Chapter 8: Aftershock

Jack found himself staggering back a bit as Jacqueline fell forwards, slumping into his arms. He sunk down gently, taking her with him, until they were both on the ground. Jack knelt in the snow, concern lining his features as he searched her face for any signs of life.

"Jacqueline!" Elle shouted, rushing towards them. She slid to a stop on Jack's other side, plopping down on her knees, hands hovering. "Is she okay?"

"She's unconscious," Jack said, frowning, until he noticed the slight rise and fall of her chest. "But breathing," he confirmed, relieved.

The crunch of footsteps reached their ears. Glancing up, both magibeans were relieved to see Santa fast approaching, Bernard right by his side.

"What happened?" Santa asked, stopping in front of the group, panting.

"We're not entirely sure," Elle said.

"Is she okay? How long has she been out for?" Bernard asked, crouching down and getting the jump scare of his life as Jacqueline shot up, gasping for air.

Bernard lost his balance, finding himself seated in the snow. Jack would've had a grand old laugh had he not been focusing on Jacqueline, trying his best to help her get reoriented.

"That was like, five seconds," Elle said, offering Bernard her arm. The elf steadied himself, pulling himself up and bringing Elle with him.

"WHY am I on the FLOOR," Jacqueline finally said, a tad too loud. Her hands flew up to her ears, holding them with a grimace. "My ears are RINGING! WOW!" She pressed down on both of her tragus, squeezing her eyes shut a couple times for good measure.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Elle said, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

"What happened?" Jacqueline asked, pushing herself up a bit. Jack let go of her arm, sitting beside her quietly; watching her very, very carefully.

"We were hoping you'd be able to tell us that," Santa replied, still panting. "Whew! What a run!"

Jacqueline placed a palm against her head, squinting. "Well. I was talking to Elle about running up Jack's tab…" she looked down into the snow, deep in thought. "Something. Something…there was…a thought? Something was…I was trying to stop something from…thinking? OW!"

Her hands swung up, holding her head once again. "I can't—I can't get—I can't…it hurts," she said. "It hurts to try and remember. I can't. I can't remember?!"

She dropped her hands, looking panicked.

"Maybe we can help!" Santa said, ever the optimist. "Were you trying to get something? Grab something?"

"Get rid of something, maybe?" Bernard asked.

"Get out of somewhere?"

"I don't know!" Jacqueline said, panicking. "I can't remember! The more I try the more it hurts and goes away and—"

"It's okay," Jack said. "Stop trying. It's only going to make the headache worse," he said. "And that's more than enough from the three of you," Jack scolded.

"We're just trying to help!" Santa defended.

"Well you're not! You're only making her feel worse."

"She can speak for herself," Jacqueline said. "Tone it down a notch Jack. They were just trying to help," she said gently, patting his knee very fast. "Why can't I remember?" she asked him.

Jack blinked, taken aback. "I'm not sure," he said, cautiously. "If I were to guess, I'd say a side effect from what just happened. Making it magical in nature. Which checks out, of course, from what we saw," he said, gears turning as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"I didn't peg ya for the scholarly type, Jack," Santa said, kind of surprised.

"What's the point of living for millenniums if you don't learn as much as you can while doing so?" Jack said. "I was a curious kid, and my parents weren't the type to eschew curiosity. They encouraged it! Quite a bit, actually."

"For all of us," Jacqueline confirmed.

"Huh," Santa said, adding the Jack lore drop to the Jack file in his brain.

"What happened? What did you guys see?" Jacqueline asked.

"See for yourself," Bernard said, gesturing behind himself.

Jacqueline shuffled forwards on her knees, peering around Jack.

The square was a bit of a mess. Nasty miniature snowdrifts lined the square unevenly. Icicles were all over the place—in every surface, all over the floor. The sides of the Grille and the shop across the street from it all had round pops of snow stuck to them, as though snowballs had hit the wall really hard and then splattered against them. That's actually exactly what they were, Jacqueline realized.

But she hadn't done anything like that.

Had she?

She glanced down at her hands, perturbed.

"Do you all mean to tell me that I did all of that?"

Santa shrugged. Bernard rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"Yeah," Elle finally said, reluctantly. "You did. But like, not on purpose!"

"You were fighting something the whole time," Jack assured her. "Elle and I tried our best to get through to you, but whatever it was you were trying to do…you were really set on it."

"I wish I could remember what it was," she said with a sad sigh, clasping her hands together and resting them gently in her lap.

"Did someone call for a medic?!" A young elf had arrived on scene, a medical bag on their back and a small syringe with a clear liquid in their hand.

"What the frost is that?!" Jacqueline asked, shying away from the needle.

"A lil' bit of sedative," said the medic, chipper. Elle tensed; Bernard flung his arm out in front of her. "I was told you may need it, but you seem fine!" they said with a careless wave. "Very chill, I might add."

"Who said she needed to be sedated?!" Jack asked, aghast.

"Some of the elves running in! I know they weren't official orders, but I thought it best to be prepared for anything and everything!" The medic said with a grin, and a little fist pump. "I've got everything in here," they said, patting the bag on their back. "Everything."

"Okay, maybe put the sharp object away, please?" Bernard suggested, since the elf talked with their hands and the needle was getting too close for comfort.

"Oh yeah! Right-O, sorry about that!" They opened the bag and placed the needle in a case. "I'll dispose of that properly back in the Elfirmiry. Now then! Miss Frost! How're you feeling?"

