Author's Note: Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! Enjoy!

Chapter 14:

"They're late."

Pitch watches the sky darken, the night terrors stealing any and all light, covering the stars and blocking out the Moon in a mocking sweep of their seemingly weightless bodies.

He could almost watch the sequence of fear and pain being spread; see the nightlights and lamps being turned on from bedroom to bedroom in every house. It's as if the lights the children create are being replaced the artificial comfort from light bulbs. As if that would help them.

Pitch was certain after the first few the Guardians would be on his trail. He's surprised and honestly, quite disappointed when they don't show up for nearly ten minutes. But he forces himself to wait just a little bit longer. He'd been patient for this long, he could last a few moments more.

"Keep it up!" He orders to the centaurs that can hear him. "They'll be here soon." The creatures don't bother responding, just continue to disappear into the nearby homes to drain all hope and wonder from the inhabitants. Though it's clear that their work is succeeding, Pitch still can't help looking over the horizon, wishing for the people he hated most to appear and face his wrath. Again.

xxRISExx

"Here we go." March whispers as her running slows down to a crawl and she taps the ground to open it above her.

Though she knew what the scene would be like before she surfaced, the stark darkness still disturbs her. All she can see is shadows, and it takes a few seconds before her eyes focus enough for her to see forms. By that time one is already bearing down on her, and she gasps before diving back underground. As soon as the ground closes it shakes with the impact of the centaur's body.

"Alright then." She mutters, and runs a few yards away before popping back out, turning to make sure it catches sight of her. It does. "Come and get me!" With only a snarl as a response, it gives chase.

Her original plan had been to play a game of whack-a-Pooka until Pitch got annoyed enough and lost his focus. But at this point she can't even find the Boogeyman in the crowd of bodies. And more night terrors have caught her scent, so she has to stop looking for their target and focus on keeping her new friends too busy to attack the children who remain both awake and sleeping.

She takes off above ground, making sure to slow just enough so they can keep her in their sight, and tries to head for the most congested area of the town. No doubt that is where Pitch is waiting, and no doubt that's where the others have already begun fighting him.

xxRISExx

"Jack!" Bunny yells out the warning with barely a second to spare. Jack turns and hits the night terror who had been attempting to attack him from behind with a lethal blast of ice. It freezes instantly, and Bunny uses his boomerangs to smash it to pieces.

"Thanks."

Many more meet the same fate, but it doesn't take long for them to see that Pitch hadn't been kidding about the size of this army. It seems as though every time one is destroyed, two more take its place to exact revenge for their fallen brother.

"Where are the others?" Jack asks as they move so their backs are to each other. This way they can attack the ones they see but don't have to worry about being separated and surprised.

"Tooth is with Sandy taking care of the ones in the air." Bunny answers, throwing his boomerangs in a graceful arc and kicking the ones that get too close as the weapons make their way through the crowd. "North is on the next street over, trying to keep Pitch busy." He frowns, thinking about how North had been quick to take on the challenge alone, telling them to merely keep as many night terrors away from the children as possible.

He had wanted to stay by the man's side, but knew better than to argue. They had to work quickly, and there was no time to discuss an alternative. Thankfully though, Jack had agreed to stick by him. There was safety in the buddy system, and he knew it was better for Tooth and Sandy as well. But there was another who was on their own in this madness.

"I don't know where March is." He mutters as his boomerangs return to his hands. In an instant they're flying again, and he takes the free moment to survey the end of the street as if she would appear. She doesn't, of course. He didn't know if she was even above ground at that point. He hadn't seen her since they left the Pole.

He was afraid to focus on his concern for her safety for too long, because he knows it could cause him to be hurt himself. She'll be okay, he tells himself, and forces himself to focus back on watching out for any surprise attacks.

So long as he kept himself safe, he could look forward to the time they could have together after all of this mess is taken care of. He could enjoy having her close, in his home, the beginning of an unexpected and possibly beautiful future together. They would enjoy that beautiful future together.

xxRISExx

North scowls as a night terror breaks off from the pack and runs straight for him. Of course Pitch was hiding behind them. He had greeted them with bravado and arrogance, praising them for being brave enough to confront him this last time, and now he was cowering behind his puppets.

"Come fight me!"

"Oh, I will." He drawls, grinning as he watches North being backed into a corner. "But I'll fight you when the others arrive. I want to defeat all of you with one measly swipe of my hand."

