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!]

28. Chapter 27: Stick It to The Man

Chapter 27: Stick It to The Man

Blaise tucked and rolled, dodging the first two enchantments Pyros cast his way. Landing on his feet, he let loose the flames he'd been holding onto. They collided with two more enchantments hurtling towards him, exploding above them in a myriad of colours and a poof of smoke.

Pyros lunged, waving his staff again, and again, and again as he made his way towards Blaise. Moving backwards, Blaise did his best to destroy the enchantments, fiery blasts hurtling towards the red blasts of magic.

Unfortunately, fire isn't really the best way to dispel castor-based magic. Especially when you have no idea what the spells are. One barely grazed his arm and Blaise found himself almost crumpling with the pain explosion that came with it.

"You're so weak," Pyros cackled, twirling his staff and shooting off yet another enchantment. "I've already got you on the ropes! Out of practise, aren't you? Bringing fire to a staff fight," he clucked his tongue and ducked a fireball, staff glowing as he let loose another spell, "it's useless!" He flourished his staff once more, this spell hitting Blaise's leg.

Pyros watched as Blaise fell to the ground, catching himself on his knee. Staff clasped between both hands, he mumbled something under his breath. Slamming the pommel down, magic exploded. A wave of fire spread out from the base of his staff, rushing towards Blaise.

The flames were tall; they hit him fairly fast, threatening to spread to the rest of the buildings in the square. Warmth washed over Blaise as he plunged his hands into the flames. His brow wrinkled; his shoulders tensed. The fire stopped moving forward and suddenly reversed course. It drew back fast, leaving a steaming pile of melted snow in its wake.

Blaise shot up, the tendrils of flame licking his palms. With a high-pitched squeal, they condensed together, until every bit of flame sat in one of two fiery little suns clutched tightly in his hands. Grunting, he tossed them forward. The little suns exploded, the horrendous amount of fire Pyros had thrown out now headed back his way far more concentrated than originally intended.

Quick as he could, Pyros twirled his staff. The suns hit it, flames fanning out as he successfully fended them off, shooting out behind him. The heat nearly seared his face; the stray hairs on his cloak sparked, but otherwise, he was fine. Grinning, he dropped his staff, ready to taunt Blaise as the smoke cleared to reveal—

Nobody. Blaise was gone.

"You know, Pyros, you're right! Fire really is useless in a staff fight, isn't it?"

Curling his lip, Pyros whirled around. Blaise stood behind him, looking very smug.

"Good thing I did, in fact, bring a staff to a staff fight," and, with an exuberant twirl of his wrist, Blaise summoned his own staff. The blue gem glinted, set in wood carved into the shape of a flame, glowing as bright as his hair. "I'm always equipped," he winked.

With a furious roar, Pyros lunged forward once more. Staff lit up, no less than three spells were already hurtling towards Blaise.

Evenly matched, Blaise twirled his staff. The gem glowed as he cast three very rapid dispels. The enchantments unravelled, one errant spell just missing him as he tossed a counter towards it.

The enchantment hit the counter spell, rebounding and heading right back to Pyros. He ducked it in a nick of time, the magic hitting the building behind him. The bricks crumbled, dust falling to the floor.

"You missed," Pyros snapped, baring his teeth.

"A shame. But no need to worry, Pyros!" Ending on a chipper note, Blaise hefted his staff, his face growing stormy. "This time I won't."

---

Jack pushed his way out of the snow, tumbling out of the pile and somehow managing to land on his feet. He barely had time to stand up as Jacqueline punched the air in front of her, snow flying with each throw of her fist. She side stepped quickly, rapidly sending snow drift after snow drift Jack's way.

He managed to stand up, dodging the first one. Mirroring her movements, ice began to slide out of the ground in front of him, the snow hitting his shields and sliding right back down to the ground, snowy waves rushing up on an icy shore.

"I lost count of how many DAYS I spent in the big window waiting for you to come back! And. You. Never. Did."

Each word was punctuated with another pile of snow, growing colder and harder until it was just ice. He whipped up one last shield. It snapped from the impact of Jacqueline's last icy blast, pellets of ice spraying everywhere.

"And when I DID see you again, it was in a whole other universe that doesn't even EXIST anymore!" she yelled, stomping towards him. "And nobody believed me when I told them it wasn't right! But you knew the entire time and didn't do a thing about it!"

With a frustrated growl that grew into a little shout, Jacqueline thrust her arms in the air, palms wide. The snow below her shot forward.

Jack retaliated in kind, snow shooting up from the ground to take on most of the impact. Powdered snow rose into the air, seeping out around them. Using it as cover, Jack ducked between the café and the candy shop. Leaning on the wall he rested his hands on his knees, panting. Pain exploded all over his arms, his legs; his knees buckled. His head pounded. He looked up at the Dome.

New fault lines had begun to form.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, thinking please please please let it be a trick of the light, what with all the fire and magic being flung about overhead, but alas. When he reopened them, the cracks were still there.

"Dammit," he said, resting his head against the brick wall and trying to catch his breath.

This wasn't going to work.

She wouldn't let him speak; and even if she would let him get a word in edgewise, he doubted he'd be able to. He was exhausted. Between the Dome cracking and the ensuing pain, as well as Jacqueline's constant attacks, NOT TO MENTION the whole evil Uncle down the way thing with all of the LOADED trauma that entailed, he was too tired to even begin parsing out the words.

He panted, shutting his eyes once more. Trying to catch his breath. He just needed a moment to, to think. Lay out what he knew, what he didn't know, and go from there.

But that didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.

The snow below him began to glow. Panicking, Jack stepped up onto the wall, rushing up the side of the candy shop.

The snow exploded, spurting upwards like geysers. Glancing away, Jack covered his face, hard bits of ice bouncing right off his forearms. The spouts of snow fell to the floor all at once, flowing out of the alley and into the square.

Footsteps crunched closer. Jack slid down the wall, listening carefully. The snow spilled out, pooling around Jacqueline. She stopped by the café, glowering at the ground. With an angry little huff, she waved the snow behind her.

"And of COURSE you're hiding. Running and hiding because that's way better than facing up to any consequences, right? FROSTBITE," she most definitely swore, angrily stomping her foot in the snow.

It erupted all around her, tall pillars of snow shooting towards the sky. One nearly hit Jack; gritting his teeth, he waved it away, the pillar collapsing halfway down and falling to the floor, lifeless.

"You MISSED," Jack shouted, stepping over the corner of the building and hopping down into the snow behind her.

She whirled around, eyes nearly glowing with the horrendous amounts of magic she was harnessing. That couldn't possibly be good, Jack thought, casting his gaze across the way.

Blaise and Pyros were moving fast. With every step forward, Pyros threw out some kind of spell, or enchantment; it was hard to tell which. Blaise matched each of Pyros's steps with a step back of his own, his staff flying up and blocking the spells that came his way. They exploded in the air, lighting it up in all sorts of colours. Some spells were flung up; some fell to the ground, strange spots furling into existence in the snow.

That also wasn't good, Jack decided, eyes travelling back to Jacqueline.

"This time I won't," she said.

"Won't what?"

"Won't MISS," she yelled, the snow around her coming to life and tumbling towards him.

---

The explosion of snow across the way very briefly distracted the twin princes.

It was large enough that the fallout came pretty close to the pair of them. The flakes sizzled out as they barrelled towards the fiery pair, the air too hot for snow to stay snow.

Magic ran hot. So did both summer sprites. One of which was simmering as the pair fought. Smoke wafted off of Blaise's shoulders as he and his brother darted around one another, flinging magic back and forth almost like they had in their youth: laughter and teasing as they threw spells towards one another, growing sillier and sillier as they progressed. The goopy explosions that'd hit the poor groundskeepers. The lecture that entailed.

But the laughter was gone. The teasing non existent. The spells serious, and potentially deadly, both warlocks meaning business. One out to protect. One out to seize. One growing distracted. The other taking advantage of that distraction very, very fast.

He was weak. He cared about others.

Pyros didn't.

Using his finger to direct his next spell, Pyros lunged, the spell heading right for Blaise's gut.

It hit.

Blaise deflated, a strangled noise making its way out of his mouth as his hands flew down to his midsection. He hugged his stomach, staff still clenched stubbornly within his grasp.

"Ou, that looked like it hurt," Pyros taunted.

"Barely," Blaise shot back, hoarse. Grimacing, he stabbed his staff into the ground, using it to pull himself up. "I could do this all day."

"I'll hold you to it." Grabbing his staff in both hands, Pyros flipped it, the tip of the crescent moon touching the snow below him. He whirled, drawing a large circle around himself in the snow.

Facing Blaise once more, he righted his staff. The tip glowed as he stabbed the pommelled base into the snow, the circle around him glowing the bloody red of his own personal magic.

Uttering a few words, magic went flying out from around him. It spread throughout the square, the magic covering the doors in a red glow. Open doors slammed, clicks and snaps ringing out all around the town.

Elves that had been running to the doors stopped as the magic hit, watching the enchantment settle. They tried to open the doors.

They couldn't.

They were stuck. Locked in.

And those that hadn't made it in were locked out.

"Son of a bitch," Blaise cursed, pulling himself up.

"No escape now, oh brother dearest," Pyros said, using his staff to knock Blaise's out of the ground. "Can't have you undoing that enchantment now, can we?"

Lifting his staff high above his head he chuckled, the gem glowing intensely as he swung it down.

---

"Nope!" Jack said loudly, hands splayed out in front of him.

The whiteout Jacqueline had triggered cleared around him, the snow going up and over him. Bringing his hands down to his sides the entire plume of powdery snow followed, piling up behind him.

A wave of magic pulsed overhead, the doors around them suddenly glowing. In the distance, a cacophony of loud slams echoed around the Pole. A quick glance at the nearest door and Jack picked out the enchantment easily enough.

The exits—and entrances—had been sealed shut.

Jacqueline let out a frustrated growl. "Stop snaking my snow!"

"I will not!" Jack swallowed, taking a tentative step forward. "I know you don't want to be doing this, and I know you know you don't want to be doing this! And I promise you Jacqueline. I will not stop. Not until I know you're safe," he finished, his voice cracking on the final word.

