Frozen, Rise of the Guardians 1. A Note from the Author

**A Note From Amelia:**

_You always must begin fairytales with a Once Upon A Time. It is the storybook law. So, let us not get off on a bad foot, and offend any unfortunate law-enforcer of fiction. Let us begin with those four words. Let us begin with Once Upon A Time. There. Now we have begun. We have spoken the words that have started the spell. What follows these are where the magic lies. _

_This is, of course a fairytale. _

_This is a very cold fable, one born from winter nights on snowy mountains and flowered frost dancing on a windowpane. _

_This is an intertwining of two fates. _

_This is the story of Jack Frost and the Snow Queen, and this is the story of how they saved the world. _


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Jack, Elsa, Frozen, or Rise of the Guardians. This is solely for entertainment's sake, and to stop Jelsa feelings from ruining my life and sanity.

Three months after Anna was Frozen the first time.

ONCE UPON A TIME

It was cool autumn night in the kingdom of Arendelle. The moon was bright white, hanging round and full in the sky. Illuminated by its glow, was a town, and at its center, a castle stood, most of it's large windows boarded up. One however, was not. It belonged to Elsa, the oldest princess. Her younger sister, Anna, was already asleep in her bed in the next room over. Elsa however, was standing at the only empty window. Standing be the window on her tiptoes, she could look out and see the moon in the dark night sky. He smiled down at her.

"Hi Mr. Moon," she said quietly. "How are you? I- I don't mean bother you, it just, I was wondering of you could send me someone to play with. Someone I can't hurt. I'm lonely, and I can't talk to anyone or mommy and daddy will get mad, after what happened to Anna."

Elsa shut her eyes, as the memory flooded back and frost crept from her fingers with it, spreading across the window. Her eyes snapped open, and drew in a sharp intake of breath. Stumbling away, she clutched her hands to her chest, and collapsed to the ground, tears rolling down her face.

Why couldn't she just stop? Why couldn't she control it?

The moon, watching from high above, felt a pang of sadness piece his icy heart. What harm could it do, to send the girl someone like her? He mused to himself. There was the boy, recently reborn. The Frost boy, yes. He would quite nicely.

The Man in the Moon called gently to some friends of his, far away. They were small, dark blue tendrils of light that were native to the Scottish Highlands. Legend said that they could lead you to your fate, and that is what both Jack and Elsa needed right now. A path to their fate.

And what a fate it was.

Jack lounged in the branches of the tree, face shadowed. It had been a week since he had woken up by the side of a river, with no memories. All he knew was that he could control the cold, and fly, and had staff that was important, and that his name was Jack Frost.

Jack Frost.

While he liked his name, and he knew that it was his, it didn't feel quite... Right.

He didn't feel quite right.

"My name is Jack Frost," he murmured to himself. "This is who I am."

Suddenly, a pale blue light shone through the branches. Jack sat up, looking for the source. Hovering just in front of him was the strangest creature Jack had ever seen. It was small, glowing, with tendrils that spiraled off if it. It seemed to be beckoning him. Extending a hand, Jack reached forward, and suddenly, it vanished. Jack blinked in confusion.

'What just happened?' He thought to himself. That when he saw it again. This time it was several feet away. Jack stood up, taking a step forward, once again reaching out for it. And as with before, it disappeared.

"What are you?" Jack wondered out loud.

Another popped up, and then another, making a trail into the trees, beckoning him. And so he followed, chasing after each one as it disappeared.

Jack wasn't stupid. He knew they were leading to something, and it very well could be dangerous.

But that was another thing Jack Frost knew about himself.

He had a thing for danger.


	3. Chapter 2

The light things lead to a castle by the ocean. It was night there too, and Jack followed them as they lead to one specific window. It was the only window with light coming out of it.

'I wonder why that is,' Jack thought to himself. 'Such a big place, and only one window isn't boarded up.' Jack moved closer staying just of sight of anyone who might be watching.

He then saw who it was.

Standing behind that window, was a little girl, and she was crying.

Jack added to his mental list of things he knew about himself, and that was he hated to see little kids cry. Something was just wrong about it. And he would do anything in his power to help.

Elsa clutched her cold hands to her chest. Why did this have to be happen to her? Her parents used to encourage her to use her powers. And then Anna had gotten hurt and now she felt like she was losing herself to the ice. Even her own parents thought she was monster. Parents know everything, don't they? Didn't that mean she really was one?

She was just so afraid.

Warm tears spilled down her face. At least they didn't freeze. They were the only thing that never froze.

Suddenly, there was a tapping on the window. Elsa looked up, and saw a smiling face looking at her. Slowly she got up, shaking slightly. It was a boy, older than her with white hair pale skin and blue eyes, holding a crooked stick. Almost a grown up. He blinked in surprise when she look up at him. Rubbing the tears out of her eyes, she opened the window and he tumbled in, landing hard on the ground. Elsa backed away, clutching her hands to her chest, afraid of the cold running through them.

"Hey, there!" He said. "Sorry to barge in on you. This is the Arendelle castle, isn't it?" Elsa nodded, not daring to move or speak. The boy looked around, walking in a broad circle around the room.

"My name's Jack. What's yours?"

"Elsa." She said, her voice quavering slightly.

"Is this your room?"

She nodded, watching Jack pick up a doll off the ground. It was her favorite, the one she used to play with when she could play with Anna. She wore a blue dress which Anna always said looked like ice crystals. Her younger sister had told that when they grew up, Elsa would have to make one, a real one.

"It is one crazy storm brewing out there," he said. "If I have anything to say about it, we'll be seeing some snow tomorrow!"

Elsa frowned. "Why?" She bit her lip after speaking and looked bashfully at the ground.

"I'll show you, but only if you don't cry anymore." Elsa solemnly looked at, and he raised an eyebrow in return. Finally, she nodded, He smiled mischievously. Turning around, he placed his hands together, just so that Elsa couldn't see them. Suddenly, he spun around, a snowball flying from his grasp. It hit her in the shoulder, making her gasp. For a moment, he was afraid he'd hurt her, but then she smiled for the first time.

"You can make snow?" She said, a light coming into her eyes.

"Yup."

Elsa grinned even wider, and she turned around too. Gently twisting her hands, like she use to do for Anna, she created a snowball of her own, before spinning around and hurling it at him. It hit him squarely in the chest, as he stared down in surprise.

"Woah." He said. "Impressive. Very impressive."

Elsa looked shyly at him. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

The older boy snapped his fingers in response. A flurry of snowflakes danced down from the ceiling, and Elsa clapped her hands together, looking extremely happy. "Of course I want to build a snowman!"

**A/N: **Thank you so much for anyone who read this, and is sticking with it! This is my first time publishing a story, and your support is really helping me continue to update. I'd especially like to thank Lavenian, , and the guest who all reviewed last time. A bit of a warning, it's been a really long time since I've watched Rise of the Guardians, so if Jack or any of them start acting out of character, please tell me. So, once again, thank you all so much, you make my day!


	4. Chapter 3

"How'd you get by my window?" Elsa said, sitting across from Jack. Small ice statues that served game pieces sat in front of them. Elsa gently moved her princess cover in ice armour to the castle Jack had helped her make. "It's up really high!"

The boy smiled. "I can fly. It helps when I have deliver snow." He moved his ice soldiers behind her princess.

"Is that your job?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." Jack said. It seemed... Right. At least he had a job now. Better than he was doing this morning.

"My job's going to be Queen."

"Elsa, the Snow Queen."

Elsa shook her head. "Mommy and daddy said I can't let anyone know about my powers. I can only ever be plain old Queen Elsa." She sighed. And he saw the sad, scared expression creep over her face again.

"Elsa, you will never plain. I promise you that."

"When I'm queen, you are going to work for me. Your job is to take care of all the bad dreams."

Jack laughed. "Oh really? What makes you think I'd be good at that job?"

"I don't know. You seem like someone who would take care of us when we're asleep. Also, I feel much better when you're around. I don't feel as scared."

Jack stared at the little girl as she played with her ice toys obliviously. "Do you get nightmares, Elsa?"

She looked up at him, face flashing with a brief terror. "I don't like to talk about it."

"Okay. That's okay. But I want you to know, you never have to feel scared when I'm around. I'll fight off any monsters that try to come."

Elsa blinked, her eyes filling with tears. "What if the monster is me?"

Jack breathed sharply. "You are not a monster, Elsa. You are the Snow Queen." He held out a hand. A small snowflake rose from it. "The cold can be a dangerous thing. But it can also be beautiful. I believe that we get to choose which one we are. We can either be made of fear, or made of love. And I can see it in you already. There is love in you. Don't let the cold freeze your heart."

Elsa smiled at him, wiping the tears off her face before launching herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered quietly into his ear, "You're the only person I know I can't hurt when I hug."

"I'll always be here for you, Elsa. I promise."

That's when something knocked on the window. Glancing over, Jack saw a large black raven tapping on the frost stained glass. Untangling himself from Elsa walked over and opened it, allowing the bird to fly in. It fluttered around a bit before landing in front of him, and extending his leg. A small piece of paper was attached with a brown string. Gingerly pulling it off, he began to read the unfamiliar writing.

We need to talk. It'll take five minutes. I'll be waiting outside. Hurry.

"Well that's specific," Jack said.

"What?" Elsa said, standing up to walk over to him. She grabbed his arm, liftin herself onto her toes to read the paper.

"Someone wants to meet me."

Elsa brought her wide, blue eyes up to his face. "Do you have to go?"

"I... I Don't know. I think that they might answer some questions I have. But I don't want to leave you."

Elsa shook her head. "You need to go. You'll be back in five minutes, right?"

"Right. I promise. If you get in bed now, maybe I'll even tell you a story."

"Really?" Elsa said, she ran over to the bed and jumped on it. "The story of the Snow Queen and Jack Frost, and how they save the world?"

Jack grinned, picking up her doll for the ground, bringing it over to her. She curled up around it, and he tucked the covers up to her chin.

"Yup," he responded. He kissed the back of her hand, and bowed. "My lady."

"You have to call me your majesty."

"I apologise, your majesty."

"It is accepted, Sir Jack," she said. "I'll see you in five minutes?"

"Five minutes. Promise." He turned around and flew to the window, giving Elsa one last smile before dropping out, frost creeping over the glass.

Neither of them knew that it would be last time in a very long time that either would get to see each other again. 

**A/N**: So, it looks like I am going to try and update every Wednesday, if all goes well. I have this story written ahead a few chapters, so if writer's block should strike, we will be prepared. Hopefully... Anyways, thank you if you favorited or followed, and thank you if you reviewed. Regarding Jack's staff, assume that he has it, as I tried to fit it in my descriptions, but everything came out sounding forced and clunky, if you can describe words as sounding like that. Thank you again for reading!


	5. Chapter 4

Jack followed the bird up the the roof. Landing nimbly on his feet, he glanced around. It seem especially dark up here. The bird landed beside him, hopping around a bit, before it suddenly keeled over. Jack stepped towards it in alarm. It began coughing up dust, it's dark but bright eye becoming dull. It shook, feathers flying off it gruesomely, before it finally fell apart, becoming a pile of black sand blowing away in the wind.

"What...?" Jack said.

"Nightmare sand," a voice crooned from the shadows. A man step out, with dressed all in black. His eyes were dark as night, and voice sounded like void between stars. "My specialty."

"Who are you?"

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pitch Black. But of course, you won't be remembering that."

Jack frowned. "What?"

"You've taken something very precious from me. And I need it back."

"I'm sorry, you've made a mistake," Jack said, laughing slightly. "I don't even know who I am, much less what I could've taken from you."

The man began to circle him, like a predator circling his prey. "You are Jack Frost. And you have taken that child's fear away, and replaced it with joy."

"Elsa?"

"Yes, yes, the princess. She was such a source of power, so many bad dreams, swirling around that cold mind of hers. There is no greater fear of fear born from love. And there is none more delicious than a child who is afraid of themself. She has both, and what a creation she is. One spark, and the bad dreams practically create themselves."

"You've been the one causing her nightmares?" Jack said. He blinked. Why? How could anyone do that to her? She was just a little kid. She didn't deserve it. He stepped forward, feeling the anger build inside him.

"Oh no. Only making them much more... Efficient," Pitch said, a hint of humor in his voice. "After I'm finished with you, I'm going to go poke around that pretty head of hers some more."

"You leave her alone!" Jack said, lunging forward. Pitch disappeared, only to reappear behind him. Black smoke began to curl around his feet. Jack struggled desperately as the vine-like structures, crawled up his legs.

"Don't worry. You won't remember a thing about her. You'll wake up with only your name and your powers. The same as before. I'll even let you keep your little job she gave you. The bringer of frost and snow, protector of dreams."

"Elsa!" Jack screamed, as the sand wrapped around his neck.

"She can't hear you Jack. She's going to be all alone."

"No! I won't leave her! I won't!"

"Too late..."

"NO!"

"Goodnight, Jack," Pitch whispered, grinning as he stood over him, the dark winded around his face. "Sweet dreams."

**A/N: **I'm sorry this is such a short chapter. The action is just begining to build, and I felt like this was a good stopping place. I might have an update sometime in the middle of the week to make up for it. I promise you though, this story is very high on my priority list of projects, so updates won't slow down for a while. Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Also, once again, if I get any facts wrong, or anyone starts acting ooc, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll try to fix it the best I can. Thanks again!


	6. Chapter 5

Jack sat waiting at the mouth of the cave. He'd had a fun day. Canceling school, causing mayham, annoying Bunnymund. The usual.

He had also visited Jaime, and that kid was almost as tall as him. He was growing up, and Jack realized that eventually, there would come a day when he would not have to cancel school for him anymore. That little boy would someday move on and leave him, and there was nothing Jack could do about it.

He sighed, glancing up at the moon. No use thinking about it.

North was late. He had called him here an hour ago, to this isolated spot hidden away, and there was still no sign of him.

"Jack," a voice laced with a thick Russian accent said from behind him.

"North," he said, turning around to see the large, bearded man standing in the entrance to the cave. "What's happening? Why are we here?"

"It be best if I showed you," North said darkly, turning quickly around and walking back inside.

"Hey wait!" Jack said, running after him. Once inside, he realized just how dark it was. He couldn't see anything, not even the way he came in.

"North?" he called. There was no answer. "Hey, come on, this isn't cool." Walking forward with his hands extended, felt his hands brush something, a cold, smooth wall that felt very familiar under his fingertips. It was made of ice.

Using the wall as his guide, he walked forward and called out again. "North this better not be a trick. That's my thing."

_"Cold be the heart, hand and bone,"_ a ghostly voice said, echoing around him. Jack spun around, staff held protectively in front of him.  
"Who's there?" Jack said.

_"Cold be the traveler far from home,"_ it said again, getting closer to him. It felt like a ice cold hand ran up his spine. It felt like he was being drowned again, in that ice cold lake.

"I'm serious. Who's there?" He tried to keep the fear out of his voice. There was something truly terrifying echoing around the walls. It seem to come from the darkness itself.

_"He does not see what lies ahead, when the sun has faded and the moon is... dead."_ The words grew closer and closer to him, with the final one right in his ear. He shut his eyes his eyes and braced himself for it, whatever it was, and then...

"Jack!" North's voice boomed near him. His eyes snapped open. North stood in front of him holding a lantern. "We're wasting time, Jack. Come along."

Jack relaxed a little. "What was that?" He asked, as North turned and walked away.

"We're wasting time," North repeated, not looking at him. Jack frowned. North was acting real strange.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked. "You seem... Off."

"You'll see," he said. Jack looked at the ice again. The dark wall began to glow from the inside, pulsating with something through the translucent ice. They turned the corner, marching into a high-ceiling cavern illuminated blue light. A ball of what looked like fire hung in the middle of the room, soundlessly flickering up to roof.

"What is that?"

"Time energy. Raw time energy."

Jack glanced at North, then back to the shimmering glowing cloud. "Why I'm here?"

"Look, Jack. It called you here," North said. Jack looked closer. It was shimmering, and he could see a face dancing into view. It was his own. It zoomed out. In the image, he was lying on his side, struggling to sit up, and clutching at his stomach, as red stained the fabric. White hair streaked with blood, blue eyes widen in terror. He was mouthing something over and over again, appearing to be screaming out one word in particular.

Jack stepped forward. "I don't remember that!" He walked closer, standing right in front of it. He extended a hand. The light react to his touch, growing brighter.

"That because it hasn't happened yet," North said, from directly behind him, except it didn't sound like him. It sounded more like... "Good bye, Jack." Pitch. Jack spun around, and saw North's eyes were a dark, dark black. Before he could do anything North- no, Pitch lifted his hands and a large cloud of black smoke pour from them, hitting Jack squarely in the chest, and sending him tumbling backward... Into the time energy. Everything glowed around him and he felt weightless. He could see random flashes around him, many of them seemed to focus on a beautiful woman in a blue dress and snow white hair.

"Don't worry, Jack," He heard Pitch say. "I'll see you soon. I'm even going to let you live a little before you die. Tell your pretty girlfriend hi for me! I'll take care of you both!"

And that's when Jack began to fall.

**A/N:** Lord of the Rings reference there. Yay. I felt like that sort of fit with what's happening/going to happen. There are more cameos and references coming up, I assure you.

The last chapter was really short, but you've all been wonderful, and I feel kind of bad about leaving you hanging, so I decided to give you all another one. Two fairly intense chapters in row. Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, you know the drill; tell me if you see anything wrong, and I'll fix it, or work it into the story. Thank you again for reading, it means a lot to me. You are amazing!


	7. Chapter 6

_"Elsa, the Snow Queen."_

_ "The story of the Snow Queen and Jack Frost, and how they saved the world."_

_ "Promise you'll be back in five minutes?"_

_ "Five minutes, I promise."_

Elsa sat up quickly. The sheets were tangled around her legs, and she almost fell to the ground in the momentary confusion. Taking a deep breath, she tried to sort through her muddled thoughts. She had been dreaming that night, when she and her imaginary friend sat up playing that one night. When he had sat with her and made her feel so much safer. And then he left, and she had stopped believing. She had waited for him for ten years, before she realized he wasn't real. That had been three years ago. And she was ruling a country now, so she was the Snow Queen.

Everyone knew and accepted her, and yet she still felt on edge, like something was coming for her.

Elsa stood up quickly, walking quickly to the window, she look out, and saw the stars. She used to this before the coronation, whenever she felt scared. Frankly, that had been almost everynight. The nightmares would wake like they just did, and she would come to the window, and wish for something, anything. Sometimes, she wished Jack would come back. Other times, she wished that she could talk to Anna, to anyone. Mostly, she just wished that the nightmares would finally stop. And they did, eventually There was a sudden flash, and as she flinched and turned away, she saw something fall to Earth from the stars.

Leaning forward, she saw it land on the mountain where she ran off to during her coronation. Something deep inside her stirred and whispered Go to him.

Him?

Go quickly. He needs you.

"Who? Who needs help?" She said out loud.

He does. Go. Go. GO.

Elsa spun around quickly, walking over to the closet in the corner. Changing out of her nightdress into hastily picked traveling clothes, a pair of loose fitting brown pants, a white shirt, and a light blue coat. she paused in front of the mirror. Staring at herself, she suddenly felt very foolish. What was she doing? Following a voice in her head to run after a falling star. Why was she doing that? She had a kingdom to run. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her loose hair, before sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at her hands. Her fingers curled slightly.

"It was just a dream," she murmured. Looking back in the mirror, she studied herself. She was too old to be chasing after fairytales. "It was all just a dream."

_Elsa._

Her head snapped up.

"Who's there?"

_Please, Elsa, my child, listen to me. I know you won't believe me. But please, just go to him, he needs you help. _

Elsa stood up. "Who are you?"

_ He will know. Now, go, before it is too late._

"Wait, who will?" Silence answered her. "Hello?"

Punching her bed, she muttered under her breath something along the lines of, 'I can't believe I'm doing this', before running down the hall to her sister's room. Knocking quickly on it, she heard Anna groan from the other side.

"Anna, open up," she said, knocking again. The door swung open to reveal her little sister's drooping eyes and massive bed head.

"Ellllllllsa, it's the middle of the night," she said, before taking in her sister's appearance. "Where are you going?"

"There's something I have to do. Take care of things for me, will you?" She gave her sister a quick hug, before walking quickly down the hallway.

"No, wait, Elsa?" Anna said, running after her. "What's happening?"

"I'll explain later, Anna, I promise," she said, as she opened a door that lead outside to the stables.

"No, Elsa, tell me what's going on," Anna pressed, bumping her shoulder on doorframe of the small stable building. "Ow."

Elsa laughed as she put a saddle on her gray mare, Eponae. "I'll be back soon. I just got some stuff I want to take care of."

"Come on. I'm curious."

"Fine. I'm going on a long journey to find my long lost love and rescue him from a dreadful monster."

"Really?"

"No, not really."

"Oh, okay." Anna smiled as Elsa pulled herself on the horse.

"I don't have a long lost true love, Anna. At least not one that I know about."

"You never know. He's probably dashing though," Anna said, snickering. Sheblink once at her older sister, her expression became serious. "You'll be alright, won't you?"

"Of course."

Anna grabbed her sister's hand. "See you soon. I'll take care of things, I promise."

Elsa smiled down at her sister. "Goodbye, Anna." With that she rode away down the cobblestone courtyard.

**A/N: **Hello everyone. Here's an Elsa pov chapter, and we get to talk to Anna for the first time. We also meet a new character (sort of). You all know the drill. I don't have that much to say this time. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 7

There was snow. It wasn't unusual for this time of year, especially on the mountain. The mountain was usually always cold. The moon hung large and bright in the sky, reflecting off the ground and turning the ground a light silvery color as Elsa approached the vague direction of where she had seen the star fall on the mountain. Unfortunately, from here, she couldn't tell where she was in relation to that. She could still be miles away.

"Where do you think we are, Eponae?" She whispered to her horse. "I think we're lost."

Suddenly, a blue ball of light flickered a few feet away from her, making small cooing noises.

"A will-o-the-wisp," she said. She'd heard of them, but they were supposed to be in Scotland. Or they weren't even supposed to exist at all. "What are you doing here?"

It bobbed in front of her, and slowly, Elsa slid off her horse. Walking forward she extended hand to try and touch it, but before she could get too close, it vanished. Pulling away, she stepped back. It popped up a few feet away from her, another one appeared behind it, and then another. "I know what you're doing. You're leading me to my star, aren't you?"

It made no response, floating quietly in the air. "Stay here, Eponae. I'll be back." Walking with her head held high, grace marking each step she took like the queen she was, she followed them to her fate.

Elsa had been walking for a long time. The sun was rising slowly. The line of wisps gave no sign of ending anytime soon. Pulling her arms closer to her, she wondered if there was a point to all of this. She was leaving her kingdom in the hands of her little sister, following a line of imaginary blue lights onto a mountain, after a disembodied voice told her to find a fallen star.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice that there was only four wisps left in front of her. Then three. Then two. Then... A huge hole lay on the ground. The displaced snow lay in piles around it, along with dirt and rocks.

Elsa approached the edge of the crater, slipping slightly as the deep snow crumbled under her feet. The last wisp hovered directly in front of her face, before dissipating. Looking into the large hole, she saw something.

Wait.

No.

Someone.

They were half buried in the snow, head turned away, hand outstretched. Gently sliding down the snow covered hill, she landed beside them, still unable to see their face. Their hand was curled, fingertips slightly blue, a few inches away from a curved wooden staff.

"Please still be alive," she murmured, not knowing how anyone could fall from that height, still be intact, and then survive the cold of this mountain. And as if in reply, their hand flexed, as if reaching for the staff. Elsa drew in a breath, before she flicked her handed slightly, commanding the snow to swirl away from them, whoever they were.. They looked familiar. Whoever it was began to cough, turning their head towards her. She gasped. It couldn't be. He was imaginary, he wasn't real. He couldn't be here. He was just her imaginary friend. Her imaginary friend.

"Jack," she whispered, scrambling away from him. He couldn't be real. She had made him up. He opened his eyes slightly, the same bright blue she remembered from all those years ago. They focused on her, his lips stuggling to form.

"_Help me_."

She looked at him again, and realized there was a patch of dark red blood on the ground beside his chest. _Well, that's probably not good,_ she thought.

Crawling over to him, she touched his shoulder. His hand grabbed hers, his eyes opening in alarm. "Shh, it's going to be okay. I just need to see how bad it is," she murmured quietly. He nodded slightly, letting his hand slip from hers, his eyes fluttering closed.

Gently rolled him to his side, to see the long gash on his back, running from his shoulder to his hip, cutting through his clothes and his skin. Extending a hand, trying to keep it from shaking, placing it on his skin. She was no doctor, but it looked like nothing that she couldn't fix.

"Well, then Jack, looks like I'm going to save you. I hope you don't mind the cold. No. No, of course you don't. Silly me. I almost forgot. You see, it _has _been a few years since I saw you. "

Holding her hands over the gash, she created a netting of ice woven directly to his skin. It stopped the bleeding, and if he was really like her, he would heal from it. Still, she'd feel better if they were both safe inside. But how? She wouldn't be able to carry him to him go Eponae, and they were hours away from the city.

That's when she remembered. She was Elsa. She once made an entire castle out of ice once. Oh, she hadn't done this in a long time. Rising to her feet, she hardened the snow below her into an icy floor, and watched as the ice spun into walls around them. Different shades of Unlike last time, it was simple, only one room, with slanted roof and even a little chimney. She didn't plan to live in it. It was a little cottage on the mountain made of ice.

