From Nightmares to Dreams

by spankingfemfatale

It's been several years since the Guardians defeated Pitch, but they are bound to cross paths again, and when they do, the Guardians have decided that things between them have to change. WARNING! Contains non-sexual spanking! This lovely fic is a co-written piece by myself and the lovely WindChimeGhost! (Her Archive of our own account name!)

25. What You Don't Know

Chapter Twenty-Five

What You Don't Know…

Pitch continued to think on the future of giving controlled nightmares as he made his way to the reindeer stables. They were more than eager to see him several hours behind their normal feeding and grooming schedule especially since he'd been coming earlier the past couple days going back and forth to the warren. Pitch was content as he worked now taking his time grooming them once he'd laid down hay in all the stables to make up for the fact that he'd belatedly arrived to feed them. They seemed pleased to accept this peace offering and gave Pitch no trouble.

He enjoyed the quiet of just watching the reindeer frolic now. He'd decided to give them a longer bout to run since he kind of owed them.

Toothiana fluttered into the stables, a look of concern on her face as she searched around for the Boogeyman. "Pitch?"

Hearing the melodious tune of Toothiana's voice brought a smile to Pitch's face as he whipped his head around discerning where she was and began moving toward the front of the stables calling out to her, "Toothiana!" He glided over to her as she zipped out of the stall area following the sound of his voice. He was happier to see her now that the whole business in the globe room was finished. Out of all the guardians, Toothiana had been the first that Pitch had ever opened up to, and as such, she held a special place in his heart.

"I'm really sorry I haven't been around these past few days. That tooth backup was horrible to sort out." she said as she fluttered toward Pitch.

Pitch had crossed his arms behind his back, and ducked his head at her mentioning a backlog knowing he'd been the one to cause that by her spending so much time with him, and the fact that he'd been getting punished with chore detail working in the warren for the past few days meant he wouldn't have been able to see her anyway. He of course didn't expound upon the subject not wishing Toothiana to know much about what had happened the past few days leading to him getting in trouble four times in three days. Pitch had to wonder absently now if North freely divulged such information to the other guardians as North seemed prone not to have tact in this way by seeing that the matter should be kept more private like Pitch wished he would.

He turned a bright smile on her now, "It's good to see you again. I missed you."

Tooth smiled down at him. "I've missed you, too. I see you've been keeping yourself busy." She looked around her.

Pitch perked at her taking note of his progress, "Well yes, I've built a pretty solid routine for them, and while they graze, I've done a little organizing here and there for ease or process. It's… calming." He stared off back at the reindeer, "I should get them back to their pens; can you give me about ten minutes?"

"Sure," she said, nodding. She hovered and smiled as she watched Pitch go about leading the reindeer back to the stables.

He made quick work of the task, and the reindeer still having hay in their pens were more than willing to clamber in to fill their gullets. Once finished Pitch brushed his hands off coming back to Toothiana, "Well, they're all settled in for the day, and I'm free to wander about. Do you have much time, or do you have other pressing matters?" Pitch wanted to visit with her, but he also didn't want to create any further hang-ups for her gathering teeth like he had.

"I think I can take a little time off." she fluttered down to be at eye level with him. "So how have you been doing?"

He liked it when she hovered this closely, and he could study the shimmering qualities of her radiant cerise pupils. She'd always been captivating to look at, like a jungle flower, and since being at the Pole, he'd gotten to see those eyes reflect so much more than determination and grit as he'd come to have always associated her with in the past through many battles. Now those same eyes shined with a brightness and kindness that put him at ease to just be in her presence.

He bobbed his head playfully, "Well, I've done a bit of travelling believe it or not. North and I went to Bunnymund's warren to help out over there, and after all was said and done, we painted some eggs and Bunnymund even gave me my first Easter basket!" His excitement over the Easter basket was a little more amplified than he'd meant it to come out, but he really was quite joyful with getting it even now it made him feel a bit bubbly to have it.

