Disclaimer: I own nothing.
My ear perked at the sound of two familiar voices arguing from behind me. Sneaking a glance over my shoulder, I saw none other than Fallon and Ariel seated in a corner booth. The fact that they were arguing as loud as they were made it all too obvious to anyone who just happened to be passing by. So much for a discrete relationship. My mind groaned as I leaned casually on the counter behind me, waiting for my order to be called. Of all days Dad wants a sub sandwich, I get stuck in the same place as her.
It was also hard not to eavesdrop on their argument. (Not like I actually wanted to in the first place.)
"I understand that. But an education from Debartolo PA will give you options in the future." Fallon continued, trying to hold on to the redhead's hand to no avail. "Broadway is a fickle business-"
"Ugh you sound like my mom!" Ariel snatched her hand away.
"I-I'm not trying to." Fallon whimpered. "But, you really need to be smart about this, Ari."
"Look, I'm not interested in spending huge amounts of money on a school whose classes I probably won't even get to attend and a dean who doesn't like or support me!"
"That's not what it is-"
"You don't know what it's like to have parents like mine!" Ariel's tone turned bitter enough to make me inwardly cringe. Granted, I didn't know much about her, but there were enough rumors going around that would make anyone believe her parents were as strict as could be. Scary, even. Now I had to wonder how they reacted when Elsa became the student council president instead of Ariel. Nope. Don't wanna think about it.
"Please don't do this." Fallon tried one last time with watery eyes.
"You're afraid." She snapped. "You told me that you would do anything for me and when I actually need you, you go and stab me in the back by taking my parents' side."
"I'm on your side!" Fallon's voice broke.
"I'm sure you are." Ariel snarled before practically jumping up and storming off.
I couldn't help but turn to watch her leave. What's her problem? My name still hadn't been called and even if it had been, I wouldn't have been able to hear it over that commotion. Looking back, I could see that Fallon had covered her face and was silently crying. Why? I wasn't sure, but I knew my first instinct was to go try to comfort her. Unfortunately, I couldn't because there was a fire in my veins that had me nearly running after Ariel first. How could she just-? I didn't even bother to finish that thought as I burst out onto the sidewalk. My eyes narrowed in budding anger when I caught sight of a dash of red that disappeared behind the first block and it was all I could do to not run after her.
Keeping myself calm was quite the feat, but I figured I could cut her off somewhere if she was headed back towards her house. As much as I didn't like to admit it, I knew exactly where she lived. (At one point Kristoff had inadvertently lead us there since she lived near Sen and the genius accidentally knocked on her door instead of Sen's.) Although, before I could get any further with any other plans, the gruesome sound of punches landing made my attention turn into one of the alleyways I was getting ready to pass.
"Help!" A frail voice called out amoungst the blows. "HELP!"
Squinting a little more against the dimly lit ally, I suddenly saw a glimpse of Olaf get punched right in the face. I didn't even have a complete thought as I instinctively sprinted down the ally with my blood already roaring in my ears. There were three of them, but only two had Olaf on the ground and were now mercilessly kicking him.
"HEY!" I bellowed, not slowing until I bashed into one of the idiots. "Get off of him!" I snarled like a wild animal, sending an uppercut to the one who still had a hold on my best friend. He jerked away for a moment and I hurriedly went to help Olaf stand up. What the hell?! Stumbling to his feet, Olaf leaned heavily on me and I got to see that his face was pretty messed up, yet he wasn't on the brink of collapsing. Just a little winded.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The one guy that wasn't doing anything signaled the other two to stop ahead of time so they wouldn't attack us. "This doesn't concern you, Sweetheart. Keep walking." He rumbled in such an arrogant tone that it raised hairs on the back of my neck.
"He is my concern." I snapped, holding Olaf to me as he whimpered weakly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Anna, you need-" Olaf started to say.
Before I knew it, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head and we both crumbled to the pavement in a heap. What the-? A wave of dizziness washed over me and I heard a ringing in my ears. Olaf tried to come to my aid that time, only to get knocked away from my side by the one I'd bashed into earlier.
"I said: get away from him." I managed to growl and just as I moved to do just that, the guy that spoke first knelt in front of us and snagged my chin between his unforgiving fingers, snapping my head up until I was nose to nose with him. His dark eyes held so much malice that I felt a tremor tear through me.
But it wasn't fear.
