Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? I own nothing.

I know, I know, some of you guys are rolling your eyes at this point, giving me tired sighs and probably saying something like this: "Another Rise of the Guardians story, Hex?" Yes, you irksome brats, another one. I really can't be blamed for this one though. I'm just so sick and tired of reading all of these stories were Jack joins Pitch, but nobody seems to put any effort behind it.

Finally, I'd had enough and decided to take my own crack at it. This is really for the other people out there like me, who are also fed up with reading terribly paced stories that throw out inappropriate amounts of angst with no thought or reason behind it. This will be a dark fic, sort of, and there will be no slash, so sorry if that's what you wanted, but it's not my style.

~We Can Make Them Believe~

Chapter 1: Cold And Dark

Jack could only stare at Bunny from a distance, fear keeping him in place as he saw the once proud Spirit of Easter collapse both literally and figuratively. A voice in the back of his head, one that sounded an awful like Pitch, whispered three harsh words: 'You did this.' Jack bit his lip and pointedly looked away from Bunny, unable to face what he'd unintentionally caused. The panicked thoughts, 'Not my fault, oh god it's not my fault.' thrummed against Pitch's words with little success.

There was a darker side in him though, a vindictive part that hissed back. 'Good, now he finally knows what I've felt for three hundred years.' Jack didn't flinch at the thought, or even at the venom buried behind the silent statement. He'd had such sentiments for centuries now. He was used to that shameful side of himself, but he still hated it, hated that he allowed himself to feel that way. He would never wish his kind of existence onto anyone, not even Pitch.

"Jack, where were you?" He turned to North in surprise; gaze dropping instantly as he caught a glimpse of the Russian's hunched over frame. The giant of a man, who had seemed so energetic and bright, 'Someone like me.', was reduced to staggering and leaning on his twin sabers for support. Jack was only slightly grateful that no dark thoughts had risen to his mind this time. He really liked North, there was a genuineness about the older Spirit that had truly made him feel welcomed.

As Jack forced his eyes to move back up to the man though, guilt filled his chest. 'I did this.' He whispered to himself in a horrified tone, suddenly feeling very small in comparison to North's much larger stature. All denial and excuses left him in that moment; Pitch's voice fell silent and victorious. He desperately avoided the man's gaze, irrationally afraid that North would know what he'd done if they made eye contact.

"The Nightmares attacked the tunnels, they smashed every egg, crushed every basket. Nothing made it to the surface!" And Jack was left staring down at his feet again, his mouth opening to explain what had really happened, but no words came out. What could he say? 'I was distracted by Pitch when I promised everything would be fine. You were right to be worried, to have no faith in me. I'm sorry that I screwed this up like I do everything else.'

"Jack!" He instinctively turned as Tooth called his name. She sounded upset, worried, and tired all at once. Jack felt as if his entire body curled in on itself as he took in her sorry state. Her once beautiful feathers were now crimpled and dull, and a few even fell as she flew by him to hover next to North. His breathing hitched as he looked into her worn face. Hours ago Tooth had felt fine, Believed in, she had told North. Now she looked worse than ever, they all did. "Where did you get that?" She gasped suddenly and Jack, confused, followed her gaze, feeling his stomach drop as he saw that his Teeth Canister was still in his grip.

He looked back up at her, eyes wide as he caught the expression she was sending him. Something like dread tore at his heart and he wasn't sure why. Jack just knew that he couldn't stand the way she was looking at him, like he'd just done something irredeemable. Yes, he'd lost Baby Tooth, but they could still get her back, along with all the other missing Fairies. He knew where Pitch's lair was now; they could charge in, take Pitch by surprise and rescue the Fairies.

"I was – it was –" Jack couldn't seem to say what he wanted to, his tongue felt too heavy to lift, his jaw too tight to unclench, his lips too numb to form words. 'It wasn't my fault. Pitch did this, not me. He tricked me.' That's what he wanted to say, but now Tooth looked alarmed, immediately stopping him before he had the chance to try again.

"Where's Baby Tooth?" Her violet eyes searched the air around them frantically, her voice shaking.

Jack stepped back, unable to offer anything as comprehension filled her eyes. 'I lost Baby Tooth. It's my fault.' He clenched his teeth instead, because there was no apology that could make up for this. Baby Tooth had tried to get him to go back to the Warren; he was the one who wouldn't listen. Then he'd forgotten all about her, too focused on finding the source of that little girl's voice to pay any attention. Jack braced himself for yelling, for hurtful words, for tears and justifiable blame. What he hadn't expected was for Tooth to bring her hands up to her mouth, how she moved away from him, and the way she looked at him with such fear.

