I woke up with (_your name_) laying beside me, her face on my bare chest. I stroked her hair as she snuggled up to me. I stared at her closed eyes as she breathed deeply. Her bare thigh lightly rubbed against my bare thigh.

I kissed her forehead as I sat up. She sat up beside me, slowly tracing my chest.

"Pitch, I feel different." She locked her eyes with mine. "What was in that drink?"

"Some magic to let you live forever," I took her hand and placed it on my chest, "with me."

She looked at me with wide eyes. "And you weren't going to tell me before I drank it?"

"I was actually going to ask you and leave you the choice of drinking it, but then I remembered who I was." My eyes lowered. "I didn't want you away from me. I wanted you with me, to be my queen forever, not temporarily."

(_your name_) kissed my cheek. "It's all right. I want to be with you forever, I just want to know why I feel..."

"Dark," I whispered, looking at her with heavy eyes.

She smiled, placing her hand on my face. "I like it."

I smiled at her.

"After all, what's a Nightmare Queen without a little darkness?"

I cupped her head and kissed her, rolling onto her. I smothered her with kisses, every inch of my bare skin smothering every inch of her. She raked my hair as I kissed her neck and caressed her skin. I smothered my face against her cheek. Kissing it as I breathed deeply.

She stroked my hair and neck, smothering her face against mine. "When do I get to see our kingdom?"

I smiled with closed eyes. "Right now, if you wish."

"I do," she whispered.

"We should get dressed then." I grinned, my eyes still closed as I tightened my arms around her sitting up. I kissed her forehead before she got dressed.

After we got ready, I raised a shadow, holding a hand out to (_your name_).  She took hold of my hand and I kissed it as we stepped through the shadow.

She looked all around the darkness around her, smiling. The fearlings circled her, taking long looks at their new queen. (_your name_) smiled a fierce smile at them, and continued looking around, seeing nightmares form. Everyone bowed to her as she took a step forward, and they did not rise until she passed them.

She twirled around laughing, wrapping her arms around me. "I love it!" She kissed me and buried her faced into my chest. "I love you, Pitch."

I lifted up her chin. "I love you, (_your name_)." I kissed her gently.

"What are we going to do first?" She grinned, looking around.

I smiled. "I'm afraid that we won't be doing much for a while. The guardians know about my return, so I can't really do much."

"Someone help! Please!" 

I looked around for Cupid, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Pitch? What is it?" (_your name_) placed her hand on my cheek.

"Cupid is afraid... of losing Jack."

"What?"

I grinned. "I'm going to crush her light. Would you like to watch?"

She nodded, and I took her to my old lair, in one of the shadows far from Cupid.

"Stay here," I whispered to (_your name_). I used a shadow to get behind Cupid and watched what she was doing.

Cupid's wings were physically visible and she was furiously attacking the cage Jack was locked in. Dark aura was spilling out of the holes of the cage.

"Jack! Jack, wake up!" She flew back. Her wings were spread and became golden. She shot an arrow at the cage, but it had no effect. She slammed herself against the cage. "Jack... Wake up." 

I smiled. "Sad, isn't it?"

Her head snapped at me. "Pitch..."

"Were you going to set him free?" I tilted my head to see Jack. "Wouldn't be good for the guardians, would it?"

Her eyes were wide and I could see she was breathing hard.

I pressed on. "You know what makes this tragic? The fact you put him in there."

She lowered her head, her bangs covered her face. "It was only to--"

"Help me. Is that what you'll tell the guardians?"

Cupid's head snapped up and she flew at me. I raised some sand up to protect me from her.

I laughed as she hit the sand, stabbing the bottom of my scythe onto her chest to hold her down on the floor.

Jack, wake up.

"He's not going to wake up anytime soon, and if he does," I laughed, "'the Jack you knew and loved will be dead.'"

Cupid's eyes widened.

I grinned, piercing her gaze. "That's right, Cupid. I know your little secret. I know you love him." I looked up at Jack. "It's too bad he'll be a fearling soon. The darkness is devouring his light, you know." I pressed a little harder on her chest.

"Pitch... please." She struggled to breathe. "Please... I... helped you... Please... save him."

"Hmmm, I suppose you did help me keep (_your name_)."

Cupid caught a glimpse of the aura growing. "Pitch, please!"

I paused for a bit, considering what I wanted to do. If I let Jack leave, who knows what the guardians would plan or if they would come after me. If I kept him here, not only would the guardians be short one person, but he would lose his light and be of no use to them.

"Pitch!!"

I pressed the scythe a bit more. "What would I get in return? What would you give me for Jack?"

She glanced at him.

Oh, no! His light is...! 

"Cupid, you're running short on time."

"Anything."

I grinned. "Excellent." I hit Cupid up into the air, kicking her into a cage.

Her back slammed onto the cage, hitting the wall behind it. Using sand, I closed the door to her cage and opened Jack's cage.

I spotted a bottle near my feet and picked it up. "Cupid, it looks like you dropped something." I grinned, emptying the bottle and placing the dark aura that surrounded Jack into the bottle.

I laughed, looking at the bottle. I looked at Cupid who was softly gazing at a sleeping Jack. "This story gets even more tragic, Cupid."

She looked at me.

"You'll be taking his place instead." 

Cupid smiled. "That's fine." She looked back at Jack. "As long as Jack's fine. I don't care what happens. I'm not afraid of him not loving me anymore because I know he never will." 

"That's not what I meant." I grinned.

"What?" 

Fearlings swarmed her and she began to scream. I laughed as I pulled Jack to the surface and returned. She was still screaming lying on the floor of the cage.

(_your name_) stepped out of the shadows, placing a hand on my chest. "This seems fitting."

"It is." I kissed her. "Cupid is to do the same as Jack or worse." I laughed, looking at Cupid. "Don't worry, I just want to make sure you don't betray me." I laughed louder. "Everything is falling into place. And soon, my queen," I kissed (_your name_)'s cheek, "we shall have a wonderful kingdom of darkness."

Author's Note: Yes, there is a sequel, but there other stories that connect to this. The story that follows this is Jack's and Toothiana's. After that is Bunny, but I did them in the wrong order, so I have to finish Toothiana's and Jack's. But if you don't mind go ahead to Frozen Dreams.