Jack Frost: The Last Fairytale (Jelsa)

When loss turns to love...

That was only the beginning of his troubles. Only a week later, while his new tattoo was healing, he found Jaq on the roof of the school.

He caught Jaq starring into the distance.

"Never thought I'd be the one to find you up here Jaq." Cole sat down next to his friend and stared in the same direction.

Sirens blazed through the streets towards a familiar neighborhood in the distance.

Jaq's eyes followed the flashing lights and when Cole's phone buzzed with a text from Zie, Cole's intuition told him more than Jaq ever would.

"Damn, you too?" Cole asked.

Jaq turned to face him, the burn mark on the hidden side of his face was revealed and healed like it was only an illusion.

Jaq was Gone.

"Why does this keep happening?" Cole asked passively frustrated at whatever force kept stealing people from him. He knew that Jaq would never speak again, the spirits didn't talk to mortals with words.

Jaq shrugged but smiled. It was a comforting smile. But Cole's heart still hurt. He looked at the bandage on his wrist. It still had the white cottony gauze on it with tape around the edges.

Cole tore away the corner, to reveal the snowflake he had tattooed on his wrist in memory of Gus.

"I made a promise, to live, with this as my contract." He looked at Jaq, "How can I, when everyone is dying around me?"

Jaq crossed his arms and then tapped his chin with a finger showing that he was thinking. Then his eyes lit up. He pointed at his own wrist enthusiastically and then at Cole's bare one. Then on his own wrist, he drew rough snowflake.

"You want me to get a tattoo for you too?"

Jaq nodded.

Cole sniffled. "Done."

Jaq locked his pinkies together.

"With a promise?" Cole asked.

Jaq nodded and then started miming and nodded every time Cole got it right.

"Promise... to you... that I will be strength- strong... for me... you... Gus... and..."

Jaq pointed to the door of the roof just as Zie came bursting through with her phone in her hand.

"...Zie." Cole breathed. Zie dropped her phone, her eyes were red and dripping with tears.

She ran to Cole and collapsed in his arms. "It's Jaq... he's..." she blubbered.

"I know." Cole whispered and Zie erupted in to sobs.

Cole looked to where Jaq had been but he was gone now.

"I promise Jaq, I will get stronger. No matter what." Cole let his own tears fall as he squeezed Zie in a tighter embrace.

There was nothing left to do now but mourn. Jaq and Gus were gone. His business was with the living and more specifically to be a comfort for Zie.

They were alone in their grief. For two hours, they sat on that roof completely hidden from the world.

"It's too much you know." Zie said wiping a tear.

"What is too much?" Cole asked. Her tone had a curious finality to it.

"Life," she said turning over his wrist, the tattoo on his wrist was vibrant but it didn't hide the scars. "I'd never seen these until you got this tattoo. And I wondered, life has so many wonders why would you want to leave? I think I finally understand, now that I am considering leaving it myself. Life is also full of grief."

"Zie-"

"I'd been so blind for so long, I knew life was hard for you. I knew losing your family was hard but I didn't understand until now. Gus and Jaq, they are gone and they aren't coming back. Your family is gone and they aren't coming back. It's so painful to lose someone and I've been so ignorant and selfish to your pain. And here it is written in scars and ink."

Cole didn't respond, she finally saw his shame, the pitiful attempt he'd made at taking his own life. At dulling pain with more pain. He couldn't tell her the truth, how do you explain to someone that is happy all the time, what it is like to feel the pit of despair, to live there?

"If I jumped from this roof would you jump with me?" Zie curled into Cole and wrapped herself around one of his arms.

"Zie that's not-"

"The answer? I know. But I could never do it alone, I'd need help. You are so strong Cole you've always been so strong. How do you do it?"

"I don't know. I don't feel strong."

"You are, and it seems a silly thing to admit now, but I've always loved you for it. If I lost you..." She blubbered and clutched his arm tighter in a fresh fit of sobs. "...I don't know what I'd do, how could I live without you?"

"Love?"

Zie could only nod as she buried her face deeper into his sleeve with sobs.

Cole wrapped his arms around her. The revelation sent him reeling. And he knew there was only one thing to do. "I love you too, Zie. You're my favorite person, and my best friend."

"Really? But I'm a terrible person, I didn't know. I know now but... and now here I am talking about killing myself and... oh God why don't you hate me Cole? I am like the worst person ever!"

"It's easy."

"God damn it Cole!" She tore herself from his embrace and stared at him in the eyes with a self-loathing fury. "How can it be easy?" She demanded.

"Because I love you." He shrugged. A feeling a confidence he'd never known overwhelmed him. He did. It was easy to admit now, that he'd stayed behind at the god-forsaken school for her. Whenever he was feeling down, she always managed to drag him from the pit in one way or another. Everything led back to her and now that he could see it, now that she was right in his face, right under his nose... he kissed it.

With one light kiss on her nose

All her Fury vanished.

Her anger turned to shock.

Her eyes blinked wide and full with surprise.

Her snarl turned into a slackened jaw.

Her rising temper coursed into a flowering blush, and then... she dropped.

Just. Like. That. She was out cold.

He'd kissed her nose and she had fainted.

"Um... Zie?"