Present day...

She looked around her through a bleary lens. Her mind was still trying to wake up. She could only remember a little boy with green...no, blue eyes. She shifted positions, still not awake enough to question why she was in her bed. A bright pair of blue eyes stared at her, with a large, lean body pressed right up against hers. Nisha let out a squeak of alarm, but froze at the voice.

A hand reached out, cupping her right cheek not pressed against the pillows. A cold thumb rubbed away tears she hadn't realized she had been crying. "Hjarta mítt, you called out my name in your sleep. You have no need to cry tears for me, Nisha. I am incredibly happy right now. You not only called for me in your sleep, even if it was uncomfortable. You also called me so close to your body, seeking comfort. Even if a little...even if only subconsciously, you remember me, Nisha. You have no idea what that means to me." His blue eyes held her trapped in their depths. His soft voice was like a spell cast over her, keeping her still. Slowly, so slowly she thought she was dreaming again, he lowered his lips to hers.

At first contact, his lips were a little cold. She let out a breath at the feel of that cold air against her. His arms suddenly shifted, moving around her, as he rose to a sitting position. Her body responded. Her arms moved around his neck, pressing her closer to him. His head tilted to the side, allowing the kiss to deepen. A low groan slipped past and into Nisha's mouth. Her body shivered in response to the bizarre cold of his body mixed with the heat that was abruptly flashing through her.

She couldn't figure out why, in her sleepy, numb brain...But for some reason, she felt like she had been waiting quite a long time to be held like this by Jack. His tongue danced with hers and she moaned. His arms tightened around her in response, sliding down her back, to her butt. He pressed her closer, his other hand clenching into a fist against her back, bunching up the material of her flannel shirt. Her cloths were the only thing keeping her slightly warm right now. But, surprisingly, she thought in her dazed mind, Jack's body temperature feels like its becoming...warmer. Her lips lifted into a small grin. Yep, she confirmed with that thought. I really am dreaming. Jack's skin is always so cold.

Jack pulled back, panting, his blue eyes darkening. "N-Nisha," he said in a pained moan. "D-do you realize...?"

Nisha lowered her head, kissing a trail from his cheek, down to his throat. After all, she thought with a soft laugh, this is my dream. I can do what I want, right? Heat filled her from her belly, making her brain feel hazy. She smiled a little, her grey eyes stormy with lust and hunger as she glanced side-long at Jack.

Jack's head fell back slightly as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Holy hell," he exhaled. His blue eyes looked directly into her grey ones, seeing, recognizing, and sharing the lust he saw there. "Hjarta mítt, you are..." His hand at her butt squeezed tightly. "You are very obviously not...a-awake," he sighed. Nisha ran her fingertips over his shoulder, underneath his shirt. His long-sleeved shirt resisted and, not even pausing, she tugged hard at the material. It ripped, allowing her better access to his skin that she was seeking like a moth to the flame. She was amazed at how warm Jack felt in her dream. He was barely colder than room temperature now!

"Do I have the strength of will not to...ah, Nisha!" he cried out. She ran her tongue along the path her fingertips had just followed. She kissed his shoulder, nibbling along his collarbone as she moved a little lower. Her grip on his shoulder tightened as she nicked her teeth against his thin skin. He let out a low hiss, moaning in welcome of her treatment of him. "More," he whispered. Smiling, Nisha bit him harder, tugging a little at the skin of his upper chest, licking away the sting of her bite.

His voice was thick with lust now. "If...if you keep this up...How will I be able to do anything but take advantage?" He chuckled softly, his hand at her butt lifting to run down the back of her head and through her hair. "Love, I never realized you were so...i-impatient. G-good to know I...hell, Nisha!"

She lifted her head, holding his head to kiss him suddenly. "You talk too much, Jack. Kiss me instead. I love the feel of your skin right now. You're so warm..."

He let out a loud laugh, his body shaking against hers. "Oh, is that what has you so...interested? Well, I hate to burst your bubble...But I'm only warm like this when I'm so close to you. I'm only filled with the heat of you, which is reflected by my body temperature."

Nisha heard a soft hissing sound. Startled, she pulled back. The sound was coming from her necklaces. Lifting them up and out of her shirt, she was startled to see the light-blue of the aquamarine teardrop stone was...darker? It was also warmer to the touch as well. Amazed, realizing that she was having a very strange dream, she ran her fingers along the stone.

Jack's body shuddered violently against her. He let out a sharp breath. "Hell, that never stops feeling weird."

Blinking, Nisha focused her gaze on Jack. "W-what feels weird?"

