Elsa sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. Staring at columns of numbers all day no longer wore her out as it once did but on days like today with no trips to meet customers or tedious meetings to break up the monotony, it still grated on her nerves. At this point she would have to settle for a trip to the office kitchenette to refill the dark blue mug with accurately labeled constellations.

"Damn it." She cursed under her breath at whoever finished the pot of coffee without making a new one. It would now take that much longer to get the caffeine into her system.

"Hello, Elsa."

"Good afternoon, Carlos." A double take. There were only two other times in the five years she worked here had she seen him without his jacket and tie. "Rough day?"

"Ugh," fingers buried themselves in his curly brown hair. "Apparently every account of mine decided today would be a good day to have a crisis of faith about using the company for their accounting."

"Oh..." Elsa winced. Her friend had been the top salesperson for the past two years and she couldn't even begin to imagine how many accounts he handled. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Unfortunately, no. It's just holding their hand and reassuring them they made the right choice. I could use another cup of coffee."

As she filled both their mugs from the freshly brewed pot, the smoky aroma filled her senses and her shoulders relaxed. One sweetener later and the heat from the bitter brew burned her tongue. The coffee at home was far better than this swill but it got the job done.

"By the way, excellent work on the Bowman account." Carlos looked less frazzled after sipping the hot coffee.

"You heard about that?" Elsa wondered how he knew about an account that wasn't his.

"Everyone heard about it. You caught that they hadn't been paying all the new taxes and fees for the past five years. If the city caught that before you did, their bakery could have been shut down permanently." Another sip of coffee and a happy humming noise.

"Anyone could have caught that."

"The two previous accountants didn't." Carlos grinned. "They've been singing your praises to anyone who will listen. We definitely are going to get new customers because of this."

Heat infused her cheeks.

"I better get back to my desk, Maria wants me home on time tonight."

"Tell your wife I said hi."

"I will. Again, good work yesterday."

Elsa sipped her coffee, watching Carlos walk away, and wished for a relationship like he had with his wife; supportive in each other's work and enjoying time spent together. It would never happen, though; some people just weren't meant to find happiness with the one they loved.

She returned to her desk.


Loud blaring from her alarm woke Elsa far too early for her taste. Waking from the perfect life she only found in dreams never grew any easier.

Coffee.

She needed coffee before anything else or the day would only be a disaster and she shuffled off to make breakfast.

Sitting down to a plate of egg whites, bacon, and fruit, Elsa took her first sip of coffee. The old scratched black mug, constellations in no longer working glow-in-the-dark paint, which she received from Anna eight years ago looked out of place in the pristine kitchen but mornings were not complete without drinking coffee from that specific mug. The reason why stayed firmly in the dark corners of her mind.

It had been absolutely worth buying a bean grinder and French press. How on earth she managed to drink Folger's from a cheap coffee maker for years, Elsa would never know. The stuff at the office, which she begrudgingly called coffee, could be stomached because it was the only thing available.

Her phone vibrated against the table only halfway through breakfast.

Unknown number.

Normally, she would just let it go to voicemail but the 912 area code for Savannah, Georgia had her answering the call before the first ring even finished.

"Hello?"

"Is this Elsa?" Sniffles could be heard over the line.

Elsa's heart clenched in fear.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Abigail. I'm a friend of your mama's." The woman's voice shook, making it difficult to understand her through her thick Southern accent. "She fell at the Community Center an' was taken to the hospital in an ambulance." More sniffles.

Knees shook in fear and Elsa was grateful to already be sitting down.

"Is… is she…" Her throat closed at the mere thought of what might have happened.

"Last I heard she was awake an' talkin' to the doctors. I'm waitin' to see her."

"Okay… okay." Lungs expanded with much needed air.

"I found Iduna's address book in her handbag but when I tried callin' your sister, it said the number was disconnected."

Who knew why Anna's phone was out of service, they hadn't talked on the phone since Christmas the year before when she called their mother and her sister had been visiting. Speakerphones should not exist, they only caused awkward, stilted conversations.

"I'll drive over there right now to tell her. Will you tell mom…" the tightening of her throat made speaking difficult, "that I love her?"

"Of course, Sweet Pea. I should go see if your mama is ready for visitors."

"Thank you." Elsa ended the call and privately cursed her mother's decision to move to Savannah, Georgia to retire. Hopefully they could get a flight from LAX with only one layover instead of three. Either way, seven hours folded in a cramped airplane seat would be nothing but horrendous.

Figuring out layovers and tickets could happen later, at this moment she needed to pack a week's worth of clothes in a carryon and drive the forty-five minutes it took to get to Anna's apartment.


Anna hit refresh on the browser window, impatiently waiting for the payment for the last job to switch from pending to deposited. Rent still needed to be paid, she ate her last Top Ramen at breakfast, and she needed a new thirty day bus pass. Freelance jobs began to come more often as more people saw her artwork but it still wasn't steady enough for her not to have a second job.

Maybe the Del Taco down the street was hiring? Then she wouldn't need a bus pass and she could eat at a discount. Student loan payments would start again next month, yet another bill she would need to juggle.

Refresh.

"Come on, you stupid son of a-"

Knock knock!

Only expensive problems came from answering unknown knocking and this damn deposit still hadn't come through.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"You better not break my door," Anna muttered while refreshing the browser again.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

"Yes!" Finally with enough money in her bank account to pay rent, Anna opened a new tab to do just that. There wouldn't be enough left over to pay her cell bill but at least she wouldn't be homeless.

