I watched (_your name_) sleep in my arms, occasionally playing with her hair. Then I heard a quiet knock on the door.

My eyes narrowed as I slowly got up. I realized the knock was coming from the front door. I rolled my eyes when I saw that there wasn't any peeping hole, so I opened the door.

Cupid grinned. "Lovely wasn't it?"

I glared at her when I realized what she meant. "We didn't have sex. I respect her way more than that."

"Oh. You really are a king." Cupid smiled and walked to the table of fruits. "Then, this might make it easier." She placed a golden cup on the table and poured a dark, thick liquid into it.

"That smells strange. What is it?" I stepped closer, laughing. "A potion to make (_your name_) invisible to the guardians?"

"This is an antidote for aging." Cupid smirked. "Since day one, I figured you may just want it to be with each other forever, so I started looking for this."

"You're really annoying, you know that?" I snarled at her.

"Yes, I do." Cupid smiled. "Now since this is blood it will only be good for so long. Meaning, she has to drink it soon, if she is to be with you forever and immortal. The only way she can be ripped from your arms is if someone kills her."

"You're lying to me aren't you?"

"Why would I do that when we've come this far?"

"Why would blood stop her aging?"

"Because it's the blood of a mermaid."

My eyes widened. "The only mermaids that exist are--"

"On Sandy's island." She grinned. "Pitch, the guardians don't know a lot about folklore, but you can bet they know a lot about death. They'll know one of us has murdered the girl."

"So if (_your name_) drinks that--"

"She'll be with you forever."

"If she is with me forever--"

"She can't return to her old life. No one would believe anything she said."

I sighed. "You're pretty much asking me to take her away from the world she once lived in?"

"I'm not asking you. Simply showing you the option." Cupid shrugged. "There's this thing called choice."

"I know what it's called." I raked my hair back.

Slowly I recalled how many times she asked me to take her away from her own world. How she enjoyed dancing with me, and her fears slowly leaving her. I looked back at the room she was in, recalling how much I needed her.

But if she's with you, that wretched light will stay with you.

I sighed.

"War still going on?" Cupid sat in a chair. "If you want you can leave it up to her. After all, it is her life."

"I can't do that. I'm too selfish and cruel. I don't give people choices, I give them whatever I want."

Cupid rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Her."

Cupid clasped her hands. "Then it's settled."

"What if she hates me after she drinks it?" 

Cupid shrugged. "Do you really think she'll hate you?" 

My shoulders lowered. "I don't know. She could. There's always a possibility. After all, I am taking her old life from her." 

Cupid slapped me. "Look at you. You're not the Nightmare King anymore. The Pitch I was told about constantly boasted about how strong he was. How he could get anything he wanted and would without thinking twice about it." 

My eyes widened. I looked at Cupid's angry red eyes. 

"You love her right?" 

I glared. "Of course I do." 

"Then give her the drink. She loves you for you. The Nightmare King. The Boogieman at worst! If she had the chance of hating you, she would've hated you day one of meeting you, but look she followed. You gave her a nightmare and she continues to wrap her arms around you. And now you're going to let a little fear get the best of you." 

I grabbed Cupid's neck and held her against the wall. "Thank you, Cupid. You're completely right. I am the Boogieman. I am the king of nightmares, and I'm not going to let fear get the best of me." I laughed. "In fact, I will get the best of fear." 

Cupid smiled as she struggled and pointed at the cup. "That's what I'm here to observe. The Nightmare King with a queen at his side." 

I laughed as I let her go, kicking her. "It's all so clear now."

Cupid struggled to get up and walk to the table. She held the cup up and placed it back on the table before she flew out. 

"Pitch?" (_your name_) stepped into the room, wiping her eyes. "What's going on?"

My thoughts fell as I looked at her, so I closed the window. "I've simply regained my spark as the Nightmare King is all." I smiled as I pulled out the chair in front of the cup. "And I've been thinking about your future as my Nightmare Queen."

Her eyes widened as she grinned. "Really? I mean, I knew you did last night, but the aging thing is taken care of?"

I put some fruit on a plate in front of the cup. "Only if you wish it, my dear."

She smiled as she sat down in the chair. "So I simply wish it?" She placed a grape in her mouth.

"Simple as that." I grinned as I sat down in a chair. "That's all you have to do."

She ate some more fruit, swallowing quickly to reply. "How did you do that?"

"I'm the Nightmare King." I rolled my eyes. "And Cupid decided to help me with it."

