A/N: Wow, kinda can't believe I'm back writing ROTG fanfic! So, back in 2012/2013 I wrote an ROTG One-Shot Collection on my old account (username is in my bio), but eventually fell out of the fandom. I'm back now and was looking through those chapters and decided to rewrite some of them AND write new chapters. I feel like my writing has improved since then (I would certainly hope it did, given I was a middle-schooler back then) and wanted to do something similar to how artists redraw something they drew years ago. So anyone who's read my original One-Shot Collection will find some chapters familiar, but as I said I'll be writing new ones too.

I don't know how often I'll update, I'm hoping to update frequently but I am a college student so life is hectic. I already have an idea for which stories I'll be writing, both with rewritten ones and new ones.

Anyway, this is a rewrite of the first chapter in my original fanfic.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.

It had been a couple months since they had defeated Pitch. With the lights glowing once again all over the globe, life had settled back down to normal, though with a few notable exceptions. The inclusion of one Jack Frost had led to the Guardians talking to each other more, actually meeting up at least every other week instead of staying locked away in their own places as they had before. And they were actually interacting with the children again, Tooth especially who had gone back to "being in the field" some nights.

The changes made North's heart swell. He hadn't realized how distant they had become, both from each other and from the children they were meant to be protecting. North was eternally grateful for the changes and realizations Jack Frost had brought with him.

That day North was working on a train. It was a basic toy, one most would assume had been perfected decades ago, but North was a tinkerer and the Guardian of Wonder and there was always something you could do to a toy to make it even better. Christmas was still months off, but that didn't mean he didn't have work to do. All it did mean was that he could leave most tasks to the yetis and work on more specific tasks himself, at least till it hit November and then he would be more hands-on.

He was so focused on the train he didn't notice Jack slip into the room (though, in North's defense, Jack had somehow mastered the art of moving quietly when he wanted to, something on one would ever have guessed given how talkative and loud he usually was).

"Hey, what'cha doing?"

North startled, something he would never admit to, and began to pull out his swords as he spun around. Their fight with Pitch hadn't been long ago to release the on-edge feeling, and while Pitch likely wouldn't be back for at least a few years (likely more, he'd had his butt kicked rather hard if North said so himself) in that moment emotion superseded logic.

The swords hadn't fully made their way out of the scabbards when North's brain finally caught up to his instincts. The winter spirit seemed surprised at North's actions, eyes wide and the hand not holding his staff raised a bit as if he'd hoped to ward off a sword with his bare hands. The moment North released his swords, though, the expression was wiped off Jack's face and his hand dropped, instead moving to wrap around his staff as he leaned against it.

North felt sick. He'd had the same expression as on Easter, when Bunny had nearly struck him. They'd apologized for the mess at Easter, it had been unfair and cruel of them to assume Jack had joined forces with Pitch and to blame him for Easter being ruined. He'd wondered if Jack was still upset with them, which North doubted any Guardian would blame him for, but now he wondered if there was a second issue. Because there was something in Jack's expression that screamed he was used to this, that he expected to be hurt.

North didn't have time to consider that, though, as Jack spoke up, a crooked smile plastered on his face. "Do you normally point swords at people who sneak into the Pole? Maybe I should be glad I never got past the Yetis," his voice was light, joking, but there was something in his stance that made North believe he was also ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble, no matter how casual he was trying to appear.

There were clearly many, many things he had to talk to Jack Frost about, probably sooner rather than later, but now didn't seem the time. So instead North smiled brightly, chuckling a bit. "No, no. Merely wasn't expecting you. What bring you to Workshop?"

Jack let out a huff of air, face twisting in annoyance. "It's too hot. All the Summer Spirits are coming out now." North nodded in understanding. He didn't know a lot about the weather spirits, but he did know winter spirits were usually impossible to find during the summer as they went into hiding and hibernation. He also knew Jack couldn't stand the heat. When the Guardians gathered now, he had to make sure the fire wasn't too hot else Jack would end up sitting in a corner far away from them. The Yetis had also had to learn how to make iced chocolate instead of hot chocolate for him.

"Usually I just go bury myself in Antarctica till it gets colder," Jack continued, waving a hand around as he spoke. North chuckled, imagining Jack bundled up in snow as if it were a blanket. "But I was wondering-" Jack briefly looked away from North, staring at the ground as he bit his lip before finishing. "If I could maybe stay here? If not that's cool, there's some pretty good snowbanks in Antarctica and they've been good enough before so-"

"Jack!" North interrupted, shaking his head as he laughed and placed both hands on Jack's shoulders. Jack's eyes darted back up to him and North could feel the tension in his shoulders, but he didn't let his smile drop. "Of course you may stay! Workshop for all Guardians! And am sure the elves will be happy. Yeti too if you distract elves." The elves were always getting underfoot and North was certain the Yeti would practically worship Jack if he managed to keep the elves away, even for a little bit.

