A/N I should have mentioned this several chapters ago, but there won't be any pairings in this fanfiction. These stories will solely be focused on family relationships(so please don't suggest any pairings). Thanks! I hope you like it!

This takes place about a month after the movie. It's mostly Jack's point of view, there is an instance where we see a few of North thoughts, though Jack's will still be the only direct thoughts shown(in italics). I hope it doesn't get confusing.

Jack jiggled the door handle. "Come on, Phil! It was an accident!" Well, not really, but…

He was responded with a Yetish rant.

"Okay, a purposeful accident, but I wasn't hurting anybody." Can't the Yetis take a little joke?

More Yetish.

"Toys don't count as 'anybody,' and the elves are fine!" Phil groaned. Jack began banging on the door to the workshop. "Please?" I need something to do.

"What is with constant banging!" The boy froze. "And why is door locked? Yetis! Explanation!" Phil did as North commanded, but the boy could tell that North wasn't really listening when he heard the door handle being messed with on the other side. "Stop! Nevermind, I don't want explanation." Jack could feel the Yeti eye roll from the other side of the door.

North continued to tinker with the handle for a solid three minutes before the door swung open. "Jack! You did not tell me you were here!" Without waiting for a reply, the man wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, ushering him into the workshop. "Come in, my boy! I don't know why Yetis would lock you out." Jack didn't notice the murderous glare the Yeti's received from the guardian at that comment. Most bent down their heads, ashamed of their actions, but Phil pointed to a group of elves, all tied together. The string that held them was tangled in pastries and pieces of destroyed toys.

Jack hadn't realized the damage the elves had done to the workshop after Phil had planted him outside the door. Gazing about, he realized that quite a few of the Christmas preparations were in ruins. His stomach flipped. I am never gonna be allowed back here again.

This dread was accompanied by disappointment that this was the prank he had decided to pull. I thought that when I did get banned, it would at least be because of a good prank, not a stupid, spur-of-the-moment decision. He thought of his lengthy mental list of pranks he had wanted to perform at the workshop. Some, he didn't quite know how to pull off yet, but he at least had desired the opportunity to attempt them.

North barely glanced at the elves, before bouncing his eyes back and forth between Phil and Jack, who seemed to be engaged in a staring competition.

"Why tie elves together?" North questioned, a hand still on Jack's shoulder. Here it comes.

"What can I say? I was bored." Jack smirked up, trying to read the guardian's expression. Hopefully I'll still be allowed back for meetings.

North's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Bored? You are Guardian of Fun! You are not allowed to be bored." Jack shrugged, trying not to make it too obvious that he was also doing so to remove North's hand from his shoulder. Enough stalling, North. Get on with it.

North stroked his beard, studying the boy. Jack couldn't tell what the expression was on the cossack's face, but he knew it couldn't be positive. This can still work. If I begin my preparation for my pranks at one meeting, then go through with it the next week, I can still fit them in during the time I'll still be allowed at the Pole.

Santa burst out laughing, causing Jack to scrunch his nose and knit his eyebrows.

"Oh well, elves would have found some way to destroy toys without string business. And string was good idea. I might use for something… " He's not banning me from the workshop?

Jack heaved a sigh of relief. He shot Phil a victory grin, only to be surprised that the Yeti seemed to be not only accepting of his reprieve, but happy about it. He realized why when Phil handed him a broom along with a pat on the shoulder, followed by a Yetish phrase. Jack assumed it meant something like, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you still have torturous tasks while you're here."

Jack began to sweep up the mush of pastries on the floor, raising his eyes to North every so often as the man directed the Yeti's in returning order to the workshop. With all the hands, it was not long before the room was restored to its original state.

First Bunny, now you? Over the years, Jack had learned what to expect from people whenever he was involved. Ignoring him was most common. Shouting, a close second. The reactions ranged, but with Bunny's talk with him a few weeks ago, and North's carefree attitude now, he wasn't quite sure he knew people as well as he thought he did.

