I hope that everyone is still enjoying this story. I know that I am. And we'll get to see a few more familiar faces in this chapter. Which is always fun. But first, a quick visit to our antagonist.

Krampus overlooked the ogres as they labored in his dark cavern. They would work when they weren't hunting, the promise of children in the future spurring them forward. Human flesh could convince them to do anything.

The largest chamber of the cave was being expanded to accommodate the numerous ogres. They would need space to feast once December arrived. There would need to be a lot of room for them and a decent firepit. While delicious raw, there was something wonderful about the scent of cooking children.

Another chamber was being converted into a smithy. They crafted tools and materials for their work. It wasn't quite Santa's workshop, but it served its purpose.

Further down, in the deeper corners of the cave, the ogres were preparing large holding cells. Krampus's former prison had been expanded until dozens of children could fit inside. A few ogres, those with a bit more intelligence, were forging iron bars and doors.

There were so many naughty children. Even with all the hungry ogres lurking around, they wouldn't be able to devour the children instantly. They would need somewhere to store the leftovers.

By the time December arrived, everything would be ready. In his dark cavern of eternal winter nights, Krampus was hidden from the Moon's sight. Nothing would give him away. And no one would interfere.

When December arrived, the sounds of ringing chains and bells would fill the air. And then the screams of children, those who he beat and those he snatched, would join the music.

He could barely wait.

Rebecca stared out the window as she washed the dishes. While Ben was over at his friend's house, Lucy decided to stay home. Her daughter currently occupied the backyard, so she kept an eye on her.

While Ben was a bold and adventurous boy, Lucy had always been more timid. She preferred quieter games with her stuffed animals or drawing. But recently things had changed.

The woman watched her daughter in the shadier corner of the yard. Lucy held a stick in her hands with a look of intense concentration. Even without a playmate, she played at sword fights with a lot of focus. Lucy looked so serious, but Rebecca thought she appeared adorable.

Occasionally Lucy glanced up and talked to thin air. In addition to her favorite toys, the girl seemed to have a new imaginary friend. Rebecca didn't know much about him or her, but she could tell Lucy's friend was a lot taller than her since she always looked up when talking to him. And based on her drawings, there was a lot of grey and black involved in how he or she looked.

She didn't know if this was connected to her daughter starting school in the fall. Maybe she was practicing for when she had to face a whole classroom of other children. Maybe an imaginary friend was how she chose to cope with the nervousness and fears of a new situation. Or perhaps it was simply the result of Lucy being an imaginative little girl.

Regardless, Rebecca was happy that her daughter was having fun. So while she started rinsing off the plates, she watched Lucy playing outside in the shade of the trees.

He wandered the dark street, quietly listening to the whispered fears of the children in their rooms. Pitch didn't really even notice what continent he was on. He just let his thoughts wander peacefully as he soaked in the surrounding fears. Apparently there was a horror movie on television and the local children dared each other to watch it. Their fears left him with a pleased smile.

His small herd of Nightmares were doing well. Pitch didn't have to keep a close eye on them, the creatures of corrupted Dream Sand able to take care of themselves and avoid unwanted attention. They would come if he summoned them. They would obey. They seemed relatively loyal again. For the moment, he was satisfied with how the recovery of his creations was going.

His strength was slowly returning to something reasonable. While Pitch wouldn't attempt a frontal assault on the Guardians anytime soon, he could keep an encounter from being completely one-sided if he was forced to fight rather than flee. And he knew it would still be a fight, not a discussion or negotiation. It had not been long enough for anyone. If they ran into each other, it would end in violence.

Lucy was making a surprising amount of progress at learning swordplay. She put in the hard work and effort that she agreed to from the start. And she clearly practiced between his visits. The child enjoyed the activity and she seemed to have a knack for it. She certainly did better than her brother.

All these various thoughts shifted lazily from one to another, like the ocean waves creeping up a dark beach before sliding back down again. He listened to the quiet murmurs of the fears, but he didn't pay close attention to the specifics. Honestly, he hadn't felt this peaceful and calm in a long time. It was nice not having to deal with the anger and frustration that once seemed constant. He never realized how much that dark corruption colored everything until the Nightmares tore it out.

His casual meandering through the night cut off abruptly as golden light appeared overhead. Pitch's head snapped up to see the streams of Dream Sand. He could already hear the fears quieting, pleasant dreams soothing and calming the children in their sleep. Now would be the time to withdraw to his lair or at least another corner of the globe.

