She had been a kind woman, far to kind and frail for the world she married into. Her husband, Kristoff's father, was her opposite, rough, loud, and unkempt. Their marriage was like a fair princess trapped in the clutches of a troll, at least as far as Kristoff was concerned. Kristoff always hated his father, and he was pretty sure that the feeling was mutual.

But as strange and warped as it seemed to him, his parents seemed to be happy together, in a weird, not-entirely-healthy sort of way. They never seemed to fight over anything other than Kristoff and whether or not he was a complete failure. Thoughts of what his father could be capable of worried Kristoff constantly, but when he couldn't even see anything that was wrong, it was hard to try and do anything about it.

When she fell pregnant with his younger brother, Kristoff couldn't believe how genuinely happy the couple seemed to be. His father even lightened up on him, relieved that he now had another chance at an heir, who maybe wouldn't be a complete failure this time! Not for the first time in his life, Kristoff wondered whether or not his family would be happier if he just went his own way.

The new child was named Kristien, because it always shamed his father that Kristoff should have his grandfather's name, and when the time came that he should have a second born, he readily ignored the older son, giving the child as similar name as possible. For a while, things seemed to be looking up.

Then tragedy struck, and Kristoff was left at the hospital to deal with the doctors, make arrangements, and take the newborn infant home, while his father ran off to god knows where to mourn the loss of his life. Kristoff didn't complain, his father was in mourning, and without his mother to keep him in check he didn't want to think about making him mad. And anyway, he was sixteen; he could carry a baby without a fuss.

He supposed he could feed a baby too.

Could wash a baby.

Dress a baby…

Change him…

He was sixteen, and he stopped showing up to class because he didn't have the time. He'd learnt the hard way that he just couldn't leave Kristien alone with his father; he'd thought the man was negligent before…

He was sixteen, and he lost his job, which he quite honestly couldn't afford to lose. His father was throwing himself into alcohol and football, and would probably be fired at any day, leaving them with no income.

He was sixteen, and the little connections he had with people reduced to nothing- nobody wanted to associate with the latest episode of Teen Dad. (In the back of his mind, Kristoff lamented that he didn't even get to do the fun part, and yet he was living the nightmare that high school sex ed warned him about.)

Kristoff was sixteen years old, practically an adult. He could handle this, he was sure. But as time went on, Kristoff's sanity started to chip away bit by bit, and he had to admit it – he needed help.

He had gone out in search of financial aid, maybe some therapy for his father, something, anything to just help along the way.

He didn't expect that he'd be taken from the house.

But in retrospect, he wasn't exactly surprised.

He'd heard horror stories of the Foster program, but with father dearest not making any claim or effort to get his either of his sons back, Kristoff and Kristien had no choice but to follow blindly into "The System".

Kristoff wasn't worried for himself, he was sixteen. He'd be out in a few years and he'd pretty much provided for himself to begin with. Kristien on the other hand, was a newborn, and if Kristoff couldn't protect him then he would end up like one of those characters in soap operas; with abandonment issues and a messed up criminal record. More than anything else, Kristoff had to be sure that his baby brother was safe in a good home.

According to the officials, that would be easy. A blonde baby boy was practically guaranteed to be adopted by budding parents.

…But of course, a sixteen year old brother being attached to him would greatly hinder the child's chances.

It had been difficult, but to give Kristien the best chance he could, Kristoff cut off contact with his brother, letting him be adopted into a family of old money.

With his new life, free of family and babies, there came a lot of new things. Kristoff was taken into a group home that, while not entirely sane, was loving and accepting, which was far more than he had hoped. He changed schools, made friends, got a girlfriend, and the guilt he felt for letting his brother go slowly subsided into almost nothing.

He never saw Kristien again.

6 years later

Dust speckled sunlight shone through the little window above the bed, shining a dull light onto the plain, rumpled sheets, and the figure under them. The sound of running water filled the air from another room, but otherwise the space was silent.