Coward. But North hides a flinch as the fear coils in his stomach. He wanted to think it was a bluff, but even if Pitch wasn't as strong as he pretended, he could very well be waiting to get them all together so he could take them out as one.

That would cause two problems. First, they would be more vulnerable because they would feel the need to protect each other. Second, it would leave the night terrors free to wreak havoc all over, spreading to further towns and possibly even other states. There would be no way to stop them from taking over the entire earth.

North reaches into his coat for a snow globe and smashes it to the ground, bringing forth more yetis from the workshop to help him. They erupt from the vortex with loud battle cries, and he hopes the others can hear them.

Further ahead in the sky he can see flashes of light and fleeting bodies. At least Tooth and Sandy were doing okay.

Pitch glares down at the fight, wishing it would end. The longer if went on the more he began to doubt himself. And that was unacceptable. He wanted to win. Needed to. He couldn't lose to them again.

"Go!" He turns and shouts to the night terrors still awaiting orders, and they make their way down to the street, hooves stomping above the screams of the others. They were doing far better than he expected, but it still wasn't good enough. He wanted to humiliate the Guardians as they had humiliated him. The only way to do that was… "Attack the children!"

The night terrors turn to him in surprise, momentarily confused by the new order. North takes advantage of it, managing to take down a few unprepared centaurs, but then they put some space between them.

"I don't care what you have to do, make sure all of their minds are blacked out by fear! Don't let one single infant rest!"

With screeches of understanding, the night terrors lurch away from North and head directly for the nearby houses, slipping through the windows and doors without prejudice. North lets out a scream of horror and chases after them, but they're too quick, too focused and driven by lust for the wondrous thoughts that the Guardians had tried so hard to keep alive.

He hears a gasp and looks to the side to see March watching the scene with identical fear. She glances up at Pitch, and judging by the anger in his eyes he sees her too. Immediately she runs past both of them and heads for the homes as well, yelling out whatever she can to gain the attention of the vicious creatures.

"No!" She yells breathlessly as she reaches their rear ends. They don't even turn, so she jumps off of the ground and lands on one of their backs, kicking it in the head. "Hey!" The night terror lets out an angry sound and pauses at the porch of one of the houses, and turns on her, reaching out a sinewy arm to retaliate.

March merely kicks it again before leaping at another, gaining its attention as well.

"Come and get me!" She does the same to a couple other night terrors, not caring that she's getting far too close to their claws and teeth. By the time her feet touch the ground again, she has a good number of them on her trail and guide them away from the houses, trying to keep her breathing steady so she doesn't pass out.

She's never run so fast before, or so long, but she pushes her legs to move on, speed up, keep the night terrors chasing her. Because as long as they were chasing her, they weren't preying on the kids.

Just the sight of Pitch standing there looking so superior and smug is enough to make her grit her teeth and bear the pain as the two at her flanks manage to slash at her with their hooves. She pauses, holds in the grunt of pain, and then changes direction to throw them off.

When she can't take the abuse anymore, she opens the ground beneath her and dives in, closing them off. The respite is quick but precious, and she catches her breath before popping back above ground and beginning the process all over again. She can see North doing the same, using his snow globes as his own whack-a-Santa hideouts.

She smiles slightly at his own determined distractions, and realizes that her first group has latched onto her again. I need to find the others. If they could get together they could bring the numbers down a bit.

"Bunny!" She yells, her ears twitching every which way listening for a response. A sharp snap at her ankle makes her yelp, and she puts on a burst of speed as she rounds the street corner, looking for a sign of the others. "Bunny!"

"March?" She turns on her heel and follows the sound, catching sight of his gray fur in between the dark bodies converging on them. As she gets closer she can also see the stark white of Jack's hair, and lets out a relieved sigh that they're together.

Bunny watches her approach, his eyes darting all over to make sure she isn't hurt, but she's moving well. If only it weren't for the trail of night terrors on her tail. He raises his arm, moving his foot back to nudge Jack before letting his boomerangs fly. Jack sees what he's doing and moves with him, aiming his attack on the new group of centaurs.

Grateful, March moves out of the way and lets them cut down the numbers before diving underground again. The few that remain screech in anger, pausing just long enough so Jack and Bunny can destroy them.

It's by this point that she wishes she could do more. She makes sure they're okay before leaving them entirely. The last thing she wants is to draw the fight to them and distract them enough so they get hurt. If only she could fight back, then she wouldn't have to rely on them.

