A/N: Hey everyone! This turned out to be a SUPER long chapter, and any future chapters also plan to be equally long or even longer. It's slowly starting to come together, but I do know I'm very excited to get to Ida and Jack becoming friends and then getting together. So please forgive my eagerness, as it slightly worsens my writing skills. Enjoy!

Cupid, as large a woman she was, was very quiet when she wanted to be. How Jack had found this out was a story on its own. As of right now, he was suprised to find that Cupid had come to get him the very next day after Ida had invited Jack to the Bonding Ceremony.

Jack had been focused on creating a perfect snowball fight, very similar to that of the snowball fight he had sparked when he'd first seen Jamie.

The sudden lack of sun had alerted him to the fact that something was off, and he should turn around. In doing so, he was greeted with the sight of Evelyn, who was waiting patiently, a soft smile on her face as she watched the children squeal in glee as they played.

"You did this?" she motioned to the children, with Jack smiling and nodding.

"Pretty neat, huh?" he settled back, watching the kids aim for headshots.

"I wish I could do this."

"Can't you?"

"Not really." she folded her hands together. "I'm more focused on the people who have fallen in love for years, making sure they're happy."

"Hey, that's still imporant after everything." Jack nudged her shoulder, giving her a smile.

She chuckled, nudging him back. "True, true. However, I was wondering if you had a few moments to spare?"

"Depends on how many moments you need." He stood up and twirled his staff.

"Well, I need to speak to both you and Ida. Together, please, if you wouln't mind."

Jack nodded, "Sure thing. I'm always free; besides, the kids are clearly already happy. I'm sure they can entertain themselves for a few more hours."

Evelyn beamed, nodding excitedly. "I'm sure you're going to love what I'm going to talk to you two about!"

"It must be important for you to come all the way down here to come get me." He smiled, straightening up.

"Oh, please, dear. Coming down here was almost nothing compared to the rounds I do daily."

Evelyn laughed, the kids not hearing her due to her not being seen by them.

It had honestly thrown Jack for a loop when he'd learned that the Cupids didn't run on the same belief system that Jack and the Guardians did. He'd honestly felt a bit sad and remourseful when he'd seen the kids run through Evelyn, until she had explained that no, she didn't quite need the belief of kids to exist - she needed adults to remember the feeling of love, and she was fine.

The two beings flew over the vast lands, clouds flying by them. More than once, Jack had almost flown into some birds, catching himself at the last minute before he'd hear Evelyns laughter.

The sight of Valentine's was a welcome one. The warm glow, lights that were strung up between and down streets. The tall buildings, the trees that flourished everywhere that Jack looked. It was all so beautiful.

Evelyn landed softly on the balcony attached to the Tree. Jack couldn't help but think of Katherine's own treehouse, of her and her multitudes of books and stories.

"This way. He's waiting in the tea room."

Depsite the overwhelming feeling that Jack already knew who it was, he glanced over at Evelyn as they wandered down the hallway.

"Ida?"

"Of course. He's the only one having a Bonding Ceremony."

The two laughed amongst themselves, dying down as the doors creaked open. Ida turned his head to face the duo, his lip curling a bit when he saw Jack. Jack waved, and under Evelyn's watchful eye, Ida waved back.

"Sit! Sit! We have a bit to discuss, and I don't want to take up too much of your time."

"Mother, you could never take too much of my time." Ida stated, sipping some of the tea that had been waiting for the small party.

"It's not like I'm doing much anyways, today. The kids are already taken care of." Jack admired the selection of cookies before he chose one with a beautiful design on it.

It was almost too pretty to eat.

Jack quickly took refuge on the other end of the loveseat that Ida sat on - despite the large Valentine family, there was only two couches in the room. One for Evelyn, and one for any other family members that decided to join her for tea that day. Since the family was very close, and were very generous with giving out affection, sharing a couch wasn't viewed as odd. Ida scooted himself over to the complete end of the couch, shoving one of Jack's feet away from him before returning to his tea.

Jack could've sworn he almost saw a smile on the younger Valentine's face. Even Evelyn must have noticed; if she had, she was keeping her secrets.

"I overheard last night that you extended an invitaion to Jack, Ida!" The 10 ft woman stirred two sugars into her drink, a coy smile on her face.

Ida earned a tinge of pink on his face, looking down at his drink, his eyes darting over to Jack, who was happily enjoying another cookie and getting crumbs onto both himself and the couch. Neither of the Valentines minded; they'd clean it up later, and they weren't going to yell at Jack for something so small.

"I did, after he talked to me about how the other Villagers' were excited for the Ceremony."

