Chapter Nine:
Finding Happiness
in
Odd Places
North yawned loudly as he sat up in bed the next morning. He groaned and clutched his head. "I knew I shouldn't have drunk all zat vodka," he thought, standing up while cradling his pounding head. Walking down the hallway, he knocked on the doors of three guest rooms saying "breakfast." Finally coming to Jack's bedroom, he knocked before entering. "Jack, iz time to-" he trailed off and stared in confusion as his eyes were met with an empty bedroom.
"Strange. Jack's never up before me," he mused, stroking his long, white beard. Shrugging his shoulders, he headed back down the hallway. Sandy and Tooth's open bedroom doors told him that they were both down at the table for breakfast already. He frowned when he found Bunnymund's door still closed. He clenched his fists hard and began to pound on the door with excessive power.
"Bunny, vat are you doing in there? Vake up!" he called knocking on the door again. When he wasn't given an answer, he rolled his eyes before opening the door. What he saw next made his jaw drop straight down.
Bunny was still asleep alright, but sleeping right next to him was Jack whose arms were wrapped around Bunny's mid-section. North felt the heat of anger slowly starting to build up higher in his belly. He started walking toward the bed, but as he got closer, he stopped. Jack was sleeping next to the older guardian, but it looked a lot more innocent than what he had thought it was moments before. And the snow spirit was still fully clothed, so there went the assumption of them having sex. North sighed before giving a small smile and gentle tousle to his "daughter's" head. He then left the room without a word, closing the door behind him.
Frost formed over the oak tree making it glisten in the spring sun. Jack sighed loudly and stretched out on her pond, looking up at the deep blue sky. It was the day before Easter and the snow spirit felt as if she was bored as hell. After being incredibly busy with her winter rounds, she had wanted to relax and hang out with someone. It seemed that everyone had chosen this week to be busy. North was having the yetis start production on the new toys that had just come out in stores and didn't want the snow spirit in the way. It also didn't help when he found Jack freezing his elves out of boredom. Tooth would be busy as usual with teeth so she was out. She couldn't find Sandy anywhere, which wasnt suprising considering his affinity for late night partying. Even Jamie, who was stuck inside Easter weekend doing projects, couldn't hang out.
"Ugh, what's someone have to do to have fun around here?" Jack groaned. She sat down on the grassy bank, a thin layer of snow forming as she sat down. Even though the warm weather had come to Burgess, Jack liked to keep her pond cooler than the outside world. This way she wouldn't get overheated. A small brown rabbit slid down the ice until it came up to her, and placed its little paws on her leg, sniffing the air. Jack smiled and gently picked up the fluffy creature and held it against her chest, stroking its ears. The rabbit settled down comfortably in the snow spirit's arms, his small nose twitching.
She always could visit Bunny. However, the Kangaroo was probably stressed out of his mind with all the egg hiding he had to do tonight. If he even saw her set foot in the Warren now, he would most likely tell her to leave before she could get a word in. "He'll probably be dead tired, hiding all those eggs tonight and tomorrow," she thought.
And then, a clever idea had struck her. Bunnymund couldn't kick her out of the Warren if she offered her help to hide the eggs. Hopefully he would be thankful for the extra help and agree. Her boredom quickly gone, Jack stood up and called the Winter Wind. As soon as she felt it, she jumped into the air and flew to the Warren.
Walking down the color river, Jack came to the part of the pooka's home where the egg tunnels were. She could already see rows upon rows of beautifully colored eggs heading into the seven tunnels, each one designated for one of the seven continents. At the top of the small hill stood Bunnymund. He had a clip board in one paw and a quill pen in the other. He was so distracted with his task that he hadn't noticed a few stray egglets wandering away from the trail to the tunnels. They tumbled down a small slope before coming to a stop at Jack's foot. She smiled and picked them up carefully before walking over to the pooka. "Missed some, Kangaroo."
When Bunny heard the sound of her voice bounce off of his ear drums, he seemed to nearly jump three feet in the air. Whirling around, his eyes turned slightly annoyed as they rested on the snow spirit. "Jack, what are ya doin' here?!" He then noticed the three eggs in her hands. "And what are ya doin' with my eggs!"
"Relax Cottontail. They went away from the path, that's all." Jack put them down and steered them in the right direction, guiding them along with her staff, before turning back to the pooka.
"No offence, Snowflake, but now is a really bad time to be makin' your visits..." Before Jack could respond, Bunny whirled around a picked up a random egglet and proceeded to study it quickly. "Why don't you have sparkles? WHO'S THE DINGO BRAIN WHO FORGOT TO PUT SPARKLES ON THIS ONE EGGLET?!"
"Uh, Bunny?"
"What!"
"I think that dingo brain is you..."