"Oh Jack, what have you done?" It was the terrified uncertainty in her tone that hurt him the most.

"That's why you weren't here? You were with Pitch?!" North shouted and Jack blinked, ignoring the newborn stinging sensation in his eyes. He'd never head North sounding so angry before and it frightened him a little.

"No!" He denied vehemently. In that moment he instantly realized what they were thinking, of what they'd thought he'd done. 'Me? Working with Pitch?'Jack would have laughed if things weren't so dire, if they weren't looking at him like it was possible. How could they think he was working with Pitch? But the horrified and accusing stares weren't easy for him to miss or ignore. "Listen, listen." He rushed desperately, sighing a little as Tooth fluttered even further away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen." Jack couldn't keep his voice from breaking a little.

And Jack truly meant it, more than anything he'd ever done in his entire life, he regretted this the most. He knew this was too important to brush aside with a snarky remark, or to hide from with the hood of his sweater. He felt raw, exposed. He'd never actually apologized to someone who could hear him before. He didn't know why, but it cost himself something dear to even mutter the admission of guilt aloud. Jack had never had to seek forgiveness before and the thought of being rejected was absolutely terrifying to him. 'Please believe me, it was an accident. I'm so sorry.'

It took everything he had not to flinch as Bunny spoke from behind him.

"He has to go." Jack backed away in a bit of a stumble, not so much from the surprise of how close Bunny suddenly was, but from what the Spirit of Easter had said.

"What?" He whispered, feeling something sharp curl up inside of him, and he realized, as Bunny glared at him angrily, that this was what he feared most. Pitch must have missed it somehow, because not being Believed in and never knowing why the Moon had chosen him, didn't seem so bad right about now.

Children, for all that Jack loved them, grew old and eventually died. But the Guardians, they would last forever, just like him. He wanted friends, to be able to take comfort from others, to be seen and heard and cared for. He never wanted to be alone again. Children who Believed could only offer so much. Clarity struck Jack like an avalanche, finally understanding what he really wanted out of his existence. It only took this moment of everything falling apart to make him realize what it was.

He wanted a family and Jack could see that possibility here, with the Guardians. Perhaps, they could be his–

"We should never have trusted you!" Suddenly he was on the ground, starring up at Bunny with a cold hand pressed up against his throbbing jaw. From behind him Tooth gasped and North cursed in Russian, but Bunny just continued to glower down at him, his paw still poised in the form of a fist. Something rattled about in his mouth and Jack instinctively spat it out, grimacing as a snowy white molar landed in his palm.

He fled.

If the others had called after him, then Jack didn't hear them over the Wind roaring in his ears. It brushed alongside his face, as if it were caressing the area Bunny had hit. He laughed a little in response, the brokenness of it sounded like dry sobs to his own ears. The Wind, since it knew him better than anyone or anything, brought him to Antarctica; a place he'd always retreated to in his worse moments.

He landed harshly, faltering a little as he ran towards the edge of a nearby cliff, preparing to throw his Teeth Canister into the water below. Against his will though, his arm seemed to slow down halfway through the action, coming to a halt just over his head. Jack tried again, the second attempt even more pathetic than the first, and heaved a ragged sigh as his shoulders slumped in defeat. Unconsciously, he brought his hood up to cover his face, hiding his wet eyes and the bruise forming on his jawline.

He couldn't get rid of his teeth.

Annoyed, Jack looked over the golden casing, studying the drawn image of his face plastered on one of its end. It portrayed him with brown hair and equally brown eyes that didn't match his current coloring at all; his smile was still the same though. 'Is this really me?' He thought weakly, eyeing the drawing with uncertainty. He couldn't help but doubt it, doubt himself, doubt everything. For a few short hours, things had been perfect and now… Now he was exactly where he'd started three hundred years ago.

Alone.

"I thought this might happen." The voice was one he recognized immediately and it caused his eyebrows to furrow angrily. "They never really believed in you." Those small, seemingly unimportant words, struck Jack hard, leaving him unbalanced. He panted heavily, barely restraining the urge to wrap his trembling arms around himself protectively. "I was just trying to show you that, but I understand."

Jack was attacking Pitch before he could even process what he was doing. He just knew one thing; he was angry, angry at himself, angry at Pitch, angry at Bunny. Pitch jumped back with a short shout, barely able to bring up his dark sand in time to block the attack.

