Hey guys! Guess who's back! Sorry for the delay. Before we start, just want to say one thing. A lot people have been getting confused between the two Astrids. There is Astrid Winters, Anna and Elsa's cousin who lives in Arendelle (she will only stay in Arendelle). The other Astrid is Astrid Hofferman from HTTYD and is Hiccup's girlfriend. She lives in Burgess. Sorry for the confusion guys. When I started writing this story, HTTYD character wasn't going to appear and then I decided they should. Of course this was AFTER I already had Astrid Winters in this story. But don't fret guys! Astrid the cousin is only in the Arendelle set scenes and Astrid Hofferman is only in Burgess set scenes. I hope this clears everything up.
I would also like to say that it is nice for people to want me to update so quickly but it is hard for me to constantly update (I know I used to in my earlier stories). I am trying to get my final draft of each chapter to be really good for you guys and that takes time. Plus I have to live my life so that of course stalls things. I do my best to make sure that the chapters are updated as a good pace but I apologise that it takes a bit of time. Please be patient!
Also thanks again to Blind Red Dragon's help. Once again, you came to my aid and I thank thee for it!
Chapter 17: Sins of The Father
Jack's fist clenched. Fourteen years of anger started to bubble inside of him. His so called father kept his gaze firmly on his wife and children. It seemed to him that he didn't even register that there was a fifth person in the room. No one dared to speak – it seemed like everyone was afraid to speak.
Silence continued. Everything that Jack had ever wanted to say to his father went rushing through his brain, morphing together into one big blob that was in coherent. Well what would one to say to a man who made you feel so worthless, so powerless, so alone? Finally someone spoke.
"Hello family," Vincent said.
"We are not that anymore," Caroline whispered.
Every single word she spoke quivered. Every word sounded like it had the weight of the world upon it. Caroline's hands shook with anger as the words escaped her lips. Her face turned white. Jack had never seen his mother this angry before. She looked as if she was about to lose it – that's if she hadn't already.
"Now, now, my dear, Caroline," Vincent almost wagged his finger at his ex-wife – his voice almost sounded patronising, "don't be like that."
Caroline could have breathed fire at his words. Gone were the days where she would have bowed and scrapped to him. Gone were the days where she would tremble if his tone indicated anything other than a happy mood. Gone was the freighted woman who has now been replaced with a woman who knows that Vincent Frost is a mean and nasty man. Well the truth of it was that Jack hoped that was all true. There were times in the past where Jack was scared that his mother would have gone back to his father. However, Jack felt like now that his mother knew what he knew; his father was a bad man and a man like that shouldn't be allowed to walk free.
"Well, well," Vincent's eyes fell upon Elsa. Jack saw Elsa tense up. "Who's this?"
Jack didn't know how but he would have betted every cent in his bank account that his father somehow knew who Elsa was. Maybe Vincent was keeping tabs on them after all. Well his father was a very controlling man so this wasn't a huge leap. He also didn't like the look Vincent was giving Elsa – almost gleeful.
"No one," Jack said. There was no way in hell that he was getting Elsa involved in his family drama. "Now get the fuck out of this house."
"Jackson," Vincent looked angry, "that is no way to talk to your dad."
Jack knew what his father was doing – he knew it oh too well. His father was trying to bully him and left unchecked, his words would be the last thing Jack should worry about. However, Jack wasn't some timid little boy, cowering in his father's presence. He was now a man and this man doesn't cower in fear.
"You heard me," Jack snarled. "Get fuck out of our house or else, I'll call the police."
Vincent's hands curled into fists. His face had the most evil expression etched upon it but Jack didn't care one little bit. He, himself, was angry. He could feel it bubbling up inside him as if he was an active volcano about to erupt. Vincent looked between members of his family; first to his ex-wife, then to his daughter and finally back to Jack. Jack wondered if he was considering his options in his thick skull, maybe wondering if it was worth making a fuss. Vincent then let out a low growl before he stormed out of the house. Jack let out a sigh of relief, it could have been much worst.
No one spoke. It seemed that no one wanted to speak. Jack, for one, couldn't even get the words to come out his mouth. The words seemed to get lost on their way to his throat. Jack's eyes fluttered over to his girlfriend. She was shaking and Jack didn't blame her. Her own father probably talked and acted like that. Jack's own mum had collapsed at the kitchen table. Her hand was pressed over her heart.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "Oh my god."
"Mum?" Jack hurried over to his mother and took her hand. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," his mother managed to get out after a few seconds of silence.
Jack watched his mother take in some deep breaths. She looked like she could faint. Well it wasn't easy for her going up against his father like that. Probably took all the courage she could muster. Vincent was a dominating man. He was used to take everything from her in one go. Jack looked over at Elsa. She looked petrified, a deer in the headlights. Jack wondered what was going through her brain.
"I think I'll take Elsa home," the words flew out of his mouth but he knew it was the right thing to do. She seemed like this was all she could take for one day. Jack thought that Elsa couldn't handle anymore.
"Good idea," Pippa quickly said. "I'll get mum to bed. I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."
"I couldn't agree more little sis," Jack responded.
Jack and Elsa quickly left the house. Elsa seemed to follow Jack in some kind of trance. All this time, she hadn't said a single word. Once again, Jack wondered what was going through her mind. Once inside the car, they made their way back to Elsa's dorm room. Throughout the trip, Elsa didn't utter a single word.
"You okay?" Jack asked softly.
"Huh?" Elsa quickly snapped out of whatever tranced she was in. "What?" She turned to face her boyfriend. "Yes," she muttered. "I think so."
Jack wasn't so sure.
