Chapter Eighteen: Bottle It Up
Patching things up after verbal altercations had always been tricky for Elsa, but nothing could have prepared her for the sheer volume of awkwardness that came in the wake of her confrontation with Kris. As much discomfort as being around him caused her, being around Anna was far worse. Hot on the heels of Kris' accusation it all felt like too much, she had let Anna see too far in and now there was no way to take it back.
And Kris! How could he have ever suggested that Elsa might have a thing for Anna? He hadn't said it exactly, not with those precise words, but it didn't take a genius to see through the words he did use. A thought struck Elsa though, had it only been easy to see through his thinly veiled accusation because there actually was some part of Elsa that bore secret feelings for Anna Fields, of all people?
No. Elsa firmly thought to herself, wrenching her brain out of this cyclical train of thought for what must have been the tenth or eleventh time today. He's in my head, that's all. Of course I don't care about Anna. He just put the thought there so it keeps coming up.
"Unless..."
Elsa clapped a hand quickly over her mouth, startled that she had verbalized the thought, that she would ever even consider something so utterly ridiculous. Anna was her subordinate, nothing more. Elsa breathed in deeply, then shook her hands a little as she exhaled. Contrary to her hopes, the action did little to calm her frayed nerves.
"I have to get out of here." Elsa whispered to herself.
With a more forceful gesture than she intended Elsa wrenched her room door open, then awkwardly shuffled out and shut it behind her. Kris hardly spared her a glance, all consumed with whatever video game he was playing on the living room screen.
"I'm going in to town. I'll be back later." Elsa announced, loudly enough that she could ensure Kris heard her over the sound of his character dying a horrible death.
"Town?"
Elsa stiffened, blinking a few times as she registered that it was most definitely Anna's voice that she had heard. Where Anna had come from she had no clue, but it was too late to retract her statement now.
"Y-yes." Elsa admitted, wary of how excited Anna had sounded about the prospect of being anywhere but in the pod.
"Could I come too? I haven't been back since..."
Anna trailed off, but she needn't have finished her sentence anyway. In spite of her immediate desire to decline Anna, Elsa couldn't deny that she really had no reason to. She couldn't very well tell Anna she was leaving specifically to avoid her, but any other excuse seemed flimsy at best.
Gritting her teeth and trying not to sound as put out as she felt, Elsa nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be fine."
The idea of having to make small talk with Anna all the way to Arendelle weighed heavily on Elsa's mind, but she quickly realized that her agonizing had been unwarranted. Like a child Anna spoke and spoke, filling every single silence with stories of her previous life. Her old job, her favorite haunts, Anna talked so much that Elsa hardly had to contribute anything to the conversation.
"So what are we here for, anyway?" Anna asked, excitedly looking this way and that at places that she was clearly familiar with.
"Well" Elsa had almost spit out a lie when her phone buzzed in her pocket. A quick glance showed that Olaf was requesting to meet, a meeting that Elsa gladly accepted. "a little business, a little pleasure."
Anna glanced at Elsa with wide eyes before seeming to regain her composure. "Business? I didn't realize you had taken another mission."
"I didn't." Elsa's phone went off again and she paused to read Olaf's reply with a slight hint of displeasure. "We're meeting up with Olaf for some-"
"I get to meet Olaf?"
Anna's smile was infectious, Elsa couldn't help the little grin on her lips in spite of her sour mood at his choice of meeting spots. The tease was out of her mouth before she had time to consider the ramifications.
"You weren't nearly this excited to meet me."
Anna's quip came quickly, and without even confirming where they were headed Anna began to walk off as she said the words. "Maybe I was, but you were too busy being rude to notice."
Why did I say that? Elsa scolded herself, And since when is she so quick on her feet?
"Hey, this way smarty pants." Elsa called after her.
From then on Anna followed obediently, and quietly, as Elsa led the way to a small, hole in the wall cafe. The sign on the door seemed to blur as Elsa reached it, she had stopped entirely and her fingers just barely touched the handle. To her credit, Anna managed to stand patiently for about ten seconds before speaking up.
"It's a pull." Anna chirped happily from behind Elsa.
