Crimsonwings92: Oh. My. Northern Lights! I can't believe the first chapter got so many reviews already! You guys are amazing and I love you! Now, just to be clear, Jack is, indeed, a human in this fiction, but I just couldn't bring myself to give him brown hair and eyes because, let's face it, he's hotter with the white hair and blue eyes. Right ladies? But anyway, thank you to all of my reviewers for the encouragement so here, have another chapter!

Disclaimer: RoTG not mine.

A Frosty Season

Chapter 2: Jackson Frost

It had been a full two days since the accident and even though Maya could have gone home the day before, the doctors wanted to keep her for a bit longer to run a few more tests and to make sure that she was absolutely perfectly fine, especially since she kept waning in and out of consciousness for those past two days. They credited her exhaustion to the hypothermia and were wary of releasing her so soon, but she now that she was waking up and actually staying awake, they concluded that she could soon be released after one last test. Ida and Annie, both women having gone hysterical the day of the accident when they were called and told that Maya was at the hospital, were more than relieved to hear that the teen would be able to go home soon. And little Malcolm was ecstatic to have his cousin back, the child reluctant to ever leave her and often found cuddled up against her in the hospital bed when they went to visit.

Like now.

The ebony teen was awake again and sitting up in bed with a warm smile on her face as she gently stroked the top of her baby cousin's head, the little boy snuggled close to her side quietly while he sucked on his tiny fist. Maya knew she had scared the child the day she fell through the ice and he seemed a bit traumatized if his quiet manner and refusal to leave her side were anything to go by. She placed a kiss to the top of his head and then tickled his tummy to make him laugh. Her mother and grandmother, who were sitting beside her, both smiled lovingly as they looked at her.

"Are you happy to be going back home today, sweetie?" Ida asked her daughter, reaching out to stroke her messy curls.

Maya grinned and nodded, "Of course. I'm tired of all this white and sterilization and doctors poking at me. I miss my bed…and you're cooking."

The women laughed and shook their heads at her words, Annie standing up and moving to her side to place a kiss of her own to the girl's cheek, "We're just so very glad that you're alright."

"Yeah, I am too. I'm sorry for worrying you guys; I know what I did was pretty dumb on my part."

"But brave and that's just the way you are," the older woman countered, her smile turning proud, "If you hadn't been there, if you hadn't done what you did, a family would have lost their little girl. You did a wonderful thing, Maya, and we're so proud of you."

The teen just grinned and bowed her head a little before looking at her mom, "Did you tell dad about what happened?"

"You know I had to, Maya," the woman answered with a shrug.

"Was he…mad?"

"He was worried…practically out of his mind. He was going to catch the first flight out here to be with you, but I told him that you were stable and everything was okay and to finish his business quickly."

A small laugh left the girl's lips, images of her father practically tearing his hair out in worry before sprinting out of the building with his bag and jacket and papers flying all over the place playing through her mind. Her father was a bit of a klutz and a goofball sometimes, so she sometimes imagined him as a cartoon character and that always brought a smile to her face. Ida suddenly sat up straighter as she remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said aloud, reaching over to the nightstand beside Maya's bed to pick up a pink rose that was frosted blue, "The young man that you said helped you out of the lake stopped by to give this to you."

"He did?" Maya questioned, her hazel eyes wide in surprise as she took the rose from her mother.

Ida nodded, "He's actually come by the hospital a couple of times already to visit you, but every time he has you've fallen back asleep."

The girl couldn't find any words to say so she opted for staring at her mother before her gaze lowered to blankets covering her, memories of the boy with the white hair and ice blue eyes popping up in her head. She felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered his smile and the way he held her tightly before the ambulance showed up.

"He's a very handsome boy, Maya," her mother continued, this sly look coming to her eyes, "and he's quite charming and sweet."

The patient just looked at the older woman, her face blank as Ida shrugged innocently; "I'm just saying, sweetie," she started with a knowing grin, "that if you decided to…'hang out' with him more, I would hold no objections. In fact, he would be welcomed in the house."

"Thanks, mom, I'm glad I have your approval," Maya stopped her with narrowed, humorless eyes.

Ida just laughed and stood up, moving to take Malcolm from her daughter, "Alright then, the doctor says you will be able to leave the hospital by this evening so we're going to go and get you a change of clothes and some lunch, okay?"

She nodded and released her cousin from her hold, but Malcolm refused to let go, much like every other time they tried to take him away. He clung to the girl and shook his head, saying 'no' over and over again and looking on the verge of tears. Maya smiled softly and kissed his forehead.

"Malcolm, it's okay! I'm going to be right here and I'm going to be fine, yeah? I really want to go home, but I need a change of clothes first. Won't you go with auntie and grandma and get some for me?"

With slight hesitation, the child agreed and let go of his cousin's arm, allowing his auntie to cradle him on her shoulder while they made their way to the door. The teen waved at the little boy as he stared at her with worry in his eyes, seeing him wave back with his little hand.

"And please don't forget to bring me a comb or a brush or a something!" she called after them, hearing them giggle at her expense.

