All I can say is FLUFF AHEAD!

A GIFT FROM THE SOUTH

"He's late." Bunny huffed.

The food in front of them was beginning to cool and Bunny's temper was only heating up. They had agreed on having a 'family dinner' as Tooth had put it this evening, except a certain person known as Jack Frost wasn't present. Tooth drummed her fingers on the table, staring aimlessly out the window.

"Should we start?"

"Yes!" North yelled, snatching at a chicken drum stick and stuffing it into his drooling mouth.

"North, honestly. You're eating like a pig," Tooth sighed with a smile.

"Mmmwha?"

"Nothing, just finish the chicken."

"All of it?" North asked, hands already flying for the juicy meat.

Sandy though was quicker and pulled the meat away from the big man's colossal and greedy hands, tsking him as he did. They all laughed, but it was short lived as silence fell over them again as they continued to wait.

"Did he say he was going to be late?" Tooth asked.

Sandy shook his head then asked whether he was with Jamie.

"Nah, it's Autumn in Burgess, Jack isn't allowed to mess with another season besides Jamie is on holidays and Jack never got to find out where the ankle bitter was off to." Bunny said.

"Did Jack tell you that?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He never told me that."

"Tooth, you've been a bit busy."

"I suppose. Oh where is he?"

"I'm not going to look for him. It's up to you three this time," Bunny smirked.

Suddenly there was a tremendous crash from the kitchens followed by North falling off his seat when Phil came changing in.

"Phil, don't startle me. What is happening in kitchen?"

North let out a joyful laugh and beckoned for the others to follow.

"Phil says Jack is in kitchen. Yetis caught him trying to steal food."

"What, why? What's that gumby up ta anyway? We're having dinner, he doesn't have ta steal food. We're given 'em food!"

North only shrugged. With his hand on the door handle to the kitchen North and the others were suddenly sent flying back as an icy cold wind ripped through the Workshop, flinging the kitchen door open. Out zipped Jack with an arm full of chicken and fish, going to fast to even register his fellow Guardians sprawled on the ground staring up at him in bewilderment.

Sandy got to his feet and peered inside the kitchen. There were pans scattered all over the floor, vegetables spilling out of the pantry, flour coating the ceiling and the yetis, eggs and milk dripping off the walls. In short, a disaster zone. No, Sandy was wrong. It was a Jack Frost zone. Shaking his head in amusement, Sandy closed the door and turned to his fellow friends.

"What the bloody hell was that all about? Is Frost going into hibernation or somethin'?"

"No, I don't know what that was about Bunny. Do you think we should…um you know, maybe go find out?" Tooth asked.

"Absolutely. I can't wait for this explanation." Bunny huffed taking off in the direction Jack Frost had gone.

They walked down the hallways calling out the boys name while Bunny tracked him. They were all curious as to their newest members behaviour and they weren't going to give up until they knew why.

"Jack? There ya are. What's gotten inta ya lately Frostbite?"

"Oh um…nothing. Nice to see you too Cottontail. No, 'hi Jack it's great to see you,' instead it's 'Jack what have you done?' Honestly Bunny, I expected a bit more trust.," Jack smirked putting on a pretend hurt expression.

There was a sudden squeak that Bunny only just caught before Jack muffled it with an obviously fake cough.

"Jack, what was that?" North asked.

"A cough North. People do that sometimes. Quite often in fact. Why are you all here anyway? Oh! The dinner. Jeez sorry about that I got caught up."

"Doing what exactly," Bunny said stepping up to the boy.

"Why do you want to know," Jack smirked.

"Because ya made us wait for half an hour and then the kitchen is a complete mes thanks to ya."

"Oh yeah sorry about that. That was the only window I could find to get in."

"You could have used the door."

"But I didn't." Jack said.

Now both of them were up in each other's grill. Sensing a fight coming on the others backed away slightly not wanting to be caught in the middle of it.

"What were you doing Frost?"

"None of your business."

"It is when ya make my dinner go cold."

"Aw poor kangaroo, missed out on his dinner," Jack said, tracing a fake tear down his cheek.

