Author's Note: Thank you to bbymojo and Anonymous568 for your suggestions!

Mistake

In my years together with Jack, I only wished for the day I allowed myself to love him with all my heart. Every time I thought I would make some sort of move to be closer to him – to hold his hand, to kiss him – this nagging sickness in my gut stopped me. All because of William. All because of Domitus. All because whenever I thought of the times I let myself love, things ended up in disaster. Countless times, I'd tried to tell myself that I had grown; that I could get passed those things if I tried.

Domitus didn't love me because he was in love with Aelia. William didn't love me because I was immortal. Jack Frost…What was holding Jack Frost back from being mine? We were both immortal, we were both best friends. We had spent eighty-nine years together, and still nothing! Jack had never made any moves in the least: no flirting, no hand-holding, no accidental brushes.

But that's just who Jack Frost is. He's mischievous, he's fun, he's wild and free, and…he's not looking for love. When I realized that, I was really disappointed. I wanted to be with him. I wanted him to love me like I grew to love him. That couldn't happen, though. Not while he still felt like a child on the inside. Jack wouldn't change. I knew that, but I couldn't accept it.

I found that the only person who understood my adoration for him was Toothiana. We could go on about him all day and not get bored of it. She had seen him before (though he hadn't seen her) and she felt just as attracted as I was, though I had the suspicion that she might have been more interested in his teeth than anything.

Surprisingly enough, it turned out to be Bunny and Hallow – the people I cared most about in the entire world – who had an issue with my newfound love. Bunny unfortunately outright disliked him. He said that Jack Frost was a "no-good ruffian" who only liked messing with his egg hunts. It was a silly excuse, but I accepted it and, after a while, kept the swooning to a minimum when around the Pooka.

While Hallow liked Jack as a person, she didn't like how head over heels I was over him. In the beginning, everything seemed fine. She would join me and Jack on our days out like nothing. After a while, though, I noticed that she was becoming bitterer as the years went on. She would only speak when spoken to; she would be subject to snap often. Some days, she was fine, some days she would be cold and unusual. It wasn't like her, and it worried me. I would put it off, though. I would do my best to get her to act normal again and brush it off. It wasn't right for me to do, but I was always too busy trying to get Jack to notice me to remember to talk to her.

Until one year. For decades, I had tried to ignore her mood swings, but the years of her unexpected glares were weighing on me. I went eighty-nine years of my life as I normally did. With my friends, I watched the world grow more and more in a way I had never imagined. In the year 2010, Jack, Hallow, and I went exploring. Automobiles had advanced, technology was expanding every day. Will would have loved to see how different things were. It was the day before and the three of us were celebrating together. We landed in North America and caused a ruckus in town. Hallow and Jack played pranks on people; I mostly watched and laughed. Jack scared the daylights out of us when we were inspecting an automobile. He waited until we were close enough to the front window when he set off an alarm.

It blared loudly, making us jump and scream. Jack was double over laughing in the air. After catching our breath, Hallow and I laughed about it, too. Jack was more knowledgeable about the human world. He interacted with people when he could. No one was able to see him still, but he did the best he could to pretend.

To get him back, Hallow snatched his staff from him and he fell to the floor hard. I gasped and knelt by his side. "Jack, are you okay?" I asked him, helping him sit up.

He rubbed the back of his head in pain before bursting out in laughter. "Talk about payback!" he chuckled. I allowed myself to smile, and then helped him up. Hallow gave him back his staff and started to walk off.

"Come on," she said grinning, "let's go see what else we can do!" Before she could get too far, Jack nudged me gently, smirking. With the tap of his staff on the concrete, ice shot across the floor and under Hallow's feet. She slipped and fell flat on her back!

Jack and I laughed at the prank. But Hallow wasn't so pleased. Just like that, her mood flipped. She stood, steadying herself with her broom, and glared. "That hurt, Jack!" she barked.

Jack's laugh which I cherished died in his throat. Still, he tried to smile. "Ah, c'mon, Hallow, it was a joke," he said. "You made me fall from midair!"

"Yeah, but I knew you wouldn't be hurt that much," she said. "Something worse could have happened by slipping on that ice."

My smile faltered as well as Jack's. The two of us exchanged a glance. "Hallow, he didn't mean to hurt you," I said gently, "it was just a little joke."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't funny," she growled, and then turned and strode off.

We knew that she had to cool down. She wasn't too mad this time, just hurt. Jack rolled his eyes and nodded for me to follow him. It was little things like that that made me worry about Hallow. We would be having so much fun and then she would just get so angry over something so little. She had never hurt Jack before, but I was worried about it escalating.

That's when I decided to confront her after all these years. The next day, I joined her for Halloween – just the two of us – helping her put candy in children's bags and pull off pranks she couldn't do alone. It was the first year in a while that we spent a holiday alone together. I had to admit that I missed being alone with her, but I also missed Jack.

The morning after Halloween was spread to the world, I watched the sunrise in North America with Hallow. We sat on a dry mountaintop with a nice view. We laughed and talked together for hours before the first rays of the sun peered up from the horizon. Then we sat in silence for a few minutes, doing nothing but enjoying the sunrise and one another's company. It was now or never.

