Reminder: Anna's birthday gift to Elsa was a scarf.

"Are you excited?"

Elsa pursed her lips to one side. "So-so."

"Hey, how could you?!" Kristoff pressed a hand against his chest. "We've already fixed your room and THIS is how you thank us?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Stop being melodramatic, Toph."

"He—"

"Oh, give it a break!" Charlotte shoved her husband aside, taking his spot in front of the camera. Alice jumped beside her mother with a soft 'oof'. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" When the pastry chef nodded, she smiled. "Nervous. Excited. A little bit of both? And also... a little sad, if that makes sense."

"You know what they say. If it makes you feel nervous and excited at the same time, it's worth trying out!"

"Who said that?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Who cares? It's a nice thought to live by, isn't it? You'll be here longer this time with your parents. I'm expecting you to keep Alice some company while you're at it."

"We're gonna play lots!" Alice chimed.

"Of course."

"Is Punzie, Ari, and Anya gonna come with you?"

Elsa's fingers twitched. "I'm afraid not, Alice. But they said they will try to come for the lantern festival."

"Aww... I wanted to see them again."

"Alice, the girls could be busy," Charlotte explained. "But if they're really going to come, that's great news! I'm glad they remembered the festival. It would be nice to show them around by then."

"Yeah! It'll be more fun than New Year's," Kristoff's voice boomed from the speaker, causing Alice to jump and run somewhere off-camera.

Charlotte shook her head fondly and faced Elsa again. "Will you be okay? You won't see Anna in a while. She's a gem." She smirked, raising an eyebrow teasingly. "What if she finds someone while you're here?"

The words brought an image of a recent graduate inside Elsa's head. She bit her lip and stiffened as she heard a ruffle from behind. Feet pattered across the floor and stopped as a weight settled on the back of the chair she was sitting on. "Don't worry about that, Charlotte! But keep an eye on Elsa for us, okay?" Ariel giggled.

"Ariel! Oh dear, I didn't know you were there!"

"I noticed." Ariel grinned. "I'm helping Elsa out with some last-minute packing. Buuuuut I'm not really sure if she needs all of these with her." She gestured to Rapunzel locking a suitcase in the corner of the room.

"They're mostly souvenirs," Elsa explained.

"You didn't have to!"

"I already bought them. You can't say no."

"Touché."

"Ari!" Alice ran back to her mother and waved happily on the screen.

"Hi Alice!"

"Alice, stop moving so much!" Charlotte grabbed the little girl's arms and poked her nose when she pouted. "Okay, don't let us keep you. If you needed Ariel's help, surely you must be busy."

Done with the suitcase, Rapunzel finally showed herself on the camera. "I see Alice is still as rowdy as always."

"AAAAAAA!" Alice screamed, flailing her arms around as she ran away again.

Rapunzel gaped. "The nerve!"

"Oh hi Rapz! Is the whole crew there?"

Elsa fidgeted as Rapunzel and Ariel glanced her way. Ariel gently squeezed her shoulder, a silent comfort as she thought over a response. "No," Elsa answered through the ball in her throat. Charlotte's eyebrows flew upwards, seemingly awaiting more from her. "It's just the three of us."

The pastry chef looked at each of them on the screen before nodding. "I see." She straightened her back and clapped her hands, startling the three girls. "Get on with it then! The longer it takes for you to finish, the later you'll arrive here."

"Take care, Charlotte," Ariel said.

"You better be ready to take us on when we visit!" Rapunzel demanded.

"Bring it on," Charlotte chuckled.

"Thank you, Charlotte. I'll see you later."

The call ended and a heavy silence fell upon the girls. Elsa shut her eyes, willing her heart to calm down somewhat. Her knees shook as a powerful urge to run outside and look for Anna engulfed her, but even then, what would she say? If this was how Anna wanted to do it, then the least Elsa could do was to respect that.

"I'm sorry," Ariel whispered. "I tried to bring her here, but..."

Elsa shook her head. "It's okay."

"I'm really confused." Rapunzel cupped her chin. "It's just for two months."

"Rapz," Elsa hissed.

"Whoa, calm down!" Rapunzel raised her arms in a nonconfrontational manner. "There was this one time she talked about promises and stuff. About how she thinks they're meaningless. I just didn't think that it would apply to you too."

Ariel's shoulders sagged as she sighed. "Don't worry. I'll look after her. You just focus on your own thing and do what you have to do, Elsa. None of us will think badly of you because of this."

