Author's Note: If I had written 2,000 more words, this chapter would've been longer than chapter four...X)

Hello all you awesome peoples! =D Welcome back to "Dream On!" ^u^ Ah, chapter ten...I can't believe we're already this far into this fanfic. X) I still feel like I posted this story yesterday...

So, remember when I said that Jack wouldn't be the only one facing his fears in this story? Well, this chapter dives into what the Guardians most fear. =) After rewatching the movie and studying how the characters act and taking into what they like/dislike into account, I was able to come up with a specific fear for each of the Guardians (excluding Jack since his fears are actually canon). They aren't canon, obviously, so they're all my personal headcanons (like I haven't used several already, haha X)) on what I think the Guardians fear the most. I hope I did a pretty good job at making them seem...somewhat believable? Yeah, I dunno. XD

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy chappie number ten! This is also one of the chapters that I had a ton of fun writing. ^u^

Chapter Ten: What We Most Fear

They all had fears. Not just things that they were simply scared of. But things that they were terrified of.

The Guardians were warriors. They had faced the unimaginable. They had battled many enemies, both known and unknown. They had defeated Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, who had almost completely extinguished childhood belief across the Globe. He narrowly succeeded, but the Guardians had vanquished him back to his evil lair. Though they had nearly lost, they had pulled through, and using the belief that they had rekindled in the children of Burgess, they managed to defeat the Boogeyman as well as gain a new ally, Jack Frost, who embodied the childhood spirit of Fun.

But even though the Guardians were warriors, fierce and true. Fighters; their drive just as strong as their power. Despite the bold, brave image that they had crafted for themselves, they had fears that only the Boogeyman knew about.

They had done their best to conceal them. Hide them away so now one would discover the weaknesses that were hidden behind their strong, gallant composure. The Guardians had done so successfully, and not even Jack suspected what they truly feared deep down. The veteran Guardians of Childhood had even managed to keep their fears from each other, which while it didn't seem right, they believed that it had to be done. The fears that the Guardians had were deeply connected with their pasts, and very few were current. Of course, all of the Guardians feared losing their believers, but there were deeper, darker fears that they had. Ones that they meticulously made sure to cover up with their usual demeanors.

No one would suspect that North was afraid of failure. No one would suspect that Tooth was afraid of a certain creature who had taken everything away from her back in her childhood. No one would suspect that Bunny was still plagued by immense guilt due to something that had happened in the past. And no one would suspect that Sandy was afraid of the very thing that he was made of.

Everyone holds a fear. Even those who you think don't. And while no child or Jack Frost thought that the Guardians weren't afraid of anything, they didn't know just how wrong they were.

…

Bunny never thought that he'd hate returning home.

The Pooka didn't exactly feel hate, however, as he entered his luscious Warren. The little eggs were scampering around, playing a game of tag of sorts. Rivers and streams bubbled through the green fields that rolled across the large, spring oasis. The paint rivers sparkled with their many shades of color, looking like grounded rainbows. Plants of all kinds sprouted from the ground, looking extremely cheery now that their caretaker had returned. The egg sentinels who guarded the Warren when Bunny was away lumbered around with no particular destination in mind. They acknowledged Bunnymund as he walked past, but the Guardians of Hope didn't pay much attention to them. An old, aching pain had returned, and it had struck so suddenly that Bunny hadn't seen it coming. He had felt this pain once before, long ago when he had fled his ruined planet near the edge of the Golden Age. While he had felt this feeling before, he never got used to it. The painful sensation only appeared whenever he thought about them. His family.

The Guardians, yes, were his family. Though it had taken him a while to fully accept them, Bunny considered them family nonetheless. But they weren't the family he was thinking about, but his biological one. Bunny was a Pooka, and a long time ago he had grown up and lived during the Golden Age, the most wonderful time in history. Travel amongst the cosmos was common, goodness was plentiful, and Pitch hadn't even come to be. Those times were wonderful, but now that it had been destroyed, the Golden Age was only a vivid memory in the back of Bunny's mind.

It was hard to believe that Bunny had once lived with parents of his own. Had siblings, five of them, whom he cared for and loved deeply. Bunny tried not to allow his thoughts wander to them too much since the memories were too painful for him to bear, but as he walked toward his cottage that was tucked away in the deepest corner of his spring oasis, the other Bunnymunds were all he could ponder about.

Bunny was the eldest of six, meaning automatically making him in charge of his siblings after his parents. Miriam, Ezra, Melody, Jane, and Annika: his four sisters and brother. They were so different, but they treated each other the same. They were a team—a family—who never left each other's sides and always supported and cared for each other, regardless of the situation.

