"North!" I called out once I was in the North Pole. "North, ya bloody overgrown...Where are ya!?"

"I'm here, Bunny. What's wrong?"

"Activate the Northern Lights!" I told him, slightly out of breath

"Why would I do that? Bunny, what is wrong with you?"

"Some spring spirit just came into my Warren and kidnapped Jack. What she said to me...I think she means to try and kill him!"

"What?"

"What are ya doin'? Activate the lights!"

"Right!" He said as he rushed to the lever, and it felt like years were passin' by before Sandy and Tooth showed up.

"We're here, North, what's wrong?"

"Someone came into my Warren and kidnapped Jack! I think she means to kill him, and I don't know if she has accomplices. I need your help to find him!"

"What? Why would someone kidnap Jack?" Tooth squeaked out in a worried voice.

"He wasn't very well liked by the other spirits, and many of them may be jealous or angry that he is Guardian." North quickly stated.

"I'd have to agree with him. Now...the spirit that took him was a spring spirit, and I guess that's how she got into my Warren...she can phase in and out of nature."

"What did she look like?" Tooth asked with a furious glare.

"She uh...she had short brown hair touchin' her shoulders, but just barely...she wore a green and blue dress with..."

"With a blue flower at her hip?"

"Yeah! Ya know her?"

"I know where she likes to take those she doesn't like. She's gonna take him to a lake and..."

"A lake!? No, we gotta get to him!"

"You didn't even let me finish..." She started with a concerned expression.

"You didn't have to! I can put two and two together! He's not gonna survive if he drowns again!" I ran my paws through my ears, suddenly feelin' all types of hopeless, fear, and anxiety. It almost feels as if I'm afraid to lose someone precious to me, but I shook that thought away quickly as I heard a gasp from Tooth. "What?"

"What do you mean...again?"

"He..." A lump in my throat formed quicker than I could swallow it down, but I managed to anyway. "Before he was made a spirit Jack was a normal human, yeah? I mean ya got his teeth..."

"Yeah, but..."

"He died savin' his sister from fallin' through ice! He drowned in ice cold water. Manny brought him back, and told him his name was Jack Frost, but that's all he told him for three hundred years! He drowned...he died...he won't survive it again! I doubt he'll survive bein' near a large body of water that isn't frozen and he doesn't have his staff so..."

"So he can't fly away! Let's go! I know where the lake is! It's actually near my palace! North, give me a snow globe."

"Here!" North said, practically shovin' the globe into her hands. She whispered to it, and threw it. We all went through, and were met with a large lake hidden in a forest, and at the middle of it was the spirit from before hoverin' above the lake.

"Vivienne!" Tooth shouted.

"Oh, my dear Tooth!" She cooed sarcastically. "Oh, and you brought friends...and the Bunny!" She squealed in delight. "I was just about to deal with this troublemaker for you."

"We don't want him dealt with! We want him back!"

"You Guardians!" Another voice called out as it came out from behind a large tree.

"Siera Summer..." I growled out. "You're the one that keeps torchin' my plants that I put on the surface! You also take joy in burnin' forests down!"

"Oh, but I'm also gettin' a kick out of this. You see Jack there? He's been a real thorn in my side for a long time. Since Easter of '68 to be exact! So, I've gotten Vivienne to help me out a bit. She just plain doesn't like him, so I have that advantage."

"Wait..." I said as my ears drooped at the date she gave. "...What did he do to ya Easter of '68?"

"Oh, well...I had a wonderful wildfire going. It was going to be intense and heated and the winds that day were particularly strong...he didn't take kindly to me...a Summer spirit...interfering with spring. We got into quite the debate about it considering he's a winter spirit and shouldn't have interfered either. Then, he had the nerve to try and remind me that it was Easter, and that children would be looking forward to hunting the eggs you hide. I told him I was well aware, but that I wanted to have some fun with the flames anyway, but before the fire got noticed or big enough he got angrier than I had ever seen any spirit. Even Mother Nature never got that pissed, and he started having his own fun as he created a blizzard that not only doused my wonderful wildfire, but gave me frostbite for two weeks. Mother Nature says I deserved it and should've heeded his words, but I don't care! A monster like that doesn't deserve to be a Guardian!"

