A/N: Here is Sandy! Enjoy!

Chapter 16 - Man of Sand

3rd POV

Laughter filled the darkness as screams began to rise in volume bringing scents of burning fur and wood. Fear clutched Jacks heart as he blindly whipped around in random directions to see where the noise and scents came from.

"FROST!" a voice screams in the darkness like a taunting battle cry.

Jack whipped around to see colours blurred together, two figures stood there amongst the flames. One a black blur, the other white; a ying-yang of good and evil. He knew he should recognise the scream but he could not grasp the memory, was it a memory?

Another cry pierced the air this time from his own throat as he watched the two blurs charge at each other before jumping and twisting in the air before slamming into each other. He watched frozen in horror as the white slowly turned red and then black, the aqua of his eyes burning in the darkness. Jack could see – even in the blur – the smile that grew on the white man's face; his teeth gleaming before a laugh filled the silence. The blue eyes locked on Jacks as another laugh echoed the darkness.

"Find Evergreen, Evergreen… Evergreen…" the man whispered before the darkness exploded with gold.

Jack jerked awake with a cry of alarm, his hands flailing beside him before his staff whacked something. His eyes went to the small gold man of sand in horror as he realised he had hit someone and not thing.

"I am so sorry! I-I… Can-can you see me?" Jack asked almost wary as he saw the small sandman stare at him mouth agape. "Man of sand are you alright? I didn't mean to hit you, you startled me from a nightmare…" he trailed off.

The man smiled before images popped above his head gesturing to himself, a picture of sand before man. Jack narrowed his eyes at the images in concentration trying to decipher the images.

Sandy watched the boy with a smile, there was something about him that drew Sandy to the boy. It wasn't just the nightmare that the child spirit was having but a sense of age only one other besides Manny, Seraphina, Bunny, Ombric and Old Man Winter drew around him.

"Sandman? You're the sandman?" Jack asked in awe as the words began to whisper in his head at the images. Sandy nodded with a wide smile yet slightly stunned, it took many spirits to understand him and his images yet it took this boy before him minutes.

"I am sorry for hitting you, my name is Jack; Jack Frost." The winter child stated while sticking his hand out for Sandman to shake.

Sandy took the hand and shook it before glancing towards the sky; as much as he wanted to stay and talk to the boy he had work to do.

"You have to go, I understand. I hope we can talk again Man of Sand." Jack stated with a knowing gleam in his eyes. He knew of the stories about Sandman and he of all people should know that work waits for no one; it was a never ending cycle.

Sandy nodded enthusiastically before waving goodbye and disappearing into the sky on a cloud of sand.

~XxX~

Jack let out a laugh as he twirled and flipped in the air, the breeze caressing him as it carried him towards home. Gold tendrils of sand swirled around him as he flew closer to the destination of the town Sandy was currently delivering sweet dreams too.

"Man of Sand!" Jack greeted his sand friend with a cheerful laugh. It had been eighty years since he and Sandy became friends, it was also very rare that he got to see Sandy due to their nature. Sandy travelled to hot parts of the world while Jack needed cold to feel healthy.

Sandy hearing his nickname that Jack had given him turned and waved hello. The friendship of the Frost child was surprising and welcome, from what he has heard in the spirit hotline so to speak was that Jack preferred to be left alone, or just avoided everyone in general.

Sandy didn't understand that at all, he knew the winter spirit was lonely; he craved companionship and yet according to the other spirits he preferred to be left alone. Though he knew the other elementals greatly admired Jack since he risked his life to save Daffodil the spirit of Spring. In fact, it was Summer Heat the spirit of Summer who spoke fondly of the boy, in a way a big brother would about their little brother.

"How have you been Sandy? Anything new to report?" Jack asked as he waited patiently for Sandy to clear his head of thoughts. Sandy shook his head and shrugged before flicking out more tendrils of sand to children.

"I have a question… Is it tiring?" Jack asked after Sandy gave him his full attention. Sandy frowned before forming a large question mark above his head, not understanding the question.

Jack shrugged while sitting cross-legged on the cloud of sand. "I just noticed that you only send out dreams to the children who need them the most. Like the little girl down there who was having a nightmare, does it get tiring fighting off the nightmare or exhausting to constantly worry about if you are doing good or not? It must be hard to see the children in bad homes wake from good dreams to reality to know what they dreamt aren't real. I'm just curious and worried about you that is all, it must be tiring and..." Jack trailed off as he saw Sandy's wide eyes, he had known Jack for over 80 years now and he understood what most have yet to come to realise.

Yes he may be the guardian of dreams but his job was probably the hardest. Only Ombric and Manny knew the toll it took on him to do what he did, no, Jack knew now and he was truly worried about Sandman.

Sandy nodded before sighing and letting his shoulders droop in exhaustion. Sand images floating over his head as he told Jack his story, his pain of watching the children wake into real nightmares and some passing away in their sleep because they truly didn't wish to wake up from his sweet dreams. He had lost count of the death that happened because of his sand.

"I understand." Jack whispered as he hesitantly pulled Sandy in his arms for a hug. "I'm the spirit of winter; my element is death and life. People and things die in my season as I prepare the world for spring to bring life; a necessary evil I must do, I just wish people didn't die." He explained before pulling back and smiling.

The shock and awe that filled Sandy at the confession… He didn't know what to make of it in fact, this child before him knew the consequences of shouldering the guilt of death from the necessary evil as he so put it. I'm sorry formed over his head causing the frost child to laugh.

"It's okay Sandy, but just because your sands too take life they still spread awe, hope and wonder with them. Without you there would only be darkness, fear… you chase them away and bring comfort. Don't forget that." Jack whispered before standing and brushing off the sand.

Thank you… Sandy signed as he felt his joy come forth once more for what he does.

Jack laughed and shrugged, "No need to thank me Man of Sand, that's what friends are for. I'll see you later, snow days to bring!" With that Jack leapt off the cloud into the waiting currents of the wind with a laugh.

Sandy couldn't help but smile and feel grateful for having a friend in Jack. His eyes shot up to the moon and he smiled. You chose a good boy Tsar Lunar, but I feel there is something you are not telling the rest of us old friend… how could one so young be so wise and know the pain of many years of war and death?

A/N: So here is sandy! Hope you enjoyed it!

OH does anyone else notice in the movies the flower that grows when Bunnymund closes his rabbit hole is an Aster?

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