Welcome Home
"So North, what exactly is it that you wish of me?"
North takes a moment to look back at Sophie and Perez who were standing there nervously.
"I was told that you could help me get back to my world."
North was asking a lot from him. To break and connect dimensions was no easy task.
"I can."
Dropping his head, North begins to chuckle. That's all he wanted to hear. He really was going home.
"Is that all?"
Shooting his head back up, he nearly forgets to mention one of the most important reasons for their visit.
"No, there's something else."
He turns around, waving for Sophie to come over.
Hesitant at first, she cautiously walks over to North taking his hand.
"I promised her father that I would get her to The Warren."
Intrigued Pitch looks over towards the little girl.
"Hello Sophie, I've been waiting for you for some time now."
Confused, North looks up at Pitch.
"How did you-"
Kneeling down, Pitch lovingly brushes the girl's hair away from her face.
"Would you like to go there now?"
Her eyes widen with joy, she happily shakes her head.
"Very well."
Closing his eyes, the entire place begins to change.
White marble floors transform into lush green grass.
Trees miraculously sprout as painted rivers form.
Sounds of birds singing fill the air as flowers sprout in numbers.
North and Perez look around in awe.
So this was the power of Pitch.
Looking at each other they noticed that they were now completely clean and good as new.
This really was The Warren. It was everything her father told her it would be.
Giggling she runs towards a hill covered in butterflies.
Running through, she laughs uncontrollably as the butterflies gently fly around her.
Laughing, she stops when a blue butterfly suddenly lands on her nose.
Crossing her eyes she stares as it slowly opens and closes its wings before flying away.
North smiled upon seeing the girl blissfully play on the hill as butterflies swarmed around her. He knew deep down that somewhere out there Bunny was smiling at his little girl.
Walking over Pitch kneels down and takes Sophie's hand.
"This is now your home Sophie. I leave The Warren in your care. "
North couldn't be happier for the girl. She finally had found a place where she could call home.
He had only wish Bunny was here to see it for himself.
The girl stares deeply into Pitch's orange eyes as he tries to have a conversation with her.
"You may not realize it now Sophie, but one day you're going to play a very important role in saving this world and the next. In the mean time you're going to need all the help that you can get."
Gently pulling his hand away from the girl's, he cups his hands together.
"And for that purpose I gift you this."
His hands light up as the girl stares down mesmerized.
Upon opening his hands the girl gasps.
Cupped in hands lied a newborn grayish blue bunny with a tiny spring emblem on his forehead.
North couldn't believe it.
Sophie looks up excitingly as if asking Pitch for permission to take the bunny from him.
He nods and gently passes the bunny over to her.
"This is your Guardian. He might be tiny now, but if you believe in him with all your heart he will one day grow to be big and strong."
Lifting the tiny bunny, she lovingly cradles him in her arms.
Wrinkling his nose, the baby bunny slowly flutters its eyes open revealing his beautiful forest green eyes.
"You must promise that you will watch over him for me."
Giggling she pulls the bunny into a loving hug as she nods at Pitch.
Smiling, he stands up to now face North.
"As for you I believe it's time for to go back to where you're needed and missed."
Taking a deep breath North nods.
He walks over to Sophie and Perez.
"I guess this is goodbye my friends."
He gently pets Perez's head.
"Thank you Perez, for everything. We wouldn't have made it this far without you."
The mouse couldn't help but cry over the idea of saying goodbye.
"Goo…goodbye sir!"
Placing his hand up, he salutes North.
Looking over to Sophie, his eyes meet with her beautiful green ones. He places a loving kiss on her forehead.
"Be good Sophie. I'm really going to miss you."
"Bye Bye Uncle North. I'll miss you."
Tears well up in North's eyes as he gives the girl another kiss.
Looking down, he stares in awe at the bunny that she was so affectionately cradling.
Smiling he remembers a quote shared to him by the Bunny of his world.
