The last call Pitch expected to get was from the school but the first person he expected the call to be about was North. It wasn't. It was about Bunny. And Jack. And something about a tree. Pitch wasn't sure, he just heard that one of his kids was hurt and he was already out the door.

"Is there a problem?" asked Nonna, following Pitch out of the coffee shop where they had been enjoying each others company.

"That was the school," said Pitch, turning and looking down the street, trying to figure out how to get to the school without a car. He really needed to learn how to drive.

"Has something happened?" asked Nonna, fishing in her purse and pulling out keys. "I'll drive you."

"Thanks," said Pitch. "Jack and Bunny climbed a tree and the branch broke. Someone was hurt."

"Who?" asked Nonna as she unlocked the car. "Jack or Bunny?"

"Does it matter?! One of them is hurt!"

"I know you're scared," soothed Nonna. "And I know that you don't want any of your kids hurt. But one of them is and if it has to be someone, you want it to be Bunny. Jack won't let strangers touch him. Bunny is more reasonable. If it was Bunny hurt, the odds are that he would let the school nurse help him. Jack's a different case."

*At School*

"But why was he in the tree to begin with?" questioned the Assistant Principal Pippa Overland for what felt like the 100th time.

"Jack likes to climb things," said Tooth, swinging her feet in the chair that was too large for her. "He climbs the table and the couch and the book shelf. Once Uncle Pitch caught him trying to climb the house to get to the roof."

"But he's at school now," said Ms. Overland, her voice confused. She had only been on the job for a few weeks and couldn't fathom a pre schooler who could climb a tree without anyone noticing.

"Well spotted, Sherlock," sniped North, arms crossed across his chest. "Can we see them, now?"

"North, be nice," chided Tooth. "I'm sure they're fine. If they weren't, Ms. Overland wouldn't hold us here."

"I just need to get the facts down first," explained Ms. Overland. "Once that is settled, you can see your brothers."

"The fact is that Jack climbed a tree, people started yelling, which he hates, Bunny went after him, the branch broke, they fell, and now you're asking us stupid questions," yelled North. "Now let us out of here! Jack doesn't like new people touching him and Bunny doesn't like being told what to do. They need us."

Before Ms. Overland could reply, there came a soft knock at the door followed by said door creeping open, revealing a timid looking secretary.

"Ms. Overland, the children's guardian's are here," said the young woman.

"Thank you, Mary," sighed Ms. Overland.

"Uncle Pitch!" squealed Tooth, jumping out of her seat and rocketing out the door, right into the waiting arms of Pitch. "You have to tell Ms. Overland to let us see Jack and Bunny. Please."

"Calm down, little one," said Pitch, hugging her back before gently pushing her away. "Everything's fine now. Why don't you and North go check on Bunny and Jack while I have a quick chat with Ms. Overland here. Nonna will take you, right Nonna?"

"Of course," smiled Nonna, holding her hand out to Tooth, who took it, and North, who ignored it but at least stopped sending death glares at everything.

"Where's Sandy?" asked Pitch, glancing around for the quietest of the small Guardians.

"He's with Bunny and Jack," giggled Tooth. "He got to go because he's quiet and no one noticed him."

Pitch shook his head. Of course Sandy would be in the thick of things. That silent Guardian had just as much gumption as Jack Frost with twice as many ninja skills but less of a knack for causing mayhem.

"Well, go find the others and I'll be along in a moment," said Pitch.

As soon as Nonna ushered the children away and the door was closed, Pitch turned the full force of the Nightmare King anger on the young Assistant Principal.

"Ms. Overland, I presume," said Pitch, his voice deadly charming and hypnotic, like a tiger's eyes.

"You must be the guardian, Pitch Black," said Ms. Overland, straightening some papers on her desk unnecessarily. "The girl, Tooth? She talked a lot about you. Tell me, Mr. Black, are all of your charges named such funny things?"

"Tell me," replied Pitch, his glare turning icy in a way that would have made Jack Frost proud. "Are you always this obtuse, or is it a new development?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you even read their files? I know the situation was explained to the teachers before and I spoke to the principal about it last week, so you must be aware. So that leaves me to believe that you are either very forgetful or just downright stupid. Right now I'm leaning more towards downright stupid."

"You can't speak to me like this! I am the Assistant Principal!"

"And I'm their Guardian!" roared Pitch.

The two adults glared daggers are each other from across the expanse of the large wooden desk. In the end, Pitch won the contest, not that he had any doubt that he would. He hated dealing with mortal adults and he hated that he felt so protective of the Guardians that he swore were his enemies. But somewhere in the past few weeks, he had ended up falling in love with the little miscreants. He loved the way North could find wonder in everything; it helped Pitch see the world in a new light. He loved the way Tooth couldn't sit still; it energized him to see her ball of eccentric energy. He loved how Sandy was always up to something, constant ideas flowing from his brain. He loved how Bunny would paint anything that stood still long enough to get painted; it made him see how one simple stroke could change everything. He loved how Jack had transformed back into the curious, fun loving child he was as a Guardian once he got used to Pitch and the others; it reminded him that bad things happen but it is the choices one makes that impact the type of person they become. Pitch loved those kids and as much as he wanted to hate himself for it, he couldn't because they were the world his world revolved around.

