WOOOOOO! What's up guys?!
GUESS WHAT?! I UPDATED!
...Okay, now that I think about that that's kinda obvious...
But, no matter. He's chapter 12 guys, as promised!
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of The Guardians (if I did I would be writing MUCH better fanfiction...)

Chapter 12 – A Futile Offer

(Atheia's POV)

I hunched over in the dark room, tears threatening to spill out of my stinging eyes. I let out a cry of rage as I pulled on my shackled wrists again, wincing as the billions of grains of nightmare sand scratched and burned at my wrists. I felt something warm trickle down my arm, and I looked up to see a crimson drop of liquid slide down from my wrist. I could feel nightmare sand seep into the now open wound, and I let out a cry of pain as I slumped forward to my earlier position.

After the pain momentarily subsided, my eyes lifted as I examined the room. The only problem was…there really wasn't much to see. Dark, stone walls trapped me in the stale, dusty room. I was sprawled out on the smooth, black marble floor, and my hands were tied behind my body with nightmare sand, which latched onto my staff, separating it from me. The only light that came through the room was a small patch of sunlight, not any bigger than a twenty cent piece, which seeped in through a small hole in the roof. There was no colour at all, and I hated it. There were no calming blue colours from Jack's staff, no vibrant yellow and green colours from Tooth's multi-colour feathers, no Christmassy colours of red from North's clothing, no golden, glowing dream sand, heck; I even missed the grey shade of Bunnymund's fur. It was better that the ever-lasting darkness that kept me prisoner.

My thoughts were interrupted as I caught movement from the corner of my eye. I whipped my head to the side to see a dark silhouette of a man stretch out across the marble floor, slowing making its way towards me. Laughter echoed through out the black room, and I gritted my teeth as the voice came closer and closer to where I was.

"My, my Atheia. You look absolutely horrible," The Nightmare King grinned as he stepped out of shadows, smirking down at me. I raised an eyebrow, managing to keep my glare up with the Boogeyman.

"Ever looked in the mirror, Pitch? I could quite say the same to you."

The Nightmare King growled, before raising a hand and striking it against my cheek. The sting from the slap caused my teeth to clench. The burning pain started as it radiated from my right cheek, but I barely showed any reaction. Instead, I spat on the Nightmare King's feet. He screeched in anger, before connecting his foot with my stomach. I doubled over in pain, wheezing as the breath was wrenched from my lungs. I coughed heavily, heaving in pain as Pitch's voice hissed above me.

"You shall learn manners, you little wrench, if you know what's good for you!"

I didn't reply, partially because I couldn't. Pitch slightly chuckled at my form, before he started to pace around me.

"You know, you and I could be great together, with your power and my nightmares, we could over take the world…" Pitch seductively coaxed, as his footsteps echoed in the room. "…you would be believed in, by everyone!" He kneeled in front of me, glaring into my skull as I avoided eye contact. "Join me, and you'll never be alone again."

I let out a chuckle, ignoring the pain as it blossomed in my stomach from the laughter. I looked up, locking eyes with Pitch as I let out a smirk. "Jeez Pitch, really? You slapped me in the face and kicked me in the stomach, and now you expect me to join you? You seriously have to learn better tactics."

The Boogeyman grumbled, pushing himself upright as he glared down at me. "They'll never accept you, you know."

I chuckled again, gritting my teeth from the pain slightly. "Probably, but it's worth it."

Pitch smirked as he clamped his hands behind his back, strolling out in front of me. "You'll soon find out that's not the case."

I gave him a confused glance as he flicked his hand. The nightmare sand that clutched to my wrists loosed, and I wrenched my hands away from the sand and gazed at my wrists. Several thin, but long cuts decorated them, crimson blood leaking from each one. I grimaced when I noticed grains of nightmare sand buried under the skin of the wounds, and the normally tan colour of my wrists had turned a slight grey colour from the corrupted sand. I heard Pitch chuckle from in front of me, and I hissed in pain as the nightmare sand latched onto my wrists again, a long rope slithering from it towards Pitch. He clutched the nightmare rope and tugged, urging me forward as well as sending a wave of pain from my wrists through out my body.

"Come," He said, tugging on the rope and walking through the shadows.

"Do I really have a choice?" I murmured, wincing in pain as the sand rope scratched against my wounds, before pulling me in the shadows after him.

The first thing I was aware of once I stepped out in the shadows was the sound of high-pitched chirping and something feathery rubbing against my cheek. I shook the dizziness from my eyes, grinning madly as Baby Tooth fluttered in front of me, a look of depression but slight relief on her face as she realized it was me. I was about to say a greeting to the little fairy when a grey hand shot out of the shadows, wrapping itself around the small, colourful body of Baby Tooth. My eyes widened as Baby Tooth's shrieks of fright were cut off as Pitch walked out of the shadows, squeezing the little body it his hand.

"Insolent pest," He muttered, tightening his grip on the fairy, who let out a choked squeak.

"Stop!" I shouted, tugging on the shackles around my wrists to grab The Nightmare King's attention. Ignoring the pain as drops of blood descended down my hands, I glared at Pitch as he gave me a look of confusion, the mini fairy still in his grasp.

