Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects to this story.

Chapter 41

Parting Gifts

"Jack Frost? Like the poem?" Anna asked.

Jack nodded. "Yes, indeed. If you've ever heard the saying 'Jack Frost nipping at your nose,' that's me. Well, I don't actually nip at a nose. One time, you see, somebody felt a cold nose and blamed me for it. The incident turned into a whole poem and song. Never really lived that down. And now I'm rambling."

Elsa took a breath. To find out that Jack had been lying all this time. And yet he had risked his life several times to keep Elsa and Anna safe. What did that say about his character?

Anna asked the question before Elsa could. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

Jack looked down, letting the wind carry him. "I wanted to tell you. I almost did once or twice. But I was afraid that you all would think I was crazy or lying. I couldn't use my powers when I arrived. After that, there never seemed to be a good time to talk about it."

He then turned back to look at the others. "But I never lied to you. Everything I said was true, just not the whole truth. I'm really sorry. I should have said something before."

Elsa looked down at her seat. As much as she wanted to disregard Jack's excuses, she found she couldn't. Fear had held Jack back from the truth. Fear of how others would treat him. Elsa knew how that felt. Besides, the first impression she had given hadn't exactly been warm and welcoming. It would make sense if Elsa were in Jack's shoes to keep things quiet at first.

Elsa turned to Jack. "Is there anything else you're holding back from us? Anything at all?"

Jack paused. "Well, I guess all cards should be on the table. I fly by talking to the wind rather than controlling it. I'm also a Guardian, working with the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny. We work together to protect children from enemies like the black sand and Pitch. I came here from another time period, something to do with the Northern Lights." Jack paused. "Other than that, I can't think of anything else. Unless you want to hear my personal story, that's everything."

"Olaf, is he telling the truth?" Elsa asked.

Olaf nodded. "Yes, he is. Jack isn't lying at all. If it also helps, Jack's not the only one at fault. I knew the whole time. I'm a snowman, after all, winter's my specialty."

"Why didn't you bring it up before?"

"You never asked. I didn't think it was important."

Elsa took a breath. This was a lot to process. "What do you think, Anna?"

Anna looked up, a pondering expression on her face. "It is a lot to process, I admit. But it's no bigger than finding out about your powers, Elsa, or finding out Olaf knew the whole time. So I say we forgive Jack."

Elsa looked down, taking a moment to ponder herself. After a minute or two, she looked up at Jack. "I can't accept your excuse as completely valid, Jack."

Jack looked down, dejected.

"But I can forgive you for it," Elsa finished.

Kristoff nodded. "Same here. Sven trusts him, so that's good enough for me."

Jack looked up, shocked. "Really?"

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff nodded.

North then turned around to look at the others. "That's great to hear. Since we're talking about secrets, in Jack and Olaf's defense, they are not only one to keep secret. Three guesses about mine."

Anna looked over. "Flying reindeer and a jolly old man. Are you Santa Claus?"

North nodded. "You guessed it. My full name's Nicholas St. North, though I go by North. Santa Claus is what everyone else knows. I work with Jack and can vouch for him."

"But you seem so different than how you were last night." Anna said.

"Well, what you saw was what you expected to see. When Christmas Eve comes, I look how people expect me to look. I can appear American, British, older, slightly younger, jolly, or serious. Whatever your idea of Santa Claus is, that's how I look. Blessing and a curse, switching personas at the drop of a hat. What you are witnessing now, though, is how I truly am at heart," North explained. "Now sit back, and enjoy ride."

Elsa sat back and looked around. The sleigh had slowed down in speed, allowing Elsa to fully admire the view. The land around them seemed much smaller than it was on the ground. Elsa had seen Arendelle and the fjords from the view on the North Mountain, but this ride went even higher. A white landscape of snowy trees spread out, bending and swaying with the mountains. Paths formed rivers through this landscape of trees, sometimes crossing actual rivers in their path. All paths seemed to move towards a town on the edge of the fjord, no bigger from this height than a model snow village Elsa built as a kid. Arendelle. Elsa shook her head. "Is this what you see all the time when you fly, Jack?"

