Lying on his back on top of his bed, hands behind his head, Jack stared up at his bedroom ceiling. Nisha's denial to marry him was repeating over and over in his mind. He let out a soft sound of pain at the memory. Worse had been the soul-stone's taunting. It had resonated with Nisha's strong emotions, forcing him to have to listen as she sobbed with the stone around her neck after she screamed for him to leave her alone. His jaw clenched in a mixture of anger and pain.

Rising up to a sitting position, he glared daggers at his bedroom door. "Fucking hell," he growled, running his left hand through his hair in agitation. His right shoulder still hurt, even if he had inflicted the wound himself.

He lifted his right hand up, staring at it before slowly turning it into a fist. He hadn't meant for this to happen. He had just wanted to tease Nisha a little more. He had only wanted to find an excuse to be with her longer, to hold her longer.

But now everything had escalated and then exploded in his face.

"Fuck!" he roared, flopping back onto his bed. He raised his hands to cradle his head, his eyes squeezing shut. A headache began to form and he tried to calm the pounding in his head. To no avail. If anything, his headache only increased.

What the fuck am I suppose to do now? he lamented.

He had been impatient to finish everything and marry Nisha. But he had never meant for his wedding day to be turned into a quick bandage to try and cover up a 'scandal'.

"You idiot!" he groaned, insulting himself. "You should have known this would happen! Gods, why didn't I fight the call harder?"

His mind turned to the night before. Nisha had shut down, going off into her own world. Lionel and Jeffery had both agreed to announce her inclusion into their family the next morning but Nisha had showed no reaction. She had been too far gone into shock by then. After an awkward half hour, the Frost-Caldwell family had excused themselves and returned back to the WinterPalace. Everyone had wandered off to their own devices. Nisha had blindly stumbled to her room, the door closing quietly behind her. Jack had no idea what she did then, but figured she must have headed to bed shortly thereafter. He himself had done the same. He had been shocked as well, though not exactly for the same reason as Nisha.

Jack had always known that Nathan, her father, had been a half-breed of some sort. He had just never known what. And he had certainly never expected her to end up being a relative of the Canis family, most especially the second cousin of Alec. That had shocked him, for the Canis family were nearly as long-held in power as his own family. The Canis' were the Lords of the ORGR, in charge of making sure that the ORGR was running smoothly. As such, since they had nearly exclusive control over all Gates to the Human world, they were very influential indeed. Thinking about it, it shouldn't be surprising that one of their sons would have fallen in love with a human and had a child. In fact, it made so much sense that Jack felt a little stupid to not have suspected it before. Even so, he had still been shocked.

Sometime in the middle of the night, he had been awoken with a deep pain in his chest. It hurt so bad that he had been unable to move for the first ten minutes. All he had been able to do was try and focus on his breathing, forcing air in and out over and over again. The pain kept up until he had dragged his body off of the bed. Then the pain slowly began to lessen. The more steps he took toward Nisha's bedroom, the less his chest hurt.

He had stared at her bedroom door out in the hallway for several minutes, uncertain. But finally, the pain driving him to not care anymore, he had used his cold to form an ice lock-pick and entered her room. He had found her tossing and turning restlessly on her bed. She was crying softly and occasionally calling out his name, obviously in the throes of some nightmare. And even though his chest hurt from the pain of her call, he was incredibly happy.

He had stumbled to her bed after making sure her bedroom door locked behind him. As soon as his hand touched the top of her mattress, the call changed, intensifying in a way. He had tried to just sit up on her mattress, on top of her bed comforter. But she apparently didn't want that. She said his name again in her sleep, a little more insistent and the call responded. It had not left him be until he was lying underneath the blankets and directly next to her. He could only assume the cold from his body had eventually woke her though. She had begun to shiver and cry in her sleep before finally waking and turning to face him.

And even though he had loved every single second with her the night before, now he regretted it. He should have tried to fight off the call. Perhaps it would have eventually lessened on its own and left him be. Sighing, he rubbed at his temples. His head was pounding very badly and it wasn't helping any with his mood.

