Thank you to meep15 and WatUCWatIC for favoriting and following! Everything is most appreciated.

And huge huggles for shaneEgirlo, WatUCWatIC, Dreamer558750, White Hunter, Baylee1100, and FlockPack for reviewing!

Reader Responses:

shaneEgirlo: Oh, yes, I'd like to think that he does know. He's gonna swoop in all creepy-like and . . . oops! Spoilers! Haha. :) And poor, poor, Bunny . . . his reason for strongly disliking Jack(ie) will be somewhat justified in this chapter.

FlockPack: I did have North know for a reason. He does have his Naughty and Nice Lists, and Jacqueline "Jackie" Frost is at the top of the Naughty List. Though why he referred to Jackie as a guy in the first couple chapters is a mystery to me . . . he'll probably address it sometime later.

WatUCWatIC, Dreamer558750, White Hunter, and Baylee1100: Thank you, and here's your update! :D

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
― Edith Sitwell

Interlude: Easter Sunday, 1712

"Jackie, wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Jacqueline Overland opened her brown eyes drowsily, her tired gaze meeting the energetic one of her little sister. "Emma, I" –she yawned– "go 'way . . . M'sleepy." The teenager then tugged the covers over her head and closed her eyes, hoping to continue that beautiful dream the Sandman gave her – the one where she was flying with the wind.

"But it's Easter!" she whined, unrelenting. "Mama won't let us go look for the Easter Bunny if we're late for Mass. So – wake – up!" Each word was pronounced with a playful whack from a discarded pillow.

Jackie peeked over her covers, just enough to let her eyes show. "But Emmmaaaa . . ."

"But Jackiiiieee . . ." Emma mimicked, putting on her best puppy-dog look. "Please?"

The older girl sighed in defeat. The dream might come again tonight. Swinging her nightgown-clad legs out of her bed (when she slept was the only time Jackie would willingly wear a dress), she stretched, declaring that today would be the day they finally caught the elusive Easter Bunny.

Emma cheered. "Yay!"

Jackie grinned at her little sister, an idea forming in her head. Tackling Emma to the bed, Jackie yelled triumphantly, "But now you must suffer the wrath of the Tickle Monster, for waking her up from her slumber!"

Jackie's fingers dug into Emma's sides, making the girl start immediately shrieking with laughter. "Hahahaha! No – Jackie, stop! Ahahahahaha!" Jackie released her sister, after saying that she (the Tickle Monster) wouldn't stop until she was defeated.

Emma leaped out of the bed, wielding the pillow from before. "You may have caught me off-guard before, Monster, but I am now ready!" she said, playing along.

When Jackie then took a "threatening" step forward, Emma chucked the fluffy pillow at her face – then tore down the steps screaming with delight. The teenager grinned, then took off after her sister.

"The Tickle Monster never quits!" Jackie yelled. Her smile was still on her face when she came face-to-face with her mother at the bottom of the steps. "Um, hi Mama," she said, her laughter fading. She knew she was going to get a tongue-lashing for her mischief.

Here it comes . . . she groaned internally.

"Jacqueline, that is no way for a young woman to act," Emeline Overland said disapprovingly. "You are going be eligible for marriage when you are eighteen, and who would want to court a girl that acts like you for a wife?"

During her mother's speech, Jackie kept her expression neutral. When she said "a girl that acts like you," Jackie knew that her mother wasn't demeaning her, but being realistic instead. She would just be trouble for whomever she married, with her hot head and her quick tongue. "I –" she tried to say, but her mother went on.

"I know that having fun and playing games with the village children is what you like to do," Emeline said with a sigh, "but in one short year – you could be a wife with child."

Jackie blinked, her entire being slowly filling with horror. Yeah, she loved children, but being pregnant? Fear made her lash out. "What makes you think I wanna be someone's wife?" Jackie demanded, walking angrily past her mother. "My freedom'll be taken away! I'll have to be all prim and proper andwear a dress - !" She couldn't finish her rant without making a sound of disgust.

"Jackie," Emma said almost inaudibly, "you're scaring me."

Jackie could feel her heart pumping. Taking deep breaths to calm down, Jackie scanned her surroundings for her sister. Her glare softened when she glimpsed Emma hiding with a fearful look in her eyes behind their mother's skirts.

"Jacqueline –"

"Yes, Mother," Jackie replied quietly. "I'll try to be better from now on. And – I'm sorry, Emma." Jackie would now try to be a good girl – a well-bred young woman. Anything to never see Emma's look of fear directed at her again.

Emeline led her daughters to the oven, where cornbread was slowly rising. "Jacqueline," she tried again, "I know that this is hard for you. I was once as wild and fun and as carefree as you were when I was young, but when I met your father, I straightened out. I became a proper lady. And then we had the two of you – our lovely angels."

