(Pitch's POV)

I sat under a tree in a dark forest. I sighed quietly to myself, hoping the man in the moon wouldn't hear me, but at the same time I didn't care. My desires fought and clashed against each other, making me long for (_your name_)'s touch more. She couldn't stop this insane battle, but she calmed it. One side would win and the feud would be over for a while. I sighed again.

Clap. My head snapped up. Clap. I looked around and found Cupid walking towards me. She continued clapping until she was with an arm-length in front of me.

She smiled at me. "How's the little Nightmare King doing?" Her smiled stayed, but her eyes narrowed.

I rolled my eyes. "What have you done?"

She raised a brow. "Me? I haven't done anything. I'm merely observing remember?" Her wings faintly appeared as she flew to a rock near me and sat on it.

I glared at her. "Well now I'm changed. It's like..." I sighed.

"Go on. This is a part of the experiment." She crossed her legs. "Need to hear what's going on."

"Well, it's like I need her to stop the war going on inside of me."

Cupid slightly tilted her head. "The fearling you and the loving you?"

"Yes." I placed my elbows on my knees. "It's like she has some sort of power over both sides. She stops it for a while." I looked at Cupid.

Cupid grinned. "Go on."

"This is crazy." I shook my head. "There is no way I'm in love or that love will stop me from being the Nightmare King."

Cupid sighed. "That's not what this is about. Although I don't know if love can do that, that isn't what this is about. I am here to see if you can be with the one you love. To see if even the powerful Nightmare King can love and be loved."

I glared at her. "I'M NOT SOME TOY! IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU WANTED TO KNOW YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED YOUR MISSION! SO BE ON YOUR WAY!" She was mocking me and was tired of it.

She instantly glared back at me. "ARE YOU STUPID? I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU! I'M SO TIRED OF MY ARROWS GLOWING BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR GIRL!"

Ice shot between us. Our heads turned to the direction of its origin.

"Jack Frost," Cupid gasped.

Frost grinned at her. "Does every beautiful girl know my name?"

Cupid glared at him and instantly aimed her arrow. Her wings were glowing red and spread widely behind her.

Frost's eyes widened at her. "You're with Pitch? I thought you were one of us!" His furrowed brows showed every sign of betrayal.

"I'm with no one. Now, what do you want? Pitch hasn't done anything."

Frost laughed. "So you say, but I was there the first night he let his fearlings parade through a town and destroy every dream they saw." His glare grew soft. "Cupid, please don't fight me. The guardians are on their way and darkness is not a guaranteed win."

I laughed. "Oh, Jack, but it's always there." I laughed and made a giant shadow below us.

We arrived at my old lair. Jack fell to the floor and Cupid flew away with his staff. She hovered above him, grinning as if this moment was one she was waiting for.

Jack looked up at Cupid. "Cupid! Why?"

She looked down at him with heavy eyes. "Because love has become a mockery in the world."

"What?" His brows furrowed.

I jabbed Frost with the bottom of my scythe. I pressed down on his chest to keep him on his back. "Poor Jack, it seems you're all tied up now." I grinned.

Jack glared at me. "So now what? Cupid and you are going to take over the world with fear and..." His eyes widened. His globes shifted betwen Cupid and I as if he just entered the world. "Fear and love?"

"What?" I laughed.

His eyes widened more. "You love that girl! That's why you..."

I pressed the scythe down a bit more. "I love no one."

He clutched the scythe, trying to lift it up, but to no avail. "Then why is Cupid here?"

She landed beside Jack. "Try to think rationally, Jack. After all this is the Nightmare King we're talking about." She held his staff against her shoulder. "And like I said before, I'm on no one's side." She clutched the hood of his sweater and threw him across the room into a cage. She slammed the cage closed as I laughed. She smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Jack, but the guardians are pesky brats that don't understand what it's like to have people mock them. You've only known what it's like not to be believed in. But you'll never know what it's like to have the belief in you mocked." She flew towards me with a face that revealed she was torn. It was like she didn't want to lock Jack up, but she was forced to.

"Cupid!" Jack held his hand out to her. "No! Cupid, please!" He pressed his face against the cage in desparation in reaching out to her. "You're making a mistake. Cupid!" His lip twitched as his eyes grew big.

Her face was facing me, but the back of her head was facing him. She landed in front of me, her eyes closed tightly as if to block out his plea. She opened them. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She looked at me. "Get me out of here." She smiled.

I looked at Jack, whose eyes were widen and glued to Cupid. His mouth was open and he was slowly shaking his head. I grinned at him. "With pleasure, Cupid." I enlarged my shadow on the floor.

"Cupid!"

The shadow engulfed us and took us to the arctic.

Cupid closed her eyes tightly, slowly shaking her head. She took a deep breath and opened them. "Thanks, Pitch." She smiled and placed a piece of parchment in my hand.

"Cupid."

She stopped.

"The last time I saw (_your name_), was it you that manipulated her voiced to summon me?"

She nodded, then sighed. "Well I have to go do what I do and hope for the best. I'll leave you to the second step towards your happy ending."

"My happy ending?"

"With your darkened world AND love of your life." She summoned her wings, wide and golden-white. "I'll see you later." She flew off.

I placed my hand on my chest. I felt my heart beating faster than normal, but from what I couldn't tell. "Second step? When did I complete the first?" I looked at the piece of parchment Cupid gave me.

Piece of advice: Keep your promises.

My eyes narrowed. "What promise?"

I heard the screams of children echo in my head. I grinned widely, but frowned when I heard (_your name_) speak my name. It wasn't terror, but it was just as enticing. I was torn on what to do, so I summoned a few fearlings to scare off the children. I walked into the shadow of (_your name_)'s room.

She smiled at me as I stepped toward her. "You kept your promise." She leaped from her bed into my arms. It was like she broke through a wall of water and could finally breathe again.

My breath stilled and I embraced her, playing with a strand of her hair. "Yes, sweetheart." I looked into her eyes as I wrapped the strand of hair around my finger. "After all, I'm not truly the master of fear unless I can manipulate the truth.

Her dark room made her eyes gentle and elegantly darker.

I stroked her hair and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I cupped the back of her head and pulled her body against mine. Our lips locked and embraced each other. I ran my other hand down to the small of her back as we shared more kisses.

I pulled back, allowing her to breathe and slowly a strand of her hair up to my lips. I kissed it and walked over to her bed.

I smiled at her. "Is it proper for a girl like you to intertwine with the boogie man?"

She grinned. "Who said I wasn't dark?"

I grinned back at her. "The nightmare I gave you?"

She shrugged. "I know what kind of person you are." She walked over to me, our eyes locking and her forehead pressing against mine. "The only question is: do you think I'm strong enough to face him?"

I smiled. "Of course, sweet heart." I pulled her onto her bed and held myself over her. "I think the real question is," I softly traced her skin from her neck to her ear with my lip and kissed her ear. My hand softly stroked her cheek. I whispered, "are you ready to have nightmares with me?"