A knock at his door made him freeze. "Jack, please come to Nisha's room," he heard his mother's voice. It was calm, stiff, and cold. Just like the damn woman herself, he thought darkly.

"Alright," he called out in a voice loud enough to carry through the door. Slowly, he rose to his feet. Glancing down, he realized he was still shirtless and in his pajama pants. Grumbling under his breath, he moved to his dresser and pulled out a dark purple and black short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jersey shorts. Running his fingers through his short hair to straighten it a little, he left his room. Pausing at Nisha's door, he knocked. "Hey, it's me," he muttered.

"Enter," his mother said.

Frowning, Jack did. The first thing he saw was Nisha sitting cross-legged on her bed. A tray of food, which was nearly empty, was sitting in her lap. She was still in her flannel pajamas from the night before; a sky blue pair with little orange foxes in cute poses all over them. The flannel shirt had orange lettering, with a larger fox curled around the letters, reading 'Foxy'. Her grandmother was sitting on her bed as well, on the edge, a glass of orange juice halfway to her lips. She was in a pair of light pink flannel pajamas with red stripes running down the sides. His mother was in a dark blue silk shirt, black dress pants, and short heels. As usual, she looked her part as a rich, powerful woman, her short auburn hair shining brightly with some sort of hair product she used.

He dipped his head slightly. "Good morning, Mother, Nana," he greeted them in a coldly casual voice. He was still feeling ill-tempered, but he was trying to fight it. His blue gaze clashed with Nisha's. "Good morning again, hjarta mítt," he said with a little more formality in his voice.

Nisha stared at him for several seconds, her eyes showing her emotions. She was fighting anger and hurt. She was trying to calm down and act like him. "G-good morning, Jack," she replied after a few tense seconds.

Glacia saw no reason to keep quiet anymore. "Well then. Jack, I've had you come to help Nisha pick out your new bedroom for after the wedding."

He blinked, a little taken-aback. "Um, what?" he asked uncertainly.

His mother rolled her dark eyes at him. "I know you are not that naïve, Jack. You are both very nearly legal adults now, and with this marriage, I will stop treating you as children. You will be sleeping together, obviously. As such, you will require a larger room to accommodate the both of you."

He blinked again, frowning. "Um...Mother, what are you saying?" His headache grew, pounding even more. He squinted at the lights in the room, lifting a hand up to rub at his temple again.

His mother sighed heavily. "Honestly, you are not an idiot, Jack. You two will be like any other married couple, except for the fact that your schooling will still continue."

His gaze turned to Nisha. She refused to look him in the eyes, her gaze fixed on her breakfast tray as she silently continued to force food down her throat. He felt his temper rising. Has this been what Mother has been subjecting Nisha too?

He turned icy eyes to his mother. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, Mother?" he swore.

Her eyes grew wide at his tone and words. "I am doing what would have happened in two years time if you both had not been so irresponsible. Everything is just being rushed forward because you were."

"So..." he began, voice tight in anger. "You're saying that you are going to force this whole marriage forward in order to cover up the 'scandal'?"

Glacia nodded. "Yes, it will be happening. And if you do not do as I say, I will have Nisha sent back."

For her part, Nisha paled and her gaze shot up. Her mouth opened, as if she wanted to say something. But Jack's temper broke to the surface. He only barely stopped himself from entering his true form. He stepped forward until he was directly in his mother's face, her head reaching to his jaw. His mother instinctively took a step back from the sheer fury and power he was radiating, but he reached out and gripped her arm hard, forcing her to stay put. His voice was filled with a deadly intensity that promised the violence he spoke. "Woman, you do something that stupid and I'll kill you."

The three women all grew pale at his words, but none dared to move. After a few seconds, Glacia found her voice. It was apparent, the struggle she had to have to make it sound steady. "Jack, I will not allow you to speak to me like this!"

