The guest room had a huge wooden bed with plenty of room for Mary and Jamie to share. There was even a fireplace, filling it with light and warmth.

Jack was sure he could tear up when he realized his siblings would have a safe place to sleep that night, but the twins were rather hesitant when he helped them find their pajamas and got them into bed.

"Do we live here now?" Mary asked. There were many more questions she wanted to ask, but she'd settle for the ones Jack could actually answer.

Jack chuckled, "Well, we're gonna stay here for the night. Tomorrow we'll get things settled." He stood up, "Get some sleep."

Jamie grabbed his hand, "Wait!" He startled his brother, "Don't go!" Jamie himself wasn't sure where the fear had come from.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, "Hey, hey." He said in a voice as soft as the blankets on the bed, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna be right next door. Just like at hom— on the fjord." He forgot that place wasn't 'home' anymore. "You don't have to be scared here."

"And I'll be here." Mary said to her twin brother.

Mrow!

The hefty cat leaped up on the bed and trotted over the children's legs. Jack hadn't even heard Fafnir trotting in. He turned and saw Elsa standing at the doorway. "Sorry about that, I couldn't catch him. I think he likes you guys."

Jamie giggled and Mary was quick to squeeze Fafnir in her arms. He mewed in a grumbly tone at being picked up without warning. "He can sleep in here with us!" Mary excitedly commented.

Elsa smiled and walked into the room, sitting on the bed with them. "Wanna know something neat? Cats can see in the dark."

Jamie's eyes glistened with wonder, "Whoa! Really?"

"How come?" Mary asked.

"Their eyes can reflect light, that's why it looks like they're glowing sometimes."

"I wish I could do that!" Jamie bemoaned, falling back into his pillow.

"Well, you have the fireplace and an all-seeing cat protecting you." Jack stood up. "With that, I'm going to bed." He started towards the door, "If either of you need me, just come get me."

Elsa grinned shyly at the twins, "Good night, you two."

"Good night, Elsa." Mary bid. Jamie was silent, only nodding as he got more comfortable on his side. Fafnir was nestled between the twins, providing them comfort with his noisy purring.

Elsa was the last to leave the room. Jack was staying where their maid once lived, the much-needed privacy would suit him, as Elsa and her parents' bedrooms were upstairs while Jack and the children were on the first floor. He was eager to get out of his shoes and long coat and into something comfortable after two days.

He was seated on the bed, much more sturdy than what he was used to, and pulling his boots off. He didn't realize Elsa was at the doorway. She knocked to get his attention.

Jack looked at her.

In an instant, he was met with a passionate kiss, one full of hope and terror.

"It's going to be all right." He found himself saying. He was normally on the receiving end of such words. "We're going to be fine."

Elsa shuddered, fighting anxiety-filled tears, but she nodded. "You're right."

Jack lovingly took her cheek, "Go rest."

Elsa kissed and cradled his hand, "You too."

...

In the silence of dawn, Jack leapt from his damp pillow, close to screaming. His eyes were wide with fear and his hair was stuck to his head from sweat.

Breathing wildly, he looked around the unfamiliar, dark room, and realized he'd only had a nightmare... again.

It was the third time that night he'd woken up from them.

The pictures were so vivid. In the first dream, he was a little boy. Ghosts with mangled faces trapped in permanent shrieks tried to steal him from his bed—he hid under his blankets and tried to scream, but couldn't. No one had come to save him. In the second, the twins and Elsa were lost in a flood. The third... He remembered being in a cave. His brother's voice calling for him. Darkness with no trace of escape. Jamie and Mary huddled up on a ledge as rotting zombies lunged after them, trying to get their teeth into them. Skulls grinning at him. Petrified bodies lining the walls. Their screams were still ringing in his ears even though they hadn't been real.

One thing all of the dreams had in common was death. In one form or another, it haunted him.

There was a small sliver of light outside—at least he'd slept for a few blissful hours. He could easily close his eyes for a few more, but his nightmares left him too restless to try. Not only that, but his shirt was drenched and sticky. Too uncomfortable to keep on for a moment longer.