Miriam was quiet and bookish while Ezra was playful and mischievous, much like a certain winter spirit Bunny knew. Melody was loud and aggressive, but she had her tender moments. Jane was creative and pensive, and she spent a lot of time in her head or painting whatever she imagined. Annika—the youngest of the group—was cheerful and outgoing and carried a heart of gold. And then there was Aster himself, who was serious but caring when he needed to be.

The five of them were so alive with light and mirth. Overflowing with purity and life that Bunny couldn't hardly imagine them coming to an end. He thought that they would live pleasant long lives. Start families of their own and live on their legacy…

And then Pitch came and destroyed them all.

Bunny had been the only one who managed to escape. And watching his childhood home explode before him was more painful than having that child run through him as if he were vapor. Bunny would never forget the moment his siblings were taken away from him. His parents. His friends. Every last Pooka. They had all suffered, died all because Pitch sought out the egg that continued the purest light in the universe. The light that all Pookas had sworn to protect. It held immense power and just so happened to be one of the relics that North and the first few Guardians had been looking for to defeat the Nightmare King.

The egg was now hidden deep inside of the Warren. Where no mortal or immortal other than Bunny could reach. He didn't intend on ever using it again; it was the only thing he had left of his family and his old home. The Pooka feared that it would break if he used it too frequently.

Bunny missed his old life; his parents and siblings most of all. But he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt knowing that he could've done more to save them. He had the relic in his very paws. He could have used it—decimated every single Fearling until there was nothing left of the shadowy demons. He could've done something—anything—to prevent the Pookas' demise. He could've saved his family. He could have saved them all…

Bunny pushed those thoughts aside as he opened the door to his cottage. Normally, he would've been pleased upon returning to the place he called home for centuries, but sadness and guilt had taken him over. Old memories from the past came back to haunt him. The atmosphere was heavy with grief.

The Guardian of Hope's spring green eyes landed on an old picture that sat on top of the wooden table in the center of the window. Bunny picked it up, staring at the image of his siblings wistfully. He vividly remembered when it had been taken. The six of them had taken the picture themselves, but it had turned out rather sloppy. Melody's brown ear flopped over Ezra's face and Annika's head was squished in the lower corner of the photo. Miriam, Bunny, and Jane were squished in the center, and Ezra was squashed at the bottom. The picture was sloppy, but it just so happened to be Bunny's favorite photo that he and his siblings had taken.

Bunny did miss his family, but he was glad that the Guardians had found him and pulled him out of his grieving. He had become something more. Something new. Something stronger. He had climbed out of the dark and sorrow and was now something better than he had been all those years ago. He was a Guardian, and in them he had found a new family. One that filled the empty space that had holed in his heart.

But with all families, there was the fear of losing them. Bunny was afraid of losing the Guardians.

Bunny knew that was practically impossible, and he found the fear ridiculous. He and the Guardians were immortal. They couldn't die! But when he had felt the loose strand of Jack's life fading away, that old fear had reawaked, and took hold of him with a fury.

He tried to hide it behind his usual tough, unbothered composure. He tucked it away in the deepest reaches of himself, making sure not to lay a thought on the absurd phobia, but he couldn't help but allow worry to grip him on the inside. What if he and the other Guardians couldn't save Jack? What if venturing through his nightmares ended up killing him? Now, Bunny wasn't so sure about performing his own idea, and he hated that he felt scared, especially when he was supposed to be brave for Jack.

The Pooka gritted his teeth and slammed the framed picture face down on the table and closed his eyes.

He had failed as an older brother to his siblings. He wasn't going to fail Jack.

…

She didn't feel like collecting teeth that night.

Tooth buzzed around the Tooth Palace, making sure that all of her fairies were putting children's teeth in their designated boxes, and placing those boxes in their designated spots. The mini fairies fluttered and flitted all over the palace, some flying off to retrieve teeth while others focused on organizing. Tooth hovered in the mist of the tizzy, instructing and assigning her fairies places to go to, urging them to be swift during their rounds. None of Tooth's helpers attempted to sneak out of work, as they could all feel Toothiana's bubbling anxiety for Jack. The fairies pushed themselves to work even harder so that their queen could immediately rush to Santoff Claussen once the nightly rounds were done.

