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sweetingseva · 5 months

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Jacks, The Boy Who Swore to Never Love ❤️‍🩹🍎✨

Happy Belated Birthday, Jacks! 🥳

I wanted to post this on his actual b-day, but time got the best of me and I wanted to perfect this post with everything I wanted to say about him. Sorry that I took this long, but at least most people have most likely have read ACFTL.

This will have spoilers from Legendary, Finale, Once Upon A Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After, and A Curse For True Love.

🩸🍎✨~~~🩸🍎✨~~~🩸🍎✨~~~🩸🍎✨

I actually cheated when I first read him. I started reading Legendary but then I stopped and I had forgotten about the Prince of Hearts mentioned in the first few chapters. When Once Upon A Broken Heart came out, I met Jacks again and I instantly fell in love with his character. He was funny, ridiculous, and beyond reckless. The line that sold his character to me?

Jacks had stopped the wedding by turning everyone to stone.

But before I continued with his story in OUABH, I jumped back into Legendary where Jacks was much the same careless boy who wanted royal power because it was the closest to having his full Fate powers. But other than Jacks being stuck inside a deck of cards, we didn’t know much about his story other than he was a dangerous Fate with the one of the most deadly stories out there.

The Prince of Hearts’s kiss was deadly to all. He only had one weakness—his true love—who could survive his kiss of death. As he sought her, he left a trail of corpses.

One could imagine the kind of life Jacks led before he met Tella. Was he a flirt? Did he kiss just any girl? Did he even care about them? Was he still searching for true love? Did he still believe in it?

I had assumed that Jacks was broken to the point that he simply didn’t care anymore. He kissed so many potential lovers, but in the end, none of them made it. We learn in A Curse For True Love that the girls must have truly loved Jacks, which is why all of them fell into the same fate as his first fox.

Until Tella changed the course of his beliefs in Legendary.

His heart started beating. Tella survived Jacks’s kiss despite him delaying her death.

How did this happen? To Jacks, it didn’t matter. Hope washed over him and led him to pursue Tella (even if it was 2 months after the fact). It was clear that Jacks believed in the story and was something he had faith in again. But Tella was in love with someone else, which is the sole reason why she survived Jacks’s deadly kiss.

In ACFTL, Aurora Valor had said that only a person who would never love him can kiss him and live.

That was the true version of his story. Not that his true love could kiss him, but someone who was destined not to be with him. I felt so much for Jacks when I read this. Aurora had cursed him twice, leaving him heartbroken beyond belief. His heart was something that could be owned, not something to be earned.

Before I move on with his reservation for love, I want to dive in deeper in Jacks’s relationships, especially his friendship with Castor Valor (Chaos).

Chaos 🩸🧛🏻

There were three of them—Lyric Merrywood, Castor Valor, and Jacks of the Hollow—that made up the Merrywood Three. Jacks’s old friends who he cared about a lot. In a way, they were like brothers. In The Ballad of Never After, Evangeline opened a curious book and read about the Merrywood Three and a specific Archer who resembled Jacks.

And being human looked good on him—or maybe it was just that he looked happy. In the picture, Jacks was tossing an ordinary red apple and laughing in a way that lit up his entire face. He never looked this happy now, and she couldn’t help but wonder what had changed… His resemblance to the picture was uncanny, and yet the feeling she got from looking at him now was entirely different. It was as if a sculptor had taken a dagger to who he had once been and curved out all the softness.

Jacks was once foolish with hope and love. As a possible Merrywood, he might have been raised with the same generous morals. He believed in doing the right thing, that everything would be all right. It was this selfless faith that pushed Jacks to save his friend, Castor, who had been stabbed in the back. Trying to be the savior, Jacks took a half-dead Castor to Honora Valor who could heal him with her healing magic. But it was too late. Other means had tranformed Castor to a bloodthirsty monster.

Jacks blamed himself for what had happened to him.

Castor was the only friend Jacks had left. Lyric Merrywood and the rest of his family had been killed. The Merrywood Manor was destroyed, and the village was left abandoned. After the Valors were locked up in the Valory behind the Valory Arch, Jacks had became a Fate so that Castor wasn’t alone. This showed that he was a good person.

One of the reasons Jacks had allowed himself to be turned into a Fate was so that Castor wouldn’t be alone. Then he’d started the rumor that Castor was Chaos and that Chaos was a Fate, so that the world wouldn’t figure out he was the last remaining Valor.

This act is one of the most beautiful things about Jacks’s character, and one we shouldn’t ignore. Even though Jacks is known for being callous, cocky, and selfish, his gentle side is the most important facet of his character. It is what drives many of his decision. But behind this decision, Castor had caused so much death and pain. Tragedy after tragedy that no one can take back. This reality must have affected Jacks.

It isn’t weak of Jacks to display these kind of vulnerabilities. I think Stephanie did a great job showing Jacks’s vulnerable side in TBONA and especially in ACFTL. It’s what I always wanted to see from him.

Tella 💙🗡

I remember the first time I saw Jacks pour his heart out and it was in his plead to Tella to love him in Finale.

“You were supposed to be my true love. You were supposed to want me, not him. You were supposed to be as obsessed with me as I am with you… When I told Legend I’d kill you if he didn’t give me the power I needed, I didn’t mean it—I wouldn’t have done it. A part of me even hoped he’d say no, so that you would walk away from him and choose me. I’m selfish, and I want you, but I would never harm you.”

The way he spoke here was such a surprise. Until then, I always thought Jacks was a pest, wedging in between Tella and Legend, but perhaps it wasn’t just about this. It was about Jacks’s need for love, to crave it so much that it didn’t matter that his immortality was at risk. Jacks did everything to win Tella, even to the point that he would rather put a love spell over Tella for her to stay with him if not at all.

Finally, after years and years, Jacks finally found the answer to his curse. A girl had kissed him and made his heart beat. What a sick joke that Aurora pulled on him since this fierce hope eventually caused him pain when the girl stabbed him and chose someone else. His walls stacked up all around his heart and his love again.

No doubt that this was the greatest heartbreak Jacks had ever felt.

But this is just one of the many.

Jacks had lost his first fox girl, his family, his friends, and the soft nature of his heart. Dozens of girls had fallen for him and died, one survived his kiss and made his heart beat but left him heartbroken, and then Evangeline, the girl he truly ever loved, died.

Evangeline 🦊💘

Evangeline Fox is the closest person to who he once was when he was just Jacks of the Hollow. Since the beginning, Evangeline felt gulity when she put her trust into a Fate and turned all of the wedding guests into stone. But it was her belief in love who brought her to Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. Because she believed he knew about heartbreak and unrequited love, Evangeline thought he would be understanding to her plight.

Which she isn’t entirely wrong.

Jacks knew heartbreak, loss, and unrequited love.

But he knew to cover his pain behind this flirtatious and wild personality well.

After Evangeline returned, Jacks was cold as ice. He had lost the only legitimate chance of love. Who wouldn’t be dejected after a rejection? He said it himself, that heartbreak “turns you into a masochist, making you long for the thing that just eviscerated you until there’s nothing left of you to be destroyed.”

It seems like hope is not all lost since Jacks is in search of the stones once more to get back to this “love.” To have another shot with Tella.

Once again, Jacks’s past self shines through with this hope for true love that seemed awfully familiar. But it was the idea of love, not love itself, that Jacks was chasing here.

It was the chance that everything could be good again. That he didn’t need to be alone.

Evangeline was the kind of soul who helped open his heart. In the crypt, Evangeline wasn’t afraid to ask him questions about his story and his heartbreak. Both of them had a common ground, which made it easier for them to talk about their failed chances of love. I truly believed that it was this scene that helped Jacks drop his guard and forget Tella for just a little bit.

For the first time in a while, he had thought of someone’s needs before his. He wrapped Evangeline with her cloak. I’d never forget that gesture. The firsts of the firsts. And it didn’t stop here.

In TBONA, Jacks continued to show that same care toward Evangeline. He protected her against bloodthirsty vampires, her mean stepsister, bratty gossipers, and even curses. Without any catches. He did them without asking anything in return. Without knowing, Jacks had warmed up to Evangeline. They teased each other, got under each other’s skin, and compromised like equal individuals.

It got to the point that their attraction to each other was so clear that LaLa thought Jacks was going to kiss Evangeline in the middle of her engagement party. What was sweet to me, that even though Jacks passed himself as dismissive villain to Evangeline, he truly cared about her and searched for a way to remove the curse bestowed on Evangeline.

He’d told her not to look for a cure to the Archer’s curse. He’d repeatedly said it was pointless. But it seemed as if he was doing just that… Evangeline couldn’t let herself think that Jacks’s search for a cure meant he cared for her. She knew this was true, yet it was getting a little harder to fully believe it. Because she was starting to care for him.

Like Jacks knew more than anyone that the Archer’s curse was unbreakable and yet he still tried to find a way…for Evangeline. My heart can’t take it. I’m seriously swooning all over again. Jacks cares about Evangeline. It’s so tender and soft and selfless that it captures the true aspect of Jacks’s character.

When Jacks and Evangeline are in the Hollow, their relationship develops into something more. Something beautiful and hopeful and a page out of a fairytale. We come to know in ACFTL that their time there was Jacks’s happiest day. EVER. I am distraught. Jacks opens up a little more about what happened at the Merrywood Manor.

