Author's Note: Sorry it's been a long time since I wrote a chapter to this. However, I am getting the groove back for this and for those wondering I am slowly writing another story that takes places after "Rules Are Broken." So, it's in the works.

Chapter 4

First Tooth

Aster blinked dumbly as he entered the living room. He had only been gone no more than an hour, and had asked Sandy to watch Jack. He didn't think anything disastrous could happen in that short amount of time, well maybe if Aster had left his kit with North, but not Sandy. So, returning to find every pillow and cushion in the house piled up in the middle of the room did take him off guard.

"What is this?" Aster said.

He was not the least pick shocked to suddenly see one of the cushions move and Jack's head to peek out. "Bunny!" the six year old giggled. "We made a couch fort!"

Aster raised an eyebrow as he removed his hat. "We?"

"Sandy and I!" Jack explained as Sandy choose then to appear from the pile and waved. "It was his idea!"

Aster raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Yer as bad as North, ya know that, Sandy?"

The airship commander shrugged as Jack crawled out and raced to Aster. "Can I sleep in there tonight?"

"I'll think about it," Aster muttered as he scooped Jack up into his arms and nuzzled the boy's forehead. "Suppose it's better than ya wantin' ya ta sleep in a tree house."

"I still think that be fun," Jack replied as he poked at his front teeth with his finger. "I wouldn't fall out like you keep saying I would."

"Yes, ya would," Aster said firmly, not wishing to get into the argument again. He gave a sigh and gently tugged Jack's hand away from his mouth. "Jack, ya know better than ta pick at ya teeth."

"But my tooth is loose!" He opened his mouth and wiggled the tooth with his his tongue. "See? What else am I suppose to do?" Suddenly, the tooth popped out of his mouth. Jack gasped and scrambled to catch his tooth as he raised his head in shock. "Bunny, it fell out!"

Aster's eyes widened in horror and swallowed to try to keep his own face calm. Crud! Jack lost a tooth! He'd have to take him to see the dentist! Would they still be opened now?!..wait. Aster glanced to Sandy and felt his panic die upon seeing his still calm face. "That's normal for human kits right? Losing their teeth?"

Sandy smiled and eased the Pooka's nerves with a nod. "That's a relief," Aster muttered. Pooka kits never lost their teeth. They got the same set from the day they were born, human children were the opposite. He remembered being weirded out by the idea that children's teeth literally fell out for a new set to grow in. He knew it wasn't painful, but Aster couldn't see it being fun either.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked as he looked at the two adults.

"Yer baby teeth are starin' ta fall out," Aster explained as he sat into a chair and settled Jack into his lap.

Jack frowned and seemed quite disgruntled. "Bunny, I'm not a baby."

"Exactly," Aster explained as Sandy took a seat next to them. "Ya got adult teeth comin' in, so ta make room it pushes the baby teeth out."

"Oh," Jack said as he looked over his tooth and poked the now bare gum. "So, I'll get a new tooth?"

Sandy nodded and with his dream sand created a sand image of Tooth.

"Ah, yeah," Aster said with a nod. "She'll be real happy ta hear about this." He smiled as Jack continued to stare confused. "Where Tooth comes from losin' ya baby teeth is happy occasion. Remember that toothbox she gave ya?"

"The pretty box on my dresser?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, ya keep yer teeth in there," Aster said, "and knowin' her she'll insist on gettin' ya a gift."

"Really?" Jack said as his eyes lit up with excitement. "Can we go there now?"

Aster chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "We can drop by tomorrow mornin', but let's go have dinner. Care ta join us, Sandy?"

Sandy smiled and gave a nod as Jack climbed off Aster's lap. "What do you think Tooth will give me?" Jack asked.

"Don't know," Aster said as he took the boy by the hand, "but we'll find out."

Jack grinned, but then gave a frown. "I hope it's not a tooth brush."

Aster chuckled, but couldn't deny that was a possibility.

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Tooth was ecstatic when Jack showed off his tooth. She had nearly dropped a parcel she was placing in her mail bag before scooping Jack up for a hug.

