Zenith State 14

Note: 28 of my M rated stories have been removed by due to explicit content. I have moved them to AO3 and will be moving all my other stories as well in the next few weeks and closing this account. Sorry for any inconveniences.

Tracking Jack was much easier once the wind and snow vanished. It was like someone had turned off a light switch. One moment it was frigid and ice everywhere the next it was gone and the dark palace was simply stone and shadow. Bunny led his fellow Guardians through the twisting corridors, following Jack's scent until they reached fresh air and the forest above. There there was snow but the storm had ended. They arrived at the mouth of a cave rather than the broken old bed covering the hole to Pitch's realm and came upon a sight that nearly sent all their heart racing.

Jack was floating in the air in a pool of moonlight, his usually troubled face at peace as Moonbeam warriors danced about him. But that wasn't what frightened them it was Pitch standing nearby clenching the boy's crooked staff. It looked as if the shade might break it, the anger on his face like a physical force. But it crumbled to sorrow as the Frost Child was lowered to the snow where he slept peacefully.

Bunny raised his arm to stop North when the Russian tried to get past him to reached Jack. "Wait," he whispered, curious as to what Pitch planned to do after Jack's rejection earlier. Pitch hadn't been enraged then only heartbroken, as if he really did care for Jack. The funny thing was both Bunny and North had developed feelings for the boy as well and Sandy had always cared for Jack in his way. Tooth had never dealt with the child so had no real opinion of him yet other than to mistake him for Pitch's allay because of the storm.

North's brows rose in surprise but he did as requested if only out of curiosity.

. . .

Pitch knelt next to Jack's slumbering form and placed the crook staff next to him as he studied the boy's alabaster face. It would be so easy to mistake him for a statue if it wasn't for the softness of his flesh when he was relaxed and at peace. He looked much as if did when they first met centuries ago. His long fingers raked through the boy's hair then down his cheek as he had so many times before. He didn't try creating nightmares this time and kept the black sand to himself. He could do it, he could still turn Jack into his Fearling Prince. He could keep the boy and make him his and they could spread fear worldwide and rule the entire planet. They could make it an endless winter. But that wasn't who Jack was. That wasn't his fate.

He started when a small hand touched his cheek. "Why are you so sad?" a small, hoarse voice asked.

Pitch's gaze met bright blue eyes and any wrath or anger he felt when he saw those mischievous orbs so full of life and curiosity melted away. "I'm not. I'm happy you're alright."

The youth looked confused but he didn't pull away and tell him to get lost and leave him alone he just lay there and stared up at him, his head slightly tilted. "He said we were lonely, that The Lady couldn't stay with you as she once did before your family was ripped apart by the shadows. It broke you both."

"Lady? Seraphina…Mother Nature?"

Jack nodded, looking very young and childlike in his movements. "You miss her."

It had been a long time since Pitch felt the onset of tears but somehow this boy knew how to trigger them. "Yes," he admitted, blinking the tears away before they could consume him.

Again Jack nodded almost thoughtfully this time. "And I remind you of her because of her gifts?"

Pitch chuckled, he hadn't thought of it that way. "A little perhaps. You have her wiry sense of humor and daring. You have your father's defiance and pale complexion. You are the best of both worlds and a person would be a fool to ignore you. I was a fool for not giving you the attention you deserve. For not giving it to you the way I should have."

For a moment he thought Jack would reject him again but this time Jack only smiled softly, as if he were dreaming. "Yeah, everyone screws up. You should apologize to the Guardians."

That made the shade laugh. "Now that's a little much, Jack. You I'm fond of, them…they're nuisances."

But the boy only closed his eyes, looking for all the world like he was about to pass out. Then he gasped and sat up, his eyes wide as he looked about. His chest heaved but he didn't frost up or create any ice he just looked shocked. "He spoke to me! I really spoke to me! You heard him, right? He spoke to me!"