She blinked, taken aback for the briefest of moments. Concerned, Jack took another step forward.

A deep thump from across the square startled both sprites. Jack's eyes snapped up, the sight of Blaise laid flat on his back a few yards behind Jacqueline greeting him. Pyros stood tall, watching as Blaise struggled to get up.

Pyros had a huge window of opportunity to do some real damage, Jack realized.

The Legend gulped, waiting, plotting, trying to figure out what to do if Pyros went for Blaise and how much damage Jacqueline could do if Jack went past her to try and stop their uncle—

But Pyros didn't move.

His head turned, ever so slightly towards the pair of them.

Specifically Jacqueline.

Ready to push her out of harms way, Jack glanced back at his sister. She had seized up once again. There was a pulse under her eye; her fists were glowing.

"Like you care about my safety," she said quietly, her voice hard. "Like you care for ANYONE'S SAFETY! A THEME PARK?!" Active now, her hands were splayed in front of her, magic dancing about her palms as she looked at him angrily.

"It SEEMED like a GOOD IDEA at the time!" Jack shouted back, lifting his forearm. Snow sprung up in front of him, Jacqueline's blast bouncing right off of it. Bringing his arm down, the snow was flung back, the pile behind him growing bigger and bigger.

"NONE of that was a GOOD. IDEA! RIDES? THEY WOULDN'T HAVE FIT!"

"One of the reasons the rides never actually MADE an APPEARANCE!"

"The entire FLOOR was FILLED with BOOTHS! AND PEOPLE! IT WAS CRAMPED! THERE WAS NO ROOM TO BREATH OR ANYTHING! HOW was that safe?!"

More snow was flung his way; more snowy mounds absorbed the impact.

"It was compact!"

More snow. More shields. More pins and needles all over his body.

"The ICE STATUES! ORDERING IN PARTS! ONLINE SHOPPING! SHAVE A REINDEER?!"

"Their fur magically grew back!"

"ELF TOSS?!"

"RINGS onto their HATS!"

"Their FROZEN HATS! And we BOTH KNOW that wasn't the ORIGINAL INTENT!"

Jack paused for a moment, catching his breath. "You got me there," he admitted, his voice gruff.

"And HERE," Jacqueline said, the snow around her once more lifting up. With a full body twirl, the snow billowed about, more and more gathering around her until she thrust her hands forwards, the snow heading right towards Jack.

He had expected as much.

But this time, he was ready! Jack had planned ahead.

He lifted his hands the same time she did. Behind him, the huge pile of snow lifted up and flew forward. It was thrice the size of the whiteout she had summoned. It gobbled hers up easily enough, their side of the courtyard quickly obscured by a huge snow squall.

The wind picked up. Pellets of snow flew about, the icy bits scratching both of their faces. Jack drew a circle in the air above his head. The snow sprung away from him, giving him space.

With his line of sight clear—or, well. As clear as it could be during a snow squall, Jack tapped the ground with his foot. It began to rumble. He scuffed his shoe, his heel digging into the snow.

It erupted around him.

Chunks of frozen ground shifted, Jack steadying himself easily enough. He squinted through the squall; Jacqueline was having a rough go of it, trying to keep her balance. The ground was fast becoming difficult terrain, and she had not been ready for it. She flung her hands out, abandoning her snowy onslaught as Jack had hoped.

He tried once more to reach out through their shared connection.

Jacqueline, please. I know you're in there. Please, listen.

He was met with nothing. Not even crickets.

With a frustrated growl, he balled his fists. The snow picked up speed; the ground kept shifting. He pushed forward in the mindscape. He knew the connection was there. It had to be. He'd have felt if it had gone. Broken. Whatever. He just couldn't see it. Why couldn't he see it?!

He shut his eyes tightly, his mindscape vivid behind his eyelids.

The mantle. The empty portrait. The photographs flying around. The settees the umbrella stand the shoehorn the fireplace the white connection to the right of the hearth the light blue one to the left—is dark. Obscured.

Obscured. Something…something flickered.

He closed his eyes tighter, squinting at the space where their link should have been, where it was.

Because it was still there! Something was cloaking it, blending with the darkness in the memory tunnel.

But it was shifting. It was shifting and changing and as Jack's mind focused in on it, the clouds obscuring it became clearer. He could see the lines, the plays in the substance as it rippled, hints of light blue poking through ever so briefly.

It was an odd fogbank of sorts. A weird, deeply dark fogbank with inky depths that obscured their connection. It roiled.

The connection was blocked not by Jacqueline, but by a little enchantment that must've been snuck in with the mageia.

Jack opened his eyes.

Pins and needles exploded all over his body, intensifying; they went from pricking to piercing, his head throbbing. He staggered back; he could hear cracking above him. Thunks in the distance. The ground beneath him shuddered, coming to a standstill. The blizzard raged on.

He was back in the middle of the squall, and he was in pain.

Coughing, Jack found himself sinking down.

He just. He just needed a moment. Just a second.

"Sorry Jacqueline," he said, quietly. "But this is for your own good."

With a sharp inhale, he uncurled his fingers, a shaky palm hovering in front of him. The snow began to dance; it bounced up and down in the air, rippling before sinking down.

Jacqueline watched, confused, as the snow sunk to the ground and slid right under her feet. It knocked her down, a blanket of snow catching her as she fell. It bounced a few more times before suddenly, all of the snow gathered around her and propelled her forwards, away from the courtyard and off to one of the snowier laneways between the buildings.

She screamed as the snow launched her up, throwing her right into the snowbank below her. It followed her down, blanketing her as it hit the ground.

Jack snapped his palm shut and brought his hand close to his achy chest. The snow dusting the ground all over the square poofed up, obscuring everything once more.

Satisfied with the cover he had created, and the amount of snow he had thrown on his sister, Jack spun around. Tumbling as he raced back, he ducked behind the grill and finally let himself collapse. Panting, he dropped his arm from around his torso, resting his head on the bricks behind him and letting himself feel the piercing, almost burning pain that that little stunt had cost him.

"OW," he said, trying to regulate his breathing.

"That. Was. SO COOL!"

Screaming a little shriller than he'd have liked, Jack opened his eyes to see Lucy's face much too close to his, an almost feral grin lighting it up.

"Lucy! What are you doing out here?!"

The redhead was suddenly pulled back.

"Give the man some space, Luce," Elle said, gently shoving Lucy into the snow. "He's getting his ass kicked, the least we can do is let him breathe."

"She's not—she's not kicking my ass," Jack defended, still breathing heavily. "She's just. Not giving me a lot of elbow room here!"

"Yeah, she's over powered as frost right now," Elle said.

"Almost as much as you!" Lucy piped up. "Did you see what you just did?! That was wicked."

She looked starry eyed. "Thanks, kiddo," he said, messing up her hair. She giggled. "Now stop dodging my question! Both of you! What are you doing out here?! It's not safe!"

"We know that," Elle said, terse. "We came out to help get everyone in. It was going well up until the doors were sealed shut."

"Yeah! With magic! From the fuzzy on fire guy! It was a huge wave, it spread ALL over the square."

"We're trapped out here for the time being, at least."

"But don't worry Jack, we're staying SO safe! Prommy."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"We've been staying behind the buildings, and only rushing to the next one when the coast is clear. We're pretty sure we're gonna camp here. It's the best vantage point so far."

"For sure!"

"Best vantage point? Camping?! What is this, some kind of game to you two? A spectacle? Was Jacqueline kicking my butt once not enough for you?"

"So she is kicking your ass."

Jack grumbled.

Elle laughed. "Ass kicking aside, Lucy and I both figured if we were stuck out here, maybe we could do something to help. We just needed to be a little bit closer."

"Yeah! Elle's good at working from far away, and I pick the best seats. So! Is there something we can do? Can we help?"

"I don't. I don't know," Jack said, panting.

"Well, what do you know?" Elle asked.

"At the moment? A few odds and ends."

"Why don't you tell us? My dad says sharing is caring."

"Yeah! You can use us as a sounding board, if it helps. Come on, Jack. Hit us. Whatcha got?"

"Jacqueline's been potioned. Substantially. It's a large amount; it's opening her mind to wider magical influence, and giving her the ability to tap into a lot of power. An extra layer, an extra little enchantment, was brewed into it. It's blocking our connection. I can't get through to her. But he can," Jack said, nodding over to his uncle.

"When she was yelling at you, just before the ground started rumbling. What was she saying?"

"She wanted me to stop redirecting her snow. I told her I wouldn't; I'd keep going until I knew she was safe. And, and when I said that, she seemed to hear me; she, she softened, you know? Less tension. That's when Pyros—the uh, whiskery one, was it? —looked her way, and seconds after that she said I didn't actually care about any safety and listed the many, many, many OSHA violations at the, uh. Well. The where is neither here nor there or anywhere at all anymore, really."

Lucy gasped; Elle let out a startled oh at the same time.

"What? What is it?"

"That's what you heard, right?!"

"Yeah! Jack," Elle said, crawling in front of Lucy to look him right in the eye. "I heard the voice again. It's been less frequent than the other times, but I've heard it. When that happened, and Jacquie stopped and you moved towards her and all that. I heard it again. It said—he said, uh," Elle squinted, trying to recall the exact words. "Don't listen to him; he doesn't care about your safety, he doesn't care about anyone's safety. Then he said you saw what he did, he mentioned a resort, the elves, and said that you couldn't get away with it; that you were lying because of all of that."

"Lady above," Jack said. "He is in there."

"In where?"

"My sister's mindscape. Deeply in there, it sounds like." Jack frowned, looking thoughtful for a moment. "The potion, Luce. Did Elle tell you about it?"

"A little bit! She said it was supposed to help magibeans new to magic, but that it was abused and misused to control minds."

"Essentially, yeah. And that's what's happened to Jacqueline. The uh, sorry, what was it you called him?"

"The fuzzy one."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. Him. He used it on my sister and he is in her head and bringing up her darkest thoughts, and, and feelings, and memories, all of it, and using them to fuel her anger and keep her going, to keep her under his control. If I could just talk to her, I know I could get through to her! I know I could snap her out of it."

"You can?"

"I said I know I can, didn't I?"

"Maybe I can help," Elle said, thoughtfully.

