Chapter 17: Baby, It's Cold Outside
On one of the couches that were scattered about the room where the party was taking place, Anna and Kristoff sat with matching looks of disappointment.
"I can't believe we lost," Anna said as she rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.
"Yeah, I thought one of us would have won," Kristoff agreed, sitting slumped against the back of the couch.
"I don't know," Olaf spoke up from his position between the couple, "I really like Felix's sweater."
Across the room, Felix was talking with some other party guests, wearing a sky blue sweater upon which a classic snowman had been stitched. What really made the sweater stand out though was the fact that the snowman's carrot nose extended about half a foot out of the sweater.
"You would," Anna replied bitterly.
"Traitor," Kristoff added.
Sighing, Anna's eyes drifted away from Felix, searching around the room until they fell on something that brought a smile to her face.
"Well, at least some people are having a good time," Anna said, prompting Kristoff and Olaf to look over as well. On the other side of the room Ralph, Elsa and Vanellope were standing together, laughing at something one of them had said.
"They are pretty cute all together like that," Olaf commented.
"Didn't you tell me that you helped get them together?" Kristoff questioned as he smirked down at Anna.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Anna replied with a smile before a thoughtful expression crossed her face, "I think I just figured out what I'm going to do for the rest of the night."
"Are you going to try and get Elsa and Ralph to kiss?" Kristoff questioned.
"Yes," Anna answered as she rose to her feet.
"Isn't that the thing Elsa asked you specifically not to do?" Kristoff inquired with a knowing smirk.
"Also yes," Anna confirmed as she pointed at Kristoff before spinning around and making her way over to where Elsa, Ralph and Vanellope were standing.
"Hey guys," Anna greeted as she walked up to the three of them, "How's your night going?"
"Quite well, Anna," Elsa replied as she smiled at her sister, "How is yours?"
"Alright," Anna answered with a shrug.
"I heard you lost the ugly sweater contest," Vanellope said, "Tough luck. I was rooting for you."
"Thanks," Anna replied before looking at Ralph and Elsa while pointing down at Vanellope, "Can I borrow her for a minute?"
"Uh, sure?" Ralph answered with a puzzled expression.
"Awesome," Anna said before she reached down, grabbed Vanellope's hand and quickly led the girl away.
Ralph watched the two princess' leave for a moment before looking down at Elsa and silently crooking an eyebrow at her.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Elsa replied with a sigh, "She's my sister and I confess, I don't understand half of the things that go through that head of hers."
Once Anna had led Vanellope far enough away, she released the girl's hand and spun around to face her, leaning over so that she could look the other princess in the eye.
"What's up?" Vanellope asked as she looked at Anna with a puzzled expression, "You're being weird."
"Just noticing that phase one of our plan is going well," Anna commented as she glanced past Vanellope at Elsa and Ralph.
"Phase one?" Vanellope repeated in confusion, "The whole plan was to get Ralph and Elsa to date. They're dating now. Mission accomplished."
"Right, but now we need to help them move to the next stage of their relationship," Anna explained.
"The next stage?" Vanellope echoed, still not getting where Anna was going, prompting the young woman to sigh in annoyance.
"I'm trying to get Elsa and Ralph to kiss," Anna said plainly.
"Oh!" Vanellope exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement, "Why didn't you just say so?"
"Because I'm trying to be discreet," Anna replied.
"Well, dragging me away from Ralph and Elsa so you can whisper to me on the other side of the room is not very discreet," Vanellope pointed out.
"Okay, you're not helping," Anna stated as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Do you want to help or not?"
"Yes, of course I want to help," Vanellope replied, her expression making it clear she thought that was a stupid question, "What do you need me to do?"
"See that?" Anna inquired as she pointed towards a nearby doorway, above which hung a single sprig of mistletoe.
"The mistletoe?" Vanellope asked as she quirked an eyebrow at Anna.
"You know that that is?" Anna questioned in surprise.
"Yes, Anna, I know what mistletoe is and what it means," Vanellope answered with an exasperated tone.
"Alright, alright," Anna said as she held her hands up defensively, "So I imagine you know what the plan is then?"
"You want to get Elsa and Ralph under there so that they kiss," Vanellope replied with a shrug, "Seems easy enough."
"Right," Anna confirmed with a nod before she looked over at where Ralph and Elsa were, "So now, all we have to do is….oh shoot."
"What?" Vanellope questioned as she turned her gaze towards where Anna was looking.
"They split up," Anna answered as she watched Ralph and Elsa walk away from one another, "Alright, we can work with that. I'll go bring Elsa over, while you get Ralph."
"Okay," Vanellope agreed with a nod before they went in two seperate directions.
