Author's Note: *Turns to Bunny* Ya ready for this, mate?

Bunny: Let's go.

*Bunny and I slide into room* *Easter eggs run around everywhere* *Easter colored confetti flies down from the ceiling* *Warren brightens dramatically* *Bunny and I inhale* HAPPY EASTER ALL YA LITTLE ANKLE-BITERS!

...Or non-ankle-biters if you're, like, not a little child and you're a tween or teenager or adult or something...Yeah. HAPPY EASTER!

Wow, wow, wow, it's FINALLY EASTER SUNDAYYYY AHHHH! While my family and I don't really do Easter egg hunts (*cries silently*) we did go out to eat and I had a good ol' bowl of chocolate ice cream. =) Planning on watching ROTG later too since it's, like, the only good Easter movie I know. XD Hey, maybe I'll see Bunny deliver some eggs; the weather is super-duper nice today. =D *Turns to Bunny* Please. Give me extras.

Bunny: Naw, mate. That ain't fair.

Aw, come on. I write stories about you and the other Guardians. You can just say this is...mh...pay back for making incredible tales about you all.

Bunny: *Shakes head* Sorry, Moon.

*Sighs* And there you have it, folks. My favorite Guardian just betrayed me.

Bunny: Wait, I'm your favorite?

Not anymore.

Bunny: MOON-

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. ;)


Chapter Six: Pain and Comfort

It was finally evening in Santoff Claussen, and the sounds of the yetis and elves tinkering in the kitchen were audible even from the infirmary. The Guardians didn't have to eat much since they were immortal (and majority of their energy came from their immortality), so they were able to easily ignore the tantalizing smells that laced and weaved through the cracks of the door.

Jack was still resting on his bed, still as death except for the steady rise and fall of his chest. His hoodie was still wrapped around his waist; the sight of the plain white shirt he wore underneath it was unfamiliar to the Guardians' eyes. They had grown so used to seeing Jack with his hoodie; it was practically a part of him. The Guardians had never seen Jack without his hoodie, and only the direst of situations caused him to lose it or take it off. The white shirt looked completely foreign to them, but none of them made a move to put on Jack's usual blue hoodie. They didn't want to disrupt his sleep.

Jack shifted in bed, and for a moment, the Guardians thought that he was going to wake until the winter spirit let out a sleepy sigh. The Guardians sighed too, but more out of weariness than sleep. None of them knew when Jack was going to awake, and Tooth and Sandy were due to leave for their jobs in an hour.

"Maybe Jack really is going to be out until the next day," said Tooth as she fluttered from her seat. "He doesn't seem like he's going to be waking up any time soon." Further proving her statement, Jack let out a light snore from his bed.

"We cannot leave until we know for sure," said North. He glanced at Jack. "We don't want him getting out of bed and putting himself in danger like last time."

The other Guardians agreed to this, but they still wanted to head out and finish up the remainder of their work before the sun set. But work could wait a little longer, they guessed. Jack's condition was rather serious, and they didn't want to disappear only to have the winter spirit wake up right after and do something crazy.

"I guess we can wait a little longer," said Bunny. He looked at the clock. "Frostbite should wake up in a few minutes or so."

At that moment, Jack began to stir. The Guardians stood up from their chairs, eyes focused on the Guardian of Fun as he rolled onto his back with a small groan. Jack opened his eyes, blue like moonlight, and the first thing he noticed was that his hoodie wasn't on him.

"What…Where's my hoodie?" asked Jack.

"On yer waist," replied Bunny with a small smirk. Jack woke up and the first thing he thought about was his hoodie. That was amusing beyond measure.

Jack unwrapped his hoodie from his waist and pulled it over his head, a satisfied smile on his face as trails of frost began to crawl onto the fabric. He looked up at the Guardians with a bright, cheerful grin.

"You guys are back again," stated Jack. He turned to Bunny, a slight frown on his face. "You still owe me my surprise."

It was then that the Guardians realized that Jack was acting like he had when he first woke up: like a child. The Guardians found this rather relieving, knowing that Jack wouldn't do anything strenuous or drastic like he had when he was walking across the rafters of Santoff Claussen.

Bunny crossed his arms. "Mate, I was jus' tryin' ta get ya ta take yer medicine."

Jack pouted. "But I want a surprise!" he whined. "Besides, I took the medicine, so you owe me."

Bunny rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath and Tooth fluttered up to Jack.

"Surprises and presents set aside…how do you feel, Jack?" asked Tooth.

The winter spirit hummed. "Well, my head still hurts," he said. Then, Jack sent a glare toward Bunny. "And I still want my surprise."

Bunny groaned. "For the last time mate, there is no surprise!" he exclaimed.

Jack huffed and he crossed his arms, a petulant look on his face. "I'm never taking your gross medicine again."

"You won't have to," Bunny responded tartly, but there seemed to be meaning behind his words. The Guardians turned to the Guardian of Hope.

"Jack doesn't have to take any more medicine?" asked Tooth. Bunny nodded.

"Since he's actin' the same way when he first woke up," explained Bunny. "That's a sign he's reaturnin' ta normal."