But as he stepped towards the closest patch of darkness, a bright golden glow banished the shadows. Knowing exactly what he would find, Pitch cringed a little and turned around. Standing there, arms crossed and eyes glaring, was a stout figure he knew far too well.

The Sandman should not be considered intimidating. He couldn't be more than half Pitch's height. His clothes seemed to be composed of the same bright Dream Sand that he controlled and his hair seemed partially made of it, making him glitter faintly. His appearance gave off the impression of a friendly and comforting person.

But no one ever mentioned that the Sandman was one of the most powerful of the Guardians. He and now Jack Frost were the most dangerous in a fight, their abilities powerful and versatile. And with his ability to affect dreams, he could strongly influence the minds of children and ensure their belief. He was the one that Pitch made certain to deal with early in his attack. And now he was the one that Pitch wanted to avoid the most. He was the one that Pitch knew without a shadow of a doubt he could not beat in straight combat. The Sandman would always be the biggest threat.

But Pitch wouldn't let that fact make him panic. He needed to stay in control and think his way through the situation.

Clasping his hands behind his back and trying to look vaguely bored, Pitch said, "Sanderson Mansnoozie, what an unexpected surprise. And it started out as such a nice evening. Such a pity."

His frown deepened as a flurry of symbols formed overhead, the golden sand expressing his thoughts.

Swirls, heart, question mark, Pitch's silhouette, egg, horse, question mark.

"Yes, I survived. Are you shocked or merely disappointed?"

Tight swirl, X, slashes, arrow, skull-and-crossbone.

"Calm down," he said dryly, keeping his voice steady even as he remained on alert for the first sign of an attack. "You didn't even stay dead for a full two days. You turned into my corrupted Dream Sand for a while before a few Believers pulled you back. And that happened months ago. You've had plenty of time to get over it."

While the Sandman gave a sharp shake of his head, Pitch took a few casual steps to the left. Or at least, he attempted to seem casual. He saw a shadow he could use. He just needed to reach it without provoking the dangerous threat right in front of him. The Sandman was vicious with his whips made of Dream Sand.

Question mark, swirl, child, swooping shape, question mark.

"Did you think I would remain out of sight forever? But if it eases your mind, I have not harmed any of your precious children. Not tonight and not since Easter."

The eyebrow that the Sandman raised made his disbelief in Pitch's reassurances fairly clear. But it didn't matter. The tense standoff was coming to a close.

"Believe me or not. That is entirely your choice. We've both been around long enough that you should be able to recognize my lies," he said evenly. "But as much fun as it might be to catch up with the Moon's favorite little Guardian, I should probably return to more important matters."

The Sandman figured out his intent almost instantly. But while he started moving towards the Boogeyman, Pitch had already thrown himself into the shadow and vanished. While not particularly dignified, survival was more important. Only when he reached the safety of his lair and left the danger behind did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Well, if the Guardians hadn't noticed he was active before, they would certainly be aware now. Pitch ran a hand through his hair tiredly. He'd have to be more cautious in the future. He wouldn't put it past them to want some form of revenge. Especially that hot-headed Bunny. He really didn't want to deal with this right now.

Many things had changed in the past few months.

They'd been forced to admit some difficult truths about how disconnected from the children they'd become. While the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman performed their duties nightly, they did it on a massive scale and generally from a distance. And North and Bunny only visited the children once a year. Even though they all adored and loved children dearly, they hadn't found the time recently to interact with them directly and it was something they all wanted to change.

They'd also realized how vulnerable they were if they allowed themselves to remain isolated. Only gathering during an emergency was not good for them. It was harder to keep a close eye on the children and threats to the world if they did not keep in close contact with each other.

So the Guardians agreed to start a new routine. Once a month, with certain adjustments for busy schedules near key holidays, they would all gather together and check in with each other. It served the dual purposes of keeping everyone informed of future potential problems and providing a chance to chat with some friendly faces.

While visiting others' homes was pleasant, North always preferred hosting the gatherings. He always had a fresh batch of cookies ready and there was plenty of room for everyone. And he had a feeling that Jack was happier in a colder environment.

Their newest Guardian was an interesting addition. Whether you consider his physical age or his chronological one, Jack was certainly the youngest of them. In fact, he would remain eternally a child. A child left alone and ignored for far too long. And that left marks.

