Okay, so here's another RotG fic for you guys. And, of course, it's Jack and Bunny centric. I tried to write it in a way that could be either Jackrabbit or not, per each reader's preference. I'm a Frostbunny fan myself, so I'm open to both, though I don't think I'm good at writing them as a romantic couple just yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Rise of the Guardians. The characters and story are the property of Dreamworks Animation and William Joyce.

Dispensable

It had been a few months since the defeat of Pitch Black and, unfortunately for Jack, things seemed to be almost back to normal; he was ignored, alone, and unneeded. Sure, he went to the monthly Guardian meetings…that lasted an hour, two at most. Sure, he'd pass by Sandy or Tooth (or Baby Tooth, who would skip her duties to follow him around for a few hours) as they were making their nightly rounds. He'd stop and say hello…catch up for a few minutes. Sure, he'd stop by the Pole or the Warren every once in a while to see if they needed help…which nine times out of ten was a no (big, fat no, in Bunny's case). Other than that…

Nothing.

Not a damn thing. And since it was summertime in the northern hemisphere, there was no reason for him to visit Burgess…where his only believers were. Being a winter spirit, Jack had his limitations.

He was by himself again. And that was a bad, bad thing. When one is alone as often as Jack, one gets to thinking. Thinking about things that shouldn't be thought about.

As Jack sat on a cliff overlooking the great expanse of the Antarctic tundra, he thought…

What's my purpose now?

Why am I a Guardian?

With Pitch gone, where do I stand?

Am I even needed anymore?

That last one stung. Was he needed? There was no threat to the children that he knew of. All he did was what he had done for three-hundred years…make snow.

For the last two months, he had made snow. In Antarctica. Alone.

So lost in his musings, he failed to notice a change in his surroundings until it was far too late. One moment he was staring at the sunset in Antarctica, the next he was laying on his back in a field of the softest, greenest grass imaginable.

"Oi, Frostbite. Looks like I finally got yer attention."

Jack blinked owlishly for a moment, trying to dispel the dizziness that suddenly overwhelmed him. Tipping back his head, he was staring at a pair of gray, furry feet.

"Up here." He kept tilting his head forward until he was looking at an upside-down version of a smirking Bunnymund. Jack struggled to his feet and glared at Bunny as he brushed away the blades of grass that stubbornly clung to his hoodie and pants.

"What's the big idea, Kangaroo?"

Bunny frowned, "I don' like bein' ignored, Frostbite."

"I wasn't ignoring you."

"I tried callin' yer name for five minutes straight."

Jack's cheeks darkened in embarrassment, "Sorry, I was thinking," he scowled, "but you didn't have to drop me down a rabbit hole! I coulda broken my neck!"

The Pooka waved it off, "Eh, yer fine. Or would ya rather I conk ya on the head with one of my boomerangs?" He pulled said weapon out and examined it. He was met with silence, "Didn' think so."

"So, why am I here, exactly?"

Bunny paused, sticking the boomerang back in its holster, "I was wonderin' if ya wanted ta help me out with somethin'."

Jack gaped for a moment before crossing his arms over his chest and puffing a few strands of ivory hair out of his eyes. He adjusted his posture, casually resting his weight on one leg, "You want my help? Since when? Last time I offered to help you, you said, and I quote, ' I'm too busy, I don' have time ta clean up after yer messes righ' now, Frostbite. Go pester someone else.'," he mocked, using a poor impression of Bunny's accent.

"I really was busy, I had ta clean up the mess Pitch left behind."

"You said it two weeks ago, after the last meeting," Jack said dryly.

"Oh, tha'," he muttered sheepishly, "I was pretty aggro at North an' I took my anger out on ya. Sorry 'bout tha'," his voice rang with sincerity.

The winter sprite looked at Bunny carefully, then nodded in approval, "Fine. So, what did you want my help with?"

Aster smirked, "I need a taste tester." Jack looked at him in confusion and Bunny's smirk widened, "Eggs ain't my only specialty, ya larrikin." He cocked his head to the side, indicating that he wanted Jack to follow him, "C'mon, I'll show ya."

When Jack didn't move, Bunny sighed and slung his arm over the boy's shoulders, dragging him along until he started walking on his own, "I'm capable of walking by myself, Bunny," he huffed.

"Didn' look like it. Thought ya needed a little help," Bunnymund shoved Jack forward, making him stumble, "Now get movin' before I decide ta carry ya along instead."

"I'm going, I'm going."

It took them a good ten minutes to reach the entrance to the burrow; Jack fell behind a few too many times for Bunny's liking, and ended up being hefted over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"Let me go! Stupid Kangaroo, put me down!" The Pooka dropped Jack unceremoniously on his butt just outside the entrance to the burrow, "Oof."

