A/N Thank you for the reviews and enjoy this one :)
"Good morning." Elsa walked into the kitchen and stopped to cling onto her mother's shoulder, kissing her cheek briefly.
"Good morning, Sweet-" Iduna turned away from the banana and the cutting board to look at her daughter only to find her in a suit she wasn't used to wearing in the morning. "Why are you still in your pajamas and shorts?" She then looked down and saw her daugther was still wearing her slippers.
"I just woke up, that's why." Elsa answered lightly, tying her hair in a messy bun. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making banana smoothie for you. You just woke up? What time did you sleep last night?" From the time Iduna lived with her daughter, this was the first time Elsa woke up late. Even when Elsa had just come out of the hospital, she still got up early even though she stayed in bed for a while.
"I don't remember what time I went to bed, Mom. I had paperwork to complete." Elsa took a slice of banana and ate it, ignoring her mother's disapproving look about staying up late.
"You shouldn't do that." Iduna sighed softly and went back to slicing the banana on the cutting board. "Aren't you going to the office today?"
"I am. It's just that when I woke up, I remembered about something. I need you to make me something." Said Elsa, making Iduna stop slicing the banana and look up at her.
"Okay? What is it?"
"Would you mind making me sandwiches for lunch?" Elsa asked hopefully. She wanted to do something with the sandwiches.
"Sandwiches? How many sandwiches do you need?" Although confused by her daughter's request this time, Iduna didn't want to ask further. She assumed that Elsa just wanted to eat lunch from home.
"Three." Elsa answered straight away, she had been thinking about this since last night.
"Three? You eat that much?" Iduna asked in a complete surprise, making Elsa giggle full of amusement.
"Of course not. One for me, one for Jack, and the other one is for someone just in case they ask for it." Said Elsa, explaining. She avoided explaining her real reason why she needed three sandwiches.
"Oh. Okay. I'll make that sandwiches for you after this." Iduna hastened to cut the bananas and then put them in the blender. She needed extra time because she still had to make the sandwiches.
"Thank you." Elsa said, smiling. She then looked around and she felt that something was not quite right in the morning like this. "Where's Olina?"
"Oh, she is taking out the trash." Iduna then poured the milk and yogurt into the blender and she was just about to measure the honey when Olina came into the kitchen from the back door.
Olina stopped when she saw Elsa still in her pajamas and shorts, and she couldn't help but stare at Elsa strangely.
"Miss? Why are you still in your pajamas and shorts?" Olina asked. She went to the tap and washed her hands with lots of soap.
Hearing Olina's question, and because of the tiredness she was still feeling, Elsa just gave a small smile and wondered, what is wrong with me still wearing pajamas and shorts? She should have showered before leaving her room next time so no body would ask about her still wearing pajamas and shorts.
"I woke up late, Olina." Elsa answered shortly. And since she had heard that two people had complained about her appearance, she felt that it was best for her to take a shower and get ready. And Elsa was just about to leave the kitchen to take a shower when Jack suddenly appeared out of nowhere and she almost ran into him if she hadn't stopped in time.
"Elsa? Why are you still in your pajamas and shorts?" Jack asked surprised because it was something unusual when Elsa wasn't ready at this hour.
And again, hearing that question three times in just a few minutes made Elsa gasped slightly and feel so uncomfortable. A little annoyed and a little offended. But mostly embarrassed.
"Not you too, Jack. Seriously?" Elsa threw her hands to her sides in annoyance. She felt like she had just committed a grave sin by leaving her room in only her pajamas and shorts in the morning when she should have been in her office suit but not this time because she woke up late.
"What?" Jack asked confused because he didn't understand why Elsa suddenly looked annoyed. He just came into the house because he was going to pick up Elsa this morning but instead, he found the annoyed Elsa.
"Fine. I'll take a shower now." Said Elsa firmly, walking past Jack briskly out of the kitchen. "Geez! Am I not allowed to wake up late? Is it wrong to leave the room in only pajamas and shorts? Just because I always wake up early doesn't mean that..." Her voice faded as she walked further and further away from the kitchen until it was no longer audible.
Jack then looked at Iduna and Olina alternately because he didn't understand what had just happened. "Did I say something wrong?"
"She's just tired, Jack. She woke up late." Iduna said, smiling. She then poured the banana smoothie into a glass and got ready to make sandwiches at her daughter's request.
"Alright. That will be all. Thank you, Kai." Elsa slipped a small note into the sandwich compartment Kai was already holding. "Remember, East Building, 15th floor?"