"Anna! Are you home?"

It couldn't be.

It absolutely couldn't be.

The last time she saw Elsa in person had been Anna's college graduation two years ago and three years before that when they helped their mom pack for her move; never at her apartment though.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Coming!" Panic propelled Anna out of her chair and she flung the door open.

Butterflies took wing wildly at the sight of her stunning sister dressed casually in jeans and a plain white T-shirt. Insecurities, long thought buried, came flooding back and Anna wished she had put on a clean shirt that morning.

"May I come in?"

"Of course!" Anna hurriedly stepped aside. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Your phone is disconnected." Elsa glanced around, taking in the small one room apartment.

"Oh… umm… I forgot to pay it." Better that Elsa think her a flake than so broke she had trouble supporting herself. Anna followed her sister's social media and saw the nice house and stable job and vacations twice a year.

"Hmm." Eyes continued to flick around the room.

Anna struggled to keep her expression neutral. Yes, there was a water stain on one corner of the ceiling, the doors on her cabinets went missing long before she moved in, with no stove she had to "cook" in the microwave, and her only window had been painted shut three coats ago. But she now slept on a full-size bed and not just a twin mattress on the floor, the window allowed plenty of natural light in most of the day, the apartment was located near three major bus lines, and, most importantly, cheap.

"I received a call this morning from one of mom's friends." A deep breath.

Fear overtook Anna when Elsa unconsciously reached up and squeezed the pale blonde braid laying over her right shoulder. The old nervous habit always signaled bad news, being separated after their parent's divorce, not being allowed to visit during holidays, learning months later that Elsa had been in a car crash that left her in the hospital for a week, and now whatever this turned out to be.

"She fell and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance."

"What?" Breathing became difficult. "Is mom… is…"

"Her friend said mom was awake and talking."

Precious air filled her lungs and Anna collapsed onto her kitchen chair, all strength leaving her body.

"There's a flight leaving LAX in four hours, we should just be able to make it." Elsa anxiously shifted from foot to foot obviously wanting to leave immediately for the airport.

Airport.

Plane.

Flying.

A cold sweat broke out all over and Anna's vision blurred.

"I'll… uhh… there's a Greyhound station not far from here." Little white lies and three bus transfers were absolutely worth not having to get onto an airplane. How she could afford the ticket was a problem. Maybe she could ask her friend Jill for a loan?

"Anna," exasperation dripped from that single word and Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose, "that'll take you two days to get there; a flight only takes seven hours. I can pay for the tickets but we need to leave now."

"It takes three days." She swallowed hard. "I… I… I can't…" Images of plane crashes filled her mind.

"It'll take thirty-three hours to drive to Savannah."

"Huh?" The room came back into focus and she saw Elsa looking down at her phone.

"How long will it take you to pack?"

"Umm… no more than fifteen minutes, I guess? But why?"

"If we aren't flying there, we'll have to drive. You aren't going to ride some disgusting bus across the country."

Greyhound buses weren't that disgusting but they were damn uncomfortable to sit in for hours at a time and nearly impossible to sleep on so Anna wasn't about to stubbornly insist on buying an expensive ticket.

"Please start packing. We might be able to avoid the worst of the traffic if we leave now." Elsa slipped her phone back into a pocket.

"I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." A few sets of clothes, toiletries, laptop and Wacom drawing tablet would be quick to pack. Her laptop case and old duffel bag should still be under the bed.

"Don't forget to pay your cell bill."

"Umm… we'll be driving together, right. There's no need for-"

"We're traveling cross country," her sister interrupted before Anna could finish making excuses, "you'll need your phone in case anything happens."

Goodbye to looking like a self-sustaining adult.

"I can't afford it." Embarrassment heated her face.

"What?"

"Two potential clients canceled last month. Something about doing it cheaper themselves." Great. Now Elsa would know that not only was she broke but she sucked at getting work.

"I'll pay for it then."

"What? No way!" After her first year of college, Anna had been paying her own way.

"We will be traveling together but you never know what might happen. Just let me pay the damn bill."

"Fine." Anna turned in her chair and logged into her AT&T account, privately promising to pay back every penny, then angrily marched over to her bed to begin packing.


Elsa paused the podcast Anna had put on when they started driving, snores from the passenger could be heard over the car's engine and she smiled. Some things never changed. Memories came back of always needing to have a book in the car for when, inevitably, her little sister fell dead asleep in the car.

The meditative act of driving and the silence allowed Elsa time to think. Traveling alone with Anna was unequivocally a bad idea and knew it the second she suggested it. Every suppressed emotion came roaring back with a vengeance when her sister answered the door in an old stained T-shirt and shorts. Eyes kept flicking down to stare and reminding her why she stayed away. If only Elsa hadn't seen Anna in that skin tight green dress at her sister's graduation, then maybe she could have continued to ignore her feelings.

They passed a sign welcoming them to Arizona.

One state down and far too many to go. Elsa, grateful for the wonders of cruise control, shifted into a more comfortable position. Driving cross country never occurred to her until she saw Anna's reaction to the mere suggestion of flying. She had always assumed it only happened in books that someone could go visibly pale. But now she was a believer and never wanted to see that again.

A beep came from the passenger seat.

