January 30

"I think it's time you need to drop off the map entirely," Wind said firmly. She was in the warehouse, which she was beginning to hate more and more with each passing day. "The police are starting to pick up on the idea that you might not have left town. They're going to start looking closer to home soon. I'll be able to give you a warning if they raid this place, but it won't be fast enough for you to grab all your supplies."

"So we need to fake our deaths," Ana said simply.

Wind paused. "If you do that," she said carefully, "you can't return to a normal life. That's the last straw. Every other law you broke would land you in jail for a few months, maybe a few years. That…would permanently mark your record, not to even mention all the lost time you would have to make up. If you fake your deaths, it should be for good."

Aster shrugged, taking a sip of the coffee Wind had courteously delivered. "I'm for it whenever."

"Same," Jack said without missing a beat. Ana nodded her head in agreement. Sandy gave two thumbs up.

"Whatever needs to be done," North said, like the whole concept was common sense and just another regular event of the day. "Should we get started soon?" Wind did her best to not react to the nonchalance of the entire group about faking their deaths.

"You, Ana, and Sandy are all still busy. We're not entirely done mapping the forest," Jack said, including Wind in the 'we', "but I'll stop to help Aster plan our deaths." Aster held up his cup for a moment in cheers to that before taking another sip. "There's another storm coming in. We can use that to our advantage."

"Let's grab some 'a the empty cans 'a food," Aster suggested, "an' some 'a the full ones. Make it look like we froze out there."

"No, then we have to do something about bodies," Ana said, shaking her head.

"How deep is the reservoir?" Jack asked. The reservoir was right beside the road to Harrisville from Burgess. It would have been a border of the forest if not for the road. "Maybe two or three of us fell through the ice into one of the rivers and got swept out there, and the rest fell through the ice while trying to get the others out."

Aster nodded. "Yeah, an' then our bodies just sank ta the bottom. Maybe the fishies ate us before the police got ta our bodies."

Ana made a face. "Okay, thank you, Aster, for that visual image." He smirked in return, finishing off the last of his coffee. Wind tried not to roll her eyes at their antics. "Jack, are you sure the current is strong enough to pull our bodies out there?"

He nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

"The police would believe it for sure," Wind said. "How are you going to make it seem like you fell in, then?"

"The ice is pretty strong right now," Jack said slowly. "Maybe three of us were on the ice in the same area and all fell through at the same time. What if we faked it while the police were searching for us? Maybe we were hiding on the river."

"An' just a little ways away, we could leave fake supplies," Aster suggested. "Hey, maybe there were only three of us by that time. The other two died 'a frostbite an' were buried."

"It's cold enough," Ana agreed. "Hey, what if we were trying to put the two who had died in the river as a funeral? The ground's too hard to bury them. And then more of the ice broke away and we all fell in."

Wind nodded. "That avoids a near brush with the police if you go about it that way instead of doing it while they are running after you." She rolled one shoulder as if working out a kink. The day before, she had mentioned a training session with her partner. It seemed like Officer Nimoy still had a good right hook. "They won't bother to search any more if they think you're dead. It's a case we all just want wrapped up as soon as possible."

Aster rolled one of his shoulders back and groaned. "Let's get this started then, shall we?" He sighed and stood up. Jack made a gesture to let him finish his soup, bringing the bowl and spoon up to his mouth. Aster grabbed the back of his sweater, spilling some of the hot liquid. Jack set the bowl down quickly, blowing on his hands as Aster practically dragged him out the door. Wind rolled her eyes. Working with these kids made life so much more entertaining.

-.-.-.-

Breaking the ice proved to be a lot harder than they thought. Aster and Jack sat on the riverbank in silence, tossing rocks out on the frozen river for a while. They had already planted the canned food and supplies to make it look like they had been camping outside.

"It's not working," Jack said, bored, as he tossed another rock out. When he had nearly drowned a few months ago, someone had used a staff to save his life. The staff was tucked against his side now. Aster had seen him use it a few times to get onto roofs or to hobble around if he was injured. It would have looked extremely odd if anyone but Jack had been using it.

