Crystal Springs

by SafyreSky

It's been nearly a year since the Thaw and things are looking...not so great. Jack's powers are seemingly gone and the Dome covering the North Pole is melting. The solution? Enacting the Legate Law, bringing Jack and the sister he hurt so many years ago together again. With his powers gone and his sister on the fritz, saving everyone just got a little more complicated. [Rewritten!]

15. Chapter 14: Target Practice

Chapter 14: Target Practise

Jack woke up a little disoriented. For the briefest of seconds, he did not recognize the room he was in. A few blinks later and a good rub of his eyes, and it all came flying back to him.

He was at home.

Like, his childhood home, in his old bed.

Warmth blossomed in his chest as he swung his legs over the bed, his bare feet hitting the stone floor. He inhaled deeply; his exhale satisfied. There was nothing like the cold that shot through your feet when you hit stone floor first thing in the morning!

He yawned, stretching his back as he wandered over to his washroom. He flicked the light on, blinking briefly before his eyes adjusted. It was brighter than he recalled. The shower curtain would have to go, he thought, as he turned his attention to the mirrors above the sink. There was a large one in front of him, about the same length as the counter. The wall by the door also had a mirror, so he could see his sides. Not to mention, the mirror on the wall opposite him above the sink-less counter. To see the back of his head, of course. It made for a very trippy effect where he could see a tunnel of Jacks stretching on into the distance in the mirrors.

Tunnels of Jacks that all had a full head of messy, brown, not freeze-dried hair.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" he said out loud, nearly climbing the counter to get as close a view as possible of the back of his head. Sure enough, the frost that had settled there yesterday had melted overnight! His hair was messy and flat once again.

"And the pillow is probably damp! Disgusting," Jack said out loud, running his fingers through his hair, willing his frosty magic to do something…but nothing happened. It stayed brown, and only looked mussed now—no volume. With a sigh, Jack continued on with his morning routine.

Last night had been a late one, and very disappointing. He and Jacqueline had poured through as many volumes as possible, speaking only in their minds as they found points of interest and made possible suggestions to one another, getting absolutely nowhere. They had combed through all the relevant material before Jack finally gave up, his sister's suggestion of trying the library downstairs making him want to lay flat on the floor and just take a sprite sleep then and there.

He had no idea how much longer she had stayed up, but he hoped that if she had stayed up, she had maybe, just maybe, found something helpful. Because quite frankly, Jack was tired of feeling so worthless and useless, and the welcome frozen hair had disappeared overnight and he had no idea how it had even happened in the first place, and it would've been nice if it had just stuck! Then maybe he wouldn't feel so absolutely hopeless. He couldn't even fix the Dome for frost's sake! And it was the one part of his job he had always, always, made sure to do properly and keep up with. Even when his anti-conscious suggested otherwise!

A loud thunk startled Jack as he finished buttoning up his dress shirt. The door hit the stopper on the wall, a pyjama clad Jacqueline walking right on into his room.

"I sense negativity," she said, throwing herself onto one of the leather couches.

"We really ought to have a proper talk about privacy, Jacqueline. I'm beginning to get concerned. You know what that is, right?"

"Concern? Yes, that's why I'm in here. Your negativity was ruining my doze and coze."

"Privacy, Jacqueline! And you know that's what I meant," he added, glancing over to her as he straightened out his cuffs. She was wearing a set of pyjamas that were very familiar to him, the white bottoms almost floods and the tank top slightly revealing her stomach whenever she moved her shoulders, the faintest flash of scarring making him look away shamefully.

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's just my stomach—oh. Right," she said, glancing down and seeing the scars. "You know, you can look, Jack. They're not going to hurt you. They're just scars," she said with a soft smile.

Jack glanced over again. It was very faint, but there. A pale, round scar with a slight blue tint to it a few centimetres away from her belly button.

"But they hurt you. When they were…fresh."

"But they aren't fresh anymore. They've healed! They're just scars," she said, stretching forwards and hugging her legs. "And scars fade. I mean, these still feel a bit different, but they've mostly faded."

"Feel different?"

"Yeah, sometimes they feel a bit tingly? It's weird. I think it's residual magic from the Springs, or something like that. I dunno." She shrugged, and, frowning, surveyed her brother. "You know, sleet happens, Jack."

"Jacqueline. That is not sleet happening, Jack," he said in a very bad falsetto. "You were stabbed. By me! Not once, not twice, but three times. There are two other matching scars! That's not sleet happening. That's…" his voice nearly dropped to a whisper. "Really bad."

"Jack," she said, sitting up straighter. "Yes, it was bad. What you did was bad. Yeah, it hurt, both physically and emotionally. But if I sat here and dwelled on it forever, where would that get me? I'd become like, incredibly bitter."

Jack couldn't help the grin that threatened to slip out and the little quirk of his eyebrow.

"Hey. I'm not that bitter!"

"Well, you could've fooled me," he said, the grin escaping.

Jacqueline gave her brother a dirty look, with maybe the ghost of a ghost of a smile trying to break through. "Let's focus, yeah?" she said, a little high on the yeah. She cleared her throat, her serious face back. "It happened. We can't just ignore that or pretend it didn't happen. It happened. And yes, it hurt! A lot! It sucked! And so did the fallout! But eventually, I came to terms with what had happened, and processed it, and after throwing a lot of snowballs, I've begun to heal. And I think that you should really start letting yourself to do that, too. Who knows? Aside from helping you process and adjust, maybe it'll help us get to the bottom of the freezer burn."

Jack perked up. "You really think that could be causing it?"

"Well, I'm no therapist. Nor am I an expert in how brains work. But I came across something last night after you went off to bed that got me thinking." She hopped off of the couch and headed out the door, "and I think I may have figured it out! I almost came to tell you right away but man, you were out. Come on!"

She breezed out into the hallway, Jack speed walking a bit just to catch up. He followed her into her sitting room, and stopped short, blinking. The contrast from his room to hers was…incredible.

The sitting room was much lighter than his in colour, a light blue similar to the blue parlour downstairs, but brighter. A chilly breeze blew in through the open windows, the sheer white curtains billowing in the breeze, being loosely tied to the side. There were two soft white couches in an L shape in the middle of the room, blankets thrown over the backs and throw pillows messily piled on top of each other on one side of the couch across from the door.

Bookshelves lined the wall between the sitting room and the bedroom, packed tightly with what Jack realized were actually journals, not books. The ones at the very top of the shelf looked ancient, and like they belonged behind glass in a temperate, controlled room in a museum somewhere, and not on the top shelf of a well-built Elfkea bookcase. They gradually went from leather bound tomes to spiral notebooks, the shift from old to new speaking for itself. If he had to guess, the journals must've spanned nearly eight hundred years!

He let out a low whistle, turning to take in the rest of the space. Family photos were on the small end tables, a few novels on the couches and floor. Some odds and ends were on shelves on the opposite end of the room, Jack almost missing the door into his library, it blended in so well with the paint. Your eyes went right past it and landed on the ancient writing desk in the right corner of the room. The wooden floor had a very large, soft, fluffy white carpet on it, somehow managing to tie together the messy space.

"You can come in, you know," Jacqueline said, slightly muffled. "I have a walk-in closet for a reason."

Jack peered into the doorway, stepping over some books that had slid off of a pile by the door and onto the floor. The sitting room had been cluttered, but in a cozy way. He had expected the room to be similar, and was surprised to see that it was almost messy.

Directly across from the door in the right corner was a large round bed, piled high with pillows and blankets, of course. A hand stitched canopy of snowflakes hung just above the headboard, what looked to be small twinkle lights entwined around the posts and the canopy. The room was light blue, just like the sitting room, the pine hardwood floor covered in mismatched cozy looking rugs. Snow fell from the ceiling, never quite reaching the floor. It was soft in her room, if Jack had to pick a word. But that wasn't what gave the room the messy feel, fuzzy socks on the floor aside.

Her room was filled with mementos!

He walked into the room, taking it in fully. One wall was covered in portraits and pictures and that was it. No furniture up against it or anything! Just rows of portraits and photos. He walked down it, picking out Jacqueline in every painting—was that a princess she was with? He studied the old photographs, laughing out loud when he noticed one of Jacqueline and Winter in flapper dresses leaning against several kegs of what Jack knew for sure was moonshine. Moonshine he was pretty sure he had served when he briefly ran his own speakeasy, come to think of it!

As the portraits turned into photos, Jack could tell that his sister had made her way home sometime during the late ninteenth, early twentieth century. He recognized pictures of her with the twins now, or with the family, and one or two with what Jack vaguely recognized as some of the Legates (mainly Sandy and Cupid's kids, he noticed). There was a picture of all the Legates as well, which Jack found oddly sweet of his sister to have on her wall. He scrutinized that one quite a bit—majority of the Legates that had been just kids when they became Legates had grown up! He could barely recognize some of them! The closer he got to the other end of the wall, the newer the photos got. Black and white had become sepia, sepia became soft colour, and when that high-definition hit, it hit. The newest photos were glossy, and were mainly photos of her and Elle.

"You went blonde?" Jack said, unable to say anything else. His sister had lived…quite the life. He'd missed so much, and each new nook and cranny of the house he encountered served as yet another painful reminder of the fact.

