After Pitch disappeared, the Guardians went back to their homes to go back to some semblance of normality. It was sad, as all of the Guardians piled into North's sleigh, and Jamie ran up and gave Jack a great big hug. All of the kids were there, and none of them looked very happy. Sophie wanted Bunny to stay, and you could tell he wanted to, but couldn't.

Jamie was worried he wouldn't believe anymore, but Jack reassured him that he would, and then Jack looked up at me, and I looked back from my place at the back of the group, standing on ice, with crutches. I know, not one of my better ideas. However, it was worth it when Jack walked over to me and gave me a great big, awkward, hug.

"I'll always try to believe, I promise." I whispered into his cold, pale ear. He nodded against my shoulder and said, "I'll give you crazy snow-days every year so you never forget." Then it was my turn to nod, and we just stood there for a while, hugging, until North cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. We pulled apart, and Jack flew over to the sleigh. Everyone had tears in their eyes, and then the Guardians flew off, into the clouds.

We stood on the ice of the pool until we couldn't see the red sleigh anymore, and longer, straining our eyes to try to see it. Eventually, we had to go home, and I shepherded the kids over the ice, through the snow, and back to the street so they could go home. I made sure Jamie and Sophie were in their house, and then I stood at the base of my own driveway and looked at my house, trying to gather the courage to walk in. I took a deep breath, and hobbled up the driveway, watching for icy patches.

I opened the door, and it was a weekend, so both of my parents were home. When I opened the door, I said, "I'm home," just loud enough so they could hear me. It was difficult to take my shoes off, but I managed it, just as my parents walked into the hallway that led into the rest of the house. They stood there, tears in my mom's eyes, staring at me, taking in the sight of me, after being gone for a while, and they rushed forward and almost smothered me.

It wasn't bad though, because I had missed them. Being with them gave me some semblance of normality; it was nice.

"Where have you been?" Mom asked, her voice choked with tears. This was the hard part. Telling them where I'd gone.

"I…stayed over at a friend's place…?"

They pulled back from the group hug disbelievingly.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." They paused, then nodded their heads. I would tell them someday, but not right then. It wasn't a good time, and I just wanted to go up to my room to take a nap. I was tired. I think they saw that, because they let me go.

When I got into my room, it was about three degrees colder than the rest of the house, and there was a shape in frost on my window. It had been done just before I walked into my room, because the frost was still forming little trails radiating out from the middle.

It was a heart, and it was adorable. I walked over, and put my hand on it, feeling the cold, reminding me of the icy ravine and Jack's cold skin. I closed my eyes, sighed, and crawled carefully between my cold sheets, shivering until they took in my body heat. I was out as soon as they started to get warm.

Jack had made the shape, knowing that she would see it at some point. However, when she walked through the door just as he was finishing it, he had dashed up to her roof and peered over the edge as he saw her see it, go over to it, and put her hand on it. He had wanted to put his hand over the heart, mirrored with hers, but North had lectured him on the way to the Pole that Guardians and humans couldn't be together.

She had sighed, pulled her hand away, and he sighed outside. He watched her shiver under her blankets for a while, then she stilled and her breathing evened. A trail of dream sand glided through the glass in her window and hovered over her head. What Jack saw made him gasp. It was the Guardians, in all of their proud glory, and then the dream focused on one Guardian in particular: a boy with a crooked staff. Tears pricked his eyes and he flew away, pretending the wind was making his eyes water.

He made the mother of all snow storms that day, however it wasn't sleet he gave Burgees, it was big, fat snowflakes that gave the town three feet of new, fluffy snow. He made sure cars were off the roads before he gave them the really big stuff, didn't need cars going off into the ditch.

He looked in her window one more time before he left, and as he left, words and shapes frosted over her window: a heart, her name, Alana, and the figure of a girl and the figure of a boy with a crooked staff. They were holding hands.

There we are, the last one. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope I didn't make anybody too angry X) I apologize again for taking forever to upload chapters, and I suppose I should do the whole 'disclaimer' thing, but it should be obvious that I don't own ROTG, only Alana. She is mine. XD Oh, and Jack wants her too...XD too bad Frost!

Aanyway, again, I hope you enjoyed, and thank you sooo much for sticking with it/just joining now but still reading all of the way through, it makes me really happy :)