 "What's this?" (_your name_) pointed at the cup. "It smell strange, but not a bad strange."

I grinned taking the cup. "I'll put some grapes into it, if you'd like."

She took the cup from me. "No it's fine." She kissed my cheek. "I was just wondering what is was because of the smell."

"Ha, yeah. I questioned the smell too."

"The way it looks completely contradicts the smell. It smells like fruits and ocean, but it looks... deadly." She raised the cup to her lips.

I heard her take two sips before she put the cup down. She moved away from the cup like she was afraid of it.

"Pitch?" She looked at me with wide eyes, and I returned the same look to her. "What's going on?" She placed her hands on her stomach. "Something feels weird... like something is in my veins." Her eyes were becoming heavy.

I ran to her side and held her up. "(_your name_)?!"

Her eyes were closed and she barely managed to reply. "What's happening to me?" her breathing slowed.

I picked her up and carried her to the water at the base of the waterfall. I put some of the golden water in her face. "(_your name_), wake up!"

She didn't respond. Her eyes didn't even wince.

"(_your name_)?..."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Pitch."

I turned to face Cupid. "You! You lied!" I gently placed (_your name _) on the floor.

Cupid frantically shook her head. "No, I--"

I grabbed her neck. "I don't want to hear it! You've messed with me for the last time!"

Cupid struggled. "But, Pitch, she--"

I tightened my grip. "Is dead because of you! I should've known you were lying. No one wants to help the Nightmare King out of generosity!"

"She's alive!"

I threw Cupid against a tree. "Don't lie to me! Look at her!" I pointed at (_your name_).

"She's sleeping!" Cupid massaged her neck. "I didn't want her to go through the painful process of being immortal." She fixed her scarf.

"What?" I looked back at (_your name_).

Cupid stood up. "I know you can't see it, but right now, her body is transforming for her immortality."

My eyes widened. "So she can be like us. Frozen in time, but not truly frozen."

Cupid nodded. "To them it's painful. I'm not the man in the moon, so this is best I can do."

I sighed, picking up (_your name_).

"She'll wake up soon. Don't worry." Cupid's wings transparently appeared as she flew to the door of her house, opening it. "Just watch over her until then."

I looked at (_your name_), softly kissing her lips. I carried her back to the bed she slept on in Cupid's house. I sat next to the bed as she slept. I stroked her cheek whenever she tossed or turned.

Cupid sat in a chair next to a window. Her head was lowered and her eyes were closed. Eventually, Cupid lifted up her head and spoke to me. "Hey, Pitch."

"What do you want?" My eyes never left (_your name_).

"You really do care about her, don't you? Even though you have a war you're facing inside yourself, you somehow hunger for her. She's all you really want."

"Yes, but there's no such thing as getting rid of the fearling side of me. It's difficult to look into her eyes as I wish to because then I see her light, and then I want to crush it." I sighed. "The fearlings devoured my soul, and I can no longer be the man I once was."

"The war general."

I nodded. "I find joy in destroying, scaring, and of course the power of fear." I stroked (_your name_)'s hair. "I weild so much power from fear. There is so much I can do. I manipulate people from their fear. That's how I knew how to crush Jack using you." 

"What?"

"I heard his fear. He was afraid that you really did side with me. He wanted you to leave with him, back to the guardians." I rolled my eyes. "I'm simply a bad man that hears people's fear and unleashes it to them."

"And yet true love exists for you far more than an average human I see on the street... I'm satisfied now."

"Satisfied?"

"Yes, I just wanted to see if you could have a queen and not change your objectives. Now, I know. That's all I need. My observations here are done."

"Well I never--" I turned to face Cupid, but she was gone.

I turned back to (_your name_) her eyes winced and she began waking up. "Pitch?" Her eyes were barely open. "What happened?"

I smiled, taking her hand. "You and I will be together now... Forever." I blinked. "But you can't return to your world."

She sat up, placing a hand on my cheek. "That's fine." She grinned, sitting herself on my lap and wrapping her arms around me. Closing my eyes, I pressed her body against me. I kissed from her neck to the top of her breast. I laid her on the bed, smothering every inch of my body against her. I lightly nibbled on her ear, slowly caressing her sides.

She raked my back and grabbed some of my hair. "I hated that place anyway. It didn't suit me." She lifted my head up and kissed me.

Our eyes locked and her eyes had a darker tint. I smiled and kissed her lips. "Then you'll love our home, my queen."