Jack grinned. "Beautiful, isn't it? The view never gets old."

North turned around. "Alright, sightseeing is over. Climb aboard, Jack, and hang on. We're going in fast."

Jack climbed back into his seat. "You all might want to hang on. North's sleigh flying's like his sleigh driving, especially when he does…"

North flicked the reins, causing the reindeer to speed up. Elsa's stomach climbed to her throat as the reindeer went straight up, backward, down, and forward again in a short time, pulling the sleigh into a tight circle.

"…loop-the-loops." Jack finished as Elsa exhaled slowly.

North drove the reindeer straight down to Arendelle. As the sleigh got lower, it started to move closer and closer to the frozen fjord. At the last second, the reindeer leveled out, gliding above the fjord. The reindeer extended their feet, running fast as the ice and hooves connected. Soon the sleigh came down, skidding on the ice as it moved towards the palace side-doors. North pulled the reins, shouting at the reindeer to slow down. Just as Elsa thought they were going to crash, the sleigh slowed down immensely, being pulled by the reindeer to a gentle stop on the fjord's shore.

North climbed out, laughing. "Another perfect landing. Almost broke our record for perfect landings, actually. Not a bad run, if I do say so myself." He turned back to the others. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Olaf shook his head. "Nope. That was fun, wasn't it, Elsa?"

Elsa released her grip, realizing she had been driving her nails into the wood. "It was certainly something, Olaf."

Jack grinned. "Another excellent ride, North."

North nodded. "Glad you all enjoyed it." Then he sighed, his face becoming serious. "Unfortunately, now I bear bad news. Jack and I have very limited window to return home. If we don't leave in next twenty minutes, we might not get back for next thirty years. And I have two Poles to run, after all."

Anna looked over at Jack. "You have to leave now? But you'll be able to come back, right?"

Jack looked down, hand scratching the back of his head. Elsa frowned. "You won't be coming back, will you?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, the way I came here was rather unique. I'm not sure how often I can come by," he said, turning to North.

North shook his head. "Unfortunately, the way to Arendelle from our lands are unpredictable. I would say the odds are low for Jack to return the way he came."

Olaf perked up. "But there are other ways?"

North turned to the sleigh. "Who knows? But before I go, I do believe I owe some people presents."

Kristoff gasped. "Presents. That reminds me. Elsa, Anna, Olaf, remember that thing we were planning? You know the one."

Elsa's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten?

But North was shaking his hand as he rummaged in the back of the sleigh. "No need to worry. I sent a letter to Kai telling him to bring the item out here. The fact that he got presents and a lavilshly decorated tree in his room should prove to him that the letter is valid. My friend is helping him as we speak with the gift and final party preparations. They'll be out shortly. But I think it'll be fine if you all open these now."

North pulled out three presents. All three of them were rectangular, though varying in height and wrapping paper.

Elsa shook her head. "You didn't have to get anything. You've already done so much for…"

North's hard stare silenced Elsa. "I'm Santa Claus, Elsa. Everyone deserves a gift on Christmas. Besides, it's the least I could do since you watched Jack. Now, princesses first."

North passed Anna a large, rectangular present wrapped in bright red wallpaper, with pictures of snowmen and elves on it. Anna grabbed the present. "Thank you, sir."

North nodded. "You're welcome."

Anna then pulled the wrapping paper off in a quick pull. A rather large book plopped in her hands. Castles, mermaids, roses, bears, and other pictures flashed out on the cover. A whispy thing that kinda looked like golden hair formed a clasp, holding the book closed.

"Now, this book is rather extrordinary," said North. "Contained in its pages are hundreds of stories that I've heard and seen in my travels. Fairy tales, adventures, even tales of worlds far far away. However, every time you open the book, a different story will appear in the pages. As time goes on, new stories will be added. Perfect for those with a taste for adventure."

