Authors note: Hi, hope your all staying safe out since it seems that the virus will be here to stay for a while.
Any way, enough of me blabbering, here is the newest chapter which I am sure you will enjoy as it will have a lot of interesting things and a whole lot of fluff. :)
Nothing was better, Elsa lay next to Hans who was sleeping, both were curled up in blankets as they lay on the ground in the living room, he held her close as he pressed his head unto her hair.
What she loved about modern times? She loves a lot of things, especially the fact that she was free to show herself more, to show more affections and emotions without the need to constraint herself or to fit in a mold that society tells her.
She was free, well not truly free as she had to follow rules just like everybody else, but she was more free than before.
Suddenly Hans began to shake, moving away Elsa was worried as his shaking grew to thrashing.
"Not again" though Elsa worried as she looked at Hans shaking. He looked like he was in great distress as he thrashed around.
Moving her hand she let a shower of snowflakes fall on his forehead before allowing them to float away.
She watched as they formed a scene before her, the snowflakes formed soldiers, they were surrounding a person who was tied in a chair. The soldiers were distressed as they interrogated the person.
Finally one moved away to make a call, seemed to be important, suddenly there was a violent explosion. That soldier was thrown out the window and landed on the ground, he looked and cried.
"Oh no..." whispered Elsa as her eyes were wide at what she saw.
Explosion rang through Hans ears as he lay on the ground. The world around him was on fire, so much so he was sure he was in hell.
Slowly getting up but unable to due to his broken legs and a mangled arm, he screamed as he looked for his group, but there was nobody. Just flames and broken pieces of building all around.
They got the coordinates for a bombs that were going to be headed to different parts of the world. Was able to sent them plus instructions on how to stop them to their hq where the location can be raided and stopped before the bombs were sent through all of the world and hit all mayor political and tourist spots...
It was mission successful on paper, but not for Hans, to him he failed the mission as he was not able to save his crew.
His cries filled the area, he just could not stop, not even when other soldiers came to his aid and took him away.
All the while Hans begged and cried "Save them! Find them! Please! They can be saved! They are alive!"
They ignored his cries as they restrained him in a make shift stretcher. As he was carried away the truth sunk in. Hans had lost them, to him they were more than just a squadron or a group, they were his family, his chosen family, his only family.
Waking up Hans cried out, he pressed his hands on his face as he cried and cried, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
Why was he such a failure?!
"Hans, Hans" he heard in between cries, then flinched when he felt a hand on his bicep.
Not giving up Elsa reached again, taking Hans she gently held him against her chest, he buried himself unto her, sobbing and crying out. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him protectively as he cried, soothing him.
"Why?" He whispered, Elsa turned and looked,
"Why was I not paying better attention? If I had they would still be alive" he said in between sobs, his voice hoarse from all the crying.
"You could not have known" said Elsa,
"I should have! They trusted me! I promised them we would go back home alive!" said Hans, more tears streaming from his face.
"You did not know! You tried your best" said Elsa,
"My best was not good enough! God! Why am I such a failure!? I should be dead! They are the ones who deserved to live! Not me!" He cried.
Elsa said nothing more, just held him close as he cried. Running her hands through his back and hair in a comforting motion, letting him cry as she doubted he had ever been allowed to show such emotions before.
After a while he quiet down, it was slow, but surely. His cries tone down to soft sobs before he whispered "Horace had a wife and baby waiting for him... Adam wanted to attend his wife's graduation from her phd class... Naveen and his wife were going to open a business together that summer... Tadashi had a little brother waiting for him back home... Varian..." Hans teared up again "I promised that I would bring them back home alive, instead what I brought back were caskets with what little that was recovered... I still remember their cries... what good it was that we were able to save the world if I could not bring my men back home alive? What good it was that they had to die and be dishonored because their leader was too broken?"
Holding him close Elsa let him cry before she pressed her lips unto the top of his head before saying soothingly "Hans Westergaar. You are not a failure. You never were and you never have been. If anything its other people who have failed you and your group. Those people failed you and them. Do not dare to question that or your worth. For in life there is no person more worthy than those who are willing to make sacrifices for others" she gently took and moved his head so they were looking at one another eye to eye "You and your friends are heroes. And nothing will ever change that"
Gently Elsa ran her hands through his tear stained cheeks before guiding Hans back to the ground, tucked him into the blankets as she said "Now go to sleep, if you want you can tell me everything tomorrow, I will listen"
Hans lay there as she ran her hands through his hair, the soothing motion made him groggy as he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Elsa continued to run her hands through his hair in a soothing motion before curling up besides him and joining him in sleep.
Light clicks were heard, at first Elsa turned and buried her head into her pillow. Till a sweet aroma lured her out.
"Chocolate" hummed Elsa as she turned and watched as Hans brought over a tray with some breakfast, there was a pair of mugs full of steaming hot chocolate, bacon, strawberries, bananas and pancakes that were stuffed with chocolate.
