Seven Months Later
A knock on her bedroom door woke Elsa from her sleep. Groaning, she stepped out of bed. Bending down, she retrieved her pyjamas from the floor and slipped them on.
A soft snore escaped from Jack's mouth. Stifling a laugh, she turned and pulled the covers over him before bending down to press a kiss to his forehead. She paused briefly to gaze upon his sleeping form. It amazed her how innocent and childlike he appeared while sleeping.
Creeping to the door, she pulled it open and stepped outside. "Anna," she whispered, pulling the door closed behind her. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Dad told me to wake you and Jack up. He said to let you know that the North's will be here for breakfast in ninety minutes," Anna replied.
"Oh, well I'll wake Jack up and hop in the shower," she yawned.
Gently, she pressed down on the door and slid back inside her room. The sight of Jack, still fast asleep, greeted her. Though, he had shifted slightly in his slip which had caused the sheets to slide down and revealed his toned chest. Sighing, she sat down on the bed beside him. Leaning down, she proceeded to press a series of short kisses to his lips.
"Hrmph," mumbled Jack, his eyes fluttering open. "I love it when you wake me up this way."
Grinning, she pulled back to look at him. His arms reached out for her, but she ducked out of reach. She chuckled slightly when he turned to pout at her. "We have to get dressed," she explained. "Your family is coming for breakfast in ninety minutes and I still need to shower."
"Ugh, remind me again why we're up early?" Jack mumbled, bending over to retrieve his pyjama pants.
"Graduation day, Jack. Come on, you get to wear a fancy gown, go on stage in front of all our friends and family and it will be the last time in your life that you will see Weselton," she teased, reaching out to smooth at his tousled bed hair
Jack smirked. Slowly, he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "True, you know I can't resist one last glimpse at Weaselton and his horrible toupee."
"That's the spirit. Plus, you know that you're going to get major credit for dating the valedictorian as well," she sassed, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.
"Mmph," Jack moaned, breaking the kiss. "I knew that I kept you around for something."
Groaning, she rolled her eyes and excused herself to go shower.
Closing the bathroom door, she turned on the taps and stripped off her clothes before stepping under the water. From the other side of the door she could hear the sound of Jack as he stomped back to her room. He had tried, once again, to convince her to allow him to join her in the shower, but she had said no. Reaching over, she pulled out her shaver from the basket and slowly glided it over her legs as her mind wandered.
She still couldn't believe that she had done it. Years of hard work and hours spent bent over books and a glaring computer screen had all led to this day. Today, she was graduating with a Bachelor of Business Management with Honours.
The last few months had been gruelling. At times it had seemed like their professors had worked together to assign multiple assignments and expected them to be completed within hours of each other. The exams had been brutal. Her and Jack had spent most of their weeknights curled up together while they went over their notes. They had relied on her father and Nick North to quiz them at random times. Still, their efforts had paid off. Jack had achieved good marks and she had done well enough to be named the valedictorian.
Sighing, she shook her head and moved to turn the taps off. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and darted back to her bedroom to let Jack know that the shower was free. She watched as he dashed across the hall to take his shower.
Flinging open her wardrobe, she carefully pulled on the black pencil skirt and light blue blouse that she had chosen to wear for the day. She then pulled out the black slim fit suit that Jack had opted to wear and laid it on the bed behind her.
Glancing in the mirror, she pulled out her hair dryer and directed it over her long, platinum-blonde hair. Once her hair was dried, she carefully styled it into a braid. She had just pulled out her makeup bag when Jack slipped back into the room with a towel draped around his waist.
He crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her before nuzzling his head into her neck. "You're beautiful. You don't need that gunk on your face," he murmured.
"Jack," she chided, gently pushing at his face. "You're dripping water on me. You need to get dressed."
She heard Jack let out a huff before he spun her around and leaned in to steal a kiss. Once satisfied, he released his hold of her and turned his attention to getting dressed. She shook her head and directed her attention to applying her makeup.
With her makeup applied, she turned to face Jack. She cocked an eyebrow as she watched his thin fingers work to skillfully fix his tie. "You scrub up well," she murmured, stepping forward to press a kiss to his lips.
