DISCLAIMER: Once Upon A Time and all related characters are the property of Kitsis/Horowitz Productions, ABC Studios and the ABC Television Network. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author and may not be used without permission. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

ARENDELLE SISTERS

by Darrin A. Colbourne

Fear was an emotion Elsa was well acquainted with. She'd spent more than a decade of her life with only fear as her constant companion. Fear of exposure, fear of being ostracized, fear of exile...but there were only two times when she truly feared for her life. The first was the time in her ice palace, surrounded by Weselton's archers trying to kill her.

The other time came later, in the castle dining hall, when Anna, angry and resentful, held the urn close and prepared to open it and let it take her.

And the architect of that situation stood before her. The fear, that primal terror, came back in full force. It caused her powers to surge and the calm zone to fluctuate. Her survival instinct kicked in, and she raised a hand toward Ingrid, ready to protect herself and Anna with all her might.

Ingrid raised her hands as well...palms out, in surrender. "Whoa! Take it easy, Elsa! I'm not here to hurt anybody either!"

"You died!" Elsa said. "You were killed by your own spell!"

"Yes! Absolutely true!" Ingrid said. "I died." She smiled. "And then I got better." No reaction from Elsa. "Okay...it's an old joke, but kind of true. I was dead and now I'm not."

"Is this your storm? Are you...are you doing this to Anna?"

"No, no! Elsa, its a natural snowstorm! I know you can tell that using your powers!"

"I don't know anything! I don't know where I am, how we got here, how you're here…"

"And you don't know what to think of me. I understand, and it's fine if you don't trust me implicitly...but honestly, Elsa, all I want to do right at this moment is get your sister somewhere warm. It won't take long at all. We just have to get her to my driving machine, like you said. Will you trust me long enough just to do that?"

Elsa wavered. She drew back her hand a little, but was still worried that Ingrid was a threat. Then Anna began to go limp in her grasp, and that made all the difference. "You promise you'll help her?"

"I promise. Can you extend this quiet zone around my truck?" Elsa nodded. "Do it, and let me take Anna."

Elsa hesitated at that. She tightened her grip on Anna.

"I can provide more body heat than you can," Ingrid said. "Every little bit helps."

Frustrated, Elsa complied. She extended the calm zone as she let Ingrid take Anna. Ingrid huddled close as she half-carried Anna to the rear right door of her SUV, then she opened it and actually lifted Anna into the passenger seat. Elsa watched as she secured Anna in the seat with the safety belt, then Ingrid took off her heavy coat and practically wrapped Anna inside of it. "Now, you stay inside that coat and just try to get warm. I'll crank the heat in a minute, okay?"

Anna nodded. She was too out of it to talk.

Ingrid closed that door and shivered as she opened the right front door. "Get in! Get in!" She urged Elsa. Elsa got into the seat and closed the door.

Ingrid was hugging herself and rubbing her upper arms by the time she got around the front of the truck and into the driver's seat. She closed the door hard and let out a breath. The white cotton pullover she was wearing was apprently not proof against the temperature.

"That is cold!" She said with a laugh. "I usually don't mind but I don't usually go around in this kind of winter without layers."

"You can feel the cold?" Elsa said, surprised.

"Every bit of it," Ingrid said. "That reminds me." She reached out to the driving machine's instrument panel and touched something, holding it down. A few moments later the already considerable warmth in the machine grew warmer still.

This time Anna sighed. "Feels...good…" she managed to say.

"Good," Ingrid called back. "We'll keep it there till you're all warmed up. Elsa, if it's too much on you, just let me know."

"I'll be fine, as long as Anna's okay." Elsa said. "How can you feel the cold?"

Ingrid shrugged. "No powers. Well, mostly none, definitely not enough to stave off the cold, but just enough to sense somebody else using snow magic. That's how I could find you. Without that, I might have driven right past you."

"Oh." Elsa didn't know what to say to that, so she decided to examine the interior of Ingrid's machine. The front panel, the "dashboard" according to Emma, was like something out of a fairy tale. It was dominated by a glowing magic mirror in the center that was currently displaying a colorful road map. "Emma's driving machine has nothing like this."

