Hello all! First off sorry for the longer the usual wait for this fic, it was a lot harder to write then I thought, and I took some extra time on it because I wanted to make my last fic in this universe extra special. It was a kinda bittersweet experience writing this one knowing it was going to be my last in this universe, but overall I'm happy with it and with the way I'm leaving things. Thank you to everyone who had read, commented, reviewed, followed and anything else my stories, it means the world to me! This one is for you all! Now, without further a due, I present for your pleasure, Spring Part 4!

Just beyond the emerald hills

Shining in the morning dew

There's a charming little home

Where your family waits for you.

Jack grunted in pain as he was tossed into the small cell that had become his home over the last two weeks. The cuts covering most every inch of his body flared, the bruises covering what was left throbbed and the two raw burns on his chest and stomach burned with an angry heat as he fell onto the had floor. Jack let out a shaky breath as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position and leaned against the soothingly cold stone of his cell well. "I don't know if I can do this Aster" he whispered to the empty cell "It's getting harder to fight him. He's going to break me." Jack's thoughts were filled with his husband, the strong arms he longed for, the calming voice and the 'everything is going to be ok' smile. He also thought of their child who had probably been born by now, the child he knew only as the light nudging, the child he was starting to fear he would never meet. "No" Jack said, he couldn't afford thoughts like that. He would meet his child, he would hold them and he would be there as they grew right beside his husband. His family needed him and he would not give up.

Jack began to sing, his voice bouncing off the cold stone of his cell, his voice cracking on occasion. He sang the song Aster had sung on that walk that seemed like a lifetime ago now. He let the words wash over him, closing his eyes until he could hear Aster's voice beside his own as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Jack was flying back to the warren, a carefully wrapped cake clutched in one hand. His anger had abated some time ago leaving mostly guilt behind as he remembered the fight that had sent him storming away in the first place. It had started over something so simple Jack couldn't even remember but had escalated quickly. "You're crazy!"s and "You did this to me!"s had been thrown around, along with a few household objects, and Jack had stormed from the burrow. His thoughts were interrupted as soon as he entered the lush green expanse of the warren to find the alarms going off, the protective spells broken.

Fear clutched Jack's heart as he continued farther into the warren the remains of several sentinel eggs, the stone that made up their bodies scorched and blackened, only increased his fears. Jack only knew one spirit that could break into the warren and leave marks like that, the thought propelled him even faster toward his burrow and his very pregnant and very vulnerable husband. Jack cursed himself as he flew, hating himself for leaving Aster alone, unprotected and unable to defend himself all over some petty fight. If anything happened to Aster or their child-no, Jack didn't want to even consider that. He didn't have any longer to worry when he landed at the entrance to their burrow, his heart sank lower seeing that their enchanted front door was gone, not hanging open or off its hinges, but gone, the burn marks on the frame speaking to just where it had gone. Jack cautiously made his way to the door, stepping into the darkness.

Jack jerked awake at the clang of metal against metal. He was picked up roughly and dragged out of his cell by one of the large semi-translucent featureless humanoid creatures that served as Ire's minions. The creature dragged him through the now familiar corridors until he reached the even more familiar room with the manacles hanging from the ceiling over the pit of burning coals. Jack had long since stopped struggling as he was strapped into place; he simply hung there limply by his wrists, waiting. He got to forty-six thousand today before Ire walked into the room carrying his evil staff, the familiar gleam in his eyes. Ire was late today, he usually arrived around twenty six or twenty seven thousand and Jack wondered what had kept him.

"Good morning Jack, did you sleep well?" Ire said as he approached with the same calm smile that always preceded the next part. Jack waited until Ire was directly in front of him before spitting in his face as he did every morning; it had become a sort of ritual that marked the beginning of each of their days together. Ire smiled sadly and thrusted his arm forward, impaling Jack on the twin blades of his staff. Jack gasped at the now familiar sensation of the metal sliding through his flesh, closing his eyes against the tears that came against his will. It was truly sad just how much of this hell has become familiar to Jack over the last weeks. It didn't matter how many times the next part happened though, he would never get used to it. Ire smiled once more and fire exploded within Jack, it felt like someone had lit his heart on fire making him groan at the pain, refusing to give Ire the satisfaction of his screams. This went on, as it always did for hours that seemed like years to Jack until, finally, Ire pulled the blades from his body leaving nothing but angry pink burn marks on his bare skin. Jack was unfasten from his restraints and carried to his cell, this was the repeating pattern of his life now. Pain sleep, pain sleep, pain sleep.

Now little one don't be afraid

No matter how far you roam

For just beyond the emerald hills

There shall always be your home.

