammed into the ground, knocking everybody a few feet back. Pitch chuckled, putting a swirling wall of nightmare sand around Joy.
"If it isn't my one true failure." He chuckled, catching her boomerangs as she threw. She could hear the guardians and her parents try to get through, Pitch creating another arrow.
"One down, five to go." The arrow came loose, rocketing towards Joy. Something cold slammed into her, hugging her tightly as the arrow lodged itself deep. But, there wasn't any pain. Joy opened her eyes, seeing identical blue back in her own, black sand creeping up his face.
"Mom-"
"Rose Haven." Whispered Jack to a portal, smashing it into the ground, shoving Joy through with his staff before falling, the black arrow buried in his back, body slowly disintegrating to black sand, vision blurring out. The last thing she heard was her own scream, before the darkness dragged her down.
ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROT-ROTG
"Is she okay?" said a familiar male voice.
"She will be." Said a woman's voice from the darkness. "She had quite a shock. I don't think she'll sleep easy for a while, even with Sandy."
"Why wouldn't she run?" groaned the voice.
"She's brave and stubborn, just like you and Jack."
"Mom…" Joy opened her eyes, seeing light and foliage. She felt a big paw on hers, another on her arm.
"Oh sweet MiM." Sighed the male voice, relieved. Joy's vision focused, seeing her Father with a good chunk ripped from his ear, bandages wrapped around his forearms and middle.
"Daddy…where's Mom?" she asked, searching for Jack. "Is he with Hunter?" Aster shook his head, squeezing her paw. Jack's staff sat against a wall, Mother Nature growing white lilies at it's base. She looked at her with a pitying gaze, tear streaks in her Father's fur. Slowly the nightmare returned, her body shaking as she remembered Pitch firing his arrow at her heart, though it soon found a new mark.
"Your Mom…" began Aster, unsure what to say. Finally he sighed. "Jack's gone. Pitch…" Joy shivered.
"It's my fault." She whispered. "Mom's dead, and it's my fault."
"Joy-"
"It is!" yelled the white Pooka. "I didn't listen. Because of me, Mom died!" She curled into a ball under the sheets, small sobs racking her body.
"It's not your fault." Said Aster, rubbing her side. "Pitch fired the arrow, not you. Jack is…was a big boy. He made his own decision. It's not your fault." Joy didn't stop sobbing, her Father's words only digging the knife deeper.
"Aster-"
"I'm not going to let her think she's a monster like Pitch." Hissed Aster. "When I get my paws on that son of a-" The sound of wailing came from down the hall, the voice registering to Joy as Nick.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" asked Mother Nature. "He's too young to understand his Mother isn't coming. Maybe-"
"Keep them away from Pitch." Ordered Aster. "North is right. It's impossible to kill an immortal. Until we can find out how to kick that sorry bastard's ass and bring back Jack, these five are not to leave this building. I will not let him get them too."
"You know you can' take Pitch now." Said Mother Nature. "Jack's gone, and-" The door shut, Mother Nature following Aster out. After a long hour, Joy was finally able to look at her Mother's staff. It was strange, seeing no ice or frost on the wood, no pale hand holding it tightly. So often he had flew about with her in his arms, giving her ride after ride on the wind.
"Faster Mommy! Faster!"
"You want fast? Don't let go!"
Her Father would worry, scold them like a Mother hen, and soon they'd go back inside, warm in the burrow. How many times had the old staff been used to ward away hers and Hunter's bad dreams?
"It's okay." Murmured Jack, both kits snuggled up to him in Joy's bed, barely enough room with Jack's rounded stomach. "It was just a bad dream. Daddy, your little brother or sister and I aren't going anywhere."
"But-but it was scary!" squeaked Hunter, Joy nodding into her Mother's warm sweater.
"Really scary!" agreed Joy. "And the thing was tapping the window! The monster was gonna get us!"
"Really?" said Jack. "Do you know what all monsters are scared of?" Both kits shook their heads. Suddenly snow began to fall in the bedroom, both kits giggling as the soft flakes melted on contact with their fur.
"Snow!" said Hunter.
"Do you know why monsters are scared of snow?"
"Why?"
"Because monsters are no fun, and snow IS fun!"
"But, you say Daddy isn't fun. Is he a monster?!"
"No. Daddy is just the grumpy old Easter Kangaroo."
"I heard that Frostbite!"
"Joy?" Joy turned to see Hunter at the door, green eyes still a bit red. "Are you okay? Everyone left."
"Do you know where Mother Nature keeps the portals?" asked Joy, rubbing her own eyes.
"Why?" asked the gray kit, not liking where this was going.
"Because I'm going to need them." She picked up her Mother's staff, hopping out of the room, Hunter following with Emma and Rose not far behind, Nick clinging to Emma's back.
"We're going to need them ya drongo." Huffed Hunter. "I know that look. You're going to do something stupid."
"So don't drag yourself into it."
"You're my sister." He said. "Besides, I'll just get dragged into it anyway. If you're going after Pitch, we need to know more about him-"
"How did you-"
"Who ELSE would you want to smite right now?" snorted Hunter.
"We wanna help too!" said Rose, Emma nodding as she caught up.
"Help! Help! Help!" yelled Nick.
"Then you know where we gotta go." Said Joy, Hunter pulling a portal out of a cabinet. "We're gonna need weapons as well as your books."
"Santoff Claussen." Whispered Hunter, smashing the portal to the ground.