"You tell that son of a whore Marshal that if he doesn't get me my money by next week, we're going to-"
Gritting my teeth in fury, I instantly propelled myself forward, smashing him right directly on the nose with a powerful headbutt, making him rear back with a howl of pain. Barely having anytime to celebrate, I was forced backwards and once I was on my back, one of the other guys clambered onto my stomach, landing his elbow right across my face. Still, I tried to fight him off by thrusting my palm up into his nose, which injured him of course, but it wasn't enough to make him back off. Another punch to my face finally had me black out a bit and I felt my body go limp as the pain shot everywhere else, leaving me without any more adrenaline to stay awake.
"Let's get out of here!"
The sound of tires squealing were second to the last thing I heard.
"Anna? Anna!"
Olaf's frantic voice was the last.
I'm floating through a sea
A sea of heads and I realize after a moment that it's a crowd.' What are they gathered for?' My mind wavers because the laws of gravity don't seem to pertain to me. I'm not sure what's going on with me, or my body, but it doesn't matter when a gust of white blows around the people below. It makes me curious enough so I hover right over the crowd to see that they've positioned themselves around what appears to be a match of some sort.
'A match? What is this? Where am I?' My mind is still failing to come up with anything that makes sense, but when the crowd begins to part, my attention is pulled back. The first thing I see when I turn is the mouth of some gigantic beast that causes me to yelp in fear. What, with its razor sharp teeth, red tongue is lolling out and its breath materializing in front of us as it pants. Fortunately, it's a matter of seconds when the furry creature suddenly decides to pass right through my body and only then do I remember that I'm more than likely just a ghost. Some sort of apparition. I'm still not sure, but it doesn't matter because I suddenly see myself.
I know whoever it is that's riding the creature is me. Her hair is the kind of fiery red that would dazzle a person with a single wave. Then again, perhaps it was my mother? There's an instant where I think that she really is my mother, but that doesn't matter when I see that the woman had just dismounted the huge creature. Gracefully at that. I'm entranced so much and once she turns to send someone a warm smile behind her, I'm met with all-too familiar eyes. Those eyes. It IS me.
"I could sense your worry, my Queen. That storm was almost a challenge to get through." Her familiar voice reverberates around me and I have to wonder who she's talking to. 'Queen, huh?' Following the fond gaze of those teal orbs, I find myself staring right into wide, gorgeous eyes that fills me to the brim with warmth. They swallow me up, wrap securely around me and whisper to me that everything is going to be alright. Elsa.
"I never doubted you." Her sweet voice nearly paralyzes me. She is the one I love. I know it. And the one in chainmail behind me knows this too. I see that it's all in the way our eyes caress one another; as if nothing else matters in the world. The attraction they have is insane and I'm sure even a blind person could see that.
Without another word from either of them, I watch myself wink at her before turning to strut her way to the fighting circle. I had no idea what I was doing there in the first place, but that didn't stop me from hovering closer to find someone in armor holding up his hand between her and another man. "We know the rules." He began in a stern voice. "NO killing. The fight will be over when one of you yields, you're knocked from the circle, or when the match is called. Is that clear?"
"Got that, girl?" The guy who was opposite of the prodded. He's an animal. Three times the size of the redhead and I have to wonder just what on earth they are doing. 'Is this a dual? Why am I in chainmail?' The answers came to me soon after I thought them, causing a rush of excitement to pulse through me as I honed back in on what was going on.
A playful smile crossed the redhead's lips. "Crystal clear, your highness." The arrogant way she'd said it made the bulky man's face redden in fury.
"Ready!" The announcer guy stepped back in preparation.
From my spot above the heads of hair, I saw the redhead's opponent crouch and curl his massive fingers around the hilt of his sword. On the other hand, the redhead's eyes carefully took note of the stance and shifted so her right leg was behind her in a T stance. One could see that she'd opted to keep her weight on her toes and unlike the burly opponent, her fingers barely touched the handle of her own weapon.
"FIGHT!" The guy threw his arm down and got out of the way.
My eyes widened as the opponent let out a warrior's cry before lunging at the redhead. That flash of playfulness hadn't left those teal eyes and instead of taking his imminent hit head on, she merely spun out of the way, using her heel as a pivot point. The crowd gasped along with me when the redhead drew her sword. Only when she full on spanked her opponent with the flat of her blade did everyone burst into laughter.
