Jack frowned. His eyes glanced over to the carpark as he made his way to greet Elsa. From a distance, he could see that she had lost weight. The strain of the last two weeks, since their relationship had been discovered, was slowly taking its toll on her.
As expected, his family had come to accept the relationship. They had told him that Elsa would be accepted in their home anytime. Their only requirement was that he respected Elsa's family's wishes and that the couple remained honest about their whereabouts. In the end, he had been let off with only a warning to not go pushing his luck, or doing anything that could further anger Elsa's parents.
Walt Blanchard, on the other hand, had continued to remain stubbornly opposed to their relationship. Elsa had told him that she had spent the night they'd been caught trying her best to reason with her dad. She had tried her best to avoid getting in heated arguments with her controlling father, but it had proven unsuccessful. Her father had been quick to ground her and had restricted her to working with him in the Kingdom company headquarters when not at university. She had also been forbidden from leaving the house for anything other than work or university.
He watched as Elsa raised her head. A small smile crept over her face as she caught sight of him. Grinning, he picked up the pace and broke into long strides in order to reach her.
"Hey, gorgeous," he cooed, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Ugh, if you two are going to start on the mushy talk and the kissing then I'm out of here," Anna groaned, scrunching her nose out at them. "I'll see you two later."
"Hi to you too," he laughed, poking his tongue out at Anna as she waved them off to head in the direction of the art department.
"You sure know how to get rid of her," Elsa teased, reaching up to wrap her hands around his neck before pulling him down for a kiss.
Breaking the kiss, he sighed. "Well, we've only got limited time while your dad is insisting on being as stubborn as a mule," he groaned, reaching down to grip her hand and intertwining their fingers. "Have you had any progress with him?"
Shaking her head, she looked at him. "No, he still thinks that we should break up. He's convinced that you are going to break my heart and steal our business secrets. I've tried talking to him. Anna has been telling him that you're awesome and that Kristoff likes you and even Mum is starting to come around to the idea of us being together," she said
"Wait, your mum likes me?" he asked, raising his eyebrow
Elsa sighed. "I don't know if she's at the 'like you' stage yet. She is, however, willing to accept that she doesn't really know you. She's open to giving you a chance based off what Anna and I have said about you," she explained. "She is still mad at me for lying and sneaking around to be with you though. It's just Dad who is really being stubborn."
"He does know that the guy who sent him the photo's is the same guy who: led Anna on, spread bullshit rumours about her, threatened both you and Anna, tried to blackmail you and slapped you, right?" he asked, squeezing her hand as they rounded the corner that led to their classroom. "Yet, I'm still the bad guy. I really can't understand your dad, El."
"I've given up trying," Elsa murmured, pulling him into the classroom. "Even Anna is at a loss. When we've tried to talk to him, he just says that it may seem cruel, but that he's only looking out for me and for our family."
He sighed. Raising his free hand, he gave a small wave to their friends. Slowly, he pulled her towards the seats that had been saved for her. The thought of turning around, taking Elsa with him and fleeing the classroom entered his mind, but he pushed it aside. Convincing Elsa to take a 'sick' day would only serve as another strike against him as far as Walt Blanchard was concerned.
Elsa groaned. The decision to attend summer classes in order to finish her degree earlier was starting to feel like a bad idea. She hadn't thought it was possible, but Professor Weselton's lectures were even more boring in the summer season. Her eyes flicked to Jack, who was sitting beside her and smiled. At least his punctuality had improved. Latecomers to Weselton's summer classes were met with an indignant glare and the reminder that he was giving up his own summer to prove them with an education. Naturally, the financial incentive that he received for working through his holidays was left unmentioned.
Finally, the balding professor finished his lecture. He glanced at the clock before dismissing the class. Yawning, she slid her laptop and textbooks back into her bag before sliding out of her seat to wait for Jack and their friends. Taking his hand in hers, they walked towards the cafeteria. She waited patiently while Jack stopped to purchase them a cool drink each before heading outside and joining their friends under a large, shady tree.
