A/N:
Just thought I'd clear up something. I'm not writing the other FF. It's just ideas I had bouncing around my noggin. If I do write anything relating to the other stuff, it's just to get it out of my head so I can focus on CttT. Which will be the primary focus.
Trapid: Madame Butterfly is an opera by Puccini, but right now I'm in a Linkin Park mood. Rebellion, to be precise.
hydro0228: I'm siding towards the RotG AU, and I'm thinking that when I do get around to writing it, it will primarily be from Elsa's point of view.
Now that's over, if music be the food of love, play on.
20. Family
Just because Jack was away for a week, didn't mean he was off the grid. In fact, given that the two lovebirds were almost constantly messaging each other, he might as well not have bothered.
He'd always send her a message to say 'good morning' for when she woke, and a message wishing her sweet dreams when it was time to lay her weary head to rest. Like clockwork. That way, Elsa would always wake up with a smile on her face, and go to sleep happy.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, which is true, but if you have certain…urges…they become damn near uncontrollable.
So, naturally, when Jack would finally return Elsa would face the decision of a lifetime. Hug, kiss, or jump him? Anna would probably say 'Why not all three? The order can be negotiable. Besides, you were born with a pair of hands and your own bedroom until then', which would make Elsa furiously blush, but she didn't exactly dissuade the idea. So, on occasion, she would disappear to her room and come back a little bit later feeling a touch more relaxed.
She was a twenty-one year old woman with urges, dammit.
Unfortunately, Anna was feeling the after-effects of the attack. Even though she was drugged and could barely remember a thing about that night, she had developed a couple of issues. Sometimes if Kristoff would touch her in a certain place, like her upper arms or shoulders, she would go pale and shrink within herself. Sometimes she would make an excuse to go to the toilet, and come back with a puffy face and slightly red eyes.
Nights were the worst. Anna never used to have nightmares, not even after their parents' death. She just went through the grieving process like any normal person would, and took most other things in her stride. After Saturday night, she would wake up in a cold sweat and tears, having gone through the incident in her dreams. Given that Elsa's room was right next to hers, she would be woken up by the sounds of Anna whimpering and crying in her sleep, along with Kristoff's soothing, comforting tones telling her 'it's okay, I'm here. You're safe. I'm not going to hurt you. No-one will.'
Every time it happened, even if it was silly o'clock in the morning, Elsa would send off a quick message to Jack and hope that he would reply. He always did.
"She's having nightmares again. I wish you were here to hold me. – Elsa x"
"They'll pass. You chased mine away, and there is nothing I would love more than to have you in my arms. – Jack x"
The soft fluffiness that spread from her heart at his words never failed to fend off the helplessness that she felt at Anna's situation. Was this love? She wasn't sure. She hadn't really experienced proper love before, and given that they only knew each other for two weeks, rational thought dictated that it probably wasn't.
Still, the phrase 'love at first sight' existed for a reason, even if between them it was initially contempt.
Kristoff, to his credit, was an incredibly patient man. He knew that only Anna could come to terms with what happened, and even if it meant that sometimes she would shrink away from a kiss, even if it stabbed at his heart and filled him with rage at the would-be rapists, he would put it down to recovery and simply give her a supportive smile.
She would then apologise, and promise that one day she will get better.
If there was one thing that would definitely help, along with Kristoff, it was the fact that Christmas Day was now nine days away. Christmas was always a fun time of year for Anna, and as soon as Elsa noticed that she was beginning to slip into the memories of that night, she would pull out a box of tinsel and tell Anna to go nuts. Boy, did she go nuts. It was like someone had flicked a switch, and then the entire house was covered in tinsel, sometimes even tangled around Anna's giddy form.
Kristoff had to get one up on Elsa, though. He disappeared out of the house on Tuesday morning and, after a few hours, returned with a massive Christmas tree and several boxes worth of decorations. Elsa, being in on the plot, brought Anna into the living room from her bedroom, making sure her eyes were firmly shut. It had to be that way, as Anna was the type to sneak down in the middle of the night as a child and open some of her presents early, so with Elsa's ministrations she had no way to see the surprise before Kristoff was ready.
