Author's note:
Okay, so I'm usually not the type of person to read or write stories with OC's, but I couldn't get rid of this idea in my head and I decided to give it a shot. Some of you may associate Jack Frost with the Dreamworks' movie 'Rise of the Guardians' and even though I might use some elements (for example behavioral features) it isn't my intention to make a crossover with the movie. This story will mostly be based on the fairytale version of Jack Frost. In other words; the Eastern Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth fairy and Sandman don't exist (cause really, for them to be real would be impossible right? xD). There isn't much known about Jack Frost in the fairytales, so it will take some juggling of imagination and resources, which is why feedback and suggestions are very appreciated! Please enjoy reading and let me know what you think! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Once Upon a Time
Chapter 1 – A visitor
Being disturbed during a calm sleep was bad. Being disturbed during a nice dream was worse. But being disturbed when one had had practically no sleep at all was by far the worst. Unfortunately for a certain blonde teenager his short moment of slumber was disrupted not too gently by a shaking hand and a pressing voice.
"Jack? Jack! Jeez, what do I need to get you on your feet? A glass of cold water?"
As tempting as that sounded the teenager choose the alternative and opened his eyes lazily only to meet the two light green orbs that belonged to the tall and slender figure of Ruby. The young and (if he had to believe the other town's people) attractive waitress of Granny's Café was standing next to the dinner table, bending over said table in order to reach for his shoulder and forcefully wake him from his nap. Still not quite satisfied with being awake, Jack shifted a bit and squeezed his eyes shut to block out the blinding sunlight coming through the glass windows of the Café. Ugh, these benches really weren't fit for sleeping. His back was killing him.
"Hé, freeloader-kid! Put some effort to it and clean up your mess. As much as I appreciate your indecent break-in and unpaid overnight stay, customers with actual money will be coming in soon and I need no hobo's to welcome them."
A wet towel made contact with his face, waking him instantly and as he shot up right he recognized the speaker immediately. Ruby's grandma – generally known as Granny – was vigorously wiping the counter clean with another cloth; not even paying him a look.
Jack rubbed his eyes and then smirked a bit.
"I love how welcome you make me feel, Granny," he said mischievous. "That's why I prefer this place above all other inns."
The wiping stopped momentarily and the older woman rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh, just get out already!"
He chuckled and sent a wink to Ruby. The brown haired girl curved her red lips into a smile in reply and handed him his backpack, subtly hinting that Granny was serious about the whole 'getting-out' drama. His chuckles made room for a tired sigh as he shove off the bench, stood and stretched. A few cracks convinced him once more that he really needed a better sleeping place. Though, he should not complain. As harsh as Granny may seem, she did let him sleep in the Café without demanding payment. Of course he got kicked out in the morning – just like today – but at least she tolerated his break-ins to a certain extend and choose not to involve the sheriff (which Jack was more than grateful for).
"You know, I wouldn't need to crash in the Café if you offered me to sleep in one of those dust-covered unoccupied beds you have in the lodges."
Granny shot him a glare and wrung the cloth out in a bucket of hot soapy water.
"Nice try, kid," she crushed his suggestion without mercy. "No payment, no luxury. Besides as of today the lodges are far from dusty."
The last statement raised Jack's eyebrows. "Really?" he mocked. "Other than spiders, you haven't had a visitor in years. Why bother to clear away the cobwebs? Those poor spi-…"
"We have a guest."
The rude interruption from Ruby was missed by the teenager as soon as those four little words found meaning in his mind. A guest. In Storybrooke?
"A young woman for Boston showed up in the inn yesterday evening," continued the waitress while combing her long brown hair with her fingers. "Apparently she is going to stay for a least a week."
"Not that she will find anything interesting to do in this godforsaken place," added Granny with a hint of bitterness. "But as long as she pays up, you won't be hearing from me."
The comments were followed by small bickering between the grandmother and -daughter, but all Jack could concentrate on was the new development at hand. A visitor from outside Storybrooke. Had it really been twenty-eight years since? Somewhere he must have lost count. But if it really was her, then maybe…?
"So… why are you here?" Ruby interrupted his thought, bringing the conversation to a whole new topic. "Did Mr. Gold do something to you?"
Oh, yeah, there was the other reason he loved crashing in Granny's Café; they usually didn't ask questions. What was up with all that hatred against Mr. Gold anyway? He wasn't that bad. Well, he was bad, but it seriously depended on how you interacted with the man. Like anyone else the antiquarian had his own motives and ways to deal with life. His were just slightly deviating from common. The upbringing of the man did however present Jack with a new objective for his empty agenda.
The teen grabbed the jacket he had been using as a blanket and put it on. "No everything's fine," he assured in a flat tone. "Just didn't feel like staying there."
"You really ought to find a different job, kid," Granny commented while pointing the wet cloth at him for a dramatic effect. "That man is vicious. Mark my words, this generosity of his is only pretend. As soon as he loses value in you, he'd step on you as if you never existed."
Well, good thing he hasn't done so in the past twenty-eight years, Jack thought grimacing as he swung the backpack over his right shoulder. Even after all those years he still had trouble grasping just how ingenious the Queen's curse truthfully was. To think that everyone believed he was a high school drop-out with no fixed home or work for the past twenty-eight years was incredible. Of course, none of them realized it had been that long, heck even he had been surprised at how fast time had flown by.
"That may be, but for now it's all I got," Jack stated simply, no longer in the mood to have a happy morning conversation now that his mind was tricked by other matters. Luckily for him the door rattled and the first customer entered the Café. One glance was enough to identify the figure of Sheriff Graham. Ugh, tough luck.
"Look, I really should get going," he hastily ended. "Thanks as always and I'll be sure to stop by later today to taste one of those delicious chocolate frosted doughnuts." With his backpack gripped tightly against his shoulder he waved goodbye and turned on his heels. He countered the raised eyebrow of the Sheriff with a short nod, before quickly slipping past the man and disappearing through the front door.
Vicious or not, right now Rumpelstiltskin was definitely more interesting to hang around with then any of those amnesia-plagued fairytale characters.
A.
