Hello all, I'm sorry in the delay with writing this. I'm trying to finalize the ending to this story and I want to get it right. So thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I promise the story will be a happy ending! This is the last dark chapter

Anger is a powerful emotion. Common sense is lost on those blinded by it's raging fire. Lives have been lost to the anger of others and nothing calms it faster than vengeance.

Or so it is thought by those tainted by anger.

Pitch was full of vengeance. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Damage for daughter. His mind was warped with anger, billowing about to cloud out all other thoughts. Pitch had never been accustomed to such fits of anger, but this was his Chaya. Those wretched Guardians were once again trying to take away all he had. They had destroyed his search for acceptance, for belief, but this was beyond repair. They were trying to steal his only daughter away from him!

His eyes were narrowed, golden light searing through the swirling snow before him. His body was rigid, every muscle contracted as he leaned into the bitter cold. Nothing could dampen the growing fire burning just below the surface of his skin. His nightmares were restless behind him, bucking and stumbling in their earnest as they followed their master. The snow did not affect them, swirling through their lucid bodies like the wind through the trees. Nothing could deter them as they were spurred on by their master's anger.

The North Pole was coming into sight and Pitch surged forward, kicking up snow before him, ignorant to the freezing winds. He could just make out the shape of the windows, the light behind them blinking in and out with the swirling snow. The place was so cozy, so full of hope, it made Pitch sick. His darkness, his fear, was crawling out before him, black sand snaking through the snow, like fingers grasping at the ground. It moved faster, picking up speed as if it too could sense Pitch's urgency. Soon it would be crawling up the walls of the Pole, stealing into that happy place and soiling it with deep, fearful darkness. Pitch wanted to steal every last ounce of hope in that place.

Something he should have done all those years ago when he first stood up against the Guardians.

He could have done it, he had been powerful enough. But that had not been part of his plan. He had wanted to taint the world with his fear, force them to remember him, but he had not wanted to return to his darkness. Not back to when he had first reigned over the world in the dark ages. He had merely wanted to be recognized again.

Everything was different now. Chaya had been taken from him once, but now she was being stolen from him a second time. Those Guardians were taking away his happiness and now he would turn it right back on them.

The black sand was spreading over the Pole now, covering the walls and windows, shutting out the light. Voices started to sound within the building, loud and frightened. Pitch smiled, revealing in the fear that he was causing. He and his nightmares were coming up upon the Pole and he slowed his progression just enough to throw out his arms before him. His dark army surged out ahead of him, disappearing through the walls into the workshop, neighing and growling loudly. The voices within the Pole grew louder, panic and fear flowing back to Pitch in waves and he breathed it in, his mind swirling with revenge. If the Guardians wanted to take his daughter from him, there was no way they could without a fight.

A single voice, louder than the others sounded out.

"Pitch Black!"

It was the Russian King, Santa Claus, calling out for the Nightmare King. Pitch smiled, his lips curling at the corners.

Finally, justice was near.

Laughing, his voice grating and echoing off the walls, Pitch moved through the walls himself, out of the swirling snow and into the workshop.

Chaos was in full force. The Russian King's workers, the little tinkling elves and the large, furry giants, were hemmed in. The nightmares had backed them up into corners, behind benches, under benches and up onto benches. The dark phantoms stood still, bristling, growling at any unauthorized movement. The tiny elves were shaking, holding each other and squeezing their eyes shut. Their fear only riled the nightmares up even more.

The Guardians, every single one of them, minus Jack and Chaya, were standing on the platform below the globe, surrounded by a thicket of nightmares. They were defenceless, having been caught off guard, having no way to fight back. They were not afraid, but it did not stop the nightmares from inching closer, tightening the circle.

Pitch had the power and he knew it.

Briefly, for an instant, the Shadow King's voice rang in his head.

"Such will be your demise if you do her wrong, Pitch,"

Pitch clenched his hands into fists, willing the voice to cease. He would never do his daughter wrong again. Shaking himself, Pitch circled the globe and alighted gently on the empty workshop floor, nightmares on all sides of him, bristling to his attention. With a wicked smile, Pitch bowed to the figures on the globe platform.

"Guardians! I have returned! Defeated and back from the dead!" His voice was full of false pleasantry

The Easter Bunny moved forward threateningly, only to be stopped by two nightmares, flaring their nostrils at him.

