A/N: Wow guys, so firstly I would like to apologize for the slow updates, school is kicking my butt and have had close to no time to write or edit. But, thanks to an incredibly lucky snow day this chapter is finally done, and the next chapter is well under way. This chapter is dedicated to my fellow Wicked fans, may you find these jokes and references as enjoyable as I do.
Again, big shout outs to EthanTheRenegade and 2-am-smut. You guys are awesome and I can't tell you how much you have helped me get this story where it is now!
And with that, you know what to do...read on and review often ^/^
"So you really don't know who left it?" Elsa asked as innocently as possible as she looked at the collection of mismatched objects strewn cross Anna's bed. A MST beanie, a small handmade sculpture of a horse, random guitar picks with band and book logos printed on them, and the most impressive and recent gift: a first edition print Anna's favorite book, The Wizard of Oz.
Anna shook her head in frustration. "No clue. I mean I know they're from my Big, but she's always so quiet I never know she's there until it's too late. Whoever she is, she is totally nailing the whole present thing." A thought flashed across Anna's freckled face. "Hey Els, you probably know all about that kinda stuff, being a big bad senior, not to mention the VP. Any clue who my Big is? I promise I won't tell!"
Elsa's heartbeat increased at the question. Ever since the skating party, Elsa had taken every opportunity to spoil Anna, all in secret of course. Scouring the internet for band memorabilia, throwing in some of her own artistic talent to make Anna a miniature figure of her dream horse. Her proudest find had been the first edition copy of the Wizard of Oz in a small bookshop downtown. The copy was a bit worn, its tattered yellow pages that were bent and creased, but Anna had fallen in love with the delicate book, claiming the age and condition of the book gave it character and a life of its own.
Looking at Anna with what she hoped was more mischievous than nervous, Elsa opened her mouth, watching Anna's eyes widen with anticipation. "Of course I know, I know everything. But…I'm not telling." Elsa watched as the once excited eyes lost their spark and were replaced by irritation and, mischief? Turning to face the older girl, Elsa felt a force hit her shoulders and she fell onto Anna's bed, careful to avoid the more delicate presents that littered the bed. Elsa felt a delicate hand drag up her thigh and looked up to find Anna crawling on top of her, effectively pinning the blushing blonde to the bed. Staring into ice blue eyes with a newfound determination, Anna pouted her lips. "Please Elsa?" Leaning in impossibly close, Anna's eyes fluttered seductively, momentarily causing Elsa to falter. Warm breath ghosted over the blonde's face and in that moment she would have told Anna anything she wanted to know. "Well I, I mean…"
"Woah sorry guys, didn't know the room was occupied" Elsa jumped and breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the voice that filed the silence. Anna scrambled off Elsa and turned to face Rapunzel and Kristoff standing in the door. Both were wearing smirks as they looked at the clearly embarrassed girls. Entering the room, the friends took their usual places in the room, Rapunzel on her bed and Kristoff sat backwards in Anna's desk chair. Remembering their intended mission, Rapunzel started bouncing excitedly on her bed. "So guys, as you know the big Greek life Halloween party on campus is coming up, and there's a prize for best costume! There's a separate category for couples! Flynn and I are going to kick butt!" Rapunzel was bouncing so hard Anna was sure the bed would collapse under the pressure. Her first Halloween with a boyfriend was going to be something to remember, even if she and Flynn hadn't started planning their couples costume yet.
Kristoff looked at Anna who had regained enough composure to snuggle in closer to Elsa who looked down lovingly at the younger girl. "You know, now that you two are a thing, you and Elsa should do something clever for the party." A severe blush spread across Elsa's face. Anna seemed thrilled at the idea of a couples costume, and hugging Elsa's arm close to her body, let out a small squeal. "Oh don't worry Kris, I've been thinking about this for a long time now!" Elsa looked at Anna quizzically. Sensing the blonde's apprehension, Anna smiled up at the girl, mischief dancing through her eyes. "Don't worry, you'll love it!
"Are you sure about this?! I really don't…" Elsa sat nervously in a chair, a towel wrapped around her shaking shoulders. This was something she really wasn't sure about, but Anna had insisted.
"Elsa would you relax?" Anna said, cutting off Elsa's protest. "I swear this stuff is awesome! I used it myself a couple years back. It's totally harmless." Anna tried to reassure the nervous blonde. Elsa took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "Okay, just do it quick before I change my mind." Elsa closed her eyes as she heard a hissing sound and felt a cool spray on the top of her head. A few minutes later, Elsa felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she reluctantly opened her eyes. Anna smiled down at her, her eyes shimmering with anticipation. "You ready?" Elsa nodded nervously, this was way out of her comfort zone. "Why Miss. Elsa, look at you." Anna held up a mirror and Elsa's breath caught in her throat. Her once platinum locks had been transformed into a cascade of shining raven black. Honestly, Elsa had never imagined herself as anything other than blonde, although she had to admit this new look did seem to suit her nicely.