Anna looked at the book. "That's awesome." She turned to Elsa. "I mean, don't get me wrong, we've got a very good library. But after years of reading the same things over and over, a new book would make for a nice change."

Elsa nodded. "No offense taken, Anna." She turned to North. "So, who's next?"

"That would be you, my dear," North said, coming over to Elsa.

Elsa took a smaller rectangular box. A green ribbon stood atop blue wallpaper with pictures of different types of snowflakes. It had the same shape as Anna's gift, but smaller.

Elsa tore off a small corner, slightly smiling. Anna shook her head. "The dramatic flair, Elsa?"

Elsa grinned. "Well, you've got to have some suspense here and there. Where's the fun in being queen otherwise?"

"Well, if you don't speed it along, I think Anna's going to…" Kristoff trailed off as he saw Anna turn to him with an annoyed look. "…to politely encourage you to open faster."

"You know she does that kind of thing," Kristoff translated for Sven.

"Well, we can't have that," Elsa said, fully pulling off the wrapping paper. In her hands was a book. It was smaller than Anna's, but with quite a few pages. A golden cross accompanied a black cover, and a red bookmark was attached in between the pages. The word Bible was the only word on the cover.

North leaned over. "Now I understand that you've been looking into some things, Elsa. You've been checking the trustworthiness of people, and have learned some valuable lessons. One other thing you've been investigating is the origins of Christmas. This book talks about the events you've been hearing. I trust you'll be able to learn much from the writings. The stuff written in there can be wondrous and surprising, but it's up to you to determine if you believe it or not. I suggest you start at the red bookmark. John is a good place to start, in my opinion."

Elsa looked at North. "Thank you, sir. I will be looking into this to determine the truth."

North nodded. "Excellent. But enough has been said about that, so let's move onto the final gift."

North took a tiny present wrapped in paper decorated with reindeer and sleighs. He went over to Kristoff. "For you, my friend."

Kristoff took the present, a look of surprise on his face. "Me, sir?"

"Yes," North nodded. "Regardless of the level of your involvement in these recent events, you're still important, Kristoff. Besides, as I've said before, everyone deserves a gift on Christmas."

Kristoff took the gift with a nod. "Thank you." A quick unwrapping revealed a small, plain-looking box. Inside, Elsa saw a necklace with white, tiny antlers on one side and a clasp on the other.

Kristoff looked at North. "Is this for me, or was this a mistake?" His eyes widened as he realized what he just said. "Ah, that is… I mean…"

"It's alright, Kristoff. No mistake and no joke. I know what you're wondering. There is a reason though. Why don't you try it on?" North said, smiling.

Kristoff took the necklace and sheepishly put it around his neck. Anna smiled. "You look kinda nice with it on."

"Thanks, Anna," Kristoff replied.

Sven grunted something. Kristoff turned to Sven. "Thanks for the support, buddy."

Sven grunted again. Kristoff did a double take. "What did you just say, Sven?"

Sven grunted, a look of surprise displayed on his own face. "Of course I can hear you, Sven. I mean, I could always understand you before, but this time, the words are actually coming out of your mouth."

North smiled. "Yes, Kristoff. This necklace will allow you to communicate with Sven much easier. Sven will be able to fully talk to you with the necklace on rather than you knowing what he's saying based on his expressions. The downside is that it only works for the month of December. I'm not a miracle worker, and some of my gifts' special abilities only work in the Christmas season. It took a lot to make Anna's gift and the first gift last night something that happens year-round. Sorry that it's not something that works all the time."

Kristoff grinned. "All due respect, sir, but I like the temporary measure. I like the communication Sven and I already have, so I wouldn't want a permanent replacement. However, I will admit that this'll be very useful for complete communication every once in a while."

"Just as long as you still tell us what Sven's saying. I wouldn't want to lose that part of you for anything," Anna added.

"I'll be sure to," Kristoff replied.

North nodded. "Wonderful. Now we just need Kai to deliver his thing and we'll be ready to roll."

