Ch10: Easter Surprises

"Welcome to the Warren!"

Severus gazed around at the underground paradise. It was so... GREEN!

Something ran into his foot, prompting the boy to look down. Small, creamy eggs on little legs were gathering around his toes. Eyes widening, he lifted his feet off the ground, hovering silently in the air as the eggs began to clink against one another.

Lowering his feet once more, the winter spirit let his toes dangle just above the oval-shaped creatures so that he would not harm them. Their curious antics were quite amusing.

"Sorry, we're late," Jack sighed, combing a hand through his frosted hair.

"No worries, mate. I'm ahead of schedule. Just have to get that little group of egglets painted, then we'll head off to deliver all my lovely googies to the world." Bunny was tempted to stare into the shorter Guardian's blue eyes for a little longer, but there was still work to be done.

Hopping a few steps closer to Severus, who seemed to be transfixed with the eggs bumbling about under his toes, the rabbit extended a paw to catch the boy's attention. "Let's get these little ones painted up and ready for hiding. Does that sound like fun, kiddo?"

Pale lips quirked slightly upward as the immortal child gazed at the furry Guardian. One slender hand grasped the pooka's paw, allowing Bunny to guide him along the path.

Bunny watched with amusement as the little boy's eyes widened at the sight of a flower giving birth to a fully-formed egg. The magical blooms never failed to amaze those that saw them for the first time. Even his fellow guardians.

"Is this how I was born?"

The pooka threw a glance at Guardian of Fun who was looking just as startled by the question as he was.

"Well, you see... I'll let Bunny answer that one," Jack announced, shooting into the air to hover above the pair.

"Why me? He's your kid!"

"You're the spirit of spring, aren't you? Making babies is part of the job description," Jack Frost laughed.

The other guardian flew off, leaving Bunny alone with the immortal child who was blinking up at him curiously, waiting for an answer to his question.

"Right then. Well, when a mommy and daddy love each other a whole lot..."

Severus tilted his head to the side. "I don't have a mother."

"Uh, right. When two people love each other... sometimes a stork comes to visit them," Bunny found himself unconsciously rubbing his neck at the awkwardness of the situation.

"I think I read that somewhere," the boy commented.

"Yah, so... It brings them a baby and that's that. How about we get these eggs to the color river then. It's just around the bend," Bunny suggested quickly.

"Was that so hard?"

The pooka spun around, his whiskers twitching as his gaze fell upon the frost-haired spirit who was hovering close enough to...

SPLASH!

The pair froze, their lips mere inches away from brushing. Jack pulled away first, throwing a wry grin at his companion. "Guess we'd better go see if the kiddo is alright."

The frost spirit bit his lip to hide a smile at the sight of his son blinking up at them in confusion. It was as if Severus himself couldn't figure out how he'd managed to end up in the river. The egglet in his hand was still untouched by color, given that the young spirit was holding it above the water.

Reaching out a hand, Jack helped his son onto the bank. The other already-painted eggs stumbled forward to gather around the immortal child's pale feet.

"No harm done," Bunny noted, though his voice had an amused ring to it.

"No harm done? Look at his shirt! It looks like a group of hippies decided to tie-dye it," the frost spirit stated, waving a hand at the shirt in question.

The Guardian of Hope rolled his eyes and found himself offering to wash the shirt as soon as they were done delivering the eggs.

Jack gave into the surge of parental instincts that were now clouding his mind. Severus was a child, thus he needed to get out of his wet clothes before he caught a cold. The boy's black jacket was tossed to the ground, and his multi-colored shirt was already unbuttoned, before the youngest Guardian remembered that his son would never catch a cold. Heat fever, perhaps, but a cold... no.

Gazing up from where he was now kneeling before the immortal child, Jack only had enough time to shoot his son a reassuring smile before a strange mark on the boy's body caught his attention. An ebony snowflake rested on the boy's chest, directly over his heart. It stood out vibrantly against his pale skin.

"Sev, have you always had this mark?" Jack asked, his fingers extending to brush against the strange tattoo.

"Yes..." The words trailed off as a wave of frost surged from Jack's fingers, adsorbing into the dark snowflake.

Jack gasped in shock, shivers wracking his body as he became aware of the heat spreading through him. It was as if the little boy was draining the chill from him, leaving him sluggish and warm. He couldn't even find the energy to pull his hand away from where it was now pressed to the white-rimmed snowflake over the boy's heart.

~White-rimmed? I thought it was pure black...~

A heavy paw on his shoulder brought his attention back to reality. Forcing himself to concentrate, Jack yanked his hand away from Severus, curling his fingers around the staff clutched in his other arm.

"Focus, mate." The deep voice rumbled through his ears, enticing him to lean back against the comfortable form of the pooka standing directly behind him.

"Severus..." Jack ran his gaze over the little boy staring straight ahead, as if lost in a daydream. His ebony eyes were nearly white from the power he'd unconsciously absorbed from the older winter spirit. The child's pale skin practically sparked from the clear frost covering his body; a side effect of the power surge, it seemed. And there, still nestled in the boy's outstretched hand, was the little egglet, frozen solid and covered with black frost.

