Surprise! A little earlier than normal but I've been on a writing spree and have just completed chapter 10 (which OMG guys you're going to love it!) and so I thought i'd give you all a little treat. Now, to be honest i'm not overly happy with this chapter but after rewriting serval times i'm giving in and posting it.

Warnings: Angst, I mean this chapter is pretty much pure hell (sorry) and lots of swearing and incest talk and mentions of self-harm, physical abuse and suicide- because I take much pleasure in my characters' pain (insert evil laugh here).

Anyway, hopefully this brings you some answers to your questions and you don't hate it as much as I do...

Chapter Seven:
Well, Now She Knows

"Anna! Anna? Are you in there? Open up! Why won't you return my calls? Are you okay?"

SMASH

"Anna! Was that you? Are you okay? Elsa! Elsa! Fuck! Someone open the fucking door!" Joan bashed her fist on the door again.

Silence

She ran to the window and peered into the house. She could see into the lounge, but there's no sign of movement. She started to panic as she raced to the next window and pressed her nose against the glass. Her heart stopped and the colour drained from her face. She could see a body on the floor, blood pooling around the head, staining snow-white hair.

"Elsa!" She screamed banging her hands on the glass. "Elsa! Elsa! Wake up!" Elsa didn't move.

Joan frantically looked around for anything she could use to smash the glass. She spied a large rock a few meters away, she picked it up and using all of her strength, lobbed it at the window. With a loud crash the window smashed and crumbled in front of her. Shards of glass littered the floor as she stepped over the sill, she could feel the sting as one of the remaining fragments as it sliced through her jeans, cutting the side of her leg – but she barely noticed it as she sprinted to Elsa's side.

There was blood pouring from her skull, mixing in with the vodka on the floor and the glass from the broken bottle. Her hair that was once pure white was now streaked with a vivid red which stood out as a stark difference when compared to the extreme paleness of her skin. Her eyes were a dull grey, glazed over as they sat sunken in their sockets. Her cheek bones were much more prominent as they stuck out, stretching the thin skin above them. Her lips were chapped and dry and her breathing a was ragged and shallow.

At least she's breathing. Thought Joan. She grabbed a tea towel from the rack behind her and held it against the wound on Elsa's head. Joan pulled out her phone and called an Ambulance before hanging up and dialling Anna's number for what felt like the one-hundredth time today.

"Fuck! No answer!" She yelled. She put her hand on Elsa's shoulder and tried to wake her up. "Elsa! Elsa!" She cried but the blonde didn't stir.

The blood began to ooze through the cloth and onto her hand. She pulled off her shirt and pressed it against the towel. She tried calling Anna again but it just kept going straight to voicemail. "Kristoff! I'll call Kristoff, he might know where she is."

"Hey Joan!" Came Kristoff's chipper voice. "What's up?"

"It's Elsa. She's passed out on the floor and she's hit her head! There's blood everywhere. Ambulance is on its way but I can't get hold of Anna! Do you know where she is?" Joan's voice shook with adrenaline and panic as her whole body trembled with fear.

"WHAT?" He screamed. "Is she…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, he'd never met Elsa before but she was all Anna ever spoke about, he couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her.

"No. She's breathing. Just."

"Fuck." He breathed, both with a mixture of relief and terror. "I don't know where Anna is. I haven't heard from her in weeks now."

"Crap. Me either. Shit! What are we going to do?" There was silence on both ends for a moment. "Hans!" Yelled Joan. "She might be with Hans! You have to call him! Go there, get her I don't care how just bring her to Elsa!" She hung up the phone and turned her attention back to the blonde woman fading in front of her eyes. Her breathing was slowing and her lips were turning blue.

"No Elsa! Come on, stay with me! You need to stay with me! We're getting Anna, Kristoff will find her and bring her back, just stay with me!" She wiped tears from her face – when did she start crying? – and again tried to wake Elsa. But it was no use. "Fuck! Where is this ambulance?"

After what seemed like forever Joan's ears pricked up at sound of sirens wailing down the street. She watched as the paramedics grabbed their supplies from out of the truck and ran down the driveway. "Go through the window! The door is locked!" She yelled, she couldn't risk loosening her hold on the layers of fabric she had clutched to Elsa's wound by opening the door for them.

"What happened?" A brunette woman asked.

"I-I don't know! I knocked on the door looking for her sister and then I heard a smash and there was no reply. That's when I saw Elsa through the window and broke it to get in." Another paramedic removed her hands from the makeshift gauze as Joan backed away until she hit the wall and collapsed to the ground. She looked down at her hands, they were covered in blood. Her knees feet and chest were soaked in the crimson liquid, she could feel some on her face too, she probably looked like something out of a horror movie.