Guilt clinged to him as he recalled trying to save Castor, as he tried to be a hero that night. Saving Evangeline was not him being a hero. Which is such a sad thought for him to have and yet it made total sense why he would feel this way. Because he couldn’t be a savior that day, he probably believes that anything he does isn’t enough. He could never save anyone again.

It opened up that raw part of him that we only ever see when he’s with Evangeline. She tries to understand his past and make him realize that he had done kind things for her, like holding her as she cried, carrying her as she bled, and bandaging her wounds when she was lashed via mirror curse. Jacks had been there for her.

The Hollow was the last place he was after he became Fate, which meant it was a place that he couldn’t find himself to return to because of all of the memories. Yet it was the place Jacks allowed himself to live in the moment with Evangeline. Being with Evangeline helped him drop his guard and do things that made my brows jump.

He cuddled with her, had breakfast and lunch with her, and lived a peaceful moment in the middle of all the cursed chaos.

In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don’t like me, and I can pretend that I don’t care. But for tonight, let me pretend you’re mine… If it’s easier, you can pretend, too. You can pretend that I’m still Jacks of the Hollow and that you want to be mine.

Evangeline thought he was being delirous but Jacks quickly set the record straight and denied that he was. It was probably the most genuine request he ever had.

Without a doubt he was in love. So in love. Nothing else was important. You can actually feel the happiness and hopefulness from the page. As much as this was Evangeline's happiness, this was also Jacks's.

Then there comes the moment Evangeline lets him go, tells him what he's feeling isn't real, and that it would all be over.

This was crushing.

Jacks's eyes were red. A flicker of pain passed over his features. He wanted to kiss Evangeline. He knew what he was feeling and yet the girl he has come to love has told him that whatever she was feeling for him was because of a rock.

One-sided love. Like the Hollow once Evangeline took the mirth stone, Jacks turned cold and brushed off Evangeline. He was harsh. He was hurt. When he got back to Chaos's Underground Lair, he turned his room upside down and ate so many apples.

With Evangeline's rejection, Jacks firmly believes that the love meant for him is with Tella. Even if he didn't love her. Even if Tella didn't want him.

The whole confrontation between Evangeline and Jacks revealed to us what Jacks wanted exactly. To go back to Tella, his "true love." Because she was the only who survived his kiss. This was the girl the curse promised him. It was her or no one.

Evangeline thought otherwise. But it didn't matter. Jacks cared so much about her that he rather they never met. Because if they keep going down the path, Jacks will not be able to hold himself back and kissing Evangeline.

His love would destroy her. His kiss would kill her. Jacks would do anything to prevent her from becoming another fox.

Despite what he tells her, Evangeline has become the most important person to him. Nothing has been so clearer than when Jacks's final words to Evangeline before she passed away.

“Evangeline—” His voice was hoarse. “Come back to me.…”

Side note, this was my favorite quote. I think this has to be my most favorite one in all of the books. I remembered gasping when I read it. My jaw literally dropped. It was the most truthful thing that Jacks has ever said.

Come back. To him.

Like, WOWWW!

Unable to accept Evangeline's passing, he took the stones and made a decision. The stones can only grant one wish. He was planning to use it to go back to Tella. But he took them and went back in time to save Evangeline.

“There is nothing of equal value to me.”

HE REWROTE HISTORY. HE CHOSE ANOTHER ENDING FOR THEM.

IS THERE ANY LOVE MORE TRUER THAN THEIRS? We’re finally at that part where we know, without a doubt, that Jacks loves Evangeline. If the “You’re not her” scene left any doubts, then they were long gone at this point. They could be endgame, this could be it, we could finally see a happy evajacks.

Until Apollo Acadian came in possessing a magic given to him by Aurora and tore Evangeline and Jacks apart by taking Evangeline’s memories of the past year.

Now we all know what happened behind the scenes here, so I’ll skip right ahead to the subject on hand. Guilt.

Jacks’s Guilt 💔

This is where Jacks’s heart has been, in a cold and unforgiving place surrounded by thick, tall walls made of steel. Since the beginning, all that Jacks has ever known was tragedy and remorse. When he learned that Evangeline had forgotten her memories, he believed it was because of his fault. Queen Honora had warned him against him going back in time and stopping Castor from killing Evangeline.

“That is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you.”

Jacks thought that Time woul take it on him. Never Evangeline. He was to blame for Evangeline’s lost memories.

Guilt. It is the reason for the next steps he took in ACFTL. He still thinks that he isn’t a great fit for Evangeline because of his cursed kiss and the possibility that he could kill her if he wasn’t careful. Evangeline is safe with Apollo, happy even, where she should have been if it wasn’t for him. Apollo and Evangeline would have the fairytale love that Evangeline always wanted. Once he knew she could fend for herself, then he would leave forever and throw his heart into the fire of the Phoenix Tree, where he’d never have to feel this much for anyone or anything ever again. This way Evangeline could be safe from him.

If only it was that easy.

Jacks can’t seem to leave Evangeline alone. She’s always in his sight. He loves her, and when Evangeline sees him again, it hurts him to know that she’s not looking at him like before. That she had forgotten everything about him. Despite what Jacks had planned, he wants her to remember him and know him. He has hurt everyone, even her, so it shouldn’t make sense that he deserves a happy ending.

I think this is the most heartbreaking and most truthful thing about Jacks’s character. Because he couldn’t be a hero when Vengeance Slaughterwood killed the Merrywoods, he thinks he deserves so much worse. He deserves nothing.

He’d been brokenhearted. Not in the same sense that most people thought of, as if one person had broken his heart. Jacks’s heart had been broken over and over again unti it was no longer capable of hope and care and love.

Chapter 41 gives us the true reason for why Jacks is the way he is and more. Basically, everything I have listed above communicated between Evangeline and Jacks’s dialogue.

“You died, Evangeline. I held you in my arms as it happened.”

“Jacks … I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never died.”

“Yes, you did. The night you opened the Valory. The first time you did it, I didn’t go with you.” I couldn’t say goodbye. “It was only you and Chaos. As soon as his helm was off, he killed you. I tried to stop him—I tried to save you—but I couldn’t. When I got there, he had already bitten you—and he’d already taken too much blood. You died as soon as you were in my arms. The only thing I could do was use the stones to turn back time. I was warned it would cost me. I didn’t imagine it would take from you.” I’m sorry.

“You don’t need to be sorry, Jacks.”

“It’s my fault.”

Reading this whole exchange broke my heart. I could feel his guilt and suddenly realize that he’s been hiding his guilt behind this confident and careless act. Here, we could see this was another awful thing he did to Evangeline. Before Evangeline went with Chaos, Jacks had hurt her by telling her that he wanted to go back to Tella and that she wasn’t the one he wanted. When Evangeline opened the Valory for the second time, Jacks was yelling at her to leave, being rude to her so that she’d live. He’d been cruel. And that was how it ended between them before she really forgot everything.

I love Evangeline Fox so much. It has been really rare to find a character like her whose strength was her kindness and hope for greater and impossible things. Though this was a story centered around her search for true love, this was Jacks’s culmination of his pain and guilt.

Above everything else, Evangeline chose him for who he was and is. He was the villain, he was her monster, but he was also her true love and hers. This beautiful faith that Evangeline had in Jacks was what ultimately broke his curse. Jacks said “I love you” openly to Evangeline and you can see it as the truth. Sometimes something so simple is so poignant. There’s nothing to say but the truth of it all, and that was how I interpreted Jacks’s confession to her.

When Jacks confronted Apollo about Evangeline’s memories, it was met with fisted hands and brutal curses. I’m so glad we got to see Jacks pour out all his anger on him and let go for once. It was so cool to see. And I think he needed it.

Jacks chose Evangeline. His heart was with her. It didn’t matter to him where they went, as long as it was with her.

Conclusion

Pain is what made Jacks. I used to think he was being dramatic when he said it to Evangeline in OUABH. How could I? Haha. I even believed he was heartbroken because of Tella. But his pain wasn’t just about her, it was about everything that happened in his past. Lyric. Castor. The First Fox Girl. The girls he kissed and killed. Evangeline’s death and lost memories. His failure of being a hero.

In the Caraval trilogy, Jacks was aloof, troubling, and selfish. He wanted power. Then his heart started beating soon after it was clear Tella survived his kiss. He wanted love, no matter if it wasn’t real. Unlike the other Fates, Jacks wanted something simple and beautiful as someone choosing him because they loved him.

Even when he found that love, Jacks had selflessly chosen Evangeline’s safety over his desires because he cared about her. At heart, he had always been a caring and hopeful person. In the end, Jacks found happiness and Evangeline found her great love.

Nothing can stop them now.

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moobell55 · 1 year

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Thinking about how throughout OUABH and TBONA Jacks is the only person who truly acts in Evangeline’s best interest.

Like Marisol, she doesn’t give a damn about Eva.

Chaos doesn’t want anything to happen to her because he needs her but also let’s them be hunted by vampire in OUABH, not to mention kills her eventually in TBONA.

Even Lala, who Evangeline considers a friend, curses her with the intent to cause harm to her. Like the Mirror Curse, Lala knew Apollo was dangerous after the Archers curse was placed on him. This also insured that Jacks couldn’t harm Apollo to protect Eva because he’d also be hurting Eva. She also gaslights Eva, telling her she’s only doing what she’s doing to reclaim her lost love from the Valory Arch. I understand that’s she’s a Fate who feels limited emotions, but her choosing to punish Eva for refusing to open the arch was extremely cruel.

