Set right after Who I am.


The poor yeti never stood a chance. The dart was very close to the center this time, but it would not be enough. Phil was good, but Bunny was better. Sandy gave the yeti two thumbs up for encouragement. Phil shrugged. Bunny grinned.

Sandy leaned back, taking a long sip of eggnog. North was still not back and Jack hadn't returned either. He hoped the boy was alright. But worry kept him from returning to his nap and so he watched Bunny continuously beat Phil at dart while he waited. Tooth occasionally cheered them on in between her frantic instructions to her fairies.

"... and one premolar in Vienna. Good work, Phil! Oh! Bicycle accident, Tokyo. You can win this, Bunny!"

Bunny took his place in front of the dart board as he got ready for his turn. He smoothed his ears back and turned to Tooth with a vain smile.

"Of course I can win. Like I won all of the previous game. I'm a master marksman, it's not a yeti who can—whoa!"

Bunny's speech—and Sandy's eye-roll—was abruptly interrupted when the Pooka's foot slipped on a patch of ice that had not been there a moment before. He fell gracelessly on the floor, darts flying all around. Phil looked pleased.

"Careful, Cotton Tail, it's slippery."

Relief filled Sandy when he heard the mocking voice of Jack Frost. The boy stood at the entrance of the Globe Room with a grin on his face as he looked down at the sputtering Pooka. North was with him, one large, tattooed arm wrapped around his shoulder. Whatever had driven Jack away from the party, he looked fine. Ready to have fun. Sandy lifted his mug at him.

"You'll regret that, Frostbite!" Bunny roared, bounding toward the boy.

"I doubt that!" Jack answered with a laugh.

He did not wait for Bunny to reach him, pulling away from North and letting the wind lift him up and take him away from the vengeful Pooka. He had only limited space to fly in the Globe Room and he could not truly get out of Bunny's reach. Sandy brought his mug of eggnog back to his lips as he watched the ensuing chase with interest. The winter spirit's laughter resonated over the crashing sounds of various object who had the misfortune of getting in their way.

"My workshop! You break something, you're on naughty list."

"Oh dear. Should we stop them?"

Bunny roared in triumph as he tackled Jack in mid-air. The Guardian of Fun dropped a few feet, but managed to keep them airborne. He started to spin. Bunny's roar turned to one of panic, occasionally interspersed with curses. From somewhere in the Workshop, a clock sounded midnight. Time for bed, Sandy decided.

The ball of golden sand caught the two Guardians mid-spin, sending them tumbling to the ground. They would be bruised in the morning, but for now they slept contently. Bunny's vendetta was forgotten as the golden carrots started to spin over his head. He wrapped an arm over the boy using his chest as a pillow, one foot kicking the air a few times as he dreamed. Above Jack, the Dreamsand formed itself into the small figures of skating children. The young Guardian smiled contently, his finger curling in Bunny's fur as his dream-self joined the kids.

"Wonderful. Who else is staying the night?"

Above the two dreamers, the carrots pulled on skates of their owns and joined the laughing children on the ice. This time it was Sandy who wished he had a camera right now. Maybe he should ask North.