NOTE: I'm so sorry about how long it took me to get this chapter out! I've been dealing with several personal issues, as well as working on MSM and other projects. Truth is, I feel like I needed a break from Elsanna a bit; much though I love the fandom, I literally see it every single day on my Tumblr dash and I guess some days that's more than enough, and navigating that plus trying to write fic overwhelms me. Hope this doesn't offend any of you, but it really shouldn't; this is about what I want and how my mind works.

But today, I'm putting in the Blu-Ray and letting the movie play in the background for inspiration! We're about to kick ass and take names!

Ugh, and now I'm crying. This is not conducive to writing.

Also, I apologise for how dark and sad this chapter gets, but it's been coming for some time. I held it off for twelve chapters, it was the best I could do.

Jessex

Chapter 12: Non-Disclosure Agreement

There was a certain finality to the click of the trunk when Elsa slammed the lid shut. This one was mostly full of business suits, and she sincerely doubted she'd be needing anything inside until she arrived. Various toiletries could be more easily purchased again than packed and unpacked. Most of her posh artefacts and memorabilia were too fragile to be moved more than strictly necessary.

As she continued to tuck rolls of pantyhose and other sundry items into her carry-on, a bottle of paracetamol fell and knocked against her shoe, rolling under the bed. Cursing mildly under her breath, she knelt to retrieve it… and instead found a small slice of strawberry.

Elsa slowly sank to the floor, staring down at the thin red bit of discarded matter. Here it was; evidence that a mere two days ago, she had been happy.

~ o ~

Applause filled her ears like the rushing of ocean waves, hands were pounding her on the back. Though she did her best to nod and seem gracious, she was sure it was easily transparent to anyone who was granting the speech more than half their attention that she was less than enthused about a return to Europe. Not that it even began to cover how she truly felt.

Those bastards, she thought as she managed not to trip on her way down from the stage. They really have done an end run around all of my safeguards. Well, this will not stand. I shall find a way around it! I have not yet begun to fight!

Anna's arm around her shoulder gave her some small comfort as the cacophony persisted, and she waved to everyone, muttered thank-yous and how-lovelies on her way to the restroom. Once inside, she let her armour drop and completely broke down.

"It's not so bad," Anna had told her through a strained voice, trembling hands doing all they could to soothe her more-than-friend. "Obviously, you're the top shareholder, there's no way they can legally seize the entire company; this isn't a big deal."

"It is," she growled through her tears. "They manipulated me! Just when I was entirely positive that my position was secure, when I thought I had thwarted their scheme… I'm utterly destroyed by this ace up their sleeve. Remorseless and spineless scoundrels they may be, but… but who cares about their moral fibre when they've beaten me?"

"I do," Anna snapped, grasping her by both shoulders. "It does matter to me, b-because I know you've been doing the right thing! This company is still yours, and not because you tricked anybody! Eventually, justice is going to win out and we both know that!"

It took several deep breaths before Elsa's throat could form coherent sound again. "When does 'eventually' come to pass, Anna? When will we vanquish the interlopers?"

"Interlopers?" It was the turn of phrase that broke Anna out of her mood, and she cracked a sympathetic smile. "Come on, they're jerks, but I don't think it's going to take an army and a battering ram. We'll find a way."

Perhaps it was merely desperation to find solace in the face of such an unexpected shock, but Elsa found herself nodding very slightly. She was right, of course. Elsa knew it; she just needed a moment to let her rage subside.

Minutes passed in silence before the door to the ladies' banged open and another voice intruded. "Dahling, are you alright?"

Swiping furiously at her face, the CEO stood up from where she was perched on the courtesy bench against the far wall and held herself upright. "Dandy, Ella. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Because your hired hands are putting you out to pasture, dear," Ella chuckled lightly, retouching her makeup in the mirror. "Like an old cow."

"Your comparison is much appreciated," Elsa grunted.

"Oh, suck it up, buttercup. You'll get your own back in good time." A light shrug. "I've seen you handle worse. Remember the crude oil scandal three years back?"

That sent a fresh shudder down Elsa's back. "Indeed."

"And you had everyone who was previously screaming for your head on a spike patting you on the back for your 'innovative solution' before the quarterly reports were out. Turn it around, strudel; make lemonade out of lemons."

"You're right, the pair of you. It's… going to be difficult to get this decision lifted, but not impossible. Thank you."

