That evening, as planned, the four original Guardians sat in the globe room. Bunny was bored of the argument happening between Tooth and North. Sandy had given up on being noticed and was just sipping at his eggnog and Bunny in all honest could not care less. Jack was a Guardian and did the job of one, even if he did not know or had not taken the oath.
"He is just a child! We should be protecting him not making him work with us!"
"Since when is being a Guardian work? It is not just job it is what we do!"
"It might scare him, the responsibility-"
"Is nothing he can't handle!"
"Just give him a little longer..."
"Tooth, he does not need more time. We had no reason to hide it from him from the beginning."
Bunny sighed, wishing he could block out the noise. North and Tooth where both acting like over protective parents and all though Bunny agreed that Jack maybe needed it, it did not make them any less annoying. Sandy seemed to agree, he loved Jack and worried about him, but not enough to start a fight over something so simple.
An hour or so passed and the argument got nowhere so Bunny stood up, and began to walk over to the door. Sandy, who had fallen asleep woke up, looking confused.
"Bunny, where are you going?" North asked.
"I'm going to see Jack. You guys keep up the... discussion. I promised the kid we could finish the game after the meeting."
"You were playing a game with Jack?"
Bunny nodded. "And I didn't expect the meeting to last so long, so yeah, I'm getting back to it," and without waiting for more questions, he left.
He made his way over to Jack's room. He quietly opened the door, poking his head in to check Jack was not asleep. He smiled when he saw the beautiful room. Jack had slowly made the room more and more his since he had gotten to the North Pole.
It was painted light blue, pretty little snowflakes painted on the wall. According to North, Jack had painted one day before going to sleep. There weren't many now, they were so small, but they were easy to spot, beautiful and original.
There was no bed, Jack had instead made a pile of blankets and unwanted cuddly toys into his bed. It lacked almost all furniture in fact. Jack didn't have many belongings, in fact, apart from his clothes and staff, when he had first come to live at the Pole, he had none. He had a few new outfits North had given him folded up and on the window sill. And lots of toys he had collected, toys North saw unfit for children or toys the Guardians had given him.
At this very moment Jack was playing with a toy plane that had failed to fly. Jack had placed a toy dolphin on it and was using the wind to make it fly around the room. He laughed and smiled as the plane pulled off fast and impressive tricks with help from the wind.
Bunny couldn't help but smile as well as he quietly slipped into the room. Jack looked up at the oversized Bunny. Still smiling, he got up, letting the plane land on the floor. "Can we play now?"
Bunny nodded. "That's what I came here for. So what do you want to play?"
Jack looked thoughtful for a second before deciding. "Hide and seek" he announced.
"Well, you got plenty of places to hide here," Bunny said. "I'll count, okay?"
Jack nodded before running off/ Bunny smiled and began to count. It felt strange to play with the kid like this, but Bunny was determined to show Jack that he was no scarier than the other Guardians and this seemed to be the easiest way to do so. Even if it felt really strange.
Jack ran though the workshop, he needed to find a hiding place that was both good yet not in the way. He looked around and grinned when he spotted the rafters. The wind quickly carried him up and he hid himself where nobody would find him.
Bunny finished counting and began his search. Sandy left the meeting and began to help Bunny, North and Tooth gave up on their argument and joined in the game. Even some elves began to play, but nobody could find Jack.
"Kid sure knows how to hide..."
"Let's hope he doesn't go hiding for real."
"May be problematic."
"Okay, Jack, I give up. Where are you?" Bunny called out, hours after the game had begun. There was no reply.
Tooth and North looked at each other, worried. "You think he's okay?" Tooth asked.
"Jack is just playing," North said, looking around.
"Jack!" Bunny called again, his ears twitching as he listened for anything that could help him track down the winter spirit.
Sandy silently laughed, looking up. He could sense Jack's dream. He had obviously fallen asleep at some point.
"Jack!" Tooth called, flying around.
"We have cookies!" North tried.
Phil, one of the yetis, was working on a toy, he rolled his eyes. Looking up at the winter spirit who he had seen hide, he considered telling North. He made his mind up when North asked him if he had seen Jack hide. He nodded and pointed up.
Tooth looked up and flew up, smiling when she saw the golden dream over Jack's head. She carefully picked Jack up. Somehow not waking him up, she flew down and handed Jack over to North.
"You could have told us something, mate," Bunny said to Sandy, smiling as well as he saw Jack. He was dreaming of a dolphin riding an air plane, a very happy dolphin.