Elsa let out a content sigh. Her head rested against Jack's shoulders as she listened to him, Jamie and Fred exchange in their normal friendly, good-natured teasing. She ran her hand along Jack's arm which was draped around her waist, holding her close to him.
"Hey Elsa," Lana spoke, raising her head from the magazine she'd been flicking through. "Isn't it coming up close to your six month anniversary?"
She nodded. Tilting her head, she shared a smile with Jack before turning to face Lana.
"Friday," she replied. "Our anniversary is on Friday."
"So what are you going to do?" Jamie asked, sitting up to face her and Jack. "I mean, you've said that you are pretty much a prisoner in your house when you're not at work or uni, Elsa. It doesn't really sound like your dad will be letting Jack come for dinner anytime soon."
She frowned and turned to face Jack. "Well, it falls on the Friday. I'll be stuck working in the office and then afterwards I'm expected to go home and catch up on my assignments."
"Sneak in, Jack. You know you want to," Fred teased. "Plus, we all know that you know how to do that."
Jack chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I want to, believe me. I've thought about it, but I think her dad would kill me. Actually, no, I know that he would kill me and I'm actually trying to convince him to give me a chance. Therefore, I need to stay on my best behaviour."
"You know, you would not have had this problem if Elsa had agreed to my condition," a bored voice spoke from behind him.
Frowning, he shifted his head. He felt Elsa stiffen as Hans and one of his friends stepped out from behind the tree. Jumping to his feet, he turned to face him. Instinctively, he pulled Elsa to her feet and tightened his grip on her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as Jamie, Fred and Lana came to stand beside him with their arms crossed as they glared at Hans.
"Cut the crap, Westergaard. We all know that you would have sent those photo's regardless of what Elsa chose," he hissed.
Hans chortled and turned to face his friend before turning his attention to Elsa. "Say, Elsa, does Daddy know that you are still seeing this loser?" he sneered. "Or that you insist on flaunting your pathetic relationship around the campus? At least now he won't be surprised when his second company fails. Although, this time when it does, it will be because of you, Elsa. All because you let this moron get into your head and your bed."
He felt Elsa freeze as Hans played on her insecurities. "Ignore him, El. He's just an asshole with nothing better to do than talk bullshit," he hissed.
"Oh, Elsie, really. Your boyfriend has such a potty mouth. No wonder your dad still hasn't approved your relationship," Hans taunted. "Then again, I'd be nothing but no-good scum if I had been responsible for my own mother's death."
He felt his jaw clench as he dropped his grip on Elsa. "Okay, that's it, asshole," he snapped, curling his hand into a fist. "You're going down."
"Jack, don't," Elsa cried as she reached her hand out to grip at his arm. "He's not worth it."
He softened. Turning to face Elsa, he saw the pleading look in her eyes and uncurled his fist. He watched as she let out a breath of relief before reaching out to pull him into her arms.
"He's just trying to get to you. He wants you to snap, so that he can use it against us," she whispered, running a finger through his hair.
"Get out of here, Westergaard," Fred threatened, stepping in front of Jack and Elsa. "You're not welcome here."
Hans smirked. "Don't worry, I'm leaving. I have a date that I need to get ready for," he teased. "You see, unlike some, the father's of girls I date actually want me around their daughter's."
He let out a breath that he'd not known he was holding as he watched Hans snap his fingers at his friend and walk away. Slowly, Elsa released her grip on him before leaning in to press a quick kiss on his cheek.
"You know, I'm starting to wonder why exactly that guy is so invested in your relationship," Lana spoke. "There has got to be more to it than him simply being a pretentious jerk."
Elsa let out a soft yawn as she finished washing her plate. She rinsed it and left it to drain on the sink in the kitchen of Kingdom Ice Creamery's headquarters. Slowly, she made her way back to her desk. She was in no hurry to return to the paperwork that was waiting for her when she returned. Not when she didn't even have the hope of seeing Jack at some point.
