Chapter 15: Grains of Truth

Elsa stared at Jack and Jack stared back at Elsa. Elsa's mouth opened from shock. What was Jack doing here of all places? Was he also in therapy? If so, what for? She hoped it wasn't anything horrible like why she was in therapy. Maybe he was just in here to deal with stress with university or something like that. Potentially, he could just know Miss Waters. She could be like a family friend that had never come up. Well that would be a better reason for Jack's presence than the alternative. Jack's face was mimicking Elsa's and he too seemed like he was running through the same thoughts that Elsa was going through? Miss Waters watched the scene with intrigue.

"Elsa," Miss Waters said, gently, "it's time for you appointment."

Elsa placed her magazine back down on the pile and got to her feet. She followed Miss Waters into her room. Miss Waters sat down behind her computer while Elsa sat down at her usual seat. Her brain was still buzzing from seeing Jack.

"So Elsa, should we continue where we left off from last time?" Miss Waters asked as she took out Elsa's file with a pen and some paper to take notes.

Elsa paused. She quickly hurried to think where they had left off last time while simultaneously trying to push Jack out of her mind.

"Yeah, okay," Elsa said after a few seconds of silence.

"Great," Miss Waters beamed at her. "Let's talk more about Anna, shall we?"

Can we not? Elsa thought but she didn't say that out loud. Talking about Anna wasn't exactly her favourite thing to do but she knew in order to get better, she had to explore these topics. Elsa gulped and nodded. Maybe Miss Waters knew that talking about her sister was not an easy thing to do and that's why she wanted to do it.

"So," Miss Waters drew out the word, "when was the last time you spoke to your sister?"

"Last year, just after my father's trial," Elsa said. She got an image of that fateful encounter she had with her sister. She shuddered at the memory of that. The cycle of abuse had come out in that one moment. She never wanted that again.

"Ah yes," Miss Waters nodded. "So that was the moment when you lost control?"

"Yes," Elsa said. She had been completely honest with her about everything that had happened to her. Elsa knew that therapy wouldn't work unless she was. She had briefly discussed the incident with Anna to her. Elsa had a feeling that Miss Waters knew that there was more to that story and decided to focus on that. They hadn't discussed Anna a lot due to Elsa's hesitance on that subject. They had mostly focused on getting past the PTSD that had been formed but now Elsa knew that avoiding conferring about her sister now was over.

"So what happened?" Miss Waters asked. Elsa sighed. Miss Waters knew a small portion of what had happened due to Elsa accidently letting it slip. Elsa had regretted that very much. Miss Waters kept hinting at ways to reopen that discussion but Elsa had told her that she didn't want to keep talking about it till she felt ready. Maybe Miss Waters felt like Elsa was finally ready. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. Elsa didn't really know. All that she knew is that she had to work through the event and any triggers in case something like that didn't happen again.

Elsa knew the reason for why she beat up her sister. Something inside of her clicked and a monster escaped from within her. She never wanted that beast to appear again. It had appeared when Elsa grew very angry. Over the course of the year, Elsa did grow angry at people but she did her best not to be too angry. She didn't want her father taking over her again.

"Uh –" Elsa paused for words. She didn't really know how to continue.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Miss Waters said. "I know how hard this topic is but I think once you talk about it, you will feel so much better."

Miss Waters did have a point. Elsa breathed in quite deeply. She guessed it was finally time for the truth to be laid down on the table.

"In your own time Elsa," Miss Waters said gently. "So your father's murder trial had ended, correct?"

"Yes," Elsa nodded. They had talked about the murder of her father but never in great detail. Elsa didn't particularly like talk about it as it was a dark stain in her memory. "Anna was mad at me because she believed that I had murdered our father to take him away from her."

"Why did she think that?" Miss Waters asked.

"Because she thinks that I hate her and that I go out of my way to ruin her life," Elsa said, her voice getting smaller and smaller with each word.

"I feel as if there is more to that story," Miss Water said to Elsa. "Let's go back to the beginning, before your mother died. How was your relationship with your sister?"

"Good," Elsa said. She remembered fondly the memories she had with her sister; all the times that they played together, built snowmen together, skied etc..

"Then your mother died," Miss Waters said.

"Yes," the memories of the incident were never far from Elsa's mind. That was the day everything had changed for her. "Anna and I drifted apart over the years from then on."

"Because you wanted to hide the fact you were abused?"

"Yes," Elsa said, simply. "I didn't want Anna to know the truth. She idolised our father and I didn't want her world upside down."

"You never thought of telling anyone?" Miss Waters had posed the same question before but Elsa had struggled to answer it.

