Disclaimer: This work of fan fiction uses characters from Rise of the Guardians, The Guardians of Childhood, and Frozen which are trademarked by DreamWorks Animation, William Joyce, and the Walt Disney Company respectively. The author of this story claims no ownership over them. The story the author is telling is of her own invention and it is not purported or believed to be part of the canon storyline. This story is made for entertainment purposes only. The author is not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.

Good morning, Mr. Bond, sit. I'm Defense Minister Dimitri.

So, by what means shall we execute you, Commander Bond?

– Dimitri Mishkin, GoldenEye

Conspiracy 1 – Athena: Goddess of War OST

Attack – Athena: Goddess of War OST

The Game – Athena: Goddess of War OST

Awai Omoide – Rozen Maiden OST

Ricercar – Part II

Zurich, Switzerland
December 24th, 2013
23:57

"Never mind," Jack laughed, reaching and slowly pulling the safe door open, "Oh thank god for egotistical men."

But then Elsa heard something, something that almost sounded like a click of a trigger? Then she saw the gleam of a thin wire.

Her eyes widened as a realization hit: there was a gun inside, wired to shoot when the safe was opened – and Jack was sitting right in front of it.

Her stomach dropped as her heart leapt out of her chest.

"Jack – move!" she yelled just as the wire tugged on the trigger and a silenced bullet flew from the safe.

She jumped, knocking both Jack and the chair to the ground.

The bullet whirred past him.

But it caught her, lodging into her left arm.

They both crashed into the ground, his fall cushioned the leather chair and her fall cushioned by his body. Jack instinctively wrapped his arms around her, rolling out of the chair and quickly sitting up.

"Elsa! Elsa? Are you alright?" he asked as she sat up, inspecting the injury with calm eyes.

"Ya, I'll be fine." She breathed. "It's not that deep." Trails of blood streamed from the bullet hole and down her upper arm. They both knew she would be better off with leaving the pellet inside rather than trying to dig it out. Jack quickly pulled the blue handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to her wound. He tugged the tie from around his neck and began to wrap it around her arm.

"You just saved my life." He murmured.

"You're so reckless."

"…I know."

"I'm surprised you're not dead yet if this is how you operate, fool."

""I know."

Zurich, Switzerland
December 25th, 2013
00:24

Jack had pulled out several pieces of content from the safe, including another gun, a laptop, cellphone, check book, and a black folder. Elsa immediately went through the folder, shuffling through the papers on the ground while Jack sat in the leather chair with his feet resting on the desk, trying to hack into Hans' laptop.

She pulled out numerous documents from the large black file: photographs, red-marked certificates, newspaper clippings and letters. Slowly, Elsa read through them, searching for key words related to their assignment. Italy…dating rumours…Arendelle Corporations…marriage…Anna Arendelle –

Anna Arendelle.

"Jack," She whispered, "I think…I think I found it." He immediately stopped playing around with the laptop, setting it down on the desk as he knelt down beside her.

He started by leafing through a couple tabloids that wrote about the 20-year-old successor of Arendelle Corporations, Anna Arendelle. She was seen in Italy with a mysterious man several months ago, someone who the tabloids identified as the businessman hosting the party downstairs.

"Westergaard is dating? Is he dating our employer?" Jack asked, continuing to look through another one dating a few months ago. This one reported that the young successor was seen wearing a large diamond ring with rumours that she was married.

Jack tossed the magazines aside now as Elsa gave him two more documents; the first was a marriage certificate declaring the legal union between Hans Westergaard and Anna Arendelle and the second were divorce forms filed by the latter.

"So, she fell in love with him," Jack inferred, "then they got married in secret in Italy, but she wants a divorce now and he doesn't want that because – "

"Because he was in the marriage only for the money." Elsa finished.

"Of course, he wants the company. So he blackmails her with these."

Jack handed the Norwegian agent a small pile of photos of the married couple together, her fingers shaking as she flipped through images of the strawberry-blonde heiress smiling and laughing in the arms of the 27-year-old business man.

Her knuckles turned white from clutching the photographs as her head spun in violent circles.

"That…bastard." She hissed, tossing the pictures aggressively to the ground, massaging her temples and trying to keep her composure.

"No wonder she wants these back." Jack muttered, rummaging through the rest of the pile, "If this scandal gets out, no one would invest in her company and her company shareholdings would plummet – the government would not be pleased."

"I failed." She whispered, closing her eyes and placing her head in her hands.