Making her way through the crowd of party-goers, Anna managed to intercept Elsa as she walked across the room.
"Hey, Elsa!" Anna greeted with an overly cheery tone, "How's it going?"
"It's been going fine since I talked to you two minutes ago, Anna," Elsa replied as she looked around in confusion, "Where's Vanellope?"
"Oh, she's around here somewhere," Anna replied as she dismissively waved her hand at the crowded room, "Say, what are you doing right now?"
"Well, I was going to go speak with Jessica for a moment," Elsa said as she gestured at the redhead standing on the other side of the room.
"Cool, but before you do that, why don't you come with me and have a look at something?" Anna suggested as she looped her arm around Elsa's shoulders and began leading her to a different part of the room.
"Where are we going?" Elsa inquired as she looked at Anna with a baffled expression.
"Oh, just over there," Anna replied as she pointed at the doorway that had the mistletoe hanging from it.
"Over there?" Elsa clarified as she narrowed her eyes, "Under the mistletoe?"
"Oh yeah, isn't that funny," Anna answered with a dismissive laugh, "Anyway-"
"Anna," Elsa said as she stopped abruptly and glared at her sister, "What did I tell you?"
"Um," Anna mumbled as she looked back at her sister with wide eyes, "Always eat my vegetables?"
"I told you I could handle kissing Ralph on my own," Elsa stated with an exasperated tone, "I don't need your help."
"I know you said you didn't need my help," Anna began to argue.
"Anna," Elsa cut her off sternly.
"Sorry" Anna apologized, as she crossed her arms and looked away from Elsa, "I-I just….."
"I know," Elsa replied as she reached out and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, "But I can't have a real, adult relationship if you're there holding my hand every step of the way."
"I guess," Anna rubbed the back of her neck, "I should probably say something to Vanellope then."
"What about Vanellope?" Elsa questioned as she looked at Anna suspiciously.
In a different part of the room, Ralph had made his way over to the refreshments table and was looking over the snacks available.
"Hey, Ralph!" Vanellope exclaimed as she suddenly appeared at the wrecker's side, causing him to start in surprise.
"Geez, kid!" Ralph shouted as he turned to look down at Vanellope, "You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!"
"Sorry," Vanellope apologized as she smiled sheepishly at Ralph, "Any way, there's something I wanted to show you."
"Show me?" Ralph parroted in confusion.
"Yeah, it's right over there!" Vanellope answered as she pointed towards the doorway.
"What's over-" Ralph began to ask as he looked at the doorway in question.
"Just meet me there!" Vanellope interrupted before she disappeared in a cloud of teal pixels. Sighing in defeat, Ralph turned from the concession table and began making his way through the crowd towards the doorway.
Standing in the doorway, Vanellope glanced around excitedly, looking for any sign of Elsa and Ralph's approach. As she looked around, Vanellope spotted Lilo and Sofia standing nearby. Seeing their friend, Sofia and Lilo waved at Vanellope and gestured for her to join them. Smiling, Vanellope waved back and motioned for her friends to wait a moment before she looked around for Ralph and Elsa again.
"Oh come on," Vanellope muttered in exasperation as she saw that Roger had intercepted Ralph and was blithely talking the wrecker's ear off, "That's the last thing I need."
"Oh, hey, Vanellope," a voice greeted her. Turning towards the source of the voice, Vanellope blinked in surprise as she found Dash standing in the doorway with her.
"Oh, hi, Dash," Vanellope replied with a smile, "How's it going?"
"Pretty good," Dash answered with a shrug before looking at Vanellope in confusion as he noticed her glancing around, "You looking for someone?"
"Uh, yeah, kinda," Vanellope replied, before she looked at Dash with a concerned expression, "Not that I don't want to talk to you or anything."
"It's fine," Dash said with a chuckle before he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "I can come back later, if you'd like?"
"No, no, no, it's fine," Vanellope argued as she quickly shook her hands in front of her to dissuade Dash of the notion, "I don't…."
Vanellope trailed off as she looked over at Sofia and Lilo in confusion, watching as the two girls gestured at something over Vanellope's head while grinning broadly. Glancing upwards, Vanellope's eyes went wide and her face paled as she spotted the mistletoe hanging above her, somehow managing to have completely forgotten about it after Dash had begun talking to her.
"What are you looking at?" Dash questioned as he looked at Vanellope in confusion.
"N-Nothing!" Vanellope blurted as she turned her attention back to Dash, just in time to see the boy glance upwards as well.
"Oh hey," Dash said with a grin, "Someone hung some mistletoe up…."
Dash trailed off as he looked back at Vanellope, only to find the girl looking back at him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks.
