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A Fable of Fidelities and Fresh Starts (featuring Facebook)

Chapter Ten: A Tangle and a Tease

~#~

The last time Anna had been here, she had been determined and fierce, everything was just an obstacle on her path to finding Elsa, including Kristoff's gloom. This time, she was actually here to meet Elsa and all she felt was contentment, oh and, yes, pure, unadulterated glee. Nothing and no one were in her way now which allowed her to be more aware and more compassionate to her friend's suffering this time around.

The cause of his bad mood had been a bit of a mystery when they had been here two days ago, but there was no doubting the cause of it now.

As soon as they had walked out of the ski base, to leave Kristoff's ski gear (retrieved out of Pabbie's storage first thing that morning) with Anton whilst they breakfasted, they saw them: five faces Anna had hoped she would never have to see again...and they were disappearing into the very café they were headed. He stopped dead in his tracks and she stopped too, Olaf realising after a moment and backtracking to their side.

"What's going on? Aren't we meeting Elsa? I thought we were meeting Elsa?" Olaf asked, confused. He pointed at the café. "In there, right? Aren't we going in there? Why aren't we going in?"

Kristoff sighed heavily. "No we are." And he started walking, head down, brow furrowed. Anna skipped to keep up with him. Part of her wanted to tell him they didn't have to, that they could text Elsa and tell her to meet them in the lodge instead, but she was really looking forward to having breakfast all together and also she was famished. So instead she placed a hand on his arm and let it drift down until she had entwined her slender fingers with his.

His head shot up, eyes darting to her in surprise, but the smile she gave him must have been as reassuring as she'd intended it because he just smiled back and gave her hand a little squeeze.

They entered the café together and Anna looked first to note the position of the creeps before finding Elsa. Thankfully, her sister and Nic were seated at the other side, by the big windows. The meanies were sat over near the counter. That's a relief. They headed towards her sister and it was only when Elsa greeted them, her smile quickly turning sly as she glanced down with a pointed look, that Anna realised she was still holding Kristoff's hand. She uncoupled herself as artfully as possible, so as not to bring further unwarranted attention to their trivial join, and sat down swiftly.

"You didn't sleep in," Elsa said.

"Well, no, Olaf woke me up, at like 5am," Anna grumbled.

"What goes around, comes around," Elsa chuckled. "I remember when you used to wake me up at 5am."

"I did not!"

"The sky's awake, so I'm awake!" Elsa imitated in a little girl voice. "So we have to play!"

Kristoff snorted in laughter, Anna elbowed him in the side and glared at Nic who was tittering also.

"That sounds perfectly sensible to me!" Olaf commented. "What's the point in wasting the day?"

Anna snatched up the menu, figuring it was futile to try and explain to Olaf why sleeping in until at least 7 would have been much more preferable.

Hmm. Eggs? Toast? Muesli? Ugh no. Something stodgy...something...Oo, yay! Waffles.

She threw the menu back down on the table and let her eyes drift to the "other" table. She caught Nina and Zoey peering their way but they diverted their gaze when Anna caught them.

"Coffee?" a voice asked.

Anna turned to find a 40-something old waitress with purple hair standing over her with a coffee pot.

"Oh." She didn't really like coffee but she didn't want to be rude, and anyway, Elsa already had a cup. "Sure. Yes. Please."

The woman filled her cup up and then Kristoff's. Olaf shook his head no, and asked for juice instead. I should have asked for juice.

"So, what's the plan today?" Kristoff asked, as Anna reached into the bowl containing sugar packets and pulled out a bunch.

Nic shared a glance with Elsa. "We figured we'd head straight up to the bunny after everyone's geared up," Nic said. "Play on that for a bit, to get their bearings, probably won't be too many kids getting under our feet this early, then we'll move onto the green." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Unless you want to get back on the diamond? Or…" She paused for dramatic effect. "...the double?"

What the diamond and the double were, Anna didn't know but Nic was obviously trying to provoke something in Kristoff. Minx. He shook his head vehemently.

"No thanks. I'm just here to watch," he said. "Yellow slope's fine with me."

A hand suddenly came down heavily on Kristoff's shoulder, causing him to startle. "Don't worry bud, you'll get there." Hateful voice! But he didn't sound hateful. He was jovial, even to the point that he punched Kristoff chummily on the arm with his free hand. "Just need to build up your confidence again and you'll be back in the big leagues before you know it." How did he sneak up on us like that? Anna narrowed her eyes up at Jake. His silent friend Ben was behind him.

