Revised and up and running as of 3/25/2015

So, when I first began this fic, I didn't have it planned out one bit. I watched Rise of the Guardians, swooned over Jack, and insisted that I must show my devotion by writing something about him. I try not to do such things. If I fell under these kinds of impulses often, I would have about thirty incomplete fics.

Honestly, I didn't think this fic would ever get picked up again and that there was no hope for it at all. It was only for bland sentimental reasons that I kept it up for so long. Then, a couple days ago when I took a real step away from one of my other fics, inspiration flooded me. Initially, I had only kernels of ideas for this. Not a story, just ideas. Now, writing this, I actually have a real story in mind that I want to share.

Here it is.

~~**I**~~

Warming Frost

You might have heard of an old tale about Jack Frost where he falls in love with a girl once he rescues her from demise and wishes to become human to be with her? You probably think it's a myth, but it's not. It actually happened, though not in the way you expected. This tale happened not so long ago...now, in fact. A tale of the wonders of Jack Frost; how the child-like Guardian of Fun fell in love and became human once more.

That alone sounds amusing, doesn't it? Don't laugh! I warn you! They say love makes you do crazy things and I can prove it.

I'm Jack Frost and here's my story about friendship, growing up and, I can't believe I'm saying this, love.

Jack Frost made an early appearance in Burgess, Pennsylvania as he often enjoyed to. Nothing like making an appearance on his old stomping grounds. It hardly mattered that it was early October, Jack had once made a blizzard on the middle of April (much to the chagrin of Bunnymund, and Jack still wasn't quite sure whether he'd been forgiven for that...probably not, but that was hardly going to stop Jack). He was the Guardian of Fun, and by the moon he was going to make some.

Good old Burgess. Over three hundred years ago this had been his home. Just a small village with no more than thirty houses made a line along the dirt path where chickens, pigs, and dogs ran through along with kids chasing each other screaming with laughter. Jack had been one of those kids. Well, he didn't scream as much as he made the little kids do the laughing. Even before he was Jack Frost, Jack had always been a fun guy. Playing pranks, making jokes, being silly was second nature to him. Or maybe it was even his first and only nature.

Now, there were three hundred houses and buildings and Burgess was no longer just a small village. Very few animals were running about seeing as the dogs were usually within fenced yards or on leashes, and not many people found pigs and chickens to be preferable pets anymore. Though there were still children to be seen about and most, if not all, were willing to have some fun.

Jack came at the best time too - planned, of course - just as school was releasing for the day. Even at the high school, the sight of snow sent the teenagers into a frenzy, be they the freshmen or the seniors.

When Jack came to think about it, there was something special in his Guardian gift. The five of them (him, Sandy, Bunny, North, and Tooth) were meant to watch over the children of the world and yet as the teenagers weren't really children anymore, he could still see the legacy the five of them left behind. Sure these teens didn't put fallen teeth under their pillows and hope for a quarter - well, it was because all their little teeth had fallen out already - and nor did they eagerly hunt for Easter eggs, but they still held the hope deep within their hearts.

Despite steps away from being grown-ups, these teenagers still ran right for the snow, gathering up handfuls and chucking it at each other. Most of them couldn't see Jack, but now was a time where it didn't bother him much. They believed but they didn't, if that made any sense. They looked around at the wonder of afternoon snow so early in the year and joked that it was Jack Frost's doing while they had their fun. These kids were too old for the time when Jack had pined to be believed in, but that didn't mean the same for their younger brothers and sisters. That was partly why they could joke about his presence. During the last seven years with Jack's ascension to Guardianship, more and more kids began believing in him when he went from place to place. He heard his name everywhere when he created biting winds, snow flurries, and blankets of snow on the ground enough for a snowball fight.

There were even a couple times when the kids saw him.

That had been a surprise to Jack. For three hundred years he was used to being invisible. He didn't like using the word ignored because that meant one could actually see you in the first place and made strides not to. It had been amazing when his first believer, Jamie Bennett, had first seen him. That had been the moment when everything in his new life had finally fallen into place. But then there was that kid in Moscow - whenever Jack was bored he could always go there, since snow never seemed foreign to the place - had wondered aloud about "the boy with white hair". Jack had stood frozen in the middle of making flurries and stared at the young boy, probably eight years of age with dark blond hair and pale blue eyes. Tucked into a thick coat and a knitted cap, he looked in confusion as if he couldn't quite believe what he saw. Jack himself could barely believe it, but his shock lasted momentarily and euphoria claimed him as he quickly finished his work and flew away. But not without shouting his thanks, "You're welcome by the courtesy of Jack Frost."

