This can be read as a companion story to Chill, my oneshot about Jack and Sarah. I just had to give Bunny some love! Rated M just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizeable from Rise of the Guardians.

Chocolate Connoisseur

He always loved to see the children enjoy his eggs and baskets. It wasn't odd for him to spend hours hiding in the bushes watching them squeal in glee at finding another hidden egg. It was during these private times that he truly understood why he was meant to be a Guardian. Especially when his attention was brought to a young girl who had lost all hope in Easter. He had been alerted to the vanishing light by North. The older man had placed a comforting hand on Bunny's shoulder and given a compassionate but sad smile. It was normal to lose believers once they got older and there were always more children being born to take their place. However, this one was different. She was only five years old. Bunny wondered to himself how he could have lost one so easily and instantly went up to the surface to figure it out.

He was met with a sight he would have never liked to see again. Very early Easter Sunday morning a house was surrounded by police cars. Two tarps were lying in the street and his little girl was sitting on the porch, her eyes void of emotion save for the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Shock," one of the paramedics explained to the uniformed men. Bunny's eyes widened in his own shock as she was taken away in the ambulance, and he remained to listen to the horror that had taken place. Witnesses cried about how awful it was, how it could have happened to such a sweet family, what would happen to the little girl now.

"Oh, no." Aster mumbled to himself, watching as the bodies of the girls' parents were taken away. He quickly opened a tunnel back to the Warren, no longer in the mood to watch all of the happier children who were blissfully blind to this horror. It wasn't until later that day that he figured out what had happened. He learned that the little girl's name was Rachel, and that her parents were hiding eggs around the house early in the morning when a burglar cornered them in the front yard. When he realized that they had no money on them he took out his anger on them, shooting them and killing them instantly. Rachel had been asleep in her room and had been awakened by the gunshots. Her elderly neighbor next door had not been able to get to her in time to keep her from seeing the bodies. No wonder she doesn't believe, anymore. Bunny thought, painfully. Not only had she lost her parents in such a tragic way on what was supposed to be a celebratory day, but she figured out that they had been placing the eggs. What a way to "discover" that the Easter Bunny wasn't real! He had tried visiting her in the hospital, but of course she saw right through him. From that moment he vowed that he would make her believe.

Bunny watched her grow up since then. She had moved to live with her grandmother some states away. Her social worker had said that it was better that way, to be far away from those memories. It did seem to help. She went back to school after a while, made friends, and even seemed to have fun. But the turning point was that next year when she woke up on Easter morning to a colorful dancing egg on her bedspread. Rachel had grasped it in her hands with an awed expression and a true smile had lit up her face as brightly as her light on North's globe. Bunny could finally smile then, too. He would never admit it, but he had also allowed her to catch sight of his ears disappearing into the tunnel to her bedroom. Just seeing her with a spark of hope in her heart again was worth it.

He had continued watching her through middle school and high school, and her light stayed glowing. She had grown up into a caring young woman, and thankfully time had taken away her memories of that day. She no longer associated Easter with the death of her parents, but the beginning of something wonderful. Every year Bunny would watch her open her basket with childlike glee, the expectation in her eyes when she woke up making him feel as though all of the hard work was worth it. That was years ago…

x~x

Rachel sighs as she hangs up her apron on the peg, nodding tiredly to her coworkers. Finally, I can go to sleep. She stifles a yawn and grabs her purse from her locker before making her way out of the diner. She breathes in the damp earthy scent of Spring in the air, smiling slightly. She would finally graduate this Spring after seven years at University. Her smile widens as she continues the walk from the diner to her apartment. Her mind wanders to her grandmother back in Ohio. She loved her dearly, but the need to get away for college was overpowering. Rachel had been forced to get a full time job at eighteen and put her college education off for a year in order to save for tuition, but she had done it. She was only thankful that she could maintain her full time job while working diligently on her classwork. Her grandmother had encouraged her even when it took longer than they both expected.

"You're already twenty-six, how much longer is it going to take?" She would ask with a grin.

"As long as fate decides." Rachel mumbles the answer aloud to herself, chuckling. "I should call her." She always got sentimental around this time for multiple reasons. She looks up at the stars twinkling down happily at her. She could almost imagine her parents up there wishing her well. She continues to smile with that comforting thought, her steps light on the concrete.

As soon as she enters her bedroom her cell phone begins to ring. She sighs, determined to ignore it as she pulls off her clothes, wanting to wash the smell of frying oil and coffee off of them. However, her eyes travel over the screen and catch the picture of a smiling brunette. Temptation sets in and she groans, picking up the phone and answering with a dull, "hello."

