They Said It Couldn't Be Done

526 CE

"Mother Nature, you gotta help me!"

Mother Nature got up, startled. The bunny she had been talking to leapt onto her shoulder, ears down and eyes narrowed. The birds flew away, peeking out from the nearby trees. The few butterflies that had been fluttering around her dress now floated nearby on the flowers surrounding them. None of them were expecting him, of all people, to come ask Mother Nature for help.

She most certainly hadn't been, either.

"Good heavens," Mother Nature began. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"I have been talking to everyone," the winter sprite began, pacing back and forth (and freezing the grass around him as he paced). "I asked Mother and Father and I even went so far as to talk to EB, Mother Nature! The Easter Bunny! But all they keep telling me is that it can't be done."

"What can't be done? Calm down Jack, you're freezing the grass."

He stopped and stepped off of the small pile of ice. "Whoops, sorry."

"It's okay, that's easy to fix," she said, with a knowing look. "Have a seat, Jack," she said. With a wave of her hand a nearby tree hit Jack behind the knees, causing him to fall onto the newly formed bench in a sit. Mother Nature bent down again (the bunny hopping off and bouncing away), placing her hands on the patch of ice in her lovely green garden. "Now what's got you in such a huff that you talked to Easter Bunny before coming to me?" she asked, the ice melting, the grass popping back up in a healthy shade of green.

"I want to thaw," Jack said.

"Really?" Mother Nature replied, an eyebrow raised as she stood up.

"Truly! I've been asking around and I started with Mother, of course, because she's thawed before. She…she told me it couldn't be done. Dad said the same thing. EB, Tooth Fairy, Cupid—everyone has told me that it couldn't be done but nobody is telling me why."

"Jack—"

"Can you do something?!" Jack asked, bouncing back up. "Can you thaw me? You gotta be able to, you're Mother Nature!"

The matriarch looked very sad. "I'm sorry, Jack. I can't. For starters, it doesn't quite work like that. Even worse, we're both Legendary Figures, and our powers don't work on other Legendaries. I couldn't even if I tried."

Jack's face fell. He sat back down on the bench, slumped. "I was afraid you'd say that. You know how sometimes, you know someone can tell you the exact thing you need to know, but you don't go to them right away, because you know that once they tell you, that's that?"

"You didn't come here first because you knew that I would have the proper answer and you were afraid it would be exactly what you didn't want to hear?"

"Yeah, exactly." It was silent for a brief moment, the birds chirping and the far off rush of water tickling their ears before Jack spoke up again. "Mother Nature…Grandmother, please. Tell me why. Why can't it be done?"

Mother Nature sunk down beside him, thoughtful. "With most winter sprites, usually an act of true love causes a thaw. Not necessarily romantic, but any kind of real true, love—platonic, familial, romantic, because at the heart of the winter season is love. Your Mother's first thaw was because of her new found family. Her second one was because of the love she and your father share. With the Winter Warlock, it was friendship. What I'm saying is that, in theory, it would be fairly easy for you to thaw, most things considered."

"So what's the other thing that's not being considered?"

There was no way for Mother Nature to put it simply. "You're cursed, Jack."

"Excuse me?"

"During the war between Pyros and Blaise, Pyros cursed Blaise's firstborn. The curse of a frozen heart is what those at the front lines heard. Nothing could thaw it."

Jack had paled considerably. "But I'm Blaise's firstborn."

"You are indeed. So naturally, if we put two and two together…"

"I'm the one who got saddled with a curse. Oh, this is just great!" Jack said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Just…great."

Mother Nature stared at Jack, noting the bags under his eyes and the general weariness about him.

"Are you okay, Jack?"

"Well aside from being cursed, I'm swell, thanks."

Mother Nature side eyed him. "Jack, I'm being serious. How long has this been bothering you?"

The young sprite looked away. "A week or two." he admitted. "Since the big meeting."

"Right. We got the Legates in order and you lost your sister and froze Santa's office."

"She hasn't talked to me since, Mother Nature. She's been hiding and-and quiet and—she looks at me, and she's terrified, Grandmother. Completely terrified! All because I let my jealousy get to me and froze Santa's office." His leg was bouncing, up and down, as he put his fist below his chin and looked…very upset and very thoughtful, Mother Nature decided. "I can't bear it!" he finally said, a bit overdramatically. "I thought, maybe if I could thaw, she wouldn't be as scared! And now they're all telling me that it can't be done."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I wish I could help you in some way, I really truly do. But I can't do anything."

"How do we know the curse is real?" Jack asked.

"Blaise thinks it isn't."

"So how do we know he isn't right?"

"Aside from how defensive he gets whenever the curse is brought up? Well, my guess would be your sister."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, his voice going up an octave on the "mean". He turned in his seat to face Mother Nature, arms over his knees.

"The whole reason you're looking into this is because you don't want your sister to be scared of you. You love her very much, and she loves you just as much! How many times has she made you feel incredibly happy?"

"Lots. How can you not be happy around her? She's the bounciest four-hundred-year-old I know."

"Exactly. And that hasn't thawed you when, theoretically, that's an act of true love right there sure the melt the iciest of hearts."

Jack sank back in his seat, the tree quickly forming a back to the bench to stop him from falling over. "Well, frostbite."

"Language, please."

"I just learnt that I'm cursed to be frozen forever, and you're concerned about my language?"

"I don't like swearing in the Garden," Mother Nature replied.

"And I don't like being frozen with zero chance of being thawed," Jack said, getting up. Something came over him, Mother Nature noticed. He seemed to stiffen up; his eyes hardened. The emotion once so prominent on his face was gone—now he just looked very tired and a little haughty. "Thanks for the help, Mother Nature," he said, turning to leave the Garden.

"Jack?"

He didn't reply. He kept walking until he had left Mother Nature's Garden. Unbeknownst to her, Jack Frost had made a decision then and there.

It couldn't be done? Fine then. He would never, ever unfreeze. Never.

A/N-I had to google the 6 words for love the ancient Greeks had and I totally forgot that self-love was one, so I propose this: and AU where Jack loves himself so much, he thaws hehe. Shitpost-y thought aside, this particular plot bunny has been on the brain for far too long. When Jack says they told him it couldn't be done, I always wondered-who were/was they? Why were they sure? This Smile Shot (or rather, Angst shot) is my own answer for those questions! I really liked how much exploring, character wise, this one involved. A younger Jack very upset about being cursed to never unfreeze? Mother Nature trying to console this winter sprite who is more often than not a pain in her side? It was very fun, especially because having a younger Jack be distraught enough to loose control of his powers was a very fun thing to write.

Do leave reviews! I love the feedback. Any particular Smile Shot ideas you want time to write? Please, let me know! These are a LOT of fun to do, when I have the time and am not overthinking life, hehe.

Word Count: 1203 [Sans A/N and Disclaimers]

PS-Winter's Birthday will be next to finally be wrapped up, in either one or two parts! Also, Smile Shots 1 through 5 have been recently edited and touched up! Feel free to give them a reread now-especially the first one, it's really sweet now!

DISCLAIMER

I do not own the rights to The Santa Clause trilogy, nor do I own Jack Frost and Mother Nature (at least, this particular portrayal of them), or any of the other canon characters mentioned above. I am making no profit off of this, it is purely for my enjoyment as well as that of the readers. I do, however, own Jack's parents (Blaise and Winter), Pyros, and Jacqueline (who is not mentioned by name but brought up regardless).