"I have words now," Jack Frost exclaimed. He still couldn't believe he was really human now. "I think I just spoke one; I have bones now. I think I almost broke one." He walked ahead, only to slip and fall on the ice.
Elisa laughed and skated towards him. "You're very clumsy on ice."
"Clumsy on ice? Do you know who I am?"
She giggled. "Well, you're certainly not my golden knight."
"What?!" Jack couldn't pull his eyes away. They were nearly halfway through the movie and already he wished Sophie had never picked it up. There were just no words.
Jack tried to stand but he fell once more. He sighed. "You're right. I am clumsy."
Jack cringed, his eyes continuing to watch his claymation counterpart. It was ridiculous! First off, the movie's idea of early colonial times was slightly off, though he let it pass because it was a fictional story for kids. It was also part of the reason he wasn't letting all the singing get to him. Second, there was no Winter Kingdom in the sky or a Father Winter. There weren't any snowflake makers or snow gypsies, no sleet sisters, and no hail fellows. No, all of winter was done by one person. Him!
Finally, and this is what bugged him the most, it was the movie's entire concept of Jack Frost. He couldn't believe this is how people thought of him. Even when no one believed in him, there were still some legends and names people had given him over the years. Father Frost, Old Man Winter, even Jokul Frosti. But never had he seen an interpretation like this.
How could she think this was me?! he thought. This guy is a joke, not to mention he looks like someone had taken one of North's elves and stretched it out before getting covered in blue paint and glitter.
Jack began leaning, intent on letting Roxy know his immediate disproval, but stopped.
Roxy's knees were pressed to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, her eyes never leaving the screen. Her cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment, but she was smiling. Smiling at this movie. She honesty liked it. Like it! Jack couldn't comprehend it. Okay, so this was how she saw him as a child, he could understand that. What bothered him was that she had seen what he really looked like before he knew she believed in him, gotten to know him after their meeting, spent time with him, and yet she still liked this movie and the imitation Frost? Why?
I'll wait and ask after it's over. Jack turned his focus back to the movie. She's really happy right now. Besides, it can't be that much longer, right?
XXX
Elisa began to walk down the aisle, her arm linked with her golden night. Jack Frost blew a winter chill over the bouquet, turning the roses white.
"What was that?"
Elisa looked up towards the sky, a single tear in her eye. "An old friend kissed the bride."
Roxy sighed. It was something between happy and a little sad. As the credits began to roll, she finally glanced over at Jack. Sophie was still perched happily in his lap, though sometime during the film Abby had moved onto the couch. She now sat in the middle, her head laying in Roxy's lap. She stroked the dog's fur in an attempt to calm her nerves. She couldn't help it. Jack had just seen her most embarrassing secret. She tried read his expression, but so far it it was difficult. What was he thinking?
Meanwhile, Jack was relieved that the movie was finally over. I hope the others don't know about this, he thought. No way Bunny would let me live it down.
Overall, he had to admit thew movie wasn't terrible, but in some ways—and it killed him to admit—he could relate to it. The whole premise of the story was about how Jack Frost had been lonely. No one to talk to. No one who could see him. Jack remembered feeling that same way. He had been alone for a long time. Sure, bringing winter across the globe was fun, but he remembered the emptiness of never getting to share in that fun. No one could see or hear him. He remembered the first time someone had walked through him. He shivered. He never wanted to feel that way again.
There was a soft pressure on his hand. He looked up to see Roxy intertwining their fingers. He saw the expression in her brown eyes. He smiled and squeezed her hand.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet got up to rewind the tape. Jamie turned around in his seat, his smile bright with mischief. "So Jack," he said, "what'd you think?"
Jack chuckled. "Uh well… Not quite what I was expecting." Okay, it was a poor representation, but it had not been as bad as he had originally thought. He looked to Roxy, seeing she was waiting on baited breath. He smirked.
"So, this is what you thought I-Jack Frost was like?" He chuckled, not used referring to himself in the third person.
"Well, I-I…" she stammered. "I was a little kid, okay? It was an idea…and I, well, I-I…"
It was Mrs. Bennett who laughed next. "Now Roxy, what has gotten into you? You've always loved this movie. I remember how mad you got when the girl chose the knight over Jack Frost."
Roxy felt her cheeks grow warm. "Mom!"
"You would go on a rant," she continued. "How unfair it was. That she should never have marring the knight. You would sate all the reasons about how Jack Frost was ten times better, and you would have married him in a heartbeat if you'd been in her place."
