Chapter fifty-three-Secrets?

She stretched, nothing unusual except that everything was gold. Also, not that odd for her if not for the fact that there was no sunlight or other pastel colors breaking it up. For a few glorious moments she couldn't remember exactly where she was or why.

Then it hit her.

She slumped back down in the huge golden bed and rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to clear her vision of sleep. She so rarely got this type of sleep so she knew it was pointless. As with most things that didn't stop her from trying.

Except that this time around something had managed to keep her from trying. A scenario had left her determined to keep her wits about her. Something had managed to scare her enough that she was almost certain trying would only end in disaster. James…

What's wrong with me? What. Is. Wrong. With. Me? Why can't I just…I don't know, move on? Why would I even consider this? What would possess me, to even think, about this, ever, again? She argued with/chastized/quizzed herself semi-angrily. After a moment she decided that laying there scowling at the brilliant golden ceiling wasn't going to help things and stretched herself out. Her wings were a mess but a quick ruffling of her feathers and a little shuffle got everything back where it went.

"Okay, I'll be here-honest, really, I swear." James was obviously getting a look of challenge from Sandy, which made Tooth chuckle in spite of her situation.

"James?" She stuck her head in, trying to pretend that she wasn't scared witless.

"Tooth! Good morning." He grinned happily, offering her a seat beside him. There was also a second tray beside his own breakfast which she assumed was either Sandy's eaten breakfast or a fresh tray for her. He answered this question by opening up the tray with a silly flourish that made her giggle.

"Oh, good morning, you look like you feel better." She commented, still chuckling about the overly showy way he was acting. It was so playful, it put a huge smile on her face and suddenly she was at ease.

"Yeah, Sandy's been making me be a good boy and take about a thousand naps a day and I'm not brave enough to argue." He explained. Tooth grinned.

"I thought you were out of the woods." She reminded him of their conversation and he suddenly looked nervous. Good. Payback for what you've been doing to me. Although a small voice in the back of her head yelled back that he didn't know about that, the whole thing was on her.

"I really had thought so." He offered apologetically. She shook her head.

"I know." She agreed, going to town on her fresh cup of coffee. Yeah, it was horrible for her teeth but she loved it. Granted with all her hyperactivity it was fairly risky for the rest of her too…

Sandy had poked his head back in, but quietly slipped back out as soon as he saw this. They needed space and Sandy was definitely going to give it to them.

"So, um…I, uh…" She had immediately lost track of whatever thought she had wanted to express upon the opening of her mouth, leaving her flailing for anything at all that wouldn't make her sound like an escaped mental patient and coming up with nothing. James' head tilted to the side and a half-humored frown found its way onto his face.

"Are…you okay?" He asked, sounding worried. She nodded.

"Yeah, just…lost my thought." She offered, just barely getting the idea out.

"You mean your marbles?" he teased. It took her a moment but she caught on.

"Hey!" She swatted lightly at him.

"What? You were jabbering on like a nutter." He chuckled until he saw her semi-worried expression. "But, but not quite that bad, but close." He snickered, unable to contain himself. She was being awfully shy. He just wanted to know why…and why it made his heart speed up.

"Yeah yeah, I just get that way sometimes when…when I've had…" She looked down at her cup, at a loss.

"Coffee?" He offered.

"Yes…but not, not that…caffeine? Yes, caffeine. When I have too much it…it…" She couldn't clear her mind and suddenly she just felt heavy. Oh no…

"What? Is something wrong?" He asked quickly.

"No, no, I'm…I just get so sleepy when I…when I have too much…" She yawned and set the cup down. "Damnit, Sandy. You know I don't like to sleep so long like this all the time and you just keep drugging me with coffee I see what you're-" She had to stop her mumbled little rant to yawn again and she felt herself start to topple.

The last thing she remembered was a strong set of arms pulling her onto a warm surface and James' voice calling to her in somewhat of a panic.

"SANDY! SANDY I THINK SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH TOOTH!" He called, her sudden crash and the worried face beforehand whipping up his worry into panic and outright terror. Sandy came zipping in but was quick to wave it off with a chuckle. He made a golden checkmark over his head and waved him on.

"What? This is normal?" He asked.

Sandy nodded.

"And…she wasn't mistaken when she said you did it on purpose?" He asked.

More nodding.

"So…?"

Sandy nodded to her, him, then made a 'stay the course' motion with his hand while trying really, really hard not to laugh.

