Jamie shivered. Jack had been eyeing one of the Burgess 7 since he had gotten done with his cookie. The five other children were enjoying the snowday he had brought, and all seemed ok.

Everyone, except Monty.

Jack took to watching him like a vulture, and looked very sad, sighing and looking out the window dismaly.

Carrie looks concered by Jack's behavior before opening the back door. "Kids come in for some hot chocolate and cookies!" She calls.

Everyone ran in, Monty coughing violently as he cheered "Sweet! Mrs. B always makes the best cookies!"

Jack smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Carrie frowns at Monty's cough. "Monty why are you coughing, are you feeling alright?" She asks.

"Oh yeah," he coughed "It's just a bad cold is all. Mom says I should be over it in a week. It kinda hurts though."

Carrie frowns. "That cough sounds nasty. Do you want some cough medicine?"

"Yes please." he said, shivering slightly.

Jack followed her into the kitchen

":He..." he said, wishing the oposite was true "He doesn't just have a cold."

"What else does he have?" Carrie asks worried.

"Pnuemonia." came the whisper "He's...he's dying. Mommy...one of my Burgess 7 is DYING and I can't do anything to stop it! All I can do is wait...and see if he calls me..." Jack cried, the full weight of the situation falling on him.

Carrie winces. "Not gonna happen. I'm gonna call the doctor and see if he can do anything." She says going to the phone and calling the doctor that she usually takes Jamie too.

He reached and pressed the button that hung up the phone, a sad, but somewhat twisted, look on his face

"Monty has already seen the best doctors money can buy."

Carrie nods. "Ok then what can we do?" She ask her eldest son.

"I could take him now, or just wait."

Carrie stares at him. "Or we could try and save him." She says.

He smiled "We could. Yes we could. Can't we?" Hope entered cerillian eyes, and his face lit up

Carrie nods. "Yes we can."

"How?"

Carrie looks thoughtful. "Hmmm. Know any good remedies for pneumonia... I could look online for some..."

"Warm soup and plenty of rest usually cured me." Jack said, "Back in the old days before medicine was an option."

Carrie nods. "Soup it is." She says looking at a worried looking Monty. "What kind of soup do you want?" She asks.

"Chicken soup please." he rasped, laying on the couch with a bad headache

Carrie nods putting a blanket over Monty and going to make some chicken soup. "Chicken soup coming up!"

She caught Jack whispering to the boy in sort of a creepy, sirenish way "If you want it to end, you know I'm always here for you. Just call for me. I'll make everything ok agasin."

Carrie looks over. "Jack can you and Jamie look up pneumonia remedies online?" She calls. Finishing up the soup and bringing it over to Monty.

"I am 300 years old. This thing called technology is foriegn to me." Jack said teasingly, not moving from his spot

Carrie raised an eyebrow. "Jamie can teach you, you should probably learn how to use a computer anyway." She gave Monty the soup and a spoon. "What do you want to drink?" She asks.

"Sorry no. Besides, those things don't like the cold."

"Um...Mom says water is good." said the redrimmed glasses wearing boy.

Carrie nods. "Water it is." She says going to get him some water.

Monty's coughing got worse, a layer f frost was on his clothes

Carrie looks at Jack. "Jack can you please remove the frost from Monty?" She asks giving Monty the water.

"It hurts Jack." Monty saiod suddenly "It hurts!"

Carrie looks alarmed. "What hurts?" She asks.

"It hurts to breathe! My chest, my head, my everything hurts!"

Jack moved forwards, but Jamie sudden;yu blocked him

"No! Jack you can't! We still have time!"

Carrie helps Monty sit up and take a drink of water. "It's ok. Everything will be ok." She coos, before looking at Jamie. "Jamie call Monty's mom and tell her that we need to take Monty to the hospital."

"Don't. You. Dare."

Jamie stopped. That voice...the voice of the Storm. Jack NEVER used that voice with him. EVER.

Carrie looks at Jack. "Jack?" She aks.

"Monty is not leaving this house to die in some rathole you mortals call hospital care." he growled. "If he's going to die, he'll do so somewhere he feels comfortable."

Jamie still stood rooted, and Jack lifted his staff, causing ice to block the door.

"The Burgess Hospital is where most of my special stops are, Carrie. You may have given birth there but I have seen what goes on in the so-called sick wing."

Carrie's eyes narrow. "What's happening there?" She asks getting some cough medicine for Monty to take.