Elsa mouthed the words 'are you ready?'
Kristoff nodded vigorously, a wide grin across his masculine features.
"You can open your eyes now." she whispered in Anna's ear, who gladly obliged.
"A tree?" she said, not quite getting it.
"It's all yours. Decorations are here, lights are here, the tinsel is here. Kristoff and I thought it might help so, go nuts."
Anna's eyes widened to their limit as she squealed with delight, and bounced up and down like a giddy schoolchild. Squeezing her elder sister with a tight embrace, she whispered the words 'thank you' and then promptly rushed off to jump into her fiancée's arms. Kristoff's face sealed the deal. It had only been a couple of days, but for the two of them that were to be betrothed in a year's time, the feeling of being able to touch and hold his love once more had lit up his face like Christmas morning. Elsa snuck a quick photo on her phone of the two lovers in that embrace and sent it off to Jack, who promptly responded.
"D'awwww. See? Progress. She'll be fine. – Jack x"
"What about you? How are you doing? – Elsa x"
"Getting there. Thiana's got me putting decorations up for Nick, so he can see them when he comes back tonight. I miss you. – Jack x"
Elsa felt a rush of warmth, and the sting of longing. She missed him too.
And then she had an idea. If she was feeling the urges, she was going to make damn sure he would be too.
"Be right back, guys." she giggled, a mischievous look dancing upon her face. Anna gave her wink while Kristoff blushed red and pretended to cover his ears.
Practically running into her bedroom, she scoured her wardrobe for the sexiest lingerie she could find, which happened to be a black lace thong with tiny red roses sewn into the fabric, and a black balconette bra that was adorned with the same flowers. Sliding elegantly out of her clothes, she felt the cool air kiss her skin and send tingles across her body, heightening the sensation of arousal. Slipping into the lingerie set, she laid on the bed with her left leg in an arch and her right leg straight, feeling incredibly vulnerable yet very turned on. She wedged the phone against the lamp on her bedside cabinet, pressed the time-delay icon and gave the best sultry expression she could.
Excitement rushed through her as the clicks counted down, and when the phone uttered its characteristic camera click she snatched the phone up from the cabinet, anticipation rushing through her as she attached the photo to a message and sent it on its way.
"I miss you too. Thought you might want a photo of me ;) – Elsa x"
She giggled shyly to herself, biting her lip as she waited for the reply, wondering how he would react to the rather steamy photo…and she didn't have to wait long.
"Fuck. Now I have to 'tidy my room'. Stop being so hot. – Jack x"
"Hah! Nice euphemism. Told you I owe you for 'that'. – Elsa x"
"Don't you worry. I'll be collecting. – Jack x"
"Promise? ;) – Elsa x"
"Promise. ;) – Jack x"
Pritchard slumped in the high backed, old fashioned leather chair facing the fire, one pale hand cradling a glass of bourbon, trying to drink away the Tuesday afternoon.
He came so close. He was inches away from taking his revenge upon Elsa's sister, and screwing both their lives up in the process. The damage done to them would have been incomparable. Except some cretin had to intervene, had to be some kind of fucking white knight and ruin his chance of vengeance.
If only the alleyway wasn't so dark, he could have committed the face to memory and then added him to the list of people to destroy.
He gingerly stroked his neck, where several bruises in the vague form of a handprint still sat on the skin. His father's doing. After returning to the apartment and licking his wounds, his father had arrived to discuss the next moves regarding Fractal Fashion's acquisition, and upon seeing his son's broken nose, bruised and cut face along with Hans's split lips and equally broken nose, his reaction was not one of concern. Nor of mild worry.
In fact, his first question was 'What have you done?'
Pritchard honestly expected nothing more than that. His father was always distant, regarded him as less of a son and more of a mild irritation, or even a pawn in a chess game. Nothing like flesh and blood.
