Dizgirl: Something not DP? Yup. ROTG is my second favorite fandom and I've been sitting on this (and another one-shot I'm also posting today) for a while. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post them yet since I haven't had a beta look at them, but I decided, why not? Let's see what the ROTG fandom thinks of my stuff. :) I hope you enjoy and love!

Disclaimer? See my profile.

Have You Seen Jack Sleep?

"Don't you go insulting my holiday again, North!" Bunny warned, jabbing a digit at the Guardian of Wonder and inching forward from where he sat on the couch. "I didn't come all the way over here to hear ya trash Easter!"

North, who was sitting in an armchair across from Bunny shrugged. "Who said anything about insulting? I'm not insulting! Easter is good holiday, very happy and fun. But compared to Christmas…well, children are more excited for Christmas, yes?" He laughed and looked around at the rest of the group sitting in the room, as if expecting agreement. "You do not see children as excited about Easter as they are about Christmas!"

Before anyone could comment, Bunny jumped up. "The kids are just as excited about Easter as Christmas!" He then continued in a rant of exactly why that was the case with North interjecting amused comments every once in a while, both of them completely ignoring the other three guardians in the room. Sandy sighed, his expression mildly bemused, before turning his attention away from them and towards the other two.

Tooth had long since given up on ending the argument between Bunny and North and had instead focused on instructing the swarm of fairies around her to various parts of the globe. There seemed to be more than the usual six or seven with her and Sandy could only imagine that had something to do with the fifth occupant. His golden eyes turned toward Jack, who was currently stretched out across one of the couches on his stomach, a pillow wrapped in his arms. He was watching the banter between the holiday Guardians with half-lidded eyes. He hadn't moved very much since he had arrived and it was obvious to Sandy that he was tired. You didn't have to be the Guardian of Dreams to see the bags under his eyes and the way his movements were sluggish and half-hearted.

Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the winter spirit. He was just plain, old exhausted. It was the middle of winter and Jack had a nasty habit of avoiding sleep until he crashed, so Sandy wasn't very surprised. He had seen the boy do this several times before only to discover him passed out in some snow drift a few days later. It was a small wonder Jack had made it through three hundred years without hurting himself with this habit. Then again, it's not like he had someone to stop him from doing it…

Pushing the guilt that tended to well up at the thought of Jack's long time alone to the side, Sandy returned his thoughts to the problem at hand. Jack needed to sleep, but how to convince him to do so? And how to convince him to do it here, where he was safer? He slouched deeper into the couch he was sitting on, tapping his fingers against one of the arms as he thought.

Though Jack had been a guardian for over a year now, he still hadn't allowed himself to fall asleep near them. Of course Sandy, being the maker of dreams and sleep, had seen the boy while he was out, but he supposed Jack wasn't aware of most of those events. Jack had at least not consciously allowed them near him when he was that vulnerable. Sandy was determined to fix that issue and now he was presented with the opportunity to do that as well as make sure the boy got the rest that he needed. He just needed to find a way for Jack to stay after the meeting and sleep. Sandy's gaze returned to Jack, who seemed to be slowly sinking deeper into the couch cushions. Then again, maybe that wouldn't be so hard since Jack seemed perfectly content to be where he was. He could very well fall asleep at any moment.

"I think that is all we will do today," North's voice announced, bringing Sandy out of his musings. He looked over to find North standing up and Bunny a couple feet away with a scowl firmly set on his face.

"Oooh no, mate," Bunny growled. "You're not getting out of this by walking off. If yer going to tell me the kids don't like my holiday then yer going to stick around while I correct ya!"

"I am busy, Bunny," North replied, still smiling slightly like the whole conversation was a joke. "Much to do in preparation of next year's Christmas. You understand, yes? You will feel that way very soon." He patted the pooka on the back who blanched from both blows.

"What?!"

North turned and walked away towards the elevators, shooing elves from under his feet as Bunny whirled around in his direction. "Whaddya mean 'very soon'?!" He yelled.

Jack, whose eyes had begun to flutter close suddenly looked up at the two in mild alarm, causing Sandy to wince and then send a frown in Bunny's direction. And Jack had just begun to drift!

The Guardian of Hope was oblivious to the looks of surprise and frustration he was receiving and continued in outrage, "It's bloody January! Your preparations right now have nothing on mine!" He stomped away, following the man in red.

