AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you again to all the awesome people who have read and reviewed—it means absolutely everything to me, and the support is a significant portion of the reason why I keep writing! I'll admit that this chapter isn't perfectly drafted, but I really wanted to get it up today, so here we go. XD Thanks for another great year, and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

FANART ALERT: WHY AM I SUCH A FAILBOT; I KEEP FORGETTING TO PUT THIS ON HERE anyways, we've got another great fanart from frostyqueen90 on instagram. Thank you SO much again, frostyqueen90-you are awesome, and I am WAY sorry that I've kept forgetting to post the link! It's instagram, and then p/Cg3mM50jr0Y/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y ;)

TRIGGER WARNING: There's something extremely dark hidden in plain sight at the end of Frozen that I feel like everybody just kind of hasn't noticed. Anyone who's had to look into the eyes of their abuser right before getting abused… you never forget the look on their face. Because of this, I am issuing a Trigger Warning for this chapter, specifically for abuse victims who have suffered this particular type of trauma.

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92: WHEN ALL IS LOST

He'd blown it.

Jack Frost bit down hard on his lip, his eyes stinging as he touched onto the ground, sadly trudging forward. He had completely, and totally, destroyed his chances with the Snow Queen. And, it now appeared that Anna hated him, too. Great.

Just one more thing he needed right now.

He didn't know where, exactly, he was going to go—but, he couldn't stay HERE. The castle was clearly already bustling with preparations for the Ball, and the party thing, and of course, the fact that Christmas was the next day. And oh… had he thought that this Christmas was going to be different. And yet, here he was. Alone. Again. He had tried, he had fought, and he had lost what apparently amounted to just being a sad, pathetic little personal war, where he had lost the only lady he ever, EVER might have had a legitimate chance with, and nobody would ever even find out that they'd been involved at all.

Well—except for her family, of course. Not that they understood. Hi, guys. I gave it all I had, for the woman I loved. I tried as hard as I could, and it just wasn't enough.

Oh, and by the way, just in case anyone cares, I DIDN'T MOLEST THE QUEEN!?

"JACK!"

He squeezed his eyes shut in pain at the familiar voice, coming to a stop. Letting out his breath as he groaned internally, he turned around to see the enormously pregnant Queen Anna lurching down the hallway towards him. With another mouthful of death threats for him, no doubt.

Perfect.

"Your majesty," he sighed.

"And where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

"Aren't you supposed to hate me? Again?"

Coming up to him—and clearly struggling a bit to walk, with the size of her stomach—Anna drew herself up. "Not so fast," she said, attempting to hide how breathless the hustle had made her, "I just talked to Elsa."

"Sounds great. You must know everything, then."

He turned back around to resume walking away from her, sticking his free hand into his pocket as he drummed his fingers on the staff. His shepherds crook was resting on his shoulder, but the gnarled wood seeming a bit—darker, somehow, than usual, like even his very magic was reflecting his current emotional state.

"Actually, I know quite a bit," she retorted as Jack's jaw ticked, "And it seems like we—misjudged you, again. Which is why I wanted t—"

"—WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE, Anna?!"

She startled back a step as he whipped around, his eyes blurred. His mask cracking, the Spirit of Winter swept his arm to the side.

"What can I POSSIBLY do, to CONVINCE you people that I'm not going to hurt Elsa?" Jack stammered, his voice breaking, "I get that you're really protective of her and all, but do you know what level of insane this family has put me through!? I have tried SO hard, as hard as I COULD, to be respectful and all to literally ALL of you, but it's just never going to be enough, is it!? Why are you all so sure that I'm secretly a monster!? What are you so AFRAID OF?!"

A flash of fear shot across Anna's expression.

An instant later, it was gone, replaced by a look of objective curiosity. Her eyes narrowing slightly, the redheaded young queen studied him, staring into his eyes for a long, tense moment of silence.

Finally, Queen Anna's eyebrows lifted.

"You really have… no idea," she said quietly. "Do you?"

Taking a step back, Jack scoffed. "Clearly not!" he gritted, flipping his staff back up onto his shoulder again.

