Notes: I'm still stuck on the next scene... so it may be just a bit. I hope you enjoy this chapter though!

Kristoff leaned against the door jamb, staring at Anna as she worked methodically on her painting of him. He had resisted it, had thrown a tantrum about it, but in the end he had agreed and he was glad. When she worked, she was even more beautiful to him and the fact that she wanted to keep something of him to remember this trip by gave him a warm feeling in his stomach. He almost hated interrupting her… almost.

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips against her neck. To her credit, she didn't even flinch, she just kept painting. "I was wondering when your curiosity would get the better of you," she said softly, with a hint of a smile in her voice. "Am I butchering your likeness?"

He stopped to really take in the painting she had chosen to do. He had a feeling that she had been sketching him without his notice for days before choosing her favorite pose. He was laying on the couch asleep, a book dangling from his fingers. It was interesting and captured a side of him that he wasn't sure many people knew about or even cared to see. If this was the kind of work she did, he didn't doubt that she had a growing name in the art community. She was unique, different. Her unique takes on portraits was what made her special. She wouldn't be Anna if she wasn't.

"As much as I fought against it, you would think that I would hate it… but I don't. I actually really like it. You wouldn't be interested in letting me have it for my mom, would you?" He doubted she would, but he had to ask. He had a feeling that Bulda would love this portrait.

"Of course you can have it!" she exclaimed, turning to look at him with bright eyes. "You really like it that much? You think it's good?"

His heart beat a little faster in his chest as she gave him that special Anna smile. He almost forgot what he had been saying, but thankfully the painting was staring him in the face so he didn't lose his track for that long. "I think it's really good," he admitted. "I haven't seen much of your other work, but this painting really feels like me. You have a gift."

She flushed, her eyes glistening with tears. She put a hand to his cheek and brought his lips to hers for a soft kiss. "Thank you. I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"Are you sure I can have it? You fought pretty hard to have a souvenir of me, are you okay to just give it away that easily?" he asked her.

She waved his concern away. "You saw my sketchbook earlier, right? I have enough sketches of you to do ten paintings if I really want to. I'm just glad you like my work enough to want to take it home with you," she paused and then her eyes narrowed a bit. "But… you didn't come out here to stroke my ego, so what did you need?"

He chuckled and brushed his fingers against her cheekbone. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to get out of the house tonight and have dinner with me," he suggested, hoping that she would say yes.

She didn't answer him right away, instead she bit her lower lip and stared at him, as though expecting him to recind the offer. When he didn't, a smile blossomed over her face. "You want to be seen with me out in public?" she asked.

"I want to take you out to dinner. I want to enjoy a meal with you that I don't have to cook," he teased and was rewarded with a bubbly laugh from her. He brushed her cheeks again, this time with a kiss. "Anna, I want to go on a real date with you. Would you like that?"

"Yes, I think I would," she said softly, her face glowing with happiness. "Thank you."

"No, Anna, thank you," he said. "I'll make a reservation at this restaurant close by, say six o'clock?"

She nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

He hummed to himself as he buttoned up his shirt. He was glad he had brought a nice shirt with him, just in case he had wanted to get out of the house and go somewhere. Being prepared had definitely come in handy. Just as long as Anna approved, that was all that mattered. He couldn't see why she wouldn't though. It was just a blue button up, nothing weird or wild about it. It was simple, like him. Probably why Bulda had bought it for him in the first place.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Anna burst into the bathroom with him and spun around, lifting her hair away from her neck. "I can never get this silly zipper up, can you help me with it?" she asked, though to his ears it sounded more like a demand. He swallowed a smile and brought his fingers to the tiny zipper at the base of her spine. Before he zipped it up, he took a moment to appreciate the flawless skin of her back that was open to his view. He trailed his fingertips over the opening and felt her shiver under his touch.

"Have you changed your mind about going out?" she asked, her voice lowering an octave as desire set in.

He chuckled and zipped her up. It was a shame to hide away such beautiful skin, but he didn't particularly feel like sharing her with the rest of the world either, so he didn't have much of a choice. "No, I'm fairly set on having dinner out of the cottage," he said seriously. "That doesn't mean I might not be interested in other things when we get home."

"If we make it through dinner," Anna teased, throwing him an impish look over her shoulder.

