Elsa.

I stared dumbfounded for a moment, not sure if what I was hearing was right.

"Are we really doing this again? After everything we've been through?" I said finally after the thick silence. Jack dropped his hands and stared at me with those blue jewel, suddenly so like my own. Guilt-ridden and broken. Like he's lost some kind of internal battle.

"I don't blame you Jack, I'm just worried about you."

"Els, I'm not good for you. You deserve someone who knows what they're doing and I don't. If you want one of us, go after Hiccup again -"

"How can you say that?" I glared at him accusingly and he flinched. He knew it wasn't about being with him or Hiccup anymore.

"See, I just keep hurting you." He averted his dark eyes and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets.

"No, you just keep pushing everyone away."

He went to turn away from me and I stepped towards him, grabbing his elbow and halting him.

"Jack please, don't do this. Be with me, we can work this out." I felt the tremble in my voice and I tried to fight past it.

He didn't say anything for the longest time and I continued to fill the silence.

"If you walk away, that's it Jack. I'm not waiting for you anymore. I'm not chasing after you. I want to be here for you but if you just want to push me out then there's no point. So let's get one thing straight, if you leave tonight then don't bother with me. I can't be the girl for you."

I slowly let go of his arm. "I want to be with you, I want to help you. Please, let me do that." I kept my voice soft and Jack slowly turned to face me.

"I'm sorry Elsa. I just can't right now," he took a deep breathe and I felt like I had been slapped in the face. My cheeks burned suddenly and when a tear rolled down my cheek his eyes widened.

"Just go." The shakiness in my voice took over and I used my good arm to wrap it around myself. If he didn't leave soon he would see me crumble and break apart. And he didn't have the right to see that. He chose this; chose to walk away from me.

"There's something you need to know." Jack was fully facing me now, there was a sadness in those eyes but also something else - something that fuelled him to continue.

"You were right, I do have feelings for you. I've always loved you and I think you've always known that. But after I heard about my mom and the cancer, I felt like I didn't have the right to love anybody. And when your mom died - oh god, when you're mom died, I just -" He swallowed and shook his head gently before it dropped.

"I didn't think you could ever see me the same again. I was so broken, I was so pissed at her for not telling us. To me, she was perfect and I held her so high on a pedestal. I did that to her - not her. It wasn't her fault for being human - but I made it her fault. I withdrew my applications for medschool, quit hockey. Anything that made her proud of me for I quit to spite her. And yet, its done nothing. That night, I felt like complete shit about everything I've done and I can't take that stuff back. And back then, when I knew about Hans, I should have told someone - especially when it was happening frequently. And then he came after you and it's all my fault."

At the end of it, his shoulders were shaking. I saw tears dripping from his face and hit the concrete, but his head was bowed.

"You can fix this Jack, you can make all of this up. Just stay here," I stepped towards him to comfort him and he stumbled back. Those eyes stared at me frantically and I suddenly knew that he truly did believe he wasn't worthy of loving anyone. It wasn't because he was selfish - it was because he didn't feel worthy.

I stared in disbelief. All this time, Jack has been hurting more than anyone - he cared deeply about his mom so much he was hurt when she lied to him. And when he lashed out at everyone, he was doing it out of frustration with himself.

"I am going to fix this," he said after a couple more moments of silence. He stared at me and if I didn't know any better I would have thought he had never been crying moments before. Slowly, he stepped towards me and I felt frozen. I felt his lips kiss my forehead and linger there and I took in everything I could - I wanted to remember his fresh scent and his warmth. I hadn't even noticed he stepped away until a cold chill found it's way through my body.

"But I'm not doing it here or with you. Good bye, Elsa."

He turned on his heels and didn't falter as he walked away from me. I had to fight every instinct in me not to reach out for him. To tell him I would do anything and everything if he didn't leave me. Just please, be near me. Because as he walked away, this felt final.

I always believed love would bring me back to Jack and we would find ourselves every time - that no matter what we would be connected, because of this house. But this time - this last time, it felt final. Like I would never see him again or when I did it would be different. We would be so different that there wouldn't be anything between us anymore.

The thought of never seeing him again… it felt worst than death. Because I knew in my bones that this was it. He made his decision to let me go and I had to go through with mine. I closed my eyes to immortalize our final moment together; before this all got so complicated. When he was leaned over me just before the fireworks went off at the party. His eyes burned into my soul and I knew that I would always love this man.

Crumpling to the ground, I cried. The pain shooting through my chest was worst than any bullet wound. His words echoed in my head and it was finalized.

'Good bye, Elsa."

^.^

Jack.

I did it. I actually told her - after all the feelings swirling around me, I finally told her how I felt. But was this the way to do it?

Being around that house was dangerous. All I wanted to do was go back to her and tell her it would be okay - that we could be together.

My jaw clenched and I pushed away the dark thoughts. No. I couldn't be with her - not the way I am now. It wasn't fair and I would end up hurting her more. I needed to deal with this on my own. Sure, it was selfish, but that was the only way to protect her.

In my car again, I drove as far as I could. I didn't have a destination in mind, but I took out as much money as possible before leaving. Her warning hung in the air as the darkness of the highway enveloped me.

'If you walk away Jack, that's it. I'm not waiting for you.'

I hope she didn't. I loved her so much that I would be okay with her forgetting about me. I love her so much that I would be okay with her having a happy life with someone else.

I just wish I could somehow tell her that it was worth it to me. Being with her, loving her; it was all worth it.

At some point in the night, I pulled off the interstate and couldn't fight it anymore. I did this - I deserve this pain and when I could fix all my mistakes then maybe; when I'm healed, I can come back to her.

^.^

Authors Notes:

I KNOWWWW I said this was the last one...But it doesn't feel right! So as a special, there is ONE more chapter and this story will be complete for me!

Read on to continue what's in store for Elsa!

Review and Favorite please :)

Cassie.