A/N: Hi again! Sorry I've kept everyone waiting a bit longer for this chapter, it was showtime for our choir so that has been keeping me busy, plus I got my exam results, and I passed! WooHoo! So my head has just been a bit over the place lately :)

Thank you to Tala White 14, Guest, MysteryGirl7Freak, AirbmaB7, darkryubaby and AnaEl92 for reviewing the last chapter! It means so much everyone! :D

Things get bad for Jack in this chapter (but don't worry, I didn't go into too much detail so it should still be fine for a 'T' rating), I haven't actually hurt a character as much before so I've been fretting over how it reads but I thought I'd upload it for the craic anyway and sure we'll see how it goes :)

Disclaimer: Not mine :( Neither of them :( . . . . Enjoy!

"He is in place." Both Pitch and Crowley turned to the sound of the voice, seeing the two demons waiting for them at the door. Pitch had been turning Jack's staff between his fingers while Crowley had sat in the comfy seat behind the desk drinking his way through a bottle of scotch.

"Good," Crowley replied.

"Excellent." Pitch shadowed in agreement before addressing Crowley, "Do you want to speak with him first or shall I?"

"You go ahead darling, have some fun; break him down a bit first, I know you want to." Crowley answered with a smile.

Pitch grinned widely in response, "How did you ever guess?" He replied as he set down the staff and slipped into the shadows around him.

Jack was led to a larger room where the two demons had fastened his hands to a rafter above his head, causing Jack's arms to rapidly begin to protest as they grew progressively numb. The injuries he had sustained from his fall had long since healed, with only his jaw pulsing slightly from the hit he had sustained from one of the demons. Light rays seeped through the barricaded windows providing Jack with a better idea of his surroundings. There were storage boxes lining the walls, outdated machines at different corners of the room, large bulky objects that were covered with big sheets. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs which only served to add to the creepiness of the place. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd say he was in an abandoned warehouse of some sort, but why would Pitch not keep him in his fortress? Jack shook his head with a sigh, he was never going to understand that guy.

"Jack." Jack broke from his reverie at the sound of his name being called ominously in an English accent from somewhere in the shadows around him. His body stiffened in response, ready for whatever was to come.

"Pitch, was wondering when you'd finally show yourself!" Jack called out in response, maintaining a cool and nonchalant act in the face of his enemy. "Was starting to think you were just going to ignore me."

"Well, well Jack," Pitch replied as he formed from the shadows in front of the young guardian, "I wouldn't want you to think I was too eager to see you." He continued, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Jack laughed lightly, "Oh no, cause kidnapping me and holding me against my will for whatever length of time definitely screams 'not eager.'" Pitch looked flatly over at Jack, considering what to say next. He had waited quite some time to have the little Frost brat in front of him, helpless to fight back, yet now he was here, he was slightly unsure of how to begin. As he paused, he circled the spirit in front of him, his yellow eyes never leaving the Guardian.

"How have you been Jack?" Pitch said, feeling a small taste of frightful anticipation from the boy, which spiked slightly the longer Pitch dragged this out, causing Pitch a slight smile. Jack's fear, as contained as it was, was perfect; the sweet taste of a child's fear combined with the cool, peppermint flavour that could only come from a winter immortal. It was refreshing.

"Skip the pleasantries Pitch, what do you want?" Jack responded sharply, all hints of lightheartedness gone, knowing full well that Pitch was enjoying Jack's discomfort, regardless how much he tried to hide it.

"Now Jack, don't tell me you've lost your manners." Pitch replied smoothly, moving to the Spirit's side. "Fine. If you won't tell me then I might as well tell you. I've been terrible," he began, circling Jack while remaining in his personal space until he was face to face with the white haired boy. "Nightmares are good soldiers, until they turn on you." He paused briefly, "the things I had to endure; you can't imagine. And all the while you and the other Guardians stayed up here, doing what you have always done. But through it all, the only thing that kept me sane was thinking about my revenge, how good it would feel, and now it's here." His eyes bored into Jack's as he revealed his sufferings and the motivations they gave rise to, with Jack returning his stare with a steely gaze of his own, ice blue eyes hardening with angry emotions.

"Yeah? Well you better keep dreaming, cause once I get out of here, things will go back to how they were, and that's if you're lucky."

Pitch broke from his thoughts, backing slightly from the Frost child and resuming his circling with a mirthful laugh, "Get out of here? My dear boy how do you plan on achieving such a thing?" He mocked.

"You know how Pitch, the other Guardians will come, and then you'll regret ever coming near me." Jack replied, his voice strong and full of trust that the Guardians would rescue him.

