Jack stared at the girl who had turned to face them with a stern but gracious smile.
"Hogfather, I thought it was you, though the accent rather threw me off I will admit." She said with a nod at him. 'Hogfather' I haven't heard anyone call North that in over a century... He thought frowning slightly.
"Ah! Still living in the past I see, now I go by North sorry for all the confusion." North said grinning. Susan turned her head to Tooth and her eyebrows shot up.
"Violet is that you? Ye gods! What happened to you? Is this some sort of midlife crisis or something?" She exclaimed staring at the fairy in a mixture of horror and shock. Violet? Was that Tooth's name before she was chosen? How old is this girl?! Jack thought beginning to feel lost. Tooth however just grinned broadly and started babbling about how good it was to see Susan again after all this time. Eventually Susan just walked up to her and pressed a hand over the poor fairy's mouth.
"Yes it's you.... No one else can babble that much without needing to breathe." She said exhaustedly rubbing her left temple with her free hand. She slowly removed her hand from Tooth's face while holding up a warning finger. Tooth blushed embarrassedly before giving Susan a bone crushing hug and fluttering back before the woman could even react. Sandy waved at Susan and for the first time since removing her hood Jack saw her clearly balk. Her cheeks turned slightly red and he noticed three thin, finger-like lines on her right cheek. No way...... Jack thought suddenly recognising her. It can't be her....she-she's dead.... There's no possible way that she's still alive....then again....she did take her grandfather's place again from the looks of it so I guess it's possible.... He was shaken from his thoughts by her saying,
"I'm terribly sorry that I didn't apologize sooner for our....last engagement..." She was bending down to awkwardly shake Sandy's hand and Jack found himself gritting his teeth. 'engagement' what the hell does that mean?! He thought protectively glaring slightly at the little man.
"I really would have liked to have met you in circumstances other than your er... death....." She added causing Jack to kick himself mentally of course that's what that meant..... What else would it mean?! He chided himself angrily. Then it was Bunny's turn and Jack couldn't help but laugh when she asked,
"So.... Are you some sort of rabbit or an elderly kangaroo because I really can't tell." Bunny bristled and pointed an accusing boomerang at Jack who was laughing so hard he could barely stand.
"Did you tell her to say that? That's it, you and me right now snowman!" He yelled still bristling.
"No one told me to do anything, people generally know not to, I was just curious because I honestly have no idea who or more specifically what you are." Susan interjected calmly. This caused everyone, including Jack, to frown in confusion.
"I'm the Easter Bunny sheila, how could you not have heard of me?" Bunny asked arrogantly. She just blinked and asked,
"'easter bunny'? Is that anything like the Soul Cake Duck?" Everyone just stared at her in a mixture of shock and horror. Jack walked up to her and asked her gingerly,
"Do.... Do you know what year it is Susie?" Susan stiffened like a board and blushed embarrassedly.
"For one thing only one person in all my life has ever called me that and there's absolutely no possible way that I'm allowing anyone to do so when I'm this age! And for another thing.... It's rather easy to lose track of time in my grandfather's realm so honestly...no I'm not quite sure at all but I do know that it's been a while since my grandfather's disappearance." She said rather indignantly. Jack stared at her not sure whether to feel happy or upset. Ok it definitely is her... She just doesn't recognize me. That's completely understandable. But wait.... If she doesn't know what year it is....
"What are you sure of? If you're not sure what year it is I mean." He asked feeling uneasy.
"I'm absolutely sure that everyone I knew is dead, I visited them personally after all... Not Twyla or Gawain though... it didn't feel right to visit them."

The guardians stared in pained horror at the girl standing before them. Naturally they knew how it felt to outlive their loved ones but the fact that she had to be there personally for each of her's not to mention at least in Jack's case he didn't remember who they were, for her these were people she'd just been talking to maybe even people she'd just seen over the holidays.
"Susan... That's.... I'm so sorry." Tooth murmured her voice filled with sympathy.
"Well it's not like any of you could have done anything to help me, unless any of you by any chance could possibly have talked my grandfather out of going on his little sabbatical of course." Susan responded sensibly causing Jack to wince imperceptibly. Then she nodded bruskly and said,
"Well, if that's all I'll be going....back now. I've got a lot of work to do and Albert will already be cross enough as it is." The guardians exchanged glances and all nodded. For once every last one of them agreed on something other than what their jobs required them to agree on: this girl should not be left alone any longer than necessary.
"You should take Jack with you, in case Pitch decides to come after you, he will be most effective against him and well...he has least important job." North said in the reasonable tone of someone who's never realized just how unreasonable they can tend to be.
"Hey!" Jack yelled feeling more than a little hurt by that last statement. Susan sighed and nodded before responding,
"I'm sure I can handle a bogeyman but if you insist..." She turned around and ran a finger through the air revealing the faintest blue outline of a doorway. She had one foot through when she turned and nodded to Jack.
"Well are you coming or not? Hurry up please because I can't keep this door open for very long." She said starting to feel impatient.
"I just want to clarify one thing, you guys are sending me to babysit a grown woman for what exact reason?" Jack responded still upset from the comment about his job. North lumbered forward with a slight scowl and Jack very suddenly remembered why he was the de facto leader of the guardians. Then with a wide jovial grin the mountain of a man clapped a strong hand over Jack's shoulder and cried, "She is permanent top of nice list, she could prove to be good influence for you! Now then, Do svidaniya!" With that North all but threw Jack into Susan who still had a foot in the doorway sending both of them careening into the main hallway of Death's home.

His eyes were very blue. That was the first thing that came into Susan's head as she studied the boy who was laying on top of her. Now that she was close enough to see them more clearly she noticed that they had a snowflake-like pattern in them giving them an almost hypnotic effect. Along with that she was painfully aware of the sharp smell of snow filling her nose the longer they stayed in their current position. Suddenly a thick cockney accented voice broke the two out of their slightly embarrassed trance by shouting,
"You've been 'aving your fun I see!" The two of them separated quickly and Susan, knowing it would only give the cocky old man even more satisfaction to see, effectively eliminated her rising blush by getting very angry.
"Alberto Malich! For the absolute last time PUT THAT DAMNED CIGARETTE OUT WHILE YOU ARE IN MY HOUSE!" She yelled making her words as deliberate and clear as she possibly could while giving the old man her most pointed and deadly glare. She was fully aware of the three glowing lines on her cheek but paid them no mind as she stormed off to the one place she'd felt truely at home since coming to her grandfather's country: her grandfather's study.