Jack screamed, barely managing a thin sheet of ice to break the cage's fall, allowing them to float on the water, Aster nearly having a heart attack. The ice wouldn't last long, not without Jack's staff.

"Oi! Ice for brains!" yelled the Pooka, twirling his boomerangs. "The deal was to let them go if we found all the keys!"

"I let them go, didn't I?" chuckled Winter. "Beat it rodent." The ice began to crack, Joy shrieking as the cage slipped a bit. Aster dashed as close as he could get, looking for any weakness in the cage. Jack's eyes widened, looking behind him.

"Aster, run!" Aster barely dodged the ice burst, Old Man Winter hovering above with both staffs as he kept shooting at the Pooka.

"Don't mess with the rabbit, mate!" growled Aster, letting his boomerangs fly. Winter dodged effortlessly, laughing as he did so. Aster heard another terrified squeak as the water began to seep in, the cage slowly slipping into the icy water. Aster caught his boomerangs as Winter laughed, almost doubling over. His eyes narrowed as he took quick but careful aim, and threw with all his strength. A sickening crunch filled the room as his boomerang hit the old spirit's hand, knocking Jack's staff from his now mangled stump of ice, Aster racing towards the falling staff the moment the boomerang hit. As he wrapped his paws around the stick, he felt a thick shard of ice scrape his paw, narrowly missing his foot by mere centimetres.

"Today you DIE, rodent!" yelled Winter, raising his staff to strike. Aster flung three egg bombs, clouding the spirit's vision as he raced back to Jack, the water now lapping at his toes.

"Jack!" Aster threw his staff through the cage bars Jack catching it with his free hand. As Jack froze the water, slipping over with Joy, Winter cleared the colored gas, teeth clenched as he raged silently.

"Son of a-" yelled Aster, move ice shards hitting him and scratching at his fur. Jack formed an ice shield, quickly coming to Aster's side.

"Leave him alone Winter!" yelled Jack, still holding Joy.

"No!" he growled, sending a flurry of hail the size of apples their way. Jack hissed as one hit his shoulder, narrowly missing Joy. Jack handed joy to Aster, who held her close to his chest, his back to the hail as a second shield.

"Get her out." Said Jack. "I'll distract him. I don't care how you do it, just get her back to Santoff Claussen safe."

"And leave you with him?" scoffed Aster. "Not on your nilly mate. We gotta hold until the cavalry arrives." Razor sharp, colourful quills buried themselves in the ice floors, a rainbow blur shooting through the air like a bullet at Winter.

"I'm not going to have enough quarters for all the teeth coming out of your jaw!" shrieked Tooth, Sandy's whips lashing at the old spirit.

"Ha!" laughed Winter, easily evading their attacks. He send a wave of ice at them, making tooth yell in pain as it ripped out feathers and sliced through her wings. "Foolish! You cannot beat nature!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Mother Nature's ivy wrapped around Winter's leg, dragging him to the ground while the Clauses pulled Jack and Aster to the other side of the room, away from the danger.

"We'll take care of him." said Mrs. Clause, cracking her knuckles. "You get back to the pole and send a few yetis. We'll be back before you know it." Aster nodded, tapping the ground to summon a portal. Dropping down, he raced through the earth, holding Jack and Joy tightly to his chest. Finally they arrived at Santoff Clausen, Aster making a beeline for the control room.

"If you think I'm just going to sit here, you have another thing coming As-" began Jack as Aster parked him on the couch, heading down to the workshop to gather the yetis with a muffled 'stay there'.

"Jack, we are NOT arguing about this." Said Aster. "You need to stay with Joy. I'll take care of it."

"No!" said Jack. "Phil can watch Joy! I don't care if you just don't want me getting hurt or some bullshit like that! You know you need all the help you can get against the old man-"

"Which is why we are getting yetis!" snapped Aster. "You are not leaving to fight Jack, and that's final!"

"What makes you think you can stop me?"

"If I could get your staff, I sure as Hell could." Jack gripped his staff, sending an icy glare at Jack while the yetis prepared for battle.

"I'm not-" Aster grabbed Jack, squeezing him like a vice.

"Please just stay here." Sighed Aster, nuzzling Jack's cheek. "Joy could lose her Father if things go wrong. She doesn't have to lose you too." Jack sighed, hugging Aster tightly.

"Fine." Sighed Jack. "But if I get word of trouble, I'm coming whether you like it or not."

"Deal." Said Aster, running his paw up and down Jack's back. Jack kissed him lightly as he pulled away, portals in hand.

"Winter's lair."

ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG

"Nasty old fogey." Panted Mrs. Clause, wiping the blood from her cheek. Mother Nature lay on the ice a few feet away, completely exhausted, her vines twitching on the ice. North and Sandy were still up and running, Aster bounding about as he tried to hit the spirit with his boomerangs. Tooth's wings were broken, but it didn't stop her from firing deadly quills with lethal accuracy. Sandy made an image of winter with his foot on Aster, looking worried.