"Let. Her. Go! She's done nothing to you!" I shrieked.

Pitch looked between Baby Tooth and me, before giving a chuckle and tossing the small, frail body over to me as if it were a mere object. I caught the little fairy in my hands, cupping the small body in fright. Baby Tooth's mismatched eyes weakly opened and I gave a small smile at the mini fairy, before gently propping her on my shoulder. I felt the little, feathered body snuggle into the hood of my cloak, and I looked up to glare daggers at Pitch, who only smirked as he tugged me through the dark and dimly lit lair.

"You know you're wrong about the fact that she's done nothing to me," Pitch's smooth voice echoed off the walls, sending chills down my spine. "The sprites and their mother have been reducing belief in me as soon as they were born."

"Oh? Then why did you let her go?" I asked, jogging up to walk next to the Boogeyman so he wouldn't have to tug on that stupid nightmare rope.

"She could be useful…"

At my confused look, he broke into a chuckle. I shook off the cold feeling of fear that came with his laugh, following him down a staircase. I raised my shoulder slightly, tucking Baby Tooth further into the crook of my neck as Pitch and I walked out of an archway.

I noticed that we were in the same room that Jack and I were when we first walked into the cave. Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of Jack, but I blinked them back as Pitch led me down another staircase, towards the towering boxes of memories. 'He did not ditch you…he went to get help. He did not ditch you…he –'

'Atheia! Come on!'The male voice called out, interrupting my thoughts. His voice was coated in a mocking tone, and I could hear the laugh at the end of his call. It sounded…so familiar…but I couldn't quite put my tongue on it. My lips turned downwards into a frown of confusion as Pitch led me closer to the mountains of teeth containers.

"Why are you taking me here?" I asked, glancing at Pitch with a puzzled look.

The Nightmare King laughed, pulling me closer to the glinting, golden memory boxes. "Why, I'm doing something the guardians never bothered to do…I'm showing you your memories."

My eyes widened as I stopped and stared at the stacks upon stacks of golden teeth boxes. I didn't even notice as the sand cuffs around my hands disintegrated, crumbling down to nothing. Pitch lightly grabbed my shoulders, leading me closer to the memory containers as they glinted in the dim sunlight.

"Now, which one stands out to you?" Pitch said seductively over my shoulder, causing goose bumps to run down my arms. Ignoring the feeling, I scanned my eyes over teeth cases, knitting my eyebrows in confusion when nothing seemed to happen. I opened my mouth to mention the small flaw when the familiar male's voice rang through my ears.

'Rose? Rosie?' I jerked my head towards the left, squinting at the shadows. Away from the sunlight, sitting far up against the wall, was an abandoned memory box. It glowed faintly, flickering at the boy's playful tone of voice. 'I know you're out here somewhere Rose!'

Pitch laughed from behind me, letting go of my shoulders to walk over to the discarded tooth box. Meanwhile, I stood in a daze off to the side, raking my mind for any sort of memory that concerned the name 'Rose'. I drew to a blank, furrowing my eyebrows further into confusion from the familiar yet alien-like name.

I jumped as a hand clamped over my shoulder, and I turned to face Pitch. He held the glowing memory box in his hand, holding it out to me as he gave an evil smirk. I stared down at the container with wide eyes, examining the little girl on the end. She had hazel eyes and chocolate-brown hair, with bangs pushed over to the right. A childish grin was planted on her face, as if she was in the middle of laughing. Scrawled at the bottom, were the words Atheia Rose. Another word was written, but somehow it had been scratched over, and I wasn't able to make out what it was supposed to be.

My eyes were wide with curiosity as the container glowed brighter. I hesitantly reached out to the box, stopping halfway to glance up at Pitch, who gave me a narrowed eyed smirk in return. Fighting back the wave of curiosity, I pulled back, glaring up at the Nightmare King.

"Why are you doing this?" I accused, pushing down my fear as Pitch burst into laughter. Backing into the shadows, both the glowing box and his form faded. I jerked in different directions as the shadows of Pitch danced around my form, laughing mockingly.

"To show you want you've always wanted; something that the guardians never did and never would have done. They only use you, Atheia. They're only using you so you can defeat me! What do you think will happen once this is all over? Hmm? You really thought they would welcome you with open arms? Like a family?"

Tears pricked my eyes as Pitch's painful words echoed around in my head. What made it hurt even more was the fact that he was right. I let out a cry of rage as I ran after the dancing shadows, stumbling into another room. I whipped around, defenseless, with no plan whatsoever; I was just that great at these things. My hands clenched at the invisible staff that wasn't with me, and I scowled at the fact of how uncomfortable it was knowing I was completely vulnerable.

Pitch stepped forward out of the shadows, a scowl visible on his face. I backed up against the wall as he walked towards me, his feet echoing on the marble floor. I let out a frightened squeak as he gripped my neck, squeezing it hard enough for it to ache. He glared down into my eyes, a golden fire raging in his own.

