~In a Heartbeat~

DISCLAIMER: All of the places and characters in this story belong to Disney and are inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen. No profit is being made from this story. It only serves to (hopefully) entertain.

-Chapter One-

Kristoff was perched on a snowy hillside, body leaned back against the side of his sled. His gloved hands lightly strummed his lute to a tune he made up as he went along, and though he had a slight desire to sing, he couldn't muster up any words. The only sound he allowed was a light chuckle when Sven, who was roaming nearby, tripped over his own feet while chasing a pine needle tumbling in the breeze.

He looked out at the view before him as he mindlessly played an arrhythmic song. From where he sat, the evergreen trees were merely black, pointy silhouettes against the purple and rose sky. The sun was rapidly making its descent below the horizon, and it was even earlier than the day before; the solstice was definitely on its way. In the distance, Arendelle was a tiny gap in the endless sea of trees, but it sparkled as more and more people began to light fires and candles, pouring light from the windows of shops and homes.

As his eyes fell on the palace, he thought of Anna.

Kristoff gently tossed the lute to the side and closed his eyes. He knew she was perfectly fine, but he was still worried. Anna was miserable, and being holed up in the palace didn't help matters. It was for the best – he knew that – but he still felt bad that he could wander about as he pleased, even to spend a couple of hours alone in the hills to play his lute and silently continue to freak out.

The baby was due any day now, and Kristoff had never been more scared in his life. It felt like it had only been a month since that sunny spring morning when Anna informed him she was with child. That day, he'd been beyond happy. He'd lifted Anna into the air and spun her around, laughing wholeheartedly, before enveloping her into a warm embrace.

This wasn't to say he was no longer happy, of course. He was thrilled, excited even. But where had the time gone? It felt like all he'd done since he'd learned the news was blink, and nothing more.

Yet it was time – just about, at least. Anna's belly was round and low, and she was so tired. The midwife had been staying at the palace, as were her two apprentices, readily available for when the big day arrived. The notices to be posted in the square were already prepared, written in fancy calligraphy on the finest parchment; all they needed was a name. The people of Arendelle eagerly awaited news.

And Kristoff was terrified.

He didn't feel ready in the slightest. He knew nothing of what it meant to be a father. Everyone – well, not everyone, but the few he talked to – told him he'd learn with time. Kristoff knew they were right in a sense, but they were never referring to the things he was actually concerning himself with. When they told him it was learning process, they were talking about things like changing the baby and the inevitable lack of sleep he and Anna would be dealing with for the next few months. While those things crossed his mind from time to time, they were hardly the cause of his troubles.

What Kristoff worried about was his state of mind. He was a fiercely independent person, and until he met Anna, it was just him, Sven, and occasionally the trolls. He excelled at being a loner, and quite frankly, he liked it. Even now as a married man he craved his alone time, something Anna didn't mind at all; in fact, it had been at her suggestion he was out on the snowy hillside to begin with. He loved her even more for understanding that his need to be alone sometimes wasn't a result of him not wanting to be with her, but simply part of who he was.

Perhaps it was selfish, but he didn't want to lose his freedom. Kristoff knew being a parent was about sacrifice, about putting your child's needs before your own, and he was prepared to do that. But how far did it go? Would he have to forfeit everything? Not knowing was driving him mad, and he hated the thought of being afforded little solitude, if any at all. It wasn't just about him, either. Kristoff became a downright miserable person when he was consistently surrounded by people for too long, and that made everyone else miserable, too.

And then there was the love.

He'd heard time and time again that the first time you see your child changes you. They'd said you'll love it instantly. Kristoff hardly believed it. The only person who he'd ever truly loved was Anna, and that certainly wasn't immediate; it blossomed over time, strengthened over time.

But what if that was really how it was supposed to work? What if fathers really did fall in love with their children right away?

And what if he didn't? He'd be a terrible father. The worst. He'd be like his own father whom he'd never known. He'd taken off when Kristoff was born, leaving his mother alone with an infant. He obviously didn't fall in love right away if he had the gall to run off like that.

Kristoff thought for a moment that maybe he was just like his father. Maybe his father, too, had possessed a constant yearning for isolation. Maybe that's why he left.

Maybe that's what he'd do himself: panic and leave. Abandon Anna and their child. And if history were to repeat itself, Anna would meet an untimely death, just like his mother did, and their child would be orphaned, just like he had been.