Tooth's face beamed. "Oh, that's wonderful, Pitch! Sounds like you've made a lot of progress while I was away. It was fun painting eggs, wasn't it?"

Her smile was infectious, and Pitch's smile brightened that much more to be with her, "It was! We painted quite a few actually. The first one I painted for Jack almost by accident because I had been thinking of him when making the design, and the second day we spent at the warren I painted one for North, and he painted one for me," his face lit up his smile growing impossibly wide as he clapped his hands, "I have to show it to you! Oh! And this brilliant little flying device North made and gave to me! It's wonderful!" His excitement was brimming now thinking of presenting her all of his new possessions and wondering distractedly if she'd want a piece of chocolate.

Tooth noticed right away that Pitch seemed different from when she last left him. And it did her heart good to see the change. She had been worried that their efforts to rehabilitate him weren't going to go as they had planned. But seeing Pitch now helped to reassure her that they were indeed doing the right thing, "Let's go see this egg and flying device!" Tooth giggled. "I do know that North can make many wonderful things."

Having taken North's words to heart about not needing to always be so serious, Pitch was letting his more playful side out as he bounced down the path chattering away about the marvels of the warren and how fascinating and wonderfully creepy the eyeless statues were. He spoke on the river and glossed over how he'd managed to eat too much chocolate and pass out, and as they made it down the hallway, Pitch expounded upon how North had let him paint and build his own train to which he was also quite thrilled to get the chance to show her. He had been prattling nonstop to the point poor Toothiana hadn't had a chance to get a word in edgewise!

"All of it sounds exciting, Pitch!" Tooth finally said when the Boogeyman took a break. "Maybe we could go the warren sometime and paint eggs together! It's been awhile since I last did it."

Pitch was delighted, and it reflected in the intonations of his voice as he spoke now, "You'd want to go to the warren to paint eggs with me? I think that's a splendid idea although we'd have to clear it with North and Bunnymund of course," As he finished speaking, the two arrived at his door, and Pitch opened it for Toothiana giving a dramatic bow and a charming smile for her to enter first.

"Of course I want to go paint eggs with you." she said, smiling at him and entering the room. "Maybe we could all go there—you, me, North, Jack, Sandy. We could make a day of it. Or if you just want it to be the two of us, I'm pretty sure North would give permission for us to go."

Pitch beamed; he liked that idea, "Either way sounds great. And Bunnymund will likely bring out more chocolates!" This of course had Pitch leaning down to pick his basket up off the ground where North had laid it down. It was nearly empty again after Pitch's recent binge eating. Still, he held it out towards Toothiana in a gesture of wanting to share with her, "Chocolate?"

Tooth brought her hands up to her chin, forcing a smile. She looked at the candy like it was diseased. "Er, no, thanks. You go ahead and enjoy those."

An uncharacteristic giggle erupted from the boogeyman's throat at her reaction as he grabbed a piece of chocolate popping it in his mouth, "Don't mind if I do!" He set the basket back down on the dresser and gently picked up the bubble making toy putting a fresh splash of the fluid into the holes North had shown Pitch and began winding it, "I think this will be more to your liking my dear," he finished winding the toy, and it came whirring to life. The contraption bounced in an effort to be free of the hands holding it in place, and Pitch let it go. It jetted into the air now swirling about and spraying bubbles as if showing off for Toothiana.

Tooth's eyes and smile grew wide as her eyes followed the toy around the room. "Of all the toys North has made, I've never seen anything like this." she giggled, fluttering up to follow the gadget. She ran her hands through the thick wave of bubbles that came out of it and laughed.

Seeing her joy with the toy pleased Pitch even more than just watching the machine itself, and he found himself just standing there gazing at the scene, hands folded loosely behind his back with a small smile on his face, "It was made in the warren with miscellaneous parts Bunnymund had brought out for North specifically to tinker with. Maybe a mix of both of their ingenuity served to make something greater? After I'd finished inspection of Bunnymund's eggs, North had asked me if I'd wanted to try to build anything out of the parts, but I couldn't make heads or tails out of any of it... a builder I am not! North was kind enough to set me up to build and paint this though when we came back from the warren," Pitch reached over to grab the train he'd made off of the nightstand running an exploratory thumb over the images he'd painted on it. The train now created a dichotomy of emotions both happy and sad from the memories associated with it.

