[Winter, 1742]

"Whoohooo! Wahahahahah!"

Jack's laughter howled on the wind, diving and weaving with the current, tumbling just like a stray snowflake. Ah, Jack LOVED the winter months! Normal mortals would bundle up against the cold. But Jack, he absolutely love it! He loved the way natural snow felt on his hands and feet! He loved to feel the frigid air tingle against his skin! Out here, he felt so free and full of life! Like nothing could chain him down ever again!

And to think, just two years ago, he had been locked up underground. Nothing but greys, blacks and sometimes shades of dark purple to look at. Of course, Jack didn't hate the palace. There were plenty of places to explore and jump around. Ever since Pitch had taken him in, the Dark Palace had been his home. But after 30 years of house arrest, Jack was longer for something and something new. Which is why he loved it when Pitch let him out to play on the wind and in the snow!

It look a lot of time for Jack to earn this freedom. Last year, Pitch always kept Jack on a tight leash when up top. He'd even hold on to his staff to make sure the snow sprite didn't fly off without warning. After 6 months of this, Pitch felt like he could trust Jack not to wander too far away from the dark palace or the little village of Burgessön. Jack was a mischievous boy but he knew better than to disobey Pitch. Besides, as much as Jack wanted to explore further than the western river and the woods leading to the plains, he was content with being able to come outside whenever he wanted to now.

"Hahahah!" Jack soared higher and higher until he reached the very top layers of the clouds. There was a good covering today. That was good for Jack. This would make it nice and easy for him. "Alright! Let's see what I can do!"

Being let outside, especially in the winter, Jack discovered a power he never knew he had. If he concentrated hard enough, he could make snow fall from the sky by command! It was great! A while ago, Jack had noticed a difference between his snow and the snow that fell naturally from the sky. His snow always came out like a very fine and powdery. It was great for sitting in and walking on, but nothing much else. But natural snow, the snow that mother nature made was different. It was all sorts of different textures and clumped together so easily!

Jack first winter outside, Jack was elated to watch the little children and teenager make snowmen, snow castle, snow forts, little igloos, all sorts of things! They didn't need ice or anything. It was a little disappointing though. It was near the end of winter that time and the kids barely had any snow to play with by weeks end. This year, though, Jack swore he'd use his powers to give them a great snow day!

Swirling and swinging his staff around, the cloud moved to his will and darkened by just a few shades. Jack held his breath. The clouds churned and wavered; Jack's mind filled with uncertainty...until…

"YES! Hahahah! I did it!" Jack's eyes filled with wonder at what he had accomplished! He made it snow, it was snowing! This was so great, the kids were gonna love this!

"Hahah! Hey Wind! Take me back to Burgessön!"

Flying came much easier to Jack as time had passed by. No longer did he stumble around over his own feet. Taking to the air was like a second nature to him now. And his landings were much more stable too.

As Jack flew lower into the atmosphere, the village came into view. The snow had yet to reach the ground so Jack needed to only wait. He landed on a roof and got comfortable. There were already a few children out and about that afternoon, going about their day. The elder ones had their chores and the younger children, when not near their parents, filled their time with fun and games. Jack settled in down on the roof of the bakery, taking in a deep whiff of the air from his nose. God he loved that smell! The smell of fresh cookies, breads and pastries. And their taste! Every now and then Jack would be able to sneak away with a few cookies and treats without the bakery owners being the wiser. He fell in love with sugar cookies...and chocolate! Chocolate was a gift from god as far as Jack was concerned!

Happy laughter suddenly filled his ears, followed by cries of excitement and joy. Jack and the children looked up as the first flurry of snow he had created finally made their way surface side.

"Mama! Mama, it's snowing!"

"Yay!"

"Hahahahha!"

The kids began running around, collecting the flakes on their tongues. Jack's smile grew wider as he chuckled. Jack loved kids! The adults tried to block out his cold and snow but the children jumped head first into it! They loved it!

