Friends

The Sandman allowed me to go with him on his trip around the world. I sat back on his cloud of dreamsand, marveling at the sights he bestowed to the sleeping children of the world. I could not believe I had not met him before! I had seen his dreamsand streak the night sky many times, but I just did not ever bother to find out who was behind it or what exactly it was. I promised myself I would never make a mistake like that again. Sandman proved to be interesting.

First of all, he does not talk. Instead he spoke with dreamsand images that appeared over his head. It was hard to decipher sometimes, especially when he was talking fast. "I will get used to it one day," I told him, smiling. The small man nodded in agreement. He was adorable! I wished I could hug him, but I did not want him to think that I was creepy.

When I first introduced myself as Cupid, keeper of Valentine's Day, he was confused. He tilted his head, blinking, and the symbol of the god Mars appeared over his head in dreamsand. I wanted to slap my forehead, but that would have been rude. So I forced a smile and shook my head. "Ah, no," I said. "Contrary to popular belief, I am female."

The Sandman held up his hands in defense and gave an apologetic smile. When I asked if there were others like us, he nodded rapidly. Images flashed over his head faster than I could read, though I thought I caught a picture of a tooth and a book. "Whoa, whoa!" I exclaimed, raising my hands. "Slow down. Are they busy? Can I meet them?"

The Sandman shook his head and pointed in a direction I thought was north. I stood and stared off into the distance as if I could just see the others like me, waiting for me with open arms. I wanted to know more about what I was going to get myself into. Who would I find? When would I know when to stop? But the Sandman was not exactly the right person to ask. The most I could do was follow the direction his stubby finger pointed and hope I would find the answers on my own.

However, that would wait. I enjoyed spending time with the Sandman. I had a million questions for him and when he answered, I found it to be like a game. The pictures over his head were simple sometimes and confusing other times. Regardless, I got to actually spend time with someone for the first time in a long time. And I loved it. I loved getting to know the Sandman; I loved not being alone; I loved being able to sit back and watch what he does for a living. Seeing the dreamsand snake out into the night air, bringing wonder to the unconscious minds of the young. The dreamsand must have been the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. And I had seen a lot of beauty.

We had made it all the way around the world, wherever it was dark and children were in need of sweet dreams. The Sandman seemed to chase the sun. I was telling him the story of a particularly interesting romance I had witnessed when the cloud we rode on began descending. I blinked and looked around, the story coming to an abrupt end. "Where are we going?" I asked him.

The cute man yawned silently and a picture appeared over his head of a castle. I squinted at the quickly vanishing picture and left the question unspoken. Our destination was indeed a castle. A sandcastle. On a majestic, secluded island in the middle of the ocean. The sandcastle that stood tall and proud was made of dreamsand. The cloud disappeared under our feet as we neared the ground. I spread my wings to glide down to a gentle stop. The Sandman also drifted to the ground gracefully. He suddenly looked very tired, but he still smiled and gestured for me to follow him inside.

I started to follow him eagerly. Wow! The Sandman's island! How often would I be able to visit this place? I skipped after him, but stopped short when a name and location popped into my head. I froze and turned. In the blue morning sky, the moon sat just where it was meant to be. "Are you serious right now, MiM?" I asked him. Sandman turned and looked back at me.

MiM did not reply. I knew what the answer was. My fun was all over. I was still curious though; what was it like inside the sandcastle? All I could do was hope that I would get a chance one day to come back and see my new friend again. I sighed deeply and looked to Sandman. "I am sorry," I said. "I must go to my duty now. Perhaps another time?"

The small man nodded and yawned once more. I assumed that he was going to sleep and I had to smile. Just because I did not feel lethargy did not mean the Sandman did not sleep. "Good night, Sandman," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. He waved and went inside the castle. I took one last glance behind me at the magnificent castle, then crouched low and propelled myself into the sky. I had had my fun with the hours I spent with Sandman. Now it was back to work.

…

It was over the following years that life got better for me. I saw Sandman often. Whenever I flew at night, there was always dreamsand to remind me that I was not alone. Sandman would always be there for me. Just like MiM. After repairing the bond I nearly severed, he became my best friend again. With Aelia and Domitus gone, I was sure I would be even lonelier than before. But MiM knew just what to say. He was there for me. And every now and again when I just wanted to take the time to mourn, he gave me a break to either be by myself or be with Sandman.

