And the countdown begins.

Rapunzel had always been straightforward. She didn't mince words, which must be why ever since their conversation inside the library, the buzzes inside Anna's head had toned down by a significant level. Something was still weighing on her, but it no longer felt like a bunch of bricks and immovable rocks.

Anna knew she couldn't force Elsa to stay. If Elsa believed that visiting Corona was what was best for her family, the least Anna could do was to cheer her on. It was the most human thing to do. Still, a part of her knew she wasn't completely being honest with herself again. That she was just trying to rationalize not openly going against Elsa's decision even when she truly wanted to. While that in itself may have been an acceptable thing to do, Anna's reasons for doing it were not.

Depending on the focus, there was a world of difference between genuinely wanting Elsa to be happy and being afraid of Elsa hating her.

Anna wasn't kind.

She was not as selfless as how Ariel said she was that day Vanessa came to her house.

Ever since Anna found out that there was a possibility Elsa liked her the same way she did, the troubled thoughts reared their ugly heads. That was when everything began falling apart. This monstrous line of thinking had been tucked away in the darkest corner of her mind for a reason, but because of Elsa's admission to her aunt that evening, these reasons were brought back to life, smashing through Anna's willpower and tearing apart her defensive walls.

If there was one thing Anna was, she was unfair.

"Jasmine."

The senior stopped walking and turned around. "Anna, hey!"

She held her breath and glanced at the raven-haired girl. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

Anna swallowed, curling her hands into fists. "Vanessa," she stated. Jasmine tensed but otherwise did not say anything. "Where... is she usually after school?"

The senior cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I'm... just curious."

Muttering the words turned out to be more difficult than she expected. Every fiber of her being was asking if she was out of her mind. What was she even doing? How was this helping? Her hands were cold and her head was throbbing badly, she'd think it would explode anytime soon. Why would she even subject herself to such torture?

Jasmine eyed her for a moment, frowning a little before cupping her chin with her fingers. "Hm. I think she said something about finding a job as an assistant or something? Trainer... tutor... I'm not sure." She scratched the side of her head. "At A.M.S.."

Anna frowned. "She has a job? Why?"

"I don't really know the details." She shrugged. "Did she do something again?"

Anna shook her head. "No." She inhaled deeply and straightened her back. "But thanks," she said, and then she left, leaving the flabbergasted senior alone.

On her way down the hall, she rubbed her arms and bit her lip.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of another school day, Anna excused herself from Ariel and rushed towards her car. She grabbed the wheel and took a breather, trying to calm her racing heart. Her nerves were a wreck, but this time, she had a clear path in mind.

Come on, Anna. Don't go back on this.

She turned the engine on and drove towards Arendelle Music School, all the while murmuring to herself. Rapunzel's words echoed inside her head and pushed her on. Sooner than she realized, she stopped by the pavement across the gates of the familiar music school.

I can't say I miss the place.

With a hard swallow, she headed to the parking area and forced a smile as the guard recognized her. She did not stay long enough for a little chat, refusing to stay in that place longer than necessary. Her resolve hardened, Anna entered the building and approached the front desk.

"Hi," she said. "Is Vanessa Ursula here?"

"Yes." The woman behind the desk said, grabbing a list and flipping through the pages. "She's currently in room 2B-A. Head down this hall and upstairs, second room to the right."

"Thank you."

Anna followed the instructions—not that she needed it—of the lady and, while on her way, glanced at each room filled with different sets of children. She sighed. This place held so many memories that she could reach the room with her eyes closed.

Nothing's changed.

A slow melody hummed from the second floor, stopping Anna on the stairs. Its soothing melody carried through the entire area and continued until she recognized what it was. It was the same piece she had practiced countless times as an adolescent to fill in Ariel's role during that one concert when she couldn't go; the same piece she had let Vanessa sing in her stead after they collided and she ended up injuring her wrist.

Anna shook her head and hurried upstairs. The music became louder as she moved closer to it. She stopped by the door and watched the class through the small glass window.

Vanessa was sitting behind a grand piano, sporting a huge grin as she was surrounded by the little kids. Her smile brightened as they sang to her music. For a while, Anna felt like she was transported back to a time when everything was alright between them, a time when she enjoyed music even though she was not that good compared to her siblings.

A time when she and Vanessa were still close.

