Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments.


Jack checked his reflection one last time, making sure he still looked presentable. He had just gotten back to his dorm after spending the day with Jamie, who had been eager to spend his Christmas money. Jack also had a fifty dollar gift card to spend – one his stepmother had snuck into his stocking – but he hadn't used it yet.

Jamie hadn't been entirely glued to his phone this time, so it ended up being a nice little outing with his stepbrother. Though, Jack was more excited for the night ahead of him.

Back in Burgess, Jack had been a bit of a party animal. He never let it affect his grades, but he had spent many mornings hungover in class. It began to fizzle out once his mother got seriously sick, and stopped completely once she passed away.

But now he was in Arendelle, and spending New Years Eve alone in his dorm wasn't what his mother would have wanted. Sure, she probably would have preferred for him to hang out with Pippa, but he had done that yesterday.

Running his hand through his hair, Jack gave his reflection a cheeky smile. It was party time.


When Jack had told Hiccup he was planning on crashing a frat party, the guy had laughed at him. When Hiccup realized Jack was being serious, he laughed even harder.

"You're kidding, right?" he had wheezed, his green eyes shining in mirth. "Unless you're Greek, planning on being Greek, or you're secretly an attractive chick, you're not getting in there."

Jack had brushed off his roommate's warning – it was only a party. It wasn't like they'd have people guarding the doors.

Checking the time on his phone, he was elated to see it wasn't midnight, yet. His trip to the outlet mall had taken longer than he expected – and that was before Jamie begged him to play a few rounds of his new video game.

Sticking his phone back into his pocket, Jack pulled his black hoodie closer against him as he continued towards Greek Row. He wasn't sure which house he was looking for, but hoped it would be the only one throwing a party. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. Music was blaring from every other house, and cars were parked up and down the street. He'd have no trouble finding a place to party, though partying wasn't his main priority.

In all honesty, he really wanted to find Elsa. Or, at the very least, Anna – one of the only people to show him genuine kindness in Arendelle. Hell, she invited him to come out; not even Hiccup had asked Jack to tag along with him to wherever he had gone off to.

Even though she was merely a freshman, Jack felt that she was the closet thing he had to a friend so far. And it didn't hurt that she had a stunning older sister.

Walking past another large house, Jack sighed as he gave it a wayward glance. But as he turned his attention back towards the sidewalk before him, something caught his eye.

Above the home's large front doors were the Greek symbols for Delta and Zeta – and wasn't that Elsa's sorority?

The house was one of the only quiet ones on the whole block, signaling that there wasn't a party going on inside it. There was, however, two girls exiting through the front door, dressed in what Jack could only assume to be party wear. They looked as if they could be related, as both of them had brown hair and fair skin, as well as yellow outfits. However, as they got closer, Jack noticed that their facial features were quite different. Not wanting to seem like a creep, Jack quickly averted his eyes as they neared him, and instead focused on the lock screen of his phone.

He made brief eye contact as they passed him, but luckily they merely smiled at him, and he was happy to return the favor. Once they were several yards in front of him, Jack slowly began to follow them, assuring to himself that he was not, in fact, stalking them.

Even though it totally felt like he was.

Lucky for him, they didn't seem to notice, and lucky for them, he wasn't some creep who would take advantage of their cluelessness.

Keeping them in his peripheral vision as he stared at his phone, he watched as they approached a giant white house with huge pillars. It was practically shaking from the loud music escaping through the front door, which was surprisingly opened. But as Jack neared it, he could see why.

A group of onlookers were peeking through the doorway as a young blond guy puked over the porch's railing. The two girls ahead of Jack looked at the kid with a mixture of disgust and pity as they passed him, while a tall, tanned guy watched the scene in amusement. Deciding that this was probably the opportune moment to sneak in, Jack followed after the girls into the house.

The music was even louder inside, though it was almost drowned out by a loud yell, coming from above. Looking up, Jack watched as a lean, muscular guy jumped down from the railing, landing gracefully before the two brunettes.

They both jumped in surprise, before the one on the left smacked the guy on the shoulder, berating him in her British accent.

The guy merely smirked, before pulling his long brown hair out of his face and leaning in to place a quick peck on the girl's cheek – effectively shutting her up.

Rolling his eyes at the exchange, Jack maneuvered his way around them, glancing up in case there were anymore flying frat boys.

Stepping into what appeared to be the living room, Jack was barely able to squeeze his way through the mass of inebriated dancers, opting instead to hang out in what seemed to be the dining room. He was beginning to realize that going to a party where he didn't know anyone was probably a bad idea – especially if he planned on actually having fun.