Jack entered the room cautiously, his staff at the ready and was immediately greeted by an ominous "Uh uh uh Jack." As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he gasped in horror at the sight that greeted him. Aster was there, on his knees, his hands held behind his back making his large stomach stand out even more. Next to him stood Ire clothed in Kyle's body. He had donned a black leather long coat and was carrying a truly wicked looking weapon, a staff with two blades on one end with an evil looking serrated blade protruding from the other; it was the serrated blade that was currently resting at Aster's neck.

"Ire... I swear if you touch him…" Jack said letting the treat hang in the air, leveling his staff with Ir's chest.

"Hello Jack." Ire said with a grin "It's been a while, and my how things have changed! I assume you're the father?"

Jack glared at Ire "What are you doing here Ire?"

His tone pleasant and conversational Ire said "Straight to the point I see, and here I thought you liked to have fun. First off, drop the staff if you'd please." When Jack hesitated Ire's voice grew cold and he flicking the blade from Aster's neck to his swollen belly "Drop it, now."

"Jack don't" Aster said as Jack was about to drop the gnarled wood.

Ire backhanded Aster across the face, sending him sprawling "Silence!" He hissed.

Jack leapt into action, preparing to freeze Ire in place but Ire was faster then he'd expected. In the blink of an eye the spirit of anger took one step forward and thrusted the duel-bladed end of his staff forward, the shining metal diving directly at Jack's torso. Jack gasped as he felt the blades slide into his chest and stomach, tugging on his hoodie as they slid out of his back. He screamed, a searing heat seemed to pulse from where the blades impaled him. Ire said "Well I suppose this will do." Jack heard Aster's desperate shout of "JACK!" before a pillar of flames flared up around him and the darkness overtook him.

"Jack, Jack wake up." Said a familiar voice as Jack slowly blinked awake, wincing at the usual pain movement caused him.

Jack blinked rapidly, his eyes coming into focus to see the aged face of his best friend "Jamie?" he said uncomprehendingly.

"I'm really here Jack." Jamie said, reaching out, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack started at the very real touch; Jamie was here in his cell in whatever moon forsaken fortress Ire was keeping him in. "Jamie!" Jack exclaimed "How did you get here? Are the others here too? How are we getting out?" Jack stopped talking as Jamie shook his head slowly.

"I can't" He said sadly.

"What do you mean you can't?" Jack said, some of the happiness fading from his voice

Jamie's voice sounded frail as he said "I can't interfere with the timeline Jack, you know that. I'm sorry."

Jack stared at Jamie for a long time before finally saying "So why are you here then?"

"Because I couldn't do nothing." Jamie said almost desperately. He sounded like he was continuing a previous conversation. "You have to know that you're not alone, even if you feel like you are. Everyone is looking for you, there close to finding you just…don't give up." The desperation in his voice surprised Jack.

Jack thought for a long moment, dozens of thoughts crossing his mind and were promptly pushed aside. Jack knew Jamie wouldn't be able to do any of the things he would ask, he was probably bending the rules just to be here right now. Then he had a thought that wouldn't be pushed aside. "Has Aster had the baby?" he asked, not really expecting an answer but unable to not ask.

Jamie seemed to consider for a moment and then he nodded "They're both healthy and fine," then after another moment of thought he added "She's amazing Jack."

She. Aster had had their baby and it was a girl and they were both fine. He repeated that thought over and over, cementing it in his mind. Then the realization struck him, he had a daughter...

"I've got to go Jack, they're coming to get you. Don't give up." Jamie said suddenly, and then he was gone.

Jack stood there waiting for the torture he knew would be coming with a new strength to resist. He had a daughter, and he would meet her.

Fear the grasping shadows not

Don't tremble at the darkness cold

For just beyond the emerald hills

There's a place the dark has no hold.

While Jack was carried into the torture chamber he noticed a change to the usually constant room. The shackles still hung from the ceiling, the coal still glowed with angry heat, but a ways off from his place was a large black cloth covering…something. Even more unusual was the fact that Ire was already in the room, looking simply giddy. That more than anything made Jack uneasy, anything that gave the evil spirit of anger joy was sure to be a very bad thing for him. "I understand you had a visitor a few days ago Jack. How is dear old Father Time?"

Jack gave no external reaction at finding out that Ire knew of Jamie's visit, but inside his heart sank. If Ire knew what Jamie had told him then his chances of rescue had gone down dramatically. "I didn't believe your friends words, but then last night we had an intruder." Ire said dramatically, pulling the cloth away to reveal Aster tied to a stake and gaged with a black cloth. Jack's heart jumped at the sight of his husband, the flash of relief immediately crushed by despair. With Aster captured there was almost no chance the other guardian's would be able to mount a rescue, not without risking being captured themselves. Jack felt a sense of hopelessness start to wash over him.