As Tooth sent and assigned her fairies places to go in the center of Punjam Hy Loo, several worries were rushing through her mind like a waterfall. Jack was dying, and he was completely unaware of it. When the winter spirit had stormed out of the bedroom and North had gone out to retrieve him, Bunny and Tooth had filled Sandy in on what was going on. The Sandman was heartbroken by the news, and the sudden announcement only made him even more compelled to help Jack as it did for the other Guardians. The process was slow, but the Tooth Fairy knew that it wouldn't be long until Jack's body would shut down completely, and he'd be unresponsive to anything or anyone.

Tooth tried to bury her feelings as she attempted to focus on her work, but she couldn't ignore them. They wouldn't leave her alone. Jack was like a son to her, and even though they had been true friends for only a year, she had grown rather fond of the boy and his mischievous antics.

Oh, and there were his teeth as well, which she still couldn't help but fawn over when she got the chance.

The thought of Jack—Tooth didn't want to think about it, so she settled on another phrase—shutting down was something that Toothiana couldn't believe. Jack was always on the go. Always moving, always active. He did anything, everything, and simply just be. He loved flying on the Wind and accompanying his snowflakes as he spread his winter and fun to the children across the world. His laughter was like that of chiming bells, his blue eyes brighter than the Moon. And his smile—oh Manny his smile—sparkled like the purest of diamonds. Jack had the heart and mind of a child, something that all of the Guardians loved about him.

Another thing that Tooth worried about was the thought of roaming through the winter spirit's nightmares. Whatever he feared the most, the Guardians would witness, and Tooth wondered what darkness would lay ahead of them. Jack had been on his own for 300 years, and a long period of solitude can break and bend a person in more ways than one could think.

Tooth was also aware that it wouldn't be just Jack's fears that she and the Guardians would face, but hers and the other Guardians' as well. When Tooth thought this, her colorful, radiant feathers began to twitch. She hadn't thought about what she was most afraid of in centuries. Her busy schedule and work had distracted her long enough to avoid even thinking about it. But now that Pitch had threatened her and the rest of the Guardians, those old fears rose within her, causing a burning hate to boil like hot water inside of her.

Monkeys. Tooth hated monkeys. She loathed them, abhorred them. Disliked, detested, and thought them to be downright awful. Strange, yes, but it was true. She hated the creatures down to her very core, no matter how cute mortals made them appear to be. Deep down, Toothiana knew that monkeys were nothing but filthy, savage beasts who had no heart or soul.

Tooth knew that it was harsh to assume so of every monkey, but she had a horrible experience with them, and they were the reason why her parents had been killed all those years ago when she was only a young child.

Tooth shook her head, her feathers shifting side to side as she shoved the disturbing thoughts that arose when her mind laid on the topic of encountering the Monkey King again. She didn't necessarily fear him, although a part of her always stiffened at the sight of a monkey. The animals stirred up old, haunting memories from her youth. Although Tooth had risen from the ashes and changed into someone she was proud of, her rocky past life still left a mark on her.

A chirp from her side caused Tooth to turn her head, finding one of her mini fairies fluttering beside her. The little fairy had a penny strapped to her side; she was headed for America to collect a Tooth. Through chirps and twitters, she asked if she was going to be leaving for the North Pole soon.

"We'll collect a few more teeth and then I'll head straight to Santoff Claussen, little one," trilled Tooth. The fairy nodded, and she fluttered out of the Tooth Palace to collect another tooth. Once she was gone, Tooth dropped her calm facade and rubbed her feathery temples, showing how tired and anxious she really was.

Whatever they'd find in the realm of nightmares, Tooth was willing to face them. She'd do anything—anything—to save her Jack.

…

Delivering dreams was something that he always looked forward to doing. He took his time with it. Drifted above the sleeping cities below and a calm, leisurely pace so he could immerse himself in his work. Sandy enjoyed the silence of the night that accompanied him. The faint hoots of owls in the distance. The quiet Wind drifting by, whistling not eerily, but comfortingly through the empty streets and towns.

Often, Sandy sat on his dreamcloud, watching as his dreamsand streamed like gentle liquid through the places he visited. He gazed at his dreams that fluttered by, watching as the golden silk laced through children's windows and took the form of a pleasant, cheery dream that Sandy both feel and see from his contented space on his dreamcloud.

But this time, Sandy was rushing. He wanted to make it back to Santoff Claussen as soon as possible.