Which made Jack feel bad…

If the children loved his snow and magic so much, why couldn't they see him? Why did they never hear him? As much as he tried, he remained ghost like, never solid never heard. Pitch always told him it's because the children didn't believe in either of them that they were like this. But it what did that mean?! A few children could see Pitch just fine but no one ever saw Jack. It was severely depressing…

"Hello my lovelies! Fresh cookies for you?"

A heavy set woman came out of the bakery next to the street where the children were building their snowmen. She had a platter of steam hot sugar cookies, of which the children quickly began to swarm around. Jack's melancholic expression melted and a smile replaced it. The baker woman always gave out free cookies to the children in the winter months. And Jack could definitely use a cookie or two right about now.

In this situation, being an semi-intangible spirits had it's benefits. He waited for the right moment before sneaking his hand under her arm and grabbing a handful of cookies for himself. They smelled amazing; freshly baked! Jack was absolutely in love with sugar cookies!

"Thank you Mrs. Hallen!" One child spoke up before running off with her treats.

"You're welcome, sweetness! Have a lovely Christmas tomorrow!"

The cookies all gone, the child dispersed and the baker woman receded back into her shop. Leaving Jack to his own thoughts.

Christmas. This wasn't the first time Jack had heard that word. He started hearing this word about a week ago. Jack only managed to get a few bits of informations from eavesdropping on the adults. He knew it was a holiday that involved presents and food-awesome-and something called mistletoe and a chimney. But that wasn't much to go on. He even tried asking Pitch about it. His mentor just grunted and said: "It's nothing important. Nothing to look forward to either…"

Obviously Pitch was hiding something from him. Why else would he say something like that? Jack listened to Pitch's every word but he was getting a little tired of him hiding stuff from him.

"Mama, whose Santa?"

"Santa brings you presents on christmas, love…"

A cookie sticking half out his mouth, Jack's head snapped up and looked around. Passing by just behind him was a little boy and his mother, walking hand and hand through the snow. The boy was tiny, he barely came up to Jack's hips. His little legs working to keep up with his mother, even at her slow pace, he looked up at her with bright brown eyes full of wonder and curiosity.

Jack smiled. This was perfect. This kid was gonna ask some questions for Jack even if he didn't realize it. With a tiny hop on the wind, Jack found himself following close behind the pair, listening in on their conversation.

"He brings presents?"

"Yes, love. He comes in the middle of the night to give presents to people. He got you your teddy last year, remember?" She looked down at the little boy who, in his free arm, was clutching tightly at a felt teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around it's neck. With a smile, he nodded up at his mother.

"Yeah, I 'member! Is Bobby gonna get present too?"

"Well, if Santa thinks he's nice enough, I'm sure he will-Oh, look! There's daddy!"

The subject soon forgotten, Jack, with a soft smile, watched the boy release his mothers hand and run up to a man. The man, just as happy to see his little boy, lifted him in the air before showering him with sweet hugs.

Well, so much for learning everything he wanted to. But at least he learned something new. Santa, huh? So from what Jack gathered, Santa came on Christmas to bring gifts to good kids? Everything about this holiday just seemed so cool to Jack: lots of food, sweets and free gifts?! What's not to love? How could Pitch possibly hate this holiday?

"Hehehe...maybe he wasn't a good boy! Hahah!" Jack chuckled at his own joke. He was well aware of what Pitch did for a living. He was the Nightmare King. The Boogieman. The Terror Maker. He spread fear and apprehension wherever he went. It didn't sound appealing, obviously, but Pitch had made it clear to Jack that fear was a necessary thing. Without fear, people lived their lives without consequence...and could do terrible things…

Now that Jack thought about it, maybe that was the case after all. Pitch didn't leave his lair much and whenever he did, he never spoke of having friends or acquaintances aside from Jack. Maybe people didn't understand Pitch like Jack did. They didn't understand what he did: fear might not be pleasant but it was something that's needed in life after all. Maybe Santa didn't understand that…

Then an idea popped up in Jack's head. What if he stayed out late that night? Just this one time, he could sneak out past curfew and wait for this Santa person to arrive. Then he could talk to him and bam: presents for Pitch! Jack knew damn well he might get in trouble for it. But Pitch would be so happy just to get a gift from Santa he'd forget all about his punishment...