Apollo her own husband, doesn’t care what happens to her. He’s aware of the Archers and Mirror Curse being placed upon him. He knows that every time he’s by Eva, that no matter how hard he tries fighting it he will still try to kill her. In TBONA, he sneaks into her bedroom at Chaos castle to try and sleep with her, claiming “he’s been waiting for so long” and kisses her and starts taking her clothes off. But guess what, the Archers curse kicks in and he’s now strangling his wife. He would’ve killed her if it wasn’t for Jacks intervention, but even when Jacks try’s taking her away, Apollo begins screaming from the cage “To get his hands off his wife, and not to touch her.” Instead of begin horrified of almost killing his wife he’s more jealous of Jacks saving her from being killed.

And sure Jacks has his own motives that he doesn’t tell her about. But at every given instance he’s protected her, he risked Turing into a vampire to keep her safe. He jumped off a cliff with her in his arms, (As a swimmer and a lifeguard this is extremely dangerous, especially oceans with carry strong riptides and currents, also please never cliff dive if you aren’t aware of what lord beneath) knowing that her not being able to swim could possibly kill him. He jumps anyways and swims back to shore with her in his arms. Not only that but he carry’s her back to the castle so she doesn’t cut her shoeless feet on the rocks. He constantly protects her, telling her he’d kill any one who dared hurt her. In the end he choose Eva’s safety over his feelings for her. He knew if he stayed with her he would’ve kissed her, believing it would’ve killed her. He’d rather be unhappy for the rest of his life without her than risk her safety.

In conclusion Jacks is the only character who truly cares about Eva and choose to protect her every single time.

#evajacks #evangeline fox #jacks prince of hearts #tbona #the ballad of never after #jacks x evangeline #ouabh #ouabh spoilers #stephanie garber #tbona spoilers #a curse for true love #rant #i just love them sm #Evajacks supremacy

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ouabhs · 6 months

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acftl review (finally)

I give it a 3 ⭐️ (as much as it pains me) even then it’s only this high bc I love evajacks so much

so I was finally able to gather my thoughts into one post and while there were many things I enjoyed a few others didn’t sit right..

1. the whole story curse thing.. it makes sense that the story curse would twist things which is why some things were left unexplained but it doesn’t feel like it was done deliberately?? it just felt like stephanie genuinely didn’t know how to tie some things together.. like sure not every single thing needs an explanation but she emphasised certain things wayyy too much in the first two books for them to be completely ignored for example evajacks talking to each other in their minds. Even the broken heart scar wasn’t addressed again after like halfway through acftl

2. too much apollo.. sorry this is not even just me being biased or whatever like I do agree his pov helped explain the plot from a different perspective but he got wayyy more of a backstory and a conclusion to his character than jacks for a someone that wasn’t as present in the last 2 books.. and this was supposed to be jacks’ series kinda (ik it was evangelines too) but I feel like jacks got sidelined hard and that’s disappointing. It also didn’t help that whenever there was an intense scene between evajacks the pov would switch to apollo.. to be fair I think having 3 povs was just hard to execute in general

3. the kiss scene.. usually it would not be a big deal but it’s a big part of jacks character that he can’t kiss girls without killing them idk I thought him finally getting to kiss evangeline would be a lot more… grand? they barely got a page or any detail and then the next chapter was “once upon a time there was kissing and more kissing 🥰🥰” which was even more underwhelming. Even apollo and evangelines kiss scenes were longer and more detailed and they got multiple

4. the overall vibe of the 3rd book felt very different to the first two I couldn’t put my finger on it at first but I feel like it had something to do with the writing.. at some parts it felt familiar (like all the descriptions and the fairytale aspects) but others it just felt different?

5. during too many scenes it just felt like stephanie was rewriting tbona.. like I haven’t really seen anyone say this yet but a good chunk of the book was quotes from tbona which I feel took up a lot of unnecessary space and could’ve been used to develop other plots or characters? Literally someone that hasn’t read tbona could get a gist of what happened cause it’s all summarised in there 😭

6. the plot in general.. contrary to popular belief I don’t think this was that romance focused (as people claim as to why things weren’t explained) because I think stephanie incorporated more plot in here but it was just different to what we saw in the last books because previous characters (luc, marisol, tiberius, kristof) weren’t as present in this book and new characters plots and explanations were just thrown in.. not much felt connected

7. jacks’ backstory.. (going back to my second point) how he became a fate was really glossed over I feel and was only briefly mentioned but I just wanted more.. I do like the fact that he said he did it for chaos and I wish their friendship was delved into more because he literally turned to immortality because his friend would be alone. What about his parents? His friendship with Lyric? The merrywood three in general? His life when he was trapped in the card?

8. the first fox.. again wayy too significant to be missed out especially since jacks doesn’t really remember whether or not he had a thing for her and chaos said evangeline was similar to her.. how was there no link?

I definitely have more to add but for now my main takeaway is that while tbona was very hard to top I feel like acftl could’ve been so much more especially since it was set up so well.. I think so many people are disappointed because it doesn’t hold up as well for the last book in a series but I’m just glad evajacks got their happy ending 🫠

#acftl #evajacks #ouabh #acftl theories #evangeline fox #caraval #jacks x evangeline #tbona spoilers #the ballad of never after #jacks prince of hearts #a curse for true love #acftl spoilers #stephanie garber

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fatedreader · 6 months

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Questions that remain after reading A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE 💘🦊🍎🏹

1. Significance of Jacks eating apples and the different colors

2. Vengeance’s cuff - is it still being worn by Eva?

3. The last broken heart scar - when if ever will the bargain be repaid?

4. Who was the first Fox Jacks fell for? And why wasn’t she named. No backstory or excerpt about her.

5. The Valor children and their backstories (especially the sons, and Vesper)

6. Who cursed the Valors into a sleeping state and locked them in the arch?

7. Did Jacks ever meet Eva’s parents in the curiosity shop? Why did the bell ring in OUABH prologue and for whom?

8. Who was the ghost librarian in the Valory library from TBONA?

9. What will become of the future in the North and of the side characters (Lala+Chaos???)

10. What happened to Luc, Tiberius and Marisol?

11. Will Evangeline stay in contact with the Dragna sisters? What will Donnatella’s reaction be?

12. Do all Fates have 2 hearts? Does that mean they are capable of feeling emotion as long as they have the second heart in them?How does one extract the second heart from one’s person - is there a cost to this magic?

13. How did the Ballad of the Archer and the Fox really end?

14. Why didn’t Eva and Jacks or Wolfric and Honora just obliterate the story curse? This would’ve made for an epic ending and I was expecting for something like this to happen.

15. What was the actual cause behind the end of Jacks’ curses? If the archer curse was lifted out of pure might and will (like with the first fox), then what made his kiss non-lethal to Eva? (Was it Vengeance’s cuff protecting her and recognizing Jacks’ intentions as non-harmful? Or was their first kiss, a true love’s kiss simply capable of breaking curses?)

16. Did Garrick of the guild of heroes just give up on hunting Jacks? Is Jacks still wanted in the North?? Will the Valors clear Jacks’ name or will the story curse just wipe it out? What about the massacre of House Fortuna - will that be dumped on Apollo now or will Castor’s vampire nature be brought to light by the Valors?

17. How will Valors relay the news of Apollo’s disappearance from the throne? Will they declare him a dead traitor/madman? And will they reveal their true identity as Valors or continue as Vales but assume power?

Comment if I missed anything that went unanswered (because there’s a lot) ⬇️

#acftl #a curse for true love #acftl spoilers #evajacks #tbona spoilers #tbona theories #ouabh #acftl theories #tbona

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rosesfox · 1 year

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sweet nothing

(this is a +18 oneshot evajacks. there’s smut and a lot of curse words, so read with caution. evangeline is eighteen in this fanfic and everything is perfectly consented ☺️)

this fic takes place shortly after they find out that evangeline can kiss jacks, so she is comfortable with her wants and desires. i don't think she's too out of character as she looked pretty comfortable kissing apollo lol

___________________🔥____________________

They said the end is coming, everyone's up to something. I found myself around and into your sweet nothings ♪

Evangeline's shoulders tensed and she placed her hands on Apollo's chest. She forced a smile as she pushed him away, and said:

“I'm not feeling very well tonight.’’ She forced a cough. “It must have been the rain I got in before I came here. Can we meet tomorrow morning?’’

Evangeline saw the impatience in Apollo's eyes, and for a moment she feared he was going to stay in the room against her will. But a smile crept onto his lips, and he gave her a chaste good night before leaving the room.

Evangeline sighed in relief before turning toward the closet.

“Have you lost your mind?’’

Jacks stepped out of the shadows with a grim expression. He had his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her.

“I needed to make sure you were safe.’’

“We've already talked about this.” She crossed her arms. “I'm perfectly safe, but that could change if Apollo finds you here and discovers our plans to defeat him.’’

"He was going to touch you." Jacks turned his head toward the door, an angry expression crossing his face as if Apollo was still there.

"He wasn’t..."

"He can't touch you, Evangeline." Suddenly, he was coming toward her. She took several steps back until she bumped against the dresser, her hands resting on his chest.

“He wasn't going to touch me.

