G'day everyone!

Jack and Sofia are 17 in this one. Rosie (Jack's little sis) is 9. I have this headcannon where the Overland siblings are ten years apart.

Enjoy!


This was a horrible idea. This was a massively, ruddy horrible idea. Sofia repeated to herself over and over as she took another painful step through the snow-covered path.

Maybe once in a generation, Burgess held witness to terrible storms. This particular year, 1710, the blizzard that racked the town's walls was the worst in their short, recorded history. For nearly a week, the citizens locked their doors and boarded their windows in feeble attempts to keep at least a fraction of the bitter wind and snow out of their homes. A town as small as Burgess being near completely shut down for that long did nothing to strengthen the survival rate of a typical winter. As far as Sofia Milton was concerned, this storm was the beginning of her healthy fear of winter.

By the blizzard's fourth day of attack, the Milton household was near its breaking point. The firewood in their possession was down to single digits, food that hadn't been frozen solid was being rationed, and the family was slowly freezing to death in their thin walls and skinny bodies.

Sofia knew her father was unable to go outside and get more firewood. Her father was… unwell. Ever since his incident last winter he'd… not been the same and his degrading body just wouldn't allow for the current, harsh conditions outside. Her mother wasn't going to brace the winds either. That left only two options: pray the storm blows over before their stock wore out, or have Sofia get more.

Frankly, Sofia had endured just about enough of numbed fingers and bone-deep shivering to last her a lifetime. Rather without her mother or fathers consent, she braved the heart of the storm that night.

That was how she found herself in her current situation.

No one told her that dark winter storms clouded everything over with harsh waves of ice and snow. No one warned her that every step she took would be a precarious balancing act between slippery ice and mis-stepping into three feet of a snow bank. And no one said that five minutes of searching for the firewood stalk one hundred yards from her house would cause her to lose all bearings.

Sofia was lost. She was lost and she couldn't see more than an arm's length in front of her. She was terrified.

She just had to get out of this blasted wind. Damn the firewood; at this point, she would be lucky if her frozen fingers could even curl around the bark. She was just cold. So very cold… her mind worked frighteningly slow as she kept trudging through the wind. She could care less where she was at this point. It was stupid of her to have even come outside. Shelter. She just needed to find some shelter.

Everything was so cold…

She kept staggering mechanically and, an immeasurable time later, Sofia chanced a glance up and saw the faintest light up ahead. A house? Her heart rate accelerated and somehow she found the energy to half run, half limp towards the soft glow. She made it to a wooden door and numbly started pounding against the timber. She didn't even think of the possibility that her pounding might be brushed off as mere howling wind, but luckily she didn't have to. Moments later, the door swung open and Sofia literally tumbled inside. She fell easily into a pair of warm, sturdy arms.

The soft grunt and urgent words of a male, the one who had caught her, numbly reached Sofia's conscious. She was dimly aware of the boy shouting.

"Mother, come quick!"

Sofia lifted her face from his warm chest to see a somewhat blurry image of Jackson Overland. Something told her that was significant… but her frozen brain was far past clarity at the moment. The boy looked down at her with a mix of fear and confusion. He tried precariously to keep her limp form balanced in his arms. In the background, Mrs. Overland came from the sitting room and quickly assessed the situation. She put a surprised hand to her lips before collecting herself and barking quick orders to her son.

Sofia just let herself fall back into his arms after that. Her world blurred away from her. A strange warmth flooded her body as her world faded to black…

Another immeasurable time later, Sofia felt her eyes flutter open and her world came back into focus. She was placed on the floor. Wool blankets covering her, and a crackling fire next to her created an altogether comfortable environment. Sofia blinked and sat up, trying to make sense of exactly what happened.

A quick glance around the room told her she lay in the Overland family's sitting room. Supported by columns of strong, wooden logs, the square room held only the bare minimums of a house. The fireplace behind her provided the central heating as well as their cooking stove for their adjacent kitchen unit. The only doorway, other than the front door, led into the single bedroom where the four members of the family shared. The cabin-like abode alone could easily be considered dingy and eerie, but there was too much of the Overland family's cheerful spirit in the nooks and crannies to bring its personality down.