When he came next year, all the kids were calling out joyously "Jack Frost!" It had been the best day in Jack's life.

Though what was even more special and the reason he always returned home was due to his first believer, Jamie. Even at fifteen years old, he still saw Jack, still believed in him. Yes, Jamie did grow older and his attitude matured greatly - Jack had a complete laughing fit when Jamie told him about a crush he had on a girl when he was thirteen - but he still clung to what was left of his childhood. Jamie had worried that he would stop believing in Jack and the Guardians but Jack didn't doubt him for a minute. He was going to be a wrinkly old man with grandchildren in his lap believing just as they did.

Even now the young boy was searching around, looking for a familiar face. His brown eyes lit up at the sight of the snow and he and his friends as well as plenty of the others teens raced out and began snowball fights. Out of the twenty or so teens that made the all out war, only Jamie and his five friends saw Jack. Pippa, Monty, Caleb and Claude, as well as Cupcake, wordlessly grinned at Jack as they hurdled snowballs at each other. Sometimes they would try to hit Jack, but he was too quick for them. Being on the tall side - at least tall for the fifteen year old he'd once been before he became Jack Frost - as well as skinny, he was agile with hundreds of years used to working with high speeds thanks to the north winds.

His friends didn't call to him, but Jack could see their knowing smiles that they were privy to a secret that the others were not. They threw snowballs toward Jack while making it seem like they were aiming for someone else. Jack raced in the thick of it so it was more than okay that snowballs were flying so wildly. He even stood next to Jamie as he made more ammo.

Jack turned to survey his work with a smile on his face when something caught his eye and made him freeze, his jaw falling dumbly.

The first thing he noticed was her platinum blonde hair. It wasn't pure white like his, but it was the closest he'd seen on anyone before. It was almost silvery in fact. A few times in the past couple years, Jack had seen a few people trying out a silvery grey look and completely failing at it. It made them look old and the color was almost always positively fake. But this girl, he could tell it was natural and it made her look innocent and carefree, and the way it curled at the ends made Jack want to touch it. Would it feel as silky as it looked? It was also had enough pale yellow hues to not make her fair skin look washed out. Her icy blue eyes were alight with laughter as she bent over and gathered more snow in her hands, which were already turning pink.

A big grin spread on her face as she looked right at him. Wait...she was looking at him? Her blue eyes were gazing directly into his as she pulled her arm behind her head and made her throw right toward him. All he could do was stare as the snowball came right for him. She was beautiful.

And she could see him.

The snowball sailed right for him and Jack felt his stomach, and even his heart, drop as it went right through his chest and hit Jamie right behind him. His friend in turn grabbed his own snowball and tossed it toward her. It buffeted against the knitted, pale blue sweater she wore.

No, she couldn't see him. Jack felt the familiar pang in his chest that he hadn't felt in seven years.

Winter walked up the short steps of her home and opened the door. This had to be one of her favorite houses that she'd lived in. She'd only lived in four throughout her entire life, but this one had an exceptionally homely air about it. It had to be because of the town. Her family had never lived in small towns, her step-mother preferred big cities. But seeing as she could work from home and that could be anywhere, Charlize had to live with it.

"I'm home," Winter called out gently.

Winter's step-mother, Charlize, was at the dining room table typing away at her nice laptop. It had been a moving away gift from Winter's father. Charlize was an online blogger and even though she had fussed about having to move all her old data from her old one, she had marveled at the laptop that was now five months old.

Winter's father, Jared, had married Charlize when Winter was ten years old. She had lost her own mother just two and a half years ago. Charlize was nice enough, though a bit eccentric and somewhat demanding most the time. She wasn't a substitute for Winter's mother, Charlize had made that clear and Winter had no objections. No one would ever be able to replace Elisa. But after she had died, it was nice to see some normalcy in her small family and have her father happy again.

Charlize was still typing away when she called out to Winter. "Winter, we're out of milk. Could you go to the store and get some before dinner?"

