It was the first official day of winter and Agdar slowly turned to look past the Christmas decorations scattered throughout the room to see the snow gently falling into thick blankets across the tree-lined hillside. Outside, the Chateau had about two feet of snow on the roof and every spruce tree in sight was covered in powder fine snow. It had been falling so consistently that the midwife even had a difficult time getting to the massive estate in time for the birth.

Idunn cursed Agdar repeatedly for having them stay in their summer home in the dead of winter but he insisted that his first child be born in same home he and his father had been. Granted they had conveniently been born in the summer but he wasn't a man to break tradition no matter what the circumstances were.

After hours of agonizing labor the baby finally arrived and Agdar was called to his wife's side to meet the new arrival. Idunn had an exuberant look of tired joy on her face as she held the tiny new life in a soft white blanket with an 'E' embroidered on it. He kissed his wife gently on her forehead and folded back the blanket to meet the daughter they'd eagerly been waiting for.

His smile twisted for a moment when she saw blinding white blonde hair looking back at him, neither of which him or his wife shared.

"She's blonde," he said, sounding surprised.

"Yes but she's beautiful," Idunn whispered softly as she placed a kiss on the baby's alabaster skin.

"She couldn't have picked a better day to be born on. She's as white as the snow on the ground," Agdar chuckled as his wife handed him the swaddled baby. This little girl had big shoes to fill but for that moment he just let himself be happy, lost in her sparkling blue eyes so reminiscent of his wife's.

"What's her name?" the midwife asked.

Agdar shared a smile with his wife, enjoying their long held secret for one last second before proclaiming her to the world.

"Elsa."

Needing a little extra time to recover from the night before, Elsa made arrangements for her father to come in the afternoon. It was also the time when Lilly would be in the best mood but on this day she had other plans and dozed off an hour before Agdar was supposed to arrive.

"It'll be fine. We can talk and I can get to know him a little better while we wait for her to wake up," Anna said cheerfully to a fretting Elsa as she watched her pace back and forth in the kitchen, blonde braid wiping over her shoulder with each turn.

The dinner had ended on a well enough note but having her father in her own home gave her an entirely new set of issues to worry about. Opening up her home was almost the same as opening up her heart. Her home wasn't just something she designed, built, and paid for. It housed everything that was important to her. She kept seeing images of Agdar walking through their home, past their wedding photos and witnessing everything he'd missed out on over the past seven years and didn't know how that would affect either one of them. She was still grappling with the onslaught of feelings brought on by their reunion and it was all happening so fast. But there was no other choice. It had to happen fast because the sand was about to run out of her father's hour glass. Hesitation meant missing the chance altogether at this point.

To help calm herself, Elsa went up to the nursery where Lilly was swaddled up in her crib completely passed out. How one little person could look so peaceful she'd never know. Lilly's little bottom lip was pooched out over the top one as she breathed against the tight muslin fabric wrapped around her. Elsa leaned over the rail of the crib and gently stroked the side of Lilly's blushed cheek, letting her love for her baby vanquish any remaining nerves. Just being near Lilly made Elsa's heart beat faster, her smile stretch wider, and her cheeks warm with that motherly glow. And something inside of her felt good knowing that Lilly might have the same effect on her father. That she might give him one last moment of joy before he left this world.

"Elsa there's a car here," Anna called from downstairs.

Elsa hurried downstairs and they looked outside the window to see the nicest black stretch limousine Anna had ever seen pull up alongside the curb.

"Why did he come in a limo? Is that what he normally drives around in?" scrunching her brows as her breath fogged against the window.

"No. Usually a town car or something. Strange. Maybe it was all he could get last minute." They both continued to stare until the driver rounded the limo, jumping away from the window as Anna quickly fixed her hair and outfit.

"How do I look?" she said in a tizzy. Anna was always extra adorable when she was flustered about meeting new people.

"Beautiful, as always. Seven years of being with me and you're finally meeting one of my parents. Never thought I'd see the day."

Agdar slowly made his way to the door and smiled to himself when he read a note on the door that said, "Baby napping, please knock," to which he did. A nice tight hug from Anna helped settle any last minute nerves Elsa was having before she opened the door to find her father holding a beautiful arrangement of bright of pink roses and fully opened white lilies.

