'Oof!'

9 year old Jack looked up to see a girl faceplant into the snow in front of him. Before he could go over to help her up, a strawberry blond boy bumbled over, holding two cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Elsa! Spirits, are you alright? That looked like a nasty fall."

The girl, Elsa, clambered to her feet and immediately hid behind the boy. He chuckled and turned to Jack.

"Hi! I'm Allen! This is my little sister, Elsa. Sorry, she's a little shy. Come on, Els, say hi!"

Jack tilted his head curiously, trying to peer around Allen to get a closer look at Elsa. He didn't look that scary, did he? Sure, his snow white hair threw people off initially, but he still had lots of friends in school, and his teachers had always said he was a cheerful, albeit mischievous, little boy.

When she peered back however, Jack was greeted with the most beautiful blue eyes. Blue eyes and platinum blonde hair, that were oddly familiar. Yet, Jack was sure he had never seen her before. He would've remembered for sure. His snowman temporarily forgotten, Jack plucked up all the courage he had and walked up to her.

"Hi, I'm Jack!"

Allen nudged Elsa encouragingly.

"H-Hello, Jack. I'm Elsa."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed.

"W-would you like to build a snowman, Jack?"

Allen's mouth dropped open in shock. He hadn't actually expected Elsa to ask Jack if he had wanted to play, just for her to return his greeting. He was further convinced he would never be able to close it back again after he saw Jack nod enthusiastically and grab Elsa's hand and drag her towards a half-completed snowman, and Elsa follow with no resistance. His baby sister had never, never, initiated anything with anyone, and she was especially adverse to anyone she didn't know touching her. It had taken even their own relatives a few years before she willingly allowed them to hold her without bawling into tears. And now, not only had she asked this boy whom they had barely met for 5 minutes to play, she had even let him hold her hand! And didn't fight back!

Allen narrowed his eyes suspiciously, protective older brother urges surfacing. This wasn't what they would call love at first sight, was it? This boy wasn't trying to trick his baby sister, was he? Immediately, Allen banished this thought. They were only 9 year old kids, for spirits sake! Just because he had had his own nasty experience with love - blasted Hannah, he still couldn't believe she would betray him like that - didn't mean he had to be suspicious of everyone. He would still keep an eye on Jack though. Spirits be damned if he let Elsa go through the same heartbreak he did.

But as Allen looked over to see the 2 children laughing gleefully in the snow, an expression of unbridled joy on Elsa's face as she watched Jack attempt to stick a carrot, where had that come from?, into the snowman's face in place of a nose, he thought just maybe, they would be fine. They were just kids, but from where he was watching, it looked as though 2 souls who had been longing for each other had finally found each other.

Though when Jack glomped Elsa in a hug after successfully building a snowman taller than the both of them, Allen decided it was time to interrupt. He was, after all, still Elsa's big brother. They could keep the touchy-feely things for when they were older.

"Hey Elsa, Jack! Have some hot chocolate before it becomes completely cold!"

"But Mama! I don't want to leave!"

"I'm sorry, dear. But your father has found a new job, and we have to go with him. You wouldn't want Papa to be alone, would you?"

"No...but what about my friends? What about Jack?"

"You can still keep in touch with them. We won't be leaving for another week, why don't you go and play with Jack? I'll even extend your curfew by an hour this week."

"Okay Mama…"

Irene watched her 14 year old daughter leave the house and let out a sigh. It broke her heart to have to see Elsa so sad, but what choice did she have? Her husband's job had always demanded he leave home for extended periods of time, and he had finally found one that would allow him to stay in one place so that he could spend time with his family. Unfortunately, it wasn't in their hometown. And that meant that she would have to separate Elsa from Jack. In the 5 years since the two children had met, Irene had never seen Elsa happier. They were just children, but it was as if Elsa had finally found the person she had been looking for for a long, long time.

"Don't worry Mom, she'll be fine. It's the 21st century, they'll find a way to keep in contact."

Irene turned to see her eldest son emerge from his room.

"I know...but it still breaks my heart. It always looked like they were meant for each other, you know?"

Allen smiled, remembering the first time his sister and Jack had met.

"I know what you mean. I'm sure they'll meet each other again. Besides, it's not like we're never coming back here right?"