"MOM!"
Roxy buried her face into the pillow lying beside her, groaning while her family continued their gentle teasing. She failed to notice the faint blush on Jack's cheeks, though if the pillow hadn't been obstructing her from view, everyone would see that Roxy had him beat. Jamie just laughed.
"I didn't say it like that…" Roxy muttered.
"Doubt it!" Jamie interjected. "You love him, and probably still want to marry him." He snickered and made kissy faces. "Jack and Roxy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"I know where you sleep, little brother," Roxy warned, glaring at him from behind the pillow. "You better keep one eye open!"
"Jamie, stop teasing your sister."
"Sorry Mom."
"Don't apologize to me," she said, crossing her arms.
As Jamie turned to Roxy, Jack was still in shock. He hadn't been expecting Mrs. Bennet's remark but what caught him off guard was Jamie's comment. Marry? That had never crossed his mind. Then again, neither had dating, but Roxy had changed that. However, the idea of marriage was something he wasn't fully ready to process. He didn't even know how Roxy would feel. Speaking of which… Jack glanced over to Roxy. He needed to know what her reaction was. However, she appeared to be distracted. She didn't seem to be listening to Jamie as he talked, and she had this calm yet distant look on her face.
Yikes! he thought. Guess it must've really gotten to her.
Seeing the tension, Mrs. Bennett got up from her seat. "Well, I think we could use a snack," she said. "How about some popcorn?"
"Yes please!" Sophie and Jamie said together.
Mrs. Bennett laughed. "Alright, I'll be right back. Jamie, can you get the next movie started?"
"Sure thing, Mom."
Once Mrs. Bennett left the room, Jack took the opportunity to scooch closer to Roxy. He lifted Sophie up and nudged Abby off the couch so he could move closer. He noticed Roxy still hadn't moved. He smiled.
"Okay, that wasn't all bad, now was it?" he teased, chuckling. "Come on, Snow Sprite. It was kind of cute. Honest."
Roxy didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. He tried nudging her shoulder. "Hey, Roxy? Did you hear me?"
Jamie turned around when he heard Jack. When he spotted his sister's distant eyes and groaned. "Uh oh, here we go again."
"What're you talking about, Jamie?"
The young boy moved over to the couch and took a closer look at his sister. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be smiling at something. Jamie snapped his fingers in front of her face. Nothing.
"Jamie, what's going on?"
"I don't know, she's been doing this a lot lately," he said, stepping back.
Jack waved his hand in front of Roxy's eyes. No reaction. "How long exactly?"
"I don't know. A few months, maybe? I only noticed it a couple weeks ago," Jamie explained. "She just kind of spaces out, you know? It happened this morning too."
"Does your mom know about this?" Jack asked.
"Nope. Roxy says she doesn't remember, but it's really freaky. She'll just sit there with that blank stare. Sometimes I've even heard her muttering to herself. She talks really funny when it happens."
"Funny how?"
"Beats me." Jamie shrugged. "I can't understand any of it, but I feel like she's always talking to someone."
Sophie walked up and sat herself in Roxy's lap. "Sissy?"
Roxy's smile grew and she started giggling a little. Though what she said next was startling. "Мене звуть Роксі. Що твоя, малюк?"
"See! That's what I mean," Jamie exclaimed. "I have no idea what she's talking about."
"I think I might…" Jack waited for her to speak again. The language sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure.
Ping!
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"Don't worry, it's just my mom using the microwave," Jamie explained. "She should be making two more bags, so we have a little time before she gets back."
"Good, that will give me chance to figure this out." He looked back at Roxy. Her smile brightened.
"Klarysa. Що красиве ім'я!" she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Jack blinked. "I didn't know Roxy knew Ukrainian."
"Uh, she doesn't," Jamie said, surprising Jack further. "Roxy took ASL in school, and she barely passed. Do you even know what she said?"
"She said that Klarysa was a pretty name."
"Wow! That's so cool! You really understood her. Wait…" Jamie gave him a skeptical look. "How'd you know what she said?"
Jack chuckled. "Well, when you've been around as long as me and traveled the world, you pick up a few things," he explained. "Kind of helps to know the language when you want to listen in on conversations."
"Звичайно, я люблю історії," she said. "Хоча я до цього ніколи не чув Легенда про різдвяну Spider. Чи будете ви сказати, що це зі мною?"