He smiled, his smile filled with an insane rage. He leaned his head down, his lips against her ear. His voice was so soft that only his mother was able to catch it. "Don't ever forget. You are not my mother...not completely. Do you truly believe I would have no qualms against harming you? You know, have known since I returned from the Human world. The only thing I live for is to be with Nisha. And if you try to take her away, after all the effort I've went through to bring her here, I will destroy you. I will destroy this family. I will even destroy this realm. I am not jesting, Mother. Don't try to test me. You think that a normal Frost's fury is scary? You think a normal Frost's obsession is strong? Don't ever forget...I am the very first Frost. I can never be some 'normal' man. If nothing else, a portion of my insanity has been inherited by all my descendents. Why do you think there is only one woman in their lives? Why do you think the rest of the royals fear the Frost line? I very nearly destroyed the world over a woman that I thought I loved, ages ago. But now that I have found a woman that I know I love, there will be nothing left to call a world. So, Mother dearest, never think to be so stupid again."

Slowly, he took a step back, his hand releasing his mother's arm. She remained stock-still, her eyes wide with fear. His lips lifted up in a twisted pleasure at seeing her so scared. You deserve to feel a little fear right now, he thought darkly. His intense, pale gaze shot back over to Nisha. She looked pale as well. Her grey eyes held worry, shock, and a little bit of fear. But he was surprised there wasn't more fear. He knew how he looked right now, knew that his powers had turned her bedroom into an artic zone once more.

"Jack," Nisha said in a tired voice. "Calm down, alright?" She raised a hand to her head and let out a long sigh. Then, her spine straightening as much as it could while she still sat on her bed, she pointed to the spot on her bed in front of her. "Sit," she instructed sternly.

Jack blinked, amazed. As his shock replaced his fury, his powers retracted. His color returned. Feeling a little helpless to disobey, he, almost meekly, moved to do as she had said. His expression guarded, he sat down on her bed, in front of her. Nisha shifted, moving her tray to her bedside table. At the same time, she lifted up a thick binder, switching the tray out for the binder. Then, turning back to him, she flipped open the binder.

He titled his head slightly, taking in the sights. It was a wedding catalog, filled with everything from table linen, to plates, to dresses. He blinked, looking back up into her face. Her expression was a little pale still, her eyes weary. But there was also a strange...determination to her face. "We..." she sighed, before taking in a deep breath. She gazed steadily back at him. "Jack, we need to have a serious talk." While he remained silent, still shocked, she glanced over his shoulder. "Nana, Glacia, please can you two leave? We need to talk in private."

Grace instantly stood. "Yes, of course," she said calmly. She glanced at her granddaughter worriedly for a second. Then she smiled, the worry leaving her face.

Glacia sounded miffed. "We have not finished planning the wedd-" she began.

"Please, this is something that Jack and I need to decide," Nisha said firmly.

His mother stayed silent but didn't move, even as Grace quietly passed by her. Jack didn't even turn to look at his mother. His gaze was fixed on Nisha's face. "Mother, do as she said. If nothing else, I am telling you to leave. Now, I'm sure you have a number of other things that need your attention. Leave. If we need you, we shall call for you."

The woman's back stiffened as she was easily told off and put in her place. Nisha had no power over her, but her son, who would be Lord soon, certainly did. She dipped her head into a stiff bow before turning on her heel and following Grace out.

As soon as the others were gone, Nisha slumped forward slightly. She exhaled in relief, smiling in thanks at Jack. "I was worried your mom would never leave," she confessed.

Unable to help himself, he reached out and took hold of her hand. His fingers rubbed the back of her hand, along her knuckles. "So, you said we needed to talk?"

She gulped, looking nervous again. "Um...yes, we do. F-first off...There isn't any way that this can be called off, right? N-no way for us to not do this at all? No way to get a divorce shortly afterwards?"

He closed his eyes in pain. The soul-stone briefly flashed cold, glowing, before quieting as he forced himself to calm down a little. When he spoke, his voice still held the thick edge of his sorrow at her words. "No," he confirmed. "I'm...I'm sorry, Nisha. But that is one wish I cannot grant you. I'm too selfish..."

She stared at him for several seconds. Then she tried to smile, though it was small and shaky. "W-well...I suppose it's good that you're honest about it and you're self-aware enough to know that you are."