"Yes, Miss. Pediatric Unit, Anna Arendelle." Kai smiled after Elsa nodded in contentment and then walked out of the room. He nodded respectfully at Jack who had just entered Elsa's room. "Sir."
"Kai." Jack also nodded and approached Elsa who was now carrying a food container with two sandwiches to the couch. "Hmmm. I think I smell the sandwich here. Where's mine?" He scrunched up his nose sniffing the air. He followed Elsa from behind and then sat next to her on the couch.
Elsa just giggled and opened the food container. She took a sandwich and then presented it to Jack. She knew very well her fiancé's hungry face.
"Here it is for you, spoiled boy." Elsa said, handing over the sandwich.
Hearing his nickname from Elsa, Jack gasped. "Spoiled boy? Really, darling?" Jack asked with an exaggerated 'darling', more like an exaggerated british accent.
Elsa took hers and took a bite while nodding. "Yeah. It's because you made fun of me when I was wearing pajamas and shorts this morning." She said between chews. Even though she was talking while chewing, she was still able to eat gracefully.
"Come on. You know I didn't make a fun of you. I was just asking, Elsa. Besides, I've seen you in pajamas and shorts before." Jack said, he had now eaten more than half of his sandwich. Elsa watched and thought she should have asked her mother to make an extra one. "By the way, is Kai going to deliver the sandwich for Anna?"
Elsa nodded and leaned back on the couch. She waited until she swallowed her sandwich before finally speaking.
"I didn't expect that my search for my father would lead me to find a sister as well. I feel very happy but at the same time I also feel anxious whether everyone will accept this gracefully. My mother doesn't know anything about my father having his own family. And although a part of my heart feels and wants that Anna is really my little sister, I still can't really be sure because I haven't met my father face to face and confirmed everything."
Jack just nodded in agreement because he didn't know how to respond. He just needed to be someone Elsa could rely on whenever she needed his help.
"I really want to go back to Clover Hill and meet father."
That, caught Jack's attention. He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and wiped his hands with a tissue. "You want to go back to Clover Hill?"
"Yeah." Elsa answered slowly, forgetting her remaining sandwich.
"When?"
Elsa thought for a moment, "Now?"
Jack couldn't believe what he had just heard and he thought he heard wrong. "Now?"
"Yes. After I finish this." Elsa took another bite of her sandwich and chewed quickly.
"But you can't go inside your father house, Elsa. You can't even pass the front yard. Do you remember what happened the last time you went there?" Jack asked seriously, worried about what might happen if Elsa went back into the house full of flowers.
"I know I can't, Jack. But you can."
"Hey, sister! Thank you so much for the sandwich. I really loved it. And please, send my gratitude to your mother for her excellent skill of making sandwiches. I really want to call you and say thanks to you directly but I have to scrub in in five minutes. I guess I'll call you some other time. Thank you again. Anna."
Elsa smiled involuntary at her new message from Anna. She and Jack were on their way to Clover Hill and if things weren't a hit, they'd be there in no time. And reading that message warmed her heart because all this time she had never thought that there was a possibility that she had a sister and she would do everything she could so that she could bring this family into one united family.
"Something on your mind? Why are you smiling?" Jack asked from the driver's seat, occasionally glancing at Elsa with the road in front of him. He was curious because Elsa suddenly smiled.
Elsa typed 'Your welcome, Anna. I'm glad you loved it.' quickly before placing her phone on her lap and then looking at Jack. "Anna texted me. She said thanks for the sandwich."
Jack smiled and nodded. He then became serious about the road in front of him and frowned as he tried to identify the streets around him. "You said his address is Marigold Street?"
"Yes. 197B Marigold Street. Just around the corner, Jack." Elsa was also paying attention to the streets around her and her heart was beating slightly out of rhythm when she saw a house around the corner that she recognized. "That. That is father's house, Jack."
Jack hit the brake slowly and parked on the side of the road a little way from the house. He noticed and it was true the house was full of flowers. But there was one thing that caught his attention.
"There's a car park on the drive way. Maybe your father is home." Jack said, looking at Elsa who now looked nervous.
"Yes. I can see that, Jack. It was the car I saw that time." Elsa chimed in, recalling the time when she almost met her father but failed. There was a hint of sadness in her words.
"I want to go in there." Elsa said suddenly. She thought that for once she was sure she would meet her father.