Bunny's crazed expression had suddenly shifted into a face that was ripe for a facepalm, and his ears flopped down to both sides of his head. He set the egg down and pinched the upper bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes tight. "I'm sorry Jack, I've just been so damn busy lately. I love this job as much as I should, and I take pride in my work. It's just...sometimes, I feel as though it consumes me, that it's tearin' me apart..."
Jack patted him on the back and smiled. "That's why you need a little help sometime Bunny Wunny."
His expression turned slightly brighter. "And here I was thinkin' you could never find a worse nickname than Kangaroo. But you want to help me? You have no experience, no idea of how much time, energy, and effort must be put in to meet my goal. I had to study for years on correct procedure before I even touched an egg. And you think you have the potential to aid me on this unendin' crusade of mystery and curiosity?"
"Yup." She smiled wide, the look of innocence plastered firmly onto her face. Bunny sighed and smiled earnestly. His eyes were then drawn to the big pocket of the snow spirit's hoodie. Something small was moving around. Green eyes grew wide as a small fluffy rabbit head poked out. "Jack...why is there a bunny in your hoodie?"
Jack looked confused for a second before looking down. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as she took the rabbit out and held him carefully. She giggled as he sniffed her fingers, his whiskers tickling her skin. "Sorry. He came up to me at the pond and I was petting him. Kind of forgot he was still on me." she flew a little away from the pooka before setting the bunny down in the meadow near a patch of daisies. She started stroking him again as he nibbled on some flowers distracted childishly by the adorable little creature. She didn't notice Bunny coming up to her until his tall shadow came over her. She looked up as he held out three eggs.
"Ya still wanna to help me?"
"Yup!"
"Alright. But we're gonna to have to put ya through a test first before ya can come with me."
"Yay! I love games!"
Rolling his eyes, Bunny placed the three eggs in an Easter basket. "I'm gonna hide these eggs somewhere. You can not peek. When I say open your eyes, try to find 'em. Got it?"
"Piece of cake," Jack responded with a cocky smirk.
"Really? Close 'em, Frostitiute."
The snow spirit closed her eyes tight and covered them with her hands for good measure. Bunny stood there for a few moments, his eyes wandering over the Warren trying to find a good spot to hide them. He finally decided on hiding them behind one of the stone egg golems. "Okay, Jack. Ya can open 'em. Now...go find the eggs."
"Nope."
"...Snowflake that's not how this works. You have to find the eggs."
"I can't. I hid them."
"No you didn't, I did!"
"Good, so you'll know where they are."
"Of course I do! They're behind the stone golem-" he stopped talking as his eyes fell on Jack's evil smirk. A small smile crept across his face. "Clever girl."
Jack landed lightly on the roof of a house. She and Bunny were hiding eggs in Australia, the pooka's native soil. Since the Outback as home to many dangerous and indigenous creatures, Jack had avoided it for the most part, never wanting to try her luck against a cobra or any other predator. She never thought it would be this beautiful. The warm orange colors danced across the chalky mountain ranges and vast deserts. She sat down on the roof and sighed contentedly, watching the sunrise slowly rise behind the distant mountains of the Outback.
"Oi, Snowflake!"
Jack snapped out of her trance and looked down. Bunnymund was on the ground, his foot tapping impatiently, an annoyed look on his face. "When I agreed to let ya help me, I didn't say you could lay around like a bloody show pony!"
"So you're comparing me to an elegant and graceful show pony?'
The pooka's cheek became flushed red and his eyes widened, looking frantically for a reply that could diverge Jack from opening the topic. With what little time he had to think of an excuse, he replied "Shut up, it's the only thing that came to my mind, don't flatter yourself."
"Oh cmon, Kangaroo. We've worked nonstop since last night. I think a five-minute break can be allowed."
Bunny pinched the skin between his eyes. Knowing he wouldn't win an argument with the stubborn spirit, he sighed and climbed up onto the roof. Smiling at her small victory, Jack stretched her arms over her head and relaxed against the sun-warmed wood. Bunny's eyes closed as a warm breeze blew through his fur. A comfortable silence settled between the two guardians as the deep red sun slowly climbed into the pink sky. Secretly, Jack loved these moments when she was alone with the pooka. The moments when there was no arguing, yelling, or pulling pranks on each other. Her dream with the pooka from the other night came to her mind. Blushing slightly, Jack shook her head clear. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking about.
After a few minutes, Bunny stood up and stretched, his back muscles rippling under blue-gray fur. The snow spirit averted her eyes when she realized she was staring.
The two guardians finished up with hiding eggs around nearby neighborhoods. They then headed toward a small park where a local children's egg hunt was being held. Jack had just hidden one of her last eggs when the sound of kids voices met her ears. By the sound of their squeals, they had found some of Bunnymund's eggs. The snow spirit bounded forward, longing to see their expressions, when a small tug on her hoodie from the pooka stopped her.
"Oh no ya don't. We have to go hide."
Jack pouted childishly. "But I want to go see!"
