Love As Cold As Ice (Jack Frost Fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve: Protecting You

I slid on the ice of the mountains, holding out my arms for balance. Jack slid beside me, hands tucked in his pockets, chuckling as I nearly slid and fell backwards. I glared playfully at him. "Shut up. Not everyone is as skilled as you are on the ice."

"I suggest that you keep your eyes forward, Kia." Jack shook his head, "You don't wanna accidentally fall and then injure yourself again. I might not catch you in time. I'm not the fastest person, to be honest."

I gasped. "Did the noble Jack Frost just admit one of his flaws! I thought I'd never see the day!" Jack rolled his eyes and I laughed. "But don't worry. You're always there to catch me when I need you." I barely whispered as I slid along the ice, wondering how far this patch of ice extends. I had gotten dressed in a short sleeved, black hoodie with a matching skirt that reached below my knees. My elbow length fishnet gloves were still on my hands and my ring necklace was tucked beneath my hoodie. My hair was now tied back so that the wind wouldn't whip it in my face and blind me.

"How long do you plan to slide for?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I almost forgot we came here for training." I admitted with a light laugh and Jack shook his head.

"I thought I was in charge of fun, not you." Jack put his feet on the ice and then looked forward, "So... Do you think that after this, you'll be ready for the shadow magic training?"

I stiffened and then looked down at my bare feet, pale against the nearly blue ice. "I have to. No one's going to talk about it, but I know we're going to have to face my dad again one way or another. I need to be ready. I need to have my firm hold so that he won't control me anymore."

"That makes sense." Jack's eyes dimmed, "I don't want to think about this, but we have to. How do you wanna train? Hitting targets so that you can have a little time by yourself with me watching? Or with me in a pretend battle?"

"Uh... I think that I prefer the first option first. But I'll get to the pretend battle part soon." I looked over at Jack, who smiled at me. I love you. He probably thought that I didn't hear him, but I did. I would love to talk to him about it, but... we had more important things to do at the moment.

"You know, when you passed out on the sleigh... Bunny was actually really worried about you." Jack slid his gaze over to me as we continued to slide down the mountain, North's headquarters disappearing from my vision.

"Bunny? Worried about me?" I asked and then snorted. "No, he wasn't. He was worried about throwing up in North's sleigh. He probably just looked at me while he was in terrible stomach agony and you took that as concern."

"No... he was actually worried. Throughout the whole trip back, he kept asking me if you were okay. He cares about you, Kia. Bunny's just not a... rabbit of emotion, I guess." Jack laughed at his own struggle with words and I chuckled, feeling my heart warm. Huh. He cares about me.

"He cares about you, too." I said and Jack nodded.

"I know he cares. We were riding to the tooth palace and I pretended to fall off the sleigh. I was just sitting on the skis. Bunny was panicking. You should've seen his face! It was hilarious when I told him that he cared." Jack used his right hand and pretended that it was free falling. I laughed and then shook my head.

Suddenly, the patch of ice came to a stop and I stepped onto the snow, my bare feet disappearing as soon as I stepped into the deep layer of cold. Jack put his staff to the ground and then made a snowball, tossing it up and down. "Here. Let's try this. I'll throw the ice ball into the air, and you try to lace it down here without crushing it. That should be simple, right?"

"Uh... Sure." I edged out with a sheepish smile.

"Come on. You've got this. I believe in you." Maybe Jack was just saying that to be encouraging, but it sparked something within me. Something that felt warm and nice. He believed in me. He wanted to put his trust in me. I looked up as Jack tossed the ice ball into the air and I closed my eyes, picturing the ice ball soaring through the sky. The power laced through my veins, just begging for a chance of redemption. Don't hurt Jack. I warned myself before letting the shadows free.