"Oh," Dash said as a look of understanding washed over his face, "Um…."
"I-I'm sorry," Vanellope quickly said, her face flushing, "I, uh, I didn't mean….I wasn't trying to lure you over here or anything."
"What?" Dash questioned with a bemusement, "I know that. Look, Vanellope, I know kissing under mistletoe is like a tradition and stuff but we don't have to actually do it if we don't want to."
"Right," Vanellope agreed with a nervous giggle, "If we, uh, don't want to."
Glancing around, Vanellope spotted Sofia and Lilo giving her encouraging nods. Looking away from them, Vanellope saw Elsa and Anna standing a short distance away, both watching her with amused smiles. As Vanellope's gaze focused on Elsa, an idea came to her and she turned her attention back towards Dash.
"So, anyway," Dash said as he scratched the back of his head, and glanced away from Vanellope, "I think I'm just going to-"
Before Dash could finish, Vanellope cut him off by leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. Pulling back, Vanellope looked at Dash wearily, the boy staring back at her with wide eyed shock.
"Sorry," Vanellope said with an awkward smile, "Just, uh, trying to lead by example."
With that, Vanellope disappeared in a cloud of pixels, leaving Dash standing in the doorway by himself. Blinking slowly, Dash glanced around, spotting Vanellope standing with Sofia and Lilo a short distance away, giggling and glancing over at the boy as they spoke with Vanellope. After a moment, Dash realized that he was no longer alone, and noticed Ralph standing over him, who was looking down at the boy with a confused expression.
"You know, Vanellope said she wanted to show me something," Ralph said with a puzzled expression, "But I have a hard time believing that was it."
"Are you….are you going to beat me up now?" Dash questioned nervously.
"Thinking about it," Ralph admitted with a shrug.
As Dash's face paled, Ralph let out a laugh.
"I'm joking, kid," Ralph said with a chuckle before he gestured with his head, "Get out of here."
With that, Dash disappeared in a blur of motion as Ralph shook his head in amusement. Looking over his shoulder, Ralph locked eyes with Elsa, who was still standing with her sister, grinning as he saw the warm, amused smile on her face.
Later,
"So, what happened with Anna and Kristoff?" Ralph asked, as he and Elsa walked arm in arm while making their way towards the Arendelle castle."They kind of disappeared."
"Well, someone let Anna get into the adult eggnog," Elsa answered with an embarrassed sigh, "So, Kristoff had to take her home a little early."
"Well, look at it this way," Ralph replied with a chuckle, "The more this happens, the sooner she'll build up a tolerance."
"I suppose that is a silver lining," Elsa agreed as she sighed and shook her head, "How is Vanellope? She seemed to disappear as well."
"Yeah," Ralph replied with a chuckle as they stepped onto the cobblestone roads of Arendelle, "I think she decided to head back home with Felix and Calhoun just so she didn't have to talk to me after the whole….kissing thing."
"I hope you don't take it personally," Elsa said as she looked up at Ralph, "She's probably just embarrassed about the fact you saw all of it."
"I don't see why," Ralph replied with a shrug, "It's just a kiss."
"It was her first kiss," Elsa argued as they walked, "That's important to people."
"Was yours?" Ralph inquired as he smirked at Elsa.
"I….wouldn't know," Elsa admitted, averting her eyes as a blush colored her cheeks, "I haven't had mine yet."
"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that," Ralph commented with a chuckle.
"What about you?" Elsa asked as she arched an eyebrow up at Ralph, "Have you ever been kissed?"
"I think so," Ralph replied.
"You think so?" Elsa repeated as she smiled in bemusement.
"Look, things sometimes happened at Tappers late at night," Ralph answered with a helpless shrug, eliciting a giggle from Elsa.
As the two fell into a comfortable silence while they continued their walk, Elsa began quietly humming a Christmas tune as they went.
"You like the Christmas songs you heard at the party?" Ralph inquired.
"I swear you have so many more than we had in my time," Elsa observed with a laugh before a thoughtful expression crossed her face, "And yet…."
"And yet?" Ralph pressed with a crooked eyebrow.
"And yet, I feel like I know every word to these songs," Elsa replied with a look of bemusement, "How can that be?"
"This must be one of the "Our voices know the songs" things," Ralph concluded.
"What do you mean?" Elsa inquired as her brow furrowed.
"I mean that nowadays, a lot of famous singers do what they call Christmas albums," Ralph explained, "Basically, it's the singer doing a bunch of famous Christmas songs in one place for people to enjoy. I'm willing to bet that the lady you share a voice with did one of those."