[That Night…]

Jack couldn't stop smiling. His feet moved across the cold stone floor as quietly as he could. Tip toeing down the hall, he took a peek down the hall. His eyes easily adjusting to the dim lighting, he could see the large double doors of Pitch's room at the very end. One door was slightly ajar, meaning that Pitch was in there. Probably meditating or sleeping. Either way, Jack knew that when Pitch was in his room, he had checked out for the day. That would make this easier...

Jack made no sound as he floated away from the halls and rooms and found his way to the very top levels of Pitch's lair. He flew out of the door and carefully closed it before finally flying out into the open air of the vast caverns. Jack flew to the top of the iron globe and took another quick look around. He didn't see any shadows move or grew unnaturally bigger. Pitch still wasn't aware Jack wasn't asleep in his room. Perfect…

He took a confident breath of air then launched himself toward the higher levels, weaving and turning around stalactites. He could smell the cold air of the world above, the wind began to whistle around him. Moments later, he was top side; rushing past the trees and leaves, high into the sky!

"Hahahah!" Jack smiled, slowing himself down before he reached the clouds. Jack loved doing that! Rushing so fast out of the lair then suddenly seeing such bursts of colors was so exciting for him!

Jack wanted to fly and float around the clouds, relaxed back in the light of the full moon. Wait, no. He had to focus. He was out here for a reason. Jack would have to play some other time...provided he wasn't caught and didn't get grounds for another ten years.

The town was so quiet. Nothing made a sound. The snow still high and shuffled all around with foot prints and left over snowmen made by the children. A light drizzle of snow still fell from the sky, refreshing the snow that had been disturbed earlier. Jack his usual spot on top of the bakery, Jack waited and listened for any sign of this "Santa" guy.

Jack laid down on the shingle, stretched out on his stomach as he began making tiny drawing in the snow beneath him. He wondered what this Santa guy looked like. Did he look like a normal person like Pitch and he did? Was he some intangible spirit like them or a real person?

The eternal teenager waited for what seemed like hours when suddenly…

BWWOOM~~!

Jack gasped, his eyes shot up the sky. What the heck was that? It sounded like a muffled explosion but...not as violent. It was a strange sound; a boom then the sound of rushing air that made a just as deep sound.

Following right after that sound, Jack could hear leather horse reigns snapping, the jingling of bells and the beating of hooves. A man's voice followed; it was deep and sounded young. He was yelling something in a language Jack had not heard before. But where was it coming from?

He heard wood scraping against wood right behind him. The teen jumped to his feet, staff in hand, and rushing to the other end of the bakery roof. A sudden structure of bright reds and golds had appeared on the neighboring roof of the library. Crouching behind the chimney and pulling up the hood of his poncho, Jack squinted his eyes, studying the thing.

It was a sleigh. A really BIG one at that. Pulling it were a team of 8...moose? Well to Jack they looked like moose. Moose with just really slender antlers at least. They all huffed and snorted, some poking their noses into the snow beneath their feet. Jack's eyes travelling further down and gasped. Resting on the back of the sleigh was a giant red bag with gold embroidery. It looked filled to the brim with (judging by the shapes that were poking out of it) what looked like boxes.

Jack continued to watch as a figure rose up from the front seat of the sleigh. He couldn't get a good look at him. He was too far away and Jack could only see so much in the darkness. Whoever, or whatever, it was, he was certainly strong. He managed to pull up that giant sack from the sleigh and over his shoulder with no problems at all then jumped to another roof. Like it was nothing!

"Cool.." Jack whispered as an amazed smile crept along his face. Then it hit him. Could this be Santa? If it was then Jack's smile grew even wider. This was going to be great!

He made a quick hop to the top of the chimney, watching where Santa went next. It was so cloudy that night, Jack could barely make anything out. If it weren't for the large red bag on the mans back, Jack would've lost track of him. He watched Santa travel from roof to roof before stopping.

