Frozen 1. A New Beginning

**A/N: **Welcome to the first chapter of what is sure to take up the majority of my free time. This is an Elsanna fic, and will contain darker themes in later chapters with a few triggers. I'll be sure to put a warning in the chapters what hold them, but you've been warned. Constructive criticism certainly welcome.

'Aleks', short for 'Aleksandra' is essentially the early concept design of Elsa when she was still the evil snow queen. The reference I used for the character can be found on my profile.

Big thanks to jimbabwe88 for giving me that last bit of reassurance to write this thing. You rock, man! Thank you again.

Standard disclaimer that I don't own anything, it all belongs to Frozen and Disney.

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"Come on, Elsa. You know it won't be _that_ bad."

The feminine voice came from the other side of the car, brisk and with a faint undertone of worry. Elsa shifted in her seat and turned to look out of the passenger side window. There were dark clouds in the sky as the midday sun struggled to break through the cover. It had been raining off and on all day so far and it probably wasn't finished. Which meant it would probably grow even more humid. _Great._ The thought of rain and possible storms caused Elsa to tense a little before turning back to the source of the voice.

"I know, Aleks. But this is a big step for me. For _us_." Her reply shook with worry near the end as Elsa offered a half smile to try and lighten the mood a little. Aleks brought a hand off of the wheel to scratch the back of her head tussling the short, midnight black hair that Elsa always thought made her twin look like an anime character. But was a stark contrast to her own platinum blonde hair, and one of the few physical differences that set them apart. She turned her head to meet Elsa's gaze and offered her own half smile in response. "Yeah I know. But don't you worry. If anyone messes with you, I'll be right there to beat their ass into a tiny quivering pulp." The statement was very direct and Elsa knew she was serious by the way her eyes widened as the word "pulp".

Elsa wondered how they managed to get themselves into this predicament. Here they were, in their shared car on the way to start the next chapter of life. They were to be college freshman and the very thought of it petrified the blonde. She pursed her lips and brought her knees to her chest before resting her head on top of them. The soft denim of her jeans almost felt cool on her chin and it brought a little comfort to the inner turmoil inside her. As they turned another corner, the green blur of the passing trees caught her attention before she shifted her eyes back to the sky. The sun was hardly visible now as it seemed to be losing the battle against the dark clouds above. _How fitting. I'm sure there's some sort of metaphor or analogy here. _Elsa shook her head before turning back to her sister, extending her arm to fix the few random hairs on the back of her head that were misplaced when she scratched. She also adjusted the light blue hair band she wore. _I'm not too sure why she even wears that. Her hair is short enough that it just kind of works it's way out when she runs her hand through it. Always framing her face perfectly in the front and nearly straight up in the back._

"It wouldn't be so bad if I knew the person I would be sharing a room with for the year." Elsa stared blankly at the dash and brought her voice down to barely an audible whisper. "I wish we could rearrange this entire situation." She brought her forehead to her knees and let out a sigh. That thought bothered Elsa, because she really didn't know who she would be sharing a room with. They weren't able to register in time to be able to request their own roommate. They barely even made registration at all, and the only dorms available were two separate ones who previously only had one resident. What if her roommate was messy? What if they were completely rude and inconsiderate? What if they left clothes all over the place? All these questions were circling in her head and it did not make her feel any better of the situation. She didn't even know the gender of her to-be roommate. Did they even allow opposite genders to share a dorm? She couldn't remember. Instead she lowered her legs and stuck her hands in the red hoodie she was wearing before blowing the platinum blonde fringe from her eyes.

Aleks noticed the display of discontentment from her sister, she had never really been good at hiding her emotions from her. Elsa was growing restless and it definitely did not go unnoticed. "Hey, come on. It's not like I'll be on a different planet. I won't even be in a different building, just a different floor." She remarked with a bit of reassurance in her voice and playfully pushed her knuckles against her twin's shoulder. Elsa looked up at her with the icy blue eyes she shared with her sister before offering another half smile. "I know how you're feeling. Anxious, nervous-" her voice trailed off as it was brought low to a whisper. "-afraid." With a shake of her head she focused back on the road and noticed a green sign indicating their destination wasn't too far off.

"Maybe an hour until we arrive. Traffic has been pretty light, so maybe even earlier." Aleks said as she tried to change the subject and give Elsa something different to think about. Seeing her sister like this worried her and she would do all she can to alleviate her twin's stress. "I'll come with you to your dorm first when we get there, I'll size up whoever you have the pleasure of sharing the room with" There was a bit of a cocky tone under her words as she bit her bottom lip and grinned, showing a row of perfectly white teeth. Elsa couldn't help but reveal a smug grin. Aleks had always been there for her whenever she felt uneasy or nervous. Even now when she knew that she had her own worries, she gladly offered herself to ease Elsa. Well, it was less of an "offer" and more of a command, but the sentiment was not lost. "Rough 'em up a little bit if they look shady just to let them know that if they mess with you-" Her tone suddenly got more serious as she pointed her thumb towards herself and offered a wink before lightening her tone. "-They mess with me."

Elsa straightened up and played with the large braid she kept her hair in, taking the ends in between her thumb and index finger inspecting the ends carefully. She appreciated her twin's attempt to lighten the mood between them and offered another genuine smile. "Like that one time you gave a black eye to that one jerks name back in eighth grade? What was his name? Thomas? Taka?" She chuckled as she remembered that one particular bully who was giving her a hard time. She remembered watching Aleks dash across the lunch room in a blur before wailing into the boy's face. "You know after that I heard he started going by the name 'Scar' because of how bad you blackened his eye." She scoffed and shook her head.

"Oh yeah, Grandmother Gothel gave me one hell of a stern talking to once we got back that day because I had been suspended because of that!" Aleks' response came with a chuckle of her own. She tugged on her dark blue blouse and messed with a button that had popped out that she just noticed. "Did that snot-nosed brat ever mess with you again? By the time I was allowed back in school he avoided me like the plague." Pride laced her voice.

"No, as a matter of fact nobody else messed with me that year if I recall."

"Didn't want to be made into an example like the other, I guess." Aleks shrugged with a cockiness that caused Elsa to feel small in the shadow of her sister. "What was he antagonizing you about anyway?" The question was random and caused a look of confusion on Elsa's face. "If I recall correctly, he teasing me about my shoes I think? Or my hair?" Elsa honestly couldn't remember what she was being picked on in that particular instance. It happened so often it all just kind of blurred together. But, the memory still hurt Elsa and her twin noticed this when she lifted her knees back up and buried her face in them. Aleks instantly felt ashamed because of how her seemingly innocent question caused distress in her sister.

"Hey." She did her best to bring out a soothing tone. "None of that, now." Elsa perked back up and looked at her sister, then decided to turn around to gaze out of the window again. The clouds began to lighten up a bit and the sun was more prominent, causing the still dampened highway to glisten like silver. Although it looked cool and inviting, Elsa knew that the hot summer heat and the horrid humidity from the fresh rain would reveal the quite the opposite.

"It's like a clean slate, you know." Her sister's voice pulled her out of the thoughts about the weather. "It's a whole new city, whole new people, whole new opportunities." Aleks tried to sound hopeful to brighten her twin's mood. _Yeah. New opportunities and people to make the new city seem like a living hell. _Elsa put on a mask to try and hide her pessimistic view on the situation, offering a faux smile to her sister in hopes of lessening her worry. "I know, sis." Was all the blonde could get out less she dwell too long on the subject and bring a whole new wave of emotions to her.

Aleks didn't seem to notice that the reassurance was fake and accepted it with a slight nod. She leaned forward slightly to read an incoming sign before widening her eyes at the words she read. "Hey, Elsa. What do you say we stop and get a bite to eat before we take down the last half hour or so of the trip?" She offered with a wide grin, hoping her sister would agree with her. The thought of food at the moment caused Elsa's stomach to tense into knots, but couldn't disagree with her twin when she looked so bright and hopeful. _Her love for food is certainly something that would be feared. Getting in between Aleks and her food is a death wish. Where does she even put it all? _Elsa softly chuckled at her own thought before giving a similar grin to her sister. "Sure thing."


	2. Pete's Place

**A/N:** Chapter 2! I was honestly surprised at the amount of support I got from just one small chapter. I'd like to say updates would come roughly every 6-12 days but they'll probably just come sporadically.

After the next chapter or so we won't see too much of Aleks for awhile. She still has her role to play in all this, but she'll fade into the background for a bit.

We meet Anna next chapter, I believe! Enjoy!

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The parking lot was nearly empty by the time they had arrived. Elsa looked out of the window and felt a bubbling warmth build inside of her as she saw the sun had finally came out and couldn't see a single cloud in the sky. She smiled when witnessing the large grin on her twin's face after the car had been shut off. Stepping outside of the car and closing the door, she turned back and waited for her sister to join her. Her prior guess proved to be true when the humidity seemed to slapped her in the face. It was sticky and she instantly began to feel disgusting under her clothes. Her eyes dropped to the car which wasn't anything spectacular, just a simple dark blue Nissan something. Elsa didn't really know what it was aside from the Nissan logo on it but it had decent gas mileage, got them from point 'a' to point 'b', and was free from it being a high school graduation present from their grandmother.

"Ready to go in, Elsa? Doesn't seem to be many people here." Aleks stated, knowing that last bit would stifle any kind of worries Elsa may have had a little. She looked at the large neon sign above the simple brick building, it seemed to be a local burger joint. But the outside seemed clean enough so it was a pretty safe assumption that the inside would be fairly nice on the inside as well. "After wards we'll hit the road again with full stomachs." She checked the watch on her wrist which read 12:47. "We should be at the college around 2:30 maybe, which will give us plenty of time to unwind and unpack before hitting some dinner." There was an obvious skip to her step when she grabbed Elsa's wrist and pulled her towards the door.

The inside was how Elsa expected, fairly clean with booths lining the walls with stools lining the bar in front of them. There was a red and yellow color scheme going on that Elsa didn't really care for. A bell on the door alerted the staff to the entrance of the two new patrons. "Go ahead and sit yourselves down where y'all wish, I'll be there in a jiffy!" came a scratchy, gruff voice from the kitchen behind the counter.

Aleks shrugged at her sister as they sat themselves in a booth near the corner of the restaurant. "Check out the menu, this stuff is great!"

Elsa picked up the laminated menu and opened it to reveal only two pages. One side read 'burgers' in large letters, and the other side said 'toppings'. She shifted uncomfortably. "Not a lot of choices..." She muttered under her breath.

Aleks grinned. "Simple! Just the way I like it!"

Peeking over the menu, the blonde shook her head at her sister. _She'd probably make a great chef the way she-_

Her thoughts were cut off by the large, greasy man who stumbled up to their table. The white apron he had on covered in grease stains. The man scratched the scruff on his large chin and pulled out a small notebook. "Names Pete, and I welcome you fine ladies to 'Pete's Place', home of the best damn burger in town! What'll you have?" He was probably loud enough to shake the foundation of the building.

Aleks grimaced. "Jesus man, did you spill the grease on you or bathe in it?"

The deep laugh from the man was annoyingly obnoxious. He doubled over as he braced himself on the table, causing Elsa to jump back.

"Oh man, I like your sense of humor missy! Remind me of my son P.J only you're prettier." Pete managed to get out while wiping a tear from his eye. "Now what can I get for you two?"

Aleks rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, I'll have a double cheeseburger. Add bacon and take off the salad."

A look of confusion grew formed on Pete's large face. "Salad? Missy I don't know if you caught on, but this is a burger place! We serve burgers."

She dropped her menu and looked at the man with utter disgust."So I see you're as dense as you are fat." Her words were laced with a cocky humor. "I mean no lettuce or tomato."

Pete shrugged, obviously not catching the insult. "Alright, sounds good. What about you, blondie?"

Elsa sunk and looked at her sister, face falling as her breathing increased slightly. She mouthed something at her twin before folding her hands in her lap. Aleks understood immediately and gave a nod with a somber smile.

"She'll have a cheeseburger with swiss instead of american with extra pickle." Trying to sound as neutral as possible and not insult the man again.

Scratching his head Pete raised an eyebrow. "The lady can't speak for herself?" The question came out a little more abrasive than he meant.

Elsa sunk as Aleks' stare bore into the man, a rising anger in her eyes. "I'll only tell you once. Don't-" her grip tightened. "Make any snide comments about my sister."

Pete backed up and raised his hands in defense. "Listen lady, I wasn't trying to-"

His words were cut off as Aleks jumped from the table and grabbed the man by the apron. She pulled him closer until their faces were hardly an inch apart. She scowled and brought her voice to an aggressive whisper. "So help me God you weren't trying to be snide." Her tone was brought to an exaggerated impression of the large man. "_The lady can't speak for herself?"_ Blue eyes bore into the man's shaking gaze. "Don't comment about my sister. Don't talk to my sister. Don't _think_ about my sister. You get your fat ass into that kitchen. Cook our food. And for every imperfection I find in the burgers-" She gave a cocky grin. "I won't spoil the surprise." The threat was given in a soft whisper.

Pete was practically shaking in his shoes as the grip on him was released. "Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am, I'll get right on that!" His voice was shaky, unsure, and panicked as he ran off behind the counter.

Elsa felt pressure in her eyes as she felt her eyelids fill with tears, nearly threatening to fall. Pete really wasn't trying to be offensive in any way. Elsa at least figured that much. But leave it to her sister to always come to her aid whenever she felt threatened. She loved her sister. She really did. She was there for her when nobody else was, defending her when she was defenseless. The rock when the world was shaking. The shield when swords were being flailed at her. The candle in the smothering dark.

Aleks slammed her fists on the table, causing Elsa to jerk her head up to see her sister gritting her teeth. Her eyes widened when she noticed frost skittering across the table, the epicenter her twin's tight grip.

"Aleks...the ice!" The words were unsure, but urgent.

Her twin looked up towards her fists and immediately loosened her grip. She cursed as she lifted her hands and willed the skittering frost away, leaving the table slightly damp.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault that-"

"No. Elsa. It wasn't your fault, you know just as much as I that it's hard to control at times." The words were spat out in frustration.

Elsa looked down at her hands and rubbed a thumb against her palm, silently agreeing with her twin. "Yes. But, you got angry because I couldn't-"

She cut her sister off again. "Don't you blame yourself. That guy, that... _pig_ was overstepping boundaries."

The blonde let out a sigh and shrugged. "I don't think he meant it in the way it came out. I don't think we was going to push the question."

"But what if, Elsa? What if he did? What if it got worse? What if he got angry? He already looked pretty sketchy." Aleks' grip tightened, the loosened as she let out a groan and swept her hands through her hair. It was a tick she had whenever she got angry. Gripping the air and running her hands through her hair. _I guess it's better than setting off an eternal winter everywhere and freezing the population._ The dark joke to herself caused Elsa to shake her head. Her thoughts were cut off again as a different man made his way to the table carrying two plates.

"I don't know what you guys did to my dad-" The shorter, portly boy chuckled to himself. "-but it was awesome and I wish I could push him around like that!"

Aleks shot her gaze to the boy and relaxed a bit, relieved it wasn't Pete who was bringing their food to them.

"My name is P.J. I hope you guys enjoy your food, I've never seen dad pay so much attention and try to perfect his burgers before." P.J placed the plates on the table and offered a wave to the sisters. "Alright, I'll catch you guys later! And thanks for scaring my dad!"

Aleks gave a boy a small smile before looking at the burgers in front of them and drooling. "Elsa, you don't even understand how good these things look right now." She picked up the burger in the sesame seed bun and gazed upon it like it was a fine diamond ring. "It's marvelous!" She remarked while she licked her lips.

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the way her sister revered her burger. _You'd think it was her child._ She picked up her own burger and took a bite. Her eyes shot open as she chewed, it really was marvelous. How could a simple burger be this good? The patty was perfectly seasoned, the cheese was smooth and the pickles gave a nice contrast. Grease dripped from her food and hit the plate as her own reaction was reflected on her twin.

"The guy may be a total asshole." Aleks said muffled with a mouth full of food, she swallowed and licked her lips again. "But these burgers are the single greatest thing I've ever stuck in my mouth. We'll definitely be coming here again!"

_She says the same thing about all the food she likes... _Elsa chuckled to herself and took another bite of the burger, savoring it as the flavors danced across her palette. _But she isn't lying. This burger really is amazing._

The sisters finished their food in relative silent and Aleks patted her stomach before giving a content smile. She stood up and noticed P.J completely preoccupied in some hand-held gaming system from behind the counter. "Yo, P.J!" She waved the the boy over as he looked up and made his away around the counter in a bit of a hustle.

"Yeah, what's up?" He said with a smile, looking up at the woman who was almost a full foot taller than him.

"We're ready for the check." She said curtly as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I got you guys covered." The boy scratched the back of his head and gave a smile. "It's the least I can do for doing that to my pops."

Aleks felt a genuine smile tug at her lips. If there was anything better than food, it was free food. "You know what?" She started, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her hips. "You're alright, P.J. We'll see you around alright?"

P.J smiled again and started to collect the plates which held nothing more than grease droplets. He stopped when he noticed the girls make their way to the door. He saw Elsa turn around and he gave a small wave to the blonde. Elsa looked around warily before offering her own unsure wave and small smile.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Aleks' voice came from the other side of the door and Elsa made her way out of the door to catch up with her sister.


	3. Anna

**A/N: **I'd like to thank you all for your continued support. After a bout of inspiration and motivation, I got this chapter out a little quicker than I anticipated. It's also about twice as long.

It's set from Anna's point of view, and I think we'll start putting some meat on the bones of this fic in the next few chapters.

Enjoy! And as always, constructive criticism is always welcomed.

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"Thanks, Eugene for the ride!"

Anna closed the car door and offered a wave to the man inside. After nearly six hours of seeing nothing but trees and highway, the campus was a welcome sight to the redhead. She thought she was going to go absolutely crazy in that car and end up bashing her head against the dash. But, her cousin's boyfriend had no problem in driving the long distance at his girlfriend's request.

"Hey, it's no problem. You sure you don't need me to show you around? This is my old stomping grounds after all!" His voice was cheery, obviously glad to be back at the school and wanted to stay as long as possible. Probably to put off driving his way back.

"I think I'm good, there seems to be plenty of signs around to point me in the right direction." Anna responded as she looked around and scratched the back of her head. There really were a lot of signs around, it was a fairly large campus that she would probably end up getting lost in quite often. "But I'll tell Rapunzel you said 'Hi' when she gets here."

At the sound of his girlfriend's name, the man formed a large smile and pointed a finger at Anna. "Hey!" Anna jumped at the unexpected outburst. "Don't forget to add the smolder!" He finished with another large smile before presenting an example of his 'ever-so-famous-smolder'. Anna thought it looked silly and shook her head.

"Didn't she break your smolder a couple years back at that Christmas party?" She retorted with a cocky chuckle. "Pushed you right down the stairs and you landed flat on your face!" The memory turned the small chuckle into a fit of full on laughter.

Eugene's face fell at the embarrassment brought on from the redhead's laughter. "Oh, come on! I thought I broke my beautiful face!" He raised his hands and gently patted his face to enunciate his point. He was always cocky to a certain degree, but he was genuinely a good person and Rapunzel was honestly happy with him.

"Well it's beautiful to Rapunzel and that's all that matters right?" Anna said with a shrug and crossed her arms. "Although your nose is kinda funny looking innit'?" A large grin grew on her face as she witnessed the shock that grew on Eugene's face. _Gotcha!_

"Oh, shut up! You know how I feel about my nose." He replied in a playful tone, knowing Anna was just teasing him like the two always do to one another. "It never comes out right in pictures, I think it just can't handle the beauty." He said with a smug grin. "Besides, at least my face isn't littered with freckles."

_Oh, that was cold._ Anna had always been a little self-conscious about the freckles that were strewn across her face. On the contrary she was actually always complimented about them because of how well they matched her skin tone and generally cheery personality. Anna didn't really know how freckles related to a cheery personality, but she rolled with it anyway.

"Are we just jealous?" Anna retorted smugly.

"No not really."

Anna was a little disappointed at how that ended, and decided to change the subject because she wasn't ready to be left alone in this big place. "So, you said you 'set me up' with arrangements here?" She inquired, all she knew was that Eugene 'had her covered' when she found out that she was at the bottom of the barrel when it came to dorms.

"Oh yeah, I pulled some strings with the higher ups. I got you this sweet dorm that was just put in a couple years ago that I've heard a lot about." He started and adjusted himself in the driver's seat. "I tried to bunk you up with someone you'd be comfortable with, Rapunzel. But she had signed up real early and was already locked into her choice once the dorms filled up like crazy." Eugene gave Anna a sorrowful look when he saw her face drop a little. "I really don't know who you'll have to put up with. But the room is big enough that you probably wouldn't have to see the other person if you didn't want to."

Anna perked up as confusion was painted on her face. "I've always heard college dorm rooms were kinda small?"

"Normally they are. But, you'll see what I mean when you get there. I told you, I set you up." He was hiding something and Anna couldn't put her finger on what he meant. _Okay. So it's bigger than a regular dorm, that's cool I guess._ She adjusted the large duffel bag on her shoulder which practically held her entire life in it.

"I'm actually pretty stoked I even got accepted here. You've heard my grades haven't always been the greatest." She tried changing the subject again, deciding to not dwell on the uncertainty of her room and potential roommate at the moment.

"Oh you'll be fine." Eugene said as he ran a hand through his brown hair and checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror. When he was satisfied with the results he turned back to the redhead. "You'll find some nice boy, and totally ace your classes. Just be sure not to be out partying all night and get into trouble. Trust me-" His face grew a little more serious. "-been there, done that. I'm lucky I had Rapunzel to straighten me out when I came back home one summer."

Anna remembered that summer Rapunzel was freaking out because she met some cute guy who just walked up to their house. Apparently he was only there to check out the house for petty thievery with a couple other guys he had fallen into the wrong crowd with. But the night the job was supposed to happen, Rapunzel caught Eugene on the side of the house and just started to talk to him and eventually he forgot all about what he was doing and instead sneaked Rapunzel out of the house for a late night date at Denny's. The rest was kinda history, they had started dating and Eugene got his life together.

"Oh you know I'm not really the one for partying." Anna gave a nervous chuckle. "And besides, who said it'd be a boy?"

Eugene laughed and shrugged. "Hey, whatever floats your boat. I won't judge."

"Are you trying to imply I'm a lesbian, Eugene Fitzherbert?" Anna scoffed and crossed her arms.

"You kinda did that yourself, didn't you?" He said victoriously as he saw Anna drop her arms and jaw fall open in shock.

_Did I just come out of the closet? Was I even in the closet in the first place? Wait, what?_ Anna shut her jaw and thought to herself. She had dated boys before, sure. Had some really good memories with them too, but did she like girls as well? They certainly do smell nice and have pretty hair. But did she like them like that? _Why am I thinking about this right now?_ She shook her head and put the subject off. "Very funny, Eugene." The reply was neutral and didn't reveal any hidden truth nor deny the accusations from the brunette.

Eugene shrugged it off and checked the clock in his car which read 1:45. "Hey, I'm going to have to get going if I want to make it home in a decent hour." He extended his arm out of the passenger side window and made a fist, indicated he wanted Anna to return the favor. "Shoot me a text when you find out who you're rooming with. Make sure they aren't crazy in the head you know?"

Anna smiled and extended her own arm to give Eugene a fist bump. _Rapunzel left a couple hours after we did, maybe we can catch some dinner. I hope there's a good sandwich shop around here._ The thought was enough to make the girl salivate and already start looking forward to dinner. She still had awhile to wait though, she had insisted on getting here early to get situated but her cousin was running horribly late and insisted that Eugene take Anna and she'll catch up when she can.

"Oh, okay." Anna's face dropped again as she realized she'll be alone in a place she's completely unfamiliar with. She tugged at the collar of her green shirt and stared at the sky through the leaves of the trees around the parking lot. It was pretty hot that day, and the humidity was starting to get with Anna as she felt sweat start to bead on her skin.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine, and you'll have Rapunzel to keep you sane." Eugene tried to reassure her, but it didn't work to well by the look on Anna's face. She tried to give a convincing smile but it didn't fool the man. "I'll catch you on the flip side."

And with that, Eugene set the car to reverse and made his way out of the parking lot. Anna looked around and tried to catch her bearings. All she saw was large red brick buildings around her, signs pointing everywhere, and trees. There were a lot of trees on the campus and although Anna found them pretty and the shade would be a welcome addition, it made her surroundings all blend together.

Although the trees were pretty, they had a way of making Anna feel small and alone. Her eyes fell to the floor and stared at her shoes. She closed her eyes as she felt a breeze make it's was across her skin and her braided copper pigtails flutter in the wind. After a moment of enjoying the cool breeze she realized how hot it really was and lifted her head up, looking for some sense of direction.

_Eugene had told me to find the main building and ask for a 'Mr. Oaken', he would be able to help me find the dorm. That's certainly a funny name, I wonder if he's tall like an oak tree? _Her own joke caused Anna to let a little giggle escape from her lips as she looked around and let out a deep sigh. _Now where's the main building?_ She stepped up to the sidewalk and inspected a sign which had a number of arrows pointing in different directions. She smiled when she saw the words 'main building' with an arrow pointing right in front of her.

Anna looked past the sign to a large red bricked building that was bigger than the ones around it. Stretching her neck to look further up she saw a white dome adorned the top of the building. _Oh. It was right in front of you, Anna. Way to go._ She made her way through the double glass doors and immediately felt relieved when she felt the air conditioning brush against her skin. Looking to her left, an elderly woman with short graying hair sat behind a desk. Warily stepping up to the desk, she cleared her throat.

"Um, e-excuse me?" Her voice came out shaky and weak, and she mentally slapped herself for not having a spine.

The lady looked up from her computer and eyed the redhead down. Now that she was closer, Anna could make out the plethora of wrinkles on the woman's face that made it look like a road map. Her small black horn-rimmed glasses barely staying up on her nose. _How does she get her hair to stick straight up like that? She's like a unicorn...only gross and old._

"Can I help you?" The raspy voice caught Anna's attention as she saw the woman's gaze bore into her. Anna cleared her throat again before speaking with considerably more confidence.

"Yes, I was told to talk to a 'Mr. Oaken'?" Anna brought her hands up to her chest as the older woman picked up a telephone and requested Mr. Oaken to the front desk.

"He'll be with you in just a moment." She then waved the redhead off.

"Thank you, Mrs..."

"Roz."

"Mrs. R...Roz? Than- Thank you." Anna managed to get out as she thought about how strange that name was.

Anna took a seat on one of the chairs opposite of the desk and swung her feet absentmindedly as she absorbed her surroundings. There was a nice red carpet that covered the large floor, and large windows behind her that illuminated the entire room in a vibrant glow. The room split into two separate hallways on the back end and stretching her neck, Anna noticed that they went on almost endlessly.

Feeling a buzzing in her pocket, she reached into her jeans and swiped the screen to see a message from Rapunzel. 'Stopped at a fast food place for a late lunch. I think I'll be there by 4ish. Eugene get you there safely?' Anna smiled as she imagined her cousin being there so she wasn't so alone. 'Yup, I'll see you then.' She typed out and hit send before sticking her phone back in her pocket.

It wasn't long before a large man made his way around a corner and stood in front of Anna. He wore black slacks and what appeared to be a large, wool, striped sweater. _He's really tall! Is this Mr-_

"Ms. Aren, I assume ya?" His voice did not match his size, and he spoke with a heavy accent that was some brand of European Anna decided.

The redhead stood and extended an arm to shake the large man's hand. "Y-yes, that's uh- that's me." She stuttered as the large man smiled. His cheeks were strangely rosy, and he sported a dull blonde handlebar mustache that connected to a large pair of sideburns. _Is that a toboggan on his head? In the middle of summer?!_

Mr. Oaken took her frail hand in both of his large ones and shook vigorously. "It's very nice to meet you, your friend Eugene has spoken very well of you!" He offered another smile and shook his head contently. "Good, very good!"

Anna collected herself and pushed a red lock behind her ear that had fallen out during the large man's violent handshake and gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh wow, that was- uhm wow, okay you're like rea-really strong and I totally did not expect that." _Way to sound confident, Anna._

"Got to have the muscles to make a good lutefisk, ya Ms. Aren?" His cheery smile was contagious and before long Anna found herself reflecting it. "Now, what is it you wanted to see me for?"

"Oh! Eugene told me you can help me find my dorm?" Anna realized how dumb that sounded and straightened up. "I mean it's my first time here and you think I'd be here earlier to get a good grip on the layout of the campus but sometimes I don't really think ahead and other times I think too much ahead and end up worrying about everything but this time I didn't really think about it but I didn't think the campus would be so large and there's signs literally everywhere and I just..." Anna took a deep breath and saw the blank look of contentment on the large man's face. "...I'm rambling and I apologize." She finished and accepted defeat.

"It's very good, Ms. Aren. If you'll follow me, I can take you to your dorm ya? When I heard you were a friend of Eugene's I made an exception and put you in the best we have to offer!" He said as he made his way to the double doors that led outside.

_Oh cool, let everyone supply things for you. Can't really do anything for yourself, can you Anna? _The redhead let out a sigh before catching up to Mr. Oaken. The moment she stepped outside it was like getting slapped in the face from the heat and humidity. She followed the giant on the sidewalk through what felt like a forest from the abundance of trees around them. "There certainly are a lot of trees around here." She commented absentmindedly as another breeze made it's way across her body, feeling relieved from the heat for a moment.

"Ah yes, we're very Eco-friendly ya? I also think it adds a soothing feeling to the campus. Don't you, Ms. Aren?" Anna couldn't see it, but she knew he was smiling as she stared at his large back covered by that large striped sweater.

"They certainly are pretty." She shrugged and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. _1:56, looks like I'll have a couple hours to explore everything before Rapunzel gets here. I should totally check out the dining hall. I wonder what kind of food they serve. Do all colleges serve the same food? I mean high school normally had a lunch schedule for the month. Do colleges to that too? Ugh, I really should have done some research about all this. I'm totally clueless and- _Her thoughts were cut off when she crashed into Mr. Oakens back, the fuzz from the sweater felt thick and scratchy and must have been torture to wear in this weather. With an audible 'oof', Anna backed up and regained her composure.

"This is the building, Ms. Aren. It was just added a couple years ago and is our newest addition!" The voice was filled with a bubbly glee that was spoken with pride like a kid who had just one first prize in a science fair. Anna looked around and did her best to memorize the location, but when she turned around she saw the main building right in front of her and all they did was round the parking lot. _...Oh._

She followed the large man as he went through the double doors. The building had the same red carpet the main building did, on the left she noticed a staircase with an elevator beside it. To the right were several vending machines which held different drinks, snacks, and candies. _Score! _Following Mr. Oaken, she saw a doorway beside a vending machine which appeared to hold washing and drying machines. Almost tripping over a large leather couch in the middle of the room she noticed a coffee table in front of it surrounded by other small chairs similar to the couch. _Future living room goals right here, I'd totally love a room set up like this lounge. Vending machines included! _Eventually finding their way to the elevator, she felt extremely crowded in the small box next to the giant in a sweater.

"Your room is on the 5th floor, Ms. Aren. Top floor, very nice ya?" He said as he pressed the button on the panel and the doors closed and began it's ascent. "I hope you have your key card on you, Ms. Aren. You'll need it to get into the dorm. Security is important to us here at the university."

"Key card?" Anna panicked and began frantically checking her pockets. _Great, Anna. Way to go. A+ performance._

"Yes, we mailed it to you and it doubles as your student I.D"

"Oh!" She practically shrieked in glee as she pulled out the small card from her back pocket. "I was wondering why it looked kinda funny with the bar code and everything on the back of it." She tried to play it off as she flipped it over and stared at the aforementioned bar code. She also noticed the numbers '514' on the corner. _Oh._ The elevator then let out a ding that indicated they had reached their destination. Anna poked her head out of the metal box and into the long hallway that had a considerable distance to both the left and the right. She followed Mr. Oaken until he turned to the right and smiled contently.

"Here we are, Ms. Aren. Room 514." He nodded and gave a slight pause before continuing. "These dorms are normally reserved for upperclassmen, post-grads, and honors students." Anna's demeanor fell as she realized she was not any of those, and definitely not that last one. Mr. Oaken saw this and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "But since everything else was filled and Eugene talked to me about it, we decided it would be alright to make a special case!" He said with another smile as his face glowed with glee.

_Again, can't do anything for yourself. Gotta have everyone else bail you out of trouble... _Anna faked a smile as she inserted the key card into the slot in the door handle and saw a green light flicker as a click indicated the door was unlocked. She opened the door into her home for the next few months and her jaw dropped. The room was absolutely huge for a dorm. She stood in an already fully furnished living room. Black leather couch similar to the one downstairs sat in front a wooden coffee table adjacent to the table was a recliner like the couch. An entertainment center with a large television sat on the wall on the right side. To the left she noticed a modest dining room, table set with two chairs on either side. A small kitchen sat on the other side of the dining room separated by a bar. A hall with doors on either side was past that.

"There's no way this is a dorm-" Anna started, at a complete utter loss of words. "-I've always heard dorms were small and crowded and that people don't even have their own bathroom!" She stated still in shock as she made her way across the hardwood floor and into the kitchen after dropping her duffel bag on the couch. It was small and modest like the dining room, sporting a fridge, microwave, sink, oven, and dish washer. But the fact that it even had all of that completely surprised Anna.

Oaken gave a hearty chuckle at the sight of Anna freaking out over practically everything. "Yes, dear. We use the term 'dorm' for theses rooms fairly loosely." He grinned again when Anna discovered the fridge came with an ice maker in the freezer. "We're the only campus in the state to hold these mini apartment rooms. They come with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. Very modern and convenient, ya?"

Anna calmed herself down for a moment as she noticed a cardboard box placed on the bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room. On it was a note that read: 'Hey, Anna. Here's a couple gifts from Rapunzel that she wanted me to send to you. Signed, Eugene Fitzherbert. Also, you'll find a box cutter to get into this box in the smaller box.' _Oh great, but how do I get into the smaller box?!_ She let out a sigh of frustration as she picked up the smaller box which was beside the larger one. On it she found another note which held no words and just a crude drawing of a troll face. _Damn it, Eugene! Who even let you on the internet in the first place?!_ She sighed again before finding herself smiling at the whole thing. It was kind of funny, despite being at her expense.

"Well, Ms. Aren. I'll leave you to get settled here. Classes begin in just a couple days so don't be late, ya?" Mr. Oaken said cheerily as he offered a small wave to the redhead.

"Gotcha! Thank you, Mr. Oaken!" Offering a wave of her own, she saw the giant leave and fell to her knees on the floor. Once she heard the click of the door she let out a sigh and picked at the tape on the small box. _I love Rapunzel, but her boyfriend can be a real jerk face at times._ Eventually just decided to shove her thumbnail into the tape covering the flaps of the box. With a satisfying pop, she gleamed as she gained access. Inside was as the previous note said, nothing but a small yellow box cutter. She stuffed it in her pocket and went to stand up as she heard the door click. Deciding to keep down, she ducked under the bar.

"Doesn't seem like anyone is here yet." Came a feminine voice, Anna tensed a but as she heard footsteps creep into the room. "And it's huge for a dorm, I mean it even comes with a t.v!"

"Maybe being late for something actually worked out for the best this time." The second voice sounded much softer, although weak and unsure. _She sounds like a lost little puppy, aw._ "Aleks, I'm not sure if I'm ready for all this though." _So her name is Aleks, huh? I knew a guy with the same name back in high school, he was pretty cool I guess-_

"I know, Elsa. But this will be good in the long run. Just you see!" _Elsa, huh? That's a pretty name._

Then the bar creaked a bit when Aleks propped herself up against it. "And besides, this place is pretty freakin' sweet."

_Well, guess I better introduce myself. _At that moment Anna popped up from under the bar with an enthusiastic tone in her voice. "Hi!"

"Shit!" And was met with an equally enthusiastic fist to her face, a la Aleks.


	4. First Impressions

**A/N: **I haven't really been keeping a good job of keeping in my approximate schedule of an update every 6-12 days, have I?

I'm not sure if I should put in a definite trigger warning for this chapter. It scrapes the issue, but doesn't really get involved?

If you're real sensitive to anything dealing with self harm, I'd be careful with reading this chapter.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Anna ended up falling on her rear with a loud thud and started to rub her face. It was numb now, but it'll start hurting soon and it will definitely swell. Her nose seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow, and she could feel a liquid running out of it. Rubbing under her nose it was clear that it was a deep red shade of blood. "Well, if that's how to say hello to people I'd hate to say goodbye!" The redhead tried to sound cheerful and make light of the situation.

"What the hell were you doing behind there?" Aleks sounded irritated when she came around and stared at the pitiful sight of the redhead on the floor, she almost wanted to laugh. "You look stupid like that. Get up." The command came as she leaned on the bar again and placed a hand on her hip.

Being careful not to get any blood on the hardwood floor, Anna slowly made her way to her feet before stumbling a little to catch her balance. The world was still spinning and everything only started to slow down after she caught on to the judgmental stare from the woman standing in front of her. She felt small in her presence, she imagined this is what it felt like to be a small dog with a hawk looming overhead. It was like she commanded obedience and fear just by her demeanor. She did a very good job at it too, Anna thought. She opened her mouth to greet her properly, but only succeeded in looking stupid when she couldn't find the words.

"Are you always this spineless or did I catch you at a bad time?" Aleks chuckled at her own comment. "If you'd like, I can come back a later time and sock you in the face again." She gave a smug half grin and shook her head, clearly not impressed at what she saw.

Anna took a step back and rubbed more blood from under her nose. "N-no no, no that's fine I think one time was e-enough." She stuttered as she gave a nervous chuckle. "It was my fault, I guess. I shouldn't have been hiding when you guys came in."

"Yeah, you're right. That was just plain dumb." There was a triumphant tone in her voice when she noticed the redhead slump a little in plain defeat.

"My name is Anna, by the way. Anna Aren." She tried to perk up as she extended her arm to shake the other girl's hand. Aleks scoffed as she gave her a belittling look. It was then Anna realized she had extended her bloodied hand and quickly retracted it before extending the other arm. Aleks rolled her eyes but played along anyway, giving a brief handshake that seemed to satisfy the redhead.

"Aleks. Aleks Delle. Do yourself a favor, honey, and don't get on my bad side. And while you're at it, work on growing a spine. It'll do you some good."

_She has a good side? I'd love to meet it one day. _"U-uhm yeah, y-yeah okay I'll get right on that." Anna rubbed under her nose again to find that it had stopped bleeding, she then made her way to the sink to wash the drying blood off. "I take it you're my roommate then, Aleks?"

"You're not that lucky. Your roommate is my sister, Elsa." She nodded in the direction of the table where Elsa had seated herself, hands crossed in her lap and looking at the two warily. Anna finished washing her hands and shot a glance towards the blonde. _I have a feeling I'll be getting along with her much better than her sister._

"Oh, well alright. So is Aleks short for something?" She asked with genuine curiosity as Aleks rolled her eyes again.

"Aleksandra. I'm twenty one years old. My favorite color is yellow. And I hate excessive questions. Got it?"

Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and stood a little straighter to try and grow that spine she seemed to be lacking. "Y-yes ma'am." She locked eyes with the blonde who sat across the room, and offered a small wave but returned her attention to Aleks when Elsa looked away without returning the wave.

Aleks brought herself uncomfortably close to Anna to the point where you could barely fit a hair between them. Her voice brought low to a whisper. "Here's the deal, carrot top." She began and gave a chuckle that brought chills down Anna's spine as she grew stiff. "You hurt my sister. I hurt you." Aleks backed away and gave a half grin that sent another wave of chills through the redhead's body. She shook the feeling and stood up straight, trying to grow the aforementioned spine and nodded her head curtly.

The red took a painfully deep breath and took a couple steps back, bumping into the counter as she exhaled. "I-I don't p-plan on it, Aleks I actually c-c-onsider myself to be a pretty nice person I guess-" The unimpressed stare from the other girl shook Anna to the core. "-I mean I t-totally am, I mean we could play like board games or watch some television. I like old time classy movies but I'll even let her choose the m-movie because I'd totally be cool with whatever. And I'll take responsibility for cleaning the dorms in case cleaning isn't her thing, but she totally seems like a clean person but you know looks aren't everything and sometimes-"

She was cut off when Anna slammed her hand on the counter, causing a loud smack to echo through the room and Elsa to perk up. "Do you ever shut up, or am I going to have to carry around a roll of duct tape around with me to shut your mouth?" Aleks sounded almost comical, but Anna knew she was completely serious about the duct tape. _Just shut up, Anna! Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup! If there is anything you do in your life worth while, shut up!_

Her eyes fell to the floor as Anna gave another weak nod, fighting back tears and the lump in her throat.

She stood there for a good while in awkward silence while she felt the stare from the woman in front of her._ Why am I here? Why didn't I just stay home. This was a mistake. _Anna patted her pockets and felt the box cutter still in her pants. The corners of her eyes started to sting as she continued to assault herself for hoping college life would be different from that she left behind. The pressure from behind her eyes reached it's maximum capacity and her eyelids filled with fresh tears. She tried to compose herself and drug her feet towards the couch, trying to get away from it all. She was stopped short when she bumped into Aleks' outstretched arm, who glanced in her direction.

"Let it be known that I do not like you. You're impulsive and a complete fool." Anna felt more tears collect in her eyelids, threatening to fall. "But, I have no say in the matter of the dorm arrangements. Don't do anything to make me dislike you anymore than I already do." She sounded bored. Bored and completely nonchalant as she stood there and continued to stick little pins in Anna's heart. The redhead locked her own blue-green eyes with Aleks' piercing blues, and the tears finally began to fall under the hateful stare.

"You're weak too." Aleks chuckled at her own comment at the sight of Anna's resolve shattering. The redhead sniffled, failing to hold back the tears as they collected and trailed down her face. She dashed towards the couch and picked up her duffel bag, covering her face in the crook of her elbow as she made her way down the hallway and into a bedroom. The click of a lock proved that Aleks' had won.

"You didn't have to go that far." The comment from Elsa broke the still air. She stood up from the table and rested her elbows on the bar, now standing on the other side of it from her twin. "The punch in the face was enough to prove your point."

"Elsa, you're going to be stuck with her for the rest of the school year. I needed to set things straight with her as soon as possible. I-" Aleks dropped her head and clenched her fists, gritting her teeth she forced the rest of the words out. "-don't want her to hurt you."

The blonde knew that, she knew why her sister was the way she is towards other people. She had a reputation as an aggressive troublemaker throughout most of middle school and all of high school. Elsa crossed her arms on the bar and stared at her twin who now had her head in her hands. _I know what she's going through and it's my fault. Everything is. All of this._ She sighed and wondered to herself why she didn't step in while her sister was bullying the poor girl. It wasn't the first time something similar to that happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. _Because you're a weak person. You couldn't have stopped it._ Her palms began to feel clammy as she recalled more distasteful memories of her twin sticking up for her. It was natural for her to do so, she never had to call for Aleks. She always just appeared out of the thin air at times, even if they were in separate classes. Aleks always knew, always had an eye out for Elsa. "I know, Aleks. But-" She muttered, trying to find the words that would both soothe Aleks and build herself up.

"But what, Elsa?" She strained, relaxing the strain on her face and desperately looked towards her twin.

"-but, I'm not totally defenseless... I, I can-" With a flick of the blonde's wrist, a flurry of snow condensed around her hand and settled in a lazy rotation around her delicate fingers. "-if worst comes to worst, I can try to-"

"That didn't help last time, Elsa! That didn't help all those years ago!" Aleks' sudden burst of anger shocked Elsa as the snow dissipated and she took a step backwards. Her eyes widened in a combination of shock and despair as her twin began to sob and cradle her head in her hands. In between sobs, she managed to find her voice. "I know you aren't totally defenseless, Elsa." She started and gritted her teeth to hold back another sob. Clenching her fists and slamming them onto the bar, jagged ice shot from them and surrounded her hands. "But I'll be damned if you have to suffer through anything alone. I promise you that."

"I know. And I love you for all you do for me, I'm not ready to be alone. I'm scared. I'm-" The lump in her throat halted her attempts at continuing the sentence. She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp air that was a result from the increased amount of frozen water in the room. "-weak, Aleks. But I think you made a pretty sizable impression on my new roommate." She tried lightening the mood with a soft chuckle, and Aleks' gave a slight grin before raising her face to meet her twins and willing the ice to disappear.

"If she bothers you, let me know."

Elsa extended her arm and placed a reassuring hand on Aleks' shoulder. _Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who needs a little reassurance from time to time. _"I will." She checked the time on the oven stove, which read 3:15. "Let's go grab an early dinner, after that drive I feel like we'll both appreciate going to bed a little early tonight."

Aleks could only give a weak smile as she wiped her eyes and made her way to the door.

* * *

Anna sat at the edge of the bare bed in the center of the room. The bedroom had hardwood flooring like most of the house, but the bed didn't come with any sheets or pillows. A small closet sat on one side of the room, and a full-body mirror sat on the other side. A nightstand sat on one side of the bed, however it could probably only fit a small lamp and not much else. The only light in the room came from the window behind the bed.

The redhead rubbed at her puffy eyes, still thinking about the confrontation from barely an hour ago with Aleks. _She was right._ New tears clouded her vision, making her surroundings all look like one big blur. _I am impulsive. I am a fool. I am... _The corners of her aquamarine eyes were sore from the seemingly never ending physical manifestation of her sorrows. She clenched her fists in her lap and gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tightly she failed at keeping her tears back. _...weak._ A whimper escaped her shut lips and she sniffled. _It's who you are. It's always been who you are. _Her face fell into shaking hands as she tried to wipe away the tears only to have more form and fall as quickly as she could wipe them away. Her fingers slid their way into her hair as she gripped at her scalp and caused a few stray locks to free themselves from her twin braids and frizz. _You can't change that, Anna! Why are you this way? Can't do anything for yourself, all you can do is royally fuck things up! _A hand fell from her hair and covered her mouth, the other reached for her pocket. _Disappointment. That's what you are. First to your teachers, then to your parents, even some of your closest friends. _She pulled the box cutter from the pocket of her jeans and stared at it through a blurry haze. The plastic was warm to her touch from being in her pocket for so long but the metal was still slightly cool. _Even to people you just met, you're a failure in their eyes. Never meeting expectations. _She pushed on the slider and the blade extended, catching the sunlight and casting a glare into her sore eyes. _What's the point in it all? _Her entire chest felt constricted, as if a giant boa had wrapped itself around her and threatened to swallow her whole. There was nothing she could do to stop it, either. She was tired, her entire body felt sore as if she was desperately trying to pry the monstrous snake off of her. _Why am I even here? Back home, at least people expected me to disappoint. Why did I think coming to a new place would change any of that?_ She continued to stare at the box cutter, twirling it around her fingers. _Anna the burden. Anna the forgetful. Anna the annoying. Anna the let down. _

Suddenly her other pocket vibrated. Anna retracted the blade and set it down beside her, choosing instead to focus on the text message from Rapunzel. 'Hey, I'm about five minutes from the campus. Meet me in front of the main building and let's get some dinner? I'm getting some gas right now, so you have a little bit to get ready.' Anna sighed and typed out a reply, vision still in a blur. 'Yeah, sounds good.' She added a smiley emoticon to the end of the text. She stood up and shuffled her way to the full-body mirror and grimaced at the sight. She looked like a complete mess, but that was to be expected. Her hair was strewn about in every which direction, barely resembling braided pigtails. Her face was much more red than normal and had a slight sheen to it, but her eyes probably looked the worst. Red from all the tears, and puffy from all the endless rubbing that failed to stop them. Like she had guessed earlier, her nose was slightly swollen from the unfortunate meeting it had with a fist from a very aggressive woman. She softly closed her eyelids as they continued to sting from the excessive crying as she started to undo her braids. The redhead loved the feeling of fingers in her hair, whether they were her own or someone else's. The gentle tugging at her scalp from having hands in her copper strands offered a strange kind of comfort to her. As the second braid was undone, her hair fell over her shoulders and reached about halfway down her spine. Her eyes caught the white strand that stuck out from the rest of her hair, it was something she was born with and like her freckles it was always a magnet for compliments. But unlike her freckles, Anna genuinely liked it, it was something that set her apart and made her unique. Her phone buzzed again and she reached into her pocket to pull it out.

'I was closer than I thought. You ready?' Rapunzel again.

'Be out in five.'_  
_

Anna walked over to where her duffel bag laid on the floor and pulled out a hairbrush. After a quick brushing with minimal knots she hurriedly put her hair back in the twin braids. Making her way to the bathroom, she splashed water in her face to try and make it a little less red. The cold water was a shock at first, but eventually turned to a welcome contrast against the heat of her face. After she deemed herself presentable, she left the apartment and stepped into the elevator to be greeted by a woman in a light brown dress.

"Hello." Her voice was calm and collected, but equally inviting. Anna looked beside her and marveled at how tan the woman beside her was. Her skin reminded the redhead of fine, polished oak. Flawless and radiant with almost no imperfections. It was then when Anna noticed her dress which had a very tribal look to it and fit her form beautifully. The dress was low cut and rested just above the girl's cleavage, and only had one large strap on one shoulder and was sleeveless. It went down to her ankles, but the ends were cut into little tassels and were adorned with blue beads. She wore a simple brown band across her upper arm, and a blue leather strap with a white stone hanging off of it laid across her neck.

"Oh, um, hello." Anna muttered as she ogled at the other girl's long black hair which descended all the way down her back in perfect straight strands.

"Going down?"

Anna shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Yes, first floor please."

The girl chucked a little before pressing the button on the elevator as the doors closed and shut the two in the small box.

"My name is Pocahontas, by the way. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around campus." She extended her arm to shake Anna's hand.

"Anna." She smiled as she shook Pocahontas' hand, and received a similar smile in reply. The elevator then gave a brief ding, indicating they had reached their destination. "Well, Pocahontas, I'm sure we'll end up bumping into each other again eventually." Anna waved goodbye as she left the elevator.

Pocahontas gave a small nod. "Until then."

The wall of humidity assaulted Anna when she exited the double doors into the parking lot in front of the main building. The sun had began to set slightly and it felt slightly cooler but it was still way too warm for Anna's taste. She scanned the parking lot and found her cousin leaned up against her silver car. The short haired brunette gave an enthusiastic wave as she walked up to the redhead and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"There's my Anna-banana!" The tone in her voice was cheery enough to put a smile on Anna's face. Rapunzel backed up and held the redhead at arms length before looking her over. A quizzical look formed on her face as she noticed that her eyes were still a little red and her nose a little swollen.

Anna knew that look, it was the look she made when she was about to ask a million questions. She opened her mouth to offer an explanation, but was cut off when her cousin placed her hand over her mouth.

"Tell me later. I'm starving" She said with a warm smile, it was enough of a comfort for Anna that she let her shoulders drop and gave a smile of her own. "I saw this Italian place on the side of the road that looked absolutely delicious that I'm just _dying_ to try!"

Not one to turn down food, Anna gave a quick nod and the two made their way back to Rapunzel's car.


	5. Realizations

**A/N:** So it seems that Aleks fell from grace in the last chapter. As much as some people may dislike her now, she still has her role to play. She isn't the enemy, even if she seems like one. But we'll start to see her fade into the background for a little bit in the next few chapters I think.

This chapter isn't real exciting, but it's pretty important. Especially for Elsa.

Next chapter will focus solely on Elsa and Anna, I promise. I think some light fluff is overdue.

Also, I know that 41 follows and 15 favorites isn't a whole lot. But considering how relatively small the Frozen fandom is, and how even smaller the Elsanna fandom is in relation, I'm pretty proud of that. Tbh, it's 41 more follows and 15 more favorites than I expected. You guys rock!

Constructive criticism is always welcomed. It's your guys' comments that give me most of my motivation to write this!

So without further adieu, chapter 5!

* * *

"So, explain the whole 'redder than normal face and puffy eyes' thing why don't you?" Rapunzel said between bites of her chicken alfredo. After around fifteen minutes of driving around hopelessly lost, the duo finally found the Italian place Rapunzel had saw. The redhead sat across from her cousin in the back of the dimly lit restaurant and spent most of her time looking down at her food. She had hardly touched it and was knocking around a meatball that had fallen from her meatball sub leaving a trail of marinara sauce on the plate. The clack of a fork on the plate echoed throughout the establishment, and Anna sighed.

"Roommate has a hell of a sister." She muttered, eyes never leaving the meatball she was still toying with. The memory of being verbally and emotionally assaulted by Aleks was still fresh in her mind and heart and although she tried to forget about it and enjoy spending time with her cousin, the distasteful memory still lingered. The cheery demeanor of Rapunzel did help however as Anna didn't feel the same tightness in her chest as before. She couldn't help but feel better around the short haired brunette, she had some strange aura around her that seemed to brighten the mood of everyone around her. At times it seemed like the literally glowed due to the disposition of not only herself, but those she affected. Anna still felt sore however.

"Tell me about it." Rapunzel placed her fork down and took a sip from the glass beside her plate before shifting her green eyes to Anna's turquoise who had perked up at her inquiry. "You know I'm here for you, Anna-banana."

The sentiment immediately brought a warm smile to the redheads face as she placed her elbows on the table and placed her chin on her interlocked fingers. "Well, I was reading the package that Eugene had sent on your behalf at the time whe-"

"Did you open the package? Did you like it?" Rapunzel was giddy with glee as she jumped in her seat with a wide smile.

"No, I was about to when I heard the doorknob to the dorm open. I didn't know who it was so I kinda hid under the counter in the kitchen." She continued and started to absentmindedly play with one of her twin braids. It was a tick of hers and she always seemed to resort to it whenever in stressful or uncomfortable situations. Rapunzel stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and shoved it in her mouth, scraping the metal as she pulled it out. The sound was like metal on a chalkboard to Anna and it sent a chill down her spine.

"I heard two girls talking, one of them sounded kind of-" Anna searched for the word that would perfectly describe the tone of Aleks' voice. It definitely wasn't warm or inviting in the slightest, quite the opposite in fact. "-cold. That's the best way I can describe it I guess." She nodded to herself and noticed the curiosity on her cousin's face. It was a wonder her face didn't stick like that how often she made it. Rapunzel has always been curious about absolutely everything and never turned down the opportunity to learn or experience something new. Which was probably why her and Eugene got along so well, her genuine curiosity for the world perfectly reflected how outgoing he was. "Anyway, I heard another voice. And this time it was quiet and nervous but it was really pretty actually. She probably has a wonderful singing voice now that I really think about it." Although it wasn't very likely she'd find out judging how stone cold the other girl had become after she had popped out from under the counter. It was like she just faded into the background and became invisible. The only thing that made her presence noticeable is when she would shift in her seat.

Anna shook her head and stopped herself from veering off topic. "Anyway, when I heard the first girl lean up against the counter I figured it would be a good time to introduce myself before I seem like a total creep from awkwardly hanging out under the counter the entire time." She then gently rubbed her nose and grimaced slightly when she realized how tender it still was. "I guess I shocked her and then she socked me right in the nose." She shrugged and noted the discontentment on her cousin's face across from her. It was clear she wasn't satisfied with just that.

"...and?" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "I've seen you in gym class and softball, Anna. I know you can take a hit." Which was true, if nothing else, Anna prided herself in her ability to get back up after being knocked down. It was something she was pretty good at after being knocked down as much as she was.

"It's just... the conversation that followed wasn't very pleasant." She turned her head and gazed at the brick floor beside her trying to hold back more tears figuring she had cried enough today. It was the very first day of a new chapter of her life and it started on a bad page. Even though she was looking away she could still feel green eyes burning a hole in her face.

"Sitting over there and simmering about it isn't going to help anything."

"Can we just say that she plucked at the heartstrings a little too hard?" Anna managed to get out with a little bit of hope when she raised her head back up and tore off a small piece of her bread to shove in her mouth. "It's okay, Rapunzel. I can handle it." _That's totally a lie._ The brunette across from her seemed to have read her mind from the look of discontent painted on her face. "I've made it this far, haven't I?" _Barely._

"I worry about you, Anna." She extended her arm and placed her hand over Anna's, which was abnormally cool despite the warmth of both the weather outside and the warmth of the restaurant. "Even when you came over outside of school, you always looked stressed out about something." Which was also true. If it wasn't her grades, homework, a boyfriend at the time, or an extra-curricular activity, it was something else causing her stress.

"Did I?" She asked with genuine curiosity. "We always had so much fun whenever we hung out though." It wasn't often that they were able to, however. If her grades weren't up to a certain standard she wouldn't be let out of the house until they met said standard. Anna's parents have always had those high expectations and accepted nothing less. If they wanted a glass of water, Anna should have came back with a pitcher full. If they asked her to weed the garden, Anna should have mowed the lawn as well. If they told Anna to pick up groceries, she better be prepared to cook them too. They always claimed it was to prepare her for the future where mistakes aren't accepted and the more she accomplishes, the further she'll go.

The brunette nodded. "Even on the holidays."

Anna shoved another chunk of bread in her mouth. "Well, I'm okay Rapunzel."

She retracted her arm to take another sip from her drink. "Can't say I believe you, Anna. Would it help if I talked to whomever it is giving you trouble?"

Anna imagined how that conversation would work out. Sure, Rapunzel was stubborn as a mule and was certainly convincing about most things. She did manage to stop Eugene and his former friends from robbing her and instead got him to take her out on a date after all. But in this case, Anna didn't think any degree of stubbornness or how convincing she was would help. The way that girl backed Anna into a corner and made her buckle was something the redhead wasn't used to. At least not physically, and especially not in front of other people like that. She was normally able to keep her cool and stay level headed on the outside regardless of how she felt. Rapunzel however, was a being of seemingly endless emotion. Everything she did was filled with emotion from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed. She showed it, too. Whatever Aleks did to Anna, she would probably do tenfold to Rapunzel.

Anna scrambled to get the words out of her mouth fast enough. "Nononono, noooo nononono... no." She didn't realize how loud she frantically let the words spill until patrons from the other side of the restaurant were staring at her. She nervously gave a small chuckle and shrugged it off. "N-no thank you, I mean."

Rapunzel shifted in her seat and adjusted her posture so that she sat a little bit taller. "Are you sure, Anna? I mean it wouldn't take long at all and I'm sure I could get her to back off."

Anna almost considered it for a moment before remembering how defenseless she felt in her presence. She didn't want her cousin going through that.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She smiled, hoping her mask would get Rapunzel to forget the idea.

With a sigh, Rapunzel decided to drop that subject but was still curious. "So-" She started with a shrug. "-how about the other girl you mentioned?"

The question blindsided Anna and she placed her hands on either side of her face. She really hadn't even noticed the other girl. She had long blonde hair that appeared to be kept in a large, single braid. After Anna made herself known, she just completely stopped talking and the redhead thought that was kind of strange. She didn't introduce herself, say hi, or anything. Anna didn't even get a good look at her.

"I can't really tell you anything about her." She muttered, partly out of fear that Aleks was waiting around the corner just waiting for her to say something bad about the blonde and punch her in the face again.

Rapunzel shot back and seemed slightly disappointed at the answer, her curiosity unfulfilled. "Nothing at all? About either one of them?"

Anna shrugged again. "Nothing that's really interesting." A half smile tugged at her lips as a way of saying sorry. "Like I said, I bet the blonde sings very well."

Rapunzel smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well I guess that's something." She finished the last bite of her chicken alfredo and pushed the plate away from her. "While we're out, is there anything you'd like to do? It's still kinda early."

Anna sat there and thought about it. All of her necessities were in the duffel bag. Clothes, toiletries, and a handful of assorted candies and chocolates. Pretty much all she needed to sustain life. Her mind drifted back to the bedroom and how empty it was. The window without curtains would certainly allow her eyes to be ruthlessly battered by the sun in the morning, if she could even manage to fall asleep without sheets, blankets, or even a pillow.

"Oh yeah, if you don't mind taking me to pick up some stuff for the bedroom?" It took Anna a moment to process what she just said as Rapunzel looked at her with a strained face trying not to let out a giggling fit. Her face grew redder than the sauce on her meatball sub when she realized what she just said. It definitely sounded better in her mind.

"Oh, nononono! Not like that!" She started, noting the increased restraint on the brunette's face. "I mean I don't need any of _that _kind of stuff, because that's totally taken care of!" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow. "I have two hands and they normally serve me pretty well so it's not like I need anything else for that kinda stuff but even if I did I wouldn't need someone to help me shop for that stuff." Her cousin's resolve fell as her loud laughter echoed through the restaurant and attracted the eyes of everyone around them. As she listened to the high pitch laughter, she dropped her head in her hands and was positive she couldn't be more embarrassed. _Way to ramble, Anna. You just told your cousin you wouldn't go dildo shopping with her cause your fingers serve you just fine. _She shook her head and a low chuckle left her lips. It was kind of funny, actually. When Rapunzel finally calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye, Anna smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I meant pillows, blankets, sheets, and that kind of stuff."

"I know, but it was great." Rapunzel replied in between lingering giggles.

* * *

"Aleks." Elsa's tone was stern, uncharacteristically so considering how quiet and timid she normally was. It was totally new for the blonde, she was not used to asserting herself in any kind of situation. She was most comfortable in the background of most situations, blending in to not draw any unwanted attention to her. But this time was different, she suddenly felt empowered and couldn't pass up the opportunity to have her opinion heard even if it was only to her sister whom was the only one she was comfortable talking to for extended periods of time.

Aleks raised her eyes from the steak she couldn't get in her mouth quick enough. She slowed her chewing and placed her utensils on her plate. Swallowing her bite, she noticed the determined look on her sisters face. Picking up a napkin and wiping her mouth, she looked at Elsa with widened eyes. "Yeah, what's up?"

Elsa cleared her throat and straightened in her seat. This was really something she was not used to doing. She played with her hands under the table, rubbing her palm with her thumb to try and distract herself from the nervous lump growing in her throat. "I-I think you went just a little too far back at the school." She tried to sound as calm as she could, but she couldn't prevent the nervous undertone.

Aleks raised an eyebrow at the sudden boldness of her twin. This was abnormal even to Aleks who has spent more time with Elsa than anyone else. "How was it any different than any-"

"You've never made anyone cry like that." Cutting off her sister, or anyone for that matter was extremely bold and even a little cocky for Elsa. She took a deep breath and noted the shock plastered all over the woman's face who sat across from her. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful for all you've done for me." She hoped the added sentiment would alleviate some of the shock, and maybe a little hurt from her twin's face.

"You know why I do what I do, Elsa." She replied, equal parts hurt and shock just as Elsa guessed. "You think I like doing what I do and looking like a total bitch to everyone around me?!" She placed slender fingers on her collar bone to explain her point better. "For us?" She placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder to even further prove her point.

Elsa suddenly felt a surge of guilt flow through her body. It was true that Aleks had a reputation as a 'total bitch' as she put it to everyone who had either seen her stand up for her or heard of such instances. It essentially made them both outcasts, people were afraid to approach Elsa in fear of Aleks. People were afraid to approach Aleks because she was Aleks. And for the most part, Elsa preferred it that way. Most of the time she was able to keep to herself with little to no worry of other people getting too close to her. Although sometimes, she wished she had more people than just Aleks to talk to. She was her best friend of course, but it practically eliminated any variety in Elsa's social life. But she knew her sister's heart was always in the right place.

"You think I don't know that, Aleks? You think I don't understand being ostracized against my will?!" Her voice was a little louder than she intended, and she was glad that the restaurant was nearly empty.

"What's with the sudden change of your entire demeanor?" Aleks shot back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Just this morning and even this afternoon you were all nervous and saying 'I'm not ready' but now you're ready to face the world?" She looked genuinely confused under the hurt that still showed on her face.

"I know I was." The blonde replied softly. She shrugged and opened her mouth to speak but had troubles finding the words."This is one person, and I'm going to be stuck with her for the rest of the year."

Aleks shook her head and covered her face with her hands. "You know the effects one person can have." Her reply although muffled, was sharp. "I know you haven't forgotten how fathe-"

"Don't bring that up!" Elsa almost screamed as a single tear carved it's way down her porcelain cheek. Their father was a very sensitive for both of the sisters but probably more so for Elsa.

"Elsa, I still hear you cry yourself to sleep most nights despite being in different rooms back with Grandmother Gothel." She started, immediately getting off the subject of their father at her sister's demand. It was true though, many nights Aleks would be kept awake because she heard quiet sobbing through the walls. Be it bad memories, a nightmare, or even night terrors Elsa didn't sleep well often. Many nights she made her way to her room to try and comfort her, but it hardly ever worked. Sometimes it only made it worse. So whenever Aleks heard the sobbing through the walls, she simply chose to leave candy outside of her door. It was a small gesture, but she knew how much her blonde twin loved candy. And she'd do anything to ensure her sister's well-being. "I'm just trying to reiterate that you know how big a difference one person can make."

The blonde wiped the welling tears from her eyes and dropped her head, knowing very well her sister was speaking the cold hard truth. "You never know until you try..." She muttered softly. Raising her face until her icy blue eyes met her sister's. "She just seems different than anyone else." Elsa remembered how the redhead looked completely defenseless as her twin loomed over her. She wanted to badly to intervene, to jump in front of Aleks and tell her that enough is enough. But she couldn't, it seemed like she was frozen in place as she continued watching her assault Anna. It was different to her this time though. Previously whenever Aleks had words with people it came with relief and gratitude for Elsa because she had felt perhaps threatened to a certain degree. Normally she felt protected by her sister as possible would-be bullies buckled in defeat. But after the initial shock she felt once the redhead poked her way out from under the counter, she was willing to give her a chance after hearing her failed attempts at defending herself. And once she saw her run away in tears, she wanted to get up and make sure she was alright. Even if she couldn't do that, she was still able to tell Aleks her opinion on the confrontation.

"What about the whole ice magic thing, Elsa?" Aleks asked, raising her hands and wiggling her fingers. "We've managed to keep it a secret from everyone except three people. Two of those-" Her blue eyes widened and she leaned in a little closer. "-are dead!"

Elsa sighed and cast her gaze to an empty spot on the floor beside her. "We're used to concealing it. We're used to not feeling it." She softly muttered and brought a hand up to gently caress the ends of her braid, twirling blonde strands between slender fingers.

"So what if she finds out?"

Elsa locked her eyes with her sister, and for the first time she saw Aleks seem to bow under her. "I'll handle it." Her tone was much more serious than Aleks had ever seen her twin before.

"Elsa, I don't want you getting hurt." Aleks sounded frustrated as she rubbed her temples. She knew her sister had a good head on her shoulders, she knew right from wrong.

"I know, Aleks. But this is one person. It isn't like I'm going to try making friends with the entire campus." Elsa placed a reassuring hand on her sister's and gave a smile in hopes of lessening her worries. "And besides, I have to learn to stand up for myself eventually don't I? I'm tired of being known as the loner. I'm sure you are too."

Aleks raised her head and copied her sister's smile, although it came off a little weaker. "You're right. I am tired of scaring off everyone. But what caused the whole shift in your outlook?"

Elsa shrugged, not really knowing herself. She didn't feel ready to make her way through a large crowd of people. She still doubted she could handle being in a crowded restaurant without freaking out which is why they often chose restaurants that didn't appear to have too many people in it. "I guess I just took what you said in the car this morning to heart." Her sister's opinion always had great weight with Elsa and she didn't take anything she told her lightly. All Aleks ever tried to do was watch out for Elsa, so of course her opinion would carry a lot of weight with the blonde. When she was telling her that this whole thing would be good for Elsa in the long run, she did think it through a lot. So, she was willing to try and make things better. Baby steps of course. Talking to one person is a small enough step that Elsa was willing to try it. She was living with her, so she'd have to eventually after all.

"You know where to find me, right?"

Elsa gave a quick nod. "A floor below me, room 404 right?"

"You've always been the smart one." Aleks smiled, she was probably just as nervous about all this as Elsa was. But her sister made a very prominent point. They were both tired of being alone, and this was a whole new chapter in their lives.

Finishing their food with irrelevant small talk between bites, Aleks pushed the plate away from her and placed a hand on her stomach and give it a hearty pat. "Think we'll need to pick up anything for the rooms?"

"Well the dorms appeared to be pretty well furnished. Assuming the rest of the room reflects that, what else would we need? We have all the necessities in the back of the car." Elsa answered, thinking about anything that they may have forgotten. They had clothes, school supplies, and toiletries. Aleks even brought her beloved Playstation 4. Elsa didn't really know why though, she wasn't sure how much time she would actually have to play it with how much studying she'd probably have to do to maintain a passing grade in her classes. Back at their Grandmother's, Elsa would constantly have to hound her to get off of the thing and do her homework when she was in danger of failing. She'd always respond with 'just one more game', and she'd have to resort to standing in between the screen and her sister with a textbook in hand to get her to study. Aleks just didn't share the same work ethic as Elsa, if it didn't interest her she'd forget about it and go find something that more suited her fancy.

"Yeah, you're right. Those dorms do look pretty fucking sweet though." Aleks commented with a wide smile which quickly faded when realization dawned on her. "I haven't even met my roommate yet." She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I really hope they aren't a dweeb."

Elsa could just smile and shake her head at her sister, hoping that everything would be alright from the new found confidence welling up inside of her.

* * *

Anna stood at the edge of her newly made bed, smiling contently at the bed set she had chosen. It was just a simple dark, forest type green but Anna loved how warm and inviting it made the bed look. She even found a matching set of curtains which blocked out the last remaining rays of sunlight as it set. Placing her hands on her hips, she gave the room a good look over and was content with it. It wasn't made for royalty or anything, but Anna liked it. Maybe one day she'd go out with Rapunzel again and they could pick out some décor for the room to fill the bare white walls. The redhead was about to make her way over to her duffel bag to begin unpacking when she heard the door to the dorm click open.

She peeked her head through the doorway and gave a sigh of great relief when she noticed it was only Elsa who came through unaccompanied. The memory of her confrontation still weighed heavy on her heart, but the time spent with her cousin alleviated much of that. Although she definitely did not want to have another run in with her. Anna turned back into the dorm and moved the duffel bag from the floor onto the bed to begin unpacking. She decided it would probably be best to just leave Elsa to do her own thing, because quite frankly the redhead was scared of her. So when she turned around to see the blonde staring at her through the doorway, she gave an audible yelp that echoed through the hallway.

"Hi."


	6. A Simple Game

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've been kind of swamped with life stuff and haven't had a whole lot of time to write. I hope this chapter kinda makes up for it. It focuses purely on Elsa and Anna.

It's another one in Anna's point of view, I really don't think the story is driven by one character more than the other.

Anyway, be sure to leave a nice little review or constructive criticism or whatever. I love reading the comments y'all leave.

* * *

"Hi."

The hesitant voice came from the doorway which Anna now stared in bewilderment at. Standing on the threshold of her room stood Elsa, arms crossed over her stomach as she leaned on the door frame. The redhead continued to stand at the edge of her bed and look in the general direction of the blonde without looking directly at her. She cleared her throat and straightened up, crossing her own arms over her stomach to mirror the stance of the girl across from her. It was now that Anna could get a better look at her roommate. The first thing she noticed was how slender she was. She wasn't a sickly slender, but she definitely had a thin form that a lot of people yearn for. And although they were partly covered by the red hoodie she wore, Anna's eyes caught the hips that could make any straight woman question their sexuality. She found herself staring for too long, and a cough from the blonde caused Anna to raise her head to have her eyes meet Elsa's. Even from the few feet between them, Anna could see the chilling blue eyes that seemed to immobilize her.

"Oh, hi me?" Anna nervously commented, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Elsa slowly nodded, never breaking eye contact and shifted her weight so that she was leaning on the other side of the door frame.

"Um, hi." Anna offered a small wave and attempted a smile.

Elsa returned the gesture, only her smile seemed less forced and more natural.

"So what's uh, what's going on?" Anna asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed and placing her hands on her knees. The nervously rubbed them until her hands were warm from the generated friction.

Elsa shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, never breaking eye contact with the redhead across from her. This admittedly made Anna a little more nervous than she already was as she pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, waiting for Elsa to say something. Waiting for something that wasn't going to happen again anytime soon, apparently.

Anna cleared her throat and nervously chuckled. "So..." She was hoping Elsa would say something, anything that would break the silence between them. But at this rate, the blonde could probably stand in that doorway all night long without a word. _This is actually kind of creepy._ Anna thought and shifted, resting one leg over the other and leaning back on her hands.

Elsa then calmly left the doorway and went off into the hallway. Anna could hear her footsteps on the hardwood floor and guessed she probably went off to the kitchen for some unknown reason. She shrugged to herself and looked at the spot on the bed where the box cutter laid earlier. The sight of it brought back unsavory memories of not only that afternoon, but past memories as well. She couldn't stand the sight of it and put it away before putting the sheets on her bed. The dinner with her cousin had done wonders for her mood and although she didn't feel like her usual self, she couldn't deny the fact that she felt much better. Anna stared at the ceiling above her while she continued to sit on the edge of the bed, simply enjoying the feeling of doing absolutely nothing. She took a deep breath and almost jumped when she lowered her head to see Elsa standing in the doorway again. She was holding a box and was clutching it to her chest as she stared at Anna with a hint of a grin. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a chess game.

Anna cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, wondering why she was randomly holding a chess game when the realization dawned on her. "You want me to play chess with you?" She chuckled, a half smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Elsa's smile widened and she gave a nod. Drumming her fingers on the box, she lifted herself up on her toes and dropped back down. The blonde looked at Anna with hopeful eyes, it was pretty clear that this meant a lot to her.

"I promise you I'm not very good at it, the only board game I've ever really been good at was monopoly and that was only because I liked buying all of the colors and the little dog piece was just so cute." Anna scrunched up her face when she remarked how cute she thought the dog piece was. "I really didn't even know what I was doing when I played with Rapunzel, I'd just buy all of the colors and I somehow ended up winning more than I lost and that always kind of irritated Rapunzel because she'd always think through her moves for like, hours on end." Anna shrugged. "One time she got so angry at how bad I beat her that she locked herself in her room for most of the night. But then she came out at like midnight and we made brownies and made a mess of the kitchen." The redhead giggled at the memory, she continued to talk about how the ruckus they had caused made Rapunzel's parents wake up and scold the both of them not for the mess, but because they didn't think of sharing with them. "Rapunzel's parents were always cool like that, they never really got mad."

Elsa was leaning up against the door frame again, still clutching the chess box and staring at the redhead. She looked genuinely interested in Anna's word vomit, even though her mouth was moving faster than she herself could probably comprehend.

"And it got really crazy when we realized we used the wrong measurement for the water and vegetable oil, so the brownies were like really really spongy like a chocolate pancake and-" Anna cut herself off when she realized she was blankly staring at her hands moving in all different directions while she told her story which she clearly got caught up in. "-oh, I'm sorry." She nervously swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I was rambling."

The blonde shook her head as if to tell Anna she didn't mind. Nudging her head down the hallway, she left the doorway again and Anna once again heard her light footsteps make their way down said hall. Bright copper hair tussled slightly when Anna shook her head to herself and took a breath. She shrugged and rose to her feet, reaching for the ceiling in a deep stretch which caused an involuntary yawn. She walked over to the doorway where Elsa previously stood and poked her head to look down the hallway. From her room she could make out blonde hair bobbing up and down on the couch. She was probably setting up the chess board for Anna's inevitable defeat. Creeping her way out of her room and collecting herself as she strode down the short hallway she stopped briefly beside the kitchen. The box from her cousin was still on the counter, untouched and seemingly forgotten. Inspecting the box, it was wrapped similarly to the smaller one which held the box cutter. Realizing she never really needed it in the first place, she forced her thumb nail through the packaging tape and began tearing it off. Opening the box, she blankly stared at the gift from her cousin as a large grin crept its way across her face.

"Frying pan!" Anna shrieked, giddy with glee. Elsa jumped a little and looked back at the redhead, confusion painted on her face. She picked up the cast iron frying pan from the box and rotated it in her grip a few times, testing the weight as her smile grew to the point where it began to hurt. She looked up and noticed Elsa's concerned look from the couch and giggled a little. "Look, Elsa!" Anna extended her arms and bounced on her toes. "It's a frying pan!" The confused look on Elsa's face grew and Anna began to expect she thought she had totally lost her marbles.

"It's kind of an inside thing between Rapunzel and I." Anna began as she held the frying pan, it was definitely heavy enough to hurt somebody. _I'd like to see Aleks get in my face now!_ Anna smirked to herself. "I was over at her house one week in summer when my parents were out of town, and we got a little bored and decided we would play some two person baseball." She adjusted the frying pan so that she was holding it like a baseball bat. "But the only thing was, we didn't have any baseball bats. But her mother loved cooking so she naturally had a lot of frying pans around." She swung the pan, tightening her grip so that she wouldn't end up putting a hole in the wall. The weight of the cast iron made the redhead stumble a little bit. "So, we tossed around a baseball in her backyard and hit it with frying pans! But it didn't stop there!" Anna bounced again and placed the frying pan on the glass top oven, causing an audible clack. "We played baseball with frying pans, golf with frying pans, tennis with frying pans, and even ping pong with them. Sure, it was a little awkward at first but it was a lot of fun!"

