AN: Alright, this is the end of 1862. Next chapter is going to take place in 1863, which is the year of the fire, so as foreboding and sad as it is to think about, we're getting close. The fire is still a few chapters off, but things should really start coming into light, especially next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Alice: Madness Returns.

December 20, 1862

Admittedly, when his yeti in charged of security came to North with news that the Easter Bunny was inside the workshop, the Russian was more than a little surprised. It was no secret that the pooka wasn't a big fan of the cold and it usually took nothing short of an absolute emergency to coax Bunny out of his warm warren, especially during the winter season. Even stranger though, Phil reported that the Easter Bunny was suspiciously lurking around the room where all the finished toys were stored, which served to confuse North even more.

During the extremely rare occasions that Bunny did make the trek out to Santoff Claussen, it was because he had something important to discuss with his fellow guardian (or guardians, depending on how serious it was), but even then, Bunny kept it strictly business. In, out, and back to his cozy warren before his ears went numb. He never lingered unless he was forced to by North, which happened quite often, unfortunately.

Not all the guardians took as much delight in children's toys as North did. Sandy partially shared some of the Russian's passion due to the fact that their jobs and centers worked well in hand, but the stout spirit wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as North, or at least, not enough to take any random, personal interest in the workshop. And even if he did, it would be difficult for him since his job kept him constantly on the go.

From time to time, Tooth expressed mild interest and would spend the day shadowing North in his workshop, but that was merely out of polite interest and the desire to spend quality time with one of her closest friends.

As for Bunny, the only time he ever stopped by the workshop for a spontaneous visit, that didn't include grave news or endless complaints, was to borrow craft paint when he ran of a particular color in his own personal stock. He never took interest in the toys though. So despite his hectic, Christmas prep schedule, North left his office to seek out his furry friend.

"Bunny, what are you doing?" North asked slowly as he watched the tips of Bunny's ears move through the colossal mountain of stuffed animals.

The pooka didn't bother responding to the Russian's question as the top half of his body popped back up from below the sea of plush toys. He only continued mumbling to himself as he combed his paws through the waist-high pile he was standing in.

"Bunny!" North called again, a little more forcibly. "What are you doing in my toy room? Have you lost marbles?"

"Why are there so many bloody turtles in this pile?" Bunny scowled deeply as he unceremoniously tossed aside yet another stuffed sea turtle with an obnoxious, goofy grin stitched on its face. "Where are all the damn rabbits!"

North's brow knotted in further confusion as he bent down to pick up the discarded turtle toy that had landed in front of him before tossing it back on to the pile. "Sources and surveys say that turtles are very popular animal this year among children."

"Really?" Bunny asked dubiously, glancing up from his search. "That's bloody stupid."

"Perhaps," North shrugged his wide shoulders. "But is what children want. Believe or not, turtles aren't the strangest animal my sources have come up with before. Few years ago, it was snakes and elephants. The elephants were easy to craft, but the snakes? Completely different story. I stayed up three weeks straight, holed up in office trying to-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's real interesin', mate. Elephants and snakes, fantastic. You'll definitely have to tell me about that later, but right now, I'm a little busy," Bunny cut in somewhat rudely before diving back underneath the stuffed animals.

North let out an annoyed huff and rolled his shoulders as he made his way closer to the pile. When the grey pooka came back up to the surface, North reached out and grabbed him by his boomerang holster. Bunny let out a distressed noise when he suddenly felt himself being yanked off his feet.

"Hey! Whaddya think you're doin', mate!?" Bunny protested, immediately struggling against North's hold on his holster. "I'm tryin' to do something here!"

"And what exactly would that be, Bunny?" North asked almost gleefully as the pooka's struggles proved futile.

"I'm just tryin' to find a rabbit! You give me one of those and I'll get out of your hair!"

North cocked his head curiously to the side again as he continued to hold his friend out in from of him. "But you are rabbit, Bunny. Why would you want stuffed toy of yourself? Is it some sort of pooka vanity thing?"

"Of course not!" Bunny snapped, still trying to pull himself free. "It's not for me, you jolly ton of bricks!"

"Is for Alice?"

Bunny abruptly abandoned his struggles and looked at the Russian with wide eyes. "How in the world do ya figure that?"