Elsa seemed to be on autopilot when she got back to her dorm room. She didn't even say hi to Honey and Gogo who were having their dinner. They had looked up at Elsa and tried to say hello to her but she just walked right pass them. She didn't even remember getting ready for bed or even getting into it. Before she was aware of it, she was lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. The day's events flashed through her mind – blurring together. Elsa shut her eyes tightly. Elsa tried to force the events out of her mind but she couldn't. They swam through her mind – destroying her slowly from the inside out. Sweat dripped onto her pillow and sheets as she tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't get to sleep.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't. She continued to stare up at the ceiling. Minutes turned into hours. Soon the exhaustion of the night washed over her. Her eyes slowly started shutting. Vincent Frost soon morphed into Adgar Winters.
"Elsa! What have you done?"
Her father's voice rang through the house. It seemed louder and angrier than Elsa ever thought it could get. Elsa, timidly, approached her father. He was holding in his left hand a bottle of beer and in his right, Elsa's school report. Elsa timidly approached the room in which her father could be found in – her hands were trembling. What was he going to say? What was he going to do?
"Elsa!" her father's voice boomed causing Elsa to cower as she scuttled towards him.
He scornfully looked down at her. Elsa cowered under his glare. He flashed her report in front of her face. The paper was waved in front of her face. She barely could make out anything on it.
"Yes….dad?" her voice was timid. The words could barely escape her lips and were soft as if they didn't want to come out.
"What is this?" he demanded of her.
"Uh," Elsa didn't really know what to say. She didn't know what he was referring to. If it was something in the report, she couldn't pin down what it was. To her, everything seemed okay in it.
"Is that all you have to say?" he advanced on her. Elsa instinctively took a step backwards. When she did this, her father grabbed her shoulders with an iron grip. A pain radiated from that spot to the rest of her body. She let out a small gasp of pain. Elsa knew better not to struggle out of his grip – that would only make things worse.
"I'm sor-" Elsa couldn't even get two words out before she was interrupted by her father.
"Look at this," he snarled. He stuffed Elsa's report into her shaking hands.
Elsa gazed down at her report. By all accounts, it looked pretty good to her. Her grades looked decent enough and none of her teachers seemed not to have anything bad to say about her. In fact, they were all very positive. The comments filled her with a sense of joy that she didn't get very often. She was doing the extracurricular activities that he wanted her to do – sports, drama, arts and science. So what was her father talking about? She was very puzzled. It all seemed in order to her. All while she was looking at her report, her father was examining her reactions. He didn't seem too pleased with her reactions.
"That," he snarled. He seemed to have gotten to a point his patience had run thin. Her father pointed to one of her grades. Elsa looked down at her and her heart sank. She finally saw what her father was referring to. Next to his finger was her grade for art class. It was a 'B'. Elsa gulped. Her father only wanted her to get straight As and nothing less would suffice. Getting a B was practically treason.
"I'm sorry," the words tumbled out of her mouth. Elsa could almost feel tears coming to her eyes. Trying to please her father was so exhausting. Trying to get it all done took every ounce of strength she could muster. She wasn't surprised that something had given but she wished it wasn't something that he could easily see.
"Don't give me that bullshit," her father's voice was low but vicious. You could sense the danger coming. You could practically feel it in the air.
"Fath-" Elsa barely got the word out before her father's other hand was on her other shoulder. An intense pain shot through her system. The hands moved inwards and soon they were around her neck. The hands tightened around her air pipes. Elsa chocked as the air was cut off. Her legs gave way and the only reason she didn't collapse onto the floor was because her father kept her up – her knees were scraping along the floorboards.
"You wretched little girl," he said. "I give you everything and all I ask in return is a little respect and hard work! You can't even give me that!"
Every word, the hands tightened. Spots appeared in front of her eyes. She could feel the oxygen draining from her body. She started to struggle against her father as she was desperate to breath.
"Elsa! Elsa!"
Someone was yelling her name.
"Elsa!"
Elsa bolted up – her hand clutching her neck. She was covered in sweat and her heart was beating ferociously. Panic was still coursing through her veins. Her whole body was shaking violently. It all felt so real – as if it was still happening to her.
"Elsa!" someone grabbed her hands and tried to keep her from panicking.
"What?" Elsa widely looked around as she tried to figure out what was going on. Her heart kept pounding. It felt it was going to burst from her chest. Elsa finally noticed that Astrid was in her room. She was sitting on Elsa's bed looking shocked. The first thought that came through her mind was why Astrid was in her room? Why wasn't she in her room? Elsa realised it must be quite late. "What's the time?" Elsa tried to calm herself. "What's happening?"
"It's about two o'clock in the morning," Astrid said. She was looking very concerned for her friend. "Elsa, you were shouting and screaming in your sleep again. What is going on? Are you okay?"
"Um," Elsa wasn't sure what to tell her. On one hand she could tell her the truth but on the other hand, she knew that she shouldn't. She wasn't quite ready to tell everyone else just yet. It was still quite painful to talk about. It had been so hard to tell Jack but she was glad she did as Jack knew what she was going through and could help her move on with her life., perhaps put it all in the past where it belongs. "Nightmares," Elsa settled on this. It was the truth but only a part of it.
"Nightmares?" Astrid looked like she didn't know what to think. Elsa knew that Astrid wasn't buying it. Elsa sighed. It looked like she may have to tell a little bit more to settle this otherwise Astrid would just keep asking questions and maybe even dig into her life. So maybe Elsa should just give her a little something to stop that.
"Yeah," Elsa fiddled with her sheets. "Look, something happened to me in the past. I still get nightmares about it."
"Oh my god," Astrid gasped a little. "What kind of thing?"
"I'm not ready to talk about it. Could we just let me deal with this? I am trying to. I'm getting help."
"Like a shrink?" Astrid looked a little happy at this.
"Yeah," Elsa nodded. "Look could you not tell anyone about this? I would prefer it not to be breakfast gossip."
"I understand," Astrid truly looked it. She paused for a moment. "So was this event like a car crash or something?"
