' You're listening to Burgess Radio. Now for an update on the 'Candy Heart Sandal'.

Like most one hit wonder pop sensations, 'Candy Heart Mania' has practically faded overnight.
The disastrous concert in Burgess Park two nights ago has been identified as a key factor.
While nobody was injured, several members of the audience (predominantly children) reported hallucinations of strange creatures including a 'bird lady' and a 'dark monster' attacking the singer on stage.
No concrete explanation has been uncovered explaining the severe electrical faults or the disappearance of the singer following the disaster.
Police have appealed to the public for any information regarding Candy Heart's whereabouts.
In a press conference earlier today, Detective Townsend of the Burgess police force said:

'It's like this girl was a ghost. She said on numerous occasions she was from Burgess but we have been unable to locate any records pertaining to her birth or familial background. We have expanded our search and will release further statements as and when we receive further information. In the meantime I would ask that anyone with any information regarding Candy Heart's whereabouts come forward'.

The apparitions witnessed on stage are now thought to have been the result of malfunctioning animatronics, questionable chemicals used in the stage effects or even a side effect of 'crowd hysteria' which has been known to affect perceptions of reality. The latter theory is supported by the fact that most people present in the crowd can no longer recall exactly what they saw despite giving clear testimonies the same night as the incident.
However, the possibility of audience members being affected by chemicals has not been ruled out as Roger Wolfe, a local cameraman present at the concert, explains:

'We might not all agree on what we saw or heard but we all agree it was terrifying at the time right? Then we all go home and sleep like babies? You telling me that's natural? Hell, I can't even watch the movie 'Poltergeist' without having nightmares! I've talked to other people who were there. None of us can agree about what happened and what we do agree on is fuzzy! We definitely all got a dose of something wacky. Best part is Candy's production crew have all disappeared. You ask me, them and her are holed up somewhere until the heat dies down. Or it's a government conspiracy. I made some notes if you'd like-'.

The investigation continues. Up next is weather…'

Tooth sat in her bedroom in the Tooth Palace, lifting the feathers on her stomach for her daily check.
The scar had healed nicely: leaving a black crescent shaped mark but no raised skin.
Sandy's dreamsand balm had done its work. According to him, moonlight steel usually did not leave a scar but it was better to be safe than sorry.
She lowered the feathers down and was pleased to see them cover it fully. She knew it was silly but she had been worried about a bald patch.
It was like it had never happened.
Even her and Sandy's 'damage control' plan had worked wonders.
A nice peaceful night's sleep after the concert with Tooth blurring people's memories while they slept. She had suggested she implant good memories but Sandy had refused: people had to equate Candy Heart with negativity to protect them in future. Tooth had agreed but doubted Cupid was going to try anything else soon.
Tooth didn't know what Pitch had shown Cupid but North had told her that she had surrendered without a fight. The experience also seemed to have rendered her mute: Jack had told Tooth that Cupid had sobbed the whole way to North's workshop and refused to look at any of them in the eye.
While Tooth recovered in a cosy bedroom in the upper level and the other Guardians checked on the fallout from the concert, Sandy had brought Cupid to the Guardian stone, safely interred back in its proper place.
Sandy had told her Manny had had a long talk with Cupid. It had not been a pleasant one.
Manny had wanted Cupid's memories erased then her placed in dreamless 'sleep stasis' on an uncharted island in the frozen wastes.
Her crimes were numerous.
Cupid had flouted Manny's rules of secrecy by revealing herself to not only adults but adults worldwide. She had misused her powers for personal gain and used them to rob others of free will. She had then tried to attack him personally based on a petty, personal grudge.
He invited her to explain herself and magically restored her voice to facilitate this.
Cupid said he had no reason not to punish her but surprisingly begged him not to make Tooth erase her memories. She didn't want to forget: she wanted to make up for what she had done. She couldn't do that asleep in a prison cell.
She also didn't want to see Tooth. She couldn't face her.
She had broken down in tears, bitterly sobbing that she had wanted to speak to Manny for so long and now here she was begging him for a second chance.
She had been bitter and twisted and evil. She could see that now.
She wasn't worthy to be a Guardian.
What was done was done: it was too late to go back and fix things.
She could apologise but it would be empty words.
She had made a mistake.
But she could make herself better. She could still help people.
She wanted to help people! That was all she had ever wanted!
Manny had dismissed her and he and Sandy had deliberated for three hours.
Finally they settled on a punishment.
Cupid's voice would not be restored and her memories would not be erased.
She would have her chance to redeem herself.
She was to return to her duties: helping others fall in love.
But without her bow.
A quota was established: 100 couples to be formed without the use of magic. Then Cupid's powers and voice would return.
Sandy would keep watch on her and would expect weekly reports. North meanwhile had made a meticulous list of her infractions: for every good deed she performed, equally bad deeds would be struck off.
Cupid had agreed and flown away to begin her task.
She was already gone by the time Tooth had woken up.

