Kiss Me Slowly
"She stood by as it fell apart,
Separate rooms and broken hearts,
But I won't be the one to let you go.
Oh, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below.
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly."
~Parachute~ Kiss Me Slowly~
Elsa sat perched on the hood of Jack's 2004 Ford Escape and tried to ignore the nerves that had settled in her stomach. Her backpack lay abandoned at her feet along with the novel that had failed to hold her interest. She had planned to pass the time while Jack was in detention by studying, however, the weight on her mind had proven too heavy and Shakespeare just couldn't compete.
"Hey, baby," a smooth voice drawled.
Looking up, Elsa found herself staring into the deep blue eyes of Jack Frost, her boyfriend of two years, as he approached her. Dropping his gaze, she allowed herself to look over him. Her eyes traced his body from his sneakers with the too-long laces, the hoodie that she loved to steal and curl up in and to the backpack that was dangling lazily from one shoulder. Shaking her head, she shifted her attention to his tousled silver-white hair and the lopsided grin that he always wore. He looked suspiciously happy for someone who had just endured his second detention in as many days.
'That's because you haven't had a chance to ruin his life yet,' she thought.
Groaning, Elsa pushed the thought from her head and directed her attention back to Jack. It was bad enough that she had spent the last twenty-four hours with the guilt of knowing she would be breaking his heart. For the time being, she just wanted to enjoy her last few hours with him. It may have been selfish, but she wanted these last few moments with him. She needed to feel his arms around her as they held her tight and to share in the kisses that she loved so much before she had to ruin his life.
She watched as he tossed his backpack to rest on the ground beside hers before opening his arms and inviting her in. Forcing a smile, she pushed herself off of his car and walked the few steps to meet him. She choked back a small sniff as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He reacted instantly, pulling her close to him and pressing her against his firm chest. She let out a content sigh before dropping her head to rest on his shoulder. The scent of his favourite deodorant combined with his natural scent filled her senses. She gulped, everything about him was so perfect even these small moments filled her with a warmth unlike anything she'd ever known. They stood in silence just holding onto each other.
After a while, she felt Jack's hand move from its resting place on her back to softly cup her chin. Tilting her head up, his eyes connected with hers briefly before he closed them and pressed a kiss to her lips. Tightening her grip, she pulled herself closer to him. She could feel Jack lightly tracing his fingers up and down her spine and shivered. She could feel herself melting under his touch.
Breaking the kiss, she rested her head against his chest and sighed. "I see they finally let you out," she murmured.
Jack's chest shook underneath her as he let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, apparently being ridiculously good looking has it's benefits," he smirked. "Still, thirty minutes of boredom was worth it to see the look on Weselton's face when I called him Weaselton."
Elsa groaned and stepped out from his grip."Come on," she muttered. "Lets go to your house. I've only got two hours until my parents will expect me home and we need to talk."
The drive to Jack's home was unnaturally quiet. She'd tried to shake her nerves by staring out the window and tapping her fingers, but to no avail. Instead, her anxiety had only continued to increase as they neared the small red-brick home. The silence had been broken a few times by Jack who had tried to crack a few jokes in an attempt to cheer her up. She knew that he was now worried for her. She had caught him looking at her a few times with a frown on his face and she knew he was now concerned. Frustrated, he'd turned the radio on and had started to hum along to the song stopping occasionally to reach down and give her leg a reassuring squeeze.
Elsa felt her spirit start to soar briefly as Jack pulled his car into the driveway of his home. She'd always loved going to the Frost home, it was a lot smaller than her own one, but what it lacked up for in size it more than made up for with warmth. The modest home and the family who lived there had always made her feel relaxed and welcome. Jack's mother, Caroline, was a stay-at-home mum who treated Elsa like one of her own. His nine-year-old sister, Emily, idolised her and would try and spend as much time as possible in her presence until Jack grew jealous and shooed her away.
Walking inside the home, she was greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies. Leaning down, she gripped onto Jack's hand as he raised his voice to announce their arrival. She spotted a blur of brown hair as Emily leapt from her spot on the couch and ran to fling her arms around Elsa's waist. Grinning, she released her grip on Jack's hand and leant down to return Emily's hug. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Jack pull a face at the loss of contact and poked her tongue out at him.