"What's she saying now?" Jamie asked.
"Well, it sounds like she's talking to someone about a story," Jack guessed.
"Jack, how's that gonna help us wake my sister? My mom will be back any moment, and if she sees Roxy like this, she'll freak out!"
"I know, I'm thinking!"
"Sissy?" Sophie patted Roxy's arm. She had been watching as well, and wanted her sister to pay attention to her. "Sissy, wake up!"
"О, це прекрасний, Klarysa."
"No, Sophie. Sophie!"
Jack raised a brow. It wasn't like Roxy to ignore her sister. Besides, this behavior was starting to worry him. The more disconcerting thing was that it had been going on for months.
Months. Roxy got her powers a couple months ago, he thought. Could this have something to do with that? It was a possibility, but he would need to discuss it with North later. Right now he had to wake Roxy. It wouldn't be long before Mrs. Bennett returned, and Jack did not have any explanations that would convince her that her daughter hadn't gone insane.
Ping!
"Jack, do something!" Jack yelled. "Mom'll be back any second!"
"I'm thinking!" There were many possibilities running when an idea struck. He usually only did this to those he considered mean to kids, or when he liked to tease Roxy, but it was the best he had. Leaning forward, he pressed two forefingers to Roxy's nose and began to freeze the skin. He saw her twitch and decreased the temperature further. Her nose started to turn blue, but she otherwise remained unaffected. Switching tactics, he moved his hands to her shoulders and began to spread a cold chill throughout her body.
"What're you doing?" Jamie asked
"Trying to shock her," Jack stated. He drew back his hands, growling when there was no change. "Darn it, this usually works."
"Wait! I got an idea." Jamie ran into the kitchen. Jack panicked, worried he would alarm Mrs. Bennett, until Jamie came back with a cup in hand. He saw it was a cup of water. "Think this might help?"
"Worth a shot." Jack took the cup from Jamie. It was fairly cold, but it didn't take much effort to turn the liquid to a more frigid temperature. He readied the cup, wincing as he turned back Roxy.
"Sorry Snow Sprite," he whispered before throwing the water in her face.
"BAH!" Roxy wiped the water from her face, sputtering and looking about. "What the-What the heck was that?!"
"Roxy!"
"You're okay!"
"Sissy!" Sophie threw her little arms around her sister's neck. "Sissy back, Sissy back!"
"Back? What are you talking about?" Roxy asked. She wasn't sure why her brother was cheering nor why her sister was trying to squeeze the breath out of her. She looked over at Jack, her eyes landing on the cup in his hand. "Did you just throw water in my face?"
"Hey, there wasn't any other way," he said.
"What wasn't any other way?" Everyone looked up to see Mrs. Bennett walk in carrying several bowls of popcorn. She caught sight of her daughter. "Roxy, why are you all wet?"
"I uh…"
"My fault!" Jamie interrupted. "I wasn't paying attention and tripped with my glass of water, so it spilled on Roxy."
"Jamie, you need to be more careful," she said. "I've told you before, no running in the house."
"Right. Sorry Mom." Jamie walked into the kitchen. "I'll get you a towel, Rox."
"Thanks!" She leaned back against the couch, slowly untangling Sophie from her neck. "Mind telling me what really happened?" she whispered to Jack."
He took Sophie from her, ruffling the little girl's hair. "Tell you later. Might not want your mom hearing."
Jamie returned and handed Roxy a towel. Once she dried off, Mrs. Bennett passed around the popcorn while Jamie started up the movie. Afterwards, Mrs. Bennett stood up and clapped her hands together.
"Alright everyone, it's getting late. You know what that means," Mrs. Bennett announced. "Upstairs to change, and then back down for presents."
The Bennett kids got up and made their way towards the stairs, Jack being dragged by Jamie. He wasn't really sure what was happening. Jamie quickly filled him in once they reached his bedroom. They were supposed to change into their pajamas, and then they would each get to open one present while drinking hot chocolate. Then, they could watch one last movie before bed.
"It's just too bad we didn't get a chance to play in the snow," Jamie said, pulling on his nightshirt.
"No worries, Jamie. We got all day for fun tomorrow." Jack winked. He grabbed his duffle bag and quickly changed into the pajamas Roxy had bought for him. He couldn't help but smirk. She had found snowflake fleece pajamas in a deep blue similar to his sweatshirt. He slid them on, surprised with how soft they felt.
"Hurry up, Jack!" Jamie called from the door. "They'll start without us."