“If he touches you, I'll break his arm." Jacks smiled then, one of those evil smiles that used to raise the hair on the back of her neck. "Do you want me to break his arm, Evangeline?"

She really hated the way her body reacted when he behaved like that.

Evangeline wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his golden strands against her fingers.

“You should know by now that the only person I want touching me is you.’’

She saw his expression change, and smiled as his hands grabbed her waist. Her heart filled with happiness when he touched her without hesitation, glad that she didn't have to hold back all the affection she wanted to give him.

They had discovered in the sweetest way.

When Jacks found he could kiss her, he looked disconcerted, as if he'd been presented with the most wonderful of gifts. For a moment, he looked like he didn't know what to do with himself, suddenly being able to feel something for someone without taking any risks. Evangeline, in turn, just smiled, she smiled because she always knew she could, always knew that the love between them was greater than any curse.

Then, he touched her as if she were made of glass; as if he were scared to break this precious gift. And when her lips touched his, it was as if she finally returned to the place to which she belonged.

Since then, they just didn't stop. At any time, Jacks clung her and stick his lips in hers as if he couldn't avoid, as if he couldn't be without her taste. And when there was no opportunity, he kissed her anyway. He stole kisses when she walked past him, when she was distracted, and when they were in the presence of Lala or Chaos, and especially Luc.

Sometimes things warmed. Evangeline wanted nothing more than submitting to that heat, but the moments weren't good. Once, she and Jacks had gotten to take some pieces from each other in one of Chaos's castle rooms, but his mother had come in and caught them in the act.

Now, on the other hand, they were free to give in to their wishes.

"You shouldn't say these things when we're so close to your bed." Jacks leaned down toward her, his lips incredibly close to hers as he brushed their noses together.

Evangeline felt her heart beat fast, as if she were dying, even though she knew she had never been more alive. Her cheeks were burning and her palms were sweating, but she didn't to hold back.

She had learned many things since arriving in the North. In a matter of months, her life had completely changed. Evangeline had fallen in love, had made friends and lived the most different experiences. She, too, had her heart broken, her memories erased, and she'd became a prisioner of mad prince who wanted to keep her and kill the one she loved. At that point, it didn't seem to make sense not to go all the way, not knowing when she would have another opportunity with Jacks. At that point, it didn't make sense to focus on all the things she still had to work out and all the stress she and her friends were going through. For the moment, she could just enjoy Jacks conveniently being in her room.

"You know that…" Evangeline paused, lifting her eyes to look directly at him. “If Apollo were still here, he wouldn't waste any time before pushing me onto the bed. Maybe I should call him again...

She started to walk away, but Jacks grabbed her body before pressing her against the dresser. She gasped as she felt all the hard parts of his body against the parts where she was soft.

"You know you shouldn't tease me, Little Fox." Jacks brushed his lips over hers again, before dragging them down to her ear. "Especially when your room is so close to your husband's room. You don't want him to hear you scream all night, do you?’’ And then, he bit her.

Evangeline moaned as she clung to his arm. In some surprising way, the idea of being so close to Jacks while Apollo was in the next room didn't bother her at all. If anything, it made her even more excited. After everything Apollo had put her through, including taking her away from Jacks for months, he deserved it. Evangeline might not be very good with revenge, but she would feel satisfied knowing that she did at least something that might make him upset.

"I thought it would be something you'd be excited to do, actually," she replied, leaning her body toward him. “After everything he's done, all the times he's kissed me and laid with me, I figured you'd love the retribution. In fact, knowing you can do even more than he ever did."

He smiled in the cruelest way possible before grabbing the back of her thighs and placing her on top of the dresser.

"With him, I'm going to be a little worse." Jacks moved closer, their bodies separated only by her thin nightgown. “I'm going to make him regret every time he's touched you, so breaking his arm would have seemed like a kindness.’’ His voice was filled with false gentleness as he caressed her, his hand roaming over her body as he looked deep into her eyes. “With you, making you scream will just be a bonus, because when I'm done you won't even remember his name.’’

Then, he took her lips. Evangeline could now attest with absolute certainty that a kiss from him would be worth dying for. It was the kind that made her forget everything, from her name to where they were. And when he parted her lips and deepened the kiss, she lost track of everything. There was nothing else but him and the way he kissed her, like a starving man presented with the richest of feasts.

She put her hands on the back of his neck, pulling him to her as she forced her hips against his in an almost desperate movement. Jacks moaned greedily before putting his hands on her waist, keeping her in place. He trailed his lips down her neck, one hand firmly on her waist while the other brushed the strands of her hair to the side so he could have as much access as he wanted. Then, Jacks spread kisses over her skin. Below her ear, in the center of her neck and above her breasts, interspersing them with small bites that made her moan and push her hips against his even with the strength of his hand.

"If you don't stop," he murmured against her neck, his hot breath against her skin. “If you don't stop, this will end sooner than it should.’’

Evangeline almost laughed, but then he brought his free hand up to one of her breasts and squeezed. She closed her eyes instantly, moaning against his lips and leaning her torso forward, wanting him to do more, wanting him to explore more. The hand that was on her waist reached for her other breast, and she whimpered once more, opening her eyes only to see him watching her with as much desire as anyone could ever have. As if he was delighted with her every reaction.

Without breaking eye contact, Evangeline lowered one of the straps of her nightgown, watching his eyes stray from hers to the swell of her breasts. He wasted no time. Jacks grabbed both straps and pulled them down, nearly tearing the fabric in the process.

Evangeline, of course, wore nothing underneath but her panties, and her cheeks flushed violently as Jacks stared down at her bare torso. He licked his bottom lip and caressed her waist before leaning down and taking one of her breasts in his mouth. Evangeline moaned, instantly grabbing his blond hair. Jacks sucked and licked as another hand moved up to her other breast, squeezing it and making Evangeline bite her lip hard to keep from crying out in pleasure.

Jacks repeated the process on the other breast before moving kisses up her collarbone, neck and lips. He placed small kisses on her mouth and cheeks, his hands roaming her thighs and hips before finding that sensitive spot between her legs.

Evangeline's lips parted involuntarily as he pressed a finger into her intimacy, her own fingers traveling from his neck to the muscles in his arm. She couldn't help but send her nails into his biceps as he explored that oh-so-sensitive part of her.

Jacks was watching her with interest, as if her every reaction was something very beautiful to watch, and Evangeline thought that she couldn't be any redder and more embarrassed than she was, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't control her body's reaction to his touches, the way her voice escaped her lips.

He then traveled his fingers down to the inside of her panties. Evangeline clung to his shoulders as if he were her own lifeline, shocked by the depth of pleasure she felt. Jacks' fingers pressed down on her clit before moving down to her opening, stroking the entire length before thrusting a finger inside her.

She then really screamed.

Jacks chuckled against her neck before saying, in a husky voice:

"Shhh... You don't want your husband to walk through this door and find us here like this... Or do you?" He thrust in another finger, making her grip tighter against him. "Does the idea of your husband seeing me fuck you turn you on as much as it turns me on, Evangeline?"

Evangeline wanted to assert, but she thought it would inflate his ego too much. Besides, she was lost in the pressure building in her womb, that sensation she liked that threatened to shatter her.

But then, Jacks pulled away completely.

Evangeline looked at him as if he had committed the worst of sins, making him laugh. She tried to bring him closer to her again, but he held her thighs too tightly.

Jacks pulled the fabric of her panties down, ripping the material in the middle. Then he brought her close to him, pulling her up before tossing her onto the bed with little gentleness.

For a moment, all he did was watch her. From her hair down to her feet, he watched her with such lust that she thought she blushed even more. Being vulnerable to his eyes like that was embarrassing, but at the same time the way he was looking at her turned her on in an indescribable way. Then he loosened his belt and removed his shirt.

Evangeline bit her lip to manage an unchaste smile before taking in the perfect shape of his body, the ridges of his abdomen and the way his body tapered at the hips. He was so beautiful; especially like this, with his lips swollen from her kisses, his golden hair tousled by her hands, and the marks of her nails on his strong biceps.

She almost sighed as she dropped to her knees on the bed, her body exposed to his as he watched her. Evangeline tugged at the waistband of his pants, sliding the material down his thighs as he grinned.

Jacks finished stepping out of the material, and in a moment of pure adrenaline she pressed her hand into the bulge of his boxers. It was his turn to close his eyes, and Evangeline let herself smile as she explored that part of him and watched him react with such pleasure. She then put one of her hands inside his underwear and felt his entire bulge in her palm.

That's when Jacks pushed her back onto the bed, and Evangeline actually laughed at his impatience.

He took off his boxers and climbed on top of her, parting her knees roughly and hooking himself between them.

‘’Are you sure?’’ Jacks asked, brushing a few stray hairs off her forehead.

Evangeline felt her heart melt at that affection, at his words, and she smiled before tilting his face down. She pressed her lips to his as she wrapped her legs around his waist, touching their intimacy. They both moaned at the contact, and Jacks brought one of his hands to his cock to position himself.

He then entered her at once.

Jacks squeezed his eyes shut, and Evangeline whimpered some more at the pain she felt at the moment. She held on to him, taking deep breaths to try to ease the pain as he waited to be able to move.

She could feel by the tension in his muscles that this wasn't easy for him, but he kissed her neck and shoulders to try to relax her.

And when at last she felt ready, and slightly impatient that he still wasn't moving, she pushed her hips against his.