"Oh, your first tooth! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed looking over the tooth. "It's as white as snow! This is so exciting!"

"Tooth!" Jack whined as he wiggled, "you're hugging too hard."

Aster chuckled as he tapped Tooth's shoulder. "Might want ta let the kid breathe."

Tooth blinked and suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing. "Oh, sorry," she said with a blush as she set the boy down to sit on her desk. "But you losing your first tooth is so special."

Jack held the tooth up. "Why is it so special?"

"Well, two reasons," Tooth explained. "It marks that you're growing up, but your baby teeth will also contain your childhood memories."

"I heard about that," Aster said as he pulled up a chair. "Your home country has a spell ta access them, right?"

Tooth nodded as she gently picked up Jack's tooth. "You may not understand now, Jack, but when you're older someday you may want to recall the memories of your childhood."

"Like when I'm a grown up?" Jack asked.

"Exactly," Tooth said as she rose and reached for a box on a shelf, "and having your baby teeth will help with that." She smiled as she set the small box in Jack's lap. "I've been saving this as your gift for your first tooth. You should know, North helped with this, so it's also from him."

Jack beam as he looked to the gift and then to Aster. "Can I open it?"

"Go ahead," Aster said with a nod.

Jack's little fingers shook with excitement as he lifted the lid and glanced inside. He blinked curiously as he reached in and carefully lifted out a small wind up toy. It had wings and a beak, very similar to Tooth's mechanical fairies she used to deliver the mail. Jack delicately stroked the beak with his finger.

"You're giving me a fairy?" he asked.

"That's right, and she flies just like my fairies." Tooth said and pointed to the key in the back, "Wind the key in the back."

Jack turned the fairy over and spotted a small key sticking out of the fairy's back. Chewing his bottom lip, he wound the key and heard several clicks as it turned. Before long, the key became too tight to turn.

Jack held the toy out for all to see and let go of the key. Suddenly, the fairy's tiny wings flapped madly and it took to the air. The boy giggled in pure delight as he watched it fly around the room. For some reason it decided to dive bomb at Aster's head.

"Oi!" Aster said as he ducked, just missing the toy. "Might want ta tell North ta find tune that thing."

Jack and Tooth didn't seem to hear. They were too preoccupied as the fairy landed safely back into Jack's hand. "I love her!" he declared and hugged her to his chest. "Thanks, Tooth!"

Tooth smiled pleased as she hugged Jack. "I thought you would like her."

"Just want we need in our house," Aster said as he looked to the toy. "A buzzin' toy flying around my head."

"She doesn't buzz," Jack said as he held out the toy, "and I'm going to call her Baby Tooth."

"I think that's a perfect name," Tooth said, "and Bunny don't be such a fusspot you won't even know she's there."

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"Won't even know she's there, she says" Aster said as he tried to read the newspaper and ignore the flying toy that flew over his head. "I don't know how Tooth lives with these things."

Jack laughed as Baby Tooth perched into his hands again. "Will I get a gift every time I lose a tooth?"

"I'd say there's a high chance of that," Aster said as he turned the page. After dinner, Aster had planned on giving Jack some of his homemade chocolate as a treat. However, he couldn't ever let Tooth find out he did that. She'd never forgive him for daring to ruin Jack's 'beautiful snow white teeth' as she phrased it.

Jack then quietly scooped up his toy and rested his head on the arm of Aster's chair. "What did you get for gifts, Bunny?"

Aster frowned and peered at Jack over the top of his paper. "Me? I never got gifts for losin' teeth, Kiddo."

Jack's eyes widened in shock. "Really? Why, were you bad?"

"Naw," Aster said as he folded the paper. "I'm a Pooka, and we don't lose teeth like humans do."

"You don't? How come?" Jack asked as he tugged on Aster's shirt.

"Because we get our adult teeth the day we're born." He opened his mouth and pointed to his teeth. "They grow out and all we do is file them down so they don't get too big."

Jack pouted as he clutched Baby Tooth to his chest. "That's not fair. You should get gifts too, Bunny."

