Title: Damnation or Salvation

Summary: In order to save everyone, Jack decides to give the only thing to Pitch he could offer – himself. And maybe, somehow, Jack can find the man that Pitch used to be and save him before he falls down with him.

A/N: Someone came up with this over examination of the scene just before Jamie stepped up to answer the question the fic starts off with and basically it was a Jack giving himself up idea. And I went with it. Don't know if this has already been done but I wanted to write it so I'm sorry but not really.

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Chapter One: Equivalent Exchange
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"Aww, you'll protect them. But who will protect you?"

As much as he loathed the man, as much as he wanted to wipe that ugly sneer off of his face, as much as he wanted to freeze the sand waves into the frozen waves he often froze when at the beach, Jack thought about his question.

Who? Jack thought, looking back at North barely managing to stand, Tooth on her two feet on the asphalt road, Bunny being six inches instead of feet tall, and all of the children looking at the incoming sand with a great fear in their eyes. They were trying to hide it, but Jack can see it through and through – meaning that Pitch could see it too. Even he himself, he was no longer strong enough to hold the Nightmare King off – falling from the sky and into that green dumpster was proof of that.

No one. No one can protect the Guardians. Their strength was rapidly fading, and even with a handful of believers it wouldn't be enough. Even if Jack wasn't technically a Guardian yet (officially, he knew that everyone would argue for his Guardianship. He wasn't so sure about Bunny though.), Pitch was so much stronger than he. It was too late. They were done for. But it was okay, Jack didn't mind – so long as Jamie, their last believer, his first believer, was safe from the man's darkness.

He took a quick glance at the rest of the Guardians, the ones he was starting to warm up to and even see them as a band of friends that could have been a family at some point, before ending up at the one that this was all for. At Jamie - taking note of his quivering lip, at the boy who was trembling but standing up strong. Jack smiled, and knew that his mind was set.

And for that, Jack was willing to do anything to protect that. And he meant anything.

"North," he muttered as quietly as he could, as Jamie was right next to him and he didn't want the child to hear him. "Whatever you're about to see, please just go with it."

"What?" North whispered back, tone sounding alarmed and confused. "What do you mean? Jack, what are you thinking?"

But Jack didn't want the man to talk him out of it, out of this plan that may just save everyone's lives. Steadying his posture he looked straight into Pitch's golden eyes – missing Jamie's foot about to step forward. He took a breath to gather up his wits and everyone turned to him. As he began to speak, Jamie stood back and kept silent.

"We may not be able to protect them from your onslaught of black sand," he said slowly, struggling to come up with the proper words. "But please, spare them -" He gestured to the people – to the children, to the other Guardians – behind him. "- from the horrors your nightmares could bring to them."

Before North could further question what Jack thought pleading would do, before Jamie could step forward to try and protect the expression that wasn't actually an expression but someone on par with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, before Tooth or Bunny could step forward to add their own thoughts to the situation, Pitch began to laugh, like Jack told him a very amusing joke. But it was a harsh laugher, and everyone winced from the sound of it.

"Now why -" Everyone flinched as Pitch materialized in front of the group, right in front of Jack but the Winter Spirit kept his ground. "- would I want to do that?"

Jack didn't falter for a moment. Staring straight into Pitch's eyes, he swiftly replied, "Because if you do, I'll take up your offer from earlier. I'll join you."

Everyone froze, shocked into silence as they looked at Jack, ignoring Pitch completely. It took them a few seconds to recover before the Guardians began to start their protests.

"Jack -" North started.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bunny cut him off.

"You don't have to do this…" Tooth whispered.

Jack carelessly shrugged his shoulders, ignoring any pleas that there must be another way – but Jack knew there was only one thing that would appeal to Pitch.

Himself.

"I do have to do this," he said, still keeping eye contact with the one who held all the cards in his hands save for one. The question was: how much did he want this final card?

There was a deathly silence in the air for about two seconds before Pitch smiled a miniscule smile. "Interesting," he said, taking Jack by the hand and was about to pull him forward, closer to the shadows, before Jack felt a tug at his other free hand.

It was Jamie.

"Jack, no…" he whispered, fright apparent in his eyes, but bravery trying to overtake it - and it was just about to win. "Let my friends, let me - "

Jack shook his head as he removed himself from the child's hold as gently as he could, having to lose the sight of honey orbs as he turned and looked on chocolate ones instead.

"I just want for you to be safe," Jack murmured, taking a quick glance at all the others he was saving as well as Jamie. "And I'm willing to do whatever it takes in order to save not only you, but everyone else." Jack closed his eyes as he turned back to Pitch before opening them to look into those golden eyes.

Pitch kept his eyes on Jack as he circled around him, the unofficial Guardian keeping his head straight and not following him as the tendrils of darkness from the cloak tickled his body; Jack even felt some traces of grainy black sand in the air but all he really wanted was to focus on was the task at hand – on trying to make Pitch change his mind and take this exchange.