Jack grinned, not quite believing his good fortune. Though he didn't want to push his luck, he couldn't help but ask North, who was just approaching him after finishing his directing duties, "So, that's it? You're just dropping it?"

Wonder gingerly picked up a cookie off a plate, offering one to Jack, who shook his head politely, before munching on it. "Of course, Jack! Yetis overreacted. The real problem here, is that you are bored." Huh? "In my workshop, no less! I cannot let this slide." He tossed his remaining half-cookie to the side.

Jack's cheeks tinted red. I was just bored! I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it. He regretted bothering the Yetis for a purpose, that had then seemed significant, but now appeared to be a silly matter.

North pointed at the boy's chest.

"We cannot have the Guardian of Fun bored. We must protect your center." That's a bit dramatic.

"Uh, that's all right, North. A little boredom isn't going to kill me." But embarrassment might. Jack rested his chin on his staff, observing as the guardian before him paced the room, eyebrows drawn together.

"Idea!" North pulled out his swords, jumping back and pointing both at the winter spirit. All the Yetis, and even a few elves, were smart enough to clear away from the immediate area. Jack, who believed the creatures to be smart in doing so, laughed nervously, slowly backing away.

"Follow!" North turned sharply, racing toward the globe room.

"Hey, wait up!" Jack caught up to North just in time to see him pull a lever. "What are you— "

"I am summoning guardians!"

"Uh, sorry, North, but you lost me a long time ago."

"My idea involves all the guardians."

"Because…?"

"We can't play with only two people!"

At this point, Jack was concerned for the Russian's sanity.

"Oi! This better be good." The Kangaroo shook snow from his fur.

"What is it? Is Pitch back? Did something happen to the toys? Is Jack hurt? Oh! There you are, Jack. Areyouokaywhydidyoucallus!?"

The winter spirit pointed his staff toward North. "Ask him."

"Ha! Nothing of sorts. We are doing team-building activity." North waited, probably expecting excitement from the others. At this point, however, he should have known better.

"Eeeeh, no." Bunnymund tapped his foot on the floor, preparing a quick getaway.

North, who still had his swords out, leapt over the hole that was forming, blocking it from Bunny's use.

"North! Watch what you do with those things!" Bunny yelped, jumping back.

"What brought this on, North?" Tooth hovered near the Sandman, both looking curiously at the guardian who had summoned them.

Jack braced himself for being the target of blame for the sudden gathering. Who would want to be taken from their work to play whatever game North had in mind? Just when the Easter Kangaroo and I were starting to get along. He thought back to a couple egg golems whose legs were frozen to the Warren ground last week. Sort of starting to get along.

North put his swords away. "As I said before, we are team-building. We are not used to working together, so now we get used in case of another Pitch."

As Jack comprehended the meaning behind North's words, he beamed. He couldn't believe that Wonder had brought all the guardians together for him, but wasn't drawing attention to the fact that it was because Jack was itching for something to do.

The guardians stared at North with apprehension.

"Is good idea, no?"

"No." Bunny mumbled, flatly.

Tooth, who enjoyed the company of the other guardians, shot Aster a glare. The glare, however, wasn't what worried the pooka. It was how she smiled sweetly while she did it. "Alright, North. What do you have in mind?"

North chuckled in response, horrifying the three onlookers, who knew that the non-direct answer to the question was not a good sign.

Jack panted, trying to catch his breath. I sure wish I had my staff, right now. Ducking behind a tree for cover, he carefully peeked around it, searching for the enemy. I think I lost him. He sighed with relief.

Footsteps.

Jack held his breath, his heart rate increasing. He clutched a tree branch he had picked off the ground tightly, hoping it was enough to fend off the pursuer.

Silence.

The boy frantically searched around him, wondering if he had imagined the sound. He stepped out of his hiding spot, turning in a circle to avoid a surprise attack.

A rustle from the bushes, much closer, now.

Jack took off running, but he kept his eyes behind him. Am I being followed?

Thump. A large, furry wall blocked his path.

Jack's vision went blurry as he hit the ground, his branch rolling out of reach.