Jacks moaned once more, gripping the sheets beside her head and started to move. He started slow, hard, going to the base and then withdrawing all the way, gradually increasing the pace of his thrusts until there was no rhythm at all. There was only his losing control, the lifting of her hips, their moans, the bed creaking and banging against the wall that shared Evangeline's room with Apollo's.

“You feel so fucking good, Evangeline,” he growled against her ear, his voice husky as he pressed her against the bed, grinding his hips into hers too hard. They kissed again and again as their bodies merged, he kissed her neck and squeezed her breasts, walked his hand over her body until he placed it on her knee, tilting it up and thus increasing his access to her.

Evangeline would have loved to focus on the way he looked ruthless, a little desperate, clutching at her body as if he wanted more, even though she was already giving him all she has. But she was too lost in her own pleasure, trying to hold in her screams when he reached unbelievable places inside her, biting her lips or her hands.

She actually lost track of time, writhing beneath him and sighing her pent-up cries. Jacks bent down again, biting his lips, neck, every bit of skin he could find before bringing his cheek to hers.

Evangeline screamed in pleasure as she felt her orgasm reach, the walls of her pussy writhing around him as she bit down on his shoulder to try and muffle the sound of her moan. Jacks let out a husky moan as he felt her tighten against him, thrusting a few more times before she felt him swell, spilling inside her.

He rested his head against her shoulder as he caught his breath, and she stroked his spine as she grinned goofily at the ceiling.

Evangeline was so, so happy.

“If Apollo heard this bed hit the wall, I'll be forced to put some employee at risk and say they were using one of the royal bedrooms.’’ She said, eliciting a chuckle from him as he pulled out of her and laid down next to her.

She loved seeing him smile, loved the sound of his laughter.

"I'll just love having a reason to tell him what really happened, Little Fox. Don't worry’’ Jacks winked at her as he pulled her to him and covered them with the blanket, muffling the sound of her laughter.

They had also gotten used to sleeping together. Ever since Evangeline had remembered their night together in the Hollow, she just didn't want to sleep anywhere but in his arms. Although they didn't always have the opportunity, she always tried to sneak over to where he was sleeping to lift the covers and sleep beside him.

His arms were always around her, pulling her to him instantly, and she slept contentedly secure.

#evajacks #evajacks smut #ouabh #tbona #acftl #evangeline fox #jacks prince of hearts

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apples-and-heartbreak · 2 months

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Anyone that says they hate Aurora Valor but says they loved Jacks since he appeared in Legendary I don’t trust. Do I like Jacks now? Yes. Do I find Aurora insufferable? Also yes. What Aurora does is very shitty and she is not a good person, however you cannot hate Aurora for doing the things you thought were hot when Jacks did them. She’s a very shitty person outside of these things and you have every right to hate her, I hate her as well especially for getting an innocent family killed just because she liked the attention of Lyric.

When Jacks appeared in Legendary, he was manipulative and cold and doing everything to get what he wanted. When he became obsessed with Donatella he hated that she could be in love with Dante, he wanted to keep her for himself like some sort of object or doll who revolved around him. He manipulated her and took away her free will so she would only ever want him. He was an insufferable pompous jackass who deserved what he got in Finale. Donatella should not have been forced to love him and be tricked into a marriage she had no knowledge of and had every right to break their bond.

Aurora fell in love with Jacks and hated that he was in love with the Original Fox. She cursed him twice so he would never be able to love someone without hurting them. She made it so the only person he could love was either her or no one. She used Apollo to keep Evangeline locked away and miserable so she would never go back to Jacks and when she realized that Jacks still wasn’t going to love her she let him rip out his heart and try to destroy it because if she can’t have him then no one can.

What both of them did is fucked up and they both wanted the same thing: someone that was obsessed with them just as much as they were obsessed with the other and they hurt so many people to get what they wanted and still failed in the end.

I’m not saying anyone should forgive Aurora for what she did, or trying to sympathize with her, I’m saying that if you liked or enjoyed what Jacks did to Donatella and find his actions hot, then why is Aurora any different? I say this as someone who likes Jacks but hated him in Caraval, it took me three quarters into OUABH to like his character because he’s a shitty person. What he did to Donatella was inexcusable and I put off reading OUABH specifically because of him. But then he had character growth and became a less shitty person (still not a good person, he’s very self-destructive at times which leads to him harming others).

#ouabh #tbona #acftl #jacks of the hollow #jacks the prince of hearts #aurora valor #evangeline fox #tella dragna #great poison talks

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lorcandidlucienwill · 4 months

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I just finished A curse for true love. Bro... I know we're supposed to hate Apollo, but you gave him a POV and justified his actions lol. And a lot of it made sense! He had the worst ending of all time and for what? I felt so bad for him, he was giving Tamlin lol. And some of the actions just felt super random as an attempt to make us hate Apollo, i.e. making him kill a random 14 yo. Like wtf? You expect me to believe he'd do that for no reason? He's not a Fate, lol.

I fucking HATE Lala. She is such a bitch for this line: “Bastard,” LaLa muttered. “I know princes are the worst, but I wanted to hope being cursed might do him a little good.”

Like hoe? You cursed him to constantly obsess over his wife and also be compelled to kill her and you thought it would "do him a little good?" Do you realize how awful you sound? And then she criticizes Aurora for doing the exact same shit as her lol. It's giving Mor but worse. Speaking of which, Aurora’s character is wasted potential. Why’d you make her obsessed with Jacks? Evangeline has no sense of self-preservation. Especially in book 3, she was sooo stupid. I'm sorry, I like main characters with a bit of a brain! I have reallyyyy mixed feelings about Jacks. I meant it when I said that scene at the end of book 2 made me fall for him but the dude is FULL of secrets. He ALWAYS has an agenda, an alternate motive. I liked it at first, it kind of felt consistent with his characterization as a Fate. But then it was just MADDENING. This is supposed to be a love story! I really think the author had Evangeline forgive him and Lala wayyyyy too easily while Evangeline somehow "couldn't forgive Apollo" even though she could "understand his actions." It felt like the author couldn't decide if she wanted to make Apollo a sympathetic character or the villain. And Evangeline reallyyyy should've got to stab Jacks once. Or twice. Or thrice. PLEASE the man was begging for it. And I wanted Jacks to suffer more. I wanted him to be absolutely MISERABLE and TORTURED. Maybe he was, but I wanted to FEEL it more. The author didn't do a great job of conveying it. I loved that scene at the end of book 2 because I could FEEL his pain. Anyway I know I'm gonna be unpopular for saying it, but Lala sucks and Apollo deserved better. Evajacks?? It's complicated. Also wtf happened to Marisol?

#evajacks #ouabh #a curse for true love #apollo ouabh #lala ouabh #evangeline fox #jacks prince of hearts

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maisha133 · 6 months

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ACFTL was disappointing

Okay so it is currently 1:41 AM and I have finished reading A Curse for True Love and I have been let down and just wanted to get my thoughts out

Jacks characterization was the biggest down fall; The book is basically about Evangeline pinning for Jack but I wished it was the other way around; Jacks finds out Evangeline lost her memories and avoids him because she believes he is dangerous and he gets pissed off and desperately tries to get her back. I think this change in story telling would have allowed so much character growth for Jacks considering the fact he is so cold and calculating and having him grow desperate to have Evangeline by his side shows how much she had affected him and also showcase his humanity/vulnerability in his desperation to have her by his side as opposed to being cold and indifferent which leads me to the next point

JACKS BEING AN ASSHOLE-Literally every Evakjacks scene starts like this Jacks says a sassy/asshole dialogue>save Evangeline>Evangeline swoons>Jacks goes back to being an asshole again. Now I get Jacks often puts out a cold front because he doesn't want to be too close to Evangeline and hurt her. But we are three books in and it is established that Jacks loves her. So I don't understand the unnecessary rudeness like ie coming in the middle of the night tossing clothes at her face as she is waking up and almost knocking her off the bridge (yes I am well aware he was never going to let Evangeline fall) but dang does he have to be rude all the time???? I wanted Evangeline to tell him off, all she needed to say was something like "Jacks stop being such a jerk and wasting my time " and he would have stopped. But no. Evangeline is constantly talking about how angelic his face is and how blonde his hair is. Jacks treat your girl better pls????

Evangeline and damsel in distress x 1000000 -damn my girl cannot catch a break literally everyone is trying to kill her. Now I am a firm believer that strong female characters don't have to be physical fighters and I am ok with Eva not being a fighter. However, I wish she would have gotten herself out of danger at times maybe just by using her wits or having a strategy? I got tired of seeing Jacks saving her. Yes he did teach her self defense but not much came out of that?

SO MANY MISSING PLOT POINTS- The bite of on Evangeline's wrist-does she owe Jacks a debt anymore? Luc? What about Evangeline's parents, what about her family's shop-does she not want to go back to Valenda?? Probably more I cannot think of right now.