Anna held her breath and opened the door, inviting herself in as silently as she could. Vanessa kept playing the melody while singing along with the children. It took a while before she noticed Anna standing by the corner and when she did, her fingers stopped pressing against the keys.

Vanessa's mouth fell open, making the children curious and turning their heads to the door. Anna strained a smile and waved at the kids.

Vanessa cleared her throat. "Anna."

"Don't mind me." Anna gestured to the instrument. "Continue."

"Anya?" A little boy asked, and it was only then that Anna noticed her nephew among the kids.

Anna's eyebrows flew to her hairline. "Liam!"

"Who is it? Who?" A little girl nudged William on the elbow.

"My aunt." He pushed past his classmates and rushed over to Anna, tackling her in a huge hug. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

Anna patted the boy's head and crouched down to his eye level. "I need to speak with your trainer," she explained softly, unsure if the brunette truly was an assistant trainer. She had just assumed so since Jasmine said Vanessa was an assistant and she had been playing for the children not too long ago.

He blinked, shoulders rising to his ears. "Am I in trouble?"

"Oh no, no, no. It's not you." Anna tilted her head and smiled. "But you know... you shouldn't get distracted easily. You're not done with your activity yet."

"Oh!" He gasped, running back to his classmates and scratching the back of his head when joyous laughter filled the room.

"Haha, Liam got scolded!" The same little girl yelled.

"Chelsea," Vanessa gently chided. The girl's cheeks flushed and she crossed her arms with a pout. Vanessa glanced at the digital clock propped up a corner. "Okay, we only have ten more minutes. Let's try to finish this."

The children said "okay" in unison and Vanessa played the intro once again. Anna helped herself and sat on one of the chairs at the back of the room, watching the little kids sing happily to the music. Some of the children were off-key while some could hit higher notes.

Guess Liam got the talent for it.

Anna pursed her lips. Had Meg known that Vanessa was here?

As the children kept singing, Anna heard the back door click. She glanced towards it and her mouth fell open as she recognized the woman around her late forties. The woman was smiling as she watched the scene in front of the room and while listening, her eyes slid towards the frozen redhead.

"Anna? Is that you?"

"M-Ms. Snow!" Anna cringed as her voice cracked. Her old music teacher rushed to her side and swept her in a hug.

"It's been so long! I was wondering how you've been!"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Anna gently patted the older woman's back and let out a long sigh as she was released from the intense hug. Her head turned back to the front of the room where about a handful of children were staring at them. Vanessa glanced at them too, but her fingers never stopped their movements along the instrument.

"Vanessa has been a really big help," said the teacher. "There are more children this year enrolled in this class and I really needed the extra help. Who better to do it than an old student of mine?"

Anna held her wrist tightly. "... I see."

"She never told you?" Anna shook her head, a stiff smile on her lips. "Huh. That's odd. You two had always been joined at the hip."

A long, long time ago, maybe.

The class ended with little mishaps and right after Vanessa dismissed them, the kids ran off outside the room. William stopped by the door and turned to Anna, his big eyes silently asking for permission. She urged him out and with a bright smile, he gave her a big hug before following his friends.

"He reminds me a lot of you, Anna," the teacher chuckled, shaking her head. The smile never left her lips even as Anna and Vanessa stared at each other with blank gazes. She cleared her throat. "I'll leave you two alone. Vanessa, you know where to find me, right?"

Vanessa blinked. "Yes."

Their old music teacher stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Without leaving her seat, Anna watched Vanessa cover the piano with a piano cover. They could hear the loud voices of the students from the yard, laughing and giggling as they played around while waiting for their services. That and the incessant buzzing of the lights were the only things filling this otherwise empty room.

"So..." the brunette began, facing her from in front of the room once she was done cleaning up. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you had other plans instead of being at home," Anna stated flatly, chills running down her spine as she remembered the last time she went to the brunette's house. "Jasmine told me you were here."

"Huh..." An awkward silence fell on them, both cringing as Anna mentioned Vanessa's home. "Do you need anything?"

To Anna's surprise, it did not sound like a brush off. It was more of a curious question, devoid of any hostility. Anna felt a prickling behind her eyelids; she had been doing it a lot lately. Her anger was still there somewhere, but she was decidedly too tired to acknowledge it.

"I really want to punch you right now," she said lowly, standing from her seat and stunning the girl. "How can you assist Ms. Snow and teach these kids when you... God, why am I even here?"

Vanessa opened her mouth and closed it again, licking her lips before sighing. "Why are you here?"