Jack turned to look at Elsa in surprise. Not the nice kind of surprise. "You can't, Elsa. I'll go in there, okay? I'll talk to him and gather information from him. And maybe from there we can confirm that he is really your father."
"But, Jack-
"Please, for this time you listen to me, Elsa." Jack pleaded because he didn't want anything bad to happen to Elsa. "Our original plan was for me to go in there while you wait in the car. So I'll be the one in, okay?"
Elsa couldn't deny that what Jack said was true, but there was still something bothering her. "What will you talk about?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to look at the house ahead. "Anything. I still haven't thought about it but I'm sure I can handle it. It's just like meeting new people, getting acquainted, chatting and so on."
Jack turned back and looked at Elsa who was still a little hesitant. Only a little hesitant. "Elsa? I'll go in there, okay? You wait here."
Elsa ran out of argument and finally nodded. She would wait nervously in the car and let Jack do what he thought would work.
Agnarr put an orchid flower pot back in its place after he made a few adjustments to the growing medium. He had just realized that the trash can was too far from him when he was about to throw out a dry leaf. Since he didn't want to dirty his garden, he put the dried leaf in his shirt pocket and that's when he heard footsteps approaching him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he felt familiar with the person who might soon be his guest. But he just ignored that person and instead arranged a few other pots of orchids and waited to see what would happen next.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Arendelle."
Hearing the greeting, Agnarr turned his head around and yes, he knew this man. He couldn't be wrong, he was the man who was seen having an argument with his daughter the other day at the office.
What is he doing here?
Agnarr glanced at his driveway and there was no car there. Then he glanced at the street in front of his house, he didn't even see a car parked out there. He turned around completely and prepared for the purpose of this man's arrival.
"Good afternoon." Agnarr greeted back. He pretended to try to recognize his guest. "Do I know you?" He asked, putting his emotionless face.
His guest smiled as if trying to control the atmosphere. His confidence level was slightly beyond Agnarr's expectation.
"Ah, you must be forgetting me. No wonder, because you have a lot of customers who love your flowers. But that's okay. I can introduce my self again. I'm Jackson Overland." Said Jack smoothly, holding out his hand for a shake.
Staring at Jack's outstretched hand for a second, Agnarr finally decided to follow what Jack wanted to play. He knew very well that he did not have a customer named Jackson Overland and what was more, he sensed there was an ulterior motive for his arrival. If not, why would he lie and say he was his customer?
"I'm Agnarr." Agnarr shook Jack's hand and fiddled with the small shovel in his hand. "What can I do for you?"
Jack flashed his confident smile and nodded. "About three months ago, I came here and bought a flower. I bought an orchid at that time. But for some reason, the orchid won't grow well."
An orchid, huh?
"What kind of orchid is it?" Agnarr smiled too, thinking that if the man in front of him had really bought an orchid from him, he should know what kind of orchid.
As for Jack, his face turned confused. He didn't know anything about orchid. And he was even more confused as Agnarr stared at him waiting for an answer. "What kind?"
"Yes. The orchid. What kind of orchid did you buy from me?" Agnarr asked again, elaborating his previous question.
In his confusion, Jack looked around and saw an orchid with a sticker with the name of its kind on the pot. But he could only catch the last few letters because the pot was partially covered by another pot.
"Uh, it's a something-obium?" Jack tried his luck and hoped Agnarr wouldn't suspect anything.
Agnarr knew what Jack meant. He smiled and once again he looked out the front gate of his house curiously. "Dendrobium?"
Jack's face changed instantly and his big smile returned. "Yes, that. Dendrobium, Sir."
And then meanwhile in the car, Elsa waited anxiously. Every second felt longer than it should. She wanted so badly to get out of the car and run after Jack. But she thought again about the risk she would take so she had to be content to wait in the car and hope for the best.
But as long as she waited, she thought and new feelings started to emerge. Nervousness and doubt began to overwhelm her. Would everything end up in line with what she had imagined all this time?
"Wife?" Agnarr asked surprised, not expecting that the conversation about how to take care for orchids turned into a question about his wife. He was suspicious, but tried to cover it up and act calm.
"My wife is dead. Seven years ago." Agnarr said again after Jack nodded. He decided to tell the truth because he was starting to feel that Jack's coming to see him had something to do with Elsa since she herself couldn't come and stay here for long due to her allergies.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sir." Said Jack, sounding genuinely sorry.
"It's alright. Don't worry about that." Agnarr frowned at Jack who although smiling and nodding, he seemed to be thinking about something.
"Uh, what about children? Do they live with you?" Asked Jack again.
