A/N: I proudly present: Chapter 4: (Un)Common Ground. I hope it was worth the wait. Please enjoy. Thank you all for your patience, support, and continuing to read the story :)

Special shout out to my very good friend: Shalaryne!

"So, she just... talked to her?"

"Yes!"

"Like they're friends?"

"She even said they're friends. 'My friend from school,' that's exactly what she said."

Idunn couldn't contain herself. A smile so motherly that it practically produced and raised a new child on its own blessed her features. "And Elsa- our Elsa- did she- well did she talk?"

"Noo," Agnaar drawled, stroking his beard and looking to the ceiling for answers. "As a matter of fact, I'd wager she's not spoken a word to Anna at all."

"But she's made a friend!" The woman hugged her husband tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. His facial hair was a little bristly, but the itch never bothered her.

"Yes," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead and resting his cheek upon her soft hair. "She has. She said she'd call when she's ready to come home. I believe they're over there for snacks and a movie."

He pulled away from their hug to look his wife in the eyes. With a smirk crinkling the skin around his eyes, he teased "and Idunn, you should've seen how Elsa looked at this Anna girl."

"Oh?" She asked with a devious smirk. "Was it the same way you used to look at me?"

"The same way I still look at you," he winked.

That was a week ago.

Well, a little more than a week.

A week, 2 days, and 14 hours ago. Roughly.

Elsa was not enjoying this club expo. Not one bit, nope, zip, nada. She hugged herself and tried to shrink in the crowd, daring not let her eyes stray from the gymnasium floor. Colored lines marked the wooden ground with symbols that she did not understand, but she assumed were related to basketball. Why was she even here?

"Wow!" Anna spun in place, marveling at the colors, booths, hundreds of people, and general noisy ambiance. Constant chatting but no discernable voices. Like music to her ears.

That's why Elsa was there.

"Big whoop, lots of people desperate to get your attention to validate their hobbies in the most official way a high schooler possibly can." Kristoff's arms were crossed. Elsa had noticed that that seemed to be his default setting.

Sven did whatever he did, but silently.

"Oh come on, you can't stand there and tell me that there's nothing here that looks interesting."

"I really think I can."

"What about that?" Anna pointed. She was smug. So smug, the triumphant little grin on her face. Kristoff almost wanted to smack it right off. Elsa, on the other hand, quite fancied that look on the girl.

A massive, glorious sculpture of a reindeer stood upon a booth. Not just any sculpture though. It was made entirely of ice. Kristoff's jaw dropped, betraying that no, Anna's smugness was not misplaced. He was drawn to how the delicately carved, melting form glistened in the light, translucent with a fresh cyan hue. "Nope, nothing at all interesting," he sorta just mumbled. He motioned for Sven to follow, and walked mesmerized to the chisel and ice wielding students.

Anna giggled. She then grabbed Elsa's hand and skipped forward. "Let's go!"

The blonde's heart skipped a mighty beat. It was just her and Anna now, and this was the first time that the bubbly girl had absent mindedly grabbed Elsa's hand. It was… elating.

Off they went, Elsa's excited and timid toes stumbling only momentarily to match Anna's acceleration.

"There's got to be a club we can join!"

Wait, "we?" Elsa's heart skipped yet another beat. If they joined a club together- Elsa ignored some more imaginative connotations that word planted in her mind. Together with Anna. Holding hands like now, together with Anna- stop! God, if Anna could read minds, she'd be disgusted with you.

Anyway, if they joined a club together, they'd be hanging out almost every day after school.

"Well?" Anna's teals peered expectantly.

"Huh?" Elsa blinked rapidly.

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Oh, um," she moved to hug herself, but loathed for her hand to leave Anna's. Curse the human form, why could she not be blessed (cursed?) with three arms? Then, she could easily fulfill all currently desired functions. "Read- I read."

"Great! I'm sure we can find a- "

"Alone." Wha- why!? Why did you just say that!? She's actively searching for common ground, for something you can both do together! You oaf!

"Oh-kay, what else do you like to do- err- not alone? With people. Or, maybe if you do everything alone, then what's something you'd want to do with people? Not that- oh god, not that I mean I think you do everything alone because- because you're a great person and all and I think it's really cruel that people kinda ignore you- not that I'm spending time with you because of pity- oh god, I'm so sorry, I'm rambling, it's a problem. Rambler's anonymous, my name's Anna- I- I'm gonna shut up now."

Elsa felt something clench in her stomach. Was it just pity? Anna said that it wasn't, but if it was, wouldn't that be exactly what she'd say, to make her feel better? The blonde looked to the floor, she took her hand from Anna's to fidget with her own fingers. "I- I do everything alone." Well, if it wasn't pity before, it's certainly pity now.

Anna blinked for a moment. That was the most complete sentence she'd gotten from Elsa since they met.

Too bad it sounded like it was laced with anxiety. Without thinking, she placed her hands, one on each of Elsa's shoulders and tried to make eye contact. She did feel the incredible tenseness of the other girl's shoulders, and did not receive anything but an eyeful of hair. An eyeful of gorgeous, soft looking, almost white hair. "Let me try that again. Elsa, I promise- cross my heart- that I want- I- time- I spend time with you because I want to spend time with you." Man, that was hard to say right. It felt like her throat grew a mind of its own and just didn't want to make a noise. Anna wondered if that's how Elsa felt all the time.

In any case, she just hoped that she'd quelled whatever seed of anxiety she'd planted in Elsa's mind. Without overstepping. Oh god, did I overstep?

Finally, Elsa looked up, and Anna jumped back. Her cheeks lit up like a fire over gasoline, and she had half a mind to go hug that ice sculpture to cool off. Elsa was blushing too and oh my God! That's so adorable!

"Soo eh-heh- um- what if- how about we find something that neither of us has ever done!"

Elsa smiled and nodded, and they continued their hunt.

"So anyway, I ended up snorting pudding pie through my nose and losing the contest, but it's still a win in my book, because I got a free pie, and I got to eat the whole thing by myself!"

Elsa giggled, hiding her mirth behind slender knuckles. They were still waltzing around the club expo. They must've passed about half the booths by now. No word from Kristoff or Sven (well, obviously not from Sven), and nothing that looked both new and interesting. To Elsa. Anna tried for just about everything, but it was vetoed by the loner.

"I hope it was a good pie at least."

"The parts of it I ate with my mouth tasted better than the parts I sucked through my nose," Anna laughed.

"Maybe a napkin would have helped!" Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?

The redhead grinned. Elsa was starting to relax a little. That meant- and this thought made Anna's stomach feel warm and fuzzy- that Elsa was getting more comfortable around her. "Yeah I dunno about one, maybe ten or twenty napkins coulda helped with the cleanup though," she joked.

Soccer club was too much running, softball club just wasn't up Elsa's alley, dancing- well that involved a stage and an audience. Anna had thought for a moment she'd found a winner with music club, at which time she learned that Elsa had played the piano for quite some years. But lo and behold, music club was denied when the pianist found out there was a stage involved for that as well. Math was- well okay, Anna vetoed math, biology, and physics clubs.

But she was determined. There had to be something for them!

Elsa, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder how much they actually had in common. What if it wasn't enough? What if their friendship was founded on a false assumption- Anna's false assumption- that Elsa was even worth being friends with in the first place? If they didn't have much in common, could they really be anything more than acquaintances? Could they really be together? Okay, slow down, your desperation is showing.

"Ooh, Elsa, videogaming club! That'd be fun! There's no stage, no running, there doesn't even have to be social interaction! Just playing games together!"

Those were all positives, but… "I've never really played videogames."

Anna's jaw dropped. "Never?"

"No."

"Never ever?"

"I- still no." Elsa sorta felt like a bug under a heat lamp.

"They're fun!" Anna, a veteran of such things, elaborated. "There's pretty much a game for everyone, we can find something that'll keep your interest!"

Biting her lip, Elsa inquired "what's your favorite videogame?"

The other girl also chewed on her lip, Elsa noticed. "Hmm, that's a tough one. There are too many! My favorite mindless fun game is totally Smash Bros- but then again there are so many great online games. And Pokemon was pretty much my whole childhood, so that's gotta be up there, and if we're going retro we might as well go newschool too, so my favorite more recent console game is probably The Last of Us- though that's not really that recent so maybe I should pick another-"

"Can um- could I just- just watch?" You actually did it. You spoke without sounding like a moron.

Anna's grin split her face. "Absolutely!"

They signed up for the club, run by some skinny guy who's glasses seemed to encroach over most of his face. Milo? Elsa was pretty sure that was his name. She was busy fawning over how excited Anna was getting about this.

It only met once a week, on Fridays. That meant that Anna's normally scheduled program of movies and snacks with Hans and company would be rescheduled and Friday afternoon would be her and Elsa playing some games. Elsa smiled, happy with herself and heart pounding. She swept her eyes along the crowd, scanning for hostiles. She gulped and took in a deep breathe. Just a little longer.

