Twelve years ago...

He stared at the world around him. Everywhere he looked, everything was normal. So...plain. And it bored him to death. This wasn't the life he was meant to lead. This wasn't the world he was meant to have lived in.

He was sitting on a high up branch of the large tree in the little park in the small village center. This was a small, nameless little village, with only about two hundred people living in it. It was high up in the mountains, remote, removed from most of the rest of the world. His parents had viewed it as the perfect place for him to live out the rest of his life, since he was a failure. Growling in frustration, he kicked his legs out, lifted his hand up, and thrust it forward, over the empty air.

"C'mon!" he groaned out loud at himself. "Why can't I do something as small as make a snowflake?!" His young voice broke into a much higher pitch, reflecting the heartache that his inability to do so brought. "I'm five-years-old! I should be able to make a freaking snowflake!" When once again nothing happened, he groaned loudly.

"What are you doing?" a curious voice asked, close to his ear.

Turning his head toward the voice, he found a human girl, about his age, leaning forward precariously on the branch he was sitting on. Her big grey eyes watched him curiously, taking in his outstretched arm. Hurriedly, embarrassed, he hid his arm behind his back. "N-nothing," he muttered.

"N-N-Nisha! Oh my goodness! N-Nisha! S-S-S-Snowflake, come down this i-i-instant!" A new voice, this one a man's tenor filled with terror and worry.

The boy glanced down at the human male below him. No...wait...not human...He couldn't sense what it was, exactly, but he knew something about him was Other. "Shouldn't you go down there to your...dad?" he asked the little girl.

She glanced down as well. "Daddy is worried. You come too, okay?"

He shrugged. "I don't need to. He's not my dad."

She reached out suddenly, grabbing his arm. He gasped, blinking, staring into her grey eyes, her little face, framed by straight brown hair. "I want to play with you. So you come too," she said firmly, sticking her tongue out at him.

He gulped as she slowly released her hand from his arm. He rubbed at it. Her grey eyes had been filled with a determined light that even his five-year-old self recognized as a stubborn woman in the making. He knew, instinctively, that he wouldn't be able to win this particular battle. Letting out a soft sigh, he decided giving in would be the better option and climbed down the tree.

The girl was much slower, but her father reached up and lifted her off the tree once she got within his height. "Snowflake, you just about scared me senseless, climbing up there. What were you doing anyway?"

'Snowflake' pointed down to him, smiling. "I made a new friend, Daddy."

Her father blinked, peering down at the boy. He was only a inch or two taller than Nisha right now, at about 3'5". His dark brown hair was cut close to his head, reaching half a inch below his chin. His skin tone was an average white, which looked like it hadn't seen too much of the sun before now. He had on a pair of dark green shorts, a few shades darker than his bright eyes and a white short-sleeved shirt. The shirt had dirty spots all over it and his shoes and socks were missing. His expression, as he glared up at the father and daughter was one of extreme annoyance.

"W-well...he looks like a nice boy," Nathan tried.

Nisha smiled brightly between her father and new friend. "He is! He can climb trees really well, I watched!"

The boy blushed, his foot lifting up and scuffing against the hard-packed ground. "I-I'm okay at it..."

"So, little boy. What's your name? Are your parents close by?"

Instantly the boy's hackles went up. "No, they aren't!" he shouted, turning to run off.

Before he could get very far, Nisha shimmed out of her father's hold and rushed over to him. She reached out, grabbed his hand, pulled him back, and kissed his cheek. That made the little boy's eyes widen in shock and his jaw open in amazement. "Don't go, friend. I love you."

Nathan felt like the floor had just opened up underneath him. "S-Snowflake!" It's too early for her to like boys? Right?! he asked himself in a panic. Oh, God, what am I going to do with this girl?! She already likes a boy! "We don't...we don't say that to strangers, Snowflake!"

The boy, on his part, felt as if his world had just been put on a crazy twirl-a-whirl ride. He stumbled back, holding a hand to the cheek she had kissed. She just confessed her feelings for me! his mind repeated over and over.

Nisha glanced between the two innocently. "But don't we say 'I love you' to someone we care about?"

Both the little boy and Nathan let out their breaths at her response. Oh dear God, it was just her getting confused, they thought at the same time. A look of male-understanding passed between them as they caught gazes over her head. Nathan felt, for two seconds, like he was on the same emotional level with this little boy.

