The Jack Frost of Quail Lake

by InfectedLife

A holiday fic that missed the holidays. Horrible fluff and sappiness. Heero is a christmas elf, don't ask I must have been on something, and Duo is the only human who can see him.

She lives...and she writes horrible fluff. This was a short story intended for the holidays but missed by a long shot. Be careful this is fluff at its worst. Stuff so cheesy it actually hurts. I have no idea why I'm posting this now, I guess just to update so it doesn't seem like I've fallen off the planet again. Oh well here it is.

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The Jack Frost of Quail Lake

Our tale begins on one of those perfect mornings where the icy chill in the air was long forgotten with the help of the brightly shining sun that gleamed off the snowcapped hills. Wild animals could be seen scampering across the forest floors because the day just was too perfect to not go outside and play. Birds sang and children laughed. The beginnings of snowmen could be found in every yard as far as the eye could see. Fathers shoveled snow out of driveways while their dainty wives set pies to cool on the windowsills. Yes, it was just one of those absolutely perfect days that had everyone in the Christmas spirit. Unless, that is, you happened to be a Jack Frost.

"Stupid humans." The blue pixy complained from his vantage point on one of the higher branches of an old pine tree. He liked the way this tree smelled which was unusual because he liked very few things. This poor bitter creature was the Jack Frost that went by the name of Heero Yuy. His cold eyes reflected nothing of the world around him for he was not apart of it. Just a lonely bystander who could watch but never join in.

It was a pretty dull job actually but it paid well and there was plenty of time to be alone, which was all he really wanted. Most Christmas sprites were jolly and wished they could be as lucky as the Jack Frosts who got to visit earth and see all the wonderful Christmas traditions and happy faces. Most Jack Frosts loved their job more than anything in the world and became giddy at the first signs of the winter season.

Heero Yuy hated winter. He hated people. And he really hated Christmas.

That was why he could be found sitting in the pine tree in a forest a few miles away from the town he had been assigned to. Quail Lake was excessively giddy when it came to Christmas time and it made him rather ill to watch. Holiday decorations went up in November, gift shopping started in September, and cheery little holiday songs could be heard echoing through the streets all day long. If he had the ability to freeze people's lips shut, he wouldn't even have to pause to consider it.

So naturally when a group of smiling children came running into the forest singing their songs and laughing at only god knows what, it could have been the squirrels for all he knew, Heero was not pleased. It was a small group of three boys that disturbed his forest that afternoon with games in the snow and extremely loud Christmas carols. The one with long brown hair seemed to be by far the loudest out of the group, the blond was talkative but quietly so, and the taller brunette seemed almost mute. Heero wondered how the tall kid ended up in such a gregarious group. He watched the friends with growing irritation as they played in the snow and laughed with each other. If he were a lesser being he would have had to admit he felt just the tiniest bit jealous that he would never be able to just play around like that. There was only one Jack Frost per town and no humans were allowed to know of his existence, it could sometimes be…lonely. But he wasn't a lesser being, he was Heero Yuy, and he would never admit those things out loud. Heck, he didn't even admit them to himself.

Although when the shorter two members of the group began to sing jingle bells loudly and off-key, he was unable to control his urge for retaliation. He smirked at the clump of snow gathered on the branch in front of him, reached over and scooped up a large handful, packed it tightly, then blew on it with his icy breath to seal it in a layer of sleet. Being a Jack Frost for four years had its benefits. There wasn't a soul in this world or the next that could best his snowball skills.

He eyed the trajectory of his assault and took into account the wind velocity and the heading of its vector. Making a minor adjustment for the distance of the drop he flung the ice-capped snowball with the devastating speed of a catapult right into the back of the closest kid's head. A head with a ridiculously long braid attached to it. The boy instantly whipped around in search of his assailant the plaited chestnut locks following the movement sharply. Heero smirked, the whole 'being invisible to the human eye' deal was kinda neat sometimes too. Except when the person you're supposed to be invisible to suddenly decides to turn around and look right at you. Well bugger.

Heero watched with mild fascination as the boy he had just assailed made a few rude gestures to his friends that were obviously meant for him. This was made all the more amusing to the winter pixy by the confused looks on the faces of the boy's friends. Obviously they could not see whomever it was their friend was pointing so angrily at, though they had definitely seen the deadly snowball that came from nowhere. Out of sheer boredom, and certainly not curiosity, Heero decided to listen in on what the boy thought he had seen. Certainly no human could actually see him, especially such a loud and obnoxious one.

"What do you mean you can't see him? He's sitting in a tree wearing sparkly pajamas. How do you miss that?" The longhaired boy was flailing irately at his baffled friends. Heero looked down at the uniform his job required, damn it really did sparkle.

"Quit fooling around Duo. Look we really need to head back now, are you coming or not?" The blonde seemed a little impatient with his friend's antics. Heero fought the sudden urge to smirk at the hell he was causing this boy. Duo, the kid's name was Duo and he really was able to see him. This could be…interesting.

"I'm gonna rip one into this jerk then I'll head home. If you see the father tell him I'll be in before supper." For a minute it looked like the blonde was going to argue with his longhaired friend but in the end he just sighed, shoved his gloved hands into his pockets and walked off with the taller boy. Heero watched his snowball victim march angrily over to his tree to stare up at him defiantly.

"Hey what's the big idea?" The young boy's irate voice echoed in the snow-covered forest. Heero grimaced when the sound hit his ears. How was it possible that one kid was so loud? The boy suddenly looked a little puzzled as he stared up at Heero on his branch.

"How the hell did you get all the way up there?" The boy stared at the lack of branches between Heero and the ground in wonderment.

"I jumped." Heero responded tersely. This was proving slightly less amusing than he thought it would be, especially with the child screaming at him like that.

"No way you fat liar. Now why the hell did you throw a snowball at me?" The boy was yelling and shaking his fist madly. Heero looked down at his clingy uniform, and he had to wonder. 'Fat?'

"Your big mouth made an easy target." He replied grumpily, still sore about the fat comment.

"You jerk! Why don't you come down here and say that to my face." The braided boy pointed his finger at the elf who merely shrugged unaffected.

"Of all the humans in the world with the ability to see elves, I of course get stuck with the village idiot." Heero sighed and plucked a pinecone from his branch. Duo frowned angrily at him but the look soon turned into one of confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Duo shoved his freezing hands into his pockets and stared back up defiantly at the odd boy in the tree.

"Do I look human to you? Then you really are an idiot." Heero blew on the little pinecone in his hand, and Duo watched as frost magically began to appear on it.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Heero glared down at the boy below him then for no other reason besides that he was annoying, Heero chucked the pinecone onto the boy's head.

"Ouch. Would you knock that off!" There was a muffled snort from the branch above him and Duo glared up at the weird kid.

"I told you I'm not human. Do you think I would dress like this if I were?" Heero frowned at his outfit. Honestly, it wasn't like anyone could see him did he always have to dress like a glittery little elf? Well, nobody was able to see him until today that is.

"You could be part of a Christmas parade or something. And what do you mean you're not human?" Duo bent down and picked up the frosted pinecone that had hit him in the head. He examined the ice covering it like he could figure out how the boy managed the trick.

"Look at me. I don't even look human." Heero scowled.

"Sure you do, you're just a little pale. And your hair's a funny color, but other than that you look perfectly human to me." Duo pouted at the elf who had just sighed at him.

"My hair's friggin blue. And my skin's not just pale it's white."

"So you're not from a Christmas parade?" Duo smirked when the elf smacked his forehead.

"You can't be serious." The blue haired boy looked down at him bewildered.

"No, I'm not. So what are you?" Duo asked with a shrug and a grin. There was a slight pause where the elf had to regain his senses. Of all the humans…

"I'm a Jack Frost."

"You're the winter elf with icy breath who freezes everything for the winter? You're Jack Frost?" The boy stared at Heero as if the elf had just morphed into some creature right there in the forest clearing. Heero rolled his eyes.

"I'm a Jack Frost. It's just a job title, and not a very good job either." Heero leaned back onto the tree trunk but continued to look down at Duo.

"If you don't like it, then why do you do it?" The longhaired boy asked, shifting a little under the elf's gaze. He just noticed how unnaturally dark of a blue those eyes were. He watched the elf shrug nonchalantly.

"We have a good union."

