So here we are again at Pitch's Passion!

Hope ya'll have been enjoying the story thus far, because I've enjoyed writing it.

Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Pitch sat in the main living room on a couch reading a book, his long legs stretched out in front of him while Jack lay curled up into his side and partially on his lap, snoring away blissfully. One gray hand stroked the winter sprite's head, while his deep baritone hummed, occasionally turning a page as he whiled away the hours. Earlier in the day Jack had begun to get fussy, and though it was near the end of his hibernation, he still had time before he would wake up. Naturally Pitch did not want Jack thrashing around and whining, so in an attempt to placate the child he had begun humming, and the boy had taken to it immediately. The Boogeyman now lived in regret of his decision, because every time he stopped, or paused, Jack would immediately scrunch up, and start to whimper, but such was his life. Now he had been sitting in the living room with a pile of books, humming anything and everything that came to his head to keep Jack in peaceful slumber, which was mostly show tunes of course, but it was music, and it kept Jack from pitching a fit.

Turning the page of the book he was reading, Pitch almost jumped a foot in the air when a voice spoke behind him "You have a nice voice you know, I never expected you to be a singer."

The Boogeyman whirled around, though careful not to deposit Jack onto the floor, and faced the source of the voice, and of all people it was Toothiana "W-Well," he stammered as he struggled to maintain his composure "I'm hardly what you would call professional, it is just something I do to pass the time, it sounds even better down in my caves…acoustics and all."

"I'm sure it does," Tooth laughed softly as she looked at Jack and smiled sweetly "we really do appreciate your staying and helping out with Jack, it almost feels like you've become part of the-"

"DON'T," Pitch suddenly hissed his face turning away to hide the sudden flash of pain "don't say 'family'."

"I…wasn't," Tooth replied hesitantly "I was going to say 'group'."

"Oh," the Boogeyman replied his face becoming crestfallen at her denial "I see, well then that's…good, that's good. You shouldn't feel that way anyways, not about me."

Tooth bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. In truth, she was perfectly intent on saying 'family', but Pitch had appeared so against the idea she didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were between them. Add in the fact that Bunny had told her about his and Pitch's conversation where the dark specter didn't even want to be called their 'friend' almost made her think that Pitch was ready to be rid of them. But that look just now, when she denied that she was going to say 'family', that disappointed weary look broke her heart and scattered it into a million pieces. She could see why now that Jack and Bunny had stuck around, why they had gone against the past mistakes between all of them, and willingly decided to forge a friendship between them and Pitch. Because underneath the gothic robe, and cynical attitude, laid a heart that had been broken and bruised more times than it had the strength to endure.

Dragging a footstool over to the couch, Tooth sat down in front of the bereaved man, surprising him by her actions and even more by her words "We can be," she said softly almost in a whisper "we can be if you want."

"Be…what?" Pitch felt his head and his heart reel backwards, unsure of just what was transpiring in that moment lit only by the glow of the flames in the fireplace.

"Your family," Tooth replied slowly "you can be one of us."

Pitch felt derisive snort burst from his lips "Isn't that Manny's job?" he hissed "Choosing Guardians."

"You don't have to be a Guardian to be one of us," Tooth sighed "it was a lesson that we had to learn, and it's taken far longer than it should have, but it can still be put into affect…if we choose."

"And what do you choose?" Pitch asked darkly, turning away making the firelight cast half of his face in shadow.

"I choose…" Tooth paused picking out her words carefully as she tried to answer Pitch in a way that would help him understand that he no longer had to live alone "I choose to end the violence. We've been fighting each other too long, and I'm tired of being enemies, why can't we talk and learn to solve our differences through words not hostility."

"End the violence?" Pitch spat sarcastically "How can we do that when I'm your hated enemy, your opposite in every way, I'm the one Manny created you to defeat."

Tooth jerked back, her lavender eyes falling to the floor "He never said to defeat you," she said quietly "he only said to protect the children, meaning that maybe you have something inside of you that has been twisted by the dark but can be used for good, something you never realized you had."

"If that was the case," the Boogeyman sighed "then why didn't Manny say anything?"

"He didn't say anything to Jack either," the fairy shrugged "Jack basically refused becoming a Guardian until after your…after…well, until after. He still holds some resentment for MiM because of the three hundred years of silence when Manny, and we, failed him."

Pitch let out another forlorn sigh, one hand dragging down his face as he stared into the flames. They sat like that, the clock on the wall ticking away the minutes until Pitch finally spoke again "…Why are you telling me this…?"