"Afternoon," he greeted in a genteel manner. "These are for the lovely new mothers. Lilies for their Lilly." Anna's jaw nearly dropped at how dashing Elsa's father was in person. Yes he looked ill but it was clear where Elsa had inherited at least some of her good looks from. Not only was he very debonair but he had come bearing flowers of their daughter's name and Anna was having a hard time correlating this man to the one she had heard so many awful things about.

"Hallo far (hello father)," Elsa said as she leaned in to accept his formal kiss against her cheek. Anna stood by still entranced by the interaction. They acted like no time had passed at all and also appeared to be getting along quite well, though Anna knew Elsa well enough to know there was an awkwardness underneath her actions.

"Please come in. Let me take these from you." Elsa took the sleek glass vase from Adgar and moved to make way for him to come inside. Once he came inside the gorgeous home he saw a slightly shorter redhead, excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hands clamped in front of her. She was biting on her bottom lip as she stood there with her strawberry fine hair divided into two long braids, which he greatly approved of.

"Oh hi, I'm Anna," she said and politely held out her hand to shake Adgar's. Her aura was simply enchanting and he could instantly see why Elsa was so smitten with the bubbly redhead.

"Extremely pleased to meet you Anna. Thank you for having me." He was eloquent and charming, leaving no doubt in her mind as to where Elsa got her poise and regalness from. She could hardly believe this was the same man she'd heard horror stories about but if Elsa wasn't reacting negatively then neither was she. She was going to be the best daughter-in-law and make him proud of Elsa if nothing else.

"Why don't I let Anna show you to the living room and I'll go see if Lilly is awake." As uncomfortable as it might have been for the two of them to be left alone, Elsa wanted to give them a brief chance to get to know each other while also allowing her to handle Lilly herself.

Anna gave Agdar a tour of the first floor as they ambled their way into the living room, taking in all the grandeur of Elsa's finely constructed home. She invited him to sit anywhere he liked and tried to hide her expression when he sat in exact same lone chair Elsa had revealed her awful past to Anna in not but four months prior. She never imagined he'd actually be in the very same room about to hold their baby such a short time later, especially since it took seven years just to get Elsa to open up about everything.

Chipper as always, Anna bounced onto the sofa next to him, hands excitedly placed on her bobbing knees as she shifted her eyes about the room not entirely sure where to put them. Adgar was calm and sat like a well sculpted statue with one leg crossed over his knee. He was so refined and stoic that Anna felt like she was entertaining a dignitary but it was just Elsa's father.

They sat in silence for a moment as Agdar admired the room, hues of blue scattered throughout and he chuckled expecting nothing less from Elsa. Blue seemed to follow that girl wherever she went.

"I'm curious because I don't really know but does Elsa seem different at all than you remember? More specifically does she seem American?" Anna asked nervously. She couldn't think of anything else to ask in the moment but was also curious to know more about the pre-Anna Elsa.

He chuckled warmly before uncrossing his legs and settling more comfortably into the chair.

"She does seem to have taken on some American mannerisms but I can still see the same Elsa in her." His eyes flickered down to his hands and he toyed with the wedding ring still on his frail finger, smiling to himself. "She seems...much happier now. I guess that's because of you." Anna smiled and gave a shy shrug. Of course her happiness was due to Anna. She was an infectious ball of love and energy. "Can I ask you the same thing? What is it you like about her?" hoping to get more insight into the person she'd grown into since becoming a wife and mother.

Anna's face grew serious, pleasant but still solemn. "She's amazing. Very loving and kind, and so talented. She's smarter than me for sure. And she's a really good mother." She paused and let her eyes meet Agdar's. "I love her very much, more than anything. And I'm the one who encouraged her to see you yesterday. I know you probably come with only good intentions...but if you hurt her...ever again, it will break her forever and I just can't have that."

"Only good intentions, I promise," nodding his head in respect.

"Hyggelig å møte deg," Anna blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

"Hyggelig å treffe deg (nice to meet you). I forgot to say it when you came in."

"You speak Norwegian?"

"Littegrann (a little). Elsa just started teaching me when we had Lilly. They will be able to speak to each other and she didn't want me to feel left out. It's not as hard as I thought."

"She speaks Norwegian?"

"Just recently. To be honest I only heard her speak it a little before she got pregnant. She misses Norway...a lot. There's no snow here and I know she misses that too."

Off in the distance light footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and Agdar straightened his back in anticipation. Still swaddled in her naptime blanket, Elsa held Lilly firmly in her arms, heart racing slightly as she made her way into the living room and stood just to the side of her father. The moment was harder than she'd imagined. She'd only let a few people hold her baby but she'd never stalled to do so like she was doing now. Lilly was her most precious treasure, the most important and beloved person in her life and here she was about to hand her over to her father; the man who had once been the sole source of her misery and suffering.

