Warnings: Currently rated T for language, though liable to change in future chapters for dark imagery and mature content.
Disclaimer: I claim no copyright ownership to Rise of the Guardians or any recognizable characters depicted by DreamWorks, William Joyce, or other miscellaneous fairy tale creatures. However, the plot and original characters are my own.
Chapter Six
"Tomorrow's my first day. What do I wear?"
Alice was digging through her half-packed closet and tossing out miscellaneous items along the way. She was young for a personal banker, she knew that. She had a few months experience at her Ohio bank but most stuck their noses down at teenage bankers, as if they couldn't possibly know how to do their jobs correctly. Most of her day was spent depositing checks or getting cash for customers. A twelve-year-old could do it.
This was yet another thing she was judged for based on her age and it made her angrier than it probably should because it was something she couldn't help. The business industry was always going to be prejudiced against young employees. Every kid looking for a job had faced it at least once – you needed a job to get experience, but you needed experience to get a job. It was a vicious circle.
Her plan was to dress to impress. Most banks required a business dress code, occasionally business casual on Fridays or before the holidays. She had her fair share of blazers, pencil skirts, dress suits and collared shirts. She loathed wearing heels because her feet could never get used to them and she felt self-conscious whenever she tried walking in them, but she had a feeling her one pair of black pumps would have to be her choice of footwear for her first day.
Alice sincerely hoped there wouldn't be much ice on the ground. This time she wouldn't need to be threatened by an out-of-control stock truck to fall and crack her head open.
"This is boring," a voice stated behind her, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Alice turned to see a white-haired boy holding up a pink silk shirt and feigning contempt as he stared at it with a curled upper lip. He was lounging on her bed, legs kicked up and crossed as he relaxed into her pillows with an arm tossed behind his head.
"You sound like Max," she rolled her eyes, kneeling down to open one of her boxes and scowling when she unhelpfully came cross her summer clothes.
"Max clearly knows what he's talking about," she could hear the smirk in his voice. "Taught him everything he knows."
"Mhm," Alice hummed, only partially listening.
This was mostly because she really needed to organize her clothes so she could actually find things. But a small part of her still felt uncomfortable making conversation with Jack Frost. She went back to the clinic for a check-up the day before. She told them it was because the wound on her forehead was red and irritated, which wasn't a lie, but she was kind of hoping they'd give her a brain scan or something. When asked if she was experiencing any nausea, dizziness, or persistent headaches, she almost lied and said she was. But honestly, she was experiencing none of that and being the truthful person she was, she grudgingly told them so. After that they just cleaned her scar, prescribed a new antibiotic cream, and pushed her on her way.
"Hello?" Jack sang, yanking her out of her reverie once more. "Earth to Alice. Have I gone invisible again?"
She scratched the skin near her wound, avoiding touching it directly. Thankfully she no longer had to wear any gauze.
"Unfortunately I can still hear you," she replied, partially joking. Jake made an offended noise from her bed. "I still kind of feel like I could be imagining all of this, though."
"So you're saying you fantasize about me?" she could hear the smirk again and she rolled her eyes inwardly. "I mean, I'm fine with it. Honestly. I'll take it as a compliment."
"I'm sure you will," she droned. She finally stood up from the unpacked box at her feet, eyes trailing over to Jack's prone form against her sheets. He was going through a few wrinkled shirts piled up next to him and she spotted a purple bra lying near his hip. Face red hot, she grabbed the shirt out of his hand and snatched the bra up before he could see it. "Stop going through my stuff," she hissed, embarrassed.
"You're throwing all of it on me!" he countered, gesturing wildly to the stack of clothes surrounding him.
"Yeah well it's my bed, maybe you should get off of it."
Alice turned back to her closet, hanging the shirt and placing it back where it belonged. She stared at it for a moment, scowled, and then took it back off the hanger before tossing it in the hamper nearby. All of her clothes managed to wrinkle themselves between being packed into boxes and moving to Burgess. She was going to have to wash all of them.