"My apologies!" The redhead chuckled, twirling the sword elegantly around in her hands. "But I saw a child acting up and took it upon myself to correct him."
"Fight me!" The opponent snarled. He launched himself once more, swinging his gigantic sword around haphazardly. Yet, the redhead dodged every single blow effortlessly until she was backed up to the edge of the circle. The opponent glared dangerously, letting all who could see, the wild look in his eyes. He was gone. He'd lost the capacity to think clearly.
"Come and get me." Teal eyes glimmered in amusement and just like that, she used her free hand to push the oncoming blade away. The guy's direction was thrown off as she twirled on the balls of her feet and once he was stumbling forward, she grasped the hilt of her sword. In one swift motion, she only smacked him with the flat of her sword and that extra force landed him safely outside the circle. Right on his face.
"WINNER!" The one who started the match came over to hold the redhead's hand high over her head. Cheers erupted from all around, but that didn't matter to her. What actually mattered, was the woman she'd turned to so she could give an earnest smile. Those unforgettable blue eyes shined with delight and she didn't hesitate to send a kiss to the winner.
In all the excitement, the redhead didn't get to see the sore loser spring up from his spot on the ground until he had his sword drawn once more and was practically ready to saw her in half. "You wench!" He exclaimed furiously, pushing the sword deeper, past the chainmail and I suddenly felt the sharpness slice right past me. "I'll teach you to make a fool of me!" He then swiped his sword to the left and thrust her to the ground. Hard.
Pain shot throughout her body and mine as she collided to the unforgiving frozen ground, making me inadvertently grasp at my shoulder, more so from the impact than my side. 'CRAP!' The redhead rolled onto her back and all at once, I was right where I was supposed to be. Back in my body. Only now, I with all my entirety, I was immediately met with the sight of his terrifying sword plummeting down to meet my face-
"ST-STOP!" I cried out and threw my arms out instinctively as if I were clutching a sword so I could block the oncoming attack, nearly punching Elsa in the face while I was at it.
"H-hey! It's okay." She yelped, frantically grasping my wrists and holding them down so I wouldn't try to continue fighting what wasn't actually there. "I'm here, Gattina." Blue eyes filled my vision and I felt myself deflate instantly. The unknown man's heavily bearded, battle-worn face faded into the background of a more familiar womanly one.
"Elsa?" I asked hoarsely, trying to sit up, only to have her stop me from doing so. It was a good thing too because I felt the rush to my head and suddenly had a fit of dizziness mixed with slight nausea. Whoa.
As she gently laid me back down, I couldn't help but notice how broken she looked when she adjusted herself beside me. She was lying beside me. Looking around, I couldn't help but notice the weird lighting of the room, the unmistakable smell of a hospital, strange beeping noises and a lingering pain on certain parts of my body. What...on earth happened? Why's she-? Those blue eyes were uncomfortably tired and laced with worry. As was her usually gentle voice. "Careful." She sniffled, making me furrow my brow in confusion for half a second more until the memories all came crashing back like a ton of bricks.
"Is Olaf okay?" My voice sounded terrible. Like I'd been gargling razor blades.
"He's got a few bruised ribs, a broken nose and two broken fingers, but he'll pull through." There was a strained pause that already had me preparing for what she was going to say. "What the heck were you thinking, Anna?" Elsa buried her face in my shoulder as she barely held on to the hand that wasn't hooked up or throbbing. "Th-they could have-"
"I would have done anything to get them away from him." I answered in a hardened tone. It was so good to hear he was alright, but I had to wonder why he was mixed up with them in the first place. That question was still unanswered and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. No one threatens or beats up my friends and gets away with it. In my head, I was already on my way to Djali's to get Emmie to see if she could help me out.
"Anna, you're in the hospital with an orbital rim fracture and a level two concussion." She barely contained her frustration and had to look away from me. Even going as far as getting off the bed to cross her arms around herself and keeping her back to me. A sudden guilty pang twisted in my gut, making my anger fuse out a little.
After a moment of tense silence, I let out a soft sigh before reaching my free hand over to touch her waist. She stiffened immediately but didn't move away. Which was a good thing because I probably would have fallen off the bed if I'd reached any further. "Elsa, I'm sorry. I-I wasn't-" Just as I was working on a better explanation and apology, there was a light rap on the door at the front of the room.
