WINTER'S HEART

Souls_&_Swords: My first cross-over everyone! I really love this couple, so I thought I'd go ahead and get my desire to start this story over with =) don't worry, I'll keep up with the other ones as well! Leave your feedback and say hi if you wish! ^_^ Haha. The cover photo was made by me! Check out the full image on my deviantart; SoulsandSwords!

An eight year old boy peered over the crib at a newborn baby girl, "Dad, why can't I hold my sister?"

"Because you might hurt her." An older, gray-haired gargantuan said to him. The child's feet were clinging onto the rim of the crib, so desperate to see her face.

"I'll be careful, I promise!" the brown haired and brown eyed boy begged, hopping off of the crib and gazing straight into his father's eyes. The older man could see his son's desperation, but he couldn't take any risks—he had to numb the guilt from causing the boy's pain.

"Jackson, you know you're still too young… once you learn to control yourself, you can play with your sister all you want." He ruffled his hair, Jack however continued to grimace and he turned away.

"You say that all the time," he sauntered to the small window, watching the children enviously interact in their individual groups, "you and momma still don't even let me go outside."

"I never said it would be easy." Jack's father joined him, wishing his child could be one of them as well, "But you need to be patient. Keep learning to conceal it, and then you can be as free as you want." The pouty child crossed his arms on the windowsill.

"But if I'm concealing it, I'm not free." His father grabbed his chin and turned his head towards him.

"Jack… they just won't understand. They'll fear you." Blinking and mustering an even more heart-broken expression, Jack showed that he was listening, "Our village doesn't accept things they don't understand." He tried to comfort his son, give him warmth and reassurance that he'd just have to wait a little longer, but the solemn child grabbed his hand.

"You don't understand it. How come you and momma accept me then?"

"Because we love you."

…

Jackson Overland never forgot those words—despite he was content within his own home, he still longed to roam the outside world. It was 1823 when he was born in a small Norwegian village in Oslo; he belonged to Emily and Nicholas Overland, an ordinary couple in an even more ordinary place. Their son Jack was their blessing—they loved him more than anything. He never showed to be different than any other newborn; he was just as outgoing and giggly as the next infant boy. They'd never forget what an adorable baby he was, not that he wasn't growing into a handsome young man, but he was like a hand-drawn, perfect newborn, with little round cheeks and fair skin.

It was but one night during the winter that Emily woke up to her wailing infant that she saw dustings of ice and snow sweeping from outside the crib and onto the walls. No windows were open, but by the looks of it, it appeared that Jack had created the snow himself; he was lying in the frost, not covered in it. No one had a word for what it was, no books were written on such a power or curse. They couldn't explain why it happened to them, why their boy? There had been a lunar eclipse during Emily's pregnancy, but that wouldn't explain the strange origin of his… gift. Would it?

"Momma, can I go outside and play?" the five year old watched giddily at the other children playing hop-scotch. He bounced delightedly, waiting for her answer. Emily's grip on her book tightened; what was she supposed to say? She couldn't tell an innocent child a harsh NO when he hadn't done anything to deserve punishment. She didn't turn to him, Emily knew that if she saw the smile she was about to erase, the excitement and joy that was about to vanish, she'd lose her strength. She closed the book and inhaled.

"…No." she mumbled. It was so soft that she hoped he hadn't heard it, but unfortunately, his hops ceased and he held his mouth agape.

"Why not?" oh god, she hated that question. He was sweet and enjoyable at home; it was a shame that the other children couldn't get to enjoy his company as well. She fluffed her short brown hair in an attempt to calm her nerves, keep herself from going hysterical at rejecting her poor son. She knew it wasn't fair.

"You know why, Jack." She gritted through her teeth; sure he knew,but he didn't understand. Saddened, the child peaked through the window one more time, the kids were having so much fun, laughing and jumping with each other.

"But momma," he approached her, ready to negotiate, "I promise I'll be careful." He laid his head on her lap, "Really." His high-pitched innocence tore guilt in her heart. Nicholas was better at this, but he was out logging with the other men, getting logs for fire for the upcoming winter. She sighed and stroked his soft hair.

"I know you'd be careful Jack, but you could have an accident and hurt somebody." Shocked by such a statement, his head jerked up and he looked straight into her eyes, "And you don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No!" he shook his head frantically, "I won't hurt anyone though, I-!"