"I'm no angel," Jackie muttered despite her vow to herself, staring determinedly at the wooden floor. "The only angel that boys will be chasing after is that airhead Annabelle Miller."

"Now, dear –" Emeline began desperately.

But Emma interrupted with a speech of her own. "But you're way nicer than Annabelle, and way more fun, too! She just sits around, being boring, while you play with me and my friends when there's no school," she said matter-of-factly. "Once they realize how boring she is, they'll see that Jackie Overland is much, much prettier, and more awesome than Annabelle Miller."

Jackie had to laugh at her sister's outburst. These were one of the many moments that Emma displayed her wonderful, wonderful brilliance. "Thanks, Em. That means a lot."

"But Emma, your sister is growing up," Emeline reminded her youngest. "She has to be more responsible from now on. She won't be able to play with you as much."

"But Jackie can still play with me sometimes, right, Mama?" the little girl wheedled, hope shining in her brown eyes.

"Of course," their mother said slowly, "but not as much."

"Then that means we can go skating when the pond freezes later this year, right?" Emma asked, getting excited.

"Definitely," Jackie affirmed, after looking at their mother for permission. The woman had tilted her head with a resigned look that clearly said, Well, if you must.

"Now wash up and put on your dresses," Emeline then commanded after, pushing Emma gently to the bathhouse first.

-oOoOoOo-

When Mass ended (after two long hours), Jackie had to resist the temptation to run out screaming with the rest of the village children. Instead, she walked calmly to the field where the Easter Egg Hunt was taking place.

Jackie slumped under a tree, recalling how uncomfortable she had felt in the building. Now, it was somewhat cooler under the shade, but there it was hot and humid, filled with all the inhabitants of Burgess dressed in their Sunday best. And it was even worse because she kept telling herself to be proper for once.

So that meant no itching, no daydreaming, and absolutely no falling asleep.

But now, she could afford to be less ladylike, at least for an hour or two. Jackie smiled and waved at Emma, who was happily running back and forth along the field.

Looking away from her sister, Jackie put her palms on the ground, grunting a little as she pushed herself upright. She wandered over to where her mother was chatting with a few women, probably trying to get their sons to court Jackie.

"Hello, um, Mother –" Jackie began, but not before she was cut off.

"Oh, she is a beauty!" one of the ladies said appreciatively. "My Jeremiah will most certainly be calling soon, if he is declined by dear Annabelle."

"Yes, Jacqueline is a wonderful girl," Emeline said in a strange tone, before turning to her daughter. "Yes, dear?"

So her mother was trying to get people to become interested in her. Jackie wasn't sure whether to be pleased, angry, or even embarrassed. "I, uh, just wanted to ask if I could go exploring the woods . . ."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course, but be back by supper," her mother said distractedly before turning back to the conversation.

"An adventuress as well?" Jackie heard one of the women say in shock before she delved deeper in the forest.

When the seventeen-year-old was out of eyeshot, she subtly removed her shoes and socks before tucking them into a hollow tree. It was near the edge of the woods, so Jackie hoped she'd be able to find it again.

She looked around carefully before stepping off the trail. "So where's the Easter Bunny . . . ?" she murmured, scrutinizing the area. Jackie wiggled her toes in the soft dirt before taking off in a random direction. As she ran, Jackie lifted up her blue skirt slightly to avoid it getting caught in brambles.

A flash of gray and green caught her eye.

Jackie froze, then looked around slowly. "Found him."

She tiptoed closer to where she saw the burst of color. She pushed back the bushes, then –

Jackie yelped and whirled around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She punched blindly, feeling a wave of satisfaction when her fists connected with something hard, but . . . furry? No matter, she decided. Jackie swung her leg around for a kick to her assailant –

"Ow! Whatcha do that for, sheila?" a male voice demanded in an unknown accent, catching her leg mid-swing.

Jackie growled, attempting to pull her foot back. "Let go of me!" she yelled, glaring hard into the green of a . . . rabbit? The rabbit-thing complied, making Jackie fall hard on the ground. "Ow!"

"Whoops, sorry, mate," he said sheepishly, rubbing his ears.

Jackie scrambled back from the creature, faintly realizing that her dress was probably ruined and completely covered in dirt. "Who –what are you?" she panted, gaping openly.

The rabbit chuckled. "Name's E. Aster Bunnymund. Ah'm the –"

"Wait, your name's Easter?" Jackie laughed, feeling her fear beginning to fade.

"Easter" looked affronted. "No – it's Aster Bunnymund, but you can call me Bunny, or Bunnymund. Ah'm the Easter Bunny."