But she couldn't see that man. All she could see was a smiling grandfather with his arms itching to reach out and hold his tiny granddaughter for the first time.

"Elsa, it's okay," Anna assured, knowing she was having a difficult time letting go.

Elsa glanced down at Lilly, sleepy but smiling up a storm, and she took a deep breath before leaning over to place her gently into her father's outstretched arms.

"This is Lilly," she said softly, adjusting Lilly's head into the crook of his arm and she could practically feel the joy radiating off of him like a heat lamp.

"Hallo Lilly (Hello Lilly). Jeg er din bestefar (I'm your grandfather)." A glowing blush bloomed across his finely chiseled features as his eye's met with his granddaughter's for the first time. His heart swelled with elation and warmed in a way he hadn't felt in a very long time. Lilly was nothing less than an angel, everything about her was perfect to him.

"It feels good to hold a baby again. It's been twenty-seven years but it's amazing how it seems like just yesterday." Elsa was still standing next to them, watching her father get lost in the ocean of Lilly's baby blues that reminded him of the same piercing blue eyes that had captured his heart on that snowy winter day so long ago.

Elsa often thought about how it must have felt for him to hold her for the first time and now she had an idea. It warmed her heart to know that they at least started out with love between them, even if it faded into the background over time. It was strange and yet joyfully overwhelming to see him so caring and affectionate with Lilly, a stark contrast from the man of her childhood.

"Does she look like Elsa as a baby?" Anna kept asking all the questions everyone was thinking but she was the only one who didn't have some strange emotional turmoil preventing her from saying them out loud.

Elsa already knew the answer to the question, she'd seen photos of herself and knew they were strikingly similar, but she wanted to hear what her father thought. How it felt to be repeating history in a way. To flashback to a time when the world was full of possibilities and his anger hadn't driven a wedge between them.

His bright green eyes drifted up to Elsa and then back down to Lilly, comparing every last detail but there weren't many differences that stood out to him. Lilly was so similar that Agdar could only nod in agreement at first before finally being able to express that wonderful but eerie feeling of having a version of his daughter cradled in his arms.

"Yes. They look extremely similar. This little one smiles a lot. Elsa smiled too but she was so very calm and still for a baby. She always had this look like she knew more than us. Lilly has that but she's...I don't know how else to say it but it reminds me of Anna in a way. Full of life."

If Lilly was going to be different from Elsa in any way, it filled her heart with joy to know that it was because of Anna. How special it was to be blessed with one mother's looks and hints of the other's personality. She truly had the some of the best parts of both of them mixed with her own uniqueness.

All eyes stayed on Agdar and the giant grin plastered across his face but his eye remained locked on Lilly. She giggled and cooed, making smiley faces as she played with her tongue and yawned occasionally. Every little thing she did sent his heart soaring. She was feather light, almost nothing at all but her warmth was so comforting; like a little heater. And she smelt so fresh and good; an indescribable smell only very young babies possessed and he could remember the feeling it gave him when Elsa had that same smell. It felt like yesterday that he had her curled up on his chest in front of a roaring fire, watching the snow gently fall outside as Idunn took photo after photo. It was probably the happiest time in their marriage before everything fell apart. Elsa had brought them closer together and in a strange twist of fate Lilly was now bringing him and Elsa closer together. Except it was Anna who grabbed her camera this time and was snapping an endless stream of photos.

"Can I unwrap this? I just want to get a better look at her," Agdar asked politely, pointing to the fluffy blanket Lilly was still wrapped in.

"Yeah here, let me take this off." Elsa worked around his hold on Lilly and removed the blanket, exposing her tiny little body. Narrow arms and legs kicked and curled as Lilly squealed at her new found freedom. Agdar chuckled as Lilly continued to put on the cutest display of smiles and giggles, wondering how he was ever going to be able to let her go.

"Do you want to feed her? I made a bottle just in case you wanted to. She usually eats after nap," Elsa offered, still getting used to this causal form of conversation they had going.

"I would really like that," he beamed in reply.

Anna stayed behind in the living room while Elsa warmed the bottle and returned with a burp cloth to protect Agdar's casual but still very expensive clothes.

