~ A Christmas Carol ~
"Plague and damnation! Can't they see that…"
«… I'm trying to run a business here?» Jackson mocked perfectly the movie quote while he was sitting on the sofa.
Elsa, slightly moved by his weight, scowled at him «You are not funny»
«Come on, you know every quote too» said Jack, giving her a cup of cocoa «Drink this, Rudolph, you will be better»
When she understood that he's was referring to her cold, red nose deserved him a sharp look «It's Christmas Eve, dearie, there are traditions to be respected»
«Bleket's traditions» he said, drinking his cocoa «But you are an Overland, now»
«I'm sorry…» said her sadly.
«About what?» asked him confused.
«This year was your family turn: I know how much you love Christmas Eve with the big dinner, funny games… but I have this stupid cold, you had to stay here with me and lose everything» explained Elsa, guilty.
Jackson moved quickly and gave her a warm hug «Wait, wait… don't be silly: I wasn't forced to stay here with you, I would never leave you alone on Christmas Eve. We will have all the time of the world to stay with my family, ok?»
Elsa nodded, not completely convinced, and sniffed a bit.
«Well, stop sadness» tried to hearten her, giving her a clean tissue and a nasal spray «Or, I swear, I will switch over»
Finally, she smiled «You are so stupid, Overland…»
«Said it:» he challenged «This is one of the reasons you married me»
«It could be… e… e… etciù!»
« … Thanks» said Jack, trying to clean himself with a hand and being theatrical disgusted «Let finish this movie»
She laughed a little bit and cuddled up to his shoulder «Deal…»
It was cold, terrible cold… why on heart she was freezing? She was burning, she felt it. Her breath was broken, her chest was so heavy that risked suffocating her. Elsa woke up, suddenly, in a cold sweat: that damned flu didn't want to let her go and, in addition to that, she ended her tissue stock.
«Jack…» called in the dark, trying to ask him to give one of his «Jackson?» asked again, alarmed since he wasn't answering. She moved her hand on the bed and found it empty. Confused by that rude awakening and by the fever, she started to be distressed: she tried to turn on the lamp on the nightstand but with no success, she trembled for the cold and curled up near the headboard, covering up as much as she could.
Then she heard it: a strange creak coming from the floor below, she bleached out.
«Jack» whispered again in the darkness, while fear was drawing creepy shadows on the wall and that noise was nearer and nearer: someone was going up the stairs. «Jack, where are you?»
Suddenly, a scary monster stood in front of the open door: she barely choked a scream, bouncing on the bed.
Then a flashlight turned on into the darkness «Bleeekeeet, tonight youuuuu will be visited by three spiiiirits»
The heart attack stopped once she recognized her husband under that pile of cloth.
«You, moron!» yelled at him, firing a pillow at full speed and hitting him with no mercy.
The other burst out laughing out loud.
«I'll kill you!» she moved towards him «You scared me to death!» she tried to hit him several times but her weakness turned soon her murderous assault into a clumsy one.
Jack smiled, without doing any resistance «Calm down, Tyson… you're looking a little worse for wear»
Elsa mumbled something else, but her last energies were off and started to feel a little dizzy.
«Hey, hey…» her husband assisted her, helping Elsa to get back to bed «Lie down here» he offered his side, not affected by sweats of fever «I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you so much…»
«Not so much? Really? You also turned off the electricity!»
«Ah, no… that was really cut. Look!» he said, showing her a shin with a big bruise «I hit the dresser: I swore like crazy, you didn't even notice» in the light of the flashlight he smiled again.
«May I know where you were going in the middle of the night? You won't really woke up to do this stupid joke, I hope»
«This is offensive!» said Jackson, putting a hand on his chest «I went down for another reason, then I saw the blanket on the sofa… I couldn't resist»
Elsa rolled her eyes «And you had this fantastic idea to let me have a heart attack… let's hear: which was this urgent reason?»
Jack glanced at his pajama pocket and took out a dark red box «I went to get the gift Santa brought to you»
For the first time since she woke up, Elsa smiled accepting it «Why didn't you wait tomorrow morning?»
«I wanted to give it to you on Christmas Eve… this is another Overland's tradition»
«I like it» approved her, opening the box «It's beautiful» exclaimed, with no breath, in front of the sparkling of a snowflake studded with crystals tied to a thin silver chain.
