I'm outraged at the lack of outrage for my cliffhanger! C'mon guys, I live for this, for your pain... ahem, I mean, pleasure...
Please read and review, my ego needs the boost!
CHAPTER 11
Elsa felt Anna suddenly grab her arm; her grip was weak and shaky, and then a second later it released altogether. She heard a pained groan and whipped her head to the side, only when she looked, Anna wasn't there.
"Anna!" She screamed, her sister's body lay crumpled on the grass below her. Elsa threw herself down beside the redhead, her father following suit as they both called Anna's name and shook her shoulders trying to rouse her.
"Anna! Anna wake up! Anna, Anna!" She continued to yell, but the redhead was still out cold. Elsa began to panic, her heart started racing in her chest, and adrenaline flooded her veins as terror took over from shock. This couldn't be happening, not now, not ever. She couldn't lose her love so soon after finally getting her back, not after everything they'd been through.
"Anna! Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" Agnarr called worriedly as he and Elsa looked her over, checking for bullet wounds or other injuries. It was only then that Elsa realised that her father was crying, and when she touched her face, she found it to be wet as well.
"A-Anna! Anna wake up, please, please just wake up!" Elsa wept as she clutched the redhead's pale face in her shaking hands, her tears splattering upon ghostly grey skin. "Come on, you need to wake up, oh god, oh god, Anna, please!" Kristoff and Belle joined them on the ground, the blonde man pulled his jacket off and bundled it under Anna's head whilst Belle placed two fingers on the redhead's throat, checking her pulse as she fanned her with the other hand.
Elsa's panic was at an all-time high as she crouched beside her prone girlfriend, her world was spinning, everything felt like it was crumbling down around her, and there was nothing left to hold it up. The only encouraging sign came from the steady puffs of air from Anna's lips that rhythmically warmed Elsa's face. The blonde picked up a clammy hand and cradled it against her chest, her thumb brushing over the skin there as the other stroked Anna's forehead, all the while calling the redhead's name.
After what felt like an eternity, Anna finally began to come to. A large group of worried mourners had gathered around the trio, strangers that didn't know the girl began offering their help and support as Anna groaned weakly.
"Anna!" Elsa cried as relief flooded her body. She threw herself on top of the redhead, wrapping her arms around Anna's neck before pulling her girlfriend into her lap, rocking her gently as she peppered Anna's face with kisses. "Oh, my god, Anna! Are you okay? Jesus, you scared me."
Agnarr ordered everyone to take a step back and give them some room, the air was stifling in the protective circle they had created. Someone pressed a bottle into Elsa's hands, the blonde didn't even look up to thank the person as she uncapped the water and encouraged Anna to take a sip. Her mind was solely focused on her sister, on making sure she was okay, she was too busy scrutinising the redhead to pay attention to anyone else.
"I-I'm okay." Anna said shakily, colour beginning to tint her skin again, though she was still paler than before, so much so that even her freckles looked less prominent. "W-what happened?" The redhead slurred as she placed a trembling hand to her head.
Elsa helped Anna sit up a little straighter, still supporting the weak girl as she took another sip of water. "You fainted." Agnarr said worriedly, "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Anna shook her head slowly, "not hurt." She affirmed, "Just dizzy… feel sick."
Agnarr visibly sighed in relief and pushed himself up from the ground. "She's okay," he announced to the worried group. "Let's get you home." Agnarr suggested to his daughters, he was still looking worried, although noticeably less so than just a moment before.
Elsa nodded in agreement before her father turned to address the remaining mourners. "I'm terribly sorry everyone, but due to everything that has just transpired, and Anna's health, the wake has been cancelled. My daughters and I need to spend some time alone as a family. Today has been very trying for us, and this scare has taken its toll on Anna." He explained to the group. Everyone was looking at them with a mixture of sympathy and confusion, still shaken from the chaos just moments earlier. "Thank you everyone for coming to show your support for us today. We will all mourn the loss of Idunn, but I know she would be honoured that so many of you came to celebrate her life."
Elsa and Agnarr hooked their arms around Anna's and helped her to her feet, they kept a tight grip on her as she swayed, her knees refusing to lock. He nodded farewell to the concerned group and began to lead his daughters away from the graveyard. "Girls," he said lowly over the growing hum of voices behind them, "we need to talk."
The car ride home was silent. Anna curled up to Elsa's side, still recovering from her collapse. Elsa kept one hand wrapped around her wrist, discreetly keeping tabs on Anna's pulse, the other curled around the redhead's shoulders as her fingers stroked the top of Anna's arm.
Elsa's mind was racing, overloaded from the events of the day. From the emotional funeral to the dangerous gunman – who apparently knew her name, or at least her old one – to the absolute terror of watching Anna lose consciousness. It was more than she could handle, more than she should have to handle and she felt like everything was just was spiralling out of control.
To top it all off, her father said they need to "talk". When somebody says something like that, it is never a good sign. It's almost always followed by something upsetting, or some sort of bad news, like a break up or death. Nothing good ever came after those four words. Elsa's mind had already started working overtime, trying to make sense of everything, trying to decipher the impending blow so she could shield herself beforehand.
She assumed it had something to do with the gunman, he must have known her from her childhood, how else would he have known her name? There was something else too, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was almost as if he was familiar, as if she had seen him before, but she couldn't figure out where or put a name to the face.
Elsa kept a hand on Anna's back as she led her inside and guided her to the couch, asking once more if she was okay. Agnarr poured them a glass of water each before joining them in the lounge. He sat down on the coffee table in front of his daughters, his hands clasped together as his expression grew serious.
Elsa's heart was pounding, she had this icy sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. It twisted and churned with nerves, making her feel nauseous, just like she would before an important meeting or a big test she wasn't ready for. Anna was still trembling beside her, the redhead's colouring was almost back to normal now, though her hands still shook as she grasped her glass to take a sip, the water sloshing out the sides.
Agnarr took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He seemed to be mulling over his words, weighing up how best to broach the topic. "Girls, what I'm about to tell you isn't going to be easy to hear and I will understand if you're angry or hate me and I'm sure you're going to have a lot of questions, but I just ask that you wait until I finish before asking them… you need to understand this isn't easy for me to talk about." He picked at his nails nervously, his head bowed as he kept his eyes trained on his hands.
"For years I've pondered how to have this conversation with you. I've played it out in my head over and over, but now that the moment is here, none of it seems right, so I'm just going to cut to the chase and come out with it…" He paused for a moment, taking in another breath before lifting his head and finally meeting his daughters' gaze "Idunn and I… we're not your biological parents."
"What?" Both Elsa and Anna exclaimed simultaneously, shaking their heads in dismay. The blonde was sure she had misheard him, that couldn't be right, the only memories she had were of them being raised by Idunn and Agnarr.
"What do you mean you aren't our biological parents? I-I don't understand, you're my father, and Mama has raised me from birth… we-we have photos of us with you two in hospital when we were born. How can we not be yours?" Elsa was so confused already; her head was pounding and she could feel a migraine coming on.
Agnarr raised his hand, asking for quiet as he began to explain. "Yes, we have photos holding you both in hospital, but they were taken when we visited Josephine – your biological mother. She was Idunn's younger sister; Idunn is your aunt by blood and I'm your uncle by marriage, and, whilst we may not have birthed you, we love you as if you were our own. Jo's husband - your biological father - Anthony… well, he uh, well he wasn't a nice guy, and we ended up caring for you girls." Agnarr paused for a moment, his daughters wore matching expressions of confusion and shock.