Where there's hope,there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.
"Take good care of him Sophie."
She gives him a nod as she lifts and presses the bunny against her cheek.
Placing a kiss on his finger, he places it over the spring emblem residing on the baby bunny's forehead.
"Goodbye my dear friend. I will never forget you."
"It's time."
Getting up he turns and walks over to Pitch.
With a simple nod he signals for Pitch to open the portal.
Closing his eyes, Pitch waves his hands into the air and stops as a light forms around him.
Pointing forward he shoots a ball of energy to form a portal.
There inside, North could see his workshop.
"Home…"
Perez begins to jump up and down while happily waving his hat around.
"Bye North! We'll miss you! Thank you!"
Sophie takes the baby bunny and forces it to wave goodbye.
"Bye! We wove you!"
North looks up to Pitch, who lowers his arm to point towards the portal.
Doubtful, North hesitates for a moment.
Pitch places a hand on his shoulder and reassures the man that the decision he was making was the right one.
"You have done more than enough for this world North. You have brought hope back where hope was lost. Thank you…Guardian."
It was all he needed to hear.
Stepping forward he closes his eyes and jumps.
His workshop was filled to capacity.
Yetis tore the place apart as Jack, Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny try frantically to find a sign as to where North could be.
Jack sloppily swats away papers listing the names of children on North's Naughty and Nice list.
"Where could he have gone!? I mean what if we never see him again?"
Bunny stops what he's doing and angrily walks towards the winter sprite.
"Don't say that! We're goin' ta find him. Even if it's the last thing we do!"
Tooth was beginning to lose faith on the idea.
It has been days and they have yet to make sense on exactly what had happened.
The only thing they knew was that North was working on some snow globes before vanishing.
"Maybe he's on a vacation of some sort!"
Bunny gives the woman a stern talking to as he replies back,
"A week before Christmas!? Come on Tooth get it together!"
"No need to be nasty about it!"
Jack joins in on Tooth's defense.
"Yeah cotton tail! Last time I checked you had a fight with him! If anything this is your fault!"
Gasping Tooth stares over to Bunny,
"You had a fight with North!?"
"Wha-what! ? How is this MY fault!? What me and North were discussin' about is none of your business!"
Sandy was too tired to help. It was until he notices a light forming in the corner of the room.
Excited, he gets up and tries to inform to the group who were too busy arguing with each other to notice.
Sighing in frustration, Sandy walks over and grabs one of North's elves.
Positioning himself in front of the group he gives the elf a hard shake.
The ringing, forces the group to look in his general direction.
Bothered that he had stopped them in mid conversation they yell in unison.
"WHAT!?"
He points over to where the light was coming from.
A portal suddenly opens filling the room with a blinding light.
Covering their eyes, they wait for the light to dim before looking directly back at the portal.
They all gasp upon realizing exactly who it was walking towards them.
They all smile and cheer as North steps through and reveals himself to the group.
With the portal closing behind him, he looks up and smiles.
"Is good to finally be home."
In unison they all shout,
"NORTH!"
They all run up to him and hug him minus one Guardian who thought it was best if he hanged tight as the others welcomed their friend back.
Jack takes the initiative and interrogates the man on his latest venture.
"Where were you?"
Tooth flutters above the man's head, speed talking through her questions.
"How long were you gone for? Did you lose some weight? Did you bring me back a souvenir?"
Sandy had questions of his own, but even his sand show taking place above his head was no match for the out spoken voices of Jack and Tooth.
He pays no mind to the group as his eyes stay stuck on the Pooka who was standing by the corner with his arms crossed.
"Bunny…"
The way he said it took the Pooka off guard.
Coughing he attempts to hide the blush creeping across his face.
"North."
Walking over, the Pooka gives the man a hard punch across the shoulder.
"Don't yoos EVER do that again! Had us all worried sick!"
Rubbing his shoulder, North smiles as tears begin to form in his eyes.