"Jack…" she held his face gently, easing his distress, "One day things will change… just not today." His disappointed eyes scanned the room.

"So… tomorrow?"

Touched and pained by his innocence, Emily sighed and grinned. When he was finally settled into bed and said goodnight to his mother and father, they lied restless in their bed, "What are we going to do? He just wants to have fun with the other kids."

"Em, you know that's a risk we just can't take." He lied flat on his back, staring into the ceiling, Emily rested on her side with her arm propping her up. She couldn't stop thinking about Jack's heart-broken face.

"But he's so lonely; it's not normal for a child to be isolated from other kids like this."

"It's normal when your son can make it snow in the middle of summer!"

"Shh!" she sat up, used to putting up with Nicholas' temper, despite he was trying to be protective, "Yes, we know… and he knows too."

"But how do we make him understand?" he joined her in an upright position, he was more angry for his son than at him, "We can't tell a child that his powers will cost us our home."

"He just wants somebody to play with…" despite his parents were his occasional playmates, they weren't enough, he needed someone he could bond with, someone hisage that is. They intellectually knew what he needed, a sibling. But they weren't ready emotionally… what if it had powers too? And what about Jack? He wouldn't be able to play with it anyway, at least until he learned to maintain caution. The couple decided to wait until he was old enough to understand. Eight, they decided, was their best bet. By the time their second child was old enough to actually play, Jack would be capable enough to control his gift. They'd planned it all out so it was tragedy-proof.

Despite the first year or two of look-and-don't-touch for Jack and his sister, Sophie, was hard… he finally found his inner peace. When he was with Sophie, nothing could go wrong he thought, it was unconditional love. They looked just alike, she had straight brown hair that soon ran down her back and large amber eyes. Every morning when Jack left his room, Sophie rushed towards him to embrace him.

"You're my friend, Jack!" she'd squeal as a toddler, "I love you." She smushed her face into his chest. He was strong enough to lift her slightly. He smiled, remembering his father's words.

"I love you too."

Despite this, he always felt jealousy and bitterness towards her at times. Unlike him, Sophie was free to run outside and play, while he made up excuses about 'working with their dad' that he couldn't join her. Sometimes he found himself gritting his teeth at how lucky she was, not born a freak like him. At age fourteen, however, he learned to be happy for his sister, a long process of becoming content and letting go of his temporary resentment.

"Jack!" A six year old's excited, yet drowsy whisper stung his ear, "Jack!" he felt weight drop on his back as Sophie bounced, "Wake up, wake up!"

He groaned sleepily, he didn't even blink his eyes, "Shh…" he turned over, "What is it?" he wiped the pounds of sleep dust from the corners of his eyes. How was Sophie so excited in the middle of the night?

"The moon looks so big tonight!" she jumped off the bed and tugged at his hand, "Let's go outside and see it!" Jack's heart fluttered and he jerked up.

"Outside? No, no, no." He chuckled, trying to seem casual, "It's late." He went to lay back down, "And plus, it's winter, you'll get sick."

"Hm…" Sophie sighed sadly. Jack, feeling accomplished, closed his eyes. Reasoning with a six year old wasn't too hard… or was it? He heard a voice in front of him, and strikingly close to his face, "Psst!"

He opened his eyes and grinned, "Can I help you?" He whispered, tickled by her persistence. She slid back off of his bed and held her hands together.

"Please?" She begged silently, her smile was too enthusiastic to resist. Jack sat upright, unsure about this decision. He knew she'd pester him all night if he didn't give in, but he could get noticed if an 'accident' were to happen. But he loved his sister, and this would be a small task of love… so nothing could go wrong, right? He smiled and raised a brow, giving Sophie hope.

"You promise not to tell mom?" He whispered jokingly. Sophie's wide smile said it all. Before leaving, he dressed her in her favorite dress followed by a warm pair of boots and gloves. Jack wore a white v-neck and long-sleeved undershirt with a brown vest and brown trousers. He quickly grabbed a brown poncho to cover himself from the cold and some boots.

"Come on, come on!" She dragged him by the hand as he tried to keep her quiet. She jumped and pushed the door open, but before he could follow his jovial sister outside, he stopped and widened his eyes. This was wrong… the village was so serene and quiet, that was because no one knew his secret, not even Sophie. He'd kept it hidden from her, he'd spent days locked in his room when he couldn't control it sometimes… but that was if he was feeling scared or sick. Jack froze in place and hesitated, unlike Sophie who'd dashed far ahead of him. She pointed to the sky, "Jack, look! Look!" she pointed at the large moon, its effulgent light limned the night sky. He gazed at the grey and white being, it hypnotized him… it told him not to be afraid, at least it made him not want to be afraid anymore. He snapped out of his thoughts when Sophie grabbed at his hand, "It's so pretty!" He looked up once more, it seemed so far away.

