1st of December, 1997.

It was a cold night. Winter had come early that year, bringing with it thick white snow which had covered the ground. Still, regardless of the crisp air and the challenge that had come with the crunchy sound made by the snow underneath his feet, Jackson Overland had persisted. After all, the cold had been the least of his troubles.

His biggest problem had been getting inside. Entry into the Arendelle royals' annual ball was by invitation only and poor, troubled Jackson Overland had not been one of the lucky ones. Yet, he had not let that get him down. He had always been fond of an adventure, even if it had seen him land in front of the juvenile court far too many times. Besides, he had always held onto the belief that the royal balls lacked a certain spark….a spark that only he could bring.

So, with the determination that had come from years of misbehaviour, he had brushed past the armed guards while shouting the name of his 'missing' dog. The guards had paid him no interest- they had bigger issues than some lanky sixteen-year-old kid, who had been dumb enough to let go of his dog's lead. Out of sight of the guards, he had found a nearby tree which he had scaled. Then, balanced on the thickest branch he could find, he had slowly edged along until he had felt it safe to make the leap onto the brick wall which surrounded the castle. Once on top of the wall, he had wasted no time in dropping his backpack onto the ground and had jumped down to land on the bark which lined the edge of the large garden.

After brushing himself off, he had ducked behind a bush to change into the black dress pants, white shirt and slightly crumpled suit jacket that he had stored in his backpack. His cheap jeans and t-shirt had been left with his backpack behind the bush, along with a steely resolve that he would remember to collect the stored clothes before leaving for the night.

He'd taken a deep breath, trying to settle his beating heart before he had entered the grand ballroom. His eyes had widened as he'd looked around the grand ballroom. While he had anticipated the room to be impressive, he had greatly underestimated just how impressive it really was. One room, just one room in the castle and yet it could easily fit his entire home in it with room to spare. The windows alone, were larger than any he had ever seen and covered with heavy looking drapes, which he'd assumed had not been bought from the local Goodwill store.

A sudden bump to the shoulder caused Jack to snap out of his thoughts. Steeling himself, he turned around- certain that he'd been caught out by one of the guards. Instead, his eyes fell on a short, rotund man with a toupee which didn't match the few strands of his remaining 'real' hair. "I'm sorry, good sir," the man apologised, blushing slightly. "I get so nervous at these events and wasn't looking where I was going."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he extended his hand. "That's okay," he replied, flashing a shy grin. "It's my first time here as well."

" The name is Christopher Edward Frederick Jones," the man offered, taking his hand and shaking it. "Headmaster of Hans Christian School for Boys."

Gulping, he cocked an eyebrow and looked at the lumbering man in front of him. He'd heard of the school. In fact, the school and the man's reputation preceded him. The posh private school was regarded as being one of the toughest schools in the nation- capable of turning even the harshest of young offenders onto a more disciplined path. Many a time, he had been threatened with a one way ticket to the boarding school located in the heart of the city. Yet, standing in front of the headmaster, he couldn't help feeling that the stories he'd heard of a harsh, unforgiving headmaster seemed at odds with the bumbling man in front of him.

Clearing his throat, he pushed the thoughts aside. "Jackson O... O'loughlin," he spluttered, silently praying that the man would not notice his slight stumbling as he forced himself to come up with a fake surname.

"Jackson, can I call you Jack?" the older man asked and waited for him to nod before continuing. "I notice that you didn't give a title. I assume that you are simply an employee or the son of an employee, perhaps?"

Nervously, he ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Uh..yeah," he murmured. His eyes darted around, anxiously looking for a way out of the conversation. To his relief, he didn't need one.

"Pleasure to meet you," the headmaster stated amicably. "I must apologise, I've just spotted Lady Penelope Winthrop and would quite like the chance to speak with her. She is one of the biggest financial supporters of my school. So you know, professional schmoozing to be done and all that."

Without waiting for a reply, the headmaster turned and strode clumsily across the dance floor towards the woman in question.

He counted silently to three before turning and pushing through the gathered crowd. All around him, people were dancing or mingling in small groups. Despite the expensive clothes and the impressive titles and resumes, he couldn't help sensing that the guests were somewhat uncomfortable being around each other. Everyone looked like they belonged, yet something in their clipped laughter and forced smiles suggested that no one was truly at ease.