Surprisingly, I found time to check up on the family Aelia and Domitus left behind. They were all growing healthy and happy. Well, a few of them. Cupid's life was cut short when Julius killed her. I could not be there for that, but I had made it to the funeral. That time was rough for me. I felt somewhat guilty for her death. I was the one who tried to intervene and make him love someone else. All that did was make him beat Cupid more. She died by his fist fueled by my confusing tampering. I would never forget that.

When she died, MiM gave me another break and said for me to go to Sandman's castle. When I did, he was waiting for me with open arms. I got sort of a tour of the palace. When we got to a beautiful, sparkling bedroom, a ball of dreamsand appeared in his hand. I was confused at first and a bit suspicious, but by the pictures above his head I understood that MiM had asked Sandman to let me sleep with good dreams.

Sleep.

I had not slept in so many decades. Had not needed to. But MiM thought that real rest and sweet dreams would do me good. So, taking a deep breath, I agreed to the idea. Needless to say, it was heavenly. The second the dreamsand hit my face, I fell unconscious. I remember the dream vividly: I was a warrior, slaying monsters and rescuing MiM and Sandy from the dark forces of the night. It was nice and fun, and cheered me up just fine.

After Cupid's death, I strayed from the family, popping in only occasionally to see what was going on. But with my best friends gone and Cupid's death weighting on my shoulders, I felt detached. I did not want to drabble with their lives any more than I had to.

To meet the other spirits, I had to wait about a century. Though I would have preferred to meet them sooner, I did not have a right to complain. I was just as busy as they were. The good thing about the wait was that it did not feel like a century. With Sandman to keep me company and duty to keep me constantly going, I was not aware of time.

I believe it was the year 455 when I met them. I was in a desert land, following a princess in disguise through the streets of a busy marketplace. She did not know that it was in this market that she would meet the love of her life. He was a homeless boy, a thief. It was this little detail that made me deeply intrigued with this love. A princess and a pauper? How rare! How exciting! When the time came, I artfully shot the boy first, and then the princess. Collected their Feelings. Stood back and watched. I watched the way he saved her from getting her hand cut off and led her away. Instant connection.

I sighed dreamily and leaned against an alley wall, watching the two walk side-by-side. Two more names appeared in my head and I got ready to take off. Before I could do so, a gruff voice stopped me.

"Well, there's no doubt about it now," he said. "You sure are Cupid."

My eyes widened a moment. Though his dialect was not one of those in this area, I immediately thought he was human. A human who could see me! My heart fluttered and I spun on my heel to meet…not a human at all.

It was a rabbit! A huge, 6-foot-tall rabbit! His fur was of a blue-gray shade, strange markings on his forehead and biceps. His eyes were as green as spring grass, and on his back he carried a pouch that looked to hold a boomerang or something of the same shape. He wore leather bracelets around his wrists and leather wraps around his large feet. Upon seeing my face, he nearly leapt back, his eyes incredulous.

"C-crikey! You're a woman?!" he exclaimed in shock.

My cheeks burned indignantly. "What is that supposed to mean?" I snapped. "You are a talking rabbit, for goodness sake!"

The rabbit man rolled his eyes. "Not rabbit, girl. Pooka," he corrected, but that only confused me more. Before I could ask just what was going on, he held up a paw. "Just come with me. I'll explain everything at the Pole."

I blinked confusedly. "'Pole'?"

Before I knew what was what, the "Pooka" tapped his large foot on the floor twice and a hole appeared under my feet! My bow disappeared from my hand as I fell through the hole, screaming all the way through. It was a tunnel and a slide at the same time; grassy with a few flowers sprouting here and there. My nails tried to hold on to the sides to stop myself, but it was pointless with my velocity. It felt like I was sliding for a long time, though it could not have been more than two or three minutes.

Finally there was a light at the end of the tunnel and I shot up from the ground. Momentarily airborne, but I soon came crashing down to earth hard on my back. I groaned in pain and sat up, rubbing my wings which took more damage than anything else. I had no idea where I was, but it was obvious that I was inside a large building with tile floors and red walls.

"Ah, Cupid!" a deep voice exclaimed jollily. "Welcome! To the North Pole!"

