(Whew! Well, this one took a bit. Enjoy! Don't forget to review! This chapter takes place during one of the instrumental scenes in the movie as the song Do You Wanna Build A Snowman is performed! The first bits of dialogue between Elsa and her father are not mine, but belong to Disney! The rest is indeed my writing. ~Doverstar)

12-year-old Elsa stood in her room, her parents watching as ice crept from beneath her feet. It covered the wall behind her.

She turned to them, voice raspy with nerves. "I'm scared," she wailed. "It's getting stronger!"

Her father exchanged a glance with her mother. "Getting upset only makes it worse," he told her gently. "Calm down-"

He went to stroke her hair like he used to, but Elsa drew back.

"No!" cried the girl. "Don't touch me! Please. I don't wanna hurt you."

The ice cracked a little. This was too much. The troll had said fear would be her enemy, and he was right. But she couldn't force it down. It was everywhere. She imagined an icy streak in her Papa's hair. She imagined Mama's chocolate-brown locks turned ghostly white. Just like Anna.

Anna could have died that night. Her darling little sister. Her funny, clumsy, wonderful little sister. And Elsa would've been responsible. She could've killed her very best friend at only 6 years old.

She could do that to her parents too. She could do that to anyone. One of the maids could come in with supper and if Elsa took off the gloves, if she was having a bad day or even got a little restless, that maid could be frozen solid in a matter of seconds.

The gloves...light blue and soft as the coat of a baby reindeer. They helped. Her father had had them magically soaked by the trolls. It'd been an early 9th birthday gift. Her ice powers were half sustained as long as she wore them.

But even those stupid, enchanted gloves wouldn't keep her family safe from the storm.

Elsa glanced up at her Papa. She took a deep breath. "Sorry."

He gave her a kind look, tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she rejected it with a slight step backward. "It's all white outside, Elsa," he said. "Anna will be lonely, making snow angels on her own."

Elsa looked away.

"You don't have to stay in your room anymore," Mama said earnestly. "You have your gloves. You can go and play-"

"No," Elsa interrupted quickly. "I-It's fine. I'm...I'm tired. I need some quiet."

Another look was exchanged. Grown-ups.

Papa led Mama out of the room. "Let us know if you change your mind."

Elsa nodded.

He was halfway out, one hand on the long iron door handle. Then he leaned back in. "Elsa..."

Elsa forced a trembly smile. "I'm okay."

He smiled back, then closed the door.

She turned toward her vanity and set her gloves down on it. Her foot slid, just a little, on the ice that still sparkled on her floor.

She backed away from it. "I'm okay," she told herself again.

She heard Anna's giggle down the hall. Feet slid right past her door and stopped. Elsa heard her sister hesitate with a creak of the floorboards. She heard that disappointed sigh. Then Anna was gone, dashing downstairs.

Elsa leaned against the wall. More magic pulsed from her fingers and made the already-present ice thicker.

"I'm okay..." She murmured.

Her voice echoed in that big, empty room. One bed. One vanity. One window. One girl.

Alone with her curse.

She sank to the floor, still slumped against the wall.

"I'm okay."

She whispered it this time, but it had to fight past a lump in her throat.

Elsa drew up her knees and hugged them, burying her face in her arms. Sobs racked her body.

Suddenly something nudged her in the ribs.

Elsa's head shot up.

A boy with white hair and a long staff sat beside her.

"Jack?" Elsa didn't wipe the tears from her cheeks.

He looked exactly the same.

Jack crossed his arms over his knees. "You don't look okay."

His mischievous smile had been replaced with a frown of concern.

Elsa reached out one finger and poked him in the shoulder. He watched her neutrally.

"You're real," she mumbled.

"Uh..." Jack raised his eyebrows. He stood up and clutched his staff. "Last I checked."

She tackled him in a hug.

Jack couldn't help grinning; it'd been so long since he was hugged. Especially when she'd been the last one to do so.

"Woah," he said softly, affectionately. "Somebody got tall."

Elsa pulled away. "You're real!"

Jack smiled.

She rubbed one arm with a hand. "Where were you?"

"What do you mean?" Jack blinked. "I was standing right there." He gestured with a hand to the corner.

Was he? She hadn't seen him at all.

"No. I mean..." Elsa looked at her feet. "This whole time. It's been years. Lots of years."

