Back in Black (sequel to Ice Cold)

Chapter Seven

Tears streaked Elsa's face as she gazed at Jack.

"Elsa?" Jack asked gently. Slowly, he made his way over to where she sat, and bent down on his knees. "Elsa..." he said again, this time barely a whisper. His hand lifted and he wiped the tears off her face.

"Anna... she's..." Elsa closed her eyes and another tear fell. Jack put his arm around her.

"It's okay, Elsa."

Elsa shook her head. "It's not okay. She's... she's... gone. And she had to live the rest of her life thinking I was. Why aren't I dead?" Jack shrugged.

"The moon had other plans for you, I guess. Just like he had other plans for me. We died similarly, you and I. Both trying to save the ones we love." Elsa reopened her eyes to look at Jack. He gave her a smile.

"It'll be okay, Elsa." Elsa gave Jack a quick smile back, but then it faded as she saw the wound on Jack's shoulder. She gasped.

"Did I do this to you?" she asked in horror.

"No... I mean yes you did, but its fine. It's only a small scratch," Jack tried to convince her. Elsa looked down at her hands in disgust. She pulled herself away from JAck.

"Of course it's not fine! You have to stay away from me, Jack. I'm a danger to everyone. Please, just stay away."

"No. We have to get you back to the pole. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Before Elsa could protest, she was swept away in Jack's arms. By the time Jack made it back to the pole, his strength was dwindling. He found it harder and harder to fly, to carry Elsa, to keep his eyes opened. He felt tired. As he made it into the main room where North and the others stood discussing, he collapsed. North rushed to his side, the others following.

"What happened?" Tooth exclaimed. Elsa pulled herself from under Jack's body.

"He... is wounded. His shoulder. You have to help him." she said quietly.

North knelt next to Jack, inspecting his shoulder. "The cut is shallow, but seems to have cut through some muscle tissue and has bled quite a bit." He grasped Jack's hoodie and pulled it off over his head, revealing his pale torso, so North could get a better look at the cut.

"Sandy, Tooth, stay here with the girl. Bunny, come with me. We need to fix Jack," North ordered, grabbing Jack's pale body in his large arms. Elsa felt as if ice had pierced her own heart. Guilt slowly began to consume her.

Elsa picked up Jack's frost covered hoodie and grasped it in her hands. She'd hurt everyone she'd loved... she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Tooth's friendly face staring down at her.

Tooth looked back at Sandy, who had the shape of a snowflake above his head and was pointing at Elsa. "You're Elsa, aren't you?" Tooth asked. Elsa slowly nodded. The fairy smiled warmly. There was another gap of silence until Tooth said, "He cares for you a lot, you know."

"I know..." Elsa hesitated. "And that's why I have to leave. Before he wakes up."

"No, that's why you have to stay, at least until he wakes up."

"No. I did that to him. I'm the reason he's hurt. I'm the reason so many people were hurt. I thought had fixed that, but it's spiralling out of control again, as if I've forgotten how to control it at all."

"It's not your fault. We can help you control it again. You're special. And I think we'll need you."

"Special?" Elsa scoffed. "I'm not special. I'm a monster."

"Jack doesn't seem to think so. Jack loves you, Elsa. You'd hurt him more by leaving than you would by staying." Elsa stayed quiet. Tooth observed her with interest.

"You're different," she said after a while.

"What?"

"You're different from the rest of us. I mean, we've all died in the past, but you, you're different. We all were sort of revived. Brought back as sort of mythical creatures. Not human any more. But you seem to be reincarnated. You were living a whole new life before Pitch found you. Nothing but a small nagging in the back of your mind that you were anything but the life you are in now. Fake memories were implanted into your mind. A different childhood, a different life. Of course with holes; there were fuzzy memories or things you couldn't explain. But compared to the way we are, you were normal. You could be seen even if no one 'believed' in you. You're still human, still eating and sleeping. Strange. I wonder what the moon had planned for you..." Elsa pondered her words. What did the moon have planned for her? Maybe there was a reason she had been brought back.

"Oh, and there's one other reason why you can't leave that I forgot to mention before," Tooth said. Elsa raised an eyebrow with a questioning look.

"The moon nominated you to be a guardian."