This chapter is dedicated to my 40th reviewer – Hezuu :)

Chapter 8

The Lacrimosa

Blue eyes looked at the body lying on a soft bed, head resting on pillows, eyes closed. The fairy drifted into a peaceful sleep, her condition was stable, although not too good. Smile made its way on her face. North wondered what she was dreaming about. He kneeled by the bed's side and put his hand on hers. She didn't make any move, so he just looked at her, hoping that she would wake up soon.

"Tooth, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I want to let you know that I will make Pitch pay for what he's done. Oh, and I haven't thanked you for saving me yet" North said. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Bunnymund walking into the room.

"What are we going to do?" the rabbit asked.

"Find that bastard, of course" He replied.

"You want to kill him?"

"Yes, so he would never bring harm to any of us. We should end this conflict once and for all"

"I have been thinking" Bunny started "It is not a good idea"

"Why so?"

"Well, we saw the way he cares for the boy, it only shows that there's still good in him, a piece of it which needs to grow. He is the only 'family' Jack has got. He would hate us and remember that MiM chose him to be a Guardian"

"Yes, chose him to be the Guardian to help us defeat Pitch!" North insisted.

"What if MiM meant something else, maybe we misunderstood him?"

"Do you even hear yourself, Bunnymund? Pitch is our enemy, we need to do what has to be done. And avenge Toothiana"

"This is not the right way. Listen, mate, we are the Guardians, protectors, we shouldn't…"

"What? We shouldn't what?!" the Russian almost growled. Bunny remained silent for a moment.

"We shouldn't do what a Bringer would do. Don't forget that dark side is easy to fall for" Bunnymund replied but he didn't hear anything back from his friend. He turned and walked out of the room, leaving North to rethink his words.

Yes, dark side was easy to fall for and Bunny sill remembered Pitch.. no, not Pitch but Kozmotis, before he was a bringer. The time of golden age, it was when he met the siblings, Sandy, Kozmotis and Katarina. Actually he befriended Kozmotiz and fought by his side for a long time. Everything changed after the legendary battle, not only his former friend had become bringer of fear but also he had done something that Bunny would never ever forgive him. After all this time the harm was still in the Pooka's heart, it hasn't scarred over, not a bit.

Meanwhile Sandy had already returned to North's place from his night trip. Now he knew it for sure, his brother wasn't evil, just misunderstood. He remembered clearly the time when Pitch became one of the Bringers, a bringer of fear. He was fighting, trying to resist voices in his head, the voices of fearlings consuming his mind. No one could blame Pitch for that, he might have made a wrong decision during the Battle of Golden Age, but he has never fallen for evil's offer. Now Sanderson understood why the boogeyman hid away. He tried to find him, many times, with no success, so he just decided to let it go and wait for his brother to show up when he was ready. But now things got complicated when MiM made a decision that it was time to bring down the Nightmare King. Could he do it to his brother? No.

"Sandy! Where have you been?" Bunny asked as he saw the golden spirit in a hall.

"I went to talk to my brother"

"Wha-… Pitch?!" Bunny's eyes widened.

"What's wrong with that?" Sandy raised his eyebrows.

"You're even asking? He almost killed Tooth! Moreover, he put Jack in danger. You can't forget the fact that he is our enemy. Brother or not, you have to stand against him, this is the truth"

"I know Pitch's actions are… not the right ones, but my brother is not evil. He cares for Jack. And he needs our help…"

"I'm not going to help that bast… nevermind. I know you, you wouldn't turn against us"

"Yes, but I also wouldn't turn against my own brother" Sandy said firmly and Bunny rolled his eyes. "How's Toothiana?"

"Stable, we think. She's asleep, North watches over her" Bunny replied and sighed. He had lots of thoughts in his head. On the one hand, he knew Pitch was their enemy and they should put him down for the good of the world. On the other side, Pitch had human feelings, he cared for Jack, he wouldn't act like this if he was completely evil. Still, Man in Moon warned them about Pitch, he indeed was dangerous. But at the time being, North was even more. "Look mate, North is… different. He's stressed about Toothiana and he doesn't think clearly. His only purpose now is to kill Pitch at any cost. I thought you should know"

"Sanderson!" a strong Russian voice sounded. North walked into the hall, anger was all over his face, which almost turned completely red. "Where the hell were you? Tooth was dying, remember?"

"Nick, calm down…" Bunny started but North gestured to silence him.

"I demand an answer" the Cossack urged and his bushy eyebrows made his face look so sternly. "You were with Pitch, weren't you? But the question is, you did it to make sure the boy is safe or you wanted to side with an enemy?"

"I…"

"Silence!" North once again raised his voice, blue eyes were now blue like the sky before storm, full of unreadable feelings. "Remember, you cannot deceive me. There will be no place where Pitch could hide, we will find him and complete the task MiM gave us. And we will make Jack a guardian, even by force!"

