Christmas Eve…
After tomorrow, Elsa would finally be free of the guilt of secretly loving the decorations and music and everything. She loved this time of year for the weather as well as the cozy cuddles that came with it. There were days that her and Anna spent most of the day cuddled up to each other in bed, watching movies, and only leaving when one of them had to use the bathroom or to get food.
Christmas Eve...
This used to be her favorite holiday, ever since her and Anna were kids, they had great memories of waking up Christmas morning, running down the stairs, and opening their gifts as a family. It used to mean a night of giggles between sisters who refused to stay in bed, of too many cookies, and nearly no sleep. It stuck out in her mind as her father would drink his coffee while her mother would take pictures of them as she tore through wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons to get to the toys they hid. Back then, it conveyed a happy family, living a happy life, in their own happy world.
Christmas Eve...
Each year, Elsa used her vacation time at work for the Christmas season, and each year, she had to dodge the awkward questions from her coworkers. "What are you and your sister doing for the holidays?", "Are you and Anna having dinner with your relatives?", "So, where are you girls going this year for Christmas?", Elsa always brushed them off with excuses, while trying to hide her own frustration. In her heart she always knew they were all just being nice, but it didn't make it any less exasperating. Even Kristoff and Olaf knew around this time of year to leave the Arendelle sisters alone.
As much as she loved this season, she also hated Christmas because it was the first holiday her and Anna spent alone. The answer she wanted to give to her coworkers was, "nothing, no, and nowhere, I will be sitting at home trying my best to coax Anna out of bed long enough to eat, before she inevitably collapses back between the sheets and cries herself to December 26th."
Since the accident it's been the same thing every year. Elsa used to try and get into the spirit, but after seeing her sister crumble to pieces every time she saw the tree, the spirit became not worth it. The pain it caused Anna ruined the joy it brought Elsa. Even if she always secretly admired the beautiful lights in the stores and always desperately wanted to pull over to buy a tree for the house, knowing what it would do to Anna, she knew she couldn't do that to her
Elsa sat on the edge of the bed and smiled, reminded of all the great times and wonderful memories they had as kids. A lump under the comforter stirred slightly when it felt someone sit beside it. "Hey sweetie", Elsa soothed, laying her hand on the shifting mass, "how are you?"
A low groan came from under the sheets as Anna's head popped out. She turned her head towards her sister and narrowed her eyes, trying to adjust to the small amount of light seeping in from the hall. Anna let out another groan, "mmhm", as she rolled back away from Elsa.
"Okay lovely, if you are hungry I made some breakfast", Elsa leaned over and cuddled up to Anna, "I'll be downstairs, come down and join me if you want to. If you don't feel up to it, I'm only a call away if you need anything." She planted a kiss in her sister's messy hair and started to get up. As much as Elsa wanted to stay and console her sister, she knew Anna wanted to be alone.
Elsa lifted herself off the bed, but stopped when Anna's hand wrapped around her wrist, "Elsa?"
Ecstatic that her sister even spoke this close to Christmas, Elsa turned and gazed at her sister as her eyes sparkled like diamonds. "Hey!", her voice just above a whisper and filled with love and excitement, "what's up, baby?" She lowered herself back down onto the bed and brushed some hair from Anna's face.
Anna's question blew Elsa away so much that she had to have her repeat it, "c-can we get a Christmas tree?"
It took everything Elsa had to control herself, and not pick up her sister in a huge hug . The diamonds in Elsa's eyes exploded and the light they left blinded Anna more than the glow from the hall. "Are you sure, Anna?", barely restrained excitement coated her words.
"Y-yeah", Anna glanced away, "I, uh… I want to have a real Christmas this year." Her head receded under the covers as she trailed off, "with a tree… and lights… and gifts."
The noise that emanated from Elsa could only be described as an fevered squeal. Anna couldn't even react before Elsa had her in her arms and bowled them both out of the bed. "Oh my God!", Elsa screamed and repeated over and over, "thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Anna curled her lips into a small smile as her sister peppered her face with kisses.
That morning consisted of Anna inching along and Elsa doing her best not to rush her. Anna had a few moments of weakness where she wanted to run back to the safety of their bed, but every time she saw the look of pure bliss on Elsa's face it re-energized her. Before long the girls were in the car and pulling into a parking spot at a mall. Hundreds of people buzzed around them as they tried to start their own last minute shopping.
"We don't have a whole lot of time", Elsa told Anna as they entered. Anna held onto the edge of Elsa's sleeve as they waded through a sea of people. She turned to face her sister, "we'll take an hour! We need to leave then if we want to have enough time to get a tree."
Anna smiled wearily at her sister, her drive heavily borrowed from Elsa's excitement. She wanted to be as excited as Elsa was, but being out of bed, let alone the house, taxed the little strength she had. "Okay, I'll meet you back here in an hour", Anna tried to put forth the best effort she could.