"What do you mean you fail – " Jack paused mid-sentence. Elsa looked up, confused by Jack's abrupt pause to find him staring at an old newspaper in confusion. The Norwegian newsprint dated five years back, the front-page flashing news of the death of a young girl with brown hair and blue eyes: the original successor of Arendelle Corporation.

"Huh…" Jack contemplated softly, "why is this in here? …I remember reading about this. She died in an accident at, what, 17 years old? But I don't know how this related to…" But then the CIA agent's sentence trailed off, his eyes widening as he glanced up at his stunned Norwegian partner, comparing the photo in the newspaper to the agent. The girl in the picture had brown hair, in comparison to Elsa's platinum blonde. But they had the same eyes, the same crystal blue eyes… the same lips… the same nose…the same name.

"Elsa – what…"

"Five years," she whispered to herself more than to him, "five years of keeping it a secret, down the drain in an instant."

"You're…you're…"

"Yes, Jack, I am the heiress to the Arendelle Corporation. I am Elsa Arendelle."

"But you're supposed to be dead!" Jack yelled incredulously.

"Well obviously I'm not!"

"Why did you fake your own death?!"

"To protect my sister!" Elsa yelled, "When our parents died, they left us with a fortune and company that was much too large and too powerful. I thought that, in the event of my death, she would be safe for a few more years, until she turned 21 – it was too late for me. She would have no access to the family wealth – she'd be a normal teenager!"

Elsa paused to take a breath, running her hands through her hair, messing up the intricate braids and curls. "This wasn't supposed to happen! She suffered because I wasn't there. I thought I was protecting her and instead I abandoned her!"

"Indeed you did."

Zurich, Switzerland
December 25th, 2013
00:37

A millisecond of silence.

And then all hell broke loose.

She could only catch glimpses of the events as they unfolded, her actions fueled by the adrenaline pumping through her blood and the years training.

She quickly took note of her opponents: three men garbed in black in the room, two with pistols, and one with an assault-rifle.

He had to be taken down first.

"Duck!" Jack shouted.

The desk was upturned by a flash of white, used as a shield against the incoming ammunition.

She pulled her gun out of the holster strapped to her thigh, dropping and backing up against the wood in the same motion.

Shots were fired from both parties.

Sparks of gunpowder flashed before her eyes and loud bangs rang in her ears.

Wood chips flew from the holes in the desk.

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

"Cover me!" Jack yelled.

He dashed out from behind the table, diving behind the long sofa as Elsa fired at the enemy.

Her arm protesting against the recoil of her gunfire.

She ducked for cover to reload her gun while the CIA agent took over.

Swearing and then a loud thump.

One down.

Then stunned shout from Jack.

She got up just in time to see her partner's gun flying out his gasp and two bullets going through the right side of his chest.

Did time seem to slow down?

"Jack!"

She watched as he folded forward before stumbled back into the wall, his left hand sliding up his chest and grasping his injured shoulder with white fingertips and knuckles. Her heart stopped as she saw crimson red seeping through the cracks of his fingers as he slid down from the wall with his legs sprawled out before him. And then, she saw the sleek black barrel of a gun being pressed into his white hair before she heard the cracking of it reloading.

Elsa stood up from behind the desk, breathing heavily as she switched her aim between the enemy pointing the gun at her and the one aimed at Jack.

"Drop it!" the same voice called. She casted her eyes towards the sound, seeing a man walking through the doorway, completely out of harm's way while the gunfire went, now showing himself when he saw the advantage.

Hans Westergaard.

"Drop the gun," Hans repeated, "or I'll leave him with one ear."

Zurich, Switzerland
December 25th, 2013
00:40

Elsa's eyes turned towards Jack. He met her gaze, blood slipped through the cracks of his fingers as he tried to control the pain by breathing through his nose.

Her head swam dizzyingly.

He swallowed and shook his head subtly, mouthing the word 'don't' through his clenched teeth.

She let her hands drop to her sides, scoffing at Jack's sacrifice as she let her gun clatter loudly to the ground. He closed his eyes and let out a helpless sigh.

"Now step out from behind the desk, get on your knees, and hands on your head," Hans continued, stepping into the room now and surveying the scene with smug eyes.

Elsa did as she was told, lowering to the ground slowly as she watched the power-hungry businessman walk up to Jack and eye him with disdain. The auburn-haired man knelt down beside the white-haired agent, glaring at him before drawing his arm back for a powerful punch into Jack's jaw. The injured agent grunted, his head slamming into the ground with the force of the blow.