Elsa looked at the boy now in the corner of the room. Snapping her fingers, bedposts rose around him, and the ice below him soften back into snow. Walking over to his side, she picked up the staff off the ground. Remembering how it had been by his hand, she gently rested it in his palm, her fingers brushing over his cold skin. He twitched, and turned his head, and for a moment, she was afraid he'd wake up. When he didn't, she brushed the hair out of his face, and leaned down to his ear.

"I always hoped you were real. Thank you for coming back to me," she whispered. Kissing his forehead, she strode to the doorway of the house. Turning around once more, she smiled at the sleeping boy in the bed. "Goodnight, Jack. See you in a little bit."

Turning back out, Elsa began to trek back to Eponae. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked at the rising sun.

He had come back.

Jack Frost had come back.

And he'd better have a good explanation for why he'd left in the first place.

**A/N:** Updating early, 'cause I'm bored. Sorry about all the Elsa internal monolouge. I'm making up for it in the next few chapters, I swear. And I don't actually know if Guardians can get hurt, but I feel like falling back in time 300 hundred years and then falling to the ground a couple thousand feet would probably do something bad to you, immortal (and dead) Guardian or not.  
I'm really excited about the next few chapters guys, it isn't even funny. Thank you all for your support, you are amazing for reading this far. Catch you all on Wednesday!


	9. Chapter 8

_Her face was inches from his. She was smiling at him, her blue eyes bright, strands of white hair falling free from her braid. Her blue dress blue fluttered around her, like wings. He didn't think about how she could see him, he didn't think about how impossible it all was. He only thought about the girl in front of him, and his heart beating hard in his chest. Her cold hands were clutching his, before moving up to his face, pushing the hair out of his eyes. He was smiling too. He was happy. He had never been happier. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, feeling her bury her head in his shoulder. He felt himself say something, felt the words pass over his lips, but he had no idea what they were. _

_The scene changed abruptly. The happiness in his stomach evaporated, replaced with a mind numbing fear. It was the worst thing he had ever felt, like it was tearing at his heart. _

_He was lying on his side. There was a sharp pain in his side, and his hand was clutching it. The floor was translucent ice veined with sapphire streaks, it glowing from the inside, pulsing like heart. The woman in blue stood with her back to him, facing a wall of swirling darkness. She was standing there, visibly shaking, hands clenched at her sides. _

_She spun around, staring at him, tears running down her face. She whispered something, but the only word that he caught was..._

_"...Jack..."_

_She met his eyes, the same terror he felt laced through them. She turned around, only to be knocked backwards violently. Landing a few feet away from him, he saw that she was injured, from way she was holding her arm. The wall shifted above above her, she lifted up her uninjured arm, and he could tell that this was it, that it would kill the woman in blue, and he would have to watch..._

Jack woke up, blinking. It felt like his mind was fighting through a fog. When it cleared, and the thoughts of the dream faded, he took in the ceiling. His back ached and he lay a something soft. Above him, there a bluish white roof. Where was he? He had been with North, in the cave with the time energy, and then North hadn't been himself, he had been... Pitch. Jack tried scrambled into a sitting position, his head pounding and his stomach twisting. He fell back landing with a grunt. His hand automatically checking to make he had his staff with him. He had fallen through the time energy, gaining consciousness just as he had crashed into earth. He had landed badly, on a sharp stick or piece of ice, which was why his back was hurting. He could remember that much before he blacked out. But where was he now? Taking in the room, it appeared to be a simple cottage, complete with furniture, like the bed he was on.. Made entirely of ice. Man, he was in the right place.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Jack turned in that direction. They probably wouldn't see him anyways. A woman walked quietly in, the light shining behind her, so he was unable to make out any details. She shut the door, and then his eyes were forced to adjust to the dark. When they did, he the newcomer facing the table in the center of the room. Her back was to him, her white hair hanging in a braid over her shoulder, her hands were braced against the ice surface. Before she turned around, looking him dead in the eye.

He barely contain a gasp. There were a few things that through him off. First, it was the girl, the woman in blue, the one who had seen in the visions. How was she looking at him? That brought him to his second point, that she was a grownup, a grownup who could see him. She was someone who could see him. She was looking straight at him, observing him. That never happened. Ever. And lastly, she was absolutely beautiful.

Walking over to him, she spoke. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jack struggled to sit up. "What?" He said, his arms braced painfully behind him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you?"

"No... It's... It's just... How can you see me?"

"What do you mean, how can I see you? You're right there."

"You... I... Never mind, I guess... it's not important. Who are you?"

She searched his face, analyzing him. "My name is Elsa." A glimmer of hope passed over her face.

"Nice to meet you, Elsa. My name is Jack."

Her face fell slightly. "Jack. Is there a last name to go with that?"

"Frost. Jack Frost."

"A nice name."

"Well, Elsa is too. Very pretty name, very fitting."

She rolled her eyes. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah. Fine, I guess."

"You literally fell out of the sky and all you can say is, 'fine, I guess'?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. How you did it?"

"Fall from the sky?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell you when I'm sure you won't think I'm crazy. It's a long story, anyways."

She frowned at him, but didn't press. Shaking her head, she spoke again. "You were hurt. How's it feeling now?"

Jack, his arms still bent at an awkward angle behind him, collapse backwards. "It feels like I fell off a cliff." He gave her a small smirk.

"That's not funny," she said, although a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Helping him up, she braced her hands on his shoulders, before pulling over a chair. "I need to see it. Lift up your shirt."

"If you wanted to see me shirtless, all you had to do was ask," Jack said, smirking as he

pulled his sweatshirt over his head. Even though he was turning around to face the wall, he could almost feel her rolling her eyes.

Elsa's light fingertips brushed over the wound. "It's not going to feel nice for a few days, but it's much better than it was. You not going to die. Probably."

"That's reassuring."

"It should be."

Jack pulled his shirts back, down and turned to face her. "Do you live here?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. I... I found it, and you need to be indoors, and I needed to get to my horse."

"You didn't have to worry about me being outdoors. The cold doesn't bother me."

"Would you rather I left us both in the open air, where wolves and bears and who knows what else are wandering around looking for an easy meal like you and me?"

"Didn't think of that. That's a good point."

"It's called common sense. No wonder you fell out of the sky."

"Hey, I was pushed."

"Out of the sky?" Elsa said sarcastically.

"Yes... I mean, no, I was pushed into a rift in time."

"A rift in time?"

"Yeah, big glowing thing. Creepy, in an ice cave."

"And you were pushed through it?"

"Yeah... By my friend. Except he wasn't himself. I gotta get back," he said, the last words murmured to himself. He paused. "When am I? Like what date is it, and what year?"

"October 5, 1721."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing. You'll think I'm crazy."

"I find that hard to believe. You fell from the sky through a rift in time."

"I told you, I will tell you when I think you won't think I'm crazy."

Elsa groaned. "That's never going to happen, Jack."

He grinned. "Then you'll never know."

Elsa hit him lightly, grinning just as wide as him before standing up. "I should never have rescued you."

"Ouch," Jack said, placing his hand on his heart. "That hurt."

She turned around. "Wait, where are you going?"

Looking back over her shoulder, she told him, "You rest. I'll just be outside unloading my horse. First thing tomorrow, we're going back to my home."

She gave him a small smile, before walking out the door, head held high, with Jack left staring after her in a kind of confused awe.

**A/N: **Longest chapter so far. Yay! I hope having these two talk to each other made up for all the pain I've been putting you through, and I hope you all liked it. There is much more of this to come, I promise. Thank you for reading, it means so much to me! See ya all soon!


	10. Chapter 9

Elsa left the house, shutting the door behind her. Taking a few steps forward, she suddenly like she was going to fall. And that she did, landing on her knees, head bowed, eyes closed.

He didn't remember her.

He didn't know who she was.

He never came back for her.

And he didn't even remember her.

She had just realized that her imaginary friend would come back to see her, and then she had stopped believing in him. It was so much easier when he didn't exist. Now, he was real and back, and he had no idea who she was.

Oh, god.

She had built an entire idea around him, about why he never came to tell her that story, about who he was. He was off fighting nightmares, saving the world. Yes, when her parents died, the daydreams faded, but when she saw him, lying there in the crater, she was sure that he'd tell her all about his adventures, that she would finally know why he never came back. That there would be a reason for it.

There had to have been a reason for it.

But now she could never know. And he couldn't about her either. She couldn't do that to him, make him try and remember her, torture him with memories he couldn't reach. There was a reason for it, yes, she knew. It wasn't his fault. She would not take it out on him.

It still hurt her though.

Cold began to gather on her fingertips, and she opened her eyes to see frost creeping onto her clothing.

Drawing in a sharp intake of breath, her father's old words, her old words, danced at the back of her head.

Conceal, don't feel.

"Conceal, don't feel," she whispered to herself. "Be strong, Elsa."

Everything was going to be alright.

It had to be.

Jack stared at where the woman in blue, Elsa, had left, before flopping onto his back, wincing as the impact rattled through his back.

Elsa.

He had seen her in his mind. He had seen her. He had seen her die, in his mind. That couldn't be real. He couldn't watch that happen in real life. It probably wouldn't. It couldn't. He would not let that happen.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear those thoughts. Who was she? Yeah, her name was Elsa. A stranger, had rescued him. A complete stranger had rescued some random boy who fell from the sky. Why would anyone do that? And the chances of finding a shack made completely out of ice, in the middle of nowhere. The girl was a mystery. Everything was a mystery. How he got here was a mystery.

What had happened to North after he had left? Had that even been North, or just a trick of Pitch's?

Why had he been sent here in the first place? Why not have just killed him then? Why go through all the trouble of sending him back in time?

Unless this was the only way to get his revenge.

The door opened. Jack looked at her. Elsa came in, leading in a horse, a gray one. He should've expected that she wouldn't leave it out there.

"Sorry it's cold, Eponae," she whispered, stroking the horses nose. "We gotta make do." He watched as she rested her heads against the horses, before sitting at table. Sighing, she placed her head in her hands, before resting it on the table. He could tell she was not asleep, her fingers tracing circles onto cold surface. Turning onto her side, he wondered how the table, being made of ice, did not melt under the heat from her body.

Jack lay there in the dark of the the small house, although the ice glowed very gently from around him, like it was alive. The horse swished it's head back and forth every now and then. From where he was lying, he would just see the moon. It glimmered, as though smiling at him. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he looked up at it, bringing his knees to his chest.

"Why am I here?" He whispered, speaking just so Elsa wouldn't hear him. "Why did I see all that? Is it really going to happen?"

As usual, there was no response. Hanging his head, he murmured one last plea. "Please. Please, just tell me why."

"Jack?" He looked up to see Elsa staring at him, eyebrows scrunched in concern.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," he said, glancing back at the sky.

"You didn't," she said. "Who were you talking to?"

Jack waved her over. She rose silently from her seat, and walked over to him, sitting on the edge of his bed. Pointing out the window to the moon, he smiled.

"The Man in the Moon," he said. "He knows everything. He's the reason I'm here."

Elsa smiled up at the moon as if remembering something. "I used to talk to him, when I was a little kid. I... I didn't really have any friends, and talking to him, it made me feel less alone."

"I can understand that. Being alone with only the moon for company," Jack looked at her. "You have friends now, don't you?"

"I have my sister, and her boyfriend. And Olaf, of course."

"You got me too."

Elsa looked at him, meeting his eyes. "Thank you."

"Anytime. And thank you, for, you know, saving and taking in a complete stranger."

Elsa glanced back outside again. "You're not a stranger, Jack. Although you are pretty strange."

"Hey," he said, laughing, before taking in her words. You're not a stranger, Jack. What did she mean by that?

"Do you mind if I sit here with you?" She said. "I can't sleep."

"Not at all," he said, moving to make room for her, now pressed between the wall and Elsa, although their arms were only barely touching. She wasn't warm. Not like a normal human. She was cold. Maybe it was the fact that it was cold, and that they were in an ice house.

She was mystery.

They didn't fall asleep that night, but instead, simply watched the night sky, side by side.

**A/N: **Bit of a quieter chapter this time, before some of the action starts up. Plenty of mystery too. And it looks like I can try to update this every Wednesday, and sometime over the weekend. Keep an eye out for it.

I'm also thinking about going back and giving the chapters names, so if you think that's a good idea, please tell me. Thank you for reading, and hey, we almost reached 40 follows, almost 20 favs, and 20 reviews! That's amazing! I mean it, it's absolutely amazing, I didn't think anyone would read this. You all rock. See you Wednesday!


	11. Chapter 10

The moon disappeared as the two of them watched, replaced by a burning sun in sky. Elsa looked at Jack.

"Is your back okay?" She said. Jack nodded. "Let me see." Jack sighed dramatically.

"Don't you trust me?" He said.

"Not in the slightest." Elsa said, turning herself so she sat cross legged facing him. "Now, let me see."

He groaned, also turning himself, so now he sat facing the wall. Pulling the shirt over his head, he examined the delicate veins of blue in the ice. As Elsa's fingers brushed against his skin, he braced his hand. The ice seemed to react to his, light pulsing around his touch. Jack smiled. Whoever had built this was amazing. It wasn't some just building made of ice, like he had thought. It was alive. Amazing.

"Amazing," Elsa said, shaking Jack from his thoughts. "It's almost completely healed!"

"I guess it goes with the job description."

"And what's that?"

Jack pulled his shirt back on and grinned, tilting his head back to look at her. From his view she was upside down. It made him laugh slightly. "I'm the Guardian of Fun."

She raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't explain a lot."

He sat back up and spun around, crossing his legs. Their knees touched as he look solemnly at her, although the playful light in his eyes told her he was not serious. Placing his hand over his heart, he said, "I protect childhood, and all it stands for."

"You mean, you like, fight the bad dreams?"

"Pretty much." Jack said, breaking into grin again.

"Good to know."

"That's not all, though," Jack said. Leaning forward, he held his hand together. Elsa also leaned in, looking at his hands clasped together. As he opened them, he quickly formed three butterflies, incredibly lifelike and made entirely of ice, animating them so that the fluttered out in a line. It was a trick he'd been practicing for the past few weeks. He looked at her, watching the awe creep into her eyes. Extending a slender hand, one of the butterflies landed on the tip of her finger. She smiled. Not a smirk, or a cold, secretive smile. A brilliant one, one that contained true happiness and wonder. It made him smile too.

"Not bad, eh?" He said.

She turned her attention away from the delicate ice creature on her finger, smiling secretly. "Not bad." She looked like she was about to say something else, but shook her head, suddenly becoming distant again, moving sharply away from Jack, over to her horse.

"You ready to go?" She said. "Depending on which way we go, it might take all day to get back to my home. I left my sister in charge, so..."

Jack waved his hands, watching the butterflies harden and fall abruptly to the ground. "Yeah. I'm ready to go." Elsa grabbed the the reigns of the horse leading it outside.

Jack stared at his creations. She had seemed happy. For a second, she had seemed happy. He didn't know what he had done wrong. Why did she seem so... Afraid of him? He had never met her before. She didn't seem surprised by him. She just quietly accepted him, although it was filled with a quiet fear. Picking up the butterflies, he placed them in his pocket.

"I'll figure you out yet, Elsa," he said quietly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Elsa lead Eponae outside. She had been so close to showing Jack her own powers. She could've made anything. She couldn't not been alone in that moment.

Why hadn't she?

Why hadn't she?

Shaking her head in frustration with herself, she stomped forward a few feet. Deep down, she knew why. It was the same thing that had control her life since she had first hurt Anna, to when she had been accepted by everyone. It had gone, and now it was back.

She had been scared.

Worse, it wasn't the fear of hurting anyone, it was a purely selfish fear of the thought of losing Jack again. She was not going to let that happen. Ever. For the first time in months, she pulled her gloves on, feeling the comforting feeling of the fabric on her skin.

_Don't let him in._

Taking a deep breath, she stood up, holding herself regally again, just as Jack came outside. Turning around to face him, her face held the same slightly aloof coldness she used to have before everyone found out about her powers. He stared at her, like he was trying to read her thoughts.

_Don't let him see._

"Where are we going?"

"Back to my home."

"Why?"

"I don't want to stay in an ice cabin."

"Why?"

"Because, I unlike you, are not made of ice." She said, biting her lip at the lie.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Dear lord, do you ever stop asking questions?"

"Hey look, you just asked a question."

"It must be contagious."

"It sure is. It's a disease. Unfortunately you started it, so it's all your fault."

"How is it my fault?"

"You aren't giving me any real answers!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I am so not saving you next time."

"Admit it. You think I'm adorable."

"I think you're annoying."

"I'm hurt," Jack said, stumbling backwards. "I think your cruel words have killed me!" He spun around, landing flat on his back in the snow. The snow flew up around him.

Elsa giggled despite herself, covering her mouth. Walking over to him, she said, "Come on, Jack. I want to get back before dark."

He lay there, making snow angels while watching as she approached, until she was right beside him, before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the snow beside him. Her fall was cushioned by the snow, and she felt fly around her, landing in her hair and on her clothes. They both began to laugh as they lay there, her hand still in hers. She look at him, meeting his bright blue eyes, feeling her heart flutter slightly. She was tempted, in that moment to tell him everything.

_Conceal, don't feel, Elsa._

"We really have to get back," she said. "I promised my sister."

Jack nodded slowly. "Of course, Elsa."

Sitting up, she turning away from him.

This was going to be hard.

**A/N: **It's a bit late and I'm still not quite sure about this chapter, but meh, I went on a very long hike and a two hour expedition to Target (of which thirty minutes was spent in the silverware section... _silverware, _of all things), and then I got sick, so we're just going to roll with it. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you thought about it, and thank you all for reading. You all make my day! I'm hoping to get another update in by Saturday, so I'll see you all then. Bye!


	12. Chapter 11

Jack looked at the one horse, and then back at Elsa as she pulled herself onto it.

"So, where am I going to sit?"

"Behind me, you idiot," she said. Jack hesitated, but then she gave an exaggerated sigh and extended her hand. Tentatively he grabbed onto it, her gloved fingers closed around his in a tight grasp, and he pulled himself up to sit behind her, being very careful not to touch her. "You know, if we're going to ride, I think you need to hold onto me."

Jack put his arms very lightly around her waist. She pulled back on the reigns, murmuring to the horse. They began to trot forward.

"Where do you live anyway?"

"I live in the main city of Arendelle."

Jack frowned. "I've never been there. Is it nice?"

He felt Elsa stiffen slightly in front of him. "Yes. It's beautiful. It's right by the ocean. Winter will be coming soon, and there will be snow everywhere, not just on the mountain. The ground looks like a thousand diamonds fell from the stars. It used to be my favorite season. Now, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why? Don't you like the snow?"

"No, no, I love it. I just used to think winter was the only time I could hide. Now, I don't need to anymore."

"What were hiding from?" Jack said quietly.

"Myself."

Jack struggled to find something, anything to say, wondering if he should ask why she was afraid of herself, how she could be, before finally settling on a simple, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," was all she said back.

Jack didn't really know what to say after that. Instead of talking, he took in the sights around him. After a few hours, they moved down the mountain into a forest. The trees were thick around them, and hardly let any light enter. Even so, he could tell that the minutes were passing, night was falling. He could tell that Elsa was getting nervous. Deep down, he was too. The shadows in the forest seemed to have lives of their own, flickering between the trees like dancers around a fire. It was started growing dark while they were in the forest. The sky was cloudless, the stars glimmering ominously above. Eponae stopped nervously, pacing back and forth.

"What's wrong, girl?" The horse shook her head, before rearing back, knocking both Elsa and Jack painfully to the ground, and galloping off.

"Jack!" She said, sitting up. "Are you okay? Is your back alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, pushing himself up. "You?"

"Yes," she said. "She never get spooked. I wonder what caused that."

Something growled in the forest, and both Elsa and Jack struggled to their feet. A pair of luminous yellow eyes glared at them out of the darkness, before they disappeared. Something else howled in the distance. They turned around, back to back.

"That explains it," Jack said.

"What are we going to do?" Elsa ask, back pressed against Jack's. He couldn't see the how she held her hand protectively out in front of her. She couldn't see his him holding his staff the same way.

"I don't know. How far away is your home?"

"Too far to walk right now, the forest gets even more dangerous at night. I've heard horror stories about people who go into this forest, and never come out."

"So we can't spend the night here?"

"And we can't keep going. The most dangerous part is right up ahead. It's fine on a horse, but on foot..." she looked forward, biting her lip, struggling to make a decision. "Let's wait out the rest of night here. We'll take turns keeping watch."

Jack shook his head. "I don't need to sleep. I'll keep watch."

She nodded. "I'll be back. I'm going to get firewood. Monsters don't like the light."

"I'll go with you."

"What, scared of hanging around the campsite alone?" Elsa said, raising a eyebrow.

"No, I'm scared you'll get eaten!"

"I'll be fine, Jack. I can take care of myself."

He paused, staring at her earnest face for a moment. He finally nodding. "Be careful."

She winked at him. "Of course," she said, as she walked out into the forest. Her feet crunched against the twigs and leaves on the ground. Humming to herself, she picked up a few sticks. If she was careful, there was nothing to be afraid of. Or so she kept telling herself.

Something snapped in the woods. Elsa took a step back. Great, she thought. If I get eaten, Jack'll have be right.

"Boo!" Something said, right in her ear.

Elsa jumped, dropping the firewood she had. Spinning around, she saw Jack cracking up in the top branches of a tree.

"You-" laughter. "Should have seen-" more laughter. "The look on your face!"

"Jack Frost!" She yelled. "Pretending to be concerned about me, and then nearly giving me a heart attack!"

"It was worth it!"

"I hate you!" She said, but was unable to keep the smile off her face. "How did you get up there anyways?"

"Like this," he said, jumping out of the tree. Elsa felt her heart plummet with him. Instead of hitting the ground, like she thought he would, he stayed elevated, a few feet above the ground.

"You can fly," she said. "And you've been making me share my horse with you?"

"Well, it's not quite all back yet," Jack said, before he suddenly began to flail his arms and fell the rest of the way down, landing with an oof! ELsa ran over next to him as he sat up. "See? Not more than a few seconds and then, wipeout! Whatever happened in that fall really messed me up."

"Don't do that again, until you're back to normal. Got it?"

"You got it, boss," Jack said, giving her a lazy salute.

Grabbing his arm, she helped him back up, and picked up the firewood she had carried with her. They walked back to the small clearing by the side of the road, and Elsa placed the wood into a stack.

"I've never been very good with making fires," Elsa said, kneeling beside the pile. She glanced at Jack.

He raised his hands. "Don't look at me! Ice guy, remember?"

Elsa sighed. "Yeah, I remember... I wish my sister was here. She could probably do it." Picking up a stick, she twisted it in the pile of other ones.

It took about ten minutes to get a spark. Elsa had been getting rather angry, as the few times she nearly got it, some freak act of wind blew it out. When she finally got the fire to start, she cheered, and Jack applauded.

Sitting down on the edge of the clearing on a wooden stump, Elsa looked at Jack. He sat down across from her. She could just make out all his features through the dark.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you the Jack Frost?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you control the weather?'

"Only the cold parts. I make it snow and stuff."

She smiled at him. "And fighting bad dreams, how does that fit in?"

Jack looked thoughtfully at her. "Well, here was this big bad named Pitch Black who controls nightmares. Me and the other Guardians got rid of him. Until..." Jack stopped, the smile fading from his face.

"Until what?" Elsa asked.

"Until he came back. He used my friend and tricked me here. And last thing he said was, 'I'll see you soon," Jack said, a shudder passing through him.

Elsa got up from her seat, moving to sit next to him. He moved over slightly. She extended a hand, grabbing onto one of his. He looked up in surprise. She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand gently.

"He was probably just angry that you ruined his plans," she said quietly. "He didn't mean anything by it."

"Thank you, Elsa," he said. He paused. "But Pitch... He also mentioned you. I don't know how he knew about you, unless he really deid come back here, and saw you. Somehow, you're involved in this too."

Elsa looked at him, eyes resolute. "As long as he doesn't bother my family, I'll be fine."

"He's dangerous, and somehow, he knew you'd find me here."

"I've dealt with dangerous before," Elsa said. _I've dealt with myself._

"Not like him Elsa. He knows your fears better than you do. It's awful."

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be," Jack thought, remembering the ice cave, and Elsa lying there, the darkness above her. It wasn't going to happen, he wasn't going to let it happen.

"I'm not afraid, Jack," she said. "And nothing you say will ever make me afraid."

Off to the side of the clearing, hidden in the shadows, two figures seemingly made of darkness glanced at each other, hearing Elsa's words. They giggled, too quietly for either Jack or Elsa to hear.

"_Nothing_?" One said. "_I can fix that_."

"_We can fix that, sister,_" the other corrected. "_Such fun to be had tonight_."

The two giggled again, and shrank away, their plan prepared to set in motion.

**A/N: **Sorry, this is unedited. I'm not going to be able to use the computer for a few days, and I'm trying to get this up. Just a quick thanks for reading this, you are all amazing, beautiful people for bearing with whatever this is. Thank you!


	13. Chapter 12

Elsa leaned back. "I'm gonna get some sleep. You sure you're fine with first watch?"

"Yeah. I told you. I don't need to sleep."

"Sure you don't."

"Get some shut eye, Elsa."

Moving down to the ground, laid on her side. "Night, Jack."

"Night."

As she turned away, facing the fire, Jack found himself staring into the flames, thinking about home. Talking about it had made him worry. What was happening back there? Were the others safe? What exactly had happened to North? What if, whatever Pitch was planning, he needed him _out of the way_? A shudder ran up his spine as he thought that.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't good. Everything seemed _so _planned. Elsa being the one to save him, right after he had seen a vision of her. Pitch had even said, "Tell your pretty girlfriend hi for me." Elsa was a girl, and he guessed she was his friend. She was also, you know, _pretty_. Somehow, Elsa was involved in this. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. It seemed like he didn't know anything.