"Didn't think you could actually hide from me, did you, mate?"

The boy gasped, desperately trying to crawl away. To escape.

A large paw wrapped around his ankle.

"You aren't getting away that easily." The voice sneered. Jack yelped, grasping for a hand hold on the ground, but finding none. There's no way I'm getting out of this without my staff.

His attacker grunted, and the tension on his ankle released. Scrambling up, he barely had time to register what was happening before North's voice gave him directions.

"Run East, I'll follow behind." So Jack ran.

He kept running through the forest, hoping North was behind him, as he said he would be, and not captured by the cossacks.

A hand touched his shoulder. Jack leapt to the side, holding his hands up protectively.

"Jack…gasp… It's me…pant… We can stop… He lost our trail… " Each phrase was interrupted with a gulp of air. The winter spirit collapsed on the ground, fanning himself to keep cool. North bent down, hands on his knees. "Ugh, I am, as you… would say… , out of… shape."

Jacks rapid breathing was no better than North's. "Tell me again… why I can't have… my staff."

"Would be unfair advantage. Is why I got rid of my swords." North stood up straight, stretching his back.

"Wasn't Sandy with you?" Jack got back on his feet, looking past North to see if he had somehow missed the man's presence.

"He was captured by Tooth shortly before I found you." North did a quick take on their surroundings. "You two make awful thieves! If not for me you both would be captured now."

Jack laughed. "Come on, I doubt you would do much better."

"Ha! Of course I would. I was once bandit, after all." Not giving what he had said a second though, North snapped a branch from a tree.

"You were a… what?" Jack raised his eyebrows, a million questions racing through his mind.

North ruffled the boy's hair. "We discuss later. Now we work on getting Sandy back before he spills codeword."

"I doubt Sandy is one to spill." Jack joked as he began climbing a tree, halting on the second branch. "So, we lose if Bunny and Tooth capture all three of us, or if they learn our codeword, right?"

North nodded. "Yes. Exactly right."

"How do we win?"

North guffawed. "We don't! Is just how long we keep from losing." Noticing Jack's skeptical expression, he continued. "It is like life of real thief. You win until you're caught, which ultimately means you lose. Cossacks lose until they catch you, which ultimately means they win. All about endgame. We just keep end from happening as long as we can."

The winter spirit shrugged. "I guess I can accept that." Jack continued climbing the tree, casting his eyes about the landscape once he reached the top. "I think I see some dream sand about two miles South."

"Then that is where we go. Hurry down. Bunnymund is excellent tracker, and he'll most likely pick up our trail again soon." He took the stick he had been carrying and drew a path in the dirt. "We will approach from this angle. I want you to stay close to me so that you don't get caught. Understand."

Jack saluted.

"Very good." North smiled down at the boy, and the two made their way South.

Jack watched how natural it seemed for North to make his way through the forest. He avoided obstacles with ease, never pausing as he nimbly bounded over and around obstacles.

"So, North." Jack ducked under a branch, nearly tripping over a protruding root as he did so.

"Yes, Jack?"

"I was just sort of wondering, how did you manage to hold off Bunny for long enough for us to get away? I mean, he's quick and agile— " Jack halted as North avoided some low-hanging branches as if he were in his own workshop. "Which I guess you are too, but… "

North nodded in understanding, not seeming to take the slightest offense in what Jack was implying. "If it came down to one-on-one fight between us, you'd bet on Bunnymund, no?"

"He seems more the warrior type, is what I'm trying to say."

"Yes, Bunny is warrior. A very good one. If we were in a fight—-a real fight, not game or training exercise, like this—-I admit he may beat me. Notice how I say may." North gave Jack a meaningful look. "I have tricks up my sleeve myself, too, you know."

"He sure seemed to take dragging me to their base serious to me." Jack muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his hands together, which were still a bit red from his attempts to escape Bunny's grasp on his ankle.

