Hans almost laughed. She was still wearing the dress and shoes he'd gotten for her. It seemed like a joke, how the same insufferable woman kept popping up. But Hans just glared as she babbled out in equal surprise her reasons for turning up at his door. He stared over her shoulder at the fluffy snow drifting down from the cloudy evening sky, finding it difficult to focus as she spoke. He couldn't quite muster up much sympathy.

"…and trust me, I didn't want to run into you again either…"

Well, at least she knew the feeling was mutual. He crossed his arms as he leaned against the door frame, unblinking. He was pleased to notice she shivered, probably unnerved by his apathy.

"But the fact of the matter is, you're in my house. I know it probably sounds ridiculous to you. It's…"

His frown deepened as she went on to explain something about how she'd been swindled out of her own home. Either the woman was a complete idiot, or she thought Hans was. Actually, she had to be a fool to think he believed her, so that would make it both.

"…my own cousin. Well, her and her scumbag boyfriend. Anyway, sorry, too much information. I'll need to talk to the lawyer. And of course, I apologize for the inconvenience to you—"

"I'm going to stop you right there," he interrupted, holding his hand up. Anna trailed off and blinked speechlessly back and forth between his hand and his face.

Still, on the off chance that she was telling the truth…

He highly doubted it, but it would be better to check with his manager. His mouth turned up in frustration as he stepped aside to let her in. Anna walked past him, the relief in her eyes betraying her misinterpretation.

Talk to Gene first.

"Thank you," Anna said softly as she hung back in the entrance foyer.

Hans did not even look at her as he strode past her and into the living room to get his phone. He heard her footsteps follow.

"Um…"

He held his hand up again to shush Anna as he dialed Gene's number, tired of her prattling. The line rang three times before Gene picked up.

"Hans, baby!" Gene answered, his voice as bubbly as champagne. "How do you like the new house? Tres magnifique, am I right?"

"Yes, Gene, it's great—"

"BOOM! Another win. Could not have found a better price for the fjord district, my friend. The seller practically gave it away. She must have been desperate."

Hans glanced back darkly at Anna, who stood awkwardly at the center of the living room now.

"Yes, well, about that…"

"And to think! You were worried about not seeing the place—"

"Gene. Listen. There's a problem."

"But I told you, Hans baby. Leave it to Genie. Your wish is my command."

There was a slight pause in which Gene finally registered Hans's news, then a mangled shriek of realization. His manager hated when Hans wasn't totally happy with something. That was one great thing about Gene.

"Did you just say problem?! Problem?! What problem?!"

As Hans delved into the sad story Anna had just shared with him, or at least the parts he hadn't spaced out on, Gene gasped and groaned. He asked Hans to 'sit tight' for a moment so that he could look over the closing statement for the house in addition to other documents. A moment later, he came back to the phone with good news.

"Look, Hans. From what I can tell, this is a solid contract. I'll check with the lawyer, but the house is definitely yours. The young lady is just going to have to take up her troubles with her cousin or whoever. It's not your problem. Okay?"

Hans breathed out in relief.

"Thanks, Gene. That's all I needed to hear. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"You got it, baby."

A victorious grin crept over Hans's lips as he turned to face Anna. Now at least he could get rid of her in good conscience.

"Look. I checked, and everything's in order with the house." He was proudly immune to her wounded puppy-dog stare. For all he knew, her story was completely fabricated.

"Ah!"

Her sudden exclamation startled him. She squatted down next to her suitcase and quickly unzipped it, digging around inside until she pulled out a small laptop. She held it up to show him as if he would understand her private epiphany. He only raised his eyebrow at the fact that she was still squatting.

"I can pay you back with this!" she exclaimed cheerily.

Hans scoffed. "What, an old laptop?"

Anna stood and shook her head, clutching the device to herself as if it were precious. "No! I mean, there's a novel on here… I'll give you the profits from that once I publish it. I can even give you the rights…"

"Oh?" He feigned an impressed tone. Was she serious? "I don't doubt your ability to make up stories, but right now I just want you out of my house."

