AUTHOR'S NOTE:

First of all: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOOOOOU AGAIN for the reviews; you cannot know how much they mean to me!

So, I went ahead and showed a friend of mine from home—someone from whom the information could NEVER get back to the Physics Department, thank heavens—Ice Alliance. I took her through the explanation of the rest of the story that I've got thus far, showing her all the bits and pieces of future scenes, my plans, the plot twists, the backstories, etc. etc. etc. We just sat down, and I explained everything I have planned for Ice Alliance.

It took me seven and a half hours. At the end, I was weirdly validated: She agreed; the plot hasn't even gotten STARTED yet, and all the stuff we've been doing thus far is BORING compared to some of the stuff coming up (but don't hold your breath; we've got a lot of ground to cover first). I mean, come ON—I haven't even INTRODUCED ALL THE MAJOR CHARACTERS YET, M'KAY?! XD So, for this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sticking it out with me! I promise, this will get interesting eventually! ;)

As for the email, so that people can contact me outside of fanfiction… I'm putting it on the next one; I still have to make it, but I figured that people would probably prefer to get this chapter up faster. Like usual, I've had to break this chapter in two already for length, so hopefully, the next will be up fairly soon. Love you all, I'm sorry I suck, and have a fantabulous day!

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual innuendo… as usual.

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37: TOUCH

"What on earth is taking them so long?" Queen Anna breathed.

Holding her enormous stomach and lurching to the bedroom door, the pregnant young ruler raised her fist again to knock, but then hesitated, pausing. Deciding against it, Anna took a step back, turning away and stumbling down the hall towards Jack again. She gave him a sympathetic half-smile, shaking her head.

"Don't be too intimidated by Kristoff," she reassured him. "He can be a bit—overprotective."

"Yeah, I think I'm picking up on that."

Jack nervously spun his staff on the ground, sneaking another glance down the hall towards the bedroom door. His heart leapt into his throat, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. What the blizzards was Kristoff telling her?

When Jack had tried to hold Elsa's hand under the table—okay, well, he thought he was being subtle. In three hundred years of pranking, he had seen more than his fair share of sorry saps attempting to "make moves" on young women in this manner, and their respective ladies had an entertaining variety of responses. Some would accept it, some would reject it, and some—like Elsa—wouldn't have the faintest idea of what to do. Usually, a rejection would result in something subtle; a squeak, a soft shoving away, or the classic paralyzed blushing. Any of these responses would have been easily hidden from Kristoff, if Elsa had been a normal young woman. Which she wasn't.

In making his move under the table, Jack had neglected to take into account that Elsa was the only young woman on the face of the planet who reacted to panic by triggering indoor snowstorms.

Well.

That was embarrassing.

He looked down the hall towards the door again, biting his lip. Come ON, Kristoff! You can't blame me for trying! Jack thought desperately, You don't know what it's like to be—alone! I just—I—I've NEVER gotten to touch anyone like that before, alright? YOU go for three hundred years without touching anyone! I like touching Elsa, okay?

Jack's eyes widened at the sudden realization.

I like touching Elsa.

His throat hardened suddenly with embarrassment, the new self-awareness falling onto him like an anvil. He did like touching Elsa. Perhaps like wasn't a strong enough word, but…

I. Like. Touching. Elsa.

Jack closed his eyes, as if in pain. Wow, he thought miserably. That even sounds creepy in my head.

He bit his lip, blowing a clump of white hair out of his face and leaning his head back against the wall. Maybe Kristoff was right, telling Elsa to stay away from him. If that's what he was doing, anyway. As for Jack, how do you walk up and just say to a guy, Hi! I like touching your sister-in-law!

Jack glanced to the bedroom door.

I like touching your sister-in-law.

A shudder ran through him at the thought. That was a phrase that probably ranked pretty high on the Top Ten Ways To Antagonize a Girl's Brother. In terms of statements guaranteed to get one punched in the face, it was probably right up there with, Nice to meet you! Please punch me in the face!

