WOW! I never knew I would get such a positive response to Baby Jack! Well here is part 2! And I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer….no for the umpteenth time, I do not own ROTG! Now Rack OFF!

"Get back here ya little ripper!"

Jack had just woken up and finished his second lunch. Now he was playing his own variation of Hide and Seek with Bunny, and Tooth was having a blast watching their fun. She sat on one of the stone golems laughing at the multiple times Aster would find Jack's hiding spot, sneak up on his, then lunge with a loud 'BOO!' which would send the white bunny scurrying away in search of another hiding spot. Thus evolved new version of Hide and Seek with a small element of Tag mixed in. The fairy wondered at the smile that seemed to be permanently plastered on the Easter Bunny's face once the kit had woken up. He was having just as much fun as Jack, if not more so, with their game but Tooth needed to leave soon, and wanted to get in her cuddles before she head to fly away back to the palace.

Flying over the game players, Tooth rushed down to scoop up the little white kit "Gotcha!"

Aster smiled as he collapsed onto the grass, his chest heaving from the exertions of staying ahead of his kit "I gotta admit" he gasped "That dag is getting faster every time we play tag together."

Tooth giggled from where she sat, but mostly from the odd actions of the bunny in her arms. He kept trying to get at her face, and the fairy would lean her head back away from him, but Jack kept trying. Finally with a sigh and a laugh, the fairy turned to the Easter Bunny.

"Why does he keep wanting to get in my face?"

"Huh?" the Pooka's ear twitched as he turned his attention onto his friend "Oh, he's just trying to touch noses with ya, it's a bunny's way of sayin' hello."

"Oh!" Tooth giggled delightedly as she sat still in order to let the little bunny snuffle noses with her.

Once he was satisfied he had given a proper greeting, he settled with sitting on her shoulder, chattering his teeth. The fairy froze, and sent a grimace towards Aster. The larger Pooka laughed out loud at her expression, and rolled over so that he could talk to her directly.

"Don't look like that" he chuckled "that's normal, it's how a bunny purrs. He feels like he can trust ya, and likes being held like that."

Tooth wilted. She liked that fact that Jack felt safe in her arms, but she didn't like that he was chattering his teeth to show it. In order to distract herself from the sound, she turned back towards the guardian of Hope.

"So what other things do bunnies do that have a special meaning?"

"Well…" Aster used a hind paw to casually scratch at an itch behind his ear as he contemplated her question "Bunnies cry in a whining little hoot, Jack does it when he's hungry or lonely. They also squeak when they're scared or uncomfortable, and if they want to let another bunny know that they love them, then they run around in circles around that bunny. Bunnies lick too, but only when they really want to say that they love ya. Most animals lick for no reason, like dogs or cats, but Bunnies use licking as a form of communication, letting the other bunny know that they love 'em."

"Interesting" Tooth murmured "What about that one thing Jack does? Where he keeps rubbing his head against you?"

"Uh…." Tooth held back a giggle when she saw the inside of his ears turn red from a blush "that's called 'chinning', ya see a rabbit has a scent gland under their chin, and when they love something, they scrub their head all over that thing. So snowflake there… is just…uh…"

"Letting the whole world know that you are his Daddy and no one else can have you by marking you with his scent." Tooth finished.

Aster felt an even deeper blush burn the length of his ears, and he quickly ducked them behind his head. He had known what it meant from the first time the little snowflake had done it, but he had never said it out loud before. Now that it was out in the open, he had to admit, he really had started looking on the kit as a son. A thought he knew was problematic since Jack was not going to stay this way forever, but Aster missed having a family, missed having the company of another Pooka, and now that one had finally come into his warren he had allowed the tyke a piece of his heart that he never thought anyone would have, the spot that was reserved specifically for a kit.

Lying down on the grass Aster gave a melancholy sigh, things had gone from troublesome, to downright complicated. It had been so much easier when he just viewed Jack as the annoying little brother who had way too much time on his hands for pranks, but now he was starting to think of the winter spirit as his own kit, and that was dangerous. While Bunny sunk into an ever deeper depression over his current situation, a fluffy white head nudged the side of Aster's face, and then after a comforting nuzzle gave him a gentle lick. The blatant display of affection destroyed any thread of hope of maintaining his distance from the kid, and the bunny found himself grumbling aloud.