"Can you tell us her name, age and any allergies?" Asked the brunette woman whilst the male tended to Elsa.

"Elsa, Elsa Anderson, she's twenty-one and I don't know about allergies. She has a sister Anna, but I can't get in contact with her. She's been gone for over two weeks and none of us know where she is." Joan broke down into hysteric sobs, everything was falling apart around her.

"She's stable now but if we don't move soon we might lose her." Said the male.

The paramedics lifted Elsa onto the stretcher, whole frail body flopped around like a grotesque puppet. "We're taking her to Arendelle hospital, why don't you get yourself cleaned up and then meet us there? She's in safe hands, we promise." She gave the paramedics a nod as they opened the door and pushed Elsa into the ambulance before speeding off.

Kristoff jumped in his car as Hans's phone went to voicemail for the thirteenth time. "Fuck!" He yelled as he fired the ignition and sped towards Hans's house. "Please be there, please be there, please be there." He muttered to himself. The five-minute drive to the redhead's house seemed to take forever despite Kristoff driving at almost double the limit. He raced down the familiar street and screeched up the driveway. He didn't even bother shutting his car door as he sprinted towards Han's house.

"Anna!" He bellowed at the door. "Anna! Are you in there?" He pounded his fists against the wood, willing it to open -splinters be damned! "Anna! Hans! Open up! It's Elsa, she's in trouble! Anna! She needs you now! Just open up!" Kristoff paused for a second, his ears straining for the slightest sound.

There was a shuffle, a muffled voice – deep and gruff. "Hans! Fuck, just open this door! It's Elsa, she's sick! Open up, I need to see Anna now, is she in there with you?" Kristoff was growing impatient, why wasn't he rushing? Couldn't he hear the panic, the urgency in his voice?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jeez, just give me a minute will ya?" Hans grumbled from the other side of the door. He sounded… different, his words were slurred and slow.

"Hans?" Called Kristoff. The door opened slightly and a dishevelled looking man with an untrimmed chin and red puffy eyes peeked around the wood, his eyes narrowing in the glare of the sun. Hans was the type of man who usually took care of his appearance but today he was wearing a pair of old and stained track-pants and a crumpled black shirt.

"What the?" For a second Kristoff was dazed by his friend's appearance but then he remembered why he was there. "Where's Anna? She needs to get to Elsa now! She's been rushed to hospital, it doesn't sound good."

"Why should I care about that stupid whore?" He replied with indifference. "Anna's not here."

"Well then where is she? She's not with Elsa or Joan!" His fear was escalating with each word he spoke. Where was Anna? If she wasn't with Hans then, where was she? Why was he speaking about Elsa like that?

"Why would I care? She left me, probably for that vile sister of hers. I haven't seen her for days and quite frankly I couldn't care less. Now, if you'll kindly piss off, I have a date with a bottle of Jacks." He made to shut the door but Kristoff shoved his foot in the way, stopping it from closing.

"What are you on about Hans?" His voice shook as his head spun. None of this was making any sense and he simply didn't have the energy nor the time to deal with anything else right now. He just needed to find Anna and bring her to Elsa. "Look I don't have time for this nonsense, I NEED to find Anna. I've tried calling her but her phone is off. Do you have any idea where she is?"

"Oh, yeah, you may as well have this back now." Hans stumbled into the kitchen and pulled out Anna's phone from a draw. "Look, I don't know where she is, we went camping at 'Marshmallow Inn' or something like that and she didn't want me so I left. Now remove your damn foot or I'll remove it for you." Kristoff took Anna's phone from Hans and without a second glance, raced back to his car.

First things first, he turned on Anna's phone. The screen lit up and a myriad of notifications raced through. There were multiple missed calls from Elsa, Joan and himself as well as an unknown number but nothing that hinted as to where she was. Then he realised his stupidity, of course there was nothing on there, she didn't have her phone on her. But then that begged the question, why did Hans have Anna's phone? Shaking his head, he picked up his own phone and looked up the place where Hans and Anna had stayed. He found the phone number and just as he was about to dial, Anna's phone started to ring.

It was the unknown number again. He stared at the phone for a minute and then decided to answer it.

"Hello?" He asked curiously. His heart was pounding faster than he thought possible, he felt absolutely sick, so much had happened in such a short period of time that he was struggling to make sense of it all.

"Kristoff? Is-is that you?"

"ANNA!" He yelled, relied flooded through his body, it was Anna, he finally reached her. His relief however, didn't last long, dread quickly replaced it and now he had the horrific task of breaking the news about Elsa to her. He really didn't want to do it on the phone but he may not have a choice. "Thank god, I finally found you! We need to talk, NOW, its urgent. Where are you?"