Elsa frowned. "But what about Olaf, Sven, and Jack? Don't they get gifts as well?"

North nodded. "Yes. But each of them has already been taken care of in that regard. Sven has been wishing to fly my sleigh ever since he first heard that reindeer pulled it. From his childhood up to this point, Sven has been secretly yearning for that role. I was planning on honoring that wish sometime in the next year or so, but the need for a temporary replacement offered an opportunity to fulfill Sven's wish. After Dasher broke his leg, I checked if he'd be fine. Once I realized that it would heal after Christmas and saw Sven's name on the animal passengers for the Polar Express, I realized that Sven's wish fulfillment was at hand. So you see, Sven has already gotten his gift. Pulling the sleigh not just once, but two times. That's not a feat anyone can accomplish, let me tell you.

"As for Olaf, well, his gift was fulfilled on Christmas Eve."

"It was?" Jack asked.

"Yes, it was," North replied. "Five minutes to midnight, actually." He turned to Olaf. "Now Olaf, how would you describe that moment in the city square last night?"

Olaf looked up at North. "It was nothing, really. I just remember you looking down at me, North, and I knew you were going to pick me for the first gift. And I thought 'I'd rather one of my friends got this honor. They deserve it more than I do.' Then you picked Elsa for the first gift, and I was really happy for her."

Anna gasped. "Is that why you picked Elsa instead of Olaf, sir?" she asked North.

North nodded. "Yes. Olaf's wish was for one of his friends to get the first gift. So I gave him the first gift by giving Elsa the first gift, which was a gift to others as well as herself. Confusing? Yes. The important thing, though, is that Olaf got his gift."

Elsa looked down at Olaf. "You gave up a once-in-a-lifetime gift for us?"

Olaf nodded. "Yes. You're my family, after all. This is something that felt right and that I wanted to do."

Anna's eyes teared up. She went over to Olaf, giving him a hug. "Thank you so much, Olaf."

"You're welcome," Olaf replied.

The hug lasted a moment or two, then a cough was heard. Everyone turned to see Kai and North's friend walking over carrying a small rectangular object. "Here's the item you requested, sir," Kai said

North grinned, rubbing his hands. "Ah, yes. Now, this item is the one you all have prepared. That's why I didn't have a gift for you, Jack. I didn't want to take away from this one. I think it's well done."

Jack turned to the others. "What's he talking about?"

Anna turned to Jack. "Well, before our little trip last night, we knew you had to leave sometime this morning. We also knew you'd miss some of the festivities, so we got you a little something. A gift of your own for Christmas, from all of us to you."

Jack turned to Anna, Elsa, and the others. "You all got me a gift?"

Elsa nodded. "Indeed. We already had gifts for each other. It didn't seem right to leave you out. We made all the arrangements the day before Christmas Eve." She accepted the object from Kai. "Thank you, Kai."

Kai nodded. "My pleasure, your majesty. By the way, your friend here is quite something. He finished everything that needed to be done before the gates open. If he's looking for a job, there's one open here. Just wanted to point that out," he said as he went back through the door.

North's friend smiled sheepishly. "Saw that there was some work to do, and handled it. If I can handle some work on a train, I can handle work here. Now, doesn't Jack have a gift to open?"

Jack nodded, taking the small present from Elsa. "You're right. I'll get started right away." Examining it, he found that the gift was about the size of Elsa's gift, only different. This gift was much flatter, almost as flat as a page. It was very hard, though, not showing any signs of bending. The wrapping paper showed little trolls, snowflakes, and reindeer. Jack looked up smiling. "You all really shouldn't have."

Olaf jumped up and down. "Open it! Open it! I wanna see!"

Sven grunted. Kristoff nodded. "Good point, Sven. You already know what it is, Olaf."

"I know, but I can't stand suspense, no matter how small it is," Olaf replied.

"Be careful, though, Jack. It's a little delicate," Elsa added.

