Guess who's alive? I'm so sorry for the long wait. My word document kind of failed and well I had to type part of the chapter on my phone. And then school started, I got sick, and well things got busy, but don't worry I'll continue until my last breath….
Disclaimer: Don't own ROTG.
Seconds trickled by but neither of them moved. He was in too much surprise, confusion, and fear. Mostly fear that overclouded his senses and left him frozen. That color would haunt him forever. It was engrained into his head to the point where that color almost triggered a panic attack.
Those eyes haunted him in his sleep, and every time his eyes were open. They reminded him of the fact that he would never be free. Even when he was away from him, he wasn't and wouldn't ever be free from him. He could never escape from Pitch's grasp. The scars that he had caused him would never truly heal.
A burning sensation snapped him out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize that he had stopped breathing. He forced himself to take a breath. It was shaky, and short, but it got oxygen back to his lungs. He tried his best to keep breathing but those eyes alone stole his eyes.
After what seemed like minutes, but were probably only seconds it moved. He watched horrified as it managed to enter the room. Immediately the air turned cold. He was used to the cold but this cold was different. It was one that chilled him to the bone. A cold that was filled with darkness, and fear.
He didn't get to linger on the feeling as the Nightmare slowly started moving. His breath hitched, and he tensed as it got closer. He knew what this meant. He was there for him. The inedible had finally happened.
It raised its head up before letting out a whine. Jack tensed as Jamie shifted in his lap. He looked down scared that he had woken up. To his relief he was still asleep but Jamie's face was starting to twist into one of discomfort. Almost as if sensing the Nightmare. As he watched Jamie curl closer to him seeking comfort, a sense of protectiveness formed. In that instance he saw a part of himself reflected in Jamie.
He couldn't remember how many times he had yearned for a sense of comfort. Nights bled away and still he sat against the wall seeking any form of affection. Those nights were the worst. The loneliness would threaten to swallow him whole. Doubt would eat away at him, and questions would flood his mind. What had he done to deserve this? Had he done something wrong, and was now paying the consequences? Or was there something wrong with him?
Why did nobody care for him?
His master was the only one that occasionally showed him signs of affection, and even that was replaced by bad memories. Those were the moments he lived for. He soaked up all those small gestures, and touches. And right now he saw all of those lonely nights, where he wished, begged for anybody to help, in Jamie.
Expect this time it would be different. Jamie wouldn't be alone while he was here. No, he would be there to protect him.
His eyes hardened a bit as he watched the Nightmares eyes move down to Jamie. It let out another whine that made Jamie shift. He held his breath as Jamie's eyes slowly started to open. They were hazy with sleepiness as they snapped to his blue ones. For a moment panic clouded his eyes as Jamie didn't recognize him. Just as quickly as it came it disappeared.
Jamie opened his mouth to say something but the Nightmare beat him to it. A loud snort drew their attention. Jamie whipped his head towards the Nightmare, before letting out a gasp. His eyes widened as he took in the creature in front of him. A moment later he shot up, backing away from it. His eyes were wide and filled with alarm.
"What is that?" Jamie scooted over until their arms were touching. He resisted the urge to flinch and scoot away. He had to remind himself that he had to protect Jamie. All it took was seeing the small amount of fear that was starting to form in Jamie's eyes to make his decision. He brought his arm across Jamie's chest, shielding him from the Nightmare.
"It's a Nightmare. P-Pitch controls them." He stuttered over Pitch's name but if Jamie noticed he didn't say anything. The Nightmare slowly moved forward, and he pressed his arm against Jamie harder.
"What is it doing?" Jamie asked.
He hesitated for a moment. "I-I thi-, the Nightmare might h-have recognized me. P-Pitch might have t-told them to look for m-me." He cut off sharply the second word.
Almost as if it understood him it took a couple of steps forward. Its eyes were no longer trained on Jamie instead they were watching him. He watched it carefully knowing it could attack at any moment. It lowered its head before charging straight at him. He barely had time to push Jamie away before the Nightmare barreled into him. A small cry escaped his lips as he was shoved off the bed.