"I'm just in a hotel in town, Elsa and I had a fight and then Hans and I had a fight – wait… what's going on? Why do you sound panicked? How'd you get my phone? Is-is Elsa alright?" Kristoff could hear the tension in her voice, his heart clenched, of course she'd know it was about her sister.

Kristoff went silent for a minute. Now that the moment was here he didn't know how to tell her. This was going to crush her and he wasn't there to pick up the pieces.

"Kristoff? Are you there? What-what's going on?"

Kristoff took in a deep breath and held it. "Hans had it. Look I don't want to tell you over the phone, where are you?" he asked.

"At the Arendelle Hotel…why? What aren't you telling me Kristoff?" Anna's voice was strained, like she was trying not to cry.

"Just stay there. I'm coming to get you." Kristoff abruptly hung up on Anna and started his car before calling Joan.

"Have you found her?" demanded Joan the moment she picked up.

"Yes, she's at a hotel in town, I don't have time to explain but I'm on my way to get her now. How's Elsa?"

"Critical but stable. It-it looks like an attempted suicide. Oh god, please don't tell Anna! She'll probably blame herself."

"Why-why would she blame herself?" Kristoff asked, he knew they'd had a fight but could it have been that bad? Was there something Joan knew that he didn't?

"I-I found Elsa's phone. It was open to the latest texts from Anna. The first few said; 'leave me alone' and 'I'm not coming home' and then not long before I found Elsa, she'd got another text saying, 'I know'. I have no idea what that means but it was just after that that I found Elsa, there was a bottle of vodka smashed on the floor and a tub of aspirin lined up on the bench." She explained.

"What the? That doesn't make sense-" he started,

Joan interrupted - "I know! What does she know that we don't know?"

"Wait- what? Now I'm confused. Anna couldn't have sent the latest message, Hans had her phone and he said he hadn't seen her in days." Kristoff finished.

"What? So… so did Hans send that message?" Now Joan was feeling just as confused as Kristoff.

"I dunno, listen I'm almost at the hotel, I'll text you when we're on our way okay?"

"Okay... and Kristoff… thank you. I don't think I could have handled this alone."

"Any time. Bye." Kristoff threw down his phone and sighed. What an afternoon! Less than an hour ago he was relaxing at home with his chocolate Labrador, Sven. Now he was running around tracking down an elusive redhead to bring her to her sister who was currently gravely ill in hospital! He head was thumping violently and he felt like the world was spinning. It was all just too much to process right now. He wound down his window in the hopes that the cool breeze would bring him some relief, but it seemed that he was destined to be stuck in this confused, dumbfounded and panicked state.

Kristoff hurriedly pulled into the Hotel carpark and ran into the lobby. Anna was waiting for him, pacing back and forth in front of one of the couches to the side.

"Anna!" He called, pulling the redhead into a fierce hug. Relief surged through his body as he gripped her tightly.

As she pulled away Kristoff noticed that she had bruises on her arms as well as a swollen black eye. "What's going on?" She asked in a panic, tears prickling in her eyes, threatening to escape their confines and roll down her cheeks.

"Not here, let's go up to your room." There was no way he was going to give her the news here, she needed to be sitting down for what he was about to say.

With a nod, Anna led him to an elevator and they climbed in hurriedly. "Anna, what happened to you? Did Hans do this to you?" Kristoff asked with concern. He reached out to gently cup her face, his thumb brushing over the black and blue skin.

Anna flinched at the touch and turned her face away from him. "I'm fine." She muttered.

"Anna, clearly, you're not fine, if Hans did this to you…"

"Just drop it, okay Kristoff? Please." Anna pleaded with Kristoff. His expression became soft as he nodded his head in agreement, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her, not now. That conversation could wait.

The elevator ride seemed to take forever as they rode the rest of the way in silence. When the ding came, they both jumped before walking out as Anna led Kristoff to her room. She opened the door and motioned for the blonde man to take a seat on the couch.

"Right, what's going on?" She asked.

Kristoff closed his eyes and told Anna about what had happened to Elsa (leaving out the suicide of course). The redhead broke down immediately, sobbing hysterically into the burly man's chest. He stroked her hair and cradled her in his arms. "Shh, it's okay feisty-pants, she's going to be okay. Listen, you need to get to her now, pack up your stuff and I'll go pay for your room. Meet me in the lobby as soon as you're done, okay?" Anna nodded and very shakily got to her feet as she began to pack up her belongings.

Five minutes later they were back in Kristoff's car and on their way to hospital. The ride there was incredibly strained, Kristoff didn't know what to say to Anna as she sat next to him with tears pouring from her eyes. He simply lent a hand on her thigh and rubbed it reassuringly. Soon they had arrived at the hospital and as soon as the car had stopped Anna was out and sprinting towards the double doors.