"You should have stayed dead!" Bunny shook his boomerang at the dark man, his eyes narrowed angrily.

The Nightmare King bowed to him, mockingly regal.

"Ah, but we all came back!" He looked back up at Sandy, his smile menacing.

The sparkling spirit glared at him, his sandy features tensed and his mouth set in a frown. The black sand, Pitch's own little handiwork, was swirling around the workshop floor, rustling like snake scales over the dry ground. The light in the Pole was dimming, the blackness swallowing it up. Sandy had his own sand swirling around in his hands but was powerless to use it with the nightmares choking up his space. He merely continued to glare at Pitch, his shining eyes full of disgust.

The Russian King pointed one of his swords at Pitch, gaining the Nightmare King's attention once again.

"Call off your nightmares! You have no quarrel with us!"

Pitch laughed again, his voice reiterating over the sandy floors.

"Still as demanding as ever. Do you not see that I have the upper hand?" His voice darkened for a moment. "Do you not see that you are in the wrong?"

Tooth fluttered above the nightmares, wary to move less she be overtaken. The nightmares stood below her, ready to tear at her wings with any false move. They were so close that their sandy bodies were buffeted about by the wind worked up by her translucent wings, humming distantly as she stared at Pitch in shock and horror.

"Why are you doing this?!" She sounded so innocent as if she couldn't fathom his reasonings.

Pitch's eyes narrowed and he held up his right hand, flicking his fingers together loudly. In an instant, all the nightmares froze, breathing heavily and shivering with anticipation. The light was almost gone, a twilight shadow illuminating up the space between Pitch and the Guardians; the Russian King's helpers had been cast into total darkness.

There silence, except the rustling of the sand.

Pitch dropped his hand and pointed at the Guardians.

"Can you not guess? Can you not begin to understand?"

The Guardians stared at him. Santa Claus had his sword poised, the Bunny had his boomerang at the ready. Sandy's hands were still full of sand and he positioned himself to throw. Tooth remained still, her iridescent wings fluttering quietly.

But no one spoke.

Pitch took a few steps forward, his footfalls echoing off the floor.

"I have come to take my daughter back," His voice was hushed.

More silence.

Santa relaxed for a moment, his face contorted in confusion. Bunny did not flinch, but his eyes narrowed further.

"Your daughter? Chaya?"

Pitch curled his lip. They knew her name! He took another step forward.

"You've taken her from me twice! No more! Chaya is mine!" Pitch's voice rose with each statement and the nightmares began to tremble, eager to be on with it, sensing their master's anger returning.

Bunny raised his voice as well.

"Chaya isn't here!"

"I know where she is! With your reckless winter spirit, Jack Frost! But she is my daughter! I will not allow you to make her into one of you! She will not be a Guardian!"

Santa raised his sword again.

"Manny has called Chaya to be a Guardian, you can not stop this Pitch!"

Pitch leaned forward, baring his teeth now.

"You can not stop me from protecting my daughter! Chaya will not be your Guardian, you cannot force her!" Pitch's voice rose again, a hint of despair heightening the pitch.

Santa took a step forward. The nightmares tensed but remained still. His expression changed, briefly, his features softened.

"We do not force Chaya to be a Guardian. Manny has chosen her. Chaya wants to be a Guardian,"

Pitch dashed the air before him with his arm.

"Lies! Chaya came to me! She came back to me!" His voice was becoming angry, his eyes flaring. "She wants nothing to do with you!"

Tooth fluttered back and then forward, a touch closer than she had been before. The nightmares watched her but did not react.

"Jack told us she went to you to find out about her mother,"

Pitch flinched, so quickly that it was almost unnoticeable; almost. He took a step back and composed himself.

"Chaya wanted to know her powers," Pitch felt as if he was betraying his daughter by revealing such information. But if it would prove them wrong, it would have to do. He grit his teeth and continued. "Chaya wanted to know her heritage. She has a family, she does not need you!"

Tooth tilted her head, her eyes wide and wondering.

"She wanted to know what powers she had, what she had to offer the world as a Guardian," Her voice was quiet.

The mood had shifted in the workshop. The light was fading slowly, but Pitch's anger had dissipated. He felt suddenly heavy as if a huge weight had come to rest on his shoulders. The nightmares sensed the change in Pitch and became unsettled around the workshop, uneasiness dulling their anticipation.

Pitch gasped as if he had been holding his breath and he backed up a step, holding his chest as he stared at the floor.