"It certainly doesn't," Ingrid said. She was proud of her GMC Yukon Denali, and bristled slightly at it being compared to a Volkswagen Beetle. As a child, she had always wanted her very own sleigh, a big beautiful one as white as snow and pulled by a strong white horse. In this modern age, her SUV was more than adequate compensation. "Well, shall we go?"

"Go where?" Elsa asked. "Are we near Storybrooke?"

Ingrid looked scandalized. "Hardly. Storybrooke is hundreds of miles east of here."

"Then...what woods are we in?"

"This is a nature preserve called the LaBagh Woods. It's about ten miles and change north of where we're going.

"And where is that?"

"Chicago. It's where I live now...well, one of its suburbs anyway. I'm taking you home with me."

"Oh." Again, Elsa was at loss for words, so she just watched as Ingrid operated the driving machine, a practice she found fascinating. She sat quietly as Ingrid released the emergency brake and turned the steering wheel all the way left before releasing the brake and depressing the accelerator.

And then a disembodied voice said, "In one quarter mile, turn…"

"Mute." Ingrid called out. The voice stopped before finishing its instruction.

"Does the machine talk?" Elsa said.

"Yes, but the conversation is always boring," Ingrid said, smiling. "In this case I don't need it to talk. I've driven this route before."

"Then...do you still need me to keep the machine in a calm zone?"

"Oh, no. You can relax and turn off your power for a while. In this weather it will be a long trip, but I've got my brights…" She touched something on the steering wheel and the bright lights came back. "I've got my map…" She touched the magic mirror "And I've got my own experience, plus, this beast can get through anything. I'll be fine."

Elsa nodded and continued to look around. There were a few recesses between the front seats. One was circular. "Is that a cup holder?" She asked.

Ingrid glanced to where she was looking and then turned back to the road. "Yes, that is. Did Emma have a cup holder?"

"Well, no, but...this will seem strange, but when Anna gave her husband a new sled she had the cartwrights put in a cup holder. I thought it was a strange request…"

Ingrid smiled. "Obviously the girl was ahead of her time."

"Maybe...but that isn't a cup you have in yours." The object was a silver cylinder with a black top. Elsa had never seen anything like it.

"It's a type of cup called a thermos," Ingrid said.

"What do you drink from it?"

"Depends. On a road trip, black coffee."

"I've heard of coffee but never had any."

"I remember...in Arendelle it's either tea or hot chocolate. Well, you can taste it if you'd like. It should still be fairly warm. That's what a thermos does."

Elsa looked at the cylinder suspiciously, but curiosity won out. She picked it up and tried to figure out how to drink from it.

"The top unscrews," Ingrid said. "Grip it and turn it to the left."

Elsa complied and soon had the cap off. She looked into the thermos and saw nothing but black liquid. She hesitated one more moment and then took a moderate swig. Her face immediately scrunched up. "Would you be insulted if I told you it tasted terrible?"

Ingrid grinned. "Want to hear a theory? I don't think anybody actually likes the taste of coffee, but this country is so devoted to it for its ability to wake you up that I think people force themselves to forget that. That self-delusion drives billion-dollar industries. Same with beer, for different reasons."

"I think your reasoning is sound." Elsa closed the thermos tightly and returned it to the cup holder. When she'd recovered from the bitter taste she asked, "What is this Shick-Ah-Go like? Is it a village or a kingdom?"

"Neither. It's a city, one that's actually bigger than several kingdoms in the other realm. It's home and a center of commerce for millions of people."

"Millions! There isn't even one million in Arendelle's population!"

"And Chicago isn't even the biggest city here."

"Very well, but...are the people there good people?"

Ingrid hesitated. "A couple of milion people never work completely in unison. There are good and bad people, and figuring out who's who is always a matter of trial and error."

"Oh... I see…"

"Don't worry...there are good people there. The trick is to stay on your guard until you meet them."

"Not the most optimistic outlook…"

"But definitely the most practical."

Elsa let the matter drop with a sigh and turned to look out the front windscreen. The storm continued to rage, wind howling, snow falling in clumps. "It's hard to believe this is a natural storm. It must have been a terrible shock when it hit."

"No, they've been tracking this thing for days. It's just a really badass nor'easter. It came in on the northeast coast of Maine and rode the Canada border until it got to the Great Lakes. Lake effect's sustaining it now, but it will eventually…"

She glanced at Elsa, who had a perplexed look on her face.