"Fuck off Jake," Nic said shortly.

"Now, now, that's hardly the way to speak to your best customer is it?" Jake smirked. "Whatever would Anton say?"

"He probably wouldn't do with the pleasantries, like me," she glared at him.

Completely unflustered by Nic's hostility, he turned his eyes to her. She felt bile rise in her throat. "Hello again Anna."

"Hi."

"It was fun the other night, eh?"

"Not really."

"Oh, you wound me!" Jake clutched a fist to his heart. He laughed. "I thought we were getting on so well! I wouldn't want you to have any misunderstandings about me." He squeezed Kristoff's shoulder. "We were just surprised to see this guy was back. Caught us off guard is all." His eyes continued to drift until they landed on Elsa.

"Who's your friend?"

Anna's lips pressed tight together. You can't have her.

"I'm Anna's sister," Elsa said coolly. Damn it Elsa! Now you find your voice?!

"Really?" Jake raised an eyebrow, his smile predatory. Behind him, Ben removed his glasses and stepped forward.

"You're Elsa Queen?"

"That's right."

Ben's eyes were wide, and it looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "You were number 7 in Success & Strategy's Top 10 Under 25s to Look Out For list last year."

"I was number 6," Elsa corrected.

"Oh, right, of course, number 6. I'm sorry," Ben fumbled. "Wow! You're so elusive the article didn't even have a photo! I must say, it's an honour to meet you."

"I'm sure it is," Elsa said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to my friends."

The men didn't move straight away.

"She means piss off lads," Nic translated.

"Quite a sister-in-law you got there. Lucky dog, Bjorgman," Jake leered before turning and walking back to his own table. Their friends greeted them with interest, glancing over to their table as they asked what had happened.

"What was he talking about?" Anna asked with no small amount of confusion. "Sister-in-law? That's the second time someone's said something like that. I didn't think of it much last night cause I figured maybe Himani knew something about you that I didn't but-"

"You don't remember?" Kristoff asked, looking at her sidelong out of the corner of suspicious eyes.

"Remember what?!"

"It doesn't matter," he said dismissively, picking up the menu to peruse even though Anna had thought he'd already decided what he was having. She snatched it away.

"Tell me!"

He cast his eyes uncertainly around the table, lingering on Elsa longer than the others, before he faced her. He gave a resigned sigh.

"You were drunk."

"Tell me!" she ordered again.

"You kind of told them you were...we were...married."

Anna blinked.

"What?" she cried at the same time as Elsa admonished her: "Anna!"

"Like I said, you were drunk-"

"Why didn't you stop me?!" she blurted accusingly.

"Stop you?!" he snapped right back. "Have you met you?!"

"Ready to order?" The purple haired waitress chose that moment to reappear, but her presence didn't lighten the mood at all.

Anna huffed and picked up the menu again, just for something to do.

"Waffles," she said bluntly.

"Me too, please." Anna's mind was too otherwise-occupied to enjoy the fact that Elsa had opted for the same thing as her.

Married?! Like I'm his wife?

She glanced over at the "other" table again.

Oh my God. They must think you've...with him. That's what they must think when they look at the two of you. If we're married then we've...done that haven't we?

She dared to glance at him, but he was ordering whatever it was he was ordering, pointing at his menu and nodding at the waitress. She could feel her cheeks warming. She quickly distracted herself. She lifted her coffee cup and took a sip...and grimaced. Ugh. She reached for her fourth and fifth sugar packets, ripped them open and emptied them into the mug.

It wasn't like Anna hadn't done it. Now anyway. If you had asked her two weeks ago, she would have been feigning her own experience. But with Hans...it had all happened so quickly. And not just once. And now she couldn't stop imagining what the jerks were probably imagining: what she had done with Hans...but with Kristoff. Her cheeks were getting warmer, they were surely aflame by now, clashing horribly with her red hair. She hid her face with her coffee cup again and the sugar helped some but it still tasted pretty gross.

"Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed," Kristoff suddenly said. His voice had lost its sharp edge and was low and private and close. Anna glanced at him out the corner of her eye but didn't dare turn her head. "You were just trying to help. And, hey, it kind of did." He laughed a little nervously. "He's not been that nice to me for four years! I guess being a Queen pulls weight with those peacocks. Not that I want to be friends with him or…"

Were they that shallow? That her family's money would be important enough for them to feign civility?

She remembered how Ben had been all over Elsa.

And if his supposed relation to your family can sweeten their disposition what will they be like when they find out it was all a lie? They'll probably make his life even worse and then he'll never be able to come and visit Pabbie.

The waitress had gone now and Kristoff was still gabbing away.

"...but, look, yeah. Probably best we tell them the truth. Or maybe you could mention it to Himani or something if you don't want to talk to them cause she's a massive blabbermouth and it'll get around in no-"

"Kristoff!" she interrupted. He shut up. "Let them think whatever they want. I don't care. It's kinda funny," she said.

He looked uncertain. "You sure?"

"Yeah," she grinned. And then she weighed it up for a second. "But, you know, we should probably act a bit more...I don't know...married or something."

He frowned: apprehensive; bewildered.

"Like, put your arm around me," she explained, grabbing his arm and draping it around her shoulders. "Like that. And, I don't know, pull my chair out for me when I sit down. Oo I know! When I walk away you can slap my butt!"

"What?!"

"Do you think that's the kind of husband you would be? The kind that would slap his wife on the butt? Cause you can, if you want. I won't mind. Look, I've got to go to the bathroom now. Do it now."

Kristoff's mouth was agape and he glanced very obviously at Elsa across the table. Elsa, whose eyebrows were high as the sky, stared at her sister like she had just seen a dodo enter the café. Anna tried not to roll her eyes. It wasn't that big of a deal.

"Uhhh, no. I'm not going to do that," Kristoff eventually said carefully.

"Well, it's your call," she shrugged. "But here's your opportunity in three, two, one…" She pushed her chair out, accompanied by a loud scrape, and stood. She turned and walked a couple of steps and nothing happened.

"You hesitated," she heard Olaf say, as she was walking away.

"What? No I didn't!" Kristoff exclaimed defensively.

"You did! You were thinking about it," Olaf said again, in that nonplussed way he had.

"I was not," he grumbled.

Anna smiled.

~#~

The skiing clothes weren't exactly comfy, but much appreciated, Anna thought, once they had arrived at the top of the mountain. The thick, bright pink jacket she had donned, as well as the thermal under trousers and salopettes had felt too warm down at the ski base but on the lift they were much needed. The wind had been bitingly cold up there on the lift and it wasn't much better once they'd dismounted either.

The yellow slope wasn't too crowded. There was a party of school children with three teachers and two instructors between them and one family with three kids, but no one else so they had plenty of space to get used to their skis. Actually, Olaf and Elsa were getting used to their skis a little too quickly. Elsa, in particular, was a natural it seemed. She was already skiing competently a short distance and Kristoff and Nic were both encouraging her, excited by how fast she was picking the skill up. Anna, however, still couldn't quite get the hang of the "pizza", "french-fries" thing and she kept getting her skis crossed. She could really do with some one-to-one guidance but Kristoff had practically fled from her side the minute they had dismounted from their ski lift.

She had probably been overdoing it with the whole "marriage" thing. He had offered no help deciding the details about their honeymoon (Maui obviously), his proposal (the surprise ending to a scavenger hunt), how they'd met (at university, cause it makes sense), or the big day itself (in a vineyard just on the fringes of Corona this summer, we sat outside in the glorious sun and all our families and friends were there). And then the lift had arrived at its destination and he'd skied away before she'd even had time to tell him that the cake was definitely chocolate.

Damn it! She could have really done with his instruction right now too.

"You alright Anna?"

Anna turned her scowling face up from her stupid skis and neutralised it when she saw it was Nic who had approached her.

"I can't get the hang of it," she said, with a twist of her mouth. "They won't cooperate with me. I'm not as graceful as Elsa, I guess."

"You'll get there," Nic said, holding her arm to support her as the skis decided to tangle themselves again. "Look, you're putting too much into it. You need to be more subtle. Here: pizza," she demonstrated and her pizza was much less wide than hers. "French fries," she continued, gradually bringing her skis in alignment again. "Don't get so flustered. Take your time with it."