The boys were the last down. Jamie spotted Sophie sitting by the Christmas tree, bouncing in her pink footed jammies. He ran to sit beside her as Mrs. Bennett joined them, dressed in a warm robe and soft slippers. Jack hung back, leaning against the doorframe as her observed them. He recalled the few times he would watch this family from the window. There was a kind of warmth around them. He had always felt a special pull toward this family. Now he couldn't believe he was taking apart of it.
"Hey, you joining in, or you going to stand there like a glacier?"
Jack startled at Roxy's sudden appearance. She was smiling up at him. He noticed she was in light blue flannel pajamas. She looked warm and cozy, and really cute.
"Come on, Frost." She linked her arm through his and walked over toward the rest of the group. When they sat down, Mrs. Bennet began passing out the gifts. Jamie and Sophie were first. Jack watched as Jamie and Sophie tore into their presents. Jamie received a new winter jacket, while Sophie squealed over her new fairy doll. They thanked their mother for the gifts. Mrs. Bennett began reaching for the next gift when Roxy stopped her. She got up and reached behind the tree to retrieve a small box wrapped in purple paper with silver ribbon. Roxy handed it to her mother.
Mrs. Bennet smiled. "Thank you, sweetie."
"It's from Jamie, Sophie, and me," Roxy said, throwing her arms around her siblings.
Mrs. Bennett opened the gift, tearing away the paper to reveal a brown box. When she opened the lid, she found a ceramic plate painted in with little butterflies and hearts. At the center were her children's handprints.
"Merry Christmas, Mom!" Jamie and Sophie shouted together.
"Thank you, all of you." Mrs. Bennett gathered her children into her arms. She kissed each of them before getting up to place the plate on the mantle.
Jack leaned over to Roxy. "That was pretty cool of you," he whispered.
"We do it every year," she explained. "It's something I did when I was little. Then when Jamie was born, I added his handprint because he was too little to make anything at the time. It sort of turned into a tradition then, and really stuck when Sophie was born. Mom loves it."
"Roxy, Jack. It is your turn," Mrs. Bennett stated, returning to rummage behind the tree for their gifts.
Jack looked up surprised, not expecting Mrs. Bennett to receive a present. Mrs. Bennett handed him the gift, then past one wrapped in identical paper to her daughter. "Whoa, thanks," he said, eyes still staring at the present.
"You're welcome. Roxy wasn't the only one with last-minute shopping." She winked. "Well, go on, you two. Open them."
They glanced at each other before turning back to the gifts. Roxy was the first. She squealed in delight when she found the book she had been asking for. She thanked her mother, embracing her before turning to watch Jack open his gift. She almost laughed at how careful he was being. After he removed the paper, he opened the box and pulled back the tissue paper. He smiled as he reached in and pulled out a knitted scarf. The colors altered between two shades of blue and the bottom was frayed. Jack chuckled, thinking how he, the Winter Spirit, would need a scarf in the cold. It was a little ironic. He wrapped it around his neck only to find it was too long. He tried wrapping it around a second time, only for it to still drape along the floor.
"Oh shoot! I was worried it would be too long," Mrs. Bennett said.
Jack shook his head. "Don't worry. It's great, really. Thank you so much!"
The comment made her smile. "You're welcome." She then signaled that it was time for cocoa. Jamie and Sophie cheered. They followed their mother into the kitchen, Sophie pleading for her cup to have extra marshmallows. Meanwhile, Roxy and Jack were still sitting beside the tree.
"I can't believe she did this," Jack said, fingering the scarf. "She really didn't have to."
"Why not? Mom didn't want you to feel left out," Roxy said, admiring the scarf. It should have been funny, but somehow Jack looked rather dashing in a scarf, even with the the extra length. She couldn't resist and brushed her fingers over it. "Besides, it looks really good on you."
"Yeah. It's a bit long but I think I know how to make it work." Jack undid part of the scarf and adjusted it so only one side wrapped around his neck. Then taking the other half, he encircled it around Roxy's neck. She blushed, now nose-to-nose with him.
"See? It works perfectly." He smirked.
Roxy giggled. "Oh, very smooth."
"Don't I know it." He threw her a wink. "So, your mom mentioned cocoa?"
"Come on then." Roxy stood, pulling on her end of the scarf. Jack stood, taking her hand in his as they headed for the kitchen.
"It's not a complete Christmas Eve without my mom's hot chocolate."