But he wasn't alone any longer. Now Jack alternated between embracing his independence by vanishing without a trace and hovering around the other Guardians, practically starved for attention. Jack regularly crashed at one of their homes while acting casual about the entire arrangement. But the fact none of them tried to keep him out was more important than he let on. He couldn't quite hide his reaction when North gave him one of the spare bedrooms as his own, to use whenever or however he saw fit.

North wanted the boy to know he was wanted. He wanted him to know he belonged. They couldn't change the past for the young Guardian, but they could give him a better future.

North surveyed the gathering so far. The Tooth Fairy hovered next to the table, still working by giving her smaller fairies instructions. The constant flash of colorful feathers from the bird-like beings flying around the human-sized one would have been distracting, but the large bunny trying to grab a skinny white-haired teenager attracted far more attention. Especially since the pair were bouncing all over the room (literally in Bunny's case). But unlike in the past, there was no sharp edges to their words and teasing. It was more like they were arguing out of habit or as part of some on-going game.

North wasn't even certain what sparked it off this time, but it was quite the amusing show. While the tall and powerful rabbit-like Guardian of Hope should have had the advantage of speed and agility, Jack was continuously twisting and dodging around his frantic grabs. Even without the wind to assist him, the youngest Guardian could move fast enough that Bunny couldn't lay his furry hand on the frost-covered blue hoodie. And he never stopped laughing.

"I think you've gotten slower," Jack said, beaming brightly as he landed on the table. Tilting his head, he said, "What's the matter, Bunny? Starting to feel your age?"

"He is one of the oldest of us," said North. "Could be older than Sandy. We've never really did the math."

Spinning around to face the large man, Bunny pointed at him and said, "Who asked you, ya great drongo? And those millennia I spent hibernating don't count."

"How do you spend thousands of years napping?" Jack asked, spinning his staff briefly.

"A combination of not being human and going through something that destroyed my hope for a while," he said quietly, the overall mood darkening.

Sensing that he'd clearly stumbled onto a sensitive subject, Jack hunched his shoulders and mumbled, "Sorry, Bunny."

They all had a past. Whether Guardian, spirit, creature, monster, or something entirely different, all the people of myths and legends had something in common. They were all someone before they became what they were now. And sometimes, those pasts weren't particularly happy.

And some had it far worse than others.

Bunny was quiet for a moment before he managed to shake it off and give the young Guardian a weak smile. He then nodded at Jack reassuringly.

"Not your fault, kid. It all happened a long time ago and far away from here," he said. "Long before I was the Easter Bunny and had a world filled with little ankle biters to look after."

Then he reached over to pat the younger Guardian on the shoulder in what was clearly intended to be a friendly gesture. What North and the others didn't expect was for the eternal teenager to flinch and hiss in pain, pulling away from the contact.

"Jack, what's wrong?" asked Tooth, hovering over him worriedly.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he said far too quickly, backing away from her and her little fairies.

Trying to put a little distance from Tooth, however, resulted in Jack ending up within arm's reach of Bunny again. And this time, he was able to grab the younger Guardian's other arm before he slipped away again. Bunny then tugged back part of the hoodie to reveal a rather painful-looking bruise and scabbed-over cut on his shoulder. It probably looked worse due to his pale skin, but it was still pretty bad.

"Crikey," Bunny muttered. "What happened?"

Cringing briefly under the combined worried gazes of the older Guardians, Jack smiled uneasily and said, "It's not a big deal. I was in the Southern Hemisphere, trying to get some cooler weather down there since snow itself is pretty tough to encourage even during their winter months. And I might have got a little too close to something in the water with teeth that wasn't very friendly."

"And what would that be?" asked North, crossing his arms and staring expectantly at the boy.

"Uh… I think it was… a Bunyip?" he said, cringing awkwardly. Then, speaking quickly, he continued, "But it was fine. I've dealt with worse. He let go as soon as I gave his face a mild case of frostbite and it didn't even slow me down. Of course, I'm usually better at paying attention for things like that. Especially after that time with the Wendigoes. That was bad."

"Hold up the yabbering a moment," Bunny interrupted, still looking over the injury. "This is definitely from a few days ago at least. You scuffled with a Bunyip days ago, and those things are dangerous even for one of us to deal with, and you didn't mention it to any of us?"

"Yeah?" Jack said, sounding honestly confused. "I mean, he was far enough away from anyone that he isn't a danger to any kids. And his frostbite might discourage him from hurting people anyway. I figured it wasn't anything we need to worry about much."

