To start off, thank you for finding my story. I haven't written any stories for a very long time and this will be my first official Elsanna one. If you're up for a good story even though the chapters can be lengthy, you're in luck! Will drop mini notes here and there before each chapter to get a better understanding of the story. As for now, this fanfic is rated T - Will send out an update if the rating changes. Enjoy!
It was the roaring waves that were crashing against the bedded coastal rocks drew her back home.
How the smooth beige blanket of sand tickled underneath the blonde's pale skinned feet. What struck her the most was the sight of a woman in a soft yellow summer dress standing behind the crystal blue ocean. Her gorgeous russet silk hair swaying against the salty air.
In the distance, she gazed beyond the horizon line where the sky met the sea. She loved watching the giant clouds towering above the shade of blue, like skyscrapers on a city skyline. The brunette was tempted to touch one of them, but, she was miles away to have the chance.
The blonde's eyes couldn't stop looking at her. Endless gazes - admiring her natural beauty.
A sudden breeze nearly blew away the beauty's summer hat away, but, she managed to hold onto it until the playful wind calmed down. Without a care in the world, the brunette slowly turned her head, revealing her graceful face to the lovestruck blonde.
"Elsa," said the brunette softly.
With the loud beeping cry of an alarm clock, the blonde jolted up her computer chair, unfortunately being dragged away from a sudden dream. Her clock continued to scream until she decided to shut it up. The tired woman lifted her head, resting her aching body upright on her chair and tried to read the time.
"7:30…" She let out a large yawn while stretching her arms. The overworked woman paused and blinked twice after taking another look at the clock. "What! 7:30? Oh crap."
Without wasting time, Elsa ran out of her home office. While maneuvering through scattered toys, skateboards lying around and even smelly gym shorts - she managed to climb up the flight of stairs to the second floor. She navigated down a corridor of doors and decorated walls of picture frames until she came to halt at the front of a bedroom door - fitted for a young boy who was obsessed with stickers of every animal under the sun.
Elsa gave the door a knock before entering inside. "Sweetie, are you awake?" She called out to the little person with his spiky blonde hair sticking out from his comforter and pile of stuffed animals. Elsa walked over to the bed while maneuvering through another pile of toys and scattered clothes. "I'll never know whom you inherited this habit." She let out a sigh. Her crystal blue eyes looked down at the golden locks, her gentle fingers combed through the field of strains until she leaned over and whispered something sweet through her little boy's ear.
"Sweetie, Theo, please wake up. We have another busy week ahead of us." Elsa cast a mischievous grin whenever her eyes widen, generating an idea she knew her son won't say 'no' to. "If you don't wake up now, I won't buy that new video game you've been asking for…"
With those sudden words, the little boy managed to move, budge a bit, until he right away jolts right up on his bed.
"Are you serious?!" Theo shouted with excitement.
Elsa nodded. "If you get ready for school in fifteen minutes we'll stop by at the game shop this weekend."
Theo's smile stretched from ear to ear. "I'll get ready in ten!"
The little six-year-old pulled the over covers and jumped out of his bed. He dashed out of his room without tripping over the mess on the floor and locked the bathroom door down the hall.
The blonde shook her head, letting out a chuckle before walking out of her youngest son's room. "Now time to wake up…"
When she was about to walk down the hall, she heard the sound of a doorknob slowly turning. At the corner of her eye, she saw her other son's bedroom door opening, soon to reveal her eldest son emerging out of his sleeping den still stuck in a daze.
"Good morning, sweetie." Elsa cast a genuine smile at him.
The twelve-year-old, soon to be thirteen, paused from rubbing his sapphire eyes and looked up to see his mother casually greeting him with her usual morning smile routine.
"Morning." He returned with a frown instead of a smile.
Elsa took a moment to glance at her son who looked more of her wife, with their similar russet brown hair and bold sapphire eyes, but, what set them apart was how her wife was more energetic than him.
"Morning? Where's 'Good morning, Mom?'" Elsa chuckled, planting her hands on her hips. "C'mon Connor, shouldn't you be excited for your last week of school?"
