Icy Shadows

Summary: After visiting Jamie, Jack finds some fearlings attacking someone. He rescues the person only to find out its...a injured teenage Pitch? How did that happen? Jack/Pitch

Okay this is a lot shorter and not entirely good but honestly did not know how to continue this chapter further. Again sorry it took long, uni work has kept me busy and was trying to think of ways of lengthening this chapter and failing miserably. Still hope its not too bad.

Chapter 14

It was a bright sunny day. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping and the air was calm, a gentle breeze shifting through the trees.

Suddenly a black portal spun into existence, interrupting the bright happy scene with a roar that sent shook the trees and sent the birds off, squawking. It got bigger and bigger until it at last spat something out.

Pitch cried as he was fell out of the portal and onto the floor. He let out a painful groan. The ride through the portal certainly did not do his broken limbs any favours, no not at all. He was going to be in casts for much longer now.

Coughing a little, he sat up, wiping the snow that was still on his jacket and checking his arm and leg to make sure the portal didn't damage them too much. Once he confirmed that at least the ride didn't break them again, he looked around at his surroundings.

He blinked.

He was in the middle of a forest. But that wasn't what caused him to blink. He recognised these woods.

He also recognised the lake in front of him, even though it wasn't covered with ice.

"Why am I in Burgess?"

Suddenly something small was chucked out the portal and straight into Pitch's hair, nearly causing him to fall back down. The portal swiftly shut behind him, disappearing for good.

Pitch reached up and plucked Baby Tooth from his hair.

"Correction. Why are we in Burgess?" Pitch said, raising an eyebrow at Baby Tooth.

Baby Tooth smoothed back down her feathers that had been dishevelled when she had careered through the portal and glowered at Pitch. Immediately she started ranting.

"Okay, it's probably a good thing I can't understand you." Pitch said, guessing from the fairy's glare the gist of what she was saying.

She confirmed it with a very rude gesture directed at him.

"You know I can just flick you of my hand quite easily, right?"

Baby Tooth just met his frown with a steely gaze.

"I told you to go back to Santoff Claussen! You shouldn't have followed me!"

Baby Tooth simply cocked an eyebrow in response and waited silently. Pitch sighed. She really shouldn't have followed him. Who knows what could have been on this side of the portal?

But then, he didn't know either. And while he knew he was too scared to have changed his decision about stepping in, when he did he had also been deeply terrified of what could have been waiting for him. The fact that she had followed him while most likely sharing the exact same fear, just to make sure he was okay, was comforting.

"Fine. I'm glad you came." Pitch admitted.

Baby Tooth smiled knowingly and tweeted triumphantly. Pitch rolled his eyes.

"And I thought that I had a big ego." He muttered.

He should known that remark would result with a lot of indignant squawking and rude gestures thrown at him.

"Any luck?"

The Guardians had been searching through the entire North Pole, attempting to find Pitch. Jack, North, Tooth and Sandy had taken to the skies while Bunny, the Yetis and the elves (though they weren't exactly helpful) had searched on foot.

After flying over the whole of the Arctic and still no sign of Pitch, Jack had spotted Bunny on his way back and had flown down to him.

"Negative, mate." Bunny replied to the boy's question.

Jack sighed, his face contorted with worry. Bunny nudged him slightly.

"Hey, don't start a storm again mate. We'll find him."

Jack wasn't listening. He had caught sight of North's sleigh flying over and with a shot, he flew up to meet him.

"Did you find him?" Jack asked, hopeful.

North shook his head. Again Jack's face fell.

Seeing as Bunny couldn't fly up to the sleigh and the sleigh was too high up for the Pooka to jump up, North directed the sleigh to the ground to meet him instead. Jack followed, though his eyes were still scanning the snowy landscape around him, praying he would spot Pitch.

"Are you sure he didn't take a snow globe, mate?" Bunny asked North when the sleigh had reached to a stop besides him.

"Yes. The Yetis and I have counted them. Multiple times. They're all still there."

"And I checked the ones I have in my room. None of those are missing either." Jack injected, distractedly.

"Then how have we not found the little bugger then? He wouldn't have gotten this far on foot!" Bunny said, gesturing to the clearing they stood in, miles from Santoff Claussen. "And I never leave any of my rabbit holes open, you know that. He must have left the North Pole somehow."

"But he cannot use his sand. And while he did regain some of his powers for a bit, he lost them again quickly after."

Bunny stared at North with his mouth jutted open.

"Wait, wait a minute! Just hold on for a second. When did he get his powers back?"

"It was after I got concussion. He had a nightmare and his hands started glowing black...I think." Jack said, scratching his head, "The details are still a bit fuzzy."

He turned to North, "I didn't know you knew about that."

"He told me when I ask him to come to his office. Tried to show me but found that they had disappeared."

Bunny stared at the two in complete and utter bewilderment.

"And why am I only being told about this now?"

Jack and North shared a glance, "Um..."

"Not being funny but you, Bunny, you sometimes tend to, er..." North trailed off.

"...Overreact?" Jack finished for him.

He winced slightly at Bunny's scowl.

"Technically Sandy and Tooth don't know." Jack continued, "So it's not like you were last to know or something."

"Frostbite." Bunny growled, "Stop talking."

Jack immediately shut up.

Bunny pinched the bridge of his nose. "So let me get this straight. At some point after the fearlings hurt Frostbite here, the boogeyman's-"

"He has a name." Jack said sternly.

