Author's Note: I am seriously irritated today, guys. First of all, my internet won't stop being an asshole and cutting out on me without warning, thus making uploading stuff extremely difficult. But also, my "t" on my keyboard has decided to be stupid as well. So I've done my best to make sure all of the t's in this chapter are there. Please forgive me if there are some typos. Enjoy!

Warning: Hooray for smutty Monday! Yeah... that's pretty much all that needs to be said.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Rise of the Guardians.

Cold

Sarah groans and pulls her comforter over her head, wishing the misery would just end. Her head felt like it was splitting and it was impossible to breathe out of her nose. Not only that, but her cheeks felt on fire while the rest of her body was freezing. She tries to sniff and feels like crying when it causes her head to pound and her nasal membranes just vibrate painfully, not allowing any air to move through them.

She couldn't even remember the last time she had been sick. She didn't even have any allergies. But it seemed as if her body was catching up on all of her healthy years and torturing her with the worst flu of her life. She reaches a hand out from under the blanket, attempting to keep the warmth in, and feels around the top of her nightstand for the bottle of cough syrup. She knocks it off in her blind search and growls, resisting the urge to punch something. No point in adding a broken hand to her list of hindrances. She had already e-mailed her professors to tell them that she was sick. She didn't need to be unable to actually work when she returned to her classes. Sarah buries her head into her pillow again and just tries to sleep without the aid of the medicine. If she was lucky the flu would dissipate when she woke up the next morning, though it didn't seem likely. She hears a tapping against her window and tries to ignore it, but it continues until the squeaky hinge is moved.

x~x

Jack was surprised not to see Sarah in her class when he flew by her college building. She usually had perfect attendance, which was why she was so angry when he froze her car doors shut to keep her home. His eyes bounce around the room to each student before he checks the parking lot for her car. When he is certain that she isn't anywhere on the campus, he flies to her house, somewhat worried. There was no telling what had happened to her, but if it kept her out of class, it was bad.

He stops at her window and his eyes narrow on the lump on the bed covered by a thick comforter. It wasn't moving much and the floor around the bed was littered with used tissues, making it look as if the carpet was completely white and fluffy. He taps on the window but the lump on the bed doesn't move. He tries again with the same result, and quickly opens the window to step into her room. He walks toward her bed, taking in the tissues and pain killers on the nightstand. His eyes rake over the cough medicine on the floor and he instantly knows that she is sick. That explains the sea of tissues.

"Uh, baby?" He uses one of his favorite pet names for her in an attempt to get her to stir. He pokes the silent and still lump, and then smiles when he gets a tired groan in response. "You okay in there?"

"I'm dying, Jack. Go away." She whines, and her voice sounds terribly congested.

"You're not dying." Jack says soothingly. He sits on the edge of the bed where he is sure he won't squash her and rubs what he hopes is her back. She finally moves and peeks up at him from underneath the blanket. He grimaces at the sight of her flushed cheeks and watery eyes. "Though you are starting to look like it." She glares at him as best she can before she sneezes, shaking the bed with the force. "Aww." Jack brushes a hand over her forehead and hisses at the heat. "You have a serious fever."

"I feel like I'm freezing." She says in response, and sits up sluggishly. She grabs another tissue to blow her nose and Jack watches helplessly. "This is all your fault, you know."

"Me?" Jack's eyes widen.

"Yes. Your freaky temperature makes my immune system suck. I haven't gotten a single cold in over seven years. I start dating you and a year later I have the plague!" She points to his chest angrily and he takes her hand up to his mouth, kissing it lightly with a smile. Her glare lightens slightly but then she sighs, bringing on another round of coughing. "Not only do I sound like I'm going through puberty and look like Rudolph, but I'm missing class."

"They're fine without you. I saw you weren't there so I decided to check on you. And you sound fine." He assures her. "And the nose is kind of adorable." Said feature scrunches up in annoyance and Sarah just shakes her head, trying to ignore the headache it causes. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"No. It's just the flu. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I thought you were dying." Jack smirks as she slaps at him in annoyance, a sure sign that she wasn't feeling too bad to still tell him to knock it off. He reaches over and hugs her despite her discomfort from his temperature, and kisses the top of her head. "Have you had anything to eat?"

"No." Jack smiles and releases her, getting up from the bed and heading to the kitchen.

"Jack?" He turns at her question and he smiles at her from the doorway.

"I'm getting you some lunch."

"But you can't cook." Sarah says, frowning.

"So? You won't be able to taste it anyway with your plugged nose." She glares at him and gets up wearily from the bed.

"Even high on cold medicine I can still cook better than you." She says, and moves past him to go to the fridge.

Upon inspection however, she sees that there are no leftovers. While she had been telling the truth about her cooking ability, she really didn't want to cook. Cool lips kiss the back of her neck and she shivers, closing the fridge door.

"You could always order out." Jack says from behind her, his arms snaking around her waist. She smiles as she turns in his hold, her hands going to his shoulder.

"Junk food is the worst thing you can eat when you're sick. You're supposed to drink lots of juice and water, and eat chicken noodle soup and crackers."

"That's no fun."

"It's the rule." Sarah shrugs, pulling away from him. "If I'm going to make soup, you're going to help me."

"What?" Jack laughs. "I thought you said you could cook better than me while high on cold medicine?"

