"Come on, you know it's cute." Snickered Jack as they surfaced in the control room of Santoff Claussen, Joy still persistently calling Aster 'Daddy Kangaroo', clapping at the funny clicking noise he made every time she squealed it in his ear.

"You so taught her to say it." Said Aster, setting Joy down at her little corner of toys in the safest (read farthest away from elves and yetis) corner of the control room, who was quickly distracted by a set of blocks North had made especially for her with the finest materials he had, six of them representing her and her family with the designs. The only yeti Aster let near the tiny kit unattended was Phil, the unspoken second in command in the workshop, outside of Mrs. Clause, of course.

"I didn't TRY to teach her..." he said sweetly. "And she's not even one. She'll grow out of it." Aster groaned as Jack rubbed the base of his ears.

"Cheater." He huffed, thumping his foot at the soothing touches.

"Who's to say I can't make my mate happy?" he said, faking a pout, kissing Aster's nose. North cleared his throat, Sandy and Tooth staring awkwardly at the suddenly interesting hardwood railings around the globe. Jack turned a deep hue of blue, the boy's version of a blush, and recoiled. Their romance was still tentative, unsure, the two working out the finer details around Joy and being there for her and meeting her needs, which it turned out were a good mix of them. She couldn't take extreme heat, like Jack, but was also worse off in extreme cold. Aster knew it would lessen as her adult fur came in when she was older, but it still worried him. She was active, adventurous and mischievous already, Aster more than once catching her dumping buckets of paint on unsuspecting egglets, sneaking up on the paint flowers and making them explode in color, which also resulted in a good bath that night while Jack scrubbed the rainbow out of her fur. She could freeze water once in a while, but so far had shown her Father's interest in colors and art, and had some amazing natural talent even at her young age. Really, she was a handful, but definitely a welcome one.

"Good, everyone here." He said. "We have big problem."

"Yeah, Old Man Winter rearing his ugly mug." Snorted Aster. "He's an annoying old bugger, but nothing we can't take care of with a good beating and vodka-filled eggnog. Long as he doesn't get pissy, we're good."

"Old Man Winter VERY angry." Said North. "He attack Mother Nature herself!"

"What?!" exclaimed Tooth. "Has he finally lost his fillings?!" North ran his fingers through his beard.

"Manny says nothing. We must already know the cause." Said North. Sandy shrugged his shoulders, making a little question mark over his head.

"Easter went off without a hitch, nothing has really happened since Joy was born and our run in with Pitch..." said Tooth, fluttering over to the playing kit. "But who would hold resentment over such an adorable little blessing? Old Man Winter isn't THAT heartless, is he?" North scratched his chin and sighed, reaching for a cookie as was his habit when deep in thought.

"Winter never was agreeable." Sighed North. "He stuck in ways. Very stubborn old man, and hates spring very much. Usually he stay deep in ice, but something must have upset him. Childish, but he may be angry about a winter spirit mating with embodiment of spring. He cause blizzards and ice age over less, but he usually stay out of such things."

"Old Man Winter isn't so bad." Said Jack. "He's got a short fuse, is less laid back than Aster a week before Easter all the time and is on a constant PMS, but he's good to the winter spirits." North looked dumbly at Jack, as did Sandy, Tooth and Aster.

"You met?!" exclaimed North.

"In the off season I used to chill with him once in a while." He said, chuckling at his own pun. "Taught me a bit in the early days. He's a pretty cool old dude. Just really, REALLY old."

"When did you stop coming around?" asked Tooth. Jack shivered.

"April 15th, 1912." Said Jack, shivering. "He was teaching me to move icebergs. I lost control...so many people...so many children...they DIED because of me..." Aster blinked.

"The Titanic?!" A cold chill filled the workshop, icicles forming on the rafters.