Aster grunted. He threw three out. They landed with a heavy thump but didn't even crack the ice.

"Think we should try something else?"

"If ya want ta go out onta the ice an' pound on it, be my guest. I'm not pullin' ya out if ya fall in." He lobbed another rock out and frowned, starting to count the amount of rocks already on the ice. "Damn. When that river freezes, it really freezes…" He glanced to the side at Jack and started when he realized his friend wasn't there. "Jack?" He looked around, a bad feeling settling in his stomach. A flash of white hair caught his eye a few yards down. "Jack!"

"Stay there," Jack called back, dropping down from the rocky edge above the river. Aster hissed in an irritated breath and scrambled to his feet. Jack put his arms out for balance, staff in one hand. He started edging forward on the ice, feet sliding ever so slightly. Aster dropped down on the edge on his stomach, reaching forward with one arm to snatch at Jack. His fingers barely graced the sweatshirt's hood. He tried again, straining as hard as he could without falling off. Jack shifted forward another step and Aster's reach fell short again.

"Jack!" he snarled angrily. "Yer goin' ta get yerself killed!"

"Yeah, yeah, and you're not going to come in after me. Got it."

"This is stupid! Get back here!" Jack took another step forward. The ice was holding steady, but Jack looked extremely uncertain. "What d'ya think yer doin'?!"

Jack made an annoyed sound and lifted one foot. He yanked off his shoe and tossed it aside. "I'm going to fall and crack the ice open with my head if these slip around much more," he grumbled. He yanked the other one off.

Aster slammed his hand against the ground in anger and brought his legs up closer to the edge. He clung onto the side of it as he dropped down to the flat rocks right beneath it. A faint sheen of ice covered them, making it slippery to stand. He stepped out carefully, grasping towards Jack. His friend was already out of reach, moving closer and closer to where all the rocks were clumped together. Jack stopped a foot away. He bounced on his heels, testing the strength of the ice.

"Jack!"

"Stop freaking out," Jack scolded. "I'm just going to cause a few cracks and then get off. Don't worry about it."

"I am goin' ta worry about it."

"Aw, thanks."

" 'Cause Wind'll skin me if ya get killed!"

Jack scoffed. "I'm not going to get killed." He twirled the staff in one hand. "Besides," he said teasingly, "I know you'll catch me if I fall."

He slammed the staff into the ice.

Aster's eyes widened as he heard a creak coming from below. "Jack…" Jack raised the staff again. "Jack, stop!" The staff hit the ice again, sending a few shards of ice into the air. A small crack adorned the ice now. "We'll find another way!"

Jack scowled. "With three of us on the ice and two bodies, we would have definitely fallen through. It makes the most sense to do."

"We're not even know fer sure that the currents woulda carried us ta the reservoir!"

"I know they would have."

Aster paused, staring at him. "What?" Jack cringed slightly, shoulders rolling up protectively. He shot a guilty glance over one of them. Aster looked at him in confusion. "I don't…"

Jack turned back to what he was doing and hit the ice with his staff again. The crack got longer and another one showed up in a layer beneath it. "Wow, the ice is stronger than I thought it would be. There was probably something that slowed the current long enough for this to happen," he mused lightly, trying to redirect the conversation.

"When would ya have studied the water currents here?" Aster asked slowly.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said cheerfully. He slammed the staff down again. A sudden shift in the ice jolted Aster out of his thoughts and he growled, stepping forward.

"Look, let's tie some rocks ta some branches an' whack the ice that way! Yer actin' nuts!"

"We're not going to be able to get enough leverage and we're been out here for a long time already!" Jack replied, annoyed. "Just stay right there and it'll be fine." He tried to smash the ice again.

"Yer goin' ta get frostbite if ya stand on the ice with bare feet much longer even if ya don't fall in! Get back here!"

"We have to do this!" Jack unexpectedly yelled back, whirling on him but not stepping closer. "What happens if the police keep looking? They'll find us, that's what! You don't have a home, Sandy's parents are helping Pitch, Ana's aunt and uncle lied to her about who they were… My dad…"

Aster was torn between comforting him and beating sense into him. The comfort would probably be unwelcome and he doubted Jack would listen to sense. "I thought ya weren't afraid of 'im."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not, it's just… I… I can't…"

"You hate 'im?"

"No, well, maybe, but… I don't know!" He hit the ice again in frustration. It groaned underneath his weight and Aster flinched. "Is that wrong?" He looked at Aster pleadingly. "Shouldn't I just accept him the way he is? Isn't that what family is supposed to do?" His gaze went back to the ice. "Is it my fault my family split up? That Mom ran off even though she wasn't in danger? That Emma was sent to live with our aunt and uncle in Georgia? That Dad's in prison? Is it my fault?"

Aster stared at the ground, not sure what to say.

"Well? Is it?"

The ice creaked again.

"Get off the ice, Jack," Aster said wearily. "Please."

Jack glared at him, angry for the dismissal of the conversation he was trying to have. Aster glanced up as Jack slammed the staff into the ice repeatedly, again and again. Aster was aware he was yelling something at him, but in his anger he didn't know for sure what he was saying. Jack ignored it and hit the ice again. The staff was splashing into the water now, causing droplets to hit the ice and make it more slippery. Jack ignored that too, gouging out chunks of the ice and unaware that the surface he stood on was getting weaker.

Aster glanced at the wall and then the ice. He let out a snarl, stepping onto the ice without considering the consequences. Walking was difficult, but he wasn't going for elegance, falling and sliding as much as he was standing. The ice cracked loudly as he neared Jack. The white headed teenager stopped as his balance shifted. Aster grabbed his hood in one hand and backpedaled, pulling them both away from the large cracks. A chunk fell off, scraping against the sturdy ice before slipping under and into the water. Jack stared at it as Aster dragged him back, snatching his shoes up as they went. Not too gently, he grabbed Jack's arm and shoved him up towards the rocky edge. Jack flailed a second too late to stop him, surprised at the gesture.

"Hey," he cried out, "hey!"

Aster scowled and threw him. Jack fell with one leg and more of his torso on the rock. He scrabbled against the snow, gripping something in the ground and using it to haul himself the rest of the way onto the solid surface. He turned around a moment later and reached down. Aster grabbed the hand and planted one foot against the wall, using both to boost himself over. He sat down heavily next to his friend and watched the ice as it cracked up further, the weight of the rocks pushing down on the weakened surface. The spot where Jack had been standing was gone by now.

Jack dipped his head, pulling up his hood to cover his face and bringing his knees in close, as if hiding in plain sight from Aster. He folded his arms across his chest, probably glaring at his legs as if they were causing all this. Aster rolled his eyes and sighed, reaching up to yank the hood down. Jack redirected his gaze to Aster.

"Yeah, fine," Aster snapped. "It was yer fault."

Jack grimaced and nodding, having clearly already believed that.

"Don't ya ever tell the others about this or they'll have my head."

"Don't tell about the ice."

"As far as I'm concerned, the rocks broke it up. You just gave 'em a little help." He punched Jack lightly in the arm. "Look, it's yer fault that they all split up. But it's not yer fault that yer family just wasn't meant ta stay together. That night…when yer dad beat ya unconscious…" An almost unnoticeable wince crossed Jack's face. "Yer mom left way too fast. I'll bet she was already packed. Yer dad had this comin' ta 'im. Don't ya ever feel bad about puttin' 'im away fer layin' a hand on ya. Ever, ya hear me?"

He looked at Jack, but Jack was still glaring at the ice. "Yeah, got it."

Aster elbowed him in the ribs. "Ya screw up a lot, but yer not that bad." He stood up, brushing snow off. "Come on, let's get back ta the others an' tell 'em we're done. Ana seemed to want it over with as soon as possible."

"Aster," Jack said, not standing. He glanced up at him. "Do you think I'll see Emma again?"

Aster stared at him for a few seconds, speechless again. Why was Jack hitting him with all these hard questions? Did Aster look like he was all-knowing or something? "No," he said hesitantly. Jack looked away. "The way things are goin', I don't think you'll see her for a couple 'a years, at least. I think chances are slim you'll see her again." He reached down and pulled Jack up to his feet. "Look, once things cool down… I'll go wi' ya ta Georgia. We'll find 'er."