"So just prop her up like this and this bottle is especially designed to reduce trapped air so you don't have to worry about how you hold it. And then you can place the burp cloth here…" Elsa rambled, falling into overprotective mother mode.

"Elsa. I know what I'm doing. Once upon a time I had a baby and fed you the same way," he said in an endearing tone, making sure she knew he wasn't trying to be rude.

"Of course." She shook her head, remembering that she herself was proof he'd done this before; with the help of nannies and night nurses but still.

Anna joined Elsa by her side and suggested that they give the two a little bonding time alone, being that this may be one of the few times he got to spend with Lilly. After some thought Elsa relented and made sure Agdar was comfortable before following Anna into the kitchen.

"Er du sulten Lilly (are you hungry Lilly)? Agdar said in a lighthearted tone, slightly higher than his normal speaking voice. Lilly had that effect on people. She no more than saw the bottle and opened her mouth wide in hunger.

"Her kommer den (here it comes)." As soon as he popped the bottle into her mouth Lilly started sucking down the milk, keeping her enormously big blue eyes fixed on her grandfather as she grasped his finger with her tiny hand . Adgar was so warm with emotion and he physically couldn't feel a twinge of pain in Lilly's presence. He didn't feel weak or tired. He felt alive, as if Lilly made his heart beat a little faster with more vigor and verve. He didn't need to die to know what heaven felt like because he was already there with his grandbaby.

Over in the kitchen Anna tried to calm Elsa's nerves about leaving Lilly alone with her father. She wasn't so much concerned about him in particular it's just that Elsa was very protective of Lilly and had a hard time handing her over to people. Anna couldn't really blame her, they'd been together for nine months straight and Lilly probably felt like an extension of Elsa in some ways. She hadn't even been the one to carry her and she felt the same way but she also knew that Agdar needed this time alone. If anything, it was healing for both of them.

Lilly was halfway through her bottle and her eyes were starting to get heavy when Agdar heard some giggling in the kitchen. He leaned over the arm of the chair to look down the narrow corridor connecting the two rooms and could see Elsa and Anna standing just behind the island in the kitchen, arms wrapped around each other and Anna gave Elsa a small kiss on the end of her nose before kissing her properly on the mouth. For once, Adgar wasn't angry when he caught his daughter kissing a woman, he was overjoyed. She really did have everything. A home and a life she built on her own without his help and a loving partner to share her life with. But more than that she had real love. He could see it in the she way smiled when she was with Anna and in the way they interacted, like they were meant to be.

With Lilly fading faster than the milk in the bottle Agdar figured she'd probably had enough. From the kitchen Elsa secretly watched as her father, without prompting, spread the burp cloth over his shoulder and patted Lilly gently on the back as he burped her. He seemed strangely familiar and comfortable handling a baby and her chest tightened a bit knowing it was because of her. A long time ago it had been Elsa propped over his shoulder, lovingly patting her on the back the same way he was doing now.

"Shhh. He's talking to her," Elsa whispered to Anna as they listened in on Agdar and Lilly's conversation.

"Lilly visste du at i Norge så finnes det en blomst som heter liljekonvall. De vokser ved foten av fjellet og i skogen også. Det er en vakker blomst, veldig skjør med små hvite klokker som henger fra en enkel stilk. Slik en vakker blomst for en så vakker jente tror du ikke (Lilly, did you know in Norway there's a flower called Lily of the valley? They grow at the foothills of mountains and in the woods as well. It's a beautiful flower, very delicate with little white bells that hang from a single stem. Such a beautiful flower for such a beautiful girl don't you think)," his voice rising higher as Lilly drifted off to sleep.

"Du bør komme til Norge, og jeg skal ta deg med for å se dem, akkurat som jeg gjorde med din mor (You should come to Norway and I'll take you to see them, just like I did with your mother)."

Back in the kitchen Elsa was smiling, nearly crying at their sweet exchange while English speaking Anna was still in the dark about what was happening.

"What did he say?" Anna whispered.

"He's talking about taking her to see Lily of the valley in Norway," her face gleaming at the memory of Adgar taking her to the mountains when she was only four. "I think he likes that name."

Anna's face lit up, not that she needed Agdar's approval, but him having an emotional link to Lilly's name made everything seem to come full circle for her. It was her mother's name and yet it plucked his heartstrings as well.

"I should go check on them," Elsa said as she tip-toed back into the living room where Lilly was fast asleep on Agdar's broad chest, blanket lazily draped over to keep her extra warm.