The North Pole? The fabled place where Santa Claus is said to reside?! I turned swiftly on my knees to face the voice behind me. I could not believe what I saw. The Pooka had already arrived and stood beside the man who spoke. He was a large, broad man wearing a red shirt, black pants, boots, and a red sash around his waist. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing intricate tattoos on each forearm, one reading NAUGHTY and the other reading NICE. His cheeks were rosy and he sported a long white beard and mustache. His eyes were bright blue, his black eyebrows thick.

Hovering beside him was a beautiful woman. The only part of her that looked completely human was her face and hands. She seemed to be half-human, half-hummingbird. Her skin color was the same as mine, and she had bright, stunning violet eyes. Her body was covered in feathers, the same vibrant colors as a hummingbird. Wings which reminded me of dragonflies fluttered frantically at her back to keep her in the air. She had a broad, perfect grin. But upon seeing me, her expression grew curious.

I was not sure who she was, and the Pooka's identity had not clicked yet either. Standing beside the man I knew was Santa Claus was Sandman. Upon seeing me, he waved rapidly. I made eye-contact with Sandman, then the Pooka, then the hummingbird woman, and finally the smiling Santa Claus. We shared a moment of silence. And then Santa's smile turned and he pointed to me.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I pushed myself to my feet and dusted body free of dirt. "I am Cupid, of course," I said. "You even said my name yourself."

Santa paused a moment, squinting at me, before turning to the Pooka. The rabbit raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I saw her make two people fall in love, mate; the evidence was there! And then I saw that she was a woman and I had the same reaction."

This time, I slapped my forehead. "Why is it so hard to comprehend that I am female?" I muttered to myself. Santa turned to Sandman, asking if I was really Cupid. Sandman nodded matter-of-factly. The hummingbird woman was the only one to remain calm throughout.

She flew over to me, grabbing my hands and getting into my face. "Well, I for one am glad to see that you're a woman," she said. Her voice was bubbly and sweet. "Spending time around these guys can get really tiring." I chuckled, understanding what she meant, as I had been around Domitus for so long. "So, you don't seem to know who we are," she continued. "I'm Tooth, the Tooth Fairy."

Now it made sense! I should have guessed that she was the Tooth Fairy. Who else would she be? Then again, I never thought the fairy that collected lost teeth would look quite like this. Tooth went on to introduce me to the others. "You know Sandy." Funny, I had never thought of calling Sandman Sandy. "And this is North, also known as Santa Claus." Santa Claus held up a hand in an awkward hello. "And that's Bunny, the Easter Bunny!"

Tooth gestured to the Pooka who shifted from foot to foot. "Yeah, uh," Bunny said, "sorry about blowing it out of proportion, mate. No hard feelings?"

I chuckled breathlessly. "No, not at all," I said honestly. It was insane! The Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus all in one place! All real! It was every child's dream. Except now I was not a child. I was a 186-year-old woman and I was a spirit. If I could be brought back from the dead to be the keeper of Valentine's Day, anything could happen.

I swallowed hard and rubbed my arm nervously. "So," I said, "what brings you all here? Why congregate just to see me?"

North came forward and wrapped a strong arm around me. "We wanted to meet the person who runs the quickly spreading holiday – Valentine's Day," he explained, leading me away. Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy followed. "It has been more than one hundred years since you were born, so! Manny has decided that a celebration is well past due."

I looked up at him, confused. "'Manny'?" I asked.

"The Man in the Moon," Tooth explained.

It all made sense. Something of a late (or very early) birthday party. Or rebirth-day party? Either way, I was being celebrated. I was interacting. I was being cared for by real people. People who would always be there for me. And without further ado, the celebration at the North Pole began – with my new friends.

A/N: Oof, so I'm doing something I did not want to do: I am going against the laws of time. Between the books and the movie, I have guesstimated the Guardians to have been around since the Dark Ages, more specifically the 1500's. Thus it's way too early for them to be here, I know. Maybe I'm just overanalyzing this. D: Do the specifics matter?

YES.

SHUT UP, MUSE. So, before anybody feels the need to defend what year it really is, I realize that it would be way too early for the Guardians to be Guardians. And I apologize. But the plot must move on!

Thanks again for reading! -Eri