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I loved dreaming. Sometimes I would dream I was flying through the clouds, and controlling winter with a shepherds hook. The only thing I hated about dreams was that they ended, and I had to face to real world.

I heard someone calling my name. I think that was part of the dream. "Jack...Jack...".

I felt lips on my forehead. Definitely dreaming.

"Jack. JACK!"

I awoke with a start, groaning at the pain in my side. Why the hell did I feel like I had gotten the shit beat out of me?

Oh right. Because I did.

I looked around, expecting to see myself in a jail cell, but no, I was on the couch, with people crowded around me invading my personal space. Elsa was the first that caught my eye, staring at me, her sister Anna next to her. Kristoff was back from home it seemed, sitting at Anna's side. Mund and Tooth stood above them, and I figured it was probably early morning with how tired they all looked. I attempted to move my head, and could just see North standing there, his tattooed arms crossed.

"How long have I been out?", I grumbled sitting up, my ribs protesting.

"Eight hours. We figured we would let you sleep mate, but Elsa here was starting to get worried." Mund said, and... wait, was I seeing things right? Did he look worried too? Mund was never worried about me.

What the hell was going on?!

I looked at Elsa, her blue eyes wide with concern. What the hell did she care anyways?

"Out of way please." I heard North say, and when I looked up, he held a steaming mug in his hand. I chuckled. Cocoa, of course.

"Thanks North."

Mund almost growled with annoyance. "What the hell happened to you mate? I find you bloodied up about to be in handcuffs!"

I thought back, and let my eyes flit over to Elsa's once more. I stared into them, trying to read her. It was with a clearing of my throat, that I turned my head back to Mund.

"I wanted to take a walk. I ran into Pitch. We got into a little fight, he stabbed me... and left. Cops found me there, so to get them away from me, I told them he had the Governors daughters." I said, finally feeling a sense of relief that I wasn't in a jail cell.

"You what?!", exclaimed North, his eyes wide with disbelief.

I looked up at him, and couldn't help but note the impressed look on his face. I wasn't exactly sure if we were telling him our 'ransom' plan, and frankly I didn't want him to know.

"You wanted the heat off of us... now it is. They chased right after him." I tentatively poked my wounded arm, letting out a small groan. How could something hurt that bad?

"Not a bad idea..." I heard North mumble, and he went back to his table to sit down and ponder the thought no doubt.

"We have let North know that Kristoff has offered us to stay with him for now." said Elsa. Her voice was quiet, her big eyes scanning my face. I wasn't about to show her the reaction that I was feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Her? Stay with Kristoff? Why did I feel jealous? Kristoff wasn't about to move in on someone he knew that I could be interested in, or date anyone for that matter. It just wasn't Kristoff.

I looked at all of them, nodding, before standing up letting out a small groan. "Ah.. I'm going to take a quick shower, okay?"

They all watched me like I was a ticking time bomb.

I felt like a ticking time bomb.

I hated taking showers. It sounds ridiculous, but our water always felt slimy, and the temperature had a tendency of changing from extremely cold, to scolding hot.

Right now though, it felt normal, and I needed some normalcy. I pulled the soiled bandage from my arm and examined my wound. With a wash cloth, I rubbed the dry blood away from the skin surrounding it, and tentatively placed it under the water.

"SHIT!", yeah... that hurt. With a groan I pulled it back, noting to keep it out of the water while I submerged the rest of myself in the warm stream.

"Jack? Are you okay?" I heard her come in the bathroom, heard her say those words to me.

"I'm fine." No I wasn't.

"I think we should talk." she said to me.

I titled my head back, letting the now cold water run over my face. Cold water didn't bother me. It was the extremely hot that bothered me. "Listen, I don't want to talk. I've been stabbed in the arm, beaten the shit out of, and almost arrested. I want to relax."

"But Jack..."

"NO." I heard her gasp. "Please... please just go."

I didn't hear her say anything else, and felt like minutes that I stood there with the water trailing over my face and chest. I jumped back startled when I felt the curtain brush against my arm, and saw her in all of her nude glory stepping into the small shower with me.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" I mumbled at her, closing my eyes.

"Relax Jack..", I felt her drag what felt like a rag across my body, suds of soap falling down my skin. It felt heavenly to stand there and be taken care of for once, without having to do it myself, but it also felt wrong. I jerked back and she stared at me startled.

"Stop." I said to her, looking past her to the opposite wall. "I'm sorry, but i'm not going to just be your little broken boy toy that you run to because your daddy makes you upset."

She took a step back in shock, her mouth falling open. "That...is not what you are Jack! I just don't think now is the appropriate time to.."

"Elsa! It's never going to be the appropriate time. Assuming we get away with this, and you fulfill your day-long dream of feeding the hungry, you'll go back to your big old house, and i'll be here, still wanted, still hiding."I finally looked down at her, and saw her eyes welling up with tears. "Did you think that once this was over, we would try to what..? Date? We're from two different worlds Elsa."

I made to try and leave the shower, give her time to clean up, but her hand grasped mine and pulled me. What she did next was strange. She pulled me closer to her, making sure my arm stayed out of the water and pressed her face against my shoulder, her arms wrapping around me. It hurt. I mean, it literally hurt, my limbs protesting as I tried to put one arm around her.

"You're right..." she whispered against me, and i'm not sure, but I think I felt her crying.

Elsa

Elsa and Jack left the bathroom together, both pointedly not looking at one another. Elsa, now in a clean pair of Tooth's shorts and a t-shirt wandered to her sister, who sat in a heated discussion with Kristoff.

"You don't even know him!" said Anna, her little hands balled into fists.

Kristoff scoffed, rolling his eyes a the red headed girl. "No, Anna, you don't know him." He replied back, and then turned in his seat, pouting like a child.

Jack sat in his recliner, and Elsa gave him a small glance to see him staring at the blank wall opposite him. He looked in thought.

"Where's North?", he mumbled looking to Mund who pointed towards North's bedroom.

"Bloke needs to sleep mate. Let's do this."

"Payphone?"

"You know it. You stay here, i'll take care of it."

Elsa frowned at the two of them, as if they had done this before. She watched as Mund stood, and wandered out of the door, leaving a snoozing Tooth on the couch.

Jack had turned the television on, watching the never ending stream of news flying across the screen. The sound was off, and the only noise they could hear was the bickering of Kristoff and Anna.

"Listen little miss redhead. If you ever want to know how a real and good man can treat you, you can find me." Kristoff said, and he turned from her, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the look of shock on her little sisters face. Of course, Elsa was sure one day Anna would once again realize what a crook Hans was, but she felt she could figure that out on her own time. Elsa was not going to be the one to ruin her sisters happiness.

She sat and thought about her own happiness. She hadn't felt happy in a long, long time, or at least up until very recently. She was sure that may have had something to do with Jack. But, he was right, there was not place for the two of them to get to know each other more in this world. Perhaps if things changed one day.

She really hoped things would change.