Elsie rolled her eyes when she got Highland's text. Was he still convinced that Jack was haunting him? She decided she'd go, but if Tyrone was there to perform a "summoning" she was going straight back home.

She arrived in the woods less than ten minutes later. To her surprise, Emma was there too. They were both waiting for her, grinning madly and giggling. They were sitting next to each other on top of the snow. As Elsie approached, Emma fell over into Highland's lap with a little "Hey!" and a glance to her other side.

They both laughed, looking in the same direction, but not looking at anything in particular. Elsie looked at them in confusion.

Highland took a deep breath as Emma sat back up. He stood and approached Elsie, who was waiting a few feet away with her arms crossed.

"What's this all about, Highland?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

Highland looked her straight in the eyes. "Elsie, you're going to have to trust me, okay? I know it's going to be hard, but you have to have faith in what I'm about to say. Just imagine…" He paused.

Elsie was looking at him with a mixture of apprehension and exasperation. "I think I know what you're going to say, Highland."

"Just give me a chance, please. Just… give him a chance."

Emma was standing back from the two of them, apparently holding on to something, but Elsie wasn't paying enough attention to see what it was.

Elsie sighed. "Fine. What's so important?"

Highland took her hand and pulled her a bit closer. "Close your eyes," he said. "And just imagine something for a moment. Forget everything else, and just think about what I'm saying."

Elsie closed her eyes obediently. She focused on the feel of Highland's hand in hers, her one last friend in the world holding on to her.

"Elsie…" Highland looked at her hesitantly, trying to keep his voice steady. He couldn't get too excited too quickly, or she might not believe. He had to be gentle. She had already suffered so much, he had to be sure not to hurt her again.

"You've heard of the stories of Jack Frost, right?" Highland began. Elsie nodded, but the corners of her eyes tightened slightly. Highland breathed deeply again. "Did you ever picture him? I always thought of our Jack when I thought of him, except with white hair and blue eyes. With his old blue sweatshirt and everything. Bare feet, running through the snow." He laughed a little. "Sometimes, I even thought I could see him."

"What's this about, Highland?" Elsie asked, her grip tightening.

"Just hear me out," Highland said. "What if he was really there? What if we believed so much that he appeared in front of us? What if-?"

Elsie's eyes fluttered open, and Highland could see the beginnings of tears. "Highland, I miss him too, but you can't just pretend he's not gone. And what does Jack Frost have to do with it?"

"He's him, Elsie," Highland said, a note of excitement creeping into his voice now. "I mean, he's Jack Frost. Jack, when he died, he turned into Jack Frost. He's still alive! Well, sort of. You can see him if you believe he's there."

Elsie laughed bitterly, pulling her hand away. "Maybe you can see him in your mind, Highland, but it's no good trying to pretend he's ever going to talk to you again. He's gone."

"No, Elsie! He's here! He's here right now! All the snowballs, the crazy stuff that's been happening- you can't just ignore it all!"

"None of that proves anything! You can't-!"

"Elsie, will you just listen to me? You have to believe, you have to have faith! You can't keep living your life like this-!" Highland was getting angry now, tears starting to well in his own eyes.

"Like what? Since when do you tell me how to live my life?"

"You can't believe in anything you don't see! Why can't you just try?"

"Because I know nothing will happen! Whatever you say, you can't bring him back!" Tears were streaming down Elsie's face now.

"I don't have to bring him back! He's standing right next to you!"

"Highland, open your eyes!" She almost screamed, actually stomping her foot into the snow. "He's gone!"

Emma ran up to Elsie, unable to stay back any longer. "Elsie, please! Please, he wants you to see him so badly!"

Elsie laughed wildly through her tears, looking at Highland. "You might be able to convince a kid, but why bother trying to lie to me? It won't help!"

"Elsie-" Highland started, but she interrupted him.

"No matter how much you want it to be otherwise, you can't change what happened, Highland. He's gone."

"He's not-"

"Would you just let it go and grow up already?" She shouted.

"But-"

"HE'S DEAD, HIGHLAND! HE'S DEAD, AND HE'S NEVER COMING BACK!" She turned on her heel and ran out of the woods, putting as much space between her and those painful memories as she could.

The trio watched Elsie leave, their hearts sinking. Jack had known it was a long shot. Elsie had always been a realist. Still, he had hoped that she might want to see him enough to believe.

Highland was furious. After everything that had happened, she still wouldn't see! Why was she so stubborn?

Emma sat down on the ground and cried. "I- I'm sorry, J-Jack," she stammered through her tears.

Jack crouched down next to her. "Don't cry, Em, it's not your fault." He hugged her.

"But if I had said something earlier-" Emma began, but Jack cut her off.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. She's just stubborn. I'll figure something out," Jack said, tipping Emma's chin up so she was looking at him. "Just give me some time."

Highland sat down too, burying his head in his hands. "Why can't she just-?"

"She's still torn up about me being gone, I think." Jack said thoughtfully. "She doesn't want to hope and be let down."

The three of them huddled on the ground together in a group hug. Jack looked up at Elsie's barely visible retreating back, and an idea started to form.