'He...He tried to save my holiday..not ruin it...' I thought to myself, then I saw the wicked smirk on her face. "What are ya gonna do to him?" I growled out.

"Hmm...what to do indeed...you know, since he can freeze water just by touching it, I thought perhaps he could die that way. Frozen...underwater...and since he doesn't have that precious staff...no flying away, and the water should freeze solid if the pond in Burgess is anything to go by. Tell me...do any of you know how to swim?"

"No..." North, Tooth, and Sandy answered.

"I do." I glared at her.

"Well...even if you do, Bunny...will you get to him in time by swimming?" She gave me an evil smirk and lifted her hand in the air, when it dropped, the nature spirit flew higher and started to drop Jack. In that instant, I knew I was gonna have to do somethin' that would likely lead to a lot of annoyin' questions from the other Guardians, but Jack was gonna be hurt and my heart panicked along with my soul just not able to let that happen.

Without sayin' a word I rushed towards the water hearin' them call after me, but I just ran, and from behind me I could hear them gasp in shock as Ice started appearin' under me as I ran on the water towards Jack. I could tell from my surroundin's that both the nature spirit and the summer spirit were too stunned to move as I jumped to grab Jack before he hit the water, and I clutched him to my chest as I allowed the lake to freeze a little underneath my back. I stood up and held him tightly, wincin' at the irritation the nature spirit caused to the stitches, but I was at least relieved that he was unconscious. "You...but how!? You're a spring spirit!" The summer spirit shouted in disbelief.

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG! I ain't no spirit ya Galah! I'm a Pooka! I was born with magic, and the magic I was born with was winter magic ya damn irritation! I am KNOWN as the spirit of spring...I'm not actually a spirit! I can just do a little of both!" I walked Jack towards the shore, with the lake freezin' again underneath every step I took as I clutched Jack tightly against my poundin' heart. As I got closer to the others I could see that they were lookin' at me with pale faces, wide eyes, and dropped jaws. "North...can I ask ya to take Jacky for a mo?" I questioned once I stepped foot on land again.

"B-Bunny..." North whispered out hoarsely as he took Jack from me.

"I'll explain later...just look after him while I deal with them." I didn't wait to see or hear his reaction as I immediately started using nature and snow magic together. I started hurlin' large ice shards at them as well as callin' forth violent vines with sharp thorns from the earth. I tore at them and whipped at them, but not enough to kill them. Then, after about ten minutes of pure rage, heartache, pain, anxiety, and the unshakable relief that he was still alright, I decided that they had enough and I got rid of the ice shards but I had the thorny vines wrap around them tightly, bringin' them towards me. I looked back at Jack who was still unconscious in North's arms, and I felt the most protective and fierce growl, and the growl I let out seemed to startle even the other Guardians. I turned to face them, and spoke without thinkin' as I growled out, "If ya ever come near my kit again, I'll kill ya and deliver your bodies to Mother Nature! Do I make myself clear!?"

"He's..."

"If I hear anythin' but a yes I'm gonna speed up your appointment with Mother Nature!" I growled out as I forced the vines to become tighter.

"Y-Yes..." They both rasped out, and I let them go, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

I let out a shaky and overly relieved sigh when they were finally gone. 'I...I called him my kit...Why...Why would I do that?' I questioned myself as it strangely didn't feel wrong to say such a thing about Jack. I shook my head, and tried to focus on gettin' back to Jack. When I returned to the others they still held the same shocked looks on their faces. "Look...can we talk about this after I tend to his stitches?" I asked in a nervous manner as I looked at one of the ripped stitches across his stomach. They nodded their heads and North slowly handed Jack to me. I gave him a small appreciative smile as I opened up a tunnel beneath us that led us directly to Jack's room. I set him down and started gettin' to work like I had before. Only this time, Jack's body wasn't able to help him freeze the blood. So, I had to work fast as I cleaned it and gave it a little magic. I had to remove the irritated stitches and put new ones in. Once that was done, and his breathin' seemed to level some, I sat in the chair next to the bed. "Alright...ask away, but do so quietly please."

