Christmas and Easter holidays came but once a year while the Tooth Fairy and her miniature fairies only dealt with the milky-white teeth of young children but the Sandman had no such restrictions. His job, as the Guardian of Dreams, was to watch over children while they slept each night and every night.

His duties were year-round, never ending, and his talent with the golden sand he was named for wasn't restricted to children alone. It was true enough that the sand worked better on the young, on the believers, but even adults got visited by the Sandman, every once and a while.

Besides, the Avengers were believers too, which meant that Sandy was the perfect Guardian to introduce to them – excepting Jack of course, whom they had all met before he'd ever become the Guardian of Fun.

Sandy was friendly without being too boisterous, kind without being too overbearing, and looked, for the most part, fairly human. A good first introduction, and a good way to help the Avengers be a little bit more aware and a little bit more a part of the world the seasons had introduced them to.

And, Rapunzel thought to herself, looking down at a fitfully sleeping Bruce Banner, crashed on a sofa in the middle of the afternoon, her new friends were exactly the type who could always use a restful sleep.

She and Sandy had landed on the roof just moments ago, the feel of Sandy's cloud of golden sand soft against her bare feet, and Jarvis – artificial intelligence and guardian of the tower – had let them inside, informing them that he had contacted Tony as well as Steve, who lived over in Brooklyn, and that Bruce was in the living room (at least, the living room on the level they'd entered on).

Staring at her friend, brow scrunched in discomfort as his mind wandered in sleep, Rapunzel glanced over at Sandy. All of the Avengers had seen things that she knew would haunt them forever. Her own nightmares were few and far between these days, with centuries to cope, but she still woke some nights with a cruel laugh echoing in her ears and the feeling of being trapped.

"I know I was hoping to introduce you to them, and most of the time you work with children, but… could you?" Truthfully, she didn't know Sandy all that well. They'd crossed paths several times over the decades but until Jack had become a Guardian himself they'd rarely stopped to chat (or, in Sandy's case, pantomime).

The golden man smiled softly and gestured with his hands from where he hovered just off the floor. Soft sand flowed between him and the man on the couch and Bruce's muscles seemed to relax as he sank back down into the cushions. The lines on his face smoothed out as his breathing evened.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said sincerely, returning Sandy's smile.

His grin was pleased and he didn't need to use his sand to flash her a quick thumbs up.

"You're welcome to make yourselves comfortable while you wait," Jarvis' voice came through the speakers in the walls and ceilings around them, inviting and friendly.

"Thank you, Jarvis," Rapunzel replied. She didn't think it was her imagination that his words were softer than usual, perhaps in deference to the sleeping Avenger. She turned to the Sandman at her side. "Show you around?"

He smiled in agreement.

.

Tony was busy, apparently, stuck in a meeting, and it was Steve Rogers, the man out of his time but who had still come long after hers, who managed to make his way up to the top of the tower first. By then Jack had managed to join them.

It being winter and all, and since he was a Guardian himself, Rapunzel had invited him, figuring that he knew Sandy better than she did and could help make the introductions more comfortable. He'd started a light snowfall outside before he'd even arrived and had then proceeded to lose spectacularly to Sandy in rock-paper-scissors – probably because no matter which of the three objects Sandy chose sand coated his fist, quickly growing large enough to engulf whatever Jack had decided upon.

Jack had protested of course, pouting magnificently, and had only proceeded to exaggerate his reaction every time Rapunzel burst out laughing (they were mindful of keeping quiet, of course, but Bruce's sleep would be as long and as restful as the man needed it to be). As such, it was a giggly and grinning bunch of immortals that Steve walked in on when he finally arrived.

He couldn't seem to hide back a grin at the sight of them – Jack had assured her that her laugh was practically an infectious disease in its own right – but he didn't know Sandy so there was a wariness in his eyes despite the warmth in his tone as he greeted them. No matter what happened or where he was, Rapunzel knew, he would always be a soldier. There were some things you could never forget.

She forced her mind away from the memories of the first tower she'd lived in. That time was long past.

"Steve, this is Sandy, the Guardian of Dreams," she said.

Steve stuck out a hand, ever formal and proper among strangers. "Steve Rogers," he said, "nice to meet you."

Sandy seemed amused at the handshake but took it, nodding in reply.

"He doesn't speak," Rapunzel explained for him, "but he can communicate just fine."

Sandy nodded again and a three-dimensional representation of the captain's shield appeared over his head, followed quickly by a thumbs up – the Guardian's way of acknowledging who Steve was and that he knew of him.

