North's footsteps crunched with every move as he walked carefully through the tunnels. His stomach and heart hurt at the sight of the broken shells. Seeing Bunnymund when he rounded the corner didn't help, either.

The normally tough pooka curled up in a dirt crevice like a bullied child. His pastel parka seemed dull, and the hem looked as though it had been dragged in ink. North quickly grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Is okay, Bunny," he said firmly. "Please. You cannot lose hope."

"He ruined everything…"

The pooka felt thin, fragile in his arms. North sighed and stroked his ears, trying to calm him.

"Pitch-"

"It was Jack."

"No," said North. "Pitch did this. Jack is only puppet to him."

"D'you think Tooth is right?" Bunnymund muttered. "About Jack and his nature and what might happen?"

"We can only hope not to find out. Why?"

Bunnymund wiped his face and said, "I told him it was his fault. That he ruined Easter. I don't- I don't know if I can fix this."

"Hey," barked North. "Stop this. What can we do to Pitch if he has Frost and Bunny? Tooth is hurt, and Sandy is tired. He lost believers today, too."

"You're really not helping."

"Then you help. Think. How do we get Jack back?"

Bunnymund concentrated hard. Then he spoke slowly.

"He likes to mess with Easter, and I'm the one who drove him away. A serious Jack would want to make sure today doesn't happen. A blizzard. He's done it before. Last time, people celebrated indoors. The chocolate's fine, and I can make more eggs. They won't be so lovely, but they'll do. Easter one day late, no problem. Jack won't like that. He needs to relax, to have fun. He needs to-"

"Remember," both said simultaneously.

"We have plan?" asked North.

"We have a plan," laughed Bunnymund, color flooding his face again.

"That's not how the teeth work, North," Tootiana said.

She was standing again, but sore, and leaned heavily on Vanish. North, Ombric, and Jamie stared at her expectantly, and she sighed.

"Jack lost his last tooth at 12. He was 19 when he died. There's a seven-year gap in his memory during his most important years of development. His teeth aren't going to help him."

"So what do we do?" Ombric asked. "Where do we find those years?"

"The sister! Jack had a sister," Jamie said as she flipped furiously through her book before pointing to a page. "'Once upon a time, a boy lived with his mother and sister. He loved nothing more than to make them laugh.'"

"I'd need a name," said Toothiana. "If I have the name, I can find her teeth. If she was still young, she'll remember him."

"Could check the books, but," North said, "there is no time."

"Any thoughts, Sandy?" Ombric asked, poking a sleeping Sanderson with his staff. He rolled over. "He's got nothing."

A thick silence swept through the room. Jamie looked closely at the room around her. It was just a small parlor, really, with a few chairs and the desk she sat at. Ombric rested grimly in one seat, his narrow fingers rubbing his temples as Sanderson slept like a cat at his feet. The long nights of double-duty trying to keep everyone believing in all the guardians had taken its toll. Vanish helped Toothiana into another chair, tired of holding her injured sister up. Baby Tooth rested in the crook of her neck. Jack had managed to lose her somewhere over South Africa, and now they had no idea where the boy was. Bunnymund was absent, deciding to stay in The Warren to prepare for Easter, Take Two and keeping an eye to the sky in case Jack returned. North, though, suspected Santoff Clausen would be the battlefield, and he was the only one not fighting to think straight.

Jamie knew she didn't look much better, either. Three days away from the orphanage already felt like months, and, despite not being a guardian, she felt the weight of the name every time she picked up her pen. Honestly, she struggled to stay sitting instead of joining Sanderson on the carpet. She let herself sink in the chair and looked at the ceiling. Her eyes danced over a motif of stars around a carved moon smiling back at her.

"Would Mim know?" she asked quietly.

"What?" North followed her gaze to the ceiling.

"I wrote her," Jamie said, "so that means he told me. Maybe he knows who she is."

"Of course! He knows everyone," Tootiana said. "If anyone knows her name, it's Mim."

"Do you think you can contact him, little goose?" asked Ombric.

"I can try."

North nodded. "Please, do. If Jack does not remember, all is for nothing. Vanish, help get ready for fight."

"You're not the boss of me."

"Vanish…," Toothiana sighed.

"Okay, okay," Vanish said, holding up her hands. "Just… find her."

Ombric rose and laid a hand on Jamie's shoulder, saying, "No pressure, little one."

"Ye-yeah," said Jamie. "No pressure."

She picked up her pen and closed her eyes. Then she reached out to Mim with her heart.

##AN##

Beta readers wanted. Please DM if you want to beta this story or any others.