"Oh. Hey are you pulling my leg? There aren't really elves, are there?" Heero sighed, in his opinion this kid was either a hardcore skeptic or just really dense. Personally, he was leaning towards the latter. Oh well, there was one way to end this. Heero effortlessly stood up on the ice covered branch and took a flying leap off of it. A half twist and a summersault later he landed gracefully next to the longhaired boy without even making so much as a footprint in the snow.

"Well, I guess that's hard to argue with. So how old are you elf?" Duo asked and looked at the boy who now stood next to him. He smirked when he realized he was just a hair taller than the pixie.

"You don't seem really surprised by this." Heero commented in a totally disinterested voice. Though on the inside he was very confused by the boy who had been so skeptical of him before and now spoke to him like he had known what Heero was the whole time.

"I'm good at adapting to new situations quickly." Duo explained easily, and it was the truth. Life had thrown this boy many curve balls and he had to learn to deal with them. He had learned well, he could read the signs, anticipate them, and roll with them when he had to. Sometimes he found it easier to just act like he didn't know what was going on, but he knew. He knew what it meant to be an orphan, he knew what the stares from the other villagers really were, and he knew what a financial burden he was to the church that had taken him in. But he also knew how happy sister Helen was when she took care of him, and he knew the old preacher loved him like a son, and he knew that he had enough good friends to ward off the worst of the hate filled comments thrown his way. Yes he was an orphan, and as tough as it got sometimes he was still truly happy.

"I see." Heero really couldn't think of anything else to say. He had been watching the boy's eyes begin to glow with some inner light and was surprised by the violet tint they took on. He blinked and shook his head a little to clear his thoughts. Why was he thinking about the color of some mortal's eyes anyway? The light had faded from the boy's eyes anyway and he was now squinting at Heero with curiosity.

"How old are you?" The braided boy suddenly asked again. "Like a hundred? Do you age differently? Are you immortal?" Heero frowned at the onslaught of questions.

"I'm thirteen you idiot." Heero rolled his eyes again but Duo seemed unfazed by it.

"Oh, cool. I just turned thirteen last month. It really sucks I've always wanted to go ice-skating for my birthday but the lakes never freeze in enough time." Heero shrugged and walked over to the pond in the center of the forest clearing.

"Yeah, you're out of luck. Dorothy's in charge of that and she doesn't come into the office until December." Heero responded as he stepped out onto the frozen pond. Duo stood at the edge watching the elf with awe and envy.

"That's all right. So, how long have you been a Jack Frost?" He asked as Heero walked back to edge of the pond next to Duo.

"Since I was nine." He said with little affect.

"Cool. Hey, if Jack Frost is just a title then what's your name?" Duo asked smirking at the other boy's monotone.

"Heero Yuy."

"Cool. I'm Duo Maxwell, by the way. The one and only." The longhaired boy made an exaggerated show of pointing to himself to which the elf rolled his eyes again.

"Hn." Heero grunted at the boy muttering a 'Thank God' under his breath.

"You don't really like to talk do you?"

"Humans can't see me remember. It would be like talking to a wall if I tried to speak to them. Do you go around talking to walls?" Heero paused for a minute to consider his newest acquaintance. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"Well, I've never met a Christmas elf before but that doesn't stop me." Duo responded and stuck out his tongue.

"Hn. Obviously." Was Heero's dry remark and Duo was just about to say something back when a kind and age-touched voice interrupted him.

"Duo, is that you? Quatre told me you were out here. What are you doing, yelling at the squirrels?" Heero turned in the direction of the new voice that had entered the clearing only to find himself standing next to a white haired old priest with a wide grin that put even Duo's to shame. The man had wise blue eyes and a gentle way about him. Duo instantly shone with joy at the sight of the old man.

"Hello Father, I was just talking to my new friend." Both the old priest and Heero had the same thought. 'Friend?'

"Who, son?" The old priest asked puzzled but still smiling at the boy. Heero groaned and wished he were able to touch humans so he could smack this child upside the head.

"Idiot, I'm invisible to him."

"Oh yeah." Heero rolled his eyes again when the boy responded to him out loud. "Never mind Father, just the squirrels. They're quite a troublesome lot this year." Duo smirked over at Heero who glared back at him.

"It's time to come back now, Helen made a great dinner and she's pacing through the floors waiting for you." The old man smiled and Heero felt something in him twist a little painfully. When he went back to his world tonight he would eat in the cafeteria at work then go home to his apartment and sleep. He wondered what it would be like to have someone waiting at home for him.

"All right, let's go."

Heero watched the boy leave and was surprised that he was almost disappointed to see him go. The boy turned just as he was leaving the forest clearing and waved to Heero over his shoulder, then remembered they were supposed to be quarreling and stuck out his tongue. Heero leaned back against the trunk of the pine tree and frowned. He had a…friend?

The next day Heero finished the morning frost early so he naturally went to his favorite spot away from the town. The large pine tree was waiting for him just as he left it the day before minus one braided baka. Of course there was no way that he was there at that spot again in hopes to see that boy, absolutely not. So when he saw a newly familiar figure with a long braid come trudging over a distant hill he wasn't excited in the least. And when he heard an off-key Christmas carol echoing in the forest clearing there definitely weren't any butterflies in his stomach.

"Hey elf! You still here?" Heero frowned from his hiding space on a higher branch. Really the boy was asking for the snowball being so rude like that. He blew on it to seal it in ice and jumped down from his branch to land six feet away from the braided boy. The moment his feet touched the snow the destructive ball of ice was launched in the direction of his opponent. He snickered when he saw the white powder explode on the boy's sweater covered chest. He paused when he didn't hear the loud rant that he had come to expect and instead watched in awe as a retaliatory snowball hit him in the arm.

"Hn. Nice shot." The elf frowned at his arm then shook it and the snow simply vanished.

"No fair. Want to help me out here?" Duo held out his shirt so the elf could make the melting snow on his sweater disappear.

"Deal with it." Heero turned away towards the lake.

"But it's friggin freezing." Duo complained but Heero just shrugged.

"I have no idea what cold or warmth feels like so that ploy won't work with me." Heero crossed his arms and stared at the frozen lake.

"Not warmth, not ever?" Duo walked over to stand behind the elf and reached to place a hand on his shoulder but paused then drew it back. Heero just shrugged again.

"It doesn't matter." Heero said callously. Duo frowned and stared at his hand in shame. He couldn't help it, he was afraid that if the elf couldn't feel warmth then he wouldn't be able to feel his hand. He knew that he had just barely met the unusual boy but that thought still made him sad. He just wasn't ready to find that out yet.

"Where are your other friends?" The Christmas elf asked and half-turned around to face his smiling companion. Though he noticed the smile seemed a little forced and he wondered what was on the boy's mind as he stared at his hand. Duo shook himself and looked up at the Jack Frost.

"Hmm? Oh, they're Christmas shopping for each other." Duo said with a shrug and a slight blush that made Heero quirk one sculpted blue eyebrow.

"How come you're not with them?" Heero asked, not that he was curious. He was just making conversation as humans seemed prone to do, though this was the first human he had actually tried to talk to.

"Well I wanted to see if I was just crazy or if there really was a Christmas elf in that pine tree." Duo walked over to the pine tree and leaned against it lowering his head so his chestnut bangs hung in his face but Heero didn't miss the pink tinge to the boy's cheeks.

"You came to see me." Heero stated matter-of-factly with a cocky smirk that made Duo blush even more.

"I didn't come to see you. I came to make sure you existed and that I wasn't just inventing little fairy boys." Duo crossed his arms defensively and snorted as he whipped his head away from the elf to stare at the snow covered ground.

"Little fairy boy?" Heero asked with frown and Duo snorted again but this time it was coated with mirth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult your sparkly swathed self." Duo laughed and Heero scowled. Then the elf's eyes took on a mischievous gleam that caught Duo off-guard. Duo stared hard waiting for some kind of snowball to come flying his way again but it didn't come. Instead those long pale fingers twitched like they were wrapped around a trigger before a pale hand shot out for Duo's shoulder. The braided boy braced himself for being shoved into the snow but that didn't happen either. Suddenly there was chill so cold he could feel it in his bones and it was concentrated right on his shoulder. His blue-violet eyes shot down to the frozen body part to see what was causing the strange feeling and what he saw nearly made his heart freeze mid-beat. The elf's slender porcelain hand had completely disappeared into his body.

