The first snowfall of the year is always the most beautiful. Waking up to look out the window and find that everything is covered in a thin layer of snow. Watching it sparkle as the sun rises up and shines down on it, brightening the world with its undisturbed purity. It was this event that one Jamie Bennett had looked forward to every day of the year since that fateful night seven years ago when he was visited by the one and only Jack Frost and his fellow Guardians.

The morning after Pitch had been defeated, Jamie had woken up in his bed, the night before nothing but a memory. He hoped and prayed that his new found friends would visit him again but that day wouldn't come for a long time. Winters had gone by, Easter eggs had been hunted, and every lost tooth had been carefully placed in the hopes that he might catch a glimpse of one of the guardians. With every passing season, Jamie lost a bit of hope and believed a little less.

On this particular morning, Jamie was awoken by the delighted shouting of his sister Sophie. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, sliding on his slippers and padding over to the window. Much to his surprise, his window was covered in a thin swirling layer of frost.

"Jamie! Jamie, look outside! It snowed!" Sophie shouted, barging into his room and flopping down on his bed.

"I saw it Soph, now will you please leave me alone for a while. It's still early." The nine year old shook her head and sat up, brushing the hair from her face.

"Do you think Jack did this Jamie?" she asked innocently. The mention of the snow spirit made Jamie's chest tighten with resentful disappointment and he shook his head, walking to the door.

"Come on, out. If you go now, maybe I'll take you sledding later." Sophie's eyes widened with excitement as she jumped up and sprinted from the room, swinging the door shut behind her and leaving Jamie alone with his thoughts. The tight feeling in his stomach lingered as he remembered the young, pale haired Guardian.

"I don't understand, Jack," he whispered, staring out the window. "Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you come back to see me? I know you've been there... you've caused enough snow days to make any kid jump for joy... I miss you Jack... Please, please come back... I don't want to stop believing but I have no choice..."

He pressed the palm of his hand to the pane of frosted glass, leaving a melted handprint in the delicate swirls before sliding on a pair of jeans and a button up and exiting his room.

. . . .

There was nothing Jack loved more than getting caught up in a gust of wind and travelling back to his home town of Burgess, causing the occasional snow day here and there as he went. The night sky glowed a dark navy blue, speckled with the twinkle of stars like Christmas lights on a tree. The town was quiet and peaceful as Jack flew down and landed on the top of the library. A pleased smile appeared as the golden tendrils of the Sandman's dream sand began to flow down from the sky and into the houses of sleeping children.

For a while, he simply sat atop the tall building's peak and watched Sandy work him magic, his mind drifting off into memories of the town from years ago. His thoughts drifted to Jamie and his chest ached with guilt. The night Jamie first believed in him had been like the start of a new chapter for Jack, giving him hope that soon everyone would believe that snow days or the intricate patterns of frost on their bedroom windows wasn't simply just natures work, but his. He'd promised Jamie that he would visit, but becoming a Guardian had been a lot more work than Jack has anticipated.

Absentmindedly, Jack stood up and caught a small gust of wind over the town, landing in the front yard of the Bennett house. From the outside, it looked the same as he remembered it from seven years ago, but what lie inside was something he'd feared facing for a very long time. He closed his eyes and huffed out a breath, tapping the tip of his staff to the ground and watching as the frost began to spread across the lawn and up onto the house. He ran and caught the wind, soaring high over the town and swirling his staff to create a large mass of snow clouds to cover the town.

He half flew, half fell back down to the rooftop of the Bennett house and watched his clouds coat the town in a blanket of powdery white snow. The children of Burgess would be in for a treat when they woke up a few short hours later. Jack hoped that it would be enough to make the one kid he loved the most believe again.

As the sun rose up over the horizon and changed the deep blue sky into a pale blue canvas, the snow clouds began to clear, allowing pillars of soft sunlight to shine down into the windows of the sleeping citizens. Jack's peaceful observation was interrupted by the sound of ecstatic shouts from inside the house.