«Do you like it, Snowflake? I know, they are not diamonds… since I can't afford…»
An unexpected kiss stopped his claptrap before it could even start.
«It's absolutely perfect» she reassured him «Thanks. However, yours…»
«It's under the Christmas Tree, I know… I'll open it tomorrow morning» he anticipated, winking at her, earning another hug.
«What was that?» Elsa trembled, hearing again a suspected noise coming from the ground floor.
«I don't know» said Jack, widening his eyes.
More bustle and strange mutterings were becoming closer and more dangerous.
She glared at him «If it's another of your jokes… you'll pay for it»
But Jackson's fear was real «I swear to you: this time I have nothing to do with it». He hid protectively his wife behind his back, turning towards the door, ready to defend his family.
Suddenly something fell down on the landing, more looking like a well-known tire man than a thief or a monster.
«May I know why the lights aren't working in this house?» complained the stranger «Is there no way to do a surprise to a sick sister without risk the neck?»
«Anna?» said Elsa stunned, once the identity of the unexpected guest was finally discovered. She stole the flashlight from her husband and moved to help her to get up.
«Surprise!» exclaimed her younger sister, showing a big smile and her red cheeks due to the outside cold.
«Are you out of your mind? You scared us!» Elsa blamed her with an accusing finger pointed straight at her nose.
«That wasn't my intention, who imagined that the electricity was off?»
Jack joined them «I told you: giving her a double key was a terrible idea»
Anna scowled at him «You're not funny» she said, in a way so similar to his wife that caused a cold shiver down his spine «This was clearly an emergency, I can't avoid visiting my sick sister on Christmas night»
«You could warn us, at least…» Jackson challenged, more attached to his pride than to his life.
«It wouldn't be a surprise» snorted the other, with five-year-old girl logic.
«Calm down, you two…» said Elsa «Jack: Anna had no bad intensions…» she explained, while her sister gave a victorious glance at her brother-in-law «But Anna, the emergencies for which I left you a copy of the keys are not certainly including risk us to have a heart attack in the middle of the night»
Satisfaction disappeared from Anna's face to light upon Jack's one. Elsa sighed: she couldn't recall when she became a kindergarten teacher. «Where are Kristoff and Freja?» she changed subject.
«They are waiting in the car» explained her sister «Freja fell asleep during midnight mass»
«I would offer you to stay here in the guest room but I doubt it's a good idea, I wouldn't want to risk making you all sick»
«I fear it too, tomorrow it would be impossible to keep Freja away from her favorite aunt» said the youngest with a wink «Don't worry, I just wanted to come and say hello: I didn't want this to be the first year without wishing you a Merry Christmas in person»
«Oh, Anna ...»
«Girls…» Jack started to think to be a bit in the way «f that's okay with you, I'd take the opportunity to put our Freja's gift in the car. So, when she will wake up, she'll find it under the Tree, freshly delivered from Santa Claus and I also greet Kristoff» he left.
«He knows how to be sweet if he wants…» said Anna, now alone with her sister «But don't tell him, did you understand? He mustn't let his guard down with me»
Elsa chuckled for her sister's and husband's naivety, cause it was clear – despite their constant bickering – that they adored each other, inextricably tangled by the goal they set themselves: make her happy. Something in which they were both succeeding very well. «It would be better if you go before I can no longer resist this incredible desire of hugging you» she said, while finally the light turned on again.
«Don't you dare!» said Anna, keeping the distance from her «Since Freja is home from kindergarten and, thank God, she stopped bringing home the worst illnesses, will no certainly you ruing my Christmas holidays»
«I think I'm going to regret what I'm going to say… but thank you for coming here»
Anna melted and smiled again «Think only to be better 'cause when it will be, Freja and I will hug you so much that Jack will be forced to call the firemen to free you. Merry Christmas, Elsa»
«Merry Christmas, Anna»
Thanks for reading this, hope you enjoyed it.
This is a translation of one of my work on this wonderful ship.
English is not my native language so every suggestion to improve it will be very appreciated.
Of course Elsa and Jack were watching "A Christmas Carol" movie.
Freja, who is mentioned here, is one of my OCs coming from another fic and is my personal view on how an Anna's and Kristoff's daughter could be :)
I also thought that "Bleket" - a Norwegian word for making white - could be nice for Elsa's and Anna's second name.