He really had to get back.

The only problem was, Jack had absolutely no idea how to do that. Maybe, if he could find the ice cave in this time, then he could leave the way he showed up. Maybe Elsa knew where it was. She seemed to know things.

Jack glanced at the girl sleeping on the ground. She was curled in a ball, her white hair spilling out if it's braid into her face. He smiled. She seemed strangely more alive when she slept. Less... Cold.

Why had she saved him? She had looked at him almost like she knew him. Did she? And how could she see him?

She murmured something in her sleep, it sounding something like "Anna..."

He wondered who Anna was. A crackle in the woods distracted him from pondering that further. It sounded like a twig snapping. Jack stood up, gripping his staff in front of his chest.

"_Jack_?" A voice whispered. It was the same one as from the cave.

"Who are you?" He said. "Why were you at the cave? Why are you here?"

"_Shh, Jack. You don't want to wake her. Please, come quickly_."

An shadowy silhouette stood in front of him, making it impossible to make out any details. It raised it's hand, beckoning him urgently forward.

He stepped forward, leaving the clearing. He glanced back at Elsa. He wouldn't go far. She'd be okay. He was sure of it. He'd be back in a second.

It turned stepped into the shadows itself, appearing to disappear.

"Wait," he hissed, walking quickly after it. After a few steps, he began to fly, toes only a few few feet above the ground.

The voice began to singing in a sweet, quietly voice. It echoed as ghostly and eerily around as before. "_Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be. If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._" It giggled and faded away, almost taunting him.

"Wait!" He said. He ran in the direction of the voice. "Who are you?"

"_Are you, are you, coming to the tree_?" It sang, seeming to dance everywhere in the trees, rustling the tree leaves. "_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." _It repeated.

"Stop!" He yelled. He was getting farther away from Elsa, and it was getting farther away from him. "Please, tell me why you want." He stopped, spinning around frantically searching.

"_Oh, Jack... Aren't you __**forgetting **__something_?" It giggled, fading back into the shadows.

And then Elsa screamed.

Jack spun around and races through the forest to the sound of the scream. "Elsa!" Silence answered him. "Elsa!"

How had he gotten this far away?

Burst to their campsite, he saw Elsa lying flat on her back, a silhouette like the one he had chased sitting, legs crossed. Her eyes were shut, her face tear streaked. She was sobbing, but still asleep. She was dreaming... Having a nightmare.

"No!" She sobbed, twisting her hands into the soil. "Please!"

"Get away from her!" Jack yelled. The thing looked up. Even though he could see no features on it's face, he could feel it smile at him. It lifted a hand, shadows spinning out of the creature, towards him.

In it, he could see his sister, while she stood on the ice, eyes wide with terror. He saw Jaime and the other children, huddled together, staring at something in fear. He also saw a little girl with white hair, one he didn't recognize, standing by a window, crying. He stepped back, swinging his staff, and throwing up an ice wall before the images reached him. As they hit it, each dissipated in spiral of black smoke. Aiming at the creature, he let out a blast of ice. It pulled back, slinking away from her.

"_Bye, bye, Jack_," it seemed to say. "_We'll __**definitely **__be seeing you again_."

He ran to Elsa's side, and grabbed her shoulders, trying to shake her awake.

"It's okay, it's not real! Snap out of it, it's not real!" He said. Her finger clawed at the fabric of his shirt, and to his surprise, frost crept over the blue. He blinked.

"Elsa?" He said, partly out of concern and partly out of confusion. How the hell did she do that?

She opened her eyes, bright with tears and took in his face.

"Jack..." She said. She flung her arms around him, holding him tightly. "Jack! Promise you won't forget me again! Promise me you won't leave me!"

Jack held her tighter. "What do you mean, again? I could never forget a face like yours." He whispered.

"We have to protect my sister, Jack! Please, help me protect my sister!"

"Hey. I promise."

She didn't respond this time, but kept holding onto him. Jack looked at where she had been lying. The grass was white with frost

Looks like she wasn't telling him everything.

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Please, don't forget. Please, please, please, don't forget," she repeated, breathing each word.

"I'm not going to forget. I told you, I promise." Silence answered him.

_What had she been dreaming about?_

**A/N: **Oooh, what was Elsa dreaming about? You'll find out next time! And a Hunger Games reference? Yep. I imagine that the tune the shadow thing was singing was the one done by adrisaurus on Youtube, although you can all use your imagination, and choose your favorite.

Sorry this is a little bit late. Another crazy Wednesday, as usual. I'm currently sick, so, it might not be that great this time. Thanks for reading anyways, you lovely people! I just love you all so much! See ya next time!


	14. Chapter 13

_She was in the ice palace. Each of her footsteps echoed across the empty halls. She didn't know where she walking. She didn't know how she had gotten here. She didn't care that she was alone. A strange sort of peace drifted over her. This was how it should be. This was easier._

"_Elsa!" Anna said. Elsa, clothed in her ice dress, turned around to her sister, looking like she did when she was little, hair in two small braids, no streak of white in them. Anna ran forward. Tugging on Elsa's hands, Anna began to jump up and down. "Elsa, Elsa, do you want to play?"_

_Elsa knelt down and scooped up her little sister in a hug. "Of course we can play, Anna," she said. Anna giggled. "What do you want to play?"_

_Anna bit her lip in thought, before smiling broadly. "Tag!" Anna said, tapping her on her shoulder, before running down the hallway. "You're it!"_

_Elsa laughed. "Oh, get back here you little..." She said, chasing after her sister. Turning into the corridor near her, she found herself alone. There was no sign of her sister. "Anna?"_

_Walking forward, she felt the panic rise in her. Where was she? She had been right there! _

"_Anna?" She yelled. Silence answered her. "Anna, where are you?" No answer. Where was she?! Walking quickly, she found herself in the large, front room of the castle, near the door. The became darker with every moment that past. _

"_Anna, get back here, this isn't funny!"_

"_Elsa, come here," It was Anna... Grownup Anna's voice. _

_Elsa turned around. Anna stood in the doorway, arms linked with... Hans?_

"_Elsa, we're getting married." Anna said, smiling. _

"_No, Anna, you can't marry him."_

"_Why can't I? I love him."_

"_He tried to kill you. He broke your heart and left you to die."_

"_That's a lie."_

"_You were there! I saw you! You were frozen!"_

"_Elsa!" A voice said. She spun around. Her father and mother stared at her. "Elsa, why is there ice everywhere? I told you, don't let anyone know!"_

"_Nothing happened though," she said. "It was okay in the end!"_

"_You froze the kingdom. People could've been hurt."_

"_They weren't though!"_

"_Are you certain? Can you be certain!"_

_Water began to rise around them, starting at their feet and wrapping around them in a sphere. _

_She took a step back, as water floated around them suddenly, their eyes dead. "No," she whispered. _

"_Can't you say anything, Elsa?" She turned back around to see Anna lying on the floor, a sword through her chest. Hans was no where to be seen. "Can't you help me?"_

"_Anna!" She screamed, struggling forward. She couldn't move. Looking down at her hands, she saw black tendrils of smoke wrapping around them, and around her waist, and her neck, creeping up her face. "Anna!"_

_Looking around for help, she saw Jack standing by the door. "Jack!" She yelled over the torrent of water. "Jack, you have to help my sister!" _

_Jack looked at her and blinked. "Do I know you?" he said. _

"_Jack, please... It's me. It's Elsa! Help Anna, please, help my sister!"_

"_I don't know who you are."_

_Elsa felt the tears rise. She couldn't save Anna, and neither could he. "Jack..."_

_He took a step forward. "Who are you?" _

_"I'm Elsa!"_

_He stepped forward again, squinting at her, before he gasped in pain. He looked down at his chest. A sploch of red appeared. Followed by a steel sword. He fell forward, clutching at the wound, revealing a faceless, shadowy monster. _

"_Jack!" She screamed. She turned back to Anna, her body was frozen over, her parents were gone, vanished along with the water, and Jack lay in a pool of his own blood, staring at her with sightless eyes. She felt the cold build up inside her, waiting to explode. If it did, everything in the kingdom would die. Everything would freeze again. "No! Please!" _

"Elsa!" She blinked her eyes open, the haze slowly leaving them. Jack. Jack had her. He had her and he knew who she was and she was safe.

"Jack..." She felt his cool body holding hers. "Jack! Promise you won't forget me again! Promise me you won't leave me!"

Jack clutched her tighter and murmured quietly. "What do you mean, again? I could never forget a face like yours."

She felt the fear of seeing Anna dead wash over her again. "We have to protect my sister, Jack! Please, help me protect my sister!"

"Hey. I promise."

It was so important that he remember her this time. "Please, don't forget. Please, please, please, don't forget," she said.

"I'm not going to forget. I told you, I promise."

_Jack_, the thought. She just didn't have the strength to say it. She kept her head on his chest, feeling his heart beating. She focused on it, trying to make her own match his. It finally did, but she still couldn't sleep, until the early hours of the morning. And even then, she was afraid of something, a deeply buried fear.

Elsa woke up in Jack's arms. She felt safe. For a moment, she didn't understand. What was she doing here? That's when she remembered the nightmare. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at his face. His eyes were shut and he appeared to be asleep. Doesn't need to sleep my foot. She thought.

Untangling herself from his arms, she sat up. They still had a long way to go, and she didn't want to get caught after nightfall again, especially without a horse. As she thought that, she Eponae had gotten home okay. She loved that horse.

"Jack," she said, gently touching his shoulder. He physically jumped, his eyes snapped open. He looked down at her hand, as his eyes flicked back up to her face.

"Was I asleep?" He asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yes."

"It's been forever since I've slept. It's weird. I didn't think I could," he said. He looked at her and gave her a small smile. His eyes were distant, like he was trying to figure something out about her.

Quickly, she turned away from his gaze. She hated it when people looked at her like that. The rare times the servants saw her, before the coronation incident, they always had that same expression plastered onto their face.

"We need to get back to Arendelle," she stood up taking a deep breath, and turning around, walking forward onto the path.

"So you've said," he said.

"I don't want to get stuck in the forest again."

"I think that we need to talk first."

She looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Well..." Jack said. "Something happened last night..."

"Yes, I had a nightmare. You woke me up. It's fine."

"That wasn't just a nightmare."

"It was a monster, and it attacked you."

Elsa stopped and turned back questionly. "But you were keeping watch, weren't you?"

He paused. "I heard something in the woods. I went to check it out, and when I came back, it was just there, causing you to dream."

She shut her eyes. "Oh. It wasn't just me then. Good."

"No. But Elsa, there's something else too."

"What is it?"

He look her dead in the eye. "You can create ice. Can't you?"

No... No, he couldn't know. What if he remembered why he had left in the first place?

What if he left her again, this time for good?

Not trusting herself to speak, she spun back around, walking quickly away from him, and all the while know that she just condemned herself to her guilt.

Because now he definitely knew.

He definitely knew about her.

Jack watch Elsa walk away from him. She was holding herself regally. But he had seen her face. He was right. Walking after her, he grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away from him still looking at the ground.

"Elsa!" he said, spinning her around. "Look at me!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Elsa, stop. Please, look at me." She stopped fight, and looked up at his face. "I can make ice too. See?" He gently raised his hand, and a small cloud of snow unfurled from it.

She stared at him, anger and fear still lingering in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Jack. You weren't supposed to know. It doesn't matter if you can control ice or snow, because you weren't supposed to know that I could."

"Why not?"

"Because then you might figure it out!" She said, her voice rising. He noticed her fingertips turning blue.

"Figure what out?!" He said, his voice also rising. "What are you hiding?!"

"I can't tell you! Just leave it alone! Leave me alone!" She yelled, pulling out of his grasp.

"I'm trying to help you, Elsa! You saved my life! I owe you! Let me help you!"

"No! No, Jack, please just let it go! Please!" She said.

"Why are you so afraid?"

"Because what if you remember?! What if you remember why, and leave me again?!" She said, turning around, arms wrapped around herself.

"Remember what?" He yelled back desperately. "What are you talking about? I've never left you! Tell me what you are talking about!"

"Leave me _alone_!" She screamed, spinning around. A sharp set of icicles spang up from the ground. Jack jumped back, as one neared his chest. He hovered in the air few moments, feet brushing the ground. Elsa's eyes widened, and she too stepped back. Looking at him desperately, she frantically searched his face. "I... I haven't lost control like that for months. Jack... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to try and hurt you! I'm so sorry!"

He paused, raising his hand. The spikes dissipated into clouds of spiraling snow. "I know. And I'm sorry too. I won't press anymore, I swear. This was my fault. I shouldn't have made you angry."

She nodded quietly, and turned away again. Jack watched as the weariness crash down on her shoulders again. Walking quickly to catch up with her, he stood by her side.

"Let's get home," he whispered. She looked at him, and nodded.

After they had walked for a few minutes, her hand crept into his. Jack glanced down in surprise. She was staring straight ahead, as if he wasn't even there. And yet her hand clung to his like she was afraid that he might disappear. Not saying anything, he squeezed her hand gently, looking down at her. She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. Blinking, she turned back to the path. Jack watched her for a moment, studying the mysterious girl who could manipulate the cold. He had promised that he wouldn't press anymore about what she said. He almost regretted it. Curiosity burned in him. What had she meant? While the words were on the verge of leaving his lips, his bit them back. No, he had promised. He couldn't break a promise to her. So, he kept walking, hand in hand with a girl who he had already unwittingly made and broken numerous promises to.

**A/N: **Oooh, this is late... I'm really sorry, but there was a fiasco on my Wattpad account that involved deleted stories and it took me about a day and a half to sort out. Anyways, a little bit longer chapter this week (I'm trying to get them longer, I promise). Thanks for you all for reading anyways, and see you all next time. :)


	15. Chapter 14

They reached the Arendelle late into the afternoon. Elsa let go of his hand as they approached the gates. Walking in front of him, she held her head high as she walk through them. People everywhere stopped what they were doing, and looked at her respectfully.

"Elsa! The Queen is back!" A little girl carrying a pair of skates cried out. "Elsa's back!"

Three more little kids jumped out of no where, running over to her. "Elsa, Elsa!"

Elsa knelt down and open her arms, immediately being tackled by the four of them. She laughed. "Why hello there, Birgit! And Halle, how have you been? Katherine, Kay, have you been taking care of the kingdom for me?"

"No, that's Anna's job," the first little girl said.

"Is that so, Birgit?"

One of the other little girls piped up. "She came by and told us to watch for you, and that if you came by, to tell you that she said that she has made Sven and Olaf the official Ambassadors to Corona. Also, she wants to marry Kristoff, so she knighting him."

Elsa' smile faded a little bit. "Oh, dear. That's a lot of... Interesting changes."

The only boy in the group tugged on her sleeve. "Elsa, can you do the thing?"

Elsa smiled mischievously. "What thing, Kay?"

"Elllllsa." They all said in unison.

"Oh, you mean this thing?" She said, standing up. Stomping her foot, ice covered the ground, spreading across the courtyard. Lifting her hands, an flurry of snow fell from the sky. Glancing back at Jack, she smiled and nodded.

Jack grinned. Even though he knew they would not be able to see him, this was his job of course. Creating a snowball in his hand, he hurled it at Elsa, watching as it her in the shoulder. She gasped, and looked around. Birgit and the others giggled at the new and sudden game, none of them questioning where the sudden snowball came from. Scooping up snow, the began to throw it at each other, while Elsa laughed and stood up, glancing back at Jack. Tilting her head in the direction of the castle, she waved to the children as they continued to walk.

"What did they mean, 'The Queen is back'?"

"Oh, I'm Queen," she said, spreading her arms. "This is my kingdom."

Jack blinked. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Yep."

He looked at her suspiciously, as if she might be tricking him. "You sure."

"Of course I'm sure."

"Why didn't you mention that little fact?"

"It didn't seem very important."

"It is right under 'I have magic snow powers' in the list of important thing you should probably tell someone," he said. Feigning horror, he added, "What if I acted wrong? You could have me beheaded!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I haven't beheaded someone in years, thank you very much. We are sophisticated here."

"Sure. I believe you."

"I'll have locked in the dungeon for talking to me like that."

Jack looked at her. "Really?"

"No. Not really. Stop worrying so much."

They were quiet for a few minutes.

"Your highness, the Magnificent Elsa?"

"What? And don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, your majesty."

"Stop it. And ask your question."

"Whose Anna?"

"She's my sister. Why do you ask?"

"You mentioned her in your dream. And then those little kids mentioned it too."

"You'll meet her soon. You'll like her. She's like you. She's... Energetic."

"Is that all you think that I am?"

"No. You're much more annoying than she is."

"That hurt."

"The truth always does."

Jack rolled his eyes. "For a queen, you sure are mean."

"I'm only mean to you."

Jack walked quietly next to Elsa as the made their way through the doors of the castle. He whistled glancing at the massive room and stairway. "You live here?" He asked.

"I'm queen."

"Good point."

"Elsa!" Someone shrieked. Jack jumped, and looked at the stairs to see a blur if color flying down them. He realized that it was a young woman, wearing a green dress, slightly shorter and tanner than Elsa, with brown hair streaked with white and pulled into two braids. She tackled Elsa in a hug, as Elsa laughed.

"Anna!" She said, laughing. "I haven't even been gone that long!"

"If feels like forever," Anna said. "Don't worry though. I took care of everything for you."

"Like making Sven and Olaf ambassadors to our cousin's country?" Elsa said, raising her eyebrows. Anna laughed, a little nervously.

"Umm, yeah, about that," she said, wringing her hands. Jack watched as she glanced around desperately, before her gaze landed on someone walking through the door.

"Kristoff!" She yelled, waving her hand. "Look, Elsa's back!"

The man entered, smiling. "Your majesty."

"I told you to call me Elsa," the Queen said. "We're practically family."

Another voice rang out. "Did someone say Elsa was back?" A snowman came waddling in. Wait. A snowman?

"Olaf!" Elsa said.

"According to Anna, I am Ambassador Olaf now. I don't actually know what that means though, so you can just call me Ol- Oh, who's your friend?" Olaf's eyes locked onto Jack.

"Oh, this? This is Jack," Elsa said. "He's the reason I had to leave."

"How is that snowman talking?" Jack said, before shaking his head. "Why am I asking that? Weirder things have happened."

"You've never made snow come alive before?" Elsa said.

"You did that?" Jack said. "Impressive. Very impressive."

Elsa smile faded slightly when he said that, looking back at Olaf, who was staring in awe at Jack, and Anna and Kristoff, who were staring in worry at Elsa.

"Elsa? You okay there?" Anna said.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Hang on…" Olaf said. "Can he make it snow too?"

"Why is everyone asking questions?" Jack said. "And yes, snowman thing, I can."

Olaf's eyes widened. "It's so perfect, it must be true."

"What must be true, Olaf?" Anna asked.

He opened his mouth to speak when Jack interrupted him. "Olaf?"

"Yes?"

"Why is your name Olaf? It's weird."

"Stop insulting the snowman." Elsa said.

"Who are you talking to, Elsa?"

Elsa waved in the direction of Jack. "This is Jack Frost. Winter spirit. Very annoying."

"Ouch," Jack said.

Anna looked at where her sister had been gesturing. Kristoff frowned at Sven, who rolled his eyes back. Only Olaf made gave any sort of recognition to what Elsa was say, glancing between what her and Jack. The little snowman nodded, so seriously that Jack began to laugh. He looked offended, gasping indignantly, and turning to Elsa for support.

"Your husband is rude, Elsa," he said. "He's almost as rude as Sven. He laughed at me!"

Elsa hid her own smile behind her hand, before shaking her head, fully processing his words. "Wait, what? He's not my husband, Olaf. We are in no way, shape or form in any relationship other than a friendship."

"But you both freeze stuff! It's perfect!" Olaf said, clasping his wooden hands together.

"Umm, Elsa, Olaf," Anna said. "Who are you talking about?"

Elsa blinked. "He's right here."

"I don't see anything."

Elsa looked at Jack, who shrugged sympathetically. "I'm looking right at him. White hair, brown staff, blue eyes."

"You noticed my eyes?" Jack said, grinning. "You sure we're not married?"

"Shut up, Jack!"

Anna walked over to her sister, laying her hands on her arm. "Elsa, I think you a little tired."

Elsa shrugged off her sister's hands. "Don't patronize me! I know he's there! I'm looking right at him." The him in question was currently poking Olaf with the end of his staff. "Oh, leave the snowman alone!"

"He's amazing though!" Jack said. "A snowman with a mind! Wow!"

"There's no one there, Elsa!" Anna said, pulling her hair in exasperation.

"Yes, there is," Olaf said.

"No, there isn't," Kristoff said.

"Yes, there is," Olaf repeated.

Sven shook his head, making a grunting noise.

"Yes, there is."

"Look, Elsa, Ol-" Anna began, before her sister cut her off.

"I swear, Anna, Kristoff," Elsa said. "I'm not crazy. Jack is real."

"Yes, I am," Jack said proudly, puffing out his chest as if it was some prideful event to simply exist. Elsa hit him in the chest, making him laugh.

"I don't see anything," Anna said.

Jack smirked, and Elsa watched as he banged his staff on the ground, and releasing a jet of snow that flurried down from the ceiling, coating the floor and their heads. Olaf gasped in delight, chasing individual snowflakes.

"Elsa!" Anna said. "Stop!"

"Jack!" Elsa said, glaring at the boy, who was laughing at her expression. "I didn't do it, he did!"

"Yeah, this snow is different than Elsa's," Olaf said, gathering a handful of snow and holding to his cheek. "Look at it, it's like tiny, frozen flowers, how pretty!"

"So let me get this straight.," Kristoff said, crossing his arms. "There is a guy here, that can create ice and snow, who only Elsa and a snowman can see, and is married to Elsa?"

"We're not married!" Elsa snapped, her cheeks turning red.

"How quickly you dismiss our love!" Jack said.

"Shut up!" She said.

"We didn't say anything!" Kristoff said.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

"Yeah, Sven, she was talking to her husband."

"He's not my husband!" Elsa yelled, at the same time that Kristoff said, "My name's not Sven!"

"Okay, everyone calm down," Anna said. "Let's say that there is some one there. Why can't we see him?"

Jack shrugged. "Most people can't," he said. "Only the Guardians, few kids who believed, and Pitch could see me back home. I'm surprised you could, Elsa."

"He says that only a few people can, and that he's surprised that I could."

"How do we see him?"

Elsa looked at at Jack, studying him carefully. Jack shrugged again, and made a face that clearly meant "I-have-no-clue-stop-looking-at-me".

"I'll figure something out." Elsa said, beginning to walk up the steps, before realizing it was still snowing. Waving her hand, she dissipated the swirling storm on the ceiling. "Jack, meet me in the library. I'm changing clothes."

"Right," Jack said. He began to walk, before stopping and staring up at her. "Where's the library?"

"Talk to Olaf," the Queen said, not turning around as she reached the top of the stairs.

"This way," Olaf said, grabbing Jack's hand. Both Anna and Kristoff watch as the snowman pulled what appeared to them as thin air after him up the stairs to the library. Listening, they listened as Olaf chattered away to empty air.

"You know, you kind of look like Elsa. You both make it snow, you both have white hair and blue eyes. And if no one can see you, and Elsa never talked to anyone, then you were both alone! You're perfect for each other! No wonder you married her!"

"We are not married!" Elsa called from far away.

Olaf giggled. "Not yet."

**A/N: **Olaf ships Jelsa. Olaf ships Jelsa hard.

I hope you all liked this, it was a bit more lighthearted than previously. And to **birdywings**, yeah, it was a bit weird to write a Disney character being stabbed. That's probably going to be the worst it's going to be. This is actually pretty toned down for me (I write fanfics for some pretty graphic shows, American Horror Story, Supernatural and Hannibal to name a few. It kinda rubs off on you, sorry). Sorry if that bothered anyone. It won't get much worse.

Anyways, thank you for reading! You staying with it makes me so happy! I appreciate every single one of you so much! See ya all next time!


	16. Chapter 15

_**NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP ON MAY 23 FINALS ARE KILLING ME SLOWLY AND I HAVE NO TIME TO WRITE I'M SORRY**_

Elsa walked down the familiar hallways of her house, to her even more familiar room. Opening the door, she stepped in to to cool, calming atmosphere. she shut it behind, leaning against it, and breathing a sigh of relief. She was alone.

After years of being isolation, it became her refuge, her palace. While it had also had been a prison, she welcomed it now. It gave her time to sort out her thoughts. And she had a lot of them.

She quickly changed into her blue dress, her usual one welcoming the feel of it on her skin. It wouldn't have been very practical to go off into the mountains dress in a fine gown. It felt good to be back into something familiar. The blue crystals felt cool against her skin, and she loved the way it curved around her, like a second skin. In a way, it almost was. It was her defence against the outside world, her armor of ice. And she needed that right now.

Moving silently to the window overlooking the pier, she watched the people move silently, and thought about Jack. Not in that way. But why couldn't Anna and Kristoff see him? They both thought she was insane now. Maybe she was. A voice in her head had lead her to the mountains, where legendary creatures lead her to her imaginary friend, and then she was attacked by some nightmare creature that had managed to expose nearly all of her fears. It did seem a little bit crazy. Well, maybe a little bit more than a little bit.

She looked out the window, watching the people move. Extending a finger, she pressed it against the glass. Ice crept over it, and she smiled slightly. The patterns were more delicate than usual, more thought out and perfected. She placed her hand on the window, leaving a print in the frost.