North gave him a slight, unimpressed frown before gently placing him back on his feet. "I may not always be most observant man around, but I'm no fool. Christmas only few days 'way. People give gifts to other people they care about and you care for Alice. Is only reason I can think of that explains why you're taking a swim through my toy room."

Bunny opened his mouth to immediately debunk the Russian's dead-on assumption as if doing so would somehow salvage what little remained of his "tough guy" reputation, but recoiled when North cocked a thick eyebrow at him with a knowing look on his face.

"Okay yeah, it's true. I'm lookin' for a rabbit ta give ta Alice," Bunny admitted, knowing better than to try and lie to Old Saint Nick. "What of it?"

"Nothing," North said as he lightly held up a hand against Bunny's defensive tone. "Just wish you would've come to me first."

Bunny's ears dipped at his friend's regretful tone. ""Why? Do you not have any rabbits?"

"No, no, no, I have few, but they are for the children who asked for them.

"And you don't have any ya can spare?"

"'fraid not," North replied flippantly as he tried to hide a playful smirk by slowly stroking his long, white beard. "The yetis are far too busy to make anymore..."

"Well ya don't have to sound so pleased about it, mate-"

"So I suppose I'll just have to do it myself!" North finished with enthusiastic conviction and a gleeful laugh in his voice before spinning on his heel and striding purposefully out of the toy storage room.

"Wait, what? You're what?" Bunny sputtered after the retreating the Russian.

"Come, Bunny! Let's head up to my office!" North called behind his shoulder without a single hitch in his step.

"Ya really don't have to do that, North," Bunny insisted, quickly caught up to North. "Honestly, I can wait 'til Christmas is over."

North let out a loud laugh as he expertly maneuvered his way through the ground floor of his busy workshop, ignoring yetis with clipboards and unconsciously stepping over scampering elves that ran across his path. Bunny had a little more trouble navigating the hectic work area and struggled to keep up with North's confident pace. The yetis didn't immediately part like the Red Sea to allow the grey pooka a clear walkway like they did with their boastful boss. The furry creatures blindly ignored him and carried on with their toy-making duties like they didn't even see Bunny tentatively weaving his way through their largely built bodies.

Six-foot-one in height be damned, he might as well have been as small as one of North's elves.

North snatched a roll of white fabric from a nearby workshop table and stepped into the wooden elevator that led to the next floor.

"Nonsense Bunny! If Alice desires rabbit, than I shall give her rabbit!"

"Well, she didn't exactly ask for one," Bunny admitted, stepping into elevator after North as the Russian begun to inspect the fabric he picked up. "I just...I thought it would make her feel better to have one."

North looked up from the fabric. "Is she upset?"

"No, not anymore, but she was."

"Why?"

Bunny gritted his teeth and curled his paws tightly. "Her parents brought 'er along with them to this luncheon thing one of her father colleagues was havin' and some of the other children there were pickin' on her. Nasty little dingoes. Wasn't much I could do though. Got there towards the end of it."

"Ah, I see," North mused grimly. "Looks like my naughty list just got bit longer."

Bunny scoffed. "Judgin' by how they were treatin' Alice, I'm sure they're already on there, mate. I've never seen such mean children before. Yankin' on her hair like they didn't know it could hurt her. Spoutin' out nasty names that children their ages have no business knowin'. Gangin' up on her like a pack wolves tryin' to slaughter a dear. It was bloody horrible."

North shook his head regretfully and tsked. "No need to tell me, my friend. You would not believe how naughty children can be. They are record holders on my list."

"Oh yeah? Who's the worst of 'em all?"

"This year? Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost?" Bunny's nose curled at the name. "You mean that new Winter spirit whose been snowing on everybody's holidays and causin' all that unseasonal weather?"

"The very same," North pointed a finger at Bunny and nodded before stepping off the elevator when it came to a stop. "Although, I wouldn't necessarily call him "new". He's been around 'while, but only recently has he started stirring up trouble."

"How can a spirit peg a spot on your Christmas lists, mate?"

"He has appearance of a child," He replied. "Barely out of his adolescent years from what Sandy has told me. My lists still recognize him as a child though. Thus, his name still appears on ledger."

"Has anybody confronted him about his little "tricks" yet?"

