Time went fast from then on. I spent every day with Jack, as I always did. My life was going fine. No responsibilities, no one to take care of, except Jack of course. But he didn't really need to be taken care of. It was just the way I liked it. Rather, the way we liked it. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so happy. That is, until December came.

It was probably the coldest month of winter I had ever lived through. A blizzard hit the village, confining me to the interior of my house. I'm pretty sure during that time I got...what is it called...cabin fever? Yes, being stuck inside that house drove me insane. But I had Jack to talk to, so I suppose that made it a bit better. Still, there was something else that was making my life hell at the time.

I couldn't tell why, but I had been having recurring nightmares for the past few weeks. Every night, I would wake up in a cold sweat. And I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep again for the rest of the night. Despite my unhappiness and newly found unwillingness to sleep, I found comfort in Jack's presence. He was with me at night. He always was.

"I don't understand what's wrong with my head," I said irritably as I drew figures on the frosted windows. I groaned. "And why the hell did you have to make it so cold?"

Jack shrugged. "Sorry," he said. I sighed and slumped down on my bed. I covered my face with my hands. He pulled my hands away and stared at my face. "You look horrible."

I scoffed. "I know," I said, deciding not to give a sarcastic response as I would have liked to. "I haven't slept decently in weeks." I pushed myself up into a sitting position and rested my head on Jack's shoulder.

"What are those nightmares even about?" he asked, rubbing my shoulder.

"Me," I replied. "Dying." I shook my head. "Painfully."

"Hey..." Jack's hand cupped my face. "Look at me..." I lifted my head. Blue eyes met brown hues. "You're not going to die anytime soon. Not while I'm around."

I smiled and pulled away. "You can't protect me from dying, Jack," I reminded him. "And anyway..." I stood up and pressed my fingertip against the frosted window. "...it was only a dream."

I closed my eyes as I felt my friend's arms encase me from behind. His touch was cold, but I hardly even noticed; I had gotten so used to it. The window in front of me formed a fresh layer of frost as he breathed onto it. I hugged his arms to my stomach.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. "You feel warmer than usual."

"I'm fine," I replied. "Just tired."

"Then you should sleep," he told me.

I shook my head. "I'll have nightmares," I reminded him. I pushed him away and laid down on my bed, not daring to close my eyes.

Jack flew over me to the other side of my bed and laid next to me. "You're definitely sick, Anna," he remarked. "I can tell."

"I'm not," I insisted, clearing my throat so as to avoid coughing. "I already told you, I'm tired. But I don't want to sleep." I sat up and leaned against the wooden headboard, pulling my knees to my chest.

Jack did the same. He moved closer to me until his shoulder was in contact with mine. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Just close your eyes for a minute," he whispered. "I'll be here with you. You won't have any nightmares." I didn't bother trying to keep my head up. I completely retreated into my friend's embrace and closed my eyes.


A/N: Wow...long time, no update. Sorry about that. I've been SUPER busy lately, but my Christmas break started, so I'll probably be able to update more. :) Just to warn you guys though, I won't be able to update every single day like I did when I first started this story. Maybe every weekend. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I can definitely tell you that I am absolutely loving writing fluffy stuff for Anna and Jack, so be prepared for some more fluff sprinkled in the later chapters. :) I'll be careful not to overdo it though!