"...and I'm just confusing you more, aren't I? Okay, short answer: nobody with half a brain was surprised when the storm hit. Chicago isn't known for mild winters." With that she called back to Anna, "You okay back there, kiddo?"

"S'warm," Anna slurred, "M'sleepee…"

"You just go ahead and drift off, dear."

"...um-kaayyy…"

"Is that wise?" Elsa asked.

"She'll be fine. Being warm and sleepy is different from your body shutting down from the cold. You should get a little shut-eye as well. I'll wake you when we're almost there."

"Oh, I don't know if I could sleep…"

"Want to listen to some music then?"

"Could I?"

"Sure. What would you like to hear?"

"Well...what music do you listen to?"

"Modern stuff mostly. Here, try this." She talked to the magic mirror: "Plexus: Play. Music. Soundtrack. If/Then. Shuffle."

As directed, the magic mirror began to display a strange, wiggly image as it began to play music. Elsa watched for a moment, then sat back and listened when a vocalist began singing. After a verse, Elsa asked, "What is this?"

"It's a song from a musical play," Ingrid said. "It's called 'Learn to Live Without.'"

Elsa cocked her head. "Has the singer ever been in Arendelle?"

Ingrid snorted. "No, I'm pretty sure she's never been in Arendelle. Why do you ask."

Elsa shook her head. "It's strange. I could swear I've heard this woman sing before, but I can't place where…"

Ingrid shrugged. "Maybe you heard her music in Storybrooke…"

"No...I didn't hear any music like this there. I keep thinking it's Arendelle…"

"Well, okay...somebody in Arendelle has the exact same singing voice. Stranger things have happened."

"I suppose…" Elsa was struck by the familiarity, but ultimately decided to relax. She closed her eyes as she listened. And not to count the deadly days/As they fade into years were the last lyrics she heard before she drifted into sleep…

...then she woke with a start when the same voice belted out, What the f***! What's the deal? Can't I ever just feel what I feel?!

Elsa blinked a couple of times and tried to focus on Ingrid as she asked, "What did she just say?"

"Pause!" Ingrid said to the mirror. When it was silent again, she said to Elsa, "You would have to wake up to that one. You looked so peaceful sleeping there."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said, straightening herself up. "I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"It's okay, Elsa. Anna's sleeping peacefully, we're making the best time possible in this weather...it's okay for you to relax."

Elsa acquiesced with a nod, but decided to try to stay awake for the rest of the journey. Decision made, she turned to look out the front windscreen and saw something curious through the storm. "Ingrid, what are those lights?"

"What lights?"

"The ones in those mountains in the distance."

Ingrid looked closer and smiled. "Elsa, those aren't mountains. Look closer."

Elsa obeyed, and noticed that the towering formations with lights in them were strangely regular-looking, almost as if…

She gasped. "Those are buildings?"

"Yep. That's the Chicago skyline."

"There are buildings that tall in this realm?"

"There are some in different countries that are taller. It's been a while since Chicago could boast the tallest building in the world."

"Do people live in them?"

"Not all of them. Most of the tallest buildings are there for business."

"And that's where you live?"

"Well, close. I live in Evanston, which we'll reach soon. I only work in the city proper."

"I think maybe I should have stayed asleep."

"Too late. Now that you're up, I'm going to impose on you and your powers in a little while. Ah, there's our exit."

Elsa kept silent as Ingrid turned the machine off the wide road onto a smaller one. Soon the view of the tall buildings of the city were obscured by smaller, closer ones, but ones no less impressive-looking to Elsa. Soon those gave way to even smaller buildings and then shops and lesser storefronts, then finally to houses, most of which were dark and quiet.

At this point Ingrid talked to the mirror again. "Safe House on. Heat to Seventy. Lights to Standby."

The image in the mirror changed again to display tiny pictures. Other than that, nothing in the machine had changed, and Ingrid hadn't bothered to explain what she'd just done.

They drove on for a few more minutes until finally Ingrid stopped the machine in front of a darkened house. It was a sizeable two-story dwelling with what looked like a stable attached on the left side.