Ever since Anna's phone had been reactivated, a steady stream of notifications sounded as friends found out and messaged her. When Elsa paid the overdue bill, she set her credit card as the primary payment method. Hopefully it wouldn't be noticed for a while.

Or never.

Never would be good, if totally impossible, but she could hope for never.

Guilt gnawed at remembering the empty cupboards and beat up furnishings. Elsa would just have to put aside her feelings and be the big sister Anna needed.

Before that, she'd need to survive this trip.


The gentle bobbing of the sailboat didn't bother Anna. What did bother her was that she had no clue how to operate the vessel and land was nowhere in sight. Pale arms wrapped around her from behind and she felt a deliciously soft body press up against her. Suddenly, she didn't care about not being able to see land.

"Annaaaa…" lips brushed against her ear.

"Hmmm?" Anna brought a hand up and combed through silky, pale blonde hair.

"Annaaaa, time to wake up."

"What?"

"Time to wake up, sleepy head."

Ocean waves faded from sight and the body behind her flattened into a firm cushion. A hand shook her shoulder.

"Anna, wake up."

Sleepy eyes blinked open and the car's interior came into view.

It had been a while since she had a dream like that. Luckily, they had once been fairly common and any embarrassment Anna might have felt was no longer an issue. Now she only felt disappointment at waking up to the lonely reality.

"Where are we?"

"Glendale, Arizona. I searched for a decent sandwich place when I stopped for gas and Yelp suggested this place." Elsa reached into the back seat and grabbed her bag.

Sandwich Masterz. Anna disregarded the stupid name when she saw the steady flow of people leaving the small shop in this strip mall with take out bags indicating the food to be decent.

The driver side door closed and she hurriedly joined Elsa.

Her stomach growled at the first whiff of bread, onions, and mustard, the seemingly universal smell of sandwich shops everywhere. One package of Top Ramen for two meals did not exactly fill her up yesterday. Every sandwich on the handwritten menu sounded amazing.

"Which one are you getting?"

"The Booky, no, My Wife's Beautiful Disaster, no, Candle in the Window, no, The Booky. Definitely The Booky." A salami, pepperoni, and cheddar cheese sandwich would hit the spot perfectly.

"Why don't you find us a table and I'll order."

"I can buy my own meal." At the moment. Probably not on the return trip but she'll figure it out then.

"You can buy dinner."

Anna begrudgingly nodded, her stomach winning against her head, then turned to find a free table and sent up a prayer that they'd find a cheap diner.

Less than ten minutes later, Elsa set down two plastic baskets with their sandwiches and chips.

"That was quick."

"They have four employees making sandwiches. Do you want a Sprite?" She held up the empty drink cup.

"Yes, please."

After Elsa returned with their drinks, they eagerly dug into their sandwiches.

"So, Elsa…" curious blue eyes met her and Anna's mind went blank.

"Yes?"

"Are you still with Smith, Brown, and Martinez?" Stupid question. She knew the answer already but Anna's stalled brain could only think to ask that.

"Yes."

Okay. That was a non-starter.

Did Elsa still read everything she could? Did she follow sports now? Did she have any hobbies outside of work? According to Facebook she didn't.

"Have you seen dad lately?" A nice, safe, neutral topic.

"I haven't seen father since…" Elsa tilted her head in thought. "Since his birthday last year."

His birthday? His birthday in February of last year? Even she had seen him since then, she didn't particularly like the man.

"Why?" So not a safe topic of conversation if Anna read her sister's expression correctly.

"We didn't see eye to eye on a particular topic and he isn't home often."

Anna snorted. Understatement of the year. He probably only had a home in California to have an address to send things to.

"Where is he now?"

"England for two more weeks then France for a month."

What she wouldn't give to have the money he spent on one of his trips. It would pay her rent for a year and then some.

"What about you? Where do you work?"

"Ah. Well, I'm… between jobs right now."

"Between jobs? Where did you work then?"

"McDonalds. It wasn't a good fit." More like she quit in a righteous fury after being told to delay her lunch, again, by an hour and that she'd need to stay longer without any extra breaks because they had a call out.

"That's for the best. Now you're free to get a real job. Those freelance commissions can't pay very well."

"It pays well enough." Her temper flared. "Not everyone has daddy get them a job."

Anna swore she saw hurt pass over Elsa's feature before anger set in.

"Not everyone goofed off in college and received a useless degree in art. Some of us care about our future."

"Some of us enjoy our life."

"And some of us can pay our bills."

Silence.

That one hurt. Anna tried her best to fully support herself and while it didn't always go perfectly, things did eventually work out.

"Let's finish lunch and get back on the road." Elsa said, voice subdued and eyes down, discomfort coming off in waves.

"Okay."


Elsa leaned her elbows on the table and rubbed her temples. Almost eight hours of not talking, just listening to episode after episode of the podcast Lore between stops at gas stations. Now they were in Van Horn, Texas in the first restaurant they found open and spent a whole meal in uncomfortable silence.

That last comment at lunch just slipped out. She knew her sister had to be doing her best, Anna didn't seem to know how to not give it her all in everything she did. Being hurt did not excuse her lashing out. It seemed she was more like Agnarr than she liked to believe. There was no way for her sister to know how much pressure Agnarr had put, and continued to put, on Elsa to work at a firm of his choosing.

