Chapter 5: Second Chances

The gentle tink tink tink of tiny ice pellets hitting the surfaces rang throughout the square.

Jack stared at the spot where his angry little sister had collapsed and disappeared from moments before. He sighed, rubbing his temples with one hand. Really, this reunion was just going so, so well, Jack thought, heavy on the sarcasm. Swell, even. Off to a great start!

Carefully, unsure if they were in the clear, elves casually began peering out from alongside the buildings. Doors opened up, scraping their way through the snow as elves pilled on, pushing themselves through the snowdrifts and breaking through icy build up, if they could. Up by the Workshop doors, Bernard had appeared, rushing down the steps towards Jack, helping elves up on his way over.

"I know, I know. That could have gone better," Jack mused.

"I'll say," Bernard said, amused, offering Jack a hand.

"You saw the whole thing, didn't you?" Jack asked, taking his hand.

"Yup," Bernard said, with the hint of a smirk. He helped the sprite up, Jack dusting snow off of his pants. He didn't even remember kneeling on the ground. "I knew she was angry, but wow, that was angry. What did you say to start that?"

Jack served Bernard with an unamused look. "I tried to make small talk."

Bernard snorted. "I could've told you that was a bad idea," he said.

"Of course you could've," Jack said, frowning now.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! Nevermind. Don't worry about it."

"Well now I'm worried."

"Really, don't be. It's fine." Jack sighed. "Look. I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. I had nothing else to go on, so I bit the proverbial fireball, as it were."

"Ha! Sounds like a metaphor for your life."

"Ellington. Nice to see you too, and thank you for that astute observation," Jack said, frown deepening.

"Any time," Elle replied, brushing the comment off and glancing around the square, deep in thought.

Bernard cupped his hands around his mouth. "Everyone out here okay?" He shouted.

"I think I see feet over there," Elle said, rushing over to a pile of snow and helping up a fellow elf.

He spat some snow out of his mouth and hoisted himself up, wringing out his hat before sticking it back on his head. "Most everyone made it in somewhere safe," he said. "Only a few of us were out here by the time the snow froze."

"Thanks Mason," Bernard said. "Where are the others?"

"Mostly inside the shops. There's a couple of elves in the same spot as Mason...and no sign of Jacqueline." Elle frowned. "That was weird."

"What was weird? You okay, Elle?"

"I'm fine, B! I've just about got the hang of this old thing," she said, tapping her head. "Well, mostly. I thought I sensed another elf by the café, but that consciousness just...disappeared. It was weird."

"That's concerning," Jack said.

"No kidding," Bernard said. "No sign of Jacqueline?"

Elle shook her head. "Not at all. I didn't even have a chance to say hi," she said, disappointed.

"You weren't missing much," Jack replied. "She's not good company at all right now. Very angry."

"Well, of course!" Bernard snapped. "She has every right to be!"

"I know! Trust me. I know full well. It's just..." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know what to expect. Not that," he said, gesturing at the mess behind him.

"Are you serious right now?" Bernard said.

"B—"

"What? It's not like he didn't have it coming."

"Thank you, Bernard, I am well aware that it was a very long time coming. I've heard it from Santa and his Missus, and the entire Council, and basically everyone I've talked to this year. I don't need another pleasant reminder; the one I just got from Jacqueline herself was more than enough."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What happened out here?"

Jack sighed. "Great," he mumbled under his breath, before turning towards the fast approaching Santa. "I tried to make small talk," Jack explained. "It didn't go well."

"Woo, that's a nice chill out here!" Santa said, rubbing his arms. "Okay, we'll all need to get some proper winter clothes on, and some ice scrapers over there...and there...and over here..."

"We're on it, Santa!" Mason said, rushing towards the half open doors with his friends, ice scrapers and shovels in hand.

"Small talk?" Santa asked, perplexed.

"Fourteen hundred years of pent up angst."

"Thank you Bernard, we get it," Jack snapped.

"Okay, sounds like things are getting a little bit tense out here. C'mon Jack, I think it's time we had our own small talk," he said, grabbing Jack's shoulders and guiding him forward. "Don't look so upset! I know for a fact I won't fly off the handle and pelt you with magical snowballs," Santa said, with a snicker.

"I think I prefer the snowballs," Jack replied, as they headed towards the Workshop.