"Hey, Rachel! So, there's this party-"

"Cassie, no!" Rachel glares at her purple wall, ignoring the rising excitement in her gut. Every year the night before Easter her best friend would try to get her to go to these crazy parties in the city. They were supposed to be quite a bash, with costumes, alcohol, food, and as Cassie always stressed, "very cute boys."

"Aw, come on! I really, really want to go and Sean backed out on me. Please, I beg of you!"

"Cass, I'm really tired." Rachel sighs, running a hand through her hair, grimacing at the texture. "And I need a shower."

"Well then take a shower and I'll be over in a half an hour with a steaming caramel macchiato!" Cassie blurts out excitedly. Rachel can practically hear her friends' oncoming squeal at her pause. She knew caramel was Rachel's weak spot.

"Really?" She mumbles, and Cassie does indeed squeal loud enough that Rachel has to pull the phone away from her ear.

"I love you Rach! Truly! Okay, I'm going to Starbucks, alright? See you in a bit! Love you!" Cassie hangs up and Rachel can't help but giggle. It has been a long time since she's been out and if she has caffeine, well…

Her smile reappears as she starts to ransack her closet for something suitable for the parties Cassie is always raving about. Easter is about new beginnings after all, right?

x~x

Bunny tries to contain his anxiety as he hops around the Warren, ordering eggs about as he attempts to get them all painted in time. His eyes dart to the baskets, checking them for what seemed to be the twelfth time. Even the stone eggs were beginning to get annoyed with him. Aster's leg starts to twitch, his foot tapping the ground nervously and he accidentally opens a tunnel. He leaps away from it quickly and scolds himself, refocusing on the colorful eggs marching through the grass. They are already heading toward the tunnels to the surface.

"Good." He mutters, watching them diligently for any flaws. He smiles proudly as he sees that they are all very beautiful this year, not a mediocre one in the bunch. When more than half of them have been safely seen to the surface and begin hiding in bushes and scattering themselves inside of houses, he allows himself to focus on the baskets once more. He brings a paw up to his chin thoughtfully as he stares at one in particular. It is different shades of purple with curls and curls of white ribbon and a large bow on top. He hops closer and scans the contents once more before realizing what is missing. "Bugger…" He immediately runs back to the confectionary, praying that what he searches for will be there.

x~x

Rachel laughs humorlessly at the fabric that Cassie holds up before her.

"You're not serious?"

"Completely serious. Come on! You totally have the body for this, just do it for me!" Cassie shoves the costume into Rachel's hands and she instinctively lets it fall to the ground, stepping away from it as if it carries a disease. "Rach, it's not going to bite! Sheesh!" The brunette turns away from her with a roll of her eyes and adjusts her own outfit, checking herself from all angles.

"Cassie, I am not wearing that!" Rachel says vehemently, staring at her friend with wide eyes. Her friend's retort is lost on her as her mind wanders. I wonder what I'll get this year. A smile graces her lips as she thinks about the stuffed rabbit on her bed. She had received it the year after her parents' death, and ever since then it had seemed to emanate a comforting spirit to her. Since then the gifts had changed. Strangely enough, they had appeared to alter to her tastes, as if the Easter Bunny knew what she enjoyed most. Last year had been delicious…

"Rachel!" She glances up at the exclamation and raises an eyebrow. She had never told Cassie about her still believing in the Easter Bunny. It wasn't that she was afraid that she would be mocked, but it seemed strangely personal, her relationship with the Easter Spirit. They had been there for her at her lowest, and had helped her heal in the sweetest way possible. She laughs softly at her own pun, and Cassie's face explodes into happiness. "Good! Now, hurry up!" She throws a pair of heels at Rachel who sputters in confusion. Surely, she hadn't agreed to… oh boy.

x~x

Bunny smiles as he watches the children find eggs where they least expect them. Every grin and happy exclamation warms his heart. He hops from bush to bush to enjoy their happiness before he looks back up at the sun. It had been up for quite a while and still he knew that Rachel was not home yet. That was strange. Usually she stayed home the night before, but when he arrived to personally deliver her basket she was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, he had returned to the Warren to continue watching over the delivery of Easter, but now he was starting to become worried. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he opened a tunnel to her bedroom and his eyes immediately sought out her bed. No Rachel.

