The Road Not Taken Part 4 - ROTG Black x Ice

Back at, well, at the hole if you'd like to call it, Pitch had been trailing behind Jack since they visited the old workshop. Before he destroyed it, that is. Before North had shown himself, Jack seemed to be his old self again, but as soon as the old man opened his mouth Jack seemed to drop into the danger zone and might as well brought that mountain on snow on top of Santa himself.

"Pitch." Jack stopped, hood on his head, looking over his shoulder slightly.

"Yes?" Pitch drawled, hoping for some sort of change in Jack's attitude.

"Stop sulking behind me. It's annoying."

And that was it. Pitch felt like a girl for getting worked up like this, but everything was all wrong! HE was supposed to be the bad guy! Not Jack.. Sure, it would have been fun if Jack had kept who he was in tact but frankly..

"I don't know who you are anymore!" Pitch yelled, arms at his side, glaring at Jacks back.

Jack turned and looked at Pitch with a sick smirk. "Why, I'm Jack Frost." he mocked from one of Pitch's way earlier statements they had shared.

"Maybe you are, but not the REAL Jack Frost. Not the spirit who brought happiness to children and snow days. Your some kind of twisted...THING that just looks a little bit like Jack Frost. Hell, you might even be more bad than ME now! I'm the villain, not you and I should have never even proposed an alliance."

Jack turned, angrily. "Well too bad. Your stuck with me now."

"Back then that's what I wanted!" Pitch had walked forward and grabbed Jack by the shoulders. "But it seems I may have destroyed you selfishly pursuing my own desires. I guess thats what makes me evil, and why I am the only one who can't talk to the Man on the Moon. I'm evil because I destroyed something that was so pure and innocent and I'm sorry, Jack. I am so sorry." he eased up on the yelling at the end, and finished everything off with a very swift kiss right on the Winter's mouth.

Pitch felt Jack tense up, but it was gone before he could pull back and see if, somehow, he had brought his old Jack back. So Pitch didn't let go. He wished, if anything, Jack would freeze himself and the boogeyman so they could stay this way forever.

And as he thinks this, he knows he has gone soft.

That's when he hears a whisper in his ear. "Save him, Pitch."

The Moon.

---

Silence here as well. Pitch touched the fallen Tooth Palace with a pale hand, and pulled it back to examine the dust that came off the architecture. What had they done?

"Why are you here?"

Pitch looked up, and was face to face with Toothiana. She was not flying, and looked just as dreadful as North. Both feet were on the ground and she had one hand to steady her on the broken piece of Palace. Even though she was tired, and her feathers falling out, part of her still radiated an otherworldly beauty.

"This might come off as a little selfish, but I need your help."

By the way Pitch said it, so slowly and in a whisper, Tooth crossed her arms and walked forward a little. She held out a hand as to say 'go on.'

"I assume you remember Jack Frost?"

Tooth brushed a loose feather out of her face. "How did I know you'd say that? Honestly, I know it's our fault for pushing Jack away, and I think we underestimated him going to you. We reap what we sew." she shrugged her shoulders, smiling softly.

"In more ways than one." Pitch looked down at his feet.

"Is that so?" Tooth approached him, looking at his eyes by dipping her head under him a little. "He's a powerful being, Pitch. Unlike all of us, children do not have to believe in him to make him strong. Even you need fear from the little ones to be, well, you. And honestly, Pitch if you wanted a family you could have asked."

"Really?" Pitch sneered. "Like I would have been accepted among you! Jack was the only one who understood me. He knew how it felt to have children ignore you and to not be loved. The rest of you could never comprehend that kind of pain!"

"Well if we didn't before, we do now. Ten fold." Tooth held one arm with the other. "There is still time to make things right, Pitch. If you truly love Jack as much as I know you do, you won't watch him destroy himself. And for what it's worth, I'll help any way I can and I'm sure the rest of the Guardians could too."

"Love?" Pitch spit out, looking away in embarrassment. He pulled a shadow over his form and left, but before he did, he whispered, "Thank you."

----

The Warren was a pretty grisly sight as well. The grass was rotting, and of course no eggs to be found. The river ran a little dirty, and everything just looked a little clogged as far as all the rabbit holes were going. It didn't take him long to find Bunny, seeing as the majority of the Warren was open space. And of course he was greeted with hostility.

"Why I oughtta...what'a you doing here Pitch?" the small, literal bunny form of Bunny squeaked below him near his feet.

"Jack is destroying himself. He was never meant for the dark." Bunny stared at Pitch curiously. "Figured I would save your time and just cut to the chase..."

"If you say so, mate. But yeah, the kid wasn't all too dark before. Christ, he's the spirit of fun and stuff ya'know? I was genuinely surprised when he joined you. Figured we musta really hurt his feelin's." Bunny scratched his head absently, staring out across the Warren.

"Tooth said something like that."

"Bet she did. She was always smart with her words and everything. She was the most torn up when Jack was tearing us down off of our high horse." his nose twitched. "She said it was pretty much our faults. I agree. I said some things I shouldn't have, and I'd take it back if I could. But if it's like you said, I'm a little too late ain't I?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm here. To ask for your help."

Bunny puffed up. "Now why would I--"

"Bunny, please. I watched that boy tear down North's sanctuary the other day with evil in his heart that rivals my own. He's in too deep. Not only that.." Pitch looked off. "...HE spoke to me."

"What?" Bunny stared up at Pitch. "You mean the Man in the Moon? Not right, mate. Hasn't spoken to any of us in a long time."

"I know what I heard, rabbit." Pitch growled. "And it was him. He said to save Jack."

"Woah, that's pretty intense. Well, if the Man in the Moon is on your side, I will be too. Even if I don't like it. Not much use outside of my words, though. Being small and all."