At this, Evelyn's hand stilled, and she glanced between the two. "You weren't going to invite him beforehand?"

"Well... no... Mother, he's likely a busy person, he won't be able to take half a day off from his responsibilities just to attend a silly Bonding Ceremony-"

"Actually, I'm quite free for the next few days. A Ceremony sounds fun." Yet another cookie was taken off the tray and consumed, but that was the least of Ida's issues.

"Ida.." Evelyn sighed, but then shook her head. "despite that... I need you two to get along. It's your big day, Ida, and I know you and Jack haven't exactly gotten along these past few decades."

The pink tint of Ida's face now turned to red. It seems he hadn't been as sneaky about his dislike of Frost as much as he thought he had been.

"I promise I'll get along, Mother. I won't let the Ceremony be ruined by any foul moods."

"I'll try and make friends with your son before the end of the Ceremony." Jack winked over at her, making her chuckle.

"I understand that Ida is... not the best to get along with. I was just like him when I was younger. Always angry, wanting to hold grudges..." another soft chuckle.

Ida took another sip, using the cup to hide his frown.

He couldn't explain it, but he just couldn't feel the absolute fury he'd felt even a few days ago. Even when his mother and Jack seemed to be teasing and mocking him, he couldn't bring up the rage that had been so easy to bring back just a few days ago. Maybe it was the sharing of a bed? That was silly... he'd shared his bed with his siblings before, but that didn't mean that he would just change his feelings on a whim; especially when it came to people like Frost.

Ida had been so lost in thought that he didn't pay attention to the conversation until toward the end of it.

"... vent is somewhat formal, Jack. Are you sure you'll be able to handle that? I can see that your sweater has been missing for a little bit, but I know you're a casual guy at heart."

"I'm sure. And I know where my sweater is, someone's just holding onto it for a bit."

Evelyn couldn't see it, but Ida's face grew a tad more red, quickly qulping down the rest of his tea.

"Hopefully they'll take care of your beloved sweater for however long they have it." She chuckled, but grew serious once again. "Would you like to come with me to find you something to wear for that night? We have a tailors shop. No random baggy suit for you."

"Sure! New clothes would be a great change."

Jack sat up, getting another cookie. At this point, half the plate was gone. Again, neither Valentine cared - they weren't eating it. At least they'd go to someone who

would actually enjoy them.

"I'm excited to shop with you! You've always had to go do something else when I offered before."

"Yeah, I had a couple of things to clear up before I could spend any time with you. As much as I love tea, cookies, and glaring dragons-" Ida smacked Jack's ankle when Evelyn turned her head to grab a cookie, "I couldn't push off the other stuff. Now I'm a Guardian, though, so I can easily take care of my stuff and then come back to hang out with you."

"I'm so happy for you. Ida, will you be attending our little shopping spree?"

Ida shook his head. "Sorry, Mother. I promised Adi that we would go shopping on our own. Maybe we'll see each other while we're out and about."

"Oh, alright. I hope you can find something that you'd enjoy." she nodded, smiling as the conversation came to a lull.

Ida and Evelyn stood, Ida gathering all the dirty dishes (including the now-empty cookie plate) and Evelyn swept up the crumbs. Jack tried to intervene.

"Can't I help? I'm the one that made the crumbs."

Evelyn was a bit shocked. "Oh, usually we tell guests to sit and look pretty." she gave an airy laugh, Ida doing so as really were the definition of 'like mother, like son'. "I suppose you can wipe down the table."

She handed him a rag from her pocket, and Jack helped clean up his mess, ensuring that he didn't miss anything. Calmly wiping down the table, he noted that the sun was high in the sky, and that everything was bright. The time seemed to be slipping by here. Come to think of it, anytime he hung out in the Valentine's Village, he felt at peace.

At home... if he was bold enough, he'd dare to say that he felt at home, similar to how he felt whenever he was with the other Guardians.

Soon enought, everything was cleaned up and back in order.

"Thank you for all your help, Jack."

"Yeah, thanks." Ida mentioned offhandedly, putting the broom back in the closet.

"It wasn't such a big deal. I wanted to help out."

As Ida exited the room to put the broom and rags away, Evelyn gently grasped Jack's wrist. The rush of familiarity made him stop, turning to stare at the tall woman.

"I need you to either be honest with your words or your heart, Jack. You can't do both if you're lying, either to yourself or to others."

With that, she took her leave, heading out the room with the dirty dishes. Jack stood in the middle of the room, holding onto Twiner. His grip tightened, either out of nervousness or the sour taste in his mouth, he wasn't sure.

