Skyla woke up for the seventh time that night, "Jack?"

His arm went around her protectively from the space on the bed beside her, "I'm still here. And I'm not going anywhere."

After their fight, they'd both expected to be dragged away from each other. A few times, Jack even thought they should be since he'd gone so far as to use his staff on her. For whatever reason no one had even stopped by. There were no noises from outside, no one guarding the room, but Skyla didn't trust it.

"Sky..." Jack groaned, "Stop thinking so hard and just go back to sleep. You're making this harder on both of us"

She turned herself around to face him, "What if, while I'm asleep; they come to take you away? I know you won't wake me up, then when I do you won't be beside me! I don't want that..."

"Neither of us do, Sky" he pulled her closer, "But you need to sleep. Waking up every hour isn't good for you."

"Just don't go anywhere, okay? If anything happens, wake me up?"

"I will." The spirit sighed, his cool breath rushing over Sky. Closing his eyes he mumbled his disappointment, "This night could have gone a lot differently. We didn't even kiss for that long."

"You're the one that said I needed sleep" she reminded, smirking at him.

Opening his eyes again, Jack watched her with a sudden mischievous smile, "It got you into bed, didn't it?"

"Seriously, Frost? If anyone just walked in on you saying that, they would think something happened."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

"Jack, you have no idea what you're talking about. You're still an inexperienced kisser, and I sincerely doubt you've stuck around a couple long enough to know what even happens between them."

"I know all about it" he frowned quite childishly, "You're the one whose always saying I know more than I let on. That I'm more experienced than people think."

"If you say you're experienced in that; I will throw you out of this bed faster than-"

"Okay, okay. I'm really not. I've never watched something that intimate between a couple. I want to take another step in our relationship though."

Skyla rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed, laughing hysterically, "That's not the next step, Jack!"

"I know!" he said in frustration, "I didn't mean it like that. We're comfortable kissing, right? And I like it, but... Sky, what more can I do?"

"You're so cute" she calmed down a little. "I don't know? It's supposed to be a natural thing."

"...Well" he hesitated, and she turned to face him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. The spirit watched her closely, his thinking face on. "What would you do with Brandon?"

She visibly paled, her eyes widening at the question, "I- I wouldn't-"

"You loved him, right?" It was a rhetorical question, and she didn't bother correcting him. "Without my influence what would you- or what did you do?"

"How far do you really think we went, Jack?"

"Answer the question." he told her, copying her sitting position and throwing the covers to the end of the bed.

"Answer mine." she retorted.

Running a hand through his hair, Jack let out a concentrated breath, "I don't want to know. I saw the way you looked at him and the way he looked at you. I don't regret coming between that, but I do wish I had done it sooner. I had you pinned against the wall early on, I should have done something different with that chance" he joked, grinning at her.

Song lyrics whispered through her mind, 'I should have kissed you, I should have pushed you up against the wall, I should have kissed you, Just like I wasn't scared at all'

"Skyla, you're zoning out again."

'Gloriana' she remembered, glad she wouldn't have to suffer the night trying to figure it out. 'Damn. I really miss my mp3.'

"Sky?" Jack put a hand on her knee and squeezed, dragging her attention back, "Really? Do you have to do that when I'm in the middle of flirting?"

"That was flirting?" she asked in mock astonishment, "Damn, Frost, you really suck at that."

He smiled shortly before his expression turned apologetic, "I know I shouldn't ask about Brandon. I just-" he sighed again, "I still don't know what to think about all of that."

"...yeah. Well, don't think about it at all. We're in the North Pole. He's nowhere near us."

"He's here, Sky." he said seriously. She paled again, waiting for an explanation. "Right here," his hand reached up and rested lightly on her head, his thumb brushing her forehead. His other hand went over her heart, "And I still can't get him out of here."

"Jack-"

His hands moved to grip the back of her head and her shoulder. He pulled her close and held his lips against hers lightly. Skyla enjoyed the sweet kiss, but it was so light she could barely feel it. Reaching her own hands to his chest, she gripped the sweater fabric and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

Taking a chance, she moved one hand down to his waist. She gripped the hem of his sweater, tugging on it a little. Jack grabbed her hand, moving it up, and holding it back up against his chest. Pulling away, Skyla frowned, "You're always wearing this thing."

"You've never minded before, Sky."

"I know..." she sighed, "You're the one that got me thinking about next steps and- Well, I would probably freeze if we took my shirt off- Not that we would! I mean, I guess I wouldn't- No, that's not what I-"

"Skyla, calm down. You're trying too hard to say nothing." he chuckled, "Let's leave our shirts on for now. The next step?" Jack put his arms around her waist and fell back against the bed, taking her with him.

She lay on top of him, her hands still on his chest. His hands moved lower and she giggled. He left his hands low on her back and pushed his head up. Skyla's dipped and caught his lips, following as his head relaxed against the pillows again.

After a while, they broke apart. Skyla, slowly catching her breath, rested a hand against his cheek, "I love you, Jack Frost."

"I love you, Skyla Grace. And when I finally learn your last name, we're going to get married."

His declaration caught her off guard. She rolled off him, and he rolled with her, staying close. They stared at each other until finally she asked in disbelief, "Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"No" he stated, and she was surprised to find that she didn't relax any. "I didn't ask. I want to wait to ask properly. But I know you'll agree so I can tell you now that it's happening. You might as well start planning. I'm thinking someplace sunny but cold. Or we could do it in Burgess! That way every major point in my life has happened there!"

