Hello everyone! Did you all enjoy your holiday? I apologize for the late update, but it's that time of year, so I've been kept busy with family dinners and all that other fun stuff that comes around.

I've been feeling kind of crappy lately, and the fact that I'm trying to get my own original story started isn't helping me any. But I'm so very grateful to you all for sticking with me.

By the way, fluff is in this one.

Warning: There is a lot of angst and hurt in this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.

Summary: He had always been alone, always taken care of himself. Why would anything change now?

o-o-o-o

North was pacing in his workshop, all thoughts of toys put out of his mind for the moment.

Toothiana had had to leave almost as soon as they had arrived back from their search for Jack, although she wished that she didn't have to. But, unlike North and Bunnymund, she had to get back to work immediately. After all, kids didn't just stop losing teeth.

Sandy, on the other hand, still had a while before he had to go out again, and was watching the Russian pace with worry crossing his golden features.

North was wondering where Bunnymund had disappeared to. The Pooka had said he was going his own way to search for the Winter Spirit, and hadn't been heard from since. Was it possible that he'd found Jack?

"Aha!" he bellowed triumphantly, fishing out one of his snowglobes from a pocket. "He must be at Warren! Bunny must have found him!"

Sandy brightened. It was more logical to assume that Bunnymund had found Jack instead of someone else. Though he couldn't quite think of anyone else that could have found the elusive teen. Bunnymund and Jack seemed to share some kind of bond that none of the other Guardians did, and it was obvious that Bunny was concerned over Jack's health. Personally, the little Guardian thought that it was cute.

That, and it was doing Bunny a world of good as well. The Pooka was a little less gruff than he had been to Jack, and smiled a bit more, though Sandy was pretty sure that he was the only one that noticed. No one really payed much attention to him anyway.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by North throwing the snowglobe and turning to stare at Sandy. "You stay here. Guard workshop. I be back soon!" the man cheerfully yelled before leaping into the portal, which closed as soon as his foot disappeared through.

Sandy frowned.

Why was he always left out of the cool stuff?

o-o-o-o

Jack was dozing fitfully when he felt Bunnymund shift under him. It was gentle, however, so that it didn't jar either of their injuries, and the Pooka was suddenly gone, warm moss the only sign that he had even been laying there.

He sighed, half asleep, and slowly curled himself into a semi more comfortable position before he went back to dozing.

o-o-o-o

Bunnymund stepped on the moss silently, his nose flaring and his ears pricked for any sign of sound. There was something here, in his Warren, and damned be if he didn't defend it.

He froze as his ears caught the sound of footsteps. Heavy, and coming his way.

Slowly, he drew his boomerang, readying himself to throw it as he edged his way around a large stone outcropping, eyes surveying what little he could. The stone easter eggs were lumbering around as usual, their carved faces covered in moss. Usually, the sight would bring a smile to his face, but now, it only made him warier. If there was something unfriendly wandering around his Warren, it likely meant that it was after Jack.

And that was something he could not allow. No one was going to even touch Jack while under his watch.

He ducked down as the heavy footfalls suddenly grew close before falling silent.

Bunnymund struck. Whirling from behind his hiding place, he hurled his boomerang towards his target. Seconds later, he realized that it was North that he'd attacked as the the large man ducked.

"What are you doin' here?"

"Well-" North started before the returning boomerang caught him on the return trip. With a yell, he stumbled forward, looking mildly dazed.

"You really should have seen that one coming." he stated coolly, catching the boomerang and putting it back in its holder in a single smooth movement that had come from years of practice.

"Well..didn't." North mumbled as he used a rock nearby to pull himself back to his feet.

"Obviously."

His stance remained tense, paws planted firmly apart from one another. He eyed up North warily, even as he shifted into a more comfortable position, before leaning against one of the many moss covered rocks that littered the Warren.

"Jack is here, yes?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Bunnymund shrugged, his tone light. "Depends."

North's face twisted into one of confusion, and he took a step closer to the Pooka, whose paw drifted back towards his boomerang. It was only then that North realized that Bunnymund's torso was heavily bandaged.

"What happen?" he asked in confusion. "What wrong?"

"Many, many things. And Ah suggest you don't come any closer. Ah'm a little stressed out right now." Bunnymund said lightly, paw moving a little closer to a boomerang. "In fact, Ah suggest you leave."

North was quickly becoming more concerned for the condition of Bunnymund's mentality. Holding his hands up in a peace offering of sorts, he backed up, not taking his eyes off of the Pooka. "I will leave Jack in your care, Bunnymund. Be careful, old friend."

Bunnymund allowed himself a small smirk. "Ah ain't old, North, and you know it."

"Until next time." North smiled back.

"Yeha." Bunnymund scoffed with an odd accent. "Now get out of here before Ah change mah mind."

He didn't have to tell the large man twice. With a shrug, North rummaged around his jacket for a moment before coming back up with a snowglobe. Whispering his destination into the empty air, he tossed it ahead of him, the usual portal opening its colorful maw as it awaited him.

Bunnymund didn't move for at least several minutes after he was gone, and it was only then that he turned his back and made his way back to Jack.

o-o-o-o

His hair was still plastered against his forehead, skin still flushed in an unhealthy manner when he returned. He was curled up on one side, in the fetal position, his staff near his hands as it always seemed to be.

Sighing, Bunnymund brushed back his hair from his forehead with a gentle paw before leaning down to nuzzle his cheek in silent comfort. He wished there was something more that he could do for Jack, but at the moment, this was all that the boy seemed to need. This simple contact that he had was enough for him to thrive on in his fevered state.

Carefully, he curled himself back around the Winter Spirit, knowing that his high body temperature probably wasn't doing him any good with a fever, but knowing that it was beneficial for Jack's mental state.

"Ah don't know what Ah'm doing, Frostbite." he murmured, running a paw through Jack's hair lightly. "But damn it all if Ah let anyone get you again."

o-o-o-o

He paced the corridor for what seemed to be the thousandth time, his eyes narrowed in thought. He was ready to strike, but he was still unsure as to which of the elder Guardians he dubbed as the most threatening.

The Sandman, as he'd experienced, was no doubt one of, if not the most, dangerous, but there was also that blasted rabbit. He was a minor irritance, but he had seen how damned irritating he could be when riled. Especially when it concerned the brat.

Toothiana would not be much of a threat. She was too soft, too innocent, to try anything should he target one of the other Guardians. Particularly if it happened to be Sandman or Jack Frost. Or best yet, her Baby Teeth. Ah, she was so easy to manipulate if her precious little ones were in danger. Experience taught him everything that he needed to know about the Guardians. His latest encounter in particular.

North and E. Aster would be the most threatening, even above Sandman. They were the designated protectors of the Big Four, and would, without a doubt, cause him the most difficulties when he struck.

Which left him with the question: Which should he take down first?

The answer struck him almost as soon as the thought came to mind.

The rabbit would be the first. North would think it his own fault, and it would cause many issues among himself and Toothiana, with Sandman attempting to right it. But that would still leave Jack Frost hanging as the unpredictable variable. It was nearly impossible to tell what the child would end up doing when he attacked.

Summoning one of his Nightmares, he gently murmured words into her ear before sending her off on a mission to discover where the white haired brat was hiding.

Even if he was unable to discover the Guardians hiding place, his Nightmares could go far more places with far more subtlety, which was exactly what he needed at the moment. They would be able to infiltrate the Guardians most secret of hideaways with ease, as they had done before, and gain valuable information to bring back to their master.

"The wheels are beginning to turn. For the last time." Pitch whispered into the dark that he was surrounded in. "Say good-bye, precious children, to your Guardians."