"Why are you even picking an outfit now anyway?" Jack continued to complain. "You don't start until tomorrow."
"The last thing I want is to spend all morning trying to figure out what to wear and be late for work."
"Girls," Jack muttered.
Alice licked her teeth, trying not to sound irritated. "Why don't you go play with Max? I think he's with your pal Jamie."
She'd yet to tell Max about her run in with the winter spirit. He still continued to talk excitedly about Jack like he was the greatest thing to ever exist and she didn't want to make him feel like she was taking Jack away from him. But lately, whenever Jack happened to stop by, Max always managed to be somewhere else.
Probably wondering where Jack was.
She had to admit that it felt nice talking to someone who wasn't a decade younger than her and could hold a conversation on an intellectual level (the term 'intellectual' being used loosely in regards to Jack Frost), but truth be told she honestly didn't know how old he was to begin with.
Besides, the reason he existed was to protect and spend time with children. Not teenagers like her.
"I told them I'd be around later," he replied casually. "I thought I knew someone else that could occupy my time just as well but clearly I was mistaken."
"Oh I'm so sorry my adult life is such a drag for you," she lamented sarcastically, opening another box.
"It truly is," Jack said somberly. There was shuffling and then the air shifted, dropping a degree or two, and she saw Jack hovering over her bed, clutching his staff and frosting half of her bedroom wall over with sparkling snowflakes. "Why do you have to go to work? Don't you have anything else better to do?"
"How else do you expect me to pay the bills?" Alice countered. "Maybe if you call the money fairy over, she can fill my bank account with a few million dollars and then you can come talk to me about doing something else more exciting."
Jack abruptly stopped what he was doing and eyed her warily.
"There's no such thing as a money fairy," he told her seriously, as if he actually thought she believed it.
"Oh well thank you for clearing that up."
She did feel a little bummed about that one, though.
Jack left not long after that, claiming that she was putting him to sleep and he'd rather set a blizzard on New York City instead. He told her that he was going to take Max around town again and carry a small doll by his side to freak out the adults into thinking the doll was hovering in midair. Last time they did that Max said the doll was his 'special friend' and nearly frightened a poor elderly couple half to death. The woman had clutched her cross necklace tightly in her wrinkly fist and uttered a few Hail Mary's as the boys passed, cackling at their ingenious.
Alice scolded him when she got Jack alone and told him he was a bad influence.
Eventually she managed to choose something to wear and hung it up on the outside of her closet door, not allowing herself to change her mind and go digging back through her clothes.
She went about business as usual for the better part of the day. She hated how incessantly tedious her life had gotten since moving to Burgess. Jack was about the only thing that kept her on her toes. Even visiting her aunt and uncle was starting to become frustratingly routine. At least back home she had friends she could talk to. Every once in a while they'd shoot her a text asking how she was doing, but other than that it was almost like her past life never existed.
Alice loathed to admit that Jack was onto something when he called her boring, but she'd only been there a week. It wasn't like in the books and movies where the new girl would move into a small town and suddenly everyone was interested in her, wanting to learn more about her and bringing her homemade pies or casseroles. She still hadn't even met her neighbors.
Curling up in front of the large window in their entry room, nursing a cup of hot chocolate, she gazed out into the yard. It wasn't snowing as much as it had been recently and she wondered if Jack really was off in New York wreaking havoc like he said.
It was moments like these when she was alone with her thoughts that she wished she could go back to school. She loved learning. She had always dreamt of taking History or Astronomy classes. Subjects that would get her nowhere in life if she were to major in them. But she loved learning about the past, about her ancestors. She loved space and the stars. If she could at least have her own telescope and maybe her own library, then she'd be happy. But she wanted to go to an observatory and learn about the night sky. She wanted to visit Washington D.C. and read in the Library of Congress. She had all these ambitions that she'd never be able to fulfill.