"Fine. I'm really, honestly, properly fine," she said, shooing away her friends and getting up. She winced, stumbling a bit as she got up much too fast. She rubbed her head and squinted. "Yeah. Absolutely, totally fine. What are you doing?"

"Trying to check your vitals but you're not staying still!" said the medic, shooing away her sleeve.

"Because I'm fine. Really," Jacqueline said, snatching her sleeve out of the medic's hand. "But thank you for your concern…" she trailed off, looking at the medic expectantly.

"Jamie! Jamie the Medic! It's a pleasure."

"Right. Thanks for your concern Jamie, but I'm honestly okay."

"Aside from forgetting everything that just happened?!" Jack said, standing up, hands on his hips. "Not to mention the headache, ringing ears, and dizzy spell? And don't try to deny that one, we all saw that happen."

"I just got up too fast is all! It's fine," Jacqueline said, with a careless wave of her own.

"You WHAT? Jacqueline, concussions are no joke," Jamie said, intense.

"I'm not concussed!"

"We don't know that for sure! I strongly recommend a trip to the Elfirmiry, to get you checked out at the base level at least and make sure everything is a-okay!"

"I'm fine," Jacqueline insisted, once again. "Besides, this place is a HUGE mess and I'm not going to leave it for everyone else to clean up!"

"Yes you are," Bernard said.

"At least let me help clean it up," Jacqueline said, raising a glowing hand.

"There's really no need, Jacqueline," Bernard said, gently pushing her hand down. "Elle and I can handle this just fine. You really should go straight to the Elfirmiry."

"It brings me no joy to say this," Jack said, "But I agree with Bernard. That was…a lot just happened, Jacqueline. And we have no idea what it was. And you just conked out like THAT," he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis, "After the whole ordeal! You may feel fine, but it's not a bad idea to check and make sure you are fine, you know, have a medical professional sign off on that and what have you. And then rest. Lady knows you need it," Jack said.

Touched by her brother's concern, Jacqueline looked away, frowning. "Alright, fine. I'll go. But first!" she said, whipping around, her hair nearly whacking Jack in the face. "I'm gonna help clean up this mess," she said.

"Jacqueline, you just like. FAINTED. You sure you should be using magic right now?"

Jacqueline scoffed, turning back around to face Elle. "It's fine," she said, walking backwards towards the centre of the square. "I've had these powers for almost two thousand years! I'm good. Now then!" she said, whipping back around. "Let's clean this mess!"

Ignoring the torrent of protest that everyone immediately spouted, Jacqueline stopped in the centre of the square. She took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, shifted back and stretched out her hands. The icicles impaled in the buildings and ground began to shake. Peeking at her work with one eye, Jacqueline brought her hands forwards, slowly, the shaking icicles popping out of the walls and coming to rest, gently floating in front of her. The shards of ice all over the square zipped out of the snow and followed, joining the massive floating ice pile, waiting.

Opening her other eye now, Jacqueline grinned. "Nice! Now where to put it all…"

Still holding her arms out, she glanced around the square, surveying the space she had to work with. Too close to the shops…that location would be too close to the Workshop entrance…Oh! That was a nice corner spot! But that was too close to the road, it would disrupt traffic. Her eyes landed on the Merry-Go-Round, and she grinned. "Perfect."

Jacqueline turned in her spot, arms still outstretched. The swath of ice followed, flattening out as it soared over the heads of her friends, conjuring quite the breeze. The sheet of ice settled a foot or so away from the Merry-Go-Round, forming into the freshest ice rink you ever did see.

"Ta-da!" Jacqueline said, gesturing to her ice rink like the lady who gestured to the words on the board in Wheel of Fortune. "All fixed! And look!" She twirled around again, conjuring a fierce wind as she did. The glass shards, bouncy ball remains, intact bouncy balls, and broken ornaments were all blown together in one convenient pile, away from traffic.

Santa let out a low whistle. "Wow."

"And you think I'm a show off," Jack replied.

"I can see where she gets it from," Santa joked back. "I think she's right; it seems like she's fine!"

"Emphasis on the seems," Jack said with a frown.

"Jack. She just created a whole ice rink in the middle of my courtyard! I don't think someone who wasn't fine would be able to do that."

"Unless they wanted to avoid letting on to the fact that they weren't fine," Bernard suggested.

"Thank you, Bernie! At least someone here is talking sense!"

"Don't call me that."

"At least she's not over exerting herself," Elle said with a concerned frown.

"That's everything, right?" Jacqueline asked, approaching the group.

"YES," Bernard and Elle both insisted.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot," she said, stopping in her steps and smacking her forehead. "Cracked windows."

Elle and Bernard shared a look, the latter sighing.

"What was that about over exerting herself again?" Jack asked, as Jacqueline approached the cracked windows.

"Jacqueline!" Santa shouted. "Don't worry about that! We have guys for that!"

"It's nothing Santa, really!" Jacqueline insisted.

"Exactly!" Bernard said. "It's nothing! Just a few cracks! Really, Jacqueline, we can handle it."

"It's no use, guys," Jack said, crossing his arms. "She's as stubborn as I am. Just let her get it out of her system," he said, watching as she approached the windows, gently placing her palms on them.

Frost spread out all over the window, coating the frame, filling the cracks, and mixing with the glass. Closing her fists, the ice solidified until it was clear enough to see right through—and hopefully, sturdy enough to hold until they could be replaced properly.

