HELLO! I hope everyone is doing well! I am so sorry about the long wait. I really did intend on releasing this sooner but I have been busy with school and whenever I did manage to write something, it wasn't that good so I would erase it and start over again and again. I don't know why, but I couldn't resist writing a lot of Helsa fluff for this chapter (I'm obsessed with them as a couple and Valentine's Day helped stimulate a lot of fluffy feelings haha). I hope this semi-long chapter makes up for my absence. Enjoy and Happy Reading! :)
Chapter 34
"I am going to miss having you two around all the time. It just feels so natural having you here." Rapunzel calmly spoke as she gently rocked Flynn to sleep in her arms.
"I can't believe it's already been a month since the twins were born." Elsa also spoke in hushed tones as she rocked Evie to sleep in her arms.
"They are going to miss you guys terribly. They have gotten so used to seeing you two every day." Rapunzel smiled at Anna, "But we will be seeing you real soon."
"You will?" Anna perked up from her spot on the sofa.
"Of course. You really don't think that I am going to miss your wedding, do you?"
"I just figured with the babies-"
"We'll make it work." Rapunzel placed Flynn into his crib.
"That's wonderful news. I was so worried about that." Anna stood up and stretched, "I wish we could stay longer though."
"We've been here long enough, Anna." Elsa placed Evie into her crib, "It's time for you to return to wedding duty and I need to get back to work."
There was a brief knock on the door before Eugene stuck his head, "The ship is all loaded and ready to go."
"That's our cue." Elsa sighed as she hugged Rapunzel, "Take care of yourself."
"I will." Rapunzel hugged her cousin in return, then subtly whispered, "Good luck."
Elsa grinned, fully knowing that she was talking about her and Hans trying to have a baby of their own. "Thank you." She whispered in return as she released her embrace. Elsa then stepped away so that Anna could hug Rapunzel.
"I'm going to miss you." Anna threw her arms around her cousin, "I can't wait until May."
"Me either." Rapunzel laughed, "But it's only two months away."
The two sisters said their goodbyes to Eugene and then made their way to the docks where they would meet up with their aunt and uncle before heading home.
Once they left the room, Eugene smirked at his wife, "Good luck?"
Rapunzel frowned, "Oh, Eugene, do you have to eavesdrop on every single conversation?"
"Yes. Yes I do. I like to stay in the loop." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they plopped onto the sofa together, "What does Elsa need good luck for?"
"That's another thing about you. You're always so nosy."
"And you're not?"
"I'm a girl. Girls are naturally nosy."
"Is that a fact?"
"Yes. Yes it is." She smiled up at him, "Besides, no matter what you say or do. I'm never going to tell you."
"That's a cute little rhyme, Blondie. But let's not teach our kids that one."
Rapunzel laughed, "Definitely not."
Three days later, the royal sisters were pulling into the docks of Arendelle. It was remarkable how much the kingdom had changed since their departure. Whatever snow that was still around had completely disappeared and were replaced by green trees and hills that were covered with numerous blossoming flowers. It was impossible not to smile in amazement at the beauty of the kingdom.
Elsa and Anna had just stepped off the boat and were immediately greeted by Hans and Kristoff.
"Kristoff!" Anna practically tackled him in a bear hug, but fortunately the mountain man could handle it.
"How did everything go?" He smiled as he returned the hug.
"She had twins! Rapunzel had a boy and a girl!" Anna exclaimed to anyone and everyone around them.
"Twins?! That's unbelievable." Kristoff's eye widened at the news, "How'd Eugene take it?"
"He did pretty well. But he was certainly surprised when Rapunzel told him right before the second baby came."
"Talk about blindsiding." Hans chuckled as he hugged Anna, "But I'm glad that everything went well."
"Weeellll…"Anna looked over at Elsa, who sharply shook her head. "Yeah. Besides Eugene being in shock, everything went well."
"I'm so glad you're back." Kristoff reached for her hands with an embarrassed laugh, "I returned from the mountain a couple days ago and I don't think I can keep dodging the wedding planner."
"Well I'm back now and we've got some more things to check off the list." She took a deep breath, "Let's get down to business." And with that, the couple walked hand-in-hand towards the castle.
Hans looked over at his wife with a smile, "Welcome home."
"It's good to be back." Elsa looked around her blossoming kingdom with a grin, "How have things been around here?"