"Dite dared me to," Jacqueline said, walking backwards out of her closet and kicking some coins (coins?!) back into it. "Well. It wasn't so much a dare as it was a suggestion that I took as a dare. I may have been freeze dried while keeping an eye on the kid when I ran into her for real. I panicked a bit, Dite said I could pass it off as blonde…" Jacqueline reached down, picking up the coins and throwing them into the closet when they refused to kick in easily. "Something was said about blondes having more fun," she shrugged. "It's kinda fuzzy, in all honesty."

"I'm sorry, were those gold coins?"

"Not CSR coinage. Pieces of eight, mostly. Maybe some doubloons? Pesos? A bit of everything, really. Pirate loot," she said with a grin. "When I got back from the Caribbean I kinda just, tossed it in there and forgot all about it," she said, turning into the bathroom, door clicking shut behind her.

Jack made a face, peeking into her closet. It was similar to his in design, though different (vastly different) in content. The far rack to his left held a bunch of old dresses; somewhere in the middle Jack noticed several white dresses that looked very similar to her everyday formal wear. One of them was her usual dress, still frozen.

The medieval dresses gradually transitioned to Renaissance wear, Jack noticing a pile of parasols and hats and gloves antique collectors would die for sitting on the shelf above the hangers. He saw the flapper dress from the pictures, along with some others, and grinned when he noticed some suits between the flapper dresses he recognized from the photos. The clothes went from dresses to shirts and tees, a few skirts hanging up as well. Jeans were piled on top of a chair on the right under the rack, shirts folded on the top shelf. A coat rack just inside the closet held a light blue pea coat, a faux leather jacket, and what looked like a warm multi-season parka missing the lining.

And, sure enough, under the shelves were different boxes and crates and chests, decently full of coins, jewels, and all sorts of riches.

"You have lived quite the life, sister dear," Jack said when he heard the bathroom door open up again, taking in the rest of her room from the closet. The seats by the window, an old trunk doubling as a table, the modern desk…and little personal touches on top of the free surfaces.

Cozy. It was cozy.

"I guess I have," Jacqueline said, leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom. "I mean, living for a very long time gets boring after a while, don't you think? I mean, I think it would've, if I had stayed home," she said, scratching the back of her neck with a frown.

"Is that why you left?"

Jacqueline shrugged, shoving her hands in the front pocket of her long, light blue sweater, pulling it farther down over her white leggings. "Sort of. I stayed at home for a while, admittedly. Then the twins arrived and that was exciting. But I felt kind of, listless, I guess. I didn't really know...well, lots of things. I just kind of wanted a change, and one of Father Time's Keepers suggested I travel. Lots of young magibeans were doing it, you know. That's why we were such a hot topic in literature at the time!"

Jack laughed. "Ah, yes, the Middle Ages. Is that when you met the princess?"

Jacqueline flushed. "Um, yes, but like. Not right away? Um. Maybe a century or so after I got out there. She was really sweet. Yeah. Her brother was a prick though, and wasn't down with the magic or the fact that his sister was dating a lady."

Jack scoffed. "Middle Ages, am I right?"

"You don't know the half of it. Do you know how many times I almost got burnt at the stake for witchcraft? Two too many, if you ask me. Then it was the Renaissance and Piracy and a two- or three-year hideout in the Azores before rejoining society. I made great friends with a Mrs. Claus, ironically enough!"

"Ou, which one?"

"Beatrice Clifton?"

"Oh! Beatrice! She used to give me the worst lectures! Now I know why," Jack said, gesturing to a portrait of Jacqueline with a couple of other ladies, including the aforementioned Mrs. Claus. "She had you for comparison."

"How the tables turn," Jacqueline said, before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened, and she flushed a bit.

"The real reason you left home, hmm?"

She sighed, and nodded. "It always felt like I had this great big shadow looming above me that everyone expected me to live up to, and I didn't like that. It felt like everyone assumed I'd end up like you did, you know? But honestly? Not everyone thought that." She sighed again, turning away from the portraits and looking at her brother. "You are your own worst enemy, after all. It only took me like, 800 years away from home to figure THAT ONE out!"

"Better than fourteen hundred years and a curse though, eh? Not that it's, y'know, a who has it worse contest or anything—"

"I know! I got the whole lighten the mood vibe. It's alright! Chill out!" She paused for a second, frowning in thought. "You know, for the guy who invented chill, you've been very un-chill since we got home."

"Jacqueline, it hasn't even been a day, can you blame me? And a lot has happened!" he added, watching as Jacqueline started rummaging through the blankets on her bed.

"And hasn't happened. You and mom are being so weird."

"Don't remind me," Jack mumbled under his breath, making his way back to the top of the room as Jacqueline successfully pulled a recognizable ancient leather-bound book out from under the duvet. "That's one of the Winter Warlock's journals, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Jacqueline said, yanking it out of Jack's reach as he went to grab it.

"How did we miss it?"

"I left it downstairs, probably about a decade or so ago. Totally forgot about it until I was scouring the stacks in the library," she said, pulling it away from his reach yet again, pivoting around him and heading out to the sitting room. Jack frowned.

"Do you mind?"

"Do you?"

"Yes," Jack said, trying to grab it again.

"Give me a second, would you! I'm trying to give some really great exposition and you're making it really hard."

Jack put his hands up, relenting.

"Thank you! Okay, so, get this. According to his journal, the Winter Warlock had a freezer burn too."

"He did?" Jack said, the surprise shocking the annoyance away.

"Yes! He used to be an evil warlock, blocking up the wintery mountains out by where the Kringle elves used to live, being a general nuisance to anyone who went by. Until, of course, he met Kris Kringle. Kris was kind to him, and became his friend, and this led to the other Kringle Elves being friends with him, and suddenly he had all this new found companionship and felt," Jacqueline cleared her throat, putting on a bad British accent and trying to sound like an old man, "as though spring time had come early, all of me melted and blooming with all of these wonderful, new, happy feelings."

Jack was laughing. "Oh, that was the worst old man impersonation I have EVER heard."

"I'm sure you can do better," Jacqueline smirked, tossing the book his way and sitting on the top of the couch. "Being an old man yourself."

"That was below the belt, Jacqueline," Jack said, pointing with the book. He whooshed his blazer behind him before taking a seat at the small, spindly, white writing desk, reading the entry himself.

"As he made friends with Kris and his caretakers, Winter noticed that his powers had begun to fade, until they were all but gone. No ice, no snow, no nothing. Just the magic he had studied to become the warlock he was, and his new found friends in the mountains. Can you imagine that?" Jacqueline asked, spinning around to face Jack, her legs dangling off the back of the couch. "Having this huge, sudden, literal change of heart and as you adjust to that, you start to lose something that was so integral to your you?"

"Uh, duh." Jack said, gesturing to his very thawed self.

Jacqueline cackled. "I know. I'm messing with you," she said with a wink.

"So what did he do? I mean, obviously he wasn't powerless forever," Jack said, flipping through the journal.

"It's the last few entries," Jacqueline said. "He met a woman named Bianca, more famously known as the Snow Queen. And they fell in love! And shortly after he realized that, and y'know, accepted it, his powers came back like THAT!", Jacqueline said, snapping her fingers.

"You mean, like that like that?" Jack asked, placing the book down and snapping his fingers.

"Yes!" Jacqueline replied, snapping her fingers again while saying, "Like that! Just BAM! All at once! Not as gradual as when he had lost them."

"It was a gradual loss?"

Jacqueline nodded, sitting back down on the bed. "Mhmm. Why? Was yours too?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "It was almost unnoticeable to everyone else, until earlier this month," he admitted, getting up and heading for the hallway, book in hand, reading the entries after.

Blinking in surprise very briefly, Jacqueline followed him out quietly, waiting.

"He fell in love..." Jack said, frowning. "Does this mean I have to fall in love?" He spun back around, facing his sister.

"Jack, you blizzard brain," Jacqueline replied, crossing her arms. "Don't you see? The answer's like, right there."

"Okay well, if you could give me a little bit more to work with, that'd be great."

"Stop focusing on the love story bit," Jacqueline said, grabbing the journal out of Jack's hand. "Or at least, not the what, but the why. Focus on the why."

"Alright, fine," Jack said, holding his hands up in surrender. "So, the question then is why did his powers start working after he realized he had fallen in love?" Jack frowned, beginning to pace.

"It was kind of like a trigger moment, you know? He realized how far he'd come, and I think he put two and two together and found the right spark deep in his core to use his powers again."

"Oh!" Jack shouted, stopping his pacing, Jacqueline nearly crashing into him. "That's it! Cores!"

Jacqueline grinned, catching herself on the banister and hopping onto it. "Yeah! Every magibean has a core, right? It's a little piece of the source of all magic that we're born or made or whatever with, that lets us use all the crazy insane magic we use."

"Right, given to us by the Goddess of the Springs, or whatever," he said, sitting down on one of the armchairs in the hall. "I know basic magical physiology, Jacqueline."

"Okay, then prove it."

"Cores are a manifestation of our magic, given to us by the goddess, yada yada, powered by our essences—" and then something clicked, and Jack sat up, pointing at his sister. "Oh! Essences!"

