A/N Hi, everyone. I hope you're enjoying all of this chaotic nonsense. Let me know what you think, and I'll keep getting this out to you every Sunday! Thanks for all the support!
The coffee shop was cold, winter air leaking in through the door as guests came and went. Elsa glanced over towards the counter, watching as her sister studiously ignored her presence.
The woman caught her eye, and then looked away immediately, focusing on her hot chocolate. It had been a long time, really—
Maybe she shouldn't have done this. Elsa glanced at the clock, frowning slightly at the time. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, tapping her toes on the floor.
"One more minute." Anna flitted by her table, still not looking directly at her. "I just need to clock off."
"I have time." Elsa said. She bit her lip and watched as Anna disappeared behind the counter.
She had worked here, once upon a time. Elsa tapped her fingers on the table and smiled ever so softly. The shop hadn't changed much, not really. The paint was different, a little warmer, and the shop filled up much more quickly than it had in years passed. Elsa inhaled deeply and smiled as the smells of coffee and caramel filled the air.
"Alright." Anna reappeared, face screwed up with determination. She threw herself into the seat across from her sister, perching on the edge and looking anywhere else. "What do you want to talk about?"
Elsa blinked, then glanced back down at her cup. She swirled it in her hands for a moment, collecting her thoughts.
"I want to apologize." She said after a beat. "I didn't mean to run away from you. You just—surprised me, that's all."
"Apparently." Anna agreed, her cheerfulness cold around the edges.
"I'm sorry." Elsa sighed. "It's—it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes." Anna said. "What've you been up to?"
"Different things." Elsa replied casually.
"Ah." Anna clucked. "That's—helpful."
"Sorry." Elsa cringed, looking back at the cup in her hands. "I—there's a lot to tell, and I'm not sure where to start, really."
A block of silence sat on table, weighing the air with terrible stress.
"How about the night you left?" Anna asked, her voice steady and crisp. "That was rather sudden."
"I know." Elsa ran a hand through her hair. "And I didn't explain things as well as I could have. I just—had to go."
"Why?" Anna asked. Her voice broke, squeaking high before she collected herself.
Elsa sighed, and looked back at her coffee cup. Her jaw popped as she forced it together.
"There was—a threat, of sorts." She said. "Someone—well, no. You know who." Elsa paused, her face morphing into a scowl.
"Hans came up to me while I was at work, one day, and told me that he would—that he wanted to hurt you, and me, and would do whatever possible in order to manage it." She continued.
"So running away and not telling me made it better?" Anna asked, a note of bitterness in her voice.
"In some ways, yes." Elsa bit sharply. "Because getting out of the apartment made Hans turn his attention away from it. I've been distracting him for years, trying to keep him away from you—"
"How?!" Anna asked. "You haven't been here!"
"Exactly!" Elsa snapped.
The noise from the shop filtered in around them, Anna's cheeks flushed with anger and Elsa's stare terribly cold.
"I went out and found someone who could help me keep Hans away from you." Elsa said slowly, inhaling deeply through her nose. "He and I, and a few others, have been trying to keep you safe for a long time, while also trying to eliminate Hans from our lives."
"What do you mean, eliminate?" Anna asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you trying to kill him?!"
"Not exactly!" Elsa said quickly. "We're trying to get him arrested, actually, but we have considered killing him before—"
"What do you mean, you've considered it!?" Anna nearly shrieked. "You could be arrested for that!"
"That's why we haven't done it!" Elsa retorted. "But it's been a bit difficult to get to Hans, given that he and his brothers are incredibly talented at hiding evidence against them."
"That's convenient." Anna bit, massaging her forehead.
"Indeed." Elsa answered dryly.
Another shot of silence. Elsa's fingernails, short as they were, dug into her coffee cup. Anna's expression was sullen, and she stared off into the distance furiously.
"Is Henrick alright?" Anna said, after a moment.
"Yes." Elsa said immediately, looking up. "Thank you for taking him to the hospital. Jacque was worried sick when we found out."
Another brief silence. Then, the ghost of a smile.
"And who, exactly, is Jacque?" Anna's eyes twinkled, the corner of her mouth quirked upward as she met Elsa's eye.
"He's a friend." Elsa said firmly, fighting a smile. "I met him completely by accident, not long after I left. He took me in, helped me get on my feet, and we started to help each other."
"Does he have something against Hans, too?" Anna asked.
"Nothing that doesn't apply to our situation." Elsa replied. "Though some of his boys have been bothered by Hans' before."
"Sorry, what?" Confusion fluttered on to Anna's face. "Hans' men?"
"Yes." Elsa nodded. "Besides a few of his brothers, Hans has a collection of odds and ends he uses to come after some friends of Jacque's."
"Brilliant. I think Henrick mentioned that." Anna's voice went high. "So. You're basically in a gang. That's—unexpected."
"Not—not exactly a gang." Elsa stuttered. "It's more like a group. A support group."
"A support group that's trying to get someone arrested." Anna said lightly. "So, not quite a gang, but pretty much a gang."