"You don't understand anything!" Jack roared, firing another bolt of ice at the only speck of black in the oppressing scenery of white.

"No? I don't understand what it's like to be cast out?" Jack had to roll to dodge the Nightmare Sand that was hurled at him. He gritted his teeth, his jaw aching a little at the involuntary reaction. Was that what he was now? An outcast? He had to jump into the air to avoid another stream of black sand. He lunged downward with a powerful blast of ice, landing in the resulting cloud of kicked up debris. "To not be Believed in?"

He turned and spotted Pitch not even ten feet away, arms loose at his side. Jack raised his staff, now knowing better than to drop his guard around the Boogeyman. He'd let the man trick him once before, he wasn't going to let it happen a second time. But then he caught the look of Pitch's face, the expression so open and sad. It was enough to make Jack hesitate for a second, but a second was all Pitch needed.

"To long for… a family?" The soft admission paralyzed the younger Spirit. His eyes grew wide, as if they were trying to peer deeper into the Boogeyman's mind to see his true intentions. Of course he couldn't tell if Pitch was lying, but the longer he stared, the more Jack found himself believing in the exact opposite. Was Pitch like him, did someone else actually share his desire to belong? 'But,' he thought skeptically, 'how would Pitch even know I wanted a family?'

Had the Boogeyman seen the fear earlier and had simply chosen not to bring it to light at the time? Why? To use it against him later? It's not like Pitch could have known how the Guardians would react? Right?

Jack blinked and lowered his staff, mentally dizzy from the numerous questions buzzing around in his head. During the blink though, Pitch had moved. He was suddenly in front of Jack, his left hand firmly griping Jack's chin as the right pulled down his hood. Jack automatically fought back, bringing his staff up as he tried to push the man away from him. Pitch remained firmly in place and his left hand gave a slight squeeze in warning, causing his aching jaw to throb in response.

"What happened to your face?" The question was spoken innocently enough, but it still managed to cause Jack's entire body to stiffen. There was a mild infliction in Pitch's tone, but he couldn't tell what kind or what it meant. He mostly sounded just curious. Still, the question brought up memories, ones that hurt him so deeply that Jack had to bite his lip to keep his emotions under control.

"We should never have trusted you!"

"I thought you knew everything." He snarled instead, finally managing to get away from the Nightmare King, retreating a few feet away to glare at the man. Pitch just stared at him, his head tilted to the side and looking as if he were trying to figure something out. After a moment, doubt began to fill Jack's mind. Pitch honestly didn't seem to know just how badly the Guardians had reacted. Somehow, that just made everything worse. "It's like you said, I've been cast out." He continued in a lower tone.

"The Guardians did that?" Pitch sounded surprised and there was something dark dancing across his face. Again, it wasn't something that Jack could recognize, and the odd look disappeared within seconds, giving him no chance to study it further. He held the man's gaze for a minute and despite wanting to stay on his guard, he turned away from the Boogeyman, shamefaced.

"They thought I was working with you. They didn't even give a chance to explain." His hands were clenched around his staff so that they wouldn't start shaking, and his tongue played with the new whole in his backline of molars. There was blood, it took Jack by surprise and he automatically spat it out, the glob unintentionally landing near Pitch's feet. The splash of red stood out violently against the background of ice and snow.

"So they hit you?" The Nightmare King's voice was flat and Jack looked up to see that his expression matched his tone. There was no glee or confusion or malice, just a dull look, as if they were having a conversation about the weather. Strangely, Jack felt angry at his lack of a reaction. Was he so unimportant, so worthless, that even the Boogeyman viewed his pain with such indifference?

"Bunny did, yeah." He answered quietly after a second; pushing back the insults he could have said instead. The anger had left him quickly after being born, leaving Jack exhausted. He started a little when a hand abruptly gripped his shoulder, tugging him back around. Pitch stared down at him, the man's face contorted into some form of resentment.

"They should not have touched you Jack, I hadn't realized the rabbit's hatred for you went so deep." His tone was surprisingly gentle, but Jack could only focus on one word alone. 'Hatred?' He wanted to deny it, he wanted to defend them, but an image of Bunny's face appeared in his mind, green eyes full of contempt, and he knew Pitch was right.

"They do hate me." He muttered in astonishment to the frozen air and Pitch's grip tightened in response.

