hello everyone ! my name is aj, and i guess i could call myself a jelsa veteran of sorts. i've written stories for these fandoms in the past, but i've deleted some, got locked out of other accounts, and overall just lacked inspiration. but i'm back with a ( hopefully ) compelling story ! please let me know what you think! constructive criticism is always welcomed!

disclaimer : i do not own any characters mentioned in this story unless stated otherwise! most ( if not all ) belong to disney and dreamworks!

with that, i sincerely hope you enjoy out of the blue.

PROLOGUE PT. ONE — Bags All Packed

Jackson Overland Frost thought he'd had it all. He had an amazing job as a teacher, awesome friends, and a loving wife. So when things quickly turned sour, as if a switch was flipped, he really should have expected it. It started with his wife, Mavis, acting different than usual. She wasn't as affectionate as she'd always been, nor did she seem interested in doing anything with her husband. Jack knew that she'd never liked cheaters, so he'd hoped that option was off the table.

And it was, sort of. Mavis worked at her father's law firm as one of the criminal defense lawyers. It was a nasty job sometimes, but Jack knew she really enjoyed it. She enjoyed putting a horrible person behind bars, and comforting the family who'd been wronged. So really, it didn't seem like too big of a red flag when she'd been working longer hours. Upon a surprise lunch visit on his day off, Jack had met the new receptionist, Jonathan Franklin. He was a lively guy, full of personality and charisma. He'd learned that Mavis had been spending a lot time with him, and as her husband, it made him a little uneasy.

But he trusted her, so he didn't pry or hack into her phone. ( Or anything else weird and drastic like that. )

It was an unexpectedly warm day in November when he'd come home from work, exhausted after grading the final "test" before Thanksgiving break. ( Air quotes because how hard can an elementary school test be? ) He taught first grade, and he truly did love the kids. They were at that age where school started to get a little more difficult, and all Jack had really wanted was to make the transition easier for them. He wanted to be the teacher that students remembered well, even if the kids were fairly young. One day, he'd hopefully be moved to the high school, but until then, first graders did just fine.

A funny feeling washed over him as soon as he pulled into the driveway. It was similar to that sinking feeling in the stomach that a person got when receiving bad news. It was strange, to say the least, since it'd been unprompted. But Jack shook it off, organizing his briefcase and getting out of his truck. It was an older Nissan model, from 2014 if he remembered correctly. The color of the vehicle was a smooth steel gray, and he liked to think that he did an excellent job of taking care of it. The door slammed shut as he nudged it with his hip, and he hurried up the driveway to make it in time for dinner.

As soon as the door was open, the feeling was back. Though this time, Jack knew that something really was wrong. Mavis hadn't prepared dinner like she usually did on Wednesday nights, and he wondered if she'd been held up at work. Upon looking back in the driveway, he noticed her car was there, so that couldn't be it.

"Mavis?" He called into the silence, setting his things on the dining table after closing the front door. "Mavis, honey? I'm home!"

Shuffling was heard from the guest room, and Jack quickly crossed the floor to locate the noise. He pushed open the door, immediately finding his wife looking through the closet.

"Jesus, there you are! I was afraid that I'd come in and find you dead or something." He joked, stepping over to her and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Sorry, I was a little busy." Mavis replied, sounding less chipper than usual.

"Are you okay?" He asked, afraid that he wouldn't like the answer. The world seemed to be completely silent as a few moments passed, and Jack wondered if she could hear his heartbeat.

"Listen, can we talk?" His wife asked, avoiding his gaze as if his attention burned her very being.

"Yeah, of course. What's up?" He took a seat on the neatly made bed, casually leaning back on the support of his arms.

Something's wrong. His inner voice said. Something is very, very wrong.

Jack chose to ignore it.

"I want a divorce."

"Oh, that's all? I was afraid that something was wrong! That you wanted to file for–" He paused. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

Mavis sighed, taking a seat next to him. She pulled her legs up and crossed them, finally looking him in the eye.

"I want to file for divorce." She repeated. "I don't think this marriage is working anymore."

Jack looked at her, unsure if this really was the woman he loved, the woman he married. Did she have a twin sister that he didn't know about?

"I– I'm sorry? Was it something I did?" He managed to ask, averting his gaze to the dark wood floor.

"No! No, not at all!" Mavis responded, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder. When he shrugged it off, she sighed once again.

"I'm just not in love with you anymore. I don't want to keep you tied down if I'm not committed. I just–"

"It's Johnny, isn't it?"

"What? No!" She'd spoken too quickly.

"Don't lie to me. Have you been cheating on me with him?"

She let out a sob, shaking her head vigorously.

"No, I swear that I haven't. But I'm afraid that I will if you and I don't end this now."

Jack quickly stood up, running a hand through his hair. He felt like he was about to be sick. You spend seven years of loving someone, only for them to fall for someone else. Life was cruel.

"I'm staying the night at Hiccup's." He finally said, turning on his heel and heading for their bedroom. Well, it wasn't theirs anymore, he supposed. Throwing clothes into a backpack, Jack ignored Mavis's pleas to stay, to figure things out. He made his way to the dining room, picked up his briefcase, and was out the door in two minutes flat.

His wife ( soon to be ex-wife, he thought bitterly ) followed him out, standing by the front door. Tears streamed down her face, and he wondered why the hell she was even sad. She didn't love him anymore; she'd said it herself.

Hurriedly getting into his truck, Jack waited until the house was out of sight before he called his friend. ( Thank God for bluetooth. )

"Hello?"

Hiccup's voice was tired, like he'd just woken up from a nap.

"I'm staying over tonight."

"Uh, okay then. Trouble in paradise?"

Jack stopped at the next red light, his heart clenching in his chest. He finally let out the sob that'd been building up over the last ten minutes, feeling as if he was about to burst.

"There isn't a paradise anymore." He said simply, sniffling as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Hiccup was quiet for a few minutes, and Jack wondered if he'd hung up. Just as he was about to end the call, his friend spoke once again.

"I just talked to Astrid. The spare room is yours. Expect the longest hug of your life when you get here buddy."

Jack managed to smile, a watery laugh escaping his throat.

"You got it dude."

The call ended, and Jack was left alone to his thoughts. If his friend had managed to make him smile after the worst news of his life, maybe things would be okay. Maybe this divorce wasn't the end of the world, despite what his heart was telling him.

And two months later, when everything was finalized, he realized that his heart no longer lurched in his chest when he saw his ex-wife. It didn't flutter uncontrollably, nor did it beat faster at the very thought of her.

Maybe this step, no matter how painful, just pushed him a little further in the right direction. Maybe it pushed him closer to a better future.