"Jack, did you really just ask me to marry you?"

Jack frowned, "Yes? Don't you want to?"

Opening her mouth, she quickly closed it again. Repeating the process a few times, she finally told him, "I don't know. It's a huge step and I... It's complicated?" she offered, shrugging her shoulders slightly with an apologetic smile.

"Complicated? No, it's not. It's you, it's me; it's us. What happened to forever?"

"We don't have forever" she stressed, "But that's not the point. We haven't known each other for a month yet, have we?"

"I'm not asking today. I'm confident you'll say yes when I do, so-"

"How are you so confident? How are you even thinking about something like that?"her disbelief grew.

"What else should I think about, Sky?" the spirit asked sadly, "About what's going to happen to me? About my heart being taken? And about someone messing with my emotions? Making me so pissed off at times that I actually want to hurt someone- hurt you!"

"You would never-"

"I have, Sky! I have hurt you! You can't keep forgetting stuff like that-"

"I don't forget, Jack." she let out a shaky breath, hoping to calm herself, "I overlook the small things that you do that hurt me in favor of the grand things you do that take my breath away. We've been by each others' side since we first met. We've come a long way, through the good and the bad; and we've stayed. You gave up Lauren for me and I-" she hesitated, getting the words right, "I let Brandon go. For you. Because of all the good you've brought me."

"Sky, we keep getting off track." he shook his head, "I will ask you to marry me, and I know you will say yes. If you don't... Well, you won't, so I won't even think about that!" he grinned at her and his eyes pleaded with her to say something positive.

She didn't say anything. She kept her mouth closed and just looked into his eyes with a look she hoped was happy enough to satisfy him.

The spirit rolled away and lay defeated next to her. He dragged a hand through his hair, "Okay. It's decided anyway. I'm asking you. At a better time. Then, when I know your last name; we'll set the date. It's that easy, and it's staying that easy. We have a plan. A plan for our future together" he kept trying to reassure himself.

Skyla, feeling incredibly guilty for the state he was in, sat up. "One of us should go find out what's going on. I'm getting worried."

"I'm not moving anymore tonight. I'm tired. You go, if you want"

"Jack, I just think-"

"You think way too much, Sky." he chuckled almost darkly, "Just go. They're only giving us time to be together, and you're only going to throw that out the freakin window."

"..." Stubbornly, she stood up. Making a quick decision, she reached over the bed and took the bracelet from his pouch. He stayed true to his word and didn't moved, his arm still draped over his head. She threw the accessory into her coat's pocket before slipping her arms into the red fabric. "I'll be back later, then. I love you, Jack. I'm sorry I can never say the right things."

Almost an hour later she was even more concerned. She hadn't found any of the Guardians. The yetis ignored her. The elves only held up plates of cookies in response to her questions. She searched every area she had ever seen them gathered in. Nothing.

"Where are they?"she wondered aloud, walking back to the main area. She stopped in front of the fireplace to warm herself. Holding her arms, she chewed her lip and tried to think of what to do. Turning around, she walked to the railing and stared up at the sky. The Moon wasn't anywhere in sight.

A sudden rush of wind blew past her and she shielded her eyes. "Skyla!" Jack called from behind her. She turned and saw he'd just landed there. He looked like he was forcing himself to stay calm. "There's something you need to do for me, and you can't ask why."

She took a step towards him, and he took the initiative and closed the distance, gripping her shoulder with one hand and keeping her back for a moment while he looked her up and down with an expression she couldn't identify.

He suddenly pulled her close, his arm draping around her. "Skyla, we can't waste time, I'm sorry." His voice was calm but rushed. He leaned his staff against his shoulder awkwardly and pulled something out of his pouch. "Don't you dare put that bracelet on until we see each other again. I love you, and you know that. That's all you need to know. I'll talk to you soon, I promise."

"Jack, what's going on?"

He ignored her question, "Keep your chin up. Eyes open. Don't do anything stupid. Stay safe" he stressed, hugging her tighter. He threw a snow-globe behind him and it exploded, opening a portal "I love you" In a moment he kissed her, then released his grip and pushed her through the portal.

She landed, hard, on the ground outside Lauren's. She looked back quickly and jumped to her feet, running for the portal. It closed before she reached it. Falling back on the ground, she slammed her fists into the pavement.

"Dammit!" She couldn't even put her hurt into words. She couldn't explain it -from her side or Jack's. She just stayed there as gravel bit her knees and stung her hands. Flattening her palms on the concrete, she forbid herself to cry. Tears stung her eyes and she forced them back.

She heard the front door swing open behind her and she knew Lauren was there. Taking in her surrounding for the first time, Skyla saw that it was dark. Probably midnight. The street was empty and silent. The heat from the day was already making her sweat, her large coat making her head spin.

She was back. Back to Lauren's. Back to Summer. Back to reality.

"What the hell am I supposed to do." Looking back down at her hands, she watched as a tear spilled onto the sidewalk between them.

"Come inside" A voice told her. A familiar voice, but not Lauren's. She knew she should know it but her thoughts all ran together and she couldn't place it.

Slowly standing up, Skyla kept trying to figure out who it was that could be so familiar yet so unknown to her at a time like that. Turning slowly, she took in the street beyond, the two cars in the driveway, the walkway up to the house. And there, just in front of the porch, was the familiar, shockingly handsome face she couldn't stop herself from loving.

"Brandon"


NOTES:
See?
I promised to get another chapter out asap and I DID IT
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Also, we have now officially passed the 20th chapter!
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