Crimsonwings92: I SURVIVED FINALS WEEK! Whoohoo! I'm so freaking excited that I'm done and now I get to relax for the holidays! Yeah! And to celebrate, here's another chapter of A Frosty Season. I would like to say thank you to everyone that reviewed and added this story to your favorites list: secretlovers, DoctorWhotaliaandtheOlympian s, PrayTonight, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, XXTakaraXX, Chie-Shire-Cat17. You guys are amazing and I love you for sticking to this story! So here you go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Rise of the Guardians, though I do wish I could meet Jack Frost just once, haha.

A Frosty Season

Chapter 5: His Thoughts

Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock
Jingle bell swing
And jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin'
Up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in
Jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin'
In jingle bell square
In the frosty air

"What a bright time. It's the right time. To rock the night away. Jingle bell, time is a swell time. To go glidin' in a one horse sleigh."

Jack's gentle murmuring and humming in tune to the Christmas song playing from the online radio on his laptop echoed around his room, the young man absently checking his emails and instant messages and even browsing through a couple of Tumblr pages mindlessly. It was a pretty relaxed day for the teen, seeing as how he was finally on winter break for a few weeks, and the only he plan he had was meeting up with his friend E. Aster Bunnymund for lunch in a little while; honestly, the guy looked more like a kangaroo than a bunny with how freaking tall he was. However, until then, he had nothing else to do and settled for lazing about in front of his computer dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a light green graphic t-shirt and socks.

A deep sigh left his lips as boredom started creeping up on him, the posts on Tumblr starting to get repetitive and less entertaining the more he scrolled through them. That's when he remembered that he had a few new pictures to upload from his digital camera and jumped up to retrieve it from on top of his dresser. Sitting back at the computer, he closed down one of the internet windows, allowing the radio to keep playing, and hooked the camera up to the laptop. Moving swiftly, he brought up the file for the new pictures and began to sync them into the file on his desktop, having to wait a few minutes to do so since he had taken so many new pictures, especially in the past few days, since the last time he did an upload. Approximately three minutes later, he was browsing through the pictures he just synced to his computer, smiling at most and staring thoughtfully at others. There were pictures that he had taken of his family starting from October, multiple shots of his sister in her Jason Vorhees Halloween costume flashing across the screen over and over again. There were a ton of pictures of his friends from school, most of them photos that he had 'promised' his friends he would delete, but never did. There were a few nature shots that he took on a whim as he was walking around town and winter had started settling in on them…then there were the pictures that he had started taking three days ago.

Maya's pretty face flashed across the screen and a smile so warm it could rival the sun spread across Jack's face. The picture was taken at her house, a place he had come to feel comfortable in once he was reintroduced to her mother and grandmother a week before. She was coloring with Malcolm when Jack had shown up to hang out with her, the photo showing Maya with a playful smile on her face as her baby cousin lifted his paper up to show her what he had drawn. There was another shot of Maya and Malcolm in the front yard, the two bundled up and sitting on the porch together with the child in her arms as they smiled for the camera. There were numerous pictures of just Malcolm that Jack took, even more of just Maya, and various ones that he took of the cousins with himself in the middle.

He found, however, that his favorite pictures were the ones he took of just him and Maya together, the two of them cuddling close to be centered for the camera, and the ones where he caught the girl off guard and unprepared. She looked thoughtful in most of them, her face devoid of a smile, or any kind of emotion for that matter, as she stared off into the distance, her eyes taking her someplace that he couldn't follow…not yet. There were others where she had just turned around and looked up at the camera when he took the picture, her eyes wide with surprise and the expression on her face innocent and confused. Then there were the ones where she was watching Malcolm, her features soft and feminine with a gentle smile as the toddler played around her and Jack snapped the photos without her knowing. She was beautiful in every single picture, there was no denying that, and Jack wasted a lot of his time just staring at her face, at her dazzling hazel green eyes, and wondering…when…

"…Jack…Jack…JACK!"

"Huh?" the teen gasped at the shout that nearly blew out his ear; whipping around, his ice blue eyes locked with the dark brown ones of his eleven year old sister, Emma, who was tapping her little foot on the floor with an exasperated expression on her innocent face.

"I've spent the past five minutes trying to get your attention, big brother," she stated, her eyes narrowing humorlessly when Jack smiled sheepishly, "I knocked on your door like twenty times and called your name like fifty!"

"Sorry, Emma. I guess I was just zoning out," he apologized to his little sister, turning his computer chair around to face her, "Did you need something?"

The little girl straightened up and smiled at her older brother as she nodded, her long brown hair swaying with the movement, "Yeah, I just came to see if I could borrow a pair of your socks. I'm going ice skating with the girls soon and I don't want to get any blisters and since your socks are a bit thicker than mine, I figured they would be the perfect defense, hehe."

A smile bloomed across the teen's face as he ruffled her hair and got up from his chair, "Alright, alright. Give me a second and I'll get it for you."

He walked away from the desk and started rummaging around in his drawers for a pair of clean socks, leaving his sibling at the computer with the pictures of Maya still up for browsing. Emma peered at the screen and blinked her eyes curiously when it landed on the teen girl that her brother had been spending more and more of his time with for the past month. She tilted her head as she studied the picture, this one of Maya and Malcolm curled up on the couch together and indulging in the luxury of an afternoon nap. Maya's hair, a full mass of long and pretty curls, tumbled over her shoulders and fell into her sleeping face while Malcolm had his head on her shoulder with his body tucked away between her and the couch. Her arm draped over his little body lazily while the opposite hand cradled his head with care. Peaking over at her brother for a second, Emma turned back to the computer and used the arrow key to slide to the next picture which was just of the teen girl and Jack. They looked to be outside Maya's house on the porch, leaning over the railing and posing together with big smiles on their faces as Jack took the picture. What the youth noticed about the dark-skinned girl standing next to her brother was that she wasn't obscenely close to him like a lot of the girls tended to be whenever he took pictures with him; her brother was rather cute and popular after all, so girls were always trying to get close. However, Maya wasn't like those girls. Instead, she kept an appropriate distance between herself and Jack and merely inclined her head towards his for the camera.

