Stay

A/n: Alright! This will be the last chapter for a while until October. I'm reeeaaally sorry, but exams are coming soon and I have to study T.T Did quite okay in my trials but then again, you never know when it's the real thing. Until then…I love you all^^ (don't hesitate to review, its what keeps me going XD)

Thanks for the follows and favourites! Kisses! XOXO

I know some of you want Jack to stay immortal (I actually think he's cute both ways), but he's not going to be like how you think he'll be when he becomes 'human'. If you're wondering how, then you'll have to wait=D

I know dogs can't eat chocolate, but can they have butter?

Chapter 8

My P.O.V.

It was happening again. I couldn't find him. Running around the endless white space, I knew who I was searching for, but I didn't know his name.

My legs were on the verge of breaking when I saw him. There he was, standing with his back facing me. I started to run towards him. I felt myself shout something, maybe his name, but I couldn't hear or understand what I was shouting. I could almost touch him when suddenly a fire erupted between us, almost scorching my skin and making him seem even further away.

I felt tears running down my face as I shouted to him again. I couldn't hear anything, but he turned around and looked right at me with two beautiful eyes. I had no idea who he was, but I knew he was the one I had been searching for. I was so glad I had finally gotten his attention. I hoped he would find a way to come over and save me, but he gave me an apologetic look and turned to walk away.

I couldn't believe it as I watched him disappear into nothingness. I had no more energy left. My legs buckling, I fell to the ground, letting the angry flames engulf me and my tears…

My eyes opened and I took a deep breath. Looking around, I was relieved I was still in my room. Who was that boy? I always forget his face when I wake up. This was the third time I had that nightmare. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. It was only a dream, (f/n), only a dream. I took a look at the bedside clock. Half past two in the morning. It took me a while to realize I was sweating, and my body felt as hot as the summer sun. Great, (f/n). Get a fever in winter, how smart. My eyelids felt heavy, but I daren't go back to sleep as I was afraid the nightmare would come back. Sweat rolled into my eyes, making them sting. I lifted a hand to wipe it away, only realizing then how painful my limbs felt when they moved. After painstakingly using a blanket to dab my eyes, I looked up at the ceiling, deciding what I should do next. My back felt really uncomfortable, so I slowly moved onto my left side. Tears rolled out of my eyes. I was burning up and it was really stuffy even when I removed the top layer of the sheets. Before long, I was sobbing.

A light gust of wind blew in from the window. Had I forgotten to close it again? I couldn't bother to get up, so I let it be. The wind felt very good against my face, but it stopped just as soon as it had come. It was like someone had come into the room through the window. I opened my eyes weakly as I saw a dark shadow walking towards my bed. I had no more energy to shout or move or do anything. If he was a serial killer, I surrendered myself fully. What could I do now?

The person stopped by my bedside and bent down to look at me. Looking through half-open eyes, I could see that the person looked like a boy with tousled hair, which vaguely looked like someone I knew. After looking at me for a while, he stretched a hand to touch my forehead. His hand was dead cold, but it felt soothing and gentle on my burning skin. '(f/n), you're burning.' he whispered. Thank you for stating the obvious, Mr Creep. Who was this person? Taking his hand away, he slowly climbed onto the bed. Oh God, if you want to kill me, could you just get it over with quickly? Please don't do what I think you're gonna do, I beg you.

Diablo woke up and realized there was a stranger in the room. He sniffed the air and growled. The person hushed him and he surprisingly stopped growling, looking at him suspiciously. The boy peeled away the remaining covers on me and bent down again, all the time staring at me. Deciding that I was not going to be taken advantage of, not before I died anyway, I lifted a weak hand and tried to push him away. He took hold of my hand and said something, but I was too busy trying to get him off my bed. I used my other hand to try and force him to move away, but he stayed firm. He gently pinned my hands beside me and repeated what I didn't hear. '(f/n), it's me, Jack. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you.' My heart jumped when I heard his voice. Using all the energy I had left, I opened my eyes fully and looked into a pair of crystal blue orbs. 'J-J-Jack?' My voice sounded raspy and my throat hurt. 'Shh…' Jack stroked my hair and moved to lie down beside me. He wrapped his hands around my body and slowly pulled me closer to him. I could feel the coolness radiating off him and snuggled in closer, trying to ignore the pain in my bones.

