Hey everyone! So this is going to be the sequel to my previous Rise of the Guardians story 'Cold Smile'. It's going to be more than a one-shot, but I'm not sure how long exactly it'll be. Enjoy reading it and feel free to review :) Also, as I don't have a beta, any mistakes are my own :P

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the RotG characters. I wish, ha.

''What goes better together than cold and darkness?''

The week before Christmas was the most hectic time at the pole, with Yetis and elves rushing around the building, occasionally bumping into one another yet never dropping a single toy. It was the time of the year when the Guardians promised to leave North be and allow him to focus on his work. Bunnymund broke that promise that year.

''North!'' Bunny called out, opening the door to the man's office with such great force that it nearly fell off its hinges. An elf that had been juggling a plate of cookies around jumped at the loud bang it caused and dropped the plate. Bunny ignored the furious little creature and stepped over him into the direction of North's desk. The man was bended over a wooden toy train, his brows creased in concentration.

''Shh! Not now.'' North growled as he moved a small paintbrush along the side of the model train with extreme precision.

To most, North looked the same as always. Not to Bunnymund. For the first time, he noticed the dark rings underneath the man's sky blue eyes, the sad frown that was evident beneath his focus. He noticed how North looked older, even though he was well aware that none of them actually aged. His eyes didn't hold the same sparkle they had years before, like they were lacking the very thing North protected in children: wonder. It was then that Bunny realised that it wasn't just him who had suffered the loss of a friend, and it hit him hard. He had been blind to his friends pain, had failed to provide them hope in a time where they needed it most. Pushing past his thoughts, he focused back on what he'd come for.

''We need to talk.'' Bunnymund continued despite North's warning, placing his paws firmly on his hips. Normally, he would think twice about bothering North this time of the year, being all too familiar with the horror stories about the man's ill temper before Christmas. This wasn't the time to worry about that, however. After all, he'd made a promise, and he'd be damned if he didn't keep it.

North cursed in Russian when he realised the Pooka wasn't about to turn away and slammed the small brush on his desk, causing the elf to jump and drop the cookies he'd just picked up again. He looked at the little helper and shooed him out of the office, pinching the bridge of his nose.

''What is so important that you must disturb me three days before Christmas?'' North asked with a sigh, his voice laced with annoyance. Bunny didn't waste any time and placed a brown bag on North's desk next to the train. North frowned and looked at the bag, his eyes widening when he opened it.

Although he remembered that day far too well, he hadn't expected Bunny to hold onto this for over three years. He figured that the Pooka would have gotten rid of the item, unable to look at the painful reminder it bared. Yet here they were, looking at the broken staff Jack had left behind.

North finally looked up at his friend and noticed the determination and hope the guardian's eyes had been lacking ever since they'd lost one of their own. He stood tall and firm, his jaw set.

''Can you fix it?'' The question appeared out of nowhere. North raised his brows in surprise, his mouth opening to form a reply that never came. Realizing that he couldn't simply barge in and ask North to fix Jack's staff without further explanation, Bunnymund sighed, his expression softening slightly.

''I saw Jack.''

''You what?!'' The Pooka winced when North jolted up from his seat and raised his voice. Again, Bunny reflected on the fact that he could have elaborated better and decided that it was time to tell the others what he'd seen that spring.

''Well, I didn't see Jack, but I did. I mean-'' Bunny sighed, running a paw over his face as he tried to explain what had been going on. ''Last spring, Wind came to my Warren again to get me to visit the lake…''

North sat back down behind his desk once Bunny had finished his explanation, his eyes ever so glassy and a faint smile curling his lips. He was relieved to hear that Jack was still alive, and proud to hear that he had been fighting to protect them all this time. Then again, he was sad, and in a way, felt guilty. Jack was stuck, had sacrificed his own freedom in order to keep them safe, and they had done nothing to try and save him. All this time, they had been waiting, when they should have been fighting with Jack.

''Why not tell us sooner though?'' He suddenly asked, looking up at his friend. Bunny's ears slumped slightly, his gaze shifting away from North.

''Honestly, I was afraid.'' He confessed, much to North's surprise. ''What if I told ya'll and we still couldn't save him? What if we'd have to face that we'd really lost the little rascal?''

North felt his stomach churn at that thought. If they couldn't help Jack, they'd have to live knowing that their friend was locked in an eternal battle. That he was on his own. He swallowed away a lump in his throat, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts.

''I will fix Jack's staff.'' He stated determined, taking the wooden pieces into his hands. ''Inform Sandy and Tooth. We have work to do.''

