AN: I call this quarantine productivity. I also did a ton of outlining for future chapters. I really thought this was close to being done but who knows how many more chapters I'm gonna do. If you're on lockdown like my state is I hope you're staying entertained (and sane).

Chapter 12

The next two days were spent exploring Yellowstone, discussing deeper seeded issues and making love. Anna continued to be vulnerable and open up about her past trauma while Kristoff took it all in stride.

"And you just stayed in your house? All alone?"

"Yeah."

"How did staying there make you feel?"

"Fucking awful." Kristoff squeezed Anna's hand but stayed silent. He knew she had more to say. The two were leaning against the headboard of the bed, the flat sheet the only thing covering them.

"I told them I loved them that morning, I went to school and then they were just...gone. The laundry was still in the dryer, ground beef thawing in the sink. All the stuff you don't think about after something like that happens. Staying there was just a constant reminder of them...never coming home.

"I didn't know what to do with all the stuff. Clothes, and the furniture and boxed up Christmas decorations. It was all so much. Everything they accumulated in their lives. But I couldn't throw it away. So I just left it."

"You left it there?" Kristoff was a little surprised.

"Yeah...the house was paid off so I took my monthly stipend and got an apartment nearby. When I moved here, I brought some of their stuff with me. It's in a storage unit outside of town. Someday, when I'm ready, I'll go back and figure the rest of it out."

"It's hard enough to lose your parents at any age but I can't imagine what you went through—what you're still going through. When the time comes, if you want, I'll go there with you and help."

Anna rested her head on Kristoff's shoulder and smiled sadly, "I think I'd like that."

"You mentioned having a monthly stipend. Did you have anyone helping you through all the legal stuff?"

"Well there was my parents' attorney but Elsa handled all of it."

"Who's Elsa?"

"She's my...my sister." Anna's voice sounded embarrassed. She knew she had deliberately not mentioned Elsa before but it seemed wrong to omit her now.

"You have a sister?" Kristoff was beyond shocked. In all their conversations, Anna has never mentioned a sister.

"It's complicated. We don't really speak."

"Oh...well, um-" Kristoff tried to sound nonchalant so as to not push into another sensitive topic.

"I know you must have a million questions. It's ok, we can talk about her."

"Oh thank God." He relaxed. "How old is she? Where is she? Why didn't she help you with the house? Why-"

Anna laughed as everything spilled out of her partner's mouth, "Ok ok how about we just start with those ones first." Anna traced invisible patterns on the back of Kristoff's hand as she thought of where to start.

"Elsa is eight years older than me. She's in New York City and my only guess to why she didn't help with the house is because she was too overwhelmed with the business."

"Like a family business?"

Anna paused to gather her thoughts, "Elsa was the executor of the estate and my legal guardian since I was only 17 when our parents died. Since I was turning 18 a few months later Elsa didn't find it necessary to move me to New York and disrupt my senior year. But because she was now the owner and CEO she didn't have the time to come back to California. I-" Anna paused again her voice becoming dark, "I had to bury our parents alone. She couldn't make it out for one fucking weekend. Oh but my allowance arrives every month like fucking clockwork." The pure malice dripping from Anna's words twisted Kristoff's heart.

"The age gap was always hard. We were never super close but we got along fine. She went to school at Columbia so she could be close to the New York office. I was only ten at the time so I rarely saw her. Usually just holidays. The last Christmas we were all together was actually the most I've ever talked to her. I was older so we had more in common. We talked about boys and sex and college and- and she just finally seemed like a big sister, ya know? It was really cool. We texted more after that. I asked her for advice and she would send me cool stuff from Brooklyn shops. And then our parents died and...nothing. She wouldn't even answer my calls. She would only communicate with me through email and half the time it was her secretary sending them.

"I don't know what happened, or if I did something-"

"Don't. Don't blame yourself. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Elsa. She clearly has some stuff to figure out but it wasn't anything you did." Kristoff turned his body to her just to make sure she believed him. These past few days Anna has opened up about her mental health and had admitted she was going to find a therapist. But he was still doing his best to help her with her negative headspace.

"Thank you. You're right." Anna had already cried too much. She took a deep breath, "So anyways, I spent the first Christmas after our parents passed with her in New York. It absolutely sucked. I barely saw her and we never even discussed why she essentially ghosted me. Who ghosts their younger sister? All that being said, we still don't really talk. I've tried reaching out. Not even stuff about our parents. But she either doesn't reply or gives me really short answers. I don't know. It's just another one of those things I'll address when I'm ready. Or maybe, when she's ready."

"Tell me about your family business. Are you going to go into it after Arendelle?"

"I don't know. It's an easy career path considering my last name but it's not something I could be passionate about. It all started with accounting. My dad created a payroll service back in the 80s that exploded and became the leading program businesses used to pay their employees. From there he invested in different areas—tax prep, bookkeeping, just boring stuff. But when he met my mom, who was his real estate agent, that's when it all kind of changed. It was the real estate stuff that really took them to another level. That's what Elsa runs in New York."

"Sounds...prominent. Well at least now I can stop worrying about how you afforded those Christmas gifts or my parents. I'm glad you didn't take out a loan for them." Kristoff laughed in disbelief.