"Hey, you're awake." Another deeper voice made Elsa and I look towards the door to see my dad letting himself in. Quickly turning back around, Elsa took my hand to press a loving kiss to it and then she prepared to leave the room with a polite nod at him. Of course, he thanked her for watching me as she closed the door. I'll need to fix that ASAP.
Once she was gone, the only sounds there were in that small room for a few moments were from the monitors beeping and when my dad turned to finally face me, I had no choice but to feel ashamed. If only for a moment because he looked so much older in that instant. I was the reason for all that worry. He wasn't supposed to look like he'd seen a ghost. That wasn't my strong, caring, loving, smiling father. Still.
"What were you thinking?" He asked with a mixture of disappointment and fear, making my jaw twitch. "I mean, I know what you were thinking, but-" Shaking his head, he cast his blazing jade eyes at me. "Who do you think you are?"
"Olaf was in trouble." I stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If anything, I knew not to fight fire with fire and so far, he had steam rolling off of him in waves. In no way did I need to be gasoline either. Keep it cool, Crescent.
"They could have had a gun!" My dad snapped.
They probably did. But there was nothing new I could say because we both knew that. "What would you have done, dad? Run?" I tried not to snap back to no avail. This was Olaf we were talking about and I needed him to understand that.
"I was in the military, Anna." He tried to justify himself.
"I've had training from you." I countered, ignoring the budding pain in my left eye. In fact, it felt like I really couldn't see out of it. My swollen eyelid was in the way.
"You're not a so-"
"And that attitude is the kind that makes those idiots think that they can do whatever the hell they want." I pointed out stubbornly, knowing just what he was going to say to me. I know I'm not. "But, dad, Olaf is my best friend." I stressed. "Don't you stand there and tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing for your military buddies. For Oak."
The fire was still there as well as a few steps in pacing. "You could have called the police." He then paused to rub at his eyes tiredly. After a few monitor beeps passed, he looked at me once more. "Look, I'm not saying that I'm not proud of what you did, but, Anna? Use your head!" Came his growl along with a c'mon! gesture.
"I did." I chuckled despite myself and the atmosphere as I remembered the pathetic way that idiot, whoever he was, cried out like a wimp. "I broke his nose with it." Was my added smirk.
"Do you realize how luck you are?!" My dad's angered voice roared over mine, making me shrink a bit.
I might have cowered a bit, but I wasn't about to back down from something I believed in either. He didn't raise me that way. "I seem to remember you talking about one of your tours with Oaken." I kept my eyes trained on him, even when he glared at me. That look told me not to go there, but it was too late. "I know you can't really hear with your left ear and you can't feel anything in your three left fingers because you pushed him out of the way of a grenade that went off. Were you thinking when you wanted to save Oak? Numerous times?" Jade eyes narrowed further, but he didn't say anything. "There was only one thing on your mind and that same thing was the one I had in mind when I saw Olaf getting beaten like a piece of meat. I needed to do something."
Suddenly, I was fired up all over again as I thought about his terrified expression. The pain he'd been in. Humiliation and horror after he knew it was I that came to his rescue. "I mean, it was Olaf!" I huffed incredulously. "He is the sweetest, kindest kid anyone has ever known! That guy couldn't hurt a thing intentionally even if he wanted to." I ignored the pain from my IV when I clenched my fist. "Why him?" I sputtered, feeling a few tears slide down my cheeks. "Why?" I couldn't wrap my head around it, regardless that I knew they had beat him as incentive to get to his older brother.
"...I don't know." My dad still answered, drawing his eyes away like he was personally responsible for the whole thing.
I brought my free hand up so I could stare at my slightly bruised palm. "Me neither." I felt obligated to say. "And I don't know what his stupid brother is getting himself into, but he had better be careful because if they go after Olaf and I again, there is no way in hell I'm backing down from any of them." Huffing out another shaky breath, I turned my head away to glare at the wall. "I know what my story is. And you know I would do anything for my friends. Elsa. You. Even if it meant putting myself in danger."
Before I could go on, I heard his softened voice. "I get that." Sitting down in the chair Elsa had probably vacated to lie with me, my dad caught my eyes once again. More sincere that time. Actually, there was a lot more that was said in that long stretch of quiet. I wish your mom was here. She knew how to handle you better than I ever could. I don't know what to say. I want you to not be so reckless. What would she tell you? I am so afraid right now. I'm such an idiot. How did I let this happen? Just look at you.
