Thank you Rebecca Frost, bluefrosty27, AyameKitsune, micaelaann cruz, trax369, and everyone else who reviews, followed, and faved. I'm so glad you love the story. My plan for the next few chapter are to have four or five or more before christmas eve and day. I have an outline down but i would love to hear what you guys want to see between pitch and jackson (before he dies of course). And on that note enjoy!
Everything hurts. His arms. His legs. His back. His head. Everything hurts. He felt off too. He felt empty in his chest. It was as if the children's hope we're gone. Or was that because of this lack of energy. Where did it all go?
He moved his fingers and felt something soft. He wasn't at the Warren. He was certain of that. Why wasn't he at the Warren? He had to direct his Googies through the tunnels. He focused on his nose next. The air smelled of sugar cookies, wood, and fur.
He groaned as he fought to regain consciousness. Why was he at the North Pole? He had Googies to deliver.
"Easy old friend," a familiar booming voice spoke when he tried to move. North? Bunnymund slowly opened his eyes. The room was thankfully not very bright, so it took less time for his eyes to adjust. Bunnymund focused his vision on the big man in front of him. North's blue eyes was watching him in concern. "How you feeling?"
"Tired," Bunnymund groaned softly. His throat hurt like hell. How long has he been out? North must have sense his discomfort, since he reached for a glass of water and lifted his head to help him drink. "Thanks mate," he said, thankful for the cool water.
"You are very welcome, my friend. Mind telling me what happened last week."
Bunnymund blinked. "Nah, mate. I was attacked yesterday." A week? No that can't be right.
North frowned. "Bunny, Phil found you at the door when you passed out. You've been out for a week now." Bunnymund felt he had just been hit by a mallet. It had to be a lie. No way he slept that long.
"It can't be, mate! This is a joke right? I wasn't done delivering my Googies."
North looked at him saddly. "I am sorry."
Bunnymund closed his eyes. No.
Thunder viciously crackled in the air. The four winds moved together in anger feeling just as agitated as Mother Nature was. They had all felt it the moment it happened.
The end result: a very unhappy Mother Nature.
Emily Pitchiner was not happy. The protective energy she added to the barrier around Burgess warned her of the threat and the harm the child was in. If she hadn't been so busy she would have hunted the rabbit down with her father. But of course she was busy giving directions to her children for the seasonal shift.
Emily sat in her tree throne. She tapped her fingers on the armrest and waited. She gritted her teeth as she did so. Where was that blasted nightmare? She had to know what happened before she went to destroy that pooka.
Screw MiM and his Guardians! If Jackson was hurt in any way, they will pay. They will pay dearly, she thought darkly that would put her father to shame.
The trees whispered of a horse then. Whispering of the sand and the fear. Her father's messenger was here. About time.
Jackson had wanted to introduce his mother to his brother for months now. However, he never thought it would be this awkward. Jackson watched them from his hiding place (and by that he means the hallway) as he spied on them talking. Well, it would have been if there weren't huge gaps of silence in between. This was soooo boring.
Flee fidgeted next to him. She must have felt the tension too. Was it really that obvious? "Mother is clearly still in shock."
Jackson groaned. "Why are adults so complicated? It would be so much easier if she just asks him about himself and our family, instead of trying to come up with a gentler way to ask. She's being so complicated."
"No one can be as carefree as you, Jack."
Jackson shrugged as he continued to listen to the disaster known as adults' conversation. "I think we are better off playing with Night." Flee smiled.
"Let's go then." Flee spun around on her heels and headed towards their room. Jackson rolled his eyes and followed her.
"I understand this is a lot to take in Ms. Overland." Ms. Overland curled and uncurled her fingers around her tea cup. She had not expected any of this. Her baby boy coming from another world, Mr. Black's old job and turning into the Nightmare King, being in a war against the Guardians… Although they seemed ridiculous and just plain awful for causing the poor man so much grief. He was just doing his job, just like the rest of them.
"No, it's fine. I was just not expecting my baby boy to be from another world. Then again that thing he was in was not something I've seen before."
"The Hibernation Cradle," Pitch replied. "It's was made for escaping into another planet or to help those who were injured when we didn't have the resources at the time."
"Wish we had that," Ms. Overland said with a thoughtful look. "It could help when we get sick and are unable to get the healer. Many have died because of it you know. "
"Don't you have medicine for that?" Pitch asked with a worried frown. Did he have to worry about his brother getting sick?