"Oh really?" Pitch questioned dubiously. Jack merely rolled his eyes at Pitch, knowing that Pitch was about to go into the many reasons as to why he thought Jack's theory would not be the final outcome.

"Well Jack, you've been with us a while now and there's not a Guardian in sight." He continued, "Did you ever think that maybe they don't want to find you? Even when you joined them it was only because they needed you. They didn't care before, and they don't care now." Pitch taunted.

Jack glared heatedly at Pitch, "They'll come. Things have changed, we're a family now." Pitch laughed in mockery, muttering between chuckles how 'adorable' that idea was. Jack felt indignant anger rise in him, "Just because your allies turned on you it does not mean mine turned on me. You deserved what you got." Jack continued, his voice laced with venom.

Pitch stopped at the comments and paused for a moment, his expression unreadable before raising his hand and snapping his fingers.

Initially, Jack's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the older spirit's actions, but the instant Pitch's fingers snapped, a sharp burst of electricity spread through Jack's body, originating from his cuffed ankle. The shocks burned painfully through his chilled body and caused his muscles to tightly seize as he jerked somewhat wildly. It was over as quickly as it began, leaving the young guardian in a shaken state as he struggled briefly to regain his bearings after being caught completely off guard. Pitch had once again advanced on the winter spirit, leering over him as the guardian recovered from the painful shock.

"What the hell was that?" Jack exclaimed loudly, having found his voice.

Pitch smirked dangerously, "Having friends in low places has its benefits Jack, so I'd watch your tongue from now on."

"I'm not afraid of you." Jack reaffirmed, knowing that, if nothing else, it would annoy the Bogeyman.

Pitch reached out and grabbed Jack's cheeks tightly with one hand, his long nails at risk of breaking Jack's skin and forcing Jack's face to look up at him. Jack closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the Bogeyman when it wasn't under his own terms. Pitch inhaled deeply, eyelids fluttering as he did so looking incredibly like a cook smelling his food. "Oh I know. But you are afraid of something." Pitch released Jack's head sharply, causing him to jerk backwards slightly, chains pulling on his already sore wrists. At his words, Jack's eyes shot open, waiting for Pitch to continue.

Pitch circled Jack so he was directly behind the boy, striding a few feet away from him. He began silently calling on his black nightmare sand to form a long black whip in his hand. He inhaled deeply; it was almost a spiritual thing, a cleansing if you will. For so long it had seemed that he'd have to wait another few centuries before manipulating his nightmare sand like this, and with every hit, every lash he endured he had promised himself that regardless of how long it took, he would exact the same treatment on the one who had sentenced him to such a fate.

"I'm sure you've noticed," He began as he worked, "You're in a very vulnerable position Jack." The young guardian offered no response, so Pitch cracked the finished whip on the floor close to the spirit, eliciting an involuntary flinch from Jack. Pitch grinned in satisfaction. "You may not be afraid of me, but you're afraid of what I can do to you."

Without further ado, Pitch swung the whip again, this time making contact with the boy's back, slicing his hoodie and leaving a long red gash on the pale skin underneath.

Jack gasped in pain before clenching his teeth, adamantly refusing to give Pitch the satisfaction of hearing him scream. That was little comfort, however, as the whip was unleashed again and again. Jack set his mind to the task of keeping his breaths deep and even, calming him and helping him deal with the unbearable pain stemming from his back. He closed his eyes, gaining strength from the thoughts of anything good; his believers, Jamie and the Guardians.

Pitch carried on, unsurprised at Jack's refusal to scream. He didn't mind, Crowley had encouraged him to break the spirit, Jack's stubbornness was just going to make it all the more fun.

Dean parked the Impala outside of the local diner. They had already contacted Cas to meet them here and were expecting him any minute. After leaving Jamie's, they had proceeded to talk with the other two children, who both gave similar, though slightly less detailed accounts of what was going on in the neighbourhood. They had waited until the angel was present to go over anything of what they heard and although Sam disagreed with discussing such topics in a public diner, Dean was hungry.

Once they had entered the diner and took their seats, Cas walked in the door, having just appeared outside. Spotting the brothers, he made his way over and seated himself beside Sam. Both Sam and Dean ordered some food and drinks, with Cas opting only for a glass of water which was left sitting on the table throughout the meal.

Cas began the conversation, "Well?" He prompted.

The brothers exchanged a long look, inhaling deeply, both still a little dubious about what they had heard from all three children. But, they had no other leads so, "We think it might be Jack Frost, maybe not the Jack Frost but a spirit of some sort who died a cold death and has convinced themselves he's Frost." Sam explained. Dean merely shook his head and continued munching his way through his burger.

"What did the children say?" Cas pressed, not even bothering to argue over the spirit's identity; they would come to the proper conclusion eventually.