"Hey, Jack? Who is this girl? Is she the one that you're madly in love with?" Emma called out to the boy, the one in question coming up behind her with a pair of socks in his hand that he handed to her before sitting down again at the desk.

He glared playfully at her and flicked her ear, earning a shriek of surprise from his sibling before he said, "I never said I was 'madly in love' with her, you little brat, but to answer your question, yes. She is the girl that I am infatuated with, thank you very much. Her name is Maya Rhodes."

"Oooohhh, so that's Maya," she droned, letting loose a cute giggle as she stood beside Jack's chair to look at more pictures, "She's really pretty, Jack!"

"Yes, yes she is," the white-haired lad agreed with his sister dreamily as he flipped through more photos.

"Is she nice?"

"Definitely. She's one of the nicest, sweetest people I know. I wouldn't be hanging out with her if she wasn't."

"Pfft. That's a lie," Emma retorted with a roll of her eyes while crossing her arms, "Remember that last girl you brought over to the house? Samantha? You said she was nice, but she ended up being the worst kind of human being ever!"

At the name, Jack flinched and laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he nodded, "Yeah, well, Samantha had us all fooled. The girl was a world class actress; you can't really blame me. But Maya is different. She's legitimately sweet, I swear."

"She looks like she's sweet. When am I going to get to meet her?"

"Hopefully soon. I plan on inviting her over for a movie or dinner or something," the teen answered, feeling his cheeks heating up at the thought of Maya being in his house.

The siblings browsed through more of Jack's pictures, Eventually eventually stopping him and pointing to the little boy that Maya had her eyes on; "Who's that kid, Jack? Her brother?" she questioned, smiling at the way Maya held the child in her arms and hugged him tightly.

"That's Malcolm. He's actually her cousin; he's a cute kid, really creative," Jack replied, grinning at the picture as well, "He's staying with Maya and her family at her grandmother's house for the holidays."

"…Where's his mom?"

Blue eyes blinked at the question and a sudden realization hit him, "Um…I don't know. I've never seen her before…come to think of it, I've never seen the dad either and Maya has never talked about either one before."

"Oh," Emma hummed as the slides continued, the girl giggling a second later, "You took a lot of pictures of Maya without her knowing, huh?"

"What can I say? I'm the king of sneaky photos. That's what being a master photographer is all about," answered the grinning boy as he raised his head proudly.

The girl just rolled her eyes at her brother and turned back to the laptop, her head tilting at the photo displayed before them of Maya sitting on the porch and watching Malcolm play, but not really seeing him. Her eyes seemed to look far beyond anything the siblings could comprehend and whatever it was she was thinking about, whatever she saw with that faraway look, Emma felt it was something serious and troubling…something Maya probably didn't feel she could talk about with anyone.

"She looks…bothered in a lot of these pictures, too," she commented, Jack's eyes averting to her curiously.

"Bothered?" he repeated.

"Yeah, bothered…or sad, especially when she's looking at Malcolm. Like right here. Don't you see it, Jack?" Emma reached out to point to Maya's eyes on the same picture, "I wonder what it is that's making her feel that way. Maybe his parents died or something and that's why she doesn't talk about them."

Jack's brows furrowed in thought as he looked from his sister to the picture. Now that Jack was looking at them closely too, he could see what she meant. There was definitely something…forlorn about the way her hazel green eyes became distant when she wasn't focusing on the camera.

"Well, I don't really know, I'm just guessing. Maybe that's just how her face is; she still looks nice, though, so don't take too long in inviting her over!" the little girl ordered of her brother before turning towards the door, "Thanks for the socks, Jack. I'm going to go finish getting ready."

"All right. Come and get me when you're done. I'll walk you to the meeting place with your friends since I'll be going that way anyway," he called after her, swiveling around in his chair to catch his sister shooting him an excited grin.

"Okay. Be ready in a few!" With that, she ran from his room and down the hall to her own room, the sound of her door shutting closed meeting his ears.

He chuckled and shook his head before turning back around to face the computer screen. The smile across his lips slowly diminished as a contemplative expression flitted across his face. With as much as he thought about Maya on a daily and entertained the notion that he knew almost everything about her by now, he was starting to realize how much he didn't know about her: why was her cousin living with her grandmother in the first place? How come she never talked about his parents? Why was she on holiday vacation in November when almost every school across the nation didn't let out until, at most, two weeks before Christmas?...Why did she look sad in those pictures? What secrets is she keeping from him?

Placing his elbows on the desk, he lightly bit his thumb in thought and slowly scrolled through the rest of the pictures. He had so many photos of Maya staring back at him, most of them making him smile carelessly like a lovesick teen, but others just adding to the questions in his head. His conviction was set; whatever Maya was trying to hide, he wanted to know about it…so he could be there for her. It was funny how much he cared for the girl, a stranger he met just over a month ago, and his friends were always saying he fell in love way too easily sometimes, but it just seemed inevitable with Maya…like it was meant to happen.

"Jack! I'm ready!"

Allowing a soft chuckle to leave his lips, the teen exited out of the photos and closed his laptop screen before getting up from the chair. His sister latched onto his hand and dragged him out of the room hurriedly in her excitement. While the two were getting their jackets and boots on at the door, a middle-aged woman with hair as long and dark brown as Emma's came up behind them with a loving smile on her face. Her eyes, brown like Emma's, gently shone with affection and she handed them their scarves and gloves as they quickly prepared for the cold.

"Going out, you two?" she asked them, folding her hands in front of her.

"Yeah, mom. I'm walking Emma to go meet her friends for ice skating before heading to meet Aster at the diner where Tooth works," Jack replied with a goofy grin, earning a cry from his sister when he playfully wrapped her scarf one too many times around her neck to the point where it was now around her face.

"Yeah and then we're all going to go to Emily's house for hot chocolate and movies afterwards and then I think her mom will be taking us home," Emma chimed in once she readjusted her scarf.

