A/N: I bet y'all thought I was dead. Well I'm not. Hah.

So...I'll be honest, I don't know if i'll finish this, an idea fresh and new fell in my mind like the Texas snow this year, and I just felt like getting this out...so let me know guys. The whole RotGxHTTYD fandom has died down a bit, but do you all want me to keep going with this?

It was fun to try and dish this idea out. Thank you guys, for being so supportive for my very first fanfic ever back in the day.

Takk fyrir.

So without further-ado, I give you, the sequel to A Nightmare's Blessing...


The Boy and the Beast

Jack Frost and Bunnymund traveled through one of the rabbit's tunnels to Jamie's home. They knew that by now the old man would have already gathered his granchildren. Once a month they partook in a ritual that none of them quite knew why they enacted. Perhaps it was because they felt indebted. Perhaps there was lingering guilts about the events of the past. Or maybe the played out this yearly act because the truly was fascinating.

The pair popped up out of the ground, landing on the soft dirt of Jamie Bennett's back yard. How it was that the man continued into adulthood with his belief of they—the spirits—was awe inspiring. He bore scrutiny from his neighbors and even his coworkers. Still it did not deter him. Not one bit. It made spirits like Jack grateful to have an adult on their side. A child's belief was strong, but a adult's—whose knowledge in them was supposed to be nonexistent—that was miraculous.

"Jamie, they're here!" The lilting feminine voice cried out before a blur of salt-and-pepper blonde hair and bright green eyes rushed out of the house and attacked he Australian rabbit next to the winter sprite.

"Sof!" Bunnymund gasped in surprise before returning the hug to his friend. He held her, soft fur covering her shoulders and neck. "Weren't you supposed to stay at home with your little anklebiters?"

"I brought them here for the story," she chirped happily pulling away and tugging at his paw. "This is something I don't often get to see."

"It's something you shouldn't see at all, Miss Sof," Jack Frost joked, giving her an amiable nod as she led them into the house.

The young woman stuck out her tongue in a jovial manner before closing the door behind the two. In an instant the sound of squealing children blasted their hearing, assaulting them like sharp, acrylic nails to a chalkboard. The two males cringed but bore the sounds with skewed smiles. Crouching down, the Guardian of Fun opened his arms wide, hollering just as loudly back at the young children. A hoard—only five, actually—of small children, ranging from a wobbly crawling tot to a haphazardly running tike. Crashing into the white haired boy, the kids squealed in excitement as they received affection from their doting Guardian.

Sof and Bunnymund huddled close to each other, snorting and laughing at the young ones on the floor.

"Oh come on kids! I told you not to attack your uncle! It's not good for his old age!" Jamie hollered, hurrying to the hallway with his lips drawn in a smirk.

Jack sat up, and with arms full of children, stood. "Old age? Old age! Hah! Old age my as—"

"Language," the rabbit in the corner warned, stepping forward to coddle some of the children and free up the winter boy's arms.

"Your one to talk," Jack rolled his eyes as he walked forward to his first friend and clasped hands with the man. "Jamie. It's good to see you again."

"Long time no see, Jack Frost," the man's expression relaxed and became more genuine in its mirth. He tugged the Guardian along, urging his sister and the Pookah to follow him to the living room. Once he had assembled everyone into the room, he doled out blankets and pillows, making sure the little ones were comfortable for the long tale that would take up most of the day.

"Aw, we don't get nothing?" Jack asked when he watched the adult return to his recliner.

Jamie waved his hand dismally, rolling his eyes. "The story tellers are supposed to be uncomfortable, Jack."

"C'mon uncle Jack!" the oldest of the children pleaded. "Story time, right?"

Bunnymund chuckled and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and leaning forward. His ears perked and his green eyes glinted with eagerness. A small chuckle bubbled from his chest.

"You kids are persistent, ain't ya?" he grinned, nodding his head. "Very well, if you must know the story. Then I'm the one to tell it! Gather around young'uns, let me regale something that happened long ago."