Jack gulped.

Alrighty, Kristoff, he mentally started again, kicking at the carpet, When I say I like touching your sister-in-law, I just—I mean—okay, I like touching your sister-in-law. How else can I—I SWEAR I'M NOT A CREEP! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

He pressed his lips together, gazing pleadingly down the corridor. Jack then let out a long sigh, looking up to the turning top of his shepherd's crook as he absent-mindedly spun it on the floor.

Maybe it's just the way I'm phrasing it, he thought, catching the staff. He pulled in his breath slowly, imagining Kristoff standing in front of him.

Okaaaaay, Kristoff, he began again in his mind. I know that I said I like touching your sister-in-law, but what I really MEANT is that I—I like FEELING your sister-in-laOOOOOOH that is so much worse.

Jack drew himself up, clutching the staff.

I enjoy the sensation of having her skin against my own and WOW, JACK.

"So…"

Jack snapped back into focus again. Queen Anna was looking into his face expectantly, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Sorry," he stammered, "I—what?"

She laughed. "I asked you how you ended up here. Like, how did you Elsa actually meet?"

The question caught Jack off guard.

"Um… well… long story short," he muttered, trying to keep his voice even, "I became a Guardian last March. On Easter. And North—um, Santa Claus—well, I apparently made the Nice List this year. So, his present to me was sending me here to meet Elsa."

"Santa Claus' Christmas present to you was sending you to meet my sister?" Anna gasped with delight.

"Um—right."

Queen Anna stumbled over to the wall next to Jack, leaning against it with a dazed, dreamy smile on her face. After a few moments of drumming her fingers on her pregnant stomach, she paused, looking to him in confusion.

"Wait a minute," she started, "Christmas isn't for another week and a half. Why—"

"—The List is finalized two weeks before."

"OooOOOoooh!"

Jack shrugged, smiling and shifting his fingers on the staff. It was at times like this that he realized how privileged he actually was, being reminded that most people didn't have access to this sort of knowledge. As Anna pulled in another breath, he looked back to her again.

"Then—wait," she continued. "What happens to those extra two weeks?"

"They roll over into the next year. But—uh," Jack grinned, gesturing to Anna's stomach, "Don't—um, don't tell the kid that, m'kay?"

Jack mouthed a silent shh, raising his eyebrows and putting a finger to his lips. Anna laughed, and he looked back down, absent-mindedly kicking at the carpet. Never a bad thing to get along with The Sister. Right?

In his mind's eye, Jack found himself under the bed again, holding Elsa in his arms.

For three hundred years, he hadn't really been able to touch—anyone—in fact, the times he had been touched (before becoming a Guardian) were so few and far between that he could literally count them on one hand. There was the time that Sandy put his hand on Jack's shoulder. And the time that Phil had managed to almost catch his ankle, after Jack had made one of his many attempts to break into the Workshop. That was really close. Actually, during that little ordeal, the ever-determined Phil (armed with Magic Snowglobes for transport) had chased Jack so far South that they'd ended up somewhere in Canada. And thus, the legend of Bigfoot began.

That was still hilarious.

There were a couple other times that he had been brushed by one of the other Raised Ones, but then—the morning that Jack officially became a Guardian—Jamie had hugged him. Jack remembered that moment just like it was yesterday, and he always would. The pure and beautiful love of a child was the love of somebody, and a hug was the physical manifestation of that love. Even though it was just a little boy—an innocent, wonderful little boy—Jack would never forget the feeling of having someone's body, someone else's body, against his own. Getting a hug, after three hundred years of invisibility? Basically, it felt like it was the first time in forever. It was incredible.

Multiply that feeling times a thousand, and that was how he felt touching Elsa.

Her braid. Her arm. Her hand. Her anything, really; just touching, being touched, reassuring himself that he wasn't invisible, that she wasn't a dream, even though she was something of a dream come true… After all, she was Ice Powers Girl. She was the Snow Queen. But, no, of course, Elsa wasn't just that. She was brilliant, and selfless, and compassionate, and…

The image from that morning flashed across his mind.

