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!]

24. Chapter 23: Fae Brand

Chapter 23: Fae Brand

So much for a good night's sleep, Jack thought what felt like moments later, waking up to his head pounding.

"OW," he said out loud, sitting up and rubbing his temples. Goddess ABOVE did it hurt! He hadn't had a headache this bad in ages. Of course he hadn't! He'd never let the Dome get bad enough to warrant one! And yet…

With a frustrated sigh, Jack closed his eyes, focusing on his surroundings to try and get past the pain. The feel of his sheets. The solid wood of the headboard. Why hadn't their fix just held?! That would've been helpful—oh.

Oh dear, he thought.

Their fix.

Jacqueline.

He hopped out of bed (the tiles cold on his bare feet), reaching across the Legend-Legate link. Before he could even think her way, he was hit with a wall of pain as severe as his and a string of profanities to match.

Getting tangled in his sheets and nearly falling as he headed out of his room, Jack slid into the hallway. He was relieved to see that Jacqueline's sitting room door was wide open. Trying once again to focus on the cold tile beneath him as his head pounded, Jack burst into the sitting space, stubbing his toe on one of the sofas. Hopping for a moment, he made his way to the bedroom door and, kicking a few pillows out of the way, he knocked.

"Jacqueline?"

There was a groan and a slam; a low noooooooo was closely followed by a heavy thunk.

Jack knocked again, louder. "Jacqueline?! Are you okay?"

"NO," she replied.

He opened the door a crack, peeking into her room. She lay face down on the floor on her stomach, her feet still on top of the bed. Jack assumed the thunk had been Jacqueline rolling and sliding off of the bed and onto the floor. Her legs finally fell off the bed, another thunk as they joined the rest of her on the floor. She slapped her bedside table, the drawer slamming shut.

"You doing okay there?" he asked, kneeling on the floor to hear her better. "I'm sorry, was that a growl? Did you just growl at me?!"

She flipped her head, turning to glare at him. Her eyes were watery; she looked pale. Her cheeks were wet with smudged tear tracks, with the biggest frown Jack had ever seen to match. "Do I look okay to you?" she snapped, her voice heavy.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, earnest. "It's the Deliquesce. It's started up again. Properly. I…it was only a matter of time, really. And since we both fixed it last time, with the Legate Law and all that…it's your problem now, too. I'm sorry, Jacqueline."

"Oh." Her face softened. She turned her head back to the floor, her mess of brown hair covering her face completely.

"Is there something I can do to help you?"

She pointed towards the bathroom. "Pain killers."

"Pain killers?" Jack asked, slowly getting up.

"They weren't in my drawer," appalled, she waved angrily at the offending drawer.

"Alright then," Jack frowned, heading towards the bathroom. "You know, even if it's extra-strength ibuprofen, it's not going to do much, especially if it's mortal brand—"

"It's fae brand," she snapped.

"Oh," Jack stopped in his steps. "Well, good. Is there a glass?"

Jacqueline pointed to the nightstand closest to her, where a half-full glass of water sat. Grabbing it, Jack resumed his stroll to the washroom, searching the cabinets until he found the Fae Brand acetaminophen. Refreshing the water, he blew on it, making sure it was ice cold, and made his way back to his sister. Jacqueline had more or less pulled herself up and was now seated on the floor, back resting against the side of the bed.

"Here you go, nice and cold," Jack said, passing her the water and the fae brand.

"Thanks." She gulped down the water, popping open the bottle and taking two tabs, swallowing with a very cartoonish gulp. Jack looked away, trying to mask his laughter.

Taking a deep breath in, she closed her eyes, resting her head on the mattress.

Jack sat beside her, waiting. Neither spoke; they didn't have to. It was silent enough that Jack thought she had fallen asleep, when the faintest laugh tickled his ears.

"What's so funny?"

"You love your little sister," Jacqueline teased, sleepy grin on her face.

Jack smiled. "Frost off."

"Jack, the LANGUAGE! I am only nineteen hundred! I am so wee and impressionable! I'll tell on you."

"Ou, I'm so scared," Jack replied, heavy on the sarcasm.

"You should be. I can be, ah, very persuasive." Closing her eyes and letting her head rest on the mattress again, she sighed. "This frostbitten sucks," she pouted. "How do you deal with this?!"

"I don't. The moment my head hurts even a smidgen, I'd go check on the walls to avoid this. I've never had to deal with it. I've never let it get this bad." He sighed, shoulders sagging. "Until now."

"You couldn't have known that this would happen."

"I know, but still."

"I know." Jacqueline shot him a supportive smile. "Fae brand?" she asked, offering the bottle.

"Is it working?"

"Like magic."

Jack chuckled, taking the bottle from her. "Sure, I'll give it a go. Mind if I—"

"Oh! Yeah, sure, here," she said, passing him the cup.

"Thanks," grabbing the cup, he took his own set of painkillers and promptly polished off the water.

"Hey! I was drinking that!"

"Oh please. It was so dusty I don't think you've touched it in decades."

"It was nice and cold!"

"I'll get you a fresh cup."

"You better. Extra icy, too."

"You can't ice it yourself?"

"...It's better when you do it."

The comfortable silence descended once again, both sprites letting the fae brand do its work.

"I guess we have to go back to the Pole now."

Jack shrugged. "What other choice do we have? We can stay here and do nothing, or, go there and attempt to do something."

"But your powers. And my blackouts. We still don't know what was up with those! We don't have any answers and…" she stopped, looking away and biting her lip. She rubbed her arm.

"And?"

"What if…what if it happens again?" she sounded petrified. "What do we do?"

"You do your best to fight it, and I will do whatever I need to do to keep you safe."

"Oh," Jacqueline's voice cracked. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," Jack dropped all of his grandeur and over the top-ness. "There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, Jacqueline." Clearing his throat, he got up, cup in hand.

"Should I start packing? Get changed?"

"What for?"

"To go back? To the Pole? Hello," she said, poking her head. "Deliquesce?"

"Oh! Right! Right. It's better if we leave in the morning. After a good night's rest. Take our time, make sure you have everything you might need, and we can let Blaise and Winter know what's going on before we head out. It's better than leaving them a note, or waking them up now, or just up and leaving."

"But the Dome! The Deliquesce!"

"Ah, ah, ah! Who's the expert here, little flurry, hmm?"

She pursed her lips, looking away.

"Come on. Come on. Say it…say it…"

She sighed, loudly, throwing her head back dramatically. "You are."

"Exactly. The Dome will be fine for a few hours. It can wait. And it'll be better for the both of us if we're well rested before we attempt to fix it. Again. I'm not sure it'll be as easy this time around," he admitted.

"Alright."

"Good. Now then, let me go take care of this for you," he gave the cup a quick shake. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay."

Refreshing the cup and icing up the water once more, Jack popped back upstairs fairly fast. Jacqueline was nearly asleep on the floor. With a sigh, he placed the cup on her nightstand, the ice cubes clinking around before settling.

He nudged her with his foot.

"Hey. Jacqueline. Don't sleep on the floor."

"I do what I want," she replied, sleepily.

"I can't pick you up, Jacqueline. We're the same size!"

"Just throw a blanket on me and toss me a pillow."

"Yeah, no," Jack said, and, with a wave of his hand, Jacqueline found herself floating off the floor and unceremoniously dumped into the plethora of blankets and pillows on top of her bed.

She sat up, perplexed, staring at Jack. "Did you just Twins me?!"

"Yep."

"Dad showed you how to do that?!"

"I picked it up," Jack said, with a sly grin.

"Don't do it again." Trying her very best to look displeased, Jacqueline gathered the blankets around her shoulders and threw herself into the pillows. "It was absolutely mortifying." She squirmed a bit, getting cozy.

Jack rolled his eyes, throwing the comforter up and over her. "Better than the floor, I'll bet."

"Ye, I guess," she yawned.

"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

A sleepy grunt was Jacqueline's only reply. Jack smiled, turning to head out.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for checking up on me. I appreciate it."

"...you're welcome. Goodnight, Jacqueline."

"Ni-ight," she said, drawing out the word.

Jack shut the door softly, breathing a sigh of relief. She was okay. They were okay.

Good.

Feeling wide awake, Jack headed downstairs quietly to get his own glass of cold water. Making his way back to his room, he took a quick glance at the clock as he headed back up the stairs, surprised at the time. Apparently, he had already almost gotten all four hours of sleep sprites needed to function.

No wonder he felt so awake.

Still, he thought, placing the cup down on a coaster and crawling back under the covers. Better to take our time than rush into the Pole right away. They could use the rest. Though the fae brand had been working wonders, a visit to the Springs for the extra aches and pains wouldn't be a bad idea, he decided, as he once again shut the lights and settled back in for the night.

Eyes readjusting to the darkness, he chuckled to himself.

Pain killers. Why hadn't he thought of that?

With a little shake of his head, Jack shut his eyes to rest, making sure to keep a close eye on his sister's thread.

Just in case.

---

"Morning Jack!" Blaise boomed as the aforementioned sprite walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Dad," Jack replied, stopping in front of the island. Blaise stood on the other side, apron tied nice and tight as he sliced an apple very, very thin. Today's apron read Let's dough it!, with a cartoonish sack of flour, a milk carton, and a couple of eggs standing beside each other, grinning with their little fists in the air. "Morning Mom."

"Good morning, Jack dear," Winter replied. She sat on a stool at the edge of the island, peeling apples and passing them over to Blaise, giving Jack a brief once over. "You don't seem your usual exuberant self. Is everything okay?"

Jack sighed, grabbing an apple slice from the bowl in front of Blaise. "Rough night," he said with a frown, popping the apple slice into his mouth. "Headache."

"Oh." Quietly, Winter placed her knife down, glancing over at Blaise. He glanced back. Catching her hint, he stopped his chopping, sliding the cutting board and knife to the side. Elbows on the counter, he sunk into a lean.

"Bad one?" Blaise asked, frowning.

"Nasty bad," Jack confirmed, helping himself to another slice.

Blaise stiffened. "So it's started, then."

Jack nodded, looking down and to the side. "I thought—well. I'd hoped we'd have more time."

"Is your sister okay?" Winter asked, hand hovering above her collarbone.

"She's also going through it," Jack sunk down, mirroring Blaise. "But she's okay. I checked up on her when it happened. Pain killers," he mused.

"Pain killers?"

"I never would've thought to try them. She did, though, and they worked, so, you know. We're managing," he shrugged.

Winter and Blaise shared a concerned look.

"And are you okay, Jack dear?"

Jack shook his head, looking away once again.

"It'll be alright." Placing a reassuring hand on top of his, Winter smiled.

"I'm not so sure it will be," he admitted, finally looking up. The man was crestfallen. "I mean, I'm barely functioning as is. Pulling from the ether there? That's only going to make the Dome worse. It's doing the same thing I am! And I just have this feeling. That it's not going to be as easy this time around. Like, it has to be permanent this time around. Otherwise…"

Jack shrugged, helplessly, unwilling to speak the words he was thinking.

"You've made progress," Blaise stood back up, shifting his weight. "I know you said that they weren't back, but it has gotten easier."

"I think that's just because I've gotten so used to pulling from the ether that it doesn't take as much energy anymore."