"That cutesy act ain't makin' things any easier for me ankle biter."

The only sign that Jack may have understood was him burrowing deeply into the Easter Bunny's neck, his teeth chattering in a purr of contentment. Tooth giggled at the sight, and how obvious it was that Bunny was losing this battle of keeping his emotions from acting like a father.

"Sorry Aster" she sighed happily "But it looks like, whether you want it or not, Jack chose you as his guardian."

Aster let loose a frustrated groan "Whoopee"

…..

A few hours later, the duo was once again alone as Toothiana had returned to the Tooth palace, and Bunny was taking care of giving Jack yet another bottle of milk. The small kit was chugging his dinner gratefully as Aster found himself once again chuckling at his ward.

"If you keep eating like that, mate I won't be able to call ya snowflake" the bunny laughed "I'll have to name ya snowball."

Licking his lips, Jack signified that he was done with a little burp and sneeze, making the larger Pooka smile fondly before once again bringing him outside to play on the grass. Thus continued their day in a similar fashion that it had begun, games of Tag and Hide and Seek ranging all over the warren helped keep baby Jack entertained, and Bunny couldn't deny that he enjoyed it as well. Coming to a pause on top of a hill, Bunny lifted his head, and sniffed the air, his ears twitching as they listened for the tyke.

"Oi, snowball" Aster chuckled softly as his green eyes searched the area "where ya get off to?"

A rustling behind him alerted the large Pooka to Jack's presence, but he waited until the last second to turn around. Whirling to face his kit, Bunny barely had time to catch the baby as it jumped in an attempt to tackle him. Cuddling him close to his chest, Bunny allowed himself to fall backwards, and roll down the hill landing at its base in a laughing pile of fur and whiskers. Jack walked up Aster's chest on his little paws before cuddling into his surrogate father's neck, an action that Bunny responded to by softly stroking the small kit.

"I'm doomed" Aster sighed "and it's your entire fault, ya dag."

"Well isn't this touching?"

Aster shot up, one hand holding Jack, while the other held one of his boomerangs, his eyes narrowed at the figure standing before him, Chikashi.

"What do ya want?"

Chikashi shrugged "Just thought I would come to see how my little prank is working out. I thought you would be screaming your head off, or leaving little Jack to die, I did not expect to find the two of you snuggling on the grass."

"Well, the thing about making a prank based on rumors" Bunny smirked "Is that it has a bigger chance of backfiring."

"HA! Rumors?" the tricksters asked incredulously with one eyebrow raised "You ignored him for three hundred years, only stopping to acknowledge his existence by yelling at or insulting him. I have seen it for myself plenty of times, you two always fighting, or arguing. You hate each other, this is a fact."

"Have ya ever heard of a friendly rivalry ya bludger?" Aster growled, not wanting to admit that the accusation of his neglect for three centuries honestly stung "Besides, at least the snowflake is useful by keeping the winter months in check, what do you do?"

A sneer of hate twisted the trickster's features before it was quickly replaced by a smug smirk "You should be less concerned about me, rabbit, and more concerned about Jack."

The Pooka's eyes narrowed as he looked to the shoulder where he had been holding Jack only to gasp in shock to find that he was no longer holding a fluffy white kit, but a pillow shaped like an egg. That was when he heard it, a sound that made his blood turn to ice, and his heart stop beating; it was the sound of a baby bunny's scream.

The world seemed as if in slow motion as he once again looked up to Chikashi, only this time he was holding jack by the ears, and laughing at the Pooka's panic. Now the one thing you should not do with a rabbit is holding it by ears, a common misconception that has caused many poor bunnies to get injured by being held by a very tender spot, and when Aster saw his kit being held up in the air by the ears, a frightening change overtook the Pooka.

Bunny wasn't one to growl, yes he was still an animal, but out of consideration for his friends, he tried to tamp down his animalistic qualities. But at that moment, he couldn't have cared less, because a feral growl was creeping up his throat at the sight he was being forced to witness. His green eyes full of disdain, he put away his boomerang, and fell to all fours; his fur fluffing as his instincts told him to make himself look bigger as a show of dominance.

"You" Aster snarled with a snap of his teeth for emphasis "Put. Him. DOWN!"

Chikashi smirked at the rabbit and uttered one fateful sentence "You'll have to catch me first!"