"Women want to trust men."

"Are you sure abou—"

"—YES."

Queen Anna's expression had suddenly hardened, now demanding his attention. The Guardian fell silent.

"Jack… there's a reason why so many women list trust as one of the top things they look for in a relationship," she started again, dropping her voice to an intense whisper. "It's not just some ditzy little feelings thing. It's survival instinct—because putting your trust in the wrong man can LITERALLY get you killed."

"Get you killed?" he laughed bitterly, "Anna, what are you even—"

All of a sudden, in his mind's eye, Jack was standing in a jail cell built of ice, staring out at the beautiful young Snow Queen two weeks before.

At least this one didn't try to cut my head off.

The unexpected memory had spoken in his mind almost like the Ice Powers Girl had been standing right next to him. She wasn't, of course, but—!

Clearly, Queen Anna's villainous ex-boyfriend had attempted to murder Elsa. But—had he attempted to hurt Anna, too?

Jack's gaze had wandered to the side as he followed the train of thought. Realizing that he wasn't paying attention, he shook himself, his eyes snapping back into focus.

"We had completely hit it off when we'd first met," Anna was saying, "He was handsome, and charming, and we just had so MANY THINGS in COMMON! I'd never MET someone who thought so much like me—and he seemed to just care about me so much!"

Elsa's little sister paused, stopping for a moment to raise a meaningful eyebrow in Jack's direction.

The Spirit of Winter felt himself once again resisting the urge to shrink.

"And everything was going so well," Anna went on. "I was just so happy. All my life, I had longed for a true love—yes, the romantic kind—and I thought I'd finally found it, and then BAM! Guess what! HE WAS THE BAD GUY! And he had been, all along!"

Jack's heart sank.

Anna was letting the silence fall over them, clearly waiting for him to respond while she struggled to keep her own emotions in check. Clearly, this wasn't the first time this story had been told, but—it still filled her with pain.

Resisting the urge to conjure a magic snowflake, the Guardian cleared his throat. He shifted on his feet.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you," he responded.

"Thanks."

She chewed on her lip, shifting back and forth on her feet for a moment. Then, Anna gave a tiny huff.

"You want to know the worst part?" she asked.

Jack grimaced, letting out a scoff. "I'm guessing that's when he tried to chop Elsa's head off?"

Anna shook her head. "Elsa was lucky."

"She had you."

"That's not what I meant."

The pregnant young queen shook her head, taking two tiny steps forward. Glancing around once again—making sure that this particular hallway was still empty—she then pulled in her breath.

"Elsa was turned away. I know that she'd heard Hans come up behind her—swords aren't exactly quiet," she choked quietly, "But she wasn't looking at him. I was. And right before I froze—as the sword came down—our eyes met. About to kill my sister—and me—I saw his face."

She shook her head again, pressing her lips together. Pulling in another long, trembling breath—and visibly uncomfortable with the confessions—she looked up into Jack's face.

"He was smiling," Anna shook.

Jack's. breath caught.

The sick feeling was starting to return. The terror and heartbreak was now visible in her wide blue eyes, glassy with the memory of such an extreme betrayal.

"That manic glee in his expression… as I froze," she started again, "I stared into the face of the man who I thought was my one true love—and realized not only that he had the ability to destroy my entire life, but that he was actually excited to do so. And now, I tell myself that I'm over it, and everybody thinks that I'm over it, and—for the most part, I am. But when something like that happens, for the rest of your life, you find yourself watching everyone, and scrutinizing every single man you meet, and wondering to yourself—are you a monster, too?"

Her voice trailed off, and Anna visibly shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut against the memories. A silence fell over them as she shook her head, swallowing with effort for a long moment before seeming to suddenly remember that she wasn't alone.

Her gaze suddenly filled with fire, Queen Anna then looked back up, setting her jaw as she glared into Jack's eyes.

"So excuse me," she gritted, "For wanting to take a few precautions to make sure that your super-romantic couple of weeks with MY SISTER wasn't going to end the SAME WAY!"