"I guess I'd better start from the beginning… you see, when Josephine met Anthony, everything was great for the first few years. He was the perfect boyfriend and fiancé. He was infallible in Jo's eyes, but problems started after they got married and your father's true colours started to show. Anthony started getting possessive of Jo, alienating her from everyone, demanding to always know where she was and who she was with.
"It wasn't long after that the abuse began." Agnarr sighed glumly and shook his head, his daughters remained silent on the couch before him, too stunned to say anything. "He would go to the pub, get drunk with his mates, then come home and take out his anger out on your mother. After a while, it became the norm. The beatings happened regularly, and it got to the point he didn't even need to be drinking to take it out on her anymore… she was just his perfect little punching bag."
"For years we tried to get her out of there, for years we tried to help her, support her, but she wouldn't leave. She was convinced he would change so she'd make excuses for him, 'He just had a bad day,' or 'He's only like that when he drinks. He always says sorry after and then he's back to doting on me, treating me like a queen… he's the perfect husband.' She'd say. I lost count of how many times we called the cops and reported Anthony, but Josephine would deny it or refuse to press charges or leave. No one could force her. Even though we all knew it was happening, our hands were tied." Agnarr looked regretful, disappointed, as if he was the one beating Josephine, not Anthony.
"Then Jo fell pregnant. We all feared the worst, that he'd beat her to the point that she'd lose the baby, but whilst she was pregnant he didn't lay a hand on her. We don't know why he suddenly stopped, he just did. Your mother saw it as proof that he really was a good man, that he just got upset and couldn't control his emotions. His own father had been the same, beating his wife and children. She said that he'd never had a good role model, so he thought it was normal and she used that excuse to justify it in her own mind. She always tried to see the best in people and overlook the bad, in the hope that she could save them from themselves."
"That's when you were born, Elsa. We visited your parents in hospital, your mother was so proud to have a daughter." Agnarr chuckled softly in remembrance, there was pride in his eyes and a warm smile curling his lips. "You look a lot like her, you know. Her hair was platinum-blonde, blue eyes, though not as bright as yours, and she had more freckles. Josephine and Idunn almost looked like twins, apart from their hair, I remember them tucking it into big beanies once, and I could barely tell them apart.
"For the first few months, things were really good. We were all shocked. Anthony really seemed to be a changed man, I still didn't trust the bloke and I certainly didn't like him, but he was finally stepping up and taking care of his family. Then when Elsa was about three months old, she developed severe reflux, and Anthony just couldn't handle it. He became jealous of Elsa, angry that she was taking up all of Jo's time, that she couldn't tend to his every demand. He wanted a 'traditional' housewife. He expected dinner on the table the moment he walked in the door, the house to be pristine, and everything to be done for him. Jo just couldn't keep up with it all and one day he came home to a messy home and no dinner and he lost it… the beatings started again."
"This time Idunn and I fought harder, there was so much more at stake, but as much as we wanted Josephine out of there, away from that pathetic excuse for a 'man', we couldn't force her. It was her choice to stay and nothing we said or did could change that. Elsa, however, didn't have that choice. She was just a baby and shouldn't be subjected to such abuse, so we reported him to the police again, and with his history they removed Elsa and placed her in our care."
"That seemed to be the wake-up call that Jo needed. She left Anthony and came to live with us; it seemed like things were finally looking up for her, and we loved having you in our home, having a family to care for. But Jo… she began to distance herself from us, from Elsa… it was like she had been fighting a battle for so long that now she was out, she was lost and became severely depressed. Looking back, I think she suffered PTSD or maybe even Stockholm syndrome, because she just couldn't stay away."
"We supported her as much as we could, but Anthony started coming around again. He would try and break down our door to get to Josephine, smashed a few windows out of anger, and threatened to harm Elsa if she didn't go back to him. We called the police and he was arrested and sentenced to eighteen months in jail. I didn't think that was long enough, not after the years of abuse he put Jo through, but she was too scared to stand against him in court or make a statement to the police, so all they could charge him with was attempted assault and intention to cause fear."
"When he got out, he was a 'changed man', sweet and loving again, her prince charming. He begged Jo to come back to him, promised that he'd seen the error of his ways and that he was changed forever. We warned her it was all a show, that he would start hitting her as soon as she was with him, and she'd be back in the same position she was before, but she wouldn't listen to us and believed that she could help him.
"Your mother was incredibly stubborn and determined; failure wasn't an option for her and she had to believe that she could save Anthony from himself. It wasn't long before she fell pregnant again. I think she did it intentionally because she believed it would prevent the beatings, at least for a while, and it worked… until Anna was born.
"Anthony wanted a boy and blamed Josephine because it was another girl. The day they took you home Anna, Anthony snapped and attacked your mother. It was brutal, he beat her with his fists over and over until she dropped to the ground, bleeding and unconscious, and he just left her there.
"The neighbours heard Josephine's screams and called the cops first, then us. Anthony heard the sirens, he knew he was going to be put away for life and made a run for it. When we got there, Anna was screaming in her cot, Elsa was only three, and clung desperately to her mother's broken body. Josephine was rushed to hospital, suffering severe internal bleeding and brain damage, she was covered in blood and her head had caved in on one side. She died twice on the operating table before finally being placed on life support… but in the end, there was nothing more that could be done. Josephine never woke up.
"Idunn and I were devasted, we blamed ourselves, we should have done more, forced your mother to make a statement to the police, or at the very least we could have protected her better, but it was too late. Josephine was gone, and Anthony was at large. The police put us up in a hotel with you two whilst your father was on the run since it wasn't safe for us to go home. We agreed to be your guardians, we couldn't have children of our own and vowed to raise you as if you were.
"It took three weeks for the police to track down Anthony, they found him hiding at a friend's house. It turns out he had lied to the guy, said that he and Josephine broke up and he needed a place to crash for a while. His friend had no idea about Anthony's past. As soon as he was in custody, we were allowed to go back home, but that place had too many bad memories for us, so we moved and bought this house together. We officially adopted you two and agreed that when you were old enough, we'd tell you about your past."
"But just a few years later, when Elsa turned eight and Anna was five, Anthony escaped. The police came to our door to deliver the news and offered us protective custody. At first, I agreed, but they said it was too risky to keep us together and that in order to keep you safe, we'd have to separate for a while." Agnarr paused and shuddered out a breath, his chin trembled as a lone tear ran down his face. "They gave us a couple of days to decide and during that time Anna fell from the tree and broke her arm, that seemed to be the deciding factor for Idunn. Anna had given us such a big scare, she was unconscious for so long, in a coma for days… I think it terrified Idunn, how close she came to losing her daughter and that pushed her into accepting protective custody. She'd rather give up one child than risk losing them both.
"We were both naïve and thought it would only be for a few weeks, a month at the most. So, even though the thought of being separated from my wife and one of my daughters broke my heart, I had to believe it was for the best, and begrudgingly, we both accepted the police protection.
"So, Idunn and Elsa were sent to live in Corona and Anna and I moved to Oslo. I missed you both so much and Anna was devasted, she couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to see her sister anymore. I gave it a month, but I just couldn't cope with having to hide all the time, and I decided to leave protective custody with Anna. I couldn't take it any longer, I refused to let the monster that had ruined Josephine's life ruin ours too. There had been no sightings of Anthony, for all we knew he could have been dead, and I couldn't keep living with my family split apart like that. A month might not seem like that long in retrospect, but for me it felt like forever. Besides, we had already moved to a new house, and I believed I could protect us if anything happened."