Jack smiled at him and that made the past ten minutes worth everything to see Jack's worry fall aside like that.

-.-.-.-

The others were still busying themselves when they got back. Ana glanced over and Aster nodded. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's out of the way, then," she said. "You guys want to drop off a note at her house when it gets dark to tell her it's done? Take the patrol around Jamie's if you do."

"Ya really don't want ta be involved in this, do ya?" he said, plopping himself down beside her. "Have we got food?"

Ana bit her lip and looked at North. The Russian glanced up briefly before going back to his work. "Yeah, but…"

"We're running out and it's going to start getting obvious if Manny and Wind are paying for a lot more food," Jack summarized. "Plus, it'll deplete their bank accounts." He sighed, sitting down. The staff leaned against his shoulder. "We can't live off them forever anyway. We need somewhere to get food from."

"Ombric is donating supplies," North said. "Even though he is not happy about another pigeon being eaten by Baby Tooth…"

"They're all going to be gone before we can even use them at this rate," Jack grumbled. "Isn't there a way to stop them from getting killed off so easily? It'll be even worse once we start using them in the forest. If we can't figure something out now…" He shrugged, not really caring either way. "It's that or we find another way to contact each other."

"He is thinking the same thing and is going home for a bit to try and find alternative," North said. "Pigeons are not working."

"Glad someone else agrees," Aster muttered, all too happy to never have to clean up pigeon poop again. "How long should it be until the base is built? I keep thinkin' the owners here are goin' ta walk in on us at any time."

North waved him off. "Do not worry, it will be fine. Home should have construction started in March."

"March? I was lookin' for an answer like tomorrow, mate!"

"You do not rush building home!"

"Ya do when ya don't have much else to live in!"

Ana rolled her eyes. "Jack, are the police going to believe we fell through?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. We're in the clear." Aster looked away from him. If Jack could look that nonchalant and laid back when he had just been in the middle of a nervous breakdown not half an hour ago, how was Aster ever going to know when he had a problem again? Damn white headed brat. Aster didn't need anything else to worry about. At least he had said something today, though.

"What happened to your feet? Where are your shoes?" Ana suddenly demanded. The entire group looked at Jack's feet, which were bright red from the cold snow. He had shoved the shoes away when Aster had tried to give them to him earlier, but he caught them now as Aster threw them at him.

"It was more difficult to walk with them," Jack grumbled.

"Frostbite here was tryin' ta freeze his feet off."

"Frostbite?" Jack muttered. "You know a nickname is usually shorter than the original name, right?"

"Says who?"

Ana groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Would you two give it a rest for a few minutes, please?"

"I see grey hairs and migraines in your future," Jack said knowingly. "Maybe the present, too. Is that just the light, or-?" He reached over to lift one strand. She smacked his hand away and he laughed. "Darn, couldn't get a good enough look to tell for sure." She gave him a level look. Jack grinned.

"Come on, we have to patrol when school gets out," North said. "Best get some rest now."

-.-.-.-

February 15

Aster grumbled to himself, dumping some of the leftover bread crumbs on the pavement outside the warehouse. They were going to get moldy soon. There were only three pigeons left of the original batch, thanks to plenty of accidents and misfortunes while attempting to train with them. The area they were in just wasn't suitable for the pigeons, it seemed. The bread was leftover and no one was going to be able to eat it, so he was dumping it outside for anything that could eat it. He wasn't sure if he felt sorry for the birds, but he was glad they were gone. It was a stupid idea to begin with, especially considering that this was the sixth time he'd had to get rid of extra bread. It pained him to do so when they were being so careful with how much food they used.

He sat down on the sidewalk a short distance away from the bread crumbs, staring at it. Every time he put the crumbs out here, they would vanish after just a half hour. Were the raccoons staking out this spot or something? There was nothing to do, it being the middle of the day with all the kids in school, so he decided to find out.

Ana plopped down next to him a few minutes later. "Jack went out to finish mapping the forest," she said. "It's almost done. I offered to go with him, but he said he didn't want to keep me away from other work I had to do. What does he think I need to get done, exactly?"