"There! I'm sure this has set you a little more ahead in catching up now," she said proudly, hands on her hips.

"Jacqueline, you goof, it wasn't that bad to begin with!" Elle said.

"It was maybe a little bad," Santa said.

"Not as bad as yesterday though," Bernard said, grabbing his radio quickly and stepping away.

"And now it'll be way easier to take care of!" Jacqueline said, finally rejoining the group. "You're welcome."

"It'll be easy enough to replace the decorations and the balls. We can use the pantograph for that," Elle thought out loud.

"And I've already called construction to check on any structural damage. And to reinforce the windows," Bernard said, returning to the group and stopping on Jacqueline's other side.

"Awh, look at the three of us go," Jacqueline said, throwing her arms over their shoulders. "We are so on top of things!" she said with a grin, squishing the two bemused head elves. "We make quite the team, don't we?"

"Okay, that's more than enough out of you," Jack said. He stared at the trio and made a shooing motion with his hands. Jacqueline looked clueless. Both elves sighed and gently slipped out of Jacqueline's hug.

She crossed her arms. "C'mon. C'mon. That was impressive, right? Right?"

"Baby stuff but yes, impressive, nonetheless. I'd be very proud if, you know, you hadn't just had a magical misdemeanour that ended in a FAINT."

"Proud?" Santa asked, sounding inches away from distraught.

"Well, yeah! You think anyone could've made a quality rink like that? Or, or fixed windows with ice in such a way that they still function as windows?! She learnt from the best!"

"Oh!" Jacqueline said suddenly, running towards the ice rink.

"Running from her problems," Bernard said. "Yeah, she definitely learnt from the best."

"You know, I've had about enough from the peanut gallery over here," Jack said with a frown, glaring at Bernard amidst Elle and Santa's laughter.

"I'm here all night," Bernard replied with a terse smile.

Hopping onto the ice, Jacqueline slid around the perimeter, hands out. As she slid by, snow popped out of the ground, forming a thick border around the rink. It was short enough to not be obtrusive to the eye, but tall enough to stop people from accidentally stepping down onto the ice and sliding right across the square.

"I almost forgot!" she shouted back, still sliding around the ice. "Safety hazards!"

All four magibeans blinked, sharing looks with one another.

"We should really get her to the Elfirmiry," Santa said. "Maybe drag her, if we have to."

"I can go talk to her," Elle began, only to crash right into Jack's outstretched arm.

"No need, Ellington. I'll handle it."

"You sure Jack?" Santa said.

"Absolutely. It's what big brothers do, after all, right? No more running away from problems. I think I've done that a bit too much in my life time, as Bernard has so obviously pointed out."

"I thought I was being pretty subtle," Bernard said.

Elle snorted. "No you didn't."

He shrugged in response, with a cheeky grin.

"Look, you guys go do whatever it is you need to be doing right now. I'll take care of Jacqueline."

"If you can't get her to the Elfirmiry, at least make sure she rests," said Jamie the Medic, who had been watching bemused from the sidelines. "Any of us Medics can pop in to check on her as well. Hismus may insist once he hears about this, anyway."

"I'll get her to the Elfirmiry. If you don't mind waiting around, that is."

"Yeah, sure thing Mr. Frost," Jamie said, saluting.

"Well if you've got this under control, I've got some letters to read. If you need anything Jack, let me know."

"Sure thing, Santa."

"B and I will be around here for a little bit too. If you need reinforcements—"

"I'll holler. Thanks, Elle."

Jack made his way leisurely to the ice rink as the clean up crew began to arrive. He watched Jacqueline from a distance. She skated around, pulling elves onto the ice and twirling them away, the munchkins laughing up a storm as they crashed into their friends. She smiled softly. Tired, Jack noticed, her hand briefly rubbing her temples. The tell-tale signs of a nasty bad headache, perhaps?

How's your head? He thought at her, tense until he felt the thought leave his end of the connection.

She frowned in his direction, watching as he stopped at the edge of the ice. I don't know what you're talking about, she insisted, looking huffy.

Oh please, Jack thought back, stopping Jacqueline when she skated by his perch. Rubbing your head? Nasty little dizzy spell over there? Ears ringing? Sounds like somebody has a migraine coming on.

Jacqueline sighed. "Okay fine, yes, maybe a little. I just…" she took a deep breath in. "I don't know what that was. I have no idea what happened, and no memory of any of it, which is even worse," she hissed. "I did some decent amount of damage, too, and…" she frowned, glancing down. I'm scared, she admitted, mentally. That was scary.

"Oh," Jack said out loud, thoughtful. It's…okay to be scared, Jacqueline. It was a scary moment, after all. Even I was scared!

Jacqueline snorted. "You? Never!"

"A little bit!" Jack said. "Just a tad."

"Of me?" she asked, worry clouding her features.

"For you," Jack clarified.

"Oh," she said, looking away. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

"I mean, if you're asking, my face did get—" He stopped abruptly when Jacqueline looked up, distraught. "Everyone's fine! Nobody's hurt. It wasn't even my good side," he assured her. "Really it's-it's fine."

"Okay. Good," she said, finally stepping off the rink. She sighed. "I guess there's no way to avoid the Elfirmiry, is there?"

"Nope!" Jack said, cherry. "Not in the slightest! I mean, look how scary our escort is," he said, gesturing over his shoulder at Jamie the medic. They were waiting by the stairs into the Workshop, looking patient in a fierce kind of way, aside from their foot tapping the ground repeatedly.