A sly little hint of a smirk tugged at the edge of Jack's mouth. He wasn't usually a big fan of titles, but as the official Guardian of Fun, he had some fantastic ideas for—

AUGH! NO! Don't think of her like that! he jolted, clenching his teeth together. We're FRIENDS. JUST friends. This is a FRIENDSHIP, and friendship is GREAT, and daaaaaaaaaang, girl—!

Wait, NO!

He shook his head vigorously, biting down hard on his lip. Friendship. They were just. Friends. Elsa had told him that herself. And—despite how much he wanted something more—friendship, he had to admit, felt pretty good. That was what he'd actually asked North for in the first place. Right? Jack knew that he should be content—Elsa really did understand. The ice powers, the loneliness, the weight of responsibility; she just—got it. And he loved everything about her. Her ideas, her kind heart, her loyalty to her sister, her determination to do what she thought was right, her…

Her hug.

Well.

THAT.

That was—it was just whoa, and she—she, and—soft—there was really—WOW—oh, Kristoff, don't you DARE mess this—ooOOOOooh, Elsa, and—!

Heh.

WOOOOOOOW.

Jack smiled sheepishly, biting his lip. He fidgeted with his fingers, his right hand twitching involuntarily at the thought.

"Want to feel my stomach?" Queen Anna offered suddenly.

He jolted.

Huh?

"Um… sorry?" Jack choked.

"My stomach. The baby?" she responded. "Your hand keeps twitching towards it. It's okay if you want feel it," Anna laughed. "Everybody does."

"Oh! Right!"

Yes! Baby! I was definitely thinking of feeling—BABY! Not—YOUR SISTER! Noooo, sir-EE!

Pulling himself up with his staff, Jack took a step towards Anna. Suddenly, it hit him. People touched the stomachs of pregnant women all the time.

But—uh—he hadn't.

His heart pounding, Jack hesitantly reached towards the queen's stomach, his hand shaking slightly. With a good-natured laugh, Elsa's sister took his hand and then suddenly paused.

"Wow. You really are cold," she exclaimed. "Your hands are even colder than Elsa's!"

Jack shrugged, smiling self-consciously. "Yeah..."

As she started to pull his hand towards her baby bump, he froze.

"Uh—wait," Jack stammered, biting his lip, "Are you—Anna, are you sure this is such a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, gently pulling his hand back away from her.

"I just—" Jack gulped, shaking his head. "I'm—I'm Jack Frost, Anna. I mean, the kid—I don't want to freeze—"

"—You won't." She beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"How are you so sure?"

"I'm not."

A look of confusion swept over his face. Queen Anna smiled good-naturedly, shrugging.

"Jack… my child is going to have an aunt with ice powers," she whispered. "He or she is going to have to learn to get accustomed to the cold at some point. Let's just call this a crazy trust exercise, alright?"

Before Jack could protest, Anna yanked him forward and placed his hand firmly on her stomach.

After a few moments, his fingers sinking into the thick gold and olive fabric of the queen's maternity dress, Jack shifted on his feet. He'd—uh—never done this before. Was he expected to say something? How long was he supposed to stay standing heOH MY WORD IT MOVED!

Queen Anna giggled, seeing Jack's stunned expression. He blushed slightly with embarrassment, looking up into her eyes with a nervous laugh.

"It—uh," Jack stammered, "Child—um, energetic."

"That's for sure!" Anna laughed, rocking back and forward again on the balls of her feet. "I'm thinking that they get that from me."

THAT, Jack thought, Is for DANG certain.

"As for you, though," she continued kindly, "See? No harm done."

The baby shifted again, and Jack jolted. Biting his lip, he looked up to Elsa's sister.

"I don't think the kid is too fond of—cold," he admitted.

