Elsa was careful not to wake Jack the next morning. He was in a deep sleep and she knew it was better to let him rest so he could catch up on what he'd lost.

Padding out to the hall, she peeped on the children to see if they were sleeping and then went to the kitchen to start breakfast. What she'd failed to notice was that Jamie was already awake. He wasn't particularly anxious to get up if it meant spending time with Elsa, but he did want to get out of bed. As he shifted, he noticed a cold, wet spot in his bed, spread out in a small stain. Jamie then noticed his pants were soaked at the crotch and he realized what he'd done.

This hadn't happened in years. Jamie only wet the bed back when he was too scared to leave his room during the monster's worst tantrums. He must've just slept too hard the night before to realize he had to pee—he wasn't scared anymore, was he? Did Jack's nightmare bring back old anxieties?

Too embarrassed to ask for help, Jamie cautiously slipped out of bed, hiding the pee stain with his blanket before grabbing a change of clothes. Once he was dry and he'd hidden his pajamas in the laundry basket, all that was left were his sheets to deal with. When he left the bathroom, he bumped into Elsa, who startled.

"Oh, I was just coming to get you. Breakfast is ready."

"Mm." Jamie grunted and moved past her. He was going to wait until Mary was up and out of their room before he snuck the sheets into the hamper. He felt like he needed three baths. While his plate sat untouched on the table and Mary and Elsa dined together, Jamie used this opportunity to pull off his bedsheet and ball it up before creeping down the hall.

He would once again be intercepted by Jack exiting the bathroom. He'd just finished brushing his teeth in a half-asleep daze and wasn't sure what he was seeing at first. Jamie holding his sheets looking petrified. Jack winced, putting together what he thought had happened, but then recalled this all-to-familiar scenario and he sighed. "Put them in the hamper. I'll get it later."

Jack wondered what made Jamie wet the bed after years of no issue—he debated whether it was puberty and Jamie thought he'd wet the bed... but the smell of urine was unmistakable and so Jack took the basket aside immediately for washing. As he scrubbed the clothes and sheets, he asked himself why did puberty have to be so messy? Whether it was semen or blood, someone's bedsheets and underwear were getting ruined.

Poor Jamie and Mary were getting ready for their awkward stages. Jack himself was certain he hadn't outgrown his own yet. Worse yet, sweet kids turned into little night terrors when they became teenagers—Jack recalled his close friends in childhood suddenly became vicious, wicked creatures during their tween years. Lighthearted jokes became aggressive insults, and everyone seemed to be trying to prove something to everyone.

Not Jack. Jack had stayed quiet and reserved, to the point his teachers either loved him for his 'maturity' or worried about his 'lack of friends.' Adults would call Jack precocious, even during the years before his mother vanished. He gravitated more towards the older children or the adults, wanting desperately to be part of whatever they were doing and not children his own age. Even today, Jack was more drawn to older adults or young children he could look after. Elsa was the exception, of course. The only one for as far as he could see.

Jamie and Mary need to make new friends. Jack mused, finishing his mid-morning chore. When the holidays are over, we need to get them in school. The door slammed open and running past Jack, hopping off the porch were Mary and Jamie. Mary hastily said, "We're gonna go play on the swing!"

"Okay," Jack replied, but not loudly enough for them to hear. As the door was falling shut, it was pushed back open by Elsa. She had a distressed look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Those kids won't wait for anything." She said, sitting beside him. "I asked them to let me get ready so I could watch them, but they insisted they'd be fine."

"They're used to being on their own. Don't take it personally."

"It's not really that... Jamie won't say a word to me. He looks at me like he just hates me."

"Hey," Jack put down the soaked cloth, "Jamie's just confused right now. I don't blame him after everything."

"I know," Elsa moaned, "but I'm trying so hard, Jack." She was getting emotional, her hormones were beginning to flare.

"Hey, hey," Jack held her shoulder, "you don't have to do anything. Jamie will come around if you just give him time, I promise."