So far, nobody was questioning his attendance, though he wouldn't mind the conversation. Thankfully, it seemed as if someone were reading his mind.

"Hey!"

Turning towards the sound, Jack was surprised to see the blond from the ice rink. He was giving him a strange, mildly amused look, while the guy behind him picked at something in his teeth.

Jack smiled sheepishly, having forgotten his name. "Hey?"

Thankfully, the blond read his mind once more. "Kristoff," he supplied with a smile.

"Right! Kristoff! Hi!"

Kristoff chuckled forcibly at Jack's response. "Good seeing you again. I hope your sister is serious about the whole ice skating thing."

Jack nodded feebly, unsure of how to respond. It was obvious that Kristoff wasn't much of a talker, though he seemed to be adamant on recruiting kids for his family's ice rink – giving Jack the impression that this was his job.

"Anyway, could you point us towards the bathroom?" Kristoff continued.

Jack tilted his head in confusion at the request – he had been under the impression that Kristoff was in the fraternity, though it seemed the blond figured the same thing about him.

"Sorry, I have no idea where it is – I was invited here by a friend," Jack admitted with a shrug. "Though, I'm not sure where she is, either."

Kristoff gave Jack a surprised look, while the brunet guy he was with snorted in amusement. "Join the club. My girlfriend dragged me to this thing, and then ditched me the moment her cousin showed up. We've been looking for them for the last hour." He then adjusted the sleeves on his leather jacket, before reaching his hand towards Jack. "I'm Flynn, by the way."

Jack quickly shook his hand. "Jack."

A lazy grin spread across Flynn's face as he looked past Jack, causing Jack to look over his shoulder.

To his delight, he watched as Elsa walked towards them with a blonde girl, though the elder Arendelle hadn't noticed him as she tugged on her skirt's hemline. Her pretty face was twisted into a scowl as she muttered something to her companion, whose bright green eyes stayed fixed on Flynn.

"I was worried you two got lost or something," Flynn mused, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"Just a minor wardrobe malfunction," the blonde chirped, turning her attention towards Jack. "Hi!"

"Hi?" Jack responded lightly. Elsa still hadn't seemed to notice him.

"Who are you?" the girl continued kindly, a confused smile gracing her face.

But before Jack could open his mouth, he was interrupted by Elsa's soft voice.

"He's just my stalker," she deadpanned, finally looking up at him. "I see you were able to sneak in."

Jack was mildly surprised – so she had noticed his presence.

"I really just walked in," he admitted with a shrug. Although she wasn't acting as cold towards him, Jack wasn't sure if her indifference was a step up or down.

"They really need to stop people from doing that," Elsa mused dryly, arching her brow. But before the awkward silence she was surely expecting could settle between them, the blonde piped up once more.

"So does this stalker have a name?"

Jack let out a sheepish chuckle. "Jack."

"Oh!" the girl gasped, before covering her smile with her hand as Elsa sent her a sharp glare. Quickly composing herself, she lowered her hand. "Haha, uh, I'm Rapunzel… Elsa's cousin. Just ignore me…" She let out a flustered giggle, before scooting past Jack and grabbing Flynn's hand. "Do you still need to use the bathroom, Eugene?"

Flynn scoffed at the blonde's question, though he allowed her to drag him out of the room. Kristoff hesitated for a moment, his brown eyes darting between Jack and Elsa, before he quickly followed after the others.

Surprisingly, Elsa remained behind, still regarding Jack blankly.

"Sooo – " Jack began, but was cut off almost immediately.

"I'm surprised you didn't have anything better to do this evening," Elsa mused nonchalantly, her eyes darting away from his to inspect her nails.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jack let out a sheepish chuckle. "Haven't made too many friends, what with classes starting next week," he admitted. "Well, besides you and Anna."

The blonde arched her brows inquisitively at his claim, before rolling her blue eyes. "You and I have very different definitions of the word 'friend'."

Jack couldn't help but grin. "Really? I thought friends were somebody you hung out with, often, and here we are, hanging out – again."

He could see a twinkle of amusement in Elsa's eyes, though her blank expression remained. "Hmm, and here I was, thinking a friend was somebody you enjoyed hanging out with."

Feigning hurt, Jack took a step back. "Why, Elsa!" he scoffed, clutching his chest dramatically. "Are you saying you don't enjoy my company?"

He watched as the corner of her mouth tugged up ever so slightly, before she pursed her magenta lips into a forced pout.