"Something like that," Elsa said.
Astrid paused for a moment. It looked like to Elsa that she was struggling to accept that this was all the information she was going to get. Astrid was a strong woman who, well, wouldn't accept no for an answer. Well, that was the case. Elsa wasn't sure if she could handle telling her everything just yet. Astrid was a great friend – one of the best she ever had. So who knows? Maybe one day. Astrid opened her mouth to say something. Elsa knew that she was going to press onwards. It was time to intervene.
"Night," Elsa suddenly said and rolled over to face the wall.
Astrid closed her mouth then opened it again. "Goodnight."
Astrid got up and headed over to the door. She seemed to accept the situation for what it was. Just as was at the door, Elsa called her back.
"Astrid?" she said quietly to the wall.
"Yeah?" Astrid's voice was soft.
"Thanks."
Astrid smiled. "You're welcome."
The next morning at breakfast, Elsa found Astrid, Tooth, Gogo and Honey all sitting around the breakfast table. Elsa caught Astrid's eye over a cup of coffee she was drinking. This little exchanged went unnoticed as they seemed to have other things on their mind.
"So," Tooth really dragged out the word. "How was last night meeting Jack's family?"
Elsa was glad that Astrid didn't have a chance to lure her away to discuss the previous night's events. She wished that the conversation didn't stem towards Jack as last night was a bit of a sore spot for her – not just what happened during when she was asleep but the entire night. Seeing Vincent, how he acted, just bought it all back for her. She could practically see her father standing in front of her whenever Vincent spoke. She hadn't had a nightmare in a while – a consequence of her going to therapy – but just seeing Vincent, the way he spoke, acted, it was just too much for her.
"It was good," Elsa said slowly. She had decided not to go into the whole seeing-Jack's-dad thing. Probably best to leave that. She knew that Vincent was a sore spot for Jack so it was probably best that if Jack wanted people to know about that, that he'd be the one to tell everyone.
"Good?" Astrid's eyes narrowed. Elsa had the most horrible feeling that she may have put two and two together.
"Yeah, good," there was a pause between the two words.
"You don't sound so sure," Astrid said.
"I'm sure," Elsa tried to sound a lot more confident this time around.
"Oh she's just nervous because she's not sure if Jack's family liked her," Tooth said brushing aside all concerns about Elsa.
"Yeah," Elsa nodded, latching onto the idea. "I just want them to like me."
"Which is completely logical," Honey said. "I'm sure they loved you."
"I hope so," Elsa said, this was true. To be accepted by Jack's family was a dream come true. She loved Jack so much and she wanted to be a member of his family. She didn't have a proper family growing up, she thought she might find one in Jack's family. They seemed so perfect to her – nice and they know all about her and don't judge her because they too have gone through the same thing as her.
Elsa found herself walking to her job about twenty minutes later. Thankfully the talk at breakfast didn't last too long and was only concerned with what had happened at dinner. Elsa had given in and discussed what they wanted to talk about. She, of course, skipped the part about Jack's dad and only talked about the dinner which seemed to satisfy all of them – well maybe not all of them. Astrid kept giving her funny looks all throughout the conversation. Elsa did have a feeling that Astrid may have connected Elsa's bad dream and what had happened last night. Elsa hoped not. That was not something she wanted to talk about – not one single bit.
"Going somewhere?" The voice sounded ice cold and it sent shivers down her spine. She knew who that voice belonged too. Elsa turned, very slowly, on her heels. Sitting on a ledge, one leg laid across it while one dangled down and his head resting on his palm while his knee dug into his leg, next to her was Vincent Frost. Elsa gulped. Fear dripped into her veins as her eyes fell upon him. What was he doing here? Had he been here waiting for her? Or had he been simply been following her? That thought filled her with dread. He must have been. Vincent hopped off the ledge and towered over her. Elsa eyes slowly found their way into his. She often felt like this. Whenever she looked into her father's eyes, the same feeling of dread and despair coursed through her. Vincent seemed to pick up on this because a twisted grin came over his face.
"Well, well, well," he said slowly, "so this is Jacky's girl." He paused for a moment as if he was allowing time for Elsa to respond but Elsa didn't speak. She didn't do anything. She just stared up at Jack's father with a look of horror slowing creeping into her features. "So, Elsa isn't it?" He didn't even wait for Elsa to respond, he just plunged on. "So, my dear Elsa word on the street is that you and Jack have gotten quite close, excellent."
Elsa knew that this wasn't good. Vincent pulled out of his pocket a newspaper article. Elsa's heart sank when she stared at it. She recognised the paper. It was the Arendelle Gazette. Elsa gulped. What was he doing with that…unless…a thought had crossed her mind and it wasn't a good one. Vincent smirked as the look of horror intensified on her face. He opened the article to reveal what was written on the front page.
'ADGAR WINTERS SHOT, DAUGHTER ARRESTED' Elsa read. There was a picture of both of them side by side under the headline. She shivered slightly. It was the headline from the day after she had killed her father. How did Vincent find this? Or, more importantly, know to look for it? Her fists clenched. She knew what he was going to do. It didn't take a genius to work out what his angle was going to be.
"I see you recognise the headline," Vincent said after a few long minutes. He had been smirking at Elsa squirming as she read the headline. Elsa's hands clenched even hard.
"What do you want?" Elsa's voice quivered on every word.
"Now what do you think Jacky would say about this when he finds out?" Vincent's voice was full of mockery.
"Are you going to tell him?" Elsa didn't want Jack to know and she knew that Vincent knew this. If Jack found out, it would taint the way he looked at her. She couldn't bear it if he looked at her in that way.
"Not if you do a little thing for me," Vincent still spoke in that same mocking tone.
Elsa could have rolled her eyes. Great, she thought, this is exactly what she expected from a man like this; blackmail. This was so fucking perfect.
