Disclaimer: Disney's property, yadda yadda yadda
The sun was sinking behind the mountains when Elsa finally eased open the door to her room. She half-expected to find Anna still propped against it – the younger woman was nothing if not stubborn – but she wasn't there. Elsa made her way downstairs, listening for any sounds that might tell her where Anna was, but she heard nothing but her own quiet footsteps.
Did she leave?
Elsa's stomach sank as she looked around the empty kitchen. Not that she would blame Anna for leaving, even if she left for the wrong reasons. Like thinking that Elsa wanted her to go, when that was the furthest thing from the truth. But Anna had every right to be angry; Elsa had put her in a terrible position. The most logical thing for her to do would be to return to the city and call the National Police. Turn Elsa in and see if she could get her life back.
She hadn't heard the motorcycle, which had to be a good sign, right? Elsa had almost panicked when the sound of an engine had reached her bedroom earlier. She had raced to the window, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Oaken on his plow, clearing the new snow off the road that led to her house. But she had waited by the window anyway, wondering if Anna would take advantage of the newly-cleared road to head back down the mountain.
Elsa searched every room on the main floor, but saw no signs of Anna anywhere. Where is she? She said she wasn't leaving! Elsa stood in front of the picture window in the great room, trying to control her mounting anxiety.
Had Anna changed her mind? Surely she would have waited until the weather cleared – it had been snowing off and on all day long - or at least until she felt better. Then again, if Anna was anything, she was impulsive. Action without thought. Which was what had led to this whole situation in the first place. Anna angry and drinking, storming into her bedroom…Elsa closed her eyes as she recalled Anna standing over her bed, wearing nothing but her underwear, her chest heaving and the color high in her cheeks. Just remembering how those sea-blue eyes raked over her, the desire in them so obvious, set something humming just under her skin like a low-voltage live wire. She'd started to reach out her hand, so ready to stop fighting it, whatever it was, and invite Anna in, when Anna crawled onto her bed and loomed over her, soaking wet and smelling of liquor and chlorine –
The pool. Elsa almost ran to the solarium, where she let out a long breath at the sight of Anna sleeping on one of the lounge chairs. Oh, thank God.
Elsa covered her smile with her hand as she moved to stand over the other woman. Anna had one arm thrown over her head, her cheek resting against it, soft snores escaping through her open mouth with each gentle rise and fall of her chest. Elsa just watched her for a few minutes, a warm glow building in her own chest. Still wearing the oversized sweatshirt and her face relaxed in slumber, Anna looked so vulnerable, and even younger than she actually was.
Too young to be doing the work that she did. Too young to be entangled in the mess that Elsa had made. Too young to have her life stolen from her.
She's so beautiful. Elsa knelt down next to the lounge chair and reached out a tentative hand, hesitating just for a moment before giving into the impulse. Her fingers grazed over Anna's cheek, and up to brush the copper-colored bangs off her face. The move uncovered the healing cut on her forehead. Elsa traced the edges of it with a fingertip. Then, giving into another impulse, she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to it. There was a snuffling sound, and when she pulled back, she found Anna looking up at her with sleepy sea-blue eyes.
"Hi," she said, giving Elsa a lazy smile.
"Hi." Suddenly nervous, Elsa sat back on her heels and wrung her hands together. "Um…how do you feel?"
"With my hands?" Anna grinned at Elsa's startled expression.
"Smart ass." Elsa rolled her eyes. "Clearly, you feel better."
"Yeah, lots better, actually." Anna sat up, stretching and rubbing her eyes. She tried and failed to stifle a yawn. Elsa swallowed a giggle. Cute.
"I thought I might find you still leaning on my door."
"Well, I was there for a while," Anna said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I got a crick. And then I thought maybe I should, you know, give you some space, so I decided to do something constructive, for once."
"Constructive?"
Anna gestured at her pistol, which lay on a low table beside her, amongst a scattering of oily cloth squares and wire brushes. "Yeah, I cleaned my .45. And I cleaned the kitchen. I also, uh," she looked down at her lap, toying with one of her braids, "scrubbedthecarpetthatIdirtieduplastnight."
"What?" Elsa cocked one brow in confusion.