"Where are ya, shiela?" He asks himself, hopping around absently. Suddenly he hears a key in the front door and gasps, hopping over to her closet and hiding in the darkness. One of her heels stabs the bottom of his foot but he holds in his curse, twitching an ear to move the sleeve of a shirt from the top of his head. When her bedroom door finally opens he almost thinks he has the wrong apartment. Then she turns to face him and his jaw drops. What in the hell is she wearing? She is on the other side of her bed from him so he can only see the tall white stilettos rapping on the hardwood floor and a pair of tall white furry ears poking up above the comforter. She moves into his full sight and turns to her dresser and he can see a fluffy white cottontail poking from her rear, nearly making him choke.

Rachel sighs and stretches, feeling her muscles strain from her long night. She rubs her eyes, trying not to mess up her eyeliner and mascara too badly, and yawns.

"Ugh. No more nights out after work. I'm exhausted." She mumbles to herself, and Bunny feels his heart leap at hearing her voice. Then he wonders where she could have gone that she found the need to dress as a rabbit! If one could even call her one. His green eyes trail down from the fluffy bent rabbit ears on the top of her head, to her long curly blonde hair currently held up in a messy bun. Strands were falling from it, hinting that she had indeed been out for a long time. Her eyes were made up with smoky browns and blacks, making them appear to smolder, and her lips were painted a tantalizing coral tone that reminded him of gumdrops.

Rachel kicks her heels off and moans at the relief in her feet, pulling one foot behind her and drawing his attention to her long legs poured into black tinted stockings. How old was she again? Bunny found himself doing the math in his head and is only slightly relieved when he realizes that she should be well into her twenties by now. However, that doesn't give any excuse to his wandering eyes.

She comes closer to him, looking tempted to just fall asleep where she stands, and he sees that she is wearing some sort of strapless white leotard that looks more suitable for a ballet recital than actual display in public. Her round breasts are cradled in the bodice perfectly and her curvy hips are accentuated by the tight material. The white puff ball at her rear seems to twitch with her every move, capturing his eyes once more.

"Crikey…" He exhales, sinking further into the closet, shaking his head irritated when it only serves to surround him in her scent lingering on her clothing. It is only then that Rachel seems to remember what day it is. A smile covers her face and she instantly scans her room from top to bottom. He knows what she's searching for and despite the sudden heat he feels deep in his abdomen, he smiles and silently encourages her to find it.

She moves to each corner of the room and peeks around her dresser. It isn't until she is so close that he can almost make out each of her eyelashes that he begs for mercy that she will not look in her closet. He holds his breath as she gets closer, and then breathes a sigh of relief when she turns to the bed with a sly smile. Bunny shifts closer when she stops at the bedside and smiles as she crouches down. Then his eyes widen in horror. She bends over and looks under the bed, her backside on full view for him. He tries desperately to look away, but she moves forward with a cry of triumph, accidentally knocking the ears off of her head in the process. She laughs and shakes them further onto the floor, pushing her upper body as far under her bed as possible and grasping the basket. She pulls it out with a grin and Bunny sighs in relief as she stands again before jumping onto her bed with the purple basket in hand.

"Oooh." She murmurs to herself as she looks over the contents. When he is certain that Rachel is there to stay, he carefully moves closer to the entrance of the closet to watch her enjoy her basket. He knew exactly what she would find, as he had prepared it specially himself. She always did love his chocolates the most, especially the ones filled with caramel. She leans back against her pillows and balances the basket on her thighs, a fact that he tries to ignore. She reaches in for the truffles first, smiling and unwrapping the gold foil. She pops one into her mouth and closes her eyes, savoring it. Bunny smiles and feels that he has succeeded for another year. The sparkle in her eyes is worth running around like an idiot to make sure everything's perfect.

Rachel idly plays with the curled ribbon on the basket as she chews, rocking her feet back and forth on the comforter. She reaches for another truffle when she finishes the first.

"Mmmm, you have outdone yourself this year, Bunny." She says, and he feels his heart swell. She always was his favorite. She appreciated his chocolates the way no one else did. The children usually either scarfed them down without taking the time to enjoy them or some even let them sit in their room for months without even tasting them. Rachel accidentally bites into the truffle too soon and the caramel insides spill out slightly onto her lips. She giggles and licks the sticky substance off, once again drawing Bunny's attention to the fact that she had grown up too fast before his eyes. Though she was as sweet as the confections she was currently eating, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew just how alluring she had become. He shakes his head to clear out those thoughts. He was a Guardian! And he refused to become some perverted Peeping Tom like Frost. Rachel was once again rooting through the basket and her new smile should have told him what she found. The one thing that he almost forgot… and now wishes he had.