Jack tilted my face up and examined me. Touching my chapped lips, I thought I saw him lick his own as he looked at me. All the time I just stared at him, grateful for him being here and cooling me down. He seemed to be pondering something, and then formed a shiny white ball in his hand, his other wrapped around me. He pressed the ball to my lips. It hurt, but the pain slowly subsided and all was left was coolness. I realized that it was a snowball Jack had made for me, so I reached my tongue out to lick it, hoping it would sooth my dry mouth and throat. The snow instantly changed into water which trailed down my tongue and into my mouth. I greedily swallowed it and felt better instantly. After I had enough to get rid of my thirst, Jack crushed the snowball in his hand and it disappeared. My body still feeling like fire, I put my arms around the winter spirit beside me and closed my eyes, letting sleep claim me.

I lay in bed with my eyes closed. Having just woken up, I wanted to laze around when I felt someone playing with my hair. I opened my eyes and looked right into someone with pure white hair. 'Hi,' Jack grinned, still twirling a lock of my (h/c) hair in his long, lean fingers. I gazed up at his pale face when I suddenly felt like I was doing something immoral, lying in bed with a boy like this. Sitting up quickly, I yelped as pain shot through my body. Diablo had gone. 'Hey, you okay?' Jack asked anxiously. 'Yeah, don't worry.' I looked down, trying to hide my blush when I heard the concern in his voice. 'Um, Jack?' I turned around to look at him, getting startled when I saw him sitting right next to me. He raised an eyebrow at me. I bit my lip and continued. 'Jack, I'm really sorry for being so mean to you yesterday, and thank you for cooling me down last night.' Jack smirked at me. 'You mean this morning.'

'Uh yeah. This morning. Right.' I looked at him nervously, hoping he would forgive me. He was staring off into space when his eyes darted over to look at mine. I quickly looked away as my breathing started to speed up. 'Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have acted like a jerk, and because of that I made you sick from running out into the cold.' I made myself look back into his eyes. They held something that I couldn't grasp, but I didn't give it much thought. 'So, everything's okay now?' Jack asked me. I smiled at him. 'Yeah, it is. There's something I want to ask you, though.' Jack nodded. 'Why did you come back here?' I saw his brow furrow. He cleared his throat before answering. 'Well, coz I was worried about you, and I wanted to know you more, since you're the first person I can talk to who's not a kid.' I laughed. 'For a second, I thought you were gonna…do something bad to me.' Jack's face darkened. '(f/n), you know that I would never want to hurt you in any way, at least not anymore.' I stared at him and just nodded my head continuously. 'Now it's my turn to ask you a question.' Jack looked out the window. 'Okay, shoot.' I was still a bit shocked, secretly grinning at myself for what he just said. I was always nervous around him, and I still haven't figured out why.

'About that friend of yours…' 'You mean Cameron?' I couldn't see the look on Jack's face since he was looking at the window. 'Yeah, him. He seemed to look straight at me the night you went out with him. Can he see me?' I thought back to our "date". I was surprised when he said he could see Jack at the time we were driving away. Later on he had told me that he still remembered the stories that I used to tell him, which I had heard from my grandfather. I couldn't believe that he thought they were real, since boys don't usually believe in these things, saying they were only fairytales. And he kept saying that he just came out with me so we could be friends like last time again. I found it odd that it took him so long to bring this up with me. He said it was because he was always too busy with football practice, school and other stuff.