Growling under her breath, she pauses inside of her tunnel and listens to the pounding feet above before making her next move. She wants nothing more than to find Pitch and take care of him herself, but knows that's unlikely. All she would do is get herself hurt, possibly worse.

This time when she comes out, she heads straight for the street North had been on. Sure enough, Pitch is still there, but now he's crowding in on North, throwing balls of almost gelatinous looking sand from both hands. She didn't know what would happen if they connected rather than being blocked by the bigger man's swords, but she didn't want to give the Boogeyman enough time to find out.

March launches herself at another night terror, managing to flip over their body entirely before using their head as a stepping stone toward Pitch. Just as she reaches him, she jumps out of the way so the centaur misses her and accidentally pushes his master down to the ground.

North lets out a triumphant laugh and moves in to strike, and for a moment she thinks it might be over. Unfortunately, Pitch just shoves the massive beast off and jumps back before the swords lands, resulting in a spattering of sand that is not his.

"No!" Her disappointed sound must carry further than she expected, because Pitch turns in her direction with the most furious expression she has ever seen on another Spirit.

"You!" Now she can see that he has a long gash on the side of his body from the night terror's hooves, and feels a tremor of fear as he sets his sight on her. Now his target, she makes sure North disappears in a flurry of lights before retreating herself. The fury with which Pitch hurls himself at the ground above her head makes her shiver.

At least he's still vulnerable. That was a good sign. Pitch wasn't as invincible as he pretended to be. She runs to a few streets over, and it is just a matter of luck that she resurfaces at the same time as North.

"That was a good try." He sighs as he moves toward her, his swords gleaming.

"Not good enough." She frowns, looking back where she knew Bunny and Jack were fighting. "What are we going to do?"

"What we planned. If you can keep the night terrors busy, we'll do our best to take down Pitch."

"But there's too many of them."

"You giving up on us?" North smirks at her, but the question still rankles her.

"Of course not." She glares back, ready to go back into the fray to prove it, but he puts his hand on her shoulder.

"Then keep that spirit just a little bit longer. I've got an idea."

xxRISExx

"Is March okay?" Bunny knows that shouldn't be the only thing on his mind, but he can't help but ask. When North comes out of nowhere and joins him, he's very grateful.

The centaurs were gaining the upper hand, managing to nearly break one of Jack's arms in their efforts to bring them down. He had still been fighting with the other, but Bunny could tell the pain was getting to him. And both of them were getting worn out.

"She's fine. She's underneath us right now." North says, and Bunny glances at the ground, wishing he could see her. "Careful. Pitch is right around the corner."

"Does he-"

"No. We want to surprise him."

"What did you have in mind?" Bunny glances on the horizon where he can see Tooth still fighting off the night terrors reaching for her from several rooftops. Sandy is on top of one, whipping the ones he can though his legs have given out on him.

"Just protect yourselves. The night terrors are going to get into the houses, that's a given." North says, and Jack winces as the thing they've all been trying to deny is said aloud. "But if we're out of commission, he wins. And there's no telling what will happen. We need to gain the upper hand and end this before it gets worse."

"So what do we do?"

"When March riles up the night terrors, stay here. Don't go after them. There will still be some you'll need to take care of. If she brings them back, have at them. But don't leave this spot. She'll know where to find you."

"Okay." Bunny glances at the ground again, making sure to check for Pitch before doing so. And then he can somehow feel March leave, and knows she was able to hear them as well. In response, his gut twists unhappily, but he tries to keep himself calm and reassures himself that she knows the plan. Everything will be fine.

He does as he's told, keeping Jack's bad side covered while North completes their triangle, helping them get rid of any night terrors that rush by. As North said, there are more night terrors making their ways into the minds of the children. He can practically feel his energy draining along with their faith, but their leader just pushes them on, telling them to keep their own faith, and somehow their strength remains.

"Don't worry Bunny." Jack gasps, and Bunny glances at him. "She'll be okay."

"I know." He growls, not wanting to appear weak but unable to hide the tension in his body as March darts in and out of his sight for several minutes. Many times he's not sure if she'll return unharmed.