He gave her a funny look. "When you touch the soul-stone, of course. What else could I possibly be talking about?" When Nisha continued to only stare at him in confused silence, he sighed heavily. Slowly, he took the stone from her hands and put it back under her shirt. "So...you really don't remember," he whispered sadly. "Well, there goes that boner..."

Nisha's face flushed darkly and he chuckled. "Did you think I wouldn't be affected by your touch? Well, that would be hard to do. Especially when I crave your touch, hjarta mítt." The back of his hand brushed over her cheek. He let out a long sigh. "Waiting two years, with you so close to me is going to kill me. But I promised myself long ago that I would wait until after I fulfilled my promise. I'll marry you first..."

Nisha frowned. "There's that marriage thing you keep bringing up. This is my dream, so can't you at least stop talking about that for five minutes?"

Jack blinked, staring at her. He let out a disgruntled chuckle. "Oh, Nisha...you really think this is a dream?" He stared at her a little harder, frowning. "Wait...if you think this is a dream...How many dreams have you had involving such intimate touching?" His frowned deepened. "Wait a minute..." He reached out, holding her shoulders in his hands. His gaze grew a little panicked. "I'm the only guy you've been dreaming about, right? N-no...No movie stars or...or classmates you could possibly...potentially have a crush on?"

Nisha shook her head slowly, yawning. "Nope. Only you would be so rude as to invade my dreams and make me feel all...bothered."

He grinned widely, looking smug and pleased with himself. "Yep. Only I am allowed the privilege." He leaned his head close to hers, breathing in her scent. "Hell," he muttered. "There's just the faintest scent left...But gods you smell so good."

Nisha pulled back, rubbing at her arms. Jack was becoming cold again. The cold was waking her up. "What...?" she yawned widely. Shaking her head a little, she blinked, Jack's face pulling into focus more. "Jack?" she mumbled uncertainly. "What are you...?" She cried out, jumping back, realizing she was in his lap. "What did you do to me in my sleep?!" she demanded.

Jack glared at her. "Excuse me?" he grumbled. "I think you've got it backwards here. I may have, I will admit, started this...sort of. But! I was the one who was assaulted," he told her righteously. "You came on to me like I was a piece of meat...Which, yes, I did enjoy quite a lot. In fact, I wouldn't mind repeating this again. Just call out to me if you want to play this game again."

Nisha's jaw dropped. There was no way...It was always the guy who did the assaulting. But, as she stared at him, she noticed his right shirt shoulder was slightly ripped and he had a small hickey forming on his collarbone. Her face flamed as she took in the sight. Jack glanced down, laughing hard when he saw the evidence of her eagerness earlier.

"Well...see?" he pointed to the spots. "I'm not lying. You really did go all out. In fact, I had to stop it. You were begging me to take you right here and now," he lied. His face and voice didn't show the slightest hint of his lie. Let's see how she reacts to that! He grinned internally. Externally, he pressed his hands to his chest, acting like a virginal maiden that had been swept up in Nisha's embrace. "I-I've never felt such...warm sensations before, hjarta mítt," he lowered his gaze demurely. A faint blush filled his cheeks.

Nisha gasped in outrage, reaching out and punching his unmarked shoulder. "You ass!" she yelled.

He let out a low cry. "N-no, Nisha...Don't hurt me again..." His gaze and mood suddenly shifted, turning intense. A slow smile pulled at his lips. "If you keep teasing me like this, I may just take you up on your earlier offer."

She flushed, pulling away. "I...I didn't..."

He smiled wickedly. "Oh, but you did. And damn, did I love it. You seemed quite pleased with yourself, as well, Nisha. And I thought I was aggressive..." he chuckled. His eyes glanced at her bedside clock, seeing that it was 1:23 a.m. "Ah, but the hour grows late." He grinned widely before batting his eyes and clasping his hands together underneath his chin. "Can I pretty please sleep here tonight?"

She gasped, pulling back a few more inches from him. "N-no!" She shook her head, half-shouting.

His lower lip pushed out in a pout. "B-but...you woke me up...and you made me come in here...And then you sexually assaulted me...Please? Just look at it as an apology for all of that." He batted his eyelashes maddeningly, leaning a little closer to her. "P~l~e~a~s~e?" he begged harder, making the saddest puppy-dog face she had ever seen.

Nisha let out a small uncomfortable noise, leaning further back from him.

Jack pushed even closer, until his lips nearly touched hers. "Please?" he whispered, voice filled with more meanings than she cared to pick up on.

Sighing in defeat, she pushed at his chest, forcing him from her. "O-okay...you can sleep here for tonight, and that's it, okay?"

Jack nodded quickly. "Just sleeping, next to you."