"There are a few things I enjoy more," she deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Such as going to the dentist, or cleaning out the shower drain."

It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes, though he wasn't as skillful at hiding his smirk. "Geesh, I'm surprised you didn't have anything better to do this evening," he quipped.

His pale companion merely shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I'm on babysitting duty; believe me, I'd much rather count down to the new year with a mug of cocoa and a made-for-TV movie."

Jack smiled at the thought of her bundled up in various blankets, sipping on her hot chocolate and channel surfing, her blonde hair draping over her shoulders. It was a cute image. He, himself, wouldn't have mind doing the same tonight, only replacing the movie with a few rounds of video games. But as he mulled over her words, he realized the self-proclaimed babysitter was, well, baby-less.

"Where is Anna, anyway?" he asked, looking past Elsa. There were plenty of people in the room with them, though he was unable to spot the strawberry blonde.

"I was actually in he process of looking for her," Elsa admitted, turning away from Jack as her eyes also scanned the room. "I haven't seen her or Merida since we arrived, and that was over an hour ago."

But as she finished her sentence, both of them caught sight of Merida's fiery red hair, which was pulled back into a giant, messy bun. The redhead was laughing at something the girl beside her had said, before a guy across from them attempted to hit a ball into one of the many cups on their side of the table.

"You'll have ta try better than that!" she teased as the ball bounced between two cups. Snatching it up quickly, she effortlessly hit it back into one of the opposing team's cups. "Wasn't the point of this game to get drunk? Cuz I 'aven't 'ad a single drink!"

The girls on her team let out a few taunting 'ooh's as the guys merely groaned in defeat. Jack chuckled at the exchange, sending a quick glance towards Elsa, who looked anything but amused.

Straightening his posture as he hurriedly stifled his mirth, he followed behind as Elsa marched over towards her sister's roommate.

"Merida, what on earth are you doing?" she hissed, causing the redhead to jump.

"Oh, uh, hey there, Elsa," the girl replied somewhat sheepishly. "I'm just, you know, playin' an innocent game of beer-pong with my new friends." She then tugged on the arm of the Asian girl beside her, who sent Elsa a sheepish smile of her own.

"Hey, sis! Is this the new rush you were telling me about?" the girl mused, gesturing towards Merida.

Elsa looked entirely unimpressed. "One of them," she clipped, giving the redhead a disappointed look. "I'm just wondering where the other one ran off to."

It was then that Merida's gleeful expression began to fade, and her baby blue eyes nervously scanned the room.

"Och, where did Anna get off to?" she mumbled, her eyes fleetingly meeting Jack's as they darted back and forth. "I swear she was 'ere a second ago! Or was it a few minutes ago?" She scratched her head in confusion, before returning her gaze to Elsa. "I'm goin' ta be completely 'onest with ya – I don't quite remember when I saw 'er last."

It was then that the slight anger in Elsa's face drained, before a look of fear replaced it. "Merida, stay with Mulan," she ordered briskly. The redhead complied immediately, linking arms with the Asian girl beside her. "I'm going to find Anna."

Elsa quickly scanned the room once more, before darting towards the living room. Jack followed suit.

"I'll help," he offered genuinely. He had heard the horror stories of college parties gone wrong, and knew that Elsa's concern wasn't completely unwarranted.

"I told them to stay together!" she growled, her voice barely audible over the loud music. Jack watched as she struggled to push her way through the crowd of dancers, before he hesitantly grabbed her hand and stepped in front of her.

"You have to be more aggressive than that," he explained, before shoving his way past the drunken college kids. He couldn't help but be surprised as Elsa's hand tightened around his, pulling herself closer to him as they maneuvered across the dancefloor.

Their blue eyes remained vigilant as they looked for any sign of the strawberry blonde. But as they neared the kitchen, Elsa's concerned expression only deepened.

"I bet she didn't even take her water," the blonde muttered. "Or worse, she left it unattended! Ugh, I knew this was going to be a bad idea!"

Jack was about to offer a sympathetic nod, before a very familiar giggle caught his attention. Turning towards the noise, he let out an audible sigh of relief.

Anna was standing near the archway between the kitchen and the hallway, laughing at something the brunette girl standing beside her said.

He turned back to Elsa, who surprisingly hadn't noticed her sister as she patted down the sides of her sweater.

"Shit, I don't have my phone on me!" she exclaimed, shooting Jack a desperate look. "Can I use your phone?"

Jack tried not to smile. "Here, let me call her for you," he began, before cupping his mouth with his hands. "Oh, Anna!"