Jack grinned. "Well, here goes." Pulling off the wrapping paper, Jack's eyes rested on a rectangular frame. Made of pure silver, the frame was very heavy. Pictures of trolls, a village next to a fjord, and mountains decorated the top and bottom of the frame. But Elsa knew that Jack wasn't focusing on the frame. His eyes were on the picture itself. With a brownish tint, the picture showed Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven standing at the palace entrance. They were all staring at the camera. Some of the people's smiles were wide, like Olaf's, while others were more reserved and composed, like Elsa's. One other person was in the picture as well. Standing in the very center of the picture was Jack. He was looking at the camera, smiling unsurely. A rope was in his hands, connected to the yule bell hanging above.

Jack was quiet for a few seconds. Then he looked up. "How did…? Who…? When did you get this picture made?"

Kristoff raised a hand. "Well, Jack, you remember that rather bright flash at the ringing of the Yule Bell? That was a camera to mark the occasion. Anna and Elsa paid to get a photo as a gift. The cameraman was happy to oblige."

"Do you like it?" Anna asked.

Jack shook his head. "I love it. This is very kind of you all. Thank you so much. I'll make sure to hang onto this photo."

"Jack, I do have one small part to add to this," North interjected. "Mind if I see that photo? I promise I'll give it right back."

Jack hesitated for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded, giving the photo to North. North took the photo and turned around, facing away from everyone. Two second later, he turned back around. In his left hand, he still had the photo. However, his right hand was now holding a second photo. It was an exact replica of the first photo. There didn't seem to be a single thing distinguishing the two.

Elsa frowned. "How did…?"

"That's Santa for you," Olaf interrupted.

North grinned. "Glad you're catching on, Olaf. Now, both groups can have a photo. It's like you said, Anna. Something for you all to remember each other. As I recall, there should be a spot in both sets of the first gift I gave you, Elsa, to store these photos. You can put them there, or you can leave them in the frames. I guarantee that once they're in the first gift, they'll do that special thing that the other photos in there have been doing."

Elsa nodded. She remember seeing an empty page at the end of her copy of the book, though she had thought it was a side effect of the book splitting into two. North really seemed to cover every area when it came to gift preparations.

Jack smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea, North. Thank you all again."

Everyone smiled, expressing acknowledgement of the gratitude and also expressing gratitude to North for his own gifts.

North shook his head. "Think nothing of it." He looked up at the sky. "Well, it's time we were leaving, Jack. If we don't fly out in the next five minutes, we'll miss our window entirely."

Anna looked over at North. "Could we at least say goodbye?"

North nodded. "Of course. Why do you think I said five minutes? Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a sleigh that needs preparing." With that, North went over to the sleigh, helping his friend unhitch Sven and get the other reindeer back in their proper positions.

Elsa took a breath as North wandered off. This was it. This was the moment that she had been dreading since yesterday. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Jack had come to Arendelle. She couldn't quite believe it had only been a few weeks, especially after last night."

Olaf went up first to Jack, crying hard. Jack leaned down, giving the snowman a hug. "It's alright, Olaf. I'm gonna miss you, buddy."

Olaf looked up. "Will I see you again?"

Jack shrugged. "You never know. It could happen."

Olaf buried his face in Jack's shirt. After a minute, Olaf calmed down and moved away. "I'll see you again, Jack. I just know it."

Kristoff and Sven came up next. "Wish I'd known you longer, Jack. You'd be a natural in the ice harvesting business," Kristoff said.

Jack grinned. "Maybe I'll start up a business when I get back. Jack Frost Ice Cubes, for hot summer days. Reindeer not included."

Sven grunted while Kristoff smiled. "The name needs a little work," Kristoff replied in Sven's voice.

I'll work on it," Jack said grinning. "Be seeing you."

"See you," Kristoff replied, shaking hands.

Jack had just finished shaking hands with Kristoff when Anna almost tackled Jack in a hug. Jack took a breath to steady himself. Anna broke away. "Sorry about that. That was a little spontaneous. Gonna miss you, Jack."

