Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN RISE OF THE GUARDIANS! I HAVE NOT AND FIND IT INCREDIBLY DOUBTFUL THAT I EVER WILL.

"Stay away from the edge of the cliffs!" a mother yells at the backs of her two retreating children.

"Be careful," another mother yells on the other side of the world at the backs of her own retreating children.

"We will," her oldest replies and smiles as her younger brother yanks her away to looks for interesting plants in the forest.

"We will" her oldest replies and he smiles as his younger sister yanks him away to so he can teach her to ice skate on the frozen lake.

"JULIANNE," he screams and she whirls around to find her younger brother standing precariously on the edge of the cliff as the ground crumbles beneath him.

"JACK," she screams and he whirls around to see the ice cracking beneath the feet of his younger sister.

"It's okay," she says and slowly makes her way towards him, the staff she carries to keep her balance on the many roots and rocks of the forest grasped firmly in her hand as a plan begins to form in her mind.

"It's okay," he says as he slowly takes off his skates looking his sister straight in the eye knowing one wrong move and everything is over. Suddenly, his eyes alight on a fallen branch next to him and a plan begins to form in his mind.

~.~.~*~.~.~

She's standing at the edge of the cliff now, just far enough away that the ground isn't crumbling beneath her but close enough that she can still reach out the staff and it be within easy reach of him. The staff is very strong, strong enough to hold her entire weight, definitely strong enough for what she was about to do.

~.~.~*~.~.~

He's barefoot now, he knows better than to stay on skates for what he is about to do. He slowly rises to his feet, judging the distance between him and the staff out of the corner of his eye while still looking confident.

"Jul," he says, voice barely loud enough to be heard, "I'm scared."

"Jack," she says, voice barely loud enough to be heard, "I'm scared."

"It's okay," she tells him, "just don't look down, look right at me, don't look down because everything's going to be okay, you're not going to fall."

"It's okay," he tells her, "don't look down, look at me; you're not going to fall in."

"No, you're definitely not going to fall because instead we're going to play, just like we do every day, would you like to know what game we're going to play?" she asks smiling that big smile that promises that everything will be okay, the one she gives right after he falls down and scrapes his knee and she kisses it and makes it better and right before she gives him a new plant or bug to examine, the one that always makes him feel better, but this time it doesn't work.

"We're going to have a little fun instead," he tells her and smiles that big goofy grin, the same grin he gives right before he comes up with a new game or right after he does a successful prank, the one that always promises fun and games and laughter and good times but this time it doesn't.

"No its not," he says fearfully, "everything's not going to be okay."

"No we're not," she says fearfully, "we're not going to have fun at all."

"Yes it is. You remember that game we play where we pretend we're Tarzan swinging through the trees on the vines? It's your favorite isn't it?"

"Yes we are. We're going to play hopscotch just like we play every day, remember?"

He nods and she smiles, that big reassuring smile, and he feels better. Julianne always makes things better.

~.~.~*~.~.~

She nods and he smiles, that big smile that promises fun, and she feels better. Jack does play tricks, but he never jokes around when it comes to fun.

She holds out the end of the staff, the end with the big knot that she's spent many an hour on many a day carving until it held intricate whirls and swirls all over its surface.

"Grab on."

"See, it's as easy as one," he hops on one foot and loses his balance slightly but he can't let her know so he exaggerates making it seem like he did it on purpose and he's rewarded with a small giggle.

He does as she says and she plants her feet firmly on the ground for leverage, she doesn't notice as a small pebble dislodges itself and falls down the edge next to her as she does so.

"Two," he hops again and sees the ice crack under his feet before he makes the final hop which lands him right next to the fallen branch with a bend at the end much like that of a shepherd's crook.

"Now it's your turn."

"You need to believe in me," she says to him, "you need to trust me okay? Do you believe in me?"

He nods and she smiles, "Good."

"Now, I need you to believe in me, can you do that, can you believe in me?" he asks her and she nods, "good."

"Now, I need you to jump okay? Can you do that for me? Just jump up and I'll do the rest." He looks frightened but nods anyways, "Good, on three then."

"Now it's your turn, remember it's just as easy as one, two, three, think you can do it?" She looks frightened but nods anyways, "good, come on then."

"One," she says and swings the staff a little, just like they lean forwards when they play their game and he smiles getting back into it.

"One," he says and she takes a step forwards causing the ice to crack, but she doesn't fall through and she smiles a little getting back into their game.

"Two," she says and swings the staff slightly again just like before, and just like their game while behind her a small pile of soil falls off the edge, her movements jostling them out of place.

"Two," he says and she takes another step forward, more cracking noises while he shifts his grip on the fallen limb.

"Three," she yells and he jumps while she swings him around taking all of their combined weight onto her own precarious perch. She smiles when his feet hit solid ground before her stomach drop as she hears the ground crumbling beneath her.

"Smile," she whispers looking at him her own smile fixed firmly in place and that's the last thing that happens before she's falling, Falling, FALLING and then no more.

"Three," he yells and she takes another step forward while he lunges forward, grabs her by the waist and slingshots her onto solid ice unknowingly sending himself onto thin ice in the process.

He stands up smiles at her before his heart freezes as he hears ice cracking underneath him and that's the last thing that happens before he's falling and then cold, Cold, COLD.

The world got a little darker that day for two people, though they were no more than children. Their worlds darkened as their fun and comfort was ripped from them in the most heart-wrenching of ways. For years afterwards they would think, "If only I hadn't made them go out that day, if only I had been more careful, if only, if only, if only."

"if only they were still here"

A/N/: So, what'd you think, sorry about the non-line linebreaks apparently, for some reason it didn't show up when published and it's taken me a good fifteen minutes to get those stupid symbol things in there because apparently if it's just the little wavy dashes and the star things in a line it doesn't count so you have to have either letters or periods or something.

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BUNNY!