Sighing, he continued moving amongst the crowd. To his relief, no one seemed to spare him a second glance. His suit, a relic from his aunt's third wedding, seemingly did the job of making him appear like he was meant to be there. Luckily, no one had dared look down at his feet where his trashed Reebok sneakers were taking the place of the smart dress shoes which he'd neglected to pack.

A waiter brushed past him with a tray of sparkling champagne. Always the opportunist, he grabbed a glass and winked at the unamused waiter. Warily, he scanned the room and when he was certain that no one cared about the youth daring to take a drink, he lifted the glass. The cold liquid touched his lips and trickled down his throat, leaving a sour taste. Coughing, he brought the glass to his lips and spat the remainder of the offending drink back into the glass before wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Raising his head, he stole a glance at the gathered crowd, hoping that no one had seen his uncouth behaviour. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had. Instead, the crowd had silenced and turned to shift their focus towards the front of the room.

Following their gaze, he saw that King Agdar and Queen Idun had risen from their thrones. The king had his arms wrapped lovingly around his wife, who held onto a small wriggling bundle in her arms. Amused, he moved to the side and began to edge his way closer to the front where he could get a better vantage point.

Nearing the small elevated platform, he spied the flash of strawberry-blonde hair on the energetic bundle and recognised it to be the youngest princess, one-year-old, Anna. Judging by the small cries coming from the princess and the haggard looking castle maid to the right of the queen, the young royal was fighting sleep. He watched as the king broke from his speech to lean down and press a kiss on his squirming daughter's head. Smiling to himself, he made a mental note that if he ever dared tell his mother of his royal experience, he would be certain to let her know that even royal parents had to deal with children who refused their bedtime.

Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard, followed closely by the sound of shots being fired as angered yells and panicked shrieks filled the large room. Whipping his head around, he saw a group of men, dressed in black cargo pants with black t-shirts, bullet-proof vests and a ballistic helmet upon their heads. He felt his jaw drop, watching as the men lifted their machine guns and proceeded to open fire upon the guests. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a plain-clothed guard moving to return fire and block the royal family, only to be struck down. A nasty shot to his head, was all that had been needed to send the heroic guard falling to the floor.

Without wasting anymore time, Jack sprung into action and raced along the wall and pushed himself towards the door that lay behind the thrones. He heard a loud shout as someone ordered him to stop. Pausing, he turned around to notice the king as he stared in his direction, his body bent over that of his deceased wife and daughter. The time needed for him to call out, was all that had been needed for one of the attackers to strike. With a shocked look on his face, the king had stumbled slightly before he had fallen to lie atop his wife and daughter's bodies. Gasping, he looked past the deceased royals to where one of the attackers had stopped to wave a black flag with the image of a bloodied crown on it and the words 'la mort du roi' on it- death to the king.

Terrified, he pushed through the doors and into the hallway of the castle. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he needed to get out of there. He'd known that entering the castle was his stupidest idea yet, but at the time he had imagined that at worst, he would be leaving the royal residence in handcuffs. Leaving via a body bag was not on his agenda.

An eery silence filled his ears as he continued to run. Looking around, he couldn't see any signs of the castle staff that worked behind the scenes. Although, he reasoned that they had likely sought safety, or had tried to. His eyes fell on a wide set of doors which opened onto the rear garden and he sighed. Surging forward, he was about to cross the divide when a sound brought him to a halt.

A small child-like sob could be heard, followed by a sniffle. Pausing, he turned and looked around. In the near distance, he could hear the muffled sound of a gunfire and angered shouts. Looking around, his eyes fell on a small round table with a vase of flowers on the top and a heavy table cloth. Tiptoeing towards the table, he leaned down and gripped the hem of the tablecloth and lifted it.

His eyes fell on a small girl, no older than four, with platinum-blonde hair tied in a plait and tear-filled blue eyes. He watched as the terrified girl's eyes widened and she clumsily backed herself against the wall, her action causing the table to topple over, leaving her exposed. The blue dress she wore bore the Arendelle crest and he realised that he was looking at the crown princess, the only surviving member of her immediate family.

Hesitating slightly, he brought his finger to his lips and willed the terrified girl to be silent. Her tear-filled blue eyes blinked up at him. Bowing down, he looked her in the eye. "Friend," he whispered, pointing to himself. "You're safe with me."

