The storm door opened, and Kristoff and Anna slowly climbed out into the eerily bright morning sun. Their neighborhood was pretty-much untouched, other than patio furniture knocked over and leaves piled in odd places.
"Looks like it missed us," Anna smiled, grateful their new home was spared.
Kristoff squinted and shielded his eyes as he glanced about. "I'll have to report in."
Anna wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you have to?"
"I'm sorry, love," Kristoff pulled her in close. "I know it's our first day off together in a month, but they'll need all hands helping after a tornado."
Anna leaned into his embrace, then perked up. "Hey, maybe I can help too?"
Kristoff's face scrunched with worry. "I'd feel better if you stayed here."
"Seriously? Stay here while you're out risking your life?"
"I'm a police officer, I do that every day, Anna," he deadpanned.
"We don't have tornadoes every day, Kristoff," she retorted.
"Look, if they call up reinforcements I'll call you. But right now it's safer to stay home." He cupped her face in his hands. "I'll be able to focus better if I know you're home safe."
Anna glowered at him. "Sometimes I really don't like you."
He chuckled, kissing her upturned nose before climbing the porch stairs and striding inside. In no time he had his navy blue uniform on and was clipping his sidearm and his radio to his belt. Anna stood by the door, her thoughts swirling in her head like the tornado that just struck their town. This was his first full-blown emergency since they were married a few months ago. She knew being a Police Officer was his calling, just like being a Vet would be hers once she passed her licensing exam, but the thought of him out there and in danger, and her stuck at home to freak out about it alone… "Kristoff?" she half-whispered, half-whimpered.
"It'll be ok, baby. I promise."
She wrapped her arms as far around him as they'd go. "I'm holding you to that, Bjorgman."
He gave her one last hug, then put on his hat and went to work.
Anna sat in the hall with her back on the floor and her legs on either side of her parent's old grandfather clock, using her feet to pretend she was passing the pendulum back and forth like a ball, like she used to do as a kid before her mom would scold her about getting scuff marks on the polished wood.
It'd only been an hour, and already she was freaking out.
She paced around their living room, past the boxes of family photos they'd yet to hang. Past the bookshelves where earlier she'd arranged her novels alphabetically. Then rearranged them by genre. Then rearranged them by the colors of their covers. Then rearranged them back to by genre. ("Really, Anna? Color?") She grabbed her favorite Pratchett book and settled down on the couch, but after reading the first page over and over and over again she hopped back up and put it back on the shelf. She was too worried to sit still.
She grabbed the phone and called into work. Surely they could use some help, right?
It picked up on the second ring. "Arendelle Pet Clinic, how may I help you?"
"Heya Cindy, it's Anna."
"Anna? You ok? Is everything alright?"
"Oh yah, everything's fine! It missed us, so we're lucky. Hey, do need a hand at the clinic?"
"Nope. No calls, no emergencies, oddly enough, and all routine appointments were cancelled. It's so dead here we sent everyone to the vet hospital or home."
"Maybe I could-"
"Anna, stay home. They don't need help. The police don't want extra people out and about, and it's your day off. Relax while you can. I'll call you if I need you."
"But Cindy…"
"Good-bye, Anna."
Anna looked down at her phone. "Rude!"
She wandered back to the spare bedroom. Dropcloths covered everything, and the window and door frames were already masked. They just needed to pick a color. She grabbed the tester bottles and painted a bit of each color on the walls. She stared at them one at a time, chewing on the end of a braid as she thought of Kristoff out in the middle of a disaster zone instead of the blobby colorful splotches that looked vaguely like snowmen. She threw her hands up and grumbled to herself; she couldn't concentrate on anything but worrying, and it was driving her batty.
She reorganized the linen closet. She rearranged the pantry, then put it back the way it was. She went and hung those family pictures up. She even folded and put away the laundry, and she hated folding and putting away the laundry.
She tried cleaning in the kitchen, but it was already spotless. It always was on Kristoff's day to do the dishes. It wasn't that Anna was a slob, but since her work required everything to be sanitized and orderly, she kinda let her personal space slack off. For balance. Yeah, balance. Not because her husband was ridiculously attractive when he did housework. No, that had nothing to do with it. God, she missed him.
Maybe a nap would calm her down. She went to their bedroom and flopped across the entire bed, arms and legs spread as wide as they'd go. She stared at the ceiling, watching the ceiling fan spin lazily above her. Even though it was well after noon and she'd been up since before dawn, and got yanked out of bed early on her day off and spent a restless hour in the storm cellar, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, and eventually found herself wrapped around Kristoff's pillow. She buried her face in it, inhaling his scent. It both soothed her, and reignited her worry, and that odd dichotomy was driving her nuts.
She thought about having a late lunch, but she had no appetite. She thought about studying for her license exam, but knew that would be a colossal waste of time. She thought about making cookies or something, but didn't think burning down their new home because she was too scatterbrained would be a good idea.