"Jack, Elsa, hi," Caroline Frost called and poked her head out from the kitchen. "You're just in time. I've got a batch of peppermint choc-chip cookies here that have cooled and are in need of being eaten."
Elsa smiled at her and looked down at Emily who was grinning up at her.
"Come on, Elsa, lets go," Emily called tugging at Elsa's hand. "I helped bake the cookies. Mum let me smash the peppermints up"
Jack chuckled as he watched Elsa be dragged along by his sister. Digging into his pocket he pulled out the crumpled detention slip and followed his girlfriend into the kitchen.
"Mum, you need to sign this," he mumbled, before passing the paper into his mum's hands.
Looking up he could see the familiar frown appearing on his mum's face as she read the details of his detention. "Jackson," she warned. "Haven't I told you to watch your mouth? I swear that you're sending me grey at an alarmingly fast rate. Keep it up and I will have to start charging you for the cost of my hair dye."
Grinning, he ran a hand through his own silver- white hair. "Honestly, Mum, don't you know grey hair is sexy? The chicks dig it," he smirked, turning to wink at Elsa.
He stifled a laugh as he watched Elsa roll her eyes at his comment. Smirking, he reached into the cupboard and pulled out a plate. He set the plate on the bench and loaded a few cookies onto the plate before moving to grab a can of coke from the fridge for him and Elsa. He turned to Elsa and beckoned for her to follow him to his bedroom.
He watched as Elsa excused herself and moved to join him. He couldn't help feel a sense of relief when Emily made no attempt to follow them. His younger sister loved Elsa almost as much as he did and was guilty of latching onto her a bit too much when she visited. As much as Jack loved his sister, there were times when he needed to be left alone with Elsa and today was one of those days.
He'd not failed to notice that something was playing on Elsa's mind. All day she'd seemed somewhat distracted and it worried him. The way she'd spoken to him before they left school had hinted that whatever was keeping her mind occupied would affect him and that scared him. He was trying to appear normal and relaxed in the hope that it would make it easier for Elsa, but internally he was a mess.
He felt a body brush past him. Glancing up, he watched as Elsa overtook him before reaching out to swipe a cookie from the plate. He watched as she paused at the entrance of his room to smile coquettishly at him before she disappeared inside.
Grinning, he followed her into his room. He kicked his foot back to shut the door behind him before moving to place the cookies and cokes on his bedside table. Taking a seat on his bed, he reached out to grip Elsa's hand and pulled her towards him so that she was standing between his legs. Once he'd got her where he wanted, he made his move and used his spare hand to grip her chin. He paused briefly to look into her eyes before tilting her chin down and pressing a kiss to her lips.
Breaking the kiss, he looked at her and noted the way her eyes had softened. "What say we find a way to burn off the calories that we are about to shamelessly consume?" he drawled, as he lightly trailed his hand up and down her thigh.
He felt Elsa shift position as she stepped back. Without warning, she pulled herself out of his grip and looked down at the ground. He could feel a lump form in his throat and swallowed.
"Jack," she cried hoarsely. "I need to tell you something."
Jack felt like he had been hit. His thoughts began to race as a million different possibilities entered his mind. What is it? Is she breaking up with me? Is she sick? Oh god please don't let her be sick. Are her parents putting pressure on her to break up with me? She's not moving is she?'
Reaching for her hand, he gently tugged it and pulled her to sit down beside him. "El, what is it? You're scaring me," his voice croaked. "Please, just tell me what is wrong. If it's something I've done then please let me try and make it better."
Elsa sobbed and fell back to lie on Jack's mattress, pulling him to lie beside her. She reached down to grip at his hand while the tears fell from her eyes.
She'd never thought she could love someone so much until he'd walked into her life and stole her heart. The past two years with him had been the happiest time of her life. Jack was special he made her feel loved and cherished. It was because of him that she felt like she was more than just a pretty little rich girl. He had shown her that she was capable of being loved for who she was and not just appreciated for her looks and the wealth that she would inherit. He was her rock and had remained by her side despite the pressure they were under from those who disapproved of their union.
They both knew that her parents did not approve of their relationship. Her father had made it quite clear on several occasions that he thought Elsa could do better. In his eyes, Jack was nothing but a smart-mouthed and cheeky youth from the wrong side of town and not someone suitable for his little princess.
