I bow my head in shame to ye faithful readers and exuberantly thank you for all your wonderful support! It was a long few months of writer's block, but I think I've gotten over it! I'm writing a story for my dad as a surprise for his birthday. It managed to get the creativity flowing and BAM! Here we are! Don't forget to read the author's note at the end for fun tidbits!

Age 10

An angry egg hopped about on spindly legs with only half its shell painted next to a paint brush lying forgotten on the grass,

"Bunny?" Jack's chin was cupped in his hands and his feet swung idly as the child lay on his stomach staring at the giant rabbit,

"Hm?" completely distracted by an egg. Typical.

"What do you know about marriage?"

"What?" grass green eyes bulged open and long ears shot up straight,

"Marriage. Some people in my village got married, that's what Ma called it. I fell asleep during the preacher's talking because it was boring, but some of the adults looked happy to watch two people get scolded." Jack flopped over onto his back,

"Uh, well...they weren't getting scolded, Jackie. They were saying vows." furry ears pinned themselves to the back of Bunny's head, "Aren't you a bit young for this?"

"I'm ten! That's plenty old enough!"

"...Your parents said the same thing, didn't they?"

"Maybe..." Jack grumbled with the indignity of a scorned child, then sat up, crossed his arms, and let a vicious pout over take his round face. The Easter Bunny was able to ignore his companions look...until wide, teary eyes and a trembling lip came into play,

"Finish your egg, Jackie!" the unfinished egg was promptly shoved in the younger's face but it did nothing to deter the innocently lethal brown eyes. The paw holding the upset egglet began to shake, "Fine! Just stop with the water works!"

"Got you." Jack giggled, "So? So? What is it?" he leaned forward eagerly. Bunny put a paw over his face, maybe that would save some of his pride,

"Marriage, Jackie, is when two people promise each other to be together for the rest of their natural lives."

"That sounds...weird...and hard."

"It's not an easy decision choosing a mate-"

"I thought you said 'mate' meant friend."

"In Australia it's a slang term for-"

"Slang?"

"Just...never mind. Marriage is a permanent arrangement that usually happens when two people love each other enough."

"Love? But that's what gives you cooties and makes that weird gooey eye look!" Bunny couldn't help but to laugh at Jack's childish disgusted face, complete with a pink tongue sticking out,

"Wait until you're older, Jackie. You'll be making the oh so horrid 'gooey eyes' at a young lass."

"Ugh. No, thank you! Girls give you germs and- and they don't even like mud fights!"

"Even Emma?" Bunny chuckled,

"Emma's not a girl, she's my sister. There's a big difference, Bunny." chocolate brown eyes glared at the Easter Bunny,

"Of course, how could I be so blind?" he replied dramatically before picking up a plain white egg standing patiently next to his foot, "I've answered your question now get back to work, Jackie, and next time your parents say you're too young, please, for the love of Easter, listen to them." Jack remained thoughtfully silent, his half painted egg lying defeated on the grass in depression. The brown haired child poked it with the end of his paintbrush,

"Bunny?"

"Finish your egg, ankle biter."

"Can I marry you?"

"..." the lagomorph sat up rigid from his bent position, green eyes impossibly wide,

"...Bunny?" Jack poked his furry friend,

"Jackie," a heavy intake of air, "I don't think that's a good idea-"

"Why?"

"Technically, I'm a mythical being-"

"So?"

"I don't actually exist in the minds of most people-"

"So?"

"...Humans in this age generally look down on romantic relationships between two blokes."

"Why?" Jack honestly had no idea where Bunny was going with this, "You said marriage was a promise to be together forever."

"In the simplest terms, yes."

"And you're the only person I think I would want to be with forever 'cause I don't think parents and siblings count."

"No, that's called incest and very few cultures allowed that even before Christianity took over."

"I don't see your point here, Bunny." Jack stubbornly crossed his arms and glared at the Easter Bunny with all the might of a child scorned, "I'm gonna be able to see you for a looong time and the way Ma talks about love is that it's a force that can't be stopped by anything." Bunny rubbed his temples,

'Point one for Jackie.' he thought, "True, gender didn't matter too much before that Jesus bloke came along but- oh, don't you start that again!" Bunny groaned, seeing the beginnings of tears in his young friend's eyes,

"S-so you don't l-like me?" the child blubbered,

"No Jackie, I like you! You're one of my best mat- friends." better to use actual words. He didn't need to create a bigger dilemma...and what did it say about him that a human child was his favorite companion?

"Then why can't we marry?"

"Jackie," Bunny sighed, "listen, ten years may be a good age, but that's still not old enough to consider marriage. How about we discuss this later? Preferably after puberty."

"Puberty?"