"Listen closely, because I'm only going to say this once," hissed Pitch. "Those kids have been through hell, Jack and Bunny especially. I don't expect you to understand that. What I do expect you to understand is the fact that they need each other. When something bad happens, you cannot keep them separated like you did. Most importantly, you never put Jack alone with strangers. Ever."

"Jack is with Bunny," said Ms. Overland, rushing to assure the irate guardian of that fact.

"That's not the point!"

"Pitch?" said Nonna from the door.

"Yes?" said Pitch, instantly turning his full attention to the nurse.

"I think you should come see them, now," said Nonna.

"We'll discuss this later," sneered Pitch to Ms. Overland before following Nonna out.

*With the Guardians*

Jack was sitting on Sandy's lap, eyes closed, whimpering into the older boy's neck. Bunny sat next to them on the cot, eyes closed as he tried to ignore the stinging of the gash running the length of his back. The nurse had cleaned it up a bit and then Nonna had arrived and looked it over, declaring that it would heal just fine with some liquid stitched as rest. It still hurt, which was why he was leaning heavily on North, trying to take some of the pressure away. North, for once, didn't gripe about the close contact, instead opting to tell Bunny stories softly about pirates and adventures. Tooth was making what looked like a bird house out of sticks used to depress the tongue, but the nurse had quit trying to stop her, glad the children were finally quiet.

"Uncle Pitch!" said Tooth, looking up when she heard the unmistakable long strides of the Nightmare King. "Bunny got an ouch on his back but Miss Nonna said he would be fine."

"Thank you, Tooth," said Pitch, kneeling down next to the children on the cot. "Bunny, how do you feel?"

"Sore," grumbled Bunny, wincing as he shuffled next to North. "Like I fell out of a tree. Oh wait, I did!"

"Well at least your humor is still intact," said Pitch drily.

"Uncle Pitch," said North softly, looking up at the older man. "I think we should go home and try again tomorrow."

"I want you and Tooth and Sandy to finish out the day here," said Pitch, shaking his head. "No, no protests. Jack and Bunny will be fine but I want you all to be big kids and go back to class."

"But I want to stay with Bunny and Jacky," whined Tooth, pouting like a pro. "It's not fair."

"Nonna, will you please take these three back to class?" asked Pitch, ignoring Tooth.

"Sure," said Nonna, not managing to surpress a fond grin. "Come along, kids. It's almost lunch time!"

"I do like lunch," hedged North.

Sandy gently set Jack down on the cot, smoothing the young boy's hair as he did. Jack curled into himself when Sandy walked away.

"He wouldn't let me check him over," said the nurse. "The little guy, I mean. He would cry and fight whenever I tried to touch him."

"He doesn't do well with strangers touching him," said Pitch absently.

"I think he hurt his hand," supplied Bunny.

"Jack?" asked Pitch softly, settling down to sit in front of the cot. "Did you hurt your hand when you fell out of the tree?"

Jack blinked up at Pitch as if trying to figure out who he was. Then the light flickered on in the depths of those blue eyes and Jack launched himself at Pitch, who just managed to catch the little boy.

"My hand hurts," sniffled Jack, rubbing his face against Pitch's soft grey shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. But there were so many people and they were big and scary and so I climbed the tree to get away but they found me and started yelling. Then Bunny was there and it was better but then we fell and now Bunny's hurt and don't send me away! I didn't mean to hurt him, I promise!"

"Oh Jack," sighed Pitch, shaking his head and rubbing the child's back in soothing circles. "I'm not mad at you. No one is going to send you away, you understand me?"

"But I h-hurt Bunny!" wailed Jack, tears coming in earnest.

"I'm fine, Jacky," said Bunny, grimacing as he got off the cot and crouched next to Pitch. "See? Just a little scrape, nothing to worry about."

"B-but No-no-nonna said you needed st-stiches," hiccupped Jack.

"Liquid stiches, mate," said Bunny with a smile, despite the fire coming from his back. "Not even real ones. Once I get those, I'll be right as rain. I'm not mad at you. It was an accident."

"Promise?" whispered Jack.

"Swear," said Bunny. "Now, will you let Uncle Pitch take a look at your hand and get us out of here so we can get some food? I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Giggling through his tears, Jack leaning back slightly and held up his right hand for Pitch to see. Sure enough, it was bruised and swollen but didn't look broken. Still, he would have the doctor look at it when he took Bunny to the hospital to get put back together. All in all, it wasn't the best first day of school but only on kid ended up bleeding, so Pitch considered that a win.

*Sorry this took so long! I finally got a new computer but then my sister's broke, so I let her borrow mine until she got her's fixed. Always- Ari