"I want us to feel like a family." Elsa explained. "It's what we all need."

Jack brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and touched her face. His hand was freezing, but Elsa didn't mind. He came close and pressed a kiss to her lips, a reminder that she was loved, that he was there. When he pulled away, his eyes momentarily went to her belly before he hurriedly looked away. He wasn't sure if he should ask or not, but Elsa already knew.

"I feel fine." Elsa said. "A little emotional, but mostly fine."

"We have to tell your parents and the kids soon." A chilly wind blew and Jack grabbed onto the raiments to keep them from being lost.

Elsa shivered. "I'll take these inside to dry."

"I'm gonna go chop some more wood for the fire." Jack stood up.

"Good idea."

Jack headed for the toolshed, the sound of the twins' laughter carrying across the wood. He looked and saw Jamie was spinning Mary on the swing, both carefree. Grinning slightly, Jack continued on and as he was about to enter the shed, he froze.

All of the sudden, he couldn't enter. He had this horrible feeling about something happening if he did. He didn't know what, but it made his entire body seize up and he could feel every hair on his body stand erect, and not just from the treacherous wind.

This wasn't like the shed back on the fjord, so what was the issue? And it was a clear, sunny, cold day.

Pressing the marks on his wrists, Jack squeezed them as he stepped inside. He was just going to grab the axe.

Another strong wind blew and pushed the door behind him shut, locking out all sunlight.

...

Jack was collapsed on all-fours in the snow, retching, vomiting all that he had in his stomach.

He'd never moved so fast in his life to ram the door open and break free. His entire body shook as he dry-heaved and gasped for air. When it felt like he was finished, Jack sat up on his knees and wiped the drool off his mouth with his cloak. Blurry-eyed, he forgot what he was even doing. He didn't care. He didn't want to be near the shed. He didn't want to be around anything, not even the sound of his joyful brother and sister.

The panic was overtaking him and he couldn't breathe, pulling Jack back onto his hands and knees again.

"You're not in there, you're not in the shed. You need to stop it." Jack was cursing himself in whispers. "Stop it. Just stop it. Be a man. You're a fucking man, you're nineteen. You're gonna have a little baby." Jack was light-headed and felt faint. He had to stop to keep himself from passing out in the snow and held his breath. Shortly after, he let it go and began the deep-breathing technique Elsa had taught him.

Then he whispered, "You shot and killed a man, you're a murderer." His eyes welled up and his face contorted into agony. "You're a fucking murderer." Fighting his tears, Jack pressed his fingertips to his eyes and shoved them away. His heart was hammering against his chest. He held himself, he couldn't breathe. Please help me. Please somebody help me. He went in his mind.

...

"Took you long enough." Elsa joked when Jack finally returned with the firewood. Jack didn't say anything as he made a small pile and began to place some into the fireplace. "You know what I was thinking about?"

"What?"

She came behind him and put her arms around him, "How I can't wait for it to get hot again, so that when you're outside doing your manly labor, you'll want to take your shirt off."

Jack smirked and looked over his shoulder at her, "So you're a voyeur, young lady?"

"Only for you. I could watch you cut wood all day. Especially in the morning." She snickered and Jack rolled his eyes.

"You're very funny."

"Aren't I?" The two would've flirted some more, but the door opened, the snow-covered twins were entering, teeth chattering. "Welcome back."

"The swing is so cool!" Mary trilled, shivering as she took off her overcoat. "You should've seen how high we went."

Jack noted, "Sounds like you two need to sit by the fire."

"Um, Elsa?" Mary asked, "Could you help me with... something?"

Elsa smirked knowingly. "Of course." The two girls left to the bathroom while Jamie sat beside Jack.

"You two have a good time?"

"Yeah, but it got too cold."

Jack lit the fire. While Elsa wasn't in the room, he presumed now would be a good time to try and get him to talk. "So, Jamie, how are you?"