Connor shrugged his shoulder. "What's to be excited for? My summer is going to be boring anyway." He never removed that frown, it was permanently stuck on his face which gave off an awkward vibe between him and his mother. Silence stood between the two of them until Elsa decided to head down to the kitchen to quickly make breakfast and lunches for three.
"Connor."
The young brunet looked over his shoulder to see Elsa's crystal blue orbs glued at his sapphire eyes. At the back of his mind, he never knew how the woman managed to carry herself like there was always a spring in her feet.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"When your brother is done in here, tell him to make his bed before heading down." Connor nodded. "And also, please turn that frown upside down for me. No need for you to be this sad early in the morning."
Connor heard the soft chuckle coming from his mother, still casting that hopeful smile on her porcelain face. Without saying another word, he simply nodded his head and turned his back to the bathroom door, patiently waiting for his turn until he heard his mother climbing down the flight of stairs. As for Elsa, she stopped climbing down and released a weary sigh. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and chanted, 'Everything is okay,' until she opened her eyes again.
After turning off all the lights and checking if the windows are closed shut, Elsa went outside to meet up with the boys. The two young brothers were patiently waiting for their mother by the family Land Rover while exchanging a couple of yawns. Theo, a little bear who doesn't know about personal space, careless leaned against Connor, using his arm to rest the side of his head. As for the older brother, he quietly sighed and rolled his eyes - used to his baby brother's clinging attitude.
"Okay, ready to go?" Elsa asked them.
"Don't forget to lock the house, mom." Connor frankly reminded her.
Elsa blinked twice. "Oh, right!" The blonde blushed before digging through her bag, in search of her keys. After a few seconds, she felt a cold piece of metal. She slowly took it out to find an assortment of keys, trinkets, and store passes in one large keychain attached to her old university lanyard. Then she pressed the little button from a tiny remote that was meant to lock or unlock their home. However, she unlocked something else. Over her shoulders, the white Rover beeps while its lights blinked twice.
"Wrong remote, mommy," Theo stated before letting out another yawn.
Elsa grunted. "Not again." She turned around the remote to see the Rover's company's logo.
"Didn't you download that app last week to help you lock the house and turn off the stuff inside?" Connor's question reminded Elsa the time she actually scared the boys by accidentally butt-dialing the house blender to unexpectedly turn on.
"I am a senior architect. Surrounded by many techs at work and I can't function with a simple home app? C'mon Elsa." She whispered underneath her breath.
The workaholic mother grabbed her smartphone and searched for the app. When she finally found it, she suddenly heard the sudden beep coming from the front door of the house and saw the doorknobs' lights turn blue. Elsa tilted her head to the side. Then looked over her shoulder to see Connor having his smartphone out.
"How did you do that?" Elsa asked him.
"Magic." He shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon mom we're going to be late." Connor playfully poked Theo's tiny nose, signaling to get off him.
Elsa walked over to the boys after collecting herself. "You know I almost got it." She tried to explain to her eldest son.
Connor opened the back passenger door, then looked over at his mother. "Yeah, but, you had your chance. " He responded in a nonchalant way.
Elsa carried a firm look in her face, eyes glued at Connor with her eyebrows narrowed and lips closed shut.
"Okay, I am awake! Let's go!" Elsa flinched over her baby's outburst while Connor rolled his eyes at Theo who tends to have these moments.
Elsa laughed. "Okay, come on you two let's head out."
When the Andersons buckled themselves inside the Rover, Elsa slowly backed out of their driveway and onto a sleepy suburban street.
"Mommy, can we have a dog?" Theo asked when he saw their oldest neighbor and with his hefty looking lab.
Connor grunted. "Here we go again."
"What do you mean?" Theo raised an eyebrow, looking a bit confused.
Elsa chuckled. "We've gone through this sweetie. We just don't have the time to take care of a dog." She explained while making their way down the street to a four-way stop.
