Hi! This is my first fanfic for Rise of the Guardians, and I'll admit, I'm a little apprehensive. I actually had never seen this movie until the summer. I didn't have any interest in RotG until I stumbled upon the fanfiction on this site. It was so good that it pulled me right in, and opened me up to a wonderful movie. So pat yourselves all on the back, and accept my heartfelt thanks. Hopefully I will maintain the standard that you have all set before me. Any criticism is welcome.

Lastly, I have not abandoned my Circle of Magic fanfiction. However, Nanowrimo is upon us, and all my efforts are focused on my dystopian world. The only reason this is going out is because it was pre-prepared. I will return to it tout-de-suite once December and my nervous breakdown roll around.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, nor will I profit from this (except in smiles from reviews!). Despite all the paper snowflakes I have made and the fact that no one notices me, I am not, in fact, Jack Frost. I also do not own the title picture, it belongs to DreamWorks studios.

We now return to our previously scheduled program!

Timeline: just after the scene at Antarctica (?)

"You shouldn't have said those things to him."

Bunny glanced over. Toothania was looking over the side of the sleigh, as if for an ethereally pale figure. The nervous energy she carried with her was gone, wiped away with the belief of the children they were supposed to protect. Now her wings were limp, she leaned heavily on the side of the sleigh. Losing Easter had taken its toll on her. He could already feel it beginning to do the same to him. It would not be pretty. E. Aster Bunnymund was fighting it as long as he could.

But fighting took a lot out of him, and his self-control was as broken as his googies. He snapped at her, which you should never, ever do at Tooth. "We all knew this would happen. Anyone would have made a better Guardian than Frost."

That she didn't punch him said something about how weak she was. They both knew they needed to save their strength for fighting Pitch. "You shouldn't have said those things. You chased him off without giving him a chance to explain."

"Like you wanted to know. He gave up Baby Tooth to Pitch, in exchange for his memories." Tooth flinched, and Bunny immediately felt horrible. The Tooth Fairy had suffered heavy losses in Pitch's attacks. Bringing it up again wasn't going to solve anything.

"Maybe we'll run into him again." He said, as a peace offering. "Then he can explain."

"You won't take it back though." She mumbled. "You never take anything back."

"Will be time for finger-pointing later," declared North from the front of the sleigh, "First, we must defeat Pitch."

"And then Jack," Tooth said, "Then we'll apologize to him." Toothania spent half her time sorting arguments between her fairies. She knew that no good would come of leaving wounds to fester.

Bunny rolled his eyes. "We'll see."

"Is arguing over now?" North asked from the front seat of the sleigh. "We have much to do!"

"Right! First order of business, we find out which kids still believe." Bunny was antsy to talk to them. It was silly, the Guardian of Hope, needing reassurances, but the little girl who had walked through him had shaken something in his core; brought forth some new fear he'd never known.

"The globe will tell us locations!" announced North, swinging the reins and sending the sleigh lurching in a nausea-inducing tilt.

Bunny grabbed hold of the sides with a groan. "Really, North, I understand the need for speed, but ain't there some way to make this ride a bit smoother?"

"And take fun out of ride?" the man roared back, "I think not!"

Bunny resigned himself to hugging the side, willing his stomach not to regurgitate.

"I swear, I'll tell MiM on you if I fall out of this bloody thing again!"

"Two centuries ago, Bunny. I have had sides fixed since then!"

And he made the sleigh rock again, just to annoy him.

Tooth, hands on the sides, squinted at the air. "Guys, look at that."

Dark clouds rumbled in the distance, but there was no lightning. Against the blackness was a small pinprick of white. If Bunny squinted, he could make out a blue hoodie.

"It's Jack!" exclaimed Tooth happily. "North, turn the sleigh!"

With an uneasy glance at the looming clouds, North complied. It was better to brave a storm than incur Tooth's wrath.

The boy's eyes were oddly blank. If they were red-rimmed, no one had time to notice.

"Jack!" Tooth called to him, unable to hide her relief. "We were so worried!"

He flinched at that, hiding behind his hood. The winds swelled, confused at the withdrawal of their friend.