Evangeline is not the first fox? Major disappointment in that. The first two books heavily implied that Evangeline was the first fox and there were so many hints regarding that ie Chaos telling Evangeline she looked like the first fox in TBONA and Jacks having volumes of the archer and the fox in his office (clearly he is not over the fox girl either) Also the fact he is over Donatella just like that?? Didn't she cause him so much heartbreak? Atleast having them talk it out would have helped to bring closure. Also are we never going to figure out who the first fox girl was? If not Evangeline? IDK it takes away the true love/soul mates aspect that drawn me to Evajacks in the first place imo

TOO MUCH APOLLO. I don't know why we got so many chapters of him, I rather had more chapters of Jacks and EvaJacks moments. Especially when it was established that he is the antagonist so I do not know why he was a main character when it really showed have been more about Evangeline and Jacks

No evajacks wedding-I am super bitter that we don't get to see Jacks and Evangeline having their wedding like in her dream

Overall, I think TBONA was 100/10, definitely the best book in the series. I still love this series to death and I am grateful for Stephanie for sharing her story with us. I just feel so underwhelmed from the ending, it sooo could have been better. I think the biggest problem is that the story was too complicated. Stephanie should have kept it straightforward>Evangeline is the reincarnation of Jack's true love and the first fox, Apollo is the bad guy, Jacks fights to be with Evangeline, they win and get married. Not everything has to be sophisticated. It’s okay if stories are predicatable, they just need to be good.

3.5/5

#evangeline #jacks #spoilers #evajacks #acftl #caraval #i am so sad its 2:05 am lol this story did not hit #myrants #i still love this series to death still enjoyed all the evajacks moments #loved the confession scene

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julietthereaper · 1 year

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A Not-So-Hollow Christmas

~ A PrinceFox fanfic ~

Author’s Note -

prompt I seen from @jackstheprinceofhearts ! their account is amazing, especially if you are in some desperate need for broken heart content. thank you for posting your wonderful prompt! It was too cute for me to pass up

this IS my first post on tumblr, although this fic will also be posted to my ouabh collection on wattpad (my handle is jennacanread if ur interested!). I haven’t read tbona since the release date so I hope no one’s too out of character?

(obviously) spoilers for tbona | minor uses of swearing | set during the Hollow chapters and briefly after the end of tbona | not canon compliant

Summary -

After discovering Jacks isn’t the biggest fan of Christmas, Evangeline plots to turn him into a festive softy, even if it means making a few extra deals with a Fate.

Evangeline always had a sixth sense, just like how bells did. Although her sixth sense wasn't nearly as helpful as it was for bells. She could sense it when she woke up that morning it was time to start celebrating her favourite holiday of the year.

Christmas.

She squealed giddily as she launched herself out of bed, choosing a pretty Christmas-red dress to get festive, her pink hair blending nicely with the red silk. Evangeline slipped on some gold jewellery to spice it up before heading to the main area in the Hollow.

When Evangeline passed by the dining room, Jacks was already sitting at the table, sipping on a mug of spiced cider. He arched an amused eyebrow at her. "What's got you grinning like a fox?"

Evangeline snickered lightly at his wordplay. "It's Christmas season!"

Jacks amused expression fell. "Oh, of course you're one of those people."

"You don't like Christmas?"

He set his mug down on the table. "It's all awful singing, terrible gifts that no one wants, and distasteful decorations."

Despite Jacks's bahumbug attitude towards the holidays, it did not dampen her mood. In fact, all that rang through her mind was challenge accepted.

Evangeline was going to make Jacks enjoy Christmas, no matter what it took.

She took hold of his cold wrist, tugging him up. "We need a tree."

"We already have some outside."

"A Christmas tree, Jacks. We need to go hunting for a Christmas tree. A big one, to fit in the main room."

"Absolutely not."

Jacks was, unsurprisingly, being difficult. Evangeline had planned for this. "Alright, Prince of Hearts. I'd like to make another deal."

"You haven't even completed your first one." Although his tone was low, his mouth stretched into a grin.

"Think of this like a side quest. What do you want in exchange for a Christmas tree?"

He hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head back slightly. Her heart picked up in speed. "Another night."

Evangeline's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. But before she could ask, he continued.

"Another night of you being mine."

Evangeline could have sworn her heart was going to explode from her chest.

Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea-

Evangeline hushed that voice in her head. She held out her hand. "Deal."

Jacks shook it. "Haven't you heard the warnings about making more than one deal with a Fate, Little Fox?"

"I'm choosing to ignore those warnings in favour of Christmas spirit."

Jacks bent his head to nibble the shell of her ear. "Bad choice."

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

It was the first time, Evangeline had realized, that she had been a distance from the Hollow since she arrived. They needed to find a Christmas tree farm so they could find the perfect tree.

Evangeline noted how rigid Jacks was beside her, his jaw was set, shoulders tight, and his gaze kept flicking towards her. Was there danger somewhere? Had she said something wrong since they left the Hollow?

Evangeline bumped him with her shoulder. "Why are you so tense?"

Jacks' eyes narrowed at her, blue eyes searching hers analytically. "Do you feel any different?"

"About what?"

His eyes fleeted to the sky a moment as they walked. "In general. Do you want to run away from me, Little Fox?"

Jacks was acting strange, and she didn't understand why. She tried to ease him with a joke. "Not anymore than usual."

He exhaled, breath visible in the chilled air around them. Jacks' lips formed a smile. His shoulders relaxed and his steps came more natural than soldier-reporting-for-duty.

Evangeline liked him a lot when he was happy. She tried not to. Tried telling herself that he was a Fate and it was such a bad idea.

Instead, she grabbed his hand.

Her mouth went dry and her head emptied as she realized what she had done, the only thing she could think about was his hand in hers.

Jacks removed his hand from hers quickly. "What are you doing?"

His words sent her mind in a panic. Despite the snow falling and how cold it was, hot embarrassment fled to her cheeks, face aflame. "I was just... forget about it."

Evangeline gnawed on her cheek, keeping her eyes ahead and refusing to look his way.

That was when rough fingers fiddled with her hand until both of their fingers were intertwined.

She looked up at Jacks. His eyes softened as he caught her gaze from the corner of his eye.

Her lips parted into a wide smile that Evangeline couldn't contain. Jacks was holding her hand. There was something so intimate about the action, it shushed all of the warning voices in her head. His palm pressed to hers warmly, their arms lightly swinging in unison.

Evangeline looked up from their hands to see Miller's Tree Farm.

"We're here!" Evangeline exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the sign with the hand that wasn't holding Jacks'.

"Alright, go pick one out." Jacks nodded towards the trees.

"You have to help, too. It's part of our deal."

He groaned as Evangeline tugged him forward.

"Come on, you stubborn prince!" She laughed, using her strength to drag him.

"Only because I never fail to uphold my ends of deals."

Evangeline secretly hoped that he actually wanted to pick out a tree with her.

"We have to find the perfect one, Jacks. It can't be any old tree. It has to be the tree."

"Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

"You'll know it when you feel it."

Reluctantly, Jacks trailed beside her, hands still attached as they walked through the farm. Evangeline spotted a pretty tree around the corner. She dropped his hand to dash towards it.

Evangeline heard him mutter Dead Saints, Little Fox, under his breath. She inspected the tree when she reached it, pine needles lightly prickling her hands as they moved along it.

A mischievous thought popped up in her head when she realized it wasn't the right tree. She bent down to scoop up some snow in her hand before Jacks reached her. She stood up abruptly, hiding the snow behind her back.

"What's wrong with this one?" Jacks looked it up and down.

"It's too tall. But that one over there..."

When Jacks turned his back to find the tree she nodded towards, Evangeline lanced the snowball at his fur doublet.

Jacks' body went still. He slowly turned around, lips parted as an offended demeanour took over his face. He tilted his head at her as Evangeline brought a cold hand up to her face, trying to stifle her giggles. She failed.

"You better run, pet."

A deep belly laugh emerged from her mouth as her feet sunk in the snow quickly. It slowed her down, but it didn't stop her from rushing away from him. She dodged trees, weaving in and out of them as she tried to escape Jacks.

The ice cold hit her back before the hard thump did. Evangeline squealed, her hand reaching at her back, freezing nipping at her hands. Melted snow slowly seeped through her cape as she turned around to see Jacks smirking proudly.

She quickly formed a snowball in her hands, whipping it at Jacks swiftly. He dodged it with ease before stalking towards her, already hitting her again with another snowball.

"No, no, no!" Evangeline eventually found a tree to hide behind, gathering her breath. She made another snow ball, waiting for Jacks to come from where he last seen her. But he wasn't in sight.

Her heart pounded in her ears as her eyes darted around the farm. A flash of blond hair emerged and Evangeline ran towards him. She threw the snowball at his side, but the moment it hit him Jacks tossed one at her in exchange, landing in the middle of her chest.

Jacks chuckled deeply, she imagined from how quickly her mouth drooped down.

"I wasn't even ahead of you for five seconds," Evangeline whined, walking towards him in defeat.

"Say it, Little Fox. I win."

She sighed. "You..."

Evangeline smooshed snow into his blonde hair. Jacks' mouth formed an o shape as his eyes squeezed shut, melted snow running down the back of his neck.

"...Are tied with me," Evangeline finished, flaunting a pearly grin in his face.

Jacks pulled her in by her waist, Evangeline's heart skipping a beat. "Trust me, pet, there will be another round, and you will lose sourly." One of his hands drifted to her rose gold hair, tangling it in his hand before tilting her head back. “And you’ll be sorry you pulled that stunt with the snow in my hair.”

His fingers massaged her scalp briefly, a challenge lit up in his eyes. Just as Evangeline began to respond, she peered up at the tree they were standing in front of. "This one, Jacks. It's perfect for the Hollow!"

He shifted his head to examine it. "You like this one?"

