Warning: This chapter is the result of a toxic combination of too much caffeine and too many late nights (or mornings, I guess. 3 AM is morning, right? :D). Read at your own risk!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians. But I do own Old Man Winter! :) Kinda. Okay, not really. *sniffles* What's that, Tiberius? *gasps* Why, you're right! I own one fluffy polar bear. (I'm sure Dreamworks and William Joyce are very jealous right now)

Chapter 4: Dreaming of You

After what felt like days, maybe even weeks, Jack wiped the snot and tears from her face with the edge of her shirt-why in the world was she in her pajamas?-and tried to regain her bearings. The action didn't help her much. The whole world was a bleak black, with the occasional shade of deep violet, or dark, navy blue. The floor of…wherever she was was coated with a thick layer of smoky grey fog.

Well. She had a snowball's chance in Hades of getting out of here. Why not figure with how she got here in the first place?

She remembered…agreeing to meet Bunny for lunch. Putting Tiberius to bed. Brushing her teeth. And then…nothing.

She crumpled her nose up with concentration. That couldn't be it…come on, come one…The last thing she remembered…

…blank.

She honestly had no idea.

So. That was a dead-end.

Maybe asking herself questions would help.

"Where is your staff, Jack Frost? When did you last have it? When was the last time you gave Tiberius his bottle? What…color is North's sleigh? And why on earth are you in your p.j.'s?!" She gave a frustrated huff, crossing her arms in irritation.

Her unruly mind had only one answer to her inquiries (Red. North's sleigh was red) and the darkness around her didn't exactly seem like the helpful type.

Jack sighed, massaging her now-throbbing head. One option left.

The spirit of ice and fun turned, and began to walk.

The three Guardians had no choice-they left Jack with Pitch and rushed back to the sleigh. They arrived just in time to see Tooth send a flying kick to the last nightmare. It exploded and sifted down to a huge pile of black sand.

"Oh yeah! Girl POWER!" she fist pumped, doing a little victory dance in midair.

Sandy, North, and Bunny gaped at her. Upon seeing them, she gave a delicate 'ahem' and, after straightening her feathers, her feet lightly tapped the ground. "Did you find Jack?"

North snorted as he vaulted into the sleigh, grasping the reins tightly in one big hand. "Ah, yes-sorry, Tiberius-ve find Jack."

"So? Was it all a prank?" Tooth questioned, fluttering over and taking a seat next to the Cossack.

"Oh, i' was no prank." muttered Bunny as he and Sandy jumped into the back of the sleigh by a shuddering polar bear. "Pitch 'as er."

"Pitch?!" gasped the fairy. "But…it's only been a year! He shouldn't even be able to stand! What has he done with her?!"

North gave a another huffing snort, slapping the leather strips against the reindeer's backs. "Made her fearling. Ve do not know how."

The sleigh took off and the four soared above the trees for several quiet moments. Finally, Tooth asked the question that was on all their minds. "What do we do now?"

North took his time answering. "Ve…go back to Pole and git some rest. Ve can solve probleem in morning."

Bunny was in the Warren. But it wasn't…his Warren exactly. The colors were exaggerated, brighter. The greens that were once emerald took on a neon hue, pastels had become more vivid. Everything here seemed to be filled with too much life; it was bursting with it. Yes, this was most definitely a dream.

The laugh that echoed throughout the hills wiped that thought from his mind. "Jack?"

"Bunny? Is that you?" The sprite rounded a golem, a smile set easily on her face. Her white hair fluttered in the soft breeze and her azure eyes sparkled.

She looked beautiful-well, more beautiful than usual.

"Cottontail? You feelin' okay? You're home early." Jack twirled her staff nervously between experienced fingers, eyes dulling with concern.

"Wha'…what was I out doin'?" asked the Pooka, confused.

Jack laughed. "You went to make sure everything was ready for Easter, silly. You know, like you do every year?"

"Ah...right. Right."

"Well, why don't you come into the den? I've got a surpriiiiissseeee for you!"

Bunny chuckled as she darted inside the home. "Snowflake?"

Her head poked out of the previously empty doorway. "Yeah?"

"Just one quick question." He held up a claw to emphasize. "Why're ya here?"

Big, blue eyes blinked owlishly at him. "What are you taking about? I live here, remember?"

A pair of green eyes blinked right back. "Wha'?"

"I'm your mate, stupid. Now, come on."

"Huh?" Bunny's mind couldn't even begin to comprehend. Mate? Oh, yes, of course he wanted Jack to be his mate, but never in his wildest dreams…He had to be sure. He had to be sure he wasn't imagining things. "But wha' 'bout Tiberius?" He was grasping at straws now.

