Chapter 3: Captured

Bianca breathed in happily the fresh air of the cool evening sky as the half-moon glowed beautifully above her. The stars were twinkling brightly tonight and the peaceful silence of the town made her wish nights like this would last forever. She sighed, knowing it was impossible, most especially with her father around to ruin the dreams and wishes of people around. That set in her mind, Bianca remembered her real goal being here tonight and jumped from her position on the roof to land on another one which was standing directly below the swirling cloud of gold sand.

Bianca smiled, thinking it was her best idea yet to ask the guardians help for her father. She knew they wouldn't just easily come to the boogeyman's aid after all the destruction and chaos he caused last Easter. But hopefully with discreet actions and subtle, pitying words, she might find a way to do this.

Okay, breathe, Bianca. You're just gonna talk to a super mega powerful being about your super mega evil dad who will no doubt crush every bone in your body if he were to find out you were not only confronting with the enemy but trying to help him become a better person through their help. Yeah, no problem at all. Obviously, pep talk wasn't her strong suit but she figured it was good enough.

With that, she was about to take a leap to another house when a voice behind her made her nearly crash.

"Whatcha doing, Spitfire?"

Bianca cursed furiously under her breath. Why in her father's name is he here? She turned around to face none other than Jack Frost floating in front of her with a curious and amused expression on his face.

"What are you doing here, Frost?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, grinning. "I think I asked the question first."

"None of your business, so go away!" Bianca snapped and turned back around to successfully leap to a higher elevated building.

When she heard no sound of pursuit from the other, she breathed a sigh of relief, finally thinking she was alone. As she jumped higher and higher towards her target, Bianca suddenly felt ice forming under her feet and slipped from her perch on an electric wire. With a cry of shock, Bianca fell forwards but caught the wire with her hands just in time before she could reach the ground below.

What the hell?!

Sounds of merry laughter reached her ears and Bianca turned her head angrily towards the sound to find Jack Frost guffawing in the air, holding his belly from the ache of his laughter. Bianca gnashed her teeth together and glared furiously at the white-haired teenager before yelling.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? YOU COULD HAVE MADE ME FALL, YOU IDIOTIC, CARELESS, CHILDISH,-"

"Hey, hey, hey! It was just a joke. No need to wake up the neighbors with your screeching." Jack came over to her dangling, furious form, still grinning at her predicament and probably her shouting as well.

"A JOKE? LET'S SEE IF YOU STILL THINK IT'S A JOKE WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU AND BURN THAT HIDEOUS SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE!" Bianca knew her face was probably getting red from all the shouting she was doing.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist. At least you didn't fall." Jack smartly avoided from flying too close to her lest he get hit with her kicking feet.

Bianca scowled deeper at his words. "AT LEAST I DIDN'T FALL? IF I DID-"

But Jack interrupted her. "I would have caught you anyway." He was now leisurely floating on his back with arms around his back and staff balanced on his stomach, still grinning at her with his perfect, pearly, white teeth and beautiful blue eyes-

Stop thinking, Bianca! You are not going there.

Bianca, for some reason felt her face going hot at his words and she glared at him as if it was his fault she was suddenly blushing for no logical reason at all. Which it entirely was. She opened her mouth for another scathing remark when a shadow suddenly loomed above them.

Bianca glanced up to see a golden swirling cloud lowering to reveal the amused face of the person she was looking for, Sandman, the Guardian of Dreams.

"Sandy!" Jack was obviously happy to see him. Sandy showed a few images out of sand to show his greetings as well then looked towards the dangling immortal and made a question mark.

Probably asking who I am.

Bianca was already opening her mouth when Jack beat her to it. "She won't say so I just call her Spitfire." Jack shrugged then smiled innocently at her.

She said through gritted teeth. "I can speak for myself, thanks. And just for the record, Spitfire is a horrible nickname!"

To Sandy, she told him with a smile, "My names Bianca Summer, sir."

"Hey! How come you tell Sandy and not me?" Jack whined with a pout.

"Because you're an insufferable brat who doesn't know when to stop playing!"

"I'm the Guardian of Fun! It's in my nature to play around."

"Is it in your nature as well to be so damn annoying?"

"Now, that's just your opinion on me."

"No, that's a fact! I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for you!"

"You know, you could just let go and I'll catch you."

Bianca threw him an incredulous look. "Do you really think me so stupid as to believe you'd actually do that?"

Jack just rolled his eyes and was about to reply when he noticed Sandy trying to gain their attention. They both watched as he made a series of symbols pop on his head which Bianca tried to decipher as: stop, arguing, Jack, let, Bianca, speak.

Bianca directed a triumphant grin towards Jack as he sullenly sticks his tongue out to her in retaliation.

"Well, I've been meaning to ask for your help, Mr. Sandman." She ignored Jack's mockery of her formality and continued on. "It's about Pitch Black, you see."

That got Jack to shut up and even Sandy had an odd look on his face. Bianca wondered, not for the first time, if what she was about to do for her father was right. He clearly needs the help and she couldn't do anything about it unless she knew more of her father's past which she obviously could never get from him. Bad memories and sensitive feelings and all that.

"Why? What's he done this time?" Jack asked an angry expression on his face that Bianca wanted to wipe off for her father but knew she couldn't fault him for it. Nobody understood her father better than she did and yet if she failed in this task, then no one, even humans or guardians, could ever save her father from himself.

Bianca snapped. "He didn't do anything, Frost. It's what I'm about to do to him that I need helping with. So, will you help me? I can't tell you my information here lest he might be listening to our conversation." She directed the last ones toward Sandy, though she doubted in her head that Pitch would go anywhere near Sandy again after their last encounter but just a precautionary measure anyway.

Sandy nodded and displayed a few images that he'd transport all of them to Santa Claus' fortress in the North. Bianca didn't object and in minutes, a cloud of gold swirled around them. Her only displeasure to all this was that Jack Frost was coming along for the ride.

Great.