The young princess sniffed slightly as if unsure whether to trust him or not. Biting his lip, he turned his head in the direction of the ballroom. The screams and gunfire had ceased, presumably with the last guest being taken care of. Although, the angered shouts of the gunmen could still be heard. Jumping to his feet, he looked down at the terrified girl. He vaguely recalled his mother mentioning that the older princess, Elsa, was almost a year younger than his five-year-old sister, Emily. Judging by the flag and the way the girl's family had been wiped out, the murderers were not monarchists and were likely to be looking to take out all members of the Arendelle royals. They had already stolen her sister's life and it was safe to assume that she would be their next target.

Taking a deep breath, he said a silent prayer and bent down and scooped the girl up. He felt her wriggle slightly in his arms as he tightened his grip on her. With the young princess pressed against his chest, he turned on his heels and raced out the wide open doors into the empty rear yard.

He stumbled along the dark path until he found a side gate. Tentatively, he pressed down on the handle and pushed the gate open. Stepping out into the darkened alley, he could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he could just make out the sight of a few of the attackers piling back into a black van. His eyes fell on the terrified girl who was clinging tightly to his neck. He needed a way to get past the men at the front without drawing attention to either of them.

Bending down, he lowered the girl to stand on her feet. She let out a small shriek and tightened her grip of him as he did so, reluctant to let him go. Plastering a smile on his face, he looked at her. "Listen, Elsa," he said soothingly. "You are safe with me. My name is Jack and we're friends. You need to trust me because I want to keep you safe. Will you let me help you?"

Slowly, Elsa nodded at him and unwound her hands from around his neck. Glancing up at the sky, he said a silent prayer for forgiveness before fixing his gaze upon the crying girl. Sighing, he pulled her towards him and timidly unzipped her dress, breathing a sigh of relief upon noticing that she wore a singlet top underneath her clothing. He then ripped his own shirt off of him and rubbed it into the dirt ground before placing it back on him. Quickly, he moved to untie the neat plait that Elsa wore, roughly messing her hair up before tracing his dirtied thumb over her pale face.

Standing back, he looked at the little girl in front of him. Gone was the smartly dressed little princess, in her place stood a red-faced, scared girl. Grabbing her dress, he slipped it into his pocket before picking her up and holding her securely in his arms.

Nervously, he walked towards the end of the alley. The sounds of sirens got louder as they drew closer to the castle. A small gasp escaped his lips as he turned and noticed the bodies of the castle guards lying on the ground in front the main gates. Instinctively, he gripped the back of Elsa's head and pressed her closer, shielding her from the sight. He felt himself being bumped slightly and jumped, turning to notice one of the attackers glaring at him.

"The fuck are you doing here, kid?" spat the skinny, older guy.

Gulping, he tightened his grip on Elsa. "Going home," he muttered. "My bitch of a mum is too drunk to drive and told me to take my brat of a sister home."

He felt his chest thumping as the guy cocked his eye and stared at him, as if trying to figure out whether he was lying. Steeling himself, he realised that he had no plan of attack for if his lie fell flat.

"Who the fuck are the kids?" another man asked, stopping to look at the man who had stopped them.

"Just some white-trash kids," the man shrugged. "Apparently their dear mother is too busy drinking to care for them."

"Then why the fuck do you care, Weselton?" hissed the other man. "The fucking cops are coming and you're stopping to play with a pair of dirty brats!"

He watched as 'Weselton' stopped to glare at the other man before looking over his shoulder at the approaching lights. With one last glance, he brushed past them and climbed into the van.

Jack had no idea when Elsa had fallen asleep. They had been three blocks away from the castle when he had realised that he'd left his backpack with the change he'd stashed away for a bus ticket back in the castle grounds. The only small benefit had been that he'd been smart enough to slip his phone and his house keys into the pocket of his suit pants before he had entered the castle.

Idly, he had wandered in the direction of the bus stop. By the time he'd arrived at the stop where the bus that would take him to his home departed, the news about the commotion at the palace had become public. He overheard comments from passing revellers and stragglers that a massacre had gone down and police had cordoned off the area surrounding the palace. Everyone was too concerned with deciding whether to continue with their plans or to leave the city and no one seemed to care about two messy kids wandering the streets.

Shrugging, he wandered up to a middle-aged woman wearing a cardigan over a nurses uniform. "Excuse me, Miss," he said, putting on his brightest smile as the woman turned to glance at him. "My mother, she uh...she took us out with her to the pub, but she uh..she decided to continue drinking and she didn't want my sister and I to hang around. Only thing is, she forgot to give us money for a bus ticket. I was wondering if you could spare the money for the ticket?"

