Thaw (Jelsa Fanfic)

Afterglow

***Song suggestion for this chapter: 'Crack The Shutters' by Snow Patrol. I own nothing associated.***

Sometimes the biggest milestones of our lives are passed in the quiet reverence of only our own hearts, unmarked by celebration but by no means less sacred. Some moments simply need no embellishment to be branded on our souls for the remainder of our lives.

Such was the case for Jack when his entire existence was changed forever. The world outside was quiet, blanketed in fresh snow and bathed in muted light of the morning sun. The house was quiet, every occupant still tucked safely beneath their covers. No one in the world, it seemed, would ever know of the moment's arrival or of its passage-and there was a certain intimacy in that knowledge that made it perfect. And isn't that how it should be between lovers?

"I've fallen in love with you, Jack." Elsa's voice was barely above a whisper, but it startled him just the same. He hadn't known she had been awake...and what he'd thought he'd heard her say made him question if he'd dozed himself.

He blinked up at the ceiling, scared to draw a breath, scared to move...as if one faulty maneuver would shatter everything. Elsa was still curled against him, her head resting on his chest, and her long blonde hair fanned out around them. He felt her tension as she shifted in that nervous way if hers...and he knew he needed to find his voice before the silence dragged too far.

"I'm...I'm sorry, what? I must have drifted..." He began.

"You don't have to love me back, of course. But with everything that's happening, I thought you should know how I feel. Just...as a precaution. I guess I've loved you a for long time...but I was too young to understand..." Elsa had begun to ramble, as she always did when she was anxious.

Really, Jack only heard the part where she said she loved him. How? How had he gotten so lucky? Why? Why him, when she could have her pick of any man?

His wide gaze tore from the ceiling, focusing on the back of her turned head. "Elsa." He said carefully.

"...yes?" He could feel her tension.

"Will you look at me?" He asked.

She slowly lifted her head, turning so that she could do as he'd asked. Jack let his gaze roam over her, a small and tender grin on his lips. She'd taken to leaving her hair free as of late, and it hung in soft golden waves that framed her pretty face. Her blue eyes were wide and alert, and her bottom lip had been drawn between her teeth as she nibbled it nervously.

She was perfect.

She was his.

Jack reached up, gently rubbing his fingertips over one golden curl. His gaze then met hers, and he smiled. "Say it again."

"W..what?" Elsa looked confused.

"Say it again." He asked softly. "Please."

She took a breath, looking away for a moment as if she were gathering all of her courage. When she focused on him, she looked very young, and very vulnerable. "I love you, Jack." Four words. Four perfect, beautiful words.

A part of him knew that nothing would ever be the same. They had become so much more than two reunited childhood friends. Perhaps that wheel had been in motion from the moment their paths had intersected again, but the events of the night before had confirmed it. Everything had changed...there was no looking back. Not ever again.

And Jack wouldn't have had it any other way.

He let himself fall into her eyes...let himself be absolutely consumed by her. He could not fully comprehend the depth of his luck to have been blessed with the heart of such an amazing woman, but as he gazed upon her, Jack vowed to never forsake her. He would do all he could to do right by Elsa, for as long as she wanted him. "I wanted to see you when you said it, because I want to remember this moment...just like this...forever." Jack finally as he smoothed his palm against her hair. "And I wanted to be looking into those pretty eyes when I told you that I'm in love with you too. I've known it a long time. I was just waiting for you to be ready to hear it."

He could feel the tension escape her as relief flooded her features. "How is it possible that you know be better than I know myself?" She gave him a dazzling smile, the kind that always made his heart stutter and his mind blurr. "It was meant to be this way, wasn't it Jack? We are one of Manny's threads. He wove us together, right from the start."

Jack had his differences with Manny. He was still rather hurt and very much confused over why he'd been left in total isolation for 300 years before meeting Elsa or the Guardians. Manny had never offered an answer, and for that Jack harbored a secret distrust. However, he did realize that no matter how difficult the journey, Manny had had a plan for him, after all. The most important of which was currently nestled naked in his arms, wrapped only in a sheet and the gentle rays of the morning sun.

"It took me so long to find you, Elsa. Before you...I was lost. I hated Manny for not talking to me. For letting me be alone for so long." Jack stroked her bare back in long, gentle caresses. "When I found you...everything made a little more sense. How long I'd been alone didn't matter anymore...because I'd found all I needed in you. And then, I lost that too...when I had to give you up."

Elsa's gaze had grown moist, and Jack gave her a tender smile. "What I'm trying to say...is that I'd do it all again. All the loneliness, all the heartache...I'd do it all, just for that thread. As long as it binds me to you...nothing else matters, Elsa."

She reached up to wipe away a tear that had collected on her lower lashes, the happiness in her eyes like a beacon. "I didn't suffer nearly as long as you, Jack. Being isolated from everyone was its own kind of torture...but you found me, and then it was ok. I had someone. It was devastating when you went away...but I'd do it all again too, just to be like this, right like we are just now." She smiled, and rested her chin on his chest. "I want to stay right here forever."

Jack gave her a devilish look as he flashed his signature smirk. "Well, I did lock the door..."

Elsa chuckled softly, trying to muffle the sound with her hand as not to wake anyone. "Oh, don't be scandalous, Jack Frost."

He raised a brow. "What's the fun in that? I think I've begun to really enjoy scandal." He teased.

Elsa turned a little pink, but her smile was wider than ever. "Oh dear. What have I done?"

"Corrupted my poor, innocent soul, that's what." Jack joked as he pulled her on top of him.

Elsa rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "The word 'innocent' has never described you, Jack." She was straddling his hips in a way that reminded him instantly of their second time together, and his body was beginning to respond accordingly. "Mischievous...rebellious...those terms are better." Elsa suggested. She must have felt his excitement, for then she blinked. "Oh!" Was her surprised exclamation.

"Sorry." Jack said with a wince. He truly could not get enough of her...though he'd known that once he been given a taste of her, he would want her again and again.

"Don't be." Elsa said, a quiet confidence written on her features. She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, using her tongue and lips to tease him into a haze of desire. When she pulled back, he was breathless.

"I'm going to go take a shower." She announced, lifting herself away from him. She kept the sheets wrapped firmly around her as she stood next to the bed, smiling slyly. "And I'm going to forget to lock the door, Jack." She added. She stepped toward the bathroom, then stopped. The sheet suddenly fell to the floor, giving him a clear and arousing view of her backside. She glanced over her shoulder, chuckling impishly before disappearing behind the bathroom door. A second later, he heard the shower start.

And though Jack had never been one to easily pick up on cues, he sure didn't miss the one she had just delivered. He was out of bed quickly, off to join her beneath the spray.