The phone rang.

From under the bed sheets, a man shifted, groaning.

"Kriiiiis! Can you get that?" from the bathroom, a pretty voice was encouragement enough for the man to reach out and grab the phone, bringing it up close to his face to see who on earth was calling before midday on a weekend.

Unrecognised Number

"Mn'hello?" He mumbled, his mouth still full of sleep.

"Good morning!" Said a bubbly, female voice that was entirely too cheerful for any time of the day let alone 8:30 in the god damn morning on a Saturday, "I'm looking for a Mr Kristoff Bjorgman."

"Speaking." His tone was flat, and slurred with sleep.

"Eeeexcellent," The woman drew out her vowels like an adult doting on a child, "I'm calling on behalf of the Foster Association."

Kristoff rubbed his eyes, "Foster...? What do they want?" He hadn't been involved with those people for four years – not since he had come of age.

"We're looking for a home for a child, sir. And we are obligated to-"

"Wait, what? Child?" Kristoff's body was finally waking up; they wanted him to adopt some little tyke?

"Yes! According to this he's your –"

"Whoa, okay. Look, I'm really not interested. Thank you for your time, but I really don't need some kid on my hands."

"…Well alright then." The voice said, more solemn and dejected from Kristoff's denial, "Sorry for bothering you sir, it's a formality to contact kin when a home falls through."

He had been about to hang up, but he paused at the woman's response. "Wait, Kin? What?" He didn't have kin, had he heard that right?

Unless…

…They couldn't possibly mean…

"Kristien Bjorgman? According to this he's your younger brother, his shared house was recently shut down and he's in need of a new home."

Kristoff stood stock still, phone in hand, his heart frozen still after hearing the name of his long lost brother, "Holy shit…" He mumbled, before remembering he was still on the phone, "But… no, Kristien was adopted. There must be a mistake or something…"

The woman on the end of the line cleared her throat, Kristoff could practically see the nervous expression on her face "Well, he was adopted but there were some… complications."

"What kind of complications?"

"It looks like a long story" She said, "The first family that fostered him sent him back after they had their own child. Since then he's been bouncing from home to home. The most recent house was shut down for… well, we don't need to get into that. But he is in need of a new place to stay long term." There was a long moment of silence, "Um, Mr Bjorgman?"

Kristoff felt a little like he was floating, his mind was reeling with thoughts, when his name brought him back to the ground, "Sorry, what?" He said, shaking his head a little to alert himself.

"Do you have any interest in housing your brother?"

"I, uh… fuck." Did he? His mind was still reeling, wrap his head around this. The only reason he'd let Kristien go in the first place was that he was unable to take care of him properly. Was he ready now? Did he want too? Kristien was- holy crap he would be in school by now wouldn't he? The thought of his baby brother being anything but a tiny little bundle in his arms kind of made the young man's mind implode a little… it was all overwhelming, he needed to think!

"I – I don't know. Can I have some time to mull it over? Get more information? Talk to my girlfriend?" His voice was a little strained, probably a bit too loud but he was kind of panicking and not thinking straight, so who could really blame him.

"Of course. I'll email you Kristien's files to look over. We hope to hear from you soon." The woman cried, her cheery voice back, not seeming to be put off by Kristoff's stress at all, "Have a great day!" She chirped.

"Yea…" Was all Kristoff could mumble, before hanging up the phone, leaving himself alone with his thoughts.

There was a long moment of silence as the phone slipped from Kristoff's fingers down onto the mattress. He fell back on the bed and groaned, bringing his hands up to rub his face. He had tried to think as little as possible about his old family over the past seven years, especially Kristien. Now all his suppressed guilt for abandoning his brother, and those memories, and these emotions… they all came flooding back. Jesus Christ. Kristien.

He's still in the system.

Those bastards lied to me.