Tooth flew down to Pitch, gently taking the train from his hands and looking at it. Something inside her cringed at the theme he had chosen for it, and the faces, but she didn't say anything.

"You made and painted this?" she asked.

Pitch's smile widened, "I did! North had a model for me to follow, so I would be able to figure out how to put it together. It came out alright for a first go I think. Do you like it?" He blinked looking up at her curiously.

"I do!" Tooth said, smiling brightly. "You did a real good job on it, especially the paint. Very creative. Do you plan on building anything else?"

As she complemented him, he could feel the blood rush to his face becoming a little embarrassed to hear her gush about what he'd made. He liked praise for the things he did, it motivated him to want to do more just to feel the warmth of seeing their positive reactions to it. Pitch smiled shyly, "I... I think I might. I did enjoy painting it. I know the motif is probably not much to your taste, but I'm glad you like it anyway."

Tooth handed the train back to him. "Maybe in time you can get to the point where you can build something from scratch like North does." She pointed to the bubble machine.

"Maybe... although building toys might not really be my forte. I do think I like painting though. Egg painting gave me a taste of using my imagination to create images, and I really liked that. I don't think I will be able to replicate my own imagination like the river in the warren does, but it's made me curious to try," Pitch fidgeted as he spoke not really used to talking about his interests.

"There are lots of ways to paint." said Tooth. "Maybe you could take North up on his offer to paint some of the toys, or help Bunny with his eggs. Or… or maybe you could paint pictures!" She beamed. "You know, like on canvas or paper."

Pitch nodded, "I think that would give much more room to be creative. Would you... would you want to do something like that with me?" He hoped she would. Toys were a bit mundane, and although painting eggs allowed for a magical means of getting an idea out, the canvas was limited.

Tooth shrugged. "Yeah, sure! I can't say I'm much of a painter, but I can try, I guess. I mean, I've painted some of Bunny's eggs before, but there's nothing to that, as you know."

"Oh, I think you'd be a natural. Do you think North has any canvases to paint on? We may have to acquire them elsewhere." Pitch hadn't remembered seeing anything like that at the Pole, but that wasn't to say North didn't have some stashed away somewhere.

"I don't know. You could always ask him. I'm sure he's got some artist supplies somewhere. I mean, this IS the North Pole and Santa's workshop, after all."

"You're probably right; perhaps the next time you come to visit I'll have those supplies, and we can set up somewhere out of the way and see what we can do. Maybe North would let me go to the Tooth Palace with you to do so? The view itself would be a marvel to paint don't you think?" Pitch mused. After all, if North had allowed him to go to the warren, why not the Tooth Palace? Of course, he'd gone to the warren to do chores, but it had gone so well that Pitch had high hopes that North might allow it now. Toothiana not likely knowing he'd only gone to the warren as a punishment might also be less reticent to agree to the notion.

A look of worry washed over Toothiana's face for a split second, then she smiled. She wasn't sure she wanted Pitch coming into her realm again. True that he'd changed, but was he trustworthy enough to allow around her teeth? If Bunny trusted him enough to let him come into the warren, then perhaps it would be okay. "That sounds delightful!" she said. "We'll talk to North about letting you come to the Tooth Palace sometime. Until then, you might need to practice first to see how well you can do."

Pitch shrugged, "Does it matter where we practice? I was more thinking that the view would have made it nice regardless of skill."

Tooth hesitated, not really sure why Pitch seemed so desperate to go to her realm. "No, I guess it doesn't matter where you practice. But I just thought it would be nice if we could paint here first, just to see what we can do with it all. Besides, you have to get North's approval to go to my realm."

