Disclaimer: I do not own Cobra Kai, Karate Kid, or any of its characters. I only own Jack and my other OCs.

Jack woke up before his mother could come into his room. The light coming into his bedroom was brighter than usual. He got out of bed and was shocked to see the yard and streets covered in white snow and it was continuing to come down hard. Seeing snow in Boston wasn't unusual, but he had never seen this much at once before.

"Jack," Julie came into his room with a phone in hand. "Oh, you're up,"

"It's snowing!" Jack exclaimed with joy.

"And you're school just called," Julie added. "Looks like a snow day,"

"Can I go out and play in it?" Jack asked.

"I think that's something we can arrange," Julie nodded. "Let's have breakfast and we'll get you dressed for it,"

"Can I go out before breakfast?" Jack was impatient and he wanted to get out in case the snow would stop.

"Don't worry, it's not going anywhere," Julie said. "And besides, I'm sure once you're out there, you're not going to want to come back in,"

"Okay…"

Jack quickly ate his breakfast. Julie had never seen him eat as quickly as that morning. And then she got him dressed up for the snow. She got out his winter boots, his winter coat, and then brought mittens, a scarf, and a hat.

"Do I really need all of this?" Jack asked.

"Trust me, you're going to need it," Julie insisted. "It's really cold out there,"

"But I can't move in all of this," Jack complained.

"Not up for debate, kid," Julie knew he was pretty bundled up, but she also knew it was for the best. The school didn't close just because of the roads. The temperatures were pretty low.

Jack pouted, but only for a moment and allowed Julie to put the scarf and hat on him.

"Okay," Julie stood up and opened the door to the front. "Have fun,"

Jack didn't hesitate to run outside as quickly as he could go in the winter clothes. He fell back in a pile of snow and then ran his arms and legs back and forth to make a snow angel. "Mommy!" He called out. "Look at me!"

"Nice one!" Julie called back from the spot on the porch that didn't have snow as wrapped her arms around herself in attempts to get warmer.

Jack ran over to another patch of snow and hid behind it. When he was out of sight, he rolled up snow into a ball and waited a moment before throwing it towards his mother. It hit her in the shoulder and he ducked.

"Jack!" Julie yelled out. She went over to the steps and scooped up some snow with her hands and then hit it behind her back. "Come out here!" She acted like she was mad. "Now!"

Jack came out and went over. Not expecting his mother to throw a snowball and it hit him in the head.

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed. "Not fair!"

"I think that's two points for mama," Julie said.

"That was only one hit," Jack pointed out.

"But I'm a mom," Julie countered. "We get bonus points,"

"Says who?"

"What?" Jack wasn't sure that was a real thing, but he couldn't exactly argue. "Rematch!"

"Who said we were finished with this one?" Julie quickly grabbed another handful of snow and tossed it as Jack, who couldn't run away as fast as he would have liked. Julie kept throwing more until Jack tripped into a pile of snow.

"Mommy!" He called out, acting like he was hurt.

"Baby!" Julie raced over to him. "Are you okay?"

Jack threw two handfuls of snow in his mother's face and then started to giggle.

"Ohhh!" Julie looked at her son as she scooped up some more snow. "You're in for it now!"

Jack started running away and Julie started to chase him. They didn't get far until they both fell into a pile of snow and made matching snow angels.

"Getting cold yet?" Julie asked. She had gotten there a while ago.

"No!" Jack argued despite being able to hear his teeth chatter.

"Are you sure?" Julie asked again. "Because I could make my special hot cocoa?"

"With the marshmallows?"

Julie nodded. "With anything else you want,"

Jack didn't hesitate to race for the door. Nothing sounded better than the cocoa to warm up on the perfect snow day.

Jack had lost feeling in his legs a while ago on the walk to Anthony's house. He was trying not to shiver. He was used to colder temperatures in Boston, but somehow, it still felt just as cold. It was giving a lot for him not to shiver with his teeth chattering like on that snow day when he was five.

"Are you okay?" Anthony seemed to have noticed.