"How the hell are you doing that? It feels weird." Duo stared at his shoulder like it was somehow detached from his body. The cocky smirk quickly disappeared from the elf's face and he withdrew his hand.

"People can't see me or hear me, and I'm not allowed to touch them. If I try I just pass through." Duo frowned for a second at his shoulder then looked at the elf who was right back to scowling.

"Do you ever smile?" He asked the elf as he took a seat in the snow next to the pond.

"That's a stupid question." The elf scowled and hovered next to the braided youth.

"My teachers say there are no stupid questions."

"They're lying to you." Heero said dead serious but there was a hint of smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Duo saw this and stuck his tongue out at the elf.

"I think you like me." Duo said with a triumphant smirk and laughed at the look on the fairy's face.

"Yeah, I think you like hanging out with me. In fact I bet you were out here today waiting for me to show up." Duo continued and laughed. He could have sworn the Christmas elf actually got a little paler if that were possible.

"Hey this is my equivalent of a break room. You came into my space uninvited." Heero frowned at the boy who just shrugged.

"I'm still not hearing a denial. You like me." Heero shrugged and frowned into the distance but didn't deny the fact that maybe he wasn't as annoyed by the braided baka as he let on. He would never admit it out loud but he felt connected to the boy in a way he had never with anyone else. He was an orphaned elf found by Father Christmas who placed him in the care of the Snowflake Makers. The women took him in and taught him the ways of the Christmas elves but he never quite fit in as they had hoped. As soon as he was old enough they placed him in the only job they thought would suit him, the loneliest job of them all where he wouldn't have to worry about being a cheery elf like the rest. He spent his time as a Jack Frost distancing himself from the other elves who had never really accepted him and as a result he became cold and unapproachable. By the time he turned thirteen he found that he never really spoke to anyone. Especially since all the other elves were happy and full of pride in their work, whereas he was cold and despised his job. Basically, they didn't get along. In truth Duo was the first person to ever call him friend and it made him feel odd. He talked more and felt like smiling, he even enjoyed the boy's loud mouth and odd jokes. There was just something about the kid that drew him in.

"I should get back to the church now, that's where I live, they'll need me to help out with the Christmas decorations." Duo stood up and brushed the snow off the back of his pants. Heero watched the frozen white powder drift to the ground then looked up into the face of his new friend. He had to admit that for a boy he was nice looking, especially with little snowflakes clinging to his chestnut bangs and long dark eyelashes.

"I'll come back tomorrow?" The elf snapped out of his daze when that boyish high-pitched voice spoke to him. He just shrugged nonchalantly and tried his best not to look at Duo in case his eyes betrayed him somehow. When he did finally look at the braided boy he noticed the triumphant smirk was back and that he must not have seemed as indifferent as he'd hoped. He watched as the boy disappeared over the hill that lead out of the clearing with a slight sinking feeling in his chest. And yet for the first time since he could remember he found himself looking forward to the next day.

The new day came and so did Duo at the same time as promised. The two bantered and talked and teased each other until once again Duo had to leave. It became routine. The days passed by and every day Duo would come to see him at the same time and they talked and eventually they started playing games in the snow like two-man ice hockey or snowball war. Duo had yet to win any of these games but he still loved to play. Sometimes he would just sit and watch Heero do his job, he loved to watch the fresh snow appear on the trees or ground and the soft frost that coated the leaves. He really thought Heero was something like an artist with snow.

On Christmas day Duo came to the clearing like he did every day and found that Heero had made a perfect snowman for him to decorate as a Christmas present. Duo had brought his skates and Heero watched him ice skate on the little pond. Duo tried many times to get Heero to skate with him but the elf never would. He told Duo that it was pointless because he could just float over the ice if he wanted, but the truth was he just liked to watch the boy. Duo was a little klutzy on solid ground but put him in skates on ice and he was as graceful as any Christmas elf. They enjoyed a few more rounds of trying to knock each other over with snowballs until finally Heero got a direct hit and sent Duo flat on his back. He had been worried when the braided boy hadn't gotten immediately back up so he hovered over to where the human lay in the snow. Duo's eyes were closed and he took the opportunity to observe the boy at peace. His face was relaxed with just a small genuine smile on his boyishly beautiful face. Rich chestnut hair broke free of its plated confines and spread itself out in the cold white powder. Flushed and breathing deeply, Duo was the most incredible thing he had ever seen and something in him snapped right then and he had no idea what it was but it was painful and yet perfect somehow.

Every day they got closer and closer and Duo would spend more time out in the clearing with him. On the days that he didn't have to go to school the longhaired boy would stay with him for nearly the entire day. Heero even went into town with him a few times but it was difficult because they couldn't talk to each other until they were alone and even then once or twice someone walked by and gave Duo a weird look. Though Heero noticed that the boy got a lot of strange looks from the villagers even when he wasn't doing anything unusual at all. It wasn't until he heard the words 'orphan' and 'burden to the church' that the understood why. He was amazed that Duo was as happy of a person as he was since he knew what it was like to be an orphan and treated like a pariah. It had made him bitter and cold. But not Duo, the boy was full of light and warmth and nothing could hold him down. It made him question everything he had conditioned himself to believe. Maybe this is what true strength was? He had always thought it was discipline and standing alone but maybe opening yourself up to people took more strength than shutting yourself off.

The years passed by and Duo grew more beautiful to him with every passing day. In the spring when he wasn't allowed on earth he found himself missing the boy much more than he expected he would. He looked forward to winter and Christmas more than he ever had in his life. He was surprised by how much he was willing to do just to see the boy or make him smile. He wondered if he was going overboard because this was the first friend he had ever had but Duo seemed even more enthusiastic about their evolving friendship. Actually on the outside he seemed like the same cold, bitter elf but he felt different. It was something internal like his insides had started thawing out. He wondered what it all meant, what Duo meant to him, what he would be like without Duo. It was odd to think about life without Duo, so he didn't if he could avoid it and instead lived to make the boy smile.

On Duo's eighteenth birthday a freezing blast of wind shook the panes of his window and woke the braided boy from his sleep. He smiled at the familiar wake up call knowing that the elf was waiting for him outside. It was the beginning of winter and there was hardly any snow outside but Duo could see the frost on his windowpanes. It was kind of hard to miss when it spelled out a message in huge white letters.

"Wake up. The village needs their idiot."

Duo laughed and shook his head. Over their winters together Duo had grown quite fond of Heero's dry humor even when it was directed towards him. He dressed quickly grabbing a thick jacket, a scarf and his gloves. He flew down the stairs and into the kitchen where he found Sister Helen cooking a small breakfast for the three of them. Father Maxwell was sitting at the table scribbling notes that would probably turn into Sunday's sermon. Duo smiled at the middle-aged woman as she handed him a bowl of oatmeal and some toast. He took a seat across from the Father and wolfed down his breakfast before the old man had even looked up from his notes to say good morning. He downed his orange juice as he made his way to the door and set the glass down on the little table next to the door before grabbing his boots and shoving his feet into them. He pulled his jacket on as the old preacher walked into the hallway.

"Heading out again Duo?" The old man asked slipping his glasses of his nose and into the same pocket the pages of his notes were shoved into. Duo nodded as he wrapped the scarf around his neck and got one glove on before opening the door.

"Duo!" The voice of the old nun made him pause in putting on his other glove.

"Did I forget something?" He asked yanking the other glove on before checking his pockets to make sure he had everything he needed. Nothing seemed to be missing.

"No, it's not that. I just worry about you. As soon as winter hits you go out into that clearing by yourself all the time and you spend less time with your friends and at home. What do you do out there Duo?" Duo couldn't help the smile when he thought about the blue haired elf. He wished he could tell the nun about his friend but she would never believe him.

"Don't worry about me, I just like the company out there." He smiled warmly at the only mother he had ever known. He didn't mean to worry her but he couldn't just stop seeing Heero now, and besides he really didn't want to.

"Yes Sister, didn't you know that Duo is friends with a rather brazen young squirrel." Duo laughed and the preacher put a friendly arm around his shoulders.

"Happy Birthday, Duo." The old man said and gave the longhaired boy a strong hug. Duo grinned at him like a son to his father

"Well all right, but be home early for your birthday dinner." Sister Helen admonished before hugging the boy too. He grasped her in a tight hug and lifted the little old woman off the ground. He swung her around once and set her back down so she could fix her frock. He laughed again and smiled at them both before heading out the door with a last wave at his surrogate family.