What he didn't expect was his father's reaction upon finding out, from Hans of all people, what he had done that night. His father flew into a rage and gripped Pritchard by the neck. He remembered being held against the wall and his father's vice-like hold tightening around him. He remembered staring into his father's eyes, seeing the vitriolic fury that emanated from those yellow irises like flames in the night.
"Your disrespect for the law is growing tedious, son." Richard had said, spitting out the last word like it was poison.
"This acquisition is a very important matter and will bring my company untold power, and I will not have it jeopardized by your inability to keep your sorry excuse for a dick in your pants!"
Pritchard was too busy quailing under his father's gaze to notice Hans' horrified expression.
Being the thirteenth child born to parents that owned a prestigious business law firm, parents that had precious little time for one child, let alone thirteen, Hans knew well the cost of a loveless family. Hell, even his brothers shit on him most of the time, figuratively at least. He was left unable to form relationships without severe difficulty, and it was why he naturally gravitated to Pritchard Black in high school. Someone else who knew what it was like to have parents that, in all likelihood, never even wanted you.
It was actually cowardice.
In schools, you will always have bullies. Some will have their own retinue of lesser bullies. There is always one golden rule, though: within a group of bullies there is always the leader. The one who acts out the most, who has the highest amount of detentions – or if they are really clever, lowest – and is the linchpin to the group. Pritchard was the leader of such a group, but he didn't bully others because he needed to prove himself. He did it because he enjoyed the power. The satisfaction it brings in a perverse way, when your victim is running away from you in tears.
Hans managed to insert himself into that group, through wily acts and bullying others in front of Pritchard, and when Black Advertising announced their partnership with Southernisle and Weselton, it was a match made in hell.
And for a time, it was exactly what Hans felt he needed.
The only difference was that Pritchard was, for all intents and purposes, an irrevocably broken man. They say you mimic your childhood; echo your parents' behaviour and it was certainly true in Pritchard's case. His home life was filled with fear. Beatings were common, and as the years went by any humanity that had existed in Pritchard had gone. Hammered down by fist or by slap, by leather belt or by baseball bat. So, naturally, he visited fear upon others.
It was this snapshot into Pritchard's home life that Hans had witnessed that Sunday night, seeing Pritchard's own father inches from choking the life out of his son. It had sent a twinge through his chest and a churning in his gut, the sense of foreboding when you start to think you're in over your head. He hadn't had this sensation since the last time Pritchard Black skirted with the law, all those years ago. He figured that it was just a one-off.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
Especially after seeing the terror in the young Snowfield sister's eyes, and the predatory glint in Pritchard's. He was wondering if the dream he had been repeatedly having, of the young boy trapped in black quicksand was about him, and this situation.
"I did it for the company, father!" Pritchard had tried to retort, the words coming out hoarse and suppressed.
"No, you did it for yourself. There will be no more of this, do you hear me? If you even look at a woman the wrong way, if you so much as brush someone with your car, I will have you in a hole so deep you will forget what daylight looks like. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" Richard had growled, tightening his grip. It was all his son could do to nod, pain shooting through his throat and the dwindling oxygen making his head very, very light.
Satisfied with the 'answer', Richard had instantly released his grip and let his son drop to the floor in a heap, watching as he hoarsely coughed and massaged his neck to ease the pain.
"Wednesday will see me acquire another four percent, but Kai Snowfield has been quite irritating in his ministrations to slow us down." Richard announced, like strangling his son was a common occurrence. He had turned to Hans and fixed him with a glare, one that said 'do as I say or they will never find your body'.
"Your company is to find evidence of any wrongdoing on his part."
"And if there's nothing?" Hans had queried, praying that he would not suffer Richard's wrath like Pritchard just did.
"Then you know what to do." the CEO had hissed, before whirling on his feet and striding out of the door.
The visit had played over and over in Pritchard's mind as he sipped his bourbon that Tuesday afternoon. He couldn't help it though. The feeling of imposing power upon, in his mind, lesser mortals was intoxicating. Even the great Anna Snowfield had quailed in fear that Saturday night.
There was one person that did not fear him, though. And, in time, she would be his to break. He would just have to wait until after her company was added to the ranks.