"Of course," Anna agreed softly, face stretching into a grin. "Man, I've seen you in action in the board room, and you're a- a raging storm! You'll have them shaking in their shoes in no time!"

"Give them a good kick in the teeth," Ella added with her toothy smile.

Pushing her shoulders back, Elsa examined her own face in the mirror. Her makeup was abysmal, but a few dabs with a tissue cured that. "Exactly, old friend! There's always hope!"

~ o ~

"There's no hope."

It took a great deal of self-control to prevent Elsa from leaping over the desk and throttling Sven Kristofferson where he sat. "Come again?"

"I've been over and over North Mountain policy, Glacier," he went on, swiping his meaty hand back and forth over the surface of his SmartDesk. "And while normally you would have been included in any and all meetings in regards to the position of Chairman of the Board, if the current CEO is determined to be operating, and I quote, 'without consideration for the best interests of the company', they can omit you from the proceedings since you're the whole problem in the first place. All here in ones and zeroes."

"But I'm not a problem! They're the ones with the dirty dealings going on under the boardroom table! Can't I just… fire them all for what they've done, prove that they were acting to protect their own assets rather than for the sake of North Mountain?"

"You could if you were still Chairman, of course - or at least call for another 'vote of no confidence' to fire other board members, do what they did to you. But now that you've been displaced… you'll have to go through shareholder channels."

Elsa's heart sank. The aforementioned channels would open up doors for endless meetings that may eventually lead to their removal, it was true, but they weren't going to grant her the satisfaction of literally shouting "you're fired" into that smug Dick Weselton's face. "Fantastic. In the meantime, my actual position within the company will slip further and further if I don't maintain a semblance of dignity and relocate to Norway until I can manipulate my stakes into getting me reinstated as chair."

"Bingo."

"'Regional Manager Of Norwegian Interests'. It even sounds made up. Oh, Sven," she sighed weakly, leaning back in the chair to massage her temples. "I'm not sure I've the heart to keep rolling back the tide like this, every little snag, every micro-crisis. I'm just… tired."

At that, he finally looked up from the data in front of him. "Froiland, you don't look so hot."

"I don't feel so hot."

"Can this really be you? Talking about, y'know... stepping down?"

Her shoulders lifted briefly before sagging again. "I'm still the majority shareholder. Even if I left my position as Chairman, I could sell off a few shares whenever I need money and likely live off it for the rest of my life. Perhaps a slightly less frivolous lifestyle would be in order, but..."

"And your shares pay out dividends," Sven conceded with a grunt as he folded his hands and propped them under his chin, staring down at the desk. "I know, I know. Just seems like you've gone to way too much work to throw in the towel now, just sit back and collect."

"Oh, I agree. But when the business world has become so cutthroat that I'm being replaced by the team I assembled to populate my board, then it's-"

"Wait. How old is this?"

Elsa forced one eye to open, squinting at Sven. "How old is what?"

"This contract, the one that gives them the right to bump you to another position without notice, or a hearing." He flipped forward a digital page, then back. "Knew something didn't smell right."

"Can't smell any worse than you," Elsa quipped as she leaned over the desk. With a flourish, Sven rotated the display so they could both read it if they leaned in. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

He gestured. "This clause here. It's very, very non-standard. I mean, the wording is almost identical to what I'd normally find in a contract like this, but a verb here, a preposition there, and now… see what I mean?"

"Well, yes." The longer she stared at it, the closer her eyebrows drew to each other. "In fact, I'm almost certain that isn't how it looked when I last renewed my contract. Of course, it's been a while - close to a year, I should think."

A certain excitement was creeping into Sven's voice as he asked, "Did you ever get a hard copy? Something you can compare against this digital one?"

"I'm afraid not. You know that's no longer standard practise with the Ecology Initiative in place, and I've done my level best to keep my company green."

"Mine, too," he acquiesced. "Just hoping. What about an offline backup?"

Elsa shook her head apologetically. "Several redundant online backups, but none offline. I have a service that does that for my personal files, but that wouldn't include anything business-related from within the past year."

"Okay, this is very important," Sven whispered, leaning even further in and speaking so quietly she almost missed every other word. "You mentioned you had someone working on… a backdoor. For the redhead. I don't need to know, and I don't want to know, but is it possible they could help you out with this? Dig up a discarded backup, or a previous draft of a current file that would otherwise be lost? That might be your best bet."