But still Steve held himself back and though he wasn't frowning he was no longer smiling either. "I heard the Guardians tended to ignore the seasons, most days," he said critically, eyes searching.

In another lifetime, Rapunzel might have blushed at that. She might have felt embarrassed, rushing to assure both Sandy and Steve that there were no ill feelings between the groups. But she wasn't an abused eighteen-year-old anymore. She'd lived several years outside the tower, with Flynn and her real parents, and friends aplenty, and a couple hundred more again as the alive-again spirit of spring. She didn't like to think about it, but the time she'd spent in the world had changed her.

Luckily, she was perfectly fine with most of those changes.

She gave Sandy a brief apologetic look, then placed a comforting hand on Steve's arm.

"Maybe before," she admitted softly, never one to hide from the truth, not anymore, "but these days, more things have changed than us just getting adult believers. The Guardians are trying, all of them, and Sandy's here because he wants to make up for the past."

Steve relaxed ever so slightly, nodding.

"Besides," Jack said easily, grinning as he leaned against his staff, "Sandy always had time for me, the few occasions our paths crossed. He's not so bad once you get to know him."

A series of images flashed over Sandy's head at the words, too quickly for Rapunzel to make out – she caught only a glimpse of a snowflake before the images subsided. Whatever the Guardian had said though made Jack laugh, and the apologetic grin on the golden man's face was obvious enough.

"So," Steve said, clearly opening himself up for conversation as he glanced over at Bruce, asleep on the couch, "Guardian of Dreams, huh?"

.

"And then," Jack said, practically doubled over from his spot on the counter, barely able to speak through his laughter, "and then…" He tried to take a deep breath, wiping at the half-frozen tears on his face, sparkling in the artificial lighting. "And then Bunny just taps on the ground – you should have seen North's face!"

Rapunzel dissolved into giggles once more, thriving in the feelings of comfort and joy that filled the large kitchen. Tony Stark had joined them about an hour in and was chuckling with laughter over his mug of coffee from where he sat across the table from her. Steve sat next to him, roaring enough that Tony had told him several times in jest not to break his chair. And though Sandy couldn't exactly laugh with the rest of them, the grin on his face as he hovered near the end of the table, just to Jack's left, was the widest she'd ever seen.

The Sandman threw up an image of the expression above his head, North's surprised and displeased expression carved from fluid golden sand, and the room erupted into laughter once more.

Only the appearance of a sleepy-eyed, well-rested figure in the doorway interrupted Jack's tales of messing with the other Guardians – sometimes with their help, pitting them against each other ("Hey, I'm the Guardian of Fun, remember?").

The scientist blinked at the strange gathering of mortals and quasi-immortals alike. "Pretty sure you weren't all here when I fell asleep," he said, frowning slightly.

"Big Green!" Tony greeted his friend happily. "Pull up a chair! You won't believe the things these immortals get up to in their spare time."

"Actually," Bruce said, even as he glanced around in interest, "I woke up for a reason. JARVIS?"

"I apologize for interrupting your gathering, Sir, but the Hulk's presence has been requested in Brooklyn," the AI's voice came from above.

Instantly the joviality that had filled the room vanished, replaced by the calm confidence of people who had actively chosen to respond to danger by rushing into it head-first. They were professionals in the task of keeping people safe, despite whatever anyone else thought of them. Tony and Steve were on their feet in seconds, Jack straightening in his seat as Rapunzel felt for the small dagger at her waist.

"Just the Hulk?" Tony asked.

"Just the Hulk, Sir, but I see no reason as to why he could not use some company."

Bruce grinned tiredly from the doorway. "Pretty sure he wouldn't disagree, so long as nobody gets in his way."

"The quinjet is already prepped."

"What's the threat?" Steve asked.

"It appears to be a single, giant, mutated lizard," Jarvis told them all. "Captain Evan Rogers is on scene and made the call – he is well-known among the NYPD for being pro-Avengers."

"And pro-Hulk?" Bruce asked uncertainly.

Rapunzel hated that he questioned himself and his alter-ego so much, but there wasn't anything she could do about it besides show them both that they were loved.

"Of course, Dr. Banner," Jarvis replied, tone slightly put-out, as if to chide Bruce for needing to ask. It seemed that Rapunzel wasn't the only one who worried about the doctor, but then, she'd known that already. Everyone here was here because they cared, in one way or another.