"How?"

"I don't think he accounted for telepaths," she grinned. "I can hear what he's saying to Jacqueline, but nobody else can. I bet I could break through whatever's blocking her connections. And from the sounds of it, from what you told us, it's concentration based. Maybe if we both try to reach out to her, it'll distract fuzzy over there long enough that I can break through, and get you an in. I don't know if it'll work; our connection was blocked too, the first few times this happened."

"But we've gotta try," Lucy said.

"Divide and conquer; one of the oldest tricks in the book," Jack mused.

"You'd know," Elle said, Lucy snorting.

In spite of it all, Jack managed to smile. "Thanks, guys. Really helping me to build up that confidence."

"You've got this Jack!" Lucy said.

"Yeah! We've got this!" Elle nodded in agreement. "So. How do you wanna go about doing this, Jack?"

Jack inhaled deeply, his body relaxing as some semblance of a plan began to take shape in his mind. "I'll distract her. It should be easy enough, given that I am presently the subject of her ire—"

"Why do you sound proud of that?"

"You're nobody until somebody wants you dead, Ellington. Even if that person is your baby sister."

"You're so strange."

"Takes one to know one, Lucy Goosy. Anyway, once I've got her attention, I'll try to get through to our connection. That's when you'll come in, Elle."

"Doing the exact same thing?"

"Exactly."

"What about me?"

"Stay safe," Jack said, booping Lucy's nose. "Here."

Palm up, Jack lifted a glowing hand. Between them, a pile of snowballs popped into existence, a few stray snowflakes floating off the top.

"Killer!" Excited, Lucy grabbed one, giving it a little test toss.

"If anything gets too close to the two of you, go crazy." Steeling himself, Jack pushed himself up with enormous effort.

"You gonna be okay, Jack?"

"Yeah," he grunted, hiding his grimace of pain. "I can't hide forever. My sister needs my help. I don't. I can't—I won't abandon her again. I won't. I'd much rather split apart the way the Dome is than hide and keep myself safe while my prick of an uncle practically possesses her and tries to kill my dad."

"Damn, Jack!"

"That's the spirit!"

"You two stay close. We're going to help Jacqueline."

---

The snow was cold. Heavy.

Comforting.

It would've been a welcome feeling, had she been fully in control.

But she wasn't.

Deep in her mindscape she breathed heavily, surrounded by GOOP. It was disgusting; it was too much. It felt like she was going to burst.

The goop kept her down; the thoughts she kept buried away were at the forefront of her brain. Things kept creeping her way. A mix of her own intrusive thoughts. Feelings. Memories. A lot of anger, my god, why am I so angry all the time?

And in the mix, she could hear him.

Jack.

He came through every so often. Elle too. At one point she could've sworn she had even heard her dad calling for her! She kept trying to swim through the goop, to reach them; to get out of it. But every time, she'd hear someone else, reminding her of the things Jack had done; continued to do, even. Things she had thought she had started to process, that she had kept locked away; he own thoughts long locked up would swarm her, and then the power would flood in and the anger would take over and the goop would swallow her whole again, pressing down on her and making it so, so hard to try and keep fighting.

But I have to. I have to keep fighting.

She tried to pull up again. The weight pressed down on her; she redoubled her efforts.

Outside, she popped out of the snow. Sweaty; breathing heavily. Vision fuzzy. Thoughts fuzzy, too. She stumbled out of the pile, a single palm holding her head. Slipping a bit, she caught herself on the corner of the shop she hand landed beside, blinking rapidly.

Fight. She had to fight. She had to stop it. She had to stop everything. The melting, the freezer burn, the…the…

What? What was she doing again?

"Jack? Where did…where did you go?"

Jack.

She scrunched her eyes shut, fury building inside her. She growled, pushing off of the corner and stumbling back into the courtyard.

She needed his help. She needed to help him. No she didn't; that's all she EVER did and what did she get in return? STABBED. THROWN into timelines that didn't exist; frozen, even!

Where had he gone?!

"Yo, Jacqueline! Over here!"

---

She had edged her way around the shoe shop looking very confused. Disoriented. She had closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, the anger was back.

Jack, of course, had picked that exact moment to call out to her.

"There you are!" her head snapping up as she stepped forward. "I wasn't done with you…"

She trailed off. She looked him up and down, concern very briefly flitting across her features. Jack squared his shoulders, trying to stand tall. He was sure he looked a little worse for the wear, and he was fairly certain that that was a kind way of putting it.

"No," she said quietly, stepping back. A twitch; she tensed. "NO!" loudly now, stepping forward, angry. "I wasn't done with you! You keep running away!"

"I'm done, Jacqueline. I'm done running. I'm not going anywhere. Not again. I'm staying right here until I get through to you."

Jacqueline blinked, confused. "I…what?"

"You could easily stop me right now," Jack's shoulders fell; he slumped, letting the exhaustion show through his façade. "I'm. Heh. I'm not doing so hot! Everything hurts and I'm dying. Well, not really dying. At least, I hope not. But it certainly feels that way!" He chuckled to himself, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not at my best, Jacqueline. But you! You are! And then some! You have set an avalanche on me, knocked me into several snowbanks and a giant metal globe, thrown me off a balcony and tossed enough snow and ice my way to shut down a major highway for a solid day! And don't even get me started on the doorknob shaped bruise on my back! You could easily stop me right now, but you haven't. You haven't." His voice held a note of desperation as he took a step forward. "I know you're in there Jacqueline. I know you're trying to fight him off; that you don't want to do this."

"I…no you don't! How could you know that? Maybe I do want to do this! Maybe I do want to kick your ass!"

"Jacqueline, listen—"

"No! I'm DONE listening to you! After everything you've done to me? Frostmas? Leaving us? Hurting Mom and Dad? You could've killed me! You almost DID!"

Her voice broke, eyes welling up with tears. She inhaled deeply, her skin turning blue.

Jack tensed up again, sinking his feet into the snow, waiting for the exhale.

And exhale she did. A whole entire scream, in fact. She whipped her hands down, and frost exploded out from around her.

Jack flicked his hand up, almost lazily. Snow shot out of the ground, stopping the tendrils of frost from hitting him. He waved it away, taking another step forward.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Her eyes welled up, a palm quickly rubbing the wet away. She flicked it off her hand, beads of wet dropping into the snow around her. She sniffled, looking up at him, her eyes angry, complete with an unsettling magical glow.

"You already have."

The snow jumped up, the tears lost in the wave that propelled Jacqueline forward once more.

---

Blaise was tiring. Fast.

He wasn't out of shape; not by a longshot. But he was out of spellcasting shape. He hadn't done much in the way of warlocking to this extent in…a very long time. Very long time. Not since Jack was much younger (and Blaise himself, too). Pyros was unrelenting in his attacks, spells flying faster than Blaise could count. All he could do was dispel, counter spell, and unravel; whichever one was easiest to do as he tried to protect himself and keep their fray away from his kids.

He paused for breath for the briefest of moments.

Pyros jumped at the opportunity.

Four spells went flying; they hit Blaise, two on the shoulders, one on his chest, the last one smacking right into his poor unfortunate gut. He could feel the magic lifting him. He went flying, hitting the brick wall of the nearest building hard. He watched helplessly as his staff fell out of his hands, landing a good few meters away from him. He could feel the bricks crumbling behind him, see the cracks stretching out from his point of impact.

He coughed, sliding down from the Blaise-shaped indent and landing on the ground in a heap. His hair went out; his vision grew fuzzy.

Pyros had knocked him right across the square. A slight turn of his head and he was able to see Jack and Jacqueline going at it, almost right beside him. She was furious; snow and ice were flying, Jack managing to block about half of her hits. He looked how Blaise felt.

A breath escaped; he coughed. He had tried to laugh, but found himself unable to post-wall smack. He spluttered, coughing once more as he tried to focus on the kids.

There was something else.

Blaise squinted, his sight finally stabilizing. Jack was deep in concentration, keeping eye contact with Jacqueline. It was a look easy enough for Blaise to recognize.

He was trying her mindscape.

He glanced across the way. Pyros was strutting towards him, relishing the moment. Taking his own sweet time to cross the courtyard. It was infuriating.

But it gave Blaise enough time to think, which was great because there was still something else.

Crawling forward a bit, he glanced behind the snowy kids. They were fighting just in front of the Workshop now, two figures peering around the corner, watching them intently. One he recognized right away: the brown hair, the deep green jacket. It was Elle. She was also concentrating; hard it looked like.

The other figure was a young girl. She looked to be about the same age as the twins, (in human years at least, Blaise noted, his eyes picking out her round ears). She stood beside Elle, a snowball at the ready as she scanned the space around them in partial cover.

Jack and Elle were both trying to get through to Jacqueline, Blaise realized.

Grunting, Blaise managed to get to his knees. Lifting a leg, he used his knee to steady himself, pushing down on his thigh to try and get himself standing again.

"Going somewhere?" Pyros shouted from across the square. "I don't think so!"

Holding his staff in the middle, he sliced it through the air. A spiral of red magic hit Blaise once again, propelling him back into the wall.

Pyros was in front of him in seconds. He threw his staff up against Blaise's throat; Blaise grabbed it just in time, his hands keeping it from crushing his windpipe.

"You can end this, Blaise. Yield and perhaps I'll go easy on you."

"No you won't."

"Well. It's the thought that counts!"

Blaise tried to push the staff further away. Pyros's shoulders grew taut, the staff pressing back in with more force. He gulped.

"This is everything I had hoped it'd be," Pyros whispered, satisfied. He tilted his head briefly, looking towards the kids.

Blaise watched closely as his brother dipped into the mindscape. He looked like he was struggling a bit. Sweat beaded his brow. Blaise brightened—the kids must've had him on the ropes!

He glanced between Pyros and the kids. He smirked. Maybe there was a way he could help them!

It was time for him to do what he did best when it came to his twin.

Making a fuss, Blaise kicked his legs out, the tip of his loafer whacking Pyros's thigh right in that sweet spot with a triumphant grin.

"OW!"

"Charlie horse!"

It was no surprise when the pressure on the staff increased tenfold. Blaise flexed, doing his best to keep his airway clear.