She stiffened and scrutinized the furniture.

"My father built this house for my mother," she said, finally looking at him again. "I grew up here with my sister and my cousin. I… have so many memories here."

Hans looked away and tuned out her sorrowful voice, waiting for a decent pause. It came as she sniffed and broke down crying.

This time, her tears wouldn't work on him. He quickly moved toward her, grabbing her arm in one hand and her suitcase in the other as he pushed her along toward the front door. She squawked in confusion. Obviously she'd thought she could trick him again.

Too bad.

He kept her from falling as she stumbled through the foyer. There was no need for her to get hurt. He just wanted her gone.

Hans opened the door and, though he tried to be gentle, firmly pushed the woman out of his house, along with her baggage. Anna cried out as her suitcase hit the ground, but Hans slammed his door shut behind her.

He heard her wailing on the other side, but he stepped away from the door and ignored it. He had to set clear boundaries to stop her from bothering him again.

Enough was enough.

Birdsong woke him the following morning. It was so peaceful compared to the honking, buzzing traffic he was used to at his old apartment; the temptation was too great not to sleep in another half hour, and he felt refreshed from the improved sleep.

Gene had been right. This place would be good for him.

When he lost count of the number of alarms that went off on his phone, he sat up and stretched his arms high above his head, then behind him. It was finally time to get up. But he could take his time, at least. He didn't have to be anywhere until late afternoon.

He took a minute to take in his surroundings. The place felt more like a home than his old cramped apartment ever could. He smiled at the huge poster of himself above his headboard; the photograph had been taken at his first concert after the release of his second album. He'd worn a uniform much like a Victorian naval officer's, which had been a huge hit with the audience. Was that already four years ago?

He glanced around at the other framed photographs and artwork in the room. There were a couple of his family, though he tried not to look too long at those. He smiled at one of himself with Kris after graduation. The photograph had been folded to exclude the third person from the frame, but Hans didn't dwell too much on that.

He hopped out of bed and took a quick shower before frying up some eggs in coconut oil. He gulped down a few chunks of pineapple and a cup of black coffee afterwards; the latter was meant to make him more alert.

As he sat at the breakfast table while drinking his coffee, his eyes wandered about the lower level of the house. Once again, he took a moment to appreciate Gene's good taste. Unfortunately, his good mood soured when he went to rinse out his coffee mug and his gaze fell upon a certain aquamarine gift bag on the island counter.

"I'm still mad you didn't tell me you were going to Japan! I'd have asked for a souvenir."

He scowled and pulled out the string of pearls inside the bag. He'd bought them specially for Ariel in Osaka.

"Look what Kristoff got me! You can hear the ocean waves when you hold it up to your ear!"

Hans closed his fist around the pearls until his knuckles whitened. Kristoff wasn't even trying to win Ariel's heart and he was able to make her happy. Who was Hans kidding?

He stuffed the pearls back into their gift bag and dropped them into the little trash bin in the corner between the kitchen and the breakfast room.

There. That was better. In a way, it was good that he never got the chance to embarrass himself with the gift to Ariel. An ornamental sea shell was one thing, but jewelry? The meaning behind his gift would have just made the dinner even more awkward.

A certain tearful redhead came to mind as he remembered said dinner.

Hans groaned. There was nothing to feel sorry for. She'd swindled him!

A run would do him good. He needed to blow off some steam. He dashed upstairs for a quick change into tech pants and two long-sleeved shirts. He threw on warm socks and his running jacket with gloves ready in the pockets, already cheering up by the time he mixed and gulped down his pre-workout drink. He headed out the front door, eager to explore his new neighborhood.

The singer stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the familiar form curled up on the bench out front. She had a jacket draped as a blanket over herself.

If only he were imagining that strawberry blonde hair. But no, it was definitely Anna.

He stormed up to the bench, his anger bolstering with each step until he stopped and towered over her.

"You're still here?!" he yelled. "Are you crazy?! Get up!"