"I don't think so," Blaise said with a small half smile. "I'm no healer, nor am I any kind of magic expert."

"Says the man with substantial warlock training," Jack mumbled under his breath, stealing another apple slice.

"But! Things have gotten easier for you. You're sleeping normally again. And if I recall correctly, when we were talking yesterday, they seemed to come from you easily enough."

Jack glanced down at his hands. "But what if that's just because I'm here? What if we go back and it all just, disappears? All the progress, the-the everything!"

"I don't think your sister will let that happen," Winter said. "She's a force to be reckoned with."

"Oh, I know," Jack agreed, standing up again. "I don't know, it just…we were doing really well here! And, you know, you're right, Dad. It feels easier; better than it has in a long time," Jack smiled, though it quickly fell. "I just…if I just had a little bit longer…I think I'm really close. I was actually going to talk to Jacqueline about it today, before the Deliquesce so rudely interrupted," Jack scoffed, sniffing. He shifted his weight, leaning on the counter with one hand and glancing down the hall, other hand on his hip. "Speaking of the little flurry, have either of you seen her? It's too quiet. She hasn't barged into my room in hours! I'm getting concerned."

"As a matter of fact, we have." Sitting back up, Winter grabbed her knife, resuming her work. "She was down here about an hour ago. Said she felt a little sore. Grabbed some apples and headed up to the Springs."

"Wait, she grabbed some apples?"

"A couple, yes dear. Why?"

Blaise frowned, his forehead wrinkling. "Is that why this bowl is nowhere near filled? I saw that, Jack."

Jack shoved the slice of apple in his mouth, feigning innocence and looking away.

"Oh, Blaise. The bag Autumn gave us is rather large. I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, I can always drop her a leaf and get us some more, if need be."

"We may have to. Between Jacqueline taking some and Jack stealing the slices," Blaise said, glaring right at Jack as his hand hovered over the bowl, "I'm not gonna to have enough for the filling!"

"One or two apples less won't make a difference."

"You don't know that! Are you an expert in Autumn's pies?"

"Only in eating them," Winter confirmed, chipper. "Besides! Everyone knows it's how you season the filling, not how many apples you have."

"So what you're saying is it's not size that matters but how you use it."

Jack choked on the apple slice he had just pilfered. Blaise smirked, happy to have satisfied his "embarrass the son" quota for the day. Winter looked between the pair of them, idly peeling the apple in her hand in a manner that was both helpful and conniving. She smirked.

"Not that either of those things are a worry for you, Blaise darling."

Both men wheezed. Blaise with laughter; Jack with embarrassment. Winter grinned, continuing on with her pie-related duties, delighted to have struck the killing blow in today's battle of wits.

"Really though, Winter," Blaise said upon recovering, taking up slicing once more. "How can I even season the filling when at the rate we're going, there won't be any filling left?! Jack."

"What?"

"I saw that."

"You're not even looking!"

"Eyes in the back of my head."

"That's not real."

"That's what you think."

Jack lifted a finger, briefly opening his mouth before deciding against it. Exhaling, he shook his head, finger falling. "Guess I'm off to the springs, then. We'll have to get going at some point today, after all." He turned to head out, ready to wave over his shoulder. Not seeing the side-eye his parents gave one another, Jack promptly found himself face first in a wall of snow, the Ciao he was about to say dying on his lips.

"MOM! AGAIN with the snow?"

Winter rolled her eyes fondly. "Oh, hush dear."

With a twirl of her hand, the snow turned Jack around. Curling her fingers, she beckoned it towards her. The snow obliged, pushing Jack back to his mother's side. It placed him down, briefly holding his shoulders to steady him, then busied itself with smoothing out the rumples in his jacket. Disgruntled, Jack wrinkled his nose at it. The snow stopped, nodded at him, and turned to face Winter.

Winter bowed her head. "Thank you kindly."

The snowdrift saluted, falling down into a pile and disappearing. Blinking innocently, Winter looked back up at Jack with a small smile.

"What?" Jack asked, a little self conscious.

"It's going to be okay, dear."

Jack physically could not stop his eyebrow from going up.

Blaise chuckled. "She's right," he agreed, with a reassuring smile of his own.

"How do you know that?"

"Because your Mother's always right."

"Indeed I am!"

Jack smiled. "Of course. How could I forget."

"Rookie mistake, son!"

"You would know, Blaise darling."

Blaise gasped, a bit over dramatically, a hand on his heart. "Why I never!"

Winter laughed, her eyes closing happily, crow's feet deepening. Blaise smiled down at her lovingly. It made Jack feel...strangely and suddenly content. He chuckled quietly. "I'm sure you'll recover just fine, Dad."

Blaise gave him a knowing look. "And so will you."

"Really? You guys really think so?"

The pair shared another brief look, and nodded almost in sync.

"You're as stubborn as I am, Jack. There's no way in hell you'd let this continue. Not when you're as close as you are. And you are, kiddo! So close!"

"I know," Jack lamented with a groan.

"You may be out of time here, but you'll have time there, too. Maybe it'll come to you while you're working on the walls with your sister. Or perhaps on the way there. Maybe over lunch, who knows! You still have time, and you will figure it out, Jack. It will be okay. I promise."

Jack softened. "Thanks, Mom." He looked thoughtful for a moment before opening up his arms questioningly.

Winter brightened. She smiled, absolutely delighted, nearly falling off her stool in excitement. "Oh, come here you!" Pulling him in, she wrapped her arms around him, squishing a little too tightly.

"Ah! Mom! Please! I need to breathe!"

"You can hold your breath for one more moment," she insisted, kissing the top of his head.

"Mom! I'm much too old for that!"

"No you're not," she squished him tighter. "I love you. Don't you forget it." And with one last squeeze, she let him go.

"Thanks Mom. I love you too."

"And if you need anything at all, you let us know, alright? Drop me a line, send your father a message—we'll be here however you need us."

"Or there," Blaise chipped in.

"I know," Jack replied. And truly, he meant it. He knew, deep, deep down, that his parents would be there for him, in any way he needed. It gave him some semblance of relief, to know they were there. Cheering him on. Supporting him. He smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. I really appreciate it."

"Of course!" Blaise said. "We're your parents; it's our job."

"Contractually obligated?"

"Twenty-four seven," Blaise finger gunned, grinning when Jack laughed. "Now, go find your sister. And take this for the road."

An apple went sailing over the counter. Jack straightened, just managing to catch it. "Are you sure, Dad?"

"Positive! Now get going before I change my mind. And do NOT touch the slices."

Jack's eyes narrowed.

So did Blaise's.

Jack smirked.

"Jack." Blaise warned.

Jack lifted his hand, pausing over the top of the bowl with a smarmy look.

"Do not."

And then he did.

Jack lunged, grabbing some slices and running out of the kitchen, laughing his way right down the hall and out the door. The door slammed shut; Blaise shook his head fondly, chuckling to himself.

"Unbelievable."

"He gets that from you."

"From me? I've seen you do that exact thing multiple times!"

The tiniest of cackles was Winter's only reply as the pair continued prepping, both deep in thought. The season sighed, rolling another freshly peeled apple onto the cutting board as Blaise finished up his slices, replenishing the supply Jack had pilfered.

"Looks like you were right about that feeling yesterday."

"Mmm. Shame it doesn't feel as good as it usually does."

Blaise glanced over at his wife. She slipped the knife underneath the skin of the apple expertly, her eyes looking a little watery.

Dropping his work, Blaise slid down the island and cuddled up against her.

"Hey," he spoke quietly, gently sliding the apple and knife out of her hands to make space for his. He placed a finger under her chin, gently nudging upwards. Winter finally looking up at him. Her eyes shimmered with unshod tears. Blaise smiled, kissing her forehead. "It'll be okay. It won't be forever this time. They will fix this; he'll be back." Bringing her hands up to his lips, he softly kissed her knuckles. "They both will be."

"I know." Winter squeezed his hands, her voice heavy. "I just…oh, this is all so much for the two of them. I don't miss Dome duty, that's for sure. But I wish I could take it away from them."

"Does it get worse?"

"Headaches, aches, pains…that's just the beginning. I don't want to think about what will happen to them both if they don't…" she inhaled, sharply, cutting herself off before she could voice the unthinkable.

"It won't get to that," Blaise said, squeezing her hands. "Hey. Stop doing that. Let me see those beautiful blue eyes again." Winter laughed, glancing back at Blaise with a wobbly smile, a wet track freezing down her face. His hand glowing ever so slightly, Blaise swiped a thumb along her cheek, the ice melting and the water evaporating. His finger trailed up, carefully pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They're gonna be okay. They will fix it; Jack will figure out his essence. And if he doesn't, the two of them will find a way. We've raised a handful of very stubborn kids. They won't go down that easy."

Winter smiled. "You always know just what to say," she said, leaning forward until her forehead hit his chest.

Blaise shifted his arms around her neck, kissing the top of her head. "That's why I'm in politics," he joked, happy when he felt Winter's laughter against him.

She popped her head back up, placing her hand on his cheek. "Are you worried?"

"Insanely," he said, his voice cracking. "Jack's powers are one thing, but those blackouts…" Blaise huffed. "We've eliminated some things, but we still don't have anything concrete. If they happen again…"

"Jacqueline won't go down that easily. And Jack will let us know. It's like you said, dear! We raised some damn fine stubborn kids," she said, in her best Blaise impersonation.

Blaise laughed. "That we did!" He looked thoughtful for a moment, a fierce intensity coming across him that had his hair burning taller and hotter to match. "Winter. If anything happens to either of them. Anything at all. There isn't a single force on this planet that could stop me from going down there and doing whatever I needed to do to keep them safe. Both of them."

Winter caressed his his cheek. "I know," she murmured softly, her other hand coming up to his face too. "And please know, Blaise darling, that there's not a single force on this Earth that could stop me." She pulled his face down to hers, looking just as intense as he did. "So don't you even think about trying."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied, tightening his hold around her as they both tilted their heads, sealing the deal with a kiss.

---

At the centre of the country stood a mountain.

It wasn't very large. Not by mountain standards, no. In fact, it only just made the cut to be called a mountain by a couple of meters.

(By ordibeing standards, it balanced precariously between a Class 6 and a Class 7. By magibean standards, it was a mountain through and through, officially confirmed to be the centre of the continent after a very loud country-wide debate in the late fourteenth century).

It wasn't very large, no. But it sprawled. Oh yes, did it sprawl.

From the centre most mountain, smaller hills, peaks, and inclines stretched out, bordering the North, West, and East Provinces. Four rivers wound through the valleys, all branching off from the multitude of freshwater springs and pools within the largest mountain.

It was said that the Goddess, the Lady of the Springs herself, placed the source of all magic deep within the mountain, protecting it from harm and by extension, protecting her magibeans from harm, too. With her blessing, the magic touched the springs and waterways within the mountain, the water running crystal clear and blessed with a special little Goddess approved gift. The water in the mountains, that pooled and spurted up in all sorts of strange nooks and crannies, that gushed and fell all over the mountain and the closest surrounding hills, eventually trickling out into the four rivers, had the capability to heal magibeans.

All of the magibeans.