Jack's eyes drifted to the window. "Yeah..." He messed his hair with a hand. "I got...sidetracked."

Elsa turned and walked around the room, her back to him, not knowing what to do with her feet, an uncertain pre-teen.

"I thought you weren't gonna come back," she mumbled.

"But I promised."

Elsa didn't answer directly. "I...kind of started thinking you were..."

Jack's face grew still. His grip on his staff tightened. If she'd looked up into his eyes, she'd see fear very similar to her own there.

"I thought you were just a dream." Elsa tucked a strand of hair into her braid. "Like...make-believe."

Jack stared at her, chest heaving a bit, before she glanced his way and he had to pull himself together.

"But I'm here," he said eagerly, spreading his arms. "I'm back. I promised, remember?"

Elsa bit her lip.

He stepped forward and pinched her arm.

"Ouch!"

"There, see?" Jack lifted his chin and offered a more lopsided smile. "Here I am. You're not dreaming, Elsa."

Elsa wouldn't look at him now. She rubbed the place he'd pinched, and she seemed to be pouting in a painful way. She didn't want to forgive him yet.

He nudged her again. "See?"

No answer.

"No, huh? Maybe tickling helps."

Elsa's head came up at that. He was giving her a very impish, almost maniacal look.

"No!" she gasped, dashing to the other side of the room when she realized he meant it.

Jack sprang after her, and away they went, round and round her chambers, not skating this time but playing tag in a way. If Jack caught her (and he was going easy on her, it must be said) he'd do so by picking her up under the arms and tickling her in her sides. Then he'd let her squirm out of his grasp.

"You're getting faster, kiddo," Jack panted as they sat on the window seat together.

"Yes," Elsa agreed. "Five years faster."

Jack let his staff lean against the wall beside him. "Sorry," he muttered.

She observed his eyes and saw the warmth starting to go out a little, as if her words were water to the flame.

"No, it's okay." Elsa straightened her shoulders. "I'm okay."

Jack watched her for about three full minutes, not smiling, not nodding, completely unconvinced.

"Huh." He got to his feet. "What happened over here?"

He picked up his staff and pointed it at the ice all over the corner.

Elsa inhaled sharply. "Me."

Jack glanced at her over his shoulder.

Elsa felt tears coming and she bent her head before he could see them fall. It was as if all her torment was reflected in the sheet of glittering shards on the wall.

Jack closed his eyes. He put both hands on his staff and blue sparks spiraled along its end.

Snow began falling in the room. It piled rapidly on the bed. It came up to his ankles in just a few minutes.

Elsa wasn't in awe, just surprised and confused. What was he doing?

Jack clawed a handful of snow off the floor and molded it into a ball, slowly. "Duck."

"What?"

It hit her in the nose.

"Pff!" Elsa spat, trying to get the snow out of her mouth. "Jack!"

Jack got another one ready. "Told you to duck!"

Elsa ducked this time, but it got her toe.

"Hey! That stung."

"Oh, I thought it didn't bother you!"

"It doesn't!"

"Heads up!" He threw another one and it hit the window.

"Stop it!" Elsa cried. "Anna will see!"

"Only way to stop me," Jack informed her, still arming himself, "is to hit me. I dare you!"

Elsa winced when he actually aimed for the window this time. She hopped off its seat.

"Come get me, Princess!" Jack taunted, making faces and stepping around swiftly.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. She picked up some snow and tossed it at him. It glanced off his shoulder, putting cold powder on his brown shawl.

"You can do better than that!"

Elsa tried again and grazed his head. The tips of his already-white hair sparkled with bits of the frozen ammo. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Hold still!"

"Missed me!"

"Ja-ack!"

He hit her in the arm but used his staff to make more ammunition for her. Elsa's aim was poor and her fingers slippery. Jack's snow felt too real. There was something unfamiliar about real snow.

Jack leaned against her vanity with his arms crossed. "Give up?"

Elsa did it without thinking about it. She summoned magic, felt the storm whirl in her favor, explode from her palms. A slightly-blue snowball sat in her hands, perfectly round and tight.

She'd thrown it before she could blink. It got him square in the mouth.

Jack blinked a few times. Then he laughed. "Not so hard when you're having fun, huh?" he spluttered, wiping the snow from his face.