Elle hadn't been wrong.

Alongside the café after Jacqueline had disappeared was, in fact, another elf. He was on the smaller side, something that had come in handy for him today. Too busy running away from the fight, the other elves hadn't noticed him running towards it.

He was supposed to be looking for something. He hadn't found it, yet, and it had been months! But, when he had seen the two Jack Frosts appear in the square, the Legate angry as could be, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this was it. So he stayed to watch! From a very safe distance, of course. And snug behind a very sturdy building, later. Which was a very good choice once the winds had picked up and frozen snow had pelted everyone all over the place. She had moved a HAND and a whole entire snowdrift twice the size of him had plowed over a bunch of his old coworkers!

She was very powerful, and very angry, and maybe, just maybe, this could be exactly what he needed.

Panicking once he saw Miss Elle make her way outside, the elf ran around the corner to the back of the cafe. Thinking of what he had found, and how he needed to report back ASAP, he closed his eyes and hoped that it'd work. He pictured the dark drawing room, smelt the fire, the old smell around the furniture, and his stomach dropped. He held his breath as he felt himself disappear, a newer sensation acquired with the teleporting technique that he had given to Kasper.

He hadn't shared his name.

He seemed to be some kind of ancient fae being, so Kasper was sure it was a tactical choice on the man's end of things. Names were power; even the youngest of elves knew that. So Kasper had dubbed him The Man, the terrifying aura and powerful things he had done from a distance lending the title importance enough for capital letters.

Around him, the colourful buildings and fresh snow swirled and blurred, shifting into a large, empty courtyard. Stone buildings had long since crumbled; the grass was overgrown, the paths long reclaimed by nature. Looming in the heart of the courtyard stood a castle. It was old, but somehow, still intact. The surrounding area smelt...burnt out. Ashy. Like rotten eggs, some days. Kasper wrinkled his nose as he headed towards the front doors. Behind the castle were tall, tall walls; and behind them, even taller trees. Devoid of leafs, the trees looked dead as could be. They creaked in the breeze, twigs snapping. He could see nothing beyond the treeline; he had no idea where this was. Just that it was early afternoon, locally, if the faint light from the sun that trickled through the clouds was anything to go by.

Stopping at the front doors of the castle, the stones dirty, the red paint chipping off the doors, Kasper sighed. He had meant to be inside the building. Teleporting was hard, and he was still trying to get the hang of it. It hadn't come naturally, like it would when elves reached a certain age. It had been magically gifted to him via enchantment or something. It wasn't as...innate as it should've been, whenever he would unlock his own ability to do so.

With a sigh, he slammed one of the brass knockers down. Several locks clicked and spun, magic depressing around him, before finally, the door swung open a Kasper-sized crack.

He slid in, trying not to jump as the door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing through the large, empty hall. A cold breeze burst through the hall, stirring the cobwebs and kicking up dust. Kasper coughed as he moved forwards, torches in their scones lighting up as he advanced. He finally made it to another set of large red doors. He reached out to knock, his tiny fist shaking as the door swung inwards before he could even brush the wooden panels with his knuckles.

"Um...hello?"

"Enter," a deep voice rang out, slightly hoarse and a bit gravelly.

Kasper stepped into the room.

The fireplace smell hit him instantly. It was stuffy in the room. The windows were sealed shut, covered by thick, red, velvet curtains trimmed in gold. The bottoms were dirty; dusty with a side of burnt residue, like most of the furnishings in the room. Shelves ran from wall to wall, covered in glowing vials and potions, filled with trinkets and weird, bottled...ingredients, Kasper assumed. In the centre of the room, just before the fireplace, stood a large cauldron filled with hot, molten rock. It churned slowly, popping; the smokey smell mingled with the smell of sulfur. Kasper tried not to gag as he stepped further into the room, stopping just behind the large armchair off to the side of the fireplace, and in front of the vat, the back towards Kasper.

It was here that The Man sat.

He was tall. Kasper knew that much. Very tall. His hair was as orange as the fire; a smidgen darker, if you squinted. He had a big old beard and a matching moustache, the burnt orange streaked with grey. His legs were stretched out, a book open in his lap. His eyes, red (as in they were actually red, not like he needed sleep), were trained not on the words but on the fire. He glowered at it, the flames seeming to rise the longer he stared. He held his head in one hand, the other clutching the edge of the armrest so hard, his knuckles were turning white. If he squinted, Kasper could just make out a bit of smoke drifting between the man's fingers. The firelight cast unflattering shadows on the man's face.