Sandy spent a lot of time making sure that every child's dream was as unique as the last. He made sure that his dreamsand was weaved and crafted specifically for that child. The Sandman tried his very hardest not to repeat one, and he made sure that each and every dream that he created was fresh and new. Sandy found himself reusing many dreams that he had sent out in the past for each child that he visited, however, and he didn't stay around long to watch his dreamsand do its work like he usually did. He was distracted—very distracted. And while he normally kept his calm whenever a situation like this surfaced, Sandy allowed worry to seep in since one of his dearest friends was in grave danger.

Jack Frost, the young boy whom he'd watched from a distance for years. While Sandy wished that he had interacted with him more during his 300 years of solitude, he was doing his best to make up for the lost time. The Sandman had been quite fond of the winter spirit, even before they had formally been introduced. Jack was unlike any elemental spirit he had ever met. He was young, carefree…and didn't care what most people thought of him. Many immortals presupposed him to be a nuisance. A troublemaker. Someone who made a mess wherever he went just for the fun of it. Jack never said otherwise, and nor did he interfere. He was getting noticed for something, and that was all he wanted. To be acknowledged. Seen. Heard. Believed in.

Jack had admitted how desperate he had been to be seen and that he had done almost everything to get some attention. He annoyed other spirits until they chased after him. He purposefully tampered with Mother Nature and her elementals' seasons. He caused snow days in summer, blizzards in the spring. He was paid attention to for only a short amount of time when he was getting scolded, chided, or punished, but Jack took what he got. And he kept on doing whatever he needed to do just to receive the acknowledgement that he yearned for.

Now that Jack was a Guardian, he no longer needed to draw attention to himself. Occasionally, he'd pull a prank or two to get noticed, but Sandy knew that he was only trying to make sure that he and the other Guardians really did notice him and truly meant that he'd never be alone or ignored again. The Guardians had promised that they'd be there for Jack when he needed help, and that he would never again be cast aside, but the winter spirit still struggled with the concept of help. Just like he did right now.

Just recently the winter spirit told the Guardians about his recurring nightmares and their link to Pitch. Sandy had thought that Jack had grown to trust them enough that he'd easily come to them for help but 300 years was a long time. It had only been one year since Jack had become a Guardian, and he was still adjusting. Sandy was glad that Jack had finally told them what was going on, but he was also worried for what was yet to come.

Dreamsand was now useless on Jack, and he couldn't fall asleep without a nightmare plaguing him. He had described his night terrors being tangible and real, which struck the Master of Dreams with great befuddlement. Sandy had never heard of such a nightmare that was real enough that you could feel and sense what was going on. Sandy had seen vivid dreams, but they still were nowhere near close to being real.

Whatever new dark powers that Pitch had gained during his recovery, Sandy was bent on discovering what they were and how to stop them. The Boogeyman must have made modifications to the nightmare sand! Jack had mentioned that he had been bitten by a Nightmare when he had gone searching for clues, and the bite must be what was making the nightmares even worse…

And slowly draining him of life.

Sandy had sensed darkness inside of Jack. Cold, foreboding darkness that was slowly taking him over and wouldn't stop until it had reached every inch of his body. The winter spirit would shut down and would never be active again, which was something that none of the Guardians wanted to happen to their boy. Since Pitch had made it clear that he wouldn't reveal himself unless the Guardians were dreaming, Bunny had proposed the idea—which Sandy wished he had thought of before—of linking their minds to Jack's. So when he slept, they'd be able to take the Boogeyman down.

It was indubitably possible despite how crazy it seemed, but Sandy hadn't dream-melded in a long time. He knew that he could do it and he believed that he could, but a part of him was afraid to execute it. What if something went wrong? The Guardians still had their jobs to attend to…What if this was a trap, and the plan didn't work?

Sandy remembered the look of fear on Jack's face when he had woken up from his last nightmare, further compelling him to give this idea a chance. There was really no other option to draw Pitch out; the Guardians could spend all their time scouring the planet for the Boogeyman, but he wouldn't come out of the shadows unless they tempted him to. The Sandman would do his best to protect the winter spirit, but with his dreamsand rendered useless, Sandy didn't know how he'd defend Jack from the horrible nightmares that were plaguing him.

Guilt washed over Sandy along with a feeling of apprehension. Whenever his dreamsand came in contact with Jack, it immediately turned into its evil counterpart: nightmare sand. Perhaps if he had been more careful when spreading his dreams, Pitch wouldn't have gotten his hands on his dreamsand and converted it into the horror that now attacked Jack. His dreamsand was the only reason why Pitch's nightmare sand existed, which left Sandy feeling guilty, and a little fretful. What if his dreamsand was completely useless in the fight.