Bunny looked at North and grinned, motivation brightening his eyes. He gave a curtly nod and tapped his foot on the floor, creating a hole that he disappeared into. North watched him go before he turned to his new project, ordering an elf to get Phil to finish the model train.

''Time to bring winter back.'' He muttered to himself, getting to work.

Bunny raced through the tunnels he'd created, turning into one that would lead him to Tooth's palace. Jack had been the one who had gotten Tooth back into the field when they had helped collect the teeth together over five years ago, but it had also been Jack's loss which had lead to her retreating to her supervising role in the palace. She would only go out if the child who had lost a tooth lived in Burgess, allowing her to fly over the lake where they'd last seen their fellow guardian. She'd stop there for a moment and talk to him, even though she didn't know if he could hear.

Bunny knew. Jack had told him that he'd seen Tooth and Sandy almost daily, which probably meant that he had heard them as well. Bunny couldn't help but wonder what it was like for Jack. He wondered if Jack found comfort in the fact that they still visited him, or that it just hurt him to know that he couldn't be with them. That it hurt them that he was gone.

Bunnymund shook his head and quickened his pace. Jack wasn't gone, they were going to get him back. They had to. The guardian finally arrived at the palace and rushed past the countless hummingbirds that were flying around, some of them chirping as they nearly hit him. Tooth was flurrying around, surrounded by workers that demanded her attention. She was turning from one to the other, assigning them new jobs until she spotted Bunnymund in the corner of her eye.

''Take over for a bit please, baby tooth.'' She instructed the small hummingbird who had been named by Jack. Baby tooth chirped in reply and Tooth flew down to meet her friend. ''What's wrong? Does North need us? I didn't see the Northern lights!''

Bunny put up his paws to stop her from continuing her ramblings. He knew they could have used the Northern lights, and although he had been tempted to ask North, he had opted against it. Yes, it was important, but Tooth and Sandy couldn't simply abandon their tasks as guardians either. Using the lights would have resulted in just that, and they needed to be there for the children first and foremost.

''No lights,'' He started, waiting for a second while Tooth allowed a breath she'd been holding to escape. ''But we do need to talk.''

Tooth looked at him questioningly. She and Bunnymund hadn't spoken much in the last three years, and when they did, it had been Tooth who had come to him. The fact that he had come to her, with a look on his face that she hadn't seen in years, had her on guard.

For the second time that day, Bunny told the story of what had happened at the lake that spring. He told her how Jack had appeared before him, and she had gasped and listened intently and teary eyed. Her heart was racing in her chest as she imagined Jack alone with Pitch.

''I'm in.'' She blurted out the second she realised he had finished his story. ''How are we going to get him out of there though? We tried to break the ice before and it didn't work!''

Bunny knew that it wasn't possible to break the ice, Jack had made sure of that. He swallowed nervously, his lips pursing into a thin line. He wasn't sure how they were going to save Jack, he just figured that they had to try whatever they could once they were all together.

''Meet me later at the pole. I'll go get Sandy and then we'll figure out how to help that kid.'' He replied calmly, meeting her gaze and reassuring her with a smile. ''We're guardians, we'll figure something out.''

Comforted by his words, Tooth mirrored his smile. She flew up to baby tooth and asked her to remain in charge while Tooth went to the pole. Baby tooth had been silently listening in on the conversation and nodded eagerly, determined to help however she could if it meant getting her friend back.

''See ya at the pole!'' Bunnymund called over at Tooth as he tapped his foot on the ground once again, jumping into the hole the second it appeared. Tooth watched the little flower that grew where the hole had been and smiled, wiping away a stray tear before she flew away to meet North.

It had been tricky to find Sandy, but Bunny eventually found the small man in Germany, sitting on a giant dinosaur that walked around town. His golden sand was everywhere in Berlin, dolphins and unicorns and on one odd occasion frogs moving to the room where a child was waiting for a peaceful dream.

Sandy waved cheerfully when he saw his friend approaching. He slid down the long neck of the dinosaur and landed lightly on the ground, a question mark appearing above his head. Bunny didn't waste any time as he started to explain why he had come to meet the guardian.

Three times the Pooka told his story, and three times he watched as something in his friends' eyes seemed to change. They were all shocked at first, but that was quickly replaced with a fierce look that they had all lacked lately, he realised. It was then that he discovered just how important Jack had been.

They had been guardians for years before Jack joined them, but never before had they been a family. Now, they looked out for each other. North and Bunny had never stopped arguing whose holiday was more important, but Bunny had never missed the Christmassy painted eggs that mysteriously appeared before Easter each year. He was certain North hadn't missed the presents he'd wrapped in blue wrapping paper with dots and stripes on them.