Winter turned and looked out the window where snow had littered the ground. The light snow had been unexpected - while enjoyable as she had played around in it after school - and it made her grateful that she took the bus home. It was nippy enough outside in the morning for her sweater and the long sleeves she had on underneath it, but no it was quite colder. "Couldn't you just make a quick drive?" Winter asked. "It's really chilly outside and I have homework to do." It was Wednesday and she had an essay for history to start.

"I can't," Charlize stated quickly. "I'm right in the middle of a flourish of inspiration. I can't step away right now and I want to start dinner before your father gets home."

Jared would be home in about an hour and twenty minutes. He worked as a bank loan officer - it had been a surprise to Charlize that he managed to get a position in a small town - and usually got home just as dinner was half-way done. Perfect timing for him to unwind and then eat.

And this was where Charlize got a little bossy. Winter amazed at how her step-mother seemed to toe the line with her demands being both menial and reasonable at the same time. It had to be some sort of art form.

Winter sighed. "Of course," she told her step-mother, "just let me put my stuff down and put on my jacket. It's quite cold out there." She added the last part for special effect. Perhaps Charlize would see that having to walk a half an hour and another back to get milk was not the best idea. They had a car, why not use it?

"Thank you," Charlize said. Nope. "There's a ten in the key bowl."

Winter let out a small huff and went up the stair to her room. She hung her backpack on the inside knob of her door. Inside her room was painted ice blue, Winter's favorite color, with outlines of snowflakes and white flowers along the line of the ceiling and other little spaces here and there. Her father had joked that his daughter was a near perfect stereotype of her name at the best of times. Winter had only laughed at that, though she hardly disagreed with him. She loved the cold season and not only because she was named after it. There was a mystical beauty to winter and how it made the world seem...clearer in a way. Sure it was cold, but that's what blankets and hot chocolate were for. Winter and her parents - meaning her father and birth mother - used to sit in front of the window and watch the snow fall. Sometimes the three of them had remarked on how the falling snow almost like stars.

She went over to her desk and jiggled her mouse. Her computer woke up and Winter checked through her email. There was a message from Mrs. Mason from the teen volunteer services. Winter often did a lot of volunteer work for children, including reading, tutoring, and even baby-sitting. Winter loved kids. There was a single message for her with another nine-year-old needed tutoring. Winter could call Mrs. Mason later.

Turning away from the computer, Winter almost passed over the picture frame. It was one of her parents and Winter at seven years of age. It had been in their old home in New Jersey. It had been a snowy day and the three of them were at the park. Winter was held between the two with her arms around her parent's necks as another parent had taken the picture. Even then Winter had her platinum blonde hair. Many people had asked if it was real and were always slightly stunned - or disbelieving - when she said yes. Winter usually ignored their comments. She loved her hair and she never wanted to change it.

Her mother had the same hair. Where Jared had golden blond hair, Elisa had white-blonde hair similar to Winter's. They even had the same eyes. In fact, Winter looked a lot like her mother. Though Elisa had been much older in this picture and she didn't have a gap where Winter had lost a tooth a week before.

Winter blew a kiss to the picture before she took her coat from her closet and left her room.

Jack was sitting at Jamie's windowsill. The window was open despite the cold air. Of course Jack didn't mind it and neither did Jamie. Jack swore the kid was hot-blooded. Well, of course being human he was hot-blooded, but more so than others.

It was dark out and soon Sandy would be doing his rounds. Sometimes Jack and Jamie would gaze out the window and watch the golden sand swirl through the night and slither into windows where children slept. It no longer hit Jamie as often and the boy was never aware of it unless he was looking for it. Through and through Jamie was a believer, and when he had a particularly meaningful dream, he knew it was Sandy's doing.

"You're pretty out of it, aren't you?"

Jack turned to Jamie. "What?"

Jamie shook his head with a slight grin. "That's the fourth time I've tried getting your attention. What's up?" He sat at the seat in front of his windowsill. He wasn't as brave as Jack who sat on the actual sill. "You were like this earlier today, too."

"Was I?" Jack asked lightly as he looked back into the sky. No doubt he was. He couldn't stop thinking about that girl. Her beautiful blonde hair that made waving curls over her shoulders and icy blue eyes that were paler than his. Jack wondered for a moment if Tooth would exclaim over her teeth, they were quite white. Though other than that, Jack knew nothing of what made lovely teeth.