"Garage open," Ingrid said to the mirror, and the big door in the front of the stable started rolling upward, revealing a large empty space inside.

Ingrid smiled. "Okay, here's where I use you. You see that door that just opened?"

"Yes," Elsa said.

"I'm going to put this beast in there, but I don't want to climb over all that snow in front of it. Do you think you can clear a path as wide as the door frame from here to the opening?"

Elsa took another look at the snow piled in front of the stable - the garage. "Yes...yes, I can do that."

"Show me."

Elsa nodded and stretched her hand toward the garage. This time she wouldn't be trying to counteract the whole storm. She just needed to redirect the wind for her purposes. This she did by projecting her power through the window. Seconds later a sparkling blue tornado lay on its side in the snow blocking the garage and flung the snow in layers onto the snow on the front lawn. In less than a minute, the path Ingrid asked for was clear.

Ingrid grinned. "Good Girl! Very good girl!"

Elsa smiled in spite of herself. It was a small accomplishment, really, but she rarely heard praise for the use of her powers from anyone but Anna and Kristoff, so she gladly accepted the compliment. Then, she watched as Ingrid touched the magic mirror. The little pictures disappeared, and the mirror seemed to show a view of the weather outside, as if it were another window.

"This way I don't have to stick my head out to look behind me," Ingrid said, then she used the view in the magic mirror to reverse the driving machine into the garage. As the back of the machine crossed the threshold, lights suddenly came on in the space. Ingrid turned her chariot's lights off and kept backing up until it was centered. She parked, called out "Garage close" and turned the machine off as the big front door started sliding down again. When it was fully closed, Ingrid let out a breath and closed her eyes.

"Home at last," she said. "I could have stayed where I was when the storm hit but I just like weathering storms in my own home."

"So this is your home," Elsa said, curious.

"Well, not the garage," Ingrid chuckled. She pointed to the right, drawing Elsa's gaze out the passenger window to the door to the kitchen. "Home is through there."

"Well, in that case, I'd like to take Anna inside immediately and lay her by a warm fire."

"That would be difficult. I don't have a fireplace." Ingrid smirked at that, then glanced at Elsa and realized she'd gone pale at the remark. "I keep forgetting...the entire house is heated by other means. I turned the heat on on the way here but I've been away for a few days, so I want to make sure it's nice and toasty before we go in. We'll just stay in the car a few more minutes. In the meantime, you should wake your sister up. The garage won't heat up nearly as fast as the rest of the place so I want to get out and then get in as quickly as possible."

Elsa nodded and turned to try and wake Anna up, a task that was usually Herculean in proportion. She tapped the girl's knee and said, "Anna, wake up."

Anna stopped snoring long enough to mutter, "Who's it?"

"It's Elsa, Anna. We're here."

"We're dear," Anna muttered, completely accepting the idea.

"No, Anna, we're at Aunt Ingrid's house."

"We're on an english mouse," Anna said, again totally accepting the idea.

Elsa shook her head and Anna's knee. "Anna!"

This time Anna woke with a start and the first thing her eyes locked onto was Elsa's face. "Elsa! you wouldn't believe the nightmare I just had! We were trapped in a super snowstorm, and I was dying, and you'll never guess who saved us! It was Aunt-EEP!"

Ingrid had just turned her head so Anna could see her. She grinned at Anna's surprised look and said, "No no, dear. It's 'Ing,' then 'grid.'"

Anna smiled nervously and said, "Hi, Aunt Ingrid…"

"Hi, Anna. Feeling better?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"That's good. Well, I guess it's warm enough inside now." Ingrid gathered up her thermos, a bag that looked like a normal woman's purse and a rectangular object that had been resting in a slot just under the magic mirror. It looked like a smaller version. With these things in hand she opened her door and got out of the driving machine. "Elsa, help Anna out while I unlock the door." With that she shut the driver's side door and went around back to the kitchen door.

Elsa got out and went to the rear door to get Anna. She pulled off Ingrid's coat and unbuckled Anna and helped her out of the vehicle. "Whoo! It's cold in here!" Anna said. "Not as bad as outside, but…"

"Don't worry...almost done." Ingrid was touching small number pads on a box on the wall next to the door. When she was done there was a small beep and tiny light changed from red to green. "There we go. Girls, make sure those doors are closed tight."