"You really know your stuff," Anna said, holding onto Nic's arm as she drifted to a sparser patch of snow in order to try again.

"No. I'm just an amateur really. I always loved skiing though. Went on holiday with my family to France all the time, to Austria too and Sweden once. But when I moved to America two years ago I ended up here and just decided that this was what I wanted to be doing. I really love it here. All you Americans speak English, y'know," she winked. "But I'm not all that good. Not compared to your Kristoff there. He's the real skier."

Or he was at least.

"What happened?" Anna asked. "You know, with him and Jake and everything. If you don't mind telling me that is."

"Hey, it's not my story," Nic said and for a moment Anna felt embarrassed that she'd been digging into Kristoff's history behind his back but then… "And it's not like it's a secret or anything." She shrugged and Anna realised, with a skip of her heart, she was actually going to tell her everything. "It was years ago. He won his first tournament and, like, everyone was dead happy for him apparently. Anton said it was one of the proudest moments of his life. He's known Kristoff since he was a kid, cause he's been friends with his grandad forever, and Kristoff used to spend, like, all his breaks up here. Anton helped him first learn to ski and he was really good and he really loved it. So then, yeah, he won this tournament and everyone went bat shit crazy for him. There's one family that's always owned all the tournaments up here. In fact I think Kristoff was the first person in over thirty years not from that family to win."

"Jake's family," Anna guessed. Nic pointed at her with a gun finger to confirm.

"The Washingtons, yeah. And it's not like he had the benefit of money to get him there," she continued. "So he was a hit. The "workers" loved him cause he was living the dream, the "high classes" loved him cause he was a novelty."

"So what happened?"

"The second tournament happened. He won again and suddenly the novelty wasn't so...well...novel anymore. Jake could handle losing once to a nobody, but twice was a massive embarrassment. His father, his uncle, cousins and his brother: none of them had lost one tournament and when he finally gets his chance to shine he...well," she laughed. "Well he didn't shine. So there was a lot of hate slung at him from Jake after that, but, see, Kristoff didn't live here so he didn't hear much of it. But then, right, he comes back for his third tournament and Jake and his posse and not just them, but all the richers, even the oldies, they're like, booing him and they've got banners telling him to go back to hicksville or whatever, calling him a pleb 'n' that. Some of the workers even joined in too. Wankers. Anton said one of them even threw something at him but I don't know if that's true or not. Anyway, so Kristoff, basically he didn't want to deal with all that. Anton reckons something else must have happened. Maybe Jake used his money or family connections to threaten him or something. Cause then, he just upped and left. He never completed the tournament (Jake won of course) and he's never been back. Til now."

"Oh my God," Anna whispered. "That's awful!"

"Yeah, it's pretty fucking awful," Nic nodded. "There's some real elitist bullshit up here on the mountain but most of 'em's cool. Like that guy," Nic pointed to a handsome dark-skinned Ben-Affleck-looking type with a scruffy beard, one of the instructors. "Amel. He's pretty decent. He's mates with Kristoff too. He's not much older and he's worked on and off on the mountain since he was a teenager."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Anna asked, somewhat hopefully.

Nic spluttered a laugh. "No," she said conclusively. And then she smirked. "He's not really my type."

Oh. That's a pity.

The more Anna got to know Nic and her sweet, loyal, pragmatic nature and coarse tongue, the more she liked her.

Why shouldn't she go out with Kristoff? I really like them both. And they're both really attractive and cool. They'd make a great couple!

But somehow the obtrusive thought sat badly in her mind: uncomfortable and unwelcome. She wanted to keep him all to herself. But he isn't mine. She knew that. He's not Hans. He's just my friend. And he doesn't even want to be near me. Look at him, all the way over there with Elsa and Olaf! Hans loves me! Why do I care what Kristoff does? I don't! I don't care.

But she did. And she knew it, even as she tried to spend the rest of the day making the most of her day out with Elsa.

She made sure she was on the lift with her sister on the second ride up to the green slope. She wasn't sure she had all the moves down yet but Elsa and Olaf were ready and she wasn't going to be the one to hold them back.

"You having fun?" she asked as the lift started its ascent.

"Oh yeah!" Olaf quickly answered, before Elsa could get a word in edgeways. "I love it! The skiing! And all the people! Did you meet Amel? Kristoff's friend? He was really helpful wasn't he Elsa?"