"Really, Blaise? Really? After all these centuries and you're still doing that?" Pyros growled, shoving his face closer to Blaise's. "It's immature!"

"You're immature. And downright ugly up close, Lady above."

"We have the SAME FACE!"

"Yeah, but yours is growing mold."

"It's. My. BEARD!"

"It's ugly, is what it is. Really scraggly up close. Don't you know how to trim it? That shape doesn't suit you at all. And dear lady, have a breath mint, would you? You stink! Surely you've heard of toothpaste."

The staff pushed upwards. Blaise found himself lifted a few inches off the floor as Pyros grew angrier and angrier. His eyes kept flicking between him and the kids.

"There's lots I haven't heard of since you went and LOCKED ME AWAY FOR NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!"

"You wanted to be king! You wanted a castle and a crown and a kingdom and all that jazz. So I gave it you."

The menacing tone in Blaise's voice was enough to make Pyros flinch.

Blaise chuckled. "My mistake, really. I mean, giving you what you wanted just seemed like a better alternative to what everyone else was suggesting."

"Which was?"

"Oh, you know," Blaise's shoulders popped up as he tried his best to shrug while keeping hold on the staff. He stuck out his tongue, rolled his eyes up and made a gagging sound, bringing the staff slightly closer to mime the rest of the gesture.

"Your mistake," Pyros sneered, pushing the staff in again. "It gave me all the time I needed to hone my craft! And now look! I've got you right where I want you."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do! I've got you pinned and disarmed!"

Blaise watched a bead of sweat trickle down his brother's cheek. His forehead was glistening; his eyes flicked over to the kids. Elle had perked up; she looked…successful.

Bingo, Blaise thought, turning back to his brother.

He looked down at Pyros's staff pining him to the wall. He glanced over at his, abandoned on the ground. He shrugged. "Eh. Yeah. I guess so."

"I guess—what do you MEAN you GUESS SO? Are you blind? Have you gone blind in our old age?"

"No, but I think you must've because you're not seeing the full picture here. I've actually got you right where I want you," his brows lowered, casting a shadow over his eyes. His lip curled up in a smirk; he inhaled, his skin growing warm. Under the staff, his throat seemed to glow.

"No no no, don't you dare—"

Blaise roared, breathing fire right into Pyros's face.

Pyros shot back, his staff overheating. It tumbled out of his hands as he threw them up, protecting his face as best as he could. With a growl, he brought his hands down his cheeks, the edges of his beard smoking as he dissipated embers, snarling.

Blaise dropped to the floor, landing on his feet. He sniffed, blowing smoke out of his mouth as he straightened up. Stepping towards his brother, he snapped his fingers. His clothes straightened up; soot came billowing off his suit, creases ironing themselves out. The pinstripes glowed as he stuck out his hand. In the distance, his staff began to shake, before it flung itself into the air and threw itself into his hand. Hair reigniting, Blaise walked towards Pyros, clasping his free hand around the staff as well, the tip of it already glowing.

"You are not taking another one of my kids. Not today."

Venom dripping in every word, Blaise attacked, throwing himself back into battle.

---

The longer Elle concentrated, the easier it was to sense the colder presence that was Jacqueline's connection with her. It took Elle a few more moments before she was able to pick up on the something obscuring it. She frowned in thought, trying to figure out what was blocking it.

"Did you find it?"

"Sort of," Elle said, peering around the building briefly. "Somebody did a decent job trying to hide it."

"Is it like a wall?"

"No, it's more like. Like a mist, or like. Some kind of fog?"

"Maybe you can push it away! Did you hear fuzzy? Do you hear him?"

Elle listened for a moment. "No. Not on our end, at least."

"That's good!"

"Yeah. I think I'm going to have to go into the mindscape."

"You can do that?"

"Most magibeans can, or so I've been told! I haven't really tried it just yet. B and I have made it to what he says is called the threshold. It's more like a front hall, or like a vestibule. Going fully into someone else's mindscape is one thing, but without permission?"

"Jacqueline's your best friend though, isn't she?"

"She is, yeah."

"I bet she wouldn't mind at all," Lucy said, with the surety only she could have. "And I think that's the only way we're gonna be able to give Jack the upper hand and save her."

Pulling away from the corner, Elle pressed herself up against the building. The bricks were cold under her hands; solid. She took a deep breath in.

"You've got this," Lucy said, squishing Elle's arm.

"You'll be okay out here?"

"Oh my god, totally! Look at all these snowballs! Y'know, I beat Charlie in snowball fights all the time. I'll be fine. Will you be okay?"

Elle nodded. "I think so."

"I'll make sure nothing happens to you out here!"

"Thanks Lucy. But if anything does happen, throw one of those at me and I'll bounce right back out to help."

"Got it!"

Elle spared one last glance over at the fight. Or rather, fights.

Jack had gone silent, trying to get through to Jacqueline while blocking as much of the ice she threw his way as possible.

Blaise…wasn't looking too hot. He was pinned against the wall of the clothing shop, held in place by Fuzzy's staff.

Turning away Elle shut her eyes, picturing the blockage she had sensed. When she opened them, she was back at the threshold, the mist right in front of her.

Elle reached out carefully, focusing her thoughts on her friend, filling them with as much positivity and support as she could. Her hands began to glow, silvery light blooming from her palms. Her fingertips hovered above the mist and it too started to glow. She dipped her palms into the fog and suddenly, it lit up. The silver of her magic began to spread through it completely, breaking up the clouds.

Instinct kicked in. She pushed her hands to the side, and the fog followed. Frowning, she tried to shoo it away.

There was a hiss; she stepped back as the fog began to thin, turning into mist before dissipating completely.

Jacqueline? Elle thought across it.

Elle?

Their connection was back. Elle snapped back to the present, triumphant.

"You did it?!"

"I did! I can hear her again!"

"We gotta tell Jack," Lucy said, making to run towards the fight. Something stopped her; an invisible force pulled her back, right by Elle's side.

"Lucy. That's an active battleground."

"I've played Smash before."

"I think this is a bit more intense than Smash."

"I have snowballs!"

"And they do to! And also, ice! And worse, there's fire! A lot of fire and all sorts of spells, dude. We're range, remember?" Biting back a smile, Elle tapped her head. "I've got it."

"Right."

Jack, I did it. I got through to her.

Can you get in?

In?

Passed the threshold? Through the front door?

Fully into her mindscape?!

It should be fairly easy for a telepath such as yourself to do.

…Right. Of course.

You haven't gotten that far yet, have you?

Not yet, no.

Well, there's a first time for every—

Jack's thought stopped abruptly. Lucy winced, audibly.

"Oof. That's gotta hurt."

Peeking back around the corner, Elle watched as a nasty wind threw Jack back first into one of the support pillars under the bridges.

"Yikes," Elle said.

"Do you think he's okay?"

"I'll ask."

You good fam?

NO, Jack thought back, loudly and curtly.

"Yeah, he's fine," Elle said. "Okay! Mindscape time, I guess!"

"You got this, Elle. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Lucy."

The moment she shut her eyes, Elle was once again right in front of the snowy presence that was her connection with Jacqueline. Still clear of fog. That was good. She looked around, frowning in thought. It was just her and the cloud. Unsure what to do, she did the only thing that she could do.

She walked right into it.

It was weird, going into the mindscape. It was cold. She felt like she had plunged into the lake on a cool summer day. It warmed up fairly fast, before the ground suddenly lurched out from under her feet. It felt like the moment before the drop on a very tall roller coaster. The brief pause as you looked down at the rest of the ride before plunging down, your breath briefly stopping. For the briefest of moments, it felt like she was floating.

And then she was pulled down.

Down she went, tumbling slowly through nothing. Clouds appeared below her, rushing up to meet her faster and faster. She fell through them, landing gently on what felt like a stone floor. Pushing herself up, she popped through the clouds and gasped.

Wherever it was she had found herself, it was dark. The floor shifted below her. Something covered the ground beneath her. Objects were scattered around, covered in the same substance that coated the floor. She took a few steps forward, glancing around. Some of the shapes seemed vaguely familiar.

Kind of like Jacqueline's room, back at Frost Manor.

Holy shit, I'm in, she thought to herself, eyes adjusting as she looked around. Jack. I'm in. What am I looking for? What does your connection look like?

The floor shifted ominously below her. She stepped back, keeping as quiet as she could. It was a moment before Jack came through.

It's a light blue thread, he thought back, finally. NO! WAIT! Darker blue, if it's on her end.

Got it.

Something slithered over her foot. She stepped back with a grimace; an errant thought slunk by her ear.

I almost died, it said, the voice familiar.

Jacqueline?

Elle stepped forward, looking for the thread Jack had described.

But I didn't. I didn't die.

Another errant thought; weaker than the other one.

But he still hurt you, did he not?

Elle gasped. It was the voice. The man! Fuzzy! Their uncle.

But he didn't mean it!

You don't know that, Uncle Fuzzy replied. Did he ever say it? Has he ever told you exactly why? Has he ever said it wasn't on purpose?

More thoughts; a ton of thoughts all at once. So loud. Elle almost covered her ears when suddenly the thoughts all stopped, one last particularly vicious sounding one whizzing by.

He hasn't.

---

Outside, Jacqueline's faltering resolve steadied. She had forgone snow, and Jack found himself dodging all manner of icy projectiles. Icicles, ice chips; chunks, even.

Jack did his best to block them as they came, but he was tired. The searing pain was all over him now, never-ending as he conjured icy shield after icy shield. They shattered on impact, exploding into shards and scratching bits of exposed skin.

Every single bit of concentration Jack had left was spent trying to get through their connection. He was trying so hard to break through it. A steady stream of positive reinforcement kept hitting the mist as Jack struggled to keep fending his sister off.

He couldn't see the space where Elle and Lucy were taking shelter. Every time he tried to turn and glance that way, icicles whizzed by, just barely missing his face.

Bracing himself, Jack crouched low, throwing an arm in front of himself. A very large, very thick chunk of snow shot out of the ground, curling over him and absorbing the latest icy onslaught headed his way.

Elle?!