Joan was slumped in one of the grey leather couches, her elbows resting on her knees with her head in her hands. Anna spotted her best friend and raced over throwing herself into Joan's arms as they cried together.

"E-Elsa?" Anna choked out.

"She- she's okay, critical but stable. I want to warn you before you go in there because what you're about to see may be a little confronting." Joan took Anna's hands in her own and watched as the blood drained from the freckled face. "She's thin Anna, too thin. She hit her head and her hair is still stained from the blood, she- she looks very sick Anna, I just want you to be prepared for what you're about to see. She is going to be fine, she just needs her sister." Joan stroked Anna's back comfortingly, as she rocked her best friend until her breathing slowed and she regained enough presence of mind to stand up.

"Okay," Anna whispered, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. "I'm ready."

Joan took Anna's hand and Kristoff placed his arm around her shoulders. Together they walked to Elsa's room.

Despite her friend's warning, Anna was taken aback at the sight of her sister. Elsa lay frozen on the hospital bed, wrapped in a white sheet that should have matched the colour of her skin, instead it emphasised the grey, sickly tone. Her eyes were closed but even through the lids Anna could tell that they were sunken in their sockets. Her bones jutted out, her frame resembled little more than a skeleton. Her bangs and a few strands of what was once pure white hair stuck out from underneath the thick gauze, stained with blood, they now resembled the colour of Anna's hair. Elsa's arms were sticks sitting on top of the sheets, the scars on her wrists and forearms stood out prominently on her skin. She was covered in wires and machines beeped rhythmically in the background.

Anna felt sick seeing her sister, the one person whom she loved more than anyone else, in such a horrific state. She swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat as she gingerly reached out, her fingertips barely grazing the thin skin over her sister's knuckles. The sickening sight hit her with full force as she broke down, gripping Elsa's chest and sobbing uncontrollably, soaking the crisp sheets covering her frail body. Her chest heaved with every raspy breath and her body shook aggressively.

Someone walked over to Anna and began rubbing soothing circles on her back. Anna didn't know who it was, her mind was too traumatised to even begin to process anything else. She felt her knees grow week as she collapsed to the ground helplessly. Two figures joined her on the floor –presumably Kristoff and Joan – and held Anna close. Elsa's limp arm slid off the sheet and dropped off the side of the bed. Anna blindly grasped at her hand, holding it, desperately needing the connection as her friends held her close.

Anna didn't know how long they all stayed there for, time had lost all meaning to her, nothing mattered anymore. She felt empty, hopeless, defeated, shattered. She wanted to trade positions with Elsa, she knew this was her fault, she knew how unstable her sister's mental health was and yet she ran away with her boyfriend after their fight, knowing full well what that would have done to Elsa. Yes, Anna would trade places in a heartbeat. She would give anything to save her sister, even if that meant sacrificing her own life, she wouldn't even give it a second thought.

She felt someone pull away from her, followed by the sound of something metal scraping on the linoleum floor, but the sound barely reached her ears. Two sets of arms gently pulled her up off the floor and placed her in a padded chair, she was thankful for the more comfortable position but couldn't bring herself to form the words to say so. Her absent thoughts were broken by a stranger's voice as they entered the room.

"Are you Anna?" Asked the voice – decidedly feminine – as a comforting hand softly squeezed her shoulder.

Anna looked up at the sound of her name, feeling a little dazed by her surroundings.

"I'm Gerda, one of the nurses in charge of taking care of your sister." Said the voice. She was middle aged woman, plump with a kind face. Anna nodded in acknowledgement. Her eyes trained back on her sister. "May I please have a word with Miss Anderson alone?" She asked, her eyes flicking between Kristoff and Joan. The pair nodded and left the room.

The room suddenly felt cold and claustrophobic as Gerda pulled up another chair and sat almost opposite Anna.

"Anna, I'm going to be blunt with you. Your sister's condition is serious, not just her physical one – that, we can fix – no, I'm speaking of her metal state. It is clear she has been struggling for quite some time, the scars up and down her arms suggest she has been self-harming for many years and there are more recent marks on her thighs." Anna was only half listening, she knew all this already and really didn't need the reminder of their last encounter. "When your friend found Elsa, she had had a bottle of vodka in her hand and an entire tub of aspirin lined up on the bench. It is my belief that your sister was about to end her pain -permanently."

"Wait? What?" Gerda's words had broken Anna's trance and suddenly everything felt like it was crashing down on her. "She-she tried to kill herself?" she could feel the tears prickling in her eyes and she looked back to her sister. Just how close had she come to losing her forever?

