Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with ROTG…yet…

Ok, so here is the third installment of Broken. I know it may seem like I'm rushing it, but I am not very good at writing recovery fics. So forgive me if I seem like I'm rushing it at all.

"Aster…" Jack whimpered, his eyes clenched shut as tears squeezed through and trickled down his cheeks "Please don't make me do this, it hurts."

"Kid, ya gotta do it" The bunny said gently "Now come on, buck up mate."

Another pained whine slipped from quivering lips, but Jack complied as he lay on his back on top of a flat table where he and the Easter bunny were currently working on his physical therapy. It had been almost two months since his initial injury, and the Pooka had finally deemed him fit enough to start on the basics in strengthening his core so that he might start learning to walk again. The current statistics for back injury victims says that core strength was the surest way to helping a patient be able to get back on their feet, and even though it pained him, Aster was determined to help Jack grit his teeth through the pain and walk.

Their current exercise looked easy enough, but for Jack, it was agony. Bunny walked over, and pushed the boy's legs up where his knees were bent and his feet were flat on the table.

"A'right" the rabbit spoke with as much compassion as he could without letting Jack give in to the pain "Remember, suck in your belly button all the way to your back, and then on three, I want you to arch your back and try to keep your stomach up in the air for ten seconds without letting your hips leave the table."

Jack gave a heavy swallow of apprehension before nodding his head. They had been at this for about an hour, and had finally begun the last set of exercises before Bunny would let him call it quits for the day. All they had to do was finish this one last move, and he was done.

"On three…" Bunny whispered "One…two…three!"

Jack arched his back, lifting his stomach into the air, but almost immediately white hot agony burned through his spine. A sob burst from his lips, and desperate fingers scratched the table.

"Bunny, I can't do this!" Jack sobbed "Please, it hurts!"

"Come on Jackie!" the Pooka encouraged, one paw grabbing the winter sprite's hand "Just five more seconds!"

A cry caught between a scream and a sob ripped from the boy's throat as he struggled to keep his stomach elevated. He could feel the healing muscles and bone burning from the exercise, and all he wanted to do was just give up and make it all go away. Bunny placed one paw under the space between the table and the boy's back, knowing ahead of time that it would need to be there. Sure enough, as Aster counted down to one, Jack let go as a rush of air whooshed from his lungs, and the bunny caught the pale frame neatly, not allowing it to hit the table. Gently placing the injured spine back on the table, Bunny cast a worried glance at the young guardian.

Jack was dissolving into a puddle of tears, both of his arms were covering his face, and his thin shoulders shook as violent sobs wracked his body. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his ribs trembled and quivered from the exertions of that morning. The Pooka bent over, and gently removed his arms from his face, placing them on either side of him. But Jack merely brought them back up, this time using his hands, ashamed that Bunny was seeing him cry like a scared child. That last thought though only brought the water works to an all time high, because in that moment Jack realized not for the first time, that that was all he really was right then. He wasn't Jack Frost, He wasn't a Winter Spirit, and he certainly wasn't a Guardian. He was a scared child, in pain, and unable to cope with it.

Bunny could smell the distress coming of the child in waves, but even if he couldn't smell it, he could very obviously see it. With a grieved sigh, the rabbit gathered Jack up in his arms and held him, softly nuzzling the white hair in an attempt to comfort him.

"I'm so sorry…" Jack wept miserably "I'm so, so sorry."

"Oi," the rabbit said sternly "You have no reason to be apologizing! You did good today, and even though you were in pain, you didn't slack off on your therapy. You showed real strength."

"But that's just it" Jack sniffled "I didn't. I'm not strong, and I'm no guardian. If it were you, you would probably be walking by now, not crying like some little kid."

"Well that's not true…"

"Yes it is!" Jack wailed "I'm nothing like you! You're always so tough and calm and I always lose my temper or get overemotional… I'm pathetic."

"Now stop this" Aster said sternly "That ain't true either. You are not pathetic, and you got a lot more going for ya than ya think!"

"Oh yeah?" Jack laugh humorlessly "Name one."

Bunny allowed a tender smile to cross his face as he held the boy away from him. Taking one finger, he pushed the boy's chin up in order for him to look the winter sprite in the eye.

"Jack, Who am I?"

"Huh?" the winter sprite asked, crystal blue eyes gazing up at his friend.

"I asked ya, who am I?"

Jack shrugged "You're the Easter Bunny."

"And…?"

"The…" Jack searched for the correct answer before finally replying "The guardian of Hope?"

"Exactly!" Bunny nodded emphatically "You got the Guardian of Hope as your personal physical therapist, now I don't know about you, but that sounds like a sight better than what anyone else what got a spine injury has got. Now I know times look pretty down, but look at your progress. You are able to sit up by yourself, and we are doing good work on strengthening your core, add in the fact that you will probably working the bars in another month, and in no time at all, you're gonna be walking mate!"

"But…" Jack cast depressed tear filled blue eyes at the table "What if I'm not strong enough? I still can't feel my legs Bunny, what if I never walk again? What if…" Jack voice caught in his throat as he whispered his greatest fear "What if Manny decides I'm no longer good enough to be a guardian?"

"Now you listen to me" Aster said softly, his green eyes emphasizing each word as they almost glowed with conviction. "That is NOT going to happen. You are going to heal, you will get the feelings back in your legs, and you will walk again. I promise!"

As much as he didn't want to cry again, Jack's eyes were determined to betray him at any cost, which of course led him to once again crying into the Pooka's fur. Bunny didn't grumble even one bit though, he merely held the boy close, murmuring words of reassurance, and rubbing his back in calming circles. Finally after what seemed like hours, Bunnymund looked down to see that the boy had cried himself to sleep. Shaking his head fondly, the large rabbit picked him up, and carried him to his room to tuck him into his bed.

"How is he?"

Aster turned from where he had been standing to face Toothiana. Giving her a weak smile he shook his head "The little blighter's exhausted, emotionally and physically, and to be honest Tooth I can't say I blame him."

"He's not the only one that's tired." Tooth replied softly placing a concerned hand on the Pooka's shoulder.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the rabbit watched the boy sleep, every so often taking a paw and running it through the snowy white hair. Heaving a weary sigh, Bunny thought about the morning's activities, and the truth was, Tooth was right; he was just as exhausted as the kid. Being someone's emotional, mental, and physical support was draining, and all the bunny wanted to do was take a nice long nap in a sunlit spot in his warren. Nodding in the fairy's direction, the rabbit once again stood up, a small groan slipping from his lips as he stretched sore muscles.

"You're right." He murmured "Mind taking care of the kid while I catch a little shut eye?"

"It would be my pleasure." Tooth smiled.

With that, Bunny tapped the ground twice with a weary foot, and took off for his warren. Hopefully after a nice long bunny nap, he would be up to snuff enough to help Jack do his next round of physical therapy; after all, he had a promise to keep.

OK! Broken is going to have a few more parts to it, don't worry, I won't leave you lot hanging on Jack's recovery period.

ALSO! I have an idea for a one shot… I think I want to write both, but I need YOUR votes to tell me which gets written first, ok?! So here are your choices…

Jack and Bunny switch bodies…

Jack get's turned into a snowy white baby Pooka…

Your decision will decide which gets written first! SO VOTE! And REVIEW!