Her father had tried to encourage her to break up with Jack. Over the course of their two year relationship he'd tried to set her up with young men whom he felt were more appropriate for his heiress daughter. He'd arranged meetings with youths like Charles Jacobsen, heir to the Royalty hotel chain, and had expressed outrage when Elsa had found a way to cut short the date or had organised for Jack to follow her in order to ease her mind. When the forced dates hadn't worked, he had opted for other methods. He'd even turned to Elsa's elite private school where he'd tried to use his wealth and influence to get them to cut Jack's basketball scholarship which would see him sent back to public school. Walt Andersen had a clear idea of the sort of man that Elsa should date and that man was not Jack Frost.
She had tried, over the years, to get her parents to accept Jack. She'd invited her parents to meet with Jack and his family in the hopes that they would fall in love with them just like she had. She had also made a point to tell them how Jack was much more than the fun-loving, cheeky and at times, smart- mouthed youth that they saw. She knew him to be kind, caring, loving, genuine and with strong family values. She also knew that over the course of their relationship he'd always treated her with respect and had never pressured her to do anything that she didn't want to. He'd always made her feel safe, secure and like she was a queen. He truly was perfect to her and she'd tried to express her feelings for him and all of his positive treats to her parents, but to no avail.
Not that it would matter now, she was left with no choice but to tell him the news that would ruin his life before telling her parents and his mum. She had a feeling, in the back of her mind, that Jack would be okay with the news. She knew he'd be shocked which was to be expected. After all, she had been surprised when she'd learned of the news. Still, despite the logical side of her that knew he'd be okay, she couldn't shake the fear of rejection.
"El," Jack's voiced whispered. "Please, baby, just tell me."
She felt her breath hitch at the term of endearment he had used. She knew that he had no idea and he used the term on a daily basis, but it had only served to make her feel guilty whenever he'd said it during the day. His hand reached over to squeeze hers, as he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.
She let out a loud sigh before rolling over to look at him. A frown had crossed his handsome face as he looked at her. She choked back a tear before collapsing to lie on her back where she couldn't see his face.
She took a deep breath and dropped her grip on his hand. "Jack, I'm pregnant," she blurted.
The room fell silent as she let go of the news that had haunted her for twenty-four hours. It was the first time she'd said it outloud and somehow it made it feel more real. She was pregnant, at seventeen. She'd ruined her life and Jack's and all because she'd been stupid enough to take medication that had interfered with her contraceptive pill. Beside her, she felt Jack go silent. He was mad she knew it.
Rolling over, she reached to bury her head into his pillow and burst into tears. She felt her body shake as the emotions that she'd held onto all day poured out of her.
Jack paused as the impact of Elsa's words hit him like a truck. He could feel her small body trembling beside him while she sobbed.
Suddenly, her behaviour made sense. She had appeared distant, like she was deep in thought, all day and now he knew why. It also explained the remorseful looks she had been giving him all day, the same ones that had led him to believe he was about to have his heartbroken.
He knew that she'd gone to the doctor's the night before. She'd made a point to drive to school, so that she could leave for her appointment instead of accepting a lift to school and the clinic with him. He'd offered to drive her, but she'd told him not to worry and so he'd shrugged it off. Then, when he'd rung her later that evening, she had been distracted. He'd tried to enquire about her appointment, but she'd excused herself to take a bath. He groaned, if he knew that she suspected she was pregnant then he'd have insisted he went with her.
Sighing, he shifted himself so that he was sitting with his back against his headboard before pulling Elsa to rest in his arms. Her pale face was streaked with tears and she was still refusing to give him eye contact. He reached over to his bedside table and pulled a few tissues from the box beside the lamp. Gently, he reached around and dabbed at her tears.
"Baby, it's going to be okay," he vowed. " We'll get through this don't worry. We've got each other,"
"How, Jack? We're only 17. We're still in school. I'm expected to go to university and work for my parent's company and now they are going to kill me," she cried.
Jack paused. He knew that Elsa was under a lot of pressure from her parents to be perfect. He also knew that her becoming a teen mother would not fall under Walt and Lillian Andersen's idea of perfect, especially not when the baby's teenaged father was him.
"Elsa, I admit, this is a shock and definitely not something we planned, but I don't regret it either. I mean, we love each other and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and to have a family with you. It's just seems that we're starting that family a bit earlier than expected," he stated honestly.