"Just cold," Jack admitted.

"I would be too," Anthony noticed one of the few holes in Jack's jacket. "But we're here now,"

"This is where you live?" Jack was taken aback. The house was big. Somehow, he hadn't been expecting it.

"Come on," Anthony led Jack inside where they both took off their shoes.

Jack looked around as he took off his shoes and then slowly followed Anthony in through the house. Somehow, it seemed even bigger inside. It definitely was way nicer than any other house he had been in.

"Hey Anthony," Amanda noticed the other boy following. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Jack,"

Amanda smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you," She meant that genuinely. Anthony had never invited a friend over before. It was nice to finally meet one.

"Can you make us lunch?"

"What would you like?" Amanda asked, looking at Jack.

"Well do we still have…" Anthony started to ask.

"Maybe we should let you friend decide," Amanda cut him off. She wanted to be courteous.

"I'm fine with anything, really…" Jack wasn't too picky. "Just nothing with strawberries,"

"What's wrong with strawberries?" Anthony asked. "They are like the best for PB&J's…"

"I think we arrange that," Amanda cut in again. "I think we have some leftover soup from last night. I could make some grilled cheese,"

"Sounds great," Jack nodded. It was simple, but it sounded amazing. He hadn't eaten in a while and he would have taken almost anything.

"Well come on," Anthony insisted. "Lets go play video games or something,"

"I'll let you guys know when the food is ready," Amanda added.

Jack nodded, looking between Anthony and Amanda, finally turning back to Anthony and following him out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into Anthony's bedroom. Jack stood near the doorway awkwardly as Anthony crashed onto his bed, not wasting time before grabbing the remote to turn his TV on. It took him a minute before he noticed.

"You can come in," Anthony remarked as if it were obvious. "Sit wherever,"

Jack hesitated for a moment and then sat in the chair by his desktop.

"Wanna play?" Anthony asked, not waiting for an answer before tossing a controller at Jack.

"Sure…" Jack nodded, feeling like he didn't really have a choice. "You'll have to give me some pointers," He didn't know the first thing about video games. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever played one.

"You shoot the bad guys," Anthony said vaguely.

"So like those guys at the mall?" Jack quipped.

Anthony didn't reply at first. "I guess…"

"What is the deal with them?" Jack asked.

"Do we have to talk about that?" Anthony didn't want to. He wanted to forget. It was bad enough he couldn't leave the house anymore without having to worry about running into them.

"I mean, in case I have to jump in again, it'd be nice to know the whole story," Jack could tell there was a story. That one kid was pretty angry and there had to be a reason for that. Jack knew a thing or two about that. "But you don't have to…"

"I fucked up…" Anthony sighed, throwing his controller off to the side of his bed as he fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Kenny, he was new at my school and some friends of mine started picking on him…"

"And you helped?" Jack guessed.

Anthony shut his eyes tightly and nodded. "At first, it was just some jokes," Anthony had thought they were harmless. "Then we lured him to the park and they started beating him up. I had always told him I knew karate because my dad is this champion, so they told me I had to show him,"

"But you don't know karate," Jack guessed again. That part was an easy guess, considering those guys were about to shove his head into a toilet before Jack stepped in.

Anthony shook his head. "Dad always wanted to teach me, but I was never interested,"

"Regret that now, huh?"

Anthony chuckled slightly. "Just a bit," He sighed. "But anyways, all of that was because I did something stupid," Anthony would take it all back if he could. "I deserve it…"

"I wouldn't say that," Jack shook his head. "I mean, sure, you fucked up, but you know you did," Most people were blind to it or refuse to admit when they were wrong. "And it sounds like you weren't the only one. Did you apologize?"

Anthony nodded. "I tried," He winced. "But it was too late,"

"Most people never apologize, even when they realize they've done something wrong," Jack pointed out. "Doesn't mean you deserve it back," Jack could understand being angry for all the stuff that Anthony did. But pulling a 360, that's a different story. "Doesn't give him the excuse to be a bully now,"

"I never really thought of it like that," Anthony said. He had felt so guilty and every time they came after him now, he just thought he deserved it.