"Tiberius?" Jack's voice echoed out of the den. "Oh, you mean that cute little polar bear that lives with Old Man Winter? What about him? And are you ever coming in, Kangaroo?"

Bunny couldn't stop the grin. "Righ' behind ya."

If it had been a good dream, that's where it would have ended.

But this was more of a nightmare.

The Pooka hopped into the den's first room-it was a kitchen/dining/living area-only to find it empty. "Jackie?"

"Over here!" called a sweet voice from the hall. "Follow me. I'll be in the bedroom."

Bunny did as he was told (a first), walking briskly down the corridor. When he reached his bedroom door, he took a deep breath, pushed it open, stepped inside, and…

…fell into darkness. He landed in a heap on the hard-packed, dirt floor. Sitting up took more effort than he cared to admit. After standing and taking a quick stock of his limbs (nothing broken), he called, "Jack? You in 'ere, sheila?"

A crisply accented voice oozed from the shadows around him. "Oh, she's here, Rabbit. But whether she's breathing or not is a different question entirely."

"Pitch!" Bunny snarled, reaching for a boomerang and aiming it…well, everything, really.

Suddenly, he was overcome by a heavy feeling of disorientation, as though he'd been sitting too long and stood up too quickly.

Wait…was it him, or did everything seem…larger?

"Oh, you're so fluffy and cute!" squealed Pitch (rather sarcastically) as he stepped from the gloom. He held a white-blue something Bunny could only hope that it wasn't…

The Nightmare King dumped the lifeless body of Jack Frost unceremoniously beside the now-small Pooka. No. This could not be happening…it was getting hard to breath…

Pitch sprinkled small bits of wood-Jack's staff-over her limp figure. "There! And I know how absolutely helpless you are in that form. No revenge for the rodent!" Pitch laughed merrily as he skipped into the darkness.

"No!" Bunny cried, placing a tiny paw on Jack's clammy cheek. There was nothing he could do to help her; she was already dead, blue-grey blood dampening her hoodie.

"Jack, no! You can't do this to me, you can't leave. Jack. Answer me! JACK!"

"Whoa!" Bunny bolted upright in bed. That was…disturbing. He sighed, rubbing his ear harshly, an anxious habit he'd picked up over the years. That had been awful; Bunny's chest tightened at the very thought of losing Frostbite. He winced, recalling the cold feel of her blood soaking his paws. All right, time to change the subject.

Sandy often said-or signed-that dreams were the subconscious' way of trying to say something. So what was Bunny's trying to tell him? There hadn't been anything of relevance (aside from Jack...yeah, moving on) in his dream. Only a wacked out Warren and...hm, what was it Jack had said about Tiberius? That he lived with Old Man Winter?

Old. Man. Winter. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Unable to hold it in (Bunny's thought process was basically fried during the wee hours of the morning), he leapt out of bed and down the hall to North's room. He had to tell him! He had to tell someone about this amazing idea, before he forgot.

The Pooka didn't bother with knocking (no one did at the North Pole, it seemed), bursting into the room with abandon.

North, snoring louder than most diesel trucks, was tucked up to his chin in furs and fluffy Christmas quilts. There were even a few golden sugar plums dancing above his head. The only thing offsetting about the rather innocent image were the two sabers resting in the nightstand, glinting wickedly in the moonlight that poured from the window above.

Bunny was unperturbed and undeterred. He gave the man's shoulder a good shake. "North! Wake up, mate. I got sommat ta tell ya."

The Cossack merely grunted, tugging his blankets closer.

"North! Ya've gotta wake up!" The Pooka patted his friend's cheeks none-to-gently.

"Go vay. Iz not morning yet." North mumbled incoherently, batting away Bunny's paw with ease and rolling over on his side.

The Guardian of Hope sighed, grasping the edge of the thick quilts. "Well, mate, I didn' wan' ta hafta do this to ya, but…" The sheets came away with a jerk and Bunny let out a girlish squeal.

"I cannot believe you did zat." North seethed as the four Guardians clustered around a large table early that morning.

"What? It's not like I knew ya slept without ya're clothes. Bu', geeze mate! A' least wear a pair of skivvies or somethin'!"

Tooth placed a petite hand over her mouth, struggling to hide a giggle. Sandy, however, made no attempt to disguise his laughter as he lay on the floor, rolling back and forth as each silent burst hit him. From the looks the yetis were shooting him, you'd of thought the small man was having a seizure.