Kasper gulped.

"Well? Are you going to just stand around there? Or is there a reason you've come by?"

"Right. Sorry. I, um, I think I found what you're looking for."

The Man sat up in his chair, the book landing on the ground with a dull thunk. There was a rattle of nonexistent chains as he turned. "I beg your pardon?"

"Uh. I uh. You said to look for something, or someone, that could help you? Um. You said, powerful, and the angrier the better."

"And?"

"I think I've found someone. Uh. S-sir."

The Man sprung up out of the seat, turning sharply and glaring at the elf. "Well? Out with it!"

"Um. It's Jack, sir."

"Cursed again?" The Man said, almost gleefully.

"No, sir. No. He uh. He's got no powers. So the Council called in his Legate. His," Kasper swallowed, his throat dry.

"His sister," The Man said, with a look Kasper couldn't describe in one word. No, wait, he totally could. It was evil. It was very, very, evil. And sinister. And scary. The smile was...not a smile. It looked like a smile but it wasn't.

"...yeah." He cleared his throat. "They, uh, they enacted the Legate Law, and before they could do anything, they uh. They got into a fight?"

"Did they or didn't they?"

"What?"

"You questioned it. So, did they, or didn't they?"

"It seemed like it?"

The Man's nose wrinkled, as he looked down on Kasper, annoyed. "Did they, or didn't they?"

"D-did."

The Man chuckled. "Excellent. Tell me more," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Well. Um. They were in the square. And, uh, she was yelling a LOT. And there was snow and ice and wind and it was flying everywhere! She was so angry and like, she lifted a hand and snow just went like, KABOOSH," Kasper said, pushing his hand forward.

"Delightful," The Man chortled, walking over to the vat. "Tell me something. Was it controlled?"

"N-no? No, I don't think so. Uh. I don't think she meant to do it; I think she was just very angry. I guess they have a bad history?"

The Man cackled. "Do they ever. And now they've come face to face...and this fight was the result?"

"Uh...well, it uh, it looked like it, I guess."

The Man squinted at the elf, his face darkening.

"Uh. Sir?"

"You saw it?"

Kasper nodded.

The Man stalked over to him, bending low and staring down at Kasper's head. He could feel himself shaking; he wanted to run, but he was frozen to the spot. The Man rubbed his chin, surveying the top of Kasper's head until, "A-ha!" he said, and pulled a hair right off the top.

The elf squeaked, rubbing the offending spot as The Man grinned at the strand, dropping it into the vat. The rock bubbled and glowed, turning from molten rock to red, gooey looking lava. He waved his hand over the vat, and the lava rippled. An image appeared. Kasper crept forward to try and look, only to be hit with a blast of hot air from the vat.

"Do you mind?!" The Man snapped. "This stuff is hot, and not to be trifled with."

Fearfully, Kasper stepped back with a nod, staying far, far away from The Man and the vat.

The Man turned his attention back towards the vat. The lava rippled at the centre, an image taking shape on the surface. Below him, clear as day on the surface of the liquid, he could see the aforementioned confrontation. The Man smirked, watching the scene play out. He oh'd a couple of times; ah'd. Sharply hissed, followed by a low "that's gotta hurt"; cackled towards the end of it all.

Kasper had the sinking feeling that he had been right. He had found something that would help The Man.

"Look at that," the Man said, with a throaty chuckle. "Such anger! Such resentment," he added, slightly rolling the "r". "And the loss of control," he mused. He waved his hand over the vat. The image rewound itself, starting from the top. He watched it again, carefully, the corners of his lips twitching. "Yes...she will do just nicely. Loss of control like that? Emotions that volatile?" He rewound it again. "An easy subject. Let me see if I can..."

The Man stuck a finger into the vat; Kasper covered his mouth before he could yelp out loud. The Man's eyes flicked over to Kasper as he pulled his finger, unharmed and still attached, out of the vat.

A light blue strand drifted behind it.

"Oh, excellent," The Man said. "Squirmy, though. Stop moving!"