"You can see from the bushes. Now, come on," Bunnymund sighed. Dealing with pouty Jack was like dealing with a five-year old.
He managed to coax the snow spirit into their hiding place when the children's voices got closer. The pooka dove into the bushes a second before they appeared. Two little boys about seven-years old bounded into the clearing. Judging by their identical appearances of brown hair and blue eyes, Jack assumed that they were twins. A little girl about four years old toddled after them. Unlike her brothers, the girl's hair was bleach blonde and her eyes were a deep chocolate-brown.
"I found an egg!" one of the brothers exclaimed. He held a pale blue egg with flower designs into the air as proof. The little girl looked upon the egg, her eyes wide with amazement.
"Ya know who hides these little googies, Callie?" the boy asked her. Jack giggled softly at the boys Aussie accent. He sounded adorable.
"Tinkerbell?" the girl called Callie asked innocently. Jack snorted into her hand, trying her best to stiffle her roaring laughter. Bunny, however, sat there fur bristling and nostrils flaring in anger.
"No ya stupid ankle bita', the Easta' Bunny," the other brother corrected rolling his eyes. Callie made a little 'O' shape with her mouth before the three continued looking for eggs. As the brothers continued finding one egg after another, Callie's face grew disappointed as she failed to find one little egglet. After five minutes, the brothers' baskets were filled almost to the brim with their discoveries. Squealing in delight, they ran off to go find more, leaving their poor sister behind in the dust. Callie sat down on the ground and started sniffling, tears rolling down her chubby cheeks and her basket empty.
Jack's heart felt broken in two when she saw the poor girl. How cruel of her brothers not to leave her a single egglet. Upon adjusting her position, her bare foot nudged the basket she had carried eggs in. Looking inside, her eyes widened. She had forgotten to hide four eggs. That's when the theoretical lightbulb went off over her head. Without thinking, the snow spirit crept out of the bushes, deaf to Bunny's whispered protests, and made her way over to Callie. The blonde stopped crying and looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Can she see me?" Jack wondered to herself. It was very unlikely that a girl at her age would know who Jack Frost was. However, her doubts were immediately erased when Callie opened her mouth, "Who are you?"
Suppressing the urge to jump for joy, Jack knelt so she was eye level with the little girl. "Just a friend," she then reached both hands into the basket and pulled out the four eggs. Callie's eyes grew so big that Jack worried they were going to pop out of her head. The snow spirit held them out to the blonde.
"Googies?"
"Uh, yeah," Jack replied. Jeez, she still wasn't used to Aussie slang. "Here, take them."
Callie hesitated for a moment looking into Jack's eyes, then to the eggs, and back to her again. After a reassuring smile, the little girl's face broke out in a smile. She placed the eggs in her basket and thanked the snow spirit before dashing after her brothers, filled with new determination.
"Not bad, Snowflake."
Jack straightened up and looked over at the pooka. She had completely forgotten he was there for a moment. Bunny was still crouched behind the shrub, but a small smile was on his face. This made the snow spirit think back to the Easter of last year, back when they were fighting Pitch. The pooka had finally looked past Jack's mischievous behavior and pranks, and the two had slowly started to become friends. What happened with the eggs being destroyed by Pitch after that made the snow spirit come back to reality. She never wanted to see the broken look on the pooka's face ever again.
"Not bad yourself, Kangaroo."
Bunnymund chuckled lightly at the old nickname. As much as he hated it the very first time it had left Jack's lips, he didn't mind it now. Standing up, he reached into his satchel and tossed a small brightly wrapped object to her. Catching it, Jack's mouth dropped open as she unwrapped an egglet from the wrapping. This egg was a dark blue color that was similar to her eyes. White swirls representing the winter wind and silver snowflakes decorated the shell along with tiny detailed pictures of each guardian.
"I make eggs for the other guardians every year. I decided to make this one special as a thank you for helpin' me," Bunny explained staring down at his feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.
A gentle smile spread across Jack's face as the little egglet grew little legs and scurried up her arm to her shoulder. "Bunny, I love it. Thank you."
"Was nothin'," he mumbled. The pooka's entire body froze as cold lips pecked him gently on his cheek. He was grateful for the fur that covered his face, because right the skin was as red as a tomato.
"You really are the best friend someone could ever have. I'm...I'm really glad you're here."
Bunny smirked and tousled the spirit's white hair, chuckling softly when he received a whining protest. "Me too, Frostitute. Me too."
Post notes- I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK ME SO LONG! Me and Anthony Cooper (My boyfriend's new pen name) have been extremely busy with life lately. It's now 11:22 at night, but I was determined about getting this chapter out to you guys. Thank you to all who have followed and reviewing this story, it's really appreciated. Also, to the people who are following The Longest Winter, chapter two is being written, so that chapter will hopefully be out soon. Make sure to review and I'll see you all in the next chapter :D
