Chapter contains: Mentions of a suicide attempt.


Elsa and Rapunzel were fixing the extra mattress and putting sheets while Anna and Ariel were doing their girly routine before going to bed. Being on the other end of Gerda's continuous interview for the whole day, the cousins didn't need to shoulder the trouble of setting up their bed as well. She and Rapunzel were capable enough.

The brunette looked at the glass door. "Oh, hey! The balcony isn't locked?"

"Yeah," Elsa said, placing four pillows on the mattress.

"Hn." Rapunzel slid the glass door open and stepped out, leaning on the edge. "The railings are fixed."

"They fixed it after what happened." Elsa smoothed out the creases on the sheets. "Along with locking the door."

Rapunzel stepped into the room. "You know it's for precaution, right? You tried to jump from up here."

Instead of answering, Elsa laid down her bed and stared at the ceiling.

A few months after her parents left, those evil thoughts plagued her mind. When Olaf came to visit with his friends to do a shoot for a school project, Elsa was surprised to see a girl around her age. Seeing Rapunzel with her sister, Senya, made her remember the days when Cindy was still alive.

It triggered painful memories.

Back then, she wasn't afraid of heights and had the idea of jumping off her balcony. The railings gave in before she could jump and it was only because of Rapunzel entering her room unannounced that she was still breathing. Broken, but alive nonetheless. The faded scars left on her arms were nothing compared to the memory of everyone's look of horror. It was by sheer luck that when the idea hit her, Alice was sleeping. At least she didn't scar the child for life.

Elsa closed her eyes, reliving that exact same day and how different everything was now. "I've already learned my lesson."

"I know," Rapunzel smiled. "Have you ever thought of coming back? You only went to Arendelle because of your parents, right?"

"They already paid for the entire school year. We don't get along, but school is expensive."

"What about after this school year?"

Unconsciously, Elsa gripped the sheets. She had never thought of that. Now that she was the one who pushed her parents away, what other reason does she have to stay there? Marshall was a good reason, she knew, but he could always visit her in Corona.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

If she stayed in Corona, she knew she'd be comfortable and happy with her extended family, but the memories of Cindy would always follow her around. Her death, her bullies, their childhood. When will her dependency on her uncle's family ever cease? On the other hand, if she stayed in Arendelle, she'd remember how her parents tried to change her into Cindy. There was a chance they would argue again. But it was also the place where she met Anna.

Elsa blinked.

Anna?

The two teens jumped when the door opened, revealing the redheaded cousins along with Alice. Elsa pushed herself up from the bed and curiously tilted her head, surprised to see the little girl comfortable around strangers.

"Elsie!"

"Alice? Oof" she coughed when she was tackled in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanna sleep with you!"

"What about your room?"

"I sleep there all the time."

"But we're crowded in here!" Rapunzel waved her arms to the bed and the mattress on the floor.

"I'm small!" Alice folded her tiny arms over her small body haughtily, a smug smirk on her lips.

Knowing better than to deny the obvious, Rapunzel didn't fight back. The child was small even for someone her age and even if she slept in the room, it would be the same as not having her around.

Somehow, Elsa could already picture Marshall laughing as he imagined how they looked compared to him soloing Olaf's room.

"I wanna sleep with Elsie!" Alice climbed on top of the bed and settled herself in the middle.

"Okaaaay? I call the shots on the mattress." Rapunzel slid off the bed and took a spot on the makeshift bed.

"You're not sleeping with me?" Elsa asked, confused.

"Not when that kid is around, no. She's a messy sleeper and I want to have a good night's rest."

"Then I guess it's Anna then?" Ariel suggested before looking at her cousin. "I've never slept with Elsa before. You did when you visited her house, right?"

"B-But..."

"Okay, now that that's settled, let's hurry and sleep, shall we?" Rapunzel quipped and wrapped herself in a blanket.

Blue eyes met turquoise irises for a fleeting moment. They simultaneously averted their gazes elsewhere, too embarrassed and keen on not saying anything. They had slept side by side before, but then and now were different. Now, it was established that Anna had feelings for her.