The child seemed to squirm again, as if trying to get away from the chill of Jack's palm. Anna giggled and shook her head, leaning down to her stomach as far as she could. "Heeeeeey, little one!" she sang softly, shifting Jack's hand to the side. "It's okay! This is your Uncle Jack!"

Jack snapped his head up. "Wait, what?"

"Oh—sorry," the pregnant queen chuckled, readjusting herself on her feet and leaning down to her stomach again. "This is your future Uncle Jack!" she corrected in the same whispered sing-song.

Jack felt blood rushing to his face.

Deciding that he'd stood with his palm on Anna's stomach for long enough, he gingerly lifted his hand off, taking a step back. This young queen, even smaller in stature than her sister but having a similarly delicate build, was nearly falling over from the weight of her belly. Although he'd never actually felt a pregnant woman's stomach before, Jack, as a Guardian of Children, had seen his fair share of expecting mothers over the course of three hundred years, and had a pretty good idea of what "eight months pregnant" was supposed to look like. Like, she was about ready to deliver, but...

There was definitely more than one kid in there.

"Seriously, though," Queen Anna started again, raising her eyebrows as she leaned back against the wall, "You still haven't answered my question. I mean, okay, Santa Claus sent you to meet Elsa. But how did you actually meet?"

Jack grimaced, staring at the floor. After a few moments, he pulled himself up on his staff.

"Well—um," he said carefully, "It was night. When I fell out over the fiord. I—he'd told me that the Queen had ice powers, and—uh—well, I wanted to see it for myself. So, I was kind of snooping through her study, and then it was her room, and—"

"—You BROKE INTO HER ROOM?"

Jack bit his lip. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again, letting out a nervous bark of laughter and blushing furiously.

"Wow," Anna breathed. "She must really like you. I mean, to NOT sic a snow monster on your sorry patoot."

"Well, she did threaten to have me executed."

"Did you deserve it?"

Jack shrugged, grinning sheepishly. Still feeling Anna's intent gaze on his face, he snuck another glance down towards the door.

Towards Elsa.

When they were under the bed, she'd hugged him. That was good. Right? At least, he thought it was. Taking her up on what he thought was an invitation, fifteen minutes later, he then tried to hold her hand, but then she'd completely freaked out. So… rejection? Bad. But another minute later, she'd started to move out her hand towards his. Good. Aaaaaand she'd pulled it back. Bad. He moved his chair towards hers, and she'd scooted hers towards his. Positive response, right?

Good. Bad. Yes. No. Invitation. Withdrawal. Dang, women were confusing. Was Elsa encouraging him, or rejecting him? Uh… maybe both?

Geez. Talk about mixed messages.

"What is TAKING them so long?" Anna demanded suddenly.

Jack snapped back into focus again.

He took a step back, nervously spinning the staff. "I just kind of want to know what he's telling her," he admitted sheepishly.

The queen gave him another sympathetic half-smile. It was probably meant to be comforting, Jack thought, but it came off as more of a grimace.

"Yeah… as I said, Kristoff can be a bit overprotective," she offered. "He's really a family man."

"Not a bad thing."

"I don't think so, either. I think it's wonderful," she said. "If you ever hurt Elsa, he would kill you. Honestly, though, I don't know why he feels he would need to."

"Yeah, I—"

"—Because I would."

Jack froze.

"Um—thank you, Anna," he choked. "I feel much better now."

"Oh, good! I'm glad!"

Jack grinned in spite of himself. As Queen Anna wheeled around, nearly falling over from the uneven distribution of her weight, he gasped and instinctively lunged forward to catch her. However, Elsa's sister quickly re-stabilized herself, lurching off in the direction of the door again. Restraining from a laugh, Jack silently stepped away from her again. Oh, Anna.

Down the hall, the door was opening.

Jack jolted, leaping up a few inches into the air. Then, gathering his senses, he forced himself to float back onto the ground, leaning up against the wall and crossing his left ankle over his right. His heart pounding, he blinked hard, struggling to keep his breathing even.

ACT CASUAL!