Chaya had wanted… wanted to know her power. She had never told him why. Through the shock of meeting her grandfather, the terror of the Underworld and the bittersweet moments with her mother, there had been no time for Pitch to wonder why Chaya has such an intense desire. Halfway through, he had stopped caring, only elated that his daughter had come back to him, to see her family and meet her mother. Nothing had seemed out of place.

But.. now… Chaya had come back left the Pole. She had come to find him, to learn about her mother. To know her power… to be a Guardian?

That was not possible.

He looked back up at the Guardians. They stood calmly before him, no more tension and no more fear. They were no longer threatened by him.

"You lie," His voice was raspy and he nearly spat, his breathing ragged. "You do not tell the truth. Chaya does not want to be a Guardian,"

"Why wouldn't she?"

Tooth's gentle question set off a chain reaction deep within Pitch's body. He stood straighter, his bent over form flattening as he shot up like an arrow. His mouth curled, uncurled and curled again, his teeth flashing in the little light that remained. His fingers twitched and he took a step forward.

"Because she is Chaya Black! She was born into his world in darkness and in the darkness she will remain. Chaya will not live in your world of light! She will use her mother's powers as her grandfather sees fit and I will not let you touch her!"

His voice rose in intensity and volume and he seemed to rise above the floor, the black sand thickening under his feet. He flicked his fingers and the nightmares tensed once again, stepping closer to the Guardians. Some of Santa's workers screamed in the darkness behind Pitch. Santa stiffened and glared down at Pitch.

"Call off your nightmares! You cannot stop this!"

Pitch smiled, the corners of his lips curling upward evilly.

"I will stop it," His voice was deathly silent in the crackling of the moving sand. The light was almost nonexistent and the Guardians squinted ahead at the dark figure as he raised his hands up above his head.

"There will be no new Guardian!"

He dropped his arms, a sudden rushing of sand filling the air. Fear once again leapt up in the hearts of the elves and the sasquatches. The nightmares bucked and charged, pouring over the North Pole workers, covering them in darkness. The Guardians leapt forward, knocking nightmares out of the way as they ran at Pitch.

But he was gone. His last words echoing around them as the sand began whistling up into the air, swirling into a tornado. All that could be heard was the neighing of the nightmares and the screaming of the sand.

Almost as soon as it picked up, the sand dropped to the floor. It settled for just a moment, then began to seep into the ground, disappearing before them. The light began to return and the nightmares were gathering together, galloping up the walls and to the ceiling. They too disappeared back out into the snow as if they had never been.

Pitch was gone and his nightmares were nowhere to be seen.

The sudden light was startlingly bright for an instant and the Guardians squinted out from where they stood.

Santa's workers were spread out across the floor, their bodies prone.

They almost looked dead.

Pitch stumbled, fell and rolled into his lair. His nightmares flowed down the walls, disappearing into the rock, vanishing from sight. The lair was quiet now and Pitch lay in the middle of a large cave. Darkness surrounded him and he shook, his body shivering uncontrollably.

His eyes were wet, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Chaya had tricked him! His daughter had betrayed him, deceived him into bringing her to meet her mother. But for what?

So that she could become a Guardian!

Pitch sat up, running his fingers through his hair, shaking his head until the tears flew off his face.

Chaya had lied to him.

Just as the world had lied to her. Chaya had grown up believing lies. Believing she was a member of a normal family. Never guessing that her real father was an immortal spirit, never knowing her real mother was a deceased shadow princess. Never knowing that she was of royal blood from the Underworld.

Chaya had been lied to again and again, by many different people. Pitch had lied to her, betrayed her and deceived her. She had learned from her father. The dark humour in this thought did not escape Pitch and he laughed bitterly, standing up in the darkness of his lair.

"She is her father's daughter," He shook his head again. He had not cried since the death of his wife. It seemed fitting that his second time was at the death of his line. Chaya would not follow him in darkness now. She was going to use her powers for the good of the world, serving the light. She was to be a Guardian. The Man in the Moon had called her to be one.

Pitch could not stop it.

And if he were to survive - The Shadow King's threat was never far from his mind - he would have to support Chaya. This was her life and he had to be a part of it.

He clenched his fists, growling at the ground before him.

But he did not have to like it.

Okay, thank you for all those sticking with this story and thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will have the next one up in a week or so, depending on how busy I am. Thank you for reading!