Elsa and Anna nodded and turned to slam the passenger doors closed on the car. A moment later, Ingrid brandished a set of keys and aimed the keyholder at it. She gave it a squeeze and the doors locked with a loud thunk!

Ingrid dropped the keys back in her purse and opened the kitchen door. "In you go," she said. Elsa and Anna stayed close together as they walked through and Ingrid followed on their heels. As they moved Anna and Elsa couldn't help but notice that the kitchen lights came on by themselves just as the light in the garage went out. Ingrid said nothing as she closed the door and used a box on the other side to secure it.

The girls looked around while Ingrid rested her things on an "island" in the center of the space. It wasn't as big a kitchen as the one in the castle in Arendelle but it was big enough to have its own breakfast nook with a small table and four chairs, plus the island and devices the girls couldn't begin to name.

Ingrid asked Anna, "Is it better in here? Warmer?"

"Mm-hmm," Anna said, still marveling at the strange place.

"Good. The heating system is very good so it should be the same temperature throughout the house."

"Here's your coat," Elsa said as she handed it back.

"Thank you. Now, do you girls want anything to eat or drink?" Both girls shook their heads. "Okay...come along then."

Ingrid walked toward a doorway at the other end of the kitchen. Anna and Elsa fell in step with her just as she crossed the threshold. This time, the light in the kitchen went out as lights turned on in the large sitting room, one filled with soft-looking cushioned chairs and couches, side tables, and what looked like a giant magic mirror mounted to one wall. Anna barely had a second to take that in, because Ingrid led them directly to a staircase and started upstairs. Ingrid had barely gone up a few steps before the light above the stairs turned on.

It was too much for Anna. "Wait! Isn't anybody going to say something about the lights going on and off by themselves?"

The three of them stood near the bottom of the stairs for about a minute, then Elsa said quietly, "Aunt Ingrid has been doing amazing magic all night…"

"It is NOT…" Ingrid closed her eyes and forced down the rant that almost escaped her. Instead, she calmed herself down and went on in a more pleasant tone. "Anna, all the utilities in the house are controlled by machines that I can access using this-" She held up the small mirror. "-my phone. Elsa, when this is plugged into my car I can access the functions through the car's display. So I used the phone to send signals to the house that turned on the heat and set the lights to standby. When the lights are in standby mode they turn on and off when people enter or leave rooms in the house, and will keep doing so until I turn an actual switch to 'on' or 'off.' It is not magic. I'm simply using technology that is available in this realm but not available in Arendelle...and I would like to explain more of it to you, but it's late, I've had a long drive and I'd like to get us all settled in for the night, so can we please talk about it more in the morning?"

The girls, chastened, said in unison, "Yes, Aunt Ingrid."

"Okay. Come on upstairs."

Ingrid turned and headed up again. Elsa and Anna followed a second later. Anna forced herself not to notice when the sitting room lights went out.

At the top of the stairs Ingrid touched an object on the wall. The staircase light stayed on, so Elsa presumed she'd just touched a "switch." Before she could ask about it, Ingrid pointed to the right and said, "Okay, the bathroom is at the end of the hall on the left. You two go ahead. When you're done come to the big bedroom at the other end. I'll be making that up for you."

Elsa nodded in understanding, but Anna couldn't help but ask, "Wait...do we really need baths? I know we were in the woods all day, but…"

She was about to sniff her armpit again when Elsa intervened. "Anna, you weren't here long enough last time to find out. In this realm, they take their baths in the same room where they keep…" A little blush. "...their privvies."

Anna's eyes widened. "OOOOh!" She said, then she chuckled...then her face scrunched up. "Wait...why would anybody want to bathe in the same room where they keep their privy?"

Elsa sighed and took Anna's hand in hers. "There are some questions about this realm it's better just not to ask." Then to Ingrid: "We'll be out soon." With that she pulled Anna toward the bathroom. Ingrid chuckled as she went in the opposite direction.