Elsa was not oblivious to the air between them, but that didn't mean it was clear to her either.

The bed shuffled as the younger redhead took the spot on one side of Alice. Thank goodness for the little girl's presence, this made things easier.

"Elsie, sing!"

Surprised by the request, she stammered, "What?"

"Lullaby! You always do that before."

The bed shifted when Rapunzel and Ariel settled their elbows on it, hands on their cheeks, awaiting the entertainment. Anna didn't say anything, but the worry etched in the middle of her eyebrows indicated what was running inside her head. Elsa did tell her about her history.

"B-But..."

"Sing! Sing! Sing!" Rapunzel and Ariel chanted.

It wasn't a welcomed tease, but they didn't know about her issues. Rapunzel only knew she was afraid of the piano, but she didn't know why. Strange, Elsa thought, why she had told Anna and not her own best friend. "Why do I have to?" she asked, pursing her lips at the two teens.

"No?" Alice pouted and her eyes watered. Elsa made a mental note of scolding Kristoff for teaching his daughter this dirty little trick.

"Just tonight, okay?" Elsa suppressed a roll of her eyes when Rapunzel and Ariel whispered little yeses and alrights.

"Yay!" Alice wrapped herself in a blanket and laid down the bed.

"The usual?"

"Ahuh! Can you play guitar too?"

Standing up from the bed and kneeling on the mattress, Elsa patted her hands blindly underneath the bed, trying to look for that bag with a nostalgic texture. As soon as she felt the desired object, she pulled it out.

"Oh wow! So you really can play the guitar." Ariel's voice held a hint of amusement.

Elsa unzipped the bag and pulled out a dark blue acoustic guitar. "Only simple songs."

Rapunzel sat comfortably on the mattress and rested her arms on top of the bed again. "I'm surprised it's not dusty."

"Grandmammie always cleans this room. She said Elsie likes it that way," Alice giggled.

Securing the guitar in her arms, Elsa sat on the bed again. "Can you still sleep while listening to a guitar?"

"It's okay! Elsie's guitar is sleepy!"

The strange sentence was difficult to understand and if it wasn't for her years of experience living with the child, Elsa would probably not get it. Sighing, she looked at the three other girls in the room whose attentions were pinned on her. "Can you not stare while I do this?"

"But why?" Rapunzel asked.

"It's awkward."

"Look at Alice or your guitar."

Realizing that there was nothing she could do, Elsa tuned the instrument instead. She suspected that Kristoff never changed the strings ever since she moved out and she promised to buy another set. Satisfied with the sound, she played the introduction of Alice's favorite song.

"Oh, oh- I know this!" Rapunzel chimed.

"You can sing along if you want," she suggested while lazily plucking the intro.

"Sure!" The brunette tilted her head at the cousins. "Would be nice if you join me."

"I'm not familiar with it," Ariel admitted.

Long, mildly callous fingers danced along the strings, the song already a part of its owner by now with how many times Alice asked her to play it before she left. Rapunzel sang the first verse, bringing out a grin on Elsa's face. The brunette would never admit it, but she was a great singer. And at times like these, it was a small reprieve because it calmed her down better than humming on her own could.


There was something about the way Elsa played the guitar that Anna couldn't pinpoint, but it was pulling her in until she had no other choice but to sing along.

"All those days chasing down a daydream, all those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing things the way they were."

Elsa whipped her head to the new voice, but despite the surprise, her fingers never stopped their delicate dance. Rapunzel grinned at Anna's sudden contribution, silencing in favor of listening to her.

"Now she's here shining in the starlight. Now she's here, suddenly I know,
If she's here it's crystal clear, I'm where I'm meant to go."

Everything blurred and what remained was Anna and Elsa who couldn't break their gazes from each other. The melody, the tune, the tone of the acoustics they shared—none of those things mattered right then. They were in their own little world, at least Anna was. She didn't know what was running inside Elsa's head, but she was hoping it was the same as hers.