"Be afraid, Jackie, be very afraid." in retrospect, a crying Jack was better than a Jack curious about marriage.

Age 11

"Wow." Jack breathed, looking at the multiple levels that spiraled the inside of the famous North Pole,

"Yeah, 'oo' and 'ahh' but then there's running and screaming." Bunny helped Jack out of the bulky coat he had demanded the young boy wear if he was to be allowed into the arctic tundra. A large, furry creature promptly arrived, ignoring the gaping child to take the small article of clothing and direct Bunny to stay put, "Those elves better keep their teeth to themselves this time." he grumbled loud enough to snap Jack out of his stupor,

"Bunny Bunny! What is that thing?!" the child excitedly pulled one the Pooka's paws, a few strands of fur, and pointed at the tan colored giant currently shutting a nearby closet door,

"That's a yeti, Jackie."

"They're huge."

"Indeed they are, mate."

"Are the elves that big?"

"Thankfully, no. Little dills are enough trouble as it is."

"But-"

"Bunny! I've been expecting you!" shouted a beast of a man, almost on level with the towering yeti. Jack jumped behind Bunny at the sudden noise, peeking from behind a furry torso to gaze at the big boned human with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, brought more by the amount of red and black he wore. The pure white beard hanging down the Santa Claus's front was an impressive sight as well, "I sent a message to Tooth and Sandy this morning about our little meeting. Both have agreed to stop by for short time."

"What? Why?" the lagomorph asked,

"Well, Sandy seemed to get along well with boy and it would be rude to leave Tooth out." North ran a hand over his hair and beard, patting down any strays,

"Still cracking onto Tooth, eh mate?"

"Bah, speak English, Bunny! Or Russian! Then I understand you!" Bunny rolled his grass green eyes at his friend's theatrics. He took a step to the side, setting a paw on Jack's thickly clothed shoulder,

"This is Jackson Overland. Bit of a larriken, but he's a right lil ankle biter.."

"He's right though. You need to speak more English." Jack piped up, causing North to unravel with bubbling laughter,

"I like him already! Come child," the beefy man wrapped an arm around his companions scrawny shoulders, leading Jack further into the maze of wood and Yetis, "I give you tour of Santa's wonderful workshop. Show you how much better Christmas is than Easter. We have cookies!"

"North!" Bunnymund frantically chased after them,

… … …

A parade of curious, jingling elves followed the group of four mythical beings and one human down hallway after hallway. Sanderson Mansnoozie arrived with the dramatic entrance of hordes of rabbits (much to Jack's delight and Bunny's horror.) Toothiana had flown in only moments before, prompting North to unveil his most recent project. Taking one more left turn down a lone corridor with his entourage following close behind; the variety of creatures were met with a single door of oak wood, a golden handle gleaming bright and clean in the ample light of Santa's Workshop,

"My little friend, Bunny has told us of your natural musical talent. I had old sitting room slightly refurnished to accommodate." one beefy hand shooed away the trailing elves, who tripped over each other. The human boy watched with amusement as the little things rolled down the hall way with a loud chitter chatter accompaniment. The door swung open with only the sound of swishing air to reveal a room large enough to fit the entirety of Jack's family cabin. The plush carpet of magnificent red matched the the shade on the walls. Gold trim and curtains prevented monotony while adding a feeling of warm acceptance. A small fire blazed in the marble hearth that was flanked on both sides by great bay windows with an expansive view of the snowy tundra. The streams of sunlight managed to brighten the entirety of the room by reflecting off the white dome indentation in the ceiling above. Perhaps it was the furniture blocking the view or the angle of the lighting, but the last item to be seen by chocolate brown eyes was a grand piano. The majestic instrument stood on the other side of the room with a gold cushioned loveseat and matching arm chairs in between. Jack ran to the black piano with a breath of excitement. Sandy immediately took one half of the love seat with a content slouch,

"Had Yeti pull this old thing out of storage and fixed up. Was hoping our young friend could pay for us, since Bunny speaks so highly of you. Odd considering his grumpiness."

"'Ey!" Bunny's ears titled forward in anger as emerald eyes glared at the toymaker,

"Of course!" the brown haired boy eagerly slid onto the padded bench, lifting the sleek cover to reveal pristine ivory keys without a speck of dust. Jack took a glance at Bunny, who gave a small smile and nod of approval. With his audience seated and comfortable, Jack played his excitement, his joy, his heart.

And everything was perfect.

