AN: The song Safe and Sound belongs to Taylor Swift. For the benefit of this chapter, listen to the cover version sung by Jason Chen.

The Guardians gave Jack looks of shock; even Bunny was caught off guard by his words. "Mind running that by me again, mate?"

"We can take them in," the boy repeated. "They don't have anywhere else to go."

"But Jack," North spoke up, "we told you before. We don't have time for children. Our jobs are too busy."

"They won't get the proper love and attention they need," Tooth added.

Jack rolled his eyes. "If the foster care system is as bad as I've heard, they won't be getting any of that from there, either! Look, you guys have been great since that Easter," he continued. "You've all made time. You've all had fun with the kids."

Tooth fluttered over to him. "Jack, there's a difference between setting aside a few hours a week – maybe a few hours a month – to play with the kids. Raising them is a commitment."

"Oh, so you're all willing to just let social services split them apart?" Jack shot back. None of the Guardians knew how to respond to that. "Look, I see where you guys are coming from, but it's our job to protect kids. And right now, these two kids need protecting from separation. You saw them; they need each other to get through this."

The other Guardians exchanged glances as they remembered what had transpired minutes before; Sophie had been able to cheer Jamie up, even if just a little bit. The two had become close after the incident at Easter; Jack had pointed this out to the others himself. But if what they had witnessed was anything to go by, the brother and sister had become even closer after what had happened to their mother.

Bunny hopped forwards next to Jack. "He's right." He turned to North. "North, you and I are only active once a year. Sure, we're busy throughout the year as well, but we can make time for the kids. I'm not having my little ankle-biter separated from her big brother. It's not happening in a million years."

North smiled. "Bunny, I've never seen you agree with Jack before."

"Did we just get transported to Mars?" asked Tooth, smirking.

Normally Bunny would have chuckled, or rolled his eyes – this time he did neither, and instead shot them both a serious glance. "Mates, this is no time to joke around."

"I know," Tooth admitted, "but if we took them in, where would they even stay? Sandy and Jack don't have permanent homes, and the children can't stay in my palace. With all my fairies flying around, it's too hectic."

"And I don't think my warren will be suitable, either," Bunny said, suddenly realizing just how difficult this was going to be. "For humans, anyway. It's a home for a rabbit."

Jack looked at North. "Why not here at the North Pole?"

North's eyes widened. "But it gets way too busy! Busier than Tooth palace!"

"Not all year," Jack pointed out. "And it has food, and rooms where the kids can sleep." He walked over to the man who had become like a father to him, giving him a look which was serious, and showed just how serious he was about this. "Look, these kids need each other. You know that as well as I do. We can't just stand back and let them be pulled apart when there's something we can do. The kids may be here, but we'll all help out as much as we can. Right, guys?"

Bunny hopped over and gave North a firm nod. Tooth smiled, Baby Tooth whizzed around happily, and Sandy gave North the thumbs up. The big man looked at them all, and with all of them in agreement, there wasn't an excuse for him to say no. And despite the trouble it would no doubt cause, he didn't want the kids to be separated, either.

"Dingle." He turned to one of the elves standing off in the corner, who stepped forwards. "Tell Phil to prepare the guest room. Smiley." Another elf stepped forwards. "Tell Ted to start making clothes; he'll need to take measurements..."

As North continued to order his elves and yetis about, Bunny caught Jack smiling slightly as if he knew something someone else didn't, or had just thought of a great idea for a joke. With a trickster like him, who knew? "You better not be planning anything, especially with the kids around now."

"I wouldn't dream of it," said the boy honestly as he held up his hands in defence. "But I did just realize something."

"What?"

"Kids have always dreamed of getting even a glimpse of Santa's workshop," Jack explained. "Heck, even I tried to bust into this place for years in order to get a look. Jamie and Sophie have not only seen it, but they're going to be living in it. In their eyes, how amazing is that?"

Bunny smiled at the nice thought. "It doesn't take away what's happened to them – and what could have happened to them, had they gone back – but it's certainly something which will keep their spirits up. They need all the wonder, hope, dreams and joy we can give them – and a bit of fun." He winked.

Jack smiled.

When evening arrived the room had been prepared. Jack had been right about the reactions of Jamie and Sophie; the siblings were overwhelmed in a good way at the thought of living in Santa's workshop, and luckily for the Guardians, Jamie hadn't questioned why he and Sophie weren't going back to Burgess. He wordlessly understood that he and his sister had no family waiting for them, and probably didn't like to think about what would happen if they did go back.

