Alright, everyone is in love with Pitch's Passion, so here we go with the next one!
Tooth sat on the edge of her seat as the music started, her eyes growing wide as Arabian type music began to play, and the voice of a young girl began to echo through the theatre.
"I was born in India," she said "it was hot there, and dry."
Mary Lennox soon walked out onstage as her life began to play before them showing her spoiled pampered raising far from the influence of her parents who cared little for her very existence. Thunderous noise shook the theatre as the reenactment of her parent's death due to a large scale earthquake took place. Jack sat, his mouth agape, his eyes wide as he listened intently to the story. Bunny was in equal wonder in his own seat, a bucket of popcorn on his lap. Pitch was even enjoying himself thus far, true it wasn't like Les Miserables or even Phantom of the Opera, but it was still a surprisingly dark beginning compared to what he had expected to be a children's play about gardens and fuzzy animals.
"I have to admit," Jack whispered as he leaned towards Bunny "this is turning out better than I thought."
"Told ya," the rabbit smirked.
"Shh," Tooth scolded "I'm trying to listen."
"All of you shut up," the boogeyman sighed "if I'm going to be forced to watch a play about a garden I want to at least understand the plot without you lot yammering in the background."
"Says the guy who said more than all of us put together" Jack muttered with mischievous glint in his eye.
Pitch felt a pout decorate his face, but rather than rising to Jack's bait, he merely sighed and reached over to flick the winter child on the back of his head. Jack gave a muffled yelp, and turned playful angry eyes to the dark specter who merely whistled innocently. Rolling his eyes, Jack shook his head with a small smile before sitting back in his chair and turning his attention back to the play at hand.
The story continued with Mary being taken in by her Uncle who was determined to stay as far away from his home Mistlethwait Manor, and even avoided his newly orphaned niece. Mary was a surly girl, with a morbid attitude and sallow features, and was determined to drive away any kindness given to her. Tooth felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched the girl left to herself, rejected by the very people who took her in, and her thoughts drifted back to her own parents who had been killed in their effort to protect her from those who had wished her dead. She remembered how she, much like Mary, had fallen into a time of bitterness and defeat, unable to truly find happiness in her life after her parents had been taken from her. But Mary Lennox was not like Toothiana, for she had never had the loving relationship with her parents that the fairy had had, and it only made Tooth feel even more empathy for her. She sighed in relief when Mary finally discovered the secret garden, and learned that it was the place where her aunt had died, and her uncle had closed the place up never to open it again. She had also had a secret place of refuge to find healing and strength, and Tooth was happy beyond words at the girl's discovery.
"Tooth," Jack whispered his eyes wide with concern "you ok?"
"Huh?" the fairy whipped her head around to look at the winter sprite suddenly snapped from her thoughts "Oh, yeah, don't worry about me Sweet Tooth, I'm fine."
Jack pouted, unconvinced, but his attention was drawn away by Mary Lennox's sudden discovery of her bedridden cousin. The plot began to unfold as they watched Mary bond with her cousin, and learned that he had not been allowed to leave that bed in the dark room since he was born. Jack hugged himself, feeling claustrophobic at the idea of living in a room, confined to a bed, never seeing sunlight or going outside. The very idea made him shudder in both disgust and horror, the fear sending a tantalizing aroma to Pitch, making him turn to Jack with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Something wrong?" he rumbled softly.
"Just…" Jack paused as he searched for the right words "I can't even understand the idea of being trapped like that, of everyone telling you that you're gonna die and forcing you to stay in a dark room with no sunlight, and no other people to keep you company. No wonder the boy cries all the time, he must be so lonely."
Pitch paused, ever since he had escaped from his prison in the caves by forcing Aster into a supreme state of fear, he had always thought that he would gain revenge on the Guardians. But looking onto the stage, Pitch could draw parallels between himself and the bedridden child, both he and the boy had been forced into an existence that they had never wanted in the first place, both were constantly being told by others how worthless and pointless their life was due to the unchangeable factors presented in their lifestyle, and both were trapped in never ending darkness. And yet…here he was, watching a play in a Chicago theatre alongside those selfsame Guardians whom he had sworn revenge on. Pitch shook his head at the irony, but his thoughts were interrupted once again by the small boy sitting next to him.