Jacqueline smiled the littlest bit, still looking unsure.

"I'll stick with you the entire time," Jack said.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright," Jacqueline said, finally relenting. "Let's go."

"Thank GOD," Jack said, gesturing his sister forward. "Because this rink is getting uncomfortably full of munchkins."

Jacqueline laughed, following her brother silently as they made their way to the Workshop, the medic more than happy to finally escort them up.

After last year's shenanigans, the renovations to the Elfirmiry had been completely overhauled. Under Bernard's guidance, and with much protest from Santa's extended family, and the elves after baby Buddy was born, the original Elfirmiry (affectionately referred to as a "broom closet" by Mr. Newman) had become a first-aid office. Located just outside of the Workshop, it served as a central hub for small injuries across the entire Pole. A whole team of medics now staffed the first-aid office, patrolling the different quadrants of Elfsburg and helping not just the elves in the Workshop, but the elves who ran businesses and worked outside of the shop, in town. The medics had proved to be a very beneficial addition to the Pole, quickly expanding with two more locations planned deeper into Elfsburg, to increase their range, staffing, and response time.

With roving medics, this gave ample time to the medical staff to bring the Elfirmiry up to date. Relocated into the Workshop, The Elfirmiry was now its own wing, far more functional than it was before. Hismus was no longer the only doctor; a couple of others were being trained by him, taking evening shifts and weekends to make sure there was always a medical professional available for the elves.

The space was large, with some smaller beds for the elves against one wall, and regular sized beds for visitors, guests, and residents who weren't elf sized against the others. The ceiling was high, thick brown pillars trimmed with gold stretching tall above them, wide windows letting in lots of light. The wing curved, the beds located just around the bend, the entrance of the wing dedicated to reception, triage, and office space, with examination offices on the left.

Jamie led them right towards the beds, pointing sharply at Jacqueline, and then at the empty bed in front of them. The moment the sprite sat down, Jamie began to fuss, eventually relinquishing their patient to Dr. Hismus, who was on the floor that afternoon.

"Everything appears to be normal," Hismus finally said, after a standard exam. "Temperature is as cold as should be, that's good! No concussion, also good," he said, chuckling. "As for the headache, take some acetaminophen and rest! It's best to let the headache run its course."

"What about the memory loss?" Jack asked, ignoring the glare Jacqueline sent his way.

"Well, it could be a lot of things," Hismus began. "You're not concussed, so we know it's not that!" he said, laughing. "You may have blocked out what happened! Some magical maladies will do that, if it's particularly traumatic for the brain. Maybe yours did it to protect you! Magical maladies tend to badly effect fae who are a bit more receptive to emotions, a category sprites do fall under," Hismus reminded them, with yet another laugh. "Now, if we wanted to really dig in and come up with a more concrete answer, instead of mere speculation, there are a whole host of tests we can perform right here!" Hismus said gleefully, passing Jacqueline a rolled-up piece of parchment.

She shook it open, the scroll unrolling very fast, hitting the floor and billowing out just below her hovering boot. Jack leaned over her, skimming the list himself, eyebrows raised.

"This is…a lot," Jacqueline said, overwhelmed.

"There's also a handful of magical tests that we could perform as well!" Hismus added. He snapped his fingers, the list below Jacqueline's dangling boot suddenly unravelling even more, stopping only when it hit the leg of the bedpost across from them.

Quickly pulling the list up, the top portion hanging over her hands, Jacqueline skimmed the remainder of the list with a distasteful frown. "Yeah I think I'll uh, pass on those," she said, throwing the list into Jack's chest. He had grimaced too, when he read it, and was more than happy to crumple it up and throw it into the nearest waste bin.

"Do think about them, though. I'm sure Adrira would be more than happy to help if it's a magical situation. She's our resident expert on magical ailments and such!"

"I will absolutely keep that in mind," Jacqueline said, trying to stealthily slide off of the bed.

"Excellent!" Hismus said with a loud clap, startling both sprites and masking Jacqueline's boots clicking on the floor as she landed. "Take some Fae Brand, or Elf-vil; both should work. Get some rest, and stay in minimal light. Keep the magic use to a minimum, as well; if it is a magical malady, you don't want to aggravate it while your body processes and flushes it out," he said, with yet another laugh. "Follow those instructions and you should be ship-shape by noon! Then if you'd like, we can look into those other tests."

"We'll let you know," Jack said quickly, noting Jacqueline's general unease. Pushing off of the iron footboard, Jack made to leave.

"We're good to go?" Jacqueline asked, taking a tentative step forward.

"Absolutely! If you need anything, let us know directly or, find a medic. They'll get the message to us posthaste," Hismus said, his final chuckle falling on deaf ears.

And so, Jacqueline had listened.

Not like she had much of a choice, really. Jack certainly was a force to be reckoned with, and she was sure Bernard and Elle would know what Hismus had said and be on her back if she tried to go about her day as though nothing had happened. And something had happened! Something strange, and not at all what she had hoped would happen today! The whole situation was weird, and her head was hurting enough that she did want to try and sleep it off.

She sighed, walking alongside Jack through the halls of the guest wing. The silence between them was comfortable, which was a nice change. Yesterday's tense walk up to the walls felt so long ago.

Something was off, though. There was just something about Jack's demeanour that was concerning her. Sure he seemed nonchalant, walking with his hands in his pockets, casually strolling, but he was very quiet. Mentally, as well. It seemed like he was in deep thought about…something.

