Elsa smiled and settled herself into the armchair while she waited for Jack to arrive. Her eyes remained trained on the front window, keeping an eye out for his car.
Two months had passed since her father and Nick North had met with their lawyers and Edward 'Pitch' Black. The man responsible for their first business failing was now locked behind bars at a local jail for a minimum of ten years.
News had travelled quickly through the Arendelle business community and it was now known that the real reason behind the collapse of Walt Blanchard and Nicholas North's joint business, had been discovered. Along with the news breaking publicly had come the rumours. Her father had been quick to send out a memo to all staff to remind them that they were forbidden to speak to the media on the subject. He had asked that all media questions be forwarded to either himself or Nick North.
For the most part, the rumours had been fairly tame. Although, a few of the nastier ones had dared suggest that both Clara North and Lillian Blanchard had at one time been involved in an affair with Pitch. One rumour even went so far to claim that the petite Thia North was actually the love-child of Clara and Pitch. Luckily, Nick had shrugged off the rumour and had told anyone who would listen that while his daughter may be petite, the temper she could display was a North family trait.
The other big story amidst the revelation had been that of her and Jack's relationship. News had spread about how they had fallen for each other and had begun a secret relationship which had been discovered, leading to further tension, and had only settled when news of Pitch's crime had come to light. She had soon grown tired of the women she worked with stopping her to comment on how romantic her and Jack's nine-month relationship was. She had started to point out that while she loved and cherished Jack, she would not ever wish a secret relationship on anyone.
"So where's Jackson taking you today?" her father asked as he walked into the lounge room and settled himself into his recliner.
"Shopping," she replied, smiling at her father. "We're going looking for a present for his sister's birthday. After that we may meet up with friends. We may end up going to see a movie. Are you sure that you don't mind me not working today?"
Her father shook his head and smiled at her. "No, that's fine, Elsa. You've worked hard this week with your studies and in the office. You have earned your break."
She nodded. It was still taking some time to get used to her father's new attitude. He had slowly begun to relax his control over her and had allowed her to spend most of the weekend free from work. His only request was that she spent some of the time dedicated to her studies.
Shaking her head, she continued to study her father. She watched as his brow furrowed while he read over the daily paper.
Their relationship had finally started to improve with the walls that had been built between them beginning to crumble. He no longer felt like a controlling stranger, more boss than father. Now he was someone she felt comfortable talking with. He had even allowed her to make changes to the way she ran her private Facebook page. She had been allowed to de-friend the business associates of his and had made it a purely personal page with the usual posts about life, love and everything in between. Her secret page had since been deleted with Jack, Lana, Fred, Jamie, Thia and Emily all sending her friend requests on her main page. A photo of her and Jack had been posted as her profile photo and her information proudly declared their relationship to all her friends.
The sound of Jack's car pulling up the driveway snapped her from her thoughts. Grinning, she peeked out the window and watched as he switched off the motor before exiting his car and making his way to the front door. She waited for him to ring the doorbell before getting to her feet to let him in.
"Hey," Jack greeted, stepping inside the house. "Is your dad home? I've got his book to return to him."
"He's in the lounge," she replied, leading Jack into the large room.
"Jackson," Walt remarked, closing the last page of the paper. "How are you?"
"Pretty good, Mr Blanchard," Jack replied, pulling the book out from under his arm. "My uncle sent your book back and said to thank you for loaning it to him. He really enjoyed it."
Walt nodded, getting to his feet and taking the book from Jack. "Tell him it was my pleasure. I thought he'd like it," he began. "Say, do you know if your uncle will be around tomorrow? I know that Lillian has plans with Clara- something about going to the ballet and I was thinking about seeing if North wanted to catch up for a round of golf. May as well make use of the golf course before winter comes."
"I think so," Jack answered, scratching the back of his neck. "If he's got plans he hasn't said anything. That said, it's probably best to just ring him."
Elsa grabbed her handbag, slinging it over her shoulder before turning back to Jack. Her eyes flicking between him and the clock.
"You're probably right. I'll give him a call now," Walt said. "I'll let you two get going. Have a good day. Remember to call if your plans change and you plan to be out longer than expected."
Nodding, Elsa grabbed Jack's hand, slowly pulling him towards the door. "We will, see you later, Dad," she called.
"Elsa, don't forget to talk to Jack about that thing we discussed," Walt called as he made his way into the kitchen.
Jack laughed as Elsa pulled him away from her house with a determined look on her face. She slowed down only when she reached the locked passenger door of his car.
Pausing, he pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her waist as he brought her to rest against his chest. The familiar scent of her perfume lingered as he leaned in for a kiss.
"You're eager to get away," he observed, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I thought things were going well with your dad?"
Elsa sighed and pulled out of his grip while he reached to pull out the key and unlock the door. "They are going well. It's just, if we don't leave now we'll never get away," she explained sliding into the car seat.