And then…she was alone. Maya sighed as the silence reigned dominant around her with nothing but the sound of the nurses and doctors walking past her door to keep her company. Her bed was right next to the window, so she was able to gaze at the world outside her hospital room. It had started snowing again, the white flakes gently falling down to Earth and beginning to cover the streets and buildings in their soft blankets. It was nice to look at, but not nice to be in necessarily; even still, she didn't understand the hype of snow that everyone gets in to. It was just frozen water that made falling into lakes a total disaster, complete with hypothermia. After staring at the scenery for a few quiet minutes, she lifted her hand to scratch her head and then pulled on the unruly curls while staring at them in distaste.

"Man, my hair is a wreck," she mumbled to herself, trying to run her fingers through it only to feel them get caught up in knots, "It looks like a bird's nest!"

"I think it looks fine."

The new voice that broke the silence startled the girl and she whipped her head to the left to see a most surprising visitor. It was the white haired boy from the park, the one that saved her after she saved that little girl. His smile was just as warm as on that day that she saw him and his blue eyes were just as bright and clear. In his hands he held a whole bouquet of pink roses with the tips of the petals frosted blue, just like the single rose he had left for her earlier. He chuckled as he drew closer to the bed, handing her the bouquet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, though it didn't really sound sincere, but more humorous, "It's just every other time I came here to visit, you were asleep and I just assumed that this time wouldn't be any different, so I didn't knock."

"Uh, it's fine. Thanks, though," she replied, holding the flowers in her hands with care before picking up the single rose and slipping it into the bundle, "I got the other flower you left for me. That was really sweet of you…sorry I wasn't awake when you came to visit."

The boy just shrugged as he sat on the edge of her bed instead of sitting in the chair. He was rather close and his hand just brushed against her leg, though neither teen was going to acknowledge it aloud lest it make things awkward. Maya looked down at the flowers in her arms, gently drawing her finger along the blue-tipped petals in thought.

"Thanks for the roses. They're beautiful," she said gratefully, feeling almost breathless when that half-smile turned into a full one as the boy nodded.

"I'm glad you like them. They're my favorite, honestly," he said truthfully, his voice skin-tingling deep and soft.

"And thanks for saving my life. That's…really what I should have thanked you for first before the flowers," Maya laughed nervously, feeling her heart starting to race again when he focused his blue eyes on her.

"Hey, don't mention it, Green Eyes. One act of kindness deserves another and you definitely deserved an act of kindness. No one needed to die that day."

She nodded and giggled while shaking her head, the boy watching with fascination as her eyes seemed to become a little greener, the brown almost lost to the brighter color. They were quiet again for a couple more minutes, the silence just bordering on painfully awkward.

"My name is Jackson Frost," he suddenly introduced himself, grinning crookedly at her, "But everyone just calls me Jack."

"Oh…it's nice to meet you, Jack," she greeted him, offering her hand for him to shake, which he did readily.

"Does the pretty lady have a name that I can call her by? Or am I to assume that I can keep calling you Green Eyes?" he teased her, delighted when she stammered a little.

"U-Uh…wait, my eyes aren't even that green!" she countered as she narrowed her eyes and smiled playfully at him.

"They're more green than brown. Especially right now," he shot back, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.

The teen stopped and thought about it for a second, knowing full well that was probably right since she was told by a number of her friends back home that her eyes seemed more green than hazel on most days and they especially turned green whenever she was nervous or anxious or extremely happy. She rolled her eyes and smirked at him.

"Touché," she surrendered, earning a deep chuckle from him.

"So?" Jack stared at her expectantly, placing his hand on the bed closer to hers and leaning forward.

She smiled at him and pushed back a lock of her black curls, "My name is Maya Rhodes."

Jack nodded, looking satisfied. "Maya…" he said, the sound of her name just rolling off his tongue making the girl blush freely, "That's definitely going to stick with me."

"Oh really? Why is that?" she questioned playfully, though it was more to try and keep herself from feeling embarrassed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he shot right back, becoming quite bold and catching her by surprised when he leaned over, crossed his arms over her lap, and placed his head in the crook of his arms while his beautiful blue eyes gazed up at her.

All Maya could do was giggle and fiddle with the ribbon around the stems of the roses, her eyes noting for a second how the blue on the tips of the petals seemed to match the blue of his eyes. Now that she looked at him, he might as well just be the spirit of winter itself since everything about him screamed 'ice' and 'snow'. Except he wasn't cold or frozen…he was actually very warm. She continued to fiddle with the ribbon for a moment longer when Jack's hand, considerably larger than her own, brushed over her fingers to grab hold of them. He was sitting up now and closer than before, his nose just inches away from bumping against hers as he smiled charmingly.

"Here, let me put these in a vase with some water for you," he whispered quietly, taking the bouquet from her and standing up.