Elsa's expression softened and appeared to be a little amused at Anna's recollection of playing sports with a frying pan. "Rapunzel is pretty deadly with these babies, let me tell ya! But we sure had our share of accidents." Anna made her way from the kitchen and sat on the recliner which sat adjacent from the couch. "She once broke her boyfriend's nose with one when he startled her taking a nap." Anna giggled and leaned back in the black leather recliner. "Why she was taking a nap with a frying pan I have no clue, but it was an interesting doctor's visit. And boy did Eugene go on and on about how she broke his 'smoulder' again." Elsa cocked an eyebrow. Anna noticed this and shrugged, trying to keep back more giggles. "Yes. Again. His 'smoulder' as he calls it is some ridiculous face he makes when he tries to get his way. It's like his own version of a pout or a puppy dog face." Anna concluded and placed her hands on her knees and sat up straight. She looked over at the blonde with wide eyes. "So, chess?"

Elsa smiled and gave an enthusiastic nod as she gestured at the chess board laid out on the wooden coffee table in front of both girls. The black and white chess pieces were laid out perfectly on the checkered board, a straight line of pawns in front of the assorted other pieces. The kings towered over the rest of the pieces. But there was something off about the pieces, the paint on the wood was chipped on almost all of them. Other pieces hardly had any paint and all, and some of the pieces even appeared to be slightly splintered. Paint was also chipped on the board itself and the corners were in pretty bad shape in particular. _Water damage? _Anna picked up the black rook which sat on her side and she brought it close to her face. They were in worse condition than Anna first guessed, she expected the pieces to still feel fairly smooth but they were actually pretty rough.

Elsa's hand bolted and took the piece from the redhead, leaving her staring in shock. She placed the rook back in its rightful place and crossed her arms around her stomach, closing into herself. Anna noticed this and scooted to the edge of her seat, placing her hand on Elsa's knee she could feel it tense up as the blonde cast her gaze to an empty spot beside her.

Anna wanted to ask her a million questions. Why she was tensed up. Why the took the rook from her. Why she hasn't spoken since greeting her. Why chess of all games. Why did the pieces appear water damaged. _Why is Aleks such a bitch? _She ultimately decided that she wasn't about to scare Elsa off. She finally seemed to have the opportunity to prove that she can do something right. Although her first instinct was to ask questions, she decided that instead of bombarding the seemingly defenseless blonde with an endless barrage of vocal inquiries, Anna took a different approach to make Elsa a little more comfortable. "Honestly, I don't even know how to play chess." She admitted.

Elsa looked up and stared into Anna's turquoise eyes which seemed to be filled with equal parts concern and hope. The redhead noticed a fresh glaze of tears over the blue eyes that stared at her. She shrugged and retreated back to her own seat, watching as Elsa slowly uncrossed her arms and eased a little. "Never learned how. Probably why Rapunzel always beat me."

Elsa rubbed her eyes and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I'll teach you." She said nervously and under her breath, Anna barely heard her.

The redhead beamed at the sound of the blonde's voice. Even if it were barely audible and hardly above a whisper, she saw it as progress and it brightened her mood. "I know all the little pawn guys can only move forward and attack diagonally." Anna started, trying not to sound completely clueless even though she was. She didn't pick up on a whole lot through all the games with her cousin, but she knew a little bit. She knew how the pawns worked, and knew that the aim of the game was to take out the opponents king. Other than that though, she was practically blind. Elsa nodded in agreement at Anna's statement regarding the pawns. "But what do the little castles do?" The redhead picked up the rook again and gingerly held it in between delicate fingers. The slightly splintered wood was rough, and she tried not to inspect it too close again.

"T-they're called rooks." Elsa corrected, raising her voice hardly above a whisper. "They can move however many spaces you want either vertically or horizontally." She stuck her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, and sunk into the couch a bit more.

"Oh, that's cool." Anna placed the rook back in it's rightful place but her eyes never moved from the shy woman in front of her. _She seems so nervous and just out of place. I could totally see her as the stuffy librarian kind of person._ "What about the pointy dudes with the cool looking hats?" She pointed to a piece next to the king.

"Bishop. They only move diagonally, and on their respective colors." Anna cocked an eyebrow in slight confusion and Elsa seemed to notice. "If it starts on a white square, it can only move on white squares in a diagonal direction. Same thing if it starts on the black square." She finished.

Anna inspected the bishops and imagined how they would move. It made sense, the bishop that started on the black square couldn't logically move on a white square due to how the board was set up. She began to realize that taking out even one of the bishops would be a pretty smart thing to do early on. "What about the queen?" Anna pointed to the piece that appeared to have a small cross on top that she assumed to be the queen.

"That's the king."

"...oh." Anna gave a small giggle and adjusted so that she was pointing to the queen.

"The queen is probably the most powerful piece. It can move in any direction, but cannot move like a knight."

"Knight?"

"The horse." Elsa answered. She picked up one of the knights that was on her side and placed it in the middle of the board. "They can only move in an 'L' kind of shape."

Anna grazed her fingers over the chipped white paint of the knight and grasped it. She slid it four spaces forward and three to the right, ending up near the edge of the board. She was technically right, she made an 'L' shape with the movements. Elsa lightly sighed and almost let out a small laugh at how clueless Anna appeared.

"Almost." Elsa smirked. She took a hand from her hoodie and lightly placed it on top of Anna's to guide her. Her skin felt cool to the touch on the back of Anna's hand despite the fact it was just in her hoodie pocket. Elsa's hand jumped back and she shied away before gingerly placing her trembling fingers back on the redhead's hand. Anna noticed her eyes were shut and her face was tightened with pursed lips. As if she was straining or even struggling with something. Anna's eyes widened when she noticed the blonde's eyebrows slightly twitch, then she felt her hand begin to move. The knight along with her hand were shifted three spaces to the left and one forward, forming a much smaller 'L' form.

Elsa then barely opened an eye and met Anna's warm expression. She slid her hand off of the redhead's and stuck it back in her hoodie.

"I suppose that makes a little more sense, huh?" Anna remarked.

Elsa's softened and came out of her self-constructed shell a little. Removing her hands from her hoodie and placing them on her knees and gave Anna a blank look which could mean anything. Anna couldn't tell how she was feeling from the blank look. Maybe happy, maybe sad. Maybe even a little relieved. Elsa gave a quick nod and returned the knight to it's rightful place on her side of the board.

Anna rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. She studied Elsa's expression but still couldn't make anything out from it. Although being this close gave her the perfect opportunity to get a good look at her. She initially noticed how pale her skin was. It wasn't a sickly kind of pale, but more like a porcelain doll or fine ivory. And it looked so smooth! She wasn't sure she had any kind of imperfections at all on her face. No scars nor were there any signs of acne. Nothing. Just clear skin with the lightest freckles which were painted on her cheeks and nose. Her cheekbones were fairly well defined and higher on her face than most peoples, giving her a regal kind of look. And her eyes! They were much more of a pure blue than Anna's which were splashed with a hint of green. _She's so pretty! I can't believe how jealous I am!_ Her head tilted as she continued to gaze at the blonde, taking note of every inch of her face. Elsa's eyebrows came together as she nervously backed up a little. _You're staring, Anna._

"Oh, sorry!" Anna nervously repented. She cleared her voice and straightened up. "So, chess huh?"

Elsa nodded and picked up a pawn to start the first move. Still, Anna was pretty much clueless as to what she was doing. But in between moves the stole little glances at Elsa, who often appeared to be deep in thought and took her sweet time contemplating every little move. Anna did attempt an actual strategy though. She wanted to remove her opponent's bishops because she thought they would end up decimating all of her pieces if they were given the chance. Although that didn't seem to work out too well, within minutes she had already lost two pawns and a rook.

"You're really good at this, Elsa! I think you could even beat Rapunzel." Anna smiled, appearing cheery despite the fact she was losing.

Elsa was shaken from her trance and met Anna's eyes. "Uh, t-thank you. I've had a lot of practice I uh, I guess." She returned to her deep thought and made another move, capturing another of Anna's pawns.

Anna swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear and studied the board. She was at a clear disadvantage, not even taking a single white piece yet. She did see an opportunity though, Elsa had mistakenly left one of her knights open for the taking by Anna's bishop. She internally shrieked as she noticed this, and took no hesitation in sliding her bishop from across the board to take the knight. Elsa was taken back a little bit and her eyes shot open in shock. It was clear that she didn't expect that and Anna was giddy inside at the small victory. But it didn't last long, as her bishop was soon taken by the rook she didn't notice. She cursed under her breath and tried to take the game more seriously. But the certainty and grace even in the most subtle moves from Elsa seemed to belittle the redhead. It seemed like with every move Anna lost ground and pieces as Elsa's crept closer and closer to her king. The board started even parts black and white, but now only a few black pieces remained. Anna looked and took note of what she had left. Her king, queen, two pawns and a rook. While the only thing Elsa was missing was one knight. Anna tried to strategize by using a pawn as bait so that her queen can swoop in and take a piece. She managed to set up her trap seemingly without notice from Elsa, and she grew a little proud of herself. But then Elsa moved her queen across the board to take Anna's in one swift motion. Anna's shoulders sunk and scolded herself for not noticing that.

"Checkmate."

"What?" Anna raised an eyebrow. It was true, no matter how she moved her king it would still be in jeopardy of being taken from one of Elsa's pieces. She also had no possible moves that would remove the threat. She lost fair and square.

"You played pretty well though, I couldn't really figure out why you were letting me take so many pieces and I got sloppy." The blonde fidgeted in her seat and swung one leg over the other before finding a comfortable position.

"Sloppy?" Anna asked in obvious confusion. To her, nothing about that game was sloppy on Elsa's part. She completely destroyed her which was evident by all of her missing pieces.

"I lost a rook." She pointed to the single white piece on Anna's side of the board.

Anna was completely baffled at how Elsa thought she was sloppy for losing a single piece. She gave a nervous chuckle as she noticed the plethora of black pieces on the side opposite of her's. "But look at how you won! By a landslide I would say!" Anna smiled again, simply glad that Elsa was talking to her now. "I told you I wasn't very good at chess." She finished.

"You'll get better over time." Elsa winked. "Promise." She sat up and began to put the pieces back in the box and folded up the board.

"You're assuming I'll play again." Anna crossed her arms and gave a smug look in an attempt to mess around with the blonde. Of course she would play again if Elsa asked, but she didn't have to know that.

Elsa stopped her movements for a brief moment and tenderly placed the board back in the box and closed it. "Would you like to play again sometime?" She managed to get out under her breath. It was clear she didn't expect the attitude change from Anna.

_I think I scared her! Damnit, Anna. Be more friendly! She's actually warming up to you a little bit! _Anna stumbled over her words. "I-I mean of course I would play chess with you again! I was just trying to play around a little bit and I'm sorry if I offended you or something but I mean oh yeah totally I'll play chess with you! Maybe we could even shake it up and play checkers or monopoly too!" _Shut up, Anna._

Elsa picked up the box and placed it on her lap. "I would be okay with checkers." She admitted and started to drum her fingers on the box. "I don't have the pieces though." Her face dropped.

"I was totally kidding, Elsa. Don't worry about it. It was just something I spewed out in my rambling." She scrambled to get the words out in an attempt to lighten Elsa's mood. But she would prefer checkers over chess any day if given the chance. Even if she wasn't exactly good at checkers either she was much better at it than chess. At least in checkers the pieces could only move in one way unless they were a king. She did genuinely enjoy the chess match though despite losing. And despite Elsa being quiet, shy, and soft spoken she liked her much more than her sister. At least this one didn't punch her in the face when she greeted her.

"You talk a lot." Elsa noted in a monotone fashion as she stood to place the chess box on the bar.

The comment took Anna by surprise and she didn't know whether to take it offensively or not. She knew she talked a lot, not only did she remind herself of it quite often but the people she annoyed would tell her constantly. Which meant she wasn't a stranger to hearing the comment. But it still hurt her every time, she couldn't really help that as much as she couldn't help talking. It was something she did to defend herself. Her face dropped to the floor and she intertwined her fingers, keeping her attention off of the comment from the blonde. "Tell me about it." She muttered under her breath, feeling hurt.

Elsa turned to look at the woman feeling sorry for herself from the kitchen where she continued to stand. "I'm sorry." She walked back over to the kitchen and sat down on the couch. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

Anna shook her head and tried to get a small chuckle out. "I'm used to it." She waved Elsa off. "It's alright. No big deal." She lied between her teeth. "It's been a hell of a day. I'm heading to bed alright?" She stood up and smiled at the blonde, trying her best to look normal. Although she wasn't too sure what normal was. She gave a small wave and turned to walk away.

"Thank you for playing chess with me, Anna." Elsa gave an unsure wave in response and stared at the space in front of the redhead.

Anna made her way down the hallway and rubbed her eyes which were still sore from the afternoon's events. It was true though, it was one hell of a day. A six hour car ride which consisted of singing show tunes with Eugene, being punched in the face by a very violent and condescending she-beast, crying her eyes out, dinner with Rapunzel, and a game of chess with the beast's sister. Shutting the door behind her she fell on the bed and let out a load groan. It was going to be an interesting school year.


	7. Storms

**A/N:** Sorry this update took so long to get out. Graduation and a trip to Disney World kept me away from my laptop.

But, here it is! Pretty solid trigger warning in this chapter pertaining to child abuse. Be aware of that.

Back story is starting to rear it's head in, I may dedicate a chapter purely to back story here soon. It's obviously very important to the story and the characters.

But, I'm rambling.

Enjoy!

* * *

Elsa sat on the couch alone in complete solitude. The air was still and quiet which only made the silence much more prominent. The only light in the room came from the overhead light in the kitchen, which barely illuminated a part of the living room despite being right next to each other. This was actually the first time in a long while that Elsa was left alone in solitude. She normally always had Aleks relatively close to her, if it wasn't Aleks it was somebody. Anybody. But not this time, she was completely alone and she wasn't sure how to react to it. On one hand she was relieved, but on the other hand she couldn't stand it. Being alone only served to remind her of countless nights alone in her room.

Crying.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

Eventually Elsa started shutting everyone out during the times in which her emotions overpowered her. Their grandmother Gothel had given up on gaining entry into her room after awhile. Figuring it would just be best let her sort herself out. Aleks was much more persistent. Often spending nights outside of Elsa's door in hopes of easing some of her twin's pain. Sometimes Elsa would let her in and they would play chess throughout the night. The memory did bring the blonde some joy, only to be replaced by sadness and regret when she remembered how much of an effect her emotions had on her powers. Her touch would constantly freeze the wooden pieces, and the constant freezing and thawing certainly took it's toll on the poor chess pieces. When Anna had picked up the chess piece and started to inspect it, she had panicked and didn't want her asking questions. She was lucky that Anna didn't push the subject, but she looked really curious about it all.

And other times Aleks would just leave small treats outside of Elsa's door in the middle of the night. It was a small gesture, but Elsa loved her sister for it. It was almost always chocolate, it was her favorite. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with nuts in it, it didn't matter to Elsa. As long as it was smooth, sweet, and full of delicious cocoa flavor.

Elsa sighed as she finished reminiscing, but suddenly had a craving for chocolate. Wondering if she remembered to bring any, she left the couch to check her purse she left on the dining room table. She reached her hand in and rustled about aimlessly trying to find any kind of chocolatey goodness. When she had emptied most of it's contents on the table, she found a Hershey's bar in one of the pockets on the side with a small sticky note attached to it. She recognized the handwriting as Aleks' immediately, it was hard to mistake her rushed cursive.

'Hey, I figured you might need this eventually. Sorry there isn't more. Text me if you need me.' Short, sweet, blunt, and to the point just like Aleks. Elsa smiled and stuck the note in her purse as she tidied the small pile of assorted items back into her purse. She eyed the chocolate bar in her hands and felt the smooth wrapping under her slender fingers. Milk chocolate with almonds. She licked her lips as she ripped open the package and stuck a square in her mouth. Smooth, sweet, and just a small crunch from the almonds. It was exactly what she had wanted and she savored the taste. Feeling the cocoa goodness run down her throat, she broke off another square and stuck it in her mouth. She sat down at the small table and pulled out her phone. She had a message from Aleks' from about thirty minutes ago when she was engrossed in her chess game.

'Hey, you alright? I'm stuck here with some indian chick. Her name is like Pokemon or something.' Elsa shook her head and rolled her eyes with a small smile.

'Yeah, everything is okay. I'm sorry for the late response, I was caught up in a game of chess.' She typed out and hit send as she stuck another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

Elsa stuck the phone back in her pocket, placed the rest of the chocolate bar back in her purse and made her way down the hall to her room. On the way she glanced over to the door adjacent to her room where she assumed Anna would be fast asleep. She remembered the chess game they had finished not too long ago. She really didn't know what to think of the redhead quite yet. She had a certain... spunky kind of appeal in a weird way. Always rambling on about something as if she loves the sound of her own voice. These qualities were normally some of the quickest ways to annoy Elsa. She preferred the calm and the quiet, two things Anna certainly were not. But she decided that Anna wasn't a real threat to her or anything. She had seemed nice enough, but Elsa knew not to judge a book by it's cover. Although she would enjoy getting to know her better before putting a final verdict on her.

Her leg vibrated as she pulled her phone out and swiped the screen, the bright light of her phone nearly blinding her for a second. 'Did she ask about how shitty the pieces look? Do I need to rough her up, Elsa? You know I will.' Elsa sighed again and felt herself fill with regret. She really didn't enjoy seeing the poor girl buckle underneath her sister. And she certainly did not want to see it again. _I really should have stopped her._

'She noticed but didn't ask any questions. It's okay, Aleks. I promise.' Elsa hesitated for a moment about hitting send and she decided to change the subject. 'So, Pokemon huh?' She added to the end of her message and hit send.

However, curiosity got the best of the blonde and she gingerly pressed her ear up against the cool wooden door. She didn't hear anything, just emptiness. No snoring, or rustling of sheets or anything. She was about to leave when she was taken by surprise by a sound from the other side of the door. A small whimper followed by an even smaller sniffle. It seemed that Anna was crying. Elsa had noticed how red her eyes were during their chess match despite the dim lighting, and she had hoped it was from fatigue. But now it was apparent she was more shaken up over her squabble with Aleks' earlier. At least that's what she assumed.

Her phone buzzed and again she pulled it from her jeans. 'Yeah, her name is really weird and she keeps talking about how I seem tense and need to calm down.' Elsa put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from emitting a small chuckle in order to keep her presence on the other side of the door unknown. The thought of someone trying to calm Aleks down was extremely humorous and probably impossible.

'Haha. Please try to get along with her, Aleks. You're stuck with her for the year, after all.' She hit send and returned her ear to the door. She heard another whimper and her eyes dropped. She hated knowing people were hurting, but she could never do anything about it. She was used to herself hurting, and didn't want anyone else feeling that kind of pain. And yet she was always too afraid to help people in fear of them hurting her somehow. There were many times she went to the bathroom in high school and heard sobbing coming from stalls. Her heart would ache for those behind the doors, but all she could do was curtly leave without a word. The only exception to this was Aleks. She was stronger than Elsa when it came to her emotions, but even she wasn't invulnerable. The chess games proved therapeutic to the both of them, but she was always much more destructive when she was in pain. Elsa lost count how many times Aleks' bedroom window had to be replaced because of how often it would shatter from her outbursts.

But this time, Elsa decided it was time to actually do something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil and the sticky note that was attached to the chocolate bar. Bearing up against the wall, she erased her sisters message and wrote out three simple words. 'It'll be alright.' Elsa wasn't sure what was bothering the woman on the other side of the door, but she hoped the simple message would be enough to help a little. She still felt totally helpless on the other side of the door though, but not nearly strong enough to open it. So this was the best she could do.

She looked down at her phone when it vibrated again, reading another message from Aleks. 'Whatever you say. I'm going to bed early. Goodnight, sis.'

'I'm heading there myself right now. Goodnight.' Elsa hit send and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She knelt down to stick the note underneath the door but paused for a moment. Maybe there was something more she could do. _I'm not sure if she's a chocolate person. But if it helps, it's really the least I could do after letting her get torn apart by Aleks._ Elsa reached into her purse and pulled out the chocolate bar she had barely touched. She really didn't want to give up the cocoa flavored gold she held in her hands, but it was for a good cause. Taking a deep breath, she stuck the sticky note onto the wrapping and slid it under the door. Rising to her feet, she turned to her own door and walked into the small room which was identical to the one adjacent to it.

The bare bed stood in front of the blonde as she didn't realize they had to supply their own sheets and blankets. Elsa placed a hand over her face and sighed with discontent. She wouldn't like it, but she could go without for a night. She'll just have to remember to buy sheets in the morning. Which probably meant she'd have to wake Aleks up early. Which probably meant she'd have to walk down to her dorm and into her room to drag her out of the bed. Again.

Elsa pulled the red hoodie over her head and revealed a dark blue tank top underneath, the cold wouldn't really bother her much but she did need a pillow. She rolled up the hoodie and placed it neatly on the far end of the bed before crawling onto the bed and resting her head on it. Quite frankly, she was exhausted and it wasn't long before a very welcome sleep overcame her.

* * *

Sunlight assaulted her eyelids as Elsa saw bright red under shut eyes. It seems like curtains would be another necessity. She stretched and touched the back wall with her fingertips as her toes hung off the edge of the bed. After a satisfying couple of pops from her spine, Elsa opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her. It took her a moment to realize she was not in her usual room, but at somewhere unfamiliar and completely new. She recounted the previous nights activities and decided it would be best to check up on the redhead after hearing her crying through her door. Sitting up, Elsa covered her mouth as she yawned and pulled up a strap on her tank top that had fallen down her arm during her sleep. She licked her teeth and was taken back from the taste of morning breath. She needed to brush her teeth. She took a deep breath. She needed to shower as well.

Turning so that her legs hung over the edge of the bed, she undid her long braid and tousled the blonde locks to the point to where she probably looked like a lion. Standing up and gazing around the room to catch her bearings, she noticed a sheet of notebook paper on the stand next to her bed. Elsa rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she picked it up and read the hasty handwriting.

'Thank you. The chocolate was yummy and I'll repay you later.' There was a smiley face at the end of the sentence. 'And also, you look adorable when you're sleeping. -Anna'

Elsa blinked once. Twice.

"She walked into my room!" She stomped in disbelief. "While I was sleeping!" Elsa sighed and rubbed her temple and placed the note back on her nightstand. It would be wise to talk to Anna about boundaries and proper etiquette when it came to bedrooms. Although maybe quite this second as the more Elsa stood around the more she felt grimy and dirty and just overall gross. She walked out of the room and towards the dining room where she left her suitcases with a bit of a stride. That shower sounded really good at the moment and she couldn't wait to wash away her worries for the moment.

"Well good morning there sleepy pants!" The tone of the voice was unnaturally enthusiastic, made Elsa jump, and quite frankly Elsa found it annoying so soon after waking up.

Anna sat on one corner of the couch on her phone, but had looked up when Elsa made her way from the hall. She had on a simple dark green t-shirt and an unbuttoned plaid shirt over it with loose fitting, baggy jeans. It was such a simple outfit Elsa thought, but she couldn't deny that it did look pretty good on the redhead.

"If you're going to look for something to eat, you won't find anything. I already tried." She shrugged. "Guess it was too much to assume it would come stocked with food too, huh?" Tone still way too enthusiastic for what she was talking about. And even the thought of food so soon made Elsa feel sick.

Anna held her hand over her mouth to stifle a budding chuckle. "I like your hair."

Elsa ran her hand through her bedhead and raised her eyebrows at the redhead. "I was actually about to make my way to the shower." Sleep still heavy in her voice.

"There aren't any towels either. I had to lay under my ceiling fan for a good fifteen minutes to dry."

"Lovely." Elsa commented with faux glee.

"We should go out shopping when you finish up." Anna stood up from the couch and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I mean, there isn't any food. Or towels, or toilet paper, and there wasn't even any bedsheets-" Anna continued to list things the dorm was missing while Elsa absentmindedly listened to her ramblings and made her way towards the dining room. She picked up a suitcase and started to walk back towards the bathroom. "-I mean, who doesn't carry around a frying pan right?"

Elsa really didn't want to go out with a girl she hardly knew to buy household items and food. It certainly wasn't a money issue, their parents made sure that both her and Aleks would be set practically for life. But she hardly knew Anna, and if she was like this so early in the morning it was safe to imply that it would only get worse.

"How are you so chipper in the morning?" Elsa turned around and asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was 8:12 am. Even morning people had to have trouble being so sprightly that early.

"Oh, I've been up for a couple hours now." The redhead rocked back and forth on her feet. "I'm a slow riser and the morning sun is practically my mortal enemy." She gave a small chuckle. "But I figured I'd wake up really early this morning so we could spend the day making this dorm feel like a home!" She beamed and Elsa couldn't help but feel warmth grow in her chest.

"Well, I certainly would love a coffee maker..." Elsa replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't ignore the fact that they were missing a lot of necessities. So it seemed like she would have to put up with Anna for the day. "Let me get a shower real quick and we'll figure out transportation and list out what we need. Okay?"

"Oh! That's alright, I've already planned ahead a bit." Anna butted in with a cheery tone in her voice, as if it could get any more cheery. "There's actually a mall about a mile away. It's a bit of a walk but it's a nice sunny day!" She smiled again, extended her arms and rose on her toes.

_She certainly is um... animated I guess would be an accurate word. And Aleks is probably still asleep, I don't want to take the car without her knowing. _Elsa rubbed her eyes again and gave a short affirmative nod to the gleeful redhead across from her. _I wouldn't mind a walk, it would give me a little time to enjoy the outdoors and get some nice fresh- _Elsa's eyes widened as she just finished processing everything Anna had just said. _-did she say a mall? Don't people go to malls? Of course people go to malls! Lots of people! _She felt her palms begin to clam up and she took a deep breath to steady her quickened breathing. Awkwardly wiping her palms on the back of her jeans to alleviate some of the collecting sweat, she turned and started walking towards the bathroom. It was bad enough she had to walk a mile with a woman she barely knew and who quite frankly, already slightly annoyed her this morning. But now she had to be surrounded by hundreds of people she didn't know in a crowded space.

_Maybe I should wake Aleks up so she could come with us..._ Elsa pondered doing just that, she knew Aleks would tag along with no real issue. And she would certainly feel better with her twin around in case anything went astray. But she knew it wasn't a real feasible plan, the relationship between Aleks and Anna wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. And the crying from behind the door only further proved that point. At least that's what Elsa assumed. But she didn't want to just chicken out from this, they really did need a lot of things for the dorm. And it was an opportunity to make a friend who wasn't Aleks. It was just something she'd have to suck up and deal with.

After all, it's a new beginning. New place, new people, new opportunities. Elsa planned to take advantage of that.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and let out a sigh. It certainly wasn't going to be easy on her though. Dropping the suitcase on the sink counter, she opened out and pulled out various toiletries and placed them on the rim of the tub. She was grateful that the shower at least came with a curtain, it was one thing she didn't have to worry about. _The dorm as a whole really is a dream. But you'd expect it would come adequately stocked with towels and bedsheets... _Elsa knelt down and opened up the cabinets under the sink, which were completely empty saved for piping from the sink. _Or toilet paper. _She rolled her eyes and stood back up and finally saw her reflection in the mirror. She really did look like some kind of blonde lion with her hair going every which direction. Pulling out a toothbrush and toothpaste from a small zippered compartment in the suitcase she wet the brush, squeezed out a fair amount of paste and began brushing her teeth. The minty flavor was a well received saving from the morning breath.

_I'm sure it won't be too bad. I mean it's still fairly early, so maybe it won't be as crowded. _But nonetheless she was sure that there would be people there, and nowhere to really hide. Nowhere to get away, and no way to protect herself. She would feel their judgmental eyes from small glances, they would know how vulnerable she looked. They'd know exactly how to hurt her. They would insult her either behind her back or via snickers from across the room. People would come up to her and try to talk to her, ask her why she was so quiet. Start pushing her around and beating her. Leaving new bruises to hate herself over, because it was her fault she couldn't defend herself. It was her fault she could never defend herself, why Aleks always had to come to her rescue. As a child from their father, as a teenager from classmates, and now even as an adult from people she never met before in her life. She couldn't defend herself, she would only be seen as a monster.

Elsa dropped her toothbrush in frustration, sending droplets of toothpaste over the sink. She noticed tears cascading freely down her face and collecting on her chin before falling into the sink. Falling to her elbows and gripping the back of her head she gritted her teeth. _But you've always been a monster. Doing nothing can be much more worse than actually doing something. Anna probably wouldn't have been up last night crying if you had stood up for her. People are still suffering. _She met her own gaze in the reflection again. _Because of you._

Snowflakes started to form and float around Elsa's slim form in a lazy rotation. The small flurry quickly cooled the room but Elsa never even noticed as her rampant emotions did nothing but cause the snow to pick up speed. She was unknowingly literally caught in a swirling storm of her own emotion as she dropped to her knees and cradled her face. And it was only a matter of time until her own thoughts got the best of her and she lost control, just like she had countless nights alone in her room. By the time she finally fell asleep the entire room would be in disarray from the winds knocking things off of shelves.

_Aleks is the only family you have left and she's still trying to make up for your screw ups. Because you can't defend yourself! She has to do it for you, Elsa! _Blonde hair covered her face and stuck to the stream of tears still flowing from her eyes. She gripped the counter and frost skittered across it as the stream of water from the faucet froze solid. The problem was that Elsa remembered. She remembered everything and replayed it in her head over and over again. Every little argument, every little accusation, every night staying up crying. Every night wondering if she was going to make it through to see morning without a new bruise, a new emotional scar. Every night blaming herself for everything wrong with her life.

Every night wondering if there was any shred of humanity in her or if she really was the monster her father made her believe she was. If she really belonged anywhere.

There was a knock on the door as Elsa bolted her head up and the storm around her froze in place. Snowflakes reflecting light from the overhead light in the bathroom and sending small rays of light over the room like little diamonds.

"You alright? I heard something fall" Anna's voice came from the other side of the door.

Elsa frantically looked around her to find that her suitcase had fallen and hit the floor, probably causing a loud thump which she couldn't hear while she was locked in the storm. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms and wiped her nose. Rising to her feet, she brushed the sticking strands of hair from her face.

"Yes, everything is okay. I just knocked over my shampoo bottle on accident." She managed to get out without stuttering or breaking any words.

"Okey dokey." Elsa could hear the pitter-patter of footsteps growing more quiet as Anna moved away from the door.

She stared at herself in the mirror again, face red and eyes still glistening with tears ready to fall. She then noticed the frost lining the counter top, the frozen faucet, and the reflection of tiny snowflakes in the air around her. They looked more like small sparkles, perhaps even stars around the blonde as they continued to shine and reflect light. She sighed and collected herself as one by one they disappeared with a tiny glimmer. The frost on the counter also disappeared into thin air, and the water from the faucet started to run freely again. She slowly bent over and picked up the fallen suitcase, collecting the clothes and placing them back in it as she set it back onto the counter with a sigh.

Elsa looked down at her hands and eyed her palms over. Closing and opening her fist several times as if to confirm that she was still alive and real. With another sigh she ran her hands through her hair and away from her face as she began to undress. Although the storm was gone, the room was still considerably colder she noticed when she had removed her pants and panties causing hair on the back of her neck to stand on edge. The cold didn't really bother her, she much preferred to be cold than hot actually. She took off her tank top which was slightly dampened from her tears and unclasped her bra letting her breasts fall free. Just like her face, the rest of her body was the same pale skin tone as if she never saw the light of day in her life. Which if Grandmother Gothel had her way, she never would have.

The blonde turned to face the shower and turned the knob on the wall and water flowed from the faucet. She sat on the edge of the tub and leaned her head on her hand as she periodically tested the warmth of the water. As soon as she dubbed it warm enough, she started the shower and stepped into the warm, steady stream of water which was a stark contrast to the overall temperature of the room. She rested her forehead on the wall in front of her and enjoyed the warm water trailing down her body.

_This certainly isn't going to be easy._


	8. Bed, Bath and Childhood Memories

**A/N: **A relatively quick update for y'all. I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to update will be. In three days I'll be making a 10 day trip across the country, and won't have internet access until the end of July.

But I'll still be able to write, so hopefully I'll have a couple chapters ready for you guys by then!

**TRIGGER WARNING!: **Reference to self harm early in the chapter, and child abuse near the end of the chapter.

But on the bright side, the Elsanna train is beginning its slow roll!

As always, constructive criticism is always welcomed!

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, what are you majoring in?" Anna nervously asked as she strolled along the sidewalk next to Elsa. Most of the trip was in relative silence and it made the redhead nervous. She was antsy for conversation and the cars passing by in a blur can only keep her attention for so long. But at least it wasn't as humid as the day before, it was warm but still comfortable with not a single cloud in the sky. To her surprise, she wasn't even sweating despite the brisk pace they were walking. Although she was somewhat regretting deciding to walk, walking half a mile in flip flops wasn't exactly her smartest idea she figured once her heels started to ache.

Elsa adjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder and continued to stare directly in front of her, seemingly at nothing. She eyed the redhead for a moment before returning her gaze to the space in front of her. "Architecture." The blank look on Anna's face was a clear indicator that the answer wasn't satisfactory. "Math has always been my favorite subject. Geometry specifically, and I figured I'd put those skills to use and design buildings." She finished dismissively and Anna wasn't sure how to react. The redhead clasped her hands behind her back and put a little more confidence in her step.

"That's really cool, I could totally see you as the architect type!" She commented with a sidewards glance and a small smile. "Maybe you'll end up designing some super cool monument or something, but hopefully nothing like the Washington monument cause it looks like a penis and I laugh whenever I see it."

The comment struck Elsa by total surprise as she randomly burst into a fit of giggles which stopped her head in her tracks. Anna turned and saw the blonde doubled over in laughter and couldn't help but a laugh a little herself. "It kind of does look like a penis, doesn't it?" Elsa managed to get out in between giggle fits.

With bolstered confidence from the positive response, Anna beamed and joined her in laughter. "It's all pointed at the top too so that only makes it funnier!" The added comment bolstered the laughter from the too as Elsa tried catching her breath in between laughs. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the stood up and lifted her arms up in a deep stretch.

"I'll try my best to not design any geometrical penises, but I make no promises." Elsa shrugged with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. And Anna was full of glee and warmth from seeing the blonde let loose and actually laugh. She didn't even know her for a full day yet but she was always so stiff and resolute. Seeing her bent over in laughter was a strange sight but Anna enjoyed every little bit of it. Maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought. Maybe she could make a friend out of Elsa.

"Well if you do, let me know so I can be there for the grand opening!" They continued walking at a more relaxed pace, which Anna was grateful for with her aching heels. "And silently laugh to myself." She added with a playful shrug, glad to be making conversation with her dorm mate. It made her feel like she was doing something right, although she was still a little wary talking to her after the threat made from her twin. It certainly made the night hard for her, she knew everything Aleks told her. But actually hearing it from another person was completely different. And it didn't help that it would constantly replay over and over again in her head like a nightmare she couldn't escape. How do you escape yourself? You can't. And Anna was well aware of it. In all honesty she half expected herself to slip into old habits last night but the chocolate that was slipped under her door stopped her from doing something she'd regret. She had enough emotional scars, she didn't need physical ones to reflect them. But she did make a mental note to repay Elsa. She didn't know how, but she would.

"So what are you pursuing a degree in, Anna?" The question kind of hit Anna by surprise. By all accounts the didn't think Elsa would have an interest in her life.

"Culinary arts, actually. I've always loved food and have been pretty good at cooking." She brushed a stray lock of copper hair behind her ear and glanced to her side as she caught the blur of a passing car. "My dream is to actually own my own restaurant one day." She gave a slight, nervous chuckle and sounded unsure of herself like she was ashamed. "Maybe a nice sandwich shop." Anna shook her head as if to try and shake off what was bothering her. "I know it sounds a little silly."

She felt a hand gently fall on her shoulder as Anna turned to meet Elsa's smiling face. And for a moment everything seemed to freeze when their eyes met. All that mattered in that moment was the comforting look on the blonde's face. "It's not silly. It actually sounds very nice, Anna." She said it softly and in a tone that could probably lull any restless child into a deep slumber.

"You really think so? I mean most people I've talked to have always told me it isn't a 'real career' and that I need to rethink what I wanted to do with the rest of my life but baking and cooking are really the only things that I really really enjoy doing and I'm good at it too!" She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with warm summer air. "I've tried doing other things, like for awhile I wanted to go into art like my cousin but I could hardly tell the difference between watercolor and acrylic paint. Or clay and play doh for that matter. And after that I thought I would go into some kind of sport like my friend Eugene, but I'm not nearly as athletic as he is and he once tried to teach me how to play soccer and let me tell you, that did not end up like I planned! And then I th-" She was halted in her tracks figuratively and literally as Elsa placed her hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking and moving. Elsa raised her eyebrows and slowly removed her hand while never relinquishing eye contact.

"I get it, Anna." She said with a laugh, and instantly Anna could feel any anxiety or worries melt off of her as the blonde continued to stare into her eyes. She didn't realize before how blue they were. People often say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. And if that was the case, Elsa's soul was absolutely stunning. But something in the way Elsa was looking at Anna told her that the words coming from her mouth were completely genuine with no sugar coating.

"It's not a silly goal, it really isn't." She removed her hand and placed it over her own chest. "We've just met and I don't know you very well, sure. But I firmly believe that you'll succeed in whatever you truly set your mind to."

Anna could feel pressure behind her eyes from the sentiment given to her. "How are you so sure?" She muttered under her breath.

Elsa moved her hand from her chest and placed it on Anna's shoulder. "You took my rook in chess." She shrugged.

"I still lost, though."

"But you still made progress right? It's the little victories that really matter." Elsa turned Anna around so that she was looking at her dead in the face with both hands on both shoulders. This jumbled the redhead a little bit as it took her a moment to find her footing. She didn't really know what got into Elsa, but it was totally different from everything she's seen of her so far. "Eventually the little victories will turn to big ones with a little bit of patience and dedication." The blonde shrugged and gave a small smile. "You may even beat me in chess one day."

Anna smiled and met Elsa's gaze again. "You think so?" She couldn't get over her eyes, the more Elsa looked at her the more she felt like she was melting. As if Elsa was looking right through any walls she tried to put up, she saw her as she was. And it didn't help that they were absolutely gorgeous.

Elsa nodded. "Anything is possible."

Anna felt the pressure beneath her eyes get stronger and she knew it wouldn't be long until it would be too much. In front of her was somebody who actually believed in her. Didn't tell her that her dream was silly, or that she needed to rethink her actions. Although she wanted nothing more than to see her succeed, even Rapunzel had her doubts. Anna thrust herself forward and embraced Elsa in a tight hug much to her surprise. She didn't know if Elsa really and truly meant what she said, but she wanted so badly to believe the words that came from her mouth. She shut her eyes tightly as a single tear carved it's way down her cheek and onto Elsa's hoodie. It took her a moment, but Elsa realized what was happening and gingerly placed her hands on Anna's back. Anna felt Elsa's chin rest itself on her head as she hugged tighter. She could feel Elsa's heartbeat quicken along with her breathing. It grew clear to the redhead that she may be growing uncomfortable.

"Thank you." Was all Anna could mutter. "Thank you for believing in me. And thank you for the chocolate last night." She buried herself deeper into Elsa's chest and was greeted with a pleasant, unexpected surprise. She smelt like vanilla. That sweet kind of smell that hits you the moment you walk into an ice cream parlor, and Anna found herself both loving it and finding comfort in it.

"Its... its no problem." Elsa managed to get out as she shifted slightly in Anna's arms. "I uh, I didn't want to just barge in. But I couldn't stand there and do nothing while keeping my conscious intact." Anna felt another tear well up in her eyelid as she blinked and felt it make its way down her face.

"But let me tell you something about boundaries, miss." She said sternly, which caused Anna to back up and wipe the tear from her face.

A quizzical look grew on her face as she cocked an eyebrow. It certainly was an abrupt topic change and it somewhat made Anna nervous. "Yeah?"

"You see, Anna." Elsa started and crossed her arms across her stomach. "There are certain parts of a house that are normally given a certain level of privacy." She brought a hand up and rested it under her chin. "In this case a dorm."

Anna scratched the back of her head, not really understanding where Elsa was going with all of this. In all honesty it slightly scared her. "You mean like the bathroom?" She guessed.

"That wasn't the room I was referring to, but yes like the bathroom." Her tone lightened a bit to Anna's relief. For a moment there she thought she was going to get chewed out. "I'm actually talking about the bedroom, last-"

"Do you mean the sock on the doorknob thing?"

Elsa was taken back and raised an eyebrow. "Sock thing...?"

"Yeah! My cousin's boyfriend told me that sometimes in college, people would put a sock on their doorknob for when they needed privacy!" Anna let loose a small laugh coupled with a little grin.

"What kind of privacy would be implied by a sock on the doorknob?" Elsa asked with confusion painted on her face.

"Y'know..." Anna tried to lead Elsa to the conclusion, but it was clear she wasn't going to catch on to what Anna met. There was actually a lot about college that Eugene had told Anna. He was the type of person who loved to just sit around and share stories and he would often times tell Anna different tales of his time in college. From unsavory activities he took part in before meeting Rapunzel, to how he managed to turn his life around. One of these stories was how he learned the hard way about the sock on the doorknob, he couldn't properly explain how awkward it was to walk into something like that.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

With a sigh, Anna touched her thumb with the tip of her index finger to form a circle. With the index finger of her other hand, she stuck it through the circle. "You know.. the frickle frackle."

"Frickle frackle?" Elsa placed her hands on her hips, and grew almost as red as her hoodie when it finally dawned on her as to what Anna meant. "You mean sex?" She said in a strained whisper and widened eyes, as if she was afraid someone would hear her despite the two of them being alone on the sidewalk.

"Well, if you want to put it so bluntly like that." Anna stuck her hands in her pockets and gave a tiny shrug. Elsa appeared flustered as she shook her head and rubbed her temples. It was clear she was embarrassed and Anna couldn't help but smile at the blonde.

"No, Anna I don't mean sex." Anna's shoulders dropped and stared at the concrete below her. She wiggled and flexed her toes to give her something else to focus on other than the abrasive tone in Elsa's voice. "That's absurd and quite frankly disgusting. Do you know the kind of diseases you can get from that?"

Anna pulled her hands out of her pockets and stared up at the cloudless sky as she began counting on her fingers. "Syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes-"

Elsa stuck out her arms and started shaking both her head and hands to get Anna to stop talking. "It was a rhetorical question, I know the kind of diseases you can get from intercourse!" She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair before meeting Anna's confused stare. "What I'm trying to say is that while I appreciate the note you left me this morning, I don't appreciate you coming into my room while I was unaware and especially while I was asleep." She stuck her hands in her hoodie and gave a half smile. "Okay?"

Anna honestly didn't mean to barge into her room while Elsa was sleeping. She actually went across the hall shortly after finishing the chocolate and expect her to still be awake, but she wasn't. But Anna knew she had to thank her, and she also knew she would probably forget to if she had fallen asleep before doing so. Instead she opted to leave that note on her nightstand hoping that it would suffice as a proper thanks. Admittedly, she probably spent more time than she should have watching Elsa sleep. The constant and shallow rise and fall of her chest brought a strange comfort to the redhead. "Yeah, okay." She smiled back and the pair continued walking towards their destination which was almost in sight now. "You look adorable when you're sleeping though." Anna commented and brushed her hair back behind her ear. The comment made Elsa physically pause as she nervously coughed and stared at the ground under them. When Anna didn't see the blonde in her peripherals, she turned to head to see that she was lagging behind a bit. And just as red as before. Anna stopped and extended her arm out from her in direction of the large building which was now in sight. "Come on, slow poke! It isn't too much further now, and I'd like to get off of my feet and catch some late breakfast." The comment caused Elsa to jerk her head back up and quickly shuffle back to her spot beside Anna.

The rest of the walk went with hardly a word between the two, it took awhile but Elsa eventually returned to her original skin tone. Upon finally reaching the parking lot of the mall Anna stretched and a breeze ruffled her hair and clothing, taking a moment to herself to enjoy the cool air blowing across her skin. She looked over her shoulder to see Elsa looking down at the ground again, seemingly caught in her own thoughts. Anna turned around and lifted Elsa's head by her chin so that they locked eyes again. "You've been quiet for the past fifteen minutes. What's up?"

Elsa brushed her hand off of her chin and shook her head. "Nothing. What's the plan of attack?"

Anna shrugged off her curiosity and started making her way through the parking lot towards the front door. It was still fairly early, the parking lot was fairly empty and the crowds haven't rushed in yet. "I honestly haven't thought that through. I know what we need, but have no clue what kind of stores are in the mall. It's pretty big though so I think they should have everything."

Elsa nodded in agreement as they made their way through the automatic glass doors. It was even larger on the inside than what Anna first thought. A large clock in the very center read 9:36, they had made it to the mall quicker than what she had assumed. Her stomach grumbled and she was suddenly reminded of just how empty her stomach was. She patted it as if to reassure herself that food was on it's way. "I'm definitely going to hit up that food court first." Anna conveniently found a directory on the wall to her side and found her destination, she started to salivate at the thought of food after the mile walk. She would have stacks of pancakes with the golden deliciousness called butter slowly melting and sliding off the side. The waffles would have very little indention filled with sweet, sweet syrup. Eventually the syrup and butter will meet in the middle of the plate and form a whole new mixture of flavors perfect for a couple links of sausage.

"Wait!" Elsa jutted in, breaking Anna's daydreams of pancakes and waffles as she was about to make her way towards the escalators.

"Yeah?" She called back and turned around to meet Elsa's unsure face. Anna was genuinely glad that she was speaking to her, and although it was very easy to talk to her it always seemed like she was hiding. As if Elsa was encased in a thick shell of ice that can't be broken.

"I think it would be a smart idea to have each others number. This place is pretty big." She said nervously and pulled out her phone.

A smug grin grew across Anna's face. "Already asking for the number, huh? No corny pick up lines?" She joked as Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Would you like one? She said sarcastically with a sigh.

Bolstered with a new found cockiness, Anna leaned up against the wall and raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "As a matter of fact yes I would." She said with a coy smile.

Elsa gave her a look. "Really?"

Anna nodded. "Give it your best shot."

Elsa rolled her eyes again. "I hope you read the menu when you get to the food court. I know I always do."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Anna tried to play it cool as she brushed her knuckles against her shirt and looked off in the distance.

"Because it reads me-n-u." She said sarcastically with a hint of disgust at how bad the joke was, and Anna grew silent. "Get it? Kinda like 'me and you' ?"

The relative silence of the mall was broken with Anna's laughter as it echoed throughout the building. She doubled over and clenched her stomach in between deep breaths as the laughter continued. All the while, Elsa stood there in complete confusion.

Eventually, Anna straightened back up and wiped her eyes. But the moment she saw Elsa standing there with a confused look on her face, she was fighting back more giggles. "That uh, um oh wow." Anna brushed her hair back behind her ear. "That was so bad it was good. I mean I've heard some pretty bad pick up lines before but sheesh, that was uh-" She shrugged. "-anyway, the directory showed there was a Bed Bath and Beyond on the second floor. I think that's where I'll head after I'm finished slaughtering the food court."

The two girls promptly exchanged numbers and Anna mentally awarded herself for how well things have been going so far. She honestly expected Elsa to be completely silent and only offer small comments like she had the night before. Maybe she was just tired, maybe she was just being shy. It didn't really matter to Anna because she was enjoying herself with the blonde. And it certainly helped that she was really pretty, smelled really nice, and had a really calming voice that Anna could listen to for hours on end. And her eyes! Absolutely stunning in every way and she still found herself internally melting whenever their eyes met. And actually pretty easy to get along with. Her skin was really soft too and the icing on the cake was that she was really pretty too!

_Wait, what?_

Anna shook her head and found that Elsa was looking at her with slight concern. She waved her hand to brush it off and smiled at her. "Um, are you hungry? You want me to bring you anything back?" Anna asked as she stuck her phone back in her pocket and patted her other pocket to make sure she didn't forget her wallet back at the dorm. That would have been a hell of a walk that Anna definitely did not want to repeat at that moment.

"No, thank you. Breakfast just doesn't sound appetizing to me this morning." Elsa said and eyed the large clock that sat in the middle of the interior. Anna was actually a little disappointed in Elsa's response, she wouldn't have minded providing a meal for the blonde. She may just bring her a little gift back anyway, Elsa looked like the type who would like a parfait.

"Alright, I'll text you when I'm finishing up and we'll go from there?" She turned and made her way towards the escalator as she heard Elsa agree when she was barely within earshot. Maybe the school year wasn't going to be as bad as she thought. Just because she had a bad run in with Aleks doesn't mean everyone will be that bad. Elsa was different.

Elsa clutched the straps on her purse and eventually made it to the front entrance of Bed Bath and Beyond. She was relieved at how relatively empty the mall was. She definitely wasn't excited for the whole mall idea this morning, but the walk with Anna actually proved to go along fairly well. And if that was an indication for how the rest of the day was going to go, Elsa didn't mind being at the mall.

Although she wasn't a big fan of being left alone. She had wanted Anna to come with her so that she'd be around someone she was at least somewhat familiar with, but she wasn't going to stop her from getting breakfast. She would've went with her and gotten a bite to eat as well, but supplies for the dorm took priority at the moment. The moment Elsa entered the store, her phone went off and she jumped from the sudden vibration. Sliding her hand into her pocket and pulling out the phone, she unlocked the screen to find a text from Aleks.

'Hey, let's hit up breakfast? There isn't shit in these dorms to eat.' _Of course you would be thinking of food first thing in the morning._ Elsa wasn't too sure how to respond though. Being out with somebody she hardly knew was a first for her. And at a mall nonetheless. She wasn't sure how Aleks would react to that, she was already argumentative enough about Elsa even trying to make friends with Anna. But she said it first, the whole college experience was something completely new and it would be good for her. It may have taken her awhile to come around to the idea, but Elsa was more than willing to take advantage of it despite every muscle in her body telling her to run in the other direction and hide under a rock for the rest of her life.

'I'm not at the dorm. Ask your roommate? I'm sure it would be beneficial to befriend her.' She hit send, stuck the phone back in her pocket, and made her way into the store. Quite frankly, she didn't know where to go first as she wandered aimlessly about. _Bedsheets, towels, cooking supplies... dear lord it's like I'm shopping for an apartment. Possibly even a whole house. _Which she more or less was. She was surprised to find the dorm as accommodating as it was. Her parents had always pushed good grades on the twins, and Elsa was glad that being an honors student earned her that amazing dorm. But having to supply some of the most basic supplies was something she couldn't foresee. She really couldn't complain too much though.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" The masculine voice came from behind a rack of assorted cooking utensils. Elsa jolted her head up to the man behind the rack wearing the Bed Bath and Beyond uniform, the smile on his face did nothing to calm her rapidly beating heart. She clutched the straps on her purse and felt her palms start to sweat.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" The question was innocent enough, but Elsa could do nothing but frantically look over the store and find an escape. She found her solace in between two shelves which led to a different section of the store and she took no time in finding her way through it leaving a confused employee to shrug it off and walk away. Once she found herself alone again and in the bedroom section. Elsa pulled out her phone to text Anna and ask if she was finished when it buzzed in her hands.

'What do you mean you're not in the dorm? Elsa, are you okay?' Elsa wiped her hands on the back of her jeans and typed out a response.

'I'm alright. Just out getting supplies for the dorm.'

She took a deep breath and resumed her original mission. It was by luck she escaped to the bedroom section of the store, and she soon found shelves stocked to the ceiling with different pillows, bedsheets, and other assorted bedroom items. It wasn't long before she found a suitable set of bedsheets she enjoyed. A simple royal purple, plush and soft to the touch. She brought the fabric to her face and rubbed it on her cheek to get a better feel of it and smiled to herself as she rounded a corner to look for a matching pillow. Eying over the large rack of assorted pillows, she found her prize in the form of a royal purple body pillow about midway up the rack. Elsa extended on her toes to pull out the pillow but fell short when her fingertips barely grazed the ends of the fabric.

"Can I help you with that?" Came the same voice from earlier behind her. Elsa bolted around and shoved her back against the rack in surprise, hitting the back of her head. She gave out a small yelp as she fell to her knees and started rubbing the tender spot underneath her hair. Already a small lump began to form. It was definitely going to bruise.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked as he knelt down and was now eye level with the blonde. Her first instinct again was to get away, but it appeared she was at a disadvantage this time and couldn't. All she could do was nod and hope the man would go away. She didn't care where he went, as long as it wasn't around her. She stumbled her way back to her feet and crossed her arms around her stomach. The man smiled as he extended his arm above Elsa. She saw the man loom over her with his arm reaching over her and her blue eyes grew wide.

She saw her father looming over her, hand held high in a fist. She felt the sharp pain on the side of her face. She saw herself lying on the floor, arms extended in self defense. She felt the grip on the back of her head as she was thrown across the floor. She saw herself try to stand up and run away. She heard her father yell at her in a drunken rage. She felt the bottle breaking as it hit her in the shoulder. She heard Aleks yelling from across the room, begging for him to stop. She heard him threaten her, saying that she was next. She felt another bottle smack her in the calf as she tried to run. She felt the floor under her as she fell, exhausted from fighting. She heard the laugh and insults from her father as he taunted her. She missed her mother.

Elsa was brought back to reality when she was handed the body pillow she couldn't reach. "Here you are, ma'am. Can I help you with anything else?"

Elsa frantically blinked as her eyes shifted around the store, trying to reassure herself everything was alright. She eventually found herself looking at the man in front of her who was handing her the pillow. She accepted it with a shaking hand as she thanked the man under her breath as she tucked it under her arm along with the bedsheets as the man walked off. Her phone vibrating in her pocket was the last thing she needed to bring all of her senses back.

'...alright. I guess I'll go get something to eat by myself. I'll catch you later.' She was about to respond to her sister's text when her phone went off again this time from Anna.

'Where are you? I have a surprise!' _Oh, that certainly can't be good. _

'Bed Bath and Beyond. I'll be in the bathroom section by the time you arrive.' She hit send and attempted to collect herself as she took several large breaths. Everything was okay. She was older, she wasn't in that God forsaken house. She was a college student currently shopping for her dorm. Elsa gave the store one last look around as she began walking towards the bathroom section. _I have a pillow and blankets now. Once I pick up some towels, I'll-_

"Hi!"

Elsa shrieked as she dropped her belongings and stumbled back, nearly in tears from the sudden startle. Anna stood in front of her, large smile on her face as she held a parfait in one hand and appeared to be holding a handle of sorts in the other. "Anna, what the hell?" She cursed as she picked up her belongings and gave the redhead a stern look, clearly displeased.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't mean to surprise you." She extended her arm and offered the parfait to Elsa. "But I got you this! It's honestly the least I can do for the chocolate last night." She smiled again, and the blonde couldn't help but return the gesture from how dorky the redhead looked at the moment.

Elsa eyed Anna, then the parfait. Then Anna again as her stomach made an audible growl that felt like it should have echoed throughout the entire mall. Okay, so maybe she was a little hungrier than she thought. The redhead tried to fight back giggles from the noise but failed as Elsa felt herself flush and heat spread across her face. She slowly took the treat from Anna and unwrapped the spoon. "Thank you. But you didn't have to. Honestly." She said as the redhead waved the comment off.

"I wanted to." She said with a happy tone as Elsa took a bite of the mixed berry and yogurt goodness. Elsa eyed the handle Anna had a hold of and pointed towards it.

"What's that?" Elsa asked as she tried to look around the redhead and catch a glimpse.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed as she moved to the side revealing a plastic blue wagon with the Toys 'R' Us sticker still attached. "When I finished eating, I realized that we didn't have a way to bring everything back with us! And I don't know about you but I definitely didn't want to carry it all back. So, I stopped by Toys 'R' Us and picked us up this bad boy!" She was nearly bouncing from how excited she was about this plastic wagon.

"We're going to look silly walking through town with a plastic wagon full of bags..." Elsa stated, trying to be serious but wasn't able to keep a half smile from tugging on her lips as she stuck another spoonful in her mouth. She was grateful Anna took the time to think of her and buy her the small snack, and her stomach was even more grateful.

The redhead waved the comment off again. "Come on, it'll be fun!" She reached over and took the pillow and bedsheets right from Elsa before she could rebut and stuck them in the wagon. Although extremely silly and childish, she was glad that they wouldn't have to carry everything by hand with them for the mile long walk back to the campus. "Elsa?" The blonde looked up at the redhead with expectant eyes. "You have a little..." Elsa raised an eyebrow as Anna ran her thumb across her top lip, indicating she had some of her parfait there that missed her mouth. Elsa stuck out her tongue in an attempt to get it, but it was clear from the look on Anna's face that she was failing. Without warning, Anna shot her arm out and wiped the yogurt from Elsa's lip with her thumb and stuck it in her own mouth.

"This is actually pretty good! I need to try one someday." Anna commented as Elsa stood there in silence and felt heat spread across her face again. She knew she had to be as red as her hoodie. That was weird and totally unexpected. She continued to stand with widened eyes as Anna waved her hands in front of her.

"Yo, Earth to Elsa! We still need to get bathroom and kitchen stuff."

Elsa blinked as she was brought back to reality, and again without warning Anna grabbed her by the wrist and was now dragging her off to another section of the store. "Anna, slow down!" Elsa shouted and barely had the time to grab the handle of the wagon as she was being pulled throughout the store.

"Can't! Places to be, things to do! More importantly, kitchenware to buy!" She shouted back.

Elsa couldn't help but find herself smiling at how childlike Anna was. Although she was ditzy, she was fun. And Elsa liked it.


	9. Little Victories

**A/N:** First and foremost, sorry for such a long delay on this chapter! Took a ten day move across the country, and I literally just got internet access a few hours ago.

But, I was able to write a little bit to keep busy and I hope this chapter makes up for it. I'm actually a little nervous posting this one because it's been a long while since I've written 'saucy' material and never have I done it in third person. But I thought it was a little overdo.

But without further adieu, I hope you all enjoy! And constructive criticism is always welcome!

* * *

"Elsa! Aleksandra! Come downstairs if you will, please!" The masculine voice was but an echo through the halls of the manor, bouncing off the wooden floors. By the time it reached Elsa's ears, it was reduced but a small whisper. But she knew that voice, stern and robust. It ripped her attention from the puzzle that currently held her attention. Her ears perked up and a smile grew across her small mouth as she stumbled to her feet and ran from her room and down the hall. The small pitter patter of the feet of a child the only noise throughout the spacious halls. Windows filled the halls with dying light from the setting sun outside, and various paintings lined the walls. They all became a blur as Elsa ran towards her destination. As she rounded a corner, she stumbled and nearly crashed into the large door.

_Knock knock knock_

No answer. Goosebumps grew across Elsa's skin as she placed her ear up to the cool wooden door. Her eyes widened as she heard a familiar snoring on the other side of the door. She turned the knob and burst into the room to find her twin leaned up against the bedpost snoring. How she managed to fall asleep in that position was beyond Elsa, she just shook her head as she walked up to Aleks.

"Psst, Aleks!" Elsa poked her sister on the cheek to try and wake her. She shot back when Aleks rose a hand to scratch the place her sister poked before letting her arm fall to her side and resume snoring. A smug grin grew across the blonde's face as she walked back to the doorway and extended her palm. A decently sized snowball grew in her palm, and when she was satisfied with the size she threw it up and caught it a couple times to gauge the weight. She rubbed the snowball in her small hands as she looked up at the still snoring girl roughly ten feet in front of her. She cocked her arm back and threw the snowball with all her might, causing a small explosion of snow to erupt when it found it's target. Dead center on the side of Aleks' face.

Aleks was knocked onto the floor and shook her head to try and regain any kind of sense that may have been knocked from her, ears still ringing. When she came back to reality she saw Elsa standing in her doorway, doubled over in laughter. She couldn't help but laugh herself. "I'm gonna get you!" She screamed as she scrambled to her feet and sent several small snowballs hurling towards the blonde. Every one of them missed and hit the wall behind her as Elsa dashed away.

"Race you downstairs!" Elsa challenged and rounded another corner away from her sister. She looked back to see Aleks stumbling behind her obviously still trying to wake up. Elsa was sure of her victory by the time she reached the large spiral staircase that seemed to go down for eons, illuminated only by a large chandelier that hung on the ceiling in the direct center. She leaned over the banister to catch her breath for a moment before she lost it from a rush of cold air. She looked over the banister to see Aleks flying down at inhuman speeds, a trail of solid ice behind her. "Oh that's so unfair!" Elsa yelled as she jumped onto the trail of ice left by her twin, stumbling a little bit she found her center of balance. Her vision was blurred as she picked up speed, paintings on the wall all blended into each other as she made her way down the staircase. The faint giggling of her twin echoing from far below her. Not one to lose, she extended her arms behind her and gave herself more speed from the steady stream of icy air propelling her even faster. She never even saw the end of the staircase as she ran straight into her twin, sending them both flying across the foyer as the air was knocked out of her. Everything was a blur, and all she could hear was Aleks' giggling. She braced herself for impact as she held on to her sister for dear life, but their fall was broken by a large snow pile newly formed against the stained glass of the front door. The brisk cold of the snow sending chills across Elsa's skin.

"Girls!" Their father exclaimed in panic as he rushed towards the large snow pile, and the worried expression on his face was replaced with relief as the twins popped out of the pile in hysterics.

Aleks was the first to speak, brushing snow from her short black hair. "What's up, pops?" She stumbled when she tried to push herself from the pile, only to be caught by her father before landing flat on her face. Elsa was a little more graceful in coming out of the snow, flattening her dress and brushing snow off of her legs. She stood beside her sister and in front of their father with her arms crossed at the wrist.

Their father scratched the back of his head and slumped his shoulders in relief. "Girls, your mother and I have something to tell you." He stuck his hands in his pockets as a slender woman came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his. She looked up to her husband with tender eyes and smiled when he turned to place a kiss on her forehead. "We won't be around for the next week or so." He said calmly.

"You both know your father has been busy with political affairs as of late. And I have been stuck in the office for days on end." She commented, leaving her husband's arm to kneel in front of the twins. She looked both of them over and took both of their hands in her own. "Your father and I are going on a European cruise, sort of a little vacation." She smiled and brought the girls in for a hug.

Aleks broke free from the hug and crossed her arms, pouting from obvious discontent. "You aren't bringing us with you?"

"Your father and I just need to break away from everything for awhile, Aleksandra. It won't be long, I promise. You'll have Edgar to watch over you two." She gave a warm smile and stood back up to be joined by her husband who strode to her side. "We expect your best behavior while we're gone." He added sternly.

"You mean we're stuck with old pickle puss Edgar?" Aleks groaned.

Their father stifled a chuckle before kneeling down to eye level with his daughters. "He's been close with the family since you two were born. Just be careful with the powers, he doesn't know about them."

Aleks clenched her hands a couple times before smiling and shrugging. "We know, we'll keep it to ourselves. Promise!" She brought her hand up to her forehead in a military salute and giggled when her father tousled her short hair.

"Do you have to go?" The question was meek and strained as Elsa stared at the floor under her. She gave a small sniffle and raised a shaking hand to wipe a tear from her eye.

Her mother took no time to kneel down to her level and embrace her in a close hug. "You'll be alright, Elsa." The hug grew as their father and eventually Aleks extended her arms to complete the group hug.

"We love you both. Very much, we'll be back before you know it." The reassuring tone from her father brought a smile to Elsa's face as she held onto her mother for the last time.

* * *

Elsa awoke to find herself alone in her room. She threw the blankets off of her as she wiped sweat off of her forehead, and dried tears from her cheeks. Sunlight shining through the window caused her to squint as she made sense of her surroundings. Nearly a week after moving into the dorm, it still took her a moment to realize where she was. After remembering where she was, her mind wandered to her dream she had just woken from. Fresh tears began to well in her eyelids as she cradled her face in her hands and a sob escaped her throat.

* * *

Anna rolled over on her back and swept away a strand of hair that had found its way into her mouth. She slowly opened her eyes as she stared back at herself from the mirror that was now hung up on the wall in front of her. Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms, she yawned and put herself into a deep stretch before quickly curling into her self on her side when she felt the uncomfortable wetness between her thighs. The redhead bit her finger as a smug grin grew into her face as she grabbed the waistband of her pajama pants. Pulling on the waistband, she bit down on her finger and let out a soft mewl as she seam of her pants was pushed against her clit. She involuntarily pushed herself into the taut seam and felt a wave of warmth and pleasure surge down to her privates. She wanted more, and a kind of hunger formed in her as she let go of the waistband and slipped her fingertips past it. Grabbing the waistband of her panties, she gripped the fabric and pulled it towards her. Biting her finger to stop herself from moaning, she rode the pleasure across her body from the pressure on the bundle of nerves. It still wasn't enough. She moved the fabric away from her core and hastily jammed a finger inside of herself, her mouth hung open in pleasure as she felt her digit push its way deeper and she clenched around it. The heel of her palm found her clit and before long she fell into a comfortable rhythm, edging herself closer and closer to a release. Every time she felt herself get closer she would stop all together and hang on the edge of the orgasm. It was wonderfully torturous, and she wouldn't give herself the satisfaction of release. Clutching at the fabric of her bedsheets, she let out a soft whimper every time she'd edge closer. Her clothes felt like a prison as her skin grew warmer, causing the fabric to stick to her skin.

Just when the teasing was becoming unbearable, Anna stopped. She pulled her hand from her waistband and brought it up to her face, fingers still slick from her arousal. The tip of her tongue traveled from her wrist to the tip of her middle finger and she bit her lip, enjoying her own juices and clenched her thighs still begging for release. She took a moment to collect herself before standing on shaky knees. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on her hips and bent backwards. After a satisfying crack, she made her way to the door only to crash her forehead into Elsa's in the doorway.

There was a ring in her ears as the sharp pain traveled down her spine and she rubbed her tender forehead. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I should have watched where I was going." Anna opened her eyes to find the blonde staring at her with an unreadable expression. The redhead perked up as she frantically looked around her, and felt relief when all seemed normal. "What's wrong?"

"Your face is awfully red." Elsa sounded concerned as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead. It was unnaturally cool, and felt heavenly to the redhead. "And you're burning up."

Anna backed up and nervously laughed, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "I sweat a lot when I sleep and it's a little awkward sometimes. I mean when I say a little it's actually a lot of awkward because sometimes I'll literally wake up in like a puddle and I'll have to wash my sheets and sometimes there isn't any detergent so I'll have to walk on down to the grocery store and pick up some detergent to wash my sweaty sheets." She hoped her lying though out all of the rambling would satisfy Elsa who was now trying to hold back a smile. "Yup." She finished and shrugged.

It was then Anna noticed what she was wearing. A lavender flutter sleeved top which showed just the right amount of cleavage that Anna found herself staring at a little too long and fit her slender form perfectly. Light wash skinny jeans looked like they were formed around her legs instead of forming her legs. The outfit was completed by lavender Toms.

"Wow, Elsa." Anna was taken back from the change of appearance in her roommate. "You look different. It's a good different!" She corrected and beamed at the blonde. Anna noticed she was sporting the same lavender eyeshadow and she thought she saw a hint of eyeliner on her. Her hair was out of it's normal braid and fell over her shoulders and down her back in luxurious golden waves. "I've always seen you in that red hoodie. What gives?"

Elsa appeared flushed as she gave a small shrug. "It's the first day of classes, so I-"

Anna tuned the blonde out as she kept staring, the more she went over the blonde the more small details she found. The redhead was surprised when she found a light dusting of freckles across Elsa's cheeks so light that she had never noticed them before. And was that lip gloss? _Is it flavored? What flavor lip gloss would Elsa wear? She looks like the type to wear a nice strawberry kiwi. Or maybe a simple cherry. What if its something odd like pina colada? _

"-took me an hour just to decide on the shoes. You don't think it's too much, do you?" Anna was brought back to reality and found Elsa nervously rubbing her hands together.

"Nonononono, no. Of course not!" Anna reached out and curled a blonde lock with her finger. Even her hair seemed to have an air of coolness around it. "Elsa, you're very-" _Sexy! _"-pretty!" Anna felt a warmth of confidence grow in her when she saw Elsa drop her shoulders in relief. But then suddenly started feeling inferior in her pajamas.

"Uh, how about I get a shower and we hit up some breakfast?" Anna only took a step before swiveling back to the blonde. "When is your first class?"

"Eight. So, thirty minutes or so. But I actually have plans with my sister, so I'll see you when we both get back to the dorm?" She asked, and Anna actually felt a tinge of sadness being unable to share the morning with the blonde.

"Works for me. How could you schedule a class so early? My first class doesn't even start until eleven." The question kind of answered itself when Anna remembered Elsa was up hours before her most days the past week. She shook her head and bid goodbye to the blonde as she entered the bathroom while contemplating what to do with her time until classes started. Maybe she would see if Rapunzel was available for breakfast. It took her no time to strip out of her clothes and turned to the mirror as she began to undo her braids. What Elsa said was true, she was extremely red and felt warm from her prior playing with herself. She was red all the way down to her toes, which did nothing but accent the freckles that were dusted across her shoulders and covered most of her breasts. But she definitely did not expect to run into her so early.

She turned the knob and started the shower and unknowingly stepped into the cold water. Her skin was still sensitive and every drop felt like ice which reminded her just how uncomfortably hot she was between her legs. The shock caused her to drop to her knees as she shoved her hands into her crotch and covered her vagina which was a stark contrast to the freezing water of the shower. Her jaw unclenched as the water began to warm up and steam filled the bathroom. She was still on her knees and found it hard to breathe from wet copper strands in her face and the thickness of the steam. The water now began to burn as it traveled down her back from her scalp. She felt her clit twitch under her palm and gasped when she put pressure on it. Humid air entered her lungs as she gasped for breath from the shock of pleasure that spread across her body when she began rubbing the twitching clitoris. She braced herself against the knob and turned it, the moment the cold water returned and ran its way down her burning back she felt herself edge closer to release. Her mind went blank as the only thing she could think of was the icy water on her skin that ran down her face. She thrust her head back and let out a high pitched moan when the water hit her neck, down her breasts and stomach. The cold water reminded her of how cool Elsa's hand was against her forehead and even the coolness she felt from her hair. She wondered how those chilled fingers would feel inside her, and the thought instantly pushed Anna over the edge to an orgasm. She slid two fingers inside of her and rode it out as long as she could, muscles twitching wherever the cold water hit, mouth agape in pleasure. She arched forward and started bucking her hips as the pleasure started to fade. When she finally finished, she brushed the hair out of her face and fell onto her back. The water was still cold, but she just felt numb of all physical feeling but still twitching from small aftershocks from the orgasm. When her mind cleared and she was able to think again, she came upon a realization.

_I think I have a crush on Elsa._

* * *

"Elsa, what are you wearing?" There was a tone in Aleks' voice that was reminiscent of shock, maybe even a little disappointment that Elsa picked up on.

She shrugged and adjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder. "It's the first day of classes and I wanted to make a good first impression." A combination of her sister's stare and the humidity in the air made her uncomfortable. It was just like the first day they arrived in town, and although she didn't feel as sticky and gross as she would wearing a hoodie, she was already looking forward to entering an air conditioned building. And if it was this bad this early, she could only imagine how bad it would be come the hottest hours of the day. "Does it look bad?"

Aleks placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No, that's not what I'm trying to say. It's just..." She scratched the back of her head trying to find the right words. "Different than what I'm used to seeing you in, but then again I haven't seen much of you at all since we got here." Which was true, after dinner on that first day the twins had hardly seen each other. Elsa had always been busy either setting up the dorm or out with Anna somewhere, and even Aleks was out a lot of the time exploring the campus.

"I'm sorry, Anna has actually kept me fairly busy the past few days. Like yesterday she thought it would be a good idea to beat the heat with some ice cream at a local place just down the street."

Aleks rolled her eyes and playfully punched Elsa in the arm. "It's no biggie, I'm actually sort of glad you're getting along with little miss carrot top."

Elsa rubbed her arm and gave a small chuckle. "And how has it been going with your roommate? What was her name? Pokemon?" A small smile formed on her lips.

"Actually her name is Pocahontas. Go figure, I thought Pokemon would have been cooler." She shrugged as she started making her way towards one of the smaller buildings next to the main office. Elsa caught up with her sister and was relieved when a small breeze rustled the trees around the sidewalk. The breeze caught couple browned leaves, ripping them right off of the branches. It wouldn't be long now before the season started to slowly change and hopefully rid the town of the dreaded heat.

"Well, are you two getting along?" Elsa asked nervously, she knew how well her sister played with others.

"I guess." Aleks shrugged. "We kinda just stay to ourselves. She's really, like really weird though."

"What do you mean?"

"She kinda talks to herself at times. And when we're both not in the dorm, I'll see her walking around all the trees and it looks like she talks to them too."

Elsa let out a soft giggle. "Maybe she's just one with nature."

"Or maybe she's bat shit crazy." Aleks shook her head and let out a sigh. "I guess it could be worse, though."

"I bet she'd be a really nice person if you try talking to her." She stated, although honestly Elsa had no idea if she would be. But if her sister's experience with roommates was going to be anything like hers then she could at least assume she would be a nice person.

Aleks scoffed, shook her head, and stuck her hands in her pockets. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well" Elsa started, although not sure how to finish her thought. "She knows to steer clear of you. Therefore at the very least she's smart right?" Proud of herself, the blonde couldn't help but smile.

A small chuckle came out of Aleks as they entered the double glass doors of a smaller building next to the larger main one. The air conditioning was an instant blessing on Elsa's skin as she could just feel the sticky feeling from the humidity peel off of her. They stood in front of a pair of staircases as a number of people made their way up and down them. There wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make Elsa feel uncomfortable. She wondered how many of them were nice people, but how many of them only wore the mask. How many of them would be just as likely to push her down as they would be to help her up. She was brought back from her thoughts when Aleks nudged her.

"Where's your first class? I'll go with you." She sounded concerned, as if she knew exactly what Elsa was feeling.

She shook her head and stammered to find the words, continually casting glimpses at the stairs while trying to maintain eye contact with her sister. "N-no, it's uh-" She took a deep breath and felt her palms start to clam up. "I need to learn to be independent."

Aleks raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, that was a statement from her twin she definitely did not expect to hear. "It's only been a few days and you're ready to take that big of a step?"

Elsa lowered her head and gave a tiny, unsure shrug. "Am I ready? No." She turned her head to look again at the staircase which only seemed to grow more populated as she stood there waiting. "But I've got to start somewhere." She remembered the conversation she had with Anna the day they went to the mall. How she kind of broke down right in front of her, and she had absolutely no clue how to react. "But it's the small victories that count, right?" She looked towards her sister who was smiling with glossy eyes.

"Your girlfriend teach that to you?" She tried to lighten the mood with the joke, but Elsa didn't really find the humor.

"Girlfriend?" She scoffed. Sure, at this point she was willing to call Anna a friend of hers. But she still didn't know her real well, and quite honestly she felt a little insulted that Aleks would assume that about her. They may have not spoken much over the past few days, but she definitely would have told her if she started to form some attraction to anyone. "I've never even had a boyfriend, or any significant other for that matter. You know that as well as I do." She stated sternly, trying to get the message through to her sister that she felt insulted.

"I know, I'm playing around. I don't even think you experience attraction at all." She laughed again and scratched her chin. "At least not to boys." A smug grin grew on her face. "I've heard you call girls pretty, but never once have I ever heard you call a boy cute."

Elsa wanted to crawl in a hole, everything Aleks said was the truth. She had never commented on a guy's appearance, but would often call different women pretty during the gossip between the two. "What are you trying to say?" She clutched at her purse straps as the air around her suddenly began to feel suffocating despite the coolness of the room. "Just because I didn't ogle at Phillip like you did all the time?"

"Hey!" A blush grew across Aleks' face as she grew flustered. "He was a hunk!" She scoffed and shook her head. "Too bad that bitch Aurora got to her first."

"He was afraid of you after you tore the extensions right out of Drizella's hair! " Elsa laughed as Aleks grew more frustrated and waved her sister off.

"Whatever. I'll see you later if your girlfriend doesn't get to you first." There was a humor in her voice as she punched Elsa in the shoulder again and made her way down the stairs.

Deciding to act while her spirits were still up from spending time with her sister, Elsa had tunnel vision as she made her way up the stairs with little issue. When she reached the third floor, she was relieved to find the hall practically empty and grew even more relived when she saw her classroom right across from her. Timidly entering the classroom, rows of desks were laid out in front of her in tiers as the sound of students chatting with each other nearly deafened her. She ducked her head down as she shuffled into the first available seat she could find which happened to be in the very back on the top row. Just as she placed her purse down beside her she jumped when she felt a nudge on her arm. She shot her gaze over to meet a smiling brunette's.

"Hey! I love your hair, I've always wanted to try the blonde thing." She was nearly shouting to be heard over the chattering in the room.

Elsa shuffled in her seat and honestly wanted to run and hide under a rock. But bolstered by her own desire to be social and how well her experiences with Anna has been, she found it fairly easy to find the confidence to speak to the girl beside her. "Thank you, I-" She was cut off when the room suddenly grew deathly silent. Looking towards the front of the class, a tall man strode into the room and stopped at the lectern.