With no warning he pulls the Pooka into a loving hug.
The group remains speechless, as North continued to hug the rabbit tightly.
Looking around Bunny notices that all eyes are on them.
Embarrassed he pulls away from the man.
"Um-uh! COUGH* Good ta have yoos back mate."
Clearly flustered he walks out of the room.
Tooth looks over to Jack for answers, who responds by giving her a shrug.
North marches forward and chases after the rabbit.
"Bunny! Wait!"
The Pooka tries to compose himself as he turns to face the man.
"North I-"
Not saying a word North grabs Bunny by the arm and pulls him into his bedroom.
Turning around he locks the door and faces the startled Pooka.
"Wh-what are yoos doin'?"
"No more running Bunny! I need to know right now! How do you feel about me?"
Bunny couldn't believe that after all these days North was still not over their last conversation.
"Really!? You want to discuss this now!? North we spent days lookin' for yoos. We're tired and Christmas is just a couple of days away. Can't it wait?"
"No, no it can't."
"Here we bloody go again! I'm tryin' ta tell yoos something and it's like you're not even listening to me! Why can't you understand tha -"
"I do understand! I understand that there is nothing more important than now because tomorrow may never come!"
"What are yoos talkin' about!? I'm here aren't I!?"
"Then tell me how you truly feel about me!"
Taking his paw he begins to uncomfortably rub the back of his neck.
"Its-ugh! Its…ITS DIFFICULT!"
Determined for an answer North pushes through.
"WHY!?"
Bunny couldn't believe it. North really wasn't going to let this go.
"WHY is this so important to you?!"
"Answer the question Bunny!"
"Drop it North! "
"WHY!?
Fed up the Pooka finally screams,
"IT'S BECAUSE I'M SCARED NORTH! It's…It's because I'm bloody scared."
North doesn't say a word.
After a couple of minutes of letting the tension pass, North finally asks,
"What are you scared of?"
Brushing his ears back he sadly confesses to the man.
"I'm scared that I won't be able ta handle the idea of us not workin' out. Somethin's are better left alone…understand?"
Charging forward North pulls the Pooka into a kiss.
Surprised, Bunny easily melts into the kiss and lovingly wraps his arms around the man. He didn't want to admit it, but he wanted this so bad.
Breathing deeply Bunny slowly pulls away and stares intensely into North's ice blue eyes.
Chocking up a bit, he pounds his fist into North's broad chest.
"I was so scared that I was never goin' ta see yoos again!"
Tears were now streaming down North's eyes.
"Bunny..."
This was the first time the Pooka ever saw him cry.
Reaching up he gently places his paw against the man's rosy cheek.
"Don't cry North. I don't like ta see a grown man like yourself cry."
Closing his eyes, North lovingly presses his forehead against the Pooka's.
It felt so good to be this close to him.
Pressing down on his lips Bunny nervously says,
"I care for you mate. More than you'll ever know."
North lovingly places a kiss on Bunny's forehead as he whispers into his ear.
"But I do Bunny… I really really do."
Lifting his chin he pulls the Pooka into a deep passionate kiss.
Speechless, Bunny smiles and places a loving hand against North's cheek.
"Welcome home mate…welcome home."
THE END
I'm taking a vacation. I don't think any of my stories has destroyed my emotions as much as this one did. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Any further updates you may receive about this story is just edits here and there considering this site made some words vanish. I have no idea why but it really bothers me that some of the dialogues in the first 2 chapters don't make sense because of words disappearing. PLEASE let me know what you think. I am really proud with how this story turned out and hope those who ship North/Bunny had a great read. I'm really going to miss this story. It's going to be kind of weird not running to my computer to finish the next chapter. Thanks to everybody who took time to review! I'm so happy that this story took you though an emotional rollercoaster. I personally love reading stories that tug at my emotions and I hope I was able to accomplish that with this one! HUGS ALL AROUND! :D
