I don't own Rise of the Guardians. Well, I do own a copy of the movie so that's something I guess.

It took five blocks for Jack to remember his hidden backpack. His staff swung in a circle and stopped abruptly, causing him to instinctively lean to keep his balance. He hovered for a few seconds, trying to decide if he should go back. The Guardians would still be there, and he had heard them on the roof as he'd made his getaway. It would be best if he waited at least a little while before going back. He turned the staff toward the tallest skyscraper and shot up to the roof, landing on the balls of his feet. The sky was cloudy and the moon a hazy glow. Jack allowed himself to fall to a sitting position on the edge, his legs dangling. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and twirling his staff between his hands.

"I didn't mean it," he murmured to himself. "They have to know I didn't mean it."

"Would you like ride back to homes?" North offered the Guardians at the conclusion of their meeting an hour later.

Sandy raised a hand and nodded

"I'd prefer the long way back," Aster said, a distinct queasy look covering his face.

"Tooth?" North asked the still masked girl.

"I'll walk with Bunny. Thanks for the offer."

North nodded and motioned for Phil to escort the pair to the door as he and Sandy headed back for the sleigh. Phil quickly led the way with his lumbering walk, the two Guardians following behind.

"So, Phil, how'd your meeting with the kid go?" Aster asked as he secured his mask to his face in preparation for the outside.

A mumble and exhausted head roll conveyed the Russian's feelings.

Aster chuckled and patted the large man on the back. "No worries, mate. Don't think that kid'll be back for a while."

The Guardians bid Phil goodbye as they left the workshop, earning a half-hearted wave in farewell before the door was slammed and locked.

"Not a very talkative guy, is he?"

"No," Tooth agreed with a grin. Her metallic feathers caught the street lights and sent a sparkle dancing on the sidewalk. "He's definitely nothing like North."

They took a longer path, half-patrolling in case of nefarious activities. A few cars passed and honked when they recognized the heroes.

"Do you really think the boy is going to be trouble?" Tooth asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Aster sighed and put his hands behind his head. "He definitely could be. That kind of power out of nowhere is a little suspicious if you ask me."

"What if he has something to do with Manny? Maybe he knows what happened to him."

"If he knows anything about Manny," Aster said with a frown. "Then why hasn't he come to talk to us? Manny would have told him how to get in touch with us from the beginning, not let him go running around on his own. Besides, Manny's missing. If the kid knows anything about that, I don't think I'd trust him anymore. Pro'bly less." They reached the end of the street and Tooth paused, preparing to break off from Aster's path. "You ever gonna tell us who you really are, fairy?"

Tooth pulled her mask down to make sure it was secure. "Not today, Bunny."

Aster sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. "Get on home. Someone must be missin' ya." The Australian began to walk away.

"Hey," Tooth called him back. "I know you don't really want to, but we need to cut the boy some slack."

"Always the voice of reason, aren't ya?"

"He's probably scared after hearing the big bad Bunny saying those mean things." Tooth winked before turning and lightly jogging away.

The idea of following her home to discover her secret identity crossed Aster's mind but he quickly dismissed it. She may not trust the Guardians with her real name, but she trusted them to let her keep her secret. Aster could respect that even though he was curious. Instead, he turned himself to a nearby subway entrance and descended the stairs quickly. There were only a few people on the terminal and he easily slipped down on the maintenance walk by the tracks.

Before Aster got a bike, he had delivered packages freelance by free running. After a few mistakes of people being shocked by a speeding Aster essentially leaping over small buildings in a single bound, he had changed tactics. The subway became a quick and easy way for him to traverse the city without drawing too much attention. The main lines were still used by the old subway traveling to the far points of the city, but there were plenty of side tracks that had been abandoned. Aster had quickly learned them and even in the darkness could easily follow the path to his own apartment. He could let his guard down in his tunnels, removing his mask and letting his hood fall back in the shelter of the underworld. The mask didn't breathe very well and the cool air felt good against his skin. Sweaty hair flopped in his eyes and he pushed it back with one hand.