Pitch didn't understand the boy's excitement and was even more surprised when the child jumped to his feet and began bouncing around, laughing and pumping his fist.

"I knew it. I knew he couldn't have forgotten all about me. But why? What happened? Will he talk to me again?" Jack asked, his face broken in a wide smile. "Maybe…maybe he can tell me why I'm the way I am…and maybe who I am."

"Jack…" Pitch tried, not wanting to spoil the child's fun but not wanting to break the boy's heart by telling him the truth. He may have to wait centuries to hear from Lunaroff again.

"Jack," North called, crossing the clearing to the youth and shade.

Jack stopped twirling around with his staff to beam at the Guardian of Wonder, as if they had always been friends. There was no fear of the Guardians anymore, although he was weary of them, all except North whose arms he bounded into as if a child greeting his father. North held him tightly, his chin resting on the boy's head as he rubbed his back.

"There you are, my boy," the Russian whispered against his hair. "There's my little warrior."

Tooth watched them with uncertainty, unsure if the boy could be trusted yet or not but seeing the way North had become attached to him in a relatively short time she decided to go with North's instinct. She ran her fingers over the back of his head, surprised to see the change in texture and how much like a normal child he now appeared to be. She met North's gaze and smiled softly. Okay, maybe the boy wasn't so bad.

The two dreamweavers faced off not far away. Sandy floated in front and above Sandy, a series of images popping up so quickly over his head that only Pitch could possibly understand him. But Pitch only gave him a bored roll of the eyes and focused his attention on Jack, a longing look on his ashen face.

"Hurts, doesn't?" Bunny asked, watching Jack interact with North and how North smiled brightly at the boy. "After everything you did he runs into the arms of the one person you've tried countless times to destroy."

The shade grumbled under his breath but said nothing, his face becoming a mask to hide his emotions.

Folding his arms across his chest Bunny leaned on one foot and sighed. "You're right you know. We really should have paid better attention to him…and maybe the other spirits out there. He deserved much better than what he got. From all of us."

Surprise lit Pitch's face as he looked at Bunny and even Sandy fell silent. "Beg pardon?" Pitch asked in confusion."

Bunny sighed. "The kid's smarter than we all gave him credit for. He's right, as much as I hate to admit it. The world does need a little fear. It needs all of us…working together. It's not too late to become a Guardian."

Sandy looked horrified at the suggestion and he waved his arms wildly as sand images appeared above his head. This wasn't the first time Pitch had been approached about becoming a Guardian and each time Sandy was opposed by the idea. After all how many battles had they fought against the man? How many friends had been kidnapped or stolen? How many children did he and his Nightmares frighten every night?

The Sandman wasn't the only one appalled by such a concept. Pitch sneered at the very idea and stepped back. "Don't think I'm showing weakness by allowing Jack his freedom." He gave a laugh. "You don't the boy as I do. He'll never conform to your rules and deadlines. He's an elemental, a free spirit not one of you. And he never will be after being exiled so long. He'll seek me out and when he does we will be a force to be reasoned with." With one last longing look toward Jack he vanished into the shadows.

"Maybe," Bunny muttered to himself but he smiled as he watched Jack step back from North and chattered away about everything MiM had told him while he was in the light. He wasn't worried about Pitch, not for now. "But we'll be waiting and we'll protect Jack anyway we must."

Having your whole life toppled over and pretty much rearranged in one day would be incredible and frightening for anyone but to be alone for three hundred years and suddenly be given everything he ever wanted. To say it took a bit of adjusting was an understatement and a little overwhelming. At first Jack would take off back to his home in the Antarctic and the Guardians would give him a few days before North would use one of his portals to go to him. They would sit together, sometimes in silence as Jack adjusted to having company and someone to talk to, often hugging his staff close but he never told North to leave. They became very close, almost like father and son in some ways. Usually after a few hours Jack would agree to return to the North Pole. He had a room there, one North had converted especially for Jack and bit but bit Jack made it his own. There were toys there and things Jack had never seen before. Soon not only did the Guardians accept him but also the yetis and elves.

