Okay - A million apologies for the long delay. School and bereavement and on hold for finals and finishing bereavement happened.

But that's another story.

Thank you so much for the new follows, favorites, and reviews. And thank you for your continuing patience.

Violet was not waiting at the living room window. That surprised – and worried – him. Bolstering his confidence as well as he could, Jack tried instead peering for her through her bedroom window. He could just see her through the slats, and he knocked on the glass. Her form jumped, and her shadow moved closer. The blinds parted to reveal her blue eyes looking out of her pale round face, and Jack waved sheepishly. Violet ran out of the room, and Jack met her at the sliding back door. "You're late again," she told him haughtily. Jack held his hands up in surrender, staff nestled in the crook of his elbow.

"Hey, I don't wear a watch. I lose track of time. Okay?" He suffered her disapproving glare for another few seconds before she let him in. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

"Maybe." Which in child-speak meant "yes." Blowing air out the corner of his mouth, Jack ruffled his hair uncomfortably.

"Can we talk about it?"

She shrugged. But she let him follow her into her room again. By now her parents took her new "imaginary friend" in stride – although they had to admit that their daughter's interactions with Jack Frost were remarkably more sophisticated than with past friends. Was she simply growing more aware of how people actually interacted and drawing from that? They liked to think of their daughter being so bright, at least.

Once in her room, Jack leaned his staff against the wall and seated himself cross-legged on the carpeted floor, hands resting on his knees. Violet didn't know it, but this was how anyone could tell Jack was about to be very serious. All that she did was sit in the same position before him, watching him with a passively blank stare.

"Violet," Jack began, holding his gaze steady on her, "You know about the seasons, right? How spring, summer, fall, and winter all happen in the same order, and they each have their own time of year?" He sighed again and offered his most apologetic face. "I can't do anything about that. I'm not allowed to have it be winter all the time."

She leaned forward and leveled her gaze at him, hair falling black over one eye. "You said I was special. You made it snow for me." Her disappointment hung thick in the air.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. And I did make it snow for you."

"So why won't you keep it snowing?"

"I just told you, Violet: I can't. Remember what I said about the Groundhog? He's the only one with any real say about when spring will arrive. I shouldn't have made it snow at all, really. He's probably real mad at me right now."

"Why did you make the snow if you're not allowed now?"

Didn't she understand? How could he explain it to her?

He had to think back two nights, the evening after he'd watched the new family move in, and the little girl stared past him to the stars and wished for lots and lots of snow. Kids asked for snow all the time; he usually brought some if he happened to overhear, even if it was getting out of season. The more kids were exposed to winter, Jack persisted in hoping, the more opportunities he had for someone to notice him. For the most part, he'd long ago been conditioned out of letting belief be the sole reason he granted wishes for snow, but it always nudged at the back of his mind that this might be the snow day that did it.

And finally, with little Violet Parr, it worked.

Sometimes, though, Jack simply didn't care about the rules.

Violet caught the way his lip turned up in a smirk. "Jack? Were you being naughty?" Apparently the word had managed to stick in her head since Christmastime. Jack laughed out loud.

"I've been on that list for decades," he told her, and her eyes went so big, like she couldn't tell if she should be horrified or impressed. He only laughed more raucously before forcing himself to calm back down. "I guess I was. But I also wanted to make you happy." And her cheeks turned red and she bowed her head to blush behind her long hair. "You looked lonely and sad, to me. I hoped that making it snow would help. Did it?" One eye peeked through her dark hair at him and she shyly returned his grin.

"Yeah, it did." And without warning she flung herself at him, hugging around his neck.

"Whoa!" Jack braced himself on a hand thrown behind him. "What's this for?"

"For being a good friend," she said, and warmth spread through him like a healing salve. His heart quickened, that she considered him a friend! "You're always really nice to me, Jack. I like you."

He was going to melt if she kept that up. Jack returned her hug with one arm, the other still keeping him upright, unsure what to say at first. "So you forgive me for letting spring happen, now?"

"Maybe," she giggled. It still meant "yes." She pushed off his chest and now regarded him with some concern. "Does that mean you have to go forever?"

"Not forever," Jack reassured her, "Just until next winter. That's not such a long time."

Her lips pouted. To a child so young as Violet, a year did seem close enough to forever. Jack knew it would pass for him like the blink of an eye.

"You'll see me again before you know it."

Violet gasped in a sudden panic. "Are you leaving now?"

"I don't have to. But I can't stay in Burgess. Other parts of the world will have their winter soon." Ah, of course; Violet didn't know the southern hemisphere's seasons ran opposite. He tried to explain it, but it was a hard concept for her to grasp right now. So he left it. "I don't like hot weather," he finally said, which was true and easy for her to accept.

"So you migrate like ducks?" Violet blurted after taking it all in.

"Ha! Yeah, I guess I do. I just go someplace colder. Very good," he praised. She looked pleased with herself for her successful analogy. "So now you believe that I'll come back, right? I don't have to convince you anymore?" Giggling, she nodded and resumed hugging him.

"I'll miss you," she protested more than stated; even though she understood, she clearly didn't like the situation any better for it. Jack squeezed her tightly with both arms, now, resting his cheek against her long, soft hair.

"I'll miss you, too." I'll miss this. Being seen, being heard, being touched, held. Being liked and missed – loved, even? How could he sustain himself on only two days of precious belief, until he came back to her again so many months from now? His chest and throat tightened at the same time. The thought of living on without contact with belief again so quickly, set such a tremor down his spine that his breath hitched. Violet didn't seem to notice it.

