"So, have you decided where you wanna go?" Jack Frost asked as he glanced at Eve from his spot lounging on her bed. He was lying sideways so that he hung upside down off the side, his head hovering conveniently over Eve's belly from her spot lying on the rug on the floor. Eve had laid down on the floor to gaze at the ceiling as she thought about where the two could spend the day. When it was obvious it would take a while, Jack had laid down on her bed. They'd been like this for nearly an hour, now. Jack's bright blue eyes gazed into Eve's fondly, and the forest spirit offered him a sheepish smile.

"I haven't really thought of a place, yet," she admitted as she lifted her head slightly to look at Jack better. "I'm still thinking, though," she reassured him.

Giving a light laugh, Jack looked up at the ceiling, his hair (which was already spiky and messy) was now hanging down from his head, looking even more unruly. "Take your time," he told her. "We've got all day, so no worries."

It was still six in the morning, and Jack and Eve were planning to spend every minute of the day together. While they were off doing their Guardian duties throughout the whole year (they hadn't seen each other since March at the library) Jack and Eve would send each other letters through Bunny in order to communicate with one another. The pooka had agreed to bring Eve's first letter to Jack sometime in late April, and after that it just kinda became a habit. Bunnymund would use his tunnels to deliver their letters ("I ain't no bloody mailman!"), and around June Eve and Jack agreed that they'd meet up on October fifteenth (which was today) and hang out before the two Guardians had to go back to their busy schedules. It wasn't very easy for them to spend time together, since they were almost polar opposites. They needed to find a day where the weather would suit them both.

Sighing, Eve reached a hand out to Jack and carded her fingers through his soft, snow-white hair, then settled it. Jack closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, letting out a satisfied hum, his lips curling into a relaxed smile. Although the breezes were cool outside, Burgess was experiencing a warm October. Eve had thought that this time in October would be cool enough for Jack to visit without any complications, and still warm enough for Eve. But summer had been stubborn this year (literally, Summer, the summer spirit, did not want to give in to Autumn, the fall spirit), and seemed to refuse to dwindle into the crisp season of Fall without a fight. Jamie had expressed his anger when Eve had visited him the previous day. The young boy wanted so badly to see Jack as soon as he could this year so they could have their promised snowball fight, but with this weather it was more likely that Fall would have to extend into late November, and that Jack would have to visit Burgess in December. So here they sat inside Eve's cottage, trying to think of what they could do in this weather. Jack insisted he was fine when Eve had shown her concern, but the forest spirit could see how worn out Jack was already getting, just as Eve had been when they first met. The weather was already having its effects on him. He was drowsy and his eyes revealed bags, something immortals shouldn't have.

Eve continued to run fingers through Jack's hair as his head lightly rested on her stomach, and she thought to herself, trying to come up with ideas for where they could go. What they really needed was a break. A relaxing afternoon of lounging somewhere cool and quiet where they would not be disturbed.

That's when an idea came to her. Eve sat up and smiled. "A picnic!" Eve exclaimed, making Jack sit up and look at her.

"A picnic?" He asked as Eve got up and walked to the kitchen.

Eve nodded and turned around to face Jack, who was now sitting criss-crossed on her bed, his head cocked as he gazed at her with confused eyes. "Where should we have it?" He asked.

Smiling, Eve said, "You can go look for a place that's most comfortable for you to stay for the afternoon. I'll make the food, and once you've found somewhere you can come back here and we'll head off."

Jack nodded, then paused. "Don't you want me to help with the food?" He asked, raising a pepper and salt eyebrow as he got up off the bed, grabbing his staff (which was leaning against the headboard) and giving it his signature twirl.

Eve bit her lip to hold back a laugh, and gave Jack a sweet smile. "You... cooking?" She asked, unable to hold back her laughs this time, although she did stop immediately. Jack crossed his arms indignantly as he screwed up his face into a pout.

"I can cook... sort of," he stubbornly mumbled.

Smiling again, Eve walked over to him and held onto his arms as she looked into his eyes. "I'm sure you can, Jack," she comforted. He still pouted. Rolling her eyes, Eve kissed Jack's cheek and gave him another smile. "Really, Jack. I'm fine with making the picnic, I want it to be a surprise. Just give me..." she calculated the amount of time it'd take her to make them a decent meal. "Three hours," she concluded.

Smiling now, although he was looking unsure, Jack nodded and uncrossed his arms. "Alright," he agreed, putting a cold hand on Eve's hair as he tucked one of the many loose strands behind her ear.

Ignoring the heat that pooled in her stomach, Eve let go of Jack's arms and nodded in finality. "Good, now leave," she ordered him with a smile as she led him to the front door. When Jack was finally out the door he turned around to look at Eve and smiled, leaning on his staff.

"I'll see you soon," he promised.

"Three hours," Eve reminded him.

Rolling his eyes, Jack lifted his staff up. "I know, I know," he reassured.

Eve smiled, now. "Bye, Jack."

He gave her a wink, and soared off.

So Eve went back into her home and headed straight to her kitchen, which made up most of the one story cottage. During her hundreds of years of solitary, Eve had learned and made up many recipes, all of which she recorded in a book. Eve retrieved her tiny brown, leather clad notebook and flipped through it, looking for a certain recipe.

When she found it, she smiled.

This was going to be the best picnic ever.

Three hours passed and Eve had everything packed and ready to go. Just as she was slinging her picnic basket onto her arm, a knock sounded on her door. Jack had arrived exactly on time. Feeling excitement course through her, Eve grabbed her cloak and rushed to the door, throwing it wide open.

Jack was standing there, a very proud look on his face. "I've found the perfect place," he informed her. "You ready to go?" He asked.

Eve nodded and closed the door behind her. "Ready! Where are we going?" She asked.