"He is so sweet when he sleeps, so happy."
"See, happy, he is okay, we can tell him about Guardians."
Sandy and Bunny gave each other a look, wishing North and Tooth would drop the argument at least until they got Jack back to bed.
"No, see, he is child! We shouldn't tell him about it!"
"About what?" Jack whispered.
Tooth's eyes widened when she saw Jack yawning in North's arms. He looked up at Tooth and smiled. "Good morning."
"Not sure, but was falling asleep a part of the game?" Bunny asked.
Jack laughed. "Not usually, it isn't my fault you're so bad at it!"
"Ain't my fault I can't fly, mate."
Jack laughed, standing up leaning on his staff. "Anyway... tell me what?" he looked at Tooth.
"It is not nothing!" North complained.
"We're not having this argument now, North."
"Isn't my fault you woke boy up."
"Me?!" Tooth looked offended. "You were much louder than me!"
Jack laughed at the argument then looked over to Sandy and Bunny who seemed tired of it. "So... any chance I can get some info from you guys?"
Sandy smiled and nodded, making his own mind up. He tried to explain though pictures, but after a few failed attempts, Bunny decided he would explain. "The thing is Jack, we didn't just go get you that day because of Pitch."
"I see, is there some blizzard I need to sort out or something?"
"Somewhere, I'm sure, but we ain't getting into that," Bunny said, ruffling Jack's hair. He looked at North and Tooth who both had not noticed the conversation going on. "Basically... you understand what Guardians do right?"
"You guys protect the children, protect Wonder, Hope, Dreams and Memories. And fight beings like Pitch who bring them fear. Right?"
"Yep, that's it." Bunny smiled, trying to sound proud. Jack smiled back. "So anyway, all Guardians are chosen by the Man in the Moon, and right now there are five Guardians."
Jack raised an eyebrow. Looking around, he counted as if expecting there to have miscounted or missed someone. "You mean four?"
"Five."
Jack hesitated. "And somehow I gotta relate this to you coming to pick me up from prison?"
Sandy nodded, then laughed silently as Jack tried to figure it out.
"You don't realize how complicated this things are when you know the answer," Bunny commented. Sandy nodded in response. Jack just looked more confused.
Jack looked at Bunny and Sandy, the only thing that came to his mind was him being a Guardian, but he did not want to say it out loud. If he was wrong, not only would he look stupid, but it would make him look like he thought highly of himself. He did not want to make that impression.
"Can you just tell me?"
"We can."
"North, Tooth!" Jack called.
They both turned to look at him when hearing their names, Jack looked up at them and hesitated before deciding on what he would ask. "Who's the 'fifth' Guardian?"
North laughed, Tooth glared at Bunny and Sandy. "Well we can't hide it form him now," North pointed out.
Tooth frowned and shook her head. "So much for reaching an agreement."
"Sorry, Tooth, but the kid was going to find out sooner or later. And besides, North is right, he is ready to know about it. It's not like it changes anything."
Jack just waited for them to tell him, North chucked and hugged Jack. "Jack, you are Guardian!" he announced.
Jack raised an eyebrow, taking in the news. Guardian? Protecting children was something he enjoyed and already kinda did... yet it still sounded somehow wrong. He had always related the Guardians with strong, highly considered spirits. They were the strongest spirits around after the Man in Moon and Mother Nature, everyone knew them, they were listened to by everybody. There was nobody really superior to them.
But now, this still new, winter spirit was meant to be one. Jack had never been paid any attention and definitely wasn't one of the strongest spirits. He was known by everyone but not usually in a good way. But he did love children and he had been living with the Guardians for a little while now.
"So... the Moon chose me? When Pitch returned, while I was still in prison?" Jack asked and Bunny nodded. Jack laughed "I wish I could have seen your faces."
"Pardon?" Tooth was confused.
"I bet they were hilarious, I mean, wow... now who to put in charge of protecting children? Oh I know, the famous murderer alive! That must have gone down well," Jack laughed.
The Guardians looked at each other, at first confused, but then as the memory of it came back, Bunny grinned and they all laughed. "Yeah, we were slightly uncertain, to say the least. Thought you may have a twin brother or something."
"That would be cool," Jack said, laughing.
"Oh no, we got enough with one of ya... now come on ya famous murderer, dinner will get cold," Bunny said, deciding he was hungry.
The other Guardians nodded in agreement and they all enjoyed a family meal, filled with laughter followed by story time in front of the fire. The night ended when Jack fell asleep and North took him to bed. Tooth and Sandy left to go work. Jack was left in his room to sleep and Bunny stayed to chat with North.