White eyes drifted closed as Severus began to sink to the ground. Quick as a bunny, the pooka rushed forward and caught the child in his furred arms, lowering himself gently onto the grass that was now frosted in a large circle around where the boy had stood.

With the aid of his staff for support, Jack limped over to the pair and sat down with a groan. The older Guardian allowed the little boy to be gently pulled from his arms and into his father's embrace.

"Bunny... What just happened?" Jack whispered, looking over the unconscious boy in his arms with all the concern of a loving parent.

"Imprinting, I believe. Though we will not see the full effects until he wakes up," Bunny sighed, scratching his chin as he watched over his favorite winter spirits.

"Oh... OH! Bunny, EASTER!" the frost spirit announced, panic flashing over his features. The pooka's ears stood at attention at the mention of his holiday.

Green eyes took in the eggs in the distance, painted and waiting to be delivered to little boys and girls around the world. Bunny gritted his teeth and got to his feet. For once, Easter was the last thing on his mind. All he desired to do now was stay in the Warren and ensure that his family was safe and protected. But his holiday...

"Go, Bunny. We'll be fine. Just gonna take a long nap and wait for you to get back," Jack yawned, pulling the child even closer as he laid himself down on the grass, eyes already drifting closed.

"Take it easy. I'll be back soon." The pooka gave in to the urge to nuzzle the younger Guardian's slightly-warm cheek, before dashing off toward the tunnels. The sooner he delivered his googies to the world, the quicker he could be back to tend to his family.

Bunny raced back into the Warren and didn't stop running until he was inches away from the winter spirits curled together on the grass. Fast asleep, it seemed that neither had moved from the still-frosted spot. Peering closely, Bunny felt a smile curl onto his lips as he gazed at the tiny, frosted egglet that Severus was still clutching protectively to his bare chest.

Reaching out a paw to stroke Jack's forehead, the pooka was happy to note that his teammate had regained most of the chill he'd lost during the imprinting. The frost-haired youth let out a soft sigh at his touch, but did not wake from his slumber.

Dropping down to the ground, Bunny curled close to the immortal child's bare back, his arm instinctively reaching around the pair to settle on Jack's waist protectively. Assured that his family was safe, the pooka let his eyes slip shut as he joined the winter spirits in their state of rest.

"I wanted to help deliver eggs..."

"I know. Not to worry, little ankle-biter. There's always next year."

"What about Eggy?"

"From the looks of it, your little googie is doing just fine. I was a mite surprised myself, seeing as how he absorbed some of your power during the imprinting. Hard to believe he's walkin' around without any issues, despite still being frozen through."

"Will you be able to deliver him next year?"

"Fraid' not, kiddo. You see, he's your egglet now. An icy friend like him is perfect for a little winter spirit like you."

"I get to keep him?"

"That's right."

"... Thank you, Uncle Bunny."

Jack felt himself drifting back into consciousness as the conversation sifted through his brain. His blue eyes fluttered open and landed on Bunny's grey-furred form. The pooka was crouched down next to Severus as they chatted about the little black and white egg that was weaving itself around the child's bare feet.

"Severus... Are you alright?" Jack asked. Pushing himself up into a seated position, he stretched out the kinks in his spine as the pair turned their attention toward him.

"I'm fine, papa. Uncle Bunny is letting me keep Eggy," Severus announced, plucking the egglet off the ground and holding it out to the older youth.

"That's good..." Jack focused on the white-rimmed, ebony snowflake on the child's chest. Then the boy's words hit him like a sledgehammer, taking his breath away. "Did you... did you just call me Papa?"

"Of course. You're my papa, after all."

Bunny subtly wiped a tear from his eye as he watched Jack dart to his feet at the boy's words. Moments later, the frost spirit had his son in his arms as he twirled on the grass with a heartfelt laugh of pure joy.

"Guess it's time to drop the little nipper off," Bunny sighed, tussling the boy's dark hair even as he gazed over his head at Jack.

"Yeah. Pitch is expecting him back soon," Jack stated, sharing a smile with the pooka as he led Severus to the main tunnel.

"Come back anytime, you two," the pooka commented, waving goodbye as the pair disappeared down the tunnel.

Bonus:

"Father, are you mad that Papa Jack doesn't love you anymore?"

Pitch looked up slowly from the book he was reading, his dark gaze landing on the little boy standing by the couch he was resting on.

"What are you implying, Severus? Jack never loved me..."

"Yes, he did. And you loved him," the child stated, feeling quite sure of himself.

"Why would you think that, Severus?" Pitch asked, calmly slipping a bookmark into his book so he could set it to the side and focus on his son.

"Uncle Bunny said that when two people love each other a lot, then a stork brings them a baby. If the stork brought me to you and papa, then you must have loved each other," Severus insisted.

~Note to self... Have a talk with that insufferable rabbit and find out EXACTLY what he said to make Severus think that Jack and I were in love.~

...tbc...

Note: Another long chapter, but at least I got it finished during the month of Easter :)