It saddened her. She wished the world didn't work like that. She wished things could be easy. And free.
Checking the time on her phone, she figured it was time to go pick up Max. She hadn't even taken more than a few sips of her hot chocolate, so lost in her reverie, so she just threw the rest in a warm tumbler to give to Max.
Ignoring the fact that she still had her pink pajama pants on, she threw on a pair of warm boots and a jacket and made her way to the park. He'd had lunch over at Jamie's house, called her when he got there as she asked. She didn't want to smother him, but she also couldn't ignore her instincts to keep tabs on him. She remembered vividly how her parents let her be when she was little, playing with friends at the lake for hours or off rollerblading. She was able to understand their worry now when she wouldn't check in. If Max was out of her sight for too long something in her brain clicked and she instantly melted into unshakable worry.
The minute she approached the park, a smile erupted on her face. She watched as Max hid behind a park bench, white fluffy ammunition clutched in his hand as he peeked around, hiding from the rest of the boys as they attempted to throw snowballs at him.
Figuring she could wait a little bit longer, she ambled over to a spot underneath a tree that didn't have any snow and plopped herself on the ground. It was a little damp but nothing she couldn't handle.
She checked her phone for messages and emails, all the social media outlets and whatnot, before pocketing it and just admiring the view of the park. She listened to the shrieks of joy as the kids played, running around and slipping in the snow, eliciting howls of laughter from the rest of them. Max hadn't even noticed she was there.
It was a peaceful moment until an unmistakable voice startled her, "Just couldn't stay away, huh?"
Alice jumped, glancing from side to side before remembering that Jack Frost defied all the laws of gravity and glanced up. He was floating innocently among the bare branches of the tree, chin resting in his hand. He looked like he was lying on his stomach on an invisible floor and the sight of him in midair still took her by surprise sometimes. It went against everything she believed in. Her sciences classes in high school had been a waste.
"Of course not," she said. "Your incredible wit brings me back every time."
"I mean, I won't disagree," he floated with ease down to the ground with her and crossed his legs Indian style. "I do have a certain charm, don't I?"
"A certain ego's more like it," she rolled her eyes good-naturedly and he didn't argue with her on it.
Alice could feel Jack's eyes on her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end like they would if anyone else were watching her, but she didn't say anything and waited for him to.
"You know," he started. "I may not notice the cold since I am the cold in every sense of the word," that was his way of boasting without actually boasting and she smirked inwardly, "but I know for a fact it's not warm outside."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that your way of being concerned for me?"
He rolled his eyes before asking outright, "Are you cold? I can kick it down a notch if you want."
Immediately she could feel the temperature rise a bit as he hadn't even waited for her to answer. She smiled, unable to hold it back. "I was fine but thank you, I do feel better now."
"You're welcome. I'm hot now, but you're welcome."
Even though he grinned a little at his statement, clearly indicating that he wasn't serious, her eyebrows still furrowed in concern. She hadn't intentionally meant for him to make himself uncomfortable just to appease her.
"I didn't mean for—" she began, only to be interrupted by Jack shaking his head, giving her that amused look like he was positively entertained by everything she did.
"I was just kidding," he chuckled. "I'm fine. Really. I can take the heat," he winked and she offhandedly wondered how he could possibly feel warm in 45-degree weather. But he was the spirit of winter so she didn't bother questioning it in fear of making herself look like an idiot.
"How do you do that?" she asked. Jack did that thing where he tilted his head, making himself look younger than he actually was. "Adjust your body temperature like you do," she clarified.
"Well," Jack rubbed his jaw absently. "I'm kind of always giving off these waves of cold. I do it without even realizing it. But if I concentrate, I can make those waves emit less coldness if I want them to, or more if I'm feeling hot."
"What happens to you if you get warm?" she asked curiously. "When do you get warm?"