For years, Evelyn has been his friend. Long before she even had kids, she'd been the sweetest person. Hell, Jack thought he'd had a crush on her before she told him, laughingly, that he was just a good friend, and he was feeling a type of love that wasn't romantic in any sense.

Now, Evelyn was telling him that he was lying to himself. That he was lying to others.

And he wasn't sure what she meant by that.

When Ida returned from his small trip, Jack was lost in thought, blankly staring at the wall as he finally began to loosen his grip on the staff. A small knock on the door from Ida brought him back to reality.

"Mother says she'll wait for you in the carriage."

"Oh, thanks. Enjoy your own trip." Jack hefted the staff over his shoulder.

Ida didn't give an exact reply, but he nodded. Jack would consider that progress - before, Ida used to just blatantly ignore him. It seemed that now that they'd had some bonding time together (under the threat of a murderous tree), they were stepping in the direction of maybe even being friends.

Jack adjusted his shirt, feeling at a small loss without his sweater. As he began to head out the door, he heard a very soft, "Enjoy your trip as well."

He gave a grin, heading outside to where Evelyn waited with the carriage.

The shopping district of Valentine's was rather large, in comparison to its population. The main four roads leading to the center of the village consisted of different stores, many of them either being clothes, jewelry, candy or flowers. The one Jack always found to be the most interesting were the shops that sold medicine. Evelyn apparently swore by them, saying they'd saved her life on more than one occasion when her kids were sick.

Even if they didn't work, they were damnably pretty. Gemstones that sparkled when they were rattled (meant to cure earaches when shaken), shakers full of powder that vanished into thin air as soon as it left its container (To clear up a runny nose), and snow that would melt and ease headaches when slapped onto an unfortunate victims head were all but a few things that littered the shelves of the medicine shops.

All of these things entranced Jack, but he was never allowed to touch them.

"You're not a Cupid, Jack. What if they killed you?"

Evelyn had said this to him when they were younger - nearly 162 years ago, he realized. Even now, they were both the same people as back then, and complete strangers to when they were that naive and young. He could almost hear the excited giggles of a young Evelyn, showing him around Valentine's as she explained her history to the young winter sprite.

"The tailors shop isn't too far from here." mused the same girl, all grown up. "Just a couple more shops and we should be right on their door."

"Are you sure I'll look good in a suit?" teased Jack, plucking the collar of his shirt, the blonde woman snorting immedietly.

"Oh, Venus no. You're going to look atrocious. That, or we'll be blessed with such an image."

Jack gave an offended gasp, twirling his staff so that he could gently smack it to the ground. "How. Dare. You. I remember praising you when you tried on that dress all those years ago!"

"That was different." she waved her hand dismissively, the two continually teasing the other as they walked.

They finally arrived at the tailors shop, the sign glowing to signify it was open. All these years, and Jack still wasn't sure how they made a wooden sign glow. The door jingled as they entered the store, the sunlight vanishing as curtains blocked it. A Cupid, likely half asleep at the desk, jolted up as they spotted the duo.

"Mrs. Evelyn! Mr... uh.."

"Jack, Jack Frost." Jack held out his hand, the Cupid shaking his hand excitedly.

"My name is Thimble! Or Tim, if you'd prefer. But that's boring. Anyhow, how can I help you both today?" the Cupid tilted their head, looking from one to another.

"We're here to get Jack a nice new suit for the Bonding Ceremony." Evelyn stepped in once Jack proved to be a bit unsure of what to say to such a question.

"You're not leaving me with a lot of time here, are you, dear?"

"I'm sorry." She sighed, looking down. "It's been so hectic, and Jack only got invited last night. It was the best we could do at the moment."

"Worry not, ma'am. I can whip up a wonderful suit that suits-" they all hid laughter at this. "Jack's personality. And it'll make him stand out from the rest of the Cupids. Although, I will assume he will stand out on his own anyhow, considering he isn't a Cupid at all."

Thimble's piercing eyes made Jack a bit uneasy. It was almost as if he was being sized up, judged.

After a moment's consideration, Thimble turned around, hurrying to the back and motioning for them to follow. Considering they were almost hip height, it was a bit of a struggle in the darkened store.

"I noticed that you have a lovely frost pattern along your shirt, sir!"

Jack was about to correct Thimble and tell them that it was a sweater, but he remembered that Ida had the sweater now, and would likely have it until after the Ceremony was over. He actually was wearing his shirt, he'd just had it slip his mind.

"Uh, yeah, there is. It's actual frost, though. Not just a pattern."