"It's not you. He likes solitude," Aster said, not turning to look at her. She glanced at him in surprise. When she didn't say anything, he sighed and continued. "He's not used ta bein' 'round people so much. It's a bit overwhelming, so he goes inta the forest."

"That's right, his family wasn't very close…" Even though she had seen firsthand evidence, it was hard to believe that when Jack always seemed so carefree and excited. Aster knew Jack the best of all of them. He could see past most of Jack's masks and wasn't fooled. "Did he tell you that, or did you just figure it out?"

Aster shrugged. "Both. Oh, try an' hug 'im or pat 'im on the back as much as ya can wi'out makin' it obvious. Ever noticed that he always leans inta touches? His family never really interacted much. It's been years since anyone made sure ta reach out ta 'im like that." He still hadn't looked at her, eyes fixed on the bread crumbs. Maybe it was mice, not raccoons…

Ana grimaced. "Did you tell the others?" He nodded. "Does Jack know you did that?"

Aster shrugged again. "He won't tell me if he knows. Don't worry about it too much. He'll be fine. It's like sprainin' yer ankle. Really painful for a while, but as long as ya don't put too much pressure on it, it'll heal wi'out a problem."

"And how are you?"

Now he did look at her, confused for a moment and then a bit irritated that she had brought that up. "I've got other things ta worry about now besides my parents," he muttered, "if ya hadn't noticed our livin' situation."

"Who's paying for Lachlan's life support right now?"

"Godparents. They're in California since there's nothin' for 'em ta do here." He rubbed his neck for a moment. "Manny says there's no change. They don't know if he'll be okay or not." He sighed and gave Ana a weary look. "A part 'a me doesn't want 'im ta wake up. I don't want ta tell 'im our parents are dead an' I'm on the run." He looked back at the bread crumbs. "Alright, enough heart-ta-heart. We're scarin' off whatever's been eatin' the food."

"Is that all you're out here for?"

He grunted and fell into silence. She looked at the crumbs in concentration, as if there were small fairies coming and stealing them but were just too small to be seen. Ten minutes passed and the two remained quiet, waiting for something to happen. Dark shadows were flitting by overhead, but they kept their eyes on the ground. A few more minutes went by until there was a sharp cry and a bird swooped down, wings beating to keep it from slamming into the ground. Aster and Ana blinked in surprise as the raven landed, starting to peck at the crumbs. Another one landed beside it a moment later.

"I woulda thought they migrated," Aster mused aloud. Both scattered, flying up into the air for a few seconds before dropping back down. Ana gave him a look and he became quiet again. They watched the birds peck at the crumbs, eating up the rest before flying away. When it became obvious they weren't coming back, Ana stood up and brushed herself off.

"Well, I'm bringing out more food for them," she said, leaving no room for argument. "There was probably some reason why they couldn't migrate and they ended up stuck here. The food's all frozen."

"Uh, we don't have food ta spare," Aster said, scrambling to his feet. "Ana!"

-.-.-.-

February 26

Feeding the ravens had become a daily thing for the two. Aster stopped complaining, realizing Ana wasn't going to give it up. She always went out there, like it was a ritual or something. On occasion, they had to feed them from a different place than the back of the warehouse, but the ravens were smart enough to figure it out and come find them in their new location. They were already out there one time, waiting for Ana to come with the food. Another pigeon had died, giving Ana and Aster even more food to feed them with.

Aster was skipping out on feeding them this afternoon, instead sitting inside with the other three. "North, ya said yer startin' construction soon?"

"Yes. Wind and Manny have been finding equipment and are buying supplies needed for it. I have found the spot I will build on and am starting to clear foliage away. I will probably start building on Thursday. It will not be very big-"

"Anything's better than this rat hole, mate. Tell us what ya need us ta do, an' we'll do it."

"It will not be very sturdy," North warned.

"It'll be surrounded by the trees," Jack pointed out. "That'll block a lot of the wind and other problems from storms, right?"

"It should," North said. "We will not know until we try. The platforms in the woods were finished, even though it does not look like they will be needed anymore. Sandy, what is it you have been working on so much?"