He landed on the roof of the home of the Mayor of Burgessön. Jack knew the house. That's where Danny and Alvin lived; the Mayor's sons. They both liked to play in the trees and grass and really liked to swim. He wondered what gifts Santa was going to leave for them. He decided to see for himself!

Jack quietly and carefully floated down to the side of the home, ducking beneath the lowest windowsill. His staff set down, he peaked over the edge. The house was so dark, barely any light shined through except for the small rays of moonlight that came through the other windows. The only thing that gave off light inside of the house was the small pine tree that sat in the middle of the family room. It was decorated with little glass multi-colored bulbs and strings of white popcorn. Santa moved quickly, quietly and carefully, leaving presents and treats all over.

Leaving one large big box under the tree, Santa stood upright and looked at his handy work. Jack could only assume he was pleased with the way he nodded and brushed off his hands. The man was just about the leave...when his head suddenly snapped toward the window.

Jack quickly ducked down. He didn't know why he was hiding but a tiny voice in his head suddenly told him that what he should do. He waited and listened...he didn't hear anything. Not foot steps or voices; nothing. Slowly, Jack looked back inside of the window. He was gone! Man for such a big guy, he was pretty stealthy!

Jack smiled. His curiosity got the better of him again.

He slowly opened the unlocked window and climbed inside. It felt so warm in there; such a contrast from the outside. It felt a little uncomfortable for Jack, considering he was a winter spirit but it wasn't too bad. The first thing that caught his attention was the tree. There was a new decoration left on it. Little tiny white hooks with red strips swirling from end to end. Jack took one and gave it a sniff. It smelled minty. He gave it a taste. Oh, it was candy! This was so great! Popping the hook in his mouth and suckling on it, he looked around again. There were stockings hanging above the unlight fireplace. Each had names etched in the front, one for each of the little kids.

Wonder what was in those. Jack took a peek inside one and smiled. Lots of little hand sized toys filled up the felt decoration. He even saw a colorfully painted spin-top toy, painted with Danny's favorite colors. He was sure to enjoy those.

Jack moved from Danny's stocking and peeked inside of Alvin's, wonder what he had gotten-

"What the…?" Jack reached inside and pulled out a dirty black rock. No wait. Was this coal? What was this? Why would Santa leave Alvin coal? What kind of present was this?! An eyebrow raised, Jack looked back inside the stocking. The entire thing was filled with coal! No, no, this wasn't right. Alvin was a good kid. Sure he was a prankster and liked to tease his brother but he was good boy at heart just like his little brother; Jack could tell!

Scratching his head, Jack looked down at the lump of coal. Maybe Santa made a mistake? Or maybe there was a present at the bottom of the stocking that Alvin was meant to find?

Jack tossed the lump out of the window and reached inside again. One by one, Jack would pick up a coal lump and toss it out into the snow, slowly emptying the red and white stocking.

"Нашел вас!" [1]

"Gakgh!"

Something suddenly grabbed the back of his poncho collar and pulled hard, gagging Jack. He felt his feet lift from the floor and the room spun upside down. Next thing he knew, he was outside again, face first in the snow.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

Jack heard the same deep voice yell at him. He heard feet crunching under the snow, getting closer. Jack couldn't see anything, his poncho had flipped over his head. Just as he got it off, again, he was lifted from his feet by the collar...and then he came face to face with an angry salt-and-peppered bearded face.

The man before him was huge. Almost as tall as Pitch was! That black furry hat on his head made him look taller though. Jack glanced down at him and noticed his black boots and pants, blue tunic and...a large red coat. Red coat? Wait...was this Santa?!

"I asked you question! Answer before you are making me more upset than I am already!"

