This story contains certain subject matter that is for an adult audience. Please see warnings at the END of the chapters. As of May 2016, this fic is in 'update' mode.
Spring had hit the city of angels and wedding plans were well underway for the young couple with an early June ceremony just months away. Elsa's flowing blonde hair shined like fine spun gold in the afternoon sun as she parked her car along the curb of a posh and trendy flower shop in Beverly Hills. A pair of heels clicked against the pavement as she stepped out of her car with a beaming smile and fed the meter while waiting for her fiancé to arrive.
A jet black convertible pulled up about five minutes later and Hans was already sporting an apologetic smile as he greeted Elsa on the sidewalk with a kiss on her rosy cheek.
"Sorry I'm late. This appointment is for flowers right?" he said as he surveyed the buckets of freshly watered flowers sitting outside the shop.
"Yes. Flowers and I hope you'll handle this better than the food tasting yesterday. I want us to enjoy doing this together. This is our wedding remember?" Elsa replied sweetly as she took Hans' hands and gazed up at him through her lustrous lashes, eyes sparkling with a hint sass behind those baby blues.
"I plan to thoroughly enjoy myself because if men like anything, it's picking out flowers," he joked as she smirked and playfully dragged him by his necktie into the shop.
Ten minutes later and Hans was bored out of his mind but was determined to make the best of it for the sake of his future bride.
"These are some of our most popular arrangements this time of year," the shop owner said as she led Hans and Elsa into the showroom of the quaint yet upscale flower shop. The room was filled with exquisite centerpiece arrangements of calla lilies, roses, and hydrangeas; giving off the most heavenly aroma that filled the couple's heads.
"The arrangements here would be for the reception and over here on this table we have coordinating bouquets and boutonnieres for the ceremony. All variations of white as you requested, Ms. Everstad." The woman smiled as she laid her eyes upon the young woman and her fiancé. They were one of the most striking couples she'd seen come in for a wedding consultation in quite some time. Her hair and skin were as white as the fallen snow with lips as deep a red as some of the roses in the shop. The man her arm was securely looped around was tall and dashing with auburn hair and eyes just this side of emerald.
"Which ones do you like, darling?" Hans asked, a smile curling out from the side of his lips.
Elsa's eyes scanned the room, surveying the celestial blooms of each and every flower displayed before her. A bulbous vase of furled white flowers caught her eye and she gasped in awe.
"I love these but I'm not familiar with this type of flower," she said as she walked closer to inspect the centerpiece, leaving Hans' side for the first time since they'd entered the shop.
"Ranunculus and Gypsophila. Very elegant in my opinion and perfect for an early summer wedding. Where is it you two are getting married again?" the woman asked with a quirked brow.
"At my father's home in Brentwood," Elsa replied, looking at the woman and then back at Hans as they shared a warm smile. "I think these would be perfect, don't you?" fluttering her lashes at him.
"If you love them, then I love them," he cooed in that annoying tone couples tended to adopt in order to please each other.
"Perfect. Then we'll do that for the reception and I love the calla lilies and roses for the ceremony," Elsa gleamed as she swiftly clasped her hands against her chest. Deciding on flowers had been easier than she originally presumed. She thought for sure Hans would be a bit more opinionated, he always liked to have things just so, but he appeared to be coming around to the idea that the more decisions Elsa made the happier she was.
"Fantastic!" Hans bellowed, sounding a bit too relieved at the prospect of leaving the shop sooner than expected.
"Excellent choice, Ms. Everstad. We'll contact your coordinator Mary and take it from there. It was lovely to meet you both."
The young couple thanked the woman and Hans quickly led Elsa out of the shop and back outside to where they had both parked on the street.
"Do you have to leave so soon? We finished early and we could get a quick bite to eat or just take a walk past the shops." Elsa was so hoping that they'd get to spend some extra time together since she'd spared Hans of having to bear more wedding decisions.
"I'd loved to, sweetheart, but I have to get back to the office. You know how demanding my father can be." He grabbed her hands and kissed each one tenderly on the knuckles, bringing a blush to Elsa's cheeks.
"I'll see you tonight for dinner at your father's. Six right?" Hans was already rounding the front of his convertible as Elsa stepped to the passenger side to reply.
"Yes, six. And don't be late this time. I don't want to be stuck entertaining your dad and my parents by myself again," she pleaded, knowing deep down he probably would be late anyways. She couldn't remember the last time Hans made it anywhere on time and hoped he would at least remember that their wedding ceremony started promptly at four when the day came.
"I won't. You headed back to work?" sliding on a dark pair of sunglasses as he glided the key into the ignition.
"No, I have stop and sign off on the invitations in an hour. I left Kristoff in the kitchen so who knows what will greet me when I go in tomorrow."