"I know that." Elsa snapped, then tugged the door open and rushed through before she lost her nerve.
Anna had buried her face in the menu the moment they were seated and served drinks. She was muttering to herself, loudly enough that Elsa could hear snippets here and there but no so loudly that she might disturb other tables around them. In the strange semi-silence that Anna's intense focus on the menu left, Elsa found that her mind raced.
Feelings for Anna. Elsa thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Imagine feeling something for someone who talks to themselves when they read over a menu. What a joke.
Elsa mused to herself about how little control she had had over her day, how each and every decision seemed to be placing her more into Anna's personal space than she wanted to be. Of course she couldn't ignore the thought that all of it had somehow been her own fault, that she had somehow subconsciously led herself here because Kris might be-
"Sorry, sorry!" Olaf apologized profusely as he hurriedly attempted to sidle into the booth across from Elsa, "Had to finish processing some paperwork on another...case..."
He paused, taking a long look at the menu across from Elsa standing up all on it's own. Olaf glanced at Elsa, looking rather befuddled at the fact that there was another person sitting with her at the table. The look on his face was a strange one, but whatever questions were on his tongue remaining unasked as he awaited some form of explanation.
"She's fine." Elsa said calmly, placing a finger at the top of Anna's menu and tilting it down until Anna snapped back into the moment and realized that their company had arrived. "This is Olaf. Olaf, this is Anna, Anna Fields."
Anna nearly toppled her drink as she shot up from her seat to shake Olaf's hand with both of her own. She looked far too enthusiastic for Elsa's liking, and it seemed possibly for Olaf's as well. He had accepted Anna's hand shake before slowly settling into the booth next to her, but he kept glancing back at Elsa.
Surprise danced all over his face and Elsa struggled to contain her amusement, taking a sip of her tea to cover the smile that threatened to ruin her calm exterior. He looked almost taken aback, but Elsa had no doubt in her mind that Olaf was grateful to have someone less curt at this meeting.
"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way," Elsa leaned forward, lacing her fingers together over the top of the table. "what more do you have for me?"
Olaf's expression sobered at the question. Elsa thought she saw his throat bob in what she could only assume was a nervous swallow, then he fiddled with his silverware before responding.
"Nothing, I'm afraid." Olaf muttered, looking anywhere but at Elsa. "Seems like if this is really his calling card then this guy hasn't been openly using it anywhere."
"Smart." Anna nodded to herself, "He probably has some kind of link to law enforcement. Knows there's a database that could link him to the killings, so he made his mark just subtle enough that they could be easily overlooked. Even by a professional eye."
Elsa got the distinct feeling that Anna had added the last bit to assuage any offense that she or Olaf may have taken, but she let it slide. Olaf nervously glanced between Anna and Elsa, obviously unsure of the extent to which Anna understood the case.
It must be strange for him to have someone else here, someone so genuinely interested in what he has to say.
"Could be." Elsa agreed, "But what sort is the question. It won't be easy to narrow down."
"Those are some dark clouds over your heads, can't have anyone upset in my cafe! Anything I can bring ya'll to brighten up your mood?"
Elsa tensed up again at the familiar voice, anxiousness settling in her belly like a stone as she pointedly look down at their table.
"I'd love to try some of your beignets, if we could get an order to share?"
Anna sounded as if she were positively beaming, but it wasn't until Elsa was certain that they were alone again that she turned to Anna with a stern frown. "We're supposed to be inconspicuous."
"What could be more inconspicuous than ordering food at a restaurant?" Anna asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, you did say business and pleasure didn't you?"
"I think" Olaf stepped in, likely trying to sidestep an entire argument about what was, and was not, appropriate to do in a situation like theirs, "that a little snack might be nice. This one never chats with me for long."
"For good reason." Elsa huffed, glancing around the restaurant. "You always pick the worst places to meet."
"Worst?" Anna, too, looked around, as if to emphasize her coming point, "This place looks, and smells incredible."
Elsa clenched her jaw tightly shut as the beignets arrived, fighting the urge to look upon the familiar face that dropped them off. If either Anna or Olaf sensed how uncomfortable she was, neither said anything about it.
"If you didn't have anything more on our special project then why set up a meeting?" Elsa drummed her fingers on the tabletop impatiently.
Olaf swallowed, dabbing chocolate sauce from the corner of his mouth before sliding a folder with the code 'HR-176' printed on the front across the table at her. "Take a look at this."
"Another unsanctioned case?" Elsa sighed, shaking her head and attempting to pass the file back to Olaf. "Olaf, I can't keep-"
"It's available to you." Olaf slapped a hand on the file and shoved it back at her as he hurriedly explained, "I wasn't sure if you'd be available for it or not, but I thought you should take a look since it's, well, of special interest to you."
"Special interest?" Elsa repeated his words skeptically, then flipped open the file.
Her expression hardened as she flipped through page after page of missing posters, all of people who looked as if they were barely adults, if they were at all. Young men and women smiled up at her from missing posters that had clearly been dropped off at the police station by worried family members.
"Just how is this of special interest to me?" Elsa demanded, though she didn't slide the file back to him right away.
"The circumstances surrounding their disappearances was...well, take a look." Olaf reached across the table, rifling through the missing posters for a copy of the police reports taken for each missing person.
Some of them had been missing for nearly a year, Elsa noted, but the most pertinent detail was in the dates of disappearance. "You're telling me someone is taking kids on full moons?"
"Exactly." Olaf nodded, polishing off their plate of shared goodies with a satisfied sigh.
In an instant their waitress was back to remove their plate, but this time she lingered. "You taking a fresh look into those missing kids, officer?"
"Actually I was hoping my friend would help us out. Unfortunately Arendelle P.D. has reached a bit of a wall." Olaf admitted, glancing up at Elsa with pleading eyes.
"That true, miss?"
Elsa's heart ached as she finally looked up into the familiar face. Tiana's eyes were still just as kind as they had always been, but that spark of recognition was long gone. To her now, Elsa was just another patron rolling through town.
Elsa averted her eyes, "I'll consider it."
"Glad to hear it. No way the news is right, that many kids don't just walk away from their families."
Elsa packed up her copy of the file while Anna and Olaf bid one another enthusiastic goodbyes. She found herself wondering if she could have been one of these missing posters if there had been more than just one person left to miss her when she was taken. Elsa halfheartedly waved at Olaf as they parted ways, but Anna hardly let them get a few feet from him before beginning her questioning.
"So who is she?" Anna sounded cautious but she was smiling as if she had asked Elsa about the weather.
"Who is who?"
"Oh please, playing dumb is a terrible look for you." Anna chided, "You hardly looked at our waitress, and when you did you looked like a lost puppy."
Elsa swallowed past the shame at having been so blatantly obvious yet again, and in front of Anna to make matters worse, but stayed quiet in the hope that Anna might drop it.
"She an ex or something?" Anna asked, clearly taking Elsa's silence as an invitation to continue to prod at the subject.
"No." Elsa said hastily, then sighed as she ran a hand down her face. "It's...complicated."
"So definitely an ex."
Anna smiled sideways at Elsa as she said it, and the mixture of emotions that fought for supremacy within Elsa's heart became more muddled by the second. She wanted to be angry, but more than that she was confused. Why did Anna care so much? Couldn't she just leave it alone?
"She was a friend."
Anna must have been feeling confident on these familiar streets, for her response came rapid fire. "Was?"
Elsa growled in frustration, wondering what right Anna thought she had demanding information about Elsa's past. She readied herself for an argument, but as she looked at Anna to say something she found that she couldn't quite muster the words. Anna still wasn't looking at Elsa, her eyes were drawn here and there slowly, almost painstakingly, and the wistful expression on her face was undeniable.
Elsa felt stupid, even a little guilty, as the realization dawned on her. Elsa had been so wrapped up in her own emotional turmoil that she had almost overlooked the subtle pain written all over Anna's face. The slight inward tilt of her brows, the almost imperceptible tightening of her lips, now that Elsa was looking they seemed to shine like neon in the night.
Anna had memories here too, things she could never do again, people she couldn't visit with, and every bit of those memories were stirred up being here on this familiar street. At least in that aspect, she was scarcely different from Elsa.