Jack's face flushed, seeing her expression. His stomach twisting, the Guardian was then once again rendered speechless, stumbling back a step.

"Well," he muttered, "It's not going to."

"That's a—"

"—Because anything 'romantic' that might have been happening between Elsa and me is OVER."

Jack had jabbed his pointer finger at the floor in emphasis as he spoke, setting his brow as he stepped back. He tossed the staff to himself in his left hand, shifting his fingers on the wood.

A wave of confusion swept over Anna's face, softening her expression. "But," she said, "But Elsa—she told me that you didn't do anything. That—well, that it sounded like you were tempted, but when you were given the choice, that you did what you thought was right."

"When I was given the…?"

His voice trailed off as he studied her.

"Wait," Jack suddenly reeled back in disgust, "This—this was a TEST?!"

"What? NO! I mean, it—we—!"

Anna gave her head a frantic shake, her eyes bulging as she waved her hands in front of herself to deny it. She cleared her throat.

"It wasn't—meant to be," she tried again, drawing her hands together and selecting her words carefully. "Even though it—kinda ended up working out that way. We legitimately thought Elsa was being threatened. But if this was a test," she finished. "Jack… you passed."

Jack's eyebrows lifted. After a fleeting moment of comfort—reading between the lines of what she was saying—he grinned bitterly, letting out an angry scoff.

"Passed," he sneered. He glanced to the side with a nod, drumming his fingers on the shepherd's crook while sticking his other hand into his pocket. "Hooray, I passed. So happy I passed, Anna."

Anna's expression shifted again, this time to a defensive skepticism as Jack shifted on his feet. "What are you trying to say?" she demanded.

He rolled his eyes, pulling his staff down from his shoulder and sweeping it to the side in gesture. "You just congratulated me for not being a total monster. Yay, me," he gritted. "You ladies only think that I'm only a little bit of a monster."

"But you didn't—"

"—It went too far."

Anna snapped her mouth shut.

A few flurries of snow began to materialize out of the air over his head, silently sparkling as they floated towards the carpet below. Pretending not to notice them, the Guardian shook his head, taking the staff in both hands and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Last night with Elsa, everything went too far. Way too far. And it's my fault," he choked quietly. "She's never going to believe in me now."

His face falling, Jack turned away from her, picking up his staff and letting it fall back onto his shoulder. Beginning to trudge away again, he stared at his own feet, hardly even knowing where he was going. Just that he was going away. Away from Elsa, away from her family, away from this castle, away from—

"You know," Queen Anna's voice suddenly rang out from behind him, "That doesn't sound a thing like what my sister just told me ten minutes ago."

Jack froze.

His eyes bulging, the Guardian stopped in his tracks, turning back around to face her. A sudden surge of hope shooting through him—tempered immediately after by skepticism—he pulled in his breath.

"Wait…" Jack shook. "What?"

She shrugged. Queen Anna then meandered in his direction, clearly attempting to appear casual as she placed her hands on her hips—or rather, where her hips usually would be, without the enormous baby-heavy stomach. Taking the hint, Jack scoffed to himself, jumping into the air with a tiny eye-roll of frustration.

"I said," Anna repeated pointedly, her voice hardly more than a whisper as Jack touched down onto the ground right in front of her again, "That that doesn't sound a thing like what Elsa just told me ten minutes ago."

"And…?"

Anna's eyebrows lifted, a tilt of interest pulling up one of the ends of her mouth. As she sized him up—and taking her sweet, queenly time, studying his expression and posture—Jack Frost had to restrain from an actual whimper of agony.

The seconds dragged on like hours as the pregnant young queen finally finished her survey. After a few long moments of hesitation—Anna clearly wasn't one to freely share her sister's words without her knowledge—she let out her breath.

"Fine," Anna decided, then drawing herself up. "Elsa said… Jack would never hurt me… now I have the proof… he's exactly the kind of person I'd want to have in my family."

Jack's heart started pounding. His eyes wide with disbelief, he stumbled back a step and looked down, unsure of what to say.