Thimble paused, turning and looking Jack up and down once more. "Wow, that's... honestly amazing! I hope you won't mind if I incorperate it into my idea?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Let the creativity flow."

Evelyn elbowed him, and he returned it, both smiling as they went further into the store. More light vanished, and soon the group was surrounded by designs, fabrics, tools. Jack felt as if he was missing something evertime he was turning his head - there was just that much stuff in this small store. He also almost tripped on a yarn basket, so he wasn't sure where to put his focus. There were shiny jewelry pieces, metallic colored threads, fabric that looked extremely light and fluffy, an overly large pin that stood in the corner. He didn't even need to glance at Evelyn to know that that pin had stabbed her more than once.

Thimble was quick, soon dropping them off at a dressing area. With a quick fwip, the tailor pulled out a tape measure from their sleeve and motioned for Jack to stand on the small pedestal that stood in the middle of the room.

"If you'd please; I need to get your measurements."

Jack handed Evelyn Twiner, although very hesitantly, stepping up onto the platform.

"Arms up please."

As he lifted his arms, he felt the Cupid quickly taking measurements, writing them down on the clipboard that they now carried with them. Chest, waist, wrists, biceps, leg length, the whole works. Their movements were so quick that Jack could feel a soft touch on his arm and look to see Thimble measuring his waist already. It was the strangest experience Jack had had in a long while.

He felt a little silly, if he was being honest.

"You're not very tall, are you? 5'9 isn't very comparable to most of the Cupids here."

"Hey!"

Evelyn and Thimble laughed, the tailor ducking into a seperate area and returning with a large book. Apparently, this was a book of suit styles that one could choose from.

"We do offer custom, but this is for when you have no idea what to pick. Just choose three that you really like, and we can go through your choices when you've made them."

Jack took the book, admiring the guilded pages and the ornate book cover. He thumbed throught the pages, Evelyn peering over his shoulder and pointing out ones that he may look good in.

The design they finally settled on was one that had stunned the both of them the moment that they laid eyes on it.

"This one... " Jack tapped the page with his finger, eyes flickering up to the tailor. "I really like this one."

"That's a lovely choice. A classic 1700's suit design."

Jack gave a brief, sad smile. Neither Evelyn nor Thimble caught the sadness behind the smile, so they both chatted happily about how they could incorperate the frost into the suit that Jack had chosen.

Jack considered speaking up while they talked, but the sadness he felt burning within him wired his jaw shut. No words could escape, and for a brief moment, he felt very lonely. So for now, he watched his friend and the tailor talk, watched them take a pen and make points on the suit on where the frost could be.

Why was he so upset? It was just a suit, and it wasn't like it was an extremely important one, at that. The sadness welled up in him more, and he realized just why he felt so lonely, so upset at seeing the suit.

His father had worn one very similar to it, before he'd disappeared in the war. His father had worn it when he went dancing with Jack's mother; he'd worn it when he went around to other villages to introduce himself and earn favor within the community; he'd worn it when he came home, tired and ready for bed, but not tired enough to go without giving Jack and Mary a bedtime story. It was the last suit that he wore before he'd been buried.

Before, before, before.

"Jack?"

Evelyn had put her hand on his shoulder, and Thimble was looking at them from their spot at the desk, writing something down. Evelyn had knelt by him, concern etched onto her face - once a mother, always a mother, he supposed.

"What's wrong? I know that look.."

"It's nothing." Even he could hear the rasp of his voice, and he couldn't meet her eyes, but she gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before she drew herself up.

"If you say so, hun... just know I'm here."

He smiled, giving a nod. "I know."

"We're all finished up here. We can go back to the market and get you something nice, if you'd like. Some ribbons, candy, maybe?"

"That sounds lovely, Eve." He was handed Twiner back, which made him feel a bit better.

Evelyn finished the transaction up, despite Jack telling her that she didn't need to pay for him, that he really wasn't worth that much. She brushed him off nonetheless, already moving out the door and using the back of Jack's shirt in order to move him along out of the shop. Both called out a cheery goodbye as they exited the small shop.

Since it was now past noon, the sun - while being high in the sky- was past its prime. It shone over the Village, showing off the faces of the villagers that bustled about, buying trinkets and candies.

"I heard there was a nice, new Candy Shop open." Evelyn claimed, cheerfully.

"Oh, is that so?" Jack felt his mood brighten, bit by bit, now that he wasn't staring at the suit that gave him such harsh memeories.

"Indeed. I heard they have caramel, and chocolates, sour candies, and sweet ones, ones that are fairly kind on the teeth and others that aren't as generous!"

"Well, what are we doing, waiting around outside of a tailors shop?"