Yzma. "The program should be able to handle two tasks as easy as one, I suppose. I'll make the call when I get back to my office."

"Don't call from there. Do it from home - or better yet, wait until you get overseas. It'll be a lot harder for them to monitor your networks in another country."

"But my office has OLAF," she snorted. "It's secure, I've swept regularly."

"Oh really? How's that working out for you so far?" The look she shot him was so venomous that he grimaced in lieu of an apology. "Just saying."

"You're right, of course. I hate that you are, but my hate doesn't change our situation." Squaring her shoulders, she offered her hand to the sandy-haired man. "I'm indebted to you again, it seems."

Both his hand and his head shook. "Nah. You're getting a raw deal. Even if I didn't consider you a friend, I'd still want to help set this straight. They're horse-collaring you, and it's a dick move that I can't abide. You got Kristofferson on defense."

A sudden mad desire to grab him and kiss the crown of his head swept over Elsa, and though she resisted it made her grin. Without knowing the purpose behind the smile, Sven merely returned it confidently. It was nice to have such a bulwark of staunch morality in her corner.

~ o ~

"Well?"

The fatigue must have been coming off her in waves as Elsa slid into the driver's seat of her silver BMW, because Anna dropped her eyes and didn't ask anything further. With a snail's pace, they emerged from the car park beneath Sven's building, heading off to find something for a late lunch.

Then Anna flipped on the radio. A strange dithering of synthetic strings overlapped with yodeling, which made her grimace and change the station.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.

"What's it look like? Turning on the radio. Just can't stand that 'synth-age' crap."

"My fault, I was inaccurate. Why are you doing that?"

Anna shot her an impatient look as she snapped it back off irritably. "Because you won't talk and all this quiet is driving me bonkers." They drove on in silence for a few more minutes before she prompted, "Well?"

"Well, nothing. The future doesn't look bright, but all hope is not lost. Nothing else for it right now but to accept my current fate."

"And mope like a little girl, apparently."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you are. This all sucks, but you bottling it up and not talking about it isn't going to help anything."

"Grousing about it to you isn't going to help anything, either. It's just going to depress both of us. Better I be the only one dealing with it than pull you under my dark cloud."

They drove on in silence for another few blocks. Elsa turned at a traffic light. She was halfway down the next street before Anna whispered, "So that's it."

"Pardon?"

"This is how far into your life I get to go before I'm shut out. I did wonder when things got a little intimate what kind of relationship we were going to have. Turns out, not a lot different from Hans, except maybe that you don't verbally abuse me or make me dress up in ridiculous outfits."

At that, Elsa actually turned to gape at Anna, eyes wide and hurt. "Wh… what? How can you say that? I'm not shutting you out, I'm simply-"

"You are. Not the way he did, but… you still think I can't handle the deeper level stuff, and how is that supposed to make me feel, huh?"

"It's not that way and you know as much. There just isn't any use in dumping this upon your head. I care about you too much to think you worrying needlessly is going to benefit either one of us."

"Stop the car."

It took Elsa a moment to comprehend what Anna had said. "Stop th-"

"Pull over and let me out, I'm walking."

Elsa wanted to scream. She wanted to beat her forehead against the steering wheel over and over until the ringing in her ears stopped. Instead, she guided the car into a parking spot by the side of a small grassy square, shifting the gear into "park". But as Anna reached for the door handle, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Are you sorry I'm leaving, or sorry I called you out on your bullshit?"

"Yes."

At that response, Anna groaned and sat back again. "Why do you have to be so cute when you're dejected? Totally not fair."

Elsa didn't let herself process the unexpected compliment. Anna was right, and allowing herself to feel less guilty would probably make it all too easy for her to forego explaining herself properly. "Please, I'm just so tired, and there are things that will only put you in more danger if I tell you. It's smarter for me to… to keep you safe by holding all those secrets back from your ears. I wish so badly that things weren't this way, though!"

"You know I don't believe that," she snapped, arms folded. Defensive body language; she felt threatened. That was the last thing Elsa wanted Anna to feel in her presence. "How are they even going to know that I know? And if you're worried about me mentioning it to somebody on the phone, well, you can forget it, sister. I'm like the Fort Knox of dirty secrets."

"But what if they persuade you?"

The look on her face was most certainly offended. "You really think my integrity has a price? There's not enough money in the world to buy me off! Especially not when it's you!"

"That's… not the type of persuasion I meant."

"Oh. Then w- right." Both of her jeans-coated knees pulled up to prop her feet against the seat cushion. "The picture."

Elsa nodded sadly, eyes full of sympathy. "I hope you don't think this is the first time I've had to contend with something like this. Or the second, or the third. It's not just my reputation on the line."

"So we look a little goofy in the ball pit. Maybe that doesn't project the most managerial air we could want, but it's not really a big-"

"What else do you think the picture represents, Anna? It's not just that they know we're…" Still she stumbled over the word, but now was not the time to examine such things. "It's that they followed us to take it. They are tracking our movements. I want you to feel safe with me, and… the more I let you into this world, where everyone seems to be clawing at my throat, the less safe you are, and-"

"That's no way to live, though!" Anna protested. "Afraid that a bunch of grumpy old assholes are going to take a picture, or leave a bloody horse head under your blanket? Fuck that!"

Suddenly, Elsa burst out laughing. The choice of words took her by surprise. "Really, now? You'd do that with a horse's head?"

It just barely got Anna to smile, and she knew in the future they would be rolling about this exchange. In the moment, however, her fiery young lover would not be deterred. "Bump up security. Hire a bodyguard - hell, we could both take karate lessons or something! Don't let them change us!"

"Not good enough, I'm afraid. If your safety isn't one hundred per cent guaranteed, then… then I don't care, that's unacceptable. You are my priority."

"What could they possibly do to me just because I'm sort of your girlfriend? Stop spinning all these conspiracy theories!"

Elsa's throat tightened as her hands tightened on the steering wheel. She had run out of time and out of excuses. "They're not theories. I can prove it."

"Oh, really?" Anna barked, rolling her eyes. "What, is one of your suit buttons really a microphone, do you have a recording of Weselton cackling in his secret laboratory?"

"Nothing so fun and nineteen-sixties. Buckle up again, please."

It hurt both of them that Elsa had to add the little "please". That Anna's need to escape the car moments ago had been so great that Elsa didn't want to imply that she had no choice in the matter. They both waited a long moment, Elsa defeatedly, Anna defiantly. Cars whooshed by on one side of them. A bicycle drifted past on the other.

"Elsa… are you crying?"

She was, and she hadn't even felt it begin. When Anna's hand reached for her, she hurriedly said, "It's only a thirty minute roundtrip; our lunch won't be but an hour or so late. Or go on back to the apartment. Your choice."

Instead of speaking, Anna pulled the belt free, holding it halfway between the door and the buckle, staring down at the little metal tongue. She spared Elsa one last glance of contemplation before she slowly brought it in and fastened it with a click.

"Where…?"

"All in good time."

~ o ~

The cold and sterile scent of cleaning products assaulted the insides of Elsa and Anna's noses as they waited in the corridor, staring in at the patients through the thick-paned glass window. Speakers overhead called for a visitor to report to an examination room to meet with a physician. Orderlies and other personnel moved back and forth behind them at varied paces.

"So," Anna asked in a hushed tone. "What's… who are we waiting for?"

"Shouldn't be long now," Elsa assured her, cradling the small cup of noncaf coffee in her palms as if it were the last bastion of hope before her life fell apart again. "They said she was merely resting."

"Who is she? Who are we here to see?"

"It's… ah, there she is now."

Anna followed Elsa's sober line of sight to see a tall male nurse pushing a wheelchair into the cheery, skylit room. In it was slumped an emaciated woman in her mid-twenties with a long, vibrant mane of crimson that looked like it had been immaculately groomed a few hours ago. Now, however, it was slightly matted and tangled. The glassy stare, slight rocking to and fro, and mismatched purple blouse and green skirt only added to her disheveled appearance. They both watched as the nurse stopped and spoke to her, but she gave no indication that she heard. Then he was thumbing a couple of buttons that locked the wheels in place so she wouldn't roll away.

"Global aphasia," Elsa began without waiting for Anna's questions. The hollow quality in her voice was so unguarded that nearly every other word made the younger woman flinch. "The TBI also manifests as a sort of autism. They've made remarkable progress with her, hard as it is to believe; top specialists have her doing a variety of exercises, taking supplements. The paraplegia, however… that's never going away no matter what they do."