Jack tried to take a deep inhale and slow exhale. He'd already gone 250 years without. Surely, a year – and not even a full one – was just a drop in the ocean by comparison?

"Jack," Violet said, looking up at him again, "could we read more Nancy Drew?"

Grateful for the distraction from his frantic thoughts, Jack broke into a fond grin. "I'd love to." He rose and carried them both to her bed, sweeping the book up from the nightstand.

"I read the first chapter all by myself, this morning!" Violet boasted as she settled to a comfortable position in his lap.

"You did?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Wow; that's a big accomplishment. Maybe you can even read the whole book by yourself, huh?"

She squirmed bashfully. "It's faster if you or Mom reads it, though." Jack was already searching the book for where he'd left off. Neither of them knew where Violet had fallen asleep last night.

"But you'll get faster, too, the more you read," he put in. Violet shrugged, apparently set on still being read to at bedtime for at least a long while. She was fortunate to have people around to teach her; Jack had to teach himself how to read, basically. Infiltrating elementary school classrooms had helped for the basics, but they often had too many things going on and he would get distracted (or, he would create distractions of his own when he found the lessons too structured). At length he found the correct page and continued from where he'd stopped the previous night. He and Violet agreed that she could reread the book herself to fill in missing parts. Unlike last night, Violet stayed awake until Jack's voice grew tired, and he told her they ought to stop. She protested; stopping meant Jack Frost would have to leave!

"I don't want you to go!" she wailed into his sweatshirt.

"I don't want to go, either," he tried to comfort her, his hand on her back. "But you'll be okay without me. You made friends today, didn't you? I know Tony likes you. And Kate's favorite color is purple."

"Just like me! But Jack..." she bit her lip, chewed on it and her brow was so knotted up it looked painful.

So many emotions swirled around in her that Violet couldn't find the words for what she felt, what she really needed to say. She probably didn't even know the words, yet.

Jack waited for her to finish, but she crawled out of his lap and sat on the mattress, looking every bit like she'd forced herself to do it. Feeling like he was betraying her, Jack slid off the bed to fetch his staff. Violet opened her bedroom door and walked beside him to the back door. Jack stepped outside into the yard, barely visible despite the porch light's glow. He turned to face her, committing her face to memory.

"Jack," Violet called, running onto the porch, tears in her eyes, "Please don't forget about me!"

How could he? How could he possibly-?

"Never."

"Promise?"

He beamed at her. "I promise. This isn't 'goodbye,'" he added, "This is 'see you soon.' Right?"

"Right," she affirmed, brightening a little. A playful Wind buffeted her hair around her face the same instant another lifted Jack Frost into the air. He rocketed up to the sky, whooping with exhilaration like when she'd first said his name. Violet listened for his echoes until they faded, and then closed the door behind her. Mom watched her from the couch, and noticed how upset she looked.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Tears crashed down Violet's face. "Jack had to go away. He won't be back until next winter." Instantly Mom was cuddling her close, smoothing her hair while she cried.

"Shh, it's alright," she soothed, "You're going to miss him a lot, huh?"

At the violent nod, Helen could only hold tighter. She'd never had to console her daughter about an imaginary friend before – her imaginary friends had never done this to her! The frown across her face was the only indication of thoughts that pained her... But for now Violet's face was so soaked from her grief, and that was what she needed to deal with.

"Jack will be back, Violet. You just have to be patient. It's like when you have to wait for your birthday or Christmas. You can do it." Violet's sniffles grew a little quieter. Helen wiped her reddened eyes. "That's my girl. Now, I think you need to get a good night's sleep, don't you? Why don't we get you into a bath with lots of bubbles?"

"...Okay."

Violet kept looking out the windows. She didn't want to believe that she wouldn't see Jack Frost again for such a long time. But he never came to her yard, her window, again.

–

She went to her new kindergarten the next morning, and the teacher placed her next to Kate. Violet shared her cookies with Kate, and the girls soon became fast friends. Tony teased Violet because he thought she was pretty, but Violet wouldn't understand this until years later.

The season progressed and Violet waited up for the Easter Bunny, but she fell asleep before he ever made it to Burgess. Her first baby teeth fell out like the tree blossoms from their branches, but she never caught a glimpse of the Tooth Fairy even though she woke up with a shiny nickel under her pillow every time.

Whenever she cleaned her room, she took out the shoebox with Jack's drawing safely nestled inside. She would read the message over and over, always hearing it in his voice.

I'll come back.

It's not fair that you get such a short chapter after so long a wait, I agree...

I should tell you guys now, that I've never quite been entirely happy with the story after this point - mostly pacing issues, among other things, from my impatience to finish the story. I was hoping to fix that this past semester, but I just never had the time after midway through September. And with so many life things happening I just didn't feel up to it this break. I have a friend visiting and staying with me all of next week, so I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend on this. I'll do my best to get some things going during the time I have left before school starts again; and I predict I'll have at least through the end of January before things get really crazy, but at the same time I'm looking at the downhill rush to graduation so I don't even know what to expect from the school side of things alone (not even thinking about work things and internships and becoming an adult more than I have to, right now).

Anyway, I'm getting off-topic.

You guys have been wonderful with my delays, and I'm grateful that you're still here. All I ask is to impose on your patience a little more while I figure the rest of this story out between senior year and life and other madness. I hope you'll find that it's worth the wait.