Jacqueline thought for a moment before speaking up. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, of course. I was just thinking about your little storm back there."

"Blegh."

Jack snorted. "Someone has to. It certainly was quite the, ah, flurry."

"Flurries are NICE," Jacqueline said with a huff. "That back there…that wasn't nice at all. And I can't even remember what I was on about!" she sighed.

"What about before the storm? Do you remember anything? At all?"

Jacqueline's forehead wrinkled as she tried to recall. "Barely. It's like. I keep trying to remember, and then I think I do, but then my head hurts even more and just pbbt," she said, blowing a raspberry. "Nothing. Nada. Zip, zilch, zero. Just. One minute talking to Elle, the next minute about to fall over. But it was like…"

"Don't go too far trying to remember," Jack cautioned. "I shouldn't have asked. I know it's not something you want to talk about right now—"

"—No, it's okay, Jack. You're right. Someone's got to," she said, speaking over Jack and interrupting him. "It's hard to explain. I kept. Seeing something, I think, and then, I think someone was thinking at me—" she held her head, squinting. "It felt like I wasn't here, but somewhere else? And the thoughts," she said, forehead wrinkling.

"Jacqueline, don't overexert yourself. You heard what Hismus said."

"I know! I just. The thoughts. They weren't mine but they were? Someone else was—GAH!" she held her head, eyes shut tight as she tried, desperately, to recall anything. "I can't remember!"

"It's okay!" Jack said, stopping and placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Jacqueline."

She relaxed, letting go of her head and looking a little red. Her eyes were watery. She rubbed them on her sleeve. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Jack assured.

"Okay."

"Chin up, sister dear!" Jack said, taking the few steps forward to her room door, pulling down the handle. "A bit of rest and you'll be as fresh as freshly fallen snow. Then you can go back to kicking my butt," Jack said, with a small smile.

Jacqueline laughed. "That thought will surely get me through this long and perilous evening," she joked, popping into her room. She was hit with a wave of exhaustion the moment she crossed the threshold.

"Happy to help," Jack said with a little shrug. "And, um, listen," he said, uncharacteristically sincere. Jacqueline tilted her head. "If you remember anything at all, or need anything, or feel like talking out all your options or whatever…I'm a thought away," he added, with yet another shrug. "And just down the hall, if you need anything."

Jacqueline smiled, leaning on the doorframe. "Thanks Jack," she said, warmly.

"Don't mention it," he said, pushing off the door and heading off down the hall.

What a dweeb, Jacqueline thought to herself, watching him leave and sensing how flustered he felt over their connection.

Jack turned the corner, stopping when he was out of sight. He tilted his head, waiting until he heard the gentle click of her door before he continued on his way.

It's funny how fast things can change.

At least, that's what Jacqueline found herself thinking the next morning.

She lay in front of the fireplace, curled up underneath the duvet and face down on the floor. Below her, a thick book lay open, the firelight casting flickering shadows on the page. The floor was freezing, which she quite liked. It helped with the headache. It was ebbing away slowly.

Jacqueline was convinced that it would've gone away AGES ago if her BROTHER, who she hadn't heard from at ALL up until a few days ago, would stop being a CONSTANT PRESENCE IN HER MIND for one second! The man was being RUTHLESS in his older brother duties, and Jacqueline was this close to stomping over to his room and smothering him with a pillow.

He had been checking in at the littlest sound. If he hadn't heard from her in a bit, he'd pop in and check on her. It was beginning to get very, very annoying, she thought with a heavy sigh.

Everything okay?

"For the love of WINTER." Jacqueline slammed her book shut, sitting up and glaring at the fireplace angrily.

I'm FINE! She thought back. It was just a SIGH! People SIGH, Jack.

Alright, chill! I was just checking! You never know.

She took a deep breath before replying.

I'm fine, Jack. The headache is barely there; quite frankly it'd probably go away fully if you stopped BUGGING ME. She stopped, frowning. Took another moment to collect herself before continuing the thought, calmly. I appreciate the support, Jack, but holy moley dude. Why do you insist on checking up on me every time you hear the littlest noise?

The connection was quiet. There was a long bout of silence, interrupted only by the cracking of the fireplace, before she got her reply.

I lost my sister out of my own selfishness fourteen hundred years ago. I just got her back. I don't want anything to happen to her, so excuse me for being ever so vigilant.

Jacqueline blinked, completely thrown off. There was another long silence before she replied.

Thanks, she thought at him. I'll be okay, though. Promise. Anything happens you'll be first to know. Now could you please lay off and take a nap or something? Yeesh.

Silence fell, finally, for a moment. Cautiously, Jacqueline opened her book, hoping to pick up where she left off.

I don't nap, Jack's voice interrupted. She snapped the book shut, annoyed. I lounge.

Sure you do, Jacqueline thought back, rolling her eyes.

The connection went properly quiet, finally. Jacqueline sighed, placing her book on the coffee table and laying back down on the floor, bundling herself tighter and watching the flames dance about.

Are you awake?

Jacqueline smiled, this voice a welcome one. Sure am! What's up?

There was a knocking at the door. It's me! Can I come in?

Jacqueline laughed. "Like a door would stop you!" she shouted at the door.

It flew open, Elle stepping into the room. "I thought I'd be polite, in case you were resting," she said, gently closing the door shut behind her. "But next time I'll just let out a battle cry and knock the door down, if you prefer." Jacqueline snorted. Elle frowned, looking around the empty room. "Are you invisible?"