Theo slouched down on his seat. Arms crossed as he watched the familiar scenery of a normal suburban neighborhood goes by. Large two story homes with luxurious cars parked in every driveway. Grasses neatly mowed and all the trash in each home are neatly placed in their right assigned bin.
The six-year-old let out a sigh. Secretly, the little one grew bored of the setting. He looked to his side to check on Connor who was quietly playing with his first point and shoot camera. Theo's eyes grew wide. He moved closer to his older brother without removing his big sapphire eyes at the camera. "Why did you bring that? Mom told you not to. It was Mummy's." The little blond whispered underneath his breath.
Connor shrugged his shoulders. "Technically, it's mine now. Mummy gave it to be me before…" The brunet paused for a moment. He caught sight of Theo's sapphire eyes, similar color as their other mother. How the shade of blue reminded him of her and the days he used to spend time with her. Her laugh and her voice calling out his name just echoed deeply inside his head.
"Before what?" Theo's voice brought Connor back to reality while getting Elsa's attention from the front.
"What's going on back there?" The boys' mother asked kindly.
"Connor!" Just as Theo was about to speak, Connor cut him off by placing his hand over his brother's mouth, but, the little goofball fought back and licked the palm of his older brother's hand.
"Ew! Theo, gross!" Connor shouted while removing his hand.
"Theodore, what did you do?" Elsa took a glance up at the rearview mirror.
"Gave Connor's hand a French kiss." Theo grinned devilishly.
"More like doggy licked my hand," Connor corrected him.
Elsa crooked an eyebrow. "Bananas, where did you learn that?"
"Violet!" Theo stated proudly.
Elsa rolled her eyes. "Gotta talk to her and Mrs. Incredibles about that."
The single mom of two pulled up to the front of the boys' schools. An old farmland converted to house two schools, one elementary and one middle school. The boys have to go through a small main building before entering the property. As the Rover entered the caravan of minivans, grand SUVs, and convertible sports cars, Elsa parked the car and went out to helped the boys. Even though the two carried light whenever the school year drew closer to the end, she still followed traditions. 'Always help the kids before sending them off to school.' Something Elsa's wife thought of whenever they first had Connor and had to go through Pre-school both being lost parents.
"Okay, you two should have your lunches in your bags. And I have three meetings today, but, will try to get home on time later today. Violet will be at the bus stop to pick you two up after school. Any questions?" Elsa was always a planner speaking to her sons as if they were her junior architects at work rather than a parent trying to speak to them in their own language.
"No, I'm good. Bye." Connor turned around and began walking away.
Elsa blinked twice. "What no goodbye hug?" She placed two hands on her hips.
Theo tugged a piece of Elsa's dress shirt. His mother crouched down until she was staring at him, eye level. His adorable sapphire eyes staring at Elsa's regal crystal blue orbs.
"What is it my little monkey?" Elsa asked while giving his tiny nose a light poke.
Without saying a word, the little blond walked up to his mother and wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a warm embrace. Elsa softly chuckled and returned the favor by hugging her son even tighter. A little thing she adored about him. After hearing the bell before the late bell, Theo and Elsa let go, said their goodbyes and departed ways.
When Elsa went inside her Rover, she took a minute to watch her little boy bravely climb up the steps with great confidence. If her wife saw their son right now, she would be proud of him as any other parent would be.
Just as Elsa was about to shed a tear, the sound of a car horn honking at her disturbed her quiet time. She looked through her rearview mirror to see a crazy looking soccer mom with outrageous volumized hair, way larger than her head; all decorated in glitter. To make things crazier, she wore popping makeup, neon green lipsticks, and plum purple eyeshadow. The mother of five was yelling at her through her cracked front window.
Elsa simply ignored the lady and pulled off the curb and drove to work without taking another gaze. But laughed her way there, not knowing she was about to be late for her first meeting of the day.