Her face flushed. "N-no, on the c-couch!" she stuttered.

A slow smile played at his lips. "Nisha, love...You don't have a couch in your room."

She glared. Damn, she thought, biting her lip. "T-then...you have to go take a cold shower," she said quickly. Her brain wasn't thinking very well right now. She was panicking too much over everything and the fact that he was in her bedroom and it was the middle of the night.

He grumbled softly under his breath. "It's not like cold showers work on me..." Wait! he realized. More chances for seduction if I do! "Alright," he said out loud. "But I request that you help me out of my shirt."

Nisha stared at him, her look screaming Like hell I will!

"C'mon," he muttered shortly. "You were so crazy earlier that you actually did hurt me," he lied. His voice sounded sincere and a little embarrassed to have to admit it. "I can manage everything else, but I need help getting my shirt on and off."

She glanced away, thinking. While she was looking away, Jack moved quickly. His movements were faster than the human eye could pick up on. He pushed back the material of the shirt of his shoulder, making sure the shirt didn't rip anymore than it was already. He gripped hold of his shoulder and applied just enough pressure to cause a bruise to start forming. He glanced down, satisfied that it was just bad enough to cause him pain when he tried to move his shoulder, but not bad enough to need medical attention. He pulled the material back over his shoulder, hiding the bruise.

I don't mess around with chances at seducing Nisha, he thought to himself seriously. If she still wants to continue to not remember, I'll have to use every card and trick in the book that I can. Two years may not even be enough time. He bit back a heavy sigh, depressed at the thought. I know I had to wait twelve years before, but Nisha wasn't in my sights. She wasn't directly in my life. Now that she is...I'm going to go insane with impatience!

Nisha turned back to Jack. He winced as he pulled back the shoulder of his shirt that was already ripped. She felt the blood drain from her face as she took in the ugly bruise beginning to form. "I-I did that?" she whispered in shocked disbelief. Jack nodded silently, his expression unreadable. "Oh God, Jack. I'm so sorry!" She glanced up into his face. "I didn't...I never thought that..." she stared down at her hands for several seconds. "A-alright," she breathed out shakily. "Let me help you out of your shirt really quick. T-then when you come back, I'll help you in it, okay?"

Jack nodded again. "Thanks," he said in a calm voice.

Reaching out, she began to help him pull off his black, long-sleeved nightshirt. He winced and hissed through his teeth when he pulled his shoulder around to get his arm out of the shirt. Nisha flinched in sympathetic pain. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

He remained silent, though he did lean a little closer to her. Her hand ran along his bare chest, her face filling with heat as it did. Despite how lean he looked, he was actually well-defined, especially his muscles. He had a light covering of chest hair, which narrowed and ran all the way down. The blonde arrow of hair fell over his stomach, leading to the top of his silk pants, black as well. She gulped, pulling her eyes back up to his face.

His blue eyes watched her through heavy lids. In a very, very quiet voice, he spoke. "Nisha...do you want to touch me more?"

Her face became as red as a tomato. "J-Jack, what are y-you sa-aying?" she stuttered.

His head lowered down to hers, his lips brushing over her mouth lightly. "I'm asking if you want to touch and explore my body. I'm asking if you want to learn the feel of me. If you do," he said around a light laugh. "I promise, I'll quickly warm up again. And it won't be uncomfortable for you to touch me. I won't be cold, with the want of you in my veins."

Nisha felt light-headed at his words. "I...I..." She couldn't find the words to deny him. But she also couldn't find the words to tell him yes either.

He pulled back, looking a little disappointed. "Perhaps I began moving a little too fast there. After all, you haven't been craving me as I have you, for so long. To you it must seem like if I'm asking you to jump from a building. To me, it's more like taking a step down a flight of stairs."

She stared up into his face, voice still lost in her mortification at how blunt he was. Her mind was spinning in dizzying circles.

He sighed, his head falling back on his neck. "Don't worry, Nisha. I really won't press for more. But I had to ask. I couldn't help it. I didn't expect you to say yes. In fact I would have been very shocked if you had. But sometimes I wish you would shock me."

Her mind suddenly stopped, realizing. "Wait...that was my first kiss. J-Jack," she murmured. "You stole my first kiss."

An eyebrow rose. "Huh? First kiss? What are you talking about? I kissed you before, as a child. And you didn't protest nearly as much then. Besides, you kissed me the very first time we met...Well, sort of," he corrected after a second. "It was very similar," he insisted. "I don't understand why you're getting caught up on that. But, then again, you have forgotten our childhood together. So I suppose this would seem like your very first kiss then."