The pair laughed, and headed in the direction of this new candy shop.

"Oh, please let me help!" Ida took the box from the man, who had insisted on balancing the boxes he carried as if it were a Jenga game.

"I insist, I can't accept your help! This is your Bonding Ceremony, after all!"

"If it is, then I insist you allow me to help!" the younger man gave him a smile, already carrying the box over to where it needed to go. "Besides, it's not as if this is a surprise party. I already know whats going to be happening and what my decorations look like."

"Be that as it may, you really shouldn't have to do anything... It's supposed to be an exciting and relaxing time for you."

"I'm already relaxed, and it'll make me so much happier if I can even help in some small way."

After he had set the box down, he straightened himself back to his original height. He turned to face the man that had been struggling originally, and wandered back over. "Besides, I had already finished up my shopping."

"I can tell; your twin ran off with your bags." This Cupid was older than most, and showed it.

He had a multitude of wrinkles on his face, and his eyes were beginning to lighten from the loss of his eyesight. It was rare for Cupids to be this old. A welcome sight, yes, but many of the Cupids Ida knew only grew to be as old as a grey hair before one thing or another took them out. Such circumstances made him... afraid.

"Yeah, I saw him run off as well. I'll just have to smack him over the head with the newspaper when I get home."

They both laughed. "What do you plan to do, the day of?"

"Well, I was thinking of maybe just getting ready and going, but maybe that won't be the best? It'll be a good seven hours before I can even get to the opening of my Ceremony."

"You should consider showing that Frost man around!"

The Cupid didn't notice Ida's smile vanish, it being replaced with a small frown.

"He was around here last night, and he was helping out the widow down the street with the decorations."

"I really shouldn't-"

"He's a nice young man." The other pressed, now beginning to stare at Ida. "I don't know what he was talking about when he mentioned that you weren't particularly fond of him, however."

"I-"

"Talking some nonesense about you being upset over a couple of villages he froze over some hundred or so years ago."

"He's not wrong!" Ida didn't like it when he was interrupted, and the words had burned in his throat until he couldn't anymore. "He's stupid, immature, and selfish! Those people could've died when he froze the villages over, and he doesn't even bother to apologize for doing so! I don't like him!"

This outburst caught the older Cupid off guard, and caught the attention of a few others.

"Maybe he's changed in the years. Nobody stays the same - not even you."

"I highly doubt that." Ida folded his arms over his chest, his frown deepening now that more eyes were on him - judging him.

"He's helped us get ready for the fesitval, Ida. He didn't have to do that." a younger Cupid now spoke, a young woman.

"And he helped watch my kids when I had to run an errand while he was here." A young father spoke.

Ida backed away a bit, looking between the Cupids that now began to turn against him. Frost must've made such a great impression on them that they had become defensive of anyone speaking badly about him.

"It's not like I hate him or anything.."

"You ignore him all the time, Ida..." whispered the young woman, her face full of concern and misplaced hurt. "He tries to be nice, but you brush him off."

"I just-"

"You're too prideful, son." the older Cupid said. "Take some advice from an old man like myself. I've live a long time, and grudges such as the one you're holding onto often hold back something wonderful."

"How was he supposed to know they were your villages anyway? He was just a winter sprite, back then. He didnt talk to us often."

"How would you feel if someone held something against you that happened years ago?"

Ida froze, staring at the Cupid that had effectively ended the conversation. She was staring at him, as if waiting for answer, but he couldn't provide one. Her accusation had forced him into a perspective that he never really considered before; not that he hadn't, more that he didn't want to, because he knew that he was wrong and had long ago misjudged Jack. The small crowd dispursed, a few Cupids looking at Ida with disappointment or sadness. They had taken personal offense over Ida's grudge; likely, this occured due to everyone having met Jack the day before. Iad was left standing in the middle of the walkway, quietly clutching the hem of his shirt.

He knew he had a lot to think about.

With a quiet sigh, he turned and hurried away, towards the woods that seemed to be far away - just what Ida needed.

The frozen lake stretched for miles.

The moon that rose over the sky seemed far too large, much brighter than that of the moon that the humans saw. The ice that covered the deep water sparkled and seemed to shine. The quiet was broken by the soft sounds of ice skates.

Ida wobbled carefully on the ice, clutching onto the wood of a tree that had long ago fallen into the lake. It's branches stretched to the sky, but the majority of it was bare and offered assistance. Winter was long and cold for Valentine's, with the lake being frozen often. However, Ida never tried to ice skate much. The reason being-

He lost his balance, losing his grip as well and falling to the ice. Since it was so thick, it hurt to fall onto. He let out a string of curses, tears forming in his eyes. He was beyond frustrated, as this wasn't his first time coming to the lake, holding onto the tree limbs and trying to skate.

