Kristoff was holding the door open for Anna, like a true gentleman. He had a proud look on his face, while handling his precious, new car. Well, new in a meaning that Kristoff hadn't had it for long. Neither of the girls had heart to say that the blue Toyota Land Cruiser was hardly an improvement to the Taro he had exchanged it to. The car was still beat down with frayed seat fabrics and jabbing rears, but at least it now fitted the three of them legally.

The trio with dog walked to the train station, Kristoff wheeling Elsa's luggage and carrying her backpack. He had forbidden Elsa for trying to move her own stuff, even though they weren't even heavy. He wasn't comfortable with Elsa leaving without her crutches, but as the doctor had said it would be okay, he had no say to it. He had barely slept a blink last night, worrying for Elsa's long trip alone. Elsa had tried to calm him down by reminding him that she had traveled across the country alone while she was just a child. That hadn't exactly helped to calm her overprotective brother.

"Elsa, you don't have to leave. We could still have our holiday together, here," Anna pleaded. She was almost as bad as Kristoff. Elsa was a big girl, and she was just going home.

"No, I need to go home, I promised, I want to," Elsa answered. It felt weird, to express that she wanted something. It was still strange to even want things, make choices by measuring her own desires. Make choices at all.

"Then I'll come with you," Kristoff declared. Then he turned to his girlfriend. "I can meet your parents some other time." And Anna nodded! Like it was the most obvious solution.

These two were insane, Elsa decided. She had to be the voice of reason. "No you are not. You two will have an amazing holiday here, with Anna's parents. – No arguments!" How long had Elsa come? She had never ever in her life actually ordered anyone like that. Well maybe when she was drugged out of her mind, but that hardly counted. "And I'll be all safe in my own, locked, cabin. Mother got me the whole room for myself, so I won't even share it with anyone. I don't even have to open my door before I'm at my destination, and then mom will be there for me. See, I'm hardly alone at all."

Before either could protest, Elsa closed them in a rare group hug. "You two enjoy your holiday. And remember to get Anna's parents from the airport at the morning." They promised to remember. "I love you guys, but I got to go now."

"I'll carry your things inside," Kristoff rushed.

"Okay, but we got to hurry now," Elsa said and turned around.

She didn't see the tear on Anna's eye, or Kristoff's painful swallow of emotion. Elsa felt just so free. It was a small thing, barely traveling even, but she would do it all by herself, and she didn't even feel too afraid. Maybe someday she could even go to see the world like she was dying to. Elsa could almost hear the adventure calling her. She felt so silly for that, crazy even, but there was a small part of her that was longing to just drop everything and go.

"Mama, papa!" Anna breathed out when she saw her parents finally emerging from the terminal.

"Oh Anna, come here my baby girl," his father said, while letting go of the handle of his luggage.

He opened his arms wide open and Anna flung herself into his arms. Agnarr twirled his daughter in the air like she weighted nothing. After he let Anna go off his death grip, Iduna closed Anna in a tight hug. Tears were streaming down Anna's cheeks from the joy of really seeing her parents again. It had been too long. Iduna wiped the tears with her thumps. Iduna was pursing her lips with a tight smile, and her eyes were glistering. With an expression like that, she reminded Anna of Elsa so much it was almost scary.

"How have you been, sweetie?" her mother asked with a gently tone.

"Good, really good," Anna answered hurriedly. Then she stepped aside to make way for Kristoff, who had stayed behind. "Mother, father, this is my boyfriend, Kristoff. Kristoff, these are my parents," she introduced.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Kristoff said with politeness that Anna didn't know he possessed, and shook both of her parents' hands like a true gentleman.

"As well," Agnarr answered curtly. He was sizing Kristoff up so obviously that Anna had to smack him on the chest and told him to stop.

"Are you sure it is okay for us to rest this first night at your apartment? We wouldn't like to impose," Iduna broke the silence, before it got awkward.

"Yes, yes of course. It's basically Anna's apartment too, I'm pretty sure she spends more time there than in her own," Kristoff chuckled, somewhat tensely. "Besides, Elsa said that it would be completely okay for you to have her room. She left to go home for holidays, just yesterday evening."

"Yes, Anna mentioned that," Agnarr said.

"And you don't have to worry for the house looking like regular student's apartment, Elsa is a real neat-freak," Anna chirped.

"That she is," Kristoff agreed and looked lovingly at his girlfriend. Then coughed awkwardly when he realized his love-struck look. "Shall we?" he asked and nodded towards the door.

The elder Árnadalrs agreed, so Kristoff proceeded taking Iduna's carry-on and show the way to the car. Anna smiled how chivalrous her mountain man was being, he could be so rough sometimes. Though her father was frowning. Anna was worried Kristoff might've come off as a little unctuous to her father, even though he was anything but. Hans had really made Agnarr a distrusting man, especially when it came to men dating his only daughter.

When Kristoff opened the door of the apartment, Sven burst out to greet them. Iduna shrieked and backed away so rapidly she almost stumbled. Kristoff just greeted his dog enthusiastically, oblivious to the distress of his guests. Anna just stood there awkwardly, trying her best to come up with a plan to show her parents how nice dog Sven was.

"Mama, please. He's the friendliest dog ever," Anna said and made a show to pet him gently on the head. Sven just nuzzled against her palm.

"Don't be afraid," she added, and reached for Iduna's hand. When she got it from the wrist, she gently pulled it towards the dog. Her mother resisted, but Anna got her palm to touch the fur of Sven's head. When the dog did nothing, Iduna flexed her fingers for an attempt of scratch, shoulders loosening up. "See," Anna grinned.