"It's the right size, it's branches are in lovely condition, and it has a nice memory tied to it."

"Then this is the one we'll get."

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

After Jacks used his magic to persuade the owner to ship the tree over to the Hollow for free, Evangeline attempted to persuade Jacks to get decorations for the tree.

"It's not a Christmas tree without ornaments, it's just a pine tree. You agreed to getting a Christmas tree."

"I taught you too well," Jacks grumbled, shoulders brushing as they walked into the town square.

Little sparks ignited everywhere Jacks touched her accidentally.

Evangeline beamed in success. "Enjoying Christmas yet?"

"No, still hate it.”

Town square was decked out in every inch with Christmas decor. Lights glowed everywhere, trees, pine or not, were littered with all different sorts of ornaments, tinsel was strung everywhere, and a small band was playing Christmas tunes beneath a street lantern.

Evangeline took it all in, joy filling her up from head to toe.

"The North takes Christmas pretty serious."

She twirled around, delighting in the festivity. "You're from here. What has Christmas ever done to you to make you such a scrooge?"

Jacks shook his head. "Why do you like it so much?"

"Stop deflecting the question."

"I'm not. I'm giving you the answer."

Evangeline worried her bottom lip between her teeth as they neared a shop selling decorations. "It gives everyone a reason to be merry. You get to spend time with your family, give and get gifts, amazing food, silly carols, funny, romantic kisses under the mistletoe..."

Evangeline realized why Jacks did not like Christmas.

"By all means, Little Fox, keep going. I just love those funny, deadly kisses underneath the mistletoe. It's a romantic experience as women drop dead in front of me." He gave her a wicked twist of his mouth, as if he enjoyed killing women, as if it truly didn't affect him. Jacks didn't even touch on the matter of family.

But Evangeline noticed his eyes. Her father used to tell her how you found people's truths; in their eyes. She seen the forced smile in them, the hurt hidden behind it.

"Jacks-"

"We're at your ornament shop."

Evangeline exhaled deeply, kicking the snow off her boots on the steps of the store before entering. Jacks did not have the same care about trekking snow in the store.

"Pick out some ornaments for the tree," Evangeline urged him, searching for pretty ones too.

"That wasn't part of our deal." Jacks side eyed her.

She turned so that she was directly facing him. "Please, Jacks."

He stared at her intently, but she did not break his gaze.

"I'll make you cookies," Evangeline offered brightly.

Jacks looked away, groaning. "For Fates' sake."

She clapped, knowing he gave in to her. "Pick out some pretty ones!"

As he walked away from her and to a different part of the store, he tossed his head over his shoulder. "They better be good cookies."

There was an extra pep in Evangeline's step as she walked around the shop, finding some lovely green and red ornaments. She stuffed the box underneath her arm and continued her search.

Fake icicles caught her eye, and Evangeline was entranced by them. They glittered when light hit them at the right angle, reflecting little rainbows. She tucked those under her arm too.

After getting a basket and finding a few other ornaments, including a star topper, Jacks returned to her.

He only said one word. "These."

Evangeline peeked inside the box, eyes widening at his choice of blue and pink ornaments. There were even little foxes painted on some of them.

"Aw, these are adorable!"

Jacks glared at her. "Call them adorable one more time. I dare you."

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

After popping cookies into the oven at the Hollow, Evangeline spent the rest of her evening decorating the Christmas tree. The minute she tried to convince Jacks to help her, he scoffed not this time, Little Fox, and strutted away.

Although he was hiding it well, Evangeline knew Jacks was starting to warm up to Christmas. Even if it was just the smallest hints of it, it was still something. But her challenge wouldn't be completed until Jacks truly enjoyed Christmas.

After placing the last of the tinsel and ornaments on the tree, it was time for the star.

Evangeline set her hands on her hips, contemplating how she would reach the top. She tried jumping, she tried dragging a chair over, but it was still just out of reach.

"What, pray tell, are you trying to accomplish?" Jacks leaned against the door way to the main room, arms crossed as he regarded her amusedly.

"I'm trying-" Evangeline hopped, "to reach-" she leapt, "the top!" She ran out of breath.

She came to the realization that Jacks might put the star on top for her. He would decorate the tree with her!

Maybe.

"As much as I'm enjoying you bouncing all over the place, there's a much easier approach to this, Little Fox."

"Uh huh," Evangeline raised her eyebrows challengingly. "And what's that?"

Jacks took four large steps towards her, and when she thought he was going to take the star from her hand, he grabbed her waist gently, lifting her up and on top of his shoulders.

Evangeline let out a gasp, heart picking up again.

"Hurry up, your dress is in my face." Jacks' voice came out muffled.

Her thighs were also around his neck.

Evangeline quickly placed the star on top, breathing quickly. "I'm done!"

He placed her back on the floor, brushing a cool finger over her cheeks. "It's so easy to make you blush."

Evangeline poked his nose in turn, Jacks swatting her hand away. "Admit it. You're beginning to like Christmas."

"Has this become a personal mission for you, pet?"

A quiet ding interrupted them.

"The cookies!" Evangeline grinned, rushing to the kitchen, slipping on a pair of oven mitts and removing them from the oven.

She stepped back, admiring her work.

"Christmas cookies?" Jacks' tone was flat and unamused.

Despite how hot the cookie was, Evangeline picked one up between her fingers, ignoring the slight burn. "Ha! Look, it's Santa."

Jacks darted his head quickly towards her and took a large bite out of the cookie she held. "Headless Santa now," he mumbled as he chewed on the sugar cookie.

"Fiend," Evangeline retorted.

Jacks reached for another one, but Evangeline smacked his hand. "I need to decorate them!"

"Someone's going on the naughty list. It's not nice to hit people, Little Fox."

"It's not nice to bite cookies out of people's hands, Jacks."

"I'm already on the naughty list, why should I care?"

"Shoo, unless you're going to help me decorate these."

"I'd almost mistake you for a Fate with how many deals you're trying to make." Jacks walked away, obviously not interested in decorating.

Evangeline sighed. She picked up the bag of icing she'd prepared earlier, piping little designs onto her first cookie. Her festive mood was beginning to dampen. Jacks really wasn't going to come around to Christmas, was he? Of course, no matter how hard she tried, she failed. He was a Fate after all. Why had she expected Jacks to look at Christmas different for her?

One decorated cookie later, strong arms wrapped around her waist and a head leaned against her shoulder, the smell of apples and something distinctly male filled her senses. Evangeline could have melted into his touch, despite her earlier frustration.

"I thought you didn't want to decorate. You know, since you despise Christmas."

"Hush, Little Fox, or I might change my mind."

Evangeline couldn't fight the smile on her face. He grabbed the icing bag, still leaning on her shoulder and reaching through her waist. Jacks tried to pipe a design, but he squeezed too hard, a bunch of icing coming out at once. He growled.

Evangeline giggled. "Here, I'll squeeze, you keep your hands on mine, guiding the bag, okay?"

Jacks grunted in acknowledgment, placing his hands over hers. He guided her slowly, drawing little snowflakes on the snowman shaped cookie.

A warm feeling rose through Evangeline. "Next one."

This time it was a tree. Jacks drew ornaments and lights, actually taking it seriously. They continued like that until all the cookies were decorated, and Evangeline couldn't have cared less that she only decorated one. She was elated that Jacks had partook in something festive without motivation. It also helped his hands were on hers and how his body fit with hers.

He set down the piping bag, grabbing her hand and twirling Evangeline around, leaning her against the counter. "Happy?"

"You have no idea."

Jacks leaned in close, close enough that they were breathing the same breaths. His lips were dangerously close to hers. "Remember your part of the deal."

Another night of you being mine.

Evangeline hadn't a problem with it. She was already his, anyway.

"I couldn't forget."

Jacks laced his fingers with hers again, leading her to his room. On their way, Evangeline pulled him to a stop.

"Mistletoe, Jacks."

He looked up quickly at the strategically placed mistletoe above their heads. His eyes creased with worry. "Little Fox-"

Evangeline stood on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, letting her lips linger on his cool skin. She hadn't known whether or not a lip-on-lip kiss would follow them outside the Hollow, and she didn't want Jacks to have to deal with that guilt, so she opted for his cheek instead. Evangeline had desperately wanted to feel his lips against hers. She wanted to have a true mistletoe experience with Jacks. But, as fate allowed, Evangeline would settle for a peck on the cheek.

"There," Evangeline whispered as she pulled away. "Now you have a pleasant memory under the mistletoe."

Jacks looked at her, really looked at her, with a vulnerability in his eyes that he rarely showed. His arms engulfed her and his head buried in her pink hair.

"When we leave here for good, Little Fox, please do not forget this."

"I'll never forget this," she mumbled into his shirt.

He pulled away to look at her. "Mine."

"I'm yours," Evangeline repeated as she had a few nights ago.

Jacks scooped her up, carrying her to his bedroom, holding her close to his chest. She loved how delicately he held her, how careful he was.

When they reached his room, Jacks tugged on the hem of her dress in question.

Evangeline nodded wordlessly.

He lifted it off of her, leaving Evangeline in solely a tiny slip that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Although she was sure Jacks had seen much more of her when he bandaged her up a few nights ago. She reached for the buttons of his shirt, popping them off until the item of clothing was removed completely.

Jacks then laid her down, falling on the bed beside her.