"You said same thing when Jack was seemingly acting less disoriented when he thought Tooth was his mother and asking Sandy thousands of questions," North pointed out.

One of Bunny's ears twitched. "I'm sure Frostbite will be back ta normal soon this time," he said. "For now, we have ta let him sleep normally. No more medicine."

Jack looked up from where he was sitting. He hadn't been paying attention to the Guardian's conversation, and had been entertaining himself by fiddling with his sheets. "No more medicine?"

Tooth ruffled his hair lightly. "No more medicine," she confirmed.

"Alright!" Jack cheered, throwing his arms into the air. The sudden movement accidentally caused the winter spirit to fall backward, banging his head against the headboard of his bed. Jack let out a yelp, and his hand went to rub the back of his head.

"You still have to take things easy, Jack," said Tooth.

"When will I be able to get out of bed?" asked Jack, not giving any sign that he had taken what Tooth had said to mind. The Guardians were expecting that never liked to stay in one place; he was probably itching to go outside and fly on the Wind's currents.

"You will be able to leave bed once you are better," answered North. This answer, however, didn't satisfy the young winter spirit. Jack frowned.

"But I wanna get out of bed now," he said.

Sandy patted Jack's shoulder, the sandy image of a turning clock appeared over his head. "You'll have to wait."

"I don't like waiting," Jack said bluntly.

"Well, whether ya like it or not, yer stuck in bed for now," said Bunny. The Pooka sat back down in his chair. He jabbed a furry finger in Jack's direction. "And don't even think about tryin' ta escape."

Jack did his best to suppress a mischievous smile. Little did Bunny know, that was exactly what the winter spirit had been thinking about.

After a while of lying in bed, Jack requested for a cup of water. Tooth gladly fluttered out of her chair to retrieve one, and North stood up as well, saying that he needed to check on the yetis and elves in the kitchen. "The most heated arguments start in there," he said simply when he received bemused looks from Jack, Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth.

Bunny and Sandy stayed with Jack, obviously to keep an eye on the mischievous winter teen, who they both knew wouldn't stay in bed long without attempting to escape it. Sandy soon nodded off after North and Tooth left, and dreamsand lazily swirled over his head as he slept. Jack wondered if Sandmen could have dreams, and if they could, would their own dreamsand have any effect on them?

Bunny was lost in a book. Jack had never seen the Pooka read before, but here he was sitting right in front of him, one of the books from North's library clutched in his paws. The Pooka flipped through the pages, the occasional sound of a page turn filling the silence of the bedroom that the three Guardians were currently in.

A few moments passed, and Jack decided to take his chances. Sandy was asleep and Bunny was hardly paying any attention to what was going on around him, leaving the room shouldn't be so hard since the two were distracted. Jack slowly pulled off his covers, making sure not to make any sound as he did so. The winter spirit slipped out of bed, pale feet touching the ground soundlessly, leaving only a small patch of frost where he stood. Silent as a shadow, Jack grabbed his staff off of the wall, and sapphire blue eyes flicked toward the door. His focus was on the door and the door only. Jack shifted on his feet, and he was about to summon a strong gust of wind to carry him out when he suddenly felt a strong grip yank him back toward his bed. Jack struggled against its hold.

"Hey! Let me go!" exclaimed Jack, accidentally waking Sandy from his nap. Bunny placed Jack back in bed, a disapproving look on his face.

"Nice try, mate. But ya forgot that I have the best hearin' out of all of us," said Bunny with a flick of one of his ears. Jack grumbled.

"But I don't wanna stay in bed anymore! I'm bored!" complained Jack.

"Then be bored for a little longer," said Bunny simply as he headed back over to his seat. He sat down and began to thumb through the pages of his book again. Jack huffed and leaned against his pillow, blue eyes gearing toward the book in Bunny's paws.

"Is that a storybook?" asked Jack. Bunny shook his head, not giving a verbal response.

"Then why are you reading it? Isn't it boring?" With its brown cover and not even a title inscribed onto its cover, the book did look rather dull. "It looks boring," said Jack. "What's it about anyway?"

"How ta remove tongues from certain winter spirits," replied Bunny with a sharp glare. Jack gulped and he quieted. Sandy sent a disapproving look in Bunny's direction.

"What? The kid asks too many questions," said Bunny innocently as he leaned back in his chair, continuing to read through his book. Jack pouted and he blew his bangs out of his eyes, sighing dramatically. This was going to be a long, long evening.

Jack's head had started to throb, as if a hammer was pounding against it again and again. The Guardians noticed Jack's discomfort, so Bunny went to fetch some more of his (disgusting) medicine for his head. Jack wasn't looking forward to Bunny's return, especially since he was bringing back medicine that he was told that he didn't have to take any more.

Shortly after returning, Tooth said that there was a mix up at the Tooth Palace that she had to go and resolve, so she left after giving Jack an affectionate squeeze on his shoulder. An argument had erupted between the yetis and elves, so North left to go and settle it out. Only Jack and Sandy remained in the bedroom, and the Sandman did his best to keep Jack entertained during their time together. He created various different shapes with his dreamsand, each of them performing some kind of trick or special effect. Jack smiled at the sight of each uniquely shaped figure, occasionally reaching out to touch the glittering, golden sand.