"Kristoff you have got to stop buying two in one hair wash." The bubbly voice from earlier called, it's owner walking out of the bathroom, rubbing her strawberry blonde hair with a towel, dressed in worn yoga pants and a baggy shirt, "I know it's cheaper but I need-" The young woman trailed off when she saw the sorry looking blonde collapsed on the bed, "Hey… are you okay?"

Not turning his eye's away from the ceiling, Kristoff replied with a steady and clear voice, "Not sure."

She stood there for a second more, and when it became clear that Kristoff wasn't going to say anything else, the red head let out a huff, walking over to the bed and fwomping down, right beside him. "What's up?" She asked, her eyes fixed on the same point on the celling as his and a warm grin on her lips.

Kristoff sighed, his hand sliding down to take wrap around her slender fingers, "Anna, how do you feel about kids?"

She took a few seconds to answer, "Kids are cool, I guess. You'd know more about them than me, but kids are cool."

Kristoff nodded, listening, "How do you feel about… having kids?"

This caused a subtle blush to stir across Anna's freckled cheeks, but she responded, "I'd like to have them… someday. Like maybe in a few years or something when I'm a proper grown up…" She turned her head to the side to look at him, a silly smirk across her face, "Why? Are you pregnant or something?"

Kristoff scoffed, "Shut up Anna I was being serious."

"You shut up, I was trying to lift the mood, grumpy guts."

Kristoff let out a chuckle, his tension and worries starting to slip away. His eyes peeled off from the roof, to Anna beside him, wonderful, beautiful, perfect Anna. She somehow had the innate ability to make him feel better, even when panic and concern were gnawing away in his mind.

With a small hum, Kristoff rolled over, onto the small woman beside him, ignoring her faint groan of protest from the sudden weight. He buried his face her shoulder, smelling the strawberry scent of the soap from her shower on her, and wrapped his arms tightly around her sides, hugging her close.

"I love you…" He mumbled,

Anna chuckled lightly, running her fingertips through Kristoff's hair "I love you too, but stop getting distracted and tell me what's wrong. I have to admit I'm curious with the mysterious phone call and the kid talk and stuff, it really sort of sounds like you're pregnant."

Kristoff let out a groan, sliding down the bed slightly, so his head rested on her chest. He moved his head to rest his chin in between her breasts and peered up at Anna's cornflower blue eyes, "Do you remember my brother Kristien?" He mumbled.

Anna's eyebrows raised, and she shifted a little under Kristoff's weight – He so rarely spoke about his birth family, "Uhm, yea. You've told me about him a few times… sixteen year age difference, he got adopted, and… you haven't seen him since."

"Yea, well, it turns out he wasn't really adopted. And… they want him to come live with me- us, I guess."

Anna's blue eyes widened, "Oh my god… I don't want to keep saying it but you are totally pregnant."

Kristoff scoffed, "I am not! He's six years old!"

"Same difference. It's as pregnant as you are ever going to get." Anna smirked.

"Anna." Kristoff said, with as much seriousness as he could muster (though there was a hint of amusement in his voice), "I'm serious. This is a big deal."

He was right of course; the idea of them adopting some strange kid was scary. While Anna had oftentimes fantasised about starting a family with her partner, she'd always pictured the kid being a little bundle in her arms, most often times a cute little girl with cherry cheeks and her father's eyes. She didn't picture some stranger, who wasn't hers and who she didn't get to see grow from nothing. And she was only twenty one! That's not nearly old enough to be a mother!

She let out a huff, tucking her damp hair behind her ear nervously, "Do you think we're actually ready for… can we really take care of a kid? I can barely take care of myself, but a 6 year old? I couldn't…"

Kristoff sighed, "I know… but I just… I don't know what to do! I can't just leave him in there, but you're right, we can't take care of a kid! And I can't just force that on you all of a sudden…" He groaned, running his hand through his hair, "I'm kind of freaking out! I mean it's my brother and gigantic life choices and it's 9:30 and I haven't even taken a shower yet!" He let out a large groan of frustration, rubbing his face with his hands, "I don't know!"