"Idunn was still terrified though, and she wouldn't leave, so Anna and I went back alone, with half our family missing. About a week after we got home, Idunn called. She said she was changing her and Elsa's names, and she was going to tell Elsa that we were both dead. It would be easier that way, she said. Elsa would be safer if she just forgot about the other family she had. A child so young wouldn't understand the danger, the need to keep her sister and father a secret and having her know that they were still alive, out there somewhere, was too risky. Who knows who she might blurt it out to and then everything we went through to keep you safe would have been for nothing.
"She made me promise to do the same with Anna, to change her name and convince her that her mother and sister were gone, so they wouldn't look for each other and risk blowing our cover. They'd grow to understand it, accept it, and move on; it was the safest option for us all.
"I didn't want to do it, it wasn't fair on you girls or our family, but I feared for your safety, and in the end, I agreed. It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make, you were the most important people in the world to me, and all I wanted was to keep you safe. I still believed it would be over soon and then we could be together again. Yes, it would be confusing for you both to be reunited after being told your family was dead, but it was still a better option than risking Anthony finding out where we were.
"So, Idunn changed Alesia's name to Elsa and encouraged me to do the same with Anna and myself, but when I had Anna sitting in front of me, so innocent, bright-eyed, and hopeful, I just couldn't go through with it. I couldn't lie to her like that. Her heart had been broken enough, and I couldn't bear to add more salt to her wounds."
"Wait…" Elsa interrupted feeling confused, "if my name was changed and Mama wanted both you and Anna to have new identities, what about her? Wouldn't it be pointless for her to keep her name and change ours? I mean, it's much easier to track down an adult than a child."
Agnarr nodded and reached forward to brush a stray hair from Elsa's face. "Yes, Idunn changed her name too. Back then we all knew her as Christine, but like you said, it was too risky for her to keep her name, so she came up with a new one, or rather, had a whole new identity crafted so there would be no trace of her old life. I don't know why she told me her new name and not Elsa's, perhaps it was because Elsa's safety and protection meant more to her than her own." Agnarr shrugged and took a sip of his water. "Besides, if Anthony overheard me talking about Idunn he wouldn't know who I was referring to, but if I had used the name Christine, he would have known exactly who she was.
"Weeks and months passed without a single sighting of Anthony, then as the years went on I started to believe he was gone for good. Idunn wasn't as confident though, she had become paranoid, moving from house to house so that no one could get to know them, just in case Anthony got wind of their whereabouts. We had both bought cheap burner phones so they couldn't be traced, but we could still keep in contact. As time passed, Idunn became more and more wary about using even that. She was always afraid that Anthony was right around the corner, just waiting to pounce."
"The other week, when the police called me into the station, they asked me to write an obituary for Idunn and post it in the paper publicly with a photo, in the hopes that it would draw Anthony out. I agreed, I didn't think he would show, as I very much believed him to be dead… but as it turns out, I was wrong."
Elsa just sat there in shock, her mind was reeling, her brain throbbing with all this new information being thrown at it. She was trying to make sense of it all, but she could barely comprehend the words Agnarr was saying. Everything she thought she knew had just been thrown out the window. Her mother – she was always going to refer to Idunn as her mother – hadn't been paranoid in believing someone was coming for her, the threat had been real.
Everything suddenly made sense, the constant moving, never being allowed to make friends, Idunn's over-protectiveness, her name change, everything. Her mother was just doing what she thought was best for her daughters, protecting them no matter the cost to herself, even though it meant losing half her family. She'd lost her sister, then had to willingly give up her second daughter and husband all because of some mad man that may or may not have been after them. Elsa just wished she'd known, they could have supported each other, worked through this together. Instead, Elsa fought against Idunn, and made life harder for her.
There was a strained silence for a few long moments as the sisters tried to process all this new information. After a few minutes, Anna tried to speak but her voice came out as a choked croak, so she cleared it a few times before trying again. "So, that man that was arrested at the funeral…"
"He was your biological father, Anthony, yes." Agnarr nodded and hung his head. "The police received a tip off there had been a sighting of Anthony in town after the obituary had been published, and I agreed to allow some undercover officers at the funeral in case he turned up. I honestly didn't think he would, I didn't think he was alive, let alone stupid enough to try anything, especially after so long." He sighed and gave his daughters an apologetic smile before taking their hands in his own.
"I'm so sorry I put you girls through that, that he tarnished what should have been a peaceful last goodbye to your mother." Agnarr kissed Elsa and Anna's hands before releasing them and wrapping them up in a hug, "but it's over now." he said as he pulled away. "Anthony showed his face and is finally in police custody again. He's finally been caught after a lifetime on the run and there'll be no escape this time. I would just like to know where he's been all these years, and why it took him this long to act, but we may never know. I doubt he'll disclose his biggest secret to the cops."
Agnarr paused for a moment and scrubbed his face with his hands, when he looked back up, there were tears in his eyes and his chin was quivering. "I'm so sorry girls, I'm so sorry. It's my fault that Idunn was so paranoid, my fault she took her own life. If I'd just stuck to the plan and told Anna that her mother and sister were dead, then maybe she wouldn't have been so distant, maybe she wouldn't have been so scared, and she might have been a more involved mother. Maybe if I'd fought against us being separated in the first place we wouldn't have gone through any of this, at least you girls would have been together."
"No, it's not your fault, Papa. Anthony is the one to blame for all of it, not you, not Mama, not Josephine, just him." Anna said firmly as she clutched her father's hands, squeezing them tightly, her voice full of emotion.
Agnarr smiled back at her weakly in thanks. "I know this is a lot to take in, a lot of information to process, and I know you probably don't know what to think or feel right now, and you probably have mixed emotions about it all. I'll understand if you hate me or if you're angry with me and I won't blame you, I deserve it. I'm not proud of what your mother and I did, but we really didn't have a choice, we both did what we thought was best. We did it to protect you. Neither of us expected it to go on for this long, we thought he would have been apprehended quickly and then we could be together again, our family whole once more. If either of us suspected it would go on for this long, we wouldn't have separated at all."
"Again, I'm so sorry, and I know you probably have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer them all. I'll tell you everything you want to know, no more secrets or lies, but for now I need to go to bed. It's been a long day for all of us and I'm exhausted. I love both of you, I always have, and always will." Agnarr stood and hugged his daughters before pulling back. "Elsa, please feel free to stay the night, I'm sure Anna would appreciate the company. Goodnight." Agnarr stood and walked off to his room, leaving his daughters stunned and speechless on the couch.
Neither sister knew what to say, they sat there together in silence for some time, digesting everything they'd learnt. So much was running through Elsa's mind, all those questions she and Anna had months ago had finally been answered, but she never expected this. She couldn't have guessed that almost her whole life had been a lie, that everything she thought she knew was wrong, that her parents weren't even her parents, that their lives had been in danger, that Idunn hadn't just been paranoid, that their father had murdered their mother… it was all just so overwhelming.
Elsa opened and closed her mouth multiple times in an attempt to speak, but not a single word came out. She didn't even know how she felt right now, emotionally and physically… she was exhausted. Today had been such a long day, so much had happened, and her mind was simply too shocked, too numb to process anything.