"When I say move, ya move. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

Bunnymund led Jack through the main sitting room and down a narrow hallway that seemed to go on for miles. Jack looked around in awe as it broke off into multiple rooms and tunnels, more than he could keep track of.

"Whoa, Bunny, this place is huge!"

Bunny glanced at him over his shoulder, his brow furrowed, "Yeah, well, I didn' always live alone. But tha's a story for another time." Jack could hear the pain and anguish in Bunny's voice, so he let the subject drop.

After another half hour of stiff silence, Bunny stopped in front of a door that looked completely out of place in comparison to the rest of the burrow. While everything else was simple and soft, this door was loud and more ornate than anything the boy had ever seen. The dark wood paneling was outlined by golden trim. Swirls of golden and silver paint covered the door itself, which was curved along the top, like an egg. The knob was also golden…and egg shaped.

Bunny placed a paw on the doorknob and looked at Jack, "Have ya figured out wha' I need ya ta taste for me, yet?" The teen shook his head and Bunny frowned, "Aw, come on, wha' else do kids look forward to on Easter, aside from the googies?" Jack shrugged.

"I never celebrated Easter. Not that I had a reason to in the last three-hundred years, anyway."

Bunny's stomach dropped, it was his fault that Jack didn't understand the purpose and great things that Easter was about.

"Wha' 'bout yer memories? Didn' ya celebrate it before ya were chosen?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen them all yet. Tooth thinks it's a good idea to look at them over a period of time. Seeing them all at once would be too overwhelming. I've only seen a few of the more important ones," Jack quickly backpedaled, "Not that Easter isn't important! I just wanted to know more about my family first…"

Bunny put a paw on his shoulder and smiled, "I can understan' tha'. Now, as for why yer here…" he slowly opened the door to reveal the most amazing room in the burrow.

Jack's jaw hit the floor as the most exquisite scent wafted to his nose. The room had to be at least the size of a football field, with a door at the opposite end; one wall was half-littered with shelves upon shelves of vials, jars, and bags. Beneath them were rows of machines and melting pots, all golden with flecks of iridescent green. The other wall was also lined with shelves, but they reached from ceiling to floor. Along each shelf were hundreds of small, thin boxes that seemed to be color-coded. In the center of the room was a small table, set for two.

"Aw, Bunny, you're such a romantic," Jack cooed jokingly when he saw the table.

"Ah, rack off, sit down, and shut yer gob, ya dill." Bunnymund shoved Jack towards the table as he walked over to the western wall, grabbing a small tray on his way over. Muttering to himself, he opened three boxes along the wall- a soft blue one, a deep red one, and a gold-bronze one. Loping back to the table, he set the tray in front of Jack and took a seat in the free chair.

"Chocolate?"

Bunny smiled, "Chocolate. North's cookies and candy canes are good an' all, bu' no one, an' I mean no one, can make sweets like me."

Jack arched a brow, "Oh, really? Confident, are we?"

Bunny smirked, "Nope, jus' statin' a fact. See fer yerself. It's why I brought ya down here, anyway."

"They aren't poisoned, are they?"

Bunny rolled his eyes, "If I wanted ta kill ya, ya'd already be long gone, mate. An' I ain't one ta take the easy way out, ya know. Poison, ha. Tha's the coward's way out."

Jack grinned and picked up the one from the blue box. It was a darker chocolate than the other two, and when he bit into it, he felt a chill run through his entire being. The inside had a fluffy, white texture, almost snow-like. Jack hummed.

"Ya like it? It's my newest flavor. I used double the amount of peppermin' extract than I normally do. Too much?"

"No! It's perfect! Can I have another one?"

Bunnymund laughed at Jack's enthusiasm, "Not yet, mate. I still need ya ta taste the other two for me first."

Jack's smile lit up the entire room as he popped the entire second chocolate into his mouth in one bite.

Bunny's eyes widened, "Slow down, mate. Ya keep tha' up, yer gonna choke."

The winter sprite nodded and chewed slowly. This chocolate had a tangy, sticky center. The chocolate coating melted in his mouth, and he moaned in approval.

"Raspberry. I had ta pull back on the fruit flavoring fer this one. The berry was overpowering the chocolate. Can ya still taste enough of the raspberry?"

Jack nodded jerkily, "Yes! It's amazing! What's next?"

The Pooka smiled warmly, glad to see that the shadow behind the boy's eyes from earlier had vanished.

It had taken Bunny a good two hours of fruitless searching before he'd found Jack curled up in a ball in Antarctica. He'd noticed a change in the boy's demeanor during the last few meetings, but said nothing. He didn't feel that it was his place to comment if the kid wanted to sulk. At their last conference, however, it was clear that Jack was depressed, and that just didn't sit right with him. Sure, the kid rubbed his fur the wrong way sometimes, well…most of the time, but he was still just that: a kid. And a Guardian. Of Fun. The Guardian of Fun shouldn't be depressed, it goes against his very nature.