Sandy glanced up at them. They had all directed their attention towards him, clearly having been wondering the same thing about what he was being so secretive about. He waved the question off, trying to get them to move on. "Sandy, you've got to tell us," Jack said, grinning. "You can't be that quiet about it and then not let us know."

Sandy sighed and pulled out a pouch from his back pocket. He walked over to a wall, dipping his fingers in to the pouch as he did so. The others followed, curious about what he was doing. As he pulled his fingers out, they saw that he had a golden mixture slathered onto them. He put his fingertips on the wall and moved his hand, smearing the mixture onto the wall. He continued moving his hand, occasionally dipping it back into the pouch to get more of the mixture onto his fingers. Waves appeared, splashing around a pair of fins. A dolphin came into view, tail slapping the water playfully. Sandy stepped back, watching their reactions.

"That's…" North said, gaping.

"That's bloody awesome. You're drawin' kids dreams!" Aster said. "An' ya did it so fast! That couldn't have taken ya five minutes ta do! How much 'a that stuff 'ave ya got?" Sandy held up the pouch and then tucked it under his arm so he could up both hands, nine fingers in the air. "Nine pouches?" Sandy nodded. "Can ya make more easily enough?" Sandy gave him a look, as if disappointed in him for even asking that question. "Just makin' sure."

"What are you going to do with it?" Jack asked. "It could be used in some many ways, but…"

Sandy stepped forward and ran his clean hand over it. He started scrubbing, putting pressure on the wall. It rubbed off, turning into grit. They winced to see the picture fade away. It looked like sand was falling off instead of the mixture that had originally gone onto it. Once the picture was gone, he pulled out his notepad and began writing. 'Going to put it on walls of bedroom'. He showed it to them and then started writing again. 'Paint their dreams and hopes, counteract Pitch's fears'.

"Good idea!" North patted him on the back. Sandy stumbled forward a step. "Will be very useful!"

"We'll have ta wake the kids up, let 'em see it, an' when they go back ta sleep we'll wipe it off," Aster pointed out.

"What if the kids stay awake to see who's coming? They can't see the Sandman coming in to paint the walls of their room," Jack pointed out.

"They won't be expecting' it for the first few nights, but they'll start fakin' sleep once they figure it out," Aster said. "What if we put a gas into the room ta make sure they fall asleep?"

"A little unorthodox, but it'll work," Jack agreed. He shifted his weight. "Is anyone else getting worried that we haven't seen Pitch do much lately? It seems a little too good to be true. We're really improving, but he's barely doing anything."

"He is after us," North said solemnly. "He does not want to have to learn how to fight us. He wants to be rid of us entirely."

They fell silent, thinking over that grim statement. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as chills went up their spines. To have an enemy with such a hatred towards them was a startling fact to face after living such normal lives.

Ana opened the door, looking curiously behind her. They turned to face her, surprised by the sudden entrance. "Ana, is something wrong?"

She glanced at them, amused. "Aster, you've got visitors." She waved him over.

He frowned, walking towards her. "Huh?"

She ducked suddenly, and one of the ravens flew in, wings beating the air. It rose up a few feet above their heads, eyes scouring the warehouse. It dove towards Aster and landed in front of him, flapping its wings at him in irritation. He stared at it. "What?" he snapped. "Do I look like I've got food ta ya?"

Ana laughed. Jack looked confused. "What's with the bird?"

"We've been giving them the extra food. The ravens are under the impression that we exist to feed them now," Ana said, amused. "If we're an hour late, you would think we had just kicked a puppy from how they look at us."

"Bloody annoyances if you ask me," Aster muttered. He dug around in his pockets, feeling some crumbs left over from yesterday. He tossed them onto the ground. The raven hopped forward, snatching them up. "Better than the pigeons, though."

Ana smiled. "Aren't they beautiful? Their wings are so dark, they get all those different hues on the tips. The pigeons don't look anything like that."