"Here's the check, sweetheart." The waitress's Texas drawl and term of endearment charmed rather than irritated her. Elsa handed over her credit card before she left.

Sounding like she didn't respect Anna's work as a freelance artist had not been her intention. Her sister's immense talent had Elsa eagerly awaiting each new post to the Instagram account she secretly stalked. She herself worked in fast food restaurants while in college to have extra spending cash for the times Agnarr "forgot" to deposit money in her account for groceries after an argument.

The stingy pay and atrocious hours must be affecting her sister's ability to look for clients.

At this point her thoughts were just spiraling around her guilt at messing things up. Instead Elsa pulled out her phone to study their route while she waited for Anna to return from the bathroom and for the credit card receipt.

The chair across from her made a scraping sound.

"There doesn't seem to be much of anything for quite a while. It's probably best if we stay here for the night." Elsa didn't look up, embarrassingly afraid to check if Anna was still angry. "I don't know how much longer I can drive and we're both tired. We can get an early start tomorrow."

"Okay."

Elsa winced at the somber response.

"Here you go, sweetheart." The waitress put down the black billfold with her credit card sticking out the top. "Sign the top copy and the bottom one is yours. Thank you ladies for dining at Boots and Scoops."

"Thank you." Elsa signed the bill, added a generous tip considering the late hour, and handed the billfold back minus her card and receipt.

"Have a nice evening!" A smile and the waitress moved on to another table.

"I thought I was paying for dinner."

Damn it. She had hoped Anna forgot.

"The ice cream parlor part of this place is still open. I thought you could buy us dessert." Elsa tended to only eat dessert at work functions but it would be far cheaper to buy ice cream than a full meal.

"Ooookaaaay." Anna's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I didn't think you enjoyed dessert."

Busted.

"Who doesn't enjoy dessert? Come on, I hear a waffle cone calling my name."


They pulled up in front of a Holiday Inn Express and Elsa hit the button to turn off the engine. Anna wondered if there would be a Motel 6 nearby, a place she could actually afford or maybe she could sleep in the car.

"I'll get us a room." A big yawn.

"I can get my own room." Lie. Maybe if they had a cardboard box to rent out she could.

"Listen," Elsa leaned back and angrily grabbed her bag, "I'm tired. I have to get a room anyway and it doesn't make sense to get two."

"But-"

"Quiet!"

Never had she heard Elsa this furious.

"I know you don't have much money but I do. This trip is going to feel even fucking longer if you keep fighting against me. Every! Damn! Time!"

The driver side door slammed shut and she watched Elsa stomp to the hotel's front entrance.

"Shit."

Anna leaned forward and rested her forehead against the dashboard.

She messed up.

Elsa was nothing like their dad. The man never attended a single school function even when she pleaded for him to come, couldn't remember her birthday but stopped child support payments the day she turned eighteen despite still having one more year of high school left, and even refused to pay for her college unless she majored in what he wanted her to. In contrast, the second Anna told her sister she couldn't fly Elsa looked up how long it would take them to drive, remembered Sprite was the only soda she drank, and kept paying for things without even the slightest hint of expecting any kind of repayment.

Did her stubborn pride have to rear its ugly head now? Borrowing from friends didn't bother her and she didn't from mom only because of her fixed retirement income. But she couldn't accept Elsa's unexpectedly outstretched helping hand. A question floated up from the deepest part of her mind where she buried it years ago.

Why did Elsa abandon her?

The click of the driver's side door opening stopped her thoughts and she sat up.

"We're in room 337." Elsa leaned over the seat to snag the car keys sitting in an empty cup holder. "Get your bags."

Anger positively radiated off Elsa. Anna silently collected her bags and followed her sister.

Once in the room, Anna walked straight to the thermostat to get it cooling then placed her bags on the bed closest to the large windows overlooking the parking lot and highway.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?" Elsa continued to rummage through her small suitcase and didn't look up.

"Would it bother you if I set up my laptop on the desk? A new client emailed me earlier and I'd like to get a few rough sketches down."

"Not at all." Finally, Elsa looked up and gave her a tentative smile. She looked thoroughly exhausted as though the last thirty minutes had actually been a week.

Guilt assaulted Anna.

"Ummm… can I use your toothpaste? I don't have any."

"Of course." Another exhausted smile as she held out the tube of Colgate.

"Thank you." Brushing without toothpaste just didn't feel right and after running out three days ago, this almost felt like a minty treat and Elsa smiled at her twice that night. Perhaps things could work out.

Hope returned to her heart.


Mozart played softly over the car speakers. Even Elsa couldn't drive this long in total silence. The day started bright and early by checking out of their room at seven that morning, grabbing a quick bite to eat at a local diner, then hitting the road towards Fort Worth. Luckily, she remembered the silvery Sherpa blanket in the trunk bought last week but kept forgetting to bring it into the house. Anna gratefully covered herself with the blanket, reclined her seat, muttered something about not making the same mistake twice, and promptly fell asleep not five minutes into the drive.

After driving for hours in a stretch and only seeing empty exits without a single building visible, Elsa decided to play it safe and stop at a Flying J truck stop to fill up the half-empty tank. Between not knowing how late Anna stayed up working and their early morning wake up call, it was unsurprising she slept through filling up the tank and parking in front of the station's store.

The chalkboard sign advertising the lunch special gave her pause.

"Spaggeti and 'meatballs'".