He hadn't really gotten any better in this time, either. The only real progress he'd made had been that he wasn't hugging the tree for dear life and his legs no longer shook like a newborn deer. Now he was a somewhat recently born deer, and clung to a branch instead.

So much time and so little progress made the entire process aggrivating.

Sitting on the ice now, tears stinging his eyes made him genuinely consider giving up the ice skating that he'd been working on. He knew it was fun - the times that he was able to glide even a few inches were exhilerating and fun, which had made him want to learn more. But right now? His head was in his hands and he felt as if the day was completely ruined.

In a small fit of fury, he unlaced one of his skates and threw it across the ice.

"Fuck ice skating!" his shoulders shook, but he wiped at his eyes.

A few more minutes, and just as Ida went to get onto his hands and knees and crawl to retrieve his ice skate, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was so startled, he whipped around, only to see Jack kneeling next to him.

He frowned immedietly, looking away.

"Do you need help...?"

"No. I've got this."

He regretted his tone right away, and Jack could tell by the way his shoulders slumped. Jack didn't know what happened, as Ida usually took some form of joy or pride in being a bit rude to him. He went over and grabbed the thrown ice skate, coming back and helping Ida put it back on.

"I think you need help." his voice was soft, and he eased an arm under Ida's arms.

"..Yes, please. Thank you..."

They managed to stand up with the help of both Jack and the dead tree. Ida wobbled immedietly, with Jack tightening his hold to make sure he didn't fall. A few words of encouragement and instruction helped him manage to stay upright.

"Put your feet like this.." Jack showed him the way he put his feet when he skated.

Ida shakily put his feet in a similar fashion to Jack's, and was a bit surprised to find that his shakiness grew less. Jack gave a small chuckle at the surprised look.

"You're putting your feet in a way only professional skaters tend to put their feet. I don't know where you saw that, or where you learned it, but it's extremely difficult if you're a beginner and have no experience on how to put your balance."

Ida turned red, and for a brief second, Jack thought he'd pissed him off, and braced himself for a confrontation.

"... the Cupid of Ice Skating..." he murmured, still clinging to Jack's shirt and arm.

"Huh?"

"The Cupid of Ice Skating... I've been watching her since I was a little kid, and she always looked to happy and graceful, so I wanted to learn... I watched her a lot and I've been trying to copy her movments..."

Ida's face was completely red from what Jack now realized was embarrassment. It competely explained why Ida had been trying to put his feet in a way that would've only worked if he was completely gliding along the ice.

"Well-" he had to pause, chuckling as he came to the realization. "At least you were inspired. You just started in the wrong spot."

"...how should I start?" Ida could hardly look at Jack, but he was now starting to genuinely talk to him, and was growing more comfortable with having Jack's arm around him.

"Let's start with how to move forward without falling over, okay?"

"Okay."

The next few hours was spent teaching Ida how to move in the skates. Balance was important, and Ida didn't have a lot of that. However, he did manage to get the hang of it, and was soon making small glides before quickly going back to either Jack or the Tree to grab onto it tightly, looking both excited and afraid.

Neither noticed how late it was getting, as they were both focusing on making sure Ida didn't fall on his ass again. Ida quickly grew comfortable with grabbing Jack's arms or hands.

"Sorry, sorry..." Ida tried to retract his hands, but Jack grabbed his hands again when he almost fell over. "I'm used to grabbing friend's hands, and I haven't-"

"It's fine. Its fine, honestly. I don't mind. Besides, you still almost fell over." he chuckled, noticing when Ida's face turned a bit more red.

"Usually people are weirded out by just how... touchy I can be, I guess." he moved forward in the skates a bit, again almost falling over when it was a bit more 'oomf' than he originally planned.

"Like I said, I don't mind. It's a bit comforting, considering the only person to really be friendly is your mom."

"That's weird."

"Oh, bold words coming from you." Jack laughed, Ida giving a small smile.

"How long have you even been friends with my mom?" Ida and Jack moved along the ice slowly, making sure to keep their balance.

"Well, let's see... I'd say a bit over 160 years ago. Long before you were even a thing, now that I think about it."

"That's before my sister was even a thing." Ida felt a bit startled, realizing that his mom's oldest friend was someone he'd held such a fierce grudge against.

"We met when I came across Valentine's on accident. She was a lot shorter than she was now."

"I'm sure that's true." the blonde chuckled to himself, watching his feet to make sure he didn't trip over anything on the ice.

