Chapter Twenty-one

Time to Spare

Bunnymund waved his goodbyes as North used one of his snow globes to transport himself and Pitch back to the North Pole.

It was still early afternoon by the time they arrived, and Pitch wondered what he'd do with the rest of his day. He looked over at North wondering what he had planned, but Pitch didn't want to make the man feel smothered by his presence. He'd already been babysitting him most of the day after all. Pitch grimaced now thinking back on what had happened with the googies. That little bit was embarrassing on a lot of levels. He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly now, "Well, uh I guess you'll want a bit of time to yourself now that we're back."

"I do have work that needs tending to." he replied. "Can you manage on your own?"

Pitch nodded excusing himself to let the Cossack take care of what he needed to as Pitch exited the lounge and made his way back to the hub of Pole. He looked about watching how the yetis and elves bustled around completing their daily routines. Pitch sighed; he was bored now, and he didn't feel like going back to his room. The thought to go back to see the reindeer occurred to him, but Pitch found he didn't feel like that either. He wanted company, and it wasn't lost on him how the longer he was with the guardians the more he was craving a connection with them.

"How's everything going?" Jack's voice came from behind him.

Pitch brightened as he turned to face Jack happy to see him, "Frost! Hey! Going? Uh… better I suppose," he blushed remembering where they'd left off at the reindeer stables. Pouting he averted his eyes to the ground as he continued bashfully, "I… I got a visit from North not long after you and I spoke last… and I'm working in the warren to make it up to Bunnymund now." He was glad the boy had come back to see him as Pitch had been secretly worried that Jack might have been mad at him after what had happened at the glacier wall.

"Really?" said Jack. "He found out, huh?"

Pitch nodded unenthusiastically, "Yeah... he wasn't too happy about it." Pitch flushed an even deeper hue knowing without saying it that Jack would know exactly what he meant by his vague statement.

Jack smirked, deciding it was probably best that he didn't tell Pitch how North really came to find out about everything. "So where have you been all day? I stopped by your room earlier, thinking you might like to ride the reindeer again, but you weren't there. And you weren't in the stables."

Thinking of riding any time soon brought a sad frown to Pitch's face. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was sit on a jostling reindeer, "I took care of the reindeer this morning before North came to fetch me to go to the warren. I've been inspecting the rabbit's eggs for most the day." Pitch remembering the eggs he'd painted and that Bunnymund had let him keep one reached into his robe to pull out the one he'd kept. It was the first one he'd painted, and he held it out to Jack as if it were something precious, "Bunnymund let us paint some of his eggs and said I could have this one."

Jack's eyebrows flew up and his eyes widened when he saw the egg. "Oh, wow," He pointed at it. "You really painted that? It's beautiful. I'm gonna have to let you help me paint leaves sometime."

"Well… the warren stream painted it, but Bunnymund said it takes your imagination to do it. I don't know how good I'd be otherwise," he smirked holding the egg out for Jack, "I… was thinking of you when I painted this one, so… I… I thought you should have it. If you want it of course." Pitch was reticent now wondering if the boy would even want the gift.

"For me?" Jack gently reached out and took the fragile gift, cupping it in his hands. "Thanks," He smiled. "Actually, painting leaves isn't hard. Just haphazardly do it." He shrugged, a crooked smile forming on his lips. "Why do you think the trees look like they were painted by a trickster in the fall?"

Pitch smirked, "You know, freezing splotches of life out of something to change its color isn't exactly painting, although it is definitely art in my book," he gave Jack a bigger smile as he said this.

Jack gave him another smirk, somewhat amused by Pitch's cluelessness. "Actually, it's not what you think. I paint the leaves in the fall. You know… golds, browns, reds, yellows." His eyes lowered to the floor. "It's… a side of Jack Frost not very many people know about. I'm not just about frost and cold."

Pitch seemed intrigued, "I hadn't noticed. I do like the change though I had simply thought it was Mother Nature that was responsible for that," mentioning Mother Nature sent a twinge of foggy remembrance through him that gave Pitch pause as if he should know more about her than a casual happenstance meeting as the spirits often had over the course of hundreds of years. There was something there locked away that even now Pitch felt the need to shy away from. Why? He had to wonder, but after the previous bout of memories Toothinia had unleashed within him, he was almost certain they would also be painful, so he shook the thought from his mind turning back up to Jack.

"Anything wrong?" Jack asked with concern, an eyebrow lifting.