"Quiet." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug followed by a kiss on the cheek, "I'm happy you're back. I really missed you."
"Me too." She giggled as they began their walk to the castle. Neither one spoke a word during their stroll. They were happily content with the peaceful silence that was being shared between them.
Once they walked passed the gates into the courtyard and made their way inside the castle, Hans casually cleared his throat, "Sooo…"
"Sooo?"
"How are you feeling?"
By the up and down glance he was giving her, it was clear to Elsa what he was really asking, "I'm not pregnant, if that's what you are inquiring."
"Why do assume I'm asking for that specific reason?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe it's because you haven't stopped trying to find any differences in my body shape since I stepped off the ship."
"As a matter of fact, I was just admiring how beautiful you were and how much I missed seeing you every day." He chuckled, "I'm not that obsessed-"
"I'm sorry but whose idea was it to do it one last time the morning of Anna's and my departure to Corona? What did you call it…a quickie?"
"Hey, I don't remember hearing a whole lot of complaining coming out of you that morning."
"I think I was too caught up in the moment to make any complaints."
"So do you have any now?"
"Yeah, actually I do." She impishly smirked as they stopped outside her study, "How come we don't do that more often?"
"Excuse me?"
"I rather liked being woken up that way." She blushed when she realized how forward she was being.
"What's wrong?" He gently tilted her chin upward.
"I just realized how improper this conversation is getting. I apologize."
"Elsa, you do realize that I am your husband. If you can't talk about these things with me, then who else can you tell?" He boyishly grinned, "Besides, I kind of like hearing you compliment me."
"Who said I was complimenting you? I just said I liked being woken up that way. I didn't say anything about you." She turned and walked into her study.
"Let's just say I read between the lines." He chuckled as he followed her in and closed the door behind himself.
Elsa ignored him as she elegantly sat down at her desk and sighed, "It really does feel good to be back." When she realized that Hans was standing by the closed door, she quipped, "What are you still doing here? Don't you have a job to do?"
"We haven't seen each other in over a month and this is what you want to do your first day back? Work?"
"Well, yeah, that's kind of why I came back to Arendelle." She pulled out a stack of papers from her desk, "To work." She dropped the stack onto her desk with a loud thud.
"Alright." Hans turned to leave.
"What were you thinking?" Elsa curiously asked as she started reading some documents.
"Nothing, I just thought you would be happy to see me."
"I am happy to see you." She continued reading.
"Not the same way Anna was when she saw Kristoff."
"Well, I'm not Anna. If you wanted that kind of attention you should have married her." She dipped her pen into the ink and began to scribble something onto one of the documents without even giving Hans a glance.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. Are you okay?" She placed her pen back into the ink.
Hans stood by the door with his hand on the doorknob for a few seconds before he responded, "No. I'm not okay." In five long strides he was standing by her desk, where he pulled the paper out of her hand and threw it behind him.
"Hans, wha-"
He cut her off as he cupped her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her for a long time, gradually bringing her to her feet as she placed her hands on his forearms. When they finally pulled apart, he breathed, "Now I'm okay."
"Well I'm not." Elsa's eyes moved from the paper on the floor to the stack on her desk then back up to Hans, "I'm conflicted."
He smiled as he rested his forehead against hers, "What do you feel like doing right now?"
She carefully removed his hands from her face and rested her hands onto the desk. She sat down and moved the ink into one of her drawers, "This." As Hans dejectedly turned to leave, Elsa stood up and in one swift movement she brushed her arms across the desk, knocking all the papers onto the floor.
Hans turned back around with a genuinely surprised look on his face, "Wha-"
She grabbed him by his dark green ascot and pulled him close, "I feel like doing this right now. Besides…" She pressed her body up against his, bringing her face close to his, "We're trying to create an heir for Arendelle. That has to count as being somewhat work related."
"I believe you're right." He leaned forward as crushed his lips against hers, feeling her body relax in his embrace as she lean back on her desk. As they continued kissing, their passion growing by the second, Hans effortlessly lifted Elsa up onto the desk.
"Hans?" She breathed as he trailed kisses down her neck.
"Mmm?"
"I might need help reorganizing all those papers once we're done here."
"Hmm…"
Elsa looked up from her spot at the dinner table, "Did you say something?"
"Me?" Anna perked up.
"Yes, you. You're the only other person here." Elsa laughed as she returned to reading her paper.