"I watched them die...Nobody could see me. Nobody reached out when I tried to pull them into boats, and I could only make the water colder." said Jack quietly. "I yelled at him, and never came back. He said moving it close to the ship would help me focus, but it got too close." Tooth firmly wrapped her arms around Jack's shoulders, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"It's okay sweetie." She said. "You didn't try to hurt them. It was an accident."

"But I still killed so many people." Aster took a deep breath and embraced his mate.

"You tried." Said Aster comfortingly. "You did what you knew to try and save them. There's no shame in that. It wasn't your fault Snowflake. We can't save everyone."

"But if I had-" north shoved a cookie in his mouth, making Jack both choke and quiet at the same time.

"In the past." Said North. "For now, I think it best if you don't go out alone and stay in Santoff Claussen. Warren safe, but Mother Nature is bigger threat to Jack than Winter. She could make dangerously hot. Besides, more eyes means better guard, and you're stone eggs have million of egglets to care for Bunny, and Joy is enough of a handful for one set of eyes. Stick together, Joy safer." Jack nodded, munching on the cookie.

"Really?" said Aster. "he nearly choked you with that."

"Mrs. Claus makes good cookies." He said. "Loosen up, Kangaroo."

"Daddy Kangaroo!" squealed Joy from her corner, making everyone in the room giggle. Sandy signed little pictures of snowflakes and Joy with the snow outnumbering little Easter eggs.

"I know." He sighed. "Little sheila takes after her Mum." Tooth and Sandy rushed over to fawn over Joy, the kit holding up her arms to Jack to be picked up. North pulled Aster aside, making the rabbit inexplicably fear for his life.

"Walk with me." He said, taking them up to his personal study.

"What's up mate?" asked Aster, hiding his amazement at the enchanted ice sculptures filling the room. "Cause if it's something Jack should know-"

"Jack not happy." Said North. "Why he not happy?"

"O-of course the show-pony is happy!" scoffed Aster. "I've done everything I know how to do to make the warren more comfortable for him, tried to be an active Father, and we have made progress in a ...erm, romantic, relationship! Why would he not be happy?"

"Bunny, do not go farther than Jack wants, but he is not patient like you." Said North. "He has had DECADES to figure out how he feels about you, and you marking him with a Claim is proof enough you want."

"I don't want him to compare me to Pitch." Said Aster. "The bloody bastard forced him into too much before he was ready. I won't do that to him."

"Then TALK to him." said North. "Trust me, marriage trick one; ALWAYS discuss things with wife. Saves a LOT of nights on couch. I also know that you holding will not help." Aster flinched.

"How did you know-"

"Pooka race die out when I became Guardian." Said North. "I had known. First year after claim, Pooka in heat. You must tell Jack these things. He give you daughter, and he give you eternity. Holding back might be dangerous. What if you snap with Jack, or Moon forbid holding Joy? What if Winter or Mother Nature attacks, and you can't protect them? I know you have issues being close, but Jack your mate, and he has right to hear from his own mate instead of second from me or Tooth. Jack been alone for long time. He needs closeness."

"This'll be an awkward conversation." Sighed Aster. "I hate it when you're right North."

"Belly never wrong!" laughed North, striking his impressive gut earned by many a cookie binge and eggnog chugging contest. "Always trust the belly! After all, it say Christmas more important than Easter." Aster fell hook, line and sinker for the bait, the chuckling Cossack pushing him out while Aster cursed and ranted about Easter's superiority over Christmas, and how much harder he worked than the other guardian until he was down the hall and out of earshot. North chuckled, picking up a mug of eggnog and a loaded chocolate chip cookie.

"Ah, Bunny." He sighed. "Pride will be the death of him." North was about to start working when an icy gust blew through the shutters, a small envelope landing on his desk. North shook the ice off and opened the letter. His blood ran cold on the last line, and he shot up from his chair.

"PHIL!" he bellowed, the massive yeti clambering around to get to the head honcho. When he finally did, North handed him the letter.

"Give this to Jack, and prepare two rooms for our unexpected guests.