"You're right. I'm probably just worrying for no reason. Thank you, Al. You're the best son I could ever ask for. What would I ever do without you?" Irene said, pulling Allen into a tight embrace.

"And you're the best Mom."

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!"

The bright headlights of the incoming vehicle blinded Elsa, filling her vision with white. She felt the car fly, her seatbelt the only thing keeping her to her seat. The car skidded to a halt, but all Elsa could feel was sharp pain lacing through her body before everything turned black, her consciousness fading.

Man high on drugs and alcohol arrested after an accident that involved a family of 4.

Jack stilled when he saw the familiar silver car in the picture included below the headline. The number plate had been blurred, and most of the car had been crushed inward as a result of the crash. It couldn't be them, could it? Lots of families had silver cars.

A driver who had consumed more than 5 cups of vodka had decided to drive home despite repeated warnings from friends not to do so.

While inebriated, Pitchiner Black, 32, had driven at a high speed into the opposite lane and crashed head first into the Arendelle's car.

The family had been on the way home after having dinner.

All 5 were brought to the hospital, where Mr Alexander Arendelle, 54, and Mrs Irene Arendelle, 53, were proclaimed dead. Their oldest son, Allen Arendelle, 27, was heavily injured but is not in critical condition. Their daughter, Elsa Arendelle, 20, remains in critical condition, but doctors are not optimistic about her recovery.

Black was also heavily injured, but is not in critical condition. For reckless driving involving death and serious injury, he could face…

Jack couldn't even finish reading the article. No, no, it couldn't be. He had just been texting Elsa that very morning, and had thought her silence in the evening was because something had come up. He hadn't expected her to be involved in an accident! The sensation of loss yet again was overwhelming. Jack didn't even hear his mother and sister burst into the room as grief overcame him and he let out a feral roar, his vision blurred by tears.

Her dreams were filled with magic and ice and castles, with sisters and snowmen and spirits. And...a barefoot, white-haired man holding a shepherd's crook?

"Elsa…"

Elsa jolted, and realised she was standing on what seemed to be a frozen fjord. She didn't know how she got there. In the distance, a palace made of ice, the exact same one she had seen in her dreams, sparkled in the sun. She swiveled around, looking for the source of the voice. Why did it sound so familiar? Elsa was startled when a strawberry blonde girl who looked to be around her age appeared out of nowhere. She looked everything, yet nothing, like Allen. The girl wore a green dress that was obviously from another time. When she looked down, Elsa realised that she herself was in an ice blue dress, a dress she was sure she had never seen before, but felt so at home in.

When Elsa looked up, she realised the girl, Anna, her mind provided, had crossed the distance and pulled her into a tight hug. Elsa melted into the embrace, her arms automatically coming up to return the hug.

Anna released her from the hug, and Elsa reluctantly let go. It had felt so warm. The strawberry blonde clasped Elsa's hands tightly, and looked straight into her eyes when she spoke again.

"Dear sister, I'm so happy to see you again! I've missed you so much. But you cannot stay here, you have to return."

Return? Return where? But she was so comfortable, and Anna was here…

Suddenly a blizzard blew through, pulling her away from Anna, who somehow seemed unaffected by the sudden snow storm. Elsa reached out desperately to Anna, but the latter only looked at her with sadness and affection shining in her eyes.

"You have to go back to him, Elsa. Both of you deserve to be happy."

Him? Who was he? Yet, even as her mind only provided her with more questions and no answers, she could feel the longing in the very depths of her soul.

"I love you, sis. Always have, always will."

As the blizzard completely obscured her vision with white, Elsa whispered, "love you too, sis."

When the wall of white cleared, Elsa realised she was standing on the edge of a snowy cliff, the aurora borealis shining above her. The cliff overlooked a huge mansion with a rounded, snow capped roof, as well as several smaller houses. Orange lights shone through the windows, casting a warm glow to the otherwise cold place. Her outfit had changed as well, and she was now wearing a deep, dark blue dress with a white fur trim around her shoulders.

"Snow Queen Elsa."

Elsa whipped around. She was no queen, much less the Snow Queen! She was just plain Elsa. But what she saw stopped the words coming out from her mouth. Was that Santa Claus?!

"It's been a long time, dear friend. But it is not yet time for you to return as a spirit."