Slowly, Jack made his way into the Blanchard family dining room. His eyes fell on his and Elsa's family along with Kristoff, Anna's boyfriend, who were seated around the table. A selection of pancakes with fresh fruit and syrup was placed in the middle of the table along with a pitcher of juice and a fresh pot of coffee.
"Here he is," Nick boomed, raising his glass of juice. "My smart nephew, the college graduate."
"Technically I'm not a graduate yet, North," he countered, taking a seat next to Elsa. "We're not considered graduates until we have that certificate in our hands."
He grabbed his plate and reached over to pile a pancake onto it before drowning it in syrup. Grabbing his mug, he filled it with coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Elsa as she carefully chewed on her own pancake.
"I still can't believe that our babies are graduating," Clara beamed, raising her head to smile at him. "Jackson, your mum would be so proud of you - graduating from one of the finest universities in the country and with a beautiful girlfriend by your side."
He felt the lump forming in his throat and swallowed. His mother hadn't been far from his mind recently. He had inadvertently thought of her as he'd dressed and had wished that she could be there, to see him at 22 graduating with the woman of his dreams on his arms.
He felt a squeeze on his leg and looked down to notice Elsa's hand. Gently, she applied one last squeeze to remind him that she was there, beside him, like she had been for the last sixteen months of their relationship.
"So, Jack, have you decided who you are going to play hockey for?" Walt asked, cutting into his pancake. "Now that you can no longer play for the uni team."
He nodded. "Actually, I have," he replied. "Kristoff was telling me last night that his friends team is in need of new players. I'm going to give them a call and talk to them. That said, I will miss the uni boys though."
"Don't worry, Frost, we will keep the team in good shape," Kristoff remarked. "Especially now that I've been made captain. I've got big plans on stealing the premiership from Brechin next season. It's about time we took the cup back."
He chuckled. He had to admire the younger boy's determination. He had managed to convince Kristoff to join the uni hockey team in time for the last season. The stocky young man had quickly proven himself to be a brilliant goalie and was well liked amongst the team. It had come as no surprise to Jack when Kristoff had been named captain for the following his season. His calm, level-headed attitude and gentle nature was an asset to the role.
"Tell you what," Walt began, shifting his eyes between Jack and Kristoff. "If Arendelle can beat Brechin in either hockey or baseball in the next season, I will take everyone at this table out for dinner to celebrate."
Jack grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me, Walt," he added. "Except, first I'd like to get through today."
Elsa could feel her palms getting sweaty as she watched the dean take to the stage in order to call their class onstage to collect their diplomas. As valedictorian, she had been invited to sit on the stage with the dean for the ceremony, but she had declined in favour of sitting with Jack and their friends. Once she had collected her diploma, she would take the seat on the stage in preparation for her speech.
Her eyes fell on the stage where the head of the business studies department took to the podium to announce the names of the graduating class. She could feel her heart pounding as names were called alphabetically. Beside her, Jack reached down to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. Lifting her hand, he pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.
Finally, her name was called. Gulping, she stood to her feet. She watched as Jack tugged on her hand to smile at her and winked at him. Slowly, she made her way up the stage to shake hands with the dean and head of the department. She paused long enough for a photo to be taken before taking the seat that had been left free for her on the stage.
Looking out at the crowd, she tried to ignore the nerves she felt and to focus on her friends, family and Jack in the audience. Her family and Jack's family had opted to sit together and had taken up almost an entire row of seats. Her aunt, uncle and cousin, Rapunzel, along with her boyfriend, Flynn, had also made the trip in to watch her graduate. Stifling a laugh, she watched as Anna climbed onto Kristoff's lap before pointing her DSLR camera towards the stage and snapping away.
She heard Jack's name being called and turned to face him. She caught his gaze and watched as he focused his eyes on her. To the crowd, he appeared cool, composed and possibly slightly cocky, but she knew better. She saw the slight blush in his cheeks and knew that his rubbing his hand over the back of his head while he'd accepted the diploma was not cockiness, rather it was a nervous habit.
