I can hear the bells, today's just the start cause

I can hear the bells and 'til death do us part

And even when we die, we'll look down from up above

Remembering the night that we two fell in love

We both will shed a tear

And he'll whisper as we're reminiscing

Listen, I can hear the bells

~I Can Hear the Bells, Hairspray

Chapter Ten: I Can Hear the Bells

DeAR sNOw quEeN,

yOU cAn'T rUN FrOm ME.

i WiLL hUnT yOu DoWN wHerEVeR yoU gO.

tHE CloCK iS TiCkINg.

Anna examined herself closely in the mirror, from the braid crown-style of her hair all the way down to the low velvet black heels on her feet. Her makeup was impeccable: blue eyes popping against the black eyeliner, cheeks rosy from a natural blush-color, and lips a pretty pink. The pale green sundress was the perfect blend of sweet and sexy, with a flowy fabric that clung in all the right places.

Anna smiled, happy with her appearance. It was sure to knock Hans off his feet. She let loose a dreamy sigh at the thought. There was a knock on her door before she could contemplate her new beau any longer.

"Come in," she called, not moving her eyes from the mirror. She picked up a blush brush to work on her cheeks a bit more. The door opened to reveal Elsa, leaning awkwardly against the frame. Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes?"

"Mama wants you downstairs. She says the guests will be arriving soon," Elsa said.

"I'll be down in a minute," Anna said. She picked up her phone and clicked into her messages, looking at the last one Hans had sent her less than an hour ago.

I'll be there at 6:30. Can't wait to see you.

Anna hid her squeal, fingering the chain around her neck. In just a short while, they would tell her family all about their true love. Everyone would be so happy for her, except for maybe Elsa. Hans had told Anna about how Elsa had talked to him when he'd come to pick her up the week before. Anna had thought that Elsa would simply be happy to see her happy, but apparently not. Apparently, Elsa preferred to be a sister over the internet.

"Can I help you?" Anna asked. Elsa hadn't moved from her spot. She was just standing there, wringing her sleeves around her fingers and staring at Anna. Elsa opened her mouth, then closed it before smiling softly.

"You look beautiful," Elsa said. Anna paused, glancing over her shoulder at her elder sister.

"Uh, thanks," Anna said. Elsa smiled once more and left. Anna sighed. Then there were moments like that, where Elsa looked at her with some sort of mix of sadness and longing. Wistful. Like she had lost something. But that didn't make any sense, as Elsa had made it clear that she didn't want Anna involved in her life.

Anna sighed again. Thinking about Elsa was just making her upset, and she was not going to be upset tonight. She looked down at her phone, its screen still lit up on Hans' last message. Anna smiled. Tonight was going to be perfect.

Tonight was going to be a nightmare. It was Elsa's first 'family dinner,' which wasn't just family contrary to its name. It had started when Rapunzel moved to Burgess, so she would obviously be attending, but Jack was apparently a staple at these monthly dinners as well. In addition, her mother and father had invited Marshall and Eli, as well as Elinor and her family. And, of course, Anna had invited Hans.

The doorbell rang, jarring Elsa out of her thoughts. Anna was still upstairs, and her parents were getting dinner, so it was up to her to answer. She sincerely hoped that it was not Hans. Seeing his smug face was not how she wanted to start off this night. Luckily, he wasn't the one who greeted her.

"Hey," Jack said, hands in his pockets and smiling at Elsa. His little sister, Emma, stood beside him holding a plate of cookies. "You remember Emma, right?" Elsa smiled at the both of them.

"Yes," she said. Emma beamed.

"I made cookies! They're chocolate chunk," Emma said, brandishing the plate.

"My parents are on a date night, so I'm on Emma duty," Jack said as Elsa stepped aside to let the duo in.

"Hey!" Emma stuck her tongue out at her brother before turning back to Elsa. "Mr. and Mrs. Winters love me. Jack just refuses to bring me over here."

"The last time you were here, a very expensive vase was shattered," Jack said. Emma shrugged innocently.

"What can I say? Mario Kart brings out my competitive side." With that, Emma turned on her heel and headed off towards the kitchen, where Elsa could hear dishes clanging and murmuring voices.

"And the betting of chocolate brings out Anna's," Jack added.

"I guess we'll keep Mario Kart and chocolate locked away tonight, then," Elsa said, causing Jack to laugh. "Though I suspect Anna will be too caught up in her boyfriend to be tempted by a video game."

"So I finally get to meet the elusive Hans," Jack said. Elsa wrapped her arms around her chest, walking back to the living room. The footsteps behind her suggested that Jack had followed her.

"Looks like it," Elsa said, her back still to Jack. She could feel the tension she was holding in her shoulders and struggled to let it go.

"Don't worry, Snow Queen," Jack said. His hand found her shoulder, and Elsa jumped slightly, unused to the physical sensation and the heat of his palm bleeding through the fabric of her shirt. It sent a pleasant wave of warmth and comfort through her. "Everything will be fine."

Elsa turned then to see his face. His blue eyes were trained on her, radiating confidence and a hint of concern. She internally sighed at the question she knew was coming.

