A/N: Hello! I haven't died! And I've yet to actually hack up a lung, so I don't think I'll be dying anytime soon!

I wanted to get this out yesterday, but sort of fell asleep...yeah, and that is why I'm up at the ungodful hour of 6:00 am because my body refuses to go back to sleep...and couches aren't the best place to spend the night. Meh, oh well.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! IT'S CALLED FANFICTION FOR A REASON!

Meetings and Memories Arc

Sandy hadn't ever needed the memory box to remember the overambitious child that was known as Jackson Overland. He'd known who Jack Frost was from the very first time he'd met the young spirit. It had been one of the reasons that he'd made sure the child was alright, and he'd more than been startled when Jack hadn't remembered him or even little Eira.

He'd tried to explain to Tooth, or North, or even Bunny just who the child was and that he didn't remember, but no one ever listened to him. Sometimes they forgot he was even in the room. So he'd taken to checking up on the child and making sure that he was doing alright.

But, to Sandy, it was the very first time they'd met that stood out. It wasn't North's story of Pitch taking a snowball to the face (he'd known who it was that had done it as soon as North had described both the children). It was before that, when little Eira had just been three.

Their mother was ill, their father was gone to try and find some help, and little Eira was now coughing. She was coughing and shivering and there was nothing that he could do and he hated not being able to help her! He'd never been so completely powerless before and his little sister was looking at him with those wide brown eyes, just begging him to make the cold go away.

Their father had been gone for two days. There wasn't a doctor in town, so he'd had to travel the next town over and plead with the doctor to come help. One day after he'd left, Eira had started coughing, the same way their mother had when she'd first been ill.

Jack had understandably panicked. He had gone upstairs and stripped his father's bed of all blankets, and had wrapped Eira up with both those and her own blankets. He'd made sure that she ate, was constantly trying to decrease her temperature, and was all out being panicked.

He mother had thought it was adorable, and had laughed silently, while Eira just looked at him in adoration. It was no secret to anyone in town that Jackson Overland would do anything, even commit murder, if it would make his sister happy.

She'd gotten many complaints from parents when their children came home injured. She'd just gone over there, looked at the way they were beat up, and simply asked them what they'd done to Eira. They'd all confessed right away when they realized that they couldn't get Jack into trouble for defending his sister. The other parents had since stopped complaining, but that had been when Eira was only two.

She couldn't wait to see how Jack was going to handle boys looking inappropriately at his baby sister. Her and her husband had a bet that he'd either frighten them off with a stick, interrogate them and make sure their was no potential harm in Eira dating them, or both. Jack had not been amused at even a prospect of someone looking wrongly at his sister.

He was protective older brother to the extreme. And Eira adored her brother just as much as he adored her.

The first time that Eira had a nightmare, she'd not gone to either of her parents, but Jack, who had soothed her worries and lulled her to sleep. They had woken up to find Eira and Jack still in that same position. They'd wished that there had been a way to capture that image forever, the too looking adorable together.

"Troat hurts," Eira mumbled. "No like it."

Jack rubbed her back, and cuddled her close. "Daddy will be back with someone who can make you all better. You just gotta sleep a little more and let me take care of you while we wait. Can you do that for me?"

Eira looked up at him and nodded, complete trust on her young face as she snuggled into the covers and fell back asleep. Their mother had fallen asleep hours ago, and convincing her to sleep had been more than a little hard.

Jack, however, refused to sleep, and kept constant watch over his sibling.

Sandy looked down at Colonial Burgess with a frown. He'd been just about to leave after a good nights work, when he realized that someone wasn't sleeping. A child, or about eight, was wide awake and fighting the hold of his Dream Sand.

Sandy was curious. Nothing had ever resisted the Dream Sand, and he'd assumed that it was impossible. Something had to be motivating the child to stay up.

And he wasn't about to let a mystery this intriguing go without investigation. He was so very curious. So, against his better judgement (because things had a habit of turning out weird when he was curious), Sandy followed the Dream Sand to where the child was.

The house was like all the other's in the area, Sandy noted. There was windows, two on the downstairs and one upstairs, and the entire structure was made out of wood and was obviously taken from trees. Furs lined the two beds in the upstairs room, each bed occupied by a person. Sandy didn't see what was wrong, or the child that had resisted his sand. At first he had thought that he'd come to the wrong house. That was when the door was opened to the room and a boy carrying warmed water walked in.

There was a cloth in the bowl, which was steaming with heat. The boy, Sandy couldn't make out who it was as the room was too dark, walked to the last bed and sat down. Sandy watched in interest as the cloth was rung out and gently place on a little girls forehead. The boy stood and walked to the first bed, repeating the process with a second cloth that Sandy was just now noticing. The cloth was gently place on the forehead of a older woman, who Sandy assumed was the two children's mother.