Pitch grimaced thinking that asking for permission might bring to light more than he'd want Toothiana privy to, but the thought of further travels outside of the Pole at a later date was far too tantalizing not to risk asking, "Uh… sure. North should be caught up with the work he was going to look in to, so if you want, we could swing by his office now to see what he says. We could also ask about art supplies while we're there."

"Well," Tooth idly played with her fingers as she hesitated. "I'm not ready to have you come by the Tooth Palace yet, since I'm still pretty busy. We can ask him for art supplies right now, and then later on you can ask him about stopping by my place. How does that sound?"

Pitch caught her hesitation a delicate frown moving over his features, "Uh… yeah. That sounds fine. I wasn't meaning right away you know… I was speaking about the future and just getting it out there to North to see what he thought."

"Oh! Okay," she smiled. "That works. I thought you meant going there right away, which is out of the question, since we're still trying to get things sorted out when it comes to the teeth backup. And having more pouring in every night."

Feeling guilty for having caused her so much work Pitch found himself offering, "I… I'm sorry I've caused you so much grief coming out here to see me. Maybe… maybe I could help you catch up? I don't know, maybe sort some of the teeth with you?"

Tooth smiled lovingly at him. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I chose to come here. And thank you for offering to help me, but I think my fairies and I can manage. We've almost got everything sorted out."

Pitch ducked his head giving a small nod. He was starting to get the distinct impression that she didn't really want him to come out to the Tooth Palace, so he didn't say any more about it, "Well, we can go check with North on those supplies, or we could just relax here although I don't have much in the way of entertainment," he shrugged feeling at a loss.

Tooth flew down and grabbed Pitch by the arm, pulling him forward. "I thought we were going to ask North about art supplies." She smiled.

He hadn't expected her suddenness and his eyes widened in mild surprise as he was pulled forward by her. Pitch just nodded at her words with a small smile letting her lead him down the hall towards North's office. He smiled cheerfully looking down at her hand and liking the lightness of her gentle touch pulling on his forearm.

Pitch and Tooth soon arrived at the door to North's office, Tooth stretching her hand out to knock.

"Come in," North's voice boomed from inside. Tooth opened the door and entered, followed by Pitch. When North looked up, he smiled.

"Ah!" North said. "And what can I do for you?"

Tooth smiled at Pitch, nudging him forward.

Pitch grinned stepping forward, "I was talking to Toothiana about the past few days showing her the train I painted, and we got to talking about painting and were wondering if you had any supplies for canvas painting?"

North thought a few minutes, stroking his beard. Finally, he nodded, holding up a finger. "I think I might have some somewhere. I remember seeing such items when doing inventory. I keep some on hand in case young aspiring artists ask for them for Christmas. I will go look." North got up and walked past Pitch and Tooth, and down the hallway. His face beamed at hearing Pitch ask for such materials.

After North had left, Tooth fluttered down next to Pitch. "I guess we should wait here."

Pitch nodded his eyes moved about North's office as they waited. He hadn't been looking for anything in particular, but he couldn't help noting on the back wall tacked up with several other papers was a smidgen of a blue print. Having spent enough time at the Pole now, Pitch realized, from the part that was visible, that the blue print was one for the Pole. He moved casually behind the desk towards the back wall glancing mostly out of his peripheral so as not to draw attention that he was snooping as he spoke, "I was thinking maybe we could bring the supplies out by the reindeer fields. Just to have a little space to work without all the noise of the Pole… that was another reason I'd suggested the Tooth Palace."

"I think the reindeer fields sound wonderful." Tooth said. "And you'll get to come visit the Tooth Palace sometime. I'm sure North will allow it. You can ask him when he comes back and see what he says."

Pitch turned to her hearing her state that she was actually amiable to him coming to the Tooth Palace, and this brought a smile to his face, "Alright. I'll ask him."