He chuckled. "And on that note, I am going to subject myself to a modern form of torture to make you feel better. I am going to force freezing cold water over my naked body in order to try and drown out the wants of my body, all so that you can feel safer while I hold you in my arms tonight. Excuse me," he said in a snippy voice, rising from the bed. He didn't even pause on his way to the bathroom that was connected to her room. The door closed firmly behind him and she heard the lock clicking in place, echoing in the silent room.

Her hands unconsciously pulled his black shirt to her chest. She lowered her head, brushing the material across her cheek. She wasn't sure what to think right now. So instead, while he was away, she breathed in his scent from the shirt. She felt a flash of heat run through her and quickly dropped the shirt onto the bed. Her hands shook as she pressed them against her flaming cheeks.

"What the hell is he doing to me?" she asked the dark bedroom. The sound of the water running covered her voice so that he wouldn't be able to hear it. She glared down at the black shirt, which showed up easily against the light-blue of her bed comforter. Moving positions on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her raised knees, pressing them into her chest. The black shirt rest innocently on top of her bed, five feet away. Moving a leg, she reached out her foot and kicked it away a few more inches. It made a soft fluttering sound before settling back on top of the bed.

The sound of the water shutting off made her straighten her legs, stiffening.

A few minutes later, Jack came walking out, rubbing a towel briskly through his hair with his left arm, his pants on, thankfully. He moved toward the bed, pausing as he took in her position and the black shirt which was further away then when he had left. He smiled at the picture, glancing down at her. She turned her face, another damn blush giving her away. "Well," he mused. "I suppose it must have been quite the awkward conversation you had while I was in the shower. Did my shirt hurt your feelings?" he asked.

She turned her head to glare at him. "Stop that," she grumbled.

He flashed a white smile. "Stop what? Knowing exactly what's going through your head? How can I, when everything about you draws me in, calls out to me, makes me grow heady with love for you? Is it really so strange that I would know you so well?"

Nisha glanced back down at the bed, tightening her arms around her knees, pressing them even harder against her chest.

Jack sighed. "Love, I'm going to climb into the bed now, alright? I'm going to move you over so I can sleep on my left side. Then I'm going to pull you back against my body and spoon you, cause, hell...I want to. And then I'm going to breathe in the scent of you from your hair and try to not imagine every single thing I want to do to you. Instead, I will force myself to bask in the happiness having you so close to me will bring. And I know that you won't feel the same way, but I think honesty is the best way about this. Also, I apologize if I'm...scaring you."

Nisha glanced up into his face, watching him quietly. She wasn't sure what was happening right now, but she didn't feel scared...exactly. Excited? Uncertain? Nervous? Anticipation? Maybe even...She shook her head. No, not happiness. There was no reason for Jack telling her that he was going to hold her close to bring that particular emotion. But even as she tried to deny it, she felt the warm emotion fill her heart.

Suddenly, the teardrop necklace grew very cold, before just as abruptly shifting to heat, hotter than ever before. Surprised, she pulled it out of her shirt.

His blue eyes observing her like a hawk, Jack used her distraction to throw the towel across the room and climb into the bed. Before she could do more than let out a small gasp, he moved her body so that he was holding her like he said he would. Nisha felt the chill of his skin against hers. Her hand was still holding the stone and she squeezed it unconsciously in reaction to the sudden movement.

He sucked in a sharp breath. "I..." he coughed, his voice sounded a little strained. "N-Nisha, try not to squeeze the soul-stone, alright? Oh, god, that hurt..."

She glanced down at the stone, her fingers loosening their hold. As they did, he let out small sigh of relief. "Thank you," he whispered. "I appreciate that you unconsciously don't want to be very far away from me, carrying me around with you at all times. But, at the same time, its much easier for you to accidentally hurt me. Still though, keep wearing the soul-stone. You have no idea what it does for my male pride, seeing it around your neck."

Her face flushed. His words, his actions...everything about Jack made her feel like she was somehow twenty steps behind him. He was apparently so invested into this relationship that he had his whole body in. She, on the other hand, was very reluctant, with only one foot past the line. As such, both his honesty and bluntness left her feeling unsure how to react or respond. She finally found her voice, licking her lips nervously. "J-Jack, you forgot to put on your shirt..."

He sighed. "Oh, but you feel so good against me right now. Don't make me move, Nisha." His arm moved around her body, the flat of his hand against her stomach. He applied pressure and her lower back was shoved against his slight erection.

She let out a tiny squeal. "W-what? N-no, you took a cold shower!"