He watched as her tear-filled eyes turned to look at him and the smallest hint of a smile formed on her face. He sighed and tightened his grip on her before reaching to stroke at her hair. He wished that he knew the right words to say to make her feel better. It broke his heart to think of how she'd likely spent the last few hours filled with fear of rejection from him.
He couldn't blame her for fearing the worst. After all, it seemed that news of teen girls falling pregnant and being denied by the baby's father was an all too common situation. However, he could never deny her, or their child. He loved Elsa with all his heart and somehow the news that she was now carrying his child, their child, made her even more beautiful and perfect. Finding out that she was pregnant with his child was a shock, but they would make it work.
He felt her body stop shaking as the last of the tears rolled down her perfect face. Looking down, he noted how her fingers had curled around the fabric of his jumper and smiled. He wondered if she might be receptive to him trying to cheer her up now.
"You know," he began. "This baby is going to be the best looking child ever. Especially with the combination of our good looks," he boasted.
He looked down at Elsa and felt his spirit soar when the smallest hint of a smile graced her face. He felt her move her arm to lightly punch him before she let out a soft chuckle. Smirking, he leaned down to press a quick kiss on her forehead.
Elsa could feel her tears subsiding as she pulled back to look at Jack. Looking up, her eyes fell onto his mouth as he hovered above her and she felt the first real smile to have crossed her face in the last 24 hours.
Once again he'd proven himself to be truly perfect. He'd reacted to the news even better than she had when the doctor had told her she was pregnant. Instead of rejecting her, he'd simply reached to pull her into his strong arms and had held her tight. He'd continued to speak in a calming tone to her as he vowed to stand by her before reminding her that he loved her and wanted to be with her forever.
"Do you think we can tell your mum first?" she asked, reaching to stroke his hair. "I have a feeling that she will take to the news a little bit better than my parents will."
"Mmm, probably a good idea," Jack agreed. "We probably should go see her now, especially since I've got to get you home in another forty-five minutes. Last thing we need is for me to get you home late and give your parents yet another reason to hate me."
Grinning, she got to her feet and took Jack's hand. Together, they walked down the stairs and into the lounge room where Caroline Frost was curled up with Emily. Biting her lip, she waited patiently while Jack called for his mum to join them. She watched as Emily leapt to her feet to join them, only to be stopped by Jack, who held his hand out and told her to stay put.
She followed Jack into the kitchen where he pulled out a seat and beckoned for her to sit. He then went and put the kettle on to make them all a cup of tea. Once the tea had been made, he took his seat beside her and took her hand. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Until Caroline had grown frustrated and had spoken up, telling them to explain themselves.
Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to tell Caroline only to be cut off by Jack. Instead, he gripped her hand in his and announced to his mother that she was pregnant with his child. After announcing the news, he dropped his grip on her hand and draped his arms around her shoulders. Elsa leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the wrath of Caroline, who had just discovered that her teen son was an expectant father.
Caroline's reaction, however, had shocked her. Instead of yelling, she jumped to her feet and pulled both teens into a firm hug before pressing a kiss to both Jack and Elsa's foreheads. After she had sat down again, she had let them know that while she was shocked, she would support them and their baby. Her gaze had settled on Elsa as she reached to take her hand before telling her that she would be okay.
Caroline had then taken matters into her own hands and had demanded that Elsa stay for dinner. She claimed that they could use the time to gather their thoughts before the three of them went and faced Elsa's parents. She'd even taken charge of calling Walt Andersen to let him know that Elsa would be staying for dinner and that she would be home by 7:30pm
Elsa had watched as she had hung up the phone before she'd turned to fire off a series of questions. Taking a deep breath, Elsa had let her know how she was ten weeks pregnant and the baby was due to arrive a week before her and Jack graduated. To her relief, Caroline had continued to nod and show support, even offering to help cover the cost of any supplements that she may need to take. The ease with which Caroline had taken the situation was helping her to feel slightly more relaxed. At least, it appeared that the baby would have one grandparent who would support it.
Dinner had been a quiet affair with Emily sensing something was up, but refraining from asking. Together, they had tried to ease the mood by asking the younger girl about her day at school.