"Do you think he's getting into trouble out there?" The nun asked full of concern as she watched the grown boy disappear into the woods. The priest chuckled.

"He's become your son hasn't he Helen?" The old woman nodded.

"The first day I laid eyes on him shivering in the streets he stole my heart." The priest chuckled and put a gentle hand on the old woman's shoulder.

"Then you should know him better than anyone. Has he ever given you a reason to not trust him?" She smiled fondly at the spot where the boy had disappeared and shook her head.

"Then I think you should." The priest said as he pulled his glasses out from his shirt pocket.

"You're right. I trust him and he's always so happy in the winter." She shut the door and turned back to the priest with a smile. Duo was a man now anyway, he would soon get a wife and a house of his own and she knew she had to let him go. She had to let him grow up. But in her mind he would always be that lost little boy she found one rainy day who clung to her frock and captured her heart.

"Good, now I could use your help with Sunday's speech. I have a couple quotes to choose from and I'm not sure which one really conveys what I want." She nodded at him and they headed back into the kitchen smiling.

Duo reached the forest clearing in a few minutes and was shocked when he finally made it over the small hill. While the rest of the world was just starting winter with little patches of frost and mist, the small forest clearing had been turned into a winter wonderland. Snow covered everything he could see. The ground was a layer of solid white and the trees held huge mounds of the fluffy stuff in their branches. Icicles like Duo had never seen hung from every branch and in the center of it all was the pond. The pond that never froze in time for Duo's birthday was now completely solid ice. Next to the pond stood a blue-eyed Christmas elf with the biggest smirk Duo had ever seen on that handsome face.

"I can't believe... Did you do all this? I mean just for me?" The longhaired youth trudged his way through the unexpected snow to stand face to face with the elf. Heero couldn't help but notice how his friend's voice had changed over the years. His had changed too, that was true enough, but it had simply gotten deeper it was still nasally. Not like Duo's, the longhaired boy's voice had both deepened and transformed into a sinfully smooth baritone that did things to Heero's insides he'd rather not think about.

"I called in a few favors." Heero said with a casual shrug as if conjuring up a magical wonderland for someone was quite the average birthday gift. "Pissed Dorothy off making her come into work early."

"I bet it did. Thank you Heero." Duo said and smiled at his friend. The young elf just shrugged then looked over and down at a spot in the snow trying to ignore how close the human was to him. He could almost get a vague impression of warmth from the boy's body it was that close to his. He had been noticing these things more and more lately. It seemed that the more time he spent with the human the more he felt human himself.

He had chosen not to tell anyone in the winter kingdom about the mysterious human boy who could see him and make him feel these strange things, unfortunately that had made this little surprise rather difficult to pull off. Especially when you have to drag in a very frightening Christmas elf named Dorothy about a month early for work with no explanation as to why. For a minute he had feared for his life but he pulled it off and was very pleased that it seemed to be making Duo as happy as he had hoped it would. Now, there was just one last thing.

"Follow me." Heero suddenly took a step back away from the boy, which seemed to make it click in the boy's head just how close they were which made him blush just slightly. Lately he had been noticing just how handsome the elf was becoming as he got older and couldn't stop the little butterflies he got every now and then when he was around the blue-eyed boy. He shook the thoughts out of his head, chalked it up to teenage hormones and followed the pale elf to their usual spot next to the frozen pond. There in the snow Duo saw a glint of metal.

"How did you get my skates?" Duo gushed in disbelief and ran over to the familiar objects lying in the snow.

"I borrowed them last night." Heero said with another callous shrug but he still refused to meet the boy's eyes. All this mushiness was making him uncomfortable. For once he was glad that he couldn't touch the boy because with that cute expression on his face Heero was pretty sure he would lose it and do something stupid like the kiss the idiot. Wait kiss? Where the hell had that thought come from?

"You got them from my house?" Duo asked oblivious to the brooding teen behind him who was staring at him surreptitiously through blue bangs.

"Where else would I get them from baka?" Duo chuckled and fondly held his skates.

"But how'd you get in?" Duo asked incredulously.

"It's official, there's no hope for you." Heero shook his head, soft blue bangs following the action. There was a slight pause while Heero waited for Duo to figure it out…then an even longer pause because he was sure the boy would get it…and finally he gave up with a defeated sigh.

"I'm not human. I can walk through walls idiot." Heero looked slightly shocked when the boy started to laugh at him, but quickly recovered. He frowned at his longhaired friend who was caught in a giggle-fit.

"I thought you were like Frosty the Snowman. You know, melt if you came indoors. Now we can hang out in my room!" Duo managed to get out after he calmed down from his fit of laughter and Heero just gave a long, suffering sigh.

"Baka. Put your skates on." Duo didn't have to be told twice. His dream had finally come true and now he was going to go ice-skating on his birthday with his best friend. He wasn't sure when the elf had become his best friend but he was, and so much more. Quatre and Trowa had long ago become an item and although he was incredibly happy for the couple, he still felt like a third-wheel every once in a while. It wasn't their fault at all, they had to hide their relationship from the rest of the villagers because people were so judgmental and horribly cruel. Especially when it came to relationships like theirs, boys with boys or girls with girls. Personally he couldn't give a damn, if they were happy and in love then what the hell was wrong with that? He was used to being the village pariah and had stopped caring what that mob of idiots thought of him, but he could understand it being difficult to suddenly have to embrace the outcast life.

He shoved the worn out skates one and tied his laces so tight that it was almost uncomfortable, just the way he liked them. He stepped out onto the ice and felt both calm and joy suddenly wash over him as he glided over the familiar crystal surface. Soon he could tell that he was not alone while he made his first arch across the frozen pond. He stopped suddenly, kicking up a spray of ice particles with the blades of his skates. He looked to the edge of the pond where he and Heero usually sat and was surprised to see that for once the elf had actually decided to join him on the ice. He skated over to the ethereal blue haired creature and smiled at him. He could barely contain his joy. There was very little that Duo ever asked for from life but this moment was something he had craved since he had met the mysterious boy and saw him glide across ice like an angel on clouds. For a second he even swore that he saw the elf smiling back at him, it was small but genuine.

Heero walked a little further out on the ice but stopped when he was somewhere close to the center of the pond. He turned and looked at Duo expectantly who just grinned at him and skated in a wide circle around the boy. They held each other's gazes as Duo flew across the ice even turning backwards and still skating just to show off a little for the elf. Heero just raised one eyebrow with a smirk that said 'Have you forgotten I can fly?' Duo laughed and shrugged then continued circling the elf who watched him so carefully. Heero couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight. Duo's face was slightly flushed from the cold, loose strands of chestnut hair danced across the boy's face in the air he was swiftly moving through, and the smile on that handsome face was dazzling. There was no way in hell he could deny it anymore. He was falling in love with boy and he was falling hard. What was he going to do? He didn't know if Duo could ever fell that way towards him. Not to mention Duo wasn't even supposed to be able to see him. Hell they weren't even technically part of the same species. There was nothing he could do about it he couldn't even touch the boy. He would just have to watch Duo from afar like he had been forced to do ever since he had become a Jack Frost. Watch the world but never be apart of it. He just wished that he could touch the boy just once. Just one second of warmth, one moment connection that's all and he knew he would never get it.

Duo skated around his elf the whole time wishing that Heero could hold him so they could skate together. Maybe hand in hand, that would be nice. He had realized long ago that his feelings for the elf went beyond that of just camaraderie or friendship. He wanted to hold the elf, kiss that pale skin, or touch that silky blue hair. He drowned in those deep blue eyes every time he looked into them. He skated closer to the elf never breaking eye contact. Heero stood there, waiting for him. And suddenly it seemed so symbolic to Duo. Heero standing there on a frozen island where nothing and no one could get to him. No one, that is, except Duo. Heero had handed him the skated almost like a key allowing only Duo to enter Heero's previously barren world. And now Heero was waiting for him. Did this mean that Heero felt the same way? Did Heero love him? How long had Heero been waiting for him? Duo skated directly forward and stopped right next to the slightly surprised looking elf.