Both pairs of eyes went to the patient's legs, which had even less muscle definition. By comparison, the rest of her body was almost healthy.

"She looks so lost," Anna breathed, her fingertips pressing against the glass absentmindedly. "Like… she doesn't even know where she is, or what she's doing here."

"They say she does, though. Some of it. Not that we'll know for certain in the near future." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Well, then. Would you like to say 'hello'?"

"What?" Anna squeaked, spinning to gape at Elsa. "Oh, but I- but why would I? She never knew me, and is meeting new people even okay for her? I don't want to be a-"

The small smile on Elsa's face was one carved from chilled marble. "She likely won't even know you're there. And if she does, she'll be glad of company. I'm afraid her remaining family won't visit. A few of her sisters drop by now and again, but the rest… anyway. You don't have to, you can wait here if you'd rather."

Anna shook her head. "No, I'll come if you're sure she won't mind."

Nodding, Elsa took her gently around the corner to the door and through. The wheelchair-bound patient didn't look up, didn't notice them; her look was as blank as it had been the entire while. Elsa didn't wait for introductions, but immediately sat directly across from her and gestured for Anna to take the neighbouring chair.

"Hello, my little pearl."

There was a very specific cadence and weight to those words, and as Elsa spoke them, a change came over the woman's face. It wasn't spectacular, just a focusing within the eyes, some blinking, and the lips twitching as her head moved slightly, as if she were actually hearing the sound from down a long hallway and were trying to locate its source.

"We've got a new friend today," she went on, voice slightly hushed and sweet but not as if talking down to a small child. "This is Anna."

The woman's eyes closed, listening. Her head swayed, then pointed up as if sniffing the air. She was staring directly between them and slightly over their heads now.

"Anna, this is Ariel, my little pearl."

Taking her cue from Elsa's tiny nod, Anna cleared her throat and said, "H-hello, Ariel. I'm Anna… and I'm a new friend." When she checked Elsa for confirmation that she wasn't screwing this up, Elsa nodded at her reassuringly. "It's nice to meet you."

Elsa had been right; it looked like Ariel was listening, but she wasn't able to respond. She simply rocked slightly and worked her mouth back and forth.

"I've brought you a treat!" she whispered as she dug into the pocket of her slacks for her keys. Anna watched in wonderment as she unlatched a tiny box that always dangled from them. It looked decorative, like the tiny treasure chests that sat at the bottom of aquariums - but now it was actually opening, and apparently contained a small ring. A simple silver band but with intricate designs. "Here, love, let's put it on you."

As the ring went onto Ariel's finger, Anna let out a soft sound of surprise; every finger had a ring on it, and some of them two or three. This made the second ring on her right index finger. Even the thumbs had larger rings on them.

"Let's check the others." One by one, she tugged on the rest of the rings. Most of them were fine, but one of them on her left middle finger came loose quite easily, nearly falling free. "Ah, I thought we might have a runner!"

That sparked a reaction. Ariel rocked slightly faster, shaking her head back and forth, clearly distressed. Elsa quickly tucked the ring into the velvety innards of the box and latched it, dropping her keys into her pocket. Then she took both sides of Ariel's face in her splayed hands.

"Shhh, it's alright, little pearl! It will be back soon. Shhh, it's okay, shhh…"

After another moment, Ariel calmed, her breathing evening out. Then her mouth dropped open and she made a mewling sound as her eyes swept up to meet Elsa's, lip twitching back and forth.

"Hmm? Are we having a strong day?"

"Eha," she verbalised with obvious difficulty. "M-me…"

"Yes," Elsa nodded as if she knew what she was saying - because, as it turned out, she did. "I love you, too, my pearl. Always."

At that, Ariel's face relaxed. She did not truly smile, but there was a serenity there that was different from the vacancy from before they had entered the room. When Elsa's lips rose up to press against her forehead… only then did one corner of her mouth twitch upward for a half-second. In that half-second, her striking beauty was impossible to miss.

Twenty or more minutes slipped by as Elsa talked to Ariel, who listened with varying degrees of interest that were only substantial in comparison with each other. Once, when Elsa asked about Ariel's mother, she began shivering all over and making a sound that sounded like coughing that brought the nurse over to check on her. When he asked if she wanted to be taken back to her room, Ariel grasped in Elsa's direction until she caught on the edge of her skirt and then held on for dear life. The meaning was impossible to misinterpret.

