Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, or The Infernal Devices.
Jack Frost was burning. He had gotten back and he knew something was wrong now, especially after the euphoria died down and ended in a depressing period of misery. He had been moping around in the Institute before Tooth had given him his staff and forced him to go to the attic, where he was now seated on the ground. Aster was being looked after by the Silent Brothers, with Caleb present to inform him of where his brother was if Bunny recovered enough to wake up. The Shadowhunter hadn't wanted to stay, but he had to do his part as a member of the Institute.
Jack didn't quite recall when the misery had turned into a burning fire in his veins. He had remembered thinking it was odd when his toes began to tingle, along with his hands. It had quickly spread, moving throughout his body until he felt like he was on fire. He tried to cool off as best as he could, using his powers to freeze the walls of the attic and cover the ground in ice. Even with the lowered temperature and all the snow, he was still burning hot and unable to escape the pain.
Pippa came in every now and then, telling him he had to drink whatever was inside the buckets she brought him. It was tasteless, making Jack think it was nothing more than water. Even if it was, it would temporarily ease his suffering as he drank it. The pain would rise once more after a few minutes, though, making him think it was pointless to drink it in the first place. He wasn't feeling any better and it was becoming clear that it wouldn't happen anytime soon.
He heard the door open once more, announcing Pippa's presence again. "Here you go, Jack. This should make it better." she said, holding a bucket out to him once more.
Jack shook his head, keeping his position crouched by the window, staring out side. He had his hood pulled up, covering his hair and not caring about the heat since it never left anyway. He still hadn't even changed, wearing the dress from before underneath the shirt he had stolen from Aster. "No. It doesn't make it better, Pippa, so what's the point?" Jack asked, glaring at her. He didn't like it when people lied to him and this was no different.
"Jack, please. This medicine is needed to stop you from-" she was saying, cut off by the sudden blast of snow from Jack's staff. She yelped and jumped back, staring at Jack with wide eyes.
"I said enough! Leave me alone." Jack said, glancing out the window with a sad look in his eyes. He missed home, back in New York where his family had once been. He had been happy there, living with Bunny and Aunt Harriet. This was the first time since he came here that he wished for his old life once more. He felt like he didn't belong here anymore, like he was out of place since he was not a Shadowhunter.
"Why'd they even bring me here?" Jack asked himself, staring out at the city below him. He was no one, just a simple boy from New York getting into far too much trouble. He never had been one for fights, always preferring to play games. Jack could hardly take care of himself, let alone deal with the issues of protecting all of humanity like Shadowhunters did. "I'm nothing, no one important." Jack continued, voicing his pain.
Jack reached out and touched the glass, covering it with frost and blocking his view. He stared at it for a moment, before tracing a picture in the frost. It was simple, nothing more than a rabbit but Jack knew what it represented. Aster, his brother, was sick and Jack was up here instead of by his side. He should be helping his brother recover, but instead Jack was stuck with this burning sensation inside of him and unable to do anything to help Bunny. Glancing at his drawing, Jack focused on it for a moment, trying to do something with it outside of just the drawing. He needed to keep his mind busy if he wanted to escape this dark mood that had arrived, and this was the perfect way to do just that.
His focus turned into a success, making him grin as the bunny came to life from the window, taking shape and hopping in the air throughout the room. Jack pulled his hood down, grinning at it and chasing after his own creation. "Jack?" he heard, distracting him from what he was doing. Standing in the entryway to the attic was Elsa, holding another pail of water just like Pippa had been. He scowled at her, turning back to his game only to discover that the rabbit had run into one of the rafters, bursting into a pile of snow that rained down onto the floor.
"What are you doing?" Elsa asked quietly, looking curious as she stared at the room around her. Unlike Pippa, she didn't shiver as she entered the room. Jack was staying here, in his own winter paradise without caring about how it affected others. Perhaps he should have returned the room to normal after he realized the futility of it, but the snow made him happy. It reminded him of being a child, of having fun and starting snow ball fights. These small things were what he used to fight back against the dark mood that this blood had put him in.
"A game, or at least trying to make one." Jack told her, turning back to the window to make another rabbit. He heard her sigh behind him, making him turn before he finished. "Look, that water is doing nothing. I'm better off just trying to distract myself." Jack told her, watching her shake her head at Jack.
"You don't understand what is happening, do you?" she whispered, stepping closer. Jack shrugged, not too concerned with it. He was just sick, after all. Didn't people get fevers around here sometimes? "When you bit Quin, you swallowed some of his blood. The power in that blood is what it takes to become a vampire." Elsa began, making Jack freeze and spin around to face her.
"What? I'm becoming a vampire?" Jack asked, feeling shock within him. He didn't want to be even more unusual than he already was. He had this gift already, he didn't want to add in a desire to drink blood.
Elsa was chuckling already, shaking her head no. It made him feel relieved somewhat, but he knew that something was off still. "Typically, only Shadowhunters react this strongly to ingesting vampire blood. Our angelic blood rejects anything demonic, making us sick when we are affected by it like you are. If you refuse to take the holy water, then the blood will continue wreaking havoc on your system, eventually making you feel drawn towards vampires in he hope of becoming one of them." Elsa explained, holding out the pail once more.