He smirked and for once, felt playful with his younger sister, "Why don't we get a closer look?" The two both liked that idea, and Jack carefully led her out into the wooded area, where it was more isolated. The trees weren't blocking it, instead they framed the moon.

"Whoa!" Sophie pointed up, Jack wasn't looking at the moon, but everything around him. He felt himself letting it go, finally relieved that it was just him, him and someone he loved that is, his powers couldn't hurt anyone.

Then he heard his sister's laughter. That's right… he was a threat to his sister too, but not if they loved each other… right? God it was so overwhelming, so confusing.

"Jack, look!" he heard the sound of crackling, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sophie put her foot onto a frozen over pond. It was thin and about to break.

"Sophie!" He shouted, "No, no, no!" He was frightened from the sudden change of atmosphere. What was he doing? He shouldn't be out there… especially with his sister. How could he have been so selfish? Just wanting to see the outside and endangering his sister. She lightly retracted her step as it crackled.

"It's not frozen underneath, Jack!"

"I know!" He rushed behind her and grabbed her by her torso, "But if you fall in that could kill you!" he ranted, worried. The six year old squirmed to get out of his grip.

"Aw, I just wanna play…" That hit home for him. All of his childhood he'd just wanted to play, the ice and snow especially appealed to him. Who was he to endanger his sister… but who was he to take away her fun?

Once… just once. It wouldn't hurt anyone. They were all asleep. No harm would be done. Gently releasing her and shutting his eyes, he decided it was time to let it go. Smiling he turned Sophie towards him, "Wanna see a magic trick?" Blinking her large brown eyes, she smiled and gasped. That was a yes indeed. Smirking, Jack rubbed his fingers, Sophie giggled… just then, snowflakes bursted in a flurry from his hands as he twirled them. Sophie was awestruck, dumbfounded. She never imagined that her brother had such a talent, Jack twirled and waved his hands some more as he summoned his ice powers. Looking at Sophie for approval so that she was ready, he filled the woodlands with mounds of fluffy snow, turning it into Sophie's own playground.

"THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" She shouted so loudly it echoed into the night, back into the village. No one was surprised that it was icy or frosty, but people would be a tad shocked when they stepped outside and saw it snowing in a single area. Jack watched her run around to catch the snowflakes with her tongue, she collapsed in the pile to make a snow angel. He laughed, at last he knew what joy his powers could bring. She jerked upright, throwing the frost everywhere; he'd have to dust her off before they returned home, "Do it again Jack! More!" she ran towards him.

"Alright!" He waved his hands some more, his sister copied his movements in complete amazement, he created a swooping ice slide. He helped her get to the top and watched as she zoomed down the icy curve. She flew off and landed in a soft, fluffy mound of snow Jack had quickly created, "Careful!" he called with a chuckle. Unbeknownst to the two, a few parents had heard the shouts and left their homes to investigate who could be up so late. A few people had left their houses, all adults, some of the kids were awake from the sounds of their parents and joined them.

"What on earth?" A woman watched a single cloud raining snow hovered above the wooded area near by.

"Is that snow?"

"Yes, but it's never done that before."

Nicholas crept out of bed as not to wake the kids and peered out of the window; indeed there was a flurry of snow raining down on the woods, but how could… oh no. He woke Emily and demanded they quickly check the children's beds. Emily was hopping about on the frozen river, it crackled underneath her feet, "Freeze it, Jack!" he bursted ice under her feet to keep her steady, she playfully tried to skate along his icy path, "Again!"

"Wait!" He tried to keep up with her, but each time she jumped, the ice became weaker and weaker, and he was going far too fast for him to keep up, "Sophie, you're going too fast!" he tried to shout, but she was fearless, sliding and hopping on his frosty path. He heard the ice about to give way, and before he could create her own platform, he missed and instead, cracked through the ice. He heard Sophie gasp and fall in. He heard the fearful cry of his name as he, without hesitation, jumped in after her.

"Where are Sophie and Jack?" Emily asked one of the villagers.