"I don't know!" Anna snapped, rubbing her face with both hands. "Damn it, I thought I knew. I came because... because- I hate you! I hate you so much! What have you done to me?!"

The brunette inhaled sharply and took her glasses off. She rubbed the rim with her fingers and pursed her lips tight. As Anna continued panting, controlling the rising emotions, Vanessa swallowed hard. "Look, Anna," she slowly began, lifting her gaze to stare at the shaking redhead. "I really am sorry. About what I did. I know it's useless and it won't undo everything."

There were many things Anna wanted to say; she wanted to have revenge. Badly. But being here in the very same building where their friendship blossomed, it was the last thing on her mind. Here, she was reminded of all those years they had been together as friends. They were real. At least they were for her.

"Was it really just an act?" Anna asked, her eyes burning once again. "Those times we shared together? Your encouragement when people compared me to Hans and Meg?"

Vanessa flinched.

"You knew how people doted on me for being a West, Van. You knew how I felt about it. That I hated not being seen for who I am. Was your friendship seriously just a lie?"

There was a conflicting look in Vanessa's eyes then. The little antics Anna used to see back in their childhood days were there. The flickering eyes, nervous lip biting, and twiddling of the thumbs. Even removing the glasses before saying something that required courage. Vanessa always did it before every performance back when they were young.

"It's not," the senior said. "But you..."

"Were you that disgusted that I'm different? That I had a crush on you?" Vanessa pressed her lips into a thin line. "I just want to know..."

Another silence, another unanswered question. Anna closed her eyes to calm her steadily rising anger. More than five years had passed since their relationship changed and Anna still latched on to it. She couldn't throw away those years they were together. Until now, she couldn't let it go. Even with Elsa in the picture, she couldn't let her go.

"I liked you."

Anna flinched.

She raised her head to look at the woman with wide eyes.

"I liked you, Anna, in a way I shouldn't have," Vanessa repeated. "And it scared me. When you told me how you felt, it scared me. A lot. I wanted to comfort you when your father died. I wanted to hug you when you were crying outside our house that day, but I didn't because... because my parents didn't let me."

"What are you...?"

"They threatened to disown me." The senior averted her gaze, staring at the shut door instead. "When I told them I like you, they told me I was sick. They pulled me out of the music school because you were there."

The tears began to flow like a stream down Anna's cheeks. For years she had always wondered what it was she did wrong for her best friend to push her away like that. She thought she would feel at ease if she heard a single reason from the girl herself, but now? Now her emotions were all over the place.

...

"Van, daddy- he... please! M- Mommy and Meg are crying a- and Hans is- Ariel is mad and I- I can't talk to anyone!" Anna's knuckles rapped against the door, snot and tears messing up her blotched cheeks.

"Go away, Anna!" The high-pitched voice screamed from the other side of the door.

"Please let me in. Van, please! I- I need to talk to someone. Please!" A loud bang made Anna jump and whimper. "V- Van! D- Don't leave me. Please. I... Daddy... c- car crash..."

"I don't care, Anna! Leave me alone!"

She wiped her cheeks and sniffed. "Ariel, she's wrong! I know you. Y- You're kind and—"

The door swung open with a force that made Anna take two steps back. Her shoulders rose to her ears and a squeak escaped her lips. Vanessa's face was fuming, as red as a well-ripened apple. And her glare? Oh her glare. The glare she only used against the people making fun of Anna. It was directed to... her?

"What part of 'go away' don't you understand?!" Vanessa pushed the younger girl back and Anna yelped as she rolled down the three steps. "You know what? Ariel is right! I only stayed as your friend because of your father, but now your father is gone. So LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

...

"You didn't want to let me go, Anna, and I was too afraid to give in," the brunette choked, wiping her own non-stop tears. "I had to push you away... in the only way I knew how. I'm sorry."

Anna let herself cry then, stepping back until her back pressed against the wall. She whimpered, sliding down until she was sitting on the balls of her feet. Vanessa sat on the chair in front of the grand piano and sniffed, covering her eyes and crying as well.

"You sure you're alright with this?" Senya asked as she clapped the dirt off her hands.

Elsa stretched her back and glanced at the keyboard now set up in her room in Olaf's apartment. "Yes, Sen. I really appreciate this. I promise I'll give it back to you."

"Don't worry about it. It's yours."

"Wha- Are you sure?"

