Detective Anna O'Reilly walked up to a small club in one of the more seedier districts of Arendelle City, rain pouring down over her. She had been used to this part of the city for many years, yet hated going down here.
Organised crime ran amok in these parts and the less she wanted to get involved with it the better, but she had no choice tonight.
Her current case was against a businessman named Hans Westerguard. His company had apparently been having secret dealings with the mob, supplying them with weapons and such, and Mr Westeguard was to appear before court. However, he had denied the charges against him, so it was Anna's job to bring evidence.
As she turned the doorknob to the establishment, keeping her eyes firmly hidden under her now-soggy fedora hat, Anna hoped she wouldn't be here too long and that her lead wouldn't be too hard to find.
She walked into the bar, taking a few glances either side of her. There were mobsters here, crooks and lowlives all around, but Anna knew they were only here to drink and clubs like this forbade any guns.
But this still made her skin crawl, like a hundred tiny ants moving over her skin.
She made her way to the bar and looked up at the bartender, a rather burly man with shaggy blonde hair, before speaking. "Whiskey please."
He poured her the drink, saying, "I haven't seen you in here before."
"Don't come to this part of town much," Anna mused, keeping to herself as she felt a swarm of eyes pin themselves to her back. "But, I'm here on business." She held out her badge to the man, a gold star.
"You're lucky I don't like having guns in my place," the man remarked. "Otherwise you'd have been shot dead the moment you walked through the door."
Anna scoffed. She was a hardy girl, a few bullets would only scratch her, at least that's what she believed. "I'm looking for someone, you might have seen her. Her name is Elsa Winters."
"Oh? You're lookin for Elsa?" The man assumed. "Well, it just so happens she's my singer."
"She works here?"
"Yep. Someone has to take these bastards minds off their dirty business and what better person that than a beautiful woman like Elsa."
Anna rolled her eyes. Sexist pigs, she thought to herself. Whoever this Elsa was, she deserved better than this joint.
As the bartender brought her a drink, Anna then asked. "So where's Elsa right now?"
"She's getting ready for tonight's show," the bartender explained. "Why are you interested in her?"
"Police business," Anna simply said, not wanting to go into further details. "Can I speak to her?"
"Fraid not, Elsa likes to be alone before her shows, but you're welcome to stay if you like," the bartender said, polishing a glass.
"Then I'll stay," Anna agreed, sipping her whiskey.
As Anna sipped her whiskey, she took a moment to eye over the other patrons in the bar. They were all still staring at her, giving her looks that said that if she wasn't careful, she'd be leaving the bar in a body bag.
Anna wasn't that easily intimidated. She wasn't there for them. She was there for her.
When her drink was finished, Anna then heard the sound of a band begin to start up on a nearby stage, and a spotlight shone from the ceiling, illuminating the stage and it's glowing red curtain in a show of cold, blue light.
It was showtime.
The music then began, a jazzy tone as the curtains opened and a woman in a sparkling blue dress with long violet sleeves walked onto the stage, her long hair flowing behind her like a mane of platinum blonde.
Anna blushed bright red. She wasn't expecting Elsa to be that beautiful at all. In all her years on the force, Anna had seen many a pretty dame, but this woman was unlike anyone else.
"That's Elsa?" Anna asked the bartender, wanting to confirm the angel's identity.
The bartender nodded. "Yep, she's a real sight to behold ain't she?"
"You have no idea," Anna remarked.
The woman on the stage batted her eyelashes at the crown, a warm smile on her scarlet-red lips. "Is everybody having a good time?" She asked.
"You bet, princess," Anna whispered under her breath.
Elsa then gazed at Anna, noticing her from afar with those icy blue eyes. "Oh? It seems we have a new customer. Well, dear, this little tune is for you."
Anna went bright red, her hard-boiled demeanour completely broken by the sight of Elsa's astonishing form.
The blonde then cupped the large microphone on the stage as the music started up again and she began to sing.
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is La Vie En Rose
She then looked at Anna, winking at her again with a playful smirk.
Anna's heart skipped a beat as she continued her beautiful serenade.
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see La Vie En Rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
She started to make her way off the stage, heading straight through the other guests and up to Anna, gazing directly into her soul.
Elsa then slid a finger under Anna's chin, making the detective blush furiously.
And when you speak...angels sing from above
Everyday words seem...to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La Vie En Rose
As Elsa walked away from Anna, flicking the heels on her glass slippers, Anna was still trying to compose herself. That woman had torn down the walls she had built up to intimidate those she caught, making her very flustered and embarrassed.
And the way she had glared at her, with those piercing blue eyes... she knew more than she was letting on.
Some way, somehow, Anna knew Elsa had figured she was a cop from the moment she was onstage. She was no dumb blonde.
After the performance had finished and Elsa had walked offstage, Anna headed to the backrooms of the bar, hoping to find Elsa's dressing room.
She searched for a while, before finding a small room with a star on the door. Anna felt for the knob, discovering that the door was unlocked.
Had Elsa done this on purpose? Anna had to push out her affections for the singer to one side. Elsa could have been leading her into a trap.
She walked into the room, scanning her surroundings with eyes. Elsa wasn't there yet, but Anna could see her presence could be felt in other places. From the large mirrors on one side, to a wardrobe with various other icy blue dresses, this was Elsa's room for sure.
Anna walked over to the mirror, finding a small notebook underneath it. It seemed to be a diary, although a lot of the entries had been scribbled out.
Before Anna could make a move, she heard the door close behind her.
"So... Detective," a voice said to her softly, with a slight accent that seemed to be either Swedish or Norwegian. Clearly, Elsa liked to feign an American accent onstage to appease the crowd. "What are you doing sneaking around in my dressing room?"
"I was about to ask you how you knew that I was a copper," Anna remarked, taking off her fedora. "I never figured a singer to be a clever type."
"I might surprise you then," Elsa said. "Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you. If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have had Kristoff lace your drink with something."
"Wait what?" Anna said, confused.
Elsa chuckled. "Did you really think I was just a singer? No... you are in fact standing in the headquarters of my little... well, I guess you could say, syndicate."
Anna folded her arms. "So... you're the real boss of this joint."
"No one would suspect me in this town," Elsa chuckled. "I suppose you're here about Mr Westerguard's company?"
"Yes, I was," Anna said. "And let me guess... he was supplying guns to you?"
"No, nothing like that. I deal in money, sex, stuff like that," Elsa stated. "Guns are so... distasteful."
"Then what do you know about Hans?" Anna asked her. "Court needs proof of his crimes."
"I wouldn't know," Elsa remarked. "We broke up six months ago and I haven't heard anything from him since."
"I figured you underworld types like to keep tabs on each other."
"Well, only when our rivals pose a threat, but Hans... well, when he left me, he made the biggest mistake of his life."
Anna looked down. "You set him up, didn't you?"
"Precisely," Elsa agreed.
Elsa then walked to a drawer, taking out a small piece of paper. "Here's the proof your court will need."
"Keep it," Anna said. "I'm not taking sides in some gang war. I'm a cop, I can't be seen taking money from the mob."
Elsa chuckled, stroking Anna's cheek. "Please, detective. Together, we could change this city for the better" she closed her eyes and smiled. "And I could really make it worth your while."
Anna didn't have a moment to react until Elsa pressed her lips tightly against her, wrapping slender violet arms around her back in a loving embrace.
She knew this was wrong and yet... maybe Elsa did have a point.
xXx
Author's note: Ooooh noir AU! Sort of based on a cute pic I found on DeviantArt some time ago, albeit taken a few liberties :3