"If this is too much for you, please tell me", Elsa's face dropped after she heard the weakness in Anna's voice and saw it in her face.
Nothing sounded better than to run back home and sleep through these days, but Anna didn't want to give up. Her mind and body felt heavy, but the way Elsa looked at her, a look Anna hadn't seen in years, made her heart light as a feather. She reassured Elsa as best she could, "keep letting me see the love in those beautiful eyes and I know I can do anything."
Elsa blushed and held up two fingers, and Anna placed two of her own across them. Since they were unable to show affection in public, they created this to be able to bypass that. To random passers-by they looked like they were giving a two finger high five, but to them, it signified a kiss between lovers.
They parted ways and Anna walked around for a bit. She wanted to get Elsa something special. It would be their first Christmas in a long time and it would also be their first Christmas together. In her mind, the present was for her girlfriend, not her sister. After going in and out of a few stores, Anna had bought a book she knew Elsa hadn't read, and some of her favorite flavors of tea, but she wanted to give Elsa something more.
When Anna checked her phone, she realized time was running out. She felt good about what she'd bought so far but wanted one more thing. Something big that showed Elsa exactly how much she meant to her. Then the world stopped as Anna walked passed a window and glanced in. Her eyes widened as she stared at the most beautiful snowflake earrings she'd ever seen. Without any hesitation, Anna ran straight into the store and grabbed the closest person she could.
"Excuse me, can you please help me?", Anna asked a woman putting away some jewelry.
The woman gave her a courteous smile, "yes ma'am, what can I do for you?"
Anna almost dragged her to the window, "these earrings, the ones with the snowflakes may I see them please?" In the moment, Anna completely forgot how tired she was, completely enthralled with the potential gift she found.
"Certainly, these are beautifully crafted from white gold. They would make a wonderful gift for…", the saleswoman trailed off waiting for Anna to fill in the blank as she retrieved the earrings.
Anna blushed, "well I'm shopping for my girlfriend. She loves the winter and anything snowflakes, and when I saw them as I walked by they basically screamed her name."
When the earrings hit the light, Anna's breath caught in her throat. They sparkled the same way Elsa's eyes did whenever she looked at Anna, and that's when Anna knew, these were exactly what she had been looking for.
The saleswoman asked, "Does your girlfriend wear a lot of whi-".
"I'll take them", Anna interrupted, "tell me, do you do gift wrapping?"
The girls met up, Elsa had a few bags in her hands that she tried to hide from Anna. Elsa marveled at Anna as she watched the envigorated bounce in her sister's step, the way Anna gave her a two finger kiss tap, and the newfound light in her eyes. Nothing in the world could have brought Elsa down from the cloud she floated out of the mall on.
On the way home from work every day, Elsa always looked out the window at a place that sold trees. She pulled out of the mall parking lot, and no sooner had they started to drive than Anna reached over and held her girlfriend's hand. This caused Elsa's face to curl into the biggest smile all day.
As they pulled into the lot, Elsa beamed at Anna. They got out of the car and walked into the rows of trees. After a few minutes of browsing, Anna took Elsa's hand again. She gave her sister a sly grin.
"Anna what are you doing? We're in public", Elsa halfheartedly complained.
The smirk on Anna's face grew wider, "pfft, the guy to pay is all the way over by the exit and no one else is around."
A smirk grew on Elsa's face as well, "then I guess you won't mind if I do this." She leaned down and kissed Anna, their kiss laced with smiles and giggles. "I'm so happy you are enjoying this", Elsa muttered between kisses.
Anna blurted out, "this is so nice, I wish it could be like this all the time."
"Me too…", Elsa pulled back and looked at Anna, completely lovestruck. As the sisters gazed into each other's eyes, Anna saw the same twinkle the earrings had made.
Completely smitten with Elsa, Anna's nose crinkled her smile got so large. "Hey Elsa", Anna stopped and thought, "on second thought, I want you to open my gift before I tell you."
"No fair, Anna", Elsa teased before turning and looking at a tree. She walked up to one and asked, "how 'bout this one?"
Anna continued to stare at Elsa instead of the tree, "it's perfect."
They paid for the tree, the guy who sold it to them helped them tie it to the top of their car, and they headed for home. Once again, they held hands the entire way, but this time Anna leaned her head on Elsa's shoulder. Everything Anna did started to become more and more affectionate, and everything made Elsa happier and happier. When they got home, Elsa ran inside and got the stand ready while Anna unfastened the tree from their roof. The girls moved the tree inside together and fastened it into place.
Hand in hand, the girls stood back and admired their work when Elsa thought out loud, "I wonder if the lights still work."
"Go check then silly, they are probably still in the attic", Anna smiled and gave her sister a smack on the behind.
Elsa jumped, "watch it you or you're gonna get on Santa's naughty list!"
