Alright, you guys asked for it, so ya got it, an off season featuring Pitch as Jack's unwilling pillow. ENJOY!

Pitch wandered around his cavernous lair, gnawing on one thumbnail as he considered the way he had yelled at the Guardians and generally acted like a person who had lost all semblance of sanity. No doubt they were thinking the very worst about him right now. Pitch paused, where had that thought come from? He didn't care about how they perceived him, especially when he knew precisely what they thought of him, so where on earth did this sudden concern over how the Guardians saw him originate from? Pitch gave an annoyed growl, rationalizing it as not so much concern over their opinion, as it was acting like an immature drama queen in public. Yes, he knew that he had emotional and mental issues, but not even he could have predicted that he would burst in such a manner in front of…them.

With a groan of inner turmoil, the dark man kicked a rock hard against the stone wall of his home, only to have it bounce off and ricochet right into his head. A startled yelp of pain echoed throughout the cavern, and Pitch heaved a resigned sigh. This was it, his life, and it was never going to get better. He was not Valjean who worked his way from being a hopeless criminal to hero, and he was not the Phantom who went from murderer to merciful ally, and he was most definitely not Collin trapped in darkness only to find his first true friends in his entire life and learn that there was strength and sunlight if he only tried to reach for it.

Sitting on the ground, Pitch fell backwards and lay on his back, fully intent on wallowing in his personal misery and attempting to forget about the irritatingly enjoyable outing he had had with the Guardians. But that too was tragically cut short when he was interrupted by one of his Nightmares running to alert him of something outside his lair. The Boogeyman sent a snarl to his subordinate, scaring it away, before heaving a sigh and going to the entrance of his home to check on what was causing the fuss. He expected a few things, and that dimwit Chikashi had been one of them, but he did not expect to see Jack Frost.

The frost child lay outside his lair, curled up against his staff, his face scrunched in distress even as he snored in blissful slumber. Pitch bent his knees, balancing in the balls of his feet, and knelt down next to the boy, his face dark and pensive. With a sigh of bored tolerance, the dark man reached out and poked Jack with one gray finger, attempting to wake the child and knowing full well that this was Jack's hibernation cycle and he needed to get somewhere considerably colder soon.

"Jack," he muttered unhappily his chin resting on his fist as he continued to poke the pale form "Jack wake up…you are not sleeping outside of my lair…Jack…JACK!"

The boy mumbled something incoherent in his sleep before bleary blue eyes looked up at Pitch. A soft smile rocked the man to his core, and pale hands captured his arm, cuddling it close.

"WHAT?!" Pitch shrieked stumbling backwards and shaking his arm "Get OFF me! Jack, LET GO!"

But the frost child couldn't, or wouldn't, comply but merely hugged the limb closer. Pitch screamed as he ran around the clearing, dragging the winter spirit behind him "SO COOOOOLD!" was the cry before he finally stopped and turned around. Panting for air, he placed one foot on Jack's head, and pushed the spirit hoping to detach him, and it worked…for only a second.

With a speed that was terrifying at best, Jack had slithered across the ground, and grabbed onto Pitch's leg "MINE!"

"No!" Pitch snarled waving his leg around "Bad Jack! Let go of me RIGHT NOW!"

"Mine…" Jack said with a stubborn pout clinging ever tighter to Pitch.

The Boogeyman threw up his hands, screaming to the clouds "MY LEG DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!"

…

"Whattaya mean Jack ESCAPED?!" Bunny bellowed.

"He was in room," North replied waving his hands "and then he wasn't, yetis are still trying to find how he escaped!"

"But wait," Tooth cried "I thought YOU brought him back to the Pole?! Why isn't he clinging to you or following you around?"

"I don't know!" North shouted "I'm still trying to figure out!"

Suddenly Bunny paused as a thought popped up in his head "Wait a second," he muttered "frostbite gets attached ta whoever touches him first when he falls inta his hibernation cycle, right?"

"Right," the fairy and Russian both nodded.

"Then," Bunny continued slowly "who was he touchin' before ya got ta him at the theatre?"

North and Tooth contemplated the question before all three's jaws fell open in shock "Pitch."