"No," Elsa said. She didn't know why never said anything. Her grandmother, Ingrid Winters, would have gone nuts if she knew the truth. Her grandmother often asked why Elsa was skinny and looked pale. Her father always said that's how Elsa was and laughed it off. Elsa wondered if Ingrid ever suspected anything. "I guess when I was younger I was afraid of what my father would do if I said anything."

"Victims of abuse often blame themselves," Miss Waters said. "They think that they did something to occur the wrath of the abuser."

"I did often think that," Elsa admitted. When she was little, she always felt like it was her fault that her father hit her, burned her and whipped her. When she got older, she developed a sort of Stockholm Syndrome. It became almost normal for her to be abused but that didn't stop her from wanting out and knowing it was wrong but there was always something holding her back from telling anyone.

"So let's continue on Anna," Miss Waters said. "We've already discussed most of your relationship with your sister but we always seem to skip over a particular event – the murder of your father and the aftermath of that."

"Oh that," Elsa gulped. She was a little nervous of this story. She decided to tell the truth. She told Miss Waters everything – from the vicious attack to the shooting of her father. Miss Waters didn't seem to be shocked – or rather she was good at disguising her emotions so that she wouldn't shock the patient. However, Miss Waters agreed that the situation was self-defence. Elsa went on to talk about what happened after that – Anna's accusations and the attack. When it got to the last bit, Elsa's voice got stuck in her throat. The fact that she had to admit that she hurt her sister wasn't something that Elsa wanted to admit. Miss Waters gave Elsa a friendly smile and told her that it wasn't uncommon for abuse victims to abuse others as it's the way they've been taught. Elsa didn't know whether to be relieved by this information or not.

Elsa walked out of the session half an hour later feeling a little confused. However, that wasn't the only thing that was on her mind. Jack had come back. What was she going to say to him?

Jack was lying on her bed – thinking. Elsa was the last person she expected to appear at Miss Waters' office. Why had she been there? Had she been there for a session or did she know Miss Waters personally? Well, there are lots of reasons for someone to require counselling. But the fact that Miss Waters is an expert in traumas didn't seem help anything.

Jack sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He just hoped that she wasn't there for the same reason he was. His history with his father wasn't something that people knew about. Sure, Jamie Bennett knew but that was only because he was there when it was all going down. Bunnymund knew that Jack didn't have the best relationship with his father and that his father had been a drunk, abusive and a drug addict. However, he didn't know the half of it. Jack didn't like to discuss it but maybe it was time especially as it seems to him that Elsa may have gone through something similar.

"Jacky!" Bunnymund was banging on his door. "We're all going out to celebrate the end of the year with drinks! We're going to the new bar on Symond Street. Wanna join?"

Jack considered it. It did sound fun. Hanging out with his friends is one of his favourite things to do but he just wasn't feeling it. He had too much preying on his mind. Besides, he wasn't in the mood.

"No thanks," Jack called out. "You guys go on without me."

The door then opened and Bunnymund walked in. He looked at Jack with a concerned expression.

"You okay mate?" he asked. "You never turn down a chance to go out and party."

"Guess I'm still quite tired," Jack shrugged.

"Okay, if you're sure," Bunnymund left the room and closed the door behind him thus leaving Jack to his own thoughts.

Elsa walked up the stairs in her dorm building. She was still engrossed in her thoughts about seeing Jack earlier. She climbed up the stairs with one hand on the railing. Each step seemed to take a lot of effort and time. She didn't even notice the person in front of her when she stepped onto the landing. She ended up colliding head first into someone and they both fell down onto the hard wooden floor.

"Watch it Elsa!" Astrid's voice said.

"Sorry," Elsa got to her feet as she rubbed her head. She reached out a hand for Astrid to grab and helped her to her feet. "Just lost in my thoughts."

"Thinking about a certain someone?" laughed Astrid.

Elsa turned red. "No," she lied. Astrid seemed to know that she was lying which just made her laugh even harder.

"Okay, if you say so," she said when she finally calmed down. "That person you're not thinking about is in his room if you want to go talk to him."

Elsa knew she was going to have to talk to him sooner or later. She nodded to Astrid.

"Where are you going?" she asked her. Astrid was dressed like she was ready to impress. She looked like she was about to paint the town red.

"Oh we're all going out to celebrate the end of exams," she said. "I'm meeting Hiccup outside the library in ten. Did you wanna come?"

"Um, no," Elsa said. Besides the fact that she was super exhausted and not in the mood, she was going to take Astrid's not so subtle advice and go talk to Jack.

"Ah, of course," Astrid gave her a wink. "He-who-must-not-be-named is waiting."