"Ha! You should see him in action. Today and Easter didn't give him justice." North paused, waiting for Jack, who had fallen a few paces behind him, to catch up. "We still don't take easy on each other. Though is a game, we want to stay prepared for real threat, like Pitch. Fight to win, but keep damage to opposing side at minimum." When Jack did catch up, he leaned against a staff that wasn't there, stumbling a bit to the side.

They continued walking, though North now slowed his pace slightly, to Jack's relief.

"This new game you decided to play may work for you seasoned veterans— "

The ex-thief snorted. "You make us sound old… " Jack raised an eyebrow. "Right, right. I concur. Please continue."

"But this 'training' game, as you've been calling it, isn't as useful when I can't really match up to the rest of you in the process." North opened his mouth to contradict, but Jack continued. "To prove my point, I'm almost positive Sandy got caught by the other team on purpose so that I wouldn't be the first one 'arrested.'"

North rubbed the back of his neck at the last statement, not making eye contact. Coughing, he replied, "I don't know what you mean by that."Jack crossed his arms. "But I do suppose a little extra defenses may be in order." Wonder held out an arm to stop the boy. "We'll worry about the cossacks, later. For now," North smirked slyly, "I show you exactly how I got Bunny off our tails, so to speak."

Jack's face brightened, but he immediately tried to mask it with indifference, not wanting to embarrass himself by showing how excited he really was. "Alright. What do you got?"

North shook his head, not fooled by the fake lack of enthusiasm. "Systema."

"Syst-whata?"

"Systema. Otherwise known as Russian Martial Arts. Was developed in response to many invaders. Russians were usually outnumbered against vastly different opponents, so we used a flexible fighting style that can handle many types of combat styles."

Jack smirked. "I always thought Russia's winters were what did most of their fighting. You're welcome, by the way."

North laughed. "Our weather did help, but think of Battle of Stalingrad! Russians adapted to situation of invasion, reinforcements surrounding those who surrounded the city! And you cannot take credit for Russian weather. You were not around for majority of its history."

"Okay, you've convinced me. Back to Systema, please?"

"If you're ready to pay attention." Jack nodded eagerly. "The three vital parts of Systema are combat skill, strong spirit, and a healthy body. This martial arts is not about destroying, but creating— "

"Now you're starting to sound like Miyagi."

North stared, blankly.

"You know? From Karate Kid?"

"Interruptions."

"Sorry."

North massaged his temples. "Where was I… oh yes, I remember. Systema is identifying our weaknesses, our strengths, to unmask true strength."

"Can we get to the actual fighting, now?" Jack asked, impatiently.

North nodded. "Yes, yes. We start off with basic move, for now. Will help in case of surprise attack again."

"Loosen your muscles. Stay relaxed when you strike." Jack nodded, visibly relaxing his muscles. "Also, try to strike downward. Allows to work with gravity and opponent has less options to avoid it."

"Alright, loose muscles, punch down."

"But not only down."

"You just said— "

"Yes. I did. But again, Systema is meant to defend against unique fighting styles. You must be prepared to strike from any angle. These hits are not focused on hurting the opponent, but on directing their own strikes to your advantage."

"Confusing, but I think I get the basic idea."

"Then we spar."

Jack widened his eyes. "On second thought, maybe I'm not— "

"We go slowly. Just practice the movements and the style." North took an offensive stance, lightly moving to 'punch' Jack, though it was really only fast enough to be a tap if it did land. Jack raised his arms to block. "Don't tense." Jack loosened the muscles in his arms, but only managed to stumble backwards when North's hand met his arms.

"Don't try to directly block. Is better to direct my punch." North placed Jack's hands on his own forearm, going through the motion of directing his punch away from causing damage. "Now you try without my help." After several attempts, Jack managed to successfully direct North's punch away from himself, causing the man to stumble.

"I did it!" Jack grinned at the older guardian, who returned the smile, proudly.

"Very good. You picked up quickly. You saw me lose footing, yes?" Jack nodded. "That is the point where you would run."

"Run? Isn't that where I would make a counterattack? A little stumble isn't going to keep my opponent away for long."