He let out a small laugh. "I've known for a long time. But I..." he glanced down at their joined hands. Slowly, he lifted his gaze back up to hers. "I know that you don't love me back. And I'm sorry for that. You don't know how much it hurts, knowing how you feel about me. And I suppose a better, stronger man than I might be able to let you go. But...even with all my powers...I can't be that strong, Nisha." His voice was soft, but also firm. He wouldn't hold back how he felt about her. Now was not the time. She was right. They did need to have a serious conversation. There was too much going on, they needed to understand one another.

She glanced down at their joined hands. "Well...I still don't remember anything about our childhood together. I still don't love you. But...I don't think I exactly hate you. There are moments though, when I feel like I want to strangle you. I'll tell you that." She smiled a little, pulling a short chuckle from him.

"Welcome to the club," he sighed.

"I haven't wanted anything to do with this whole marriage mess since day one," she continued quietly, staring into his eyes. "I still really don't. I always wanted to wait. Wait to marry, to kiss, and to be with someone until I was sure I loved them. Call me old-fashioned, I guess. But from the sounds of it, your family won't let that happen. And, to an extent, neither will you."

"No, I won't," he confirmed in a strained voice, not daring to look away from her.

"So, then we really will have to do this. We really have to get married, live together, and be a couple?"

Slowly, his voice careful, he nodded. "Yes, we will. But I..." he swallowed, his eyes closing for half a second. "I promise that I won't...I won't be demanding."

She stared into his eyes. "Your mother has already told me that we have to be together at least once. She said she would make sure of it, including going so far as to drug us, if need be."

His body temperature dropped as he felt his anger freezing his veins. "That bitch," he growled in the back of his throat.

Nisha shook her head at him, her voice stern again. "I don't really like your mother right now, but you shouldn't talk about her like that. A-and...And it will only be the once, right?"

He stared into her beloved face, reaching out his free hand to cup her cheek. Swallowing, he forced himself to make another promise. "Yes. I know my mother well enough to know that she will force this issue to her grave. She's much too old-fashioned herself. So I will promise," his hand lowered back down to rest over the soul-stone. "On the very symbol of our bond, I will not touch you but the one time of our wedding night. Though," he said, his voice almost pleading. "If you wish to be with me again, afterwards, I will not say no."

She blushed but shook her head. "I don't know, Jack. Really, I don't, right now. Everything is moving much too fast for me and honestly I'm terrified." She inhaled and exhaled slowly, watching him closely. Her eyes were sad, but serious. "Okay. It's not how I ever pictured any of this happening, but alright. I'll marry you, Jack. I'll even have sex with you, once. I'll live with you. I'll go to school with you. I'll sleep next to you at night. On the outside, we'll be like any other married couple that is also in high school. But...I can't promise if I'll ever love you. M-maybe I'll come to care about you. I'd like to love you, if I'm going to have to marry you. But...there's just so much between us that I don't understand. There's so much that, to me, is unwilling. Please...can you try to understand how I'm feeling?"

He couldn't hold himself back any longer. His arms were literally aching, needing to hold her. So, he did just that. He swept the binder out of his way, moving it three feet to the right. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her face against his shoulder. Gulping in a mixture of nerves, pain, and terror, he leaned his head against hers. After a few seconds, Nisha's arms came around him, hugging him back. He could feel the small little shivers and shakes that ran through her as she reacted to her fear and sorrow, as well as the cold of his body.

"Yes," he whispered. "It pains me. It hurts to know, to have to admit it. But I can understand. I will try my best to be a good husband to you, Nisha. I will try my best to be there for you...to take care of you, to love you, to cherish and hold you for the rest of your life. I pray...I hope, dream, honestly, that you will come to love me back. You have no idea how much I want that. I hate that we've been put in this situation. But at the same time...I'm so happy, I almost hate myself. Hjarta mítt, I've been waiting so long for you to be in my life once more. And now that you are...Knowing that you are unhappy hurts my very heart and soul. Knowing that you do not enjoy this like I do, that you are not as ecstatic as I. Knowing that because I feel this way, it hurts you, causes you discomfort and sorrow...I don't know how to react. Gods, Nisha, I love you. Should I apologize for loving you? Or should I be proud that I love you? You are so wonderful, so amazing. You are so strong, even if you don't realize it. It amazes me. It fills me with pride. Love, you're my world and I can't give you up. For that I'm sorry..."