"She's right," Rapunzel agreed.

Elsa licked her dry lips and swallowed. "Thank you."

Ariel and Rapunzel smacked her on the back, causing her to burst into a coughing fit. The two laughed at her expense which she later joined in timidly. She sighed and walked over to her bed, flopping down on the floor and pulling back the drawer under her mattress. Multiple movie cases were bunched together inside and she grinned at the memory of Anna fumbling when she caught her in this very room.

"Can I borrow some of these? I'll give them back!" Rapunzel clasped her hands pleadingly.

"Sure. I can't bring them anyway."

Elsa chuckled breathily as the brunette sat beside her and browsed through her collection of films. While she looked around, she saw a lonely case she had hidden from view a few days back. She reached out for it and smiled fondly at the picture of a Chinese woman in armor. Two shadows loomed over her.

"Mulan, huh?" Rapunzel asked.

"There's a live-action movie for that, right? I heard it's a little different from the cartoon." Ariel made herself comfortable on the bed, still watching Rapunzel browse through the other films.

Elsa's lips curled around the edges. She offered the case to Ariel, making the redhead blink. "Can you give this to her?"

"Anna?" Elsa nodded. "Why? I mean, sure no problem. But why this?"

Rather than explain, Elsa continuously graced the redhead with a smile. She wasn't sure if Anna still remembered, but the movie was something Elsa would not forget anytime soon—and not because of its storyline.

Ariel studied every inch of her face before relenting. "I'll make sure it reaches her."

Anna was walking aimlessly on Central Park with her nephew, rubbing the edge of the scarf wrapped around her neck. The summer heat was rolling and she had been receiving strange looks for wearing such a thing at this time of year. Looks she decidedly ignored. The cloth made her feel warm amidst the coldness growing inside her chest.

She's probably getting ready by now.

Anna sighed, squeezing the tiny hand holding hers when she noticed from her peripherals that the little boy was staring at her. Despite Meg's assurance that she didn't have to take William somewhere today, Anna had insisted. Anything to distract herself would do.

"AH! Liam!" A high-pitched voice called.

Anna and William jumped and spun in the direction of the voice. "Geh." William cringed, pulling himself closer to his aunt. "Why is she here?!"

A little girl ran in their direction, followed by a very familiar brunette gasping for air as she ran after the child. When their eyes met, she slowed her pace and later stopped a few feet from them. The little girl glomped on William and rubbed his head, making William pout and grumble.

"Let me go!" William hissed.

"Aww come on, come on, let's play!" The girl dragged William away from Anna and into the nearby merry-go-round. "First to fall loses!"

"Wha- hey!"

The girl kept laughing and dragging the poor boy along. Anna only watched as it happened, taking a moment to stare at the girl and recognize her as the same noisy one from Arendelle Music School.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

Anna flinched. She gulped and faced the older woman. "Me too."

Vanessa cocked her head, tucking her hands inside the pockets of her vest. "Isn't today the day?" Anna rubbed her wrist and glanced back at her nephew. "Why aren't you seeing her off?"

Anna continuously watched the children play around, half wondering how things were going back at the Daltons. Her legs were frozen stiff, unmoving yet aching to run. Run towards that same household. She absentmindedly kicked on a small rock.

"What happened to that stubborn attitude?"

Her breath hitched, head snapping to the woman.

"You should go." Vanessa removed her glasses and wiped the lenses with the edge of her shirt. "You know you're going to regret it if you didn't."

"I..." Anna swallowed the rest of her words and looked at her nephew once again. "That's not for you to decide."

"Let me guess. It's easier this way." Anna balled her hands into tight fists. "News flash, nothing worth having is ever easy to get."

"I know that. I just don't want to say something irresponsible in front of her."

"So you're running away until the very end." Vanessa wore her glasses again. "Not like I wasn't expecting it."

Anna snapped back at the brunette, gritting her teeth and eyes narrowing to slits. Her fists shook by her side and her face burned from anger and embarrassment. Vanessa did not flinch; she simply stared at her with a blank mask, as though she was expecting such a reaction.

"That girl cares a lot about you," Vanessa said, causing Anna to freeze. "She confronted me way too many times and it's always for your sake." When Anna remained silent, she rolled her eyes. "What I'm saying is that she's way better than me. At least she told you she's going to leave before actually doing it."

Anna frowned. "I already know that." Vanessa huffed, blowing a strand of hair away from her porcelain face. "Why are you saying these anyway?"