Bunny felt snickers crawl up his throat, and the warrior rabbit gave a harsh cough as he tried to dispel them "Oh…" he squeaked as his eyes began to tear up from the guffaws started to jolt his frame "is that all?"

Tooth felt her shoulders convulse with the laughter she was so desperately trying to keep in check, but a very unladylike snort burst from her lips, and her hand flew to her mouth as she struggled to stifle even more giggles "P-Pitch…" she gasped "Jack went t-to go find…PITCH!"

Soon all three Guardians were laughing uproariously at the image that they had grown quite used to during the summer months, only this time featuring Pitch as the caretaker. Aster wiped away the tears streaming down his face as he giggled like a maniac over it "Pitch is gonna…" he panted "get the surprise of his life!"

"We should probably go rescue," North chuckled having had to sit down from the laughter weakening his poor legs.

"No kidding," Tooth hooted "Pitch wouldn't know what to do!"

Aster straightened up, his nose twitching as an evil grin lit up his features "Nah," he whispered menacingly "I say we wait ta see how long it takes Pitch ta get here."

"But what if Sweet Tooth doesn't find him, and is overheating somewhere?" Tooth replied as her laughter died down.

"A good point," Bunny nodded "but I don't think that should be a problem. Jackie is pretty good at findin' what he's lookin' for, even when he's practically asleep, and I bet within the next couple of hours Pitch is gonna come waltzing in here screaming-"

"GET THIS THING OFF MY LEG!"

"Yeah," the rabbit nodded with a smile "that's exactly what he'd say…wait…"

Turning around, the bunny saw the Boogeyman himself standing behind them, his face wreathed in agitated fury, and one long finger pointing accusingly at the winter child who was still happily attached to said appendage. The Guardians lasted maybe two seconds before bursting into another round of uncontrollable laughter, causing the dark man's right eye to twitch like crazy before he stomped the foot not currently being weighed down by a sleep winter child.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" he bellowed.

"Actually," Aster snickered "it is mate."

"No," Pitch hissed dangerously once again pointing down at Jack "it. ISN'T. Now help me make the brat let go!"

Bunny walked over, bending so to sit on his haunches, and swatted the finger away. "Watch carefully," the rabbit said with an air of authority.

Reaching down, Aster softly began to pet Jack's head, gently running his paws through the snowy white hair. Jack let out a blissful sigh, a soft smile lighting his face, and gradually loosened his hold. Finally his pale hands let go, and Bunny picked the child up, cuddling him close and holding him against his chest. But the rabbit quickly noticed that, though Jack snuggled into his fur, his bottom lip quickly poked out in a pout of dissatisfaction. Bunny, though soft and comforting, was not the pillow he had started out with. Standing up with Jack on his hip, the Pooka cast a snarky grin at the Boogeyman.

"Ya see, mate," he snickered "the only way Frostbite lets go is if ya show him some attention, the more ya fight and scream, the tighter he hangs on."

"Well thank you for that information," Pitch snarled all too aware of how the Guardians were looking at him with wolfish grins full of evil intent "but I assure you, I won't need it as I will be avoiding him from this moment on."

Turning around, Pitch prepared to melt away back to his lair, but was stopped by Toothiana's musical laugh "Not so fast, Pitchiner," She chuckled "you are not going anywhere."

"Says who?" the dark man sighed.

Suddenly a small whimper came from Bunny's arms, and a flash of blue and white squirmed from his hold and latched onto Pitch around his waist. North let out a large guffaw "Says him, apparently," the large man laughed gaily.

"JACK!" Pitch bellowed as he pushed and thrashed struggling to free himself from the winter sprite's grasp "GET OFF!"

Jack firmly shook his head clutching the bony frame closer "MINE!"

"Ah," Bunny laughed "sorry mate, but you're not getting' away any time soon."

"And just what makes you think that, rabbit?!" Pitch sneered as he continued his struggle to detach himself.

"Simple," Aster grinned "Jack's entered the 'Mine' phase, once he gets there, you'll be lucky ta get him off in under three weeks."

"THREE WEEKS?!"