"Obviously sooner than you do," he laughed a little. "Over the years I've noticed that when it gets to be about 60-65 degrees, I start to sweat. I can usually make myself cooler if I want to, but if it's too warm for me then sometimes I can't concentrate well enough on it because my body's too distracted by the heat to focus its energy on the magic."
Magic, she thought wistfully. Magic was actually real. How cool was that?
"Wow," she mused. "And I thought I was bad when I feel hot in like May. Where do you go when it's summer and all hot and humid? Alaska?" she joked.
He shrugged. "Sometimes. Antarctica's usually pretty nice in July," Alice snapped her mouth shut, not expecting him to actually admit to it. Jack laughed. "I'm serious!"
She shook her head amusedly. "I'll take your word for it, Frost."
Alice gazed on as Jack scooped up a ball of his own ice. It shined a bit in his grip, iridescent and coming to life, before he threw it towards the kids with perfect aim and hardly any effort at all. It managed to hit Max straight in the face and Alice could have sworn his eyes glowed for a split second before he cackled merrily, as if in a trance, and chased after Jamie and a boy named Claude. They were too distracted to realize that it was Jack who threw the snowball.
It was fascinating to watch. Alice thought they looked happy before, but now they were absolutely giddy with excitement. She wondered what kind of magic Jack possessed to make them act that way. Then she wondered if it really mattered. His magic was pure, designed specially to make children see the light in dark places. It was kind of beautiful.
"I've never seen Max so happy," Alice noted, gauging Jack's reaction.
He placed a hand over his chest in mock honor. "Was that a compliment?"
Alice rolled her eyes again, something she found she did a lot around Jack, but smiled nonetheless. "I'm just saying, you must be doing something right. I've never seen him act this way before."
"He's never acted this way around you?" Jack raised an eyebrow. He quickly back-tracked, "I mean, you are his mother. Don't really think I stand a chance against you."
Alice was thrown for a second. She knew a moment like this would have to come eventually, but for some reason it was still completely unexpected. She'd never done this before. Never been around someone who didn't know her story. It felt foreign to her, putting her on edge.
"Max isn't my son," Alice said carefully. She couldn't understand why Jack seemed so shocked by that, considering how unlikely it was if one just did the math. "I mean he is, but he's not. Not biologically. I would've had to have been pregnant at eleven if that were the case, Jack."
She expected him to feel embarrassed or maybe apologetic, but he just looked lost.
"I mean—I guess I just assumed—you're—" he stammered and for once he managed to look flustered and out of his element. "You're younger than you look. I always thought you were older."
Alice laughed a little at his sputtering. "I'm only nineteen, Jack."
"Well then," he looked so inherently frustrated that he didn't understand what was going on and it was almost amusing to watch. He furrowed his delicate eyebrows. "What's the deal with Max then? I mean, I get that you're his guardian. But why? You're so young."
It occurred to her that he didn't realize he was overstepping his boundaries. In some sense of the word, he was just as naïve as the children he protected. He didn't understand when it was appropriate to stop asking questions, like part of his mind never actually grew up.
"Yeah, so I've been told," she remarked dryly, brushing it aside for now and deciding it just didn't matter. She leaned back against her hands. "It's a long story, Jack. And I'm not sure I'm comfortable with sharing it just yet."
Alice never had to tell anyone about what happened. She'd only lived in one place and everyone either heard the story on the news or through the grapevine. She didn't know what it was going to be like explaining all the details. She didn't know how it would affect her. The last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of someone she hardly knew.
Jack considered her words before leaning back as well, mirroring her position. The two of them gazed off into the distance, watching the explosion of color against the vast evening sky, molding from brilliant golds to warm pinks and soft purples as the world welcomed dusk. They shared an amiable silence, just enjoying the weather and the comfort of each other's presence, children's laughter still evident as soothing background noise.
"You know," Jack spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the calm air that had situated itself amongst them. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here."