Jacqueline shot up off the banister. "Yes! Essences! The things about us that make us who we are and fuel our powers!"

"When Winter lived in the mountains and blocked the Kringles from the rest of society, he was all sorts of nasty! But then Kris showed him friendship."

"Yes!" Jacqueline said, nearly falling over the banister. "He was evil because nobody was kind to him; he was lonely, and that's what drove him. It became his essence, the feelings he used to fuel his powers. And when he was shown kindness, and friendship, well, it changed his worldview completely!

"Once Kris Kringle showed him kindness, he thawed and he was no longer lonely! And because he didn't know who he was, or what he wanted! Which meant, he wouldn't have known what his essence was now! Which lead to him not being able to use his powers! Oh! That makes so much sense," Jack said, sitting back down.

"Exactly! Then he met the Snow Queen, and they fell in love, and…" Jacqueline said, drawing out the word, grinning.

"His love for the Snow Queen must have been his new essence of course, now I get it! When I thawed, I must have lost whatever powered my core before. But that's...exceedingly simple, are you sure, Jacqueline?"

"Positive! I mean, think about it, Jack. Doesn't it make sense for your situation too? Doesn't it match? The gradual loss of powers as you made better friends with Santa, and the elves, and whoever else was there? You were evil, angry, jealous—especially jealous. I'd go so far as to say it's what drove you. You wanted the attention Santa had; the support and love and whatever! Once you thawed and became actual proper friends with everyone up North, and started getting that, you had no way to power your core anymore; your essence changed. Now, you need to find your new centre," Jacqueline said, jabbing his chest.

"Very on the nose, eh, Jacqueline? And a little personal too, don't you think?"

"Dude, you've been an open book all year." Jacqueline crossed her arms. "And you're bad at keeping spoilers to yourself."

"Says the sprite who seeks out spoilers on purpose."

"I like knowing things," she replied, chipper. "And even better is theorizing about things before learning if you're right or not! Like your centre, for instance. What do you think it is now, post freeze? It could be literally anything! Oh man, this is going to be fun," she said, rubbing her hands together.

Jack laughed. "Really? You think it'll be fun?"

"Well, yeah! It could be ANYTHING, Jack! Anything. The finding out part's going to be the best. Maybe it'll be joy, like me! Or love, like Winter, the Warlock, maybe even the Snow Queen. Maybe it'll just be happiness? Maybe you'll have to learn to love yourself and that'll be your centre! Or maybe something totally crazy and out there, like…like…oh I don't know, but that's the fun part! And that's what we gotta do now! We just gotta find your new centre and you're frosty again!"

"Like that?" Jack asked, snapping his fingers and smirking.

Jacqueline laughed. "Yes! Like that!" She said with a snap. "Well, when we get there," she added, rubbing the back of her neck. "It sounds like it's going to take time. We can't force it, according to Double W. But we have seen some progress since reuniting!"

"The hair, and the frosty comforter..."

"Yes, exactly!" Jacqueline took a seat on the floor, across from Jack's chair. She leant against the railing of the staircase, looking thoughtful. "That's why I think one of the first steps here is you processing everything that happened, and coming to terms with it at the least, if not forgiving yourself. And I think you're making very good progress! You've already made up with Dad, and the Twins ADORE you."

"Really?"

"Fino had a list of questions, and he doesn't just question anyone! Fiera also doesn't just slap anyone."

Jack rubbed his cheek. "I think it's still stinging, today! That little spitfire packs a punch."

Jacqueline laughed. "I'll say. And I'm sure in time you'll work things out with Mom." She frowned, as though she were trying really hard to not say something.

"Come on now, little flurry. Out with it."

"You really know what's up with her?"

"I have a guesstimate that probably isn't too far off the mark," he said, recrossing his legs and flicking imaginary dust off of his thigh.

"And you really can't tell me now? Maybe I could help!"

"I appreciate the offer, Jacqueline. Really, I do. I just think that this is something I have to do on my own. You know, like how I made up with Dad on my own, and introduced myself to our siblings on my own, and took that slap like a champ on my own," he said, rubbing his cheek.

Jacqueline sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll stop bugging you about it."

"No you won't."

"But for now I will! Sprite's honour," she said, one hand on her chest, the other hand raised.

"Good. Now then. Back on topic," he said with a clap, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward in his seat. "That's something I need to do on my own, you know, part of your whole hero's journey thing you've got going on there with the whole, accepting the past and forgiving oneself thing."

"I mean, I didn't necessarily say hero's journey."

"Am I not a dashing young hero, going forth on an incredible journey to find his powers and save the world?"

"Eh, dashing's a stretch. And young? That's a big oof if there ever was one."

"You are so lucky I can't make a decent snowball right now." Jack sighed. "Who knows when that'll happen. I'm tired of being powerless. I was hoping that this whole thing might be, y'know. Faster."

"Well, do I have good news for you," Jacqueline said, springing up and sliding back into her room. There was a couple of loud thunks, a metal clang, and what sounded like a trip and a swear before Jacqueline came back out again with the thickest old book Jack had seen so far.

"Where did you find that?"

"In Dad's office," Jacqueline said, sitting on the floor and placing the large book in front of her. It was at least the size of her torso, with large metal clasps keeping it shut.

"What is it?"

"Options!" Jacqueline said, opening the clasps, and gently opening the book, carefully going through several sections before turning it to the dead middle. "Have a seat!"

"I'm already sitting, and I'm not going on the floor."

"Okay, right, cool. Close your eyes."

"Close my eyes?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Close your eyes and just feel," she added, closing her own eyes.

Jack shifted forwards, staring at his sister; he slid back in his seat. "Really? This is what you want to do right now?"

"Yes! Just trust me, Jack," she said, one eye peeking open.

"Alright," he said, adjusting his blazer and closing his eyes.

"Perfect. Close your eyes, and feel your surroundings. The chill, the magic in the air, and not just around us. Really feel it. Try to feel how deep the magic runs through the Springs, all the way from the source, and coats the entire continent in a big warm blanket."

The source gave off basic magic in waves. That was the blanket that coated the entirety of Crystal Springs. It was officially called the ether; it was made of multiple threads of all sorts of magic, all linked together in one big, magical, blanket. Even the specialized magic that sprites like he and his sister used were within the ether.

Jack slowed his breathing, trying to focus on the magic around them. It wasn't hard; like Jacqueline had said, the magic was all around them. He thought back to how he had felt the onslaught of magic when they had arrived yesterday evening. It was warm, and as he sought it out, it seemed to hug him.

"Now, this next part is going to sound silly, but it's the best way I can think of to explain it. I need you to zoom in on the magic. Maybe zone in? Pick apart the details, what kinds of magic are in the air…"

Funnily enough, Jack had already begun to do that. Within the heavy layers of magic, he could pick out threads. He could feel the generic magic everyone used; he could feel a very hot magic that was a bit uncomfortable—a lot of it, too. A little colder would be nice, he thought.

The magic seemed to hear him; as he thought cold, he was able to pick out a familiar chill that was just as prominent as the warm stuff.

It was Winter magic. The kind he and his sister used, surrounding the two of them as they sat in the hallway. And if he focused a little more, he could feel his magic reaching out, almost as though it were trying to meet up with the magic around them.

"You may not be able to use your core well enough right now, but what you can do in the meantime is supplement your inner magic with outer magic. You can draw from the ether!"

The catch, of course, was that specialized magic was slightly rarer. It tended to gather and lurk in one area, where there was a high concentration of users of that magic, or where there was a concentration of said magic. Jack frowned, eyes snapping open.

"But for specialized magic? That's a bit of a challenge. It certainly wouldn't be a permanent solution."

"No, of course not," Jacqueline replied, opening her eyes now as well. "We can't have you using the ether permanently. Otherwise, you'd only be able to work here, or on the mountaintops, or in the North Pole or Canada. Not quite your usual range. But! For the time being it'll get you back on your feet. Especially here, at home, where two people who use the same kind of magic live—one of which is not just a sprite, but one of the actual seasons."

"A very high concentration of winter magic."

"Exactly! Now, we just need to make sure it works," Jacqueline said, smoothing out the page in the book.

"If I want my powers back at all, drawing from the ether is really the only choice."

"Yep! So what do you say?"

"Here goes nothing," he said, and, closing his eyes again, he adjusted his blazer and wiggled in his seat, once again taking those deep, long breaths, focusing only on the magic.

It didn't take long for him to get back to the point he had been at moments before. His magic was practically begging for him to dip into the ether! It wasn't long before he felt it outside himself, too, the winter magic gathering around him, the chill coming closer and closer. He drew it all in, and he could feel his magic! His magic! Beginning to gather at his fingertips! It shot up through him, until every fibre of his being was alight with his familiar frosty magic. Immediately, he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the ice and snow coat it, the familiar spikes returned! No more flat, plain hair! He didn't even have to do the same to his suit; the magic clung to him, turning his suit back to the dark yet vibrant blue, the well-placed frost settling in where it used to sit.

He inhaled once again; his exhale frosty. It felt good to be back!

"Look at you Jack! Holy snowballs!"

He opened his eyes, his sister grinning, her hair back to it's usual snowy white, the wavy curls pulled back into a ponytail. She clapped her hands together, a thin sheet of ice appearing between her palms as she pulled them apart. She turned it around, the reflective ice confirming that yes, Jack was back to his usual frosty self!