I found it! I found it and if you give me just one moment here…

Her thoughts went silent. His snowy shield buckled, the shiny tips of icicles beginning to sink through it. He held his midsection tighter as the pain grew worse, burning like a nasty turn of indigestion.

Got it! Go! Quickly!

Cracks forming in the drift, Jack tried one more time to get through to his sister.

Jacqueline, please. Just. Just listen.

Jack?

The relief coursed through him, his muscles sagging. Thank GOD that worked, he thought.

I can't believe it did, Elle replied.

Elle? What's—I don't—

Jack stumbled out from under his snow drift. Jacqueline had paused, confusion once again gracing her features. Her hands had dropped; her stance relaxed. She looked very far away.

Behind her, Pyros scrambled for his staff. Blaise stalked towards his brother, his suit glowing, smoke wafting off of his shoulders.

He did not envy his Uncle in the slightest.

"Jacqueline," Jack spoke out loud, coming out from behind the snow. "Please, listen. I don't want to hurt you. And I know I already have. Like, a lot."

Her mouth twitched. Oh, she was near the surface for sure.

"And I know that I won't be able to make up for everything I did ever, if at all. But I need you to know…" he stopped talking, his lips forming a tight line. He stepped closer, seeking out their connection. I never wanted to hurt you. Never.

He's lying…

Jack winced. So did Jacqueline. She stiffened once more, her fingers twitching. The snow below her rippled. "No. No, I don't…I don't…" she stepped back, her hands flying up by her chest. Her breathing grew louder; heavier.

You can hear that now too?

Jack blinked. Are you—is that the voice you were hearing?

Yes, Elle replied, equal parts exasperated and relieved.

It's him, Jack thought back, glancing over at his Uncle.

He and Blaise were locked in staff-to-staff combat. Quite literally. The thwack of wood hitting wood rang out. Blaise was relentless; Pyros was falling behind, nearly tripping as he tried to overpower Blaise. His eyes kept flashing, back and forth. From Blaise to Jacqueline and back again.

Don't listen to him…he's a rotten excuse for a bother! He hurt you, didn't he?

Jacqueline faltered.

Yes, that's it. Gravely injured; it was a miracle you didn't die…

Her face fell. She sunk down, tears flowing unbidden. "You almost killed me dead," she said out loud.

The sadness on her face was heartbreaking. Jack found himself staggering forward. "I didn't mean to—"

HE WANTED YOU OUT OF THE WAY!

The thought was loud. Jack recoiled; so did Jacqueline. Elle winced, a hand briefly flying up to her temple.

There's no need to be so loud! She thought, glaring in his direction.

Nasty little telepath, mind your own business!

There was a brief magical pull in the air. Behind her pillar, Elle flinched, sliding back a few paces.

Elle?

Your little friend is gone, niece. It was getting a little too cramped in here, don't you think?

Jacqueline gasped, whirling around. "Elle?"

"I'm okay!"

"She's okay!" Jack assured, a placating hand out in front of him.

"Oh, thank the g—AH."

Jacqueline doubled over, stepping back. Her fingers curled in; whatever control she had managed to seize was being wrenched away from her once more.

Don't listen to him, Pyros's voice rang out in the mindscape. Remember what he did! The hurt he caused you…your own parents, barely there for you. Turned against you because of him! He left you for dead, right there by the front gate…

"Jacqueline, please! Don't listen to him!" taking a deep breath in, Jack moved closer to his sister. She was shaking now, her cheeks soaked. I shouldn't have run. There's no excuse for that. He's right. I did leave you. I made a mistake. A mistake that I will never make again.

He's a liar, niece. He'll turn tail and run again, you and I both know that!

I'm not going anywhere!

Jacqueline glanced back and forth between them, staggering back. Her arms went up slowly. The air around her began to freeze, clusters of ice crystalizing between them.

Yes, that's it! You don't need him! After all he's done to you! We both know it wasn't a mistake! He meant to do it!

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!

There was the tiniest gasp. Jacqueline looked surprised.

Jack kept going.

I never wanted to hurt you, ever! You're my sister, and I love you!

In front of him, Jacqueline straightened.

You were the only good thing I had in my life. I never wanted to hurt you. Never. I was young and out of control and you paid the price for it.

Yes, you paid the price for it! You! Not him! And it's about high time he did the same, don't you think?

Her arms lifted higher, rigid. The shards began to spin around her, faster and faster.

Jack gulped, Adam's apple bobbing as he moved closer to her, hands at his sides.

"It was an accident," he admitted out loud. It felt…good, to finally say it. Scary, of course, as the ice spun rapidly, gathering high above her head in a big, thick, wintry ball. But good. "I never, ever meant to hurt you. I never wanted to. You meant the world to me! And you still do. I don't—I couldn't—I'd never want to take you out of it. Never. You made it worthwhile. And now, after everything—"

HE TRIED TO KILL YOU!

"—after EVERYTHING! The Day of Darkness, Frostmas, the Thaw…"

Think of all the ways he hurt you then! Even after his thaw! He didn't come right home, did he?!

"—you're still making it worthwhile for me."

But is he doing the same for you? He's NOT!

"I love you, Jacqueline. And, and I know I wasn't there for you the day I left. Or many many MANY times after that. But I am now! I'm here for you! Now! I know you can do this! You're stronger than you know, so, so strong, so please. Don't listen to that little voice! He's wrong, he is so, so wrong!"

The ice grew closer and closer together, growing as it spun high above Jacqueline's head. her arms were raised, eyes flicking back and forth as she took in everything happening. She closed them once more, teeth bared as the ball of ice began to glow.

Taking a deep breath in, Jack dropped his hands completely and stopped right in front of her, bracing himself.

It was an accident. One that I am so, so sorry for. I love you. I'll never let anything hurt you again. Especially not me. And especially not him. I promise, he thought, looking right at her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Waited a beat. Then pulled her in for a hug.

She stilled. The ice ball stood suspended above her head. Her hands glowed still, keeping it intact. Her face was blank for a moment. Finally, she blinked, her eyes watery over Jack's shoulder.

"I promise," he said quietly, right into her ear.

Her body shuddered She hiccuped; Jack felt her tense briefly before she whipped herself out of the embrace, a low growl in her throat.

She looked furious.

Jack tensed, closing his eyes and waiting for the ball of ice to completely engulf him. It was going to hurt, so, so much but he would be fine, he would make it through and he would keep fighting until he got her back, he wasn't going to lose her again, absolutely refused to—

But the pain never came.

Jack opened his eyes.

Jacqueline stood in front of him. Her face was streaked with tear tracks. Magic arced all along her arms, hopping from shoulder to shoulder. Her shoulders heaved; she exhaled rapidly, catching her breath.

"Jacqueline?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she turned sharply on her heel, raised her hands well above her head and, with an angry cry, sent the clump of ice flying across the square.

---

Pyros was fading. Blaise could tell.

Whatever Elle and Jack had done, whatever they were saying—thinking by now, he guessed—was working. Pyros was losing his hold on Jacqueline.

Good, Blaise thought, picking up speed and deflecting spell after spell as he pushed Pyros back.

His footwork was growing sloppy. It was getting easier for Blaise to sidestep the spells. Easier for him to play on his strengths.

Firepower was beginning to wind its way into every counter thrown at Pyros. Forced to use one hand to deflect the flames, his spellcasting was weakening.

With a snarl, Pyros ducked under Blaise's staff, whirling around to face the kids. Blaise whirled with him. His foot snagged on something and he found himself looking up at the icy sky above.

"Did you just trip me? With mine own tripping charm?"

Pyros didn't reply. In fact, it seemed as though his brother hadn't heard him at all.

Blaise lifted himself up on his elbows, glancing Pyros's way. His attention was wholly focused on the kids now.

And it looked like the kids were winning.

Jacqueline looked softer, though the giant frost-off ball of ice above her head was…concerning. But Jack was walking towards her, defences down, completely open; and Pyros stood absolutely still, glaring at them.

Laying back down, Blaise exhaled. Focusing on his breathing, he took a moment to catch his breath.

Now was his chance.

If he could sneak up behind Pyros, he could disarm him. Without his staff, he'd have to resort to hand-to-hand, and that was Blaise's specialty. Amplifier-free magic. And games of keep-away, he thought, eyes trained on the staff.

With one last deep breath, Blaise pushed himself up. He grabbed his staff with both hands, the gem in the middle of the flame lighting up as he prepped a disarming spell. One step towards his twin, two steps, three steps—just a little closer and he could let loose the spell and send the staff flying through the air in front of him right after Pyros—

Wait, what?

Blaise blinked. Pyros soared past him, a great big ball of ice sending him across the yard. It flew behind him, an icy tail in its wake. The air stirred as it rushed by, blowing Blaise's fiery hair to the side. His jacket rustled; his tie flung itself over his shoulder. He righted it, watching as Pyros landed in a heap at the base of the steps up to Elfsburg's City Hall, the wind completely knocked out of him.

His hair straightening itself out after the briefest of flickers, Blaise glanced over to his left.

Jacqueline stood bent over, her hands still up in front of her. Magic was gathering around her, the blue sparks bouncing from finger to finger, running up and down her sides, her skirt billowing in the breeze. Behind her stood Jack, looking very much like a deer in headlights.

They had done it.

Wasting no time, he looked back at his brother. One hand around his midsection, Pyros pushed himself up with the aid of his staff, getting to his feet.

Blaise ran. Twirling his staff above his head, he let the spell go. Having held it for a long enough time, the spell was potent. It shot forward, hitting the staff right where Pyros clutched it.

Pyros yelped, the staff tearing right out of his hands and flying high, high, high up into the air.

"DON'T LET HIM GET THE STAFF BACK!" Blaise yelled, already in pursuit.

Jack shot past Jacqueline, eyes trained on the staff. He and Blaise rushed towards the falling staff as Pyros staggered up, dumbfounded.

The north winds began to stir.

The fluffy snow lifted up as the wind picked up. Suit jackets billowed back; capes were flung out, fluttering behind backs. Above them, the staff stopped, suspended in midair. The winds grew stronger; more intense. The staff dipped, catching in the wind and reversing course, flying towards the Workshop and landing right into Jacqueline's outstretched hand.