She sighed. She promised to meet Jack in the library. They'd figure this out. And there was something she had to read about anyways.

The library was enormous. The walls were covered in shelves, that were in turn covered in hundreds or even thousands of books. Wooden ladders lead up to some of the higher shelves, and a set of stairs lead to a different floor. Intricately carved gold lay on the railings and above was a massive star chart, listing of constellations and looking like the night sky itself. On the floor were carpets on top of dark stone, and tables and arm chairs lay everywhere. A few windows with reading nooks were here and there, and he could see the snowy top of the mountain. There had been a few scholars or something sitting in here, but Olaf had rushed them out, saying that the Queen and her husband had to work. Jack had laughed at their expressions.

The books themselves were amazing. The covers were of every color, and they stood in every size. Some had to go up to his thigh if he stood them up, and some were smaller than his thumb. Baby Tooth would like those, he thought, reaching of and pocketing one. His hand gripped it, along with the three ice butterflies from the night before. Thinking of Baby Tooth made him long for home, the children, the school days, the other Guardians, even the technology. What he wouldn't give to see some kid playing a video game, or a car, or something.

Jack stood by the bookcase, walking leisurely along the shelves. Some of these looked ancient, and some looked like they were made last week. Nothing looked like they could help everyone see him, though. To be fair, he wasn't looking very hard. The only reason he was doing this was because Elsa had seemed so upset that her sister couldn't see him. He didn't really care either way. It wasn't like they ever could see him.

The doors opened. Elsa swept in. Jack stifled the horror in his stomach when he saw what she was wearing. Blue. Like in his vision. Exactly like how he saw it. It had to be a coincidence. It had to be.

"Find anything?" Elsa asked.

Jack shook his head, fighting the dread, and putting on a smile. "Olaf left me here. Heads up, some of your library workers might be a bit confused on your relationship status."

Elsa groaned. "How did he even decide that we were married?"

"Beats me. Maybe he can tell the future."

"In your dreams, Frost," Elsa said, but a smile pulled at her lips. "Right. About how to make people see you. We need to look up Guardians, and maybe some folktales."

"That sounds like so much fun," Jack said, collapsing into an armchair. Elsa sighed, and climbed the stairs.

"I'll look up here. You, actually do something."

He watched her retreat. It was just a coincidence. He pulled a book of a table beside him, flipping idly through the pages.

Something must have been trying to mess with him, because he just happened to pick up a book about the legends of winter. He saw the legend of Santa Claus, smiling at the image of North, along with Beira, Calleach, the tale of Persephone, Old Man Winter, and others. Then he saw something that made him blink, and look again. On one aged page, there was a strangely accurate drawing of himself sitting on a cloud, staff in hand. Out of curiosity, he read the excerpt below it.

_Jack Frost is a Winter Spirit, born from Winter's vein. He freezes ponds and leaves trails of frost along window, as is his name and title. He loves to cause mischief, and will often freeze villages, and is said to be responsible for the discoloring of the leaves in autumn. Popular word says that he is a Puck-like fellow, a young boy who, after saving his sister, fell into a pond and drowned._

Popular word? He's never heard anyone say that about him. Ever

_After he died, he was granted the powers to manipulate the cold. He travels the earth, invisible to all except to those with winter in their veins or belief in their hearts. It is a lonely job, but to be one of the Immortals is to be alone. Living forever, to watch those you love die is a curse, and alone is what protects us. _

Jack turned to the cover of the book, looking at the title. Tales of Frost and Snow, by Vetr Wolff. Who was this man, and how did he know so much about him? The story was accurate. Too accurate. He flipped to the inner page, and saw written in messy cursive, Property of Elsa. Of course she would like it. It was about people like her

"Find anything, Jack?" Elsa said from upstairs, leaning over the railing.

He shrugged. "A book about me."

Elsa nodded. "Oh, I remember that book. Tales of Frost and Snow. I haven't read that in years."

"I like it."

"Of course you would," she said, walking down the stairs. "I haven't found anything up here. I'm going to look down there."

"This is really boring."

"It isn't your reputation at stake, now is it?"

"That's true."

"Keep looking."

"Whatever you say, your highness."

"Jack Frost, if call me your highness or your majesty or anything along those lines..."

"Sorry... Your liege."

Elsa glared at him, and slid down the banister to the ground floor. "You are obnoxious."

He winked at her, still sprawled in the chair. "You know you love me." He placed the book on his face.

"Just keep looking."

* * *

Jack sighed. He and Elsa had spent hours researching how to make her sister believe in him. They still had nothing. Elsa had long since fallen asleep in her chair. She was curled around the book she had been reading. As he looked at her, she stirred slightly, hand underneath her cheek. He smiled slightly. She looked peaceful. And this time, he wouldn't go wandering off to investigate strange shadow things while she was asleep. He'd stay next to her, and make sure that nothing happened. He'd protect her. Standing up, he grabbed a blanket of the side of the chair he was in, and gently placed it on her. She barely reacted, but her hand met his, brushing just over his. His heart fluttered slightly.

The doors of the library opened, and Jack turned around as Anna walked in. Seeing her sister lying there, Anna smiled slightly.

"Still reading, Elsa?" She whispered, walking over to where they were. Pulling up a chair, she sat down. Jack moved away, stepping behind the chair where Elsa was. "I just wanted to check on you... Olaf was so sure that someone was here with you, but I don't see anyone, and, so were you... I just wish that I could see him too. I want to believe... I just... I don't, I don't know how. I've grown up quite a bit." The girl glanced at her hands.

"Did I ever tell you about my imaginary friend when I was little? No, no I guess I didn't. There was never any time, and I guess it didn't really matter. It was a few weeks after you shut me out, and I guess I was confused. I was confused and bored and I felt like you were angry at me for some reason. So one night, I pretended to fall asleep, and after mama and papa went to bed, I stayed up, and just sat there staring at the moon, wishing you would come back to me, and maybe I started crying. Just a little bit. I didn't want anyone to know. But then, all of a sudden there was this little bunny, made out of golden sand, and I looked up to see someone. He had golden eyes, and he didn't say anything, but he made all sorts of beautiful shapes and dreams. Every few nights, I would see him, and we would always play with the creatures he made. It was the only thing that got me through that, without you there."

Jack stared at Anna. "You know Sandy?" He said, knowing she wouldn't respond.

Her head snapped up. "Sandy? Wait. You're Jack, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"They aren't crazy."

Jack blinked. "You can see me?"

"Yeah… Yes, yes I can! They weren't lying!"

Jack broke into a grin, and began to laugh. Running over where she was, he grabbed her hands and spun her around, as she laughed too. "You can see me, you can see me!"

Releasing her hands, he began to jump in the air.

"Can you do the thing?"

"You mean this?" Jack said, snow beginning to dance from the ceiling.

Elsa blinked awake slowly, taking the scene in in front of her. Jack and Anna were laughing, as snow fell from the ceiling. And she was looking at him. She saw him too.

"Anna? Jack?" She said, sitting up. They both looked at her, grinning.

Anna ran over. "I can see him! Elsa, I can see him! He's real!"

She took a quick breath, before standing up. Her sister quickly grabbed her arms. "He's real! He's real!"

Elsa began to laugh with them. "I told you, I told you!"

"And he made it snow! I thought only you could do that!"

"So did I," Jack said. Elsa said nothing.

"And you know what?" Anna said, smiling mischievously. "I can totally see what Olaf said about you two being a couple."

"Anna," Elsa said. "No."

"I can see it too," Jack said, winking at her.

"Jack," she said. "No."

"Aww, come on, Elsa," he said.

"You are an invisible winter spirit and I'm the queen of kingdom! In what way would that ever work out?"

"The best way."

"You two are so cute together," Anna said, clapping.

Elsa groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm going to bed!" She walked off.

"Goodnight, Elsa!" Jack said.

"Yeah, night!" Anna added. "I should probably go to bed too. Nice to meet you, Jack Frost."

"And you, Princess Anna."

Anna grinned, and skipped off, leaving Jack alone in the dark.

Darkness spread over the kingdom. Everyone had played it off as just the night. No one saw two shadows dancing in the night, faces and schemes to be unseen.

**A/N: **I'm really sorry, this is unedited, I'm literally running out the door, I have finals coming up, and the stress killing me. I have to focus on that for about two weeks, but when I come back, I'll try and have a longer chapter to make up for it. Thank you for all your support last time, it made me so happy, and now I have to leave you for a few weeks. I'll see you then, promise!

**Edit: **I fixed some of the grammar/spelling mistakes I missed yesterday, but that's it for two more weeks. I'm not procrastinating on studying or anything. Nope Not me. Fine, I am... I'd better go. See you all soon.


	17. Chapter 16

The library was dark and cold. Well, it was always cold around Jack. It just seemed... Colder. And lonelier. His eyes flicked to the door where Elsa had left. And Anna. Anna had also left. It wasn't just Elsa. No. There were others. He wasn't just thinking about her, and the way she had given him that half smile, and the way her hair hung over her shoulder, or the way she had laughed with the little kids- Wait, what was he doing?

He shook his head. He was a three hundred year old immortal winter spirit of fun, she was a Queen. A Snow Queen, yeah, but still. He didn't have a "crush" or whatever the young kids were calling them these days. She was pretty. He'd admit that. Lots of things were, like snowball fights, and the stars, and snowflakes, and Queen Elsa. There.

He balanced his staff on his shoulder, and walked to the window. The moon hung in the sky, although clouds were rolling in, covering it. Well, he really was going to be alone now, without even the moon to support him. Sighing, he took looked down at the book still on the chair, Elsa's book. Sitting down, he held the book in his hands. He had never finished the section on him. Opening it again, he found another illustration of him, this one of him sitting in a tree, smiling pensively up at the moon. Another caption underneath it said:

_Jack Frost looks up to the moon, his only friend. Not for long though, as those with winter in their veins always find to each other. They are drawn to each other. That is their blessing, and their curse. _

Flipping through the pages, he found a familiar image. Reading the words underneath it, he shook his head.

_The Snow Queen is a woman who can manipulate the cold. When she nearly killed her sister, she locked away her powers, make them unpredictable, although powerful enough to freeze an entire summer. Her name is Elsa-_

Jack stood up, the book falling from his lap to the floor, pages fluttering. Elsa. That was describing her. He didn't want to read anymore, and that was her story. It wasn't right. She'd tell him, if she wanted to.

Anyways, his book was driving him insane. It was accurate in some parts, vague in others, and it just made no sense. Pacing, he looked back out the window.

_Talk to Elsa_, something told him.

She's probably asleep, he thought to himself.

_Elsa would know what to do_, the voice said.

Jack sighed, and went out the doors where Elsa and Anna had left. Walking up the stairs, he left his feet guide him, before he slowed in front of a set of doors. Jack took a deep breath. Something told him that this was Elsa's room. He could feel it in his bones. He looked at the doors, unsure of what to do. She was asleep. He didn't want to bother her. But he also really wanted to see her. Shaking his head, he put his staff in the crook of his arm, and raised his hand to the door preparing to knock. Last chance to turn back. His hand, seemingly with a mind of it's own, made the decision.

Rap, rap, rap.

There was a pause, as he heard her footsteps echo on the other side, and her grab the handle twisting it, and before he knew it, she was in front of him, hair slightly disheveled, hand running through it, a loose white gown covering her body. Her eyes were bleary, and when they landed on him, they widened slightly. She seemed to grow more

"Jack?"

"I didn't mean to wake you, I was just... Bored. I found some books, and they gave me more questions than answers."

She smiled slightly, rolling her eyes and nodding towards the room. "Come on in."

He followed her, taking in the wide room, the bed at the side and the windows. One side if the bed was mess up, sheets and blankets tossed to the side. Elsa sat down at a table by the wall, nodding at the seat across from her.

"What is it?"

Jack lowered himself into the chair, and pulled the book from his pocket.

"It's this one. I can't stop thinking about it."

She took it from his hands, flipping through the pages. "What confuses you?"

"All of it! It's accurate! Really accurate! Look! This picture looks just like me!"

Elsa took the book. "It's just a coincidence-"

"No, that's what I thought too! But then I read it, and it's spot on! And look," he flipped a few pages forward. "The Snow Queen. Tell me that doesn't look familiar."

Elsa looked at the page. It was a picture of a woman, reaching a hand to the sky, snowflake springing from it. Her dress was blue and her hair was white. "Distant relative of mine?"

"No. That's you. She's a queen, with white hair, a blue dress, a sister, and the power to manipulate the cold. That's you."

"Jack, I wasn't even born when this book was written."

"It could be a prophecy!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"You are talking to a Winter Spirit, right now."

"It says we... we ice people, we find each other. That we're drawn to the winter in each other's veins. But I was "alive" for three hundred years. I never met anyone like me, unless you count North, until I met you."

Elsa nodded. "You're the only one I've met too."

"Then why put that in?"

"Good question. Maybe we're all there is. We did find each other, eventually."

Jack sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "I just wish I could have met you sooner."

Elsa tilted her head curiously. "Why?"

"I was alone, for three hundred years, and here you are, Queen Elsa, with the ability to make people see me."

"I don't have the ability-"

"No, you make people want to see me, out of their love for you. You make people do the impossible."

Elsa smiled, looking at the table. "You know, when you aren't being annoying, you can say wonderful things."

He leaned forward, grabbing her hands, so that she looked at him. Her eyes met his. "I mean it."

They grew silent, and Jack felt his heart beating slightly faster. Looking down, he saw ice creeping from his skin on hers, and vice versa. They both began to laugh, for almost no reason.

"You know, I just had the sudden urge to dance," Jack said, standing up, and pulling Elsa to her feet.

"But there's no music! This is ridiculous!" She said, protesting as he placed her hand on his shoulder, and placed his hand on her hip.

"Shut up, your highness. I haven't wanted to do this in three hundred years."

"I certainly hope you mean dancing," she said.

He gasped, looking at her as she smirked. "You have a dirty mind for a queen."

He began to step, letting her feet guide them, as really had no clue what they were doing.

"Why are we doing this?"

"I don't know."

"It's the middle of the night, and you had questions about a book."

"But also you are in front of me."

"Is this your attempt to flirt with me, Frost?"

"Why, yes, it is."

"You're failing miserably."

"Oh." His proud expression withered.

"Don't feel bad. You're quite a bad dancer, too."

"Oh." His face fell even farther. Was he really that bad? Elsa caught his eye.

"Come on," she said, laughing at his expression. "I'm teaching you. Look at my feet. We go in corners. It'd be easier with music, but given as you wanted to try this in the middle of the night, we can't exactly call up a band."

"We can pretend."

Elsa laughed again, and began to hum, leading Jack in a circle. He watched their feet, as a trail of frost and snowflakes imprinted into the ground followed their footsteps. It was beautiful, in a strange kind of way.

"Look! You're getting the hang of it!" Elsa said, as the managed to make it around, without Jack tripping.

"I am!"

He took his hand out if hers, and places it on her other hip, lifting her up and spinning her around. The laughed in unison, and she caught his arms at the elbows as she landed.

"I actually need to sleep," she said, as her laughter died down slightly. "I have a kingdom to run."

"Do you mind it I stay in here?" Jack said, biting down in his words. It sounded really creepy. "I'll be in the chair! I don't need to sleep, I just don't want to be alone."

"Of course you can," she said, brushing her hand over his cheek. His skin tingled under her touch. She walked back towards her bed, lying down and pulling the covers up on top of her. She smiled at him, still lying in her side as he walked to his chair.

"Goodnight, Jack Frost."

"Goodnight, Elsa the Snow Queen," he said. "I'll keep the nightmares away."

"I trust you to do that." She shut her eyes, and turned away, and he turned his attention to the window, and the moon, hidden somewhere behind a cloud.

He had never felt so homesick, yet at the same time, never felt happier.

There was just something about Elsa, and the way they left patterns of ice on the floor.

There was just something about Elsa.

"_Mara_?" A small voice said from outside. Her face was hidden in the shadows, although she could clearly see in the window.

"_Yes, Tyra_?"

"_Why are they dancing_?"

"_Because they are falling in love. And everything is going according to plan_."

**A/N: **I'm back! Finals are done, and summer is here! I survived! I have more time to write now. Yes. Anyways, I'm not so sure about this chapter, it's really short, feels kinda like filler, but the last few weeks of school kind of killed my creativity. Don't worry, plot will come soon, I hope. Thanks for reading, and sorry about the long wait. We'll be back on normal schedule again starting with the update on Wednesday. See ya all then!


	18. Chapter 17

When Elsa woke up, Jack was gone. It was early in the morning, the sun just barely risen above the sea in the distance. Rising slowly, she stretched, before looking at the ground, where vague imprints of ice still remained. Stepping out of the bed, she got dressed slowly, pulling the blue dress on, wondering where Jack could have gotten to.

Trying to keep her thoughts away from wondering about where ever Jack was, she walked down the hallway, following her feet. They seemed to have a mind of their own. The castle was still relatively empty, the servants still asleep. It was calm, a peaceful change from the usual bustle. Ever since her coronation, and the whole freezing summer fiasco, she decided to keep the gates open, making it possible for more people to wander in and out of the castle. While it was nice to see other people, sometimes the quiet was very nice. As she walked, she realized that she was wandering down to the kitchen. Opening the door to the rom, to find Jack and Anna sitting at a table, laughing. Both of them smiled broadly when she walked in.

"Elsa!" Anna said, jumping up and running over. She grabbed Elsa's arm, jumping up and down in excitement. Jack leaned back in his chair. "Did you know that Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and The Easter Bunny are all real? And that Jack knows them?"

"I-" Elsa began, before Anna cut her off.

"And all those winter nights were the frost would creep on the window," she said. "That was him!"

"I-"

"I completely approve of your relationship! There are so many worse people out there!"

"What relati-"

"He knows the funniest stories. He'll be good for you. Cause you're no fun at all," She stopped, scrunching up her face, realizing what she said, as Elsa raised her eyebrows as Jack cracked up behind them. "Wait."

Elsa laughed, pushing her sister gently. "Stop talking while you're ahead."

"Good plan."

Elsa sat down at the table, and Anna sat down next to her.

"Now, what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, just you know, funny stories, other Guardians, you."

"Me?" Elsa said.

"Yup," Jack said. "I know all about how you froze summer."

"Anna!" Elsa said, glaring at her sister. "You played a role in that too, you know."

"Yes, not directly."

"You tried to get married! After knowing him a few hours!"

Anna turned red, while Jack looked back and forth curiously. "Really?"

"He seemed nice!" Anna protested.

"He tried to kill us and take over the kingdom!" Elsa said.

"Oh, I have to hear this," Jack said, leaning in, and resting his head on his hand.

"Noooo," Anna said. "I have much better taste in men now! No need to relive the past! No need at all!"

"I'll vouch for you on that one. Speaking of which, does Kristoff know Jack exists yet?" Elsa asked, looking at her sister.

"No," Anna sighed. "I haven't said anything."

"He probably won't believe you," Jack said. "One person seeing me was impressive. Two was a miracle. Three is borderline impossible."

"Don't act like you know everything," Elsa said. "You didn't think Anna would be able to see her, and now look."

"I tried for three hundred years to have someone see me. I think I'm a little more knowledgeable than you," he said dryly. "I mean, it's great you two can see me. I'm just not expecting it to happen again."

Elsa looked across the table at him, meeting his eyes. The mischievous light that usually filled them was darkened, subdued, and for moment, Elsa saw not the white haired boy, but the winter spirit, very old and alone. Then he blinked, leaned back in his chair and smiled, and it was gone, a smile lighting up his face.

"It's fine," he said. "I have two friends now, and that's more than I had a week ago."

Elsa gave him a small smile, nodding. Neither noticed Anna glancing between them, smiling into her hands.

"Anyways, I got Olaf, an actual living breathing snowman," Jack said. "How cool is that?"

"Who I created," Elsa said. "I'd say it's pretty cool."

Anna began to cough, causing Jack and Elsa to look at her. She stood up, still glancing between them.

"I'm just gonna... Leave. You two are cute," Anna said. "But I'm feeling like the awkward third wheel, so I'm gonna go bug Kristoff."

"What?" Elsa said.

"Nothiiiiing," Anna said drawing out the word.

"Why are you so obsessed with the idea of us being a couple?" She said, putting her head in her hands.

"Why are you so against it?"

"Both of you, stop," Jack said. "I can't believe I have to be the mature one."

"You're the oldest on here!" Elsa said.

"Oldest, not the most mature. There's a differ-"

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting the conversation.

"Queen Elsa? Oh, hello, Princess Anna," It was Kai, their old servant. He stepped in. Anna and Elsa looked at each other, remembering he couldn't see Jack.

"Hey, Kai," Anna said.

"Did you need something?" Elsa said, standing up and holding herself regally and serenely, glancing at Jack out of the corner of her eye

"There is something urgent you must attend to in the guests rooms, Queen Elsa," the servant said.

"You go on ahead," she said. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Yes, ma'am. But please, hurry." He quickly turned and left, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Elsa looked at the Anna and Jack. "Have fun," she said. "I have to take care if this."

"Urgent?" Jack said. "That sounds more interesting."

"Most likely not. They probably just lost the drapes or something."

"How do you lose the drapes?"

"It's happened," Elsa said, leaving the room. "See you both in a little while."

* * *

Elsa looked at the scene in front of her, hands braced on either side of the the door frame of the guest room. Her eyes darted around, although she seemed calm compared to the nervous whispers of the servants behind her.

"How long has it been like this?"

"We got you as soon as we found it."

Elsa nodded. "Good," she said. "I want this room locked, and I want all the keys to it given to me. Guard the ends of the hallway. Let no one through unless they are with me. Tell no one of this."

"Yes, your majesty," the small group said. Gerda, the head of them, handed her a ring with all the keys that opened the door hanging off it. Elsa took it, nodding at her.

"I want you all to swear to keep it a secret, then continue your duties. Do you all promise?"

They repeated it in unison. Elsa walked down the hallway, away from the door.

"Queen Elsa? Where are you going?"

"I believe I know someone who can help us," she said, staring down the hallway, and not looking back. "He'll know what to do. He has to."

**A/N: **Sorry about the general shortness of this chapter. I had other things happening this week, and this seemed like the right breaking point. We're getting into some plot now, I'm excited. And **birdywings**, you don't sound annoying or snobby, you're so polite! I'm going back and fixing up the last chapter right now. Finals must have melted my brain! Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

Thank you for reading , and catch you all in a few days.


	19. Chapter 18

Jack watched as Elsa left the room, sighing. Anna looked over at, whacking his arm.

"Stop pining after her," she said. He glanced over at her, remembering how he had gotten bored earlier that morning, and had left Elsa, still asleep in her bed behind. He had wandered down the hallway, before Anna had jumped out of seemingly nowhere, way too wide awake for someone up before dawn, dragging him down to the kitchen so that she could steal food and interrogate him on his life in one sitting. It had changed into her sharing embarrassing stories about Elsa, and him telling her about random facts in his long very "life".

"I'm not pining," he said.

"I've known you less than twenty four hours, and even I can tell, that is pining. You have a crush on my sister."

"I do not!"

Anna looked at him. "You are just as bad as she is! You were making fun of her for the same thing like three minutes ago, and now you're denying it?"

"I wasn't making fun of her. That was you."

"Okay, what about yesterday, Mister 'I can see it too'?"

"I was joking!"

"You're always joking! That's your thing! You're the Guardian of Fun!"

He shook his head, sighing as he leaned forward. "Look... Even if I did like her, and I'm not saying I do, it would never work out between us. I'm an immortal winter spirit, a Guardian of Fun, and she's... she's a very mortal Queen. Our age difference alone is just weird. Anyways, she doesn't even like me back."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "You sure about that?"

"Can we stop gossiping?" Jack said. "Please?"

"You sound like Elsa," Anna said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"Look," Anna said. "Just tell her how you feel."

"No!"

"Oh, c'mon. You're being childish. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh no," Jack said, shaking his head. "You said it. Now it's jinxed."

"What?"

"You said, 'What's the worst that could happen?', and now, the worst is going to happen!"

"That's ridiculous," Anna said, looking vaguely unsure. "Now I sound like Elsa."

"See? We're all turning into Elsa! The worst is happening!"

Anna laughed. "Don't let her hear you say that. Anyways, you have to tell her how you feel for the worst to happen."

"I don't feel anything."

"Sure you don't, pal."

"Are you like this all the time? How does she stand you?"

"With patience. A lot of patience."

The door opened. Elsa herself stepped in. She looked shaken. Well about as shaken as Elsa could look. Her hands were clasped together around something that Jack realized was ring, with fifteen keys hanging off of it. Her eyes darted to meet his.

"Anna, go talk to Kristoff. Jack, come with me," she said. She spun around.

"Elsa?" Anna said. They both followed her out the door. "What's happening?"

"Please, Anna just go talk to Kristoff, or Olaf, or anyone really," her sister said, not turning around as she walked quickly, feet not making a sound on the carpeted floor. "This isn't any of your concern."

"Yes, yes, it is," Anna said. "You're acting really weird. I want to know what happ-"

"Anna!" Elsa snapped, spinning violently around. "Stop it! Just go away!"

Anna stopped walking, staring at her sister in shock. "Fine," she said, she backing away. She spun, running down the hallway. Elsa watched her go, and Jack could see the regret in her eyes, as she began walking the way they were headed. Jack followed Elsa, as they climbed a set of stairs, taking a sharp turn down a corridor, with doors on either side, uniformly spread apart.

"What's wrong?" He said. "I've never seen you talk to your sister like that. Something bad happened, didn't it?"

She sighed. "You mention... You mentioned someone, someone who knew your fears better than you do?"

"Pitch," Jack said. His heart began to beat faster. "Does this have something to do with Pitch?"