Sandy shook his head vehemently, refusing to let those dark thoughts control him. He patted his dreamcloud and continued on to the next town, promising himself that he'd protect Jack the best he could.

And if he failed, the Sandman would never forgive himself.

…

He didn't have the inspiration to make an ice sculpture that day. Or anything for that matter. So he wandered over to the library, where he was currently staring into the flames of the fireplace, deep in thought.

Whenever his mind was troubled, North would normally create an ice sculpture in his study. He'd shut the door and turp up his blaring, loud, Russian music to block out all of the worrying thoughts that swirled in his mind. North would set up his desk with a large block of ice and his sculpting tools and then allow his hands to do whatever they pleased. He didn't control them, and he never had anything specific in mind to create. North simply allowed his mind to wander, and input whatever he thought into hands, which chipped away at the shimmering block of ice. Soon, North would make something remarkable, and he'd instantly feel better. But when he had tried to craft something out of ice earlier that day, all he had made was a half-chipped cube of ice that reminded him of Jack.

The Guardian of Wonder cared deeply about the boy, and he proudly considered him as his son. That was why he had gone out to comfort the winter spirit when he had panicked; he didn't want to let him suffer any longer. Even though Jack hadn't said anything, North was sure that the boy was beginning to view him as a fatherly figure himself, which made North's heart swell. The two had spent a lot of time together in the study, library, or in the Workshop, coming up with new inventions to create or sharing ideas for children's toys. Jack had an incredible mind and imagination; North always took his ideas into account whenever he proposed something new for the children.

Jack was so full of light and life, all child-like qualities. North couldn't believe that he was dying. Just a few months ago Jack had been off and on the walls. Flipping and looping in the air on the Wind, his laughter ringing through the air like windchimes. The Guardian of Fun lived up to his title, pulling pranks, initiating snowball fights, and creating new games for the yetis and elves to play when they got bored.

Now, he was lethargic and moody. The complete opposite of the carefree winter teen that North knew. Jack didn't smile. He hardly laughed. Fear and pain replaced the brightness and mirth that used to flicker in his eyes. North couldn't stand to see Jack in such a condition, and he wanted to restore the boy to his original self before he got even worse.

The answer to that, apparently, lay somewhere deep within Jack's mind, which was where the Guardians were going to travel to once their jobs were done for the day. From what North had witnessed thus far, whatever darkness lingered around in Jack's head was unsettling. Frightening. Foreboding. North found it surprising that the winter spirit was carrying so many hidden burdens at his age. Jack shouldn't have been alone for 300 years; it was those three centuries that left several scars and wounds on him. North wished that he had taken notice of him sooner. He and the other Guardians could've done so much to help him. They could've given him shelter, a family. Improved his lonesome life so he didn't have to suffer.

It was better to atone for the past than lie on it, North deemed. And that was what he and the other Guardians had been doing for the young Spirit of Winter ever since he had been inducted into the Guardians of Childhood. They were there for him when he needed them. They helped him, even though he never asked. Jack had been adjusting slowly, and he had come a long way since he had joined them.

Still, North felt guilty. As the Guardians of Childhood, they were supposed to help all children. All. Jack was technically still a child, and the Guardians had failed him. They didn't take much notice of him. He slipped their minds like water going through a filter. Whenever his name was brought up, they would dismiss it. North had seen Jack's name at the top of the Naughty List multiple times. After seeing it there for a decade, he should've gone and investigated the winter spirit sooner. He was the leader of the Guardians. He should've instituted a search.

If there was one thing North hated the most it was feeling as if he had failed. Sometimes, he feared failing the Guardians and perhaps the Man in the Moon, who had put him in his leadership position. When Jack had come into the Guardians' lives, it was North who had first believed in him. But when they discovered that he had been with Pitch during Easter, the Guardian of Wonder immediately turned away from him. He didn't even think to ask questions first.

The Guardians were all guilty of that, but North had been the first to put one and one together. The Guardians had apologized, but the guilt still remained. Jack had forgiven them later on, and North had sworn never to allow something like that to occur ever again.

But knowing that he and the others had failed Jack…North still couldn't find it in him to fully forgive himself.

The door to the library creaked open, and Phil entered the room. He garbled a few words in yetish, telling North that the other Guardians were on their way to the North Pole. North stood up from his seat and walked out of the library and headed to the Globe Room, hoping like the rest of the Guardians, that they'd be able to save Jack.

…

There was something they weren't telling him. He could feel it.