She had tried all week to get her father to allow her to go out and spend the day with Jack. She had tried reasoning with him that it was their six month anniversary, but he had been firm in his refusal. As a result, Jack had picked up a shift at his family's flagship store. Instead of spending the day with him, she'd had to make do with text messages and missed calls in between their busy work day.
Sitting herself down at her desk, she carefully placed her mug of coffee to the side. Hitting the keyboard, she tried to focus on the work on her screen. Beside her, she heard the desk phone ring before being answered by Lisa, her father's payroll manager.
"Elsa," Lisa whispered, shielding the phone's mouthpiece. "There's a delivery for you down in reception. You need to go sign for it."
Sighing, she pushed her chair away from the desk. Walking slowly, she made her way towards the reception area. Her eyes widened as she noticed the courier leaning against the desk, clipboard in hand with a small box arrangement of flowers and a plush teddy bear.
"Elsa Blanchard?" the man asked, staring at her.
She nodded. Her eyes glanced to Chelsea, the receptionist, who was sitting with an amused grin on her face.
"Sign here," the courier stated, holding out a clipboard with a delivery form and pen.
Taking the clipboard, she quickly signed her name before handing it back to the man. She could feel her cheeks heating up as he turned to hand her the flowers and teddy bear along with a small card. She ignored the curious expression on Chelsea's face and turned to make her way back to her desk.
Back at her desk, she carefully set the flowers and teddy down before pulling out the card. She felt her heart skip a beat as she read the small message from Jack. Pulling out her phone, she quickly snapped a photo before snapping a photo and sending it via text to Jack to thank him.
"The boyfriend?" Lisa asked, leaning over to breathe in the scent of the flowers.
She nodded. "Yes, it's our six month anniversary today," she explained.
A second later, her phone lit up with a new message from Jack.
J: "You're welcome. Happy six-month anniversary. I miss you and love you."
Elsa sat curled up on her bed, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. She'd excused herself from the dinner table earlier to speak to Jack. The two of them had spent the last two hours on the phone until he'd been called down to assist his younger sister.
She had only just hung the phone up when Anna had knocked on the door with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and had claimed the need for a sisterly chat.
"Mum's softening, you know," Anna said, pulling the soft teddy to her lap. "To Jack, I mean. I heard her talking to Dad about it earlier. She reckons that Jack seems like a nice enough guy and that you truly love him. She thinks that her and Dad should at least give him a chance."
Elsa looked at her, putting the mug down as she reached to grip Anna's hand. "Normally I'd tell you off for eavesdropping again, but in this case tell me more," she urged.
"Hey, I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to linger outside the lounge room door a bit longer than was necessary," Anna pouted, poking her tongue out.
"Alright, alright, you weren't eavesdropping," she insisted, rolling her eyes. "Can you just tell me what you heard?"
Anna sighed. "Okay, so Mum said that she thinks that we should at least have Jack over for dinner because she can tell that you are in love. She said something about being afraid that if they deny your relationship that it will only cause a rift, or you will become rebellious," she began. "Dad, of course, is still being stubborn. He says that just because Jack has defended us and sent you flowers and a toy doesn't mean he won't break your heart, or worse. So then Mum told him that you are 21 and that they have to let you make your decisions, live your own life and…"
"And?" Elsa urged, wringing her hands.
"And nothing," Anna said, frowning. "That was around the point when I accidentally stood on the noisy floorboard and Dad yelled at me for eavesdropping. So, I disappeared into the kitchen to make the hot chocolates and well, you know the rest."
Elsa groaned, poking out her tongue at her sister. "Thank you," she added. "I mean for listening and telling me."
Anna smiled, reaching over to hug her. "Hey, I told you I was on your and Jack's side. Besides, you know if Mum's starting to get on his case that it's a positive sign. Dad always ends up caving to Mum," she said.
She grinned. Reaching over, she pulled her new teddy bear to her chest and hugged it. She couldn't help feeling a tiny bit positivity and hoped that Anna was right.
A/N- Hard to believe we're reaching the end of this story, just a few more chapters. I've just started my next Jelsa story. So will be posting chapters of both stories.
Thank you all for your reviews as always.
Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa :)