* Quietly slides new chapter onto the table and pretends that it has been there for months...*

IM SO SORRY IT HAS TAKEN THIS LONG! I completely understand if most of you have lost interest in this story, heck if I had to wait pretty much six months for a chapter I would also! But here it is now, please forgive me! :) I fully intend to finish this story, I have mapped out what I want to happen in the next three chapters so that is a start! Thankyou to anyone who reviewed or followed or favorited this story so far, your support is great! And without further a due (because it is long overdue) I give you, chapter ten!

Chapter 10: Not exactly the Tuesday night I had planned.

Screaming.

Fear.

Darkness.

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you know your dreaming, yet are still unable to wake? One of those dreams where your eyes are open but all you see is the darkness around you, distant shadows surrounding you, disabling you from figuring out where exactly you are in your peace-less void. As if you are wandering around in an unfamiliar room searching for a light switch, only to find that there is no bulb in the first place.

And for a moment, if just for the tiniest moment, you forget that you are dreaming all together. The fear and the anxiety you feel within your dream, for being trapped alone, powerful enough to trick your own imagination into believing that the situation is far more real.

It is all too easy to forget that, in reality, you are safely tucked away in your bed, that the darkness and the fear surrounding you in your dreams will disappear as soon as the sun arises and your eyes open and you look around only to discover the ageless epiphany of "it was only a dream".

In reality you may be only asleep for no longer than a few hours, but in your mind? Well, within your dreams, time has a funny way of being stretched.

As if nightmares weren't bad enough.

But this was no dream.

There was no promise of eventual peace, or salvation or even daybreak.

No.

This nightmare was real.

As real as the smoke. As real as the fires. As real as deep black, cloud-like shadows which loomed over the workshop high up in the sky.

I turned towards Jack, no words on my tongue ready, too frozen by the sounds of the trees crackling under the power of the scorching flames and screaming voices to even begin to think about forming words. As if anything I could have said anyway would have somehow righted the situation, somehow consoled the look of pure immobilising terror on his face, moments before his features resolved into a hard mask as he flew off towards the chaos followed seconds later by myself as I finally managed to will my muscles back into action.

"Jack!" I screamed, trying my hardest to keep up with him as we zig- zagged our way back through the forest, narrowly missing trees and swooping under branches in our haste to aid our friends.

Well, HIS friends really. In any situation I was only an acquaintance at best, it was no secret that we weren't exactly all buddy-buddies and ready to form a book club any time soon, but that didn't deter me from flying faster than I had in a long time. No matter how distant I was with the Guardians, that didn't mean I wanted them dead.

My wings were pushing me faster and harder through the sky, desperate to keep up with the rocketing pace Jack had set by summoning a powerful gale. A gale that in no way did my hair any favours might I add, but it guess given the situation I could let Jack giving me a severe wind swept look slide just this once.

As we neared the base of the workshop the smoke that was billowing from every broken window in sight made the air around us feel like an inferno, the intense heat from the flames, to which neither of us knew the origin of, made the frozen wonderland around us feel more like a scorching desert. Holding my hands above my squinting eyes in some attempt to aid my vision against the brutality of hot wind, I tried in vain to locate the people who mere hours ago were safe and sound. Circling around the workshop about one hundred meters in the air I tried to will my eyes to that of a hawks, frantically trying as hard as Jack was beside me to locate a sign, a hint, anything that would give clues to the whereabouts of human life within the burning shell of the workshop.

"There!" I heard Jack shout from my left, pointing at the snowy ground where a mass of small red figures clutching something larger could be seen fleeing from what looked like a hatch in the ground. We flew down to them immediately, crashing hard in the snow in our frantic haste, sprinting towards the mass. Two bodies were carefully laid out in the soft snow by the elves, one of which I couldn't care less about, but the second...

My heart stopped beating momentarily when I saw the vibrant colours.

"Tooth, No!" Jack cried, his voice faulting slightly on the last word. I tried to ignore it, but I felt a twinge of pain in my chest at the sight of seeing him so, so...Vulnerable. I stood a few paces back, giving the two friends both some space and some air as Jack knelt down next to Tooth and gathered her up in his lap.