"My favorite" said Elsa as she sat up, getting comfortable, together they ate.
"So whats the occasion?" asked Elsa as she took a strawberry,
"Do I need an occasion to do something nice for you?" asked Hans teasingly,
"Hummm depends" hummed Elsa mischievously,
"Your always doing nice things for me, I want to do the same for you my goddess",
Elsa smiled as she took a strawberry then paused before looking sadly and asking "Hans... do you... remember?".
Listening Hans lowered his own food and softly asked "I had another attack?", Elsa nodded and sadly asked "Do you want to talk about it?".
Hans though and sighted "One day... but... I don't feel ready" reaching for her hand he held it gently and said "I am sorry for being a burden", squeezing it gently Elsa smiled a little and said "You are not and will never be a burden to me, I love you and I promise we will get through this together"
Leaning in she kissed him, he kissed her back, as he did he felt calm, the worry had lifted off of his shoulders as he felt the truthfulness of her words in her actions.
From then on he promised to improve on himself, even if its bit by bit, he will beat his demons for her. To give her the man, love and life she deserved to have.
After an uneventful breakfast Hans bid Elsa goodbye as she headed back to town for business leaving him alone for the next couple of days. So he went back to work on reconstructing the house.
Focusing on the first floor Hans had finished most of it through the first four days, it did help that there was not much to be done as he wanted to preserve as much of the original features as he could.
Now the bathroom was what was taking the longest of his time and effort.
Back forth back and forth, that was what Hans did as he was finishing the final touches of the bathroom, mostly doing treatments and restorations on the bathroom furniture and pieces.
When done he would be able to work on the other floors.
"Okay, that should be it" though Hans as he finished the treatment for the claw foot bathtub leaving it all shiny and looking almost new.
Getting out of the bathroom he headed to the kitchen, on the way he removed his mask, gloves and other protective equipment. Putting them to the side he opened a cabinet to take a glass when he noticed a box.
"Did not notice that before" though Hans as he reached and took the box, opening it he looked inside to find keys, a lot of them, they were old iron or metal keys used back then during the 1800's or so.
Holding the heavy keys Hans wondered where did these went. But before he could contemplate on it any further he heard a knock on the front door.
Growing tense Hans grabbed a nearby butcher knife and went to check.
Looking out the peephole of the front door, looking out he saw a group of people, two he recognized as regulars from the diner.
Nokk and Mathias, the other two he had never seen before.
Still on high alert Hans slowly went back to the kitchen, keeping an eye on the door as he took out his phone and made a call to Elsa.
The phone rang a couple of times, "Please pick up" though Hans as he continued to keep an eye on the door fearing that they would break through it when he least expected it.
"Hello?" asked Elsa as she answered her phone,
"Elsa thank god! There are-",
"Oh! They are home? Let them in" said Elsa interrupting Hans,
"Let them in?" asked Hans confused as he wondered if he heard what he though he heard,
"Let them in, I asked them if they can help you" answered Elsa surely,
"Really?" asked Hans unsure,
"Yes, why not?" asked Elsa,
"Nothing, just was making sure, with my brothers on the loose I don't want to let the wrong people in" explained Hans,
"You can trust them" said Elsa there was a pause and she said "Have to go, see you later",
"See you later Elsa",
"I love you" she finished before hanging up. Hans smiled a little before putting his phone back into his pocket, putting the knife away and walking over to open the door.
"Hans, nice to see you again" said Mathias as he and the others walked in.
"You too and..." Hans looked and pointed "Nokk right?",
"Glad you remember me" he said nodding,
"And you two? You two are the Sami siblings right?" asked Hans hoping to be as polite as possible,
"Yes, Ryder and Maren" answered the girl Maren.
"Glad your all here" said Hans as he locked the door behind him.
Together they began to work, as they did every now and then they talked and joked. By the end of the day more than half of the second floor was done.
Sitting outside Hans made a bon fire as everybody relaxed with food and drinks.
"This is the life" said Mathias as he took a swig of his drink,
"Food, drink, a great view, I agree" said Maren, there was laughter then silence when a sound interrupted their merrymaking.
It was a call, melodic, it echoed through the land and coast. For about five minutes they sat in silence, listening, then just as it started the call ended leaving the group in silence.
"Ohhhhh maybe its the scary snow queen coming to get you" teased Rider breaking the silence as he looked at the Nokk who looked annoyed and said "If she is looking for somebody its certainly not me".
"Snow queen?" asked Hans confused,
"Oh right, you do not know the local legend" mused Matias before he took another sip from his drink.
Hans shook his head no to that.
"Its a sad story really" explained Maren "Many years ago there lived a queen, she had found the love of her life and together they lived happily" she took a pause, a grim look on her face "Sadly that happiness was cut short as the queens lover died defending her" she looked out over to the forest and continued "Ever since then the queen walks alone, calling and searching, hoping to find her lost love",
"That's very sad" said Hans sadly as he though back on Queen Elizabeth, that snow queen, Johannes... Was that their story? Had he somehow been seeing what they went through?
