[Winter, 1740]

It was time! The day was finally here! He had been looking forward to this day for weeks!

Three decades of being cooped up in the dark palace and now, for the first time in forever *, Jack would see the outside world! The world he woke up in, filled with green trees, sunlight, grass...and snow! Not the snow he made! But real actual snow! That fell from the sky! Oh he wanted to see it all again!

However, Jack couldn't help but feel a little jittery as well. The whole point of him being locked up here was because he couldn't control his powers. His first few years were hard. Everything he touched froze, his sneezes would cause ice bolts to shoot out and if he got startled, ice discs would form on the floor from his feet. And not to mention that one time he caused a blizzard in his sleep. That caused his room and the halls around his room to be covered in 10 feet of snow and frost! Boy was Pitch not happy about that, not one bit!

Then there was that time Jack snuck out for himself. That quickly ended in disaster too. He thought he had a handle on things. Obviously he didn't. He froze two trees and several little animals! It was absolutely terrible! He felt so bad after that and Pitch was so mad at him for sneaking out. After that moment, Pitch decided that Jack wasn't going to leave the shadow palace until he had a total control over his powers.

During the first decade and a half, Jack experimented on how he could improve his self control. The first idea that came to mind was suppression. Maybe if he didn't use his powers, they wouldn't lash out at random and out of his control.

Jack quickly learned that was a very bad idea. Sometimes Pitch got too busy. He wasn't always there to train Jack on a weekly basis. That meant Jack would be bottling up his powers for longer periods of time. Which made his accidents, when they did happen, even more violent and widespread than before!

Jack did learn something from the experience though. He learned that actually releasing his powers in smell bits actually helped a lot. It started out small at first. He'd frost a few patches of brick on the walls of his room here and there whenever he was bored. Eventually, all the walls and ceiling of his room were completely covered in snow and frost. Next, he decided to frost over the iron frame of his bed. Then the iron frame of his bedroom door.

At one point, Jack took a good look at his room. All he had was a bed and a small book case. The room was big and the new white walls just made it feel...emptier. Maybe he could try making something! He concentrated and concentrated. And after days of hard mental work, Jack was able to make a solid block of ice! Just from his magic alone! He made more blocks of ice, all varying in size and shape. Soon, the skill came easier to Jack and he was making more elaborate forms of solid ice.

Then, one day, much to his surprise, Jack made something amazing.

He made a chair! And actual chair! It wasn't brittle or wobbly and he could even sit in it! His weight didn't even crack it! It was amazing! If he was able to make a sturdy chair of ice, imagine what else he could make.

With that little chair, Jack's imagination went wild with ideas! He began on a special project that he was POSITIVE would impress his mentor; Pitch Black!

Which brings us back to the present point of time. After three weeks of hard work, Jack stepped back to take a look at his handiwork.

"Hm...just one more piece and...there! Perfect!" Jack tapped his staff on the icy surface of his table, adding a few more details. Now that he looked at everything, he felt even MORE confident this would work. He bounced on the balls of his feet, taking one more look at his room before rushing out of the door, bidding the wind to take him straight to the lower levels of the Dark Palace.

Meanwhile, Pitch Black had settled into his study for the evening. In the center of his vast black library was a large table with chairs around them. He had several book open at once with little tendrils of shadows resting on the tips of the pages, ready to turn them at their master's command. All of them were books on magic: theoretical, practical, dark and benign. There had to be a way...there just had to be a way for him to return to his former glory. And put that damnable Guardians back in their place.

He paced around the table and sat back in his favorite armchair, a copy of "Magick Moste Evile" in his hands. He was starting to get annoyed. There were plenty of other books that told him how to transmute negative magic into a positive but none that spoke of doing it the other way around. Most of those books were burned during the witch hunts. He was started to regret his hand in spurring them on during the middle ages. If only he knew it would come back to bite him-

"MR. PITCH!"

Pitch nearly dropped the book in his hands; Jack had startled him so badly. The tendrils of shadows that were on the other books also visibly flinched, responding to their masters emotions as well.