"Yeah, all two of them are really boring," Jack muttered, looking at the two poor ones left. Ombric was wisely taking them home later that day. The pigeon idea had clearly not worked out. Ana raised an eyebrow at him and he put his hands up in acceptance. "Hey, they look good. I'm just saying I'm not the best judge of birds. At least we have something to do with scraps of food now."

-.-.-.-

March 1

Ana sat on the edge of the roof, feet dangling into open space. It was Claude and Caleb's house. The two were just as excited as Jamie about the Guardians and there would be two of them to share the story about the Sandman visiting. They were testing the "Dreamsand", as they had begun calling it. Sandy was inside, painting the first drawing on now. The two were soccer fans, so Sandy was sketching a game across the walls. It was a story, beginning at the door, going low near the floor on the first wall, spiraling up onto the ceiling, arcing down onto the opposite wall, and turning around to end by the window. It would take him a while to do, but it would be totally worth it to see the kids' expressions.

Something shifted below. She glanced out into the backyard. There was something moving there, definitely. She stayed where she was, not wanting to attract any attention to herself just yet in case it was one of Pitch's people. It could just be a dog, and moving would make it start barking at her. They were still figuring out how to deal with them. Aster had been chased out of Jamie's home by their greyhound last time. While it had been amusing, the dog had woken up the entire house with its barking and if the parents had realized why, they might have seen Aster jumping over the back fence as he left.

A quick glance behind her showed that Sandy was midway through the second picture on the bottom wall. It looked like he was only going to be able to do one dream a night at the rate he was going, maybe two if they really crammed it in. Hopefully, once the kids started warming up to the idea, they would go to sleep faster and be sure to leave their windows unlocked. While the Guardians had learned how to pick the lock, it was hard to get them locked again to avoid suspicion. However, it was a double-edged sword. The locked windows also gave Pitch and his people trouble. There wasn't any way to let one group in and keep the other out without letting the children in one the secret.

A figure darted out from behind a tree, dropping to the ground and hurrying forward. She watched it, tensing as she recognized Onyx. The other teenager glanced up, spotting her in return. Both froze, evaluating each other. Ana was already here, and it didn't look like Onyx had any backup. She was going to have to back off. A few moments passed as Ana waited, looking as stern as she could. Sure enough, Onyx slipped back the way she had come, scurrying off in case Ana decided to give chase. She was gone, slipping over the fence a moment later. Ana smiled to herself, bringing her legs up and keeping a closer watch on the backyard, just in case. North was starting work on the house tonight, dragging supplies out to the forest with Wind. Aster and Jack were patrolling in another neighborhood.

Sandy came out a few minutes later. He tapped Ana on the shoulder. She smiled and nodded, moving to the roof above the room. It wouldn't do for the children to look out and see her. Sandy went back into the room and turned on the light. He heard one of the boys mutter, trying to pull the pillow over their eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled the blanket off and scampered out the window as quietly as he could, not even bothering to shut it behind him. He had just gotten around the wall when he heard the boy he had woken sit up in bed and gasp. "Caleb! Look, look! The Sandman!"

The other boy looked around. "Woah!"

Sandy grinned. Ana reached down and helped pull him up. The boys scampered around inside, looking over every inch of the pictures. "That's you!"

"Hey, look at that kick! Bet you wish you could do that more often."

"How'd he get onto the ceiling?"

"Floated! Duh!"

"Jamie's going to be so jealous…"

"This is awesome!"

"I hope he comes again!"

"I'll bet he will! This is so cool."

The talking went on for another half hour as the two marveled over the drawings. They settled back onto their beds, probably waiting for something else to happen. Sandy and Ana waited, making sure they were done examining the pictures before quietly climbing back down to the window. Sandy held a canister with a fan attached to the end next to the window. He turned the fan on. It spun quietly, blowing gas into the room. The wind helped, pushing it in. The colorless gas permeated the clean air, and the boys began breathing it without realizing the difference in their excitement. They went to sleep a few minutes later, slumping over on their beds.

Ana and Sandy exchanged excited looks, entering the room again. They made sure the boys were sound asleep before spreading plastic under the walls. The sand rubbed off, falling onto it. They moved around, making sure every last bit was gone. It had to seem like it was just a dream, something that the kids could neither prove nor disprove. It took a lot less time than it had to put up, and they were wrapping up the plastic and stuffing it away into Sandy's backpack a moment later. Tonight had been a success. They left, closing the window behind them and turning the light off. The kids would wake up in the morning and spread the word about the Sandman.

