Chapter One

Moonlight shone through the window, filtering through in beams and assaulting Emma's eyes as she opened them groggily, though she became instantly alert as she heard the creaking of feet on floorboards outside the door. She stealthily slid out of bed and slunk over to the door, opening it to see her six-year old son with his hand raised and knuckles poised to knock. He smiled meekly, and Emma smiled softly back. "Do you 'wanna build a snowman?" Henry whispered with twinkling eyes. Emma laughed.

"Do you know what time it is, Henry?"

"Mommy and son time!" he said it excitedly and splayed his arms out with a smile that displayed his missing front tooth, giving Emma no choice but to swoop him up in her arms and tousle his hair as she walked out into the hallway.

"You couldn't be more right," she said tenderly as they made their way down into the huge lobby and she put him down. "Okay, are you sure you want to build a snowman?"

"Yesyesyes!" Henry squealed and clapped his hands as he twirled around and then controlled his features as he stomped the ground and threw his hands out. Out of them shot ice crystals and from his foot came snow that flowed over the lobby like a wave. Soon Emma's breath was coming out in wisps as she tightened her fur robe around herself and got to work with Henry. The laughed and rolled in the snow, occasionally throwing balls at each other as they rolled bigger ones for the parts of the snowman. Emma made the base, while Henry did the torso and head. He watched as Emma plopped the parts on top of one another.

"Hmm," she hummed as she leaned back against a bank and Henry leaned against her. "What's it missing, kid?"

"Eyes, and arms, and a nose!" Henry piped up, and Emma twirled around to lift him in the air with a playful growl, tickling him when she put him back down.

"Oh really?" she said as he giggled and tried to push her arms away. "I think it's perfect!"

"Okay, okay! Let me go!" Henry cried in between fits of laughter, and Emma eventually pulled back and watched amusedly as her son tried to act offended. "Well, it at least needs a carrot nose." He said matter-of-factly, and Emma shrugged.

"Will you come to the kitchen and get it with me?" she asked, though Henry firmly shook his head.

"I have to watch the snowman!" he squeaked, and Emma eyed him for a moment before shrugging again.

"Okay, but be safe, don't wake anyone up, and don't do anything stupid," she said, keeping her eyes sharply on him until he nodded wildly. So she turned around and started off towards the kitchen to go grab a carrot. It took her a bit to find a good long one, but soon she had it and before she knew it she was back in the snow-covered lobby. "Henry!" she cried as she saw her son jumping on snow drifts he created by the second, leaping around the room on them.

"Mom! Look at this!"

"Get down right now! You're going to fa-" her heart seized as Henry slipped and screeched as he fell forward, spreading his arms out before him. She ran as fast as she could to him with open arms ready to grab him. But as he fell she watched more ice crystals fly out of his hands, straight at her. Suddenly she was very cold, and all the world swirled and turned numb and black, the last thing she heard Henry's screams.

….

The moon was a waxing gibbous hidden behind thin clouds that managed to shine down on the carriage that was flying down the dirt road, the horses' tendons straining as they galloped and the man and woman driving it urged them on like mad. The woman had one arm wrapped securely around a small boy, and the man cradled a blonde, unconscious woman in his arms. After a time they neared a large palace that exuded forebodance, but without pause the man leapt off the carriage with the woman in his arms and marched towards the palace with the woman and boy in tow. He held her in his arms as though she were still a small child, and kicked the door open violently with a leg as he and the others strode in.

There was another man in the entrance hall, leaning nonchalantly against a table. He had glittering, discolored to between the shade of gold and crocodile scales skin, and wore leather pants with an actual crocodile skin vest, underneath a red billowy shirt that his curly shoulder-length dusty brown hair barely touched.

"Ah, our dear king and queen, brave Prince Charming and the lovely Snow White, as well as our beloved Princess Emma and her darling son Henry! A family gathering," he greeted with rich English cadence and a flourish of his hands, adorned with long and black fingernails, as his rotten yellow teeth and sickly green-brown eyes flashed. He appraised the scene before him. Charming stood resolute with his daughter Emma in his, arms, his dark blonde hair mussed and blue eyes bloodshot and tired, as was the jet-black hair and hazel eyes of the queen, her arms holding Henry close to her. The imp's eyes lingered on Henry for a moment, something familiar about the brown-haired, mop-headed boy. His attention snapped back to the Prince when he coughed loudly.

"No time for formalities or games, Rumplestiltskin," he growled. "We need your help."

"With what?" Rumple asked with a simmering smile before dramatically wiggling his hand prior to pointing at the princess's limp body. "Couldn't possibly have anything to do with that, now could it?" Snow tensed as she stepped forward, the boy still clinging to her cloak.

"Name your price, Rumplestiltskin," she said firmly. "But save her."

"Ooh," he breathed, eyes turning predatory as they flickered between the royals. "Let's diagnose the condition first, dearies." He gestured upstairs, and soon the Princess was carried up to a bed where she was carefully laid by her father, who placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling away. "Yes, yes, how touching," Rumple drawled as he moved over to her. "Now tell me what happened." Snow spoke as she watched him poke and look over Emma.

"It was, it was, er, Henry."

"Henry?" the imp repeated as he whirled around and peered at the boy. "Did she tell you you couldn't have a cupcake?" he pouted.

"He has magic," Snow said humorlessly. Rumple rolled his eyes.

"Well of course he does. You can smell it on him," he scoffed.

"It's a special kind," Charming said. "He can…freeze things. Make ice and snow."
"Is that so?" Rumple whispered, evaluating the boy with new eyes. He then turned back to the princess, clicking his tongue with admonishment. "Well," he said, looking back to her parents. "I'm sorry to say your daughter's heart has been frozen." Her parents gasped and the little boy squeaked in horror as Rumple nodded soberly.