Pitch had moved close enough now to get a better look at the blue print on the wall, and his eyes lit up to see that he was correct in his assumption, it was a detailed schematic of the Pole, and Pitch almost guaranteed that he'd be able to investigate that secret door Jack and he had discovered a few days earlier. Having been barred access to it without even so much as an explanation to why had left Pitch more curious than ever. Surely there wouldn't be anything that dangerous lurking within Santa's workshop?

Tooth hovered in the air on the other side of North's desk, not exactly sure what to say. "There really isn't much to do at the palace," she said, finally. "No eggs to paint or toys to assemble. Just teeth. I hope you won't find that too boring when you get to visit."

Pitch tilted his head to the side giving her a smirk, "Why would you think your realm would be any less interesting than the rest of the guardians? I've been to the Tooth Palace, and my dear, it is a marvel in itself with its tall spires in the sky… I imagine to see the stars from one of those platforms would be one of the most serene sights one could see. Other than the chittering chatter of the baby teeth, I imagine it to be quite a peaceful place to be."

"I've never thought about stargazing. I guess I've always been too busy with my teeth to notice that part of my realm."

Pitch tutted, "Really Toothiana? You've been living out there for how long now? Five hundred years give or take? Have you been that distracted? If so, you need a break more than you know."

"You're probably right. But we Guardians don't get vacations. I guess that's why I spent some time here, visiting you. It helped to just get away from things for a while. Not to mention, I felt you needed someone, too."

Pitch blushed averting his eyes a moment knowing how true her words were. He nodded, "I did… I do," he brought his eyes back up to hers giving her a warm smile, "I didn't think I needed anyone, and when I did, I was terrified… I still am. It's something I'm still trying to wrap my head around."

Tooth nodded, giving him a loving look and smile. "It's understandable, I think. I mean, you've been living alone for so long, and at war with us. It's only natural that you suddenly being thrown into the middle of us would make you feel… well… a bit odd and uncomfortable. You've basically been trying to get used to things that are otherwise common to most people."

He swallowed hard nodding, "It's been… difficult. I know I've come off as brash or rude at times, and North and I had a… discussion about that," he flushed lightly remembering all too well the details that 'discussion' at the warren had entailed. "I've been working hard to be less… volatile and to be more considerate. Forgive me if I slip on occasion as you're correct, not being around other people for so long has made me a little less aware of how others perceive me or what I say, but… I'm working on that too," the sensitivity of the subject had Pitch fidgeting restlessly.

"Looks to me like you're on the right path now. I can see a great improvement in your mood and attitude since I was last here." Tooth smiled. "I have to admit that I was a bit stunned at first."

"Stunned? Was I really that bad?" A small frown creased Pitch's lips. He had known that his attitude needed amending, but he hadn't realized how badly.

"Wellll…" Tooth's smile faltered. She didn't want to sound rude or say something that would make Pitch mad, but she also couldn't lie either. "Let's just say that you weren't the easiest person to be around."

Pitch pouted crossing his arms, "Well neither were you guardians," he sighed, "But... things have been much smoother as we've... adapted to each other."

Tooth nodded in agreement. "We've had a rough start, but I think it's going to get better now."

Pitch beamed, "I would like to think so."

"Soooo, what do you plan on doing, now that you're starting to find your place here?" Tooth questioned. "Are you going to continue taking care of the deer, or is there something else you have in mind?"

Pitch looked away shrugging, "I like the reindeer... I don't want to stop caring for them. They need me," Pitch needed them more, but he liked to tell himself that only he was giving them the best attention, and he didn't like thinking of anyone else taking the job over.

"As long as you're happy doing it." Tooth said, smiling.

He nodded looking up to see North's shadow cresting the door. Pitch moved from behind the big man's desk not wanting to cause suspicion for what he'd gone back there for.

"Here we are!" North said as he entered the room. "Sorry it took so long." He set down several canvases on his desk, along with paintbrushes, paints, and a palette. "I hope this will suffice."

Pitch brightened as he looked over the items nodding happily, "This looks great! I'm sure it'll be perfect!" Pitch turned his smile to North, "Thank you North."