Aster chuckled as he ruffled Jack's hair. "I appreciate the sentiment, Frostbite, but it doesn't bug me." He glanced to the clock and set the paper to the floor. "I need ta start dinner. Could you put your toy away and wash up?"

Jack still looked troubled as he fidgeted with Baby Tooth, but gave a nod. "Okay, Bunny." His eyes lit up. "Can I fly Baby Tooth while we eat? She'd be fun to watch?"

Aster sighed, and started to worry just what kind of other gifts Tooth had planned in the future.

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Aster had been hopeful that within a day, Jack would tire of his new toy and set it aside to play with his non-flying, don't have to duck every two minutes, toys. However, Jack kept playing with it for two days straight. He even tried to insist he needed to bring it to school to show to Katherine.

Thankfully, Aster managed to convince Jack the toy would be safer at their house than in Ombric's home. Ombric may be known for his patience, but Aster doubted even the old librarian could put up with having the buzzing toy fly circles over his head as he tried to give a lesson.

To Aster's relief, after a week, the novelty of the toy seem to wear off and Jack had proudly set the toy on top of his dresser next to his tooth box. Aster felt relieved not having to keep his guard up for flying invaders in his room as he went to put away the books he had been using for reference in his latest painting.

He'd finished placing the book back on the shelf and would have walked straight out, but something caught his eye from his bed. Aster turned his head, and saw a small object had been placed against his pillow.

Intrigued, Aster approached and gingerly picked it up. It was a clay figure and judging by its' long, lopsided ears it was suppose to somewhat resemble a rabbit. It had been painted in bright colours of blue, pink and red and had been given a green nose. Two holes the size of a child's thumb had been pressed firmly into the head of the rabbit to create eyes.

Aster gave a half smile as he fingered the small blob on the rabbit's back that was probably its' tail. There was only one culprit who could be behind this odd gift.

"Jack," Aster called as he carried the item into the hallway. "C'mere a tic!"

The boy raced out of his bedroom, hugging his stuffed rabbit to his chest. He looked confused until he spied the clay rabbit in Bunny's hands and grinned. "Oh, good! You found it!"

"I have," Aster said as he kneeled to the boy's level, "but it's not my birthday. What's it for?"

"For the teeth you would have lost," Jack said.

Aster blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Say that again?"

Jack sighed and shook his head like it was as clear as day. "It's not fair that you don't get gifts for losing tooth, so I made you one! That way you're not left out!" His frowned faulted as he looked to the clay rabbit and back to Aster. "Do you not like it?"

Aster chuckled and engulfed Jack into a hug and scooped him up. "Ya kiddin', I love it, Kiddo. Thank you, when did ya make it?" He had made it clear to the boy that if Jack had ever wanted to make something that involved paint he had to tell Aster. The Pooka didn't want a repeated experience of scrubbing paint off the walls.

"When North babysat me," Jack explained, "he helped me picked the colours."

Ah, so that was how Jack did it without his knowledge. It would be up the man's alley.

Jack giggled as he buried his face into Aster's neck. "I would have made it fly like Baby Tooth, but I didn't know how." His eyes brightened and he pulled out of the hug. "Do you think North could help me make it fly?"

Aster coughed, but made sure to keep his smile. "I don't think that's needed. Rabbits are non-flying critters. So, he can just stay on the ground." He wiggled the figure in front of Jack. "Rabbits don't like flying much."

"Oh," Jack said with a nod. "Then next time I'll make you a bird so it can fly."

"We'll see," Aster replied, "but frankly I think Baby Tooth does enough flyin' for the both of us."

Jack frowned, but gave a shrug. "Okay, but you know what would be more fun? If I learn to fly!" He gasped as a thought came to him. "I could help Tooth with the mail."

Aster sighed as he hugged his kit tighter. Last thing he needed to worry about was Jack flying and crashing to the ground. He got a heart attack from just thinking about it. For the moment though, Aster tossed the thought aside as he hugged both Jack and the clay rabbit that he planned to sit right on top of his own dresser.