"Well they all, especially Jamie, seemed certain Frost was attacked by nightmares." Dean explained between mouthfuls, "He drew us this picture, and this is one of the kid." He continued, showing his friend the pictures Jamie had provided them with.

Cas studied both of the pictures closely. "This is Jack Frost." He announced, his voice portraying his certainty. "And this picture could be of nightmares."

"Why would they go after Jack Frost?" Sam questioned.

"Nightmares are under the control of the Bogeyman. They have similar physical properties to that of a demon. However, as with all the legend immortals, you must believe in them to see them." Cas paused briefly, momentarily caught in his thoughts as he pieced together the various pieces of the case. "If Pitch Black is involved, he must be working with demons. Adults would not have reported seeing a 'black storm cloud' otherwise."

Cas' eyebrows furrowed together as he thought deeper into Sam's question, trying to remember every detail from the files on both immortals that would connect the two. "Did the children mention anything about Jack or Pitch meeting in the past?"

"No not really," Sam replied.

Cas sighed slightly as he glanced around the diner. Pitch Black only had any real dislike for the Guardians as he saw them as direct competition for believers. Jack however had very little to do with the Guardians, mainly keeping to himself beside some interactions here and there, and even then it was really only with the Sandman. "What did they say about Jack?"

"Well, that he was good fun, liked playing in snowball fights, the usual stuff, just like any other kid." Dean explained.

"Jamie also said he was like a superhero, he called him a Guardian?" Sam continued, his voice raising in confusion at the end.

This caught Castiel's attention, "A Guardian?" If this was true, Jack's guardianship would have to have been recent; the angel's having had less time to watch over Earth now their own plans were coming to a head.

"What's a Guardian?" Dean pressed, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"They are legend immortals chosen by Tsar Lunar, the man in the moon, to protect the children of the world. They also require belief, but they have plenty of it so they are incredibly powerful. There is North, Toothiana, Bunnymund and Sanderson. Pitch detests them; the more that believe in the Guardians, the less believe in him."

"I've never heard of them." Dean argued instantly, causing Cas to look at the older Winchester with an exasperated look on his face.

"They are widely known as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the Sandman." He explained bluntly. Dean merely rolled his eyes at the mention of the childhood fables, causing Cas to sigh in frustration. "Do not underestimate the group because of what you think you know."

"Dean, hear him out. I mean, we used to think angel's were little naked babies with harps and wings." Sam shadowed, attempting to rationalise with his brother.

"If Jack is now a Guardian, it would definitely give Pitch reason to attack him." Cas reasoned with Dean; the evidence was stacking up in favour of what the angel was saying and neither Winchester brother could ignore it for long. "I will return momentarily." Before giving either brother a chance to reply, Cas was gone.

The Guardians were all crowded around the large, roaring fire the yetis had lit in the meeting room of the workshop. They had paused their festivities, none of them feeling in a celebratory mood until Jack arrived, and at this stage, he was really quite late. Bunny leaned against the fireplace, a frown on his face; North paced in front of the fire muttering to himself; Toothiana buzzed around the room; while Sandy sat on one of the stools at the counter, waiting anxiously for Jack to arrive as he watched tensions begin to rise.

"Where is he?!" Bunny sighed exasperatedly. "I know the kid's not the best time keeper, but he wouldn't be one to miss a party."

North paused in his pacing, looking over to Bunny, a worried expression on his face.

"North? What's wrong?" Tooth questioned. She herself had been getting progressively more worried about Jack the longer he was absent, and now she had let herself worry, her mind had began conjuring every terrible situation that could have happened Jack that would make him late. The realisation that it had been a few nights since her little ones had returned from tooth collecting with at least one funny story about the Frost spirit's silly antics did nothing to ease her fears. Still, she had kept them to herself, convinced that she was just over-mothering the boy and that he would be fine. North's expression told a different story.

Sandy had floated closer to the big bearded man, a question mark also appearing above his head, encouraging North to tell the others what was bothering him.

"Eet is Jack." North paused briefly, unsure of how to proceed, "I think something is wrong. . . . I feel it, in my belly!" He finished, grabbing his round belly at the end and giving it a shake for emphasis, his face solemn and serious.

Before any of the Guardians could react, a distinct fluttering sound was heard from across the room. All eyes turned in the direction of the sound and they were met with the sight of a man, dressed in a suit and tie with a beige trench coat stood staring at them with intense blue eyes.

Bunny reached for his boomerangs, grasping them firmly in his hand at the sight of the stranger. Tooth and North both tensed slightly, whereas Sandy merely gave a half smile, a knowing expression on his face as he made a guess at who, or what was standing before them.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" North asked in his thick Russian accent. The man before them continued his long gaze, seeming unfazed or unsurprised by the question.