Disappearing into a cloud of dust, Bunny waited, knowing that to lose his head and rush around looking for the trickster was like running right into the jaws of a fox. Raising his ears, the rabbit sampled the air, and listened to the breeze. Quietly tapping the ground, he dove into a hole, and burst up right behind the Trickster. Grabbing him by one shoulder, the rabbit spun him around, and then grabbed a fistful of his shirt. Drawing him close till they were almost touching noses, Bunny whispered maliciously;

"Never race a rabbit, mate."

Grabbing Jack from the trickster's arms, Bunny leapt into the air, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that sent his enemy flying several feet. Running a shaking paw along Jack's ears, aster almost sobbed with relief when he saw that his kit was unharmed. Jack however was currently inconsolable. His hooting cry had kicked up a few octaves as he trembled in his surrogate father's arms, burying his face into the grey fur, he scrubbed his face into the shoulder of his protector.

"Oi, it a'right snowball" Aster murmured comfortingly "I got ya, I got ya."

Popping the kit back into his pouch, Aster ran towards the center of his warren, determined to find a safe spot for Jack. But time was running out, and Bunny knew that Chikashi had already recovered from the attack, and he needed to be on his guard NOW. Looking around, Bunny found a large tree with a small hole burrowed into the bottom. Taking his kit out of the pouch, Aster placed him on the ground and nudged the little bundle with his nose in encouragement to go into the hole.

"Stay here snowball" he said softly "I promise, I'll keep ya safe."

Standing up, and knowing that Jack was safe in the burrow, Aster was finally free to take out his boomerangs without fear of hurting his kit. Twirling them expertly in his paws, the Pooka threw a wicked grin at the trickster spirit whom had finally stepped out of the shadows to face Aster.

"A'right ya bludger" Bunny snarled as the fur on the back of his neck stood on end "How about I show you what happens when ya mess with a Pooka's family."

"But that's just it, though isn't it?" Chikashi spat "He ISN'T your family. Less than a year ago, he was a winter spirit that you despised for his immaturity and lack of control."

"Ya think I don't know that?" Aster snapped "Ya think I don't regret my actions in the past every time I see that kid's face? Because I do! But he is family now, and I'm going to spend the rest of eternity making sure that he knows that!"

"Oh please" the trickster scoffed "Your words mean nothing when your actions have quite proved otherwise, so unless you have a valid reason for why you're protecting him, I suggest you step aside and let me take the kid."

Limbs trembling with rage, both at himself for the way he had acted in the past, and at Chikashi for taking it upon himself to become an angel of retribution, the Pooka growled deep in his throat.

"Ya want a reason?" he snarled "fine, I'll give ya a reason."

Dropping his boomerangs, the bunny charged his opponent, angry ears flat against his head. Leaping from the ground, the bunny began to pummel the trickster, a blow for each reason he had to give.

"First!" Aster said with a jab to the spirit's stomach "I protect him because my duty as the guardian of Hope is to protect children, which includes Jack."

"Second" This time a punch across the jaw "I protect him because he is a fellow guardian and we never leave our comrades unprotected!"

"Third!" an uppercut to the chin "He chose me as his guardian, and you can believe that I take the responsibility seriously!"

"And my final reason," Leaping high into the air, Bunny slammed both back feet into Chikashi's chest, sending him crashing through several tree trunks "I protect him because he's my kit!"

Chikashi picked himself up, groaning as his world spun from the numerous injuries received at the hands of a very angry bunny. Knowing this battle to be a loss, he merely melted back into the shadows, and headed home to heal and recuperate. Bunny stood panting, his jaw still clenched with the anger still flowing through his system but finally calmed down enough to go check on Jack.

The little kit had fallen asleep during the battle, and lay curled up in the hole, his little nose buried between his paws. Picking up the baby, Bunny made his way back to the warren, with only the thought of a nice long nap on his mind.

…..

The week passed quickly, far too quickly for Aster's taste, but finally on the night of the sixth day, Bunny sat in the room he had prepared for Jack for when he was back in his original form. He sat in the nest he had made, playing with the kit, his happy smile laced with melancholy. Tonight, Jack would return to his original form, and snowball, as Aster had taken to calling him, would disappear. It was sad, but necessary, and the guardian of hope was determined to take it like a man…er…Pooka.