There was a sadness to her eyes when their allotted time was at an end. Unsure of what else to do, Anna leaned in and hugged Ariel as if she were made of glass. There was no movement from Ariel until she pulled away, at which point her weak grip held her fast. Both visitors were startled by the intensity in her eyes as she gazed up at Anna.

"What?" Anna asked carefully. "What is it?"

"Eha."

"Elsa?" A fluttering of eyelashes. "What about Elsa?"

Ariel's gaze fell for a moment in confusion, though she did not let go. Then it raised again. "Eha… m-me… ffah… she-you, I…" Tears of frustration came to her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Anna whispered in alarm. "I'm n-not really- I don't…"

"She's important to me, Ariel," Elsa told her, leaning in closer so she could close one hand over each girl's shoulder. "She's my new friend. Please don't be sad."

"Nnnn," Ariel went on, eyebrows knitted. "M-me…" She took several breaths, nodding, then looked at Elsa again. "Sssaaaffe."

That word was clear as a bell, despite how slurred. "Everyone is safe," Elsa soothed her, hand coming up to smooth over her hair. "It's alright, don't worry about anyone but yoursel-"

"Ariel," Anna said clearly, and her eyes slowly came back to meet the younger woman's gaze. "I will, I promise. Promise," she repeated for good measure.

Tears leaked down Ariel's face as she nodded, the movement jerky but deliberate. Then she slumped backward, exhausted.

"I'm afraid that's it," the nurse told them gently. "This is more than I've heard her push herself in weeks. She needs rest now."

"I'll come again soon, my pearl," Elsa whispered as she kissed her on the cheek. "Bye bye."

They both stood back and watched as Ariel was wheeled out of the room, all but unconscious after such a taxing ordeal. Then, at a loss for what else to do, they retrieved Elsa's coffee and exited the small lounge.

"Oh, God," Anna whispered.

"You never really get used to it," Elsa affirmed as they walked. "But the shock wears off somewhat after the first few visits."

"What the hell happened? Or was she…"

"Always this way?" she guessed. "No, of course not. She was once as whole and unimpaired as you and I. W-wonderfully so."

"So you and her were…" A long silence passed as they reached the elevators and rode them down to the parking level. Anna did not push for confirmation. "What happened? Can you talk about it?"

"What happened to her was me. I happened. My life happened to her."

"I don't understand," Anna said as they got into the car. As Elsa made to start it, Anna stayed her hand. "Wait. You don't have to drive while talking about this; I could drive if you w-"

"No, I need to. I can't just sit right now, I need to move, I need to do something." Relenting, Anna dropped her hand. They were soon on the motorways again.

"She's beautiful, you know."

Elsa sighed, making a less-than-graceful turn. "Don't patronise me, or her. She looks like a shattered husk of a person."

"No," Anna whispered. "She… I'm serious, she's so pretty. And I don't just mean 'for an inpatient' or whatever, honest."

"This isn't right. You shouldn't feel obligated to flatter me about my… about her, knowing what she was to me once. Don't you see how bizarre it is?"

"It's not flattery if it's true! And I can't imagine holding who she is against either of you, not when… when things turned out the way they did. Anybody who would has got to be some kind of horrible bitchmonster." A strained moment had begun to grow stale before she tried again. "How long have you, um, been together?"

"We aren't."

Anna blinked, confused. "Oh. But the way you are with her-"

"I still care very, very deeply for her, but… no, we were no longer together when…"

"Please," Anna started telling her urgently, hand drifting over to squeeze her knee to better convey the urgency of her words. "Okay, I get it now; there's a whole history here that I wasn't really understanding, and it's kind of big and hard to talk about. You don't have to dig up all the pain right now if you don't want to, I'm so sorry I've been pushing f-"

"Wrong," Elsa hissed. "I mean… if I don't now, I'm not sure I'll be able to do it again. Better all at once." Clearing her throat, she began, "Just don't interrupt unless it's entirely necessary.