What was he talking about? There was no way she was friends with Santa! Yet some part of her knew that a long time ago, they had known each other.

"He's waiting for you, my child. The two of you have been searching for each other for such a long time. Do not let this opportunity go."

Was he talking about the same person Anna had been?

At that moment, Elsa felt the wind pick up around her and the ground below her started to split. Right before she fell through the cracks, she felt herself smile at the big man.

"It's good to see you again, North."

Elsa recognised the place she had landed in as the interior of the ice palace she had seen in her dreams. The entire place sparkled in the sunlight, and in front of her were huge double doors that she somehow knew led to the balcony. She could almost recall the sensation of throwing them open, and letting everything got. Her outfit had changed once again, this time to one of white. When the wind blew her unbound hair into a mess, she was hit with a sense of deja vu.

Just then, a figure landed on the balcony and rushed towards the doors, throwing them open. It was the white-haired man with the shepherd's crook, the same one that had appeared in her dreams. Now that she could see him up close, he looked exactly like someone she knew and loved dearly.

"Jack?"

Jack reached out towards her, and she immediately rushed into his arms.

"Come back to me, Elsa."

"Come back where, Jack? Where are we? Why is everyone telling me to return?"

A flurry of snowflakes had started to swirl around them, but Elsa barely noticed.

"We finally found each other, you have to come back."

"Jack, what are you talking about? I'm right here."

The flurry had started to gain speed, and Elsa could feel her body fading into them, pulling her away from Jack. No, this couldn't be happening! She didn't want to leave Jack.

"You have to wake up Elsa. Please. Don't leave me again."

At this point, most of her body had faded into snowflakes, and she could feel herself being wretched away.

"Come back to me, Elsa."

"Jack? Jack!"

"...ack!"

Elsa woke up with a gasp, her eyes flying open. She was momentarily blinded by the white walls and the bright lights in the hospital room.

She felt a pressure on her hand, and turned her head to look. What she saw made her heart swell. Beside her on a chair was Jack, his head on her bed as he slept in what had to be the most uncomfortable position ever. Her hand was clenched tightly in his much larger one, and it seemed as though he had no inclination to let go. Elsa brought her other hand to run her fingers through his fluffy white hair.

The action must have woken him up, for Jack stirred. He momentarily let go of her hand to rub his eyes, and immediately, Elsa missed the sensation of her hand in his. When he pulled his hands away from his eyes and saw Elsa conscious, his eyes widened almost comically in shock and surprise.

"Elsa? You...you're awake?"

It was then that Elsa noticed the red rim around his eyes, and the dark, almost bruise-like bags below it. He must not have been sleeping well. Just how long had she been unconscious?

"Hello, Jack."

Immediately, Jack glomped Elsa in a hug, the latter letting out a small oof in surprise. He held her tightly, as if she would disappear if he let go.

"The doctors said you might never wake up, and it had been weeks, and I thought you would really never wake up and I would be all alone, and I didn't know what to do, and..and.."

His babbles had dissolved into full on sobs as he hugged her to him even tighter.

"I thought you had left me."

Jack's voice was so small that Elsa couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She brought her arms up around him and held onto him as tightly as she could.

Don't leave me again. Dream Jack's voice echoed in her head.

"I won't ever leave you, Jack. Even if I do, we will always find our way back to each other. I promise. I believe in us."

Jack let go of Elsa so he could lean back and look at her, but never letting her out of his embrace.

"I love you, Elsa." Tears were still streaming down his face as he said it, but Elsa could see the affection shining strongly in his eyes.

"I love you too, Jack."

When Jack brought Elsa close to give her a sweet kiss, Elsa could feel that at last, their souls had finally found what they had been searching for. The two of them had managed to find their way back to each other through the frost, and they were never, never, letting each other go ever again.

.

.

.

Fin.

And we've come to the end of Through the Frost! This is my first completed multi-chaptered work, and I hope y'all enjoyed it. I initially wanted to end it off with them as kids, but then I realised it was too short, not to mention I don't really know how to write children (my only experience with them is this kid I tutor and she is an absolute demon). I was going to have Elsa suddenly cut off contact when she found out her parents died, and them meeting again much later, but it felt too similar to my story The First Snowfall. If you have time, do check that out as well.

Until next time!