FOUR KISSES: ALTERNATE ENDING

Final Kiss

"Anna!"

Elsa fell to her knees and crawled the rest of the way. Her legs could not carry her. Her chest was too tight, she could not breathe. Her heart was pounding too fast. She heard screaming from somewhere, everywhere. But there was Anna, and nothing else mattered.

"Anna!"

Anna's body was trembling but she was not moving. She twitched and gasped, hands weakly clenching into fists, but she did not move. She didn't even react when Elsa grabbed her, pressing down on top of her, shaking her, screaming at her.

"Anna! ANNA!"

There was so much blood.

"So much... too much..."

Her face, her neck, her chest, her stomach—blood was flowing everywhere. Elsa couldn't stop it. There was so much of it. Anna's shirt was drenched in it, ruined.

Elsa remembered when Anna bought that shirt, only a few weeks ago. Was it only a few weeks ago? Could it have been them? Could it have been the same Anna she cradled now in her arms?

"Anna... please..."

Anna's teal eyes, once full of mirth and life, now empty and dead, flitted towards her, staring but unseeing. One hand lay limp at her side, the other pressed desperately against Elsa's chest, pulling weakly at the collar of her shirt. She whimpered once, seized up in pain as a violent cough sent more blood flowing, and then fell silent.

"Anna..."

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

Why did Anna have to suffer all this pain?

Why couldn't it have been Elsa instead?

Why did this to have to happen?

Elsa couldn't even scream anymore. If it weren't for the burning in her eyes and the taste of tears on her lips, she wouldn't have even been sure she could cry. Everything seemed to fall out of her at once. She couldn't feel, couldn't think. Maybe she was dying, too. Maybe they could both die together and things would be okay again.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"Anna... I love you."

There was a silent apology in her eyes, even as the light was fading from them. The hand pulling at Elsa's shirt was starting to weaken. Her raspy broken breathing was leveling out. Her heart was slowing down. But even as her body grew limp and her final movements played out, Anna never took her eyes away from Elsa, still held onto that last bit of control. Her eyes were closing but she fought the darkness back.

"I love you..."

Elsa cupped Anna's face gently as she drew one last breath and leaned down, bringing trembling lips to her forehead as the tremors finally stopped. The pain finally stopped.

Oh, Anna...