"Oh, that sounds like fun, sweetie. If you need me to come and pick you up, you call and let me know, okay?" the woman said with a warm smile cast towards her daughter before she looked at Jack and asked slyly, "So no pseudo-date with your mystery crush?"

Jack just gave her a wide, exaggerated smile and shook his head, "No, not today unfortunately."

"Now when exactly am I going to meet this girl, Jack? You've been staying after school nearly every day for a month to meet her and running out of this house on the weekends like a child possessed to hang out at her place. I want to meet this, apparently, amazing girl who has my son jumping hurdles for her," the woman declared with her arms crossed over her chest.

"That's what I said!" Emma added, waving her arms in the air.

Jack just rolled his eyes at both females and shook his head while addressing his mother; "She's not having me do anything for her, mom. It's all of my own free will. She's just… special. I really like her and I think you will, too."

The mother of the two children smiled tenderly at her one and only son, cooing as she reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately, "My precious boy. Okay…bring her by the shop sometime when I'm working, yeah? I'm sure it'll be better than me forcing you to invite her to dinner."

"Much better," the teen replied, chuckling when the woman swiped at his arm before wrapping his scarf around his neck and turning towards the door, "Will do, mom. We're out of here!"

"Alright, be careful, okay?"

"We will!" The teen looked back at his mom with a bright smile before he was forcefully dragged down the steps leading down from their house and onto the sidewalk.

Jack and Emma left their residential neighborhood and joined the throngs of people on the main street, the two chatting and laughing joyfully as the feel of the Christmas spirit swirled round them. The streets were decorated with red ribbons and giant ornaments and beautiful lights that reflected off the piles of white snow that were everywhere. Christmas Lights Park was fully lit up and already it had couples and families strolling down the brightly lit pathways while gazing at structures of Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, penguins, sleighs, and the like all created out of Christmas lights. After walking for some time, they spotted a group of tween girls with ice skates over their shoulders up ahead, Jack recognizing them as Emma's friends and dutifully left his sister in their care. She gave him a hug before running off with her companions, Jack left to snicker at her innocence. He then continued on his way to the diner, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and his breath creating white clouds in front of him due to the frigid air.

Entering the establishment, he tapped his shoes on the ground to shake off the snow and looked around for a freakishly tall male with dark gray hair. It wasn't that hard to spot the guy and as soon as he did, Jack made his way over to him just as he was whispering something into Toothiana's ear, which, in turn, made the waitress blush prettily and giggle girlishly. Jack grinned slyly as he shed his jacket and sat down.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite sappy couple," he commented teasingly, placing his elbow on the table and supporting his chin in his hand, "Should I leave you two alone, Aster, and come back at a different time?"

"Oh, come off it, mate," the taller man shot back with a glare, his Australian accent rather thick and noticeable, "You're just jealous that you can't be this cuddly with your lass."

Aster smirked as he put his arm around Toothiana's waist and pulled her close, burying his face in her side while the young woman giggled and squirmed. The tall and devilishly handsome E. Aster Bunnymund had been Toothiana's significant other for well over two years now, the two having met each other their first year in college. It was strange sometimes to see them together due to the fact that Toothiana was so little and Aster was so tall, but Jack was happy for them nonetheless. The boy grinned and shrugged his shoulders while leaning back in the seat with his hands slipping into his pockets.

"Maybe I am just jealous, but I'm still willing to take it slow. Great relationships are born from patience, after all, and Maya is definitely worth the wait," he stated, smiling as the face of the girl in question flashed across his mind's eye.

"How is Maya doing, Jack?" the kind waitress inquired, grinning when Aster took her hand in his and gently kissed the back of it.

"She's good, as far as she's told me. She's spending time with her cousin and grandmother baking cookies."

"Awww! How cute?" Toothiana gushed, clasping her hand in front of her chest, "She really does love that little boy, doesn't she? She took really good care of him when they were here last time. Oh, can I get you guys something to drink before you order or are you ready now?

"I'm sure we'll just have the usual, right Kangaroo?" Jack mocked the taller male, grinning in victory when the man spluttered angrily and glared at him.

"The name is Bunnymund, you wubby!"

"Isn't Boomer the Aussie slang word for 'kangaroo'? I think I'll start calling you that from now on."

"Do it and see what I do to you, you little-"

"Aster, temper," Toothiana quickly interjected, scolding her significant other with a small tap to his head and a stern look on her face, "And stop poking fun at him, Jack. You two fight more than a couple of five year olds! Now I'm going to go and get your orders and while I'm gone, I want you two to kiss and make up!"

The waitress turned on her heel and headed for the kitchens to get the boys their usual. When she was gone, Aster turned to a still grinning Jack with narrowed eyes and grimaced when the boy playfully blew him a kiss.

"You heard the lady, Aster. We have to kiss and make up," Jack teased, puckering his lips exaggeratedly and leaning forward.

"Not on your life, kid. My lips are reserved for Tooth and Tooth only," the man shook his head and leaned away.

The younger male sighed as he leaned forward once more and supported his chin in his hands, "Yeah, I know. Lucky you."

Aster stared at his companion, someone that he truly did care for and cherish despite how much they fought and ragged on each other, and felt sympathy for him. He watched as Jack took out his phone, checked it for messages, and then sighed deeply when he didn't get any before setting it on the table beside him, obviously having hope that a message will come through for him from that very special person. Aster grinned and chuckled at the boy, his green eyes shimmering with mirth.

"You really got it bad for this girl, huh mate?" he inquired, earning a goofy grin from the teen.

Jack laughed, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Obvious? Ha! You'd have to be bloody blind not to see how in love with this mystery girl you are! She's all you ever talk about any more; she's all you ever think about, I bet; and look at you, checking your phone every other minute to see if you got a message from her or not."

Jack stared down at his phone for a long moment before lifting his head to regard Aster with confusion on his face, "…Huh? Did you say something?"

"My point exactly," the man grumbled, a bit irked at being ignored.

Jack disregarded the man's aggravation as he groaned dramatically and slumped his head into his arms over the table top, "Oh, Aster, I just can't help it! Maya's just so…beautiful! And funny and…honest and genuine and…and real, you know? Like, I never really feel as if I'm talking to a phony or someone who acts a certain way only to impress me. I feel like I'm talking to a legitimate person who is not afraid to show me their imperfections or little quirks and it's been like that right from the start; what I see from Maya is what I get from Maya. Oh man, I think about her all the time and I always wonder what she's doing at that exact moment or if she's thinking about me, too. She's just so…so…incredible."

"It's official, mate. You're a lovesick fool."

"And I regret nothing."

"When exactly do I get to meet this girl? I don't even know what she looks like!"

"Oh, I can fix that." The teen pulled his camera from his jacket pocket, turned it on, and set the screen on the first picture he took of Maya before passing it over to his friend.

Aster took the device and started flipping through the photos, his eyes becoming a little bigger the more pictures he saw of the girl and even looking impressed; "Wow…she really is a pretty little Sheila, isn't she?" he asked no one in particular.

"I know, right? Tooth says I have good taste in girls," Jack replied with a proud grin.

"For once."

"Hey! Samantha was just one girl!"

"I didn't say anything about Samantha."

"…Why are we talking about Samantha? Anyway," the teen waved the topic away before his friend had a chance to reply to the question, "Do you notice anything…odd about the pictures?"

"Odd? Odd how?" The older man blinked his green eyes curiously while Jack shrugged.

"Just odd."

"Hmm…well, she does look kind of sad or troubled in a lot of the pictures, but that's about it," he answered truthfully.

"That's what Emma said! She noticed the same thing!" Jack exclaimed.

"Well, there's nothing really odd about looking a little sad every now and then, Jack. Maybe there's something going on in the family that's on her mind."

"Yeah, I get that, but what is it? I mean, I've spent nearly every day with her for over a month and I've never even noticed that look until today when Emma pointed it out," he explained, scratching the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"I guess that just means you'll have to start paying more attention, huh?" Aster handed the camera back to the younger male and sat up just as Tooth was coming up to their table with their plates on a platter, "And so what you don't know everything about her yet? So what she's hiding a little secret? We've all got secrets to hide; it's no big deal."

"I consider it a big deal, though. Thanks, Tooth." The waitress smiled as she set the plates in front of the boys and stood beside her boyfriend to listen to their conversation, "What kind of secret is it that causes that bothers her like that? What happened? Does it have something to do with her cousin? I just realized that I've never even seen Malcolm's mom or dad since meeting him and Maya, let alone actually introduce myself to them. Why, though?"

"You're asking questions that you yourself are going to have to find the answers to, mate," the man responded seriously, Toothiana nodding her head in agreement, "And they are all 'why' questions, but the only one that can answer them is Maya."

"Aster's right, Jack," Toothiana cut in, moving to stand beside the boy with her hand on his shoulder, "You won't ever know about what's going on with her until you actually ask her. She may not want to answer right away, though, so don't feel disappointed, but keep being patient like you have been and I'm sure she'll warm up enough to share her secrets with you."

The teen looked between his two friends, seeing them smiling at him encouragingly which then warmed his heart and caused his own smile to spread to his face. He thanked them for the advice and the support before digging into his food and digging into Aster again about being a hybrid between a kangaroo and a human, which brought on a whole new onslaught of insults from both parties while Toothiana just shook her head affectionately at her two boys. Lunch passed within an hour and the two males left the diner after bidding good bye to the waitress, Aster promising her that he would meet up with her later for a little 'couple time'.

"So is this where we say good bye, too, lover boy?" Jack pestered his friend, grinning as the man glowered at him.

"Whatever. Actually, I'm going to the Plaza now to pick up Tooth's Christmas present. Your choice if you want to tag along or not," he replied, already heading towards his destination without waiting for the teen to confirm if he was going to follow him.

Jack jogged to catch up with him and strolled casually beside the man as the two made their way towards the Plaza, chatting about this and that before they were engulfed in a throng of people. The Plaza was constantly busy since there were always people milling around at the stores or the restaurants or the eateries and it was no different during the holidays. Aster, with Jack following close behind, entered a jewelry store and went up to the merchant to inquire about his order.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Bunnymund. We've been waiting for you; the earrings you ordered have been fitted and wrapped up. Give me just a moment and I will go and get them for you," the jeweler informed him politely, leaving the two men at the counter while he went to retrieve Aster's items.

"Earrings?" Jack repeated, looking up at his companion curiously.

Aster nodded with a soft blush crossing his cheeks, "Yeah, I got Tooth a pair of earrings with her birth stone in them. You know how much she loves jewelry and I saw a pair here that would look just perfect on her…I hope she likes them."

"If it's for Tooth and if it's from you, she'll love them," the teen assured his friend, grinning secretly when he remembered what Toothiana had gotten for Aster; the man loved to play guitar, but had an old crappy one that was starting to break apart. Toothiana, after months of saving up, had bought him a brand new, Gibson Les Paul guitar for Christmas and had been worried, too, at first if her boyfriend would like it or think it was too much. The two of them really were perfect for each other.

While the duo were waiting, Jack's eyes began to wander around the store and his eyes landed on a sparkling green object a little further down the glass case. Strolling over to it, he was stunned to find that it was an emerald green sweetheart necklace on a silver chain. The color immediately brought Maya to the forefront of the his mind, Jack able to imagine how it would make the green in her hazel eyes that much more prominent as she wore the delicate ornament around her neck. He smiled and almost called over a sales representative to inquire about the cost of the necklace and if there were any payment plans he could make in regards to it, but then decided against it when he realized that it might be too much too soon. They hadn't even been on an official date yet, so it made no sense to buy her such exquisite jewelry with the possibility of scaring her off coming with it. Regardless of how much he wanted to spoil the girl, he held himself back and, with a sigh, returned to Aster's side to wait.