"Yes," Gerda nodded, "we believe that it may have something to do with some messages that were sent to her phone from yours."

Anna struggled to comprehend what the woman was saying. It didn't make sense, she had left her phone at home when she and Elsa had fought.

"That-that can't be right? I haven't sent her any messages, I-we haven't spoken in over two weeks, we had an argument and I-I…" Shame burned in Anna's chest as she looked down to the ground. "I didn't take my phone with me." She muttered to her toes. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees.

"Is there any other person who had access to your phone?"

Hans

Of course, it was him. He'd been trying to drive a wedge between the sisters and now he'd come so close to killing Elsa! This was all his fault! He was the reason her sister was now laying on a hospital bed. He was the reason why Elsa felt compelled to end her life. It was all him. Fury pumped through her veins as she jumped out of her chair and madly paced about the floor at the end of Elsa's bed. She wrung her hands together, her mind reeling.

"My boyfriend - ex-boyfriend. I don't know how he got it, but Kristoff said he had it." She paused mid stride and looked up to Gerda. "What-what did the messages say?" She asked timidly.

"I think it's best if you read them yourself love." Replied Gerda taking Elsa's phone out of her pocket.

Anna opened up to the messages and found the ones that had been sent the day after their fight, telling Elsa that she needed time, then there were other -not so nice messages following them. The three in quick succession, basically abandoning her sister, she'd never send them and then the last, most recent one "I know." She knew? What did she know?

Oh.

Wait- did this mean that Elsa knew that Hans knew? How did Hans get her phone from Elsa? What was she missing? Did Hans plan this? Was it his intention to tell Anna all along? Is that why he took Anna on that stupid trip? To get her away from her sister? She felt furious, she wanted to hurl Elsa's phone against the wall, she wanted run from this place, she wanted to tear Hans apart, limb from limb, make him suffer the way she was suffering now. Had Hans known what that message would have done to Elsa? Was it his intention to… to… she could even finish that sentence. Hans had been so sweet, so kind and caring… in the beginning anyway. In these last few weeks though she had seen a whole different side to the man. One that was possessive and controlling, one that played tricks on her mind, one that had hit her when she refused to go home with him. That side of Hans scared her, she felt used and betrayed and so, so stupid for ever falling for such a monster.

Anna was wracked with guilt, Hans may have done this to Elsa but it was her fault, she was the one who ran from her sister, she was the one who divulged everything to her boyfriend. It was her fault. Her immaturity and stubbornness that landed Elsa in that wretched bed. Her inability to just let things go, to stop pushing and accept. Sure, the self-harming was bad, it was horrendous and she wanted nothing more than to see her sister happy and whole, but she'd give her sister that just to have her back, to have her out of this place, to be yelling and screaming again. She wanted to turn back time, go back to that fight, to just drop it when Elsa told her. To maybe hold her instead of pushing, to show her support – not that she knew then what was wrong, but couldn't she have just been there for her?

With fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, Anna collapsed back into her chair, her head buried in her lap. She felt Gerda place a hand on her back and flinched at the touch. She wasn't worthy of her pity, this was her fault, it should be Anna in that bed. Not Elsa. She could feel the woman's eyes burning into her soul as she retracted her hand.

"Anna? May I ask you something love?" Anna stayed silent, she felt like she knew where this was going and really didn't have the energy for that conversation. But Gerda ignored her silence and asked anyway. "What happened to your face? Did someone hurt you?" She sounded concerned, but Anna couldn't care less, not right now. Her wounds were nothing, her pain –the physical one was non-existent compared to the emotion turmoil she was feeling right now.

"It's nothing." She replied gripping her arms tightly, her fingers digging into the bruises that already marred her skin.

Gerda reached up tenderly and brushed at the blackened skin around Anna's eye. Anna shot up and pushed the woman's hand away. "Don't touch me!" She yelled, her chest heaving as she drew in ragged breaths.

Gerda held her hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. But you do know that if someone did this to you we can press charges."

"I said it's nothing, okay? Just drop it. Please, just leave me. I need to be alone with my sister." she pleaded.

Gerda gave her a nod and left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she heard that click, Anna broke down again. She moved to her sister's body and tenderly stroked her face. "It's just you and me again now." She said, softly brushing her sister's bangs back. "That is, if you still want me. I'm so sorry Elsa, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed, I shouldn't have run out like that! I should have just let you be. I'm so sorry!" She sobbed into Elsa's neck before peppering her sister's face with kisses. She gingerly climbed onto the bed, careful not to jostle her sister or touch any of the tubes or wires and snuggled up to her sister's left side. She placed her left hand over Elsa's chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall with each even breath and she rested her head on the other side, her ear pressing into the skin directly over her heart. She could hear the soft melodious beat, calm, peaceful and steady. She placed a delicate kiss on her chest and heard Elsa's heart skip a beat.