"I'm sorry."
Pitch felt his jaw drop in utter shock as he spun to face the sprite only to violently flinch at the kicked puppy look he was giving him "…What..?"
"I said I'm sorry," Jack muttered with a look of dejected misery on his face "I'm sorry for the fact that we forced you into that existence, and that we hated you despite the fact that the only reason you had done all the things you did was because you were lonely."
The boogeyman's lip curled as his mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find words to express his shock and…disgust? No, not disgust, but there was some unnamable emotion burning in his gut that he couldn't quite understand; shaking his head violently, the dark specter reared back into his chair with enough force to rock it, and folded his arms unhappily. Whatever this emotion was, he didn't like it, but regardless of the battle taking place between his mind and heart Pitch knew that Jack was waiting for a reply and he needed to give one if he didn't want to wound the boy. Whoa…where did that come from? Surely he didn't care if Jack's feeling were hurt and the boy was emotionally scarred from this point on…right? Oh who cares, he needed to say something, and he needed to stop rambling to himself and spit it out!
"Don't pity me," Pitch finally snarled, more at himself than at Jack "you seem to have forgotten that I'm the one who decimated Bunny's kinsmen, and I'm the one who has caused more heartache and pain for the world than anyone else due to my own selfishness. A creature like me does not deserve, nor need, your pity."
Jack pondered Pitch's words as Mary's cousin, Collin, began to throw a temper tantrum, screaming and crying as Mary left him after they had had a fight "I think," he said "that selfishness is just cry for someone to see you and make you feel loved… I mean," the boy turned sincere blue eyes on the boogeyman nearly shocking him out of his seat "that's the main reason I caused problems for Bunny's Easter Egg hunts, because I wanted him to acknowledge my existence and make me feel less alone. It doesn't make it ok, or right, but I think that's the reason for it."
Pitch's shoulders deflated and the man gave an aggravated sigh "Just watch the stupid play Jack."
The winter sprite shrugged, but his mind was still working on how to try and make Pitch see that being the sworn enemy of the Guardians wasn't his only option. Mary soon became friends with a young boy, the younger brother of one of the servant girls, and Dickon became her partner in helping her cultivate the long abandoned Garden preparing it for spring. Bunny grinned, and elbowed Jack gently.
"Tha's my favorite part o' spring," he whispered "watchin' the flowers bloom and the things ya thought were dead from the cold just wake up and start showin' off their colors. Flowers take a lot o' work, but manny it's worth it once spring comes."
Jack gave a small grin and nodded at the rabbit, but his eyes were riveted on the stage as Mary finally got to meet her reclusive uncle for the first time. The girl crept forward, her eyes fearful as she took in the intimidating presence of her uncle who was being eaten alive by his bitterness and grief.
"You…look so much like her," the man groaned in seeming pain at seeing the daughter of his wife's twin sister "like a ghost sent to haunt me."
"I'm sorry," Mary quavered "I don't mean to cause trouble to anyone."
"Trouble?" the man gasped from where he cowered in the corner "what trouble could you cause?"
Mary glanced down at the floor in discomfort before giving a heavy swallow and met the man's gaze with determined eyes "May I…May I please…ask something of you?"
"Of course," the man waved from his corner of the room "anything at all."
"May I…have a bit of earth?"
Lord Kraven looked at her in confused shock "A bit of…what?"
Mary felt her resolve drop but gathered it back up again "A bit of Earth," she reiterated in a desperate yet hopeful tone "a place of my own to plant things in and make them grow? If it isn't wanted, may I have it?"
"Just like her," the man moaned in a haunted tone before snapping his tortured gaze back to the young girl "take any bit of land you desire."
"Any place?" Mary asked happily.