It was crazy, but true. He didn't know what to do with Nisha half of the time. Being a single parent was crazy, especially with a daughter who was so...reckless, foolish, and generally a trouble-maker. She had so much energy that it drove him nuts trying to keep track of her. He knelt down, sighing. "Yes, we do say 'I love you' to someone we care about. But! It's only to someone you care about so much, that you can't live without them. Like how I love you, Snowflake. Daddy can't live without you. One of the ways I let you know is saying that I love you. So, instead you should tell the boy that you would like to be friends with him. That way you can get to know him better. Then...once you get a little older, perhaps that friendship will..."

He lurched back, holding a hand to his forehead. "No, I can't say it!" he cried, holding back a sob. "I can't imagine my little Nisha loving anyone else!" Sobbing, he reached out and grabbed his daughter in a fierce hug. "Don't do it, Snowflake. Just stay with Daddy forever!"

The boy watched the little scene, snickering. This guy had some really bad attachment issues. He glanced over the girl, taking in her messy hair with leaves and sticks in it, and her half-torn blue dress. He couldn't see himself liking her, ever, honestly. After all, she was just a average human. Her father wasn't completely human, but that didn't matter, since she herself was.

Nisha pushed out of her father's arms, making him cry out in rejected pain. She stepped forward again, holding out a hand to the boy. "I'm Nisha Caldwell. What's your name, friend?"

Slowly, not sure if he really wanted to, he grabbed hold of her hand. Well, he thought to himself, shrugging. If nothing else this human should prove amusing to pass the time with. "Quilo Frost," he muttered.

Nisha's grey eyes sparkled. "Quilo is a cool name. Let's go play!" Before he could react, his hand still held in Nisha's with an iron grip, he was dragged away. Despite her small size, she was actually pretty fast. Laughing wildly, she moved to another part of the park.

Behind them, Quilo could hear the sound of her father's cries of alarm. "You know...maybe you shouldn't torture your dad so much."

Nisha slowed down slightly, turning to face him, still holding his hand. "'Torture'?" she repeated uncertainly. "What's that?"

Sighing heavily, Quilo pulled his hand out from hers. "It means being mean on purpose. It means making someone sad or hurting them so they cry in pain."

Instantly her grey eyes filled with tears. Her body shook in hiccups. She lifted her hand to her eyes, sobbing. "Q-Quilo, why are y-you t-t-torturing me?"

He stepped back quickly, his hands going up to show he hadn't done anything. "I-I'm not!" he insisted.

"You...you said I was being mean to Daddy! You said I'm a mean person! That's...that's mean!"

"I...I..." he glanced around in a panic. Other kids were looking at them funny. He could feel their glares from all over. He noticed a decent number of them were from other guys as well. Sucking in a deep breath, he let out a long sigh. "Alright. I'm sorry, okay, Nisha? What can I do to make up for it?"

She slowly calmed down, staring at him. Then, inch by inch, she held out her hand. "Hold my hand for the rest of the day?" she asked.

He blushed, staring at her little hand. She hiccupped again, but didn't quite cry. Groaning, he reached out and held her hand. "There!" he grumbled. Despite himself, he liked the feel of her hand. It was much softer than his own palm and he was a little surprised. He glanced up and realized in the back of his mind that his young heart was lost at the smile she gave him. But the forefront of his mind hadn't realized yet and he looked at her in annoyance.

"Thank you, Quilo!" she beamed.

They played together for four more hours before it started getting dark. Nathan insisted that he drop Quilo off at his home, which got a little awkward. Quilo was currently living at the nearest ORGR station, which was actually located deep in the mountains. But none of the Others there were his parents and if he brought Nathan with him, they'd pick up on his Otherness. As such, he had to fight with the older man for a half a hour to convince him that he would be fine on his own. Eventually though, Nisha's irritated grumblings over being hungry distracted the man enough to convince him to leave.

When the two were gone, he climbed back up into the tree from earlier and leaned against the branch. His mind whirled with possibilities. He had never thought about it before, because it had never occurred to him. But now that he had meant Nisha, he realized there might be a way he could use her. But he'd have to be careful. He'd have to plan it out just right.

Smiling to himself, he dozed in the tree. He'd make the human girl fall in love with him and tie herself to him. And once he did, he'd gain all the powers that he should have been born with. Smiling wider, he nodded. Yep. It was the perfect plan. Perfect way to get what he wanted and use one of the lesser beings known as humans while he was at it.

* * *

The next day Nisha showed up with her father again at the park. They played all day. Quilo did his best to appear like the perfect knight. He acted really nice, let her play with everything first, even let her pick out what they did. He never once complained, and he made sure to do everything she asked.

