I'm back from the de-e-e-e-a-d! *sorry*
Enjoy the chapter!
No doubts, no more fears
I see you shine and the dark disappears
I'll be your mirror and you can be mine
Look to me and you'll see
Just how you shine
~You Shine, Carrie the Musical
Chapter Nineteen: You Shine, Part 2
Jack headed into the skating rink early that morning, a little after 5:30. With the Guardians' first game coming up, he felt the need to move, to prepare for the upcoming season. The lights were dimmed when he walked in, like always, but as he headed towards the main skating rink, he noticed that those lights were on as well.
Who could be here at 5:30 in the morning? Jack wondered. He pushed open the door to the rink as the mysterious figure glided past. It was Elsa, her platinum braid shining under the lights. Jack watched as she executed a complicated looking twirl jump—he couldn't begin to tell the difference between a toe-loop and an axel. The sound of her skates hitting the ice echoed throughout the empty room.
Jack let the door fall shut behind him, and Elsa turned her head to look at the offending sound. She finished her loop around the rink and slowly came to a stop in front of where he was standing.
"Jack," Elsa said, sounding barely out of breath. "Hi."
"Hi," Jack said. "You're skating again?"
Elsa beamed, her happiness a glow that couldn't be put out. "Yes. It feels great to be back on the ice."
"Good, I was a little worried about you for a while," Jack said.
"Oh, yeah?" Elsa quirked an eyebrow, smirking at him. For some reason, Jack couldn't help the blush that spread across cheeks.
"Well, yeah. Champion skater and all. How are you gonna make it to the Olympics without skating?"
"Right…"
"So, why are you? Skating again, I mean? Did something happen?"
"Yeah." Elsa smiled to herself. "Anna and I finally talked. And once we did, it felt like a weight off my shoulders. I could finally breathe, and think, and move. And I needed to move. So that's why I'm here."
"How long have you been here?" Jack asked.
"Oh, since four o'clock," Elsa said sheepishly. Jack did his best not to choke on his own spit.
"Four? Jesus Christ, do you sleep?" Jack demanded.
Elsa laughed. "Not lately. But last night, surprisingly, yes."
Jack immediately softened. "Well, I'm glad you're doing better."
"Yeah, me too," Elsa said, looking down at her skates.
"Where's Marshall?" Jack asked, noticing her lack of a bodyguard. Elsa turned sheepish once more, holding her hands in front of her and picking at the skin around her nails.
"Well, it was so early… and I didn't want to wake up Eli…"
"Elsa, you've got to be more careful," Jack said, surprising himself with the rush of protectiveness he felt towards her. Elsa rolled her eyes and pushed away from the wall, skating backwards towards the middle of the rink.
"You're here now, aren't you? So I'm not alone," Elsa called out, spreading out her arms.
"Not the same!" Jack yelled. Elsa laughed, a sound that seemed lighter than air.
"Are you going to join me?" she asked, beginning to twirl in place. She looked beautiful like that, spinning without a care in the world. Jack quickly shook the thought out of his head as he put on his skates, stepping out onto the ice and beginning laps. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his blue hoodie, content to just feel the cold air on his skin and the glide of the ice under his skates. Elsa joined him soon after, moving her feet in tandem with his.
"You're a really good skater," Elsa said after a few minutes of silence, glancing over at him.
Jack laughed. "I should hope so. I've been skating since before I can remember."
"Impressive," Elsa said.
"Shut up."
"What?"
"Don't say 'impressive' like you're actually impressed. How long have you skated for?"
"... Since before I can really remember."
"'Impressive,'" Jack repeated, mimicking her. Elsa reached out a hand and shoved at his shoulder. He grabbed it and pouted at her. "God, you're so strong! I think you broke something!"
Elsa laughed. "I can see why you and Anna are friends. You're both annoying." Despite the levity of the statement, Elsa's laughter faded. She looked down at her skates as they continued to glide across the ice.
"Hey, is something wrong? I thought you and Anna worked things out," Jack said.
"We did," Elsa said firmly. "We have. It's just…"
"What?"
"I may have agreed to get to know Hans better in order to appease her."
"Gross."
"In simple terms, yes. Gross," Elsa agreed.
"So, what? You're just going to tag along on one of their dates?" Jack asked.