"Just hiding," Jacqueline said, springing up into a sit. "Boo."

Elle made her way to the couch, folding her arms on the top of the backrest and grinning at her friend. "You're not scary in the slightest!"

Jacqueline shrugged the blanket off. "Well that's good to know. Ou, what's that?"

"Oh, this?" Elle asked, lifting up her hand. She was holding what looked to be an envelope. "My excuse to come check in on you," Elle said.

"For me?!" Jacqueline asked, grandly, hand on her chest. She hopped onto the couch, making to grab the envelope. Elle whooshed it away. "Hey!"

Elle laughed. "Sorry! Sorry, it was very tempting. Here you go," she said, passing the envelope to Jacqueline. "Can you turn invisible?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Jacqueline said, looking up from the envelope. "I can! Both on command and unintentionally," she said, seating herself on the couch proper. "It's kind of hard to explain. It's like—"

"Like the perception filter on the TARDIS in Doctor Who?" Elle said, walking around the couch.

Jacqueline's sentence died in her throat. "Yeah, like the TARDIS's perception filter. Exactly like that."

"Well THAT explains a lot," Elle said, thinking back to the countless times she could've sworn Jacqueline was nearby, but hadn't seen her.

"Come sit," Jacqueline said, patting the seat beside her. Elle plopped down happily, sliding closer to Jacqueline and throwing the duvet over both of them.

"It is so toasty in here," Elle began, "and you are still absolutely freezing."

"I'm my own walking AC unit," she joked, flipping the envelope. Her eyes lit up when she saw the sender names on the flap.

Blaise & Winter, it read, the orange pen sparkling in the firelight.

"It's from home!" Jacqueline said, excited.

"Delightful!" Elle said, just as excited. She snuggled in closer. "You did leave in a bit of a rush."

"Yeah, and I said I'd be right back. Two days ago. Well, better they send me a letter then pop in unexpectedly. I had to send word to them at some point, anyway. Now all I'll have to do is write them back," she said. Placing the letter on the coffee table in front of them, she snuggled back up against Elle, resting her head on the elf's shoulders. "Not too cold?"

"Nope! Between the blanket and the fire, I'm perfectly fine sitting right beside a walking AC unit," Elle teased. "See, I always assumed you wouldn't feel the cold because of that, but instead you're constantly seeking out warmth. Like a lizard."

Jacqueline made a little hissy sound, sticking out her tongue.

"Lizards don't hiss recreationally!" Elle said, laughing.

"This one does!" Jacqueline said. "I think it's the summer sprite blood," she added, thoughtfully. "Mom never bundles whenever any one of us think it's chilly. She's like oh, really now? Chilly? Feels perfect to me," Jacqueline said, putting on an accent and speaking an octave higher. "Which makes sense since she's, you know, immune to the cold. I think being part summer sprite messes with the cold receptors a bit. Like, we're good with the cold but always want to bundle up," she finished, laying her head back down on the elf's shoulder with a sigh.

Elle tucked the blanket in closer around them, resting her head on top of her friend's snowy hair. "Thought about what to tell your parents yet?"

Jacqueline sighed. "No. I'm not even sure I should tell them about the blackout."

"Why not?"

"They'll worry a bunch. Then they'd really pop in unexpectedly, and I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with that just yet," she said, glancing off to the side, in the direction of Jack's quarters, Elle noted. "It's only happened once, right? Maybe it won't happen again? And then I won't need to tell them, period."

"They'd want to know regardless," Elle pointed out. "You're calling it a blackout?"

"Yeah. I mean…that's what it felt like! Jack called it a flurry, but flurries are nice. That wasn't. And I just forgot everything! Like that! It may have looked like a storm on the outside, but on the inside…there's just. Nothing. I'm drawing a blank," she said with a sigh.

Elle paused. "If you feel up to it at all, I could maybe try and help with that. I'm not sure how, but I have a feeling the telepathy may come in handy with that. But only if you want to! I don't want to. You know."

Jacqueline nodded, well aware of Elle's thoughts in terms of telepathy and personal headspace. "I know. And I dunno if that will help. I try to remember, I really do, but it actually hurts when I try. And I have this feeling that it might be a magical thing. I'm not going to dwell on it, though. Just gonna focus on getting back on my feet so that we're back to one winter sprite being out of commission, instead of two. We only have so many Jack Frosts!"

Elle laughed at that. "You shouldn't brush it off, though, Jacquie."

She sighed. "Yeah. I know. It's just…it's scary, you know? And I did a lot of damage. And on top of yesterdays incident?" she added, pulling the blanket closer around her and burrowing into Elle's shoulder. "Bernard's probably so unamused and wow, this was such a bad first impression with Santa and Mrs. Claus!"

Elle threw an arm around her friend, hugging her as best as she could. "Oh, please. You two go way back. Has B ever been mad at you before? Like rightfully, properly mad?"

"Not in this timeline," she muttered, piquing Elle's curiosity. "But no, not rightly upset ever. He's always been understanding and supportive and such. You lucked out, Elle," Jacqueline said, glancing up with a playful nudge.

"I know," Elle replied, softly. "He's just worried about you, snow buddy. We all are. We just want to make sure you're all right. That's why I came to check up on you! The letter really was an excuse. A well timed one! It's been impossible to come see you. Between Hismus's orders and Jack's over protectiveness? Yeesh."

