a/n: each chapter has two songs that I was partly inspired by while writing them. I planned out each chapter's songs but I won't post the full list until the end of the story. If you want to you can listen to these two songs: "Colorblind" by Counting Crows and "In This Shirt" by The Irrepressibles

Elsa swayed to the music, daydreaming about others who were like her. She always thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye, peeping like a Tom cat around the corner, sending whispers of snow and cold flying by in the night...She felt lost not knowing if it was real or just an embodiment of her desire to have someone like her to talk to. Growing up, she thought that, on top of the ice powers and isolation, she had an imaginary friend named Jack. But endless conversations and fights with her father showed her the truth: that she was damaged and no amount of imagination could create another creature like her. Sometimes she dreamed of his white hair and blue eyes, his ageless aura and the pure fact that he made her feel human.

A light touch to her shoulder interrupted her reminiscing. She turned only to see her brother-in-law, "Kristoff, is everything alright?"

"Actually," his smile faded and a more serious expression appeared on his face. "Everyone left half an hour ago and it's pretty cold. I think it's time to end the winter wonderland for tonight, Elsa. Anna gets sick more easily now and I don't want you to cause that too." Elsa didn't blame Kristoff for being overprotective of her sister, if he wasn't she probably wouldn't have let him marry her. Like she had a choice anyway. She smiled at him, trying not to let her powers flex at the slight intimidation that the Ice Harvester invoked. She looked at the ground and the snow stopped, the remaining flakes fluttering to the ground.

"Anything for Anna, Kristoff, you know that. How-" She looked up and saw a slight glimmer of ice running along a wall near Anna, the fear in her heart causing all of the snow to drop like miniscule pellets of hail. Kristoff stepped back quickly, distrust in his eyes.

"Elsa?" Anna's gentle voice filtered through the static and the winter sister smiled at the summer mother. Anna's russet hair flowed around her glowing face as she began hobbling towards Elsa but Kristoff quickly met her before she could be too close.

"I'm okay, Anna, just tired. I've had so much to do lately it's hard not to falter every once in a while." Ever since the city had thawed, Anna had become hyper-aware of everything her older sister did. The face she gave her now questioned the sudden change from flakes to ice. "I promise I'm fine, now go to bed, you look tired too." It was Kristoff who finally made his wife go inside, Elsa could feel his concern and she couldn't help herself but feel guilty for letting her powers slip like that.

As the expecting couple ambled into the castle, Elsa hung back, wanting to finally confront her peeping Tom. But before she could even raise her voice, a light, tinkling chime whispered around her. She spun toward the gates and saw a man standing by the organ that had played many merry songs just an hour ago. His hair was so white that it looked as if it were covered in snow, his skin was paler than hers and even his eyes had a paleness to them.

"I'm surprised to see you out this late, Elsie." He leaned against a large staff as he let frost climb over the keys lightly indenting them and triggering the tinkle.

"You're obviously not my stalker then, you would know that I don't go to sleep until my work is done. Even if it takes until late at night." His pale blue eyes pierced her, causing her to take a step back.

"Stalker huh?" he smirked, hopping up onto the keys but floating slightly above them. He was silent for a moment and then it dawned on him. He stepped onto a patch of ice and moved like a ghost over it until he stopped in front of her. "You can see me!" He reached as if to touch her but his hand stopped an inch from her face and Elsa wanted nothing more than to lean into it. She called into question why she was so familiar with this man, how he could captivate her so, her eyes concentrated on the icy path he had left behind him and she felt the large wall of dawning realization hit her.

"Jack?" Their eyes met and she couldn't help but see the happiness contained in his. Elsa went to touch his staff, not wanting to directly make contact, but her hand went through It. She jumped back and almost fell, but a large slope of ice rose from the floor and caught her.

"Easy there, Elsie-" she interrupted him hurriedly.

"Don't call me that." She stood up, brushing at her skirts before firmly tugging on her gloves to make sure they were on all the way.