"Name's Hades, calculus one teacher. How are you all doing?" He spoke with a cocky sort of confidence but Elsa was more distracted by the man's chin which seemed to take up over half of his face which he could probably knock someone out with if he wasn't careful. She was torn from her thoughts again by another nudge from the girl beside her.

"By the way, my name is Rapunzel."


	10. Secrets Revealed

**A/N:** First off, I'd like to draw your attention to the fancy new cover image that was wonderfully drawn by a good friend of mine. Of her own free will, too! I posted her tumblr on my profile, drop on by and tell her to draw something.

This is the longest chapter yet at over 9000 words, and I'd like to start lengthening the chapters to about this length instead of the normal 4-5k. It's a very important chapter as well! And we're just getting started, if all goes as planned this is going to be a pretty long fic.

**TRIGGER WARNING!:** A couple paragraphs pertaining to child abuse are on the lower half of the chapter, be wary of that.

I'd like to thank you all for your continued support and nice comments. Y'all are awesome.

Enjoy!

* * *

"And thus concludes day one. Remember to look over the syllabus! There will be a short quiz on it at the end of the week."

And with that, Aleks couldn't get out of the door quick enough. It took everything she had to not fall asleep during the hour and a half lecture on if a chair really was a chair. Why she decided to take philosophy as an elective was beyond her. She figured it would be a free period to sit around and just think about stuff, but if she was going to be thinking about what a chair really is then it was going to be a long semester. Her first thought was instantly to find Elsa and make sure she was alright on her own. She had gone down the stairs and didn't see her sister follow her, which meant she must have went up the stairs. Figuring she would eventually have to come down the same stairs, Aleks made her way back up the stairs and leaned against an adjacent window. She had awhile before her next class, so she could wait.

And wait she did. Seconds turned to minutes, and before she knew it a half hour had passed. Many people had made their way up and down the stairs, but none of them were Elsa.

_Maybe she just scheduled two classes right next to each other._ She pulled out her phone and checked the time, by this time classes had to have started back up again. _But there still should have been a little time allotted to walk to her next class. _She leaned her head against the window and sighed. It really didn't surprise her that she would go without seeing Elsa, they had hardly seen each other the past few days. Although Aleks really couldn't complain, the way Elsa explained it she made it out to appear she was having a genuinely good time with Anna.

_Anna._

The girl she had punched in the face for surprising her. The girl she verbally assaulted and caused her to break down right in front of her. She wasn't ashamed, it surely wasn't the first time she had to lay down the law. But the look in her eyes was something Aleks hadn't seen before; suffering. Perhaps even as far to say anguish. As if every word she said was an arrow hitting a bulls eye. But maybe it would be best to apologize to the redhead. If Elsa made friends with her, it would naturally be in her best interest to be on decent terms with her. But something told Aleks that Anna wasn't exactly ready to talk to her. She wasn't going to go out of her way to apologize to the girl, but it would be something she'd consider if they happen to run into each other anytime soon. She was genuinely proud of her sister, though. It was completely unlike her to walk up a crowded stairway by herself. Maybe the whole college experience was exactly what she needed to bring her out of that shell. Although it did make Aleks a little jealous and lonely at times. Elsa was not only her only sister, but her only friend as well.

Figuring Elsa wasn't going to make it down this way, Aleks sighed again and made her way back down the stairs. She still had awhile until her next class, but she spied a vending machine on the lower floor earlier and fancied something sweet from it. The thought nearly enough to make her drool until she collided with someone and nearly knocked the wind out of her. After she regained her bearings, she saw a man sitting on the floor surrounded with papers that were knocked from his hands from the impact.

"Mind watching where the hell you're going, dipshit?" She said aggressively and crossed her arms while she watched the man scramble to pick up the paper that were strewn about.

"I should say the same to you, asswipe." He retorted as he picked up the last sheet of paper and stuck it in his bag, he rose to his feet and the two made eye contact. His green eyes boring into her own blue, he was nearly scowling with a raised eyebrow as he looked Aleks up and down. "The fuck are you staring at?"

Aleks shook her head and let out a small chuckle. "Dude, your sideburns look like shit."

He offered his own small laugh and softened his expression slightly. "Did you take your inspiration for your hair from an onion?"

"Cargo shorts? Are we in kindergarten or something?" She pointed towards his beige cargo shorts and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"I should ask you the same with that headband." His retort came instantly and caught Aleks off guard, she didn't expect that.

"Hey, you have a cute man purse at least." She shrugged and the man adjusted the single strap over his shoulder and patted the black bag Aleks was referencing to.

Not having another witty retort, he extended his hand and admitted defeat to Aleks. "Hans Westerguard. I'd say it is a pleasure to meet you..." He looked the girl up and down again. "But quite frankly you're a bitch." He offered a small smile as Aleks shook the man's hand and offered her own smile.

"Westerguard? Never heard of that house." She scratched the back of her head, rubbed her chin, and appeared to be lost in thought. "Are you after the throne too or are you one of Joffrey's lapdogs?" She said mockingly with a large smile. "Aleks Delle."

Hans let out a long, fake, drawn out laugh. "Like I've never heard the Game of Thrones joke before." He shrugged and gave a coy grin. "But hey, I'll let you know if I have a problem with my laptop. It's a Samsung though so you may not know anything." The comment caused Aleks to roll her eyes. Hans ran his hand through his dark red hair and checked his wrist watch. "Well I have places to be and I assume you have to go down to the kitchen to find inspiration for a different hairstyle." He gave a small chuckle as he made his way past Aleks and up the stairs, but not without bumping into the girl first.

She shook her head and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she made her way down the hallway and stood in front of the vending machine. Depositing a dollar and retrieving the small bag of chips she felt a familiar buzz in her back pocket. Pulling out her phone, she was surprised to find a text from Elsa.

'How long can this man go on about chairs?' The text caused Aleks to audibly let out a loud laugh as she realized Elsa was in the same class she just got out of. She was about to type out a response when it hit her. _That class is on the lower floor._ She scrambled to turn around and dashed to the door her class was previously held in. Looking through the small window, the classroom was totally empty and the lights were even off. _The fuck? _She pulled out her phone and hastily sent out a reply. 'For about an hour and a half so get comfortable. Hey, what room is that class in?' It was also unlike Elsa to text during class considering how studious she was and how serious she took her education. And it wasn't long before she received a response.

'301c. Why?' She glared at her phone, that was the third floor. But she just got out of that same class not too long ago. Do professors change classrooms? Is that a thing? 'I just got out of that class but it was held on the lower floor.' She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and dashed her way up the stairs. It wasn't that she didn't believe Elsa, but she found it odd that a professor would just change rooms like that, and she grew worried. When she reached the landing between the second and third floor, history repeated itself and she collided with another body.

"Ay! Got me right in the noggin'." The redhead on the floor rubbed her forehead and winced. "Gonna leave a nice bruise that one will." She spoke with an obnoxious accent which annoyed Aleks more than Anna's rambling. But her hair is what grabbed Aleks' attention which looked like it's never seen a brush in it's life. Long, frizzed curls were spread about the ground over the pale woman's face.

"Apparently nobody watches where the hell they're going in this school." She rolled her eyes as she watched the woman rise to her feet and brush off her pants.

"What do ye' mean?" The accent only grew more obnoxious as she spoke.

"I've already ran into another dumbass today. I wonder if there will be a third." She went to walk around the redhead but was stopped when she outstretched her arm. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is that ye' already insulted me." She grew more serious and glared at Aleks from the corner of her eye. "And I'll let ye' know that I'm certainly not a pushover."

Aleks rolled her eyes again and returned the glare as if a challenge was issue. She coughed and insultingly mocked her accent. "Certainly not a pushover but that still makes ye' a dumbass." The shocked look on the redhead's face meant it was working. "Now run along now little lassie before ye' get ye' little tail beat." She gave a smug grin and shoved the girl out of her way. But before she knew it, the back of her head was slammed against a large window with an iron grip around her throat. She ignored the ringing in her ears and managed to open her eyes to see the redhead with her fist cocked back and gritted teeth.

"I woulda let ye' get away with callin' me what ye' called me." She leaned in a little closer to Aleks. Close enough that she caught a small sniff of the girls woodsy scent and spotted the light freckles that sprinkled her rosy cheeks. "But nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody mocks Merida Dunbroch in that manner and walks away scot-free!" There was a tone in her voice brought chills down her spine, but she still managed a coarse laugh.

"Well, I hope you don't fight like you talk. That would truly be hilarious." She mocked again, raised her leg, and with a great push she kicked the girl in the stomach. But the grip on her throat didn't lessen, and when Merida was pushed back, Aleks was pulled forward against her will. Before she had time to react, she felt the girl slam her elbow into the back of her neck and the fell onto the cold floor face first. The ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing whatever Merida was saying, but if she had to guess it was probably an insult. She opened her eyes to see the young woman start to walk away, but Aleks had no intention of being made a fool of. Scrambling to her feet and extending her arm, she froze the ground underneath Merida's feet right at the top of the stairs. Before she had time to process what was happening, she was soon barreling down the stairs and a sick satisfaction grew in Aleks when she saw the redhead skid across the floor on her face.

"Oh dear, lassie." She continued in the same mocking tone which caused the scuffle in the first place. "Ye' really should watch where ye' put ye' clodhoppers!" She gave a triumphant laugh as she continued on with her original goal of finding Elsa. Ascending from the last stair, she made her way down the row of doors and the classes being held in them until she found the room mentioned in her sister's text. Gazing into the room, it didn't take her long to find her sister in the back row, eyes buried in a notebook presumably taking notes. She let out a sigh of relief and let out a small chuckle at herself for being worried about her. Already Elsa had grown from the shy, reserved, anti-social girl Aleks always known her as. She still had a long way to go to being a social butterfly, but she was on her way. Aleks turned to make her way back down the stairs, and nearly yelped when she found someone standing behind her.

"It hasn't even been fifteen minutes and you beat a poor girl senseless? Crazy bitch." The man sounded amused and shook his head. "You're lucky it was only Merida and not anyone real important."

"The fuck do you know about any of that, Hans?" She spat and jammed a finger in this chest. She wasn't sure if she was legitimately angry or just putting on a show, but the mention of Merida's name was enough to set a small fire in her stomach.

"I know I saw a poor little lass out cold on the floor with a bloody nose." He replied in a snark manner and shrugged. "Like I said, nobody important. She's just an irrelevant immigrant."

"She started it." Aleks rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not impressed with how smug the man across from her appeared. She wasn't exactly lying though, Merida was the one that made the first violent contact.

"I didn't ask who started it, and quite frankly I don't give a shit." He gave an annoying little pretentious laugh and shrugged again. "All I know is that she probably won't be getting up anytime soon."

"Where the fuck are you trying to go with all this? So she fell down the stairs, big whoop." She threw her hands up in front of her to further accentuate her point and tried to walk away, only to be stopped when Hans stepped in front of her.

"My point is, she's just been a pain in my side and now I don't think I'll see her around much anymore." A cocky grin grew across his lips as he outstretched his arms. "So, I thought I'd congratulate you." He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, never losing the smug grin. "I'd like to treat you to dinner later this evening."

"Are you trying to ask me out?" She scoffed and waved the man off and went to walk away only to be stopped again. "Will you get the fu-"

"My treat."

"What time?"

* * *

Elsa made her way down the crowded staircase, she didn't have another class for a couple hours and she wanted to find a nice quiet study hall to settle down in and relax after sitting through a tediously long lecture about whether a chair is really a chair. Her crowded mind was enough to keep her attention off of the people shuffling around her and she didn't even realize she wasn't alone on the stairwell. She made her way down the rows of classrooms when her mind suddenly shifted to Anna.

She hadn't seen her since the morning when she came out of her room all flushed and sweaty, and she grew slightly worried about her new friend. For the past few days, they had nearly spent every waking moment together. Although Elsa was still wary of her, she allowed herself the luxury of trying to have fun around the girl.

Elsa eventually made her way to the small room filled with little more than small round tables. She found her own in a secluded table and pulled out her phone. Aleks had texted her earlier and she hasn't heard anything back from her since the class started. A part of her grew worried about her twin, but she knew what her twin was capable of. And knowing Aleks, she probably got preoccupied with food in one way or another.

She had just pulled out her notebook and turned to a recent page of her notes when the door swung open and two figures walked in. One appeared to be hobbling and leaning on the shoulder of the other, and upon closer inspection Elsa found that Rapunzel was the one being leaned on. Elsa had only met the girl briefly during her first class, but the situation piqued her interest and she stood from her table and waved the girl over to her without a second thought. Elsa pulled out a chair when Rapunzel came closer, and she sat the hobbling girl down, who promptly slumped over and thumped her head on the table, and nodded a silent thanks to Elsa as she pulled out her own chair. When Elsa sat back down she saw the face of the injured woman sitting across from her, her entire face was swollen. Dried blood was caked from her nostrils to halfway down her neck. Some of her long and curly hair was matted to the sides of her face and appeared to be stuck on with dried blood. It was slightly gruesome and nearly made Elsa gag.

"Who is this, Rapunzel?" She rubbed her hands together in her lap under the table and couldn't decide whether to look at Rapunzel or the injured woman in front of her. Her eyes were only half open but it appeared like she wasn't registering anything around her. The sight of dried blood covering the girl's face brought back unsavory memories to Elsa, she felt her stomach churning and her heartbeat increase. "And what happened to her?" Her voice was shaking, and she looked towards Rapunzel for some kind of solace.

The brunette shrugged and began shuffling through her purse. "I was walking to the parking lot to meet my cousin for lunch, so I came down the stairs and I just saw this chick laying on the floor!" She looked up from her purse when she found a small package of baby wipes. She pulled one up and raised the woman's chin and began wiping the dried blood off. "She's barely conscious and hasn't said a single word yet." Rapunzel grimaced when she saw just how much blood she collected on the baby wipe already. She groaned and winced. "Oh, her nose may be broken."

"Do you know who it is?" Elsa leaned across the table to try and help, but shot back to her seat when the woman grimaced when Rapunzel brought the baby wipe up to her obviously sore cheek.

"I don't know who it is! The last time I saw this much blood running out of somebodies nose is when I slapped my boyfriend when a frying pan!" Rapunzel was nearly in hysterics and freaking out when she had to replace the baby wipe for another new one when it was covered in blood. She would lightly dab some places but vigorously scrub others, clearly not thinking very straight.

_A frying pan? _Elsa narrowed her eyes and stared at the brunette making squeamish faces as she continued to clean up dry blood. _Why does that story sound so familiar? _She delved into the corners of her mind, but Elsa could not figure out where she heard a similar story before. But was pulled back into reality at the sound of her name.

"Elsa, that's your name right?" Elsa gave a quick nod. "Her face is swollen really bad, could you head over to the infirmary and grab a bag of ice? Or a cold pack? Or anything cold that would help?" She sounded desperate, but Elsa wasn't about to venture out on her own in this situation. But she did have an idea.

She placed her purse in her lap under the table and reached around for the water bottle she knew was in there. When she found it, she grasped it tight with both hands causing an audible crinkle which got Rapunzel's attention.

"Do you have something?" She asked with a hopeful gleam in her green eyes, she had gotten most of the blood off of the injured woman but she still looked pretty worse for wear. Hair was still stuck to her swollen face which was nearly as red as her hair.

"I-I think so." Elsa said shakily, she knew she could help but wasn't sure if it was the smartest idea. She had never used her powers in front of anyone other than her parents, Aleks, or her grandmother. But she couldn't sit there and do nothing. She felt her palms start to sweat and she shifted uncomfortably, knowing she was taking a risk. So, summoning all the courage she could, Elsa quickly froze the water inside the bottle. With a shaking arm, she handed the frozen bottle of water to Rapunzel whom she hoped with her entire being that wouldn't notice anything odd about it.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel snatched it from Elsa's hand without a second glance and placed it on the side of the woman's swollen face. Much to the woman's dismay.

"Ay! That's really cold!" She shrieked as her eyes shot open and Rapunzel shot back. "What'd' ye' have to go and do that for!?" The stern gaze she was giving the brunette softened and suddenly turned to curious as she looked around her and tried to catch her bearings. She grimaced when she noticed the pile of bloodied baby wipes in the center of the table. Her eyes eventually caught Elsa's worried gaze and shifted back to Rapunzel's shocked expression. Then back to Elsa's before returning to Rapunzel's. "Who are you two and where am I?" The accent she spoke with was actually fairly charming to Elsa's ears, and the genuinely enjoyed it. It was thick and foreign and just fun to listen to.

Rapunzel placed the water bottle on the table and placed her hands in her laps. "Well, I'm Rapunzel and this is Elsa." She said as she waved her arm over to the blonde who offered a meek little wave and tried at a smile. "I found you laying on the floor on my way to the parking lot."

"Oh yeah! I slipped and fell down the stairs." Her face grew concerned as she brushed some of the matted hair from her face and stared at the ground intently. "I'm not too sure how I went and did that though."

"Well, what do you remember?" Elsa asked, half curious and half just wanting to hear her speak more. She leaned forward as she placed her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands.

"Well," The redhead started as she brushed more hair out of her face. "I was well on my way down the stairs, minding my own business and everything when I ran into this..." Her face scrunched with disgust. "This dobber-" From the tone of her voice, Elsa assumed that was a particularly nasty insult. "-bitch! And she started laughing at me and calling me nasty names!" She balled one hand into a fist and punched her other hand multiple times, which caused Elsa to flinch with every punch. "She was mocking me! So I thought I'd teach the bugger a lesson and I right did! I went to walk away back to my own business and the next thing I remember was falling!" She shrugged and let her arms fall freely into her lap.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to comment, but was cut off when the redhead butted in. "Oh! And my name is Merida by the way. I'd like to thank you two for taking care of me when I had my lights knocked out."

"Well, do you remember what this woman looked like, Merida?" Rapunzel finally got out.

"A lot like you, actually." Merida put bluntly as she pointed towards Elsa, much to her surprise.

"What?" Elsa was taken back as Merida nodded.

_Aleks!_ _Why doesn't this surprise me? I love you, sis, but this is crazy._ Elsa began to think that her sister just had a thing against redheads. She thought about what possibly could have happened that would set Aleks off like that, but suddenly remembered how short a fuse her sister could have. Her eyes shot open with shock when she realized how Merida fell down the stairs. _She didn't fall! She slipped!_ She clenched her fists in her lap, digging her nails into her palms. _On ice! Aleks' ice!_ She would have to talk to her later, she was currently in complete disbelief that she would be that reckless. Elsa's stomach was in knots when she thought about how horribly wrong that situation could have played out.

"Elsa!" Her gaze was shot over to Rapunzel when she called her name. "Are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost."

She shook her head and waved the brunette off before shifting her eyes to Merida. "I'm afraid you had a run in with my twin, Merida."

"Your sister is a ninny."

"Yes, I'm aware." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I apologize on her behalf, I really do."

"It isn't your fault, Elsa." Rapunzel added in as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder which nearly caused her to jump. "You're not held responsible for her actions." She offered a small but reassuring smile.

Elsa placed her own hand on top Rapunzel's and returned the smile. "Thank you, but rest assured I'll talk to her about it." She pulled out her phone from her purse and sent a quick text to her twin telling her to meet her in Elsa's dorm in thirty minutes.

Merida stood up and arched her back in a deep stretch, she winced when she straightened back up and placed her hands on her hips.

"You aren't sore?" Rapunzel asked in disbelief, one does not simply fall down a staircase and walk off with just a little dust on their shoulder.

"Sore isn't the word for it lassie! I hurt all over!" She laughed it off and gave Rapunzel a hearty slap on the shoulder. "But I have three brothers – triplets. I've learned to take a beating over the years." She shrugged again before giving a wave and a smile to the two girls still sitting at the table. "But I need to get back, I think my next class is starting up soon. I'll be seeing you two around though!"

"Oh! I'm late!" Rapunzel remarked as she scrambled out of her chair. Before leaving the study hall, she gave an enthusiastic wave at Elsa. "See you around!"

And with that, Elsa was alone and seething with disappointment and anger. She shot up and didn't even bother to push her chair back in as she slung her purse over her shoulder and stormed out of the room. The people crowding the halls didn't even phase her as she made her way outside of the double glass doors with only one thing on her mind. The walk back to the dorm building seemed short as she went over phrases in her head about how she was going to chastise Aleks. When she entered the double glass doors, she was surprised to find how empty it was. Normally the lobby had people lounging about. Figuring most people were either in classes or out for lunch, she entered the elevator and slapped the button hard enough to send a shock of pain up her arm but she didn't care. The five floor elevator ride was spent steaming and as she neared the door, she bared her teeth and felt a fire in her chest. As she inserted her key card and started turning the knob she had a death grip on, she threw open the door as it caused a loud thud when it swung all the way back and hit the knob.

"Sup." Aleks was lounging on the recliner with her legs thrown over the arm, playing on her phone. She didn't even look up at Elsa as she walked in.

"Sup is all you have to say to me?" Elsa accused as she slammed the door and threw her purse on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

Aleks shrugged. "I don't know. What's up? Any better?"

Elsa scoffed and loomed over her twin, blonde curls were nearly touching her face. "What's up? How about an unconscious Scottish woman?"

"Oh, you heard about that?" She had a smug grin as she looked up at Elsa's menacing face.

"I also heard she just happened to fall down the stairs." She raised her voice slightly, hoping to get Aleks' full attention from her phone.

"Well, she should watch her step." Aleks shrugged it off.

"After she fought somebody who looked an awful lot like me. Cut your bullshit, Aleks!" Elsa straightened up and couldn't believe how nonchalant her sister was. "She didn't fall, she slipped!"

Aleks looked up from her phone as she stuck it in her back pocket and locked eyes with Elsa's. "So?"

Something inside Elsa snapped as she started seeing red. All the frustration from the past few years all seemed to bubble up from within her stomach as her heart started to race. "So? Aleks don't you understand the risk!?" Snow started to form around Elsa's slender figure and slowly started to fall into a lazy rotation around her. "How could you be so reckless to use these powers we have – this curse we have, so nonchalantly!"

Aleks stood up from the recliner and shook her head, ignoring the snowflakes hitting her pale skin. "You dare say I take these powers nonchalantly?" She raised her hand as a flurry of ice and snow appeared and dissipated in her palm. "Everything I've done for you-" She raised her eyebrows and gave a small laugh. "-for us? And you think I take this nonchalantly?"

"Yes! You know what would happen if people fou-"

"Nobody will find out!" Aleks stepped closer towards her sister, ice forming on the ground with every step. "Elsa, there's nothing in this world I take more seriously than you or these powers."

"Then act like it! Act like the sister I know you are and don't be so reckless!" She snow around her started picking up speed as random strands of hair started to catch in the breeze.

The response gained a chuckle from Aleks. "You want to talk to me about being a sister when I haven't seen you since we've arrived?" Her eyes widened as she took another step closer, causing more ice to creep across the floor.

"I'm taking your advice! I'm making friends!" The storm picked up again as her hair whipped across her face and she heard something from the kitchen fall to the floor. "Which is more than you've done cause all you've managed to do was make enemies!" She was nearly shouting to have herself be heard over the howling of the wind.

"By ostracizing your sister? Again, after all I've done for you? Do you think I like these powers, Elsa? Aleks spat as she extended her arms and shoved her twin. "All I've ever done is protect you!" Icicles began to form on the ceiling, extending down to a point and casting reflections across the ice skittered across the floor.

"I never asked you to protect me, Aleks!" Elsa shouted in pure anger as the fire in her chest grew larger. She saw Aleks clench her fists and bite her lip as she grunted in frustration, when she looked up at Elsa she noticed a single tear carving it's way down her cheek that froze by the time it reached her chin. "You don't have another snarky remark this time, Aleks? Don't have some snide jo-"

"I killed our father, Elsa!"

The room grew quiet as the swirling storm suspended in mid air, not a single movement from any snowflake. Elsa's arms dropped to her sides as she fell to her knees and her eyes widened in memory. She felt everything, every accusation from her father and every beating. Every tear that cascaded down her pale face as she failed to defend herself. Every worthless feeling she would get when she was too afraid to try and protect Aleks from the same punishment. She remembered the screams of her father as he was hurled from the balcony. She felt not only the sadness, but the relief when she heard Aleks tell her that nobody was going to hurt her anymore. She missed her mother.

Aleks bent over and gripped at her hair, fighting to get words out. "I was the reason he fell from the balcony!" Her voice was trembling and Elsa could see teardrops falling from her face, freezing and shattering as they hit the icy floor. "I couldn't stand it anymore, Elsa!" Her voice was strained and forced. "I saw him beating you again, and I-I I just couldn't take it anymore! The flurry that sent him falling from the balcony was mine!" She fell to her knees and her forehead hit the icy floor. "It was to protect you, Elsa!"

Elsa wasn't sure what to make of her twin's confession. A part of her kinda knew all along that she had a role to play for her father's death, but she never wanted to admit it. But it suddenly gave more sense to all of her sister's actions. The tears falling from Elsa's face was only a reminder of how weak she always has been. But as she wiped her eyes free, she decided no more. She wasn't going to be this helpless little girl who needed her sister to come and save the day. She didn't want to be that same little girl who spent every night in fear of another drunken rage from her father. She only grew frustrated and angry at her sister for keeping her in the dark for so long, and preventing her from being independent. The past few days with Anna taught Elsa that she was so much more capable than what she thought she was.

Elsa looked up at the snowflakes suspended around her, and how their reflections bounced off the icicles and onto the floor. There was certainly a beauty in these powers that she couldn't deny. But there was also great danger. Every hope she had of being normal was ripped to shreds at the reminder of the ice and snow at her command. But she was going to take control.

"Leave." Elsa muttered slowly and solemnly.

"What?" Aleks looked up in disbelief.

"You heard me." Elsa repeated sternly as she stood back up and made her way to the door which was coated in a layer of frost. The tension in the room was enough to put Elsa's stomach in knots. She didn't want to send her sister away, but she felt like it was a necessity. She loved her dearly, but she needed to be independent from her. And at this moment in time, it sickened her to look at her.

"Elsa, what happened? How coul-"

Aleks' words were cut off from a blast of ice that exploded next to her, causing her to jump.

"I said leave, Aleks!" Elsa shouted with tears streaming down her face. She watched her broken sister collect herself and pick herself up off of the floor. She wiped residual snow from her arms and slowly made her way to the door. When she approached Elsa, she opened her mouth to say something, but instead just shook her head and silently left. The last thing Elsa saw was frost lined across her sister's eyes. Frozen tears from a broken heart.

* * *

"What's on your mind, Anna?" Rapunzel asked as she turned down the radio in her car. Anna turned her attention from the window and the buildings outside of it to her cousin. Ever since Rapunzel was late in picking her up, Anna had hardly said a word to her which was totally unlike her. Her mind was obviously on other things, and she just hadn't felt like talking. She scratched the back of her head, careful not to mess with the bun she worked so hard on a couple hours prior and shrugged.

"I've just been thinking I guess." Anna commented as she drummed her fingers on her knees, lost in thought again.

"Would you like to spill the beans or should I get the can opener?" Rapunzel said lightheartedly as she pointed to a frying pan that sat in the back seat. "Ask Eugene about the can opener." A small laugh escaped her lips as Anna knew exactly what she was talking about.

"That thing is a little more than a can opener." Anna laughed and began counting on her fingers. "Can opener, baseball bat, golf club, back scratcher on more than one occasion." That comment earned a giggle from Rapunzel.

"Okay, you know it works!" She retorted with a large grin and a small chuckle.

"Oh hold up, I'm not done. Ping pong paddle, home defense mechanism, a hammer, and it's really useful for breaking the smolder of a Eugene Fitzherbert." She finished, feeling confident from the giggles that escaped her cousin's mouth which she couldn't help but copy.

"He knows not to wake up from napping anymore!" She shrugged and shot Anna a smug grin amongst the laughter. "But really, Anna-banana, what's going on up stairs?"

"Nothing much as usual." Anna shrugged and readjusted herself in the car seat. Messing with the air conditioning vent, she found a comfortable position that had a steady stream of cool air blessing her face. She turned to look at Rapunzel who was giving her a knowing look from the corner of her eye. She always knew when something was bugging Anna, and this case was no exception.

"Anna." She said drawn out and sternly, waiting for Anna to share what's on her mind.

"I just think I have a crush on somebody, Punzpunz. That's all." Hoping to alleviate her cousins worry with the use of a childhood nickname that died out years ago. Anna rested her head against the window, and even though she was in the safety of the air conditioned car she could still feel the humidity from outside.

"Ooh! What's his name? Is he cute? Is he the nerdy type or the athletic type? You've always seemed go to after the athletic ones!" Rapunzel's excitement was clear from the tone in her voice. She kept rambling on and on about different kind of guys and trying to guess the exact person Anna was crushing on but all Anna could do was shake her head. Eventually running out of ideas, Rapunzel admitted defeat. "Then who is it, Anna?" She asked as she turned a corner, causing Anna to bump her head rather forcefully into the window. "Sorry."

Anna waved her off and swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, Rapunzel..." In an unsure tone and nearly in a whisper. "I never said it was a guy." She shrugged and turned to face out of the window again, too embarrassed to see her cousin's reaction.

"Damn, I owe Eugene money." Was the only response that came from her.

Anna perked back up and turned to look at her cousin who had a large grin. "Wait, what?" She was taken back as she adjusted herself to turn towards Rapunzel. "You had a bet going with your boyfriend about my sexuality?"

Rapunzel giggled and playfully shoved Anna's shoulder. "It was never about your sexuality, it was about when you would come out." She sensed the confusion from Anna and further explained. "You never looked really interested in any of the guys you dated, so it was fairly clear that either you had a string of bad luck choosing guys or that you were gay." She concluded with an affirming nod and another smile.

Accepting her answer and shrugging it off, Anna sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "So why do you owe Eugene money?"

"He said you would come out within your first month here, I figured it would take you at least until sophomore year."

Anna sat there in a pout, unsure of what to think about the bet between her cousin and her boyfriend. She really did like the guys she dated in the past, and had good memories with them. But in hindsight, maybe it did seem like she wasn't really interested in them. But her crush on Elsa and having a crush on a girl in general had been the only thing on her mind and she didn't know what to think of that either. The short amount of time spent with Elsa has already given her fond memories. From that first day going to the mall, to losing at chess every night. Catching lunch at a local ice cream shop just down the street from the campus to the day Anna suggested they play mini golf. She thought she was just forming an actual friendship with the blonde, but the more she thought about it the more she realized that what she was feeling was a little more than just friendship. _It really doesn't help that she looks so good! She was adorable in hoodies, but she's straight sexy when she dresses up!_

"Shake the salt off, Anna. Love is love no matter how you look at it, and I don't think of you any differently." Rapunzel said with a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder which caused her to look up and meet the green eyes of her cousin. "Now what's her name?" Rapunzel smiled as Anna let out a small sigh.

"I'm not going to tell you her name." The look on Rapunzel's face perfectly showed off her disapproval. "But she's smart, blonde, and really pretty! And actually once you get to know her a little bit she's pretty funny too!"

"Well she sounds nice." Rapunzel commented as she ran a hand through her short brown hair. "I'm thinking of growing my hair out and going blonde, actually."

Anna cocked an eyebrow at her cousin and twirled a finger through her hair. "You mean going natural?" She added and smiled when Rapunzel rolled her eyes at her.

"Whatever you'd like to call it, I'm kind of tired of the brown. I think Eugene prefers the blonde anyway." Rapunzel shrugged and suddenly perked up, causing Anna to jump back slightly. "Oh! Which reminds me! You know Eugene is starting to do hair now?"

Anna laughed and slapped her knee, not willing to believe how a manly guy like Eugene would get involved with cosmetology. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Not at all! My mother called him over one day to cut her hair cause you know how strange she can be-"

"That's where you get it from you know." The comment from Anna caused her to be playfully shoved again.

"-Shut up. Anyway, it turns out he's really good at doing hair and has actually started offering it as a thing on the side at the Snuggly Duckling." She finished and shrugged.

"Isn't the Snuggly Duckling that sketchy bar he works at though?" Anna asked, holding back giggles from the thought of a bunch of muscular, malicious, and scary men getting hair cuts at an equally scary bar.

"It isn't that bad, and a lot of the regulars there are actually really cool people once you get to know them. They just have a bad rep. You know Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns?" Rapunzel laughed at the shocked expression from Anna who was still fighting back giggles.

"Is this the same Vladimir that once slashed a guys tires for taking up two parking spaces? And what were you doing in a bar anyway, Rapunzel?" Anna asked as she crossed her arms and shot her cousin a suspicious look.

"You know I don't drink or anything, I just like to pop in through the back door every now and then to visit Eugene." She explained. Anna knew she was telling the truth and shrugged, Rapunzel has never been the one to lie to her.

"So Eugene does hair now, huh?"

* * *

Anna left the elevator once it dinged, indicating she had reached her floor. After her and Rapunzel had lunch, she went to her last class of the day and was just getting back to the apartment with dinner on her mind. _Maybe I'll make burgers, it's been awhile since I had a good burger. Does Elsa like burgers? I bet she would like some lasagna, but I don't know if I have the noodles for lasagna. _She absentmindedly made her way to the dorm door and stuck her key card in, after a click from the door the had to push a little harder to normal to get the door open as frost fell off of the door frame. _Oh! Or maybe some fajitas. I do enjoy some fajitas. It's even fun to say Fajitas, fajitas, fajitas..._ She made her way to the kitchen table which still had a lair of ice over it and set her bag on top of it. Walking to the refrigerator, she forced it open and began searching the contents completely oblivious of the layer of ice and frost over everything in the dorm and the icicles looming off of the ceiling. _Hey! There's still some shredded cheese left! Maybe I'll make a casserole or something. Does Elsa like casserole? _She pulled the package of cheese from the fridge and stood up. "Hey El-"

Her words were cut off when she noticed the layer of frost and ice covering everything. She placed the cheese on the counter and carefully made her way to the couch as to not slip and fall on the ice. _It's like a winter wonderland! Oh man, this is cool! Literally!_ Upon reaching the couch, she looked over it to find Elsa curled into herself in a deep slumber. The only sign she was even alive was from her visible breath amongst the cold. Her hair had no signs of curl left in it and was wildly windswept behind her, and even it appeared to have a layer of frost over it as it looked nearly white. "Hey, Elsa!" Anna poked the blonde on her side. "Psst! Elsa!"

Elsa's eyes shot open as she scrambled to sit up, she frantically shifted her gaze from wall to wall before she looked behind her and met Anna's turquoise eyes with her own widened blues. "Anna!" She shrieked as she scrambled to her feet and cast out her arms in self defense. "I can explain all of this!" Her voice was hoarse, and even weak as she desperately pleaded.

Anna chuckled at how frantic the blonde was, she made a whole three sixty as she observed everything from the ice she was standing on and gasped when she saw her reflection from the icicles hanging from the ceiling. She reached out and gingerly touched a snowflake that was suspending motionless in the air, sending a pleasant coolness up her arm. "Explain what? This is awesome! Did you do this?"

Elsa wiped a tear from her eye that was threatening to fall. "Anna, this isn't awesome. It's horrible!" She fell onto the couch and let out a deep sigh, visible breath lingering in the air. "Yes, it's my fault. It's all my fault." She admitted in defeat.

Anna pursed her lips as she knelt down and collected a handful of snow that had collected in a bank on the back of the couch. When she eventually had three snowballs stacked on top of each other in descending order of size, she reached into her pocket and ripped off the extra buttons. She placed them on the smallest snowball on the top for eyes. She pulled out a pencil from her back pocket and tore off the eraser, placing it just below the eyes to form a nose. Anna then broke the pencil and split it in half, exposing the led. She broke the led into small pieces and stuck them just below the nose to form a smile. She took the remaining pieces of led to form buttons going down the middle snowball. With her snowman finished, she stood up and placed it on the back of the couch. She nudged Elsa to get her attention, and she looked up at her through teary eyes.

"Elsa, you say this is horrible. But how can something so horrible create something so cute?" She said enthusiastically with a smile as Elsa picked up the small snowman from the back of the couch and laid it in her lap. She wiped one of her eyes with the heel of her palm and gave a weak chuckle.

"He's missing arms, Anna." Her voice was nearly in a whisper and soft as a mouse. When an idea came to Anna's mind, she walked over to the counter and ripped off a couple stems from the bag of grapes that was held in a fruit bowl after she brushed the frost off of it. She returned to the couch and plopped down right in front of Elsa, she turned the snowman around and stuck the grape stems into the center snowball.

"There! Now he's perfect." She said with a reassuring smile as she readjusted herself and placed a hand on Elsa's heel.

Elsa turned the snowman back around and smiled weakly at it as a single tear fell from her chin. "Why aren't you afraid of me? All of this-" She gestured to the entire room. "-is my fault. These powers – this curse that I was born with, I'm just a mon-"

"Hey now!" Anna cut her off and gave another wide smile. "I don't need any explanation for it. The Elsa I've met isn't dangerous in any way shape or form. She's smart, funny, and quite frankly beautiful in my opinion." The meek smile from the girl across from her caused confidence to swell up in Anna's chest. "I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be afraid either. I haven't had any clue about any of this up until now, which tells me you do a pretty good job of controlling whatever this is. Therefore, why would I be afraid."

"Normally I can control it with little to no issue..." Elsa started with a sigh. She looked down at the snowman again and smiled. "But sometimes it just... happens, and I don't mean it to." Her shoulders slumped and she fell back against the arm of the couch.

"It's strange, yeah. But I mean how cool is it to have a roommate who has really badass ice powers!" Anna commented, trying to cheer Elsa up to some avail. "It's like you're from the X-men or something!"

Elsa gave another weak chuckle and straightened back up. She picked up the small snowman and set it down gingerly on the coffee table. "I'm not even sure Charles Xavier would accept me."

"Well, I accept you." Anna placed one hand over Elsa's and the other on the side of her face, wiping away a frozen tear on the side of the blonde's face. "Crazy ice powers or not, I know you'll never hurt me or anyone for that matter."

Elsa smiled softly and looked up at Anna, a slight blush growing across her face. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Elsa asked, unsure.

Anna brought a hand up to her chest and drew an 'x' over her heart. "Cross my heart." She said with a reassuring smile. She took the moment to stare into Elsa's blue eyes, and although filled with sadness she could tell that there was relief in there somewhere. If it were up to Anna, she would have stayed there in that moment forever. Although shaken up and worried, to her, Elsa was the most beautiful creature on the planet. She knew it couldn't last though, and every moment felt like an eternity."But quite frankly it's getting a little cold so could you do something about that?" She tried to lighten the mood with another chuckle.

"Yeah, I can try to." Elsa said as she broke from Anna's gaze and stood up from the couch.

"Do. Or do not. There is no try, young Elsa."

Elsa turned around and cocked an eyebrow at Anna. "Did you just quote Star Wars at me?"

Anna shrugged and smiled. Elsa returned the gesture as she turned back around and looked down at the small snowman. Button eyes staring blankly back at her. She smiled as she extended her hand, and a small cloud formed over the snowman and small snowflakes began to fall from the cloud.

"What's that for?" Anna asked as she scooted over on the couch and leaned forward, inspecting the small cloud.

"So that it doesn't melt when I fix this mess." Elsa commented as she raised her arms and clapped them together, and all of the ice and snow in the room came together to form a large snowflake above her head. The ice from the floor shot up in a dense fog, as did the icicles hanging off of the ceiling. The large snowflake cast the entire room in a light blue hue as it slowly rotated, and when Elsa separated her hands, it disappeared in a cool breeze that caused shivers to trail down Anna's spine.

With a smile, Anna stood up and brought her arms around Elsa's waist and brought her in for a hug. "I knew you could do it."


	11. A Night In

**A/N:** Sorry for another late update! This chapter was pretty slow for me, not only to hit the new 9k word average I've set, but also because I kinda hit a little bit of writer's block about halfway through it. I knew how I wanted the chapter to end, but the words just wouldn't come to me. The events of the last chapter was something I didn't even have planned until I started writing it, so I had to shift everything in order to accommodate it.

But, I think you all will like this chapter very much. Tons of development and good stuff!

As always your constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa asked as she emerged from the bathroom to find the redhead on her toes, reaching for something in the cabinets above the stove. It had hardly been an hour since Elsa revealed her powers to her roommate, and quite frankly she was still terrified. She had caught her totally by surprise, and she was sure Anna was going to freak out and never speak to her again. Or worse, tell people and have Elsa locked up for the rest of her life. But the way Anna reacted brought a great amount of relief to the blonde, she was still wary and uneasy about it, but still greatly relieved she didn't have to hide it from the redhead.

"Trying to reach the cinnamon!" She grunted, trying to gain that extra inch to reach the spice. She fell to her heels in defeat when her fingers grazed the bottle and pushed it deeper into the cabinet. "Why did we put the spices so high up?" She stuck out her lower lip in a pout and crossed her arms.

The gesture stirred a giggle from Elsa. _Cute._ "Well I never realized how short you are." She commented and giggled again when Anna stomped her foot in a childlike frustration. "Why do you need the cinnamon anyway?"

Anna scoffed. "For fajitas of course! Now would you be a dear and get it for me please?"

Elsa raised and eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. "Cinnamon for fajitas?" She asked, not sure whether to be disgusted or worried.

"I like to add cinnamon to the onions when I caramelize them. You'll like it I promise!" She was nearly jumping with glee when Elsa reached over her and pulled down the cinnamon. She graciously took the bottle and placed it on the counter. "Hey Elsa, your hair is blonde again!"

The comment took Elsa by surprise as she backed up to the counter and hopped on top of it, swinging her feet she leaned her head back against a cabinet. "What do you mean? I've always been blonde."

"Not when I walked in awhile ago!" Anna replied as she pulled out a package of presliced chicken from the freezer. "When I walked in your hair was like, a really light gray. Almost white." She commented as she pulled out a skillet from a cabinet.

For a moment, Elsa didn't really believe her. But as she went over the days events in her head, anything seemed possible. After the argument with Aleks, all she had the energy to do was lay on the couch. After she had picked up everything that had fallen during the storm, she didn't even have the energy to unfreeze the room. Her gaze shifted to the small snowman which was still set on the coffee table in the living room, small cloud still snowing on top of it. She had debating running once Anna walked in. She didn't even have a small inkling of where she would go, she just wanted to get away. But once she was presented with the small snowman, she forgot about everything but Anna. It was at that moment she realized that despite the short time they've known each other, Anna cared about her. And that meant a lot to the blonde.

Elsa brought a lock of her hair up to her face and started playing with the ends. They were still as blonde as ever, and although she could foresee a haircut just to get the dead ends off, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her. "Did it look bad?" She asked amongst the noise of Anna rustling through drawers to find the utensil she was after. Anna turned to face the blonde and inspected her, causing Elsa to feel more self conscious than usual. She was used to the glances from the corners of peoples eyes throughout the day, but the staring from Anna made her uncomfortable and she could feel a blush growing across her cheeks.

"Nah, it didn't look bad. Although personally I prefer the blonde." Anna shrugged and walked up to Elsa sitting on the counter. She placed her elbows on the blonde's thighs and cradled her head in her inter crossed fingers. "So, meet any guys today?" A smile graced the redhead's lips as she stared into Elsa's eyes.

The blonde shook her head. "No, but I did meet two girls today." If you could call what she had a meeting. She met Rapunzel through a small conversation in calculus before she brought an unconscious Scottish woman into the study hall.

Anna cocked and eyebrow and grinned again. "So you swing for the other team, huh?" She laughed and twirled a finger through Elsa's hair.

"No, no. Not like that." Elsa laughed it off and gave a small shrug. "I've never really been one for relationships in general. Male or female."

"Would you date the right female if she came up?" Anna asked as she dropped the strand of hair she was playing with.

Elsa shrugged again. "I mean, I wouldn't totally be opposed I guess. Love is love, right?" Although she wasn't too sure what love was after the discussion with her twin went south. She still loved Aleks without a doubt, but she couldn't help but feel hurt and a little betrayed from earlier.

Anna nodded. "You're right. I mean I wouldn't think of you any differently if you had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. I mean there's probably a lot of people out there who would look at you funny if you had a girlfriend because you know being openly gay or whatever is still kinda controversial for some people but I don't really understand that because nobody really has the right to tell you who you should or shouldn't lo-" She was cut off when Elsa placed a finger over her lips and stifled a laugh. "Rambling again." Anna shrugged and averted her gaze to a random spot on the floor. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's cute." She removed her finger and couldn't help but beam when she found Anna staring up at her with a large grin on her face. "What's the smile for?"

"Do I need a reason to smile?" Anna spoke with a renewed vigor, as if there was a kind of hope that started to well up inside of her.

"I suppose not." Elsa commented as she reached behind Anna's head and took out the hair tie which was holding her bun up. Once the copper locks were free from their prison and cascaded over her shoulders, Elsa began twirling a finger through a strand. Her hair was still a little wet from Anna's shower that morning from being kept in a bun all day long.

A quizzical look grew on Anna's face as she looked up at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. "What's up with the hair thing?"

"You've done it to me on more than one occasion today, and I'd like to see what was so appeasing about it." Elsa said and continued to twirl a slender finger through the copper hair that cascaded down Anna's shoulders. Her eyes eventually found their way to the white strand of hair that was intertwined amongst the red. With a delicate touch she ran her fingers down it and brought it up to her face, inspecting the entire length from her scalp to the ends. "What's the story behind this, Anna?"

Anna shrugged and swept her hair behind her ear on the side Elsa wasn't messing with. "I'm not really sure. It's totally natural and I haven't seen anyone else with anything else like it."

Elsa ran her fingers through the snow white strand before returning it to it's proper area amongst the red and swept Anna's hair behind her ear. "I like it, it's something unique that sets you apart from everyone else."

"Do you rea-" Anna's words were cut off from a loud, monotonous and high pitched beeping that caused her to jump, sending her elbows straight into Elsa's thighs. "Sorry!" She yelled, trying to be louder than the loud beeping.

Elsa immediately and calmly recognized the black smoke coming off of the oven and shook her head with a small chuckle. "Your chicken is burning." She pointed towards the oven and couldn't help but smile at Anna scrambling to salvage any parts of the chicken she could. It wasn't hard for Elsa to find the source of the beeping, the fire alarm right above her next to the kitchen light. With a flick of the wrist, a blast of snow shot towards the alarm and immediately shut it off. Once the ringing in her ears stopped, she was a little worried to find Anna staring wide-eyed at the now silenced alarm.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of you doing that." She muttered as she crossed her arms with a small chuckle. "But I don't think I'll be able to save much of this chicken..." Anna nodded towards the skillet on the counter, blackened and sticking bottom of the pan. "I mean, if you like jerk chicken then I guess it's good!"

Elsa worriedly rubbed her thumb against her palm and gave a nervous shrug. "I'm just glad you don't think I'm some kind of monster or something." She meekly commented, hoping Anna wouldn't take back on anything she said before. Although not entirely comfortable using her powers around Anna, she figured that she had no use in hiding it anymore. It wasn't long before she found Anna back at her original position, elbows on her thighs and head in her hands. It was clear at this point that the girl didn't have much of an idea about personal space. But with Anna, Elsa didn't mind too much. Although she did find herself stiffening up a little whenever she came close.

"Elsa." Anna said bluntly, staring at her with heartfelt eyes. "Just because you have super cool ice powers doesn't mean you're a monster." She smiled from ear to ear and chuckled a little. "See what I did there? Super 'cool' ice powers?"

Elsa could only shake her head but couldn't help but smile. "You hardly know me, Anna. How could you know what I'm capable of? Maybe I am a monster." She leaned her head back onto the cabinet and sighed.

"You're right, we've only known each other for roughly a week give or take." Elsa felt the pressure on her thighs disappear as Anna placed her hands on the back of her head and pulled her forward until they were to forehead to forehead. At this distance, Elsa could make out every detail of her turquoise eyes that were full of life. The joy Anna seemed to radiate coalesced in her eyes, and the dusting of freckles over her cheeks brilliantly accented that. "But just because you're a little more gifted than others doesn't change who you are. You decide who you are, not your powers." She was close enough that every breath she took tickled Elsa's lips, and there was a part of her that couldn't get enough of that. A part of her wanted Anna to go off on a ramble, just so she could continue to watch the movements her face made when she spoke and feel her breath on her lips.

"You don't know how hard it is, Anna. Constantly having to keep your emotions in control so that you don't end up freezing everything around you." Elsa's voice was waning and her eyes shot down as she struggled to find the words. "I never asked for this." She muttered, slumping her shoulders and letting out a deep sigh.

"Hey, now. You don't have to hide who you are around me." Anna smiled reassuringly.

"But-"

"No 'buts'. I'll always be right here for you, nothing can make me think any differently about you." Anna spoke with a confidence that Elsa hadn't seen in her throughout the short time they've known each other. When Elsa looked back up into Anna's widened eyes, she felt Anna's forehead wrinkle against her own as she raised her eyebrows. The smile across her lips caused Elsa's heart to skip a beat and she wasn't sure why. She felt accepted by Anna, wholly and completely. There was nowhere else she'd rather be at the current moment than staring inter her blue-green eyes as she simply smiled. A warmth spread across her chess and it wasn't long before she found herself returning the wide grin.

"Anna?" Elsa asked slowly as everything seemed to slow down and she suddenly became aware of everything. She got a whiff of the perfume Anna was wearing and the sweet, candy scent filled her nostrils and intoxicated her as she recognized the scent as cotton candy. She felt a lump in her throat as she felt the need to be close to the redhead.

"Yes?" Her reply came breathy and tickled Elsa's lips again, causing her stomach to both twist in knots and flutter with butterflies. Elsa's eyes involuntarily fluttered shut as she found herself leaning in closer to Anna and yearning to be close to her.

At the last possible moment, there was a knock on the door, causing both Anna and Elsa's eyes to shoot open. "I'll get that." Anna muttered, but didn't move. She continued to stare into blue eyes as if to milk every moment she could as she lingered. "I should get that." Anna said again as Elsa felt her trace her jawline with the back of her hand. Finally, Anna broke away and strode her way to the door, leaving Elsa in a daze.

Elsa sat there on the counter for a moment and wondered what just happened. One moment, she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and then the next moment she was about to kiss her roommate. Who by all accounts was another female. And yet, it had felt so right and Elsa felt deprived as the moment was stolen. With a sigh, she hopped off the counter to see who was at the door. When she rounded the counter, a familiar accent graced her ears.

"Elsa! I never knew you lived right next to me!"

"Merida? What's going on?" Elsa asked as she joined Anna in the doorway.

"Well, I was just about to hop in the shower when I heard ye' fire alarm going off. So I dropped on by to make sure everything was peachy." She replied promptly and shrugged.

"You know her, Elsa?" Anna asked as she looked up at the blonde, who gave her a quick nod.

"Yes, I met her earlier this morning. Which reminds me." Elsa turned to look at Merida who was leaning up against the doorway. "How are you feeling?" Now that all the blood had been cleaned up and the swelling had died down, she looked much more presentable. Elsa was even able to recognize the light freckles on her red cheeks.

Merida lifted herself off of the doorway and extended her arms over her head in a deep stretch. "All n' all I'd say I'm alright. Nose is a little sore, though. But nothing I can't handle." She spoke with confidence as she waved Elsa off.

"What happened?" Anna asked, looking between the two with shifty eyes.

"I took a tumble down the stairs, that's it lass." She shrugged and drummed her fingers against her thighs. "Elsa helped me get back up on my feet. I'll tell ye' what though, her sis may be a ninny but Elsa has my respect." She nodded with a half smile.

The mention of her sister caused a lump to form in Elsa's throat and her stomach to drop, for a brief moment she had forgotten all about her. "Well I'm glad to hear that, and I apologize again on my sister's behalf."

Merida waved her off again. "It's alright, lassie. But I'll be on my way now, just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"Sure you don't want any jerk chicken? It's what made the alarm go off." Anna mentioned lightheartedly as she giggled at the peculiar look Merida gave her.

"What's jerk chicken?" Merida asked with a face mixed with both disgust and curiosity. "Is it like jerkin' the chicken? Or however it's said over in this country?"

The naive comment induced a giggle fit between Anna and Elsa, much to Merida's confusion. When Elsa finally regained her composure, she crossed her arms and shook her head. "No, no. It's nothing, promise." She said as Merida could only shake her head and wave goodbye as she closed the door. But not before muttering something about how strange Americans were.

"Well she was fun." Anna commented as she turned around and made her way back to the kitchen to try and salvage anything she can from the chicken which was probably cold by now.

"I haven't a reason to think any less of her." Elsa said as she followed the redhead and leaned on the counter as she watched Anna make faces at the burnt chicken. There wasn't a whole lot that could be saved, most of them were blackened all the way through. "So chicken, huh?"

"How about we just warm up leftovers?" Anna suggested as she trashed the chicken and swung open the refrigerator door and made a face when she didn't see anything.

"Ate the leftovers for breakfast, didn't you?" Elsa asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Yup." With a sigh, she shut the door and joined Elsa in leaning on the counter. "We could always go out and get something."

"Anna, where could we go at-" Elsa stopped for a moment to look at the time on the oven, and shook her head when she found out. "-6:30 pm that isn't going to be packed on a Monday night?"

"Well, is the cafeteria still serving food?"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow and shot a look at the redhead beside her. "I think I'd rather eat my shoe." She said sarcastically, but that didn't change the meaning behind the statement.

"How do you want it cooked? Well done, medium, rare...?" Anna asked with a small smile, and Elsa could only shake her head and give a small chuckle at her humor.

"Does pizza deliver here?"

Anna's eyes shot open as if she dawned upon a realization and grabbed Elsa by the shoulders. "Yes! That's a great idea!" She was nearly squealing.

With her brain still rattling inside her skull from the jostling from Anna, Elsa regained her bearings and scratched the back of her head. "Passionate about your pizza, huh?"

"It's just the perfect solution! Oh, man it's been a long time since I've had pizza. I remember one time, Rapunzel and I ordered pizza when I was spending the weekend at her house and we waited until like 3 am but the pizza never showed, and boy we were getting stir crazy because we were hungry and tired and wanted pizza! So we ended up trying to make our own pizza and I mean it was okay but it wasn't-"

Elsa could only smile as Anna continued her rambling about her home made pizza, she ended up blocking out her rambling and focusing purely on her mannerisms. She noticed that Anna spoke with her hands a lot more than the average person, she was constantly waving around her arms to tell her stories. When she got really excited about something, she would be even more animated. It was a lot to take in, but there was an adorable quality about it Elsa thought. Elsa's eyes widened when she finally made a realization amongst Anna's rambling.

"-And I have no clue about how she got her foot stuck in the toilet-"

"Did you say Rapunzel?" Elsa butted in, causing Anna to completely freeze and give her a weird look.

"Uh, yeah, she's my cousin. Haven't I told you that?" Anna brushed back a strand of hair behind her ear as she pulled out her phone and started to look up the number of the local pizza place.

"I met her this morning! She was the one who carried Merida into the study hall!" Elsa said excitedly as she made her way around the counter and hopped up on it, secretly hoping Anna would join her in her previous position.

Anna's eyes shot up from her phone as she gave a small chuckle. "What? No way, are you sure it was my Rapunzel?"

"Anna," Elsa started, raising her eyebrow and shaking her head. "How many people have the name Rapunzel?"

Anna took a moment to think that through and eventually shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. That actually makes a lot of sense considering the story she told me earlier about finding a woman passed out on the bottom of the stairs." She walked around the counter and leaned against the sink opposite of Elsa before looking back down at her phone in search of the number for pizza. "Was it Merida she found?"

"Yeah, the entire situation is kind of a mess." Elsa admitted. Which was true, the whole thing between the Scottish woman and her sister made both her head and her heart hurt. She was glad Merida is relatively unharmed, but wondered where she sat with her sister. Elsa didn't regret anything she had said, Aleks was completely reckless with using her powers over something so petty.

"I found the number, what do you like on your 'za?" Anna asked as she stuck out her tongue and licked her bottom lip, shaking Elsa from her thoughts.

"I'm not picky. I'll be okay with whatever you want to order."

"Looks like we're getting everything!" Anna quickly tapped the numbers onto her phone with a large grin on her face. "Except for mushrooms." She stuck out her tongue again and faked a gag in disgust. "Don't want those slimy little heathens ruining a good pizza." She brought the phone up to her ear before excusing herself from the kitchen and into the hallway. Elsa didn't really find the purpose in that, as she could still hear her loud and clear from her position in the kitchen.

When she returned, she confidently strode into the kitchen and greeted Elsa with a large grin. "They must be pretty close, it'll only be about fifteen minutes. The guy on the other end sounded pretty cute too!" Anna stuck her phone back in her pocket and before Elsa could respond, she already opened her mouth to talk again. "I'm going to hop in the shower real quick, you mind keeping an eye out for the pizza guy?"

Elsa shook her head and with that, Anna was on her way to the bathroom. Once she heard the click of the door shutting, she slumped her shoulders and sighed. She felt something, but she wasn't too sure what. When Anna called the voice cute, she felt her stomach tense up and it almost felt as if her heart dropped. Was it possible that she was jealous? But jealous of what? She couldn't quite figure it out, but all she knew is that she craved to be close to Anna all of a sudden. She wondered if she would let her braid her hair once she got out of the shower. After running her fingers through her own hair, Elsa decided it would probably best to get a shower herself after her roommate.

Hopping off of the counter, she traveled to the living room and sat down on the couch. The small snowman from earlier was still staring straight at her with it's little button eyes. She sat forward and gingerly picked it up as to not disturb a single snowflake that made up it's body. Although the eyes were inanimate, Elsa still saw life in them. Grape vine arms and pencil led smile just completed the entire package. A few stray snowflakes from the cloud descended onto Elsa's hand and quickly melted, but she appreciated the cool breeze that came with it. Although such a small gesture, the snowman brought a warmth in Elsa's heart that she hadn't felt before.

"I think..." Elsa said softly, speaking to herself. She nudged on one of the grape vine arms tenderly to mimic a small wave. "I think I'll call you Olaf." She smiled to herself and ran her fingers through her hair as she continued to stare into the button eyes. Her stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies and she felt herself start to tear up as she placed the snowman back down on the table and wiped her eyes. She still wasn't too sure what she was feeling, but she liked it. She liked the feeling she got around Anna, and she didn't want to stop feeling it. A knock on the door brought her from her thoughts as she stood up and looked through the small peephole.

A tall, blonde man stood on the other side. The logo on the visor he was wearing coupled with the large bag proved that he was delivering the pizza, and Elsa was nearly taken back by how quickly he arrived. Just as Elsa was about to open the door, she saw the man stick his finger into his nose. Then ate it. Slightly disgusted, she nearly gagged as she collected herself and opened the door.

"I thought you guys would take about fifteen minutes?" She asked, although certainly not angry that the pizza arrived earlier than expected. "It's been like six or seven tops."

"Yeah, well we're literally right next to the campus." He shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "And plus this pizza was already made, we just had to warm it up real quick."

Anna was right earlier, the man did have a cute voice as much as Elsa hated to admit. She nearly felt insignificant in his presence considering how bulky the man was. He spoke as if he was already bored with not only her, but just absolutely everything in general. "It's going to be $14.99, ma'am."

"For one pizza?" Elsa was taken back in shock.

"With everything on it? Yeah. $14.99, lady." He extended his hand and opened his palm, flexing his fingers and waiting for the payment.

With a groan, Elsa walked over to the couch where her purse still laid and pulled out her wallet. The smallest denomination she had was a twenty, and although she loathed to give the man nearly a six dollar tip, it was all she had. She walked back over to the large man and nearly slapped the bill into his greedy palm. "Keep the change..." She gazed at the name tag on the man's shirt. "Kristoff."

"Don't mind if I do." He said with a cocky tone as he stuffed the bill into his pocket and pulled out the pizza box from the large bag he was carrying. He handed the box to Elsa and folded up the bag before placing it under his arm. With a mock salute he nodded and took his leave.

"Well, he's kind of an ass." Elsa muttered before she shut the door, apparently louder than she had thought when she was surprised to hear his response from down the hall.

"Thank you!" The sarcastic tone nearly made Elsa cringe.

"Shut up ye' ninny!" The accent told Elsa exactly who that was.

"Yes ma'am!" Kristoff's reply was barely within earshot the further he went down the hall, but loud enough to make Elsa roll her eyes.

Elsa turned and walked towards the counter, placing the pizza box on top of it and opening it, she was drooling by the time she laid her eyes on the Italian jewel. In all honesty, it probably looked like garbage with the plethora of toppings on it. Before she could even get the first bite in her mouth, her ear drums were nearly busted from the loud squealing from Anna as the entered the kitchen with her braided hair still dripping with water from the shower. Elsa felt a tinge of disappointment in seeing this, she was looking forward to asking Anna if she could braid her hair. Anna nearly dashed to get her hands on a piece, but was denied with Elsa swooped up the box and held it just out of her reach.

"Elsaaaa, come on!" Anna groaned as she kept trying to reach over the blonde to the pizza, but the blonde's slight height advantage kept her mere inches away.

"I had to pay for it, you think I'll just pay for a meal to share without a pickup line or anything?" She teased with a smug grin as she tantalizingly shook the box, causing the pizza to rustle and Anna fail to grab it once again.

Anna rolled her eyes and groaned, backing off and slumping her shoulders in defeat. "Are you really going to do this to me?"

Elsa gave a quick nod which came with another smug grin. "You did it to me." She said simply as she bit into a slice, making sure Anna saw.

"Ugh, fine." Anna muttered as she leaned up against the counter and swiped her hand in front of her face as if to change her persona. "So." She started with a sly wink, much to Elsa's amusement. "Have you been sitting in sugar?" The smoothness in her voice was completely uncharacteristic of Anna, and it honestly surprised Elsa. The confidence alone that laced her voice was enough to keep Elsa's attention.

"Uh, no. Can't say I have." Elsa commented as she took another bite.

"Really? Cause you have a pretty sweet ass." She winked again, and puckered her lips as she brought her eyebrows together. Elsa couldn't tell if she was being serious or kidding around since she added the face, but the comment was enough to cause a deep red blush spread across her face as her eyes widened. Without saying a word, she hastily passed the pizza box to the redhead. It felt like her heartbeat nearly doubled in tempo and she suddenly felt as if the air around her grew thicker.

Anna immediately dropped the face and traded it for a large grin as she snatched the pizza box. "I knew the lessons I took from Eugene would come in handy one day!" She stuffed nearly half a slice in her mouth as she hopped up on the counter, swinging her feet in a childlike glee. Elsa was still standing still in both blush and shock when she noticed Anna look over and cover her full mouth as she giggled.

"Trying to tell me nobody has complimented 'dat ass' of yours?" Anna commented nonchalantly as she stuffed the other half in her mouth.

Once Elsa was finally able to control the raging blush on her face and move, she shook out of her daze and heard Anna hum to herself as she ate. "Uh, no." She said shyly as she joined Anna on the counter and picked up a slice. She nearly fell over when Anna playfully shoved her with her elbow.

"So, I'm the first?" Anna asked nearly in disbelief, and the innocence of the question caused a smile to tug at the corner of Elsa's mouth.

"Yeah, you are actually." Elsa muttered as she silently took a small bite of the pizza in her hand. Because of how introverted she always was, she never allowed anyone to get close enough to actually compliment her. Whenever somebody did, she was either too afraid to even notice them or Aleks would scare them off. She was kidding around with Anna, and didn't expect the joke to effect her as it has. Even after the moment has passed, Elsa still felt her heart beating a little faster than normal.

"Well, you do." Anna quickly said, which caused Elsa to look over at her and give her a look. "Have a nice butt, I mean-" Anna swallowed her bite and shrugged. "Not that I look or anything, but you know sometimes it's just hard not to look down when you're walking behind somebody and I don't do it on purpose and it just happens and sometimes I find myself looking for a little longer than what's probably normal, and by a little I mean a lot and sometimes I just completely zone out and forget everything that's being said and-" She was cut off when Elsa placed her finger over her lips again.

"Thank you, I guess." Elsa meekly replied as she stared at the floor under her. The steady beating of Anna's heels against the drawers was the only sound for awhile. But, Elsa didn't mind it. Although slightly uncomfortable at the moment, she still enjoyed being next to the redhead. Awkward glances through the corner of their eyes were the only acknowledgment of each other. But suddenly, the days events started to weigh on Elsa. The deep breath she took broke the silence and alerted Anna, who shifted her eyes over towards her. She hopped off of the counter and turned to look at the redhead who had pizza crust stuffed in her mouth.

"I'm going to get a shower. Chess afterward?" Elsa asked, and the small noise from Anna was enough affirmation for Elsa. As she made her way to the bathroom, the days events started to run through her mind again. Except this time, she was actually proud of herself. She managed to make two friends completely on her own, and get some kind of independence from her sister. Aleks. A part of her missed her twin, but in the long run the distance between them would be beneficial for both of them. She hoped.

Elsa decided not to mull over that for a moment, and as the bathroom door clicked shut, she let out a sigh and began to undress. By the time she removed her shirt and bra, she found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror. Thick blonde hair fell down her shoulders and easily reached her waist. Remembering what Anna said earlier, it was hard for her to imagine her hair being white. It was an oddity that intrigued her, but she had no way of replicating it. And she definitely didn't think freezing the entire bathroom to replicate the day's earlier events would be a smart idea. She found herself staring at the mirror again once she got her pants off, this time at her rear. Elsa wasn't sure if Anna was being completely serious with that pick up line, or if she was just being Anna. But looking at her rear which was still covered with her purple underwear, she didn't notice anything special about it. Elsa shrugged it off and sat on the side of the tub, turning the nozzle to start the stream of water falling from the faucet. She played with the nozzle until she found a comfortable temperature and pulled up the tab to start the shower.

* * *

Anna awkwardly continued to swing her feet on the counter, slightly jolting whenever her heels would hit the wooden cabinets below her. Chewing on a slice of pizza, she continued to enjoy herself contently until she heard the click of the bathroom door closing.

_My roommate has ice powers._

She swallowed her bite of pizza and took another, not even bothering to pick up the sausage that fell onto her lap.

_It was bad enough that she was beautiful, smart, funny, adorable and plain drop dead sexy. _Anna tossed the crust back into the now empty pizza box as she picked up the fallen piece of sausage and plopped it into her mouth. _Legitimate super hero powers._

Now that she thought about it, Anna realized just how strange that is. She was no stranger to powers in fiction due to the fact she often occupied her time back at home with Marvel and DC movies, and even owned a couple comic books that she was able to borrow from Rapunzel with no intention of returning. But seeing it in real life was a completely different situation. Oddly though, she meant every word she said to the blonde. She didn't see her much different. If anything, it only made Anna more attracted to her because it added a whole new layer to the blonde. Although she couldn't help but be curious about the entire situation when she walked in.

_The snowman!_

Hopping off the counter, the redhead stumbled as she strode over to the couch and nearly missed the cushion when she sat down. She caught her breath and leaned forward towards the small snowman that still sat on the coffee table. Anna got close enough to where she could feel the slight breeze that came off of the cloud that still hung suspended across the tiny head. _This is seriously the coolest thing I've seen in my life. _She couldn't help but snicker to herself. _Cool! Ha, you're so funny, Anna._ She extended her hand in between the small head and the cloud, collecting a small pile of snowflakes in her palm. Retracting her arm and bringing her hand close to her face, she inspected the pile as close as she could. It certainly felt like snow, and was just as cold as snow. By the time it melted in her hand, she had no doubt in her mind that it was definitely real.

_But how does she do it?_ She crossed one leg over the other as she leaned back in thought. _Was she born with it? Or what if she's some crazy government experiment? That's kinda hot, actually. _On one hand, she wanted to interrogate Elsa and find out all she could out of genuine curiosity. But, she wasn't sure if it would be the smartest idea to push and prod her already. Elsa would eventually have to tell her one way or another she figured.

She was jostled from her thoughts when 'Get the Party Started' by P!nk started to blare from the kitchen. It was hard for Anna to resist singing along to the chorus as she walked back to the kitchen and picked up her phone. She allowed herself a guilty pleasure as she sang along to the next couple of words before answering the call.

"What's up, Rapunzel?" She asked as she leaned back onto the counter and made a mental note to clean up the water that had collected on the floor underneath the still partially frozen fire detector.

"Who's your crush?" She replied from the other end of the phone quickly and direct, voice laced with excitement.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Anna said with a chuckle as she pressed her phone between her cheek and shoulder, picked up a wash cloth from the sink and knelt down to wipe up the growing puddle of water.

"C'mon, Anna-banana! You're no fun." Despite not being in front of her, Anna could tell Rapunzel probably had her shoulders slumped just from the tone in her voice.

"I'm the funnest person you know, what are you talking about?" She replied as she finished up wiping the puddle and tossed the wash cloth over her shoulder, hoping it landed in the sink.

"Will you at least give me any hints? I'm over here practically dying of curiosity." Rapunzel pleaded.

Remembering her conversation with Elsa earlier after Merida knocked at the door, she knew just the hint to give her cousin. "You've met her." Anna said as she stood back up and found that the wash cloth had ended up in the cabinet she couldn't reach with the cinnamon that was still next to the oven from earlier. _That's just going to stay there for now._

"Recently?" Her cousin asked from the other end, voice uplifted in curiosity.

"Maybe, maybe not." Anna smiled to herself when her cousin let out a sigh of frustration from the other end. "But, things are going really well with her." She couldn't help the grin that grew across her face when she remembered the distance, or lack of distance rather, between them before Merida knocked at the door.

"Oh? You're not hiding this one from me, Aren."

"We may or may not sorta kinda almost kissed."

"I literally just found out a few hours ago that you were into girls, and now you're off kissing them?" Anna wasn't sure if Rapunzel sounded excited or disappointed from the increase of volume in her voice.

"Almost! We didn't actually kiss or anything."

"Well, what stopped you?"

"A knock at the do-" Anna was cut off from a knock at the door. She tapped her knuckles against the wooden counter. _Knock on wood. _"-I'll talk to you later, Punzpunz. Somebody is at the door." Anna ended the call before her cousin had a chance to rebut and walked towards the door. _It's like- _She looked over her shoulder, but was too far away to see the clock on the oven. _Past dinner-ish time probably. Who comes knocking on people's doors at this time of dinner-ish time? _She rose to her toes as she looked through the small peephole and was immediately taken back. She would recognize the black hair anywhere. _What? Why? Why are you here? Please let this be a figment of my imagination. If not that, maybe somebody spiked the pizza and I'm seeing things. _

Anna felt her heart begin to race as she frantically looked behind her, hoping to see Elsa on her way out of the shower. She felt her stomach drop when all she saw was the empty hall as she took a deep breath and grasped the door handle. Both mentally and physically preparing herself, for what she wasn't sure, she turned the handle and swung the door open.

"Hey, how ya doin'? Please don't punch me in the face, it finally isn't sore anymore and I ju-" She exhaled her breath and any anxiety she was feeling suddenly washed away when she noticed the girl's red face and puffed up eyes. "What's wrong? Do you need me to get Elsa for you?" Anna asked with both genuine care and curiosity when the mention of Elsa's name caused the girl to wince and eyes glaze over with fresh tears.

"No. I don't think she wants to see me and quite frankly, I don't blame her." Aleks replied weakly, never looking up from the floor. "I-" She let out a quick sigh and raised her shoulders in a small shrug. "I came to see you, actually."

"What for?" Anna asked, leaning up against the door frame. The knot in her stomach slowly loosened. _I already like this version of her much better._

"To apologize." Aleks muttered as she wiped at an eye. "I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I'm sorry for punching you in the face." She wiped her other eye. "And for making you cry."

_Kind of funny how this kind of stuff goes full circle eventually. _Anna wasn't sure why, but the woman barely standing in front of her seemed completely broken. The small sniffles that came from her actually managed to pull at her heartstrings a bit. Anna wanted to snap, to yell at Aleks and demand her to beg for forgiveness. But she couldn't. Not while she was in front of her like this. The best she could do was keep her cool and definitely not mention the fact she knew about Elsa's powers. Judging by how defensive Aleks was of her twin, feigning ignorance was probably a smart idea.

"I'm used to it. You didn't tell me anything I didn't know." Anna shrugged, only halfway kidding.

"What do you mean?" Aleks muttered as she finally raised her head back up, the wet streak running down the sides of her face caught the light from the kitchen and Anna could almost see her reflection in them.

"I've always been the underdog, never really memorable or achieving anything great. Always the under-achiever." Staring off into the distance, Anna managed to fight back the growing pressure behind her eyes. "But nobody ever put it as blunt as you have." She wasn't sure why she was telling her former aggressor all of this, but she was. Remembering the assault from Aleks, Anna felt her chest starting to constrict as if something was wrapped around her.

"I know it's pretty fucking low of me to ask you to do something for me-" She slowly rubbed the back of her neck and let out another sigh. "Could you tell my sister something?"

Shaken from her own self pity, Anna shifted her gaze from the distance until she once again realized the broken, pitiful excuse for a bully drooped in front of her. _No. _"Yeah?"

"Tell her-" A sniffle cut her off as she raised her hands to cover her mouth, and her eyes were clenched shut in a feeble attempt to stop the new stream of tears falling from her face. Letting out the breath she was holding, she tried her best to collect herself. "Tell her that I'm not sorry for what I've done. But, I'm sorry for keeping it from her."

And with that, she dashed off around the corner and Anna was left feeling completely dumfounded in the doorway. She had absolutely no clue what she was talking about, but she pitied her. Closing the door behind her, Anna slowly made her way to the couch and pulled her knees up towards her chin. Resting her head on her knees, she was filled with only more questions. Why was she crying? What happened between her and Elsa? What made her apologize? Why did Anna not yell at her? What did she keep from Elsa? As these questions swam around her mind, she realized that she was into something deeper than she could imagine.

* * *

Stepping out of the shower after she finished, Elsa grabbed the nearest towel, bent over, and wrapped her hair. When she stood back up she couldn't help but giggle at her reflection when she saw the horrible job she did in wrapping her hair. Strands of wet hair were sticking out every which way from underneath the towel and into her face. She let out a puff of air trying to rid her vision of a few stray strands, but only made it worse as more wet hair was sticking to her face. Elsa shrugged it off as she reached towards the counter, only to be shocked when she only felt the cool surface. There was a disturbing lack of fabric as she mentally cursed to herself for forgetting clothes.

Picking up a second towel and wrapping around her body, she boldly opened the bathroom door and was somewhat surprised to see only darkness in front of her. Shrugging it off, Elsa dashed across the hallway and successfully made it to her room, nearly slamming the door behind her. Deciding to spoil herself for the night, she opened the closet and pulled out her favorite set of purple pajamas. Although the plaid design on them wasn't flattering at all, it was comfortable and that's all that really mattered to her at the moment.

After dressing herself and fixing her hair into her all too familiar braid, she opened her door and looked both ways down the dark hallway. She had promised Anna a chess match and she intended to see it through. She crossed the hallway and lightly tapped her knuckles against Anna's door. When she didn't hear anything, she pressed her ear against the cool wood of the door. Still not hearing anything, she slumped her shoulders but was suddenly perked back up when she heard a soft sniffle coming from the living room. And suddenly she was reminded of her first night in the dorm, and how she couldn't bring herself to turn the knob and enter Anna's room when she heard a familiar sniffle. But things were different know. She knew the girl a little better, and was willing to indulge her curiosity this time. With a light stride, she made her way through the darkness until she was able to make out the soft form of the couch. Slowly making her way across the arm of the couch, she slowly lowered herself onto the hopefully empty cushion. The soft sniffles were all Elsa needed to know that Anna was beside her, even if she couldn't see her.

"Hey." Elsa whispered, trying her best not to startle the redhead. All she heard was a shuffle on the cushion beside her for a response. Elsa waited for a moment, but when she didn't hear anything more she decided to try again. "I'm going to move until you talk to me." She had raised her voice slightly until it was barely a whisper anymore.

Another sniffle, and another shuffling.

"Aleks showed up while you were showering." Anna muttered, voice shaky and varied between a whisper and a soft mewling. It sounded as if her face was buried in something, and Elsa could barely hear her.

Elsa felt her palms start to sweat and her heart race. Her mind was full of possibilities of what her sister could have said to her vulnerable roommate. A small fire also began to burn inside her chest as she was slightly angered that Aleks even had the audacity to show up. "What did she want?" Elsa asked bluntly, demanding an answer.

"She told me to tell you-" Elsa heard Anna let out a breath as she heard another shuffle. Her voice suddenly became clearer, indicative that she removed whatever was covering her face. "That she wasn't sorry for what she did, but sorry she kept it from you."

_Father._

The small flame in her chest was instantly extinguished as the thought brought nothing but sadness towards her. Elsa felt her heart drop and a small lump form in her throat. She couldn't fault Aleks for her actions, in hindsight it was probably the best thing to do at the time. But still, Elsa thought it could have been resolved in a different manner that didn't end in murder. A small part of her felt calmed in hearing that Aleks apologized from keeping it from her all these years, but the pain and feeling of betrayal was still there. But at that moment, she missed her mother.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but she seems to be taking it a whole lot worse than you." Anna softly added. "She was barely able to talk before crying again."

The new knowledge was like a dagger right in the heart. She knew Aleks was hurt, but if she was willing to talk to Anna of all people, and if she looked shaken up like Anna described, she knew it had to be bad. Elsa was shaken from her thoughts when Anna spoke again.