It was heartbreaking to see him like that.
There was absolutely no way I was going to let him go on like that. Not now. Not ever. "It's okay, dad." I whispered, reaching out to him. That time his handsome face crumbled as he took my hand in both of his. Odin he was shaky. "I love you, dad." I did my best to squeeze his hand reassuringly, only to have him grip mine harder like he was willing all out pain to go away. I bit my lip. My tough fortress of a daddy had his walls breached and I hated to see that. I hated to be the reason for it.
"Y-your beautiful face." His strong voice broke and he held my hand against his forehead.
I needed him to stop torturing himself over my impulsiveness.
That was something I needed to work on if I was going to get through this. "Think I'll have some sort of scar?" I had to ask, smiling lightly when he chuckled. The question took him off guard and that meant that I was on my way to making him see a brighter side than what he was seeing right then. "I'm hurt, dad." I sighed, waving our hands from side to side through his unkempt hair. "Just not on the inside and you know what?" Waiting for him to lift his head, I gave him a genuine smile. "I know exactly who I am now."
"Who's that, The Terminator?" He sniffled and I couldn't stop the snicker that left me.
"Your daughter, daddy." I brought his hand to my lips so I could kiss it. "People say I look a lot like mom and while that's partly true, I have your fighting spirit. I have your heart, your passion and yes, your stubbornness." I smirked when the realization presented itself in his pretty-colored eyes. "I'm you on the inside." And that's why you don't know how to handle me. I thought fondly.
He wiped his eyes and then grinned widely at me. "Please don't do this again, Panda." Watery jade eyes then bored pleadingly into mine with a hint of strength. That little burst of life was all I was asking for from him. "Unless I'm there too. We'll fight 'em together." And just like that, he was the strongest, most respected man I'd ever known again. There's the man called My Dad. "I love you, Anna." Were his whispered words as he leaned in to kiss my forehead.
"I love you too, Dad. Don't ever think that I don't."
"That's my line."
There was another quiet knock at the door that had us both turning to see who came in and I was surprised to see Letti. It had both of us pulling ourselves together and wiping the tears from our eyes in no time at all. That was to stay private to the two of us. "Stai bene, tesoro?" She stepped further into the room when my dad gave her permission with a gruff clearing of his throat and wave of his hand. But, I had to associate that gesture with one of a Lieutenant Colonel telling his officer to tell him news. Smooth, dad.
"Y-your face." She gasped slightly as she came closer.
"What's wrong with it?" I asked like I didn't know.
"It's completely the same." She snarked, making me bark out a laugh at the expense of pain in my face. "But since it looks a little lopsided, should I smack your other side to straighten it out?"
"Hey, now." My dad chuckled, but there was still a protective edge in his voice.
"She's joking, dad." I waved him off.
"A cosa stavi pensando?" She went on. "First you give my daughter a heart attack, then she tells me she took you and Olaf to the hospital, giving me a heart attack and then Ben and I get one when I tell him!"
"Letizia-" My dad began.
"I'm sorry." I tried to give her an earnest smile. "It won't happen again, but Letti?" I asked, causing her to pause so she could look at me.
"What?"
"Hi." I waved. "And I'm alright, in case you were wondering." Was my added comment that made her shake her head at me.
"How impolite of me." She cleared her throat awkwardly and reached up to push her hair behind her ear. "That's really good to hear." She breathed. "So good. And a hello to you too, Ben."
"Hello." He greeted with a wave too. "Glad you made it."
"It was tough to get away from my desk, but if my tesoro is here, so am I." She nodded. "Someone has to make sure Elsa eats and sleeps." A wink was sent my way, making me scoff incredulously.
"Well, don't you know just how to make me feel so special?" I pursed my lips at her since I had the feeling I couldn't really roll my eyes like I so very wanted to right then. But the smile we shared with one another dispersed any unwanted tension and I couldn't help but think that I was getting better at handling her on my own. "Anyway. We're civilized again." I pointed out, but was now more interested in what she was holding behind her back. I got my answer when she pulled out what looked like an edible arrangement, complete with a card and everything. Right. I suddenly remembered that the last normal thing I was doing was waiting in line for sandwiches that one evening and as if on cue, my stomach growled. Loud enough for the two to laugh as my dad made room for her to bring another chair over. "Can I even eat anything?" I asked when she settled.