When she arrived at the main lobby of her workplace, Elsa's personal assistant rushed over - notifying her she was fifteen minutes late for her meeting. The blonde's crystal blue eyes widen. She carefully handed her belongs to her fussy helper beside her portfolio book and tablet. The senior architect huddled those two items underneath her arm and dashed to the conference room. Elsa paused at the very front of two large wooden double doors. Her face inches away from the surface and her left hand wasn't trembling from reaching the door handle. This isn't the first time being late to a meeting. That wasn't the thing causing her mind to buzz with negative thoughts. It was the very person running the meeting caused her to act uneasy. Without wasting another second, she slowly opened the door and confidently walked in without a care in the world. With her head held up high, she strolled over to a grand oval shaped table at the center of the room. She careful searched for her seat, ignoring the assortments of familiar and different faces turning their heads, glancing at her with a mixture of astonished expressions to exchanging of words.
Elsa assumed they were talking about her. At the very front, Elsa glanced up to see her boss, the proud owner of this fine company.
"Good morning," Elsa whispered kindly to him. In return, he nodded. Right away, Elsa knew her morning was going to be a long one. And right after, another one right after with her father.
After getting her team of junior architects working on their latest project, Elsa bravely walked out of the designing room, guided herself down a busy hallway which was filled with foot traffic coming from each direction making the senior architect waive through like a busy city street. At the very end of the hallway, she saw another set of double doors in front of her. Elsa took a deep breath before knocking on the door. After a couple of knock, she heard her father's voice telling her to come in. From the tone of his voice, she knew what he was going to discuss - nothing new for this experienced architect.
"Elsa, please take a seat." Agnarr asked her kindly, extending a hand, pointing at one of the cushioned chairs across his desk.
Elsa shook her head. "I'll stand, thank you. These 'talks' tend to be short, so quickly sing that 'old song' of yours, I have important deadlines to meet this month."
Agnarr raised both of his brows, firm lips slightly went down after being surprised to hear those blunt words escaping from his daughter's mouth. The old CEO shook his head and clear his throat.
"Please, this talk will take some time." Mr. Anderson patiently stated before seating on his chair. Elsa crooked an eyebrow, a signature facial expression the old man grew to know over the years. Agnarr chuckled. "C'mon, taking a seat, we need to have a talk."
Elsa obeyed his orders and sat down with her back pressed against the chair and one leg bent over her knee. Her arms relaxing on the armrest with her hands dangling at the edge, sitting like a regal queen waiting to hear what her father has to say.
"Is it about this month's projects? Don't worry we'll have that new condo-complex down the Mariana be ready next week. We still have to verify the rooftop garden." Elsa continued to talk, but, she slowly stopped when Agnarr lifted his hand. A gesture she grew to know about her father.
A patience, humble and quiet man who prefers listening than speaking. Something Elsa found unusual for a CEO to run a massive business. And yet, she only experienced him being angry once in her life and she was the reason for that unexpected outburst during her teenage years.
"Then what is this about?" Elsa quirked an eyebrow.
Agnarr slowly turned his desk chair to face the grand high scale glass windows. A million-dollar view of downtown Arendelle City looking over the bay. He took a moment to watch the animated metropolitan below before shifting his attention to look beyond the bay to see where it met the ocean. In the distance, he saw the horizon line where the water kissed the sky, causing him to let out a satisfied sigh.
"When was the last time you and the boys went on a vacation?" Agnarr slightly turned his face to catch a glance of his daughter's face. He patiently watched her count her fingers and shaking her head in between her calculations, whispering quietly, not wanting him to hear her. The confused look on Elsa's face caused him to let out another chuckle. "I thought so."
Elsa paused. "Wait, what? What do you mean 'I thought so?'"
"Look, Elsa, I know it's been tough since Jane's passing. Especially for Connor and Theodore. It's been two years, my love, you three need a break. A well-deserved vacation."
Elsa's eyes widen. Her mind suddenly becoming wild, flashbacks quickly escaping from the deep corner of her brain and soon began toying with her emotions. A sudden image of her late wife came to view before her very eyes. A deluge of memories began to slowly pinch the blonde's mind like needles, while inside her heart's strings were painfully being tugged. Especially when she saw a moment when her family was together during one of their trips down by the beach.