Kristoff shook his head and groaned. To say he was over-thinking things was a severe understatement. There was no way he'd ever leave Anna and their baby. He'd never be like his father in that sense, and it was preposterous he'd let that silly idea cross his mind, even if only for a moment.

"I'm driving myself crazy here, Sven," Kristoff muttered aloud, and the reindeer turned toward his voice. "I'm not ready for this."

Sven huffed.

"No one's ever ready for this," Kristoff said in his Sven voice. Sven nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

"That's not what everyone seems to think," Kristoff argued. "Everyone's acting like it's this big miracle I should walk into with a huge smile."

"It is a miracle, you buffoon."

Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"I know it is, but that doesn't make it any less scary. I might be awful. I might ruin the poor kid."

"You know you won't."

"What if I don't love him? Or her...could be a girl. Goodness, that's even scarier. A minature Anna running about..." Kristoff's voice trailed off.

Sven cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed.

"Don't be silly. You will."

"The only person I've ever loved is Anna."

"The baby will be part of Anna. And you."

Kristoff didn't say anything else, not even on behalf of Sven. Of course he knew he'd love his child; that was never really a question. But it frightened him, knowing he'd love yet another person. When he first realized he loved Anna, he resented it and tried to ignore it. Love made people vulnerable, and he couldn't have that. No, he was far too autonomous for love, for vulnerability, for feelings.Anna had sharply dented, chipped, and cracked the wall he'd spent so many years building around himself; his child would surely knock it down completely, and nothing was more terrifying than that.

Still, having Anna in his life had made him so... complete. So alive. It had been more than worth it to let it all in. Having a bit more love in his life couldn't hurt, could it?

Kristoff heaved himself off the snowy ground. He picked up his lute and gently tossed it into the sled.

"C'mon, buddy," he said to Sven, "we'd better head back."

After Sven was hooked up to the sled, the sun had disappeared completely. Their ride back to Arendelle was lit by the half moon and the lantern Kristoff held in place. As they descended the hills, the worry began to seep back into Kristoff's mind. He was going to be responsible for the life of another human being, every single day, for the rest of his life.

But he tried to remind himself of the good things. There would be bedtime stories. Sleigh rides. Birthday celebrations.

Scraped knees. Nightmares. Tears.

Goodnight kisses. Morning hugs. Smiles.

Worries.

Laughs.

"Stop it," Kristoff scolded himself as they approached the palace. "You're turning yourself into a lunatic."

He was greeted by the guards as he entered the palace. Kristoff went directly to the library, where he'd left Anna a couple of hours before. She'd been knitting while resting her swollen feet on her favorite ottoman.

But when he got in there, he didn't find Anna; all that was there was the half-finished baby bonnet on the table beside her chair.

Kristoff checked their bedroom, thinking she'd turned in early. No Anna.

Maybe she'd gotten hungry. He checked the dining room. She wasn't there, either.

Perhaps she wanted to move things around in the nursery? She liked to do that sometimes. But when Kristoff checked the room, it was dark and empty.

Confused, he went back downstairs, hoping to find Elsa. Surely she'd know where the mother-to-be was.

Kristoff didn't find Elsa, either. He did, however, run into Ingrid, the midwife, who was walking across the corridor with a pitcher of water and a candle.

"Ingrid!" he called out.

She turned to his voice and smiled when she saw him. Ingrid was a short, plump woman with greying hair that was always pulled back in a braid.

"Good evening, sir." Kristoff would never get used to being called sir, but after marrying a princess, it was unavoidable. "We were all wondering where you'd gone off to."

"Took the sled out for a while," he said. "Have you seen Anna?"

The older woman's eyes widened.

"No one has informed you yet?"

"Informed me of what?" he asked quickly, his heart sinking. If anything had happened to Anna and he hadn't been there... he couldn't live with that. He simply couldn't. "What's happened? What's going on?"

"No need to fret, sir," Ingrid said gently. "The princess's pains have begun. The child is on its way."

Kristoff was suddenly light-headed. His knees went weak and his heart seemed to stop. Within seconds, he was passed out on the regal carpet of the corridor.

Author's note: Woo, first 'Frozen' fic! :) It's nice to step out of Hogwarts for a change and venture into a different fandom. I'm planning for this to be three or four chapters, so I sincerely hope you stick around!

There's a poll regarding this very story on my profile page; I can't decide if the baby will be a boy or a girl (I honestly cannot make up my mind). It would be ever-so-helpful if you'd be willing to offer your opinion.

Thanks for reading! :)