"It was four years ago. At one point, Ariel and I had been so happy. The way I conducted business - and our relationship - wore on her. She was an out-and-proud bisexual and had no problem with anyone knowing. Me, on the other hand… I was still so far back in the closet that I couldn't see the doors anymore. As you know, I haven't budged a great deal since. We loved each other and always will, but she grew frustrated with me for refusing to acknowledge it to my colleagues and the world at large. Even just telling our respective families was an unmitigated disaster; most of hers had already disowned her anyway, but her few sisters who still speak with her just regarded me as 'the reason Ariel can't come to family picnics anymore'. She wanted to trumpet the news to the heavens and let the chips fall where they may. I wanted to prevent any further damage. Therefore, one day we both looked up and realised that, although we would always have a deep and abiding affection for one another, it wouldn't be as monogamous, exclusive life partners. And that was that.

"We remained close friends, despite the lingering tension. And… my competitors knew that. Unfortunately, around that time one of my fiercest opponents had… mob connections."

"No," Anna breathed, swallowing hard. "Y-you don't mean…"

"Not exactly," Elsa told her with a rueful smile. It was so full of poison that Anna looked away out the window as they neared the North Mountain building. "No, I wouldn't put it past them, but the mob doesn't really do business like that anymore. What they did was break into her car and leave… let's just say it was a sheaf of photos she had allowed to be taken in her late teens that would have made a laughingstock out of her.

"She reacted badly. Can't blame her much; I would have, too. In fact, she stumbled back out of her car and began calling me, presumably to ask if I knew anything about it. But when I tried to answer, I was told the call had been lost. Everything lost..."

Elsa didn't continue. At length, they coasted into her parking space. The car was shut off. Nothing happened for many minutes.

"Elsa…"

"I still hate him," she whispered back fiercely. "Even though it was Ariel's fault for not looking before she opened the door and walked out into the street… I still want to strangle the man in the truck with my bare hands. Every time I think about it, the anger is fresh as if it happened yesterday."

When Anna's hands came up to rest on either side of Elsa's neck, she clasped the wrists so tightly for a moment that she trembled all over before her grip relaxed and she whimpered, leaning against the headrest.

"I'm so sorry," Anna began, eyes horrified. "It doesn't even begin to- oh God, Elsa, I'm sorry."

"Can't you see that it's my fault?" she sobbed, eyes staring out the window. "If I hadn't been so wishy-washy, or if I just conducted my business a little differently, or… any number of things, who's to say she wouldn't still be among the living? Or if I'd at least known myself well enough to never drag her into my world to begin with!"

"No, that's not fair to y-"

"And this is what you want to be let in on!" she half-shouted. "B-being targeted for every dirty dealing, opening yourself up t-to… to being run down in the street like a hapless deer! I won't stand for it, I won't let the same thing happen to you, I never will!"

"You never will!" Anna affirmed strongly. "And neither will I, we'll be careful!"

"Careful isn't good enough! I have to be certain you can't be hurt! It's no good if I tell you all my secrets and give you every last ounce of my heart if you wind up dead at the end of things!"

"Hey, Ariel isn't dead! She's just fine, she… well, she's not what she once was, but please, don't act as if you're the one responsible! She made choices, too, and so did those bastards who tried to intimidate her! You are not the only one who can control fate!"

Elsa shivered from head to toe, hands stroking along Anna's arms. "Oh, how I want to believe that. And part of me does, I know I can't control everything, and I shouldn't be able to, anyway. No one should. Can… please tell me at least now you understand why I wasn't sure I should let you in, why all of this happening again is frightening me so badly!"

"You said it yourself," Anna soothed as she drew Elsa in for a gentle embrace that left the elder woman hiccuping with sobs. "It was an accident; she got out of the car at the wrong time. I'll be just as careful as I always am - even moreso now! Don't take all the blame."

"I'm so sorry!" Elsa whispered into Anna's shoulder, and Anna merely rubbed her back and shushed her as she repeated those three words over and over.

~ o ~

An hour later, up in the penthouse, Elsa dragged Anna down the hallway toward Anna's room. She was all set to enter it when the CEO pushed the other door open - and not without some resistance.

"Haven't been in here in a year or more," Elsa told her softly as she groped in the gathering darkness for the switch. "But there shouldn't be any… ah."

Anna was dazzled by the cheery yellow-hued lighting that illuminated not a bedroom as she had supposed, but an art room. There were a dozen canvases stacked against the walls, an easel, a pottery wheel with two stools, and even a table with a bowl of waxed fruit. Along each wall, set rather high, were shelves that held all manner of oddments and knick-knacks, some expensive, some seemingly worthless. Anna could swear one of them was an ancient Pez dispenser.