Elsa came up to join Anna. "We're all going to miss you."

Jack nodded. "I'm gonna miss you all, too. Gonna miss your cheerful disposition, Anna. Not to mention those snowball fights and training moments, Elsa."

Elsa never quite knew what caused her to do the next action, but she found herself pulling Jack and Anna into a group hug. She felt Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven join in. A minute or two passed as everyone shared this moment of farewells.

"Don't forget about us, ok?" Olaf asked.

Jack nodded, breaking away from the hug. "Of course, Olaf. I'll always remember you."

Olaf nodded. "Great. I'll always remember you too."

"We all will," Anna added.

Jack nodded. There was something in Jack's expression that made Elsa realize that the promise of remembrance meant a lot more to Jack than he seemed to show.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack started to walk towards the sleigh. The sleigh now looked like the one at the North Pole last night. Golden runners, green and red trim, even the sleigh bells on the reins. There were a few differences though. Wooden wings seemed to extend from the sides of the sleigh, and a globe sat at the front center, with small lights decorating the continents.

"Stay frosty, everyone," Jack said

Elsa waved alongside Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. "Goodbye, Jack," Anna said.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," North exclaimed.

North's friend waved. "Enjoyed the train times. Look forward to seeing you all on Easter."

North flicked the reins. The reindeer started running forward. As the sleigh started to move, North's friend took off his cap and bowed. For a second, Elsa saw the fellow change. One moment, he looked like himself. The next, he changed into the Hobo, the Stablemaster, and finally, a giant rabbit with a boomerang strapped to his back. Before Elsa could comment, the sleigh lifted into the sky. Elsa watched as the sleigh moved higher and higher. They got closer and closer to the Northern Lights, shimmering in the skies. Elsa blinked, and the sleigh was gone, a trail of rainbow light vainishing in the distance.

"I'm gonna miss him," Anna said.

Elsa nodded, agreeing with her sister's sentiment. A tear or two formed in her eyes. She wiped them away, noticing Kristoff looking over at her with a surprised expression on his face. She turned a serious expression towards him "What?"

Kristoff looked away. "Nothing, nothing at all." He coughed slightly. "Did anyone else see a giant bunny rabbit, by the way?

Elsa nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you think that could have been the Easter…?" Kristoff trailed off.

Everyone looked at each other. Nobody needed to say anything. Everyone knew that the idea sounded perfectly reasonable, given the eggs suddenly appearing around Easter time and the experiences they had all had over the last few days. One thing was sure, they would never forget this moment in all the years to come.

A cough sounded behind the group. Elsa turned around to see Kai standing by the doors again, politely waiting. "Sorry to interrupt, but your guests are waiting at the gates. I take it master Jack won't be joining us?"

Elsa nodded. The Christmas Party. In all the craziness, she had almost forgotten. There seemed to be a habit of forgetfulness this morning. "Yes. Jack has returned home. Thank you for informing us, Kai." She passed the extra photo and the first gift to him. "Would you please put this photo at the end of this book?

Kai nodded. "It would be my honor."

As Kai left, Elsa turned to the others. "Alright, everyone. Who's ready to celebrate?"

Olaf wiped a tear from his eyes. "It won't be the same, but I'm ready."

"So am I." Anna added.

Once everyone had agreed, Elsa nodded. "Then let's make this a celebration to remember."

And so, Jack has returned to his time, while Elsa, Anna, and the others are back to Christmas celebrations.

Even though I had to figure out who got the first gift of Christmas, I always knew that it would be Olaf in the end. So, in a way, everyone got what they wanted in the end. And everyone gave what they knew the other wanted in the end. An important idea for Christmas.

I also know that the Hobo had a different backstory in the Polar Express film than the one implied in this story (as evidenced by a deleted scene in the film). I tried to be as truthful and accurate to the films as possible. However, I felt that the implied backstory in this story fit better with the narrative (not to mention is a little more wholesome than the film's deleted scene backstory). I hope that that works for you all.

As always, please rate and review.