"Something like that, I suppose. It sounds even less appealing when you put it like that," Elsa said. They skated in silence for a few more moments before an idea hit Jack.
"What if I went with you? Then it'd be like a double date or something?" Jack offered. Elsa looked up at him.
"You would do that?" she asked.
"I mean, you're doing it to get to know him better, right? For Anna? I might as well do that, too. I am her best friend," he said.
"By your logic, I suppose that makes sense," Elsa said slowly.
"So, then it's settled. You can go home and tell Anna, and I'm sure she'll text me with the details. She'll probably set something up for tonight," Jack said, chuckling to himself.
"You're probably right." Elsa laughed. Across the rink, Elsa's phone dinged with a message. She skated over to it quickly and groaned when she looked at her phone.
"That's Marshall. He's at my house. I suppose that means I have to get back," Elsa said.
"You should probably get some sleep," Jack told her. Elsa rolled her eyes at him as she got off the ice and sat down to take off her skates. Jack continued his laps as she packed up.
"Hey, Elsa?" Jack called out before she could leave. She turned, bag slung over one shoulder with one hand on the door.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you and Anna worked things out."
Elsa smiled. "Me too."
Anna, surprisingly, did not schedule a double date for the same night, but she did schedule it for the next night.
"I'm just so excited!" Anna squealed as she sat on Elsa's bed. The older sister was currently in the bathroom, braiding her hair into its usual state.
"I know, Anna," Elsa said.
"You should leave your hair down, Elsa," Anna said. "You never leave it down." Elsa paused her braid, not yet having tied it off. Should she leave it down?
"Why? It's just Jack," Elsa said.
"For yourself, duh," Anna said. Elsa blinked, looking at herself in the mirror. Hesitantly, she undid the strands until they hung over her shoulder like a curtain. She grabbed a hairbrush from the counter and quickly brushed through her hair. It seemed longer this way, nearing halfway down her back. It was different, but Elsa had to admit that she kind of liked it.
"Okay, Anna," Elsa said, walking into her room. "What do you think?"
"You're wearing jeans?" Anna asked, tone filled with disbelief.
"I'm wearing them for myself," Elsa said. Anna playfully glared at her.
"It's so obvious you've never been on a date," Anna said.
"It's not even a real date. Jack wants to get to know Hans, too," Elsa said, walking over to her nightstand to grab her phone. Anna hopped up from the bed, eyes glued to her own phone.
"Hans said that he'll meet us at Oaken's," Anna said. Elsa raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you said he was going to pick us up?" she asked.
"He's running later than he thought."
"Okay, so we'll take your car?"
"That's fine."
Elsa marveled at how in sync they were, at how their relationship finally felt like two sisters rather than two strangers. She reveled in it, at the ease in how she and Anna interacted. Bouncing off of each other, feeding off the other's energy. She felt a slight pang for all of the years that they could have had this, but quickly shook that feeling off. They had it now, and that was all that mattered.
The sisters got to Oaken's first so they grabbed a booth towards the back. Jack arrived next, sliding into the seat next to Elsa.
"Hey," he greeted. "You both look nice."
"Doesn't Elsa look especially pretty today?" Anna said pointedly.
"Are you saying that I don't look pretty on most days?" Elsa raised an eyebrow. Anna threw her head back and groaned. Jack laughed. Then, he turned to Elsa.
"You do look very pretty today," he told her. "Your hair looks nice down." Elsa felt her face heat up.
"Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" Kristoff walked up to their table, a rag over his shoulder and a notepad in his hand.
"Hi, Kristoff! We're waiting for Hans. We're on a double date!" Anna squealed. Kristoff looked at Elsa and Jack.
"You two are… dating?" he asked.
"No!" Elsa and Jack said. They looked at each other, then away—Elsa down at the table, and Jack staring straight at Kristoff.
"It's like a friend date," Jack said. Anna squealed from the opposite side of the booth.
"Hans is here! I'm gonna go meet him!" She bolted out of the booth and to the door.
Elsa tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Mostly, we're here to appease Anna."
"Appease her?" Kristoff asked.
"We don't like Hans," Jack stated bluntly.
Kristoff's eyes widened. "Really?"