"I couldn't be mad at her for what she did to me that day I met you two. After all, she was right."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.

"I am a failure. As much as I didn't want to believe it, she only made it clear what I had been trying to deny." She sniffled again and Elsa felt the couch shake slightly. "I couldn't even make fajitas earlier without accidentally making jerk chicken!"

The blonde wasn't entirely too sure where Anna was coming from, but she knew she wasn't exactly coming from sunshine and rainbows at the moment. "Anna, for one thing you aren't a failure." She extended her arm and hoped to find her shoulder to add to the reassurance, but she wasn't exactly sure what her hand found. But it was pleasing to the touch, firm and yet soft at the same time. Elsa assumed she found her cheek.

"Elsa, that's my boob."

She couldn't pull her arm back quick enough, before nervously trying to laugh it off. "Tried to find your shoulder, sorry." Elsa felt the blush instantly grow across her face, if Anna could see her she would probably laugh and say she looked like a ripened cherry. Feeling Anna's hand grab her wrist, she was guided to her shoulder. The fabric underneath slightly wet with what she assumed were tears in the darkness. How Anna managed to get tears on her shoulder was beyond her. "Thanks. Anyway, you aren't a failure. And I cannot describe to you how much I appreciate this little friendship we've formed." Elsa continued, trying not to sound condescending and as reassuring as possible. "You remember how reserved I was the first night I came to you and we played in chess? That's how I always was, even to family save for Aleks. I don't know what it is about you, but now that we've spent time together and you know about my secret, I feel completely safe and secure around you." The words she was speaking were the complete and honest truth. Elsa actually had a hard time finding the correct words to portray exactly how she felt. "You've done for me what even therapists couldn't. You've taught me that not everyone out there is trying to hurt me." Finding herself smiling when she felt Anna's hand softly lay on top of hers, she found the confidence she needed to continue talking. "Today I managed not only to make two new acquaintances, but I managed to make my way through crowded halls and even stand up to Aleks. All that was possible after just a few days knowing you."

"Is that why Aleks seemed to shaken up?" Anna asked, the normal cheeriness to her voice was back and it brought a warmth to Elsa's heart.

"In a way, yes. And don't worry about the chicken, you were a little preoccupied at the time." The memory only made the warmth in Elsa's heart grow, and she still wasn't sure why.

"What was that about, Elsa?" The cheeriness in her voice started to shake, threatening to return to the solemn tone she had just gotten out of.

"I don't know, Anna." Elsa admitted. "But I liked it."

"I did too." Anna replied, and although she couldn't see it, Elsa could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Is it wrong that I want to do it again?" Elsa unknowingly asked out loud. When she realized what she blurted out, she shifted uncomfortably in the awkward silence that followed. Growing self-conscious, she felt Anna grab her hand when she tried to remove it from her shoulder.

Seconds turned to minutes as she continued to shift uncomfortably in the silence. She wished Anna would say something. Anything at this point, even if she was going to ramble about how she sweats in her sleep or making pizza with Rapunzel.

She was jostled from her thoughts when she felt a hand on the back of her head softly pull her towards the darkness, and when the warmth of Anna's forehead was pushed up against hers, her nostrils were filled with the same scent from earlier. Her heart skipped another beat as she craved that sweet scent of what she assumed to be cotton candy, she craved it and she needed more of it.

"Thank you, Elsa." Anna whispered, which sent the same chills from earlier down Elsa's spine when she felt Anna's breath tickle her lips.

"Anna-" Elsa was cut off when Anna pulled her closer and their lips met. There wasn't a single thought running through her mind, all she knew at that moment was the soft, tender feel of the redhead's lips against her own which tasted just as sweet as she smelt. When Anna backed up, Elsa tried to follow her and to linger on her lips for just a moment more.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. You just make me feel so much better about myself and you're funny, smart, beautiful, caring, and just ugh, the whole package! And I try my best not to seem like a total fool but I always end up tripping up, rambling, or just making myself look worse in the process and I've lik-"

Elsa cut her off when she leaned forward and placed her lips back onto Anna's, successfully quieting her without a problem. Her cravings to be close to the girl were finally fulfilled, and she finally understood exactly how Anna made her feel. And for the first time in forever, she felt like she was where she was exactly supposed to be.


	12. What's The Worst That Could Happen?

**A/N:** Yet another late update. I apologize, life and stuff. I actually think updates will be further spread apart. Not only do I have college starting up next week, but I've just had to force myself to write just this little bit. It's not lack of motivation, it's just been a real bad combination of writer's block and lack of inspiration.

I might start on another fic and alternate between the two just so that I don't drone on one thing for too long. If I do, it'll feature YumiKuri from Attack on Titan. It's the only ship I love almost as much as Elsanna.

Shortest chapter yet, but I wanted to get something out to you guys. It's a bit of a transitional chapter, so enjoy.

* * *

"I'm just saying, Elsa. Have you ever seen the moon and the sun out at the same time?" Aleks asked from the other side of the couch, gazing out of the window and into the darkness that lay beyond it.

"Well, no, but that doesn't mean they're the same thing!" Elsa nearly shouted to try and get her point across. They had been arguing over this for the greater part of the past hour. She stumbled off of the couch and walked over to the windowsill that her twin was propped up against with her face nearly pressed up against the glass.

"They totally are! After the sun sets, it cools down and rises again as the moon!" Aleks stated confidently as she plopped back down to the couch cushion and gave a wide grin at her twin.

"You believe that the sun and the moon are the same thing, but don't think that marshmallows grow in fields?" The blonde asked and sat down on the floor. The cool touch of the hardwood on her legs nearly caused a shiver to travel down her spine.

"Elsa, that's cotton!"

"Marshmallows! Why else would they look all fluffy like a marshmallow?"

Aleks sighed and laid back onto the cushion, raising her arms and them letting them fall with a thump against the soft fabric. "How many times have we gone over this, Elsa? Marshmallows are made by the same elves that make chocolate chip cookies!"

"But I thought the chocolate chip cookies were made fro-"

The heavy footsteps entering the room cut Elsa off, and she felt every rhythmic thump against the floor. Slowly and solemnly, she noticed the tall figure enter the room and sit down on the couch. Resting his arm against the armrest and rubbing his temples.

"Old picklepuss!" Aleks said, rising up and making her way over to the butler's side before sprawling out over his legs. "What's up?"

Edgar never looked up as he cast a halfhearted glance at the little girl glad to see him. "Girls-" He started, his voice was considerably softer than normal, and he was speaking slowly, nearly enunciating every letter in his words. "There has been some… news. About your parents." He lifted his head and let out a deep sigh.

"Are they coming back soon? It's almost been a week and we really miss them!" Aleks stated optimistically.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Edgar?" Elsa asked as she made it to her feet and placed a hand on the man's knee. She looked up at him wide-eyed and expectedly, curious as to why he wasn't his normal chipper self.

"No, little Elsa. Regretfully, everything is not okay." He admitted, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "In fact, I'm not even sure how to tell you this."

Elsa didn't like where this was going, and she looked towards her sister who had the same look she did. "A-are they going to be late?"

Edgar brushed a strand of hair from Aleks' face and gave a small pat to Elsa's shoulder. "I don't know specifics, but something happened to the cruise ship. It has… sunk."

Elsa both felt her heart drop and her mind began to race, trying to grasp the situation. The silence in the room was uncomfortable, and she was suddenly aware of the rhythmic, steady ticking of the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. She was about to open her mouth for further inquiry, but was cut off by her twin.

"Are our parents okay?"

"I don't know, Aleks. I just got a call from the neighbor, Mrs. Bonfamille. She was watching the nightly news when it was mentioned that the cruise your parents are on has called out a frantic plea for help." He removed his top hat and placed it on the arm rest. With a sigh, he met Elsa's glossed eyes with his own. "As far as we know, your parents could be dead."

* * *

"You kissed her?!" Rapunzel shrieked on the opposite side of her bed. Compared to Anna's dorm, Rapunzel's seemed much more cramp. It was little more than two beds on opposite sides of the room separated by a small desk in the middle up against the window. It was pretty evident that Eugene couldn't pull the same strings he did for Anna to get his girlfriend into one of the newer, luxury type dorms.

Anna honestly couldn't tell if she sounded aggravated, proud, or a mix of both. But the volume of her voice caused her to shift uncomfortably. "The first time, yes." Anna muttered, shifting again and drawing into herself slightly. She brushed back a stray strand of hair behind her ear and tucked her hands in her lap.

"There was a second time?" Her cousin asked, shaking the entire bed and nearly made Anna lose her balance. "Jesus, Anna. The same day I learn you're gay is the same day you kiss a girl?" She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, causing a couple flyaway strands.

"I honestly didn't plan on it, it just kind of…" Anna shrugged and shook her head. "Happened."

"And you still won't tell me who it is?"

Anna shook her head, still unwilling to give up that information. It's not that she was embarrassed or anything, but she knew how Rapunzel had a tendency to freak out over things as if she couldn't tell already. If she knew that the woman Anna had fallen for was her roommate, she wasn't too sure how Rapunzel would handle that. She would tell her eventually, no doubt about that. But not until her cousin was more comfortable and used to the idea that Anna recently came out of the closet. Both to Rapunzel and to herself.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the door was swung open. In walked a woman who walked with a grace that Anna thought was only possible in movies. Long, black hair traveled down her back that was kept in a low ponytail. She sat on the bed opposite of Rapunzel and drummed her fingers on her knees. "Hello, Rapunzel. Who is our guest?" The woman spoke with a confidence that suddenly made Anna feel very small.

"Oh, hey, Jasmine. This is my cousin, Anna." Rapunzel commented, waving her arm over towards her cousin who only offered a meek wave. "She's gay, but won't tell me who she's gay for."

"Hey!" Anna yelled, pushing Rapunzel and giggling to herself when she tried to save herself from falling onto her back.

"That is nothing to be ashamed of, Anna." Jasmine commented after the small fit of giggles between the cousins ceased. "Whatever you do-"

"-or whoever you do." Rapunzel butted in, causing Anna to roll her eyes but couldn't hold back a small grin. She looked over to see that even Jasmine was rolling her large, brown eyes and shook her head soon after.

"As long as you do it with love, you can't go wrong." She finished, crossing her legs and giving a small shrug. "Do you love this girl, Anna?"

Anna could only nervously chuckle, and swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear in nervousness. "I appreciate what you're saying, Jasmine. But I literally just admitted to myself I liked this girl yesterday."

"So it's a fledgling relationship?" She nearly squealed as she clasped her hands together and shook in excitement. "That's so cute!"

"Are you in a relationship with this girl, Anna? I mean you two kissed twice so that has to mean something." Rapunzel added, full of wonder and excitement for her cousin.

Anna sat there and pondered for a moment. She really had no clue how to answer that question. _We did kiss. Twice, in fact! Rapunzel is right. It can't just mean anything. _She felt like she had made a mistake when she leaned forward and kissed her the first time, merely acting on impulse. _And then SHE kissed ME! Not that I'm complaining but oh man, talk about unexpected. _"I really don't know what you would call us. I mean, we're… were friends. And we kissed." Anna shrugged and crossed her legs on the bed so that she was sitting Indian style.

"What happened afterward?" Rapunzel inquired eyes wide with curiosity.

"Nothing, really. We just kind of said goodnight to each other and went our separate ways."

"Have you seen her since, Anna?" Jasmine asked with a small grin, obviously Anna's love life was entertaining for the two.

"No, but I'll see her later when she gets out of class." Anna checked the time on the small clock on the desk separating the beds which read 3:40. Elsa would be getting out of class within the next hour or so. _I haven't even _thought about how things would be between us the day after. Would she go back to being really shy like the day I_ met her? Way to go, Anna. You probably ruined it._

Jasmine lifted herself off of the bed and placed her hands on her hips, causing Anna to feel even smaller and insignificant from her stature and the respect she seemed to demand just by the way she presented herself. "I think you should ask her out somewhere."

Rapunzel shot forward and gasped. "Like a date! Oh, Anna, you should totally do it!"

Anna cocked an eyebrow and warily looked back and forth between her cousin and her roommate. Surely asking her out wouldn't be that bad of an idea. _What's the worst that could happen? She never speaks to me again? Oh but where could I take her. Or better yet, where could I afford?_ "Where would I take her, if she even agrees?"

The short hair brunette scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Mini-golf of course."

"That could be cute, although a little clichéd." Jasmine added with her own roll of the eyes.

Anna sat there and pondered to herself, mini-golf wouldn't be a bad idea. Pretty cheap too, but there was a plethora of ways in which she could embarrass herself. _Like losing grip on the putter and end up whacking some old lady in the head. But knowing my luck, the old lady would be the owner of the place. Then she'd sue me. Then I'll just live in a fancy old cardboard box on the corner of 4__th__ and main. _Then the idea struck her. "We could go to the movies, I guess."

"Way to be basic, Anna." Rapunzel scoffed again.

"Not a whole lot of options, Punzpunz. After paying for books and tuition, I'm running on fumes." Anna said, pulling out the pockets of her jeans to prove her point. "After all, what's the worst that could happen at a movie theater? It's fairly cheap and safe."

Jasmine nodded to herself. "For a first date? Why not? Save the extravagant luxuries for a later date."

And so it was settled. Anna would ask her out.


	13. Crimson

**A/N:** Another really late update. Sorry. I've just been so busy with college and everything. Calculus is the devil and I'm just going to leave it at that.

I got the sudden urge to write and busted this out in about 2-3 hours. It hasn't been proofread, I just wanted to get it out to you guys asap! So, I'm sorry for any grammatical or continuity errors.

**TRIGGER WARNING!:** This chapter is REALLY bad for those sensitive to self harm. I've bracketed what I believe to be the worse parts, and they aren't TOO crucial to the story. So, I don't think there'll be any real issue with skipping over them.

Also, mention of child abuse near the end.

I'm sorry in advance.

* * *

To say Anna was nervous would be a horrible understatement. There she was in the hall, right outside of her dorm room. She had been there for a good half hour unwilling to move. Although she didn't know why she felt the way she did, why the butterflies in her stomach had been in unrest ever since she left her cousins dorm. She had crossed her arms around her stomach a while ago, hoping that it would alleviate the riot of fluttering wings to no avail. _It's just Elsa. _She repeated this to herself more times than she could count, but if anything it just made it worse. _SHE kissed ME the second time. _Anna clutched at the fabric of her shirt, and closed her eyes. _Rapunzel and Jasmine make total sense! There HAS to be something there between us, obviously._ She opened her eyes and took in a deep breath, the air that filled her lungs helped to slow the fluttering in her stomach just a little. _I'll open the door, plop down on the couch next to her all cool and suave, and ask her out. To a movie. It's just a movie. _

Summoning all the courage she could, and before she could think herself out of it, put her full weight into both the door and the handle hoping to burst into the room. The cold thunk of her forehead on the door was a painful reminder that it was still locked. Wincing and rubbing the heel of her palm on the sore spot on her forehead, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her student ID from her wallet. Before she could stick it into the slot on the handle to unlock the door, her trembling hand just reminded her of the nerves that had overtaken her body once again.

"Anna?"

The voice was enough to bring Anna back to her sense as she whipped around, causing one of her braids to slap herself in the eye. The stinging in her eye was a wonderful compliment to her sore forehead. As she rubbed her eye, she looked up to find Pocahontas looking at her with concern painted on her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked calmly, making Anna feel even more like a klutz compared to her calm demeanor.

"Y-yeah, I'm uh…" Anna brushed back a strand of hair behind her ear before meeting Pocahontas' eyes. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure? You've been staring at that door for quite some time." She noted as she raised an eyebrow. Embarrassment flooded Anna's veins as she realized Pocahontas was watching her the entire time.

"Yeah, I'm sure. A little creeped out you were watching me, not going to lie though." Anna blabbed, trying to cover her embarrassment. "I must look pretty silly, huh?"

"Not at all. You look more concerned than silly."

"Butterflies are pretty when they're not tearing up your stomach." Anna gave a nervous chuckle, and couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself with that line.

Pocahontas nodded, a silent reassurance that surprisingly calmed Anna. "All living creatures are beautiful, but may I ask why some of the Earth's beauty has taken residence in your stomach?"

"I-It's nothing." Anna broke the eye contact to focus on a blank spot on the wall beside Pocahontas, trying to ignore the woman's brown eyed gaze as it seemed to do nothing more but bore a hole straight through her. "I'm just afraid of what might – or might not happen." A tender touch on her shoulder caused Anna to meet the woman's gaze again, the smile she had was slightly contagious.

"Think of life as a river, Anna."

"A river?"

"My favorite thing about rivers is that you can't step in the river twice." Pocahontas commented, but it did nothing to lessen Anna's confusion. "The water is always changing, always flowing. You have to look just around the riverbend." She smiled again, and even though Anna still couldn't understand the reference, she couldn't hide the fact she felt a little better. "What I'm trying to say Anna, is that you never know what's going to come next. But you can't dwell in nervousness. Like a river, life will go on."

"What do you-"

"Are you going to let the river rush on by as you stand on the bank? Always wondering where it leads?" She grip on Anna's shoulder tightened as Pocahontas suddenly grew much more intense. "Or are you going to jump in and take the journey with the river?" Something clicked with the redhead as Anna's eyed widened as her chest swelled with a newfound confidence. Pocahontas noticed this as her face softened and she let go of Anna's shoulder.

"It's an odd way to put it. But, you're right. I don't want to watch life just pass me by." There was a newfound excitement in Anna's voice as she whipped back around, and ran straight into the door again.

"You do that often, don't you?" Pocahontas asked completely deadpanned.

After Anna opened her eyes back up from wincing the pain, she gave a quick nod. "It's pretty much a daily thing." In a rush of confidence, Anna unlocked the door and swung it open. With an adrenalized fervor, she slammed the door behind her and strode towards the couch only to find it empty. _What?_ Anna checked the time on her phone. Elsa definitely should have been back by now. The blonde was a creature of schedule and habit if nothing else, and she should be looking over the days notes on the couch by this time. _Maybe she's in the bathroom?_ The fire that was lit in Anna's chest slowly died down to a low flicker as she let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Rubbing the sore spot on her forehead, she winced at the pain as she began to make her way to the bathroom. _It's already starting to swell; I'll have a nice knot there for sure. _Before she reached the hallway, a large package next to the sink caught her attention. She turned on her heel and instead made her way towards it. She found the return address and recognized the address as Eugene's. _Another frying pan? I wasn't expecting anything from him. _She pulled out and retrieved the small box cutter that she had relocated a couple days prior from a drawer near the sink. When she opened the box, she was greeted with a smaller box with a note attached to it. The horrible handwriting immediately told Anna who it was from. Sticking the box cutter in her pocket, she ripped off the note and read it.

'Hey, Anna. We both know Rapunzel's birthday is next week. I tried to get off work at the Duckling, but I can't. Instead, I'm going to surprise her the day after by showing up and taking her out to dinner. But can you give this to her on her birthday, please? Thanks. I owe you one.' Anna finished reading the note which was concluded with a barely legible signature. She crumpled the note and tossed it into a small trash can on the threshold between the kitchen and the rest of the dorm. _Say what you will about the guy, but he certainly tries his best for Rapunzel. _Anna smiled to herself as she picked up the smaller box and made her way back towards the bathroom. She knocked on the door and waited expectedly for any kind of response.

There was none.

Anna raised an eyebrow as she knocked on the door again, placing her ear on the cool wooden door. There was still no response. She grew slightly worried as she found the door to be unlocked. Nudging the door open slightly and poking her head through the crack, she found the bathroom to empty. With a heart beating twice it's normal tempo, she rushed down the hall and nearly slid on the hardwood as she found herself in front of Elsa's door. Remembering Elsa scolding her about privacy, and didn't barge into the room. Instead she placed her ear against the door like she had with the bathroom.

A gentle, high pitched whimper followed by a short sniffle was all she heard.

A wave of relief came over her as she found Elsa, shortly replaced with worry as she realized her roommate was crying. Once it actually hit her, she found herself wanting to bust open the door and save her from whatever she was crying about. Anna wanted to protect her and find out why she was crying. She pursed her lips as she closed her eyes and gently knocked on the door. Silence was all she heard. This didn't help her worrying. She raised her hand to knock on the door again, but froze when a reply finally came.

"Go away, Anna!" Elsa shouted from the other side of the door, desperate and strained. It struck a string on Anna's heart as she realized this was worse than she originally thought.

"What's wrong, Elsa? You can tell-"

"I would appreciate if you respected my wishes and left!" Elsa shouted again, this time louder. This time filled with anger.

Anna's heart dropped as she stood with her mouth slightly opened. Her chest began to feel constricted despite her loose clothing. "Please, Elsa?" The redhead asked, voice slightly cracked with desperation.

"I told you to leave!"

Anna's vision began to cloud as a small pool of tears began to form just under her eyes. _Why is she acting like this? It isn't the Elsa I know. _"I came to ask you something!" She said softly, trying to hide the slight hurt she felt.

"I don't care!" Elsa shouted in response. Anna wasn't used to Elsa raising her voice, and it both worried her even worse and terrified her as if it were her fault.

"What about last night!?" Anna shouted back in a final act of desperation to get Elsa to open the door. The kiss HAD to mean something, and if it meant anything to Elsa then she would open the door. Anna would talk to her and calm her down and she would ask her out. Elsa would agree and they would spend the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company. But, nothing could have prepared Anna for what came next.

"It was a mistake!"

Mistake.

At that moment, Anna felt the butterflies die. Crushed by her falling heart. As the tears were released and fell down her face, she opened her mouth to speak but sound wouldn't come out. She couldn't find the willpower to say anything. All she felt after the initial shock was nothing but a crushing hurt.

"Go away, Anna! I will NOT ask you again!"

When Anna finally felt feeling return to her, she was greeted with a bitter cold on her feet. She looked down to find frost skittering from under the door and under her bare feet. She looked back up at the door, and then back down to her feet. When a tear finally fell off of her chin, she noticed that it froze almost instantly as it hit the wooden floor. She gritted her teeth and nearly slipped as she made it to her room and onto her bed in only two large strides. Practically throwing herself onto her bed, it took a moment for her pain to return to her.

Elsa didn't want to go out with her.

Elsa didn't want to speak to her.

Elsa didn't want anything to do with her.

_Mistake._ Anna repeated to herself over and over. Each time hurting worse than the last, and that was all she felt. An uneasy pressure across her entire body, the epicenter being her chest. She didn't even realize how hard she was crying when she noticed that her face was lying in a pool of her sorrow in the crook of her elbow. She shut her eyelids as hard as she could to try and get it to stop, but only succeeded in straining her muscles too hard and hurting herself. Gripping at the sheets, she managed to muster the willpower and sit up on the side of her bed. Through the blur of tears, she only saw herself staring right back at herself through the mirror. Eyes puffed up, face almost as red as her hair. The stream of tears not letting up.

She didn't know why she was taking it as hard as she was. She knew, in the back of her mind that this is what would happen. And it wasn't any different than back at home. Never excelling at anything, trying her hardest but never really succeeding. Anna felt as if she had finally won something for once in her life with Elsa. She felt like she had not only made a friend, but more than that. Somebody who would accept her for who she was, despite her constant failures and annoying quirks. Sure, she had Rapunzel. And even Eugene. But at the end of the day, Anna was just a third wheel for them. An unneeded button on a coat, kept around but nobody really knows why. It was just there. She was just… there. The pressure across her body was becoming too much to bear. It hurt to breathe, and she felt as if her very skin was threatening to burst away from her bones.

And that's when she saw them.

Malevolent shadows slowly slithering their way up her limbs. They laughed at her. Taunted her. They served as a reminder that Anna had absolutely no control over the failure that she was. Her eyes shifted from the mirror to her body, but found no such shadows on her skin. Looking back at the mirror, they were beginning to constrict and she felt it. They were threatening to consume her and squeeze the life from her. Just as they had made their way up to her chest, she found it increasingly difficult to breathe.

**[**She wasn't going to let them win. She wasn't going to be constricted like this. Anna was going to kill them. Pulling the small box cutter from her pocket, she extended the blade and the glint caused a sharp pain in her eye. Reminded of a little more than a week prior when she was in this same position. But this time was different. Aleks didn't make the shadows come back. Anna had rid herself of the insufferable, choking shadows some time ago. But they were back. They were back and they were threatening to ruin her again. She was not going to let them win. Anna bent over and clutched at the fabric of her jeans around her ankle. She cast a quick glance at the mirror in front of her, confirming the shadows that had found their place around her body, hidden under her pants. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the leg of her pants halfway up her thigh. The shadows were there. Pulsating, squeezing, relentless in their mocking presence. When she looked down at her thigh, she only saw what remained of them. A collection of scars was all she found. Although they were faded, she was still able to tell which ones were more recent than others. They were all across her leg in every direction varying in different shades. The worse the discoloration was, the deeper the cut was. Reminders of how weak she is. She looked back up at the mirror and Anna was not going to let them continue.**]**

**[**With a shaky hand, she placed the tip of the blade about halfway up her thigh. She gritted her teeth as she made eye contact with herself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she drug the blade across her skin and cut the shadow in half. Wispy smoke was all the remnants of the shadow as Anna looked back down at her leg. The deep crimson of her blood beginning to collect on the cut. Looking back at the mirror, she saw that the shadow had reformed. Taunting her. Placing the blade back on her skin, she winced as she cut another shadow only to have it reform moments later.**]**

**[**She lost track of how many times she tried in vain to save herself from the all-consuming shadows. When she broke her gaze from the mirror again, she found scores of cuts across her leg. Varying depths of blood depending on how the deep the cut was. Some of the cuts were deep enough that blood trickled off of her leg, staining the blanket. Anna didn't care. She didn't care how much blood was lost. She wasn't going to lose. _I will NOT be weak. I'm NOT weak. _By this point, her thigh was numb and she hardly felt every new cut. They were only a temporary respite from the shadows that reformed quicker than she could cut. _I'm not a mistake. I'm not worthless!_ She wasn't going to let herself be suffocated. Gritting her teeth, she yelped with a tear fell and hit one of the deeper cuts. The stinging pain brought back the feeling in her leg.**]**

When she looked back up at the mirror, the shadows were gone. She was able to breathe again. She had won, casting the shadows back. But she was disappointed in herself when she looked back down at the scores and blood that were spread on her leg from her knee halfway up her thigh. Anna was able to breathe again, despite the heavy crying. Clutching the handle of the box cutter, she brought let go of her pants and they fell back down her leg. Standing up, she felt a rush followed by severe lightheadedness.

The only thing she saw before hitting the ground were the shadows cocooned around her in the mirror.

* * *

To say Elsa was having a bad time would be a horrible understatement. It's been hours since she locked herself in her room. Her chin propped up on her knees as she held herself was the only warmth she felt in the chill of the room. Snowflakes suspended in midair, slowly rotating as they reflected what little light they could from the dying daylight behind her. She looked up only to find her reflection staring back at her from the thick layer of ice on the ceiling. Icicles nearly descending low enough that Elsa could probably touch them with little effort.

She sighed as she shook her head and wiped the cracked, frozen tears from her face and eyelids. She had spent much too long wallowing in her self-pity. She looked towards the door, and it hit her.

_Anna!_

She had been much too aggressive to the poor girl earlier who wanted nothing more to talk to her. All she wanted was to talk, and Elsa turned her away in borderline rage. Undeservingly, so. Elsa had to apologize. Closing her eyes, she concentrated at her heart beat. Slowing it down and collecting herself as much as she could, she sighed again. She opened her eyes to find the room covered in a cool mist as the ice began to dissipate. Running her hand back through her hair, she tried to fix any strays and make herself at least somewhat presentable. Regret was the only thing she felt as she opened her door and shut it behind her.

Looking across the hallway and into Anna's door she left ajar, she saw her body laid out on the floor.

Elsa panicked. Newly formed ice trailed her as she dashed into her room and dropped to her knees in front of Anna. "Anna! No, no, no, no, no, Anna no!" Elsa stammered as she placed her ear gently onto her chest. She was much colder than Elsa was used to, but the light beating of her heart brought great relief to Elsa. She lifted herself back up and almost immediately noticed the discoloration on her roommate's jeans. On her thigh was a dark red stain that seemed to have bled through the fabric. Elsa gingerly placed her trembling hand over the stains on Anna's jeans. Her leg was much warmer than her chest, and she felt a steady pulse underneath the fabric. When she pulled her hand back and inspected her palm, it too was slightly red. Elsa closed her hand and opened it up a few times before she noticed what it was.

_This is blood! What? Why? Anna! _Elsa didn't notice the light snowfall around her as she pulled Anna's pant leg up barely past her knee. The deep red marks confirmed Elsa's fear, and as she pulled the fabric of her pants back further she felt her heart skip a beat as she revealed more marks. More cuts. The shallower ones had already began to form scabs, but the deepest ones were still slowly trickling blood. Elsa noticed the box cutter still on the bed, the tip of which had a light caking of dried blood. Her leg looked much worse from the fabric of her jeans smearing the blood, causing her entire leg to be covered in a shade of red. Though clouded vision, Elsa placed both of her hands on Anna's thigh to try and cover as much area as she could. She gritted her teeth and looked away as she felt Anna's thigh cool under her hands. Finally looking back, she was relieved to find that she didn't freeze her leg. Instead, she had managed to stop the bleeding.

Elsa blinked as the tears made their way down her face. "Why, Anna?" She said to herself weakly. She sniffled as she wiped her nose and focused on the shallow breathing from her roommate. "Did I cause you to do this?" Ice began to skitter out from under Elsa, unable to stop it even if she tried. She felt at fault, and beat herself up from casting Anna away the way she did. "I should have opened the door for you." Elsa felt weak. Her muscles were sore, and it was a relief when she slumped her shoulders and cradled her face in her hands.

With a deep sigh, Elsa struggled to lift Anna's limp body. She adjusted herself so that she was sitting relatively comfortable on the floor and pulled Anna towards her by her stomach. Elsa placed the side of her face onto Anna's back and noticed it's growing warmth as she pulled her closer.

Everyone around Elsa eventually ended up hurt. First her mother then her father. Edgar and even Aleks. Everyone got hurt, some even died. She felt a new wave of tears collect in her eyes, and as they fell she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Anna." She managed to get out, voice filled with regret and hurt. Elsa was shaken from her daze when she felt Anna's hands lay over her own which were still across the redhead's stomach.

"I-It's…okay." Anna whispered weakly, obviously still waking up.

Elsa's eyes shot open as she lifted her head, causing Anna's to slump over onto her chest. Elsa looked down to see Anna slowly look up towards her, eyes that were normally filled with life were bloodshot and were lacking the normal glimmer. Elsa clutched at the fabric of Anna's shirt as she began to cry again. She had been the cause of this.

"Why are you crying, Elsa? They're gone now. I defeated them." Anna said, never moving her eyes from Elsa's face.

"W-what? Defeated whom, Anna?" Elsa sniffled and shook her head, causing a light dusting of snow to fall from her hair. "Tell me, Anna! I'll listen, I promise." She said in desperation.

"The shadows. Please stop crying, Elsa. Everything is okay now." Anna said as she struggled to rotate herself so that her shoulders were perpendicular to Elsa's chest and she laid her head on her.

"What are the shadows, Anna? Please tell me." Elsa asked again in desperation as she wrapped her shaking arms around the redhead and rested her chin on her head.

"I'll tell you, if you tell me."

"Tell you what, Anna?"

"Everything. About your powers, and your sister, and… everything."

Elsa sat there in silence as she slowly rubbed Anna's arm. She hadn't spoken about that to anyone except for Aleks. She was afraid to speak of it to anyone else. But with Anna, she felt like she didn't have to hide any part of herself or her past. The position that she found the redhead in obviously shows that what she says means a great deal to Anna. Finally, Elsa shut her eyes again and tried to slow her heartbeat. The cool breeze across her face was all she needed to know that the ice and snow around her were dissipating. "Okay."

"I won't tell anybody. I promise." Anna whispered, and Elsa believed her. Anna's gentle breathing was all the reassurance Elsa needed.

"I don't know where the powers came from. As far as I know, neither to my parents. All I know is that soon after returning from the hospital, my mother would often find me and Aleks covered in a light layer of snow." Elsa said softly, still rubbing the redhead's arm.

"It didn't harm either one of you?" Anna groggily asked, voice still low.

"No. Aleks and I seem to be immune to the effects of cold. We can still _feel_ cold, but it doesn't bother us." Elsa replied, trying to remember the farthest back she could. "We lived in luxury as children. I don't know what specifically our parents did, we were too young to understand. All I know is that father was involved in politics and that mother worked in a hospital." She took a deep breath as it to reassure herself as what was to come next. "Relatively speaking, our childhood wasn't _that_ different. Mother and father worked a lot, so we were taken care of by our butler, Edgar a lot."

"Did he know you had powers?"

"No, he didn't. Aleks and I had to keep it hidden around him, he was a trusted family friend but even mother and father couldn't tell how he would react if he found out." Anna took a deep breath, and Elsa felt the girl's chest rise and fall around her arms. It brought a small smile to the blonde. "One day, our parents were to take a week long European cruise-"

"Fancy." Anna remarked.

"-Quite. But, it didn't quite go as…planned. I still don't know specifics, but I know that the ship encountered problems with ice. It… it promptly sank." Elsa said, somewhat strained. Bringing all of this up without breaking down was a chore in itself, but she had other things to worry about. "It was weeks before we found out anything about who survived and who didn't. Aleks and I thought both of our parents perished until father appeared out of the blue one day." Elsa closed her eyes and adjusted herself so that her cheek was resting on the top of Anna's head. Her hair tickled Elsa's nose a little, but she didn't mind. "Without mother. He…changed, from that moment. Started drinking a lot. And some nights when he would drink too much, he would beat us."

"What?" Anna asked in surprise, which jolted Elsa slightly. "Did you do anything about it?"

"I would try. But it never worked. He threatened that if we dared to use our powers, he'd do worse. I lived in constant fear every night. Aleks would try to make me feel better, but even she couldn't do anything. We were both scared." Elsa never realized that she was crying. She was too engrossed in her story to notice. "I think he blamed Aleks and I for the ship sinking, somehow. I don't know. But I do know that one night, it was particularly bad and I was defenseless. I didn't know what happened next, but he had fallen off the balcony. The fall… killed him."

"I'm sorry, Elsa…"

"Edgar got blamed. I remember an officer threatening to send him to Timbuktu. The closest relative we had was our Grandmother Gothel, who treated us like glorified prisoners."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, shifting herself again so that one of her arms found it's way behind Elsa and was slowly rubbing her back.

"When she found out about our powers, we weren't allowed to leave the house. We'd go to school, but that was it. She'd claim that people would try to use us if they found out." Elsa sighed, taking a moment to herself before continuing. She had never been this open to anyone, and although it hurt to a degree, it was much easier to talk about it than she originally thought. "Soon after our twenty-first birthday, Grandmother Gothel was admitted to a retirement home after assaulting a mailman. I don't know how that worked out, but it did."

"Can you forcibly admit someone to a retirement home?" Anna asked. "That doesn't really seem right."

"Regardless, Aleks and I didn't know what to do. Grandmother Gothel had allowed us to get our licenses, and even gave us a car. Couldn't ever use either one up until she left. It took her awhile to convince me… but we decided college was our best bet. And here we are." Elsa concluded, and it seemed as if she instantly felt a large weight on her shoulders disappear.

"I'm glad she convinced you."

"Why do you say that, Anna?" Elsa asked with genuine curiosity. Even now, she wasn't sure if college was the best idea after seeing what she did to Anna.

"I never would have met you otherwise." Anna said softly, barely above a whisper. Just enough for Elsa to hear and cause a growing warmth to build up inside of her. "I've always known I wanted to go to college. I couldn't stand living with my parents anymore, and I'm way too clumsy for the military."

"Why couldn't you live with your parents, Anna?"

"I understand they always wanted me to do my best, but my best was never good enough. I would stay up some nights studying, and still bring back a C. That wasn't up to their standards, and I was often punished because of it. Until I brought back a higher grade, I couldn't leave the house or have friends over. All I would have to occupy time was my school books." Anna started, gradually growing louder as she went. "Sometimes I would bring home a good enough grade and I would be able to spend some time with Rapunzel."

"Your cousin?" Elsa asked as she continued to rub Anna's shoulder, glad to be with her in this moment. The sun had set by this point, and they were together in relative darkness.

"Yup. And school life wasn't exactly the best either. I would get on a lot of peoples nerves because of how much I like to talk. The few times I actually had a boyfriend, it turned out that they were just trying to use me for sex. Never worked of course, but that didn't stop them from spreading rumors." Anna continued, but the previous volume of her voice was replaced by a much more somber one. "I didn't know how to handle that… and between all that and the constant failures in the eyes of my parents, I took out my frustration on…myself."

"Why did you feel as if that was the only way? That's horrible, Anna…" Elsa added, and she couldn't help but sound worried. Despite all of the events of her childhood, Elsa couldn't bring herself to harm herself.

"It's a pain I could control. It made me feel like I had some… control. It did stop though, after my parents disowned me."

"What happened?"

"I got into a fight at school over one of the rumors, and I got suspended for a while. My parents wanted nothing to do with me then, and I lived with Rapunzel for the rest of our senior year." Despite what she was saying, Anna seemed to be completely calm about all of this. She was speaking as if she was waiting to share it with Elsa, or anyone for that matter.

"I was happy, Rapunzel's parents were much more lenient and I actually felt like I was worth something to them. Then Rapunzel started dating Eugene and hanging out with him more than me. I was happy for her, don't get me wrong-"Anna yawned, and shook a little when she finished. "But I always felt like a third wheel with them. But I was still close with both of them. This turned out for the best, because despite my less than stellar grades, Eugene was able to pull some strings and get me in one of these awesome dorms when the regular ones filled up."

"But what about tonight, Anna?" Elsa asked, although a little wary to bring it up. She was still worried and curious.

"I spent some time with Rapunzel, and I told her about what happened last night. I told her that I-"

"You can tell me anything, Anna." Elsa reassured, and she felt the flexing of Anna's face against her chest when she smiled.

"I told her that I really liked you. And that you kissed me. She told me to ask you out on an actual date, and I was nervous. I mean, I was so nervous that I ran into the door. Twice." Anna tried to lighten the mood with a small chuckle which warmed Elsa's heart a bit. "You weren't on the couch like normal. You weren't in the bathroom. So I checked your room, and I wanted to ask you out to the movies while I still felt confident…but-"

"I'm sorry, Anna. Please know that. I was having a moment when you knocked on my door, and-"

"When you said it was… a 'mistake', it reminded me of everything with my parents. And I just felt like I had no control, that I was losing myself… and so I relapsed." Anna admitted. "But you're here, so everything is okay now."

Elsa still only felt regret, for it was what she said in the spur of the moment that caused Anna to do that to herself. Despite the new tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes, Elsa had to try and make Anna feel better. Elsa brought her hand under Anna's chin and lifted her head up. Without a second thought, she placed her lips on the redheads. Although slightly salty from tears, they were still as soft as she remembered from the night before. Elsa didn't care though, all she cared about was Anna's well-being. It was Anna who broke the kiss.

With a deep breath, she squirmed her way closer to Elsa and placed her head back on her chest. "What are you trying to say?" She asked, unsure.

Elsa shrugged, it was hard for her to find the words to explain. "I'm trying to say that you're the first person I've met that I didn't think was out to hurt me." Elsa placed her lips on Anna's warm forehead, which caused the redhead to snuggle up a little closer to her. "You somehow manage to be understanding, funny, exciting, kind, and charming all in one package." Elsa kissed her forehead again. "It helps that you're so pretty."

"But wha-"

"What I'm trying to say, Anna, is that I'm not afraid around you. Kissing you last night was not a mistake. I… I do want to be with you. Even though we haven't known each other for that long, I feel like we have a bond that I can't describe. You're not even afraid of me. And it makes me happy." Elsa finished by placing one last kiss on Anna's forehead.

"Does this make us, like, girlfriends?" Anna asked, voice laced with uncertain hope. It sort of caught Elsa off guard, putting it so bluntly was surprising to her. But the more she thought about it, the more she warmed up the idea.

"I guess it does, Anna."

"So, you wanna maybe catch a movie sometime, orrr…"

Elsa smiled to herself, and nodded. "I'd love to."

* * *

**A/N:** It hurt me just as bad to write that as it probably hurt some of you to read it. But, it was important.

I'm planning the next chapter to be filled with healing fluff to compensate for this. Thank you all for your continued support!


	14. Be Happy

**A/N: **Another update out! As promised, it's all pretty much fluff.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. I haven't been able to write as much as I've wanted to as of late, and I think that shows in the writing.

But, if it isn't up to par I'm sure you guys would let me know.

Until the next chapter, whenever that may be, I bid you all adieu!

Enjoy!

* * *

"But Rapunzel, I have nothing to wear!" Anna nearly yelled into her phone as she fell backwards onto her bed, causing a few articles of random, assorted clothing to fall onto the floor. She had spent the entire day in class waiting for the evening to come. Anna and Elsa were going to go on an actual date. It still seemed very foreign to the redhead, but she had decided that she wanted to make a lasting impression. Starting with what she would wear.

"It's just a movie date, Anna. There's no need to get your panties in a bunch." Rapunzel replied from the other end of the phone, earning a small giggle from the redhead.

"Don't need to worry about that." Anna said with a smug grin, knowing the curiosity of her cousin would win over her.

"What… what do you mean about that?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly, as if she already knew the answer.

"Going comma-"

"I'm going to stop you there and ask you why." Her cousin deadpanned.

"They're all in the laundry!" Anna rebutted, which was the truth. With everything on her mind throughout the day, laundry was something she didn't think about until after she returned to the dorm. She heard her cousin sigh on the other end of the phone, and rolled her eyes as she could imagine the exact face Rapunzel was making.

"Underwear is kind of important, Anna. Besides, aren't you supposed to be watching your laundry?" Rapunzel laughed it off.

"Nah, I met Merida down there and she was kind enough to keep an eye on it while she did her own. I'm lucky to even have a bra right now I'm so behind on laundry." She dug her thumb underneath the strap on her shoulder and gave it a couple of test pulls. "Still got another day or so before I have to wash this one." She said cheerfully.

"Either we're going to have to go clothes shopping or you're going to have to do laundry more often."

Anna scoffed. "Kind of need money to go shopping, Punzpunz. I need a job."

"You can't just sell homemade brownies like you did in middle school to pay for a field trip?" Rapunzel teased, causing Anna to roll her eyes.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Pretty well, actually. But, I hear the pizza place next to the campus is hiring. You might have to look into that."

Anna stored that in the back of her mind, it certainly wasn't a bad idea. She loved pizza and she loved to cook so it just seemed like something she'd naturally enjoy. But that didn't really help her current predicament, and as she turned her head side to side to see all of the clothes around her, she realized what little progress she made. "So, what do you suppose I wear? I don't want to be basic and just wear my regular jeans and a t-shirt."

"What about that outfit you wore for graduation a couple months back? It's nothing too gaudy, but still nice enough." Her cousin suggested, and at that moment a light bulb went off in Anna's mind. She practically launched herself off the bed as she started digging through the piles of clothes.

"I'm pretty sure I brought it with me. But I'm not sure I want to go free muffing in a skirt." Anna mentioned with a shrug to herself.

"That's such a gross word. Muff." Rapunzel repeated it to herself several times, every time sounding more and more disgusted.

"Rapunzel!" Anna rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back the small grin.

"Right. Um, why don't you wear a pair of shorts under them? It's a black skirt so the color wouldn't really matter."

Just as Rapunzel finished her sentence, Anna pulled out the long black skirt from a pile on the edge of the bed. All things considering, it was hardly wrinkled and didn't look too worse for wear. She rubbed the fabric between her thumb and forefinger before folding it and placing it on the nightstand next to the bed as she began to search for the rest of the outfit.

"Have you thought about how you're wearing your hair, or accessories?" Rapunzel asked, which caught Anna unaware. Her silence gave her answer away, and she could hear her cousin sigh on the other end of the phone. "Has your hair been in braids all day?"

"It's my thing, Rapunzel! It's always in braids!" Anna remarked as she pulled out the top of the outfit, a white cami. The fabric nearly gave off a slight sheen that almost made it look more like silver than white. Anna remembered how Rapunzel thought her outfit that day made her look like an Amish maid, but she didn't really care. She thought and still thinks that it is a simple yet cute look. Pulling a random pair of shorts from a pile, she grabbed her chosen clothing and began to undress.

"Good. Undo them and run your hands through your hair to get the knots out and wear your hair down. Go for the wavy look." Before Anna could open her mouth to respond, Rapunzel had already began again. "And put in that black hair bow! I know you're not one for accessories, but it wasn't in our room when I left so I know you have it."

"Well, yeah, I brought everything except the purses." Anna mentioned as she pulled the shirt over her head. It fit loosely on her and extended halfway down her thighs. The straps were thick and left only part of her shoulders uncovered, but it was a low enough cut to show a little past her collar bone. Lifting her arms to make sure she shaved the past night, she let out a sigh of relief as she started to pull up the long skirt which stopped just short of her ankles.

"How'd you fit everything in that duffel bag?"

"I have my ways." Anna smirked as she finished pulling the skirt over the top. She pulled at the top a little to free some of the fabric from the skirt so that it fit loosely again.

"That means you also brought those white wedges with you, right?" Rapunzel asked hopefully, which caused Anna to laugh a little to herself.

"I don't know why I brought them. But I'm not looking forward to breaking my ankles tonight. I think I'll wear the black flats instead." Anna turned her head to view the clock on the nightstand, and upon realizing the time, jolted her head back around as she began to frantically take her braids out. "Yeah okay, thanks, running late I'll talk to you later. Love you!" Before Rapunzel could say anything, Anna had already hung up and tossed her phone onto the bed.

Awkwardly stumbling to said nightstand while still trying to take her braids out, she opened the drawer and pulled out the large black hair bow. Although it looked kind of ridiculous, it was a gift from Rapunzel and one of the few things Anna had a sentimental attachment to. _I'm pretty sure it was actually part of a Halloween costume a couple years back._ Finishing with her braids, Anna started to run her fingers through her hair to remove any knots and hopefully calm the frizz a little. _Or maybe it was one of her 'do-it-yourself' projects? _She shrugged to herself and clipped the bow on the back of her head. Looking at herself in the mirror, she turned to the side slightly and sized herself up. Anna was surprised to find how presentable her hair looked despite being in braids all day. Wavy, copper strands fell over her shoulders and even had a slight curl at the end. She spotted the white streak and smiled to herself.

She adjusted her top and flattened the long skirt, overall pleased with herself. Reaching into the drawer and pulling out a small makeup bag, she unzipped it and pulled out an eyeliner pencil that looked like it was never used before. _Elsa better feel lucky, the last time I wore makeup… _Her train of thought ended as she looked blankly at herself in the mirror. _I don't even remember the last time I wore makeup. _She looked down at the sharpened tip of the pencil and let out a small sigh before pulling her eyelid down and started to apply a modest amount. The only thing on her mind was trying not to impale her eyeball. _Wings have to be sharp enough to impale my enemies and use their blood as eye shadow._

By the time she finished with her makeup, Anna noticed she still had a couple minutes to spare. Deciding to take one last look at herself in the mirror, she smiled to herself. She managed to wing the eyeliner nearly perfectly the third or fourth try. The small amount of mascara on her eyelashes felt foreign to her, but she couldn't argue with the results. The look was completed with the piña colada lip gloss that she had to try her best not to eat. She even managed to find the aforementioned black flats. Surprisingly enough, she didn't feel all too nervous. The small speech Pocahontas gave her yesterday still resonated within her very core. She intended to ride the confidence for as long as she could. _Take the journey with the river… just around the riverbend. Try my best not to straggle and drown._ Anna added.

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Anna grabbed her wallet off of the nightstand and stuck it in the conveniently placed pocket on the front of she skirt that was hidden perfectly within its folds. Opening the door and shutting it behind her, she stopped dead in her tracks when she turned around.

"Hi."

Anna was suddenly aware of just how fast her heart was beating. In front of her stood the same Elsa she's known, and yet she felt like she didn't know her at all. Elsa was wearing a strikingly bright red split sleeve top, cut from the wrist to the elbow exposing her arms beautifully. Although it fit loosely on her, Anna could still perfectly imagine every curve on her body. To include her legs which were hugged tightly with slightly off-white khakis. Finally managing to take her eyes off of her legs and onto her face, Anna was sure she was blushing a bright red that matched Elsa's eye shadow, albeit much stronger. Her hair was in the same long braid she normally wore, but this time adorned with a simple red hairband. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but managed only a short squeak which certainly didn't help the blush or her quickened heartbeat.

"You look beautiful." Elsa muttered shyly, clearly a little nervous herself.

"You look beautiful-er" Anna managed to get out, without a second thought. Suddenly, she shook her head and backed into the door slightly. "I don't mean fuller, you don't look 'fuller'-"She coughed nervously and brushed back another strand of hair behind her ear. "-but, more beautiful."

"Thank you." Elsa managed to laugh off before crossing her wrists over her waist, and Anna noticed a bright red polish that adorned her nails. Clearly, Elsa had thought about her outfit much longer than Anna. The blonde took a deep breath and tried her best to smile confidently. "Shall we go?"

Anna frantically shook her head and stumbled to find her footing as she made her way towards the door with Elsa in tow. She didn't make it far after leaving the dorm before meeting a familiar redhead in the elevator.

"Sup." Merida acknowledged the girls, nodding at the basket of clothes she held under her arm. "Got your clothes right here, Anna!" She said proudly as Anna and Elsa shared an awkward glance with each other. "All your knickers too, so you don't have to let the caged bird sing tonight!"

Anna nearly choked as her cheeks lit up even brighter if it were possible. She nervously tried to laugh it off as she waved Merida off and tried to feign ignorance. She looked up towards Elsa who had a puzzled expression painted over her face, clearly out of the loop. "You know how those feisty Scots are, always joking around." She let out a nervous chuckle again as Merida exited the elevator and set down the basket.

"Well, normally I'd agree with you if I weren't carrying a basket of your unmentionables, lassie." Merida nonchalantly mentioned, gesturing towards the basket.

"Anna, why does Merida have a basket full of your underwear?" Elsa asked innocently, a slight smile gracing her lips.

"Don't know what you're talking about. Hey look, is that Mr. Oaken!?" Anna nearly yelled and pointed behind Elsa, causing the blonde to whip around to take a look. While Elsa was distracted, Anna grabbed Merida by her face and mouthed instructions to her in regards to the clothes. By the time Elsa looked back over, Anna grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the elevator. "Guess not. Well, nice seeing you, Merida!" She nervously played off as the elevator doors shut in front of them.

Anna let out a sigh of relief when the elevator doors shut, and slapped the button for the first floor as she leaned back and rested her head against the cool metal of the elevator. For a moment, she completely forgot Elsa was next to her and when she opened her eyes and glances beside her, she caught the blonde staring at her with a small smirk. "Mr. Oaken is pretty quick for being as large as he is, huh?" Anna played off.

Elsa adjusted the purse on her shoulder and gently nodded her head. "A real speed demon, I suppose."

Just then, the doors to the elevators opened and Anna quickly strode out of the elevator before looking back at the blonde who hadn't left the doorway. The redhead turned around and placed her hands on her hips, trying to make eye contact with the woman staring down at the floor. Anna wasn't too sure what randomly got into her date, but she looked like she was trying to hold back tears. "We don't have to go out if you don't want to, Elsa." She tried to keep the lump in her throat down as she anticipated Elsa's response. The girls stood there for a moment which seemed like hours to Anna, but eventually Elsa managed to look up at Anna with clouded eyes.

"No, I want to do this. It's not you, Anna…" There was a weakness in her voice that tugged on Anna's heartstrings, causing her worried expression to soften lightly as she gingerly took a step towards Elsa. "I'm actually more nervous than anything, and now that I think about it, it's kind of crazy how things are going right now."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked as she slowly took another step towards the blonde and crossed her arms around her stomach.

"A month ago, everything was so different." Elsa was careful not to smudge her makeup when she wiped her eyes and let out a small sigh. "I didn't really want to come here. I was afraid to speak up for myself, to even let anyone within ten feet of me." She shrugged and let out a small chuckle. "Hell, I thought I was straight. But now I'm going out on a date." She looked up and caught Anna's gaze again. "With another girl, no less."

Anna bridged the gap between the two of them and held Elsa's hands in her own, causing the blonde to flinch slightly. "The gay thing is a surprise to both of us, trust me." Anna nervously giggled as she shook her head. "Rapunzel had a bet with her boyfriend about when I would come out. Apparently, she knew I was into girls long before I did." Elsa gave a short laugh under her breath which helped relieve the lump in Anna's throat. "I never really know what to say in this kind of situation, but I can tell you one thing, Elsa."

"You're not wearing any underwear?" Elsa muttered under her breath, catching Anna totally by surprise as she nearly choked again. She was almost positive the blush on her face would blend in with Elsa's shirt perfectly.

"Cats out of the bag, I guess." Anna shrugged and awkwardly tried to laugh it off again. _Literally! Ha! _"But, no. That's not what I meant. I mean that I really like you, Elsa." Anna admitted as she felt Elsa's hands grip ever so slightly harder. She started rubbing her thumbs across the back of the blonde's hands as she gave her the best reassuring smile she could. "It's kind of crazy how quickly things have been going on and changing. But, I'm glad they have." Anna stole the chance to take a moment to look into Elsa's large blue eyes. What were clouded just a moment ago were not just as clear as can be. The small smile that graced her face was contagious. And hand in hand, the girls left the building together and into the parking lot.

The sun had just begun to set, the days starting to get shorter. And for the first time in a few days, it wasn't unbearably humid. Not that it was real comfortable to Anna, but it wasn't warm enough to bother her. Just as they reached Rapunzel's car which she was kind enough to lend Anna for the night, a small breeze came by and danced across her skin. Her head turned towards the direction of the breeze towards the large expand of trees that were all across the campus. Her eyes found one tree in particular that seemed to stand out from the rest, although she wasn't sure why. Just as she was about to turn back around towards the car, a tall, slender figure came out from behind the tree. It took her a moment, but she soon recognized the figure as Pocahontas. Anna gave an enthusiastic wave towards the woman in the distance, who returned the gesture, although not as enthusiastically. Straining her eyes, Anna count notice Pocahontas giving her a thumbs up and what appeared to be a large grin.

"Is everything okay, Anna?" Elsa asked from the other side of the car, causing Anna to return her attention to the situation as hand.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's cool. More than cool, even. Ice cold. Freezing. Absolute zero." Anna rambled as she opened the door and plopped right down into the driver's seat. She looked over to find Elsa giving her a peculiar look with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"

Elsa reached over and took a hold of Anna's wrist, and the warmth was quickly replaced with a chill that caused Anna to shake in her seat as she pulled her wrist away from Elsa's hand. _Ice powers. Oh yeah. _"It wasn't intentional, I promise." Anna tried her best to laugh it off as Elsa could only shake her head.

"Do you even know what absolute zero is?" Elsa teased as she shut the door and laid her purse at her feet.

"Uh, yeah. It's that awesome song that sometimes comes on the radio." Anna wittily remarked as she started the car, and soon, they were off. Anna had a general idea of where the theater was based off of her and Elsa's excursions to the mall and the surrounding shops.

"We probably should have thought about this earlier. But, what movie would you like to see?" Anna asked as she turned out of the campus and onto the road.

"I'm cool with anything, honestly." Elsa replied with a shrug.

"Cool, you say?" Anna smugly remarked, earning a scoff from the woman beside her.

"Are you going to do that often?"

"Yup."

Elsa rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the window.

"Come on, Elsa. Don't give me…" She waited until Elsa turned back around to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "The _cold_ shoulder."

"Damn it, Anna." Elsa giggled and laid her head back against the seat.

"You really don't know where the powers came from, though? No ideas or anything?" Anna asked as she turned a corner. "Sorry if you don't like to talk about it." She added when she noticed Elsa's face grow a little more serious.

"It's alright. I don't mind talking about it to you." Elsa started as she adjusted her seat belt and brought her knees up towards her chest. "But honestly I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. I've never been able to come up with anything plausible, so I've always just written it off as a birth defect of sorts."

"I don't know if I'd call it a defect." Anna commented. "Sounds pretty awesome to me."

"You wouldn't think that if you had to live with it every day, Anna. Trust me on that one."

Deciding to not try her luck, Anna decided to play the safe route by backing off a bit and the rest of the ride was completed in relative silence. Arriving at the theater, Anna turned the car off and stepped out. Rounding her way around the car, she made it to Elsa and motioned toward the theater. It caught her by surprise when Elsa looped her arm around hers and started making her way towards the theater.

"I was thinking we see a movie that's already been out for a while." Anna mentioned, putting a bit of a skip in her step as they ended up in the back of the ticket line.

"I don't have a problem with that, but can I ask why?" Elsa replied, voice more hushed than Anna was used to ask her.

"There'll probably be less people in the theater."

Elsa put a little distance between the two of them, much to Anna's confusion. "What are you implying will happen?" She accused, sounding a little insulted.

"Because I've noticed how nervous you get in larger crowds?" Anna answered, not knowing what she said to cause Elsa to act somewhat hostile.

"Oh." Elsa muttered as she brought herself closer to Anna and shrugged. "Sorry. I thought you mea-"

"You thought I was going to take the opportunity of an empty, dark theater to have my way with you?" Anna asked, trying to keep the quickly growing cocky smile in check when she noticed Elsa blush. "You don't have to worry about that." _Yet._

It wasn't long before the girls purchased their tickets and soon found themselves in one of the theaters, shared popcorn in hand. They had decided on the latest romantic comedy that had come out a few weeks ago. Right as the previews had ended, they were the only ones in the theater save for a few random people seated in the very front row.

Throughout the entire movie, Anna hardly paid attention. She was too indulged in watching Elsa. The way she moved. The small movements in her face in her reactions. Anna didn't even notice herself reach over and grab Elsa's hand and hold it. When she did, she quickly turned her eyes towards the screen when Elsa took notice and looked at her. From the corner of her eye, she managed to see a smile tug at the corner of Elsa's mouth. There was something about the blonde that calmed Anna. Whatever excitement, nervousness, or anxiousness within her was soothed whenever she knew Elsa was around her. Elsa never judged her, never belittled her, and most importantly, cared about her. That was proven the night before when Elsa had found her passed out on the floor. Most other people, including her parents, would have given it little thought and ignored her. And then Anna let out a shriek when Elsa playfully tossed popcorn at her face.

Using her free hand to brush it off of her skirt where it landed, she looked over towards Elsa again who was covering her mouth, but it did nothing to quiet her giggling. "Oh, you're so mature." Anna teased as she took the bowl of popcorn off of Elsa's lap and laid it in the seat next to her, out of Elsa's reach. She stuck out her tongue at Elsa who merely shrugged it off and laid her head on Anna's shoulder. This too surprised Anna, she certainly had no idea how this date would turn out but it was obviously turning out much better than she had imagined. She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she in turn rested her cheek onto Elsa's head. When the movie eventually ended and the credits began to roll, she grew somewhat disappointed and clingy when Elsa moved her head and stood up, taking the warmth with her. In the heat of the moment, Anna tugged at her wrist hoping she would end up back in the seat for a moment longer. Instead, Elsa lost her balance and nearly fell on top of Anna, catching the top of Anna's seat to steady herself. Now that Elsa was bent right over Anna, she had a clear view straight down the blonde's loose fitting shirt. Before Elsa was able to stand back up, Anna had caught a glimpse of the top of Elsa's breasts and the white bra she had been wearing. Upon realizing what just happened, a sudden jolt of warmth shot down towards the redhead's crotch, causing her to fidget uncomfortably.

"What was that for?" Elsa asked when she regained her composure, oblivious to the spreading flush across the whole of Anna's face, neck, and shoulders.

"Uh, n-nothing. I uh- was trying to uh-"Anna stammered as she continued to sit in the growing wetness of her shorts. Before she could continue rambling, Elsa tugged her by the hand and she awkwardly stood up, stumbling to find her balance for a moment.

Elsa laughed to herself and motioned towards the exit of the theater, but before she was able to make her way towards it, Anna had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. The moment their lips met, Anna couldn't help but let out a content sigh through her nose. She wrapped her arms around Elsa further until her hands were rested on the small of her back, and pulled her a little closer, increasing the pressure on her lips. It certainly didn't help the growing warmth between her thighs, but she didn't care. When she kiss finally broke, her eyes fluttered open to find Elsa staring at her. Arms crossed, head resting on her knuckles.

Anna rubbed the back of her neck, careful not to mess with the bow in her hair as she shrugged and rubbed her thumb against the side of her mouth. Although Elsa was standing in front of her, she could still feel the pressure of her lips on her own. "S-sorry. I just really like doing that…" Anna muttered under her breath as Elsa smiled and shook her head. As the blonde went to reach for her hand, the tips of her nails brushed against Anna's cheek, sending a shiver straight down her spine. _Anna likes. Anna likes a lot._ As her mind started to fill with dirtier and dirtier thoughts, they eventually made their way back to the car. The evening sun had set by this point, and Anna could point out a couple of stars poking their way through the darkening sky.

"Thank you, Anna." Elsa said as she sat down into the car and buckled her seat belt.

Anna started the car, and before long, they were on their way back towards the campus. "What for?" She looked over to find Elsa smiling at herself, staring at her hands in her lap.

"It's not important right now…" She commented under her breath as she reached towards Anna's hand again, taking it in her own and resting it on the middle compartment between the passenger and driver's seat.

"I've noticed that you've reached for my hand tonight much more than I've reached for yours. " Anna commented as she shifted her hand onto the wheel. She was used to driving with one hand anyway, never one to be comfortable in the 'ten and two' position. Rather, just 'six'.

"That's actually pretty observant of you, Anna. And you're right." The grip on Anna's hand tightened slightly as Elsa shrugged. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"Not if you don't have a problem with me kissing you." Anna replied with a snarky grin as she stopped at a red light. She took the brief moment to look over towards Elsa who was still smiling to herself, although she was staring at their hands on the center console instead of her lap.

"I guess we have an understanding, then." Elsa nearly whispered. Although Anna knew Elsa didn't mean it, or mean anything by it, but there was a certain aspect about the way she said that which caused Anna to be reminded of the situation between her legs. The tone of Elsa's whisper was almost sultry in nature, and it made Anna stir.

The rest of the ride was completed in relative silence. Every so often Anna would look over at Elsa just to find her staring at their hands still. It was a little strange, but Anna thought it was cute. Pulling into the campus, she parked the car and the girls promptly lifted themselves out of it and made their way towards the building hand in hand. Initiated by Elsa, of course. Entering the building and facing the elevator, Anna nearly jumped when the doors finally opened and someone was already standing inside of it. Wearing the uniform of the pizza place next door, no less.

"Sup." Kristoff nonchalantly commented as he stepped out of the elevator, empty pizza bag in his hand.

"Didn't you deliver our pizza the other day?" Elsa asked before he made it out of the door.

"Probably." The large man shrugged. "I deliver pizza for a living."

"Who'd you deliver it to this time?" Anna asked out of nowhere, absentmindedly creating conversation.

"Some Scottish redhead up on the fifth floor." He scratched the back of his head and stretched out his back. "She called me a ninny." He raised his arms in confusion and shook his head. "I don't know whether or not to be insulted or not. What's a ninny!?"

Amidst the giggles between the girls, Elsa was the first to manage an explanation. "I don't think it's a bad thing." She held up her hand over her mouth to try and stop any more giggles from escaping.

"I think it's her way of saying 'bro' or 'dude'." Anna added. "Oh, by the way, are you guys hiring?" She asked before her and Elsa entered the elevator.

"Yessiree. Go ahead and tell Tony that Kristoff sent you down, he'll probably hire you right on the spot." He stuck his hand in his pocket and shrugged again. "Probably."

The girls said their goodbyes to Kristoff, and before long they had entered the elevator and were back on their floor. Following Elsa as she unlocked the door, she wasted no time in kicking off her shoes and throwing herself face first onto the couch.

"Long day, huh?" Elsa playfully teased as she sat down on the arm of the couch.

"I'm telling you, the office is a cutthroat business." Anna played along, voice muffled by the fabric of the couch. "And Barbara is such a bitch, ugh. She took my parking spot."

"Silly Barbara." Elsa added as she nonchalantly ran her hand through Anna's hair which was splayed out across her back and onto the floor. When not in the braided pigtails, Anna's hair was actually pretty long. "I'm headed to the bathroom, I'll be out in a moment and we can decide how we'll spend the rest of the evening."

Anna raised her hand and gave the blonde a thumbs up before letting her arm fall back down beside her.

* * *

Elsa looked at herself in the mirror as she finished washing her hands. The events of the night were still processing through her mind. She could honestly say that she enjoyed herself, even if the movie followed the generic storyline of any romantic comedy. 'Hopeless romantic ends up realizing that their best friend is really their one true love.' She enjoyed it though, because she was with Anna. There was something about the girl that made her comfortable, made her realize that everything she worried about would work out one way or another. Reaching for the towel to dry her hands, she found herself staring at red polish on her nails that still looked as good as they first did when she painted them earlier. Even though it was just a movie, she enjoyed dolling herself up for a date. She hoped that she'd be able to do it again soon in the future. Maybe next weekend, perhaps.

Exiting the bathroom, she found herself in complete darkness save for the light shining from Anna's phone. She had sat herself up and was leaning up against the back of the couch, a smile spread across her lips. Elsa slowly sat herself down next to the redhead and poked her cheek which she noticed was fairly flushed. "What has you smiling so hard?" She asked innocently.

"Just letting Rapunzel know about how well tonight went." Anna commented as she shut her phone off and Elsa heard it tap against the coffee table when Anna put it down. "She doesn't know it's you that I went on a date with tonight."

This struck Elsa as somewhat odd, she could see no reason as to why Anna would want to hide that from her cousin. "Is it because you're embarrassed of me?" She asked, voice slightly weakened.

"Oh nononono, nothing like that." Anna hurriedly said as Elsa felt her hands on top of her own. "She just doesn't know that it's my roommate."

"You do plan to tell her though, right?" Elsa asked as she turned her hands over so that their palms were touching and she could hold Anna's hands. It was a small pleasure she enjoyed. Because of her ice powers, Elsa's hands were always slightly cooler than the rest of her body and fairly sensitive. The warmth of Anna's hands in her own was something she enjoyed in a way she couldn't really explain.

"Yeah, I'm just playing around with her. No biggie." Anna finished, voice growing quieter as her sentence went on.

Elsa brushed her nails against Anna's palms, enjoying the moment. For the first time in years, she felt like she was truly happy exactly where she was. Yes, she missed and worried about Aleks at times. But she knew how strong and independent person her sister could be. But at the moment, all she wanted was to be closer to Anna. She felt the warmth of per hands against her own, and could make out the general form of her body in front of her despite the darkness. She was able to faintly smell the piña colada lip gloss Anna was wearing that she discovered earlier when they kissed. But still, she wanted her to be closer. And she was going to get her wish. She grabbed the redhead's wrists and pulled, hoping to find herself in a hug.

What she actually found herself was in another kiss. Not that she was bothered by it in the slightest, but this time was different. She could feel Anna breathe in sharply, and could hear a content mewl from her. She felt Anna's hand on the back of her head as she pulled her closer, and it was actually Anna that broke off the kiss first.

"S-sorry. Again." She muttered as she sat back on her knees in front of Elsa.

"Why are you sorry?" Elsa asked as she grabbed Anna's shoulders and turned her around before pulling her down on top of her and rested her chin on her head. The bow in her hair tickled Elsa's throat slightly, but not enough to bother her.

"Because all of the uncalled for kisses." She muttered.

Elsa found the redhead's hands and interlocked their fingers across Anna's stomach. "The first one a few nights ago came as a shock." Anna shook slightly when Elsa laughed to herself. "But I like it, Anna. Don't apologize."

Seconds turned to minutes as they continued to lay on the couch, not a word between them. It wasn't too long before Anna turned around so that she was now laying on Elsa, arms wrapped around her stomach. Elsa took the opportunity to run her fingers through Anna's hair once more, twirling strands around her fingers before they fell back down over her shoulders. She could feel Anna's breathing slow by the minute, and it wasn't long before she had fallen asleep on the blonde. Elsa debated for a moment whether or not to wake her up and tell her to go to bed, but she decided to rather let her stay. She was able to make out a smile spread across Anna's lips, and she didn't want to disturb that. It wasn't too long before she found herself battling sleep and taking longer and longer blinks. She crossed her arms around Anna's back, and let herself lose that battle.

She was going to let herself be happy.


	15. A Proposal

**A/N:** I'm pretty bad at keeping to a fairly consistent update schedule, huh?

Well, this chapter has been in the works for awhile and I hope it was worth the wait. It's currently 2:30 am where I live, and I have no regrets in spending the past 4 hours writing this for all you wonderful people.

Also, I've noticed that there are a few individuals who comment on nearly every chapter: _Elsanna Fan 1, Claire Cooper, DoubleConciousness, Sir V, malekoydaerb, and ajunebuga._ I notice your names in the reviews most often. Y'all are awesome. (If there are more of you that frequently comment that I skipped over, let me know and I'll make up for it next chapter. :p )

As of 11/11/2014, there are 161 of you following this story and you all rock.

And I'm rambling.

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, a little birdie mentioned that today was somebodies birthday." Elsa noted with a cheery tone as she walked into the classroom and took her regular seat next to Rapunzel, who was completely engrossed in what appeared to be a new book. The brunette gently shut the book and smiled at Elsa when she sat down, greeting her with a short nod.

"Did this little birdie happen to have long, braided pigtails?" Rapunzel asked, shifting in her seat so that she could properly address Elsa.

"This morning, yes. Although she seems to have taken a liking to wearing it down the past week or so." The blonde replied as she took out her notebook and pencil from her bag.

"Ever since she went on that date, huh?" Rapunzel shrugged. "She told me it went really well and that she was looking forward to even more dates with this girl."

Elsa smiled to herself, concealing the little joy she took in Rapunzel's naivety towards the fact that she still didn't know who Anna had went on a date with. At first, Elsa was slightly offended at how Anna kept Rapunzel in the dark. But after she had explained it to her, she decided to go along with the joke and keep it from Rapunzel for a while. "I've heard the same. I've also heard that this other girl is looking forward to more dates with Anna as well."

"I'm happy for her. She never really looked like she enjoyed herself around the guys she's dated." Rapunzel rubbed the back of her neck and leaned back in her seat. "Her face just lights up when she talks about this new girl. It's nice to see her so happy."

Warmth flooded Elsa's face as she was sure she was blushing at the comment from the girl across from her. Imagining Anna light up when talking about her made the blonde's heart beat just a little faster. She couldn't help that small smile that was slowly taking over her face, and she decided to switch the subject before her actions gave anything away. "So, what are you doing for your birthday?" Elsa asked, already knowing the answer from conversations with Anna.

"The fair is in town! This evening I'm heading downtown with Anna, Jasmine, and Merida." Rapunzel hastily replied, voice full of obvious excitement. "Will you come too, Elsa? It'll be fun, I promise! There's even supposed to be fireworks later on and the entire fairground will be covered in lights!"

Elsa chuckled and gave an affirming nod, much to Rapunzel's excitement. The request came at somewhat of a surprise to the blonde. Anna had invited her to go, but she declined the offer stating that it wasn't right for her to randomly show up to something she wasn't invited to. Especially considering Rapunzel didn't know her too well. "I'd be glad to."

"It'll be perfect! If only Eugene cou-"

Rapunzel was cut off when the entire room suddenly became quiet, she shifted her gaze down to the front of the room where the professor had just walked in and brought up a powerpoint on the screen. "So, who's ready to learn about derivatives?"

* * *

"Anna!"

Anna's wide eyes shot up to meet Elsa's as the candy bar she had taken a gluttonous bite out of fell onto the table. She picked it back up and inspected it before sticking it back into her mouth. "Yeah?"

"I asked you a question." Elsa asked coyly before closing her notebook and shoved her pencil into the rings.

"Oh yeah, sorry. What was that?" Anna asked as she shoved the rest of the candy bar into her bag. She had woken up late and didn't get a chance to eat breakfast before coming to class. The moment her class went out she made a mad dash towards the vending machines in the study hall where she coincidentally also agreed to meet Elsa.

Elsa rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile a little. "What should I get your cousin for her birthday?"

Anna scratched the back of her head, propped her elbows on the table, and rested her head in her hands. "She's not really one for gifts. Honestly, she just enjoys spending time with friends. It's strange though, her birthday always seems to fall on local fairs and stuff." She shrugged and leaned back in her seat. "Any kind of nighttime event with lights or fireworks, really."

"Are you sure? I'll feel awful if she's expecting something and I show up empty handed." Elsa added, sounding a little uncertain. Anna realized that this obviously meant more to Elsa than she thought. Reaching across the table and taking the blonde's hands in hers, Anna looked up and waited for Elsa's shifting eyes to catch her own. The moment they did, Elsa's entire demeanor seemed to shift and she took a deep breath.

"I know my cousin, Elsa. She'll be happy simply that you're there." Anna said and added a reassuring smile. When the woman across from her returned the gesture, Anna could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. There was something about the blonde's smile that she couldn't exactly put her finger on, the more comfortable she grows around Elsa, the more she wants to see her smile. The past few days since their first date weren't as awkward as Anna subconsciously feared they would be. Things between the girls really hadn't changed a whole lot. Except now there was more hand holding and kissing. _Which I have absolutely no problem with…_ Anna realized how long she had been blankly staring at Elsa while she talked, probably about Rapunzel's birthday, and shook her head slightly to regain her senses.

"-and I've never even been on a Ferris wheel." Elsa finished, seemingly unknown to the fact that Anna barely heard a word she said. But, that last little tidbit was all Anna needed.

"Never been on a Ferris wheel!?" She nearly shouted, breaking the calm of the room. Realizing how she startled Elsa, she nervously cleared her throat as she brought down her voice several registers. "Never been on a Ferris wheel?" She asked again, this time much more quiet.

"Anna, my grandmother barely let us out of the house to go to school. Why would she let us go to any event which would involve a Ferris wheel?" The blonde replied and pulled Anna's hands up to her chin before resting her head comfortably on the redhead's knuckles.

"Not even on birthdays or holidays?" Anna asked, trying her best to not insult Elsa or make her feel bad in anyway shape or form.

Elsa shrugged and shifted her eyes to a blank spot on the floor. "If we did, it was something small. For my thirteenth birthday we went to the movie theater. Fifteenth, we went to the mall for professional photographs, I think."

"Well, how about we think of tonight as a way to make up for all of those celebrations you missed out on?" Anna excitedly offered with a small grin. "It may be Rapunzel's birthday, but you'll still be hanging out with pretty cool people at a fair for goodness sakes!" She clicked her tongue, winked, and put on the cockiest face she could muster. "And me, of course."

"Are you asking me out on another date, Ms. Aren?" Elsa asked with an inflection in her voice that caused a chill to shoot down Anna's spine. She let go of Anna's hands, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair. Sometimes, it was strange for Anna to see Elsa have this kind of confidence. It wasn't just around Anna, either. It seemed like Elsa was coming out of her self-built shell a little more every day. But, remembering the shy and awkward girl that Anna first met a few weeks ago, it's strange knowing that they're the same person. And Anna was genuinely happy for Elsa.

"Well, it is my cousin's birthday…" Anna started before leaning on the table. "But I could probably manage to steal you away for a ride on the Ferris wheel." She crossed her arms and did her best to imitate the girl in front of her. "If that's no issue with you, Ms. Delle."

Elsa was the first to break the form when she couldn't hold back a giggle. Anna soon followed and before long they were hand in hand again. "I'm thinking about skipping econ to take Rapunzel out to a late lunch before heading over to the fair." She shrugged before locking eyes with the blonde on the other side of the table. "I know you don't have any classes on a Friday afternoon. Wanna come?"

"That depends, where are you taking her?"

"Probably Tony's, it's close to campus and I could get whatever I want there for free." Anna added. Which was true, ever since she took Kristoff's recommendation to apply for a job there, she began to take advantage of everything that was available to her. This included eating there for free, as long as she replaced whatever she ate. Free food and all she had to do was cook what she ate later? It was a no brainer for Anna.

"Is that even legal?" Elsa asked with a small chuckle.

"I don't know. I don't even think I'm legally hired. I literally just walked in, asked about a job, and he tossed me an apron and a hair net." Anna replied with a chuckle of her own and adjusted her hands so that her fingers were interlocked with Elsa's. "Tony says I'm the best cook he's had in years, and he pays me for doing what I enjoy. I can't really complain about legalities."

"Has he added jerk chicken to the menu?" Elsa asked again with a large grin across her face. Anna scrunched her face and scoffed in return. "You know I'm only playing with you." Elsa added.

"I'm well aware, blondie. Eventually when I beat you at chess, I'd like to see how you fare cooking chicken fajitas with a beautiful woman in your kitchen." Anna teasingly retorted. She shrugged before making eye contact with her girlfriend. "Which means I'll have to put a mirror in the kitchen."

A slight blush came across Elsa's face, which came with a slight smirk. "Smooth, Anna."

