Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Church of Bones	By : LuciferDragon Category: +M through R > Rise of the Guardians Views: 1334 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Rise of the Guardians world, and I make no profit at all from this fiction. All in good fun.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
And this is where the story ends. I'll keep posting one shots in the "Where it All Began" fic as they come, but I will be mainly switching my focus to my new project, an original series called the Hellhound Chronicles. I thank you all for the support through this, and for loving Hana and Drago's characters so much.

Update 1/12/2014: There is another story that I've started, called "Show Me That Glasgow Smile", set eight years after this one. Be sure to look for it, and thank you for being amazing readers. Reviews are still lovely, as well as favorites. I like knowing what effect I've had on you guys, good or bad. :)

Epilogue
"Dad, did you see that? Oh wow, they're still running!"
"There's more coming this way. You'd best prepare for them."
Drago nodded and resumed his place in the tree of a park children were occasionally cutting through on their excursions that Halloween. Even after he hid himself I could still faintly hear the screams of his last victims.
I observed from the playground out of sight, having just found the two after my last full rounds. My Shadowbats were keeping the rest of the world in check, as they usually did, leaving the rest of my Halloween night open. I smiled in pride as Drago emerged from the shadows of the tree trunk while a group of kids around his age passed by. They were ogling their loot for the night, discussing trading options when they returned home. Once they saw the shadows move from the tree and growl at them, they each screamed and ran the opposite direction.
I gripped on the vertical bar next to me as Pitch spoke to my right. "You've been quiet the past two days. Usually if I make a quip you're down my throat this time of year. The last time you were this quiet you were pregnant with Drago and too terrified to tell me." I looked at him with a bemused smirk. "You're pregnant again, aren't you?"
I shoved at his shoulder as he sat down next to me on the lower platform of the jungle gym. "Despite how oh-so careful we are, no, I'm not." I smiled at his chuckle, keeping my sight on Drago. "There are some things no one bothered to mention I'd go through as a mom."
"Not everyone has the exciting lives we do."
I listened to Drago laugh as he played pranks on a group of girls, plucking one's cat ears from her head. "I don't know about you, but I'm good without the excitement for awhile. A hundred years of silence would be nice." I hefted one of my legs up onto the platform, hugging it and resting my chin to my knee. "How did you do it?"
"What?"
"Be a military father? Be away from your family all the time in wars, not knowing if you'd see them again."
He didn't answer right away. The group of girls below the tree Drago was in were braver than the boys so far, and were chattering rushed and high amongst themselves as to what sort of spooky thing was happening to it and trying to rationalize it. "I didn't."
I frowned and saw he had cast his gaze forward as well. "What do you mean?"
"I didn't cope well with it. I just hid it very well. An enemy cannot know your weakness. We saw why not with him." His eyes flicked down. "Every time I had to leave was like a small death. None of us liked it, but it was our duty. There was always some miniscule chance the battles would come home, but we were more at risk in the stars than the families." He shifted a bit. "I became reckless when I thought them both dead. If the past has shown me anything, it's that I never would be able to handle something like that again. I couldn't survive that again." He put an arm around my shoulder, tipping me into him. "This life did teach me to expect anything in the ways of parenting."
"I don't think something like this was in that manual though."
"There's a manual?"
I pressed my face into his neck and let out an amused groan. "Don't I wish?" I looked back at Drago as the girls screamed and parted while he slithered out in a form most similar to a black snake. All but one, that is. I frowned and sat up straight as the girl fell on her ass in fear. "Something's up."
"He's a grown boy. He can handle it." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though we could slip closer to hear how he does so."
We shifted closer through the shadows and hid behind another close by tree. We kept silent and still as Drago shifted back to his solid state and offered to help the girl.
She frowned at his body and hesitantly took his hand. "Aren't you a little young to be the Boogeyman?"