She could feel her nerves getting out of control as the last of their classmates took to the stage. Focusing her eyes on Jack, she waited for the dean to announce her as the valedictorian before inviting her to take the lectern.
Standing to her feet, she took a deep breath and pulled the cue cards that she had written earlier. Her eyes settled on Jack and she waited for him to nod at her. She spoke clearly and slowly, taking care to enunciate each word and ignored as Anna raced up the aisle to snap a series of photo's. She could feel her palms sweating, but ignored it as she finished her speech and brought the ceremony to a close.
Jack felt his heart bursting with pride as he watched Elsa carry on a conversation with the dean of the university.
After the ceremony, they had filed into a nearby hall to pose for photographs with the rest of the graduating class. As valedictorian, Elsa had been pulled aside for a series of exclusive shots with the dean and the head of the business department.
"Jackson," Walt said, coming to stand beside him as he fixed his gaze on Elsa. "How are you feeling?"
Gulping, he glanced at Elsa who was still deep in conversation with the dean. "Honestly, graduating was fine. It's tonight that I'm worried about," he admitted.
"You will be fine, my boy," Walt said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am proud of both you and Elsa."
Blushing, he watched as Elsa excused herself from the dean and made her way towards him. "Thanks, Walt," he whispered.
Stepping forward, he pulled Elsa towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer while she settled her arms around his neck. "You were amazing," he murmured.
"You weren't too bad yourself," she whispered, smiling at him.
Grinning, he rested his head on hers. He pulled a face as he watched Anna dart around with her camera in hand to snap photo's of them.
"Elsaaa," Anna whined. "Tell your boyfriend to stop pulling faces."
"Tell him yourself," Elsa shot back. "I've done enough talking for today. I'm too tired. I just want to go home and sleep."
Smirking, he poked his tongue out at Anna and laughed as she rolled her eyes before stomping off to find Kristoff.
"I wish we could nap, but we have still got dinner to get through first," he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "The good news is that tomorrow we both have the day off and can sleep in."
Elsa yawned. Slowly, she raised the travel mug of coffee that she had packed and took a sip.
She was struggling to keep her eyes open. If she had the choice, she would have stayed home, but her family and the North's had made other plans.
Instead, she had been sent home from the graduation ceremony and told to go wash up. She'd scrubbed her morning makeup off and had changed out of the clothes she had worn for the graduation.
Gone was her smart, business attire and in it's place was a nice aqua lace cocktail dress with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. She'd left her long hair loose and curled the ends so that they framed her face. She had just spritzed on some perfume when Anna had barged in with her makeup kit and had demanded to do her make up. Begrudgingly, she had allowed her sister to do her face. Although, to her relief, Anna had managed to do it in a style that suited her.
Even Jack had been acting different. She had expected him to spend the entire day with her, but he hadn't. Instead, he had followed her home before kissing her goodbye and heading to his own home. He had only bothered to return to her house a few minutes before they climbed into the backseat of her father's Nissan Pathfinder.
Blinking, she shifted her head to look at her father. "Remind me again why we are headed to Brevik for dinner? There are plenty of nice restaurants here in Arendelle that we could have gone to," she reasoned. "You know, ones that don't require a ninety minute drive."
"It was Jack's idea," her father said, shrugging. "He said that it was special to the two of you. We thought it would be nice to go somewhere special for you and Jack, seeing as it is your graduation day. Besides, it's been years since your mum and I have been to Brevik."
She nodded. She felt Jack's arm wrap around her waist. Sighing, she shuffled closer to rest her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, the last thing she remembered was the feeling of Jack's lips as they pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"El," a voice called.
Blinking, Elsa opened her eyes to find Jack smiling down at her.
"Wake up, we're here," he whispered.
Yawning, she sat up. She turned to face Jack and noticed that he had unhooked both of their seat belts.
"How long was I out for?" she asked, blushing as she took Jack's hand and stepped out of the car.
"About 40 minutes. You snored though and drooled a little bit," Jack teased as he interlocked their fingers.