Blaise grabbed Jack's shoulder, stopping him before he could run for Jacqueline. Behind them, Pyros began to laugh. His laughter grew louder and louder, sounding more and more deranged with each cackle.

"Nice catch my dear, dear niece! Now, toss it back over here and let's get on with this, shall we? We've got some rrrotten brothers to take care of!"

She glared at Pyros, the magic poofing up her hair. It was beginning to look a little more icy than snowy. Her fist tightened around the middle of the staff. She looked fierce; her mouth was a hard line, her eyes angry as the wind whipped back her hair, the bottom of her dress fluttering behind her as the ground around her began to freeze. She opened her mouth, dry ice drifting out as she uttered one very cold, hard word.

"No."

Pyros recoiled, blinking in shock. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said. No."

Under her glowing hand, frost began to creep along the staff, cracking as it turned to ice. The ice crawled up and down the staff, layers upon layers entwining and overlapping as the details were blocked out, the colours disappearing completely. The gem frosted over rapidly, dry ice drifting off the staff as Jacqueline froze it solid, reducing it to little more than a really long icicle.

She gripped the icy stick in both hands. Looking Pyros dead in the eye she let out a feral scream, lifted her leg and slammed the icy rod right onto her knee.

With a sickening crack, the staff snapped in half.

Pyros screamed. A loud drawn out, painful sounding no.

Jacqueline tossed the remains in front of her, a third piece breaking off as it hit the floor, rolling away. She watched him coldly as he fell to his knees, his face twitching as he watched the magic escape the frozen remains of his staff. The enchantments sprinkled around them fizzled out, the doors free to open once again.

His scream died out. The winds stopped, snow dropping down to the ground. The courtyard grew silent. Everything stilled.

"Stay out of my head," Jacqueline uttered icily.

She stood tall for the briefest of seconds, the wind billowing her hair out behind her, dress fluttering.

She crumpled.

"Jacqueline!"

Jack shrugged Blaise's hand off his shoulder, rushing towards Jacqueline. Her eyes fluttered; she fell to her knees, struggling to stay awake.

Jack…

He slid the rest of the way, snow spraying as he came to a stop beside her, catching her shoulders before she could faceplant into the snow.

"I'm here, I'm here," he said quietly, gently righting her as he sunk down to his knees.

Her head lolled. She opened her eyes, looking up at Jack with a weak smile. "…hey"

"Hey yourself," he tightened his hold on her. "That was absolutely amazing. Some of the best Jack Frost-ing I have ever seen."

She tried to grin, her head flopping forward.

"Hey. Stay with me, Jacquie. Stay with me!"

Carefully readjusting his hold on her, Jack pulled her back. Her legs slipped out from under her, sliding forward as she fell into Jack's side. "You did great. You did really, really great, you know? That was…" What was something she'd say? "That was badass."

She let out a breath that could've been a laugh, eyes drifting shut once more.

I know, she thought in a whisper, her voice so, so weak in his mind.

"I'm sorry, Jacqueline. It was an accident. It really, really, was. I never wanted to hurt you. Never."

I know, she thought at him, weaker still. I'm sorry.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It's going to be okay."

Yeah. It will be.

Her hand flew up. She grabbed his wrist, her grip iron clad. She tried to lift her head, her breathing heavy. Her eyelids fluttered, her eyes briefly opening.

"Jacqueline? What are you doing?"

Helping. Her head lolled back again. She was pale; her face was sweaty. Her wrist was cold. Freezing even! Cold enough for him to actually feel cold.

The bottom of her dress began to crack. It spread up, fracturing more and more as it travelled up to her bodice. Her entire freeze job was cracking, lifting off of the white material and turning into frost. It crept up her body, drifting towards the hand that refused to let go of Jack's wrist.

He could feel something. A cold, tingling sensation spreading out from her touch. He turned his hand around, still locked in Jacqueline's grip, and watched as it frosted over.

He blinked, perplexed. He looked back at Jacqueline. Her hair had melted, the last wisp of snow drifting off and racing to join the rest of the frost at his wrist.

Her hand was glowing. A brilliantly bright light blue. She gasped, lifting up briefly, eyes widening. She squeezed his wrist one last time, grinning as the colour left her face.

Kick his ass, she whispered in his mind.

"Jacqueline!"

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell limp, right against Jack's side. Her hand dropped from Jack's wrist, landing lifelessly on his leg and sliding to the ground with a plonk.

Their connection went silent.

Shakily, Jack brought his hand up to his face. The lines on his palms were glowing blue. It travelled down and over his wrist, disappearing under his sleeve. A quick glance over at the hand trapped under Jacqueline's shoulders revealed that the same thing was happening to his left side.

Magic.

It was magic.

It coursed through his veins, warming him from the top of his head right down to his toes. His hands were fully glowing blue now. Not just any blue: light blue. As the magic settled, everything seemed a little more joyful; a little more fun. It felt absolutely buoyant!

And that's when it clicked.

It wasn't just any old magic.

It was Jacqueline's magic.

Flexing his fingers and clenching his fist, he taped into the joyful feeling. Raising a glowing palm, the snow below him followed excitedly, lifting up into the air. He tensed, ready for the sharp dome-related pains…

But they never came.

He laughed, testing the magic one more time. Right on cue, the light blue glow reappeared, and the snow bounced even higher. He tried his other hand, excited to see that it too could once again command the snow without consequence.

Jacqueline had given him her magic. All of it!

His heart dropped. He paled.

Jacqueline had given him her entire essence.

He had her whole entire essence.

"Jacqueline…what have you done."

Making sure to support her head, Jack carefully lay her down. A quick flick of his wrist and a mound of snow popped up, cupping the back of her head.

She looked desaturated, out cold in the snow. Her hair was mussed. The thawed, tangled mass of dark brown a stark contrast in the white of the snow. Angry red lines stretched up her arms, disappearing into her sleeves.

She had given him her entire essence.

Why on Earth had she done that? A simple little boost would've done just as well. Now she lay in the snow, motionless; magicless. How was she supposed to fight off a magical substance without hers? Why had she done it?

Because she loves you, you blizzard brain, something said. Something that felt remarkably similar to Jacqueline.

Ah, yes, Jack thought. Her magic. He frowned, thinking about what the magic had said. He straightened up, realization dawning.

"That's it, isn't it? Love?"

Yeah dude! Always has been, the magic replied.

"It has, hasn't it?"

Jack leaned back, resting on his heels.

She had waited.

She had waited all those centuries and kept waiting the entire year! Even though he hadn't reached out, hadn't made a move to go visit any of them, she kept waiting. She kept their direct line open the entire time and when push came to shove, despite it all, she still came up North to help. To help him!

Because she loved him.

And he had tried to help, too! He had tried to help her because he loved her. He had gone back home with her when she thought it'd help them both (and it had, the magic reminded him), reuniting with the family because she loved him and she loved them and he loved her and he loved them, too!

And this place! This. This quaint, backwoods tundra filled with munchkins and vibrant little shops and a spirited factory that made the most useless items imaginable for children all over the world. His home for the past year. He used to curse it; to want to see it gone, to make it his in all the worst ways. Lady above, he'd done a number on the place, hadn't he?

But now, now it felt…it felt warm. And welcoming. And like another place to call home. The silly little child-sized furnishings and way too low doors, the mish-mashed antique-nouveau-mod style businesses and buildings and the awful clashing reds and greens and the constant holiday music—he'd grown fond of it.

And seeing the injured elves staggering towards doorways, Elle and Lucy helping them in until they couldn't. The magical residue splattered on buildings and embedded in bricks. The jagged terrain that marred the picturesque, albeit miniature town square. The damage that had already been done, not to mention the damage already sustained slowly over the year via Deliquesce.

He didn't want to see it gone. Not anymore. He wanted to keep it safe.

All of it.

Lucy. Elle. The Elves. All of them. Santa and Carol, and the baby! Scott's whole family was up and Jack found himself absolutely heartbroken of all things at the thought of Scott losing them all. He had just gotten his family back, and the thought of losing them again—

It hurt.

He couldn't, wouldn't, let it happen to anyone else.

And that was a whole other thing, wasn't it? His family. Jack had them back. He had what he had always wanted: love. And someone was threatening to take it all away from him, when he had just gotten it all back. Had kept it from him when it had been there the entire time!

He had carved himself a new existence, and it was precious to him, and it was being threatened, and he would do anything, anything, to keep it all safe. All of it! Santa, his family, the elves, the ENTIRE operation under his Dome. He'd keep it all safe, the way Blaise had done. Was doing.

But now, now it was Jack's turn. He'd keep Blaise safe, this time. Winter, too. Fino and Fiera and—

He glanced back down at Jacqueline.

Her right hand lay limp, fingers still partially curled.

And her. He'd protect her. He'd protect everyone.

Determined, Jack stood up.

His existence was precious to him these days. He had a lot of things to make up for, a lot of missed time to catch up on. And there was no way in hell he'd let some on fire asshole with a god complex and a half-baked revenge scheme ruin it for him. Not now, not ever.

Kick his ass.

Warmth exploded deep in his chest. He could feel his magic, his own magic, coursing through his veins as his core whirred to life once more.

He called the magic to his palms. As expected, Jacqueline's magic burst to life, ready and rearing to go.

But there was another colour bleeding into the mix.

It was darker. Blue.

It seeped into the borrowed magic, twisting into the swirls and curls of the lighter blue. Ferns unfurled, coiling with the light blue until both colours of magic drifted off of his palms.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling the familiar sensation of his magic, his magic, coming from his core.

He exhaled. Dry ice and all. He opened his eyes, a mischievous spark that hadn't quite been there before glinting like freshly fallen snow. Ice cracked; his suit seemed to freeze itself up, the watery bits solidifying, the exposed white material freezing anew. Even his frosted tips seemed to perk up, the ends sparkling as frost settled on them once again.

He snapped his fingers.

The icy tundra below him rumbled; it shuffled, shifting until it lay flat once again. The slightest lift of one hand, and a blanket of snow formed in the air around him, dropping down onto the ground, this portion of the courtyard looking good as new.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," he said, excited.

He no longer lacked the frost.

Jack Frost was back, baby!

And he was about to make it everyone's problem.