Sandy eventually had to leave for his own job, but before leaving, he sent Jack a look, silently asking if the winter spirit would manage just fine on his own. Jack nodded.

"I'll be fine, Sandy," said Jack reassuringly. Sandy sent him a smile, then floated out of the room, leaving Jack alone. A few seconds later, Jack dropped his innocent act and grinned mischievously. He looked around his bedroom, wondering where he could hide from the other Guardians. He wasn't going to take the medicine, not one drop! It was horrible, gross, disgusting…Jack wondered if Bunny really knew what he was doing when he created his medications.

Jack slipped out of bed and looked around the room frantically. He needed to find a place to hide, and he didn't have long until North would return. Jack's sparkling blue eyes landed under his bed, and he smiled to himself. Jack quickly crawled under his bed, holding his staff close to him. The winter spirit giggled to himself; the others would never find him!

North soon returned to Jack's room, wondering how the winter spirit had held up since he had left. He knew that Jack got bored rather quickly, especially when he was sick. North tried to think of some things that he could do with Jack even though he was delirious. Maybe he would like to play a card game?

North opened the door to Jack's room and he noticed one thing. Jack was missing. Again.

The Guardian of Wonder looked around frantically. "Jack? Jack, where are you?" he called. North was going to hear it from the Bunny. He had teased him for leaving Jack and now look where he was standing. North looked around once again, wondering where Jack could be when he heard a snicker come from somewhere in the bedroom. North allowed himself to relax. So Jack was still in the bedroom.

A giggle came from under Jack's bed, and North smiled. He walked up to Jack's bedside, and the giggles stopped. North bent down next to the sheet covering the bed.

"Jack? Is that you?" asked North. A short gasp came from under the bed, and North's suspicions were confirmed.

"Uh…no?" came Jack's voice. North held back a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure," replied Jack. "He's not here. He's…um…outside. Yeah, outside."

As Jack was talking, North walked to the other side of the bed, spotting Jack's foot peeking out from under it. With one swift movement, North pulled Jack out. The winter spirit let out a yelp and North placed him back into bed. Jack frowned.

"No fair!" complained Jack. "You cheated!"

"I don't remember this being game," said North. He sat down next to Jack. "You need to stay in bed, moy mal'chik."

"But I don't wanna," said Jack petulantly. "It's boring in here! And Kangaroo is giving me medicine that I don't like!" Jack crossed his arms. "I wanna get out of bed!" he said loudly. Pain burst from Jack's head and the winter spirit let out a small cry. North eased him.

"Jack, you need to take it easy," said North gently. "You're still healing."

Jack winced as his head pounded with pain. "Y-Yeah…I know. But I'm bored."

North placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, and an idea came to him. "Once others come back, we will have some fun."

Jack looked up at North, eyes sparkling. "Really?"

North smiled. "Really."

Bunny returned with the medicine to ease Jack's head pain, and the winter spirit took it, albeit reluctantly. Tooth and Sandy arrived as well despite it being late in the night. Jack wasn't tired just yet, so the Guardians spent the next few hours in Jack's room, entertaining the winter spirit in any way that they could. Sandy illustrated North's stories with his dreamsand, and Tooth recounted the story of when she lost her first baby tooth. Bunny showed Jack some of his paintings, and the winter spirit found himself feeling far away from bored. He was enjoying the Guardians company, and he didn't want it to end.

Jack soon found himself feeling tired, however, and a few yawns escaped his mouth without his permission. North chuckled.

"I think it's time Jack went to bed," he said.

Tooth kindly tucked Jack in, but the winter spirit squirmed.

"I don't wanna sleep," Jack protested despite the fact that his eyes were beginning to flutter closed.

"Why not, mate?" asked Bunny. "It'll do ya good."

"Because if I close my eyes, you guys will leave me," said Jack softly. The Guardians softened and they looked at each other. Then, they turned back to Jack with gentle smiles.

"I guess we can hunker down here for the night," said Bunny. The Guardians each found spots in the room and made themselves comfortable. Jack smiled sleepily, and the Guardians each wished Jack goodnight. The winter spirit whispered a quick goodnight to them as well, and the last thing he felt was the soft feeling of dreamsand before he fell asleep.


Author's Note: FAMILY GUARDIANS. FAMILY GUARDIANS. FAMILY GUARDIANSSSSSS AHHHHHHH-

Okay, I'll stop now. X) But the Guardians are, like, the best family in the entire fandom universe. Period. =) And if you don't believe that then...I'll do something. Something...not very pleasant to you.

...Yeah I don't know what I'll do. XD I love the Guardians so very much. =') And yes...I have no favorites; I love them all. =) Sorry, Bunny, I was lying so you could give me chocolate. X)

Bunny: Pfft, I wasn't gonna give any ta ya anyway.

Really? You sounded like you were going to.

Bunny: ...Hush up, mate.

*Shrugs and smiles* Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see ya'll in the next one. *Salutes all of you and rides off on Bunnymund*

Until the next chapter and Happy Easter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203