Elsa was horrified. "Oh no," she mumbled, staring at her hands. "A-Are you okay? I didn't mean..."

Jack cut her off with another chuckle. "Nice shot!"

Elsa didn't answer. She curled her fingers into fists and started moving away from him.

Jack's smile fell. "Hey, I'm fine. No harm done. It's-"

"It's not okay," Elsa interrupted. "I could've hurt you!"

Jack didn't argue. He didn't say she was right, either. He just looked at her.

"I can't use it!" Elsa put her gloves on. "Conceal, don't feel," she murmured to herself. "Conceal, don't feel."

Jack's eyes were full of sympathy. He stepped over and took her wrist, holding her hand up so he could examine it. His fingers weren't warm like hers; they were hard and cold. Almost the same texture as snow when it'd been out all night, and you went to play in it the next morning only to find it was spiky and numbing.

But to Elsa, it felt pleasant. Like the first autumn breeze after a sweltering summer, or a sip of water after a day in the sun.

"They keep the storm away," Elsa muttered for explanation, noticing the way he examined the glove curiously.

A hard look came into Jack's eyes. He pulled the glove off her hand.

"Gimme that!" Elsa reached for it, but he held it out of her reach. He was still at least two heads taller than her.

"You don't need these," Jack told her, shaking it in her face a little. "You can control it without them."

"No, I can't."

"I've seen you."

"Jack, please. Give it back."

"You just have to focus!"

"I want my glove back!"

"Listen-"

"No! It's too strong! Give it back, Jack!" Elsa glared at him. "Right now!"

Jack refused. "Didn't you see what you were doing with that snowball? It didn't hurt. That was you. Not your gloves!"

Elsa snatched her glove back and tugged it on. "I just can't, okay?"

She could feel his eyes on her as she turned her back on him and went to sit on her bed. Her heart was pounding hard. What if she had hurt her friend after all? What if he just didn't feel it yet? But how would she know, when his hair was always white? Elsa gritted her teeth. She wanted to believe him, to be honest. If Jack was right, she could be outside building snowmen with Anna and see her sister smile again.

But what if he was wrong?

Jack was suddenly at her bedpost. "Ever played hopscotch?" he asked suddenly.

Elsa blinked twice, staring up at him. Was this his way of apologizing? So different from Papa's or Anna's. They just came right out and begged forgiveness. Jack had only done that once since they'd met. Did that mean he was really sorry then? Was he actually sorry now? Maybe he wasn't subtly apologizing. He probably still thought he was right.

Jack shrugged. "Saw some kids doing it in the village down there."

She picked a piece of lint off her skirt. "I'm no good at it." Why not humor him? Felt better than being angry.

"It looked like fun." It also looked oddly familiar, but he wasn't going to dwell on that. It was like a tendril of dream he couldn't snag.

Elsa sighed. "Okay."

"We won't even use magic." Jack took a charcoal pencil from her nightstand and drew a pattern on the floor.

He smiled at her.

Elsa managed a smile back and joined him. He went first and left his staff on the ground so that he couldn't use it for balance. Then Elsa took a turn.

"Don't fall."

"I won't."

"Really, don't fall."

"I'm not."

"You're falling. Don't fall."

"I've got it, Jack!"

"Two more. Don't fall!"

"Hush!"

"Balance, Princess."

"I'm not falling!"

"Shh, hang on..."

"What's wrong?"

"Hear that?"

"Jack."

"It's the sound of you falling."

"Stop making me laugh! I'm concentrating!"

"You're gonna fall."

"Not if I make this last jump! I'm gonna beat you."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Nah."

"Yes I will!"

"What's that over there?"

"What? ...Jack! No sticks allowed! Hey!"

"Uh oh, Princess-there you go!"

"Stop it; that's cheating-woah!"

"Ouch! Looks like I win."

"You pushed me!"

"Rematch?"

"Yes!"

They played hopscotch about four rounds before Jack seemed satisfied that he'd cheered her up.

Elsa flopped down on her bed and he sat cross-legged beside her.

"It's almost time to eat," she said.

"Oh, good. What's for supper?" He leaned back on his palms.

"Salad."

"Yikes." Jack lay on his back and let his head hang off the side of the bed, staff positioned across his abdomen. "No wonder you're upset."