Drago chuckled remarkably like his father. "No, but I am young enough to be his son." Once she was back on her feet, he shook her hand like a gentleman. "I'm Drago Black. I'm sorry for scaring you. It's just…" He shrugged. "Well, it's what the Black family does."
I gave a soft hum of approval, even though I didn't exactly share the last name.
"My name is Chloe Hunter. And, ah," she looked around while she adjusted her cat costume, making me realize she was the one he had taken the ears from, "between, you and me, I wasn't that scared."
He grinned. "You were too. I felt it. You fell for real." His grin faded and he became puzzled. "Are all girls like you?"
I heard Pitch groan and I put my hand to my eyes. There was our son, the smooth operator. Nothing like his father in that department. More like me the night I absorbed a bit too much fear and I tried to roll off of Pitch to get under him and in my hazed state, rolled right off the bed. That kind of smooth operator was what our son was.
Chloe looked at him as if he had two heads, but still laughed. "You're a strange one, aren't you? Don't you talk to humans much?"
"Not really, no."
Her expression faded to a sly grin. "Ever talk to a girl human before?"
"N-not that I can recall."
I almost wanted to laugh at my son's face as it turned from confused to petrified in an instant as the girl got closer to his still form.
"That's a shame," she said. "You really should look me up when you grow up a bit more, Drago." She bent and kissed his cheek, leaving an imprint of black lipstick on his ashen cheek. Before he could comprehend what had happened, she grabbed her bag and retreated to where her friends had started to call out for her, a slight giggle fading away with her.
We stood behind him as he still tried to grasp what had happened. "She seemed nice," I said, crossing my arms. Drago jumped and turned around. "So when do we meet her parents?"
His skin flushed as his moonshadow escaped the tree as well. "S-she's just a stupid girl." He rubbed at his cheek roughly with his sweater as the shadow circled overhead. "No offense, Mom."
"None taken. That is, of course, if you head off to bed without argument. It's almost dawn in Italy."
He started to groan and immediately stopped at my arched brow. We mounted up on the horses once they had been called and a portal had been opened to the Void. He looked back once more. "What town was that?"
Pitch let out an amused chuckled and looked back to the boy. "Warner, North Carolina. Why? Planning on making a Nightmare run through the town?"
Drago huffed and urged Bellini forward. "No. Of course not. I just had fun there the most tonight is all. I'd like to go back some time."
"Of course you would."
I shook my head, not addressing the issue. We returned to the lair with no mishaps, and Drago went to bed without complaint. It still felt weird to leave him on his own again, but it had been almost two weeks since we had brought him back from the Lamadary. It had also been almost two weeks since the last time I had slept properly, and the first time I had felt at ease. The moment I got the chance, I would sleep very well. However, I wasn't ready to end Halloween just yet.
I grinned as Pitch's arm snaked around my waist. "Halloween is still only half over on the other side of the world," he said. "Enough time to do a few scares just the two of us."
I hummed in amusement as I led us in the direction of our room up a set of stone staircases. "But that requires us going back out." I bit my lip and glanced back at the door as he turned the light off inside. "And I don't want to leave him here." I knew he had plenty of protection in the lair, and he was in no immediate danger anymore, but still…
He understood but didn't stop our pace. "We don't have to go anywhere to enjoy Halloween alone."
I gave him a mischievous smirk. "You do still owe me a night. Perfect night as any to cash it in."
"Before all that though, I have something for you." He kept stride as he pulled a familiar piece of leather from his coat. Something silver caught in the little bit of light we got in the main halls.
My breath caught in my throat as we stopped outside our room. "My collar?"
"Not exactly. It's the same idea, but different leather. I went and found the skull while you were sleeping one day."
I lifted my hair and let him put it back on, fastening the knots so they would never pull out. I had missed the feel of having my throat wounds covered. And I had missed my skull. I looked at it and let it rest against my clavicle. "So is it still the first gift you've given me, or the latest?"