"But it will give you some space to get away. In many cases, of course, you would not want to take your chances by turning your back on the opponent, but as you are not trained in fighting, yet, is best to run."

Jack sighed, but saw the truth in North's statement.

North looked toward the sky, calculating the position of the sun to what it had been before their training session. "Is time we get moving. We don't want to keep Sandy waiting for long." He patted Jack on the back, motioning for them to return to their journey.

The two walked in silence for a while, North's eyes wandering toward Jack with a delighted gleam, while Jack's never left the forest floor. At last, the boy decided to voice his thoughts. "North?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. It's been a long time since someone's really taken the time to teach me something."

North frowned down at Jack. The expression was one that rarely showed on his face, but was appearing more and more frequently now that Jack had joined their ranks. The Guardian of Wonder found himself, well, wondering, if this worry he felt would continue for as long as Jack stayed with the guardians. "And will not be last time. These lessons will continue, and I expect you to be vigilant in your learning."

"Yes, sir!" Jack laughed.

And North knew that he would continue to worry about the boy, though he felt in no way detrimented by this new concern, but glad that Jack was there for him to worry about.

As they continued, North stopped Jack every so often to teach him another move for self defense, or to explain a tip for staying out-of-sight in a battle.

North sure knows a lot about avoiding 'cossacks.' Didn't he say he was a bandit? Despite his companions gruff appearance, he had trouble picturing North as an outlaw, especially one that took things from other people.

The Guardian of Wonder tapped Jack's shoulder, motioning for him to be silent. He pointed toward a break in the trees, and together, they crept forward. Gradually, Jack could hear the voices of Tooth and Bunny.

"I'm tellin you, sheila, he's not gonna tell us anything. It would be better for us to focus on catching North and Jack."

Jack peeked through his spot in the bushes, shushing Baby Tooth, who had appeared behind him and had started chirping in his ear. Sandy glared at his captors, but his lips were tilted upward, as if he was trying hard not to laugh. Bunny stood with his arms folded, tapping a foot on the ground repeatedly. Tooth listened to Bunny seriously, but every time she glanced at the Sandman, she let out a small giggle at his mixed attempted anger, yet suppressed amusement.

"You have already tracked them down, Aster, but you can't drag both of them back here by yourself. Maybe I could fly— "

"No. If the others saw you flying, they'd issue a penalty. Probably take Sandy back, or something." Bunny rested his chin on his fisted paw. "The only way I can think of getting them both is to separate them."

Tooth nodded. "Yes, last time they separated we caught Sandy and you almost caught Jack. But I doubt they'd try that again after already losing one. If I went, too, we could even the odds, but that leaves an opportunity for them to rescue Sandy."

The two stood in silence for a few moments. We've gotta find a way to get Sandy back. Jack frowned as his mind traveled back to teeth collecting a month back. Fear broke through his defenses as he observed the Sandman. He rubbed his hands together, earnestly trying to ignore the repeated history of Sandy being the first out of their group to… go.

"Is just game, Jack. Sandy will be fine." Kind eyes met those of Jack, who allowed a small smile to return to his face.

"You do know their listening, right Tooth?" Jack snapped his head back toward the clearing.

Tooth eyed the spot where Jack and North thought they were hidden. "Of course, Aster. They've been here for a few minutes, now. Do they even remember that Baby Tooth is on our team?"

Baby Tooth is on their… crap.

Jack turned to look behind him, noticing that North was no longer next to him. Traitor. Baby Tooth waved, before flying into Jack's hood. As Winter now had his back to the clearing, the fairy furiously fluttered towards that direction from inside the hoodie, causing Jack to stumble out of the bushes. A strong paw replaced the Baby Tooth, swiftly dragging him toward the "jail" area.

The boy struggled, but soon realized he would not be able to escape Bunny's surprisingly vice-like grip on his hood. A lot of good that Systema stuff did.

"Got you, Jackie." He had rapidly been pulled into the 'jail' area next to the Sandman. Sandy had been overall amused from the start of this game, and Jack suddenly found the entire situation extremely funny as they play-acted the cossacks and thieves roles to the best of their poor-acting abilities.