"You are welcome," North smiled. "I am glad to see you taking interest in something creative. If you need more supplies, let me know. I will get more for you."

Pitch gathered up the supplies balancing them precariously and looking slightly overwhelmed by the bulk whereas it had been much less cumbersome for North, "Um… Toothiana, do you want to grab the canvases?"

"Oh! Sure," she said, flying over to grab them off North's desk. She turned to Pitch, clearing her throat and motioning to North with her head.

Realizing that he'd been about to rush off without asking North the other half of what they had come to see him about Pitch laid the supplies back on the table and began to organize them better while he spoke to North. He did so more to occupy his hands and make it easier to ask the man since he still was on the fence as to what North would say, "Oh yes, North, um, Toothiana and I were talking about painting, and we were wondering if I could go to the Tooth Palace to paint some time?"

North lifted an eyebrow at Pitch's question, looking up at Tooth. He noticed the fairy looked hesitant and nervous. Clearing his throat, he turned back to Pitch. "Um... Well, I will give it thought, I suppose. But... Why would you want to go there to paint? You can paint here at Pole."

Pitch had a sinking feeling where this was going, but he told North his reasoning anyway. He shrugged, "Well… mostly for the quiet and the view. It's a beautiful outlook that far up, and it just seemed like it would be a serene place to paint."

North nodded. "I will think about it." He again looked at Tooth.

North's response wasn't a no, it felt like one though, so Pitch's mood soured a bit as he grimaced grabbing the supplies freshly stacked and turned leaving Toothiana and North behind as he headed out of the office without further comment.

North opened his mouth to say something, but Tooth silenced him with a shake of her head, remembering how Pitch had listened at the door the last time they spoke.

"We can speak later." she softly said. North nodded. Tooth turned and disappeared down the hallway, hurrying to catch up to Pitch.

By the time Toothiana had caught up to Pitch he was already halfway across the hub moving at a quick pace towards the reindeer pens. His mouth was etched in a thin line as he stared ahead determinedly.

"Pitch, wait up!" Tooth shouted.

Hearing her call out to him, Pitch stopped abruptly. He had lost a lot of his previous cheerfulness, and his body slouched a bit deflated now. But as she came up, he gave her a small smile, "I figured I'd just head over to the reindeer stalls and you'd catch up to me. Sorry I left so abruptly; North didn't say no, but his demeanor did, so I didn't feel like sticking around to hear a lecture. It's okay. I didn't really have my hopes up to go anyway," Pitch tried not to sound melancholy about the situation not wishing to bring Toothiana down too.

"You don't know that." Tooth said. "He might feel that your trip to the warren was enough outing for right now. He might say yes to you coming to my palace later on, if he decides on yes."

Pitch just gave an unenthusiastic nod, "Yeah… maybe."

He was quiet for the rest of the walk down to the reindeer pens. Once there, he began surveying the area before pointing to a patch of land that faced the fields, "What about there? I could put the reindeer in the enclosure while we paint to let them run around. I was thinking of trying to paint one anyway."

Tooth looked at the spot of land Pitch had pointed at. She nodded. "Sounds good. Although I'm doubtful I will be able to do much." She giggled.

Pitch smirked as they brought the supplies to the spot he'd suggested, "I have a feeling you'll do just fine. Besides, the whole point is to be able to relax and enjoy each other's company right?"

"Right," Tooth nodded. She set down the canvases next to the other supplies. She was actually curious to see what Pitch would paint on a canvas, knowing how he'd painted the toy train. Would he paint what was in front of him? Or would it come out being a dark and twisted version of it?

After setting down the supplies, Pitch brushed himself off, "I'll be right back," he said heading off to the stables and as stated prior, Pitch began bringing the reindeer out one by one to let them run in the fields.

After Pitch left, Tooth fluttered down and began setting up the art supplies. She was grateful that North had supplied them with the items, but there was only one palette. They would have to share it, she thought. One side for her, and one side for Pitch. At least he had given them two easels. She unfolded the legs on each and set them in place, putting a blank canvas on both. When she was finished, she rose into the air and hovered, watching Pitch as he continued bringing out the deer.

