The wind whipped through Jack's hair as he flew through the sky. He wore the biggest grin on his face, his teeth glossy in the afternoon sun. His eyes sparkled with anticipation. It had only be a couple months since he was last here, but he just couldn't contain his excitement.

It was the first day of winter in Arendell.

He could scarcely get her image out of his head. Her flawless, clear skin; her glowing blonde hair perfectly bound in an icy braid; the chilly, blue gown that wrapped around her body, giving an air of frozen royalty; her wise blue eyes staring into his as she pulled him close to her; the feel of her lips pressed against his…

He shook his head, focusing his eyes on the castle ahead. Excitement welled up in his chest as he floated in front of the window. He placed a hand on the pane, watching it instantly freeze under his skin. His palm lingered over the print as he thought about how many times he had done that before. He didn't know why he did it, but it somehow felt right.

'Wait,' he thought. 'Don't I usually do this at night?' He started to worry. 'Will she even be here?' He opened the window and hovered into the room. His heart sank.

She wasn't there.

"Well, Jack," he mumbled, "that's what you get for being too anxious." He sighed, leaning against the wall. He had been in this room numerous times before and knew every nook and cranny. Her bed up against the right wall, the rest of which covered by large shelves crammed with books of all sizes and colors. He paced towards the wall of literature. 'I didn't know she liked to read so much,' he thought. 'I've only seen this many books once before…' He picked up a scarlet book with the engraving of a golden rose on the cover. He smirked. "Figures," he joked, placing the book back on the shelf.

He turned to inspect the other side of the room. A large portrait of the late King hung over a small dresser. He was gazing directly into his eyes. Jack blushed. He was probably staring right at them the last time he was here…

He quickly dismissed the thought from his head. THAT was not an image he wanted to think about. Ever.

He walked towards the dresser, being careful to avoid eye contact with His Majesty. The candlestick that had been frozen the last time he visited was now thawed, a soft stain spreading on the wood surrounding it. What caught his attention, however, was the dark-blue bound book sitting next to the candlestick. Right where he left it. He placed his hand on it, causing the snowflake sewn onto the front to glow a chilly white.

His heart leapt into his chest. He could hear soft footsteps running down the hall. Was she coming? Would he get to see her? The footsteps were getting louder. He set the book down. He would have to read it later. He had to see her. He stepped out the door into the hall, opening his mouth to call her name…

SMACK!

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

He was sprawled out on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. He gasped for breath, clutching at his stomach. He could feel his head reeling with his fast pulse.

"Oh my gosh! Are you ok?" He looked up to see a girl in a green dress. Her red hair was bound in two braids that stretched down in front of her shoulders. Her round face, pulled into an expression of shocked concern, was dotted with freckles, matching the color of her hair. Her eyes were almost the same color as Elsa's, but they shined with a different, more youthfully ignorant kind of light. She was extending her arm towards him.

"I'm fine, thanks," Jack replied, beginning to stand up. He grabbed her hand for support.

"AHH!" she screamed, recoiling her hand from his grip. He fell back on the ground, the impact cushioned by his rear end.

"Yep. That's gonna bruise," he grunted, rubbing his sore behind.

"I'm so sorry!" she insisted, grabbing his hand again. "I just didn't expect you to be so cold." She pulled him up.

He smirked. "Guess I just got used to it." He jammed his hand into his pocket, the other firmly gripping his staff. "So, you're Anna, right?" he asked.

"The one and only!" she proclaimed, giving an awkward curtsey. He chuckled. He'd never met a more awkward princess in his entire life. "What are you laughing at?" she asked with both hands on her hips and a playful smile on her face.

He leaned against his staff. "I'm just wondering how you and your sister could be so…" he waved a hand in the air as if thinking of the right word. "…different."

Her mouth creased into a frustrated line, then widened as if to protest. Then she stopped. Her expression softened to one of excited contemplation. Jack stared at her expectantly. What was she doing? She brought a hand to her chin, obviously deep in thought. He couldn't believe what came out of her mouth next.

"A-are you," she began, "possibly, because, ya know, it's fine if you're not, but I was just wondering if it was even though it probably isn't so I shouldn't even ask but I'm going to because I just have to know-"

Jack leaned harder against his staff, amused by her awkwardness. "Just spit it out," he advised.

She took a breath, physically calming herself down. She was really excited about something. "Are you the one Elsa's crushing on?" she asked.

His heart stopped. His hand shot out towards the wall, catching himself from what what would have been a really embarrassing fall. How did she know? "W-what?" he asked, barely able to comprehend what she just inquired of him.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. "You are, aren't you?" she interrogated, bringing her hands up close to her face.

Jack regained his balance. "I am what?" He couldn't figure out what she was talking about.

She squealed and jumped in the air. Repeatedly. "I knew it! I JUST KNEW IT!" she screamed.