Alice glanced over at him, surprised by his sincerity.
"I just… you look like you need someone," Jack tried to explain, pushing himself forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he gazed at her intently. "When things get hard, sometimes all you need to do is have someone you know you can talk to. To get everything off your chest. I get that, I've been there," he shrugged, smiling lightly. "I just want you to know that I am here. I'm willing to be that person for you, if you need me to be."
Alice blinked. The last person she expected to offer her a shoulder to lean on was Jack Frost. The guy was all snowballs and fun times, as per his words. Clearly he had much better things to do.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked honestly.
Jack had the decency to look mildly offended. "I'm not a bad guy."
She cracked a small grin. "I didn't mean it that way. But why would you want to listen to me? My story's not exactly a happy one."
He shrugged again, very nonchalant.
"I like to think I'm a good judge of character and you seem like a good person. Good people shouldn't have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders," he spoke as if from experience and Alice idly wondered what happened to him in the past to make him think that way. "I know that you have a lot on your plate, what with Max and everything. It can be hard when you have all these other things on your mind. Sometimes it's just easier when you can say some of the stuff out loud, have someone listen to what you have to say. That way it's all out in the open and not trapped inside your head anymore."
For a moment, Alice didn't know what to say.
"You sound very wise, Jack Frost. How old are you again?" she teased.
He raised an eyebrow with a cheeky grin. "Seventeen."
Alice rolled her eyes at him pleasantly. "You look seventeen."
"My charm's never really worn off," he bragged lightly and she snorted a laugh.
They didn't say anything for a few minutes but Jack gently nudged her shoulder with his in a form of comradery and she smiled a little. The sun was quickly beginning its descent below the horizon and the deep red in the clouds was getting washed away by dark blues and greys.
"Anne," she said finally. She saw Jack turn to face her out of the corner of her eye and he tilted his head in question. "Max's mother. Her name was Anne," she smiled sadly over at him. "She was my best friend."
Jack's eyes glistened in reflection of the setting sun and were alight with understanding. He slid closer to her so their shoulders were touching. It was a sign of acknowledgement that he was there and he would listen and for once she was grateful to have someone close.
"I knew her almost my entire life. When I was little, my parents used to go to church and our families met there. I was about five or six. She was a couple years older than me – five, to be exact – but we were in the same Sunday school class and we went to Bible study together, all that. We became pretty good friends, but she had friends her age and I did, too. The older I got, the closer we became. She was the big sister I never had and I think she liked spoiling me like a little sister. I think my parents were a little uncomfortable with me being so close to someone so much older than me, but they loved her to death anyway because she was just likeable. She had everyone wrapped around her finger."
Alice laughed a little, surprised that she didn't feel any tears burning her eyes yet. Instead, she just felt happy reminiscing.
"But things changed when she turned sixteen. She made a mistake. She got pregnant. It didn't work out with the father and her parents stopped letting her go to church even though she felt it was important for her to be there. She was always more religious than I was. I went because I felt like I had to go, but she went because she wanted to."
She leaned her head back and glanced up at the branches rocking in the cool breeze. The sun had almost completely sunken below the horizon and it was getting chilly out. The kids were congregating near the bench Max had been using as his shield, tired and out of breath as they chatted animatedly.
"Anyway, it was rough for her but she had the baby. Max. Her mom had been sick for a few years, battling with leukemia and not long after Max was born she passed away. It kind of tore her family apart because her father was dependent on her mother. She got through it though and was a fantastic mom for being so young. I got to spend a lot of time with Max, helped her with him and babysat when I got older.
"It's because of her that he turned out so great," she looked over at Jack. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since she began speaking and he looked enthralled with the story, hanging off of every word she spoke. "Anne was such a good mom. She always had good manners, always had a smart head on her shoulders. I mean, sure, she made some mistakes but who doesn't? She was only human. And she took responsibility for those mistakes."