"I've wanted to do this for nearly five years but was always too scared to do it." Duo said and Heero couldn't stop the sudden image of Duo kissing him that flitted across his mind's eye. He squashed the bit of hope that bubbled in his chest and tried to tell himself that even if Duo returned his feelings nothing could ever come of it. Duo's hand slowly raised to the boy's cheek and Heero was barely aware that his eyes were starting to drift closed. Duo's hand came closer and closer for an eternity and Heero allowed his eyes to close all the way while he waited for whatever it was Duo was going to do to him. There was a tense moment when he felt nothing but the hope inside him dieing painfully but then there was suddenly a strange sensation on his cheek. It was impossible to describe for he had never before felt anything like it but he liked the feeling. It was like home, in that split instant he felt safe and not alone. His eyes shot open and he stared at Duo wide-eyed who stared right back at him with equal astonishment. Then just as soon as the sensation had come it was gone and Duo watched with a sickening feeling in his stomach as his hand passed right through Heero's cheek. He gasped and pulled it back and both he and Heero stared at the limb like it was some strange new creature.

"Is that…is that what warmth feels like?" Heero managed to force out after a few moments of awe at the impossible thing that had just occurred. He had felt Duo's hand. Duo had touched him and he could feel it. It was the single most incredible feeling he had ever experienced in his entire life. And it had lasted barely a second, but that's all he had wished for right? Just one moment of contact? Damn, he should have wished for more. He had experienced warmth now, and Duo's touch, and he wanted more. He wanted to be able to touch Duo back, and he wanted to be able to touch Duo whenever he felt like it for the rest of his life. But most of all, he wanted to be with Duo. And certainly not for the first time in his life he wondered why he had to have been born an elf.

Duo stared at his hand, for one fleeting moment he had within his clutch everything he had ever wanted. And now it was gone, and he'd probably never have it back again. It felt like such a hollow victory. Yes he had finally gotten to touch the elf like he had dreamed of for years but it was just so he could get a taste then have it ripped cruelly from his grasp. When his hand had actually made contact with that beautifully pale cheek he couldn't remember a time when he had been happier, maybe not even the day Sister Helen found him, but what a bittersweet moment. Still, he couldn't help but be thankful that he had at least gotten the moment.

"I have to go home. Sister Helen is making a special dinner for me." Duo said but he was only half aware of what he was saying he was still so entranced by what had just happened. Heero, who was equally lost in his own thoughts, just nodded.

"Thank you Heero, for the best birthday I've ever had." That seemed to break the hazy spell and Heero looked up into the braided boy's face with clear blue eyes. This time there was no denying the small smile that actually managed to stay on Heero's face.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Duo said and Heero's barely-there smile widened by just a fraction. Duo thought he would have a heart attach at the achingly beautiful sight Heero made when he smiled.

"I'll be waiting." Heero said and Duo just had to laugh.

The moment Duo took the first step that led up to the entrance of the church, he knew there was something very wrong. The entire stone cathedral was surrounded by an invisible dark cloud that Duo had never before felt in his loving home. It made him nervous to enter the place and afraid of what he might find. His hand shook as he reached for the arching brass handle of one of the church's heavy oak doors. With trepidation he slowly pulled it open and searched the empty hallway for any sign of the cause of the evil chill in the air. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, not right away that is, but as he stood there his fear increased tenfold. It was very unusual for him to enter the church and not have Sister Helen come greet him at the door, and it was very odd that on his birthday the old nun was nowhere to be seen. With a sickening clench in his gut Duo cautiously made his way through the entranceway and took a left into the kitchen where he would have expected to find a birthday cake waiting for him but instead was greeted with a sight more terrifying than anything he had ever seen.

Father Maxwell was knocked unconscious and his head was sloped over the side of the chair he was propped up on. Sister Helen was gagged and crying on another chair next to the old preacher. She looked up when she heard the young boy's footsteps and tried her best to yell out a warning to him through the gag in her mouth. It was too late though, just as Duo's eyes widened in comprehension of what she was trying to tell him he felt pain burst in the side of his head and stars showered his vision before everything went black.

"Well, well, well." A slimy voice echoed thickly in the church's once warm and joy filled kitchen and Sister Helen winced at the gurgling chuckle that followed. A leering old man with a frightening face and bile-churning grin oozed out of the shadows accompanied by two men who now held the unconscious form of the boy she considered her son.

"I came here to collect all the taxes the church owes, only to find that once again you can't pay. But I think this little slave will be enough compensation." The old man reached out and stroked Duo's slack jaw with bony fingers highly decorated with expensive jewelry. Sister Helen began to cry again and she screamed with all her might trying to get someone to help them or get the man to take her instead, but nothing she did mattered. She wished the wise old priest were still conscious because he always knew what to do. She felt so helpless as the men dragged Duo away from her to a fate that she couldn't bare to think about. And she knew Duo wouldn't try to escape despite his mastery of that skill. She knew no matter how many times she scolded him for thinking it, Duo had always thought of himself as a burden on the church and would willingly sacrifice himself to protect her and the Father who had taken him in.

She heard the heavy oak door slam closed and she was left feeling emptier than she could ever remember feeling before in her life. She couldn't even feel the love of God that had her surrounded her since as long as she could remember but this was when she would need him most. She would have to draw on the strength of her faith to save the priest and her only son. With her resolution restored she struggled with all her might against the cloth confines that she had been secured with. Duo had taught her a few of the escape artist techniques that he had picked up on from living on the streets. She did what she remembered the little boy showing her and flattened her thumbs into her palms so she could slide her wrist free of the knotted cloth that bound her. So young and Duo had already been exposed to so much to know things like this at such a young age. She had vowed to protect him from any more harm and today she had failed but that would not stop her. With the power of her faith and the love she had for that boy, she would find a way to save him.

Once she was free of her bindings she rushed to the side of the Father, he would know what to do and she needed to make sure he was going to be okay. One of the goons, the same on that had hit Duo, had hit the Father when he had spoken out against taxing the people to the point where they couldn't survive. She shook his arm and he stirred his light blue eyes fluttering open and he smiled up at her.

"Thank God you're all right. They've taken Duo." The old man's wrinkles creased with his frown and he attempted to stand but swayed on his feet and fell right back into the chair.

"You'll have to go find someone who can help him, Helen. The authorities wont do you any good they all work for Tsuberov, but maybe Duo's friends could help. Though I hate to put them in any danger." She nodded as she undid the bindings on his arms but forced him to remain sitting.

"I'll be back, stay here in case Duo finds a way to escape." They both knew Duo wouldn't attempt anything that might put the church in danger and were aware that this was just a way to ease the guilt of the priest who so desperately wanted to go get the boy himself. But his age wouldn't have allowed even without his new head wound. Helen hugged the old Father once before dashing out the door and into the streets of the village. There were only a handful of people in the city who didn't view the boy as a burden on the church and would come to the boy's aid. She wished that the guidance of the church would stop them from condemning the sweet young man but alas people were sometimes far too stubborn in their judgments.

The only people she could find were the small group of friends that Duo had attached himself to as a child. Trowa and Quatre could always be found together and Helen suspected that there was more than friendship between them but couldn't find it in her heart to think of it as wrong. She supposed that she had become a rather unorthodox nun since taking in Duo, but those two just fit each other so perfectly even Father Maxwell had commented once that he couldn't help but find it cute to watch them. She found them together in the town center with Duo's only other friend Wufei. The young man had been married to farmer's daughter since they were children and Duo had helped the two to realize how much they really cared for each other. Duo had done the same for Quatre and Trowa. It seemed that Duo had found love for everyone around him, but would never find love himself. Not with the way the rest of the village treated him. But now was not the time to be contemplating these things, it was true that the three boys were more than willing to go rescue their friend and were probably on their way at that very moment but how could just the three of them get past all those guards and find Duo in Tsuberov's huge castle.

Tsuberov ruled over the village of farmers with an iron fist and a full coin purse. His favorite thing to do was collect taxes from the people at irregular times. He even taxed the town church and took from the people's donations. She wished that there was something they could do to stop him but right now her only concern was getting Duo out safe. And to accomplish that she was about to do something that she never in her life imagined she would do. She was going to go talk to the squirrels.