Was it possible that his delusion? Dreams? Visions? Were real?
Hans said nothing about that as he took a sip of his drink and tossed more firewood into the fire.
As the night progressed Hans bid farewell to the group as they went back to their homes.
Closing the door Hans made his way upstairs, keys in hand.
That queen, Johannes, the story, there was a connection between them! Hans was sure of it and was more than ready to find out.
Entering the attic full of trunks Hans proceeded to try to open them using the keys he had found in the kitchen.
One by one he got some open, others not, but the one he became focused on was the one that was labeled to belong to that Johannes person.
Trying key after key Hans was determined to open the chest. The first few keys did not work, but then...
Click click, Hans heard as he tried to open the chest. Since non of the keys he found were labeled it led to a guessing game to find which of the keys opened which chest.
A click clunk was heard as the bronze key he was using unlock the Johannes chest.
Touching the lid Hans muttered to himself "Lets see what you have in here Johannes" as he flipped open the lid and looked inside there were some books, maps, old telescopes and boxes that were clothes, but on top of that, prepared with great care was a long rectangle box carefully wrapped in an old ribbon that had long since lost its color that held both the box shut and a letter with a dried dead flower on it.
Curiously Hans took the box out and looked over it before putting the box down on the ground where he was sitting on and taking the letter. With a careful hand he opened the letter and read it.
"My dearest Johannes:
My heart swelled up in so much joy when you expressed a desire to wear my fathers suit for our wedding. Though it seems that fate played it so you would be too tall to fit into it. No matter, I took my fathers suit to a tailor and had him construct a brand new suit using parts and materials of my fathers old one.
I pray for the day we will wed will come soon.
Forever yours Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth?" whispered Hans even more surprised. What did this all mean? Yes he now was sure that he had been seeing real people, but why?! Why was he seeing it?! What did it all mean?!
Looking at the box he took and opened it to reveal that there was a suit inside. It was old, like 19th century, with medals and such.
Was in a surprisingly good condition, perfect even.
Taking the coat Hans looked at it.
"You can wear it you know?" He heard.
Reacting Hans jumped and looked only to be shocked when he saw it Elsa standing by the door.
Was she not in town for business?! When did she get back?! How long had she been standing there without him noticing?!
"You want me to die of a horrible curse right?" he joked trying to calm down as he felt close to having another attack.
"Hans please" said Elsa softly as she walked over and pressed a hand on the coat "Wear it... for me?"
Hans was going to refuse as he did not feel comfortable disrespecting the dead. But looking into Elsas pleading eyes he found himself agreeing.
"Okay... but don't laugh if it does not fit me" said Hans giving into Elsa's whims.
"Trust me I won't" said Elsa with a small smile as she turned and left so he could get dressed in the attic alone.
Holding the suit he sighted "The things I do for love"
It fits, though Hans surprised as he looked over himself with the suit. Much to his shock it fitted him perfectly, like it was made and tailored to fit him perfectly.
There was a knock on the door, "Hans are you ready?",
"Yes I am-" Hans voice cracked when Elsa opened the door and walked in.
She wore a beautiful 19 century wedding gown, it was lace and silver with a long train. Despite how old fashion it was she looked breathtakingly beautiful on it.
"See? You look handsome in it" said Elsa with a smile,
"Thank you and you look hand.. I mean beu... no i mean" said Hans nervously as he tried not to be nervous.
Then said "Since we are wearing this maybe we can" he cleared his throat,
"We can?" asked Elsa,
"Wait a moment" said Hans as he took his phone which he had placed on the ground, after pressing a couple of buttons it began to play a song. Putting that to the side he cleared his throat and said "What I am trying to say is?" He offered her his hand "Can I have the honor of dancing with you?".
Elsa did not answer, just smiled and placed a hand on his.
Wrapping an arm carefully around her waist he led her to a waltz.
As they danced Hans for a moment felt himself be transported elsewhere. No longer was he in the attic, but in a grand ballroom surrounded by candle light, crystals, people dressed in their finest and Elsa.
She pressed her head against his chest happy in an embrace. The end of the song snapped Hans out of that daze. Shaking his head Hans said "Sorry...",
"Sorry? That was beautiful... thank you" said Elsa softly as she looked up at him with love.
"No... thank you... if it was not for you... I don't know where I would be" said Hans,
"You can thank me by doing one thing" said Elsa mischievously,
"What do I do?",
"Just kiss me" she said as she kissed him, they held each other close as they kissed. For both it was pure bliss, but most of all, for Elsa, it was worth all the wait.
To be continued...
Authors note: So much fluff! So sweet one can get cavities just reading lol. Any way I bid you all adeu, please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.