Alice felt bitter as she remembered the way people had treated her. She couldn't remember how many times she had to defend Anne's honor. How many times she stood up for her because she couldn't stand the thought of strangers – people that didn't even know her – tarnishing her name. People were ignorant.
"What happened to her?" Jack asked softly.
Alice trained her gaze on her hands, wringing her fingers together.
"It was a really bad car accident," she said. "She hit her head real hard on the steering wheel, was knocked out right away. She woke up in the hospital not long after it happened, talking and laughing like everything was normal. The nurses said it was a miracle she was even awake so soon," she laughed resentfully. "But she was dead and didn't know it."
Things suddenly fell heavy between them as the atmosphere thickened.
"About a week later, they found out too late that she was bleeding into her brain. She just kind of… went to sleep one day. She was given surgery, but it was a waste. They said she was brain dead. Alive, but only by machine. They said that she could be kept on life support, but she would never wake up. It happened so suddenly that no one knew what to do."
Jack never said a word as she spoke, holding true to his promise of just listening to her talk. And she had to admit that it felt kind of good to say it all. Like she had it pent up for so long that she never realized just how much of a burden it really was to keep it bottled up until she finally let it all go.
"Her dad, the only living relative she had, kind of lost it after he told them to pull the plug. He didn't want anything to do with Max; didn't want to look at the living reminder that his daughter no longer existed. He refused guardianship of Max and said to do whatever with him they could. Anne made me his godmother, so technically I was next in line. Social Services didn't like that, though. They said I was too young, too incapable of taking care of another human being. But they couldn't say no since it was written in Anne's will that if something were to happen to her father, I would get custody. I was eighteen at the time so it was perfectly legal.
"I was kind of surprised to find out that she had a written will," she admitted. "But I guess that's just what comes with being a mother. You think of things no one else does. Part of me wondered if she somehow knew something was going to happen to her, and sometimes I still do, but how could she? It was just one of those things. A freak accident."
Alice shook those thoughts away. They were best left for another time. "Anyway, they tried working with him on it, but he passed away about a month later. Coroner's report was that he died of an overdose. He'd never been right in the head after Anne's mom died. Was always a little unstable, and on the inside I was thankful he didn't want Max because I didn't trust him.
"When Social Services figured out that I was Max's only legal guardian, I was granted custody but they kept a close eye on me. They inspected where I lived, stopping by unannounced two or three times a month to make sure the place was kept clean. They demanded to know how much money I was making, how much money I had to spend on rent and utilities, and how much money I had left over for food and clothes and other necessities. It was humiliating," she gritted her teeth, remembering all the stares she'd gotten from the neighbors after seeing people in suits invading her home as if she were a criminal.
"I worked at a local bank, had been ever since I was seventeen because my dad was good friends with the owner. I made good money for an eighteen-year-old, even got a promotion right after I turned nineteen, and not once did I get a mark against me saying I couldn't afford to look after him. But they kept pestering me anyway, just waiting for the moment I'd screw up." She admitted a little proudly, "I never did. They even took me to court for it, saying it was mandatory that after so many months, I have a hearing to determine my progress. The judge ruled that I was a worthy caregiver, and then I decided to move. I was just done with them."
Alice sighed, feeling tired and she went back to playing with her fingers. Jack continued to listen, ever watchful as he brushed his hand over hers in comfort. He eventually managed to peel her hands apart after he realized she wasn't going to stop wringing them together and picking at them. She rested them behind her again instead and supported her weight on them.
"My parents never really approved of the idea of me taking Max in. They never got in the way, especially whenever Social Services were involved because that would have just made things worse for me, but we kind of had a falling out when I gained custody of him. My dad said I was throwing my life away 'unnecessarily'," she used air quotes. "And my mom didn't really say anything which meant that she agreed with him."
Alice would always resent her parents a little for that, but she didn't have the time nor the will power to feel angry with them. The way she saw it, as long as they were out of sight, they were out of mind.