And once it was? She would have no choice but to let him take her, and it would be the sweetest taste on his lips.
"Looking pretty good, Jack!" Thiana gushed behind him, her eyes roving appreciatively over the tree.
Jack glanced from his finished work to his equally colourful godmother, smiling proudly to himself. Nick's propensity to order ridiculously tall Christmas trees was always a bone of contention within the family, but once all was said and done no-one could deny the beauty of a fully decorated tree.
Jack had gone for an icy theme this year. Inspired by an old book he found in North's library, about a woman called The Snow Queen, he had elected for silver, light blue and aquamarine tinsel, with white snowflakes and baubles. He had placed some of the lights behind a few snowflakes, giving off a sense that they possessed their own form of illumination.
"Not bad." he nodded, sipping from his beer bottle. He felt Thiana's arm wrap around his waist and felt her squeeze him in a motherly hug. She was only a short little thing, just over five foot, but she had the energy of a toddler. She could stay still in one place easily enough, but movement to another spot was lightning fast and practically instantaneous. It was why Nick called her 'hummingbird'.
"You have no idea how nice it is to have you here for Christmas." she grinned, sneaking herself under Jack's arm so it rested on her shoulders.
"Yeah, it's…kinda nice. I've missed a lot."
He turned his head downwards to meet his godmother's eyes, a look of regret cascading from his own cobalt blues.
"I know I've been a shit godson, missing birthdays, anniversaries, ignoring you and Nick. I guess…last weekend really opened my eyes. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Look, your reaction was perfectly normal, even if it took you three years. I'm just glad to have my godson back."
"I'm not there yet…"
"No, but you will be. I did want to ask though, what changed? One day you were grumpy, cold Jack, then two weeks later you're semi-normal Jack. Something big must have happened."
"Her name's Elsa." Jack grinned, the familiar warmth filling his heart at the mere mention of her name.
"Oooooo! A girl! Do you have a picture?"
Jack blushed a little and pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket, flicking through some of the more steamy photos and electing for another that, incidentally, he had set to be his screensaver. It was what Anna would call a 'selfie' of Elsa, Jack having requested one from her so he could fall asleep while looking at her face, without enduring a raging hard-on.
Successfully hiding the…personal ones, he handed the phone over to Thiana, who pouted and tapped the screen jealously. Jack raised his eyebrows in amused bewilderment.
"No fair. Now I'm the second prettiest woman in your life."
"Third, actually. She has a sister called Anna." Jack teased, a wry smirk on his mouth.
Thiana gasped in mock-offense and playfully rapped him on the arm. Jack chuckled, and tried to take his phone back, but Thiana held it away from his reaching hands.
"She's important to you, isn't she?" she grinned, a knowing look in her eyes.
"Very." was Jack's only reply. Nothing more needed to be said.
He just hoped that she felt the same way.
"You gonna tell her about what happened?" Thiana's voice took on a more serious tone, gazing studiously up into Jack's warm expression.
"I think so. I've just got no idea how, or even if she'll still want to be with me after she knows. I mean, she knows I'm a fuck-up, but when she finds out why, she might just toss me into the 'Defective' box and leave…" he said, unable to help the worrying tone in his voice.
"Nah," his godmother waved dismissively, before placing her hands on her hips, "if she wants to be with you now, it's because she wants to get to know you more. I think you should let her in. Talk over a coffee or something."
"Hah," he chuckled mirthlessly, "last time I tried that I was a fucking mess. I just couldn't get the words out."
"Then email her. There's a reason most break-ups are by text or email. Not saying you're gonna break up with her, but…you know. It's easier to type than talk." she said, her dark blue, almost purple eyes betraying the wisdom of her years.
Jack nodded, seeing her point. Maybe he should email her. He said as much outside the hospital, after all. He just hoped it wouldn't cause a rift.
"By the way, have you bought her a Christmas present?"
"Two, actually. One is custom-made, unique to her. The other…I have to call Kai Snowfield tomorrow to organise it." he smiled, wishing he could fast-forward to Christmas Day.