He nodded. Carefully, he shut the door after her and ran to the driver's side.
Climbing behind the wheel, he buckled his belt and put the key in the ignition. "So, what is it that your dad wants you to discuss with me?" he asked as he pulled the car onto the road.
Glancing at Elsa, he watched as a light blush crossed her cheeks. Biting her lip, she leaned back against her seat. "Oh...err...he..uh," she stammered, bowing her head.
Frowning, he reached over to squeeze her leg. "He what, El?" he asked. "What is it?"
Blushing, Elsa turned to face him. "He wanted me to tell you that he's talked it over with Mum and if you want to, he is happy for you to stay the night at our house from time to time," she whispered.
His eyes widened as the realisation of the words that Elsa had just said hit him. Looking at her, he chuckled as a deep blush crossed her face. She let out a small squeak and turned her head, hiding her face while she focused her attention out the window.
"Really?" he asked. "He's okay with the idea of me spending the night at your house, in your room. He's okay with me sleeping in your bed with you and maybe even kissing you while I lie in your bed, behind a closed door?"
"Jack!"
Chuckling, he turned his head and watched as Elsa turned to roll her eyes at him.
"He said that if you want to spend the night, or if I wanted to spend the night at your house that it is okay. Just so long as he knows that you're at mine, or that I'm at yours. That's all he said. Other than that, he's trusting me to make smart, responsible decisions," she added.
He grinned. "That's okay, tell him that I appreciate it. We may as well invest in those ear plugs for Anna though. You know that you find me irresistible, don't even try and deny it," he smirked.
He stifled a laugh, watching as Elsa let out a loud groan before reaching to check her phone. Shaking his head, he slowed the car down and pulled into the mall parking lot. Walt Blanchard's permission for him to spend the night was a big deal. It was the ultimate sign that Elsa's father had finally come to accept and approve of their relationship.
Gone were the days where their relationship was a secret and hidden from their warring families. In the past twelve weeks, the North and Blanchard families had spent an increasing amount of time together as they rebuilt their friendship. Jack had been able to enjoy more time spent at Elsa's home, joining her family for dinner or spending a cozy night on the couch with her along with her sister, Anna, and her boyfriend, Kristoff.
Elsa laughed, watching as Jack collapsed in an exhausted heap onto a chair in the mall food court. The tray holding their lunch was balanced on the table. Carefully, she placed the shopping bags at her feet and took a seat on the chair opposite him.
"I swear, every year it gets harder and harder to buy a present for Emily," Jack grumbled, taking a sip from his drink. "I miss the days when I could get her the latest Disney princess doll and know that she would be happy with it. Now it's all about clothes, perfume or crappy boybands. Do you know that she actually asked me for an iPad?! She has her own laptop, plus there is the desktop computer at home. She does NOT need an iPad"
She giggled. "Jack, it's okay," she said, shaking her head. "We've got her something that she wants. She was saying the other day that she loves this perfume and it was a good price too. Now all we need to do is get her the jacket that she is after and we've got her present sorted.
Jack groaned. "How do you even know where to find this jacket?" he asked. "I don't even recall her saying anything about a jacket, let alone where to find it."
"Simple. She posted a link to it on Facebook the other night with the statement saying that she must have it. I clicked the link, you can get it at Target," she explained.
Pulling her phone out, she logged onto Facebook and scrolled through until she found the link on Emily's wall before handing the phone to Jack for him to read.
Jack furrowed his brows while he leaned in to read the post before handing the phone back to her. "Have I told you lately, how amazing you are?" he murmured. "There is no way in hell that I'd have noticed this."
"That, my dear, is why you have me," Elsa quipped, leaning over to steal a fry from his tray. "I pay attention to these things."
She watched as Jack stood to his feet. Reaching down, he gathered their empty food containers into a neat pile before moving to empty the rubbish into a nearby bin. Pushing her chair back, she reached for his hand. Together, they walked towards the nearby Target.
Fortunately, it didn't take them long to find the desired jacket. After walking into Target, they had spotted the newly arrived clothes on display on a rack at the front of the store. A quick phone call to Jack's aunt and they had been able to find out what size clothing Emily wore. After some consideration, they had decided to purchase the size bigger than Emily's normal size, which would allow her to grow into the jacket.
Carefully, she folded the jacket into the basket and led Jack towards the checkout. She waited while he handed over his card to purchase the jacket before he reached to grip her hand and pull her out of the store.
"It's finished! That's it, no more presents for her," Jack groaned.
Smirking, she turned to face him. Opening her mouth, she was about to point out that he had survived a morning shopping when the sound of his phone ringing cut her off. Sighing, she pulled him to the side and out of the way of fellow shoppers while he took the call.
"Hang on, I'll ask El," he said, lowering the phone.