"GAH! J-Jack!? What the bloody hell you think you're-"

"Oh, sorry! I forgot to knock but uh, are you busy right now? Cause there's something I REALLY wanna show you!" Jack rushed forward to Pitch's side. His hands gripped one of the arms of the chair he was sitting on as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

A brow raised at Jack's behavior before he went to rubbing his forehead. "Jack, I don't have time for you at the moment-"

"But it'll be REALLY quick, I promise! And I guarantee you'll love it! Come on, lemme show you!"

Pitch was about to protest again but Jack didn't give him a chance to do so. He soon found his wrist grabbed by Jack's always cold hands and pulled up from his seat, leaving his books and library behind.

"Jack, why can't you just tell me what it is?"

"No! Cause then it wouldn't be a surprise! Trust me, it'll be GREAT! You're gonna be SO proud of me when you see it!"

Pitch inwardly doubted that, rolling his eyes as Jack continued to drag him down the hallway. When they finally stopped at Jack's door, Pitch noticed something was amiss.

The once black iron door frame of Jack's bedroom door was...white? And he didn't recall frost tracing the outline of Jack's door the last time he here. Jack appear in Pitch's line of sight, his pale hand resting on the door knob.

"Alright, ready? Feast your eyes!"

The door opened...and Pitch was met with quite a surprise…

Pitch didn't normally come to Jack's room. In fact, Jack himself was rarely in here. The winter spirit mostly just came here when he wanted to be alone, or sleep for the night, or if Pitch got upset and sent him up here. The last time Pitch was in here, the octagon-shaped room just had a simple bed and a book case. The walls were nothing but black bricks and the same went for the floor and high ceilings. Looking at it now...it was like Pitch was walking into another world!

On the far side of the room he recognized Jack's bed. But now two end tables adorned each side, both with a single draw and a candle holder on top. To the left of the bed was Jack's desk but it doubled in length. Now shaped in a way that it hugged the obtuse angle of that corner. On the following corner, to the left of the desk, was a new circular table with two little chairs on either side of it. At the center of the table was a little vase holding what appeared to be a flower made of ice.

On the wall just left of the bedroom door were two little book shelves on each end of the wall with a long reading bench positioned right between them. And finally, on the wall just right of the door sat a three seater couch, an armchair and what appeared to be a block of ice to be used for a coffee table or perhaps a foot rest.

Pitch wasn't a stranger to interior decorating. In fact the more private areas of his lair were decorated with furniture he had collected over the years. His library and bedroom being prime examples.

What surprised Pitch the most was the fact that everything, except for Jack's bed, was made of solid ice! And they weren't just slabs of ice stacked together to form rudimentary shapes resembling furniture. The ice had details carved in and out of them. Draws, handles, little knobs and etchings of diamond like designs and swirling shapes. Even the smaller objects like the candle holders and the plants here and there were made of solid ice!

Pitch took a step inside of the room, the sound of snow crunching drawing his attention. The snow was everywhere, spread to every corner of Jack's floor. It was especially piled up on Jack's bed, as if acting as a comforter. The snow on the floor didn't hinder Pitch's movement, though. It was only half an inch high. In fact, if it weren't for the foot prints that Pitch left behind, it looked like Jack had put down white carpeting.

His eyes went from the floor and travelled along the walls. They too were covered in frost and snow. Coupled with the ice and the black brick showing underneath, the walls appeared to have a sort of greyish-blue almost metallic look to them. And speaking of the walls, it looked as if Jack had made a fake window above his bed. Complete with fake glass and a frame that Jack could easily sit on. Even the glass had little frost drawings of a forest and clouds.

His eyes travelled further up and again, he was met with surprise. The ceiling had great large swirling patterns and shapes made of solid snow and ice. Ceiling beams made of ice connected from each corner of the ceiling. The beams met at the very center where an ice chandelier hung. It held 8 candles; four on an outer ring and four more in the center. The light of the candle bounced off the ice and walls, lighting the room perfectly, making everything seem to sparkle and shine.

While Pitch was taking in everything that Jack had done, the young ice spirit was beaming. There was a big smile on his face as he too admired his hard work. He had to admit, he was very happy with the way things came out! And he got the reaction he wanted out of Pitch; utter speechlessness!