"Tooth...Tooth?" Jack whispered, shaking her slightly as her eyes rolled around behind her closed eyelids.

"Cue, check on Eve!" Jack shouted frantically.

Sighing deeply I reluctantly made my way over to Eve, giving her a quick once over. Physically she seemed fine, a few cuts and bruises here and there, but most likely she just passed out from smoke inhalation. Or you know, maybe she just saw a bug. I scoffed at the thought of creepy and gothic Eve in the midst of all of his, passing out at the mere sight of an insect.

I couldn't help nudging her in the ribs with my foot to confirm the fact she was just unconscious. The small pained grown she gave was like music to my ears and I couldn't help the tiny smile which crept onto my face.

It's the little revenges in life I find. You know, like putting too many sugars in someone's coffee, or giving them money in the smallest amount of change you can find. Nothing ever really large enough to cause significant damage, just a little push in the right direction of them having a shitty day.

"Yeh she's fine... unfortunatley" I muttered. "Just knocked out, few cuts and bruises here and there but nothing Eve won't be complaining about anyway" I grumbled, briskly making my way over to Jack who was cradling Tooth. Shaking her again slightly, her eyes opened slowly and her purple irises lazily came into focus with Jacks face. "Tooth...Are you ok? What's hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?" Jack's voice was slightly muffled due to this head being inclined towards the injured fairy in his arms.

She was on the verge of unconsciousness but of course alive, the whole "being-a-spirit-kinda-hard-to-kill-us-twice" thing came in handy from time to time, but that didn't mean that what Tooth had suffered within the workshop wasn't worse than death itself. The feathered on her legs and arms were badly singed showing how close to the flames she was before the elves had dragged her out. The beautiful vibrant greens and blues of her once dazzling plumage were now crisp and grey, her wings coated with a thick layer of ash.

She was definitely the worst for wears out of the both of them. A sudden wave of anger swept over me at the thought of Tooth risking herself for someone like Eve, who clearly wouldn't of - and didn't - go out of her way to return the favour.

Jack was still hugging Tooth close, whispering words of kindness to her and cooing at her gently in an attempt to calm her? I mean sure it was nice and all...

But we didn't have time for this.

It was all very well that Jack was playing nurse maid, but in the midst of pandering to an injured, but a very ALIVE fairy, all of this chaos was still occurring around us, and we needed answers, and we needed them now.

I guess I was just going to have to be bad cop.

"Tooth, Tooth!" I snapped my fingers in front of her face to try to get her to focus on me without passing out again. "Focus on me for a sec ok? Where is everyone else, where are the Guardians? Did they make it out?" I snapped, probably a little harsher than I intended to, but we really didn't have time for this. She exchanged a few glances between me and Jack, obviously a little startled by our two very drastically different approaches. Jack frowned slightly at me but I only rolled my eyes in response.

"I...I don't..." She stuttered. I grabbed her arm far gentler than my patience at the moment wanted me to, and stared into her eyes. "Where is everyone Tooth?" I tried again at the same moment Jack soothed "It's ok, we're here now, you're safe", causing me again to roll my eyes. The girl didn't need gentle words and hugs, she needed a good slap in the face to make her talk faster and realise that her friends may still be in very real danger while she lies on the ground being a pansy! ...but maybe that was just my opinion.

"We were all in the hall, but then... It was dark...so dark... And then all of a sudden there was fire everywhere! Burning, the elves were screaming! And then in the shadows, HE was there, taunting us, mocking us, saying we were rats trapped in our nests!" Her breathing increased rapidly causing Jack to hug her closer.

Something about what happened didn't seem right. I mean apart from the whole "workshop being on fire and infested with nightmares" thing, but the part about Pitch, being there in the room with them. I thought back to the night Pitch had visited me in my dreams. I frowned slightly but didn't question it as Tooth continued.