Within minutes, the boys were leaving the store with Toothiana's gift in hand and found themselves just wandering around aimlessly for a bit, looking into store windows and people watching. Just as Jack was about to tell his friend about going to see his mom at the flower shop located in the Plaza, a quick glance to his left had him doing a double take and then feeling like he had the best luck in the world. Standing in front the pet store window, bent down just a bit to be eye level with an adorable black and white puppy that was pawing at the window pane, was Maya. She stood alone in front of the store, a white bag in hand and a gentle smile on her face. Without a second thought, Jack made his way over to her, his actions not going unnoticed by his companion who eyed him curiously. Aster hung back to watch the exchange between the two teens unfold, only drawing closer to see and hear things a little better. Jack walked straight up behind the unsuspecting girl and took a moment to admire the way her shiny black, untamed curls tumbled over her shoulder and her jacket hugged her curves attractively.

Then, with a devious smirk, he leaned in closer to her and whispered low in her ear, "He's pretty cute, huh?"

It's a good thing Jack has pretty quick reflexes for if he had moved a second too slow, Maya would have clipped his chin with the top of her head when she jumped up in surprise. Whirling around, her cheeks becoming hot from feeling his warm breath on her ear, it took the teen girl only a second to recognize Jack's face after which she sighed deeply and held a hand over her heart while casting the boy an accusing glare.

"Dammit, Jack, you scared me! I thought you were some creep trying to hit on me!" she exclaimed, standing straight again.

"Oh, well…does that happen often?" he inquired with a quirk of his eyebrow and an amused smile crossing his face.

"More often than I would like it to."

"Wow. That makes me feel confident," was the sarcastic reply she received.

"It should. I don't date creeps."

"You haven't dated anyone before."

"Which just proves my point, doesn't it?"

…Oh, she's good. Despite the witty back and forth banter between the two, Jack was smiling rather big and Maya was finding herself drawing closer to him. Their form of flirting is…interesting, to say the least, Aster thought, quirking one eyebrow up in amusement. It was innocent, fun…and lacking the underlying sexual intentions that most adolescents had in their flirts with one another. This was a rather rare sight to witness and, as he continued to watch the two teens interact, Maya was a rather rare girl to meet. She had great eye contact with Jack and laughed freely with him, but only when there was actually something funny to laugh about and not at every little thing the boy said. She didn't try to touch him unnecessarily and she looked completely at ease in his company. The man couldn't believe his luck that he finally got to meet the girl that Jack just wouldn't shut up about and so far…he approved.

Approaching closer to the pair, Aster arrived just in time to hear Jack ask, "So, Maya, what are you doing out here by yourself?"

The girl smiled and said, "Christmas shopping."

"Oh that's right. Christmas is next week after all."

"Yup. Mom and Grandma did their shopping earlier, so now it's my turn."

"And you're shopping alone?"

"Yeah, since I spent the whole morning with Malcolm baking cookies with him, Mom and Grandma took him down to the Play Pen so I could get my list taken care of without him seeing any of the presents," Maya reiterated before her hazel green eyes turned to meet Aster's, startling the man a bit, "Hi…my, you're tall! But I'm sure you hear that all the time."

The man blinked and allowed a small grin to break free on his face at her blunt comment as Maya smiled kindly and put her hand out to him, "I'm Maya. I'm guessing you're a friend of Jack's."

"You'd be guessing right, little Sheila. The name's E. Aster Bunnymund. Nice to meet you," Aster greeted back, taking her hand in his and shaking it firmly.

Her eyes glimmered in fascination as she looked at Jack and whispered excitedly, "Oh, how legit?! He's got an Australian accent!"

The boy just smirked and nodded his head, "Yeah, he's originally from Australia and that explains why he's freakishly tall. He's half kangaroo, you know."

"Shut yer trap, ya yobbo! It's called genetics!" The green eyed male glared at Jack and looked about ready to throttle him, but the small laughs from Maya stopped both of them as they turned to regard her.

"You guys are funny," she commented, shifting from one foot to the other as she watched the two friends bicker with one another.

Aster smirked and pointed his thumb at the teen boy as he said, "The only thing funny about this character is his face."

Unfazed, Jack just turned his head to regard the man from the side and replied, "You're just jealous that you can't replicate a face this beautiful."

Maya snorted quietly in an attempt to keep from laughing out loud at the exchange, but it was in vain when both Aster and Jack turned their eyes to her once more, one looking amused and the other looking scandalized.

"Are you laughing at me, Maya?!" Jack exclaimed dramatically, causing the girl to blink innocently.

"Of course not, Jack. I would never laugh at you. Your face is so obviously beautiful that it hurts even my eyes from time to time. I mean, really." The sarcasm was so apparent in her voice that it had Aster doubling over in hysterics while the white haired male glared weakly at both of them.

"Oh man, she got you good, mate! I think I like this girl!" the Aussie chortled with a big grin, the man moving behind her to put his large hand on top of her head in a friendly way, "She's funny and everything."

"I know. I told you that back at the diner," Jack chuckled, though his eyes narrowed at his friend's hand on Maya's head, the teen soon knocking it off as playfully as he could with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

Aster held his hands up defensively and smirked at the protective act Jack displayed towards the girl, "Woah. Sorry, mate. I wasn't getting touchy-feely with her, ya know."

The teen smiled tightly, "Just remember that you already have a girlfriend, yeah?"

A small bout of silence ensued and Maya couldn't help but feel like a little bit of tension was starting to build around them as the boys stared each other down. However, she didn't have long to ponder it before a violent shiver racked through her body.

"Oh!" she cried out, startling the boys when she momentarily shook and then settled down with her eyes wide in surprise.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, worry glimmering in his eyes as he gently touched her arm.

Maya nodded and blinked, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got the shivers for a second, that's all."

Shifting her bag from one hand to the other, she brought her fingers up to her mouth and blew on them to try and warm them up since they were starting to feel frozen. Her companion beside her watched curiously, his blue eyes widening just a bit when he realized that she wasn't wearing any gloves.

"Where are your gloves, Maya? It's not like you to forget them considering how easily you get cold," he asked, taking her hand in both of his and blowing on it himself to aid in her quest to get warm.

"I know, right? I was in such a hurry to get out of the house with Malcolm that I left them right on my desk. It sucks, but I was able to bear it while I was shopping. I was inside the stores, anyway, so I was pretty warm," she answered, looking away in embarrassment when Jack's lips softly brushed her fingers every time he blew hot air on them.