Tilting her head, she looked at him. "Ask me what?" she repeated.
"Jamie is on the phone. He wants to know if we want to go around to his house for a pizza and movie night tonight with Fred and Lana," Jack explained.
She smiled and nodded her head. "Sounds good to me. If we head home now then I can shower. We can stop at your house on the way home to grab your books and can go over some of Weselton's assignment before heading out again," she stated.
She waited as Jack returned to the call to let Jamie know that they would see him later in the afternoon. Hanging up the phone, he turned to face her.
"Homework, Elsa? You want to spend your time with me doing homework?" he muttered, reaching for her hand. "I can think of a lot better things that we could spend our time doing."
Rolling her eyes, she leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Has to be done, Jack. Besides, we've only got another 7 months left until we've finished with uni forever."
Jack felt his body relax as he leaned against the couch. Reaching out, he pulled Elsa to rest between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. He rested his head on her shoulder and ran his fingers through her long hair while they sat with their friends.
"So, you never told us what ended up happening with Hans," Lana said, breaking the silence. "I mean, the rumours are flying around the uni, but it's hard to know what's true."
He groaned. He could feel Elsa's body stiffen as the memories of the pain that they had suffered because of Hans came flooding back. Tightening his grip on her, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"The truth is that he's a douche," he grunted. "He's a douche and got what he deserved."
"Yeah, but what exactly happened to him?" Fred interrupted. "As Lana said, the rumours are flying. He's not been seen around uni for two weeks."
He let out a sigh. Reaching down, he gripped Elsa's hand. "Well, here is the truth as we know it," he began.
Tightening his grip on Elsa's hand, he told their friends how the dean of the university had opened an investigation into Hans' behaviour. A team from the university's I.T department had investigated the Facebook page where the slander about Anna had been posted. They had been able to find a few other posts from Hans which slandered other girls. From there, the university counsellors had sent out messages to the other girls who had been vilified by Hans on the website.
"You mean there were more?" Lana gasped, her eyes widening. "How many girls did he do this to?"
He nodded. "Hans named another three girls on the website, although, those girls were able to put the counsellors in contact with another two girls who had been harassed by Hans prior to the Facebook page being set up. In total, there were six girls, including Anna that have been sexually harassed by him. Anna was one of the lucky ones in that she didn't go further than kissing him. The other girls hadn't felt as confident to refuse him."
"What an ass," Fred grunted, reaching over to wrap a protective arm around Lana. "What about the attack on you? He did organise for you to be beaten on university ground and he stalked you both and assaulted Elsa."
Taking a deep breath, he continued. He filled their friends in on how the statements from the five girls and Anna had landed Hans in trouble. Security footage had since been found showing the fight that had occurred on university ground. The cameras had even managed to pick up when Hans had dug into his pocket to pay the two thugs for their help. When pressed, Hans had been only too happy to name the thugs that he'd hired along with the student who had helped him hack into the university computer system.
"Shit! That is quite a rap sheet," Jamie exclaimed, settling the pizza's down in the centre of the room. "You can't tell me he's gotten away with this?"
Jack shook his head, reaching around to grab a slice of pizza. "He hasn't. He has been kicked out of uni," he grinned.
"Kicked out, as in he can never come back?" Lana asked.
"Yep. He has been banned from ever returning to Arendelle university. All the years of study have led to nothing. He's also been handed over to the police who want to investigate the sexual harassment charges even further," Jack began. "To add insult to injury, his family are furious. His grandfather has threatened to cut him out of the will and is claiming that him and his uncle have made a mockery of their family."
He watched as their friends let out a loud whoop and punched the air in celebration. Grinning, he reached out to high-five Jamie. He felt Elsa shuffle as she pulled out of his grip and stood to her feet. Tilting his head, he looked at her and watched as she beckoned him to follow her.
Excusing himself, he got to his feet and followed her into the kitchen. Her arms wrapped around her tiny frame as she bit her lip. Reaching over, he gently gripped her chin and lifted her head to look at him.
"Hey, are you okay?" he whispered, reaching his arms out to pull her towards him.
She nodded. Slowly, she moved to wrap her arms around her neck before she stepped closer. "I just wanted to thank you," she whispered. "You've been my strength throughout the ordeal, Jack."
He sighed. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
Pulling apart, he looked at her. His hand moved to stroke through her hair. "You're my strength too, El," he murmured. "I'm only as strong as I am because I have you to fight for. You're my everything."
He heard Elsa let out a content sigh as she snuggled in closer to him. Her arms tightened their hold on him. He moved his hands down to rest on the small of her back as he pressed her body into his. His eyes glanced down at her head where it rested on his shoulder and he sighed. So long as he lived, he would always fight for her, to keep her safe, happy and loved. She was his love, his dream and his reason to live.