Pitch conveyed worry himself momentarily because he wasn't really sure what he was feeling. He just simply shook his head, "Uh… no," not wanting to engage further on a topic that made him feel off-balance, Pitch changed the subject, "So do you use your staff to change the colors then, or do you use some other method?"

Jack smiled. "I have other methods. Let's just say Bunny isn't the only one around here who has magic paints."

"Oh?" Pitch lifted a brow in skeptical amusement, "Do tell. This ought to be interesting."

"I don't have it with me, obviously, since it isn't fall yet. But I have a special palette and brush I do it with."

"How does it work? Is it like the rabbit's brushes that paint what you're thinking?" The thought of his color scheme coating a forest brought a big grin to Pitch's face. How spooky would that be? He imagined just the color scheme alone would have children shrivel away in fear.

"Um, no, not exactly," Jack scratched the back of his head as he searched for words to explain it. "Painting leaves is a lot different than painting Easter eggs. I have specific colors on the palette, and when I dip the brush in them and paint a surface, the colors just sort of... magically cover everything and blend together to create the colors of fall."

"Oh." Pitch deflated seeming wholly disappointed that his initial idea could never come to fruition, "Well if you have no real control over it, that's rather mundane comparatively."

"Who says I don't have control over it? I'd have to have some amount of control over it or it would paint everything, not just the trees. But, unlike Bunny's eggs, painting leaves doesn't really require much imagination. There are no patterns, except for blending and mixing colors."

Pitch mused, "What about the mix of colors then? Can you alter the blends to create something… a little less unconventional and boring?"

Jack lifted an eyebrow again. By now, he was pretty used to Pitch's rudeness and let most of the words roll over him. But currently, he was pushing himself. "Yeah, I can alter the blends a little bit, but not much. The palette was given to me by Mother Nature. She's put limits on it, because she wants the trees certain colors in the fall."

Pitch frowned there she was again popping into the conversation filling him with an overwhelming myriad of emotions but at the heart of them all was dread. Had he done something to offend the Nature spirit? He couldn't fathom what, but supposed given his nature, it wasn't wholly impossible that he'd managed to offend her while not even directly, but that would not explain the level of suppressed guilt that roiled within him to think of her, "Mother Nature gave it to you? Why? Why not just do the job herself?" He questioned cautiously about her curious to learn more about her than why she cared to give the proposed task to Frost.

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she just likes my carefree style." he said with a grin.

Pitch rolled his eyes at the narcissistic remark, "Of course. So, she just met you one day and said 'here, take this job off my hands?' That sounds rather flippant."

"Actually, I've never met her." Jack's smile dropped. "I just found the brush and palette and a note lying under the tree I used to favor."

Pitch's face fell at this admission, "That's… odd." He wasn't sure why the lack of knowledge about her seemed to dampen his mood. Strange, he thought compartmentalizing the emotion as he was prone to do when he felt beset and flummoxed by them. Pitch convinced himself that it was actually the mention of freedom that was what must have been depressing him as he turned back to Jack, "Let's get out of here. I'm feeling claustrophobic. Maybe a walk outside… inside the walls of course. If you're up to it that is."

Jack smiled amusingly. "The Boogeyman getting claustrophobic?" He shrugged. "Sure, let's go."

Pitch reflexively shivered before snapping, "Is it hard to believe that I wouldn't want to feel closed in and trapped? I've only felt that way for decades in the dark after all." The remark opened up old psychological wounds, but Pitch fought to remove the inching fear that collapsed over him like a thunderclap to remember where he was when he had truly felt so entombed.

"Relax. I was just joking with you." Jack held up his hands, not wanting Pitch to go into one of his rants. "It's understandable. Being closed up in that hole for as long as you have would make anyone claustrophobic."

Pitch's expression softened realizing belatedly that he'd unleashed too much aggression towards Jack. He looked strained now as he spoke, "Sorry. I got a little caught up in the moment," he blushed slightly for his lack of control over his emotions. When did he get this horrible at keeping a lid on them? It wasn't always this easy to push him to react was it? He wasn't sure anymore, the only interactions he seemed to ever remember were ones where he'd been facing off against the guardians. Now he wasn't fighting them but trying to understand them and get along with them; these guardians were doing a number on him he decided.

Jack nodded. "It's okay." He motioned with his hand for them to start walking.