Heero sat in his tree long after Duo had left for the church. He missed the boy already and was debating with himself about sneaking into the boy's room and waiting for him. Maybe they could hang out all night and he wouldn't have to go back to his lonely apartment in the winter kingdom. He sighed as he thought about the boy because had no idea what he was going to do. He was in love with the longhaired, loud mouthed, beauty and he would never be allowed to be with him. Slowly his hand reached up to the spot where Duo's hand had managed to touch him for one painfully amazing second. This just wasn't fair. His hand dropped and his eyes gazed out over the clearing. He had called in those favors for just one day and he would signs of the magic disappearing. The icicles had melted down to normal size and the lake wasn't frozen over anymore. His head snapped towards the entrance to the clearing when a figure caught the corner of his eye. His heart flipped in his chest thinking that Duo had returned again, but he frowned when he noticed the lack of braid.

An old woman in a nun's habit clambered her way into the clearing and looked around at the incredible sight. This place was like a snow globe. It was impossible, she was sure that no snow had fallen yet this year and everywhere else just looked like the start of winter. Why did this place look like the middle of December? Maybe there really was something more out here that only Duo could see. She suddenly felt a lot more confident about what she was about to do.

"Hello! Look I don't if there's really anyone out here but Duo seems to think that there is and that's good enough for me." She hollered at nothing in particular and hoped that whatever creature had conjured up this wonderland was still close by. Heero shot up in his tree at the mention of Duo's name.

"Listen, Duo needs your help. He's been kidnapped and taken as a slave in Tsuberov's castle. You'll find the castle a few miles East of this village. Please help him, do whatever you can to bring Duo back. I beg of you." She waited for any kind of sign that she had been heard. Any confirmation at all that Duo had some hope would ease her mind. That was when a huge gust of wind shot by her at incredible speed flinging up snow as it passed by and out of the clearing. She could have sworn that as the wind passed she heard a voice on it but she couldn't understand what it said. She shivered from the cold of the blast but smiled.

Heero flew as fast as he could heading East of the city hoping against all odds that he found Duo unharmed. He recognized the old woman form Duo's frequent descriptions and his stomach had sunk into his knees when he saw the look on his face. Duo was in trouble. He couldn't believe that the most wonderful day of his life had just turned into the worst. He felt sick. Hell sicker than sick. He felt like if he didn't see Duo in the next few seconds safe and unharmed that his insides would burst from the pure fear that now surged through his veins.

He saw the castle in the distance quickly approaching. He had no idea how he was going to get Duo out of there but he would manage to do it if it killed him. He stopped when he reached the outer wall of the castle gates and almost laughed at all the security as he just stepped write through the enormous stonewall. He froze just before stepping through when he heard the unmistakable sounds of the beginnings of a battle. He turned and saw to his surprise that at least half the village stood outside the castle gates. Leading the mob in the frontline were three figures that Heero could have picked out of a crowd anywhere. There was dark haired young man with his haired pulled back in a tight ponytail. Heero didn't recognize him but he was glad the severe looking man was on their side. He did however recognize the two boys from the forest the day he had met Duo, the tall one with the spiky brown hair and the angelic blonde whom Duo had revealed wasn't anywhere near as innocent he looked. Duo had also told him how well the blonde could manipulate large masses and he was positive that it was that boy's influence that had gathered the angry mob. He wasn't sure he would ever find a way to be able to tell the blonde how grateful he was. Now they really stood a chance, the mob would be the perfect distraction while Heero managed to break Duo free.

He slipped through the wall just as the first clink of steel on steel could be heard and just for the hell of it he kicked the lever that sent the flinging themselves open. He took off for the castle towers just as Duo's friends burst through the open gates. He passed through one of the colored windows in a higher tower and began his search for the braided boy. He floated through dozens of rooms that looked identical to each other and he was getting fed up. The more time it took him to find Duo, the more opportunities it gave these scumbag guards to hurt him. With a growl of frustration Heero took off into floor and kept passing through level after level until he flew through a room filled with guards and he heard the words "prisoner" and "braid."

"Duo." He muttered and flew back up into the room to listen to the guards and find out where they were keeping his baka. The room was full of burly men spitting and swearing and making disgusting comments about the "pretty" new prisoner. Heero seethed and wished that for ten minutes he were allowed to touch people so he could beat the shit out of everyone in the room. He especially wanted to rip into that dark haired slimy one with the gut-churning leer on his snake-like face.

"Seriously Furlow, you have to go down to the cells. They keep him in the first one and man is he a pretty little thing. Got a lot fight in him, feisty, but I know as soon as someone breaks him he's going to be one sweet ride." The snake licked his thin lips and Heero saw red. Before he could stop himself he flew right behind the guy and thrust his hand right to where he expected the heart would be, if this slimy devil had a heart. He waited for a second, concentrating all the cold of his body into that one hand and the effect was instantaneous. The man's jaw went slack and shivers raked his body like he was having a seizure. He began foaming at the mouth and his eyes rolled into the back of his. Heero could feel the heart slowing down in the cold. He didn't know how he was doing, he was sure he wasn't supposed to be able to touch people but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to kill the snake. He wanted it just as badly as he had wanted to be able to touch Duo just a little earlier that day.

He pulled hand away just before the man's heart completely stopped. If he lived or died Heero didn't care, but killing someone would draw attention to him in the Winter Kingdom since he wasn't supposed to be able to affect the lives of human. And he was fairly certain that killing someone affected their life. He wondered why he hadn't been caught yet with Duo but figured that it must have just slipped under the radar. But he didn't have time to worry about that now he knew where Duo was and he wasn't wasting a second longer. He zigzagged through corridors and walls. He passed through floors and rooms with as much sped as possible. He didn't dare slow down until he noticed the lights were getting dimmer and the walls were dank and covered in grime. That's when he spotted it, a long tunneling passageway and the glinting steel bars of a dungeon cell. In less time than it takes to blink he was in that cell and staring at the curled up form of the boy he loved. That rich chestnut braid was unraveled and filthy and his clothes looked like they had been torn in struggle. He fell beside the boy and reached out to brush away some of the loose strands of that once beautiful mane. His hand froze just before he might have made contact and he stared at the boy beside him. This wasn't the bright-eyed boy full of hidden strength that had captured him and it tore him apart to see the boy crumble like this. Duo was an unstoppable force. He had gotten past boundaries of other worlds and the grumpiness of a certain winter elf. There was no way in Hell that Heero would let the boy be beaten by such a disgusting low-life group of men.

"Duo? Duo you have to get up now. You have to come with me." He would never allow Duo's indomitable soul to be broken. He had to find a way to get the boy out of there. Luckily the battle being waged at the gates left the dungeons bereft of any obnoxious revolting guards. He didn't want to leave Duo but he had no choice, if the boy wasn't going to respond then Heero had to find another way to get him out. He walked the halls of the dungeons until he came upon a small dimly lit hole in the wall. The biggest, most vile, repulsive heap of armor-encased masochist was sitting at a low-lit table and stuffing his mouth with some from of greasy cooked carcass. Heero's stomach turned slightly and he dodged behind the nearest wall to avoid being seen by the ogre. He stood there as silently as he could, trying to think of a way around the monster to the keys sitting behind him on another small table with a few torturous looking devices. It took him another moment to realize how stupid he was, he had gotten so used to Duo seeing him.

Then something struck him that he hadn't thought of before. What if Duo wasn't responding to him because the boy couldn't see him anymore? The thought of never having Duo look at him again, or smile at him, or laugh with him made him sicker than he'd believed possible. It felt like his insides had just fell through the floor without him. It was even worse than watching that swine eat. He rushed into the room and blew icy breath at the papers and maps that surrounded the beast of a man. While the troll tried to gather his things Heero pilfered the keys and left as fast as he could to get back to Duo. He had to know, he had to find out if Duo really couldn't see him anymore. He got back to the cell before he even realized it and unlocked the door since Duo couldn't just pass through the steel like he could. He dropped to his knees beside the boy and searched the key ring for the smallest key that would unlock the cuffs that were bruising the boy's wrists and ankles. After finding the key and struggling for a few minutes, he finally threw the steel manacles aside. Now how did he get Duo out of there? He wasn't allowed to touch humans. But Duo had managed it once, Heero would just have to do it again somehow.

"Duo, if you can hear me. You need to stand up now." He tried again to get the boy's attention but still got no response. He stared at the beautiful face that had haunted his mind for the past five years. It was marred with bruises now and a little swollen but still beautiful.