His hands ran over the back of her head, petting her as she quietly cried on his shoulder. He held her close, loving the feel of her in his arms even as he felt guilty for doing so. He was a mess right now.

Nisha held onto Jack for dear life as she let her tears run their course. He never said a word. He simply held her close, cradling her against his body. After a few minutes, he shifted slightly and pulled the blanket around them, trying to offer her some warmth. That only made her cry harder and he let out a soft sound of sorrow himself. A heartbeat later she felt him crying into her hair, still running his hands down her back. "I'm so sorry," he whispered achingly. "I love you. I love you. I love you, Nisha."

They clung to each other, crying together. Over and over, he told her he was sorry, told her that he loved her. His voice shook with the force of his emotions. And she couldn't speak past the lump in her throat, the tears in her heart and soul.

Eventually, they grew exhausted from all their crying. Both of them were drained. Jack gently lowered them down onto the bed, making sure to keep holding her close the entire time. She pulled back slightly and stared up into his face. His eyes were a little red from his tears and she could only imagine how bad she must look. He watched her in silence, his hand still petting the back of her head. She licked her lips, trying to find her voice. But she was so tired.

After a few more heartbeats, Jack laughed softly. She blinked, raising an eyebrow in silent question. That made him laugh harder. He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. She didn't protest though. Despite everything, the comfort he was offering really was helping her feel better. "I'm sorry," he said around a half-snort of humor. "But you look like a mess right now. Your cheeks are flushed, your eyes red and puffy. Your lips are cracked and the rest of your face is pale." She scowled at him. He didn't need to remind her that she looked awful, with all her sobbing earlier. He shook his head slowly. "Even so, all I can see is how beautiful you are. Nisha," he confessed quietly. "You're so beautiful to me right now that I can honestly say it's a little scary."

That made her laugh. His blue eyes grew warm with love and happiness as he soaked in the sound of her laughter. "Scratch that," he murmured. "You're so beautiful you'd make a saint cry. You could be placed in front of a eunuch and he'd cry out that I was torturing him with something he could never have." Her nose wrinkled at that description and he sighed. "Sorry. Bad joke," he apologized. He tucked a stray strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "Well...now that we've calmed down a little...I'm really glad we had this talk. We really needed it, probably quite awhile ago. But, better late than never, right?" He tried to grin a little, only partly successful as he felt his heart pounding in his chest wildly. He hadn't been lying about earlier. Already he could feel his hormones kicking in, could feel the heat start to melt and boil the ice in his blood.

Nisha smiled softly. "I'm glad we did too. And...thank you, for not pushing me away. I know it's awful of me to be clinging to you like this, when I've just rejected your feelings for me."

He shook his head, his bright blue eyes growing a little darker. "I...um, no. Nisha, I don't mind in the slightest. In fact, I love holding you. If you want to use me as a shoulder to cry on again, go right ahead. But...I..." He swallowed and she watched heat begin to fill his eyes. And as it did, his body against hers began to grow warmer. He suddenly shifted uncomfortably, pushing against her shoulder slightly, forcing her a few inches farther from him.

She glanced down, blushing bright red as she saw his body reacting to how close she was to him. He chuckled nervously, pulling her gaze back to his face. "I'm sorry. I...I can't help it. It's actually kind of annoying, with my body acting out on its own."

She sucked in a breath. "W-w-well, um...I guess it's a normal thing, so try not to feel bad about it?" she mumbled uncertainly. Honestly she was embarrassed and nervous. But Jack really did seem to be trying to behave right now, so she couldn't feel mad at him. He honestly did sound a little upset with himself too.

He let out a groan. "Do you not...are you not effected at all?" he grumbled.

She blushed harder, turning her gaze to his shoulder, somewhere safe to look. Only, it wasn't, as she remembered the hickey he still had, which she had put there. That made her blush harder and she felt her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She swallowed. "I-I...I'm too much of a mess right now to know what I'm feeling," she answered honestly.