His arms were rendered useless as they got tangled on his way down. His chin hit the ground with no protection and with a sickening crack. The rest of his body also hit the floor sending shots of pain in his head and other parts of his body. He let out a groan as he shifted on the ground. The world was spinning, and he no longer knew where the ceiling was or where the floor was. He tried to ignore the way everything spun around him as he struggled to get up. His limbs flailed around almost like he was a newborn.
"Jack!" Jamie whispered loudly. The panic in his voice encouraged him to get up on his knees. Even though everything was spinning he could make out Jamie crawling to the edge of the bed.
"I'm o-okay." He said that right as the Nightmare jumped down in front of him.
Jack blinked trying to get the world straight again. Just in time he saw the Nightmare getting ready to charge at him. Out of pure instinct he raised his hands in front of him. He drew on the limited power he had. The power felt weak and very unstable, like it would die out any moment. He forced the panic down and instead thought about protecting Jamie. To his complete surprise ice shot out freezing the Nightmare mid-charge. He lowered his shaking hand in surprise.
A heavy silence hung in the air. One that had them unmoving. He was still too caught up on what he had just done. Pieces of memories flashed before his eyes of earlier times when he had destroyed Nightmares. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Jamie jumped off of the bed. He avoided the Nightmare before dropping to his knees in front of him.
"Jack! Are you okay?" Jamie's voice was filled with worry. "You're bleeding, and your face is red!"
It took him a moment to realize what he was talking about. His tongue flickered out to the cut on his lip but quickly retreated when it started stinging. He had forgotten about the blood that had dripped down his mouth, and the red spots that now littered his body. His eyes flickered over to Jamie's chocolate ones, taking in the panic and fear. He knew what he had to do. There was no point in worrying him by telling him the truth.
His lips froze as he tried to lie. He swallowed roughly, and tried again.
"I bit my l-lip when I f-fell."
Jamie stood up suddenly leaving him startled. He watched him confused as he came back with something in his hand. Without saying a word he stretched his arm out, handing him a tissue. When he didn't grab it right away Jamie gently placed it on his hand. At that moment he realized that Jamie was offering him the tissue.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jamie asked him. His eyes were wide and full of concern giving him an even more innocent look.
"D-don't worry." He even attempted to smile.
Jamie looked at him strangely for a moment before lunging at him. Two small arms wrapped themselves around his thin frame. He let out a yelp as Jamie crashed into his chest. His head snuggled into his shoulder. Jack's eyes widened as he stared ahead dumbfounded. Hesitantly he wrapped his free arm around Jamie.
How many times was this going to happen to him? It only made his heart clench painfully. In a way it was only crueler. He could pretend this was going to last but he would only be lying to himself. It was all going to end, and the small hope that was barely starting to form was going to be destroyed. At the end the only thing that would still be there would be the memories of this, and even that would eventually be corrupted. It would all get taken away and at this point he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand it.
It was a double-edged sword.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Jamie seemed to have realized that what he had done, and his face was starting to turn red. "Do you think there was only one?"
Jamie started to scoot back but Jack could still see the panic swirling in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed his arm that was starting to unwrap from him. For a moment a flash of fear went through him as Jamie looked at him surprised. He swallowed down the fear and gently tugged him forward. Jamie got the message and leaned forward again. This time he didn't hesitate as much as he wrapped an arm around Jamie.
"I'm n-not s-sure. It could have been a c-coincidence." If it was a coincidence then maybe there was a chance that Pitch didn't know where he was, and if it wasn't then he had little time. A sense of dread was forming.
"Do you think he'll notice if ones missing?" Jamie's question made his heart skip a beat. It was a possibility that he hadn't thought about. He had never really paid as much attention as he should have to the Nightmares. He avoided anything that had to do with them, and now it was backfiring.
"I-I don't know." He answered truthfully. Jamie didn't say anything back and for once the silence didn't bother him.