"Because I'm tired of being enemies," she said softly her eyes filling with tears at the confession she was making "because I've seen a side of you this summer that makes me feel so guilty that I never tried to get to know you as a friend before, because now I see that you're a good man who has been hurt so many times by…by me…and I can't bear to leave things as they are and not try to fix the wrong we've, I've done."

"You dare speak to me about wrong?" Pitch closed his eyes, unable to handle the sincere apology from the fairy "Do you even know the atrocities I've committed? Are you even capable of understanding the depths of darkness I have sunk to in order to gain my way?"

"I do," Toothiana said in a broken whisper "but I think," she leaned forward, placing her delicate hand on top of his larger one "I think that it's worth the risk."

Time screeched to a grinding halt, and the Boogeyman completely forgot everything else that existed save for this one moment "Toothiana," he whispered "this would be a very bad idea."

"I don't think it is." She whispered back.

"But…But," Pitch scrambled searching for a way to convince her that befriending him would be the worst idea ever in the history of mankind "I'm not trustworthy," he choked "and liable to betray you at any moment. You would be inviting the wolf in through the front door if you were to do this."

"Then I will take responsibility for it should it happen." Tooth said firmly unrelenting in her position.

"…Tooth…" the man gasped.

"Please Pitch," Toothiana pleaded, threading her fingers through his and giving them a squeeze "you don't have to be alone anymore, you can come out of the darkness and join a family, you only have to step into it. We're ready and waiting for you to come, but it's up to you."

Suddenly the Boogeyman felt the strength to meet her gaze, and their eyes locked. His heart beat at an all time high, its tempo racing, drumming in his ears. He had never noticed before, but her eye were the same color as pink Arabian silk, so soft and silky they captured him and threatened to drown him in their ever shifting depths. The firelight played on her feathers, causing each one to glisten, and the dark specter could only stare in awe at the beauty he had never noticed before now sitting in front of him holding his hand in hers. Tooth seemed equally enraptured, and without a word, both slowly began to lean towards each other their eyes never leaving the other.

Tooth felt a shiver run down her spine, but not in distaste, almost in excitement. She had read so many books describing this scenario, where two people would suddenly feel a magnetic pull, and begin to drift towards each other. She would never have imagined that she would experience this with Pitch, of all people, but for some reason it felt…right. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head, giving an unspoken invitation, waiting for what she realized she had begun to hope for and anticipate. Pitch was overcome by fierce trembling, unable to control himself as he drifted towards her, and cupped her face with one hand. His brain shouted at him, veritably shrieking at him, to stop what he was doing and make a run for it even with Jack hanging onto his leg all the way, but he couldn't. His very being was gravitating towards this one small act that he didn't know he craved so desperately.

'Maybe' he thought as he closed his eyes and began to bridge the gap between them 'maybe I can join this family, maybe I can finally stop living alone, but will have something to live for other than pointless bitterness and thoughts of revenge.'

But just as their lips were about to meet, a small voice croaked beneath them "Um…what are you doing, and why is Pitch at the workshop?"

The two sprang apart, the spell broken, and they looked down to see a now awake Jack staring at them with confused eyes "For that matter," the winter child continued "why am I asleep on his lap? That's just…all kinds of creepy."

"Oh Jack," Tooth gave a high pitch trill laced with nervous embarrassment "you're awake! We didn't expect you for at least another week!"

Jack shrugged, his eyes droopy as he slowly regained wakefulness "You know me," he yawned "always gotta defy expectations."

"Indeed," Pitch snarled as he felt his face heat up at the thought of what he had almost done, and just who had witnessed it almost happening.

Standing up, Pitch all but flung Jack off his lap and onto the floor "Since you are awake now," the Boogeyman said briskly as his brain urged him to make a hasty exit "I will be leaving. Goodbye."

With that, Pitch melted into the shadows, leaving Jack to sit on the floor with a look of weary confusion. Turning around, the winter child was shocked to see Tooth sitting looking at where Pitch had disappeared her face disappointed and almost…sad. Jack grimaced, he had just had the weirdest, most creepiest, awkward wake up in his entire life, no way he was going to make it worse by asking Tooth just what she and Pitch were planning to do whilst he lay sleeping on the Boogeyman's lap.

"Uh," Jack coughed "I'm gonna…I'm gonna go…you know, raid the refrigerator and…stuff."

Zipping out, the winter child sped away from emotional females, creepy Boogeymen, and any other weird things that may or may not have happened during his hibernation.

Well Mystic, was this chapter everything you were hoping for?

Let me know, ok?

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