Looking up at Anna, she smiled. "You were right, this really does work. I'm impressed." The redhead bounced happily on the balls of her feet. "I told you! Okay, you ready for the next part?"
Much less nervous this time, Elsa nodded and teasingly spat. "Come on, do your worst."
"Would you two hurry up?! We can't be late to our own party ya know!" Kristoff yelled for the third time. The usually patient man was growing irritated, anxious to get going. His knight costume clanked noisily as he paced in front of the closed door. Rapunzel and Flynn, dressed as their favorite adventurers Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood sat slumped against a wall, Flynn playing absentmindedly with his whip, Rapunzel fiddling with his hat. "Would you relax Kristoff?" Flynn said, trying to calm the anxious man. "Besides, we're still waiting on Olaf, Sven and Red too."
"Aye, what'd you say about me whip boy?" Red's undeniable accent echoed through the hall as she approached the group, Olaf and Sven not far behind her. Never one for anything traditional, when Kristoff suggested they do a couples costume, Red had agreed but on the condition she pick the pair. Obviously favoring strong heroines, Red had gone for the French heroine Joan of Arc, one of her personal heroes. Kristoff, never one to argue with Red once she got her mind on something, had happily agreed to the choice, dressing as a lesser ranking French soldier.
Looking at the boys who flanked Red, their costumes seemed to fit them perfectly. Sven, never much for conversation had opted to take his study of silent film acting to a new level and was dressed as a mime, face paint and all. His movements were eerily similar to one you would find on a street corner in Paris. Olaf, well, Olaf being the ever spirited one had chosen to dress as the school's mascot, Snowy the Snowflake.
Kristoff greeted the new arrivals before turning his attention back to the still locked door. Just as Kristoff was about to bang obnoxiously for a fourth and final time, the door swung open and no one was quite prepared for what walked out. Anna was wearing the frilliest and puffiest pink ball gown the group had ever seen. A distinctive white crown sat atop her perfectly curled hair, a bejeweled scepter in her hand. Her skin sparkled in the florescent lighting, making some question wether she had simply rolled in body glitter. Smiling eagerly, Anna turned back to the room and smiled at the groups collective reaction.
Elsa emerged from the room, though it was arguably the most impressive transformation anyone had ever seen. Her once platinum blonde hair was now jet black, woven tightly into a thin braid that was hung over one shoulder. The most elegant floor length black dress hugged her curves in all the right ways, sequins and beads shimmering and creatinging intricate patterns along the stunning dress. A pointed black hat sat atop her head, the wide brim covering most of her face. Only when Elsa looked up, revealing the emerald green skin of her trademark character did everyone realize who they were supposed to be.
"Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Very impressive." Rapunzel squealed jumping up to examine the girls' costumes. Looking Elsa over, the girl's approval clearly showed. "You know Elsa, you look just like that chick from that one really popular show…" All at once approving comments and observations began flying from every direction.
"Oh oh! The lass from all those fancy shows?! I love her!"
"Didn't she play a witch in one of those shows?"
"You totally have the same jawline…"
"No way! It's definitely the cheekbones! They're exactly the same!"
"You even kinda sound like her now that I think about it."
Anna smiled, knowing the costume would be a big hit and looked happily up at her Witch. "I told you, everyone loves a classic." Sticking her tongue out at the younger girl, Elsa followed the rest of the group out, practically being dragged through the front doors of the dorm. Looking up towards the heavens, Elsa thought contently, 'Ya know, the western sky really is beautiful.'
As the group approached the ADT house they were surprised at the sight they saw. The elegant house had been transformed into the most impressive haunted house any of them had ever seen. Fake spider webs hung from the porch railing, tombstones littered the front yard, very impressive fake fog swirled around the base of the house. There were people everywhere, sitting on the porch, sprawled out on the grass, a few and even had made their way up to the roof. "Hey look Elsa, I found your flying monkeys." Flynn commented as they made their way into the house. Almost instinctively, Elsa threw up her mental shields as she entered the house, determined to enjoy herself. Everyone else seemed to be on alert as well, but when no nasty comments or crude ice jokes came flying at them no one was really sure what to do. 'What the hell is going on?!' Elsa thought as the group made their way past the ballroom which was packed to near capacity, people spilling out into the hallway. 'Why is no one saying anything?'