She didn't know what disturbed her more the misspelling or the quotation marks. Either way, at least Anna still slept or she'd probably get the lunch special to see.

One Sprite and bag of Red Vines for Anna, one Diet Coke and tube of Pringles for her, and Elsa buckled her seatbelt before checking to see how much longer until they'd hit Fort Worth. A little over three hours. They were making good time.

Her sister would love to have BBQ for lunch in a few hours and a quick Google search found a place with decent reviews. After inputting the address into her phone's GPS, she started the car. BBQ would not be her first, or even fourth, choice for lunch but guilt over losing her temper so thoroughly last night still ate at her. It didn't matter how fatigued she'd been, it didn't excuse the way she yelled to Anna.

A glance to the passenger seat.

Inspiration to work harder and be better slept soundly next to her.


The mechanical whirl of the parking brakes engaging woke Anna up. She yawned and stretched out her neck, the satisfying vibration of vertebrae shifting back into place vibrated along her jaw. Lunch had been delicious and she had eaten far too much that sent her into a food coma for the last… she looked at the car's clock.

Whoa. It was almost midnight, she slept for six hours.

Looked like finally eating regular meals and not constantly monitoring where every nickel went allowed her to catch up on the sleep she'd been missing for the past month.

"Where are we?" Anna's brain caught up with her surroundings. "And why are we at McDonald's?"

"Jackson, Mississippi and McDonald's is the only place open." Elsa slumped against the steering wheel. "We'll eat then find a hotel. I can't drive anymore tonight."

"Let me drive."

"Hmm?"

"We'll eat then I'll drive and you can sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"I've been passed out all day so I could. What's the point of having two drivers if we don't switch?" Worries over how to pay for this unexpected trip and her mom kept her up most of yesterday, a mistake if they wanted to get to Georgia quickly.

Elsa looked about ready to argue.

"Come on, you can count on me."

"I know."

The immediate response sent a flutter of happiness through Anna.

"Were you able to get ahold of mom today?"

"No." Elsa sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Both times it went to voicemail."

Worries over their mom's condition spiked. Two days of no word and calling the number their mom's friend called from had been useless - a pay phone that didn't allow incoming calls.

"Let's eat quickly and get back on the road. Or we can eat in the car?"

"Ugh. No. Being stuck smelling stale McDonald's the rest of the trip sounds nauseating."

"Fair," Anna laughed. "Let's go eat, sleepyhead."

The meal, fast and quick, had been a bit unsatisfying compared to their others but it did the trick and they returned to the car full.

Apparently the three inch high difference between them translated into Anna needing to adjust every setting the driver seat had including the position of the steering wheel.

"You can save the settings under the second driver button in the door." Elsa's barely awake voice betrayed just how exhausted she was. "Just hold it down until it beeps."

Anna took quiet glee to be writing over whoever's settings happened to be there before.

"Ummm… how do I start this thing?"

"Push on the brake and then hit the start button." Eyes barely open, Elsa placed her credit card in the empty cup holder, cracked open then closed the bottle of Sprite, and opened one end of the package of Red Vines. "The parking brake disengages when you put the car into gear."

Before Anna could thank her Elsa pulled the blanket up and closed her eyes.

If her sister even realized, or remembered, doing any of that she'd be surprised. The flutter of happiness exploded throughout her and emotions best left ignored threatened to break free.

A quick search for music on Elsa's phone found she had every P!ink album the artist released. Thank god she wouldn't need to rely on the radio. She started the "Truth About Love" album, set it to repeat, and pulled out of the parking space.


"Elsaaaa."

"Five more minutes." She did not want to wake up. Already the details of her dream began to fade but Elsa knew Anna had been there and everything was warm and happy.

"You said that thirty minutes ago." Amused chuckling. "We're almost in Savannah."

"I'm up. I'm up." Strains of music reached her ears. Elsa frowned. A vague memory of P!nk's album reaching her ears before falling asleep floated up to her. "Have you been listening to the same album for nine hours?"

"No complaining. Driver chooses the music."

"Since when?"

"Since always. Now, do you know what hospital mom's at?"

"No. I forgot to ask."

"I brought my key to mom's place, let's go there and see if we can find out where she is."

"Okay. I'll call mom's phone one more time."

"Use my phone." Without taking her eyes off the road, Anna fished the phone out of the cup holder and handed it over.

"What's the passcode?"

Silence.

Elsa looked over to see Anna's ear turning red.

"12-21-92."

Oh.

Her birthday.

She unlocked the phone and found their mom's number.

Voicemail.

"Hi mom, it's Elsa again. Please call us when you get this, we're about fifteen minutes from Savannah. We love you. Bye."

"Still nothing?"

"Nothing."

"To mom's we go then."


Large oak trees lined the quiet street, their branches dripping Spanish moss reaching out, casting shadows, cooling the road on what would have been an unbearably hot summer day. The area consisted mostly of retirees and with school starting last week, their grandchildren who would normally be playing outside were nowhere to be seen.

Elsa twisted her fingers together nervously. It had to be at least two years since she had seen her mom face-to-face, having constantly put work first and making flimsy excuses why they couldn't meet up. Fear of too many questions about her (lack of) love life and who she might have her eye on propelled her to keep that distance. Now, Elsa didn't know in what condition she'd find their mom. Hopefully it wasn't too late to reconnect.