"Why are you always so stressed?" Sandy could hear North call back, earning another growl of irritation from Bunny.

"Come back here, North!" he snapped. Fortunately, their voices began to fade as they moved further away. Sandy's eyes moved back to Jack now, who was shifting positions, flopping from his stomach to his back. To Sandy's cheer, he did not get up from the couch. Maybe there was still a chance to get Jack to fall asleep. Actually, it had just increased now that the other two were gone. Feeling content, Sandy snuggled deeper into his seat, resting both of his hands on his stomach. Maybe he'd catch a few hours of sleep himself…

"Are they gone?" Tooth asked, startling Sandy. He had forgotten she was here too! His eyes snapped over to where she floated between the couch he was on and Jack's. He nodded and brought a finger to his lips, but she looked towards Jack before seeing the gesture. "Well, I guess that means we can go too…" The trilling chirps of her mini fairies echoed her and a few, including the one Jack had dubbed Baby Tooth, flew over Jack's head.

Jack gave them a crooked smile. "Bye, guys." Baby Tooth dipped down onto his chest and twittered something that Sandy couldn't decipher—not that he had ever really understood what Tooth's helpers said. He could never quite tell if Jack did or not; he always responded to them as if he did but Sandy wasn't sure if he was just guessing or if he really did understand.

As if to prove that point, Jack said, "Sounds good. I'll see ya later." She nodded, apparently satisfied with the response, and flew off with the rest of the fairies back to their mother.

"Are you leaving too, Jack?" Tooth inquired. Sandy sat up suddenly, waving a hand and shaking his head. No, no! Don't encourage him to go! Neither Jack nor Tooth looked his way, though, so his message went unheeded.

Jack stretched out until his toes touched the end of the couch he laid on. "Probably," he replied and gave a shrug as best he could in his position. "Sometime soon…" Sandy paused in his frantic movements, hope returning that maybe he could still achieve his goal.

"Okay," Tooth smiled at him before turning towards Sandy, who quickly dropped his hands and put on an innocent smile. "What about you Sandy?"

He shrugged as casually as he could, making a show of settling down again into the couch. He made the sign of a clock spinning around a few times above his head to indicate that he may stick around for a while.

Tooth nodded. "I guess I'll see both of you later then." She waved at both of them and flew off with her entourage of fairies in tow. Sandy smiled widely as silence fell over the room. Now that it was just the two of them, surely he could get Jack to fall asleep.

He snuck a look at Jack to find him staring at the ceiling, though his eyes seemed to be out of focus. His staff, which up until then had been resting against the side of the couch, was now back in his hands and he rolled the weathered wood back and forth between them. Sandy felt another inkling of worry that Tooth's comment would cause Jack to stand up. If he did, Sandy couldn't very well stop him. He didn't want Jack to feel forced into sleeping; that would only push him further away.

Knowing that, Sandy could do nothing but watch and wait. He did his best to not move or make any noise (the second not being hard at all for him). He also tried not to stare too much to avoid making Jack feel his gaze. Once the boy started to drift off, Sandy would send him a strand of dream sand to pull him completely under, but until then he'd have to be patient.

Time passed and Jack let his staff rest on his chest, his hands wrapping loosely around it. His eyes wavered between wandering around the room and fluttering shut. He'd slowly grow still and then jerk suddenly before he could fully fall asleep. Sandy felt the invisible tug of a mind needing dreams a few times but was not fast enough to send his sand over before Jack started awake. Frowning in mild annoyance, Sandy sighed and waited as patiently as he could.

During this process he had heard the quiet jingling of a few elves who decided to venture into the room. Sandy sent a small ball of sand at each of them, knocking them to the floor before they could be heard by Jack. He knew North might give him an earful about it later, but Sandy was determined to succeed and he did not need anyone to mess it up!

Finally, after a half an hour of tense supervision, Jack's eyes closed and did not reopen. His breathing deepened and grip slackened on his staff. The sensation of a sleeping mind ready for dreams prickled in the back of Sandy's mind and with a smile of triumph he let his dream sand float over and come to rest in a halo above Jack's head. He grinned as the sand took hold and turned into a flurry of snowflakes and he floated up silently into the air. Success!

After doing a small spin he fell back into his seat and sighed contentedly. Now maybe Jack would realize that it was perfectly safe to sleep around him and the others. Or at least the idea could sit there in his mind now. Wiggling around so that he was also on his back, Sandy gave another happy sigh and closed his own eyes, ready to join Jack in dream world.