Jack didn't know why his skills as a lawyer at asking questions didn't work this time. He admitted that maybe it was because of Agnarr's domineering aura and if he thought about it more deeply, he realized that Agnarr was the father of his fiancée and that meant he was having a conversation with his future father-in-law. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"I have a daughter. But she's not living here with me. She lives in the city, chasing her dream."
"Oh, okay." Jack managed to put on a smile but then he rubbed his chin, thinking about what he was going to ask again. "Do you still see your daughter often?"
"Oh, yes. I still often see my daughter. I can meet her whenever I want. At anytime." Agnarr replied casually. He just kept watching Jack who seemed reluctant to look him in the eye. Whether due to nervousness or for some other reason, he didn't quite understand.
Agnarr kept staring at Jack until finally Jack looked up at him and smiled.
"Okay, Mr. Arendelle. I think it's time for me to go. Thank you so much for your explanation about the orchid." Jack said, standing up.
Agnarr followed suit and led Jack to the porch. "Your welcome."
They both shook hands and the next second Jack was walking out of Agnarr's front yard. Agnarr himself couldn't stop thinking that maybe his daughter was out there waiting. He had to think of a way to distract her daughter because if he didn't do anything, Elsa would soon know who her father was.
Agnarr then went into the house and looked for his cell phone. He felt he should buy some time on this. He then dialed a number and only needed one dial tone until he heard a voice on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Miss. Winters. It's me. Richard."
As he walked towards the car, Jack felt certain that the man he had just met was really Elsa's father. Maybe if he could take Agnarr out of his house and meet Elsa, the two of them could meet in person and confirm everything. But something bothered him, he had doubts that everything would go smoothly. This kind of information was not information that could be easily taken for granted. He had to discuss this with Elsa first.
"... Alright, Mr. Summers. Yes, tomorrow at 10. I've noted down the address. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
Jack heard Elsa talking to someone on the phone. He sat in the driver's seat and waited until she was finally done with her phone.
"Who were you talking to?" Jack asked as Elsa put the phone on her lap and put her notebook in her bag.
"My new client." Elsa answered briefly, then her focus shifted to Jack. She hoped that Jack would bring the information she wanted. "How was it? Did you manage to meet him?"
"Well, I did meet this Agnarr Arendelle. And his story matches the story of that doctor Arendelle. They are father and daughter. And most likely he is your father." Said Jack. He expected an explosive reaction from Elsa and she would dare to enter that damn house full of flowers just to meet her father, but, what he got was Elsa who looked nervous. She nervously bit her lower lip and looked outside.
Apparently, staying in the car for a while and thinking about everything, made Elsa hesitate and nervous.
"What? Are you nervous?" Jack asked when Elsa stayed still.
Elsa took a deep breath and shook her head slowly. She wasn't sure why her determination to meet her father could turn into nervousness.
"I don't know, Jack. Now when you just said that he is my father, somehow I feel nervous."
"What? You've been searching for your father and now you know that he's inside that house. Why are you nervous? If you're afraid your allergy will flare up, I can call him out and you two can meet." Jack offered, but Elsa just got more nervous.
"Wait, Jack. I don't know how father will react. My mom said that he didn't know my mom was pregnant when they separated. And now he has a family of his own. I need to talk to my mom first. I don't want any misunderstanding in this matters." Elsa said, her nervousness lessening.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked trying to be reassuring. He could understand why Elsa was nervous and he didn't want to force his will on her.
Elsa looked thoughtful for a moment. She was already so close to her father, it was like she was about to put a spoonful of food into her mouth but she still couldn't do that. She could smell the food in front of her nose but she was still hesitating whether to eat it or not.
"Yes, Jack. For now I'm content to know that my father is still alive and where he lives. I've found the pieces to my family's puzzle, I just need to put them together. And again, the combination of this search and my work began to take a toll on me. I'm exhausted, physically and mentally, Jack. At least I know that this is not a dead end." Elsa said slowly. She did look exhausted and Jack could understand.
"Okay." Jack took a deep breath and couldn't say anything more. "We're going back to the city now. And it seems like it's still evening when we get there. Do you want to go home or to the office?" He added, buckled up and started the car engine.
"Office. I have an appointment with a new client tomorrow and he just said he'd email his farm files. I have to study the files first before I meet him tomorrow." Answered Elsa, who was also fastening her seatbelt and trying to be comfortable.
"Tomorrow? When?"
"At 10."