Jack could understand. The very thought of what he had overheard still unsettled him.

Both children were a little reluctant to go to sleep at first, mainly due to the time difference of where they were compared to their home, but with Sandy's help they settled down. The guest room had two beds, but Sophie had refused to sleep in her own and the Guardians couldn't argue with her desperation to be close to her brother out of comfort.

Sandy began to weave his dream-sand above their heads, but upon seeing the unhappy expressions on both their faces, he turned to where Jack was sat by the bed and pointed them out. He then formed a musical note above his head and pointed again.

Jack understood, but he was taken aback by the request. "You want me to sing to them? A lullaby?" Sandy nodded.

The young Guardian understood. Sandy didn't want the two children to receive Nightmares; a visit from Pitch was the last thing they needed. Even though the Boogeyman was weak and was no longer trying to get rid of the Guardians, Jack preferred it if they kept him at bay altogether.

And if a child was unhappy or uncomfortable while going to sleep, that increased the chance of a Nightmare.

Jack remembered back to his days before he was chosen by the Man in the Moon; he remembered how his mother would sing him a lullaby at night before he went to sleep, and then later did the same with his sister, Mary. Jack remembered a couple of times when he sung his sister the lullaby himself, when their mother had been unable to.

He realized he could still remember the words. So, after taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes, he began to sing. "I remember tears streaming down your face when I said 'I'll never let you go'. When all those shadows almost killed your light. Hold onto to this lullaby, even when the music's gone. Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright; no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."

Sandy smiled and nodded, before he drifted out of the room; he needed to make his rounds around the world. Jack opened his eyes after feeling him go and noticed the dreams above the heads of Jamie and Sophie; the former was dreaming about having a snowball fight with his friends, while the latter was dreaming about playing with Bunny.

Speaking of Bunny...

"Nice lullaby."

Jack turned to see the Pooka standing in the doorway, arms folded. "My mother used to sing it to me, and to my sister. I used to sing it to her, too." He turned back to Jamie and Sophie, giving them sad looks. "They don't deserve this; what's happened to them..."

"Life is like that." Bunny hopped over to the bed and crouched so he was eye level with Jack. "Sometimes we can't protect every child. It hurts knowing that, but it's part of life. And when these things happen to them... Hope, wonder and joy may not be enough, but it helps little by little."

The boy nodded. "I couldn't let these two go, though. I just...couldn't."

"I know, and I couldn't, either." Bunny smiled down at Sophie, noticing what she was dreaming about. "Before what happened that Easter – before I met that little ankle-biter – I would never have allowed myself to get attached; I only wanted to focus on Easter and bringing hope. But now...I've let the attachment get to me. We would never have allowed ourselves to do something like this before – we never would have agreed to it. Makes you realize just how far we've come; how much we've changed since the incident. Next time I see spook, I might even thank him for what he did."

Jack smirked at the thought of a shell shocked Pitch unable to comprehend being thanked for almost trying to kill them all. But that smirk faded when he realized that he needed to make his rounds across the world; sure, it was summer in Burgess and in the northern hemisphere, but the southern hemisphere would be expecting some frost. "I should go," he said, rising to his feet. "I need to make Chile chilly again. But..." He gazed down at the children, reluctant to leave them so soon after their tragedy.

Bunny understood. "Go on. I'm here with them. It's off season for me."

"Thanks." Jack sent the Pooka an understanding smile before walking over to the window and opening it. He turned back one final time, gave Bunny a nod, before he took off into the sky. The wind gently blew the window shut again.

With a sigh, Bunny turned back to gaze upon the children; they were sleeping soundly, and he smiled. There's still hope for them. With that thought Bunny took a seat in a wooden chair in between the two beds – sat himself so he slightly faced the bed which contained the two children – before he took out his boomerang and began to inspect it.

But a few minutes later he heard moans come from the two children and instantly looked up.

Sophie was first; the golden sand above her head turned black and she began to toss and turn. Jamie's dream followed suit, and the two siblings clutched each other in their sleep.

Bunny was instantly on his feet, both boomerangs out and ready for action. He knew that when dreams turned into Nightmares, Pitch wasn't very far behind.

He didn't have to wait long. A shadow appeared from under the bed, and the room became darker as the Boogeyman rose from the floor and towered at his full height. "My, what do we have here?" he asked, his voice sounding genuinely surprised.

With a few short hops Bunny was instantly in front of Jamie and Sophie, his eyes narrowed at Pitch. "You take one step towards these little nippers, and I'll rip you apart where you stand."