She stirred from her sleep, slowly sitting up. She turned and looked at him with heavy bags under her eyes, mumbling through a coughing fit.

"I don't feel well…"

Hans shook his head. "Fine, but sleeping outside in the dead of winter isn't going to help. You're lucky last night was a warmer one."

Anna nodded in a daze and kept staring into space. Was she even listening?

He waved his hand in font of her and snapped his fingers to get her attention. "I want you gone before I get back. Understood?"

Anna nodded again. This time, he was satisfied that she'd heard him. He ran out of the gate without looking back.

He took the path along the beach. It didn't go all the way around the fjord. After a couple of miles, the land rose up at a forested incline. There weren't many other houses close to the water, just the two or three that he could see. His new home would give him far more privacy than he expected. Between this pleasant discovery, the exercise and the crisp outdoor air, his spirits lifted.

He waited another twenty minutes before heading back to the house. It was just enough time to break into a healthy sweat, to get a good sense of the surrounding area and to give Anna enough time to clear off.

He didn't know whether to be surprised or not when, upon arriving back at the front gate, he found Anna had fallen asleep again on the bench. Less furious now and more just impatient, he tapped her shoulder. When he got no response, he tried shaking her. But this didn't wake her either.

"Hey."

Not a peep.

"Hey!"

He checked her neck for a pulse. It was there, but she was ice cold. Maybe it'd been colder throughout the night than he realized. He sighed and bent to pick her up and carry her into the house, ignoring the impulse to drop her into the snow and see if that might wake her. He had to admit, something seemed wrong with her.

Once inside, he laid her down on the couch and wrapped her in every throw blanket in sight. When she was tightly bundled in five layers, he checked her forehead again. It was hot compared to where he'd felt her neck. He frowned as he left her for a moment and came back with a thermometer. Just as he feared, she'd come down with a fever.

"Hey," he nudged her as he knelt beside her. This time, Anna opened her eyes. There was a moment of surprise when she realized she was back in the house, but she was too weak to react. "You need to see a doctor. You're sick."

Anna groaned and shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Please… just let me sleep a little, and I'll be fine…"

Hans held back a biting response. She wasn't faking it. It wouldn't kill him to let her nap a short while… right? He wasn't happy with the idea, but he wasn't a monster.

"Is there someone you can call?" he asked. But she'd already passed out again, leaving him to frown in thought.

He looked around and suddenly realized he'd left her suitcase outside. He ran out for it and set it next to the couch. After a quick glance to make sure Anna's eyes were still closed, he rummaged around in the bag. He hoped to find a cellphone or address book. Instead, his hand knocked against a rectangular object bundled up in some fabric. He slowly pulled this out and unfolded a carefully wrapped scarf to find a framed photograph. Both the glass and frame, comprised of jeweled snowflakes, had cracked. As he recalled tossing the suitcase out after her, he suddenly didn't feel too great about himself…

He held the photograph closer, his eyes widening at a younger, happier Anna shown standing with another woman in front of his new house. So, she might be telling the truth. But that wasn't what shocked him. What shocked him was that the other woman in the photograph was the late model, Elsa Frost.

"Frost…" he murmured.

"I grew up here with my sister and cousin."

Hans ran his finger across the damaged frame, stunned. So Anna was either the model's sister or cousin? He narrowed his eyes and turned back toward the couch, comparing the slumbering redhead to the platinum blonde in the photo. There was a tiny, microscopic resemblance, he supposed. He inched closer to study Anna's long eyelashes, the way her bangs lay on her forehead, her rosy cheeks and the freckles which dotted her face. Were those even a couple of freckles on her lips? He drew in closer to see…

"Elsa!"

Hans started and leaped back when Anna called out in her sleep. He looked down at the photo again. Whatever their relation, it was clear that both Elsa and the house meant a great deal to her.

He sighed and re-wrapped the picture before stuffing it deep into the suitcase. He'd just pretend he never saw it. It wasn't any of his business.

Irritated by the growing pity he felt for Anna, Hans sat on the floor facing the couch and watched her sleep as he debated what to do next.