"Alright. Love you." He revved the engine and lifted his sunglasses to give her wink, making an affectionate clicking sound with his tongue.
"I love-"
Before Elsa could finish Hans stepped on the gas and was sped away, running a red light at the intersection.
"- you," she muttered alone on the sidewalk as she watched Hans turn the corner and zoom out of view.
Later that evening Elsa passed through the wrought iron gates of her father's home and pulled into the circular brick driveway. The stately Tudor style mansion was like something out of a fairytale. It always brought a smile to her face and warmed her heart whenever she laid eyes on the old place. Every time she walked up the to the beautiful solid oak door she felt like she was coming home.
"Hello, angel," Elsa's mother gushed when she answered the door. Her family may have been wealthy but they liked to remain in touch with reality as much as possible and preferred to do most things like answer the door themselves.
"Hi, mama," kissing her mother lightly on the cheek.
"Your father is outside waiting for you. He had a bit of a rough day today so he'd love some cheering up."
"Of course."
Elsa walked through the palatial home and found her father sitting at the outdoor dining table, clutching his arm as he struggled to control it and her heart sank when she noticed it was shaking profusely.
"Hi, papa." Her hand ran around his back and over to his shoulder, feeling the finely pressed fabric of his dress shirt as she took a seat in the chair next to him.
"Hi, honey," forcing his arm under the table with a grimace he was trying to conceal, ashamed of his inability to control his own body.
"Did you have a rough day?" her face shrouded in sympathy as she reached under the table and held his trembling hand between her own. His hand was warm yet jittery as she smoothed and caressed it with her delicate hands.
He'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's some years ago but recently the tremors had become worse. When Elsa first learned of her father's diagnosis she feared the worst but was assured that it was not a death sentence and that only his motor and cognitive skills would be most affected.
He had been working with the best doctors in Los Angeles to keep the debilitating illness from progressing and he insisted on continuing to work through it all. He loved his company that he'd built from the ground up and still saw it as his baby. Well, his other baby as Elsa was his first pride and joy.
"The new medication just doesn't seem to be working. I was presenting to the shareholders earlier today and the tremors were so bad that I had to hide my hand in the podium, only that didn't stop everyone from hearing the sound." He was a warm and caring man but didn't like to show weakness, especially to his daughter. No one at his company knew of his ordeal and he intended to keep it that way for as long as he could. He didn't need his own employees taking pity on him and coddling him like an incapable child.
"I'm sure they will get it right eventually. These things take time." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and her father delighted in her twinkling blue eyes. She didn't care what course his disorder took or how aggressive his tremors got, she loved him just the same.
"Where's Hans, honey?" he asked, half curious and half hoping to change the subject.
"Running late I suppose. We picked out flowers today and I think they're going to look spectacular. Hans was really great about the whole thing."
"He's a nice man and I know he'll take good care of you. I cannot wait to see you in that gorgeous white gown and walk you down the aisle. I'm not looking forward to the giving my daughter away part but that's part of being a father. You blink and your baby girl is all grown up." His lips pressed inwards and he looked at his daughter. She was everything he'd wished for and more, and it almost pained him that she'd long flown the nest and was getting married in three short months.
"I maybe grown up but I'll never stop loving you. And I only live fifteen minutes away." The two giggled and laughed when the sound of Hans' slick leather shoes interrupted their father daughter bonding.
"Speak of the devil," Elsa's father murmured.
"Alexander. Good to see you again, sir. My apologies for being late. The traffic on Bundy was terrible." Hans held out a firm hand and offered a hearty handshake with his father Harold close behind him.
"Please, for the last time call me Alex. You're going to be my son-in-law after all," patting Hans on the back and holding the handshake for a brief moment.
"Hi, baby," Hans whispered as he gave Elsa a quick kiss hello and the two older men greeted each other. Elsa's mother also came to join everyone and placed a vase of freshly cut flowers from their garden on the table.
"So, now that everyone is here tell us about how the wedding is coming along. Three months is going to fly by very fast," Elsa's mother was so happy she couldn't help but speak in a sing-song.
"The guest list is set at 300. I'm cutting it off at that because any more and it'll just be obscene. We decided on flowers today and the cake tasting is Friday." Elsa continued to fill everyone in on the details as dinner was brought out to the table.
"You and Kristoff aren't going to do the cake yourselves?" Elsa's mother asked as she passed a basket of warm rolls to her husband.
"Mama, I make chocolate, not cakes," Elsa corrected politely.
"I know but you two know how to make a cake. You went to culinary school after all." Elsa just smiled and chewed the piece of brussel sprout that was preventing her from speaking. Her mother was always supportive but was never really good at keeping track of details, like what exactly Elsa did for a living. But they loved each other anyhow.