When he slipped out of the bed to change his top, the floor was so cold that his toes felt frozen.

But the floor was also nice and smooth. Nicer than the floor of his own home. He wanted Jamie and Mary to have a house with a floor like this. With the twins on his mind, he decided to take a peek at them and make sure they were all right. He padded down the hall and pushed open the door that was already ajar. He saw the two unmoving in the bed—poor things were probably so exhausted that they might sleep until noon.

As soon as he opened the door, the large cat jumped awake and hopped off the bed. Fafnir had wanted to leave for water for a while, and he finally had a way outside the room. Trotting past him, Jack couldn't help himself and he quietly followed.

Jack sat in a chair as Fafnir drank from his water bowl. He'd never had a pet, and taking care of animals that were meant to become food one day meant that he couldn't allow himself to get attached to any of them. Fafnir looked up at him with big eyes and licked his lips before going back to drinking.

"I don't think I've met a cat quite your size." He chuckled to himself.

Fafnir trilled a little and came close. He reached up and placed his paws on Jack's thigh.

Jack sighed, "All right." He grunted a bit as he picked him up. He'd lifted heavier things, but he'd presumed most of Fafnir's size was just fluff. "God, you need a new diet." He set him down in his lap and Fafnir mewed plaintively. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's probably all muscle."

Fafnir purred loudly, headbutting Jack with his forehead to signal he wanted to be worshipped. All Jack could do was snigger and comply, petting his chin where he felt the ticklish vibrations. Elsa had only mentioned her 'pet lion' sparsely, and Jack often daydreamed about having a dog of his own, one that would help him heard the goats and guard the farm. Protective, but also playful enough to play with Mary and Jamie.

Jack light-heartedly headbutted Fafnir back before resuming petting him. Perhaps a cat might suit them well too...

A noise made them both startle and look in the direction of the staircase. To his worry, it was Iduna, who looked alarmed herself.

"Oh, goodness! I'm sorry!" She whispered.

"No, no," Fafnir hopped off of Jack's lap as he stood up, "it's fine. Did I wake you up?"

"No. I wake up early to get breakfast made."

Jack knew the feeling. He knew it too well.

Iduna seemed to idle anxiously, "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh—Yeah."

"Good."

Jack paused, "How was your sleep?"

"Uneventful." She giggled. "I normally don't sleep much these days, but last night I slept rather heavy. I guess that's a good thing."

"Wish I could say the same." Jack murmured without thinking. Iduna raised a quizzical brow, "I don't tend to sleep through the entire night. Bad dreams, and—"

"Oh," Iduna compassionately touched his shoulder and it made Jack bristle, "Here, how about some coffee?"

Jack flinched, "I—I don't want to take any more than I already have. You gave us dinner."

Iduna snorted, "And you suppose I was going to make you three hunt for your breakfast?" She pulled the sack of beans onto the counter and reached for the grinder. Jack didn't answer, a bit unused to being treated like a welcome guest. He stood tensely while she began to heat up some water. "I gave the kids hot chocolate last night. I hope that's all right."

"Hot chocolate?"

"Mhm. You should've seen their faces when they had their first sip!"

"God, I can't believe they got to sleep."

"Chocolate and kids go together like coffee and cream... Do you take cream in your coffee?"

"N-no. Black is fine."

"Oh yeah?"

"I like to taste it."

"Fair enough." Iduna grinned at him for a hushed moment, but it was a sad grin. "Agnarr told me what you said last night."

Jack froze.

"About your father; the horrible things he did to you and those children."

Jack self-consciously rubbed the mark on his neck. "Oh."

"It's a shame... I look at my own daughter and I can't fathom how anyone could hurt their child."

Jack's gaze went to his feet, "Me too. I had to stop trying to make sense of it years ago."