"I hope this isn't too weird. I know I wasn't really up front-"

Kristoff cut her off again, this time he rolled her on top of his chest and pushed some of her loose hair behind her ears, "Knowing this stuff doesn't change anything. You know how I feel about you."

"Yeah you loooove me." Anna teased, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"Oh I'll take it all back right now." Kristoff grinned as his fingers attacked her vulnerable sides. Squealing, Anna tried her best to get away from him but his legs locked onto hers and she was trapped.

"Ok! Ok! I give! You win!" Anna was out of breath but Kristoff just continued to laugh below her. When she finally relaxed she looked down at the man beneath her. Lying there in the late afternoon glow—the biggest, goofiest grin on his face—it finally clicked.

"Oh my god." She whispered, sounding astonished.

Kristoff instantly became concerned with her change of mood, "What? Are you alright?"

"No. Yes. Oh my god. I'm in love with you." Her words were like she was realizing it for the first time.

"Are you sure? It's only been a couple of days, are you sure you don't need more time?" Kristoff's chest was so tight. He didn't want her to feel like she was being pressured into this. He would wait as long as it took.

"I really thought I did but...wow, that's crazy." Anna laughed in disbelief, "I'm in love with you, huh." Like she didn't believe it herself.

"Well don't sound too excited." Kristoff rolled his eyes but he was unable to stop the grin from returning to his lips. Anna gave him her own grin in return. And that was the best night they had had together.

Their mini-vacation to Yellowstone had ended far sooner than they had liked. But the few days together transformed their relationship more than either would have guessed. As they drove back to Living Rock, their conversation turned to Kristoff's past.

"Do you remember anything before living with your parents?" Anna was turned towards him, her legs curled beneath her. He had only mentioned life before Cliff and Bulda once, months ago.

Kristoff was silent for a moment, "Bits and pieces, like flashes of an old movie. It's hard to know if they're even real." Anna stayed silent. "I remember school the most. I have some images of running out at recess or this one field trip we took to the aquarium. But besides that...I remember being hungry. And cold." He continued, "My parents avoid the subject like the plague so that tells me whatever I lived through wasn't...good. So I guess I'm thankful that I don't remember it."

"Your parents are amazing." Anna smiled warmly when Kristoff looked over to her.

"They think you're pretty great too." That only widened Anna's grin.

Comfortable silence filled the truck's cabin. Then Kristoff's phone vibrated in the cup holder, signifying a text message. "Will you check that for me?"

"'Happy Holidays buddy! Just got off the phone with Tampa, they're sending out their guy to your home opener. St. Louis will be there too.' From Destin Mattias."

Kristoff only responded with a simple, "Hmm."

"Are you going to tell me who Destin Mattias is?" Anna wondered.

"He's my agent." Kristoff replied nonchalantly.

"You have an agent?" Anna's head reeled back.

"Of course. Did you think I was just bullshitting all that stuff about the draft?" Kristoff's eyebrow furrowed but he kept looking at the road.

"Oh...well uh...no?"

"I'm not just a pretty face there Anna." He laughed now.

"Wait so then-...Tampa as in the Tampa Bay Rays? And the St. Louis Cardinals?"

"Yup."

"Wow that's huge! Wait, isn't it? You don't seem as excited as I am." Anna's voice lost its enthusiasm as her thought finished.

"No, it's great. I have just learned it's better to stay even keeled about this kind of stuff. It's business. When my name is called on draft day then I'll be excited."

"Wow that's...refreshing." Anna sat back in astonishment.

"What do you mean?" Confusion coloring Kristoff's features.

"My ex...was obsessed with being drafted. The scouts, the 20-80 scale..." Anna paused before she smiled at Kristoff, "So for you to be so level-headed about it, it's just...nice." Kristoff reached across the console to grab Anna's hand.

"I was drafted out of high school so maybe that's why." Anna was thankful he always knew how to read her when they hit a touchy subject.

"Oooh, tell me more." Anna leaned over the armrest, interest bright on her face (Hans easily forgotten).

Kristoff laughed at her attention, "Yeah in like the 28th round or something like that. Obviously I opted for Arendelle instead. So that means I'm eligible for the draft again this summer."

"Well let's hope that you go a little higher this time around." Anna mumbled teasingly. Kristoff snickered and then reached for her side to tickle her. She squealed and laughed at his attempt.

"Hey! Ok ok I'm sorry!" Anna laughed some more, "So do you have any idea what round you might go?"

"From the interest I'm getting, Mattias said he would be surprised if I didn't go in the first or second round."

"Oh ok, so that's like big time." Anna wanted to sound casual but the idea of Kristoff making it to the major leagues was surreal.

That's when she realized Kristoff wasn't going to be at Arendelle University next year. And the probability of him being drafted to the Colorado Rockies was 1 in 30, not the best odds. Hell even if he was drafted to the Rockies, he would have to go through the minor leagues first and who knows where those teams were located. The joyous smile slowly drifted from Anna's face. A number of thoughts ran through her head-Would he dump her after he was drafted? Would they try long distance? He had broken up with his first girlfriend because of that exact thing. Could she handle a boyfriend who played professional baseball all around the country? He would be so busy, he wouldn't have time for her...and she didn't want to distract him from making it to the Majors.

She had just come to realize her feelings for him and now their relationship had a six month expiration date.