He pinched the strand between his thumb and forefinger, wrapping the other end around his thumb before pinching it, as well. Holding it up in front of him, he watched, his fingers glowing a dark red. Slowly, the red spilled through the blue, almost completely overtaking it.

The Man laughed. A straight up villainous laugh. "Yes, YES! This will do PERFECTLY! Well done, elf," he said, waiting for the last strips of blue to disappear under the red.

And waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

"Uh...s-sir? It's uh, it's. I think it's reversing," Kasper said, pointing weakly at the strand in The Man's hand.

Sure enough, it was reversing. The red had come to a stop; now, the light blue pushed back, the tendrils spiralling back.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. The strand did not answer; instead, it became fully blue again. It glowed; he felt his fingertips get very, very cold.

And then, it snapped.

Kasper jumped back; The Man's head went back, as well. He watched, brows drawn, as the string fluttered down in front of him, in pieces now.

"A fighter? Interesting..." he clicked his tongue. "Well, it looks like this will not be easy. A pity, really, but! No matter. A couple of months is nothing compared to four thousand five hundred years," he said, chortling.

He smacked the strands down into the vat, a large burst of flame incinerating them and briefly illuminating the room. The scene vanished; the string long gone. Kasper coughed as the smell and the smoke tickled his nostrils.

"Well!" The Man said with a clap, Kasper jumping at the sudden sound. "Best not waste any time, then!" Gleeful, he rushed to his shelves and began pulling out various ingredients and liquid vials, throwing them all directly into the pot. He looked like he was having a grand old time. Kasper watched, cowering in the corner, as the man hummed a jaunty little tune, puffs of coloured smoke billowing from the vat with every new ingredient it incinerated, a pang of guilt beginning deep within Kasper as he watched the colours twirl up and disappear into thin air.

Jack watched from the freshly chilled window as elves helped dig out the doorways, setting the square back to rights. Behind him, Santa closed the office door with his foot, humming a little Christmas tune as he made his way back to the desk, dishes clinking. The smell of warm chocolate wafted Jack's way, the sound of paper crinkling breaking the silence.

Turning away from the window, Jack watched as Santa yet again got himself tangled up in the list on his desk.

"We really ought a move away from scrolls," Santa mused, turning himself around and only succeeding in getting himself even more tangled in the list, much to Jack's chagrin. Balancing beverages and snacks in his hand, Santa found himself once more facing Jack, the Legend very unamused. Making a weird, strangle-y noise in his throat, he shrugged, helplessly.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Here, let me help you out of there, Santa," he said, pushing off of the wall and heading over. "Where are the scissors?"

"Woah, woah, woah, we can't cut the list!"

"Why not?!"

"Because—well, it's the official list! We can't just cut it!"

"Says the guy who just said that scrolls were outdated," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "What do you think the alternative is, a better scroll? It'd be sheets, in a binder, or something digital, though that's not as permanent a solution as people think it is—Santa, twirl the other way. No, the other way! You're only making it worse."

"Okay, alright, hang on, I think I got this..."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

A host of bickering and a few more twirls later, Jack redirecting him several times (as Santa very much did not have it under control), Santa finally managed to free himself from the list. Clearing some space (the list falling to the floor), he placed the plate of cookies down, two mugs of hot cocoa steaming beside it. "Have a seat, Jack," Santa said, gesturing to the plush chair in front of him.

"Thanks," Jack mumbled, grabbing one of the drinks and taking said seat. Crossing one leg over the other, he took a sip, glancing towards the window once more.

There was still no sign of her. Not out there, and not in his head.

"Jack," Santa said, softly, making sure the sprite saw his kind look before changing his tone completely. "What happened out there, man! I thought you had this under control!"

"I have no idea what gave you that idea," Jack said, calmly. "Truly."

"Well, y'know. The Dome was fixed! So I assumed, y'know..."

"That all was well?" Jack asked, chugging the rest of his hot cocoa and placing the empty cup down. "That we made up and frolicked up the hill, fixing the Dome permanently?"

"Yes?"

"After everything I did?"

"Alright, fine. Fair. You got me there," Santa said slowly, hands up. "Alright. Walk me through it. What happened?"

Jack sighed, recrossing his legs as he thought of where to start. "For starters, we walked. First mistake right there. We should've just teleported, really, I don't know what I was thinking! It would've been much faster! And so much less awkward."

"Awkward?"

