It's dark. A heavy weight seems to be pressing against my chest. It wants to push me further down, but something inside of me tells me that's not a good idea. I fight it as hard as I can. Until light seems to be flowing in from everywhere. I quickly close my eyes. After a while I start to feel a slight stinging sensation in my side. I slowly open my eyes again. Soft cotton sheets cover my body. I look around. A monitor beeps regularly next to me and a small bag with some sort of clear fluid is hooked to a long tube that goes straight into my hand. Then, I see him. He's sitting there next to me. Waiting for me to wake up.
"Daddy?"

My dad shifts in his chair and looks at me. Once he notices i'm awake he bolts upright.
"Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

I don't know why, but I start to cry. My dad shushes me. "What is it pumpkin?"
"Mom...she's gone."

My dad pulls me up into a hug and strokes my hair.
"I know sweetheart, I know."

After the battle, Jack must have found a way to get me to the hospital without my wounds being suspicious. My dad explained to me that Jamie had come over to our house to ask me to come out. Because I didn't answer he looked through the window and saw me lying on the kitchen floor. He had smashed a window, and saw knives and other kitchen supplies stuck inside my body, and he had pulled them out, hoping it would help. I guess Jack told Jamie to break in. Jack must have pulled open one of the higher cupboards and he had found some things that seemed quite sharp. He had covered them with my blood. Jamie, in the meantime, had gone to warn his mom and an ambulance arrived shortly. They managed to stabilize me and my dad had flown back immediately from his business trip. I had apparently been out for a whole month, and it took me another two months to recover from my wounds. Which meant that winter was almost over once I left the hospital. Jack never visited me. Once in a while, I would find my window completely frosted over. If I looked real close at the window, I could sometimes see fingerprints on it. As if he had wanted to draw something in the frost, but didn't know what to say or draw. If there was frost on my window left before I went to sleep, I would write things on it like "come back" or "i miss you". I once even had the thought that I might not see him because I didn't believe in him enough. But I knew I did with all my heart.
I'm back at home now. I have to go to school again and I have a bit of catching up to do. The kids at school still ignore me, but it bothers me less. I don't feel lonely anymore. Dad has taken a while off from work so he could spend as much time with me as he could. But, every day, I ask Jamie if he has seen Jack. He has, but Jack is afraid he says. Afraid I will get hurt again. And so the days quickly pass by.
It's the last day of winter, and Jack won't be back in a while. Fresh snow hasn't fallen in weeks. But a cool breeze still blows from the north. He's still here, he's at his lake. I just know it. Well, if he won't come to me, I guess i'll have to go to him. Franticly, I start to dress warmly. I pull on my jacket and run out the door. "I'm off to the woods for a minute dad, i'll be right back!" I yell before I leave.
"Okay" he yells back.
I slam the door closed behind me and start to run as fast as I can into the forest. The snow grows thicker as I get closer to Jack's lake. I find the gap between the two rocks to reach it. And there he stands, in the middle of his lake. He seems to be preparing to leave, laying a last layer of ice on the lake.
"So, not going to say goodbye huh? Didn't bother to visit, or check up on how I was doing?" I say loudly.
He then notices me and looks shocked.
"Marie...I...I couldn't" as he starts to rant, I step on the ice and walk towards him.
"If Pitch comes back... I can't give him any reason to get to you again." he continues on.
"Jack, shut up okay!" I say, laughing loudly.
"I don't care If Pitch comes back, I don't care if he comes after me. Because if he does, i'll be ready for him."
Jack suddenly grabs me and kisses me. A cold rush shivers through my body. Not a painfully cold one...but, more like that pleasant cold shiver you get when you're excited about something.
I return his kiss and close my eyes. I feel his one hand against my cheek and the other clinging in my hair. Once we break apart, a wisp of cold breath escapes my mouth, and we both can't help but laugh. His hand is still on my cheek.
"Marie, I..." his smile slowly fades and he looks away "I almost lost you and, I don't want to. I want to be with you for the rest of my life but..."
"You're immortal, and i'm...well, mortal." I finish his sentence. A large gust of wind blows by.
"Yeah okay, wind, i'm going." Jack sniggers at it.
"Jack, I don't care, we'll figure this out. I guess i'll see you next winter." I sigh. He pulls me into a hug.
"Promise you won't stop believing in me?" he asks.
"I couldn't even if I tried, plus, I still got these to remind me." I pull out of the hug and show him the bells that wore once tied around my ankle.
"You still have those?" he grins. I then have an idea. I must have another string in my jacket. Yes! I even have two. I pull two of the bells off the chain and hang each one on a string.
"Here" I give one to him and we both hang the bells around our neck as a necklace.
"I guess you'll hear me now when I return" Jack smiles. "I'll just give a jingle!" He rattles a bit with the bell. I laugh and also rattle with my little necklace.
"Guess i'll have to go." Jack sighs. He starts to walk towards the middle of the lake.
"WIND!" he yells.
"Wait, Jack!"

"Huh?" he frowns.
I run back towards him and leap into his arms, kissing him passionately. He twirls around and I laugh as a large gust of wind twirls around our bodies, twisting swirls of snowflakes around us. We pull away again and the wind dies down.
"I love you Frost." I whisper as he leans his forehead against mine.

"I love you too Underweather." he whispers back.

We then slowly break apart for the last time. The biggest gust of wind I have ever felt blows by and scoops Jack up into the air. He makes tumbles and summersaults in the air. Flying off in the morning sky.
"How long 'till next winter?" I hear him yell from afar.
"Nine months!" I yell back.
"What?!" his voice sounds more distant now.
I giggle and shout as loud as I can.
"NINE MONTHS!"

And I stay there, watching him as he flies off towards newer towns that need snow.
When I was younger, me and my mom would fantasize about fairies, trolls, dragons and other mythical creatures. For a long time, I even thought Jack was only a fantasy.
But now, he is my very own wonderful reality.

It's finished! Omg, it's actually finished.
I had a few people who reviewed and hoped she would turn into a guardian, but i had already read a lot of fan fictions that let the oc die and turn into a guardian. So, i wanted to do something different.
I enjoyed doing this immensely and i think i'm going to add a sequel to this story.
Don't worry, i'll post something on this story once i've started writing the next part of this.
Thank you all for following, reviewing, favoriting and whatever. I hope you liked how it all turned out.
And i hope to see you again very, very soon.

So much love,

Theicecreampirate

(oh, and if i might add, while writing this last chapter. I constantly had the song "Let your heart hold fast" by Fort Atlantic playing on repeat. It played at the end of the latest episode of "How i met your mother" and i loved this song so much. It really helped me write this last chapter.)