They all helped each other out, and it was because of that that they had more believers than ever before. Of course, the one believer that was special to all of them, was Jamie. Children his age normally began to lose their belief in them, but not Jamie. His light shined the brightest on the globe. He was strong, brave, and kind. In return for his belief, they ensured that he was safe at all times.

Bunny remembered that the year after Jack had become a guardian, Jamie had started to get bullied. A lot of his classmates ridiculed him for believing in what they thought were childish myths. The second Jack had found out, he had gone to find the kids. They had all been worried that Jack would hurt the children, but they had been foolish in thinking so. He was a guardian, after all. Instead of revenge, Jack had sought the children out and sneakily engaged them in a fun, yet cold, game. They had played with Jamie for hours, and they'd eventually apologized for their behaviour.

Bunny got pulled out of his thoughts when Sandy's face appeared a little too close to his own, making him jump back. Sandy puffed annoyed and folded his arms over his chest, not appreciating that Bunny had spaced out and ignored him.

''Sorry mate.'' He apologized with a shrug. Sandy accepted the apology and created a small airplane and a symbol Bunny knew to mean 'North' above his head with a question mark.

''Yeah, we're all meeting up at the pole,'' Bunny agreed, watching the symbols dissolve. ''North's trying to put snowflake's staff back together. We can try and figure out what to do from there on, I guess.''

Sandy nodded his approval and created an airplane out of sand. He pointed to the open seat behind him, but the Pooka politely declined. Although he was used to them occasionally helping one another out with transport, he still preferred his tunnels above all else.

''I'll meet ya there.'' He said, tapping his foot on the ground twice. Sandy shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself', secured his sand goggles and then flew off. Bunny took a deep breath. This would be the first time in three years that they would meet up together at the pole. They had all seen each other every once in a while, and all three of them had come to the Warren to get him to come with them to the lake, but this felt different. Balling his fists, Bunny reminded himself of the promise he'd made to Jack months ago, then hopped into the tunnel which quickly shut behind him.

Bunnymund winced when he heard North cursing loudly from his office once again. It had been almost two days since he'd gotten them all back together, and despite North's previous determination, he had so far been unsuccessful in repairing the staff. Sandy and Tooth had left every once in a while to do their jobs as guardians, but had always returned as soon as possible to brainstorm over what they could do.

Honestly, they hadn't gotten anywhere, and they were all starting to get irritated. They knew what they had to do, the question was how to do it. Bunny was sitting on a work table that had been vacated now that the yetis were loading the presents into the sleigh. Sandy was sleeping noiselessly in a chair nearby and Toothiana was frantically communicating with baby tooth, who had been working hard to keep everything together while Tooth was away.

The door to North's office slammed open. Their heads immediately snapped into his direction, Sandy jolting awake from his nap. North walked slowly into their direction, his shoulders slumped and his eyes sad.

''It is no use.'' He sighed defeated, presenting them the two pieces of Jack's still broken staff. ''I tried glue, tape, even gum. Jack's staff cannot be repaired.''

Bunny's ears slumped down his back. Tooth gingerly touched the pieces of wood, her lips pulled into a thin line. She suggested more ways of fixing the staff, but anything she named was dismissed by North, who literally had tried everything he could think of.

As they were busy bickering over North's abilities to repair the staff, Sandy noticed an old friend who suddenly decided to show himself. He pointed eagerly towards the window in the ceiling, but failed to get their attention. Annoyed that he was again getting ignored, he turned to Bunny, who seemed lost in thoughts. He flew up to the Pooka's height and softly pulled his ear.

''Ow! What was that for?'' He asked irritated, feeling at a loss of what to do. He frowned when Sandy pointed upwards, then his eyes widened when he saw the moon from the window in the ceiling.

''Guys…'' He gasped, feeling equally annoyed when North and Tooth didn't respond to him. ''Guys!'' He tried again, finally drawing their attention upwards.

''Man in Moon…'' North breathed, eyes wide. ''What is it, old friend?'' He asked louder.

They watched as a ray of light appeared through the window, shining down on the tiles. They all frowned as an image of Jack's broken staff appeared.

''We tried to repair it, but we failed.'' North explained to Manny, surprised when the image on the tiles changed to show a lake they were all familiar with. ''I do not understand.''

''The lake?'' Tooth muttered confused. Her eyes widened when it hit her. ''Do we have to bring the staff to the lake?''

