Anna and Kristoff stood on the busy New York streets, staring up at the glittering sign of Fitzgerald's. The name in itself made Anna want to puke. Unknown to the other, neither one of them was very comfortable with fancy restaurants. It was too much work just to get a bite to eat. Use the right fork, sit up straight, ticket paid thanks to your now empty savings account. Anna had made a promise to herself this past week to be more open and honest, and not just with herself, but with Elsa and Kristoff, too.

She sighed and slouched, letting her head tilt all the way back as she turned to look at the tall blonde next to her. "Kristooooff…" she whined, lips forming a pout around his name.

He was grimacing at the sign, too, and when he turned to look at the redhead beside him, he nearly choked on his laughter. There she was; that goofy little thing he fell in love with. Ah, right… that… "Whaaaat?" he answered, mocking her. He saw a grin tug at the corner of her pouty lips.

"Look, I know Elsa made reservations here, but…" She sighed, standing normally now. "To be honest, I'd really rather just go to Oaken's Diner for a burger…"

"Oh, thank God…!" he groaned, running a hand over his face. "That's the best idea I've ever heard." Anna's face lit up with a small, shy smile. "It's just a few blocks over. You think you're okay to walk?"

Anna waved a hand. "Pfft, ah, yeah, I'm great!" she laughed.

He grinned down at her. "Great… C'mon!" He grabbed her hand automatically. "Ah, I'm sorry!" he blushed, pulling his hand away as they began to walk. "I, uh…"

Anna grinned at the concrete. "It's okay," she said timidly, and slipped her hand back in his. What could it hurt? They were best friends.

About halfway there, in mid conversation, Anna stumbled a bit, falling into Kristoff. "Whoa, whoa, you okay?" he said, stopping and pulling her gently out of the way of other walkers.

"No, yeah, I'm fine… I get these dizzy spells occasionally. The doctor said it tends to happen with the kind of severe head trauma I suffered. It's normal…ish," she told him with a single chuckle.

Kristoff looked down at her, unsure of how 'normal' this actually was, but he trusted her. "Alright, well… come on. We're almost there." Instead of taking her hand again, he tucked her arm around his waist and put his own arm around her shoulders. "You know… just in case," he explained with a soft smile. Both blushed and continued on to Oaken's Diner.

Twenty minutes later, they were laughing and giggling in a round booth in Oaken's. They had started at the very edge of each side of the booth, but eventually made their way towards the center, their shoulders only half a foot away, knees touching. "No, I'm serious, try it!" Anna giggled, pushing her chocolate shake closer to him. Kristoff rolled his eyes, grinning, and took a French fry, dipping it in the chocolate ice cream. "That's it! You got it!" He hesitated, looking at her playfully with narrow eyes, which was a bad idea. She smirked and reached for his elbow, giving a little push, the food going right in his mouth, not with out a groan of objection from him.

"Huh…" he said thoughtfully before swallowing. "That's actually really good!"

"See?!" Her eyes were bright with laughter, something he hadn't seen in them in a long time. He was so relieved this was going well. He just wished she knew what it really meant to him.

"Yeah… I see," he replied, smiling softly down at her.

His gaze made her blush, and she smiled down at her shake. The whole night had been small talk, and she figured it was now or never to get down to some answers. "So… Elsa let me in on a few things I missed out on the six months I was out," she prompted, risking a glance at him.

Kristoff immediately tensed. "Um… Oh yeah?"

She giggled a bit at his sudden discomfort. "Yeah. About Hans. How he stopped visiting after the second week." She was fiddling with her fingers in her lap, staring at them with interest. "About how you visited… every day. You brought a Snapdragon every day." She looked up at him then, her crystal hues glistening. He was finding it harder to breathe. "You sang to me. Read to me. Talked to me. And even after I woke up, you were there every moment you could manage."

Kristoff didn't know what to say as his hand automatically fell to the back of his neck, rubbing nervously. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He knew what he wanted to say. But his mouth just opened and closed like a fish out of water. She had cornered him, and he wasn't sure what her reasons were. Did she feel for him like he did for her? "I… You're my best friend, Anna."

Sad disappointment fell across her features, her eyes pleading with him. "Kristoff…"

He was shaking. He realized he was shaking, and it was now or never. He had to show her. There would be no way she could ask why after that. He ran both hands through his hair nervously and took her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here," he muttered, lifting their hands over the table as they scooted out of the booth. He dug into his pocket and left a wad of cash on the table. "I have to show you something."

Anna was at a loss, pleading for answers, but she followed his lead out of the diner. Once in the cab, she watched as he nervously removed his tie. Just the thought of what things that might lead to made her face flush a deep red. "Turn around," he asked softly, holding his tie in his hands.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

He grinned. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes…" she said slowly, her eyes narrowing a bit in suspicion.

"Then turn around."

She sighed and did as she was told. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling the tie gently across her eyes, and his thumbs brushed her cheeks, giving her chills. "Kristoff, what—"

"Trust me."