The white haired teen grinned widely and held her hand securely in his, "Well, it sounds like now would be a perfect time for us to get some hot chocolate. Warms the whole body, right down to the fingertips."

Maya laughed at his contagious exuberance, but shook her head as she glanced at Aster, "That sounds like a plan, but I'll just go and get some myself. I don't want to interrupt guy time."

She loosened her hand from his hold and waved at them while turning to leave, Jack fumbling to stop her and assure her that it was okay if she joined them. That's when Aster stepped in, figuring that now was the best time for him to play 'wingman'.

"Actually, Maya, I have to start heading home anyway," he stated, stopping the girl in her tracks as she looked at him with her wide, hazel eyes, "I promised my girlfriend that we would spend time together after she gets off work and it's almost that time now. So you two have fun okay? It was nice meeting you."

"Um…yeah, okay. You, too," the girl bid as she waved after him.

Before Aster left, he hooked his arm around Jack's neck and brought the youth close to whisper lowly, "Alright, mate, I'm setting this up for you so don't blow it, okay? You get your feelings across to that girl crystal clear or you're going to regret it."

Jack smirked at his words, but nodded firmly and chuckled, "Right, understood…thanks, Aster. Good looking out."

"That's what friends do and what kind of wingman would I be if I didn't?" he retorted with an identical smirk, patting the boy's back roughly before standing straight once more, "See ya 'round, mate. Don't freeze to death out here."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack waved him off, both teens watching the man weave his way through the crowd until he was completely gone from sight.

Once alone, ice blue eyes locked with hazel and Maya blinked in surprise when her companion gently took the plain white bag filled with Christmas gifts and interlaced their fingers together. She blushed hotly, confusion riddling her mind once more since she still didn't know if they were actually a couple or if this was just Jack's way of being friendly. Lord knew the boy wasn't necessarily conventional in his ways of showing affection if the eskimo kisses he gave her on the norm was anything to go by. Were they friends or lovers? Did he like her romantically or no? What the hell kind of relationship did they have? Thinking that deeply about it was starting to make her head hurt so, just like every other time, she pushed it to the back of her mind and decided to go with the flow. Things would work themselves out…right?

"Wow, you really do get cold, don't you?" Jack asked quietly with a snicker as he looked down at her hand that seemed so much colder than his own and his hands always felt cold, "Come on, there's a coffee shop right over there. We'll get you some hot chocolate to warm these fingers up."

Pulling her along, the young adolescents made their way through the crowds to the aforementioned coffee shop. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't as crowded as Jack thought it would be and in no time, they were seated by the window with two steaming cups of hot chocolate in their hands. Maya looked very relieved as the contents of the cup warmed her fingers quickly, giving her back the feeling in the tips that she had long since lost about an hour ago.

"So, no Malcolm with his favorite cousin today?" Jack inquired with a teasing smile, laughing when his friend across from him rolled her eyes playfully.

"Like I said, he was with me all morning. I love the kid to death, I really do, but he just wears me out sometimes," he replied, bringing her drink up to her lips and taking a small sip to keep from burning her tongue.

She whipped her head to the side when her cell phone, placed right beside her, vibrated and she picked it up to read the message that came through. While she was distracted, Jack pulled his camera out discreetly and quickly snapped another picture of her to add to his collection. This would be the first time that they could actually just sit like this, alone and with no one else to bother them. It almost felt like…they were on a date…a real one. Of course he didn't dare have the audacity to say it was a date because he would definitely do better than a coffee shop where Maya was concerned. A deep sigh from said girl caused him to perk up as she set her phone down again and leaned back in her chair.

"Mom and Grandma won't be able to pick me up for about another hour," she answered his silent question, "Malcolm just go on the train at the Play Pen and that's a thirty minute ride, then they actually have to drive through traffic just to pick me up…I'm wondering if I should just walk home at this point."

"Well, if you do, I'll be more than happy to escort you."

"Hehe, thanks you, Jack. I really don't mind waiting, though, if it means that Malcolm can be happy…even if it's just for one more hour," she mused, placing her chin in the palm of her hand as she absently stared off to the side, her eyes foggy over just a little bit as Jack lost her to her own thoughts.

That look…it was back again. Troubled, sad, bothered…all of these emotions flashed in her eyes without the girl even realizing that he could see it. Moving swiftly without taking his eyes off of her, Jack focused the camera on her face and snapped another picture. The flash seemed to bring Maya back from her own world as a small smile spread across her lips and her hazel eyes raised up to meet his.

"Don't you have enough pictures of me to last you a lifetime?" she asked playfully, not prepared for his answer at all.

"No, 'cause I haven't been with you for a lifetime yet."

"…Yet?"

Jack winked at her, chuckling when she blinked and looked away quickly, her hand hiding the bashful expression on her face that he could still see. He even swore that he saw her ebony cheeks get just a small tinge of red…or perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Nevertheless, she looked adorably shy right in that moment and he took another picture to keep for his own amusement. He stared at the photo for a long moment, smiling to himself before lifting his gaze to meet hers. She was staring at him with those beautiful hazel green eyes of hers again, nearly stealing his breath away, and making his heart thump in his chest when she smiled carelessly and then broke eye contact. This girl…she was definitely incredible; incredibly beautiful, incredibly sweet, incredibly kind…and incredibly mysterious still. The conversation that he had with Toothiana and Aster at the diner earlier that day came to mind and he prepared himself with the questions that had been weighing on his mind.

"So, Maya," he started while looking at the table, catching her perk up out of his peripheral vision while he gently tapped his fingers against hers, "A while ago, when I first met, you told me that you were visiting your grandmother for the holidays. Where are you visiting from?"

"California," she answered, now leaning her temple into the palm of her hand, her curly locks tumbling over her shoulder.

"So you're not from Traverse City at all?" She shook her head. "Well, that would explain why I've never seen you on campus before…but I met you in November."

"Right," she drawled, her brows starting to furrow at the direction his questions were heading.