"Voldemort's here?" Elsa pretended to shriek in terror.

"Oh shut up," Astrid gave Elsa a friendly punch before waving her a goodbye.

Elsa watched Astrid leave before she headed over to Jack's apartment. She knocked on the door a few times but received no answer. She even poked her head into the apartment to take a look around.

"Jack?" she called out but she got no answer in return. She sighed and she headed back to her dorm room. Maybe Jack had gone down to the hang out that Astrid had mentioned. Elsa supposed that maybe she could go and join them. Maybe she could have some fun for a couple of hours? She pushed open her door and got a tiny surprise. Jack hadn't gone with the others for some fun but rather had come over to her dorm room. Perhaps he had been waiting for her? "Jack?" she said again but this time a lot more softly.

Jack turned around at her and gave her a smile. He was standing out on the balcony and there was a wind playing about with his gorgeous hair.

"Elsa," he said in no more than a whisper. Elsa walked towards him and he suddenly looked a little grave. "I guess we both have a little bit of explaining to do."

"I guess we do."

Elsa moved towards him. She leaned against the railing and stared up into Jack's perfect face. She sighed once more. Was she really going to admit everything to Jack?

"I-" Elsa began but Jack cut her off.

"Listen, you don't have to tell me why you're in therapy," Jack suddenly said and Elsa closed her mouth, "but I will tell you why I was there."

"Jack," Elsa said, "you don't have to do that."

"But I want to," he smiled. "You deserve to know the truth." He sighed again before taking in a deep breath. "I didn't exactly have a normal childhood." He looked grave again and Elsa could tell he was remembering some painful stuff. "I remember the first time it happened. I was only six years old and I was home late after a soccer practice. I found my dad drunk and my mother on the ground. She had a bruise on her face and she couldn't use her arm as it had been broken. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on." Elsa shuddered. She knew where this was going. "After my dad got bored with my mother, he moved onto me and then finally onto my sister. I didn't know what to do. I was only twelve. I didn't know what was happening was wrong." Jack heaved a sigh. He looked like he aged about ten years.

"What happened next?" Elsa said in nothing more than a whisper.

"Jamie," Jack said very simply. "He saved me." Jack paused as if for dramatic affect. "Jamie had only come over to lend me a book but he ended up saving my family. Jamie and I went to school together. I was the quiet kid who had trouble making friends. Thankfully Jamie saw through this scared exterior and befriended me. Jamie wasn't really old enough to question why I wore clothing that hid my injuries or wonder why I was scared to anger my dad. It was a bright a sunny Saturday morning when Jamie decided to pay me a visit. He and I had been discussing the latest book in a series we love. Jamie had brought the book over and he saw something he didn't expect to see; my father holding my arm and then twisting it. Jamie was shocked to see what he saw and he raced back to tell his mum who instantly got the police involved.

"The police took my father away on child abuse, domestic abuse, drug possession and distribution. He was sentence to ten years behind bars for it. That was the day things really changed for me. Mum managed to get a restraining order on dad and get her things in order. Thankfully Pippa was only six so she didn't get too much of the damage but mum and myself, well we did. That's why I'm seeing Miss Waters. I keep having these nightmares about everything that happened."

"I see," Elsa paused. So Jack was just as messed as she was. That was actually kind of comforting to know. Jack had been through the same kind horrors as she had. She had finally found someone who understood what she had been through. She let a smile cross over her features.

"You don't think I'm crazy?" Jack seemed to be relieved that Elsa wasn't recoiling in shock from him.

"No," Elsa shook her head. "What happened to you Jack is nothing to laugh at or to disregard in anyway. I don't think you're crazy. I just think you're a guy who went through a horrible thing and came out stronger because of it."

Jack smiled at Elsa. "Thanks."

Jack just stared at Elsa for several minutes. He looked like he was about to turn to leave but Elsa called him back. He turned to face her again. Elsa's palms were sweaty. Jack had told her the truth; maybe it was time for her to say the truth too? To say that Elsa that was nervous was an understatement. Her heart was racing now too. She had never admitted to anyone – apart from her therapist – what she was about to admit. What would she say? How would she say this?

"Um, Jack," Elsa's hands wrapped around her t-shirt and started to twist it in her nerves. "You told me the truth so I think I should do the same." Elsa took in a deep breath. "When I was five I lost my mother."

"I'm so sorry," Jack said. "You don't really talk about your parents."

"Yeah, that's because it's a bit of a sore spot for me," Elsa hesitated. Was she really going to continue? "You see after my mum died, things kind of…well…went downhill around my house. My dad…well…," she didn't know how to explain this or even say it for that matter. "My dad wasn't a good dad. In fact, he was the opposite. He…er…liked to use me for a punching bag."