Jack who had started driving, occasionally looked at Elsa next to him. "But I have to attend the verdict hearing tomorrow. At 9 in the morning."
"It's alright. I'll go with Kai."
Jack didn't seem convinced that was a good idea. The thought of Manny's revenge still haunted his mind. "I don't know if it's safe for you, Elsa."
That made Elsa turn her head and look at Jack. To be honest, she didn't think much about Manny and didn't really care about his vengeance.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine, Jack. So far I'm fine. Maybe it was just his attempt to bluff or something. And I think, if he really wanted revenge, he should have done it long before."
Jack knew that Elsa might not be wrong. But still he couldn't get rid of the fear inside him, that one day he would see Elsa being hurt by Manny's men.
"Actually, Jack?" Elsa's voice interrupted Jack's train of thought. "Let's go home. I'm tired. I'll take a look the files at home."
Slowly, Iduna took out a photo of her daughter that was damaged and shabby from her wallet. It was a photo that Elsa gave her when she was in prison but was torn up by her cellmates. She had fixed it and she would cherish the photo forever. She could have asked her daughter for the same photo again but this one was really special.
Iduna stroked the surface of the photo and her lips curved into a smile. She kissed the photo and placed it on the table. Her hand moved to once again, pull out a photo from her wallet. A photo of a young man in his early twenties, with sunglasses, in a sleeveless shirt, showing his biceps starting to form.
Iduna's smile faded and turned into a frown of sadness remembering the reason why Agnarr was looking for his daughter.
Show your love, Agnarr. Show your love and affection for me by not hurting our daughter Elsa.
She then took out a piece of paper with the address Agnarr had given her. Ever since their conversation on the phone was interrupted by Elsa, she wanted to see him again to make things clear.
"Ma'am?"
Olina's voice suddenly broke her reverie, making her look up from the piece of paper and find Olina already standing not far from where she was sitting in the living room.
"Yes?"
"The beef just came out of the pressure cooker. I need you to see it before I mix it in the sauce and put it in the pie crust." Olina said, explaining the purpose of her coming.
Iduna smiled hearing that, making her put everything down on the table and just leave it there. She and Olina were making a special pie with a recipe that had been passed down for generations. And she was sure that Elsa would like it.
Jack noticed how soundly Elsa had fallen asleep and it made him doubt whether he should wake her up because now they were already home. He then unbuckled his seatbelt and was just about to open the door to carry her into the house when suddenly Elsa woke up.
"Jack? Where are we?" Elsa asked, rubbing her face and looking around. She let out a long sigh when she realized she was already home.
"We're home, Elsa. You were sleeping like a baby." Said Jack, smoothing Elsa's hair which was a little messy from her sleep.
"Yeah. I've told you that I'm tired." Elsa said, straightening her seat and starting to gather her things.
"Okay. Come on, I'll walk you inside." Jack was getting ready to get out of the car but Elsa held him back.
"It's okay, Jack. You go home and rest. You've been driving a long way back and forth and you still have to go home." Elsa inched forward and gave him a warm kiss on the lips. "I'll see you in the morning, okay? Just call me when you get home."
Jack couldn't say no, so he once again kissed Elsa's forehead and nodded. "Okay. Rest well tonight."
And with that, Elsa got out of the car and gave a short wave as Jack started to drive the car off the driveway. She then turned around and went into the house, slightly wondered that no one greeted her.
She gently massaged her neck as she walked into the living room and thought that falling asleep in the car was never a good idea, and yet she still did that.
She saw that the couch was so tempting and the stairs leading to her room were not very attractive. So she decided to sit down on the couch for a while to muster up her strength to go upstairs.
And that was when she saw a wallet on the table. She recognized the wallet, her mother's wallet. Sighing softly, Elsa leaned forward and tidied up the wallet as it seemed, its contents were scattered all over the table.
"Why are you so careless, Mom? Put the wallet on the table like this." Elsa grumbled, she took a repaired photo of herself, and then took a piece of paper with an address on it. Her brow furrowed as she read the address written on it.
197B Marigold Street? Clover Hill? Isn't this the address of Agnarr Arendelle the florist? Father's address?
Elsa's frown deepened as her brain thought hard about how her mother got her father's address. She looked up toward the kitchen, where her mother might be now.
I haven't told her about father's exact address yet. How did she get this address? Why didn't she tell me earlier?
Her focus shifted to another photo she was currently holding. She tried to identify who the person in the photo was. He looked familiar to her.
Why does this man look so much like Mr. Summers?