Bunny stormed up the stairs, his ears twitching in irritation as he grumbled under his breath about North. Really, the man couldn't just leave it alone, could he? He always had to make a jab at Easter one way or another and then claim—falsely—that Bunny was starting an argument for no reason! What kind of idiotic enjoyment was he getting out of insulting him, huh?

With an aggravated sigh he continued down the hallway that led back to the room they were in earlier for a guardian meeting. He had left one of his pouches up there that contained a few bottles of paint. As soon as he had them in hand he planned on returning to the Warren since, unlike some people, he really did have a lot of work to do right now!

Bunny walked into the room and made his way straight over to where he had sat earlier, grabbing the pouch off the couch before turning around to leave. It was then that he caught sight of Jack sprawled out on the couch he had been sitting on earlier. Frostbite hadn't left? He moved closer and saw that not only was he still there but he was out cold, golden sand drifting lazily above his head.

A smirk spread across his lips. This was the perfect opportunity for him to get back at the kid for all the times he had pulled a prank on him! The fact that he could let out some steam before returning to the Warren to work made the idea even better. He inched forward, this time being much more cautious and quiet. His paw dug into the pouch he held for a bottle of paint. Just as he made it within reaching distance, a sudden splash of gold appeared next to him, causing him to jump and stifle a yelp.

His eyes darted over to see Sandy standing right next to him with a glare on his face. His short arms were crossed and he tapped his foot against the ground while continuing to pin Bunny with a warning look.

Relaxing from his moment of shock, Bunny bent down. "What?" he whispered.

Sandy pointed at Jack as a stop sign appeared above his head. It then swirled into a picture of a paintbrush with an 'X' over it. Easily understanding the message, Bunny scowled.

"Why not?" he asked, keeping his voice as quiet as he could. "He's done something like this to me a dozen different times."

Sandy shook his head, a miniature version of Jack appearing above his head. The sand figure yawned widely and then leaned against its staff.

"Okay, so he's tired, so what?" Bunny replied before another smirk appeared on his face. "I'm not gonna wake him. I'll just paint on his face…" He pulled out a brush from his holster and held up the small container of green paint before beginning to turn towards Jack. Sandy's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Bunny's arm, forcing the Guardian of Hope to face him again. He shook a finger in Bunny's face.

"Why not?"

Sandy showed a picture of an Easter egg which melded into a picture of an eye followed by the mini Jack Frost now curled up with tiny z's above his head. He ended the string of pictures with a question mark.

Not catching the meaning behind that, Bunny asked, "What?" Sandy patiently repeated the images.

"Do I see him sleeping?" Bunny guessed, earning a firm nod. Giving Sandy a puzzled look he whispered, "Ya, I do. I don't see why—"

Sandy cut him off before he could finish and showed the same pictures of the egg, eye, and the sleeping Jack. Then he created a clock out of his sand with its hands twisting backwards.

"Did I see him sleeping earlier?"

Sandy nodded and the clock grew bigger, the hands continuing to whirl counter-clockwise. Then a calendar appeared, the pages flipping down to show the months in reverse order. A question mark came last.

Bunny had known Sandy for a long time and was grateful for all the practice he had at understanding Sandy's unique way of speaking. Otherwise he wasn't sure if he would have understood that. At least, he hoped he did. "Uh, a long time ago?"

Sandy gave him another nod and repeated the full set of pictures. Bunny paused, sorting through his memories to find one of Jack sleeping. When he came up blank he told Sandy, "I guess I haven't seen him sleep before."

The golden man pressed his lips together, his expression serious as he firmly nodded. Still feeling lost and just a little annoyed, Bunny said, "Okay, so…?"

With a sigh, Sandy conjured up a new picture of the original four guardians. He then added the image of Jack but separate from them. The gold guardians grew bigger and transformed into an eye which was crossed out with an x before again morphing into the picture from earlier of Jack sleeping.

Bunny opened his mouth to comment only for Sandy to hold up a hand. He repeated the picture of the four but now Jack was standing with them. The eye returned, crossed out once more, followed by Jack sleeping again.