"He hit you?" Jack seemed to be genuinely surprised by this.

"Well, yeah," Elsa admitted.

"Oh," Jack seemed to be a little stunned.

"Her…er…did other stuff too," Elsa said. She hesitated again before she launched into her story. Once the gates were open, there was no closing them. "My father wasn't always bad but things changed when my mother died. My father started to drink more and more and soon his attitude towards me changed. At first it was only a small slap and he tried to make it up to me by buying me gifts. This didn't last long. I soon became an outlet for my father's rage. A week wouldn't go by without me spending a week in the ER. His favourite weapon soon became his own belt and the hot poker." Elsa considered telling Jack about the scars on her back but she decided not to. That was a little too personal for her.

"This is why I am in Burgess and not home in Arendelle. I needed to get away from him. I felt like if I had stayed, I probably would have ended up pushing on daisies."

There was a moment while Jack continued to stare at her in stun silence. He was probably thinking along the same lines as her. Elsa had often thought that she was the only one and the fact that someone else had gone through the same torment and understood her pain as her was very relieving.

"Thanks for sharing this with me," Jack said. "I gather by your hesitation, you haven't mentioned this to anyone?"

"It's not really something I talk about."

"I understand that," Jack sighed a little. "Only really Jamie knows the truth that's because he witnessed it." Jack then looked like he remembered something. "Didn't you mention you had a sister?"

Elsa's face darkened a little. "Yeah, I did. Anna is…well…a sore spot for me."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Jack quickly said, looking quite shocked that he had brought up such an alarming topic.

"No it's okay," Elsa said. Jack had told her the complete truth, so she should do the same to him. "Anna and I, we had very different upbringings. When Anna was young, I saw that she was going to go down the same path as me so I arranged for her to get out of the house – by convincing my father to send her to boarding school. Since she was away from our father, she didn't see or – more importantly – experience his wrath. She grew up believing our father – along with the rest of Arendelle – was a great man. Meanwhile, I grew up thinking he was the devil."

"So your sister never found out the truth?" Jack asked. "You've never told her?"

For an answer, Elsa shook her head. "I doubt she would even believe me."

"What happened to your father?"

"He…died," Elsa said. It wasn't a complete lie. He did indeed die but Elsa didn't want to discuss the circumstances. She didn't want Jack thinking that she was a murderer – well to be fair, she did kill a man but it was in self-defence? Elsa didn't know if that qualified in her mind as a murder or not – or even in the society's definition.

"Lucky for you," Jack's face darkened. "Mine is still alive and kicking."

Elsa tried to give him a friendly smile but it was hard to be happy when they were discussing such a horrible subject.

"Well at least he's in prison and can't hurt you or your family."

"True," Jack looked happy at these words. "Elsa, I've never discussed this fully with anyone before."

"Same here," Elsa said. "This isn't really something I discuss." Suddenly Elsa became very aware of what she had said to Jack. She had never ever talked about this to anyone except her therapist. Her own sister and best friends didn't even have a single clue about any of this. She felt instant regret at what she had said. She shouldn't have said it. Could Jack be trusted with it? Sure, he had told her the truth so that was something. "I'm sorry," Elsa quickly said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Elsa turned to leave – sure it was her apartment but she supposed she could go hide at the library for a while – but Jack held her back. Elsa looked down at the grip Jack was exerting onto her upper arm. It didn't hurt. She looked into Jack's blue eyes. She often felt like she was drifting into an ocean whenever she looked into those eyes – not the kind of ocean that you drown in but one that calms you and makes everything seem alright.

"Elsa," when Jack spoke it was in a calming whisper, "what happened to you, to me, is something that shouldn't be dismissed. I am glad that you trusted me with this secret and when you feel strong enough, trust others with it also. The fact that you admitted to me all this shows great strength. I can see that you don't want to talk about this because you believe others will view you as a weak person. I know this because I once thought it but now I realise that is all bullshit. Fuck anyone who actually thinks that Elsa. What matters is how you view yourself. When I look at you, I saw an amazing person and now that has only amplified. You have survived a horrible ordeal and that ordeal has only made you stronger. You have won this war Elsa, don't let peace kill you too."

Elsa felt a rush of gratitude towards Jack. She had been terrified what people would think of her but Jack's reassuring words seemed to have comforted her. Somehow, Jack had gotten through the thick, steal platted barrier that Elsa had constructed over the years. She didn't know how he broke through, maybe it was because Elsa had her defences down or maybe because Jack had gone through the same crap she had gone through.

Elsa then did something completely unexpected; she kissed him.