"D'aww, my little incurable romantic. God, it's good to have you back. C'mere you." she gushed, wrapping her arms around him once more. Jack felt the rush of warmth once again as he returned the embrace, resting his cheek upon her head. Gazing at his completed work, he smiled to himself at being able to seemingly enjoy the festive season, as opposed to dread every day that preceded it.
"Oh!" Jack exclaimed, and upon finally being able to grasp his phone he slid out of Thiana's loving cuddle and took a few steps back, holding the phone's camera lens to face the tree. His godmother darted out of the picture, watching Jack as he stepped backwards and forwards, side to side, occasionally crouched or stood on the sofa, and sometimes even completely changed his position from one side of the room to the other.
She watched the smile on his face and the pink tinge to his pale cheeks, and sensed the air around him as he moved, knowing that he had to get it just right.
She could tell he was in love with this Elsa person, and as the sky darkened outside as evening inexorably became night, she hoped that Elsa felt the same way.
Thiana hummed merrily to herself as she crouched down to peer through the oven's glass door, scrutinizing the beef pot-roast with the intensity normally reserved for snipers waiting for the perfect shot.
Bouncing along to I'm Shipping Up to Boston as she busied herself with cleaning the kitchen side, her humming matching the accordion in its quintessential Celtic Irish melody, she seemed to have a permanent smile plastered on her face. Family was very important to her, more important than anything else. More important than possessions, than music, pretty much everything. Being able to share the Christmas season with her husband Nicholas and now, her godson Jack, the feeling of having loved ones together was incomparable. She practically had to gag herself when Jack called, asking if he could stay with them for a while.
And then to learn that he had a girlfriend? That was the icing on the cake.
That's why the pot-roast had to be perfect, the dinner table meticulously laid, and the ambient warmth soothing and comfortable. This would be the first time in three years they could sit down as a family and be happy. Losing Sarah and Sophie in one day, and for all intents and purposes losing her godson for three years had left a sorrowful ache in her heart.
She knew well the warmth that a loving family could bring. Her mother had immigrated to America from Thailand in 1962, itching to start a new life and see the world. With America riding on the economic and cultural boom in the wake of World War Two, the prospect of being able to walk her own path was enchanting. Merely a year after arriving, having learned to fluently speak English and attained employment in a diner in Boston, her mother met an Irish American college student. It was love at first sight. He would come in every day, order the same food, and would just chat with her.
A year later, they were married.
A year after that, Thiana was born.
The family life was full of love and warmth. Thiana's mother loved her husband with every fibre of her being, and the feeling was equally mutual, and they both loved little Thiana with all their hearts. Her father's Irish heritage was a source of pride, and he took delight in treating his daughter to Celtic music and regaling her with old Irish folk tales. Thiana absolutely loved hearing her father talk about his roots.
Four years later, her father was drafted into service for the Vietnam War.
A year after that, Thiana's mother heard a knock on her front door.
Family life for a long time after that was hard, and in a reversal of roles Thiana found herself looking after her mother, rather than the other way around. Eventually, her mother came to terms with her husband's death, and began to look forward. Even though his absence was acutely felt, they could look to the future with hope instead of dread.
In 1990, living in Arendelle City and three years into a friendship with a young Sarah Elizabeth Overland, Thiana met and fell for the man who would later become her fiercely loyal and loving husband, Nicholas St North, heir to the North Pole Toy Industries company. It was a whirlwind romance, he showed her the joy of wonder while she showed him how to be free, and how to balance the responsibilities of his work with taking part in all life had to offer.
It wasn't long before there was talk of having children, but try as they might, they could not do it. Nicholas later found out that there was something wrong down there, and it was fairly likely that they would never be able to have a child. The news hit them like a demolition ball, and there was no surprise that it did put strain on the relationship.
And yet, in 1993, a young boy with a head of shocking white hair was born to Sarah. Thiana fell in love almost immediately, and Sarah knew right then that she wanted the St Norths to be godparents. Thiana didn't even need to think it over.
She had a family, and a godson to love and spoil.
And ten years later, when Sophie Marie Overland was born, her family grew along with her love.