"I try couple times, and so has others, but he's difficult to flag down."

"He's probably hidin' so he doesn't get yelled at or something. Little coward."

"Sandy thinks he does it because he's lonely."

"That's no excuse," Bunny remarked gruffly. "Lonely or not, you don't go treadin' on other people's holidays, or upsettin' nature with unseasonal snow. It ain't right and it ain't natural."

"You are such a scrooge, Bunny," North laughed as the two spirits finally approached their destination. "Ah! Here we are!"

"I know I'm right," Bunny grumbled, watching North throw open the door to his office and stroll inside.

The pooka stood off to the side of the door as he silently watched North move about his private working space, gathering all the material he needed to construct a toy rabbit.

North mumbled lightly under his breath as he hovered over a trunk full of fabric scraps before looking over his shoulder at Bunny. "Which fabric should I use?"

"How the heck should I know?"

"Well, do you want the toy to look like you?"

"Of course not! It may already be shot to hell, but I would still like to preserve what little remains of my dignity, thank you very much."

"What've you say, Bunny," North rolled his eyes in fond exasperation as he reached over and picked up the white fabric he had taken from the workshop, holding it up for the pooka to see. "How 'bout this then?"

"Whatever's fine, so long as it's a bloody rabbit, mate," Bunny replied dryly as he leaned back against the door to North's office, crossing his arms over his furry chest. "Just try to keep it basic. No showboatin'."

North turned away from his friend with a wave and got to work with cutting off the fabric he needed from the roll. "I don't know what you are talking 'bout."

"Seriously, North. None of your over the top "pizazz" nonsense. I don't need Alice's parents wonderin' where she got it. One of 'em is already suspicious enough of my presence."

North looked over his shoulder at Bunny with his eyebrow fully cocked. "And what does that mean?"

"Nothin', mate," Bunny dismissed while shaking his head at himself, deciding not to let the Russian in on his thoughts regarding Alice's mother, Lorina. North would just think him paranoid. Tooth certainly did when he told her.

"Bunny-"

"Just keep it basic," Bunny repeated before pushing off the door and opening it. "I'll leave you to it. Let me know when you're finished."

North opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Instead, he nodded mutely and turned back to the material sprawled across his work station.

"And thanks for doin' this mate."

North's head perked up at the pooka's parting comment, but didn't make a move to turn around again, knowing that his furry friend was already gone from the doorway. He merely just picked up a needle and thread, and got to work.

"Of course, Bunny."

It was the little things like that - a simple, non-sarcastic Thank You, that made North feel that Bunnymund was finally getting used to being his friend.

~O~

Much to Bunny's great relief, it only took North two hours to conjure up a rabbit toy for Alice. He had been leaning against the wooden railing just outside the Russian's office, absentmindedly examining his boomerang, when the door suddenly flew open with a loud bang. It made the pooka visibly jump and nearly drop his weapon. North came strolling out of his office, purposeful and jolly as always with Alice's new rabbit held in one hand. He stopped a few feet from where Bunny stood and held the rabbit up high in front of him with such a prideful smile, one would think he had just found the Holy Grail.

"Ha! Is finished!" North proclaimed loudly, holding the rabbit out towards Bunny for a hands-off inspection.

Surprisingly enough, North kept the rabbit's design remarkably simple, just like Bunny had asked him to. It was plain white with long, floppy ears, black button eyes, a little black nose, and a neat little red vest with white polka dots peppering it.

"Well?" North prompted, looking for the pooka's approval. "What do you think?"

Bunny offered up a small smirk and an impressed nod of his head. "Not bad, mate. That'll do just fine."

North smiled brightly. "Fantastic! I'm glad you like!"

With that, Bunny reached out his paw to take the rabbit from North, but the Russian only stepped back to avoid his swipe, causing the pooka's ears to dip in confusion. He watched his large friend gently rub the tip of one of the rabbit's ears in between his fingertips.

"Is very fitting," North murmured almost to himself as he gazed fondly down at the freshly constructed toy rabbit in his hands.

"What is?"

"She gets upset whenever you leave her, Bunny. This toy will serve as reminder of your presence even when you're not there."

"That was the idea."

North looked up from the rabbit's button eyes and smiled softly at Bunny. He held out the toy for him to take. "Here."