Elsa didn't know what had come over her. Suddenly she felt her lips pressed against his. There was a few moments of bliss while they kissed. Elsa's hand rested on his shoulder while her other hand cupped his chin. Then she realised what she had done. She was kissing Jack. Elsa quickly backed off when she had realised this. She took a few steps back from him. All through this Jack didn't do anything. He looked at her, stunned. It looked like he was processing what had just happened.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said but she was cut off.

Jack then grabbed her and pulled her closer. His hands cupped her face as he pulled her towards him. His lips found hers and they connected. Elsa's hands found Jack's shoulders again and she rested them there. They broke apart after several long moments.

"Wait," Elsa had just realised something. She made to push him off her. "This is wrong. You have a girlfriend."

"I broke up with her," Jack said. "Things haven't been right between us for ages now and I think it was time."

"Oh," that was all that Elsa could muster. A warm relief coursed through her. She had longed for a very long time now to hear this news and now she had. There was still a pounding question; had he done it for her? She didn't know. She didn't want to ask. It felt rude. Her father had always told her to not ask questions.

"We're both pretty fucked up right?" Jack breathed.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded.

Jack kissed her again and this time it was a lot more intense than it ever was. Elsa responded by pushing him onto the couch. Jack fell down backwards with a grin etched over his adorable face. His hand whipped out to grab hers and he pulled her onto him. Jack's lips found her cheek, neck and mouth.

"Well, what do we have here?" the shock of hearing someone's voice caused Elsa to let out a small yelp and fall off the couch onto the ground which hurt. Jack sat up while Elsa rubbed her head in pain. Standing behind them, wearing the most annoying and self-righteous grin, was Astrid. "So," she continued when neither Elsa nor Jack spoke, "this is what happens when you guys decide to get up to while everyone is at the bonfire."

"There's a bonfire?" Elsa quickly said.

"I was coming up here to inform you two that some students had gotten one going but it appears to me that things are already hot in here," Astrid smirked again. Elsa was really starting to hate that smirk of hers.

"Shut up," Elsa muttered. "What I get up to with Jack is none of your business."

"Never said it was," Astrid said. "Just find it interesting. So do you guys wanna come down or keeping making out?"

"I will come," Elsa quickly said.

Astrid looked a little disappointed. She wasn't the only one. Jack looked as if Christmas had been cancelled. Elsa, on the other hand, didn't know what had just happened. First she had been talking to Jack about all the crazy things that had happened in her life then she and him were making out. Elsa followed Astrid down to the elevator. Her head was still spinning from what had happened. Had she seriously kissed Jack?

"You okay?" Astrid's voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance away.

Elsa quickly snapped to. "Yeah," she paused for a moment, "I think."

"I would have thought this was something you have wanted for a very long time now."

"Yeah it is but…" Elsa's voice trailed off. She didn't know what to say next. Astrid was right. She had wanted to be with Jack for a long time now – practically since the first time she laid eyes on him. Astrid looked like she wanted to pursue this conversation but she was stopped by the elevator doors opening revealing Honey and Gogo. They both looked pleased to see that Elsa had decided to join them. Thankfully Astrid had decided to drop the subject while they were around their friends. Elsa had hoped that that this meant she would drop it for the night. It was not to be so.

Elsa and the others headed over to the bonfire that several students had started. Despite it being such a warm night, Elsa guessed that several students thought it would be a cool way to end the year. There were at least a hundred students gathered around it. They were all partying and drinking. Elsa shivered despite it being a warm night and she was so close to a massive bonfire – people kept adding to it. Elsa was sure that she saw several students throwing in some of their old textbooks into it. She was sure that they are going to regret that in the morning.

"Want a soda?" Astrid quickly asked Elsa.

"Yeah, okay," Elsa said, not really listening.

Astrid soon pushed a can of Coke into Elsa's hands. Astrid was soon swapped by Hiccup who had come over to them. He pulled Astrid away and Elsa soon saw them making out behind some bushes. Elsa moved away from them and tried to find someone that she could talk to. She didn't find anyone despite knowing that all her friends were down here. She eventually just leaned against a nearby building and watched the events take place. She didn't even touch her drink.

"Having fun?" Bunnymund had come over to talk to her.

"Yeah, couldn't you see?" Elsa said with some sarcasm over her words.

Bunnymund let out a little chuckle. "I gather something is on your mind. If not, you would be super excited for the end of exams."

"Yeah, there is," Elsa admitted.

"Wanna talk about it?" Bunnymund offered.

"No," Elsa said. She didn't exactly want to discuss what she had discussed with Jack. It was her deepest darkest secret after all.