"It was tense, walking up. So, I tried to make conversation, you know? Break the ice, that sort of thing. I couldn't think of anything to start with that wouldn't get my butt kicked all the way to Antarctica, so I just. Went with the first thing I thought of."

"Which probably should've been a sorry for leaving," Bernard said, pulling open the door and holding it open for Elle.

"You are enjoying this way too much, Bernie."

"You betcha! And don't call me Bernie," he added, chipper, closing the door behind him.

"Ah! Bernard! Elle! Status report?"

"Village Square is clear, Santa. Everything is operating normally. Only injuries sustained are to Jack's pride."

Elle laughed. Jack growled, unamused.

"You'll recover," Santa reassured. "People get their butts kicked by younger siblings all the time."

"You are the most unhelpful person I have ever met in my life," Jack said. "Have I ever told you that? Just in case it wasn't clear."

"I'm you're best friend," Santa replied, confidently.

"That's what you think," Jack scoffed.

"He doesn't mean it," Santa stage whispered towards his head elves.

"No, I really do right now, actually."

"Have a cookie, Jack," Santa said, shoving one in his hand. "Anything else to report?"

"Seasonal temps are back to average, and we're set for flurries into the evening," Elle said. "The Dome looks good! I think this is the most solid it's been in a while."

"Jack?"

The sprite frowned, mouth full of cookie.

"Really?"

"You gave it to me! I'm not about to waste a perfectly good cookie," he said, polishing it off.

Santa sighed. Patience he thought to himself. "Jack. The Dome."

"Is fine," he said, with a half-hearted shrug. "It's at least slowed. I'll have to take a better look at it later, as I got a little bit distracted towards the end, there. As I'm sure you all noticed, since none of you will shut up about it."

"What happened?" Santa said, earnestly, concern lining his features.

"It's just like Beanie Baggie said. Fourteen hundred years of pent up angst. I mean, where do I even begin?"

"Well if sorry for leaving wasn't the best starting point, you can always apologize for the stabbing bit."

"Bernard," Santa warned, Elle laughing as Jack, once again, growled.

The Head Elf shrugged. "It was just a passing thought," he said. Jack was certain the elf was biting his cheek to keep from smirking.

"It's the same thing," Jack snapped, crossing his arms.

Santa glanced at his head elves; they shared a look between themselves. Elle shook her head; Bernard shrugged.

Some help they are, Santa thought. "Well baby steps, right? Sounds like no matter what you said, she was going to. Well. Explode."

Jack sighed, uncrossing his arms and dropping the angry facade with a tired sigh. "Basically, yeah."

"Well, she's exploded now, right? So, y'know, maybe once she has some time to chill out, she'll be less...ah..."

"Angry?" Bernard said.

"Explody?" Elle suggested.

"Butt kicking," Bernard said with a barely disguised smirk.

Everyone turned to look at Bernard.

"Sorry, it's just, I've been expecting Jacqueline to kick his butt since she was sixteen hundred and forty-five."

"Okay, she did NOT kick my butt. That was very clearly a loss of control and I did not get my butt kicked. So if we could maybe stop saying that—"

"It depends on your perspective," Elle interrupted. "To some, it looked like a very emotional outburst complete with a side of loss of control! And to us, it totally looked like she kicked your butt."

"It was not! It was just, you know, a lot of snowballs and maybe a few errant icicles and…hard truths. Like how she thought it was her fault our parents were upset. How my mother refroze her heart because of me. And Jacqueline thought she was to blame for…all of that. Not to mention, two whole ENTIRE other siblings I had no idea I had because I wasn't around to meet them! How can I even begin to make up for that?"

Santa grimaced, looking into his cocoa. Elle sighed. Even Bernard was quiet now.

"First step, I think, would be to find her," Santa said, leaning forward in his seat. "You have that whole connection thing, right? Can't you just. Find her?"

"I mean, if she wanted to be found, yes. The thing about the Legend-Legate link is that you can easily block your Legate—or Legend, in her case—out of your mind."

"So she's blocking your connection with her?" Santa asked.

Jack fought the urge to be sarcastic. "Presently, yes."

"No surprise there," Bernard said.

Jack made a low sound in his throat.

"You know what connection she isn't blocking out?" Elle said, with a tad bit of a smug smile.

"Yours?"