It was only when she heard a sniffle beside her that she snapped out of her thoughts and remembered that Anna was there. She'd been so lost in her own mind that she'd forgotten her surroundings. "Oh, Anna." She cooed as she sat up and wrapped her arms around the redhead, her girlfriend clinging onto her tightly. "It's okay, I've got you, you're okay."
Anna tucked her head under Elsa's chin and whimpered softly. "It's just so overwhelming." She choked out, shaking in Elsa's arms, her tears soaking the blonde's shirt. Elsa just held her tighter and rubbed her back soothingly.
Kissing the top of Anna's head, her heart ached in sympathy, "I know," she said softly, her own voice cracking as her eyes prickled painfully. "I don't even know what I'm feeling, I'm just... numb and in shock right now. It's just too much to process." She felt Anna nod a few times in agreement before curling further into the embrace.
"I wish she was here now, I would hug her and tell her that it's okay, that I understand and don't resent her. Instead I have to live with the guilt that my last words to her were hateful and spat with a venomous disdain. She sacrificed everything just to keep us safe, and now I'll never get the chance to apologize, or tell her… tell her that I still love her." Anna cried, her voice cracking as the guilt she felt engulfed her.
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay." Elsa cooed as tears of her own ran down her cheeks. "I know this is hard and overwhelming and I know I keep using that word to describe how I feel but I can't think of another that fits better. I just… I have to believe that Mama knew how much we loved her, and it's not something we can change, as much as we wish we could. It's not going to do us any good to dwell on the past, on the things we wish we could take back. We have to focus on what we have now, and what we're going to have in the future. Mama would have wanted us to be happy and free, that's why she sacrificed herself, to give us the future she could never have."
Anna nodded slowly but stayed silent, there wasn't much more to say. Both sisters were too emotionally spent and physically drained to continue the conversation and they needed time to process all the new information. Their entire lives had been turned upside down in a day, everything they thought they had known about their past, their childhoods, had been a façade. Finding out they were sisters all those many months ago seemed like nothing now, it had been such a blow to them at the time, something neither of them saw coming and now… now it's like it was nothing at all, nothing compared to this.
After a while of just resting and holding each other, Elsa stood and took Anna's hands in her own. "Come on." She said softly, "let's go to bed. Today has been…" the blonde scoffed lightly and shook her head, "I don't even have the energy to conjure up a single word to explain what today has been, but I know my pillow is calling my name and I'm pretty sure I can hear it calling yours too."
Anna nodded again and allowed her girlfriend to help pull her to her feet. She swayed a bit as she stood, her body rocking and she stumbled back a step. Elsa pulled her in close and wrapped her arm around Anna's waist. "Are You okay?" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, just tired and drained from before." She explained through a yawn, "don't worry, I'm not about to pass out on you again." Anna joked lightly.
"God, Anna, you scared me so much back there. I thought the bullet had hit you and that I was about to lose you." Elsa breathed as she led Anna to their bedroom. "Please don't do that to me again."
Anna chuckled softly and stopped to turn and kiss Elsa's cheek softly, "I'll try." She promised with a smile.
Elsa could tell Anna was feeling worse than she was letting on, her eyes didn't have their normal shine, she was still paler than usual, and she seemed quite weak as she walked, but she didn't say any more about it; she just helped her girlfriend get to her room and onto the bed before her legs collapsed beneath her.
Both girls got undressed, not bothering with pyjamas as they crawled under the covers and snuggled close to each other. "Hey, Els, I was thinking…" Anna began, her warm breath breezed over Elsa's chest where her head rested.
"Oh no, that sounds dangerous." The blonde teased and earnt herself a pinch to the side as punishment. "Oi!" She squeaked, her body jolting away from Anna's pinching fingers, "that hurt!"
"Don't be mean then." Anna chided with a playful glare, her tongue poking out at her girlfriend.
"I'm sorry your highness," Elsa mocked haughtily, "please, continue."
Anna glared at Elsa again but refrained from retaliating, "I just thought that maybe after this has all settled down and everything is back to normal, maybe we could go on a holiday or something together? It doesn't have to be far, we could stay in a shack in the woods or in a hotel by the beach or anything really, I just think it would be nice if we could get away from everything to spend some quality time together, just the two of us."
Elsa smiled as her mind began to imagine wonderfully warm images of her and Anna on holiday. Lazy days in bed, basking in the sun with waves crashing softly in the background, snuggling up in front of a fire together, sipping hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows. It was exactly what they needed. "I'd love that." She sighed blissfully, "It sounds perfect, actually."
Anna smiled and kissed Elsa's chin, "That's what I thought too. I mean, since the day we met all we've done is run from each other, run from our feelings, and I just want to be alone with you without the running, without death and funerals and a mad gunman… I just want a normal, uneventful weekend with you."
Elsa felt her heart speed up slightly as she held Anna tighter and kissed the top of her head. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? Just you and me, nothing else, no stress, no running, no fighting, no clothes…"
Anna snorted into Elsa's chest, her fingers stilling where they were tracing the outline of her girlfriend's clavicle. "Of course, you had to add that in-" She chuckled with a roll of her eyes, "-but it does sound pretty wonderful, though."
"It does indeed." Elsa sighed in agreement as she drew soft patterns on Anna's back with her fingertips.
"Night Elsa." Anna yawned as she lifted herself up and kissed her girlfriend goodnight.
"Night Anna." Elsa smiled as they separated and snuggled down again, "I love you."
"Love you too."
"Good morning, Kjære." Elsa crooned affectionately as sleepy teal eyes slowly began to blink open. "How are you today, my love?"
Bleary and sleep encrusted lids slipped shut again, a freckled hand grasped blindly in Elsa's direction before the blonde captured it in her own and brought it to her lips. She kissed Anna's palm softly, the redhead humming as a gentle smile curled her lips. "Tired." Anna murmured, her voice thick and gravelly.
"Did you not sleep well?" Elsa asked with concern, though she already knew the answer. She herself hadn't got much sleep the night before and her dear girlfriend was almost constantly tossing and turning.
Anna shook her head before rubbing at her eyes and yawning. Slowly, those expressive orbs opened once more, "Just couldn't sleep. My mind wouldn't shut off." She said sleepily as she met Elsa's loving gaze and smiled again.
The blonde pushed sun-kissed hair from Anna's face and leant forward, gently pressing her lips to those of her girlfriend. "I'm sorry," She replied sincerely, "how are you feeling today about… everything?"
Anna looked down, that smile slipping from her lips as she sighed lowly. "I don't know, just as shocked I guess, I feel… numb almost, like it just doesn't seem real. I guess it all just feels like a dream, it feels too crazy to be reality." Anna sighed again and curled one arm around Elsa's waist, her fingers drawing slow patterns along her girlfriend's back. "I mean, all those questions we had months ago have all been answered, it all makes sense, everything fits… but it just feels more like an overly complicated plot from a TV drama than our real lives."
Elsa shuffled closer to the redhead and placed a kiss on her forehead, "I know," She agreed, "it feels the same way for me too. I kept running through it all in my head last night, kept trying to find something that didn't make sense because it just seems too far-fetched to be true, but no matter what I came up with, there was an explanation. It's odd, I feel more confused, more…" Elsa paused for a moment as she searched for the right word, though none seemed to fit what she was trying to say. "detached, in a way. Not emotionally, but it almost feels as if we're hearing about other people's lives, not our own."