"Thanks. I've been saving that one for a couple days now." Anna admitted and brushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, you in for lunch?" Just as Anna asked, an audible gurgling noise was emitted from the other side of the table, causing Elsa to jerk back and cross her arms across her stomach in embarrassment and Anna to giggle. "Come on, Rapunzel will be getting out of class soon and I told her we'd be waiting in the parking lot." Elsa nodded curtly in agreement as she promptly stood up, making sure to interlock her fingers with Anna's the moment she was ready to leave.

"Your cousin still doesn't know about us?" Elsa asked as they entered the hallway which was fairly empty save for a person here and there seated with their nose in a book. Anna looked over at the blonde and shook her head.

"At this point, I think it's kind of funny to see her frustrated over being in the dark about it." Anna mentioned with a small chuckle. "She's threatened me more than once that she'll introduce my face to her frying pan like she did her boyfriend awhile back."

"I'll never understand what it is with her and frying pans." Elsa commented as the pair entered the parking lot.

"You don't have to understand it, you just have to be cautious about it. I mean sheesh." Anna stopped in her tracks and turned Elsa so that they were face to face. "I've seen her toss one clear across her living room just to kill a fly that had been bugging her for hours. She hit it dead on, and I nearly needed a new pair of pants."

"That's sounds…" Elsa nervously coughed and gazed to the side. "tactical?"

Anna shrugged before the pair continued on their way towards Rapunzel's car. "She's normally a really nice person. But, wow, you uh-" She rubbed the back of her neck and leaned against the car when they reached their destination. "-you do not want to get on her bad side."

"Noted."

Anna was about to open her mouth to speak, but was cut off when Rapunzel appeared out of seemingly nowhere behind her. "Well, hey you two." Rapunzel greeted as she rounded the car and unlocked the driver's side door. Anna made sure her and Elsa weren't holding hands before entering the passenger side.

"I'm glad you could make it, Elsa!" Rapunzel cheerily said as she turned her head to smile at the blonde in the back seat. "Jasmine and Merida will meet us over at the fairgrounds later, they're both still in class."

"Have you heard anything about Eugene?" Anna asked as she took no time to blast the air conditioner as the car started. "I know you mentioned that he was trying to get out of work today." She took off her drawstring bag and placed it in her lap, drumming her fingers silently on the box inside of it. The same box that Eugene had entrusted her to give to Rapunzel later.

Rapunzel shrugged as she pulled out of the parking lot. "I don't think he'll be making it, Anna-banana. He mentioned something about 'lumps and bumps that oozes.'" She grimaced once she finished her sentence, giving a half smile when she heard Elsa chuckle in the back seat. "So, Anna." She turned to meet her cousin's expectant gaze. "Tell me more about the date you went on last night."

Anna chuckled nervously, taking a quick glance at the wide-eyed blonde in the back seat. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously as her cousin waited expectedly. "Why uh-" Another glance at Elsa. "-what do you want to know? I've told you everything about it." It seemed as if the air in the car just got a little thicker as Anna's breaths started to become heavier by the moment. Rapunzel turned her head back towards the road before looking into the rearview mirror, straight at Elsa. A cocky grin grew across her face. Anna has seen this look before, and she knew exactly what was about to happen. She gripped the fabric of her shorts and began to nervously rub the fabric between her fingers. _This is either going to go really good, or really… not so good._

"So Elsa, did you at least kiss my cousin goodnight?" The words from Rapunzel's mouth seemed to echo through the car for a brief moment. Anna twisted in her seat so she could look at Elsa, she couldn't help but smile when she saw her bewildered face. _She's cute when she gets caught off guard._ Elsa noticed that, and the bewildered look quickly relaxed and was placed with a smug grin.

"I would have loved to." She giggled and crossed her arms across her stomach. "But she fell asleep on top of me the moment we sat down on the couch."

"Anna!" Rapunzel laughed as she playfully shoved Anna, causing her head to bump against the window. "Jasmine and I told you to be calm, but not _so_ calm so that you fall asleep on the woman!" She laughed again and rolled her eyes, clearly not taking any offense to being kept in the dark about her cousin and her roommate.

Anna recalled that night, waiting up for Elsa on the couch while she was in the bathroom. She had just began calming down once all of the nerves left her, and the day's events quickly took their toll on her. By the time Elsa joined her on the couch, she was half gone already. All it took was for her to sit down so that Anna could crawl up to her and fall asleep. Despite being on a couch and in a fairly awkward position, it was probably the best sleep she had gotten in a long while. Although Elsa's skin is always fairly cool to the touch, that night she was warm and inviting. The very memory of that night made Anna a little drowsy. "How did you find out anyway, Punzpunz?" Anna asked.

"Merida-"

"That explains _so much_." Elsa commented as she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Definitely. I ran into her this morning when I invited her to go with us tonight, and she brought up running into you two in the hallway with a basket full of Anna's underwear." Rapunzel added as she pulled up next to the entrance of the restaurant, which was barely more than a hole in the wall.

"I think you'll be pleased to know that I'm wearing underwear today-" Anna started before being cut off from the blonde who flew forward from the back seat and pushed her way between the cousins. Rapunzel brushed blonde hair from her face as Anna barely had any room to breathe.

"So you weren't wearing any that night! That's why Merida had the basket!" Elsa excitedly shouted as the conclusion finally dawned on her. "It wasn't Mr. Oaken at all!"

Rapunzel pushed the last blonde strain from her face as she tried her best to awkwardly peer across the blonde's head. "What about Mr. Oaken?"

"I'll tell you during lunch." Anna giggled as she took the moment to surprise Elsa with a short peck on the lips. "I'm paying."

"But it's free." Rapunzel chimed in before the trio left the car and entered the restaurant.

* * *

Upon arriving at the fairgrounds, Elsa wasn't too sure what she expected. The sun was set low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the entire field as a few stalls already began to turn on lights. It wasn't as crowded as she feared, but it was still fairly early. Everything smelled like popcorn and sugar, two scents she actually enjoyed on their own. But when put together, it made her stomach turn slightly. She instinctively gripped Anna's hand and when Anna noticed this, she began to reassuringly rub her thumb across the back of Elsa's hand. She took her eyes off of the various stalls and noticed the large Ferris wheel towards the back of the fairground, dwarfing the other assorted rides around it.

"Isn't this great, Elsa?" Anna asked with a large grin across her face as the turned to face the blonde. The ringing of assorted bells, whistles, and circus-like tunes filled her ears and it took her a moment to fully process what Anna had said.

"It's certainly like nothing I've never experienced." Elsa commented as she crossed her free arm across her stomach. To her surprise, she was more excited about the fair rather than nervous or even terrified. She figured as long as she stayed near Anna, Rapunzel, Jasmine and Merida, nothing could really go wrong. It brought a kind of comfort to her which she couldn't explain.

"It's your birthday, Rapunzel. I think it's only fit that you decide what we do first." Jasmine mentioned, breaking Elsa out of the small trance she was in. She just recently met Jasmine the very moment they arrived at the fairgrounds, and she was fairly intimidated by the respect she seemed to demand just by her stance and the confidence she exuded. But, Anna seemed to trust her. And that was enough to calm her nerves.

"You see those swings?" Rapunzel commented as she pointed towards the ride near the center of the fairgrounds. Although not as tall as the Ferris wheel, it still managed to dwarf everything around it. Elsa could hear the glee filled screams of the patrons extended into the air by the ride, and at first it frightened her. But the more she saw the swings swing around, the more entertaining it began to work.

"Last one there has to eat last weeks haggis!" Merida shouted as she scrambled out of the small group and dashed towards the line for the ride, nearly crashing into several people on her way.

"What's haggis?" Anna asked innocently, turning her head towards Elsa with a face that looked to be a mixture of curiosity and slight disgust.

"It has something to do with sheep organs stuffed inside the sheep's stomach, I think." Jasmine answered before Elsa could open her mouth. "Whatever it is, I don't think I want to eat it." She chuckled as she quickly caught up to the redhead who had nearly tripped over her own feet. Elsa jerked and nearly stumbled as Anna dashed towards the pair, Rapunzel in tow. Finally regaining her composure upon reaching the back of the line, she realized exactly how many people were around her. The line had begun to quickly fill, circling the fence that acted as a barrier to the ride. She crossed her free arm over her stomach again, feeling the knots that began to form.

"You're wearing clean knickers tonight, right Anna?" Merida teased, forming a large grin when she saw Anna scoff and roll her eyes.

"I appreciate the favor, Merida. But is this going to be a running thing with you?" Anna replied with a hint of disdain in her voice.

Merida shrugged and stuck both her hands in her back pockets. "Probably, to be completely honest with you."

"What's this about underwear, Anna?" Jasmine chimed in, trying to cover her sly grin with her hand.

"It's… a long story." Anna played off, casting a sideward glance towards Elsa who couldn't help but smile at the banter between the girls.

"Not really. She asked me to throw in some of her laundry so she'd have some in time for her big fancy date thing." Merida explained as she took a large stride towards the moving line.

"Running into her in the hall was pure luck." Rapunzel commented, getting her two cents into the conversation.

"Yeah. Luck. Sure." Anna rolled her eyes and leaned her head onto Elsa's shoulder.

"Well, I suppose it worked out in the end." Jasmine added, sizing up the two women. She grinned to herself and turned toward the shifting line. "You two look adorable together.

"Than-" Both of the girls started to say in unison, stumbling over their words to allow the other to finish their statement. Eventually, Anna started giggling too hard to say anything audible and Elsa nodded towards Jasmine. "Thank you." She said between small chuckles. Before someone else could speak, they were all alerted to the attendant who had gotten their attention, letting them know it was their turn on the ride. Elsa recognized the masculine voice, and upon reaching the man, Anna broke off from her side to give the man a fist bump.

"Kristoff, you dolt. What are you doing here?" Anna asked as the group, save for Elsa, moved past her to take their seats as the gate closed.

"Oh, hey Anna." Kristoff said and nodded towards Elsa, who returned the gesture. "Elsa" He shrugged and gestured towards an open row of seats. "Working here gives me something to do tonight other than deliver pizza. Plus, they pay more than minimum wage an hour."

Anna lifted herself up to the suspended swing and buckled the belt across her waist. "If you ask Tony, I'm sure he'll give you a raise."

Elsa remained silent as she took her seat next to Anna, buckling her own belt and taking her girlfriend's hand in her own.

"Yeah, but I owe a lot to the man. I don't want to impose and push any boundaries." Kristoff commented before waving off the girls and returning to the gate. The moment he picked up on a signal given by another worker, he flipped a switch and the ride began.

As the swings slowly began their ascent, Elsa became aware of the growing distance between her and the ground. Shifting her body weight, she was able to move the swings fairly easily. Even though she knew this had to be normal, it still bothered her slightly. It wasn't long before Anna noticed this and got her attention.

"It'll be fun. I promise." Anna reassured as Elsa let herself relax, enjoying the view of the entire fairground. More people began to fill in the assorted stalls and tents as the sun was now barely peaking over the horizon. And just then, the ride began and they were soon swinging around the large central column of the ride. The air rushing over her face was its own certain kind of thrill, never mind the height. She managed to look over at Anna who had a large grin spread across her face, and amongst the screams of the patrons behind and in front her, she could hear Anna giggling beside her. Anna's cheerful demeanor was contagious as she soon found herself smiling, and even laughing, herself. She suddenly felt free to a certain degree. Free from and kind of stress and troubles on the ground. Amongst the screams and laughter, she could distinctly hear Merida screaming from somewhere behind her. Anna soon noticed Elsa looking at her as the ride began to slow down, and she swung her arm around, planting her hand on the back of the blonde's head. Pulling her in for another quick kiss, her feet gently hit the ground again as Anna backed up and smiled.

When the group finally departed off the ride, they found themselves situated on a large table next to a stall selling cotton candy and other assorted sweets. Merida had managed to take a detour on the way to the table, and she eventually joined the rest of the girls at the table with a large turkey leg. From the looks of it, she appeared to be trying to stick as much as it in her face as she could. "Merida?" Rapunzel asked, breaking the ambient conversation.

Merida just grunted in response, looking up towards the brunette with wide eyes and mouth full of turkey.

"Whatcha doing there, buddy?" She asked with a hint of a grin and a light chuckle.

Merida managed to swallow the massive bite before setting the behemoth of a turkey leg on the table and wiping the leftover grease off her face with her sleeve. "Stuffing my gob. Why?" She asked innocently before taking another massive bite.

"Is it good?" Jasmine chimed in, just as Merida swallowed the bite and wiped her mouth with her sleeve again.

At this point, Elsa decided to excuse herself from the table. When Anna got up to join her, she sat her back down at the table as she went off on her own towards the stall selling all of the sweets. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wallet as the attendant leaned over the counter. "What can I get for you?" The young man asked as he gestured up towards the menu above the counter.

"Um-" Elsa started as she pulled out a bill and stuck her wallet back into her pocket. "Could I get some cotton candy, please?" She asked timidly as she rubbed the bill between her thumb and index finger.

"Sure thing, what flavor?" He asked as he turned his back to pick up a cone.

"Regular, please." Elsa replied as she turned towards the table real quick to find things just as she left them moments ago. Merida stuffing her face, with Rapunzel and Jasmine watching in awe, trying their best not to laugh.

"What size?" The man asked, causing Elsa to turn back towards the stall. She pondered for a moment before giving her answer. Paying the man, she said thank you as she took the large cone and made her back toward the table. When she sat back down and picked off a piece to place in her mouth, she found Anna staring at her with a small smile gracing her lips.

"I'm proud of you, you know." Anna said under her breath.

"What for?" Elsa asked as she offered the cone to Anna, who took off a piece and stuck it in her mouth.

"A few weeks ago, there's no way you would have done that on your own." She stuck another piece in her mouth and shrugged. "It's really nice to see you coming out of your shell, is all."

Elsa couldn't help but smile and shake her head. "I have you to thank for that." She tore off a piece of the cotton candy. "After meeting you, I learned that I jumped to conclusions way too quickly about people." Noticing Rapunzel casting a glance towards the cotton candy, Elsa offered it to her. The brunette quickly tore off a piece and thanked the blonde before returning to her conversation with Jasmine and Merida.

"Not everyone is as nice and chill as the people you've met so far." Anna chuckled to herself. "Some people out there can be real assholes."

Elsa handed off the cone to Anna as she took her hand in hers and nudged a little closer. "I have no doubt about that. But still, it's nice to finally realize that isn't the case with everyone." The evening had begun to cool down drastically, and even though it didn't bother Elsa, she still enjoyed the warmth that seemed to radiate off of Anna. Suddenly, Elsa jolted slightly when she felt Anna's pocket vibrate against her thigh. Pulling out her phone, Anna quickly handed the cone back to Elsa as she stood up from the table.

"I have to go to the uh… bathroom?" She looked down at Elsa's concerned face and winked. "Yeah. Bathroom." She said again as Elsa watched her confidently stride towards wherever it was she was going.

"So, how did you meet Anna, Elsa?" Jasmine asked when Anna had disappeared into the ever growing crowd. Elsa turned her head towards Jasmine and gave a short shrug.

"She's my roommate. We live in the large building across from the main building." Elsa explained as Jasmine nodded, and gestured toward the cotton candy. Elsa gave a quick nod as she ripped off a piece and placed it in her mouth.

"Those rooms reserved for the post-grads and honors students?" She asked again after she swallowed her bite of cotton candy. The more Jasmine spoke, the less Elsa felt intimidated from her. The more she spoke, the more she felt like a person instead of some deity or important political figure.

"It's kind of a long story. But, yeah. Your sister punches your roommate in the face and you end up dating her." Elsa chuckled and visibly dropped her shoulders. The thought of Aleks was something she tried to avoid, the wounds from their fallout still fairly fresh.

"So it was your sister that punched her in the face?" Rapunzel angrily asked, butting into the conversation. Her eyebrows had come together, and her normally cheery face was replaced with something much more cross. Elsa rubbed her thumb against her palm underneath the table and lowered her head, suddenly wishing she had worn her hoodie tonight.

"Y-yeah." Elsa timidly admitted. Not wanting to look up towards Rapunzel, she shifted in her seat and tried to further explain. "I had nothing to do with it." She muttered under her breath.

"Elsa, Anna had shown up to dinner that night all torn up about something. It took me days to get her to tell me what happened, but she wouldn't tell me who." Rapunzel continued, seemingly growing more aggressive as she spoke. "You couldn't stop her?" She finished as Elsa noticed her digging her nails into the wood of the table.

"I-If I had known, I would have, Rapunzel." Elsa tried to explain as calmly as she could, fighting back a pressure behind her eyes that she was all too familiar with. She clenched her fists under the table, knowing what would happen if she isn't able to keep emotion in control. Elsa looked up for a moment to notice Jasmine get Rapunzel's attention and whispered something. Rapunzel slowly sat back and brushed back a strand of hair that had gotten in her face.

"I know, Elsa." Rapunzel started, soon returning to her normal cheery disposition. "It's just that Anna has been through a lot, I don't want to see even more nonsense piled onto her plate." She finished, crossing her arms and leaning forward with a half-smile to try and alleviate the situation.

"It's o-okay. I understand." Elsa said as she looked back up towards the brunette who now had a full smile across her face. This helped a little, as Elsa unclenched her fists and drummed her fingers against her thighs. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt Anna." She said confidently, trying her best to match the smile from Rapunzel.

"I believe you." Rapunzel noted with a nod.

"Doesn't make your sister any less of a ninny." Merida chimed in as she finally finished devouring the monster turkey leg.

The next half hour or so was filled with idle chatter, at one point Jasmine had disappeared and came back with a funnel cake to share with the group. The sun had finally finished setting, and now every stall was lit up with bright lights and neon. There was also a visible change in Rapunzel, who seemed to have a permanent grin stuck on her face. The large Ferris wheel towards the back of the fairground was brightest, with assorted lights and neon lighting up the entire wheel and then some. Elsa was sure that the fair was at full capacity at this point, people partaking in different rides, games, or simply sitting around and enjoying nice company like Elsa was at that moment. After a while, Elsa began to grow slightly worried about Anna and considered texting her asking if she was okay. Just as she pulled her phone out, her attention was turned to Rapunzel who had launched herself off of the table and bolted toward a figure coming around one of the stalls.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel shrieked as she nearly jumped into the man's arms. He gave a hearty chuckle before wrapping her into a close hug. Anna appeared behind him, and Elsa promptly stood up to greet her.

"Hey there, you." Eugene said as he nodded towards Anna, Elsa, and the other two who were still seated at the table.

"I thought you couldn't get off work?" Rapunzel asked as she kissed the man and looked up at him with the same large grin.

"I pulled some strings." He replied with a cocky grin as he gestured towards Anna. "Your cousin here made sure I knew where to find you."

"That's where you ran off to?" Elsa asked, turning towards the redhead. Anna nodded before laying her head on the blonde's shoulders and held Elsa's hand with both of hers.

"Nineteenth birthday, huh?" Eugene commented as he scanned his surroundings, shielding his eyes from some of the brighter lights. "What's up with you and lights?" He chuckled and kissed Rapunzel on the forehead.

"How long are you staying?" Rapunzel asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Elsa couldn't help but smile at this display. She had heard a lot about this man through Anna and Rapunzel, and she had grown a bit of a respect for the man despite not actually meeting him. Elsa laid her head against Anna's.

"Get a room, ninny!" Merida shouted as she stood from the table to join the rest of the group, followed shortly by Jasmine who probably had half of the funnel cake in her mouth. Merida looked up at the woman and shook her head, causing Jasmine to roll her eyes and lightly slap her shoulder.

"Glad to see you haven't changed, Merida." Eugene laughed, much to Rapunzel's confusion.

"You know Merida?"

"I've had a run in with her father a few times back when I was hanging around the wrong crowd." Eugene explained as he shrugged and casually stuck his hand in his back pocket. "I'm only here for the night, unfortunately. But-" He began as he looked over towards Anna who was nodding furiously with a large grin. "There's something I'd like to ask you, Rapunzel." He seemed to be growing more nervous, with a slight shake in his voice when he said Rapunzel's name.

"What's going on, Anna?" Elsa whispered only to be greeted by Anna gingerly placing a finger over her lips, effectively silencing her.

"How long have we been dating now?" Eugene nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Awhile. A long while." He chuckled as he drummed his fingers on his back pocket. "And it's crazy, because at first, I never could have ever guessed that you would have such a large impact in my life."

"It has been a pretty crazy ride so far, right?" Rapunzel commented as she rested her head against the man's chest. It was clear to Elsa that Eugene meant a lot to Rapunzel, and it warmed her heart to see this kind of love in person rather than a storybook or movie.

"Rapunzel, I spent all of those days, years, without you chasing down some unreachable daydream." He looked over once more towards Anna for a much needed confidence boost. "Before meeting you, I just wanted to live on my own, living in a mansion made of hundred dollar bills." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I was living in a blur. But now, you're here. You're here, and you're looking up at me, blinking in the starlight. You're here, and it's crystal clear where I'm meant to go." And then, Eugene pulled a small black box out of his pocket and got down on one knee.

"Eugene, what are y-"

"Rapunzel, my entire world has shifted because of you. And at last, I see the light." He pulled open the black box, revealing a small engagement ring that seemed to glimmer in the lights. "I love you, Rapunzel. And now I'm asking you to marry me."

It wasn't long before Rapunzel fell to her knees, only to have Eugene lunge forward to support her. Elsa could see the tears beginning to pour down the sides of her face, and it felt as if the entire world paused for a moment while everyone waited for her response. This display even caused several patrons to stop dead in their tracks to watch what was going on. She felt Anna grip her hand as she heard her sniffle, and when Elsa looked down, she noticed the tears collecting in Anna's eyes. Elsa noticed that even Merida was standing completely still. At that moment, Rapunzel muttered something under her breath.

Eugene placed his hand underneath her chin and lifted her head with a smile. "What was that?" He asked calmly as the entire world stood still around them.

"I said yes, Eugene." She lunged toward him, tackling him onto the ground in a fit of crying and laughter. "Yes, I'll marry you."

The crowd that had gathered around the two erupted in a vigorous cheer and celebration, shouting their congratulations to the two as they continued to lie on the ground laughing and crying. When they finally got back up to their feet, Rapunzel wiped her face and punched Anna in the shoulder.

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?" She asked through the tears she couldn't stop. Her hair was sticking to her face, eyeliner smudged and tears streaming down her face. Still, she looked like she couldn't be any happier. She returned to Eugene's side, who promptly took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. Taking a moment to admire the ring, Rapunzel soon raised her head and looked at her friends gathered around her. It seemed as if everyone was wiping a tear from their eyes, or in Anna's case, a lot of them. "Thank you all for coming tonight." She said as she looked up towards her new fiancé and kissed him on the cheek.

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa and soon began to embrace the blonde. "I'm happy for her." She muttered into Elsa's shirt.

Elsa returned the hug and rested her chin on Anna's head. "I am too." She admitted as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye that was about to fall. Suddenly, Anna took her by the hand and pulled her towards the crowd.

"I believe I made you a promise." Anna mentioned as she continued to drag a stumbling Elsa through the fairgrounds.

Elsa eventually managed to regain her composure and match Anna's speed as she whisked around stalls, people, poles, anything in her way. It wasn't long before the two found themselves at the gate of the Ferris wheel, which was much larger up close than it was at the front of the fairground. "Are you sure about this, Anna?" She asked, slightly nervous at the large construct in front of her.

"Elsa, I just saw my cousin and best friend get engaged to the love of her life. I want nothing more than to be with you, right now, on that Ferris wheel. Humor me, okay?" She stated simply as she looked up at Elsa and smiled.

Elsa couldn't argue her with that point. It wasn't long before the two of them were seated onto one of the carts, and the wheel slowly began to turn. The higher they got, the smaller everyone on the ground got. Elsa was even able to point out Merida and Jasmine at one of the game booths, with Eugene and Rapunzel seated at one of the tables near them. After a couple minutes, Elsa deemed the Ferris wheel much more enjoyable than the swings. It was slow, leisure, and calming. And best of all, she had Anna snuggled up next to her with her face buried in her shoulder.

"Elsa?"

"Ye-" She was cut off when Anna pulled her in for a kiss. This time was different, though. It was much more passionate than the normal quick kisses she was used to. She didn't mind the change, though. Their lips seemed to conform to each other's perfectly, and when Anna pulled away, Elsa found herself trying to linger on for just a moment more. "What was that for?" Elsa asked softly with a small giggle as Anna lifted herself off of the seat and onto Elsa's lap.

"Indulge me." Anna muttered softly under her breath.

The added weight didn't bother her, but the look in Anna's eyes was something else to be discussed. Their usual glimmer was replaced with a subtle, sultry gaze as she closed them and kissed Elsa again. She could feel Anna bring her hand up to Elsa's cheek and she lightly scraped her nails against her face. It sent a chill down her spine that she had never felt before, and she liked it. Possibly even craved it. She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist, and when she did, she could feel Anna's tongue glide against her bottom lip. This took her as surprise, and she inhaled sharply, Anna noticed this and a small mewl escaped her throat and vibrated against Elsa's lips. This was the breaking point for Elsa as she dug her nails into Anna's waist and parted her lips, welcoming Anna's tongue as it caressed hers. The two didn't fight for dominance as much as they danced with each other. It was a strange sensation for Elsa, but she couldn't get enough of it. She became aware of every nerve in her body. The weight of Anna, the fabric of her clothes against her skin, the cool breeze that tickled her skin. She felt a kind of closeness with Anna as their tongues flirted with each other. When Anna finally pulled away, she rubbed her thumb against her bottom lip and smiled.

"Wow." She commented with a short, nervous chuckle. From the top of the Ferris wheel, she looked over the side at all of the people in the fairgrounds, the neon lights, and the sounds of games and music.

Watching Anna observe the crowd, Elsa raised her hand up to Anna's face and turned her towards her. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" She muttered as Anna smiled.

"Yeah, I know you are." Anna commented as she pulled Elsa's face towards her once more for another kiss.

_Smooth, Anna._


	16. Understanding

**A/N: **What's this?! A second update in one month?!

It's a little shorter than the last update, but I'm sure you guys don't mind. I try to get to at least 9k words most of the time, but more often than not, I find myself dragging it on too far and decide to cut it a little short.

But, the plot thickens.

At least, whatever 'plot' type thing this story actually has. Idk.

Enjoy!

* * *

"And so class." Professor Hades continued, moving from one side of the large whiteboard to the other. "You find the derivative of a fraction using the quotient rule." He extended an arm and gestured towards the cluster of scribbled on the board. "The bottom number times the derivative of the top, minus the top times the derivative of the bottom, divided by the bottom squared." He nodded to himself for confirmation and looked up at the tiers of students – Rapunzel included.

The brunette slapped her pencil down on her notebook in frustration and tapped Elsa on her thigh to get her attention. "Can you translate what he's saying into English?" She whispered in a rush and swept a strand of her hair out of her face. Monday morning hit Rapunzel hard after the constant excitement of the weekend. After the emotional proposal at the fair on Friday, she hardly had any time to breathe let alone prepare for the week ahead.

Elsa sent a sideward glance toward Rapunzel before looking back towards the front of the room, then shifted and turned in her seat so that she was facing the brunette. "Put a tune to it." She replied back in a whisper. "Low d-high minus high d-low, square the bottom and there you go."

Rapunzel still didn't fully understand, but she hurriedly jotted it down in her notebook before slapping her pencil down and giving a heavy sigh. "Thank you, Elsa." Ever since Friday and figuring about Elsa and her cousin, the two of them had really began to hit it off. She figured now that Elsa didn't have to hide the fact she was dating Anna, she was willing to be more open with her. Which Rapunzel enjoyed, she genuinely enjoyed Elsa's company and had no problem figuring out why Anna is so smitten with her. Until you get to know her, she's silent and distant. But after you start peeling away the layers of her defenses, she's an extremely intelligent and joyous person. _She's more similar to Anna than she may realize._ She picked up her pencil again and twirled it between her fingers. _They both have that childlike wonder. And they're both girls. _Rapunzel shook her head and returned her gaze towards the front of the classroom, where the professor was putting up another impossible equation she'd have to memorize and master. _Surprised it took her this long to realize she's gay. She never seemed as interested in the guys she dated as she does with Elsa._

"Have you heard anything about Jasmine?" Elsa asked in a hush tone, but loud enough to shake Rapunzel from her thoughts. She turned to face the blonde and shook her head.

"No, Merida said she lost track of her sometime after midnight last night when they went to that party." She replied, slightly worried about her roommate. The day before, she got invited to a party being thrown by one of the larger frats on campus. She asked Rapunzel if she'd like to come with her, but instead she decided to stay in and try her best to prepare for the week ahead. So, she went with Merida. But when Jasmine never returned that night, she found Merida in the morning and asked her if she knew where she was. Merida had mentioned that she saw her partaking in body shots before she decided to head back to her dorm for the night.

"Is she normally kind to partake in heavy drinking? Is this normal for her?" Elsa asked again, clearly worried herself. This was another aspect of the blonde that Rapunzel enjoyed – her honesty and caring nature.

Rapunzel shook her head and stuffed her notebook in her bag once she noticed the professor end class as the rustling of papers filled the room. "She's gone out like this once or twice, but she knows her limit." She stood up and followed Elsa out of the doorway into the hallway which was quickly filling with students leaving their classes. "She's always came back before the next morning, though." The pair started their descent down a staircase, but barely made it to the landing before meeting opposition in the form of a large crowd of students blocking the staircase. All Rapunzel could hear was screaming from the floor below them, and she dashed halfway back up the staircase in order to peer over the large group of students blocking her view.

"I apologized! Why are you continuing to argue with me?" Came a voice with Rapunzel very quickly recognized as Jasmine. Managing to look over the group of students on the staircase, she could make out her roommate and one other figure in the center of a large crowd. Her clothes appeared to be slightly tattered, and her normally flawless hair was in a complete mess. The other figure, however, appeared to be completely unharmed.

"Because I didn't like your tone, bitch!" The other voice shouted in response. Rapunzel quickly looked over her shoulder to find Elsa right beside her, clutching the railing with white knuckles. She looked up at her face to find her eyes shut tightly.

"You know who that is, Elsa?" Rapunzel asked calmly, but loud enough to be heard over the chatter of the crowd.

"What's your issue? Why can't you just get out of my face and get on with your day?" Jasmine nearly screamed, trying her best not to exacerbate the situation.

"Shouldn't you be working in customer service?" The other figure instigated, causing Jasmine to physically be taken back. Some members of the crowd chuckled while dead silence fell upon others.

"Aleks." Elsa finally replied meekly.

While Aleks and Jasmine continued going back and forth with each other, Rapunzel looked back towards the blonde who had opened her eyes only to have a tear trail down her face and onto her chin. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, she heard the squeak of a shoe being scraped against the flooring and her attention immediately shifted back to the ruckus on the floor. She could've sworn she felt her heart stop for a moment when she saw what happened next. Fist raised into the air, Aleks had lunged forward. Luckily, Jasmine had seen it coming and got out of the way only to bump into a large figure who appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"What's this here? This is no good." Mr. Oaken managed to deadpan, despite his usual cheery demeanor. He gently placed a large hand on the back of Jasmine's neck, and she looked up to him. He whispered something Rapunzel couldn't make out, and she nodded. As Aleks tried once more to get a hit on Jasmine, Mr. Oaken had jerked her away and had the other girl by the back of the neck as she stumbled from her momentum. "I'll meet with you both in my office." He sternly commanded as he exited the building just as quickly as he appeared.

"Do you know what'll happen to them? Rapunzel looked toward her side again, only to find her companion gone. She looked around for a moment before giving up the search as the crowd slowly began to dissipate. However, where Elsa was previously gripping the railing, Rapunzel noticed a faint stream of water make its way down the length of the railing. _Was that there when Elsa was here…?_

"They're adults. They'll be treated as such." Came a voice from behind her. Rapunzel quickly turned around to face the source of the voice. A tall, tanned woman in a fairly simple brown dress.

"What does that imply?" Rapunzel asked, worried about her roommate and what could have caused the commotion.

"A lot of things. If Mr. Oaken chooses so, he could turn them both into the authorities. Or he could expel them. And anything in between." She responded calmly before turning to leave.

"Do you think any of that would happen?" Rapunzel asked in desperation, stopping the woman in her tracks.

"It's hard to tell. Mr. Oaken is a kind person, but he doesn't take this kind of thing lightly."

"Thank you-"

"-Pocahontas."

"Pocahontas."

* * *

By the time Rapunzel had returned to her dorm, she found Jasmine sitting on her bed with her head buried into her knees. The click of the door alerted her as her head shot up to greet Rapunzel. Now that she was closer to her, Rapunzel could see the full extent of the damage from the morning and the previous night. Her hair was as bad as she thought, completely unkempt with stray strands all the way down her back. Makeup smeared, and clothes tattered and stained, she was looking a little worse for wear to put it lightly. Rapunzel took no time to place her bag down on her bed and sat down on Jasmine's bed right next to her.

"You know its coming." Rapunzel started, situating herself on the edge of the bed.

"What do you want to hear first? Last night's adventure or this morning's interrogation?" Jasmine asked slightly sarcastically. Her voice was hoarse and low, which caused Rapunzel to wonder whether or not she woke her up when she entered the dorm.

"The whole enchilada. Start to finish. Tortilla to beans to beef to cheese." She slightly rambled as Jasmine shook her head and chuckled slightly.

"Well, I got to the party last night with Merida. Things were going normal; we were mingling when drinks first started being passed around." She began before adjusting to a more comfortable position. "I'm not exactly sure what was being passed around though, I don't think it was vodka, it was much stronger."

"That wasn't your first indication that the night wouldn't be like all of the others?"

"In hindsight, it should have been. Because before long, I don't really remember what had happened." Jasmine started to continue before being cut off.

"Merida mentioned something about body shots earlier." She shrugged and leaned against one of the bedposts. "Ring any bells?"

Jasmine pursed her lips and crossed her eyebrows before slightly shaking her head. "No, but that would probably explain why I found a shot glass in my cleavage when I woke up this morning."

Rapunzel giggled, much to Jasmine's dismay. "Find anything else in strange places?" She innocently mocked before calming down and allowing her roommate to continue her story.

"I remember… somebody named Alice. She wore a blue dress and had really long, blonde hair. Oh my goodness Rapunzel, her hair was so pretty." She swept back a strand of hair that had gotten caught in her mouth during her storytelling. "Then I remember some kind of lamp. And someone who just referred to themselves as "Genie"."

Staring off to the distance, Rapunzel shifted her position again before shrugging. "Did you get three wishes, at least?"

"No, but I found this stuffed tiger in my purse…" Jasmine mentioned as she leaned over her bed and pulled a small stuffed tiger from underneath the bed. The fur was slightly matted, but the beady marble eyes looked extremely lifelike for a stuffed animal. Jasmine turned the tiger around before reading a tag on its hind leg. "Its name is Rajah."

"Well, that's kind of cute. Albeit slightly creepy." Rapunzel nervously commented as Jasmine nodded in agreement and set the tiger down.

"Anyway, I woke up in one of the custodial closets on the lower floor. I opened the door, and crashed into that bitch." Jasmine scoffed and stood up off of the bed, brushing off her clothes and grimacing when she noticed some of the stains. "I apologized and tried to get back to the room, but she kept following me and yelling at me. I believe you saw the rest of that."

Rapunzel nodded. "I'm surprised you were able to dodge that punch after a night like that." She commented, slightly impressed.

"I didn't wake up with a hangover, surprisingly. Just sore from spending the night in a closet apparently." She made her way to a small handheld mirror on the small table between their beds and cringed when she saw how bad her makeup had smeared.

"You know, you should really come out of the closet. Anna did so just recently and she seems much happier." Rapunzel teased with a small chuckle.

"And I'm happy for your cousin." She turned back around and leaned against the small table. "I, however, am not attracted to women like that."

Rapunzel waved her off.

"Anyway, when we got to Mr. Oaken's office, he honestly didn't seem angry." She stared at a random patch of carpet on the floor as she recalled the conversation in the dean's office earlier. "Just stern."

"So what kind of punishment did you two get?" Rapunzel asked, worried about the answer she may get. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them as Jasmine strode towards the bathroom door.

"Community service, nothing that bad." She opened the door and peeked through to make sure there was nobody else in there. "I'd love to stay and chat, but, I'd really love a shower right now."

Rapunzel sighed in relief as she rested her head against the wall. She didn't know how her cousin and Elsa were handling everything, but she knew she'd hear about it the next day.

* * *

"Anna, an order just came in. Large thin crust, extra cheese and pepperoni." Kristoff shouted back towards the kitchen from the front counter. He set down the phone and reached under the counter for one of the large tote bags he would hold the pizza in soon.

"Got it!" Anna shouted back in response before pulling off a large metal bowl from a rack, taking off the cover and pulling out a sizeable handful of dough, she began to work it on the island that took up most of the kitchen. When she had the dough in her hands, it was one of the few times she actually felt in control. Her mind became clearer, and her normally racing thoughts were slowed down to something much more tolerable and easy to understand. Cooking brought her an inner peace that she couldn't explain.

"Try not to get sauce all over the kitchen – and yourself this time, please?" Kristoff asked as he strolled into the kitchen and leaned against the island. Seeing the splotches of sauce all over Anna's previously white apron, he rolled his eyes and let out a grumpy groan.

Anna smiled at the man and flicked some of the sauce at his face. "I don't tell you how to run the deliveries, do I?" She asked as she finished spreading cheese over the raw pizza and bent over to stick it into the oven. "So, you shouldn't tell me how to run the kitchen."

Kristoff wiped the droplets of sauce off of his cheek and shook his head. "Technically, it's Tony's kitchen."

Closing the oven door, Anna jumped up onto the counter and shrugged. "Yeah, but he never really leaves the office." She crossed her arms and shrugged again. "He's like a dragon back there, protecting his stash of jewels and gold he's pillaged."

"He has more time to work on the business side of the restaurant since you've been hired. The shop isn't all bread dough and sprinkles you know." The blonde rounded the island and checked on the oven, much to Anna's dismay of having the man check over every little thing she did.

"You think he'd let me start putting sprinkles on some of the food?" Her eyes shot open in excitement and she gripped the edge of the counter. "Like on the calzones! Or maybe the scampi!" _Could I put sprinkles in some kind of scampi? Or a marsala? The possibilities could be endless!_

Kristoff let out a hearty chuckle before leaning against the oven door. "I don't think he'd let that slide. But I don't think he'd have an issue with adding a few desserts to the menu."

"I've only been working here – probably illegally – for like a week and you think he'd let me add things to the menu?" She asked, with a hint of excitement in her voice. She was honestly happy with working in the small Italian joint, but having her voice be heard regarding something on the menu was extremely exciting to her.

"Why not? Business has picked up substantially ever since you were hired." He ran his hand through his hair and gazed upwards toward one of the overhead lights. "With Tony having more time to actually run the place, and all of the good reviews we've been getting about your cooking, I'm sure he'd be okay with adding a little variety to the menu." Just then, the oven let out a shrill beep that shot throughout the entire establishment, letting everyone know without a doubt that the pizza was finished baking. Kristoff donned one of the oven mitts and bent over to take it out. It gave Anna quite the amusing view.

_Man booty, ahoy! _"Hey Kristoff, I think we should head out to the shed for a moment." She giggled for a moment when Kristoff stood back up with a confused look. "We need some spackle for that crack."

Kristoff groaned again and rolled his eyes. "Real mature, Anna."

"I would agree with the girl, Kristoff." Came another voice as a large man came down a set of stairs connected towards the back of the kitchen. When he made it to the duo, he inspected the pizza on the counter. Anna wasn't too sure what he was looking for, but he seemed pleased when he placed it in a box.

"Come on now, Tony!" Kristoff rebutted, letting out another groan as he stuffed the box into the bag he had over his shoulder.

The man let out a chuckle and patted Kristoff on the shoulder with a large hand. "You know I'm joking around, Kristoff. How about you finish up that delivery, and we'll call it a night." He checked his watch strapped across his wrist before looking over towards Anna, whose feet were nonchalantly swaying, still sitting on the counter. "You too, Anna. How about we call it a night?"

Anna hopped off of the counter and began to untie her apron. "Sure thing, Tony. When do you want me in tomorrow?" She placed her apron on a hook beside the counter and turned to face her employer.

Tony rubbed his chin for a moment before nodding to himself. "Take the day off tomorrow. You have to be fairly tired having to balance this job and your college work." A large grin spread across his face, as he patted Anna on the shoulder.

"Are you sure? It's been no problem a-"

"Yeah, I'm sure Anna. Kristoff tells me you have a girlfriend to run off with!" He smiled again as Kristoff chuckled nervously and tried his best to tiptoe out of the door as Anna gave him the stink eye in the back of his head. _Oh, I see how it is._ "So, take the day off. You deserve it."

Anna nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you." Tony never stopped smiling as he patted Anna's shoulder again. The moment Anna stepped out of the building and into the night air, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Pulling it out and sliding the screen, she saw a message from her cousin. Several of them, actually. Every one of them explaining what had happened that morning between Jasmine and Aleks. It was the last sentence that caused her heart to double in tempo.

'Elsa disappeared this morning, and I haven't seen her since.'

Not bothering to reply to the message, Anna gripped her phone as she began a mad dash towards the campus.

* * *

When Anna made it to the elevator, she nearly doubled over when she hit the call button. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. She wiped a bead of sweat out of the corner of her eye just as the elevator doors opened, revealing a fairly familiar face.

"Pocahontas!" Anna nearly shouted, still trying to catch her breath. She took a deep breath and held it, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart.

"Anna? Is everything alright?" Pocahontas asked, placing a tender hand on Anna's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Have you seen Elsa?" She asked in near desperation. The question seemed to surprise Pocahontas, as her eyes seemed to change. Although she was looking towards Anna, she got the feeling she was looking at something more. Looking right through Anna, and yet right at her at the same time.

"Is this the same Elsa that's related to Aleks?" She finally asked, breaking the slight tension that had begun to grow. Anna slowly nodded.

"You know Aleks?"

"She's my roommate, and has been fairly…" Her posture straightened as she took a deep breath, eyes darting across the room in front of her. "Distant. More so than normal."

"She's your roommate? That's… that's rough." Anna chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry."

Pocahontas shook her head. "She's been little trouble. I find myself slightly concerned for her, though. She's hardly been in the dorm as of late." She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the elevator door. "She's seeing somebody, but something doesn't seem right about it."

_Aleks found someone who is willing to put up with her?_ Anna mentally slapped herself on the wrist for being slightly passive aggressive towards the woman twice now. She liked to think she was fully over what had happened between the two of them the first day, but she was still a little sore about it all. "What's been happening?" She asked, trying her best to care. And she did slightly, but only because it involved Elsa seeing as she's her sister.

"She's been jumpy as of late, very short with me, and I rarely see her." Pocahontas replied as she rubbed her temples. "I saw Elsa enter the building earlier this morning, and I haven't seen her leave. I assume she's in your shared dorm." She finished as she left the elevator and nodded towards Anna.

Anna returned the gesture as she pressed a button inside the elevator and the doors shut. She didn't know a whole lot about the situation, but she knew it couldn't be good. All she knew was that Aleks and Jasmine got into a tussle earlier that morning, and according to Rapunzel, Aleks instigated it. That didn't surprise her a whole lot, but it was a little alarming after not hearing anything about her for the past couple weeks. And now, she's acting strangely to Pocahontas. _This all seems strange. I think._ Elsa rarely spoke about Aleks, and when she did, she didn't speak a whole lot. Anna tried to keep the topic of discussion off of her girlfriend's sister for that very reason.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Anna had a determined stride as she made it to the door and took a deep breath as she pulled her student id out of her wallet. As she unlocked the door and placed her hand on the handle, she was slightly surprised to find it cold. Placing the back of her free hand against the door itself, it even appeared to be cold. If she wasn't worried about Elsa before, she definitely was now. Finally steeling herself and opening the door, she was greeted with complete darkness save for a small shine of light that poured through from the underside of Elsa's door. Careful to not announce her presence when shutting the door, she slowly took of her shoes so that she could better move throughout the dorm without letting herself be known. The entire dorm was much colder than she expected it to be. If Anna could see anything, she was sure she would be able to see her breath. She felt her heart gradually beat quicker as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. As she began to silently tiptoe towards her door, her mouth began to dry up as she feared the worst. She remembered a couple weeks ago when Elsa found her passed out on the floor with blood streaming off of her thigh. She definitely did not want to find Elsa in a similar state, and even the thought of doing so put a sizable lump in her throat. When she finally made it to the door, she gingerly placed her ear against the door as a shiver was sent down her spine, nearly causing her to grit her teeth. Although she didn't feel any ice on the floor, she couldn't deny the layer of frost that had coalesced on the side of the door. The doorknob was even colder than the door, and she heard a small crack as she began to turn the knob. When she finally got the door opened, she heard the soft whimpers of Elsa sobbing as she sat on her bed. Her face was buried in one arm as she extended the other.

"Don't hurt me." She whimpered as Anna slowly shut the door behind her.

The entire room was covered in a thin layer of frost, save for the corners of the room which had collected small piles of snow. She looked up at the ceiling, only to have her reflection in the ice stare back at her. As much as she hated to see Elsa in this state, she couldn't deny that her powers could create a bittersweet kind of beauty. As she continued to inspect the room, she found that some of the smaller items in the room were tipped over. She slowly lowered herself onto the bed next to Elsa, and placed her hands in her lap. "Elsa, you know I would never hurt you." She whispered, trying to coax Elsa out of the shell she seemed to have put herself in.

Elsa's eyes peaked out from beneath her arm as she slowly retracted her other arm and joined it with the other. "What do you want, Anna?" She asked weakly and muffled.

Anna took the opportunity to scoot a little closer, only to have Elsa tense up slightly. She could've swore she felt the room get even colder. "What are you doing in here all by yourself, silly?" She asked with a small grin on her face. As much as she tried to form some kind of eye contact, Elsa wouldn't look at her. She was looking straight past her, at some invisible point at the corner of the room. When Elsa didn't respond, Anna slowly extended her arm towards Elsa only to find her tense up even worse and tightly shut her eyes. Anna brought her arm back and looked down at the floor. She wasn't too sure what to do in this situation, and it kind of hurt. Her attention was brought back to the blonde when the bed slightly shook as she began to whimper again. "Elsa, tell me what's bothering you." She stated bluntly, not sure what else to try.

Elsa continued to sit in relative silence save for the sporadic whimper or sniffle.

A deep sigh escaped Anna as she adjusted herself on the bed so that she was directly facing the blonde. "Elsa, we're kind of together." She began quietly, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "You need to be able to tell me anything." She noticed Elsa's shoulders slowly begin to fall. "Please?" She asked as she heard Elsa sigh and open her eyes again. Although glazed over with tears and red from constant crying and rubbing, they still seemed to shine the deepest blue Anna had ever seen.

"I miss my mother." Elsa finally mumbled.

Anna took the opportunity to scoot a little closer, and when she noticed that Elsa didn't tense back up, she lightly placed her hand on the blonde's knee. "Is this about your sister?" Anna went out on a limb and asked, and when she noticed a fresh glaze grow over Elsa's eyes, she knew she had hit some kind of nerve.

"I miss her too." Elsa groaned, voice gravely and weary.

"What's stopping you from talking with her?" Anna asked innocently, anything to get Elsa talking to her.

Elsa was silent for a moment before exhaling a deep breath. She lifted her head out of her arms and wiped the corner of her eyes with the heels of her palms. "Do you remember that day you discovered me on the couch with the entire dorm frozen over?" She began, finally making eye contact with Anna.

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked as she took Elsa's hand in both of hers and resting them on the section of the bed that made up the empty space between them. Her hand was cold and clammy, unnaturally so.

"That happened because of a…disagreement Aleks and I had." Elsa continued. "She had used her powers in public in order to win some petty fight with Merida."

"Yeah, I remember Rapunzel telling me about the condition she found Merida in."

"That same day, I found out some horrible truth that Aleks had been keeping from me for years now." Elsa started to continue before taking a moment to collect herself. She sniffled as she wiped her nose with her free hand, and Anna felt her grip onto her own hands.

Anna remembered the condition Aleks was in when she appeared at the door that day. She remembered the entire conversation, and how she wanted nothing more than to tear into the vulnerable woman. But no matter how bad she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Remembering what Aleks had told her that night, her eyes widened as Elsa began to speak again. _Tell her that I'm not sorry for what I've done, but I'm sorry for keeping it from her._

"She killed father."

An air of silence grew between the two girls as Anna began to make sense of things. Seeing Aleks this morning must have reminded Elsa of everything that had happened between the two sisters. From the death of their mother, to the abuse they suffered, and everything else up to that night where she found Anna on the floor. Anna bridged the gap between them and pulled herself up onto Elsa's lap. She wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you for telling me that." She could feel the room begin to warm up slightly as Elsa gripped the back of her shirt when she returned the hug.

"I need to talk to her, Anna." Elsa mumbled, muffled from her face being buried in Anna's shoulder.

Rubbing her back to try her best to comfort her, Anna rested her chin on the blonde's head and tried to make sense of everything going on. "I understand."

"I can't-"

Anna tightened the embrace slightly and planted a small kiss on top of the blonde's head, giving her just what she needed to finish her thought.

"-I can't lose the only family I have left." Elsa finished as she looked up at Anna.

Anna felt a hand on the back of her head as she was pulled forward for a kiss. Although brief, she could faintly taste the salty remnants of tears on Elsa's lips. When she continued to rub Elsa's back, she noticed that she didn't feel a bra strap where she should have. She looked back down at Elsa, and she blankly stared back up at her. Anna pulled Elsa closer, and could faintly feel her nipples on her side through both her shirt and Elsa's. "Elsa, why aren't you-"

"I never put it back on after I showered earlier." She said with a small shrug. "It just didn't seem important at the time. Why? Does it bother you? I could put one bac-"

Elsa was effectively silenced when an involuntary, slight moan escaped Anna's lips when she pulled Elsa towards her and kissed her. She could both feel and hear Elsa inhale sharply as she gripped the back of Anna's shirt in surprise, and accidentally digging her nails into Anna's back. This caused Anna to arch her back as she opened her mouth slightly and glided her tongue against Elsa's bottom lip. _God._ She could never get tired of how Elsa tasted, despite the faint saltiness from her tears. It didn't take long for Elsa to spread her lips to invite Anna in. As their tongues began to flirt with each other, Anna became aware of both the rising temperature in both the room and her skin. Her face felt flustered as she brought her tongue back, being sure to drag her teeth against Elsa's bottom lip when she did.

Opening her eyes, Elsa loosened her grip on Anna's shirt and looked up at the redhead expectedly. Anna noticed a new glaze over her eyes as she caressed the side of her face with the back of her hand. Elsa brought up her own hand to meet Anna's and a small smile grew across her lips, never breaking the eye contact. When Anna felt nails dig into her back again, she bit her bottom lip as another small moan escaped her. Elsa seemed to catch on quickly, and was playing with Anna. Teasing her, even, and Anna loved it. The moment she felt a surge of heat radiate down her body and into her thighs, she shifted her weight forward until Elsa fell onto her back and their lips met once again as Anna adjusted herself so that she was straddling the blonde. Gripping Elsa's shoulders, she deepened the kiss until she could feel the rise and fall of Elsa's chest underneath her. The blonde let out a small whimper when Anna bit her lip again. Two can play that game. But, just as Anna moved her hand and began to tease at Elsa's hip with her nails underneath her shirt, she was suddenly pushed off of the blonde with a force she never knew the blonde was capable of.

"Anna-" Elsa began, voice shaking. She blinked a few times before pushing strands of hair back behind your ears.

Anna lifted herself off of the bed and straightened her shirt before sighing. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be." Elsa interrupted, standing up so that she was facing the redhead. "I'm just not sure it's the right time."

"What do you mean?" Anna whispered as she grabbed a hold of Elsa's hands and intertwined their fingers. Her mind was still in a heavy haze, and she wasn't too sure what Elsa was going at.

"I want to be sure I'm one hundred percent prepared and ready before moving too far." Elsa commented and shrugged. She looked up at Anna and a small smile began to tug at the corner of her mouth. "It's not that I don't want to –"

Anna returned the smile and placed a small peck on Elsa's forehead to cut her off. "I understand. After all, we are pretty…" She nodded her head back and forth trying to find the right word. "Unexperienced." Her eyes shot down and she shrugged. _Sorry, vagina. Maybe next time._

Elsa nodded in agreement before shuffling forward and wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist. "I just want it to be special, with nothing getting in the way of us being able to fully enjoy each other." She kissed Anna on the cheek and smiled again. "I need to speak with Aleks and clear the air between us." Another kiss on the cheek. "You've been so understanding with everything, and I want you to know how much that means to me."

Returning the hug, Anna pressed her cheek against Elsa's. "You're worth it."

* * *

"Hans, it isn't that big of a goddamn deal!" Aleks shouted as she tossed a coaster across the room at the man seated at a table behind a laptop.

Hans sighed as the coaster whizzed beside his ear and hit the wall behind him. "I can't have you going around picking fights with everybody, Aleks!" He stood up and slammed the chair onto the ground with a loud crash echoing through the dorm.

"Because she fucking ran into me!?" She retorted before striding across the room towards the door. Before she could grab the handle, a large hand had her by the wrist.

"The fuck do you think you're going?" Hans asked in a sly town as he forcibly pulled Aleks away from the door. "You're going to sit your ass down and we're going to talk about this."

"I don't know if you realize this, but there's a good chance my sister was in that fucking crowd!" Aleks exclaimed as she landed back on the couch. Brushing her hair out of her face, she adjusted herself so that she could look up towards the man towering over her. "I need to speak to her!"

"Why? So she can break your heart again? I told you." Hans kneeled down so that she was eye to eye with the woman. "She doesn't want you. Get over it."

* * *

**A/N: **A little bit of fluff? Hints of smut? Bits of conflict?

I'm not sure what's going on here, either.

It's another one of those chapters which I'm probably going to have to shift the entire storyline to compensate.

But it'll be fun, I promise.


	17. Chance of a Lifetime

**A/N:** So, I've actually had this chapter finished for awhile now. I just felt like I needed to add something more to it, both to lengthen the chapter and add more adorable Elsanna cuteness. But, I've just had no real inspiration on what else to add. Therefore I'll just post it as is before I end up going several weeks without updating again.

As of 11/27/14, this story has 98 favorites and 179 follows. Not too bad for my first fic, eh?

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

* * *

Anna sat in one of the cloth chairs in front of the desk in the dean's office, nonchalantly swinging her legs back and forth. The large window behind the desk allowed the sunlight to pierce right through the glass and into her eyes, so she tried her best to direct her eyesight anywhere but. It was much earlier than she was used to waking up, and her mind was still a little groggy from having to wake up so early. On one hand, it was worth it though. Normally when she awoke, Elsa was already long gone to her classes. This morning she was able to see her off before getting dressed. How the blonde manages to be such a morning person was a mystery to Anna, but it was one of the curiosities about Elsa that intrigued her so much. She began to toy with the ends of one of her braids as the door behind her opened.

"Such a lovely morning, isn't it Ms. Aren?" Mr. Oaken cheerfully asked as he rounded his way around Anna's chair. When the large man sat down, Anna greeted him with a small smile. She was able to look towards his direction seeing as he blocked most of if not all of the sunlight through the window. Oaken was still wearing one of those awful, ugly sweaters that he was seemingly known for around the school. Autumn was just around the corner though, so as sweater weather started to descend upon campus, he didn't look as silly as normal. He opened up one of the drawers on the desk and pulled out a tin box, which he gingerly placed on the table. Opening the box revealed a large assortment of different kind of candies, from peppermints to chocolate. He picked out a piece of chocolate and threw it into his mouth before pushing the small container towards Anna, offering her a piece.

"Ooh! Thank you!" Anna exclaimed as she reached towards the container and picked out a similar piece of chocolate. If Oaken was trying to woo her over to help him with world domination, he would have succeeded. Biting on the chocolate, she was delightfully surprised to find the inside filled with caramel.

"I made them myself with my family just last night; I think they turned out pretty well." He mentioned as he finished his bite and logged on to the computer situated on the desk.

Anna nodded in agreement before swallowing, enjoying every bit of the sweet chocolate aftertaste in her mouth. "So, what would did you want to see me for?" She adjusted in her seat and crossed her legs. "If it was to offer me chocolate, I'd gladly wake up this early every morning."

Oaken chuckled to himself, eyes never moving from the computer screen. "Ms. Aren, its ten thirty."

"Don't remind me." Anna groaned. Not having classes until noon was one of the smartest decisions she had ever made in her opinion. Looking back, she had no idea how she woke up at six am for high school.

"Wondering why you're here, I'm assuming, ya?" He asked with a large grin which accentuated his rosy cheeks. He scratched the side of his face as he turned from the computer and crossed his arms over for the desk. "An opportunity has arisen and you were one of the perfect candidates for it, and I'd greatly appreciate if you gave it some thought."

Anna's first thought was some survey, but she quickly dismissed that seeing how it would make little sense for Mr. Oaken to call her to his office for something so trivial. "What is it?" She asked, unsure.

"Well, the university has many connections." He started, his normally cheery disposition growing slightly more serious. "Of these connections, some of them allow us to send our students to other countries for study."

If there was any haze left in her mind after waking up, it was immediately dissipated as her eyes shot open and she immediately straightened in her seat. "What do you mean?"

"You were chosen to finish the semester overseas in one of our foreign exchange programs, Ms. Aren." His gleeful disposition returning. He smiled again and drummed his fingers on the desk.

"Wait, what?" Her response was involuntary as she shot up from her chair and planted her palms on the desk in front of her. _Finishing the semester overseas?_ She had just gotten used to the semester in her native country.

"If you agree, you'll spend the rest of the semester in London." He pulled out a peppermint from the tin box and offered it to Anna, who quickly had it in her mouth before he could pull his hand back. "Doing this, the university is prepared to offer you a full ride scholarship for the rest of your time here, including if you have any post-graduate plans." He nodded to himself with another large grin. "Very exciting, ya?"

Anna wasn't too sure how to register any of that. As her mind was running on overdrive, she wasn't sure whether or not Oaken was serious. Spending the rest of the semester in London? That would mean leaving behind everything and everyone she knew behind for the time being. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe as she slowly lowered herself back down onto the chair, playing with the peppermint in her mouth as she moved it from cheek to cheek. She looked up towards the large man in the ugly sweater in front of her, who was still grinning from cheek to cheek. "When would I leave?" She asked, voice shaking slightly.

Oaken shrugged as he placed another chocolate in his mouth. "It's kind of short notice, unfortunately. You'll leave next Thursday if you choose to go."

_Next Thursday? _Seeing as it was currently Tuesday, that would give her a little over a week to prepare to start a new, albeit temporary, life in a whole new country. _Elsa! I can't leave Elsa here! Not after everything she's been through as of late…_ She remembered the night before, and the tension of trying to pull the blonde out of the shell she had made. If Anna never found her and calmed her down, what would she have done? The thought made Anna uneasy as her stomach churned. The thought of Elsa going through what she did last night completely alone while Anna was in a whole new country caused her to feel like her heart became heavier and sink in her chest. "When would I return?" She muttered, breaking the silence as she thought.

"If all goes as planned, you'll be back sometime in December." Oaken picked up the container of candy off of his desk and placed it back into the drawer. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, Ms. Aren. You'll be working with some world class professors and chefs."

Oaken raised a very good point. Anna had never been chosen for anything important like this, and she seriously doubted she'd get another chance. A couple months in a different country, gaining invaluable knowledge of her trade made the idea a little more palatable. But no matter how many times she ran it through her mind, there was no way she'd be able to grow comfortable with leaving Elsa. Full-ride scholarship or not.

"You don't have a lot of time to th-"

"I'll do it." Anna finally stated with a faux confidence. Even though she may spend the next week regretting it, she knew it was better than spending the rest of her life regretting it. As she said her goodbyes to Mr. Oaken, she strode out of the office and towards the staircase. _Elsa needs to know. Rapunzel, too._

* * *

Elsa stood outside of her sister's dorm, nervously rubbing her hands together. It took her awhile just to work up the confidence to step into the elevator, but now that she was outside of her door, it was a whole new challenge. It was only ten in the morning; she had to still be in there. Elsa had decided to skip calculus just for this reason. She had taken the liberty of memorizing her sister's schedule in order to avoid her, but now she used it for the very opposite. Many times she nearly knocked on the door before pulling her arm back and questioning why she even bothered. But, seeing her arguing with Jasmine the other day left a hole in her chest that she just couldn't ignore. She took the ends of her braid and started to play with the ends to distract herself, but to no avail. She pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket just to check the time for what seemed like the twentieth time just in the past five minutes. Just as she took a breath to steel herself, she was startled when she heard a voice down the hall.

"Elsa?"

Elsa whipped her head around to find a tall figure making their way towards her. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not turn around and run, even more so to not tear up. She didn't recognize the figure making their way towards her, how did they know her name?

"Are you here for Aleks?" The figure asked when they finally arrived at the door. She looked expectant as Elsa continued to stare at her with wide eyes and a heart beating quicker than what had to be healthy. "Oh! My apologies!" She brought her hand up to her chest and nodded her head. "Pocahontas."

Elsa recognized that name. "I-I'm sorry?" She nervously asked, backing up towards the wall. "Do I know you?"

"No, but I'm acquainted with both Anna and your sister." She nodded her head again before gesturing towards the door. "You're in luck. I don't think she's left the dorm yet."

Clutching at her phone in her pocket, she pushed herself off of the wall and slowly stepped toward the door. Her heartbeat managed to slow down slightly, but she still found it a little hard to breathe. "Do you know what happened between us?" She asked meekly, quiet enough as to not alert anyone in the dorm to her presence.

"She hasn't said much, but I find it imperative that you speak with her." Pocahontas replied in a hushed tone as she gazed towards the door, then back at Elsa. "She hasn't been herself as of late."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked unsurely, creeping a little closer towards the door.

"It's hard to explain." Pocahontas muttered as she unlocked the door and pushed the handle down, but not opening the door nor removing her hand. She gestured toward the handle, and finally moved her hand once Elsa had a grip on it. "I'll wait out here so you don't get interrupted and won't enter until you leave."

"T-thank you." Elsa said, barely managing to get the words out as she felt her palms begin to sweat the longer she held onto the handle. Taking a deep breath, she managed to open the door just enough to snake herself into the door. The dorm was set up fairly similar to her own, save a few personal touches that gave the dorm its own feel. When she heard the door click behind her, she debated saying something before deciding not to. She opened and closed her palms at her sides as she shifted her eyes throughout the dorm as she slowly and gingerly made her way through the dorm. There were several Native American dream catchers hung up on the walls, and even a few beautifully crafted, wooden animal carvings on the table. Homage to Pocahontas' culture, she decided. The sight of them did have a strange calming effect as she continued her way through the dorm. She was studying a blanket laid over the couch when her attention was immediately shifted towards the opening of a door and an all too familiar voice.

"Hey, I was just about to lea-"

For the first time in weeks, Elsa was looking at her sister right in the eyes. The last time she saw them they were red and full of tears, a layer of frost over her eyelids. Elsa felt the room immediately grow a few degrees cooler, and to no fault of her own. She slowly turned her body towards her twin and crossed her arms across her stomach, which decided to twist itself into several complicated knots. She swallowed the growling lump in her throat as her felt like her heart was about to launch out of her chest at breakneck speeds. "Hey." She quietly muttered as she finally broke the eye contact and looked straight down at her shoes.

"I'm so fucking sorry!" Aleks nearly screamed as she dashed towards her sister, leaving a very distinct path of frost in her wake.

Elsa nearly had the wind knocked out of her when her sister made it to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her, threatening to squeeze the little air she still had left in her lungs out. With shaking hands, Elsa slowly raised her own arms before lightly placing her hands on her sister's heaving back. "It's… It's okay." She said as Aleks began to cry on her shoulder. Gradually, the path of frost began to dissipate as Elsa felt the room warm back up.

"No, no it isn't." Aleks replied as she took a step back and placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "I shouldn't have kept that from you, and it was wrong of me." She admitted as she looked Elsa up and down with a large grin on her face as another wave of tears made her way down the sides of her face.

She didn't realize it, but Elsa had her own stream of tears running down her face and collecting at her chin. "I know it was only to protect me. But, Aleks…" Elsa began as she took a step back and sat down on the arm of the couch. "I don't need you over my shoulder all the time. Since our fight, I've made friends!" She wiped the side of her face with the heel of her palm and grew a slight smile through a small chuckle. "And you were right, I even have a girlfriend."

Aleks laughed before wiping away her own tears. "I knew it! I knew you were gay as shit!" She ran her hands through her hair as she took a deep breath and sighed. "But, I know that now, Elsa." She said as she made her way towards the chair adjacent to the couch and sat down in it. "I saw you at the fair on Friday, and I actually thought about coming up to you and speaking to you, but…" She shrugged and turned her head towards the kitchen. "I decided it wouldn't be best."

"Probably not, not everyone in my group of friends has had a real good first impression of you." Elsa admitted with her own shrug in return.

"You mean they pretty much hate me."

"Well, I wouldn't put it that bluntly." Elsa stood up and shrugged again. "You punched Rapunzel's cousin, Anna, in the face. You nearly gave Merida a concussion, and you threatened to deport Jasmine back to India."

"Well, when you put it that way… I can see why" Aleks admitted as she looked back towards her sister and smiled. "Is she even Indian?"

"Does she even have the slightest accent, Aleks?"

"Ah, no."

"They're all really nice people." Elsa mentioned with a small chuckle. Now, she wasn't so sure why she was so nervous about speaking to her sister. At this point, it seemed like their little fallout never even happened and she was talking to her as if she never stopped. It felt completely natural, and it made her happy in a way she couldn't describe. "Why were you even at the fair? Those types of things aren't your style."

Aleks shrugged and adjusted herself in the chair. "You're not the only one who knows how to put the moves on someone." She brushed her knuckles on her shirt and gave a smug grin.

"Finally steal Phillip from Aurora?" Elsa joked, effectively wiping the grin right off of her face.

"Oh, you're a bitch." Aleks retorted with a small giggle. "Actually, I told him his sideburns looked like shit and asked him if he was fighting over the iron throne. He asked me if I could troubleshoot his computer, and now we're kind of dating." She shrugged. "Strange how those things work out, huh?"

Elsa found it somewhat hard to believe that Aleks found a guy considering how abrasive she could be. But then again, there's someone out there for everyone and it made her happy knowing that she wasn't alone while they weren't talking. "So, what's he like?"

The question hit Aleks as surprise as her demeanor grew a little more solemn. Her eyes shot back towards some distant object in the middle of nowhere as she appeared deep in thought. Eventually, she gave a quick shrug. "He's kind of an ass." She said bluntly. "But, he always seems to have a fairly good intention for it."

Elsa kind of felt like there was more there that Aleks wasn't telling her, but she didn't really want to get into it considering how they just started talking. "Kind of like you, huh?" She teased, which brought Aleks back to reality as another smug grin grew on her face.

"Pretty much. Hey, hate to cut this short." She pulled out her phone and checked the time before sticking it back into her pocket. "But, class and shit. We'll talk later okay?" She hopped up off of the couch and threw her bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure thing." Elsa responded as she made her way towards the door.

Aleks beat her there, and as she opened the door she was nearly taken back to find Pocahontas standing in the hallway. She looked her up and down before shaking her head. "Smell you later, Pokemon." She teased as she looked back towards Elsa and smiled again before making her way down the hall.

When Elsa made her way into the hallway, she shut the door behind her and smiled at Pocahontas. "Again, thank you."

Pocahontas returned the smile and nodded her head. "Not an issue."

As Elsa began to make her own way down the hallway, she was stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Pocahontas' voice behind her.

"By the way, you and Anna are so cute together!"

A blush quickly came over Elsa's face as she put a little more pep in her step. She had to find Anna to share the good news.

* * *

"Rapunzel!" Anna nearly screamed as her cousin exited her class through the double doors. She had been waiting there for the past fifteen minutes or so after not finding Elsa at her usual table in the study hall.

Rapunzel jumped and nearly head-butted the poor bystander behind her. "Shit! Anna! What!?" She responded when she gained her composure and pulled Anna off to the side away from the students leaving the classroom.

"Where's Elsa? I just got back from Mr. Oaken's office around the same time her calculus class normally gets out, so I waited outside of the door for her. But, after she didn't come out I thought that was totally strange! I thought maybe she left a little early to go to the bathroom or something, so, I checked the bathroom and had a pretty interesting conversation with somebody passed out in one of the stalls. I think her name was Alice? Anyway, she wasn't in the study hall either and I-"

"Anna, I love you, but take a breath." Rapunzel stated, trying her best to calm down her ecstatic cousin. "Why didn't you just text her? Or me, for that matter, instead of giving me a heart attack?"

"I don't have my phone."

Rapunzel turned her head towards her cousin. "Where is it?"

The redhead shrugged. "On my nightstand, probably. I don't really take it with me if I don't plan on leaving the campus." Although the more she thought about it, it would probably be a good idea to start carrying it around. Especially for situations like this.

"I don't know where Elsa is." Her cousin replied as she gestured towards the hall, inviting Anna to join her in walking to her next class. "She wasn't in class this morning. And speaking of class, shouldn't you be in one?"

Anna waved Rapunzel off as they turned a corner. "It's just economics. I could probably pass it with both hands tied behind my back and two eye patches." In this case, she was confident in that. Although she was never really good with academics, she found that many of the social sciences were fairly easy for her. To her, it was little more than thinking outside of the box a little bit. Therefore, if she had the opportunity to hardly attend class and still make a passing grade, she'll jump on it.

The brunette sat down on one of the benches against the wall and patted the empty spot next to her, inviting Anna to sit down. "I've noticed that she's a creature of habit. You know she's around here somewhere." She mentioned as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket. "I'll text her for you and find out. But, what's so important that had you all worked up over?"

Anna joined her on the bench and crossed her legs. "Would you believe if I told you I was chosen for some fancy foreign exchange thing to study in London?"

"No." Rapunzel teased with a slight grin. After sending her text, she set her phone down in her lap and looked back towards Anna, who had a fairly serious look on her face. "You're serious?"

"Yes!" Anna squealed, smile returning to her face as she nearly jumped in her seat. The more she thought about the whole thing, the more she grew towards it. It was a new and exciting adventure for her, and she couldn't wait to tell everybody about it.

Rapunzel gasped in slight shock as her eyes widened, it wasn't long before she soon had her own large grin painted across her face. "Tell me about it!"

"Oaken is going to give me a full ride scholarship for spending the rest of the semester in London, which is extended if I want to come back for a master's." Anna explained, shrugging and suppressing her excitement long enough to fake a smug look. "No big deal, really." _Except it's probably the biggest deal in my life to date._

"Uh-huh, sure." Her cousin chuckled. "When will you be back?"

"Before Christmas and all of the holidays, I leave next Thursday. It's pretty short notice, and at first I was pretty on the fence about it." Anna regurgitated the information the best she could, she still didn't understand a lot of the specifics about it. "But hey, Punzpunz?" She asked, with a lower, more serious tone. She was still concerned about leaving Elsa on her own for that long. Therefore, she was going to do her very best to make sure she's still taken care of._ I'd like to see Merida's definition of 'take care of'. Maybe she'll be nice enough to make sure Elsa does her laundry. Is that ironic? It should be ironic._

"Yes, Anna-banana?" Rapunzel responded, hands on her knees and grin on her face.

Anna adjusted herself so that she was looking her cousin directly in her large green eyes. "Look after Elsa for me, okay?" She shrugged, casting her gaze onto the floor beside her and went to open her mouth to further explain herself, but was cut off when her cousin began.

"I promise."

Anna looked up back towards her cousin, forming the same eye contact. "I'm seriou-"

"Anna, you know me." Rapunzel's eyebrows stitched together as her voice grew much more intense and she leaned in until there was hardly a hair width between their faces. Anna could nearly see her reflection in her cousin's eyes. "You know I don't ever, ever break a promise." She leaned back, but not lessening in her serious stature and tone. "I'll get Merida and Jasmine on it too. Elsa will be fine while you're gone for a couple months."

She still wasn't exactly thrilled about leaving her girlfriend behind, but there was a certain level of calmness that came over her knowing that her cousin would watch over her. "Tha-"

"I'm here, Rapunzel, sorry." Elsa explained as she turned the corner, placing her phone into her hoodie pocket as she was preoccupied searching in her purse.

Anna quickly glanced over to Rapunzel and the pair smiled at each other. Anna leaned back on the bench and nodded towards the blonde. "Sup, babe."

Elsa immediately froze in her tracks as she slowly pulled her hand out of her purse and looked towards the bench. When she realized who was talking to her, it seemed as if all life was put back into her body and then some. "Anna!" She quickly sat down on the bench next to her girlfriend, and nodded towards Rapunzel with a smile.

Rapunzel checked her phone once more before standing up and dusting off her legs. "I'll leave you two; I have to get to class anyway." She nodded towards the pair before departing around a corner and into a large mass of students.

Anna felt Elsa wiggle her fingers through her own, and as she looked over she was greeted by her girlfriend's large blue eyes looking right back at her. Almost immediately, the most adorable blush grew over Elsa's face and she smiled. _Damn you're cute. _At that point, Anna was sure that Elsa wasn't the only one blushing. "So-"

"I went to see Aleks. After I left the dorm this morning and stepped into the elevator, it was almost entirely on impulse. Instead of hitting the ground floor, I hit her floor and before I knew it I was standing at her door." Elsa confessed, her grip tightening slightly around Anna's fingers. "It went really well, and I can't tell you how happy I am knowing I can have my sister back in my life." She smiled at herself and nearly squealed. "Also, Pocahontas sends her regards."

_Pocahontas? Wait, what? She has a real knack for randomly appearing in places where she seems to be needed. Like some kind of freaky ninja hero. _Anna returned the smile. "I'm glad to hear that, Elsa." _Does that mean Aleks is going to be in my life now? Probably. Great. _She snapped back to reality for a moment to see the exuberant energy that seemed to be radiating off of Elsa's entire being. _Worth it._

"You don't know how much of a relief it is to have that off of my chest." She stated, which was clearly obvious seeing her complete change in character from the night before. "But, enough about that. How did your meeting go?"

The halls had practically cleared by now, classes had started and the only people left in the halls were a few sleep deprived, malnourished students in random corners with their nose buried in a book. Wherever Anna looked, it was just simply empty. But whenever she found herself looking at the smiling woman in front of her, she felt a warmth and comfort which she could quickly grow addicted to. "It went great." Anna started slowly, unsure of what to say and how to say it. "He uh, he offered be an amazing opportunity."

Elsa scuttled a little closer and pursed her lips with a slow nod. And at that moment, Anna was fairly certain Elsa was going to kill her in the cutest way possible with those blue eyes staring at her.

"A full ride scholarship, actually." She unknowingly found herself rubbing her thumb against the side of Elsa's hand as she rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "Even if I decide to come back for a post-grad." Anna looked off into the distance and tried to look anywhere but at Elsa. She wasn't sure how she would react, and if worst comes to worst, she didn't want to see. As she grew more distant, she saw Elsa's disposition shift as she placed her hand on the side of Anna's face and directed her towards her.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked, as innocent and kindhearted as could be. She let her hand fall until Anna caught it in her own.

Steeling herself, Anna did her best to slow her growing heartbeat and took a deep breath. "I've been chosen to spend the rest of the semester in London. I leave next Thursday and will be back by Christmas."

"You leave next Thursday? Does that mea-"

"Yes, I accepted it." Anna looked up towards her girlfriend, but wasn't exactly sure how to gauge her reaction. She was looking down at her hands with scrunched eyebrows. Anna had no clue what she was thinking, if she was a moment from a total breakdown or not.

Finally, she looked up and a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You made the right decision."

"Are you sure? I kind of feel like an asshole for not asking your opinion, because it means a lot to me. I like you, Elsa. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. And I really don't want to leave you behind for that long, well, anyone really, but especially you. I'm not sure wha-" Elsa cut her off when she pulled her forward for a kiss and suddenly, Anna's senses returned to her. When she was able to register what was going on again, she realized the previous blush had returned to the blonde's face, possibly even deeper than before.

"You're sweet, Anna." She started softly before she pulled her hand back and twiddled with the end of her braid. "And I like you too." Looking down at her hands, the grin on her face became obvious from her cheeks. "A lot." She mumbled to herself, just audible enough for Anna to hear it. "But-" She raised her head back up. "It's the right decision. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that you can't afford to pass up!"

Anna was pleasantly surprised to see her taking it as well as she is. Maybe she was hiding her true emotions, but Anna liked to think that she knew her well enough to know she wasn't. "Are you sure? I'm still really uncomfortable about leaving you alone for that long."

"I'll be fine." Elsa reassured. "Not only do I have my sister back, but I'm on good terms with Rapunzel, Jasmine, and Merida." She shrugged and readjusted herself in her seat, crossing her legs at the ankles. "And besides, you won't be gone for that long. And we still have a little over a week."

"You're right. You're totally right." Anna reassured herself out loud. Elsa wouldn't be completely alone. She smiled to herself and looked over towards the blonde, who returned the smile.

"We just have to enjoy the time we have left until then." Elsa commented as she looked over her shoulder towards the empty halls. "I've already skipped one class; I can probably skip the rest of them for the day." She muttered to herself.

"Well, I was going to go to chemistry." Anna mumbled to herself.