But Bunny could tell that something was wrong. And it was his duty, not just as a Guardian, but as a friend, that he do something to help. So he decided to take the kid up on his offer to help out. But with what? What could the boy do that wouldn't be completely ruined if the boy made a mistake? Then it hit him. The chocolates. They were easy enough. He could always make more at any time if something went wrong.

He was suddenly pulled from his musings when a pale hand began waving in front of his face.

"Hey, Kangaroo. Anyone home? Hello?" Bunny grasped Jack's wrist and tugged, pulling him out of the air and back into his seat, "Ouch…" the boy muttered. Bunny smirked.

"Calm down, kid. Maybe givin' ya sugar wasn' the best idea…"

"No, no, no. I'm fine. You were just off in some other world. I had to bring you back to earth somehow," it was Jack's turn to smirk, "Unless you'd rather I freeze your ears or something."

Bunnymund's ears flattened against his skull, "Nah, I'm good. How's abou' tha' last chocolate then, eh?"

Jack's eyes brightened, "Yum." He picked up the last chocolate.

"This one's a special caramel sprinkled with a little sea salt."

"Salt? On caramel?" Jack gave Bunny a disgusted look.

The Pooka grinned, "Just try it already, ya dill. I've been makin' chocolates longer than you've been alive. I know what I'm doin'." Bunny saw Jack's eyes dull for a moment at the word "alive", but he didn't comment. That would be something else to ask him about later.

The winter spirit gave him a skeptical look before tentatively nibbling on one of the edges. His face lit up as he chewed and he tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth again. Bunny, catching on quickly, snatched it out of his hand.

Jack's teeth snapped together around nothing, "Hey!"

"I told ya not ta gobble it down like tha' or yer gonna choke. I don' wanna hafta use the Heimlich Maneuver on ya. It wouldn't be pleasant."

"Fine, fine. Can I have the chocolate now?"

Bunny thought for a moment, "Sure, but only if ya promise ta answer a few questions fer me afterwards. Deal?"

Jack hesitated, "What kind of questions?"

Bunnymund shook his head, "Nuh uh. I ain't tellin' ya. Do we have a deal?" he asked, waving the candy teasingly in front of the boy's face.

Jack let out a defeated groan, "Okay...deal. Now, gimme the chocolate, Kangaroo!"

Bunny huffed and handed it back to him, "Slowly, Frostbite. Slowly."

"Yeah, yeah."

After Jack finished licking his lips, he stood up, intending to leave, "Well, it's been fun, Cottontail, but I gotta be on my way. See ya!"

Before he could fly away, Bunny grabbed the sprite by the ankle and yanked him back into his chair again, "Not so fast, Frosty. We had ourselves a deal, didn' we?" His glare intensified with every word. Jack shrunk back in his seat.

"Yeah..."

"So, where were ya runnin' off to in such a hurry?"

"Nowhere."

"Good. Now, let's go somewhere more appropriate for this d&m."

Before Jack had the chance to ask what d&m meant, Bunny was halfway down the hall.

Jack spent the whole time walking behind Bunny, trying to figure out what kind of questions he'd want to ask. He didn't like the answers he thought of.

He followed the oversized rabbit back to the sitting room and sat at the opposite end of a small couch. He turned to face Bunny, who was looking him dead in the eyes.

"So, Jack, min' tellin' me wha' ya were thinkin' so hard 'bout when I found ya?"

Jack shifted his eyes away, "Not much, just thinking."

"Musta been thinkin' really hard 'bout somethin' to not hear me callin' yer name fer five whole minutes." At Jack's silence, Bunny sighed, "Y'know, Snowflake, ya can talk ta me. I know we've had our problems an' all, more than our fair share, I'll admit, but I do care 'bout ya." The winter spirit's head snapped up and he stared at the Pooka in shock. Bunny looked affronted, "Really, ya think tha' after everythin' tha' happened with Pitch I'd just write ya off and give up on ya again?"

Jack looked down at his clasped hands again, "That's what it feels like," he mumbled almost too low for Bunny's expert hearing to pick up. Almost.

"Wha' d'ya mean?"

"S'not important."

"Jack, if somethin's botherin' ya, it's important."

Jack hissed, "Oh, that's rich coming from you. The guy who's hated me for the past half century."

Bunny's ears flattened against his head, "I never hated ya, mate."

Jack looked up and glared at him, "Could've fooled me."

Jack's sudden attitude started to grate on Aster's nerves, "Listen, ya show pony, yer the one who always starts the bickerin', so don' go blamin' me fer all the fights we have."