"Right. The result would be better than yours, but it wouldn't be great. I need your help." She moves over to the cupboard where the cookbooks are and grabs one, flipping to the page with classic chicken noodle soup.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Go over the recipe for me to make sure I'm putting everything in the right amounts." Sarah then grabs a large pot from the cupboards and begins to lift it onto the stove, but she suddenly gets lightheaded and loses her grip on it. Thankfully Jack is right there and he takes it from her to set it safely on top of the burner. "Thanks."

"I'll tell you what. I'll do the dangerous parts like the cutting and dealing with the fire. You just read off the ingredients to me.

"Fine." She didn't really have much of a choice. She could easily hurt both of them as out of it as she was. "We need noodles, broth, celery, carrots, onions, garlic-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Jack laughs, and she blushes for the first time not because of her illness. It makes him smile, and they start searching the kitchen for the necessary ingredients.

They continued to cook together, filling the kitchen with the smells of herbs and poultry. Between the two of them they managed to make a pretty tasty meal, and the hot soup warmed Sarah up from the inside out. The homemade meal seemed to help her flu symptoms to disappear, but Jack's company was what made her smile and forget that she had been sick in the first place. The only thing that was bringing her mood down was the splashes of food all over the stove, countertops, and even the floor.

"Now I see why you don't try to cook." Sarah says from her position at the sink. She is scrubbing out the main pot that they had cooked in, the rest of the dishes drying in the rack on the counter, which was still covered with evidence. Jack glares at her playfully from his spot on the floor.

"I told you!" He says. "Besides, I wanted to order pizza." Sarah scoffs and grabs the hose connected to the faucet, pointing it at him and pulling the trigger. It douses him in water, and Sarah laughs as he jumps up and lets out a yelp, raising a hand to block the stream from his face. He instantly leaps at her and she screams, trying to escape. However, he is too quick and he tackles her to the floor, making sure to take most of the impact, and grabs the hose to direct it at her head in retaliation. She laughs and screams more when one of his hands begins to tickle her at the same time, and she pushes herself out of his grasp and runs into the living room. Jack catches up to her again and scoops her up to toss her onto the couch before moving over her. Now they are both out of breath from laughing so hard, their clothes soaked from the water. Jack can't keep his eyes from taking in her transparent shirt, her nipples clearly visible. "Sarah."

She smiles at him and reaches up to pull his head down, her lips locking with his. He lets out a pleasurable sound and she allows her tongue to sneak out against his lips. He smirks against her mouth and their tongues meet in a sensual dance, Sarah's hands beginning to remove his soaked sweatshirt. He pulls it off for her and moves to work on her pants as she removes her shirt. As she wasn't expecting company, she didn't wear a bra, so his hands immediately cover her breasts. She sighs as his fingers tease her nipples, and then his mouth leaves hers and travels to one of her nipples. He looks up at her from her chest and she locks her eyes on his, begging him.

"Please, Jack." He sucks on her nipple and squeezes her other breast roughly, making her gasp. Her hands make their way to his hair and she feels his other hand move down her body. He strokes her thighs softly, letting his fingertips graze her just enough to make her arch into his touch. Jack moves his hand between her legs softly before he teases her clit, putting pressure on it and making her moan. She grips his hair tightly and lifts his head from her breasts, making him glance at her in confusion. She just smiles and pushes his hand away from her thighs, pushing him down onto his back. Before he can say anything she climbs on top of him, her knees on either side of his waist, and reaches down to grasp him. She pumps him twice, watching his eyes shut tightly for a moment, and then sinks down onto him, moaning.

Sarah opens her eyes, not even realizing that she had closed them, and shivers at the pure lust that is in Jack's expression. He stares up at her, his hands resting on her thighs. She smiles back and leans forward to kiss him, her damp hair falling over her shoulder to brush his chest. He moans as her hips shift over his, and when she comes back down Jack drives his hips upwards. She gasps loudly as his tip hits her cervix, sending stabs of pain and pleasure through her. She stares at him in disbelief, and he just smirks at her, continuing the motion. Why have we not done this position before? She moans and her head falls backward, her mouth dropping open. She felt so full and the mix of slight pain with pleasure was amazing. She never wanted it to stop.

"Ugh… so good." Jack groans, and she begins to bounce on top of him, placing her hands on his chest for leverage. His fingertips dig into her skin, urging her to continue. Her moans increase in volume and she feels one of his hands move to put pressure on her clit along with his thrusts.

"Oh yes! Ahh, Jack!" Her orgasm rips through her from the extra stimulation and a scream leaves her as he speeds up his thrusts to prolong the pleasure. When he finally cums it is with Sarah's name on his lips, and she moans at the coldness that fills her, catching her breath. His ice blue eyes open again and he is staring at her almost reverently. She laughs and then she notices that her nose is more open that it had been all day. "Hey, I can breathe again." He laughs as well and sits up on his elbows.

"See? All you needed was a little exercise."

"Mmmm, nah I think it was the soup." Sarah teases, and at his pout she leans forward again and nips his lower lip. He grips the back of her head and moves his lips across hers, and she sighs. "Thank you, Jack."

"I don't know. I don't think you're quite cured yet…"

"Nice try. But we still have a mess in the kitchen to clean up." She kisses his chin and hops up, trying to ignore the temptation to continue their sensual dance.

"Fine. But when it's sparkling clean I'm going to make sure you get back into bed."

"To make my flu go away faster, I'm sure." Sarah smirks over her shoulder at him, and he returns it.

"Exactly…"

Author's Note: Okay folks, I hate to say it, but that's it for Jack and Sarah... no I'm kidding! But it is the end of this story. The sequel will be posted early tomorrow morning, and I have to admit that I'm really nervous about it. You will see why...