"Are you… are you okay? We haven't really talked last week, since the ice rink and the…." Jack trailed off, unsure what to say.

Elsa knew what he meant though. "The phone call." She didn't know what she was, to be honest. Freaked out. Unnerved. Probably frightened, if she let herself think about it for too long. Merida hadn't hesitated to call Marshall, and soon her phone was gone. And Elsa was gone, in a way. She had gone home immediately and hadn't been allowed out since.

Jack looked sympathetic. "Yeah, that."

Elsa shrugged. "I'm good." Jack gave her an unimpressed look. Elsa gave him one back. "I'm serious."

"You're not a very good liar," he said. The laugh that escaped her was loud and unladylike, probably closer to a snort than she had ever uttered in her life. But Elsa couldn't help it. Her, a bad liar? He had no idea the lies she had told and continued to tell, with no one the wiser.

The doorbell rang again, but there was thumping on the stairs, followed by Anna's panicked cry of, "I'll get it!" before Elsa could even head for the door. Elsa's stomach dropped at the knowledge that Hans must be here, that she would have to spend the next few hours acting like his very presence didn't set her teeth on edge. She gave an involuntary shudder, which didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

"You should sit next to Emma," he suggested. "She's been dying to talk to you about skating." Elsa recognized the gesture for what it was, but she accepted it nonetheless.

"And, that," Agnarr said, "is how I finally managed to score a birdie on Hole Sixteen today." Anna wanted to groan at her father's boring golf story, but it was finally, blessedly over, so she held it in. Hans, at least, didn't seem bored to death by it, for which she was grateful.

"Which club do you play at?" Hans asked.

"Disney Springs. Beautiful course. One of the best I've ever seen," Agnarr answered, pleased that someone had taken an interest in his golf story.

"Of course, that's where my father plays. I've gone with him one or two times. You know, we should play a round together sometime," Hans said. Anna squealed and wound her arm through his.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it, Papa?" Anna looked to her father, her smile bright. Agnarr returned it.

"We'll have to set it up," he agreed neutrally. Of course, Anna didn't notice his slight reluctance, far too concerned with the man on her arm. Dinner had come and gone, and everyone was just waiting a bit for the dessert course. This family dinner was quite different from the ones that she was used to, from everything to the guests to the seating arrangement. With Elsa came eight other people, so the table had finally been put to full use, and with that, her mother's propensity for proper seat placement was thrown out the window. Anna didn't know half of the people at the table, but she didn't really care as long as she sat next to Hans.

She had caught a glimpse of Jack at one point across the table and a few seats down, and felt a slight sense of guilt. Usually, he sat next to her with Rapunzel across from him, and the three would have a great time laughing and catching up. But instead he sat next to his sister, who talked eagerly to Elsa, who surprisingly looked like she was having a good time.

Anna looked back up at Hans, who just so happened to glance down at her at the same time.

"Should we do it now?" he murmured in her ear. Anna bit her lip and nodded excitedly. She unlooped her arm from Hans' before picking up her glass flute—filled with sparkling cider rather than champagne, like everyone else who was under twenty-one—and knocking her fork against it like she had seen people do in movies. Of course, just like in the teen rom-coms, the glass broke in her hand and fell to the table in shards. All chatter ceased to look at the cause of the commotion.

"Anna, are you alright?" Her mother asked worriedly. Anna let out a nervous chuckle as she stood up in her seat, brushing off the top of her hand.

"It's fine, I'm fine. Sorry about that. Um, Hans and I, we have an announcement." Anna looked down at the man in question and pulled him up to stand beside her. He wrapped his arms around her as she pulled out the statement piece of the chain she wore around her neck: an engagement ring. "We're getting married!"

Silence. There was no sound; even the air conditioning, which usually produced a pleasant hum, had decided to quiet at that moment. Anna looked around at the people closest to her, ignoring Elsa's coach and bodyguard as this was a rather private moment, eager for the excited faces and shouts. There was nothing. In fact, everyone's face was rather blank, as if they were in shock. But surely they had seen this coming?

Iduna was the first to recover. "Wait, what?"

"Hans has asked me to marry him, and I have said yes," Anna said.

"I am sorry that I didn't ask for your permission beforehand," Hans interjected, glancing at Agnarr, "but I couldn't wait any longer to make Anna mine."

"She's not yours, she's a person," Elsa's redheaded friend, Merida, said.

"Well, yes, but I know what he means," Anna said, shooing away Merida's statement.

"Anna, what are you thinking?" Agnarr asked, finally finding his voice. His face was starting to turn red. Was he actually angry at her?

"Papa, I don't know what you mean," Anna said stubbornly, clinging tighter to her fiancé. And, oh, how she loved that word!

"I think he means," Rapunzel cut in gently, "that this seems very… sudden."

"Yeah, I mean, this is the first time you've introduced him to us, and you've already decided that he's the one?" Jack added. "No offense, man." Anna didn't give Hans a chance to reply to Jack.

"I don't understand why you aren't happy for me. I'm getting married!" Anna exclaimed, as if that statement would remind people that this should be a joyous occasion.