"Wouldn't mind being on Elsa's naughty list", Anna said under her breath, friskily, as Elsa walked away.
The attic seemed to be a place where the girls put things that they didn't need anymore rather than throwing them away. Elsa shifted around a few random boxes of junk before she found the box of ornaments and lights. She opened the box and some black fabric fell out. Elsa picked up the article of clothing, glanced at it strangely, and called down to Anna, "Anna, why is there a Venom costume in with the Christmas stuff?"
"Beats me", she yelled back up, "I'm heading to the store to get stuff for dinner before they close, do you need anything?"
Elsa thought for a second, "Yeah, can you pick me up so-". The sound of the door slamming shut stopped her mid thought. Elsa picked up the box of lights, carried them downstairs, and found no trace of Anna.
She shrugged it off and checked all the lights. To her surprise, the majority of them still worked. Elsa hung strand after strand across the branches. She loaded the tree up with as many as she could, turned off the lights, and plugged in the tree. The warm white glow made her thrilled, it was Christmas. After longer than she could think, Anna and her were going to have a traditional family Christmas. She bit back tears, and sat down in the room, admiring her work. After a few minutes mesmerized by the divine light, Elsa sat down and wrapped her gifts for Anna, finishing just in time before Anna she came home.
"Hey Elsa! They didn't have much, but I think I got a decent-", Anna stopped as soon as she turned the corner and saw the tree lit up. Without meaning to, she dropped the grocery bags and covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.
Panic struck Elsa as she ran up to her sister, "Anna! Are you okay? Was it too much? I'm sorry, I pushed this too hard."
"Please don't…", Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa, "don't talk, just hold me…"
Elsa pulled Anna close and pet her head. Anna burrowed her face into her sister's neck. They stayed like that for a while, not a word said, nor a motion made, only an embrace filled with all the warmth and love Elsa could muster.
After a while, Elsa and Anna made their way over and sat down in front of the tree. Anna rested her head on Elsa's lap and just gazed up at the field of lights. Elsa played with a few escaped strands of Anna's hair for what felt like hours. The girls finally got up, made dinner, and ate by candle and Christmas tree light. After dinner they went right back to the same positions, until Anna fell asleep.
When she awoke, she heard someone humming "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Her eyes were clouded with sleep when she looked up at Elsa, for a split second, she thought she saw her mother and father standing over them, smiling down on them. It gave her incredible relief for some reason. That's when Elsa noticed she'd woken up.
Anna let out a soft groan, "what time is it?"
"After twelve", Elsa played with one of her sister's braids, "Merry Christmas, Anna"
Anna flashed the tiniest smile up at her sister, "Merry Christmas, Elsa." The diamonds in Elsa's eyes sparkled in the Christmas tree's glow. "Hey since it's already Christmas, can I give you your gifts?", the look of excitement that shot across her face made it impossible for Elsa to refuse.
One by one they exchanged gifts, she tore open some of her favorite chocolates and a cute green scarf, while Elsa opened the book and her tea. Both girls seemed hesitant when it came to their last gifts. Elsa hid her hands behind her back, but took the lead to try and ease the burden on Anna.
"Listen, I know you've probably been pushing yourself for me today", she pulled out her gift, "and I really wanted to say thank you!"
The box in Elsa's hands was small and wide, Anna picked it up and opened it. Inside, a golden charm bracelet laid neatly across the center, a charm of the letter 'A', the letter 'E', a half of a heart, and a cloud hung from it.
Anna's heart fluttered as she inspected her present, "oh my God, Elsa, it's beautiful!"
"The 'A' and 'E' are us, obviously", Elsa explained, "the cloud is for where you put me whenever I see your smile, and now, no matter where you are, even if we are far apart, you can have a part of my heart with you." Elsa always looked at Anna with so much love and affection, just being in her vision was enough to comfort Anna.
"I love it, Elsa", Anna's smile grew even larger than before as she put her bracelet on. She picked up her gift, "now it's your turn."
Anna gave her gift to Elsa, and when she opened it Elsa's eyes shined just as brightly as the earrings. Lost for words at first, Elsa finally stumbled out, "Anna... I don't… They are gorgeous!"
Everything glowed in the light of the tree, Elsa's eyes, the snowflake earrings, Anna's smile, and her new charm bracelet. Anna took her sister's hands in hers, "I know you like the winter, but they are more than that. They're like your eyes, they twinkle whenever I look at them, and dazzled me since the first time I saw them." Anna started to tear up again, "they are strong, cool, and collected, just like you are with me, and…", her voice started to crack, "and I fell in love with them Elsa, just like I did with you." Tears streamed down Anna's face and started to overflow from Elsa's eyes as well, "I didn't want a Christmas for so long, but every time I'm in your arms I don't feel so alone."
Anna leaned in and kissed her Elsa, her sister, her girlfriend, her love.