A/N I rather enjoyed the reactions my last update received. There was also some curiosity about Pitch's motives that I couldn't help but want to clarify. Hopefully this is up to standards.

Enjoy!

Manipulation was a form of art, one that Pitch both admired and excelled at.

It required dedication, patience, and no small amount of intelligence to successfully pull the strings of another person and direct them a certain way without even appearing to do so. The key was to make the person being manipulated think that they went that direction or acted upon something on their own accord. To make sure that that they never felt as though they were actually being used unless that was exactly what you wanted them to feel.

With his latest project, the illusion of free choice had never been more important.

Jack Frost, for all intents and purposes, was balanced precariously on the edge of an emotional precipice. And with his current state of mind being what it was, it didn't take much to push him over the edge.

Pitch had already learned how to do that. He knew exactly what buttons to push in order to get a rise out of the winter spirit. He knew exactly what words to say to cause him to suffer emotional and vivid flashbacks of his time spent in captivity; ones that left him shaking and angry and desperate for tangible evidence that he was in control of his life. And he knew exactly how dangerous and powerful this abused little seasonal was – Pitch had been at the brunt of his explosive anger many times now and he was even willing to admit that their power was very evenly matched.

Fighting Jack was an exhilarating experience – a test of genuine skill. It was a pleasant surprise and he quite enjoyed the challenge, if he were being completely honest with himself.

But it also served as a good motivator. He wanted Jack Frost as an ally, one that he could use and direct – not an enemy. There needed to be trust between them if Pitch had any hope of molding the child into something useful.

Gaining said trust was a lot easier said than done, however. Jack Frost didn't seem to understand the concept of trust anymore – he feared other people above almost everything else. Not even those who Jack had once expressed an interest in getting to know were capable of getting through to the child – his fears were chaotic and jumbled together until all that was left was terrible rage, confusion, and paranoia. Jack was not capable of seeing kindness right now – he only saw possible motives, lies, and people who could hurt him.

Pitch didn't think it would take long for others to just leave him alone to wallow in his misery. The winter spirit was proving to be… rather violent… and the simple fact was that no one actually cared much about him.

Gaining his trust was going to be a very long process. One that would require both time and patience.

And it is fortunate indeed, Pitch thought as he silently watched the winter spirit from where he hid in the shadows, that time is all they have.

The effort would be well worth it in the end, of that he was quite sure. Pitch couldn't care less about what Jack Frost had become. Their world was still buzzing with the news about what had happened to him and while there were some parties that for the moment were expressing concern for his wellbeing, most of them were thinking about how they were going to handle the winter spirit now that he was considered unstable and dangerous, rather than just a nuisance.

Jack didn't need to be handled; the efforts anyone made to do so would be completely wasted and all they would gain was an enemy who had no reason to trust them. They didn't understand, or at the very least they were ignoring what Jack's primary motivations were right now.

Pitch thought it was fairly obvious himself but their stupidity was only his gain and so he saw no reason to point it out to them… even if they were willing to listen to his opinion.

But no. What Jack Frost needed was to feel in control. He needed a sense of freedom, space, and an outlet to release his rage. The boy was keeping to himself, yes, but everyone else on this planet were utter fools if they really thought he didn't know what they were saying about him.

That was something that Pitch had grudgingly come to admire about the child. For he had slowly begun to make himself a regular occurrence in the winter spirit's life – only a few "accidentally" violent encounters and he knew Jack Frost better than anyone. And Jack knew how to make himself scarce… his paranoia was fueling his desire to learn how to disappear entirely but he was not uninformed about what was going on around him. Considering the short amount of time that it had been since he had liberated himself and based off of what information Pitch had been able to gather through observation, Jack Frost was well informed about current events.

At least all the things concerning him, that is.

He was intelligent and now as ruthless as the season he represented was. His experiences had changed him and certainly not for the better. Though perhaps that was a matter of opinion… they had only crossed paths with each other once or twice in the past and until recent events, Pitch did not have much of an opinion about the child. Jack Frost had been forgettable… a random, fleeting thought on a cold day and nothing more than that.