Biting his lip, he watched as the woman frowned and looked him up and down. Her brown eyes settled on the sleeping girl in his arms and she softened. "What bus do you catch?" she asked.

"Uh...the 224," he replied. "We're heading to Findon Park."

"That's the bus I catch," the woman replied. "I get off before you though, but I can pay for your fare."

"Thank you," he replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "I appreciate it."

The woman nodded and gestured to the bus which was slowing to a halt. "You're welcome. You just make sure that in the future, your mother sees to it that you and the little-one are taken care of. It's not safe for you to be out so late with such a young girl," she ordered, sternly. "Also, when you get home, see to it that the little girl has some warmer clothes put on her. Poor little thing, she'll catch a cold."

Taking a deep breath, Jack slipped the key into the front door of his house and pushed the door open. The sound of the TV playing softly in the background told him that his mother was still awake, or at the very least she had fallen asleep on the couch.

Carefully, he balanced Elsa in his arms and leaned against the wall to kick his shoes off. He couldn't help smiling as he looked down at the sleeping princess. It amazed him how she had managed to remain asleep during their walk through the city streets, the following bus ride and still appeared to be in a deep sleep. Frowning, he recalled the events that had gone on and reasoned that the young girl would likely need a lot of rest while she recovered from the traumatic experience. Unfortunately for him, his troublesome night had only just started.

"Now or never," he muttered under his breath. "Let's just hope that she doesn't yell too much."

Slowly, he walked into the loungeroom. His mother's eyes were trained on a local news station which was relaying news of the event at the palace. Phrases such as 'blood-bath', 'no survivors' and ' act of terrorism' were repeated ad nauseam, leaving the viewers with no doubt that it had been a horrific situation.

"Jack," his mother called. "Where the hell…"

He watched as his mother turned to face him, her jaw-dropping as she took in the sleeping child in his arms. Sheepishly, he looked at her from under a loose strand of his hair. "Hi Mum," he murmured. "I'm home."

"Jackson Overland!" his mother snapped, stepping closer as she zeroed in on him. "My first question was going to be to ask you where the hell you've been. I know for a fact that you were not at the Haddock boy's home like you had claimed to be. Except, I think that there are bigger questions needing an answer here. Namely, who the hell is that child and why is she in your arms? What the hell have you done now, Jack? Answer me truthfully...I swear to God, you do not want to test me."

He felt Elsa shuffle in his arms as she slowly woke. Looking up, he caught his mother's gaze. Her brown eyes were flicking between him and Elsa. He knew that she was going to need answers- that much was obvious. However, his first priority was to see to it that their young guest felt as secure as could be.

As if sensing his train of thought, Elsa turned her head to take in her surroundings, her sapphire eyes blinked as she shifted her gaze between his mother and him. Suddenly, without warning, she let out an almighty wail as the fear, tiredness and confusion that likely plagued her took hold.

He acted quickly and plonked himself down on the couch. Glancing up, he looked at his mother. "Can you please get me damp wash cloth, a blanket and a pair of Emily's pyjamas?" he asked. "I promise you, I'll explain everything, but first we need to settle her."

To his relief, his mother nodded and quickly left the room as she pottered from room to room. Shifting his attention to Elsa, he wrapped his arms around her small body. "Shh, shh," he soothed. "I know you're scared. I don't blame you, I'm...I'm barely holding up myself. However, I promise you this, you are safe, little princess."

"So," his mother said, handing him the damp washcloth as she regarded the sobbing child in his arm. "Start at the beginning."

Sighing, he took the cloth and slowly wiped over the dirt which he'd smudged on Elsa. He then raked his fingers through her hair before taking the warm pyjamas and helping his mother ease her into them.

"Her name is Elsa," he said. "She's the crown princess."

"Honesty, Jackson," his mother warned. "You're already in the biggest trouble of your life. The last thing you want to do is create more trouble by lying to me."

"I'm telling you the truth," he sighed and bowed his head. "I didn't go to Hiccup's house as you know. I went to the castle, I snuck in-"

"You snuck in? To the castle? Jackson, are you insane! We've already been to court once this year because you just had to take the golf cart for a joyride," his mother shrieked before lowering her voice and sighing with defeat. "Okay, I did ask...so continue."

"Yes," he repeated. "I snuck in. I pretended to look for a missing dog, then I scaled a tree and that's how I got in. I had this suit in my backpack so I just put it on and walked in. Before you ask, I don't know why I did it. It was just a stupid prank."