"Yes Olaf, he was," Elsa said with her slight smile.

Amel, eh?

"I didn't meet him," Anna said. "But Nic pointed him out. She said he was really nice."

"Why?" Elsa smirked. "Are you interested in him too?"

"I'm not interested in him, no," Anna said crisply. "But I thought, maybe, if you were thinking about settling here, it would be cool if you made some new friends. Maybe ask someone out on a date or something?"

Elsa didn't say anything, but the way she pursed her lips made Anna think she'd pushed her too far.

"Nothing serious, just a bit of fun!" she added hurriedly. "But it's just an idea. Don't even think about it."

Elsa still didn't say anything but her tight expression relaxed and after a moment she took Anna's gloved hand in her own. Anna smiled, the brief knot of anxiety loosening with the gesture.

She sat there happily, hand in hand with her sister, looking at all the things Olaf pointed out on the slopes below.

Her eyes drifted up occasionally to the chair lift in front of them where Kristoff and Nic sat. I wonder what they're talking about?

"Look! Snowboarders!"

"Oh yeah, I see them."

"That's pretty cool. Do you think we can get snowboards too?"

Elsa chuckled. "Why don't we just see how we go on skis for today Olaf?"

"I suppose."

I bet they're talking about skiing.

"Do you think they let you use toboggans on the ski slopes?"

"I wouldn't have thought so. There's probably a separate run for that."

"Too dangerous?"

"I would imagine, yes."

Maybe she's telling him that she told me about Jake and everything.

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you think we can get lunch after this?"

"Sure. Nic said the same before we get on the lift. Once we've skied to the bottom, we'll go back to the café."

Why would they be talking about me? They've got plenty in common to discuss.

The chair in front of them reached the top and Anna intently watched as Kristoff and Nic dismounted and moved aside, laughing together about something or other.

What is so funny?

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she fumbled her landing and half-fell into the snow, only being dragged out of the way of the next chair in time by Olaf and Elsa's assistance.

"Anna, my God! You're going to give me a heart attack!" Elsa declared, with a hand to her heart, once they were clear.

"What happened?" Nic asked as her and Kristoff assembled round them.

"Nothing," Anna said, mortified and hoping she didn't show it. "I just got caught up." She grabbed Elsa's proffered arm and pulled herself up, brushing the snow off her salopettes. "Let's go skiing!"

"Hey, before we go do you think we could get a photo?" Olaf asked. He unzipped the pocket of his jacket and brought out his phone.

"I'll take it," Kristoff offered.

"No! No, I want us all together," Olaf explained defiantly. He looked back at the ski lift. "Hold on. Wait. Right there," he ordered the group and then he skied over to a couple dismounting from the lift.

"We should probably remove our skis for this," Nic said.

Anna watched Olaf grin and hold out his phone to the strangers as she crouched down to unstrap her skis. The couple looked over at them and they smiled and nodded, the guy taking Olaf's phone from him. As Olaf turned to ski back towards them, she sensed Kristoff approach her, crunching boots on the fresh, thick snow. She tensed. He hadn't spoken to her since they'd first got onto the mountain. She'd thought he was mad at her or something.

"You OK?" he asked.

"What? Oh. Yeah. Just a bit clumsy is all. Had a bit of a stumble. I'm OK."

"Well, you wanna watch that. Not the best place for stumbling, the mountain." He grinned. Anna narrowed her eyes at him.

Is he making fun of me?

"Well, thanks for the tip Mr. Obvious. I was going to hurl myself off the mountain, but if you don't think it's good idea..."

"Don't get in a snit," he said affably. "I'll just have to do a better job of keeping an eye on you, OK?"

Anna felt a jolt of happiness. He wasn't mad at her. Everything was still the same. Olaf had returned to the four of them, removed his skis and was now faffing about, telling them to get into position. Anna turned to the camera and Kristoff chucked his arm around her as they posed. She grinned and tucked herself into his side, posing with a V sign.

This was turning out to be the best day ever.

~#~

Anna hadn't realised just how hungry she was until she had a plate of burger and fries in front of her. She dug into it with gusto.

"You're really good Elsa," Nic was saying. "I mean really good. Like, if I didn't know you were a beginner, I wouldn't have guessed it."

Elsa was blushing, Anna saw as she raised her head briefly from her plate to take a large sip of coke through the straw.