"Here we are." Anna turned off the car and pulled the little button to engage the parking brake. "Shit, your car's nice."

"Since I'm going to be sitting in traffic for hours I wanted to be comfortable." Kind of. Mostly she fell in love with the dark red color.

"Mom's car is in the driveway." Anna unbuckled her seatbelt and handed the key fob over.

"Her friend probably drove it over. I think her name was Amanda? Or Abigail? Or maybe Amelia? Hopefully her number is in mom's address book."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go haul our junk inside and find mom."

The sticky humidity engulfed Elsa the moment she opened the car door. Why did their mom have to move out here? Gorgeous scenery did not make up for this climate.

A quick walk to the door and Anna let them into the blessedly cool house.

"Who's there?"

What?

"Elsa? Anna? I didn't know you were coming!" Their mom, looking unharmed, rushed forward and hugged them both at the same time.

"Mom? What's going on? Why are you here?" Confusion colored Anna's words.

"This is my home, silly. Oh." Their mom cupped both their cheeks. "My girls are here. You should have called. I'm so busy this week but I could have rescheduled some things."

"We've been calling. Why didn't you pick up?" Elsa asked up, feeling just as bewildered as her sister sounded.

"My cell phone broke and I've been too busy to replace it. Why didn't you call the house line?"

Silence.

"Ummm…" Elsa leaned closer to Anna and whispered from the side of her mouth, "did you know mom had a landline?"

"Who uses a landline these days?" She whispered back.

"You two better!" Hands on hips, she glared at them. "You live in earthquake country. You need a house phone for emergencies."

Elsa knew she had a house phone somewhere. The downstairs closet? Did it even work? She should check on that.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Anna leaned in and hugged her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"A friend of yours called me saying that you were taken by an ambulance to the hospital."

"Oh dear. Abigail didn't tell me she called you."

"What happened?" Beyond relieved to see their mom looking alright didn't fully ease her worries, Elsa needed to hear it too.

"I fell off a step stool at the Senior Center and hit my head. I was only out for maybe fifteen seconds but shhh," she stopped them from interrupting her, "but for insurance purposes they had to call an ambulance. A bump on the head and a sprained wrist is all that happened."

Tears of relief filled Elsa's eyes.

"I'm fine, babies." Their mom wrapped her arms around them again. "I'm fine. I promise."


After dinner, Anna yawned for the third time in less than a minute and struggled to keep her eyes open, the long day finally catching up to her. They both spent every second glued to their mom's side, helping her round the house, and she loathed to leave.

"Honey, why don't you two go to bed? It's a long drive from California."

"But-"

"No buts. Grab your bags and I'll show you two to the guest room."

Honestly too tired to argue, Anna picked up her things and followed Elsa and her mom down a hallway decorated with family pictures.

"I'm sorry but you two will have to share a room. I didn't know you would be visiting so only the guest room is ready. My quilting room is a disaster and not fit for guests."

The meaning behind their mom's words only registered when the guest room door opened to reveal a bright room with a dresser, small bookshelf filled with DVDs, a small desk just big enough for a laptop or to write letters, two lamps, old fashioned botany prints on the wall, and a queen sized bed.

One bed.

One bed they'd have to share.

Her and Elsa sharing a bed.

Maybe she could sleep in the car.

Elsa didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Just hugged their mom good night and sleepily stumbled into the room.

Of course Elsa wouldn't be uncomfortable. They were sisters. Only sisters.

Nothing but sisters.

Anna ignored how her chest tightened at the thought. Why hadn't she grown out of this stupid crush? Six dates, all set ups by her friends, in the last seven years and none of the guys or ladies caught her attention or made her heart race. Yet two days with a sister she only exchanged emails with for over two years and all those awkward feelings came stampeding back.

"I'm going to brush my teeth and change first." Distance. Anna needed some distance. Needed a few minutes alone to gather her scattered feelings.

"Okay. Here's the toothpaste." Elsa fished the tube out of her bag and held it out.

"Thank you." After gathering her things, she reminded herself to walk slowly and not to hurriedly flee the room.

Brush teeth, wash face, change into pajamas.

Take a deep breath.

Take another.

"You can do this. That lid will just have to go back onto your feelings. You've ignored this for years. You got this. You do. Now leave the bathroom and share that bed feeling nothing but platonic feelings."

Nope.

She didn't 'got this.'

"Shit shit shit."

Stop procrastinating.

Once she felt confident enough to return, Anna carried her dirty clothes back to the room.

"I left the toothpaste in the bathroom."

"Thanks." Elsa smiled and left with her own nighttime things.

Anna stuffed her clothes into her bag, made a mental note to do laundry, placed her laptop on the desk and plugged it in to charge, set her Wacom table on top of the closed computer, browsed the collection of DVDs, plugged in her phone to charge, and wracked her brains for other distractions away from the looming, big, scary looking bed. Perhaps she could stay up and start doing the line art for her commission. Once Elsa fell asleep, she could crawl into bed safely.

"Anna, why aren't you in bed?"

There stood Elsa in her light blue pajamas with black polka dots. Concentrating on her sister's shoulder to keep her gaze from wandering lower or higher to, Anna finally realized the black dots were actually small Mickey heads.

Cute.

"Anna?"

"I… uhhh… work. I should work on that client's commission." Not exactly true. They still needed to review the rough sketches and tell her what changes to make.