Hundreds of different magical springs lay in the mountain, on it, around it, or hidden in little valleys and plateaus that dotted the sides of the mountain and its adjoining peaks. Every single magical being, from folktales to myths, of all cultures and times and places, could come to the springs to be healed from various ailments and magical maladies.

And all sorts of magical folk came.

From deities to demigods, heroes to Legends, spooky beings to cryptids (they had their own pool, near the peak of the mountain, and though nobody ever saw a cryptid in it, there were always clues when one would make an appearance. An errant piece of driftwood; a weirdly shaped log. A rather large bathrobe once, reclaimed a couple of hours later, unseen), the springs did wonders for them all—even magical humans!

All sorts came to the Crystal Springs (as they came to be known as country wide, the name soon denoting the entire landmass the magibeans lived on) to be treated by the Pixies and healers that minded the pools. They had an intimate knowledge of the vast mountain, and knew what each pool did and how to get to it and what would be best depending on the ailment, and so on. And though the Springs healed most ailments, some magical maladies had to be treated more long term. In those cases, the healers worked with the Pixies to triage the magibeans on a case-by-case basis, then bring them over to Crystal Springs General Hospital if deemed necessary. There, the talented teams of healers would see the magibeans through to their eventual recovery.

The waters from the springs were refined to make the fae brand meds Jack and Jacqueline had taken the night before. They helped small pesky things like headaches, and did a better job than the mortal brands of medicines could ever hope to do. But when you yourself felt like you were falling apart due to the magical influence of a Dome you are supposed to mend but can't because your powers aren't quite functional?

Definitely a time to come to the Springs.

The dirt path gave way to stone, and Jack found himself stepping into the clearing at the base of the main mountain. He wandered down the small stone path, wondering if Jacqueline had heard his errant thought last night, or had taken it upon herself to stop by for a spell before they headed out. Maybe a bit of both? He thought as the humidity hit him.

The sunlight beamed down from above, reflecting off of the water. The light bounced off the moisture in the air, revealing small rainbows in the mist that spread throughout the basin and hung in the air. Greenery was all over the place, covering the mountain and muffling the sounds in the base pool. Run offs from the multitude of other pools and waterways gathered here, creating a general healing pool, for little odds and ends. Stubbed your toe? Paper cut? Minor aches and pains? The basin at the base of the mountain was where you needed to go, and all you needed to feel better in a manner of seconds.

Water trickled; birds cheeped and chirped, flying above the heads of the magibeans making use of the base. Some sat with just their feet in the water; others sat, fully submerged (clothes somehow staying dry), being tended to by healer-pixie duos. A few stragglers sat on the grass surrounding the pool, enjoying the mist that drifted through the air, threading the small, colourful wildflowers into crowns and bracelets and things. Pixies floated about, some in their common shrunk form, others at their full size, tending to the springs and the magibeings using them.

Pathways twisted and turned on either side of the pool, wooden poles bucking under the weight of the signs pointing in a multitude of directions. Jack squinted; he'd never figure out where she had gone at this rate, let alone where it was best for him to go for a spell.

Scanning the backdrop, his eyes landed on a glowing shape, seated on a bent tree. Bent long ago, the tree simply did not care, and kept on growing, sideways. The branches had continued to sprout, coaxed together to create an awning, the base of the tree kept clear to serve as a natural information desk. Relieved, Jack wandered over.

"Goddess's Blessings to you today," the glowing figure perched on the tree said, with a respectful nod.

"Ah, thanks," Jack said, propping an elbow on the desk and leaning. "I need as many as I can get."

The pixie laughed. "How can we direct you today, Council Member Frost?"

"Just Jack is fine, no need for, ah, formalities." He cleared his throat. "Two questions. First off, where would one go to deal with a headache that's being caused by a melting, magical Dome that wont stop unpleasantly reminding me that it needs to be fixed?"

"Aches and pains caused by outside magical influence will be on your left, near the top. There's a little tunnel marked with a butterfly. Follow the butterfly markings and you'll be there in no time. Your Legate is already there, just Jack, which I imagine was question number two."

Jack chuckled. "You can drop the just, too," he joked back, with a prize-winning grin. "The path with the butterflies, then?"

"Mhmm," she said, nodding.

Jack tapped the desk with his knuckle, sliding up and heading over. "Thank you!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Goddess's blessings and such!"

"And to you as well!" the pixie replied, her wings buzzing happily.

Jack started his climb, being sure to follow the signs with the butterfly on them. The mist hung in the air as he headed up, the moisture already doing wonders to his own returning headache. The path looped around the mountain; Jack passed multiple openings into little chambers or grottos as he headed up, his ears beginning to pop a little bit. Ivy hung down the openings, moss and little white buds growing along the walls. Water gently rushed in the distance, the scent of dirt and petrichor lingering in the air.

A set of wooden steps led off to an opening on his left. Running his hand along the vines, he gently pushed them aside. A few butterflies fluttered out. Glancing up, he saw the little butterfly symbol etched just above the opening.

Pushing aside the rest of the ivy, he stepped into the small tunnel, making his way through it in a couple of quick strides. Squinting, he stepped out into the light, a hand above his brow as he took in his surroundings.

It looked remarkably like a grotto, though it lacked the ceiling most traditionally had. The stone walls reached high, high above him, opening up into the clear, blue sky. The sunlight poured down the tall, stone walls, water trickling down in thin waterfalls from way up high. Butterflies floated all around the place, fluttering from flower to flower, perching on anything they deemed acceptable (including his frozen spikes, he realized, gently shooing a monarch off of his head). Across the pond, just a little ways past the largest of the small waterfalls, sat a white-haired figure.

She had pulled off her boots, fuzzy socks stuffed in them. They sat to her side, one leaning on the other in a heap as the butterflies gently flitted around them, investigating the new feature. Her feet were in the pool, gently swinging back and forth. She laughed, brushing her nose as a butterfly flew off of it. She looked his way and, with a warm smile, waved him down.

Jack smiled, making his way around the pool and over to her.

"Morning Jack!" she said as he sat beside her, eyeing the pool suspiciously.

"Morning, Jacquie."

She flushed, taking another bite of her apple. "S'weird hearing you use my nickname."

"It's weird that you have one."

"I don't know why it didn't happen sooner," Jacqueline mused, butterflies landing on her head.

"Doesn't that tickle?"

"Hmm? Oh! No, not when they land on my head. But one keeps going for my nose, and that tickles. It's cute though! It's kinda like they're giving me little kisses," she said, crunching down on the apple.

Jack laughed. "That's very sentimental."

"I told Dite the same thing when she said it to me!" Jacqueline threw her arms up in the air very briefly. "But I see what she means and you know what? She's right. It is nice! She's very nice."

"You talk about her a lot," Jack said, dipping his hand in the water, cuffs submerged. He waited a beat before pulling his arm out, squinting at the cuff.

Dry as the winter air.

"Do I?"

"You do." He threw his feet into the pond, shoes and all.

"Oh." Oblivious, Jacqueline took another bite out of her apple. She shrugged. "We hang out a lot." The butterfly landed on her nose again. She giggled, mouth closed, bringing the apple up to the butterfly.

Jack watched her with a small smile. She was absolutely clueless.

He chuckled.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it, little flurry."

She blinked, frowning suspiciously at her Legendary counterpart. "Well now I'm worried."

Jack laughed, biting into his own apple. "It's nothing," he assured, choosing not to elaborate and instead, watching the stream of butterflies that fluttered above them.

"Alright then, keep your secrets." Throwing herself back in the soft grass, Jacqueline sighed. "Man. This frostbitten sucks." Placing her hands on her stomach, she looked up, glancing at the butterflies. The little yellow one that kept perching on her nose hovered above her for a moment before landing, once more, on its preferred perch. "I mean, the pain killers helped and the springs certainly are taking the edge off. But hot damn. This sucks! This sucks so bad! This is literally one of the most unpleasant sensations I have ever experienced."

"Worse than being stabbed?"

Jacqueline snorted. "Ha. Nice. I don't remember what that felt like on account of being uh, unconscious for the healing bit, but I think I'd take it over being pricked in ALL the places by thousands of little pins."

"I think I'd prefer the little pins myself."

"You're insane."

"That's old new, Jacquie. And anyway, it takes one to know one, eh?"

Jacqueline laughed, then sighed, watching the water spill down from the top of the cavernous walls. The grotto was filled with mist, drifting off of the little waterfalls surrounding them.

"Does it get worse?"

Jack looked thoughtful, mulling over his bite of apple. "Probably." He swallowed his bite, looking down at Jacqueline thoughtfully. "I've never let it get to that point, but I can only imagine what happens if it keeps on, you know," he rolled his wrist, gesturing in front of him with the apple.

"Cracking?"

"That works," Jack shrugged, having another bite of his apple. "It's humid up here."

"I've had to refreeze my roots like five times already."

"Well we can't have that," Jack said, unconsciously fixing his own frosted tips. There was a dull thunk behind him; he glanced over, perplexed.

"Did you just throw your apple core at me?"

"It was the only thing I had on hand!"

Jack laughed, taking a page out of his sister's book and laying down too. "Can't be bothered to make a snowball, hmm?"

"I am in way too much pain to think about conjuring right now," Jacqueline groaned, throwing her hand on her forehead and making a choked, gurgling sound.

Jack laughed. "You're not going to die!"

"I might!"

Jack's laughter trailed off. He watched a trail of monarchs swoop down the walls, disappearing into the kaleidoscope above them. "I never asked, you know. Mom never let it get that bad, and I had heard more than enough from her to always keep on top of it. And then, the first time the Dome started getting wishy washy? Headache I will NEVER forget," he said, slicing his hands through the air. "That sealed the deal then and there."

"I just. Why make a Dome that will destroy you if it gets destroyed? That's a MAJOR design flaw."

Jack shrugged. "That's magic for you."

"Gross."

"It's never been this bad," Jack admitted. "I've never let it get this bad because of the side effects. Both on me and the Dome, considering the whole melting causing magical explosions thing. I've never not been able to stop it when it does start up—which has happened a lot more frequently than you think, what with that frostbitten global warming." Jack stared up at his hands and sighed.

"Don't get me started! I had hoped I'd mastered permafrost by now, but I haven't! I'm beginning to think I can't! That's devastating."

"We can work on it."

"After we work out this. Dome thing. And the power shortage. And the blackouts." Jacqueline sighed.

"We have made progress."

"I know. But just…not enough, you know? Now we're out of time."

"Well, yes, but also, no. We're out of time here, at home, in Crystal Springs. But we still have time to figure it out when we get back to the Pole."

"Hmm. I suppose." Jacqueline frowned, sliding her hands behind her head. She looked thoughtful for a moment, before cracking a smile and letting out a little laugh.

"Care to share?"

"It's just…you know what people say about Crystal Springs, right?"

"Lovely nightlife? Great public transport? Views to rival Banff?"

Jacqueline laughed. "Well yes, that's all true, but the thing that everyone says, is that it's—"

"—a healing place," Jack recalled, finishing for her. "Literally," he added for good measure.

"And they're right!"

"Well, yes. I think the literal miracle water has something to do with that."

Jacqueline snorted. "It's metaphorical, too. I mean, not to sound absolutely corny—"

"She said, about to sound absolutely corny."