They were walking back to the warehouse now, satisfied at a good night's work. They made a quick side trip to Kyle's house, having heard him tell his friends as he walked home that he had lost a tooth. Ana slipped a quarter under his pillow and took the tooth. His parents had clearly not been in and it was three in the morning. Sandy smiled as she climbed down the side of the house and they continued on. The guise of being fairytales had been stupid at first, but it was becoming a better and better cover as the weeks went by. They were having too much fun to imagine ever doing anything else.

Sandy glanced up, spotting a flash of movement. He pointed. Ana followed his gaze, seeing one of the ravens crouched on a tree branch ahead of them. "Ah," she said. "Aster and I were patrolling on the way home and didn't feed them. Ran into one of Pitch's guys. I'm surprised she followed us all the way out here."

Sandy gave her a surprised look. She flushed. "I've learned to tell them apart. I think they're mates, since ravens mate for life." Sandy smiled at her enthusiasm about watching the two birds. The raven flapped its wings irritably. She sighed at it. "I don't have any food!" she said apologetically even though it couldn't understand her. "I'll feed you double tomorrow!"

The raven settled down, cocking its head to one side at her. A few moments passed as she walked underneath. The bird stared at the spot Ana had passed, no longer focusing on the one who had been feeding her. Ana kept shooting looks up at it, surprised by its apparent lack of interest. She stopped suddenly, an idea coming to mind. The raven shuffled its wings and then took off. Ana pushed Sandy to one side and jumped the other way.

Onyx missed, skidding to a stop as she jumped past. Pitch grabbed the back of Sandy's sweater, hauling him back a step. Ana threw a punch at Onyx before she could get closer, getting her away. Sandy elbowed Pitch in the side and slammed his head back, clipping Pitch's chin. He stepped on his foot at the same time. Pitch let go long enough for Sandy whirl, slamming his forearm into Pitch's throat. The man coughed, backing up. Sandy hit him with a left hook. Onyx stepped forward, but Ana swung out again before she could get close enough to do any damage. She shot a quick look in the direction the raven had gone, silently thankful she had been paying attention.

Pitch looked up, angry. "Is that any way to treat me after all we've been through together?" Sandy frowned and Ana made a confused sound. Pitch grinned. "You mean he hasn't told you? We're – ah!" Pitch stumbled back as Sandy rammed into him, hooking his foot under his knee a moment later to pull him completely off balance. Pitch hit the ground. Sandy wagged his finger at him, then signed something with his hands that Ana didn't understand.

Pitch's eyes widened, clearly getting what Sandy meant to say. He stood up and stepped back. The threat Sandy had made evidently had hit its mark.

"What, you two are in a relationship now?"

Pitch gave Ana a look. She scowled back, unimpressed. Onyx edged closer, but Ana looked at her and stepped forward. Onyx stopped, not willing to step into range just yet. "Get out of here unless you want a fight," she snapped.

"Maybe that is what we want," Pitch murmured, raising his eyebrow.

"Not right now, you don't," she growled. "Not the way you're fighting." Pitch's eyes narrowed, but Ana didn't back down. Sandy looked just as determined. "Your 'friend' is going to kick your butt."

Pitch and Onyx stared angrily at them for a few more seconds.

Then they faded away into the night.

With them gone, Ana turned and stared at Sandy. He looked back, expression a mix between a grimace and a smile. After a moment, realizing she wasn't going to give up, he wrote down on his pad of paper, 'It's not what it sounds like.' Considering it for a second, he added, 'Please don't ask.' She frowned, a bit confused. He shrugged and put his finger to his lips. Ana nodded hesitantly, understanding that it wasn't her business. Even if they had known each other well before, it was obviously over now.

-.-.-.-

a/n: While a lot of these ideas have been elaborated until we're not sure who came up with it, the dreamsand idea was all Zephyrus Genesis's. Was that not totally awesome?