The next three days passed like this before Nisha finally had enough. She reached out and forced Quilo into a big hug. The boy froze, not expecting that from her. "Quilo," she said softly. "I want to be friends. I don't want a toy. You have to play with me, not just be used as a toy. Alright? So if we're playing and you don't like something, you have to say. I won't know if you don't tell me. You have to be honest and tell me what you're thinking about all the time."

She pulled back and smiled up at him, reaching out to brush a strand of his dark brown hair behind his ears. "Daddy says that one day I'll met a boy that I'll like for the rest of my life. I'd like that to be you, Quilo. But I'm not sure yet...I have to be completely certain before I say the special words."

His bright green eyes going wide, he stared down at her. What's going on? he asked himself in a panic. What the hell is this? What is she...doing to me?! Slowly, he nodded. "A-alright. I'm sorry, N-Nisha. I try not to lie anymore..." Abruptly, he thought about the fact that he was suppose to be a Other, and how he was lying to Nisha about that. But shaking his head quickly, he knew there was no way he could divulge that information. Even as a young kid, he wouldn't be forgive for it.

She nodded as well. "Then...Quilo, do you want to play on the jungle gym?"

He shook his head, smiling a little. "Nope. I want to climb on the monkey bars."

She reached out for his hand and he didn't even pause in giving it to her, a little startled with himself. "Then let's go play on the monkey bars. You'll have to help me though. I'm not as good at climbing as you."

He glanced down at the top of her dark head. A fierce protectiveness swelled inside his chest. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it was both important and life-changing for him. "Don't worry. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall, Nisha." Stepping forward, he led the way to the monkey bars.

They played for several more hours. But when Nathan came to pick her up, he explained to Quilo that they might not be able to come back for a little while, possibly a few weeks. He explained he had a conference to attend. Feeling panic in the back of his mind, Quilo asked when he would be leaving. Nathan told him in four days time.

Saying nothing else, Quilo waved as they headed off. Nisha glanced behind them every now and then and Quilo was careful that there was always a grin on his face for when she did. It wasn't until her dad's black sedan had driven away that he finally let his fury show.

He had no idea exactly why he was so furious, but he was. He tried to imagine living in this awful place, filled with humans, without Nisha, and his mind instantly balked. His fury grew. He sucked in a sharp breath. At this point, if he had abilities like he was suppose to, the amount of anger he was feeling would have already summoned a blizzard.

But he didn't.

This brought his mind back to reality with a painful lurch.

No, he couldn't afford to let the human girl get away. During the time that her father was away, he would need to find some way to convince her. She had to willingly give up her heart to him for this to work. It was the only way he had left. He was much too old. Despite his parent's hope, he knew there was no magic in him. He couldn't feel the touch of winter in his soul. The only choice he had now was to use the magic that came from the binding of souls to force the magic into him that he should have been born with.

But in order to reach the level of magic that he wanted to, he was going to have to figure out how to get another five-year-old to completely love and devote their self to him. And though he knew he was incredibly young, he was also incredibly desperate. He had no want to live in this place for longer than necessary. And if his plan failed, it would end up being for the rest of his life.

Slowly, following the town path, he started toward the mountain. Just like any other day. Once he had reached the outskirts of the town, Beller stepped out of the shadows of a tree. "Master Quilo," he murmured softly in greeting, bowing in respect.

Quilo glared at him. "Beller, I have something very important that must be done and I will not let you argue with me. Do you understand?"

Beller bit back a annoyed growl. "I will...think upon it, Young Master," he said stiffly.

Sighing heavily, the young boy shifted the ground beneath his feet. "I want to bring a human to live here while her dad is away on business."

Beller's black eyes widened in disbelief. "B-but, Master Quilo...s-such a thing is...!"

Glaring, he growled in frustration. "Who is the one that is a male of the Frost line here?" he demanded.

Slowly, blinking, Beller glanced down at him. "You, sir."

Nodding stiffly, Quilo kept on. "And who was it that Mother said you were to obey without question?"

Even slower, Beller let out a tiny breath. "You...Young Master Quilo."

"There! Now, I'm going to need a hypnosis-willing potion and a area made for us to 'live' in four days. Do you understand? I don't care about the cost and I don't care how many of the ORGR you have to pull to get it done. Just make sure that it is. The human child should be living with us for a few weeks, but even after, it will probably be a good idea to pretend that the place we use is my home. We'll need a female to pretend to be my mother and you can have the pleasure of being my father."

Without another word, Beller bowed deeply, fading into the shadows. Quilo watched the hellhound leave, muttering under his breath. He could only hope that after all this effort, everything would work out the way he wanted. Then he let out a soft laugh, glancing down at his left hand. He imagined a ring on it, a silver one with snowflake etchings. His laugh grew into a slow grin.