"And that is?"
Astrid was sitting at the kitchen table looking at random sites on her laptop. She was alone in her the dorm room. Her roommates had all gone off. Honey had gone off with Tadshi – God only knew where – and Gogo was in the robotics lab. She had some kind of epiphany during an episode of Doctor Who she had been watching and rushed out of the dorm room. Astrid didn't understand this but she went with it. All she remembered was Gogo muttering about something. She had hoped to spend the day with Hiccup but he was out with some friends and so Astrid decided to waste the day away with useless activities.
She sighed as she drank some of the coffee in front of her. There was something that was bothering her though. It wasn't the coffee or the site that she was on. It was Elsa. Elsa had woken up in the middle of the night experiencing what Astrid had deduced was a PTSD dream. She had woken up clutching her neck and to Astrid that could mean only one thing; Elsa had dreamt someone strangling her. That was the only thing that made any sense to Astrid. However, if it was true, then who – and more importantly, why? Was Elsa hiding some deep dark secret? Well if she was, that wouldn't come as a real shock to Astrid. Astrid was convinced that she was. Elsa's strange behaviour from the day Astrid had met her told her that.
Astrid sat up a bit straighter in her chair. She logged onto Facebook and searched for Elsa. Astrid hadn't yet added her on Facebook. Maybe there was something in her feed that would tell Astrid something. She didn't know a lot about Elsa – her past, her family, her friends were all a mystery to her. Facebook loaded up the page for all the Elsa Winters in the world. There were a number but nothing matched Elsa. Astrid groaned as she scrolled through the names. Did Elsa not have a Facebook account? Why? That seemed so weird to Astrid. She had never met someone who didn't. However, now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn't so strange. Plenty of people didn't have one. Astrid did have one last idea. She could Google Elsa. She was about to enter the words into Google when Hiccup entered the dorm room. Astrid grinned at him when he entered the room.
"Hello," she said as she closed her laptop. Hiccup leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the lips when he sat down next to her. "What happened to hanging with friends?"
"Work, sick and other attachments," Hiccup said which made Astrid groan. "Whatcha doing?"
"Nothing," Astrid said.
Hiccup and Astrid soon launched into a conversation which drove any more thoughts on Elsa out of Astrid's head.
"What do you want?" Elsa asked. Vincent hadn't given her an answer. It seemed like to her that he was biding his time; he wanted to enjoy every second of this.
"I think you know what I want," Vincent said each word very slowly. He waited for Elsa to respond but when she didn't, he continued on. "I want you to talk to Jacky boy." Elsa could have gaped at him. Her head started to race. Talk to Jack? Vincent noticed the horrified look on Elsa's face. He smirked again. "Yes. I want you to chat to my son. I want you to get him to give me a second chance. Once he does, I'm sure Pippa and Caroline will follow suit."
Elsa wasn't sure that she heard him right. Did he really believe he could waltz back into their lives?
"No," Elsa said firmly. "You are a horrible man. You don't deserve a second chance. Get the fuck away from me and leave Jack, Pippa and Caroline alone."
Elsa made a move to move away from Vincent but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Suddenly in Elsa's mind, Vincent flashed into the form of her father. Elsa was paralysed in fear. This was an all too familiar situation to her. Elsa had to blink several times to get rid of it. Adgar Winters soon turned back into Vincent Frost. Vincent looked angry but then forced himself to stay calm.. Elsa could see it in the expression upon his face. He looked directly at her before speaking.
"Now," Vincent said, "you need to tell them that I have changed. Prison taught me what is important in my life and it's them." Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She doubted this was true. This was just an excuse. He wanted them back to beat the crap out of them again. He wanted his old life back. Vincent seemed to notice that Elsa wasn't buying it. He pulled out the newspaper article again. Elsa looked at it with fear. "If you don't, remember, I will tell Jack. I will tell Caroline. I will tell Pippa. I will tell everyone you know. So, what would you prefer to do? Have one little conversation with my son and get him to forgive me or I ruin your life. I don't think Jack or your little friends will take too kindly to the knowledge that a murderer is in their mist. You have seventy two hours."
With that, Vincent released her arm and walked off leaving Elsa confused. What was she going to do?
Anna walked down a street that lead to the restaurant that she was meeting Kristoff at. She still wasn't at one hundred percent on this but she decided to go for it anyway. Her family and friends were right; Kristoff was a nice and decent guy. In fact, she did have feelings for him. She didn't want to admit it but she did. She thought that after Hans, she didn't want to put herself back out there. But why should she let Hans continue to torment her? He shouldn't be an obstacle for her. He should remain where is he; in the past.
Anna turned a corner and saw the restaurant coming into view. She stopped when she saw it. She took in a deep breath and continued onwards. A waiter at the restaurant asked for her name. She told him that it was under Kristoff and he smiled at her and lead her to her table. Anna soon caught site of Kristoff was sitting at the table. He was dressed in a nice suit which made Anna smile. He was looking very nervous as he sat there. Anna could tell that he had been sweating for a little bit but she didn't care. That just made him even cuter. If he wasn't nervous, Anna would be a little suspicious. Hans hadn't been which made this a nice turn of events. Anna watched as Kristoff checked his reflection in a spoon and made sure that his hair was okay. Anna giggled. She guessed she better put him out of his misery. Anna walked towards him. Kristoff quickly noticed her and nearly fell over in his eagerness to get to Anna before she walked over to him.
"Anna," Kristoff said with a huge smile coming over his face. He gaped at her. "Wow, you look incredible."
Anna giggled again. She was wearing a multi coloured floral patterned dress that came down to her knees. She was wearing blue high heels which matched the colours of her dress. She was also wearing a silver pendent necklace and some silver bangles to match.
"Thanks," Anna said.
"Milady," Kristoff said as he pulled back Anna's chair.