"Look, I thought you said you wanted to talk. If all we're going to do is argue like this, then I'm outta here." But as Jack moved to stand, Bunnymund grabbed a hold of his wrist with one paw, covering his eyes wearily with the other.

"Manny, give me strength. Jack, mate, I do need ta talk with ya. Now, ya probably ain't gonna like the questions I'm gonna ask ya. But they need to be asked and answered if we're goin' ta move forward."

Jack sighed and nodded, "Let's get this over with, then."

"Jack, tell me, wha' ya were thinkin' 'bout on tha' cliff?"

"Stuff."

Bunny rolled his eyes, "More specific, please."

"I was thinking about how things are going back to the way they were before Pitch."

Bunnymund tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Isn' tha' a good thing?"

The sprite's eyes narrowed, "Good for you maybe. You were already the proud Easter Bunny, a Guardian, someone people looked up to. What was I? A pariah, a nobody, someone people tended to avoid at any cost. I had nothing before Pitch, and, apparently, I have nothing after him, either."

"But, yer a Guardian now, ya have us. An'-"

Jack cut him off, "I have you? How? Tell me how in the world I have you!" All of the emotions he'd held in for the past three-hundred years burst like a flooded dam. Tears began welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He would not show weakness. Especially in front of him, "Since the fight with Pitch, I can count on my hands the number of hours we've spent together. Every time I even try to do something with you, or any of the others, I get shot down. How much more effort do you want me to put into this?

"Oh, and I have the status of a Guardian now, right? Well, what has that gotten me? A few believers? That's great, but I only get to see them three months out of the year. What do I do the other nine? There's no danger to protect the children from, so what good am I? I'm not needed anymore. I'm useless. Dispensable."

Aster looked at him in shock, "Yer not useless! Not at all!"

"Yes, I am! What good am I? Tell me? What do you need me for?"

"Snowflake, yer part of the family now. We care 'bout ya. Me, Sandy, North, and Tooth. We need ya."

"That doesn't answer my question. Answer the question, Bunny. What for? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just head off to Antarctica as stay there for the rest of eternity."

Bunny, who had slackened his grip on the boy's wrist, tightened it again and pulled the boy closer, "Fer one thing, I wouldn' let ya. Second thing, ya can't jus' disappear off the face of the planet. Kids need ya. Ya bring them joy."

Jack scoffed, "Hm, 'Wha' does this clown know 'bout bringin' joy ta children, anyway?' Sound familiar?"

Bunny's ears wilted, "I was wrong 'bout ya when I said tha'. Ta be honest, I think ya know more 'bout makin' kids happy than the rest of us."

"Three-hundred years alone gives a guy a lot of time to learn those kinds of things," he deadpanned.

Bunny winced but shook it off, "Ya see? Ya were a Guardian long before Manny chose ya. Ya have been protectin' the children fer three-hundred years. Ya can't say tha' yer useless now if ya haven' been useless before. Righ'?"

Jack looked at Bunny in confusion, "I don't understand."

Aster put both paws on Jack's shoulders, "Ya have never been dispensable, Snowflake. Jus' 'cause there's no imminent danger doesn' mean yer not needed."

"But I'm still alone," the tears in the boy's eyes began spilling over, though he hastily tried to wipe them away, "I've been alone for so long, and I thought that once Pitch was defeated…I thought…I thought…I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was just expecting to not be alone anymore," he let out a watery, bitter laugh, "I guess my expectations were too high, huh?"

Bunny pulled the winter sprite into a hug, causing Jack to stiffen, then struggle. He didn't put much effort into it, though, and quickly relented, pushing further into Bunny's embrace. Bunnymund ignored the tears, cold as they were, if just to preserve Jack's dignity. The kid needed comfort, not ridicule; this moment would never reach the ears of anyone…not even the other Guardians.

"Jack, I'm sorry. We shoulda realized tha' ya would need more stability after bein' on yer own for so long. I shoulda realized it," he muttered the last bit more to himself. He gently nuzzled Jack's white mop of hair to calm him, "I promise ya, we're gonna do better for ya. Things are gonna be different from here on out."

When Jack pulled away slightly, his eyes held the most hope Bunny had ever seen in any child, even if there was a bit of skepticism hidden there, "Don't make me any promises that you don't intend to keep, Bunny."

"Believe me, kid, this is one promise I definitely intend ta keep," Bunny smirked, "Now, how 'bout tha' other peppermin' chocolate ya wanted?"

A half grin lit up Jack's face, "Definitely."

How'd it go? This isn't where I expected it to go…yet again…but I liked it. I try not to ask for reviews, but I would like to know what you think, so, drop me a line, write a review, give me a critique, if you have the time.

Bye bye.

*SB*