With a small smile, Anna closed her eyes and fell into a light slumber.

When Anna awoke, the red sun was starting to peer in through the slits in the blinds and it took her a few minutes to remember where she was. She sat up in the bed yawning, stretched and pressed the heel of her hand to her eyes. She peered down at Elsa, she wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not but her sister's skin seemed to have regained some of its colour. She leaned in and placed a chaste kiss to a pale cheek, pushing her bangs back and stroking a proud forehead. Anna watched her sister's chest rise and fall softly and found some peace in the controlled movement. She turned onto her side, propping her head up on her hand and rested her free hand over her sister's heart. She couldn't help but feel awed at her sister's beauty, here she was, broken and frail, in a hospital bed, fighting for her life and yet she was still the most stunning creature Anna had ever seen. Her long eyelashes resting on her cheeks, that slight dusting of pale freckles over the bridge of her nose, those luscious lips that had regained some more of their former colour, she was undoubtedly beautiful.

Anna tenderly stroked the pad of her thumb over those lips and felt them twitch under her touch. Her heart skipped a beat as she studied her sister's face, Anna let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and sighed when Elsa stilled once more. She moved her hand back down to her sister's chest once more, her heart beating strongly beneath her palm. Curious, Anna wanted to test a theory, concentrating on the feeling of Elsa's heart, she placed an experimental kiss on the blonde's cheek. Just as she theorised, the organ picked up its pace slightly, with a grin Anna pressed another kiss to the tip of her nose, it crinkled reflexively and Anna giggled at the adorable reaction she had created. Feeling bolder, curiosity got the better of her and she slowly dipped her head – her own heart quickening its rhythm in her chest – and pressed her lips to her sister's. She felt a strong thudding beneath her hand, exactly as she expected, what she didn't expect however, was for her own to react in such a similar fashion. For it to clench and explode within her chest, madly drumming against her ribs, threatening to burst right out. A deep blush covered her face, her hands shook as she sat up and placed a finger to her lips. Her stomach twisted and turned and flopped about, making Anna squirm nervously. She had not expected that reaction from her own body and truthfully it scared her half to death. This was her sister!

Terrified of what she was currently feeling, Anna climbed out of the bed and stumbled back into the chair she had occupied the day before. Was she really feeling this or was it just because her emotions were so highly-strung right now, considering everything that had happened in the last few weeks? Or maybe she was feeling this way because she knew that's how her sister felt? Maybe it was just her relief and sisterly affections that had been held back for so long, trying to make up for lost time?

Confusion swam in her mind, she groaned as it gave a dull throb. Anna shook her head, trying to clear it, to somehow make sense of it all, but she'd had such an overload of information over the last week or so that nothing felt clear anymore. Thankfully, Anna was pulled from her muddying thoughts when a male nurse walked in to do his early morning rounds.

"Hello young lady, I'm Kai, shouldn't you be asleep?" Kai asked, he was a short man with a rather large belly, brown balding hair and a kind of big nose. Anna just hummed noncommittally in reply.

"Is-is she going to be okay?" Anna asked timidly a few moments later as Kai checked Elsa's vitals.

"She's taken a nasty bump to the head. Head trauma isn't predictable, we won't know until she wakes up, she may be completely fine or she may have some memory loss. Her scans show normal brain activity but we won't be able to know if there's been any damage until she regains consciousness." He explained.

"But, she will wake up, right?" Tears began to well in Anna's eyes again, the thought of losing Elsa now, after everything, was just inconceivable.

"Head trauma is unpredictable Anna, I can't say for sure but her scans look promising."

Anna nodded silently, lost in her own thoughts again.

Soon Kai finished his rounds and Anna was once again alone. Her phone beeped,

Hey Anna, how are you? How's Elsa. We're coming in soon, do want us to bring anything? Xx Joan and Kristoff.

I'm okay, Elsa is the same. Um, hot chocolate and a book please. – Anna replied, the book wasn't for her, it was so she could read to Elsa, it felt lonely sitting in this white room alone, she needed something to take her mind off things.

Sure, see you soon. Hang in there feisty-pants (-from Kristoff)

Anna smiled weakly as she placed her phone back down. She watched her sister's chest rising and falling peacefully and her smile grew a little more. A calming warmth spread throughout her chest as she watched Elsa's eyes flutter under her closed lids, she looked like she was having a wonderful dream.

Soon Kristoff and Joan were back, sitting in the room with Anna, she was snuggled up to Joan's side sipping on her hot chocolate with Kristoff sitting on his own chair opposite the brunette. Anna couldn't help but notice the looks her two friends kept sharing, the subtle touches and meaningful glances. Anna sat up a little more in her seat, giving the two a confused look.