Jack words were frozen in his throat. He didn't know what to say or do. The man looked so angry and his voice was so loud! Jack was so stunned, he barely registered that the man was lifting his hand toward his head…

That when Jack panicked. Grabbing the arm had a hold of him, Jack flinched. In a moment, the red-clad man's arm was in case in solid ice. Thankfully, Jack got the reaction he wanted; he was released from the man's grip and allowed to fall back to the ground and the snow. The eternal teen scrambled to his feet, his staff in hand, and back away far out of his reached.

The man cursed in his unknown language, growling and sneering at the ice around his arm. He smashed his elbow against the side of the house, breaking the ice with ease. His arm now free, he reached in his coat...and pulled out a very sharp looking sword.

Oh that was good. Jack was definitely in trouble! Santa took a step forward. Jack gasped and took a stumbling step back, stepping out of the shadows of the house.

The tall man was ready to step forward again..but paused. Wait a minute. Santa was sure this was another spirit, like him. But now that he stepped into the light of the moon, he got a clear look at him. He was tall, sure, but Jack was so slender, barely any muscle to him. And his face. It was so young, he couldn't have been older than 15! He was just a child! He internally cursed at himself for having such a short temper. If he had paused for a moment, he might not have scared the boy witless as he had just done. He lowered his sword and attempted to reach out to Jack.

Bad idea. Jack was already terrible startled by what had just happened. Reacting, Jack whipped his staff toward the man, shooting off another blast of immobilizing ice. As fast as the blast was, Santa was just as quick! He nimbly rolled out of the way and stood right back up on his feet...only to find the boy had gone….

Oh wow. Wow that was scary! That was really, really, scary! Jack had jumped straight in the sky and right toward the forest, not looking back, not thinking about anything! He just wanted to get away before that situation got any worse!

He dipped through the trees and branches, skillfully avoiding them. The cold winter air rushing through his silver hair helped to clear his head and think about what had just happened.

'I just attacked Santa! Wait, maybe it wasn't him? No it had to be him, he was giving out presents, he could do magic! Man that guy was fast! He smashed my ice like it was nothing! Oh man, that was so messed up! I messed up so bad!'

Jack finally stopped flying. He settled down near the base of a tree. His heart was beating a mile a minute, he was still a little freaked out. Man he really messed up this time. All he wanted was to talk to Santa Claus and he wound up panicking and attacking him instead! He was such a jittery idiot! Worst of all, if Pitch ever found about this, he was gonna be so mad at him!

And speak of the devil…

Jack didn't noticed the shadows moving around him until it was too late. They suddenly took a solid form and wrapped around Jack's ankles. The teen yelped in surprise but before he could do anything, he was suddenly completely engulfed!

He couldn't see anything, it was so dark! It felt like he was floating and falling at the same time, tumbling and turning. Then he hit a floor. Hard. The winter spirit groaned and sat up, rubbing his sore head. He took a look around and saw nothing but black stone walls, large bookshelves and a lit fireplace-

"Mind explaining to me WHAT you were doing outside AFTER curfew, Jack Frost!?"

Uh-oh…

Jack slowly turned around, his hand still on the small lump on his head. Sure enough, standing above him in all his superior glory was Pitch. His pale gold eyes staring down at him, arms crossed, an angry scowl on his face.

He was so dead. How was he gonna talk himself out of this one…?

"Oh! Um...uh…" Jack glanced down to the floor then looked back up again, a sheepish smile on his face. "W-Would you believe I was sleepwalking?"

Pitch raised an unbelieving brow. Of course that excuse wouldn't fly, Jack should've known better. He sighed in defeat, standing up and his head hung low. He lifted his staff and, as expected, Pitch snatched his staff out of his hand. He was gonna be grounded for a month, he just knew it.

But obviously Pitch wasn't satisfied. Before Jack could squirm away, He caught him with the crook end of his own staff.

"I still want an explanation, Frost…"

Jack hunched over, his shoulder going up and his hands grabbing at the air. It's been a long time since Pitch had taken his staff away like this and Jack was already starting to feel fidgety.

"Um...I was trying to get you a present from Santa…"

"What?! You went looking for him? I told you not to do that!" Pitch raised his voice. The groan of metal and brick could be heard echoing through the halls. His lair was reacting to his anger, which meant Jack was in a lot of trouble. He backed up, scratching at his hands nervously.