Elsa gave him a glare that could only be described as hateful, before the sound of her sister's confused 'what?' erased it completely.

She then looked past Jack, relief dancing in her eyes momentarily, before a rage unlike anything Jack had ever seen replaced it.

"Anna!" she nearly shrieked, her fists balling as she marched towards her younger sister. "What happened to sticking with Merida?"

The younger Arendelle's face soon matched the color of her hair as her eyes nervously darted around the room. "Elsa! You're embarrassing me!" she hissed.

"Good!" the blonde bit back. "I ask one little thing of you, and you completely ignore it! How am I supposed to trust you to be safe?"

Anna's embarrassment quickly turned to annoyance. "Oh, uh, I don't know – maybe the fact that I'm an adult should be enough!" she exclaimed.

Jack winced at the tone of her voice, making awkward eye contact with the brunette beside her, who was slowly inching away from the feuding sisters.

"Oh, you're an adult? Gee, why didn't you say so! Now all my concern for my little sister is rendered completely pointless! It's not like she's anywhere potentially dangerous, such as a college party full of alcohol and strangers!"

"Well, these so-called 'strangers' are your friends, Elsa, so maybe you should worry about yourself!" Anna snapped, turning away from her sister and stomping down the hall. "I was just refilling my water bottle, myself, like a responsible adult, but I guess I'll just have some stranger do it for me!" she hollered over her shoulder, before disappearing into another room.

Elsa made a move to follow, but stopped as Jack placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe you should let her cool down for a bit," he suggested quietly. Despite the brunette girl escaping earlier, it seemed a few bystanders had gathered to watch the scene the two Arendelle sisters were making.

Seeming to realize her outburst had an audience, Elsa's face turned a brilliant shade of red. "What makes you the expert on sisters," she mumbled defiantly as she smoothed out the front of her sweater.

"The fact that I have two of them," Jack laughed, hoping to ease some of the tension. The crowd was slowly dispersing as it became obvious that there wasn't going to be a catfight, though a few curious stares remained glued to the blonde.

Elsa gave Jack a puzzled look. "You do?" she asked, before shaking her head. "I mean, that's cool, or whatever…" She then stood upright, heading in the opposite direction of where Anna had gone. "I'll give her a few minutes, but then I'm going to take her and Merida back to their dorm."

Jack let out an amused groan as he followed the blonde back towards the foyer. "You're just going to piss her off more," he warned.

But Elsa seemed unfazed by his words as she fiddled with her bun. "I don't care," she replied irritably, before making her way up the stairs.

"Well, you should," Jack countered, narrowly avoiding the broken ornaments scattered around his feet. He couldn't help but be impressed by the way Elsa effortlessly stepped around them, and in heels, no less.

"Thank you for the concern, Jack, but Anna is my sister, and I know how to properly deal with her." She then stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to face him, nearly causing Jack to run right into her as they came face to face.

"And you can stop following me," she deadpanned, though a slight blush graced her cheeks as she leaned away from him.

Jack didn't even attempt to hide his cheeky smile. "Anna may need some alone time to cool down, but I have a feeling you need just the opposite."

Elsa gave him a bewildered look. "What do you mean by that?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Jack stepped around the blonde and leaned against the railing. "It's just, you seem like the type who doesn't calm down when alone, but merely simmers in anger until you can snap again."

He could tell Elsa had half a mind to be offended, before she let out a defeated sigh. "My mother would always tell me the same thing," she admitted quietly.

"Sounds like she's a smart lady," Jack smiled.

"Yeah," Elsa agreed, nodding her head slowly. "She was."

Jack felt a pang in his heart at her last statement, but before he could get any clarification, the sudden chanting coming from downstairs caused the both of them to turn their attention away from each other.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Already?" Elsa mused, her voice nearly being drowned out by the chorus of 'seven' and 'six'.

"Guess so," Jack replied, sneaking a peek at his phone and being greeted by the sight of 11:59.

"Five!"

"Four!"

Jack sent Elsa a soft smile, knowing better than to attempt to get a New Years kiss from her.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One," Elsa murmured, giving Jack a smile of her own.

"Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year," Jack laughed, giving Elsa a purposefully awkward pat on the back. The blonde merely rolled her eyes, though an embarrassed giggle did escape her lips. But she looked away quickly, her gaze focusing back down towards the foyer.

Jack then watched as her fleeting moment of lightheartedness disappeared and her blue eyes grew as wide as saucers, her grip on the railing tightening ever so slightly.

"ANNA!"