"BUT. It healed all of us, too! I mean," she popped back up, looking down at Jack. Her butterfly friend fluttered away once more. "Look at your you! You came home and within a day, BOOM. Frosty self back! Family reconciled! Coming here, y'know, healed all that."

"Corny? Corny was an UNDERSTATEMENT! That was purple prose. That was English literature class grade stuff!"

Jacqueline laughed. "Stop it! I added a disclaimer!"

"That was so sickeningly sweet, I think I got cavities just listening to it!"

Snow flew overhead, landing right on Jack's face. He chuckled, waving it off and pushing himself up into a sit now, too. "Ah. I deserved that."

"Yeah you did." Jacqueline smiled, content, looking down into the pool. The butterfly landed on her head this time, bringing some friends along with it. "It was a good decision, to come home. I'm glad you did it. It's nice to have my big brother back, even if he is such a big bother."

"And you couldn't get rid of him now even if you tried," Jack said, rolling his shoulders. "You're stuck with me!"

"Au contraire, mon frère. You're stuck with me," she smirked, crossing her arms smugly.

Jack laughed. "That's not as bad as you make it sound, Jacqueline." He slumped, smile dropping into a frown as he stared at his reflection in the pond below them. "Do you know what the worst part of all of this is?"

"What?"

"The WORST part is that I really, honestly believe, that had we stayed even a day longer, I'd figure it out!"

"It being?"

"My essence! My drive! I'm this close," he said, thumb and index finger almost touching. "I'm sure of it."

"Guess the real test will come once we face that ding dang dome then, eh?"

"It will. And we will fix it," Jack said, not sure if he was trying to reassure his sister, or himself.

"Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, y'know. Once we fix the Dome and get your frosty butt back on track, what comes next?"

"Christmas dinner with the family, I imagine. Including the aunts. And Mother Nature? Does she come by?"

"Usually, yes."

"Then that's what we'll do next. As soon as we tackle that leaky roof. Assuming we can."

"We can and we will," Jacqueline said. "You'll be fit as a flurry soon, Jack. I promise."

"Thanks, Jacqueline. I, uh, I appreciate the help."

She shrugged, unbothered. "I try."

"No, I'm serious. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Jacqueline. I don't think I would've come this far without your help. Really."

"I-oh!" Jacqueline flushed, realizing how sincere her brother was being. She scratched at the back of her head, looking away.

"I meant what I said last night." Jack spoke quietly, looking anywhere but at his sister. "There really is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, Jacqueline."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Even the really like, dark stuff? Like, hide a body?"

"I know five places within ten kilometres, just off the top of my head."

"What about the lead up to the body hiding?"

"Why do you immediately jump to the dark stuff? Why not, you know, help you open a jar, or reach the top shelf."

"You can't reach the top shelf," Jacqueline replied with utmost certainty.

Jack turned to level a glare right at her. "Ugh! I am OFFENDED! I can reach it better than you," he said, flicking his index finger against his thumb.

Jacqueline leaned back, the stream of snow just missing her face. "It's two inches, Jack!" she laughed. "I can do that on my tippy toes! Now answer my question! Would you help me kill a guy?!"

"Of course I would! I mean it, Jacqueline. Really. There really is nothing that I wouldn't do for you."

Jacqueline grinned. "I'll keep it in mind," she said.

"Good," Jack replied, staring down into the pond. A couple of fish were bopping at his shoes, curiously. He smiled, giving his foot a little shake. The fish backed up briefly, only to scoot forward once again. Beside him, Jacqueline scooted a bit, too, until he could feel her arm right against his.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're good," he replied. It was comforting, having her close. A quick sideways glance was enough to tell him she was in much the same boat.

"We're gonna be okay," she said.

"Uh, duh," Jack nudged her gently. "We're Jack Frost! And there is not a force in this world that can keep us down for long," he shouted, tossing his apple core behind him. "They can try, but they'll be in for a nasty surprise soon enough," he finished with a smirk.

Jacqueline laughed, swaying gently into his arm. "Thanks, Jack."

"Any time," he replied, swaying back harder.

She narrowed her eyes, swaying back just as hard.

Jack raised an eyebrow, swaying back into her even harder.

"You are fighting a losing battle, brother of mine," Jacqueline threatened, swaying back hard enough to nearly knock Jack sideways.

"Am I?" he replied, swaying back hard enough that Jacqueline nearly toppled over.

"Yeah! You really are!"

And with a feral grin, she leaned back, palms out, and pushed him right into the pond.

Jacqueline cackled, absolutely delighted when Jack belly flopped with a splash, the fish darting away from him. Her laughter echoed around them, bouncing between the rocky walls and up into the sky above them.

"I win!" she said gleefully as Jack righted himself.

The water wasn't deep at all; it sat just at his hips. He glanced up at Jacqueline, ready to retaliate with a splash, only to find her flat on the ground, laughing hysterically.

The thought of something much better than a splash occurred to him, then.

Smirking, Jack carefully waded towards the bank, trying not to disturb the water too much. Crouching as he got closer, he carefully, carefully, reached out and seized Jacqueline's ankle. Before she could even fully shoot up and gasp, Jack pulled her in.

"AH!" she screamed, as, with a strength they both didn't realize he possessed, she slid right into the water. She almost caught herself! Almost! Her bare feet touched the rocky ground ever so briefly before she lost her balance entirely and fell over with her own splash, the rest of her scream lost in a stream of bubbles.

"HA!" Jack shouted, pointing at her as she sprung up out of the water, steadying herself messily, arms sticking out widely. Jack laughed; she looked like a startled cat! Her hair was poofed up like a cat's tail and everything!

"Hey! Nobody likes a sore loser!" she pouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Jack.

"And they like sore winners even less," Jack accused right back, crossing his arms with a smug smile.

Jacqueline mirrored his pose, pouting intensifying.

And there was something so funny about it that Jack found himself starting to chuckle. Jacqueline's lips twitched; above her, the little yellow butterfly floated back down, settling once again right on her nose.

Both sprites lost it. Whether it was because of the butterfly, or the absurdity of their situation, or a reaction to everything that had happened, they found themselves laughing like absolute maniacs, holding onto each other as they made their way back to dry land, collapsing in a heap.

"Feel better?"

Laughter subsiding, Jacqueline gave a little half-smile, watching the butterfly flap just above her head. "Perhaps..."

"That was ominous."

"Probably because I was just thinking that if I pushed you into the water again, it may fix me completely."

Jacqueline stared at him, doing her very best to look foreboding. It did not work.

Jack stared back, unimpressed.

"Don't even think about," he finally said, the butterfly once more settling itself on Jacqueline's nose.

---

Making it down in record time, Curtis and Lucy tumbled off of the snowmobile in a tizzy, racing towards the Workshop. Helmets went flying, rolling in the snow as they rushed inside.

"Remember Lucy, we go directly to Santa! No stopping to chat, we gotta report this IMMEDIATELY!"

"Got it!"

Like most busy places, there was, of course, a no running rule in the Workshop. With all the foot traffic and activity, especially leading up to the big day, running was the last thing anyone wanted to be doing. The risk of smacking into someone else mid-run, causing delays or mix ups or messes, was way too high.

So, nobody ran.

Except for in life-threatening situations, which happened…more than it should, really, given how secluded the North Pole was. But it was always something in the last decade or so, and today was no exception as Curtis and Lucy ran through the Workshop.

They did their best to dodge incoming elves, but it wasn't long before they crashed right into someone mid-run through distribution.

"Judy!"

"You know the rule, Curtis," she said, sternly but sweetly. "No running." Waving her hand, the boxes that had fallen righted themselves, stacking in a neat little pile and floating right back into Judy's arms.

"Sorry, it's an emergency!"

"Oh?"

"We need to talk to Uncle Scott about the Dome! It's—"

"Lucy! We don't have time to chat!"

"Right! No time for chit chat! Sorry Judy, we gotta go! We'll slow down a bit," Lucy assured her, catching up to Curtis and rushing into Research and Development, turning the corner before Judy could inquire further.

"Hmm," she thought out loud. "Dome must be acting up again."

"If they're running through the Workshop like that it better be," replied one of the Naughty and Nice elves, passing through Distribution towards the globe. "And it better be cracking!"

"You don't think it's actually cracking, do you?" an elf passing by in the opposite direction asked her companion.

"You know, it does feel colder to me. Does it feel colder to you?" her companion replied, rubbing her arms as they turned into Research and Development.

Sparks flew; there was a grunt as an elf that had been working on some wiring looked up after they had passed, shaking their hand as though they had just been shocked. "Colder?!" Pulling up his welding goggles, he turned to the elf beside him, nudging him a little too hard. "That means the Dome is cracking!"

His bench buddy shot up, welding mask muffling him as he yelled.

"Silver bells! We're all gonna die!"

Word spread. Elves panicked. The mental shift throughout the Workshop knocked Elle right out of focus. Shutting off the blowtorch she had been using and pushing up her helmet, she got up and stopped one of the passing elves.

"What the heck is going on?"

"The Dome is EXPLODING," the elf replied.

"What?"

"Well David heard from Andy, who heard from Mandy who was talking with Louise, who heard from Jeremy who heard from Judy who heard from Curtis and Lucy THEMSELVES that the Dome was exploding!"

It had taken under a minute for all this to happen, Elle had gathered, as she gently nudged past the crowd that had formed. Doing her best to project calm, reassuring feelings, Elle found herself almost hoping the Dome would explode so she could take a sick day.

She heard Bernard laugh clear as day in her head. Glancing up, Elle found him on the top of the main stairs, standing with a small group of people—including Santa. Relieved, Elle made her way over, taking the steps two at a time when she noticed that Carol's parents were up there, too, standing beside Carol, Buddy happily sitting in his Grandma's arms.

"It got so cold, and it's all slushy up there now!"

"And the magic brick went up to two hundred percent, Santa! Two HUNDRED percent!"

"Ice was falling! It almost killed Curtis!

"I almost died!"

"You almost died?" Bud asked, gruffly.

"Yeah!"

"I saved him," Lucy reassured.

"Did you hear that, Sylvia? He almost died!"

"Yeah! I almost did! It was terrifying!"

"I thought you said we'd be safe, Scott!" Bud said, looking upset.

"We are!"

"Are we? Lucy could've been crushed, too!"

"I'm sure Neil and Laura wouldn't have liked that very much," Sylvia interjected.

"You think?!" Bud replied, arms up and out.

"Okay, look," Santa began, holding up a hand to placate. "I think we all need to calm down for a second here and regroup, alright? All of us," he added, looking sternly at Bud.

"I don't think either of us can calm down right now," Lucy said, frowning.

"If you'd like, I can help with that," Elle offered.

"Yes please!" Curtis said, relieved. "I almost DIED and these numbers are freaking me out big time! I could use a helping hand."

"Me too! I watched him almost die! And saw all the cracks and slush and everything! It was very traumatizing," Lucy said, with a wise little nod.

"Okay," Elle said. She placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, and another on Curtis's. "Ready?"

They nodded.

"Cool. Okay. Deep breaths. Calm down," she began gently, the two of them beginning to visibly relax. "Everything will be okay. Nobody died—"

"Yet," Bud interrupted.

"Nor will they," Bernard said, forcefully.

"Exactly, because everything is going to be okay," Elle finished, gently.