"I'd only been a winter sprite for a while, about 100 years or so." he shrugged, turning to face Ida as he used his bare feet to slide along the ice.

"What was it like?" Ida tilted his head, gripping Jack's wrist more when he stumbled. "Turning into a winter sprite?"

Jack mulled it over. "It was cold, at first. Dark. And then when I came out of the ice, and looked up - there was the moon. It made everything bright. I was both alone, but I wasn't at the same time. It was really weird, figuring that out."

"That must've been terrifying." murmured the Cupid, aiming back towards the shore.

"It was. For a really long time, I was afraid of everything. Evelyn just made me realize that there wasn't always fear."

The two lasped into silence, Jack helping Ida remove the skates and Ida putting his boots back on. "It's getting really late."

"I didn't notice." the winter sprite chuckled, the two making their way down the dirt path that slowly turned into a gravel path.

"Mother must be worried." Ida rubbed his cheek, staring at the Tree.

It seemed so close, but at the same time, very far away. As they spoke, they passed through the Village. Ida noted some Cupids whispering amongst each other when they passed. A few smiled, but the overall amount of Cupids were shutting down their shops as the night progressed. The streets were falling silent, the lanterns emitting a soft glow as the darkness settled.

Jack and Ida continued to speak, both nearly forgetting that they'd both disliked each other not even a few days ago. Their topics flowed together, both linked and completely unhinged from the previous topic at the same time. Neither noticed just how much they were enjoying their conversation before they showed up at Ida's front door.

Evelyn opened the door, looking at Ida with disappointment.

"Young man, it is midnight! Where have you been? I didn't know where you were, and I was concerned..."

Ida once more turned red. "Sorry. I was learning to skate, and time slipped away..."

"It was my fault, too, Eve." Jack piped up, lifting his hand.

Evelyn looked over to him. "The next time you find him, please make sure he's back before midnight, or that I at least know where he is..."

"I will. Sorry, Evie."

"Sorry, Mom..."

"Come on, get inside. It's time you should get to bed."

Ida nodded, telling Jack, "Goodnight. Thanks." before he headed upstairs, giving his other mother a hug goodnight. Jack and Evelyn spoke a bit longer in the doorway, bidding one another goodnight. Evelyn closed the door, then looked up the stairs where her son had gone. She headed up the stairs, knocking on Ida's door.

"Come in!" Ida was in bed, covered by a couple of blankets as he read a book.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun, today?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess! I learned how to not fall on my ass."

"That's wonderful." she chuckled, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Jack helped you?"

"Yeah. He was alright. A lot nicer than I expected..."

"I'm glad that you two are getting along. It'll help you when it comes to your Bonding Ceremony."

"How?" Ida snorted.

"Well, for one, you won't be arguing with him."

"True.."

"You should be getting to bed, hun. And use all your blankets, you're frozen through!"

She gathered his free blankets, shoving him under them and planting a kiss on his forehead. He laughed, squirming away from all the blankets.

"Goodnight, Ida."

"Night, Mom. Love you."

"Love you too."

She stood, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her with a soft 'click' as Ida turned over, wrapping his blankets around himself and falling into a deep sleep.

Jack settled himself into his tree. The quiet allowed him to focus on keeping his eyes closed, to let his mind wander. The rough bark buried itself into his back and into his hair. Despite the mild discomfort, he listened to the wind weaving through the branches. The muffled sounds of Valentines' were far away, drifting towards him in the wind. Before long, he felt the sprinkle of golden sand over his eyes. He smiled softly as he felt himself relax, sinking more into the crook of the tree.

"Thanks, Sandy..."

Ever since Jack had become a Guardian, he'd never had normal 'dreams', especially since he had regained his memories. Since he'd gotten them back, his mind would play them; a movie of who he had been.

Memories of his mother, of his previous life, would begin to consume his thoughts the moment the golden sand would be sprinkled over him.

His mother was a gentle and wonderful woman, the figure in his life that was solid and strong and the model he wanted to take after in his own life. She carried with her the smell of bluebells, as they were numerous in their area, and were her favorite flower. She would always settle into a patch of these flowers and weave long chains of them should she come across them during her daily chores. He was always covered in these flowers, since his mother would keep him within reach and would put a small crown on his head, then his sisters head.

Her presence was strong in his memories. His father wasn't quite as strong, but he was there in the corners of his mind. He remembered him being tall, much taller than him or his mother, and his gruff voice always made his mother chuckle or blush. He was well built; being a farmer would do that to a person.