"Hmmm…" Anna narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"What?" Elsa looked up again with an amused look on her face.
"Nothing." Anna propped her elbow onto the table and rested her head on her hand while drumming her fingers on the table. Elsa shrugged and then returned to reading with a small smile on her face. Anna continued to silently stare at her sister until the unimaginable happened…Elsa started humming. "Oh. My. Gosh!" Anna yelped.
"What?!" Elsa looked up in alarm, "What's wrong?"
"You!"
"Me?"
"You're humming!"
"Oh my, we must call the doctor immediately."
"And you're using sarcasm! Who are you, and what have you done to my sister?"
Elsa rolled her eyes, "Isn't it a little early for your dramatic antics, Anna?"
"Perhaps, but what's gotten into you?"
"I honestly have no idea what you are referring to."
"We got back from Corona a month ago, and ever since then you've been nothing short of deliriously happy. Like last night, I belched out loud at the dinner table, you didn't scold me at all. You didn't even frown, you giggled!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Well you should be. It was really weird."
"Anna…" Elsa paused when the door opened up and Hans stepped inside, "Good morning, Hans."
"Good morning, beautiful." Hans leaned down and tenderly kissed his wife, "You look stunning as always." Elsa giggled as he took the seat beside her, "Good morning, Anna."
"Uh-huh…" Anna grinned, "Now I understand where the good mood is coming from. You two playing nice in the bedroom?"
"Anna!" Elsa frowned and turned bright red at the same time.
"See? That's the frown I was looking for!" Anna giggled as Elsa buried her face in her hands and shook her head.
Hans, on the other hand, wasn't as embarrassed, "Speaking of bedroom companions, Anna, where's your future companion?"
He smugly chuckled at the small amount of blush creeping onto her cheeks, but Anna wasn't about to give up on this battle of awkward conversation, "You know what, Westergard-"
"Sorry, I'm late!" Kristoff jogged into the room, "Sven got into the carrots last night and…" He stopped talking when he observed the scene before him. Elsa still had her face buried into her hands while Anna and Hans seemed to be in the middle of heated conversation. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Not at all." Elsa finally lifted her head up with a meek smile, "You arrived just in time, actually."
"Alright." Kristoff sat down beside Anna, "How's everyone doing this morning?"
"Elsa's in a really good mood." Anna smirked at Elsa, "Isn't that right, my dear sister?"
"Don't. Start." Elsa sternly replied.
"Now that's the Elsa I know and love." Anna laughed as the food was being served.
"So…" Hans served himself some eggs, "The wedding is exactly one month from today. How are we feeling about that?"
"I am so ready! I was born ready!" Anna excitedly buttered her toast.
"I'm excited." Kristoff calmly poured some juice into his glass, "It should be fun."
"Should?! It will be fun!" Anna pointed her knife at Kristoff, "It will be a day to remember, Bjorgman."
Kristoff chuckled as he placed his hand on hers and lowered the knife, "I know, Anna. I can't wait."
"Speaking of the wedding…" Elsa sipped her water, "Anna, has Gerda gotten back to you about the dress?"
"She said that it should be arriving any day now. Hopefully sooner than later, I still haven't even had my first fitting yet."
"First fitting? How many fittings do you need?" Kristoff chuckled, trying to cheer Anna up.
"Excuse me, but have you ever heard of alterations?"
"Uh…no." By the irritated look on Anna's face, Kristoff figured this wasn't a topic to joke about.
"Hans," Elsa whispered to her husband as the engaged couple went at it, "You said you'd help him with his wedding attire."
"I've been busy. Besides, he hasn't asked me about it yet, so I assumed it was under control."
Elsa subtly waved her hand in Anna and Kristoff's direction, "Well, obviously it's not under control."
"I thought this is why we hired a wedding planner. So we wouldn't have to deal with this." He nodded toward the arguing couple.
"You make a fair point." Elsa loudly cleared her throat, "Anna. Kristoff." The couple continued their arguing. "Anna. Kristoff." Still in the middle of their argument, Elsa stood up and flicked her wrists in their direction, sending a couple of snowballs at them which promptly hit them in the face and earning her their attention. "Anna. Kristoff. What does the wedding planner make of all this?"
"I-We…" The couple stammered in unison.
"I? We?" Elsa prodded with a raised eyebrow.
