Her head pounded mercilessly the next afternoon. Between dehydration and the alcohol, she was spent. Somehow her stomach had been kind enough not to revolt against her, but she wondered if she would receive the same courtesy if she tried to eat. Though…how had she gotten into bed?

Jadis lay there for a bit longer, trying to remember everything. She knew she had cried and…Jack had come. She told him about Dave. Now she was in bed, alone. Did he leave? She kind of hoped he had. When she got up, she did so slowly.

Jack…

The memory of his concerned face flashed in her mind. Her heart ached. She got out of bed and changed slowly. When she walked into the living room, she was surprised that the fire had kept going – and also that Jack had stayed to stoke the fire. He sat in the chair he claimed before with a book. She watched him for a moment, unsure of how to interrupt him.

She finally decided to clear her throat. He looked up and stood. "Jadis…afternoon. How do you feel?"

She winced slightly. "Hungover. I need water. What…where did you sleep?" She couldn't remember anything after she passed out. She did know that night had come and gone though.

In truth, he hadn't. He didn't need to. "I stayed up to make sure the fire didn't go out." Before she could shuffle slowly to the kitchen, he went in to get her a glass of water. She murmured thanks as she took it and drank it all after a few minutes.

Jadis looked up at him and squirmed. Their kiss, his concern, her crying…she had to stop it now before it became too late. As if it wasn't too late already. "Jack…we need to talk." She spat the words out.

He frowned. "About?"

This was where she hesitated. She wanted to sit but knew it was a bad idea. She wanted to simply stop but that wouldn't do either. "Jack…I…I don't think we should see each other again." She swallowed thickly. Now her stomach was churning. "It was fun but…it shouldn't get any deeper than this. So…thanks for…everything but…no more."

Jack stared. Did she just…? She did! How dare she?! Didn't she know who he – oh, right. "What? Why? You said it yourself, this is going great." Maybe he should tell her now.

Jadis looked away. "Because it won't last and it'll only hurt after it all." She wished she had some aspirin. "Happiness is like a snowflake, Jack. It's pretty, intricate, and simple all in one…but it melts eventually. So…no more."

It felt like his heart had seized. He had to tell her the truth now. "Jadis, I need to tell you something. You see, I'm…"

Knock, knock, knock!

"Jadis!" It was Patrick! "Hey, open up, I know you're in there. Chimney is huffing."

Jadis grimaced at the loud noise. She quickly walked over and opened the door if only to keep him from pounding once more. "Shh! Hungover, have pity!"

"Jadis," Jack frowned, disliking how she so easily cast him off.

Patrick stepped in and spotted the blue man. He frowned in return. "Hi. Did I interrupt something?"

Damn, Jack thought, he couldn't tell Jadis now. Not when this oaf was here. Before he could speak, Jadis beat him to it. "No, Jack was just leaving." She couldn't look at him though.

He thought quick. If he simply blurted out he was Santa – or Jack Frost – then not only would that irritating fool hear it, but Jadis might think she was being mocked. Or, worse, that Jack was desperate! And, more to the point, it sounded as though…even if she believed, she wouldn't take him because she thought happiness had a limited timeframe. Santa, Frost, or simply Jack, in her mind their joy would end eventually.

When he didn't move, struggling to come to grasp with this, Patrick's hands curled into fists. "Need some help locating the door, city slicker?"

Hot loathing surged through him. It wasn't right that he was to be cast out into the snow while this oaf remained! His eyes darkened and his smile became chilling. "Of course." He held his hand out. "Nice to meet you…Patrick."

Old manners came back. Patrick raised his hand and shook Jack's. That turned out to be his mistake. With a squeeze from Jack, their hands separated and a sharp gasp left Patrick. When he looked down with a groan, he saw that his hand was frozen! No, it was frostbitten!

Ding.

Four.

While Jack walked past Jadis, their eyes locked. Hers looked as though she were in pain, more than the hangover. His matched the snow outside. Then he left, the last noises he heard was Patrick's agony and confusion, and Jadis' concern.

Once his outrage had settled, and after a couple drinks at some bar, he scowled. Great. Four and less than two weeks left. Now wasn't quite the time for the woman to get cold feet. He finished his second drink and looked around the room.

Fine, he would just find someone. If Jadis was going to be a coward, he would…take the first woman who caught his attention. And lo' and behold, that happened to be a brunette in a tight little red dress that left nothing to the imagination. Shame, he thought, but so long as she became Mrs. Claus, he didn't care. He would remain very real if she did.

Alas, ten minutes into the conversation, he found his thoughts drifting. It wasn't just the alcohol, but the woman's conversation…or lack thereof. She seemed to want to discuss the latest party, had no care for Christmas except for grand gifts, and was obviously a golddigger. Hey though, he thought, he could handle that. He had all the money in the world, the greatest gifts available, and the North Pole was almost but a party constantly.

So perhaps this would be the one.

He opened his mouth and made to speak. "What do you think about Jack Frost?" Where…did that come from? That wasn't the next pick up line he wanted to use. And why did he give a damn?

"Who?" She raised an eyebrow.