"Yes! If you want, I can try to find her for you," Elle replied, her smile earnest, now.

"Really? You would do that? For me?"

"And Jacquie."

"More importantly, do you think you could find her?" Santa asked.

"That old Popsicle? Of course! She's easy to find, most of the time. It's far more reliable than trying to call her, honestly, I don't even know why she has a phone. I'll see how she is, ask how she's doing, and then you can go and fix this, Jack. Like you've wanted to."

"But what if she doesn't want to?"

Bernard and Elle shared a look.

"Don't worry, Jack," Elle said. "She will."

"After all that?!" he said, gesturing wide towards the window. "How do you know she'll even agree to anything?"

"Trust us, Jack. Jacqueline's our friend! We know." Bernard said, softly.

"So? What do you say, Jack? Good for me to give it a go?" Elle asked.

"You won't know until you try," Santa said, gently.

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. Regrettably, Santa was right.

He wouldn't know unless he gave it a second try. Hopefully, Jacqueline would afford him the thought. The situation all around was bleak...but the thought of making amends with his sister, and having her back in his life?

It made everything a little less bleak.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do it."

"Delightful," Elle said, looking off to the side and concentrating.

Elfsburg was old.

Older than Christmas, even. Eons before the holiday, magic had started to gather in what was now Elfsburg. It grew, and grew, and grew, and eventually, grew so big it landed on the magibean radar. The Kringle Elves were dispatched, to study its growth and see if it would naturally peter out, or, if a control point was needed.

The Kringles made short work of their studies. It wasn't long after their arrival that they commissioned the Dome and moved inwards, using the magic to spread good will into the world, and leaving the outskirts abandoned.

Now the stone outposts had crumbled, nothing but foundations buried deep under the snow and coated in a layer of permafrost. The trees had grown very tall, and very wide; the snow sat placidly on the branches. The wind blew gently through the trees, the pine needles gently swishing against one another. Wintry foliage covered the trunks, poking up in the snow and crawling between the cracked foundations.

The branches swished, faster; the wind grew upset, billowing through the trees now. A whirl of snowflakes and light blue sparks appeared, poofing out and drifting down into the snow.

Jacqueline watched, vision blurred, as the sparks dissipated, her snow joining the blanket on the ground. She held her breath, fighting the pressure crawling its way up her throat. She pressed her palms against her closed eyes, trying very hard to take a deep breath in without letting the sob escape.

She pushed herself up off the ground, spitting hair out of her mouth and hugging her sides tightly. The pressure was building; her vision kept blurring. She squeezed tighter.

She walked forwards, the snow crunching beneath her boots, her skirt whooshing out and settling back in place. She sniffled; she held her sides tighter, speeding up with a glare. A very wet glare.

It had been the most irritating thing he'd done YET.

The man THAWS, loud enough that it comes right through to her end of the connection she THOUGHT was solidly blocked, and then nothing? He just, waited, for her to make the first move?! Keeping the connection open all year, and then just LEAVING IT? Not USING IT? Not dropping a line or, or anything?

Leaving her with the false hope that he'd actually, for realsies, come home this time?

How stupid she'd been to even think that!

She growled, picking up the pace.

All year, all YEAR she had gotten little wisps, little things bleeding through their connection. Places. People. Errant thoughts. Feelings. And she tried to ignore them, she really, really did. But given that the place she was looking for had come through on one of those leaky thoughts?

Come on Jacqueline, she thought to herself, making her way towards a rather strange outcropping of trees. That's a frostbitten lie if there ever was one.

She wished she could say that she had been ignoring them the entire time. That she had blocked the connection right up as soon as it had suddenly opened with a rush of warmth and a severe craving for salsa and a spicy drink.

But she hadn't.

At first, she left it open until she heard back from Bernard. Maybe she was wrong, and he was still frozen and evil and all that jazz. Wait and see, Jacqueline, she told herself.

But then Bernard confirmed her suspicions. Jack had thawed. Something nobody thought could be done. But it had been.

And then, the what ifs started. What if he reached out? What if he needed something? What if he came home? What if, what if, what if?! And so, she had kept her end open too. You know. Just in case, she kept telling herself, trying very hard to not be too hopeful.

But hope can be hard to ignore.