Though the two tried to keep a forlorn expression, they could hardly suppress their laughter.

The winter spirit spoke in between chuckles. "At least I wasn't the first one caught."

Sandy made an image of Bunny pulling Jack into the jail zone.

Tooth continued her giggles from before they had caught Jack. "Sandy's right. You were still captured, Jack. It doesn't really matter in the long run." The boy sighed, but it was too dramatic to be genuine.

"Alright, you caught us. What now? You'll never catch the real bandit." He emphasized the 'real' in order to reveal to himself whether or not the other guardians knew what North had previously spoken of.

Bunny scowled. "He told you about that? Just what we need. North being a bad example for Jack Frost." He lowered his eyes toward the younger spirit. "Don't get any ideas."

Jack smirked. "Trust me, I have plenty of those on my own. But North has shown me a thing or two."

"Great." Aster murmured.

Tooth bounced up and down, still trying to suppress a laugh. "To answer your question, we don't need North. We just need you to cough up the codeword." Her eyes dance as she looked Jack up and down, probably plotting the thieves' demise.

"Good luck with that." Jack leaned back, his hand lazily holding up the back of his head. "I won't tell you anything."

Bunny raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Then I guess we'll just have to interrogate you."

"And how are you planning to— "

"Fairies!" Jack and Sandy glanced at one another, then toward the swarm of Tooth minions that had gathered behind Tooth. "You are free to fawn over Jack's teeth."

The fairies attacked.

Jack's eyes pleaded with Sandy's, but the Sandman shook his head, his eyes downcast. 'There's nothing I can do,' he seemed to say.

Fairies pulled at Jack's mouth, fighting to get to his teeth. Once they pried his mouth open, they began to climb inside, causing the winter spirit to gag. Some of the fairies rubbed his teeth, fondly, while others just sat in his mouth, marveling at the beauty of his incisors.

"Agree to tell us the codeword and Tooth'll call 'em off," Bunnymund ordered, chuckling quietly at the scene in front of him. Where is North at a time like this?

Winter held up his hands in defeat.

"Alright, that's enough ladies," Tooth addressed the fairies, who pouted, but did as they were told. Jack coughed up a few feathers, hoping North had a plan. The boy pretended that he was still recovering from the fairies, and milked the feather choking for as long as he could to give Wonder a chance to show up.

"Stop stalling, Jackie. We know ya don't have that many feathers in your mouth."

"Then it seems you have underestimated the tooth fairies." He continued his exaggerated choking motions.

But the bunny was not buying it. "Just cut it out, ya show— ow!" The pooka drew the attention of the two prisoners, as well as his partner. Rubbing the back of his head, he picked up a small Christmas present. "Very funny, North!" He shouted. "But if ya think this will help ya— "

The present exploded. Not in the way things did in the action movies Jack had peaked through windows to watch, but in a colorful, confetti way. Red and green paint, as well as silver strips of tissue paper, completely covered the pooka.

Jack and Sandy did not even attempt to contain their laughter this time.

"This isn't funny! The paint got in my eye… " Bunny rubbed his eyes, blinded, while Tooth began having a meltdown.

"It's on your teeth, Aster!" She forgot her prison guarding duties, and their rule against flying, fluttering over the paint-soaked guardian. "What if it stains? Does paint cause cavities? Ihaveneverdealtwiththiskindofsituationbefore! Ladies! Toothbrushes! Floss! Whitener! Get me anything you can!" The baby teeth scrambled away.

"Oi! Tooth, calm down. We need to— "

"Don't speak!"

"Yes ma'am."

Jack was in fits. I'm definitely using this against the kangaroo, later. He looks like a Christmas tree.

A tap on his shoulder. Sandy motioned Jack to follow him, pointing to a suspiciously human-like form behind one of the bushes.

"Are we allowed to just leave?" Jack whispered. "Doesn't he have to tag us, or something?" Sandy shrugged, so Jack followed him toward the bushes.