"Don't you dare look down on me."

Jack struggled to get up, his hand stained crimson red and the blood now pooling where he lay. He spat out a globule of blood.

"Ah, sorry, I'll just look up to you then – you know you have great potential as a role model."

The businessman ignored him, sauntering over to the leather chair, pulling it over to the window, and sitting down as his henchmen held the two agents at gunpoint. He turned to Elsa.

"Ms. Winters, or should I say, Ms. Arendelle?" Hans addressed, "I thought you looked familiar but I supposed it was just a coincidence. I never thought you would be stupid enough to keep your given name. To think: you faked your own death to become a government agent – all for the sake of your naïve sister?"

"Shut up and leave her alone."

""I knew that being the 13th son of a company president means I would have little chance of inheriting a large fortune, so I sought other means." Hans explained with a smirk. "Marrying Laila Riley was easy; all she wanted was a man on her arms. Leanna Sage, you probably heard of her, president of the Sage Palace Hotels? She just wanted the perfect gentlemen."

"You son of a b-"

"And poor, poor Anna Arendelle," Hans continued, out of the corner of her eye, Elsa saw Jack slowly and cautiously reaching into the inside of his blazer, the movement unseen by Hans' bodyguards due to the angle. "First her parents died, and then her beloved sister. With no one left to turn to; she tossed her heart at the first person who presented her with any attention. I gave her my affections and then we got married within the month."

Jack had another weapon; she had to stall for time.

"I saw divorce papers," Elsa said, "the company was and always will be rightfully Anna's, not yours."

"Well," Hans started, "I was going to wait several years before I staged her death; but if she wants a divorce; I'll have to speed things up, won't I? Suicide is not hard to fake and besides, Anna has good reason to: with her family dead what else does she have? Arendelle Corporation is as good as mine."

He stood from the leather chair, adjusting his tie and the collar of his dress shirt haughtily, "Of course, with this revelation you simple cannot be allowed to live; Elsa Arendelle."

She felt cool metal press against her temple, then the cocking of a gun. She glanced at Jack again. He met her eyes for only a second before swiftly looking away.

"It was a pleasure meeting you;" Hans continued, "I serious about you being beautiful. Shame. Goodbye, Elsa… Jack."

Elsa saw the split second where Jack tensed and she reacted in the next second.

She elbowed her captor in the gut just Jack whipped a dagger out of his blazer, throwing it at the crying man behind her. The stunned henchmen went down in the same second as she twisted around and grabbed his arm, aiming it at the remaining bodyguard just as he pulled the trigger in a dying spasm.

Jack dived for his gun before springing to his feet, leaning against the wall with his gun aimed at both unmoving bodies on the ground.

Elsa then darted towards Hans like a whirlwind. He stood, staring at the scene blankly, astonished by the sudden turn in events; he didn't even have time to react as the enraged woman retrieve her fallen pistol, cock the gun and whirled around to throw a violent punch into his gut. He stumbled back with an undignified groan.

She gave him no time to recover before tackling him and seizing his left arm, twisting it unforgivingly behind his back as she forced his face into the wall and shoving her gun into his spine.

"I will kill you." She hissed.

Hans coughed, still recovering from the blow before laughing.

"Go ahead," he whispered, "Show you dear sister what kind of person you are."

Elsa let out a frustrated shriek and re-aimed her pistol, firing a bullet into Hans' knee.

He screamed, collapsing onto the ground. Elsa fixed her stance and held her pistol in both hands now, trying to stop her fingers from shaking as she fingered the trigger, aiming at the back of his head.

"Elsa! No!" Jack yelled, reaching out to try and stop her.

"How could you, how could you do that Anna!? To all those women!?"

"Elsa no, don't do this. Don't let him get away so easily." Jack whispered, "Let Anna see him for what kind of man he is. Let him rot in prison. Let him shame his name and live forever as lying, cheating bastard."

Her hands shook; she could finish this, end it all right now.

"Elsa, for Anna, don't do this. Don't be the killer he wants you to be." Jack whispered. Silence, save for Elsa's slow angered breaths, Jack's laboured pants, and the soft hum of the party downstairs. She lowered her gun, but not before ramming the barrel of it into Hans' head, knocking him out.

"Alright… he deserved that…" Jack mused. "We should call the police, grab the documents and then get out of here. The authorities can deal with him later, the women's' murders will be avenged and Anna will be safe."