"I fired her…about two weeks ago." Anna hung her head.
"Fired her?! How come?!"
"She wouldn't respect my decisions! When I said I wanted soup, roast, and ice cream for our dinner, she laughed and completely changed the menu! And don't get me started on the cake!"
"Let me guess, you wanted a chocolate cake." Elsa sighed.
"Yes, of course! I've had my wedding planned out since I was a little girl and nothing on my list was coming true! And I wasn't about to let this woman that I hardly know ruin one of the most important days of my life! I know what you're thinking…I made it sound like I had everything together, but in reality, planning this wedding has been a complete disaster!" Tired and out of breath, Anna slumped down into her seat.
Elsa pursed her lips together, carefully planning her words, "Anna? If you fired the wedding planner two weeks ago, then what have you been doing for the past couple of weeks?"
"What do you think I've been doing? I've been trying to plan the wedding by myself, with Kristoff's help of course."
"Alright. This is what we are going to do." Elsa stood up and walked over to her sister, kneeling down beside her chair, "We are going to work our butts off for the next month and make this wedding happen. We'll have to enlist Gerda's help and I'll get Annaliese and Kai to cover for me while we figure this out."
"We?" Anna stared down at her sister with curious eyes.
"Absolutely. You helped me considerably when my wedding was being planned. And I have hardly done anything for yours. Let me repay you and let's get this wedding back on track."
"You mean it?" A small smile appeared on Anna's lips.
"Of course." Elsa stood up and offered her hand to her sister, "And our first order of business will be to settle this dress situation once and for all."
"Yes, please!" Anna took her sister's hand and stood, quickly wrapping her arms around Elsa, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I thought you'd be mad, but I guess I was wrong."
Elsa laughed as she broke the hug and then started to lead her sister out of the room, "Come on, we have a lot of work to get done."
As the sisters started for the door, Anna quipped up over her shoulder, "Keep doing what you're doing in the bedroom, Hans. I really like this new always-in-a-good-mood version of Elsa."
"One more comment like that and you'll get to see the new never-going-to-help-you-out-ever-again version of Elsa." The queen promptly pushed her sister out of the room.
Once the sisters left and the door closed behind them, Hans turned back toward the table only to be met by an amused Kristoff, "Care to elaborate on that, Hans?"
"Just eat your breakfast, Bjorgman. And wipe that smirk off your face while you're at it."
With one week left before Anna and Kristoff's wedding, the sisters were gathered in the parlor going over final details well into the night. At around 11 o'clock they both relaxed on the sofa, enjoying the result of their hard work. Elsa closed her eyes and stretched her neck, "Okay, since we've got most of the details done for the formal wedding. What's the plan for your informal wedding with the trolls?"
"Oh, that's easy. The trolls told Kristoff that they would handle almost everything."
"Almost everything?"
"Well, yeah. We just need a ride up to the valley. Kristoff and I figured that we would have Sven take us up there." Anna curiously eyed her sister, "Are you and Hans going come to the second wedding?"
"Oh…" Elsa opened her eyes and looked at her sister, "I actually hadn't even thought about that. Would you like us to be there?"
"Absolutely!" Anna sheepishly grinned, "I mean, if you want to come that is. I understand if you have to stay and attend to the guests."
"Anna, this is your special day. I am willing to do anything to ensure that you look back on this day and have nothing but happy memories. No regrets are allowed. We have enough of those from our childhood."
Anna slowly nodded her head as she thought about Elsa's words, "I want you to be there."
Elsa smiled, "Then I'll be there."
The sisters warmly hugged each other as Gerda walked into the parlor, "I have a surprise for you two." Gerda presented them a tray with two mugs resting on it.
"What is it?" Anna reached for one of the mugs.
"Do you remember the first thing you told me when you returned from London several months ago, Princess?"
"I was engaged?"
"No, that was the second thing." Gerda laughed as she handed Elsa the second mug.
The sisters took a simultaneous whiff of the hot liquid inside the mug and responded at the same time, "Chocolate espressos?!"
"I've been trying to figure out how to make these just like the Italians. Finally, a friend of mine in Europe responded to one of my letters and she also sent me the recipe. I figured that we could celebrate the finalizing of the wedding plans with a special treat."
"Gerda, you are absolutely one of my most favorite people in the entire world!" Anna happily sipped her drink.