"If you want I can put her down. You don't have to stay like that," Elsa whispered to Agdar.

"No. I wouldn't want to be any place else right now. I just want to hold her as much as I can, if that's alright."

"Yeah it's fine," she replied with a smile, turning to head back to the kitchen.

"Wait. Stay and talk with me a little," he called quietly.

Some part of her had been questioning whether or not Agdar had just done all of this so that he could see Lilly but she was starting to understand he wanted to see her as well. Elsa curled up on the couch and Anna made herself scarce so that they could chit chat about work, being married, and all the other things about his daughter he'd missed out on.

At one point, without saying a word, Anna came in and plopped a few photo albums down on the coffee table for Elsa to show her father, including their wedding album. It was hard to open her life up to him, still feeling a part of him didn't deserve it, but there was something inside her craving to fill the black hole of time that existed between them. Every time she shared something with him it was met with a doting smile and she could feel her heart healing, scars fading where pain had once existed.

She told him about her projects in Dubai, the death of Anna's parents, and even their struggle with Anna's infertility. They talked more in that time than they probably had in their whole lives and Agdar found himself admiring his daughter more than ever before. She truly was an amazing woman, despite what he'd put her though. Guilt still panged his heart but he felt a great sense of relief knowing she was going to be okay.

Tears pricked Agdar's eyes each time Elsa flipped the page of a photo album, especially their wedding photos. She looked positively heavenly in her sparkling white dress, hair and makeup perfectly done but all that was washed to the wayside by the gleaming smile on her face. Even though his heart was heavy with guilt, it comforted him to know that while both girls' fathers were absent on their special day, they had each other. While Adgar's life was falling apart, Elsa had been building one of her own. A life filled with happiness and joy he had never been able to give her.

"Elsa I need to ask you something. I don't know if there will be another chance to discuss the issue but...I want to leave you my assets. Everything. It's yours if you want it...but I have a feeling you won't accept it," he said dolefully.

Elsa smiled gently before shaking her head. It was tempting but they really didn't it. Most of all, she didn't want money from a company that had been the driving force of her father's rage. "No. You're right. I can't accept it."

"But what about for Lilly, your family? If they need something-"

"- I will provided it. I can more than manage," she said politely, feeling proud that she could show him just how capable she was.

With only an hour left until Adgar had to leave and catch his flight back home, Elsa had one last thing she needed to do.

"Before you go...I want to show you something." Agdar's face tightened at the turmoil on Elsa's fair features.

She led him to the door she'd battled with herself to open so many times before. This time she effortless turned the knob and led Agdar down into the dimly basement. He ducked his head and made his way down the stairs as his eyes adjusted and scanned across room, stopping at Elsa who was standing arms crossed in from of a stack of plain white boxes.

"Don't be mad but these are things I took back with me. Everything I could carry that was important to me. For the longest time my entire past was encapsulated within these boxes. I've been with Anna for seven years. Do you know when the first time I opened these with her was?"

"No," he replied softly.

"Four months ago. Seven years it took me to tell my wife everything I lived through. About you...about me. The scars you left me with were...are...so painful that I kept it inside for that long. From my own wife, whom I love and trust more than anyone."

Tears threatened to fall but Elsa bit them back, her eyes softly floating up to meet his.

"You hurt me. And I never thought in a million years you'd be standing here...in my home. A home I worked for and built on my own. With talent you tried to eradicate. Every day you tried to stop me. You tried to stop me from becoming who I was, who I could be. And for a while I felt like I was dying a little more each day but now I know it wasn't just me you were hurting. You hurt yourself too. You destroyed anything that ever could have been between us. And as much I resent you and even fear you, somewhere deep inside I still love you.

"This whole thing, the reason why I wanted you to come was because I needed to know one thing. I need to know how you feel about me. How you could have done the things you did if you loved me. Because after everything the only conclusion I can come to is that you never have. I can never forget what's happened and maybe one day I can forgive but none of that matters now because...you won't be here much longer. And I only have this time. This precious time right now to put the pieces back together and feel whole again."

Adgar was now a victim of his inability to control his own demons. While Elsa had always exhibited too much control and locked her emotions away, Agdar had little control and unleashed his insecurities on his most precious daughter. And now it was too late for him to take back what he had done. His time was up and he could only stand there utterly helpless in front of his heartbroken daughter and ache from his mistakes.