Elsa waved her off with a small scoff. "I'll help you study later tonight. It's a good day! Let's get out and do something!" She quickly stood up in her excitement, grabbed Anna's hands and pulled her off of the bench. After stumbling to find her balance, Anna giggled before pulling Elsa towards her and into a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered into the crook of Elsa's neck. Her sweet perfume tingled in her nose, and it didn't take Anna very long to recognize the scent as vanilla. She took a deep inhale before tightening the hug. Finally, she pulled herself away before growing drunk on the aroma. She swept a strand of hair behind her ear before gesturing towards the hall. "So, where are we going?"


	18. This Moment

**A/N:** First update in like, 2 months? Sorry about that. Been kind of off/on busy, and not really in the best emotional state. So, I put off writing for... awhile.

Also, been playing copious amounts of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Good Lord, that game is SO GOOD.

Okay, anyway.

I know this chapter is really, really short. It's kind of to get myself back into the swing of things, and to add a little bit of spice to the story.

Enjoy!

* * *

Anna lay in bed, the only light coming from the dimly lit alarm clock on the nightstand beside her. She stared up at the ceiling, barely able to make out the shape of the light. Sleep evaded her, but it didn't really bother her. She leaves for London in the morning, and the lack of sleep would help her sleep on the plane later. Thinking of her trip, it squeezed her stomach in knots. But, at the same time it had a strange calming effect. Oddly though, her thoughts weren't racing. She turned her head towards the clock and exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding when she realized it was nearly two thirty in the morning. Her eyes shifted from the clock and could make out the shape of the small snowman on the nightstand. Olaf, Elsa had called it. Anna could feel a very light breeze coming from it, and a small smile grew across her lips as the breeze slid across her face. The day's events were still fresh in her mind, albeit slightly fuzzy. She and Elsa managed to have a day just to themselves for the first time in a few days. No classes, Rapunzel, Aleks, Merida, nor Jasmine. They didn't even leave the dorm, nor even bother to change out of their pajamas. And to Anna, it couldn't have been more perfect.

"Anna?" Her voice was weak and raspy. But at the same time managed to be soft and gentle.

Turning her head back around until her chin rested comfortably on Elsa's head. "I'm here." She whispered and felt Elsa bring herself a little closer. She could feel her take a slow breath before continuing her thought.

"I'm sore." Elsa replied barely awake.

Anna smiled again, and held back a small chuckle. She shifted her body, and cringed when her thighs rubbed together. She definitely understood what Elsa meant, she felt it too. In all honesty though, it didn't bother her much. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, she adjusted herself so that she was laying on her side. The burning feeling running down her back guaranteed that she would have red scratch marks across her back for the next couple of days. "You and I both."

Elsa placed a light peck on her collarbone and nuzzled into her neck. "I'm sorry." She spoke softly, and her words were slightly slurred together.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Anna responded as she ran her fingers through the blonde's hair that was splayed out behind her, being careful not to tug on any knots. "But I don't think I can get by with just my fingers after that." She thought out loud. In her wildest dreams, she never could have foreseen losing her virginity not only to Elsa, but to another girl in general. But now that she lay there in the middle of the night, wrapped up with her, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I miss you already." Elsa nearly whimpered into her neck, and Anna could swear she felt her heart drop straight into her stomach.

Anna sighed as she continued to twirl Elsa's hair between her fingers. "I don't want the night to end." And she didn't. If it were up to her, she'd pause the entire world around herself and Elsa just so that she could live in the moment for as long as she wished. But she knew eventually, the sun would rise. She'd have to leave her girlfriend behind as she left for a whole new country. Although she wouldn't be gone but a few weeks, she dreaded the thought.

"Anna?" Elsa slowly repeated.

Anna could feel Elsa's eyelashes brush against her neck as she blinked. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Anna could almost swear she felt her heart jump right back into her chest as it threatened to burst right out from her. She smiled to herself as she placed a kiss on the top of Elsa's head. "I love you too." She whispered, never more sure of anything else in her life thus far.

* * *

"So, where are we going?" Anna asked again as Elsa led her through the parking lot.

"We're going to make use of the next few days before you leave the country, of course!" Elsa replied with giddiness in her voice that Anna has only heard a few times before. "And obviously celebrate the wonderful opportunity Mr. Oaken gave you this morning!"

Anna smiled as they reached Elsa's car and she opened the passenger side door. _Where we go doesn't matter. As long as we're together._


	19. Reassurance

**A/N:** As of 1/25/2015, Burning Low has 18.3k views. I cannot thank you all enough for all the support you give for this story. Your comments and messages never fail to put a smile on my face and make me excited to start writing the next chapter.

This one was fun to write, although I constantly had to send it to a few friends for possible revisions on a few parts to make sure I was accurate.

I also feel like my writing style has changed drastically since the first few chapters. I have no idea if it is a good change or a bad change, but, you all keep coming back with every update so I'm assuming it isn't too bad lol.

Of course, constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Elsa, what are we doing at the mall?" Anna asked as she lifted herself out of the car.

Elsa rounded the vehicle and took her girlfriend by the hand as she locked the car. "I figured it would be fun to take you clothes shopping." She answered with a grin.

"But I already have clothes." She protested lightheartedly.

Adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder, Elsa waved the redhead off and began her way toward the front entrance. "You have a lot of casual clothes, yes. But a little birdie told me you didn't bring a whole lot of nice clothes with you." Elsa explained. "Not that I'm trying to say your clothes aren't nice, but-"

"I know what you mean, silly. Rapunzel?"

"Rapunzel." The blonde admitted. In all honesty, she didn't really think Anna needed real nice clothes for her trip to London. But as they left the campus, Elsa realized that she had no idea where she was actually taking Anna. The mall seemed like a safe bet considering all the different options they had in one area. However, the more she thought about playing dress up in Anna, the more she warmed up to the idea of clothes shopping. _I bet a nice low cut v neck would work really well with her long skirt she wore to the movies. Show a little bit of cleavage, but nothing provocative or overly revealing. _As the two entered the building, Elsa's eyes wandered until she found herself inadvertently glancing at Anna's breasts. _Honestly, any kind of low cut style would probably be extremely flattering. _Her eyebrows rose as she continued to evaluate her girlfriend's breasts and what styles of clothing would work on her, completely unaware of where she was actually walking.

"Like what you see?" Anna teased, causing Elsa to immediately snap back to attention. When she noticed the slight blush amidst all the freckles on Anna's face, she couldn't stop the rush of heat that came to her own face.

"I-I wasn't sta- I was ju-" Elsa stuttered, completely embarrassed. She nearly took a step back when Anna began to walk in a more exaggerated fashion, rising on her toes on every step. The resulting bounce in her breasts caused Elsa's eyes to shoot back down as her free hand shot up to cover her mouth and as much of the increasing blush that she could. The air conditioned building suddenly seemed much more warmer than she remembered.

Anna playfully giggled and soon started to return to a normal walk. "It's okay to look, you know?" She rubbed the back of her neck and gazed off to the side. "It's only fair I guess, since I do it I so often."

Elsa blinked once. Twice. Thrice. "What?" She blankly asked. She wasn't too sure why exactly she was asking for clarification. She knew Anna stared at her; a part of her even enjoyed it. But it was strange hearing her say it out loud and so bluntly.

Coughing nervously, Anna shifted her eyes practically anywhere except Elsa, and shrugged. "We ended up on the second floor, pretty neat huh?" She tried to chuckle it off. Anna was right, the pair somehow managed to find themselves on the second floor. Being the middle of a weekday, Elsa was glad to find the mall pretty scarcely populated. Ever since she and Anna have gotten close, large crowds didn't frighten her nearly as much as they used to. She was still often uncomfortable, but she was able to overlook it most of the time. Taking a moment to catch her bearing, Elsa spotted the clothing store on the other end of the floor. It was a higher end store from what she could make out of it, and that's exactly what she was hoping for.

"Hey, Anna." Elsa stopped, and backed towards the railing overlooking the ground floor. The curious look in her girlfriend's blue-green eyes filled her with warmth that she couldn't describe, but she knew she was able to share anything with the redhead. "I don't want you to worry about any kind of expenses while we're shopping today. Okay?" She asked slightly nervously. Elsa knew how Anna seemed to crave a kind of independence, and she didn't want to impose on that.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "I've been working, Elsa, I can pay for wha-"

"I know." Elsa cut her off curtly. "I think you should have the money you earned for whatever expenses you come across in London." She cleared her throat and shrugged. "I've told you that money really is not an issue for me. I don't want you to worr-"

"Okay." Anna muttered as she took hold of Elsa's free hand. "If that's what you want to do, I won't argue." A half smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she looked up towards the blonde. "But I'm paying for whatever comes after leaving that store." She stated, nodding towards the entrance behind her.

Elsa could only nod and smile. She led Anna through the entrance of the store, and was immediately assaulted by an insane amount of scents. Some sweet, others nauseating. Doing her best to take sparse breaths, she eventually managed to find her way out of the pungent cloud of perfumes that lingered near the entrance. Lucky for her, she ended up right in the women's section. Racks of assorted clothing in front of her, in a plethora of different colors and styles. One of the first things Elsa laid eyes on was an unbelievably thin crop top. She didn't even realize Anna had walked off as she rubbed the fabric between her fingers. _I'm almost certain notebook paper is thicker than this. _Checking the tag in the back, Elsa's eyebrows shot up when she read the size: large. She took the clothes hanger off of the rack and pressed it against her own body, sizing it. _If this is a large, I'd hate to see what a small looked like. _Her face grew distasteful as she placed it back on the rack and turned to look at a different shirt. This one much more conservative. It was just a simple orange top with a slight v-neck and poofy sleeves. Elsa wasn't too impressed with it though, Anna didn't exactly seem the poofy sleeved kinda girl.

"Hey, Anna, what do you think of thi-" Elsa turned her head over her shoulder, surprised to find herself alone amidst the racks of clothing. Her pulse quickened when she turned the other direction, with still no indication of where the redhead may have gotten off to. The last time she was left alone in a store in the mall, she nearly had a panic attack when an employee offered to help her retrieve a pillow off of a shelf. She had nearly forgotten about that instance, but now that she did, she could already feel pressure building up behind her eyes. As she continued to work her way around different clothing racks, she became increasingly worried. Eventually she decided to stop where she stood. She took a deep breath and held it, attempting to calm herself. Reaching into her back pocket, she grabbed her phone and began to search for Anna's number. Bringing the phone up to her ear and her hand up to her mouth, she shut her eyes and prayed for Anna to pick up. She tried her best to ignore whatever cacophonous pop music was playing over the speakers as the phone continued to ring. Though her eyes were closed, she could feel the tears welling behind her closed eyelids. She hated this feeling. She hated not knowing. It reminded her of too many restless nights she spent alone in her room while her father would drink himself into a reckless stupor. He'd get angry and she'd hear things crashing and glass breaking in the other rooms while she huddled on her bed, afraid he'd come after her next. Too afraid to defend herself, but nowhere else to go.

"Don't call me gaga." Came a well known voice.

Elsa's eyelids shot open as she nearly dropped her phone to wrap Anna in a close embrace. A few tears managed to fall out of the corners of her eyes as she nuzzled her nose into Anna's shoulder. As if by magic, every little fear that had been growing inside of her suddenly dissipated when she realized Anna was okay and in front of her.

"I've never seen one like that before." Anna stated, grabbing a nearby shirt and playing with the fabric between her fingers.

Confused, Elsa took a step back and held Anna by her shoulder's at arms distance. She sniffled, but soon started to giggle when she noticed the riciculously large black sunglasses adorned on Anna's face. They had large rhinestones across the rim, and Elsa could only shake her head as she laughed again.

Anna reached up and pulled on the sunglasses until her eyes were just visible over the rim. A large grin grew across her face. "Don't look at me like that."

Elsa took that as a challenge, scrunching her eyebrows and puckering her lips to make a funny face.

"You amaze me." Anna said as she stole a quick kiss from her girlfriend, catching her unaware as she smiled again. There was a certain kind of innocence in her smile that had a calming effect for Elsa. She started realizing it after she found her collapsed on her bedroom floor and the two really started to open up with each other.

"You had me worried, you know." Elsa declared, trying to sound stern enough to make her point, but not enough to have any negative effect with Anna. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and sighed. "I didn't know where you went, I looked behind me and you were just gone."

Anna took off the ridiculous sunglasses and placed them on a nearby rack before pulling Elsa toward her by the hips and held her in a loose hug. "You looked pretty interested in that shirt and the store is practically empty , though." Elsa felt her bring her hand up to the back of her neck and start twirling the tiny hairs underneath her braid.

"Rationally, I know." Elsa started, completely unsure on how to explain herself. Anna knew about her childhood, not any of the minute details, but she knew enough to hopefully understand why Elsa acts the way she does.

"You go to classes and everything on your own, though."

"It takes a lot of effort most days, Anna." Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's side and pulled her closer until they were cheek to cheek. She was warm. She was always warm, and it never failed to cause something in Elsa's heart to spark up. Every little thing about her girlfriend seemed to comfort her in one way or another without even realizing it.

"I didn't go far, but I understand I guess." Anna said as she broke the hug and took Elsa by the hand. She nodded toward a clothing rack a few feet away. "We came here to shop, didn't we?"

Elsa nodded curtly as she was directed to the clothing rack. She couldn't keep too focused on clothes though, she kept periodically looking up at Anna on the opposite side. A small smile still graced her face as she went through assorted clothes of different styles and colors. Whenever she found something she liked, she'd drape it over her arm and continued looking for more. Despite how understanding Anna proved to be, Elsa just couldn't shake a nagging feeling. _How clingy must I look to her? _She continued to go through clothes, but she wasn't paying attention. She was just going through the motions. _She wasn't even gone but a couple minutes and I start to freak out over it? _Elsa was brought back from her thoughts when she found a shirt that interested her. She took it off of the rack to look at it a little better. It was a black shortsleeved blouse with a slightly lowcut, ruffled neckline. The middle of the blouse seemed to be somewhat elastic, so it would hopefully be form fitting enough to accentuate curves no matter how slight. With a nice pair of jeans, Elsa thought Anna would look adorable – maybe even sexy in it. Or she could pair it with a nice pair of khakis for a more professional look. The more she looked at it, the more Elsa liked it. She rounded the clothing rack and grabbed Anna by the hand, dragging her towards the dressing rooms, determined to have her try it on.

"I found this pair of pants back there with a really cute butterfly design thing on the butt." Anna cheerfully stated when Elsa stopped in front of the dressing rooms. She placed the pile of clothing she had across her arm on a nearby chair and picked up the pants from the small pile. She handed them to Elsa as she found the tag in the waistband and smiled to herself.

"You know these are skinny jeans, right?" Elsa said, and chuckled to herself when she turned them over to look at the butterfly design on the back. "Is this your way of asking me to stare at your butt?"

Anna let out a small giggle and shrugged. "I don't go clothes shopping a lot, I just thought they were cute and hoped they would fit me." Elsa passed them back, along with the black blouse, and gestured toward the dressing room. Anna nodded as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"Rapunzel never took you clothes shopping? She seems like the type to enjoy it." Elsa asked as she picked up the small pile of clothing and placed them on her lap as she sat on the chair outside of the dressing room. She heard the ruffling of clothes as Anna began to change.

"Oh, she definitely is. But it wasn't something we did all too often."

Elsa started to go through the small pile of clothes in her lap and was actually surprised to see all of the really nice clothes Anna had found. Some of them she enjoyed, others she didn't think too highly of. But overall, they were cute and practical. "Why not?" Elsa asked, continuing the conversation as Anna changed.

"After I moved in, money was kind of tight for her parents. The only time we'd really go out clothes shopping was when we were buying school clothes." Anna explained as she grunted, which Elsa assumed was from trying to put on the skinny jeans. "I mean, you've seen how I dress. I just wear what fits and is comfortable." She grunted again. "Are these supposed to make you feel like they'll burst at the seams at any moment?" Anna asked, sounded frustrated. Elsa could only giggle, which only seemed to cause Anna to grow more frustrated. "Aha!" She finally shouted, as it seemed she conquered the pants.

"Do they fit alright?" Elsa asked when Anna grew silent and she didn't hear anymore ruffling of clothes.

"Uh, do you mind coming in here for a moment? Don't worry, I'm fully dressed." Anna asked, her voice sounding slightly worried.

Elsa sat up and placed the pile of clothes back on the chair as she turned to open the door. The moment she closed the door, she turned around to face Anna sitting on the bench with a large grin on her face. The ruffles on the blouse seemed to outline her collarbone perfectly from what she could see standing above her. "Stand up?" Elsa asked, and Anna stood up. The elastic fabric in the center of the blouse did both accentuate her curves, and draw a slight attention to her breasts. Her eyes traveled down, and was pleased to find the pants fit her fairly well from what she could see. As she continued to look her girlfriend up and down, she realized that she has yet to say a word. "Ann-" Before she knew it, Anna nearly had her full weight on her against the door. Their faces were close enough that Elsa could feel the tip of Anna's nose grazing against her own. Elsa was drawn towards her large eyes, and the glossy sheen that covered them.

"Roll with it." Anna whispered as she winked and bit the corner of her bottom lip.

Elsa could feel Anna's hands on her wrists as they were brought up over her head and pressed against the door. And at that moment, it seemed as if every nerve in her body was lit up. She suddenly became extremely aware of everything in her immediate vicinity. Her clothing was rough and abrasive, and felt constrictive. She noticed just how cool the door behind her was, specifically on the backs of her hands. Anna's warmth was a stark contrast, and as she felt her take a deep breath, she pushed herself harder onto Elsa. When Anna leaned in and kissed her, nothing seemed to bother her. In fact, she wanted more of it. Once the initial shock wore off, her eyelids fluttered shut. She absolutely adored the feeling of her girlfriend's lips on her own, and when she felt Anna's tongue tease against her bottom lip, she did her best to hold back a small smile. When she noticed Anna retracted her tongue, it was her turn. With the tip of her tongue, she grazed it against Anna's upper lip and quickly took her bottom lip in between her teeth. She didn't need to bite too hard before Anna took a sharp breath and pushed her thigh perfectly between Elsa's legs. A groan escaped from the back of her throat as every nerve in her body lit back up, but it was different this time. It centered between her legs and shot through her body from her toes to her fingertips. She felt Anna smile against her lips as she pressed her thigh into Elsa again, causing her to nearly fall as she tore her arms from Anna's grip and wrapped them around her neck to catch herself.

A breathy giggle escaped Anna as she helped Elsa back up onto her feet. "Did I hit a soft spot, there?" She asked in a sultry sort of tone, knowing damn well what she did.

Elsa shook her head to regain her senses before letting go of Anna's neck to look her in the eyes. "Sorry?" She started, not completely sure as to what had just happened. When Anna laughed again, an unsure smile stretched across her lips. "Was that supposed to happen?" Elsa asked under her breath, worried that someone passing by might hear her. "That's never happened before."

"What's never happened before?" Anna asked with the unchanging grin as she brought her hand up and tenderly laid it on her girlfriend's neck.

Straightening her posture, Elsa brought her hand up and placed it on top of Anna's. "You pressed your thigh into me and I nearly fell." She explained. "I don't know, like…" She turned to the side and laid her chin on her hand, nearly certain she was blushing. "…I'm embarrassed."

Anna removed her hand from under Elsa's and used it to softly turn her head back. "Are you telling me you've neverrr…" Her eyes were shifting between Elsa's hand and some point underneath her.

Now she was definitely certain she was blushing. She didn't have to feel her cheeks to know they were burning up. "I guess I skipped that part of puberty?" She nervously tried to play off. Elsa was new to many things in this relationship. She had to default to Anna's experience when it came to most things. Even things as simple as holding hands, seeing as how many different ways two people could hold hands. But anything sexual? She couldn't just default to Anna for that kind of thing. The mere thought of it made her nervous. And yet, at the same time, it excited her.

"But haven't you ever been so horny to the point that you just wanted to rip the clothes off of anyone who came within a two foot distance of you and have your way with them!?" Anna nearly shouted in disbelief. Realizing how loud she was, she coughed nervously and toned down her voice. "Or am I just weird? Cause that happens to me more times than I'd like to admit sometimes."

"Anyone?" Elsa inquired with a nervous chuckle, trying her best to do away with the slight awkwardness between them at the moment.

Anna shrugged. "Okay, not anyone. Recently it's just been yo-" She cut herself off before she was able to finish her thought, mouth agape with a slight blush quickly overcoming her cheeks.

"Aleks would tend to go on and on about different guys she found attractive in high school." Elsa started as she slid past Anna and sat down on the small bench inside the dressing room. "Some of them were quite handsome, sure. But I never wanted to have sex with any of them."

Anna grinned and opened her mouth to speak, but didn't get very far.

"Not with any of the women, either." Elsa answered her question before she could even ask it, effectively popping the redhead's bubble. "But you're different." She admitted as she looked up at Anna. "With you, the idea doesn't completely disinterest me." Elsa explained the best she could, trying not to sound insulting in any way.

A cocky grin came across Anna's face as she placed her hand on her hip. "So, you're Anna-sexual?"

There was no hope of holding back the laugh that escaped Elsa, much to Anna's delight as it seemed to feed her ego. After Elsa regained control of herself, she cleared her throat and shrugged. "I just can't see myself becoming sexually involved with someone that I don't have feelings for."

Anna smiled softly as she slowly eased herself onto Elsa's lap and loosely wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's neck. "That makes sense, I suppose." She leaned in and kissed Elsa, soft and tender.

Looking up into Anna's eyes, she felt a growing warmth from her core as she smiled at her. "How did I manage to find someone so understanding and caring?"

"Just by being yourself, of course." Anna replied.

These were the moments that made Elsa believe everything in her life were worth it. Although she hadn't been with Anna for very long, she felt like she had known her entire life. Elsa felt completely and utterly safe around her. "I have read a few romance novels in my life, though, and there is something I'd like to try." Elsa asked, trying her best to copy that same sultry tone that came so easily to Anna.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Elsa snuck her hands in between Anna's arms and behind her neck, bringing her braided pigtails forward. She wrapped each on her hands and firmly gripped before looking back up toward Anna. Her face showed unsure anticipation as she looked down at Elsa's hands, and Elsa could see her breaths coming a little quicker. Her eyes widened as she looked over towards Elsa's grinning face.

"Roll with it."

When she pulled, Anna immediately let out an audible moan that anyone throughout the store would have to be deaf to not hear. She felt Anna's hands rise up underneath her braid as she desperately held on to two handfuls of Elsa's blonde hair. She had no time to react to the initial shock of pain as Anna fell forward into the crook of Elsa's neck. Despite wearing a hoodie, a shiver ran down her spine when she felt Anna biting down. She could feel Anna's heavy breaths against her neck and she craved more of it. Every nerve in her body began to spark again when Anna moved one of her hands from the back of Elsa's head and desperately tugged on the collar of her hoodie to expose the bare skin underneath. Shutting her eyelids tight, she tugged on her braids again as she felt Anna squirm in her lap. When Anna bit onto her shoulder, she gasped and let go of her braids. She had no time to catch her breath as Anna pulled her head to the side and started to trail open mouthed kisses towards her jaw. She felt Anna's breath against her neck, and she teased the tender skin with her tongue with every kiss. Elsa had no clue it were even possible to feel this way, although the kissing was on her neck, she felt remnants of it everywhere. Most of it centered between her legs where she could feel her walls clenching together, bringing new waves of pleasure across her body every time.

Elsa's eyes suddenly shot open when she heard the ruffling of footsteps outside of the door. Her heart now had a different reason to be beating so quickly as she gently pushed Anna's face off of her neck. The redhead whimpered and tried to push herself back, but stopped when Elsa worriedly glared at her."Somebody is out there." She whispered and wiped off her neck.

Anna whipped her head around and eyed the door. "I don't hear or see anything, Elsa." She commented as she turned back around to find Elsa hurriedly redoing her hair and doing her best to brush back any frizz.

"I heard footsteps." She explained as she did her best to fix her hoodie with Anna in her lap.

"That's kind of hot, huh?" Anna asked with a small grin, much to Elsa's confusion. "The risk of getting caught. You don't think so?"

In this case, Elsa could see the appeal of it and why Anna thought it was exciting. But she didn't share that particular view. It was a certainly rush that made everything feel that much more urgent. Taking the risk of entering the dressing room with Anna was daring enough for Elsa, she didn't need the extra threat of potentially being caught. She looked up at Anna and gave a small shrug. "You look really good in that outfit, by the way." She stated as she nudged Anna to stand up so that she could exit the dressing room. "Get changed and let's checkout. We should get back to campus and start figuring out what we'll do for dinner."

"I know what _I_ want for dinner." Anna muttered under her breath as she stood up and leaned against the door.

Elsa stood up and finished readjusting her hoodie. "What was that?"

Anna waved her off. "Oh, nothing." She cleared her throat. "What's the female equivalent of blue balls?"

Elsa's eyebrows came together as she stared blankly at Anna, who refused to make eye contact with her. "…what?"

Anna smiled and pushed herself off of the door, clearing a path for Elsa to exit. "I'll explain later."

Elsa shook her head and waved her off. As she reached for the door handle, an idea came to her mind. She acted on complete impulse as she turned around and immediately pressed Anna onto the wall with a surprised grunt. Before she could say anything, Elsa slowly placed an open mouthed kiss on her lips. It was as slow as she could make it, appreciating every second of the closeness. Elsa decided to take a risk and grabbed one of her breasts. When she heard a soft mewl from the back of Anna's throat, she smiled to herself and slowly removed her hand, dragging it across Anna's breast and teased the nipple as she whirled around to leave the dressing room. Before she shut the door, she giggled at the dumbfounded face Anna had and winked.

"I take it you're finished violating my cousin?"

Elsa's eyes widened as she turned her head to find a slender figure seated on the small chair outside of the dressing room. "Rapunzel?" She asked in disbelief at the smiling woman in the seat who waved at her.

"I assume that's my name. It's what everyone has been calling me my entire life." She joked as she stood up from the chair and greeted Elsa with a brief hug.

Her first instinct was still to step back, but she was able to ignore it to return the hug.

"How did you-"

"Jasmine and I were on our way to get ice cream and we heard Anna when we passed by the store." Rapunzel answered before Elsa could finish her question.

At that moment, Anna came fumbling out of the dressing room. Hurriedly shutting the door behind her, she tossed the clothes down with the rest of the button as she quickly tried to zip up her pants. Flustered, once she finished with her pants, she frantically tried to brush back any fly aways in her hair. "Punz! I'm sorry! I just thought I'd pull Elsa in there to play around a little bit cause you know, I don't have a lot of time before I leave for London and I wanted to enjoy every moment and it was great at first but then she pulled my hair-" She cut herself off to gaze over at Elsa and give her a quick wink and an awkward thumbs up. "And I couldn't stop what happened next, but oh man, I have to tell you how great that wa-"

"Anna!" Rapunzel butted in with a chuckle. "Spare me the details, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Do you know if anyone else heard?" Elsa asked, embarrassed as she worriedly rubbed her hands together and looked around to gain a bearing on her surroundings. The store was still practically desolate save a couple sales clerks in a distant corner.

Rapunzel waved her off. "I doubt it. The mall is still pretty empty, but not for much longer probably." She reached into her pocket and casually checked the time on her phone. "But, I should get back to Jasmine. I'll see you two around?"

"Of course."

"Sure thing."

Rapunzel waved to the pair and smiled before turning to leave. "And I heard that comment about dinner, you nasty!" She shouted back as she left, leaving Anna beet red in the face.

* * *

"She seems happy, Hans. Has a girlfriend, even." Aleks chuckled to herself. "Always knew my sister was gay as shit, guess she just needed to meet the right person to make her realize that."

"Yeah, your sister is a faggot. Cool." Hans replied, leaning forward on the couch, completely engrossed in the game he was playing.

Aleks rolled her eyes and sighed. This is practically how every night ended up. "Never would have guessed it would be Anna, though."

"Wasn't she the one you punched in the face?" Hans asked as he turned his head to look at his girlfriend before quickly turning back to the television.

"Yeah." Aleks muttered, remembering the entire situation. In a way, it wasn't totally her fault. She was already twitchy enough, but when Anna popped out from under the counter, she reacted. Although she still felt kind of bad about it, despite apologizing to her. From what Elsa had told her, she took it pretty hard.

Hans cursed at the game and tossed the controller onto the recliner adjacent to the couch. He leaned back and rubbed his temples. "That high dragon was complete bullshit." He muttered before laying down onto the couch, head on Aleks' lap.

"I told you to bring Blackwall instead of Iron Bull. His champion specialization is tougher than Bull's reaver." Aleks said in a condescending tone and grabbed the remote on the arm of the couch and changing the channel.

"Whatever. I was speaking with Gaston earlie-"

"That dude is shady as fuck, I don't understand why you hang around him." Aleks butted in with a distasteful tone. "And he's always bragging about how many eggs he can eat."

"He has to get those sick gains. But, whatever. I didn't ask you. He's throwing a party here in a few weeks and he's invited us."

Aleks sighed and shook her head. "What if I don't want to go?"

Hans shut his eyes and placed his hands over his chest. A cocky grin grew across his face. "You know damn well."

* * *

"You would never guess where I learned that cupcake recipe." Anna said in a cheery tone as she sat down on the side of Elsa's bed, small cupcake in hand. "Eugene works with this guy named Attila, and it turns out he's really good at baking." She unwrapped the sugary delight before trying to fit as much of the frosting in her mouth as she could.

Elsa giggled as she leaned over and wiped off frosting off the corner of Anna's mouth and licked it off of her finger before taking a bite of her own cupcake. "I expected nothing less from a bar called the Snuggly Ducking."

Anna swallowed her bite and shrugged. "A guy named Bruiser once taught Rapunzel how to knit. She got pretty good at it too." She commented as she crumpled up the cupcake wrapper and stuck it in her pocket.

"I'm happy for her." Elsa commented as she finished her own cupcake. "That proposal at the fair was adorable."

Adjusting herself so that she was leaning against the wall, Anna crossed her legs at the knee and nodded. "Eugene had that planned out for a long while. He was waiting specifically for the fair to do it."

Elsa moved to the other side of Anna and took her hand in both of hers before laying her head on her shoulder. "He seems like a good guy from what you two have told me of him."

"He is, I can't imagine anyone else better suited for Rapunzel." Anna confirmed.

Snuggling up a little closer, Elsa hummed contently as she shut her eyes. It wasn't long before a comfortable silence had taken over the pair, and Elsa couldn't help but have a slight smile. The hustle and bustle of the day was great, Elsa genuinely enjoyed her classes and all of the people she has met because of them. But when the day was over and everything has calmed down, when she had Anna all to herself, that's when she was happiest. There was just a certain stillness and certainty about the world which comforted her. Eventually, she opened her eyes and looked up to find Anna drifting between sleep and consciousness. Her eyes shifted down to her hands, both wrapped around one of Anna's. She held on a little tighter and started to rub the back of Anna's hand with her thumb. Her hands were always warm, despite the weather becoming cooler by the day. She felt her heart sink when she looked down a little further at her thigh, knowing very well what laid underneath her clothing. Scars from her own personal battles. She remembered how she felt when she opened her door and found Anna sprawled out across the floor, and how she initially started to cry from shock and fear. Then she was crying for a whole new reason when she had opened her eyes and reassured her that she was okay. Elsa found herself rubbing her thigh as she was lost in her memories. She should have opened the door sooner, hell, she never should have even shut Anna out in the first place. _I'm sorry, Anna._ Feeling tears begin to collect in the corners of her eyes, she tried her best to blink them away. She didn't want to move too much and wake her girlfriend up. Elsa almost jumped when she felt Anna move and place her free hand over Elsa's.

"That's not your fault." Anna reassured softly as she intertwined her fingers with Elsa's when she stopped rubbing her thigh. "It never should have happened."

"But if I just hadn't shut you out…" Elsa started as she blinked again, causing a small stream of tears to fall down her face and onto Anna's shoulder.

"It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" Anna stated calmly.

Despite Anna's positivity and reassurance, Elsa still felt like she failed her. She felt like she could have, should have done something. Anything. All she could do though was deal with the aftermath. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she could have stopped Anna from doing what she did. Instead, she just sat in her room, nervous and terrified. Just like she did every night after the death of her mother. She couldn't do anything then, and she couldn't do anything for Anna. There was no stopping the steady stream of tears that collected on Anna's shoulder.

"Elsa." Anna said as she turned over onto her side so that she could look her girlfriend in the eyes. "I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay." She reassured over and over again as she wiped the tears off of Elsa's face. "It was just a moment of weakness, and it won't ever happen again." She placed a kiss on Elsa's forehead and wrapped her arms around her as she pulled her closer.

Slowly but surely, Elsa began to calm down. The tears stopped coming, and her heart eventually returned to the right place in her chest instead of her stomach. She couldn't stand the feeling of helplessness, it tore at her and consumed her relentlessly whenever it came over her.

"I'll tell you what. How about we get our showers, we'll watch some television, then how about you stay with me in my room for the night?" Anna asked. "And I don't mean that in a sexual sense. I won't let you be alone tonight." She finished as she looked at Elsa and smiled.

It took her a moment, but eventually, Elsa returned the smile and nodded. "I'd love to."

Anna leaned forward and kissed her. Then kissed her again before sliding off of the bed and dashed out of the room. "Dibs on the first shower!" She called from down the hall.

Elsa wiped any remaining tears from the side of her face and smiled.


	20. Monster

**A/N:** Okay, this note may be a little longer than most. I have some announcements that I feel like I have to share.

First off, I'm not sure how many of you know about the few Elsanna fics that have been removed from ffnet. A Date With the Drum Major was one of the three, and it kind of set Tumblr on fire. I know there has been a couple projects going on to collect as many completed fics and put them in a single dropbox to preserve them. A few authors have moved their fics to AO3. Now, I DO have an AO3 account and all of the original documents of Burning Low. Should this fic end up getting pulled, I'll link my AO3 on my profile and announce it on my Tumblr. For those who don't know; apparently there's some group going around getting all of these fics reported and removed for 'violating' the terms of service or whatever. Honestly, if you come across any of these people, it's best to ignore them.

Secondly, HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE STILLS FROM THE UPCOMING FROZEN FEVER SHORT!? I'VE BEEN FREAKING OUT OVER THEM EVER SINCE I SAW THEM ON MY DASH.

And thirdly, I have a new cover image for the fic! I'm not going to be putting it up right now, though. It does contain spoilers for the plans I have for the rest of the fic. Once the story has moved past those spoilers, I'll change the cover. For completely new readers to the fic, it isn't a real spoiler. But at this point in the story, it is. Which brings me to my last topic, Burning Low is kind of getting real close to it's final act. There are still a few questions that need to be answered, and I have some really neat stuff planned (like the possible explanation to the twin's powers) and some really heavy stuff. Honestly, knowing the fic won't last forever makes me kind of sad. Is it narcissistic that I've grown emotionally attached to these characters? Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than the last, because I wanted to get these announcements out to y'all. Chances are, I'm writing chapter 21 the moment I post this one lol.

**TRIGGER WARNING!: **One/two sentences pertaining to self harm relatively early on. A paragraph or so on child abuse shortly after that.

I think that's all I wanted to say.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Enjoy!

p.s Next chapter will be really fun. ;)

* * *

"You're telling me you shared a bed with her, but didn't do anything?"

Anna shrugged and chased a meatball around her plate with her fork. The campus cafeteria wasn't anything to brag about, although the large windows did give a gorgeous view of the campus. She tried to avoid the cafeteria at all costs, though. Choosing rather to take home any leftovers from Tony's or to just cook better food herself. But for convenience sake, she asked Rapunzel to meet her here this morning before her afternoon classes. It was still a little early for the lunch crowd, so the large room was fairly empty. "You didn't do anything with Eugene every single time he spent the night, right?"

"Of course not." Rapunzel chuckled. "You and I shared a room. If Eugene and I were going to do anything, we'd go to his place."

"Every single time?" Anna looked up from her plate and raised an eyebrow. "You'd spend entire weekends over there at times."

"That didn't always mean we had sex, Anna." She clarified and took a bite of what the school called spaghetti. Although it reminded Anna of cardboard with ketchup drizzled on top.

Anna placed her arm on the table as she propped her head on the back of her hand, looking back down at her plate as she continued to chase around the meatball for what felt like the hundredth time. _Probably wouldn't be so bad if the school knew what spices were. Even if it was just as simple as salt, pepper, and garlic. _She eventually caught the meatball with her fork and tentatively placed it in between her teeth. It was cold by this point and completely undesirable.

Rapunzel looked up from her own plate and scrunched her eyebrows. "What's wrong, Anna? I've never known you to be this quiet your entire life." She stated plainly as she placed her fork down and slid her plate to the side.

With the meatball still attached to the fork, she took it out from in between her teeth and dropped it onto the plate, causing a small amount of sauce to splatter on the edges of her plate. She looked down at her shirt to be sure none of it landed on her before looking up toward her cousin. Rapunzel's large green eyes tended to have a piercing effect to them, they always have. Even if Anna didn't want to talk, she would have little choice. "I'm just worried about Elsa, Punzpunz."

A soft smile tugged at the corner of Rapunzel's lips as she crossed her legs and rested her head in her hands. "How far have you two gone?" She asked with the smile.

"Nothing under the waist, or under the shoulders for that matter. But one time at the movie theater she wore this low cut shirt and she bent over and I saw the tops of her boobs and that was pretty hot, I mean I won't lie." Anna admitted without realizing her lopsided smile. Despite the dim lighting in the theater, she still remembered every visible detail fairly well. The very thought was enough to make Anna shuffle awkwardly in her seat.

"Her hair is pretty gorgeous if you ask me." Rapunzel commented with a small nod of the head.

"You should see it in the morning. It's-" _Sexy as hell _"cute." Anna mentioned as she crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward. "And she has a damn good fashion sense! She always goes back to wearing that hoodie though, and you can't really tell." With a shrug, she seemed to knock herself out of the funk she was in. "Which isn't a bad look for her, she looks good in red. But my favorite part is when you hug her while she's wearing the hoodie, because she has some major curves going on."

"I'm really glad to see you so happy with someone, Anna." Rapunzel commented with a chuckle, breaking Anna's thought process before she started getting really into it. "You never got this excited about the guys you dated in high school."

"Some of them were really great guys. Like Eric, he had such a fun personality! And great hair, too." _And abs of pure adamantium. _She shrugged again and gazed over toward the plate of cold spaghetti. "I just saw him more of a friend than a boyfriend."

"Turns out, the problem was the boy part." Rapunzel commented nonchalantly with a grin.

"I'm not sure what it is, Punz. Elsa is just different." She shook her head and waved her hands. "Apart from having a vagina, of course." She stared intently at the plate of spaghetti with a silly grin on her face. Even though it was still days away, the thought of leaving the blonde for the few weeks caused her stomach to twist and churn. Or maybe it was the spaghetti. But, she was fairly certain it was the thought of leaving Elsa. "Please watch over her while I'm gone." Anna said under her breath, not even completely aware of the words leaving her mouth.

"Anna, I will. Promise. I'll even camp out on the couch if you want me to." Rapunzel stated as she reached over and turned Anna's head toward her and away from the spaghetti. "Why are you so worried about her?"

Anna knew she couldn't answer that question truthfully. It took slicing her thighs open to even have Elsa open up to her enough to explain her childhood. She regretted her actions that night, but it warmed her heart knowing that Elsa did care about her enough to make sure she was alright and to open up like she did. But, she couldn't relay the information to Rapunzel with a clear conscious. "She's…" Anna started and immediately seemed to forget how to use words to form a coherent sentence. Although her head was turned toward Rapunzel, her eyes were aimed towards a random spot on the floor under her, trying to avoid Rapunzel's eyes. _It would feel like betraying her. "Oh hey, Punzie, my girlfriend was abused as a child and has really awesome ice powers." No, I couldn't do that to Elsa. Or Rapunzel._ "Sensitive." Anna finally said and exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Sometimes her emotions end up getting the best of her, and I didn't want her to be alone last night. So, I offered to share my bed with her." Anna softly concluded as she grabbed Rapunzel's hand off the side of her chin and placed it on the table. _The spooning was nice too. Although that's a funny name for it. We aren't spoons._

With a softened expression, Rapunzel pulled her hand back and brushed her hair behind her ears. "You've changed, Anna."

With a raised eyebrow, Anna gave her cousin a quizzical look. "What do you mean? I'm still Anna."

"Yes, you're still Anna. But, you're a changed Anna." Rapunzel started with a large grin that wrinkled the corners of her eyes. "You've been much calmer ever since you started dating her. She grounds you, Anna-banana. Don't you see it?"

Anna pursed her lips and shrugged. She still felt like the same old Anna. But she could definitely see where her cousin was coming from. Maybe Elsa was rubbing off of her in little ways she couldn't really notice. She brushed back a few loose strands of hair when they tickled the side of her face, and her hand lingered behind her ear. "I just care about her, Punz. A lot." She admitted with a slight chuckle.

"Do you love her?"

Anna's eyes widened in surprise, blindsided by the question. She had feelings for Elsa. Strong feelings. But did they go as far as love? Would it be too early to call it love? Anna didn't know. But she did know that what she felt around the blonde was something she couldn't describe. Both excitement and fear at the same time, and she enjoyed it. "I-"

"Do you, Anna? Do you love my sister?"

* * *

Aleks exited the double glass door and groaned when the sun shone straight into her eyes. She held up her notebook to shield her face as she started across the campus in a brisk pace. If it were up to her, midterms wouldn't be held so early in the morning. Especially if they were midterms on something like morals and ethics. And they certainly shouldn't be as difficult as they were. If there was any redeeming factor to the morning she was having, it was that the weather has been cooling off as of late. No longer did she feel like she was swimming in a pool of her own sweat after a five minute walk between classes. Finally reaching a shaded area, she lowered her notebook and pulled out her phone from her back pocket.

'It's the transmission. It's completely given out, and I'm down about three grand on it.' _Well, maybe if you didn't ignore the check engine light, you wouldn't be having the problem. _Aleks groaned again as she typed out her response and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She knew Elsa had her own life, and would obviously require their shared car from time to time. This didn't bother Aleks, Hans was happy enough to drive her anywhere she needed to go in his own car. But it seemed like that would be changing soon. _I'll have to talk to Elsa about the car. Communicate more about when we'll need it._ She decided she'd worry about it later, her rumbling stomach reminded her that it was lunchtime and she wasn't about to skip it.

Reaching her destination, she opened the glass door and shook her head when the air conditioning came blasting onto her face. She swept her hair out of her eyes and rounded a corner toward the cafeteria. When she entered the large room, she immediately halted and took a sharp breath when she recognized one of the few figures in the room. Anna was the only one she knew to wear braided pigtails, and what she was doing in the cafeteria was a mystery. Aleks didn't recognize the short haired brunette across from Anna. Her hands felt clammy and her heart sped up at the thought of coming into contact with Anna again. The last time she did was the day her and Elsa had fought and Aleks revealed the secret she thought she'd take to the grave; the murder of their father._ Tell her that I'm not sorry for what I've done, but I'm sorry I kept it from her._ The memory was fresh in her mind again, and if Anna had punched her square in the face the moment she showed up at her door, she wouldn't have blamed her. She would have deserved it. She still deserved it. She really did not want to confront Anna, but she would have to eventually due to her relationship with Elsa.

She clenched her fists and steeled herself as she did her best to stride confidently to the table. Honestly, she was terrified. She tried to time her footsteps with her rapidly beating heart, as if to calm herself but to no avail.

"-you love her?"

Aleks made it to the pair and placed her notebook on the table. She was eerily calm when she heard the last part of that question, her nerves didn't bother her. "Do you, Anna? Do you love my sister?" She asked with a false bravado, not even sure if Elsa is what they were talking about.

Anna immediately jolted her head around and met Aleks' eyes. The moment she realized who she was looking at, she dropped her hands into her lap and turned back to the woman in front of her. "W-what's up, Aleks?" She asked weakly and seemed to curl into herself a little more.

"Aleks?" The woman across from Anna stated and turned her head to meet her gaze, much like Anna did. She didn't make eye contact for long as she looked Aleks up and down, sizing her up before firmly planting her hands on the edge of the table. "You're her?" She asked, sounding slightly in disbelief.

"Rapunzel-"

"No, Anna, it's not right!" Rapunzel snapped back as she launched herself from the seat and took a large stride so that she was right in front of Aleks.

"Oh!" Aleks muttered as she took a step back and nervously coughed. "Rapunzel, Elsa has told me about you. You're Anna's cousin or something like that right?" She asked with a nervous chuckle. Would it have been anyone else, there's no doubt in her mind that she'd be on the floor right now. But because of her relation with Anna, Aleks didn't want to make her situation any worse. The bright green eyes boring into her made it clear enough that the situation was already on edge.

"Did she also tell you that I won't take your bullshit?" She spat as she shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms. "I won't walk away like Jasmine, and I won't be pushed around like Merida."

Aleks barely even knew who the people Rapunzel mentioned were. But if she was talking about them like she was, it was fairly obvious that they were close to her. "Look-" Aleks started in the calmest tone she could muster, despite every muscle in her body telling her to lay Rapunzel out on the floor. "I didn't come here to argue or to cause any more problems. Quite the opposite, actually-"

"What could you possibly have come here for, then?"

Looking over toward the redhead still seated at the table, Aleks felt a twinge of guilt when she saw her looking at Rapunzel and herself with a worried expression on her face. She looked back toward the volatile brunette in front of her and took a deep breath. "I've already apologized to Anna for what I did, and I'll apologize to Jasmine and Merida too if that's what you want from me."

"What I want from you-" Rapunzel began, her voice growing more defensive with every word she spoke. "Is for you to not bother us. That was already three strikes. There will NOT be a fourth." She shook her head and sighed before brushing her hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. "What kind of monster are you?"

_Monster_

The word stung Aleks more than anything else could. It was one of the insults her father loved to throw around in his many drunken rants. And was he wrong? He couldn't have been. That's what she was. She was the monster that murdered her father. She couldn't stand it anymore. The verbal abuse, the beatings, watching her sister needlessly cry. It happened too many times for her to count, too many times for her to want to count. She'd cry herself to sleep, only to be woken up by the same man she loved as her father on his knees in tears, apologizing for everything he's done. Every time, he would say that it was the last time. And she'd believe him. She'd believe things would be better for her and Elsa. But they never were. As soon as he returned from work, he'd start the drinking. And then she knew. She knew to find Elsa and to avoid him the best they could. She remembered it all. One night was too much, and she couldn't handle it. Her defenseless sister being needlessly abused by the man she once called her father. So, she ended it. It was only when her father fell off the balcony did she truly believe things would change. She could still see the shocked expression on a dead man's face, and his scream as he fell. Then the thud. Then all was silent.

She killed him.

She was a monster.

Rapunzel was still going on and yelling at her when she snapped back to reality. She couldn't hear a word she was saying though, but the pressure behind her eyes was all she needed to know that she still had to face reality. When she felt tears begin to pool in her eyelids, she did her best to wipe them away. When she brought up her hand to wipe her eyes, she stared at her hands. The slight dampness on them glinted slightly from the sun pouring through the windows. She clenched her hands as she rubbed the mixture of her tears and sweat into her palms.

"I'm sorry." Aleks weakly muttered, her voice cracked. She looked over toward Anna who still had the same expression and back at Rapunzel who had finally stopped yelling and simply glared at her. She wiped her eyes again and shook her head. "I'll try again later." She admitted to herself as she turned on her heel and walked out of the cafeteria before Rapunzel or Anna could say anything. She wasn't going to give up, though. She'll never give up on Elsa. She'll catch back up with Anna and her cousin later, hopefully after Rapunzel had calmed down.

It wouldn't change the fact that she's a monster. But at least Elsa wouldn't have to be in the middle of some nonsense feud between her sister and her friends.

* * *

"Hey, thanks for picking me up." Aleks mumbled as she stepped into the car. Shutting the door, she buckled her seatbelt before turning her head to the man beside her and raising her eyebrows. "Three grand for the transmission, huh?"

"Yeah." Hans said with a hint of distaste. "They were cool enough to let me have a rental until they get it taken care of, though." He leaned forward and patted the dash before shaking his head. "It's not a bad car for a Ford, but I'll miss my Chevy until she's all fixed up."

"I'm not going to sociology, I didn't get lunch. Let's find a bite to eat, I'll pay."

"You didn't get lunch? That's… not like you, Aleks." Hans mentioned, sounding slightly worried as he leaned back and pulled out of the parking spot. "What happened?"

Aleks held onto the seatbelt and rubbed the material between her index finger and thumb. "Just some bullshit with Anna and Rapunzel. I want to be their friend, but Rapunzel is still a little sore about…well, everything."

"Isn't that Anna's sister or some shit?"

"Cousin."

"Whatever. What did she say to you?" He asked in a slightly commanding tone as he pulled out of the campus and onto the road.

Leaning her head against the window, Aleks lifted her knees toward her chest and tried to focus on the slight vibration of the glass against her head. "She just went off on me about shit I've done." She shook her head when she felt new tears starting to gather on the corners of her eyelids. "She called me a monster, Hans." She admitted in a gravely tone.

"Oh, Aleks." Hans muttered as he looked over toward the curled up woman beside her, shaking as she failed to hold back the tears. "You are a monster." He took one of his hands off of the wheel and reassuringly rubbed Aleks' shoulder. "You think after all you've done, they would accept you? Love you?"

Aleks did her best to wipe the falling tears off of her face as she took a few short breaths to try and calm herself. "But I'm willing to put forth the effort to actually be their friends. For Elsa's sake, I-"

"Your sister cast you out. Ostracized you. She's already chosen them over you." Hans sounded condescending as he pulled his hand back, looked over at Aleks, and smirked. "But I didn't. Nobody would accept a monster, but I do." He chuckled to himself and looked back toward the road. "Even your sister believes you a monster for the murder of your father."

"Hans, I-"

"But it was all to protect her, wasn't it? Oh, that's painfully clichéd don't you think?" He chuckled again and a devilish smirk graced his lips. "They'll never love you. Your sister will never love you. The only one who loves you, Aleks-" He caught Aleks' eyes and shrugged. "Is me."

* * *

"Elsa!" Anna yelled as she threw back to the dorm in a fluster, causing the handle on the other side to slam into the wall with a loud thud.

"Anna!" Elsa shrieked in response, causing her textbook and notes to fall off of the couch.

"Oh, sorry." The redhead apologized as she shut the door behind her and skipped to the couch and plopped down on the empty cushion beside her girlfriend as she helped her pick up the fallen notes. "I'm just pumped because I was in economics an hour ago and we had this midterm and going into it I was nervous, I mean _so_ nervous. Feel my hands!" She frantically reached for one of Elsa's hands the moment she finished picking up what had fallen. "Still sort of clammy, right? Anyway, but when the professor handed out the test, it was totally easy!"

Elsa squeezed Anna's hand before pulling it back with a smile as she straightened the papers they had picked up. "So, if I asked you about the broken window fallacy, or the ideals of Keynes or Hayek, you could answer me right?"

"Well, I could, but I'd rather sit here on the couc-" Anna took a moment to gather her thoughts before realizing something was different. "I didn't know you wore glasses." Anna commented with a slight giggle.

Elsa was taken back as a rosy blush immediately overtook her cheeks as she frantically took the glasses off of her face and stuffed them in her hoodie pocket. "I don't know what you're talking about." She nervously coughed and darted her eyes between Anna and the papers in front of her.

Anna shot her a knowing look and grinned as she leaned forward, bracing herself against the arm of the couch beside Elsa. She couldn't help but smile to herself when she remembered the first kiss they shared. Granted, it was a lot darker at the time. But with their faces so close and sitting on the couch, she couldn't help but remember. Elsa's eyes were still darting back and forth, trying to not catch Anna's gaze. Anna slithered her free hand into the hoodie pocket, and she felt Elsa's stomach tense when her knuckles grazed against her. She grabbed the glasses and placed them back on the blonde's face, much to her embarrassment. _Goddamn she looks like a dorky nerd._ She bit her bottom lip and winked before leaning in a little closer and placing a kiss on her lips. _But in the best way! My cute nerd._

"They're uh…" Elsa muttered under her breath as she adjusted the glasses so that they fit comfortably. "They're just for reading. I think they're silly, so-"

"You're embarrassed because you wear reading glasses?" Anna asked with a half-smile. The growing blush across her girlfriend's face was all the confirmation she needed. "You look so cute though!" She explained as she tilted her head forward, connecting her own forehead with Elsa's. _And actually kind of sexy._ Anna could see it now. She'd walk into the dorm to find Elsa splayed out completely naked on the couch wearing nothing but the glasses. Her hair spread out under her, hanging off the side of the couch like a golden waterfall. She would slowly remove the glasses and place the end of an arm in between her ruby lips and wink, inviting Anna to join her on the couch. _Anna like. Anna like a lot._

"I like how your blushing cheeks contrast against your freckles." Elsa commented with a teasing tone and a sweet smile. "What are you thinking about?" She tilted her head as she teased.

Anna lifted herself off of the couch and straightened her shirt. _You naked on the couch, of course. _"I'm thinking about the lavish dinner I'm about to cook us, I'm thinking some kind of scampi." Anna played off as she turned on her heel toward the kitchen. "Whatever the school calls spaghetti has not been sitting right in my stomach, and I'd be glad to have something identifiable in my stomach."

"You actually ate at the cafeteria today?" Elsa asked as she placed her notes on the coffee table and stood up from the couch to join her girlfriend in the kitchen.

Filling a pot with water and placing it on one of the burners, Anna leaned against the counter and shrugged. "I wanted to meet with Rapunzel, and it just seemed like the most convenient option. She thinks I've changed." She finished as she crossed her arms and shrugged again.

"You have, I think." Elsa began as she leaned against the counter opposite the redhead. "You're not as spastic. But you're still the same Anna." The blonde explained as she extended her arms, inviting Anna to join her.

Anna pursed her lips as she interlocked her fingers with Elsa's and rested her face in the crook of her neck. She never got tired of the way Elsa felt and smelled. She doesn't recall ever seeing her sweat, and she always smells sweet and inviting. Feeling Elsa's hands work their way behind her back and run her fingers along her braids, Anna hummed contently. "Aleks came into the cafeteria today." She muttered hesitantly and felt Elsa's neck tense against the bridge of her nose.

"Really? Did she cause any trouble?" Elsa asked quietly.

"No, but Rapunzel got defensive… and I thought I saw Aleks cry when she left. But, Rapunzel kind of felt bad afterward and she's going to meet up with her and talk it out the next chance she gets." Anna explained, doing her best to calm her girlfriend's nerves.

"They're both kind of hard headed, though."

"Yeah. But, I think they could be really good friends if they can actually talk to each other." Anna hoped despite not knowing a whole lot about Aleks. But from what she knew of her cousin, and what Elsa has told her about her sister, she really did believe that they could be friends.

Elsa sighed and leaned her head against Anna's. "I hope you're right."


	21. An Abstract Kind of Way

**A/N: **This took a little longer to get out than I originally planned.

But, it's pretty much nothing but smut and fluff.

Obviously, NSFW.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Rapunzel, she told me to go back to India. I was born in the states."

"She knocked me unconscious. If she wasn't such a ninny I'd congratulate her."

Rapunzel sighed and dropped her shoulders as she leaned against the wall. Jasmine and Merida sat across from her on Jasmine's bed, Merida's hair easily threatening to engulf Jasmine in a sea of red curls. "Anna told me that she saw her crying when she left." She picked up the notebook that lay beside her and presented it to the women in front of her. "Plus, she left this in the cafeteria."

"The way she was on a warpath that day, I doubt her notes are of significant importance to her." Jasmine commented as she reached over and grabbed the notebook from Rapunzel, flipping through the pages. "These aren't even notes. They're just random figures."

"I would have doodled a few squirrels or something." Merida added as she looked over at the notebook with a confused expression. "The last one is three thousand." She tugged the notebook from Jasmine's grasp and brought it closer to her face. "Three thousand what?"

"Maybe it's math?" Rapunzel mentioned and leaned forward over the edge of the bed. "Are there any variables or anything written with it?"

Merida shook her head, causing a few straw curls to bat Jasmine on the face. "No. Just numbers. Really big numbers."

Jasmine pulled the last of Merida's curls off of her face as she took the notebook and handed it back to Rapunzel. "It might be important. Do you think Elsa would know what they mean?"

"Maybe. If anyone would know what Aleks' writings mean, it would be her sister I guess." Rapunzel replied and placed the notebook on the stand between the beds.

"Anna leaves tomorrow, right?" Jasmine asked as she leaned forward to escape Merida's hair and clasped her hands together. "Are you planning on doing anything for her last day in the states?"

Rapunzel shook her head and smiled. "I'll let Elsa have her today. But, I think we should all surprise her tomorrow morning and take her out to breakfast before she leaves."

"I hope she has clean underwear this time." Merida said with a small chuckle as all three women shared a brief laugh over Anna's expense.

"I think I'll invite her coworker too. She seems to be pretty good friends with him."

"So, who do you think will be top tonight?"

"Merida!"

"It's definitely Elsa."

"Jasmine!"

* * *

It was the beams of sunlight illuminating the room that first caused Anna to wake. Her first immediate thought was how she wanted so badly to tell the sun to go away for a few more hours. Although the sun wasn't shining directly into her eyes, the red she saw behind her eyelids caused sharp pangs in the back of her mind. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyelids to the stillness of the room. Everything was perfectly in place, exactly as it was when she went to bed the night before. The sunlight that bathed the room cast everything in a slightly radiant light. She tried her best to rub the sleep from her eyes with the heels of her palms and yawned deeply.

"Sleep well?"

Despite her morning grogginess, Anna's eyes widened at the sound of Elsa's voice beside her. She turned her head to greet the smiling blonde as she was seated with her legs crossed beside Anna. The sun peeking its way through the curtains above the head illuminated her blonde hair, giving it an angelic shine that both hurt Anna's eyes, and caused her heart to skip a few beats. Elsa couldn't have been up long; although she was sitting up she still displayed signs of being tired. She had obviously been up long enough to redo the braid in her hair, though. "I wouldn't mind another hour or two." Anna replied in a gravely tone.

"Hey-" Elsa began in a soft tone as she helped Anna sit up. "Why don't we just take the day to ourselves? I'm well ahead in all of my classes."

Anna scooted over and laid her head on the blonde's shoulder, still lacking the energy or motivation to fully wake up. "I emailed all of my professors last night, they're cool with it." She answered as she brought her hand up to her mouth and yawned again. She did her best to calm her unruly hair as she ran her hand over it and brushed it behind her ear. She felt Elsa gingerly lay her hand on her shoulder and rest her chin on her head.

"I showered last night, so how about I cook us some breakfast while you shower?" Elsa suggested, voice lined in a cheer that Anna loved to hear. Anna chuckled to herself and bore her face into Elsa's neck, marveling how she still managed to smell so good. She felt her neck tense against her cheeks, and she took the opportunity to place a small, open mouthed kiss right on the soft skin underneath Elsa's jawline. She heard Elsa inhale sharply and let out a content hum. She felt Elsa place her hands on her shoulders as she nudged her off of her neck. "There'll be plenty of time for that later, Anna." Elsa commented. "How do you like your eggs, by the way?"

"Unfertilized." Anna instinctively spoke out before shaking her head and holding back a chuckle about what she just said. She looked over toward Elsa who clearly didn't get the joke as she looked at her with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. "Cause… we're" Anna repeatedly pointed at Elsa and back at herself. "Both girls." She bluntly stated, trying to explain the joke without spelling it out.

"So, scrambled?"

"I'm going to get a shower now." Anna stated with a slight shake of the head as she shuffled her way off of the bed and through the doorway, making sure to grab a towel and a change of clothes before she left. She spun into the bathroom and immediately turned the knobs on the bathtub to start the water. Although it was a morning, this one didn't seem as bad to Anna. The past few hadn't seen as bad, now that she thought of it. For the past few days, she and Elsa decided to continue sharing a bed, rotating rooms every night. To Anna, it was a win-win. She got to spend more time with Elsa, whilst being there to comfort her in case her emotions got the best of her.

She finished undoing her braids and undressing as she pulled the knob to start the shower once the water reached an agreeable temperature. She reached over toward the sink and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste before stepping into the shower and closing the curtain. The warm water running down her body both helped to relax and waken her as the room filled with a dense steam. In the midst of her washing, her hand grazed against the rough scabs on her thigh. She didn't dare to open her eyes on account of the shampoo in her hair, but she ran her fingers across the healing scars. By this point, the scabs were pretty light and almost fully healed, but still fairly noticeable. Anna didn't know if they would scar, but she knew that she was disappointed in herself for letting herself relapse that night. Although things worked out for the best, she still regretted her actions.

It didn't take her long to finish washing herself and brushing her teeth as she stepped out of the shower and brought her towel up to her face. Her nostrils twitched and she immediately began to salivate as soon as she smelled something cooking through the other side of the door. It was a fairly strong scent. It had to be in order to pierce through the steam of the room and the scent of her body wash. _Bacon. She's cooking bacon. Els- Elsa is cooking bacon. There is bacon in the skillet and it is currently being cooked. Anna like bacon. Anna like bacon a lot._ Her mind was racing as it was filled with thoughts and fantasy of equal parts Elsa and bacon. She frantically finished getting dressed, desperately trying to run a brush through her hair and button her pants. Frustrated, she left the brush in her dripping hair as it clung to the sides of her face while she wrestled with the last button. The very moment she finished buttoning her pants, she threw the door open and rushed out of the bathroom with the brush still firmly attached to her hair.

"Hey! I mad-" Elsa started, but was immediately cut off with a small yelp when Anna came barreling towards her and pulled her into a kiss.

Anna felt her girlfriend smile against her lips as the blonde brought her hands up and brushed her wet hair behind her ears. Reaching behind Elsa, Anna stumbled about but eventually found the plate of freshly cooked bacon. She grabbed a strip and tried to shove it into her mouth, despite it being currently occupied by Elsa. All she succeeded in doing was rub bacon grease over their faces as she desperately tried to eat bacon and kiss Elsa at the same time.

Elsa shot back slightly when she noticed what Anna was doing as her eyes darted between Anna and the bacon which was now being chewed by the redhead. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead just rolled her eyes and grabbed the nearest washcloth to wipe the grease off the side of her face. "You know, you could have waited until we were finished kissing before you went for the bacon…" Elsa muttered as she rubbed her fingers over her face to make sure she got all of the grease off. "Or just went for the bacon first, and then kissed me." She turned around to find Anna's cheeks puffed out and full of bacon, with two more strips in her hands.

Anna's eyes widened as she slowly resumed her chewing, and held out her hand to offer Elsa some of the bacon in her hand. She just shook her head and turned to grab the washcloth before turning back around and offering it to Anna. Swallowing her bite, she traded the bacon in her hands for the washcloth in Elsa's and started to clean the grease off her face that started to mix with the water dripping from her hair. "Well, I like bacon…" Anna started as she wiped her hands off. "And I like you. So, it just makes perfect sense to put it together!"

Chucking under her breath, Elsa sighed as she took a step forward and pulled the brush out of Anna's hair. "What am I ever going to do with you?" She asked with an amused tone and a grin.

"Anything you want to, babycakes." She replied in a sultry tone with a slight wink as she twirled around to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, but not before noticing the pink blush that graced Elsa's cheeks. She felt fingernails on her scalp, meticulously parting her hair straight down the middle. Elsa continued to part her hair until she reached the nape of her neck; she then felt her take a hold of the newly formed pigtails which were still periodically dripping water.

"Anything, you say? Elsa teased under her breath and tugged at Anna's hair, pulling her up until she was pressed into Elsa and let out a throaty groan. "There are a few things I've taken note of, Ms. Aren." She teased, causing Anna to squirm from the sensation of Elsa's breath on the back of her neck.

"Show me." Anna dared with a whimper, feeling Elsa work her hands underneath her hair and take a hold of the back of her head, making sure to dig her nails into her scalp. The pain quickly shot through Anna's body before being replaced with a wave of sudden pleasure, causing her to drop the water bottle in her hand. Taking a deep breath, all she could do was reach back and grab onto Elsa's thighs.

Elsa chuckled under her breath and pulled Anna's head back, causing the redhead to whimper from the sudden pleasure again. "Aw, you look so adorable from this angle."

"You're like three inches ta-" Her words were cut off when Elsa tightened her grip on her hair, and another groan escaped her. She felt her knees start to tremble and threaten to give out underneath her as she slightly dropped to keep herself from completely falling.

"Probably about six inches at this point." Elsa giggled, finally letting go of Anna's hair as she stumbled to regain her balance.

Fixing the part in her hair, Anna quickly twirled around and started to put her usual braids in her hair as Elsa shot her an innocent smile. But she knew. Elsa knew that at any moment, she could have Anna squirm under her touch and Anna could do nothing about it. It was contradictory to everything she knew about Elsa, to have her take control. "How'd you know about that?" Anna asked, embarrassed that Elsa knew exactly which buttons to press to get her going. She still felt the blood pumping to the area on the back of her head that the blonde had grabbed.

"You moaned when I grabbed your braids in the dressing room the other day." Elsa explained as she turned to clean the kitchen which was still in a bit of disarray from her cooking. "You told me I could do anything, so I decided to have some fun." She further explained as she placed assorted dishes into the sink to be washed later.

Finishing up her braids, Anna huffed and pouted. "That's totally unfair." She grumbled as she lunged across the kitchen and pressed Elsa into the counter as she placed her hands on her hips. "Unfair for you, I mean."

"Anna, what are yo-"

Anna nudged her braid over her shoulder and placed an open mouthed kiss on the nape of the blonde's neck, grabbing a little bit of skin between her teeth when she did. "Evening the playing field." She replied with a sultry tone as she dug her nails into Elsa's hips, causing her to shuffle uncomfortably. Trailing more kisses from the crook of her shoulder up toward her jawline, she worked her hands up and slithered her way underneath the fabric of her hoodie to the bare skin of her stomach underneath. Trying her best to hold back a smile as she felt Elsa's stomach tense up under her fingertips, she teased at the soft skin with her nails. Her skin was chilled and it wasn't long before Anna's own skin was covered in tiny goose bumps.

"Anna… I do-" Elsa's own quickened breathing cut herself off. Her eyelids slammed shut when Anna teased at her waistline with her fingertips as she continued to nip at her neck.

Noticing a thin layer of frost begin to coat the counter Elsa was pressed against, Anna squeezed her hand a bit further down the front of Elsa's pants and hummed in surprise when she found that the skin didn't even have a trace of stubble on it. "For someone who's never even touched themselves, I'm kind of surprised to find it so smoothed." Anna teased, knowing very well that Elsa couldn't form any words at the moment to retort. The further down she went, the warmer Elsa was. A stark contrast to the rest of her body, and it wasn't long before she found the source of the growing heat.

"Ah…na" Elsa managed to get out through her heavy breaths, much to her girlfriend's enjoyment.

Grazing her fingertips against the outer folds of Elsa's most intimate place, Anna couldn't help but squirm a little against her girlfriend's back. She's done this to herself many, many times before. But knowing what she was about to do to Elsa made her a bit nervous. Doing her best to calm herself and cast aside her nerves, she pressed her fingers onto Elsa a little harder. She was both surprised and relieved to find Elsa as wet as she was. The blonde inhaled sharply and did her best to stifle a moan as the frost on the counter started to spread due to Anna's curious fingers.

Humming against the back of Elsa's neck with a wicked grin across her lips, she spread apart Elsa's lips before closing her fingers on the blonde's clit. Not hard enough to cause any pain, but gentle enough to cause her girlfriend to jump slightly and lean forward a bit. A constant, high pitched mewl escaped from Elsa as Anna started to circle her fingers right above her clit. Elsa's hips started to move against Anna's, rubbing against her hand.

"I can't Anna." Elsa weakly whimpered in the midst of her pleasure.

Confused as to what her girlfriend meant, Anna removed her hand from Elsa's panties and wiped it against her thigh. "What do you mean?" She asked softly, ready to apologize if need be.

Elsa took a moment to compose herself before taking a deep breath before turning to face Anna. "I can't wait anymore."

Noticing the newly formed glossy sheen across Elsa's blue eyes, Anna smiled softly and bit her lip as she grabbed Elsa by the end of her braid and guided her out of the kitchen and into the hall. She did her best to roll her hips, but soon decided against it when she heard Elsa's awkward shuffling behind her. Throwing back the bedroom door, she gently tugged at the blonde braid to direct her toward the bed. Instead, Elsa took the momentum to twirl around and grab Anna by the shoulders, pulling her onto the bed with her as she giggled. Amidst the laughter, Elsa's eyes eventually found Anna's. That same doe-eyed stare that lit a fire in the redhead's chest was a little different this time. Seeing her girlfriend splayed out under her brought up a whole new slew of emotions she couldn't really comprehend. She slowly brushed back a loose strand of blonde hair as she leaned down and crashed her lips into Elsa's.

Anna worked her way so that her thigh was in-between Elsa's as she bit her girlfriend's lower lip and started to place tender kisses across her jaw and down her neck. The blonde's deep breaths gave her all the confidence she needed to continue as she reached her collar bone and worked her hand up her shirt. In one swift movement, she brought her shirt up over her chest. Anna brought her head up and placed a soft kiss on Elsa's lips. Cradling the blonde's head in her free hand, and gently stroked the side of her face with her thumb. "Are you okay with this?"

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now." Elsa admitted, pulling Anna in for a quick kiss before she interlocked her fingers on the back of her neck and guided her down toward her exposed chest and stomach.

She latched onto the top of one her breasts and played with the clasp on the front of her bra. It didn't take her but a moment to undo it and move the cups of the bra out of the way. Without any warning, she moved down and immediately found her mouth around on the nipple as Elsa gasped in response. Anna felt it harden in her mouth as she circled it with her tongue and pushed her thigh into Elsa, making her gasp again as she felt her grip onto the back of her neck. She brought her free hand up and kneaded the other breast as she hummed contently.

Elsa clenched her thighs around Anna's and dragged her nails across her neck until she grasped onto her shoulders. "I can't A-Anna." She muttered through small gasps as Anna lightly nipped at her nipple. "Lower." She strained to whisper and tried to push the redhead down further.

Anna initially resisted at first, but eventually gave in as she slowly made her way down Elsa's body, dragging the tip of her tongue across her stomach the entire way down until she was kneeling at the foot of the bed. She had a moment to quickly look up at her girlfriend laid out in front of her. As she messed with the button on Elsa's jeans, she noticed her starting to knead at her own breasts with short gasps. Watching Elsa play with herself right in front of her did absolutely nothing to help the growing warmth between her own thighs as she finished unbuttoning the pants and sliding them off of her legs.

Grinning to herself, Anna propped Elsa's legs up on the bed and traced her finger around the outline of her underwear. The light pink fabric was darkened and wet around her girlfriend's core, and she could catch the slight scent of her arousal from how close she was. Hooking her arms around her thighs, Anna grabbed the waistline of the blonde's panties and pulled up on them. She felt Elsa's thighs tense up around her arms as she inhaled sharply. Watching Elsa squirm in front of her, she was unable to stop herself when she pulled Elsa's panties to the side and latched onto her clit.

"Shit- Anna!" Elsa cursed, causing Anna to groan onto her core. It was rare that Elsa cursed, but when she did, it struck a chord with Anna that was similar to an aphrodisiac in many ways.

She flattened her tongue and did her best to tease it against Elsa's folds as small whimpers escaped her throat whenever her tongue grazed against her clit. Bringing her arms back around, Anna pushed on Elsa's thighs so that her legs spread even further apart. She paused for a moment and brought a finger into her own mouth, making sure it was properly lubricated before entering Elsa. Her finger encountered very little resistance as she pushed it into her tight warmth. The blonde cursed again as she frantically tried to get a grip on the top of Anna's head. She felt the blonde tense onto her finger, feeling the ridges of her core across her appendage as she hungrily attacked her clit again.

She rotated her hand and found the bundle of nerves at the top of her core and kept a constant pressure on it as a throaty moan escaped from Elsa as she offered words of encouragement in between soft gasps. Her hips began to buck against her tongue as she got closer and closer to that edge. With her free hand, Anna intertwined her fingers with Elsa's as the blonde dug her nails into her hand as she was pushed over that edge and the room seemed to instantly drop ten degrees.

Anna groaned contently as her girlfriend came into her mouth, and she hungrily lapped up everything she gave. Just when it seemed like Elsa was about to come off of her orgasm, she stuck another finger inside of her and jumped up onto the bed, her palm rubbing her clit as her fingers kept pressure on that same bundle of nerves. By the time she made it back up to Elsa, she was already at that edge again. Anna took a quick moment for herself to take in the sight before her, the pale blonde writing in ecstasy under her. She had no time to react when Elsa pulled her down into a kiss and shoved her tongue past her lips and into her mouth as she came again, licking up all of the leftover juices from her previous orgasm off of Anna as she moaned into her mouth.

After a short while, Elsa's bucking slowed down and was reduced to small twitches as Anna removed her fingers. She brought her hand up to her face and marveled at the slick coating, a combination of her girlfriend's cum and arousal. She grinned to herself as she brought them into her mouth and licked her fingers clean. Elsa's chest was still heaving as she tried to catch her breath, running her hands through her hair to brush back any stray strands.

Her azure eyes fluttered as she regained her composure and looked up at Anna with a small smirk and rosy blush across her cheeks. Anna smiled back, knowing very well that everything about their relationship would be different now.

"I find it hard to believe you've never done that before." Elsa commented as she propped herself up on her elbow.

Anna shrugged. "I've watched a lot of porn in my life. I just did what I assumed would feel good if it were being done to me."

A wicked grin grew across the blonde's face as her icy blue eyes locked onto Anna's. There was a certain kind of hunger that grew in her eyes the longer she stared at the redhead. "Want to find out first hand?" She asked flirtatiously as she pounced onto Anna, pinning her onto the bed.

* * *

"Hey ninny, there's a group of beautiful women at the door who wish to speak to you!"

"Do you have to announce us like that, Merida?" Jasmine asked with a hint of distaste.

Merida scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hey ninny, there's two beautiful women and Jasmine at the door who wish to speak to you!" She repeated with her edit, and shot a cocky grin over toward Jasmine as she crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out.

"Do you have to keep calling me that?" Kristoff asked as he slung a dishtowel over his shoulder and rounded the counter.

"Stop being a ninny and I'll stop calling you a ninny."

"I don't even know what that is!"

"You."

Rapunzel giggled before nodding toward one of the booths lining the wall of the restaurant, inviting Kristoff to join them. The women took their seats as Kristoff leaned against the seat. "What's up?"

Reaching into her purse, Rapunzel pulled out the notebook from earlier and laid it onto the table. "Do you know what this is?" She asked, looking up toward the shaggy blonde.

"Well…" Kristoff began as he picked up the notebook and ruffled through the pages. "I'd say this is, without a doubt, definitely a notebook."

Jasmine scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, captain obvious."

"Anytime, sergeant sarcasm." Kristoff retorted as he placed the notebook back onto the table and earned a blank stare from Jasmine, causing Merida to chuckle.

Grabbing the notebook, Rapunzel flipped through the pages until she found the page with all of the mysterious numbers written on it. "Do you know Aleks Delle?"

Kristoff bit his cheek and sighed before brushing his hair back. "I've delivered to her and her boyfriend a couple times. And Anna has spoken about her a couple times." He looked back down at the confused looks all three women were giving him. "Why?"

"Do you know what any of these numbers mean?" Rapunzel asked as she handed the notebook back to Kristoff, turned to the proper page this time.

His mouth hung slightly agape as he ran his finger across the page. "I can tell you that all of these numbers add up to be over one hundred and fifty thousand."

"Is that it?" Merida asked in slight disbelief, raising her eyebrow as she whipped her head around, causing her red curls to slap Jasmine in the face.

"Well, if you put them all side by side, you get a really long and complicated serial code." He stated with a small chuckle and he placed the notebook back onto the table. "Why are you guys interested, anyway?"

Rapunzel sighed and rubbed her temples. "Because we've been thinking about them all day and have no idea what they could mean."

"Why don't you just ask Aleks herself?" Kristoff asked with a small shrug.

"Well, Aleks can sort of be kind of a-"

"Ninny."

"Bitch."

"…yeah. I don't think it would be a good idea to approach her considering where we all stand with her." Rapunzel finished explaining.

"I think she's easier to talk to than that boyfriend of hers." Kristoff mentioned as he reached back to a neighboring table and pulled a chair over and sat down at the edge of the booth. "He's a little strange."

"You're telling me she managed to get a boyfriend?" Jasmine asked with an amused tone and a small chuckle. "Is he real?"

Kristoff shrugged and leaned forward on his elbows. "He's real. He's just a little strange."

"Strange how?" Rapunzel inquired

"He's just… distant." The man began, shifting his weight from elbow to elbow to try and find the right words. "He is extremely short, not one for conversation."

"And what about Aleks?" Jasmine butted in, leaning forward in order to see past Merida's hair.

"She does most of the talking from what I've seen. I've only spoken with them a couple times, though." He shrugged. "I'm sorry, I'm not the best source about this."

"Well-" Rapunzel started as she sighed again and slumped into the seat. "Thanks for trying. I guess we'll ask Elsa about it tomorrow."

"Why wait?"