She leaned back into the seat of the cab once the tie was secure around her eyes. They were silent the rest of the way to their destination, and it felt like pterodactyls were fighting to escape her stomach. Her heart was racing, and she gasped when the cab suddenly stopped. Kristoff wordlessly took both of her hands and helped her out of the car. "No peeking," he whispered in her ear as she heard the cab pull away with the other. He wrapped his arm around her as he did before on the way to Oaken's and led her to what was obviously an elevator. The ride felt like forever long, and when they did finally step off, Anna squealed when she was suddenly hauled up into his arms, bridal style.

"Kris!" she shrieked.

He chuckled as he started walking up some steps. "I love it when you call me that."

"What are you doing?"

"Trust. Me."

Anna was beginning to freak out a bit. How was he carrying her so effortlessly? He wasn't even breathing hard! Wait, why was he even carrying her in the first place? In all honesty, she needed practice with stairs. She felt him push open what sounded like a heavy, metal door, and a rush of fresh cool air hit them. Anna was suddenly breathless, her eyes wide behind her blindfold. No you did not, Kristoff Bjorgman. No, no, no, stop it. Tell me you did not! her head screamed.

Kristoff felt her shivering, realizing it wasn't just him anymore. "Are you cold?"

Anna could hear the concern in his voice. She couldn't speak. She felt like she couldn't breathe. So all she did was shake her head, a little too quickly as she felt a hard wooden surface beneath her as Kristoff sat her down. And it was moving. A sob caught in her throat. "Kristoff…" she breathed, voice shaking.

"Shh…" He knelt down in front of her. He knew she had figured it out. Anna was a sharp one, and she had picked up on it the moment he opened the door to the roof.

"Please tell me you didn't, Kristoff…" she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks from under he tie. He said nothing, but took her hands, lifting them to the rope on either side of her. Her chin dropped to her chest as another sob rolled through her tiny body, but his warm hands immediately cupped her cheeks, holding it up again.

He brushed the tears away with his thumbs. "You ready?" he asked softly.

"Kris…" He barely heard it.

When the tie slid from her eyes, she gasped. They were on the roof of her apartment building, but it was nothing at all like she remembered it. They were at the center, and she was indeed in a wooden swing. She looked up to find it handing from… a metal tree?! She reached out to touch the bark, and sure enough, it was metal, wrought iron. Her eyes scanned over to the blonde kneeling beside her, and he was smiling. "I know, I know. Metal? Kind of defeats the purpose of a garden in the concrete jungle, but they wouldn't let me haul a live oak up here." She just stared at him, wide-eyed, more tears welling up in her eyes. "Go on… take a look around."

He stood up as she did and leaned against the tree, watching her as she looked around her new garden. Snapdragons, orchids, stargazer lilies, hydrangeas, daffodils, gerber daisies… Blues, pinks, purples, orange, so much green! Lights were strung across the whole garden, meeting at the very center as though it were impersonating a tent. Long patches of green grass were lined with large, smooth, round rocks. Deep green ivy and jade twisted up the wooden lattice work spotted along the edges of the roof. And in the far corner was a stained, wooden gazebo.

She took a deep, shuddering breath as she walked closer to it. A white and red gingham blanket lie at the center, along with a plate of intermingled chocolate covered strawberries and her favorite truffles. Again, his name escaped her lips in a breath as she turned around to face him. He had followed her halfway. Both of her small hands were clutched together at her chest as she admired him. Long, blonde locks, those shoulders, those muscles, his infuriatingly sexy attire. And this? All of this was for her? She shook her head, unable to comprehend. "Why?" she squeaked. "The visits, the flower a day, the reading, the singing, your constant presence and comfort, why?!"

He looked at her with almost a sad smile as he shrugged his shoulders in defeat, letting out a sigh. "Because, damn it Anna… I love you." She felt something constrict in her chest as he began closing the distance between them. "I've loved you for a hell of a long time." He let out a dry laugh as he stopped about a foot away from her. "Pretty sure since I discovered your fifteen-year-0ld self sniffling on my doorstep six years ago." She wasn't saying anything. Just staring at him in, what, shock? Disgust? He ran a hand over his face, taking a few steps back. "Look, Anna, I just—"

But he didn't get to finish, because the petite redhead launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her lips fervently against his. Once he registered what was happening, he leaned down into the kiss, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as his other hand pressed against the small of her back. Kissing Anna was nothing like he dreamed it would be; it was all of that and more. Her full lips were soft, and she tasted of chocolate. He nearly laughed as he deepened the kiss; of course chocolate!

When she finally pulled away, Kristoff noticed the tears were back. "Anna, baby, please don't cry anymore… I can't stand to see you cry…" he said softly as he rested his forehead against hers.

"B-but… but I love you, Kristoff," she hiccupped, gazing up at him, a smile finally dancing across her pink lips. "God, I love you so much!"

Kristoff, in a fit of excitement, laughed and lifted Anna back up, bridal style, spinning her around. She, too, couldn't help but laugh softly with him as he carried her back over to the swing. He sat down with her in his lap, and she snuggled in against his chest as he rocked them back and forth. "You remembered…" she whispered, smiling into him. "I can't believe you remembered…"

"I've never forgotten a single word that has ever left your mouth, Anna Arendelle. Not one single word."