Time ticked away but neither of them moved, but Jack for once in his life was at peace. Having Jamie there with him changed everything. He no longer felt scared, and lonely. Jamie was providing the comfort that he had longed for. It made him feel safe, something that he wasn't used to. A small smile started to form as he stared at Jamie's face. His head was snuggled into his shoulder with his legs draped over his own. Jamie's eyes were now closed, having lost the fight to stay awake.
The feeling of protectiveness was starting to get stronger with every second. He was still baffled at how friendly, and trusting he was to him. He couldn't deny how happy that made him.
It almost made him feel like, a brother.
His eyes widened at what he had just said. Someone like him didn't deserve something like that. Pitch's words echoed through his head. Cruel, cold, and sharp. Always mocking him, always degrading him, always true. His eyes looked straight ahead but not really looking at anything.
He knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. There was too much on his mind. From what had just happened, to his staff being burned, and the looming threat of Pitch finding him. Now that he thought about it, he was no longer as scared at what was going to happen to him, he was still terrified, but now he was more worried about what could happen to Jamie. If anything happened to Jamie he would never forgive himself.
He let out a soft sigh. He could feel the time ticking by, and he just dreaded the moment when the time ran out. Now that the adrenaline was fading away all his injuries were coming back at full force. Most of the pain was coming from his head. He was sure a nasty bruise was forming on his chin already. He swallowed, and tried to distract himself. He glanced down at the tissue. It was covered in red.
His blood.
The more he looked at his blood the redder it seemed to get. The moonlight gave it a sparkly appearance. He crumpled the tissue in his hand, becoming nauseated at the sight of his blood. He had seen his blood to many times, and it was something that he no longer wished to see. He swallowed trying to get rid of those images. Instead he leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.
Maybe if he tried he would be able to get some shut eye. At some point his head sagged down, and his chin ended up on top of Jamie's forehead.
He never knew at what point he fell asleep until something woke him. Jack's head jerked up, his eyes opening at the same time. His breath quickened as his eyes searched around the room frantically. When he didn't see anything he let out a shaky breath. He leaned back against the wall trying to calm his heart. Something had woken him up, and now he had a very bad feeling.
"I wouldn't relax just yet."
His head snapped over to the corner so fast it hurt his neck. His eyes, and mouth widened in horror. Standing there in the corner was his worst nightmare.
"What's with that expression? It's almost like I'm unwelcomed." Pitch's eyes were the only thing visible in the dark.
In that moment Jamie shifted against him, reminding him of the fact that he was in a very vulnerable position. His eyes glanced down at him for a second before looking back up at Pitch. He hadn't moved an inch but that didn't comfort him in any way.
"Now well you look at that." Pitch took a step forward, no longer hidden in the shadows. "It seems like you have a believer. I guess the unimaginable does happen. Too bad that it won't last," His eyes hardened as Pitch stared at him straight in the eye. "Of that I'll make sure."
The threat made him curl his arms around Jamie bringing him closer. He was especially vulnerable with Jamie in the middle. Pitch wouldn't hesitate to use it against him, but what could he do? He wasn't strong enough to even think about fighting Pitch. But at the bottom of his heart he knew he had to protect Jamie.
"I think it's time that he has a little nightmare. Don't you think?" Pitch raised a hand with sand swirling around it. "What's about to happen isn't too child appropriate."
His eyes widened at the implication, but the first part that Pitch said was what caught his attention. He knew what Pitch's nightmares were like, having experienced them countless times, and he wasn't sure if he was willing to let that happen to Jamie. A quick glance down to Jamie's face that was sleeping peacefully only served to tear him apart. There wasn't anything he could do against Pitch, but he knew he couldn't just let Pitch get away with it.
"What are you waiting for?" As Pitch took another step forward he shielded Jamie by twisting his body so it was covering his. Pitch's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I really do hope that for your own health that you're not doing what I think you're doing."