"I'm me again!" He said, grabbing the impromptu mirror and checking the back of his head.

"Jack, you were always you. Just a little slushy," she said with a wink. "And look at that!" she added, pointing to his flushed cheeks. "You're still warm," she said fondly, a soft smile on her face.

"That's sweet of you to say," Jack said.

"It's true," she replied, Jack confirming as he scrutinized his eyes. Despite the frosty exterior, they were still soft. And even through the icy bits of his face, he could still see the flushed cheeks, like he had just come inside from a walk on a cold, snowy day.

Thawed indeed.

"Now, there may be a couple of side effects, according to this page. It can be draining to pull from the ether, especially when you need to actually wield magic. Remember, it's going to come from outside, for now. Not the inside. You also want to make sure you don't burn yourself out, or put ripples in the blanket," she added, gently getting up, both arms supporting the delicate tome. "I'll leave the book out for you to look at at your leisure. We'll get a cradle for it from the library."

"Right, got it. Side effects," he said, tapping the side of his head as he got up, gently taking the book from Jacqueline. "Gently, gently…there we go. Nice and safe."

"Perfect! Now, there's just one thing left to do," Jacqueline said, dusting some red rot off of her sleeves.

"And what's that?"

"Practise!" she said. "What were you saying about making a decent snowball earlier?"

Jack grinned. There was nothing like a good old fashioned snowball fight first thing in the morning!

---

But first, breakfast, they realized as they headed down the stairs and were nasally assaulted with the delicious smell of pancakes, stomachs grumbling as the aroma of freshly fried bacon wafted down the hall. The pair had barely stepped foot into the kitchen when Fiera gasped loudly, hopping up on her seat excitedly.

"Oh my GODDESS you look so COOL, JACK!" She shouted, Fino pulling her back down onto the seat.

Attention grabbed by Fiera's shout, and Fino's ensuing good-natured chiding about not standing on the chairs, both parents glanced over at the doorway. To say they were a little shocked isn't far off the mark at all. Of course, they were used to Jacqueline trudging downstairs a little later in some manner of cozy sweater, looking snowy as could be. They were less used to Jack trudging along beside her; even more so looking frosty once more. Given what had happened the last time they saw him as frosty as could be...well, it was no wonder Winter fumbled the spatula, catching the flat of it between her palms. Blaise could most definitely be forgiven for almost dropping the coffee pot. Almost dropping it.

Low key cursing Fiera under her breath, Jacqueline spoke up very fast. "It's fine! It's fine. He's still toasty," she said, poking his cheek. "Not frozen frozen."

"Sorry. Maybe we should've eased into this?"

"Yeah, a little heads up would've gone a long way," Jacqueline agreed with a grimace.

"With maybe a bit of pomp and circumstance," Jack added, nearly pressing his thumb and forefinger together. "Just a tad."

"I'm not about to go around announcing you," Jacqueline said flatly, crossing her arms.

"It could be fun!"

"Yeah, for you maybe," Jacqueline said, looping around the island and grabbing the coffee pot from Blaise.

Grinning like a little maniac, Fiera appeared beside Jack. Finger glowing, she poked his jacket. The suit melted a bit under her finger; but only a bit and only for a moment before it froze over once more.

"So cool," Fiera said.

"I know," Jack said back, smugly.

"I should get a suit," Fiera thought out loud, making her way back to her seat.

"To set it on fire?" Fino asked, leaning over the back of his chair.

"YES! That's not a bad idea," Fiera replied, hopping into her seat, her skirt doing a little flutter as she landed.

"That's just burning your clothes, Fi. You'd get a suit only to set it on fire. It'd turn to soot!"

"No, Fins, listen! Listen! I think I could do it without burning it. I mean, Dad does it all the time."

"Dad's a professional," Blaise said, rummaging around in the pantry.

"Or maybe I'd do like, flame accents. Literal flame accents."

"Now that would look cool," Jack said. "Sorry for the fright, Blaise. Winter."

"It's quite alright, dear. You certainly look much better," Winter replied, flipping the pancakes.

"I feel a bit better," Jack found himself admitting.

"Powers back already then, son?" Blaise asked, placing several syrups, sugars, and sprinkles of all things on the tabletop.

"Not quite," Jack said, leaning against the island and folding his arms. "But we made some progress!"

"You mean I did," Jacqueline said, breathing in the scent of the coffee as she placed it on a trivet beside the sprinkles.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Details," he said with a wave. "We've found a bit of a temporary solution," Jack explained.

"Flaming cufflinks," Fiera said out loud.

"No, drawing from the ether," Jacqueline replied.

"I was talking about my thing," Fiera replied.

"Well now it's my turn to talk about my thing," Jacqueline replied.

Fiera stuck her tongue out.

Jacqueline replied in kind.

"Well, progress is progress," Winter said, sprinkling what looked to be chocolate chips in this batch of pancakes. "You look much better Jack dear. Much happier and more…yourself."

"Thanks," Jack said, his voice cracking.

"The thawed look suits you, Jack dear," she finished, giving him a brief warm smile before turning her attention back to the bubbling pancakes.

"I'm beginning to warm up to it."

Jack smirked, waiting for the realization to hit. He was not disappointed when Blaise choked on his coffee with a loud guffaw and Jacqueline let out a groan, letting her head hit the table with a loud SMACK.

Settling into his spot at the head of the table, Blaise cleared his throat, pulling a napkin out of thin air. "I think those sausages are done," he said without looking, cleaning up the coffee that he had spilt.

On his right sat Fino; beside him Fiera. She held a skewer in her hands, several sausages cooking on it in the small fire that served as Fino's hair this morning. she pulled the skewer out, squinting at the sausages.

"I dunno," she said, squishing them gently. "They don't seem as cooked as they should be.

Blaise glanced over at the skewer, tossing the dirty serviette over his shoulder. A cupboard whooshed open, the trash bin sliding out with the lid slightly off, catching the coffee stained projectile. It landed right in the bin, everything magically righting itself the moment Blaise sunk the basket.

"No they're not," Fiera said with a frown. "They need more colour!"

"Any more colour and they'll be charcoal," Jacqueline complained, muffled by her arms.

"Ugh, fine," Fiera pouted, sticking almost all of the sausages on the bacon plate. She kept three on the skewer, her hair suddenly lighting up as she placed it in her own fiery locks.

Across from Fino, Winter took her seat at Blaise's left, placing the pancakes down and gently tapping Jacqueline's shoulder. She lifted her head up, grinning as Winter sat down beside her and slid the pancakes closer with a wink. The rest of his family seated, this left the other end of the table open, the chair sitting empty in front of a clean plate. Jack slowly walked over, sitting down and watching everyone dig in. Blaise stared at him, gesturing to the spread in front of them.

"Well go on Jack, have some breakfast."

Jack blinked, briefly confused. Blaise waved his hand, some of the food magically moving towards Jack.

"Seriously, tuck in. It won't last long, trust me," Blaise said, tilting his head towards the twins.

Fino and Fiera had already laid claim to the tiny sausages. Fino was eyeing the pancakes closely as Jacqueline gently nudged the stack closer to him. Getting the hint, Jack filled his plate, feeling weirdly at ease as he ate breakfast with his family that up until a day ago, had been estranged from him.

It felt...nice.

Breakfast was not a silent affair. Conversation was made, both parents complaining about work with one another, the twins going on about all manner of things. Fino had several fresh questions for Jack that morning; there was humming and occasional bursts into songs when phrases like half way there and making my way cropped up in conversation. They were well into breakfast when Fiera, who had been scrutinizing Jacqueline for a hot minute, finally spoke up.

"Are we playing elemental ball today, Jacqueline?" she asked, bits of sausage flying out of her mouth.

"Fiera, don't talk with your mouth full."

"Sorry Mom." Fiera gulped, staring at her sister excitedly. "You're wearing your work clothes!"

Jacqueline looked down at her sweater. "Well would you look at that! I am," she said, dryly. Jack snorted behind his cup.

"So are we gonna play elemental ball?" Fino asked.

"Oh! Or snow fort destruction?!"

"Run from the ice-people?"

"We can later if you two want," Jacqueline said, cutting off the twins. "But first, Jack and I are hitting the field after breakfast. We're going to go see if it's just his appearance that's back, or if his appearance and powers are both back. For the time being, that is."

"I'm afraid there may be no time for games today, kids," Winter said, the Twins awing in disappointment. "I'll need all hands on deck after breakfast; you'll have to push practise back, Jacqueline," Winter explained, drowning her pancakes in syrup.

"Why?" All four kids asked at the same time.

Winter blinked, taken aback. She glanced over at Blaise, whose cup had paused halfway to his mouth, an eyebrow raised.

"Surround sound," Blaise said to her over his mug, glancing at his wife.

"So it would seem," she replied, clearing her throat. "Your aunts called yesterday."

"All three?" Jacqueline asked.

"At once," Winter replied.

"At once?!" Jacqueline repeated.

Winter nodded, the poor pancake sufficiently drowned. Wincing, she grabbed a second one and placed it on top, hopping it would alleviate the syrupy mess.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"They are, regrettably, coming over for dinner tonight."

"What's the occasion?"

"They'd heard you were home, Jack dear."

"What?" Jack asked, sausage falling off of his fork. "Who told them? Who invited them?"

"They invited themselves," Winter said, icily. "As if you two weren't tired enough and everything going on wasn't enough as well, Spring fancied herself needed in the present situation."

Jacqueline scoffed. "Of course it was Aunt Spring."

"And she rallied Autumn and Summer?"

"Not quite. Seems she tried to rally them and they, in turn, brought her down a notch or two. Well. They tried to, at least; but you know how she is," Winter said, sipping her coffee with a frown.

Both Jack and Jacqueline groaned.

"Come on, guys. The aunts aren't so bad," Fino said.

"Aunt Summer plays hide and explode with us!" Fiera said. "And Aunt Autumn makes the best pies."

"And Aunt Spring is so lovely," Fino added.

"Lovely? Try saying that when her season comes directly after yours!" Jacqueline said.

"You should all be nicer to Spring," Blaise said. "She's just concerned, is all."

"Oh please, Blaise. She always goes over the top with everything and can be so clingy sometimes. Look at our kitchen! She's practically moved her plants into here! Not to mention how she thinks spring should arrive right after Groundhog Day! And don't get me started on the nonsense she pulls when we're in the opposite hemisphere. As if compromising with Autumn over November and December isn't enough, Spring isn't even open to compromise! She's so—" Winter sought out the words, but couldn't find them. She closed her mouth with a huff, stirring her coffee angrily.

"She cares," Blaise said. "And you kids should be nicer to her, too. She's your aunt. And your co-worker, Jacqueline."

"I think that just makes it worse, to be honest," she said, pouring some chocolate milk mix in her mug.

"You're awfully quiet, Jack," Fino said. "I thought you'd be first in line to sass Aunt Spring since you have to deal with her in the field at the end of winter, too."

"I haven't actually had to see her in a while. Any of the aunts, really. And I'm sure I've done my fair share of disrupting things during their seasons. They, ah, may not be very happy with me."

"Goddess of the Springs, I didn't even think of that!" Jacqueline said. "And we just got you looking all frosty again!"

"And if Mother Nature specified I was thawed, I'm not sure how convinced they'll be when they see me looking like myself," Jack said, finally stabbing the sausage once more. "Especially Spring."

"Oh, please. It's clearly evident to any sprite that you've thawed, Jack, let alone a season."

"Are you sure about that, Mother? I mean, this is Spring we're talking about," Jack added, his turn now to hit his head on the table with a loud thunk. He had just gotten the icy blue back, too!

"Your mother's right," Blaise interjected. "I'm no season and I can see that flush from a mile away!"

"Spring is many things, but superficial is not one of them. She'll be able to see that your thaw is genuine, and if not, I'll make her see," Winter said, angrily stirring sugar into her coffee.

Jack smiled into his arms. His Mother's concern was nice, even if it spurred from her irritableness with her sister.

"You can always wear not blue tonight, if you're so concerned about appearance," Jacqueline said. After all, she thought at him, we both know that some sprites are known to be a little superficial.

Jack turned in his arms to level a glare directly at his smirking sister.

"Chin up, Jack! I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, patting his arm. "Probably."

"Your confidence is astounding, Jacqueline," he said, lifting his head up. "So helpful. I just feel so relieved," he finished, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair with a huff.

---

"So, are we doing this, or what?" Jacqueline asked later that afternoon. She and Jack stood out in the snowy backyard, ready to practise after a speed run of national clean the house day, during which Jack spent the entire time fussing about the aunts coming and how he should present himself. It had been very annoying and Jacqueline was more than ready to lob a few snowballs at his head.

Fino and Fiera sat on the deck, feet dangling above the ground, arms thrown over the middle rail. Fiera slurped a juice box; Fino was finishing up a cluster of grapes as the pair watched their older siblings face off, equal parts curious and excited. Behind them was a pilfered fruit platter, taken from the kitchen after Blaise and Winter had left for the market just before they had made their way out back.

The wind blew through the evergreens, the pine needles rustling. The snowy siblings stood staring at each other intensely, arms by their sides as though they were in a duel, waiting to draw before the other.

Jack's fingers twitched.

Jacqueline rolled her wrist.

"Sure you want to do this, little flurry?"

Jacqueline smirked, tilting her head. "I think you'll find I'm more of a storm these days."

"I'm shaking," Jack said, dryly.

"You will be," Jacqueline said, eyes widening briefly.

"Ready when you are," Jack said with a smirk.

"ON OUR COUNT!" Fiera shouted, stepping up onto the middle rail and waving her juice box around. Fino woofed down his grapes and stood up beside his twin, sticking three fingers up in the air.

"3...2...1..."

They paused and looked at each other briefly, smirking. Wait for it, and...

"GO!" they finally shouted, the winter sprites springing into action.

In a flash, both of them held perfectly formed snowballs in their palms, ready to launch. Jack grinned, glad to see they were solid and not melty, and even happier to throw them right at Jacqueline—only to notice her snowballs already headed his way.

Quickly, he inhaled and let out a frosty breath, stopping the snowballs by freezing them solid, the now icy projectiles falling into the snow with a dull thud mere centimetres away from his toes. That had been a little too close for his liking; his reaction time was definitely a bit slower as he pulled from the wintry threads in the air. He'd have to work on that.

"Is that all you got?" he covered, arms crossed. "I was told to expect a storm!"

"Mister tough guy thinks he's all that now that he's got the frost back, hmm?" Jacqueline said, grinning.

"I've seen flurries with more oomph than you have."

Jacqueline looked offended. "Well now you've done it," she said, her fingers shifting, claw-like as she lifted her arms slowly. The snow around her began to rumble, and suddenly more snowballs than Jack expected shot up from the snowy ground with a series of loud cracks, floating menacingly around his sister. She smirked, eyebrows drawn. The wind picked up; she pushed forwards, and the snowballs all went flying right at him.

"Now that's more like it!" Jack said, running headfirst into the wind. He dodged and ducked as he went, summoning ice out of the snow with a wave of his hands. Snowballs hit the ice, splattering on the makeshift shield. There was a large crack, and the shield split in half, the two pieces now on either side of Jack as he stopped each and every one that his sister sent his way.

"Oooo," the Twins coursed, watching as Jack emerged on the other side of the snowball ambush without so much as a snowflake on his suit. The two icy shields landed behind him with a shink. Jack gave his hands a little shake, and the ice shattered into snowy dust, Jacqueline's winds blowing it away.

"That was baby stuff!" Jack said, straightening his jacket with a snap. "I was expecting more, Slushy."

"Baby stuff?" Jacqueline asked, landing on one of the thicker tree branches after one too many airborne somersaults, definitely showing off. "Well then, it's perfect for you, isn't it?"

"I think it's time to give you a taste of your own medicine," Jack smirked, and, lifting a hand, launched his own snowball barrage right her way.

Jacqueline nearly fell off the tree in her effort to dodge the first few snowballs. She caught herself on the backs of her knees, hanging off from the branch she had landed in. "I didn't even know I could do that!" she said out loud, swinging herself back and forth until she was sitting on the branch, which was harder to do while simultaneously attempting to shoo away snowballs.

Jack's aim was flawless; it always had been. Thankfully, Jacqueline had speed on her side, and the backyard had ancient trees with thick branches that could easily hold her weight, the boughs of pine offering a decent amount of cover. She just missed most of Jack's onslaught as she hopped onto the next closest branch, and the next, and the next, trying to outrun the snowy projectiles. When the last snowball finally fell, Jacqueline smirked, leaning on the trunk of her present tree with one hand, the other on her hip. "You missed me!" she taunted, pulling a face and blowing a raspberry.

"We'll see about that," Jack said.

With a wave of his hand, the snow in front of him turned to ice, a long trail heading right towards the tree. Sliding across the ice, Jack slid right into the tree hand first, mirroring Jacqueline's own pose. The moment he touched the trunk, with a little bit of concentration, a spiral of frost spread out from his fingers, stretching into a thick, slippery sheet of ice and freezing the tree.

Jacqueline lifted her hand off of the tree, stepping back a little too fast and slipping almost immediately, landing right into the shrubbery.

Jack yawned, forming a snowball in his hand. "What was that about missing you?" he said, tossing it in the air once before catching it again, making his way over to where Jacqueline should've landed. "Because it just so happens, I have a snowball that has a date with your face, right here—and you are not here."

The snowball fell into his hand. Clasping it tightly, he frowned, surveying the shrubs with his hands on his hips. The shrubs held no sign of being squashed by a falling sprite. All they had was a very thick pile of snow on them.

That was some shit trash talk, Jacqueline thought his way.

"Ah," Jack said. "Turning into snow? Really? Now that's just messy. Horrible presentation," Jack added, watching the snow carefully. She laughed in his head as the snowy pile from the bushes fell onto the ground with a plonk, blending into the snow. If he squinted, he could just make out movement. He watched, unamused, as the snow pile formerly known as Jacqueline snaked its way out of the bushes and into the field.

"Wait, Jacqueline can turn into snow?" Fino said.

"COOL! Do you think we can turn into fire?" Fiera asked.