"At last, the sleeping princess awakens."

Sofia's head darted to the single chair in the center of the room and found Jack sitting sideways, his butt in the center of the cushion with bare feet dangling off the edge. He closed the book he'd been reading and turned towards her. Sofia, in her semi-delirious state, thought she saw a bit of relief in Jack's expression, but he would tell her afterwards that she had just imagined it.

"Wha- What happened?" she stuttered, wiping her hands over her sleepy eyes.

"You tell me. You're the one pounding on my door during a chaotic blizzard. We just pulled you inside."

"I… remember seeing a light. A house. And, pounding on the door."

Jack slyly pulled up the corner of his mouth, "Don't forget the part where you fell oh so gracefully into my arms," He snickered, "If that's all you wanted, Blondie, all you had to do was ask."

Heat rose to Sofia's face that had nothing to do with the fire. She very clearly remembered that part, that didn't mean she wanted to bring it up. She opened her mouth, trying to find something clever to say, when little Rosie poked her head into the sitting room.

"Jack…?" her small, sweet voice cautioned. Her chocolate eyes went from her brother to Sofia's sitting, blanket-clad form and Rosie's face broke into a grin, "You're awake! Mother, she's awake!" her animated head disappeared behind the wall once more and shuffling was heard from the kitchen.

Sofia looked at Jack quizzically and he simply returned with a knowing smile. His sister returned moments later, precariously balancing three glasses if steaming tea on a tray. Rosie bounced to Sofia and offered her a cup which she accepted thankfully. Jack got the second cup and Rosie helped herself to the last. By first sip Sofia could tell the tea had been watered down, but its warmth and refreshing effect sent the last remaining numbness out of her body.

Jack's mother and father entered the sitting room with the children. Mrs. Overland, looking a little frazzled, but altogether kind and gentle, walked next to Mr. Overland who carried himself with an air of confidence and gentle authority.

"There you are, dear." Mrs. Overland said gently, wiping her hands on a warn cloth, "How are you feeling?"

"Gave us a pretty good scare, there, little lady." Mr. Overland's deep tenor softly chuckled.

Sofia looked at the couple, all but radiating the loving bond they shared, and smiled, "I think I gave myself a pretty good scare. I guess the snow took me by surprise. I didn't realize how hard it was to see." She looked down, almost guiltily, "I'm sorry for… barging in like I did."

"Think nothing of it." Mr. Overland waved a nonchalant hand, "We're just glad you managed to find us. Folks don't see wind the likes of this more than probably twice in their lifetime. We forget what kind of power the good lord has over the earth." Mrs. Overland warped a comforting arm around her husband's waist and he returned the light embrace.

Rosie piped up from the floor, "The wind is cold though, father! That will freeze the lakes over, right?"

Her father chuckled, "I'd say so. I'd say those lakes are as good as solid till spring."

"Oh yes!" Rosie jumped up, almost forgetting the tea mug at her feet. She ran over to Jack, gripping his forearm excitedly, "That means you're gonna take me out skating, right Jack? Remember, you promised!"

Jack chuckled heartily. "You wanna go ice skating?" He picked up her lean frame and fell back sideways in the chair, letting his sister fall onto his chest, "You bet, rose flower! As soon as the sun comes out"

Rosie giggled into her brother's chest and Sofia found her heart swell like it so often did when Jack was around his sister. Jackson Overland never failed to surprise her…

Mrs. Overland, smiling softly, pried off her smallest child from her oldest and lifted her into her arms, "All this talk of skating in the middle of a storm… Come on Rose, love. It is far past your bedtime."

"But mommy, Sofia's here!" Rosie pouted.

"And I'm sure Sofia is tired too, especially after the eventful night she's been having. Let's let her be." The woman smiled at Sofia, "We'll be sure to get you home in the morning, dear." Sofia nodded in thanks and Mrs. Overland led both her husband and daughter into the bedroom. The faint cries of 'But mommy, I'm not tired' from Rosie were muffled behind the door and left Sofia and Jack alone in the sitting room once again.