Taking the cue appreciatively, Pitch started to move fluidly down the hallway darting quickly out of the way of the elves bumbling about. He'd actually become quite adept at avoiding them and found himself snickering to himself when he silently observed North constantly tripping on them still even after all these years he'd spent with them. Jack of course flitted through the air after him, so he had no need to worry about stepping on any of them. It didn't take them long to make it to one of the open-faced elevators that led down to the outer perimeters. The yetis regarded Pitch warily as he wasn't allowed outside the compound normally (excluding the area that was closed off for the reindeer and very well fortified.) Pitch recoiled from their glares shifting closer to Jack as an indication that they were together and he was not in fact trying to escape. His eyes darted to Jack as he muttered, "Uh, you might have to tell them I'm allowed to go outside with you. They don't trust me."

As if an affirmative to Pitch's exclamation, one of the yeti barked a halt in its gibberish sounding language stepping in front of Pitch and holding a huge hairy palm out to stop further advancement of the nightmare lord.

"It's okay. He's with me." Jack reassured them.

The yeti seemed cross wagging a chiding finger at Pitch and then turning a disapproving glare at Jack but otherwise moving out of the way to let them pass.

"That's right Igor, step aside!" holding his head high, Pitch sneered his contempt at the ever watchful yeti before striding towards the door with a new found confidence. He was glad to be able to tell someone off without reproach for once.

Jack rolled his eyes at the yeti and shook his head, shrugging.

Pitch's face was alight with obvious pleasure as they walked out of the hold's entrance; he practically pranced as he looked about to get a good look at the area he'd previously been denied access to. There was a small thrill to getting his way now, not unlike a toddler being told they could stave off their bedtime and stay up an hour later. He turned those joyful eyes onto Jack now as they moved further away from the still glaring yeti that watched them both with folded arms of disapproval. "Oh this is nice; yes?" Pitch practically bubbled now.

Jack gave a silent signal to the yeti to keep watch, then he whipped out his staff and allowed the wind to carry him along over Pitch.

"Yeah, it is," Jack grinned. "I do prefer the outdoors over indoors."

Pitch closed his eyes taking in a deep breath just enjoying the fresh scent of crisp snow without the hint of anything else polluting the smell of it. He took long strides forward now sashaying across the winter scape in gentle steps that barely left an impression even in the newly fallen snow. The wall seemed to stretch on as far as Pitch could see and along the inside of the walls, sculpted out of the ice itself, several mechanisms, obviously created by North, were embedded within the walls as a magical ward of some sort. Pitch peered closely at the moving gears and the slight green glow that emitted from the whirring contraptions, "Hmm. Isn't that interesting?" He bent down to get eye level to it lifting a finger feeling compelled to touch it.

Jack's staff came out of nowhere, hooking Pitch's arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jack said, pulling the Boogeyman's arm back with the hook of his staff.

Pitch's eyes widened in surprise as he stared up at Jack, "Oh? And why not?"

Jack shook his head at Pitch. "Those things give off a nasty shock. Trust me."

A gleeful smile overtook Pitch's face now as he eyed Jack inquisitively, "Trust you? Is that a 'for your own good' or an 'I know from experience' trust me?"

Jack tilted his head to the side. "Both,"

His answer only made Pitch's smile widen, "Really?!" Pitch's words tinged on over excited now as he prodded, "Oh I sense a story here Jack! Tell me, what were you up to trying to break into the North Pole?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. North installed those things to keep me out. It was a long time ago, before I became a Guardian. Way before our last battle with you, even."

Pitch giggled mirthfully, "So you're the reason North felt the need to fortify this fully? Oh Jack! What were you up to I wonder?" Remembering an earlier conversation Pitch added, "Oh wait, you did mention something about being at the top of the naughty list; you really must have been bad to even surpass me on that list!" Pitch jested tilting his head at Jack his expression showing pure amusement at Jack's expense.

Jack rolled his eyes, averting Pitch's gaze. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, well…"

Pitch huffed in disappointment after a moment longer realizing the winter sprite wasn't going to give an inch, "Fine Frost; don't tell me then." Pitch pouted at him to show his unhappiness with the boy's stalwart silence as he stood fully once more and began walking away. Pitch turned his gaze to looking at the spires that reached up into the skies. The fortress was quite elaborate and held far more levels of Santa's workshop than Pitch had initially realized or had the ability to explore as of yet. They walked for some time until they came upon an indention in the solid foundation. Pitch took pause as he neared it; barely imperceptible by the level of camouflage it had been made with, but there was no mistaking it now, it was a door. Intrigued Pitch walked over to it curiously looking back at Frost with a hint of mischief dancing in those eclipsed pupils, "What do you suppose is behind here?"

