Hey everyone, sorry I took so long; instead of writing something new I spent the week revising the old material. But don't worry, it's nothing major just some grammar and minor editing. No major plot changes or anything. Anyway, enjoy this next part and don't forget to comment.

Ch 24.

Bunny stood anxiously in front of Nona's bedroom door. After she had bolted out of the room, he'd been quick to follow. The outburst had him worried, and now he stood outside of her door debating his next move. Shifting his head to the side, he listened to the others downstairs; they were just as concerned.

Deciding that she had been gone long enough, he took a deep breath before tapping his knuckles against the door.

"W-who is it?" she sniffled.

Bunny winced "It's me, Bunnymund." Within seconds he heard rustling on the other side.

"Come in."

He was quick to shut the door once he entered the room. "S'everythin' alright?" he asked, as he hopped to her side.

Nona let out a sniveling laugh as she pointed to her face. "Just some minor plumbing issues, that's all."

Bunny smiled softly. "Ah think I can help with that."

She felt her breath escape her, as he wiped away her tears; it was the second time he'd done that. Somehow, the pooka always managed to be around when she was most vulnerable, and yet it didn't bother her like it should. Bunny gave a nervous laugh as he pulled his paw away.

Lowering himself onto his haunches, he released a heavy sigh. "Look, Nona..."

"Bunny please, I-" but Tooth interrupted the moment, stopping just inside the doorway.

"Sorry!" she cried, but Nona quickly rose to her feet. "It's fine Tooth."

Walking over, she surrendered the vial of teeth over. "I believe these belong in your care."

"You saw all of them that quickly?"

Nona shook her head. "I only watched what was necessary."

"But aren't you curious?"

She just smiled up at the fairy, before making her way back to the foyer. "It doesn't matter anymore; that's all in the past."

Sandy promptly greeted her as she reached the bottom of the stairs, with Tooth and Bunny close behind.

"Aha!" North laughed hoisting her into his arms. "Quickly everyone, we must go to the Pole!"

Nona furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"Why? To become an official Guardian, of course!"

She shook her head. "Not yet North."

"But Nona," He hesitated. "Have you learned nothing?"

At his words, Nona wrapped her arms around his strong neck in a tight embrace. "Of course I have. "

Setting her down on the ground, North gently placed a hand on her shoulder sending the others a dismissive nod. "Nona, come, walk with me." Without another word, she followed the old man out the front door.

Making their way across the yard, he sent her a sideways glance. "You know what your center is, no?"

She nodded her head. "Imagination."

"Very good, but it's not enough to just know it; you must also understand how to use it, for the sake of the children."

"But I don't know how!" she whined. "This is exactly why I just need more time to prepare."

North stopped in his tracks. "You are ready Nona."

She frowned stubbornly, making him laugh. "You used your center to protect the children from Pitch."

"What do you mean?"

"You transformed."

Her eyes widened. "You mean the pumpkin thing?"

North closed his eyes with a nod.

Nona was stunned; she had forgotten all about it. Strangely enough she had no idea how she had managed such a thing in the first place.

"You will have one night to prepare, but tomorrow-"

"Deal!" she beamed, gratefully shaking his hand.

It wasn't long after that, when he and everyone else departed, leaving Nona alone on her porch. Staring up into the bright blue sky she caught a glimpse of the Moon and smirked.

"Ok MiM you win; I'll join the Guardians, but on one condition. You teach me how to protect everyone as the trueSpirit of Halloween."

...

Sandy floated over the rooftops with Nona at his side. She sent him a wry smile.

"It's been a while hasn't it?"

He nodded his head with a grin, delighted by her company. But even so, he could tell that something was off about her.

"I feel like a whole new person Sandy." she sighed. "After being forgotten for so long, I guess I lost a lot more than I'd realized." Nona smiled softly recalling her encounter with MiM. He'd come through on his end, teaching her everything, from the ability fly and phase through objects to travelling through shadows and summoning her phantoms. But that was just a refresher. The true lesson was learning to control the might of her cloak. Combined with her imagination it was the most powerful artillery she had, but the lack of believers had left its magic depleted and her out of practice.

Without realizing at the time, her horseman had been the first sign of its recovery; but there had been a major problem. Up until now, her focus had been teaching others to overcome their fears; however, she'd neglected to face her own, and now it had caught up to her.

Unable to concentrate, her imagination, the center of her existence, was practically useless. That was where Sandy came into play.

Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke up. "Sandy?"

He stopped, turning to face her.

"I-I need to talk to you about something." With a wave of his arm, he encouraged her to proceed.

"Do you remember when Pitch's nightmares consumed you?"

He nodded his head grimly, recalling the horrific experience. She paused a moment longer, before releasing a pent up sigh. "Please, I need to know...how did you defeat them?"

He blinked a couple of time out of surprise; he'd never given it much thought before. But clearly, this was the thing that had been on Nona's mind all evening.

"Please, tell me..." her voice was pleading. "I can still feel them inside me."

In an instant, his expression turned to one of concern. But she shook her head reassuringly, explaining why she needed to get rid of the fear.

Immediately, he started with the questions.

She gave a nervous laugh. "This is going to sound foolish but...I'm afraid I'll end up alone. And yes, the fear is why I didn't want to become a Guardian. But no, I am not leaving anymore; I made a promise to MiM, which is why I need to deal with this ASAP."

He paused a moment, before inquiring further.

Nona rolled her eyes with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure, that after this morning, everyone knows about my fear but yes, you are the only one who knows about the nightmare."

His next question was more out of curiosity; as soon as he asked it, he could see Nona's defenses rise

"My feelings for Bunny have nothing to do with this!" she hollered with wide eyes.

Silent laughter shook his shoulders, but he suspected as much. As the keeper of dreams he couldn't tell her about Bunny, but it was only a matter of time before Cupid caught wind of their hidden affections. After that, he was certain she'd never feel lonely again.

Nona looked up at the sky before pulling her hood tight across her face with a groan. She was completely mortified; Sandy had figured it out. Was it that obvious? It had taken her months to decipher her feelings, in what only took him a matter of seconds.

"You better watch your back little man."

Sandy just laughed even harder.