Rachel pulls out the large solid milk chocolate bunny, complete with green eyes. Bunny wills her to save it until he can make a quiet getaway.

"So cuuuuute." She coos, tracing a hand over the form.

"Yes, it is. Now put it back." He begs quietly. No such luck, he thinks as she begins unwrapping the rabbit. "No, no, no… bloody hell." He watches with dread as she brings the rabbit up to her mouth and begins to suck on the tip of the ears, closing her eyes as the chocolate pleases her taste buds. Why can't she just viciously bite them off like the others do? He doesn't think it can get worse until her tongue snakes out to wrap around the ears before her lips engulf them once more. "Son of a bitch, shiela!" Rachel gasps and sits up, dropping the chocolate rabbit. Aster freezes and wonders just how loud he had been and watches as she scans the room again, suddenly alert.

"Who's there?" He feels a chill go down his spine and just wants to disappear. "Bu-bunny?" Her voice squeaks at the end of her inquiry and she raises a hand to her chest as if to slow her pounding heart. The Moon knows Bunny's own heart was racing. He thought about coming out. He would just show himself and apologize for being a creeper and…

Rachel hears a commotion coming from behind her and almost trips over her own feet in surprise, scrambling off of the bed. Her eyes widen at the sight of a gray rabbit jumping out of her closet, one of her socks hanging off of his ear. Her mouth opens and closes, no sound coming out. She takes a step back and blinks, trying to figure out if she's going crazy. There is a six foot tall rabbit in my bedroom, is all that goes through her mind as his green eyes meet hers.

"Oh my God." She whispers, still frozen. One of his ears twitches at the sound and she stares at them for a moment before taking a step closer to him. Without her heels she is almost a half foot shorter than him. She makes eye contact with him again but he doesn't say anything, just stares at her uncomfortably. She bites her lip, hesitating, and then her hand reaches out and her fingertips brush the fur on his chest. When she makes contact and her brain registers that he is indeed real, she jumps back and gasps, holding her hand to her chest. "Oh my God!"

"Now, calm down!"

"You can talk!" She nearly screams, and she's now jumping up and down as if her body cannot simply stay still after such a revelation. He can't stop the smirk that crosses his face as she does so.

"Heh. Now you really do look like a bunny!" He says, and her cheeks flush bright red as she realizes that she's still wearing the ridiculous outfit.

"Oh my God." She whispers, covering her face with her hands. Rachel doesn't know what to say, how to react. In reality he was not what she expected. She imagined a small fluffy creature like the ones in her old coloring books. "I… it was a costume party. I didn't… I didn't think you would still be here! I didn't even think you would be a male!" She exclaims, throwing her arms in the air before folding them over her chest. When his eyes dart down to her exposed cleavage from the motion, her cheeks flush again and she turns her back on him. "I can't do this. It's like some twisted bad dream." She was not going to have a conversation with a giant rabbit in her bedroom while he stared at her tits in a skimpy bunny outfit. She wasn't!

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare it's just… okay, that tail is distracting too." She groans in mortification and turns slightly to stare at him again. He straightens abruptly and she can't help but laugh.

"This isn't funny." She says, contradicting the smile on her face.

"No. How you were eating my chocolate was not funny. This is pretty damned funny."

"You're quite perverted, aren't you?" Aster feels a slight wave of shame at her words but her smile, and her blush, make him smile as well.

"Sorry."

"No, you're not." Bunny stares at her as she continues to smile at him, taking in her sudden confident demeanor. It was just another sign of how long he had watched her, how much she had grown. He remembers the sight of her on that porch so long ago, and he can't help but be thankful that she was able to build a new life for herself.

"No. I'm not." He says, thumping the floor twice with his foot. He watches her gasp and back away slightly from the tunnel that opens up before peering in curiously. "You always were my favorite." Her eyes shoot up to meet his at that and he winks at her before dropping into the hole and disappearing. She watches the hole close up quickly and hesitantly steps onto the hardwood where it had been. Her bare toes meet the hard surface and she sighs.

After a few moments Rachel turns back to her basket, staring at the abandoned chocolate rabbit on the bed. She moves toward it and smiles, deciding that she'd save the rest for later.

It is only a couple of hours later when she starts to throw her costume into the washer that she notices her rabbit ear headband is missing. She smirks and shakes her head.

"Bad Bunny."

x~x

Aster smiles as he places the fluffy white ears under the leather strap across his body. He would return them later, after he made Rachel another special batch of chocolates. Hopefully she would savor them as well…