"What a gentleman," Anna said as she sat down and Kristoff pushed her chair in.
He walked around back to his chair and sat down. Anna couldn't help but stare at him. Seeing him here, in this situation, calmed her nerves. Kristoff pulled open his menu and didn't notice Anna staring which made Anna glad.
"I'm thinking about the fish," Kristoff mumbled. "What do you think?"
"Um," Anna quickly opened her menu and looked at it. "How about the lobster?"
"Yeah that sounds nice."
The waiter came over a couple of minutes later and took their order. During the time it took for the meal to arrive, Anna and Kristoff fell silent. Anna fiddled with her water. What was she going to say to him? Normally she and Kristoff could chat for hours at the time but they had never been in this situation before. On a date and simply hanging out were two different things. The game has changed. Was Anna ready for it?
Elsa returned back to her dorm room after hours of walking around with her head still spinning from earlier. Vincent Frost had thrown a wrench into her life. What was she going to do? If she spoke to Jack she would lose any respect for herself, Jack would hate her and she would wind up alone again. She could never help a man like him get back into his cycle of abuse. However, if she didn't talk to Jack, Vincent would tell Jack and her friends the truth and she would wind up alone anyway. It was a lose/lose situation. Elsa could have banged her head against the wall. She was in an impossible situation and she had no idea what to do about it. Either way she was going to lose a person that has meant the world to her and was the only person she ever connected with. Elsa could have cried.
"Elsa?" Astrid's voice wrenched Elsa back to reality.
"Yes?" Elsa said.
"Can we talk?" Astrid's voice wasn't harsh. It was gentle. Elsa hesitated. She guessed what Astrid wanted to talk about and Elsa wasn't sure if she wanted to discuss that.
"I guess," Elsa said tentatively.
"Look Elsa, I am worried about you. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Elsa tried to sound as convincing as possible but it didn't convince Astrid. Astrid frowned at her and folded her arms. Elsa felt guilty for lying to her which she was sure was the objective. "Okay, truth be told, no. I am dealing with stuff but I am dealing with stuff. So just drop this – now."
Astrid tried to protest but Elsa just walked off. She ignored all protests coming from Astrid and didn't given her another look. She opened the door to her bedroom and collapsed – face first – onto her bed. Tears leaked out of her eyes and onto her duvet. Now Astrid was poking around in her life. Great, this was just great. First, she has severe PTSD and depression from years of horrible abuse. Then she gets blackmailed by her boyfriend's psycho father. Now, she has people messing about in her life and potentially could unravel everything that she had tried to fix. Could this life get any better? Oh wait it did. She's going to lose the one person who understood her.
She could so easily give up right now.
Anna was chewing nervously on her lobster while watching Kristoff. They had some light conversation during their meal but nothing long lasting. Anna caught Kristoff's eye and he grinned at her over his meal. That was enough to send the butterflies in Anna's stomach fluttering all over the place. After dinner, desert was served. Anna, true to her love for chocolate, ordered the chocolate fudge pudding which sent Anna's taste buds on a trip to heaven. Kristoff ordered a crème brulee which did look quite tasty. Kristoff offered Anna a little bite which she enthusiastically accepted. Anna's eyes did not deceive her. It did taste good.
After having desert, Kristoff took Anna on a night-time stroll around Arendelle. Anna breathed in the fresh air. It filled her lungs with cold, rejuvenating air. It refreshed her senses and brought new energy to her. It was quite a pleasant evening. The stars were sparkling down at the pair of them as they set off down the streets of Arendelle.
"I like stars," Kristoff suddenly said, his head was crooked towards the heavens. "We are basically looking into the past whenever we look at them. It's taken millions of years for the light from the stars to reach us. During the time, human kind has begun, gone from hunting and gathering, building the pyramids to sending a robot to Mars. In the meantime, what has happened to that star? Is it still glowing? Or has it collapsed into dark hole and consumed everything around it? It's all simply fascinating."
Anna gripped Kristoff's arm tighter with a grin on her face. "I know, space is simply fascinating. What is out there for us to discover? Planets that have species starting to discover themselves? The wonders of the universe? Maybe the answer to life itself? Who knows really?"
"Who knows?" Kristoff grinned down at her and again, Anna felt the same butterflies from before. "So, what marvels await Anna in her universe?"
Anna giggled. "I would like to be a nurse one day. Healing the broken and sick. That kind of thing."
"How marvellous," Kristoff grinned once again. Anna wished he would stop doing that. It caused her to go all giddy every time and lose all brain activity.
"What about you?" Anna asked. "Is ice going to be your future?"
"Yes," Kristoff said after a few moments. "Ice is my life. The way it shines, sparkles, it creates wonder in every atom."
"How marvellous," Anna echoed Kristoff's words which made Kristoff blush.
The conversation didn't die for one moment after that. The conversation covered all kinds of topics – family, friends, school, politics. They found a bench in the middle of Arendelle Park. They watched as the world passed by them – couples walking pass them, people walking their pets, cars driving past them. Anna enjoyed watching the world go by. It felt nice to see people getting on with their lives.
Anna felt Kristoff arm slowly go around her shoulders. She could giggle again. She did a sideways glance at him. He looked very nervous again. Anna decided to make it easier for him. She snuck closer to him and placed her hand in his hand. This just made Kristoff even more nervous which made Anna giggled again.
"So," Anna said, leaning into Kristoff, "this really is a nice night."
"So is," Kristoff looked a little more relaxed now. He turned to look at her and Anna caught his gaze. "I just want to say Anna, that I really do like you – a lot actually."
"I like you too," Anna smiled at him.
Kristoff leaned in and kissed Anna on the lips. Anna responded by wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in while kissing him back. They continued to kiss for a few minutes. When they broke apart, they both grinned at each other.
"Well," Anna said. "That was worth the wait."