"Hey." Anna said, her voice both soft and firm as she took Kristoff's jaw in her hands, forcing him to look at her as she ran soft and gentle fingers across his stubbly cheek. "Don't freak out. It'll all be fine. Just- take some time. Go take your shower and do whatever and let everything brew for a while, there's no rush ok?"

Kristoff's face softened, shoulders slumped, and he returned Anna's smile, leaning forward to rest his head on her shoulder. Anna's arms crept around the blonde's large torso while his hands gently traced down her waist.

"I love you." Kristoff said again, melting into Anna's arms. She was right – life decisions should never be made split second at 9:30 on a Saturday.

So they went about their day as usual, ignoring the elephant in the room. Kristoff received an email full of the Kristien's details, and his decision became even harder. If he was alone, he would take the child in without a question – he wouldn't abandon him the same way he'd done years earlier. But Anna was with him, and Kristoff couldn't force her to change her whole life for his sake, nor could he bring himself to even consider giving her up.

Anna was scared to say the least, and if she had been given the chance to adopt this strange child she would have declined in the blink of an eye – she didn't want to raise some strange kid! She would be a horrible mother!

But then, on the other hand, it wasn't just any strangers kid, it was Kristoff's brother, and while that didn't mean anything to her, it meant a lot to him. She tried to imagine Elsa being a kid, needing her like Kristien needed Kristoff, and she could see how important it was that she support his decision.

When Sunday night rolled around, the couple were lolling on the couch, leaning lazily against each other each other, when Anna spoke, "He looks just like you, you know."

"Who?" Kristoff asked, looking down.

"Kristien." Anna said, "I saw the email."

She didn't mention all the other stuff that was in there, that made her feel sick to her stomach for all the poor boy had been through. She figured he didn't need reminding.

Kristoff shrugged, "I thought he looked more like my mother, I take after my dad."

"I've seen pictures Kristoff, you totally look like your mum." She assured.

Kristoff gave her a small smile in thanks, which led to a long moment of silence. Kristoff shifted his weight around, before letting out the question he'd been holding in, "If I wanted to take Kristien in, what would you say?"

"…Kristoff."

"Keeping in mind, we'd be payed compensation for all his expenses."

"Kristoff…"

"And if he ever became too much for us to deal with, we can send him back. We wouldn't be adopting him, just taking care of him. Fostering."

"Kristoff."

"We'd just be like – trying. I feel like we should at least try. And if we can't then we can say we tried, rather than forever wonder if we could have…"

"Kristoff!"

The blonde stopped, looking down to Anna, laying in his arms. Anna smiled up at him, running her hand across his chest.

"It's your call. Whatever you want, I'm behind you." She said, her voice clear, cornflower blue eyes staring up at him with unwavering certainty. Not certainty that she could raise a child, no, definitely not. Certainty in Kristoff, that he would make the right choice.

Kristoff let out a breathy laugh, moving forward and kissing Anna, fingers brushing along her cheek. Anna hummed, running her hands along her partner shoulders. "You're welcome."

"Are you really sure you're okay with this? I mean, to be honest you're probably the only thing that could really stop me from making this possibly horrible decision." The blonde brushed the gingers bangs into place with gentle fingers.

"Yep. Any and all disasters that come from this kid will henceforth rest firmly on your shoulders." Anna poked at his chest, smirking.

"That's comforting." Kristoff grumbled, then pursing his lips for Anna to close the distance. Anna obliged, she kissed him once, twice, and then more, little kissy sounds filling the air.

"Hey." Kiss. "Hey Kristoff." Kiss.

"What?" Kiss.

The red-head pulled away, a cheeky look in her eye. "Let's have a baby." She grinned devilishly, arms slinking around Kristoff shoulders.

Kristoff cocked an eyebrow, "We're not 'having a baby', we're fostering my brother."

"Same difference." She mumbled, eyes falling shut as she kissed him again.