Fino stabbed the straw into his juice box, carefully considering Fiera's thought. "Well, it's hard to say. It could be a sprite thing, but it could also be a season thing so maybe, no? Or it's a Legendary thing so maybe, not yet? But then again, we aren't taking over any seasons any time soon so it's hard to say. And Dad is technically a summer sprite, which would make us the same, but we're not like the seasons. I think we'd have to ask Dad for his expert opinion to get to the bottom of this conundru—oof!"

"LOOK! Jacqueline reappeared!" Fiera said, Fino finding himself being shaken violently by his twin. "Ou, she's gonna get the drop on him! I betchya one copper she'll do it."

"You're on," Fino wheezed, grabbing Fiera's arms to stop the shaking and waiting for the ground to stabilize.

Back on the field, Jack kept watching the snow. He was keeping pace just fine until the snow began to spread out more. "Ou. Clever trick, ma sœur," he said as he lost sight of her. Listening very intently, he kept his eyes peeled, hoping he could at the very least hear her reappear.

There was the slightest shift in the magic around him; Jack spun around as his sister re-materialized mid throw, a cold snowball nailing him right in the shoulder.

"Ah soot," said Fino (nearly drowned out by Fiera's victory whoop), digging a copper out of his pocket and flipping it Fiera's way.

"Merci, mon frère," Jacqueline replied, fully materialized. She dropped her arm, pulling her other hand out of the pouch on her sweater. In it sat a fully formed snowball; she tossed it up, flipping her hand so it landed right on her knuckles. Looking Jack dead in the eye with an impish smirk, she snowball balanced on her knuckles, very threateningly, in Jack's humble opinion.

"I dare you," said Jack.

Jacqueline threw the snowball up into the air, caught it in her hand, wound up and launched it at Jack. He whipped his hand up just as fast. A trail of frost solidified into an icy ramp, redirecting the snowball. It shot away from his face and went flying, gaining more speed as it headed right towards the Twins. Fino widened his eyes, ducking just in time as the snowball past him, nailing Fiera instead.

"Ha! Consider that payback for the slap!" Jack shouted.

Fiera's hair briefly flickered out, then came back. She blinked, her juice box forgotten as the sizzle of water hitting heat rang out, the drippy remnants of the snowball trickling down her back.

Jack straightened up, face falling as he realized what he had just done. "Uh-oh."

"No, don't worry," Jacqueline said, gesturing a stop with her hand. "Just watch."

The silence was very brief, broken quickly by Fino exploding in laughter.

"You think that was funny?" Fiera asked.

"Yes!" Fino wheezed, holding his stomach. "You should see your face!"

"I'd love to!" Fiera replied, throwing her own snowball at her twin.

At such close proximity and with such force, Fino somehow managed to fall between the rails and right off the deck upon impact, losing his balance and landing right in the snow. The smoulder on his head extinguished, a puddle slowly forming around him. He looked so bewildered as the snow melted that Fiera and Jacqueline both lost it, dissolving into fits of laughter.

"You're right, Fino!" Fiera said between giggles. "That face is funny!"

"What," Jack said, both equal parts relieved and confused, "just happened. I thought for sure I was on death's door. How does someone so small have that much strength?"

"That's Fiera for you," Jacqueline said. "And that whole thing was my essence at work! Winter's fun, Jack. It's the most fun season, in fact! Can you throw harmless projectiles at people in summer? Can you build forts out of the precipitation in the spring? Sure, autumn chills are nice, but nothing beats the crispy-ness of a cold winters morning." Jacqueline had joined her brother's side now, both hands in the front pocket of her sweater. "I know that a lot of the time, when you were frozen, you looked at all this and all you could see was runny noses and... dead citrus, I think it was?"

"That sounds about right," Jack replied, feeling heat rising in his cheeks as he thought back to his anti-winter rants.

"Well, look around you!" She said, one hand out of her pocket, gesturing to the twins. "Look at the two of them! Aren't they having fun? Yeah, their noses are runny, but look at how much fun they're having! Isn't it nice? It brings them together. It brings everyone together. It's beautiful, Jack. It's like. It's delightful. It's joy," she finished fondly.

"Your core is cornier than I expected," Jack replied.

"Oh wow, Jacqueline! You make such a good point!" Jacqueline replied, in an over the top (but good, Jack would begrudgingly admit) impersonation of her brother. "I know Jack! I'm full of such sage wisdom and wise words!"

Jack snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, sister dear," he said, mussing up her hair.

"Ah! Hey! My ponytail!"

Jack laughed, the kind of laugh that's soft and ends in a breathy, content exhale.

"You're gonna pay for that," Jacqueline said with a grin as she fussed with her hair, redoing the ponytail.

"I think I can confidently say that whatever you've got to throw at me, I can throw right back at you."

"We'll see about that," she replied, her grin positively impish now as she revealed pulled two identical snowballs out of thing hair from behind her head. She threw them, the two projectiles soaring through the air and heading right towards the Twins.

An easy mark; too easy, really. Fino had managed to pull Fiera off the deck as well, dragging her down into the snow with him. The pair of them were drenched, play fighting in what was now slush, completely unaware of the two snowy projectiles heading their way.

Jacqueline did not miss. Both snowballs hit their marks, the laughter dying out almost instantly upon impact. They looked at each other, then back at their older siblings, confused.

"Jack did it," Jacqueline said, pointing right at him.

"What? No I didn't!"

But alas, it was too late! The Twins squealed, beelining towards Jack. They scooped up snow while in pursuit, making their own snowballs and, with a loud battle cry, LAUNCHED their well packed projectiles right at Jack's face.

Jack whipped up his hands fast, an icy shield popping into existence in front of him just in time for the two snowballs to land with very heavy thunks. The heat from the Twins had made the snowballs extra-packed; thank goodness his reaction time was still pretty fast. Otherwise, he'd be on the floor and Jacqueline would be laughing even harder than she currently was! His pride could only handle so much, he thought, as the twins drew closer, more tightly packed snowballs heralding their impending arrival. Jacqueline continued to cackle, gasping and holding her sides.

"You think this is funny?" Jack asked.

"Hilarious!" she gasped between laughter. "I knew you couldn't handle everything I had to throw at you," she said with a smirk.

"Weaponizing the Twins is against the rules!" Jack said, nailing his sister in the face as the twins drew closer and closer. She only laughed harder as the snow fell down her face.

"Sounds like you can't handle our heat, Jack!" Fino said with a smirk, throwing his own snowball.

"It's EVERY SPRITE FOR THEMSELVES, JACK!" Fiera yelled, cradling a small pile of snowballs in her left arm, her right arm winding up for the pitch!

"Oh ho ho, it's on!" Jack said, rushing away from the Twins.

The four of them found themselves in a very giggly, very fun, and incredibly intense snowball fight. Jack ran through the backyard, not a single surface stopping him as he fended off hoards of snowballs from all three siblings with his little ice shield, redirecting the ones that missed the shield to assail their creators. Jacqueline had the high ground; she was using the wind to her advantage, hurling as many snowballs as she could at all three grounded sprites while making sure she didn't slip out of the branches, propelling herself with icy ramps when she had no foliage.

It wasn't long before Fino and Fiera hijacked the ramps, sliding down them as Fino shot the snowballs rapidly, hitting Jacqueline in the oddest of places, while Fiera covered his back and made sure to nail Jack when Fino didn't. They were screaming and giggling something fierce (good thing they didn't really have neighbours!), and there was no shortage of trash talk from Fino, surprisingly enough! The kid was witty, Jack thought, and between the trash talk and screams of delight and laughter, Jack soon found himself laughing as well as he dove behind a tree, trying to catch his breath.

Suddenly, what Jacqueline had been saying before didn't seem corny at all.

Goddess of the Springs, it felt so good to be able to use his powers again! But it was tiring; every time he made a snowball, or made an icy shield, he could feel the magic around him shift and draw itself in, and it was, quite frankly, exhausting (he'd have to find the time to take a look at those side effects that big old book had mentioned, see if he could do anything to negate them).

Jacqueline dropped down beside him, covered in new snowball splotches and giggling as she waved them off. "It's not so corny once you actually participate, eh?"

Jack chuckled, lazily waving his hand. A small stream of snow piled up right on the very top of Jacqueline's head. She laughed, waving it down; it clung to her hair, assimilating with the rest of her snowy locks.

"I can't remember the last time I had this much fun, let alone the last time I had a no rules, every sprite for themselves snowball fight," Jack said.

"Probably because you never have," Jacqueline joked, squeezing water out of her half-thawed hair.

"I have so! If I recall correctly, someone was an endless pit of energy as a kid. I may be old but my memory isn't going just yet!"

"Awwh, Jack! Look at you, getting all slushy on me," she said, throwing slush at his arm. A twig snapped; both winter sprites snapped to attention, glancing behind them as carefully as they could.

Fiera grinned, her hair lighting up as she launched four or five snowballs their way; Jack and Jacqueline dove back behind the shrubbery, the snowballs just missing them.

"I FOUND THEM! THEY'RE OVER HERE, FINO!"

"Did they just team up?" Jacqueline asked. "DID YOU TWO TEAM UP?"