"You are," she agreed once she had swallowed. "You're a natural. Olaf too. Not like me. I thought I'd never get down that slope."

"But you did," Elsa said kindly. "Took a little time but you got here. It'll be easier on the next run."

"She's right," Kristoff confirmed with a nod.

Anna grinned and grabbed her burger again. It was nice they had faith in her. There was a point halfway down the green run she thought Kristoff would have to carry her. She was all caught up in a bush, like who thinks it's a good idea to plant bushes on a ski slope!, and couldn't untangle herself. She had started to get frantic but he had been patient and talked her down and she'd managed to climb out and continue on with her stuttering descent. He was brilliant, as Nic had been saying. He never skied too far ahead of her and was constantly waiting while she caught up. It must have been frustrating for him. The ease with which he traversed the mountain side showed his skill level to be much higher than the mild incline the basic run demanded.

"We should come here again when I've got a day off," Nic said to Elsa. "You should keep it up. You could get really good at this."

"I'm nothing compared to you," Elsa responded shyly.

"Well, yeah, duh. But only because I've been doing this for twenty years," Nic pointed out, poking Elsa with a finger. "I give you two months before you're leaving me in your snow dust."

Elsa lowered her head and the grin she gave was prideful and kind of embarrassed. She was blushing even harder now. Anna smiled. It was cute.

She was finished with her lunch quickly, finishing up way before anyone else and she sat back in her chair, nicely full, with hands resting on her stomach when the door to the café opened.

Oh God, not them again.

Zoey and Nina entered first, scanning the room. When the former's eyes rested on her she dared to give a small wave. Anna didn't return it. She just stared hard at them as they crossed the café (much busier than it had been at breakfast) to their same table, the boys following behind.

"We're up," she muttered darkly.

"What?" Kristoff lifted his head from his plate of chilli. He cast his eyes about until he'd seen what she was seeing. "Oh."

She shuffled her chair closer to his and he watched her warily.

"Stop looking at me like that," she told him off. "Like it's weird I'd want to sit close to you."

The wariness didn't fade, but he turned back to his lunch instead of arguing with her.

Idiots, she thought venomously. They were just chatting and joking happily together like they weren't the biggest creeps she'd ever met. Horrible, nasty idiots.

"Feed me some of your chilli," she muttered again to Kristoff.

"What? No! You've had your lunch. This is mine."

"I don't want it. It'll be...romantic."

"Anna," he sighed. He sounded exasperated. Why couldn't he see that she was just trying to help? "They don't care what we're doing. They're barely looking."

Just at that moment, Nina looked directly at them, turned and leaned across the table to whisper something sly to Jake, then he looked too.

"They are too! Look, they're looking right now! Quick, do something. Kiss me!"

"Anna!" he exhaled again, but it was fiercer now.

"Doesn't have to be, like, a proper kiss. Just on the cheek or the forehead or something. God, if you're gonna be weird about it, I'll do it." She swivelled in her chair, fully intending on rising up just enough to lay one on his cheek but he flinched away.

With narrowed eyes he stared her down. Yeah, cause this looks good. Then he pushed his chair back and got up out of his seat.

"I need some air," he growled. And now he's cross again. Good going Anna.

She watched him leave and she was starting to feel annoyed herself. Why was he cross with her? She wasn't the big meany that had said all those things to him. She was trying to be a good friend, wasn't she?

"Anna," Elsa piped up. Anna turned her incensed eyes to her sister and found she was met with the long-suffering tolerance of her mother. "You probably shouldn't tease him like that."

"I wasn't!" Anna disputed emphatically. "I'm not teasing! I just want to help. Those guys are jerks!"

Elsa and Nic shared a look. "I know. I'm just saying," Elsa tried again carefully. "Maybe you're making him uncomfortable."

Anna sighed, frustrated. Why couldn't they see that all she had were good intentions? But I'm launching myself at him and, Elsa's right, he's clearly not comfortable. Anna was displeased. What was so repulsive about her that he couldn't even do a convincing job pretending to be married to her?

"I need to talk to him," she announced, pushing her own chair back to stand.

"Anna, maybe you should give him some space..." Elsa tried for cool rationality. Patience. Patience is key. But Kristoff wasn't Elsa. She didn't have to be patient with him. She wanted to fix this now.