Well, it's not like it could hurt...
"After-" Elsa paused briefly as a stranger passed by them, continuing only when she was sure they were out of earshot. "After what happened the night I met you they hunted me down. Like an animal. Found me in my apartment, obviously I wasn't thinking clearly enough to hide. Once I was in custody, they made people that I knew forget about me so they could bring me in to S.N.O."
The words were harder to get out than Elsa had expected. This certainly wasn't the first time she had told the story, but the wound it left felt fresher than ever after seeing Tiana. Even as Elsa's voice broke at the end of her sentence Anna never looked at her, just listened quietly as they continued walking down the streets.
"I'm sorry." Anna uttered.
She had glanced over at Elsa for only a second before staring straight ahead again. It was almost as if she was trying not to be intrusive now, but the gesture was strange to Elsa. It didn't feel like what she expected of Anna.
Elsa sighed, "What's there to be sorry for?"
Anna was clenching and releasing her fist at her side as they walked, but the gesture stopped before Elsa could concern herself with it too much.
"I just, there wasn't really anyone to forget me." Anna's smile was sheepish, but clearly sad. "Maybe my co-workers, but no one close. I hadn't even thought about the people I left behind. I can't imagine how you must feel."
"Tiana was my best friend back then. But she's better off now, don't you think?" Elsa vocalized her thoughts, her fears, more quickly than her brain could tell her to stop talking. "She's got her own restaurant! She's doing great without me."
Anna exhaled a short laugh, "You really are the most self-deprecating person I know."
"You flatter me." Elsa said flatly.
"Can't you even begin to imagine how much better her life could have been with her best friend right there supporting her through it all?" Anna shook her head, "With your stubborn streak and determination I wouldn't be surprised if she would have been able to grow her business into a chain by now."
Elsa trained her eyes forward, whether Anna's words were blatant flattery or genuine kindness she couldn't say, but either way they left Elsa finding it difficult to keep her breathing steady. Kris' words crept back into her mind yet again, only to be snuffed firmly out before they could take root.
No, absolutely not.
"I know being back here must be hard. My first time back in the city was awful." Elsa said the words quickly, trying to get them out before she lost her nerve. "I thought for sure she would remember me, in spite of whatever they did, but I learned very quickly how naive-"
"Help! Somebody, anybody!"
Elsa's eyes widened at the sound, but as she glanced to Anna she found that Anna was already looking at her with an almost eager glint in her eyes. If Elsa had known she would have been running around playing hero in the streets of Arendelle she never would have planned an outing in the first place. With a defeated sigh Elsa nodded her assent and the pair raced toward the terrified pleading.
XXX
Anna raced behind Elsa, but even at a full sprint she was no match for the speed of a werewolf. Elsa rounded a corner that Anna soon found led to an alley, and at the end of it was a young man with terror in his eyes. He was clutching at his leg, which from the knee down was covered in thick, brown fur. His shoe had practically exploded from his foot, exposing a clawed paw at the end.
In an instant Elsa was at his side, ripping off her coat and covering the appendage. "Hey, hey. I need you to breathe okay? Can you tell me your name?"
The young man continued to breathe almost raggedly, inhaling and exhaling unevenly.
"That's okay," Anna soothed, kneeling down alongside Elsa and the boy, "I'm Anna, and this is Elsa. We're going to help you out okay? Just take a second and breathe."
His eyes were wide, blown with fear or adrenaline, or some mix of the two. Next to her Elsa had pulled out her phone, obviously contacting Olaf for back up.
"We've got help coming, okay kid?" Elsa explained, making sure her jacket was covering all angles of his leg. "I know this is scary, happened to me too."
"N-no it didn't." The boy challenged, glaring almost angrily at Elsa.
"Sure did." Anna piped in. "But she was fighting off a mugger when it happened."
The mistrust in his eyes changed at the mention of a fight, as if Anna had piqued his interest. "Like a superhero?"
Anna laughed, glancing sideways at a pink-cheeked Elsa. "Well, she was a hero to me that day. She saved me. Would you like to hear about it?"