Letting his mentor take in his newly furnished room for a moment more, Jack then bounced forward and plopped down on his bed, his staff falling perfectly into his lap.

"Isn't this cool?! I started on it weeks ago!"

Pitch didn't respond for a moment but once his brain registered that Jack was speaking to him, he looked toward the boy. He was impressed. Very impressed. So far, he's only seen Jack use his powers for offense and defense during their training sessions. Yes, he had a feeling that Jack would be able to make solid item using his ice magic. But he had no idea that Jack had progressed so far by himself yet. To get to this point so soon...was surprising.

Though, in hindsight, maybe it wasn't all that shocking. For humans with magical blood, Pitch knew they often started training since birth and it took them at least 30 to 40 years to perfect their abilities. Pitch forgot sometimes that Jack, although stuck in a young teens body, was as old as a middle-aged adult. Plenty of time for him to perfect his power. However, to do so without any sort of tutelage? Sure, Pitch taught him how to harness his magic into ice blast and shielding but he didn't believe that Jack had the level of control and concentrated needed to pull off such a project like this. And with such fine details in them as well!

Pitch paused again before clearing his throat; the shock and surprise on his face forced back to it's normal neutral state. He took a few pacing steps around the room, letting his fingers ghost over the surfaces of the different object. Perfectly smooth solid pieces, no bumps or cracks anywhere! Flawless…

"I...have to admit, Jack. This is...impressive…"

Jack's smiled grew. Impressive! Yes, that was good! Pitch was impressed-Jack had impressed him!

Pitch picked up the little flower made of ice, giving it a good look. It was a little ice tulip complete with the stem, leaves and little tiny fern swirls on the petals of the flower.

"Very...detailed…"

He placed the flower down and went over to Jack's desk, his hands tracing over the surface. He wiped away the bit of snow that covered it, revealing yet another flawless smooth surface. Perfect texture. Not a crack in sight.

"Yep! I worked on everything for 2 ½ weeks, maybe longer. I wanted everything to be PERFECT before I showed it to you! Oh! And look what I made too!"

Jack flew toward the desk and opened up one of the doors of the little hunch that stood above it. From the compartment he pulled out what looked like a half-finished figurine made of ice and handed it to Pitch. The bottom half of the figure was still a large portion of unfinished ice...but the top half, Pitch could clearly see a figure taking shape. It had a long torso, long arms with sleeves that flowed down and around the arms. The head, still being refined, had a long chin, slicked back hair and a finely shaped nose.

And that's when Pitch noticed. It was him. Jack was making an ice sculpture of him?

"Is...is that suppose to be me?" Pitch asked as he set down the figure carefully on the top of the desk.

"Yeah! I mean, it-it's not finished yet, I still gotta finish the bottom half and finish the back...a-and maybe fix the arms. This is actually how I've practicing outside of training! I mean, you always tell me that concentration is key so what better way to practice then by...making ice sculptures, right?"

Jack lowered himself to his knees, his arms resting on the edge of his desk. He lifted one finger and, using his nail, began to gently carve away some of the imperfections in the bottom of the figure.

Pitch's face remained as neutral as possible. But as Jack rambled on about his hard work Pitch could feel a strange ball of warmth growing in his chest. It was dull but he could feel it. A small smile tugged at his lips. He realized he was feeling pride. It was small but obviously there. His little weapon was more creative and resourceful than he first thought.

'His artistic skill could use a little refinement though...my nose isn't that big!'

Ignoring the little voice in his head, Pitch watched as Jack hopped up to sit on the desk and put his little sculpture away. He ran his fingers through his ivory locks of hair, calming himself down. His bright blue eyes filled with hope, he took a deep breath and smiled up at Pitch.

"So...what do you think? Is it good?"

Pitch's smiled grew a little bit before placing his hands behind his back and elegantly walked to the center of the room. He took another quick look around then finally looked back at Jack.