Jack stared at the raftered ceiling in his room; his eyes dulled and glazed over. Bored of watching the wood crisscrossing above him, the winter spirit rolled over with a yawn, hugging his pillow close to his chest. Jack was so tired. He wanted nothing more than to fall into a deep, uninterrupted sleep that he could wake up from in, perhaps, a couple of weeks. Maybe even a month. Unfortunately, he couldn't not only because of the nightmares, but because he might not wake up if he did.

The Guardian of Fun didn't quite understand why he wouldn't wake up if he fell asleep. His nightmares were difficult to wake up from, yes, but he eventually did once it was over. Jack knew that something deeper, perhaps even darker was going on, and the Guardians were most likely aware of it. They were hiding information that Jack wanted to know, but they hadn't said anything. Jack frowned; he was the one going through nightmares. He should at least know what was wrong with him, no matter how terrible it was.

Jack winced as his arm pulsed with pain, and he sat up from his impugnable position and rolled up his sleeve. Before the Guardians had elft, Sandy had placed some sort of magical ointment on the wound to reduce the pain and rebandaged it. But whatever the little man had used was fading, and Jack could feel the pain beginning to return. The winter spirit pulled his sleeve back down and sighed, closing his eyes. Sleep was oh so tempting, and Jack yearned to fall into it. The winter spirit wasn't surprised when he felt a sharp poke at his side.

Jack cracked an eye open, looking at Baby Tooth, who was fluttering in front of him. The little fairy had a look of disapproval on her face, and she chirped emphatically, seemingly chiding the winter spirit.

"I know, I know…" the winter spirit drawled. He straightened out, placing his cloud-like pillow on his lap. Jack rubbed his eyes. "I'm not supposed to fall asleep…but you have no idea how difficult that is right now."

Baby Tooth softened, and she twittered in concern. Jack sighed.

"I should've told them sooner…" the Guardian of Fun mumbled regretfully. If he had, things wouldn't have gotten so bad. Jack had easy access to help, but he still refused to accept it. Jack hated that about himself sometimes, and he wished that he could go back in time and change his previous choices but what was done was done. He couldn't change anything. Nightmares were tormenting him, his arm had been bitten by a Nightmare, and the Guardians were hiding information from him. Important information that Jack desired to know.

The Guardians had been more than helpful to him, and they had done their best to make him comfortable. North had sent a few yetis to check on him every half hour and Baby Tooth was doing a remarkable job at keeping him awake. Jack only dozed off three times, and the yellow-feathered fairy had woken him up. She changed her method each time so that Jack wouldn't get used to one. Some cleaning yetis had come in and tidied up the room. It now looked like it had before the blizzard Jack had created took place.

Jack didn't know what to feel at the moment…Often he doubted that the Guardians really cared for him, and after having that Nightmare of them kicked him out, he found himself wondering if they kept him around because they liked him…or because the Man in the Moon told them to. Jack's lips dropped into a frown, not knowing what to think. These worries and fears swam in his mind frequently; he wished that he could flush them out.

Baby Tooth landed on his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek comfortingly. Jack managed to smile, just a little, and he lifted a pale finger to rub against the small fairy's feathers. She chirped in delight, eliciting a soft chuckle from Jack.

"When I'm up and running again, how about a race around Punjam Hy Loo?" said Jack. Baby Tooth perked up instantly. Racing the winter spirit was one of her favorite pastimes. "It's been a while since we've had one."

Baby Tooth nodded in agreement. Since Jack had closed himself off from the Guardians, she had rarely seen the winter spirit. She missed him, their races…the happiness that they shared in each other's company. Jack was like a brother to Baby Tooth. He was her best friend, and the fact that he was dying…Baby Tooth's feather's stuck to her adhesively. She didn't want to think about it.

Sensing her change in demeanor, Jack was about to ask what was wrong when the Guardians entered the room. They all looked rather tight, and Jack could tell that they had rushed through their work just so they could get there in a hurry. The winter spirit pushed another smile.

"Hey, guys," Jack acknowledged them happily. Exhaustion was still evident in his voice, and Jack wished that he could say something without sounding so tired.

"Hello, Jack!" greeted Tooth. The Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies. Baby Tooth flitted up to her and trilled a greeting. Tooth smiled. "Was Jack good?" she asked her helper.

From the bed, Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm sitting right here," the winter spirit said. His comment seemed to be ignored when Baby Tooth nodded and explained to her queen how things had gone.

"How are you feeling, Jack?" asked North as he walked up to the Guardian of Fun's beside.

Jack shrugged. "Still tired," he replied with a short yawn. "I'm looking forward to going to sleep."