"Because," she paused, glancing at the little girl still playing with William by the slides. "I owe her."

"Elsa?"

"It's nothing you need to bother yourself with." Vanessa crossed her arms, hips jutting to one side. "Bottomline is, it would mean a lot to her if you'd be there to see her off."

Mouth dry from the sudden encouragement from the woman, Anna faced the playground with a faraway look in her eyes. The children's laughter and squeals rang in her ears as her mind flew to Elsa. What was she doing? Was she already packed? Was she ready to leave? Anna whimpered. No matter how many times she flipped her head over it, two months felt too long. It was not comforting either when the only assurance she had that Elsa would truly return were mere words.

"Do you really think she's going to come back?"

"You're asking me?" Vanessa scoffed, uncrossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Until when are you going to let other people's feelings stop you from doing what you want?"

A strangled noise left Anna's mouth. "You know you're partly to blame for this, right?"

"And this is my way of fixing things. We both lost something important when I did those things, Anna. Don't let my mistakes take anything more from you."

Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I wish it was that easy."

"You can start now." Vanessa made her way behind Anna. "The first step—" She pushed Anna forward, startling the girl and making her grunt out a disgruntled squeak. "—will always be the hardest."

Anna spun around, rubbing her back awkwardly. "You didn't have to do that!"

"Actually, yes I had to." Vanessa gestured at the two little kids staring at them from the swings. "I can look after Liam while you go and do your thing."

Anna huffed and stretched her back. "I'm not comfortable leaving my nephew in your hands." She narrowed her eyes at the brunette who shrugged nonchalantly. With another huff, Anna approached the boy and sat on the balls of her feet. "Liam, what do you say... Let's go see, Elsa?"

William gasped. "Elsie?!"

"Yeah."

"I wanna! Let's go, let's go!" He jumped from the swing and tugged Anna's arm.

"Aww. You're leaving already?" The little girl pouted.

"Chelsea, come on. It's almost time for you to go home anyway." Vanessa ruffled the little girl's hair. "You can play again some other time, okay?"

Chelsea's shoulders sagged. "Okay."

Vanessa grinned and glanced at Anna and William. She raised an eyebrow when Anna remained glued to the ground, alternating her gaze between the grass and her. It had been weeks since they talked about what had happened to them, but bringing back the kind of closeness they once had seemed impossible now. Anna knew things would never be the same between them anymore.

"I won't say thank you."

The brunette scoffed. "Good. I wasn't doing it for you."

The smirk on Vanessa's lips was the same smirk she had graced Anna with for the past few years. Villainous, contemptuous, and insulting. It made Anna's skin crawl. But as she saw the tiny glint of playfulness in the brown eyes behind those thick lenses, her own bitter smile grew on her lips.

Things will never be the same.

Anna squeezed the hand of her nephew and urged him to run by her side to her car. She glanced at her wristwatch and hissed, realizing that she had only a few minutes left before Elsa's departure. William removed his hand from Anna's grip and ran at a faster pace that shocked even her. Ignoring her nephew's reflexes, Anna clicked on the key and opened the door.

"Ready?"

William locked his seatbelt. "Ready!"

Anna stepped on the gas and took the shortest route she knew to the Dalton's Residence, hoping that every stoplight they pass by would be on go. Worry lines began to form on her forehead when she realized it was not the best time due to some summer sales. Why did it have to be now? She clicked her tongue and turned on one alley, thanking her lucky stars when there were only a few cars down the road.

Is this for the best? What if I try to stop her again?

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Panic was starting to make her want to pull back. One glance at her excited nephew by the rearview mirror gave her a little bit of courage. When she reached a red light, she fiddled with the scarf wrapped around her neck and breathed in and out.

"Ah." William chimed, removing his seatbelt and leaning towards Anna by the front seat. "Is that Aunt Ariel?" he asked, pointing at the figure who was talking to Elsa by the gate.

"They're already leaving?" Anna whispered, observing the car parked on the side of the road.

"Let's go, let's go!" William whined. Anna blinked and unlocked the doors, breath hitching as the boy hastily jumped out of the car and yelled, "Aunt Ariel!"

His scream turned everyone's heads to them. Ariel gasped and captured William when he tackled her from the front. Anna, on the other hand, swallowed nervously as her eyes connected with Elsa's. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs and her hands turned clammy as her grip around the wheel tightened.

With another hard swallow, she opened her side of the door and stepped out of the car. Breathing became difficult, and the scorching sun did not give any comfort at all. She reached for the scarf around her neck and unwrapped it, folding it neatly before taking those small awkward steps.