"I don't know," she said, fiddling with the ring of keys in her hand. "I think I need to show you," They stopped in front of the door. As she opened it, she stepped aside, letting him look in.

He blinked in shock.

It was dark in the room, and for a moment, Jack thought that they had simply boarded up the window, or that the curtains were drawn tightly shut. Then he looked harder. The ground swirled with dark shadows made of sand. They had reacted to the door opening by reeling back, retreated from the light of the door with a shaking, rattling hiss. As he watched, thin beams of light began slicing through it, like veins in marble, or cracks on a wall. The most disturbing thing, however, was what in the light.

They were images. Jack recognized them. They were his worst fears. They made his hands clench, and his stomach twist. The children in his care, afraid, hurt dying. Jaime, Sophie, Pippa, his sister, and a mysterious girl with white hair, all lost in the dark alone, calling for him, asking for his help. There were other more selfish fears. Being alone. Being forgotten. By the children. By the other Guardians. By Anna. By Elsa.

He slammed the door shut. Taking a deep breath, he braced his head against his arm, leaning onto it. He shut his eyes. They danced on the back of his eyelids. Opening them, he turned his head towards Elsa, who was looked at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

"Do you know what that is?" Elsa said.

He shook his head.

"What did you see in it?"

"What I was afraid of," she said. "It's the same for everyone. The servant who discovered it, he fainted. Still hasn't woken up."

"I can see how that would happen..." Jack said, before repeating his previous question. "What did you see?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly. He nodded. She glanced to down the hallway, watching as a servant approached. As expected, she didn't look at Jack, but curtsied at Elsa. When she had disappeared, Elsa grabbed his arm, sending sparks through his skin. She pulled him into the room opposite the dark one, shutting the door behind them. This one had a window open,above a desk, letting in the sunlight that was just beginning to appear in the distance. A bed was against the wall, it's dark red bedspread covered in dust. Opposite it was a fireplace, obviously not having a fire lit in it for years. Elsa looked at him.

"I can't have people thinking I'm insane," she whispered. "Talking to nothing."

"I should be offended."

"You know what I mean. Now, what was that?"

"I don't know," he said, but even as he spoke, he felt the words come to his lips. "Nightmare sand... But the light, I don't know what that was."

Elsa shook her head. "It's not good."

"No. No, it isn't."

"What are we going to do? I've locked the room. No one knows except for a group of servants, and they've sworn to secrecy."

"What can we do?" Jack said. He sat down on bed. It creaked under him. He looked at the ground. "We don't know what it is."

"You know," a voice said. Both Jack and Elsa jumped. Jack spun around to see a man standing in the corner, leaning against the wall idly, a long black coat pulled around a gray suit. He looked up, hair silver despite his young face, and eyes a pale blue. They held a look of ancient power in them. He checked his nails, and glanced between the two of them, looking vaguely annoyed. "You could always ask for help."

**A/N: **We found what was in the room! Yay!/No!/What? And we "met" a new character. Let's just say, I've mentioned him before... Hmmm. This chapter's still a little short, but pretend it's a continuation of the last one. I don't think I have anything else to say. Thank you for reading, you make my day when you do! See you all in a few days!


	20. Chapter 19

"Who are you?" Jack and Elsa said in unison. He stepped forward.

"Don't pretend you don't know me," the man said. His eyes flashed, taking in their blank looks. "Really? Nothing?"

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Elsa repeated. He did look vaguely familiar, a face that pushed at the edge of her memory, something that lingered just out of sight. "The room was empty, I checked."

The man smiled. "You know me. You've read my book."

Jack and Elsa glanced at each other. "Woolf. Vetr Woolf," Elsa said.

"Well, the Woolf I added on for fun. I'm simply Vetr."

"How did you get in here?" Jack said. He was still sitting, and looked rather calm. Elsa hoped she did too.

He smiled. "Do you think that simple walls could hold me back, or that you could see me simply because you looked in my direction? No, you are but foolish children."

"Child?" Jack scoffed. "Try again."

The man smiled at him, and under the slight condescension, there was an element of fondness. "Compared to me, you are a child. Actually, compared to me almost everyone is a child. Don't be offended."

"You don't look that old," Elsa said, before she shook her head, realizing she was in the same room as Jack Frost. The man gave her a look, clearly thinking the same thing. "Nevermind. You said you could help?"

"No, I said you could ask for help."

Elsa and Jack exchanged a look. "Can you help us?"

"Yes," he said. He looked out the window, glaring at the sunlight filtering in, as if it were mocking him. He muttered something under his breath that sound like "... much too warm for Autumn, what is that fool thinking", and waved his hand, the curtains rustled, snapping tightly shut. He sighed contentedly, and looked back at them, as if waiting for them to speak. Elsa raised her eyebrows.

"Will you help us?" She said, waving her hands.

He blinked, like he had forgotten the question. "Oh, of course I will," he said. He smiled at them, a brilliant but cold smile, like snow in direct daylight.

Jack looked at him for a moment. "I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but why are you helping us?"

Vetr met his gaze coolly. "Let's just say, I'm fond of you two."

"That's not creepy at all," Jack muttered. Elsa glared at him, before turning her attention back to Vetr.

"How can you help us?" She said calmly.

"Like this," he said, marching out into the hall. The door opened for him, although he didn't touch it. He simply flicked his hand. Elsa and Jack exchanged another glance, as they followed him.

He stood in front of the locked door, arms crossed in front of him. He looked at it like it held all the secrets in the universe, and he was content just to observe it.

"Huh... That's interesting," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Very interesting."

The two of them moved to stand on either side of the man, just at his shoulders, watching as he squinted at it. He was taller than both over them, although Jack was close. His skin was pale, translucent, much like her own, and Jack's. He waved his hand again, and the door opened.

"How did you do that?" Elsa said. She held up the keys. "It was locked." He turned to her, raising his eyebrows.

"Really?"

She met his eyes for a moment, before looking away, staring at the ground. Stepping forward, he looked at the swirling piles of sand. Lifting up both hands, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes, turning his face towards the ground. A small flurry of snowflakes flew from his fingers, into the room, in swirling, beautiful patterns. Where it touched the sand, it it disappeared with an almost human shriek. The light flickered, before glowing brighter, and brighter, filling the entire room.

"Look away now," Vetr said, his own eyes still shut. Elsa turned away, watching as her shadow shrunk with a large flash of light from behind her. When it faded, she turned back around. The room was...

It was normal.

It looked like nothing had happened.

A mirror image of the one they had just been in, the only sign that something had taken place there was a small swirl of snow, in the center of the room. When Vetr lowered his hands, the storm dissipated.

"How did you..." Elsa whispered. She looked at the man in shock. "You... You have can make snow too?"

He laughed. "Oh, child. I can do so much more than that."

She shook her head. "Who are you?" She said, her earlier question still unanswered.

He smiled fondly down at her. "Haven't you figured that out yet? No? Come on. You're a smart girl, Elsa."

"I don't know," she said.

"Just tell us already," Jack said. He moved to stand by Elsa.

Vetr laughed. "Standing together. Good. You'll need that."

Jack glared at him. "Aw, well. You do have the right to know. I am Vetr. I am Winter incarnate."

* * *

Anna sat by herself in her room, arms wrapped tightly around her as lay curled on her bed. Kristoff was in the stables, and there was no way she was going to give her sister the satisfaction of going down to talk to him. She hated it when Elsa yelled at her. She hadn't even done anything wrong. She had simply wanted to know what was wrong with her sister. Was it a crime to be concerned, to want to help? She had seen the fear in Elsa's eyes when she had yelled at her.

Something had scared her.

Something had scared her enough to snap.

Anna pulled her knees to her chest. Whatever it was, it was bad, and she knew that Elsa had only pushed her away because she wanted to keep her safe. It reminded her of another time Elsa had shut her out for her out safety. She drew in a breath. When Elsa kept secrets, Anna always ended up alone. They both always ended up alone.

She shut her eyes.

"Anna?" A small voice said. Anna spun around, scrambling off the bed. A shadow stood in the window.

"Who are you?"

"Don't worry, Anna. My name is Mara. I need you to take a message to your sister and her boyfriend for me."

* * *

"Winter incarnate?" Elsa echoed.

"Yep," Vetr said. "The one and only."

"What does that even mean?" Jack said.

"It means I am a season, in human form."

"That doesn't clear anything up."

Vetr sighed. "It doesn't matter. You have much bigger problems."

Elsa stood taller. "How so?"

"That sand. That was part of something bigger. Much bigger. It was meant as a challenge, to you. The two that sent it, they will not be happy I cleaned it up."

"Who sent it?"

"I won't tell you that. What I can say, is that it will get worse. Much worse, unless you go to the place where this all started, before it begins."

"What?" Jack said.

"You know, Jack. This I know you know. It happens to be the only place where you can "

"I don't know!"

"No need to be hostile."

"I am not being hostile."

"You're being a little hostile."

"Both of you stop it!" Elsa said. Vetr turned his attention to her.

"I like you better," he whispered, loud enough for Jack to hear, adding a wink. "Cause you're my favorite, I'm going to give you something."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a glass vial, the size of Elsa's thumb. It was filled with a clear, pale blue liquid. He placed it gently into her hand, before speaking again.

"That'll come in handy. A cure for all ills. You'll know when you use it."

"How come Elsa gets a present and I don't?" Jack said. Elsa could tell he was trying to be difficult.

"You're not my favorite, Elsa is," Vetr said. "Anyways, you'll get yours when you figure out how to stop that." He waved his arm in the direction of the now empty room. "It won't be as much of a gift as returning what was stolen from you. That I promise you."

Turning his attention to a watch in his pocket, he breathed out dramatically. "Well, I must be off. I have books to write before winter comes. This is my time off, and I'm spending it fixing you up the mess you two made."

"We didn't make a mess," Jack said. "It was already here."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Frost boy. You two have fun."

"Wait!" Elsa said, fingers still wrapped around the vial, but it was too late. Vetr snapped his fingers, and disappeared, a flurry of snowflakes spinning where he once stood.

Jack and Elsa looked at each other, not quite sure what to make of Vetr, or what he had left them with. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"What. Was. That?" Elsa said.

"I have no idea," Jack responded. He shook his head. "I think he was insane though. Certifiably insane."

"Aren't we all?" Elsa said quietly. She sighed, still gripping the delicate vial. Jack touched her arm gently.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's figure out what he was talking about."

They walked down the corridor, side by side, and unknown to either of them, still observed by the man in the black coat. He smiled, a little sadly, watching them together, knowing that they were not alone, that they had each other, and that the ice in their hearts would always draw them together. That is, if they could survive what was to come.

**A/N: **Woah, I got a ton of reviews last time! Thank you! I'm gonna give you this chapter early for a few reasons. I finished it earlier than I thought I would, and I don't think I'm going to have a chance to be on the computer for a few days, at least not with enough time to put it up. Also, I've tortured you all enough with cliffhangers. Here's a chapter. If anyone is wondering, Vetr is an OC, as are Mara and Tyra. Vetr did turn out a bit different than I originally planned... Much more like a character for the Mortal Instruments, or something... City of Heavenly Fire emotions to blame, I guess... Anyways, thank you for reading and see you next time!


	21. Chapter 20

"I really hate being invisible," Jack mumbled, shuddering as another servant passed through him, and Elsa ignored him, walking ahead with her head held high. She paused, turning slightly towards him as she pretended to be examining a picture, checking no one was looking before talking to him.

"I have things to do," she said. "I can't keep talking to you like this."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You're can always find someone else to talk to."

"Oh, like who? You're sister is angry at you, and probably me too, even though I didn't do anything. I could talk to a snowman, but he wandered off earlier today talking about ice castles. I could always try talking to one of the servants, except, oh wait! They can't see me!"

"You're being dramatic. What did you do before people could see you?"

"I don't know, flew around, froze things."

"Well, do that."

"I haven't tried to fly in a while. I'm probably still broken."

Elsa turned towards him, looking at him dead in the eye. "Are you okay? You've been strange since we talked to Vetr."

"I'm fine," he said. "Now stop looking at me, people will think you're insane."

She sighed, turning away. "You're not fine."

"I am!"

"Look, there are somethings I need to care of. Queen stuff. You go find something to do. I'll find you when I'm done."

Jack groaned, holding his staff in the crook of his arm and shoving his hands in his pockets, walking vaguely in the opposite direction of where ever Elsa was going. The paintings on the wall stared at him as he past, not really knowing where he was going. He didn't really care.

Elsa had been right. He had been acting strange.

He knew it.

She knew it.

He had lied to her.

He wasn't fine.

No, he was far from it

He shook his head angrily as yet another servant ran through him. Vetr had been here, in this time period. He had known about Jack. He had written a book about him. And yet, he had let Jack spend three hundred years alone. Without saying a word to him, without even letting him know that others could see him.

He banged his staff angrily against the wall, a swirling pattern of frost spreading across the already flowered wallpaper, and to his surprise, a crack ran up it. Spreading his hand, he pressed it against it. The wall shuddered slightly, and the wall paper tore in a straight line, before the wall fell in. It was a hidden door, covered in wallpaper.

He stepped in, shutting it behind him. It was a narrow corridor, and very dark. The air felt like it hadn't been breathed in years, the floor cool against his bare feet. All of a sudden, the floor rose in a step.

"Woah!" Jack said, as he tripped over it, and fell forward, sticking out his hands, floating just inches from the next few steps. He shook his head, and began his ascent.

The stairs were steep and uneven, each one unexpected, and it was difficult to tell where they were in the dark, and just like that, they stopped in front of a wooden door. Pushing it open, he found a room, dark despite the fact that it was still day outside, due to heavy curtains hanging in the only window. It was small, smaller than any other room he'd seen in the castle so far. A small bed lay in the corner, along with a dollhouse, and other toys scattered on the ground.

He stepped in, shutting the door behind him.

Walking over to the bed, he sat down. No one would follow him up here. He was sure. No one would ignore him, or walk through him. He would be alone. Like usual, he thought bitterly.

A line from Vetr's book came back to him.

_Alone is what protects us. _

Maybe it was his misguided attempt to keep him safe. But Vetr was immortal too. Couldn't he have said anything?

He crossed his legs, and shut his eyes.

_Alone is what protects us. _

Protects us from _what_?

* * *

Elsa sighed as she read the papers, trying to focus on the words that swam in front of her eyes. It was the usual things, trade agreements, visiting nobles, reports on agriculture. Quite a few of her advisors had bombarded her with questions, and documents, all insisting that whatever they had to say was the most important, before she had waved them all away, promising to review what they had given her. As soon as she had sat down, though, her mind had filled with other things. She shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts from drifting off to the room, and to Vetr, and to Jack.

It wasn't working.

She stood up. Maybe talking to Jack would help. Maybe then she could finally get back to running a kingdom. The only problem was, she had no idea where he was. He had just wandered off. The castle was huge, and she couldn't exactly ask anyone if they had seen him.

Other than Anna.

Guilt twisted her stomach when she remembered how she had snapped at her little sister. She had only been trying to help.

As with this morning, she had simply began to walk, and her feet carried her throughout the castle's corridors, until she slowed, in front of the cracked wallpaper that hid a door she knew well. It was covered in a thin layer of frost that should have, by any logical thought, disappeared. A door she had order to been hidden.

"Of course, Jack," she said. "Of course, you had to find it."

Pushing it open, she walked down the narrow corridor, and walked up the uneven steps. Pushing open the door, she saw Jack, sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. Everything was how she had left, albeit covered in a thin layer of dust after years of being locked away.

"How'd you find this place?" She said quietly.

He looked up. "I don't know. It just sort of... Happened. What is it, anyways?"

She sighed, moving to sit down next to him. "Back before everyone knew I had magic, I.. didn't like to be around people. My old room, it was fine, no one came in, but it made me lonely. I found this room, and told no one about it. Not even my parents. I'd spend nights here, just thinking, and I didn't feel as bad. I even- I even invented my imaginary friend here."

Jack nodded. "You had an imaginary friend?"

"Imaginary in theory."

"What does that mean?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, shaking her head. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were acting weird earlier today."

"It was nothing. Just the whole Vetr showing up, and the nightmare sand, I-I don't know. Maybe I'm just homesick. Maybe it's everything"

"It'll be okay," she said quietly.

"And this room. I feel like there is something I need to remember, in this room." He waved his hands around, gesturing at the room.

"It'll come to you, if it really important," Elsa said, feeling hope seem to swell inside her. Maybe he would remember.

He sighed, and shook his head. "It's probably nothing."

She bit back her disappointment. "Probably."

"I thought you had queen stuff to do."

"I did, I just couldn't focus on it. The nightmare sand kinda shook me up too," she said. "WHo do you think was trying to get us the message."

"I have an idea," he said. "But I don't like it, and it doesn't make that much sense."

"Well, you know what we could always do?"

"Don't say it."

"Research."

"Noooooo!" He said, collapsing backwards. "Why are your trying to kill me with boredom?"

"Stop being dramatic, Jack," Elsa said, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the door. He groaned, clomping his feet on the floor.

"I'll do it for you and only you."

"Why, thank you, Jack Frost."

"Anytime, Elsa of Arendelle."

**A/N: **Woah, I am so sorry this is late and short! Writer's block can strike at the worst times, can't it? At least it's here, now. and with some fluff. As usual, this was supposed to be longer, but I didn't like the flow, and decided to cut it here. And it's unedited, as I felt really bad and had to give you guys something. Hopefully, I will have more time this week. Thank you for bearing with me!


	22. Chapter 21

"We were already in here yesterday," Jack said, dragging his feet slightly as he walked. "Wouldn't we have found something then?"

He flipped lazily through the books, following behind Elsa. Her head was bent studiously, as she murmured some response to him that he didn't catch. He yawned dramatically, accidentally dropping the book in his hands. He groaned, stooping down to pick it up. In dropping it, he had lost his page. Groaning again, he pounded his head against the shelf repeatedly, knocking some of the dust from the higher shelves down around him and Elsa.

"Jack," she sighed, looking up from what she was reading. "What?"

"This is really, really boring."

"The go somewhere else. I have a ton of other things I need to do, but this is more important. I can't have you distracting me."

"You think I'm distracting?" Jack said with a sideways grin. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, pointing at the door.

"Go."

He groaned for the third time. "This is the second time today you've exiled me."

"Don't make it an execution next."

"Fine, fine. I'm leaving." he said. Sighing, he wandered out into the hallway. He didn't actually find it that bad in there. There was some interesting books, and he knew he'd be able to help Elsa a little. But he'd be more use out here. Walking back down the corridor, he overheard a bit of a conversation between two people, servants by the look of them. They bustled down the hallway, murmuring quietly.

"It was sand, but with your worst fears in it. I swear to you. A few other people saw it too."

"Like who?"

"Kay and Gerda, of course, and a few others. And the queen."

"What did she do about it?"

"Locked up the room. But now it's gone!"

"Maybe you're all hallucinating."

"It's real, I swear."

Jack shook his head as they passed, laughing slightly. They had no idea what it was. Neither did he really, so he couldn't really judge. He kept walking, silently throughout the quiet castle. It seemed slightly subdued for some reason. Every was probably shaken up.

I am too, Jack thought, as he turned into the guest corridor, going to the now empty room. Whatever had happened was meant to shake people up, to scare them.

Walking in, he found it as they had left it. Empty bed in the corner, fireplace, window. But he had missed something before.

Lying on the mantle if the now dark fire place, he saw it. A small dark shape. Walking over to it, he picked it up. It fit perfectly into the palm of his hand. Made of some obsidian type stone, it was a carving of a heart. Not the anatomically correct kind, but the shape he would see on Valentine's day. There was no mistaking this for some light hearted and innocent holiday symbol though. It had an air of darkness surrounding it, was ominous and heavy, weighing down his hand, and when he looked at it, he felt a prickle of fear run down his spine.

He slipped it into his pocket, where it sat with the three ice butterflies and the tiny book, and spun around, running to find Elsa.

* * *

Elsa heard Jack leave the room. It killed her to have to keep doing that, but he was right. He was distracting. Not that she would ever admit it to him. He had a big enough head as it was.

She wandered down around the bookshelves, looking for anything that might help her. The problem was, she had no idea where to even start. None. She hadn't the faintest idea of what had caused the room to be like that.

She sighed, slamming the book she had been holding shut with one hand, and putting it back up on the shelf. Collapsing into a nearby chair, she shut her eyes, rubbing her head. Suddenly, the window slammed open, making her jump, and blowing papers around the room. Walking over, she shut it, latching it, and tuning to gather the scattered documents. Among them, was a book, much too heavy to have blown off the shelf by itself.

Setting the papers aside, she picked it up, looking at the page it was open to. Her eyes widened.

This was it.

This is what she was looking for.

Her eyes quickly scanned the words, before she glanced around. It couldn't be a coincidence that this book had fallen off the shelf. And she knew very well who it was.

"Thank you," she murmured, knowing she wouldn't get a reply. Maybe it was her imagination, but the papers and curtains seemed to rustle slightly after her words.

"Elsa!"

She looked up, holding the book to her chest, as Jack came running in. She rose, standing excitedly as she held it in front of her.

"Jack! Jack, I found it! I know who is doing this!"

"Really?" He said. She flipped open the book, and showed him what was written. Above the words was an illustration of two dark shapes, standing side by side.

"These two are called Mara and Tyra," she said. "No one really knows what they are, except that they can somehow find out your worst fears, and use it against you, through a hundreds of ways, including shape shifting and nightmare sand. One legend says that their home is in the mountains, far away from everything, and that when they leave, it's only to hurt others. They are always near each other, and seem to compliment each other's powers. Tyra brings people's fears to light, and Mara, she brings them to life."

"That's what I saw! That's way caused your nightmare!" Jack said, pointing to the picture.

"They've been following us. They've been following us since I met you," Elsa said. She stopped, looking at him curiously. "Why did you come back."

Jack took a deep breath. "I found this," he said, pulling something from his pocket. Opening his hand, she saw a heart, made of black stone.

"What is that?"

"I don't know, but it was in the room."

"So it has something to do with Mara and Tyra?"

"Yeah."

She flipped through the pages. "It doesn't say what it is here."

"Do you think that it's important?"

"I think that at this point, everything is important."

The doors slammed open, making them both jump.

"Queen Elsa!"

Jack and Elsa turned around to see a servant running up.

"Yes, Gerda?"

"Please, you must come quickly," she said. Elsa sighed, realizing this was the second time today those words had been said. "It's Princess Anna!"

What little color was in her face disappeared, as she ran forward.

"What?"

"There is something wrong with Anna! She's in her room."

Elsa began to rushed out the door, taking the steps two at a time before she burst into her sister's room, followed by Gerda, and the invisible Jack. Anna lay on the bed, seemingly asleep, hands folded neatly on her stomach.

"Anna?" Elsa said. She ran forward, to the side of the bed. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's not waking up." Gerda said. "Everything else fine. She just won't wake up."

Elsa could feel Jack standing behind her, looking down at Anna. She extended a trembling hand, wrapping it around her sister's. Almost immediately, everything turned black. A small feminine voice echoed in her head.

Hello, Elsa. I see you got my message. I know Vetr played with my things, cleaning up what me and my sister created. I don't want that to happen again. You can see what'll happen if it does. And believe me, when I work with my sister, it will be a thousand times worse. Now, keep your hearts away from us.

Elsa reeled back.

"Your majesty? What is it?" Gerda asked, concern filling her voice.

"No-Nothing. We'll be fine now. You can leave."

The door clicked as the other woman left. Elsa looked at Jack, and wordlessly lifted Anna's pillow. A pile of the black sand swirled soundlessly. She let it fall back.

"It's a message," she said. "This is all a message."

"How do you know?"

"When I touched her hand, I heard someone. They said not to mess with their things, or they would mess with ours. It was either Mara or Tyra."

Jack placed his hand gently on her arm. "It's going to be okay."

She took a deep breath, before taking the tiny vial out of a bag she had hung around her hip to keep it in. "What did Vetr say about this? 'A cure for all ills?'"

"I think so."

"Could it help her?"

"I don't know. I think that it's worth a try though."

Carefully, Elsa uncapped the vial, and put it against Anna's lips, hoping that it would work. It had to, it had to.

Anna woke up with a gasp, her eyes meeting Elsa's.

"Elsa?"

"It's okay, Anna," Elsa said, smiling broadly. She through her arms around her. "I'm sorry I snapped. I know you just wanted to help."

"It wasn't that bad," Anna said. "You're overreacting. Now, I think I'm going to take a nap."

* * *

Elsa sat close to Jack, both of them staring at the still sleeping Anna. She had woken up. For just a moment, she had woken up, but she had almost immediately fallen back asleep. Her hands no longer contained the voice, and the sand had disappeared. Kristoff had stepped in, and had stayed with them for almost the entire time. He still couldn't see Jack, but Elsa didn't press the issue. They had bigger things to worry about. The moment that Kristoff had left the room, she had turned slightly to Jack.

"We have to take care of this," Elsa said quietly, staring at the know empty bottle in her hand. "Before they hurt Anna again, or anyone else."

"I'll help you," Jack said.

"Thank you, Jack," Elsa said. "It's going to be dangerous, though."

Jack smiled. "I have a thing for danger."

* * *

"Stupid meddling Vetr," Mara hissed. "He ruined everything. That was some of my best work."

"I know, my sister, I know," Tyra said gently. "It isn't over yet. We have scared the girl. The boy will follow her. And know, we know what makes their frozen hearts tick."

**A/N: **Sorry, this is the second delay in a row, but this one was not entirely my fault, as I've been having trouble getting on the computer lately. I'll try to get back on schedule this week. Thank you for waiting! The action is just about to start, so yay! Thank you for reading, see you all soon!