He stepped closer to her, wrapping his hands around her upper arms and noticing how small and childlike she appeared before him; her face still gripped with the pain of the past.

"You were everything I wasn't brave enough to be and it scared me." His hands cradled her face as tears began to roll down her cheeks, quickly brushed away by a caress of this thumbs.

"Jeg beklager."

(I'm sorry)

"Jeg beklager jenta mi."

(I'm sorry my girl)

"Jeg elsker deg."

(I love you)

"Jeg har alltid elsket deg."

(I have always loved you)

Elsa cried harder as he pulled her in to hold her, letting her sob against his chest as he kissed the top of her head. It was the healing moment she'd been longing for, so painful yet so freeing. Everything Anna had told her it would be and more.

When the tears had dried Elsa led Agdar back up the stairs and to the entryway where Anna was waiting for them.

"Before I go I have some things for Lilly. If you don't mind I'll have the driver bring them in."

Curious they both nodded their heads in unison and watched Agdar whistle to the driver. Over the next few minutes it became abundantly clear why he'd arrived in a limo as the driver stacked box after box in the entryway.

"Wha-what is all this?" Elsa asked, looking around the mountains of boxes that had sprung up around her.

"As soon as you said I could see her I got a little excited and cleared out the nearest baby boutique. Everything a little girl could want and more. There's a few that are marked. Things I won't be able to give her when she's older but I thought it would be nice if you keep them. Then she'll still be able to get a gift from me on her birthday or Christmas...long after I'm gone."

Elsa looked down at the box nearest her marked 16. Bursdag (16th birthday) and was swept away by a wave of emotion brought on by the kindest and sweetest gesture she ever seen from him.

"Some I brought from home, just in case I did get to see her. And I'm glad I did. There's even a few for you to open after I leave." He took a deep breath before he continued. "You don't have to give an answer now but I want you to come home for Jul (Christmas). Bring Anna and of course Lilly. I'll make it the best first Christmas you've ever seen. Let me give you a happy Christmas memory for once," his hand brushing against Elsa's shoulder.

"I'll think about it," Elsa said before asking him one last thing. "How do I find her?" tugging at his sleeve before he made his way over to Anna. She'd reunited with her father but this journey wasn't complete until she got in touch with her mother as well.

"Call Kai. He has all of her information." Elsa nodded and let it go at that.

The day had gone by far too fast and it was time for Agdar to catch his flight back home. Elsa took Lilly from Anna so that they could say their goodbyes.

"I'm really glad this happened. And I'm so glad I got to meet you, finally." Anna tried not cry, she always got so emotional with goodbyes.

"Me too," Adgar replied sweetly and Anna hugged him, whether he wanted to or not he was getting a hug. Adgar welcomed her with open arms and gave her a tight squeeze.

"Take care of her, please. Both of them," he whispered into Anna's ear and she couldn't hold back her tears anymore, letting a few race down her smiling cheeks.

"I will."

Next was Lilly whom Elsa placed in her grandfather's arms. He kissed her on both of her cheeks and once on that button nose passed straight down from her mother.

"Bli hva du ønsker å være min kjære (be whatever you want to be my darling). Bare husk å være lykkelig (but remember to be happy). Ikke gi din mor for hardt av gangen (don't give your mother too hard of a time)."

It was difficult, so difficult to let go of Lilly but he knew he had to. He placed her gently into Anna's arms and she took a few steps back to give him and Elsa some privacy. His eyes tried desperately to memorize her face, the way it was just in this moment. Her bottom lip kept tucking into her mouth and her chin quivered, holding back the sadness she never predicted she'd have to see her father go. As he looked at her tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks and his lips frowned at the sight. Before one more tear could be shed he grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, holding her head tight against his chest.

"Ikke gi din mor for hardt av gangen (Don't ever forget that I love you)."

As painful as it was, he eventually had to let go. Like a magnet pulled by an uncontrollable force, Elsa followed him down the driveway as he got into the limo, turning to wave and blow her a kiss before the driver pulled away and drove out of sight.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked as Elsa walked meagerly back into the house.

Unsure of what was happening, Elsa collapsed to the floor and let everything go. She let every last twinge of pain flow out of her with every tear like a restless river rushing to the calm of the sea. The sweet release of years of emotional torture was beautiful and devastatingly crushing at the same time and Anna could only hold Elsa and Lilly as it all unfolded. This had been a long time coming and Anna was patient, ever so patient as a rainbow of emotions poured out from her sweet wife.