Evangeline brushed a soft lock of blond hair from his face. "I know you hate Christmas for good reasons, Jacks. But the holidays are about spending time with people you care about. I know how good you are at hiding it, but I think deep down, you care about me, at least a little bit. So I hope I changed your mind about Christmas."

Jacks knotted his hands in her hair, bringing her head close. "I care about you a lot." He frowned. "More than I should."

Evangeline's eyes fluttered closed. "I care about you too."

"I know."

Their limbs began to tangle together as they shifted in the bed. Jacks held her as if she was about to be ripped from his grasp. Evangeline nuzzled her head in his chest, letting herself lull to sleep.

"Little Fox?"

"Mm?"

"Christmas isn't so bad."

"Jacks!" she whined against his skin.

"Fine. I like spending Christmas with you."

Jacks’ reluctant words reverberated through her head a million times. Finally. Evangeline had warmed him up to the holidays, even if it took a bit out of her. It made her cheeks hot that she knew she was the reason for his new take on Christmas.

She tilted her head up to look in his eyes. “I knew you’d come around.”

“Don’t you dare start up carolling, pet, or I will take back my previous statement. The tree in the main room will be destroyed before you wake up in the morning if you pipe up with those god awful tunes.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of annoying Jacks of the Hollow.”

His hand smoothed over her hair idly and his voice was soft from tiredness. “Good.”

Evangeline waited until his eyes fluttered shut before murmuring quietly, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly fa-la-la-la-la-”

The hand that had been in her hair moments before clamped over her mouth. “Shut up,” Jacks groaned.

She laughed behind his hand, amused by his distaste for carols. Once her giggles died down, he removed his hand and closed his eyes again.

“‘’Tis the season to be jolly-”

Jacks rolled them over so that she was underneath him, his chest over top of her mouth. Despite her voice being incredibly muffled, she still sang.

“Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.”

“Are you done yet?” Jacks moved into a plank position, uncovering her mouth.

“Maybe.”

“You are insufferable.”

Evangeline smiled brightly at him. “Will you change your mind if you found out I got you a present?”

One of his eyebrows raised. “When?”

“When you weren’t looking. It isn’t much, but it’s something.” Evangeline shifted to reach beside the bed, pulling the small box out of her dress pocket. “Merry Christmas, Jacks.”

Evangeline didn’t think she’d ever seen his features so soft. Blond eyebrows knitted together, and his eyes regarded the present with a delicacy he’d only ever used with her. He moved them so that they both sat up, hands carefully holding the box she handed him. She bit her lip in anticipation of his reaction.

“Open it!” She urged, hoping he wouldn’t hate the gift inside.

Jacks pulled the ribbon around the box until it untied, popping the lid open and peering inside. His lips curved into a smile.

“I couldn’t think of what to get you, but you’re always dressing fancy, so when I saw those golden apple cuff links, I immediately thought of you.” Evangeline watched as his finger brushed over the cuff links curiously. “Everyone deserves a Christmas present, no matter how far down they are on the naughty list.”

His eyes flashed to hers, amusement laced in his expression. Still, Jacks hadn’t said a word.

“Well? Do you like them?” Evangeline demanded, palms beginning to sweat. She hoped from the bottom of her heart he adored them. That every time he would wear them, he’d think of her. His Little Fox.

“I do.”

Jacks spoke those two words with so much gentleness, yet so much force that made Evangeline believe there were a billion other things he wanted to say.

He set his gift on his nightstand, pulling Evangeline back down into a lying position. Jacks moved his lips over her neck, sucking and biting at her skin. She let out a moan at the feeling, at how fast he could send her brain into a frenzy.

“Thank you, Little Fox.” His words tickled her neck.

She hadn’t thought him capable of the words thank you.

“I’m glad you like them,” she whispered back.

Evangeline swore to never forget how soft he was at the Hollow. With her. How his expression turned so breathtaking when he looked at his present. At her. How badly Evangeline had wished she was his true love. She finally let herself fall asleep, a deathly pair of lips on her mind as sleep claimed her.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Jacks looked up at the winter night sky sourly, wondering if the stars were laughing at him. How many times had they watched happily ever after be wretched from his hands so despicably?

This one hurt the most.

His teeth clashed together as Jacks grind his jaw, thinking of the way Evangeline had been taken from him. Jacks had briefly pondered over if things could have been different if he’d realized Donatella hadn’t meant to him what he thought she did sooner.

He’d never loved Donatella. She was never his true love. That Jacks was sure of, he felt it all the way down to his cold bones.

Evangeline. Sweet Evangeline.

Nothing had ever meant as much to him as his Little Fox did.

Jacks touched his golden apple cuff links, taking a small comfort in how the cold metal felt against his finger. He had many regrets over all of the things he never said to Evangeline. He especially wished he’d told her how much the gift meant to him. How much she meant to him.

No one had given him anything remotely close to a present in centuries. Jacks couldn’t even remember the last time someone had did something selfless for him, like giving him a present. It meant Evangeline cared about him, almost as much as he cared for her.

She hadn’t even done it in the presence of the Mirth stone. She’d been far from it when retrieving his cuff links. Evangeline had simply wanted to give him a Christmas gift.

Jacks was taken from his thoughts as the crunching of boots trekking through snow hinted at his ears. He turned towards her, hidden by the brick building beside him and the darkness it provided.

She sniffed loudly, the back of her hand coming up to wipe her nose.

“Nothing makes sense,” she cried to the sky. “Things aren’t adding up, no matter how hard I try. Every time I think I start to remember something important, it’s like I run into a wall!”

Jacks wanted to go to her, pull her close, whisper in her ear that it would be alright. How he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He’d torture whoever tried to lay a finger on his Little Fox.

“Apollo says he loves me, and I love him, even if I can’t remember. But… that feels like a kind of thing that the heart would remember. I just feel so alone. So empty. I don’t even know if I should trust him. He is my husband, so I should.”

Evangeline kicked the snow in frustration. “I don’t even know who I’m talking to. The stars?” She laughed humourlessly. “It just truly feels like I have no one.”

You have me, Little Fox.

Evangeline spun around. “Who said that?”

Fuck. He hadn’t meant to project his thoughts.

“Hello?”

Jacks closed his eyes, leaning into the wall so Evangeline couldn’t see him. When he first discovered she didn’t remember him, Evangeline became terrified of him. He was a fool to think Time let him off of the hook for how much pain he suffered. A bloody fool.

Jacks swore to himself he’d do whatever it took to return Evangeline’s memories to her. He would disembowel whoever had done this to her. Jacks vowed to become their worst nightmare. He would become the exact monster the stories about Fates made him out to be.

He heard Evangeline sigh. “Now I’m crazy, too.”

He felt sick for her. Jacks knew this was ultimately better than her being dead, but why couldn’t he just be happy for once? Jacks always knew Time would never have allowed them to exist, he should have never let himself hope that it might be different.

Hope. Hopeful Evangeline.

Jacks remembered when he was like her. Back before he realized he was never meant to be happy. Not for long, at least.

But he was happy with her. It was why he knew, in the end, they would never work. Curses couldn’t be deceived. They knew the truth. No matter how much one tried to hide it.

It was one week and one day from the end of Cold Season, marking it Christmas Eve. In a perfect world, he and Evangeline would be at the Hollow, curled up by the fireplace. Jacks would be kissing her breathless, and her heart would still be beating, beating fast for him. His would do the same.

He’d get her a gift that she’d squeal about, blushing furiously like the helpless romantic she was. They would both be happy together.

Instead they were here, in this awful mess.

“Evangeline, my heart, there you are!”

Jacks had felt the overwhelming urge to slash a knife through Apollo’s throat, to watch him beg and bleed mercilessly for how he was taking advantage of his Evangeline-

“Apollo! Sorry, I just… wanted to catch snowflakes on Christmas Eve.”

Apollo wrapped his arms around Evangeline’s waist, pulling her flush against him. Jacks should have walked away, saved himself from this pain. But it was as he told Evangeline before; broken hearts constructed masochists.

Apollo laughed. “How darling you are. Come inside, we’re about to sing holiday carols by the piano.”

Jacks remembered when Evangeline sang for him. She did it to annoy him, but Jacks always looked forward to her pushing his buttons. He would listen to every foul, off pitch, Christmas carol Evangeline sung if it meant that she would remember him.

Jacks had a fleeting idea.

Don’t trust him, Little Fox. He is not your friend. He is not your lover-

“That sounds lovely, Apollo.” Evangeline’s words were loud and held a warning to them.

It meant she heard him.

He just hoped she would listen.

Jacks really needed to stop hoping.

He watched as Apollo led Evangeline inside, a wet sensation trailing down his cheek as Jacks’ eyes burned.

Using the back of his palm to rub at it, his eyes quickly caught the gold flecked blood that now stained his skin. Jacks hadn’t even realized he was crying.

His breath shook as he inhaled. He closed his eyes, the image of Evangeline flashed before him. Jacks imagined her saying don’t lose hope, Jacks. Not when you just got it back.

There was nothing of equal value to him than her. He established that already. Jacks needed to get a grip of himself.

He would find Honora. She would be the best person to go to when it came to cures to curses like this. Although every time he seeked Honora’s help, it always ended miserably. Fate be damned. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Jacks would rack in his favours he built up over the years, and fuck it, Jacks was going to hope.

His fingers traced over his apple cuff links.

This Christmas would not be his and Evangeline’s last.

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