"The doctors mean well but they also have scheduals to keep. Deadlines to meet and some of them just want to go home and get paid. The Patients are shipped in and out like car wash cars. Some of them recieve less treatment because the hospital is small, so not many rooms can be fll at once. As a result, many people die."

"It hurts!" the boy said again, then sighed in contentment as Jack coated him in thin frost.

Jamie gulped

"Mom." he whispered "I know why he won't let Monty leave."

Carrie looks at Jamie. "Why?"

"He is one of the Burgess seven. Jack 'owns' him if he dies."

Carrie raises an eyebrow giving Jack a look. "Jack is what Jamie says true?"

Jack withdrew his touch from Monty regretfully, once more leaving frost on the boy.

"Yes." he whispered "It's true. My Burgess seven...my core Believers...are to be spared the agony of wandering as I had for centuries. The six will never be as special as Jamie, but all of them will be under me. They are to be the new Winter Court, the Frost Children." he looked with a deep and solid endearment to the weezing Monty."Mine."

Carrie sighs. "Jack can we talk alone?" She asks.

He nodded and followed her out

"What is it?"

Carrie looks at Jack. "I have some questions about what will happen when they become Frost Children, like where will they live? Will they have duties? Will they need to know how to defend themselves?"

He laughed

"Oh. Mortals worry about that huh? Don't worry. My Frost Children will be taught all of that by either Mother, Manny, or me. They will live in my Winter Castle, wich I shall make. My Palace is not safe for children to go running around in!" he grinned endearingly again. "They will ber well taken care of." his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"And if anyone so much as pinches one of them...Winter's Wrath will come and come HARD. NO ONE will touch what's mine!"

Carrie nods. "Will they have time to be children?"

He snickered, a sparkle in his gaze

"What am I the Guardian of?"

Carrie laughs. "True."

"They won't grow up. Even if they die when they are 50, they will come to me as they are now. As children. They will never become adults."

Carrie nods. "Is Monty ready to become a Frost Child?" Carrie asks.

"Yes." Jack said, somewhat sadly "I hate that his time came so soon. But perhapse he will live a bit longer. There is always hope."

Carrie nods. "Yup."

"But if it is his time, he'll know, and I will help him find my garden of Winter, where he will wait for the others. He knows that he is mine."

"JACK!"

the winter sprite was at the sick boy's side in seconds.

"CARRIE!" he said franticly, cradling Monty like any brother would their sick sibling, "I can cool him down but he needs water and fast!"

Carrie darted to the kitchen getting a glass of cool water and running to Monty helping him drink it.

he drank greedily, crying "It hurts Jack...it hurts...make it...make it stop."

Jack winced at the pain in Monty's voice.

"I...Not yet Monty please. Not yet. Don't make me take you yet."

"But I hurt, Jack..."

"I know...I know...But the seven need you still."

Carrie knew Jack wanted to end Monty's suffering right then, but he didn't. He couldn't. Not when they had just promised to help him live.

"He needs more pain killers. If I numb him any more I'll give him frostbite."

Carrie nods going to get the children's painkiller from the kitchen. "Pills or liquid?" She asks.

"Make it liquid." Jack said, soothing Monty

Carrie nods grabbing the liquid painkiller and bringing it over to Monty pouring out the correct dosage and giving it to him. "Here."

Monty smiled and finally fell asleep.

Jamie clutched Jack

"You...you let him live."

Jack smiled down at his First Beleiver

"He is mine. I can wait for as long as necessary. It doesn't have to be today."

Carrie nods. "Okay well Monty can stay until it's time for him to go home and I'll drive him home."

"I want to go home...with Jack."

Jack visibly shuddered "No Monty. It isn't time yet."

Carrie nods. "Yup not time yet." She tucks the blanket around Monty. "Why don't you take a nap."

He sighed and removed his glasses "Ok."

When he drifted off to sleep, Jamie hugged his mom

"That was unselfish huh mom. Jack could have taken him an hour ago, but he didn't."

Carrie nods. "Yup and you all need to let Monty rest."

The kids all nodded and Jack led them to the backyard and began a snowball fight.

No one noticed the sedan parked outside the thrift store, with a man silently grinning as he watched the Bennett boy play.

And so the Winter Prince Arc Begins! I have been procrastinating getting this written, and for that I'm sorry. The Prince in question still doesn't want to be crowned, but now there is no choice!