I told Jack all that Cameron and I talked about, including why he could see him. 'He even told me that he'd really like to get to know you.' I said. Jack looked at me, unconvinced. 'Are you sure he told you all that?' 'Well how else can he see you if he doesn't believe in you?' I tried to persuade him. He ran his hands through his hair again, a move that always sent my brain into pause mode. I was brought back down to earth by his voice. 'I guess that's fair enough. I'll try to get along with him.' I was confused. Jack hadn't even met Cameron before, so why did he seem so unhappy about seeing him? 'Have you two met before? It's like you don't really like him.' Jack bit his lip, clearing his throat before explaining. 'Um, well, it's the, uh, way he looked at me that night. He didn't seem so friendly.' I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. 'Alright, if that's how you think.' I thought about last night again. 'Did I…burn you, when you were beside me? Because, I felt like a furnace.' Jack raised an eyebrow, a grin on his face. '(f/n), I'm a winter spirit, I repeat, winter spirit. I'm like the coldest being on earth.' He said with a forced laugh. I nodded and looked down.

Wanting to go downstairs, I slowly dragged myself to the bedside, cringing as I moved my feet to the floor. 'Where you going? You still can't walk (f/n).' Jack stood up and looked at me figuring out how to get out of here. 'I'm going downstairs. I'm really hungry.' I said helplessly, trying to stand up. My legs wobbled dangerously and I was going to crash when a pair of strong arms caught hold of me. I looked up at Jack's I-told-you-so face, which seemed a bit smug. 'Why didn't you ask me to help you?' he asked, still holding onto me. I liked the way his arms felt, like the time he caught me in the park when I almost fainted. I felt safe when he was near me.

Seeing that I didn't answer, he expertly hauled me onto his back, his arms securing my legs. I naturally wrapped my hands around Jack's neck, realizing how much I missed this way of 'travelling' since Granddad moved on when I was still light enough to be carried by him like this. Smirking at myself for getting a free ride, I lay my head on Jack's neck as he walked out of the room. I looked at the wild mop of white hair in front of me. I was very awed by it from the start, so I slowly reached out a hand to touch a lock of it. His hair was as soft as feathers, not to mention smooth and fine like silk. It slipped through my fingers easily, feeling really nice. I was going to touch it again when Jack put me down on the sofa. He went to the door and opened it wide, letting the outside wind blow in. 'What do you want to eat?' He gestured toward the kitchen. What hospitality, I was thinking. 'Mm, could you get me the biscuit tin in that red cupboard?' Jack nodded his head and walked away. Still feeling hot even with the winter breeze, I shouted after him, 'And the ice cream in the freezer, too!'

I leaned back on the sofa and grabbed the remote, only then realizing it was covered in a thin layer of ice. Jack must have watched the TV sometime before. I held it in my feverish hand and soon the ice melted, water dripping onto the floor. I grinned at my new 'superpower' as I turned on the television, groaning at the boring morning channels that were on. Diablo walked up to me and nudged me gently, whining like he was asking how I felt. 'I'm feeling better, boy. It's a good thing you didn't chase Jack away last night.' Diablo stopped whining and just gave me a look as he lay down on the carpet on the floor.

'Here's the mistress's food.' I jumped into the air as Jack suddenly appeared and sat down beside me. My heart thumped really fast as I punched him hard in the arm. The scare had really woken me up from my drowsiness. Jack was laughing loudly and didn't look like I had hurt him much. 'Haha—your—ha—face—hahaha—you should have seen it, priceless!' I looked at his handsome face and couldn't help grinning a bit. I looked at Diablo, who seemed a bit annoyed. 'Alright, Jack. Enough with it already.'

I opened the ice-cream tub and scooped some into my mouth (Jack remembered to take spoons), letting the cold vanilla spread, taming the flames which were rising again. I offered Jack some and he gladly took his spoon and ate a mouthful. 'I've never had this before.' Jack said after his third helping. 'No one eats ice cream in winter, Jack, even kids. Except when they get a fever, of course.' I noticed Jack was eating spoonful after spoonful very quickly. I was going to inquire when I remembered he was the spirit of winter. Before long, the tub was empty. Jack licked his lips and lay back on the couch as I scraped off and ate the ice cream on the sides of the tub. Still feeling hungry, I opened the tin and began munching on a chocolate biscuit. Jack looked curiously at me, reaching his hand into the large tin and taking out a butter cookie. He bit into it and munched it slowly, looking at me. It was my turn to laugh now, he looked like Diablo when I couldn't get his favourite feed for him and he had to eat another brand. 'Guess butter's not your thing, huh?' I grinned at Jack, who nodded his head as he laboriously swallowed the biscuit and looked at the remaining in his hand. Diablo promptly got up and dug his snout into Jack's hand, gobbling the cookie in a flash. 'Eww.' Jack looked at his hand which was wet with Diablo's saliva, which must have been done on purpose judging by the smug look on the greyhound's face.