The pair of them straightened up, their breathing regulating.

"Everything is going to be okay." Lucy sounded very sure of herself.

"We'll figure this out," Curtis said, peering at the magic brick with a steady heartbeat.

"Better?" Elle asked.

"Better!" Lucy said.

"Much!" Curtis agreed, chipper.

"Mr. Newman, did you need a hand?"

"Oh no," he said, sticking out a hand. "I'm good."

"Good," Santa said, visibly relieved. "Great! Alright. Let's take it from the top, yeah?"

"What exactly happened?" Bernard asked Lucy and Curtis, shifting his weight.

"Lucy and I headed out for the afternoon checkup," Curtis began. "I was using the magic brick—the ah, the Dome Meter, to measure the outputs of the various magical signatures."

"And I was the eyes!" Lucy said.

"Good call Luce, you never know about technology these days," Bud said with a sage nod.

"Let them speak, dear," Sylvia said, patting his arm, Buddy blabbering nonsense in agreement.

"Things started out okay," Curtis continued. "Levels seemed about normal. But Lucy was feeling some dampness."

"My gloves got a little wet."

"And the temperature was the same inside the Dome as it was outside."

"And the snow went from packing to slush, and that's when we saw them."

"Cracks. All over the south quadrant."

"Explains why we haven't seen them over here," Bernard said, thoughtfully.

"It sounded awful," Lucy said. "And the magic brick went crazy!"

"It spiked," Curtis said, turning the display towards the adults.

"Two hundred percent?!" Both Santa and Bud shouted.

"Yes and yes," Curtis confirmed, handing the brick to Bernard.

"Well no wonder it got so loud in here!" Sylvia said, hand resting delicately on her collarbone. "We were just having a proper tour, since, you know, we've only just learnt what Scott's been up to up here in the last seven years."

Carol inhaled sharply. "Mom, we talked about this."

"It is true, we only did just learn about all of this," she defended, gesturing with her elbow out into the Workshop floor.

"She's not wrong," Scott said, sheepish.

"I never woulda thought it! A tour of Father Christmas's Workshop!" Bud said, gleeful. "Not even in my wildest dreams, I'll tell ya."

"And then all of a sudden it got so loud!" Sylvia said, switching Buddy over to her other side. "We came right over here as fast as we could."

"Father-in-law and Mother-in-law of Christmas, you know," Bud said, wisely, Sylvia nodding in agreement. "Gotta make sure everything is ship shape!"

"Yes, and you're doing such a wonderful job," Carol assured, holding in a laugh.

"Gotta make sure you're okay out here, Carol," Bud looped his fingers in his belt loops and pulled up. "Some days it seems like this place is held together with duct tape and prayers. I mean look out there! The elves are out of control!"

"It's a work in progress," Bernard said, resisting the urge to drag his hands down his face and scream. "Elle and I will have everything back under control momentarily."

"Even the Dome?"

"Baby steps, Dad," Carol said with a weak smile.

"Alright, alright."

Shall we? Bernard thought at Elle.

After you, she thought back, stepping to the side and gesturing towards the staircase.

With a nod, Bernard made his way down to the middle landing of the staircase. Below them, it seemed as though every elf in the near vicinity had gathered. They stood shoulder to shoulder, fretting and worrying and yelling about what was going on outside the Workshop walls.

Bernard cleared his throat. "Elves?" he began, testing the waters.

The din of voices began to quiet down. Slowly, the elves noticed Bernard, nudging their friends and passing it on, all the way through to the back of the crowd.

"If we could just cut the chit chat for a moment, that'd be great," Bernard continued, waiting on a few stragglers.

Finally, the last one or two voices faded away. A wave of calm washed over the Workshop, the elves visibly relaxing and looking up, waiting for Bernard to update them properly. Sending a quick mental thanks Elle's way, Bernard finally spoke up.

"Great. Thanks everyone. It's six days until Christmas so I'll try to make this as brief as possible." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "As I'm sure you have all heard by now, the Deliquesce has begun. Again. Unfortunately, what you've heard is true: it's a bit more severe than we had previously seen earlier this year." He paused briefly, letting the sudden gasps and exclamations spread through the Workshop before continuing, his voice cutting above the low din below.

"However, there is no need to panic! Jack Frost is on his way up as we speak to fix it for us, along with his Legate. With the two of them here, the south wall will be repaired in no time at all! I can assure you, nobody is going to be crushed by falling ice or freeze to death, and there won't be any explosions of the magical sort involving the Dome or elves. Most importantly though, we won't let this distract us from our preparations for the big day!" Bernard smiled, giving them all a cheery little fist pump.

Heads moved in the crowd, looking at their fellow elves. they seemed a bit perplexed, but had calmed down considerably, looking a bit more at ease. Resisting the urge to sigh in relief, Bernard pressed on.

"If there are any concerns, please bring it up with your department heads. We'll regroup with them and address any and all questions once we touch base with Jack, alright? For now, just stay calm, stay indoors if you can, don't go NEAR the south wall of the Dome, and do not worry. We have it all under control, alright?"

The elves looked around at one another, nodding and shrugging. A couple of elves shouted okays and you got its from the crowd.

"Thanks everyone. We'll be sure to keep you posted, alright? I'll let you all get back to work now. Do not panic! Everything will be fine," Bernard stressed, another wave of calm spreading through the Workshop. The crowd dispersed, heading back to their tasks looking a lot better than they had moments before.

Bernard headed back up the stairs, stopping beside Elle. "See?" he said, with a little sideways smile. "All taken care of."

"Nicely done," Carol said.

"Thanks. I've got centuries of practise," Bernard stressed, his smile looking a little bit pained now. "And a bit of extra help these days."

"See Mom? See Dad? It's fine! Elle and Bernard make a great team."

"That was pretty impressive," Bud mused.

"See? We're great up here! We have a system, everything works out, Bud!"

Bud blinked, doubty. "Hey, don't try to change the subject on me Calvin. The Dome?"

"Oh yes! The Dome! Is that true?" Sylvia asked. "Will Jack be coming up to take care of it?"

"Oh yeah," Bernard said.

"I dunno. He doesn't seem like the most trustworthy guy, you know."

"Bud!"

"What?"

"Dad!"

"What? We're all thinking it, I'm just saying it!"

"None of us were thinking that!" Scott exclaimed. "Bud, it's fine. I promised you before you came. He's a changed man. We don't have to worry about any…nonsense coming from him this year."

"You sure?"

"Remember to breathe," Carol whispered to Scott.

"Right," he whispered back, taking a deep breath before turning back to Bud. "I'm positive. I wouldn't have brought you up here if I thought Jack posed a threat. He won't let anything happen to us. I promise."

"If you say so."

"I know so."

"Jack is much better off now, Dad," Carol said, reassuringly. "And his sister is lovely!"

"If anything, she'll steer him straight," Bernard said.

Elle nodded in agreement. "Can confirm. Jacqueline's as much of a force to be reckoned with as Jack is."

"Mom, Dad. With the two of them on the case, I'm positive this will be fixed in no time at all."

In Sylvia's arms, Buddy smiled, kicking his legs and vocalizing.

"See? Even Buddy agrees!"

"Well, I can't say no to this little man," Bud said, taking him from Sylvia.

"And I know for a fact Jack's all good now," Lucy piped up. "I thawed him myself!"

"And you did some damn fine work, kid," Bud smiled, going in for a fist bump that Lucy happily returned.

"You know, we should really let Neil and Laura know about the Dome."

"Yes!" Santa clapped. "Great idea, Sylvia! Why don't you guys go find them, and tell them to stay inside? Lucy, you go with them! Make sure you all stay inside the Workshop and stay safe."

"I know exactly where Mom and Dad are," Lucy said, before Bud could protest (which he very obviously was about to). "C'mon! I can take you guys over!" Not waiting for an answer, she ran down the hall, waving the Newman's her way.

"We're coming dear!" Sylvia shouted after her.

"These legs are not what they used to be," Bud said, he and Sylvia setting off after Lucy.

"Oh, Dad! Will you be okay with Buddy? We can take him—"

"Nah, it's alright! I barely get to see him! We'll be fine," he shouted back, waving over his shoulder. "Isn't that right, Junior? Besides, we don't want you getting squished by a hunk of ice, do we!"

Buddy laughed in response, waving over Bud's shoulder at his parents as they turned the corner, disappearing into the living quarters.

Scott and Carol breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one," Santa said.

"I'll say," Carol said. "They're my parents, and I love them. They're my parents and I love them. Okay! Deep breaths! Are you sure you're alright, Curtis?"

"I am now, yeah, thanks to Elle. I appreciate the help."

"Of course! Thank you for letting me help you." Elle rubbed her temples. That had been a lot of mental effort, and on top of everyone freaking out? The thoughts were LOUD. She really would be needing that sick day just to deal with this headache.

Her thought made Bernard laugh. He looked over at her with a reassuring smile, waves of comfort coming through to her end of their connection. He'd be there if she needed him; she only had to say the word.

That alone was more than enough to curb the headache.

"What now, Bernard? I can update the rest of the DRT, but given the circumstances, should we even bother to keep checking in on the Dome?"

"Wait until Jack arrives. Once he's assessed it, I'll let you guys know how best to proceed. For now, same instructions as everyone else, alright? Avoid the Dome, stay inside as much as possible, and stay safe. Got it?"

"Got it," Curtis said.

"Good. Don't forget to upload the stats," Bernard added, passing Curtis the dome meter.

"I'll go get that started. Thanks Bernard. And thanks again, Elle," he said, heading down the stairs and to the left, head buried in the meter again.

"I'll make sure to check in with him later," Carol said.

"Good call," Santa said. "Alright! Elves are calm, things are getting back in shape…what next, what next. Dome! Is Jack on his way up?"

"He should be, yeah," Bernard said, heading down the stairs. "Remember what I said a while back? When the Dome acts up, Jack feels it."

"Right," Carol recalled, following him down, arm in arm with Santa. "You mentioned a headache?"

"Yep. Generally, with magical creations like the Dome, the magibean who creates it is tied to it." Elle followed close behind him, listening intently. Behind her, the Claus's were doing much the same. "So, if something happens to it, they'll know."

"How?" Santa asked.

"Is it like the connection he has with his sister?" Carol mused.

"That's not a bad comparison, but it's not exactly like that. The Dome isn't a magibean. It's a magical item, if we had to classify it. He's attuned to it. It's a part of him. To put it succinctly, when it hurts, he hurts."

"Hence the headache."

"When it starts," Bernard clarified, a finger in the air. "But, the longer it goes on, the more intense the pain gets. And it's not just a headache."

"Wait. You're telling me, that the worse the Dome gets, the worse Jack feels?"

"Yep," Bernard popped the p, jogging down the last few steps. "Headaches are just the start. Could be a cramp, could be back pain, joint pain, chronic pain—the worse the Dome gets, the worse he'll feel."

"No wonder he never started the Deliquesce before," Elle said.

"What do you mean?" Santa asked, as they entered the hall connecting the stables to the shop.

"Well, if he wanted to back when he was all. Frozen. He could've destroyed this entire place, right? What was stopping him from just starting the Deliquesce on purpose? The fact that if he did it, it'd hurt him, too."