Sandy smiled sadly. So this was why the child refused to sleep. Taking care of his mother and sister was a job he'd deemed more important, and the Dream Sand had agreed with him.

Sandy watched quietly as the boy sang softly to the little girl, while stroking her hair in what Sandy assumed was a calming manner. Sandy frowned as the girl whimpered and thrashed a little in her sleep. Looking at his Dream Sand, he sent the best dream he could think of to calm and sooth the small child.

The boy snapped his head up and stared at the sand. He glared at it warily, before noticing that it was calming his sister. Then the boy smiled, brightly. Sandy nearly had a heart attack when the child, with brilliant brown eyes, beamed right at him.

Waving happily, Sandy prepared to leave. The boy waved back, smiling. It was the last time that Sandy would visit this town and see the boy as he was.

It was such a long time later that something drew Sandy back to the small village hidden in woods. It was a song, to be precise. A song and the voice that sung it.

"In the days of old,

when man and beast roamed,

and illness struck upon the land,

when the birds sang,

and the animals played,

everything was as it should.

The world has much changed,

and man hides away,

while the beast still roam free.

and illness is much horrid thing,

you don't have to worry,

you don't have to weep,

for I stay here to watch you sleep.

Ever constantly,

guarding silently,

while you dream of wondrous things.

Be not afraid,

for I'll keep away,

the terror of the night and day.

Sleep, child dear, for I'll be here

when you wake again.

Ever silently,

watching over you,

and guarding you from the fear that illness brings.

Sleep, dear child, sleep,

and dream of wondrous things,

for I'll be here when you wake,

and waiting for the day when we may play,

and while we may hide away,

while the beasts roam free,

I'll make sure you're always okay."

Sandy stared, watching as a child sang and danced on the ice of a frozen pond. The child swayed with the song, and ice seemed to follow each of his movements. It was when the child looked at him that he felt time stop. Where once he had seem brilliant brown, was now glowing sapphire, and snow-white hair. Sandy waved at the child. The child waved back, a familiar beaming smile on his face.

Sandy looked at the Man in the Moon and nodded. This child would do much good in the world, a Guardian to all he watched over. The Moon had chosen well.

And Sandy then turned his back on the small town that held so many intriguing and interesting things. He would be sure to watch the Winter Child and marvel at the things that he accomplishes, and maybe offer companionship along the way.

Sandy grinned as he watched Jack freeze another elf that was going after his eggnog. The Guardians were gathered for another meeting. The Winter Child laughed happily as the elves kept trying, only to be frozen each time.

Sandy sipped his eggnog silently. Yes, the Winter Child had done many great things. The Moon had indeed, chosen well.

Well, there you have it! Sandy and Jack! I hope that I did it justice...Sandy doesn't really like to cooperate with me. Ah, well.

AyameKitsune: I'm glad that you liked it! I hope that this one was worth the wait!

Magiccatprincess: I love the Bunny and Jack brother feeling. They're just so cute!

ThatOneFan: Don't worry, it's all purely brotherly. I'm not going to be writing any romantic relationships. Not my thing. No, insecure Jack will be making a few appearances. Yes, Bunny and the other's will have they're work cut out for them. Bunny just subconsciously helps.

wisteria moonseed: I don't really know when Pitch'll be making another appearance, but he might make one soon. Then again, he might not. I haven't planned that far ahead yet. I hope you liked this chapter!

Catflower Queen: Yes! Someone noticed the tunnel thing! And yes, that was another part of the 'which holiday is better' argument. I do love the hostage situation as well. It was my favorite part of writing this. And yes, that was adorable. That's why it happened. The dolphins will come up at some point, and I was already planning on the second one (it's just such an adorable idea!) I'm working on feeling better, but I already had an upper respiratory right before the bronchitis, so now I've got both... It's the reason that I had the time to actually begin writing Butterfly Affect in the first place! I always thank Jack for snow days, he's so nice to give them to us!

nightmre13: I feel flattered. Even when I finish this one, I'll probably write more Jack Frost related fanfictions! And here's the new chapter!

Kuroshiroryuu: I don't think it's bad, persay, but I don't ship the relationship myself. I just like the brotherly love. But I don't particularly mind the relationship. Just as long as it's not the center of the story.

Alalaya2: I thought so too!

fishy girly: I loved writing! It is, isn't it?

DELTORAQUEST1: Do you even need to ask? Here's your update!

GKC07NF: Lol, your review made me giggle. Don't ask me why, it just did. Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter too! I hope I get better soon, as well. I'm going on a month of being sick...

TeddyBear98: Here's your update! I'm glad that you caught up!