The image on the tiles changed once again, and they gasped when they realised what Manny showed them. They were still looking at the lake, but right there, in the middle, stood their lost friend, holding the pieces of the staff. The image shifted again, and it revealed Jack with the staff back in one piece.

''Jack can fix the staff?'' North asked, his eyebrows raised. They didn't have any more time to ask questions as the images disappeared all together, the moon moving past the window and further up into the sky.

They were silent for a moment, all lost in their own thoughts. Manny clearly wanted them to bring the staff back to the lake, to return it to Jack, but would he really be able to fix it? And it still didn't answer how they were going to get him back.

''Maybe we should ask him.'' Bunny muttered, drawing their attention. Bunny looked up at them all with a sense of clarity. He felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. ''Why not? Jack's the one who's locked himself and Pitch in there, maybe he knows how to get out!''

''Well, what are we waiting for then?'' North asked after they all thought about that logic for a second. He picked up the pieces of wood which he had placed onto the work table only moments before. ''To the sleigh!''

It was dark by the time they arrived at the lake, but it somehow always seemed to glow a faint blue, making it impossible to miss. They all got out of the sleigh. Bunny was carrying the bag which contained Jack's staff, looking around for any sign of their missing guardian.

''Okay, so now what?'' Tooth was the first to ask as she nervously looked around. The lake was a peaceful place, but knowing what she knew now made her restless.

''We wait.'' Bunnymund answered softly, uncertain where his reply came from. He took a step onto the ice, a chill going up his back. He walked to the center of the lake, followed by the rest of the guardians. Together they stood there, waiting, although they weren't sure what for.

Bunny's ears twitched slightly as they picked up a sound. He turned his head to the left, looking around until something cold collided with the back of his head. He gasped as the snowball fell apart and trickled down his neck, making his fur wet. It was the chuckle that followed that made them all turn around.

''Getting slow, cotton tail.'' They all watched wide eyed as they stood face to face with Jack. Bunny sadly noticed that it wasn't actually Jack, but the same image he had spoken to that spring.

''Jack…'' Tooth sobbed, flying forward to hug him. Jack winced as her arms went straight through him, looking at her apologetically.

''Sorry, I don't think anyone can touch me like this.'' He muttered sadly, making Tooth's heart sink in her chest. He was there, right in front of them, and yet they couldn't reach him.

''Jack.'' North spoke up, pausing momentarily when Jack turned to look at him. He had missed looking at his friend, yet this felt wrong. ''Are you-''

''Still going strong.'' Jack answered with a smile, knowing that Bunny had told them what had been happening by now. So far, he had managed to win, controlling Pitch by keeping them both sealed in the lake. He had had moments where he became tired, but the visits from his friends had always reminded him what he was fighting for, willing him to keep holding on.

North nodded approving, proud of Jack's strength and courage. Sandy waved at Jack then, surprisingly not getting ignored by the boy. Jack had always paid attention to his symbols, even if they didn't always make sense to him, and Sandy realised that that hadn't changed.

Jack smiled and waved back at Sandy, both warming the guardian's heart and making his stomach churn. He had found Jack playing with his sand creations more than once, and even before they'd both been guardians, Sandy had kept an eye on the young spirit. It was a great relief to see him again, but the fact that it wasn't actually Jack was a painful reminder of what had occurred.

''So what's going on?'' Jack finally asked, leaning against the staff he'd created along with the image of himself. It reminded Bunny of the bag he was holding in his paw, and he hesitantly opened it to reveal the broken pieces. Jack took a step into his direction and looked into the bag, a grimace forming on his face.

''Ah, not again…'' He muttered, running a hand over his face. ''I'd forgotten about that.''

''We tried to fix it, but we couldn't.'' Bunny admitted reluctantly, taking the pieces out of the bag. Jack reached out to touch the pieces, expecting his hand to go through it. When Jack's touch suddenly created a slight flurry of ice patterns around the wood, it surprised them all. Jack gasped, looking down at his hand, then back at the wood. The thin layer of ice was still there, glistening softly in the moonlight.

''C-can I-'' Jack asked hesitantly, looking at Bunny as if he needed his permission. The Pooka replied with a silent nod, holding the pieces out for Jack to take.

They all watched in silence as Jack manage to grab the staff and carefully held the broken halves together. He set his jaw as he focused entirely on the staff, beautiful patterns slowly forming on the wood. It took Jack three attempts before they witnessed how Jack once again froze the pieces back together, a surprised chuckle making the lights in his eyes dance as he held his staff in one piece. They all looked at him in awe, their smirks mirroring Jack's.