"Well, if you ever want a friend," Bunnymund shrugged. He looked like he was going to talk about something else but Tooth was calling his name. Apparently they had started some sort of game – Elsa didn't quite catch what it was called – and wanted her boyfriend on her team. Bunnymund gave Elsa an apologetic look before joining Tooth. Elsa was now alone.

Elsa paused for a few moments before heading back to her dorm, clutching her unopened drink.

The next day Elsa woke up feeling a little weird about the events of the previous night. She guessed that her emotions were running a little high which could have been the caused the kiss and make out session last night. She sighed as she rolled onto her back and stared up at her ceiling. Was last night a mistake? She hoped not. She had raced out of there as running is what she does. She ran whenever she felt scared and she was scared. She had finally revealed her past to Jack and that made her feel vulnerable which just fuelled her frighten state. This leads to another thing that does that exact thing. Jack may regret it. Sure, he seemed into it at the time but he may come and find her and tell her exact that. She may just have to avoid Jack to avoid that conversation. She didn't think she could handle him saying something like that.

Elsa debated whether or not she should get out of bed. She just wanted to stay in her bed forever. A quick peek of the clock showed her that it was nearly seven in the morning. She never could sleep in past seven. Elsa stretched and got out of bed. She pulled on her slippers and headed out of the door. She walked down the hallway and headed into her kitchen and put on the kettle for some coffee. Soon the dorm room would be hers. The others would soon be heading home. Astrid would be going back to Scandinavia with Hiccup. Gogo was going back to back home which was San Fransokyo. Going with her was Honey, Hiro, Tadashi, Wasabi and Fred. Bunnymund was visiting his family in Sydney and he was taking Tooth with him to meet his family. She also knew that Jack wasn't going too far as his mum lived here in Burgess. That may be good and bad – it may get Jack distracted long enough so she can think of a strategy of what to say to him and it may give Jack motivation to get in contact with her.

Elsa sighed as she stirred milk into her coffee. This was going to be a mission. What was she supposed to say to Jack? He poured his soul out to her just as she had done. She didn't know how quite to respond to that.

"Morning!" came a voice behind her.

Elsa was so surprised that the gulp of coffee she had just taken went down the wrong way. She started to cough and the person behind her whacked her on the back. Eyes watering, Elsa turned around and saw that it was Astrid standing behind her. Elsa wondered if she had been waiting for her to get up. Elsa did always stick to the same routine every day.

"Hello," Elsa said, not looking too impressed.

Elsa waited for Astrid to say something but it looked like she was hesitating. Astrid looked like she was about to burst. Elsa knew what she wanted to say. She was dying to talk about Jack. Elsa took this time to drink her coffee in peace, savouring every moment Astrid didn't ask her. She wasn't really the kind of person who discussed her inner workings at every possible moment.

"So?" Astrid finally burst out.

"I don't know," Elsa said leaning against the kitchen bench. She decided to tell Astrid a part of the truth to shut her up. "I just freaked out."

"That was obvious," Astrid said, resisting the urge not to roll her eyes. Elsa resisted the urge to scowl at this. "So what are you going to do?"

What was she going to do? In truth, Elsa had no idea. Her first instinct was to run as fast as she can. She was messed up – well so was Jack apparently but Elsa was sure she was way more messed up than him. Elsa just wished that she could and hide – maybe like in the university's library – and just stay there until the end of eternity. But there was something inside of her that was screaming at her to go talk to Jack. She did really like Jack – perhaps she had even fallen in love with him? There were times which she definitely thought about it.

For an answer to Astrid's question, Elsa simply just sipped her coffee. Astrid looked even more frustrated now which only made Elsa smirk. Astrid went off in a huff back to her room and to Hiccup who had spent the night. With Astrid gone, Elsa's mind only wandered back to Jack. She sighed again. This would be so much easier if she could actually make up her mind. To date or not to date? That was the question.

Jack lay awake in his bed staring up at his ceiling. Last night was a bit of a question mark for him. He had confessed all to Elsa – which hadn't been easy for him but he felt like she deserved the truth since she saw him at his (and now he guessed her) therapist. He hadn't wanted to lie to her either. Jack hated lies. It was how he was brought up. His mother would always lie to him about her bruises and why she was always crying. Then he started to lie to others and himself about what was happening.