Anna flushed red. "I, um, tracked dirty slush all over your carpet. So I scrubbed it. I promise I'll pick up all the beer cans I threw around too, they're just buried under too much snow right now." She looked up at Elsa, biting her lip.
"Oh." Now it was Elsa's turn to look away. "When I came downstairs and couldn't find you right away…I thought you'd left." She twisted her hands together.
"Elsa, I told you I wasn't going to leave." Anna reached out and took one of her hands. "Why didn't you believe me?"
"I – I…" Elsa's breath caught when Anna started tracing soft circles around the bruises on her wrist with a fingertip. She swallowed hard as that internal humming started again, a low-level energy pulsing under her skin in time with her heartbeat. A heartbeat that skittered when Anna pressed a tender kiss to the inside of her wrist, mumbling something that might have been yet another apology before lifting her gaze to meet Elsa's.
Elsa darted out her tongue to wet suddenly-dry lips, not missing the way Anna's eyes flicked down to watch, the way they darkened, the way her cheeks pinkened before her eyes flicked back up again. The air between them seemed heavy and charged.
"Anna…" She trailed off as Anna leaned in, so close now that she could feel Anna's breath over her lips, smell hints of earth and grass, and that sunshine-y scent that was uniquely Anna, and she let her eyes slide shut in anticipation.
"Can I…?" Anna whispered.
"Please…"
Their lips met with a slight bumping of noses, and Elsa's heart threatened to thunder right out of her chest. Anna's mouth was soft on hers, sweeping away the exhaustion, pain, and fear of the past few days, and wrapping her in a blanket of sensations. Fingertips slipping along her jaw. Warm breath on her cheek. Lips sliding against hers as Anna tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Elsa's whole body trembled, and if she hadn't already been on her knees, she was sure she would have collapsed.
When they finally parted, Elsa kept her eyes closed, her breath coming in quick puffs. Butterflies flapped wildly in her belly.
Anna cleared her throat. Elsa opened her eyes to see her biting her lip, an uncertain look on her face. "Was that…okay?" Anna asked.
Elsa nodded, not sure she could trust her voice. That was…amazing? Wonderful? Perfect?
Anna tucked her hair behind her ear and gave her a little grin. "I've been wanting to do that for…well, for a couple of days, at least."
Something inside Elsa seemed to unknot. "You've only known me for a couple of days."
"I know, right? But it seems like longer. But that could be because I've been following you for a while, and maybe that makes it feel like I've known you longer, and I know that sounds kind of stalker-ish, and I don't know, maybe it is kind of stalker-ish, but it's my job, and - "
Elsa chuckled and put a finger to Anna's lips to cut off the verbal hemorrhage. "I understand."
"Anyway, it just seems like we've been dancing around this, this thing, whatever it is, you know, and I thought maybe last night…you know…be-before I screwed it up…"
"Anna, it's okay. It's in the past. And, well, we've both done some things we're not proud of." She took Anna's hand, shivering a little as Anna's thumb immediately started stroking her knuckles. "If you want…I thought we might go out." Her voice caught, and she coughed to cover it. "To dinner. Get out of the house for a bit. It could be like a fresh start?"
She met Anna's eyes, and it took all of her willpower not to get lost in their sea-blue depths.
"That sounds great," Anna said with a smile, and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Elsa, are you sure about this?" Anna stopped the motorcycle and flipped up the faceplate of her helmet, casting a skeptical eye at the crowd spilling out of the large restaurant.
"It will be fine," Elsa said. She tightened her arms around Anna's waist as the motorcycle started moving again, easing into the parking lot.
The restaurant's theme was distinctly Old Arendelle. It was built in the rustic timber style of old mountain cabins, with a wooden sign that said "Wandering Oaken's" hanging over the porch. Two carved-wood trolls stood guard on either side of the front door. Inside, the walls were dotted with an assortment of traditional artwork, with depictions of reindeer herding and pagan gods. Ice harvesting tools and mountain trekking gear completed the theme.
The servers were outfitted in traditional costumes, with bright embroidered tunics, sashes, and boots with upturned toes. Elsa and Anna's server was a strapping man with light brown hair and a reddish beard, who looked far too muscular to simply be waiting tables for a living. He took their drink orders, then proceeded to sing the day's specials in a pleasant baritone.
