After Jack had left the Warren she headed for North's place. Her time spent with the Guardian of Hope left her wondering a few things. Namely things about a certain rabbit. They had both shared the pain of their past and while Jack felt strange about being hurt over something she had only recently been reminded of, it was nice to know that Bunny hadn't just pushed her away. Then again he was probably constantly reminded of his own loss, so maybe it balanced out.

Riding the wind she approached her room at the Pole, North had shown it to her and she had been thrilled when he offered her a place to stay that wasn't a snowdrift. Opening the window she sets down inside and looks around. There was a large bed against one wall flanked by two small side tables. The wall the windows were on curved out in a semi circle giving a wonderful view of the arctic landscape beyond since the windows were nearly floor to ceiling, with only about a foot between them and the ceiling and floor. Opposite the bed was a stone fireplace, it was large but cold since Jack would never have need for it. Then on the wall with the door into the rest of the building stood a wardrobe and vanity. Neither had much in or on them since Jack had only just moved into the room yesterday, but she was glad to see the brush, still with a blue ribbon tied around it, that Phil had given her as a housewarming gift. Leaning her staff against the wall by the vanity she lets herself fall back onto the blue sheets covering the feather bed with a sigh. It was so soft. She had never minded sleeping in snow drifts or trees, but even a pile of snow was never this soft. Snow tended to get harder the more it was compressed and usually by the end of a night sleeping on it it would be compacted into a sheet of ice, not the most comfortable thing to wake up on. Now though, now she had a nice soft bed made of goose feather down.

Tired as she was after the long day helping Bunny, Jack quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she woke up and stretched languidly, taking up the whole bed, despite its relative size to her small frame. Grinning she hops up and grabs her staff as she heads out of the room, through the door this time. Time to see what was for breakfast.

That was how she spent the next several months until it was time for winter once again. In late November Jack made straight for Burgess to let Jamie know about the real her. She had decided that it would be best to break it to him gently by coming down for the first snow in her old clothes, the ones she had worn to make her look like a boy. Setting down by the pond she touches it with her staff, frosting it immediately.

"Jack!"

She turns with a smile to great Jamie as he wraps her in a tight hug, just like he had when he had waved her off all those months ago.

"Hey there kiddo. How have you been?"

"Great! What about you?"

Jack chuckles. "Well North asked me to move into his place, so I've got a place to stay in the summer now."

Jamie smiles up at Jack, though a bit of confusion is clear in his eyes. "Cool, but isn't it always winter somewhere?"

"Well yeah, but I'm not the only winter spirit. We each have our own regions, more or less. The poles are free for all zones though."

"Cool!" Jamie starts pulling on Jack's hand to get her to follow him. "Come on, the others are going to be so happy that you're back."

"Woah, hold up there Jamie." Jack doesn't let herself be pulled too far before stopping Jamie, causing him to turn to look at her expectantly. "Um, look before we run off and start having fun, there's something I need to tell you."

"Ok."

"My name's actually Jacklyn Frost, Jack's just sort of a nickname I've picked up."

Jamie has tilted his head curiously at this new information, shrugging once it sinks in. "So why do you dress as a boy?"

"Uh... Cause its the only clothes I could find, no money and I wasn't on good terms with the other Guardians until Easter. North's gotten me some new clothes, but I figured it would be easier to explain this to you if I took it slow."

"Oh, ok. I guess that makes sense. Man, Cupcake is going to love this. Come on, let's go tell the others."

And so Jack hurried after her first believer, smiling that he had taken the information so well. The two joined with Jamie's friends and began an epic snowball fight. Eventually they all had to head in for the night and Jack was left to her own devices.

She laid down frost patterns and hung icicles before taking off into the night, bound for another town in need of snow. She had explained her job to Jamie and he and his friends knew she most likely wouldn't be able to just hang around all winter. Still Jack knew she would be spending most of her time in Burgess this winter.

The next time Jack came breezing into Burgess she was wearing a strapless pale blue dress that reached her knees, black leggings and her bolero jean jacket. Cupcake and Pippa seemed more excited to see her dressing in girls fashions while the boys just shrugged it off and decided to have a snowball fight. As the weeks passed and Christmas drew closer the town began to take on a more festive atmosphere as decorations were strewn about with careful abandon.

It was during this time that Jamie's mother came across an odd chest in their attic. It was odd due to its age and that she couldn't remember where it came from. Deciding her children might enjoy a bit of adventure she pulls it down from the attic, calling for her two children as she does.

"What is it mom?"

"I found this in the attic behind all the Christmas stuff, clear off the coffee table, it should be fun to go through it."

"Cool."

Jamie is quick to clear off the table as requested.

"Where's Sophie?"