The hesitant look on Jack's face disappeared, replaced with a smirk. "I could always freeze them till after Christmas."

North's laughter grew as he clapped Jack on the shoulders again, before ushering him out of the office. "Maybe not that long. But come, I show you your room."

The next month was... interesting, different. While the Guardians had already begun interacting more, Jack being at the North Pole and extremely unwilling to leave it ("I'll melt out there!") had led to the other Guardians visiting as well. None admitted to that being the reason, but it wasn't difficult to deduce. They truly were becoming their own little family, something North was sure they all appreciated. None of them had other family now. The Golden Age Sandy had been born during had ended centuries ago, Tooth had lost her family, Bunny was the last Pooka, North had grown up without a family. And Jack, Jack had died and his family had passed on long ago. It was something Jack had told them off soon after the battle with Pitch, though he hadn't elaborated on any of it. Simply mentioned he'd become a Guardian because he'd died saving his sister and that was it, after that he'd clammed up.

They had all gone through terrible things before becoming a Guardian, but none of them had died. None of them had been children and none of them had had it forced on them, they'd all been given the choice by Manny to become Guardians. It had been a shock, to say the least, to find out that Jack had died and never had the choice.

Perhaps North should talk to him about that as well. Finding out you had died couldn't be easy, even if Jack acted like nothing was wrong. The list of things to talk to Jack about seemed to be ever growing, but North knew not how to actually broach the topics without making Jack flee. Maybe Sandy would have ideas, he seemed to understand Jack better than the rest of them most of the time.

North winced at the sound of an explosion coming from another room, sighing. It wasn't a room where they made toys, thankfully, but that left only one other reason for an explosion. Bunny was visiting today and while he and Jack did get along better, they still fought sometimes. They were friends, there were no more comments meant to bite and hurt, but the two Guardians could rarely spend more than a couple hours in each other's presence without something happening.

North walked to the room the noise had come from, and where raised voices could now be heard. He raised an eyebrow as he walked through the door, taking in the sight. Splotches of Bunny's fur had frost on them, while other spots were wet and dripping seemingly from melted ice. Jack meanwhile had clearly been hit by one of Bunny's exploding eggs, leaving him with soot on his face and hair and… was that chocolate?

They hadn't noticed North's arrival, not till he cleared his throat and clapped his hands and glared at them into silence. Neither looked especially happy at the interruption, though the look on both face's reminded North more of children being caught up past their bedtime or taking cookies before dinner. In other words, they were embarrassed enough at being caught to stop arguing.

"Stop fighting. If you wish to continue, do it not at Workshop." A devious grin split North's face. "I can always drop off in a desert." Bunny's eyes narrowed dangerously, ears flattening against his head while Jack's eyes widened. Bunny did alright in heat, but had never been a fan of deserts (or all the sand getting into his fur and his eggs) and thus disliked the idea nearly as much as Jack.

"You wouldn't," Bunny tested, eyes still narrowed. North just shrugged, smile still on his face and saying nothing. Let Bunny come to the conclusion of whether he would live up to the threat or not.

"No more fighting, we'll be good," Jack said, Bunny grunting his agreement while Jack tried for the "I'm entirely innocent" expression which didn't work very well when North knew he'd been on the naughty list for decades.

Still, North nodded and gestured for the two Guardians to follow him. "Good, if no more fighting we can have Yetis make hot chocolate - and iced chocolate - and I show some new toys." Bunny looked less than enthused about that, already muttering about how Christmas was overrated compared to Easter, but Jack looked excited, eyes practically sparkling. Even after a month in the Workshop, he seemed just as full of wonder as North was.

And even though he was uninterested, Bunny came along anyway, his mutterings quieting down as he looked at Jack and saw the winter spirit's enthusiasm. It made North's smile grow larger. They didn't always get along, they were still learning how to interact with each other, but the Guardians slowly yet surely were becoming a family.

A/N: I hope you liked this! I'm not sure I'm writing North's dialogue/voice accurately, if anyone has tips or critiques on that I'd be most appreciative. I'm sorry if this felt a little stilted, it's my first time in a while writing a fic that's more than a drabble.

Since I am writing new chapters, I'm open to prompts. My only rules are: no romance, no gender-bending, nothing above a T-rating.

As always, reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!