"Jack," his mother's voice cracked as she looked at him. "Do you know what happened? At the castle?"

He nodded. "I was there for about forty minutes before they came in. I talked to the headmaster from that posh school that you always threaten me with, he wasn't what I expected him to be like. King Agdar and Queen Idun had brought the kids out. I didn't see Elsa until later, but Anna...she...she was with her mother…"

"With his mother when?" his mum whispered.

He ran a hand through his brown hair before turning to face his mother. He watched as his mother's eyes widened as a sense of realisation hit her. "Oh no, Jack," she whispered, gawking at him. "You didn't...you...didn't see it?"

He bowed his head and blinked, pushing the painful memory from his mind."A plain-clothed guard tried to protect them, but he got hit. They had machine guns. Anna, she was only a baby and in her mother's arms. She didn't have a chance," he cried. "I just started running. I was close to the place where the thrones were and ran past them. The last thing I saw in the room was the king as he fell."

"And Elsa?" his mother gasped. "How does she come into it?"

Sniffing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small dress that he'd taken off Elsa. "I was running through the halls and had just found the door which led to the backyard when I heard sobs," he explained. "I found her hiding under a table cloth. She hadn't been in the ballroom when it had happened, I think that she had been waiting in the hall for the maid to take her and her sister to bed. I couldn't leave her, Mum. Her entire family had just been killed. The killers had a flag with a bloodied crown and something in French-"

"Death to the king," his mother broke in. "The media is saying that they are a terrorist group made up of people who are strongly opposed to the monarchy. They tried to take out the Corona royals a few years ago, but their plans were foiled."

"Well, they were more successful here," he muttered bitterly. "They killed a one-year-old, Mum. They would have killed Elsa..I...I couldn't...I…"

He felt his mum's arms move to wrap around him as she pulled him into a hug. "She's not much younger than Emily, Mum," he sobbed. "What did you want me to do? Leave her..she's..she's...I...couldn't leave her...if you saw her face, heard her sobs...you...you wouldn't have..she's innocent and she...she was scared."

"She's four. She is only a year younger than your sister" his mum whispered. "Her photo has been on the news. They are saying that her body has yet to be found and now we know why, because she's alive. How did you get her out though?"

Sitting up straighter, he wiped a tear from his eye and looked down at Elsa. He was happy to see that her sobs had subsided and she had fallen back asleep in his arms. "We ran out the back and I found a gate that led into an alley. Once in the alley, I ripped my shirt off and then took her dress off and put it in my pocket. I purposely messed up her hair and smudged some dirt on her," he said. "We then walked past the front gate where the guards bodies were. I shielded her so she couldn't see the bodies. We were seen by one of the killers, he stopped me and I just fed him a lie about our mum being at the pub and not wanting to put up with us. Fortunately, the guy was more concerned with getting away before the police arrived."

"Right, so we've got a terrorist who thinks that I am an alcoholic," his mum groaned. "I suppose it could be worse."

"Yeah, it could," he muttered sardonically. "Your entire family could have been brutally murdered and you could find yourself having to trust strangers for your safety."

"Jack...I don't know where to begin. I want to be furious with you. I should be furious with you. It's just...I've been watching the news for the last hour. I'm just…." his mother croaked. "I am just so glad that you are safe and that despite the fact that you have landed us in the biggest mess ever, I'm glad that you got this little girl to safety."

"She's so small," he murmured, gazing down at Elsa. "She's all alone in this world. What are we going to do? We have to keep her safe. I won't let her be harmed."

Beside him, his mother let out a sigh. "I don't know," she admitted. "We are going to have to go to the police tomorrow to let them know what you know. They will likely try and find a distant relative or someone who can adopt her-"

"We can adopt her," he broke in. "I'll step up to help around the house some more. She can share a room with Emily."

He felt his spirit sink as he watched his mother shake her head. "No, we can't, Jack," she said regretfully. "If these people are out to kill royals and if word gets out that she survived, then she's not safe here. She needs to be somewhere safe and Arendelle is not that place, not at this time."

Sighing, he lifted his head and nodded. Much as he didn't want to admit it, his mother had a point. Arendelle was not safe for Elsa, not at this point in time and her safety had to come first.

"Can we at least look after her until they find a new home?" he whispered. "Please? I...I want to protect her. I need to protect her."

His mother smiled. "We can," she murmured. "Right now though, she needs to go to bed. Take her to Emily's room, she can sleep in there. I'll take Em to sleep with me."