"Maybe there's something on TV…"
She plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote. Every local station had live coverage of the aftermath, of course. Channel after channel of serious people in seriously boring business-casual attire talking seriously into their microphones. Channel 2 covered fire crews freeing people from their storm cellars along a flattened block of Maple Street. Channel 13 covered the Power Company crews isolating downed power lines and fighting intermittent power outages. The weather guy was in News Chopper 8 blathered about thunderstorms heading their way and the threat of more tornadoes. "What kind of moron weather guy gets in a helicopter when there's tornadoes?" she scoffed.
She flipped between stations, stopping when one showed the police chasing after looters. "Looters? Seriously, people?" she huffed in disgust. The cameraman panned wide, and Anna froze. Kristoff was one of the police officers running across the parking lot. She leaned forward, focusing on him, trying to see if he was alright. "And now Dexter with the latest weather report."
"Augh, no! Thunderstorms, got it. Go back to mall!" But no, idiot Dexter had to drone on from his idiot helicopter about the same idiot weather report he gave ten minutes ago. "…and now over to Diane and the Arendelle Power Company's struggles."
"No no no! Screw you, Dexter! Screw Diane and screw the Power Company! Go. Back. To. The. Mall!" Anna screamed at her TV.
"…and now back over to Dominic at the West Arendelle Mall…"
"YES! Finally!"
"…where we're getting word that a police officer's been injured..."
"Wait, WHAT?!"
Just then the TV flickered, and the whole house went dark.
"OK, maybe not screw the Power Company…"
Anna bolted, stumbling to the kitchen for the emergency supplies. She grabbed a flashlight and the portable radio, and ran back to the couch. It was a crappy little radio that only got one station, but she wrapped her arms around her knees and listened, desperate for news.
Hours later and still nothing specific, and Anna was beyond exhausted. She wiped her face with the hem of her pink pajama top. She glanced down at it, and the teal lounge pants she still wore from last night. Her hair was done in two messy braids, her t-shirt was now tear-stained, and the reindeer prints on her pants would probably run screaming at the sight of her. God, she was a mess!
But Kristoff loved it when she wore her favorite comfortable clothes. "It's because they have reindeer on them," she would tease.
"No, it's because they have you in them," he would reply, and he would smile that dopey lopsided smile of his she loved so much, and he'd cuddle with her on their couch and do his best to get through at least one episode of their favorite show before he did his best to get her out of her favorite pajamas.
"Please come home safe, Kristoff," she begged. "Please…"
There was a rattle of metal against metal, then the soft click of a door opening then closing.
Anna's face popped up from the couch and she blinked owlishly at the door. The power must've been restored, because the lights were on and she could see. She rubbed her eyes and blinked again, but her eyes weren't deceiving her. Kristoff was there. He looked like he was ridden hard and put away wet, but he was there. He was fine. He was home.
She scrambled over the top of the couch, tripped on the back a bit before she sprinted over and leapt into his arms. Kristoff caught her and held her close, nuzzling her frazzled braids with his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly knocking his hat off in the process. "I am so glad you're safe, Kristoff!" she breathed, peppering his face with kisses. "I was scared sick!"
"Shh, it's ok Anna." Her hair was a mess, she was still in her old worn-out pajamas, and she was the most beautiful person in the whole world. He caught her face in his palms and brought his lips down to hers, kissing her deeply. His thumbs brushed her tears away as he savored her kiss. She dug her hands into his hair to pull him closer, but he flinched with a soft "ow."
"Ow? Kristoff, you're hurt?!" Even though fresh tears started to fall, her fingers were gentle and sure as they searched for more wounds.
"Just a few cuts and bumps. Good thing I've got a thick skull."
"Kristoff…" Anna whimpered.
"I'm fine, love. Really. Nothing a hot shower and a huge sandwich won't cure. Although," he smirked at her. "I wouldn't object if you kissed them and made them better."
Anna laughed through her tears, burrowing into his embrace. "You're incorrigible."
"I'm a newlywed."
"You just worked a 20-hour shift."
"And I just came home to you, my love," he kissed her forehead. "The most magnificent," another kiss, this one on her cheek, "the most breathtaking," and another, this time on her jaw, "the most feisty, beautiful, amazing woman ever." His lips finally found hers again, and he leaned into their kiss.
"Whoa there, officer!" she giggled, stumbling a bit under his bulk. She slung his arm over her shoulders and walked him into their bedroom. "You get that hot shower, and I'll get you something to eat, ok?"
He pulled her back into a hug, leaning on her harder than he probably should, and buried his face in her hair. "You're the best, Anna."
She clung to him fiercely, not caring a whit that he was grimy and sweaty. "Welcome home, Kristoff."
He leaned back and kissed her one more time. She smiled, then went to the kitchen. She pulled out the leftover ham and made him a huge sandwich, along with some carrots and cookies and a big glass of ice water. She put it on a tray and carried it back to their bedroom. She nudged the door open with her foot, and couldn't help but chuckle at what she saw: Kristoff sprawled out asleep on the bed. He managed to strip down to his undershirt and boxers, but apparently that's all he had energy to bother with.
Anna shook her head, then went and put the plate into the fridge for later. She placed the water on the night stand, then crawled into bed with him, her own exhaustion finally catching up to her. She spooned up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. He didn't even twitch. She smiled and pressed a sweet, soft kiss between his shoulderblades. "Welcome home," she murmured, then joined him in a deep, dreamless sleep.