"NOBODY SAID ALLIANCES WEREN'T ALLOWED!" Fino shouted

"Well, if they're doing it, I think we should show them who's large and in charge round here," Jack said. "Truce?"

Jacqueline glanced around the tree, as the two flaming blurs got far too close to the wintry pair for comfort. "Truce. Let's show them who really can't handle the heat."

With a battle cry that had made Amazonian warriors proud, Jacqueline got down on all fours, hands lighting up as she froze the ground around the tree. A sheet of ice shot forward, the Twins slipping and sliding, their snowballs falling right out of their hands (or in Fiera's case, arms). With a smirk, Jack got up, lifting his arms high above his head. A large wall of snow shot up from the ground. Pushing his arms forwards, the snow followed, leaving a Jack sized hole as it passed over him.

The Twins had gotten their bearings, and tried so hard to slide through the Jack shaped hole! But he was much too quick for them. The snow engulfed the outline, once more solidifying just before Fiera smacked right into the wall with a soft thunk.

"FIERA!"

"REMEMBER ME AS I WAS, FINO! AVENGE ME!"

"I WILL!"

"Ah, ah, ah! I don't think so!" Jack said with a clap. The snow folded around Fino, surrounding him with a blanket of white that suddenly dropped down. The snow slid across the ice, dragging the engulfed twins far, far away from the snowy siblings. Finally rolling to a stop, two orange heads popped out of the snow, Fiera spitting some out from her mouth and Fino brushing it out of his hair.

"Now who was it that couldn't take the heat?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Still you, because this is not hot in the slightest," Fino said, shoving his hands in the snow below him with a mischievous grin.

"I don't like that," Jack said.

"A wise decision," Jacqueline replied.

"You've made a tactical error, Jack," Fiera said with a grin, the tips of her hair sparking before roaring to life again. "FREE AMMO!"

"ATTACK!" Fino yelled, pulling his hands out of the snow, two snowballs clutched within them.

"CHARGE!" Jacqueline yelled back, sliding across the ice with a trail of snowballs behind her and throwing them right at the Twins.

They collided in midair with the snowballs the twins shot their way, the pair of them making snowballs at an alarmingly fast rate, given their summery managed to dodge most of the snowballs, finding a brief moment to once more pull up his icy shields. They sprung out of the ground, blocking the snowballs and making it much easier for Jack to assist with the snowball making.

Jack found himself playing defence to Jacqueline's offence. He was surprised he wasn't getting dizzy with all the switching around the two of them had done. Fino and Fiera were very good at being almost everywhere at once, and while he was low on energy, Jacqueline had experience with the two firecrackers. She was able to reduce the casualties that the two of them may have suffered, pelting the twins with as much snow as she could while he fended off their snowballs and bolstered their own ammo supply.

Soon enough, the battle shifted back to every sprite for themselves when Jacqueline decked Fiera in the back with a handful of snowballs and blamed Fino for it. She had immediately gone for her twin, the fight ramping up once again.

The fight raged on, Jack grateful when the twins momentarily forgot about attacking him and pelted Jacqueline, who had flung a branch of snow at them. Their hair was now a normal warm orange, flat on their heads and wet in some places, sticks and leaves sticking out of Fiera's hair at odd angles. Once he had caught his breath, Jack joined the two little ones, also pelting Jacqueline while he had the opportunity.

Snowballs came at Jacqueline every which way, all more or less dodged expertly. One of Jack's snowballs was headed right to her face; she ducked fairly fast, the projectile whooshing past her and heading right for the deck, where it would've landed on the bricks of the house had Blaise not walked right into the line of fire.

It was a ceasefire to end all ceasefires.

Jacqueline's icy ramps dissipated, Fiera falling off of one and into the snow. Fino dropped all his snowballs and hid his hands behind his back, whistling and looking anywhere but his father. Jack stared at Blaise, watching the snow melt and fall down his face, not bothering to drop his outstretched hand or second snowball he had primed and ready.

You see, Blaise and Winter had enjoyed a fairly relaxed early afternoon at the market, grabbing the supplies for dinner they lacked at home. It had given Winter the opportunity to complain, complain, complain about her sisters, Blaise listening and nodding in agreement at all the right points, making sure to grab any free samples for his wife to snack on as they wound through the market. Grievances aired, conversation had eventually shifted gears, the pair talking about Jack's return as they made their way home. Both parents had been happy with how the kids were adjusting; things seemed to be going quite well (aside from Winter's own hold ups, which Blaise happily listened to, offering up thoughts where he could), though both were worried about Jack's powers, and the Dome, and Jacqueline's odd blackouts. Both were hopeful that, at the very least, one of those problems had already been solved and that Jack was back on his feet after this afternoon's test run.

Of course, Jack conversation had never been good between the two parents; it was always about something he had done that had gotten him into trouble. The positive Jack-versation was new turf for them. So naturally, when they arrived on their street and could hear the louder than usual shouts coming from the backyard from down the street, they had nearly assumed the worse, hardwired as they were from long ago, still. Of course, all four kids were home; it could be anything. Was it Jack? Was Jacqueline having another one of those blackouts? Or, worse case scenario—had the twins finally succeeded in burning down the house?!

They picked up the pace, the laughter becoming much clearer the closer they got, much to their relief. As they made their way to the back, both parents were convinced that no harm had come to anyone and decided that the Twins were the most likely perpetrators this time around, but that it was nothing they couldn't fix if need be. Turning the corner, Blaise climbed up the stairs to the deck first, offering Winter a hand as she picked up her skirts, stepping onto the deck as well. The moment she dropped her skirts and offered Blaise a soft smile, she sensed the snowball and immediately ducked it. Blaise, however, being a summer sprite, did not have snowball sense, and.

Well.

It was too late for him.

The silence stretched on until Winter began to giggle, covering her mouth in an attempt to muffle them. She wasn't entirely sure Blaise's pride could handle it!

"Alright, who did it?" Blaise said, using both hands to wipe the snow off of his face very dramatically.

Jack grimaced, carefully hiding the second snowball behind his back.

"I'm not mad," Blaise said, steam coming off of his shoulders as he dried them. "I just want to know—"

"JACK DID IT!" Fiera shouted, pointing at her older brother.

"You little tattle tale," Jack said, throwing the hidden snowball at Fiera.

Blaise sniffed, hopping off of the deck and heading towards Jack, his face steely. The younger siblings all glanced at each other, wisely taking two or three steps back.

"Blaise! Hello! How was the market? You know, your hair...your hair looks very bright today. Did you—did you do something different?" he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as Blaise crouched down and grabbed a huge wad of snow. He stopped directly in front of Jack and dumped the huge snowball right on his head.

"Can't say I did, Jack. But wow, that new slushy look you're wearing is really becoming of you." Blaise turned to the other three. "Now, I don't know who started this whole thing, but I have one thing to say to the rest of you."

He crouched down, scooping up more snow. He stood up with a grin, now sufficiently loaded up on ammo. "It's on."

The Twins cheered, rushing Blaise and tossing snow his way. Jack darted around Blaise, pivoting behind him and launching an assault from there; Jacqueline soon joined him, and Blaise found himself being pelted with snowballs from all angles.

The battlefield heated up, as it were. A lot more puddles were appearing, freezing over fairly fast as the fight continued. The backyard was fast becoming an ice rink. Snowballs from the frosty duo fast turned to blasts of snow, slush flying everywhere.

Winter watched them from the deck, leaning on the railing with a soft smile, loosing herself in the moment. It was nice, wasn't it? How lovely to see the love of her life getting absolutely destroyed by their terrifying children! It did her heart good to see the five of them having fun together. But a part of her heart hurt a little bit. Just a tad, mind you! Nothing too serious. It was just…it looked so nice and felt so homey, but deep withing it felt as though a piece were still missing.

In her mind, she could envision the two threads that tethered her to the Twins, and the light blue one that connected her to Jacqueline. Beside it, a dark blue thread lay on the floor, limp. She picked it up, trying to feel anything from the other end—but there wasn't even a spark; it was frayed and tattered and even though it was a mental thing, it was bothering her so much because it just didn't feel right!

She sighed, taking a deep breath in and eating snow.

Eating snow?

Ah. A snowball.

Locked in combat with Jack while Winter was deep in thought, Blaise had gotten a little too cocky and slipped on some ice, the slushy ball meant for his eldest flying high and hitting Winter right as she inhaled, causing her to absolutely eat it, as it were. She blinked, the snow hurrying off of her face in a rush, mortified that it had landed directly on the season's face.

Blaise got up, dropping his snowballs like hot cakes, a very concerned look on his face—more for himself than for his wife. If you thought a snowball fight with Jack Frost was a fruitless endeavour, then you never considered a snowball fight with the Winter season herself, the ramifications of which could be deadly.

Blaise, of course, knew this first hand.

So did the kids, unfortunately.

And they really, really, really loved to rub it in.

"Oooohhhhh," The Twins coursed, backing up already.

"You just made Winter eat it, Dad. WINTER!"

"You're in so much trouble," Jack said, unable to keep the glee out of his tone.

"Don't make me ground all four of you," Blaise threatened, as Winter turned her gaze to Blaise. "Because I will," he said, glancing up at his wife.