Another person Tooth had not seen was Pitch.
It had been three months.
The lair in Burgess had been closed since the night of the concert.
But a few minutes before, one of her mini fairies had reported being scared by a figure looming out of a child's cupboard while going about her duties. It had happened in Burgess.
So Tooth was going to investigate.
She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.
She wasn't sure how Pitch would react to seeing her.
Or even if he would be the same person she had grown close to.
Sandy had explained the drastic, animalistic personality Pitch had exhibited when he regained his powers.
Shadow magic was fundamentally corruptive: it had latched onto Pitch's anger and pain directed at Cupid and amplified them, creating the more savage form Pitch had transformed into. Jack supported Sandy's explanation: when under stress, he had seen Pitch's body physically change too. It was a defence mechanism: the darkness protecting their host while taking control of it.
Tooth had seen Pitch regain control of himself before she had passed out.
He had felt the same as he had always felt to Tooth as the Boogeyman.
That was what worried her.
Pitch was more than he appeared: she knew that now.
But that aura…
The awful, sickening sensations his powers generated around him had been overwhelming when they had had dealings in the past.
Would it be the same now?
Shaking her head, Tooth went to her balcony and prepared to take flight.
She would not let fear get the best of her!

Burgess was quiet when Tooth landed on Main Street.
It was night time so there was no need to avoid the main road.
She had decided to check for alternate entrances to the lair. If Pitch didn't want to be disturbed, that entrance would be shut tight.
Then she had remembered the entrance they had used on the morning of the carnival. In the alleyway off Main Street.
She turned the corner and entered the alley.
A cold wind blew around her as she hovered above discarded wrappers. A soda can was rolling back and forth in the breeze. A manhole ahead of her spewed warm vapour, greyish wisps carried high into the air. She jumped as a lean black rat broke cover from behind the dumpsters and scambled into a pipe. The lamp above the butcher shop's back door that should have been illuminating the alley was broken. Tooth crossed her arms, chills crawling up her back as the wind ruffled her feathers.
Using her keen eyesight, she scanned the alley for any sign of Pitch.
She tried to quiet her breathing as she watched it mist in front of her.
Why was she so nervous?!
She noticed warm mist float upwards past her face.
It didn't match her breathing…
And it was on the back of her neck!

She swung round with a gasp.
Pitch loomed over her.
He gave her his usual sardonic grin.

'Skulking about in alleyways Toothiana?' he said, 'A dangerous pastime'.

Tooth straightened her head feathers.
Gods his teeth were so sharp! Had they always been that sharp?
So, they were back to 'Toothiana' were they?

'Depends who you bump into', she said, keeping her voice light.

Pitch shrugged and moved past her, yellow eyes searching for something.

'How-uh', Tooth coughed to clear her throat, 'How-how are you Pitch?'

'Hungry. You scared away my dinner'.

Tooth felt a queasy sensation in her stomach as she realised he was probably talking about the rat she had seen.

'I'm also distinctly curious about why you are looking for me', Pitch continued, folding his arms.

'I wanted to talk to you', Tooth said.

'About what?' Pitch asked, moving forward.

Tooth fought the sudden urge to take a step back.
'Gods sake relax Tooth!' she thought, 'He's not going to hurt us!'

'About what happened at the concert', Tooth said, entwining her fingers in what she prayed was a deliberately nonchalant gesture.

'Ah yes that', Pitch said in what sounded to Tooth like a deliberately nonchalant tone.

'Seriously? He's doing this now?' Tooth's inner voice complained, 'Gonna make you spell it out?! Does he not care?!'