The small amount of bravery, and defiance was slowly fading. Pitch's threat was enough to make him want to curl up in a ball. To add to his horror Jamie was starting to move in his arms. He watched with panicked eyes as Jamie started to open his eyes. Jamie yawned and brought a hand up to rub his eyes.
"Jack? Jack?" His heart clenched at Jamie's innocent voice. When he didn't answer Jamie raised himself off of his chest. His eyes were more alert now. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Let me tell you something child. It would be a good idea if you decided to back away. I'm just here for Jack, and I rather that you stay in one piece." Pitch's voice was even. There wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice.
Jamie's head whipped towards Pitch almost as fast as he did. He couldn't see Jamie's face but Pitch's face was enough. A small sneer appeared on Pitch's.
"Now where are my manners? My name's Pitch, but you probably know me better as the boogieman." This time when he took another step forward the light showed his bruised face.
Jamie ignored him, and instead turned back towards him. His eyes were wide, and in that moment he knew that Jamie understood that Pitch was there for him.
"Now Jack you know what you have to do. I suggest you get up now." Pitch's tone turned cold enough that it made Jamie flinch.
He looked at Jamie helplessly before putting his hand on Jamie's chest and gently pushing him away. There wasn't anything he could do about himself but he was going to make sure Jamie was safe. Even if it meant he suffered the consequences. He kept his eyes away from Jamie. He knew if he looked at him he would regret it.
He grabbed the edge of the bed as leverage to try and hoist himself up. His legs trembled, and threatened to drop him. It took all his effort to get to his feet. He grit his teeth trying to stay up. Pitch's form seemed to double as he stared at him.
"That's good now come here." Pitch raised a finger and motioned for him to come over there.
He kept his eyes trained on Pitch, knowing that if he looked at Jamie he would crumble. He forced himself to take a step forward. He almost took another one but Jamie pulled his arm. Jack blinked but didn't look down. His eyes started watering as Jamie started tugging on his arm.
"Jack, don't do it!" He knew that he was seconds away from looking down. "Please! Don't go with him! Please."
His will crumbled and he looked down. Jamie's eyes were full of despair and panic as he held him. He probably had a faint idea of what was going to happen to him.
"I-I have to." His response came out weak.
"You don't have to. You always have a choice!" Jamie's words made him freeze. Jamie seemed to realize the same thing and continued. "I know it doesn't seem like there's one, but there is. Even if it's a small one. At the end it's you who has to live with your choices. It's a risk but there's always risks. You just have to decide if it's worth it."
His eyes widened at his words. Could it be true? Was there really a choice? Could he really choose not to go with Pitch? His hands started to tremble.
"You know for such a young kid you are quite the wise person." Pitch didn't seem to be the least bothered by what Jamie had just said. Instead there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You know that could have helped him a long time ago. Now? Well I don't know if it's of any help."
The last sentence was basically a sneer. Next to him Jamie flinched. His reaction was enough to snap him out of his daze. Right now he had a choice, and he was going to make sure Jamie didn't suffer because of him. It didn't matter what happened to him.
With a bit of difficulty he turned and grabbed Jamie's arm. "Don't worry. It's for the b-best. You'll be safe. J-just promise me you'll take care of your s-sis-sister."
Jamie's eyes widened, but he nodded. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead he remained quiet.
"Now that the beautiful reunion is over, I'm afraid to tell you that Jack lied." His head snapped towards Pitch. He knew the look that was starting to form on Pitch's face. "We can't have let Jack have any believers. That unfortunately means that you'll have to forget all about Jack."
Jamie let out a gasp besides him, but he didn't look at him since he was still staring at Pitch. He knew Pitch would do it. There was no doubt about that.
"Forget?" Jamie started to scoot back. He watched helplessly as Pitch took another step forward, and forced Jamie to take another one back.
He flinched as Pitch brushed past him, but he paid him no attention. His focus was entirely on Jamie who had now backed up. He turned around not caring about anything but Jamie.