Bunny snorted. "Ya'll be asleep, but I doubt that it'll be restful."

"It's better than what I've got in the past four months," said Jack.

Tooth sent Baby Tooth to the Tooth Palace so she could take charge of the teeth collecting for the time being. Once she had flown off, the Tooth Fairy turned her bird-like head to Sandy. "How will you connect our dreams, Sandy?" she questioned. "I know it's possible, but I'm curious about how it works."

The Sandman helpful used his images to describe the process. "I'll use a single strand of dreamsand to weave through our heads…Think about it like three being pushed through a needle. The single stream will connect our minds together, and we'll share dreams with Jack."

"Intriguing," remarked North, combing a hand through his beard. "Anything else we should know?"

Sandy thought for a moment, and when the thought came to him, he lifted his index finger, pictures flashing over his head once again. The illustration of Jack waking up and all of the other Guardians waking up afterward played over his head. "If Jack wakes up, we all wake up. Since the link is connected to his dreams, he's the only one who can pull us out of them."

Sandy turned to Jack. "To successfully find Pitch you need to stay asleep. If waking up isn't an option, I can disconnect the link from all of us if there's an emergency."

Jack nodded. "Understood." He was confident that there wouldn't be any need to manually remove the link. The guardians were in the North Pole, which was guarded by an army of yetis who were armed with an arsenal of incredible weapons of all kinds. Jack was confident that he and the others would be good to go.

As if he had read Jack's thoughts, North said, "I enforced yeti security and put Phil in charge for now. I'm sure nothing will go wrong."

"That's what we're all hopin', mate," Bunny said.

"Then we might as well get started," said Tooth, her wings fluttering swiftly. "What do we have to do, Sandy?"

Sandy created the image of a large bedroom. "I suggest we move to a large room. It's easier to link minds if we're close together…"

…

"Is this really necessary?"

Jack felt unduly incommodious squished in between Tooth and Bunny. He squirmed, accidentally kicking Bunny's side. The Pooka grumbled.

"If ya keep movin' around, I'm gettin' out of this bed," Bunny threatened. Tooth frowned at him disapprovingly. Next to her was North, who was trying his best to fit on the squished bed. It was large, but not large enough for the ex-Cossack to perfectly lie on. Sandy watched the four from a comfortable, cushioned armchair in the corner of the room. An amusement smile rested on his golden face.

"Why does Sandy get the chair?" asked Bunny indignantly. "We didn't even take a vote!"

When Sandy had said that the Guardians had to move to a large room, they didn't expect to share one large bed. Apparently, dream-melding required close proximity with each other, so the Guardians couldn't be in separate bedrooms. At first, North had suggested that they could bring five beds into one room, but they didn't have much time, and moving them would be tedious. So the Guardians settled on one of the many extra bedrooms in the North Pole, which had a large comfy bed and a single armchair sitting in the corner.

Now, none of the Guardians were too keen on sharing a bed, and an argument had taken place about how would take the chair. Sandy put the quarreling to an end by simply sitting in the armchair before anyone, so Jack, North, Tooth, and Bunny had no choice but to take the bed.

"I should've gotten it," muttered Jack. "I'm the one who's mind is being invaded…And now my personal space is too."

"Sandy needs room to work, no?" said North. "He is connecting dreams, so he will be falling asleep last."

Tooth nodded. "Besides, this is only temporary…It's not like we'll sleep like this every day. We're family, guys. This shouldn't be so bad."

"I like you guys, but I don't have to be crushed in between you all," said Jack. He sneezed as one of Tooth's twitching feathers brushed near his nose.

"Sorry," the Tooth Fairy apologized with a sheepish grin.

"And now we're at risk of gettin' contaminated by Frostbite," Bunny griped.

Jack frowned. "Hey, I'm sleep deprived, not sick."

Sandy sighed and shook his head, steering the Guardians back on track. "To link our minds together, Jack needs to fall asleep first since he's the one we'll be sharing dreams with."

At the mention of going to sleep, Jack suddenly felt fretful despite looking forward to it. He didn't know what laid behind his eyes when he closed them, and he didn't want to find out either. What if something happened when he fell asleep? What if Pitch attacked the instant he allowed his eyes to slip shut?

Jack was pulled out of his worries when Tooth laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll be there to pull you out if anything goes wrong, Jack," she reassured as if she had read his thoughts. Or Jack looked just that nervous.

The winter spirit nodded slowly, and he sunk into his pillow. The Guardians wished him good luck, and the winter spirit closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

He surprised himself, however, when he didn't.