"Thanks," Bunny took the toy before letting out an awkward cough while avoiding North's eyes. He was never really good at these sort of things. "I uh, I really appreciate you doin' this, North. I know you're real busy and all with Christmas only a few days away."

"I always make time for my family, Bunny," North waved off Bunny's unnecessary gratitude. "No matter how close it is to Christmas."

Bunny let out another awkward cough as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that's great to hear, mate. If there's anythin' you ever...ya know, all ya gotta do is ask."

North let out a low, contemplative hum as his eyes rolled up towards the ceiling and he started stroking his long beard. Bunny felt his ears dip again nervously when the Russian fixed him with a devious smirk. He definitely knew what was coming next.

"I wish to meet Alice," He announced without hesitation, but quickly cut Bunny off when the pooka opened his mouth to protest. "Not now though. Only when you believe time is right for both you and Alice."

"How 'bout next Christmas?" Bunny suggested instead of refusing like North fully expected him to, completely throwing off the large man.

"W-what," He stuttered in surprise.

Bunny fought back the urge to smirk at his friend's bug-eyed expression. "Unless you prefer this Christmas?"

After nearly a year of the other guardians dropping (not-so subtle) hints, Bunny finally took the time to consider their request to meet Alice. Surprisingly, when he weighed the positives against negatives of fully introducing Alice into the spiritual world, the negatives came up short.

Now, that wasn't to say that immersing the little girl into their lives would only serve to benefit her. There were still a number of possible dangers Bunny could be unwittingly exposing her to. He didn't know what kind of unfavorable effects this sort of thing could have on her, but he did know that by making her a part of their world, Alice would eventually become more receptive to the many unseen energies and auras produced by beings of the spiritual world than normal humans were suppose to be. Bunny wouldn't be able to forgive himself if his actions caused Alice harm.

But then again, North had done it with his child. And just because Bunny was going to allow Alice to meet his friends face to face, that didn't automatically mean anything was going to change. It didn't automatically mean Alice would grow up and actually remember meeting the famous Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman. She could very well live her entire adult life believing it was just a dream, brought on by her overactive imagination.

That possibility didn't sound very appealing to Bunny though. If Alice was capable of forgetting such unforgettable character like North and Tooth, who's to say she'll remember ol' Mr. Bunnymund?

Bunny knew Alice was going to grow up at some point and forget about him, just like every child eventually did. It was just how things were. Children losing their faith in view of added responsibilities, mounting maturity, and the inevitable disappointments all brought on by burgeoning adulthood as they come to learn the real world wasn't as safe and fair as they once saw it in their youth. Back when their souls were still innocent and their eyes were still indiscriminately green.

It would've been ridiculous to think Alice would believe in him forever, but Bunny couldn't stop himself from hoping. It was in his nature. Woven thick into his DNA. It allowed something deep within him to believe that he had miraculously found one of those rare children who actually grow up and keep their childhood faith. And he would've been lying if he said it didn't make him the least bit giddy.

He had been the one to find her. Not cheerful North. Not lovable Tooth. Not warm-hearted Sandman. But crotchety Bunnymund found Alice.

It didn't add to his ego since Bunny would never think of Alice as being a pawn in one of the many competitions he and his fellow guardians found themselves participating in, but it did make him feel special. It made him feel like he was finally growing into his role as a guardian.

Before, he often doubted the Man in the Moon's choice. Even after a few centuries, he still felt he didn't fully belong among the guardian team. His friends were always quick to reassure him, of course, but it wasn't until he met Alice that Bunny started believing it himself.

"N-no, no, not this Christmas," North replied after shaking himself from his shocked stupor. "I wouldn't be able to find the time to visit. Much too busy. But next Christmas though! I can make sure to have plenty of time for her then. In fact, we should invite Tooth and Sandy too! It can be one big play day!"

"Sure. Why not?" Bunny miraculously agreed. "I'm sick an' tired of always havin' you guys on my back about it."

"Fantastic!" North bellowed loudly, causing a few nearby elves and yetis to cringe. If North was having a good day before, it was nothing compared to what it was now. He didn't actually expect Bunny to agree! It was a true Christmas miracle! Already there were dozens of ideas flashing inside of North's head.