"I had the same thought!" Carol remarked.

"Wait, hold on a sec," Elle said, frowning in thought. "The magibeans that create things like the Dome can feel them?"

"Yep," Bernard said.

"And if someone were to help a magibean with this, they'd also feel it too, right?"

"Pretty much."

Elle let out a tiny gasp. "Jacqueline was the last one to fix the Dome."

"Yeah." Bernard looked worried.

"Do you think she's okay?"

"Hard to say. It would explain why they weren't here before we noticed the Dome. She's never had to deal with it—at least, not that I can recall," he added, brow furrowed. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's why they haven't appeared yet. Suddenly dealing with pain like that? Given how bad it is here?"

"Yikes," Elle said.

Bernard shrugged. "That about covers it. Wanna drop them a line?"

"Yeah, I'll check in with them," Elle replied, the four of them making their way into the stables.

---

Jack sat at his piano, absentmindedly playing a tune he couldn't quite place, he was so lost in thought.

Though he had seemed confident when reassuring Jacqueline the same way Blaise and Winter had reassured him, he was just as worried, if not more. Yeah, maybe things would go well! Maybe they'd get there and work everything out instantaneously! But something was telling him that it wasn't going to be that easy this time around, and that was concerning. There was a lot to try and accomplish, and he was off key.

Wait, what?

Jack glanced down, frowning when he spotted the culprit: the giant, white, poof ball of a cat his sister had decided to pack bond with. It purred at him, tail fwip-fwip-fwipping back and forth, big blue eyes staring right at him.

"Cat. You ruined my tune."

The cat mrrped in reply, walking across more keys. Jack winced.

"New piece? Sounds interesting. What's it called, Catto's first?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Jacqueline. Could you get your cat off my piano? He's very bad at playing. And he's shedding like crazy," Jack complained, brushing some fur off of the keys.

"Well we can't have that," she said, sitting beside him on the bench and giving him a look.

"Oh. I see, because I made fun of you when you said the same thing to me, right?"

Jacqueline merely smiled, dropping her bag beside her and patting her lap. The cat hopped off of the keys and onto Jacqueline's legs, purring loudly as he paced in a circle, trying his best to headbutt Jacqueline's hand mid-pet.

Jack watched her cozy up with the cat, smiling softly. "You warmed up to him pretty fast," he remarked, turning back to the piano.

"He's so cute and soft, look at him!" Jacqueline gestured towards the giant fluff ball on her legs. He curled up, sinking into a lay, purring intensifying.

"Looks like Fino was right."

"I know! I hate when he's right. He's never rude about it which is somehow worse. Also, don't tell him I said he was right."

Jack chuckled. "I'll try not to."

"He's a very cuddly cat." Jacqueline scratched the cat's head, right behind his ears. He closed his eyes, purring intensifying as he nuzzled her hand. "You can pet him too, if you want. It's good for stress."

"What makes you think I'm stressed?"

Jacqueline raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're not? It's pretty obvious, Jack. You're like, off, today. Come on. Come on. Just try it. Just pet his soft lil' head. Come on. Do it. Do it do it do it—"

"Alright, alright!" Giving in, Jack scratched the cat around its neck, just under the collar. The cat purred, pushing his face into Jack's palm.

"Look, he likes you!" Jacqueline looked delighted as the cat stepped off of her lap and onto his.

"Delightful," Jack said dryly, petting the cat as it sat on his thighs. Fur clumped just before his tail. Jack winced, shaking his hand. Fur floated off, drifting slowly to the ground. "Eugh. Look at all this fur."

Jacqueline laughed. "Yeah, it's everywhere in there now. I may have to take a page out of Dad's book and dip into some spellcasting to find a little cleaning spell. Or like an enchantment to prevent it from sticking. But for now," she rummaged around in her bag. "Voila! Lint roller!" Brandishing it like a sword, she offered it to Jack.

"I think I'm good."

"Really? Look again."

Taking his attention off the cat, Jack glanced at his pants, and frowned. "Are you serious? It hasn't even been a minute! This is my best suit!"

Jacqueline laughed, passing over the lint roller once more. "Just shoo him off if it's bugging you!"

Jack glared at her, petting the cat even harder.

Placing the lint roller between them on the bench, she raised her hands, yielding. The cat purred, tilting his head as far up as possible to let Jack really scratch under the collar. Jacqueline watched fondly, resisting the urge to sneak a photo. She frowned suddenly, concern lining her features.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, looking very far away. "It's not me I'm worried about."

Jacqueline looked bemused. "Then who—oh! Oh. Jack, you need to cool it! I'll be okay. I know if anything happens you'll be there for me if I need it."

"But how can I be there for you if I can't do anything?"

"Maybe you won't need to do anything. Maybe they won't happen again. Maybe your powers will come right back when we get up North. Just, POOF."

The edges of his mouth quirked up. "Like that?" he said, snapping his fingers.

Jacqueline laughed. "Like that," she said, snapping back. Her smile fell. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe another change of scenery will be good for us."

She looked tired, Jack thought. Worn out. He got the sense that he probably looked much the same. Yikes. "Hmmd. I'll admit the pause here has been…irritating."

"Lady above, right?! We were doing so well and then nothing!" Jacqueline said, arms shooting up. "It's exhausting," she slumped, arms falling down in her lap. "I know it feels like we have nothing to show for it…but you do have your powers back. Sort of."

"Emphasis on the sort of," Jack frowned down at his hands. "How much longer is this going to go on? It's been almost a year! It sucks."

Jacqueline laughed.

"What?! It does!"

"I know, I know! It's just. You know. You are a man of too many words, so hearing you say it sucks? I'm not sure if I'm laughing because it's funny, or laughing because goddess of the springs! It really, really, does suck, doesn't it?! ESPECIALLY if you're the one saying it!"

"It does! There's no elegantly verbose way of putting it! It just. Sucks. It's been nice to have them back here at home, but up North? Whatever I pull will come out of what the Dome's trying to pull. I'm not sure how any of this is going to work, let alone what I'll do if something happens to…" he stopped himself, glancing surreptitiously at his sister's tilted head. He couldn't finish the thought.

He didn't need to.

"To me."

He stopped petting. "Yeah."

"Jack, I—"

"What am I supposed to do? If, if something happens to you, how can I help you when I can't even help myself?! I'm just tired of being so weak and, and useless," he said, keys slamming, cat tensing.

"Jack. You're not weak. And you're not useless. You've been taking this like a champ!"

"Blaise? When did you get here?!"

"Oh shut up, I did not sound that much like him."

"I beg to differ!" The cat stood up, looking up at Jack. His tail fwipped again, thunking back and forth. "Is he threatening me?"

"No, he's demanding more pets," Jacqueline said. "Isn't that right Dusty? You're just a cuddly lil' mans! You just want Jack to chill out and give you some nice scritches, huh? Yes you do! Yes you do! Pet the damn cat, Jack."

"Dusty?"

The cat perked up.

"You named it Dusty?"

"Yeah. It's short for Dust Bunny!"

"You, Jacqueline Winter Frost, a winter sprite, next in line for my title, have a white cat with blue eyes, and you named it DUST BUNNY?!"

"Yeah! Because he really likes to hide under my bed with the dust bunnies!"

"Not Snowball? Snowflake? Jack Junior? Ned?!"

"Ned?"

"It's better than Dusty!"

"No it's not! He doesn't even look like a Ned," Jacqueline laughed. "Dusty. His name is Dusty the Dust Bunny."

"Unbelievable," Jack said, shaking his head.

"You know, Jack." She reached over, scratching Dusty's chin. "It's okay to lean on people for help. Even if that person is your little sister. Like, I get it. Last time you were around, I was the baby of the family." Booping the cat's nose, she regarded Jack carefully. "But I'm not anymore. You don't have to put up pretenses or anything to make me feel better. Sleet sucks right now, I get it; but we'll get through it together. No shame in that."

Jack smiled. "You just like holding that over my head."

"What, that I've surpassed my teacher and am now his only hope? That doesn't sound like me at all!" she said, looking over-the-top insulted. "How could you even think such a thing of little old me," she poked her cheek and smiled sweetly. "I am so cute and pretty and innocent. I would NEVER!"

Jack laughed. "SURE you wouldn't," he said. "Shall we, then, little miss sunshine? I'm sure the farewell committee is anxiously awaiting our departure, and don't get me started on the welcoming committee."

"Don't get me started," Jacqueline stood, grabbing her bag. "They're waiting for us in the stables, apparently. There was a whole hullabaloo this afternoon, according to Elle. Oh, and Santa's family is up, too!"

"Oh, goodie!" Jack matched her sarcasm, pulling down the dust cover.

"I thought the same thing," Jacqueline said, dryly. She patted her leg. "Alright, down you go, Dusty."

With a little merp, he hopped off of Jack, rubbing his face on the legs of the piano bench. Jack stood up, grabbing the lint roller and doing his best to get rid of the cat hair on his pants. "Got everything you need?"

Jacqueline patted her bag. "Everything but the cat!" She grabbed Dusty around the middle, holding him in her arm as he curled up against her side, purring.

"You're not taking him with us, are you?"

"No, he's staying put. The fireballs are going to take care of him in the meantime—though he can take care of himself, for the most part! Isn't that right, Dusty? Isn't that right," she said, scratching his chin. "What a good little beastie!"

Jack chuckled, passing her the lint roller. "Shall we?"

she gave the cat one last squeeze before placing him down. "Yes! Let's."

Shoving the lint roller into her bag and zipping it up, Jacqueline jogged to catch up to her brother, heading down the twirly staircase right on his heels. Not two steps onto the second floor were taken when two loud battle cries rang out. The pair stopped, tensing up as two flaming blurs ran from either side of the hall, plowing directly into their sides, the two winter sprites slamming into one another. There was a hiss as hot met cold, the temperatures cancelling each other out.

"DON'T GO!" Fiera said, koala-ing onto Jack. "YOU GUYS JUST GOT HERE!"

"We'll be back," Jack said, messing up Fiera's hair.

"GASP! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Easily," Jack replied, ruffling it one more time.

"Keep an eye on Dusty for me, okay?"

"You got it!" Fino hugged Jacqueline's side tighter. "I'll give him a ton of pets for you."

"Thanks, Fins," Jacqueline said, squishing him back.

"Switchero?"

"Switchero!"

In a flash, the Twins let go of their older siblings, rushing around them and switching sides. Now it was Fino's turn to koala, and Fiera's turn to squeeze some guts.

"Why are you two like this?" Jack asked, affectionately.

"Cuz we love you," Fiera said, squishing her sister. "Don't be gone too long, okay?"

"We'll try not to be," Jacqueline said, squishing her back even harder.

"And you have to promise to come back," Fino let go, looking up at Jack once again with that funny intense baby face.

"Oh, we'll be back, Fino! I promise."

"No, not you Jacqueline! I know you'll be back. It's this one." Fino poked Jack's chest. "You have to promise to come back, Jack."

"I—oh," Jack blinked, feeling very...bittersweet. "Of course. I promise."

"Jacqueline as your witness!" Fiera said.

"Alright, alright. I promise, with Jacqueline as my witness, that I will come back."

"Pinkie swear," Fino said, sticking out his pinkie.

"What?"