Age 12

Jack hummed lightly, his wooden crook, newly made by his father, catching a young lamb trying to wander off into the woods. He hefted the fluffy animal into his arms before turning to follow the herd that was being led toward a large barn by the tall man. The sun was still a good four finger widths from the horizon (his mother was always horrified by the way he told time), but increasing attacks from the predatory wildlife had the village on edge. 'Better safe than sorry' the governor said after the first two deaths. He'd sent an order for more rifles, but the ship wouldn't be here for another month, at the least. It didn't help when Jack saw Pitch Black lurking around for the first time in years. Bunny had kept his word, coming back after Easter despite his obvious fatigue. The large rabbit actually sat down and listened to Jack about the 'Boogieman', something even his parents hadn't done, and believed him. Needless to say, Pitch got quite a surprise, and a boomerang to the head, the next time he came slinking around and ran into a large, furious, warrior rabbit (Pooka, Jackie. I'm a Pooka). ?It took nearly half a year to run the 'ratbag', as Bunny called him, out of town. Literally.

In six months, Jack had gotten attached; and figured out the Easter Bunny was very vulnerable to the teary puppy dog eyes.

Of course, six months was miniscule compared to the six years Jack had now known the mythical being, but the results were the same.

Jack was still well attached; and Bunny was still vulnerable to the teary puppy dog eyes (he had gained a bit of immunity though.)

If Jack may have developed a small crush along the way, well, he's the only who had to know,

"Jackson!" the boy was brought out of his reminiscing by his mother's call, "Go fetch Emilie! She went to the meadow with her friends and one of their parents!"

"Yes Ma!" he grumbled as his father lifted the lamb from his lean arms,

"Don't worry, I'm sure you won't come home covered in as many flower crowns this time." the older man chuckled, ruffling his son's fluffy brown locks before stepping inside the barn. Jack huffed, but reluctantly trotted the small distance to the meadow fully expecting to be tackled and forced into horrid games of playing with dolls and flower braiding. His bare feet stepped into the meadow. The meadow with perfectly straight grass and flowers with every petal in place,

"Emma...?" Jack called in concern, his finely honed instincts tingling. Stepping further into the meadow, the boy noticed how everything had suddenly become...darker, covered in a layer of gray. Time seemingly halted; no wind, no noise, nothing.

"You've grown quite tall, Jackson." a sickly smooth voice called, echoing through the shadows that reached gnarled fingers towards the human believer. Jack yelped and stumbled backwards, towards the middle of the field where the sunlight still pooled together in waning resilience, "Are you scared, boy?"

"No!" Jack shouted in defiance, "I'm not scared of the Boogieman! I'm not scared of something that doesn't exist!" his voice boomed without even a tremor. The smokey tendrils paused before an inhumane shriek pierced the air,

"Are you sure, Jackson!?" Gleaming, pale yellow eyes peered through the darkness, straight into Jack's own brown ones, and, for the first since meeting Bunnymund, Jack was scared. Pitch had never cornered Jack before, not like this. It terrified him, made his bones shake with dreaded chills. His trembling increased as the trees creaked and groaned, stretching themselves higher and broader, blocking more of the fading sunlight, "Have you not questioned what goes bump in the night?!" it screeched from his left, "What lies beyond the boundaries of the shadows?!" it screamed from his right, "What is hiding under your bed, waiting to pounce!?" Pitch's voice bellowed from everywhere, echoing off the trees and sweeping fear into everything,

"Those dust bunnies and worn out shoes would terrify anybody." Jack snarked. Years without the Boogieman had boosted his confidence and lowered his defenses, but he would not bow, not to Pitch Black,

"I can taste your fear. It is divine and ripe for the picking without the blasted pooka around." the eyes in the shadows disappeared as the words rang in Jack's head, his mind whirling with a new found escape,

"Whenever you need me, knock twice on a tree and yell 'E. Aster Bunnymund'. I'll pop up in a jiffy to save you from whatever trouble you managed to get in to."

The pooka, Bunny, would always be there. Always. Jack's mischievous smirk was the only warning Pitch had before Jack's fear abruptly disappeared. The sunlight was a mere sliver now, that was alright. Jack had no more feelings of helplessness or trepidation, not when the ink of shadows oozed upwards into grotesque, misshaped forms with gaping maws of teeth ready for a bite,

"Pitch uses illusions to scare children. Their minds are easily subjugated to things living between the lines of reality. An anklebiter's brain hasn't quite caught up to the world around them, leaving room for imagination. This loophole is what allows us to exist on belief, Jackie."