"They're busy smashing pissers." Merida nonchalantly commented, causing both Rapunzel and Jasmine to let out an exasperated groan.

"I think Elsa would top." Kristoff mentioned with a small chuckle.

"Kristoff!"

"That's what I said."

"Jasmine!"

"I think they'd take turns."

"Merida! This is my cousin we're talking about!" Rapunzel frantically exclaimed. "Ugh." She slumped further back into her seat and brushed her hair behind her ears.

Kristoff shook his head with a small grin as he looked back toward the counter and the kitchen behind it. "Is there anything I can get you guys while you're here?"

"No, thank you." Rapunzel started, readjusting herself in her seat. "But, there's one more thing we'd like to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"We're taking Anna out to breakfast tomorrow before she leaves. Would you like to come with us?" She leaned forward and asked.

Kristoff looked around at the empty restaurant before returning his gaze to the three women looking at him expectedly. "Yeah, sure. Count me in."

* * *

"E-Els… .r-right there…." Anna whimpered as Elsa pressed her harder onto the shower tile.

Elsa smiled to herself as she pressed her fingers further into Anna and started to slither her free hand up her body while leaving little love marks across her girlfriend's shoulders. She took one of her nipples in her free hand and started to knead and pull at it like Anna did to her earlier. The little whimpers and moans from the redhead fed the dark desire within her core that had taken her over earlier that day. Resting her chin on the nook of her shoulder and ran her tongue across the outside of Anna's earlobe. "You're so beautiful when you're helpless." She teased, pulling her fingers outside of Anna and ran them over her slick folds.

"Put t-them back! E-Elsa!" Anna protested with a whine as she pushed her hips back into Elsa, desperately trying to get her girlfriend's fingers back into her. "So…close." She muttered under her breath as she pressed her face up to the cool tile. The steam from the shower made it slightly hard to breathe from all of the humidity, but Elsa's cool touch made it manageable.

"What's the magic word?" Elsa taunted, teasing her fingers against Anna's outer lips.

"F-fuck me, please!" Anna moaned, tensing her fingers across the tile.

"Close enough." Elsa muttered before sliding her fingers back into Anna, instantly causing her to whimper and moan as her walls clenched around her fingers. She felt Anna's knees start to shake against her own as she brought her hand down and started to rub her clit. "Now I want you to finish for me." She whispered against her ear. "Can you do that for me?" She teased and grazed her teeth against Anna's ear lobe. Anna couldn't mutter any words, just jumbled noises as she was pushed over that edge. Her hips started to roll against Elsa's hands as she moaned against the tile, her knees dangerously close to giving out on her. After what seemed like an eternity, her bucking slowed and she slowly fell off of her high as she did her best to brush her wet hair out of her face.

Anna twirled around and pressed Elsa against the wall on the other side of the shower as she reached down and grabbed her hand and brought it up to her mouth. Elsa felt her work her tongue around her fingers as she lapped up her own juices from her hand. She then leaned forward and placed a passionate kiss on Elsa's lips. There was no battle for dominance between their tongues; it was more of a slow and gentle dance.

"You're a quick learner." Anna commented with a grin in between kisses as she held Elsa's face between her hands.

* * *

"I don't know, Pokemon." Aleks muttered as she plopped down onto the couch and propped her legs over the arm. "I don't think I'd be welcome."

"You don't know that, Aleks. You might be welcomed with open arms." Pocahontas commented as she pulled a banana off of the bunch and made her way to the chair beside the couch. "You're important to Elsa."

Groaning, Aleks pulled out her phone and tossed it onto the coffee table when she noticed that Elsa had not texted her back yet. "Yeah, but Anna and her 'entourage'-" She quoted and made a face. "Practically hate me."

Pocahontas shrugged as she took a bite of the banana. "Well, Rapunzel invited me. She never said I couldn't bring a guest, right?"

"How do you even know her?"

"You can meet a lot of people when you show up at the right time." Pocahontas answered with a smile. "You never know what's just around the riverbend."

* * *

"About time you got out here, slowpoke." Elsa giggled as Anna made her way into the bedroom, brushing out her long auburn hair as she sat down on the bed next to the blonde.

"You know how many showers we've taken today?" She retorted, returning the giggle as she flipped her hair over to brush the other side.

Elsa shrugged. "Five? Six?" Honestly, she lost track after the second. That may tend to happen to an individual when they spend the entire day lost in another's body. "Irrelevant." She stated. "I have a gift for you."

Anna started braiding her hair when she looked her girlfriend up and down and took a deep breath. "Look, today was amazing but I think I have to give the girls a rest." She admitted, squirming in her seat.

Elsa waved her off and pulled out the drawer on the small nightstand next to her bed. She pulled out two thin, clear, glittering chains with something on the ends of them that she hid in her hands. "Hold out your hands."

Finishing up her braids, Anna scooted a little closer and held out her hands. Elsa placed one of the chains into her open palms. It was initially cold, but it soon warmed up to Anna's body temperature as she inspected it in-between her fingers. "Is this… ice?" She asked with a lopsided smile.

Elsa nodded as she displayed another one of the clear chains in front of Anna. "I made two of them. But, that's not it." She took Anna's chain from her and attached something onto it.

Anna was handed the chain back as she inspected the new addition to it. It appeared to be a block of clear, solid ice that matched the necklace. It was cool in her hands as it casted back a distorted reflection of herself. It was fairly large, being almost as large as her pinky finger. "Elsa…" Anna muttered as she rubbed the small ice crystal in her palm. "This is gorgeous." She finished as the ice crystal caught the glare off of the lamp and shone it into Anna's face.

"It has some pretty fascinating side effects." Elsa added on as she added a similar ice crystal onto her own chain, and held it tightly into her hands. She took a deep breath and brought her hands up to her chest, focusing on her steady heartbeat.

Anna's face lit up in joy and amazement when her own small crystal started to glow in small, brief pulses. It cast a slight, incandescent light on her palms and face as she stared in wonderment. "Does it work both ways?" She asked, holding hers up to her own chest. And sure enough, she was able to catch the tiny rays of light escaping from the spaces in between Elsa's fingers in brief pulses.

"I didn't notice it until after I made them. But, they pulse like that when you hold one of them up to your chest." She explained and shrugged, casting her gaze to a random spot on the floor. "It's kind of cheesy I guess. But, now you know that I'll always be with you when you're across the ocean." She shrugged again. "In an abstract kind of way, I suppose."

A soft smile grew across Anna's face as she continued to eye the pulsing ice crystals. She dropped her hands, and the pulsing on Elsa's soon stopped. When Elsa dropped her own hands, the pulsing on Anna's stopped. She looked up at Elsa's gorgeous blue eyes and pulled her in for a small kiss. "They're perfect."

* * *

"Anna?" Elsa muttered, voice weak and raspy.

She felt Anna place her chin on the top of her head as she pulled her a little closer. "I'm here." She whispered.

Elsa took a deep breath, mind groggy and clouded from the deep sleep she had awoken from. And tried to stretch, but immediately regretted that decision when a sharp pain shot all over her body, centered on her thighs. "I'm sore."

She felt Anna chuckle and shift around. "You and I both."

Elsa placed a small peck on her collarbone and nuzzled a little closer into her girlfriend's neck. "I'm sorry." She muttered, words slurred together.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." She heard Anna reply as she felt her fingers run through her blonde hair that was splayed out behind her. "But I don't think I can get by with just my fingers after that."

The realization soon hit Elsa, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. Anna would be leaving in the morning, and she won't see her again for a few weeks. The very thought of which caused her heart to drop. Her eyes slowly fell back shut as she took a deep breath. "I miss you already." She nearly whimpered.

She felt Anna sigh as she continued to twirl her hair around her fingers. "I don't want this night to end."

"Anna?" Elsa slowly repeated after a short pause.

She blinked a few times before pulling herself closer to her girlfriend. The warmth coming off of her made her feel completely safe and secured. She smelled sweet, the aroma dancing in Elsa's nostrils. "I love you."

Anna placed a kiss on the top of her head and pulled her in closer. "I love you too."


	22. Not Saying Goodbye

**A/N: **Fairly short and sweet chapter.

I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. I feel like I do that a lot, but honestly, it means a lot to me.

With every view, favorite, follow, and review, I feel more confident about how the story is coming along and that people actually enjoy it.

Also! Like I stated a couple chapters ago, Burning Low is about 2/3rds finished at this point. It's still a ways off, but I have been thinking of another story that I'd like to write once everything is said and done with Burning Low. The thing is, since I've been writing, I haven't been reading as much fanfiction as I'd like to. Therefore, I have no clue if this idea I have is unique or if it's a carbon copy of another fic out there that I have no idea even exists. So, would it be too much to ask someone to message me so I can pitch this fic idea to so I can be sure it hasn't been done already? Either here on , or Tumblr. Preferably someone who has been able to read a lot of the fics currently out there, and who wouldn't mind spoilers to this idea I have.

But I digress.

Constructive criticism is, of course, always welcomed.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Rapunzel! Can we speak?" Pocahontas asked, tugging at the hem of Rapunzel's shirt as she rounded the corner.

The brunette turned around with a suspicious glare as she soon realized who had called her and her face softened. "Yeah, I was about to meet everyone else on the next floor. What's up?" She asked cheerfully as she leaned against the wall.

"I know." Pocahontas replied with a smirk and a shrug. "I wanted to ask you if it would be alright if I brought someone along." She asked in a lighthearted tone, trying to keep the atmosphere positive.

"We could squeeze another person into the car, sure. How many would that make?" Rapunzel asked as she looked up and started to count on her fingers. "Seven? Eight?" She shrugged and smiled. "We can stuff Kristoff in the trunk."

Covering her mouth as she chucked, Pocahontas shook her head. "I only ask because I don't want there to be any tension between her and everyone else."

Rapunzel scrunched her eyebrows and crossed her arms, knowing exactly who she was referring to. "Do you mean-"

"Aleks, yes." Pocahontas answered before Rapunzel could finish as she swept her hair behind her ear and pursed her lips. "Elsa is important to her. And through extension, Anna is too."

Rubbing her temples, Rapunzel swept her hair back before shrugging. "I don't really mind her being there, I guess. It's Jasmine and Merida I'm concerned about."

"I'll talk to them later." Came a voice from around the corner as Rapunzel turned toward the direction it came from, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she saw Aleks confidently stride down the hall. "You're the one who is related to her, you're the one I want to be okay with." She reached the duo before leaning against the wall and shrugging. "For now, at least."

"I can't just forgive and forget, Aleks." Rapunzel stated plainly as she crossed her arms with a stern expression.

"I'm not asking you to. I've done some shitty things, I know." Aleks admitted as she turned toward Pocahontas and shrugged before turning back to the woman in front of her. "But for the sake of Elsa and Anna, it isn't really ideal if we're down each other's throats the entire time, right?" She tried not to sound condescending as to not provoke Rapunzel any further than her mere presence did.

Rapunzel gazed intensely at Aleks, taking note of every tiny demeanor. Even though she came here for some sort of reconciliation, she still gave off a cocky vibe. Maybe it was her tone of voice, or maybe it was how she seemed to relax despite the slight air of tension. Whatever it was, it was hard to disagree with her. If Anna is to continue to be with Elsa, Aleks wasn't going anywhere. For the moment, Rapunzel was willing to put up with this for her cousin's sake and for the sake of her relationship. She forced a smile as she extended her hand for a handshake.

With a smug grin, Aleks slapped at her extended hand as she pushed herself off of the wall and toward the stairwell. "I'll meet you two upstairs." She announced, leaving Rapunzel staring blankly at the space Aleks had previously occupied.

"I hope this ends well." She muttered to herself as she felt Pocahontas place a hand on her shoulder. Perhaps she felt guilty after yelling at her in the cafeteria the other day. Or maybe she was just going crazy. The knot forming in her stomach just made her feel worse about the situation.

"Sometimes the smoothest course isn't the wisest option, Rapunzel." Pocahontas stated as Rapunzel turned her head to face her. "Rivers are a curious thing like that."

* * *

Anna inhaled deeply as she entered a deep stretch, only to cringe when a sharp pain started to shoot through her body. She didn't mind it a whole lot though, because it signified a good change in her life. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms as she wiggled out from underneath the blankets and off of the bed, trying not to wake her sleeping girlfriend beside her. She looked back and smiled at Elsa as her chest steadily rose and fell.

Still smiling to herself, she made it to the bathroom and gently closed the door behind her as she grabbed her toothbrush and ran it under the water. She didn't even think the sun had risen yet considering how early it was. Although she was just in the bedroom, she didn't notice if the sun was coming through the window or not. But despite her burning disgust for mornings and her stiff body, Anna was determined to get as many waking hours with Elsa as possible before she had to leave in the next few hours. She heard a faint rustling sound on the other side of the door, but she paid no attention to it and wrote it off as Elsa walking about. As she finished brushing her teeth, she placed her toothbrush back into the holder and dried her mouth off with a nearby towel.

Exiting the bathroom and closing the door behind her, she caught a glimpse of someone in her peripheral vision that caused her to turn toward the living room. She looked directly past the group of people that had coalesced around the kitchen counter and on the couch as Rapunzel gave her an enthusiastic wave and a large grin. Anna blinked once. Twice. Then spun on her heel toward the bedroom door and shut it behind her. Slightly surprised to find Elsa sitting up and running her hands through her hair, Anna sat down next to her girlfriend and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"It's five in the morning." Elsa muttered, voice low and gravely with sleep as she wrapped her arms around Anna's shoulders and leaned her own head against hers.

"I have to be at the airport by ten."

Elsa groaned in acknowledgement as she took a deep breath before moving herself off of the bed. The moment her feet hit the floor, Anna saw her body physically tense up as she lowered herself back down onto the bed. "Sorry." Anna whispered, slightly amused at finding Elsa as sore as she was.

"It's the good kind of pain." Elsa whispered as she worked her way back up, and as she turned to face Anna, her eyes widened as she covered her mouth in surprise.

Anna raised an eyebrow and surveyed her surroundings, confused as to what Elsa was shocked about. "Wha-"

"You're going to want to wear a turtleneck or something today." Elsa explained as she turned toward the small closet and started to shuffle through the hanging clothes.

"You are too." Anna replied with a snarky undertone, barely able to make out the red marks strewn across Elsa's neck and shoulders in the dimly lit room. She brought her hands up to her neck, able to feel the radiating heat on the back of her hand from the little marks across her neck. She pulled at the collar of her shirt and her eyes widened when she found what looked like an extremely visible bite mark. She had been wondering what the fabric of her shirt was irritating. And it looks like she found her answer. She winced as she traced the mark with the tip of her fingers. "You have really straight teeth, Elsa."

"Thank you?" Elsa asked as she shut the closet behind her and tossed a pile of clothes onto the bed next to Anna. "I'm sure you'll find something that fits you." She stammered as she grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and used the light to survey the bright red love marks across her neck, chest, and shoulders.

Sifting through the pile of clothes, Anna shrugged to herself. "I don't even think anyone noticed."

Elsa's arms dropped to her side as her eyes widened and she stared blankly at the redhead. "What?"

"Yeah, there's a bunch of people in the living room." Anna mentioned as she started to count on her fingers. "Merida, Jasmine, Kristoff, Pocahontas, Rapunzel…" She dropped her hands. "…Aleks." Her stomach instantly tensed into knots as she looked up at Elsa with a shared worried expression.

Elsa tossed her phone onto the bed and scrambled toward the door, Anna trailing her. She threw the door open as it slammed against the wall behind it. With a dull thud and a wince, she was pushed against the wall when Anna had a hard time stopping. The pair eventually found their balance as Anna grinned and excitedly waved at the group of people who had coalesced around the couch.

Merida instantly erupted in a fit of cacophonous laughter as she braced herself against Kristoff's broad shoulders. Amidst her laughter, she pointed up toward the pouting blonde and teased. "You owe me fifteen dollars!"

Kristoff sighed and chuckled as he gestured over toward Jasmine behind the couch. "That's fine, cause Jasmine owes me twenty."

Rapunzel groaned as she leaned her head back against the couch and rubbed her temples. "All three of you owe me a drink."

Aleks raised her hand as she cradled her head in the other. "I'll buy." She chimed in as Pocahontas chuckled and shook her head. "You two get dressed, we're all taking Anna to breakfast and I'll be damned if the restaurant is crowded with a bunch of bonewalkers with their early bird special bullshit."

"You played Morrowind?" Kristoff asked with wide eyes as he nudged Merida off of her shoulder and leaned forward.

Aleks smirked and nodded. "Hell yeah, although I kind of prefer Oblivion when it comes to the Elder Scrolls."

Anna looked expectedly up at her dumbstruck girlfriend and chuckled. "What the hell is happening?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around Elsa's.

"If I had to guess? Fenrir escaped his prison and Ragnarök is upon us."

"What?"

Elsa shook her head. "I'll explain later."

"Nerd." Anna teased as she spun around and walked back into the bedroom.

* * *

"I can't believe you guys actually stuck me in the trunk." Kristoff contemplated out loud, shaking his head as he stabbed at his eggs and took a large bite.

"I can't believe you actually fit." Jasmine teased, bumping into the large man as she chuckled.

Pocahontas shrugged and nodded toward the window that the group was seated next. "I can't believe Denny's is open this early."

"I can't believe it's not butter!" Merida shouted with a mouthful of biscuit, launching out small crumbs that hit Rapunzel who sat across from her.

Rapunzel scoffed as she picked up a nearby napkin and wiped the crumbs off of her face. "I can't believe I thought it was a good idea to sit in front of Merida." She jested, smiling at the redhead across from her.

"I can't believe we didn't get pulled over since we had a body in the back." Aleks added as the table unanimously nodded in agreement, much to Kristoff's dismay as he rolled his eyes.

"At least it was a van and not a tiny little sports car or anything." Jasmine commented, trying to alleviate some of the flak off of Kristoff.

"You'll have a seat after this, Kristoff. I'm not going to the airport." Aleks commented as she stuck a strip of bacon into her mouth.

"You're not?" Elsa asked, slightly concerned. It was the first time in days she saw her twin, she had hoped that she would be able to see her for a bit longer.

Aleks shook her head and swallowed her bite. "You know I'm not really one for goodbyes. Besides, I have to go bash my head against my desk in philosophy."

"Did you have to take the test about the chair?" Jasmine asked in a distasteful tone.

Aleks knew exactly which one she was talking about as she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me."

"I can't believe I'm going to London." Anna mentioned. "I haven't had any time to practice my accent." She continued in the best British accent she could muster, which isn't saying much. But it did earn a small giggle from Elsa.

"Do you know who you'll be staying with?" Elsa asked as the rest of table started to devolve into their own conversation. Amongst the chatter, Elsa managed to hear Aleks and Kristoff talking about more video games. It made her happy knowing that not everyone at the table had distaste for her. Although there was a slight tension in the air as her and Merida periodically glared at each other.

Anna swallowed her bite and nodded. "Yeah, I'm staying with another student and her father. He had the most British sounding name I've ever heard." She reached for her glass of water, and extended her pinky as she swished the glass around. "Archimedes Q. Porter" She said in the same faux accent. "And his daughter Jane."

"The most British sounding name I've ever heard was Benadryl Cucumber." Jasmine chimed in with a small smirk.

"Did you say something about Babylon Concubine?" Rapunzel added as her and Jasmine joined together in a joyful giggle as Anna cocked an eyebrow and looked over toward Elsa with a confused expression.

"I think they're talking about Boobytrap Cheddarcheese." Elsa played along as the giggling between Rapunzel and Jasmine soon turned to an eruption of laughter. A few waiters from across the room looked toward the table and shook their heads.

Aleks nudged her elbow into Elsa to get her attention. "Does the last name Porter sound familiar?" She asked with a mouth full of gravy. She swallowed her bite before continuing. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

Elsa shrugged and chased around a link of sausage on her plate with her fork. "I imagine it's a fairly common last name."

Merida slapped her fork against the table, instantly causing everyone to snap their heads straight toward her. Jasmine opened her mouth and almost began to speak before a sea of red curls assaulted her face. "I have family in London attending university! Maybe you'll meet a couple of them." She mentioned with a large smile. "Ah yes, the MacGuffins. During a family reunion one year, everyone bearing that name was able to rip a log in half with their bare hands."

"Are they ninnies too?" Kristoff scoffed.

"Not like you." Merida retorted and stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, so, stay away from anyone with the last name of MacGuffin." Anna nodded. "Got it."

"Just tell them you know me and they'll probably form a shield wall around you."

Anna chuckled and moved her empty plate out of the way as she leaned forward on her elbows. "I'll bite. Why?"

"Let me tell you about the time my uncle Dingwall decided it would be a good idea to start up a game of American football at the family reunion."

Elsa shook her head and chuckled as she nudged Anna. "Excited?"

Looking over toward the hyped up squirrel known as Merida as she told the tale of what was sure to be the most intense game of football Scotland would ever see, Anna shrugged and leaned her head on Elsa's shoulder. "A little nervous right now."

"-And then my uncle Macintosh brought out a whole frozen turkey, and of course my brothers had to have it…"

* * *

"I think I prefer the trunk." Kristoff groaned as he stepped out of the car with one of Anna's suitcases in hand. "At least I can gaze out of the window and ignore everyone that way."

"Oh come on, it could have been worse." Jasmine teased as she followed the man out of the car and crossed her arms over her stomach.

Kristoff gave a sarcastic chuckle as he set the suitcase onto the ground. "It could get worse than talking about all the troubles you all go through with bras?"

"You don't really have a lot of experience with women, do you?" Rapunzel chimed as she rounded the car and leaned on a nearby bench.

"I live on the second floor of a pizza place. What was your first clue?"

"The fact that you always smell like burned cheese and tomato sauce." Merida taunted.

"Come now, Kristoff." Pocahontas started as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't that bad. We didn't even get to talk about the pains of underwire."

Merida nodded. "It's like being prodded in the tit with a hot poker after a while."

Anna reached into the back and pulled out a backpack before stepping out of the car and slinging it over her shoulders. She nodded to Kristoff as she took the suitcase from him. The sun had risen as it shown straight into her eyes, causing her to squint as she stood in front of her friends. She tugged at the collar of the turtleneck she was wearing as it threatened to suffocate her in the humidity. "So, uh, thank you all for coming out and taking me to breakfast and everything." She commented, nervous under all of the eyes directed at her.

"Tony and I will hold down the fort while you're gone." Kristoff reassured with a hearty smile and a thumbs up.

Anna returned the gesture with a smile of her own as Elsa stepped forward and took her by the hand, leading her away from the group and toward the glass doors of the airport. After they had a little bit more privacy, she turned Anna toward her and brushed back a loose strand of hair that was sticking to her forehead. Anna sheepishly looked up toward the blonde and tried to force a smile. She wasn't looking forward to what was coming next.

"You packed a toothbrush, right? Deodorant? Soap?" Elsa teased with a small chuckle.

Pouting, Anna nodded and took both of Elsa's hands into her own. She wanted to say something, but couldn't really find the words. Instead, she just stared into her lover's eyes. Elsa's deep blue eyes were already starting to glaze over. "If you start crying, I'll start crying." She commented as she wiped the corners of her girlfriend's eyes with her thumbs.

"I know, it's just going to be so strange." Elsa muttered under her breath. "I'm going to miss you, Anna." She whispered as Anna wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her in.

"I'll miss you too, Elsa." Anna replied as she brought one of her arms up and pressed her hand against her chest. Just like the night prior, the small ice crystal that Elsa had around her neck started gave off a faint, pulsing light underneath her shirt. "Do you think they'll vibrate if we-"

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed with a large grin. "No! Well-" She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I doubt it."

"I don't mean to rush you two, but your plane leaves in thirty minutes." Rapunzel commented from the middle of the small group clustered near the bench.

Anna pulled the blonde in toward her and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "We're not saying goodbye, you know?" She pulled her in and gave her another kiss, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes. "It's more like a 'see you later'".

"You'll call me, right?

"I will."

Feeling like her heart could burst from her chest at any given moment; Elsa pulled Anna into a tight embrace and buried her face into her shoulder. "I love you." She whimpered, tears sliding off of her face and onto the fabric of Anna's shirt.

"I love you too." Anna replied softly as she returned the embrace, trying to squeeze every spare moment left she had with Elsa. When Elsa pulled herself off of her, she lingered for moment as her hands slid down her arms when Elsa took a few steps back, crossing her arms around her stomach and nodding.

She was excited for this whole new adventure and people to meet. But, seeing Elsa in front of her like this tugged at her heartstrings in ways she couldn't begin to explain. As bad as she wanted to pull her into an embrace and ensure her that everything would be alright, she had to leave. She turned toward her group of friends and waved them off as she wiped a growing tear from the corner of her eye. She gave a smaller wave to her girlfriend, who returned the gesture with a weak smile. As Anna turned toward the doors, she caught the reflection of Elsa walking back toward the car off of the glass. Before she entered the airport, she saw Rapunzel wrap her arm around Elsa as she led her toward the car. It really did pain her to leave, but she left with a confidence that her girlfriend would be taken care of.

_We're not saying goodbye, you know. It's more like 'see you later'._ The words reverberated and resonated throughout her thoughts. Everything is going to be okay.


	23. The Rabbit Hole

**A/N:** Yay updates!

Today marks the official beginning of my spring break, so maybe I'll get another update out within the next week or so. I know updates with this have been extremely sporadic, and I'd like to thank you all for putting up with it.

Also, I wrote the first chapter of the new fic I mentioned in the last chapter. It's up and posted on ffnet and it's called "Fractured". Elsanna, of course. So if you're a fan of my writing, go check it out. Or don't. Whatever is cool.

This chapter isn't necessarily exciting or anything, but I thought it'd be a nice time to calm things down a little for the time being.

Enjoy!

* * *

Seeing the dorm so empty was something Elsa was not used to. There was no clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen, and no patter of feet against the hardwood flooring. She didn't hear the shower running, or any noise coming from the television. Absolutely everything was silent, save for the sound of her own breathing as she closed the textbook she was cradling in her lap. Under most circumstances, none of this would bother her. She would find comfort in the stillness of her surroundings and being able to hear a pin if one fell. Being alone was something she hadn't had to do for weeks, and she had adjusted fairly well to being around other people. If it wasn't Rapunzel, Merida, Jasmine, or Aleks, it was always Anna. She always knew that every night when she'd lay her head down for the night, that Anna would be nearby.

Elsa sighed as she placed the textbook on the coffee table in front of her and pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket. The brightly lit screen threatened to scorch her eyes as they took a moment to adjust. Anna had been gone for seven or eight hours at this point, and she was hoping that she would have received a phone call by now. _I hope she's okay. _She didn't know exactly what she was expecting as she stared at the blank screen of her phone, swiping through different menus just to keep her mind occupied. She managed to keep from crying too hard when Anna left, not wanting to cause a scene in front of everyone. Rapunzel did a fairly good job in consoling and reassuring her in Anna's absence, and it helped. She was too busy the rest of the day to worry about and miss Anna. Classes had taken up most of the day after breakfast. But now that she had time to herself to be alone, it was coming all back to her. That same rabbit hole of self-doubt and anxiety that seemed to be harder and harder to climb out of every time.

It was the knock at the door that slapped her back to her senses. Wiping at her eyes, she went to stand up and answer the door when she found it already swinging open. She instantly clenched the arm of the couch as her mind started racing as what she could use as a weapon, not even noticing the thin layer of frost that started to creep out from under her hands. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as adrenaline started to course.

"Hey, Elsa." Came a familiar voice that Elsa soon recognized as Rapunzel. The only source of light was from her bedroom in the hall, but she was still able to trace Rapunzel's form as she shut the door behind her.

Loosening her grip on the couch and slowly lowering herself back onto it, Elsa tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. "How did yo-"

"The same way I got in this morning." She stated in a cheerful tone as she walked toward the couch and gingerly lowered herself across from Elsa. "I have a master key…card…thing."

"Why d-"

"It's a long story, but I got it from Eugene." Despite the dim lighting, Elsa could barely make out Rapunzel pulling her legs up onto the couch and resting her chin on her knees. "Have you heard anything from Anna yet?" She asked hesitantly, as if she was afraid to stir up any emotions hidden within the blonde.

Shaking her head, Elsa placed her phone onto the coffee table in front of her and let out a soft sigh. "No." She muttered, trying to shake the worries from her mind. Anna was a grown woman and fully capable of taking care of herself, so logically, Elsa knew she had to be fine. But that nagging voice in the back of her head wouldn't leave her be.

"Did I ever tell you about the time her and I played ping pong with two frying pans, a foosball table, a fishing net, and a tennis ball?" Rapunzel asked, breaking the silence.

Elsa chuckled and shook her head. "I've heard about the frying pans, but I don't think she told me that specific story." She adjusted herself onto the couch so that she was facing the woman in front of her. "But wouldn't it be more like tennis than ping pong?"

"Whatever you want to call it, we ended up breaking a couple lamps. I thought my parents would be _so_ furious, but they were actually pretty cool about it." Rapunzel chuckled to herself. "They only asked that we keep the frying pans outside from then on out. Eugene was glad to hear about that new rule after I broke his nose with one at a Christmas party."

The very image was enough to bring a wide grin across Elsa's face. The thought of her girlfriend and her cousin playing makeshift tabletop games with random items found throughout the house. Anna would often times tell her stories about the things her and Rapunzel would do, and she never got tired of hearing about them. Funny enough, frying pans were involved in pretty much every single one. Elsa had a growing theory that Rapunzel hoarded them, and the thought of her having a closet full of frying pans only widened Elsa's smile. "I don't think Anna ever told be about how you and Eugene met. He seems like a really great guy."

"Oh, he is. And it's an interesting story too. He wasn't always the caring and funny guy you might know him as. He used to be kind of a jerk." She shook her head and waved her hand. "Actually, he was a big jerk. The type of person I can't stand to be around."

"But you ended up engaged to him?" Elsa asked in genuine curiosity.

"Weird how these things work out, right?" Rapunzel asked in response, not expecting an answer as she dropped her knees and crossed her legs. "One night, I couldn't get to sleep for the life of me and I started hearing a lot of rustling and whispers outside of my window. At first I thought it was just a stray dog or something, because we'd get those every now and then. But after a while I started to worry, so I stood up and grabbed a frying pan I kept next to my bed-"

"In case you ever needed to fry up some eggs at three in the morning?" Elsa jested.

"I tried that once. Didn't work out, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, I open up my window and hop out of it and start sneaking around the house. On the back porch were these three guys messing with the back door, and I may have screamed. Two of the guys ran off but the other one just kind of sat there. I eventually composed myself and worked up the courage to confront him, and when I got close enough for the light to turn on, I saw Eugene. He was making this ridiculous face at me and said hi. So I threw the frying pan at him."

Elsa snickered. "I'm sure that wasn't the first time."

"Of course not. I hit him in the knee and ended up dislocating it, so even if he wanted to run he wouldn't have gotten very far. He knew what he had to do and asked me to help him pop it back into place, and I guess I felt bad for hurting him so I helped him. Pretty sure I did more harm than good, but once he was able to hobble around, he asked me out to dinner."

Elsa laughed and smirked in disbelief. "A guy who tried to break into your house asks you out, and you say yes?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "He was cute."

"Isn't that how murders happen? Or date rape?"

"Okay." Rapunzel admitted. "It wasn't the smartest idea in hindsight. But I was lucky and the date actually went pretty well. Like I said, he was a jerk, but he also had a really kind and soft side to him. We saw each other a couple more times and he eventually admitted that he never really had a home growing up. He was an orphan and was tossed around from foster home to foster home."

_I guess his childhood wasn't too great either. Being thrown about from home to home, never feeling like you belonged anywhere. _Elsa felt sympathy for the man despite never speaking to him before in her life. But the way Rapunzel's face lit up despite the dim lighting as she told her story brought Elsa a kind of happiness knowing that things worked out for the young couple.

"-I mean, how was I supposed to know that's not what you're supposed to do? It's called a _blow_ job!"

Elsa could definitely tell the relation between Rapunzel and Anna.

"Then he started working at the Snuggly Duckling during breaks and the summer and once he started to get a little more stability in his life, he took his schoolwork more seriously and he calmed down a lot. He can still be kind of a jerk sometimes, but he's still getting better. But, he's my jerk and I love him."

Elsa was torn from her thoughts and Rapunzel's story when her phone started to vibrate loudly on the table, breaking the calm demeanor of the room. Her heart dropped as she frantically lunged for her phone, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes when she saw it was Anna. She answered the call and brought her phone up to her ear. "Anna?" She asked, anticipating her girlfriend's voice.

"Hey, beautiful. I'm sorry I couldn't call you earlier, it's been a long day." Anna said, and despite her cheerful sounded tone, Elsa could hear a bit of fatigue in her voice.

"It's fine, I understand." Elsa replied as she switched her phone to her other ear and beamed at Rapunzel. "Did you just land?" She asked, already knowing the answer from the sound of a muffled crowd on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I'm over at baggage claim. Afterward I'll meet Jane at the entrance and probably get a shower and go to bed as soon as possible." There was a bit of static and rumbling as Anna messed with her phone on the other end. "It's like seven in the morning but I plan on sleeping for at least twenty four hours."

Elsa chuckled and didn't notice herself playing with the ends of her braid with her free hand. "Other than being tired, are you okay?"

"Still a little sore, the seats on the plane didn't really help much. But I'm okay all things considering."

"I'm glad to hear that." Elsa replied softly, looking up at Rapunzel and smiling again. "Hey, listen. Rapunzel is over and I'm probably heading to bed shortly myself-"

"Can you stay on for just a couple minutes longer? I'm sorry, I'm just kind of nervous right now and your voice calms me." Anna pleaded, her voice low and rougher with every word.

A welcome warmth started to spread throughout Elsa's chest, heart quickening as she could feel every beat against her ribcage. "For you? Anything."

Just as Elsa was about to open her mouth to speak again, a knock at the door interrupted her. She was about to stand up to answer it when she saw Rapunzel stop her as she headed toward the door herself. Elsa nodded as she sunk back into the couch. "So, your cousin told me the story of how she met Eugene."

* * *

Rapunzel slowly opened the door and twirled around to close it as silently as she could as her eyes adjusted to the lights in the hall. Turning back around to greet whomever knocked, she inwardly groaned as she recognized the figure in front of her. "Hello, Aleks." She greeted with a faux enthusiasm.

Aleks crossed her arms and leaned against the wall in front of the door. "Where's Elsa?" She asked curtly, eying Rapunzel up and down.

"She's talking to Anna right now." Rapunzel replied as she backed up and leaned on the door.

"Why are you here?"

"Elsa is my friend. I came to check up on her. Why are you here?" She asked in response, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"She's my sister. Do I really need a reason?" Aleks answered in a condescending tone with a roll of her eyes and a sigh.

Not really wanting to get into anything with Aleks at the moment, Rapunzel tried her best to brush off the growing anger and anxious feelings in her stomach. "Well, do you think it could wait a moment? It'd be sort of rude to interrupt her right now." She replied in a strained tone.

Aleks eyed at the door, and then back down toward Rapunzel. "Why? What's she doing?" She pushed herself off of the wall, crossed her arms, and took an intimidating step toward the brunette.

Straightening herself and clenching her fists behind her back, Rapunzel shot her glance straight up and into Aleks' eyes. "She's talking to Anna." She muttered, eyes unwavering as her eyebrows came together and the corners of her eyes tensed. Her entire body, for that matter, started to tense. Ready to jump at any moment's notice should Aleks creep slightly past the imaginary line she set between them. From the stories told to her from Merida and Jasmine, things with Aleks always had that chance to go south at the drop of a hat. And whereas her friends were caught unprepared, Rapunzel wouldn't be. She refused to be.

"So, she made it to London safely?"

"Yes."

Aleks caught her gaze for a quick moment before dropping her eyes and gave a small shrug. "Okay, well, I know Elsa was probably worrying about her all day." She dropped back against the wall and leaned her head against it as a small sigh escaped her. "I'll send her a text. I just wanted to know if she'd come with me to this bullshit party Hans' friend is throwing."

Rapunzel's muscles slowly started to loosen as she dropped her shoulders and crossed her ankles. "Okay, I'll let her know."

A slight smile crept across Aleks' face as she pushed herself back off of the wall and met the brunette's gaze. "You're doing me a solid. And despite what you may believe, I don't have a personal problem with you or any of your friends."

Rapunzel was about to open her mouth to respond when Aleks cut her off with a hand gesture.

"You're all actually alright. Breakfast this morning proved that to me." She turned her head to gaze down the hall for a quick moment before snapping back. "I'll catch you around; I need to be headed back. I just wanted to stop by real quick to drop that message to Elsa." She finished as she turned on her heel and began to stride down the hall with a determination in her step that made it impossible to stop her even if Rapunzel tried. Or if she wanted to for that matter.

Opening the door behind her back, Rapunzel backed into the room and turned to find Elsa in the same spot she left her in the dimly lit room, her face illuminated from her phone as she looked down at it with a small grin. "I take it everything is alright?" She asked as she retook her spot on the opposite side of the couch.

Elsa nodded slowly and looked away from her phone and toward the woman in front of her. "She's tired and kind of nervous. But everything is alright." She answered in a low tone, tapping her thumbs on the screen.

Offering a warm smile in response, Rapunzel chuckled and shook her head. "She was so nervous about asking you out for the first time. I thought she was going to explode in a strange mess of confetti and gumdrops." She brought her knees up toward her chest and rested her head on them. "I'm glad she's found someone she actually seems happy to be around."

Placing her phone down on her lap, Elsa readjusted herself on the couch. "What do you mean? She hasn't really told me a whole lot about any past relationships."

"She's had a handful of boyfriends over the years. Some were better than others, obviously. But she always just seemed like she was humoring them. Not really interested in them or enjoying their company." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "One guy tried to kiss her and she punched him in the face."

Elsa's eyes widened as she snorted, which slowly turned into a jovial laugh that broke the stillness of the room. "You're kidding, right?" She managed to get out, wiping the sides of her eyes.

Rapunzel shook her head. "Nope. I swear I saw the guy's face concave in on itself as he fell off of the porch."

"I kind of feel bad for the guy." Elsa admitted through remnants of laughter.

"I don't. He was a genuinely nice guy and everything, but his elevator didn't quite reach the top floor." Rapunzel replied with a small chuckle.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone once bet him three dollars to piss in the Spanish teacher's trash can in the middle of class. And he did it." She explained and shook her head in disgust. "I wasn't there to see it myself, but word travels pretty quickly."

"As much as I absolutely adore hearing about people urinating in trash cans-" Elsa replied sarcastically with a half-hearted chuckle. "Who was at the door?"

Rapunzel had actually nearly forgotten in the middle of her storytelling. Which didn't bother a whole lot, Aleks still wasn't in her good graces. "Your sister." She answered in monotone. "She wanted to know if you'd go to a party Hans' friend is throwing in a couple weeks."

"Really? She knows I'm not one for parties." Elsa answered quietly. She crossed her legs and leaned forward to better involve herself. "She isn't either, really."

Rapunzel shrugged. "Jasmine is big on the party scene on campus, if someone is throwing one soon, she'll know about it."

"I honestly can't see Jasmine as the party type either."

"Neither can I honestly, but she is. Regardless, she'll know and probably end up going anyway. So worst comes to worst, I'm sure she could get you out of there.

Elsa grew silent, and Rapunzel took it as her cue that maybe she'd want to settle down for the night. She promised Anna she'd check on her periodically, and she planned to do that. But, she also didn't want to make Elsa uncomfortable with her presence. The two were friends, of course. But nowhere as close as she is with Anna. With a sigh, she turned her body to lift herself off of the couch. "I'll talk to Jasmine. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Okay. And, Rapunzel?" Elsa asked, raising her head to meet the eyes of the brunette as she turned the handle on the door.

"Yeah?" She responded as she turned her head to face Elsa.

"Thanks for stopping by."

Rapunzel smiled and waved at the blonde as she opened the door and left.

* * *

Elsa lay in bed, nonchalantly rubbing the fabric of the sheets between her thumb and finger. The day's events still fresh in her mind from the hectic morning, to the day's classes, to her conversation with Rapunzel. She had a hard time picking specific things to analyze as it felt like her thoughts were racing in a big jumbled mess. Now that she actually had the time to herself to reflect with no interruptions, she wasn't too sure what to feel or think.

Firstly, she missed Anna. That much was painfully obvious, the sheets felt abnormally cold without another body next to her. After spending the past few days in the same bed for the nights, she had grown attached and enjoyed the feeling of sleeping with Anna's body next to her own. But instead of the warmth she had grown accustomed to, the only thing next to her was the cold memory of the past few days. She had decided she'd sleep in Anna's bed for the night; her side was still unmade and unorderly. Elsa had meant to make the bed earlier, but she couldn't find the willpower to change anything.

Just as she felt herself starting to drift off to an uneasy sleep, her eyes were assaulted with a glow that startled her and made her eyes shoot open. She squinted from the dull pain in her eyes as she recognized the small crystal that lay in front of her, pulsing in a radiant light that periodically illuminated the entire room. Feeling a tear coalesce in the corner of her eye, she clutched at the small crystal and brought it close to her chest underneath the sheets. And as she eventually drifted off back to sleep, her thoughts slowed and her mind was clear with only one image: Anna.


	24. The House on a Hill

**A/N:** I literally came up with the idea for this chapter in the shower not but an hour ago. I knew I immediately had to write it down. And so, here we are!

I thought about lengthening it. But as I read over it, I decided not to. As it stands, it's more of a glimpse rather than a full view. And I thought it fit well.

Enjoy!

* * *

"You know that shit will give you cancer, right?" Aleks spat in disgust as she buried herself into the nook between the car seat and the door.

Rolling his eyes, Hans cracked the window and flicked the cigarette outside of the car. "You have to die eventually, right?" He said in a condescending tone as he squinted his eyes and gazed about the neighborhood. "Besides, I don't think you're in any position to be judging me for driving you out this far from campus."

"Hey." Aleks curtly responded as she slammed her hand on the dashboard. "You'd still be in that shitty rental if it weren't for me, and Gaston would still be living with his mother." She sunk back into the nook and a smug grin grew across her face when she saw Hans wave her off. She won, and he damn well knew it. As the grin slowly dissipated, she leaned her head against the glass. The gentle vibrations against the side of her head caused the passing houses to be blurry, but she was still able to recognize where they were. The familiar sidewalks that she and Elsa would walk between home and school every weekday since the death of their father. "You're going to make a left here soon; it's about a mile up the hill." She muttered underneath her breath as she spied a bus stop on a corner, which brought back bittersweet memories of avoiding the other kids.

"What are you looking for by coming back here?" Hans asked, eying Aleks from the corner of his eye as he rolled through the intersection.

"Houses cost money, Hans." She replied, bringing her knees up toward her chest. "It's the one on the top, with the fence around it." She pointed out as Hans pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. Aleks slowly brought her legs down and undid her seatbelt. She hesitated before opening the door, a feeling of anxious nostalgia in her stomach as she laid her eyes on the house. It wasn't a large house by any means, just the standard two story suburban home. In a lot of ways, it was a prison to her and her twin. In many other ways, it was the only thing that actually felt like a 'home' since the death of their father.

"You have a key?" Hans called back as Aleks saw him mess with the doorknob, failing to open it.

Aleks eventually made her way out of the car and used the opportunity for a stretch, shivering when she felt cracks travel down her spine. The evening sky brought with it a comfortable breeze as the setting sun cast everything in a light shade of orange. She readjusted her windbreaker and strolled toward the front door to meet up with her boyfriend. "It doesn't need one." She mentioned, a smile cracking on her face when she saw the look of confusion on Hans'. She lightly pushed the man out of the way as she pressed her palm against the deadbolt.

"Of course. The ice thing. Why wouldn't it be the ice thing?" Hans scoffed and continued to mutter to himself as frost started to coalesce around the rim of the deadbolt.

As soon as Aleks noticed solid ice starting to spill out from the keyhole, she twisted her palm and chuckled to herself when she heard the click that let her know that the door was unlocked. Turning the knob, she made her entrance into the familiar foyer. Running her fingertips against the wall, she smiled to herself as she looked through the hanging portraits. Among the portraits were her and Elsa's High School graduation pictures, and old black and white photos of their grandmother. She looked back at Hans and noticed him picking at the peeling wallpaper, rubbing it in between his fingers.

"What caused this?" He asked when he noticed her stare. He picked off another piece of the wallpaper before dropping it onto the carpet.

"Water damage." Aleks replied in a steady, but low tone.

"Ice thing. Right." Hans scoffed again as he leaned against a blank spot on the wall. "I take it this is your father?" He asked, pointing toward a picture opposite of him.

Aleks backtracked slightly, her heartbeat quickening when she realized the portrait that Hans was referencing to. She made it to his side and gently grabbed the picture, pulling it off of the wall and brushing the dust off of the opaque glass with her jacket. She scowled when she locked eyes with her father, his cold and lifeless expression staring right back at her. It was an old family portrait that was taken soon after the cruise that ended her mother's life.

Although there were smiles on all of their faces, it was obvious that the death was affecting everyone in separate ways. Her own smile was obviously strained, although it was such a long time ago, she remembered being angry. Elsa, standing right next to her, looked much more collected despite her downcast eyes. For a long time after the death, Elsa refused to look anyone in the eyes. There was no exception for the photographer. When her eyes found their way to their father, she clenched her hands around the wooden frame. Her father was stiff. Stout, even. His hands gently placed over his daughter's shoulders. The smile on his face, oddly enough, didn't seemed force. By all accounts it matched Aleks' more fond memories of her father perfectly. It was his eyes though. There was no light in them, no real reason in them. The more the lifeless photograph stared back at her, the harder she could feel herself clenching the wooden frame.

Hans noticed this, gently reaching his arm around Aleks' side to try and grab the photograph from her. Feeling his arm brush against her own, she jerked back. And with a sudden surge of adrenaline through her veins, flipped the portrait around and slammed it into the wall, causing a deafening crash to tear through the air as the glass shattered. The disturbance caused a few other pictures to fall off of the wall and onto the carpet. Letting the portrait fall to join the others, Aleks swept her hair back before striding around a corner with Hans in tow.

"The hell was that about?"

"That picture signified one hell of a turnaround in me and my sister's life." She answered curtly through her teeth, ascending the staircase. "Soon after that picture was taken, he started to drink more."

"And so that's when the beatings began." Hans concluded, talking Aleks' tensed shoulders as the answer. "But that was so long ago." He muttered softly when they stopped in front of a door, presumably Aleks' as she ran her fingers over the doorknob and leaned her head against it.

After a brief silence, Aleks rubbed her temples with a deep sigh. "Whatever. I know what we're here for, let's get it and go."


	25. Big Nerd

**A/N:** This is normally the part where I apologize for such a late update and give a reason as to why it took so long. Well, I don't have a real specific reason.

But I want you all to know that I will **_never_** abandon a story. If it has been a month since the last update, rest assured I haven't abandoned it. Even if I'm not actively writing, I'm constantly thinking of ways to put the next chapter into words, or come up with a new plot device or major event. I know that some authors have all these elaborate story outlines that even involve specific chapter outlines. I'm not that kind of writer. I write whenever I find the time and motivation, and often times I make it up as I go along. Sometimes chapters don't end the way I imagined because I had a sudden idea in the middle that I decided to put in.

If I feel as if the story is going stale, I might step away for a bit and come back to it when I feel more creative.

But I do know how it feels to be really involved in a story that hasn't updated in awhile. Because of this, I'll start putting chapter statuses on my profile right here on ffnet. That way you guys know whether or not to expect an update soon.

Sorry for the rant.

I would like to thank you all for your patience and continued support.

Leave me some love in the reviews.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Jas, got a minute?" Rapunzel asked as she walked into the bathroom and leaned against the row of sinks. She already knew the answer, as only one of the showers was running and she knew that Jasmine was the only one who showered so late.

"Don't really have a choice given the situation." Jasmine called back as she pulled the curtain back and stuck her head through, brushing her wet hair out of her face.

"What do you know about any parties being thrown in the next few weeks?" Rapunzel asked tentatively and started to twirl the ends of her hair between her fingers.

Jasmine shifted her eyes as her jaw hung ajar, after a brief moment she shrugged. "I think Fred is throwing one in a few days – but it'll probably be nothing but monster movies and video games." She shrugged again before shutting the curtain. "He has a strange group of friends. Wasabi is pretty cool though I guess."

With only a small grunt in response, Rapunzel shook her head. "Anything else?" She didn't know anything about Aleks' boyfriend, but she definitely knew that anyone who would date Aleks wouldn't have a friend who threw parties that involved video games and monster movies. Especially with someone named after a spicy condiment.

"The only other one I can think of is the housewarming party that Gaston won't shut the hell up about on Twitter."

_That sounds more like it._ "Tell me more about that." Rapunzel said as she turned around and faced herself in the mirror, clearing a spot through the fog large enough to view her entire face.

"Apparently he's come into some money as of late and finally moved out of his parents at the ripe age of twenty seven."

Shaking her head as she tousled her hair in the mirror, Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "What kind of person is Gaston?"

Jasmine let out a curt laugh that resonated throughout the room. "Rumor has it that the dude eats five dozen eggs a day."

"So he's a health nut?"

"He's an egghead." She commented with a chuckle. "Why are you so inquisitive? You're normally not interested in these things." Jasmine finished as Rapunzel heard the water stop.

"Because when I visited Elsa yesterday Aleks stopped by and asked me to ask her if she'd go to her boyfriend's friend's party." Rapunzel explained as she twirled back around. "It sounded kinda sketchy."

"Sketchy?" Jasmine asked as she threw back the curtain as she dried the corners of her eyes with the end of the towel wrapped around her hair and adjusted the one wrapped around her body. "You think Aleks would lead her own sister to any kind of harm?"

As she started to make her way out of the bathroom with Jasmine in tail, Rapunzel sighed with a quick shrug. "I don't know her well enough to answer that. On that note, I don't even think I know Elsa well enough to answer that." She was nearly mumbling at the end of her statement. She was speaking the truth though. She and Elsa were friends, good friends even she thought. Although there were times when Elsa would sort of sink into herself and grow silent. And offer only short nods or mumbles unless someone was speaking directly at her. "Do you plan on going to his party?" Rapunzel bucked up and asked as her and Jasmine entered their dorm.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I will if you think I shou-"

"I'll go with you." Rapunzel cut in, much to Jasmine's confusion. "I promised Anna that I'd watch over Elsa. If she decides to go to this thing, I want to be there." She sounded resolute, absolutely determined to hold up her promise.

Jasmine gently sat down on the edge of her bed and continued to dab her face dry with her towel. "If you'd like, we can invite the entire crew! Kristoff, Merida, Eugene-" She started, slightly sarcastic as she counted on her fingers.

"-Tor, Gunther, Ulf, Attila, Bruiser, Killer, Fang, Vladimir."

"Those sound like dog names." Jasmine chuckled with a small grin.

"Most of them look like dogs. Have I ever told you about Vladimir's ceramic unicorns?"

* * *

It was the vibration on her chest that roused Elsa from the gray area between consciousness and sleep. Startled, her eyes immediately darted across the dark room and tried to slow her beating heart as she caught her breath. Adjusting herself and leaning against the headboard, she grabbed her phone and smiled when she saw an all too familiar face on the screen. "Hello?" She asked in a raspy tone before quickly covering her mouth to clear her throat. "Hello." She repeated in a clearer tone.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry! I still don't know how many hours apart we are." Came Anna's upbeat voice through the other end of the phone. Although upbeat, Elsa could still tell that she had just recently woken up herself.

"No, no- well, yes, sort of. But I wanted to talk to you before you left for your classes." She reassured, rubbing the corners of her eyes. "And we're five hours apart, by the way."

Elsa heard a brief rumbling before Anna's response. "Elsa! It's two in the morning! Aren't you tired?"

"When you're right, you're right." The blonde responded with half of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I'm exhausted but I don't really care." She stated, lowering her voice.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can call back at like noon if that wo-"

"Anna." Elsa stated, holding back a small chuckle. It warmed her heart to hear Anna in a bit of a fluster over how much sleep she would get, but sleeping was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. "Don't worry about me. Tell me how your first day went yesterday."

"Oh. Okay." Anna started, lowering her voice to match Elsa's. "I met Jane soon after we hung up when I got off of the plane. She's insanely smart and actually a pretty cool person. I think you'd get along with her really well."

"Why do you say that?" Elsa asked, amused.

"I just feel like you two would have a lot of the same interests. She's always carrying around a textbook and like three notebooks with her." Anna said and paused for a moment. "And her father is pretty cool too. He's actually a professor at the university."

"So what you're saying is, you got stuck with two big nerds?" Elsa teased with a grin.

Anna scoffed. "I'm dating a big nerd."

Her grin grew to a large smile as Elsa began to absentmindedly play with the fabric of Anna's pillow between her fingers. "This big nerd helped you bump your chemistry grade up to an A, thank you very much."

"I never said that I didn't love and appreciate my big nerd, now did i?" Anna retorted, and quickly began on another thought before Elsa could reply. "Oh yeah! I bought some rain boots the other day cause Jane says it rains a lot in London. They're rainbow colored and have little flowers on them." She mentioned with a bit of childlike glee in her voice.

"That's gay." Elsa teased again, leaning her head back against the wall and letting her eyes fall shut.

Anna giggled. "That's why I bought them. But, how have you been? I'm sorry things have been hectic and I haven't been able to call you since I got off the plane."

Elsa clutched at the pillow, continuing to rub the fabric with her thumb. "It's been strange to say the least."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, voice muffled as if it were full.

"What a-"

"Brushing my teeth." She replied innocently. Elsa heard another brief rumble before she heard her girlfriend's voice again. "Anyway, yeah."

With a short chuckle, Elsa shook her head and continued her thought. "It's just strange coming back to an empty dorm. And especially-" Her eyes opened slightly and were cast toward the empty spot beside her as she smoothed over the wrinkles that she caused on Anna's pillow. "An empty bed." She finished in a low whisper, unsure if Anna heard.

She did. The rhythmic, pulsing light emanating from underneath her shirt proved it. "I'll be back before you know it." Anna reassured in a much more serious, yet still managing to be loving tone.

With a sigh, Elsa nodded to herself as she wiped off a budding tear from the corner of her eye. When she shut her eyes while Anna was speaking and she let her mind wander off enough, it would almost feel like Anna was still there beside her. "Rapunzel stopped by last night."

"I'm so glad you two get along so well." Anna admitted in that same tone that simultaneously caused Elsa's heart to flutter and sink at the same time.

"You know, she reminds me of Aleks in a lot of ways." Elsa began. "They're both very fervent in their beliefs and opinions, and definitely not afraid to show it. And they're both loving and caring people, although in different ways." She explained before Anna could get a word in, afraid that she would disagree with her before she had a chance to explain herself on the basis of Anna's previous interactions with Aleks.

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Els. I just haven't seen that side of her yet."

"She'll grow on you." Elsa muttered, although she didn't exactly believe it. She had known Aleks her entire life, but as of late it didn't always seem like that. Ever since their makeup, Elsa thought that things would return to normal between them. But that wasn't exactly the case. She noticed that as of late, even during Anna's going away breakfast, she was distant. It bothered her to a certain extent, but Aleks was never one to hide anything from her. Or so she thought, but after Aleks' confession to the murder of their father, Elsa wasn't too sure what to think anymore. "Speaking of Aleks, she invited me to some party that her boyfriend's friend is throwing in a couple weeks."

"Oh? Will I be back in time for it if you decide to go?"

Elsa shrugged to herself. "I don't know the exact date. I'll talk to Aleks about it. I don't even know if I'm going."

"You should!" Anna began as Elsa heard more rumbling and what she believed to be the opening and closing of dressers. "Have some sister-sister bonding time and get to know her boyfriend. I know you haven't seen a whole lot of her since we've been dating."

"You're right. But I don't know, the idea of it just doesn't sit too well with me." Elsa chuckled to herself. "A couple months ago, I would never have believed that I'd even consider going to a college party."

"I'd believe it. You were so quiet the first few days of the semester. But, I'm glad I've been able to coax you out of your shell a bit." Anna admitted, and Elsa could swear that she felt herself blush ever so slightly. "Like an adorable little turtle that I just had to dangle a little piece of lettuce in front of. The lettuce being me and the turtle being you."

"So I'm a cold-blooded reptile?"

"No! What I-I mean is that y-you were kind-"

"Anna!" Elsa cut her off before she was able to enter into one of her ever so famous awkward ramblings without taking a breath for a solid minute. It wasn't that Elsa found them annoying, but she was just way too tired to follow her girlfriend's thoughts in a coherent fashion. "I'm teasing."

Anna let out a sigh of relief, causing a crackling in Elsa's ear. "Okay, okay good. Cause you're not like a reptile at all. You're actually really soft. Like, really REALLY soft. I have no clue how you do it. I actually started to use some of your body wash and lotion for a little while thinking that was it, but it wasn't and I just ended up smelling like you for a few days which I didn't mind at all. How do you get your skin so soft? Not just your skin, but you're really soft on the ins-"

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed with a large smile that hurt her cheeks as blood rushed straight to her face. After she regained control of her face, she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should, cause I mean… damn." There was a brief pause, just long enough to startle Elsa when Anna spoke again. "Damn." Anna repeated.

"What happened?"

"I thought about it too much and now I'm horny and have class in half an hour."

With a chuckle, Elsa rubbed the growing sleep from the corners of her eyes. "Well I think you're a little too far away for a late night or early morning booty call."

"Well, I do have Skype on my phone, so you think we cou-"

"Maybe one of these days if you're lucky." Elsa teased, knowing that Anna would be pouting and squirming in her seat about now. "But you're crazy if you think I'll be up for that at two in the morning."

"Well, damn. It was a nice thought, though."

* * *

"Are you alright, Elsa? I saw you dozing off in class."

Elsa turned her head to find Rapunzel weaving through the small crowd of departing students to catch up to her. When she finally did, she playfully bumped her hips into Elsa's and smiled. It took her mind a moment to register exactly what was going on and to remember the question she was asked. "Yeah, I'm okay. What time is it?"

"Eleven thirty?" Rapunzel answered with a small chuckle as she placed her hand on Elsa's back and directed her toward a nearby bench. "Did you have a rough night?" She asked, concerned as she started to brush back loose strands of blonde hair that covered Elsa's forehead.

"Not at all, I just lost track of time talking to Anna last night." Elsa admitted, leaning her head against the wall behind her. She found that the relatively cool temperature of the wall on the back of her head was extremely soothing, and she could take a nap then and there at a moment's notice.

"Is she settling in alright? I haven't spoken to her much since she's left. Just a text every here and there." She mentioned, taking her purse off of her shoulder and placing it on her legs.

Rolling her head to the side to maintain eye contact with the brunette, Elsa copied her position and placed her own purse on her legs. "Yes. She's in good spirits too, so that's reaffirming. Although she did try and convince me of a booty call at two in the morning over Skype." She accidentally admitted.

"What?" Rapunzel asked with a wide eyed giggle.

Realizing what she had just said, her eyes shot open as she launched her head off of the wall. "W-what? I d-didn't actually do it, I mean I-"

"So, you're defiling my cousin again huh?" Rapunzel teased, resting her chin on the back of her head and shaking her head. "Well I hope you use protection."

Flustered and embarrassed, Elsa tried to muster all of the coherent thought she could to try and understand if Rapunzel was being serious or not. "B-but how c-cou-"

"Judging by that killer bruise on the side of your neck, I'm assuming you at least gave it to her good. Looks like a bite mark."

Frantically adjusting her hoodie so that it concealed more of her neck, she placed her hand over the bruise and opened her mouth to explain, but hardly managed to make any real sound but mumbles. "Neither of u-us really, uh I-I mean that like, we kind of swit-"

"Damnit, I owe Merida twenty dollars." Rapunzel cursed under her breath before winking at Elsa with a large grin. "I never really figured Anna to be a submissive one." She explained, much to Elsa's embarrassment.

"But s-"

"Don't worry, Elsa. I'm playing with you." Rapunzel broke with a giggle. "I'm actually really glad that Anna has been able to find someone she can be that open with." She giggled again. "Literally!"

Elsa shook her head and groaned, but smiled nonetheless. "She's a wonderful person, Rapunzel." She admitted, wiping at her eyes to try and make herself seem more awake than she actually was. "She actually thinks I should go to that party, she brought up a good point that I haven't been able to see much of my sister as of late."

Rapunzel made a face at the reference of Aleks' name, but it didn't last long as her expression quickly changed before she began to speak. "I talked to Jasmine about the party, and I think I have some information about it that you'll like to know."

Elsa straightened up and nodded, letting Rapunzel know that she can continue.

"It's being thrown by some guy named Gaston. Apparently he's came into some serious money as of late and bought a house, so it's like a housewarming thing. From what Jasmine has told me of him, he isn't a real bad guy, but his elevator doesn't quite reach the top." She awkwardly cleared her throat and nodded. "If you know what I mean."

"Well, okay." Elsa commented. "I'll probably just stick around Aleks regardless." She knew that Aleks wouldn't intentionally lead her into any harm or uncomfortable situations. The more she thought about the entire idea, the more that she warmed up to it. If she gets along with someone enough to date them, it only makes sense that Elsa would like him to. To an extent, at least. After all, it could be an opportunity to grow her circle of friends.

"Jasmine and I will come with you. Anna won't be back in time for it." Rapunzel stated, deadpan. Even if Elsa wanted to argue, she knew there would be no point in it. The intent gaze Rapunzel was giving her made that all too obvious. "Jasmine has experience with these things, she'll know if things get too… sketchy, for lack of a better word." She added, brightening her tone.

_What does she mean by sketchy? Aleks wouldn't let anyone push her around and force her into anything that could be considered 'sketchy'. _Elsa pushed her hands into her hoodie pocket and started to rub her palm with her thumb. _But what if she's a different person than the person I knew a few weeks back?_ She heard Rapunzel speaking, although she wasn't paying attention. All she did was offer a blank stare and nod after every few words. _But that's just Rapunzel's assumptions, right? I'm sure that Aleks wo-_ She flinched slightly when she felt her phone vibrate against the back of her hand. Pulling it halfway out of her pocket so that she could check the screen, she unlocked it and read the message.

'I think I know where your powers come from!'

Her heart started racing as she immediately pushed her phone back into her pocket and pulled her purse back up to her shoulder. All other thoughts instantly left her mind. "I have to call Anna, I'll speak to you later. Sorry." She deadpanned, lifting herself off the bench and toward the exit of the building as her stomach started to tie itself into knots.

She wasn't sure if she was going to like what Anna would have to say.


	26. Bloodlines

**A/N:** Alright guys, starting to get really close to the wire here. I know for a fact that this story WILL have an epilogue. Counting that epilogue, there's only about 2-4 chapters left depending on how much I write. The next chapter will be the party (The party Aleks references at the end of the chapter is a different one), and depending on how many words I get down, it might be split into more than one chapter.

Like always, I'd like to thank you all for the continued support and patience and reiterate that constructive criticism is always welcomed. Ultimately it's my decision on how the story goes and progresses, but I love reading y'alls comments on what you do or don't like.

Enjoy!

* * *

After managing to finally open the door with her shaky hands, Elsa shut it behind her as she strode toward the couch, taking off her reading glasses and stuffing them in her purse as she set it on the coffee table. After she seated herself, she shut her eyes and began to rub her temples. After abruptly leaving Rapunzel when Anna texted her, she practically ran across the campus back to her dorm room. She felt every pulse of her veins as her quickened heart continued to rush blood throughout her body. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she reached back to pull her phone out of her back pocket. She could vaguely make out her shaking reflection through the blank screen.

'I think I know where your powers come from!'

The read over the text from her girlfriend time and time again in her head throughout her trip back to her room, and even now. Elsa honestly had no clue what to make of it. On one hand, Anna has been known to exaggerate a few things. It could just be her usual quirky self coming up with little ideas in her own fantasy in the middle of class. Or, what scared Elsa and made her more nervous, was that there was an actual explanation for her deformity. She never wondered where they came from, and never really cared to know. They were as much a part of her as the thoughts in her head. _Anna, I really hope this isn't a joke. Because it isn't a funny one._ She had always just accepted her powers for what they were, regardless if they made her different and how ostracized they made her feel. Finally exhaling her breath and steeling herself the best she could, she unlocked her phone and opened up the Skype app as she ran her hand through her hair. She hit the call button, Anna being the only one in her contact list.

Almost immediately, the redhead's smiling face appeared on the screen. Although her head took up the majority of the screen, Elsa noticed shelves lined with meticulously stacked books behind her. Anna waved at her briefly with another smile as she turned her head. "Jane! Come tell the story you told me to Elsa!"

Feeling her stomach twist and turn into knots, Elsa immediately imagined the worse. _Does she know?_ "Anna, did yo-" She began in a strained whisper, before being cut off from a separate voice on Anna's end.

"Okay, but I really don't understand your fascination with this little tale." Came a voice which Elsa assumed was Jane due to the feminine tone and the British accent. Her assumption was correct as Anna slid to the side slightly to make room as Jane sat down beside her. She scrunched her eyebrows as she adjusted the camera on her end, before smiling and playfully giving Anna a light shove. "You're right! She is pretty!" Jane commented in a jovial tone, looking back toward the camera as Elsa covered her mouth and tried to contain her blush.

"Would I lie to you?" Anna retorted in a faux accent, turning back to Elsa with another grin as Jane rolled her eyes. "Elsa, this is Jane Porter. Artist, historian, sipper of tea, and baker of crumpets." Anna joked as Jane bowed her head, pushing back her brown hair that she kept in a bun.

"I'll have you know it's a national tragedy to skip out on tea and crumpets here in London." Jane retorted with a grin.

"And this-" Anna began, gesturing toward Elsa. "Is Elsa Delle. Future architect, a big ol' nerd, and most importantly, the one who stole my heart." She paused for a quick moment to wink at Elsa. "And my virginity."

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, her face growing more and more red by the second as a grin grew across her face from ear to ear. "You have to give me a warning if that's the way you're going to introduce me!"

After a quick chuckle, Jane's eyes shot between Anna and Elsa before leaning on her elbow and scratching the back of her head. "That's all good, but which one of you was on top?" She asked innocently with a smile.

Elsa rolled her eyes, allowing herself to relax a bit as she leaned into the couch. "Why does everybody ask that? Jasmine, Kristoff, Rapunzel, Merida-"

"Would you mean Merida DunBroch?" Jane butted in with a wide-eyed stare.

"Yes?" Elsa hesitantly answered.

"I'm well acquainted with her cousins the Macintosh, MacGuffin and Dungwall families." She scoffed with a small grin and shook her head. "A few of them are real cabbages, a little arse backwards if you ask me. But good people nonetheless." She commented, clearing her throat and brushing back her hair again. "But you want to hear about this story that Anna here is all a fuss about, don't you?"

Elsa shrugged and tried to play off her nervousness. "If Anna is excited about it, it must be pretty interesting." She commented, looking over toward Anna and returned the smile she had plastered on her face.

"Okay, well, there's a little backstory to it." Jane began, clearing her throat again. "When I picked up Anna here at the airport, I asked her about her last name of Aren. After asking about a few of her relatives, the growing suspicion I had about her family tree bore fruit so to speak. And as it turns out, you and her are related!"

Elsa shook her head, eyes widening as she could feel her heart fall in her chest. "What?" She asked bluntly, looking back over toward Anna for any kind of reassurance. She offered only a shrug in response.

"But don't worry. You two are like, seventh cousins. Barely any blood in common, if any at all." She continued, much to Elsa's relief. "But you and I, Elsa, are second cousins."

"What?" Elsa repeated again, dumbfounded that she could have any relatives who would still claim her as family.

"Your father, Adgar Delle, is my great uncle." Jane continued to explain, a large grin stretched across her face. "Did he tell you anything about his much older sister?"

"No?" Elsa replied. Thinking back, she couldn't remember her father mentioning any family outside of the immediate household. If anything, Edgar may as well been a part of her family. "I'm sorry, Jane. But, my father never mentioned any kind of siblings."

Jane waved her hand and shook her head. "Well, that's alright. He had a sister about thirty years his elder named Agnis. By the time your father was born, she was already married with child. That child being my father, Archimedes Q Porter."

"So we're really related, huh?" Elsa asked, trying to process this information that she was just given. Before today, she assumed that she and Aleks were the last two in their family since their father never mentioned anyone else. She didn't really know how to feel, but she knew that a part of her was excited with this new knowledge. Periodically looking back at Anna, she was surprised to find her as silent as she was. Every so often, she'd play with the ends of her pigtails or nod along with what Jane was saying.

"But there's so much more! When I was digging through our family trees, I found one of my father's old history books that focused on the Scandinavian region during the Dark Ages. There are very few records of this time, and even fewer of this kingdom that I traced the bloodlines through. The past couple of nights I've been up until four or five in the morning chasing strings on this wild goose chase. But, it turns out, I managed to find these records." She stood up and turned toward the shelves behind her. After a short period, she bent over and stood back up carrying a book which was probably as thick as her forearm. Returning to the camera, she sat back down and placed the book with a dull thud onto the table. "Of the kingdom of, get this-" She looked over toward Anna for a brief moment before returning her gaze back at Elsa. "Arendelle! Literally you and Anna's last names squished together! They were led jointly by two families. The Aren's and the Delle's each had a king on the throne that ruled with equal power."

Anna nodded, pulling the book over to her side and started to flip through the pages. "Weird, right Els? Well, not weird I guess. It's actually pretty cool. But that's not the exciting part that I texted you about earlier!"

Pulling the book back from Anna, Jane began to run her fingers over the pages. "They were one of the last remaining pagan people in old Scandinavia when Christianity began to spread through Eurpoe."

Elsa shook her head and tried to collect her thoughts, readjusting herself on the couch and absentmindedly began to twirl the ends of her braid with her free hand. "How long did that last though?" She asked, already forming different theories in her mind of how that related to her and her powers.

"Well, pagans were known to have different deities for many different things." Jane began, flipping through the dated pages before landing on a specific page, drumming her fingers on it. "Gods of the sky, land, fertility, livestock, etcetera. But there is this myth, an extremely old folktale, that the pagan gods of these people were actually living, breathing people capable of controlling the world around them. But, when Christianity finally found itself taking root in the populace, the people started to turn on their own gods. Claiming them heretics and blasphemers as they set out with a goal to kill them." Running her fingers over the page as she read, the flipped the page and nodded. "But the part Anna was so interested apart is when they set out on killing one of their primordial deities, the goddess of winter who was claimed to have the power of ice and snow and all of its fury at her fingertips."

Anna nodded, running her eyes over the pages as she glanced over Jane's shoulder and periodically looking back up at Elsa. "She was the last one they managed to kill." She muttered under her breath, but still loud enough that Elsa picked it up.

"Right." Jane began. "But before they struck her down, she swore with her dying breath that she will live on. She cursed that whomever struck the final blow would see her reborn as the firstborn daughter of every new generation in that cursed bloodline-"

Elsa's eyes widened as she cut Jane off. "And it was the Delle king who struck the final blow." She muttered.

"Actually, the story doesn't say who actually killed her. How do you know that, Elsa?" Jane asked as she shut the book and pushed it aside.

Shaking her head, Elsa waved her off and smiled. "I-I'm just making an assumption. " She lied, knowing very well it was more than an assumption. "But tell me, Jane, if only the firstborn daughter of the generation would be cursed, wouldn't that mean you're the reborn goddess?"

"No, actually. I'm too far from the original bloodline. My grandmother only had one child, and that was my father. He would have been close enough but he isn't female. Obviously." She shrugged. "But these are just old stories from an ancient kingdom long since passed. And that actually concludes all of my knowledge on Arendelle, however I do know a lot about our family trees. Like Rapunzel, for instance. She's Anna's first cousin, but through her great grandmother, she's my third cousin which makes her your fourth cousin." She exemplified with a large grin.

Elsa chuckled and offered a small smile in response, her mind otherwise occupied by the old story. The fact that not only she's supposedly a pagan goddess reborn, but the fact that there have obviously been other people that bore the same powers she does. And not only that, but the very odds that both her and Aleks being twins, were both technically the first born of the generation and as such both 'gifted'. A part of her immediately wanted to tell her twin this knowledge that she was just told. That, although far-fetched, there's an actual reason as to why they're so different from anyone else. Amidst her own thoughts, she didn't notice that Anna was trying to get her attention from the other side of the screen. When she finally did, she shook her head again and beamed at the redhead. "I expected much worse, Anna." She admitted once she realized Jane wasn't next to Anna anymore.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a grin, holding her head in her hands. "That there'd be some ancient prophecy that results in your death in some kind of 'sword sacrifice'?"

"Well, no." She replied with a small chuckle. "But I was nervous. I still am, in a way. If the entire bloodline thing turns out to be the truth, it has a lot of implications."

"That some of your distant ancestors were actually ancient X-Men?" Anna joked, successfully coaxing a small smile from the blonde.

"Well, no. But that maybe Aleks and I aren't just freaks of nature and that other people had these abilities and similar hardships that we have because of them." She shrugged. "It's kind of comforting in a strange way."

"Also, it turns out that you have more family than you thought you did! Although she isn't a part of your immediately family, you still have strong ties with Jane!" Anna added in an excited tone, stretching out her hands for emphasis.

"You're right." Elsa admitted with a nod. "Although I knew my father wasn't born in the States, I never really thought about the possibility of having family overseas." She brought her hand up to her face, placing her index finger between her teeth. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't know her father as well as she thought. Even before the death of her mother, he never really spoke about his own personal life. If he did, she was much too young to remember any of it. She just preferred to remember him as the man he used to be before the cruise. As she was about to open her mouth to say something, she glanced Anna absentmindedly running her middle finger over her collarbone. Despite the relatively small screen, she was still able to barely make out a few of the red marks around her girlfriend's neck that hadn't quite fully healed from the night before she left. "What are you doing, Anna?" She asked innocently after she removed her knuckle from between her teeth.

Anna slightly jumped as she immediately pulled her hand back and slowly shook her head. "Oh, nothing. You just look really _good_ at that angle." She admitted shyly, a blush starting to spread across her cheeks. "Well, I mean you always look good but I mean… _damn._ Reminds me of the night before I left after we got out of the shower for the second time and I tripped and fell onto the bed, but dragged you with me and I think I'll just be quiet now."

"Anna." Elsa stated with a coy giggle, remembering the exact moment that Anna was talking about. The memory of which caused her to shift uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm sure you don't want to give yourself the same problem you had this morning."

Anna groaned. "You're right. The professor was talking about the broken window fallacy and all I could think about was vagina." She shrugged. "Specifically yours." Clearing her throat, her eyes darted in every which way before nodding to herself. "And you know, I never got to take care of that issue."

"Well, do you have any more classes for the day? Maybe you can just slip away for a few minutes." Elsa suggested with a small shrug of her own.

"Nah, and I probably could. But I think I'll hold off until I get back home." She leaned forward until she was awkwardly close to the camera and Elsa could see little more than her large aquamarine eyes. "Then I'm going to ravage you until you're begging for mercy. Then I'll sit on your face."

Elsa scoffed and let out a tiny giggle. "Ravage, huh? You're such a charmer, Ms. Aren."

Anna winked before backing away from the camera. "I've actually been trying to learn my way with the lingo over here. I ordered french fries this morning and the server looked at me funny. Jane had to tell me that they're called 'chips' in the UK. But then I asked her what do they call chips, and she said that they called them 'crisps' and that all just sound really silly and unnecessary to me. I mean, sure, they're crispy and all but that isn't really their namesake." She let out her breath with a huff and rolled her eyes. "Brits are weird, Elsa."

* * *

Aleks pushed past Hans as she strode through the door, feeling the door slam shortly afterward. Grabbing at her hair, she brushed it back briefly before sitting down on the couch and crossing her legs. Watching Hans open the door and slam it again behind him, he took his wallet out of his back pocket and tossed it, hitting the wall behind Aleks. "It's total bullshit, Hans." She accused curtly, crossing her arms over her chest and digging her nails into her arms.

"You're right, it is total bullshit. You fucking embarrassed me in front of some of my closest friends." He retorted, picking his wallet off of the floor only to toss it across the room again. This time, it hit a cup in the kitchen as glass shattered against the floor.

With a scoff, Aleks rolled her eyes. "No, Hans. You did that. There was no way in hell I was going to give you a fucking lap dance at some bullshit party when half of your so called "friends" were trying to grope me." She stated, scoffing again as she stood up from the couch and started to make her way toward the door. She didn't make it very far before she felt Hans grab her by the wrist.

"Where the hell are you going?" He demanded, tugging on her wrist until he managed to grab a hold of the other one too.

"I'm going back to the campus, Hans. To go the fuck to bed." She spat in response, glaring at Hans as his green eyes bore into her. "I'd appreciate it if you'd let me go, this hurts."

With a half-smile, Hans twirled her around and gently pushed her against the wall. "Now why would you do that, babe?" He whispered, placing a kiss on Aleks' forehead.

Smelling the alcohol on his breath, Aleks' stomach started to turn as she grimaced. "Because apparently since I'm such a damn embarrassment, I'm getting away from you while you sober up." She retorted and attempted to push Hans off of her, only to have him push her against the wall a bit harder.

"You don't have to go back to your dorm to go to bed; I've got one right here." He whispered again, tightening his grip on her wrists as he lowered his head and placed another kiss on her cheek.