Jack still didn't understand. "Hold on a minute, now," he reasoned, trying to calm her down. "I didn't say anything."

She stopped jumping and moved close to him, her blue eyes staring directly into his. "Oh, you didn't have to SAY anything. Girls just know these things," she explained matter-of-fact-ly, sounding a lot like her sister when she was very young. "Oh, Kristoff owes me SO much money!" And the jumping continued.

He blushed a little. "Is it that obvious?" he asked sheepishly, leaning self-consciously on his staff.

"Oh, big time," she replied with a giant grin. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

Jack sighed. Why were women so complicated? "Listen, Anna," he tried to say, but was interrupted by her constant chatter.

"Oh, I'm just so GLAD she finally found someone you know how she can be she hasn't always been well you know the most FRIENDLY person in the world but I knew that she would eventually find someone who was just as UN-friendly as her not saying you're unfriendly you seem like a really nice guy and all and I really like your hair but you did kinda bump into me which was rude but it was also kinda my fault but anyway I'm just so HAPPY for you and her and her and you and everyone and-"

"Anna," he said a little louder. She stopped, turning towards him. Her eyes were filled with excitement. "Do you know where she is?"

The light in her eyes faded a little. She turned away from him, noticeably upset. "Yeah, I know where she is." She spoke softly. "She's at the base of the North Mountain." She turned around towards him. "But be care-"

He wasn't there.

She looked around the hall. There was no sign of him. Where did he go?
She looked at the open window in Elsa's room, the curtains gently wafting in the chilly, early winter wind. There was an icy handprint on one of the windowpanes. Her eyes opened wide. Who was that boy?

Elsa stood on the dying grass, staring at the stones in front of her. She had waited a long time to be here. It was weird. She thought she would be more…sad than she was.

She pulled her shawl tighter around her, a chill running up her spine. She only knew one person who could do that to her. "Hi, Jack," she said quietly, not turning around.

"Hey, Elsa." His voice sounded like the warmth of the sun in the dead of winter. He was standing right next to her. She could feel his warmth radiating from his body. "Your sister said you'd be here."

She turned towards him. "You spoke with Anna?" she asked. He nodded his head, a smirk forming on the right side of his lips. "And she SAW you?"

His face contorted to an expression of contemplation, as if he hadn't noticed this minor detail before. "Huh, I guess she did," he whispered in amazement.

"Well, maybe it has something to do with when you saved her," she reasoned. "Yeah. That must be it."

The smile returned to his face. "Well, one thing's for sure," he continued. "She can sure talk." Elsa giggled. She had missed him. "She knows about…you know…us."

She widened her eyes a little. "Did you tell her?" she asked.

"No," he replied cooly, a smirk forming at the tips of his lips. "She just kind of figured it out on her own."

Elsa laughed slightly. "Yep. That's Anna," she said with a sigh, turning back to face the two stones. "She was bound to find out sooner or later."

They stood there a long while, time itself seeming to stand still. The late fall wind felt crisper, dryer, more frigid as it whispered quietly past them, gently lifting and dropping her shawl and his hair. The slight salty smell of the breeze brought memories of the last time they were together: She had woken up in the morning to see him gone. He left nothing but warmth radiating from where he had been lying on the bed and a frozen handprint on the window.

But he was here now. She needed him, and he was here. That was all that mattered.

"You know," she started, her voice slightly shaking, "I thought I'd be a lot more sad that I am." Her eyes were fixed on the two large, flat stones that stood in front of her.

"What do you mean?" he asked timidly, not wanting to upset her.

"I guess that after a while I just had to stop kidding myself." She didn't care if he didn't know what she was talking about. Maybe it was better that way. "It was no secret that they loved Anna more. Anyone could see that." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Don't get me wrong. They loved me. They USED TO love me a lot." Her voice was getting stronger, more convicting. "But as soon as they had a normal child-"

She stopped. Warmth spread through the veins in her right arm. Her hand felt as if she had immersed it in a hot bath. He was holding her hand. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the salty winter air. She had never told anyone what she was telling him. It felt good.

"Sometimes," she began again, her voice clear and sharp as the winter wind, "I think about what they did, how they locked me away, kept me from everyone I loved, kept me from you, and I just hate them so much." His grip tightened around her balled fist. "And other times, I think about how they used to read me stories, stories about you, at night, and…" Tears were welling up in her eyes. "…and I just miss them so much." She fell into his arms, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped her in his embrace, pulling her in close. She was still surprised by how warm he was. Why did the Master of Winter feel like summer?

She cried, right then and there, over her parents for the first time in three years. No matter how poorly they treated her, how much they misunderstood her and her gift, they were still her parents and she loved them with all her heart. But they weren't there anymore. They weren't there to console her. To read her bedtime stories. To tell her how to be a proper princess and queen. To tell her that she was going to be a big sister. They weren't there.

But Jack was. And always would be.

...Or would he?