But after a certain point of time in his memories, his father simply stopped appearing. He was replaced with a tinge of sadness, and Jack could only guess that he had passed on around this time. No reason could be found, but the phrase, "He died a hero" appeared often.

He could only guess that he had passed from a battle that had occured sometime around then; they had, after all, been in a very rocky time in terms of peace and settling. His mother had mourned for a long time, with Jack and Mary taking over their chores in order to make their mother happier and less stressed. They would go out and get her favorite flowers, putting them into chains that were clunky and awkward. This always made her smile, pulling them both into a tight hug. Jack vaugly remembered the feeling of tears on his shoulder after one of these moments. It had taken a while, but their mother had forced herself to get up out of bed and had given herself a short, short haircut.

"It's time for a new life!" she'd said that day, smiling at the two kids.

They'd been estatic, letting out whoops of joy as they nearly crushed her between them.

She'd taken over the household as soon as she was up and about again. She marched to the fields and harvested them, saved the soil and got ready for the next one. She milked their cow, told Jack to go get their sheep to wash and shear, and cleaned the house from top to bottom - it wasn't large, and with three people cleaning, it was quickly done.

This had inspired Jack when he'd witnessed all of this. She'd been so sad, but upon seeing her kids trying to cheer her up, she had pulled herself out of it. He wanted that strength, and the strength to make others happy, as his mother had done to others in the village. His mother even began to sing lullubies to them again; something she'd paused when his father had passed, he'd wager.

She would settle on Jack's bed, pulling Mary close to her and resting her hand on Jack's knee. Jack would be wrapped up in his blanket - made with love from his mom - and he'd listen as she sung a lulluby that was both haunting and beautiful - mystical and a warning.

Her hand would stroke Mary's hair, who's brown eyes would begin to droop, then close, Jack's eyes soon following as her voice filled their small home.

"Little rabbits,

chasing the sun,

brought about by the weary souls of the fields.

Terrors hidden,

men of shadow cloaked,

bringing those in need to the deepest point.

Dear small child, hold me close,

I'll bring you safety,

from the man in the shadows.

He cannot cross here,

the moonlight brings you comfort,

it'll bring you sanctuary.

Holding the man in the cloak

in the shadows where he belongs.

Be the moonlight,

be the sun.

Bring joy to those who desire,

Bring happiness to those of despair

and be my children,

be my little rabbits."

By the time she would finish her lulluby, they would both be asleep. He'd always wake up, warm and tucked in.

He remembered helping her out in the fields, pulling weeds, chasing off crows and tilling the soil. Their livestock were usually lumped in with the rest of the livestock, since their village was so, so small. But he would help the adult men in the village chase the sheep into a pond - one different from the one he died in - and wash them so he could help shear them, and bring home the wool for his mom to make them new clothes.

She taught him to weave the fabric on her loom, which had been made by his father by hand.

Subconciously, he rubbed the fabric of his pants. They had been made by both him and his mom. She'd been teaching him how to make his own clothes.

"I won't be here forever, Jackie." she'd ruffled his hair, bringing him close.

Neither had realized that it would actually be him that wouldn't be there forever.

During the spring, he and Mary would be found searching high and low for berries that they could bring home. They would come home with full baskets and stained fingers and faces, stains on their clothes and teeth; it always made his mom laugh. She had a laugh that reminded Jack of sleigh bells, but it would quickly turn loud and be coming from her belly - she'd be clutching her gut and laughing her heart out.

He could remember a few things she told him through his life, aside from the laughter and sadness, clear as day:

"Sweetie, would you mind going to hunt with the others?"

"Honey, I need to go to the market, want to go with?"

"Mary, Jack, it's planting time!"

"Are your chores done, my darlings?"

For a brief moment, he compared Evelyn to his mother and realized that they would have been great friends. Both cared dearly for their children, always praising them and giving them all their love - never hiding the love they had for them. They'd always call their kids 'darlings' or 'sweeties', 'sugarpies' and 'honey pot'.

He realized that he missed his mom. He missed the moments that he felt completely safe and loved, where he and his sister would rush to their mom and knock her down. She'd never be mad - she always laughed and held them tight.

He missed his home, which he knew was either long decaying or long gone. He missed the springs where he'd be going berry hunting. He missed making his own clothes, the feel of the loom under his hands. He missed his life, but he didn't want to leave the one he had now.

Jack supposed that it was just an exchange he made when he saved his sister. He hadn't been aware then of the price of the exchange, but he'd nonetheless been willing to make it.

As a reward, he now had the luxury of going through the main details of his memories.

That would be enough, for now.

It had to be enough - and for now, it was.