"OhmygodElsa! I know we just found a club, but what about that one!?"

To Elsa's horror, Anna pointed merrily, cheerfully, excitedly even at a colorful booth that boasted a prominent bow and arrow.

And one of the most ridiculous manes of hair she had ever seen in her life. More hair than her and Anna combined. More curly than a spring. Redder than blood. Okay, maybe that's a little bit of a hyperbole.

By this time, Anna had already approached the girl, who had a somewhat round face, but humungous, clear blue eyes.

It was too late.

Or maybe not.

Maybe if Elsa just stayed here, she wouldn't be dragged in to joining this club. All this worrying was tiring her out, even if Anna being around helped drastically.

When they were talking, it didn't feel like they were in the gymnasium, decorated with booths, flyers, colors, noise, and people. It felt like they were just… talking. Just them. Elsa supposed this is why she'd been so successful in navigating the horde thus far. Anna was like her lifeline.

A lifeline that was now twenty feet away. Elsa hunched and hugged her arms over her chest, and just like that, the pressure fell upon her. Like rocks laid abreast her body, crushing her ability to breathe. She felt as though she swallowed some of those rocks, and as she fell into this grievous cycle, the room began to become uncomfortably hot. What if someone found her? Ariel, or Eric? Or Hans?

"Aye, an' just you, then?"

"Oh actually me and Elsa here- wait where'd she go?" Anna reached her hand back, finding nothing but air, and swiveled about, scanning the area for her friend. Elsa was just here, where could she have gone so fast? Was she secretly Batman? Did that make sense? Isn't there already a female superhero in that universe? Catwoman? Could Catwoman vanish like Batman did?

Focus. Anna had to admit, she was saddened to know Elsa had left. Had she done something wrong? Was it something I said? Does she not want to spend time with me? Is she angry about my comment about her not having friends? Anna felt about as much like rotting leaves in the bottom of a gutter as a human could. Wondering if she hurt the fragile girl's feelings.

Merida, on the other hand, stood with her brows furrowed and mouth hanging open. "You e'em, you walked up alone."

"Right um, well, I thought, I mean I coulda sworn, I thought I wasn't."

"Uh-huh, well um, just sign yer name 'ere an' you'll be good to go." Was this girl crazy? Did Merida want a crazy person shooting a bow? Of course I do! They're trainin' arrows 'nyway!

Anna scribbled her name onto the empty signup sheet. After just a moment of deliberation, she asked "are there any competitions or anything in this club? Or is it just practice?"

The crazy-haired Scot scratched the back of her head nervously. "Aye well, 'tis just you an' me so far, so no comps, no."

Anna grinned and wrote 'Elsa Snow' on the paper as well.

"Welcome to the club! Oh, my name's Merida, by th'way."

"Melda?"

"No no, Merida."

"Merida," Anna repeated slowly, butchering the pronunciation again.

"You'll git better a' it," she smiled.

"Right, I'm Anna, nice to meet you! Oh and I signed my friend Elsa up, too, see you at practice!"

"Bye!" Crazypants? And Elsa Snow? Isn't that that quiet girl who got Ursula Expelled?

Anna went straight out of the fair and pulled out her phone. Hans had sent a few 'where are you' texts. She shot back 'Just leaving the club fair thingy, see you at lunch.' She threw in a little smiley face for good measure.

Nothing from Elsa. Her heart sank. She didn't really know what she expected. The idea of texting her volleyed in her mind for a few minutes. Her heart said yes, but her mind said…

If she left because of you, then texting her now won't help, she needs some space. I think.

Stupid logic. Anna sighed and went back to class.

On the way, one thought did bring her pearly white, bright smile back. Elsa and her had videogame club together on Friday.

That afternoon when Elsa got home, she was haunted with doubt. The perennial ghost plaguing her mind. Should she have just run away like that? Couldn't you have just stuck it out a littler longer you coward? She was right there. And you just left. Without saying goodbye or any notice.

But Anna would understand, right?

Or not.

What if she hurt Anna's feelings? Elsa's stomach tightened with that thought. She took out her phone and brought up the text message screen.

But did Anna really want to hear from her?

"Miaoww," a purring Olaf jumped onto Elsa's bed, strutting up to her and purring.

"Should I text her, Olaf?"

The cat settled onto its owner's lap and curled up, placidly putting its head down for a nap.

Elsa sighed and put her phone away, her stomach writhing inside. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.

A/N: So, what do ya' think? Leave your comments, questions, concerns, and/or angers down below! Chapter 5 will be out as soon as it's ready!