Jackie stared, her jaw slack. "No kidding?" This was the Easter Bunny? The teen had always pictured her favorite childhood hero as a cute, tiny little thing who spread eggs everywhere. So when the humanoid rabbit helped her up, Jackie realized how small she was compared to him. She barely came up to his chest, for crying out loud!

But she had to admit, the version that was standing in front of her was way cooler. Bunnymund had a set of boomerangs around his waist, along with a satchel of something Jackie knew that was dangerous.

"Dead serious, mate." Bunnymund then frowned. "And how old are ya exactly, sheila?"

"Seventeen," Jackie immediately answered. "And my name's not "Sheila." It's Jacqueline Overland."

The two of them began walking the way Jackie came.

"You're pretty old to be a believer, Jacqueline," he commented. "Most kids stop believing in fairy tales at around ten to twelve years of age."

Jackie shrugged and grinned cheekily. "Guess I'm just special that way," she said lightly. "And, um, only my mom calls me Jacqueline. You can call me Jackie."

"Jackie Overland," the Easter Bunny said thoughtfully. "North's spoken a lot 'bout ya back at the Pole. About a girl who always asked fo' gifts fo' someone else, like a pair of ice skates fo' her sister, or a sheet of nice fabric fo' her mother. That you?" he asked, looking down at the girl.

"Who's North?" Jackie asked, though she already had a suspicion about the answer. Bunny had casually listed off her Christmas list from last year and this one . . .

"You'd know 'im better as Santa Claus, but mah friends and Ah call 'im North, since that's 'is last name," Bunnymund said.

Jackie felt her face heat up when she realized that the Easter Bunny was friends with Santa Claus. "Well, um, yeah. We can't really afford nice things, so I usually ask for things for my family. But I'm okay. I don't need anything."

"Ya sure 'bout that?"

"Yes," Jackie said stonily. "I'm sure."

Bunnymund didn't look convinced, but dropped the subject. "Well, anyway, Ah feel kinda bad about ruinin' your dress, Jackie."

Jackie glanced down, surprised. The blue fabric was stained with dirt. "Oh, well. This dress was one of the few really nice things we had, too. My mother's gonna be so mad . . ."

"So why'd you attack me?" Bunny asked after a while.

Jackie thought for a moment. "Well, I dunno," she said slowly. "I just felt someone grab me, and I responded in the best way I knew how – punching their brains out. The world is pretty dangerous for a girl."

Bunny nodded. "Makes sense," he said. "And your punches are actually pretty strong."

She mock-curtsied as they walked. "I thank you very much, Mr. Kangaroo."

Bunny stopped. "What did you just call me?" he asked, glaring playfully at Jackie.

"A kangaroo," came the innocent reply.

"Kangaroo . . ." Bunny grumbled. "Calling me a kangaroo . . . and Ah don't look a thing like them . . ."

"Is Cottontail better?"

"Damn it, Jackie –!"

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Jackie sang, skipping ahead. "Back at home, you would have a bar of soap immediately stuck in your mouth."

"Spiritual beings don't exactly follow the rules of mortals, mate," Bunnymund shot back smugly.

Jackie huffed, turning her head away.

They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the woods. "Hey, hold on, I need to get my shoes," Jackie suddenly remembered, racing to the hollow tree she had stored them in. She plucked them out of the hole and quickly slipped them on, then running back to where Bunny was waiting.

He was painting an egg when she arrived. Jackie was pretty sure he didn't have that egg with him earlier, because it was already covered with shades of blue paint, with silver and white frost designs all around.

"Oh, hey, Jackie," was his response, still painting the egg with quick, deft strokes.

"Hey, yourself," she replied, peering at the piece of artwork. "Whatcha painting?"

"Well, um, Ah wanted to give ya something as a gift, seeing as ya didn't collect any of mah googies today," he said, holding out the finished egg to her.

Jackie smiled. "Wow, this is amazing, Bunny! Thank you so much!" She raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know I liked the snow?"

"Like Ah said, North," the Easter Bunny responded simply.

Jackie was skeptical. "Does he really talk about the children who send him letter a lot?"

Bunny shook his head. "Only the ones he likes. They come around about once a century."

She smirked. "Like Ah said," she echoed, trying to imitate Bunny's accent, "Ah'm pretty special that way."

Bunny laughed at her pitiful attempt, and Jackie joined in.

Jackie and Bunnymund talked for a while, only stopping when the girl realized that it was getting late. "Guess I have to go," Jackie sighed, giving no indication that she actually meant to leave. "My mom and sister are waiting."

"Ah'll be seein' ya next year, anyway, Jackie," Bunny said offhandedly, twirling his boomerang around.