Illusions. They were just illusions. Flickers of light bent to the will of the Boogieman, all he had to do was run. Like playing tag with Emma or racing his Da across the fields. This...this was going to be fun. Jack grinned in an almost feral way, his lopsided smirk a sign of mischief and tricks soon to come. Without a second more the lad sprang from his patch of withering light and ran. The shadow beings hesitated in surprise before shrieking in outrage, causing Jack to stumble and cover his ears,

"Just illusions. Just illusions. Just illusions." he chanted under his breath when he felt a numbing cold nipping at his ankles. With a leap that would have made the Easter Bunny proud, Jack dove over an emerging mass of thin limbs and decaying claws that reached for him when he landed. Jack immediately ducked into a roll, narrowly escaping grasping hands. He made a note to thank Bunny for those lessons after they visited China...and much begging from the brown haired boy. Yes, there was certainly going to be an 'I told you so' moment in the nearby future. Throwing himself at a white oak, Jack pounded his fist twice, screaming with all his might, "E. Aster Bunnymund! Get your furry butt out-!" something cold grabbed his shirt collar, yanking him backwards, away from the tree line. A loud yelp of pain erupted from his mouth as a rock jabbed him in the side. He rolled a few times and the dizziness made the shadows inching closer appear numerous, menacing,

"I will not be denied my belief, boy." Pitch growled, stepping closer, circling the human as a predator and Jack the prey. Until a giant pair of furry feet slammed into Pitch's upper torso, sending him flying through the air and into the underbrush of the forest. The large rabbit back flipped to land perfectly, feet sliding into a defensive position, boomerangs in hand ready to strike should the Boogieman try a counter attack. Emerald eyes blazed with rage, teeth a menacing snarl, and a righteous fury ignited the air. Pitch glared at E. Aster Bunnymund with enough venom to kill, but relented. The Boogieman could not stand up to a Guardian, not yet. The man of shadows and fear slipped away into the woods, allowing the natural beauty of sunset to over come the meadow. The pink, purple, and orange hues of the sky flowed through the serene trees with leaves dancing on the wind,

"Bunny!" Jack tackled the pooka,

"Jackie, you okay!?" the frantic Easter Bunny kneeled down to look the child over for injury before meeting his eyes. Jack opened his mouth then hesitated. He glanced around the peaceful clearing of perfectly straight grass and flowers with every petal in place. He could hear his little sister calling his name from the direction of their home. He was still here. He had survived. He had won,

"Bunny," Jack started, a calm smile spreading over his face, "I am okay."

Age 13

"You're what?!" a teen aged boy shouted, voice cracking slightly with hints of puberty. The large rabbit in front of him cringed, his tall ears twitching at the sudden loud noise that now echoed in the caverns of the Warren,

"Jackie, its not as bad as it sounds-."

"You're leaving me for a year!" Jack cried, tears barely contained behind brown eyes. He was a teenager now, but this was Bunny, he couldn't control his emotions around him,

"About a year, yes. The Baltic and Eastern Europe areas are going through another plague. After the last few that happened over there, the Guardians and a good amount of spirits are concerned. I'll have to cut back a little on Easter as well, but it's only for a year Jackie, enough to get a system in place, organize the local spirits and try to

help design a cure." Bunny soothed, his ears pinning themselves to the back of his head. He didn't want to leave either, but the children needed him, the plague victims needed him, "Jackie, look at me." Bunny gently cupped Jack's face in his warm hands, "Don't be selfish. There are thousands of people sick and dying. Parents are losing their children. Little sisters are losing their big brothers." Jack seemed to freeze in horror. He deflated, chocolate colored eyes cast downward,

"Y-you'll come back...right?"

"O' course, Jackie."

"Promise?"

"Always, Jackie."

:D

Marriage: I had to do a lot of looking around, but eventually came to the conclusion that before Christianity, homosexual relationships were, for the most part, accepted. I know in Japan, samurai were actually encouraged to sleep with each other because it strengthened their bonds in battle, but they weren't allowed to marry other men. Also, the only culture I know of that allowed incest was Egypt. The royal family was pressured to have at least one son and daughter. Those siblings would then marry and repeat. This contributed heavily to the royal families abnormally short life spans and numerous health abnormalities.

Pitch: In the movie, the Guardians didn't know about Pitch's nightmares, which means he had never used them to fight the Guardians before the movie (I think some people didn't quite catch that because they have the nightmares as Pitch's main method of attack before Jack was even human.)

Plague: Bunny is talking about the Great Northern War Plague Outbreak that started in 1708 and lasted until about 1713. I needed a reason for Bunny to be absent for about a year and that was the closest in date I could find.

Dinosaurs: I WILL LOVE YOU IF YOU FIND THE JURASSIC PARK REFERENCE I PUT IN HERE! I adore that franchise and eagerly awaited news on the fourth Jurassic Park, now my wishes have been answered with the upcoming release of Jurassic World. Go check the trailer on YouTube!

PLEASE let me know about any errors I have made in spelling, grammar, or culture. I really wanted to get this out in time for New Years. Though, I technically celebrated New Years in October, I'm sure everyone will have fun. No drinking and driving please!