Jack looked over at his alarm clock. It was nearly ten in the morning. Jack's mother was coming to get him just after lunch time to help him with his stuff. He was heading home for the holidays. Bunnymund and Tooth had already gone home – Tooth was planning to spend the summer in Australia. Hiccup was laughing at this since they were both trading in their summer for Australia's winter. Although, as Bunnymund had pointed out, Australia's weather wasn't all that cold. Jack thought that maybe he should start packing but that could be done later. He wasn't taking that much stuff home. Students could leave whatever they wanted in their dorm rooms as it was theirs until they move out (which quite a few third years and fourth years do – they either move into the on campus housing which is extremely hard to get unless you're at least a third year or move into an apartment in the city) or graduate. Jack was only going to take his clothes home and some other stuff like his laptop and his games (Jack had made sure to bring his Play Station 4 which had been a gift from a family friend – Nicolas North).

Jack had another idea he wanted to do before he started to pack. He wanted to go chat to Elsa. His mind was still spinning from their make out session the previous night. He wanted nothing more than to continue that but he felt like Elsa was a little bit scared. Maybe she wasn't used to this kind of thing happening to her or maybe she was unsure on how she felt. Well he knew very well how he felt. He had never felt this way towards another person before. He wanted to be with her. How was he going to convince her to give him a chance? Talking to her would be the obvious choice but what would he say? A heartfelt confession? Pros and cons of dating each other? Well, Jack was never a planner – he usually just winged it and see where that gets him. Maybe he would get lucky and the right thing would just come out of his mouth.

Jack quickly got out of bed and hurried to get dressed. It was now quarter past ten. He didn't know what Elsa's plans were. He didn't know if she was planning on going home – well not that she ever talked much about her home and now he knew why. Jack hurried out of his room and found Tadashi and Honey packing up their stuff. They weren't going home to San Fransokyo until tomorrow but Tadashi wanted everything done today as they would be leaving them on an early flight.

"Hey Jack," they both smiled at him and stopped what they were doing.

"Hey," Jack replied. A sudden burst of inspiration hit him. "Honey – is Elsa in her room?"

"Last time I check," Honey's eyebrows got closer together as she looked at him. "Why?"

"No reason," Jack quickly said.

Honey didn't look convinced. She looked like the wheels in her brain were turning. Jack was under the suspicion that she knew what was going on but just wasn't saying a thing. Tadashi kept looking from one to the other. He didn't look lost – just confused. Jack didn't wait around to clear things up. He would just end up being drawn into a long conversation about his feelings with Honey and Tadashi would want all the dirt as well. Jack knocked on Elsa's door and discovered it was opened.

"Hello?" Jack called to announce his presence.

"Hello?" Elsa came out and saw that it was him. She blushed when she saw him. "Oh hello," she said.

"Are we alone?" Jack asked and she nodded. "Good because I want to talk about what happened last night."

"Oh right – that," Elsa's face fell. Jack didn't take that as a good sign. "It's just that – well – I've never really dated anyone before – or like had feelings for anyone in that way before."

"Oh," Jack would have betted good money that Elsa had a string of broken hearts behind her but then again, as he quickly realised, her father may not have approved her dating.

"And," Elsa hesitated as if something was stopping from continuing, "I've a bit of a runner when it came to anything."

"It's okay," Jack gently gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "How about we start off with baby steps?"

"What do you propose?"

"How about a date? This Saturday, I am going to take you to the movies."

"Sounds fun," Elsa giggled.

Jack hesitated but leaned in. Elsa met him half way and their lips met.

"Please tell me that this means you two have a date lined up," the voice of Astrid suddenly took the pair of them out of their little magical world. Jack looked behind him to see Astrid leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk all over her face. Jack scowled.

"Shut up," the pair of them said together which only made Astrid laugh.

A couple of weeks later

Anna was examining herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a short blue skirt with white t-shirt that an Eiffel Tower in gold glitter and the word bonjour' in alternating red, blue and white lettering. She also had black sandals on and a red beret. Her long strawberry blonde hair was let loose down her back. She flicked it and liked the way it flowed.

"Is it just me or is someone getting ready for a date?" a voice from behind her said.

Anna looked behind her and saw that Tiana, her friend from school, was standing right behind her.

"No," Anna said innocently but Tiana saw her blushing.

"Aha!" Tiana said. "It is a date!"

"Not really," Anna tugged at her hair. "I'm just meeting someone for coffee."

"Does this someone have a name?" Tiana leaned in close and had a grin plastered all over her face. Anna was really starting to hate her now. "Is it Kristoff by any chance?"

"Stop it!" Anna said but her blushing caused Tiana to know it's the truth. "We are just going to meet for coffee!"

"Sure," Tiana starting smirking again.

"What are you even doing here anyway?" Anna sounded a little angry.

"I promised your aunt I would help her with the play," Tiana said. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah," Anna had almost forgot that her aunt had volunteered to work behind the scenes at her cousin's play this year. Tiana had offered to help with the catering since Aunt Greta had once tasted her food and she hasn't stop raving about it.