North had only just directed the sleigh towards him when the skies started seething. The clouds were moving, a sudden turmoil, until they burst into smaller figures.

"Those ain't normal clouds," said Bunny.

"That's…"

"…Nightmare sand."

It wasn't a flock of Nightmares that came for them; it was a horde. An army surged through the clouds at them, a solid wall of pitch black sand. For an instant, Jack disappeared in the darkness, and they thought he was gone.

"Jack!" shouted Tooth, flitting into the sky to look for him.

He appeared out of the shadows of Nightmares, miraculously unscathed, and she sighed with relief.

Then he pointed his staff at her.

Frost raced out of the end; Tooth only just dodged it. The tip of her wing was caught anyway. She shrieked as she spiraled out of control, her flight pattern altered by the ice. Bunny only just caught her. The winter spirit sent more ice at them both, just missing. Two Nightmares raced past him on either side, careening towards the Guardians.

"You bloody coward!" roared Bunny. From a dozen yards away, they saw the boy's jaw clench.

North slashed at the Nightmares, finishing one with each blow. "Jack, you must not listen to Pitch! Whatever he promised you iz lie!"

Bunny didn't bother trying to argue with him. The show pony had gone over to Pitch Black. He wasn't worth rescuing after that. "I'll rip your head off!" He ducked another burst of blue, feeling ice brush by his fur. If that's how the gumby wanted to play. Ripping his boomerang off its strap, he sent it hurtling towards the traitor. Frost was distracted, and they had time to wipe out more of the Nightmares.

Toothania rocked in the air, trying to regain balance, and shot towards Jack. "Jack, you have to listen to us!"

He swung the staff at her, "Keep away from me!"

There was pain there. Tooth hesitated, wondering at it, and he shot at her again. The shot went wide, decimating a Nightmare as it came up behind North.

Tooth followed its trail. "Jack…?" His eyes flicked back to her.

He'd forgotten the boomerang. It came back around now, driving into his side. Jack yelped.

"Serves you right, ya blooming dill!" Bunny shouted, leaping to catch it again. He landed in the sleigh solidly and was set on by a black stallion.

Frost turned back to Tooth. The hurt in his eyes had been knocked away. "Get away from me," he repeated, voice harsh, and froze her other wing.

Tooth was free-falling, and she hadn't done that in so long, hadn't felt fear like that in so long, that she'd forgotten how sharp it was, how the wind turned to a scream in her ears and she realized for the first time in a long time how far away the ground really was…

The sleigh was under her with a thump. She landed hard.

"Tooth!"

"I'm fine, North!" Ignoring the needles of pain shooting through her with movement, she grabbed a stray toy from the floor and threw it at the nearest Nightmare. It reared, more in confusion than anything else, and before it could recover she punched it hard enough to dissolve it.

The Nightmares were dwindling, some even retreating, but the Guardians could feel their power sapping. Children everywhere were waking up with teeth under their pillows, searching for eggs that hadn't materialized across lawns. North wobbled suddenly as a bout of disbelief struck him, and only another wayward streak of ice saved him.

Bunny hit the last Nightmare, and his boomerang lost its power. It tumbled away, lost in the clouds. Jack was the only adversary left, untouched by disbelief, and they were so drained they could barely stand upright.

The sleigh landed shakily on the ground. Jack froze the restraints on the harnesses and the reindeer, befuddled with magic loss, bolted. Tooth grabbed a stray piece of wood from the sleigh, only for him to shoot it out of her hands. North's sword was next. There was nothing left to fight with. Frost circled them, staff held out before him. It was shaking. His eyes were wide, as if he hadn't expected to get this far.

"Jack," Toothania said softly, "Please."

"I always knew you weren't fit to be a Guardian," Bunny snarled at him. "Do it then, ya bloody traitor!"

Frost's battle face wavered. The thin line of his scowl trembled, then crumpled. He rocketed off the ground, into the air, and was gone.

They stared after him.

Predictably, it was Bunny who broke the silence.

"Anyone wanna tell me what that was about?"

The words had no sooner left his mouth when there was a pop and burst of light. When it cleared, a fluffy bunny stood in E. Aster Bunnymund's place.

Back at Santoff Clausen, Bunnymund had regained some of his fury.