"Frost. Tell me what you were doing or I'll make ya!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You can't make me."

"Oh yes I can mate."

"Well -"

Jack's argument was suddenly cut off when another low wail or chirp sounded from around the next hallway around the corner. Without warning, Jack took off and iced the entrance to the hallway, temporarily preventing the Guardians from following him.

"Oi! Frost ya aren't getting out of this that easily! Get back here."

"Bunny, stand back. I handle this."

North backed up down the hallway they were currently in. Realising what was about to happen, Bunny threw himself to the left just in time to avoid a changing Santa Clause smashing into the ice wall. The ice shattered.

"Hmm ice crack. Smash. It's cold Bunny."

"Sure North whatever ya say," Bunny chuckled at the big man's delusional state.

Once North was back on his feet an don planet Earth again they stared around for any sign of Jack. The hallway was complete empty.

"Ah what's that awful smell?" Bunny said.

He hopped over to closest door on the right and sniffed it only to reel back, a paw flying to his nose. That was definitely the source. Bunny pushed open the door and stood there slack jawed.

"Ah North, all I can say is, why mate, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why a room full of fish?"

The others stood by Bunny gawking at the room of fish. Here and there they could see other kinds of meat, but all of them were at a complete lose as to why there was a room in the North Pole full of nothing but fish.

"I will get yeti to fix this."

"I'm guessing Jack has something to do with this. Bunny, do you know where he went?" Tooth asked.

"Nah sorry, with all this damn fish I can't smell him."

A chunk of ice suddenly slammed into the rabbits back. Whirling around Bunny expected to see a grinning Jack Frost, not Sandy pointing to a laundry shoot. The golden man made a snowflake then once again pointed at the shoot.

"I don't know Sandy."

Sandy then opened the shoot which was coated in a thin layer of ice. The three glanced at each other before Bunny was pushed to the front by Tooth.

"What why me?"

"You go down rabbit hole all the time. This is no different. Off you go." North laughed.

Before he could complain Bunny was picked up by Sandy's sand and shoved down the shoot. Well it was better than the sleigh, that was until he fell into a pile of North's socks at the bottom. Trying to get out, Bunny glanced up and his eyes grew twice their size when he heard North plummeting down.

"Oh crikey!"

Bunny hopped out of the basket of socks just as North fell out of the shoot. Colourful Russian words left the man's mouth before he too clambered out. Bunny looked at the shoot then at North, well more specifically North's belly as Sandy and Tooth joined them.

"How did ya even fit mate?"

North simply laughed but stopped when his attention was turned to something behind Bunny.

"Jack!" The man bellowed. The basket teetered then fell, throwing both North and his socks onto the floor.

The Winter spirit stood frozen in the corner of the darkened room of the laundry. Tooth glanced at the pile of clothes hidden behind Jack. Did it just move?

"Okay no more running Jack. Come on, what's going on?" North asked.

"Jack what's in the pile?"

Jack hung his head and bent down to remove the clothes. The Guardians weren't mad like Jack had expected, they sighed and in Tooth's case giggled.

"Oh Jack."

"Please can I keep him!"

In Jack's arms was a penguin. Jack had been hanging out in Antarctica for an hour before the dinner. Trying to give Fiji a blizzard, just to see what would happen was not a good idea. Naturally to beat the heat the winter sprite had gone and slept in Antarctica for awhile. When he had awoken however he had found this little guy sitting on his chest. Jack had searched for its parents but he couldn't find them, not even the little ones colony. Jack had flown to a cave and placed the penguin in there. He had walked away, looked back (he really shouldn't have looked back) and found the penguin following him. That's when Jack had decided the penguin was his new pet and had brought it back to the Pole to get it food.

"Jack, you have to take him back. His parents are probably worried, da?" North said, kneeling in front of Jack.

"I looked everywhere for them though, he doesn't have any. So can I keep him?"

"Oh he's so cute!" Tooth cooed.

"Toothy ya not helping." Bunny said.

"Look at his little flippers. Aw!"