"North told us about a passage that would lead us under the workshop and out here...but...they got cut off, the walls were crumbling... Bunny said they would meet us outside... They would get the reindeer out and..." She trailed off, beginning to sob as she continued her tale. "My fairies! My fairies didn't get out! Some are still in there!" She began to wriggle and panic but I held her shoulders firmly.

"They will be fine Tooth, I'm sure they got out with the others." I lied. Well really it was an unintentional lie, for all I knew the others could be safe and sound on the other side of the workshop by now so I might not even be lying. But that didn't stop the feeling of dread in my stomach. The situation looked grim.

"Cue is right Tooth, look!" Jack pointed to the sky where, right on time, the iconic sleigh came into view, landing near us and coasting to a halt. As soon as North landed safely on the ground Bunny hopped off, his face a mixture of relief and worry at the sight of the abundance of elves and yetties.

"Crikey mate, we thought we lost you all for a second back there" he sighed out a laugh, relief washing over him as he saw Tooth, gently taking her hand in his. His expression faltered into one of anger as he took in Jack.

"And where the bloody hell have you been!" He shouted, taking Tooth into his arms and carrying her over the the sleigh to place her gently into the back. "How is it that every time you seem to sneak off and disappear the whole place goes barmy! I remember, I specifically remember telling you to STAY PUT, and what do you do?"

Jacks expression moulded itself from one of pain to immediate anger. He glanced quickly at me then towards Bunny, squaring his shoulders in preparation to defend himself.

"Ok, we REALLY don't have time for this" I interrupted, stepping between the two males who looked like they were seconds from stepping into an old western shoot off movie.

"I know it must be very hard for the two of you to notice while you are bickering like some old married couple, but the Workshop is on fucking FIRE, Tooth is injured as is Eve, God knows where the hell Báine and April are! All of Tooth's fairies may still very well be inside, and oh one last thing, apparently we have Pitch Black and his army of my-little-nightmare-ponies to deal with! So I suggest you two ladies shut up and let it go!" I snapped.

Both stared at me with a mixed look of pain, frustration and embarrassment. Each mumbled a barley understandable apology to each other and then to me before Bunny picked up Eve and placed her in the sleigh alongside Tooth. While North and Sandy began to tend to the two bodies in the sleigh, I confronted Bunny and Jack.

"Ok, so the Elves and the Yetties came out of the escape hatch over there, Bunny I suggest you go through the tunnels and try to locate anyone stuck in the lower levels of the workshop. North can take the Elves and the Yetties out here to the Tooth Palace with a snow-globe. Jack and I will go in through windows on the upper levels and scope around, the smoke isn't as thick now so we should be able to breath inside ok. We good?" They were both silent for a moment before Bunny gave a curt not and scampered towards the hatch. I myself unfurled my wings, ready to put my plan into action, however I was halted by Jack's affronted look and his hand on my upper arm.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what do you think you are doing Cue?" He asked, his voice strong and firm.

I furrowed my brows at him in disbelief. "What am I doing? I don't know, maybe taking charge of a serious situation before you could continue your pissing match with Bunny!" I stated angrily. His grip on my arm tightened.

"You are not going in there Cue." His eyes bore into mine, his stare unwavering. To be honest it kind of pissed me off.

"What? Of course I am."

"That wasn't a question Cue, you are going to stay here and help North." His face was impassive, although for the slightest moment I could have sworn his eyes held a trace of fear in them. I shook the thought away quickly.

"And who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can't do Jack! People are in there, your friends! And you are delaying their rescue by pulling this shit! What is it? You think I am too useless? You think I-"

"- No Cue, damn it, I know you are not useless! That's not what I said!" He shouted. "I will go, but you are staying here and that's final!"

"Then what the hell do you mean Jack!" I shouted back, then I paused when I noticed the worried and almost embarrassed look on his face.

"Oh my god... Is this about that kiss?" I half shouted, half whispered, anger flaring inside of me once again. His sheepish expression confirmed my suspicions.