He leaned down and kissed her shoulder, admiring the silky feel of her dress under his fingers. "I like this color on you, it reminds me of your eyes," he whispered, sliding his hands over her stomach and pulling her closer.

"Elsa bought it for my birthday. This is the first time I've worn it," she admitted. "I think I like it even more because you like it."

"I'd like it even more pooled on the floor this evening after I've undressed you," he said into her ear, making her shiver again.

"We aren't going to make it to the restaurant at all if you don't stop teasing me," she said pointedly and untangled herself from his arms.

"All right, all right," he said, taking a step back from her and putting his hands up in front of him. "I'll stop teasing you now, but when we get back home after dinner, all bets are off."

She put her hands on her hips and tried to frown at him, but couldn't seem to keep it up. Her lips twitched and she let out a soft laugh. "Fine, as soon as we get home I'll let you tease me as much as you want."

"Is that a promise?" he asked curiously, his blood racing through his veins as he thought of all the ways in which he could tease her.

She hesitated at the look in his eye. "Um… yes?"

"Well then, we shouldn't waste any time in heading out to dinner." He held out his arm to her and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. "How fast do you think we can eat and make it back here?"

"Kristoff!"

He chuckled. "Just teasing you. Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."

"So, you aren't just a meat and potatoes man, huh?" Anna asked him after they had placed their orders and given the menus back to the waiter.

Kristoff shrugged, though a smile crossed over his lips. "Is there something wrong with enjoying seafood pasta?"

She laughed and reached her hand across the table to squeeze his. "Of course there isn't, I'm just filing away the information for later. I actually love shrimp. It's one of my favorite foods. You just haven't cooked anything but red meat since vacation started… not counting the chicken fajitas from a few nights ago."

He laughed, he couldn't help it. She was so adorable when she got rambling. Kristoff wasn't sure why he had been nervous about a real date with Anna, but he shouldn't have been. Everything was going smoothly, including the conversation. Anna was a brilliant conversationalist, she had wonderful stories to tell about growing up with her sister and she actually paid attention to what he was saying in return. He hadn't enjoyed a date with a woman this much in, well, ever.

"So, you like seafood, you have a really good relationship with your sister and you think I'm interesting," he said with a smile, "I learn more about you everyday."

Anna chuckled and then picked up her water glass to take a sip. "Knowing whether a person likes seafood or not isn't exactly earth shattering," she pointed out.

"All right, how about learning something a little more personal?" he suggested, his eyebrows wiggling up and down and making Anna laugh.

She leaned forward, balancing her chin on her palms and giving him a mysterious sort of smile. "I suppose that depends on the question. Feel free to ask whatever you want, but I have the right to keep some things to myself."

"Oh, secretive, huh? That's kind of sexy," he whispered and tossed her a wink. "Hmm… favorite sexual position?"

She laughed, her eyes sparkling with good humor. "You couldn't come up with something more original than that?"

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You don't want to answer the question?"

"Cowgirl," she admitted, a flush staining her cheeks.

"Well, what do you know? That's my favorite too," he smirked. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Do you have any other personal questions?" she asked him. "Questions not of a sexual nature in this very public restaurant?"

He grinned at her and then pretended to think about it for a minute. "I've got one! You said you just got out of a relationship, was he broken heart number one? five? ten?"

A pained look crossed her face and she sat back in her chair, no longer in the mood to be playful. "Just one… broken heart number one," she said softly.

"Ah, Anna… I'm sorry if I upset you," he said quickly, reaching across the table for her but pulling back before he touched her hand. "I just wanted to learn more about you. I'm really sorry."

She smiled, but it didn't spread to her eyes. "It's okay, you couldn't have known that it was a sore subject. I just feel like an idiot whenever I think about him. I didn't realize what kind of person he was until it was too late," she whispered.

"What kind of person was he?" Kristoff asked her, wanting to know what kind of fool would let Anna go.

"The selfish kind," Anna said softly, "the kind who doesn't want anything that resembles an actual future together. The kind that made me feel unattractive and worthless in subtle ways that I never noticed until I got away. Hans Westergaard was the kind of person that added insult to injury by dumping me instead of the other way around."

Kristoff was saved from giving her his opinion on her worthless ex by the arrival of their food. It didn't however stop him from thinking that if he ever met the man he would beat him to a pulp.