Elsa rushed over to her as she stopped a few feet away. "Anna."

Anna glanced at the car behind Elsa and then back to the blonde. "You're still here." Elsa's throat bobbed before she nodded. "Liam... wanted to see you before you leave."

"Oh."

Inwardly cringing at her cowardice, Anna looked at her nephew being held captive by her cousin. Ariel smiled at her encouragingly, keeping the boy under control. "Actually, I... I forgot to give this back to you." Anna offered the newly-folded scarf to the blonde.

"This is..."

"You lent it to me during the wedding, remember?" Anna smiled sadly, heart fluttering as a subtle shade of pink colored Elsa's cheeks. "Thank you... for using it a lot."

Elsa took the blanket scarf and stared at it fondly. "Stay here," she said, running back to Ariel and exchanging a few words. When she received a paper bag, she hurried back to Anna. "Here. I want you to have this."

Anna tilted her head, glancing at the thing. Elsa pushed it closer to her, nodding a few times and urging her to take it. Anna took the hint and reached for the bag. It was hard on her grip and when Elsa only continued watching her, she decided to humor her a little and open it. Her eyes widened.

"I know it's old and you probably have a copy of your own, but—"

A tear rolled down Anna's cheek, stopping Elsa mid-sentence. Anna sniffed and wiped it away, pressing the movie case close to her chest. "I know," she acknowledged softly, giving Elsa a watery smile.

Elsa furrowed her brows, arm raising a subtle inch then falling back down. A steady silence enveloped them as if a small sound could ruin the momentary peace. It was heavy; so full of questions, of words left unspoken.

"You..." Anna choked, sniffing and looking at Elsa through clouded eyes. "Take care out there, okay?"

"Anna..." Elsa stepped forward, but Anna shook her head. Elsa pursed her lips, stared at her for a few seconds, and then smiled. "Thank you."

Anna bit her lip to silence her impending sobs. She... was scared. Of many things. But she also didn't want to be the reason why Elsa would hold herself back. She didn't want to deprive Elsa of this chance to have a better relationship with her parents when Elsa finally felt ready to take a step forward.

But it hurts... so, so much.

"E- Elsa?" Anna stuttered, forcing her eyes upward and meeting Elsa's concerned gaze. "I... I—"

The words caught somewhere in Anna's throat and her ears buzzed as the feeling on her lips registered in her head. The subtle scent of mint and chocolate invaded her nostrils and a soft silky blonde hair tickled her cheeks.

One, two, three...

Elsa pulled back gently and pressed her forehead against Anna's. There was a subtle blush on her cheeks and a tiny smile on her lips, in contrast to Anna's rather stupid look. Her fingers trembled around the movie case and it was taking all her effort to get her breathing back in check.

"Now we're even," Elsa whispered, opening her eyes and gazing at Anna with gentle eyes.

Anna's breath hitched, cheeks flushed as her lips tingle from the recent touch. She had a hunch. She had even heard Elsa's conversation with Gerda. Anna had an inkling idea that Elsa felt the same way about her. They just never had the chance to talk about it anymore.

Her eyes teared up once again. Part of her wanted to smack away the silly smile plastered on Elsa's lips. Why now? Why did she have to do this now? Anna sobbed, shutting her eyes and letting the tears fall uncontrollably. Her heart skipped a couple of beats when a cold hand cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears away.

"I... I—"

Elsa pressed a finger on her lips and leaned back. "Don't," she stated firmly. Anna opened her eyes and looked at her questioningly. "Give it two months. When I come back and you really are sure of how you feel about me," She lowered her finger and smiled, "then say it."

Anna stilled.

A choked sob, and then her vision clouded once again. Love and attachment. What was the difference between the two? Anna did not know. But she knew Elsa was important to her more than anyone. She didn't want to see Elsa go. She didn't want to be apart for a long time.

Was it an attachment?

Or was it love?

Whatever it was, the feelings were there. Of that, Anna was certain. She wanted Elsa to get past her struggles, to move on, and to not get continuously held back by the horrors of her own past. If going back to Corona would give her the kind of healing that Arendelle wasn't able to provide, Anna would like to support her fully because that was what Elsa deserved.

Even if it hurt.

...

"I think it's normal to be afraid. People come and go. But even if they leave, the memories and lessons you learned from them will always be a part of you. Maybe they won't be with you physically, but they'll always be with you in spirit."