"Bunny..." Tooth started carefully and with a whisper. "...why didn't you tell us that you..."

"That I could use winter magic too?" I questioned and she nodded her head as her wings stopped flutterin' and she stood in front of me. I let out a sigh and placed a paw underneath the side of my chin while my elbow propped on the arm of the chair. "I was born what ya might call a snow or winter Pooka...we didn't have the word snow so we always called it Frost...anyway, to a Pooka...ya can be born with a main element but choose to be another. I didn't like my element so I chose spring. It suited me, and everyone on my home planet said I was the best out of season Pooka there was. Then I come here...reshape the Earth as I've told you before...and I was content with the size this place was...but the nature here was different from my home planet so I had to try and reconnect with it once more. When I did, this place grew huge and many many different types of plants grew...with that...and when I helped all of you face Pitch so long ago...Manny saw fit to say I was a spirit of spring and the Guardian of Hope. Not one to complain about bein' associated with spring, I accepted."

"But you never told us...why?" North questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Because I didn't like my element. I'm good at it, born a complete natural at it like Jack, but...when ya freeze everythin' ya touch...and..." I let out another sigh as I told them somethin' I didn't tell Jack. "...when you're the most powerful winter Pooka ever hatched, ya tend to not enjoy the stares from others."

"You were..." Tooth started with wide eyes.

"Those ice shards ya saw? That little trick would take a normal Pooka a couple of decades to figure out how to do...and on a much smaller scale. It took me a few months...if that puts anythin' in perspective for ya."

"Why didn't you help Jack with powers?"

"Because...I honestly didn't think he needed it, or would want it. Besides...like I said...I didn't like bein' the most powerful winter Pooka, and at the time the last thing I wanted was for anyone to know about it...but I told Jack...and to this moment, I can't tell ya why I felt like I could tell him...but I did. Anythin' else?"

"Pooka...are hatched?" North asked with a curious expression and tone.

"Yup. We're hatched. Our eggs have a small symbol near the bottom that determines what our name should be...here...let me show ya. He seems to be gettin' cold anyway." I left the room to go to mine, and I grabbed the blanket that Jack had made. Once I got back, I carefully laid it on Jack.

"Where did you get this?" Tooth asked as she seemed to marvel in the designs.

"Jack made it for me."

My eyes widened a bit when I saw a flurry of symbols hover over Sandy's head sayin', "Did Jack say he saw this in a dream?" I nodded my head and more symbols appeared. "Manny said he was having a nightmare and wanted to give him visions of a family, but then he told me the strangest thing happened."

"What happened?"

"Jack dreamed he was inside of an egg in an Easter Basket." Once the symbols disappeared my jaw dropped.

"Jack...he...he dreamed of bein' a Pooka?"

The symbols flew again but a bit slower this time. "It seems so. His original family had died long before he got the chance to remember them again...so perhaps this means he thinks of you as his family."

"But...he didn't know what a Pooka was or...or even that we hatched from eggs..."

"The dreamworld exists throughout time and space...you know this, Bunny. It was probably giving him a more literal translation while also keeping some things hidden." The symbols stopped for a moment but started back up again, and what came next made my jaw drop. "At the end of the battle...after he took the oath, I'm not sure you realized it but you said, 'That's my boy', and when you faced those spirits moments ago, you called him YOUR kit...now correct me if I'm wrong...but a kit is the name for a child Pooka, yes?"

"Y-Yeah that's the right of it...I remember that..."

"You said that the name of the Pooka is determined by a symbol on the bottom?" I nodded my head, and a large smile grew on his face. "Bunny...I can read your language, and it amazes me that you missed something rather important on that egg."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Well, I assume you know and told Jack that the snowflake was a Frost flake, right?" I nodded my head. "Did you read the curves and swivels on the egg just above the Frost flake? It's etched with the same color as the egg so it may have been easy to miss. Also...if I'm correct, the Pooka's parents' name is at the top...yes?" I nodded. "Read it, Bunny."

I leaned over to read the side of the egg just above the Frost flake, and in my language it said, "Jackson Overland." I hadn't realized I had whispered it out in shock until I heard North and Tooth gasp. "A-And the top of the egg..." I stuttered out as I read it, and suddenly my hands became shaky as did my breath, and I could feel a tear fall from my face as I staggered back into the chair.