"Next Christmas it is then! We shall make it a spectacular affair!"

~O~

It was long past Alice's bedtime when Bunny slipped through her bedroom window.

Bunny hated going through Alice's window. It was way too small for someone his height and he always had to twist his body at awkward angles to get inside without making any noise. Several times he almost slipped, but he always somehow managed to catch himself before completely losing his tenuous footing against the rose vines that grew along the side of Alice's house.

Miraculously, Alice didn't stir as Bunny noisily heaved his body on to her windowsill with a labored grunt before slipping inside and nearly falling to the floor. He caught his balance at the last second on a nearby dresser and quickly pulled himself up so he had both feet planted firmly on the hardwood floor. Once back in control of his own body, Bunny let out a quiet huff and rolled his shoulders to get the new kinks out.

Alice's new rabbit was clutched tightly in his right paw. The pooka was extra careful not to get any dirt on the white fabric when he used his tunnels to travel to Oxford. He did a brief once-over of the toy, checking to make sure it was still spotless, before raising his eyes to look at the tiny form curled up underneath the blankets of the nearby bed. The room was blissfully warm, a much welcomed reprieve from the steadily mounting snowstorm that continued to rage on outside Alice's bedroom. Winters in this part of the world were known for being difficult, which was why Bunny rarely ventured there outside of Spring and Easter, but the storm outside was just unforgiving. A heavy ball of dread dropped in the pit of the pooka's stomach at the notion that he was going to have to go back out there.

Alice's bedroom door was open a crack, just like it always was, and there was a narrow sliver of orange light streaming in from the oil lamp propped up outside in the hallway. There was an open book resting on the foot of her bed depicting images of funky looking underwater creatures. One of her father's books no doubt. Alice must've been flipping through it just before her sister came in to tuck her into her bed.

Alice's demon cat was also in the room (Bunny could never remember its name). It lay curled up into a ball on the bed with its tail slowly flickering back and forth along Alice's quilt. Its eyes were wide open, watching Bunny's every move, but it did nothing to deter him from leaving his gift. It still didn't like him touching it (not that Bunny cared), but it was used to his presence by now. It didn't even bother raising its head when the pooka approached Alice's bedside. Bunny regarded the fleabag with a mild look of contempt before quickly disregarding it in favor of Alice.

Alice continued to sleep away as Bunny gently crouched down next to her. He watched her peaceful, slumbering face while the soft, rhythmic sound of her steady breathing filled his sensitive ears.

He didn't know how long he sat there watching her, marveling at her bite-size form and perfect innocence, both dreading and anticipating the day she would grow up into the beautiful, luminous woman he knew she was just destined to become. Dreading that she would forget him and he would be forced to let her go before he was ready, but still feeling honored that he was able to play a part in her life, regardless of how small.

He was still heavily conflicted about it all on the inside despite knowing that his worries about Alice were inevitable, so he forced everything to the back of his head. He could dwell on it all later when he was back in his warren. For now, Bunny gently placed his gift for Alice on her bedside table so it would be the first thing she saw when she woke up in the morning.

Alice never demanded anything from Bunny. He knew there was a lot she wanted to ask of him, thankfully small and mundane things like play Hide N' Seek with her, or make more tulips grow in her yard, but she had the sense to do it in moderation.

Bunny had only known the girl for little over a year, but already he knew he would do anything she asked of him, which he also knew was a big problem.

On the one hand, he knew things would've be much easier for both them in the long haul if he had stopped visiting Alice when he told himself to, but it was already painfully obvious that ship had sailed long ago.

On the other hand, if Bunny allowed the guardians to fully immerse her in their world, there was a good chance Alice would remember him for the rest of her life. And despite the possible repercussions it might bring, Bunny was willing to take that chance.

He would be there to protect her if anything happened.

AN: It depressed the hell out of me when I was writing the last scene with North because we all know there isn't going to be a next Christmas for Alice. God I'm a horrible person.

I know in most pictures, Alice's rabbit is a light brown/grey(ish) color, but I think originally it was white. I think the darkened color came from constantly being dragged around by Alice as a child, and also from the fire and the asylum.

Sorry for any mistakes in the content. I stayed up late to finish this. If you see one, let me know in a review please!

~Scorpiofreak~