	23. Chapter 22

Elsa sat with her head in her hands, alone in her office. Anna had woken up, for good this time, and she had left Jack, as sort of a bodyguard to watch her, while she tried to figure this mess out. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to begin, where to start.

There was nothing in the libraries, as she had discovered after pouring hours into looking through thousands of books, manuscripts, papers, documents, and essays. She had sent out letters to experts, knowing there was a very slim chance they would know anything, and a slimmer chance that she would actually a reply in time for anything useful.

Her head was pounding behind her fingers. She couldn't remember the last time she ate, yet the idea of food made her want to be sick. Her hands were trembling, and just under her skin, she could feel the cold surging, ready to explode the moment she lost control. Keeping it all in was taking it's toll on her, and combined with the fact she hadn't slept in a while, (she wasn't quite sure how long "a while" was. Everything was blending together.) she felt like she was going to collapse.

She wasn't taking this well, to say the least.

Someone knocked on the door. She looked up.

"Who is it?" She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"It's Jack."

She stood up, taking the few steps to the door, nearly not making the last one. Her hand hit the doorknob, the cool metal growing colder under her touch. The door swung open, revealing Jack, standing with his staff balanced on one shoulder. His smile faded as he took her in.

"You look awful."

"Thanks," she said dryly. "I thought I told you to watch my sister."

"She kicked me out. Told me to come bother you." Elsa tried to say something, but the words had trouble forming.

"What time is it?" She managed at last.

"Nearly midnight. But it's been like, two days since anyone has seen you."

"Right... I've been in the library... And then here..."

He took step forward. "You really don't look good Elsa. Are you okay?"

She waved him in, glancing around outside, before shutting the door. "I've been looking for anything that might help us, and there's nothing. I've looked everywhere. And there's nothing."

Saying it aloud made her realize just how hopeless this all was, that her sister was in danger, because of her, and there was nothing she could do to help. She felt light headed, and suddenly, Jack was pulling her into the chair she had been sitting in.

"Okay, you nearly fell over," he said, kneeling in front of her. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I slept for an hour or two yesterday."

"I mean when did you last really sleep?"

"Before the room."

"And the last time you ate?"

"Before that."

"That was like three days ago, Elsa!"

"I've been busy."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, I know you want to protect Anna, but this is not going to do her any good. You can't be of any use when you can barely stand up."

Elsa glared at him. "There has to be something I'm missing." Frost began to creep over the arms of her chair, as exhaustion wore down her control.

"I'm going to go steal food from the kitchen, and you're going to eat it, and then you're going to sleep."

"That's not going to be of any use either. Just let me think for a while." She stood up, and began pace. Shards of sharp icicles sprung from where she stepped. She put twisted her hands, her breathing becoming quicker and quicker. "There has to be something, there has to be something I'm missing. _There has to be something_!" The last words became a shout as she spun around, clutching her hands to her chest. A snowstorm began to swirl around her, gathering speed with each moment.

"Elsa..."

"This is my fault. Every time something happens to her, it's my fault! It's always my fault!"

"No, this is is Mara and Tyra, and whatever game they are playing with us. This is not your fault."

"I'm such a fool. I should have been there with her. I need to protect her. There has to be something I can do to protect her!"

He put his hand on her shoulder, and slowly, she felt the storm inside her begin to calm, as the ground rushed towards her very suddenly. Jack caught her, gripping her arms tightly, and pulling her back into the chair. She shut her eyes.

"Right, I am _so _not letting spend longer than two days alone again. You'll either freeze the kingdom or die of exhaustion. You stay here."

She heard him leave the room, and she closed her eyes, as everything turned dark around her, and sleep finally claimed her.

* * *

Jack walked down the hallway. Elsa wasn't doing so good. They really had to figure this out, before she had another breakdown.

He really should have been with her, but she had insisted that Anna would be in danger until she could figure out what to do. She had left him with her sister, who at the time was asleep, and who, as a result, was really, really boring to be around. Finally, after at least a day of waiting around, he had fallen asleep for the second time in about a week, and once again had dreamed.

_It was the same scene from before, back when he had crashed here. Elsa stood in front of him, hand holding tightly to his. Only this time, he could see that they were standing on the roof of a tall building. Far below, a street filled with the headlights of cars almost mirrored the sky above, where the stars were glimmering brightly. A few of them, began to fall, until the deep blue and black of the night was filled with moving lights as well. He didn't question how she could be here, in this time, with him. He didn't question anything. His mouth was moving, he was speaking very fast, but try as he might, he couldn't make out the words. She was smiling at what he was saying, and said something in reply, although he couldn't hear that either. As everything began to fade again, he finally caught one word, in his own voice. Just one word. _

"_...Thorn..."_

He had woken with a start. Anna was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, staring at him.

"What does that mean?"

"What?"

"You said "thorn" in your sleep. Why? What were you dreaming about?"

"I don't know. Why were you watching me?"

"You look weird when you sleep."

"Thanks. So do you."

"Did Elsa post you here?"

"Yup."

"Well, go bother her instead."

"Why?"

"Cause I don't need protecting, and it's been like two days, and the servants say that she's been pouring over books nonstop. She needs to have human contact. Or sort of human contact. Are you human?"

"I don't know anymore," Jack said tiredly. "Why don't you talk to her?"

"She's your girlfriend."

"She's your sister."

Anna laughed. "Ha! You didn't deny it! Now go talk to her."

And so Jack went, to find Elsa in the state she was in. He shook his head, trying not to worry too much as he walked to down to the kitchens, in the almost empty castle. He need some information, something to help them.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he looked around.

"I know you're here," he said. Silence followed. "Don't play this game with me. I know you're here, and I know you can help."

"You're both useless, you know that?" Said the voice he was waiting to hear. He spun around to see Vetr leaning against the wall. "I've given you tons of help."

"Not enough. You left me alone for three hundred years, her alone for her childhood. We earned this."

"Maybe trying to back to where this all started Jack," he said. "No... It started here. That isn't right. Where you believe it started."

"The time rift?"

Vetr snapped his fingers, pointing in Jack's direction. "Bingo, kiddo."

"So we go there, and what?"

"You'll know when you get there. Or, she will at least. She's a bright one."

"That's it? That's all you're telling me?"

Vetr shrugged. "At least you know where to go now."

Jack began to laugh bitterly. "And that makes up for it? You knew who I was! And you just let me think I was alone! You let _her _think she was alone!"

"I had to. You don't understand, Jack. I had to."

Jack spun around walking back down the hallway. "Yeah, right. Thanks for your help."

A hand caught his shoulder, and when Vetr spoke, his voice was dark and cold, like a winter night before a storm. "You think you know everything about this world, don't you, boy? You think you know all the forces at play, because you're part of a club that babysits kids, and cause you know a few princesses? There is so much more out there, being connected like constellations, hiding in the shadows, and you have only scratch the surface. There are worlds you've never dreamed of, horrors you could not imagine, beauties you _cannot _fathom. There is a very dangerous game being played, very dangerous indeed, and you are but a piece to be moved. How arrogant are you, a mere child in the grand scheme of things, to think that you can see the whole board? Now, I am helping you, against my better judgement, and against any voice of reason I should listen to. Be grateful."

The hand let go of him, and when Jack turned around, Vetr was gone. He stood alone in the hall, trying to process what had happened. Slowly, he began to walk away, back to the kitchen. A chill ran up his spine. He knew he was still being watched. Shaking his head, he continued. Elsa needed him. And they still had a long way to go.

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this took so long. It's been a long chain of vacation, no internet access, writer's block, technical problems, and me relizing that the chapter I had written was filled with things I couldn't say yet, meaning this one had to be written instead. IIf it feels kinda fillerish, that's why. The original was filled with action, but I promise we will get to that soon. I wasn't planning to have Vetr here at all, but he just keeps showing up... Sigh. Characters sometimes have minds of their own.

Also, I'm planning to write a sequel to this, as there are things and ideas I can't fit in, but would be _such _a waste to leave out completely. I'll post probably a few weeks after this one ends. Just a heads up. Thank you for reading, it means a ton to me, and I'll see ya all next time!


	24. Chapter 23

Elsa was curled in the large chair when Jack came back arms full of whatever random food he had managed to snatch from the kitchen. Her eyes were shut, but as soon as he shut the door, he manage to drop everything he was carrying with a crash. They flew open, landing on him. He gave her a small, vaguely pained smile.

"Sorry," he said, wincing as he picked up the apples from the ground . "Didn't mean to wake you."

She didn't answer but simply stared at him. He placed what he had on the table, and pulled up a chair next to her.

"That was embarrassing," she said quietly.

"What? Haven't you ever dropped something? It's really hard to carr-"

"No, I mean, my breakdown."

"Oh," he said. "Well, I don't blame you. You have a lot on your plate. Not literally, I mean. That's why I had to break into the kitchen, and-"

"Jack," she said, interrupting him again. "You're rambling."

He nodded. "Right. It's just, I sort of ran into our favorite annoying personification of winter in the hall, and I think I know where we need to go."

Elsa sat up straighter. "What?"

"Vetr told me where we have to go. The only thing is, it's kinda far away."

"Where?" She said. Her eyes became brighter.

"There's a rift in time. It's where this started. It's up North. If I could fly, we could get there faster, but I don't think I can yet. At least not all the way."

"Can we get there by morning?" She said, standing up. Jack rose with her, grabbing her arm. She glanced down.

"Woah, woah, woah. You nearly turned the room to ice. You need to a. eat something, and b. get some sleep. We can leave tomorrow."

She stared at him. "You're not going to let me go, are you?"

"Not until you do what I asked."

She sighed, sullenly sitting down, and grabbing an apple off the table. She glared at him as she ate, to which he responded by putting his feet up on her chair.

"Have you ever been to the rift?" She asked finally, although it was interrupted by a yawn.

"Once."

She nodded, and stood up, walking unevenly to the door. All the excitement from finally having a lead seemed to disappear, replaced with just a dead exhaustion.

Jack followed her to the door, watching her cautiously, as if she would topple over at any second.

"You don't have to worry about me," Elsa said, glancing back at him.

"Yes, I do. When I don't worry about you, bad things happen."

She smiled slightly. "Well, you don't have to follow me. I can take care of myself."

"Nope. You obviously can't. I told, I am so not leaving you alone anymore."

They approached Elsa's room, and as she opened the door, she stared at him. "Fine. I can accept that."

Jack blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. I mean other than the fact you just insulted me, I can accept it."

"I didn't-" he started, turning slightly pink.

"Jack, I'm joking. Slightly."

He rolled his eyes, and collapsed into the chair he had sat in only a few nights before. Elsa disappeared into a door at the side of the room, and reappearing at the side moments later wearing a nightgown, one that pretty much looked identical to the one she had worn a few nights ago. She sat down on the bed, fingers twisting the end of her braid.

"Where's the time rift?"

"Up north. Near the pole."

"What are we supposed to do when we're there?"

"I have no idea."

Elsa sighed, bringing her knees to her chest. Pale blue crept over her nightgown, and Jack quickly got up moving next to her, and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"We'll be alright. We'll figure it out. Together."

She leaned her head on his chest. "Together," she repeated. "I like that."

"I do too."

"Of course you do. You said it."

He smiled into the top of her head. "You really should sleep."

"Only if you keep watch."

"For you, I'd always keep watch."

"Thank you, Jack," she whispered, closing her eyes, and allowed herself to drift off into sleep.

* * *

They left early in the morning, the scarlet glow of the early morning sunlight flickering off the ocean, and turning it a deep red. They had woken up curled together on the bed, Elsa's head still resting on his chest. To Jack's surprise, he hadn't dreamed when he had shut his eyes. No strange dreams of Elsa, and falling stars, and darkness. Elsa had stopped to say goodbye to Anna, trying not to make a big deal of this. Anna was, of course, concerned and worried, not to mention very curious, and they had practically been chased from the castle with a stream of questions being fired at them.

They were walking. After a brief debate, they had decided to not take horses, as the cold would be too hard on them, and that, if something happened, there would be two dead horses. They would do the long trek on foot, by themselves.

"I don't know what they want," Elsa said, as they began the walk. Jack looked at her.

"We'll figure it out." They passed through the small town, where the majority of the occupants were still asleep.

"Bye, Elsa!" The little girl from earlier yelled from a window.

"Bye, Birgit! You take care of my kingdom."

"Okay! See you soon! And your friend too!"

Jack looked up, vaguely surprised, waving and smiling broadly. They continued walking through the silent streets, without interruptions, until...

"Elsa! Elsa's husband!"

They turned around, to see Olaf waddling to them as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Olaf, we're not married." Elsa said tiredly.

"And yet he answered to husband," Olaf said. Elsa glared at Jack, who raised his hands.

"Don't look at me."

"What are you doing here?" Elsa said.

"You need protection where you're going. I'm here to help."

"Olaf it's going to be very dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"I want to help," he said, his eyes wide.

"You're just going to follow us, aren't you?"

"Yep."

Elsa sighed, glancing at Jack. "C'mon, then."

"Really?"

"There's no stopping you."

"No, there isn't. Now, off we go." Olaf began walking in front of them. Jack shrugged, grinning. He liked the little snowman. Elsa simply shook her head.

"Is he going to be alright with us?" She asked.

"Yup. He's protecting us, remember?"

"He's a snowman."

"A protecting snowman."

They spent the majority of the walk talking idly about random things, trying to keep their minds off what lay ahead. Jack found himself learning more about the kingdom of Arendelle, about the queen's family, and the queen herself. He also let it slip that he had been "alive" for three hundred years, leading to a thousand questions about him, his family, where he came from.

"Could no one really see you for three hundred years?" Elsa asked.

"Well, immortals could, like the other Guardians, but really, it was just me. Everyone else was busy."

"Sounds lonely."

"It was."

"I know about that. I spent the majority of my childhood behind a locked door, like you saw."

"I wonder why, if Vetr knew who we were, and that we were both alone, why he left us there, without ever coming to to see us. Or at least have helped us find each other, at least. He was saying something about how I didn't understand, but really, was there nothing he could have done?"

Elsa fell silent, a distant expression coming over her face after his last few remarks. "Maybe he simply wanted to protect us," she said quietly, after a long pause.

"Protect us from what?"

"I don't know. But I have a feeling that we are going to find out soon."

Far up ahead, Olaf had stopped walking. He turned around.

"Hey guys, I don't know if you're interested or anything, but there is currently a very mean and hungry looking pack of wolves coming straight for us," he said, pointing his wooden arm in the direction of what they now could see, was indeed a pack of wolves.

There was about ten on them, although they kept darting in and out of the shadows, making it hard to get an exact count. They were all dark, as if the night itself had come alive, lips back in a snarl.

"That's not good," Jack said. He caught Elsa's arm, pulling her back. She glanced around, hand outstretched.

"You think?" Elsa said, her eyes wide. "Olaf, you might want to get back here."

Olaf began to walk quickly back, standing beside Elsa. She flicked her hand up, casting a wall of spikes in front of them. Jack did the same. A wolf stepped from the pack, deep red eyes distorted and glaring at them through the ice.

"I'll hold them off," Olaf said walking forward.

"Olaf, no," Jack said. The wolves snarled again, the one in front suddenly standing very still, staring straight at them. It's hind legs tensed, and it lunged over the wall of ice, claws extended, long and sharp. His eyes widened, and he threw up an arm to try and stop it.

"Jack!" Elsa screamed.

**A/N: **So... some Jelsa fluff, and a _little _bit of... whatever that ending was. I'm trying desperately to get back on schedule, so I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I don't know. We're almost at the end. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you all on Wednesday.


	25. Chapter 24

_Its hind legs tensed, and it lunged over the wall of ice, claws extended, long and sharp. His eyes widened, and he threw up an arm to try and stop it. _

"_Jack!" Elsa yelled. _

Jack lifted his arm, preparing for the wolves sharp teeth to pierce his skin.

It never came.

He opened his eyes, seeing another wall of ice that Elsa had cast. It surrounded them completely, the walls high and smooth. They could all hear the wolves howl on the other side, their claws scratching at it. They could also see the red eyes, distorted and twisted, through the cold, blue surface.

These were not normal wolves.

One of them threw itself against it, with unnatural strength. Cracks appeared in the ice.

"That's not going to hold," Elsa said, her blue eyes were wide, her breath fast and anxious. She looked up at him, and he realized his hand was still on her arm. He didn't move it. Instead, he tapped his staff against the ice, watching as his own frost pattern decorated it, temporarily sealing the cracks.

"What do we do?" he said. "Wait for them to get bored?"

"You saw their eyes," Elsa said. "Those aren't any wolves from nature. They're not going to get bored."

"Do you think Mara and Tyra sent them here?"

"Only thing I can think of."

"How do we beat them?"

"I don't know."

Olaf glanced between them.

"I'll hold them off," he said finally. "You two go on."

"Olaf, we're not leaving you here," Jack said. "I don't even think we can. We're trapped." Another wolf crashed into it, making Jack flinch.

"You can fly, Jack!" Olaf said. Jack shook his head... He had tried, a few nights before, while Anna was still asleep. He thought back to it.

_It had been at least a day since he had seen Elsa. Kristoff had come in and out, checking on Anna, and still not seeing him. Jack had sat in shadows for the longest time, not sure what to do. Finally, he had looked out the window, staff clutched in his hand, taking in the dark kingdom. He felt unusually weighed down, like there was a piece of lead lying in his heart. _

_Slowly, he shut his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to rise from the ground. His feet made no move, unlike in the forest, when he could at least get to the top of the tree. _

_Now, for some reason, he was grounded. _

_Literally grounded. _

_He tossed his staff to the side in anger, where it hit the wall. He ran his hands through his hair, and kicked the wall. _

_Whatever injury he had gotten, it couldn't be normal. That had healed, leaving only a thin pale scar down his back. _

_Sinking to the ground, he put his head in his hands. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't fly, he couldn't tell that North had been Pitch, couldn't make sure any of the Guardians were okay, he had been saved by a woman who shouldn't even have seen him, and, because of him, her sister had been put in danger. _

_Now, he couldn't even fly. _

_One of the two things he had had since the beginning, and it had stopped working. _

_It was broken. _

_He was broken._

"No, I can't! It's not working! It's broken!"

"Yes, you can!"

"I'm sorry, I can't! It's broken!"

"You can! You just have to believe!" There was such conviction in his usually light voice, such a earnest knowledge, that Elsa nodded, meeting his gaze again.

Leaning up close, she whispered, "I believe in you, Jack."

He stared at her. For some reason, he felt frozen. Her hand slipped into his, fingers long and slender, her skin cold, just like his. Elsa the Snow Queen. She believed in him. He could fly. He would fly. He'd get them out of this. Another wolf hit the ice, sending more cracks spider webbing across the blue surface, breaking his trance.

He looked down at Olaf. "I can't take both of you."

"That's why I said, I'd hold them off. Wolves don't eat snow, Jack," he said matter-of-factly. He rolled his eyes at Elsa. "You certainly don't like him for his brain, do you?"

Jack pulled Elsa closer. "Hold on, okay?"

"Okay," she said, nodding. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as he gripped his staff tight behind her back.

He shut his eyes, ordering himself off the ground.

Come on, he thought.

Come on. I know I can do it. I believe I can. I'm not broken.

Come on.

His feet began to rise, just as the ice finally shattered crashing down around them. Sharp shards of it barely missed them as they hurled upwards,

Jack glanced down at Elsa. Her eyes were shut, arms wrapped tightly around him, head resting against his chest. He laughed slightly, so glad to be flying again, so glad to be here with Elsa. Down below, the ground rushed past, a blur of forest and stone and mountain. He laughed again, feeling the air rushing through his hair and over his skin. The weight that had been a near constant in his chest since those nights alone lessened slightly, leaving him feeling more free than he had felt in a long time. And he was very glad that he was able to share this with the girl in his arms.

"Open your eyes," he called down to Elsa. Slowly, she did, and gasped, staring at the ground far below. Her grip loosened, nearly causing her to fall. He caught her, holding her tighter. She shut her eyes again, burying her face into his sweater. "Don't worry! I've got you!"

It was a moment before she looked down again, taking in the rivers and lakes. A small smile played on her lips, her light hair falling from it's braid and into her face. The sight of it made Jack feel warm.

It was an unusual feeling.

Unusual, but not unpleasant.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"It really is," Jack murmured. He was suddenly very, very aware of her hands on the back if his neck, of his own on her back. He bit his lip, before whispering. "Wind, take me to where this began."

* * *

It was dark when they reached the entrance to the cave. The stars glittered overhead, watching carefully like bright little eyes. Jack set Elsa down. She looked around, off the high cliff behind them, and then to gaping darkness in front of her, looking like it went on forever.

"This is where it all began?" She said, stepping forward. He nodded. It was as dark as he remembered, the light seemingly swallowed by the mouth of the cave. She took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" She said, quietly. He stood next to her.

"No," he said. "But we're going in anyways, aren't we?"

She nodded, grabbing his hand, as he looked down in surprise. Her eyes had a dangerous light playing in them. Almost to herself, she whispered, "Ready or not, here we come," as they walked in.

The shadows welcomed them.

**A/N: **This is painfully short chapter, and I'm so sorry. I'm also working on several other stories that I hadn't updated in weeks, so I had to give some more time to those. And like I said, I'm trying to get back on schedule, so bear with me, and this short pile of words. Just so we're clear, there is going to be a sequel after this, YAY! It'll be filled with much more Jelsa than was here. I felt like if I put too much in too early, then it would take away from the story, and their relationship would be rushed and forced. I couldn't do to that to them... They're too perfect.

Also, there is potential, for after this series ends, for a Jelsa Superhero AU, because superhero AUs are cool, and cause I've been watching a lot of Young Justice and X-Men. There are so many superheroes and villains with ice powers, I can't get them out of my head. It's still in the development stage, so don't expect anything yet.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope to catch you all this weekend for another thrilling installment.


	26. Chapter 25

It was so much worse than Elsa thought it would be.

The dark.

When she looked into the mouth of the cave, still standing beneath the light of the stars, she had felt so brave. However, within a few steps, when she was surrounded by shadows, and unable to see at all, her resolve faltered.

It was was suffocating, like it was a material being, completely encompassing her, and leaving no space for any life. It made her heart beat faster, her breath shallower, everything so much worse. Sounds were muted, as if the dark was a vacuum that swallowed them. It was colder than outside, which normally wouldn't bother her, but this, this a type of bone chilling emptiness that was so alien and unnerving, it was terrifying.

Elsa regretted not bringing anything to light the way.

She had been so anxious to find the cave, to put an end to all of this, that she had rushed in without thinking. She could hear Jack shuffling in behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, as not to lose her in the endless maze of shadows. She outstretched her hands, hitting a wall. It was cold under her fingers, and she knew it to be made of ice.

"Do you know where we go now?" She called back to Jack.

"Not really," he said. His voice was soft, like he didn't want to wake something.

"So, we just wander around, and hope we find something?"

"Yup."

She slid her hand down the wall, feeling something pulse among in the ice. It got louder and stronger as she began to walk forward, Jack trailing behind her. The farther in they went, the darker it seemed to get. It shouldn't even have been possible. She shuffled forward, worried that something was going to come out of no where, and trip her.

After a few minutes, the wall began to faintly glow. Elsa wasn't sure it wasn't her imagination. After being in the dark so long, it felt alien to see even the faintest trace of anything. She walked a little quicker. The light, came from the depths of the wall, a faint, pale blue color. Before she could discover the source of it, however, Jack cried out, hand falling from her shoulder. She spun around.

"Jack!" Elsa said frantically, the dull light barely illuminating his face. She put her hands on his shoulders, keeping him from falling over. His eyes were tightly closed, his hands grabbing the side of his head, tangling in his white hair. "Jack? Jack, what's wrong?"

His eyes flew open, but they were... they were glowing. The same color as the light pulsing from the walls. It flickered slightly, and then he blinked, it dying out slowly. He looked at her. His fave was almost haunted. Somehow, before he spoke she knew what he was going to say. It made her stomach drop.

His voice was soft, and slightly sad as he looked up at her

"I remember."

* * *

Jack followed Elsa, hand on her shoulder, as not to lose her in the dark maze. She seemed to know what she was doing, but as far as he knew, it could all be an act. He couldn't see her at all, although she was only a few feet away from him.

The wall began to glow slightly, just like it had before when they neared the rift. They were getting close. Soon this would all be over.

Jack didn't quite know what that meant anymore. He didn't know if he would go back, or even if he could. The idea admittedly seemed less... appealing than it did a few days ago. Yeah, he was still homesick, but it had faded for some reason. He wanted to go and see his friends, and go back to his own time, but he knew that that would mean leaving Elsa. Forever. Once he left, he probably would never get to come back. He would never see her again.

Maybe that's a good thing, some part of him said. He knew Elsa wasn't immortal. He knew she would die. It wasn't something he liked to think about, but he knew it. Maybe this would be less painful, for everyone.

A sudden, splitting burst of pain shook him from his morbid train of thought. It was like an electric shock, running up his back into his head. His hand dropped from Elsa's shoulder, as he gripped where the pain resided. He could faintly hear her saying something, but it drowned out by another voice, one too familiar.