"I can't let you kill Pitch"

"Sanderson, don't give me a speech like Bunnymund a while ago. This is the only way to protect the good of this world, we should have ended this centuries ago"

"No, he is not evil!"

"And how can you know that, huh?" North frowned.

"Because he is my brother"

Pitch walked through the crowded streets of a city, he didn't care about the people walking through him, he got used to this feeling. Humans were so busy with their everyday life, they wouldn't even notice if all the spirits were visible to them. It always seemed pathetic to Pitch, just a mere human life which ends so quickly like a blink of an eye. He clasped his hands on his back and glared at one of numerous signboards. Pharmacy. If only he knew what could help Jack recover.

However, he had come up with an idea and that was why he found himself in the city. It was common for the herbalists sprites to steal medicines from pharmacists, in order to check them and improve. Those spirits had the best smell of herbs but there was one problem, they were loners hiding away from the whole world to create miraculous potions only for themselves. Kinda selfish, but it is the way they are, they do it as a passion. It's impossibly hard to find one who would be willing to help, unless you have something for a trade.

He entered the pharmacy, it was an old one. Shelves were made of dark wood, just like the floor. Marble walls were covered with a pattern curved with precision. It was not a random choice to come there, the boogeyman knew exactly what to do. He walked toward the back of the store. There were few employees, Pitch just ignored them and looked around. His golden eyes found the target. Within snap of his fingers shadows darkened the room and lights went out. The rest of the personnel left to check what happened, only one person remained. It was a short man, long grey hair could tell he was old. The man was standing back to Pitch, he seemed like he hadn't noticed anything and continued to chop some herbs.

"I knew that one day you will come" he sighed.

"Oh, did you?" the Nightmare King replied "So, you still work for the pharmacy"

"At least I am visible to people and I don't need to fight for their belief" the sprite hit Pitch's raw nerve, but he just ignored it and got to the point.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Oh, so kindly?" the man said and turned to face him. His messy beard was full of crumbs.

"Right, I should have started from threating you, sorry for my mistake" the boogeyman ironized.

"I'm too old for the games, Pitch, just tell me what you want"

"Your help, Hendrich"

"I don't help. Now, get out" Hendrich simply replied. The Nightmare King frowned, his face darkened, he grabbed the old man and Nightmares emerged from the shadows around them.

"You really will help me, otherwise I will make your life worse than any nightmare you have ever had. Did I make myself clear?" Pitch's voice was freezing, surrounded by his Nightmares he looked dreadful. Slowly, a shadow made its way from Pitch's arm to wrap around his victim. Hendrich struggled but the boogeyman tightened his grip "May I remind of my ability to change mere existences like you into beautiful fearlings? I think you don't want to become one"

"Okay, okay! I will do whatever you want!" The frightened sprite agreed and the shadow moved back to Pitch.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Now concentrate…" Pitch started describing Jack's sickness in detail "What do you think about it?"

"From what you're saying, it seems like some kind of a hex" Hendrich stated after a while of contemplating "There is a circle of ancient curses, but to cast them a really strong magic is needed, dark magic. But this is not my profession, I don't know much about them, actually only the oldest books could say something about them"

"So I should look though some books?"

"Pitch, those curses… they are deadly. You should hurry. I heard about one of them, what was it's name… Lacrimosa. That's all I can do for you" The gray-haired man told. He walked over to a shelf and rummaged between the medicals "Here, take this potion. It will ease the boy's pain, not for long though"

Pitch took the potion and just nodded his head. He couldn't say a word, now that he was made aware of the danger hanging over Jack's life… for the first time ever he felt so weak, helpless. The shadows and Nightmares left and lights lit up again. The boogeyman turned to leave but Hendrich grabbed his shoulder.

"I really hope that the boy will be alright" he said and patted him on his back.

"I hope so too" Pitch nodded. He looked at his hands, the veins were visible on them but they were... black. He closed them into fists and breathed fast, shaking his head. He didn't remember the last time when he used the dark power that was hidding deep inside him. It was calling him to use it again, desire of powerful magic of a bringer... No. He promised himself he would never use it again. He learned to resist it but for a moment he wanted so much to let his shadows consume the old man... It even scared himself.

Blue eyes opened, the vision was a little blurry but after a while it sharpened a bit. Jack fell asleep again. He hoped that by the time he wakes up, Pitch would be there. What took him so long? The boy started to worry but also he felt fear. He could get an attack again and there would be no one with him. Without noticing it, he started trembling. Then he tried to move his hand, much to his surprise, it no longer hurt. He rose on his elbows and slowly straightened them to sit down on his bed. He was so weak, at least he didn't feel his bones cracking already.

"Kerrin" He whispered. He felt so alone, maybe his Nightmare horse would keep company. "Kerrin!"