"You? And you?" She asked motioning between her friends. Joan blushed deeply and Kristoff awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "But… you're gay?" She said to the burly blonde.

"That's what I thought but it seems that I swing both ways, this amazing woman here has stolen my heart." Kristoff explained with a shrug.

"Naw, that's sweet," Replied Anna. "I'm happy for you. How long has this been going on?"

"Um…" started Joan, her blush deepening. "Since last night, I've had feelings for Kristoff for a while now but, well, I thought he only liked men so I kept it to myself but it turns out that he felt the same way." She concluded giving Kristoff a chaste kiss.

Anna simply smiled at her friends and snuggled back into Joan's side. She was happy for them, truly she was but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous and upset considering everything she'd just been through with Hans. They used to be like that too, but then Hans changed or maybe his true colours just came out, either way they were over and it didn't end well for the pair.

"Anna, what happened with Hans?" Kristoff asked nervously.

Anna curled up closer to Joan, her heart started pounding in her chest, her stomach flip-flopping nervously. She drew a deep breath and kept her eyes trained down in Joan's lap.

"We went away after Elsa and I… well, we just went away. It was nice at first, Hans was sweet but then into the second week he-he said something about Elsa and it wasn't very nice. We fought and I told him I wanted to come back home, to Elsa. But Hans didn't like that idea and started yelling at me… we-we didn't speak the entire way home and when we got back to his place he tried to get me to stay… he'd been drinking, I tried to leave but he… he grabbed my arms and… and…" Tears started falling down Anna's cheeks, her chest began to tighten and heave. Joan wrapped her arm around the redhead's shoulder, rubbing up and down her arm soothingly. She lightly kissed the top of Anna's head and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe here." Joan cooed.

Anna nodded, sucked in a slow breath and continued, "he didn't like me leaving him. I-I told him it was over… he got so angry, he yelled at me, he snapped. W-when I turned to walk out, he-he g-grabbed my arms and m-made me face him, he-he, he punched me. I fell to the ground… I was so s-scared so I ran. I went to the hotel. I didn't want Elsa to see me like that and I, I guess I was ashamed. Ashamed for trusting and loving someone like that. He said, 'if only there was someone out there who loved you' he played me I thought he l-loved me. H-he only wanted me f-for my b-body. H-he said I was so desperate for l-love that he thought I'd give myself to him just like that, even marry him if he'd asked. I probably would have too. He was right, I was so naïve, so stupid. I trusted him and he hurt me."

"Anna I'm so sorry. I was the one who introduced you, this is all my fault" Said Kristoff, his looked pained, regretful.

"No, this is Hans's fault. Not yours. He did this to me, not you." Anna said with confidence. Kristoff would never have been friends with someone like that if he'd known what Hans was truly like.

Kristoff gave her a weak smile, it was clear he was still feeling guilty and they fell into a silence once more.

A few hours later Anna was saying goodbye to her friends as they left to prepare for work the next day. Anna moved her chair back to its spot by Elsa's bed. She opened the book that Joan had brought and began to read.

"In the big city, there are so many houses and people that hardly anyone has room for a small garden. So most people have to make do with flowers in pots. And in this city lived two poor children who felt lucky, because they had a garden that was a bit larger than a flowerpot. They weren't brother and sister, yet they loved each other just as if they had been. Their parents lived right next to each other, in the garrets – the attic rooms – of the two neighbouring buildings. Where the one roof jutted up against the other, a rain gutter ran between them and a small window poked out from each garret. If you stepped over the gutter, you could go out of one window and into the other."

Anna felt her eyes drooping, the words on the page started to blur and she was sure she had read the same line several times but her mind was unable to make sense of the words that were forming from her mouth. Her head started to slump as the darkness over took her. There was a quiet thump from the book as it slipped from Anna's grip as her head dropped, landing on the soft mattress of Elsa's bed.

Anna dreamt of Elsa, of them being close again. They were outside playing in the snow, having a furious snowball fight and building snowmen together. Suddenly Elsa started to fade from her dream, she was drifting further and further away. Anna could hear her sister softly calling her name but couldn't get close enough.

Then her voice grew stronger, it sounded closer, despite Elsa being out of her vision now. The third utterance for her name had Anna sitting bolt upright in her chair, as her mind cleared the fog she heard it again. This time however, it was coming from the bed in front of her. Elsa was squirming slightly under the sheets, her head moving from side to side as she hoarsely called for her sister.

"Elsa? Oh my god, Elsa!" Cried Anna. She stood up and within seconds was stroking her sister's face. She took Elsa's hand in her own and held it over her chest. "Elsa, shh, it's okay, I'm here. It's Anna, can you hear me?"