Jack's eyes fell on Aster, looking over every bit of him carefully. He was battered, one eye swollen shut, blood matting much of his fur. Jack's eyes narrowed as they fell upon Aster's stomach now flat with a shaved patch, the only evidence of the birth. Looking closer Jack noticed something odd…a thin ropey scar running through the middle of the shaved area. Aster's words from all those weeks ago when they walked through his tunnels came back to Jack at that moment and he started laughing. He laughed loudly, hysterically as relief flooded through him. That wasn't Aster, just a phony created by Ire to try and break him. He continued laughing the lilting, hysterical laugh right until Ire stepped forward and jabbed the blades of his staff through him again. Then he screamed. Jack screamed as a fire flared through him, a hundred times worse than anything he had suffered thus far. He screamed until his voice broke and the coppery tang of blood covered his tongue, and still he screamed. Jack's entire world focused in on the pain as every nerve in his body screamed like they were being torn apart.

Jack did not know how long he burned, it could have been hours or minutes, it felt like years, but finally he felt the blissful cold returning to him as the blades were withdrawn from his body. He was dimly aware of falling; landing on the mercifully cold stone of the ground with a thud, laying there unable to move any part of his body. He was drifting in and out of consciousness as his unfocused eyes flicked around the room. The focused on Ire as he knelt down in front of Jack, a small crystal vile of swirling blackness clutched in his fist. Jack knew that vile, Ire had tried many times to use it to corrupt Jack, allow another of the primal spirits into the world in Jack's body. So far he had managed to fight, but at that moment Jack was fighting just to stay conscious and he doubted he would be able to put of any fight at all against the evil in that little glass vile.

Ire opened the vile and poured the contents onto Jack's chest, sneering down at him, his mouth forming words that Jack's bleary mind didn't hear. He felt a cold darkness spreading from the point where the shadows landed on him, covering him completely until he looked like a living shadow and then there was nothing. Jack floated in a darkness that was utterly complete, not a speck of light pierced the utter lack of anything that surrounded him. Jack felt a force pushing down on him, covering him, trying to snuff him out. He fought against it, but he was loosing, the force pushing down on him harder and harder, the darkness surrounding him promising relief and rest. It would be so easy to just slip away, to allow the force to push him away, to stop fighting and except what seemed inevitable.

'Don't give up Jack' Aster's angry voice sounded in Jack's head. Aster would never forgive him if he gave up and let himself fade away, Jack wouldn't forgive himself either. He would fight as long as he possibly could and then he would fight more. With thoughts of his loving husband reinforcing him like a cool breeze on a hot day, Jack fought against the pressure, shoving and kicking at it with all his strength. He was still too weak, he couldn't throw off the oppressive, suffocating force. 'She's amazing Jack' came Jamie's voice. His daughter, the daughter that he had never met, the daughter that he had loved since that first little nudge all those weeks ago. He remembered his resolve from days ago and he repeated it now, he would meet his daughter. He would meet her and they would be a family, his daughter would not grow up without him. With every ounce of strength he could muster Jack pushed against the force trying to smother him, fighting it with everything he was. For a moment that seemed to last an eternity. They strained against each other, the force buckled and Jack was one again lying on the cold floor of Ire's torture chamber. He heard the shout of rage from Ire and felt the blow as something struck his face. He was aware of being carried and thrown to the ground and then the darkness took him.

Jack was shaken awake by a firm paw shaking his shoulder the repeated desperate cry of 'JACK!' slowly filtering through his foggy mind. He blinked slowly, squinting as the dim light hit his eyes like spotlights. He felt a pair of strong arms lifting him and holding him to soft warm fur. No he thought, remembering Ire's trick from the previous day, he wouldn't let himself be fooled this time either "NO!" he shouted fighting furiously against the embrace.

The arms held fast, not forcing him closer but not letting him go. The whisper reached Jack through the blood pounding in the ears "Shh, sweetie you're ok now, it's me. You're safe now Jack." Jack wanted to believe that voice, the voice of his husband, more than anything he wanted it with a physical longing, but he couldn't. If he let himself believe and that belief turned out to be false he would break and Ire would win. He couldn't let that happen and so he fought the embrace he had longed for for so long. He fought until he couldn't fight anymore, the strength completely gone from his limbs. He felt himself being lifted and carried, not drug but carried, a small fall, a thud and then he was moving again, the motion lulling him back into the darkness.

Jack was lying somewhere soft, voices murmured all around him too distant and fast for his muddled brain to sort through. A large paw gripped his left hand, a thumb slowly stroking the back of it. Jack gripped that paw tightly and the furry appendage returned the motion, the mutters around him seemed to shift slightly, growing more excited. Jack drifted in and out of consciousness many times over some span of time that he couldn't begin to guess at, his eyes never able to process more than movements and colors, his ears hearing unintelligible murmurs and always the paw gripping his hand tightly.