"Have fun on your date," Tiana sang as she exited the room.

"It's not a date!" Anna called after her which only made her laugh.

Anna's good mood had gone which wasn't something she was happy about. She huffed all the way down to the local café where she was meeting Kristoff. Tiana didn't know what she was on about. It wasn't a date….was it? It was just two friends meeting for coffee. Sure, Kristoff had asked her for coffee and sure, Tiana always said that coffee was a tester date before the actual date but it was just two friends right? It wasn't as if she had feelings for Kristoff…right? Right? How could she have feelings for the guy anyway? He was just a friend – a friend who made her feel like she was walking on air, made her heart beat a thousand times a second, get butterflies in her stomach and make her feel good. But just a friend right?

Anna shook her head. Maybe she did have feelings for Kristoff. Well even if she did, it wasn't as if he had feelings for her. He probably saw her as Elsa's little sister. Well, they did hang out a lot over the last year and he was helping her through getting over the whole Hans' catastrophe which is why he asked her out for coffee. His plan was to fill up her day with all kinds of cool fun stuff to get her mind off Hans. It was working very well but it was also causing Anna to realise that she may actually have feelings for Kristoff which may be a reason why she felt like she was getting over Hans so quickly. They had broken up only a few weeks ago and Anna didn't know if she felt like dating so quickly. Well maybe she should see how it goes with Kristoff? After all, he is a pretty good guy.

Anna's feet finally landed her in front of the café where she was meeting Kristoff. She sighed as he looked into the café. She saw Kristoff sitting at one of the tables. He was checking his phone while he drank his drink so he hadn't yet noticed her. Anna breathed in very deeply. Sure, she could tell him but she felt like it was a bit too early to date anyone yet. Maybe at some point in the future though.

Anna walked through the doors and Kristoff looked up and waved her over. Anna felt a smile creep over her face. Well maybe that point in the future may end up coming a lot quicker than she thought.

Carl Boot groaned as his pencil tapped against the daily crossword in the newspaper. His palm rested against his cheek as he struggled with the next one he had to do.

"You okay there?" Carl looked up and saw his fellow co-worker Adam Granger standing over him.

"Three across, ninetieth element on the Periodic Table, begins with a 'th' and ends in 'ium'," Carl said.

Adam paused as he processed the answer and Carl just stared at the paper, hoping "Thorium," Adam said, sitting down next to him. Carl gave him a long stare. "What? I did Chemistry at school," Carl continued to stare, "and I just Googled it."

"Thought so," Carl laughed but he still wrote down the correct answer.

"So," Adam took the chair next to his friend, "what is in store for us today?"

"We have a release to deal with," Carl passed the papers.

"And he is ready for it," came a voice from in front of them.

Carl looked up to see a man with a muscular tone, short cropped blonde hair wearing a dark brown suit jacket over matching pants and a grey top. Carl stamped his files and signed them before filing them away.

"Congratulations Vincent Frost," Carl said, "you're now officially a free man."

A/N: Okay, this has finally been uploaded. Super sorry it's taken THIS long. So many things have gotten in the way; uni work, procrastination, more uni work, being sick. So sorry. Anyway to the story, sorry if there is mistakes. So Mr Frost is out of jail and the backstories have been revealed - hope they were up to scratch. Also some Jelsa and Kristanna goodness.

Onto reviews!

Angelwings178: Thanks for the kind compliment. Means a lot. (Yeah it does a little but trying my best to stay semi true to them) Hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters as much.

Charllote64: Thanks so much. Hope you enjoyed how the Jelsa therapy unfolded.

Liz: Thanks so much.

ElsaTheSnowQueen2: Yeah I feel really bad for Anna too - but things are looking up for her. Yes to his childhood - so much more though. Thanks!

Guest: Yes I have! Sorry I am like so AWOL. Haha, uni is so stressful - last year so trying to finish everything up. Thanks.

Little Timothy: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Acceptable Gentleman: Thanks so much.

Layla MT: Don't get too down about your English - it's pretty good. Thanks! Yeah it is funny that they do. Thanks!

150Songs: Thanks!

Guest: I try to!

NIresda123: You find out the answer to that! Thanks!

sanaa11: I guess they did!

AFallenAngel1221: Glad that you were happy about that! Yeah uni is a pain and gonna continue being a pain. Yep, they do! Thanks!

Cal: Oh yeah he is. He kind of did, didn't he? Sorry it took a while for Jelsa to get rolling but I didn't want to dive right into it but don't worry, we got the Jelsa ball rolling now. Jack's past is all revealed now. Hope you liked it. Thanks.