Anna got back to her house at about half past eleven. Anna and Kristoff seemed to walk the evening away. It was past curfew before Anna was even aware that curfew had crept up on them. Anna had rushed home so that her aunt and uncle wouldn't be crossed at her. Well, Anna thought as she paused outside the gate to her aunt and uncle's house, she was out with Kristoff – a boy who her relatives liked a lot – so she would be doubtful that they would actually be too crossed. They knew that Kristoff was a boy that they could trust with their niece. Or maybe they would be angry because they had said that curfew was at ten and it was getting close midnight now.
Anna pushed open the gate and it opened with creaking sound. Anna shushed at it. Her footsteps lead her to the door. She slowly pushed it open and crept into the hallway. Her eyes did a quick scan of the area. So far, so good. Maybe her aunt and uncle had gone to bed after all thinking that Anna would be back in time? Anna didn't take one step into the kitchen before the light was flicked on. Anna turned around, oh so slowly, and saw her aunt, uncle and cousin all sitting – in their pyjamas – at the kitchen table. They all seemed to have stayed up waiting for her. Busted, Anna thought. She grinned, rather guiltily, at them.
"Hello," Anna said. "How was your evening?"
"Our evening?" her cousin looked quite amused. "How about yours? Must have been quite a bash if you got back this late."
"Well," Anna dragged out the word.
"Do tell us!" the outburst from Anna's aunt was quite a shock to Anna. She didn't realise that her aunt had been this invested in Anna's date with Kristoff.
"Please tell us before your aunt goes mad," Anna's Uncle Klaus said in a tired voice but Anna could tell from the sparkle in his eyes that he was quite intrigued too.
Anna took in a deep breath in before she told them all – in a dreamy tone – about her date with Kristoff. She told them all about the dinner and the stroll through Arendelle. Her heart didn't stop racing throughout the entire evening – still hasn't. Her family grinned at her the entire way through her story which Anna took as a good sign that they approved of the date. Anna thought the date went very well. It certainly confirmed her feelings for the guy.
"So overall, a success?" Anna's cousin Astrid said.
"I do believe so," Anna smiled.
"Kristoff is a sweet boy," Aunt Greta said. "So glad that the date went well." She paused for a moment. "Well, that still doesn't excuse you being late, young lady." Anna's heart stopped dead. Guess she had been wrong about them letting her slide this one time. Aunt Greta's face split into two which caused Anna to be confused. "Only joking, you were with Kristoff. We trust the boy. Goodnight."
Anna and her cousin watched her and Uncle Klaus go up to bed. As soon as they were out of sight, Anna's cousin smirked at her. Anna looked at her with a clueless expression.
"So," Astrid said. "What aren't you saying?"
"What do you mean?" Anna had left out the kiss when she was describing the date. She didn't think that her aunt and uncle should hear about all the fun she got up to whole she was on her date.
"I know you left out something. Was it a kiss by any chance?"
Anna really hated the way her cousin was smirking at her. How did she figure it out? Well Astrid did have a sixth sense about this kind of thing.
"Okay fine," Anna sighed. "We did kiss."
"I knew it!" Astrid fist pumped the air which made Anna roll her eyes.
"I'm going to bed," Anna said.
"I knew it!" Astrid was still gloating while Anna headed up the stairs to her bed.
Elsa hadn't moved from her bed for what felt like the last twenty four hours. She had finally decided on what she should do. It would cost her her soul and maybe her relationship – well definitely her relationship – but she couldn't handle if Jack and everyone else had found the truth about her. Astrid was already suspicious. She was reminded of her sister. Anna was a bit pushy at times too – trying to worm her way into her life whenever she could. Elsa could feel tears come to her eyes. No, she said to herself. No tears. Not this time. She wrenched herself from her bed and decided to get what she needed to get done over with. No point in dragging it out for all to see. Elsa sighed again. Why must every time she seems to have things sorted this kind of thing always happens?
Elsa got changed – she hadn't changed in all that time she had been lying on the bed – and checked her phone. There was like twenty missed texts from Jack and about five missed phone calls. She wished she didn't have to avoid him but she had to. She couldn't bear to look at him while she attempted to sort this out. Elsa eventually emerged from her bedroom. She found her dorm mates having some kind of meal at the table. They stopped eating when Elsa came into view. They suddenly looked concerned.
"Are you okay Elsa?" Honey asked.
"Did you want something to eat?" Gogo suggested.
"Did something happen the other night?" Astrid questioned.
Elsa ignored all three of them and left the dorm room. It was time for her to find Jack. She managed to find him in his dorm room. Bunnymund had let her in and had tried to ask if she was okay – she certainly didn't look it – and she ignored him. She didn't want to discuss her feelings with anyone but Jack. Jack was really the only who could understand her. However, this was one conversation that she may have to have with herself.
Jack looked relieved when he saw her. "Elsa, I wondered if you were okay."
"Sorry," Elsa said. "It's just that seeing your dad, brought back some bad memories for me. I just needed time to adjust."
"Ah," Jack looked relieved. "I was scared that you were avoiding me."
"No," Elsa was only partly lying. "Why would I avoid you?"
"I thought that maybe mum or Pippa had scared you off."
Elsa laughed. "No."
"Good," Jack smiled, "because mum has invited us to game night. I know it's last minute but she wanted to know if you could come."
Elsa opened her mouth to say no. She didn't want to break Jack's heart in front of his entire family. However the word 'yes' came out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. Jack looked pleased.
"Awesome, that is simply awesome!" Jack said. "Game night is tomorrow." Suddenly Jack's phone went off. Jack checked his phone. "Sorry, gotta run. Work emergency." Jack gave her a swift kiss and hurried out. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. This way she could think about what she needed to say.