"This is amazing, Gerda." Elsa enjoyed the warmth of the mug in her cold hands, "Thank you for all of your help. We wouldn't have been able to finish planning this wedding without you."
"It's been an absolute pleasure, Your Majesty." Gerda placed the tray on the table and sat down on the sofa across from the sisters, "I've had so much fun working with you two. I can't help but imagine this is what it would have been like if I had a daughter of my own."
"How come you never had children, Gerda?" Anna crossed her legs as she leaned back on the sofa.
"It just wasn't meant to be, Princess." Gerda reached over and patted Anna's knee, "But it's alright because it gave me the opportunity to help your mother raise you two girls, and it has been an absolute joy watching you grow up."
Elsa smiled into her drink, "Well, we appreciate everything you've done for us. You are the only mother figure we have nowadays."
A small silence filled the room as they thought about the late queen until Gerda let out a small sigh, "She would have been so proud of you two. The unconditional love and support that you share for one another would bring a smile to her face."
"I wish Mama and Papa could have been here for the wedding." Anna sadly frowned into her drink.
"Me too." Elsa put her arm around her sister as she glanced at Gerda, who was also looking at the Queen. They both knew that on the morning of Anna's wedding, Gerda would give Anna the present that the late king and queen wrapped several years ago, which contained letters from each parent about their daughters' wedding day. Elsa glanced at the clock and noticed that it was coming up on midnight, "You know, I think I should head out. It's getting rather late and there are a couple things I still need to do before bed."
"Are you sure? You've hardly touched your drink." Anna looked up at her sister with concern.
"If I have all of it now, I won't be able to fall asleep tonight. I'll see you in the morning." Elsa hugged her sister before standing up, "Goodnight. Thanks again for all of your help, Gerda. And also for the drink. It was delightful."
"You're welcome, Your Majesty. Goodnight."
Elsa walked out of parlor and closed the door behind her. With a small sigh and a quick stretch of the neck, she headed towards Kristoff's bedroom. A couple days ago Hans had told her that he and Kristoff were very close to being done with Kristoff's wedding attire and that the final fitting was to be done tonight. Although she trusted Hans to get the job done, she still wanted to see the final product before the wedding. When she turned the corner, she could see that there was still light coming from Kristoff's room and as she walked closer, she could pick up a few faint voices…one of them belonging to a female.
As Elsa approached the door, she noticed that it was cracked open about an inch. So like any self-respecting ruler, she peeked through the door to find Hans and Annaliese examining Kristoff's wardrobe.
"Kristoff, you look amazing, if I do say so myself. Which I do." Annaliese giggled as she proudly crossed her arms.
"You did a great job, Annaliese." Hans chuckled as he threw an arm around her shoulders, "Not that I'm surprised. You always did a great job patching up my brother-beaten wardrobe while growing up."
"A-are you sure I don't look…too regal?" Kristoff nervously fixed his ascot, "I don't want it to seem like I'm trying too hard."
"Kristoff, you're an ice harvester. Anna is a princess. I know she doesn't mind the huge gap in social class, but many of your guests will. You've got to play the part and show all those pompous tightwads that you could pull off this whole Prince Consort thing." Hans ran a hand through his hair, "At least you don't have a criminal record like Eugene and I do. That should automatically put you in a better light."
"I sure hope so." Kristoff sighed as he headed toward his bathroom, "I'm going to change before I do anything to accidentally ruin all of Annaliese's good work."
Hans and Annaliese silently watched Kristoff go into the bathroom and once he closed the door, they both started cleaning up all of Annaliese's sewing supplies. Just as Elsa was about to walk away, she heard Hans speak up, "You really did do a nice job."
"Thanks. It was fun. I haven't done anything like that since I married Kendrick and left the Southern Isles." She noticed Hans' sudden silence, "Still too soon?"
"For what?"
"To bring up the past. Our past." Annaliese stopped what she was doing and watched Hans continue to pick up scraps of material and thread, "Hans?"
"It's not too soon. There's nothing to talk about."
"I still think about it…those were a wonderful three years." Annaliese started to reorganize her sewing basket, "I wanted to say yes."
"But you didn't." Hans handed her the scissors, "You didn't think it would work out."
"I was the one who brought up the idea of marriage! It was you who couldn't let himself stoop to marry someone beneath the royal class." Annaliese forcefully closed her sewing basket, "Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. What happened, happened. You're married to Elsa and I'm a single mother. Happily ever after. The end." She hung her head in defeat, "I'm sorry. I sound bitter."