"Here we go," Jack smirked, carefully floating over to the window in front of him. Peering inside, he almost fell out of the air at who he saw lying asleep. It took a moment but he finally realized that the peaceful sleeping figure behind the frosted glass of the window was none other than Jamie Bennett, only it wasn't the ten year old boy he remembered. Lost in his thoughts, Jack didn't notice Jamie waking up. It was only when he heard footsteps that he swung himself away from the window, pressing his back to the side of the house.

"Jamie! Jamie, look outside! It snowed!" Jack peered into the corner of the window, watching as the little blonde haired girl pounced on Jamie's bed.

"I saw it Soph, now will you please leave me alone for a while. It's still early."

"Do you think Jack did this Jamie?" she asked innocently. Jack's stomach coiled into a knot with the anticipation of the teen's answer. He waited, but no response came from Jamie as he walked to his bedroom door and swung it open.

"Come on, out. If you go now, maybe I'll take you sledding later." Jack couldn't help but smirk as she jumped up and ran from the room, swinging the door shut behind her. He ducked back against the side of the house and listened as Jamie spoke.

"I don't understand, Jack... Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you come back to see me? I know you've been there... you've caused enough snow days to make any kid jump for joy... I miss you Jack... Please, please come back... I don't want to stop believing but I have no choice..." Jack's heart sunk into his stomach, Jamie's words stinging him like ice. After hearing the door click shut, Jack looked back at the window and felt his heart ache. In the middle of the frosty pane was a melted handprint. The guilt that filled his conscience was almost too much to bear as he lifted a shaky hand and set it against the window where Jamie's melted print was. His eyes stung with the threat of tears when he realized that their hands were the same size now.

"It really has been too long..."

The guilt and frustration built inside Jack as he shot up into the air and rode the winds all the way to the North Pole. If anyone could help, it was North.

. . . .

"What are you trying to ask me Jack? I don't understand." Jack huffed an impatient breath and tried to explain again.

"I feel horrible North. We left him after that night. I'm supposed to watch over the children of the world, but I couldn't take care of the most important one to me. Jamie was the first kid to believe in me and I don't think I could take it if he stopped believing... What am I supposed to do?"

"I think you are over thinking this Jack. If you want to keep Jamie believing in you, maybe you need to let him see you. I admit we have been unfair to Jamie in not visiting him. He brought back Sandy and helped defeat Pitch. He believed in you. It is least we could do to show him we are still here."

Jack crossed his arms, his fingers pulling nervously on the seam of his sweater.

"What if he doesn't want to see me North? I've been horrible to him... He'll probably hate me." North walked over and put a hand on Jack's shoulder, shaking him slightly.

"Jack, you worry too much. If Jamie did not want to see you, he would have stopped believing in you. Go talk to him Jack, it is right thing to do. I feel it in my belly."

"Thanks North... You're the best." North let out a booming laugh and patted Jack's shoulder, sending him on his way.

"I try. I am Santa after all. The belly is never wrong Jack! Remember that."

. . . .

Jack reached Burgess by nightfall, using the wind to skate along the quiet streets until he reached the Bennett house. He carefully floated up to the window and peered in. Lying with his eyes closed and headphones in his ears was Jamie, his foot tapping to the beat of the music. He looked so calm and content and something inside Jack's heart tightened. With silent, gentle hands, Jack eased open the window and floated in. Jamie seemed oblivious to Jack's actions as he floated above him, watching the brown haired teen listen to his music in awe at how much he'd grown. The round flushed cheeks of childhood were gone, and in their place was a gentle jaw line and pointed chin that made him look older, but still youthful. At the corners of his eyes were sets of barely there laugh lines and a smattering of light freckles decorated the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Jack fought back the strange sudden urge to touch his freckles as his eyes took in the grown up face of the boy who first believed in him.

A smirk grew on Jack's face as an idea came to mind. With a gentle flick of his staff, snow began to fall around them, the tiny intricate flakes landing on Jamie's face. A confused frown appeared on the teens face before his eyes fluttered open. Jack almost laughed out loud as Jamie finally realized what he was seeing.

"Jack?"