"I don't know," Jack replied, "but we're not going to find out. Come on, let's go back."

Pitch's expression reflected frustration, "What? Seriously? Just like that?" Pitch practically danced in front of Jack now to stop his returning Pitch back to the closed doors of a bastion he was wholly dreading being confined to once more so soon, "Come on! Where's your sense of adventure Jack?"

"Yes, just like that." Jack said in return. "My sense of adventure is still there, but I almost got in trouble because of you once. I'm not going to make the same mistake again." Jack turned an amused smirk to Pitch. "And I'm very doubtful that you want to make the same mistake again so soon, too, am I correct?"

Being reminded of his most recent bout over North's knee made the nightmare lord falter in indecision for a moment before he decided that this particular venture wasn't causing anyone any risk of getting hurt, so surely it couldn't be that bad could it? Pitch pleaded with Jack now, "That was different! No one is going to get hurt here, this is just a bit of exploration! You can't tell me that there isn't even one small part of you that wants to know what's behind that door?!" Pitch gave Jack his most earnest persuasive grin, but it came off as more desperate than anything.

Jack sighed. "Oh, there's a part of me that would like to know, alright. But I'm here to look out for you Pitch, to make sure you don't get into trouble. What the Guardians think of me and the trust we share is far more important than seeing whatever is behind that door. While it's true that no one will probably get hurt, I'm very doubtful that North will appreciate us treading into his private places. I'm sure he has the place well-guarded anyway." Jack smiled at Pitch. "If you want to explore it, then why don't we do something totally unexpected? Like ask North permission to go inside it."

Pitch scowled; that didn't have the same level of undertaking as just going forth here and now to investigate the mystery, and if North had it under lock and key, it was highly unlikely he'd give them permission to go in it. Deciding Frost was not going to cave, Pitch sighed dejectedly, "Fine, fine. We'll go to North and ask permission, but he's probably just going to say no," Pitch moped.

"NO!" North bellowed. "Absolutely not! Is too dangerous."

Pitch rolled his eyes giving Frost an 'I told you so' glare before turning back to North, "Too dangerous? Now I'm curious; what's so dangerous that you have to keep under lock and key North?" He hoped North wouldn't brush them off because now Pitch was more curious than ever to know what was behind that door.

North fixed Pitch with an annoyed stare. "None of your business. And if both of you know what's good for you, you will keep noses in your own business and keep away from door."

Pitch scowled deeply; if it was one thing he hated, it was being told what he could and couldn't do without even an explanation as to why. Now he needed to know what North was hiding just to satiate his own curiosity. Of course not any time soon since the Cossack would surely be on high alert.

Sighing Pitch stated sarcastically, "Well that's awfully informative. I suppose we'll stop bothering you now North. Are you ready to go Frost, or would you like a list of places we can't go for future reference?"

Jack gave Pitch an annoyed look, but then he turned and walked out of the office and waited in the hall for Pitch.

"Now, don't you feel better?" Jack said when Pitch had joined him and shut the office door. "Asking first saved both of our rears a world of pain."

Pitch pouted, "I suppose so. I have to wonder what's down there that he's keeping secret. You can't tell me that it doesn't eat at you a little bit. What would North have that could be dangerous anyway?"

Jack said nothing as he pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head and turned to leave.

Pitch looked surprised by Jack's reaction as he moved in front of the boy before he could take off, "What? What did I do?"

"You're going to find a way to get inside that door, and I don't want to be anywhere near you when you do." he said.

Pitch's brow furrowed, "I never said that I was going to open that door," even though that was exactly what Pitch wanted to do, "I'm just curious what the big man is hiding. Can't I mull it over out loud without getting a broach of disapproval from you? We did what you wanted coming to North, but that doesn't mean I'm not still curious about it. Is there something so wrong about that?"

Jack lifted his eyebrows. "I know you never said you were going to open the door, but I can see it on your face." He smirked. "No, there's nothing wrong with being curious. But just be sure to use your common sense. I know you have ill feelings for North, but I don't. I've grown to respect him over the years, and I don't want to do anything that would disappoint him. But I can't expect you to understand that."

"Aren't you an assuming brat?" Pitch sneered, "I have common sense! And believe it or not, I don't wish North ill... anymore anyway," Pitch's face lost the scowl it wore being replaced with a pout, "I do wish he were a little easier to talk to... without the constant threat of violence."

Jack scowled. "Don't call me a brat, Pitch, until you've looked in a mirror. Maybe he would be easier to talk to, if you were a lot better behaved." He managed another smirk. "And smacking your dark behind is not an act of violence."