"Anna?" Elsa repeated. Her eyelids fluttering softly.

Unfocussed blue met softened aquamarine as Elsa's eyes finally opened. Anna's face was already soaked with tears of relief when recognition flittered across Elsa's face.

"Oh, Anna!" Elsa sobbed, with strength that no one in her state should be able to possess, Elsa pulled Anna in for a bone crushing hug as her chest heaved with each howling breath. An instant relief poured through Anna, her sister was awake, she was okay, god, she was going to be okay!

Her relief, however was short lived, a sudden anger burst through her. She pulled away from Elsa and threw a stinging slap across her cheek. The sound of flesh hitting reverberated off the walls as Elsa's cheek was marred with a blotchy red mark.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again Elsa!" Anna reprimanded.

Her sister stared up at her with a shocked expression, Anna collapsed into her embrace, her moment of anger gone as she howled into Elsa's chest. Her tears soaking the blonde's gown as she shook uncontrollably.

"Y-you scared m-me so m-much E-Elsa. I-I thought I'd lost you! I thought you'd never w-wake up!" She sobbed hysterically.

"Hush, it's okay, I got you Anna, I got you." Elsa crooned. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over, peppering kisses over her sister's head.

The sisters rocked each other back and forth in their embrace. Holding each other so tight they were afraid that if they let go this would all be a dream. After what seemed like forever, their sobs slowed, breath hitched and their eyes dried, completely spent of any remaining tears.

"I love you so much Elsa. I was so scared. I'm so sorry for before, I shouldn't have left you, I knew how depressed you were and how you weren't coping and I left you. This is all my f-"

"Don't!" Elsa interrupted, thrusting a stern finger into Anna's face. "Don't you dare apologise." Elsa placed a hard kiss to her sister's cheek, "This, was not your fault." She reiterated firmly.

Anna didn't know how to respond verbally, she still felt guilty but she didn't want to argue with Elsa, not now. So instead she simply snuggled up closer to her sister and relished in the feeling of her warm and protective arms embracing her.

"Anna?" Elsa questioned.

"Hmm?"

"What happened to your eye? Did someone do this to you?" Elsa tenderly traced the fading bruise on Anna's face, her fingers barely making contact with the skin, as if she was afraid to aggravate the injury.

It took Anna a moment to process her sister's question, she snorted a laugh into her sister's chest and pulled herself back slightly so she could look into Elsa's eyes.

"What's so funny?" Elsa asked quizzically, her face contorted in both concern and confusion. "If someone hurt you it's no laughing matter."

"I'm sorry Els, I know it's not funny. Really, it's not. It's just, here you are, laying in a hospital bed, recovering after almost dying and you're more concerned with a small bruise on my face?"

"Of course, I'm concerned Anna! Someone hurt you! Why would that not worry me?"

"I know, but I'm okay. Now's not the right time to tell you, but I promise I'm fine." Anna replied, lovingly brushing Elsa's bangs out of her eyes and placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

The sisters fell into a comfortable silence as they curled up together again. Anna couldn't help but breathe deeply, inhaling her sister's scent, she relaxed into the calming touch of Elsa's fingers stroking through her hair as she sighed contently. She was alive. She was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

It was easy, in that moment to forget what had landed Elsa in that bed in the first place. That her sister was still very unwell and it would be a long road to recovery. Elsa may be okay here, now, in this room, but what would happen when they went home again? Would her anxiety and fears spike? Would she continue to hurt herself? Did she still want to end her life? God, Anna had so many questions, so many worries herself. Would Elsa ever be able to overcome this? Or would she forever be stuck in this self-inflicted torture?

What was Anna feeling? What had she felt the night before? Why was she so conflicted and confused? Anna groaned internally, now was not the time for these thoughts. Those questions could come later, right now all she wanted to do was melt into her sister's touch, to grin madly at the feeling of her chest rising and falling, at the sound of her breaths, puffing against Anna's ear, at the sight of those azure eyes filled with pure love and adoration.

Anna knew, she knew in that moment, in that look, that Elsa truly loved her. More than a sister should. Yes, Hans was right, Elsa was in love with Anna and right now, Anna felt nothing but honoured. Honoured to be the one that Elsa looked at so adoringly, she knew that Elsa's love for her was wrong, illegal even, but Anna found that she really couldn't bring herself to care. Not when it felt so pure, so good, so right. Did she reciprocate? No, well didn't think so, but there was that twinge in her stomach again and that thrumming in her chest, but that was just sisterly love, right?

A/N Sooooo... thoughts?

Who can hazard a guess at what book Anna read to Elsa?