"You heard the man!" Fiera said, letting go of Jacqueline and crossing her arms, studying Jack. "Pinkie! Swear! To BOTH of us!" she stuck out her finger, matching Fino's fierce cherubic intensity.

"Sprite's honour," Jacqueline warned, crossing her arms. She moved two fingers to her eyes, then gestured to Jack's. "I'm watching you."

"Ganging up on me, I see."

"Can you blame us?" Fiera asked.

"Good point. On that note..." Taking his hands out of his pockets, he looped his pinkies with the pinkies of his two littlest siblings ever so tight. "I, Jack C. Frost, pinkie promise to come back home as soon as I can to visit one Fino S. Frost and Fiera—" he glanced her way, quizzically.

"T."

"Fiera T. Frost. Jacqueline W. Frost as my witness!"

"Cross your heart," Fino said.

"Hope to die! Stick a needle in your eye!" Fiera chimed in.

"That is very violent, but yes, I pinkie promise, cross my heart. And if there's any way to do this and avoid the needles and death, I'd appreciate it."

"Stamp it no erases?" Jacqueline suggested.

"I like that," Jack said.

"And lock it," Fino said, sternly.

"Locked and loaded," Jack replied, stretching his thumbs up to tap theirs.

"And if you don't come back Jacqueline gets to MAKE YOU," Fiera said, with a diabolical little grin.

Jack smiled, feeling very, very warm inside as he let go of the twins' hands. "I'd like to see her try."

"Ou, thems fighting words." Jacqueline punched her palm with her own diabolical smirk.

"Jack."

"Fiera."

"What does the C stand for?"

"What does the T stand for?"

"I asked first!"

"And I asked second."

"I won't tell until you tell."

"And I won't tell until you tell."

"Then it seems we have reached an impasse."

"Ou, nice word, Fi!"

"Thanks Fins!"

A chipper little Winter-esque smile on his face, Fino turned to Jack. "It's Tara."

Fiera gasped, clutching her chest. "BETRAYED BY MINE OWN TWIN! YOU AWFUL BROTHER!"

"Well, fair is fair! The C is for Canicus," Jacqueline snickered.

Now it was Jack's turn to hold his heart. "You AWFUL sister!"

Fino and Jacqueline shared a look very, very fast, before racing down the stairs, Fino yelling "SCATTER" as Jacqueline cackled behind him. Overtaking him, Jacqueline ducked a few stray fireballs, waved away a few snowballs, and crashed right into Blaise with a solid thunk.

"Hi Dad!"

A stray fireball went flying into Blaise's hair. He blinked, tilting his head as a snowball came flying his way, Winter catching it with deadly accuracy, clutching it in her palm. The parents shared a wry smile between them, Blaise steadying Jacqueline as Winter tossed the snowball, the icy projectile dissipating in the air and disappearing.

"What did you do this time?"

"A BETRAYAL of the upmost kind!" Jack said from the top of the stairs.

"Fino started it," Jacqueline defended, the aforementioned Twin stopping beside her and nodding, accepting the blame.

"That's true! He DID!" Fiera agreed, rushing down the stairs and careening right into Fino.

Jack followed behind her, chuckling as the twins rolled around in a fit of laughter and fire. He stepped over them, stopping beside Jacqueline and slam dunking a snowball directly on top of her head. She laughed, shaking it off as best as she could.

"Oh, look at the four of you," Winter said with a big smile, eyes watery. "My little babies, all together! Getting along, throwing snow at one another, stabbing each other in the back," she sniffled. "I'm so proud of you all. Oh, it's such a shame you two have to go." Grabbing the eldest pair of siblings, she pulled them into her embrace and squished them very, very tight.

"Mom! I need to breathe!"

"That's the last thing on her radar right now, Jacqueline."

"Correct! You can hold your breath a little longer dea—ah! Oh my! Blaise! Put us down!"

The three of them found themselves slightly lifted off the ground, Blaise squishing them tightly. "Absolutely not! We're gonna miss you two around here."

"It's okay, Dad! They'll be back!" The rolling ball of flames stopped, Fiera hopping up, chipper, and righting herself. "Fino made Jack pinkie promise."

Grabbing Fiera's outstretched hand, Fino pulled himself up, nodding enthusiastically. "And you know how bad it is to break a pinkie promise.

"So bad," Winter agreed, sagely.

"Just the worst," Blaise added, slicing a palm through the air for good measure.

"And I live here," Jacqueline choked out, "So, y'know." She tried to shrug, but was too squished to do so. "Can you guys please let go of us."

"NOT YET!" Fiera yelled. Grabbing each other's hand, the twins hopped onto the top step and leapt off of it, landing right on the backs of their siblings with practised ease. Their free hands latched onto Blaise's sleeves, the Frost pile complete. With a chuckle, Blaise readjusted, giving everyone a moment to breath while he secured the Twins, wrapping all five of them in his trademark big bear hug as best as he could.

Jack felt very, very toasty. And not just because of the three summer sprites surrounding him.

He thought about his visit home, about the year he had had since thawing. He had friends at the North Pole. He and his sister were almost as close as they had been back before he left. Blaise had welcomed him back with open arms. The Twins were ecstatic to meet him and immediately gave him the full big brother treatment. Winter had wanted to mend their connection, and then they had!

He was loved.

He didn't know who was near him, but he did his best to squish them as tight as Winter was squishing them all. Or was it Blaise? It was hard to tell. Nor did he care to figure it out. Instead, he enjoyed the hug, the only thoughts on his mind how much he loved each and every one of them. He would do anything to help them, protect them, keep them safe.

Deep down in his core, he felt a warm, tingling sensation. It shocked him enough that he recoiled. The group hug, then, fell apart all too soon; the sensation fizzled out, the warmth replaced with the little pinpricks of pain that had yet to meet the fae brand he had taken upon his return from the Springs.

Blaise put them all down. Winter finally let go, Jacqueline dramatically gasping for air. The season laughed, grabbing her daughter's face and pelting her with little kisses. The Twins, still latched onto Blaise, wiggled their way up his sides. Watching his wife fondly, muscle memory kicked in as he hoisted the Twins up in his arms without looking, the pair sitting comfortably in the crook of his arms, hanging onto his shoulders.

"You two really are small," Jack said.

"We'll hit our growth spurt soon! I can feel it in my bones," Fiera said, Fino laughing.

"Don't grow too fast! I'm gonna to miss being able to do this," Blaise said, giving them an extra squish.

"And don't think that'll save you. I'm taller than mom and I'm still subjected to this," Jacqueline complained halfheartedly, head still trapped in Winter's hands, being pelted with kisses.

"Last one, I promise."

"You said that like five kisses ago!"

"Mwah." Winter kissed the top of Jacqueline's head, finally releasing her. She pushed Jacqueline's hair back, squishing her face. "Be safe, okay? Both of you." Her hand came up, glowing white as snow.

"No need! I can walk." In two quick strides, Jack was in front of his mother. "You can put that down," he said, gently pushing her hand down, watching carefully until the white glow subsided. He sighed, lifting his arms. "Here, I'll participate in your little hostage exchange. Remember my sacrifice, Jacqueline!"

Jacqueline snorted, watching as Winter gleefully squished Jack tightly, stepping up on her tip toes to kiss his head, too. "Be safe. And be good."

"I make no promises."

"As good as you can be," Blaise winked.

"And take care of your sister!"

"I'll be fine," Jacqueline said, with a careless wave of her hand.

"And if anything happens, if the two of you need anything at all," Blaise said, sternly. "Let us know, okay?"

"We'll be right there in seconds."

"Milliseconds, even."

Jack chuckled. "Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad. We'll keep that in mind."

"Oh! And! One last thing before you head out," Blaise said. "Here, Winter, hold these two for a sec."

Dropping the Twins into a pile of snow that met them halfway, Blaise rushed into the kitchen. Jack looked at Jacqueline, quizzically. She shrugged, just as perplexed. Blaise rushed back, jacket flying out behind him, sparks trailing in his wake.

"Ta-da!" Two little containers with a pristine looking slice of apple pie in each came out from behind his back. "A little snack to keep you both going." Jacqueline took the containers from him, placing them carefully in her bag. "Tell me how it tastes! When you can, that is. Aunt Autumn's recipe. This time, I've got it."

"We'll be the judges of that, Dad," Jacqueline said, zipping her bag back up.

"Alright, alright you two! Enough is enough! Such fanfare! You've fawned over the two of us more than enough. Come along, Jacqueline! We have official Legendary Figure business to attend to." Spinning on his heel, Jack headed down the hall, making his way to the front door.

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. "I'm coming! Don't get yourself all a flurry!"

It was a tizzy of last minute hugs as the Legend Legate duo tried very hard to make their way out the door and off the front porch. Rushing to catch up with Jack, Jacqueline nearly crashed into him when the Twins, launched out of the snow pile by Winter, hit them with one last tackle hug. Laughs were had, the snowy siblings making a big show of pulling the fiery ones off of one another. All giggles, the twins plopped on the front steps, shoving over to let Jack and Jacqueline pass. They made their way down the winding path, stopping as the gates opened up soundlessly. Jacqueline turned back, her face breaking into a grin.

"What?"

"Look!"

Jack turned back as well, his heart warming immediately. Arm in arm, Blaise and Winter had come to a stop behind the twins to see them off. They waved, vigorous, heartfelt waves as the gates finished opening. The Twins hopped up, bouncing up and down on the step and waving as well.

Jack waved back just as excitedly, his heart full, his core warm and toasty. So did Jacqueline. All six of them waved and waved, the frosty duo only stopping when they had fully disappeared in a flurry of two-tone blue sparks and snowflakes.

---

In the stables, the wind began to pickup. It got colder.

Some of the nearby stable hands let out a shiver, moving closer to the reindeer. Rubbing her arms, Carol moved closer to her husband, who threw an arm over her shoulders, bringing her in tight.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Santa said, looking ahead as two tone blue sparks began to appear, entwined with snowflakes. "It's about time! Way to keep us all waiting over here! You're late," he joked, as Jack and Jacqueline fully materialized in front of them.

"Only fashionably so," Jack said, flashing a winning smile. "Hi Santa. Carol. Ah! Bernie! And Ellington!"

"Don't call me that," Bernard said, pushing off against the wall he had been leaning on.

"Jack!" Carol said, going right in for the hug. "You're you again!"

"Does that mean you figured it out? Got your essence in order? Your mojo is back?"

"That never left," Jack told Santa over Carol's shoulder, breaking off the hug shortly after.

"Feeling better, though?"

Glancing around, Jack lowered his voice. "We've had better days," he admitted. "We managed to find a workaround."

"Right, you had mentioned in your letter—"

"I don't know WHAT you are TALKING about," Jack cut Santa off, loudly. "I would NEVER write you a letter!" He lowered his voice, leaning back in. "I told you to keep that on the down low, Claus!"

"Powers still not fully back then?" Carol whispered, patting Santa's arm affectionately.

"Not quite, no. And thank you for the discretion, Mrs. C. At least someone around here has some manor of decorum, of, of tact," Jack glared at Santa.

"You're such a snowdiva."

Ignoring Jacqueline's comment, Jack plowed on. "As I was saying, we did manage to find a sort of, ah, work around."