Elsa's voice was thin. "I'm not upset."

There was a moment of silence. Elsa hugged a pillow to her chest. She was uncomfortable with the way he seemed to grow still when she denied her pain. It was as if his existence-his presence-got thicker when she pushed it all down. Like he was adding to the storm by fixing those warm blue eyes on her, making it stronger, heavier. Her friend became more visible when each breath made her fade a bit more.

Jack sat up a little to look at her. "How come you don't open the door?"

"Huh?" Elsa sat up too. "What do you mean?"

"For your sister. When she knocks you don't even open the door for her."

"How do you know?"

Jack's expression pinched in confusion. "It's not like I stayed away the whole time."

Elsa's features twisted to match his. "But you did."

He came completely up, staff now rolling into his lap. "I came to the window," he argued, shaking his head. "Always kinda seemed like a bad time." He glanced down. "I knocked, but you...didn't notice, I guess."

Elsa was indignant. "You must've been at the wrong window, then. I would've heard you."

Jack blinked. "But I saw you."

Elsa shrugged. "I don't open the door so she doesn't see."

"See what?"

Elsa stared at her hands, wringing them."What I can do."

"I don't understand," Jack said. "Your mom and dad know. Why can't she?"

Elsa was quiet.

Jack fiddled with his shawl. "She's lonely too," he told her. "I can see it."

"I know."

"So why-"

"Because!" Elsa had become extremely agitated now. "I already hurt her once! If I do it again..."

Jack's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, slow down. What are you talking about?"

Elsa turned her head away. "Never mind."

"No, tell me." Jack leaned in. "I'm listening."

So she told him. She told him how she and Anna had been so rambunctious when they were little, a year before she'd met him. How Anna had begged to play with her sister in Elsa's magic snow. They'd built Olaf and slid down snowbanks and skated through the Great Hall. It'd been fantastic. Anna was the only one who could ever truly appreciate Elsa's gift, love Elsa even more because of it, brag on her sister's talent to her parents all the time, telling them how amazing Elsa was and how amazing she would be even without the snow.

"She was jumping too fast," Elsa whispered to finish. "I tried to catch her and I hit her and..." She glared at her fingertips. "And I almost lost her."

"And you've been scared ever since," Jack mumbled. He looked at his staff, turning it over and over in his hands. "That's why you can't control it."

Elsa nodded. "They took her to the trolls-"

"Woah, what?"

"Trolls. They're in the woods." Elsa sighed. "They fixed Anna but she..." She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Jack liked her better because of that. Less like a princess and more like a kid. Elsa went on. "She can't remember I have powers."

"I saw her hair," Jack allowed himself a small smile of amusement. "Talk about a fashion statement. Is that because of...?"

Elsa nodded. "Every time I see it...it happens all over again in my head. I get so..." She took a deep breath. "Terrified. I guess."

"You know..." Jack rubbed his chin and kept his tone kind and light, hoping it would spread to her. "If you learn to control your powers, you don't have to be stuck in here all the time."

"But I can't-"

Suddenly Jack clapped a hand over her mouth. "Nope! No can'ts, got it? You can do it. 'Cuz I'm gonna teach you."

Elsa stared at him with wide eyes behind his large, cold hand. She said something muffled.

"You're not saying I can't, are you?"

She shook her head.

He took his hand off.

"How?"

Jack shrugged. "Believe me, I've got spare time." He smiled. "It'll be a snap."

Elsa grinned. "But how much do I need?"

"How much do you need? How much do you-as long as I say!" He tickled her and she let out a raspy giggle like she'd been waiting to do so for years. "We'll get it done, don't worry."

"But you'll be here for a long time."

"Yeah." Jack straightened up. "Is that okay?"

Elsa smiled. "Only if you don't snore."

"Look who's talking!"

"I do not snore!"

"I've heard you; you're like a thunderstorm!"

Elsa laughed, but hearing the word thunderstorm stabbed the laugh till it faded away. Storm. A howling storm. That was what she called the untamed ice surging within her. Fright made her stomach churn.

"You're not gonna leave again?" She checked, pulling at his white sleeve.

Jack smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

(Next chapter on its way! Detailed reviews are appreciated! Sorry for the wait; you guys are great! ~Doverstar)