'What did you do with the diva anyway?' Pitch asked.

'She's paying her debt', Tooth said stiffly.
She could keep information back too. If Pitch wanted to make this conversation like pulling out back teeth, let him.

'A typically light handed response to her rather serious crimes no doubt', Pitch commented dryly, before he gave a wicked grin, 'You should have given her to me. I'm good with bad children'.

Tooth swallowed at the tone of his voice.
She didn't know if he was joking.
When he had been powerless she had been able to tell.
This was not going how she had hoped it would.
But she was not leaving without some answers.

'What did you show her?' Tooth asked, 'I saw you memory sharing. She was so scared she didn't put up a fight afterwards'.

'The thing that scared her the most', Pitch said simply.

There was no way in Hell Pitch was going to tell Tooth the thing that had scared Cupid so badly.
It was simple really.
He had shown her the truth.

'That she had become just as bad as me', he thought bitterly.

Tooth sensed Pitch was not going to elaborate.
They stood in silence for a few moments until Tooth couldn't take it anymore.

'I'm sorry', she said.

'For what?'

'When we were fighting, to break Cupid's hold on you I had-'

Pitch held up a hand and rolled his eyes.

'To erase some memories. I know. I also know I haven't missed them. Ergo obviously not ones important for my wellbeing. Is that all?'

The dismissive tone was too much for Tooth to take.

'Why are you being like this?!' she snapped.

'Because this is the way I always am?'

'No it's not!' Tooth yelled.

She felt her cheeks blush when she realised the alleyway had caused her words to echo.
Pitch was staring at her.
She couldn't look him in the eyes.

'Don't you remember the dream before you fell under Cupid's control?' she asked, 'We were on a hill beside the ocean'.

Pitch said nothing.
This made Tooth angry.

'You said what you felt for me 'was all real'!' she said accusingly, 'Then you disappear for months without a word!'

'I'm sorry if my actions in one of your dreams offended you!' Pitch snapped, shrugging angrily, 'Is that why you're here?! Because honestly I would've thought the physical injury would have merited an apology more than a fantasy!'

'Don't do that!' Tooth said, jabbing a finger at him, 'Don't you dare pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!'

Tooth didn't care if she was yelling now.

'Are you scared?! Is that it?!'

There was a ringing silence.
Tooth ran her hands through her head feathers.
She felt tears forming in her eyes and blinked them away.
She could feel the anger dwindling now that she had 'exploded', replaced by an uncomfortable feeling of sadness and fear.
She had to know.

'I mean-your feelings…' she said hesitantly, 'Were…are… they real or not?'

She forced herself to look at Pitch.
It was so dark in the alley she could barely see him.
His eyes shone like a cat's in the darkness but she could see him considering the question.
After what seemed like a century, he responded.

'They were real then. Or felt real'.

Tooth stifled a gasp.
Her heart felt tight in her chest.
Pitch turned his back on her.

'I see', Tooth said, gritting her teeth, 'That's fine. We just got carried away by Cupid's magic. It's fine'.

Pitch was grateful Tooth couldn't see him.
He could taste salt on his lips and feel the black tears falling down his face.
He loved her.
But he was all wrong for her.
The way she had looked at him on stage and even now…
She hadn't fallen for him.
She had fallen for a ghost.
The other Guardians would never understand and he had no right to make her choose.
And he had hurt her. He had been brainwashed but he remembered the sensation of the spear in his hand. The look of pain on her face. It had haunted him every night since the concert.
But now he had hurt her again.
Couldn't he do anything right?!
How could he prove to her that he wasn't ready?! That she needed to adapt to him the way he usually was?!
Inspiration struck.
Pitch wiped his face and turned to face Tooth.
She looked so small and hurt illuminated in the light of Main Street.

'Before you go, there is the small matter of the payment we discussed', Pitch said, walking towards her.

'What do you want?' Tooth asked emotionlessly as he entered the light.
'Here it comes', she thought, 'A promise is a promise'.

'A kiss', Pitch said.

Tooth gave a start then turned a steely gaze on him.

'And if I refuse?'

Pitch ignored the fear crawling up from his stomach.
'Please don't look at me like that', he begged her silently, 'Please don't hate me'.

'I won't force you', he said, 'But It will help me prove something to myself. And maybe to you'.

