Chapter Text
Despite the overwhelming joy and relief that came with being a Guardian and having a believer, Jackie was anxious. Nearly a year after the events that culminated in her current position, distractedly listening to the reports from the other Guardians at the monthly meeting, she was still nervously picking at her hands. It had nothing to do with the ever tumultuous nature of the Unseelie court or the approaching end of winter in the Northern hemisphere. Rather, her anxieties rested deep in the Antarctic, in the black spires of ice.
Jackie managed to avoid the usual trivia regarding her work, the others assuming pressure from the seasonal work resulted in her clipped and succinct report. However, she did manage to catch the Sandman’s attention before he departed to spread his golden sand once again.
After timidly requesting his help, while picking at the loose threads on her hoodie, she managed to release a deep sigh of relief. Quickly grabbing the Sandman’s hand, Jackie relied on the wind to whisk the two away to the opposite end of the Earth. They alit upon the glacial landscape a dozen feet from the base of the largest spire.
Revulsion bit at the back of her throat, “You see why I needed you to come with me?” She looked back at Sandy only to stop short at the confusion evident on his face. Jackie was quiet for a few moments before it struck her - “I never did tell you guys where I was after the Warren was attacked!”
Sandy seemed to agree with the statement judging by the multiple exclamation points floating above his head. “Well I kinda had a run-in with Pitch after I fled-” the exclamation points multiplied and she was quick to continue the story before his panic spiral led out of control. “I mean nothing really bad happened, I swear. I tried to send ice his wavy and he blocked me with his sand, that’s why these spires are here. And then you know he tried to convince me to join him- but you have to believe me I would never!”
She was pacing back and forth now, gesturing rapidly with her hands and her staff. “So I guess he figured he needed to get me out of the way,” she sighed at the memory of the frightened little Baby Tooth clenched in Pitch’s hand. “I gave him my staff in exchange for Baby Tooth, bout he didn’t even let her go! He just broke my staff over his knee and dumped it and me into the ice crevice!” She was well and truly worked up now, her hand rubbing at the phantom pain in her chest. “Long story short, she got free, I watched my memories, fixed my staff, and we left. But Sandy I’ve been worried sick about all this nightmare sand! I cant just leave it here and hope it never melts or-”
Her tirade ended short as the Sandman’s hands forced her to look into his eyes while he mimed taking deep breaths. By the time she managed to control her gasping breaths, the growing flurry around them had dissipated once again. Jackie was about to thank Sandy when a his eyes widened and he shoved her behind himself.
She whirled around to the sight of Pitch Black standing once again amongst the spires of frozen nightmare sand. “Oh Jack,” her teeth gritted at the moniker, “I’m so glad to here that I’ve been the root of your delicious fear and anxiety these past months. In fact, your fear right now tastes delicious.” His smile was as horrifying as it was lecherous and obscene.
Jackie shivered at the thought. She went to retort but was interrupted by the appearance of golden whips in the hands of the Sandman.
“Now, now, now dear friend. I have only come to talk to my little Jack. I have no need for your interruptions today,” Pitch waved forward a horde of Nightmares, the sand bursting forth from the spires behind him. The Sandman was instantly bombarded and was forced to drift from Jackie’s side to deal with the onslaught of Nightmares.
Jackie was frozen in place as Pitch stalked towards her. She couldn’t even step back as he loomed over her, “Oh Jackie-girl, you are just saturated in this musky cloud of fear - it’s practically intoxicating.” One hand stroked down the side of her face, before both grasped her throat, stealing her breath.
Jackie was forced to drop her staff in orders to scratch at the hands arresting her ability to breathe. Pitch chuckled darkly, “Did you think I was just going to forget how you humiliated me! I’ve been feeding on your fear, just waiting for the chance at a repeat performance.” He leaned in close so that his breath and his words washed menacingly past her ear, “But this time, Ill make sure you’re broken beyond repair.” With the distant sound of her staff breaking in half under Pitch’s foot, Jackie stumbled backwards, doubled over and clutching at her chest in pain.
Pitch roared in celebration before leaning down to grab a tattered half of her staff and thrusting it through the midsection of the winter spirit.
Jackie weakly grasped at portion of the staff lodged through her stomach where she had collapsed on the ground. She distantly noted Pitch towering over her, before a golden whip flung him away into the wintry landscape. Her vision began to fade as the Sandman rushed to her side. Asa cloud of golden sand lifted her up, Jackie knew no more.