"Well done, Jack. Very well done...I had no idea you'd gotten such a handle on your powers…"

Pitch could've sworn Jack was glowing with how hard he was smiling, his cheeks now growing a bright shade of pink from Pitch's nonchalant praising.

Alrighty, he has confirmation that Pitch was impressed with him. On to phase two of his plan. His hands gripped nervously around his staff, Jack let his eyes wander around the room, nervous about his next question…

"So...ahem...now that we've established that my magic is under perfect control...you think, maybe, it's time you let me go...up top…?"

Pitch turned away from Jack to example the detail of his ice bookshelves as Jack asked him his question. A brow raised, he glanced at Jack from over his shoulder before turning back to the book case. "Hm? Up top? Up top where…"

"You know...up top...to the...surface…?"

Pitch's whole body froze. His eyes narrowed and his brows creased with a deep frown. So, that was Jack's game. He was showing off his powers in hopes of being allowed to leave. The boy wanted to leave the Palace and explore the outside world.

No. Pitch couldn't let that happen. It was too soon, the boy was too wild, not yet fully under Pitch's control. Too many things could go wrong so fast. He'd have to nip this in bud and now.

"Outside? Hm...no...I don't think so, Jack…"

Jack's bright smile melted away and was quickly replaced with a look that one could only describe as utter sadness. If Pitch still had a heart, he could've sworn he could feel it clenching in his chest. The boy looked so devastated…

"Bu...But why? Why!?" Jack jumped up from his spot on the desk and ran up to Pitch. "Pitch, I-! Look at my room, look at what I can do-"

"Let me guess…" Pitch cut Jack off, turning fully toward the boy. "You did all this in an effort to impress me so much that I'll let you run wild in the world above?"

Jack looked at Pitch, stunned for a moment, before nodding. "Well...yeah! I mean, you said so yourself, I'm not allowed to leave until I have a full handle on my powers! Doesn't all this prove that I do?"

"Not really...I mean, it is quite a sight. Impressive by novice standards but that doesn't mean you're under total control…"

"But I am, Pitch! I swear that I am!"

"Oh really?" Pitch began to walk toward Jack, making the young spirit back away until his back hit the desk.

"What if you get scared? What if you get angry? What if, in your excitement you lose control again and freeze everything around you? Normal people may not be able to see you, but other spirits, other beings that are like us, can. And if you cause too much trouble, do you know what they'll do? They'll snuff you out, get rid of you! Make sure you never bother them again! Do you want that to happen, Jack? Do you WANT to be snuffed out? Attacked? Destroyed?"

"N-No! But I don't wanna be stuck here for the rest of my life either, I just...Please, Pitch! I promise I'll be good!"

"Hmph…" Pitch stepped back from Jack, making his way toward Jack's door. "You may think you have total control over your power, but I have the final say in that matter...so my answer is, No. Until I've decided you can be trusted on the surface, you'll stay down here…with me..."

Pitch may have said his final word on the subject but behind him, Jack was staring at him in shock. His eyes were burning, he felt like he was going to cry...but no. No, he wasn't going to cry. He didn't feel sad...he felt angry now. Very angry! After all that hard work, all the days of planning and perfecting this ability of ice sculpture, all the weekly training sessions with Pitch and still it wasn't good enough?!

"Y-You….JERK!" Jack yelled at Pitch, running in front of him. Pitch's brows went up, surprised by Jack's sudden outburst.

"It's not fair! I've been cooped up in here for 30 years, Pitch! 30 YEARS! I've been practicing everyday and doing everything you told me to do without question! And when I FINALLY have a handle on things, you say it's not good enough!? How is all of THIS not good enough?! Why won't you let me leave!?"

Pitch was speechless for just a short moment. Jack had never spoken back to him like this before. He wasn't sure how to respond at first. However, he quickly regained his composure and glared down at Jack.

"This! This is exactly why you can't leave! You're irrational, emotional, and, apparently, don't know how to respect your elders!"

"W-Well, I wouldn't be emotional if you'd just-just...acknowledge that I don't need anymore training, I'm under control!"

"No, you are not under control until I say you are! Now I suggest you stop arguing with me and accept it!"

"BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"LIFE'S NOT FAIR!"

"You! Y-You're such a-! UGH! God I-! I HATE YOU!"

Pitch looked at Jack with shock. This was going too far. This boy was much too rowdy. He'd have to put his foot down and let him know who's the boss. Without warning, Pitch snatched Jack's staff right out his hand and scowled down at the now shocked Jack.

"Congratulations, Jack. You've just earned yourself another 20 years of house arrest!"

Jack gasped in horror. 20 years? No! That was the exact opposite of what Jack wanted to happen! Staring in shock, he watched as Pitch walked over to Jack's door and opened it, his beloved staff in his free hand.

"B-But you can't do that!"

Pitch turned and gave Jack one more angry look before growling out,

"I JUST DID!" Finally, with a slam of the door, Pitch left and Jack was alone in his frost and ice covered room. Once he was alone, he let out a yell of frustration and anger, throwing a mini-temper tantrum before throwing himself on his bed. He was so angry, so frustrated! And most of all...he was so sad.

A shaky sigh left Jack's lips. Without his staff, Jack didn't have to same control he had before. In his sadness, it began to snow in his room, covering the surfaces with the magical ice flakes…

All he wanted was just one day. Just ONE DAY to look at the sky, to walk on the grass, see the trees, the little animals and, even the people. Even if they wouldn't be able to see or hear him, he just wanted to see other people...

He was so lonely…

"Ungrateful little whelp...hmph...say you hate me, will you? After I gave you shelter and training...that little brat should be grateful I even took him in the first place!"

'...technically I lured him away from the moon...'

"...but even if I did, he should be groveling at my feet, begging me for my attention! Just because he makes a few piece of pretty furniture, he thinks I'll just bend to his every whim!?"

'...even though he did do an excellent job...'

"Argh! It doesn't matter, the boy should know his place!"

Pitch had been going like this for almost 45 minutes, fuming and ranting to himself. In the corner of his study stood Jack's staff, leaning against a bookcase. Arriving at his study, Pitch had a mind to break the stupid thing in half and throw it into the fire, he was that mad! However, his voice of reason stopped him. If he did manage to gain total control over the boy, Jack wouldn't be able to use his magic otherwise. He need his staff to conduct it.

But still, he was angry. So angry at Jack and he didn't know why! Call it a bruised ego, or maybe his spiteful nature rearing it's ugly head again, but he just wanted to wrap his hands around Jack's neck and just strangle that boy.

'Oh yes, kill the one person I'm trying to control, that'll be good for business…'

"UGH! I should've turned him into a Fearling when I had a chance! My Fearlings never disobeyed me, they never talked back! Hell they didn't even know how to talk!"

'That's because fearlings are mindless idiots…and if I did that, his magical core would be corrupted...and it'd be too much trouble to syphon off his powers before turning him…"

Growling, Pitch continued to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace of his study. The flames the only light source in the room.

"Be that as it may, as long as that boy is living under MY roof, he'll obey MY rules without question!"

At that thought, Pitch had to take a calming breath. Only in that moment did he realize that a throbbing migraine was quickly starting to form in his temples. He let out an exhausted sigh and fell back into his armchair. He hated getting migraines, especially when he gets stressed out. So irritating…

"Gods...listen to me...I sound like a parent…" He grumbled. Pitch let his head fall back and stared up at the dark ceiling. "...ha….that's what I get for taking in an eternal teenager…"

...Knock-Knock-Knock…

Pitch brought his head back down to its normal position, looking at the double door entrance to his study. After the knock got no answer, another three knocks sounded off.

...Knock-Knock-Knock…

"Pitch? Are...Are you in there? Can I...talk to you…?"

Oh. This was a little surprising. However, Pitch remained skeptical. He lifted a hand and curled his fingers inward, letting his power open the doors for him. And, sure enough, in walked Jack, arms folded and eyes cast down to the floor. There was still a clear pout on his face, the crease of his brows made that very evident. Still, he was visibly much calmer than he was an hour ago.

Pitch did nothing. He simply leaned back in his chair, his chin resting on the knuckles of his left hand and his right hand resting in the lap of his now crossed legs.