That made Jack grin a little in happiness. "Well, I suppose that isn't a denial." He reached down and lifted her chin up to look into her eyes. "So, let's go over what we've talked about. Sum it up, if you will. First, we are going to be getting married, correct?" Slowly, she nodded a little. "Second, we will have our wedding night, like normal, correct?" She nodded again, blushing, licking her lips in reaction to her nerves. His gaze narrowed slightly at her actions and he let out a shaky breath. "Damn, I want you..." He shook his head quickly. "Third, we will live our lives like a normal married couple, minus the sex part unless you initiate it, correct?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered, finding her voice.

The blue of his eyes were nearly midnight blue now. His voice was thick, his gaze hot as he stared down at her. "Nisha...can I seal this deal with a kiss?"

She stared up into his face, thinking for five heartbeats. Then, very slowly, she pressed up against him. Raising her face closer, he lowered his head to meet her. As soon as their lips touched, she shivered. Jack was already apparently turned on enough that his body wasn't cold in the slightest. His lips were hot, as was his breath as it mingled with hers. His hold shifted so that he was holding her head, allowing him better access to her tongue. Hesitantly, she kissed him back, sweeping her tongue along the inside of his mouth.

He groaned in pleasure, one hand lowering to press her body closer to his, around her back. She moaned a little herself, surprised to find how much she enjoyed kissing him. Her body was growing a little hot as her blood pumped faster in response to the increased beating of her heart. Between the heat of her body and Jack's raised body temperature, she was feeling really hot. Hot enough that a part of her just wanted to strip off her cloths.

Jack's hand around her back clenched and he pulled away, panting. "F-fuck," he panted. "How can you be so damn sexy, Nisha? Like seriously, I touch you and you light up like a match."

Nisha leaned weakly against him, her body shaking slightly with the force of her response to his touch. "I...I don't know," she breathed out.

He moaned. "Hell, how have I lived my life without your touch, your kiss these past twelve years? Is it crazy that I feel like I could live off the taste of you?"

Her cheeks flamed. She didn't know what to say in response to that. After a few seconds, she found her voice, small though it was. "You're a really good kisser, Jack. Even if you're the only guy I've ever kissed before."

He shook with the force of his laughter. "Oh, Gods, Nisha...I'm glad you like it." He leaned his head back a ways from her. "Now to try and calm the hell down. I may actually have to take another cold shower...even if they don't work." His voice was shaky. "Knowing that you become at least partly as crazy as I get by my touch...Damn it, Nisha, stop being so fucking hot..."

"I'm...I'm sorry?" she tried, laughing herself. "Isn't that a good thing though?"

"No sex, no sex, no sex, no sex," he chanted under his breath. He pulled away suddenly, shooting up to a sitting position on the bed. Then he made the mistake of glancing down at Nisha, still laid out on the bed. "Fuck!" he nearly yelled. He jerked away, like she had just shot him. "Fucking hell, why are you so damn sexy right now?"

Nisha blinked, watching him from where he was standing at the edge of the bed, staring down at her. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, his entire body shaking. He had an erection that was painfully obvious, even from where she was lying. She gulped, the sight of his body's reaction to her beginning to cool some of the heat in her blood. "I-I'm not trying to be," she whispered.

Jack seemed to pick up on the change in her mind and body. He glanced down at himself as well, growling in frustration. "I'm going into the bathroom," he muttered. He turned on his heel. But each step he took was slow and heavy, as if he was having to literally drag himself away. "How the hell am I going to last a week?" he asked himself under his breath.

Nisha tried not to chuckle. Really, this situation wasn't funny. There was no reason for her to laugh. But she was so nervous, so terrified, it's all her mind could think to do. She made it though. She didn't let out a tiny, chocked giggle until after Jack had slammed the bathroom door closed behind him. Then she raised her hand to her mouth and turned her head to try and muffle her giggles in one of her pillows.

"This is crazy," she murmured to herself in the room. "We're both insane..."