Jack woke up more aware than he had been since before Ire's attempted trick with the fake Aster. He became aware of two things at the same time. The first was that the paw that he remembered was nowhere to be found and second was that something was pushing down on him, smothering him. Jack fought, thrashing violently against whatever it was that was covering over him, shouting out in fear and panic and he did so. He heard funning feet and then the force covering him was pulled away and he was wrapped in a pair of strong arms. Jack slowly blinked his eyes open, a feat made more difficult by the thin line of crust that was gluing them shut. Finally Jack opened them and looked into the concerned face of his husband, Aster's green eyes shining with concern and relief in equal measure. "Aster" Jack whispered, reaching his hand up to brush his rabbit's cheek.

Aster nodded and smiled "Everything's ok Jack, you're safe now." He said as he hugged Jack to him. Jack buried his face in the long fur on his husband's chest, unable to believe what was happening.

"How?" Jack asked into Aster's fur.

Aster started speaking into the crook of Jack's neck were his own face was buried, neither of them willing to release their hold on the other for a second. He explained how they had finally discovered Ire's fortress in the center of a volcano on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean and mounted a rescue. "When we found you…I was terrified we were too late. You were so weak, whatever Ire had done nearly killed you. Even when we got you back here we weren't sure if you'd make it or not…it was touch and go for a while." The pain in Aster's voice was evident as he spoke. He was rubbing one hand up and down Jack's back comfortingly, the other woven it Jack's white hair.

"You're going to have to work harder than that to get rid of me." Jack said with a small chuckle.

Aster did not laugh, instead he hugged Jack closer and said "I've already lost you one…I couldn't do that again."

"I'm sorry," Jack said "I'd never leave you."

"I know Jack."

The pair stayed like that for a long time, drinking in the comfort of each other's presence. It was during that time that Tooth came fluttering into the room, Jack paid her no mind though, not until a crying sound came from her direction. Jack froze at the small sound as Aster pulled away just enough so he could look Jack in the face "Was that…" Jack's whisper trailed off as the small cry sounded again, more persistent. Aster smiled, prying himself from Jack's arms, and slipped off the bed. Walking over to Tooth he took the small blanket wrapped bundle from her arms and turned back to Jack. Jack felt his breath quicken as Aster approached, his hand's shaking slightly.

With a bright smile Aster leaned down and said "Jack, meet your daughter, Liliana. Lily, meet your dad." He carefully deposited the small bundle into Jack's outstretched arms. Gently Jack took her into his arms, cradling her like she was made of glass. He gazed at his daughter for the very first time. She was more beautiful than anything Jack had ever seen. She was a Pooka at least as far as Jack could tell, long ears protruded from the top of her head, her noes came to a small pink point and a thin layer of fur as white as freshly fallen snow covered her completely. She blinked up at Jack with bright clear blue yes…his eyes.

"Hey there sweetheart" Jack said softly "I'm so glad to meet you." He looked up at Aster then and said "She's beautiful. Is she like you then? A Pooka I mean?"

Aster nodded as he walked around the bed and slid into it next to Jack, wrapping his arms around Jack's waist "She is a Pooka." He said.

"I'm sorry I missed your arrival" Jack said down to the precious little girl in his arms "But I'm here now, and I promise I'll be here for you from now on. I'll be here whenever you need me." He said blinking tears from his eye. He would always be there for his daughter just like she was there for him before he even knew her, she had saved him from the despair that would have overtaken him and he would never forget that. One of the tears running down his cheek fell onto Lily's nose causing the tiny face to scrunch up in a way that melted Jack's heart. She let out a tiny 'a-choo', a small patch of frost appearing on her blanked where she sneezed. Jack started at that before looking at Aster for an explanation.

"She really is the best of both of us." Aster said with a soft smile as he gazed down at the tiny face of their daughter.

Jack leaned down and kissed his daughter gently on the forehead "I love you." He whispered. Leaning back he kissed Aster and whispered "and I love you."

Aster smiled as he adjusted them slightly on the bed wrapping his arms around them "I love you both."

Jack leaned back against Aster's check as he cradled his daughter against his own. They were together as a family at last and things felt more right then Jack could ever remember. Lying there holding his daughter, both of them wrapped protectively in the strong arms of his husband, knowing everything was ok. Jack let out a content sigh and laid there, simply enjoying the perfect moment. He had his loving husband who he could always count on and he had his beautiful daughter who he would get to see grow up. He had his family, and in the end, that's all that really mattered.

Hurry now be on your way

Walk in the light shining above

For just beyond the emerald hills

You're safe in your families love.

So how was that? (The correct answer is freaking amazing ;P) Really though I hope people liked this, I tried my best to do it justice. I do have one thing to say before I go. While I was writing this fic it spoke to me, as many stories do while being written, at the end however it told me one very important thing. This story isn't quite over yet! I have one more story to tell in this universe curtsey of a pointed question by a friend. More to come on that story soon but I just wanted to mention it real fast ^_^ Now its late and I'm gonna go get some sleep, I love you all!