Anna silently sucked in a shuddering breath and let out an empty laugh. "You believe in spirits?"

"No." The answer was immediate but decisive. It was a stark contrast to the way Elsa spoke back in dinner and it made Anna turn around to see a pair of baby blue eyes looking back at her with such certainty, it made her heart stutter inside her chest. "I believe that if it's strong enough, relationships do last."

...

Anna pulled her head back and sucked in a lungful of air. She wiped her cheeks frantically and glared at Elsa with determination, making the blonde's mouth fall open. Anna seized the opportunity to memorize every inch of her face; they wouldn't see each other for a while, after all.

"You should go," Anna said. "If you say anything more, I might not be able to stop myself."

Elsa stared at her dumbly. Anna squared her shoulders and put her game face on—the face she had practiced several times over the course of the years—and stared at Elsa down. This caused the blonde to giggle softly and raise her hands.

"Okay," she said, letting her arms fall on her sides. She adjusted her sling bag and took a step back. "But it's a promise, okay?"

Anna watched silently as Elsa walked back to her family. Ariel released a fidgeting William and shook her head as the boy wrapped his tiny arms around Elsa. Anna did her best to imprint every little detail in her memory, ignoring the worried glances thrown her way.

Her heart skipped.

She took a deep breath, pressing the movie case closer to her chest. She didn't know the proper word to describe what she was feeling, but as she continued to watch over the blonde, something inside of her broke. It also made her happy—a twinge—because of the fresh, hopeful expression on her face.

"You okay?" Ariel asked, stopping by her side along with Rapunzel.

"Don't pass out now." Rapunzel quipped, earning a glare from the older redhead. "Relax! I'm just trying to lighten the mood. But seriously, how are you holding up?"

Anna looked at the case in her hand. "I'll be fine. I have to be."

"Anna..." Ariel said.

"It's okay," Anna insisted, smiling sadly at the two. "It's not the end of the world, right?"

Rapunzel huffed and gave her a side hug. "Just know that we're here too, okay? We're gonna be doing a lot of fun things together! And then we're going to visit Corona for the festival!"

"What did she tell you?" Ariel asked. "You two were rather close earlier. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were—"

Anna flushed bright red and looked away, meeting Elsa's gaze accidentally. She cleared her throat. "It's a secret."

"Okay? You're keeping secrets from me now?"

Ariel and Rapunzel tried to pry, whereas Anna did her best to shoo them away by running towards the gates and greeting Elsa's parents. William was still attached to Elsa like a leech, something that the blonde didn't seem to mind. Mrs. Dalton gave her a warm hug, patting her back gently and murmuring apologies and gratitude in her ears. Her husband did the same thing.

"We'll see you soon, okay?"

Anna nodded, taking her nephew's hand on her own and detaching him from Elsa. Elsa smiled thankfully and opened the backdoor before taking another glance at Anna. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times, worry etched on her features. Anna's pulse skyrocketed, hoping Elsa would make a last-minute choice of staying behind yet knowing it was not possible. Not now, at least.

"I'll do my best, Elsa," she promised. Elsa's mouth clicked shut. "What you told me back at the apartment... I don't know how. I don't know where to start, but I'll figure it out." Anna pulled the movie case closer to her body, swallowing hard as she saw the recognition shine in Elsa's clear blue eyes. "I want you to do your best, too."

Elsa's eyebrows flew upward. A sad smile dawned upon Anna's face as she considered taking the words back. Never in her life had she ever felt relieved and hurt at the same time. Could she handle it? Could she really learn how to love herself even if Elsa was not there? The uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen scared her. Without definite proof that they would surely meet again, it made her feel vulnerable.

But, as she looked at Elsa, as she remembered everything that happened between them, Anna, for once, could see herself wanting to be optimistic. That maybe it was alright to believe that things would truly work out for them someday. That what they have was strong enough to last. Because Elsa was not Vanessa, or Ariel, or any other person who left her once without a word. Anna was not there yet; doubt still lingered, and she suspected it would stay that way for many more years to come. But as long as it was Elsa—

"I will."

No.

Because it was Elsa.

Anna would try her best to get back on her own two feet. She would do it so that if Elsa came back—when she comes back—Anna would be strong enough to stand in front of her and maybe say those three words with absolute certainty and renewed confidence, just as they promised.

Before you say anything, I just want to remind you that there is still an epilogue left. While I do have an idea of how some of you may react to this ending, I won't say anything here other than this little note.