When he was gone, Anna and Elsa looked at each other. Anna snorted, then started snickering. Elsa's hand flew to her mouth, but Anna's laughter was contagious, and soon they were both cackling madly. Elsa put one arm across her cramping belly, almost doubling over.
"I think we both needed that," Anna gasped, wiping at her eyes as her laughter subsided. "Honestly, Elsa, why here? It's so…cheesy."
Elsa swiped at her own eyes and straightened up. "Well, knowing what you know about me, would you look for me here?"
"No," Anna admitted.
"Exactly. Oaken's partner owns this place, but I've never actually been here. It caters to tourists, so it's unlikely that anyone will will recognize me, or that I will see anyone I know." She grinned at Anna's surprised expression. "And since I can't vouch for the quality of the food, I'll just apologize now in case it turns out to be…well, less than stellar."
The food turned out to be surprisingly good. They were there for two pleasant stolen hours, talking, laughing, trying to learn more about each other. Elsa listened, fascinated, to stories of Anna's childhood, so different from her own, spent a house filled with laughter and fun and the kind of love that Elsa hadn't experienced since her mother died. Or Anna's childhood had been that way, up until her parents' car crash, when she suddenly landed with relatives who didn't – couldn't – give her what she needed.
"It wasn't her fault, it's not like she asked to be taken," Anna was saying. "But she was gone for so many years, and they got her back right when I went to live with them, and they just didn't have time for me. So I guess I just…acted out. Tried to get their attention, you know? In the worst possible ways." She looked down and pushed her food around with her fork.
Elsa's heart ached as she pictured the twelve year-old Anna, looking for comfort after the loss of her parents and receiving little more than indifference as her aunt and uncle celebrated their own daughter's return. No, it wasn't her cousin's fault, but Anna had been a grieving child. She could hardly be blamed for projecting her anger and resentment and heartbreak onto the most obvious target.
She reached across the table, a bit hesitantly, and put her hand over Anna's. "It's not your fault either, Anna."
"What?"
"You were a child. You were in pain and dealt with it the only way you knew how." She squeezed Anna's hand briefly and started to pull away, but Anna caught her hand and held it.
"How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Deal with it. You lost your parents too, and you didn't turn into a delinquent troublemaker."
Elsa kept her eyes on their linked hands. "I…didn't, really. Deal with it, I mean. I shut myself off. Tried to be the perfect daughter. I thought if I was perfect, my father would stop leaving me all the time. Stay home. Climb out of the bottle. Obviously, it didn't work."
She could feel Anna's eyes on her. She tried to tug her hand away, but Anna wouldn't let go, shifting her grip to lace their fingers together.
"Hey," Anna said, dipping her head so that she could look Elsa in the face. "It's okay. Nobody can be perfect, especially not a kid."
Elsa didn't meet her eyes. "I think…in a way, I'm broken inside. I can't…connect with people. I never learned how."
"Hey. Look at me." Anna's voice was sharper this time, and Elsa looked up to see her lift one russet brow. "Then what do you call this? What's happening here? Is this all in my head?" She motioned between them with a single finger.
Elsa's pulse skipped. "No."
Anna beamed. "Good."
They finished their meal, and Elsa paid in cash, leaving a generous tip for their singing waiter. The restaurant was located right on the lakefront, and they went down to the raised boardwalk. It seemed the snow had moved on – the night air was clear and crisp, the mountains and the moon reflecting off the lake's crystal surface. They had the boardwalk to themselves, and they followed it along the shore, leaving behind the dull roar of the restaurant and enjoying the peaceful evening.
They stopped when they reached a place where the boardwalk jutted out over the lake. Elsa leaned her elbows on the railing. She smiled a little when Anna rested against it too, her shoulder pressing into Elsa's.
"Going out was a good idea," Anna said. "It's almost like a getting a do-over."
"I think so, too." Elsa stared at the lights of the town across the lake. "But what do we do now?"
Anna sighed. "As amazing as it is here, I don't think we can stay. They'll find us eventually."
"Where, then?"
"Well, I've been thinking…."
When she didn't elaborate, Elsa nudged her shoulder. "You didn't strain yourself, did you?" she asked with a little smirk.