Maya went slack against the pillows of the bed, feeling as if her heart was about to just leap right out of her chest. Did the guy have any idea how gorgeous he was?! Or how close he had been?! Apparently not because he was just going about his business as if nothing had happened! She threw a weak glare his way, something that went unnoticed by the boy as he found a vase near the bed on the other side of the room, filled it with water and brought it back over to set it on her night stand. Next, he found a pair of scissors and, after untying the ribbon from the roses, began to snip the stems until they were smaller and greener. He did this with expert hands, his movements smooth and focused as his eyes carefully assessed each stem before and after cutting them. Maya was spellbound for some time, feeling her heart flutter at the gentle look on his face while he continued his task.

"You're really good at that," she praised after a while, smiling when he looked over at her, "I mean, I know there's something about cutting the stems of roses before you put them in water and all that, but I've never seen anyone do it so seriously and with such skill…or at an angle."

Jack just chuckled as he finished cutting the stems, threw away the dead ends, and gathered the rest in a bunch before carefully placing them in the vase by her bed, "Well, there is a reason for the angle."

He kept a rose out and took a seat on the edge of the bed again before bringing it up to show her the cut stem, "You see, if you just cut the stem straight across and put it in the vase of water, it's going to create a kind of suction at the bottom when it lays there, keeping the flower from drinking up the nutrients that it needs. When you cut it at an angle, it not only keeps the stem from sticking to the bottom, but it also allows for more of the water to get into the flower, thus keeping it alive for much longer."

Maya nodded silently as she listened to him, finally focusing her gaze on his face when he was done. He looked up at her as well and actually seemed to blush a little bit as he laughed bashfully.

"Um…my mom's a florist and she taught me a few things while I was growing up," he confessed, looking down at the blanket.

She laughed heartily and lightly clapped her hands together, "That's so cute! A guy who knows how to take care of flowers, how 'bout that?"

Her tone was playful and Jack just nudged her shoulder with his fist as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered, earning a giggle from the girl while he put the flower in the vase with the others, "So when are you due to be discharged from here? You've gotta be tired of all this already."

"I was tired of this yesterday," she answered with a deep sigh before she beamed brightly, "But! I'm allowed to go home tonight. I can't wait 'till I'm back in my room and able to sleep in my own bed! This thing is so…stiff."

To prove her point, she bounced a little on the mattress to show that it had little to no comfort or support and the rustling of the paper-like sheets only helped her case. Jack sniggered and shook his head, feeling sympathy for her along with…something else. He looked at her in all her hospital patient-like glory complete with hospital gown and IVs stuck to her arms. Her hair actually was a little messy, the curls sticking every which way, but she didn't seem to mind and, honestly, he didn't either. She still looked…cute…pretty; he just couldn't pass this up.

"Hey, do you have a phone?" he suddenly asked, making Maya blink at the question.

"Um, yeah. It's right over there," she pointed to the nightstand on the other side of her bed and watched as he reached over, grabbed it up, and turned it on.

She raised an eyebrow curiously, feeling a little anxious when his fingers tapped at her touch-screen keyboard without saying a word. She couldn't be sure if he was looking through her contacts or her pictures or her notes or anything! But she didn't stop him and waited until he was finished which was no longer than a few seconds later when he lifted his eyes to lock with hers and showed her the screen. It was her contact book with his name added to it along with his number.

"Uuummm..." she muttered, looking from him to her phone and then back again, not sure what to make of this new development.

Jack just smirked and reached over to flick one of her curls out of her face, "After you get out of here and you're feeling better, call or text me some time. We'll hang out."

Maya blinked as her eyes shifted from side to side in confusion, swerving her gaze back to him when he suddenly stood up and turned to her. That lopsided grin of his was back and he chuckled at the wide-eyed look she was giving him.

"I have to get going now. I promised a few friends to meet them for lunch," he explained, bending down at the waist and placing his hands palm down on either side of her body, his face mere inches from hers once more, "but I'll be seeing you around. Hopefully."

He leaned in closer still, those bright blue eyes of his seeming all the clearer and his breath warm and minty on her face. He looked like he was about to kiss her and if that were his intention, he would have succeeded if Maya didn't have trigger reflexes for as soon as his nose bumped against hers just ever so slightly, she jumped back as if she just had the scare of her life, her brow furrowed and her breath struggling to detach itself from her throat. Jack blinked at the sudden movement, caught off guard himself, but the confusion soon melted into amusement as he chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Sorry," he apologized, but again, not sounding the least bit sincere about it, "I'll be going now. Feel better."

With that, and a gentle tap to her chin from his finger, the handsome teenage boy straightened up and made his way out of the room. Maya watched him go, offering a small wave when he turned to give her a smile before he left. Once she was alone, she let out the biggest breath in life and slumped against her pillows. She stared at the ceiling for quite some time, contemplating life and how it felt it was about to get just that much more interesting, when she looked back down at her phone. She turned it on and went to her contacts, wanting to make sure that she hadn't imagined the whole meeting with Jackson Frost and that he really had been there and that he really had put his number in her phone and told her to call him.

He did and it was, indeed, there.

She bit her lip as she dropped her phone in her lap and stared out the window again.

What on Earth was she getting herself into with this Jackson Frost?

End Chapter

Crimsonwings92: Hahaha, that was fun. Did you guys like it? I hope so cuz I'm already writing the next chapter so please continue to support this story! See you in Chapter 3! Ciao!