"Elsa…"
The blonde blinked twice. Her father's voice managed to guide her back to reality after a brief trip from the past. And yet, her heart never stopped beating heavily.
"Do you know what I am talking about, love?" Elsa saw his father's soft emerald eyes staring back at her.
"I-I can't afford to take a break right now." Elsa nervous responded with a husky voice. "The firm has important deadlines to meet this month and…"
Agnarr lifted his hand again. "No, Elsa, you need this vacation. I'll handle your team and the rest of the firm. I created this company remember. I know how to run this circus." He smiled.
"No, I can't." Elsa stood up.
Agnarr's eyes widen. He glanced up to see his daughter firmly starring back him. Deja vu for the old CEO to see this gesture coming from Elsa after all those reckless teenage years. And once again, he has to deal with her stubbornness.
"Please Elsa, think about it. You barely had the time grief." Elsa began to walk away and stood by one of the windows - looking down below, watching the people going about their morning. Then went on doing the same thing her father was looking at. She shifted her attention at the giant clouds by the horizon. She cast a small smile as her serious eyes soften for a moment, but never let her guard down.
"Elsa, don't do the same thing I've done in the past. The boys need you now than ever. Especially Theo. But Connor too. He's the oldest and he will need your guidance. But remember you need them too…"
The blonde continued to look over at the horizon. She gazed over the ocean waters coming in and out of the bay. It's been years since she last step foot on a sandy beach, heck she's been itching to get back on the water. Just her and the ocean.
"Elsa?" Agnarr continued to stare at her, wondering what she was thinking.
Elsa took a deep breath for a second. Then slowly exhaled forming a frown on her porcelain face. "Can't believe she's gone…" Agnarr's eyes soften. "This 'feeling' should have been gone by now."
"Losing someone will forever hurt you. Even if you don't feel it every day, it still comes back to remind you of that person or people." Agnarr explained while leaning back in his chair and staring out the window.
Elsa closed her eyes for a brief moment. All she saw was a young woman in a yellow summer dress happily strolling down the shoreline with her russet brown hair flowing against the ocean breeze. The brunette looked over her shoulders and cast a loving smile at Elsa with her sapphire eyes glimmering like the water underneath the sun.
"Hey C'mon, let's go…" The brunette cheerful reached for Elsa's hand.
"Jane." The blonde felt the warmth coming from her hand. How the nostalgic touch sent her senses to overdrive, another flood of memories came to focus. From how the two first meet all the way to the last day Elsa stood by her. In seconds, the memories washed away causing Elsa to come back to her senses. Agnarr saw his daughter finally opening her eyes, relieved to see her crystal blue orbs once again. When he was about to speak, he saw her sitting back down. The old man leaned forward, eager to hear if she had a response.
Elsa let out an exhausted sigh and nodded her head.
In minutes, Agnarr jumped up from his chair and reached for Elsa's hand. The blonde looked a bit confused over her father's sudden gesture and unexpected cheerful attitude.
"I knew it you will come to your senses! Now don't you worry, I already have those important papers ready for you to sign at Janet's desk, and…"
"Hold on a second, I don't even know where to take the boys." Elsa interrupted her father's moment.
"Oh c'mon Elsa! You're in a creative field for Pete sake, I bet you will think of something fun." Agnarr explained.
"That's the thing, Jane was always the 'fun mom', I am just the planner and resourceful one," Elsa explained to him.
Agnarr paused for a moment to collect his thoughts with his hand underneath his chin. "How's picking a place you and Jane have been planning a while back for the boys? How does that sound?"
Elsa glanced over at the two picture frames across Agnarr's desk. One frame sealed away an old family photo of her when she was six with her parents and baby brother. And the other one is her family, her two boys with her and Jane - each photo had everyone smiling. Something that was very overdue for Elsa and her boys. The lonely mother of two hardly saw them smiling nowadays. Of course, she sometimes caught a glance at the boys grinning or smiling softly. But nothing like the one ones from the photos. Their eyes were glimmer with endless happiness in each picture frames.