"God, the sass from you." Anna wrinkled her nose in mock dismay, then turned toward Elsa, propping herself on one arm. "I have a friend, well, not really a friend, more of an acquaintance, he's a friend of Eugene's – well, not really a friend of his either, more like a…business associate. Anyway, he lives in Norway. If we can get across the border, he can probably help us get to the Continent, or maybe even to America."
Elsa pondered that for a moment. "And then what? Two fugitives from justice with God knows who else looking for them?"
Anna tilted her head. "Well, we both have some marketable skills, and with new identities, I'm sure we can find expat communities. Money might be a problem initially."
"No, it won't. I have money."
"But can you get it? I'm sure the National Police have tagged your accounts by now."
"The money I'm talking about is in a numbered Swiss account."
Anna's eyes widened. "Are those really a thing?"
Elsa couldn't help but smile at her expression. "Yes, they really are."
"Wow. Wait, you don't have to go to Switzerland to get the money, do you?"
"No. I went there to open the account, but I have a fiduciary there who handles the transactions for me. I just call him and tell him where I want the money wired, and he takes care of it. I've tested it a couple of times, and it works."
"Where will you wire it to? You can't exactly put it in Elsa Kjarensen's bank account."
"I'll wire it to LDG's corporate account here. I can access the money as a signatory officer. That will give us something to start with." Elsa wrung her hands. It might be a feasible plan, but could she really do this to Anna? Take her away from Arendelle, from everything she'd ever known? However dysfunctional it was, Anna still had family here. Friends. People she cared about, and who cared about her.
Anna picked up on her uncertainty. "What is it?"
"Anna, once the money gets here…you can have half of it. Go back to Arendelle City and get your life back. You shouldn't have to do this."
"Elsa, we've talked about this."
"No, we haven't!" Elsa hunched in, wrapping her arms around her middle. "I didn't give you any choices. I'll call Agent Bjorgman and tell him that you're not involved, that you were just helping me."
"Elsa- "
"And then I slipped away from you. You can go back home, Anna. Get out of this nightmare and live your life."
Anna's hands were on her arms, turning her so they were face-to-face. "I thought you didn't want me to leave."
Elsa cringed at the hurt in Anna's voice. "I don't, but - "
"Then I'm not leaving," Anna said firmly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Anna ran her hands gently up and down Elsa's arms. "Look, Elsa, I know you want to do what you think is right for me. But it's not right for you. I mean, if you really want me to leave, I'll go." She flashed a grin. "Even then, I'll probably stalk you to make sure you're okay."
Elsa chuckled. "I don't doubt it."
"Good." Anna leaned against the railing, staring out over the lake. "I know I'll miss Arendelle. It's home. But at some point last night, I had a moment of drunken clarity. I wasn't pissed because you took away my life. I was pissed because I realized the life I was trying to get back to really isn't much of one to begin with." She glanced up at Elsa, then studied her feet.
Elsa felt a rush of sympathy and gratitude. She reached out and gently lifted Anna's chin. "Anna, I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me."
Anna met her eyes and they just stared at each other for several heartbeats. Then Anna's lips were on hers, fingers slipping along her jaw to tangle in the hair at her nape. A small whimper escaped Elsa's throat as Anna pulled her close. Unlike the soft, sweet kisses they'd shared earlier, this one was tongue and teeth and heat, and Elsa groaned as their bodies pressed together in a solid line from chest to thigh.
Her hands tangled in Anna's hair as her back hit the rail. Anna's lips left hers to trace a fiery trail along her jaw. She gasped at the hot flick of a tongue against the sensitive spot behind her jaw, and heard a frustrated grunt as Anna tugged impatiently at her coat, followed by a contented hum as a hand slipped under it to circle around her back.
"Anna…" she breathed, tipping her head back as Anna laid hot, open-mouthed kisses along her throat. She barely had time to moan before there was a nip at her pulse point, and her knees almost buckled when warm fingers slid under her blouse and skimmed over the skin above the waistband of her jeans.
Then Anna's mouth was back on hers, gentler this time. Her lips parted, and Anna's tongue slipped in to taste her. Their tongues brushed, sending a shudder through her body. She broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Anna's.
"Anna…" she murmured, her breath hitching as warm fingers stroked her back, "please…take me home."
A/N: So I guess this is kinda what everyone's been waiting on?
