Pitch had dragged Jack down into his domain, throwing her into a cell so dark Jack could not make out the walls by anything less than touch. She clung to her staff and watched as Jackson, unseen by Pitch, took up a defense position in front of her. Jack had noticed he had gotten stronger, more substantial, since she had repaired the staff. As Pitch and his shadows approached he beat them back with strong winds, keeping Jack safe. Ice crept out from Jack as another layer of defense against the shadows, freezing them when they got too close.

"Insolent little brat. You can not hold out forever, eventually I will win."

"In your dreams maybe!" Jack glared up at Pitch but was shocked when she felt something wrap around her wrist and pull the staff from her hand.

"No!" She struggles against the bonds as the shadows wrap around her, pinning her in place. "Let me go!" Jackson makes an attempt to grab the staff from Pitch but is unable to grasp it, he has the winds whip around but they are not nearly as strong without Jack holding the staff.
Pitch looks down at Jack condescendingly, grinning as fear begins to creep into Jack's eyes. He summons a bit of nightmare sand and throws it at Jack. She cries out as it strikes her in the face before it sends her into a nightmare, the shadows withdraw at Pitch's command and he watches as she twitches and whimpers in her sleep.

He studies the staff for a moment, thinking about what to do with it. "So much trouble, she'll likely be more easily controlled without so much power." He grins as he raises it over his knee, then brings it down, snapping it in half.

Unseen by Pitch Jackson cries out silently in pain, collapsing into a heap beside Jack. He lies there motionless as Pitch leaves taking the staff with him.

Elsewhere the Avengers' quinjet landed near a pond half surrounded by forest, the other half open to a park. It was located in a small town and they all wondered why they were here.

"Come, the entrance to Pitch's lair should be this way." Seraphina lead them away from the pond and further into the woods. On the trip there the Avengers had been introduced to the odd group of people they would need to work with but most questions for them had been put on hold by a glare from either Seraphina or Loki. Aster, or Bunny as his friends seemed to call him, had rolled his eyes after the first such glare and told them to just wait till things had settled.

Eventually the trees around them began to grow more and more dead looking, becoming leafless and gnarled until they stepped out into a clearing with a rotting bed frame over a hole in the ground.

"Really! He lives in a hole under a rotting bed? What was the closet taken?"

"It may not look like much, but I assure you Pitch is not someone to take lightly." Loki sneered at Tony as he spoke, seeming disgusted at the thought of having to inform him of this. If Tony had not been wearing his suit Loki would have seen his eyes roll as they approached the bed. With a sweep of her hand Seraphina flung the bed towards a tree, shattering it before stepping forward and sinking down into the hole unobstructed. Loki followed closely after with Bunny leading the Guardians down into the hole. Steve, now in his Captain America get up, looks over at Tony, who shrugs.

"When in Rome, right?"

"Thor?"

"I believe it may be best to follow their lead for now." It was only then that the other Avengers took note of how serious Thor had gotten. He had been quiet for some time and now that they were taking stock of it, it was unsettling.

"Thor if you know something about what is going on..."

"I have a suspicion, but it is only that. There is no way to know until we can get answers from them and rescuing my niece comes first."

"Agreed. Let's go then."

Steve leads the way into the hole and they soon meet up with the Guardians and the rest as they head deep into the dark.

"Someone, is here." Pitch looks weary as he moves to the main chamber of his labyrinth, the one that held his globe of belief, the broken staff still held in his grasp. After Easter, when he had broken it before, he knew that Jack was somehow able to fix the piece of wood and was not willing to leave it where she could get her hands on it once again.

When he arrived at the globe he stood and waited, knowing his guests would be there soon. He didn't wait long before Seraphina came out of one of the tunnels, stalking toward him with purpose and flanked by not only the guardians but a few others he both did and did not recognize.

"Ah, Seraphina, my dear daughter. What brings you to my domain? And with friends no less."

Pitch sends the Guardians a wicked sneer even as he looks cordially at Seraphina, hands behind his back in a show of haughtiness and power.

"Do not play ignorant with me Father. You had to have expected I would step in when you took one of those under my domain. Return Jack and there will be no need for us to bother you further."

Pitch laughs, more of a cackle truly. "That is a rich one. But Jack ceased being under your domain the moment she joined sides with the Guardians. It was her own choice and now she will suffer the consequences." Pitch brought his hands around forward in a placating gesture, revealing the broken staff and causing Seraphina to see red.