"Hallow, we have to talk," I said, exhaling deeply.

She didn't look at me. I had a feeling that she knew what was coming. "OK, shoot," she replied.

I studied her as she pulled her crimson cloak closer to her. I knew what I wanted to say, but I didn't know how to say it gently. "Why is it that you act so strange around Jack Frost?"

She paused. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, "You know what I mean." I brought one leg up to rest my arm on. "You're not you when you're around him."

"Oh, I'm me when I'm around him," she said. "But not when I'm around both of you at the same time."

I furrowed my brow, startled by her bluntness. "What does that mean?"

Hallow chuckled, shaking her head, and then looked at me. "You really have no idea how much you've changed, do you," she scoffed. The sadness in her orange eyes nearly killed me. "Ever since you met him, you've been so different. It's always Jack Frost this, or Jack Frost that. He's all you ever talk about a-and you act like you don't have enough time for us anymore," she blurted out. "Us. Your real friends. The friends that have been with you nearly all your life."

Eyes wide, I could do nothing but stare at her. I had never noticed that before. I never saw myself as different. I thought it was everyone else who was acting weird about Jack. "Hallow…I-I'm sorry, I didn't…" I swallowed hard, searching for words. "I'm in love with him." I shrugged meekly.

"Yeah, well this love thing is really changing you," she snapped. "I want my best friend back."

"Hallow, you don't understand," I said. "I can't just change the way I feel about him."

Suddenly she stood, clenching her fists. "Then tell him how you feel already! It's not that hard!" she exclaimed.

I stood as well. I didn't want to argue, but it was already at that point and there was no stopping Hallow when she got angry. "Yes it is that hard, Hallow!" I exclaimed desperately. "You don't understand what it's like to love; you've never been in love."

"Oh, this is because of what happened with Will, isn't it?" she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly things got serious. Just the mention of his name set me off. But I kept calm. "Don't say that," I said quietly.

"No, you need to hear it," Hallow barked. "You have to let go of the past, Cupid. What happened with Will is over. You can't let what happened to him affect you like this after all these years."

I crossed my arms, turning away. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I lied. I just didn't want to hear it out loud.

Hallow grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face her. "You're afraid, Cupid. You're afraid that Jack doesn't love you, or that what happened to Will is going to happen with him." Her eyes widened and for the first time, I could tell that her sadness wasn't sadness. It was worry. "You can't keep living your life in fear, Cupid. Just get with Jack already and bring me my friend back!"

I slapped her hands away, backing up. "You're wrong, Hallow. I'm not afraid of anything!" I snapped.

"That's not what Pitch says."

My eyes widened and I froze. Pitch Black? How would she know anything about Pitch? The Guardians locked him away centuries ago! Breathless, I eyed the spirit girl. "What are you talking about?" I asked quietly.

Growling, Hallow shook her head, turning away and picking up her broom. "Forget it," she muttered. "You really have changed for the worst."

"Hallow, let's drop that already," I warned. "What do you mean Pitch Black?"

"Just forget it!" she shouted, startling me. For a while, neither of us knew what to say. I was in shock and she was hurt. Finally, she shook her head, hopped on her broomstick, and flew away.

I couldn't find my voice to call her back. How would she speak to Pitch? He was supposed to be locked away. Was it…was it possible that he was free? If so, for how long? And why in the world would Hallow be anywhere near him? I had told her about him before, warned her of his ways. But I never really believed he would be back to haunt the world once more. It was then that I really began to fear what was happening around me. What was happening to my friend. What was happening to me.

…

In January of 2011, things hadn't gotten better. Hallow and I hadn't spoken. I was still in love with Jack Frost. And I was too scared to talk to the Guardians about the theory of Pitch Black's return. I didn't need them running on a wild goose chase. And thus far, Pitch hadn't tried anything to harm the children of the world or me or the Guardians. The most he could have been doing – to my knowledge – was doing his job, which was bringing nightmares.

That wasn't too awful. It was life. There had to be a balance between Sandy's dreams and Pitch's nightmares. There was nothing we could do against that. So I kept quiet. I gave Hallow her space, though all I wanted to do was make things right and find out more about her interactions with Pitch.

I figured that I had to be the one to take the first step. I had to stop ogling over Jack Frost and make my fantasy a reality. Only then would I be able to get used to him. I would accept him and he would accept me. But how could I make that happen?

The month before, I sat down with Jack and had a heart-to-heart with him. Somewhat. We walked together under Manny's light as he brought snow to the city. He kept one hand in the pocket of his new indigo sweater and the other holding the staff that rested on his shoulder. I folded my hands behind my back, admiring his work.

Here I'd dared to ask him if he had ever been in love before. The white-haired boy blinked at the question and thought about it. "No, not that I know of," he said honestly.

I felt a pang in my heart, but I couldn't let it show. "Really?" I asked. "You've been around for almost three hundred years, Jack. Not one person has made your heart flutter or make you feel happy whenever you see them or…even make you think that you don't just want to be friends?"