It'd been a long day, even without the excitement of the ice kid and the long meeting. The Guardians had been requested to participate in an announcement by the mayor about his new electoral campaign and North had insisted they go. It had required a lot of standing, waving, and smiling for the heroes whose faces were uncovered. Thankfully, Aster's couldn't be seen. After the conference, they had met with the families they had rescued at the bank, making sure everyone was doing alright. Of course, then there were the interviews and meetings with the prosecutors of the many criminals they had helped put behind bars. In other words, Aster again stood there silently, nodding occasionally to things North or Tooth said. He couldn't talk for fear of people recognizing his accent. He wasn't good at public speaking, anyway. The real reason he was a Guardian was to help people. Not stand around and do public speaking gigs. There just wasn't enough crime in the city to keep busy and if the Guardians were going to stay in good standing with the public, they needed to keep doing things in the public image, at least that's what North said.

The stop on the old subway line that opened about a block away from his apartment was decrepit, but Aster had done a lot of work to make it a better secret lair. He hit the light switch, bathing the platform in light, and headed for the old employee room off to the side that had been converted into a workplace where he could put together his many colorful grenades. A few extra superhero costumes and regular outfits were there as well, ready to go. Aster slipped into a shirt and a pair of jeans, packing one of his Bunny outfits for emergency changing in a backpack. The staircase leading up from his landing had disintegrated but he easily jumped over the gaping hole in the stairs after switching off the light and popped open the barrier that blocked the entrance. He adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and nonchalantly began the last walk to his apartment.

Jack Frost had moved to lying on the roof of the skyscraper and fallen asleep while waiting for the appropriate amount of time to pass before he went to retrieve his hidden backpack. The chilly night air didn't wake Jake so much as the roar of North's vehicle as it passed a dozen stories below him. He sat up and watched the glowing red taillights disappear between buildings as he stretched his stiff arms. The cold air didn't bother him, but the hard building had made him a little sore.

When he was sure North wouldn't be returning to the Workshop anytime soon, Jack stood on the edge of the roof and looked down at the dizzying height. Without hesitation he stepped off, his stomach doing a slight somersault as he plummeted. He bent in the air and fit the staff under his feet, allowing it to catch him. He stayed crouched on the staff as he traveled back to the Workshop. He kept to alleys and consciously kept his staff's glow at a lesser level. He arrived at the dumpster in no time and quickly retrieved his backpack without incident. He stuck with the hoodie, pulling it over his head as he readied to head for home. At least, he was going to call it his home for the time being. The city was pretty asleep besides the downtown area where a bit off night life light was visible. He kept low over the roof tops, ears and eyes open for North or any other flying thing that could cause him trouble. What caught his eye, however, wasn't a machine but the glint of metallic feathers. Jack pulled up sharply and paused on the roof he was over.

Bunny and Tooth were having a conversation on the street below him, paused at the sidewalk corner. The man in the rabbit mask made to walk away but was stopped by something Tooth said. Jack strained to hear the quiet conversation.

"-bly scared after hearing the big bad Bunny saying those mean things." Tooth left after her last remark and Bunny turned in the opposite direction.

"I'm not scared," Jack said to himself quietly with a frown. He stood and dropped the height of the building to the ground. Peeking around the corner he saw Bunny disappearing into a subway entrance. Jack glanced back toward Tooth, but she had already disappeared into the city. The shoes were retrieved from his backpack and slipped on before he headed for the subway entrance. His staff went into the loops. He kept his hood well over his face as he passed the few people on the platform, following the dark shape of the Guardian. Jack waited a few moments before jumping down onto the maintenance ledge as well. Bunny's dark clothes made it difficult to follow him, but Jack saw the dark shape turn off of the dim subway to a completely dark abandoned tunnel.

The new subway was dark and Jack wanted to take his staff back out, but he knew the light would give him away. Instead, he began slowly making his way down the dark tunnel, following the echoing footsteps of the Guardian. He stayed well behind in the dark, feeling cautiously with his foot at every step to make sure he didn't trip loudly. The tunnels were winding and the huge openings made it difficult to effectively follow Bunny on his path. More than once, Jack went the wrong direction and had to retrace until he found the correct source of the footsteps. His eyes slowly adjusted more to the dark, allowing him to see the abandoned stations he passed. All of them were cracked and a few scurrying shadows sent shivers down his spine. His fingers again itched for his staff, this time more for moral support than the light it would provide.