"I shouldn't put her back in bed?" he asked.

Sandy shook his head and made a 'wait for it' gesture. He didn't give James a chance to ask anything else before he turned and ran. He would find out soon…

He would find a lot out.

Tooth shivered. He looked around for a throw blanket and when he turned back to flip it over her she was squirming and looking somewhat…he didn't know how he'd describe it. He was tempted to say she was some sort of coffee/sleep-drunk, but that would be an understatement.

"Tooth? Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"Mmmhmmm, I think…so…" She nodded slowly. She tilted backward and looked up at him with her big, shining purple eyes and he couldn't help how he noticed the flecks of brilliant rainbow colors in them, or the way her small smile seemed to light up her otherwise confused expression.

"Okay." He grinned, something told him he could really dig for some silly little tidbits if he had wanted to. He shook back the urge though, that would be wrong. As tempting as it was to see if she'd spill some silly stories he wouldn't hear otherwise he knew that would be a trust he wouldn't be able to live with breaking. He couldn't take advantage of her like that.

"You're…you're cute." Tooth giggled. He froze.

"Go to sleep, Tooth. You're drunk." James chuckled when he recovered. She must be loopy.

"I'm not drunk." She insisted.

"Not in the traditional sense, no." James agreed.

"But…but it's, it's weird. Everything's moving so slow." She drawled, stretching out her words.

"Come here, nut." He sat her up so she could look around like she was trying to, and she ended up snuggling as close to him as she could. He found himself smiling more than he had thought.

"Why?" She asked quietly, a note of sadness cracking the stillness of her sleepy ramblings. It made his stomach knot up.

"Why, what?" He asked.

"Why do I…why…I don't understand why I have to…we're…we're guardians." She finished, he supposed it probably made perfect sense in that brain of hers, but out where he was it was sort of, disconnected.

"Yes, we're guardians. That's not a bad thing, is it?" He asked. He wasn't trying to fish for information, but it was so plain that she was hurting. He wanted that gone, immediately.

"It is, cause I…it means…even if I…" she was struggling with the thought, most of it getting muffled by his shoulder but something she said immediately sounded more serious. Hindsight and all that nonsense, he really needed to start paying better attention.

'You're cute.' His breath caught.

"Oh, oh Tooth." He wrapped her up in a hug. "That's not a problem, honest." He assured her. He hoped that made sense and that he wasn't wrong. Mostly though, he hoped she would remember this when she woke up. Or did he? He wasn't sure. All that mattered was the shivering mass of brilliant feathers with pretty purple eyes cuddled up to him for dear life.

"Hmm?" She asked, not quite understanding.

"It's okay." He reiterated simply, hand resting on the side of her face to punctuate his words. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"R-really? But…but I thought…never, you…you'd never…" Her little shocked adrenaline spike was evidently as quick to go as it was to arrive. He chuckled.

"Oh? Why ever would you think that? You're a sweetheart." He doted on her, taking the opportunity and betting that she wouldn't remember this later.

"But…but I'm…"

"Covered in feathers? Well they're lovely, and shockingly soft! I've never felt feathers like this." He picked up her forearm and showed her, emphasizing how silky they were by letting his hand glide effortlessly to her own.

"But…I'm not human…" She insisted.

"But you are." He insisted. "You are where it counts." His bolder self placed a little kiss on her feathered forehead, just above her nose.

She. Melted.

Wow, either she's not hard to flatter or I'm way better at this than I thought. He mused. Then that little voice in the back of his head, you know the one, everyone has one, piped up. Don't flatter yourself, she's high off caffeine and sleepies. He internally sighed, knowing that was more than likely the truth.

"Oh I really hope you don't remember this later…" He muttered to himself as he snuggled her close, tucking the blanket around her so she'd be comfortable. He was about to drift off when something darn near scared him to death.

She tried to kiss him.

"Woah there." He chided softly, pulling her back. She had come within an inch of planting one on him. His heart was pounding.

"What?" She asked, looking a bit…hurt?

"Tooth, you're not all here at the moment. That just wouldn't be right, you understand?" He asked sweetly, guiding her back down to where she had been cuddled up on his chest and petting back the now frazzled plumage on her head by her face.

It took what felt like forever but she nodded.

"Okay." She nodded once more before all but crashing.