"No, the good guys always win." She snickered. "But we're taking a beating alright." Aster crashed into the wall next to them, grunting at the force and sudden pain in his back.

"Bludger won't go down without a fight." He huffed, spitting out a bit of blood.

"He's got to get worn out sooner or later." Said Mrs. Clause, waiting for an opening while Sandy went at the winter spirit.

"He's in his element." Sighed Aster. "Only makes him tougher."

"If we don't cause some damage soon, we're in trouble." Said Aster, grabbing his boomerangs. Mrs. Clause readied herself, the spirit turning his back to her.

"It's not over till the fat lady sings!" she roared, rocketing forward and jumping high. With a yell, she landed on Winter's back, holding on like a koala as she clawed his hand with her nails, going straight for his conduit.

"We got one shot!" yelled Aster, taking aim at Winter's head. As he was about to throw, a chill set about the room, the old spirit throwing Mrs. Clause into the wall, blood spurting from her side.

"An-AGH!" All were pushed back, icy shards stabbing into their limbs, bodies chilling against the harsh wind and ice.

"Enough fun and games." Snarled Winter, turning on the guardians and company. "It is time to say goodbye to your pathetic seasons and holidays. Not even Man in the Moon will revive an immortal." The room got ten degrees colder, making even Aster shiver. He was trapped, unable to move as ice tendrils crawled up their bodies.

"MiM, let Jack and Joy stay safe." He prayed as the frost crawled up his chest. Suddenly the sound of an aerosol can, sizzling, and agonized screams filled the room. Winter dropped, revealing a very pissed off looking Jack Frost holding a lighter and a can of hairspray, staff secured in his hand with the hairspray.

"Huh. Looks like melting in Hell IS the way for you to go." Growled Jack, flying down and kicking Winter's staff in the water. Winter's back was melted, making it impossible to move. Slowly the ice faded from their bodies releasing the trapped guardians as Winter reformed his body. Jack turned to Aster, grinning.

"Would you like the honours?" asked Jack, Aster pulling himself up from the ice as he held out the lighter. A bucket sat next to him, his intent obvious. Aster grinned, taking the can and lighter while Jack made the old man hover above the bucket, sandy knocking him out with dream sand.

"Do ya have to ask?"

ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG

"I think I'll put HIM somewhere he's not getting out." Said Mother Nature, taking the sealed bucket containing Old Man Winter. "How about...Cairo? Maybe Brazil."

"How about the hottest depths of Hell?" suggested Aster, having not moved from his spot on the couch, Jack on his lap and Joy snuggled between the two for three hours.

"Volcano it is!" chirped Tooth, glaring at the bucket. Mrs. Clause was bringing out hot cocoa and eggnog, smiling like the charming old woman she was with bloody bandages on her arm and waist.

"Are you sure you feel alright dear?" she asked, giving Jack a cup of cool eggnog.

"Better than good." He replied with a smile, head on Aster's shoulder. Joy merely sucked on her bottle contently, snuggled into her Father's fur, Aster with his arms around them both. Jack nuzzled Aster's fur affectionately as Mother Nature took her leave, smirking deviously. As she chose a portal, she snickered to herself.

"I guess there's time for a little detour..." she laughed to herself, smashing the portal with a discreet whisper.

ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG

"What the-" Aster stared blankly at the room in question, ears flat against his head in shock and embarrassment. Jack, returning from putting Joy down for the night, took one look at his mate's slack jaw and knew something was up.

"What's got your tail in a...Holy-" The master bedroom was covered in flowers and vines, the beds replaced with a single piece of furniture (Obviously pinched from one of North's guest rooms, if the wood work was what they thought), fluffy white covers and pillows on the new piece, as well as two boxes wrapped in red that contained an unknown threat. Jack braced the room first, and picked up an envelope tangled in the vines.

"Enjoy." Read Jack. "Sincerely, Mother Nature."

"That meddling old sheila." Huffed Aster, not even wanting to think of what was in the boxes. He didn't have to think long, seeing as Jack swiftly blew them off the bed with a blast of air, plopping himself on it with the same gust.

"Can't say it doesn't make things easier..." taunted the Frost Spirit, peeling off his hoodie. Aster just stared, making jack a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you need an invitation Kangar-oof!" Without warning Aster jumped on him, tackling him and pinning him to the mattress. Jack laughed.

"Excitable, huh?" he laughed. Aster looked at him with a mischievous grin promising a late night.

"You know the saying." Snickered Aster, nibbling at Jack's neck.

"Which one, cotton tail." He added a teasing squeeze to Aster's tail for emphasis, and Aster merely smirked.

"Tonight you're going to find out why they say 'their fucking like rabbits'." He said darkly, killing the lights with a hind paw. Meanwhile Mother Nature was hiding on the roof with another, rainbow hued fairy with a video camera and sound recorder.

"If this doesn't turn into excellent blackmail, I don't know what will." Snickered Mother Nature, turning on the night-vision option. Tooth merely high fived her partner in crime, adjusting her headphones and the microphone for optimum recording.

Tooth giggled. She'd have to remember to make Jack a copy.