"Tooth, stop." Bunny growled in an attempt at a whisper.

"I know. I still need to name him. What do you think Tooth?" Jack asked.

"Oh I don't know. What about Fluffy?"

"Seriously Tooth? It may be a penguin but it has dignity."

"Tooth!"

"What?"

"He can't keep 'em."

"Why?" Both Tooth and Jack wailed.

"He is wild animal, needs to be free. You know that Jack." North said.

Sandy sadly nodded to North's words. Jack's face dropped to the penguin in his arms. They only hugged it tighter. The boy looked up, his eyes pleading. Jack wanted a friend. The Wind was great, but he wanted something to hug and physically be there. Tooth had her fairies, Bunny his eggs, Sandy could make whatever he wanted and North was greedy and had both the yetis and the elves. On second thoughts maybe it was just the yetis, but still Jack wanted a companion. He explained this to the Guardians and all they could do was sigh.

"North come on. Look at him. They're really cute together and Jack deserves a pet or friend or whatever. It would be nice. Please let him." Tooth begged for Jack.

"He's a penguin Tooth. It's a wild animal. It can't stay with Jack. What happens when the little guy gets bigger?" Bunny said.

"Actually I think penguin is a blue penguin. They are very small." North said.

"You're not helping mate. Point is, Jack can't keep the penguin. Even if it is adorable it has to go back to its parents or at least its home."

North turned away from Tooth and Bunny to watch Jack and Sandy playing with the penguin. It waddled around with Jack copying it. When the penguin looked back Jack would pretend to freeze as a statue. Sandy pulled off a bit of fish, that Jack had kept in his hood pocket, but had given to Sandy so he could feed it, and carefully slipped it into the boy's hood. Instantly the penguin began to almost chase Jack. The boys squeals of laughter drew Tooth and Bunny from their argument.

"Sandy what did you do?"

The golden man simply sat there laughing. Jack scooped up the penguin. It began to wriggle in the frost boys grip and then squirmed over Jack's shoulder to retrieve the fish. Jack shot Sandy a playful glare. The penguin and Jack sat on the floor and laughed.

"Jack."

"Yeah?" He asked, all laughter gone.

"You have to take penguin back."

"But!"

"Wait, you can go and visit your friend whenever you want. Penguin will be like Jamie no? We even give it a special ribbon to tired around foot so you recognise him. How about that?"

Jack looked at his penguin still unsure.

"You can even bring him to the Guardian meetings if you like?" Tooth chirped, instantly cheering up Jack.

"Okay, fine."

An hour later the Guardians were watching Jack place his little penguin on the icy ground of the Antarctica, a blue ribbon with silver snow flakes wrapped around its right foot.

"Bye bye. I will see you soon okay? Don't get into any…hey is that your family over there? Yeah I think it is. Well they'll be worried. I will be back tomorrow so you can introduce me to your friends alright? Bye!"

With that the penguin waddled off to its family. Jack didn't feel sad, in fact he was beaming when he turned back to his friends who were in the sleigh. He climbed in and sat next to Bunny as North got them in the air.

"So Jack, do you have a name for it?" Tooth asked.

"Yep."

"Going to enlighten us mate?"

"His name is Nimbus."

"Like the cloud?"

"Yeah," Jack smiled.

"Mate, why?"

"It was the first thing I saw when I woke up with the penguin on my chest."

"Oh I'm going to call it Nimi for short."

"Sure Tooth."

The next Guardian meeting was going to be great. Jack frowned when his thoughts traveled away from his new friend. He turned to the others, silencing Tooth and Bunny's bickering.

"Jack what's wrong?" Tooth asked.

"I'm hungry, can we have dinner? Oh let's have fish!"

Bunny smacked his face with his paw while Jack sat there and smirk for the rest of the trip.

Ta da! Fluff, in two ways, cuddly and cute ;D we will be seeing a bit more of little Nimbus later maybe, if you guys want. I mean what can a mischievous spirit of Winter and a penguin possibly get up to? Any ideas? Seriously, I'm all ears.