"Let me look into it and get back to you in three days. I need to discuss this with the boys tonight." Elsa got up for the last time before shaking her father's hand and began to leave the room.
"And Elsa…" The blonde looked over her shoulders. "You know she's always watching over you three every day. At least show her that you all are okay." Agnarr smiled.
"Is that what you always wonder or know?" Elsa replied back with a question.
Agnarr nodded. "Know."
"You think mom and Jakob are doing the same?"
The old man nodded. "Always."
Elsa slowly came to a halt and parked her Rover at the center of the driveway, knowing that her vehicle is the only one occupying space. The blonde gathered her belongings before heading inside. But, took a brief moment to gaze at the house. She never had the chance to design her own home. It was meant to be a grand gift for her beloved wife, but, that dream was quickly cut short. Instead of renovating their old home by the beach, she ended up investing in a two-story home outside the city and far away from the nearest shoreline. Just wanting to be away from everything, letting go of her own past which she wanted to leave behind.
The home was modern, geometric with its boxed up corners like stacking blocks of white with matching squared glass windows to let natural light to sneak in during the day. With the scaling high pine trees to give the neighbor some privacy and isolation. Something Elsa grew custom to, but, not for the boys. It's wasn't their first time living in this home, they survived their second year without leaving close to the sea and without seeing another member of their small family - now it grew even smaller.
Elsa walked up the steps and pressed on the blue ring button underneath the doorknob singing friendly chime that echoed inside the home. The blonde waited for a brief moment until a very thin sixteen-year-old with long raven black hair covering half of her face opened the door for her.
"Hi, Dr. Anderson." The teenager in a dark violet sweater and black cut off jeans kindly greeted Elsa.
Elsa smiled. "Hello Violet, how are you and the boys?"
Violet opened the door wider for Elsa to enter while offering to take her bags. Elsa hesitated but the sweet babysitter couldn't take 'no' for an answer. The blonde still couldn't believe Violet's mother told her that she used to be a quiet one. Overall, she's glad to have a helpful babysitter living nearby.
"Well, same old for me. Surviving another year of high school. And the boys are in the kitchen working on their homework." Violet guided Elsa to the kitchen.
"Homework? It's their last week of school. What kind of teacher gives homework during this time of the year?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.
"Technically only Connor's English teacher gave his class homework which is due by the end of the week. And don't freak out if you see Teddy doing homework, he's not. But, he didn't want to make Connor feel bad, so he's pretending to be doing homework by practicing to write his numbers." Violet happily explained.
The two paused by the entrance way of the kitchen which opened up to the family's living room. Elsa spotted the boys busily doing work and shook her head at him. With a chuckle, she approach them by ruffling up their hairs and each giving them a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, my little workaholics."
Theo returned the gesture by giving his mother a warm embrace as usual. An old routine the two will never stop doing. As for Elsa, she's getting used to Connor's 'no-hugs' policy nowadays replaced by a 'bro-fist' gesture. Overall, Elsa can't believe her two bear cubs are growing up too fast.
"Care to join us for dinner Violet?" Elsa asked her distracted babysitter, either checking up her Facebook or Instagram account, either way, Violet's face was one-hundred percent glued to her phone's screen. "Violet?" The blonde asked one more time until she saw her finally woken up by her patience husky voice.
"Oh, you said something Dr. Anderson?"
Elsa chuckled. "I asked you if you like to join us for dinner? I bake a mean ziti."
"Yup, she does!" Theo shouted in agreement while Connor held up a thumbs up in the air.
"Oh I love to, but, I have plans to help my parents with Dash's room." Violet went on explaining how Mr. and Mrs. Incredible was planning to add in a bunk bed in her little brother's room. Something to have whenever he has friends over. Plus the couple plans to turn the nursery to be a home office. So in the future, her second little brother Jack Jack can sleep in Dash's room.
"Ah, gotcha." Elsa nodded. "Sounds like a project for all of you."
"Yeah, I only pitched in because I don't want Dash touching any of our dad's tools. Last time, the two did some home improvement in the house without mom, we had to call the fire department." Violet added.