_**"This is my gift to you, Jack. What you had lost is returned. Don't say I never give you anything." **_

_ As the final word faded, he found himself kneeling in a dark empty space. He stood up, glancing around for any sign of life other than him. _

_ "Hello?" He called. Almost immediately a blue light flickered in front of him, like a little creature. It beckoned to him with a gentle noise. He had heard of them. Will-o-the-wisps. Said to lead you to your fate. He extended a hand, and took a step forward. _

_ The empty space fell away, replaced by a view of a castle. Elsa's castle. He watched, as if in a dream, a little girl crying by a window... The same mysterious little girl that had haunted his thoughts fears since the beginning. All the glimpses of her when Mara and Tyra were around. _

_And he was there... He was there. He was looking down at her, knocking on the glass. She looked up, shock evident on her features. He knew her. _

_ He was speaking in the dream. "Hey, there! Sorry to barge in on you. This is the Arendelle castle, isn't it?" She nodded. "My name's Jack. What's yours?"_

_ Her voice quavered. "Elsa."_

_Elsa. But that couldn't be her._

_It all came so fast after that, he was only able to grasp bits and pieces as they rebuilt itself in it's mind. _

"_Impressive. Very impressive."_

"_I'll always be here for you, Elsa. I promise."_

"_The story of the Snow Queen and Jack Frost, and how they save the world?"_

"_No! I won't leave her! I won't!"_

"_Goodnight, Jack. Sweet dreams."_

_Everything faded to black. _

_It hadn't been a dream._

_It was a memory. _

_Why hadn't she told him they knew each other? That they had met. _

_He had promised that he would watch out for her. He promised he would keep her safe, and then Pitch had stolen his memories. They both had been left alone. _

_They had found each other. _

_And that had been taken away from both of them. _

_He was angry. Not at her, not Elsa, although he was a little confused and resentful as to why she hadn't told him. _

_No, he was mad at Pitch, for taking his memories. At Vetr for having the ability to give them back and not doing it. At himself, for letting it happen in the first place. _

The light, like the will-o-the-wisp, grew brighter, and suddenly he was back. Elsa was looking worriedly at him, hands on his shoulders.

He felt the words leave his mouth before he could stop them.

"I remember."

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. I've been kinda sick lately, actually, so if this doesn't seem that great, it's because I'm sleep deprived and feeling like I'm going to fall over. I've rewritten this chapter several times, and I think this is the best it's going to be. At least he got his memory back, and we reached over a hundred follows _and_ reviews! That is insane, thank you all so much! I'll try to get the next chapter up faster this week, as you are all amazing!


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: **Information on new updating schedule in author's note at the end.

"You remember?" Her voice was quiet, pained, with a slight tremor in it she couldn't quite contain. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hands fell to her side. For a moment, she was was frozen, staring at him. Would he be angry she had kept such a secret from him? Would he leave?

He glanced away from her, looking at his hands, the wall, anywhere, everywhere, but her. The simple action seemed to tear at her heart. It seemed to confirm every fear she had. This was her fault. He was going to leave her. Finally, he sighed, and stood up, pushing passed her. She scrambled after him, in a not very regal way. He didn't look back at her.

"Jack," she said, as he ignored her. She touched his shoulder. "Jack!"

He paused.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He still didn't turn to look at her. She hesitated, trying to find the words. So many of them crowded on the edge of her tongue, so she took a deep breath, trying to prepare a sentence that made any sort of sense.

"I- I was scared," she said finally. He turned, slowly, keeping his gaze on his feet.

"Why would you be scared?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're my friend, and I couldn't lose you. I can't lose. Not again. I didn't know why you didn't have those memories. I didn't know why you had left. I... I thought that if I told you, you would remember why you never came back, and I would be alone again. After a while... It seemed less important. I thought you would never figure it out, and I was fine with what we had. It was different, and didn't seem important that you couldn't remember a few hours from thirteen years ago." She didn't tell him that those had been some of the most important few hours to her, hours she had kept close to her heart, until she had stopped believing that they had happened. Until she had stopped believing in him.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," he said, his clear blue eyes flicked up to hers. "I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I never came back. I'm sorry you thought that it was somehow your fault."

"What's done is done," she said, her voice remarkably calm. It wasn't her fault. He wasn't angry. He wasn't going to leave her again. She looked up at him, curiosity finally besting her. The question she'd been wanting to ask since she found him in that crater, injured and lost. "Why did you never come back? Who sent that note?"

He sighed. "You remember what I said in the beginning?"

She gave him a vaguely rueful smile. "Which one?"

"This one, our beginning, our second chance," he said, mirroring her expression. "Pitch Black sent that note. I don't know why. He lured me to the top of the castle and then wiped my memory. Apparently, he wanted you scared, and I was getting in the way."

"Why would he want that?" Elsa said.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. He looked a little lost. "Let's just add it to the great big pile of things we also don't know."

"It seems like everything is there."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Elsa kept her eyes on him, his features shadowed and hidden, before turning around, facing down the dimly lit corridor made of ice. "So, what do we do now?"

"What we came to do?" Jack said, the end of sentence turned up like a question. She glanced back, and for the first time, he looked very unsure. "How are we going to do that, Elsa?"

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head as one side of her mouth twitched up. "We didn't really think this though."

"No," he said, laughing. "We didn't."

"Let's just go forward," she said. He nodded. She ran her hand across the ice as she took a few steps forward. There was almost a pulsing energy that seemed to come from behind the wall. It ran through her bones, seeming to draw her to it. There was something here that was very powerful. The light from the walls grew brighter, dancing off her shimmering blue dress. They were getting closer. To what she wasn't sure.

* * *

Jack watched as Elsa walked away, her hand trailing after her, brushing across the wall of ice. His heart had twisted painfully when she said she was afraid... And the fact that he had been the reason for her fear made it so much worse. As he followed her, he realized, with a jolt, that he had grown very attached to her. Even more so now that he promised to protect her as a child.

He also realized... He didn't have to go back. Not yet at least. He didn't even know if he could. All he knew was that they were here, and they would find Mara and Tyra, and somehow find a way to make them leave Elsa and her sister and her kingdom alone. And then... He'd either go home, never to see Elsa again, or he could stay, and wait for her to die, living the next three hundred years again, repeating them. The idea of having to watch Elsa grow old, to wither and fade and die, and the idea of leaving her again, both were unbearable. Both suggested a pain beyond anything he could possibly fathom.

And he knew, that if he stayed, that pain would only increase. Whatever attachment he had formed with Elsa, whatever bond they had, would grow more and more powerful. He would love her, if he didn't already. He would fall in love with her.

He shut his eyes for only a second, trying to quiet these uncharacteristically dark and pessimistic thoughts. If he got to thinking like this, he'd lose the part of him that made him the Guardian of Fun. He couldn't afford to do that. He was not going to lose himself.

And he was not going to lose her.

He'd find a way to save her.

He wouldn't let her fade like an old photograph.

She deserved better than that.

He watched her, still in front of him, her dress shimmering under the light that emanated from the walls. They had grown brighter, taller, until the corridor suddenly opened into a large room. Hanging in the center, as it had before, was what appeared to be a ball of pure light or fire, silently flickering across the walls.

Jack brought his attention back to the woman standing in front of him. She had stopped, staring in front her. He guessed she was probably staring at the rift in awe. He smiled. She glanced back at him, catching him staring at her. Blushing, he suddenly took an interest in the ground. The floor was made of the same dark blue ice as the walls, veined like marble. He hadn't noticed it in the future. He had been too distracted by North's strange behavior, by the voice, and the giant ball of fire hanging in the middle of the room.

It felt oddly familiar, making him feel uncharacteristically nervous. .

Elsa turned back to him. "Is this it?"

He nodded, trying to ignore the small wave of uneasiness that fluttered. "This is how we fix this."

"How?"

"Good question."

She smirked, turning back to it. He still stood behind her. As he watched, he saw images ficker. Most were too quick to catch, but then he saw one... His face, his hair streaked with red, eyes filled with terror and horror and, something he hadn't seen before, rage. And Elsa, standing in front of him, brave and proud and regal, looking tired, sad, afraid. A Snow Queen.

Wait.

The room they were in in the image... He stood in it now.

Elsa, the woman in blue, stood in front of him. The image was coming true. It was going to happen.

The uneasiness blossomed into full out terror.

"Elsa," he said quietly, trying to disguise the tremor in his voice and failing. She looked back at him in concern. "We need get out of here. We need to leave, right now."

"Why?" She said, eyebrows drawing together. He grabbed her arm, pulling her back. The light in the walls died slightly, as if muted. He spun around, back against her, staff extended. He kept a hold on her hand. The temperature seemed to drop, but it was not the usual cold of snow and ice and winter. It was dark, running through his blood a fever.

The voice echoed from everywhere, sing song and taunting. It might've been a child's voice, if not for the cruelty in it.

"_Oh, silly Jack... It's a little bit late for that, don't you think?_"

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this is late! I kinda had what felt like an existential crisis, and I think my brain took it out on this story. I completely rethought how I want the sequel to go, along with several lines of character development. If Elsa personality seems a little "sudden", that's why. I'm planning to rewrite this, but I won't have time to do so for at least another few months.

_**Tentative Update Schedule- **_My school is starting up again, and I don't have a study hall this year, just three AP classes and a college course, aka less time for far more homework, and less time to write. I'm sure when I can get the next chapter up, and I apologize. I hope to get a chapter up every two weeks, as I have other projects I need to work on, and school must come first.

Thank you all for reading!


	28. Chapter 27

The shadows came from everywhere, pouring from the ice like blood from a wound. They swirled around, blocking the exit, leaving a clearly defined circle around Jack and Elsa.

"Mara, Tyra," Elsa said quietly, almost civilly.

"_Hello, your majesty_."

"I'm guessing this was a trap?"

One of the voices giggled. "_No, silly. It's a lock._"

She blinked. "What?"

"_A lock. A lock to a door that keeps the past and the future seperate._"

Elsa blinked. "And you think we have the key. That's why you wanted us here."

"_You know, I thought you we're supposed to be smart._"

Two small figures stepped out of the shadows. Elsa breath caught in her throat.

"Anna?" She said. Jack looked even more pale than usual.

"Why do you look like my sister?" He whispered.

The one that looked like Anna spun around. "_Do you like it? It was Mara's idea._" That was Anna's voice. Young Anna.

The other little girl, who looked like Jack's sister, giggled. "_But you carried it out, Tyra._"

"What is this?" Jack said, his voice trembling.

"_We don't have to look like this,_" Mara said. "_It's just more fun._"

"What do you want?" Elsa said, her voice somewhat more controlled than Jack's. "We don't have the key, or whatever it is you want-"

"_Silly. You are the key._"

"Wait, what?"

"_Two hearts, frozen in ice, one from past, one from future, shall open the doors of time and release what lies in the the shadows,_" Tyra said, her eyes, young and innocent, Anna's eyes, wide. "_A key for a lock. That's what he promised us. Then he wouldn't be alone, and we wouldn't be stuck here._"

"What does it mean, past and future?" Elsa said.

Jack shut his eyes, putting his hand on his forehead. "I think that's me," he said tiredly, the tremor forced from his voice. "Future, I mean."

Elsa turned to him. "What?" Her voice shook slightly.

His eyes opened, and he gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm from the future."

She was silent, her mouth hanging open. "But... You were with me, when I was a child..."

"Three hundred years old, remember?" Jack said. "I met you back when I was young too. Freshly made spirit. Sorry."

"And so... I'm the past."

"And we're here to open the doors to the rift."

"You're here to take us home."

"So, this was it?" Jack said. "This is your endgame? Use us to get to the future? What is so important there?"

"_You haven't seen it like I have,_" Tyra said. "_It is built on fear and shadows and the dark. One word, and the entire world will cower."_

"How have you seen it?" Jack casually leaned on his staff, giving the impression he wasn't very interested. His eyes were bright and alert, however, and Elsa could see what he was doing. Get as much information as he could while stalling. The problem was, she wasn't sure what he was stalling for.

"_I can see it all,_" Tyra whispered. She clasped her hands in a dreamy way. "_I can see it all. And all the words. Such pretty words. I like using them, to speak._"

"So, that was you? With the poems?"

"_Cold be the heart and hand and bone,_" she said. She covered her heart, before she pointed at Jack. "_Cold be the traveler far from home._"

"I get it."

"_They do not see what lies ahead, when the sun has faded and the moon is dead._"

"I get it," Jack repeated.

"Do you?"

Jack blinked, looking slightly at a lost for words.

"How do we send you back?" Elsa said, stepping in. She felt she had been too quiet during this.

"_Oh, you're going to have to die._"

Both Jack and Elsa glanced at each other, moving closer together slightly.

"Too late," Jack said, waving his hand. "I'm already dead."

"_In body. Not in spirit,_" Mara said.

"That was a really bad pun, kiddo," Jack said jokingly, nothing but his eyes showing his anxiety. Mara giggled, covering her mouth.

"_Don't worry,_" she said. "_It is still accurate._" She stepped forward.

"I'll take this as our cue to leave," Jack said, and waved the staff, a wall of ice completely surrounding both him and Elsa. He pulled her down, so that knelt, facing each other. He wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same.

"What the hell are we going to do?" He said.

"You're asking me? You're the one who's from the future!"

"That doesn't mean I know anything!"

She laughed slightly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We really messed up this time..."

"And you know what? We're both getting out of this, and we're going to mess up again, and again, and again. We're going to keep making mistakes, you and me."

She laughed again. "It'll probably be safer for everyone if we simply never spoke again."

"Now that would be the biggest mistake," he said. She looked up at him. "That is the worst idea I've ever heard. You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm with you, 'til the end of the line, pal."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

She wrapped her arms tighter around him. "We need to figure out how they plan to open it."

"And then?"

"We stop them," she said. "Obviously. If they get to the future with your friend..."

"Pitch."

"If they get to the future with your friend Pitch, who knows what they have planned."

The ice above them shook, as something was rammed against it. It almost seemed to be snowing, as a light dusting fell upon them. They looked up.

"It's going to be okay," Jack said. "It's going to be-"

The wall caved in suddenly, and Jack was ripped from her painfully from grasp, slammed to the side.

"Jack!" Elsa screamed.

"_You have to break the frozen hearts to open the door,_" Tyra said, her voice echoing everywhere, and it clear she was quoting something. Or someone. Both her and Mara were no where to be seen. "_Broken when they lose their true love. Loss as monumental as that, time itself will feel pity, and allow a soul through_."

"_Only one soul, sister,_" Mara said. "_Which is why you both have to die._"

"We won't lose each other!" Elsa yelled. She was terrified. She was terrified, yes, but she had to get them out of here. Or at least him. She had to at least save Jack. She stood up, feeling herself shake, before turning back to Jack. He struggled to sit up, clutching his side. His hair was streaked with blood, eyes wide and filled with unshed tears. It nearly broke her heart. "I'll still be with him. Even in death, I'll still be with Jack. You won't get there like this!"

Silence fell for a moment, before Tyra spoke.

"_Well, it's worth a shot._"

And with that, Elsa was knocked violently to the ground.

**A/N: **Does anyone know how hard it was for me not to write "I'm with you til the end of the line, pal" when I was writing Jack and Elsa's cute little conversation under the ice? It was painful. I nearly punched a wall, crying about Captain America. I need help. Send it in the form of Chris Evans. Thank you. **Edit: I did it. **

Honestly, this isn't my best, but I'm got impatient, so... Here we are.


	29. Chapter 28

_Jack leaned against the tree, laughing as he watched Jamie and the others run around, throwing snowballs at each other. Sophie was attempting to follow them, growing angrier as they continued to ignore her. She stomped over to Jack. _

"_You'll talk to me, right?" She said. _

"_Of course," he said, still laughing. _

_She glared at him. "You're lucky you don't have any siblings. They always leave you out."_

_Jack's smile faded slightly. _

"_I had a sister once," he said. Sophie look up at him, eyes wide. _

"_Really?"_

"_Really. She looked just like you." He tapped the end of her nose. She giggled, her attention already directed somewhere else. _

"_Can you take me flying Jack? Please, please, pleeeease?"_

"_Isn't your brother going to miss you?"_

"_No. Him and his stupid friends won't even notice I'm gone."_

_He laughed again. "Alright. Really fast though."_

_He picked her up, and jumped into the air, as she squealed in delight. She had gotten bigger since the "Incident" with Pitch. She was still pretty little, however, not big enough to keep up with her older brother and his friends._

_He landed on a roof, high above everything, keeping a hold on Sophie. She paused, pointing to a couple who were passionately embracing each other below. _

"_Do you have a girlfriend, Jack?"_

_He shook his head, smiling and marveling at the wonders of four-year old's train of thought. They jumped from topic like it was nothing._

"_Nope," he said. _

"_Do you want one?"_

"_I don't know... Maybe someday."_

"_Would she have ice powers too?"_

"_Sure, why not?"_

"_That would be fun. Two Jacks Frosteses." Her face scrunched up as she tried to say the plural of his name. _

"_Yeah," he said. "It would be fun." He didn't have the heart to tell her he was alone._

* * *

When Jack landed, there was a moment of silence, a moment nothingness, of sweet oblivion.

It was a blissful few seconds that ended much too soon.

He opened his eyes, trying to sit up, before he realised that that was a very bad idea.

His ears were ringing.

His side burned.

His head ached.

He ran a hand through his hair, only to pause, staring at his palm. It was covered in red, and that same red now streaked his white hair.

He looked up, and saw her.

He saw her standing, regal and proud and brave. He saw his Snow Queen, facing off against a mountain of dark.

She was speaking calmly. Her hands shook. Snowflakes danced lightly of her skin. She probably didn't even know she was doing it.

She turned back, looking him, and he caught his name.

"…Jack…"

He was going to watch the woman in blue die.

It was happening. He knew what would happen next.

"Elsa!"

She was hit, squarely in the chest, flying back. Her arm landed at an usual angle, and he heard a crack.

It was like watching a nightmare unfold before him. It was a nightmare. It was his nightmare. His vision. He had seen this.

"Elsa!" He screamed again.

It reeled above her, as if in slow motion.

No.

He wasn't ready to see her die.

He didn't want to see her die.

He was supposed to save her.

But there was nothing he could do.

He was going to lose her.

He was going to lose Elsa.

"Please! Please, not Elsa! Elsa!" He released a quick blast of ice from the staff. Instinct. He knew it couldn't save her. All he could do was scream her name, over and over and over again. "Elsa."

She lifted her hand, her own magic meeting his, and forming a wall above her.

There was a flash of light.

Bright and sudden and deadly.

But when it faded, there was no wall above her, no mass of living shadow, no Mara or Tyra.

The danger was gone. For now.

The only things in the room were him and Elsa and the rift in time.

He struggled to get to his feet. Everything hurt. His side was covered in blood. He didn't even remember cutting it.

Elsa had sat up, and was rising to her feet, as well, cradling her arm. He stumbled towards her.

"Elsa," he whispered. She crashed into him, wrapping her good arm around his chest. He caught her as she slumped against him, holding her just as tightly.

"Jack."

She stared up at him with eyes shining from pain.

"Jack, your side," she said

"I know. It's okay. It's not that bad, I promise. But we need to get out of here."

She looked at him sadly. "They'll be back."

* * *

_Elsa stood to the side, laughing as Anna danced around her room._

_"What do you think of this dress?" Her sister said, spinning around in a flurry of painfully bright orange cloth._

_"A bit much, don't you think?"_

_"Nope," she said. "I want to make an impression." Anna said, twirling around, and batting her eyelids. "I feel so sophisticated."_

_Elsa coughed._

_"What? You don't like it? What if no one else likes it? Well, I like it, so it doesn't really matter, but-"_

_"Anna, breath. It's just a ball."_

_"Just a ball? Just a ball, Elsa?" Anna said, indignantly. "This is Kristoff's introduction to society! And he's not going to want to make a statement. That falls to me."_

_"Make less of a statement," Elsa said, rolling her eyes._

_"Never," Anna said, pulling her into the center of the room and spinning her around. Elsa laughed. "See? It's a fun dress."_

_"Too fun."_

_"Unlike you."_

_"Hey," Elsa said, raising her hand, and forming a little ball of snow._

_"Kidding!" Anna said. Elsa smirked, aiming a snowball at her. "No, Elsa, you'll ruin it!"_

_"Well, in that case..." Elsa said, throwing one at her sister._

_"Ellllsa!" Anna said. "Now I have to find another dress!"_

_"Good."_

_Anna stuck her tongue out, crossing her arms._

_"What are you going to wear?"_

_"Probably this," Elsa said, gesturing down at her usual blue dress._

_"Oh, cause you're boring."_

_"Anna, I'm not boring."_

_"Yes, you are."_

_"I'll throw another snowball at you."_

_"Fun! You're fun," Anna said, raising her hands in mock surrender. Her eyes lit up mischievously again, as she leaned forward. "Hey... Is anyone going to ask you to dance tonight?"_

_Elsa sighed. "Not this again."_

_"Yes, this again. Perhaps a young prince? Or maybe a dashing rogue?"_

_"Anna, no one is going to ask me to dance. I will decline if they do."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because," she said. "There's no one out there for me. I'm an Ice Queen."_

_"Oh, you are so tragic. I'll find someone, mark my words. Olaf is going to help."_

_"Anna..."_

_"Nope. Hey, maybe he'll have magic too."_

_Elsa smiled, a little sadly, as she watched her sister skip to the closet to find a new dress, not having the heart to tell her she was alone._

* * *

"They'll be back..."

His back was to the rift, the light illuminating his hair like a halo.

_"You know what you have to do."_

The words she had heard in her mind as the light died down echoed in her skull. Vetr's voice, containing all the guilt and sorrow, from what he was telling her.

"Jack," she whispered. "You have to go back."

"What?" He said, shaking his head. "No, no, I'm not leaving you."

"Jack, please. It's the only way."

"No! I won't leave you!"

"They'll come back, and they'll kill us! I don't know what they have planned, but it's bad. I won't let that happen. Jack, this is the only way."

His eyes shown with unshed tears. "Please, Elsa... Please, I want to stay with you."

She leaned forward suddenly, her lips ghosting against his. He stood in shock, before returning the kiss.

Their kiss.

Their first kiss.

Their last kiss.

She pulled away, meeting his blue eyes. As blue

"Goodbye, Jack," she whispered, before she pushed him, hard, watching him stumble backwards, into the light. It wrapped around him, embracing him, taking him home.

He reached for her a final time, eyes showing the pain, and betrayal, and sadness, an terror, and most importantly, loss.

And then he was gone.


	30. Chapter 29

To anyone watching the night sky, they would see a star, tumbling through the sky to the foot of a snowy mountain. To the particularly observant, it would be appear to be a human figure, dressed in blue and brown. But that's just silly... It couldn't be that, could it? So no one went to investigate, save a tiny fairy, almost like a hummingbird, with tiny feathers of blue and green. She found the boy, unconscious, and half buried in snow. She immediately flew off, to find help... And that was how the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman found Jack Frost, barely awake, and whispering about someone named Elsa.

* * *

Jack wouldn't remember landing on the ground, slamming into the snow like he had days ago, hundred of years before. He wouldn't remember the searing pain that was everywhere, running through his bones and veins and head like fire. He wouldn't remember falling asleep, unable to remain conscious for a moment more

What he would remember her face as he was pushed backwards. By her.

He would remember the fall. The moon dancing above, and below, and above again as he tumbled through empty air.

He would remember his fall.

Jack woke up with a start. He had no idea where he was. The ceiling twisted above him, morphing into strange shapes and patterns.

For a moment, he couldn't remember anything.

And then, it all came crashing back.

The rift. The kiss. The fall.

He sat up, quickly. Too quickly.

His head spun as fell backwards, landing in a soft bed.

"Jack?"

His head snapped towards the sound of the voice. A very worried group of Guardians stared back at him. From their positions, it was obvious that they had been talking, to each other. Probably about him.

"Jack?" Tooth said again. She fluttered over to his side. The others quickly followed. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "I have to get back."

"Get back where?" North said, his booming voice rattling Jack's skull. He closed his eyes.

"I have to get back!" Jack said, standing up quickly. He stumbled past them, trying to the door.

"Jack," Tooth said. "Jack, you need to calm down. You're hurt."

"No!" Jack said. "No! I need to get back!"

"Get back to where?" It was Bunnymund who spoke next.

"To her! I didn't say goodbye. I need to say goodbye to her!"

"Who, Jack?" Tooth said patiently.

"Elsa. Elsa. I need to get back. I promised I'd protect her, that I'd never leave her again."

"You've been missing for nearly two months, mate. We've been looking for you everywhere," Bunny was saying. "And then we find you, hurt bad and cold, even for you, babbling about a girl named Elsa."

He put his head in his hands. "I have to get back to her. I promised I'd protect her. I promised."

"Jack, rest," North said. "And then tell us your story."

* * *

Jack spent days lying there before his strength returned. He lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness as his immortal body healed. His thoughts flickered between Anna, and Olaf, and Pitch, and Mara and Tyra. He thought of the other Guardians, with their pitying looks as he say there, telling them where he had been, and the concern in their eyes when they learned of Mara and Tyra. He thought about Jamie, wondering if he alright, and the other children. And he thought of her. He thought of Elsa, He knew she had had to do it. But he couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of betrayal when ever he thought of her expression as she push him away. Into a different time.

But he was going to get back to her. He was going to keep his promise.

* * *

The moment Jack had the ability to fly again, he was gone, flying back towards the rift. North had called after him telling him to come back, but no one followed him. They knew they had to do this. As he landed on the edge of the cave, he ran forward,

His bare feet pounded the cold floor, one hand trailing along the wall, one hand extended in case he didn't remember his way as well as he thought he did. He didn't notice that the walls were much duller than before.

As he sprinted into the main cavern, he expected to see the bright glow of the rift. It was there, but dull, pulsing slowly.

He didn't care.

He ran forward, extending his hand. He had to get back, he had to see her again. He didn't care that it was selfish. He didn't care that he might end the world in whatever evil plan Mara and Tyra had. He'd save it, right after he saved her.