Elsa sighed. She turned on her heels and left the dorm room. She didn't know where her feet were taking her. All she knew was that her feet were taking her on a walk. Well a walk was a good idea. It would calm her until she saw Jack at game night – perhaps even give her time to muster up courage as well and maybe get some ideas into her head about what she should say. Elsa soon found herself in a random park. There was one about a ten minute walk from university. She always enjoyed coming here. It helped her think. She plunked herself on a park bench and cried into her hands. Well she had about twenty four hours before it was all over. She really had no choice. She simply could not have her past revealed. It was just too damaging.
"Dry those tears Elsa, you will need to look your best when you talk to Jack," came a familiar voice.
Elsa froze. She knew who that voice belonged to and she could feel her heart sinking further and further with each word. Elsa turned around and sure enough, sitting with a smug expression, was Vincent Frost. Elsa felt a hatred she had only felt for one other person fill her insides. She fought every instinct to hit him squarely in the face or a good kick in the groin. It would be quite satisfying if she could get away with that.
"How did you find me?" Elsa demanded. Then a thought struck her. "Have you been following me?"
"Well, I need to make sure that you were keeping to our deal."
Deal? More like blackmail.
"What do you want this time?" Elsa snarled.
"Uh, uh, uh," Vincent wagged his finger in a patronising fashion at her. "No need for that tone. As I said before, I am simply checking to see how it's going with your plan to tell Jack to give his dear old father a second chance. I gave you seventy two hours. Twenty five of those hours are up. The clock is ticking, tick tock, tick tock."
Elsa wished she could tell him to shut the fuck up but she didn't want to anger him. She just wanted him to come and go so he could leave her be.
"I'm working on it," Elsa said through clenched teeth.
"Excellent, when are you planning on doing it?"
"Tomorrow, Caroline has invited me to game night."
"Ah," Vincent looked pleased. "Excellent. Just make sure you do it."
With that, he left leaving a very unhappy Elsa. She sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot. What it would be to have a happy life. She wished she could have a life like what Anna had or maybe Rapunzel or Merida's life. That would be preferable to what she had. In fact, anything would be better to what she had.
Elsa's phone buzzed. It was Jack.
Hey Elsa, that work emergency was a joke, it took me five seconds to sort it. Anyway, wanna go grab some coffee? I could use some time off.
Elsa didn't know what to say to him. She didn't think she could face him just yet. It was just too tough. She could have cried as she wrote a reply to him.
Sorry Jack, can't. Busy.
After she sent the text, she turned off her phone. She didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. She hated doing this to him but she had no choice. She lay down on the bench and stared into the distance without really seeing what was in front of her. Maybe she should start imagining life without Jack in it. How was she going to break this to him? Maybe she should come out and say it? She supposed that was the best strategy. It would certainly get it over and done with.
This was going to be hell.
Jack picked Elsa up the next day. He had been worried about her. Her behaviour over the last couple of days had been strange. Ever since his father had shown up, this behaviour had started. Well, he could have guessed that. She had the same past as him so seeing him brought back the same kind of horrible memories coming to the surface. It was a horrifying experience for him just as it was for her. But that still didn't explain why she was avoiding him.
Despite what she earlier, he knew she was. Why though? Could it be that he reminded her of his father who in turn reminded her of her own father therefore bring up all the horrible memories of her past? Well, if that was the case, then he just needs to talk this over with her. He would simply just talk to her before game night started. There was always time before game night. It took Pippa forever to find the right games that were needed even though they were always put away in the same spot. Hopefully they can get it all sorted out before things kicked off and they can enjoy the games together with everything on the table. Throughout the car journey to Jack's house, they were both very quiet. Jack looked over at his girlfriend. She was staring out the window of the car. She seemed to be deep in thought. Was she thinking about? Well, maybe Jack was about to find out.
They soon pulled up to Jack's house. It took Elsa a moment to realise that they were there. Whatever she was thinking about, it seemed to pull her away from reality. Jack opened the car door for Elsa and led her to the door. Caroline let them with the biggest smile on her face. She couldn't stop making a fuss over Elsa as they clambered into the house.
"Now we have popcorn, pretzels, drinks and we will order pizza in about an hour," Caroline said. "Help yourself to everything."
"Where's Pippa?" Jack said.
"Setting up Pictionary," Caroline replied. "She'll be ready in ten."
Jack felt a gentle tugging on his sleeve. Jack looked down to see Elsa tugging at his jacket.
"Can we talk?" Elsa asked him. It looked like she was about to cry. Jack was suddenly very concerned. Was she going to tell him what was wrong? He hoped so. He wanted to help her if she was in trouble.
"Sure," Jack nodded.
"Is there somewhere private where we can talk?"
"We could go into my room," Jack pretended to sound like it was something scandalous.
"Sure," Elsa said.
Jack led her up the flight of stairs and they entered his room. His room had a roomy double bed complete with a blue duvet set, a set of drawers that were standing next to an oak wardrobe. Many posters lined Jack's walls. These ranged from maps of the world to movie posters. There were several shoes scattered over the floor. Jack's bed was messily made. The pillows were disarranged as if they were thrown into the bed in a random order. Jack looked a little sheepish. His room wasn't as clean or tidy as Elsa's room. Jack watched as Elsa took everything in. She seemed to smile at the pictures on Jack's bedside table. On his bedside table were pictures of his family and friends. He really liked the picture of him and Pippa that was taken a few years ago. She seemed to be taking her time in saying what she needed to say.
"So," Jack said after several long minutes of silence. He dug his hands into his pockets. "What did you want to say to me?" Words flew out of Elsa's mouth so fast that Jack had a hard time keeping up with what she was saying. "Could you say it slower? Please?"
"I think you should talk to your father," Elsa words were so quiet but Jack heard every single word.
"What?" Jack felt a rage burn inside of him. Did Elsa seriously ask him to go chat to his father?
"He says he's changed and I think you should give him a second chance," Elsa was trembling. She looked terrified.