Jack picked himself up into a sitting position and walked over to sit at Sofia's spot near the fire. He chuckled. "Kids, huh?"

"You're so good with her." Sofia smiled, almost surprised with the level of sincerity in her tone.

"She's great." He smiled, saying much more with his expression then his words. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

"I'll bet there are people who say the same about you." She didn't know what made her say that. It just came out.

"Yeah… people" There was hidden emotion on his face that made Sofia's heart flutter in her chest. What did that mean? He sounded almost… regretful. Hesitant. Cautions. Sofia hoped his words didn't point to thoughts of ungrateful townspeople. Jack must know of his popularity with nearly everyone in Burgess. The kids loved him for his playful demeanor; the parents loved him because he ran down their children of excess energy; the ladies loved him for his handsome confidence and the savvy, flirtations persona he gave them.

Jack must realize all that. He certainly walked around like he realized it… So why did he look so thoughtful?

Jack shook his head, jolting himself out of a ravine. "So, what exactly were you doing out in the middle of a blizzard, Blondie? You know snow is cold, right?"

"Ha ha, funny." Sofia retorted, "I was… trying to get firewood." It just dawned on her how foolish and ridiculous that sounded.

Jack simply barked at its preposterousness, "Firewood? You went out in one of the worst storms this town has seen, alone, in the middle of the night, to get firewood!?"

Sofia felt her face turning red again, "We were freezing! And we were all out and I knew my parents didn't want me to go so I had to do it when they were sleeping. I-"

Sofia was cut off by Jack's laughter. The boy nearly crumpled in on himself in his fit of giggles. Sofia's mouth hung open in disconcert.

"Ohh, Sofia. You never seize to amaze me." He said finally. "I mean, I knew you were stuck up and stubborn, but I never knew how foolish you were!"

"Foolish!? Says the seventeen year-old who tips cows and throws snowballs for fun!"

"Oh, you should've seen the cow's expressions. Priceless!"

"You are so juvenile sometimes." Sofia sighed.

"I prefer to think of it as a healthy connection to my childhood." He smirked.

"You're impossible!"

"I try."

Sofia tried to glare as Jack laughed. His face against the flame of the fire took on a warm glow that made his already handsome features far more endearing then they should have been. Sofia settled on rolling her eyes and returned her gaze to the flames to avoid his expression and what it did to her composure.

The pair fell into silence. Sofia tried to keep her annoyance at Jack burning, but the warmer her body got by the light of the fire, the more negative emotion melted away. She was happy to be where she was and glad that Jack was by her side. The pair sipped at their tea contently, each to their own thoughts.

After a while in silence, Jack looked over to her, "You'll promise me something, right?"

"Depends on what it is." Sofia replied.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid like this again?"

She blinked. Sofia couldn't help the whirlwind of memories that came flooding back at his words. Memories of Jack's bloody body in the streets and that horrible smell of the doctor's house took her thoughts. She cleared her throat and forced herself back, not wanting to resurface too much.

"Funny, I seem to recall asking you the same thing."

"Yeah well… you owe me, then" He smiled.

Sofia returned his warm grin. She felt very… safe in his presence and the fact that he worried about her enough to wish the same she did to him sent both her stomach spinning rather frantically. She felt an unidentifiable weight lift off her shoulders. With him here, happy and healthy, she easily forgot darker memories and, really, all unwanted feelings. Part of her almost didn't regret getting trapped in the snowstorm. If she hadn't, would Jack have ever said that to her?

She looked over to him and playfully nudged his shoulder, feeling more content then she had in a long time.

"I promise."


Thoughts?

This was a collaboration of many people. First, this lovely request came from lunarock9. I hope I did your idea justice! And my dear friend, SweetenedSpoilers who helped graciously with the different conversation bits. And finally my wonderful beta GalacticEntity for making it readable! I cant thank all of you enough!

Also, I'll always take requests, my box is always open! :)

And, finally, I want to apologize for the lateness of this update. It's finals week coming up.. I blame AP Biology.

Cheers!