And once again, they were firmly reminded that the young Guardian was on his own for three centuries. Jack was used to dealing with everything alone. For three hundred years, he had no one to turn to when something bad happened. It never even occurred to Jack to tell them. It didn't occur to him to ask for help. If he was hurt, he handled it. And while whatever happened with the Wendigoes qualified as bad, the injury from his encounter with a Bunyip seemed to qualify more as embarrassing.

North had gained a lot of insight into Jack's mind in recent months. He didn't seem to realize they might be worried about him being hurt. He was more concerned that they know that there was no danger to any children, so he didn't mess up handling the creature the way he did. He wanted them to know that part was done right. And perhaps he was afraid that the other Guardians would be disappointed in him. He wanted to live up to the job, minus the structure and schedules. He wanted their approval and feared they would take it away if he failed.

While North trusted Manny's judgment on most things, he deeply questioned why he offered no guidance to Jack in all that time or why he did not direct anyone towards Jack sooner. Three hundred years adrift and alone caused plenty of harm and they were still working to undo some of it. Even with everything they tried to do, it would take longer than a few months for their eternal child to truly realize he would not be abandoned again and that they would support the winter spirit, no matter what happened.

"Jack, that's not what we meant," said Tooth, literally hovering over the young Guardian with worry.

"We are upset you were hurt and you did not let us know," North said gently. "And we are upset we did not notice sooner."

"Oh," he said, his voice trailing off.

"Not to mention," said Bunny, digging through the small bag he normally kept his boomerangs and explosive eggs in, "you've been running all over the place with a chunk out of your shoulder when you didn't have to."

While not as extensive as North's bag, Bunny could fit more inside than the outside would suggest. In almost no time at all, he managed to produce a couple small jars and a roll of gauze and set the items on the table.

Tilting his head briefly, Jack said, "Didn't take you for the doctor type."

"We might bounce back pretty fast, but even we can get a bit banged up from time to time. And someone has to deal with it," said Bunny. Tugging back the boy's hoodie again, he continued, "I managed to pick up a few tricks over time and usually have to patch someone up if necessary. Sandy's certainly no good at this."

With that, he started smearing a little of the green goo from the jars onto Jack's injury. North was fairly familiar with those concoctions after all this time. While cold and slimy, it was always effective.

"You may or may not know this, but there are several plants out there that make pretty good medicines," said Bunny as he worked. "Even got a few in the Warren that you won't find anywhere else on the planet. And I've got a bit of a green thumb, so what I manage to fix up from what I grow has a bit more kick to it."

"Though, if he is angry with you at the time, Bunny will use the medicines that sting," North muttered.

He rolled his eyes at the complaint and started covering Jack's shoulder with gauze. The young Guardian smiled, gradually looking pleasantly surprised by the entire situation.

"Thanks," said Jack slowly.

Nodding in satisfaction at his work, Bunny pulled the hoodie back into place even as frost spread across the bandages. Now there was no sign he was injured, just like before when he was hiding it. But North knew it would hurt less than before and would heal much faster. Bunny's concoctions could practically work miracles.

"No worries," Bunny said as he started packing away his supplies again. "Just let us know next time this sort of thing happens. There's no need for you to go around hurt when you don't have to be."

Flitting up behind him and giving the younger Guardian a gentle hug, Tooth said, "Though we'd prefer you not getting hurt in the first place."

"Okay," laughed Jack, apparently caught between thankful and embarrassed by the clear demonstration of affection. "I'll be more careful. Promise."

A golden glow proceeded the arrival of their final member, the Sandman riding a manta ray crafted of Dream Sand. Jack especially seemed thankful for the distraction, the boy reaching his limits at being the center of attention. He bounced off the table and jogged over to the shortest Guardian.

"Hey, Sandy. Looks like I'm not the last one this time," he said, twirling his staff. "What kept you?"

The Sandman quickly dismissed the Dream Sand creation, floating gently to the floor. North was about to offer his friend some fresh cookies and eggnog when he noticed his expression. Sandy might not speak, but he could make his thoughts and feelings quite clear. And right now, he was not happy at all. Something very recent had left him upset and distracted.

"What happened?" asked North.

A flurry of symbols flashed over his head, almost too fast for North to follow. But one shape in the Dream Sand repeated enough times for him to catch it.

A very familiar and unwelcome silhouette.

"Pitch Black?"

"Hang on, what?" Bunny asked, moving closer. "You saw that mongrel skulking about already?" Groaning in frustration and dragging a hand down his face, he grumbled, "Yeah, that'd be right. Of course he couldn't stay gone a bit longer."