"...Continue…"

Hearing that, Jack stepped a bit closer to Pitch, standing before him. He gave his shepherd's crook a quick glance, his fingers twitching at his subconscious need to have it in his hands.

"...Well?"

Pitch was getting impatient. Jack, huffing, curled his shoulders up a little more before speaking.

"Look...about what happened earlier. I didn't mean to lose my temper...I just...I'm just..!" Jack couldn't say it. It just felt strange opening up to a man that, although he was his mentor, he barely saw outside of their weekly sessions. Pitch, however, was losing his patience for the boy and his stuttering. He had yet to get an apology and if Jack wasn't here to say sorry then he shouldn't even have wasted his time coming to his study.

"Just...what?" Pitch growled, urging the boy to continue.

The winter spirit huffed again, swallowing his hesitation then continued.

"I'm just frustrated! I mean, don't get me wrong, I-I appreciate what you're doing for me: training me, helping me to control my powers, giving me a place to stay. All of it! I just thought after 30 years of being cooped up here...ha...look, I worked really, REALLY hard on my room! I spent a whole week making sure I had my self control under control and then TWO MORE weeks of trial and error trying to get my room just perfect to show off to you! And then you see it and say it's not good enough even though I tried my BEST at making it so I could prove that I had control and you just...just…!"

He paused mid rant, all the while his arms flailing with each expression and moments of frustration. Without his staff, he didn't know what to do with his hands; they were all over the place. Finally, one hand rested on his hip while the other ran through his white locks of hair.

"...look, I understand where you're coming from. Okay, I do...honestly...and I know my powers aren't perfect yet...but I thought that what I did with my room would be enough for...at least one day looking around the surface…"

All the while Jack was talking, Pitch said nothing. He just sat back and listened to the boy vent his frustrations. Part of it found it annoying but he settled those thoughts. He understood that emotions were a lot like natural magic: bottling it up could end in disaster. And if this calmed the boy down enough for Pitch to regain control of him then he'd just have to endure it.

Jack took a moment to calm down, sighing before leaning against Pitch's table, his arms folding into each other again. His brows creased slightly and his eyes softened…

"...I'm sorry for yelling at you...and I'm sorry for what I said...I don't hate you...honestly…"

There we go. That's what Pitch had been waiting for: a proper apology. He leaned back in his chair, also crossing his arms. As much as he hated to admit it...he liked this. Not the whole fighting then Jack coming to apologize thing...but the talking. He liked listening to Jack talk. His rambling and ranting was somehow calming to him, just like it was those years ago before Jack became Jack Frost. The anger he felt moments ago cooled significantly as he watched emotion after emotion play across Jack's face and remorse reflecting in his eyes.

"Apology accepted, Jack…"

Jack gave Pitch a small smile. Well at least he got that off his chest. But that didn't meant he was off the hook. Pitch's threat of 20 more years trapped down there still loomed over his head. It made it hard for him to hold a smile. His eyes still averted, he nodded at Pitch before turning to leave the room…

"..Wait…" Jack froze, he looked back and saw Pitch's hand gently wrapped around his bicep. The nightmare King stood before the boy, towering over him. He didn't say anything at first...just looked down at the white hair spirited. Then, with a sigh, he lifted his hand and rubbed at the migraine that was now just a dull throbbing in the center of his forehead.

"...I...apologize as well…"

Jack was...taken aback. Pitch was apologizing to him? What for? Well, Jack did mentally blame Pitch for starting the fight. Then again, Jack did make it worse by losing his temper. By all rights, they were both at fault but still. Jack never expected Pitch, the proud and powerful nightmare king, to apologize to him.

"..You...you're sorry?"

Pitch rolled his eyes and walked toward the fireplace, looking down into the dancing flames.

"Yes, Jack, you heard me. Although I'm still unsure about your abilities to control yourself under duress or emotional states, I'll admit...what you did with your room took a lot of concentration and control. I was impressed with your work and...I suppose...that maybe...I may have...set my standards a little...higher than I should've when it came to your powers. So...I apologize for that…"

He turned back to look at Jack and was met with a bright smile. The boy shrugged his shoulders, casting his eyes downward again. "Aw it's...it's okay. Heh heh...so...I guess it's all...water under the bridge now?"