After her mother had calmed in the presence of Sven, they walked inside the house. Anna's parents realized that she hadn't lied when she had said that Elsa kept the house clean. It was at least as clean as their house was after the cleaner left. Everything was shining, and not a thing was out of order. Agnarr wondered briefly how someone who was so neat, could live with a dog. It wasn't that he didn't like dogs, they just left so much dirt and fur after them.

Suddenly a white fluffy looking cat jumped on the back rest of the couch. Iduna smiled at it and before Anna could stop her, she reached her hand to scratch his ear. For Anna and Kristoff's surprise, the cat just cocked its head and let Iduna give him a small pet. He wasn't exactly responsive, but he didn't try to scratch her face off, he just sat there and watched.

Anna still had her mouth hanging open and she stepped a little closer to her mother. The cat lunged his head towards her and snapped his teeth to her. Anna stepped back faster than a lightning bold, and Iduna drew her hands to her chest to protect them. The cat hissed at Anna, maliciously.

"Go, you stupid cat," Anna shooed him angrily. The cat just hissed louder and bounced off the couch. "I'm sorry about Marshmallow, he doesn't like people."

"His name is Marshmallow? Seems a little ill-suited to his personality," Agnarr said with a wondering tone.

"Well yeah. Kristoff's little brother named him on phone, he has never met him IRL. Though he did see Marshmallow trying to kill me during that video chat," Anna explained the story of Marshmallow's name.

"He's yours?" Iduna asked, still distrustingly eyeing the cat that was now watching them from the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah. He was my friend Sofie's cat, but she was about to put him down, I had to save him. She called him the Devil, and I thought that was mean, so we gave him a new name," Anna explained sheepishly. "In retrospect, that name suited him just fine. He hates me the most, then Kristoff, and Sven is afraid of him. After Elsa came home, she immediately saw the cat and went to him like 'hi there you cute little kitty', we were sure she's going to lose at least one eye but instead, he just rubbed himself against Elsa and purred, freaking purred! They've been best buddies ever since, and Elsa, until this day, had remained as the only person who Marshmallow allows to touch him, so I mostly keep him here."

"Anna, is it smart for you to be committed to a cat in a situation like this?" Agnarr asked with his lecturing tone.

"Absolutely not, but I'm stuck!" Anna exclaimed. "I've been trying to butter Elsa up to take him, but she hasn't yet to agree. Though, I think it has more to do with my amazing boyfriend here not wanting to have him, than Elsa," Anna said and narrowed her eyes at Kristoff. "I don't understand why, because he's here anyway, it doesn't matter who owns it."

"Because Elsa is the only one who likes him. If he's hers, we're never getting rid of it. I still have hope that you'll get tired of him biting you," Kristoff explained to Anna. Then he took the roll-on and said to the parents: "C'mon, I'll show you the room, you must be really tired."

"Thank you," Iduna said softly and followed Kristoff.

They stepped into Elsa's room, and put down their bags. Agnarr and Iduna both looked around the impersonal room. It could have been a room set in Ikea for all they knew. There was no personal items on the tables and counters, and not a single photo covering the walls of the room. Everything was pale colored. They weren't sure if everything was put in the drawers because of them, or was the room always like that. They guessed the later after everything they had gathered from Elsa previously.

After the young couple had left and the door was closed, Agnarr stated: "Well, isn't this a sad room."

"It feels more like a hotel room than a young woman's. Everything is just so clean and plain," Iduna agreed.

"I liked that Kristoff guy, he looked like an honest man," Agnarr stated.

"Anna looked so happy with him," Iduna said dreamily. "I thought it would be harder, to see Anna's new life."A

"I hope the girl didn't leave because of us and how unwilling we have been to talk about her with Anna. She seems like a sweet girl, she is so important to Anna, and she was nice enough to let us use her room for these night's that are little hard with hotel's timings. I kind of regret that we don't get to meet her this trip, after all," Agnarr admitted.

"Me too, we've been too harsh on her, too harsh on Anna. We should be happy for Anna that she has found someone that feels like a sister to her, someone that she can have that special bond with. Instead, we have been shaming her for it, for forgetting her real sister. Even though that's not the case, I almost cried when she told us what she had done with Elsa on Lotte's day. I've never been so ashamed of my own behavior before."

"It will be alright, Anna is a great kid, she will understand. We'll just have to show her that we are not opposed to her life choices, and we support her wholly." Then Agnarr smiled and laid down the bed, inviting Iduna into his arms. The bed was a little tight for them, but they did fit. "But that all can wait for tomorrow. Now we'll rest."

After a while, Iduna's voice broke the silence: "Agnarr?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"Do you think—," Iduna swallowed "do you think we could go to see Lotte now that we are here? We haven't gone there since—and I feel so bad for leaving her there, all alone for so long."

"Are you ready for that?"

"I am."

"Then we'll go, in the end of the holiday." Agnarr hugged his wife tightly. "I love you so much, my love, but you need to sleep now. Good night."

"Good night."

A/N So, here it is. Took me some time, and I know the editing is like super lazy, but I'm quite ill, cut me some slack, please. Excuses,excuses. Anyway, it will probably take me some time to update the next one too, as I am still quite busy and will be for a long time. But don't y'all worry, I won't abandon this, I'm almost done with the chapters, almost. I'll edit and publish them when I have time. Please, be patient. Hopefully, you enjoyed the chapter!