So, to assure those who are still keeping tabs on this, no I have not abandoned this story. I'm just trying to figure the plot of the next story, instead of going in blind like I did before.

Belief Versus Doubt has already been started, and this was going to be the start of the first chapter. However, I didn't quite like the way it fit, so I figured instead of dropping the whole scene, I could clean it up and put it in here. Obviously sometime after the events of Belief After Childhood and before Belief Versus Doubt. More family-centric than anything.

Title: The Ties That Bind

Pairing: Sophie/Bunnymund, Jamie/Pippa

Rating: K

There once was a little girl who fell in love with the Easter Bunny. Except she wasn't exactly a little girl, but actually a young woman. About twenty-ish to be exact, and her name was Sophie.

"You don't need to put that"

"Ssh, who's the writer?"

Sophie kept her feelings a secret, fearing that she would be made fun of for loving Bunnymund.

"Thats not true!"

"Yes, it is."

However, with much encouragement from her family,

"Encouragement?! Try nagging."

Jamie groaned as he rested his face on his palms. "Seriously Sophie, I will lock you out of the house if I need too."

"One, you're the one who wanted me here, and two: I don't see why you're writing a story about me," I whined slightly. The whole idea felt...wrong somehow. It was one thing for my family to know my relationship status, but for children everywhere to know?

"It's not like I'm going to publish it," Jamie pointed out. He stretched as he pushed the keyboard away and swiveled his chair to face me. "I just feel that this should be down somewhere. I mean, how often does a Guardian and a human fall in love?"

"Never," I admitted. "Okay, write it all you want, but do I really need to be here?" Here being Jamie's office. Really, it was a cozy room, filled with storyboards and a few of my anonymous illustrations, books ranging from tips on literature to his own first editions. In the corner by a window was his desk with a rather ancient computer, while on the other side of the room was the plush chair I was draped on.

I just felt extremely awkward due to what he was writing.

"Yes, only you can tell me what happened. Well, Bunny could too, but I think he made his point clear."

A snort of laughter escaped me at the look on my older brothers face. When Jamie first came up with this idea, he sent Jack of all people to the Warren asking for Bunny's input. When Jack returned looking rather tired and ragged, covered in glittery pastel paint, he simply said "the kangaroo said no," before collapsing on the couch.

"There's not much to tell," I pointed out. "Best friends fall in love, both try to hide their feelings from one another until boy breaks down and kisses girl. 'I love you's are exchanged and they live happily ever after. Ish."

"Except boy is a six-foot bipedal australian rabbit, and the girl is you."

I waved my hand, "That's just nuances. Really, we're no different than you and Pippa." Except we saw each other a lot less, and 'dates' usually consisted of time together in the warren-usually starting with us working on chocolate or eggs, turning into playing around that were increasingly ended in make-out sessions.

The details to those were definitely not something I was going to divulge to my brother. Either of them. Ever.

Jamie sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just think there's something special to this..."

"Jamie," I interrupted before he could finish his 'There is a meaning in everything' lecture. "It's called your little sister fell in love, and you read, and write, too many fantasy books."

He paused before childishly blowing a raspberry. I laughed and threw the throw pillow I had been hugging. That got a chuckle out of him as he threw it back at me.

By the time Pippa poked her head in a few minutes later, we had forgone the pillow and were virtually wrestling in the middle of the floor, having knocked down a few books and other things. Jamie's wife gave a great sigh, "I just told James and Cassidy no rough housing!"

"But we're not them," Jamie pointed out, one arm locked around my shoulders so he could rub his knuckles on my scalp. He was all but laughing as I tried to pry him off to no avail.

"No, you're not. You're twenty nine and twenty three. You're adults." Even with her mothering mode on high, there was the slightest smile on her face. "But since you're acting like children: stop playing around and go wash your hands for lunch." Her smile was nearly a grin as she shook a finger at us.

With our moods already lifted, I rolled out of Jamie's grip, laughing hard from the sheer absurdity that was my life. By the time I caught my breath and could open my eyes, Jamie and Pippa were leaning close together, being extremely sappy in the way newly married couples were known to be. Even if they had been married for over seven years now, the two still acted as saccharine as they had been on their wedding day.

I had always wanted that kind of love. It had been something I had wished for since they started dating back in high school. I wanted a love that was obvious, someone I just 'clicked' with, where I could just be me without any worries about impressing my partner. I thought I would never have found it, but the more Bunnymund and I explored our relationship, the more I realized my wish had come true.

True love. And to think I had tried to force myself to let that love die because I had been too scared.