Pitch certainly liked him now though. This angry, broken, and ruthless seasonal was something that he could work with – something that could be molded and shaped into a fierce and loyal ally. Perhaps his efforts would even allow Jack Frost to heal, some, which would ultimately serve them both well… but it was not necessary and Pitch did not expect much. He knew, in the darkest corners of his mind, that what had been done to Jack Frost could never be undone. He could never be the same again. Darkness existed inside him now and his fate – what he would become – would be determined in the coming years and Pitch had every intention of making sure that Jack's path would be most beneficial to his own future goals.

His lips twitched into a faint smile at the idea and he allowed his form to solidify completely.

Jack shoulders immediately tensed and the winter spirit looked up from where he sat staring absently at the ground to glare at him. The air became instantly colder as his pale hands gripped his staff tighter and allowed it to glow blue with his power in clear warning.

He was far from being welcome and yet Pitch couldn't help but chuckle a little. "So much hostility and I haven't even done anything."

"Choď preč, bastard."(1)

"There's no need for name calling." Pitch tsk-ed lightly, strolling a little further into the small clearing of trees. He was mindful not to wander too close and risk Jack attacking him or just fleeing right off the bat. He wasn't interested in starting a fight – fun as they were, he'd only done so in the past to learn the winter spirit's triggers and he'd avoided it ever since then. Pitch even suspected that Jack, clever child that he was, was beginning to realize that and thus they had an unspoken understanding between them.

Jack eyed him with a mixture of anger and suspicion. "…what do you… w-wait…won't?" He swore softly, shaking his head in a show of frustration. "Chcieť!" He snapped. "What do you chciet?"

"The word you're looking for is want." Pitch supplied casually, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms. "And I don't want anything from you. I believe I mentioned that last time."

Jack gave him a baleful look that clearly said he didn't believe him. "Then why come back?" He demanded lowly. "Choď preč! I don't w-want you here."

"I've noticed." Pitch said dryly. "But such is my nature to be unwanted wherever I go and so I go wherever I want regardless of what people think."

Pitch faded just in time to avoid a powerful jet of ice completely obliterate the tree he was leaning against. He reappeared again a few feet away from where he was standing and saw that Jack had risen to his feet as well and was giving him a dirty look.

"Nechaj ma byť."(2) He warned, feet lifting slightly off the ground in preparation of leaving.

Pitch pointed a finger at him. "Before you leave," He offered slowly, quietly pleased when Jack paused, obviously listening. "There will be a more organized effort to get your attention in a few days from a group who is… shall we say, concerned about your behavior."

Jack's blue eyes were cold at the thought. "…kol'ko?"(3) He bit out reluctantly, obviously loathing to ask Pitch anything.

"Six or seven, I imagine."

The winter spirit nodded once very stiffly and then left quickly in a whirlwind of ice and snow.

Pitch watched him disappear with a pleased smirk.

It had been a long time since he had wanted something as much as he wanted Jack Frost at his side. They were far too similar and had too much in common for them to just ignore one another – Jack would realize that sometime in the future, he hoped – and when he did, Pitch would consider all of his efforts in gaining his trust well spent.

The things that they could accomplish together… just the idea was intoxicating, Pitch thought as he breathed in the cool night air.

It would be years down the road, decades even before those things could come to pass. But they would eventually – though their interaction tonight was short, as they all were, it was proof enough that it was all possible.

Patience was a great virtue.

A/N So there you have it. I'm not sure if this is entirely up to par with the last chapter but… I made the effort, which is kind of amazing for me.

Just in case it wasn't clear – Pitch does like Jack. In the first chapter especially, they are actually friends. I originally titled that document as pbjf being bff's. But Pitch is not above using him and he pokes Jack in certain directions or ways of thinking without him even realizing it.

The language Jack was occasionally speaking in was Slovak. He hasn't used English in a very long time and doesn't remember all the words.

(1) "Go away."

(2) "Leave me alone."

(3) "How many?"

One last thing – Jack was not taken by summer spirits. That is so cliché and overused, it's almost disgusting. His "big bad" is called Likho. One dude. If I have time after I finish some other projects, I might flesh him out a bit more.

Until then, ciao!