"I don't know, I haven't seen them, but look at that, that is bizarre!"

"What is it doing now?" Someone yelled, they looked up to see the serene flurry becoming a hail storm as they heard brontide. Jack had emerged with his sister from the pond, Jack was unaffected, but Sophie was shivering and holding herself—she was in pain. Jack cradled her tightly.

"It's okay!" He reassured frantically, he saw her blue lips and the frost in her hair, "You're okay Sophie." He was had collywobbles as he shook from the fear he'd done. Ice cracked below him, it was spreading all throughout the woods. Alarmed, he hefted his ill sister and watched as the wind rose and weather began to whip around above him. He could tell she was in paresthesia. He rushed her back to the village, not expecting to see men, women, and children all awake. To make it worse, Jack saw his own parents before him.

"Jack!" Emily caterwauled as she grabbed Sophie, "What have you done?!"

"It was an accident!" The fourteen year old welted up, "I didn't mean for this to happen!" Nicholas stroked Sophie's hair and nudged Emily towards the house.

"Jack, this is why you should never leave the house!" He stood over the young man, now enraged, guilty, and puzzled.

"I couldn't take it anymore! I just wanted to let my sister have fun!"

"And that's your excuse? You're coming back inside!"

"Dad, no! I can't live like this anymore." He begged. The adults, slightly intrigued by the argument, stayed, their children clung to their sides. Emily, tightly cradling her daughter watched somberly through the window, she'd wrapped the poor girl in a blanket, "Just please listen!"

"Jack! You can't just…" He sighed, shutting his eyes and nearly giving in he turned away, "Do whatever you want, but stay away from Sophie." Emily gasped from inside the house as her Sophie regained full consciousness and saw her brother outside. Once Nicholas saw the pain and hurt on his son's face, he turned to flee back inside their home.

"No!" He shouted, "She's my family, you said people who love me will accept me!"

"Enough, Jackson!"

"What is it, are you saying one accident and you don't love me anymore? Just say it then!" he felt growing fury.

Nicholas opened the door, "Just come inside-"

"No, you never tried to help me, you never loved me!" he swung his hand to the right and one sweep of his open palm caused the exterior of a neighbor's home to ice over. A loud gasp from the small crowd roared in his ears. The children began to shout and scream as the adults panicked.

"What is that?!" Jack, frightened, took a step back to try and explain, but one step caused a trail of ice to rush towards a water well and coat it with ice. The children began to scream.

"He's not human!" A child wailed. Jack began to ventilate heavily and he looked at his pale, frosted hand. A swirl of cold air swept across the village as Jack fled back towards the woods, leaving ice and snow in his wake.

"No! Jack!" Sophie shouted, fighting her way out of her mother's arms. Her parents tried their hardest to grab her, but she'd suddenly regained her strength despite still shivering. She followed his icy trail. Jack heard a familiar voice cry for him as he looked over his shoulder. He took one step back into the lake. His boot touched the lapsing waves and caused them to freeze. He took another step as a sheet of ice bloomed under his foot, "Jack!" He turned back… he saw the desperate look on his sister. Sophie had deep despair in her eyes, she was still holding herself, still shivering… it was his fault. Giving one last pained look, the fourteen year old sprinted across the pond. Jack moved at full speed, rushing towards the mountains far ahead of the village. Sophie went to rush after him, but Emily grabbed her, slipping on the ice. She cried out Jack's name over and over as the mother tried not to cry herself.

Nicholas watched as his son was already too far ahead to catch… not before he caught Jack's final look back at his family. Still, he fled. With a heavy heart of regret and depression, Nicholas felt his knees crumple as he fell to them.

…

The young man trudged up the steep mountains, far away from his home. The life he knew was over, he gazed back at his tiny village down below… no one would ever accept him again… no one would love him. Yet a tiny part felt relieved that his family was safe from him, especially Sophie. As he continued up, he grew more tired as his steps slowly got heavier. He could never go back, but he could never live with anyone else ever again either… he was meant to live alone. He knew that he couldn't live on as Jack Overland, the monster… using the ice that encased his heart, he conjured a new appearance; he became more ghostly pale, he frosted his hair to pure white as he eyes went from fawn, to a striking blue. The moon would be his only companion as he watched the white, pale being observe his transformation. He didn't know where he'd live for now, but the cold was nothing to him.

He gave himself a new name so he would hopefully forget who he was. He was Jack Frost.

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