Bunny's steps stopped in front of Jack and the teen paused, his heart speeding up. The hero must have finally noticed his follower. Jack's fears were amplified when he was blinded by a bright light on the platform. He instinctively plastered himself to the wall of the tunnel, blinking rapidly to adjust his eyes. Any second, he expected to be overtaken by Bunny. To be caught and dragged in front of the other Guardians and judged and locked away for being a danger. The seconds passed. Then a minute. His vision stopped being spotty, and still no one appeared. He released the breath he'd been holding slowly and cautiously skirted along the wall to the edge of the platform. He knelt and peered up over the lip, ready to duck down at the slightest hint of movement.

An open door went to a room at the back of the platform. Jack could see a shadow moving inside. The rest of the platform had what looked like training objects. A few dummies, a punching back, targets on sticks in a row on one side, and a rack of what looked like boomerangs. Bunny appeared in the doorway and Jack quickly ducked back down. He waited for the lights to be turned off, the footsteps to jog up the stairs, pausing briefly as the hero leaped a large gap, and the opening and closing of a door at the top of the staircase. He waited a few moments longer, then pulled out his staff. The glow slowly grew until he could find the light switch on the wall. He flipped it and this time was prepared for the sudden light. He wacked a dummy with his staff, grinning at the satisfying thwack. Jack continued past the dummy, then snapped back, sending a shot of ice at the dummy. He hit it squarely, freezing the entire torso solid. Jack grinned at his improvement and moved on to the room Bunny had been in. Colorful objects that looked a lot like eggs were carefully stored in cases around the room, coded by color. A few dozen were on the long table in the center of the room in various stages of assembly. A rack of clothes at the back held extra costumes and a few sets of civilian clothes. Jack took one of the rabbit masks and tried it on. It was extremely claustrophobic and he quickly removed gleam of an egg caught his eye and curiosity got the better of him.

"What is this guy? The Easter Bunny?" Jack chuckled at his own joke as he carefully held the object between thumb and forefinger, turning it to examine it. A small circle at the tapered end showed where the top had been screwed on. A sensor of some sort was on the side, about an inch from the top. Jack ran a thumb over it. Not a button from what he could tell. He pressed it a bit, trying to see if maybe it was a button, just sunk in. Still nothing. Jack sighed and was about to put the egg down when he noticed the spot blipping a red light. He picked the egg back up and frowned at the light. Slowly it started increasing in intensity. Something was bugging Jack. This felt really familiar. He should know what this was.

It hit him a moment later.

Grenade.

Without thinking, Jack chucked the grenade out the door onto the platform and shot up a wall of ice to block the doorway. He bent and covered his neck as the grenade erupted on the other side. Slowly he stood and walked to the ice barrier. A tap of his staff and the wall melted allowing him to look back out at the platform. It could have been worse. The grenade wasn't a frag, but a fine layer of something was spread over most of the room. The feeling of burning in his nose and eyes made him realize it was mace.

"Uh oh." Jack covered the lower half of his face with the crook of his elbow and squinted his eyes against the sting. It was strong. Before it could get any worse, he flew himself over the mess and up the stairwell, careful to avoid rustling the mace dust.

The fresh air of outside was relief to his stinging eyes that were watering a bit. "Good thing I didn't get hit, or I'd be down for a while," he grimaced. He glanced back at the entrance, wishing he could clean it, but he had no idea how to take care of the mess. With his luck he'd only make it worse.

"Oh, well. He already thinks the worst of me." With that parting thought, Jack slipped off his shoes and took off on his staff, pointed for Burgess.

Gah! Sorry this took a while to get up, but I did make it extra long for apology!

Again, wrote this late and over a few days so hopefully I covered everything.

Thanks for reading! Review if you wish :)

~abrokencastiel