Before the Spirit of Winter could even recover from the first of Elsa's apparent quotes, Queen Anna then leaned forward a few inches, crossing her arms over her chest and clearly seeking his gaze, despite the way that he was now staring at his feet.

"Oh… and," she added, "There was also the part where she said… 'I would trust Jack Frost with my life.'"

Jack snapped his head up.

Anna's eyebrows were lifted, her expression matter-of-fact as their eyes met again. Jack stumbled a half-step forward.

"Elsa—said that?" Jack whispered.

Anna nodded.

He took a step back again, his mouth hanging slightly open in disbelief. Reaching up, Jack pushed his fingers into his hair, his head spinning. He's thought it was over. That everything was over. But if Elsa—!

Queen Anna cleared her throat, and he jolted, startling back into the moment. Clearly restraining from a smirk, Anna then raised her eyebrows again, pulling herself up and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You promised my sister that you were going to attend the Christmas Eve Ball," she stated, "Which will be commencing in the grand ballroom at 6:00 tonight. And if you don't wish to massively disappoint her… then I will expect to see you there."

Jack looked up to her in shock. With a shrug, Queen Anna then unfolded her arms, dropping them to her sides and walking past him towards the stairs.

"Offer's still open," she called out over her shoulder, "By the way. If you ever find yourself needing… help."

She glanced back for just long enough for the Guardian to see a mischievous glint light up her eyes and a grin on the edge of her lips before the pregnant young queen turned back around and resumed walking away, leaving a completely flabbergasted Jack Frost standing behind her, dumbfounded, in the hall.

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The Fifth Spirit stood alone in her room, finishing her makeup.

The last of the previous night's smeared crimson lipstick and clumped-together mascara had long since been washed and scrubbed away, allowing Elsa the chance for a fresh start. She actually rather liked this part of her routine—selecting colors, pairing design concepts with her dresses, and literally putting on her palette for the day. Especially after a night like the previous one, she needed a fresh start.

She had long-since melted the soundproofing around the room—setting everything back to normal, like it had never happened, while still leaving the beautiful corner of ice flower sculptures up on her wall. She wasn't sure how this was going to work—or, if it was going to work at all. And she was nervous. But somehow, in the middle of all the frantic preparations for the Christmas Eve Ball, the party the next day, and of course the holiday itself, she had to, had to, figure out how to talk to Jack Frost.

Elsa looked back towards her nightstand, absent-mindedly searching for the vase with the broken center. Her gaze falling onto it, she was just beginning to let out a sigh, when—!

Something else was on the nightstand.

Her heart jumping, Elsa jolted and ran towards the nightstand. As she reached it, the Snow Queen suddenly realized that it was an ornament—expertly crafted from ice and glistening in the light, but broken in two.

And it was a heart.

Her eyes bulged, her breath catching in her throat as her heart started pounding. Gingerly picking up the pieces, Elsa took the ornament in her hands, examining it—and the break. She'd thought she'd felt something strange in his pocket. But—! Had he left this for her on purpose? Did he even realize that he'd left it?

A sharp pang of guilt swept over her as she stared down at the heart. It was beautiful—and broken. And she had been the one who'd broken it. Elsa could now remember the feeling of something snapping, and wondering for a fraction of a moment what it was. She hadn't meant to break it, of course, but… that didn't change the fact that she still had. The swirls and snowflakes and elegant design in the ornament must have taken the Spirit of Winter hours to make, especially when he wasn't used to creating such careful and intentionally elaborate artwork. But luckily… broken things could often be fixed.

Some things just needed a little love.

Gathering her resolve, Queen Elsa held her breath and flicked her hand over the pieces.

Shingg!

With a sparkle and a tiny creak, the halves of the icy heart fused themselves together. As another tiny heart materialized over the break, the frosty shape flowering out from the fissure, tiny swirls of translucent ice blossoming over the piece, Elsa pulled in her breath, taking a moment to gather every last ounce of courage that she possessed.

A half-minute later, tucking the ornament into a small bag—the broken ice heart now mended, fused together by the second heart—the Fifth Spirit then turned and ran from the room.