The Guardians smiled, holding back the giggles as Pitch's shriek continued to reverberate around the workshop. "Yep," Tooth chirped her eyes twinkling with laughter "three weeks."

"How?!" Pitch gaped "WHY?!"

North shrugged "Jack has strange habit," he begins "which is whoever touches him first after he falls into hibernation he literally attaches himself to them for the entire hibernation cycle. Though once Jack has entered his 'Mine' phase, you will not be able to be alone even for a few minutes and so you are stuck for next three weeks."

"I have to live with…this…" the dark man spat in disgust "for a month?!"

"Just about," Bunny nodded.

"Don't worry Pitch," North said comfortingly patting Pitch on the shoulder "you stay here with us, yeah? We help you with Jack so you won't have to deal with him alone."

"I…Wha-…this is… NO!" Pitch stammered "I will not, CANNOT, live in the headquarters of my most hated enemies for a MONTH!"

"…Mine…" a sleepy voice interrupted the rant causing Pitch to glance down.

Wide blue eyes, unfocused and soft from sleep, looked up at him. The dark man felt his heart give an audible crack as the armor plating that he had erected around for so many centuries began to give way. A small pout pushed out a pale bottom lip, and the eyes welled with unshed tears "Stay," he whispered "please?"

Pitch looked away with a grimace as a strangled whine sounded from his throat and slowly grew to a snarl. Daring one more peek at the pleading blue eyes, Pitch found the last bits of resolve to stay away evaporate "Fine," he sighed.

"Don't worry mate," Bunny said clapping Pitch on the back "once ya get past the 'Mine' phase, it gets a whole lot easier."

Pitch merely rolled his eyes in answer.

….

The weeks began to blur together as Pitch took up residence at the Pole, at first avoiding the Guardians, and spending copious amounts in his guest room; but after Tooth had a long talk with the specter, using cookies and milk as a negotiating tool, Pitch eventually starting spending time around his so called enemies. Jack of course clung to him every second of the day, and once he finally felt secure enough that Pitch wouldn't leave him, eventually let go giving the Boogeyman short breaks during the day with Bunny or North babysitting the winter child, all in all though the Nightmare king found that it wasn't quite as bad as he had originally thought.

It was during the last week of Pitch's forced confinement that he actually broached this topic with another person. He and Bunny sat in the living room, each of them holding cards, while steaming mugs of hot chocolate sat on the table. They were playing a card game known as Hand and Foot, and they were currently tied in points, the last round of the game would decide who won and who had to help North with organizing the Christmas Naughty and Nice lists. Jack sat on the floor, his head resting against Pitch's thigh, breathy snores emanating from his slightly ajar mouth, every few seconds snuggling up to the Boogeyman with a small sigh of contentment. However, it being almost at the end of his hibernation cycle, Jack was slowly coming back to consciousness, and the first signs of him waking up were that he would get increasingly fussy in his sleep. A small whimper broke the comfortable silence of the card game, and Jack shifted in his sleep, his face scrunching in discomfort.

Pitch reached down, one hand unconsciously and without thought patting Jack's head calming him down through physical contact. Still looking at his cards Pitch sighed "I have a pathetic hand this round."

"Hmmm…" Bunny hummed in agreement, his green eyes narrow as he struggled to construct a decent move from his less than stellar cards. Taking a peek around his hand, Bunny found himself smiling fondly at Jack, and how Pitch was calming him without even thinking about what he was doing "Ta be honest," the rabbit said quietly "I'm kinda jealous."

"Why?" Pitch asked one eyebrow raised in incredulous curiosity "You don't know what cards I have."

"Not about the game," Bunny waved with one paw "that ya get ta be the one Jack is attached to this summer. I won't lie ta ya, we all enjoy our time with the kid, and summer is basically become our favorite season because the ankle biter's so cute this time of season, and even though my turn was last year, it's nice havin' the kid act like a clingy tyke and I kinda miss it."