Jack hopped up and down, trying to catch Bunny's face between his paws, but finally settled with running in frantic circles around the rabbit. Aster gave a loud guffaw at the tyke's attempt to declare his affection for the surrogate father whom had cared for him the past week, and finally laid his head down to the kit's eye level. Jack immediately stopped running, and grabbed Aster's nose between his paws, alternating between touching noses and giving happy little licks. Heaving a sigh, Aster fell into the nightly routine that he had developed to help his kit fall asleep.

Taking one paw, he cuddled the baby close, and then began to softly wash his face with his tongue. Mother rabbits did this for their kits, it was a way to not only say 'I love you', but also made the kit sleepy from the comfort of their mother's steady licks. He had not allowed himself to be so true to his nature in such a long time, Bunny felt happy that he was able to do it, just this once. Gradually Jack yawned, his pink mouth stretching wide as bleary blue eyes blinked up at his guardian. Finally, with a small sigh, the kit laid down, snuggling his nose into Aster's cheek.

Bunny sat there, tears flowing from his eyes as he once again realized that this wonderful week had come to an end. Nuzzling the small kit, he sighed, and then slowly stood up. Placing Jack's clothes next to the nest, Bunny slowly walked out of the room, green eyes shining with grief.

….

"Hey Bunny!"

Aster paused and looked in the direction the voice had come from. It had been over a week since Jack had returned to his original state, and according to him, he did not remember anything from while he was a baby bunny, a fact that Aster was both relieved and disappointed to hear. But aside from his memory loss, no one could deny that he was acting unconsciously more friendly towards the large Pooka.

"Feel like a race cotton tail?" the winter spirit grinned.

"Ha!" Bunny laughed "Like you could beat me."

"First one out the front door and to your hole wins?" Jack asked nonchalantly.

"You're on!"

That was all it took. Within moments both had taken off through the workshop at the Pole, and were dodging Yetis as they tried to outrun the other. Bunny watched the winter spirit fly beside him, and could almost see a glimmer of his kit in the rascal, but that thought process was quickly shut down when he looked ahead and noticed a problem.

"Snowball!" he cried "Yeti!"

With shouts of dismay and surprise the both tried to stop their momentum and avoid the yeti, but only succeeded in crashing through a tower of toys, and into a wall. Aster sat up, groaning from his sore muscles, only to see Jack sitting against the wall holding his head. The rabbit quickly hopped over, his green eyes wide with worry.

"Ya ok snowball?"

"Yeah I'm fine, but man, that wall? Ouch!"

Jack rubbed his head, but must have his a particularly sore spot, because an odd hooting whimper came from his mouth. Clapping a hand over his lips, Jack stared into space as he pondered where that just came from. Bunny merely laughed, making plans to explain to him later what that was, and took winter spirit's head between two gentle paws.

"Well it looks like your cranium is fine." He chuckled gently "But I certainly wouldn't recommend running head first into any walls any time soon."

Jack laughed, and then nodded his agreement before standing up. "Ya wanna take this game outside? I got the weirdest itch to play Tag."

"Sure, why not" Aster smiled as he stood up. Yeah, his little ripper was still in there, the only thing that changed was his outside.

Hours of Tag later, Jack had finally crawled into bed in his room, his body still as he slept under the thin sheets. Bunny crept in, sneaking across the floor before hunkering down next to the bed, only his head resting on the mattress. For a while he watched the sleeping face and observed the golden sand depict an epic looking snowball battle, but then he felt another wave of sadness overtake him for the fact that Jack could not remember their time together as father and son. Leaning forward, he snuffled Jack's forehead, gently nudging it with his nose and giving a small lick.

Then a miracle happened. As Bunny watched, the dream morphed from snowballs, to the image of two rabbits. One large Pooka, and a smaller baby bunny. The two were chasing each other, stopping only every once in a while for the larger rabbit to allow the kit to tackle him to the ground, before once again continuing their game of Chase Hide and Seek. Tears welled up in the rabbit's eyes as a happy smile lit his face. True, Jack may not remember now, but he had their time together in his dreams, and that was more than enough for the guardian of Hope.

Whoo! Ok, that took longer than I expected, but it was also shorter than I wanted. But please everyone, read and REVIEW! I will try to get back to work on both Broken and Bedtime Stories. I just thought you guys would appreciate this pointless piece of fluffiness!