"So, if I drink this stuff, that won't happen?" Jack clarified, glancing at the water in the bucket. She nodded, making Jack grab it quickly out of her hands and chug the entire thing. He felt water drip down his chin, soaking into his shirt before he handed the empty pail back towards her. She took it and nodded, looking like she was about to leave once more. "Elsa, wait. I've bee wondering…"Jack began, feeling like he was unable to focus through the heat burning inside of him. He really should just let her go, but he had to speak with her. He didn't want to be alone right now, not when his thoughts kept going back to such upsetting things.
"Yes?" Elsa prompted, making him realize that she had walked back and was now sitting on the ground next to him. Jack didn't even remember sitting down himself, but he didn't focus on that right now. "You act…you act so serious, as if you care about nothing at all. I never see you laugh, not like normal people do, and you only smile when no one is watching. How can you live like that?" Jack asked her, feeling like he was asking a bit too much from her. Elsa was meeting his gaze, sitting close enough to him to feel the heat emanating from his skin. He could see worry in her blue eyes, worry over what to say and how to respond.
"Jack…I don't think…" Elsa murmured, but Jack had seen something else that had his attention. Her gloves had blood on them, probably from the battle earlier. She hadn't even changed since they got back, making him wonder what she had been up to.
"I know you make me smile, always telling me what to do and trying to stay calm no matter what is going on. The way you carry yourself and the confidence you seem to have…"Jack trailed off, shaking his head and realizing that this was probably too much for her. Elsa's gaze seemed to meet his and he felt like he got lost in her eyes. The icy blue color of them always caught his attention, making him want to stare into them for hours. He felt his hand grasp her wrist, feeling the chill of her skin when held in his burning hand.
"Jack, just what do you want from me?" Elsa whispered, her face already so close to his own.
He felt hot, burning from the blood, but he could also feel warmth for a different reason. His heart was beating fast, with his eyes focused on her. "I want to understand you, Elsa." he whispered, watching her glance up at him through her lashes.
He could see a hint of fear within her eyes, but Jack knew it wasn't fear of him. She was afraid of her answer, of showing her true self to anyone. "Is that really necessary?" she asked, still not pulling away. Jack rubbed her wrist, wanting to keep her close like this. He probably wouldn't have the chance to speak to her this openly again in a while, so he had to take advantage of it while he could.
"Only Anna understands you, I just wish…" Jack began, trailing off when he realized that he had nothing more to add. He had already voiced what he wanted earlier, so there was no need to repeat himself.
Elsa glanced downward, gazing towards the window for just a moment. "Anna doesn't understand me, not like you think she does. She is like a sister for me, caring for me but that is not the same as understanding." Elsa replied, her voice sounding a bit less calm than normal.
Jack began to feel sorry for her, for this girl that had absolutely no one in the world. He thought that Anna was there for her, someone to confide in when no one else would listen, but apparently he was wrong. "Why not? She clearly is willing to listen, if you let her in. Don't you want someone to understand you? To know who you truly are?" Jack asked, watching a look of horror cross into her face. She quickly hid it, concealing it with her normal neutral expression.
"Of course not. I would not wish that on anyone." Elsa replied, leaving Jack confused as he stared down at her.
"Elsa, you can only handle so much. Even if you don't tell me anything, you need to speak to someone." Jack told her. Her gaze met his once more, softening slightly as she stared into his eyes. Jack watched her lean closer, almost against her will, towards him as they sat next to each other. Jack closed his eyes, feeling more aware of her than ever before. He had never felt like this before, feeling the need to be close to someone. With Elsa, things seemed to be different. He wanted to know who she was, to see the real her and comfort her when no one else would. Jack felt her lips touch his, gently at first before pressing herself closer to him. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and ignoring the heat burning through him for just a moment. Right now, there was nothing other than him and Elsa. Jack ran one of his hands through her hair, relishing in the softness of it and the feeling of his heart pounding within his chest. Jack wanted more, but with a sudden violent motion, Elsa shoved herself away from him and fell back awkwardly on the floor.
Jack was breathing hard, staring at her in shock as he realized just what he had done. He hadn't meant to kiss her, but it had happened anyway. Her eyes were wide, filled with an emotion Jack was unable to read along with fear. She was paler than normal, breathing almost as hard as he was as she stared back at him. "No…I can't. I'm sorry, Jack." Elsa whispered, backing away from him as she got up from the ground.
"Elsa, I'm sorry-" Jack began, but she shook her head at him.
"No, don't…I just can't stay here. I shouldn't have come at all." she whispered, making Jack have to strain to hear the end of her statement.
This time, Jack said nothing to stop her. She had every right to leave, after what he had done. His gaze returned to the window, his mind no longer lost on his past life. Instead, he was focused on Elsa and the look on her face before she had kissed him. She had looked so desperate, as if she truly desired what he was offering her but felt trapped and unable to take that gift. He compared it to the look she wore when she left, the look of a person who had just hurtled themselves off a cliff, realizing just soon enough that they had remembered to take a parachute with them. Jack closed his eyes, wishing he could take it all back. That had been his first kiss, but he never wanted it to be like this. He wanted it to be joyful, with someone who would love him back. He never imagined it like this, with a girl who was so closed off that no one knew who she truly was. He never imagined that it would happen while he was feverish, filled with a heat that left him unable to think straight, let alone control his actions. Now, Elsa was lost to him forever and he would never be able to get back to the friendship they used to have.
Here is the real beginning of Jelsa in this story! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you think!