"This was hers."

Elsa nodded distantly. "All hers. I'd poke about in here now and again, but just to see what she was up to. And then, in the years since the accident… just to… I don't know."

"Visit how she was."

"That's exactly it," Elsa answered with a weak smile. "Remember who she was when we were in love. You're so perceptive sometimes."

"Um… do you want me to step aside?"

The platinum blonde whirled. "Why on earth would I want that?"

"Listen," Anna said as she fidgeted, clearly grappling with issues much larger than she was used to hefting, "you and she… have unfinished business. Maybe you weren't together, but you love each other a lot. I can respect that."

"Our love changed," Elsa told Anna firmly. "You're right, it's still there, but it's more familial than romantic. It would be even if she weren't… how she is now. That had been established months before the accident."

"I know you say that, but…"

"Besides," Elsa said with a knowing smirk. "You promised you'd protect me."

At that, Anna shrugged shyly. "So I didn't hear that wrong. Do you… I mean, can she understand what I am to you now? That I'm not just a work buddy?"

"I hate to break it to you, but she and I had quite a lot of non-working relations once upon a time," Elsa chuckled, a hand drifting over the timbers of the easel. "I'm sure she could infer what I meant when I introduced you. And she did meet one of my other dates, once upon a time."

"Really?"

A light shrug. "Neither of us liked her much, but yes. Even though that was a long time ago, I'm sure she's come to terms with the concept."

"Elsa… have you not been on a date since Ariel ended up in the hospital?" The lack of response was louder than any response could have been. "Wow…"

"As if it's that easy, getting back out there. I hardly ever dated much before, so why would this improve matters much?"

"Listen…"

Both of them wound up standing next to the pottery wheel as Anna took Elsa's hands and held them close to her chest. Elsa nodded as she quietly stated, "You need time to think."

"No. But you do. There's… I mean, a lot is going through your brain, and I feel like my being here is just muddying you up. So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna sleep in my office tonight."

"Oh, no," Elsa said immediately. "You have a perfectly good room, it won't-"

"No, I insist," Anna said, licking her lips quickly. "But my wristphone will stay on all the time. The moment you really don't need your space and want some cuddles, day or night, I'll be here in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise you'll call?" Elsa nodded, but Anna asked again. "Promise-promise?"

"Yes, alright," she half-snorted. "Just to shut you up badgering me."

"And, um, do whatever you need to do with that ring. Anything I can do to help?"

At that, Elsa let go of Anna's hands and began to recede from the room. "I have a jeweller I typically use for resizing. Erhm… I think I've had my fill of Ariel's old studio. Too many memories."

Anna was a step slower to follow, obviously full to bursting with thoughts. "Of course."

"Can we… stay in for lunch? Or order in, or something?"

"Yes." Anna drew Elsa in for another hug. "Nobody's saying you should jump right back into things; it's been a rough few days for both of us. And you'll be…"

Their eyes met briefly before dropping away again. No discussion of her newest job title had taken place yet. It was as if they had a tacit agreement not to speak of such things until other matters had been settled.

"Promise you will go into the office tomorrow, though," Elsa told her firmly, thumb and forefinger drawing her small chin up to give her a hard stare. "I'm so grateful for you taking today off, you have no idea, but your workers need you now more than ever."

Anna frowned sympathetically, stepping closer. "You need me the most."

Their tender kiss lasted about thirty minutes longer than they had been planning.

~ o ~

As Elsa walked into the kitchen to throw away the sliver of strawberry, she turned all of that over in her mind. Yes, she could probably call Anna to drive her to the airport. Yes, she owed it to Anna not to call her at all. Anyway, what desperate thing might Anna do if she saw her off? Refuse to let her board the plane? Threaten to tag along?

She had no right to drag such a vibrant and capable woman across the Atlantic Ocean. In her present state, a tearful airport goodbye would likely reduce her to a puddle of goo incapable of movement. Therefore, it would be easier to simply go and call once she'd arrived.

Changing her mind at the last moment, Elsa popped the strawberry piece into her mouth. It had clearly soured from exposure to the air. She swallowed the bitterness all the way down.

- To Be Continued -