"Maybe learning karate wouldn't be a bad idea," Jack suggested. That Kenny had some moves and that anger was like adding gasoline to a fire. It was only going to get worse. Jack only knew so much and if he kept coming, Anthony was going to need more help.

Anthony wasn't sure about that. "It always been my dad's and my sister's thing,"

"It's not specifically for one person," Jack said. "I mean, basics are the same, but you find your own way of doing it,"

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Anthony was curious.

"My mom," Jack smiled slightly, thinking about her. "Her dad started to teach her, and then after he died, she found another teacher. He was my godfather, actually. I don't remember him much, but he could have been my grandfather." Jack explained. He remembered a few things. His mother always talked about him being around after he was born, but the visits were less frequent as he got older. And then he got sick and moved away to be with family. "My mom started teaching me when I was five,"

"Does she still teach you?" Anthony asked. "I mean, with everything going on, it might be good to have another person that can fight around, and maybe she could give my dad a few other pointers," If everyone had a different way to fight, maybe her way could be what they needed.

Jack frowned and looked down. "She died…"

Anthony bit his lip. "I'm sorry…" He felt bad for asking.

"It was a long time ago," Jack shook his head. He hadn't expected him to know that. They had only met an hour ago, and that topic wasn't a good conversation starter.

"How long?" Anthony asked.

"I was six," Jack admitted. "So, it was a long time ago,"

"Doesn't mean it doesn't suck," Anthony noticed how uncomfortable Jack got talking about it. He couldn't even imagine. His parents annoyed him a lot, especially his dad, but he couldn't imagine losing either of them. "Is your dad around?"

"Why are you so interested in my family?" Jack asked, avoiding the question.

"Just trying to get to know you…"

"Well, it doesn't matter," Jack snapped. It was hard enough talking about his mother and acting like it didn't hurt. But his father was another territory. That was a completely different can of worms that he didn't want to open.

"Okay…" Anthony had a feeling that meant his father wasn't around or he was. Whether he was or wasn't, it clearly wasn't a good thing based on his reaction. He decided it was best to leave it alone. "I'm going to see if lunch is ready…"

Anthony left Jack in his bedroom, closing the door behind him, and going downstairs to the kitchen.

"Hey, just in time," Amanda said when she noticed Anthony come back down. "Lunch is ready if you want to let your friend know,"

"Oh, thanks," Anthony said.

Amanda frowned, knowing that something was up. "Is everything okay?"

"It's nothing," Anthony shook his head. He didn't want to tell his mom about any of this. He wasn't sure what she would do and didn't want to worsen things. Especially not after Jack had helped him.

"Anthony," Amanda crossed her arms. "What is going on?"

"It's just…" Anthony tried to find a way around this. "I just ran into some of the Cobra Kais at the mall,"

"Are you okay?" Amanda asked.

Anthony nodded, feeling relieved that she bought it. "Yeah," He answered. "Luckily, I ran into Jack, he knows a few moves,"

"Karate?" Amanda asked. "I swear, does everyone in this town know karate?"

"Not sure," He shrugged. "But I mean, with everything, it's probably a good thing,"

"Maybe," Amanda was concerned for her family's safety. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Mom, really, do you see any marks on me?" He held his arms up and turned in a circle. "Now, do you think I can bring the food upstairs to Jack?"

Amanda nodded. "Sure," She grabbed a big tray and placed two bowls of soup and two sandwiches on them. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Anthony grabbed the tray, sighing in great relief as he headed up the stairs with the food.

A/N: I know I planned to write all summer long. But life is unexpected. I ended up getting promoted to Manager at my job on top of my regular duties, so my time has been limited. And now with school starting in a few days again, it's going to be a bigger adjustment. Anyways, Anthony brought Jack to his house, and they are starting to get to know each other. Anthony is going to pry more with Jack next chapter. He kept any suspicions about him from his mother for now.

Please don't forget to review.