Tooth's flock of fairies chirped frantically, caught somewhere between frightened and furious. Tooth herself looked like she wouldn't mind going another few rounds with him. Jack, on the other hand, didn't seem quite as angry. He wasn't happy, but he was more interested in questioning Sandy.

"What did he want? What was he doing?"

The Sandman shrugged and shook his head.

Stars, Z's, children, Pitch's silhouette, spiral, question mark, X, fist, spiral, mouth, Pitch's silhouette, eye shape vanishing.

"So you ran into him while spreading dreams, but neither of you attacked the other," summarized Jack, having grown better at understanding Sandy's form of communication. "He just talked a little before vanishing."

"Running away like a coward," Bunny said darkly.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Tooth. "I figured we had at least a few decades before he came back. Are you sure he wasn't…"

"Trying to plunge the world into darkness and fear again?" Jack finished dryly, causing Sandy to shake his head.

Several X's, swirls, slashes, Pitch's silhouette, triple question mark.

North sighed tiredly as he rubbed the back of his head. He didn't know about the others, but he felt at least a little conflicted about what to do with this information.

Yes, Pitch Black was dangerous. He'd terrified children for almost as long as humanity had existed, something confirmed by the Sandman. And in the centuries that North had lived, he'd continually grown worse. He'd whispered fears into enough receptive ears that mass panic and violence erupted in his wake during the darker points in history. And most recently, he nearly extinguished all belief in children of the Guardians and came close to permanently killing Sandy.

But North remembered a time long ago, when they were first coming together as Manny's chosen Guardians, that Pitch didn't seem as bad. Not quite nice or good, but not irredeemable. North didn't approve of all his actions and he sometimes went too far, but there was a time when Pitch almost seemed to view his decisions as beneficial. And perhaps in the distant past, they might have been. North even approached the dark figure, offering suggestions for the new age. And he offered something that he probably should have discussed with the Man in the Moon first. But Pitch rejected both.

It was only then, when the newly-united Guardians truly began their work in full and the fear in the world started to dim, that he really began to fall and become the monster he was now. His darker, crueler, and more vicious traits grew over the centuries as his anger festered. Pitch became a threat to occasionally be chased off when encountered. But no matter what he became, there was a time where North saw potential for something better.

And between being forgotten and ignored by the world once more and whatever happened when the Nightmares dragged him away, Pitch was already suffering for his actions. As long as he was not actively threatening children anymore or causing trouble, it felt wrong to hunt him down for further punishment. Children did not continue to receive coal for years after they did something naughty.

"If he isn't causing trouble and he isn't harming children, then leave him be for now," North said finally. "There is entire world of children to protect and we each have our own jobs to handle. We will keep watch and be ready, but there is no need to chase Pitch down. Not yet."

"It'll take the bloke some time to recover enough power to be a threat again anyway," admitted Bunny, crossing his arms. "Fine. I won't hunt Pitch down. But if I see him, I'm not holding back."

"Would not expect you to," North said.

In case you're wondering why I made Bunny more of the medic rather than the maternal Tooth, there several reasons. As he pointed out, his association with plants is one such reason. Bunny is also the Guardian of Hope, has strong connections to spring, new life, and so on. All these concepts connect very easily to the idea of healing something hurt or broken.

Also, working out the ages of some of the Guardians is not fun. There's only so much information to work with (they have to all be around by the end of the Dark Ages and Tooth mentions not being in the field for approximately 440 years). But I have something that works.

Sandy and Bunny are ancient and not originally from Earth, so they aren't so bad. Nailing down North's age took some time (the figure of Santa Claus being originally based on Saint Nicholas from 280 AD with influences from Father Christmas who appeared in the 16th century), but I finally decided on around the 1400s. That would be during the time Cossacks existed and would give him a little time to become Santa Claus before the Dark Ages ended during the 1500s. Tooth was even harder to pin down. While the exact depiction a fairy leaving gifts to children for their teeth is only about a century old, the idea of teeth being exchanged for gifts is far older. The earliest recorded reference is from 1100s, but the concept is probably older. As for Tooth, after looking at the ages for various tooth-exchanging entities, I finally decided to aim for the 1200.

Thus we end up with Sandy and Bunny being the oldest, then Tooth, then North, and finally Jack.

Remember, writers like hearing feedback. We appreciate hearing your thoughts. So feel free to leave me a review. Thanks.