His face buried against her hair and she felt his chest rise and fall in a deep breath. "Nisha, I am an et hiemis. If I don't find a way to keep my body temperature higher than is normal for me..." His voice trailed off for several seconds before resuming. "You'll be dead from hypothermia by morning. As such, I'm going to have to force my body to stay in a weird, slight, and constant state of arousal in order to make sure that you don't. This is one of the reasons I'm holding you so close and in the particular way I am. Mhmm," he moaned into her hair. "Your ass feels so good against me."

She flushed, wiggling to get out of his grasp. His hand against her stomach clenched and he hissed loudly. "Fuck, Nisha, don't do that. I said slight arousal!" At his words, she felt the heat and length of him grow harder, pressing into her lower back instead of her butt now.

She froze, her breath catching in her throat. "J-Jack, I don't like this..."

He laughed softly. "You're doing this to make up for assaulting me earlier, remember?" he reminded her. "Besides, it really is late and we need to fall asleep. After what happened at the Autumn Ball, the morning is going to be one hell of a day."

Slowly, she calmed down a little. She was still red with embarrassment, her face warm. But it was a little easier to calm down when she knew Jack couldn't see her blush. "What happened?" she asked.

Then it all came back, hitting her with considerable force. She slumped back against him. Her body relaxed completely and his arm tightened around her. He murmured nonsense words she couldn't make out into her hair, running his fingers through it in a weird form of comfort. "R-right," she murmured after another silent minute had passed. "I found out I have family here. That my grandfather was a hellhound, as was my dad, though I'm apparently not." Some of the other things came back as well. "A-and Lionel Canis decided that he was going to officially announce my relationship to his family tomorrow. So now I'll be connected not only to the Frost family but the Canis as well."

Jack kissed the side of her temple. "Shh, love. It'll all work out fine. As long as the old man doesn't try to do anything foolish, like forcing you away from me, I won't cause any problems. But be warned now, Nisha. If he does, you will have to object, vehemently."

She was quiet for several minutes. When she finally spoke, her voice was both a little curious and a little scared. "W-why?"

His breath came out in a warm exhale, running along her temple and into her hair. "You can't be with anyone else, Nisha. If nothing else, no one else has the right that I do."

That made her frown and blink in shock. "What do you mean? That doesn't make a lot of sense..."

His right hand shifted, moving up. It trailed slowly along her stomach, over her breasts, pausing at her nipples for a millisecond, before continuing to grasp her hand that still held onto the teardrop stone. His fingers carefully cupped her hand, brushing along the back of her knuckles. "It's because of this," he began to explain. "If Lionel Canis tries to tear us apart, show him this immediately. He will understand."

His hand slowly traveled back down, making her shiver in response to his touch, though not because of the cold. "W-what's so special about this stone?" She asked after another three heartbeats had passed. "My dad gave it to me as a child."

He sucked in a sharp gasp. "What the hell are you talking about, Nisha? You pulled the soul-stone from my chest, as a child. This would be so much easier if you would remember," he muttered darkly. "The soul-stone shows just how much I am devoted to you, just how intimate our relationship is. If any Other sees it, they will instantly understand. It is no small feat to offer the whole of oneself to another, as I have. And the soul-stone you carry around your neck is proof of that. Why do you think it is affected by my powers? Why do you think I am affected by the touch of it? When it was turned into a necklace I thought I was going to die..." he grumbled.

Nisha stared down at the stone in her hand, her mind buzzing in disbelief. Jack's voice broke through her haze. "In essence, the soul-stone is the...most precious of all wedding rings, to my world. The whole wedding ceremony is just a formality. Technically, with the soul-stone, we are already married...in a sense. We've been married, in that same sense, for the past twelve years. But, as children, that is a little too much to ask. Now though...Now, all I want to do is fall asleep holding my wife close, in my arms."

She swallowed. There it was again. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know how to react. All she could do was feel.

And even though she kept trying to deny everything...In some deep part of her heart, she was glad. Hearing Jack call her his 'wife' made a happy little thrill of joy spread out in her heart. She blinked, slowly tucking the stone back into her shirt. Jack let out a soft noise at her movements.

"I..." she began, but her voice trailed off. Really, what could she honestly say to all of this right now?

"Shh," he mumbled, shifting to pull her closer. His face moved a little as well, still against the side of her head. "Please, Nisha. Just sleep. Rest and let me keep holding you."

She swallowed again, harder. After a few more minutes, she nodded slightly. "O-okay. Um...goodnight, J-Jack," she said awkwardly.

He sighed happily. "Goodnight, hjarta mítt. Dream sweetly."

She closed her eyes, feeling her exhaustion pull her into sleep.

His voice was the last thing she heard.

"I love you."