"I-I know and I'm sorry but I wanted to do something nice for you! So I-I figured I'd talk to Santa and maybe he'd give me a present to give to you b-but then I went inside a kids house to see what Santa gave him and then Santa got mad at me and I freaked out and I sorta attacked him and-"

"Wait...you ATTACKED North?"

Jack looked at him, confused. "I-If you mean Santa Claus, y-yeah...kinda. B-But it was an accident! H-He startled me and I sorta just lashed out by accident…"

Pitch chuckled. He honest to god began chuckling. He knew he should be angry at Jack but the thought of North being frozen over by a mere child. It was quite amusing!

Jack listened to Pitch's chuckles and watched him walk away and toward the main table, putting Jack's staff on the surface. What was he laughing?

"Are...are you still mad at me?"

"Hehehaha! Ah..yes...yes I am, Jack. But I'm also highly amused that you actually attacked North. Though I doubt you did much damage to him…"

Jack shrugged his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I froze his entire arm and he just smashed it off like it was nothing!"

"That's because you weren't trying hard enough...ah, but no matter. I only regret not being there to see it."

Pitch walked past Jack and went to put out the candles that were still light around study. He passed by Jack a second time when he heard his ward speak up:

"Pitch...why do you dislike Christmas and Santa Claus so much? I saw him giving out presents and stuff...doesn't seem like something you could dislike without a good reason."

Pitch stopped walking for a moment. His thoughts began to swirl around in his head. Well, this day was bound to arrive sooner or later. It wasn't as though Pitch didn't prepare for this day. He just hoped to do it a bit later, possibly on one of their surface outings. Still, might as well do it now. Pitch already knew exactly what he wanted to tell Jack and had no doubt that the naïve winter spirit to believe every word.

"Simple...it's a corrupted holiday...or, at the very least, Santa is..."

Hearing that Jack paused and pondered Pitch's words. "Corrupted? What do you mean?" Jack was getting tired of being so confused all the time. All he heard people talking about for the past week was Christmas and how much they were looking forward to it. Now Pitch tells him it's corrupted? Which was which?

Pitch inwardly smirked, looking at Jack out of the side of his vision. He's got the boy hooked. Time to reel him in. Pitch adjusted the collar of his black robes as he walked over to his arm chair, sitting down and getting comfortable. He crossed his slender legs and let his chin rest on the knuckles of his right hand.

"I suppose, when looking at it from a child's point of view, Christmas is something to look forward to. While the adults exchange gifts they have purchased or made, good children receive gifts from St. Nicholas North or Santa Claus, as he's known in other places. They even have silly traditions such as mistletoe, making festive cookie, decorating trees, etc…"

Jack hung off of every word that Pitch said. He unconsciously moved closer to Pitch before sitting on the floor before him, listening to his words.

"So...Santa-er-North...that was really him I saw?"

"Yes. He is one of few immortal spirits, like us, that have a day in which mortals 'worship' them. If a child has been good, he'll leave them a present that they want or would like. If they've been naughty, he leaves them lumps of coal."

Ah. That explains the coal. Still, Jack didn't think that Alvin deserved it. He was trickster but a good boy. What was so bad that he deserved lumped of dirt that people burned?

"Oh...well that sucks…still...it kinda weird to hear that. I heard kids talking about what a great guy he was but when he threw me out the window he seemed so...scary. N-Not as scary as you, obviously but still I expected. Well...I don't know what I expected. But it wasn't THAT."

Pitch smirked again. Ah, he knew the guardians all too well. North was never good at control his excitable nature and short temper. He was probably kicking himself for attacking a child. But in the end, this would work in Pitch's favor.

"Don't be naïve, Jack. Santa Claus may seem like a Saint, as people have called him...but he is far from it. He is, in fact, greedy, arrogant and power-hungry. You know...I heard some people say that Santa has quite an appetite for sweets…"

A devilish smirk appeared on Pitch's face. Time to put his storytelling skills to the test, hehe.