If looks could freeze, Blaise would've been turned to ice in two seconds flat then and there.

Winter lifted her chin, and the snow below her rose up and over the deck, lifting her up and placing her on the ground. She walked forwards, head held high, nose upturned, her sights set on Blaise. The snow behind her jumped around in excitement, fast becoming a miniature blizzard at her back, making for a very terrifying picture as she approached her dear, dear husband.

The Twins grabbed Jacqueline, puling her back as she grabbed Jack and pulled him back with them. This wasn't their first rodeo, after all. They knew that whatever was coming Blaise's way was not going to be pretty and was not going to be limited to him—Winter's specialty was area of effect, after all.

Blaise's hair went out. He took a step back as Winter approached. It was kinda funny, actually, given their height difference. There was no way this tall, sturdy man was afraid of this tiny woman, you'd think.

But boy, was he ever terrified.

He cleared his throat. "Winter dear, have I told you how lovely you look today?"

"You tell me everyday," she said, a mischievous smile threatening to break through her cool exterior.

"But today especially, you…you're glowing. You look radiant!"

Winter smiled. "Well thank you, dear. I do look radiant today, don't I?" She said as, with the slightest twitch of her hand, the snow behind her began to rise up and up and up, towering over her and Blaise.

"Stunning," Blaise said, as Winter shoved her hand back in her muff, and the very large, gigantic, HUGE snow pile flew forwards, engulfing Blaise completely.

Winter laughed, pulling her hand back out of her muff. Shoving it up her arm, she held her skirt above the snow, making her way over to the fast melting pile as Blaise popped his head out of it, spitting out snow and trying (and failing) to ignite his hair.

"As always, your beauty STUNS me," Blaise said, freeing an arm to hold Winter's hand. He went in to kiss it—and did, of course—but he lingered; looking up at her with a grin that she had seen many times before.

"Blaise, don't you dare."

"I would never," he said, pulling her down into the snow with him, Winter squealing as she fell. The couple stared at each other before both of them started to laugh.

"FROST PILE!" Fiera yelled, letting go of her brothers and launching herself at the pair. Fino followed close behind; Jacqueline laughed, then charged at the pile, slipping on purpose to slide right between their parents, who were both squashed by the twins.

"Am I the only sophisticated one here?" Jack said, a little way away.

Fino popped up. "Come join our frost pile," he said, offering a hand. "Please?"

"You'd have to make me, and I'm certain you wouldn't be able to do that, Fino."

"Oh live a little, Jack," Winter said, and before Jack could protest, he found himself unceremoniously flung into the frost pile via giant snow hand, courtesy of his own Mother. Betrayed by those closest to him! Unbelievable! He sat up and made sure to glare at the hand. It gave a cheery little wave before it collapsed back onto the ground, the Twins immediately throwing themselves on top of him.

"We've gotchya now!" Fiera grinned, her twin laughing.

Jack looked at the two kids, laughing as they tried their very best to pin him down. He couldn't help but snort at the notion—these two potato sacks thinking they had gotten him pinned!

Of course, Jacqueline had to prove him wrong immediately by throwing herself on top of the two of them. Now it would be a little harder to shake them off.

"Alright, alright! You guys win. You got me," he surrendered, uncrossing his arms and raising his hands.

It took a moment for the family to untangle themselves and sit or stand upright. Jack rubbed his legs, hopping that it'd help the pins and needles sensation to disappear. His knees were a little sodden—so were the elbows of his jacket. But the clothes themselves were still nice and frozen. That was promising!

The others dusted off clothes, refreezing hair and reigniting tips semi-successfully. Rosy cheeked and smiling, Winter surveyed the backyard, taking in the damage the snowball fight had done.

"The four of you really made quite the mess."

The perfect snow had been melted in odd places, the muddy ground making a mess of the yard. Icy ramps sat half melted, puddles all over the yard and frozen into slippery sheets of ice in some places.

"It's not that bad," Jack said, as a loud pop rang out in the distance. A thick branch snapped off of one of the trees, landing on the ground with a crack.

"Oops," Fiera said, scratching her head. "My bad."

Winter raised an eyebrow, giving Jack a quizzical look.

"Okay it's…it's a little bad."

"I think I've seen worse," Jacqueline said.

"This is easily top five though," Fino said with a shrug.

"Well in that case, the four of you can take care of this mess. Ah ah ah, no groans! You all made the mess, you can clean it. You too, Jack, since it seems your core is in working order for the time being. Unless you'd all rather help in the kitchen?"

The silence spoke for itself.

"That's what I thought. Now then! We have much to do so let's get moving, shall we? I'm sure your aunts will come earlier than I asked them to, so Fino, Fiera, let's melt those ramps, please. Jack, Jacqueline, fix up this muddy mess. I want the backyard blanketed in snow. Sparkling and crisp, if you please. Not a single blade of grass peeking through. Spring will never let us live it down."

"Can do," Jacqueline said, cracking her knuckles as she began to shift the snow around them. Fino had started to melt the ramps while Fiera attempted to drag the branch towards the woodpile just before the forest line.

"Afterwards, I think the four of you could use a hose down," Blaise said, straightening his tie as his hair reignited no problem (though it was more of a simmer than a roaring flame).

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, a little offended. Why, he was the cleanest of them all! Sure his frozen hair was a little bit droopy. And yes, his suit was soaked, but that wasn't really an issue; he'd just freeze it and add it to the pile on his ensemble. There was, of course, mud in some spots that he'd have to clean before the aunts arrived, but aside from that? He was pristine!

Jacqueline was a little worse off—her hair was half melted, half frozen, the curls more of a wave, a messy mix of brown and white. Her leggings were soaked, her sweater splotchy with wet spots and mud, snow sticking to her in odd places.

"Have you seen your siblings?" Blaise asked, pointing towards the Twins with his chin

"We're not that messy," Fiera pouted, branch flying through the air and landing on top of the wood.

"You are that messy," Blaise said. "I think you're both more mud than sprite!"

They really were, Jack noted, looking over his shoulder at the pair. Mud was all over their clothing, and their hair was very damp, nearly glued to their heads. Fiera tried to push it off of her cheek, smearing mud right across and into her damp hair. Both heads were starting to steam a little, hair too damp to ignite.

"There are sprites there? I thought those were two mud monsters that had made off with my babies," Winter said.

"We're not babies!" Fino protested, as Fiera yelled "MUD MONSTER!" and jumped on him, throwing him back down into the muddy snow.

Winter giggled. "Come on now you two, don't make the mess worse than it already is. I think you all have your work cut out for you as is."

"I don't envy them, that's for sure," Blaise mumbled.

"We've got a lot to do inside, still, and that includes you, sir. We have a date in the kitchen," Winter finished, grabbing his tie and pulling him closer to her.

"I was really hoping you'd say we need to get cooking."

"You had several lines ready for that, right?"

"Primed!"

"I know," Winter said, pecking his cheek. "That's why I didn't say it," she said with a wink.

"I'm sorry, didn't we have work to do?" Jacqueline teased.

"Quite right," Blaise said, clearing his throat. "We're off to prep and season! If those two don't clean themselves up, let me know. I'll get the hose," he said seriously, following Winter to the kitchen, their groceries floating behind them.

"Not if I get them FIRST!" Jack said, shouting over his shoulder and feigning a chase. The Twins squealed and ran off, mud flying behind them. He laughed as they sped off, leaving a trail of mud and melted snow in their wake.

"You're not going to chase them, are you," Jacqueline said, frowning beside him.

"Nope," Jack replied with a smirk.

Jacqueline groaned. "You make my life so hard," she said, shaking out her arms and trekking behind the twins, covering their melty tracks with freshly conjured snow as she went.

Jack chuckled to himself, folding his jacket over his arms and surveying the yard. The branch fell off of the woodpile, taking several other chunks with it.

With a sigh, he placed his jacket on the railing and rolled up his sleeves. The sooner things were put back to rights, the sooner they could head in and get ready for the night; and, quite frankly, Jack could use all the time he could get.

---

A/N: Me in 2017: I'm finally happy with where this chapter is! Yay Frost family shenanigans!

Me in March 2022: I am going to COMMIT CRIME please take this DOUBLED IN LENGTH CHAPTER while I SCREAM INTO THE ABYSS AND CONTEMPLATE THROWING MYSELF IN SOME ICE COLD WATER, WHY TF DID I DECIDE TO GO BACK AND RE-EDIT? I had almost finished this chapter in December. You know where I left it? AT BLAISE SAYING YOU ARE THAT MESSY! THAT'S LIKE 10 MORE LINES! I'M GONNA RIOT

Me in August 2023: LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO IT'S GOOD NOW FOR REAL I SWEAR

I still love this chapter. Lots of lore and descriptions, so I'm glad you've made it this far! :) Do review if you'd like. They're nice to read and sometimes you just gotta scream into a void, you know? The review box makes a great void! The latter half felt a bit choppy, but I THINK I've fixed it.

Next ones are doozies, oof. LOTS of tweaks to make amongst the sisters and Jack and Winter. Should be smooth sailing after that, though! All this because I didn't like the way I had written Jacqueline's blackouts. What a time to be alive. Anyway, stay safe, yadda yadda, read and review, be gay do crimes, whatever (i'm very tired)