"It's only right," he said aloud to himself softly. "After how much I plan to take from her...shouldn't I give at least a little back?"

It only took Beller two days to get everything ready. He silently handed over the potion of hypnosis-willing. Then he showed Quilo to the small house that had been made up in the town, to appear as if he had lived there his entire life. Quilo nodded. "Excellent," the five-year-old laughed. "Now all I need to do is force Nathan to drink this and he'll believe everything I want and do anything I want him to."

He studied the potion, desperately wanting to use it on Nisha as well. But no, it had to be willing. Using something like a drug would count against him. Sighing, he carefully put away the potion for when he would need it.

He was introduced to Riley, who would be playing the part of his mother, a single-mother hellhound from the ORGR. Her only condition was that she and her four-month-old son both be a part of the ruse. Quilo say no problem with it. He would just pretend the baby was his younger brother. Beller let him know how uncertain he felt about this, but Quilo would hear no arguments. He let the two adults know to be ready to start their new duties as his 'parents' starting the next day.

He had already secured the funds to make sure they would be paid, so he didn't see why they bothered to protest so much. As long as they got their money at the end of the day and he got his magic, what did it matter what happened?

The next day he invited Nathan and Nisha over, letting them meet his 'parents'. When Nathan sat down, Quilo got a cup of tea from Riley and poured the potion into it. Setting it down, he smiled warmly and made sure to watch it like a hawk. If Nisha drank even one drop...

But his plans weren't ruined and Nisha was too busy playing with his baby 'brother', Eric. Nathan drank down the whole thing, holding a pleasant conversation with Riley about her 'children' the entire time. Beller was pretending to be the classic 'father', away at work in the middle of the day. Riley asked what sort of work Nathan did and was answered with the study of mythological creatures and myths. Riley threw a slightly worried look at Quilo at that point. Sighing, Quilo decided to test out if the potion had begun to work yet.

"Nathan Caldwell, look at me now." Once the man had, blinking in slight confusion, he tempered his voice. "You will leave Nisha in the care of my parents here while you are away to this conference. You will think there is nothing strange about this and you will never question it once in your entire life. Do you understand?" After a few seconds, the man nodded again, his eyelids lowering slightly in a sleepy daze. "You can call if you wish to check up on her, but she shall stay here and that is final. Now, wake up, with no memory of all of this. But you will keep your word and you will do as I instructed."

Slowly, Nathan did. His eyes opened all the way and he blinked around in a confused daze. After a few more seconds, he glanced at Quilo, taking in his serious expression. "Um...did you need help with something?"

Quilo shook his head. "Nope. I'm just glad Nisha is going to get to stay with us the entire time you're away to the conference.

Without a second's pause, Nathan nodded, smiling. "Yes. I'm glad that your family agreed to take her in at the last minute. I was so worried about what would happen if I left before I could find someone to look after her. But the Frost's seem to be put-together and good parents. I'm relieved." He turned back to his daughter. "Well, Snowflake. We should wish the Frost's a good night while we head home. But don't worry. I'll be dropping you off tomorrow so you'll get to stay while Daddy's gone!"

Nisha's excited voice floated from the front door. "Really?! Nisha can stay with Quilo! Thank you, Daddy!"

A small chuckle that quickly turned to a sad tone. "Now, Nisha. How can you be just as excited about a boy as you are spending time with me...? Hmm...this Frost boy worries me that you'll come to like him. Please don't, Snowflake. Only Daddy wants to be your number one guy, okay? Promise me."

Nisha giggled. "I promise, Daddy."

Quilo could no longer hear their conversation while they wandered off into the night. Riley eye him for a few long minutes. "So that's why...quite the crafty thing you're trying to do here...I hope you succeed. But if you don't...your life is going to be hell. And if you do and aren't very careful, you'll condemn the both of you to death. Still though...I haven't heard of anyone being so desperate before in a very long time to attempt to do this. But...you are one of the Frost line, so I suppose it makes some sense."

Quilo glared at her, making her fall silent. "I didn't ask for your input," he growled shortly. Riley merely sighed heavily before going back to her cooking.

Quilo headed off to his very own bedroom that had been designed for his perchance for the quiet and darkness. Dragging his tired body into his bed, he let out a sigh of relief.

Starting tomorrow, he would have to find a way to make all his plans work out.

Starting tomorrow, he was going to have to find a way to really make Nisha fall in love with him.

And then, once that love was completely ready, he'd pick it from her breast and take it for his.

Smiling again at the thought of all his magic that he would gain for doing so, he felt his tired body give in to sleep.