"Sweetheart, this is for your dad." Letti snickered and handed the delectable bouquet of fruit to him, making me frown a bit. "I wasn't sure if you could eat anything so soon, so I also brought you a smoothie." She added, pulling said smoothie from within the wrapping of the fruits and chocolate-cover fruit.
"I don't see how that's supposed to help me." I nearly pouted, but didn't stop myself from taking the cup when she offered it.
"Trust me. You've never had one of these smoothies before." Her sapphire-colored eyes held her usual mischievous glint and that tipped me off to what it was that she'd given me. Authenticity.
"Sweet. So, you made it then?" I opened the lid to take a whiff. Yum.
"Take it easy, Panda." My dad looked like he was ready to fall over himself if I even had the slightest look of discomfort. "You just came back from morphine land not too long ago."
"That would explain the bizarre dream I had." It all made sense now. I gave them a lopsided smile before very carefully taking a drink. "This is amazing, Letti." I barely retained a groan of delight. Seriously, it had to be one of the best smoothies I'd ever had. Or maybe I was just hungry enough to really appreciate it.
"You're welcome, tesoro." She then stood up to press a gentle kiss to my most likely uninjured cheek.
A few days later.
Lying on my back, I stared blankly at the dark ceiling until a movement made me instinctively bring my hand up to run it through the thick, sweet smelling locks under my chin. Elsa had come over to bring me my homework and easily ended up falling asleep with me. I'd woken up sometime ago and judging from the looks of lighting outside, it was more than likely after eight-thirty. Whoops.
"Are you awake, Gattina?" She murmured against my chest.
"Yes." I replied, fixing a smile on my face as she shifted enough to hold herself at eye-level with me. "Sleep good?"
"I'd like to keep sleeping." Placing a kiss to my nose, she settled beside me and held her head up with her hand. "But I don't know if I can stay the night."
"Dad's already asleep." I lazily turned my head towards her, making her sit up when I winced.
"Do you need more pain medicine?" Her eyes worried instantly and I fought the urge to roll my own.
"You don't need to baby me." I stuck my tongue out at her. "How else am I supposed to toughen back up?" Without warning, Elsa leaned in to press a meaningful kiss to my lips.
"I'm not sure I want you to toughen back up." She whispered against my lips.
"I'm sorry, Snow Paw." I brought my hands up to tangle in her hair, watching helplessly as her beautiful eyes clenched shut in what looked like pain. My stomach turned uneasily.
"I don't want to go to Corona." Elsa declared. "N-not while you're still at Arendelle. Not when you're susceptible to all of this junk without me being here."
We'd had this conversation already. The first night I got home, she'd come over and got the all clear from my dad to stay over and just as we could actually fall asleep, Olaf had showed up as well. I wouldn't forget the way he looked: battered and practically defeated. He'd apologized profusely, tried to place all the blame on himself, all while he looked a little worse than I did. He'd told us that his brother was working with Detective Phoebus on trying to bring down of the newest drug dealers that had suddenly popped up down by the docks. Nasty fools who sold to anyone they pleased. Marshal had set up a meeting with the Doc so he could try to get him to sell, only the plan went awry when the S.W.A.T. team showed up.
Long story short: Marshal was left with a pretty decent debt and that lead to everything else. So much for talking to Emmie. I'd thought. For now though, we were in the clear because there had been a recent breakthrough with the case and that helped me let it go a little more easily, but Olaf was still feeling bad about it. I got the feeling that he'd be like that for awhile longer before he eventually accepted it for what it was. I would help him when the time was right.
When Olaf went ahead and left was the first time Elsa had brought up the prospect of not going to college. She chose to defer a year to wait for me to come with her. Of course, I quickly dismissed the idea and we had an argument about it that resulted in her leaving shortly after. The next day she came back and we made up. All the same, I was dancing around the way I really felt about her going to college and was only very adamant because I felt I needed to be that way.
And now?
"Elsa, you can't not go to college because of me." I trudged on, finally getting to the part I didn't want to admit. "Do I want you to go? No. Of course not." I didn't want to admit it because I was supposed to be the tough one. I needed to be strong where she was weak, firm where she was flimsy, a rock when she needed me to be. But now, I felt I needed her to know so we could deal with it. So I could let her know I had feelings because the last thing I wanted was to push her away. "I know I haven't exactly...reacted-" forcing out a sigh. "At all, really, to the news. But I still can't let you do that, Snow Paw. I can't let you get stuck here because of me."