The nightmare king smirked as he walked up to Jack. "Let bygones be bygones as they say…"

"Hahaha! Great! Ha...so…" Jack smile grew playful, his eyes darting from Pitch to his staff. "Since we're all forgive and forget...do you think I can have my staff back?" He lifted his hands, flexing his fingers. "I kinda don't know what to do with my hands right now…"

Pitch let out a chuckle. Smirking, he nodded toward the corner of the study, giving Jack the go ahead to take it back.

Jack wasted no time in crossing the room and when his staff was finally in his hands, he sighed in relief. "Ha...Daddy missed you!"

Pitch chuckled at Jack's comment as he watched the boy twirl the familiar object in his hand. His staff resting safely on his shoulder, he gave Pitch another smile before heading toward the door.

"Jack...one more thing…make sure you get plenty of rest tonight…"

Plenty of rest? That was a strange request. An eyebrow raise, Jack smiled at Pitch, confusion written all over his face.

"You're going to have a big day tomorrow…"

Jack could feel his heart beating. What were they going to do? Was Pitch going to teach him something new? Or maybe…

"...why? What are we doing tomorrow?"

Pitch figured he should stop torturing the poor boy and just come out and say it. "Well...it'll be your first time on the surface in 30 years...don't want to be tired for it, do you?"

Jack. Was. Shocked.

Did Pitch just say what he think he just said!? The surface? Up top! He was going? He was letting him go to the surface! That same smile, a smile that could rival the sun in brightness, appeared on Jack's face again as he ran up to Pitch, standing before him.

"Really?! Y-You're serious! You're gonna take me up top tomorrow?! For real!? No joking!?"

Pitch chuckled again, crossing his arms as he looked down at his young ward. "Yes. Again, I'm not sure you have perfect control over your powers but I'm sure as long as I'm with you, nothing will go wrong. Then, if things go well, perhaps I'll allow you weekly visits up top…"

Amazing. This was so amazing! Jack couldn't believe it; his wish came true after all! Pitch was going to take him surface side! For the first time in forever, he'd see the sun, the sky, the snow! For the first time in forever, he'd be able to leave the dark palace he called a home!

Jack literally jumped for joy before, to Pitch's surprise, lunging forward and engulfing Pitch into a tight and joyful hug. It's been a long time since Jack had done this. Pitch could even recall the last time Jack had hugged him this tightly. He could recall how happy Jack was to see Pitch after being gone for a week...how much he said he missed his "friend".

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Pitch! Thank you so much! You're the BEST!"

After that moment of affection, Jack released Pitch from his grip and ran out of the room, whooping and jumping for joy. Pitch could hear Jack's laughter and cheers echo through his palace as he made his way to his room. He could still feel cold of Jack's aura around his waist and chest from where he embraced him.

Sighing to himself, a frown suddenly appeared on his face. That boy. Pitch didn't know if he'd ever get used to his constant mood swings. And apparently they're contagious! Pitch had never intended to change his mind on letting Jack out yet and, a few sweet words and vain empathy and poof, Jack had him wrapped around his fingers!? What the hell was wrong with him?

'...this can be a good thing though. Like I said. This is just a test...' A test to see how well the boy can handle himself. Test how well he can listen. As long as Pitch kept an eye on his young ward, everything should be fine.

Or at least, he hoped so…

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Oh, finally I got this chapter up! Sorry for the delay guys, I had to hold off on writing for a few days because I was re-doing my room! It is now awesome in case anyone wants to know!

Also, I'd like to thank all of the people who reviews, favorited and followed my story! I appreciate the love so much! I'll make sure to try and stay consistent with my updates and such! And when I finally finish this thing, I may or may not make an illustrated version of it on DeviantArt. It's just an idea I'm playing around with but for now, I should probably just focus on the story! Anywho, enjoy!

Today's Letters are:

I = E

J = W

K = K