She sighed. "I'm afraid we don't have the resources for it. It's unknown to us and many have died already." She smiled slightly in hopes of calming him down. "Thankfully I have strong kids."
Pitch nodded. "That you do."
Another silence fell between them. Neither Pitch nor Ms. Overland knew what to ask next. There were so many things to ask and yet neither of them could figure out what to ask next.
"Tell me," it was Ms. Overland who broke the silence. "Are they a threat to my children?" Ms. Overland took a sip of her tea. "I overheard them when I went to check up on them. Flee was terrified that the Easter Bunny almost attacked them." She looked into his goldish-silver eyes. "Will they be harmed because of you being here?"
Pitch was taken aback by the statement. He expected it. He too had the same thought himself. But to actually hear it. To actually have those thoughts thrown in his face - it hurt quite a bit.
Ms. Overland must have saw his expression, since she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. What I meant was that these Guardians seemed to have it out for you? You are a very powerful man, Mr. Black, and to be able to fight them for this long is amazing. However, I'm just worried for their safely."
"I understand. I have been making preparations with my daughter to keep Jackson and Flee safe. We put up a barrier that can cut out the magic if Jackson is threatened. I also have some of my nightmare watching out for him." Pitch smiled slightly. "I can't always be here for...obvious reasons, but I also have several of my nightmares distracting the Guardians away from the village, for now anyway."
Ms. Overland smiled at him. "You put a lot of thought into this."
"I lost him once, I don't plan on losing Jackson again."
Ms. Overland reached out her hand and placed it on Pitch's grey one. "You won't," she said softly. "You and Jackson just found each other. If you play your cards right, I know you and Jackson will live a long happy life together." She lightly squeezed his hand. "I know it."
"Thank you, Ms. Overland. That means a lot."
"You are very welcome." She smiled. "And please call me Susanna."
"Alright, Susanna, and please call me Pitch."
She smiled at him. "Welcome to the family, Pitch Black."
"What happened old friend?" North asked his friend. Bunnymund sighed as he rested on the bed in the infirmary room. Tooth and Sandy were there waiting for an explanation as well.
"I saw a Nightmare in a small village. Pitch must have just made his new nightmare and I saw it near a two kids."
Tooth gasps. "Pitch is attacking the kids now?"
"I thought so too sheila. I tried to destroy it, but…"
"But, what?" North asked when he paused.
"Some weird magic started draining me. I could barely defend myself when more nightmares attacked me." He sighed saddly. "I barely made out of there alive, especially when Pitch attacked me at the Warren."
North and Tooth looked at each other in worry and shock. Pitch was getting more dangerous by the minute. They had to stop him. Tooth opened her mouth when five blizzards suddenly surrounded North's palace.
"What's going on?" North yelled as Phil came running in.
"What he say?" Tooth asked when she saw North go as pale as his white beard.
"Emily is here in the Globe Room. She is not happy."
"Oh dear." Toothiana covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes going wide in shock and worry.
Bunnymund groaned. "What did we do to the sheila now?"
Jackson watched as his brother summoned black sand in his hand. It was really cool actually. The black sand seemed to have a life of its own as it moved around in Kozmotis's hand and comes together to become different shapes.
"Here, now you try." Jackson blinked as Kozmotis placed a small amount of black sand into his palm. Jackson blinked and looked at his brother.
"Go on," Kozmotis coaxed. Jackson returned his attention to the sand. He looked at it and tried to focus on the sand. Nothing happened. He frowned.
"You can do it Master," Night encouraged.
Jackson narrowed his eyes in concentration. He wanted the sand to move. He wanted the sand to move. He wanted the sand to move. While Jackson was focusing he didn't notice the snowflake mark on his arm starting to glow.
Pitch watched his Jackson as he tried to move the sand. He knew sand wielding was difficult but he knew Jackson could do it. He just needed to find the right outlet to channel the connection between him and the sand.
Pitch blinked when the mark on Jackson's arm started to glow. When did that get that? It wasn't to long after that when Jackson finally moved the sand into a small circle.
"I did it!"
Pitch smiled as Flee squealed with her brother. "That's so cool."
"Very good. I knew you could do it. Now with a little more practice you'll be able to make you own nightmares or better yet, improve Night."
Jackson smiled brightly as he turned to Night. "You know Night. I think you would look cool with a big snowflake right here." Jackson gestured to the horse's side.
"And some pretty swirls," Flee added.
"Whatever you like Master," Night simply said to the excited children. Pitch rolled his eyes. This was going to be very interesting.