"Bunny!" Tooth whispered out in concern.

"What did the top of egg say? Parent's name yeah? Who is it? Who does Jack consider to be parent?" North urgently whispered, and I could tell it was more out of concern for me than actually wantin' to know, but I was still a bit stunned by it.

"It..." I swallowed a lump in my throat as more tears started to slowly pour from my eyes. "It doesn't make sense I mean..."

"Bunny, what does it say?" Tooth asked as she placed a carin' hand on my arm.

"It says...In my language...it reads...E. Aster Bunnymund."

"You...are Jack's adoptive parent?" North asked with curious wonder as he looked back at Jack.

"I..." My voice cracked a bit and I couldn't find it in me to speak. This was all so overwhelmin'. Then, I began to remember how I felt since he fell into the Warren. I was scared, worried, anxiety ridden, and when he would mention how he was treated or how he had to live for three hundred years...my heart damn near shattered every time. Then, when he told me he had died...there was nothin' I could think of that could compare to that pain, and I've lived more lifetimes than anyone on Earth could likely count. Then with me teachin' him things and bein' so unbelievably proud when he succeeded...then the fight not too long ago with the other two spirits. I had somehow unconsciously started thinkin' of him as a son. "Wait...does this mean that I...that Jack is my..."

"Considering how the two of you see each other...him seeing you as a father to him...whether he'll admit that or not is a mystery...but then you also see him as a son...with those two things in mind..." Sandy started with a soft smile as symbols flew overhead. "...I'd say congratulations are in order. You, E. Aster Bunnymund, have a son"

"I...I have a son...and...those spirits nearly killed him!" I spat out and shot up, but forgot how much the information crippled me and I fell back in the chair again.

"Bunny, you dealt with them beautifully." Tooth told me with another gentle hand. "I doubt that they're going to mess with Jack for a very long time."

"That's not long enough! They..." Before I could continue there was a soft glow of green light comin' from Jack's body, and all of the sewn up gashes started healin', followed by the stitches fallin' out.

"What's...what's happening? Jack can't possibly be able to do that he..." Tooth trailed off in astonishment as I stood up and helped Jack's spring magic along.

"Jack's more than a winter spirit. Did he tell ya how he got Jamie to believe in me again?"

"No." North stated simply as he watched me use my magic on Jack, while I was also removin' some of the stitches that had fallen.

"He did somethin' special. He combined spring magic and winter magic and created a frost bunny. He brought a drawin' to life and had it hop around Jamie."

"Seems apple does not far fall from tree, yes?" North said with a smug look on his face, and my eyes widened along with my smile.

"I suppose so...but he already had hidden magic in him before he was made a spirit...so I'm pretty sure that has somethin' to do with it." As I finally removed the last of the fallen stitches, Jack's glow dimmed until it was completely gone. Then, his eyes opened, and the sight of it caused all of us to step back a bit in shock.

"A-Aster...What...what happened? The last thing I remember was I was about to take a shower under the waterfall..." He looked up at us with wide eyes as he sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Your eyes, mate." I told him honestly and reached into one of the dressers to pull out a small mirror.

Once he took the mirror from me, he looked in it and jumped back a couple feet. "Why do I...? Wait...I have two different colored eyes...and the green one is the same green as yours? I still have one ice blue eye but...why?"

"Um...well...apparently I wasn't supposed to mix your spring magic with mine." I stated as I looked at my paws as I realized that perhaps I accidentally sent a small piece of my life into him along with some of my magic. "There was something I had once heard of on my planet...When I was healin' ya, I was truly tryin' to heal ya...I hadn't meant...but...I had heard that some spring magic users on my planet were able to claim friends as relatives that way, but I never tried it...I guess I accidentally did it."

"Wait...does this mean...I'm like your son or something?" Jack asked as he set the mirror down, and I could feel it. 'He had Wonder returned to him, good memories, I assume good dreams, and now...there is an overwhelmin' Hope floodin' me, and it all belongs to Jack.'