"Right then," Steve said, quickly taking charge. "Bruce, we'll take the quinjet. Hulk should be able to handle this but backup's always helpful. Tony –"

"I'll catch up," Iron Man agreed, hurrying from the room.

Rapunzel, Jack, and Sandy followed after the other two Avengers as they made their way to the balcony that held the quinjet. Steve hesitated for a moment at the door but stood aside to allow them entrance. He grinned softly as Jarvis took the jet into the air for them.

"Backup's always nice," he repeated, "but I don't think I've ever gone into a situation with this much extraneous back up."

Rapunzel grinned back at him. "Friends never hurt."

"No, no they don't," Steve agreed softly.

.

The battle, if it could even be called that, was over quickly. Bruce had jumped from the quinjet as they'd neared, landing as the Hulk, smashed the giant lizard into the ground once, and then Sandy, drifting slowly down from the quinjet, ended it. With a single trail of shimmering golden sand from Sandy's fingers to the beast's head, the lizard quickly and abruptly dropped off into a deep slumber. The Hulk roared once in confusion, smashed at the ground, and then shrunk back down into Bruce Banner.

It had all taken less than two minutes. They hadn't even really landed yet.

"Huh," Steve said as the quinjet finished touching down. "Wish all fights were this easy."

Rapunzel smiled softly at him. "It doesn't work with anyone, Sandy's sand works best on children, but…"

"But it was a giant lizard," Jack finished for her with a smirk. "Can't imagine it had much of a brain. You know, I've seen a lot in a couple hundred years but ever since you guys showed up the world's really gotten weird."

The three of them made their way over to Bruce, and Iron Man who now stood next to him, as well as the containment unit that was hesitantly approaching. The befuddled scientist glanced over at them, blinking. "Did, uh, did the Big Guy do that?" he asked in confusion.

Steve shook his head. "We have our new friend to thank for that," he said, indicating Sandy.

The Guardian of Dreams nodded and waved, smiling back at Bruce.

Rapunzel let her gaze drift over the crowd milling about as Jack explained to the Avenger exactly who Sandy was and what he was capable of. None of the onlookers were able to see her and Jack and Sandy, of course (except for possibly a young girl, staring wide-eyed at the Sandman floating casually next to her heroes), but Steve and Bruce and Tony were standing together, so no one was throwing any odd looks at seeing the Avengers talking with thin air.

But that wasn't what Rapunzel was looking for. She moved her gaze past the eyes of the people and studied the crowd intensely, searching for any sign of destruction that the lizard might have caused.

Among the crowd being held back by the police, at least, there seemed to be no injuries. She shifted her searching look to the first responders, to the police still gathered around their vehicles, those carefully loading the lizard onto a stretcher – their only method of moving it. There was an ambulance with its back door open and lights flashing just beyond the perimeter, but the EMTs were talking with a policewoman at the moment and there were no patients nearby that she could see.

Satisfied that the people of New York had managed to avoid any undue harm, from this creature at least, Rapunzel refocused her concentration onto the conversation her friends were having in front of her.

Tony had lowered his faceplate once more though, a sign that the conversation had already ended, and Steve had left to help move the now snoring lizard. Bruce, Jack, and Sandy were watching her.

"Back to the tower?" she asked softly.

Bruce nodded once, smiling tiredly, and led the way back to the quinjet. Rapunzel put a hand on his arm once they were inside, feeling the gentle warmth of her healing abilities slowly leak into the other man, easing the aches and pains that his quick transformations had given him.

He met her gaze with a startled look on his face. "Did you just, uh…?"

"Healing's one of 'Punzel's abilities," Jack reminded him. "Just like Merida can call forth fire and I can bring the snow to life – and Sandy can make anything out of his sand."

Tony clinked into the quinjet after them, his boots loud against the metal floor. "Anything?" he asked, voice metallic with the faceplate to his suit still closed.

"Anything," Jack confirmed with a smirk.

"Sandy's responsible for giving children good dreams," Rapunzel reminded them in a cautionary tone, exchanging an exasperated but fond glance with Bruce. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with a teammate that could be overly childish on occasion.

"Hey, I was thinking like a racecar or something," Tony said, opening his faceplate to display his wide grin. "Don't know where your mind was going."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes but backed down with a soft grin.

It was at that moment, of course, as the quinjet ramp closed behind Steve, mechanical parts clanking and hissing, that Sandy made a miniature racecar zoom around the floor between their feet.

Even Rapunzel couldn't help but laugh.

.

"How old are the Guardians?" Bruce asked softly, standing by her side as Tony attempted to teach the Sandman basic robotics in one night.