Jamie points over to the dog bed in the corner where Sophie is curled up with the dog, sound asleep. "I think we wore her out while playing earlier."

Their mother chuckles as she sets the chest down.

"Alright, so are you ready to see what's in here?"

"Yeah!"

Jamie settles beside his mother as she undoes the latch on the chest before opening it. Inside the chest is a medium sized portrait of two people, a young man and young woman. The man is standing beside the woman with a soft smile on his face as he gazes lovingly at the woman. He is dressed in colonial clothing, clothes suited to someone with a fair bit of money. The woman was sitting with her hands folded primly on her lap, she was smiling broadly, her brown eyes twinkling. Her brown hair reached her waist and was held back by a pair of braids that pulled it from her face and were secured in a comb behind her head. Her dress was simple and did little to detract from her own simple beauty.

The woman's smile caught Jamie off guard though. He recognized that smile, he had seen it just earlier that day when Jack was playing with them in the snow she had brought. He shakes his head as his mother picks up the portrait to look it over more closely.

"I wonder who they were?" She turns it over and sees writing on the back. "Theodore Bennett with his bride, Jacklyn Overland. December 24, 1710. Ah, it was painted a few months before the wedding." She points out a smaller signature with a date and artist's stamp. "Must have been a wedding gift. Ah, a Christmas wedding, how enchanting."

As Jamie's mother gets wistful Jamie is trying to wrap his mind around this new bit of information before his eyes catch on a letter that had been under the painting.

"What's that Mom?"

He points to the letter and his mother sets the portrait aside in order to pick up the letter that was now sitting on top of the rest of the chest's contents.

"Hmm? I don't know." She opens it and begins to read. "'Please take these as well as our condolences. May Jacklyn rest in peace with our lord Father in Heaven for eternity.' Hmm? Odd its dated for just a few days after the wedding date. I wonder what could have happened." Looking back into the chest Jamie's mother pulls out a bundle of white fabric, surprisingly not yellowed with age, opening it reveals it to be a dress with delicate embroidery. Snowflakes had been stitched into the fabric with a care and it nearly sparkled as though frosted. Beneath the wedding dress was a silk flower hair piece and veil. The veil had the same delicate embroidery.

"Oh, she must have made a lovely bride."

"Yeah. I wonder what happened though."

"Hmm, we could go to the library, they have all the town's records way back to when it was settled. We should be able to find a marriage certificate at least."

That decided on Jamie helps his mother place everything back into the chest and put it in the back of the hall closet. Then they wake Sophie and once all are bundled up Jamie leads the way to the library, he is determined to find out what happened to Jack in the days surrounding her wedding.

When they reached the library Jamie's mother asked the librarian for help in finding what they were looking for and soon they had been directed to the correct document. Though it was not what either Bennett was expecting.

"A death certificate? It's dated for the 23rd of December, the day before she was to marry Theodore."

"How did she die?"

"It says cause of death was drowning. Oh, she must have been ice skating on the pond in the park."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well the pond is usually frozen by Christmas and people used to ice skate on it all the time before the skating rink was opened downtown. It must have been thin ice, how terrible. She never got the chance to wear that lovely dress, no wonder it was pushed back so far in the attic."

With their new discovery the family made their way home in silence, each occupied with their own thoughts. After they walk through the door to enter their house Jamie's mother speaks up.

"The museum would probably be a good place for that dress and portrait. It seems wrong to leave them stuffed away like they have been."
Jamie's eyes widen and he looks at his mother aghast. "You can't!"

"Jamie?"

"Mom, you can't just give them away."

"But dear, we don't have any use for them and the museum would make sure they are cared for. The dress is so beautiful, I'm sure it will be appreciated by everyone that sees it."

Jamie worried his lip as he tried to figure out how to convince his mother to keep the dress and portrait. They were Jack's, a precious moment stolen from her by a cruel twist of fate. Jamie was young but he understood that a wedding was something every girl looked forward to and dreamed of, his babysitter had gotten married the year before and his family had been invited. She had been so happy, so excited. Jamie couldn't let Jack's happiness just be given away.

"But... What if Jacklyn were still around?"

"Oh Jamie, she couldn't possibly be though. She died over 300 years ago. Even if she had lived a full life she would have died a long time ago."

"I know! But what if, what if she came back somehow, as a ghost or something?"

Jamie's mother just shakes her head. "Jamie... Alright, I suppose if she were somehow still around I would ask her what she wanted done with them. But Jamie, she's..."

"So if I brought her here you'd give them to her if she wanted them?"

Deciding to humor her child she sighs and nods. "Yes, if you brought her home I would be obligated to return them to her."