"Most schools don't let out for Christmas holidays until December." Maya just stared at him as she lifted her head slowly to sit up straight. "So…what are you really here for?"

"I told you already, to visit my grandmother," she replied quickly, her shoulders tensing up.

"In November?"

"What does it matter to you when I came out here to Michigan? As long as I'm here for Malcolm, nothing else is important," she said defensively.

Jack blinked in surprise, "That time you said you were here for Malcolm…"

Maya's eyes widened a fraction at his words; "Maya…what happened to Malcolm?" her companion asked her.

"Enough," she snapped at him, surprising the boy with the hard tone of her voice, "You're asking questions that you don't need to know the answers to."

Jack felt his heart pause for a split second when her eyes narrowed dangerously into a stern glare, their color turning from that bright green to a deeper, darker color. She was definitely upset, that much he could tell, but this…it must be more serious than he thought.

"I don't even know where all these questions are coming from," she muttered quietly, breaking her gaze away from his as she looked down at the table top, "Why are you asking me this now? It didn't seem to matter before."

"I was just…curious, really," the boy laughed, trying to dispel the awkward air that was beginning to hang over them, "I had realized recently that you seem bothered by something and it's only when Malcolm is around or mentioned. So I was worried that-"

"Don't be." Jack stopped when Maya cut him off, finding himself staring at her expressionless face. "It had nothing to do with you, so don't bother worrying about it," she reiterated almost coldly, stunning the boy speechless.

A pregnant silence settled over them, Jack unable to keep the gears in his head from jamming and Maya feeling like she might have been too harsh on him. After all, he was worried about her and her family, so he didn't deserve her agitated response. She only reacted the way she did because she panicked; only a select few that were already close to the family knew of the situation they were in and she didn't know how Jack would react to the truth. She should have thought it through better.

"…I'm sorry, Jack," she finally spoke, her voice softer and quieter, "I appreciate you worrying about me, about us, but we've got it handled. It's a complex problem and we can't really afford any outside interference. We have to be careful…for Malcolm's sake."

Silence again because now the look on the girl's face was unmistakable sadness and grief that she felt for her cousin. It was so apparent that it made Jack's chest hurt just to see it. He didn't know how to respond right at that moment and because he didn't say anything, Maya figured that the conversation was over and rose up from her seat. With her companion watching her, she grabbed her purse, dug out three dollars, and placed them in front of him before taking up the white bag full of presence and adjusting her winter coat.

"Thanks for waiting with me, but I'll be okay now. I'm going to wait for my mom outside," she told him before turning around and exiting the coffee shop.

It took the bell going off over the door of the shop for Jack to jerk out of his stunned state, seize his jacket, and run out the door after her. She was a pretty fast walker seeing as how she was already three stores away from him and still going, obviously heading closer to the main street where there were lots of lights and benches around for her to sit on while keeping an eye out for her ride.

"Maya, wait!" he yelled, running faster when she didn't show any signs of stopping, "Hold on a minute!"

The teen boy ran ahead of her and turned to lock the girl in a warm embrace. She was shocked by the sudden hug, his warmth blasting through her and his scent rushing up her nose. She was suddenly reminded of the day they met at the lake, when he tore her wet jacket and sweater from her body, opened his own winter coat, and brought her into the comfort of his arms. Only this time, her life wasn't in need of saving and he seemed so much warmer than she remembered. He was quietly begging her to stop and listen to him, his breath hot on her neck and his hands strong and protective.

"I'm sorry, Maya, I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling back a little bit to peer into her eyes, his brows furrowed with the worry that he had upset her with his questioning to the point where she no longer wanted to speak to him, "I didn't mean to upset you and I'm sorry that I did…but I also want you to know that no matter what secrets you're hiding or what's going on with your family, I'm here for you. As long as you let me, I'll be right there to support you."

That warm, kind, and familiar smile was plastered to his face and the gentle light in his eyes made her heart skip a beat; "But…But you hardly know me, Jack," she stated listlessly, her voice quiet once more.

His smile only grew bigger, the light reaching up to his beautiful ice blue eyes as he cupped her cheek in his hand and softly placed a kiss to her forehead, "I feel like I've known you forever, though."

She smiled in return to the kiss, her cheeks feeling like fire was burning underneath the skin. Her eyes, now back to their hazel green color, locked with his and she felt better. He didn't push her for an answer and he didn't reprimand her for her attitude. The wonder that was Jackson Frost just didn't seem to end.

"Hey, get a room, lovebirds!"

At the sound of a stranger's teasing words, Maya jumped in surprise and then looked down bashfully. Jack chuckled at the adorable sight and lightly traced her lips with his thumb, causing the girl to gasp sharply while her shoulders tensed up. Another laugh rumbled through his chest as kissed her eyelid sweetly to distract himself from her lips when the craving to feel them against his own almost became too much.

"Your first kiss is mine, you know that, right?" he asked playfully, snickering when she tried to bite his fingers, "Woah, now, let's save that for afterwards, yeah?"

"You're just too much," Maya muttered, walking around him and moving towards the first bench that she saw, "Too much and too funny."

Jack smiled as he followed after her, standing at her side and watching with rapt interest every little move she made; how she shrugged her shoulders with the deep breath she took and sighed audibly while puckering her lips to let out a puff of white air. The smile only widened when he saw her shiver violently again for a brief moment, a cry of surprise leaving her lips soon afterwards.

"Hehe, you remind me so much of a frozen Hershey's kiss," he commented, tilting his head to the side when she eyed him out of the corner of her eye.

"A…A what?" she asked inquisitively.

"A frozen Hershey's kiss," he repeated, stepping up onto the bench. "Dark, sweet," he sat on the back of the bench behind her with his legs on either side of her and his arms coming to wrap around the front of her shoulders in a pleasant embrace, "and cold."

Maya looked down demurely, almost certain that despite the ebony color of her skin, it was still possible to see the red that was burning a trail up her neck and to the tips of her ears. Jack didn't seem to notice and continued in a playful, whisper.