Anna nodded as her hand stopped stroking Elsa's back, instead she trailed it upwards and tangled her fingers in the fine hairs at the base of her girlfriend's head. She lifted herself up a little and leant forward, pressing her lips firmly against Elsa's as the blonde reciprocated in kind. They stayed like that for a while, their mouths moving against each other, their hands pulling the other closer, holding onto their significant other with all their might. Their bodies rocked softly, but their kiss never went beyond that, there was no desire behind it, no heat or longing, they simply enjoyed the closeness and affection they could give each other.
Anna's eyes were clouded as she pulled back, that smile blooming over her face once more. "I just had to check." She said vaguely.
Elsa's brows knitted together in confusion, "Check what?" She asked.
"You're the only thing that feel real to me right now." Anna explained, her cheeks flushed red. "The only thing that doesn't feel fake or made up or a lie, the only thing that I can grasp onto and hold and know that this, what we have, what we feel is real."
"And is it?" Elsa murmured hazily.
Anna's eyes twinkled as she bit her lip and then smirked, "You tell me…"
It was an hour and a half later when the girls finally made their way downstairs, Anna, sporting a new love bite on the base of her neck, Elsa glowing with warm affection. Their hair was wet from the shower they shared after their very pleasurable 'reality check', and their skin was still flushed a soft pink from the heat of the spray.
Agnarr was already sitting at the table, his head buried in the morning paper as he read the latest headlines. "Good morning girls." He greeted cheerfully, his eyes glinting with a hidden knowledge as he peered at them over the top of the pages.
"Morning." Anna greeted as she made her way into the kitchen pulling out two bowls and spoons as Elsa grabbed the coco-pops and milk.
The sisters joined their father at the table and began their breakfast. "Glad to hear Anna has her energy back after her fainting spell yesterday" Agnarr teased, his tone filled with mirth as he looked at Elsa knowingly "…though Elsa, I'd prefer if you didn't tire her out so soon after the attack."
Elsa immediately blanched, she could feel a fierce blush creeping up her chest and neck before settling in her cheeks. She was pretty sure her ears were burning off at this point and she dropped her head, groaning in mortification into her bowl.
"Wha?" Anna questioned through her mouthful, too busy with her chocolate delicacy to comprehend the implication of their father's words.
Elsa scrunched up her eyes and nose before hissing in Anna's ear… "He heard us."
Anna's spoon promptly dropped into her bowl splattering the table in chocolatey-brown milk. It seemed Anna's complexion could turn a deeper shade of crimson than Elsa had ever seen another human being wear before. "Oh… fuuuu-"
Agnarr chuckled to himself, it was clear he was taking entirely too much pleasure in his daughters' humiliation and discomfort. "I'm just teasing," he laughed loudly, "I'm happy you have each other, I'd just prefer if Anna was a little err… quieter or if next time you could at least give me some notice in advance so I can get out the house."
Yep, this was how Elsa was going to die, death by mortification from her father hearing her having sex with her sister. "Oh god." She groaned under her breath as she covered her face with her hands, her appetite had flown out the window along with her decorum. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor and never come back up again.
Anna wasn't fairing any better, if anything, she looked worse than Elsa. Perhaps it was because she had grown up living with the man and still lived with him now, or maybe it was because Agnarr had chosen to pick on her the most. Either way, the vibrant hue radiating from Anna's face could light up a room in the middle of the night, and the heat emanating from her body could warm it up in the dead of winter. "Sorry!" She squeaked in humiliation.
Elsa wasn't sure whether their father had in fact heard them, or whether he was just bluffing and now enjoying the satisfaction of being right at their expense. Compared to what Anna had been like previously, the girl had been rather quiet, she'd even muffled her scream into the crook of Elsa's neck as she came, but Elsa had been so caught up in the moment she wouldn't have known either way.
"It's fine," Agnarr laughed before taking a sip of his black coffee, "but I accept the apology."
"Don't mention it." Anna groaned into her bowl, "seriously, like… ever!" She pleaded with her father, the colour in her cheeks still as vibrant as ever.
"Aww spoilsport. I'm sure Kristoff would find the story highly amusing."
"Oh my god, no! I thought fathers were supposed to be repulsed by their child's sex life." Anna spluttered keeping her gaze pointed downwards.
"Oh, we are." He agreed, "however, the perverse satisfaction we get from our child's humiliation far outweighs the err… ickiness of the story. It is my duty as a father to embarrass my daughters every single chance I get. I'm only upholding my parental obligations, you see."
"Remind me to never allow Kristoff and Papa to be in the same room together ever again." Anna mumbled to Elsa before pushing her bowl away, it appeared she'd lost her appetite too.
"Well girls, since I've had my fun for the morning, I think I'll take a shower and get started with my day." Agnarr laughed as he stood from the table, folding his paper and placing it on the benchtop. "Enjoy your breakfast girls."
Anna groaned deeply and then slumped, her head hitting the table with a loud 'thump'. "Kill me." She moaned into the lacquered wood. "Seriously, just kill me, end my suffering and put me out of my misery."
Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at Anna's humiliation, though she too shared the embarrassment, it seemed Anna was having a harder time with it. The blonde wasn't sure whether to leave Anna to die her torturous death or put her out of her misery by sharing her own suspicions.
In the end she chose to be compassionate to her sister, despite how amusing it was to watch her flounder. "Anna." Elsa said softly, resting her hand on the redhead's shoulder, her girlfriend jumping slightly at the touch. "I don't think he actually heard us, I think he was teasing and trying to get a rise out of us."
Anna's head whipped up, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinised the blonde suspiciously. "What makes you think that?" She asked hesitantly.
"The triumphant look in his eyes when our reactions confirmed his suspicions. That and the fact that the shirt you're wearing keeps slipping off your shoulder revealing my little love-bite." Elsa chuckled as she poked the bite in question, the redhead wincing slightly as her own hand came up to cover the bruise.
"Well that's just…" Anna trailed off in annoyance, "so if we'd just played it cool and kept our mouths shut, he wouldn't have been so cruel?"
"Anna, do you really think you're capable of 'playing it cool?'" Elsa teased lightly, "You couldn't lie to save your life."
The redhead huffed and folded her arms over her chest, scowling like a petulant child. "Whatever." She mumbled grumpily, her lower lip jutting out as she glared at the table before her.
"It's a compliment, you know?" Elsa corrected affectionately as she wrapped her arm around Anna's shoulder and pulled her close. "Your honesty and openness are traits I greatly admire, just a few of the many things I adore about you." She pressed a kiss to Anna's temple, the redhead relaxing slightly but kept her pout.
"Didn't sound like one to me." She grumbled, but Elsa knew Anna was just playing, teasing the blonde because she had teased her first.
Teasing Anna, in any way, was one of Elsa's favourite pastimes. The poor girl was just so expressive and easy to read, Elsa thoroughly enjoyed the reactions she could draw from her girlfriend. With that in mind, she placed her hand on Anna's knee, the limb twitching beneath her palm as she slowly slid it upwards along the length of the redhead's toned thigh. She leant in close, her warm breath ghosting over Anna's freckled ear and consciously dropped her voice an octave. "We could always go upstairs and really give Papa something to complain about." Elsa drawled lowly, her voice dripping with seduction as her fingertips tiptoed over Anna's core.
"Elsa!" Anna screeched and jumped out of her seat, her cheeks ablaze as her chest heaved.