"We don't see him sleeping," Bunny concluded. Sandy repeated the first set of signs. "We didn't see him sleeping before too," Bunny added. With an exasperated shake of his head, he asked "Okay, so? He doesn't sleep much." The last comment was said a little louder than the others and both Guardians winced, glancing at the winter spirit next to them. The boy didn't move, his face still slack with sleep.

Bunny returned his eyes to Sandy who shook his head at his comment. The image of the five guardians standing next to each other appeared again. Then the figure of Jack sidled away from them, turning his back towards the other four. The mini guardians reached out towards Jack who hunched his shoulders, leaning away. The clock then appeared again, spinning forward this time. As it did, the Jack figure straightened up and turned towards the guardians. Finally, the Jack changed into an eye which was not covered with an x before settling on the image of Jack sleeping.

With weathered patience, Bunny had watched each picture, trying to piece together what Sandy was explaining. When it was obvious Sandy was finished he whispered, "Okay, now we see him sleeping, but what did that part before mean…?"

Before Sandy could reply, his eyes suddenly slid off of Bunny's face towards something behind him. A heavy hand fell onto Bunny's shoulder, causing him to jump again. He bit back a curse and twisted around to see North standing there.

"Meaning is clear," he said in a relatively quiet rumble. "Jack is starting to trust us now." Sandy nodded vigorously, smiling.

North then continued, his expression soft. "He has been guardian for over year now and never have I seen him sleep. I have seen him tired, I have seen him mellow—" At Bunny's snort, he added, "Rarely, yes, but I have. And one time I think he was sick, but he never showed it and never would he relax here." His blue eyes fell on Jack sleeping before them and he smiled warmly. "This is first time I have seen him relax, sleep…dream. He is showing us he trusts us enough to sleep near us. He trusts we keep him safe." He gave Bunny a look. "And that we won't prank him."

Bunny's brow furrowed and he bowed his head as he thought that through. He supposed that was true. Jack laughed and joked with them, talked animatedly about anything and always seemed to enjoy their time together, but he was still distant in many ways. He rarely shared anything about his time prior to being a guardian except for amusing anecdotes and would shrug off most physical contact. Sometimes, when Bunny was pretty sure he thought no one was looking, his smile would vanish and his expression would grow cold and distant as if remembering something unpleasant. Other times he just watched them wistfully with so much doubt in his eyes that it made Bunny's stomach drop uncomfortably.

He was starting to open up to them, but he had a long way to go before Jack would be perfectly content as part of their group. Realizing that and knowing that now he wouldn't be able to prank him even if Sandy and North allowed it, Bunny scoffed. "Alright, I get it."

"Good," North patted him on the back with a grin. He then turned away, walked over to a chest in the corner, and pulled out a thin blanket. He returned to them and draped it over Jack's form. Sandy in the meantime had his eyes on the window, a clock appearing above his head that jangled silently up and down. It morphed into a hat, which he swept off before bowing at the two of them.

"Leaving, Sandy?" North asked. Sandy nodded and North returned the motion. "Until next time."

"Yeah, see ya, mate," Bunny said quietly. Sandy turned to leave, but then spun back around and gave Bunny a suspicious look. He shook a finger at him, a picture forming above his head of Bunny standing over Jack with his arms stretched above his head in a menacing way. The image was marked out with an x. Bunny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get it, I get it. No pranking him." He raised a paw in surrender.

Sandy smiled, his usual calm demeanor returning. With another tip of the golden hat still on his head he left, gliding through a nearby window. North watched him go and then looked over at Bunny with a rumbling chuckle. He winked before walking away down one of the halls. With a huff, Bunny returned the paint and brush back to where they belonged. His green eyes then drifted over to Jack.

Golden sand still orbited above him and had taken on new shapes in the last couple of minutes. Instead of the snowflakes now there were Tooth's mini helpers flying in swarms, each of them holding an Easter egg. Dolphins swam underneath them. Bunny raised an eyebrow, wondering what dream could have led to that combination of figures. Underneath the sand, Jack's lips twitched in and out of a small smile. Bunny felt one grow across his face.

"Alright, Frostbite," he murmured, gently ruffling Jack's hair. "No pranking when you're sleeping. When you're awake is an entirely different story," he smirked as he straightened up, "so ya better get comfortable sleeping around us 'cause that's the only peace you're gonna get from me."

Jack didn't move an inch, still completely oblivious to his surroundings, and Bunny smiled. "Glad to see ya coming to your senses," he said before leaving the room.