Pitch had become quite adept at getting the deer in and out of their pens, so by the time Toothiana had finished setting up all of the art supplies, he was also finishing up putting the last reindeer into the enclosure. He took a moment just to watch them at the gate before making his way back up to Toothiana. He was in a better mood now; the act of setting the reindeer to run free helped to relieve some of his earlier stress. He adjusted his easel a little higher looking down at Toothiana with a smirk, "Some of us aren't that short Toothiana," he teased her.

"Sorry," she smiled. "North only gave us one palette, so we'll have to share it. I was thinking one side for your choice of paints, and the other side for mine."

Pitch looked at the size of the palette thinking it was too small to have an array of colors, so he decided to try something new, "How about you load up the colors you need, and I'll improvise with what you use."

"No, that's okay." said Tooth. "You load it up with the colors you want to use, and I'll use whatever you choose. After all, you're the one who really wanted to paint. So you should choose the paint colors."

The fact that she was willing to let him pick the colors to please him made Pitch decide to stick with mostly natural colors of Black, white, and brown with splashes of blue, red, and yellow, so she could make any color she desired. He handed the palette to her before bending down to get one of the big brushes, the black, and the white tubes. He squirted a small amount of black onto the middle of the canvas before squirting an excessive amount of white on top of it. Seeing Toothiana just staring at him in wonder, he smirked, "I'm going to cover the entire canvas with gray as a background… it's easier to add black… not so much to take it out."

"Ah!" Tooth said as she continued to watch. "I've seen paintings in the houses I've gone into to collect teeth, but I've never actually tried it myself."

Pitch mixed the combined paint adding a tad more black until he got the shade of grey he wanted before slathering the entire canvas with the color. He was curious to see what Toothiana was painting to see that she was just watching him. He smiled at her, "You're not painting? You're just watching me paint; that can't be much fun."

"I thought I would watch you for a while first, so I can learn." she replied, hovering near Pitch's right shoulder.

Pitch studied her a moment as she handed him the palette and decided he really liked what he saw, so if she was going to just watch him, then he would in turn paint her. He took in her iridescent colorings and he set to work first doing his best to replicate her radiant eyes. His own gold and silver eyes moved rapidly from looking at her to the canvas mixing the paint fervently and painting passionately to capture every detail.

Tooth laughed as she watched him, looking between him and the canvas. "What are you painting? Me?"

He smiled impossibly wide giving her a gleeful nod, "I figured if you just planned to watch, I might as well. Besides, you're a much more interesting subject to paint than a reindeer." He found as he continued to paint her that he was surprised at how well it was actually coming out. Sure, he was no Picasso, but he seemed to have a knack for this, and he absently wondered if it were from the hand gesticulations he always made while weaving a nightmare, the wrist movements felt similar anyway.

Toothiana giggled, her cheeks turning the slightest red. "Oh, Pitch, I'm not that interesting." She realized she was moving about a lot. "Um… I guess you want me to stay still? Sorry, I've been moving around so much. Here, I'll just sit on the ground. Is that better?"

He beamed, "Perfect my dear," Having her sit still did help immensely, and Pitch worked quickly to get the details of her form down on the canvas. She truly was beautiful; he'd known it before, but trying to capture the essence of what she was here opened his eyes further to see so much more that he'd simply overlooked.

Suddenly the drab grey background would no longer do, and Pitch thought back to the warren and the beauty that he'd seen there. Taking those images, he painted an array of multicolored flowers around her that complimented her natural colors. He filled in a ruddy red and bronze to surround her and the bed of flowers circling her to bleed out the drab of the grey almost completely. He brushed in light highlights to accentuate her soft features, and finally he added a baby Tooth presenting a pearly white tooth in every corner to accentuate her in the center knowing that they were as much a part of her as gathering teeth to collect memories was her calling.