"All those years in the shadows I thought no one else knows what this feels like, but now I see I was wrong." Jack looked up at Pitch then, something in the man's tone made his heart start to beat a little faster. He knew Pitch was saying something important at this moment, something that he would likely remember for the rest of his life. "We don't have to be alone Jack, I believe in you, and I know children will too."

"In me?" He gasped and Pitch nodded excitedly. He didn't really think that the Boogeyman had understood what he'd meant though. At this point, Jack couldn't care less about Believers, he just wanted assurance that he wouldn't go back to his lonely existence. But, if Pitch was offering what Jack thought he was offering…

"Yes, look at what we can do." And Pitch backed away, finally releasing Jack to wave at something behind him. Inwardly, the young Spirit bemoaned the loss of such a comforting gesture and reluctantly turned to see what Pitch was talking about. His breath caught in the back of his throat at seeing the towering structure of ice and sand. "What goes together better than cold and dark?"

Jack lightly brushed his hand across the tower's surface. It was smooth and cold from the ice, but also rippled and grainy from the sand. It wasn't bad, he decided, just different from the usual ice sculptures he created. As his eyes roamed over the structure, his gaze landed on his reflection. Pitch said something else from behind him, but Jack was too busy studying the mark on his face to pay any attention.

"We can make them believe! We'll give them a world where everything, everything is–"

Jack had experienced his fair share of injuries in the past. With how reckless he was, it was impossible to think that he'd never managed to give himself a few bumps and bruises. He'd been in fights before too, so he didn't understand why this small injury bothered him so much. 'It's because you trusted them, you let them in thinking they wouldn't hurt you. How well did that turn out?' He shook his head, as if he were trying to fend off an attack.

"You were right, Pitch. I make a mess of everything." Jack wasn't sure if he'd meant to say that out loud or not. In any case, the Boogeyman paused in his rant, eyes wide and looking as if he'd been doing something bad and had been caught in the act. Jack frowned; he probably should have been paying closer attention to what Pitch had been saying. It didn't take the older Spirit long to recover though.

"Jack, the Guardians aren't like us." Pitch's tone took on a deeper note that caught him off guard, making him freeze in his place as he waited for the man to continue. "What would they understand? What would they know of the feeling that comes from being stepped through, intangible to rest of the world?"

"Well Bunny sure as heck knows it now." Jack hissed back, instantly biting his tongue for allowing his darker thoughts to escape the sanctity of his mind.

"He does, doesn't he?" Pitch intoned smugly, making him look away guiltily. "And how did he react? He took his anger out on you, held you accountable when it wasn't your fault." Jack inhaled sharply at that, gaze landing on Pitch as he searched for any lies, finding only understanding. Someone didn't blame him. The very idea of it made him feel warm because everyone always blamed Jack Frost. "Do you truly wish to ally yourself with such comrades?"

No.

It was only when Pitch grinned that Jack realized he'd spoken the word aloud. Ashamed, he turned away, bringing his hood back up and tucked his staff close to his side. For the first time, he just wanted to be left alone. He was about to say as much to Pitch, when the older Spirit spoke up again.

"Then come with me Jack." He twisted around swiftly; blue eyes wild and full of hope. Pitch didn't mean that, did he? "Together, we can be so much more. Nothing would be able to stand in our way." His renewed hope plummeted. Jack gave a broken sigh and turned away again. That's what this whole thing was about, what it had always been about. The only thing people seemed to care about was his power and what it could do for them.

"You're no different from the Man in the Moon." Pitch growled a little at that, but Jack spoke over him. "The Guardians only wanted me because of what I did to your Nightmares. You only want me to make sure that they fail." He looked up at the grey sky, wondering if the Moon was hiding behind the cover of clouds. "All I am is a pawn on a chessboard."

"Oh no Jack, you're much more valuable than a mere pawn." Pitch stated calmly, all his earlier pretenses of warmth and understanding now gone. There was a dark gleam in the Nightmare King's eyes, and Jack could finally tell that Pitch had been lying before. He did not long for a family. He tried to ignore how much it hurt at realizing the truth, but then he should have expected as much.

The dream of having a family was just that, a dream. And with Sandy gone, dreams were quickly turning into nightmares. 'How is this not a nightmare already?' The cynical side of his mind pointed out and Jack found he couldn't deny the truth behind the thought.

"You are a knight, the odd piece on the board that only the foolish and inexperienced overlook." Pitch continued and Jack, not knowing what else to do, listened. "If we were to continue with this chess analogy of yours, then the Man in the Moon and I would be the opposing kings." It went without saying which color represented who.