Rapunzel returned his smile. "I honestly couldn't say," she admitted, just as softly. "Old. Far older than even Hiccup."

The younger man shook his head. "I can't even imagine…" he trailed off.

Rapunzel studied him. He was what, forty, fifty? Probably only half a century or less, with tips of gray in his hair and lines of exhaustion on his face. The life he'd lived had left him weary, worn him down and forced a heaviness into his soul. But despite the fact that he looked like he could have easily been her father, she was at least four times his age.

"Neither can I," she admitted. "I don't know how the others have done it."

Bruce turned to face her. "You're…"

"The youngest of us," she admitted. "It's been…"

"Lonely?"

Younger than her, maybe, but that didn't mean there was no wisdom behind his eyes.

"Sometimes."

Bruce turned back to Tony trying to explain things to both Steve and Sandy simultaneous, while Jack watched with a grin. "And they ignored you, for all that time." This time his tone was flat. Disapproving and unimpressed.

Rapunzel opened her mouth, but hesitated. "Mostly," she ended up saying. "I did… I did see Sandy and Toothania on occasion. And Easter's in spring. There are others too. Not Guardians, but…" She paused again. She didn't want to absolve the Guardians of their mistakes – they had been wrong to neglect her and the other immortals who weren't among their number – but she also… didn't entirely blame them.

They were the guardians of children, and there was nothing more precious or worth defending than that.

Still.

"They know they were wrong," she said plainly. "And they're trying to do better. You were alone for a time, you know..."

"That's different," Bruce countered. "I ran." He shook his head. "Maybe it wasn't really what I wanted, but it was what I chose."

"Maybe not the right choice," Rapunzel offered lightly.

The man's gaze lingered on Tony and Steve. "Maybe not," he agreed.

Steve, noticing the other man's gaze, extracted himself from the conversation he was in and wandered over to them. "What do you think of the Guardian?" he asked without preamble, seemingly uncaring about including Rapunzel in the conversation.

"He's…" Bruce's gaze flickered over to her, "trying. And mostly succeeding it seems."

Steve grinned. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I want to have a talk with him, but…" He glanced over at Tony, Sandy and Jack, and Rapunzel followed his gaze in time to see Sandy create moving gears with his sand, floating in the air between them. "He does care."

"It was never because they didn't care," Rapunzel said. "They just… stopped noticing. Didn't realize how much time had passed. I can… sort of understand that."

"I can't," Steve replied critically. Then he softened. "Then again, I'm not hundreds of years old."

"You're close to a century, old man," Tony said, as he, Jack, and Sandy wandered over as well.

It was true enough chronologically, but in terms of life lived Steve was still half Tony's age, which made him far, far younger than Rapunzel as well.

Steve grinned in reply, then mellowed slightly as he turned to Sandy. He didn't need to say anything.

Sandy offered him an apologetic smile, then showed them a few symbols above his head: a snowflake, for Jack; a flower, for her; a sun, for Merida; a leaf, for Hiccup. Then, as the leaf flickered out of being, he created five images together, the snowflake, flower, sun, and leaf in a circle with a smaller image of himself. As the five images remained together, a sixth appeared, a ticking clock that quickly spun forward in time.

Sandy wasn't leaving them on their own anytime soon. It was hard for a man without words to apologize, but perhaps not as hard as others would have thought. The Sandman was a being of imagination, of the power of dreams and all that came with it. He could create anything he could think of, and he could think of many things that would not occur to others.

Steve nodded at the statement, but Tony's eyes were still critical. Jack, sensing the coming storm, was quick to intervene.

It wasn't that they didn't want or appreciate their new friends defending them but Sandy had apologized several times already since coming to New York alone. It was enough, for now.

"Did I ever finish that story about how Bunny and I managed to paint the entire North Pole pink?" Jack asked, leaning forward with a wide grin on his face.

Rapunzel echoed the grin. Even she hadn't heard the end of this one. "No, no you didn't."

.

Darkness in New York that night found three tired superheroes and two seasons asleep, curled up around and against each other on the couches and chairs in Stark – Avengers – Tower.

Their slumber was peaceful, their dreams pleasant, and they were watched over only by the Guardian of Dreams, an artificial intelligence that was more human than most people in the world could ever believe possible, and the moon, twinkling overhead, the only thing in the night sky bright enough to shine through the city's light pollution.

For some reason, those who looked up at the sky that night had the strangest thought that the Man in the Moon was smiling down at them.