"DON'T get me started," Jacqueline said, springing up again, annoyed. "I'm basically under room arrest! The littlest sound, Elle, a sneeze, a cough, a sigh, and BAM! There he is! In my head! Checking up on me! And then, I accidentally dropped my book, and he was at the door in like. Five seconds flat. Like. IT'S A HEFTY BOOK, JACK!"

Elle glanced at the book on the coffee table. It was hefty. "Last one, huh?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Yep! Only reading it now. Have you read it yet?"

"Yep! Didn't like the epilogue too much. The names for the second gen? You're gonna hate them," Elle said, with a confident wave.

Jacqueline laughed. "I can't wait to complain about it with you."

"I look forward to it!" Elle said with a soft smile. "It's so weird."

"The book or?"

"Ha, no, not the book. Jack. He really cares about you, you know. It's…weird to see. Not because it's weird for someone to care about you, like, that's not at all what I meant—"

"Yeah, no, I gethcya."

"It's just, I never expected it, from him! I know you both missed each other, but like, seeing it? It's wild."

"Well," Jacqueline said, thoughtful, leaning back in the cushions. "Our age difference is pretty darn big. He's old enough to be my dad. And he was kind of like my third parent, when I was little. I'm sure that plays a part. And he taught me everything I know! Mom finished up, but he left a lot of knowledge just laying around that ah, yours truly ended up finding."

"So he really taught you everything you know."

"Yup. And I'm sure once he realizes it, he'll critique the sleet out of my form or technique or whatever," she said with a fond chuckle. "I had always hoped he'd come back, but I never actually expected it. Especially all thawed and whatnot."

"Girl, tell me about it," Elle replied. "It took me forever to get used to it. It was so strange seeing him all melted and such, being nice and what have you all over the Pole. Especially after everything B and I had to deal with?"

"Pocket watch," Jacqueline said with a sage little nod. "Do we have a snazzy name for that?"

"Watchverse," Elle said.

"Ou, I like that!"

Elle laughed. "Better than saying the pocket watch incident, right?"

"Much."

"He really has changed," Elle said, laughter trailing off. "It's wild."

"I know. And I'm dying to get him back in working order. Goddess above, he looks like a NERD."

"You should've seen him right after he thawed. Santa described him as looking very Mr. Bean."

Jacqueline cackled. "What a DWEEB!"

Both girls descended into a fit of giggles. Once they had stopped, looked at each other and started up again, then properly stopped, Jacqueline leant against the couch and sighed. "I guess I should crack open that letter, huh?"

"Please do! I'm dying to know what they said. If you don't mind me snooping a bit."

"Not at all!" Jacqueline said, reaching forward and grabbing the envelope. Conjuring a flat piece of sharp ice, she sliced the side open, a thick sheet of paper sliding out. It had four or five folds to it, and upon closer inspection (and feel), seemed more like parchment paper than regular paper.

"Hefty," Elle said.

"Very," Jacqueline agreed, the letter unfolding in her hands. She gave it a once over, and promptly snorted. "Elle, look. They both wrote," she said with a giggle.

The sheet was long, with two very different writing styles, and two very different font colours. The opening was the same orange as the envelope, sparkling a bit. It was printed, very neatly, ebbing into cursive every so often, with a dash of shorthand sprinkled in. Below that (after a few lines of the colours battling for dominance) were a couple of blue paragraphs, written in a loopy, neat cursive.

"Looks like Dad started writing and Mom hijacked it halfway through."

"I can't wait to hear this," Elle said, reading over Jacqueline's shoulder.

Jacqueline.

I hope—sorry, we hope (your Mother says hello) that this letter finds you well.

When you didn't appear back at home after Bernard came to fetch you, we assumed that you'd been detained at the Pole and thought it best to write you. How's it going up North? A magical place, though it has been centuries since I personally visited. Very memorable though—magical atmosphere, made me feel like a kid all over again! Did you know that the Workshop molds itself to every Santa? Imagine that! Constantly changing! I couldn't even begin to picture how it looks these days.

That's enough beating around the bush, I think. Your Mother is giving me the eyes. I'll cut to the chase, then. They've enacted the Legate Law, correct? That being the case, what's happened? Is it your brother? Is he okay? We talked about what happened last year a handful of times, but tell me, Jacqueline. Is it true? Has he really thawed?

We were hoping to hear back from Mother Nature sooner rather than later, but we haven't had word from her yet. Given that she is a busy woman, your Mother thought it would be best to check in with you first before she barges into the Garden to interrogate your poor Grandmother.

The writing smudged suddenly, the ink changing.

Rest assured, Jacqueline darling, I will not be barging in and harassing Mother Nature as your father has so lovingly suggested here—

The writing smudged again, the corner of Jacqueline's mouth twitching, a smile threatening to break through.

Yes you will, Winter dear. You know it, I know it, Jacqueline knows it! Now then! Where was I? Ah! Yes!

We are of course a little bit worried. I know, I know, you're nineteen hundred years old and have assured us many times that you're fine and we need to worry less. Unfortunately we're contractually obligated to worry about all of our kids. Whatever the situation down there, we send you our love, and strength, and we hope you stay safe, snow angel.

Your Mother's making grabby hands and brandishing her favourite pen like a bat. She wants a turn, so I'll wrap this up quickly. We miss you lots! The Twins are quite the handful with one less winter sprite around! We'll talk soon, kiddo. Love you lots—

Jacqueline laughed, the smile breaking free now. The writing smudged; there were a couple of blots of ink splattering the page, a quick little game of tic-tac-toe (the blue O's winning), and finally, the blue pen took over.