After another moment of thinking, Jack's beautiful blue eyes studied me. Blush filled his cheeks and he smiled softly. "Well, if you want to know," he started. I almost couldn't breathe. Could it have been this simple all along? "It makes me happy whenever I see you."

I blushed darkly and stopped walking. Jack faced me. "You-you mean it, Jack?" I asked incredulously.

He tilted his head curiously. "Well, yeah, of course," he said. "You're my best friend, Cupid. You've always been there for me when no one else was. But…" My heart stopped and my face paled. I knew where this was going. I wasn't sure if I could take it. Jack approached me and touched my shoulder. His cold hand on my bare shoulder sent chills through me.

"I don't want you to take it the wrong way, Cupid," he said softly, looking up at me. "But you are my best friend. I just don't know how to feel about you."

I fought back tears. This wasn't what I wanted to hear. I wanted him to take me in his arms and tell me how he's loved me all along as I've loved him. Swallowing hard, I touched his pale cheek. "Jack, I…I understand. I just…" What could I say to make this better? What was there to say?

Unable and unwilling to fight the desire, I leaned closer to him. If I could just feel his cold lips on mine, everything would be all right. Jack's cheek warmed on my palm before he stepped back. His eyes were wide; he wore an expression of ambiguity and guilt. Neither of us said a word for a long while.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. After a moment's hesitation, Jack Frost flew away, leaving my broken heart behind in the snow.

…

In retrospect, it wasn't such a smart idea. I don't know what happened to me since I met Jack Frost, but Hallow was right: I was different. After our almost-kiss, I avoided Jack Frost for a while. I needed time to myself to think. Think about what I was going to do now that I knew that he wouldn't be mine.

He didn't feel the same way about me and it nearly drove me mad. Never in my life before had I ever needed to be with someone. After a thousand years, I was lonely. No two ways about it. I was the spirit of love! I shouldn't be without a love in my life. And Jack Frost was the only one I wanted to fill that position in my heart. But he wasn't ready for that commitment.

I couldn't accept that. I had been trying to tell myself to be stronger, to always take matters in my own hands. But when I came up with that wicked idea, I nearly shocked myself. I wasn't sure if it would work, but damn it, it was worth the try.

One winter day, I found Jack Frost in Burgess, Virginia – his home. Of course he was playing with his favorite group of kids. They were sledding and building snowmen or making snow angels when I found them. Jack joined in the fun by making the snow extra slippery so they would slide faster and further. I landed on a telephone pole, close enough to see them, but far enough to not catch their eye.

I watched Jack as he nimbly jumped about, producing more snow for their snowmen. He was perfect in every way to me. His perseverance to be seen only fascinated me more. He didn't care if they couldn't see him or not; he just wanted to be near them in some way.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus on what I came to do. Standing straight and tall on the pole, I conjured my bow to appear in one hand as I unsheathed an arrow from its quiver. With the heart-tipped weapon strung strong, I took aim at the target: Jack Frost. He jumped out of the way of the children's sled just before it crashed into a tree. They all fell off, laughing, and Jack joined into the laughing, too. That moment of stillness was all I needed to make the perfect shot.

The arrow poised and ready to fly, I…I…

I released my breath and lowered the weapon, hanging my head in shame. What am I doing? I thought wearily. This isn't right.

I buried my face in my hand, shaking my head at myself. I was letting my love for him take over me. This wasn't me! This was wrong and cruel! I wanted Jack Frost to love me, but I also wanted him to figure it out on his own time. I was willing to wait a thousand years for this boy. Why not? I had already waited this long for him to come into my life.

"Lovey? You okay?"

Screaming out in surprise, I jumped back, nearly losing my footing. I would have fallen had Jack Frost not grabbed my wrist and steadied me on the pole. He stood on the wires without even trying, his feet frosting the thick black lines.

Laughing at my clumsiness, he cautiously let me go to stand on my own two feet. "What are you doing here, Cupid? I've missed you. I was scared you were mad at me." My heart gave a twinge guiltily. When he noticed the bow and arrow in my hand, he tilted his head. "Are you making one of the kids fall in love?" he asked. "It's not even Valentine's Day. Why are you…?"

He trailed off as realization set in. And that wasn't good on my part. "Jack, it's not what you think-" I tried, raising my hands defensively.

"Were you…were you going to hit me with that?" he asked, pointing to the arrow in my hand.

"N-no!" I lied, something I wasn't good at. "Of course not. I…I was just…"

"Cupid." When I finally met his eyes, I found disbelief and hurt. "Was that arrow meant for me?"

I swallowed hard, unable to lie to his face, but also unable to come out with the truth. Why I was there, what I almost did.

Jack shook his head. "That's low, Cupid," he said quietly. "You shouldn't try to force yourself on me. I thought you said you understood."

Without letting me get an explanation or a plea in, the white-haired boy took off into the sky and flew as far away from me as possible. I couldn't feel my feet. I gently glided down to the floor and kneeled in the snow. I was terrified. What if I lost Jack Frost forever?

Author's Note: While I don't particularly like the way this chapter came out, I hope you guys do. The plot must move on and I needed to hurry up and get a new chapter out. I apologize for the wait and hope you stick around for the next chapters!