"Actually, it wasn't that long ago at all!" Jack piped up, sitting down next to the Guardian of Hope. "I wonder why stories always start that way."

The Pookah shot the boy a look that said 'shut it' before continuing one. "Anyways, the story begins right here in Pennsylvania. As you know, it is a center point for all us Guardians and spirits. Our origins tie us all pretty closely to this very spot."

"Especially me," Jack added, jabbing his thumb against his chest. "That's because our leader, the Man in the Moon picked me from this very town...well most likely."

"This ain't about you, pipe down you wanker," Bunnymund's brow scrunched together as he became frustrated. Dear MiM they would never finish this story.

"Actually, a lot of it is," Jack raspberried, outstretching his arms and grabbing one of the toddlers and pulling them into his lap, tickling their belly. "You see, at the time, Man in the Moon decided that with the rise of an evil villain, he would need to choose a new Guardian to defeat him. Naturally he chose the bravest, kindest, funnest, most good look of all the spirits—"

"Alright, alright, alright, don't make yourself float away balloon head," the rabbit sighed in exasperation, his ears twitching when Jamie and Sof laughed mischievously. "The Man in the Moon gathered all of us Guardians to defeat the self-proclaimed Nightmare King. The fight was fierce. We were brave and true, and while we did struggle through rough patches, it's clearly accurate to say that we were Man in the Moon's true successors—honest to protect everything that our dear leader would hope for us to protect. While the Nightmare King, sinister Pitch Black, was not.

"He was cruel and vicious. In no way did he uphold any of the values that Man in the Moon—his oldest friend—considered precious. With the cunning of a fox and the ferocity of a caged wolf pressed for time, Pitch assaulted everything we the Guardians stand for. In the neck and neck battle, he almost won too."

Nodding, Jack raised his hands in an almost chastising way. "But in a stroke of good faith," he casted a grateful glance before continuing. "Pitch Black was defeated and even banished into the body of a dragon for fifty years. When he returned, he was not the same."

"After that, Man in the Moon had decided it was time once again decided that it was high time to choose a new Guardian. He needed to decide however, what sort of Guardian he wished to bestow. As he already had gifted Wonder, Hope, Memory, Dreams, and lastly Fun. Once he decided, he had to choose which spirit would be his newest addition. Of course the candidate would have to be fair, honorable, and strong." Bunnymund crossed his arms over his puffed up chest.

Tilting his head back in amusement, Jack Frost snorted. "However, the candidate that MiM chose surprised everyone. He was tall and shaggy, with the appearance of a starved shadow, yet the tireless spirit of—that's right, you kiddos guessed it—a dragon."

"Pitch Black was not the ideal option," the rabbit exhaled almost in disappointment. "While reformed greatly, the idiot's character was a different story. He was still rough around the edges, crude and often selfish."

The children oohed and leaned forward in their seats, their little bodies squirming with excitement and energy. Giving each other knowing glances, the two adults smiled slowly. They had been hearing this story for the past ten years since the even had taken place. A lot had forced the Guardians through many trials and many tribulations. Yet here stood two of the most eccentric and excitable of the bunch. Closing his eyes, Jamie decided that this year he would allow Jack and Bunny to hold the reigns completely. Being seventy one years old cut him no slack, and every ounce of his saved up lifespan that he used on his grandchildren, the more drained he felt...as enjoyable as their time was together. From the back of his mind, he could feel his sister shoot him a curious look before it disappeared quickly returning to the the story tellers.

This was the part that always roped in the children.

"That's why Man in the Moon chose another to become a joined guardian with Pitch Black," the Guardian of Hope stated, his eyebrows raised almost conspiratorially.

"Who did he chose who did he chose?" The children squawked, flapping their arms and shaking each other in excitement.

Sharing a look of amusement the two spirits inclined their heads to opposite sides.

"Why, the Nightmare King's son."