Pitch's head snapped back a look of shock passing his features before being replaced between a mixture of shame and annoyance as he muttered defensively, "It is violent; you haven't been on the other end of it! I can be reasoned with without physical recourse, North just refuses to try any other method of dealing with me when he feels I've... not met his standards of behavior. It's completely unfair and barbaric."

"Can you be reasoned with by any other way? Would you actually listen and learn by any other way?" Jack questioned. "And who says I haven't been on the other end of it?" Jack shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to dwell on that subject any more than he had to. Feeling he'd revealed too much information, he pushed past Pitch and began walking down the corridor, although he could feel the Boogeyman following him.

It did make Pitch feel slightly better to know that he wasn't the only one to suffer North's wrath in such a way, and now he wanted to rub it in and make Jack as uncomfortable as he'd made him if not more so as he asked with mock astonishment, "No! Really? What ever could you have done Jack?"

Jack pulled the hood tighter around his face. "Go away, Pitch."

Jack's irritation only served to spur Pitch on as his smirk now grew into a wide grin. Pitch kept stride with Jack flitting carefully behind him trying to keep the glee from his voice as he spoke, "Oh come now Frost; you can tell me. I swear I won't tell a soul! In fact, perhaps your experience might help me to better understand the trials and tribulations you've felt trying to fit in here eh?" Pitch really just wanted ammo for later of course to tease Frost if the boy annoyed him or to shut him up if Jack ever mentioned Pitch getting spanked again.

Jack Frost knew what Pitch was trying to do. After all, he was a trickster. Suddenly, the boy stopped and turned to look at Pitch. "A lot has happened since we put you down in that hole," he started, "Even though I became a Guardian, I did some foolish things and made some mistakes, and I paid for them. What I did is of no concern now. I learned from them, as well as learned from the consequences. I suggest you do the same."

Pitch's mood soured realizing Jack wasn't going to give him anything to work with as he responded tartly, "I was only trying to get to know you better. I figured since we both had a hard start here that sharing might shed more common ground between us."

Jack sighed, rolling his eyes. "Some things are personal. You should know that by now."

Pitch spat, "Oh, I see how it is. You're allowed to drag out the fact that I have been… have faced dire consequences, but you're above speaking to me about it happening to you? Okay fine; I never want to hear you mention it having happened to me again then either… because it's personal!" he said this last bit crossing his arms with finality as a deep scowl painted his face. He didn't have to know Jack's dirty little secrets! But now Pitch could manipulate Jack's own clause against him to not embarrass Pitch in the future if he made Jack feel guilty enough to agree to the terms.

Jack rolled his eyes again, shaking his head at how petty Pitch was acting. He mouthed a silent 'brat'.

"What was that?" Pitch strained to make out what Jack had said, "If you've got something to say to me Frost then spit it out," he growled becoming more than a little perturbed by what Pitch saw as the boy's apparent elitist attitude.

"No, Pitch, I don't have anything more to say to you." He turned to look at the Boogeyman. "Maybe I'll tell you more, but not right now. Not here."

Pitch calmed a bit to hear the boy was at least considering telling him, and that was enough for now he decided giving Jack a small smile and a nod, "Okay then. Another time." As he walked away from Jack, his smile grew thinking he really did enjoy teasing Jack and bantering with him most times they spoke especially when the conversation dipped out of the red and into mellow ground again.

Was this what friendship was? He wondered now if Jack saw him as a friend or just someone he was forced to spend time with on occasion as mandated by the guardians. Pitch's brow creased as he speculated now the connections he was forming and his perceptions of them and what the guardians' perceptions of him were. Did they all see him as a nuisance? They seemed to get upset with him on a regular basis, and most of the time they treated him like an errant child which vexed him to no end! But then, they also gave him cookies, hot cocoa, and chocolate bars, and they also let him paint eggs with them and raced reindeer with him. What had mattered most to Pitch though was the tenderness and dare he say it love? …that had been shown to him mostly by Toothiana, Sandy, and North who consequently treated him most like a child. It was almost as if he couldn't get the benefits without also having to receive the detriments.

He was glad to see he'd finally made it back to his room and breathed a sigh of relief as he collapsed upon the bed his mind drifting now in worried contemplation. All he knew was the more entrenched he became with the guardians the more confused he seemed to feel about where his place was especially concerning them. It made his head hurt to think on all of this circular logic, so he decided to try and drown it out by grabbing up his ghost story book and disappearing into their pages.