"I know you like her. It'll be fine." He says, and for the first time since they started Bunny can see true hope in the Winter sprite's blue eyes. He wants them to be okay, to have the chance for happiness as well. It makes Bunny's own eyes sting, and he nods before he has to focus back on their task. But the knowledge that Jack is on their side too, makes the dark night seem slightly brighter.

xxRISExx

March's legs are burning, her paws aching and her head pounding. But she pushes on, even when the ground begins to crack above her. Don't lost it, don't-

"Ahh!" She can't keep in the agonized scream when the ground suddenly gives way, and dirt piles in front of her, dirtying her fur as she runs through it. She expects to be crushed, but she realizes that the tunnel is holding strong. Except she's not alone.

Some of the night terrors have burst through the ground, and now the tunnel shakes as they chase her inside of it, not letting up long enough for her to get out. This wasn't part of the plan! She tries to hold onto her courage, to fool her mind into thinking Bunny is right there with her, reassuring her that she's okay.

The only thing she can be thankful for at that moment is that he'd taken her underground many times before this. She knew her tunnels like the back of her hand now, and they didn't. The night terrors are caught off guard by the many different paths, and while she slides through several dips, they're clumsy and unused to the soft grass, making their hooves dig in and slow them down.

"I can still do this." She tells herself, glancing over her shoulder. The centaurs are still there, their massive bodies smacking into the sides of her tunnels, and she hopes Bunny can heal the cracks they have created when this is all over.

Remembering where the others were, March takes a moment to surface, leaving the night terrors trapped with no way out. It buys her some time, and she catches sight of Pitch just as he sees her. Taking a deep breath, she rushes him and barely dodges a vicious strike, leading him to the street where the others are waiting.

"You can't escape me again!" Pitch screams, lashing out, and she gasps when the black sand seeps into her fur, burning. For a moment she believes he's right, and can feel the tendrils of fear creeping over her, threatening to consume her.

"Yes I can." She cries out when another lash nearly buckles her knees, but keeps going and twists around the corner just as he smacks into the side of her head, sending her to the ground.

Just as her eyes close, she sees the night terrors closing in on her, and hears Pitch right behind her ear. Thumping her foot on the ground, she opens a tunnel, and just as she'd hoped, Pitch gives an infuriated shout as he falls in with her. The night terrors that had been aimed her way fall in as well, and she has only a second to react.

She leaps out of the hole, closing it just enough that none of them can get out, and instantly the others are there, looking down with cold determination.

"Did it work?" North asks, and March winces as the cacophony of screams, screeching, and the sickening sounds of tearing flesh escape from the hole.

"Yes." The night terrors, angry and confused, rip at Pitch as they try to get out, and Pitch can only attempt to protect himself as their hooves come down on his body.

Bunny wraps an arm around March and helps her stand, grimly taking in her dirty and roughened skin that shows through patchy fur. She looked a wreck, obviously having been through more than she expected. But the plan had worked. And now Pitch remains in her tunnel being trampled until he manages to destroy the last of the centaurs himself.

Pitch breathes heavily and groans as the pain radiates through him. When he forces his eyes open he can see the Guardians hovering, and immediately closes his yellow eyes so he doesn't have to see them finish him off.

When he had fallen into the tunnel he had taken it as an invitation, an opportunity to get rid of the pesky Pooka he thought would never be a problem. She was still the weakling little kit he had almost killed those centuries ago, but he had underestimated her. And now here he was, the fool again. The Guardians wouldn't take this lightly. They'd make sure he didn't have another chance at retribution.

"Just get it over with." He growls, and then coughs when some of the dust and dirt finds its way into his lungs. Even his ribs feel crushed, and he knows sand leaks from his wounds.

North frowns as he looks down at the Boogeyman, and the tunnel opens slightly so he can reach in to pull him out. Not letting him get any ideas, he tosses him to the black asphalt and the others crowd around him. Tooth stands there as well, propping Sandy up with a slender arm. She smiles at March wearily, and then it gains a big of brightness as she sees Bunny next to her.

"What are you waiting for?"

Pitch's groan brings them all back to the question at hand. What would they do?

"We can't kill him." Jack speaks up, and North looks at him. "We can't. The Moon wouldn't allow it."

"How do you know?" Tooth asks gently. "We haven't heard from him."

"Spirits aren't meant to kill." North says. "Even Pitch wasn't meant to be this dangerous."

"But he is." Bunny mumbles, glancing down at the Boogeyman who looks moments away from passing out. But he knows not to be fooled. Pitch could be faking it and recovering as they stand around deciding his fate.