He let out an amused huff. "We'll say it's a refurbished gift." He let us inside and I almost wanted to forgo all other plans and sink into the cool sheets to sweet blissful sleep.
I watched him move to tend to the fireplace and I fidgeted in place as something nagged at me from before. "Hey, earlier, when you asked if I was pregnant?" I waited for him to acknowledge the question with a noise. "You didn't seem angry."
"I wouldn't have been if you were. But I'm not upset that you're not. One is more than enough for right now, so we've seen in our case." He stood from the fireplace. "Maybe in a few more years. Not now." He motioned for me to follow him to the bed. "For now, nothing else matters. No kids, no Guardians, no zombies, nothing."
I put my legs slightly around his as he stood at the foot of the bed. I grinned as he cupped my face and kissed me gently. "Nothing but this."
"Exactly."
I pushed on his chest with both hands, sending him to his back as I sat over his hips, feeling a mix of a mild fear high and the rush of power from All Hallows. "I think I can live with that."
He purred and rolled us over with ease. "Who said I wanted you in control now?"
I fought his hold, seeing his playful grin. "I did. Now get on your back and do as you're told."
He growled in amusement. "Only if you do it first."
I managed to roll him again, but he kept up the momentum, both of us not thinking. We ended up on the rug, pulling the sheets with us. Now we both had the grace of our son. We burst out laughing as the moment of play fighting vanished. He held on to me, cackling apologies while I did the same. We didn't move even after the laughter vanished. "We're alright, aren't we?"
"As much as we'll ever be. Dysfunctional as always, to the point of being somewhat functional."
I elbowed his ribs and leaned up, feeling the urge to sleep overruling the ache for sex, as kinky and sexy as I knew it would be. "I'll pounce you when I'm awake again. I can't do this much longer." I crawled into bed, not caring it was his side we had fallen from. Nor did I care I was still fully dressed.
I heard him sigh before he took my arms and forced me up. "I know how to use that computer you have in the den. Not like I'll die without another night of sex." I saw him roll his eyes and I knew he was kidding. He helped me sit up and asked where my nightgown had been thrown earlier.
I got undressed while he found it and tossed it to me. I put it on and took off my pants, once again collapsing on his side.
"I'll have none of that." He rolled me over despite my whine of protest, but he made it up to me by tossing the blankets back over the bed.
The moment the sheets enveloped me I drifted off to sleep, the first real, unassisted sleep in awhile. In the darkness of my mind, I felt the pull of a familiar presence. I let it lead me to an image of clarity, a creation of his doing, not mine. My breath caught in my throat and I pressed my hands together, covering my nose and mouth in surprise. He had brought us to Sedlec again, underneath the chandelier.
"I'd like to take you back now that everything is as it should be again." He shrugged and gave a flippant gesture with his arm. "Then again, if it would be too much for you—"
I didn't let him finish as I hugged him, throwing him off. "I'd love to go back. There's so many stories to learn."
It always made him chuckle at my enthusiasm to learn the tales of those who had died. Human lives were fascinating when examined through the years, and seeing how much has changed. Living through the progress, you don't notice it. When you lived for as long as you could survive, years melded together. Trends and art and music and cultures overall.
It was probably why we were so comfortable around each other. It had been so long, we knew how the other worked and thought most of the time. We still argued, of course. We were far from perfect, and could be stubborn at times. There were points even two hundred, three hundred years ago where we would take a year away from each other to remember what we had. The nights we would meet again after a year had passed…
He smirked, and I forgot he could read my thoughts easier when our dreams were synced. "Yes, I remember the necessary breaks. You can't expect to have two vile beings living together without going at each other's throats from time to time. Then again, you'd still bruise my throat when we'd come together again."
I met his smirk, poking my tongue between my teeth. It was the only place on his body that bruised without me fearing I would bite clear through his skin. I was many things, but a cannibal was not one of them. Bits of blood here and there from bites and scratches were one thing but… I could do without whole bits of flesh.
