A week after Pitch arrived at the Pole found them in an intense game of hide-and-seek. Jack was it, searching for the others as best he could. Suddenly, he saw an open door and before any of the not-so-well hidden Guardians could stop him, he ran out the door into the growing storm.

"Seriously?" growled Pitch, stepping out from behind the overstuffed red armchair.

The wind howled fiercely as Jack laughed, enjoying how the snow whipped through the air around him as if it were trying to pick him off the ground. A particularly strong blast of wind came close, knocking Jack on the ground, snowy powder filling his face, causing him to splutter indignantly. All of a sudden, Jack realized he was alone, cold, and couldn't see the Pole for all the snow.

"Bunny?" called Jack timidly, but the wind snatched the sound and carried it away. "Sanny?"

Jack didn't like being alone. He was always alone and bad things happened.

He took a few steps in one direction before he fell again, shivering. When the wind took advantage of his prone position and shoved him into the snow again, Jack didn't fight it. Instead, the small boy curled up into a minuscule ball, attempting in vain to hold on to what little body heat he had left. That was how Pitch found him eight minutes and twenty-seven seconds later.

"Jack, there you are!" exclaimed the Nightmare King.

Pitch quickly scooped the boy up, alarmed not only at how light he felt but also at the lack of fight that Jack put up. Normally, Jack only let Bunny or Sandy hold him, so for him to allow Pitch to tuck him into the man's jacket, out of the wind, without so much as a peep, was cause for concern.

By the time Pitch stumbled back into the Pole, the Big Four (who were more accurately called the Little Four but that was besides the point) were frantic.

"You were gone for ages!" screeched Tooth, flitting around anxiously.

"Did you find him?" demanded Bunny and North at the same time.

"Get a blanket," said Pitch, brushing past yeti's and elves alike in his march to the library, the near frozen Jack's mop of white hair peaking out from his grey jacket.

Pitch sat down as close to the fire as he could, rocking Jack slowly as the boy slowly, painfully, returned to awareness.

"Give him to me," said Bunny, sitting in front of the fire as well.

Pitch was about to protest when Jack spoke up.

"B-b-bunny," whimpered Jack, teeth clacking together in a way that made Tooth cringe.

"Right here, Jacky," said Bunny softly, taking the shaking child from their assigned caretaker.

"W-w-why," stuttered Jack, curling into Bunny's chest. "Why you n-not co-co-come f-fine m-m-m-me?"

"I'm sorry buddy," said Bunny, letting North drape a fluffy orange blanket around the two of them. "Pitch went after you but I had to stay here in case you came back."

"I d-don wan-wanna be a-a-alo-one again. D-don make me!"

Sandy sat nearby with a tray of hot chocolate, patting the ground nest to him for North to join. Tooth paced restlessly, checking the fire, adjusting the blanket, fidgeting in general. Pitch was struck by how they had all fallen into roles that formed a mess of a family. They took care of each other, Jack held them together, and Pitch wasn't sure what his role was in the makeshift family and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out for fear that it was expendable.

"Uncle Pitch, thank you for finding Jack," said North softly.

"Uncle?" said Pitch, surprised.

"I'm going to get a hot water bottle," announced Tooth. "Do you want one as well, Uncle Pitch?"

"Um, sure," said Pitch slowly.

Uncle, he could settle for that.

(break)

"Tired," whined Jack, sounding as miserable as he felt just before he sneezed again.

Bunny had fallen asleep by the fire with Jack curled up against him, sniffing and coughing as a result of his adventure in the blizzard.

"If you take this medicine you'll feel better and get to sleep some," said Pitch, offering Jack a spoonful of think, sticky red medicine.

Jack scrunched his nose in distaste but the effect was ruined by the coughing fit that followed the action. Bunny twitched in his sleep.

"Come on, Jack," said Pitch, exhaustion lacing his tone. "We've been at this for an hour."

"Here," yawned North.

The twelve year old scooped up the sick toddler who promptly snuggled into his chest, Jack's sick state making him less guarded and more cuddly than normal. North took the spoon and coerced Jack into swallowing the foul tasting medicine. Jack spluttered in disgust and whimpered but eventually fell asleep as North rocked him, meandering around the room, talking softly to sooth the sickly boy.

"We can't stay here," said North quietly to Pitch, careful not to wake Jack. "This place is too dangerous for a child."

"And where exactly do you suggest we go?" said Pitch in irritation.

"Don't you have a place of your own?"

Pitch raised an eyebrow at the preteen.

"My place isn't much better than here," said Pitch. "Somehow, it's less appropriate and even more dangerous than this place."

"Then start looking for a new place because we can't stay here anymore."

"Go to sleep, I'll figure it out."

North put Jack down next to Bunny. The littlest Guardian turned into Bunny's warm, seeking it out to combat his fever chilled body. North pulled a pillow from the couch and placed it on the ground, falling asleep next to Sandy, leaving Pitch yet again as the only soul awake in the room. Soon, even he fell asleep, sprawled across the couch. Phil peeked in to check on them an hour later and, finding everyone fast asleep, pulled the orange blanket more firmly around Bunny and Jack, placed a blue grey fleece blanket around Pitch, and threw another log on the fire before he left.