"Don't worry, you won't feel much. You'll just wake up with no recollection of this. It'll turn all of this into a nightmare." Pitch didn't seem to notice the way Jamie had reached into his coat, and was discretely reaching into its pocket, but he did. His eyes widened, and he forced himself to hold in a gasp. He knew what he was doing, and what he had to do now.
With Pitch's back to him he had a chance to get Jamie's attention. He waved his arm enough to make Jamie's eyes flicker to him. He looked at down at his hand and back to him. A look of understanding appeared on his face before it was gone. He gave him a nod before Jamie looked back at Pitch. He watched Jamie's hand curl inside the pocket, and he knew it was time to act.
He took a deep breath before stepping forward. It took him less than four steps to get in-between Pitch and Jamie. Summoning up all the bravery he had he looked at Pitch straight in the eye. He didn't miss the way Pitch's eyes widened in surprise, but it was gone before he could truly see it.
"And here I thought you were smart Jack. All you had to do was stand by and watch." Just standing in front of Pitch was enough to start making him tremble. He was standing in front of his greatest fear. The source of his pain, loneliness, and fear. "Now you're going to have to suffer the consequences.
He couldn't look behind him but he had to make sure Jamie knew when to do it. "I-I can't let you h-hurt Jamie."
Pitch let out a laugh. "It's not like you can stop me. The only thing you're doing is making things worse for yourself."
He swallowed, and took a step backwards, his arm reaching for Jamie. Once he found his shoulder he gave them a squeeze. Jamie wasted no time and raised his arm with the globe in his hand. At that moment Pitch seemed to realize what was going on.
Pitch raised his arm and a moment later he was sent sprawling. His back hit the floor roughly, and a second later he was staring at the ceiling. He had forgotten how fast Pitch could summon his sand, but he could only hope Jamie had managed to do it. Ignoring the pain he turned his head towards Jamie. He was bringing the globe down, and for a moment it looked like it was going to hit the ground, but then there was black sand wrapping around Jamie's hand. It swallowed his hand whole, and Jamie let out a cry.
"Jamie!" He tried to get to his feet but something wrapped itself around his body. His chin hit the floor again making his vision blur, and double for a moment. He shook his head clearing his vision. By the time he tried to move the sand had his arms, and legs immobilized. The only thing he could do was twist his head towards them.
Jamie was on his knees, holding his hand that no longer had the globe. Instead the globe was in Pitch's hand who was glaring at them.
"Will you look at that? An escape plan. That might have worked better, if it would have actually worked." There was no hint of humor in his voice.
From his angle he could see Jamie holding his hand. Their eyes met and he could see the fear, and pain in his eyes. He was pretty sure his eyes reflected the same thing. As Jamie winced he looked down at his hand. There were thin lines of red on his hand.
"Now this could have been really easy, but you had to make this harder. All you managed to do was get Jamie hurt. You could have just obeyed me, but it seems like you always have to go against me." Pitch held the globe in his hand examining it with fake interest. "Now you'll have to face the consequences, and you know it won't be pretty."
Pitch was now walking towards him, the globe disappearing in the sand. He thrashed around trying to get free but all he managed to do was make his head throb. The sand had all his limbs tied together in a painful way.
Pitch stopped and bent down on his knees. A hand shot out and grabbed his hair lifting him a couple of inches off the ground. A small cry escaped his lips as his hair was pulled savagely.
"You're going to keep quiet while I take care of Jamie." A second later sand was wrapping around his mouth. It tightened until it turned painful, and pulled at his skin.
"Now where was I? Right, I was at the part where you were going to forget about this." As Pitch got closer something akin to panic started to form. Jamie wouldn't be able to defend himself, and he had no idea what Pitch planned on doing.
Jamie was pressed up against the wall, his hand now forgotten as Pitch advanced towards him. Jack's eyes flickered over to Jamie again. As he watched him something inside of him changed. A sudden determination came over him making him narrow his eyes. This time he wouldn't let Pitch get away with hurting somebody. This time he would stop it but before he could do anything, something happened.
As Pitch went to grab Jamie, he did something unexpected. He brought his leg out and landed a solid kick in his gut. Pitch bent over clutching his stomach, clearly not expecting the kick. A small hesitant smile broke out on Jamie's face as he got up. As he started walking towards him he saw Pitch straighten up. Muffled yells were the only thing that made it out from the gag. More panic started to form as Pitch turned around with an expression on his face that haunted him in his sleep.
Jamie seemed to realize what was going on, and turned around but he wasn't fast enough. Pitch was behind him in less than second. Jamie let out a small cry as Pitch reached for him. Out of instinct Jamie took a step backwards only to stumble. Pitch still had his hand out as Jamie fell.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He watched horrified as Jamie lost his balance. There wasn't anything he could do as Jamie got closer, and closer to the ground. One horrible second later, Jamie was down, and a loud crack filled the air. He fell to the ground unconscious, a thin layer of red dripping down his forehead.
He let out a scream that was silenced by the sand. He started thrashing around, his movements out of desperation. He hadn't realized that Jamie would hit the edge, and now it was too late. Jamie was hurt, and he couldn't do anything. He was useless.
His eyes snapped up to Pitch as his arm came by his side again. His eyes were slightly wide with surprise, but other than that he showed no concern. Pitch looked over at him, and shrugged.
"Who would have known he would hit his head? He's still breathing so that's good, but now I don't think I even need to do anything. He just did himself the favor."
For the first time in years something akin to anger bubbled inside him. Without warning the sand around him froze, and frost spread out across the floor freezing Pitch's feet. All it took was a gentle tug, and the sand around him crumpled to pieces. He wasted no time getting over to Jamie. He started crawling towards him as Pitch let out a snarl.
"You're really asking for it you brat! You know what? My plan's changed. Now you're coming with me. You're going to regret every thinking about rebelling." He barely reached Jamie's side as Pitch broke the thin ice around his feet. A fresh wave of terror made him tremble.
He only had seconds before Pitch was on him. With trembling hands, and shaking fingers he gently moved Jamie's head to the side. To his relief it was only a small cut on his head, nothing major, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. Just as he reached for his hand Pitch was grabbing him from behind. With a strong pull he crashed onto the ground.
He barely hit the ground before Pitch was pulling him up to his feet. An arm went around his throat, while another one went around his torso. His body bumped into Pitch a moment later. Pitch lowered his head until his mouth was brushing against his ear.
"Now if you don't want anything else to happen to Jamie, I suggest that you stop struggling now." His voice was sharp, and cold. Almost immediately he stopped the small resistance he was putting up. The arm that was around his throat tightened until it was hard to breathe. "I think it's time to gonow."
A small whimper escaped his lips at the thought of going back with Pitch. He couldn't do it, not after being so close to freedom. It wasn't fair. A stinging sensation in his eyes made him realize that they were starting to water. He had been so close, and for a moment he had actually thought that if he fought back he would stand a chance.
Pitch suddenly stiffened. He raised his head up as a Nightmare came in. He couldn't see his expression but he knew he was smiling.
"It seems like the Guardians didn't have enough with their last beating. It looks like they want more." His eyes widened, and he glanced down at Jamie who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "I say that it's time for you to say goodbye to them."
Shadows started to wrap themselves around him, and the last thing he saw was Jamie's body on the ground before he was swallowed up in darkness.
Once again I want to apologize for the incredibly long wait. *Feels all the glares* Err, yeah I do apologize. The chapter was a little bit longer, so that wasn't too bad right? *Shrinks at all the murderous glares* Well I do want to thank everybody's support, I know waiting such a long time sucks, but I hope you have patience with me, and understand I'm a little busy. Man, I feel like a child abuser with Jamie getting hurt, but it was necessary. To any of you wondering when Tooth will get back into action, I'll just say that that's coming soon. In the next couple of chapters probably. Once again sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!