"Annaliese?" Hans bent down to her eye level and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Do not forget that you are loved."
"It's hard, Hans. You've got Elsa. Anna has Kristoff. Gerda has Kai. Everyone has someone."
"What about William? I thought you two had hit it off at the Christmas Eve Ball?"
"I thought we had too. But since then, everything's been uncomfortably formal. I don't think he will ever see me as anyone other than Queen Annaliese of Sperca."
"Perhaps he just needs more time."
"Time is not on my side, Hans."
"Why? Are you going somewhere?" When Annaliese didn't answer, Hans stood up and crossed his arms, "Annaliese?"
"I don't know if I belong here. I don't think I'm doing any good."
"What?! Are you kidding?! You've helped Elsa and me out on numerous occasions. We depend on you."
"Do you really? Because I get the feeling that Elsa doesn't feel comfortable with me being here. I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome."
"Nonsense. You're family, Annaliese. And family is always welcomed here."
"You just don't want me to take Henry away from you." Annaliese smirked as she stood up with her basket, "Speaking of Henry, I'm going to head out and check on him. William's been watching him all evening, he deserves a break. Make sure Kristoff hangs up his suit properly."
"Alright. Thanks again for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you." As she headed towards the door, Hans also piped up, "See? I do need you here."
"Goodnight, Hans." Annaliese giggled as she left the room.
Elsa silently hid around the corner as she watched Annaliese walk out of the room and head down the hall towards her bedroom. Once she was out of sight, Elsa debated on whether or not she should go into Kristoff's room or just head to her own room. But after hearing Hans and Annaliese's conversation, Elsa's emotions were a little shaken so she decided to just head to her own room.
Once Elsa stepped into her bedroom, she walked into the bathroom in order to wash her face. Within the time she spent in bathroom, Hans also entered the bedroom and immediately took off his jacket and laid it out on the bed. When Elsa finished, she reentered the bedroom just as Hans was entering the bathroom and the two promptly collided.
"Elsa, I am so sorry."
"It's alright. It wasn't your fault." She rubbed her shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine." Elsa briskly pushed past him.
"Okay…" Hans watched her sit down on the bed and start undoing her braid, "Did you finalize everything with Anna?"
"Yup. Just finished about an hour ago."
"Great." He awkwardly stood there while Elsa started brushing her hair, "Kristoff's wardrobe is completed."
"Great."
"Okay, this is going to sound strange, but it almost seems as though you're mad at me." When Elsa didn't respond, Hans furrowed his brow, "Why are you mad?"
"I'm not mad."
"Come on, Elsa, it's past midnight. I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. It really is too late to be playing games."
"Hans…" Elsa slowly turned toward him, unable to meet his eyes, "Are you still in love with Annaliese?"
"Oh not this again." Hans leaned against the bathroom door with his arms crossed, "For the hundredth time, Elsa. No, I am not in love with Annaliese."
"'Do not forget that you are loved.' Does any of that sound familiar?"
Hans nearly lost his balance when she quoted his words to Annaliese, "I-I was not aware that you were listening."
"Would it had made a difference?"
"Well, yeah-"
"What else have you told her that I am unaware of?"
"Elsa, no, you've got it all wrong."
"This is what I was afraid of." Elsa started for the door, "I knew she was trouble."
"Elsa, please, let me explain-" He desperately reached for her and managed to grab her hand.
"Let go!" She violently shook off his hand.
"No." He grabbed both her hands this time, "No more running, Elsa. If you have a problem then let's face it head on. Together."
"What if you are the problem?" Hans instantly dropped her hands and lowered his eyes. Elsa took a small step back, "That's what I thought. You lied to me Hans. I thought I could trust you."
"I didn't lie to you. You can still trust me."
"You told me you didn't have feelings for her-"
"And I don't! Not the same feelings that I have for you."
"But-"
"Let me finish." Hans tiredly rubbed his face, "Yes, I love Annaliese." Elsa cringed when he said those words, but she remained quiet nonetheless. "But I love her the same way you love Anna. Annaliese was really the only true kind of family I had while growing up. So it may seem that I hold a special place in my heart for her, because I do. But there is no way that she could ever replace or even compare to the special place you hold in my heart. I love you. Nothing. Nobody. Not even time, will change that. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that, but if it makes you feel better, I'll tell you every morning and every night for the rest of my life."