"My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord." He said, in a deep gravelly voice. Sandy nodded his head with a smile while the other Guardians relaxed slightly; the two groups had little to do with each other and therefore neither caused each other any trouble. The angel rounded the table he was stood behind, bringing him closer to the Guardians. "I have come to ask you something."

"What is it?" Tooth asked, curious as to what would bring an angel to their doorstep.

"Is Jack Frost a Guardian of Childhood?" He questioned, his voice and gaze both quite intense.

"Jack? Of course!" North boomed, gesturing his arms wildly as he did.

Bunny still looked concerned, curious as to why an angel was asking questions about the newest guardian. "Why do you ask?"

The angel glanced over at Bunny, his face showing hints of sorrow mixed with concern. "I was in Burgess with two hunters when we came across rumours of Jack. We talked to the children; they said Jack was attacked by nightmares on Saturday night. None of them have seen him since."

The Guardians all looked at each other with a mixture of shock and sadness. They were all speechless. Was he injured? Taken? None would allow themselves to entertain the notion of the worst case scenario.

"We have to help!" North exclaimed once he had regained his voice. "We will help find Jack!"

"Wait a minute mate," Bunny began, but he was interrupted by both North and Tooth protesting his statement. "Hey! Listen to me! He said he was in town with hunters, why were they there in the first place? We can't just rush off without knowing what is going on here!"

Both North and Tooth stopped, realising Bunny was right and once again all heads turned to the angel behind them, indicating for him to answer Bunny's question.

"Demons." Castiel said flatly.

"Demons?" Tooth repeated hesitantly, "Did you find them?"

"They seem to be working with the nightmares."

"What?!" Bunny questioned. Sandy made a symbol of Pitch above his head along with a question mark.

"Could it be Pitch?" Tooth thought aloud.

"It could be. Demons have no business interfering with immortals; they'd only get involved if a deal was made." Cas explained.

"Someone would have to make deal." North concluded with a sigh. "We must go! If Pitch has Jack, there is no telling what he could do to the boy."

"Is there some place in Burgess you know off that we could meet?" Cas asked, knowing that if he dropped the four immortals in front of him on Sam and Dean they would not be pleased.

Sandy immediately symboled a lake above his head. North translated for the angel, "Jack's lake? That would be best, good thinking Sandy!" He praised before turning to Cas, "Is in woods."

The angel simply nodded in response before disappearing with the same fluttering sound he arrived with.

The guardians all jumped into action, North declaring that they get to the sleigh, with Bunny's only sign of annoyance at the man's plan of action being some quiet grumbles. They moved through the workshop, North informing the yetis of what was happening and to get the sleigh ready, while Tooth sent word via the few fairies she had accompanying her to let the rest of her little ones know Jack was in trouble. Once they arrived at the garage of the workshop they stopped as they waited for the sleigh to be brought out.

"How could Pitch be back so soon?" Bunny asked, sounding uncharacteristically unsure.

North sighed and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips, "I do not know, but he is."

Jack breathed heavily, his head lolling slightly due to his exhaustion, the lashes of the whip not only having cut into his back, but drained him of his energy as more blood was spilled. The top of his brown trousers were soaked through with the blood that had poured from his back, with his hoodie having been ripped off him by Pitch somewhere around the 20th hit, the Bogeyman having proclaimed viciously how it was 'getting in his way.'

Jack fidgeted in his chains, attempting to find a position where his muscles were not quite so strained, but it was to no avail. He remained as uncomfortable as ever while Pitch moved about the room doing God knows what.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack mumbled once Pitch had moved to leer over him once more.

Pitch merely chuckled, "You know why Jack. You chose the wrong path. You interfered with no right to do so. You deserve this." He replied in a voice that was smooth as velvet but somehow more frightening than if he had shouted.

Pitch turned to leave the room. He had struck the boy a total of forty times and was more than pleased with himself at the sheen of blood that now coated Jack's back, with some areas where the strikes had overlapped repeatedly showing fractions of white bone. Even still, he had only managed a groan or a whimper out of the spirit. Like with all immortals, the cuts would heal quicker than with a human, but the black sand residue left from the whip along with Jack being powerless meant the process was going to be slightly slower, and more painful. Just as he was about to leave, Jack spoke again, although surprisingly this time it was in a stronger, more determined voice; one the Bogeyman did not think the young spirit would have the courage to make considering the pain he was obviously in.

"You're wrong."

Pitch merely sneered, disregarding his comment before leaving the youngest guardian to his injuries.

A/N: I feel mean. Reviews are hugs for Jack! Let me know what yous thought and thanks for reading! :D