"And at last I see the light and it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light and it's like the sky is new."

This was supposed to be a duet song, but for reasons Anna didn't care about, Rapunzel never continued. Or was she? Anna couldn't tell because she was focused on those azure eyes staring back at her with an emotion she didn't have a name for.

"And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything looks different
Now that I see you..."

Anna sang the last line with every fiber of her being, realizing a little too late that, yes, these weren't just lyrics to her anymore. She wasn't the type to sing along, but when it was Elsa who played the guitar, she couldn't help herself. No wonder people complimented her for her music. Anna didn't have to be a professional to know that there was something there.

Elsa's eyes dropped to the guitar. "A-Alice is asleep."

Blinking twice, Anna noticed the little girl sleeping in the middle of the bed, nestled comfortably on the blanket.

Rapunzel's voice jolted Anna back to reality. "What's wrong?"

Hurriedly packing the guitar away, Elsa gestured to leave, her face bright red. "I-I need water."

Before any of the girls could respond, the blonde walked out of the room and shut the door as quietly as she could. Anna was left clueless and barely able to think straight even when Rapunzel and Ariel glanced her way with worry.


'Breathe and keep it steady
You're still alright...'


Elsa's trembling hand was pressed against her left chest, forcing her heart to slow down its rapid beat. It was racing badly that she had to wonder if this was what Cindy felt all the time. She tried everything: splash her face with water, count numbers and even reached two hundred and seventy-two. But it was futile.

Turquoise blue eyes, freckled face, button nose, bright grin, and the soothing voice wouldn't leave her head. The image of Anna was simply there, and Elsa didn't know why. All she knew was that those eyes, that nose, those cheeks, that strawberry blonde hair, and that soft pinkish lips that looked so—

"I need water," she whispered to no one. After taking in a few deep breaths, she left the bathroom and walked nervously to the kitchen.

There were loud clanking noises and some clattering of utensils echoing through the walls. With how the lights were turned on, Elsa could only guess that someone was having a midnight snack. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she saw Gerda and Charlotte.

"Elsa?" Charlotte asked.

"C-Charlotte," she stuttered, still not getting over her initial shock.

"Hey! You're still awake! I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived."

"It's okay. You just came home?"

"Busy day," the chef shrugged and eyed her from head to toe. "They weren't kidding. A few months of not seeing you and look how beautiful you are!"

"Charlotte!" Elsa whined, the heat on her cheeks coming back en masse.

"I'm serious," she giggled. "Oh, but why are you still awake?"

Suddenly remembering why she had gone to the kitchen, Elsa grabbed a pitcher of water from the fridge. "I need water."

"What's wrong?" asked her aunt.

"Alice made me play the guitar again."

"She's in your room?" Said child's mother groaned when Elsa nodded. "I'm sorry! I'll ask Toph to carry her back to our room."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"But I heard there are four of you there."

"The room is big enough for us."

"Are you sure?" Elsa nodded. "Alright then. I'm sorry about this, Elsa. I'm totally exhausted. I'll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

Charlotte hugged her and patted her back twice before retiring for the night.

"How's the guitar?" Gerda asked once they were left alone.

"I-It's fine. It wasn't that hard because Rapz and Anna sang the lyrics." Elsa blushed at the memory of the redhead looking at her intimately.

"That girl you took to the music room, right?" Gerda grabbed a glass for herself. "I'm guessing, she knows?"

"Yes."

"Does she have a lovely voice?" Elsa stiffened and looked at her aunt questioningly. "I think I know you well enough to understand that look on your face."

Unable to find the will to react or words to say, Elsa downed another drink even when it wasn't helping her erratic nerves. Gerda patiently watched her every move, never once criticizing her for being a stuttering mess. When she still refused to say anything, which she wasn't willingly doing so, Gerda broke the silence with a gentle gesture to the stools surrounding the kitchen island.

"Why don't we take a seat?"


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