After washing his hands in the kitchen, Jack walked back to where I was sitting while reading a book. '(f/n).' He went to sit beside me. I could constantly feel his eyes on me as I bookmarked where I stopped and looked at him. His blue eyes once again held the look that I couldn't understand as they stared right into mine. 'Yes…Jack?' He cleared his throat as he continued to gaze at me. I suddenly realized how beautiful his chiselled features looked and how they fit perfectly together with his hair and pale skin. 'There's something I've got to tell you…'He bit his lip as he ran a hand through his locks. 'Mm-hmm,' I replied, still caught up by the sight of him. He took a deep breath. 'I...really...l-'

R-r-r-ring! Both of us jumped as the cell phone on the table rang. 'Oh, sorry about that.' I bit my lip as I picked up the phone. Jack stared at me, looking a bit dazed. 'Hello? (f/n)?' Cameron's voice sounded in my ear. 'Hey, Cameron.' Jack's eyebrows knitted together immediately when he heard Cam's name. 'Are you okay? You didn't pick up the phone yesterday.' He sounded very worried. 'Yeah, I slept for the whole day. You called?' 'I called you at least five times to see if you were alright. I remember you had quite a bit of wine so I was worried when you wouldn't pick up. I thought something bad happened.' I chuckled. 'Well, I did have a fever when I woke up the morning after the dinner.' Jack looked at me as he threw a just made snowball up into the air and caught it in his hand. 'How are you feeling? I knew I should have stopped you drinking your fill.' 'Oh I'm feeling a bit better already, since Jack-'

I covered my mouth as Jack shook his head at me. 'Jack? You mean the winter spirit Jack Frost is still at your place?' I heard a faint hint of something like disapprovement in his voice, which was drowned out by excitement. 'Um…yes he's still here. He's just a friend before you jump to any conclusions!' I quickly added. Cameron laughed at me. 'Hey, mind if I come over? Just, you know, to check on you. And I really want to see how this guy's like.' I looked over at Jack again. He had on a sulky expression as he sat on the piano chair on the other side of the room. 'I'll have to ask him first though.' I waved to Jack to get his attention. He looked at me as I pointed to the phone and then to the floor. He shrugged and swung his staff on his shoulder as he sauntered away. 'Yes, you can come.' I said to Cameron. 'Great. Be there in ten.' I put down the phone and looked around for Jack, puzzling at why he was so uneasy whenever Cameron was mentioned. Seeing that he wasn't anywhere near, I shouted his name. When he didn't answer, I slowly hauled myself from the couch and shuffled to the kitchen to check if he was there. My legs still felt painful, but they were stronger now.

I found him sitting on the kitchen counter, doodling frost all over the windowpane in front of him. I was awed at the beautiful intricate patterns that formed where his long forefinger touched the glass, spreading themselves and curving in different directions. He seemed to be daydreaming as he didn't turn his head when I walked in. I poked him and he jumped, turning his head to look at me. 'Nice drawing,' I smiled at him. It took a while for him to recover from the shock I'd given him, then he grinned. I rested my elbows on the counter and watched as he made more frost appear on the window. I noticed that he wasn't doodling, but drawing something. He moved his head closer to the window, scrutinising his work. I couldn't see clearly what he was working on, but when he moved away, I saw that it was a horse, a palomino to be exact, just like the one I rode when I was younger. The thoroughbred was perfectly portrayed, his head held high, mane billowing in the wind as he raised his front hoofs in the air. The whole drawing seemed so real and alive. I looked at Jack. This guy sure knew how to draw.

'How'd you do that?' I asked amazed. Jack shrugged his shoulders. 'I don't know, it's just another habit of mine. You get used to frosting up windows and drawing on them when you have nothing else to do other than play with kids.' Nodding my head, I stared at the drawing. It was a pity that it would melt when the sun came out. 'Be right back,' I said, rushing upstairs as fast as my legs could take me. I brought my camera down and snapped a picture of Jack's beautiful masterpiece. He cocked his head as he looked at the device held in my arms, but didn't ask about it. 'I'm just taking a picture of it so I'll still be able to see it when it's gone.' I tried to explain to him. He smirked at me, making my heart speed up again.

'Watch this.' Jack held his hands above the drawing and something unbelievable happened. I watched dumbfounded as Jack gently "pulled" the horse out of the window pane, leaving the window frost-free and an ice palomino in mid air. I laughed in amazement as the horse tossed its mane and galloped around the kitchen, circling around my head and neighing loudly. It landed in front of me and I reached a hand out to touch it. The stallion surprisingly didn't shy away and came closer to me, letting my finger stroke his cold smooth back. I turned to look at Jack. His eyes were on the horse, but he seemed to be in another world. Realising that I was watching him, he turned his head towards me and smiled. Then, he raised an eyebrow, looking at me. He reached a finger under my chin and gently pushed it, making my mouth close. It had been open the whole time. I blushed slightly as I turned back to the horse, which was nuzzling his small snout into my finger.

'Don't you think he needs someone to keep him company?' Jack asked suddenly. I looked at the little stallion trotting around the counter, occasionally pawing at the marble surface with his dainty hoof. 'Yeah, I think so, now that you mention it.' I put my camera beside me and watched as Jack drew another horse on the window, more slender and shy-looking than the first. He gently pulled the ice mare from the glass and we watched as she slowly trotted to the stallion, which was investigating the smooth counter surface. She stopped a few inches from him and looked back at Jack, unsure of what to do. He gently pushed her and she timidly walked to the horse in front of her. The palomino stopped pawing and looked at the mare, cocking his head and sniffing her. After a few moments of observing her (and vice versa), he gave a neigh and nudged her with his nose. She whinnied a little and snuggled up to the stallion, her tail swishing happily behind her. I snapped a photo of them, thinking all of this was strange, but cutely romantic.

'Can I keep them?' I asked Jack, my eyes on the 'couple' in front of me. 'Yeah, sure. But this one's mine.' He said pointing to the stallion. 'Alright…they won't melt, right?' I questioned, fearing the loss of these two creatures. 'Not unless I make them.' He grinned at me. I suddenly remembered why I came to look for him. 'Um, Jack?' 'Hmm?' I looked at him nervously, twisting a lock of my hair. 'Cameron's coming over, he says he wants to meet you. Will you please be at your best?' Jack's expressionless face stared out the window. 'Be at my best with him? Okay, I'll try.' He said in a flat voice. I wasn't sure if he meant it. 'Don't freeze him or anything, okay? Even though you dislike him so much, which I still can't get why.' We stared at the two horses prancing around. 'By the way, you were saying something before he called?' I turned to Jack. I could swear I saw a faint pink tint in his cheeks as he scratched his head. 'Uh…it was nothing… (f/n).' 'Are you sure?' Jack bit his lip and stared at me. He breathed in deeply. 'Yes, it was nothing important, (f/n). Nothing.' He turned away, his eyes holding disappointment and…anger? I was a bit worried about Jack. He was acting quite weird since this morning. I wondered what had gotten into him.

'Well, I'm bringing them into my room first.' I lay my hand on the counter and the two lovebirds trotted onto it. I slung my camera around my neck and walked away from the kitchen. Looking back, I could see Jack still staring out the window. Wasn't he supposed to be the Guardian of Fun? He certainly didn't look happy or fun at all now.

I tried to find an answer to this problem as I laid the two horses onto my study table. I took out a scarf and folded it into a makeshift bed for them. The mare lay down at once, the stallion next to her, nibbling her ear affectionately. I smiled at them both and went through the pictures in the camera. I came across the one which I took while Jack was sleeping. Laughing at the sight of him, I put the camera back into its bag when I heard the sound of a car honking down below. Opening my window, I saw Cameron's car outside my gate. Please behave, Jack, I prayed as I rushed downstairs. Please don't harm Cameron, no matter how much you hate him.