"Will it work up here?"

Jack shrugged. "We don't know yet."

"We're very much operating under frost around and find out terms," Jacqueline said, hugging Elle tightly. "Quite literally."

"So, pun intended?" Elle teased.

"NEVER and you know that," Jacqueline teased back, pulling out of the hug. "Hi."

"Hi yourself! You okay pal? You look a little low."

"That's one way of putting it. Jack's right, we've definitely had better days. Sorry for the delay," she offered, with a sheepish smile.

"We figured it'd be best to tackle everything uh, well rested," Jack explained.

"Feeling it too, Jacqueline?" Carol asked, concerned.

"BIG TIME. But I'll manage. We went to the Springs before leaving and I packed the fae brand," she patted the small, square pocket on the front of her bag. The pills rattled. "Dad gave us snacks for the road, so we should be good to go! Hopefully. Goddess willing." She sighed heavily, eyes trained on the floor below her.

"We will," Jack assured. "We're going to do our absolute best, given the circumstances."

"Good! Great! That's what I like to hear! The cold front is moving in!" Santa said with a nervous chuckle.

"Cold front, see, that is a good one," Bernard said.

"I was just thinking that!"

"Alright. How bad is it," Jack asked, heading out. Santa and Carol fell into step beside him, Bernard and Elle taking up the rear with Jacqueline between them.

"It's pretty bad," Elle admitted. "According to Curtis and Lucy—"

"Lucy? Is she okay?"

"She is now," Elle assured Jack. "Both of them are. Anyway, they went up to check on the Dome after lunch, and what they found wasn't pretty."

"Magic levels are off the charts," Bernard began, tapping his index finger. "About two hundred percent of the Christmas magic in the Dome is being let out."

"Two hundred?" Jack asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yep. We've got cracks, fractures, and falling pieces. Temperatures inside the Dome are starting to match the ones outside the Dome."

"So it's bad bad," Jacqueline slowed down, eyes growing wide. This did not go unnoticed by her two friends.

"Yep," Santa sounded squeaky. "But it's fine now! The two of you are here, and I'm sure you can do that whole, thing like you did last time!"

Jack looked over his shoulder at Jacqueline, unsure. She grimaced, unsure as well.

"We'll give it a try," Jack shrugged. Change the subject, he thought. "Your family is up?"

"Mhmm," Carol said, a little too high. "Mom and Dad found out when it happened. That was an. Experience," she looked a bit shell shocked, teeth briefly clenching. "But! I think we managed well enough. We sent them off with Lucy."

"Ou, good play! She's a distressingly distracting relentless force of positivity. They don;t stand a chance."

Santa chuckled. "That was the play!"

As they rounded the corner and came out into the square, Jacqueline came to a stop. She watched as the Legendary trio made their way out into the snow. She glanced up at the Dome, lips tight; brow furrowed. She chewed her lip.

Sharing a look, Bernard and Elle stopped beside her, quiet for a moment.

"You okay, kid?" Bernard asked.

Jacqueline paused for a moment. She looked like she was buffering. "Sort of. Not really. But not horrible. Just nervous. This is very nerve wracking."

Elle lay a hand on her arm. "Do you need a hand with that?"

"Maybe, but not how you're thinking." Shrugging off her friend, Jacqueline tore her eyes away from the Dome. "I need to ask you guys something. A favour," she clarified, looking down at her hands. "The blackouts…we didn't really figure out what was causing them," she spoke quietly, balling her hands into her fists. She shoved them into her pockets, scuffing the ground with her boot. "I don't know if they'll start up again, but if they do…" she looked up at her friends, fiercely. "I need you guys to promise me something."

"That we stop you at all costs?" Bernard asked.

"…yes, that's exactly what I was going to say. How did you know that?"

"The preamble leading up to it was predictable."

"I'm predictable now? Ew. That's concerning."

"Jacqueline."

"What? It is!"

Elle rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless. "We don't wanna hurt you, Jacquie."

"I know. I don't think you guys will," she interrupted, flashing Elle a reassuring smile. "But regardless, if they happen again, don't let me hurt anyone. Whatever it takes, okay? Please. Promise me you'll both do that."

The pair shared a very concerned look.

"I know you guys won't hurt me, and if you have to, don't worry!" She flung her hands out of her pockets, placing them on her hips and power posing. "It'll take a lot to hurt me. I'm an entire mother frosting season with half a Legendary title active right now! I'll be okay," she softened, looking at both of her friends, pleading. "So please, make sure everyone else is okay. Okay?"

"Jacqueline! Quit lollygagging!"

"I gotta go, but please promise me you'll do what it takes to stop me if the blackouts happen again. Promise me."

"I—"

"We—"

"JACQUELINE!"

"Just a sec," she turned away from them. "I KNOW MY NAME, JACK! HOLD YOUR HORSES, WOULD YOU? I'M BUSY!" she exhaled, shaking her head. "Brothers. Anyway," she turned back to them. "Do you promise?"

"We promise," Bernard said.

"We'll do what we can, without hurting you," Elle insisted, Bernard nodding in agreement.

"That's good enough for me." Feeling her lips tremble, Jacqueline rushed forward, grabbing them both around the shoulders and pulling them in for a convenient face hiding hug. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. I appreciate you both! A lot. I don't want to hurt you either of you. You're some of my closest friends. Please stay safe."

"Only if you promise to do the same thing," Elle said, squeezing her back.

"I'll do my best."

"Good," Bernard said. He grinned to himself. "You know, my Aunt Winter tells me that that's the best anyone can do."

The three of them burst into laughter, Jacqueline letting them go. Wiping away a bit of wet from under her eyes, she grinned. "And she's right! Alright, I better motor before Jack explodes. Can you guys take my bag up? Oh! Wait!" she rummaged around pulling out the pie slices. "Okay, NOW you can take my bag." Shaking it off her shoulder, she tossed it to Elle.

"Why is it covered in cat hair?" Elle asked, catching it and slinging it over her shoulder.

"I have a cat now! I'll tell you all about it later," she said, rushing off and waving over her shoulder, "as soon as we fix the Dome!"

"It's a date!" Elle yelled back with a wave, watching until Jacqueline disappeared around the corner. She sighed, her hand dropping.

"You okay?"

"Yes? I think? That was…unexpected. The promise, not the cat."

"The cat was a little unexpected too," Bernard said.

Elle laughed. "A little bit! Man, I can't wait to hear that story." She looked back at where her friend had just been, frowning. "I hope she'll be okay. She looks so tired. And sore. I can't imagine how she must be feeling right now, to make us promise something like that?"

"I know." Turning around, Bernard headed back to the Workshop. "Makes me wonder when she became more mature than me," he joked.

"Well, I mean, she is older," Elle teased, falling into step with him.

"Easy to forget when you watched her grow up."

"I did say older."

Bernard laughed through his nose, a soft smile playing on his face. "She'll be okay."

"Do you think?"

Bernard nodded. "Jack'll look out for her, and we'll be there for her, too. If anything happens, we'll do what we can to bring her back."

"And I'm sure whatever those blackouts are, she won't go down without kicking and screaming and maybe even biting."

Bernard laughed. "Definitely biting."

---

"Finished dallying?" Jack said over his shoulder, as Jacqueline crunched up the hill behind him.

"Excuse me for having a bag! And remembering to grab the snacks," she said, flourishing the pie slices. "So. How'd it go?"

Jack shrugged. "Santa is, of course, positive we'll fix it right away. Mrs. C. is ever the realist, but wishes us well, nonetheless. We'll need to report back to bean head afterwards. Apparently he's got a little task force coming up here to keep eyes on the Dome. Wants our professional opinion on what needs to be done." For a man who was in immense pain thanks to said Dome, Jack sounded very smug.

Jacqueline snorted. "So, we walking again? Or poofing?"

"Definitely poofing. I am not doing that walk again. Even if it would be decidedly less awkward."

"Maybe even fun, Goddess forbid!"

Jack snorted. "We can't keep putting it off, Jacqueline. Much as we'd both like to." He frowned, scanning the skyline briefly. "What wall did they say it was? South wall? South wall." Nodding to himself, he disappeared on the spot.

Reappearing at the designated wall, Jack let out a low whistle. Jacqueline appeared beside him seconds later, gasping and almost dropping the cutlery when she saw the walls.

"Frostbite," she swore, stepping back to take it all in.

"You can say that again."

"Frostbite."

The walls were dim. The dancing lights were barely visible, if at all. The walls themselves looked a bit too watery for either sprite's liking, a loud, cold draft moaning its way through the cracks, the arctic air from outside biting at their cheeks. The snow below them was more slush than snow, dampening their shoes the longer they stood in it. A few icy spikes dotted the landscape; above them, there was a low, echoey, crack. They both looked up to see if the ceiling matched the sound.

It did.

"It's gotten…worse," Jacqueline said, too stunned to find the words. "Where do we even begin? How are we going to do this? Is there even any winter magic here that isn't going into the Dome?"

"We won't know until we find out." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little reassuring squeeze. "You gonna be okay, Jacqueline?"

"You know what? It's uh. It's not me I'm worried about," she said, as a few ice chips rained down beside her.

"I'll be fine," Jack said with a careless wave, hand feeling as though it had briefly lost circulation. He shook off the pins and needles, hoping Jacqueline hadn't caught it. "We'll be fine. We've got each other; we'll figure this out." Making his way towards the walls, he placed a hand on them, wincing when he felt how sodden they were. "Ready?"

Jacqueline frowned, still gazing up at the Dome.

"Come on, Little Flurry. I can't do this on my own."

Strengthening her resolve, Jacqueline gave a determined nod. "Right." Trudging through the slush, she stopped beside him, mirroring his pose and touching the Dome as well. "Let's get to work!"

---

A/N: Updated April 20th, 2023 (and touched up November 10th, 2023!)

At LAST I have CAUGHT UP with edit 3 to where I left off with edit 2! Woo! Happy to report that 24 has been started (it's one line, presently), and 24-30 are all planned and written out, note wise. Alas, I am sad to say, we will not see fresh updates until November, because of two things:

1. I've started posting CS on ao3, and am uploading a chapter on a biweekly basis. I want to have the last 6 Chapters fully finished before posting them, and I'm hoping that by the time I finish posting these 24 chapters over to ao3, which should be November-ish, I can immediately switch to a weekly schedule and upload them side-by-side with CS here on ff dot net!

2. I want to give myself AMPLE time to rewrite the last few chapters. They're in...rough shape; very rushed, with plot threads dangling and just. Not up to snuff! (I mean, CS wasn't when I looked at it in 2017, and then when I got here in 2018, I was like no, no, something (Jacqueline's meltdowns) was still off, which PROMPTED rewrite 3!) HOPEFULLY (given the amount of time it has taken be to wrap up this arc) November is MORE than enough time to get things finished and finally wrap up CS! ❤

Thanks everyone for the support. I really appreciate it! You've all been so lovely through both rewrites, and with love on tumblr, and I hope that the last 6 chapters are well worth the wait ❤❤❤ In the meantime, feel free to take CS from the top on ao3! We're up to Chapter 5 over there right now, with Chapter 6 coming next week, most likely! Assuming wedding planning is seamless and the last week before the wedding isn't too crazy FINGERS CROSSED!