"No," she resisted the advice irrevocably before following Kristoff out the door.

He was outside, hands buried in the pockets of his ski jacket, kicking idly at a snow bank when Anna found him.

He saw her exit the café and groaned.

"What?" he demanded. "What is it now?"

"What's your problem?" she snapped, coming off much more furious than she'd intended to. But now that it was out there she stubbornly wasn't going to take it back, so she folded her arms and planted her feet, awaiting his answer with ire.

"What's my problem? What's your problem?!" he retorted. "Is this all some big joke to you? I don't want anything to do with that lot. I'd be happy if they just faded out of existence. But you insist on playing all these games."

"I'm not…" she faltered. "I'm not playing any games. I just want to help you."

"Well, it's not helping," he said.

"Maybe it would if you'd put a bit of effort in," Anna shot at him. "They're going to realise!"

"I don't care!" he barked. "I'm not going to pretend to be all lovey-dovey with you for their benefit! Alright?! And, anyway, don't you have a boyfriend? What would he think about all this?"

The silence that followed was loaded. Anna found herself torn between rage and despair. And confusion. She hadn't really thought anything about Hans.

"Just leave me alone," he finished flatly.

Despair was winning out. He might have been acting stupid, but she didn't want to cause any discord between them. That was the bottom line.

The door to the café opened. Footsteps came crunching out into the snow and the jangling noise of someone spinning their keys around their fingers.

"What's this, a lover's tiff?" Anna gritted her teeth. It was Lucas. Stupid, snarky Lucas. "I'd just fold, if I were you Kris. Reckon you've got a lot more to lose than her if it all goes to shit."

"Thanks for the advice," Kristoff seethed with a clenched jaw.

"Any time pal," Lucas laughed. He headed to his car, whistling a tune as he went.

They both watched him go then Kristoff turned back to her.

"Look, if you're going to bug me out here, I'm just going to go back in," he said shortly and tried to walk past her.

Anna grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks, but he didn't look happy about it. No. I'm not leaving it like this. I'm not going to let you be mad at me all afternoon.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He blinked.

"I am sorry," she said again. "I wasn't playing any games. I just wanted to help. Really. I don't like seeing the way they affect you."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like..." she chewed it over in her mind for a moment, before the image clicked into place. "A big, black cloud forms over your head whenever they're near. And it makes me so mad! You're better than them. So much better! You're, like, the coolest guy I've ever met. And I want them to know it."

He was visibly softening at her words, even to the point that a tender smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Yay! He's forgiving me!

"I don't think they're ever going to agree with you," he said after a moment. "But that's fine. I don't need them too."

"Friends?" Anna asked hopefully.

He chuckled. "Sure. Friends." And he slung his arm over her shoulder as they headed back inside, just like he had done for the photo.

"See, look, was that so hard?" she asked, grabbing the arm and wiggling it.

He laughed and gave her a playful push as they entered the café once more. There was a vibration in her chest pocket and it took a moment for it to click in that her phone was ringing. Still giggling, she unzipped the pocket and pulled out the phone.

Hans.

His smiling face filled the screen and at the bottom: Accept or Decline?

Unthinkingly, they had arrived back at the table. Elsa and Nic were awaiting their return with open curiosity; Olaf was fashioning some kind of warship out of his mashed potato and peas; and Kristoff had pulled her chair out for her and was watching for her reaction with a glint in his eye.

She grinned at him as she dropped into her chair and pressed Decline.

Notes

Firstly, it's my birthday today! And I'm celebrating by posting chapter 10 for you lovely folks. :) I think this is my favourite chapter so far, so I kinda wanted to get it out today. It's a present to myself :P. It was pretty fun writing it, and I hope you like it too. Anyway...onwards with the real notes...

As I said a few chapters ago, I have like zero experience with skiing so I hope you can find it in your hearts to be tolerant of any gaffs I've made.

The hot ski instructor Amel: his name is Arabic and means "hope" or "expectation". Also commonly used as a girl's name. Totally geeking out for two reasons: the Arrow connection and the Dragon Age connection. Amel/Amell ftw!

A special thank you note to my beta PeanutButterIceCream for this chapter. You really helped me sort out the bits I came unstuck! It's like you're helping direct me down the mountain. Of fanfic. Yay for collaborative writing! Xxx