Senya nodded. "I know it's pretty old, but it holds a lot of memories. I rather you take it than let it waste away in my apartment. I know you'll take good care of it."

Elsa looked at the instrument once again and smiled softly. It was pretty beat up, but Elsa could see that a lot of love and hard work was put into it over the course of the years. She glanced at the woman zipping up her bag and walked over to her, hugging her from behind.

"Wh- Elsa?"

"Thank you."

The musician giggled. "Okay, okay. There's no need to go sappy on me." She patted Elsa's hands and instead gave her a side hug. "I told you I'll be here whenever you need me and I make good on my promises. Okay?" She raised her fist.

Elsa giggled and bumped her fist against the older woman's. "Right."

"Okay, I should go. Olaf's probably being bombarded by new clients again."

"How did you know?"

Senya raised her phone, showing the screen to Elsa. "My phone's been ringing nonstop."

"Ah."

Senya shook her head and hitched her bag around her shoulders. "Good luck, Elsa."

Elsa waved her goodbyes and locked the door as the musician left. She went back to her room and sat on the bed, facing the keyboard in front of her. Her fingers brushed along its body, letting it slide until it reached a single key. After a moment's pause, she reached to her side drawers and took out the lyrics from Hans' wedding.

Notes and scribbles littered the slightly crumpled piece of paper. Elsa studied it carefully, mumbling to herself as she refreshed her memory with the lines and notes she practiced with Senya. She took a pen from the stand and scribbled once again, changing some lines to something she thought would fit it better.

Then there was a knock.

Elsa raised her head, straining her ears to check if she heard it right. Olaf and her uncle had keys; it couldn't be them. Another knock. Did Senya forget something?

Setting the pen and paper down, Elsa left her comfortable position on the bed. The knock continued on as she went on her way and she almost yelled for the other person to stop before deciding against it. Her brows furrowed—half certain that Senya would have already said something if it was her—and she stopped in front of the door to look into the peephole.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the unmistakable shade of red.

Anna?

Elsa glanced at the digital clock on the wall. Seeing the time, she opened the door with a lot of questions. She was not able to ask a single one because the puffiness of the girl's eyes stole her breath away. Before she could ask if she had been crying, Anna grabbed a fistful of her shirt and pulled her forward, smashing their lips together.

Elsa squeaked, eyes widening at the sudden contact. The grip on her shirt remained tight, limiting her movements, but it was trembling as their bodies pressed together in a desperate hold.

Wha- wha- what...?

Her cheeks flushed deep crimson as the realization hit. This was Anna's lips pressed against hers in a hard and far from the romantic way. Her heart drummed against her ribs as she mulled over its softness and she was a hundred percent sure her breathing had stopped.

This was Anna's kiss.

Her kiss.

It was... salty.

Elsa snapped out of her trance and stretched her fingers out, raising both hands to press against Anna's shoulders. They trembled violently under her touch. Gently and with her face as hot as a newly grilled steak, she broke the kiss and pressed her forehead against Anna's. Anna's eyes were squeezed shut as she suppressed a tiny sob, her tears gushing nonstop.

"Anna, what...? What's wrong?"

A hiccup.

Elsa gently stepped back to the apartment, heart skipping a couple of beats when Anna reached for her hand. She shut the door slowly to give them privacy and with great effort, guided the crying redhead to the living room.

"Wait here. I'll get some water." Anna grabbed the edge of her sleeve and sniffed, shaking her head from side to side. "Anna," she tried, but the girl was resilient. She shook her head harder. "Okay," Elsa whispered, taking the spot beside the redhead.

They spent a few minutes in that position, the sound of Anna's crying the only sound filling the room. Elsa would rub her back gently, patiently waiting for her to calm down enough to talk. Curiosity nagged at her. What could have happened for Anna to cry like this? To... to do that?

Her lips tingled and another blush bloomed on her cheeks.

She cleared her throat. "What happened?"

Anna shook her head again, a hiccup passing through her lips. Elsa swallowed past the lump in her throat, rubbing the girl's back and letting her be. It went on for a few more minutes until everything became quiet. Elsa glanced at the girl and felt a sharp stab in her chest once she saw her sleeping. Her nose was as red as her hair and her cheeks were blotched, stained with tears.

Oh Anna.

Elsa watched the girl sleep, pursing her lips when those auburn eyebrows furrowed. She gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Anna's ear. "You're okay, Anna. I got you."

Happy Valentines.