"They'll never accept you. You'll never be more important than a tool to them. Look at Jack, he comes in, steals his memories, and then ditches you! You call that caring?" A tear rolled down my cheek as Pitch's grip tightened. "Your only option is to join me, and then we can get revenge on those worthless beings together!"

"Never!" I cried out through my hoarse throat, bringing my fist up and connecting it with the Nightmare King's face.

He cried out in pain, letting go of my neck as he staggered away. I landed on my hands and knees, gasping for breath as his hand left my neck. I heard him growl, and I felt pain erupt from my stomach as he swiftly kicked it again. I collapsed onto the ground fully, cradling my stomach as the aching spread through my body. Waves of pain repeatedly overwhelmed my body as Pitch's sheer force went into my abdomen, via his foot. My gasps for breath turned to muffled groans of pain as my vision fuzzed around the edges. I looked up at Pitch, glaring as he wiped blood away from his lip. He paced over to me, kneeling down to me with a sneer on his face.

"It seems I didn't quite make my point when I said you should learn manners, but no matter. If you want to act like an animal, I'll treat you like an animal."

I groaned in pain from the quick movement as Pitch grabbed a fistful of my cloak, picking me up along with it. He dragged me through the lair, causing me to scrape my legs across some of the rough floors. He pulled me into the main room, and I could hear the excited chirps of the mini fairies as they saw me.

"Pipe down!" Pitch yelled, tugging me up onto a nightmare cloud. The mini fairies, spotting me in pain, quieted down, muttering worried chirps.

Pitch swung open the door of one of the empty and rusted cages, shoving me inside. I felt the edges of cage cut and scrape my bare skin as I turned to a stop on my side, lying weakly inside with my front facing Pitch. He gave an evil grin, and tossed something into the cage with me.

"In case you change your mind…"

I was vaguely aware of something squeaking loudly, and flying up to Pitch. I shook my head to clear the fuzziness on the picture, and when it cleared I saw Pitch, Baby Tooth gripped firmly in his grasp.

"Baby Tooth," I rasped out, attempting to scramble towards the helpless fairy.

She squeaked in his Pitch's grasp, squirming and attempting to wriggle out of it. Pitch laughed again, tightening his grip on the fairy.

"I knew she would come it handy," Pitch took a final glance at Baby Tooth before looking back down to me. "If you don't mind, I'll be paying your ditcher a visit. Care for me to pass any messages?"

My head smacked down onto the uncomfortable, jagged metal of the cage from exhaustion. I felt my body drift off as my eyes started to close. Pitch's laughed echoed in the background as his footsteps started to disappear.

"Of course not. You must be tired," I could hear the sneer in his voice as his footsteps became fainter. "Sweet dreams, Atheia."

The last thing I heard was Pitch's laughter, before I was plunged into a sea of darkness.

Oooooo! Do I piss you off or what? ;D
Hey guys, just a note, my birthday's coming up! 12 days! 12 DAYS! Eeep! I'm so excited! But, I was wondering, maybe I could get...let's say 75 reviews before then? Pweeeease? It would mean so much to me! I love reading each and everyone of your reviews!
Speaking of which, on with the responses!

TenebrisSagittarius: Awww, really? I'm doing a good job? Thanks! It's just nice to have some new reviewers sometimes, even though I love you all to death ;) Thanks for reviewing!

As promised, here's a cookie! (::)

Evelyn-Springs16: Yeah...hehe, sorry about that...but look! I updated :D:D:D Isn't that worth something? ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thanks for reviewing; I appreciate it! Here's a cookie (::)

storygirl99210: Yes! She is gone! Hahahahaha! ...I'm so cruel to my OC's...Thanks for reviewing!

grapejuice101: Hahahaha! Yes! Suffer the wrath of my cliffhangers! ;) Nah, but I did update pretty quick, I mean, compared to my 2 week long break...*cringes* Pitch/OC? Hmmmm, I actually hadn't thought of that...maybe in later chapters? I'll see, but thanks for the suggestion!

booklover1598: I updated! Yay! Now we're all happy! :D

JustPlainOldMe: You can provide me with many theories and evidence, it still doesn't matter...I'm still not telling you ;) AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SAYING ON NOT WATCHING THIS FREAKING AWESOME MOVIE!? HOW?! WHY!? WHAT?! All of human kind should seriously not torture to that degree to not watch this...:( You have to watch this ASAP! And, I'm kinda sorry I'm spoiling everything :( And the answer to your question...not telling! ;) Hahahaha! Suffer in the suspense! I. AM. THE SUSPENSORER! HAHAHAHAHA!
Oh wow...I'm mad. ;) And your evidence is quite convincing, I did enjoy reading it ;) DON'T YOU DARE THINK YOUR ANNOYING ME! It's so funny watching everyone go crazy about this ;) AND COOKIE TIME TO YOU TO! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)! Thanks for reminding me! And thanks for your support!

Kay, that's everything guys. As usual, please leave me a review if you liked this chapter, and if you're new to this story please favourite and follow if you like it so far! Updates are SOON *hint, hint* to come! And I only know what you don't recognize in the movie!

Bubye!

CrystalxRose