Final Chapter of the Christmas Chapters (for now) I don't own ROTG.
Sophie and Jack's Christmas Night
"Hey," Jack turned in the air to see Sophie half leaning out of her bedroom window.
Jack smiled and flew closer to the window. "Hey, Soph."
"You've been avoiding us." Sophie accused.
Jack laughed. "No, I haven't."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Jamie hasn't stopped believing in you," Sophie said. "You don't have to worry about that."
Jack sighed. "How do you know."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "The picture," Sophie said. "The one from like six years ago, he still sees all five of you there."
Jack sighed. "He's not around so much anymore," Jack said.
"He's home now," Sophie said.
Jack sat on the windowsill. "It's late shouldn't you be in bed?"
Sophie shrugged. "I don't have school tomorrow." She said leaning away. "Besides I haven't seen you all day. I thought we could talk."
Jack sighed. "You're getting older Sophie."
"And?" Sophie said. "You're not just a guardian to me Jack," Sophie said. "You're… my friend. Why does that have to change just because I'm growing up? Because Jamie is growing up?"
"Because adults can't see me, shouldn't see me."
"That's stupid," Sophie said. "You're more than just a mythical being," Sophie said she raised her hand. "Come, I have something for you."
Jack hesitantly stepped into the room.
Sophie walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out a neatly wrapped present. She smiled and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas Jackson Overland Frost," Sophie said.
Jack tilted his head and gently took the present from her hands. He sat on the bed and gently tore the paper off the present to reveal a box filled with papers. Marriage bonds and birth certificates, and copies of consensuses taken… all from Burgess and dating from the year 1712.
He looked through them before he stared up at Sophie.
"You told me that when you got your memories back you had always wondered what happened to your family." Sophie said.
"She got married," Jack said holding a paper. "and had a child; I had a niece named Emily Hanley." He said holding it out for Sophie to see.
Sophie smiled. "Keep searching."
So, he did and he found his name and the name of his family on the first consensus taken of the town. Jackson Overland; his Father Josiah Overland, his mother Maria Overland (formerly Jackson) and a young Jane Emily Overland. As well as his own birth certificate which stated the date of his birth.
Jack stared up at Sophie tears fell down his face. "How…?"
"The Burgess Archives," Sophie said. "I couldn't find much, but I did find something."
Jack stared down at the pieces of paper before he stared back up at Sophie. Proof that he was once apart of the human world. That he had a sister, a mom, a dad. That they lived and breathed and... died. His splotchy memories were nice but it was nice to have something concrete to hold. Something written that was proof that they existed.
He found his parent's death certificates, and… Jane who died of hypothermia one April 6 years after he himself died. The little girl who he had saved had died from the very same fate he had tried to prevent years before.
It brought so many emotions and tears fell from his eyes and he moved his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes and he felt Sophie's arms wrap around him.
For a moment Jack was glad that unbelievers couldn't see him because it meant that he didn't have to hold back his cries. His staff fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Sophie said.
As a Guardian, it was his job to protect and look out for children but for that night, he wasn't a Guardian, he wasn't a three-hundred-year-old spirit of winter; he was a sixteen-year-old boy, who had gained and lost everything in that one night. He was happy that Sophie had done this for him, but to see the proof that his entire family was gone hurt more than he thought possible. He held tightly to Sophie as he let himself feel sad, allowed himself to forget who he was.
He stared up at her pale face. He found himself being pulled close to her his nose touching hers, Sophie put a hand to his face and he could feel her hand shaking against his skin.
Shaking… because of the cold, because that's who he was now. A guardian, the guardian of fun, but also the ice-cold spirit of winter.
He pulled away from Sophie and she looked down. "I'm sorry." She said mistaking the reason he had pulled away. "Should I have left out the death certificates?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I'm glad I know."
Sophie looked confused. "But you…"
"I backed away because you are shaking Sophie." He told her. "I'm sorry."
Sophie's looked down at her hands to see that they were indeed shaking. "O-oh," She said. Wrapping her arms around herself. She gasped as though just realizing how cold it was and the shaking seemed to increase.
Jack looked around the room and saw frost appearing at different parts of the house. He waved his hand and the frost lifted off her things (including her own pyjamas) and let them float outside the window.
"Are you going to leave now?" Sophie asked. "Because you don't have too." Sophie placed a hand on Jack's own. "I'd... I'd like for you to stay."
Jack stared down at her. "I'm making you cold."
"I love the cold," Sophie said for a moment there was silence then she blushed and looked away.
Jack's eye looked confused before he realized then frost seemed to spread across his cheeks. "For how long?"
Sophie looked away. "Since I was fifteen." She said.
Jack looked at her. "Sophie…"
Sophie took a step back and looked away. Jack put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sophie, I'm not human."
"I think the gift I gave you has proven the exact opposite," Sophie said.
Jack shook his head.
Sophie looked down. "So, you're the spirit of winter," Sophie said. "So, this might just be a terrible idea." She continued. "So what?"
"Excuse me?"
"So… what?" Sophie said. "Why should we let 'might be bad' get in the way?"
Sophie lay on her bed. "Are you better?" She asked.
Jack almost floated onto her bed suddenly sombre as he remembered what had happened only moments before. "I am."
"I'm sorry if what I found wasn't what you wanted," Sophie said.
Jackie smiled softly. "It was a very thoughtful gift." He said. He carefully placed the papers back in the box and stuffed them into his pocket.
"You should be asleep."
"You'll leave if I do," Sophie said. "And I want you to stay."
"You'll get cold."
Sophie grabbed his ice-cold hand before she crawled under the covers. "I've lost Santa, Bunny, Tooth, and Now Sandy." She said staring up at him. "I'm not ready to lose you too."
"Stay," Sophie said with tears in her eyes. "Please? Just stay."
Jack stared at her tear-soaked eyes and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Merry Christmas Sophie."
"Merry Christmas Jack."
So yeah, Sophie and Jack spent a Christmas night together. Nothing happened, but Sophie is in a vulnerable place right now, Jack is the last of the guardians who still visits and she's scared she's going to lose him too.
After being given that gift Jack is feeling a bit vulnerable now too, and ( I literally realized this as I was writing this) he himself doesn't want to be left alone either, which is why it was easy for Sophie to get him to stay. She doesn't want him to go, and he doesn't want to leave.
I wanted to have Sophie and Jack kissing, but with what was going on, I didn't feel like it was appropriate. Though the idea of the two of them being together.
Sophie hadn't wanted to bring it up, but Jack realized the hidden meaning behind the "I love the cold" comment and decided to start talking about it. Which lead to her becoming annoyed.
Also while Jack might be 'wiser' than Sophie and 'more knowledgeable' than Sophie in a lot of areas. He still, despite being three hundred years old, has the mental maturity of his physical form. He's sixteen years old right now, mentally he's sixteen years old. He's not always going to make the wisest most mature decision.
One last thing, I was going to post this at the END of the other Christmas oneshots but since Christmas has now officially ended I have no idea if I'm going to continue writing them. I might, but I don't want to promise something and then not do it.