"Can you fix it?" the king, queen, and boy asked in unison, and Rumple held up his hands placatingly at their frantic gazes.

"Well I'm afraid only an act of True Love can thaw a frozen heart; otherwise the inflicted will die. This dearie, though, is the product of your True Love, and the magic within her is keeping her from dying, for now. But her magic is unstable, uncontrolled, impulsive. It won't be enough. I can stabilize it for you, allow the magic to keep her heart from stopping because of the cold indefinitely…"

"Well do it!" Charming nearly bellowed before Rumple could finish. "Enough talk!"

"I will," he said bitingly. "But there are a few side effects, dearie."

"What are they?" the little boy asked softly with eyes full of worry and shame, and Rumple almost felt pity for him. Almost.

"Well, my spell will cleanse her of any memories of Henry's powers."

"She won't remember I have magic?" Henry asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"No sweetie," Snow said tenderly, pulling him closer to her. "And you can't tell her or let her find out. It's for her own good."

"But we'll know," Charming said comfortingly. "And you'll learn to control it."

"His powers will only get stronger," Rumple pointed out.

"We have a tutor for him, Regina," Snow said.

"Regina?" Rumple balked. "Well clearly she isn't doing a good enough job. Maybe you should have her teach him to conceal his powers."

"Fine, we will," Snow said impatiently. "Are there any other side effects?"

Rumple paused, gauging in his head how he thought the royals would react.

"What is it?" Charming prompted, stepping forward threateningly.

"Keep your sword sheathed, Your Majesty," the imp barked. "There is one other thing." He paused again and straightened slightly as if to brace himself. "He heart will be frozen."

"That doesn't make any sense!" the royals cried, and Rumple rolled his eyes.

"Her magic will keep it from killing her, but as I said, only an act of True Love can thaw a frozen heart. And since none of you have True Love magic, a simple peck on the cheek from mum or son won't do. It has to be romantic True Love."

"And…" Snow began. "What will having a frozen heart do to her?"

"Well she'll retain some ice powers herself, and it'll stop her from feeling any true emotion for anyone but the one who froze her heart." Henry buried his head in the fold of Snow's cloak as he wept silently and Snow and Charming's faces fell into despair.

"But how can she fall in love then, to break this curse?" Charming whispered in a broken voice as tears brimmed his eyes. Rumple shrugged with a sick giggle.

"I guess he'll just have to be really special, then! Or she, whatever floats the princess's boat," he chuckled.

"But she won't be able to love us?" Snow asked with the tears flowing freely.

"She'll remember loving you. What that felt like. She be obligated to act like she loves you. She'll feel like she loves you. It just won't be able to reach her heart. She'll be a lot more insensitive, unintentionally rude, impulsive, and she'll be very reckless. She could very well put herself and others in danger without meaning to because she can't feel real fear." He watched as the family collectively hung their heads and sobbed. Snow pried Henry off of her and nudged him to Charming, who gladly embraced him, and the queen went over to the bed and knelt by her daughter, clasping her pale hand in her own and laying her head gently next to her. Made uncomfortable and for some reason itchy by their display, Rumple fidgeted and tried to cheer them up. "She'll be perfectly safe around Henry though! Well, no less safe than usually."

His response was a glare from the tear-stained, broken prince, before he ground out through gritted teeth, "Name. Your. Price. Imp." Rumple flashed him a patronizing smile before bringing his fingers to his chin and scratching it in thought.

"Let's settle on… a favor," he finally said.

"A favor?" Snow repeated.

"Yes, and it's going to be a big one dearie. I'm saving your daughter's life!" After the king and queen exchanged glances they gave Rumplestiltskin terse nods and backed away from Emma. Rumple cracked his knuckles and walked over to her, leaning over the peaceful princess. "Oh, dearie, dearie, dear," he whispered so only she could hear. "I suppose there'll be no more snowman building for you."

….

The next day, Emma's boots could be heard throughout the hallway as they thudded down a hardwooded corridor, armed with two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. Stopping by a large door with blue-painted, wooden letters hanging from it that read "Henry", she put the mugs on a table against the wall and knocked. "Hey Henry," she said cheerfully. "You in there buddy?" The faint sound of a storybook closing was her answer. Henry did so love his stories.

"It snowed last night, probably after midnight. There's not much, but definitely enough for some fun." There was no response, but Emma knew he was listening. "Do you 'wanna build a snowman?" she asked merrily. After a moment, she heard Henry sigh.

"No thanks, mom," he said loudly and without emotion as Emma's face fell.

"O-okay," she said, turning. "Bye."

The drinks were left untouched on the table.

The next time it snowed, and the next, and the next, and the next, Emma asked Henry to build a snowman. It didn't have to be a snowman, though. Sometimes it was a snow angel, or a fort. And it didn't have be snowing. Sometimes it was chess, or hide-and-seek, or a trip to the village. But each time she was rejected. Henry began to spend more and more time with Regina. Emma's parents tried to console her, but she felt detached from them somehow.

And she was left alone.

[A/N] First chapter of my Frozen AU. I would like to firstly say that since OUAT and Frozen are very different, this will be nowhere an exact AU. Probably very loose, only sharing the same premise. And please keep aware that this is a love story about Emma and Hook, though other characters and "ships" may be featured as well, perhaps even somewhat heavily. And of course Henry will be a big focus. Aside from that, I hoped you enjoyed the first installment and will take the time to review, follow, and/or favorite!

P.S. Hook will come soon so don't worry.