"I've always called you that, Elsie." Her head shot up to meet those eyes again and he smiled at her, she fought the urge to respond with a smile and ended up scowling back. How did he get in here?

"How did you do that?" She pointed at the ice and he shrugged, slowly rising from the ground and letting his staff balance his weight. "Where did you come from?"

"You don't remember? I'm from around here, Manny brought me here about fifty years ago-" She interrupted him again.

"You've got to be joking. I must be hallucinating or something. How did you...? You can't be real!" He laughed at her incredulous amazement. His fingertips seemed like they should have touched her cheek but she couldn't feel anything. "You're just a figment of my imagination. An imaginary friend!" The light in her eyes seemed like small fires burning inside their cold depths. "I'm alone."

"You don't remember me much then?" Her face scrunched up for a moment before she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and she thought she saw him fade slightly. She turned away, moving towards the wedge of ice and placing a hand on it, feeling the chill through her glove. "So you did that?" She murmured as she pushed a piece of hair from her face.

"Yeah," he said and turned onto his back, floating in a circle around her. "I used to keep you company in your room. But you haven't seen me for years. You...would you like to come with me?" He stopped mid air and fell back to the ground, holding out his hand to her. She went to take it but her hand went through his. She recoiled back not knowing what to do.

"You're a stranger...and a hallucination on top of that! You're just a voice in my head!" She walked straight through him and felt a hard pang of guilt.

"How can you know?" Her eyes went wide.

"Didn't I just walk through you?" She felt a small whirl of hope stir inside her as she spun to look at him.

"Yes...but...You don't have to be alone anymore." If he was real...and there could be more she thought. What if she could learn to control her powers even better, make it so that she never slips again. Her love for Anna helped but the fear still seeped into her like a poison.

"Can you control your powers? Are there-" she was curious but the thought of this not being real was still in the back of her mind. If it was real though? She wouldn't be alone anymore, she could- No, she shook her head. No one out there could ever have the powers she did.

"Elsa," her name spilled from his mouth and it snapped her out of her dreaming. "Do you believe in me?"

"Why should I?" He looked stunned as he floated towards her. "What are you?"

"I'm real." He was so close to her. She thought she felt his breath against her face, but she knew she couldn't.

"Who are you?" She nervously stuttered. His feet touched the ground before her and his hand gently took hers, her eyes opened wide as he smiled.

"I'm the spirit of winter." The astonishment melted from his face and she only could look into those pale blue eyes. "But you can call me Jack Frost." She snorted and turned to walk away, but he appeared in front of her. "You really don't remember me, do you?" Shock filled her being at this simple question. His hand started to disappear and the stick fell to the ground with a clatter.

"What's happening?" She looked into his face and it was solemn.

"Elsie, the Moon made me this way. And people just don't believe there is a spirit who nips at their noses...I'm just an idea, if people don't believe in me I'll disappear."

"I..." his arm was almost gone and the side of his face too. "I don't want you to go away." There was a look of shock on his face again, it filled every remaining feature. "I...I don't know if I believe but-"

"That's not good enough, Elsa!" There was desperation in his eyes. She stepped back and looked at him, tears forming in her eyes as she saw that half his body was gone. She covered her eyes and when she peeked she saw that his remaining hand was loosely circled around her wrist. "You have to believe in me, Elsa. You have to believe with all of your heart." She looked at his eyes, they were so transparent." All those nights that you cried yourself to sleep, all those tears you tried not to freeze to your face, all those times you didn't let Anna in. I was there. And something about you wouldn't let me leave after you grew up. I don't care if you stop seeing me, Elsie, I just need you to believe in me so I can stay with you." She looked into what remained of his face and saw something there that she had only seen in Kristoff's face when he looked at Anna.

"It's you...I-I believed in you, Jack, when I was a little girl." She felt confusion solidify in her gut, she couldn't unravel it but something inside of her made her state words she was told would make her crazy. "I...think I still believe in you." His hand become solid, pulling her towards him, his other came up and cupped her head and crushed her to his chest. She couldn't breathe, she could only smell his scent and it made her feel warm.