North ignored the two, glaring across the mahogany at his furry adversary. "Vell, I do not expeect Pookas to barge into room at two in morning and pull covers off bed! Vaht did you vant, anyvay?"

"Jus' tell ya I had an idea. About how ta deal with Pitch and Frostbite."

North spread his hands before him with an exaggerated slowness (embarrassment made the usually jolly man a bit sarcastic). "Vell? Ve are all ears."

Bunny rubbed the back of his neck agitatedly. "I had this really weird dream and i' gave me this idea…how 'bout we go see Ol' Man Wintah?"

The suggestion was met with three blank stares, and he shrugged defensively. "Well, i' seemed like a bettah idea a' two in the mornin'."

North snorted. "You tink?" (Okay, embarrassment made him a lot sarcastic).

"Wait! That's brilliant!" Tooth exclaimed so loudly, and so suddenly that North pitched over backwards. The poor guy just couldn't catch a break.

"Vhat you talk about, Toothy?" North gasped, pulling himself up on the sturdy table.

"I'm sure Winter would know why Pitch didn't take Jack's staff. Maybe he'd even know how to make Jack normal again, but that's a long shot. Still, I'm sure he could, at the very least, help out. Word on the street is Jack and Winter are really close."

Bunny stifled the small spurt of jealously at her last words by grinning triumphantly at North. "See? It was a good idea. Thanks Tooth!"

"Crikey."

Crikey, indeed. The Guardians had thought Jack's castle was big but the two stories, with their small assortment of towers had nothing on this monster.

It appeared to be stylized after some sort of Indian palace though Winter's home was much larger than said palace would be, and drew lightly upon Chinese architecture. This giant had to be at least fifteen stories, if not more.

"What does he do with all that room?" questioned Tooth, her voice tinged with awe.

"Bloody waste o' space, if ya ask me." The Pooka, never one to fawn, began trotting purposefully towards the thick palace gates.

The other Guardians followed at a more…respectful pace. Old Man Winter hadn't been at his full power in centuries; he'd 'retired' soon after Jack had been reborn. Yet even after his descent into 'old age', he retained his title of 'The Winter King' for a reason.

That fact was not something to be laughed at and dismissed. Winter was ancient, and he held enough icy power in his pinky toe to freeze a man solid. He was not a spirit to trifle with.

But for Bunny, who was loyal to a fault, no price was too high to pay for Jack.

In a matter of minutes, the four legends had reached the gates, only to find two huge ice golems, heavy spears in hand, barring the way.

Never one to be intimidated, North stepped ahead of the others and called in his usual booming voice, "Ve are ze Guardians and ve are here to see Old Man Vinter."

There were a few moments of awkward silence, then the golems moved to a more passive stance and the gates swing open with an ominous creak. Even Bunny was hesitant walking inside.

An ice soldier, vaguely humanoid in shape, met them in the courtyard. He/She (genders were so hard to tell with ice) led them silently through a complex maze of corridors and staircases till they finally arrived at a throne room.

And there, perched on an ornately carved chair made of…ice, what a coincidence, sat the Winter King.

Just looking at him made North feel young. Thick creases were etched deeply into Winter's leathery skin and his coarse beard brushed the floor. A trio of crystal spikes sprung from his long white hair in some semblance of a crown, and his blue robes had been out of date for nearly a millennia. But his oldest features by far-and that was definitely saying something-were his eyes. A pair of endless black orbs that hosted absolutely nothing-no pupils, no sclera, no…emotion.

Then a huge smile split his face, the crinkles around his eyes making them almost disappear completely. "Ah, the Guardians! It's wonderful to see you all again! It has been too long. But…you appear to be missing a member. Where is Jack?" Old Man Winter stood to his unnatural height of seven and a half feet, peering over his four guests as if he was expecting the winter child appear from behind Bunny or rush in late.

North scowled (just thinking about what the infamous Nightmare King had done to his little Jackie made him mad) as he answered. "Pitch haz taken her and ve need your help to git her back."

An indescribable emotion flashed in Winter's black eyes and he turned his black to them, appearing to study the ice mural behind his throne. "Oh dear. That's not good. But…I'm afraid you have other problems at the moment." When the Ice King shifted to face them again, his eyes glowed a dull amber color.

"Crap." muttered Bunny.

A/N: Betcha didn't know Santa doesn't sleep with any clothes on, huh? (I am such a weirdo...=D I just couldn't resist adding that part.)

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! You guys are the greatest! :)

Anyways, next update should be soon, but I'm starting school in a few days (boo...d:), so I have no idea when it'll finally get up. Hopefully within the next week or two.

See ya later!