He nodded. "I want to sleep in the room with her," he said. "I'll sleep on the mattress next to the bed."

"Jack, you can't!" his mother protested. "She's a four-year-old girl, you're sixteen. You can't sleep in a room with her."

"Her entire family has been brutally murdered, Mum," he stated. "Everything she knows has been taken from her. Right now, I am the only link she has to her past. For the last two hours-and-a-half hours, she has trusted me to keep her safe. She's already been through something incredibly traumatic. How do you think she'll feel if she wakes up, alone, in a strange house and she can't see me?"

His mother hesitated slightly before looking down at Elsa and back up at him. "Okay," she relented. "You can sleep in the lounge. Hand her over to me. I'll nurse her while you go and grab the mattress from the junk room and a spare set of sheets, a blanket and a pillow. Make sure to grab the mattress protector that Emily used to use. Poor little thing has been through quite an ordeal. I'd not be surprised if she has an accident. You can sleep on the couch. Keep the hall light on as well, it may help her feel a bit more secure if she wakes up- that way she can at least see you."

Nodding, he carefully passed Elsa over into his mother's waiting arms. Racing upstairs, he quickly changed into his pyjama pants and an old singlet top. He caught sight of his reflection in his bedroom mirror and sighed. Somehow, it seemed that the events of the last few hours had aged him. Gone were the youthful brown eyes which lay underneath a mop of tousled brown hair. In their place was a hardened gaze which hinted at the unspeakable horror that he'd witnessed.

Pushing the thoughts from his head, he grabbed his pillow and blanket and carried them down the stairs. He placed the blanket and pillow on the end of the couch and smiled at his mother before heading into the junk room where they kept the spare single mattress. Awkwardly, he lugged the mattress into the lounge room and dropped it so that it was positioned in front of the couch. Casting a glance back at Elsa, he headed to the laundry room and pulled open the linen closet and grabbed a spare pillow, the mattress protector and a blanket before heading back into the lounge room.

"She's such a pretty little thing," his mum murmured, nodding at him as he bent down to make up the mattress. "I just can't believe that someone could want to harm her, or her sister simply for being royal."

"She's safe now," he reasoned, reaching over to take Elsa from his mother's arms. "Go to bed, Mum. It's been a long night."

Carefully, he laid Elsa down to rest and pulled the blanket up and covered her small body. He couldn't help wondering if she would normally be cuddling a plush toy and sighed, making a mental note to break open his piggy bank to take her to purchase a new toy as soon as possible.

"Jack," his mother's voice called, snapping him from this thoughts. "Thank you for coming back to me tonight and I'm proud of you...for you know, saving her."

He nodded. Standing up, he tiptoed over to his mum and wrapped his arms around her. "I couldn't leave her. I'd not be able to live with myself if I had," he murmured.

"I know," his mother replied and ran her fingers through his hair. "You're a troublemaker and you're intent on sending me grey at an alarmingly fast rate, but you're a good boy. I love you, you know that. I probably don't tell you enough, but I do. I love you so much."

Grinning, he leaned in and placed a kiss on his mum's cheek. "I know, Mum," he whispered. "I love you too and I'm sorry...for everything I've done up until this point."

"I know," his mum murmured. "Now go to bed. You've had a long night and we're in for one hell of a long day tomorrow. Just take care of her."

Lifting his hand to his head, he gave his mother a small salute before turning around and climbing onto the makeshift bed that he'd set up on the couch. Lying down, he turned his head to look over Elsa. A few seconds later, the overhead light went off with only the hall light preventing the room from being plunged into total darkness.

He heard the sound of his mum's footsteps softening as she got further away. Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Jack," a soft voice trembled. Rolling over, he opened his eyes to find Elsa sitting and looking at him.

"Hey, little princess," he yawned. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Jack, I'm scared," Elsa cried, biting her lip as she looked at him. "I want my mummy and my daddy and Anna."

Sighing, he climbed off the couch and wrapped his arms around her. It pained him that the things she wanted the most, the things she needed, he couldn't give her. Leaning down, he brushed his hand through her hair. "I know you're scared, little angel. I wish that I could give you what you want, but I can't. The only thing I can do is promise you that you are safe now. So long as I am alive, you will always be safe."

"Will you stay with me?" she whimpered, wriggling from his grip to look at him.

Choking back a tear, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Always," he vowed. "Always and forever, little princess."