"We're not a gang." Elsa said firmly.
"Sure you're not." Anna snorted.
"We're not!" Elsa nearly laughed. "Though Jacque would adore to hear you say it."
"Let me meet him and I'll tell him." Anna giggled. "Among other things."
Elsa snorted, and a more comfortable silence settled over the table. Anna smiled as she glanced at the clock.
"So." Anna said, after a rest. "That explains a bit. I mean, Henrick tried to explain it, but I'm pretty sure I missed half of it worrying about the fact that he had been shot, and that was more important at the time anyway—"
"Anna," Elsa reached out her hand and placed it on her sister's arm. Anna stared at it, and then at her sister, shocked.
"It's okay." Elsa said soothingly. "Our situation's changing all the time, and going on the opinion of a child isn't always greet for encompassing explanations." She smiled fondly, none the less. "If you have any questions, about any of this, I will answer them."
"Thank you." Anna whispered. "Does that mean—does that mean you'll be around more often?"
"I think so." Elsa nodded. "Hans has proven recently that, despite everything I've done, he's turned his attentions from me to you. It will do you no harm to have me around."
"Oh, thank goodness." The breath left Anna, and she hugged herself, resting her head on the table. "I'm glad. I'm really, really glad to hear that."
"Good." Elsa said with a nod.
The bell above the coffee shop door tinkled, but neither sister paid it mind. Elsa glanced out the window into the afternoon light, her hand stretched out towards Anna's arm.
"Well, isn't this touching?"
Elsa's head shot around. Hans, lit eerily in the light, smirked down at her, his hand resting on Anna's shoulder. Anna sat, petrified, as the man stood calmly above her.
"Good to see you again, Elsa." Hans purred. "Anna. It seems we always meet in the strangest of places."
"Did you like what I did to Olaf's apartment?" He added, directing the question towards Anna. "I never really liked the place. It always seemed too cheery for me."
"You absolute fuck." Anna hissed. She yanked herself away from the man, pressing herself up against the window instead.
"Oh, so crude." Hans tsked. "I'm ashamed of you. What would your loving boyfriend say?"
"I don't have a boyfriend." Anna shot. Elsa looked at her sharply, her face covered with confusion.
"Really?" Hans asked loftily. "Kristoff will be devastated to hear that. He's been such pleasant company today. A bit bloody, of course, but quiet as a mouse after we started talking about you."
The world fell away, and the shock on Anna's face fell to fury in an instant.
"What have you done to him?" She growled, curling her hands into fists. "What have you done to him?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hans bit back, mouth curling into a grin. "It's such a shame, really. Such a shame."
"Hans." Elsa said lowly. She came to her feet, face deceptively cool. "What is it you want?"
"Why, you, of course." The man said with a shrug. "And your sister. Tonight, preferably, at our usual spot of rendezvous. I'll happily trade your sister's lovely little friend for the two of you. Actually, Kristoff and Henrick." Hans sighed again, picking at impeccable fingers. "Awful little rascal, I can't believe you help raise him—"
"Enough." Elsa bit. "We will meet you, just as you've asked. Now," she paused.
Anna watched as her sister's face morphed into something beautifully cruel. Elsa's face read sweet, all white through a haze of red. "Get out."
Hans bristled, the smile on his face slipping for merely a moment. He took a step back, and bowed to the sisters.
"Until tonight." The man clicked his teeth together, his smile terrible and taut. He turned and disappeared, leaving the door to the coffee shop swinging in his wake.
Elsa glanced at her sister, still sitting pushed against the window. Anna looked up at her, wide eyed with shaking hands.
"Take a deep breath in." Elsa instructed softly. She sat down once more, the cruelty draining from her face.
Anna did as she was instructed, closing her eyes tight against the world.
"Head between your knees, if you need to." Elsa said.
Anna nodded mutely, head remaining stoutly upward. "I've managed for a while without you." She said breathlessly. "Coping's not any easier, but I've gotten better."
"I know." Elsa said. She hesitated, glancing away. "I'm sorry."
Anna's chuckle sounded wrenched from her throat. "It's fine." She said airily. "But it looks like I'll be seeing Henrick again sooner than I expected."
Elsa almost laughed, settling instead for a melancholy grin. "Jacque, as well." She said. "We'll need to see him before this happens."
"Why?" Anna asked. Elsa stood and went to her sister's side, gently helping her stand.
"Because he'll want to know what's going on." Elsa said. "And he'll have a plan to get us all out of this safe."
"So we're not going with Hans?" Anna asked. The two of them stepped out of the coffee shop, wincing in the sunlight.
"No." Elsa said firmly. "And if we go about this properly, we'll never have to do it ever again."
"I like the sound of that." Anna giggled. She rested her head in her hands, leaning heavily on her sister. "Just give me a minute." She said. "I'll be fine."
"I know." Elsa said softly. She glanced away and outward, watching as a too familiar car drove off in the distance.
Her face grew hard. Elsa looked back at her sister for a moment, her mouth setting into a tight line.
"Come on." She said, hefting her upward gently. "We have work to do."