Twenty minutes later, Elsa and Anna were finished and making their way to the bedroom Ingrid had indicated. They found her there putting fresh sheets on the large bed that dominated the space. Anna immediately trotted in and started helping. Elsa walked in more sedately and examined the decor. The bedroom was a study in light-dark contrast. The bed, the carpet and the walls were all various shades of white, while the wardrobe, chest-of-drawers, night tables and roll-top desk in the room were all made of a dark oak. The only exception as far as furniture was concerned was a white make-up table, with a real mirror surrounded by lights and decorated with lace. The curtains decorating the windows were also lacy and different shades of white. Elsa went over to look out and saw that they overlooked the street. The storm was still going strong outside.

"Elsa, come on over," Ingrid said. She and Anna had finished making the bed and turned it down. Elsa went to stand next to Anna by one of the nighttables. Ingrid was standing by the other one.

"I want to show you girls something," Ingrid said. There was a small lamp on each nighttable. Ingrid pointed to the one near her and said, "Right now these two lamps are lighting the room. You can turn them on and off with a little switch built into them. It's like a small peg. Reach under the shade, feel for the peg, and push the long part in." She did this and turned off the near lamp. "Push the peg the other way when you want to turn it back on." She demonstrated again. "See? Simple."

Anna's curiosity was piqued and she immediately tried to look under the shade and see the peg with her own eyes. The brightness of the unshaded bulb reminded her that her impetuousness was often a bad thing. As she walked away from the table rubbing her eyes, Elsa turned the light off and on the way Ingrid showed them.

"Very good," Ingrid said. "So, do you like the room?"

"I'll let you know when I can see again!" Anna said.

"It's beautiful," Elsa said. "I didn't expect you to have guest quarters that were so well appointed."

"Oh, this isn't the guest room. That's across the hall. This is my bedroom."

Anna's vision cleared just as that statement hit her. "Wait...what?"

"This is your bedroom?" Elsa said. "We can't sleep here!"

"Why not?" Ingrid said. "You said you liked it."

"But we don't want to put you out!" Anna said. "Why don't we just sleep in the guest room?"

Ingrid shook her head. "This is the only bed big enough for you two to share."

"But we don't have to share!" Elsa said.

"Right!" Anna said. "Elsa can take the bed, and I can sleep on cushions on the floor! I've done it…"

Ingrid raised a hand to stop her, then said very seriously, "I know from personal experience that your first night in a place this strange can be very lonely. Believe me...you should have each other's company and keep each other close. If you want we can talk about different arrangements tomorrow, but as far as I'm concerned, until you go back home, this is your room. No more arguments, okay?"

Again, chastened, the girls said in unison, "Yes, Aunt Ingrid."

"Good."

"Aunt Ingrid," Elsa said, "in that case, do you have anything for us to sleep in? I wouldn't want to sleep in our clothes…"

"Oh! Of course!" Ingrid went over to the wardrobe, opened it up and pulled three folded garments from a drawer inside, one dark blue and two red. She tucked one red one under her arm, gave the other to Anna and the blue one to Elsa.

"I don't wear fancy nightgowns anymore," Ingrid said. "These are nightshirts. They're much more comfortable."

Anna blinked. "I thought nightshirts were only for men."

Ingrid grinned. "Well around here, men give their skinny wives the nightshirts so they can ogle them! Now...I want you to take absolutely everything off."

"Everything?" Elsa said.

"Yes, put your shoes on the floor in the closet and all your clothes in the hamper in the corner. Don't worry. You'll be warm enough once you're under the covers and, as I said, it's much more comfortable." With that wisdom imparted, Ingrid headed for the door. At the threshold she turned to say something:

"I know you two have misgivings about being in my presence again. I completely understand, but however you feel about me, I'm glad to have you both in my home. If you need anything overnight, just knock on my door. I'm right across the hall." She smiled, added "Good night," and closed the door behind her.

Elsa and Anna watched the closed door for a moment, then turned to look at each other. "Okay…?" Anna said. She and Elsa placed their nightshirts on opposite sides of the bed and went over to what Ingrid called a hamper.

"It looks like a basket," Anna said.

Elsa touched it. "But this isn't wicker. I don't know what it's made of."

"Why would you make a wicker basket out of something that isn't wicker?"

Elsa shrugged and gingerly lifted the lid. There was nothing in it but bedding, presumably what had just been taken off the bed.

"It doesn't look evil," Anna tried.