Bunny always visited him at Santoff Claussen usually with a basket of his best eggs or with some sort chocolate for him to try. The Pooka made it a point to try and make up for all his past harsh words and acted much as Jack would imagine a big brother would be. Their friendship was touch and go and full of arguments but also full of fun. Jack laughed more than he could recall every laughing before and his dreams were sweet for the first time in a long time thanks Sandy who became like an uncle.

Tooth was a little suspicious of Jack at first but that quickly changed when one of her fairies noticed his pearly white teeth and then…well he couldn't go anywhere without her trying to peer into his mouth. She began doting on him after that, kissing his forehead and cooing over him like a mother would her child. Pretty much she became his mother just as North became his father. That tended to overwhelm Jack and he would run off to his icy home or focus on his winter duties as he had before.

That was strangely relaxing. He took his time painting leaves and reacquainting himself to the wonderful colors he had forgotten over his years of exile. His brush moved over the leaves slowly, up and down, up and down.

A familiar presence joined him some time later and Jack smiled when he saw Mother Nature painting the leaves on another tree. They didn't speak, they rarely did but there was a gentle smile from The Lady and he nodded to him regally before moving off to the next tree.

Of course having a pseudo family, good dreams and fun was nice but it was all a little much and there were a few things, strange things that Jack missed and needed. One night while everyone was sound asleep he crept out of bed and padded across the room to the closet. He bit his lower lip, remembering a story he overhead children tell each other one night of the Boogeyman. "Pitch?" he called into the closet. "Pitch Black?"

There was no answer and for a few minutes he thought perhaps the shade could not hear him so with a sigh he went back to bed and lied down. He wasn't sure how much time went by but he was nearly asleep when he felt the familiar touch brush through his hair. Rolling onto his back he looked up at the quick-silver gaze of the Nightmare King.

"Hey…" he said by way of greeting.

Pitch chuckled warmly. "Hello, Jack. Are you ready to come home?"

The boy smiled. "No. Are you?"

The shade's eyes hardened and he sat back. "Jack…"

"I'm kidding."

"Then why did you call me?"

Jack was silent for a minute as he studied the shade. "I haven't had any nightmares in a long time. I thought maybe you forgot about me."

Surprised Pitch just stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You said you were always there for me, that you always cared. Did that change when North gave me a new home?"

Pitch's mouth opened in surprise then closed and he shook his head. "Of course not, Jack. I was just preoccupied and I didn't think you wanted nightmares anymore."

The boy shrugged. "At least I knew you were there."

A rare smile creased Pitch's lips and he carded his fingers through Jack's hair. "Alright," he agreed. "Now close your eyes and relax." He let a little bit of his nightmare sand seeped into his hair, just a little, and conjured a nightmare, a memory locked away in Jack's subconscious to help explain who Jack truly was and where he belonged. Settling next to the child on the large bed he monitored the nightmare as he had so many times over the centuries. He would not allow the boy to be broken again and if Jack did wake up scared he would be there for him. "Once a week," he promised. "Only once a week."

His head shot up when he heard the door crack open, his gaze meeting that of North's. The Russian said nothing, seemingly not surprised by the shade's presence, no doubt overhearing their conversation. He watched Pitch for a moment then checked on Jack. There was a silent understanding between the two. Normally North would put an immediate stop to Pitch causing a nightmare in anyone but Jack had literally asked Pitch for one, odd as it seemed so North only adjusted the boy's blanket. He then pulled up an arm chair and spent the rest of the night watching the two. It became a bit of a tradition between the three for that one night a week when Jack willingly accepted a nightmare just to be close to Pitch and in time North gave them their space.

Jack gained perhaps the weirdest family anyone could wish for but after being alone so long he cherished each and everyone one of them.

Fin

Note: Sorry if this seemed rushed I just wanted to get it finished and posted so I can focus on moving everything to AO3 this week.