"You can't marry a man you just met," Elsa spoke up. Anna's heart stopped at her sister's voice, looking to see that she had also stood up. Anna glared.

"You can if it's true love."

"Anna, what do you know about true love?"

"More than you! All you know is how to shut people out!"

And once again, the silence was deafening. Anna watched as, for a split second, her sister's face crumpled, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Instead, Elsa's lips spread into a thin line and she said nothing as she left the dining room. Anna simply tightened her hold on Hans, a person who actually loved her.

Elsa made a beeline for her father's study as soon as Anna's words sunk in. She supposed she should have gone to her room, but she knew that that was where they would go to find her—her mother, Rapunzel, Merida—and she didn't really feel like talking to anyone. So she decided to hide in Agnarr's study. It was never empty of interesting books; she would find one, hide under his desk as she used to do when she was a child, and read until everyone had left and the desire to cry was properly crushed. Still, she couldn't help the tear that escaped as she shut the door quietly behind her, the sound of arguing filling the house once more.

Elsa couldn't help but feel bad for their guests. Rapunzel and Jack probably had as much to say about Anna's sudden engagement as her parents, but Marshall and Elinor's families were probably in the middle of the most awkward meal of their lives. Perhaps she should have offered to walk them out. Though the thought of Marshall and Fergus, two of the largest men she'd ever met, attempting to melt into their seats as her mother and sister yelled at each other was enough of a thought to make Elsa laugh.

Sliding into her father's overlarge desk chair, Elsa let out a sigh and let her posture slump. It felt unnatural to slouch, but she felt that her body language should emulate her mood. It was official: her baby sister detested her. The look on Anna's face when Elsa had spoken up was one of complete disdain and was almost as cutting as the words that followed. Almost, but not quite.

What do you know about love?

Nothing. Elsa knew nothing about love.

With a groan, she hid her head in her arms on Agnarr's desk. Aside from a few papers, it was relatively empty, so her forehead was safe from any possible cuts or bruises. Not even a picture frame. The thought would have been sad, but Elsa was sure that if her father were to display a family picture, she wouldn't be in it. She hadn't been home for over ten years. No one was the same. And perhaps that was what she needed to accept. Anna wasn't the same person she was when Elsa had left. Yes, Elsa knew this, but there was still a part of her that longed for the tight-knit sisterly relationship they had had as children. Anna, evidently, had outgrown that wish; therefore, Elsa needed to respect Anna's choice and give her space.

Although, Elsa thought, perhaps Anna had been given a little too much space as her hasty engagement might suggest.

There was a knock on the door. Elsa flinched, head flying up and arms flying outward, scattering the papers to the floor.

"Shit," Elsa hissed under her breath, scrambling to her knees to pick up her mess.

Above her, the door opened and closed. "Elsa, you in here?" Jack's voice reached her ears, and Elsa was surprised at the relief that filled her. Still, she kept silent, carefully reaching for papers that had flown every which way.

Suddenly, Jack was sitting opposite her, holding several of the papers. She jumped a little and glared at the smirk he gave her.

"It was a trick question," Jack said. "I knew you were in here." Elsa rolled her eyes and grabbed at the sheets in his hand. He held them above his head playfully.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.

"Hiding from your family," Jack said.

"You have nothing to say to Anna?" Elsa shifted so that she was sitting, leaning against the drawers in the desk, the papers forgotten on her lap.

"Oh, I do. Trust me, I have a ton. But I don't think she wants to listen to anything any of us have to say," Jack said. Elsa nodded vaguely, staring through her lap to the floor.

"What Anna said to you was out of line," Jack said after a moment.

"But it was the truth."

"No, it wasn't."

"Didn't you say something similar to me only a week ago?"

Jack blanched. "I… I didn't say that. I just said that you didn't know Anna like you used to. I was angry and upset, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It was wrong. I'm really sorry for that."

Elsa shrugged. She was tired of arguing with people.

"I'm serious." Jack's hand was on her wrist, his grip loose but insistent. His touch sent shockwaves up her arm. Her mouth dropped open as she met his gaze, slightly indignant but extremely flustered. "Yeah, you're a little reserved, so what? Everyone is entitled to their privacy. But that doesn't mean that you shut people out. And I know how much you love Anna. I can see it every time we talk about her. You're a caring, loving, and kind person."

"You… you don't even know me," Elsa whispered. She swallowed hard. "You don't know what I've been through, what's happened to me."

Elsa could see the confusion on his face. He had no idea what she was talking about, yet that didn't seem to deter him.

"You're right. I don't know you. I don't know the person you were ten years ago or even ten days ago. But that doesn't mean that I can't see the person who's persevered and succeeded and thrived, sitting in front of me." Jack's fingertips caressed the inside of her wrist. Shakily, Elsa retook her arm and clutched at the papers in her lap.

"You don't know what you're saying. Truly." In an attempt to avoid Jack's eyes, Elsa glanced down at the papers. There were crudely cut-out letters glued onto it, stark black against the startling white.

"What are you so afraid of?" Jack asked. But Elsa didn't hear him, couldn't hear him. She had found the letters. And they were worse than she had imagined.