Cold and Dark
Chapter 4
Warning: There are feels contained in this chapter.
So here he was, off to find North and the others. Perhaps they had gone back to the North Pole to recuperate after the incident with Easter... Jack sighed at the thought as he floated along, but shook his head, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it now. But the boy noticed that even as he floated along, doubting himself and this deal, there was sudden surge of darkness within him. Pitch must have sensed that he was doubting himself and had poked at him with darkness from inside his lair. Jack hadn't even thought that it was possible for Pitch to do that if he wasn't right beside him.
Now the darkness felt strong once again, and Jack raced on towards North's workshop at the Pole, gripping his staff as he went, a soft grin on his face now. He had gone from being afraid of facing the Guardians in his current state to anything but. Who would have thought that simple touch of darkness could do that? Jack sped up as he saw North's workship coming up in the distance. Before he knew it, he was landing in front of the door and pushing it open, looking around as he walked inside and closed the door behind him.
He could hear voices in the distance and he walked towards the voices until he came upon the room with the globe and he saw North, Tooth, and Bunny all there... The aftereffects of Easter had turned Bunny small, Jack noticed. They obviously had not heard Jack come in, so the winter sprite cleared his throat, causing the three Guardians to turn their heads in unison to look at him. When they saw him, Bunny's ears flattened against his head, Tooth gasped and covered her mouth, and North's eyebrows knitted together. Their reactions were to be expected of course, for Jack looked different, given the circumstances and all.
"Jack, what happened to you?" Tooth asked, hurt in her voice. "What do you think happened?" Bunny growled. "From the looks of it, he joined up with Pitch." The little nose twitched a couple of times. North was most the disappointed of the three, though. Jack was like a son to him, and to see him like this was... Well, it hurt to see him like this, to say the least, and it made North's heart heavy that what they had been trying to defeat had not just taken Sandy, but Jack too.
"Jack, how could you?" North whispered. Jack leaned against his staff, crossing one foot over the other and shrugging his shoulders. "You guys shunned me away. I had nowhere else to go, and I was alone." Jack shifted slightly. "But... Pitch?" North said softly. "Why would you think Pitch is good idea to team up with?" North's voice sounded tired. "Like I said, you guys turned me away. I felt like I really had no other choice." Tooth stepped forward slowly, eyes saddened. "But you didn't hnave to make the wrong choice, Jack... We would have forgiven you in time."
The boy gritted his teeth and took a step back. "Yeah, okay, whatever." Bunny hopped up on North's shoulder. "Listen, mate... I know I've always been tough on you, but seein' ya like this makes me feel bad for screamin' at you. If ya should be mad at anyon', it should be me... Don't bring Tooth and North into this... So please, ya don't hafta do this..." Jack turned his head and sighed. "Yes, I do..."
He turned his back on them. "Listen, I have to go back to Pitch now. No matter waht you say, this is the path I've chosen now. I'm sorry that you guys don't like it, but I don't care." And before anyone could say anything else or try to convince him otherwise, he was gone in a flurry of snow.
So here he was, off to find North and the others. Perhaps they had gone back to the North Pole to recuperate after the incident with Easter... Jack sighed at the thought as he floated along, but shook his head, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it now. But the boy noticed that even as he floated along, doubting himself and this deal, there was sudden surge of darkness within him. Pitch must have sensed that he was doubting himself and had poked at him with darkness from inside his lair. Jack hadn't even thought that it was possible for Pitch to do that if he wasn't right beside him.
Now the darkness felt strong once again, and Jack raced on towards North's workshop at the Pole, gripping his staff as he went, a soft grin on his face now. He had gone from being afraid of facing the Guardians in his current state to anything but. Who would have thought that simple touch of darkness could do that? Jack sped up as he saw North's workship coming up in the distance. Before he knew it, he was landing in front of the door and pushing it open, looking around as he walked inside and closed the door behind him.
He could hear voices in the distance and he walked towards the voices until he came upon the room with the globe and he saw North, Tooth, and Bunny all there... The aftereffects of Easter had turned Bunny small, Jack noticed. They obviously had not heard Jack come in, so the winter sprite cleared his throat, causing the three Guardians to turn their heads in unison to look at him. When they saw him, Bunny's ears flattened against his head, Tooth gasped and covered her mouth, and North's eyebrows knitted together. Their reactions were to be expected of course, for Jack looked different, given the circumstances and all.
"Jack, what happened to you?" Tooth asked, hurt in her voice. "What do you think happened?" Bunny growled. "From the looks of it, he joined up with Pitch." The little nose twitched a couple of times. North was most the disappointed of the three, though. Jack was like a son to him, and to see him like this was... Well, it hurt to see him like this, to say the least, and it made North's heart heavy that what they had been trying to defeat had not just taken Sandy, but Jack too.
"Jack, how could you?" North whispered. Jack leaned against his staff, crossing one foot over the other and shrugging his shoulders. "You guys shunned me away. I had nowhere else to go, and I was alone." Jack shifted slightly. "But... Pitch?" North said softly. "Why would you think Pitch is good idea to team up with?" North's voice sounded tired. "Like I said, you guys turned me away. I felt like I really had no other choice." Tooth stepped forward slowly, eyes saddened. "But you didn't hnave to make the wrong choice, Jack... We would have forgiven you in time."
The boy gritted his teeth and took a step back. "Yeah, okay, whatever." Bunny hopped up on North's shoulder. "Listen, mate... I know I've always been tough on you, but seein' ya like this makes me feel bad for screamin' at you. If ya should be mad at anyon', it should be me... Don't bring Tooth and North into this... So please, ya don't hafta do this..." Jack turned his head and sighed. "Yes, I do..."
He turned his back on them. "Listen, I have to go back to Pitch now. No matter waht you say, this is the path I've chosen now. I'm sorry that you guys don't like it, but I don't care." And before anyone could say anything else or try to convince him otherwise, he was gone in a flurry of snow.