"What? You think that one kiss obligates me to you is that it? Like I'm some kind of possession to you now? I owe you nothing Jack, nothing! In fact I don't owe anyone here anything, but heavens forbid me actually giving a damn about any of your friends to actually want to help you! To help them!" I wretched my arm out of his grip and took a few steps back from him.

I blurted it out harsher than i intended to, but his sudden commanding tone just didn't sit right with me. He took a deep breath, a sad smile creeping into the corner of his mouth.

"It's not safe in there Cue... and I need you safe ok?" His voice softened slightly at the end, almost a whisper, his fingers reaching out gently to try and grasp my arm again. When I stepped back away from him a second time his soft features changed however, as quickly as they had appeared. His hand dropped to his side and I was met with a cold, hard expression.

"You think that just because our lips touched you have some sort of ownership over me? That you can decide what I can and can't do? Well what about if my fist touched your face, would you be throwing this macho possessive crap at me then?" The look in his eyes showed I had hurt him with my words but at the moment I didn't care, I was too riled up and angry and just needed to get some space as fast as I could. Without another word I took off into the sky and flew towards one of the many smashed windows on the top level of the Workshop. Given the fact that I didn't hear Jack shouting or trying to follow me, I gathered that he had finally listened to my plan and had split up to search another area.

I managed to squeeze my way through a partially broken window without cutting my wings or body on the broken glass and proceeded to walk down one of the many corridors in a semi crouched position. Although the smoke had eased up a little due to the fires gradually burning down, the air was still thick with ash and pieces of wood sporadically fell from the ceiling, causing me to jump to avoid the, every few moments.

"This whole place is going to come down" I whispered to myself, constantly lancing around at the remaining structures. I held my arms over my head and face, shielding my eyes from the smoke and protecting my head if the ceiling was to suddenly collapse. I picked up my pace, wanting to find Báine and April and the fairies and get the hell out of this piece of kindling!

"Hello!" I shouted, coughing abruptly as some unwanted smoke made its way into my lungs. "Hell-" I broke off again when I tripped over a fallen wooden slate which I assumed was once a part of the brilliantly carved ceiling of the workshop corridor, another coughing fit falling upon me. Maybe this whole rescuing thing wasn't the best idea...

I crashed onto the flood of the corridor, clutching the arm I had awkwardly landed on tightly. "Shit..." I muttered, hauling myself off of the floor boards littered with debris and limped my way continuously down the corridor. As I passed what seemed to be the tenth door to my right, I heard a faint coughing sound, too far away to be coming from my own lips.

"Hello?" I wheezed, the ash around me making my voice thick and gravely. Kicking the door in I stumbled into what seemed to be a small sitting or reading room, the light too dim to make out many shapes except for the figure trapped under the remnants of a a fallen bookcase.

"Báine!" I shouted, grasping a broken plank from the bookcase and hauling it up off of Báine's battered body. "Báine, can you hear me?" I asked, trying to assess whether he was unconscious or not, quickly realising that there was no way in hell I would be able to drag myself as well as his dead weight out of the workshop safely. Starting to panic slightly I grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him along the floor a few feet, fully freeing him from the fallen bookcase, and rolled him into his back.

He couched and sputtered, his eyes opening slightly, relief flooding my system. "Báine!" I shouted again, patting his cheeks slightly as his eyes threatened to roll back into his head. "You better keep your God dam eyes open you Irish bastard, I am not dying again for you today!"

"Cue?" He rasped, groaning as I hauled him into a standing position, propping his arm around my shoulders to support his weight. He took one step, almost collapsing back onto the ground as he did so, my presence at his side the only think keeping him standing. "Well... This isn't the Tuesday night I had planned." He laughed, but the sound came out as more of a pained groan as anything.

Shit, I thought. There was no way I was going to be able to drag Báine out of here before the entire roof caved in. Suddenly another escape plan entered my mind. "Báine, I need to to stand for a minutiae ok buddy? I'll be right back" propping him up against wall, I grabbed the plank of wood from the bookcase, heaved it across the room and sent it hurtling through the far sides window, effectively shattering the glass, the plank falling dozens of stories down to the snow below.

