Jack saw the smile on Elsa's face and determined it was finally safe to approach her. His strides were confident and careful as he drew closer to her. He leaned down, held out his hand for her to take, and pulled her to her feet. He then reached down and plucked the rose from the ground.
"For you my lady," he held out the rose in front of her face and bopped it gently against her nose. Incandescent snowflakes shone in front of her eyes and her grin turned into a smile that filled up her face. Jack had held off on using his powers on her because he didn't want her to feel like using her powers wasn't her choice, but now, he knew that she needed to unwind.
"Now, let's play." Jack ran around the frozen forest.
Elsa had never been so excited to play, Jack was still around. He hadn't abandoned her, at the same time his laugh was infectious. She chased after him through the forest. She couldn't believe how much he had made her feel angry, sad, grateful, and happy. For the first time in forever, she felt happy, she felt free.
She was instantly mystified by the grace and construction of everything. The deer looked like deer, the tree looked like trees, and everything moved on its own. The deer followed her and the rabbits were at her heels. Nothing was scared of her.
It was freeing, her powers had helped create all of it. She leaned down and scratched a bunny behind the ear. It didn't shy away for a second, and it was soft like freshly fallen snow. She petted the deer and it was like packed snow with a layer of snow fluff. The textures and proportions were as perfect as snow could replicate. Jack was a miracle; he could take her cold hate filled ice and turn it into something beautiful. Minutes ago, this had been a place of dark anger and fear, of powerful coursing danger, but now it glowed. Jack had angled the leaves on the trees just right as to catch the sunlight and make the forest radiate.
She saw a dog bouncing around Jack's feet. Jack picked something off the ground and threw it at Elsa. It struck true and more magic snowflakes lit up her eyes.
"Snowball fight!" Jack announced.
Elsa laughed and threw a snowball back. What ensured could only be described as one of the best days of Elsa's life. They had snowball fights, made snowmen, and snow angels. They slid down hills and played with the artificial animals of the forest.
By the end of the day, Jack looked drained and dead tired. All of the creatures rested on the ground as Jack collapsed into the snow, giggling like a child. Elsa fell down into the snow near him also giggling.
Elsa watched the snow animals all fall asleep together when Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I am so exhausted. Who would have thought a snowball fight would be so much fun with another person." He looked over at Elsa. "So much fun, and sledding, that was-"
Elsa just watched him talk, he talked and talked and talked, he really had been alone in the world. Just like her, only she had trapped herself in a glass room and he had spent his life banging on the glass and screaming. It was so sad and yet, she had almost never seen him without a smile on his face. They were the same yet, so very... different. She couldn't help but rethink her first impression of him. He had been alone much longer than she had, she had Anna and her parents, but he had nothing, nobody. Come to think about it, every one she had talked to had never even taken the chance to get to know him. They talk about him like a dangerous 'thing' to be avoided at all costs. When the world found out about her, would they treat her the same way? No, best not think about it now.
She looked into those old sapphire eyes. He was a contradiction. The inside retained so much childish excitement, but the outside, just on the fringes she could see where the long years of loneliness had chipped away some of his humanity. Like a piece of China, he had carefully maintained his center, but not without dropping it a few times including too many close calls. She could see so much strength and so much weakness all at once.
Jack caught Elsa staring. He'd never had anyone stare at him before. Everything with her was so new, and fresh, and exciting. Sure, she was the most uptight person he'd ever seen, but when she let loose... wow. He had no idea how to react to her. How long was he supposed to stare back? Was he supposed to stare back? He had to admit, she had a beautiful smile.
"How long are we supposed to stare for?" Jack whispered.
Elsa was shaken, "I wasn't staring!"
"Then what do you call looking at me for a long time without speaking? I'd call it creepy. I've never had anyone stare at me before."
Elsa's face went bright red. "I-wha-you-N- No I was not staring, you're delusional!" Elsa sat up and folded her arms. "You're such a child! Why do you have to ruin moments, you are the creep!"
"Moment? Oh, like those things people have when they 'like' each other!" Jack said innocently.
Elsa's face went an even brighter shade of red, "No, like the moment I forgot how mad I was at you for being a jerk!"
"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do about it now?" Jack smirked and reclined even more into the snow. A snowball hit him in the face the next moment.
"Old snowman! You're so impossible!"
"At least you are finally learning something." Jack didn't move he just blew the snow out of his mouth. "A day ago that snowball would have never made it to your hand, let alone my face."
As mad as it made her, Jack was right. She had used her powers and had fun today—two things that she had not done in a long time.
"Fine I admit it. You're not a completely awful horrible teacher."
Jack sat up, "Was that a compliment?"
"I never said you weren't an awful horrible person!"
She watched a touch of sadness flicker across his eyes like a shooting star. "It was a compliment!" He said excitedly.
"Don't let it go to your head, Frosty!"
"See, I knew you secretly liked me." He said it more like a wish than a statement. "We will pick up more training after we've both had some rest. I used more juice than I've ever used before when I animated all those animals." Jack lay back down and looked through the trees at the sky.
"So you really made all those animals come to life?"
"Every one of them."
"Are you going to teach me how to do that?"
"Maybe."
"What do you mean, maybe?"
"We will just have to see if you can handle it."
"Oh, I can handle it."
Jack didn't respond he just kept staring at the sky as if he were waiting for something to happen. It was a long time before either of them said anything, but the silence was broken by Jack.
"Elsa," he began. "I've been thinking about it for a while and I'm not quite sure where to start or how to ask. But... you knew who I was, and where to find me. How?"
******
Thanks everyone for 300 reads! Sorry this chapter is short and that it has been so long I'll try and keep putting them out on a regular basis. I hope you keep enjoying the ride.
iycpl.