North wanted to hear about what Bunny had been doing with Jack all day, happy to hear that Jack was finally warming up to Bunny slightly. Bunny was happy to tell North, it being such good news and all. Bunny was proud of his work and hoped to spend more time with the kid soon.
Jack was definitely fun to hang out with and Bunny felt he owed the kid at least that after all he had put the kid through. He knew Jack would never forget the time in prison, he knew that right now these memories were most of his life. But he also knew that time could fix that, that the kid was immortal, and in time those years would become just a small part of the memories that made up the life of Jack Frost.
But until then, Bunny would play his part, like all the Guardians would, in making it okay. Helping Jack to get used to the world and helping the world get used to Jack. It would be hard, but Jack would be okay. He was okay. Not okay enough, but he was okay. And Bunny couldn't help but respect how strong the kid was. He had survived what no other child, as far as Bunny knew, had ever done. And it would take a lot of time to make up for it. But they had all the time in the world.
Jack was a part of their family. The family that had not existed until Jack came along. But that only made him that much more important. And Bunny would protect Jack, protect him from people like Old Man Winter that had attempted to break the child. Protect him from loneliness and darkness.
Bunny smiled: just a few months ago, he would have thought himself insane, but now... the idea that there was a time when he didn't care, worry and wish to protect the kid seemed foreign. The idea that there had ever been a time he had hated, wanted to hurt the child... Bunny regretted those emotions, would forever regret, forever feel guilty. But he would forever work to make up for them.
He stood up. "North, I'm going to check on Jack..."
North looked up and nodded. "Take him some cookies," North instructed, pointing to the plate on the table in front of the fireplace.
Bunny nodded and grabbed a hand- paw- full before hopping off down the hall. He reached Jack's room and slowly opened the door. Jack was asleep, Bunny entered and approached to see what he was dreaming of, but when he got close the dreams vanished and two blue eyes looked up at him.
Bunny stared down and smiled. "I brought you cookies."
Jack sat up and smiled. "You woke me up in the middle of the night for cookies?"
"You look hungry."
"I always look hungry."
"It ain't healthy."
"It isn't my fault... they always kept me on as little energy as I could live on in the prison, so I couldn't escape."
"They shouldn't have done that, same as they shouldn't have locked you up without giving you all the information... I'll be paying the prison a visit soon, make sure they're following all the rules."
"I think I was one of those strange cases" Jack whispered.
Bunny frowned, not a conversation he wanted to have with the kid, yet the fact Jack spoke of this was a sign of trust. "Spirits don't go bad often, usually the prison is for holding sprites, creatures who work for spirits, like the yetis... except there aren't any yetis in the prison."
Jack nodded. "Old Man Winter is there now?"
"Yes, same cell as you."
Jack looked down. "It's strange, every time I wake up, I expect it to just be some dream, that the chains are still there." He felt his wrists. "Except I never dreamed... I wasn't allowed to."
Bunny cuddled Jack. "Sandy won't let that happen again... nor I. The whole event was a big mistake."
Jack nodded. "But it's over now."
"Yes, it is."
"Bunny...?"
"Yeah..."
"To be honest, I felt really scared of you because... you hated me before, when you thought I murdered... but you're not mean or anything... you're really nice."
Bunny smiled. "I didn't mean to scare ya, mate, I'm sorry about before... I didn't want... I was sure it was you and... then it wasn't. I was the last to believe you and I'm really sorry 'bout that. I'll make it up to you okay, we can even play hide and seek again."
Jack laughed. "I like hide and seek."
"Well, you can have a game of hide and seek for every year you spent in prison, sounds good?"
"Only year?"
"Month?"
"So every thirty days I spent there I only get one game of hide and seek?"
"Not enough?"
"How about... I get to call you kangaroo from now on!"
"A what?"
Jack laughed.
"What did you just call me?"
"Kangaroo."
"I'm not a kangaroo mate."
"Then what are you?" he grinned mischievously.
Bunny grinned too. "I'm a bunny, the Easter Bunny. And you know what the Easter Bunny is going to do to you?"
Jack laughed. "What?"
Bunny grinned and pounced, tickling Jack who laughed and struggled. "Stop it!"
"Only if you promise not to call me a kangaroo ever again!"
"Never!" Jack shouted and the tickling continued until both Bunny and Jack fell asleep in the pile of blankets and toys.
