Whoo! Finally finished Chapter 3!

Fair warning, I went a little crazy on Bunny's accent. ... I HAVE NO REGRETS! -/shot/-

Chapter 3

After I'd finished explaining everything, even Pitch, everyone sat in perpetual silence. A long moment later, Bunny finally looked up and met my eyes. He looked so sad…

"Jack, I-" He took a shuddering breath. "I am so, so sorry I di' tha' to ya…" He told me miserably. I blinked slowly at him, shocked.

"Bunny…" I waited until he met my gaze again to continue speaking. "I'm not mad at you. Sure, I was scared, but how could I be mad at you when you gave me my little Frostbunny?" Erin squeaked cutely when she heard her nickname. She blinked up at me, before shifting her mismatched gaze to the other occupants of the room.

Her eyes landed on Bunnymund and she squeaked again, reaching her paws towards him. Bunny could only stare as I smiled and placed Erin into his arms. She smiled adoringly up at him, placing a single paw onto his cheek, inducting him into the family. Apparently, Bunny took the gesture the same way, because he hugged her close to his furry chest, holding Erin as though she were the most precious thing in the universe.

Which, of course, she was.

Suddenly, I was pulled into a tight hug by Tooth. "Oh, Jack… Why didn't you tell any of us? We would've understood." She thought for a moment. "Well, maybe we wouldn't have really understood necessarily, but we could've been there for you!" She exclaimed, hugging me even tighter. Glancing over her shoulder, I saw Sandy nodding vigorously. I pulled out of Tooth's arms with a sheepish grin, running my fingers through my hair nervously.

"Uhh… See, that is an excellent question." I felt an embarrassed flush creep onto my cheeks. Suddenly, all my fears that had made so much sense just a few hours ago, seemed utterly ridiculous. These were the Guardians of Childhood, so of course they weren't about to hate a child. Biting my lip, I finally admitted, "I was scared. Of what you'd think. That you'd hate me. That you'd hate Erin."

It was completely silent for a while. Finally, North stepped forward, gripping my shoulders. I looked up into the eyes of the man that had become like a father to me.

"Jack. You listen to me, and listen good." I nodded and he continued, "You are Guardian. We are like family. We would never hate you." He grinned down at me, straightening back up. "Besides!" He boomed jovially, "Is not very often I get to really be doting grandfather!" He laughed, before a gentle look came over his features, and he gestured behind me, smiling. "And just look how happy Bunny is."

I turned and I had to laugh at what was in front of me. There was Bunnymund, 7-foot tall warrior from the outback, lying down on the floor with his legs up in the air, Erin balanced between his feet. Both Pookas were having the time of their lives, laughing with shining eyes. Tooth and Sandy were a bit off to the side, watching with indulgent smiles.

I did the only thing that made sense at that point. I walked over to them, stopping just short of stepping on Bunny's ears, and squatted down, making funny faces at my daughter. This made the 3-month-old Pooka's giggles louder. North came up beside me, hands behind his back. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he presented Erin with a fluffy, cream-coloured stuffed bunny.

"I know it's not Christmas, so you can think of this as late baby shower present." With that, he handed the stuffed animal to Erin, who squeaked in glee. As she did with Bunny, Pitch and myself, she reached out one paw and touched it to North's cheek. The large Russian beamed down at Erin as Bunny placed her in his arms.

After a while of watching my baby girl meeting the other Guardians, I turned to face Bunnymund. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest and I'm pretty sure my face was tinted pink.

"Uh, Bunny?" He looked down to meet my eyes, I swallowed thickly before continuing, "So, uh, how do you, y'know, want to do this?" He just gazed at me, perplexed. "What I mean is, Erin – how do you want to raise her? I mean, I don't think I've been doing too bad, but she needs her father in her life, right? So…" I trailed off, sighing.

"Wha'? We can't jus' raise 'er togetha?" My head shot up. Bunny wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was watching Tooth examine Erin's mouth, long ears flat against his head, apparently embarrassed.

"R-really?" Okay, now he was looking at me. "You… You wouldn't mind…?" I couldn't keep the hope out of my voice. Bunny seemed surprised by my response, but his expression quickly turned tender, and even a little, dare I think it, loving.

"O' course I wouldn't mind. She's my li'l anklebita, too, after all." I can honestly say that hearing him say that had to be one of the best things to ever reach my ears.