"I thought that was my decision." She pushed a hand through her glorious hair.
"It should be our decision." I countered. "Being in a relationship is about meeting each other halfway, right?"
"It doesn't seem like you're leaving me that much a choice." She stated. Neither are you, Love. my mind whispered to me, but I wasn't going to bring that up now. Right now she needed something else. (I didn't know my mouth would run away from me.)
"Do you love me?" I asked, ignoring the pain in my face so I could sit up and search through her misty eyes.
"Of course I do, Anna." Those eyes widened like she couldn't believe I asked that. "Don't ever doubt my love for you."
"And I won't." I reached for her hand, squeezing it firmly. "Ever. But this is just the beginning for you." When she let out a soft sob, I brought her in for a hug. "You're going to do amazing things, Elsa Mariani and to get there, you're going to have to have these experiences on your own."
"Anna-"
"I can't be there to drag you down and I'm not saying that it'll be forever-"
"A-are you going to break up with me?" Pulling back suddenly, I felt like a stake went right through my heart as her eyes shimmered in horror.
"I'll be setting you free, my love." I couldn't stop the quiver from taking over my voice. Tears fell down my cheeks along with hers, but I held on to her firmly. Crap. I said it. Now that my most subconscious thoughts revealed themselves, I felt unbearably exposed. It was the last thing I ever wanted to think about and now that I'd blurted it, I couldn't stop the emotions from draining out of me. Fear, regret, among other negatives all presented themselves in front of me with chills that made my teeth chatter.
"N-no." She whimpered, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't do this to me! I-I just found you..."
Those words. They would undo me even more if I wasn't careful. Everything in me screamed to just cave and stay with her forever. But. "We can adjust. Make compromises and honestly, what love ever came easily?" I sniffled and then placed my fingers under her chin to get her to look me in the eyes. "Hey. I'm not doing it now, okay? We still have time to be idiots together." I placed a kiss to her lips, promising myself just as much as I was her. "In fact, I shouldn't even have told you all of this because you'll probably find some way to-" a sudden sob left me. "T-to keep the decisions you've already made."
"How can I not?" Elsa chuckled disdainfully. "Now every time I see you, I'm going to dread saying 'bye' to you. I'm not going to want to let you out of my sight." Her beautiful face crumbled again as she said that. My chest constricted at the sight. I have to be strong. For me and her.
"Then don't say 'bye' to me." I kissed her again. "Don't let me out of your sight." Another kiss. "Let's put all of this on hold until it's appropriate." Lifting her hand to my lips, I placed kisses all over her cool knuckles. "Right now I just want to lie here with the girl I'm so deeply in love with. I just want to hold you and kiss you until you leave for school in the morning."
"I-" She tried to say something, but I wouldn't let her. Anymore from her would break me and I didn't need that right now. I needed to rebuild the walls I'd been meticulously putting together since the day finally hit me that she was going to be graduating. Going on like nothing was out of place was the first step, but now I found myself having to start all over.
"I'm not going to disappear, Elsa Mariani." I tried my best to give her a happy smile. "I'm not going anywhere." Pressing another loving kiss to her forehead, I then gestured to my dresser. "You can even change in here to make sure I don't." I meant that as a mild tension-breaker, only to see her smiling sadly at me. Tiredly.
"I love you, Anna." Elsa exhaled sharply before leaning back so she could reach under her shirt to unhook her bra. Once she tossed that on the floor, she gently lead me back down to the bed and as I settled, she merely took her jeans off. As she slid under the blankets with me, I wrapped my arms protectively around her and she didn't hesitate to nuzzle into me.
"I love you more, Snow Paw." I whispered into her sweet-smelling hair.
My last thought that night before we both slipped into slumber and dreams was that I needed to find somewhere she wouldn't be able to follow me. She just couldn't put her life on hold because of me. It made me sick to even think about it and in some way, I suppose it was my fault. I mean, I had not gotten in so much trouble before, but as I thought about my dad, it wasn't hard to remember why. We were so alike in many ways and the majority of it had to do with the women in our lives. We were who we were because of them. Mom.
Elsa...
Right then, on the brink of falling into unconsciousness, I knew exactly what I was going to do.
A/N: Not sure I have anything else to add to this one other than it's nearly 4am and I can't sleep...
Thank you for reading/reviewing and whatnot^^
Tootles~