Jack didn't realize that Jamie was staring at him until he turned. "What?"

Jamie quirked an eyebrow. "What's up? Why are you so spacey right now?"

Jack waved his hand at him. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" Jamie prodded.

Unless Jack jumped out the window and left, Jamie probably wouldn't stop questioning. And the next time Jack showed up, he'd only begin where they left off Jack was sure. So, why not ask a question of his own. "Who was that girl with the white hair?"

This time both Jamie's brows rose, though slightly at least. "Oh, that's Winter Stirling, she moved here during the summer," Jamie answered, "and before you ask, her hair color is real. At least that's what Pippa believes, her older sister even said so." Pippa's older sister was studying to be a hairdresser so that was pretty believable.

"When I first saw her, there was a moment I thought I was looking at your long lost cousin," Jamie continued with a chuckle.

Jack chuckled at that as well. "Just like old Robert, right?" Two years ago Jamie had an assignment to read one of Robert Frost's poems. Surprisingly, Jack had never heard of him since he wasn't a poetry guy. The two of them had made a joke that Robert and Jack were somehow related. Just for that little coinkydink, the two of them had read just about all of old Frost's poems.

Jamie laughed at that as well. "Other than that, she's really nice. She has a couple of friends and is friendly with just about every one else. I have three classes with her. I've also seen her volunteering at the library, reading to kids."

Jack nodded as he looked out into the sky. He could see a hint of gold. "Dream sand's here," he told Jamie.

Jamie leaned his elbows on the sill and looked out into the sky. Even after seven years it was still a wonder to see the gold dream sand in the air. It lit the cold night and made it brighter in a way. How night used to seem so frightening, it was fitting that the dream sand was in gold likeness of the sun, just like the Sandman.

"The last dream I had was of my dad," Jamie said aloud. He still looked up into the sky. "I miss him. And while it's only a dream, it still meant so much to see his face, hear his voice and laughter."

Jack nodded. During his life before he'd been Jack Frost, he had a family, parents and a younger sister. His father had been a coal miner just like the rest of the menfolk and of course his mother had housework like the women of the times. And then there was his little sister, Sarah, whom he loved more than anything. It had been for her that Jack had been made a Guardian. At first, Jack never knew that he had a family, but now through these past seven years, he knew what it was like to miss family. Jamie's father had died when Jamie was only seven. His little sister, Sophie, had barely been a year old. Sometimes Jack wondered what his family had gone through when Jack died, but he tried not to dwell on it. It was no use in wondering when he would never know and any knowledge would only be painful to bear.

"Jamie, close your window! Don't think I can't tell how cold your room is just because the door is closed." That was Jamie's mother.

Both boys tensed and Jack leapt out the window. "Bye," Jamie said as he quickly closed the window and locked it. Jack waved and took off. Not too far though. There was one place he wanted to go.

~~*.*~~

As a Guardian, well, as a spirit in general, Jack had a good sense of where people lived. Specifically children and those he wanted to find. It didn't take him long to find Winter's house. The house looked similar to Jamie's, as most actually did in this small town.

Her room was on the second floor and her light was still on. He looked through her window - closed but the white curtains were pulled aside - and saw her sitting on her bed. Her room was a clean mess of white and blues in a cool motif that was winter enough without seeming overdone. If it were anyone else, Jack may have found it weird. But for Winter...it fit.

Winter sat at her bed, her legs curled in front of her with a drawing pad on her knees. It seemed that she was drawing at least and not writing. From his angle, Jack couldn't see what she was drawing, only that her pencil was blue. Must be her favorite color. Her blankets and sheets were different shades of blue. Two of them were hand-knitted even.

She was playing with a tendril of hair over her shoulder and again Jack wondered how smooth it felt. He thought of snow; it could be hard packed and slightly rough when it came to how long it had been on the ground or if was situated on rock. If it was windy outside, the snow tended to be quite fluffy indeed. And blizzards, they were more or less icicles. Winter's hair could be the fluffy little flakes at winter's first fall.

Looking at her, Jack felt warm for the first time in three hundred years.

Big thanks to the readers who looked at this fic before and I hope my better writing (I cringed rereading the old chapter) will be even more satisfying. I don't plan to leave you hanging for another two years. This fic is definitely up and running!

Lots of love, Opal.