"When was the last time we had one of those breaks? The year break, not the hundred year one."
I frowned, trying to think. "Almost a hundred and fifty, I think." I nodded. "Yes, that had to be it. That was when I found my tower in Germany." I looked up at the bones, spinning in a slow circle to take it all in. "That was one of the lesser return nights, if I remember correctly."
"I wasn't exactly myself at that time."
"Which we don't speak of. Though it only made the morning in the cemetery all the better." He caught my arms and held me still, making me aware of the spinning sensation behind my eyes. "And I don't want another break for awhile." I giggled as he bit the tip of my pointed ear. "You haven't pissed me off enough yet."
"I'm working on it." He must have seen me keep my focus on the bones. "You can't interact with these. I couldn't create a dream world that interactive in such a short time."
I shrugged. "No matter. I get to see the real things soon enough anyway, right?"
He nodded. "Right."
I held on to his arms as he wrapped them around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. "What do we do now?"
"Carry on my wayward son?"
I cracked a grin. "There will be peace when you are done?"
He chuckled. "Lay your weary head to rest."
I started laughing too hard to say my part of the last line to the chorus, letting him finish it alone. "I'm getting delirious even in my dream. I need to sleep." I giggled as he pressed his lips to my exposed neck.
"Fine. I'll take the hint. I may as well start calling you my wife if you're going to make up excuses to not sleep with me."
I elbowed his ribs. "You know, the humans do have a system. If they live together for seven years, they basically are married."
"If that's the case, I've missed a lot of wedding anniversaries, haven't I?"
It was remarkable that I could still feel so giddy after so many centuries. "Yes. You win the award for worst husband ever." I tugged at his hold and groaned when he wouldn't let go. "Come on, Oogie, I'm tired. Stop being a bad man and let your technical wife sleep." It left a weird tingle in my nerves to say such things and I looked back at him. "I know that look."
He shook his head and let me go. "What look?"
"That look where you get a brilliant idea but have to think it over a few times because it could either work or be potentially catastrophic." I crossed my arms. "So what is it and if I don't like it I'll say it was the delirium."
He shrugged. "I was merely pondering if we should just accept the titles at this point. Skip inviting people and stressing and having you mad and throwing things at me when I pissed you off more than normal." He let out a breath of a laugh as I rolled my eyes. "Not like anything would change."
"I suppose it wouldn't." I rubbed my arms. "Is that what you even want? I'm not saying no, but… what about you?"
"What about me? Just because of who I am, I'm not allowed to have a wife to come home to?"
I scoffed and smiled as he slipped his hands over my hips. "Alright then. Hana Black it is."
"In public." He caught my lips with his for a moment. "In private, just to me, Serah Pitchiner."
That went deeper than just accepting his last name. "Isn't that an entirely different story?"
"If you're taking one of my last names, you're taking both of them."
I rolled my eyes and kissed him again. "You're lucky I never liked either one of my last names. Otherwise one of us may have an overinflated ego."
"Oh, is it me?"
I shoved at his shoulders as he cackled. "Just for that I want the biggest diamond you can find."
He scoffed. "There are more meaningful gems out there than diamonds." He shifted me away slightly and held out a hand. In his palm, the image of a beautiful, simple ring showed through. It held one solitary stone, very small, but it didn't need to be any bigger. The stone looked like it had flecks of diamond in it. "Where I come from, there is a mineral called star crystal. The crystals are very delicate and hard to cut. They're not rare, but they're not common either. They were used for personal gifts, marriages, births, the same as gems here are. It just means more than 'I wasn't sure what to find you'. These were purchased when you wanted to tell someone you loved them, and truly meant it." He nodded down at the ring. "This I had made when I was first married. I keep both rings hidden away." He closed his palm, and I wasn't sure what to say. "I can find them again."
"I couldn't…" I took his closed hand. "A crystal would be wonderful, but I couldn't take the ring that belonged to her. It wouldn't feel right."