"...but in reality...St. Nicholas has a taste for the souls of children…"

"What?!" Jack gasped as he looked at Pitch with shock. "Is that true? Th-That can't be true-"

"Oh it's true alright. Believe me...I've seen it happen first hand, Jack…"

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing! The holiday seemed like such fun and had such great themes and traditions. Was this really true?! Was its patron spirit really nothing but a soul eating terror?!

"So...does this mean, children are in danger on Christmas?!"

Ah, mind of a child. It was like a sponge; eager to soak in anything you pour into it. Pitch knew quite well that a single seed of doubt can blossom into full blown paranoia and fear. Pitch just had to make sure to go about this the right way if he wanted to mold Jack's mind accordingly. A little lie here and there never hurt anyone after all. Pitch sat back in his chair and let his hands rest comfortably on his lap.

"Hm, not really...well...actually it all depends on how long it's been. Remember what I told you Santa does on christmas?"

"Yeah, he gives presents to good kids and coal to the bad."

"Exactly...you see, Santa keeps a list of all the good and naughty children in the world and keeps track of every deed they've done to make sure the bad get the coal and the good get the gifts. However, every now and then he bends this rule..."

Jack was completely captivated by Pitch's words. His heart was beating a little faster, he was feeling anxious about this Santa Claus person...

"Once every century, Santa Claus picks a young child or two from a village and continues to lavish them with gifts and treats; whether they've been good or naughty. Then, after a few years of this treatment, Santa will suddenly lure the children from their homes and bring them to his fortress in the North Pole…"

"Santa kidnaps children?!" Jack's eyes widened. Pitch's smile wanted to grow but he remained as stoic as possible. He could feel Jack's fear for other children growing. Quite delicious. So amusing for the Nightmare King.

"Why does he take children? Does he...does he eat their souls?"

Pitch didn't say anything at first. Giving Jack a moment to ponder and worry about his own question. Then finally, he smirked and gave a firm: "Yes. That's exactly what he does…"

Jack couldn't believe it. He's only just heard of this Christmas thing and already it sounds like a terrible thing! Do other people know of this Santa Claus person? Is it just a spirit world thing or are people just blind or being lied to about what he does?!

"Why does he do that?! What does he gain from something so terrible?!"

Pitch sighed, sitting back in his chair. Jack scooted closer. He wanted to hear the rest of Pitch story and his mentor was more than happy to oblige.

"He wants their remaining years. You see Jack, North isn't like you and I. We are pure immortals who will live forever. North's immortality is, for lack of a better word, artificial. His magic thrives on the power of belief and love that children give him. But in order to extend his life beyond natural limits, he eats the souls of children and syphons their youth into his own body. And the gifts he gives them? It's all an insidious means of making sure they go with him willingly. He can't take a child by force. And the adults are none the wiser…"

Pitch looked down at his young ward. He had such a delicious look of fear and horror on his face; his already pale knuckles were turning a shade whiter with how tightly he was gripping the hem of his poncho. And Pitch had no qualms in exaggerating Jack's fear with his magic. Once the seeds of doubt were planted, he could just sit back and watch them grow.

"That's...that's awful! Why would he do something like that?! Pitch, you're strong, aren't you? Can't you stop him?"

Pitch frowned. That question certainly brought up old grudges. He did his best not to growl or snap at Jack as he looked away from the boy. "Hmph. I've already done battle with North and his allies before, Jack. They defeated me hence why my power is so diminished...I can barely control my power as if thanks to them…"

"Whoa, what? You were attacked?! When? Why? Did they hurt you?" Jack sat up to his feet and walked over to his mentor, touching his hand.

A jolt shot through Pitch's body at the touch. At this point, Pitch knew that Jack (at the right moment) could be an affectionate and caring boy. But still, every little touch send a strange jolt through Pitch's body. He didn't like it. Yet at the same time it interested him. His young ward was certainly intriguing.

