A/N : You might get the impression that I don't really like autumn...that impression is right. Dunno how it is at your places but in North Germany it mainly consists of 3 months of grey, rainy, windy and cold weather. Last year we had this crappy weather from October-January until Jack finally decided to bless us with some snow in...February. And we had white Easter ( it's kinda odd to visit an Easter market when temperatures have dropped below zero ).

Though it was funny when I was visiting my friend in Austria and whining about finally wanting snow and next morning we woke up and BAAM! everything was white, snow was falling and just didn't stop anymore. Vienna looked like freaking Siberia all of a sudden. My friend kept blaming me for it,"So dear Dolphy wanted snow, now you got snow. :|" *lol*

JessicaNorth : Thank you! ^^

Guest : *puts the onions aside* Glad you liked it! I have several more chapters ready to be uploaded, hehe. Next update will be on tuesday since I'll be in Vienna over the weekend.


*Set before the movie*

Temperatures were slowly dropping as summer was heading towards its end.

Regarding that it was already in the middle of September it was still mildly warm during the day, though nowhere near the burning degrees of the past months. In the evening on the other hand the air got that ominous chill.

There was no denying that autumn would soon take the previous season's place, a few more leaves than usual falling from the trees and barely increasing wind hinting at its not-so-secret approach.

More often now did the sun hide behind thick clouds, dipping the sky into various shades of grey instead of the brilliant clear blue which graced hot summer days with natural cheeriness.

Compared to the other seasons autumn really was depressing. At least in Jack's humble opinion.

For reasons that didn't need to be explained winter was his favourite.

And yet he could totally understand why people liked the two following seasons so much.

Spring was like a rebirth of nature. Life spread out from every corner, flowers in all possible variations of colours started to bloom wherever you looked, animals woke up from hibernation, bees and butterflies fluttered through the air, trees turned green again and humans seemed to be in happier spirits alltogether.

Summer had them all spending more time outside than they did during the rest of the year. Everyone enjoyed lying in the sun and bathing in its warmth, parks and meadows were crowded with people having barbecues, picknicks or just chilling after a stressy day of work.

Birds' serenades sounded like background music to the masterpiece called nature, their happy tweeting audibly filling the air with life and happiness.

Though as much as they loved the hot weather, not just children but teenagers and adults as well, relished the refreshment of a tasty bowl of ice-cream. It seemed like even a single scoop of the cold dessert was the cherry on top of a perfect day.

Jack took delight in the fact that humans longed for something related to his own element in the hottest months of the year.

So what about autumn? Yes, occassionally it also could create pleasant days.

'Indian Summer' as it used to be called was a marvelous sight. Leaves in different shades from brown, red, orange and yellow to purple and pink stood in unique contrast to all the other seasons. Especially during sunsets with clear skies ahead the view was breathtaking, the colours of the retreating sun mirroring those of the millions of leaves down on earth.

This and the fact that it would only take a few months until it was winter's turn were the only positive things he could think of.

A mere week later Jack once again was reminded of why exactly he disliked this season.

He had returned to Burgess permanently since the decreasing temperatures were far more to his liking now than the hot weather from June to August.

Thick grey clouds loomed above him, swallowing every last bit of blue sky which might have still been somewhere inbetween. Around him a few withered leaves floated down the tree on whose branch he was sitting on. He listlessly watched them land on the wet grass below, a clear indication that it had rained not long ago.

Evening was approaching and the sky just seemed to get more depressing as it turned from light to dark grey hues.

The frost boy sighed and mustered the scenery surrounding him. It all appeared so…monotone. But not a good monotone like everything being covered in snow which glistened in the sunlight and turned the world into a white winter wonderland.

No, this here was just sad.

The trees, the bushes, the grass, the sky, the rocks and even his beloved lake were tinted in grey, giving nature a depressingly surreal appearance. It looked like a scene right out of a Tim Burton movie.

Jack shook his head. Why was he even being bothered by this after so many years? Maybe it was just one of these days when everything could bring him down. Just a sour mood which would be over as soon as the next day dawned.

But more importantly, why did he always come back to Burgess the very moment summer started to vanish from the small town? He might just as well have stayed in any other area of the world until it was time to spread winter over North America.

Since he had risen from the frozen lake he had felt a connection with this place. Not solely because he was born there but something he couldn't pinpoint as it was hidden deep inside his subconsciousness. Whenever he left Burgess he sooner or later felt the nagging urge to come back, he felt attached to it and took comfort in the familiarity of his lake and the trees surrounding it above everything else.

This was what he considered his home and he would always return.

The white-haired teen hugged the withered shepherd's crook, his sole possession, closer to his chest and relaxed his back against the rough surface of the tree. For others it might have been a more than uncomfortable position, but Jack was used to it. He had tried sleeping on the ground as well but felt a lot more secure high up in the branches of his favourite tree.

By the time he had drifted off into dreamland the sun had fully dissappeared and left the forest in eerie darkness. No stars shone in the foggy dark grey night as they were hidden behind thick layers of autumn clouds. Even the moon was nothing but a weak indication of a brighter patch of grey compared to the rest of the dull sky.

A few hours later he shifted around in a half-awake state when he felt something small and wet landing on his cheek.

He had always been a light sleeper, always ready to defend himself against what- or whoever might attack him. Call it paranoia but for him it was survival instinct.

With a casual move of his hand and still closed eyes he brushed the tiny drop of water away from his face before it had the chance to freeze.

Soon more drops followed and while he had started to ignore this annoyance at first he came completely back to his senses as heavy rain fell from the gloomy heaven above.

Jack groaned in frustration and sunk lower against the glistening bark, shooting a pouty glare at the invisible moon.

"Seriously now?" he muttered, not expecting a reply whatsoever.

In mere moments the sudden rainfall had completely soaked his clothes and plastered his hair flat to his face. It wouldn't take long for his cold skin to freeze the water and turn it into a thin layer of ice, which would act like a protective shield and shelter him from the persistent rain for the rest of the night. The disadvantage was that the ice constrained his freedom of movement and it wouldn't be the first time he woke up with a stiff neck.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about getting a cold. That would be quite ironic if he thought further about it.

For a while he pondered the option to just fly somewhere else where it wasn't raining cats and dogs right now or look for a nearby cave to hide in. Eventually his stubborness convinced him that there was no way in hell that Jack Frost would allow the pesky rain to chase him away.

This was his place, his lake, his forest, his tree, he had been here first and he would stay, no matter how much water was thrown down at him.

He would just sit it out, maybe manage to go back to sleep and ignore the rain. Yeah, that would show it. Curse the autumn spirit who decided his day of return would be a great opportunity for downpour.

For the fraction of a moment he wondered if people were annoyed by snowfall as much as he was of rainfall. Nah, that was something totally different. Snow didn't soak anyone to the bone. Snowflakes were beautiful and fluffy while raindrops were just…wet.

With a grumpy sigh he pulled up his hood and hugged his knees towards his chest. The rain wouldn't prevail over him. He would stay, because this was were he belonged.

As much as he disliked autumn, especially in these very situations, he would never abstain from coming back to Burgess as soon as he could.

This was his home and he would always return.