Feeling the picture was finally complete, Pitch stepped away giving the painting an appraising nod, "Your painting is finished."

Tooth flew up to look at the canvas, and gasped. "Pitch, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed as she hovered and stared at it. It truly was beautiful. Toothiana was stunned at the use of colors as well as the fact that Pitch, for quite possibly the first time, had painted something that wasn't dark, morbid, or tinged with nightmarish images. It was a shocking contrast to the toy train.

Pitch's chest puffed out from the praise, "I was only replicating what I saw in you. But since you like it so much, it is yours Toothiana." He was quite proud of it and frankly surprised that he'd painted something so colorful and honestly very not like him at all, but then he supposed it was because he had wanted to imitate Toothiana not just make her in his own imagery. What Pitch didn't know was that what else had come out of him in this painting was a little more of the person he'd originally been before his possession, Kozmotiz Pitchiner.

"Thank you, Pitch!" she said. "I'll be sure to find a special place for it in the palace. Oh, and we must show North when we're done here. Won't he be thrilled?"

Pitch blushed at the thought of parading the painting around, "Uh, you can go ahead and show him while I get everything cleaned up here and put the reindeer back in their stalls. I'll meet you up there when I finish up."

"Okay!" Tooth said, before she carefully took the wet canvas and flew off. It didn't take her long to reach North's office. The door was already open, so she flew right in.

"North!" she called. "Look what Pitch painted!" She handed the canvas across the desk. "Careful, it's still wet."

North carefully took the painting in his big hands as if he were handling a delicate flower. His eyebrows lifted and his eyes widened when he saw the brilliant colors and likeness of Toothiana. "You are kidding me." North said, looking up at Tooth and then back at the painting. "Pitch painted this?"

She nodded, her grin expressing the excitement she felt.

"It is unbelievable. There are such bright colors. No darkness or disturbing things."

"I know!" Tooth squealed. "Isn't it wonderful? Maybe it's a good sign!"

North nodded. His face suddenly turned serious as he set the canvas aside. "Tooth, would you mind closing door?"

"Sure," she said as she flew over and did just that. She came back to hover close to the desk.

"I would like to talk to you about Pitch going to your palace."

Tooth's smile dropped a little. "Yeah, that,"

"You seem unsettled by idea." North looked at her, lifting one eyebrow.

Tooth hesitated.

"It is okay. You can speak. Pitch did not follow, no?"

"No, he's putting the reindeer away." Tooth said. She sighed. "Truth is, I don't really like the thought of Pitch coming into my realm. Not after what he did the last time he was there. I mean, don't get me wrong. He seems to be changing, but… I…"

"There is part of you that does not trust him?" North finished for her.

"Yeah," Tooth cringed. "He seems so desperate to go there. It bothers me. But then again he did say that he went to the warren to help out and also paint eggs with you and Bunny, so I guess everything went well with that."

North let out a sharp laugh. "Yes, it is true that everything went fairly well with that."

Tooth looked at him, a bit curious. "Is there more?"

"Is there more?" said North. "Pitch did not tell you why he went to warren?"

"Well, no," said Tooth. "I just assumed it was to help."

"He went there as part of punishment." North replied. He then went on to tell Tooth everything that had happened. How Pitch gave Bunny the worst reindeer and tampered with the reins and harness, leading to Bunny almost getting seriously hurt. He filled her in on Pitch's stubbornness and unwillingness to do the job Bunny had given him to do at the warren, which led to spankings. Pitch's attitude problem. Everything.

Tooth was silent when North finally finished.

"Naturally, it is up to you whether or not Pitch visits Tooth Palace. It is your realm, after all. I am willing to give him permission to go if you want him to. But mark my words; he will need a keen eye watching over him. If you do decide on allowing him to visit, I will come with him like I did at warren."

Tooth nodded, forcing a smile. She hadn't expected everything North told her. What's more… She was a bit miffed and hurt that Pitch had kept that part from her. "I'll give it some thought." she finally said. Turning, she left the office and floated lazily down the corridor.