Oh my Goodness! Over 250 reviews and counting! This. Is. AMAZING!
Thank you so much everyone, I know most of you are busy with school and it means the world to me that you still take time to send me a shot out. You're absolutely awesome ;)
Faleno, that's so sweet of you to offer, thank you so much :)
I do have the lovely Avatar Kyoshi working on a cover for this story, but if you'd like to make a cover for another one of my stories I would be thrilled! The email address is believeitornotimamom outlook. com (remove the spaces, of course)
Looking forward to seeing your pics!
North, Tooth and Jack were still hugging. The fairy had stopped sobbing but she was still clinging to the blue hoodie for dear life.
"Sorry to interrupt this family gathering, but we still have to get to Pitch before he gets away. C'mon Frostbite, I'm taking Gretchen to the yetis, you should come too." said Bunny.
"No. I'm coming with you guys to get Pitch." said Jack decisively.
Bunny rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. There was no way this kid was such a drongo.
"Listen, Snowflake, I did not risk my bloody life to save your butt so you would get yourself killed, ya grommet!" he snarled.
"Pitch is a coward. If you do find him, he'll have a plan. He's got the Algea's power now. And I'm the only one..." retorted Jack.
"So your brilliant plan is to bring in the other Jack! You can't even hold your bloody staff properly!" interjected Aster.
"Of course I can hold my..." started Jack, but the Pooka easily slapped his staff out of his hands before he could finish.
The wooden stick fell loudly on the ground, rolling over a few times before it stopped a few feet away from them. Tooth caught Jack in her arms before his burnt feet touched the pavement. All the Guardians stared at Bunny, all but Jack, who actually glared at him.
"You deal with your son. I'll be right back" said Bunny to North before walking towards Gaia and Gretchen. 'Stupid kid' he thought to himself.
Gretchen was kneeling on the ground with her friend's head on her knees. She was softly stroking the long, silky black hair, enjoying the flowery smell emanating from it, the familiar smell of home. Her stomach flipped when she noticed the angry burns around Gaia's arms and neck, and although she knew they were not as bad as handsome's, she just felt guilty for hurting her sister.
"Hey, Love..." said a very familiar voice.
She always hated it when he called her 'Love'. She thought it was derogative and sexist. Now... now it was the sweetest word in the world. It made her smile. So much had changed in two days.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She... seems fine. I... hope she... comes around soon." replied the Groundhog, panting.
"C'mon, I'm taking you both to the workshop. The yetis are great medics..." said Bunny.
"We can't... go anywhere. When she wakes up... she'll be able to... do more from here. We don't have... time to waste... she may need my... help!" offered Gretchen.
Aster massaged the bridge of his nose again. Yeap, he was definitely getting a headache. It was drongo's day today.
"You can barely breath!" he barked. His patience was running very thin.
"She'll just... need magic" she replied. "I'll be... safe with her" she added, knowing his anger was just concealing concern over her safety.
"Yeah, when she bloody wakes up!" he snarled.
"If you help me... move her... into the forest... I can easily... protect us both... the trees..." she suggested.
Bunny thought for a second. He had learned over four hundred rather painful years, that arguing with Gretchen was absolutely pointless. They had already wasted too much time and Pitch was certainly getting away.
"OK" he said between his teeth picking Gaia up. He stretched his hand out to help the Groundhog up, before opening a tunnel with his paw.
He was quiet. Very quiet. He still wasn't sure this was a good idea. They came out in the heart of the forest, where it was thick with trees. He wanted Gretchen to have the best fighting chance she could, just in case.
Aster gently laid Mother Nature on the ground and helped Gretchen sit down next to her friend. He kneeled down in front of her, caressing her cheek with his hand.
"Just please be careful. If you find any trouble, just call me and I'll be here in two seconds." he said, his eyes filled with concern.
"I will. We'll be fine." she smiled.
His hand moved from her cheek to her neck, too quickly for Gretchen to react. He pulled her close to him and pressed his lips hard on hers, trying to convey with a kiss what he hadn't said with word: that he loved her. Their lips moved in perfect synch, as if they had been dancing this dance forever. She felt her body melting under his touch, panting for breath as he kissed her senseless.
He noticed she couldn't breathe and pulled away, kissing her forehead.
"Sorry, Love" he said, his lips still against her skin, his warm breath sending chills down her spine. She was gasping for air like a fish out of water.
"Gretchen..." he continued, looking into her olive eyes, realizing that the kiss just wouldn't cut it "Gretchen... I love you. I have loved you for a very long time now."
She smiled. He, Bunnymund, loved her. She had dreamt about this moment since the first time she saw him. She gasped for air louder, trying to fill her lungs to say the words that were stuck on her chest, but he kissed her cheek and walked away, disappearing down a rabbit hole. He didn't need to hear her saying what he already knew. He didn't want her to say it because he had already said it, but because she wanted to. When the tunnel entrance closed, instead of leaving behind his usual daisy, a beautiful, fragrant red rose appeared.
Bunny came out of the tunnel to join the other Guardians.
"Bunny! You finally here! Let us go!" said North.
"Jack is coming with us" added Tooth shyly.
"Of course he is!" replied Bunny sarcastically. "Drongo's day should be a holiday! Bloody bush week! I just left the girls alone in the middle of the forest. One of them is injured and the other one is unconscious and Pitch is around probably trying to get his daughter back..." he kept ranting, but he also kept walking, looking around for the Boogeyman. The rest of the Guardians followed. They were not sure what he was going on about, but something told them it was better to remain silent.
Mother Nature opened her eyes suddenly, startling her friend. Brown eyes stared at the green ones with gratitude and then terror before they closed again. Gaia's body hovered above the Groundhog's, her arms moving all over the place, like an orchestra director to a heavy metal song. Gretchen knew what her sister was doing. She felt the earth's pain. She was trying to reverse the chaos and there was no time to loose.
"Gretchen!" she called after a couple of minutes.
"Right here, sis!" answered the Groundhog.
"He's doing something stupid! Don't let Frost kill him!" continued Gaia, locking eyes with her friend for a moment.
"On it!" said Gretchen after a second, getting up with difficulty.
"Gretchen..." Mother Nature called again "thank you. For bringing me back. Be careful."
"It was nothing. Don't worry" Gretchen smiled, before she disappeared down a tunnel. The trees told her where to find the Guardians.
Bunny's ears twitched and all the Guardians turned around suddenly, ready to attack.
"Gretchen! Bloody Hell! We almost killed you!" said Aster.
To his surprise, the Groundhog walked into Jack's arms, grabbing two fistfuls of his hoodie.
"You mustn't... kill him..." she panted, looking straight into the blue eyes.
"What are you talking about? I'm not going to kill anyone!" laughed Jack.
"You say that now... but when... The Hulk shows up..." she pulled him closer "She'll come... after you. You can't... kill him..." she continued.
The Guardians turned around to look at Bunny after he gasped loudly. He understood what Gretchen was trying to say.
"She said he... was doing something... stupid. I think... he's going after your family." the Groundhog finished.
"Jamie..." Tooth breathed.
"Sophie" Bunny whispered.
"Mandy..." rasped Jack between his teeth.
I thought Bunny should be even more Aussie when he was angry ;)