The blonde burst out laughing, loud and booming, she didn't even bother trying to cover the sound with her palm as she clutched her stomach with one hand and the table with the other. "I'm sorry Anna!" She gasped between breaths, "you're just so easy to tease."
"God, I hate you!" Anna sneered, though her expression showed no malice at all, only embarrassment. "I have half a mind not to let you into my bed again after that little charade."
Elsa chuckled and sat back smugly in her seat, folding her arms below her chest, lifting her breasts slightly, smirking as Anna's eyes drifted down to follow the movement. "That's fine." She shrugged, she wasn't worried about their father overhearing their conversation, she knew the sound of the running water would be blocking out their voices. "There's always the couch, the table, the shower, the kitchen bench, my place, Kristoff's place, the car, public-"
"Elsa!" Anna screeched again as she glared at the elder and grabbed her unfinished bowl of coco-pops, carrying it into the kitchen in a huff.
Elsa was having way too much fun at Anna's expense, it was just like when they were at Kristoff's place and she had bitten Anna's thigh. The redhead had warned her, 'Be careful, I might like that.' Elsa had known that she was trying another tactic to get her to stop, but she just couldn't help but take advantage of her sister's admission and find another way to tease her.
Elsa picked up her own bowl and carried it into the kitchen before placing it in the sink to clean up later. She walked over to Anna and wrapped her arms around the sulking redhead. "I'm sorry." Elsa said sounding nothing of the sort.
"I hate you." Anna grumbled again, but the arms that wound themselves around Elsa's waist and the head that rested warmly on her shoulder contradicted the redhead's words.
"I love you too." Elsa chuckled as she leant back a little and held Anna's chin between her finger and thumb, tilting her head up so that she could duck her own and press her lips against Anna's.
"Yeah, yeah." Anna griped with a smirk, but kissed Elsa back anyway.
"You know," Elsa began when they separated a few luxurious moments later, "after this morning, I thought you would have been in a better mood."
Anna scoffed and smacked Elsa on the shoulder in reproach, "Fuck you." She grumbled half-heartedly.
"I already did." Elsa teased with a wink earning her a second smack in as many seconds.
"I am this close to denying you sex for a month, Elsa!" Anna spat holding up her finger and thumb, a bare millimetre between the two.
Elsa made a sceptical noise at the back of her throat and laughed. "Now that's an empty threat if I've ever heard one. You and I both know that neither of us are capable of keeping our hands off each other for that long. We've tried that before, remember?"
"Gah! What is this? Gang up on Anna day?!" The redhead squawked, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration before walking away from Elsa in a huff.
Elsa chuckled softly and shook her head as she reached out and grabbed Anna's hand before she could get away. She spun the redhead back around and pulled her in again until their bodies were flush. "I'm sorry, but you're just so easy to tease and you're absolutely adorable when you're frustrated."
"Humph, adorable is not what I'm going for." Anna harrumphed with a pout but relented in Elsa's embrace.
Elsa smiled and kissed the top of Anna's head. "I'm sorry if I took it too far. I'll stop now. Okay?"
Anna sighed and then pulled back, staring into Elsa's eyes, "You promise?" She asked.
"Promise." Elsa nodded and held her girlfriend a little tighter in apology. "Can you forgive me?"
Anna paused and hummed for a moment, obviously getting back at Elsa by drawing her answer out. "Hmm, I dunno. Maybe I should make you earn my forgiveness." She teased.
Elsa rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around Anna, one grasping the back of her head, the other curled around her waist as she leant in and kissed her fervidly. The redhead squeaked in surprise before giggling softly and melting into the kiss, returning it with as much pressure and enthusiasm as her girlfriend.
Neither girl was sure who deepened the kiss, but soon their tongues were melding with each other, hands grasping at soft, malleable flesh as they panted wantonly. Then, they moved, whether it was Anna pulling Elsa, or Elsa pushing Anna, the blonde wasn't sure, but soon the redhead's back hit the island bench, and a second later, Anna was perched on top of it.
Elsa slipped her hands beneath her girlfriend's shirt, her fingertips dancing over rapidly heating flesh as Anna's breath stuttered in her chest. "Elsa." She moaned when the blonde's lips left her own and began to paint a trail down the column of Anna's neck.
Elsa groaned in response, her fingers digging into Anna's hip bones, "God, I love you." Elsa breathed against the redhead's ear delighting in the full body shiver it earnt her.
"I love you too, so much." Anna panted as she wrapped her legs around Elsa's waist, her hands tangled in platinum locks.
Elsa nipped at Anna's earlobe, earning her a sharp intake of breath as the hands in her hair and the thighs around her waist tightened briefly. "Fuck, Elsa!" Anna hissed in delight before pulling Elsa's lips back to her own.
The small part of Elsa's mind that wasn't clouded with lust or drowning in pure sensation poked and nagged at her, reminding her that they weren't alone in the house. "Ah, An-Anna." She groaned shakily, "we-we should s-stop… ooh, Pa-Papa... m-might catch us."
Anna made a noise of disapproval indicating that she'd heard, but did nothing to stop the kiss, so Elsa took it upon herself to bring it to an end. It took almost all her strength and willpower to slow it down until it was just a soft brush of lip over lip. Both girls were panting as they parted, resting their foreheads together, only exchanging light pecks every now and then. "God, what you do to me." Elsa murmured breathlessly.
"Right back at you." Anna husked in reply, her body shaking from having to restrain herself. It was clear she hadn't wanted to stop. "Okay, I think you proved your point…" She said as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hmm? What point was that? I can't remember anything that happened more than two minutes ago right now." Elsa admitted with a chuckle, her mind still hazy.
Anna smiled and nipped at Elsa's nose playfully giggling at the dreamy look on the blonde's face. "The one you made about us not being able to keep our hands off each other." The redhead smirked and raised a brow pointedly.
"Oh." She said dumbly, her face heating with a warm flush as she dropped her head onto Anna's shoulder and snorted in embarrassment. "That point, yeah… I'd forgotten about that."
"It's nice to know you're as easily distracted as I am." The redhead chuckled and laid her forehead on Elsa's. "I love you." She whispered softly.
"Love you too, Anna." Elsa smiled affectionately, her heart skipping a beat, just as it always did when Anna said those three little words.
Their lips met again, though they both fought to keep it light this time, no easy task when their bodies were still thrumming and ebbing with heat. Someone cleared their throat in the background and the girls sprang apart.
Agnarr stood in the kitchen grinning at them mischievously, his brows raised as his daughters blushed fiercely and averted their eyes. Elsa looked down to the ground, slipping her hands out from under Anna's shirt as she sucked on her lips. The redhead bit her own and tucked her hair behind her ear before sliding off the bench.
"I'm starting to think I need to carry around a bucket of cold water when you two are together." Agnarr teased as he began making himself a coffee. "You girls look like toddlers who have just been caught with your hands in the cookie jar."
"Sorry." Anna mumbled in mortification, her face as red as it was before, though Elsa assumed part of it was still remnants of her flush from their impromptu make out session.
"Don't be, it makes me happy to see you two so happy." Agnarr smiled as he eyed his daughters. Though they were embarrassed and blushing profusely, they were still smiling brightly, their eyes shimmering, overflowing with affection for each other.
Anna beamed as Elsa stood behind her and wrapped her arms around the redhead's waist, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Anna hummed in response before craning her neck so she could meet Elsa's lips. "We are happy." Anna affirmed, her smile crinkling her eyes.