Tooth looked into Pitch's eyes properly.
They were so different from when he had been Pitchiner.
They were animal eyes in a human face, narrow with small pupils.
She imagined she could almost see the faces of frightened children in them.
But there was something in them.
Some feeling she recognised.
It was enough to make her reach up and take Pitch's face in her hands.
She pulled him gently down.
His skin felt like velvet beneath her fingers.
Her hands were shaking.
She felt his hand rest upon hers and his eyes close.
She closed her own eyes.
And kissed him.

Tooth's lips were warm and soft and everything Pitch had hoped they would be.

Pitch's lips were dry, cold and barely hid his serrated teeth. They made Tooth's skin crawl.

She felt Pitch push her away gently and the kiss was broken.
She opened her eyes and saw her own sadness reflected in Pitch's face.
She hated herself in that moment.
Cupid was right: she was shallow.
No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't ignore what Pitch was. The feelings he was designed to create.

'It's not the same is it?' Pitch asked sadly.

Tooth had to shake her head.
No it wasn't the same.
Pitch's power was too good at keeping her away.
It was part of him and that was it.
He had already realised that: that was what he wanted to show her in the kiss.

'I thought so', Pitch said, 'No handsome prince here Tooth. Only the beast'.

He went to walk past her.
Tooth realised he had called her 'Tooth'.
She couldn't let him go like this! She wouldn't!
She grabbed his hand.

'So what now?' she asked, 'We just forget it ever happened?'

Pitch couldn't believe it.
She was still reaching out to him?

'Can the Guardian of Memories forget anything?' he asked.

'Maybe it doesn't feel the same….in that way. But…we can still be friends right?'

Pitch made an odd sound: a choking gasp like a cough.
Tooth felt his hand shaking.

'Allies of convenience', he said in an unsteady voice.

Tooth looked at him and saw him smile.
The smile was like the one she had caught glimpses of while living in the lair.

'There you are', she realised with delight, 'You're just hidden in the darkness'.

'Let's not rush things', Pitch said.

He took her other hand.
Tooth was smiling at him now.

'Well…I owe you a few meals', she said, 'Maybe I could cook for you some time?'

'I don't think you're supposed to invite a spectre to a feast', Pitch joked, 'Of course depending on how well you cook, you may end up with them regardless'.

'You saying I can't cook?!' Tooth laughed, 'How do you know?'

'I don't know. But I hope you cook better than you dance'.

'It's a good thing then that you can help me out with both right?' Tooth said, playfully swinging their arms together.

'I'll see what I can do', Pitch said and released her hands, 'Unlike you I have a busy schedule. Still, I suppose Onyx will be happy to see you. Blasted horse falls for anybody that gives her attention'.

Tooth folded her hands together.
Pitch's aura was still there, at the edge of her consciousness like a spider crawling up a wall.
But maybe, with time…

'Okay. Well, see you', she said as she began to hover.

'You will', Pitch said.

Giving a wave, Tooth flew up and out of sight, heading for the warmth of home.
Pitch watched her go.
As he prepared to re-enter the lair, a strange tune began to play in his head.
He remembered singing it to Tooth when she was crying in the lair and how she had smiled at him afterwards.
He quietly sang a few lines to himself.

Time to close your eyes
Overlook the darkness
And try to dream tonight
Not so long ago
Your world was bright
So take a breath
And count to ten
And maybe you can dream again…

It was good advice and a good song.
It made him think of Tooth.
He only wished he could remember where he had learnt it.

THE END

Author's Note:

It has been really great receiving so much support for this, my first pairing fic.
Writing romance is really out of my comfort zone and I hope I was able to make it believable with just the right amount of cheese to be entertaining ;)
It's taken a long time but it's finally done and a lot of it is down to the supportive reviews and feedback I received while writing it.
I want to give particular thanks to RaeSalander (Raven Salander) for my first ever piece of fanart. It meant a lot to me to see a scene from one of my fanfics show up on DeviantArt. I always find it amazing how creating something inspires others to be creative too and make wonderful things.
I know not everyone will be happy with this ending but I hope at least you enjoyed the journey with me and will give my other stories a chance. I have plenty more ideas for future ROTG fanfics so watch this space!
TheDeeVirus