"You think that by sacrificing yourself you'll be able to save them?" Pitch laughed, amused. "You think that you're worth that much to me?"

Jack refused to back down. "I do, Pitch." He looked down and bit his lip before looking back up. "I am the only one who still understands you, am the only one who could be your equal, the only one who could be your family."

Pitch paused for a spilt second, and Jack hoped that he was finally getting somewhere.

"I'll go with you willingly; I'll follow your rules to the best of my ability; I'll do anything," he swore, now turning to keep eye contact with the man. "Just, please, don't hurt them," Jack begged, and Pitch grinned wickedly.

"Very well, Jack." He snapped his fingers and the black sand and Nightmares receded. "In exchange for your eternal servitude, I shall take up on your offer."

Jack just dumbly nodded, surprised that his plan worked. "Thank you," he said, light-headed. "You've got yourself a deal."

Pitch smiled, greatly pleased. "Yes we do. I have much re-planning to do now, to keep my end of the bargain, but only for now. I will spare the last light, but I will get my revenge on the Guardians. Nothing can change that."

"Don't you ever hurt Jamie," Jack suddenly demanded, head clearing up enough to clear the terms of agreement. "Or his friends."

"It's the last light or nothing; take it or leave it. I'm already prolonging the destruction of the Guardians by letting him continue his belief and, let's not forget, Jack, that I don't have to do this."

Jack clenched his staff, looking down and squeezing his eyes shut. "Give them time, the rest of their childhood, please."

Pitch came face to face to Jack, and he couldn't help but wince as Pitch took hold of his chin and made him look up to meet those golden, hypnotic eyes. "Is that what you really want, Jack?"

Without hesitation, "Yes," he whispered, a tear leaking out.

"Very well." Pitch released him and used his free hand to create a tiny ball made entirely of black sand. He placed it in Jack's hand, the one that Jamie was previously holding on to. "Eat this, and you have yourself a deal."

"Jack, please," It was Tooth, finally able to break through the grainy sand in the air but still unable to move. "You don't have to do this. We can defeat Pitch; I know we can! So don't do this…"

Yells of the other children as well as from Bunny and North were beginning to act up, but Jack just stared on the ball of sand in his hand, it feeling extremely hollow and swirling a black shadow within - seemingly alive.

Pitch raised his hand, effectively shutting everyone up. He turned to Jack. "As soon as you swallow that, we will leave and this whole thing would be nothing but a bad dream."

"A bad dream…" Jack lifted his hand to his mouth.

"Jack, please," Jamie begged, causing for Jack to pause as the child stepped forward again to grab Jack's sleeve, searching for his hand. "I just started believing in you; I don't want…"

Jack smiled, clenching the sand ball in his hand as he knelt down to Jamie. He pat him on the head. "Don't worry, kiddo, I'll be fine." It was hard to keep the trembling from his voice but he somehow managed. As scared as he was, he didn't want to show it to the people he was going to save, to anyone.

Because as long as they were safe, Jack wouldn't mind doing whatever Pitch planned for him. As long as everyone was safe.

"But, what if…" Jamie looked up, tears in his eyes. "What if -"

Jack couldn't hear this; he could just feel his resolve cracking. "Hey, what did I say? I'll be fine; don't worry." Jack placed his forehead on Jamie's and let it rest there for a few moments. Jamie's forehead felt so warm against his own, it only served to remind Jack just how badly he needed to do this.

He whispered, "Just don't ever stop believing, Jamie, okay?"

Then without letting anyone say anything else, before he could actually think about the long-term consequences for what he was doing, Jack got up, took a step back from everyone save Pitch, and swallowed the hollow ball made of nightmare sand.

Jack could feel his insides churning in pain as his body contorted and twisted in various directions. He couldn't help but scream as he collapsed, barely even able to keep his eyes open as he kept on trembling. He caught the terrified looks in everyone's faces but he couldn't really focus on them at the moment as something attacked at his heart. He felt something being eating away, something eating away at him.

Jack didn't know for how long, but eventually the pain began to fade. It felt like an eternity but it must have been a few seconds, for as soon as everyone tried to step forward, it stopped. His screaming went away with it and Jack could feel himself starting to slip as he felt himself be gently lifted up from the street, sight becoming blurry. He was repositioned in a way that felt he was being carried how Jack often saw a princess or bride would be. He let his head rest on the person's chest as he closed his eyes, steadily taking even breaths as he passed out.

Pitch steadied the unconscious boy in his arms as he turned away from the Guardians, away from the children, and was about to leave though his shadows when the silence was broken.

"Pitch." North's mouth sounded dry. "What have you done?"

Pitch merely looked back, sneering at them. "That's for me to know and for you to find out. Good day to you, Guardians. I'll be back, and I'll have a Frost Prince right by my side."

Then without allowing for anyone to reply, Pitch stepped into the shadows, taking away the black sand, taking away all the Nightmares and, most importantly of all, taking Jack Frost with him.