He didn't have to wait long for the horse to come. It could travel by shadows, which were practically everywhere. The Nightmare came out of darkness, she whinnied and tossed her head happily. Jack smiled and stretched out his hand toward Kerrin, who brought her muzzle to be stroked.

"Come closer, Kerrin" Jack called and grabbed the horse's neck "You have to help me"

With Kerrin's support Jack managed to sand up and made few steps. He yelped as pain came through his body making his dizzy again. The young spirit didn't give up, though. He was breathing heavily but at least he could get out of the bed. He needed some fresh air so he looked around the room in search of a window. There were two of them, so he walked towards the closer one. Finally he reached it with help of the horse and pulled the window to open. Cold breeze hit his face, the view amazed him. Now he understood why the air was so fresh, he was in the mountains. That lair was way better than the one in the dungeons, he had to admit.

"It would be awesome to stay here, don't you think Kerrin?" He asked the Nightmare but she shook her head "Right, you prefer something 'darker'. But that's what I've always wanted, to live in the mountains. I asked Pitch to move out, many times"

Jack sighed and admired scenery of the mountains bathed in sunlight which made the snow shining like a magical powder. The sun wasn't so high on the sky, so it had to be morning. He stretched out his hand through the window and felt gust of wind on it. The winter spirit's smile fell. He really wished he could go out, play with the wind, explore mountains, just do the things he could do before this whole sickness.

He coughed. Just a single cough but it was enough to cause indescribable pain. The boy grabbed his chest letting go of the horse, he fell to the floor hitting his head. He would have yelped if any sound had made it through his throat. The burning hell in his ribcage returned and he couldn't even call for help. He didn't even know if his eyes were opened, he just saw blackness, pain filled every part of his body and mind.

"Jack!" he heard someone calling his name, like through a haze, however he wasn't able to recognize the voice.

Pitch stood terrified as he saw Jack lying on the floor, holding tightly his chest. The boy wasn't coughing, nor screaming in pain. Kerrin lowered to boy, worrying as well. He rushed to the white-haired sprite and kneeled beside him. He took out the medicine he got from Hendrich and raised Jack's head.

"You have to drink it. Do you hear me, Jack?" Pitch said, the boy yelped, so he took it as a response. He brought the phial to Jack's mouth and let the liquid flow. He waited for it to start working but then the boy became still. "Jack? Please say something" Pitch's heart beat faster. He checked the pulse, it was weakening. "Your heart can't stop…"

"What did you say?!" North asked again furiously. "You are related to him?"

"Well, you don't choose your family, mate. Don't blame Sandy…"

"And you knew about it, Aster?!"

"It's a long story, I mean, I had known Sandy long before the time we became the guardians. And I must say, Pitch wasn't always like that…"

"So you two sided with an enemy" The Russian stated "After everything you have told me, Bunnymund, Pitch has done something unforgivable to you and now you are defending him"

"I wouldn't leave your side, mate. But I also won't leave Sandy's side"

"North, I put trust in my brother"

" I've heard enough! Pitch must die and there's nothing you can do about it. We will take the boy from him, by force and MiM's judgement will come true!"

"Don't make me stand against you, friend!" Sandy pleaded.

"Toothiana is your friend. You've betrayed her, you've betrayed me siding with that bastard! You don't care about her life!"

"I do care, just like you do, I came here to see her. But understand, there's some good in Pitch, he decided to accept our help…"

"I can offer him nothing else than death. And everyone who stands in my way will join his fate!" the Cossack shouted, pulling out his sword, aiming it at Sandy.

"What the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?" Bunnymund yelled standing between them.

"It's never too late to choose the good side"

"And you two chose the bad one, but it's not for me to judge, Man in Moon will" North said.

"What makes ya be so convinced about the meaning of MiM's words, mate? He warned us about upcoming evil, we should be on guard and stick together waiting for it to come"

"Think about Jack, his condition is bad. Maybe we could find a way to heal him and Tooth, but we have to do it together"

"Get out" he said still aiming his sword at the Pooka and the Sand Spirit. "I said GET OUT!"

Some high-pitched sound interrupted their quarrel, they immediately fell silent and looked at each other. Then they all rushed to hospital wig to find the cardio monitor alarming. Toothiana's heartbeat stopped again. North grabbed the defibrillator and began CPR.

"Call Phil!" North ordered "We are losing her"

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last updated. It was hard time for me, I was heart-broken and I fell into bad condition. But now I try to bring myself back to reality, unfortunately reality hurts and writing has always been my 'escape', so again I find support in fiction. I find support in fanfiction and I'm happy that I finally finished this chapter.

(And yes, the name of this sickness 'Lacrimosa' I took it from Mozart's Lacrymosa)

Thank you that you are still reading this, without you, my riders, my life would be empty.

Enjoy :)