"I think I'll just hold you like this to keep you warm until your mom comes to pick you up," he finalized, his hold tightening around her as a clear indication that he had no intention of letting go without a fight. Not that she was actually going to fight him on it anyway.

"Whatever makes you happy," she mumbled in defeat, withholding a giggle when he held her tighter still and kissed the side of her head.

He seemed to like kissing her quite a bit, but she guessed that it couldn't be helped since he was stopping himself from kissing her lips until just the right moment. His affections were heartwarming and at this point, she was rather sure that they had to be a couple…but it was hard to say if Jack wasn't confirming it yet. Maybe, if she felt that Jack was exclusively hers, then she could probably tell him voluntarily what was going on with Malcolm and their drastic move to pull Maya out of school early on vacation for other reasons besides visiting her grandmother…maybe. Right now, though, without thinking about relationships or hidden secrets or fears of what's to come, she sat on that bench, encased in Jack Frost's ironically warm hug, and waited for her ride with a smile on her face.

That ride arrived no more than fifteen minutes later and the two teens quickly made their way to the vehicle with Jack helping Maya to hide the bag of gifts from Malcolm's view since the toddler was practically bouncing around in the window in excitement at the sight of his cousin. After that, the white haired teen had every intention of seeing his infatuation off and then walking home, but was quickly dissuaded and coaxed into getting a lift back to Maya's house for some hot chocolate and cookies.

"For staying with Maya until we got here," her mother had said as she ushered the boy into the car, "So come on, Jack, get in. We'll take you home afterwards, okay?"

Without another word of argument, he go into the warm car with Maya, both teens on either side of the child who was still hopping around unrelenting energy which he then focused on Jack as he launched himself at the teen boy. Malcolm then began to prattle on and on about all the fun he had at the Play Pen, his cousin fighting to keep from laughing at Jack as he suffered through the story with a befuddled grin plastered to his face. Ida and Annie could be seen giggling with each other as they watched with warm, loving expressions the children in the backseat, their hearts flowing over with tenderness when Maya finally jumped in to save her companion from suffering through Malcolm's colorful story alone, both teens now working together to keep the child occupied and happy. It was an endearing sight to behold, especially to Ida who had started to wonder if her young daughter would ever find someone she deemed worth of her time and her heart. From the way that Jack kept looking at her and from the way that Maya responded so readily to him, it appeared that she would finally be getting that special romance Ida always imagined her child would have when the time came.

They arrived at the house in no time since they were driving and Maya and Jack were more than relieved to hear an end to Malcolm's stories for they had started going all over the place and were now hard to keep up with. However, something seemed amiss about the house and the girl noticed it as soon as she got out the car. The lights were on inside the house as well as the porch light; Maya clearly remembered turning off all the lights and had actually forgotten to turn the porch light on before she left. Grabbing hold of Malcolm and lifting him into her arms, her brow furrowed as she glanced at her mother and then back to the house, her breath hitching in her throat when she saw a shadow move across the window in the den.

"Mom, there's someone inside the house!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, instinctively taking a step back.

Ida came up behind her daughter and put her hand on her shoulder, her light brown eyes watching the shadow in the window with a worried expression on her face until it disappeared. Jack, sensing that something was wrong, stepped in front of both women protectively and watched the movements inside the humble abode. The only person who didn't seem bothered by it was the old woman, Annie, who had a secretive smile on her face as she went to stand next to everyone else. The front door began to open slowly and everyone, with the exception of Annie, took a step back reflexively. A tall figure filled the doorway and a deep, masculine voice floated in the air and above their heads.

"Hey, what's everyone standing around in the cold for?! Can't a man get a 'hello' from his family?!"

Maya's hazel eyes locked on to a pair of perfect green and a wide smile spread across her face as Malcolm exclaimed, "Uncle Daniel!"

"DADDY!" the teen girl shouted soon afterwards, running towards the gate and quickly unlocking it while the man that had darked in the doorway came down the porch steps.

Now that he was out in a little more light, it was easy to identify his crisp cut features: wavy dark brown hair that curled around his ears, caramel colored skin, a tall and strong body structure, and laughing green eyes amplified by his glasses. It was now obvious to anyone that saw the family that Maya definitely took after her dark-skinned mother more than she did her light-skinned father, but there was no mistaking the green in her hazel eyes that matched his perfectly. With her cousin still in her arms, Maya flung herself excitedly at the man and laughed as he engulfed her in his strong arms and hugged her tightly while his baritone laugh echoed in the chilly night air. Ida, a look of pleasant surprise replacing the worry on her face, quickly joined her daughter as she skipped through the gate and up to her husband where she was swept up in the family hug.

"…Daddy?" Jack, who had hung back by the car with Annie, mumbled to himself in disbelief, his heart beating erratically in his chest, purely due to his nerves being frazzled at the prospect of meeting Maya's father for the first time, "That's her…dad?"

He felt rooted to the spot and probably would have remained there had Annie not gently coaxed him to move on through the gate and up to the family. The man named Daniel Rhodes looked up curiously when he felt the presence of two others closing in and his eyes settled on Jack. The teen gulped nervously when those pure green eyes narrowed suspiciously and flashed with a hint of danger in them.

"Well, well, well…who is this young man standing before me that appears to be the same age as my beautiful teenage daughter?" he inquired in an authoritative voice.

If it wasn't so cold outside, Jack was sure he would have been sweating bullets.

Oh boy.

End Chapter

Crimsonwings92: Uh oh, time to meet daddy, hahaha. I wonder if Jack can get into his good graces? This was a long chapter, too, huh? I regret nothing! This was actually super fun to write, now that I think about it because now we're seeing a little bit of drama and trouble where Maya and Malcolm are concerned. Of course, real men don't let a little trouble steer them away from the person they like, hence why Jack is more than willing to stick around for as long as Maya will let him. ^.^ Of course, it's all going to come to a head and we'll finally get the whole story as to why Maya and her family are in Michigan in the first place; the real story. Until next time, lovelies, ciao! Please don't forget to review! They actually help me to get the chapters out; they're my motivation, hehehe.