Hello Jacqueline! Do ignore your father, he's being quite the silly man today—

I am not! Your mother is being far sillier than me and has kidnapped my chair—

He is being even sillier! Stop writing over my shoulder—

Jacqueline laughed again, noticing another three games of tic-tac-toe on the paper, (blue o's taking two of the three games) and finally, the unbroken blue paragraphs.

Jacqueline darling,

That's much better, isn't it?

Hello! I hope all is well. That Bernard, always in a rush. He whisked you out of here so fast we barely had time to process! Depending on how fast the postage is, it's only been two or three days without you around, and we miss you quite a bit! The house is unbelievably warm and I think I may turn into a puddle any moment now! The North Pole must be quite the welcome relief compared to home right now!

How is it? Are you eating well? Are you comfortable? Did Mother Nature give you a full briefing upon your arrival? I'm certain she did, but like your father said, we worry. I suspect, though, that the answer is quite obvious, isn't it? It's your brother, I'm sure. Has something happened? Is what you felt true? Has he been thawed? I'm sure you've seen for yourself by now. Are you alright? Adjusting well? How about your brother?

I know that this must be so much for you right now, darling. I know how angry you must be; how upset. I understand completely. I hope though, in the event that you have reunited with your brother, you are both able to work through things together and mend bridges. I know you've missed him.

Your other siblings, meanwhile, are so full of questions it's unreal. Fair warning for you: Fino has a list, and it is growing. I've told them to keep it for your return, as you'll be much better suited to answer the questions they have than your father and I presently are!

Curiosity aside, the two of them have been causing all sorts of trouble in such a small amount of time. Fino brought in a bunch of stray cats the other day. They were cold, apparently. I believe he has since rehomed them all, though I suspect he may be hiding one somewhere. I tried to keep them out of your room, what with all the shedding. I believe I was successful!

Your sister, meanwhile, decided to shadow me while you've been working. Followed me all around the house, helping out here and there! I left her alone for a few minutes and came back to find that she had made a lava cake. With real lava. We're not sure where she got the lava from. She thought it was SUPPOSED to be lava, if you'll believe that! Not liquid chocolate!

The Twins say hello! Fiera wanted to save you some lava cake. Don't worry, I shot that idea down quite fast. Do send our regards to Bernard and Elle! And please, let us know how things are going. We're here if you need us, dear.

Your father and I love you very much! We hope to hear from you soon.

Yours,

Winter and Blaise.

"My parents send their regards," Jacqueline said, with a cheeky grin.

Elle laughed. "I know! I read. Tell them we say hi back when you reply!"

"Of course!"

"Sounds like it's been a wild couple of days over there."

Jacqueline chuckled. "Par the course, of course. There's always something crazy happening at home, and when it's not the twins it's me, and when it's not me, it's them!"

"And when it's neither of you?"

"It's Mom and Dad," Jacqueline said, both girls bursting into laughter.

"A lava cake with real lava," Elle said, once the laughter died down. "There's no volcanoes in Crystal Springs, is there?"

Jacqueline squinted. "Not that I know of. Man. I could go for something chocolatey now. Hold the lava."

Elle laughed. "Well, have you had breakfast yet?"

Jacqueline shook her head. "Not yet. Why do you ask?"

"Because it just so happens that I have a mostly free morning, and also have yet to consume food," Elle said with a grin, standing up. "Care to join me?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Jacqueline said, shrugging off the comforter and getting up. "That'll be a nice change of pace. And a welcome distraction from all this," she said, gesturing vaguely around her as she put the letter down.

"And I can help you think of how to reply to your parents, if you'd like!"

"Oh, I'd love that," Jacqueline said, meaning it.

"And maybe you can tell me about that uh, Clifton Manor thingy?"

Jacqueline threw her head back, laughing. "Of course!"

"Yay!" Elle said. "Oh! You're good to go, right? Feeling okay?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Yeah, I am! Headache is all but gone, and Jack's finally shut up for a long period of time, which means I won't get stopped on the way out," she said, looking smug.

"He'll have to get through me if he wants to stop you from heading out! And besides, I could always use that age old 'fresh air helps any illness' excuse."

"An oldie but a goodie," Jacqueline said.

"You would know," Elle teased.

Jacqueline gasped. "Are you calling me OLD?!"

"Come on grandma, let's get you some breakfast," Elle said, offering her arm.

Laughing, Jacqueline linked arms with her friend, the pair heading out of the room. Maybe getting out would do her some good, Jacqueline thought. A nice brunch with her best friend. Yeah. That sounded nice. Sounded far better than the alternative, which was laying in front of the fireplace thinking about what had happened the day before.

Whatever it had been.

A/N: The deep dive I went on to figure out how letters to Santa work outside of Canada for this chapter was legendary. And it's all over the place! It's very simple to write to Santa here in Canada. It seems like everywhere else it's a wee bit...well, everywhere!

The letter writing still fits well in CS, so it stays...for now. And yes, a decent amount of fandom reference in here. But it really IS like the perception filter! And the year is 2007, which is when Deathly Hallows came out and also, a year ripe with early fandom, more or less. I love writing Elle and Jacqueline!

As usual, reviews are treasured! I even accept key smashes as reviews and would quote the on the cover of the book (if CS was an actual book with a cover, that is).