After a moment more inspecting the hamper the girls straightened up and turned away from each other. They began to disrobe, starting with their shoes and going through stockings, dresses, slips, bloomers and corsets, discarding them in the hamper as each article came off. When they were done they kept their eyes averted from each other as they brought their shoes to Ingrid's walk-in closet and dropped them on the tile floor. Then they returned to the bed and slipped on the nightshirts. Only then did they look at each other again.

"Yours says 'Bulls,'" Elsa said. "And there's a bull on it."

Anna stretched out the garment and looked down. Sure enough, the word "Bulls" was written across her chest in black over white script, and the image of a bull's head and horns was drawn under it. The bull's face was as red as the rest of the shirt.

As she puzzled over that, Anna got a good look at Elsa's shirt. "Yours says 'Bears.'"

Elsa looked down. "Where?" All she could see on her chest was a big orange "C."

Anna pointed. "On the side."

Elsa hitched the left side of the garment up her hip and looked down. "Bears" was written in big white block letters on the navy background of the nightshirt.

Anna was still puzzling. "What's the 'C' stand for?"

Elsa sighed. "I don't know. I also don't know why Aunt Ingrid would have nightshirts that celebrate bears and bulls."

"Well, maybe she became a naturalist when she came back to life."

"Why would you think that?"

Anna shrugged. "She made us get naked and put on animal shirts."

There was the longest pause, and then Elsa said, "That...almost makes sense. Let's just go to bed."

The girls sat on opposite sides of the bed and took out their braids before laying down and pulling up the covers. Once they had themselves tucked in they turned off the lamps on the nighttables. Now the only light in the room came from moonlight reflected off still falling snow. The only sound the howl of storm winds.

After a few minutes of laying in silence, Anna asked softly, "Elsa, do you think we can trust Ingrid?"

Elsa thought about it, then said, "I'm the wrong person to ask."

"Why?"

"Because the last time I thought to answer 'yes' you ended up in the dungeon and I ended up in an urn." They turned to each other and Elsa continued. "I was just so happy to meet someone like me I'd thrown caution to the wind...and we paid for it. But you were always suspicious of her. You were skeptical, and then you had good reason. It's the same right now. I can't judge her properly because she saved you, and I'll always be grateful for that, no matter what. So...do you think we can trust Ingrid?"

Anna thought, then said, "Yes."

"Why? And don't say 'because...instinct.'"

"Okay, then how about 'because...memory?'"

"I don't understand…."

"Do you remember when mother used to tuck us in at night?"

"Of course."

"What I remember after the lullabies and the stories...what I remember most from that time is the last moment when she would stand by the door and smile just before she put out the lamp and left. I loved that smile. It was like she was saying 'You've run around all day but now I have you safe and sound, and I won't let anything happen to you tonight.' Remember that smile?"

"i suppose, but what does that have to do with Ingrid?"

"Because when Ingrid wished us good night that was the first time I'd seen that smile in ages. That smile, which mother saved for our goodnight. I don't know if it's just because they have similar features or if Ingrid is somehow channeling mother...whatever, I just don't think she'll hurt us."

Elsa let that sink in, then said, "Maybe, but what if she's glad she's saved us because we wouldn't survive whatever she has planned for Chicago?"

"Well, yeah, if you want to be negative about it…" Anna said, "...wait...what's shick-ah-go?"

"It's a nearby city with giant buildings and millions of people, and Ingrid said she worked there, but she never said what kind of work."

"Do you think it might be like 'Storybrooke' work?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to lower my guard. If everything I've seen her do tonight was done without magic, if she has some secret magic…"

"...it must be incredible." Anna said. "So, what do we do? Just go to sleep, or do we wait for Ingrid to go to sleep and make a break for it?"

Elsa smiled. "Let's not be hasty. You'd never survive the storm and I have no idea how to contact our Storybrooke friends. We really are better off here for now. Let's get some rest, and tomorrow we'll try to find out more about Ingrid's true plans."

"Right. And if she's planning some kind of nefarious evil, we'll face it, together."

"Right. Together."

They drew close and hugged, kissed each other's cheeks and settled into the middle of the bed.

"Good night, Elsa."

"Good night, Anna."

A few minutes later, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

At that moment, just outside the door, an eavesdropping Ingrid smiled an amused smile and turned to go to bed.

TBC...