"Great! Come on Sophie, lets go find Jack. She'll be so happy when she hears!" With that Jamie is bolting out the door with Sophie, the little blonde clapping happily and chanting 'Jack' over and over again.

Jamie's mother is left confused and wondering how she is going to get away with giving that dress to the museum, maybe next week when Jamie was at school she could sneak it out of the house.

They found Jack racing around the pond, thickening the ice as she skimmed over the surface with a grace that any figure skater would have been jealous of.

"Jack!"

"Hey Jamie, I thought you were helping your mom with getting Christmas set up."

"I was, but we found something. You've got to come see it. Oh and we have to make my mom believe in you so she'll let you see it."

"Jamie, I can't just make someone believe in me."

"But you have to. It's really important."

Sighing Jack gives in and lets Jamie lead her back to his house, Sophie holding Jack's hand and swinging it happily. When they arrive at the house Jamie calls out that he is home and waves Jack into the front room where Jamie's mother is pulling decorations from a box.

"Jamie, did you find your friend." The woman looks up to see her children entering the room.

"Yeah, she was down at the park." Jamie grins proudly, though his mother raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Mom, meet Jack Frost, or Jacklyn Frost, since she's a girl and all."

"Jack Jack!"

Sophie tugs on Jack's hand, causing her to stumble a bit, though Jamie's mother doesn't seem to believe she's really there.

"Well, Jacklyn, it's nice to meet you." With the idea to humor her son in mind she holds out her hand to shake hands with his imaginary friend. Only instead of the mock handshake she was expecting she feels something cold touch her hand. It makes her shiver and her eyes widen as she slowly pulls her hand back from the cold sensation.

What Jamie had seen was his mother reaching out and Jack going to answer the gesture. She delicately wrapped her hand around the other woman's, but it was obvious when the older woman pulled her hand back, pulling it through Jack's, that she still didn't believe. But Jamie wouldn't give up.

"Jack, do something, there has to be something you can do to make her see you."

"Sorry kiddo, it's not that simple."

Jamie turns to his mother, who seems to be a bit shocked by the ghostly cold touch she had felt earlier.

"What can she do to make you believe in her, Mom?"

"I don't know, make it snow inside?"

"Snow snow, make it snow!"

Shrugging Jack complies and conjures a light snowfall in the front room of the Bennett household.
Slowly, as the snow is falling gently Jamie's mother casts her eyes about. She catches a glimmer of blue and white out of the corner of her eye and turns to it completely. The blurred form slowly takes a more solid shape, eventually becoming a young woman with short white hair in a pixie cut holding a crooked staff and wearing no shoes.

"You, you... You're real!"

"Wait, you see me? You mean that actually worked?"

Jack smiles, the same smile the young woman in the portrait was wearing. The realization causes her to gasp and cover her mouth in surprise.

"Oh... That's."

"Jamie said you had something he wanted me to see?"

"Right, yes. Just, give me a moment to get it out."

Jamie's mother jumps up and then hurries to the hall closet and pulls out the chest from earlier.

"I found this in our attic earlier. I, I think it must have belonged to you." She glances at Jamie for confirmation that this was why he had been so protective of the chest's contents. His eager grin and head shake is all the answer she gets as she sets the chest on the coffee table.

"Belonged to me?" Jack steps up to the chest and looks it over, something about it does seem familiar, like she should recognize it. undoing the latch she opens it up to find the portrait sitting right on the top of the rest of the chest's contents. Slowly she reaches out and runs a finger over her face smiling back at her from the canvas. "This is..." She spots the dress and a few tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Little pellets of ice fall from her eyes as she looks over the contents of the chest. "How?"

"It must have been given to your fiance's family after your untimely death." Jamie's mother is now at Jack's side, a gentle hand on the younger looking woman's own.

"I can't remember his name."

Understanding shines in Jamie's mother's eyes. "Theodore Bennett."

"Bennett? So he was...?"

"Our ancestor."

Jack seems to choke slightly on something. "So, I was almost, a part of your family?"

"Yes."

"I, would you mind if I took this?"

Jamie's mother smiles and shakes her head. "Of course. I told Jamie I would let you if you wanted them."

"Weren't expecting to have to follow through were you?"

"Not really, no."

That settled Jamie's mother helps her to close the chest once more, sealing it tightly and helps her take it outside. Jack explains that she flies with the help of the wind so carrying the chest once in the air shouldn't be too hard.

She waves as she makes her way up and into the sky, chest held tightly in both her hands as she heads for the Pole.

So, really long chapter. And before you go and yell at me for making Jamie's mom believe, I have a reason a very good plot reason that shows up later and I can't say it for spoilers, but she had to know and see Jack. Plus what mother would give something like that dress to her kid's imaginary friend, come on.

I hope you are all enjoying this so far, please leave a comment.