Just as the tips of his fingers touched the light, however, there was a flash, and he was knocked back, hitting the wall painfully. Sliding down, he groaned, closing his eyes. As dark spots danced in front of his eyes, he stood up slowly, picking up the staff from the ground.

Slowly, he grew aware of his surroundings.

And then he saw it. From the light in the cavern, seemingly still coming from the walls themselves, he saw it.

Lying in the middle of the floor, was the rift... But it wasn't alive, glowing, like he was used to. It looked dead, a dried husk of fire mid-flicker. Jack fell to his knees as he look at the dead remains. He extended a hand, touching the side, and watching as it crumbled.

"NO!" He yelled. "No, please take me back to her! Please! PLEASE!"

There was no answer. Placing his face in his hands, he began to scream.

He was never going to see her again.

She would grow old and die, and he would be living there, in the same time, never knowing who she was, never remembering who she was. He would never hear her last words, never see her smile again, never watch her eyes light up again. She was alone and injured in a cave with a possibly homicidal spirit. And he left her there. Tearing at his hair, he began to sob, hitting the ice with his fist.

He was never going to see her again.

It began to crack, icicles spring from where each wound in the icy skin lay.

"Please, just let me say good bye! Let me say goodbye to her!"

"I'm sorry."

He spun around, and there he was... Vetr, the man in the black coat. He was looking sadly at him, with guilt and grief. Jack ran forward, slamming the man into the side of the cave. "Take me back to her!"

"I cannot," he repeated. "She made her choice."

"The choice you told her make!"

"It was for the best."

"No. NO! Don't you see? I was going to save her! She wasn't going to die, not with me... Not with me," he said. He felt his legs fall out from him. It felt like his unbeating heart had been torn out. It felt like he was missing something. "Just let me say goodbye. Please... I just need to say goodbye."

He felt Vetr's cool hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jack. I truly am."

And then it was gone. He looked up.

The man was nowhere to be seen.

And Jack was left alone, in the dark, on his knees, head bowed, feeling like he was dying all over again.

* * *

He didn't know how long he sat there. It felt like an eternity. Eventually, he began to move, walking slowly, almost painfully, through the stone corridors, into the light, the sun overhead shining bright. He squinted, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't getting back to her... He had to accept that. He shut his eyes.

He took a few steps, not having the heart to fly.

What had happened to her? Did she die there, in that cave, or later, of old age, after marrying and loving some prince, and having children, and being happy?

It was history.

His eyes snapped open.

History was recorded, especially when it came to royalty.

He could see what happened to her... And with that, he flew off the library of the Arendelle castle.

* * *

He jumped through the painted window. The single woman in the room didn't see him as he ran on across the floor, to the book lying on the pedestal. She didn't look up as the pages began to flutter seemingly on their own.

Jack held his breath until he found it, a painted picture of a woman, on a horse, looking as beautiful and majestic as she had in life, riding towards a mountain.

_Queen Elsa's life was shrouded in mystery._

_From the unusual summer blizzard on the day of her coronation, to the events surrounding her mysterious death, she is seen as a conundrum to historians everywhere. However, she is still widely considered one of the greatest rulers of Arendelle._

_Elsa left never married, and left no heirs, the crown falling to her cousin's daughter._

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle disappeared into the snowy mountains on cold night, without a word to anyone. It was on the same day her sister took a doomed voyage out to sea, a decade before, both on December 21st. It is now considered a cursed day in Arendelle, a day when lost their beloved queen and princess. The day of Elsa;s death is marked by the wearing of blue garments._

_Like her sister and parents, her body was never found-_

Jack stared at the page, unable to read anymore, as he shook his head.

Elsa wouldn't have died like that.

She wouldn't have.

Slamming the book shut, he backed away, not caring that the other woman jumped, head snapping up.

He turned, running to the window, and back into the air, not noticing that the woman followed his every move.

He left Arendelle behind, not knowing that the woman had run from the room. calling for her husband, and saying they had to find someone.

He didn't see how much she looked like Elsa... But then again, he was rather distracted

He was rather distracted by the fact he felt as though he had let the Snow Queen die.

**A/N: **I'm sorry I left you all hanging last time! It's been my plan to leave no author's note there since the beginning. And I've actually had the conversation between Vetr and Jack here written for months.

I'm getting back into the swing of writing this, I think! And apologies, I would have had this up sooner, but I was helping my grandparents move, and I swear, they have about fifty sets of plates... And that was only in the first ten boxes. We haven't even started on half the rooms. Then my internet was acting all spotty, so yeah...

Thank you all for reading.

Right, one more chapter in part 1... Is everyone ready? I hope so. It's going to be a crazy ride.

May the Fortress be with you...


	31. Epilogue Or Introduction

The town of Thorne hated newcomers.

Not the people of the town, no, they tolerated them... Although they certainly didn't help with their unspecific directions, vague signs, and generally unpleasant attitude.

No, the town itself, with it it's winding, sloping roads, surrounded by miles of dense, ugly forest, and creepy abandoned building from the all the ages... It obviously was not a kind to those who were not familiar with it. It almost seemed to have a mind of it's own, twisting it's paved paths lined with old, teetering brick homes into a labyrinth, to ensnare any who attempted to pass through.

A woman, dressed in dark blue, walked along its dark, dimly lit streets. Her was tucked up under her widebrimmed hat, the rim hiding her face. Her arms tucked in her pockets as she approached the house, address 293 Winter View Lane. Her footsteps echoed on the stone path that lead to the door.

It had taken her hours to navigate the nearly empty streets. She had actually reached the town during the early evening, the light dying in the west. After hours of trekking, avoiding distant citizens, and the occasional car, she had finally reached her destination. It was simply another house on the side of the street, albeit slightly more run down, with a slightly wilder garden, brown bricks covered in dark green ivy. The windows had their curtains drawn tightly shut, although the woman could see the light escape them. The nondescript, chipped brown door stared back at her.

She raised her hand, already pale knuckles nearly completely white, although with nervousness or excitement, she wasn't sure.

Carefully, she knocked on it. The sound was quiet, but firm, steady, like a heartbeat.

There was a moment of tense silence as she waited, before the sounds of footsteps echoed on the other side.

The door swung open, revealing a young woman with a shock of bright curly red hair that tumbled around her shoulders. A small gasp escaped the redheaded woman's lips.

"Elsa?"

Elsa raised her cold, clear eyes to meet hers, pulling off her hat, and letting her nearly white braid fall over her shoulder. It had been the only part of her to age during her long exile, no longer the quite platinum blonde, but slightly more bright white, like snow under a full moon. Like a boy's she used to know, once upon a time, a long time ago.

She looked calmly forward at her friend's disbelief, smiling slightly.

"Hello, my friend. Longtime, no see."

"It's been years, Elsa. Years," she said, her Scottish accent becoming more pronounced with every word, despite having left her land a long time ago. "What are you doing here?"

Elsa's smile broadened, although it became quite a bit colder, like ice glinting in a setting sun. "It's time."

_**Winter's Vein will return on December 21st.**_

**A/N: **May the fortress be with you.


	32. Chapter 30

"_Immortality is such a strange thing," the woman was saying. "It's unfair. You wouldn't think it is, but until you have seen centuries fade, you won't understand it." _

_"I don't want it," Elsa whispered. _

_"No one does, deep down. It often tears us away from what we love most."_

"_I've already lost what I love most," Elsa said, as she stared blankly at the stones in front of her, flowers in her hand. "It's too late for me." _

"_Elsa, child," she said. "You are going to be here for a very long time. You need to find happiness, in something."_

_Elsa knelt down, putting flowers on the grave. She shut her eyes, as the ice around her heart threatened to explode around her in her rage, and misery, and confusion, and sorrow. But it didn't. It felt like it hardened. It felt like her heart became stone... Or ice. Tears did not fall as she opened her eyes. _

"_I am going to find out who did this to my sister," she said. "And then, only then will I be happy again."_

* * *

It had been over two months.

It had been over a two months since Jack and Elsa had been separated. And Jack wasn't taking it well.

He had been quiet, much too quiet for his usual self.

The entire world was feeling it. Everything seemed a little darker, a little sadder, emptier, colder, without the Guardian of Fun there to stir up trouble, to make children laugh. He had been moving back and forth, avoiding the other Guardians during his time at in North's workshop, not venturing out into the world.

He was locking himself away.

Tooth watch the boy sadly, as he sat on the edge of the balcony rail, staring at the moon, knees pulled up to his chest. The wind rustled his hair slightly, as if it was trying to comfort him. If it was, it wasn't working.

"He truly loved her, didn't he?" She said.

"He only knew the girl for a few days, Tooth," North said sadly. "It may take time, but he will get over her. The heart heals."

"But he loved her," Tooth said.

"Yes. Yes, he did."

Silence fell around them.

At least, so they thought.

"_For an immortal to love a mortal," _a voice said, unheard by all. _"Now that, that is a true tragedy." _

"_For an immortal to love an immortal," _the voice said again. _"That is a true romance." _

"_For an immortal to love and lose an immortal,"_ the voice said. _"That. That is what this is."_

* * *

"It's time," Elsa said.

Merida stared at her.

"That's it?"

Elsa blinked. "What?"

"Get inside," Merida snapped, pulling her into the small house. Leading her through the narrow hallway, where the walls were covered in pictures. Many had a young woman, looking identical to Merida. But it couldn't be her. It couldn't. The photographs ranged throughout time, many with others. One of them, looking from the late 1800's, had a woman who looked similar to Elsa, white hair pulled back into a bun, eyes deep and sorrowful, standing next to the red head, and a couple, a man and woman. The woman... She was the one from the library, the one who had seen Jack.

Elsa sat at the table, as Merida crossed her arms, glaring at her.

"You left us all," she was saying. "For years."

"I had to get away."

"Immortality does not mean that you can just abandon your friends like that! We thought you faded! We thought you were gone! And you leave us with a snowman. Do you know that snowmen never sleep? Cause I do. He was _singing_, all the time."

"Where is Olaf anyways?"

"Up north somewhere. Thorne isn't cold enough for him."

"Did you lose my snowman," Elsa said.

"Did you really expect me not to? I can barely keep track of myself. You left him with me. This is your fault."

Elsa shook her head. "I was busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Investigating."

"Great, you're a real Sherlock Holmes. Investigating what?"

"My sister's death."

"For fifty years?"

"There was a lot of research." Elsa looked at her hands.

"Elsa, you need to let it go," Merida said. "She's gone. Anna's gone. She's not coming back."

"Someone took her from me," Elsa said, her eyes suddenly bright. "Someone did this, and I will make them pay."

"You are so stubborn," she snapped. Her friend threw up her hands in defeat, exasperation drawn onto her every feature, as she collapsed in the chair across the table. "Why are you here?"

"I need information... Someone contacted me recently."

"Who?"

Elsa pulled a book from the bag on her side. It was large and old, leather bound. She glanced up. Merida leaned forward, taking it in her hands. As she flipped through the pages she found that a few of them were lined in a thin layer of frost, unmelting in the warmth of Merida's home.

"Petra brought this to me," she said. "She saw him. He was reading it."

"Frost?"

"Yes. And that means that something is happening. Jack Frost has come back after his time with me, and that means that something is happening."

"So, you're here."

"I want to make sure I can count on your help, if I should need it."

"Of course you can, Elsa."

Elsa sighed heavily. "Thank you, Merida."

Merida gave a short nod, pausing before she spoke. "Are you going to see him yet?"

"Jack?"

"Of course, Jack. Who would I be talking about? Old Man Time? The Tooth Fairy? _The frickin' Easter Bunny?"_

Elsa hesitated. "I don't know."

"You should."

"It's been a long time, Merida. Not for him, but for me. I've changed... And he. He hasn't."

"Look, Elsa. I'm not good with all this... Romance stuff. But you loved him, right? Like, you were in love with him."

"Yes, I suppose I was."

"Are you still?"

"I don't know. I... No. Not anymore."

"But he's still your friend. You still care for him."

"He's a part of my childhood, a part of my old life, my life as queen."

"Yeah, yeah, and you left that behind years ago, you moved on, I heard it all before. It's all very tragic. Don't pretend that I don't know about that."

Elsa glared at her, before continuing. "He still loves me, though. I can't break his heart. Not again. I need answers."

Merida sighed. "You need to go see the Guardians. They will have more answers than me. All I am is a retired princess who sometimes lends a hand on Valentine's day."

"But you will help me? Later?"

"Of course. Even if you ignored me for years, and left me with a stupid snowman, I'll help you when you need it."

"I'm sorry for that. But thank you, Merida."

"Now, go. You owe that poor boy an explanation. You owe everyone an explanation."

Elsa bit her lip, wringing her hands nervously under the table. "Where is he?"

"I have a feeling you know that. You'd have kept track of him."

"Yes."

"Yes, you kept track of him?"

"No."

"Elsa, what are you saying?"

"I kept an eye on him. But never by my own free will. Something always seemed to try and bring us together. I barely avoided him. I didn't... I didn't know what talking to him would do."

"Time travel's weird. It was probably for the best," Merida said, as she looked at her. "Now go. Please."

Elsa stood up, picking up the book, and putting it back in her bag.

"I'll see you soon, Merida," she said, as she turned, and left the room, her voice echoing back to where Merida stood. "I have a feeling that I'll be seeing you again real soon."

* * *

Someone knocked on the door of the workshop.

Jack didn't look up from his perch on the railing. North, however, did. Everyone else had left, all having their jobs to do, leaving only him and Jack. Jack wasn't the best company at the moment, and it was oddly quiet, like Jack's depression had left a visible mark on the world.

The knock was quiet gentle, but determined.

Walking over, he opened the large doors, pausing in confusion as he looked down at the figure in front of him.

"I'm here to see Jack Frost," she said quietly, to quietly for Jack to hear.

"I know who you are," North said. "Yes. Yes, I know who you are. But, you cannot be here! He said you were dead. "

"Please. I need to see him."

"Jack," North said, keeping his voice level and low. "There is someone here to see you."

Jack moved slowly from his spot. He looked at where North stood, as the man stepped aside.

His unbeating heart stopped, and his breath caught in his throat as he looked at the ghost in front of him.

Because she couldn't be here.

He had mourned her.

"Elsa?"

**A/N: **Sneaking onto the computer to update this. Probably will have to edit again later.

I was really nervous about this, and I have no clue why. Maybe it's cause it's been so long. Anyways, welcome back.

I'm so sorry for the wait. School got really, really hard, and I need to just focus on where I wanted this story to go, as I completely changed it from how I originally planned it. I have a vague idea, hehehe, emphasis on vague. What we're going to be seeing is a lot of what Elsa's been doing, and how Jack's been handling mourning her.

I'm also sorry for the shortness. I cut off half of it, because it weighted it down.

And I'm sorry for leaving it here. Actually, no. I'm not. heh heh

Happy holidays, everyone.

_May the Fortress be with you. _


	33. Chapter 31

**A/N: **Song for this chapter is Centuries by Fall Out Boy. It's so perfect for them I couldn't resist (Immortals is probably going to show up too, cause I have a problem)

_Elsa stared at the place where she had sent Jack back to._

_Tears began to stream down her face._

_Jack Frost had gone home._

_Jack frost was gone._

_As she began to walk back, stumbling through the dark, she began to sob, the pain and fear and terror of the past few hours finally catching up with her._

_She was alone._

_Her arm was broken, and she was bruised and blue, her dress torn._

_She had no idea how she was going to get home._

_Exhaustion finally overtook her, and she fell to her knees beside the wall, leaning against it. Everything was hurting, everything was wrong, everything. All she wanted to do was sleep. As she shut her eyes, she saw a figure approached her, in the dying light of the cave._

_Unable to fight it any longer, she let herself fade into the dark._

* * *

Jack had tried to be happy.

He really had. He had tried to move one, when he realized that he would never see her again, but all he could imagine was her dying on that mountain, or her kiss, or her smile. He had tried to be happy without her, but it was like there was hole in his heart, and it was draining everything from him.

He had tried.

He had gone back to visit Jamie and Sophie and Pippa and the others. But they had been able to see the emptiness, sense whatever darkness had crept into his heart. He had tried to mask it with smiles, and laughter. But they felt his heartbreak, and that made him feel even worse.

The more Jack thought about it, the more he began to believe that it was not only the loss of Elsa that had caused whatever he was feeling.

Elsa had opened him up in a way no one ever had before. Had opened his heart, made him fall for her in more ways than one.

And something dark had filled the void her light left.

It scared him more than anyone could ever know.

So, he shut himself down. It was easier. It was so much easier than facing this all.

"Jack? There is someone here to see you."

The voice barely seemed to make it through the storms that seemed to fill his mind. Jack stood up as North called to him, and when he did, his unbeating heart felt like it stopped, as he took a step back, gripping his staff.

"Elsa?" He whispered.

He was frozen, standing in place. He felt suddenly very unstable, like he was going to fall over. She was dead. She couldn't be here. This was a trick. This was a dream. This was an illusion. The ice that he usually had such control over crawled to the surface of his skin.

She looked him, smiling.

"Hello, Jack Frost. It's been a long time."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. So, he did the only thing he could do.

He ran.

Ran to the edge of the balcony, and jumped. A footprint of frost remained, as he disappeared off into the night, leaving them both behind.

"Wind," he murmured into the night. "Take me away."

* * *

Elsa stared at the spot where he was, before turning to North.

"I should have known that would happen," she said quietly. "This was a mistake."

"I take it you are Queen Elsa," North said, only his eyes betraying his surprise. The rest of his usually jolly face was completely devoid of emotion as he spoke again. "What can you expect? He just saw a ghost."

"I wanted to see him again... I thought that now I could see him again," she said, looking a little lost. She crossed her arms, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"He was mourning you. He loved you, and he thought you were dead," North said, slightly more forcefully. "To him, you are but a ghost."

"You know why I couldn't talk to him before this, don't you?" Elsa said slow, looking up, and meeting his gaze. "This wasn't selfish, or cruel, even it felt that way. It's the rules. I had laws I had to follow. If I had met him at the wrong time in his timeline, everything could have fallen apart."

"I know that," he said. "I know, child. It does not change the pain he went through these past two months however-"

"Two months?" Elsa said, all expression of the lost little girl that was there before gone, back to the hard, cold exterior. "He lived for two months without me, while I had to lose him, and my sister, and my kingdom. I had to live with that for three hundred years. I loved him as much as he loved me, and yet you make it seem as though I am not a victim as much as he is!"

"I'm not saying that," North said, sighing slightly. "I'm saying that your wounds have had time to heal, and his... His were raw. They were both deep, child, but you have had time to mend."

The icy fire in her eyes died slightly, as she took a deep breath. She looked at him, as if for the first time.

"You're North, aren't you?"

"Yes, indeed I am."

"I'm Elsa, like you said. Not queen anymore however. Not queen of anything, unless you count a kingdom of isolation," she added. "He talked a lot about you, and the other Guardians, and how you saved all the children, and the world. Thank you for doing that."

"Why, you don't have to thank us," North said in surprise. "It's what we do."

"I know that. And that's why I'm thanking you. I didn't think you would get many thanks, at least not as many as you deserve."

"You're right. We don't."

Elsa gave a small laugh, the sound feeling alien. He smiled gently at her. "Come now. Let's go find Jack, before he gets into too much trouble."

* * *

Jack hadn't gone far. He was sitting in one of the trees in the forest, where he and Elsa had traveled through to get to the city from the mountain. It was night there, the moon shining off the snow. It felt almost like he had gone back in time. A time where Elsa was alive. But she was. She was here. How could that have happened. And how had he run from there like a coward, when the only thing he had been wanting to do was talk to her one last time? Wasn't that what the purpose of his moping had been? Well, not all of it, but that was a good reason.

"Stupid Jack," he said. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

He had his knees against his chest, staff held in the crook of his arm, hood on his head. He shut his eyes, wondering how he was going to face her. All he could see was how she looked as she stood there in the door. Her cold beauty. How she looked the same as she always did, but different somehow. Not older... But older.

_Wow, Jack. Real eloquent. You're practically a poet, _he thought to himself.

"Jack?"

His head snapped up at the voice, which was coming from below him.

Elsa.

He looked down at her. She stood beneath the branches, staring up at him.

"Don't you dare run away from me again, Jack Frost."

He didn't answer.

"Are you giving me the silent treatment?"

"You gave me the silent treatment... For three hundred years."

She sighed. "There was a reason for that. Now, come down, and I'll explain everything. I told North to go on back. It's just me and you."

"No."

"I forgot how stubborn you were. Come down!"

"No."

"I'll climb up there."

"You can try," he said sullenly, feeling like a child. She deserved all the hell he could put her through after the last few months.

"Fine," she said. He watched her, grabbing on the branches, pulling herself up with a grace only fitting of a queen, hand over hand, foot over foot. She only slipped once, when she was almost at the top, right below him. She gave a small cry as the branch under her foot gave out, and she nearly plummented to the ground, at least twenty feet below.

Acting on instinct, he lunged forward, catching her hand, cold as ice. She looked up at him as she hung there, some pieces of her braid flying lose. Now that he thought about it, she didn't look quite older, but more sad. More tired. And more free. Pulling her up in front of him, he watched as she sat on it, nervously looking at the ground below them. Her cheeks were flushed, from the fright of her near fall and maybe something else, and her eyes were kept frozen on their hands, still clasped together in front of them.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to look at him.

"Hello, Jack Frost."

"Hello, Elsa the Snow Queen."

"I'm not the Snow Queen anymore," she said slowly. "I lost my kingdom."

"When you died."

"Yes. When I died."

"But you didn't. Die, I mean."

"No. No, I didn't."

He fell silent, all his questions feeling like they were running under his skin, and bursting from his veins.

"What happened to you, Elsa? Why did you never come and find me?"

She sighed. "There are rules, Jack. Laws. I don't make them, but we all have to follow them. When someone like you travels between the past and future, any who have contact with cannot make contact again until they are aware of actually making the trip. I couldn't speak to you until you returned from the past. But I never forgot you. I kept an eye on you when I could. You could say I was your guardian angel."

He blinked in surprise. "How often were you there?"

"There were a few times you were in trouble you didn't even know about, and I leant a hand" she said. "And I've seen a few of your adventures. It's not very nice to ruin Easter, Jack." She added the last comment somewhat chidingly, although her eyes betrayed amusement.

He smiled for a moment. "You saw that? That was fun. We should do it again together."

She shook her head, laughing slightly. "That's not happening. I'm not getting on the Easter Bunny's bad side."

He smiled broader for a moment, before it faded, as another question rose to his lips. "How are you here? I'm sorry, but should be dead."

"Ouch," she said.

"Not like that. Like... Normal people should be dead-"

"I know what you meant," she said, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. She moved forward, so that they were inches apart. She kept her hold on him. "I was supposed to die. But something happened. I don't know if it's when I got my powers, or something different, but for some reason, winter runs through my veins. It keeps me frozen. I don't think I've aged at all since I was eighteen years old."

He looked up at her. "So, you really are the Snow Queen."

"I told you. I'm not that anymore."

"Make it an honorary title. A silence fell between them again, as Jack leaned forward slightly. His fingers brushed over her cheek. Her skin was cold as ice. She was really here. She was alive. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't an illusion. She was here.

"I can't believe you're really here. I can't believe it."

"Believe in me, Jack Frost," she said. "I still believe in you."

"Even after all this time?"

"Yes. Forever and always, Jack Frost."

He smiled, as he pulled her forward, into an embrace. He felt her hesitate before she wrapped her arms around his waist, fingers clutching the blue fabric of his shirt. He felt her breath out a shaky breath.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I thought I lost you. I thought I lost you forever."

His voice was muffled as he murmured into her ear, his words only for her. Only for Elsa.

"Jack," she said. She sounded sad, slightly sad, and scared, and pained. "Oh, Jack, there is so much you don't know. There is so much you don't understand."

He leaned back, looking at her.

"What's wrong, Elsa?"

"There is a reason I had to come back, Jack. Not just for you. There is darkness in this world, and we have only scratched the surface of it."

"But we're going to fight it together, aren't we?"

"Yes. Yes, we are," she said. She held their hands between their chests, looking up at him. When she spoke again, he could almost hear heartbreak in her words. "Jack and Elsa. Saving the world."

He stood up, pulling her up to her feet. Slowly, carefully, he held onto her, like he had when they had flown together that first time. And just like that, they were flying.

And as he held her, her arms wrapped around him, and his around her, he thought about her last words to him, and all the words he hadn't said to her back then. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Elsa was alive. Elsa was here. And he was never going to let her go again.

**A/N: **I LIIIIIVVVEEE.

Okay, maybe that's was a bit dramatic. Maybe. But seriously, it's been forever (like not as long as three hundred years but it felt like it). I don't know why this chapter was giving me so much trouble. I think it's cause my first draft was extremely angsty (even more than this, if humanly possible), and I went back, and read some previous chapters, and then felt like I was missing all the fun, lighthearted stuff I used to have here, and that just made me sad. So after over a month of avoiding this story like it had the plague, I burned my first draft in a fiery pit, and wrote this. I like it so much better, so I hope you do too.

A note on the timelines. I wrote the beginnings of this story back before the official timeline of frozen was released, and pictured Jack becoming a spirit, and Elsa being locked up happen in the same year (I think I noted it as 1708 in my drafts?). So Elsa is about the same age as Jack now, give or take a few years. Cause I'm too lazy to change that, we're keeping it as an AU or somethin'. Any questions on that or any other time travel-y thing will address next chapter, so ask away.

Thank you for reading, and come throw things at me if I take as long next time. I hope I don't. This story is practically my child. Don't let me abandon it.

May the fortress be with you!


End file.

Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, Adventure, Romance