"Only if ya want to. It was an accident after all..."

"You...you wouldn't...I mean...I had been kind of thinking about it since I heard what ya said after I took the oath...I don't know why...it just kind of stuck with me...and I...I dunno...then I had that dream and the things you said while I stayed here..."

"Jack...what do you want?" I asked, feelin' ridiculously nervous and unsure of myself. I didn't want to sound conceded, off puttin', irritated, or even impatient, and I especially didn't want to seem so damn vulnerable.

"I...It...it sounds selfish and foolish..."

"Jack I..." I quickly tried to interrupt him, but then there was another damn lump in my throat because of everythin' that's happened. "I...would like it if...I mean...it's if ya want...but...I...well..." I groaned at my tongue tied self.

"I...well...with all the things you had said in the Warren, and what you said after the battle...I dunno why, but it kind of reminded me a lot of my father from when I was alive...actually...almost exactly similar to how he treated me. So, it just kind of felt...I dunno...like you were like a father to me, and I didn't want to seem childish or...you probably don't..."

"And you're like a son to me, Jacky." I told him with a sigh of relief. "Although...I only just recently found that out, and I hadn't realized that that was how I was beginnin' to treat ya, but it's true. I...if ya want, Jacky...since ya don't have a real home...ya can call the Warren home...if ya want." I told him as I stepped a bit closer to the bed.

He looked at me and blinked once, then twice, then before I could even react, he jumped into my arms. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I felt tears start to fall from my eyes as all of the overwhelmin' feelin's came crashin' down on me again. "Thank ya, Jacky..." I said as I hugged him tighter.

"For what?" He asked as he got a little ways out of my grasp.

"For the chance to have a family...at least that's what I'm assumin' this is...me seein' ya like a son...you seein' me like a father..."

"Yeah..." Jack chuckled and gave me another hug. "...That's what this is. Although...I have no idea what I'm supposed to call you now."

I squeezed a bit tighter before lettin' him go and I shook my head. "Well...what comes to mind when ya see me now?" I asked curiously, honestly feelin' a bit awkward about all this, but I wanted to know at the same time.

"I...It's...it's awkward to say..."

"Is it how ya honestly feel?"

"Yeah..."

"Then, no worried here, mate. Let's have it."

"...well...you remind me a lot of him...mine anyway...when I was alive...and well...I almost slipped up at one point if I'm to be honest...but...Father...that's what comes to mind."

My heart skipped a frantic beat and I couldn't help the happy tears that slipped out. "I-If ya want to call me that...if it ain't too awkward for ya...I think...I think I would really like that."

"I...I think I would like that too...Father...I mean...technically speaking...you did just make me your relative using magic right?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Then it fits pretty well...I think. I also...I think if you help me...I don't think I'll need my staff for anything but flying..." He gave me another hug, and I swear I had never felt so content, hopeful, and joyful in my entire life. I looked at the other Guardians and they smiled at us with small tears of their own slidin' down their faces. 'I have a son...' I thought to myself as I hugged him a bit tighter.

"North, do ya think you can mend the staff enough to get Jack to be able to fly again?"

"Of course! With the three of us combined, we can make Jack's staff as good as new! Your son will be flying in no time!"

"Good" I told him with a laugh while my thoughts repeated their earlier words with more joy than ever. 'I have a son!'

"This is cause for celebration!" North bellowed.

"I'd have to agree." Tooth agreed with a squeal.

"What do you think we should do?" Sandy asked with symbols overhead.

I let go of Jack and nudged him to see if he had an idea. "Well..." He gave me a sidelong glance. "...it is my newly appointed Father's birthday..."

"What!?" The rest of the Guardians shouted collectively and all I could do was chuckle.

"We shall make grand party in Warren!" North shouted and for once, I didn't mind his ideas.

"Sounds like a plan, Mate. There's just one more thing...Jack did it again after we left your place. He made me laugh again."

North blinked and then made a strange face that was a combination of a pout and anger. "HOW WAS THIS DONE?"

"Not tellin'." Jack said as he tried to mimic my accent and I couldn't stop the grin on my face. 'Things around here are definitely gonna be more interestin' from now on.'

THE END