"I suppose that would explain it," Elsa agreed, noting that they were nearing the drawbridge that led into the royal castle. Biting her lip nervously, Elsa glanced around before an idea came to her.
"Hey, come over here," Elsa said as she pulled on Ralph's arm to lead him off the road, "I'm not ready for the night to end quite yet, if that's alright?"
"Yeah, sure," Ralph replied with an amused smile as he followed her.
Following a small path, Elsa and Ralph made their way down to the banks of the fjord that surrounded the castle.
"So why did you want to come down here?" Ralph asked as they stopped by the water.
"Well, as much as I'm enjoying Christmas around here, I have to say, the weather is throwing me off a bit," Elsa explained, "So, I thought we might do something that reminds me of how Christmas used to be around here."
"And what's that?" Ralph inquired with an arched eyebrow.
In response, Elsa lifted one foot and touched the surface of the water with it. The moment her foot made contact with the water, a wave of cold, blue energy shot out from it, quickly freezing the entire fjord solid. Ralph blinked in surprise at this, before he looked back at Elsa, who was grinning up at him.
"Would you like to go ice skating with me?" Elsa inquired as she dropped her shawl on the ground.
Laughing in response, Ralph agreed and the pair stepped onto the ice, Elsa quickly using her magic to turn their shoes into ice skates.
"You know, I've never done this before," Ralph admitted as he slowly glided across the ice behind Elsa, "I'm surprised I haven't fallen over yet. Must be my low center of gravity."
"I must admit, I'm a bit rusty myself," Elsa replied as she easily switched to skating backwards so that she could talk to Ralph.
"Wow," Ralph said with a snort, "If this is you rusty, I'm sure you could win the gold once you really got going."
Giggling in response, Elsa did a few quick twirls and a simple jump before turning back to Ralph.
"Now you're just showing off," Ralph observed with a smirk.
"Was it impressive?" Elsa inquired with a broad grin.
"Very," Ralph replied before he shivered slightly, "Boy, with all this ice, it definitely got cold out here."
As the words echoed around in Elsa's head, another Christmas song came to her, and she began humming again.
"Hey, I know that one," Ralph commented with a chuckle, "You know, we might not be able to get you to sing, but at this rate, we could probably get you to hum all the Christmas classics."
"Well, as you may remember from our first date, I did say that I might be willing to sing if it was just us," Elsa said shyly as she turned away from Ralph.
"Why do you bring that up?" Ralph questoned.
"Because even with it being just you, I think I'm going to need your help," Elsa explained.
Ralph looked at her in confusion, but Elsa said nothing as she took a moment to take a calming breath.
"I really can't stay," Elsa sang quietly as she glanced over her shoulder at Ralph, giving him a small smile.
After blinking in surprise, Ralph smiled in amusement.
"Baby, it's cold outside," Ralph answered, causing Elsa's grin to widen.
"I gotta go way," Elsa sang as she turned and skated away from Ralph.
"Baby, it's cold outside," Ralph continued as he followed her.
"This evening has been," Elsa went on as she did a small twirl.
"Been hoping that you'd drop in," Ralph sang as he drew closer to Elsa.
"So very nice," Elsa continued as she spun to face Ralph while skating backwards.
"I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice," Ralph sang as he reached out and took Elsa's hands, causing her to giggle.
"My mother will start to worry," Elsa replied as she playfully pulled against Ralph's grip.
"Beautiful, what's your hurry?" Ralph continued as he pulled Elsa closer.
"My father will be pacing the floor," Elsa sang as she looked away from Ralph with a smile on her face.
"Listen to the fireplace roar," Ralph continued as he leaned in closer to her.
"So really I'd better scurry," Elsa insisted as she let go of one of Ralph's hands and turned away from him.
"Beautiful, please don't hurry," Ralph sang as he used Elsa's other hand to spin her towards him.
"Well, maybe just a half a drink more," Elsa replied as she gracefully pirouetted so that she was directly in front of Ralph, resting her free hand on his chest.
"I'll put some records on while I pour," Ralph sang as the two began to spin in a small circle together.
"The neighbors might think," Elsa insisted as she playfully looked around.
"Baby, it's bad out there," Ralph argued as he gestured around.
"Say where is that drink?" Elsa joked with a broad smile.
"No cabs to be had out there," Ralph continued as he shook his head.
"I wish I knew how," Elsa sang as she looked away from Ralph.
"Your eyes are like starlight now," Ralph observed as he cupped Elsa's chin and turned her head so he could look her in the eye, causing her face to flush.
"To break this spell," Elsa continued as she bit her lip anxiously.
"I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell," Ralph sang as he ran his hand along Elsa's braid.