Making their way into a small room off the main hallway the group approached a table to check in. Each LIG and ADT member was required to attend 5 events throughout the semester to keep their membership. Belle was sitting behind the table, wearing a large yellow dress almost identical to Anna's, but much less sparkly. A large burly man sat next to her, his royal blue coat and light brown hair tied back in a ponytail gave him a princely ora, though his poor posture didn't help the illusion. A large smile spread across her face when she saw who had entered. "Hey guys, welcome to the LIG/ADT Halloween Bash. Sign in on your sheet and go have some fun." Anna, Red, Kristoff and Sven approached the table and eagerly signed their names, anxious to get to the party.
Elsa was about to approach the table when Belle turned to Anna, "Have you seen Elsa? I was sure if anyone would be able to get her to come down here it would be you Anna." Anna started to giggle and looked at the heavily disguised woman next to her with a satisfied chuckle. Belle followed Anna's gaze quizzically, staring at the woman in black standing before her. Raising her head, the woman looked at Belle with unmistakable ice blue eyes that made Belle gasp. "Elsa?! Holy crap I didn't recognize you!" Stepping closer, Belle could now see the face of her VP shining through the green make-up. "You know something, you look good green. It suits you."
Elsa finally understood. With her painted face and darkened hair, no one knew it was her unless they got ridiculously close. Elsa smiled at Belle, "Thank you, and I know I've said it before, but yellow really is your color." Looking down at her yellow puffball of a dress, Belle chuckled. "I know, it's a bit much, but I was going for authenticity. I mean come on French aristocracy, could you have made your dresses any bigger or obnoxious?"
"Or their jackets any itchier?" A deep voice boomed behind them. Belle looked over her shoulder at the young man sitting behind the table. "I told you Adam, if you wore the shirt you were supposed to, you wouldn't feel the jacket material." Shaking her head, Belle mumbled something about the boy being a real beast sometimes, at least that's what it sounded like.
"Well look who decided to show up." A familiarly deep voice filled the room and everyone turned to see Hans striding into the room. Dressed in a white coat with black lapels and cuffs, a royal blue shirt with purple ascot, Hans looked like a fairy tale hero. Looking everyone over Hans seemed impressed with everyone's costume choices. When he got to Anna his eyes stopped as looked her over. "Wow Anna, that's a great costume, it suits you. The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite books."
Anna's voice betrayed her immense dislike and distrust for the man, coming out very dry and even. "Thank you, it's one of my favorites as well." Her eyes twinkled ever so slightly. "Although, what's Good without a little Wicked to balance it out?" Shifting her eyes towards Elsa, who had been mentally boring holes into Hans, Anna walked over and fell into a protective arm that draped over her shoulder.
Hans hadn't noticed the other girl before, although there was something oddly familiar about her. Flashing one of his charming smiles, Hans extended his hand towards the girl. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Hans, president of ADT. And you are…" Hans was now standing right in front of the mystery girl, close enough to see her piercing blue eyes. His own green orbs doubled in size. "Elsa?! Holy crap I didn't…I mean you…wow, what a costume."
Elsa wasn't sure what he meant by the comment, so as dignified as possible she tried to alleviate the awkward situation. "Thank you Hans. Your costume is nice too. Now, if you don't mind, we'd like to go check out the party."
Hans was shocked. Elsa had never been so forceful or direct before, as if her personality had made a complete 180. 'Something's going on, she's acting more like Anna…' the thought ran through Hans' mind before snapping back to the moment. "Of course, please, everyone go enjoy the party." Watching the group leave, Hans couldn't help but notice the way Anna cuddled up to Elsa, snaking her arm through the older girls.
Turning to Belle, Hans pulled her aside, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Belle's companion. "You see, didn't I tell you? There is something going on there. I knew I wasn't wrong." Belle looked at the man and Hans couldn't help but gloat over his victory. After the night of the welcome mixer, Hans had approached Belle with his suspicions about Anna and Elsa but had been brushed off with a harsh word from Belle for suspecting such a thing just because he 'had a thing for Anna'. Looking into Hans' green eyes with a mix of sadness and indifference, Belle took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Fine, you were right. I'll talk to her. I want her side of the story before you take this anywhere else. Do you understand me Hans? Not one word of this is to get out until I have talked to Elsa."
"On my honor," Hans replied, placing his left hand over his heart. Belle looked into his eyes, as if she was trying to find some sign of deceit. Satisfied with what she found, Belle returned to the table and her companion, visibly flustered but trying her best to retain a sense of normalcy.
'Elsa what have you gotten yourself into?'