He nodded off and when he woke up she was absent from his couch, but obviously not gone. He could hear the screaming from the next room. Evidently he hadn't been too far behind her, because he caught sight of her tail-feathers as she marched out of the room. His first thought?

She's walking. Someone's gonna die.

"SANDERSON MANSNOOZIE, YOU GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! DON'T MAKE ME- HOW DARE YOU!? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?! YOU KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN! YOU SNEAKY LITTLE SHIT!" James seriously considered hiding in the kitchen. She was livid and he suddenly feared for his health. There was a string of obscenities coming from the next room and he wanted nothing to do with the rage behind it.

And they thought Sandy was the scariest guardian.

Back at the pole Jamie was currently napping on one of the couches all curled up with Bunny, who wasn't having any more of the boy's sadness. None of that. Between the three of them Jack, Bunny and Jessica had pounded into him that the storm wasn't his fault and that no one had died. Everything was okay. Jack spent hours explaining to him how the world of winter sucked, but they could make it beautiful. That was their shared job, make it fun.

He was still understandably shaken, but he wasn't as bad. He still wasn't keen on leaving the pole so soon though, and Jack could sympathize. When he woke up North was in his shop, his mom was milling around the northern countries spreading her magic and Jack was out doing the same. It was just him and a big bunny.

"Finally, thought you'd never wake up." Bunny teased. Jamie stretched and yawned before he found his voice.

"How long did I sleep?" He asked.

"Dunnoe really, I was just pickin'." Bunny admitted with a smirk. He watched the boy look toward the window and shift uncomfortably.

"I know what you're thinkin' about, mate." Bunny offered.

"Yeah?" Jamie tested.

"Your little sheila, back in Burgess." The look on Jamie's face told him his bluff had been called and stood up to scrutiny. Hit it on the head.

"Yeah…" He drew the word out.

"You know, she's mortal, right?" He prompted.

"I know, I know. I'll be here a lot longer than she will, that's why I hadn't wanted to…to push it? I guess that's the idea."

"But it happened anyway."

"I'm okay with it." That caught the Pooka off-guard.

"What?" He asked. "You, you know what that means, don'tcha mate?" he asked.

"I won't age with her, we'll grow apart faster, we couldn't ever have a life, I know." He assured, "But…but that's okay." He looked Bunny right in the eye and stunned him. "I'll take it."

"Really, mate?"

"Yeah, I'll take what I can get. If it gets too weird for her, so be it, but…but I don't care if she's eighty or eighteen, I'll love her." Bunny was officially done. He couldn't handle it. He could feel the hope radiating from the boy and he didn't know what to say. It took him a while to gather the words, but he found them.

"Just be careful, mate? I know you love her, and I can see she loves you, but please don't be rash? Think about it, carefully. Talk to her. Decide together, okay mate?" He asked. Jamie nodded.

"Of course." He agreed.

"Well, you know if you don't leave the pole, you can't see her, right?" Bunny teased, it was like he flipped a switch and it was so sudden Jamie just stared at him for a second.

"You know, you're right." He chuckled. "Maybe I won't cause the next ice-age this time." He chuckled. Something about that screamed cover-up to the Pooka, but it was also so much like Jack it was heartbreaking because he realized something. As Jamie flew out the window he realized something about Jack.

They couldn't have helped him. Just like they couldn't help Jamie. It wouldn't have done him any good if they'd been there from the get-go. He'd have had a family, sure but…he'd still be hated by the world, he'd still get in fights, he'd still be a target. He still wouldn't have had the maturity to live with the deaths his season caused. He would still have been unseen, and he would have still hurt for the mortals enduring his element.

He'd still be winter. There was no fixing that, and there was no help for that kind of pain.

They couldn't have helped him.

They. Couldn't. Help.

That was their job.

Their one job.

Bunnymund sat in stunned silence, unable to move for the longest time when he realized that his biggest mistake, was a no-win situation. He had always wished he could have done right by Jack from the beginning but he just realized he couldn't have. Then something else hit home;

They couldn't help Jamie, either.

Dark ending, I know, but I promise it won't be that bad later, honest! Sorry for the wait, but I had a bit of a roadblock, PT for a broken leg means lots of naptime, I may be turning into somewhat of a Sandy clone, can't stay awake for nothin'! As always, let me know what you think, and Cavity shippers here you have it! I was working toward this the whole time, I swear, it just had to take its time. I had it planned out forever, so here it is! Thanks for being patient with me! ^.^