"Oh wow, what happened?" Elsa's eyes widen, sounding a bit worried about where Violet's story was heading.
"Nothing really. We had the local fire department get our neighborhood's cat off a tree because my dad and Dash dressed up as crazy Vikings using the tools from the shed as weapons and wailing them like crazies."
Elsa raised an eyebrow, she assumed the story led to an accidental fall or minor injury. Then again, the Andersons are new to the neighborhood and so far, Elsa found nothing wrong about her neighbors.
"Well that's some story you got there, Violet." Elsa commented kindly.
"Thanks, Mrs. A. Maybe you should share some of 'your stories' like your childhood stories about the neighborhood you used to live in."
"My old neighborhood?" Elsa raised an eyebrow. Violet nodded. "Why are you interested in that?"
Violet placed a finger on her chin, thinking peaceful for a brief moment until her eyes lighten up with excitement. "There's something about someone and the places they've been to. It's like an element that shaped that person of who they are. From the streets to the people in that place, it shows that person's true self."
Elsa nodded. "This explains why you want to be a writer or journalist in the future am I right?"
Violet nodded. "Yup, sure do!"
After Violet has left, Elsa went ahead and gotten dinner ready for the family. Connor just finished up doing his homework and quickly rushed outside with his small camera. Elsa saw him meeting up with his little brother in the yard while happily watching them through the large kitchen window, washing some vegetables that would go nicely with some tomato and mozzarella.
"He definitely loves that camera." She whispered happily. "Who know he would be like her." Her sudden smile quickly faded into a frown.
Elsa continued to make dinner while glancing back at the boys where they were passing along a soccer ball across the neatly cut green grass. Connor was taking some photographs here and there while they played. The young photographer grew passionate about the art every day since his mother's passing. As much as he knew a little of his late mother's career, at least he knew about her many passions. And photography was one of them.
"Hey Theo, hold the ball a second, place it underneath your arm." Connor directed him. The little blond followed. "Now look at the trees over there." The brunet pointed at the two trees standing at the corner of the yard, where afternoon late was peaking through the branches, casting a shadow over Theo's face.
Elsa overheard Connor and decided to take a brief moment to watch the young artist at work. From his little commands and comments to hand directions, she found the similar spirit Jane used to have while being in the field. A sight that always warmed the lonely mother's heart. After putting the pasta and eggplant in the oven and setting the timer, she went outside and sat on the patio steps to watch the boys happily playing.
"Hey, Connor can I play with your camera?" Theo asked kindly.
Connor paused for a moment, trapping the soccer ball underneath his shoe. He glanced at Theo who had both of his hands reaching for his brother's camera. Apparently, the little one only knew it was their late mother's camera, but, doesn't know how truly special the little device is.
"C'mon, can I just take one picture?" The little blond asked again.
"Um, I don't know." Connor was feeling conflicted. He didn't want Jane's camera to get damaged, but, he doesn't want to see Theo's feelings getting hurt.
"Theo, don't pressure your brother. He'll let you play with it whenever he's ready." Elsa explained with a smile.
The boys watched her get up from the steps and began walking over. Connor saw how the sunlight was tickling his mother's face so kindly. A brief golden outline traced around the side of her face, illuminating the magical shine coming from her platinum blonde hair. A touch of white, highlighted her crystal blue eyes, making them look electrifying. The young photographer couldn't help it, but, quickly captured the moment before the light faded away.
"Aww, I wanted to take a picture of mommy!" Theo sounded disappointed, pouting at Connor. The older brother just shrugged his shoulders.
Elsa smiled at the little one then focus her attention at Connor, she crouched down to his eye level until she saw his sapphire eyes. "Can I look at it?" She asked kindly.
Connor hesitated for a second until he pressed the menu button on his camera to find the right folder that stored away his recent taken photographs. After a couple of taps, he found the recent photo of his mother and showed it to her.
Theo stood by Elsa, leaning against her arm and glanced at the photo. "Wow! That's amazing."