"I ought to say no, no, no sir," Elsa observed as she shook her head in time with her words.
"Mind if I move in closer?" Ralph asked as he pulled Elsa close enough that they were pressed against one another.
"At least I'm gonna say that I tried," Elsa sang as she shrugged wistfully.
"What's the sense of hurtin' my pride?" Ralph replied with a shrug of his own.
"I really can't stay," Elsa sang as she leaned up towards Ralph's face, her eyes closing.
"Baby don't hold out," Ralph replied as he leaned down to accommodate her.
"Baby it's cold outside," the pair harmonized together as their faces drew close enough to be practically touching.
Suddenly, Ralph lost his balance on the ice and quickly released Elsa as he fought to stay upright. Covering her mouth with her hands, Elsa giggled as Ralph regained his balance before playfully skating away.
"I simply must go," Elsa sang as she skated.
"Baby, it's cold outside," Ralph argued as he slowly followed her.
"The answer is no," Elsa countered as she faced him by skating backwards and teasingly shook her finger at him.
"But baby, it's cold outside," Ralph replied as he held his arms out and did a clumsy spin, causing Elsa to laugh in delight.
"The welcome has been," Elsa sang as she slowed down to let Ralph catch up with her.
"How lucky that you dropped in," Ralph replied as he skated up to Elsa.
"So nice and warm," Elsa continued as she leaned against Ralph's chest.
"Look out the window at that storm," Ralph sang as he reached down and wrapped his arms around Elsa before lifting her up, causing her to let out a squeak of surprise.
"My sister will be suspicious," Elsa sang as she shifted in Ralph's grip so that she was facing him.
"Gosh your lips look delicious!" Ralph continued, causing Elsa's face to flush as she looked away from him.
"My brother will be there at the door," Elsa sang as she worried her bottom lip.
"Waves upon a tropical shore," Ralph went on as he reached up with one hand to cup Elsa's chin again.
"My maiden aunt's mind is vicious," Elsa continued as she turned to gaze into Ralph's eyes.
"Gosh, your lips are delicious," Ralph sang as his face drew closer to Elsa's.
"Well, maybe just a cigarette more," Elsa replied as she placed her finger against Ralph's lips to stop him while smiling playfully.
"Never such a blizzard before," Ralph continued with a grin as he dropped his hand and adjusted his grip on Elsa.
"I've got to get home," Elsa sang as she reached up and ran a hand through Ralph's hair.
"Baby, you'll freeze out there," Ralph went on as the pair began to slowly spin in a circle.
"Say lend me a coat?" Elsa continued as she ran her other hand along Ralph's chest.
"It's up to your knees out there!" Ralph argued as he felt his own face flush.
"You've really been grand," Elsa sang as she brought her hand down to rest on Ralph's cheek.
"A thrill when I touch your hand," Ralph continued as he rested his face against Elsa's hand, enjoying the cool feel of her skin against his.
"But don't you see?" Elsa asked as she leaned forward and rested her forehead against Ralph's.
"How can you do this thing to me?" Ralph replied as he reached up and took the hand Elsa was resting on his chest into his own.
"There's bound to be talk tomorrow," Elsa sang as she shook her head while keeping her forehead in contact with Ralph's.
"Think of my lifelong sorrow," Ralph continued as he adjusted his head so they were face to face, inches away from one another.
"At least there will be plenty implied," Elsa went on, her gaze turning towards Ralph's lips.
"If you caught pneumonia and died," Ralph joked, causing Elsa to giggle softly.
"I really can't stay," Elsa sang quietly before she licked her lips.
"Get over that hold out," Ralph replied as they both closed their eyes.
"Baby, it's cold," the two sang together, their faces drawing slowly together, "Baby, it's cold outside."
As their voices quietly echoed across the frozen fjord, Elsa and Ralph lips came together in a kiss. The pair stayed that way for a moment, gently gliding across the ice as they did. Eventually, the two pulled apart, their faces flushed.
"Wow," Ralph said, a look of amazement on his face.
"I agree," Elsa replied with a wide grin, "I assume this means you liked my singing."
"Absolutely!" Ralph laughed as he spun around, causing Elsa to giggle, "So, how was your first kiss?"
"I'm not sure," Elsa replied with a playful shrug.
"Not sure?" Ralph parroted as he crooked an eyebrow at Elsa.
"Well, I have nothing to compare it to," Elsa answered as she gave Ralph a suggestive look.
"I think I can help with that," Ralph replied with a grin before he leaned in and kissed Elsa again.
And the two of them stayed that way for a long while, alone together beneath the star-filled sky.
A/N: This was a very fun chapter to write. Hope you all liked it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!