She felt the familiar heat of a blush creeping over her cheeks. "No!" she gasped, dropping Jack's hand to smooth at her hair and clothes.
"Relax, El, I'm only joking. You didn't snore, or drool and you look beautiful as always," he murmured.
She groaned and poked her tongue out at him. From behind her, she heard the loud voice of North as he announced their arrival. Blinking, she turned her head and realised that they had come to the restaurant where her and Jack had come on their first date. Her eyes glanced towards the lake where they had shared their first kiss and she smiled.
Reaching down, she grabbed his hand. He caught her gaze briefly and smiled at her before redirecting his attention to his uncle.
Jack watched as his and Elsa's family talked amicably around the large table. Their conversations were flowing easily, the result of several months spent together reconnecting.
His uncle had claimed that the experience which they had gone through had created a new bond between him and Walt. Their friendship was never going to be the same as it had been. The years of hurt and distrust had made that a certainty. However, the lessons they had learned over the years had combined with the base of their previous friendship and had formed the foundation upon which they had started to rebuild.
"Wait, so you guys are seriously considering combining the two businesses?" Elsa asked, taking a sip from her wine.
Blinking, he raised his head and focused his attention on the conversation that surrounded him.
"We have talked about it, yes," Walt confided, sharing a smile with North. "At the moment it is just a thought in the back of our heads. No guarantees though, we are still working on rebuilding our friendship. However, I do admit that there are certain things that Guardians, which if combined with Kingdom's could make for a formidable ice cream store chain."
North beamed and reached over to clink glasses with Walt. "I agree. There are ways that you, Walt, have run Kingdom that are brilliant. Some genius ideas on your part, my friend," he concluded.
Jack groaned as the two older men got into a lengthy business discussion. Glancing around, he noticed that the rest of their table had finished their desserts. Clara and Lillian were deep in discussion about a book they had read. Emily was playing a game on her phone and Thia and Anna were eagerly discussing the latest blockbuster movie while Kristoff did his best to appear interested.
Clearing his throat, he looked at the group. "I think another bottle of wine is in order," he said and signalled the waiter over.
Once the waiter had disappeared, he pushed his chair back and stood up. He turned to face the two families. "If you will excuse me, I need to talk to my girlfriend in private," he stated, ignoring the confused expression on Elsa's face.
Bending down, he extended his arm to Elsa and waited for her to link her arm through his. Straightening up, he caught Walt's gaze and smiled as the Blanchard patriarch gave him a nod.
Taking a deep breath, he led Elsa through the restaurant and out the front door.
"Jack, what's wrong?" Elsa asked. "Are you okay?"
"N...n..nothing," he stammered as he focused his eyes on the lake ahead of them.
He could feel his heart pounding as he led Elsa closer to their destination. He knew that the likelihood of finding the exact spot where they had shared their first kiss would be near impossible, but he was determined to get as close as possible, nonetheless.
Finally, he came to a halt. He pulled Elsa towards him in a secluded area and looked around. The only sound was coming from the leaves as they rustled in the mild summer night breeze. Gulping, he turned to face Elsa. Her blue eyes had focused on him with confusion and concern written on her face. His eyes swept over her appearance and he noted the way her hair fell upon her pale shoulders and curved towards her delicate face. Once again, she looked like a flawless angel.
Reaching into his pocket, his fingers curled around the small velvet box. He gripped onto it tightly as if the confidence he needed could somehow be transferred to him from the jewel inside. The small, gold diamond ring was simple, but held a far more sentimental value to him.
Originally, he had intended to purchase a new, more modern ring for Elsa. However, he had changed his plans after speaking to his sister. He had been filling Emily in on his search for the perfect ring, when she had enquired about the whereabouts of their mother's ring.
Curiosity had led him to approach his uncle, who had been delighted to assist him. He had clamped his large hand down on Jack's shoulder before he'd led him towards a small box. Opening the box, he had pulled out a collection of his deceased sister's jewellery. A few minutes was all it had taken for him to find the ring in question. His eyes had filled with tears when he had handed the ring to Jack. He had then told Jack that his mother would have been proud of him and would have loved the girl he intended to wear her ring.