Jack snapped his jacket straight, flinging the sleeves back. There was a chill near his neck as his icy bolo tie reappeared once more. Hands aglow with two tone magic he walked forward, the snow around him jumping up excitedly.

"Jack!"

"Wait!"

"What happened?!"

Jack swivelled to the side, watching as Elle and Lucy ran towards him. They both skid to a stop right before Jacqueline, gasping. Elle dropped to the floor, listening for a breath, looking for a pulse.

"She's okay," Jack assured.

"For sure?"

"Yes," Jack stressed, watching Elle sigh in relief when she saw the rise and fall of her friend's chest. It was slow, but it was there. She was breathing. "Stay here. Both of you. Watch over Jacqueline for me, please."

"You got it, boss," Lucy said, with a cheeky little salute.

"We'll keep her safe."

"Good." He straightened his jacket once more, hands beginning to glow. "I've got some business to attend to."

They both watched as Jack set his sights on the fiery battle raging across the field. Standing tall, he strode towards it with purpose, face set. Elle watched as magic drifted off of his hands, the light blue tendrils catching her eye. She looked back down at Jacqueline, then up at Lucy.

Lucy looked at Elle, then back at Jack's retreating figure. Snow was following behind him, a swath curling about excitedly. She, too, saw the two-tone magic, the blue catching her eye.

Lucy glanced back at Elle, about to speak when the snow around them rippled. A thick, snowy barrier sprung out from the ground. It stopped at hip level, safely obscuring Jacqueline behind it, and leaving room for Lucy and Elle to take the protection it offered, should they need it.

Jack had barely had to lift a hand. His sleeve had barely shifted as he plowed forward, the snow trailing behind him dutifully. There hadn't been a single smidgen of pain. With an impish grin, Jack crooked a finger towards the snow. It sprung up no problem, joining the pile trailing behind him.

This was going to be fun he thought, lifting both two-tone hands in front of him and pushing them forward.

---

Pyros watched the remains of his staff roll through the snow.

He scuttled up, nearly tripping on the hem of his cloak as he rushed towards the three icicles. Staffs could sustain a lot of damage; they were resilient. There was still time. Maybe he could—

FWOOM.

A large swath of fire cut in front of him, melting its way through the ground. It raced towards the icy remnants of his staff, engulfing them.

"NO!"

Pyros leapt into the flames. Grabbing the edges of his cape, he lifted his arms and spun. The fire raced around him, curling up and up and up in the air and extinguishing high above them. He let go of his cloak, the heavy hem dusting the ground as he looked around, frantic, smoke curling off of it.

"Look at that! I've evened the playing field," Blaise said, stalking towards his twin. He let go of his staff; it disappeared, dematerializing in the air.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you." Pyros spun about with a smirk, slowly raising his staff hand. "You've done nothing but make yourself weaker than you already were!"

Blaise stopped, biting back a smirk as Pyros curled his fingers, preparing to summon his staff once more. His hand started to glow. He chuckled, looking down at Blaise with his best 'got you' look.

A look that Blaise was wearing as well.

Pyros blinked, taken aback.

Blaise raised an eyebrow, glancing surreptitiously at his brother's staff hand, then back at his face.

Pyros frowned, glancing over at his glowing hand.

Nothing happened.

Blaise's cheeks puffed out; he exhaled slowly, looking down at his shoe and scuffing the ground.

Pyros cleared his throat.

Blaise looked up, tilting his head.

"This doesn't usually take this long," Pyros finally spoke, looking up at his curled hand.

"Performance issues, huh?"

"I—no! No, I'm the greatest warlock that has ever—" he dropped his hand, uncurling it and thrusting it up in the air once more, fist glowing red. "—lived! I don't have—" he uncurled his fist once more, repeating the motion for a third time. "—performance issues! I will—" another attempt was made to summon his staff. "—I will summon my staff and—"

His fist was curled so tightly his knuckles had surpassed white, the veins on his hand bulging. He squinted in concentration, in frustration as the red glow suddenly went out with a fart noise.

His staff could not, would not be summoned.

Blaise let his smirk escape. "You were saying?"

Pyros growled. Bringing his fists down, he shoved them forward. There was a high-pitched squeal as fire burst out from them. It spiralled, rushing towards Blaise and hitting him square in the chest.

Blaise let out a whoosh of breath as the fire knocked him off his feet and into the air. He fell into the snow, rolling twice before stopping.

"HA!" Pyros pointed, watching as Blaise struggled to pull himself up, coughing. "That was so satisfying, you know? You've always excelled at our spritely lineage and I cannot express the joy that this," he said, gesturing towards him with both hands as Blaise's elbow slipped, knocking him back down into the snow, "just brought me. I—"

WHAM!

Blaise lifted his head, his eyes widening as Pyros pushed back against a stream of snow that had slammed into him hard.

A seemingly endless avalanche pushed him farther and farther back as he turned his face away, trying to keep his airway clear. He tried desperately to regain his footing in the snow, trying his best to stay grounded, but to no avail. Now he was the one knocked off his feet and sent flying, landing on the ground with a loud THWACK as the entire blast of snow settled upon him, pellets hitting pellets with a droning sort of buzz.

"Who's laughing now?! HA!" Blaise shouted, struggling to push himself up as the sound of crunching snow tickled his ears. The steps grew louder as someone came closer, shoes somehow managing to tap despite the snow. A cool touch on his arm. No; cold. Really cold.

"Brr. You hand is FREEZING!" Blaise glanced up, relieved to see Jack safe. He wrapped a second just as cold hand under his arm, steadying Blaise enough for him to sit up. "So is that one! Are they—are your powers back?!"

"Back and stronger than ever," Jack grunted, doing his best to lift Blaise. "A little help, please? Geez Dad, maybe lay off the sweets?"

"This is all muscle kiddo," Blaise joked, pushing himself up with Jack's help. Back on his feet, he sighed. Relieved. Tuckered out. "I'm getting too old for this."

Jack snorted. "You and me both. Are you okay?"

Ignoring Jack's worried question, Blaise grabbed his shoulders, grinning. "Your powers are back!"

"I know!"

"That's great!"

"It is!"

"Where's your sister? Is she okay?"

"She did it, Dad. She shook him off and, and she gave me her powers."

"She what?"

"She gave me her entire essence! And I didn't even need it because once, you know, once I saw her like that and saw you like this and saw Pyros, well—" he glanced over. The snow was hissing; slowly melting. Jack lifted his chin. A second blanket of snow shot up from the ground, covering the melting pile. "I couldn't let it go on. I had to help stop it. All of it."

Blaise sagged, pulling Jack into a very tight hug. His arms stuck out, unable to even pat his dad on the back what with the way his elbows were pinned to his sides.

"I'm so proud," Blaise said, warbly. "And so sorry, Jack."

"It's all right," Jack choked out. "It's not your—" he coughed. "Not your—" another cough, a deep breath in. "—fault." Jack wheezed. "Dad. I need to breath."

"Sorry, sorry." Blaise let Jack go, hands still on his shoulders. He slumped, his hair going out. "I'm-I'm not sure I can go on for much longer. I don't. I don't think I can keep this up."

"That's okay." Placing his hands on Blaise's shoulders, Jack stepped to the left, Blaise moving slightly to the right with him. "Just, just breath, all right? Take your time, Dad. I've got this. This time, I'll protect you." He let go of Blaise, twirling out of his grasp to face the fast-melting snow pile.

Pyros burst from it, fists ablaze. Slush went flying as he kicked his way out, his footsteps melting the snow beneath him as he whirled at the offending sprite.

"Had enough, Uncle P?"

"Oh, I've barely even started with you!"

"Funny, I was just thinking the exact same thing about you!"

Jack lifted his arm, snow leaping up behind him. Curling his fingers into fists, the snow complied, freezing into ice. Jack smirked. Uncurling his fingers, he gave Pyros a two finger salute, the icy swell flying for his uncle.

Snarling, Pyros lunged, fists ablaze. A high-pitched whir filled the air as he summoned a torrent of fire, launching it right at Jack.

The elements raced towards one another, hurtling over themselves until they met, colliding in midair. They sizzled as they cancelled each other out, massive amounts of steam hissing into the air.

Blaise watched through the steam, panting, hands on his knees as Jack attacked Pyros relentlessly. Icy projectiles were shooting every which way, hitting fiery ones in the air with sizzles and hisses. The steam grew and grew, eventually obscuring most of the courtyard. Blaise found himself squinting through the clouds, watching Jack wield the snow. Little movements were making for a LOT of snow. A surprising amount, if he was being frank. Not that Jack couldn't wield copious amounts of snow. But there was something in the way he was commanding it, something…familiar.

An image sprung into Blaise's mind.

Thousands of years old, a much younger Winter doing much the same as Jack was now. The snow jumping at her command when she so much as looked at it. She barely had to lift a finger for her season to do as she bid, just as Jack was doing now.

Blaise frowned.

Jacqueline had given Jack her essence.

Then he had gotten his own powers back.

Which meant that Jack had double the magic.

"Oh, of course!" Blaise shot up, a second wind hitting him hard.

He knew what they had to do.

A high-pitched whir tickled his ears. Hair reigniting, Blaise sprinted into the steam, adrenaline surging. He slid in front of Jack just in time as fire tore through the fog, aiming for the Legend. Blaise caught it, digging his feet in as the condensed flames gathered between his hands, building and building.

It sat spinning for a few moments before Blaise threw it back through the steam. There was a SMACK and a shout as the ball of fire hit Pyros. He soared through the steam, briefly floating in the air above it before plummeting down and landing across the yard.

Jack let out a low whistle. "Wow. Nice toss. He went flying."

"The man's a toothpick! It's no wonder. Listen, we don't have much time. I know what we have to do." Grabbing Jack's arm firmly, Blaise pulled him through the steam, ducking around the carousel in front of town hall. "Have your Mother and I ever told you how we stopped your Uncle way back when?"

"If you did I most certainly did not listen. Or I don't remember. Probably both, actually."

Blaise grumbled.

"Oh come on Dad, is that really surprising?"

His lip twitched. "No it is not. I really need you to think back a bit here, Jack."

Jack squinted, taking a moment to recall. "Oh. Oh! You think it'll work again, then?"

