Chapter Five

Pitch arrived in a swarm of shadows. It was a sight to behold; the tendrils often bore the form of nightmare horses that moaned eerily on the cold winds until they condensed in one place and allowed Pitch Black to materialize. Despite the beautiful contrast of the dark shadows playing over the bright ice crystals, Jack Frost took no notice. He once again had his eyes closed as his sat rigidly in his throne formed of ice and snow. He didn't do it to ignore Pitch, but ocean currents and weather patterns were notoriously tricky and needed his concentration, especially as the seasons shifted. Pitch, for his part, wasn't offended. He took he place beside Jack and wrapped his shadows around him in an embrace, stroking Jack's face with his long slender fingers.

His lips twisted in a rare smile when he saw that Jack could no longer ignore him and allowed his own frost the spread and cover Pitch's robes and shadows in intricate spiralling fractals. Finally Jack opened his eyes, heavy and sleepy now that his concentration was broken.

"I don't know why you bother picking fights with them." He yawned and shifted, wrapping his arms around Pitch and resting his head against his chest. "It's not like you need belief so why the faking?"

Pitch just laughed and tightened his hold on Jack, running his fingers through Jack's icy hair.

"Maybe it's because I've been with you so long, but would you believe that I'm beginning to find such things fun?"

He ignored Jack's incredulous and amused expression. "Besides, they really should be thanking me. I did them a favour."

Belief was rare and precious in this period of human history, usually it was only seen in children and even then, only for a few early years. The Guardians would never know how close they had come to fading entirely because of their complete lack of involvement with the world at large. While such a loss wouldn't have affected Pitch or his beloved Jack, he did have something of a soft spot for humanity. He had guided them for so many, many years, he felt an almost paternal regard for them and thought that they would benefit from the Guardians continued presence.

At least Sandy understood and, in this instance at least, agreed with Pitch's methods and reasoning. The fallen star was just as ancient as they were and had seen the world move on. He knew the necessity and thus, allowed himself the be "killed" and then resurrected just in time to help Pitch throw the fight. In truth, Pitch had enjoyed their duel. It was rare that his powers were ever tested by anyone except in playful games with Jack. Pitch also suspected that Sandy secretly enjoyed all the drama. The other Guardians tended to overlook his mute and quiet presence in their frantic rushing. The fact that Sandy might be keeping things from them likely never occurred to them.

"You should have been there Jack. Your Jamie Bennet was there - humanity's Last Light against the Darkness. I think you would have been proud."

Jack smiled at the thought. He didn't often concern himself with humans. He was a creature of air and water, cold and darkness. He had no ties to them, but once in a rare while, he'd stop and take notice of one and that one would be blessed - destined for something special. Jack had happened across Jamie Bennet one year while he had been spreading late spring frost, much to Bunnymund's disgust. The boy had potential - he was a born believer. Jack was even sure that for a brief instance, Jamie had glimpsed him out of the corner of his eye. That, and the boy was just so much fun and together they had gone on a wild and reckless sleigh ride through town - the closest the boy would ever come to knowing the true feeling of flight. Jack laughed at the memory, sure that he would have been proud of Jamie's bravery.

"I'm sure I would've but if I'd gone, who would have been here to greet the kangaroo? You should have seen his entrance - as if I'd be kissing his ass at the chance to be a Guardian like some sort of naive fledgling. Can you believe he fainted?"

Pitch joined Jack in his laughter.

"So that's why he was marked with frostbite the second time I saw him. Serves him right for bothering you. I'll have to mention it the next time I see him, just to rub it in. I'll probably wait a hundred years or so to lure them into a false sense of security. It wouldn't do to show up too soon."

Given what a condescending loud mouth the rabbit was, it would be an opportunity too good to pass up. Especially since, as a creature attuned to fear, he had felt the rabbit's horror all the way on the other side of the planet. He didn't know what it was that Jack had said or done but he's sure he would have loved to be there.

"A hundred years, huh?" Jack said, still sleepy from his work. "So what are you going to do in the mean time?"

Pitch smiled and gently drew Jack into a kiss. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

As their laughter subsided and Jack returned his kiss with equal passion, Pitch remembered the day he had first found Jack on the bottom of that crater so many millennia ago. When he had followed Jack to this insignificant little world, he never would have realized how important Jack would one day become to him.

He still remembered, vividly, carrying Jack away from that place - how light and fragile his body felt in this arms. Pitch had taken him to a safe place, a realm of shadow deep in the earth to heal. It seemed hardly an appropriate place for an ice sprite but it allowed Pitch to attend to his wounds and his needs. The injuries had been severe and he had waited for ages before Jack could even crack his eyes open. They were blue, Pitch finally saw.

Jack wasn't well when he first awakened. The collision and the alien sensations of the planet had addled his mind. His power was uncontrolled and elemental, released through his confused emotional outbursts. It devastated the planet a second time casting it into an Ice Age. Pitch saw its effects on the planet's life forms - mass extinctions and migrations. He was even smugly pleased that his humans had once again heeded his warning and had adapted for survival.

So much raw power was contained in such a tiny creature. This was the power he had followed across the galaxy, that he had waited many ages for; but now that he had found it, it didn't feel like the victory it should have been. Instead he found himself concerned about Jack's mental state and sought to soothe him. It was then that he realized that he cared less about power and more about the sprite in his care. It was a confusing sensation for a creature known as the Nightmare King, who had devastated worlds, especially when he discovered the best way to soothe Jack's terrified outbursts was to hold him gently and kiss him. Pitch realized that in that endless stretch of time how lonely he had been.

Darkness stood at the beginning and end of all things, who else could he have as a companion? The humans he was responsible for creating would one day fade, and he would free himself by cutting ties with their psyche, leaving them far behind. He would at last be able to return to the stars, but now he would take Jack Frost with him and together they would await the end in a perfect fusion of cold and dark.

Pitch Black ... and Jack Frost too.