Whatever tolerance he felt towards the woman went away. He stood and moved to the next one. Fine, he thought, fine. Perhaps he needed a more…festive place to look for. A festive bar? A park? Ah, maybe a park, he thought. He had less than two weeks…he could find someone before then.

A week.

A week with nothing but disappointments!

How had this happened? Was he in the wrong city after all? Jack scowled. It wasn't just the women, he hated to admit, but his own mind against him. It wasn't more than a few minutes that went by that he didn't think of Jadis. Ugh, that infuriating cowardly woman!

It took until the week before Christmas Eve that he relented. Alright, he thought, Jadis might be the best bet yet. All that work and effort into her, for nothing? No, he wouldn't admit defeat. So that day he went to visit her. She didn't answer at first, but there was smoke coming from the chimney.

He made to turn the handle, but it was locked. Rolling his eyes, he glanced throughout the woods. Nothing. So she had to be inside. "Jadis!" He shouted, cursing the wind for shouting against him. He wished he still controlled the weather for a split second. "Jadis, it's Jack! Open the door, I know you're here!" He paused, then announced in poor taste, "I'm going to freeze if you don't let me in!"

Within a minute, the door flew open and a hand slapped him across the face. The hand belonged to Jadis, her hair wild and messy. Her eyes were tired but he still felt a sense of warmth, of a flutter, when he saw them. And her tattoos…his shoulders relaxed.

"You ass!" She snapped, not letting him get a word in edgewise. "How dare you?! I don't even know where to begin! I don't know what you did to Patrick but he nearly lost his hand! Now he's got a huge medical bill – what did you do to him?! I know it was you, you with your…invisibility and…and golden drinks! And how dare you speak of freezing after what I told you, don't you ever dare use that against me! You've never been bothered by the cold before, you bastard, don't start lying now!" She was panting, her breath coming out in clouds in the cold. Unlike him, she wasn't dressed for the outdoors. Even at the doorway, her teeth started to chat and her body shake. "What are you?!" She hugged herself. "Never mind…get off my property."

Jack took a moment to collect himself once more. There was a sickening sense of pride to hear what Patrick had gone through. Satisfaction, really. "I'll pay for his bills." He forced himself to speak. If it got him in better with Jadis, so be it. It was annoying, but she seemed to be furious about that. "Now will you let me in? I really am getting cold." Alright, not quite.

"Go melt." She hissed before starting to close the door.

Jack's mouth formed an 'o', an insulted scoff leaving him. That was quite an insult, he thought with a mixture of offense and amusement. Only Jadis would be able to…wait, what was he thinking? His hand shot out and caught the door, pushing it open. "I certainly won't be doing that outdoors. If you wish for me to melt, then allow me in…" he paused and though it was groan-worthy, he added with a smirk, "and allow me to look into your gaze."

Jadis froze, not from the door being pushed open but at his words. She looked like she was trying to not laugh. She scowled to compensate. "Get out." When he didn't budge, she turned and went towards her bedroom.

Guessing that she was going to get her gun, he shut the door and grabbed hold of her arm. "Wait just a moment! Jadis, I need to tell you something!"

She spun around with a fist. He caught it without pause, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer. There was a brief struggle and he managed to narrowly miss her nails once or twice. With a mixture of irritation and frustration, he swung her around with a grunt. When her back met the wall and he had pinned her arms to her side, he moved close enough to keep her from kicking him. "Jadis, listen!" He nearly growled.

"No, you listen!" She snarled in between panting. "Christmas is already difficult for me because of Dave! Because of what I'm responsible for! And then you come along, Jack, and make me feel like maybe things can be normal! But it can't, not for long! It never is!" She caught her breath before she spoke once more, quieter at least. "I've never cared much for Santa Claus or gifts. I never got the sense of warmth and awe from Christmas day like the others did and do. It was always, ever since I was a child, Jack Frost who caught my attention. His work, both beautiful and foul, made me warm and stare with awe. And it used to make me angry to be the only one who gave a damn about him, who would thank him for more than a snow day from school.

"For the first time in years, you were one of the few who accepted this without question. You even seemed comfortable with it, as if you were able to relate. Damn it…Jack…you made me feel like you…" she fell silent for a moment. "If we were to continue…to become something more…it would end. Sooner or later, you'd get tired. I'd get tired. Circumstance would destroy us. Fate. Something would be the cause for our joy to die out. And I cannot handle that. I'm only strong enough to end it now. I won't be able to pick up the pieces later. Do you understand? So please, leave me alone." Jadis swallowed thickly. "If you care for me, Jack, if you care about me more than you do yourself…then leave me alone."

Jack let her go at her last plea. He stepped back, shocked. Leave her be if he cared? If he didn't leave her alone, then he didn't care. But if he left her…he tensed. There was no winning. Yet the man was pausing, thinking about it…didn't that mean that…he cared about her…more than he did himself?

He never thought he'd see the day.

Without a word, he walked back to the door. He opened it, the cold winds whipping at him instantly. Before he stepped out, he looked back at Jadis one more time, seeing her hugging herself. He wanted to open his mouth and shout 'I'm Santa Claus! I'm Jack Frost!' but nothing came out. Swallowing thickly, he let himself out.