"I think it's the only shot we've got at stopping him. We're going to need a lot of snow, and a lot of ice. Can you do that?"

"Uh, duh," Jack lifted his hands, splaying his fingers. The two-tone magic sparkled as gave his best jazz hands, the snow behind him jumping about. "I've got you covered."

"Good. Excellent. It's about to get very hot here. Can you keep him busy? We're going to need some intense heat and it's going to take me some time to do."

"Oh. I can keep him busy, all right," Jack sniffed, stepping out from behind the carousel. "Ready Dad?"

Blaise cracked his knuckles. "Let's end this," he said, striding out behind Jack. He lifted his hand, the steam pulling towards him. It swirled together, racing for Blaise's palm. Tossing his hand to the side, the steam dissipated behind him, clearing the courtyard.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, PYROS," Blaise shouted, stepping in front of Jack. "THIS HAS GONE ON FOR TOO LONG. IT'S TIME TO FINISH IT. ONCE AND FOR ALL," he sliced his hand through the air, glaring across the way at his brother.

Pyros stood tall on the other end, fists aglow, hem of his cloak fluttering below him. He smirked. "I COULDN'T AGREE MORE! IT'S ABOUT TIME I PUT A STOP TO YOUR REIGN OF TERROR."

Blaise blinked. Jack snorted. They glanced at each other, corners of their lips twitching.

"Did you. Did you hear that?!"

"My, uh, my what now?"

"Reign of terror? Your reign of terror? Did he actually just say that?!"

"That's certainly what I heard!"

"Oh, that's rich! Haha!"

Pyros stopped, bewildered as the pair of them doubled over in laughter, Blaise actually having the audacity to slap his knee at the mere absurdity of Pyros's suggestion.

"Reign of terror, ah. That's. That's funny! Could you imagine?"

"I'd be relentless! I'd make an absolute bloodbath of it, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'd've loved a bloodbath. Oh. Ah. That's. That's a good one, Uncle P!" Jack said, wiping a tear from his eye and exhaling.

"Funniest thing he's ever said. But! We all know that red isn't really my colour." Blaise straightened up, looking right at Pyros. The humour was gone; his face was stone cold.

For the briefest of moments, Pyros actually looked afraid.

He stepped back, glancing over at his nephew who wore an identical expression. One that, in Pyros's opinion as he took one more unprompted step back, practically SCREAMED run.

"Mind giving me a lift, Jack?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Hands glowing, Blaise shot forward, running towards Pyros. Before he could so much as react, the snow below Blaise began to rumble. It shot up, Blaise squatting down as the snow carried him right over his twin.

Pyros looked up, turning fast as Blaise soared above him. His heel caught on his cloak. Feeling the pull on his neck, Pyros fell, flipping over just as Blaise landed behind him on all fours.

His hands glowed. A bright, hot orange. He plunged them deep into the snow, the ground around rumbling as it warmed up very fast. The snow turned to water, hissing as it boiled over. Steam began to waft up around him, the ground dry and cracked.

Pyros shot up.

"Don't you DARE do this again, don't you DARE—GAK."

His cloak tugged once more. Losing his balance, Pyros fell back, finding himself suddenly engulfed in snow before he could hit the ground.

"Ah-bup-bup, I don't think so, Uncle P." Shaking his finger disapprovingly, Jack walked towards his Uncle. The snow dragged him back, throwing him right into a colourful stone wall. He bounced off it, tumbling down a small set of stairs, the world spinning. "That's for the atrocious cloak you're wearing, by the way. And that's just the tip of the iceberg."

Jack wagged his index finger. Below Pyros, the snow shot up, throwing him in the air once again. As he tumbled through the air, the wind picked up. He flew forward, landing hard on a tiled roof. Shingles cracked below him as he slid down, snow poofing up when he hit the ground.

"That's for hurting my Dad!"

Shifting his finger just a smidgen Jack sent Pyros rolling across the snow. He hit the steps of the town hall, the world spinning as he landed in a heap. Pyros sat up, arms sticking out as he tried to steady himself. He stood up, stumbling forward, off balance, trying to focus on his twin.

"And that's for hurting my mother!"

Jack twirled his finger. The snow below Pyros began to swirl, spinning him about as it lifted higher and higher, the snow doubling, tripling, quadrupling, tossing Pyros about relentlessly.

"And THAT is for everything you did to me!"

He spun his Uncle for a bit longer, flicking his finger and throwing Pyros across the field. He landed face first on the overhang of the carousel, sliding down the side and somehow managing to land on his feet.

With a groan—or perhaps a sigh; it was hard to make out—he grabbed hold of the handles on the ornament, steadying himself. His arm flung forward, a blast of fire spluttering out towards Jack.

Left hand coming out of his pocket already glowing, Jack lifted it lazily. A wave of snow sprung up, engulfing the flames with a hiss.

It was effortless. His power levels were doubled; the snow leapt at his command with no fuss. He wondered if this was how Winter felt on the day to day. Probably, he thought to himself, straightening up. Stepping forward, Jack lifted his hands ever so slightly. The snow that had been tossing Pyros back and forth joyfully sprung up, swishing as it gathered together behind him. Below him, the ground began to rumble. The smell of sulphur permeated the air.

"And this—" Keeping his left hand stationary, Jack twirled his right index finger once more. The snow beneath Pyros swirled together, spinning him about until he was facing Blaise.

Pyros paled as Blaise stood up, the rumbling continuing as molten rock burst from the ground, towering high above them. He scrambled up, making to run, only to find himself frozen to the ground. He looked over at Jack.

The Legend looked far scarier than anything Pyros had seen in his life.

"This is for my sister."

Pushing both hands forward, Jack sent all of the snow he had been using to throw Pyros about right at him. It rushed forward, sliding towards him with a hiss as Blaise mirrored Jack, the lava rushing towards him as well.

Pyros screamed as the elements collided on him, the hissing and the popping as the snow rapidly melted and the lava suddenly cooled blending with his cry until it completely drowned him out.

Jack tensed, steadying himself as steam began to fill the square once more. He balled his hands into fists, the snow turning to ice and pummelling Pyros as Blaise's pyroclastic flow continued to, well, flow. He kept going, pouring all of his energy, all of her magic, all of his magic into the steady stream of snow. The ground was nearly laid bare, Jack making up the difference with his own conjured snow and ice. He could just make out his Dad through the thick steam. A bright beacon of orange in the distance, heat radiating across the square. Careful not to break his line of sight, Jack hunkered down, glad he had Jacqueline's essence to help him keep up the steady stream of snow because Lady above, it was HOT!

Finally, Blaise stopped. He slouched, his arms falling to his sides.

Jack followed suit. Pushing an extra blast of cold into the air, he dropped his arms, taking a very deep breath as the magic on his palms subsided.

Steam began to clear. It hissed, freezing into snow and drifting off into the atmosphere.

Where his Uncle once stood now sat an odd, humanoid looking rock. It was dark and craggy; lines of red threaded through it, bubbles with a blue tint hardening fast. The statue crunched one, two, three times.

Blaise fell to his knees.

He didn't move. He sat, his knees dampening, staring at the spot his where brother had once stood. Silent as the grave. Hair extinguished. Suit glow subsiding as the last bit of steam drifted off, the glow in the statue diminishing with one last pop.

Silence fell.

Pyros was no more.

---

A/N: AHHH WHAT A DOZY! SO EXCITED TO GET IT OUT! It just needed a LOT of last minute tweaks and refinements! I made a little shitty map of the courtyard just to get my bearings right. Goddamn. TAKE THIS BEASTIE! TAKE IT! I HAVE STARED AT IT FOR TOO LONG! Skimmed it when I posted it, so if there's any GLARING mistakes, hit me up so I can fix those lol. ANYWHOMST

DEFFS one of my favourite chapters! Blaise's Thor moment. Jacqueline's badass moment. And then JACK GETTING HIS POWERS BACK? FUCK! YES! THREE HIT KO, AYO!

I find writing battles/action scenes VERY hard. So do let me know if the action read well! Was it ENTHRALLING? DID IT HAVE YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT? I HOPE SO! AND I HOPE IT IS A MORE CLIMACTIC FIGHT THAN WHATEVER THE HELL SCOTT VS MAGNUS WAS IN THE SERIES, DID Y'ALL SEE THAT? GOD. BORING A K.

We'll be back next week for Chapter 28: Not My Style. And then. Uh. I have to actually FINISH Chapter 29. I have fallen BEHIND. Which is funny bc this is the same place I fell behind when I was originally posting! But my GOD have these last few chapters been last minute tweak and change heavy. Like that hug? the cold front hug? Just added that today. WHY DIDN'T I DO THAT BEFORE?!

AND LASTLY, TO KICK US BACK TO THE 2010s, I GOT A BUNCH OF GUEST REVIEWS HERE? THANK YOU? I did a lil reply on tumblr BUT. So I KNOW you all see it:

Guest on chapter 1: FOUR TIMES? OMG! THAT'S LOVELY! DON'T EVEN WORRY DUDE SHE'LL BE FINISHED TO COMPLETION BY CRIBMAS (god willing. I have been slacking on writing bc the latest two chapters have needed some heavy edits pre-being posted but 29 has two more scenes to go? Then it's final chapter time!)

Gothic girl: Thank you! The next chapter is goddamn INSANE. I hope you all enjoy it. Old men get HELLA thrown around. Blaise, Jack, AND Jacqueline all have one really badass moment and I am STOKED to share them 💕💕💕

Guest on chapter 27: HE'S MY FAVE TOO! See: the 280k plus fanfic that exists because of this fucking guy (affectionate)

I don't think he'll be appearing in the series, and tbh given how bad they've been "writing" the council I'm kinda glad about it lmao. But I've got plans for a lil series-rewrite that could include him! :)

ALSO IF YOU MISSED IT! There was a Jack related easter egg in episode 3–his face was in the lil snow globe screen as Carol was working in the ELFS centre on the nutcracker case, moments before switching to Befana's house :) He was up on that screen for a WHILE. Not new images tho, deffs from the movie :)

Thank you thank THANK you all for the love! Have a BEAUTIMOUS WEEKEND :D See you next week to start tying up all these loose ends, lol.