''Jack,'' It was North's turn to speak up. The young spirit looked at him, a grin still gracing his face. ''We want to help you.''

The grin that had remained there before faltered and Jack lowered the staff to his side. He looked away from his friends, his shoulders slumping.

''I can't let him go.'' He mumbled sadly, and for a second North could have sworn he saw a stray tear on the boy's cheek. ''I have to stay…''

''Bunny told us, and we are proud of you,'' North began gently, making Jack look back up at him. ''But Jack, we need you. Come home.''

Jack looked at each of them, swallowing thickly. God, he wanted to say yes. He had longed to be with them again. He missed playing pranks on Bunny, wanted to provide Jamie with the snow days he'd missed these last few years, yearned to explore more of the world with baby tooth.

They all looked down in shock as they felt something underneath their feet. Although it only lasted a second, they could see a crack forming in the ice, a dark shadow moving through it to break it. It was instantly chased by a blue light, the crack disappearing just as fast as it had appeared.

A faint gasp made them look back at Jack, who was leaning forward, his eyes closed in a grimace. Despite knowing that they couldn't touch him, they all inched closer, asking him if he was alright.

''Sorry… I wasn't paying attention.'' Was all he explained with a slightly pained smirk. ''Don't worry thought, I won't let you fall.''

They mentally kicked themselves as they were once again reminded that this was an ongoing battle. Before any of them could say anything, Jack spoke up, taking them all by surprise.

''I want to get out.'' He stated, his voice soft, but clear enough for them to hear. Jack appeared to consider something, pursing his lips into a thin line and his eyes narrowing slightly.

''And we want you back.'' Tooth replied warmly. When Jack looked at them all, finding them all nodding encouragingly, he made up his mind. He took a deep breath.

''Alright.'' He started. ''I need you to do something for me though.''

They all nodded eagerly, conveying their willingness to do 'anything he needs'. Jack started to pace nervously in front of them, swinging his staff slightly with each step.

''I'm not sure if it will work, so I want you to make a promise.'' They were all silent, listening anxiously. ''If it doesn't work, and Pitch gets free, you have to defeat him. For good.'' Before any of them could say anything, Jack continued. ''He's been fighting me all this time, he'll be weakened. It will be your only chance to finish him, so promise me you will no matter what.''

''You have my word.'' North was the first to speak up, followed by Tooth. ''We'll defeat him.''

Sandy nodded sternly. Jack turned to look at Bunny, who looked at Jack seriously.

''I'll make sure he regrets getting out of that water.'' Bunny assured him, getting a smile in return.

''Good.'' Jack replied, his grip on his staff tightening. ''Get off the lake then.'' They were about to protest, but Jack held up his hand to stop them. ''I need you off the lake in case the ice cracks. Wouldn't want your tail to get wet, would you?''

A chill ran up Bunny's spine at the thought of falling into the freezing cold water. Looking back at Jack one more time, they all walked back to the shore, standing near the sleigh. They all looked nervously towards their friend, who stood with his staff in the center of the lake. He flashed them a cheeky grin, placing his staff firmly next to him.

''Come on guys,'' He called over, practically hearing their hearts racing in their chests. ''Believe.''

Before, Jack wouldn't have dared to even try this, but now that he actually had his staff with him, not to mention his friends present, he was willing to give it a go. He denied the nervous feeling that was gnawing at him as he closed his eyes, his longing to be reunited with his friends burning stronger than ever, giving him strength.

They all had to look away when the lake began to glow bright blue, the light blinding them. Bunny heard the ice crack. He tried to look to see what was happening, praying that whatever Jack was doing would work, and for a second he caught a glimpse of Jack standing on top of the lake, his face contorted in a grimace as he held his staff upright with both hands. The light became too bright for him to look and he turned his head away, when suddenly it all died down.

They were afraid to look. His heart in his throat, Bunny slowly opened his eyes again, his stomach churning when a thick layer of ice still covered the lake. His ears drooped down to his back, the arm he'd been covering his eyes with lowering slowly. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he noticed something on top of the lake.

There, in the middle of the lake, he saw Jack's staff. His eyes trailed down the staff and he gasped when he saw pale fingers limply holding onto it.

''Jack…'' Bunny breathed wide eyed. Jack lay unmoving on the ice, his skin pale, his hair white. It wasn't the same image they had seen before, it was him. It was their friend. ''Jack!''

To be continued... Gaaah! It's been a while since I've written this much! I'm off to bed now, cause I have to be up again in 5 hours (oops.), but it was fun to do again :) Thank you very much for reading, please review! :) Xx