He glanced down at the hand on his then looked up at Jack. "...yes...but it was many, many years ago. During the middle ages, long before you came around…"

"Oh...that's good...you had me worried there for a sec…"

"And why would you be worried?"

Jack looked at Pitch as if he grew a second head then let out a curt chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I be worried about you? You care about me, right? You're my teacher and, technically, my landlord. And my friend...of course I'd be worried…"

He didn't like this. Not at all. It felt like someone had punched him in the chest and was now squeezing at his heart. It was dull, he wasn't painful but so present on his consciousness that it was driving him mad!

"...can't believe it's run by a guy like that…"

Pitch snapped out of his thoughts. He looked down at his ward after rubbing his forehead for a moment. "What...what was that?"

"I said that Christmas looks like a fun holiday. I can't believe that someone who eats the souls of kids runs the whole thing…" Jack's face grew somber. He looked so downtrodden. So filled with concern for the children. Pitch thought it was so Pathetic.

"Tsk...Aw, don't be down Jack..." Pitch began in his most patronizing tone of voice.

"He doesn't do it every year...just whenever he gets too old...and it's only one or two children every hundred years...nothing too serious..."

"But it IS serious! I-It's more than serious it's-it's just...plain wrong!" Jack spoke up interrupting Pitch. Sighing, Jack calmed himself down. His eyes casting downward, he didn't see the terrible smile that was spread across his face. His evil mind was twisting with thoughts.

"Poor boy...you know, North wasn't always like this. He used to be a normal person...until the Man in the Moon got his hands on him…"

"...the Moon…?"

For the rest of that evening, Pitch recounted a false myth about The Man in the Moon and how he had "wronged" Pitch for all these years. Pitch told Jack that the world had to have a balance between the forces. That not everything positive is always good. And that everything negative isn't always bad.

"The world needs Fear, Jack...without fear, people live their lives without consequence...and the world will descend into chaos…."

He told Jack that spirits like them who fell asleep under the full moons light grew mad and were compelled to obey the Moon's every command and word. After all, that's where the word "lunatic" comes from.

"Which is why I don't want you wandering around the world at night, especially on nights of the full moon. If you fall asleep under it's light, there's no guarantee that I can bring you back to sanity…"

Pitch could only smile at the paranoid thoughts that ran through Jack's mind in the days that followed. The Nightmare king had punished Jack for sneaking out with 3 weeks of house arrest. That entire time, Jack couldn't stop thinking whether or not one of his beloved children had gone missing in the night or not.

The very second he got his staff back, Jack rushed outside and straight to the village. Pitch watched as Jack rushed house to house, doing a quick head count. No children were missing, of course. But the fear that radiated off of Jack was delicious. Pitch should do this more often. The kind of fear that came off of Jack was quite nice; nice for a little pick me up if he ever needed it.

Regardless, Pitch had to be careful...he couldn't make his stories too fanciful. Otherwise Jack might encounter something that blew his lie to pieces. He wanted Jack to believe his every word and obey his every command. If he put too much force into his mental manipulation, it would blow up in his face…

Though, Pitch had to admit, he rather enjoyed that night. Just sitting and talking with Jack. Telling him stories, watching his reactions. Pitch constantly told himself all the things he disliked about Jack; his hyperactive nature, his constant questions, his annoying affection for the children of the village…

But the one thing he liked the most about Jack were his eyes. They were filled with such wonder, honesty and innocence. They were the only eyes that looked at Pitch and saw him as a Teacher. A caretaker...a friend. Jack saw him as a friend…

That feeling in his chest came back. It clutched and clench at his heart…

He hated it…

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, to say I struggled with this chapter is an understatement. Really it was the last couple of paragraphs that were tripping me up among other things: real life sucking at my muse, not having time to update as fast as I wanted to. Just being tired in general. Hopefully this chapter came out somewhat decent.

North's Russian at [1] means: "I found you" or "Found You" I can't remember which. Forgive me if it's completely wrong.

Today's Letters are:

L = B

M = C

N = N