"I couldn't handle all the negativity surrounding Max," she continued. "I rented an apartment as soon as I could and moved out of my parents' house. It was good enough for the time being until I had enough money saved. I did some part time at the library and the animal shelter, too. Whoever needed extra hands. Even though it was minimum wage, I'd take it. Money was money," she shrugged. "When I had enough, I figured it was time. Social Services weren't legally holding me back anymore, so I talked to my aunt and uncle out here who'd always been more open-minded about my situation with Max and looked online and eventually bought a house.
"I'd always planned on going to college. I spent so much time in high school saving money and trying to build a college fund. Part of that money went to buying a car when I was sixteen – my parents had agreed to contribute whatever amount I had, so I was lucky enough to not have a car payment. My car isn't new and it's not pretty, but it runs. All the money I had leftover went towards the down payment on the house. College was kind of out of the question at that point."
It felt a little weird to her when she finished. She felt satisfied, for lack of a better word. It was almost therapeutic for her. She couldn't count the amount of times in the past she considered therapy. It was just a luxury she couldn't afford.
She sighed heavily, squinting up at the stars as they began to sparkle and glitter across the night sky. It was calm and serene and she found that she felt very at ease.
"So there you have it," she breathed. "That's the story."
Jack didn't respond for a few seconds, letting the information settle in, but then he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a friendly hug. She was able to hide her shock well enough, but it'd been a long time since she'd been hugged by someone that wasn't family.
"You are strong as hell, kid."
Alice shook her head.
"No," she said. She wasn't being modest. "I just did the right thing. I couldn't bear the thought of Max being put through foster care," she bit her lip. "He's such a sweet kid. He wouldn't have been treated right."
She went to play with her fingers again, an absent habit she never really meant to do, but Jack stopped her and instead held one of her hands in his. There was a spark as their fingers connected. Not in the emotional sense but physical; there was a soft blue glow that made her skin tingle, not unpleasantly. She smiled slightly at this, fleetingly noting how much bigger his hands were than hers and the stark contrast between their skin tones. He still had that ethereal glow about him that made him seem otherworldly. Alice supposed he technically was.
"I don't mean to sound all holier-than-thou," she started, watching with fascination as his thumb trailed back and forth across her hand, leaving sparkles of frost in its wake, "but I didn't think anyone could take better care of Max than I could. That's also why I did it. I knew that I was young, didn't make a lot of money, didn't own a house. But I wanted to take him anyway," she glanced up at him, feeling small under his gaze and she asked uncertainly, "Does that make me a bad person? Selfish?"
Jack shook his head slowly and squeezed her hand gently in reassurance.
"Not at all," he told her, voice gravely and low. "If anything, it makes you a better person."
"My biggest fear is that I'm going to fail Max," Alice said honestly. "That one day I'm not going to be enough and Social Services are going to take him away from me. Tell me their I told you so's."
The look Jack was giving her was so endearing. "That's never gonna happen."
"You promise?" she asked childishly.
He chuckled. "I promise."
She smiled thankfully at him and then there was a pause.
"I can't believe you're seriously the one calling me kid," she joked, elbowing him gently in the stomach. His body felt cold against hers, even with the buffer of their warm hoodies in between them, but she didn't find it to be unappealing.
"Hey," Jack smirked. "Technically I'm centuries older than you. You need to learn how to respect your elders, princess," he flicked her nose and she swatted him away, enjoying the lightened mood.
"But you're only seventeen," she teased.
Jack raised an eyebrow with a crooked grin. "I only look seventeen."
A/N: Big thanks to so in her own head, Aqua Lilly, KittyCatKate, BrokenSouloftheDarkness, vcaldwell52, and guests for the reviews! I always love reading them! It still blows me away at the amount of follows and favorites this story continues to get. Always nice to hear your work is well liked.
Edited 12/23/20