"Do you honestly want to look at a laptop screen right now?"

Hell no. The mere suggestion made her want to cry in tired frustration.

"Work will be there in the morning. You need sleep."

"But I should-"

"You almost face planted into your spaghetti at dinner. Bed. Now."

Any strength to argue fled at the embarrassing memory of Elsa grabbing her shoulder to keep her upright. Sleep definitely would be best and maybe she'd get lucky and pass out before any naughty thoughts crowded her brain.

And nodded and climbed into the wonderfully soft, and not moving, bed.

The light turned off and she felt the bed dip next to her.

"Good night, Anna."

"Good night, Elsa."

Sleep overtook her quickly.


Elsa drifted slowly back into consciousness, sunlight just peaking into the room nudging her awake. Tranquility filled her senses and she pulled the warm body in her arms closer, the faint scent of sandalwood inviting her closer.

Sleep took several long moments to fully lift and when it did Elsa relaxed further into the warmth. She refused to panic and scramble off the bed. These few innocent, stolen moments holding Anna in her arms would have to sustain her when they returned to California and to their separate lives.

A deep, longing sigh.

If only they could stay like this all morning. In this moment, not understanding why or how, Elsa let go of the old feelings of shame, helplessness, and fear and embraced the feeling of completeness. She resolved to carry this love, hidden tenderly in the depths of her heart, and finally be the sister Anna needed.

No more running.

No more hiding.

No more excuses.

One last moment of bliss and Elsa pulled away, taking great pains not to disturb her sister's peaceful sleep. The fear that followed them all trip released her and she slipped out of bed to see what their mom was making in the kitchen.

"Mom?"

"Good morning, Elsa! Where's your sister?" Hashed browns sizzled on the stove.

"She's still sleeping. Can I help with anything?"

"Get these eggs ready to scramble, please."

"Sure."

Smells of breakfast cooking quickly filled the house and Elsa poured Anna a cup of coffee when she stumbled into the kitchen.

A mumble that could have been mistaken as a 'thanks' when she placed the cup and creamer on the kitchen table, a soft whisper of good morning, and she returned to help finish breakfast.

Bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, and freshly cut cantaloupe set out on the kitchen table and all three dug in.

"Do you girls plan to be here long? Unfortunately I'm incredibly busy. The Senior Center's annual fundraising party is next week and I'm in charge of it this year." Their mom frowned. "I can't ask the others to take on more work."

"It's okay, mom." Hearing their mom continued to be busy eased the last of her worries.

"That drive in such a short time couldn't possibly have been pleasant. How long do you two have off work?"

"I have eight more days of paid leave. Anna brought her laptop so she can work anywhere."

"Perfect!" Iduna clasped her hands in delight. "Since you two need to drive back anyway, why not leave tomorrow or the next day? Sight see. Spend time together. Enjoy your trip."

"Oh." Anna visibly deflated.

Elsa knew her sister, while worried about their mom, had been excited to see her after almost a year. She suspected the lack of funds and fear of flying kept her away for so long.

That sad look did not belong there.

"We could come out for Christmas." Elsa immediately began mentally counting days and planning. "If we leave on a Friday it should give us a full week. Hmmm. And we shouldn't hit any snow if we go the longer way and drive further south."

She turned to ask Anna a question and her breath caught at the soft smile.

"Or ummm…" Whatever Elsa intended to ask flew from her head. "I-I-I could buy you a ticket to visit us."

"That would be wonderful." Their mom's curious gaze darted between them. "But don't you both have work on Christmas?"

"Pssh." She waved away their mom's concerns. "I've worked Christmas week the past five years. It's someone else's turn."

"I can make it work."

Sparkling teal eyes and excited bouncing in her seat was exactly how Elsa always wanted her sister to be. No way she'd let lack of money cause Anna to miss any of the visit.

"Oh, this will be so exciting!" Iduna stood and started gathering the dishes. "Both of you for Christmas."

"I'll get the dishes, mom." Guilt squeezed her chest. Invitations to join them for holidays and offers to join her came every year. But once in high school when Elsa asked Agnarr if she could go, he coldly reminded her of her duty to make an appearance at all work events as his beautiful, happy, sociable daughter. Thank goodness she no longer had to attend those boring things anymore. She ached to get back all those lost years.

"Thank you, sweetie."

Their mom's voice pulled her from unhappy memories.

Dishes. Gather the dishes.

"Do you have work, baby?" Iduna meticulously loaded the dishwasher.

"Yeah," Anna took a sip of her cooling coffee. "I have three more sketches to finish. It should only take me three or four hours."

"In that case, mom, we're going to BestBuy and getting you a new phone."

"I suppose I should. You two haven't been the only ones trying to get hold of me." A sigh. "Though you're the only ones who didn't call the house line." This last sentence muttered so lowly that if Elsa hadn't been right next to their mom it would have gone unheard.

Just for that Elsa intended to buy the phone herself and it would be an expensive one.


Anna tapped on the Maps app on her phone for the available routes home. Noise from the hairdryer ceased and she prepared to see Elsa in those adorable pajamas again.

The click of the bedroom door opening and closing.

"Hey Elsa, you have eight days before you need to go back into the office, right?"

"Yes."

"What if we went home a different way?" Yup, the pajamas were still adorable.

"How?"

Instead of answering she handed over her phone with the way selected.

"According to the map it'll only add a few hours to the actual driving time."