He gently tugged on her arm, she didn't move, her fingers were still clenched tightly around the gun. Her breath coming out in forced even heaves, her eyes focused only on the unconscious man on the ground.

"Elsa –"

"Jack – Jack distract me," she breathed.

"What?"

"Distract me or – or – oh God, he was going to kill Anna, he was going to kill my sister, and I almost couldn't stop him."

"Elsa – no its not –"

"Jack, I'll going to kill him, I am going snap his neck and –"

But then he spun her around, pressing his right hand against her neck and caressing her cheek in his left.

The sudden gesture left Elsa stunned; her words lost her throat as she stared into his eyes.

And then he lifted her face, leaning down as he caught her lips in a kiss.

She reacted upon raw instinct: first freezing. Then she started running her fingers through his hair and pulling him closer to her. He pulled away for only a second with a shuddering breath as she touched his tender shoulder by accident, but before she could even think about apologizing he caught her again.

He pulled away again, hesitantly though.

"Better?" he asked as she rested her forehead against his.

"…I could use some more reassurance."

"Gladly."

Oslo, Norway
January 2nd, 2014
09:23

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked as they sat on a bench in the middle of a scenic park. She played with his fingers, brushing her thumb against the bandages wrapped around his palm.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You can't go back to living as a secret government agent, can you? Don't you miss her?"

"Yes. I miss her – it just…I don't think she'll forgive me."

"'Course she will." He reasoned, "She'll understand why. You don't do anything wrong Elsa."

She smiled, laying her head down against his uninjured shoulder.

"And what about you?" she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm currently on commissioned leave for at least four months. The bullets broke my clavicle and fractured my scapula. Not too sure if I'll be up for field duty again. So much for the rest of my career: I haven't even done anything James Bond worthy."

She chuckled, smiling as he intertwined their fingers together.

They sat together in quiet serenity, watching the people walk by on this peaceful winter's morning.

"I had a sister once, you know," he started…quietly…hesitantly, "I'd do anything to be able to spend time with her again. But that isn't a possibility for me anymore, but you still have that option, Elsa. Don't let it slip away."

"…But… I wouldn't know where to start…"

"I can come with you." He offered with a brilliant smile, "It's not like I have anything else to do for the next while."

She smiled softly, grinning at his proposal. She turned, crossing both her legs onto the bench and leaning in towards him. He laid his arm along the back of the bench, his injured arm resting motionlessly in his lap.

"Oh?" she asked as he leaned closer.

"Hm, it'll be our last mission." He murmured, hesitating before tilting his head to the side: asking for a kiss.

"Alright then, Agent Frost." She said with a chuckle, letting him catch her lips, "One last mission, together."

Fin.

Author's Note: That's it, everyone, the end of 'Ricercar'! I hope you guys enjoyed it, because I certainly did enjoy writing it. Ahaha.

Next up is going to be 'Nocturne: The Third Movement'. I had a request that I should make a Spotify playlist for Ouvertüre in Snow and I think that is a great idea, but the problem is, most of the songs I use aren't on Spotify, so instead I'll be putting together a Youtube playlist! There will be a link to it on my profile by the time the next chapter is up. In addition to that, I'll also post a Table of Contents complete with a synopsis of each arc/one-shot/series so that it would be easier for you guys to pick and choose which one you are interested in reading (or looking to find a specific one).

Thank you to: Guest #1, Gothic Ghost, SunriseImagination, Guest #2, Slake13, jubulicious, AurelianRebels, Trapid, ElsaTheSnowQueen2, Aliya-a, JoPoGirlsKickAss, Yuuki Zwin, and Caroline

For reviewing the last chapter!

Ouvertüre in Snow has reached its 400th review and I am so honoured and amazed and surprised and ecstatic! Your guys input and praise and love for my writing has made me so happy and motivated to write so much more! Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Guest #1: Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it

Guest #2: Ahaha! Jack can totally pull off the puppy dog eyes too! I am glad you enjoyed Ricercar and Nocturne!

AurelianRebels: Ahaha! I am sorry that it didn't end up being a Christmas joke, ahaha – that would have been great though. And thanks for the input on the language and grammar!

Caroline: On the contrary, Caroline, its actually much easier for me to keep up several stories at once, hence why Ouvertüre in Snow exists. I am the kind of person who writes spontaneously and keeping up with several stories at once allows me to keep my muses and inspiration going rather than getting bored with one story (not that Nocturne is boring, it's just sometimes overwhelming for me to keep up with). Thanks for your input!

Till next time!

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Cordially,

EireneHarmonia