"Yes!" the man cried as he flinched as if the girls mere existence pained him "now leave me, and tell Ms. Medlock that I will be leaving on the hour!"
Jack grinned in triumph as the girl sped out of the room, her face alight with a happy glow at the thought that she had gained the master's permission to call the secret garden abandoned by the household, once owned by her dead Aunt, as her very own.
The orchestra burst out in song as the houselights came up signifying the intermission, and Tooth gave a stretch sighing in satisfaction as she felt her back pop "This is turning out pretty good!"
"Yeah," Jack grinned "I like how Mary got to have Lord Kraven's permission to have the garden, even though I feel bad for Collin. I hope that they can get him to the garden."
Bunny winked "I'm not tellin', but I will say you'll be happy with the end."
"A happy ending," Pitch sneered "how droll."
"Hey," Jack barked as he turned teasing eyes to the boogeyman "we watched two shows that have pretty depressing endings to them with you, so why don't ya just suck it up and enjoy the show?"
Pitch raised two hands in mock surrender "Fine," he sighed forlornly "It's not like I have any choice since I'm obviously outnumbered by the Lollipop Guild."
Aster covered up his snicker with cough and turned towards the stairway "I'm gonna see about getting a snack."
"A snack?!" Jack laughed "You just ate an entire bucket of popcorn, and you want a snack?!"
"Oi," the rabbit grumped giving the kid a playful cuff "I had the salty, now I need the sweet, ya can't have one without the other."
"Touché," Jack shrugged "but if you're getting chocolate, I'm coming with."
Both boy and rabbit took off for the stairs but were followed by a very irate fairy "Oh no you don't E. Aster Bunnymund," she practically shrieked "I am not letting you ruin my Sweet Tooth's beautiful, pure white teeth!"
Pitch rolled his eyes with a sigh "What on Earth have I gotten myself into?"
…..
Back at Santoff Clausen, North sat in his office, experiencing something that he detested with every fiber of his being…lack of inspiration.
Santa Clause was of course one of the most imaginative being in existence, what with the way he cranked out endless amounts of toys for the masses, but every once in a while he would get in a creative slump and no matter what he did, he could not design or even think of a new kind of toy for the upcoming year. It was a horrible sensation, one that North usually washed down with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, but this particular slump was especially persistent and was immune to the usual mode of cure. Heaving a sigh, the large man considered his options, his head laying dejectedly on his desk.
He could visit one of the Guardians, but Tooth and Sandy were too busy, and since it was getting close to Jack's hibernation cycle the winter spirit was probably already snoozing in his room and won't wake until mid September, which only left Bunny. North perked up, maybe a trip to the Warren was just what he needed. To be honest, before Pitch attacked and Jack joined the team, he had never visited the den of the Easter Bunny, but now that he had North had to admit that it was every bit as impressive as his workshop. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good. With a nod of determination the man made his way to the warren, arriving only to pause in confusion at the silence reigning through the many tunnels and plazas of the Pooka's home.
"Bunny," North called "Bunny, you here? I have come for visit!"
Nothing, the only sound being North's voice bouncing off the stone walls and echoing back at him. Santa scratched his head in pouty confusion "Where is that Pooka?" he wondered aloud.
Deciding to just go into Aster's living quarters, North continued his search checking every room in the den, but still came up empty. With a sigh, the large man sat on the plush couch in the living room, his eyes distant as he pondered just where the rabbit could be when suddenly he noticed that Bunny's computer was still on. Satnding up, North walked over to it, only to cock an eyebrow is amused interest at the sight still occupying the screen. It was an advertisement for a theatre in Chicago featuring a play called The Secret Garden. North chuckled softly to himself.
"So that's where he went," he murmured softly "looks like I have a show to catch."
DUNDUNDUUUUUN! Looks like it's North's turn to catch them. I tell ya, them Guardians are a curious bunch, and once Bunny got let in on the secret, it all snowballed from there!
As usual you guys, READ and REVIEW!