"No, it's your mother. Of course it's me!" Jamie's face went from shock to anger faster than Jack could fly.

"Why are you here?" Jack floated down to sit on the end of Jamie's bed and watched as he sat up, setting his headphones aside.

"Oh you know, I thought I'd stop in. See how you're doing," Jack replied smartly, gripping his staff to stop the snowflakes.

"Just stop in? You think that you can come here after seven years and just drop in? What the hell Jack?! You think that you can just waltz in here after all this time and pretend like nothing ever happened?! I BELIEVED IN YOU ALL THIS TIME AND YOU NEVER ONCE SHOWED YOURSELF TO ME! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT JACK?"

"Jamie calm down, I can explain! If you'd just listen-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, JACK! I WAITED FOR SEVEN DAMN YEARS FOR YOU TO COME BACK! SEVEN YEARS! AND YOU NEVER DID! NOT EVEN JUST TO SAY HI! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KEEP BELIEVING IN SOMEONE THAT WON'T LET ME SEE THEM, HUH?!"

"JAMIE STOP!" Jack shouted back, his sudden outburst of anger silencing his brown haired counterpart.

"Just listen to me for a second, okay? I can explain," Jack looked around the dimly lit bedroom, then back to Jamie, "Just not here." Jamie's head sunk into his hands as he contemplated his reply, the tips of his fingers reaching up into his hairline.

"You know, for being the Guardian of Fun, you're not making this very fun for me," Jamie groaned, looking up at Jack through the fringe of dark hair that had fallen over his eyes. After a few more moments of painful silence, Jamie finally caved and stood up, snatching his coat off the back of the door and sliding it on.

"Well, let's go then," he huffed, reaching for the door knob. Jack snickered to himself and flipped backward off the edge of the bed, landing gracefully on his feet.

"I thought we could take a different way," he smirked, gesturing toward the window with his free hand, his frost covered staff gripped loosely in his other hand. Jamie's eyes widened and he began to shake his head, backing up a step away from Jack.

"Fine, have it your way then." Using his staff, Jack summoned a gust of wind to scoop Jamie off his feet and out the window, following him out and laughing as they soared high up into the air. Too stunned to scream, Jamie watched as Jack sped through the air and caught him, his free arm wrapping tightly around his waist. With a devious grin, Jack watched Jamie's eyes grow wider as the sensation of falling grew in the pit of his stomach. Jamie's hands scrambled to clasp themselves around Jack's neck as they flew.

"Jamie! Look down!" Jack shouted over the wind, flying higher. The brunette shook his head, burying his face in the snow spirit's neck. It had been years since he'd flown with Jamie, but he still felt as light as a feather to Jack as they surfed the wind over the tall spruce tree tops. Jack could see the break in the trees he'd been looking for and descended suddenly, causing Jamie so yelp and grip him tighter. A few short seconds and a soft thud later, they were both standing in a tangle of limbs on the middle of an ice covered pond. Much to Jack's amusement, Jamie's eyes were still closed.

"You can open your eyes now, I promise I won't trick you," he whispered, the warmth of his breath tickling the taller boy's face. It wasn't until he was standing face to face with his first believer that he realized how tall he'd grown. Hesitantly, Jamie opened one eye and checked his surroundings before opening the other and settling his view on the white haired Guardian.

"Where are we?... I feel like I've been here before..." Jamie asked, his eyes unmoved from Jack's as he awaited an explanation.

"You've been here once, yes. I guess you probably wouldn't have remembered leaving, though. Sandy used his dream sand to knock all you kids out and take you home before your parents figured out you were gone." Jamie's eyes widened as he remembered the morning he'd last seen Jack.

"This is where we finally defeated Pitch... This was the last place I saw you before you left..." Jack nodded slowly, leaning on his staff slightly.

"Why did you bring me here Jack?"

"I need to explain myself to you, but I needed to be where it all started," the young Guardian explained.

"Where it all started? Jack, I don't understand-"

"I meant where it all started for me. This is where the Man in the Moon chose me to become Jack Frost. I died here, Jamie."