AN: This should be the last chapter of this fic, so I want to take the time to thank all those who have read and supported this. You guys have been undeniably and indescribably awesome and helpful. I never thought I would get so much response. Those of you who were regular reviewers, you made me smile every chapter. To those who reviewed once or a few times, you guys were also awesome. Once again, I do not own Rise of the Guardians.
"Can't catch me Cottontail," Jack called down to the sprinting rabbit.
"Never race a rabbit mate," Bunny shot back. The two were currently whooping and cheering as they barreled through the workshop, dodging yetis. Suddenly, one accidently turned around in front of them, Bunny dodging to the side and Jack flying upwards to get out of the way. Unfortunately, the winter spirit's foot caught on a passing plane, sending him sprawling directly into the wall.
He lay there for a moment, groaning. Blue eyes opened to see the Pooka standing over him. Jack grinned mischievously, unperturbed by his encounter with the wall.
"Up you get mate," Bunny instructed, extending a paw. The teen gratefully grasped it, getting hauled to his fate.
"Thanks Kangaroo," he chuckled.
"That's it," the older Guardian replied, getting Jack in a headlock.
"Oh no, light fading, muscles cutting off my oxygen, fainting," the winter spirit called out theatrically, miming a faint. Bunny staggered to hold him upright before releasing with a playful shove.
"Boys, vhat are you doing?" a Russian voice called. Both of them looked up sharply, seeing an annoyed North and downright scary Tooth from the right.
"Nothing," they said in unison, before glaring at each other.
"Come on, it's dinner," the Guardian of Wonder announced, rolling his eyes at their antics. As the two made the way out of the room, Tooth swooped in to hug the winter spirit.
"Hey Jack, how are you doing?" she asked, violet orbs twinkling warmly.
He hugged her back, laughing, "I'm doing great, how are you?"
They let go and the fairy replied, "Busy, you know how it is." With that, they arrived in the dining room, greeting Sandy as he flew in as well.
The golden spirit flashed a couple of signs and Jack started chuckling.
"Vhat?" North questioned, a little miffed that he was no longer translator.
"Sandy said that he gave all of the equator dreams about winter today," the winter spirit laughed, blue eyes twinkling with mirth.
The Russian wagged a playful finger at the dream spirit who feigned innocence. They all sat down together, chatting and laughing, Jack providing much of the comedic fodder. He was grinning and chuckling, telling stories, cracking jokes and generally making a fool of himself.
At some point during the dinner, each of the Guardians paused in their own conversation just to watch the winter spirit having fun. It brought a warm feeling to all of their hearts.
As their meal wrapped to a close, Jack got quiet for a second as he cocked his head to the side. "Sorry guys, I have to go give a snowstorm to Alaska, I'll see you around." He gave another quirked smile before jumping out the window, whooping and spinning as he flew.
"It's so nice to see him happy again," Tooth commented, smiling warmly.
"And talking," Bunny added and the other stared at him. "What, I was getting tired of the guessing game," he covered.
"Ya, ya, sure," North laughed, "You two are like brothers, just admit."
The Pooka slumped in his chair, giving a grudging nod. The other three chuckled as his predicament, but thoughts returned quickly to Jack.
"Did you ever hear what happened to the fall spirit that attacked him," Tooth asked.
"Rustle got what he deserved, Mother Nature saw to it," Bunny confirmed, a hard glint in his forest green eyes.
The others nodded, relieved. They were so glad to see Jack smiling and talking. It was nice to have their winter spirit back. It had taken a few months, but everything was back to normal, maybe even better than before. Now, they were just going to keep Jack safe and happy for the rest of their lives so they wouldn't have to live without that smile and laugh again. He had made them a family and they were going to do their best to keep it that way. Shouldn't be too hard, but then again …
AN: And there you have it folks. I hope the ending wasn't too lack lustre. If you have any questions or I left anything unanswered, feel free to PM me and I will definitely explain to the best of my abilities.