"Get up baka. What the hell am I supposed to do without you?" There was no way he could possibly go back to the life he had before Duo was in it. He would die, he was certain of that. He was shocked out of his depressed reverie when the boy next to him shifted and grunted, and Heero heard his name whispered hoarsely.

"Duo, are you all right?" The infamous cheeky grin slowly spread itself across the boy's face and Heero knew that the boy hadn't been broken. There was nothing in this world that could ever keep Duo down.

"Ha, this is nothing. You should see the other guy." Heero tried to laugh, but it was hard when Duo was talking to him through swollen lips.

"Idiot, what other guy?" Duo chuckled and tried to shake his head but winced and stopped.

"You got me." Duo laughed a little then suddenly looked very serious.

"Heero?"

"Yeah, I'm here Duo." The boy smiled and Heero was lost in the magic of that small miracle.

"I'm going to pass out again." And with that the boy's face went slack and his eyes slid shut.

"No, Duo wait." Damn, now how the hell was he supposed to get the unconscious boy of this hell? The battle would only distract the guards for so long. Eventually they would organize themselves and someone would come down to check on the prisoner. He had no choice. He had to carry the boy somehow, but there was nothing here to carry him with. And how would he lift the boy to set him on whatever carrier he came up with? He growled out his frustration and cursed his elf body with every foul word he knew and a few he invented.

"Please, I just need to be able to touch him. Please." Heero Yuy had never said please before in his life. It was one of those words that had never found its way into his vocabulary along with sorry and faith. But it was the only word he could think of at the moment that fit the desperation he felt. He looked over to the unconscious from beside him and watched with a deflating heart as a few strands of grime-less chestnut hair fell tenderly into Duo's closed eyes. Without even thinking about what he was doing Heero sadly let one of his hands drift over and brush the errant locks away from the peaceful face. It took him a second to realize that the hair had actually moved when he touched it, that the feeling of those silky strands was still lingering on the back of his hand. With his heart beating out of his chest he reached forward and ran one finger down the boy's cheek. It didn't pass through. He nearly choked on the overwhelming feeling of being allowed to touch Duo. He cupped the boy's face into his palm and frowned at hoe clammy his skin was but his heart soared when he felt the boy's warmth permeate his own skin.

His skin? He stared at his flesh-toned hand in awe. It wasn't the pale white of a Christmas elf, it was even slightly darker than Duo's. He didn't know what the hell was going on but he didn't have time to question it. All he knew was that if he could touch Duo then he could get the boy out of there. He lugged the braided bundle into a standing position and leaned his shoulder into Duo's gut with the intention of slinging him over it. But a half-hearted grunt made him stop and he looked up to find confused purple eyes staring blearily at him.

"Duo can you walk?" He still looked confused but he nodded and Heero flung one of the boy's slender arms around his shoulders.

"We have to go now." Again all Duo could do was nod but he started walking forward and Heero followed using all his strength to hold the boy up. The reached the end of the dungeon corridor with little trouble and Heero now knew the castle like the back of his hand after searching for Duo for so long. He knew that there was an escape route in the throne room that they could use and it wasn't too far away.

"This way." He said and turned Duo down that hallway that would lead them to the throne room. He prayed that they found it empty and that the battle outside was still distracting enough to let them escape unnoticed.

"Heero?" The longhaired boy asked cautiously. Heero looked down at his bundle for a second and smiled. It was the best he could offer Duo at the moment. Duo smiled back at him and Heero felt a surge of strength race through his veins.

"It's really you, isn't it?" The braided boy wondered aloud, sounding a little more like his old self. Heero smirked, the gesture familiar and comforting.

"Of course it is baka. Who'd you think I was? The tooth fairy?" Duo chuckled as the reached the end of the corridor and turned left into a huge room with one majestic throne all the way in the back. The gold of the giant chair glinting in the dim lighting, mocking with greed and opulence all the poor who suffered for its creation.

"Well all you fairy boys look alike." He said with a snort.

"How many fairy boys do you know?" He asked in a mock-jealous tone that had Duo in a small fit of laughter. The same old teasing, same old banter. It felt right, it felt safe. It was all they could do to face the situation. They relied on each other. Needed each other.

"Just you Heero, only you." Duo leaned a little more into Heero's hold. That was new, but not unpleasant at all.

"But Heero, you don't look like an elf anymore. Look." Duo stopped and turned the previous Christmas elf towards one of the large golden mirrors in the room. Heero stared at the stranger that looked back at. Dark chocolate locks framed tanned flesh, though his eyes were still the same icy blue but they looked warmer somehow. He was sure it was because of Duo. There was no other explanation, a human was standing in that mirror. Even his outfit didn't sparkle.

"We have to get out of here." Heero tugged the boy along with him as he turned back toward the wall that he knew contained the way to the secret passage. He stopped in front of the ornate decorations that covered the wall, knowing that somehow there was a way through.

"Look for something, like a door or a lever." They hobbled back and forth across the floor feeling the wall for anything that moved or pushed in but they couldn't find anything. Heero hadn't thought about getting through the passage since he had just flown through the wall and noticed the secret tunnel. He had no idea how he was going to be able to get Duo out now. There was no way they could go through the front and he hadn't seen any other way out. But he would have to find another way because there was no way he was going to loose Duo. He pushed at a few more random gold decorations but still nothing happened.

"Damn." He swore and slammed his fist into the wall.

"You have step on the large tile next to the throne." A voice so cold and thick with slime echoed through the glittering throne room. Duo froze and began to shake so violently that Heero had to wrap both arms around the boy to hold him up. What had this man done to his Duo? Heero turned to face the man whose voice could send a chill down anyone's spine. He stared at the wrinkled face and deep set black eyes and shivered too but his was from pure rage. Heero leaned Duo against the side of the throne and stomped furiously on the large golden tile he found there. Instantly a portion of the wall behind him sprang to life and the secret passage was revealed.

"Don't think that you can leave that easily. I believe that's my property you have." Heero growled low in his throat at the way the man looked at Duo. He could see that the braided boy was still shivering slightly.

"Duo can you run?" It took a few seconds for Duo to pry his eyes off the man in the doorway but he did and nodded to Heero.

"Good, then I want you to get out of here." Heero hollered as he grabbed a sword from one of the many displays on the wall next to the throne. Duo stood on wobbly legs and glared fiercely at the old tyrant on the other side of the room as the man drew his sword from its sheath.

"No, I'm not leaving if you're not." Heero turned to him and wanted to glare or something but the determination on Duo's face made him stop. It was good to see the boy acting like his old self, the light returning to those violet eyes and all signs of fear gone. That is until Duo's eyes suddenly shot wide with that exact emotion.

"Heero. Behind you." Heero pivoted on his heel and brought the heavy steel blade around in a wide sweeping arc to clash into Tsuberov's deadly sword with a loud metallic clang. Heero braced himself from the impact then brought the vibrating sword around again this time sweeping up at his opponent. Surprised by the boy's small size and ability to recover so quickly from the first blow with such a heavy sword, Tsuberov was forced to take a step back to avoid the blade's deadly path. Knowing that he had just thrown the dirtbag off-guard, Heero took the opportunity to drive the man away from with a series of small powerful swings. Tsuberov tried to regain some control in the battle but the boy's strength and speed were overwhelming. Duo was shocked by Heero's skill with sword, he had thought Christmas elves would be more peaceful.

"Heero…" The name escaped his lips in awe at the boy who was risking his own life to save his. He smirked darkly at the decrepit beast in front of him when he heard his name whispered in that sweet baritone. He flung himself at the man with enough destructive force to send the old bastard sprawling to the ground.

"While the other elves were being jolly and making snowflakes, I had a bit of an interest in the more deadly arts." Heero brought the sharp point of his sword down to rest on the man's shoulder just above his heart. He would kill this monster to protect Duo, but he would like it better if he didn't have to spill the man's blood.

"Heero we should get out of here." Heero nodded and gave one last glare to the fallen beast before he turned and made his way back to the braided boy. He dropped his sword and once again lifted Duo's arm around his shoulder. He looked over to the boy and found him smiling one of those dazzling little smiles that made Heero instantly feel better. Heero offered his own little smile back and they turned toward their passage to freedom. They had barely taken five steps when an angry yell sounded from somewhere behind them and the sounds of movement and a sward scraping against tile could be heard. They turned to find themselves being charged by the old man who looked more like a demon with his dark eyes full of the flames of Hell. With a barely a second to think Heero stepped forward and pushed Duo behind him out of harm's way. He shut his eyes just as he heard the sound of steel slicing through flesh.