"Can't you just… lock him up somewhere?" March asks, and they shake their heads.

"That's what we thought happened last time. And here he is." Jack tells her, and she sighs, having to look away from the pitiful sight of the man on the ground.

As angry as she was, as vengeful as her heart remained after knowing what Pitch did to her family, killing still wasn't in her nature. She just wanted to be sure that Pitch wouldn't be able to harm anyone else ever again.

She glances around at the street and notices that for the first time that night, it's quiet and clear. The night terrors have all gone, whether because they realized they were outnumbered or because Pitch was down for the count she didn't know. But it seemed as though the worst was over.

They would have to restore the happiness in all of the children who were touched, though. She could still feel the dense air, the pure residual fear that had taken over the neighborhood.

"I'm not sure we're even capable of killing him." North says, gaining her attention. "Our weapons aren't meant to kill, merely protect." She looks down at his swords, thinking that they looked pretty lethal to her. But she understood. They all contained magic that was too pure for death. As soon as that thought pops into her head, a bathing blue light grows above them, and they all look up as the Moon looms closer.

"He's coming." North murmurs, and he reaches out an arm to guide the others away. Against her better judgment, March follows Bunny's tug away from Pitch and they all leave some room as the light intensifies, focusing on the Boogeyman whose eyes have finally closed for good. She doesn't dare ask if he still lives, and just clutches Bunny's arm as Pitch's limbs begin to lift.

"What's happening?" Tooth asks, moving between Jack and Sandy. The Moon pauses, gathering Pitch entirely in its light, and then begins to move back, rising into the night sky and taking the body with him.

"Manny's taking him." North answers, smiling as the decision for possibly unnecessary violence is resolved. Pitch's body floats, becoming weightless and seeming to shimmer as it leaves the earth.

They all watch until the Moon is back in the sky where it should be, far away with the craters barely discernable. But they know that in one of those craters lies their enemy. And they would never know what truly happened to him, only that he'd no longer be able to disturb the children on earth.

"He's gone?" March asks uncertainly.

"It would seem so." North answers, and he smiles at her. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Bunny ignores the teasing looks from the others as he turns her away from them, searching for the worst of her injuries. "They weren't supposed to get into the tunnel with you, were they?"

"No." She winces, and he lightens his touch. "But I'm fine." She looks over at Jack, who's getting the same kind of treatment from Tooth, and is thankful that Sandy is now back on his feet looking as spry as ever. Her fear that irreparable harm had been done to her new friends dissipates, and now they can focus on repairing that had been done to the kids.

xxRISExx

"That was the last of them." Bunny sighs, taking a seat next to March on top of Jamie's house. "I think that was more tiring than the actual fight."

"Thank goodness for that." She replies, looking up at the starry sky. Never again would she take a crystal clear night for granted. The only shadows that she sees now are those naturally caused by tree branches, power lines, and critters of the night. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

"Me too." He smiles and gently plucks a clump of dirt out of the cream ruff around her neck, and she swats his paw away.

"I know, I'm a mess. Must you keep preening me?"

"I'm sorry." He chuckles, and glances at himself. "I suppose we could both use some spa time after that."

"Is it bad that I don't want to go anywhere near dirt for a while?" March laughs, and then catches the concerned expression that overcomes his face. "Oh, I'm not afraid anymore. I mean sure, it was pretty bad when the night terrors got into my tunnels, but I'm okay. Just… really wanting a bath." She shrugs and tries to lighten the mood.

"Oh." Bunny cracks a small smile, and she knows she succeeded. "Well, how about you come back to the Warren my way? I'll fix your tunnels soon, but honestly I'm a bit wiped out."

"That sounds like a plan." March grins, and leans forward to kiss him on the cheek. He turns at the last moment, but even though it's unexpected, she smiles as their lips touch for the first time.

The soft, warm enveloping of his arms makes her previous worries melt away. Her newfound courage allows her to fully immerse herself in him, and she begins to believe that while her old family was gone but not forgotten, she can create new memories with someone she never imagined she'd find. And her heart flutters at the knowledge that soon she'll have a true home once again.

xxRISExx

Author's Note: Thank you so much for sticking with this story! I hope you guys liked how it ended. I didn't want anyone to be killed, so I tried a more peaceful banishment approach.

If I get inspired I will post outtakes to this story that follow March and Bunny as their love blossoms. But for now, thanks again! Review please!