He wrinkled his forehead. "What do you mean?"

"I mean how do you like it here? All of us living together?"

Jamie shrugged. "It's fine."

"Fine? Are you saying you're not happy?"

"I didn't say that." Why was he making this so weird? "I said it was fine."

Jack admitted, "That's not good enough for me, all right? I want you and Mary to be happy."

"I just wish Elsa wasn't here." He blurted, not thinking. Jack looked appalled, as did Jamie. He couldn't believe he'd said it so candidly. He clarified, "Ever since she got here, we've had to move around and then you got married and—"

"Okay, Jamie." Jack cut him off. "Elsa has nothing to do with us leaving home."

"I know that." Jamie mumbled, cheeks getting hot.

"So why are you acting like you don't like her?"

"Because she's the reason we can't go home!" He yelled, then looked aghast. Jack turned and saw Elsa and Mary were standing right there.

Elsa knew better than to let a ten-year-old make her upset, but she had to admit that it hurt. "It's fine." She said.

"No, it's not!" Jack scolded. "Jamie, why would you even think—"

"Because now that you're married to her, we have to live here in this stupid house all alone! I wanna go back to the fjord where all my friends are."

"You're being mean!" Mary shouted.

"I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Hey!" Jack raised his voice, silencing them both. "Mary, go to your room."

Mary protested, "But—" Elsa hushed her and took her by the hand away from the scene.

Now, calmly, Jack turned back to Jamie. "Okay, I understand what's going on now." He turned Jamie so they were looking in the eyes. "Elsa has nothing to do with us being here. We left because we had to get away from our father."

Jamie scowled, "Our dad's dead now, so what does it matter?" Jack pulled away like Jamie was on fire, horrified. He could barely speak. How did he know? The state of their father was the least of Jamie's concerns, however. "We can go home and he won't be there. But now you and Elsa are gonna have a baby and—"

"—Who told you that?" Jack interrupted, face going as white as a sheet. Jamie stopped, stammering. Fuck, all of this was wrong. Why was Jamie always, always in his business? "Go to your room."

"Why?"

"Because I said to!" Jack growled and stood up, walking away into the kitchen.

Jamie did no such thing and followed him. "I want to go home!"

"This is home now!" Jack cried, facing him. "Whether you like it or not, this is where we live now!" His voice was choked with pain as he fought tears. This time, they were tears of rage and frustration. "And Jamie, if you dare tell me one more time about how terrible your life is, I swear to God I'll lose my mind! You have no idea what I saved you from! I saved you from a father that would hurt you, insult you, beat you..." Jack ventilated, "and he would have if I hadn't been there to take every single punch for you! Your friends are all back at the fjord, so what?" He shouted, "You can make new friends! But there is nothing left there for me. Nothing but pain and emptiness. Do you understand? DO YOU?"

"No!" Jamie shouted back, starting to cry.

Jack shook his head, "Oh my fucking God," he wept to himself, "why am I even trying?"

"Then maybe you should've left! Dad only wanted you to leave, so you should've just gone!"

Jack dropped a plate into the sink, making a loud crash and he sighed, "Go to your room." He said, wiping his face with his hands. He saw out the corner of his eye that Jamie wasn't moving. "Go on."

"I hate you," Jamie mumbled.

"Fine! Hate me. Now go to your room." Jamie did, hatefully he did. When he got there, he slammed the door so hard behind him that it made the floor shake.

Mary had been with Elsa in the other bedroom, clutching to her tightly. "Elsa..." She rasped, tears falling from her eyes. Elsa hadn't even noticed she'd been crying. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Elsa stroked her cheek; Mary had been suffering in silence this entire time, all for her and Jack's sake. "It's okay. I'll get you some water." She left her on the bed and went into the kitchen, where Jack was on the floor, leaning against the counter. He was struggling, crawling in his own skin. He just wanted to scream. Elsa completely neglected what she was doing and sat beside him. She pulled him into a cuddle, neither saying a word.