But then the day came when the Overland family was nearly wiped out, and her godson was reduced to an empty shell. She tried to help. She tried to coax him to grieve, coax him to let loose with the feelings bottled up inside. On some level though, she knew that the journey was his to walk, and his alone. She would be there at the end, to greet him with open arms, should the day ever come when he was able to grieve.
And three years later, she received his call. No other present at Christmas would be comparable. Her godson had returned, and they were a family again.
All thanks to one very special woman, who went by the name of Elsa.
"The tree looks lovely, hummingbird! Did you do this?"
Thiana's heart soared and she threw down her cloth, rushing into the living room into the waiting arms of her husband. He had only been gone a few days, but Nicholas's huge, jolly form was always missed.
"Nope. Jack did it!" she grinned.
"Jack is here? Where?" North's eyes went wide. He did not expect that.
"He's in his room. He called on Sunday, asking if he could stay with us for a week. I told him it was okay."
Nicholas's smile broadened, and he effortlessly picked up his wife in his arms, chuckling happily to himself.
"I knew he would be okay. What changed?"
"He's in love, Nick. He doesn't know it yet, but I can tell. Her name is-"
"Elsa Snowfield." Nicholas grinned knowingly, appreciating the surprised look dancing on Thiana's bright features.
"How did you know?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, I just want to spend some time with you. It's been a strange week."
"Perfect. Dinner is nearly ready…although I was thinking. What if we invite Elsa to spend Christmas Day with us? I'm sure Jack would be over the moon."
"Sounds like a fantastic idea, hummingbird."
"Nice! I like the blues and silvers. Anna thinks hers is better. – Elsa x"
"Prove it. – Jack x"
Jack waited for the reply, the competitive side to him bristling with anticipation.
"She says, and I quote: I see your winter tree, and I raise you AWESOME TREE! – Elsa x"
He tapped the attached photo and raised an eyebrow as a blur of green, red and gold filled his screen, the tree's sides and tip consigned to oblivion by the insufficient size of the smartphone. Anna did a good job, going for the traditional look rather than a specific theme. She was definitely old-fashioned.
"Pfft. I prefer mine. – Jack x"
"Don't tell Anna, but I do too. Blue is my favourite colour. Can't wait to see you. – Elsa x"
Jack felt the familiar warmth and ache burn in his chest reading Elsa's message. His lips automatically recalled the kiss outside the hospital, the feeling of her mouth against his and the softness of her skin under his fingertips. The magnetic attraction between her body and his as they pressed together.
And then, he had an impish, mischievous idea. Checking to see the door to his room was locked, and listening intently for the sounds that indicated Thiana would not burst into his room, he pulled off his sleeveless navy blue shirt and held the phone's lens to the right of him at maximum distance, positioning himself so his scars were mostly hidden on the other side, away from the immortalizing mechanical eyes of the camera.
Aside from Aster, who kind of needed to have Jack shirtless in order to tattoo him, Elsa was the only person he would allow to see the scars, but with her eyes only. Not on a screen that Anna could easily steal.
Taking the picture, he attached it to a message and mischievously anticipated the reply, wondering how Elsa would take it.
"Goddammit Jack. Now I have to tidy my room. I hope you're happy. ;) – Elsa x"
"Lol. Vengeance is mine. Goodnight. – Jack x"
"Goodnight, Jack! – Elsa x"
"Love you|
"Love yo|
"Love y|
"Love|
"Lo|
" |
"Sweet dreams. – Jack x"
A/N:
I hope the last part comes out okay, and is conveyed exactly as I intend it to. Also, I hope people don't misconstrue the pictures thing. It's just what lovebirds with smartphones tend to do in this day and age. Oh, and a snapshot into Hans's life. He'll be critical to the plot later on.
I also wanted to add a snapshot into Thiana's life, and tried my best to accurately incorporate it into history. I realise some liberties may have been taken, but if people have a problem with it, then I apologise.
Many thanks for your reviews and kind words. Cold to the Touch is kind of my baby at this point, and it warms my heart to see people enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it.
Until next time.