"That bloody coward, going over to Pitch when we needed him! If I ever get my hands on him-"

"Iz not problem, Bunny." North was getting patched up by a yeti where a Nightmare had torn a gash from his leg. "Problem iz that Jack beat us. Iz problem that he can defeat us."

"And why didn't he?" asked Toothania from her spot by the fire. The heat warmed her back, slowly melting the ice she had been attacked with. "He could have finished us. Why didn't he?"

"We already knew the kid didn't have the guts to face up to his problems," snapped Bunnymund.

Tooth glared at him. "Don't start again."

"That's what happened, innit? He ruined Easter, and then went flying off to Pitch's side. We were all too daft to notice it. I knew we shouldn'ta trusted the dill…"

"Or your yelling could have driven him to Pitch's side."

They glared at each other.

"Just because his teeth are so white doesn't mean you have to take his side-"

"Don't go there Bunnymund, if you're too 'daft' to see that-"

"Enough."

Tooth and Bunny stopped. North was glaring at them both. "We are tired, sick, and hurt. Fighting will do no good. We have enemies for that."

"And one of those enemies is Frost!" cut in Bunny.

With a scowl, Tooth turned to North. "There's something wrong. Maybe he's been infected by the nightmare sand. I don't know what. But he wasn't aiming to kill us. He stopped a Nightmare from getting you; he didn't want to attack me- something doesn't add up. We need to find out what it is."

Stroking his beard, North turned to Phil to order in yetish. The hulking monster sighed and rumbled off. "Here we must find way to watch our enemy. We need something of Jack's, to trace him."

"Give me a minute," Tooth said, pulling at a wing. The ice Jack had glued to her wing was melting, enough that she could pry it off, "Will this do?"

"Da." At his beckoning, Phil returned with a half-completed snow globe. Tooth and Bunny watched with interest. Santa's Workshop was a closely guarded haven. North himself would be the first to tell you that he was mysterious. The yetis for were notorious for preserving the mystery of their boss.

Dropping the ice into the center of the magic globe, North went to fix it onto a contraption like a projector. "With piece of immortal's essence, we can see what is happening to them. If we had used with Sandy…"

He trailed off. The others looked away. The emptiness where the Guardian of Dreams used to stand consumed them. Silence had become an enemy since the death of their friend.

North shook it off. He was the last guardian to remain strong through the disbelief. If they could stave off Pitch until Christmas, he could help the other guardians regain their strength. For now, he had to be strong for all of them.

"This will show us Jack. If Bunny is right, we can hear Pitch's plans."

Ignoring how Bunny threw a triumphant look at Tooth, North began fastening it in place, using a pinch of Sandy's leftover dreamsand to get the machine running.

Soon, a wavering image filled the opposite wall.

Pitch Black was standing in a shroud of darkness. Jack lounged against the side of the wall, shepherd's staff leaning into the crook of his elbow. His arms were crossed, but his head was down, and there was something vulnerable in the set of his shoulders.

"I gave you one order." Pitch's voice was cold. It threw up images of shadows and hands that could drown you in darkness. (Safe in Santaff Clausen, Bunny whirled to Toothania. "I told you!") "One. And you couldn't even do that. No wonder your Guardians tired of you so quickly."

Jack flinched and tried to cover it. "You act like it was an easy job. You told me to kill them! You can't even do that!"

"And you failed, though I should have expected that. That's all you've managed to do so far, after all." Pitch tilted his head, voice becoming light. The hairs on the back of their necks stood on end. "Did you or did you not agree to help me?"

Bony shoulders went up. Jack, "I did. But-"

"And obey my commands?"

"I did," he tried again, "But-"

"But nothing," Pitch began to meander through his lair, hands brushing the cages around him. "Perhaps you thought they would help you. Do you think they're coming this way now? Does

Jack Frost deserve to be rescued?"

"No, I-"

"So then what use are you to me?"

"I-I-"

"And if you're useless to me, then what am I supposed to do with this?"

Toothania screamed. Clenched in the fingers of Pitch's fist was a fairy, the one Jack had rescued from the Nightmare. She cheeped desperately as his fingers flexed.

