Jack leapt through the air, laughing as he spread snow over Canada and the northern states. A backpack he had borrowed from North was on his back, carrying the souvenirs he picked up for the kids. He was still giddy from spending the last two nights sleeping with Aster, the two not daring do a thing under Santoff Claussen's roof. He blushed as he thought of the morning after their first time, still mortified and unable to look at North or Sandy.

Jack woke to light kisses, getting an eye full of soft grey fur.

"Morning Roo." He sighed, peeking up from his comfortable position in the Pooka's arms. Aster licked his nose, making Jack giggle.

"Morning Snowflake." He whispered, running a paw down Jack's back. The sheets were only barely covering Jack's hips, Aster's other paw resting half on and half off the swell of Jack's ass. Jack curled back up into the fur, sighing happily as they snuggled together, neither paying attention to the sounds outside the room. Though, in a few minutes they will have wished they had. Jack peeked up, Aster's paw nudging his face up. His lips met furry ones, and Jack merely sighed and melted into the kiss. His joints felt loose, like he was made of Jell-O. It was a really nice feeling. Suddenly a loud bang echoed in the room, the two lovers glancing at where North, brandishing his swords with the obvious physical signs of a hangover, Sandy with his sand trying to pull back North, both in the door while Tooth squeaked about invasions of privacy from behind. Sandy and north had their eyes glued to the bed, and Jack tried to disappear into Aster's fur, the Pooka quickly pulling the covers around Jack. Sandy recovered first, dragging North out before he tried to skin Aster for deflowering Jack and gave them a thumbs up before closing the door. Seconds later they heard a loud bellow.

"ASTER!"

Aster, at the moment, was probably getting some kind of shovel talk. Jack felt bad about abandoning his lover for the fate laid out by North, but he HAD promised Jamie...

Which, speak of the devil, was laying in the snow with his friends, looking completely and utterly bored. Jack grinned, knowing exactly the fix.

Jamie blinked as a snowflake landed on his nose, it's brethren falling softly all around.

"Hey, any of you seen a few kids in need of a good snowball war?" All heads turned to see jack perched on a lamp post, waving coyly at them with a pack of spoils behind him.

"JACK!" Pippa and Cupcake jumped up, the boys turning bright red. Jack, thoroughly confused, floated down, only to be ambushed by Cupcake and Pippa, who were talking a mile a minute.

"Slow down!" said Jack. "One at a time girls! Jamie, what's with you guys? I brought the souvenirs for you guys." That seemed to smooth over whatever issue there was, and after Sophie tackled Jack, the spirit distributed the gifts. Cupcake got a necklace with a carved and painted unicorn, Pippa a necklace with a green hued shell preserved in some kind of resin. Claude and Clyde both got t-shirts that changed color in sun, one of the jungles and the other of the North shore. Sophie got a necklace with small carved flowers in every color imaginable with tiny shells. Monty got a vibrant case of preserved flowers with their genus and name below. Jamie received a book of Hawaiian legends and a supposed map of where each spirit lived. On top of that all got a large lollypop with different pictures of the Hawaiian Islands on edible paper in the flavored sugar shell.

"So, what was with you guys?" asked Jack, completely confused. The boys froze and turned red, while Sophie licked her lollypop, blissfully unaware of the awkward conversation beginning a few feet away. Jack jumped as Cupcake and Pippa squealed, tackling him.

"Details!" they said, eyes practically sparkling.

"Details on what?" Jack was now completely confused, and Jamie smiled nervously.

"Uh...two nights ago, we were watching a movie..." Jack gave him a blank look.

"...Oh god it wasn't that crappy stop action thing, was it? I have NEVER met ANYONE named Elsa thank you very much!"

"So did you and Bunny get all the way to third base last night?!" The look on Jack's face was priceless, eyes going wide as his jaw dropped, staring at Pippa and Cupcake with mixed horror on his face.

"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!"

"You must have pocket dialed us, and we...uh..." began Monty.

"You were making out with Bunny!" squealed Pippa and Cupcake. Jack turned the darkest shade of blue possible.

"Y-you-"

"So, how was it?!" asked Pippa, hands clasped together while she and Cupcake sat on his chest. "Come on, details! You can't leave us in the dark after that line! I believe you left off with threat of castration?" Jack sputtered, turning, if possible, an even darker blue. Suddenly Jack stopped, the wind whistling in his ear. He looked towards the woods, squinting to examine the shadows.

"Get home." Said Jack, carefully taking the girls off him. Jamie gave him an odd look, as well as the rest of the children.

"Jack?" asked Sophie, tugging on the hem of his hoodie. "What's wrong?"

"Just get inside." He said. "Stay together and stay in the light." The kids nodded, quickly heading towards Jamie's house, the closest to the park. Jack, his staff at the ready, glared at the glint of gold in the shadow.

"What do you want, Pitch?" he growled. "If you think I'm letting you anywhere near the children-" Pitch laughed, retreating back, Jack following to keep the bogeyman in sight.

"Oh, this isn't about them." He chuckled. "This is about you, or rather, my REVENGE against you, and the Guardians, especially YOU and that pathetic rabbit."

"Like that's going to-" Jack yelled in pain as black sand stabbed into his leg, clawing at his skin and dragging him into the forest, little spikes of black digging into his hand and ripping his staff away, flinging it across the field.

"Jack!" Jack hit the ground as the children barrelled after him, brandishing snowballs and hockey sticks.

"Get out of here!" said Jack, trying to shoo them off as Pitch laughed, Nightmares charging.

"It's been fun, children, but I have a client waiting for the icicle." The last thing Jack heard and saw before the darkness engulfed him was Jamie, screaming his name with his staff in hand.

ROTGROTGROTGROTGROTGROTGROTG ROTGROTGROTGROTGROTGROTGROTG ROTGROTGROTG

"-And you didn't use the condoms!" Aster flinched, ears ringing from North's lecturing. Yes, the jolly Cossack was fine with them being a couple, but apparently he had a more...traditional idea in mind. More like a few YEARS of courting before being left alone without a chaperone.

Well, North's Plan A had just flown out the window, flipping the bird for good measure. Aster sighed, wanting nothing more than to retreat to his Warren and track down the winter spirit. Suddenly a shrill alarm went off in the globe room.

"Bloody-" North and Aster dashed into the globe room to see Cupid, flying around like a mini-fairy on red bull and overall panicking like he had never panicked before.

"Oi, diaper boy!" yelled Aster. "What's got you all-"

"Oh thank MiM Aster!" he exclaimed, buzzing about with a worried expression. "You have to track Jack!"

"What happened to him?!" demanded Aster, North activating the Aurora.

"I was flying over Burgess and those kids he hangs out with had his staff. I saw some nightmares, and I can't help but think something unfortunate happened." Aster had his boomerangs ready in a heartbeat, his ears back and a low growl building in his throat.

"Aster, we must-" North couldn't get a word in as Aster disappeared into a hole in the middle of the globe room. North groaned, turning to Cupid.

"What now?" he asked, waiting for the other Guardians to arrive.

"Hope the bunny doesn't do anything stupid." Sighed Cupid. "He should have waited. Pitch isn't alone." North started, confused.

"Who is Pitch working with?!" asked north, not wanting to imagine the possibilities.

"The Groundhog."