After finishing dinner, they had bundled into the Frost's station wagon to head to her home. She had huddled up to Jack in the back seat and had tried to psych herself up for telling her parents, but it was no use. Instead, she had settled for resting her head on his shoulder. He had said nothing and had simply stroked at her hair.
As expected, telling Elsa's parents had been downright terrifying. Elsa and the Frost's had walked in to find her parents seated in the lounge room.
She had felt her confidence waning as her father leapt from his seat and glared at Jack whose arms were wound tightly around her waist. She'd caught sight of Anna who poked her head in the lounge room before fleeing after she noticed the tense look on her parents' and sister's faces. To her relief, Caroline Frost had been quick to act and had sent Emily to follow Anna upstairs.
Taking a deep breath, she'd tried to say the words only to have her confidence falter under the harsh glare on her father's face. Finally, after her third failed attempt at saying the words she'd given up. Instead, Jack had tightened his grip on her and had looked her father in his eyes before telling him that they were expecting a baby.
To say Walt Andersen had been furious would be an understatement. He'd held nothing back as he yelled at Elsa. He'd accused her of bringing shame to their family before changing his tune and demanding she had an abortion before news got around. Elsa had cried out in shock and had stated that it had already been decided that they would be keeping the baby. A furious Walt had then shifted his focus to Jack and had called him all sorts of names before demanding him to leave Elsa alone. Elsa had felt the tears forming in her eyes once again before turning to bury her head in the crook of Jack's neck.
She'd been about to turn and try and reason with her father when she'd been cut off. An enraged Caroline Frost had stepped forward to defend her son and his girlfriend. Elsa had stood by and listened while she pointed out that she had also been shocked by the news, but she felt that the teens needed support and not scorn. She'd stood her ground and had stated that the Andersen's needed time to get used to the news and that she'd decided Elsa would be spending the weekend at the Frost home. She claimed that it would give all of them the chance to take in the news while providing the least amount of the stress for the unborn baby.
She'd watched as her father's face had contorted in anger. He wasn't used to having someone speak so boldly to him. Turning, she'd buried her head against Jack's neck while he'd stroked her hair. She could hear her father muttering about how he'd tried to 'warn her' and how she'd been stupid to let Jack charm her. She'd felt her father's hand reach to grip her shoulder and try to pull her away, but Jack had held on tight and had lowered his mouth to whisper in her ear.
Finally, after a few more minutes of muttering he'd relented. Elsa had felt her father's grip on her loosen and he'd stepped back before telling her to go. She'd taken hold of Jack's hand and dragged him upstairs to pack her overnight bag.
She'd left her bag with Jack and his mum while she made her way to bid her farewell to her parents. However, the angry voice of her father as he ranted to her mother deterred her. He was still cursing her and Jack, claiming that she had ruined her life to have a delinquent's bastard child.
Sighing, she'd turned to wave at Anna, who had sat perched at the top of the stairs before heading back into Jack's open arms as he'd escorted her to the car.
Jack sighed and pulled Elsa to press against his chest.
He could feel her relaxing under his touch and smiled. Leaning down, he buried his head against the crook of her neck and applied a series of kisses to the sensitive skin. He heard her let out a soft moan as she shifted her head to give him better access. Her hand reached up to grip his as she pulled it and placed it on her stomach. He paused, lifting his head he caught her gaze and saw the hint of a smile as he splayed his fingers over the spot where their baby was growing.
He knew that their lives had been thrown into upheaval. The last few hours still felt so surreal to him. So many of their future plans would have to be altered in order to accommodate the baby. His mum had spent the better part of the evening writing up a to-do list of all the things she felt needed to happen. Top of her list was convincing Elsa's parents to allow her to move in with them full-time so that she could ensure her future grandchild and its mother were being taken care of. He'd also been told to arrange meetings with the school counsellor so that they could figure out the best way to continue with their education.
Still, despite the path that their lives had decided to follow, he couldn't deny that he was excited for the baby. They may not have planned to have a baby so early, but they were and he was determined to be there for his family. After all, nothing could be more perfect than having Elsa and their baby in his life.
A/N- Thanks to Mik012 for the song suggestion. A bit of irony for you. As I started to write this, the song, knowing that I was going to go with the teen pregnancy/ less than supportive family subject. The song 'Papa Don't Preach' by Madonna (about a teen pregnancy) came over the radio. I kid you not :)