He nodded, seeming to understand. He smirked. "Besides, we don't need pieces of old jewelry to let the world know, right?"
I nodded too. "Anyone objects, we send them on a loop of endless nightmares." He seized up and I got worried. "Oogie?"
"I may or may not have left Death in that cell on a loop of endless nightmares." He looked around innocently. "I also may or may not have forgotten about her."
I stood there stunned for a moment before I burst out laughing again, holding my sides. The karma. I couldn't handle it. "I-I think we can worry about her in a few more hours. Not like it'll be the death of her." I started laughing harder. "Before you bombard me with more good news, I'm going back to my dreams. I promise I will ride you into the ground once the sun sets."
He let me keep going. "I'll hold you to that, my lovely wife, or I'll hold you to the nearest solid object and make sure we're both satisfied."
I couldn't stop the stupid grin that took over my face as I kept my back to him, my hands folded behind my back. "Sounds like a date, my terrifying husband."
His cackle faded out as I parted the combined dreams, retreating into my own to get the sleep I had been needing for days.
When I woke, the room was empty, and the fireplace had died down. I stretched out, but retracted my limbs when I felt something on my neck. I smiled as I held the intrusive object, seeing the very old ruby he had brought home as a gift one night. On the table beside me, a note was propped up. I took it and sat up.
I know we had a date, but I've gone to release Deidra from the nightmares. I think she's learned her lesson. I'll break the news to her as gently as I can— which translated to he was going to make sure she had no excuses to continue her useless pursuits— but you know how she is.
I know you didn't want diamond or star crystals, so this is the best you're getting for now. Give me some time and I'll find something that suits us best. And yes, I kept it. I wasn't about to let go of a gem like that. For more than the worth, of course.
I've taken Drago with me so you can catch up on your sleep. You'll need it for tonight.
I chuckled at the note and stretched out again, retreating under the comfort of the blankets again. All the events the past few weeks had put strain on me that I hadn't even noticed before. I stared at the ruby, stroking the smooth surface while I eased my mind again. He was right. It didn't change a thing. And for that, I was glad. The next thing I knew I had drifted off, welcoming the last thing of peace I needed.

"I think you killed her, Dad."
"Nonsense. She'll be fine."
"She looks dead."
"She's fine… ish." I looked at the pale mess of a woman on the floor, and then to Drago. "She's fine."
"Dad, she's twitching."
"See, there you go. They're not dead if they're twitching. It'll wear off in an hour or so. She'll be her… lovely self again in no time."
He arched a brow at me. "Have you done this before?"
"Would you look at the time? Maybe we can find that girlfriend of yours."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to find Aunt Clara. At least she's nice."
I chuckled as he stalked by. "Of course. Until you mention you found a human girl you like."
He exited into the hall, grumbling things under his breath. I crossed my arms with an amused smirk.
"Everything is fine," I muttered. I glanced back at Death and called up one of my Nightmares, a large one. "Don't do anything. Just stand there. That should be enough to seal the deal." The Nightmare nickered and did as I said while I exited into the corridor as well. I took in a deep breath of satisfaction, closing the door behind me. It was a new beginning. A fresh start for us all. I smirked and started to hum Kansas as I followed my son's path upstairs keeping to the shadows.
There were a lot of people in the world to be scared if we were going to start anew. I had more inspiration than ever for ways to draw out the humans' dreams. To make them fear for their lives.
While it was true what I said, nothing would change, I had lied. They could have their peace. I would have my nightmares and dread. She wouldn't change who I was as the Boogeyman, but she had changed who I was as a man. That little remaining humanity ended up being my greatest advantage. By being able to understand why something was scary, it made it all the more glorious when it pulled through. In the long run, that was what mattered. I didn't have to explain myself or defend myself to her or to my son. And I would protect that with my life.
- 22
- 23
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Church of Bones