Jackie gave a start. "You – you mean, you'll be coming back?" She held her breath, feeling hopeful (and she found it kinda funny because the person she was talking to was the Guardian of Hope. She and Bunny had talked about a lot during their conversation).

Bunny grinned. "Of course, Jackie. Ah'll need to check up on ya after you're married, and 'ave little ankle-bitahs of your own."

Jackie scowled, despite the Guardian's promise. She could translate some of the weird things that Bunny said now. "I won't have kids that soon, Bunny," she snorted. But she grinned back to show that she knew he was teasing. "And 'sides, I wouldn't marry anyone without inviting you – 'cause I just claimed you as my best friend – and the other Guardians.

"The words 'best friends' do sound nice," Bunny admitted, his smile growing. The skin crinkled around his green eyes. "It's been a while since I actually talked to someone about stuff."

Jackie smiled back. "Yup," she said. "Best friends." She slowly pushed herself off the branch, eyeing the Easter Bunny carefully. Then, she quickly pressed a light kiss to his furry cheek. Surprised at her own daring, she stood stock-still for a heartbeat, brown eyes meeting green. She then turned and sprinted away, yelling, "See you next year!"

At the edge of the field, Jackie finally looked back, where Bunnymund was frozen to his spot, touching his cheek tenderly. She waved, and, seeing him wave back, she then resumed her run home.

-oOoOoOo-

"Hey, Emmaaaa . . ." Jackie sang when she got home, "look what I found!" She proudly presented the frost-egg to her little sister, who "oohed" in appreciation.

"Where'd you get it?" Emma asked urgently. "There was nothing like that when I went on the egg hunt."

Jackie winked. "Gotta keep this a secret though." She looked around, then crouched down to better meet her sister's eyes. Lowering her voice, Jackie said, "The Easter Bunny gave it to me."

"No, I'm serious, Jackie!" Emma cried. "Where'd you find it?"

After slipping the egg back into her pocket, Jackie grasped Emma's hands. "Em," she said seriously, "I'm not lying."

The younger girl scanned her sister's eyes for any inkling of deceit, but found none. "Will you introduce me to him?"

Jackie stood up and laughed, "Well, he promised me he'd be back next year." Taking her sister's hand again, Jackie asked, "You up for one last game of hopscotch before we go to bed?"

"Yeah!"

Four months later, one week before her eighteenth birthday, Jacqueline Overland fell through the ice on Burgess Pond. Her body was never found.

Bunnymund gaped at North in disbelief. "No," he croaked out. "You – you're lying. It's not true!" he yelled, his voice finally returning.

North's blue eyes were gloomy. Sighing heavily, he said, "Bunny, the list never lies. You know that."

"You could've made a mistake, or – or, she stopped believing –" he insisted feebly before falling silent.

Bunny was the Guardian of Hope for a reason, but on the inside, Bunnymund knew that his weakly-based reasons were not true. The Naughty and Nice List were checked about a dozen times each (Bunny had no idea where the twice idea came from), and her belief couldn't just be squashed like that.
Jacqueline – Jackie – couldn't be dead! Hope and wonder had burned so brightly in those brown irises, her mind filled with beautiful dreams and fond memories. Someone that energetic couldn't just be gone . . .

"Da," North said sadly. "I had to cross Jacqueline Overland off the list. And – her sister's Christmas list has changed."

Bunny looked up.

"Emma Overland – ah, she wants me to bring Jacqueline back."

Bunnymund then began to laugh – an insane, crazy laugh. "No," he promised, "Ah will search for her until Ah find her again. It's only a matter of time before mah best friend's soul gets reborn."

-oOoOoOo-

"Hey! Wake up!" Bunnymund shouted at the sleeping figure during what would become the Blizzard of '68. He feared that it was a child caught in the freak snowstorm, but the unconscious boy was revealed to be a spirit. When the Pooka met the winter being's eyes, he immediately felt an irrational hate surge through his body.

For a moment, Bunny thought he had finally found his best friend's soul.

Frost was so much like her, down to the innocent gaze (though the eye color was different) and the bare feet. Hell, he even looked like her! But Bunnymund knew it was not to be.

And Jack Frost's fate was sealed when he dared to look at the Guardian of Hope with the same intense, snarky look as Jackie Overland once did.

Well, now you guys know why Bunnymund seems to hate Jack(ie) . . . I decided to put an interlude to give some characters a kind of backstory, as I mentioned in Chapter 1.

And I just realized - I seem to have Bunny swearing a lot. To me, it just fits his tough attitude, haha.

Wow, my chapters are getting shorter . . .

Anyway, please leave any questions, comments, etc. below! See ya real soon!