Smirking, Jack said, "You'll see."

So they took off, flying into the cool Autumn air. It took thirty minutes of flight until they reached the Blue Ridge mountains of Pennsylvania, the winds ushering them towards the tall, beautiful peaks. The mountains truly were blue, and when they flew closer, Eve could see yellows and oranges among the blue-green trees that covered the mountainous land.

Jack flew down, and Eve followed after him until they ended up in a secluded spot in a forest, right at the bank of a river. It was beautiful- trees surrounded them and birds chirped and the trees were colored with Autumn, their discarded leaves painting the ground.

"Jack," Eve breathed out as she walked over to where he was standing by the river. "This is so beautiful," she whispered.

When she looked up, Jack was smiling fondly at her, his staff resting on the ground by his feet. "I'm glad you like it. It took me a while to find this place, but it's pretty far into the forest," he spoke as he walked over to her, sliding slender arms around her waist. "We're completely alone," he told her, smiling down at her in his signature playful smirk.

Eve smiled back, trying to tame the butterflies in her stomach. "Perfect," she replied, nuzzling her nose into Jack's and kissing his chin. She pulled away from him, trying to calm the heat in her cheeks. "Let's set up the picnic?" She suggested.

Suddenly, Jack perked up. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "I've got something for you!" He remembered as he flew over to a nearby bush and searched through it. Eve looked over at him, trying to see what he was doing.

He pulled out something and hid it behind his back, giving Eve a smile as he walked over to her. "What is it?" Eve asked, eyebrow raised as a smile stretched her lips.

"Close your eyes," Jack instructed. Rolling her eyes, Eve smiled and followed his orders. "Alright... now open," he told her.

When Eve's eyes opened, they landed upon a brilliant bouquet of the most beautiful wildflowers she had ever seen. Her jaw dropped and she looked up at Jack as he handed her the flowers. "Jack, I love them!" She exclaimed, sniffing the sweet scent as a smile found its way to her lips. "They're so lovely," she told him, giving him a big hug as a burst of cold ran through her body.

Jack's cold arms held her close. "I'm glad you like them," he told her. "I spent hours gathering them from around the mountains," he admitted with a shy chuckle.

Eve pulled away and gave him a big smile. "You're so sweet," she said as she kissed his cheek. "They're amazing, thank you."

Jack smiled happily. "You're welcome," he replied.

So the young Guardians got to setting up their picnic at the bank of the river, laying out a blanket on the forest floor. Eve laid out their food- sandwiches, fruit, and last (but not least) pumpkin pie. When Jack spotted the pie, his eyebrows rose.

"Pumpkin pie?" He asked, his eyes wide with hope.

Eve tilted her head to the side, smilingly confusedly. "Yes, why? Do you not like pumpkin?" She asked as they settled down.

Jack let out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "No, no I like pumpkin pie- a lot," he corrected her. "Uhm, when I was human my mother would make it once a year in the fall," Jack explained. "I guess it's just a secret obsession of mine," he admitted as he took a sandwich that Eve handed him.

The raven-haired girl gave a bright smile as she held her sandwich. "Well," she began shyly, "if you like mine I'll make you some anytime you want," she told him. "That is, if it can even compare to your mother's."

Jack gave a smile. "I bet it's great," he assured her before taking a bite into his sandwich.

The young Guardians caught up, telling one another of their journeys and things they had done. Eve told Jack all about Calla, telling him everything that the Spring spirit had taught her about her powers and about bringing health to the forests of the world, resurrecting them from Winter. Jack agreed to meeting Calla sometime soon.

They discussed the huge snowball war they'd have with Jamie once the weather was cool enough, Jack going in full detail on teams and strategies. When they finished off their picnic with the pie (which Jack was completely obsessed with, claiming it tasted just like his mother's when Eve seemed worried), the young Guardians laid down on the blanket and cuddled into one another as they spoke in hush whispers to one another.

When the stars came out, Jack gripped Eve to him tighter and planted a kiss on the top of her head, sending a warm shiver through her- down to her toes. They laid like that for a while, completely silent as they listened to the sounds of the forest around them.

"I missed you, Jack," Eve whispered as she buried her face further into his the crook in his shoulder. Jack's hand ran up and down Eve's arm as he hummed happily.

"I missed you, too," he responded.

It was a nice day, although they spent most of it lounging around. But that just proved that they didn't need anything to occupy themselves with in order to be around one another. The silence contempted them, and they enjoyed its relaxing caresses.

"Y'know, I could take a break this winter. Spend some time with you, like last year," Eve suggested, looking up to gaze at Jack's face.

He looked down at her and smiled lazily. "I'd like that," he admitted. "I'd like that a lot," he mused.

Eve smiled bigger, now, burying her face in Jack's neck and placing a soft kiss there. "Then it's settled," she agreed. "I don't think I can stay away from you again, Jack," Eve admitted.

She could see a red blush spread across Jack's face in the moonlight. "I can't either, Eve," he whispered. "We don't have to," he decided. "Not anymore. I mean, we've done enough work, right?" He asked. "We deserve a break... some time to be together."

Eve giggled. "Well, let's see how North takes that," she whispered.

Jack snorted. "Santa isn't gonna make me work if I don't want to," he told her. "I'm on the naughty list, anyways. Might as well keep my record up," he reminded her.

Eve was laughing, now. "Well, it's just an idea right now. We gotta see how we're gonna do this, first. We can't just blow off our responsibilities," Eve told him.

Jack brought Eve closer to his side. "I know, I know, just..." he trailed off. "Let's just enjoy this," he whispered.

And so they did. They gazed at the stars until there were no more to see, nestled in one another's grasp as the two Guardians whispered promises of what was to come.