Fed up with the different frustrations throughout the day and the degradation of the night, it all started to hit her as tears started to collect around her eyes. She tried again to get out from under Hans, but he nearly had his entire weight on her at this point. "Damnit, Hans! Just let me go!" She pleaded, voice cracking as she felt a tear fall from the corner of her eye.

"Come on babe, what are you? A-"

"A monster, Hans? Is that what I am?" She muttered, clenching her fists and digging her nails into her palms.

"What do you mean?" Hans asked, low and gravely, lowering his head again to kiss her on the neck. "I've never called you a monster."

"Don't play those fucking game-"

"It's everyone else who thinks you're a monster." He commented, trailing kisses across her neck. "Punching Anna in the face, pushing away your sister, killing your father."

Aleks felt his scruff scratch her neck as he shook his head. "You know damn well why I did the things I've done." She admitted as another tear trailed its way down the side of her face.

"And despite all of that, I still love you."


	27. Crimson: Part II

**A/N:** I'M ALIVE! First off, sorry. I was on vacation down south from June 10th to July 10th, and the past week has been spent cleaning and painting a new house we're about to move into and I've just been kinda go go go as of late. Whenever I got a moment to sit down and work on this chapter, I just ended up getting frustrated because I couldn't really put thoughts into words. But, obviously, I got over it lol.

This chapter is similar to chapter 18. Just a little glimpse of whats to come.

The last bit of the story might be split into two chapters depending on how long it is. This story will have an epilogue, making the total chapter count a nice and even 30. Or maybe 29.

Also, there's new cover art! It's now relevant and not a major spoil like it would have been if I changed it a few chapters back. It was drawn up by the same person who drew the last one and I love it. (Thanks, Sally! :3)

Yeah. Anyway. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Anna dear, these really are the best biscuits I've had in quite some time."

Anna's cocky grin quickly faded as she cocked an eyebrow. "Biscuits?" She asked, closing the oven door and wiping her hands on the back of her jeans. "I told you I made cookies." She commented as she started picking up the still warm baked goods off of the tray and placing them into a small bowl nearby, making sure to lick the chocolate off of her fingers between every one. Hearing Jane chuckle behind her, she placed the last cookie into the bowl and turned around to greet the grinning brunette, covering her mouth as she continued to chew.

With a nod, Jane swallowed her bite and picked up another off of the napkin in front of her. "In America, yes, you baked cookies. Here in London, you baked biscuits." She tried to clarify, taking a bite of the treat in her hands as Anna rolled her eyes with a small grin.

"Then what do you call actual biscuits?" She innocently asked, turning back around to place the tray into the nearby adjacent sink.

"No, these are actual biscuits." Jane joked, waving half a cookie in the air before taking another bite. "What you would call a biscuit in America, we call either scones or crumpets depending on the type."

Anna giggled and covered her mouth to try and stifle it from becoming a full out, boisterous laugh. "Say that word again for me?" She asked, muffled.

"Which one?"

"The one that started with a C?"

"Crumpet?"

Her hands proved useless to stop the laugh that escaped from her as she snorted, causing her to laugh even harder as she braced against the counter. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes as she heard Jane groan behind her.

"You having yourself a jolly little giggle over there, dear?" She commented in an unamused tone, bunching up the napkin in her hand as she stood from the table and brushed her hair behind her ear.

After Anna regained control of her composure, she wiped the corner of her eyes and turned to face the woman staring at her with a blank expression. "Yes, I was having myself a 'jolly little giggle'." Anna repeated, doing her own impression of Jane's accent.

Rolling her eyes, Jane let out a small chuckle. "Remind me to take a few of those to class tomorrow. I'm sure Belle and Cindy would love to try them." She commented, nodding toward the bowl of cookies at Anna's side.

"Go ahead; tell me what they think of them. But do you mind telling me the difference between a crumpet and a scone?" Anna asked, nudging the bowl toward Jane as she took hold of another cookie.

"I'll do you one better, if you're willing to head out and buy more flour, I'll show you." Jane replied between bites of her cookie. "I'll pay to make up for you letting me steal a few of your treats." She finished, reaching into her back pocket and counted out a few notes before handing them off to Anna, who took them with a curt nod.

Rubbing the notes in her hands, she gazed toward the bowl of cookies and back toward the brunette before offering the money back to her. "They're for everyone, Jane. You don't need to pay me for them." There was no conceivable reason Anna could come up with for her to keep it. Between Jane and her father letting her stay with them for her trip, and all of the food they've already provided for her, she'd feel guilty taking it. Although she hadn't been in London for very long, Jane absolutely refused to let her pay for anything and it started to weigh in the back of her mind. But as she looked over toward the brunette with the blank expression, Anna knew there was no real use in arguing with her.

Jane waved her off and pushed Anna's hand back. "Nonsense, we need more flour anyway. Take it and go." She reassured with a smile, placing her hand on Anna's back as she guided her toward the front door. "And remember your rain boots; it's been drizzling all day."

"It's London-" Anna started with a small chuckle. "I don't think it's stopped raining since I've been here."

* * *

In all honesty, Anna absolutely loved the city of London but she couldn't exactly put her finger on why. Perhaps it was the hustle and bustle of a large city, cars filled the streets and people the sidewalks, so there was almost always something to look at rather there was a man playing his guitar on the corner of a street or a food vendor trying to grab the attention of anyone passing by. As the sun had just started to set behind the thin veil of clouds in the distance, many shops were starting to close up. But this also meant that a plethora of different restaurants and nighttime clubs would just be opening up. The nightlife was something Anna wasn't necessarily interested in or experienced much, but there was something she absolutely adored about seeing the streets light up. Often times, it was just too much for her to keep track of. But as she continued to walk along the dimming streets, a warm sensation running down her chest shook her from her daze as she stopped dead in her tracks. Feeling someone bump into her from behind, she quickly apologized before ducking behind a nearby light post.

Dipping her hand into the collar of her shirt and rubbing the tips of her fingers along her chest, she pulled her hand out and her heart immediately quickened in pace as she inspected the red liquid on her fingers. She tried her best to control her heavy breathing and rubbed her thumb against her hand, causing it to smear across her palm. Feeling absolutely no pain, she had no reason to believe that it was blood. But as she stared at the deep crimson streak across her palm and fingers, she could do nothing but worry. She gingerly dipped her hand back into the collar of her shirt, and swallowed when she pulled her hand back out, the tips of her fingers stained as it dripped down the back of her hand. Her mind shifted to the small crystal around her neck, and scrambled to pull it out of her shirt. It didn't take her long to find out that the liquid was seeping through a small crack on one of its sides.

Wiping her thumb against the crack in an attempt to clean it, her heart sunk when only more of the liquid would bubble up before dripping into her hand. She tried again and again, but regardless of how hard she tried to get it to stop, it wouldn't. Feeling tears begin to well up in the corners of her eyes, she frantically held it up to her chest and tried to get it to glow. But it wouldn't. As the tears started to cloud her vision, she blinked, causing a stream to fall down the side of her face. She tried again, holding it up to her chest, only to have her heart sink further when nothing happened. Trying to reason with herself, she tried to convince herself that this was normal. That not even Elsa knows exactly how her powers work, and that maybe the little crystals didn't last very long. Maybe Elsa could just make new ones, or maybe somehow fix these ones. _Or what if it's something different? Sometimes, Elsa's emotional state can aff-_

When the realization hit her, her eyes widened and her stomach started to twist into knots. Her heart began to slam into her ribcage as her mind was clear, save for the one she loved and her well-being. She had one goal: get back, call Elsa. Wiping the corners of her eyes with the backs of her wrists, she ripped the small crystal off of her neck and held it tightly in her hand as she twirled around and began a dash back toward her temporary home.

_Please be okay._


	28. Patience

**A/N:** The only reason I split off this section from the final chapter is so that the story would finish on a nice, even 30. Also because I love reading y'alls thought process and ideas as to what comes next in the reviews. This is just to build up suspense I suppose. The final chapter **_will_**be posted **_tomorrow_** around the same time this was posted. The epilogue _**will**_ be posted the day after that.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Elsa, are you alright?"

With the sleeve of her hoodie, Elsa began to dab at the corners of her widened eyes. "What brings you to my little kingdom of isolation?" She asked, trying to make light of the situation despite the hoarseness in her voice.

"Kingdom?" Pocahontas repeated, taking a step closer to the blonde and taking a seat next to her. "Elsa, this is a stairwell."

Elsa shifted uncomfortably, scooting over just a bit to leave a little room between them. When her shoulder hit the handrail, she stopped and dabbed at her eyes again. "A kingdom can be a stairwell if it wants to be." She tried to joke again, giving a weak smile when she noticed Pocahontas eyeing her.

"And where exactly would your subjects live?" Pocahontas asked in response, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the blonde. Before she could answer, she was cut off as Pocahontas gestured toward the landing below them. "I take it you're planning to use that area for farming?"

Elsa muttered a fake chuckle before turning to face Pocahontas, leaning the back of her head against the handrails. "So, what's up?"

"Elsa-" Pocahontas began, her expression falling slightly as she made eye contact and refused to let it go. "You were singing Patience by Guns n' Roses, and you expect me to just walk on by like that is something you would do by yourself in a stairwell?"

"You recognized the song?" Elsa replied, the small smile returning. "I'd never guess you were one for some classic eighties rock."

Pocahontas mirrored both the smile and Elsa's position, resting the back of her head against the wall as she shrugged. "I'm also a sucker for Tchaikovsky and Pachelbel."

"I've always been a Wagner and Beethoven kind of girl myself, although I do love Pachelbel's Canon."

"And I can't forget about Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries." The two women shared a brief chuckle before Pocahontas regained the eye contact. "I take it you miss Anna." She finally said, slowly and quietly as if Elsa were a stray cat that would run away at any sudden movement.

"How do you manage to read people so well?"

"Elsa, you were sing-"

"Yes, I know, but I'm talking about in general and not about me right this moment." Elsa corrected, bringing her hands into her hoodie pocket and sinking into herself. It was a common occurrence that she had noticed with Pocahontas. She had heard stories from her friends, including Anna, say how Pocahontas would just seemingly appear out of thin air to give them encouragement about things they were nervous or anxious about.

Pocahontas chuckled with a warm smile, and Elsa slowly brought her hands back out of her pockets as she returned it. "You learn a lot about people when you choose to listen rather than talk. Watch rather than act. It could be something big like you singing a song about missing someone, or small like you rubbing your hands together when you're nervous, or how Anna brushes her hair back when she's nervous." She straightened up and leaned forward slightly. "For instance, even if you don't think so, you yearn to be accepted by those around you." Before Elsa could open her mouth to rebut, Pocahontas politely waved her off. "You take on small little aspects of those around you. Like when I copied your position and leaned against the wall, you put your hands in your pockets. When I opened up for a moment with a smile, you brought them back out."

Elsa furrowed her brows. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all, most people end up doing it even if they don't realize it." She responded with a small shrug, propping her elbow on the stair above her and leaning on it. "But I take it the stairwell had better acoustics than your dorm?"

Elsa chuckled and turned from Pocahontas and down to the landing below. "It's a little cooler out in the halls; it started to get a little stuffy in the room." She lied, hoping Pocahontas wouldn't prod on the subject anymore. Elsa let out a silent breath of relief when Pocahontas just gave a small shrug and a nod.

"You know I used to be close with a man from London." She started, causing Elsa's head to snap back toward her. "His name was John."

"Really?" Elsa asked, leaning forward slightly. "What happened?"

"It was a lot like a rainstorm. Exciting and yet ominous when it approaches, but beautiful when it happens. But I cannot follow a rainstorm wherever it may go." She started slowly, in somewhat of a morose tone.

"Is this a sensitive topic for you?" Elsa asked, sensing the bit of disturbance in the woman across from her. "I'm sorry I brought it up if I did."

"No, not at all. I actually have very good memories with him. But when it came time for him to leave and go back to London, he wanted me to come with him. But I couldn't leave my family behind; I still lived with them at the time." Pocahontas finished, straightening up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You never know exactly where the river would take you. It just seems that our rivers had split off apart from each other."

Sinking back into herself, Elsa began to mull over the words Pocahontas had just said. She felt her heart drop a couple inches inside her chest, her stomach threatening to tie itself into several knots. "Do you think something like that could happen to me and Anna?" She asked, unsure through widened eyes as she stared right past Pocahontas and at the wall beside her.

"That's the beautiful thing about rivers, Elsa." Pocahontas started, slow and calm. "You never really know where they'll take you. Sometimes you might hit some rough waters, and sometimes the river will split into two different paths. But others join up with different rivers and stay that way throughout their course." Leaning over, she gingerly grabbed Elsa's arms and pulled them out of her hoodie and placed her hands over her knee. "But the river never stops and worries about what's around the bend. You and Anna have a beautiful relationship. Instead of worrying about the river splitting off, just enjoy the ride."

Elsa's eyes slowly shifted away from the wall and back onto Pocahontas, giving her a warm smile as they did. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed up to the entire idea. Even thinking about Anna, despite them being oceans apart, still brought a warm feeling in her chest that she wanted to take a hold of and never let go. The best part was that she knew Anna felt the same way. She absentmindedly began to rub her thumbs over the fabric of her jeans as she let out a quick breath and shook her head. "You're completely right." Shaking her head again, she brushed back a loose strand of hair on her forehead. "I guess I'm just anxious in a way. I'm ready for Anna to come back home and kind of nervous about going to that party tomorrow with Aleks." She admitted, crossing her arms over her stomach with a small shrug.

"I've heard about that, your sister shares your feelings to an extent. We don't talk much, but I can tell she has a certain…" Pocahontas' face contorted and scrunched as her head briefly nodded back and forth. "Distaste, I would say, for Gaston."

"Jasmine tells me that he eats five dozen eggs a day."

"Well, doesn't that just sound eggs-ellent" Pocahontas blurted out with a large grin as the two girls shared a brief laugh that ended after Elsa snorted and covered her face to stifle the giggles. "Would you like me to shadow you tomorrow?"

"Honestly, by the sounds of it, it sounds like the type of thing nobody would care if you were officially invited or not." Elsa replied, bringing her hands down and crossing them over her stomach again.

With a shrug, Pocahontas stood up and gestured for Elsa to join her. "You're right, but it also sounds like the type of thing where I wouldn't necessarily want my presence known." She started down the hallway in a leisure pace, briefly turning her head to be sure Elsa was following. "I'm pretty good and blending in, if any situation comes up that looks like it could turn to something detrimental and cause you distress, I can let you know. Or, if I'm lucky, prevent it all together."

Quickening her pace for a moment to catch up with Pocahontas, Elsa was sure to speak in a lower tone as to not wake anyone up. "I'm sure everything will be okay, but I'll admit, it would be nice knowing that you're around." She admitted, her eyes glued to the floor underneath her as the pair slowly made their way down the hall.

"Rapunzel tells me that she promised Anna to watch after you during her absence. I'm sure she's quite capable, but an extra pair of eyes never hurt."

"She doesn't want me to be alone, despite her being in London. Some people might find that excessive, but I think that's really endearing in a way." Elsa muttered under her breath as a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Rapunzel had taken that promise quite seriously as well; she stopped by at the dorm every other day or so just to talk despite sharing a class every day. Elsa had a growing suspicion that Anna had a little bit to do with that, but it was nice to have a confirmation on it. But she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy Rapunzel popping in every now and then, in fact Elsa tended to look forward to it and the stories Rapunzel would tell her.

Pocahontas slowly came to a stop and gestured Elsa toward her door and leaned against the adjacent wall. "I'm sure she'd blush if she heard you say that." She mentioned with a small grin. "Until tomorrow, Elsa." Pocahontas finished as the two women said their goodbyes and Elsa entered her familiar dorm, her anxious and lonely heart feeling a bit better as the call of sleep began to ring throughout her mind and body.


	29. Monster: Part II

**Triggers: **Domestic abuse, self harm, suicide, anything else that could be considered related to those. As before, I've bracketed what I feel to be the worst of it.

* * *

Elsa exited the car, shutting the door behind her as she leaned against it. A moment later, Merida rounded the car and leaned against it beside Elsa. She started to rub her hands together inside the pocket of her hoodie, apprehensively gauging her surroundings. The party itself didn't start until the early evening, but she made sure to try and arrive abnormally early so that she'd be able to find a somewhat inconspicuous spot in the house to stay at. She let out a small sigh of relief when she only saw one car in the driveway, but was suddenly taken back when she noticed the actual house. It was a lot larger than she expected from hearing stories about Gaston. In a way, it actually almost looked like the manor that she had grown up in, albeit much smaller. Large gated front yard with flowers lining the driveway that perfectly accentuated the three story house, Elsa could only imagine what the back yard looked like.

"I think he's overcompensating." Merida stated, bumping her elbow into Elsa as she chuckled.

Elsa could only muster a weak grin as she continued to eye at the house and how it began to intimidate her. At this moment, she was extremely grateful Merida was willing to arrive with her so early. She didn't even know if Pocahontas was around, but there was a growing suspicion in the back of her mind saying she probably was. "Why do I feel as if he probably has a chicken farm in the backyard?" She muttered with a sideward glance to Merida, who shook her head with a snort.

"I think the whole 'five dozen eggs' thing is an inside joke throughout the whole campus now." She shook her head again, her sea of curls rustling against the surface of the car. "He must be making some sick gains. At least he would if he didn't sound like such a ninnie."

"Do you refer to everyone with that term?"

"A ninnie is a ninnie Elsa, no matter how you look at it. You could either be a good ninnie like Kristoff or a bad ninnie like who this Gaston guy sounds."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond, but was cut short when she noticed the front door open and a figure lean against the doorway. She immediately recognized it as Aleks, who began to wave the two girls over and invite them into the house.

"You two look creepy as shit just standing there, no offense." She called out, waving the two over again.

Through her peripheral vision, Elsa could see Merida look up at her and shrug as she began to saunter toward the doorway and she soon followed in pursuit. Having Aleks greet them helped to unravel the growing knots in Elsa's stomach a little as she nodded to her sister as she walked through the doorway. On the inside, it was laid out no differently than any other house despite how it looked on the outside. She followed Aleks through the foyer until she led her and Merida into the living room, taking a seat on the couch in front of her as her sister sat in an adjacent recliner. Just from her initial impression, Elsa knew that she would want to move somewhere more secluded once more people began to show up.

"So" Aleks began, crossing her legs and sinking into the chair. "Why are you here so early? I didn't think anyone would even think about showing up for another half hour."

"I wanted to have a little time to grow comfortable with the surroundings before people showing up." Elsa replied plainly, knowing her sister would understand completely which was confirmed by her small nod.

"And Merida?"

"I don't think I need a specific reason to spend time with a friend." Merida instantly snapped back.

Aleks rolled her eyes with a small scoff. "I didn't mean it like that, but whatever."Elsa" She began again, shifting her attention. "There are a few things I think I should tell you about Gaston before he announces it to the world."

"Five dozen eggs?" Elsa blurted out with a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips, feeling Merida's shoulders rise and fall against her own as she chuckled.

"Ha. I've actually heard he's went up to six dozen now. But, that's not the point." She continued, leaning forward in the chair and leaning her head on her hands. "When I say that he's an egotistical dumbass, I'm not over exaggerating in the slightest." She said in a slightly amused tone with a half smirk. "He will say and do things that will make you wonder how many times he was dropped on his head as a newborn, and you'll get a growing suspicion that it was higher than his parents knew how to count."

"I have a few cousins like that." Merida stated with a small chuckle, looking over toward Elsa with a shrug. "Remember how I told Anna about the Dingwalls and MacGuffins?"

"Didn't you say the MacGuffin boy was the one that played football with a frozen turkey?"

"Nah, that was all of us. Macguffin was the one who could probably rip apart a log with his bare hands."

Aleks' gaze shifted between the two women in front of her with widened eyes and mouth slightly agape as Merida went into several tangents about her extended family. Apparently they were fond of playing sports with unconventional foods in place of balls. "So, what part of Ireland are you from?" Aleks finally muttered after Merida finished another one of her short stories.

"I'm front Scotland." Merida deadpanned with raised eyebrows.

"What's the difference?"

Holding out one of her hands with her palm upward, Merida looked at it. "Ireland." She did the same with her other hand. "Scotland." She shifted her hands as if trying to balance them out. "There's a load of difference. One of them is known for potatoes and famine, the other is known for bagpipes and kilts."

"So, you wear kilts?"

"When the situation arises." Merida answered, backing into the couch and shrugging. "However, I'm shite at the bagpipes."

Elsa giggled briefly. "That's a new term, Merida. You'll have to explain that one to me."

"Shite?" Merida asked. "It's kind of like saying that my bagpipe game is weak."

Elsa turned toward the redhead and confusion painted her face, a small grin growing across her lips when she noticed Merida's blank stare.

"Did I use that term wrong? I've been trying to get a hang of American slang but it's just so weird."

Aleks scoffed, leaning back into the chair. "Like 'shite' isn't a we-"

"Oh yes! Hello indeed!" Came a boisterous voice, as this mountain of a man stomped down the hall and twirled into the room. With one large stride, he appeared in front of the couch with his hands on his hips. He briefly looked down at Merida and Elsa, his eyes shifting between the two of them before his lips stretched into a wide smile. "Bonjour, metamucil." He muttered in a low tone, making sure to put plenty of inflection into his voice.

Merida looked over at Elsa, before looking toward the brick wall in front of her. She blinked a handful of times before looking back at Elsa. "Did this dobber just call us fiber supplements?" She asked plainly, side-eying the man.

"What?" The man exclaimed as he was taken back, his voice echoing throughout the entire room. "No, it's French for sexy chicks!"

"Uh-" Elsa began, looking over toward Merida for a moment before turning back to try and look at Aleks but her view was blocked by the crotch of the mountain in front of her. She tried not to stare, but she couldn't help but feel pity for the man's pants as they seemed to scream and fit to burst around the trunks he called his legs. "I think you mean mademoiselle?"

"Made of gazelle?" He asked, brushing back his black hair with a monstrous hand. "I once hunted a gazelle. It was a ferocious beast, nearly took off my p-"

"Gaston!" Aleks exclaimed, trying to get the man's attention to no avail.

"-inky finger." He finished, turning around to face Aleks just in time as Merida slapped her hands over her mouth and leaned her head against Elsa's shoulder, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

"Where is Hans?"

"He's out in the back, fixing to fire up the grill so we can throw dead animals on it and then eat them and the-" Gaston was cut off from a sudden knock at the door, another large grin grew across his face as he made his way toward the front door and Elsa could swear she felt the foundation shake with every step he took.

After making sure he was gone, Elsa turned toward Aleks and shrugged. "I've never been called Metamucil before." She half-heartedly joked.

Rolling her eyes, Aleks stood from the chair gestured for Elsa and Merida to follow her. "He's pretty harmless, just really fucking stupid. If he starts to get on your nerves, just call him Gary."

"Gary?"

"His real name. He goes by 'Gaston' because he thinks it makes him sound cooler. A lot of his friends have taken up their own names for similar reasons." She explained, opening a sliding glass door as she walked out onto the back patio. The backyard was probably larger than the house, with a sizable in ground pool on the far end against the fence.

Elsa stared into the trees beyond the fence, surveying the area and hoping to find Pocahontas amongst them. "Well, you prefer to be called Aleks rather than Aleksandra." She mentioned, following her sister toward a figure near the edge of the pool which she assumed was Hans. Although he looked to be more preoccupied with the two other figures he was talking to rather than the grill behind him.

"I'm not really an 'Aleksandra' kind of person, Elsa. You know that" She shrugged and stuck her hands in her pockets, her head locked forward. "I'm just Aleks."

"But 'just Aleks' is still my sist-"

"Hans, Gaston is greeting guests at the door. You might want to watch over him before he causes the third world war because someone threatens his fragile masculinity." Aleks stated, crossing her arms and shifting her weight toward one side.

Hans scoffed before turning around, crossing his own arms and mimicking Aleks' stance. "Gaston is a grown man, I'm sure he'll be fine." He raised an eyebrow when he looked past Aleks and noticed the two women behind her.

From behind Aleks, Elsa was able to identify the two men beside Hans. She recognized them as Professor Hades' two teacher assistants. Although she could feel her stomach begin to settle into an uneasy state, it was a little alleviated knowing that she wasn't around total strangers. Even if she didn't know them personally, she knew of them at least. They looked like complete polar opposites of each other, one being tall and lanky while the other was short and stocky. Although they looked much different than she was used to seeing them in a classroom. Instead of the normal button ups and ties, they looked like the type of people you'd see hanging out in the back of an alleyway smoking cigarettes and eyeing down anyone who had the displeasure of passing by. Ridiculously long chains adorned their black cargo pants which conveniently matched the graphic tees they wore. Elsa didn't have the slightest inkling as to what was actually on their shirts, but her best guess would involve a logo of some sort.

"I'm not cleaning up any shit he stirs up." Aleks asserted, taking a small step to the side and gestured toward the two men beside Hans. "These are-"

"Paul and Phillip." Elsa cut in with an impish tone, taking a small step back until she was shoulder to shoulder with Merida. "I uh-" Her eyes darted between the two men and Aleks. "I see them almost every day in calculus."

Hans chuckled briefly before shaking his head. "Actually, they prefer to be called Pain and Panic. The fat one is Pain. I'll let you guess which one is Panic."

"Well, that's ce-"

"Elsa, Merida!"

Elsa turned to find Rapunzel enthusiastically waving at them from the patio, and started waving them over. She briefly turned back to Aleks and gestured toward the brunette.

A small smile formed across Aleks' lips. "I'm going to hang back a bit and make sure Hans doesn't set the place on fire. I'll catch up with you later." She mentioned, nodding her head back toward her boyfriend who was already focused back on the grill. Elsa wasn't too sure, but she thought she saw him look up and briefly roll his eyes. She shyly waved at her sister with a half-smile as her and Merida turned to join Rapunzel. As soon as she turned around, she noticed the balcony on the third floor of the house that overlooked the entire yard and probably a considerable distance into the wood beyond it. Although it was gorgeous, the sight of a balcony brought up sour memories that she much rather not think about at the moment.

"I didn't think you'd be here this early." She mentioned to Rapunzel who had hugged her the moment she walked into the door. Elsa had little issue returning the gesture, over the past couple of weeks since Anna had been in London, she actually grew accustomed to it. It was still a little strange having people touch her who weren't Anna or Aleks, but she learned to trust Rapunzel.

Jasmine giggled as she walked up to the group, nodding toward Merida and Elsa as she placed her hands on her hips. "Apparently we weren't the onl-"

"No! Nobody shoots like Gaston!" Came a scrawny voice from the table beside them, and a dull thud reverberated across the room as he slammed his fists on the table which caused Elsa to flinch and take a few steps back.

"Do I have to show you my golden arrow reward?" Came the reply from a man looking abnormally relaxed, his chair leaned back against the wall with his feet on the table.

The other man grunted, looking over toward Gaston at the end of the table and held his hand out at the relaxed man across from him.

Gaston chuckled heartily before shrugging. "Now, now, LeFou. I'm sure Robin here is a fine marksman in his own merit."

"My own merit? What does that even mean?" Robin replied, taking his legs off the table and leaning forward. LeFou had to stand on his chair and brace himself on the table in order to meet the man eye to eye. "Name any challenge, and I'm sure I'd be able to take your buddy on. Punch for punch, toe to toe, arrow to arrow."

"As if! Nobody fights, or even spits like Gaston!" Lefou rebutted, growing more and more agitated. If he got anymore riled up, there would probably be steam coming from his ears. "Look at the man's neck! Who's neck is as thick as Gaston's?!"

Merida gently nudged Elsa as she leaned over to allow her to whisper into her ear. "If there's going to be an archery contest, I'm in. I'll have them both crying as they run home to their mums."

Just as Elsa was about to reply, she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked up to find Rapunzel gesturing toward Jasmine who had started her way down the hall. She nodded briefly before following suit, making sure to leave just a hair between her and the woman in front of her as to make sure not to end up separated. As they walked by the front door, Elsa couldn't help but wonder what exactly she gained by arriving so early. The door had been propped open, and just in the brief moment she passed it, she saw two or three more cars pull up to the driveway. She followed Jasmine up a set of stairs and into a den area. It was clear that people had yet begun to migrate up into the second floor, and as Jasmine fell onto a nearby couch and let out a sigh of relief, Elsa gently took her own seat on the opposite end.

Rapunzel followed suit and sat down on the couch on the other side of the coffee table, and Merida soon after. "So, why did we leave? It was just getting interesting." Merida commented, pulling her hair from behind her and laying it over the back of the couch.

"Because Jeffrey had just shown up." Jasmine strained, rubbing her temples. "Or as he likes to be called, 'Jafar'." She continued in a mocking tone before making a disgusting face with a sigh.

"Um-" Elsa began, straightening in her seat and rubbing her hands together. "Who?"

"He's this creep who tried to convince my father to let him take me as his bride." Jasmine replied, running her hands through her hair and sighed again. "Dude is just a total creep who won't take no for an answer. If I ever marry, I want it to be for love and not something phony and arranged." She made the same disgusted face. "Especially not with someone so… like him."

"Oh I'm sure it could be worse." Spoke Merida. "A couple of my cousins like me in ways you wouldn't really care to know about."

Rapunzel took a double take, rapidly blinking for a moment. "Family issues aside, I don't think I've ever once heard you mention being attracted to anyone. That just occurred to me." She took a moment to break her sentence to look around the room at the women around her. "You're one of my best friends and I don't even know your dating preferences."

Merida shrugged. "There aren't any, really."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged again, warily gazing over toward Elsa and Jasmine on the other side of the coffee table. "The whole idea of it just isn't for me. I don't need a boyfriend or a girlfriend to be happy, I'm perfectly well off just hanging out with you dweebs."

Jasmine chuckled, straightening in her seat and leaning forward. "So, you've never been involved with anyone? Either romantic or sexual?"

"Nope." Merida answered, shaking her head.

"Well how do you know you won't like it if you haven't tried it?"

"I know I don't want to be flayed alive, but I haven't tried it."

Rapunzel let out a brief, hearty laugh. "Merida, if sex feels like you're being flayed alive, you're doing something wrong."

Nodding toward Rapunzel, a sly grin grew across Jasmine's face. "Or maybe something right."

"Probably something very, very wrong." Rapunzel repeated. She turned her head toward Elsa who had yet to say more than a word since Jasmine had tarried them all away from the growing crowd downstairs. "And what's your stance on the whole 'flayed alive versus sex' debate, Elsa?" She innocently asked.

"I really don't have a lot of experience to really contribute to the conversation." Elsa replied meekly, she knew that Rapunzel was only being kind and trying to involve her in the conversation. However, she wasn't sure if discussing her sex life with Anna would be appropriate given the situation. She was already nervous enough being in a house which reminded her of her own, emotions regarding Anna would definitely not sit well on top of the nerves.

"Oh come on, Elsa." Jasmine teased, leaning back with a subtle wink. "We all saw the marks on your body the morning Anna left. They were all over her too. Tell me that a little bit of pain during sex can be a great thing."

A sudden rush of blood instantly brought a blush to Elsa's cheeks in a deep pink. She and Anna had tried their best to hide the various marks across their bodies from that night, but it was clear that they hadn't tried hard enough. She worriedly looked over toward Rapunzel and found her to be looking straight back on her. Apparently the look on Elsa's face as all she needed as she gave a brief nod and looked over toward Jasmine. "Another thought just came to me. Jasmine, how exactly did you know where to go when we left LeFou arguing with Robin?"

"Oh yeah." Jasmine answered, taking her attention off of Elsa and shifted it to Rapunzel. "Pocahontas told me that up here would be calmer for a bit."

Elsa perked up upon hearing Pocahontas' name. "Where did you see her?"

"You know how Pocahontas is. She popped out of nowhere when I was stepping out of my car. She told me that she already went around and inspected the entire house. Gaston has several cases of beer in the garage."

"Pocahontas went through the whole house?" Merida interjected, her eyes shifting between the three women around her, and then around the room. "That's a little creepy."

Elsa cleared her throat, following Merida's eyes around the room to try and see if she could notice any signs of Pocahontas being around. Of course, there were none from where she was seated and what she could see. "I'm sure she has her reasons. I don't think she'd do it to cause any harm." Elsa finished just as she heard heavy footsteps coming up the staircase. Fearing it was Gaston, she shifted slightly toward Jasmine and pointed her head down. Noticing this, Jasmine gently patted the top of Elsa's hand.

"There you guys are!" Came a familiar voice that caused Elsa's nerves to settle a bit and allowed her to lift her head back up. She looked over to find Kristoff waltzing over, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down on the floor between the two couches. "I nearly got pulled into a wrestling match between Gaston and some guy people referred to as 'Panic'. There was also some tiny person jumping up and down and singing about Gaston. It was kind of awkward."

"I didn't think this would be your kind of event, Kristoff." Jasmine mentioned, leaning forward slightly so that she could look over toward the shaggy blonde.

He shrugged, his eyes travelling around the room. "It's not. But Pocahontas thought it'd be a good idea if I came. She said all you guys would be here, so I figured why not."

Rapunzel shifted in her seat and grinned. "All we're missing is Eugene and Anna in that case, considering Pocahontas is lurking about somewhere."

"I don't know if the house could handle so many ninnies in one room."

Kristoff rolled his eyes and groaned. "What does that even mean!?"

Raising a finger toward Kristoff, Merida reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. After tapping the screen a few times, she reached out and handed it to Kristoff. "That's a ninnie."

Grabbing the phone, Kristoff held it up to his face and groaned again. "Merida, this is just Snapchat with the front camera on. All I see is myself, I don't know wha-" His face fell and his bottom lip stuck out in a slight pout as he begrudgingly handed the phone back to Merida who had a wide, cocky smile stretched on her lips.

"Elsa." Came a voice she had known all her life, and upon reaching the top of the stairs, Aleks was slightly taken back to find the room full. She awkwardly nodded when all attention was shifted toward her. "Can we talk upstairs?" She asked after a moment of silence, looking over toward her sister.

Elsa nodded briefly before turning her head toward her friends. "I'll catch up with you all in a bit?"

Jasmine momentarily looked up at Aleks before returning her attention to Elsa. "Of course. We'll be around." She reassured with a small smile before she looked over toward the group and gestured toward the stairs.

Elsa stood up and followed Aleks through a hallway until they reached a second set of stairs. "It sounds like quite the party downstairs." She mentioned timidly, trying to create any kind of conversation. They hadn't been walking for long, but it was unlike Aleks to be so silent. She normally always had something to say about the current situation, and loved letting her opinion be known.

"Full of jackasses and dipshits." Aleks muttered, opening a door at the top of the stairs that led into a parlor. Fully furnished just as the rest of the house was, the couch on the side of the room sat directly across from the glass door which led out onto the balcony. On the small coffee table in front of the couch were a collection of notebooks, pencils, and textbooks all strewn about in a disorganized fashion. Apparently, this is where Gaston chose to do his schoolwork, the blank sheets of paper only making it seem more likely. Aleks plopped down onto the couch and let out a heavy sigh. "Hans is just being an asshole."

"I kind of get that vibe from him sometimes." Elsa admitted as she sat down next to her sister. "I always just assumed he has a rough exterior but a real sweetheart on the inside." She shrugged. "Kind of like you."

Aleks straightened herself and crossed her arms across her stomach. "He is. You just have to dig pretty deep before you see it." She muttered, leaning her head on the back of the couch with another heavy sigh. "I like to believe he has my best interests in heart, but I don't know."

"Well." Elsa began, turning her body and crossing her legs. "Would like to tell me what specifically is bothering you?"

Aleks turned toward her twin and a small smile formed, but quickly faded as the turned her head back with downcast eyes. "He can just be sort of manipulative at times. Kind of like 'I did this for you, so you should do this for me'. It's ridiculous at times."

"Maybe he has a complicated past?" Elsa mentioned. A guess from her own personal experience. When she looked back, it was easy to tell how she could come off as 'cold' to a lot of different people. Even to Anna of all people, she barely even said a word to her when they met. For Elsa, they didn't even officially meet until the night they first played that chess game together. "Or some unresolved issues?"

"Maybe. He hasn't really mentio-"

"Aleks."

The stern voice came from the top of the stairs as Hans strode into the room with furrowed brows and clenched fists. His eyes very briefly shot toward Elsa before coming back to Aleks. "What are y-"

"Can I not have a moment's peace?" Aleks frustratingly spat as she waved her arm over toward Elsa. "I'm having a conversation with my sister. Is there something wrong with that?"

Hans scoffed and rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips and leaning forward slightly. "When you decide to disappear while I'm trying to keep Peter and Hook from tearing up the entire house, yes, it is as a matter of fact."

"Why would Gaston even invite both of them? He knows they hate each other" Aleks curtly replied, pinching the bridge of her nose before rubbing her temples. She turned to Elsa, who had already curled into herself. "Elsa." She softly muttered, standing up and offering her hand. Elsa slowly looked up and took it. "You mind waiting out on the balcony for a moment while Hans and I talk?"

Elsa let go of her sister's hand as her eyes darted between her and Hans. If anything, he looked even more frustrated than he did when he entered the room. She didn't want to leave her sister alone while he looked so angry. She wanted to argue and adamantly stand her ground against Hans, at least until he calmed down. But there was a slight glimmer in Aleks' eyes that told her that now wasn't the time or the place, and that she would be able to handle it. "Yeah, sure." She finally muttered after what felt like forever, but making a mental note to come back into the room if things sounded like they were going downhill. Closing the glass door behind her, she saw Hans scowl as he walked up to it and closed the curtains.

"He's kind of a jerk, isn't he?"

Elsa turned around and was greeted with a familiar face, a smile strewn across her face as she lightly waved. "How'd you get up here?"

Pocahontas chuckled and shook her head. "Normally, I don't ever tell anyone my secrets. But, in this case…" She pointed behind Elsa and gestured toward the roof. "I took the high ground."

"And how did you-" Elsa started, looking over toward Pocahontas and then back at the roof. "You know, never mind."

"Jasmine had a good idea going to the second floor back then. People started to flock together like honeybees on a lone flower." She mentioned, leaning against the railing and crossing her arms.

Elsa nodded briefly before taking a small step forward and crossing her arms over the banister. She was able to see the entire yard from this height, there weren't a whole lot of people outside yet but she knew that would change soon as the sun sets and it gets cooler. Already there were a handful of people in and around the pool, some kept to themselves while others made fools of themselves by trying to show off. She was, however, grateful for the slight breeze as it danced across her skin. "We're supposed to have a white Christmas this year." Elsa mentioned, staring off into the distance at no particular point.

"I heard. I'm excited for it, but that isn't really relevant right now is it?" Pocahontas asked, turning around and leaning against the railing with Elsa. "It's bothering you. Not being in there with Aleks."

Elsa sighed and ran her hand through her hair, stopping at the end of her braid to twirl the ends between her thumb and finger. "I'm sure she'll be fine, but-" She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe one day I'll be able to stand up for her like she has for me."

A sudden breeze came by, stronger than the rest thus far. With it brought a handful of leaves from the trees across the yard painted in different shades of orange and yellow. Pocahontas looked up into the distance as the leaves danced across her face before starting their slow descent onto the grass below. She slowly nodded, her eyes growing a tab bit somber but a smile also spread across her lips as she turned back toward Elsa. "I'm sure Aleks understands. This transition hasn't been easy for either of you, and she knows that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't fight the current, Elsa. The river will never lead you into anything you cannot overcome." Pocahontas replied, gently placing her hand on Elsa's back as she smiled again and lifted herself up on top of the railing and back onto the roof. Elsa turned around and tried to track her movements, but Pocahontas had already disappeared by the time her eyes adjusted to the setting sun.

Sighing to herself, she turned back around and leaned against the railing again. As she had guessed, more people had already begun to venture outside. But among the small crowd of people, she was able to make out her friends fairly easily once she found Merida's blazing curls. She was lucky, knowing that she had a group of people waiting for her down on the grass below that genuinely enjoyed her company. Luckier still that she had Anna to wait for across an ocean. Elsa found herself in a zone of self-reflection, staring off into the woods beyond. She was a different person than she was at the beginning of the year. It was obvious not only to her, but everyone she had come into contact with. And it was something that she could take joy in knowing that everything wasn't what she feared it would be at first. She loved the life she was living, and the people in it. Nothing about her life was perfect, but it was hers.

However, her moment of reflection was cut short when she heard a familiar cracking noise. She immediately looked down to find the wood of the railing starting to crack and splinter, threatening to give in under her weight. She immediately backed up as she felt her adrenaline start to pump, her heart beating quicker by the moment. Looking down, she found that a thick layer of ice had formed over the balcony and was rapidly spreading over the railing. _Aleks._ Every red light was going off in her mind as body as she twirled around to reenter the parlor, only to be greeted with a deafening crash as the glass door in front of her seemed to explode. Trying to fight through the ringing in her ears, she shut her eyes and covered her ears in attempt to deafen it. She never saw it coming when she felt a body slam into her, sending her sliding backward. The weakened railing instantly gave under from her weight and momentum, and she fell.

As she fell, she was briefly able to open her eyes to see Hans looming over the balcony, kicking off shattered remnants of glass and wood.

Her vision went to black the moment she hit the ground.

* * *

"Elsa!" Aleks screamed, rushing past the empty doorframe, evaporating the ice with every step she took. She was met with Hans' arm as it briefly knocked the wind out of her and prevented her from looking over the balcony.

"You don't want to look." Hans deadpanned.

Aleks' heart instantly fell as she scrambled in vain to get around Hans. "You son of a bitch!" She screamed again as Hans pushed her back into the parlor kicking and screaming the entire way.

"Aleks!" He exclaimed, holding her by the shoulders.

Repeatedly clenching her fists, the ice instantly reformed across the room, jagged spikes shooting down from the ceiling. "You're not going to stop me!" She fought, struggling to wrest herself from his grasp in vain. Despite the adrenaline pumping through her body, she couldn't muster the strength to break Hans' hold.

"Aleks." Hans repeated, slowly and calmly despite the icy storm picking up around him. "Your sister is dead." He explained, staring into Aleks' eyes. Instantly, he could see them gloss over. The growing whirlwind suddenly stopped, and the snowflakes seemingly suspended in midair. He let go of her shoulders, and she limply fell to her knees and started to sob. "And it was your freaky ice powers that killed her." He said in a smug tone with a slight chuckle. "You're a monster."

Aleks clenched her fist together and slammed them against the floor. The tears running off of her face instantly froze into jagged, crystalline droplets which pierced into her skin. The one person she had fought her entire life to protect – dead. Inadvertently by her hand. Not only does she have her father's blood on her hands, but now her sisters. She couldn't stop the tears, she couldn't bring back Elsa, she couldn't protect Elsa, and she certainly couldn't protect herself.

"What are we going to tell Rapunzel? Jasmine?" He chuckled again with a brief pause. "Anna? Oh, she'll be crushed."

Hans' smug tone throughout his taunting caused Aleks' depression to instantly change to rage. She slammed her fists on the floor again, a jagged shard forming in her hand. She squeezed it tightly as it cut into her palm, her blood sliding down and staining the edge before it dropped onto the floor. She couldn't bring back Elsa, but she could stop Hans. She briefly wiped the frozen tears off her face and sniffled. "Hans." She muttered, broken and hoarse. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, dear." He exclaimed, turning to face Aleks with a wide grin across his face.

**[**In a moment of rage and desperation, Aleks leaped onto him, sending him onto the icy floor beneath him with a loud crack as the ice splintered as Aleks' knees dug into his chest. Before giving him time to react, she grabbed the shard with both hands, lifted it over her head, and thrusted it into his forehead. She didn't take any joy in the act as she watched all life leave his eyes, his blood starting to pool around his wound and trickle down the sides of his forehead and into his hair. A few of the frozen tears from her face dislodged and fell, shattering when they hit the lifeless husk beneath of her.**]**

He was right, though. He was right all along. She was a monster, the blood of three now on her hands. Everything she had tried in life eventually led to ruin and failure. Protecting her father, leading a normal life, and even protecting the one she held closest to her. She didn't want to believe she was dead. A part of her wanted to believe that she did survive the fall, but she couldn't bring herself to stand up and look over the balcony. Instead, she slumped over to the coffee table and picked up a pencil and a nearby notebook.

_In some off chance you're alive; there are things I need to tell you._

_Hans is dead. I did it. And I'd do it again a hundred times over._

_That bastard drained us dry, Elsa._

_He threatened to spread our secret of this damned ice curse thing if I didn't comply to everything he told me._

_Car parts to fix his hunk of shit, and then eventually just a whole new car._

_Even this house was paid for outright by the money that was left behind for us._

_It's all gone._

_But there's still something left. Hans and I took a trip out to Gothel's awhile back because I knew where she hid her jewelry that I could pawn to pay for more of his expenses. But there are life insurance policies on both of us, mother, and father. A collection of bonds that were left behind in our names._

_If you did survive, then they're all yours. My way of making up for all of it I spent, I suppose. _

_And if you didn't survive, then I'm just some dipshit writing for nothing._

_I understand, though. That I never really belonged here._

_You've created your own little circle of close friends all on your own from the ground up._

_I've just been a hindrance the entire way. Assaulting Merida, punching Anna in the face, yelling at Jasmine._

_I'd never be accepted by them. _

_This entire time, I thought I was trying to protect you._

_But I failed at that._

_I just ended up hurting you. Hurting us._

_Maybe it would have all ended up different if father were still alive._

_I don't know._

_If you're alive, I'm sorry. For everything. _

_If you're dead, then I'll be with you._

_I love you._

_-Aleksandra 'Aleks' Delle_

**[**Aleks dropped the pencil down on the paper, and moved it to the center of the table. Wiping at the corners of her eyes, she stood up and drudged over to Hans' body. She felt nothing but regret upon seeing it, nothing but hatred and disgust. Not only for him, but also for herself. She slowly knelt down and gripped the shard still lodged into his head as it cut deeper into her hand. Pulling it out, she brought it closer to herself. She was able to see her reflection through the red tinge of the blood, the shattered image of who she was.

And the monster she became.

For the first time in her life, she felt a biting cold as she lifted her head and placed it on her neck. She momentarily looked up to the ceiling, greeted only by her own reflection off of the ice. She mouthed 'sorry' before sliding the shard across her neck.**]**

* * *

"She's alive! Call an ambulance!"


	30. From The Ashes

**A/N:** The epilogue is set up as journal entries from Elsa. The dates. obviously, signify a new day. Entries that are on the same day but at a different time are separated by a small space. I apologize if some of the paragraphs become pretty large, I'm still figuring out how to do small things when it comes to formatting.

Just for continuities sake, the party took place on December 17th, 2014.

* * *

_Saturday, January 3__rd __ 2015_

I woke up today. Dazed and confused, of course. It took me a moment but I did eventually realize that I was in a hospital, staring at the ceiling with Pocahontas of all people standing over me. She immediately smiled and handed me this journal, stating that "it might help you in the days to come". I'm not sure what she meant. I tried to sit up, but I barely budged before pain rendered me unable to move any further. Apparently I had broken my left leg, my collarbone, and my left wrist. I'm able to brace the journal against the cast while I write, but it's an awkward and somewhat painful position. Pocahontas asked me what I remembered, and it was difficult for me to answer. One because of the brace I was in, and two because I honestly couldn't remember a whole lot after arriving at Gaston's party. She just smiled at me and let me know that Anna was passed out on the chair on the other side of the room. She continued on to say that she won't wake her up, and that she'll let the nurses know that I had awoken. She just left about five minutes ago, actually.

Pocahontas never returned, but the doctor did. He said that his name was Dr. Facilier and he immediately asked me if I remembered anything, like Pocahontas did. When I gave my answer, he said that I probably had a case of acute temporary amnesia and that I'd probably remember before long. I asked him how long I had been in the hospital, and he told me a little over two weeks. He says that when I first arrived in the hospital, I was immediately rushed into surgery to deal with some of my more major injuries that included a collapsed lung. The surgery was successful, but I was placed onto life support soon after due to complications during aftercare. After three days, he claims that my Grandmother Gothel had agreed to take me off the life support. According to him, a priest came in and even performed my last rites before gathering my friends and "the snoozing little redhead across the room" before they took me off. But when they did, I didn't die. Instead, he just said that the room had gotten very, very cold. My skin turned pale and my hair lost all of its color, but I continued to live. He just smiled and mentioned that I must have "some real good friends on the other side". To be completely honest, I'm not sure what any of that means. I guess my powers somehow managed to save my life? I really don't know. Dr. Facilier just left; he said he'd be back in a moment to run a few diagnostics before waking Anna. I'm very excited to see her, I've missed her terribly and maybe she can help me remember what happened to land me in a hospital.

Before she even said a word, she kissed me and immediately began to sob. This, of course, made me start to cry. She started to dab at the corners of my eyes with the sleeve of her shirt before profusely apologizing. Repeatedly stating that she'd never leave my side again, and that if she never left things would have turned out differently. I asked her what she meant and what had happened, but she wouldn't tell me. She straight out stubbornly refused and said that she'd prefer to wait until everyone else was here too. Through her tears, all she could do was apologize and tell me she loves me over and over. It hurts me deeply to see her this way, even more so because I have no idea what I can say or do to make her feel better. She did eventually calm down though, and soon we just started catching up like nothing even happened. She held on to my hand the entire time as she told me about her time in London. All of the new foods she tried and learned to cook, all of the history she had learned, and she even mentioned going to see a few productions with Jane. I envy her in that sense; I've always heard that the shows in London were some of the best. I couldn't really offer her much for a response after a while though, it hurts to speak. But she understood. She always had this dorky little grin whenever she looked me in the eyes. This, in turn, makes me smile so we just end up smiling at each other without saying a word for a few moments. God, have I missed her. She's in the bathroom right now, and she's determined that there'll be enough room on this bed for us both to fit on it tonight. We'll see how that goes.

* * *

_Sunday, January 4__th__ 2015_

Aleks is dead, they told me. They all told me. Anna, Rapunzel, Pocahontas, Merida, and Jasmine. They all came into the room and told me. They said that they found her in a pool of blood on the top floor. I don't believe them though. I can't believe them. Dead? Never Aleks. She has to be in the next room over or something, probably. Rapunzel started crying when she said how she found Aleks, and what it'd mean for me. It all seemed very elaborate; I wonder how long it took her to come up with it.

I've just been sort of crying throughout the day. It wasn't until Dr. Facilier came into the room and told me that I started to believe what had happened. I don't know why I didn't at first; my friends have no reason to lie to me. It was… foolish of me I suppose. I wanted to know the full story of what happened, though. Jasmine told me that all she saw was me falling over the balcony and landing on the grass below, and that she and Pocahontas were the first ones to run to my side. She told me that I was conscious, but barely. She went on to say that Merida tried her best to keep me awake while she called an ambulance. Rapunzel rode with me while the others promptly left the house to get into the car and follow the ambulance. Anna said that her cousin had called her in hysterics, saying how I was taken in for emergency surgery for my injuries. Anna, in near tears, says that Jane had to physically restrain her to stop her from taking the next flight back to the states. It wasn't until Rapunzel called and told her that I was stable in aftercare that she was able to slowly calm down and rationalize everything. But she also said that Rapunzel never told her about the complications and how I went on life support. The next thing Anna had heard was that I had fallen into a coma. Rapunzel told me that throughout the entire ordeal, I was never left alone. She made sure that she, Jasmine, Merida, Pocahontas, or Kristoff were nearby. When Anna made it back to the states, she took it upon herself to never leave my hospital room. She says she's been living out of her suitcase, hospital food, and using the shower in the room for the past two weeks. She's hardly left my side throughout the day, just held my hand whenever I cried. I appreciate everyone's support and all, but I'm just tired right now. Exhausted, even. I don't really want to think about what the future holds for the moment.

* * *

_Monday, January 5__th__ 2015_

I was visited today by the police department. They asked Anna to leave the room for a moment while they spoke to me, and although she wasn't too happy about it, she did. They very calmly told me that the investigation regarding Aleks' death had come to an end, and they were here to offer their condolences and the evidence they had withheld. I asked them what they meant, and they told me that the case was a murder-suicide. Apparently, from what they discovered, Aleks had killed Hans before killing herself. The strange thing though was that they found no murder weapon, and that a lot of the blood at the scene was watered down. They had closed the case when they finally realized that they wouldn't find one. The withheld evidence they gave me was just a sheet of paper that was actually her suicide note. I didn't want to read it at first. It wasn't until Anna urged me that I did. And quite frankly, I don't care about the life insurance. I don't care how she spent so much money on Hans. To Hell with the money, I just want my sister back.

Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't I have noticed something was very, very wrong? How could Aleks even do such a thing? I'm glad that dirt bag is dead and rotting. He's the one that drove her to it.

Hospital food tastes like dirt mixed with salt. I want to leave, but Dr. Facilier is adamant that I stay a couple more days. The stethoscope he wears around his neck is cold and stupid.

* * *

_Wednesday, January 7__th__ 2015_

I snapped at Anna this morning. I woke up in a sweat and asked Anna if she could get off the bed for a moment so I could cool down real quick. When she opened her eyes and started to yawn, I kind of got snippy at her for taking her sweet time. After she got up and I felt a little better, I promptly apologized. I've been sort of on edge a bit I guess. Everything hurts and I'm starting to get a little restless and sick of this hospital. She said she understood, but I can see it in her eyes that I hurt her a little. I didn't mean to, that's the last thing I'd ever want to do.

Dr. Facilier told me that I'd be able to leave the hospital today. I cannot describe how relieved I am to hear that. He told me that I'll be in a wheelchair for a while until my collarbone and wrist heal enough to the point where I can hopefully use crutches to get around. He told me that he wants me to come back once every couple of weeks though for x-rays to be sure everything is healing correctly. He also recommended I set up appointments for a therapist to help cope with Aleks' death. Anna seems to think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it. He's also put me on a prescription for painkillers that would probably knock out a horse.

Every little bump in this wheelchair and in car rides hurts my everything. I'm extremely appreciative of Anna taking it upon herself to roll me around and get in and out of it. I have to keep my leg fairly elevated, and the collarbone brace kind of restricts my movement. It's kind of awkward, but she and I have found a position where we can cuddle on the couch without me being in too much pain. The fun part is going to be bathing. I obviously can't do too much on my own, and I know how Anna gets.

It's pretty painful, but I can manage to bathe myself. I just need Anna's help to get in and out of the tub and taking the collarbone brace on and off seeing as I'm kind of restricted to baths instead of showers. She blushed the entire time, and I find that to be kind of adorable. Seems kind of unfair though that she gets to see me naked but I can't her. In due time, though.

* * *

_Friday, January 9__th__ 2015_

Mr. Oaken stopped by today completely unannounced. Anna and I were watching The Sound of Music when we heard a knock at the door and assumed it'd be Rapunzel. Imagine our surprise when the Swedish giant, I say that with no disrespect of course, had to fit his way through the doorframe. He sat down on the chair and proceeded to tell us about he had just heard about what happened with Aleks and my hospital visit. He offered his condolences and said that he would create a scholarship program in Aleks' memory. It's very kind of him, of course, but curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask him why he would do that for someone he hardly knew, and his face suddenly got really solemn. He revealed to me that he was actually pretty close friends with my father. He told me that for around a month before his death, he had started attending AA meetings and that's when he met him. Apparently, Oaken had a bit of an alcohol problem himself and had been regularly attending the meetings for a few weeks prior. He went on to say that him and my father started to lean on each other for support, and that my father helped him through a tough time in his life and that the scholarship was the least he could do to honor the memory of my father and sister. Funny how over a decade later, I'm still learning new things about father. Before Mr. Oaken left, he placed his hand on my shoulder and said that my father would be extremely proud of the woman I've grown to be.

He knew he had a problem, and he took it upon himself to try and seek support for that. By no means does that excuse some of the things he had done, but it gives me a certain degree of comfort knowing that he tried to find help. I don't hate him. I could never hate him. I still love my father. Although I still carry emotional and a few physical scars from the abuse following mother's death, I still love him. I guess it's a good thing Pocahontas gifted me this little journal. I've written in it more than I thought I would at first. It's nice to put down my thoughts on paper at times. Winter break is ending next week, and classes will resume. I still need to sign up for classes, I think Anna and I will do that tomorrow, I don't think she's signed up for any yet either. Hopefully they aren't all filled up.

* * *

_Monday, January 12__th__ 2015_

Anna brought up an interesting idea today. She and I were talking about what we planned to do for the summer. I thought it was kind of a strange thought coming from her considering she never really worries about the future much, but it was something that she grew serious about. Honestly, I hadn't really given it much thought. I always assumed that Aleks and I would figure that out together. She asked if I would be alright if she and I rented an apartment together in the next town over. She even mentioned that she didn't mind paying the rent because she recently got a raise over at Tony's. I don't have a problem with the idea at all, we've already been living together for the past few months and it has worked out fairly well. But I do have a problem with her taking all of the fiscal responsibility for herself. I can't exactly get out in the working world myself right now, but Aleks did mention life insurance and whatnot in her note. Maybe I'll look into that, but I'd still much rather have my sister than the money.

Today was my first checkup back at the hospital, and I was actually fairly nervous to return. The entire atmosphere just made me uneasy, but Anna refused to let go of my hand the entire time. Dr. Facilier was actually surprised when he had gotten the x-rays back. He says that my bones have been healing at a pretty extraordinary rate, and suspects I'll be fully out of the casts by this time next month. I wish I shared his optimism, everything is still extremely sore. But the thought of getting out of these casts is a nice one; Anna is starting to get a little handsy when it comes to helping me in and out of the tub. And I let her. She hasn't outright said it yet, but I know her, uh, "urges" are starting to get the best of her. But I'm not sure how far we could get considering I'm still in two casts and a brace. We've kind of been restricted to cuddling on my right side and kissing.

* * *

_Tuesday, January 13__th__ 2015_

I woke up last night at some ungodly hour sobbing with Anna's arms wrapped around me. I dreamt of the fight Aleks and I had when she admitted the truth behind father's death. I had apparently cried myself awake, filled with a kind of regret I can't really describe. After I had calmed down a little bit, Anna kissed my forehead and mentioned something strange; the room wasn't cold. I looked around and there weren't any snowflakes suspended in the air. My powers were gone. I tried making a snowball, but I couldn't. Nothing happened. At first I was shocked, maybe even terrified. But then I grew to be relieved. Anna had mentioned that they day she heard that I had been rushed to the hospital, her little crystal started to 'bleed'. And now that I think about it, I don't even know what happened to mine. I asked Anna to check up on Olaf in her room, and she said that he was fine. Not melting at all, still with the small flurry over his head. It's all just very strange. My powers have always been with me, even if I didn't want nor enjoy them, I kind of learned to just accept it after a while. It was one of those things that ostracized me and kept me isolated from everyone else. Now that they're gone, gain, I feel sort of relieved. I guess that somehow, I lost my powers but kept my life. But why didn't Aleks keep hers?  
But on an unrelated note, classes are starting tomorrow and I'm still in a wheelchair. Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida have taken it upon themselves to attend my classes for me, record them, and bring me back any papers and recordings. I'm extremely appreciative of them; I'll have to take them all out for a nice dinner once I can walk again.

* * *

_Sunday, January… 26__th__ maybe? 27__th__? No, 25__th__! 2015_

Hey Elsa! You're still asleep! And actually kind of snoring but it's adorable. Anyway, I noticed your journal thing on the nightstand and thought I'd leave you this little note. I promise I haven't read anything though, I just found the closest blank page. You don't know it yet, but Jasmine, Rapunzel, Merida, Pocahontas, Kristoff and I have something special planned for you today. I know that I missed both your birthday and Christmas with you because of my London trip and your hospital trip so hopefully today makes up for those. But we're all taking a day to travel across the state to an amusement park! Sounds great, doesn't it? And plus you're in a wheelchair so we'll totally get to skip all the lines and stuff. Also! I went with Jasmine the other day to this jewelry place for your gift. It's this gorgeous silver necklace with a little snowflake on it. And it has your birthstone on it! Pretty cool, right? Also also! I woke up horny as all hell this morning and you're sexy as all hell with bedhead. But I better wake you up now so you can get ready and stuff. Also because if I sit here any longer, I'm probably going to try and get all up in your vag despite your casts. Anyway, I love you!  
_-Anna_

Anna, you're such a freaking dork but I love you too.

* * *

_Friday, February 13__th__ 2015_

Today, I am a free woman! I went in for a checkup today with Dr. Facilier and imagine my surprise when he told me that I was ready to have my casts removed. I immediately went back to the dorm as soon as I could and showered because to say it smelt bad would be the understatement of the century. He said I'd have to attend physical therapy twice a week for a while, but it's a small price to pay for mobility. Although I cannot walk all by myself yet, I can do fairly well as long as I have something to lean against and take it slow. Dr. Facilier also gave me a prescription for more, albeit much weaker pain killer, he warned me about soreness. He also recommend that I go out and buy braces for my leg and wrist as those could help reduce pain as well. It wasn't until I was out of the shower and sitting on the bed that I realized exactly what a couple months in a cast can do to your skin. I'm going to have to stock up on ample supplies of cocoa butter. It'll definitely make Anna happy; she loves the smell of it. Speaking of Anna, she just left campus about an hour ago. She mentioned something about checking out a store that Jasmine told her about.

She came back with an… interesting assortment of items to say the least. She just went for a shower, and curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help but peek into the bag she left on the couch when she returned. Inside are toys. Dirty toys. Some of them look extremely comical, and I cannot even begin to imagine what they could be used for. There was even a fair amount of Hershey's kisses inside the bag. I'm not sure what she's planning, but I'd be lying if I said I weren't a little scared.

I loved it. I love them. One kind of forgets exactly how sensitive things are after months of inactivity. Anna has actually already fallen asleep, and I am not long behind her. At this moment, I'm not too sure if orgasms were the best thing for recovering muscles. I'll have to ask Jasmine exactly where this store is so that I can have a nice little surprise for Anna one of these days.

* * *

_Saturday, February 14__th__ 2015_

It's Valentine's Day! And boy do I have plans for Anna. Rapunzel gave me the idea of taking her out for mini-golf and hanging around the mall. I know she isn't really one for shopping, but she seems to have fun and genuinely enjoy looking around the more unique and oddity type of stores. And besides, neither of those things are real strenuous and I don't want to be hung up on painkillers all day. But that isn't even really the main event of the day. I got in contact with Kristoff and managed to have the restaurant reserved for only me and Anna for a couple hours tonight. I'm pulling out all the stops, every corny and cheesy stereotype. Dimmed lights, lit candles, rose petals strewn about, the whole shebang. I even got Kristoff to take a shower and rent a snazzy tux for the occasion. I'm so excited, but first off I have to wake Anna up. It's already eight and she isn't up, she can be such a lazybones at times.

The whole thing went off without a flaw. While we were at the mall, I snuck off for a moment and bought her this gorgeous green dress and a matching turquoise one for myself for the dinner tonight. We stopped off at the dorm real quick, I ran off ahead of her real quick and I laid it out on her bed to surprise her. I just left her with a little note telling her to put it on while I locked myself in my own room to doll myself up. When I finished and met up with her, it is impossible for me to accurately describe just how gorgeous she looked. I was nervous the entire drive over to Tony's, actually. Just in complete disbelief that I was with such an extraordinary person as her. She lit up like Rapunzel in the pots and pans section of Bed, Bath &amp; Beyond when Kristoff had opened the door for us and she saw how everything was laid out with the table set for two. We were both very surprised over how well Kristoff could cook, a secret talent that not even Anna knew about apparently. It was still pretty early by the time we got back, so Anna suggested that we watch Wicked and sing along to it. I was Elphaba and she was Glinda, and it was just a blast. I swear I end up falling deeper in love with her by the hour. And although I'm still in pain and not up for another night like the last, that didn't stop me from eating out a second time tonight.

* * *

_Monday, March 2__nd__ 2015_

Anna and I talked about it a little more, and I think we're both sold on the idea of renting an apartment once the semester ends. We sort of argued very briefly about her taking on the fiscal responsibilities by herself. But we came to an understanding without it escalating any more than it needed to. And so tomorrow I have appointments with different bankers, lawyers, and other people of the legal type about any funds that were left to me. While I'm at it, it just occurred to me this morning that I don't know what happened to Aleks' body. I guess that amongst all of the grief, it just never occurred to me and I feel horrible over it. I'm sorry, Aleks. I've been steadily feeling a little better by the day over the whole ordeal, though. I'm not angry or depressed over it, but I tend to get a little weepy if I think about it too long. Luckily though, Anna knows the signs and how to console me.

Pocahontas showed up today while Anna was at work and asked if she and I could have a little chat. I've spoken to her many times over the past few weeks, but it was the first time that we were one on one since the day I awoke from the coma and she handed me this journal. Our conversation went on at first like any normal one would, she asked how I was feeling about everything and just checkup up on me on a more personal level than she could in our group of friends. Then out of the blue she asks me how I've been adapting with the loss of my powers. I immediately felt myself begin to brush it off and pretend I didn't know what she was talking about, but it probably just made it worse because I'm a terrible liar.  
I asked her if she found out from Aleks, and she said that my sister never told her a thing. She says that the day I was taken off of life support and the room became frigid, she knew that something was array. She goes on to say that once I was stable and that the room had warmed back up, she left the hospital an encountered what she called a spirit. She says that it was of an old, ancient woman who bore both the scars of betrayal and of regret. Pocahontas said that the spirit told her that she used to be a goddess who had placed a curse on those who killed her. That her spirit would be reborn with every new generation, but this time was split into two because there were two first-borns. As two halves, she didn't have the power to save one as she took her own life, and so her spirit had rejoined itself in the living body. When that living body was on the verge of death, it sacrificed itself to ensure the survival.  
By all accounts, I would have thought that Pocahontas was crazy. But between my own experience and the expression on her face says, I knew that she told the truth. Turns out that old story that Jane told me about was true. That the powers I was cursed with just for being born is what saved me. That by taking her own life, Aleks saved mine. I asked Pocahontas what happened to the spirit, and she said it was time for the spirit to lay itself to rest. It had spent so much of its energy to save my life that it didn't have enough to rebirth itself. Pocahontas says that before it disappeared, it had a remorseful smile and told her "tell Elsa that I apologize for all the trouble I caused in her life". She went on to say that every creature, even rocks and trees have a life, a spirit, and a name. That I only have to be willing to see and hear them in order to do so. That even loved ones never _truly_ die as long as we believe they're still with us. I'm not religious by any sense of the word, but hearing Pocahontas say that coupled with the story she told, it… brings me more comfort than I can describe. I'm not sure if I one hundred percent believe what Pocahontas told me about talking to a spirit. But then again, I used to be able to conjure snow and ice at my fingertips. So I guess anything is really possible.

* * *

_Tuesday, March 3__rd__ 2015_

I don't deserve any of the things that were left for me. I kept true to my word today and took the six hour trip back home for legal business with Merida and Jasmine while Anna has work and classes to attend. There was just so much left behind that I honestly had no idea about. In her letter, Aleks mentioned finding life insurance policies on us and our parents but that wasn't even scratching the surface. So many different checks, bonds and an entire inheritance that all matured and became ours once we turned eighteen that our grandmother told us about. In addition, I was left behind my parents joint safe deposit box. It was mostly legal documents like birth certificates, but it also held all of my mother's jewelry. But to me, the most important were my parents' wedding bands that I'd prefer to keep near me at all times.  
I also found out what happened with Aleks' remains. In my parents' will, they requested that if Aleks or I didn't state otherwise in our own wills, we'd be buried with them in the local cemetery. The last time I visited that cemetery was before Aleks and I left for college, and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to visit all three of them right now. When I got back to the campus, Pocahontas approached me in the hall and handed me a light blue hairband that I immediately recognized as Aleks'. She told me that she had intended to give it to me much earlier, but wasn't sure how I'd react considering how vulnerable I was. I'm extremely appreciative that she gave it to me, and I actually think I'll start wearing it for the same reasons I wear mother's red hoodie. I don't know how to explain it, but it brings me a sort of comfort. I guess always being around things they left behind helps me feel like they're still around. Anna just called me and said she was on the way back, so I think I'm going to start on dinner. I'm honestly not sure how I feel right now, but standing up and doing something is bound to be better than sitting here. It's just been a very long day.

* * *

_Thursday, April 16__th__ 2015_

The entire gang came with Anna and I to look at apartments around town, and so say it was hectic would be a bit of an understatement. The look on some of these renter's faces when an entire crew of women plus Kristoff and Eugene came walking into the building was pretty priceless. Nonetheless, we did end up finding one we agreed on that isn't too far from the college and Anna's work. While we were out, Kristoff recommended that I apply for this internship at a local architectural firm. The idea piqued my interest, and I think I'll stop by and check it out next weekend. I have a string of tests starting tomorrow and I'd like to be able to focus on those first and foremost.

Hey, Elsa, did you know you snore? Because you snore. I'd push you off of the bed for it if I didn't find it so cute. But I mean, if you wanted to tune it down just a little, I'd be extremely appreciative.

_-Anna_

* * *

_Sunday, May 24__th__ 2015_

Today we went out and started to pick out furniture for the new place. It isn't a whole lot larger than the dorm we currently occupy, but it doesn't come furnished. It isn't something I have a problem with, though. I was never a real fan of the black leather the college has, and much prefer something cloth. However, since I'm still going through physical therapy, I can't do a whole lot of lifting. Kristoff and Eugene 'volunteered' to help out, but only after Anna bribed them both with brownies. It helped that Rapunzel threatened Eugene with sleeping on the couch if he didn't help. I'm sure they both would have anyway, but it's fun to tease the boys around from time to time. Anna finished with her last final on Friday, and I have my last one tomorrow. She keeps mentioning leaving for a surprise after I finish, and I'm a little nervous. I can never really tell what Anna means when she mentions a 'surprise'.

* * *

_Monday, May 25__th__, 2015_

Anna sure does know how to surprise me. The moment I left the classroom, she was waiting on me and off we went. She didn't tell me where we were going until we pulled into the cemetery six hours away. At first I thought it was a bad idea, but Anna pushed me and kept saying it'll be good for me in the long run. So, I walked up to the headstones which were all right next to each other and sat there for a long while. I just started talking to them as if they were right there in front of me, and I guess technically they were. Told them about how school was going and that I recently got accepted into the internship. Introduced them to Anna and told them were moving into the apartment next week. I wasn't old enough to know their opinions on same-sex relationships, but I like to think they wouldn't care as long as I'm happy. I didn't start crying until I started talking to Aleks, but Anna sat next to me and held me as I did. It was obvious to tell that she had only passed fairly recently, grass had only just started to grow back on the plot. I took her hairband off of my head and placed it on her headstone and asked if it was alright for me to wear it.  
Anna left my side only for a moment to grab something out of the trunk of the car, and came back with a flower she had bought earlier that day. She told me that it was an amaryllis, and that the florist told her it represented pride, determination, and beauty, all three of which Aleks had no shortage of. The petals were red but faded to a white on the inside, and I thought it was gorgeous. We planted it beside her headstone before I took the hairband back. Before we left, Anna knelt down in front of her headstone and said that all was forgiven, and that she's sorry they didn't get along better. She then rejoined me at my side as I said my goodbyes and that I'd be back to visit every now and then. As we walked back to the car and started the long drive back to campus, I was still teary-eyed but I did feel a little better about the entire situation. I'm so lucky to have both Anna and a group of friends I can count on.

* * *

_Friday, June 5__th__ 2015_

Today was our first full day in the new apartment. It was extremely foreign at first when Anna and I woke up, and took both of us a moment to catch our bearings. But I think we'll get used to it pretty quickly to be completely honest. She's starting a new shift at eight in the morning now, and it's actually really nice to not wake up on my own. I have to be at the firm by nine most days, and I'm already a natural morning person, but it just feels so much more complete with Anna although she drags for the first hour. She wasn't so bad this morning though; she has a pretty nice bite mark on her left breast she gets to sport around for the day.

* * *

_Sunday, June 21__st__ 2015_

Today is Anna's birthday! I have big plans, surprises for the day! Nothing, not nothing is going to get in my way. I have hidden gifts around the apartment while she's at work, jewelry, snowglobes, fun hats, and even a sandwich on the couch. I've planned this for weeks, done everything in my power. I'm determined to give her the sun, the moon, and the sky as I make this a perfect day for her. After she gets home and finds all the gifts, we're all surprising her and taking her down to the state fair. Just so many birthday thrills for her! Gah, I'm so excited.

Elsa, the best thing about the day was you letting me take care of you when your allergies started to act up in the flower garden. Today was perfect, thank you so much. I love you.

-_Anna_

* * *

_Sunday, July 9__th__ 2015_

I'm going to have to start using this journal more sparingly; I'm actually almost out of pages. But, I have exciting news about today. Tony offered Anna a management position because he's planning to expand the restaurant. He's already bought a new, larger building across town that he plans to move to and have Anna act as the head chef. She's getting a pretty hefty raise, but she seemed to be more excited about the fact she gets to wear one of the funny looking chef hats and the fact she gets to come up with her own dishes to serve. She was already a pretty good cook when I met her, but she still manages to get a little better every time.

* * *

_Thursday, September 17__th__ 2015_

Anna and I have been together for a year today. And boy has it been an eventful one, to say the least. So much has changed in what seems like such a little time. Some of the changes were welcomed, others not so much but nonetheless, I have a pretty positive outlook for the future. Things between her and I have been wonderful, I couldn't wish for anything better. I plan on driving down to the restaurant later today when she gets off and taking her out for a movie. Something small and simple, but a movie was our first date a year ago, I think it would be a good idea to do it again a year later.

* * *

_Thursday, December 17__th__ 2015_

Today marks a year. A year since Aleks and I went to that party, a year since I fell into a coma and nearly lost my life, and a year since my sister lost hers. Anna and I both took the day off to go and visit her grave today. After I wiped the snow off of her grave, I got a little teary-eyed, but I didn't break down and start crying. Instead, I just chose to remember the happier times. Despite how she came off at times, she really was one of the warmest and loving people I've ever known. I miss her every day of course, but I keep her memory alive. I donate a hundred dollars a month to suicide awareness and have it signed in her memory in addition to wearing her hairband every now and then. To my surprise, before we were about to leave the cemetery, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Merida, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kristoff all met us at the car. Even Jane was there, she said that she jumped on the opportunity to fly over and finally meet her cousin. They told me that today shouldn't be about grief over the loss, but celebration for her life. Anna invited everyone over to the apartment, promising that we'd all have a good dinner and enjoy each other's company. She said that she thinks it's a good idea that I be surrounded by friends and loved ones for the day, and I deeply appreciate that. I think it would be a good idea to get to know Jane a bit better too; she may be able to tell me about more family I'm unaware of.  
To be honest, I have no clue what the future could hold. I don't really want to know. What I do know that in this very moment, I have such an amazing group of people I'm lucky enough to call my friends. And even one very special person I'm lucky enough to call my girlfriend. I know that whatever the future may hold, I'll take it on with Anna at my side and my friends at my back. I love them all dearly, with every last fiber of my being. I've been burning low, I've been burning bright, but the candle has never gone out.

_And you will always be perfect_

_You'll always be beautiful_

_Our hearts, will never forget you_

_You didn't belong here_

_And it's become so clear why heaven called your name_

_And it just doesn't seem right, was it really your time?_

_Are we dreaming?_

_We'll never let go of you._

_Wish you were here, but it's becoming clear_

_That Earth's just not the place for an angel like you._

* * *

**A/N:** Well. That's it. I'm going to use this space down here for my ramblings, so if you don't care for those then feel free to close the tab lol.

But anyway, I do hope that this was an adequate ending for this little story I've written. As I've said before, this is the first fic I've actually taken the time to sit down and write. By no accounts do I find this fic to be perfect, but I am proud of it overall. I felt like that with every chapter, both my writing and storytelling got a little bit better, even with the gradual change in style I guess. Although, to be fair, I'm not really sure if the fic had a real 'plot' to begin with. If I had to choose a central theme though, it'd be "growing &amp; acceptance". Elsa accepting the death of her parents, the death of Aleks, and how she could grow from those experiences. At first she was reliant on Aleks, then Anna, and she eventually grew to be reliant on herself in a way. Even Anna coming to terms with her own past and realizing her potential, even though a lot of her past was told by Rapunzel.

I did have a few ideas that never made it into the actual story though. If the demand is high enough, I might be able to write out a couple extra 'bonus' chapters as 'deleted scenes'. One of the ideas I had was instead of having Anna take the trip to London, she'd invite Elsa to go with her and Rapunzel back to their home during winter break, where Anna would have to confront her extremely homophobic parents who had disowned her. And maybe a couple more smut chapters, cause there was only one. Two if you count Anna's small solo thing at the beginning of one chapter. However, an alternate ending isn't in that list. I feel like the ending as it stands resonates for a lot of people, and I don't want to take that away. Although the original ending I had in mind involved a massive snowstorm that shut down the entire city, and no character deaths.

But, once again, I want to thank everyone. Thank you for the favorites, the follows, the reviews, the supports, the messages, everything. Thank you SO MUCH. They all mean the world to me. I do have a new-ish story here on ffnet called Fractured, and now that Burning Low is finished, I'll start to work on that one a bit more. It's set in the canon universe, so expect full on icest. So, if you enjoy my writing, maybe check it out.

Thank you for reading.


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