Jack shifted and he squeezed his eyes shut but sleep just wouldn't come. He felt tired, exhausted even, and yet there he was, unable to fall into the slumber that he had desperately wanted to fall into for months. He could feel the Guardians watching him as he struggled to fall asleep. Sandy hadn't produced any dreamsand yet.

Impatiently, Bunny asked, "Why aren't ya doin' anythin', Sandy?"

Jack could hear the familiar sparkling of Sandy's dreamsand, most likely telling the Pooka that he wasn't asleep. Jack cracked an eye open.

"Why aren't ya sleepin', mate?" asked Bunny.

"I…" Jack felt incredibly embarrassed. He chewed his lower lip. "I can't sleep."

"What do ya mean ya can't sleep?" exclaimed Bunny.

"Exactly that," said Jack. "I just…I can't."

"Then we help you sleep!" North said enthusiastically. "I know old Russian lullaby that will help Jack fall asleep instantly!"

Jack stared at him. "A lullaby?" he asked incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

Bunny shook his head. "Aw, naw, mate. There's no way yer singing," the Pooka objected. "It'll probably cause Frostbite ta stay awake instead of sleep."

Jack was glad that Bunny agreed with him…until he made a ridiculous suggestion too.

"Obviously what we need here is a good ol' cup of warm milk and chocolate," said Bunny. "It'll knock the kit right out."

"Sweets won't help Jack sleep!" argued Tooth. "They'll just make him hyper! All he needs to do is go brush his teeth to relax himself. Then he'll fall asleep."

"Hm, that might work…for ya sheila!" said Bunny.

"No, no, what we need is lullaby!" bellowed North. "I'm sure I can remember lyrics…"

"Are ya serious, North?"

"Jack just needs to brush his teeth! It's a simple solution!"

"Milk and chocolate is the obvious answer, mates!"

The three continued to argue what method would work best on Jack, and the winter spirit felt—quite literally—squashed in the middle. He tried to speak, but he was cut off before he could get a word out.

Sandy frowned, and a dreamsand gavel formed in his hand. He banged it against the side table that sat right next to him. The Guardians silenced, allowing Jack to speak.

"I think the centuries old method of lying down in silence is all that I need," he said.

North, Tooth, and Bunny looked at each other, then turned back to Jack.

"Alright, mate. We'll hush up," said the Pooka.

Jack managed a small smile. "Thanks," he said. The winter spirit got himself comfortable and closed his eyes. Eventually, his breathing evened out and his features smoothed. Tiredness took him over, and in no time at all, Jack was asleep. Toothiana wove a hand through his white hair.

"Will he feel anything?" the Tooth Fairy asked.

Sandy shook his head. "All he'll feel is a light tingle. Nothing too concerning." he said with his dreamsand.

Bunny looked down at Jack. "Well, this is it," he said. "Ya mates ready?"

Tooth nodded as did North. Sandy waved his hands, creating a single stream a dreamsand that floated in the air. It was much brighter than the ones he sent out packed with dreams. The sand was enchanted, and it served a different purpose, which explained the change in appearance.

Like a snake, the strand of sand passed through each of the Guardians' heads as if they were nothing but air. The Pooka, Sister of Flight, and ex-Cossack yawned and fell asleep immediately. The string of sand then swirled over Jack's head and dropped into it. Jack only sighed in his sleep.

Once his work was done, Sandy dropped his hands and smiled at his sleeping friends. It was a rare sight to find the ever so busy Guardians resting—let alone sleeping. The Sandman didn't dawn on the feeling for long; he had to join the others before they started off without him.

Sandy created an exact replica string of sand that he had used to connect the other's minds to Jack's and allowed it to swirl over his head. The strand then ran through his head and hovered over Jack's, sinking into it as well.

And as Sandy's eyes began to close, he hoped that his dreamsand would still come in use, for the Guardians would need it for the nightmares they were about to face.

Author's Note: And so the adventure into the dream realm begins. =D *Dramatic music intensifies*

So next chapter, the Guardians will finally be venturing through the world of dreams...Will they succeed in their mission? Will Pitch overpower the Guardians? Will Bunny give me that cup of warm milk and chocolate that he offered Jack? You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see how things turn out... =D

*Ahem* Excluding that last question of course. XD Looks like I'll have to scour our cabinets for some chocolate...and warm up some milk myself. =')

Thank you guys so much for reading, and I'll see ya in the next chapter! =D *Rides off in North's sleigh*

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203