It was odd, he was sure that death would hurt like hell but he felt nothing at all save for Duo's breath on the back of his neck. He let his eyes slide open and was surprised to find that he was not looking at the face of the old man but instead at the tall silent one of Duo's friends. He glanced down to the floor and saw the man who was about to kill him lying face down with a dagger in his back. He should have been more shocked but the man was such a monster he had no pity for him at all. The tall boy smiled warmly at him, taking in how Heero had thrown himself in front of his longhaired friend. A few seconds later they were joined by both the blonde and the dark haired boy from the frontline.

"Trowa, Quatre, Wufei. What are you guys doing here?" Duo stepped out from behind Heero to greet his friends.

"Well we came to rescue you," the blonde commented lightly, "but apparently we were beaten to the punch." He laughed despite the gravity of the situation.

"You two should get out of here. We'll cover your escape." Trowa said with an encouraging nod toward the passage.

"The battle's just about finished. We won, we're no longer under that bastard's rule." The one named Wufei said as he glared at the corpse of the repulsive man who had nearly driven their village to its death. There was a poignant pause while the information set in. Their town was finally free, no more taxes so steep that they caused starvation and death, no more young women mysteriously disappearing in the night, maybe they could live happily now. And it was on that hopeful note that Quatre stepped forward and looked Heero over from head to toe making the ex-elf a little uncomfortable.

"You're the one who threw the snowball aren't you?" He said suddenly and Heero was a little surprised at the boy's intuition. Trowa smiled knowingly and Wufei looked a little shocked but it was obvious he had been told the tale.

I'm glad my friend isn't crazy. He kept disappearing every winter into that forest. Though honestly if I were him and someone as cute as you lived in the woods I'd be there all the time too." Heero flushed and Duo made a little noise of indignation in the back of his throat. Trowa placed an arm around the forward blonde and chuckled.

"What? I was just saying."

"I think it's time they got of here." Trowa said and Heero nodded dutifully. He wrapped one arm loosely around Duo's waste just to offer support for the boy and they finally made their way through the passage and out of the castle grounds. Once they were clear of the wall they took off at a steady run, Heero constantly making sure Duo could handle it, until they came upon a familiar forest clearing. They stopped then to catch their breath. Heero slumped against a tree and looked up at the night sky. Duo soon joined him trying to rest his aching muscles and get his breathing under control.

"Flying is so much easier." Heero panted out before he turned to Duo.

"Heero I…thank you." Duo managed to stutter out while panting and blushing just slightly. Heero looked at the boy. There were still a few bruises on his pale face but Heero still thought that boy had never looked so beautiful. Flushed and still panting from their run there was no Heero could have stopped himself from kissing Duo right then. And he couldn't believe that he could actually do it now.

"Duo there's something that I've wanted to do for a while now but couldn't." Heero reached out and let his hand slide gently across the boy's cheek, watching with amusement as Duo blushed even more. He leaned forward with the full intention of capturing those pink lips that had haunted him for a while now.

"Oops, sorry didn't mean to interrupt." Heero whipped around to give whoever had just ruined his moment a serious piece of his mind but froze when he saw the ethereal being floating on a cloud mass behind him.

"Father Winter?"

"Yes, Heero. I'm glad I found you." The ancient looking man said, his eyes twinkling warmly.

"Who is that Heero?" Duo asked while he stared at the most unusual thing he had ever seen, and considering he had been best friends with an elf for the past five years that was saying something.

"That's my boss." Heero told him without taking his eyes off the floating man.

"Hah, that's Heero for you, the shortest answer possible." He smiled at them both and it seemed like the forest was suddenly brighter.

"Congrats on finding your true form, Heero. It happens every now and them. Children born to the wrong world. Terrible thing when they don't find where they're supposed to be. They always end up so sad and lonely. Like you were Heero, before you met this boy." The man came down closer and smiled at Duo. That's when the braided noticed the odd metallic limb and even stranger eyes.

"You knew about Duo all along?" Heero asked and the man chuckled.

"Yes, I just let it slide." He said and his cloud rose a few feet back into the air. Duo wasn't so sure about all this. He seemed really weird but for some reason Duo kind of liked the crazy old guy. Heero nodded looking contemplative and the man smiled fondly at him.

"You know Heero, you're human now. This will be the last time you ever see me. I just wanted to let you know that even though I'm sad to see you go I know that you will finally get a chance at happiness in this world." Heero nodded slowly, sensing that the closest thing he had to a father was about to slip out of his life forever.

"Just out of curiosity sir," Heero suddenly spoke up, "who will be taking over for me?"

"Oh yes, I will need to fill your position. Let me think…I know I do believe Dorothy would do nicely." The old man said and the mischievous gleam in his strange eyes made Duo a little nervous.

"She'd kill you for that. Making her come into work early." Heero said but the mirth could not be kept out of his tone. He did so enjoy torturing the explosive blonde.

"Oh, I'm sure she wont mind coming in early. Especially not after I caught her on the snowflake table with Relena." The old elf chuckled and even Heero was snickering.

"About time." Heero said then a silence fell on the clearing during which Heero realized just how much his life was about to change, but for some reason he just couldn't be sad about it. He was sure it something to do with the fact that Duo was standing next to him. Sensing that now was the perfect time to leave the elf king gave Heero one last fatherly smile.

"Have a good life Heero. And you," he turned to Duo "take care of him for me." And with that the elf was gone leaving Heero once again alone in the forest clearing with Duo. He felt his heart speed up a bit in anticipation and he turned back towards the beautiful boy who smiled at him.

"Where were we?" Heero asked, his hand once again cupping the face he had dreamed of so often.

"There was something you wanted to do but never could." Duo reminded him as he leaned into the dark haired boy's embrace. Heero leaned in to meet him, wanting desperately to feel the braided boy's lips against his own.

"Hey you two! The town's throwing a celebration, are you coming?" Quatre's voice echoed through the forest. They turned to find the three boy's standing at the entrance waiting for them.

"You can't be serious." Duo whispered in agitation at the second intrusion and Heero chuckled.

"We'll meet up with you guys there." Duo said hoping that one of them would take the hint. Luckily for him Trowa was a rather perceptive guy and he ushered his blonde boyfriend out of the forest with Wufei trailing behind shaking his head at the whole affair.

"Right." Heero couldn't help but chuckle again. "Where were we?" He asked trying not to laugh at the situation. Yeah, this was really romantic.

"We were right here." Duo said and wrapped his arms around Heero tilting his head and capturing the startled boy's lips in a gentle uncertain kiss. It was heaven, it had to be. Heero had never felt anything so terribly wonderful in all his life. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Duo to draw him closer and deepen the kiss. Soft lips moved against his tentatively and Heero concentrated on the sensation of warmth that spread through him and the taste of Duo. It was incredible, better than anything he could have ever dreamt of. And it was over all to soon but that was okay because Duo was still wrapped in his arms and he felt warm.

They started walking back towards the village where they would start their lives together. Heero had nothing to compare the happiness he felt at that moment to. He was where he was meant to be. Duo stirred next to him and slipped out of his embracing, walking a few steps forward before turning to face Heero with a mischievous grin.

"So, you're totally human now eh?" Duo said with a hint of something in his voice that made Heero hesitate to answer. He watched as Duo laughed then grabbed a handful of the last of Heero's birthday present to him and chucked it at the boy. The snowball hit Heero square in the chest, and now that he was human he couldn't just make the stuff vanish. He was wet and cold. Payback was only just. With a sinister smirk he scooped up a snowball of his own and heard a yelp from the longhaired boy and looked up long enough to see Duo spin on his heel and make a break for it. He chuckled evilly, there was no escape. The snowball was launched and Heero closed his eyes waiting for the satisfying sound of that powder exploding. It came and it was beautiful, except that Duo didn't yell like he had expected. Instead the boy started laughing. Heero opened his eyes to see that Duo was perfectly untouched and laughing at a pile of snow. What the hell?

He missed?

And so ends our story of the Jack Frost of Quail Lake and the boy he loved. And, as the saying goes, they lived happily ever after.

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Tell me that didn't rot your teeth and make you sick. Ok, it's back to vampires for me now. : )