"Tooth!" Aster yelled over her fussing, still trying to get paint out of his eyes. "Their making a break for it."

"But your teeth!" Tooth cried. Jack tuned them out, searching for North.

"Where did he go?" The winter spirit whispered to Sandy, who smiled, pointing back at Bunny and Tooth. North had managed to sneak around them while the two were distracted and Jack had been too caught up in following Sandy to notice. He grabbed the unusually long ribbon that had once been wrapped around the exploding present, tieing the feet of the pooka and fairy queen together before they realized what had happened.

The two most likely could have quickly gotten themselves untied or worked together to 'tag' North into their prison, but Bunnymund was blinded, Toothania's thoughts were on teeth, and they failed to work together. Each having their own idea on how to get out of the situation, they tripped over themselves, ending up even more tangled in the ribbon than they had started.

Jack and Sandy returned to the other guardians, both bending down to help untangle the two, while suppressing amusement.

"What happened to the rules?" Jack asked North.

"Yeah, what did happen." Bunny grumbled.

"Was emergency!" North picked up the remains of his present-bomb. "My two teammates were captured. Besides, we are bandits! We can ignore a few rules."

"Ignore a few rules?!" Bunny spluttered. "I think you managed to break every rule in this game. And you've blinded me!"

"Ba! Don't be downer. Was just distraction. I must say, my present worked better than expected. And paint is of my own creation. It will not hurt your eyes. Only blind for a few minutes."

Bunny successfully untangled a single foot from the ribbon, and managed to open his eyes for the first time since the explosion. "When did you even have this—"

"I am always prepared, Bunny. And you can thank Jack for giving me ribbon idea. He tied elves together this morning." North patted Jack on the back.

Jack leaned down, a hand stroking his chin as he made a show of studying the pooka. "Told you I have plenty of ideas on my own. And you know, Kangaroo. Red and green is a good look for you."

"Oh rack off you show— "

"Jack!" North interrupted, gleefully. "I take back what I say about thieves cannot win. We have won; I decided."

Baby Tooth landed on Jack's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck as Jack fondly rubbed the top of her head with his finger. "No thanks to my Systema skills, though. I really managed to louse up when Bunny grabbed my hood."

"Nonsense! You cannot expect to be fighting master, like myself, after only one day. We have much left to do." North whistled. A tingle of bells could be heard as a reindeer-pulled sleigh landed near them in the clearing. Santa approached the sleigh, rustling through some things before tossing Jack his staff and Bunny his boomerang. Pulling out his own swords and placing them at his sides, North announced, "Let us return to Pole. We can rest up from tiring game."

Sandy grinned, but his eyes drooped and his head began to nod off.

Tooth, who had received a toothbrush from a returned fairy, didn't appear to hear him, as she was furiously trying to brush Bunny's teeth.

"We are a bit tuckered out," Bunnymund managed, while attempting to keep Tooth out of his mouth.

Jack gave a small smile, observing the strange spirits who he was somehow warming up to.

"As long as I can steer the sleigh."

A/N Thanks to all readers, reviewers, favoriters(I know this isn't a word), and followers! (This sentence is getting repetitive, but it must be said! :D)

And the game they're playing in this is Cossacks and Thieves, or an (extremely) intense version of Cops and Robbers. I do not recommend attempting any of these stunts at home. These characters are immortal and therefore able to handle this version of Cossacks and Thieves(similarly to how half-bloods are able to play a perfectly semi-safe game of capture the flag in the Percy Jackson series). I don't know much about Systema or any hand-to-hand combat really, so sorry for any inaccuracies. I loosely used a site titled "Soviet Children's Yard Games" for directions on Cossacks and Thieves, and got info on Systema from a russianmartialarts website.

As you've probably noticed, all of these stories are connected and revolve around Jack's insecurities and his relationships with the other guardians. Please let me know if you want a direct continuation of any of the stories(such as with the dreams Sandy gives Jack) or have suggestions of your own. I appreciate all your feedback!