Goddess above, she felt like a kid all over again. She listened, she watched, she waited; she took note of the little bits that bled through. Just in case. It was never anything concrete, but it was more than she had had in fourteen hundred years.

Winter had turned into spring. Spring into summer. Summer into autumn, and nothing.

Of course.

Why had she expected anything else?

She kicked at a stone in the ground. It sailed in the air, hitting the middle of a very thick pine tree and falling with a plonk.

She had been angry. And had just been getting to the point of begrudging acceptance when Bernard appeared at her doorstep with the news that the Council had enacted the Legate Law; she was needed ASAP.

No questions asked, she had gone right away. Of course she had.

Hope was, after all, hard to ignore.

She stopped in front of the tree, still hugging herself. She looked up into the branches, recalling the snippet that had bled through the most. A decent way above her head, she saw it: the stump.

The images matched.

This was the place.

Jacqueline jumped up, the wind boosting her into the tree. It had once been a very wide evergreen that had, at some point, fallen or been cut down. Several new trees had grown from the stump, sticking out at odd angles, eventually towering over it. Their branches intertwined with one another, forming a very thick canopy over the stump.

She crossed the stump, making her way right across to the trees at the very far back of it. Unblinking, the tears finally starting to leak out, she spun around and collapsed onto the nearest trunk, slowly sinking down to the ground.

She had come to help him, despite it all. And now she was here, and so was he, and he was powerless, and the Dome was MELTING, and she was expected to FIX IT ALL, and she couldn't do it all alone and she had nobody—

Oh, goddess above.

She had one person who'd be able to help her.

And she had nearly ended him on the spot!

Everything hit at once, then. The pressure was too much; she couldn't hold back the tears or the sobs. She hid in her skirt, bringing her legs as close to her chest as possible, trying very hard to muffle the sounds, to keep herself together when she really honestly felt like she was falling apart.

Sometimes, you just have to fall apart a bit.

So that's exactly what Jacqueline did.

She gave in, and let herself have a very good, very, very wet and gross cry about it all. How on Earth was she supposed to do all of this? How on Earth were they supposed to take care of this all? She was so far out of her depth and wanted nothing more than to turn to her brother for help.

Oh, she realized, her head peeking up over her knees.

She missed him.

"Son of a snow queen," she said out loud, resting her head against the trunk (rather hard, she realized with a frown).

She had missed him. She had missed her big brother, despite it all; the day of darkness, the centuries of silence, the post-thaw year, the everything. She missed him! She just wanted him back.

And she had low key botched it completely.

She watched the snow fall down, interrupted by a hiccup every so often as she thought of what to do next. Lady of the Springs, I really did it this time, she thought. As if loosing control and almost ending the one person she kind of really needed right now was enough, she had also lost control in the middle of the North Pole.

She face palmed. That was so STUPID, she thought, loudly. She hiccupped again.

…what was stupid?

The voice, though familiar, surprised her. She hadn't been expecting it.

Elle?

Hey you!

You scared the snow out of me!

I think it's safe to say you did the same to us down here, Elle thought back. Are you okay?

Jacqueline snorted, smiling in spite of herself. "Am I okay. What a loaded question," she said out loud, thinking carefully before giving Elle her answer.

I will be, she thought back. She sighed. I'm really sorry, Elle.

You don't have to apologise. We understand, Elle thought back. It's a lot! There's a lot to unpack.

There is, yeah. But I lost control like, really bad. It's embarrassing! I'm almost two thousand years old! I should know better than to start a blizzard in the middle of the Pole! That's not allowed!

I think we can make an exception, Elle said, and Jacqueline could sense the faint amusement beneath the concern coming through their connection.

The worst part is I embarrassed myself so badly in front of my brother, she admitted, groaning and slumping even more against the trunk. I feel like I frosted everything up! It's just. Everything is just. GAH.

I know. For what it's worth, I don't think anyone here is embarrassed for you, or talking bad or anything like that. Pretty sure everyone knew he had it coming. Point is, we understand! Don't worry about that, okay? Worry about your you.

Jacqueline chuckled. Thanks, Elle. She sighed. What am I gonna do? Where do I even start?

Elle was silent for a moment. Well, are you going to be embarrassed forever? I mean, if you want to start, you know exactly what you need to do. And for what it's worth, I think he of all people understands why you did what you did.