"Baby Tooth!"

Jack stumbled forward, only to stop as Pitch raised the hand. "Ah ah ah. Careful. It's such difficult work, holding life in the palm of one's hand. I wouldn't want to slip-" a squeeze made Baby Tooth cry out, "And do something you'll regret. After all, this is your one friend left, isn't it? You should try to take better care of her."

Jack's face was in turmoil. One hand was outstretched toward Pitch's fist and the little streak of color that twittered in pain. He was plainly terrified, and any of the Guardians could have told him, should have told him, that Pitch could sense that fear, could taste it, was eager to exploit it. "No, don't hurt her-"

"Ah, Jack, I'm so disappointed in you. But that's probably nothing on what this little fairy thinks. All you had to do was complete one little task, and I would have let her go. Now she has to suffer, all because of you."

Shoulders came up in a flinch. "I- you-" But he couldn't seem to go on. His gaze was fixed on Baby Tooth, eyes alight with panic, "I'll do it next time, I will, I promise-"

"I thought you would work harder if there was someone counting on you," another squeeze. Baby Tooth keened and Jack made an involuntary movement for her. Pitch cradled her close, a mockery of comfort, "Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. You already let down the Guardians." Emotions warred on Jack's face. Pitch drank them in with a sad shake of the head. "You really do make a mess of everything, don't you?"

The boy deflated, hanging his head. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt her."

"You're not in any position to ask anything of me." Shadows swirled over Pitch in fury, curling his lip in a snarl. "You had them at your mercy, and you let them go! Someone should pay for your disobedience."

Tooth shuddered. Her fairies were so delicate. It was hard to remember that when they traveled the world. But Pitch could crush her little one with a single squeeze.

"Punish me!" The words burst out, like a sudden frost storm. Baby Tooth cheeped a negative. Jack swallowed, hands curling into his hoodie. His staff was forgotten at his feet. "Punish me. I messed up, didn't I? Like-" something dark flickered over his face, "Like always. You should punish me."

Pitch allowed a half-smile. It was terrifying. "But this will punish you. Watching the only friend you have left die in agony, all because of you? I can't think of a greater punishment."

A thin chest heaved. Blue eyes darted between the Boogeyman and the streak of color in his fist. Jack offered a glass-thin smile and spread his arms in empty bravado. "But think of how much more satisfying it'll be to hit me!"

"Tempting." Pitch moved his hand as if to examine his nails, reveling in the desperate way the winter spirit's eyes followed the hand, the squalling fairy in its grasp. "You're still trying to be the Guardian mascot, aren't you?"

A sudden jerk of his hand made Baby Tooth squeal. Jack went white. "What?" Jack backtracked rapidly, "No!"

"So eager to help your little friend. I think I should kill her, to show you how much of a hero you are." The glass smile broke. "But I want you to see it for yourself." Gently, Pitch replaced the fairy in a cage by his hand. Immediately, she flew against the bars, trying to reach Jack. "We'll see how eager the Guardian's reject is to do the noble thing next time."

North broke the connection as Pitch's first blow knocked Jack to his knees.

"We have to help them!" Tooth was buzzing around the room, fear making her movements erratic. "He's going to kill the boy!"

Bunny sat heavily on the ground, head in his paws, "I can't believe it…"

"Why not?" Toothania became fierce over her family. Anyone who protected them, like Jack had been doing, she would defend to the ends of the earth. "You never thought he would help! Just because of some blizzard on Easter, you've always had it out for him!" Her vision blurred. He was being beaten to protect her fairy right now. And the last thing she'd done was turn him away when he'd tried to explain to her.

"I never thought Pitch would sink to something like this!" blustered the rabbit, but his ears were flat against his neck with shame.

"We should have expected it," she said, wiping her eyes, "We should have known Pitch would think of something like this. He's had hundreds of hostages this whole time. North, what should we- North?"

The Russian was bustling from one end of the room to another, sweeping things into his sack. Despite the dizziness that plagued him, he didn't stop.

"We will need these," he said, "We have rescues to plan!"

Well? Any thoughts? I bask in constructive criticism! Also, I am not sure how to approach accents for either North or Bunny. Any help you be very much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my work!