"Báine, come on we have to go. This place is about to fall in on us any minute and I for one sure didn't have 'become a pancake' on my list of things to do today!" Grabbing onto his shoulder I tried to pull him towards the direction of the window, effectively sending him off balance and onto the floor again.

"Cupid."

"Cue, just go, I'll be fine. I'll find a way out." He wheezed, trying weakly to push me towards the window. I rubbed my eyes in confusion, the smoke around us thickening to the point where it was difficult to make out Báine's features. "I have come too far to go back empty handed right now, so you better get your ass out of that window right this second mister, come on, just one... Two... Three, up you go!" I heaved on his arms again when suddenly a strong wind blew through the window, followed seconds later by a very concerned looking Jack, his eyes darting around the dim room frantically before settling on mine.

"Cupid."

"Cue!" He shouted, jumping from the window ledge and sprinkling over to me. "What the hell do you think you are doing, why the hell did you do that! Just fly off like that with no regard-" Jack stopped abruptly when he noticed the limp figure next to me, quickly taking up Báine's other arm and lining it over his shoulders. I knew there was more that Jack wanted to say to me, but given the time and the place, he would just have to accept the fact that his little macho speech would have to be rescheduled. The sudden relief of Báine's weight on me was much appreciated as we successfully managed to walk him over to the window. "Cue, come on we gotta go." Jack urged.

"Cupid."

"I can't carry him Jack, you have to get him to the ground!"

"Cupid."

Nodding once, Jack hauled Báine over his shoulder fire man style, ready to jump out of e window behind me.

"Cupid!"

There it was again! Although for the last few minutes I tried to pretend that I didn't hear it, or that it was just the wind playing tricks on my hearing in the heat of the moment, I was most definitely not making this up.

Someone was calling my name.

Just as I was moments away from jumping through the window and breathing the fresh air, I stopped and turned to Jack.

"Can you hear that?"

"Cue we don't have time for this, we have to go, jump now!"

"Jack, listen! Can't you year it! Someone is calling me, someone else is trapped in here!"

Jack amused for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to concentrate. He shook his head seconds later, frustration and concern etched onto his features. "Cue there is no one else in here, the only sounds are the wind and the fires which are sure to eat us up if we don't get out of here now!"

"Fine! You go! But there is someone in here somewhere and I am not crazy and they are calling my name!" I took a deep breath, partly because I was frustrated myself, and partly because air was kind of in short supply inside a burning building.

Jack frowned, his entire being telling me that the last thing he wanted to do was leave me behind in a burning building. His muscles were tense, deep frown lines etched into his normally care free expression, his face static and angry. He and I both knew that Báine had to be carried down to the ground.

"Give me two minutes ok? Two minuets for me to have a look around. You take Báine, get him to safety, and I'll be out before you know it." I tried to reason, with all of our arguing we were running out of time.

Jacks face was impassive for a few seconds before he sighed deeply in defeat. "Two minutes. No more. As soon as I've dropped this sack of potatoes I'm coming straight back here to drag your sorry arse out if I have to."

I rolled my eyes at his words, but smiled and nodded at him none the less as he took a final glance and jumped through the window with Báine's unconscious form.

"Cupid."

I whipped around, the voice suddenly louder, closer, sounding more like a person standing right next to me rather than a whisper sitting in the back of my mind.

"Hello?" I shouted.

"Hello Cupid." I turned suddenly towards the voice which sent a shiver down my spine, the sound so close I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. In less than a second I had loaded and armed by bow at the figure which seemed to appear out of no where in front of me.

"Pitch." I said evenly, my eyes darting around as several nightmare horses began to slowly circle me, effectively corralling me towards Pitch, blocking my escape to the window behind me. My eyes returned to Pitch's smokey figure, my fingers ready to let loose an arrow at any sudden movements.

"Well I should say it was a pleasure yet again Pitch, but frankly it isn't" I dead panned. "Kind of busy at the moment, not that I don't enjoy our little chats, what with this building kind of burning around us and all..." Pitch's lips tilted upwards, his signature smirk in full swing, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I must say, I'm disappointed in you Cupid". Pitch leered, taking a step towards me. I pointed my bow at his face in warning. "And here I thought our last little encounter went so well."