"The Guardians would therefore be the more powerful pieces. North and the rabbit would be the rooks, so easy to read in movement. The Fairy and the Sandman would be the bishops, a bit more difficult to get around, but still not all that threatening. And I? I have but myself and my Nightmares, the true pawns." He sneered, eyes focused on the tower of ice and sand. "Tell me Jack, do you know what happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board?"

"They get promoted to any captured piece the player chooses." He answered uncertainly and Pitch hummed slightly before shaking his head.

"Not quite, the choice of promotion is not limited to the pieces that have been captured. A player could promote the pawn to any chess piece they wish. And I find myself in need of a knight to claim my checkmate." Pitch's eyes bore into his and Jack had to give himself a mental shake, realizing he'd allowed himself to become too absorbed in the man's words.

"I don't want to hurt anybody." He replied firmly, fully determined to walk away then. Pitch would surely push the issue; he wanted revenge on the Guardians. Despite everything, Jack didn't want to hurt North or Tooth. He tried not to think of Bunny and his aching jaw.

"Not even the rabbit?" Pitch questioned and he floundered wordlessly before the man shrugged. "If you don't wish to hurt anyone, then fine, I won't ask you to." At that moment, Jack was beginning to feel cornered and he didn't know why. Pitch hadn't advanced towards him, had made no move to grab him, and yet the Winter Spirit felt more trapped than when he'd been caught in the Boogeyman's lair hours ago.

"I don't want kids to be afraid of me either!" He shouted angrily, knowing there was no way Pitch would let that comment slide. All he wanted was fear and darkness.

"And why would I want them to fear you?" The Boogeyman scoffed, looking amused for the first time since the conversation started. "Fear is my element Jack, just as winter is yours."

"Then how would they Believe in me?" Jack asked, his hostility lost to cunfusion. This whole time he'd thought Pitch had wanted to take over and fill the world with endless terror. That's what he'd assumed after hearing Pitch reminisce about the Dark Ages at Tooth's palace.

"Why, you would be their champion of course." Pitch purred, circling around Jack like a hungry wolf. "I've learnt from my mistakes Jack, the Dark Ages had been too much. There needs to be balance in the world. Besides fear is important, it can keep children safe."

Jack was still too hung up on Pitch's first sentence to listen to the rest. Him? A hero?

"When we finally put a stop to the Guardians, we'll dictate how the world works. I would naturally be the villain, scaring young ones all around the world. The children will of course need a protector and who better than Jack Frost?" The Nightmare King continued, a sly smirk donned on his narrow face.

"Nobody will get hurt?" Jack asked weakly after a few minutes. "And the Guardians? They won't–"

"We've survived for hundreds of years without Believers Jack, they can do the same." Pitch pointed out with an air of boredom that was bordering on irritation. "As for the children, you have my word that the worst they shall suffer are but a few bad dreams, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear, more often than many believe, protects with its very nature."

Jack nervously bit at his lip, could he do this? Could he actually turn his back on everything, on the Guardians, and join Pitch? Could he live with himself for taking part in man's twisted plan? Pretending to be the good guy when he was actually working alongside the one who gave children nightmares? But was it so wrong? A few bad dreams wouldn't hurt anyone, kids were resilient and he'd be there to make sure nothing got too scary.

When Pitch held out his hand…

'I can't have a family, but I can have Believers. This could be my last chance.' A desperate part of himself argued. With every passing second, he seemed to be losing more and more ground with the situation. Everything suddenly felt like too much, but Pitch was offering him something that the Guardians and the Man in the Moon never had, a place in the world. 'And I don't want to be alone anymore.'

…Jack accepted it.

~We Can Make Them Believe ~

Whoo! Chapter one is out and it totally kicked ass. I felt it had just the right amount of tension in here. And I truly believe that Jack could have accepted Pitch's offer if he'd been pushed too much in the movie. Here, I gave him a bitter, darker side, but we have to remember he's been alone for three hundred years. That kind of solitude leaves its mark. Jack may be the Guardian of Fun, but fun can be a long ways from innocent.

I want some feedback on how well I did with the end bit. It wasn't in the movie, so I don't know if the transition from movie dialogue to my style of writing was a little jarring or not. It felt good to me, but I'm biased. Also, I'm really proud of myself for the chess references above. So yeah, go me.

–Hexalys