"You broke the staff! You fool!" Loki placed a hand on Seraphina's shoulder and signalled to Sandy to begin the preparations for the spells while Pitch was distracted.

Meanwhile, back in the cell where Pitch had left Jack. She startles awake, breathing heavily and her eyes flicking around in fear before landing on Jackson.

"Jack!" She rushes to his side, trying to nudge him, to see if he was alright. Her hands however pass through him as though he were made of water. It was different than before but he was still insubstantial. She clenches her fists on her knees and squeezes her eyes shut. Frost blooms along the floor in violent spikes and the temperature drops drastically. She had noted the staff was gone and suspected Pitch had broken it, again. He would pay. With that thought in mind Jack stands and strides towards the door to the cell, laying a hand on it the metal begins to creak and groan as it freezes before it shatters completely. With the door out of her way she heads out towards where Pitch must be, the main chamber of this hell hole.

The first sign that things were not quite right as Pitch and Seraphina glared at one another was the dropping temperature. It went mostly unnoticed until the ice began creeping out from one of the tunnels, creaking and cracking as it creeped its way along the walls. This drew the attention of all present as a cold fog began to form and roll out of the tunnel. Eventually a girl, no more than 16 or 17 stepped into the sparse light that found its way into the mouth of the tunnel. She was dressed in a blue hoodie and brown leggings. She was barefoot and the ice seemed to expand with every step she took. Her short white hair was practically whipping around her face, blending in with her pale skin.

"Pitch!"

"What? How, I broke the staff you should be powerless."

"Return it to me now you sorry excuse for a creature." More ice began spike with ever determined step she took and it eventually latched onto Pitch as he tried to back away from her, locking his feet in place. It was clear this was not what the man had expected.

"Release me!"

A sweep of the girl's hand had ice forming over Pitch's mouth, preventing him from speaking. The ice was creeping up along its captive, sealing him further in place. The girl reached him as it began to go down his arms and up his neck.

"Give me the staff. Now!" Pitch did not move, but he did not stop the girl from taking the staff's pieces from him.

"Jack, that is enough."

Jack blinks and turns to face Seraphina, her anger melting away slightly until she saw Loki standing beside her. Her expression changed quickly to one of joy and she all but flew at Loki, crying out. "Daddy!" Loki caught her up in his arms and smiled down at her, relief clear on his face at seeing her unharmed.

"I am glad to see you are unharmed my little snow princess."

"I've been worried sick about you, you've been gone so long Daddy."

"I know, I know, but I am home now."

The Avengers and the Guardians both watch the scene wearily as father and daughter reunite, both a bit creeped out by how affection both sides are being.

"Sanderson, finish with the preparations for the spell. We are still ending this. Jack you should perhaps fix the staff, I am not fully aware of the consequences of its breaking but I am sure it will not be good for Jackson."

Jack separates herself from Loki and bows her heads, looking at the staff in something like hopelessness. "Yes, Mother."

"I will help you fix it Jack." Loki holds out his hand to Jack and she holds out the two pieces of wood for him to examine. "Hmm, the spell you placed in it has been damaged and frayed, this may be the opportunity we were hoping for Jack. Come, let us right this." The others watch as Loki takes Jack's hands and has her hold the staff pieces together. He seems to be guiding her in something before a bright blue light begins coming from the seam of the two pieces. When it subsides the staff is whole once more and Jack grins happily at Loki.

"We fixed it!"

"Yes, we did. It is still not perfect but we have done what we can."

While that was going on Sandy had finished preparing for the spell with Pitch glaring at him as he did. He had simply smiled at the dark man and gone on with his task. Pitch had also caught Jack calling Seraphina her mother and it had him itching to ask what that was about. There was no way that Jack was Seraphina's daughter, he would have known. She would have told him. Angered at the thought that Seraphina may have hidden such information, kept his granddaughter from him for so long, had Pitch seething and the shadows began to writhe in response to his anger. I caused a shout of surprise from the Guardians and their allies. Before anyone could stop him Pitch had been whisked away by the shadows, fleeing his home to think on this new information.

So, just one more chapter to go and this will be complete, though there will be more in this verse so don't fret that I let Pitch get away. Please leave a comment.