"Get out of my head Pitch!" I gritted through my teeth, which only succeeded in turning his smirk into a full on leer.

"Now Cue, why would I bother to visit you in yet another dream when you are so much more... enticing, in the flesh." The way that his eyes roamed over my body as he finished his sentence made my stomach slightly sick. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his words.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"Well now my dear Cupid, I couldn't just pass up the opportunity of seeing you, meeting you with my own two eyes now could I? You should be honoured, flattered even at the lengths I went to to see you here." He took another step towards and that was quite close enough for my comfort. "I'll admit I'm not the most patient man Cupid, why look around you..." he said, gesturing towards me, towards the rubble and the flames and the ash which swirled around us. "You are a smart girl Cupid, why I'm sure you can guess what happens to those who keep me waiting..."

Without hesitation I let loose an arrow towards him which only succeeded in hurtling into a black shadowy abyss which appeared with a wave of Pitch's hand. He pouted his lips slightly, making a tutting noise but continued. "I found myself growing tired of waiting for a response to my previous proposition Cupid, I'm a busy man as I'm sure you can understand-"

"How did you break in here?" I shouted, trying to mask the twinge of fear I felt about being momentarily unarmed, and loaded another arrow. "What did you do, how did you break in?" Then a sudden thought crossed my mind. "And the children. What have you done, how are you making them forget!"

Pitch smirked knowingly at me and turned to stroke the mane of the shadowy nightmare to his left, the beast whinnied loudly in enjoyment, the sound coming out more of a scream than anything else.

"Oh Cupid, always so full of questions..." He chuckled, turning his gaze to the beast beside him. "But sadly, never full of the right ones. The offer still stands you know..." He trialled off.

I stared at him in confusion, nothing made sense. I tried to recall every detail about the last time Pitch visited me in my sleep, tried to compare what he was saying to me now to back then...

Then it clicked.

"Unfortunately... Jolly Fat Man...put up some preliminary defence mechanisms..."

"He locked you out..."

I played the words over again in my head.

"No..." I muttered, more to myself than to him. "I doesn't make sense, it doesn't-, you can't get in here, you can't BREAK in, North made sure of it. That's why you came to me before, in my sleep, you said... You said you couldn't GET in, North, he LOCKED you out somehow, somehow with magic, so that means..." I rambled. Judging from Pitch's expression he seemed to be enjoying watching the clogs turn in my head.

I met his gaze, my words coming out slower now as I caught my breath.

"Your right." I said evenly. "You didn't break in here. You were let in. But by who?"

The loud sound of a slow clap broke the silence in the room, Pitch was standing in front of me, grinning like a madman.

"And now dear Cupid, you seem to be asking the right questions... " he grinned.

I didn't know how. I didn't know why. But someone here, someone I knew, let a pitch into the workshop, and allowed him to touch the place. I felt anger replace the fear I felt inside as I remembered the look on Norths face as he stood watching the workshop burn, the tears in the elves eyes as they stood by watching their home be destroyed by their very eyes unable to do anything. I glared at Pitch.

"Which is why I have a question you you my dear, another proposition if you will." I stood firm and waited, itching to send an arrow into Pitch's skull for the pain he had caused today, but thinking better of it. "Join me. Simple as that. Join me, fight for my side and my cause. You have one week to decide. Choose wisely."

Suddenly another shadow portal opened up behind him, each nightmare horse in turn disappearing back the way they came. Just as Pitch himself was about to step into the black abyss he called out to me. "Oh and Cupid? If this is how I treat those who keep me waiting... Imagine what I have in store for whose who cross me." He smiled. "One week Cupid, until then..."

With a flick of his hand my bow was sent tumbling to the ground at the same time a large burst of pain erupted from the back of my skull. As my vision began to grow fuzzy and my head spun I could vaguely make out the outline of a man disappearing into the shadows.

And as my body collapsed onto the floor, everything went pitch black.