Elsa blinked twice. Taking a brief moment to study the photo -finally aware of how talented her son was. Closed to the level of skills she grew to knew how Jane took her photographs. "This is beautiful." She looked up to see Connor casting a small grin that slowly turned into a smile with a chuckle.
"Thanks, mom. Now, I see how mum fell for you." He chuckled again.
Elsa chuckled too. "You have no idea."
"Oh tell us how you and mummy met!" Theo shouted.
Elsa and Connor can't wrap their heads around it, why Theo tends to shout everytime he gets excited over something.
"Yeah, when are you going to tell us that story?" Connor asked Elsa.
Elsa lifted herself from the ground. "When you two are older." She happily ruffled their hairs. "Now c'mon, go wash up and I'll set up dinner. The ziti should be ready in ten."
After a serving or two of her baked ziti and mini eggplant lasagna, the boys were stuffed. They were happy to give their mother a hand with the dishes before dashing up to their rooms to get ready for bed. At night, the Andersons usually stay at one of their rooms to have their bedtime story. Connor doesn't mind if he felt too old for those things, he secretly still enjoyed hearing Elsa's voice reading interesting stories to him. Tonight was a chapter from the boys' recent favorite modern-day adventure with a boy named Percy Jackson dealing with Ancient Greek mythology in the Big Apple. When Elsa realized Theo was peacefully sleeping in his bed and Connor slowly falling asleep, Elsa closed the book and placed it on Theo's nightstand. She softly tapped on Connor's shoulder and he began to carry himself off his brother's bed, dragging himself to his room.
Elsa followed him to make sure he was safely tucked in. She kissed his forehead after combing back his brown hair away from his face. After the two said 'goodnight' to each other, Elsa turned off the lights in his bedroom. But took a quick glance at Jane's camera that was sleeping on Connor's desk, the mother cast a small smile before heading downstairs.
With the flick of the light switch, the garage was illuminated. It's been awhile since Elsa browsed or cleaned the corner of stacked boxes. She navigated through the mess until she found a few camping gears leaning against the wall. They were only used a few times while Elsa and Jane were just a couple traveling the world and they were planning to use them again after having kids. But traveling started to slow down after the two had Connor. Instead, Jane started a photography shop at the old beach town they used to live in and she occasionally did talk in conferences on photography and how the media is an important tool in the environmental community.
Elsa stood in front of the gear and wondered if camping with the boys was a good idea. But Elsa is a woman with options, she preferred to have alternatives before making any decisions. Instead, she walked past the pile of gear and decided to open up the old metal closet nearby more boxes with her wife's name on them.
Inside were Jane's old photography gear, tripods to old bags. There were metal cases with the labels 'lens' on a majority of them. Just as she was about to close the closet she noticed several small thin journals carefully tucked away far in the corner. Elsa reached for one of them and revealed it underneath the light.
"Travel Journals." She concluded.
Elsa remembered these journals. Jane usually had one during her travels and when they were dating in college. She only had a few chances of seeing what's inside the books, but, never was interested to truly browse through or even read them. She assumed it was her late wife's personal diaries. Now she's no longer around, Elsa wanted something to help her think of something fun for the boys to visit. Who knows the journals will be the key to help her keep the bond with family closer than ever.
"Sounds like I found something interesting to read tonight."
She gathered all the books she found and exited out of the garage. When she was back in the hallway heading upstairs, she paused at one of the hung photo frames on the wall. A photo of a crescent-shaped shoreline decorated in white sand with clear blue waters touching the shore as monstrous clouds hid behind the luscious green mountains and kissing the horizon.
"That place looks familiar." The gears inside her head began to turn as she tried to recollect past memories - figuring out the place inside the photo. After a brief moment, it was no use, and yet this blonde was too determined to find out. Instead of heading up to her bedroom she took a detour back to her studies to do some research on this mysterious island town by the sea.
I'm aiming to upload every weekend night if I can! Once again thanks for finding my story and taking the time to read it. The first three chapters will be slow but, it's building up to set the plot of the story.
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