Elsa studied the map then grinned.

"You want to stop at Graceland."

"Please please please. I was supposed to go before I graduated but it fell through."

"Why not? We can take our time." Swiping across the screen. "Did you see this way will take us near the Grand Canyon?"

"Really?" Memphis and how to convince her sister to stop had occupied her attention. "You wouldn't mind going again?"

"I never went." Elsa focused on the phone.

"But… why?" It didn't make sense. Before their parent's divorce they would pour over maps and plan elaborate trips. Little Elsa's favorite, and repeatedly planned destination, had been the Grand Canyon.

"I never found the time and besides…" Elsa's voice trailed off.

Anna waited.

"We were supposed to go together."

Oh.

Her heart leapt at the admission.

"Mom will be happy we actually have plans now."

"Yeah."

Phone back in hand, Anna plugged it in to charge overnight. The little gray case of charging Sony earbuds caught her eye. The cheap, white in ear headphones in her computer bag broke in Texas and the lack of music had made it hard to concentrate. With her sister and mom out of the house she played music through the even worse quality speakers on her laptop while she worked. When the two arrived back home, Elsa walked into the room, placed a box containing a pair of the silver earbuds on the desk, then walked out with a blush high on her cheeks.

Elsa did not mention the thoughtful gift but continued to do little things for her like bringing a bowl of grapes for her to snack on and gathering both their clothes to clean.

How could she not be smitten?

"It's a nine hour drive to Memphis, we should get to bed."

"Sounds good." Even with a full night's sleep and only working four hours that day, Anna felt she could pass out for a week.

In the dark, Anna's wandering mind latched onto an insecurity she thought rearing its ugly head the past few days. This had been the longest, continuous time they'd spent together as adults. Would asking remind Elsa why she stayed away and ruin things again?

"What is it, Anna?"

"Oh, nothing." Her sister better not be able to read minds or this trip would be getting incredibly uncomfortable with where her thoughts had been straying lately.

"Anna…"

The nearly pitch dark room would make it easy to fake being asleep.

"Anna, please talk to me."

Or not.

"Why…" Nervousness trickled through her. "Why did you abandon me?"

"What?" Elsa clicked on her bedside lamp and turned to her, eyes wide with confusion.

"When mom and dad told us they were getting divorced, you immediately said you wanted to go with dad. We were supposed to stay together. Then I hardly ever saw you. Did something happen? Did…" Anna swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Elsa pulled her close.

In an instant, and without any conscious thought, Anna felt herself relax into the warm embrace, the familiar scent of roses tickling her nose.

"God, no. Anna, I love you. You did absolutely nothing wrong. That wasn't why I…" Words stopped and Anna could feel Elsa struggling.

She waited.

"I overheard them agreeing to a divorce. Father refused to pay child support for two kids but didn't want to be responsible for both of us."

Anna buried her face in her sister's neck; both dreading and needing to hear everything.

"You were only five. Father wasn't… isn't… the best person. I knew you needed to go with mom."

"You left." She hopelessly clung to her swinging emotions.

"Father didn't really allow me to make decisions on my own. I was required to attend extra lessons and have perfect grades. I just," she sighed and tightened her hold until it verged on pain. "I just got used to it and stopped asking to visit."

"I needed you." Tears slowly fell, wetting the collar of Elsa's pajama top. How could that man, who once claimed to love them, do that to her sister and separate them?

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Apologies tripped over themselves.

Little things fell into place. How Elsa didn't visit but would respond to any email within minutes. How she'd politely decline gifts but always send her a box at Christmas filled with chocolate oranges, microwave popcorn, and a gift card for a year of Netflix. How it would have been effortless to fly across the country but drove instead.

Elsa continued to clutch her close.

Things would be different.


"Do you have all your charging cords?"

"Yes, mom."

"Do you have your snacks and water?"

"Yes, mom."

"Do you have cash?"

"Yes, mom."

"Do you-"

"Mom, I promise we're fine." Elsa ignored Anna's stifled laughter. "We have a full tank of gas, step by step directions to Memphis, charged phones, our seatbelts are buckled, and we won't take candy from strangers.

"Ha ha. I'm your mother. I'm allowed to fuss over my girls."

"I know but we need to get going or we'll get there very late."

"Call me when you arrive."

"We will, mom." More giggles.

Elsa decided her sister took far too much delight seeing her flounder under the excessive care.

"Drive safely and let Anna take over when you get tired."

"Yes, mom. Love you, mom. Bye, mom." Easing off the brake and away from the curb, Elsa's weary sigh sounded particularly loud in the silent car. "Is she always like that?"

"Yup."

She could not drum up the effort to be annoyed at Anna's amused delight or their mom's loving concern. Regret from keeping her distance over the years pushed its way into her thoughts. Panic over a miscommunication about their mom and letting things fester so long with Anna had Elsa resolving to change.

To hell with it all.

Being there for Anna took precedence over her own romantic feelings and if Agnarr continued to dislike her spending time with her sister and mom, he could go fuck himself right off a cliff. Elsa was categorically done with his bullshit.

"Yay!" Beeps from the car's entertainment system. "There's an Elvis station on here. Now we're ready for Graceland."

"I thought the driver got to choose the music."

"Nope."

"…it's Anna that gets to choose the music?"

"I knew my big sister was smart."

Elsa smiled and merged onto the highway.