"-powers came back but then fizzled out again the next day." Bunny continued as if Jack hadn't interrupted. "Did you stop to think that his powers may have come back again just so he could leave the country?"

Jack and North paused.

"Oh..."

"I did not think of that."

Bunny threw his arms in the air, "And this is why you tell me things. Blimey..."

"Okay, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

And before the two could say anything, Jack was off like a shot.

They watched him disappeared from sight. Bunny looked at North with concern.

"Is the kid alright?"

"He will be." North replied, quietly, "Once he finds Pitch."

Bunny rubbed the back of his neck. He felt that if he found Pitch he would be torn between wanting to tear a new one into him for leaving (and just because he was the nightmare king) and being filled with relief, as Jack would be back to his happier self again.

"I'll tell the yetis the change of plans and start searching in the warmer countries. You tell Tooth and Sandy."

North nodded. He headed back to his sleigh whilst Bunny tapped in the ground and disappeared down a tunnel.

"Ah!"

Pitch hissed as he nearly fell to the ground once more. He managed to grab a small tree trunk just in the nick of time and pull himself up again.

Baby Tooth tweeted in concern next to him. Pitch shrugged her off.

"I'm fine. Just regretting not bringing my crutches."

Baby Tooth rolled her eyes. Pitch chose to ignore her. He knew what she was thinking.

"Look, let's just find a place to stay the night all right? We can discuss how I'm an absolute idiot later." Hopefully much, much later.

Baby Tooth huffed, disgruntled, but she agreed, flying down and attempting to help him keep on his feet. Her help wasn't really that helpful as she couldn't really support him, but Pitch was grateful for her trying.

He wasn't sure where they should go. A cave had been his first thought, but he didn't really want to stay in these woods. For starters, he didn't know if the fearlings still hung about and he really did not want to bump into them right now.

Plus there was the fact that Jack's lake was here, a reminder of how much of a coward and an idiot he was being right now. And, while he knew Baby Tooth would be only so happy to remind him of that later, the less reminders, the better.

There hopefully was an abandoned building in the town close by that the two could stay in, at least for the night. Either that or someone's garden shed would do just as well. At this point, Pitch's only focus was to get to whatever unused place they came across before his leg gave out, and not on the comforts said place provided.

Baby Tooth chirped, finally catching Pitch's attention. They were just reaching the outskirts of the forest.

Part of Pitch felt relieved he completed at least half the journey. The other part wondered how the heck he was going to cross the gap between the forest and pickets fences that cut off the houses' gardens from the woods.

They stopped by a tree just on the woods' edge, allowing Pitch to rest against it. Baby Tooth looked at him with worry.

"I'm fine." He repeated. But honestly he hardly convinced himself.

"Maybe we should stay here tonight?" He asked hopefully. Baby Tooth shot him a look, "No, didn't think so."

Baby Tooth was about to speak (or chirp to be precise) when suddenly a ball went flying past her and hit Pitch square in the face.

"Ow!"

Pitch nearly fell down, the tree his only support. The two spun around to see who threw that ball, only to meet the gaze of a very angry small brown haired boy.

Oh yeah. Pitch forgot that the kid that defeated him last Easter lived here.

"You leave Baby Tooth alone!"

Jamie grabbed one of Sophie's toys of the ground but before he could throw it at Pitch, Baby Tooth rushed over, tweeting and waving her arms to get him to stop.

Jamie looked confused but lowered the Barbie doll, slightly, still holding it defensively.

"Why are you protecting the boogeyman?"

Baby Tooth sighed, wishing she could talk. Jamie would not understand her language. But before she could decide if she try to mouth and sign words or just grab a stick and start scribbling on the floor, Pitch spoke.

"How...how can you see me?"

Baby Tooth blinked. That actually was a good question. The last time Jamie could see Pitch was when he was a full grown adult about to attack them all with a storm of nightmare sand and fearlings; only to be defeated by Jamie and the rest of the children in Burgess bringing Sandy back to life. Then Jamie had simply passed through the boogeyman, no longer feeling fear and therefore no longer believing in him.

"I don't know, maybe because of those horses you keep sending around?!" Jamie said. His tone was meant to be sound heavily sarcastic, but it came out only half angry, the other half frightened.

"The fearlings have been here?" Pitch asked, sharing a worried glance with Baby Tooth.

"Wait, you don't know?"

The anger quickly dissipated from his voice and Jamie completed lowered the Barbie doll. He finally took in Pitch's appearance.

"And why are you a teenager?"

Once more the nightmare king and the baby tooth fairy shared a look, this time a confidence smile across Baby Tooth's beak as she inclined her head to Jamie's house. Pitch still looked uncertain. To be honest, he rather he didn't have to explain every that had happened over the last few months to this small boy that confused expression reminded him of Jack.

But he doubted Baby Tooth would let him turn and bolt – not that he could bolt anyway. So, letting out a sigh, he gave in.

"It's a long story. And I'm about to fall flat on my face. So if you want me to explain, either let me into your house or grab some seats." At Baby Tooth glare, he added, "Please."

Jamie hesitated, then went over to the table in his garden and grabbed some seats. Despite that every time he glanced at him, the grey skinned teen seemed less and less like the scary nightmare king that tried to attack him, he still didn't trust him. Hence why when he gave Pitch the chair, he made sure he stayed out of the boogeyman reach and as he pulled up his own chair, made sure it was a good distance away.

"Okay then," Jamie said, leaning forward so he could stare Pitch directly in the eye, "Explain then."

Boop