Hi! I'm leaving for Italy on Saturday and I'll be gone for three weeks, then I'll have to catch up on homework, karate, and dance, so until I'm ready to write again lillyabbey22 is going to take over for me! *claps* Thank you! Until I leave (and possibly after I get back) I'll make a bunch of cute little oneshots. Suggestions if you want one on a group of people or a certain OC! Thank you! And sorry if my English gets a little jacked up when I get back ^^" In Italy things are a bit different. Oh, and this first chapter is about Jack and Hestia. Or Hekate, whatever floats your boat. Anyways, this is before they died. 3rd person POV people! (I will be referring to Hekate as Hestia in this one)

"No." Jack pouted at the lack of reaction from his best friend.

They were both nine years old, and had grown closer in the years they had known each other. Apparently opposites really did attract, because the two children were as different as could be. The only thing they really had in common were their small features and slim figures. Jack had dark brown hair, Hestia had light blonde. Jack's eyes were always filled with excitement and a hazel color, Hestia's shone with calm intelligence and was a murky grayish color. Jack loved playing pranks; Hestia liked to help around the house. Jack was always lively and energetic, Hestia was calm and tranquil. Jack loved playing outside on snow days, but Hestia preferred to sit inside and tend to the fire.

Which brought them to their current predicament.

Hestia sat in a lotus position while staring at the flames that lapped up against the sides of the fireplace, as if trying to escape. Their bright colors reflected in her eyes and she didn't move her gaze away, as if she were mesmerized by their dance. Jack failed to see what was so special about it—after all, it was just fire. Personally, the boy thought fire was too dangerous for his liking. Jack normally loved dangerous things, but fire just seemed so inviting by the way it moved and warmed things up, but would burn you if you made a wrong move. The brown haired boy wanted to play outside in the snow—but not without getting his friend to join him first.

"PHHHHHLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZ ZE!"the boy whined.

The blonde girl's eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance, the only indication that she heard him.

"C'mon," he begged, sitting on his knees next to her. He shifted slightly to get a better look into her eyes. "Why don't you want to go outside?"

"Because I don't want to," she shot back immediately in a calm voice. She prodded the fire gently with the metal poker.

Jack thought for a moment. He really, really wanted to go outside and take Hestia with him, but there was little he could do about it if Hestia had made up her mind. That girl was as stubborn as a mule.

Luckily, so was he.

"I'll do you a favor. I promise to do anything you want if you come outside with me for an hour," he negotiated.

At this, Hestia raised an eyebrow. Jack was well known throughout the little village for keeping his promises, but rarely handed them out. "Anything?" the blonde girl asked skeptically.

Jack nodded in confirmation, excitement bubbling in his chest at the thought of going outside and playing snow games with his friend. "Anything."

Sighing, the blonde girl gracefully slid to her feet, dusting off her dress. "Fine. Just wait a moment and let me fetch my coat and things so I don't catch a fever." She looked him up and down cryptically. "So should you. It's not healthy to run around outside without good protection, Jack. You'll get the fever and then I'll have to take care of you while you waste away in bed for weeks."

With that the small girl spun on her heel and dashed through the small cottage to find her things. Jack waited impatiently, tapping his foot and rocking back on his heels and up on his toes while he waited for his friend.

He knew she cared, but she just didn't want to admit it.

A minute late his friend bounded around the corner, clad in a thick skinned coat with a fur coating to keep her warm, a wool scarf, woolen gloves, extra pairs of socks, and leather skinned boots. Her blonde hair was tucked away into a woolen hat with a few stray hairs falling down her back.

"Well?" she asked, peering over the hem of her coat to look at him. The collar on her jacket went just below her eyes. "Aren't we going to go?"

Jack nodded, trying not to laugh at how funny his friend looked.

Opening the door, Jack did a mock-bow as his friend passed him, rolling her eyes at his playfulness.

They were assaulted with the cold air immediately, both children's eyes stung from the icy wind blowing in their faces. Two feet of snow covered the ground, making a little WinterWonder Land out of the small village.

Jack's eyes widened with glee as he ran towards the forest, a staggering Hestia trailing after him. Their laughter bounced off the trees and houses as they raced towards their "spot."

They dodged past snow-covered trees and rocks, racing to their destination. Bright grins lit up both their faces, even though Hestia's wasn't visible because of her coat, her eyes were lit up in joy and were crinkled slightly.

Jack dove past a tree, landing on his stomach and sliding across the frozen lake with his arm out and feet spread apart.

Hestia giggled as she followed up behind, albeit more cautiously. Setting one foot on the ice, she gently slid out until she was near the middle of the lake where Jack skated around her.

"Don't you get cold?" Hestia asked, her voice slightly muffled from cuddling into her coat.

Jack stopped in front of her, his face flushed with excitement and cold. "Of course, only I can stand it."

Hestia rolled her eyes in reply, but stopped when she saw something interesting. Her eyes lit up with a mischievous light and she dove forwards, making Jack yelp and fall backwards to avoid collision. Grabbing the fallen stick on the ground, the small blonde girl held it ready like a sword, a challenging look in her eyes.

Complying to the unspoken challenge, Jack scrambled to find his own stick a few feet away and held it ready.

With a battle cry, Hestia lunged forward.

Their sticks made resounding cracking noises as they hit them against eachother, laughing and giggling in joy.

The game finally ended when Jack landed a particularly hard blow on the blonde's stick, making it crack in half.

Panting breathlessly, both kids collapsed on the cold ice. The brunet boy's limbs were eagle spread while his gaze was focused on his blonde companion who was curled up loosely next to him.

"I can't wait to take my sister to play with us," Jack commented off-handedly.

Hestia snickered, still a bit breathless from their play fight. "I can't wait to tell her how you thought she was going to be a boy."

Jack rolled his eyes playfully. "Like she'll care."

The blonde's eyebrows disappeared into her hat. "You obviously know nothing about girls."

Jack shrugged helplessly. "They're too confusing."

Hestia wacked his shoulder playfully. "Are not!"

"Are too."

"Nuh uh."

"Doesn't matter what you say, you can't change the truth."

"You're just too simple-minded."

"Hey!"

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing," he huffed.

It was silent for a few moments until Hestia broke it with a question.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Jack turned his gaze from the dark sky to his friend, raising his eyebrows in question. "Where did this come from?"

Hestia shrugged listlessly, turning onto her back and watching the trees sway in the breeze of the wind. "Well we're not going to stay here forever, right? I mean, we'll get jobs and eventually move away."

The brunet's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well," Hestia stated, matter-of-factly. "I want to move far away. Somewhere warm and where there are a lot of people. And I'll never ever swear like Mr. Salandre does all the time or be mean to people. I could also be a doctor and fix people who are hurt." She turned her murky eyes to the boy next to her. "What about you?"

Jack thought for a moment, chewing on his lip in concentration. "I-I'm not sure," he confessed. "I don't know if I'll ever want to leave. Its nice here."

Hestia made a non-commental sound in the back of her throat and turned her gaze back to the sky.

"Hekate?" Jack said after a minute of peaceful silence.

The blonde's eyes were shut but she could feel her eye twitch from irritation when he called her that name. "Hmmmm?"

Jack folded his arms behind his head and kept his hazel eyes on the sky. "No matter what we do, let's stay friends. Deal?"

"Deal," she agreed tiredly. ". . . . . Jack?"

"Yeah?" he asked softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

"Can we stay here for a while longer?"

A small smile played at the boy's lips. "Sure."