Elsa grinned back at her girlfriend and squeezed her softly before looking back to their father. "May I ask you something?" She said somewhat nervously.
"Sure, go ahead." Agnarr nodded as he took a sip of his coffee, sighing happily as the bitter liquid slid down his throat.
"Is it weird for you, seeing us like this?" Elsa asked, "Being affectionate and kissing. I know you accept our relationship, but it's one thing to accept it and another to actually see it."
"It's a little… awkward, I guess, to see you kissing, but not because of your relationship. It's just that I still think of you both as my little girls and even though I see you both standing before me as adults, you'll always be my babies and it's always going to make me a little… uncomfortable to see either of you kissing someone, no matter who that is," he replied thoughtfully, "but when I look at you two, I see how much you care for each other. It shows in your smiles, shines in your eyes, it's in the way you hold each other, the way you talk. Nothing could make me prouder or happier than seeing you two like that, you both deserve the love you have and I would never want to split that up. When I look at you, it reminds me of what Idunn and I were like when we were together. That's how she used to look at me, but we were forced apart and my biggest regret is not fighting harder to keep our family whole. I guess seeing you two together, happy, and so in love is beginning to make up for all the years that were lost. I just want you to have what your mother and I missed out on."
Elsa smiled brightly and blinked back the tears in her eyes, "Thank you." She replied softly, "Your support means everything to us."
"All I've ever wanted was for my children to be happy, there's nothing that could make me prouder than that."
Anna turned in Elsa's arms to face her, winding her own around the blonde's neck as she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Elsa's tenderly. "I love you." She whispered softly.
"I love you more." Elsa replied with ease before kissing the tip of Anna's nose, earning her a delightful giggle that like was music to the blonde's ears.
"You two are going to give me cavities if you keep that up." Agnarr joked when the girls separated again. "How are you feeling about yesterday? Is there anything you want to talk about? I know it was both emotionally and physically exhausting and you were probably overwhelmed with everything I told you, how are you coping with it today?"
Elsa shook her head a little, "Right now I'm still just trying to process everything. It all makes sense, but it's still confusing, I guess. I just need some more time to wrap my head around it I think, but I'm not upset with you or Mama. The situation is upsetting, us being separated, lied to, but I understand why you did it. I don't agree with all of the decisions, especially Mama's, and it makes me angry that we were deceived, but I don't blame you or Mama and I'm not angry at either of you, just the situation."
Agnarr gave Elsa a smile of understanding before striding forward and wrapping his arms around her. "I get it," he agreed softly, "I know this isn't something you can process overnight and that it's going to take time, but it means a lot to me that you're not upset with me or your mother. I know Idunn would be proud to see the two of you now, to see how grown up and happy you are, to see how much you love each other, it would make her so proud."
"The other night, just after we found out about Mama, you said it was all your fault and that if you had just gone along with the plan…" Elsa flittered her hand as she trailed off, "what did you mean by that? How is any of this your fault?"
Agnarr sighed as he took a step back, leaning against the bench behind him as he hung his head. "I blame myself for your separation, or at least for us never being able to reunite you. I just… I wish I had fought harder, I wish I had run after Idunn when we were supposed to split. Perhaps if I had you girls would have grown up together, maybe I could have given you both to your mother and I could have somehow lured Anthony out. If I had gone along with Idunn's plan and changed our names, maybe she wouldn't have been so scared. Maybe… maybe if I'd done what she asked of me… maybe she'd still be here.
"I can't help but feel responsible for her death because I know she worried immensely about Anna's safety, knowing that she and I were unprotected. She worried about Elsa too, of course, but Elsa was in her care and living under a new identity. She may have been overprotective and held Elsa back, but at least she knew she was safe. She didn't have those reassurances with Anna.
"I turned down witness protection, I refused to change our names and couldn't tell Anna that her sister was dead. In Idunn's eyes, Anna was at great risk. She got to live a normal childhood which put her in danger and that was on me. If something had happened to Anna, if she'd spoken to the wrong person about her sister or about me… we could have been caught and that weighed heavily on Idunn. She would have never forgiven me if something had happened to either of you girls and whilst she was doing everything she could to protect you, I was unintentionally unravelling all those protective layers she'd woven. If I had just gone along with the plan, she would have been more relaxed. She would've felt safer; she would at least have had the peace of mind of knowing Anna wasn't easy to track down. I put us all at risk and in the end, it cost Idunn her life. I can't forgive myself for that."
"I don't think that's true at all." Elsa said firmly as she took a step towards her father. He was still looking at the ground, his lips curled into a sad frown and the guilt he felt was clear in the tone of his voice. "I lived with Mama, I know first hand what she was like and I don't think she blamed you at all. In fact, I think it was quite the opposite. I think she was jealous that you were brave and strong enough to stand up to Anthony, to take a stand for our family and not let the controlling abuser control you and Anna.
"Looking back with the knowledge I have now, I think that Mama felt like another victim of his. Just like her sister, he had Mama and I under his thumb, he wanted to ruin our lives and Mama gave him exactly what he wanted. He may not have shown his face but I'm positive he was there, lurking in the shadows, hiding in plain sight, just to frighten Mama, to force her to uproot us again and again. He would have taken great pleasure in that, satisfaction that he didn't have to be physically tormenting us to still get under our skin.
"I overheard Mama on the phone once, I think she may have been talking to the police, I didn't catch the whole conversation and what I did hear, I didn't understand but she had said to them 'He's here. I can feel it.' They must have asked her if she'd seen him or something because she started getting really agitated, as if they wouldn't believe her and thought she was just being paranoid, which is exactly what I thought too at the time. I thought she was just being a typical overprotective parent, afraid of the big bad world, and of the unknown. She even forced me to wear these satin gloves all the time. I hated them, she told me it was to protect me from germs, but what if it wasn't? What if they were to stop me leaving fingerprints? She was so scared that I wouldn't put it past her.
"My point is, I don't think – no, I know she didn't blame you. She blamed herself. Sometimes, when I was younger, I'd sneak out of bed in the middle of the night – probably wanting to steal chocolate or something – anyway, I'd sneak out and I'd hear her crying on the couch. I'd peer around the corner and see her with a photo in her hands, just one, it was always the same one, I could tell, it had her hand writing on the back, 'Anna's first birthday.' it read. I always thought she was upset and mourning the loss of you both, but now, I think she was upset because she felt guilty, because she missed you and maybe regretted her choices, no matter how sound they were at the time. She'd sit there and trace the photo with her fingertip, muttering 'I'm so sorry,' under her breath. I thought she blamed herself for your deaths, but now I know she blamed herself for our separation and for allowing Anthony to control our lives.
"So please, don't blame yourself," Elsa concluded warmly, "because I don't blame you and I don't think Anna blames you either."
Anna walked to their father's side and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I don't blame you Papa. I blame Anthony. I blame him for what he did to Josephine, I blame him for escaping jail and threatening our lives. I blame him for inflicting this hell on us for all these years. So how could I possibly blame you or Mama now knowing all the facts, when all you ever did was protect us?"
Agnarr sighed and reached out to Elsa, pulling her in close as he hugged his daughters. "But I didn't protect you, my selfishness put all our lives in danger, made your mother paranoid and miserable, and ended up resulting in her death! It's my fault she's gone."