"Jack, are you okay?" Elsa questioned.
Raising his head, he placed a finger to her lips to silence her. He watched as she furrowed her brow in confusion, but said nothing. His eyes caught her gaze and he silently pleaded with her to remain silent. He needed to say what he wanted to before his nerves got the better of him.
Stepping back, he took her hand in his. "Elsa, he began, focusing his eyes on her. "I love you. I've loved you for nine years now. You are my entire world. Everything I've ever done has been for you, to make you happy. The last sixteen months have been the happiest of my life. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. I live to protect you and cherish you. I want to be your everything. I want to be the first person you see in the morning and the last person you see at night. I want to spend the rest of our lives with you."
He watched as Elsa's eyes filled with tears. Bending down on one knee, he used his free hand to reach into his pocket and pulled out the box. Flicking the box open, he presented it to her. The sound of her gasp filled his ears.
Looking up at her, he caught her gaze and smiled. "Will you marry me?" he proposed
Elsa could feel the tears filling her eyes. Looking down, she caught sight of Jack on bended knee. His blue eyes were fixed on her while his silver-white hair lay tousled by the light breeze. Her eyes fell on the ring as she took in the solid gold band and the single round solitaire diamond.
"Yes," she cried, shaking her head. "Yes, I'll marry you."
She watched as Jack stood from the ground. Slowly he removed the ring from its box. He pulled her hand out and gently slid the ring over her finger before pressing a soft kiss to her hand.
"I love you," she cried.
Stepping forward, she wrapped her hands around her neck and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. His arms reached around to hold her tight, pressing her closer to him. Slowly, she raised her hand to stroke at his cheek.
Breaking apart, she rested her head against his forehead.
"My mum's ring looks good on you," Jack whispered.
"This was your mum's?" she asked, lifting her hand to look at the ring.
"Was," Jack admitted, running his hand through his hair. "I hope you don't mind. It's just this ring means more to me than anything that I could purchase and you mean more to me than anything in the world. Mum would have loved you. She would want you to wear it."
She shook her head. "No. I love it, it's perfect."
Jack choked back the tears. Reaching down, he tightened his grip on his fiancee's hand as they made their way back to the table where their families were deep in conversation.
Clearing his throat, he waited for the chatter to die down. He twisted Elsa's hand so that the ring was hidden from view. Looking up, he waited for all eyes to focus on him and Elsa.
"Well" Anna broke in. "Are you going to let us know what happened?"
Grinning, he pulled Elsa closer to him and released her hand. He could feel his smile widening as he watched Elsa dangle her hand in front of her, drawing gasps from their families.
"I'd like you to meet the future Mrs Elsa Frost," he beamed, wrapping his arms around Elsa's waist.
The sound of cheers and congratulations filled his ears as their loved ones leapt to their feet to pull them into a series of hugs. He watched as Anna held back to pull out her camera and snapped away.
He felt Elsa being pulled from his side and into a teary hug by her mother and Anna. No sooner had she escaped her mother and sister's hug before his cousin, Thia and sister had grabbed her to pull her into a tight hug.
"Jackson," Walt said, clamping his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I guess now is the time for me to officially welcome you to the family."
Jack smirked, turning to face Walt. "Thanks Dad."
He chuckled and watched as Walt's face changed from shock to a wry grin as he contemplated his response. Opening his mouth and closing it again before pulling Jack into a hug. "Proud of you boy," he whispered. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to Elsa."
Shaking his head, his eyes fell on Elsa who had come to stand beside him and was watching the interaction between him and her father.
"No Walt," he protested, reaching out to pull Elsa towards him. "Elsa's the best thing that has ever happened to me."
A/N- Ahhh...squeals. This is the second to last chapter. I can't believe this story is almost over.
Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following this story. Sharing in my own geeking out over this obsession/ love affair with Jelsa.
To the guest who asked- yes, Elsa's middle name is Kim after the incredibly talented and gorgeous Idina Kim Menzel. I'm so proud of the success she's enjoyed, and knowing that a new generation of fans have come to discover her thanks to her role in Frozen is just incredible :).