He's the only person that would, Jacqueline admitted, stretching out her legs and crossing her arms. I was so angry! And now I'm—well, I'm not not angry anymore. I just…I missed him, Elle. Like, a lot.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

It feels like it is. And you mean think that, she teased, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Elle laughed. I don't think it's bad to miss your siblings, she said.

Jacqueline felt a little pang of guilt. Sorry, she thought back.

It's okay. I just…I know where you're coming from, dude. You missed him! He's your brother! I get it. He did a lot of terrible things, but that doesn't make you terrible for missing him. Especially since, well. You know first hand how. Well. You know.

Elle didn't need to finish the thought. I know, Jacqueline thought back, hand unconsciously hovering above her gut.

He really does want to make amends, Elle thought. I'm still kind of shocked about it. But it's true. Bernard says there's no better time than the present.

Jacqueline laughed. He would say that. Bet he intends the pun too, right?

Of course!

Of course. Jacqueline sighed, glancing up thoughtfully. I hate puns.

He knows, Elle replied, Jacqueline sensing her laughter easily enough. So what's it gonna be, pal? Gonna hide forever? Or do you want your brother back?

Jacqueline frowned, pulling her legs back up and hugging them again, head resting on her knees. She sighed.

You know my answer to that.

Well, he's ready when you are. Just…let me know where you are, and if you're feeling up to it. If you are, just say the word and I can send him your way.

Jacqueline smiled. Thanks Elle, I appreciate that, but no worries! I can take it from here, she decided.

I'll let him know.

"Well?" Jack asked, the moment Elle stood up. "What did she say? Is she okay? Does she want to…is she okay if we—?"

"She said she'd take it from here," Elle said. "I assume that means that she'll…"

Jack felt the moment she dropped the wall. Elle's sentence drifted off, a rush of warmth encompassing his mind; an image took shape. Snowy tundra, tall, misshapen trees…

Jack frowned. "Really? That's where she went?" he laughed, relieved.

"Did I miss something?" Santa asked, eyebrow quirked.

Jack chuckled. "No, I did," he said.

Santa looked even more confused.

"You know where she is," Elle said.

Jack nodded. "She showed me."

"Well, then, what are you waiting for?!" Santa asked, standing up with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, don't just stand around here waiting," Elle said, hands on her hips. "Get moving!"

"Yeah, Frost. If she's shown you where she is? Looks like you're getting your second chance," Bernard said, with a warm smile.

Everyone stared at him.

"What? Just because I've been finding this whole situation fairly amusing, doesn't mean I don't want them to make up. I know first hand how much she's missed you, Jack," Bernard said, earnest. "So don't lose your second chance!"

"Well, thanks, Bernard. I really-that-it means a lot to me, hearing you say that—"

"Don't ruin the moment," Bernard snapped, raising his hand and cutting the Legend off. "Go get your sister back."

"I will," Jack said, determined.

"Good," Bernard said, nodding in approval.

"Good luck," Santa said.

"And don't blow it," Elle added.

Jack laughed. "I won't. Thanks, Elle. For everything."

"You're welcome."

"Now get moving Jack!" Santa nearly shouted.

And that's just what Jack did. Before Santa could even finish his near-shout, Jack disappeared on the spot, the blue sparks and snow dissipating in the air where he had just been standing.

He had gotten his second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

A/N-Edited as of January 27th, 2017. Brief note: "Pulling an Elle" (Phrase)-In which one overthinks and may make rash decisions, as a result. Anywho, this was a bit of a filler! The Plot Thickened, though, which is exciting. Next up: the last of the sibling angst, fast becoming fluff after.

I did make note of the Legate connection, and though I think it's been well explained, here it is in one place: As Legates, Jack and Jacqueline have a telepathic connection. Linked by a "thread", they can hear each other's thoughts, talk to each other in the mind, directly send thoughts to one another and feel the other's feelings to varying degrees, depending on what they want to share. There's like a shallow version, where if they focus on the other they can get a sense of the aura, and then there's (in the case of The Thaw) an overwhelming feeling that is so big both feel it no matter what, if the connection is not blocked. Which, as a last note, is something they can do: they can block one end of the connection, or the other, or both if they want to for whatever reason.

Do leave reviews and love and shout into the void that is the review box! I really love feedback, honestly I go back and read my reviews over and over to feel great and write an extra mile!