Moonbeams and Sunshine 2

Rosiea184 pointed out that Mating Season was a sequel to Finding Understanding so this one will take place between the two. Sorry for any confusion.

Landing the sleigh was something Jack still had difficulty with. If it were just him and North he might have tried but as the sleigh neared the Lamadary he handed the reins back to the older spirit and stepped aside. He saw the relief on Bunny's face and the little smile his love offered. As much as Bunny loved him he was not his biggest fan when it came to him piloting the sleigh – not that he liked the sleigh to begin with. Nonetheless he patted Jack's knee when he sat next to him.

"Not bad, mate," he said. His smile was forced but not because of Jack, it was just his fear of heights. For him to give praise while scared witless meant Jack had done a really good job.

Jack beamed at him. "Thanks. I'll nail the landing next time."

Bunny gave a nod even as his claws dug into the wood as the sleigh dipped toward the landing pad just outside the Lamadary. "I'm sure you will." His eyes closed tightly as the land appeared directly before them and the first reindeer touched down. The sleigh jerked as its skis met snow and slowly came to a stop. By the time they came to a complete stop Bunny looked positive ill, even more so when Pitch appeared out of nowhere. His cheeks suddenly swelled and slapped a paw over it to keep from throwing up. "Don't do that!" he snapped at the dark haired man.

Jack burst into giggles as Pitch chuckled.

"Oh rack off," Bunny grumbled as he got this feet rather unsteadily and hopped out of the sleigh with his bag. "Slagging, bloody show ponies and no we had to take the bloody ship to see Manny. This is going to be a long day."

Tooth laughed as she flew after him. "It's not that bad, Bunny," she soothed.

Sandy grinned and gave Pitch a thumbs up as floated out.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "And why don't you just put him under whenever he's in the sleigh?" he asked the small golden man.

The Sandman waved toward a tall tower as if it explained everything and an image of a rocket ship and sleeping Bunny hovered above his head.

Sighing Pitch nodded. "Makes sense, although his fear would have been delicious. Sooner or later we'll have to work on his fear of heights."

Jack laughed as he jumped out of the sleigh. "It's not a fear of heights it's a fear of North's driving…and mine but that's only because the big guy's teaching me."

"Bah, Bunny just fraidy-cat," North joked as he handed the reins to one of the Lamadary Yetis. "Thank you. However, he does not do well in space and after the last time we visited Manny Sandy decide it best to simply let him sleep the entire trip."

Sandy nodded but the moment North's back was turned images of North piloting appeared, verifying it was indeed North's driving skills that were to question. Pitch gave a snort of laughter that he tried and failed to cover while Jack stifled giggles. North glanced over his shoulder at the third with a curious look and settled on glaring suspiciously at Sandy's all too innocent face. Sandy only smiled back and floated past as he headed toward the courtyard where the Lunar Lamas were gathering. North shook his head and muttered something in Russian before grabbing his and Jack's bags before the Yeti took the sleigh away.

"Let's go," he said, following Sandy.

Pitch moved to follow but stopped when Jack hesitated. "Jack?"

Jack's eyed the tower in the distance then the approaching Lamas as he chewed on his lower lip. How could he possibly avoid them without appearing rude. He took a step back, shifting so that North was between him and them and silently prayed none of the saw him. Quickly he looked for the nearest shadow then to Pitch, silently pleading for him to transport him to the tower. The Lamas would spot him immediately if he tried to fly over or around them. Pitch raised a questioning brow and then, seeming to understand took a step toward him only to have North push past and take Jack by the arm.

"Jack, we can't keep having this every time we visit," he scolded, ushering him toward the Lamas. "The better they get to know you the less they'll fond over you. Just like Tooth's fairies. You haven't made one faint in months. It'll all be good."

Pouting it, Jack's shoulders slumped. "Do I have to?"

North only chuckled and patted his back. "Yes, of course."

As usual the Lamas bowed to Jack for no apparent reason other than the fact he was the child of the Moon and Mother Nature. And as always they presented him with a gift of some outfit or another – they tended to panic if he wore normal human clothes. They were as bad as Pitch for trying to get him to change his choice of clothing. No one seemed to like his taste in style. But he did as North said and accepted the gift with gratitude. He smiled and nodded at all the right times until finally the Lamas bid them good journey and the Guardians entered the tower shaped space ship. It had all happened much faster than Jack was accustomed to but he wouldn't complain; he was happy to be out of the spotlight.

The tower was unlike anything he saw before but he was given no time to explore as North guided him up to the cockpit after stowing their belonging – including Jack's staff – in the hold. There were a dozen seats, obviously meant for the Lamas. Bunny hopped to the furthest seat and strapped himself in, obviously happy for the seat belts. North only laughed, as if Bunny's antics were the funniest thing in the world before sitting at the pilot's seat. The others sat behind him, leaving the co-pilot seat empty. North patted it, gesturing for Jack to take it. With a whoop of glee Jack took it then game face to face with the issue of strapping himself in.

North knelt down and showed him how it was done. "It's a little tricky," the older man said with a smile. "I would never install such a device on my sleigh."

It was a five point harness but for Jack it might as well have been a jigsaw puzzle. North instructed him to slip his arms in the shoulder straps and the clipped two sides together over Jack's chest and then the strap between his legs to them. Seeing they were far too loose North tightened them until they were snug. He gave them a tug, making sure they were secure before buckling himself in his seat. Then he reached forward, flipping switches and turning knobs until a rumble was heard and the entire tower was shaking. Jack gave a startled gasp as the floor suddenly rotated and the chairs tilted until they were facing straight up to what Jack had assumed was a skylight. Bunny could be heard cursing from the back until he suddenly fell silent.

"Thank you," Pitch told Sandy and Jack smirked. The Sandman must have finally put Bunny under for the trip.

Jack leaned over to look around his seat and grinned when he saw Bunny in a sound sleep with carrots dancing over his head. "He really hates flying, huh?"

North only chuckled as he took the controls. "Sit back," he said, glancing at Jack before pushing a large lever forward.

The rumble turned to a roar and the whole tower shook before suddenly they were moving. Jack inhaled sharply at the sudden pressure against his chest that pushed him deeper into his seat. Soon the blue sky and fluffy white clouds gave way to dark space and millions of brightly twinkling stars. There were more stars than Jack had ever seen in the night sky. The pressure against his chest soon eased as they passed the atmosphere and into the depths of space. He heard Tooth's low whistle at how pretty space was and he couldn't help but agree. This was wonderful. North steered the craft around the planet and Jack's heart soared as an even more amazing sight met him – the Earth.

"Oh wow," he breathed, mesmerized. "It looks so small from up here."

North hummed in agreement. The ship moved slowly around the planet until the Moon appeared just peaking over the horizon. Jack's heart went into his throat as the bright orb came into view. "Just wait until you see her from the Moon," North said, his eyes focused on their destination.

Jack just stared at it. The Moon didn't look so beautiful to him at that moment. He had a sense of foreboding and again wished he could simply hide or escape back to Earth. This was a very, very bad idea.