The boy nodded, and while they awaited Olaf's arrival Anna regaled the tale of the night that she and Elsa first met to his great delight. By the time Olaf loaded him in the cruiser the transformation had reversed. The boy was smiling widely, happy at the idea of what he could be with control of his power.
Elsa, however, no longer looked as calm and composed as she had before. Anna could only watch as Elsa talked in hushed tones to Olaf, seemingly arguing about something. When Elsa glared at him and turned her back on him Anna could see that something had clearly gone wrong.
"Elsa what-"
"We're going home." Elsa snapped, shoving her hands in her pockets.
The ride home was silent, Elsa had stewed angrily the entire drive, but as they pulled into the garage and Elsa shut the vehicle off the facade fell. Anna watched as Elsa gripped the steering wheel white knuckled, then Elsa let her head fall between her hands onto the wheel.
Finally, after a long and awkward silence, Elsa spoke. "...someone changed that kid. On purpose. They had to have."
"What?" Anna leaned forward slightly in her seat, inclining her head so she could see Elsa better. "Why leave him there though? Where anyone could see him?"
"You're missing the point. Someone changed him."
There was an edge of frustration to Elsa's tone, clearly Anna was missing something vital. "Is that...bad?"
"Of course it is!" Elsa glanced sideways at Anna before leaning back in her seat. "If you aren't born a werewolf then there's only one kind of werewolf that should be able to change a human, and even then only with their consent. So either there's a rogue werewolf operating in Arendelle without being detected or..."
"Or?"
Elsa's hands clenched on her lap. "Or something more convoluted is going on."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked, a nervous laugh escaping her, "Like in the movies? Gearing up for a war or something?"
She had only been joking, of course, but the sound of Elsa's silence weighed heavily on her as she leaned back into the seat to ponder on it. If there was someone artificially influencing the population of psuedo-humans in Arendelle the levels of havoc that could wreak were unfathomable.
"What will happen to him? The boy?"
Elsa scoffed, shaking her head and slumping back into her seat. Bitterly Elsa grumbled, "Olaf is bringing him here."
"Here? He's a child, what could S.N.O. possibly want with-"
Elsa sighed, sounding defeated, "What else should be done with him then, Anna?"
"He could go back to his family, couldn't he?" Anna reasoned, "Isn't there some way-"
"No."
Before Anna could respond Elsa was unbuckling her seat belt and storming out of the car. Anna hurried after her, slamming the door a little harder than she meant to as she ran behind Elsa. "There's got to be something-"
Elsa rounded on Anna, backing her into the nearby wall before pinning her with an arm to either side of her. "He's not human anymore. He's a danger to the society around him, even if he doesn't intend to be."
"He's a child, Elsa, he can't possibly-"
"Don't you think I want there to be a way?" Elsa choked on the words, pain and shame in her eyes as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Of all people, don't you think I would want that?"
Taken aback, Anna blinked rapidly. "Can't we make that happen? Find a way?"
A bitter laugh escaped Elsa, who shook her head and stepped back from Anna. "Do you know how they brought me in, Anna?"
Anna quietly pondered, remembering her own experience with being brought here. It hadn't been pleasant by any means, but it certainly could have been much worse. Opting to prevent herself from saying something insensitive Anna shook her head in response.
"They shot me with tranquilizers." Elsa rubbed her forehead, that same self-deprecating laugh ringing hollow from her chest. "Fitted me with a shock collar and chained me up to drag me here and present me with 'options.' Olaf is bringing him in to prevent that, but this is still the place he has to be."
Anna felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach, tears even began to well up in her eyes as Elsa revealed the methods that S.N.O. had used for her relocation. She hadn't known Elsa then, but she would have bet anything that if they had simply asked, explained the situation, that Elsa would have gone with them willingly.
"Elsa, I-"
"Come on." Elsa glanced around, looking a little nervous. "Kris will get the wrong idea if we're out here too long."
"The wrong idea?" Anna repeated the words, but Elsa was already gone.
a/n: Hey all! Hope everyone is staying healthy out there! It's looking like my job will be cutting my hours in half due to loss of profits from this virus, so I should be able to make some more progress depending on how long that continues. See you all in about a month, maybe sooner!