Pitch regarded the rabbit as he thought about his words. Turning back to his hand, Pitch stared with unseeing eyes at his cards, his mind buzzing and whirring with what Bunny had said. Truth be told, he actually agreed with the rabbit. He had gone without physical touch for so long, it was strange having someone actually touching him through a hug, or merely leaning up against him, constantly. Plus Jack, when sleepy due to being in hibernation, gave affection without reservation or remorse. So there were times where he would crawl into Pitch's lap without warning, and rest his head on the dark man's shoulder, only to fall into blissful sleep. That was extremely odd, no one felt safe or comfortable enough to sleep near the Nightmare king, and the fact that the childlike behavior was downright adorable only made the situation more complicated.

"You," Pitch began slowly as he shuffled his cards around "you care about him, don't you."

"Well yeah," Bunny shrugged glaring at his cards "I admit I was pretty mean ta the ankle biter in the past, but we got past that and he's forgiven me, and now…the kid's like my baby brother. I can't imagine us without him."

Pitch pursed his lips, considering that statement "Jack should be waking any time now." He finally said casually "I will be taking my leave soon."

"I know," Bunny nodded "though I admit, I'll miss beatin' ya at cards, but I'm sure ya probably want ta enjoy about a month of peace and quiet by yerself without worrying about a certain ankle biter doing his best impression of an octopus."

Pitch snorted at the mental image realizing it was pretty accurate "Agreed, I will definitely need a little 'me time', after all this is over."

Finally realizing that there was no hope of a decent, much less intelligent, move, Pitch discarded and waited while Bunny took his turn. Another silence drew out between the two before Pitch opened his mouth again, his topaz eyes unsure as he slowly struggled to form the words on the tip of his tongue "You know," he practically whispered "it wasn't so bad…spending the summer here."

"Good," Bunny grunted "I would dare even say that we enjoyed yer company…especially Tooth."

This last comment was accompanied by the Pooka wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, insinuating the possibility of something more being there than anyone had given attention to. Pitch glared at the rabbit as he felt his cheeks heat up in a horrifyingly intense way. "Just take your turn already." He snarled.

Bunny discarded, waving his paw for Pitch to go ahead with his turn. The dark man pondered his cards as he drew two from the pile, and shuffled them into order.

"Ya know yer welcome here," Bunny said quietly as he reached down to gently run his hand through Jack's hair smiling at the way the boy curled into the caress "if ya ever want ta visit, we're more than willin' ta let the past be the past and bygones be bygones. We don't have ta stay enemies ya know, we could be fr-"

"Don't say friends," Pitch cut off "I can admit to our relationship undergoing a slight change, and even admit that I too am weary of the constant fighting between us, but I do not believe that we are even slightly at a level to consider what we have as being 'friends'."

"A'right," Bunny shrugged seeing that Pitch was willing to admit that he was changing for the better but still needed time "how about ally then?"

"The Nightmare King an ally to the Guardians?" Pitch asked incredulously "The idea is positively ludicrous."

"Hey, I'm tryin' my best here," Bunny growled "if you don't like ally, then what DO you want-"

"I never said I didn't like it," Pitch cut in "I just said the idea was ludicrous…your turn."

Bunny smirked as he drew two cards and began to take his turn "A'right, allies it is then."

"Fine," Pitch nodded "just don't call me 'mate'."

"Impossible," the rabbit grinned evilly.

"Oh I think it's highly possible," Pitch countered.

"Maybe," Aster shrugged "but at great personal risk ta me, because I'll have ta change the very way I speak."

"Not using the word 'mate' is at great personal risk to you?" the man said with barely concealed amusement.

"Yep."

Pitch shook his head "You're mentally unstable."

"Possibly," Aster laughed "but let's see how mentally stable you are after being in this family for five years."

"Assuming our truce is still in effect," the Boogeyman answered with a wry grin.

"Deny all you want," the rabbit guffawed "but I don't even give it a year before ya start wonderin' how ya ever lived without us."

"Doubtful."

"Definite."

"…Shut up…"

OMW Ok, so I decided to make this the next chapter of Pitch's Passion becaaauuuse EVERYONE WAS BEGGING FOR IT! I hope it was as good as ya'll hoped and dreamed it would be. I wish I could have done better, but you guys know me.

As always, please REVIEW because I want to know if this chapter was what you guys were hoping for.