"Agnarr's the same way. He wonders if he'd behaved differently if his father would've liked him. That's the worst part; they make their children think they're the issue." He couldn't agree more, but he had trouble finding his voice at that precise moment. He rubbed his arm, which was littered with tiny prickles. "Does Elsa know?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, she said your father's not a good person, but does she know to what extent?"

He stammered, "Ah—She—She's seen me with bruises and scratches before. I try not to make them obvious, but a lot of the time they're on my face, so—" He chuckled rather bitterly, "Kind of hard to hide."

Iduna looked sorrowful. "I'm so sorry for what you had to go through."

"And... I'm sorry for your—"

"Oh, please. Money troubles happen to everyone." She was preparing their mugs of coffee when she remembered, "Oh, is there anything in particular you'd want for—"

"No, no, no." He insisted, waving his hand, "Anything you make is fine with me." He saw the familiar cooking utensils and made a gesture towards one, "Could I help?"

Iduna almost recoiled from the surprise. In all fairness, she didn't know many young men who could cook. Agnarr had tried, but his dishes were lethal. She supposed if he'd been the one feeding those kids for ten years, then he must not be that bad.

"I was thinking about making some tykklefse." She saw the look on Jack's face, "I," she blushed, "I thought I'd give the children a treat."

Jack registered this and sniggered. "I can roll the dough."

Iduna beamed and handed Jack the rolling pin. Among them, from the stairs, Agnarr was observing. He couldn't help but watch for a moment before leaving the hallway to have his bath.

...

Coming close to the bed, Jack gently shook Jamie by the arm, "Jamie," he said softly and the boy stirred, "wake up."

He was still dreaming when he said, "No..."

"Come on, there's breakfast."

Jamie grumbled in response.

Jack smirked, "It's tykklefse—"

"TYKKLEFSE?" Mary shot right up, seemingly out of her sleep. "I'm coming!" She hopped out of bed and ran out of the room.

Snickering, Jack pulled the covers off of Jamie, "You better hurry before your sister finishes it all."

Jamie rolled over in defeat, rubbing his eyes. Satisfied, Jack was about to leave the room, when, "I want to go home." He turned back, not entirely sure what he'd just heard. Jamie didn't repeat himself; he frowned at his brother, both intense with feelings.

Not knowing how to answer, Jack quit the room.

From the top of the stairs, Elsa watched her mother, Jack, Jamie, and Mary all take their seats at the table. A sight she never imagined she would see.

Mary was bouncing once she got the first bite of food in, "This is really good, Mrs. Nordheim!"

"Why thank you. Your brother helped too."

"Elsa," Agnarr startled her. He'd appeared out of nowhere. "Can we speak alone?" His tone hinted at urgency.

"Sure..." She had no idea what this was about. Her heart was already pounding.

...

Elsa acted completely gabberflasted to learn Jack wanted to propose to her. It was only a half-act since she didn't expect Jack to bring this up to her father at all. She was stunned and speechless.

"I have to admit, I thought he was out of his senses asking such a thing of me. But he says the money is ours no matter my answer, and that's what's made me consider the notion."

She was still in a state of shock when she said, "So... You a–approve of his proposal...?"

"It's not about what I think. I needed to know what you felt for the boy first."

"You have no other objection than this?"

"Well, he's certainly had it hard enough as it is. But his background would be nothing if you really liked him."

Tears filled Elsa's eyes, "Papa, I do like him, I love him! All of this, what he's doing, it really is for us. It's for us because he loves me. And I promise you, he won't even ask you to pay him back—he's not that sort of person. He'll do everything in his power to make sure I'm happy."

Agnarr still couldn't quite take this in. "You seem so certain."

"I am certain!"

He looked at her earnestly, searching her face. Agnarr was certain of one thing himself: he loved his daughter. What he saw left him in no doubt.

"Elsa, as your father, you know I believe no man to be worthy of you... Yet it seems I'm overruled."

Elsa's relief, euphoria, and hormones came crashing into one another and tears swelled in her eyes. Yet she was smiling.

"All right, all right, contain yourself. Let's not make a scene until breakfast is over."