"Papa, no!" Anna said stubbornly, forcing Agnarr to meet her eyes. "You are not to blame. Did you make mistakes? Maybe. Did you make bad choices? Probably, but you did what you thought was best in that situation. You were under pressure, you had to make decisions fast, you couldn't have predicted that it would have taken this long for Anthony to show himself or that Mama would become so paranoid. You believed this separation would be a short-term thing. No one could have predicted it would go on for all these years, you wouldn't have separated in the first place if you had known Anthony wouldn't be caught.
"Mama still could have come out of witness protection at any time, she could have come back to us, but she chose to stay where she was, living her life in fear and constant vigilance. It was her decision to make and nothing would have changed her mind. I agree with Elsa, all of this is Anthony's fault, not yours, not Mama's, not Josephine's, just Anthony's. You can't keep blaming yourself, Papa. It's time to… let it go." Agnarr rolled his eyes at Anna over her choice of words.
"Thank you, girls." He said softly, his voice scratchy and weak. "For your support and understanding, I don't deserve to have such amazing daughters as you." Agnarr held his daughters a little tighter and kissed each of their foreheads.
"You support us, support our relationship, you haven't told us that it's wrong or immoral or told us to stop." Anna shrugged with a smile, "we're family, we're supposed to support and protect each other."
"All I've ever wanted is for my girls to be happy, and if that means being in a relationship together then who am I to judge? Yes, you're related by blood, but you didn't grow up together and weren't even aware that you were sisters when you met. Besides, you can't have kids so I don't need to worry about accidental pregnancies… or meeting the in-laws." Agnarr joked giving the women in his arms a squeeze.
"That's true." Elsa chuckled softly, she was about to say more when Anna's phone beeped on the kitchen counter.
The redhead removed herself from the embrace and picked it up, "It's just Kristoff, he's worried about me." She said softly.
"I don't blame him," Agnarr agreed, "you had us all incredibly worried yesterday. God, Anna, I thought that bullet had hit you… I'm just glad you're okay now."
"I'm fine, it was just shock and stress I guess." Anna replied as she hugged her father again.
"We should probably go see him, bring him up to speed on everything." Elsa suggested, "I need to go home tonight anyway, I have work tomorrow and I can't afford to take any more time off."
Anna's face dropped and the light in her eyes dulled a little, "Oh." She sighed glumly, "Can't we just pick up more clothes for you after visiting Kristoff?" She asked hopefully.
Elsa gave her a small smile and shook her head as she unfurled herself from her father's arms and stepped closer to her girlfriend. Agnarr seemed to sense that it was time to take his leave and slipped out of the room. "I'm sorry Anna, but I'm on the morning shift, I have to get up early and work is just around the corner from my building."
"I suppose." Anna grumbled with a pout, clearly unhappy with the arrangement. "I'll miss you."
Elsa smiled before cupping Anna's face in her hands and lowering her head to place a tender kiss on her lips. "I'll miss you too." She agreed softly, "Come on, let's get ready and go see Kristoff, then you can hang out at Belle's for a while, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you staying for dinner."
This seemed to lift Anna's mood a little, she smiled happily and wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist. "Sounds great."
It was mid afternoon by the time the girls entered Elsa's apartment, they'd spent a few hours with Kristoff and Sven, bringing them up to speed on everything and explaining what they'd learnt to the rather confused blonde. Belle was still at Adam's, but had let Elsa know she was bringing pizza home for dinner, no one was really in any mood to cook anyway.
Anna was currently standing in her sister's room, whilst she'd been here before, she'd never really paid that much attention to her surroundings. The room was quite neat, aside from the balled-up papers that still littered the floor around her desk and piano. Everything seemed to have a place, there were no clothes strewn about or dust on the furniture, no food wrappers or empty glasses, even her bed was made.
On the wall directly above the piano, was a long, rectangular frame, behind the glass was some hand-written sheet music. She crept closer to the image, whatever song this was it had to be pretty special to be framed and hung up on the wall. As soon as Anna got close enough to read the title she instantly felt a broad smile curl her lips, Let It Go, of course Anna thought, what else would it have been?
Whilst Elsa was busy unpacking her bag, Anna continued her exploration. Something very familiar caught her eyes on Elsa's bedside table. It was another framed picture, this one however, made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat. "Elsa." She breathed out as she glided towards the image in a trance-like state, her full attention on the frame before her. "You- you kept this?" She asked in awe as she reached out and picked up the picture. Her girlfriend came to stand behind her, Elsa's arms winding their way around Anna's waist as she rested her head on the younger's shoulder. "After all this time?"
"Always." Elsa replied warmly, her arms tightening around Anna.
The redhead spun on the spot and threw her arms around her girlfriend before crashing their lips together, the framed drawing of a quirky looking snowman still clutched in her grip. When she pulled back, Anna had tears running down her cheeks and a tender smile curling her lips.
Anna released Elsa and backed away until she hit the bed before lowering herself to sit on the mattress, the frame held out in front of her as she studied the image inside. Elsa sat herself down beside the redhead, one arm curling around her girlfriend's waist. Slowly, Anna traced the snowman with her fingertip, the memory of them drawing it together was so vivid now that she had the picture in her hands.
"I can't believe you kept it." She whispered, "Drawing this with you, pushing it under the door is one of the strongest memories I have of us as kids. You were so sick and Mama wouldn't let me play with you and it had started snowing and I knew that you loved the snow and would have been sad that you couldn't play in it…" Anna's voice broke as she trailed off, the memory of the moment was overwhelming and she was sure her heart was about to explode with affection for the blonde beside her.
"This was one of the only keepsakes I had of you. I treasured it, protected it, it's my most prized possession." Elsa smiled and pressed a kiss to Anna's cheek, "I was so sick, that day I couldn't stop coughing and my head felt like it was on fire. But you, you managed to make me feel better, my body was freezing, I was shivering and so cold and you managed to warm me up from the other side of the door. You didn't care if you got sick, or if you missed out on playing in the snow, all you wanted was to make me feel better. You always cared more about the happiness of others than your own, even when you were a kid. You always managed to cheer me up, no matter what."
Anna felt her face warm with a vibrant blush from Elsa's loving praise. She wasn't doing anything special or out of the ordinary, she was just being herself – just Anna. "You're welcome." She croaked through her shyness and tears and felt her blush deepen when Elsa chuckled beside her.
The blonde pulled away slightly before taking the frame from Anna's grip and placing it back on the bedside table. She turned back to face her girlfriend and tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes, her hands lingering on Anna's cheeks as she traced the subtle lines and dimples, her thumbs brushing over the multitude of freckles that she adored. "You are the best thing to have ever happened to me." Elsa whispered as one hand slid to the back of Anna's head and the other gently cupped her cheek. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to realise it."
Anna sniffled and turned her head to lay a soft kiss on Elsa's palm, "It's not like I didn't run too." She murmured, a little of that shame she felt before crept back into her belly. "But that's all over now, to quote my favourite songwriter, 'the past is in the past.' What matters most is what we do with our future. Now, I'm not sure what lays in store for us, but I do know that I'll always be by your side, holding your hand, loving you, no matter what."
This time it was Elsa's eyes that were shimmering with unshed tears, with light, and warmth, and affection. She nodded her head and gave Anna a wonky smile before pulling her forward and kissing her adoringly. "I love you." Elsa managed to croak out.
"I love you too." Anna sighed happily against those warm lips, her smile brighter than the sun.