Elsa silently stared down at her feet for a minute until she finally whispered, "I feel like a fool."
"What?"
"I am so foolish. I should have never doubted you." She reached forward and hugged him tightly, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." He held her close in a reassuring embrace, "If I may ask…why are you so uneasy around Annaliese?"
"I can't tell you. I don't want you to think less of me."
"Try me."
"I'm…" She let out a hesitant sigh, "A little jealous of her, I guess."
"Jealous? Why on earth for?"
"Well, you two share so much history together and she's so beautiful and so talented-" She stopped when Hans started laughing, "What's so funny?"
"Elsa, have you not looked into a mirror? You are by far the most beautiful and desirable woman on the face of the earth. And you want to talk about talent? You created a jaw dropping ice palace in a couple minutes! You created living snow creatures that can walk, talk, and think on their own! Annaliese being able to cook, clean, and sew is great, but what you do is outstanding!"
A small smile spread across Elsa's lips, "I really don't deserve you."
"I say the exact same thing about you every day." He wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a warm hug, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
They stayed in that embrace for a couple minutes, just letting the calm silence comfort them. Elsa lifted her head and looked up at her husband, "You smell good."
"I smell good?" A small grin shone on his face.
"Yeah. You smell like the ocean."
"Not the fishy part of the ocean, I hope."
"No, no. The clean ocean air part." Elsa giggled as she studied his appearance, "I never noticed those light gold streaks in your hair before."
"Being out in the sun for several hours every day tends to lighten my hair quite a bit. But don't worry, this is the lightest it usually gets."
"There's no worry. I rather like it. I also like how noticeably dark your freckles have gotten." To prove her point, she gently brushed her thumb across his cheekbones, making a child-like smile appear on his face.
"You are so funny."
"How come?"
"You act like you haven't seen me in a long time."
"Well, I guess that's true in a way. We've been so busy, we really haven't had any time to ourselves. I haven't looked at you this closely in about a month." She peered closely at his face, "Actually, it looks like you've gotten a little sunburn."
"Really? Where?"
"A little on your cheeks and nose. It's not very noticeable unless someone is standing as close to you as I am."
"Well that could be problematic."
"Why is that?"
"Because the crew and I like to participate in warm embraces like this from time to time. It helps build up crew moral." He smirked as Elsa started laughing.
"My goodness, Hans. What kind of Admiral are you?"
"One of a kind." He winked at her, which only made her laugh harder.
"You know what? I'm too tired to argue with your military tactics. If you want to hug the navy crewmen, then go for it." She lightly patted his chest before heading toward her wardrobe to continue her nightly routine. Hans chuckled to himself as he continued with his nightly routine as well.
Eventually, they settled into bed a little after one o'clock in the morning. With smiles on both of their faces, Elsa snuggled up to her husband while Hans wrapped his arms around her petite body. In a couple minutes, Hans was already fast asleep and Elsa peacefully listened to his calm steady breathing, letting her thoughts envelope her.
When I lay with him…you want to know what it feels like? It feels like you're safe. It feels like no one can hurt you. You're under his warm embrace. Feeling his muscles around your waist, your body being pulled closer to his…the feeling is indescribable. When they say it's the best feeling ever, they aren't kidding. Because in that moment, when you're sharing body heat, there isn't a place you'd rather be or a single thought that crosses your mind that doesn't involve him. When a guy gives up all of his "manly" pride just to hold you close to his heart like this, this is when we, ladies, need to realize that he truly does love us. And we need to not let it go to waste.
Please Review! I look forward to reading what you have to say! I'll probably update a short chapter soon that'll focus more on setting up Anna and Kristoff's wedding and then the final chapter will, of course, include the wedding. I've had some recommendations about adding a third story to the Warm Hugs series in order to make it a trilogy and I am putting some serious thought into that idea. I've also been playing around with a couple other story concepts in my head for quite some time so I am also considering taking a small hiatus from Warm Hugs (after I complete this current story of course) to develop these ideas. If you have a preference of wanting to receive a third Warm Hugs story first or if you're interested in reading a different storyline for these characters (one of which will include a crossover with The Avengers) let me know. Again, thanks for reading my story! I appreciate all the love and support that I get from you guys! Please review! Have a good week! :)