"He's the worst," Jack said.
"He threatened me," Elsa added.
"He what?" Jack turned to Elsa. She shrugged.
"It wasn't like a physical threat. It's not a big deal," Elsa said.
"Threats are a big deal," Jack said. "You should tell Anna."
"Yeah, I agree with Jack," Kristoff said. Elsa huffed and crossed her arms self-consciously.
"Guys, I just got Anna back. I don't want to risk anything tearing us apart again," she said.
"But—"
"No," Elsa said firmly. "Please, if I feel the need to tell her, I will. But for now, just respect my decision."
Jack deflated. "Alright. You're right."
Elsa leaned back in her seat. "Thank you."
"Hey, everyone! Hans is here!" Anna appeared suddenly with Hans on her arm. His face showed contempt for a split second before he smoothed it over.
"Hello, Elsa, Jack," he said. "It's a pleasure to see you again."
Elsa elbowed Jack. "Oh, yeah, you too."
"What can I get you all to drink?" Kristoff asked. Hans turned to him. He didn't hide the expression on his face this time as he looked up at the blond man.
"Do you serve wine?" Hans asked.
"Uh, no." Kristoff gripped his pen tightly in his hand.
"Then water, I suppose. With no lemon," Hans said. The rest of them ordered their drinks, and Kristoff disappeared. Hans started talking shortly after about something or other; Elsa quickly tuned him out.
"Hey." Jack's voice was close to her ear, his cool breath fanning across her face. "I'm gonna go talk to Kristoff. I think we can mess with Hans a little tonight, don't you?"
Elsa looked down at the table to try and hide her grin from her sister. She nodded slightly, and Jack pulled back.
"I'll be right back. Gonna hit the restroom," Jack said. He left the table.
"What did Jack say to you, Elsa?" Anna asked knowingly. Elsa glared at her little sister.
"Nothing, Anna."
"It didn't look like nothing."
"Anna—"
"Hello." Elsa looked up to see a strangely familiar-looking man dressed in all black. His golden eyes stared into hers. She knew she had seen him before, but she couldn't quite place him. She realized, belatedly, that he appeared to be waiting for her to speak.
"Oh, hello," Elsa said. The man smiled. It seemed more menacing than reassuring.
"You may not remember me. We met a week or two ago, outside of Jack Frost's house?" the man said.
The memory hit her like a train, the unsettled feeling coming to rest like a scarf around her neck. "Oh, yes. Pitch, right?"
"Yes," Pitch said. "I just wanted to stop and say hello."
"Well, hello," Elsa said. He didn't move. Elsa began twisting at the napkin in front of her. She pulled her eyes from his face, uncomfortable, and noticed the camera at his side. "Oh, do you like photography?"
"I take pictures for the team, yes, and sometimes I'll take other pictures when the mood strikes me," Pitch said.
"That's wonderful," Elsa said. That was humanizing. He had a passion. He wasn't some crazy person.
"How is your skating? I could take pictures of that if you'd like," Pitch offered. Elsa's breath caught in her throat.
"That would be something, wouldn't it, Elsa?" Hans's voice was extremely unwelcome. She turned to look at him, eyes wide. Anna glanced worryingly at her fiancé.
"Hans," she whispered harshly.
"Um, I usually have women take my pictures," Elsa said. She often felt too vulnerable when skating, too open to a man's gaze. It freaked her out to have a man that close to her, so women were the go to.
"And why is that?" Hans asked. "Surely, you could branch out some."
"Hans, this isn't really any of your business," Anna said, grabbing his arm. He looked over at her and smiled.
"I'm just trying to help Elsa branch out," he said soothingly. Anna didn't seem convinced. Elsa turned back to Pitch.
"I really do appreciate the offer, but—"
"I understand. No need to explain. I wish you luck in your future endeavors." Pitch smiled once more before leaving. Elsa felt a ball of dread in her stomach.
Jack and Kristoff appeared then.
"Hope I didn't miss too much," Jack said cheerfully. He saw the look on Elsa's face and his smile dropped. "Elsa?" Elsa fought to breathe. Anna reached over to put her hand on top of Elsa's, where she had been continuously shredding the paper napkin.
Hans stared disdainfully at Kristoff. "Did you put lemon in my water?"