"How is the chocolatier business these days?" Harold boomed from the end of the table, noticing Hans tense as his father spoke. He didn't scare Elsa one bit and she knew how to calm her fiancé's nerves with her fabulous charm. Being the youngest of thirteen wasn't easy and he was always trying to please his father and occupy just a moment of his attention, which was happening more and more now that he was marrying his closest partner's daughter.
"Thriving. That's the great thing about chocolate. It never really goes out of style," she said with a sassy smile that made Harold chuckle. He just found her simply delightful. Out of all his daughter-in-laws, she would by far be the most beautiful and he couldn't wait to see how his grandchildren would turn out. Those looks with his last name put Hans at the center of his attention for sure.
"Poor Kristoff was on his own without you today?" her father chimed in.
"Well, he'd better get used to it," Hans said a little too boldly, chuckling to himself before realizing no one was joining in on his laughter.
"What do you mean?" Elsa blinked, setting her knife and fork down as she impatiently waited for a response.
"I just mean that we'll be married and then there will be children eventually. You want to be home for that don't you? Children need their mother," he said in a way that made her feel like she'd missed out on an important meeting about her life. The heated look on her face warmed her cheeks and she felt a hand drifting up her thigh, Hans' way of telling her to calm down.
"We can discuss this later," she practically mouthed to him, knowing they were going to have to have some long drawn out conversation about it as soon as they got home.
"Speaking of children, how long are we going to have to wait? I hope you two plan to have as many as Sarah and I did," Harold laughed and nudged Alex's shoulder, jostling the piece of lamb shank dangling on the end of his fork.
Hans wrapped a possessive arm around Elsa, catching her by surprise. "Probably not that many dad but I don't know…" he looked down at Elsa, "maybe four or five?" The hand on her thigh moved inward and was bordering on what she deemed inappropriate touching for a family dinner. He father was right next to her for crying out loud and he didn't need an eyeful of Hans' hand up her skirt.
"Or three," she said firmly, removing the wandering hand and placing it back in Hans' lap where it belonged. The thought of being a stay-at-home mother to five children wasn't exactly what they had agreed upon, nor what Elsa had dreamed herself doing for the rest of her life. Actually, they hadn't done much talking about the subject other than wanting to have them at all.
"How ever many you decide Elsa, they will each be a welcomed blessing we all can't for." Her father knew how to support her while appeasing everyone involved. He just wanted to see her happy and wasn't about putting demands on her.
The rest of dinner went well and Hans behaved himself like the good boy Elsa expected him to be. The two walked hand in hand out to the driveway, the sky now a deep blue as a full moon illuminated the night.
"I'll meet you at home. I have to stop by the office first." Hans encircled his arms around Elsa's waist and flashed her that garish smile, as if it would just smooth everything over.
"For what? You were late for everything today. You can't keep doing this to me," she hissed, frustrated with his lack of interest in her lately. The closer the wedding got the more he had to work late.
"I just forgot my laptop. It's on the way home and I will more than make up for it when I get back. I promise."
For the second time that day Elsa watched Hans drive off and leave her with what would soon be another broken promise.
Sure enough Hans didn't come home until Elsa was falling asleep on the living room sofa, dressed in her nightgown and ready for bed over an hour ago. She couldn't understand what had come over him lately and how she suddenly seemed to be repelling him at a time when they should be lost in the throes of wedding bliss. He had spent a year pining after her and wooing her, until she finally say yes and agreed to marry him. Now that they were almost married, she couldn't help but wonder what she had done to make him turn his attention elsewhere.
"This is the third time today you've kept me waiting for you. What is going on? I'm starting to wonder if you're regretting this whole thing. Or worse, regretting me." She sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, shivering from the chill in the air and the uncomfortableness she felt from having to be so upfront with him.
Hans' face pressed into a frown as he removed his jacket and sat next to her, placing his hands on each of hers and wrapping them around his neck.
"Elsa, I dont' regret anything. I can't wait to marry you, it's just the planning is more your thing now, you know? And I've been working so hard so that I can take on more responsibility at work and provide you with the life you deserve. I'm doing this for us."
She thought for a moment and bit her lip. His reasoning didn't completely satisfy her but as she tried to hold back a yawn, she knew she was too tired to argue about it.
"You're sleepy, baby. Let me take you to bed and we can talk about this tomorrow." Before she had the chance to protest, Hans scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed. He'd successfully avoided another argument and was officially in the clear when he placed Elsa in bed and saw she was already asleep. Slipping away with that characteristic Cheshire grin plastered on his face as he left her alone on their giant king bed.