"Wait, he said what?" Jack paused after that final word. His mind was starting to tick. If Elsa had talked to his father, what else did he say? He looked back at her terrified face and it all clicked. She wasn't doing this because she believed his father had changed. She was doing this because she had to. "Elsa, what did he say to you?"
"Just that he changed," every word trembled.
Jack knew that Elsa would never willingly help a monster like his father. There is something more to this story. There could only be one thing that it could be.
"Elsa, if he is blackmailing you, I can help. I can help you fix whatever needs fixing."
"You can't fix this," tears were leaking out of her eyes.
"Elsa, what is this?" Jack hated seeing Elsa like this. She looked so vulnerable and upset. He was starting to get more and more concerned. He hated the way his voice was sounding. He was starting to sound a bit like his father. However one thought still stuck in his head; what was this all about?
"If I tell you the truth, you will hate me till the end of days."
Jack took her hand. "I could never hate you."
"Okay, fine," Elsa looked like she was just throwing everything to the wind. "Your dad found out something about me – about my past – and he's threatening to expose it."
"So he told you that if you didn't get me to make things right, he would tell everyone," everyone was falling into place for Jack now. His father found out something "incriminating" – in Elsa's mind – about her and he is using it against her. Blackmail was something his father did know best.
"Yes," Elsa collapsed onto Jack's bed and buried her head into her hands. Jack sat next to her and pulled her into him. Elsa started to cry on his shoulder.
"Elsa, whatever it is, I'm sure it's not as bad as you imagine."
Elsa dried her tears with her sleeve. "It is."
"Then what is it?"
"You know how my father was a real bastard?"
"Yeah," Jack wondered where Elsa was going with this. She didn't often bring up her father. Jack didn't blame her. He was – as Elsa said – a real fucking bastard.
"You know how he died?"
"Yeah," Jack repeated.
"You know he got shot, well I never told you how he got shot," Elsa took in a deep breath. It looked like she was trying to work up the nerve to tell him the truth. "One night, my father was so angry – angrier than I have ever seen him. I thought he was going to kill me. In fact I am sure he was going to." Elsa collapsed into tears after that. Jack realised what she was going to tell him. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.
"You were the one who shot him," Jack said quietly. As Elsa had mentioned, he remembered the conversation about this.
"Yes," Elsa said in barely in a whisper. "I knew where he kept his gun. I knew how to unlock the safe."
Jack felt a weird, odd feeling getting stronger and stronger with each word that is said. So, this was the final piece to the puzzle that was Elsa's past. She had killed her father – in self-defence though. Well, how did he think about that? Jack never liked killing. However, this was a different situation. Elsa had been fearful of her life plus Jack was never one to feel sorry for people like their father. Still, he was shocked.
"Elsa," Jack knew what was going through her head. She was scared that he was going to turn against her for knowing this. "It was self-defence. I can understand that. Besides, you know all the times I wished I could have shot my own dad? We have bastards for fathers. You are lucky that yours is dead."
"So you're not angry?" Elsa looked at him through her teary eyes. "I would have thought you would be shocked."
"I am, but like you said, it was to protect yourself. People do things that they would never do normally in situations like this."
Elsa looked like she was going to respond but then they heard a scream coming from downstairs.
"That's Pippa," Jack looked anxious.
He and Elsa raced downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, Elsa gasped while Jack snarled. His father was standing in the very room. What was he doing here? His mother was cowering at the sink while Pippa was standing at the other door that led to the kitchen. There was broken glass at her feet. Jack guessed that she must have dropped something – maybe a glass – in her shock.
"Ah, Jack and Elsa have come to join the party," Vincent said. "How nice."
"What are you doing here?" Jack snarled.
"Well Elsa mentioned that it was family game night and I wanted to join. I am quite good at guessing at Pictionary as I'm sure you all will remember."
"You told him what?" Pippa turned to Elsa. Her expression looked quite shocked.
"I'm sorry," Elsa said. "He cornered me. He made me tell him."
"Of course he did," Pippa glared at her father. "Using an innocent girl to get at us. How low can you go?"
"I wouldn't say that," Vincent wagged his finger at his daughter. "More as a friendly get together."
"I doubt it was friendly," Jack said. "Now I already know what you want and you will never get it, so get out!"
"Well, it appears as if Elsa told you of our little arrangement. Good. Good. Well then did she happen to mention her little secret past?"
"Yes," Jack snapped. "Your little game is over. Now either get out or I call the cops."
"No," Vincent snapped back. "I want to stay. I have changed. I wish to show you."
"You haven't changed," Jack's mother suddenly spoke up. "You heard Jack."
"Now, now Jitterbug," Vincent said. "Play nice."
Jack knew instantly when Vincent had used his old nickname for her that he had stepped over a line. Only special people – such as her children, her sister, her best friend and her parents – were allowed to use that name. Jack's mother fumed. He could practically see the smoke coming out of her nostrils.
"Don't you dare call me that," Jack's mother looked so angry. Her voice was full of confidence and rage. It was scary and dominating. "Now get out and never darken our doorstep ever again."
"This is my family Caroline," Vincent yelled every word. Vincent's true self was emerging now. Jack knew it would sooner or later. Vincent was getting just as angry as his ex-wife. "My family." Vincent pointed at him. "Not yours. I have every right to be here. I have every right to know my children."
"You lost that right when you used us for a punching bag," Jack's mother screamed back at him.
"They needed to be put in their place Caroline," Vincent advanced on her. "They need to be taught the rules."
"You don't teach them that by abuse!"
"It wasn't abuse!" Vincent's anger levels were soaring through the roof. "It was parenting!"
"It was!"
"That's it, I'm calling the cops," Pippa interjected.
Pippa made for the phone but something stopped her.
"Don't," Vincent suddenly shouted. Everyone stopped dead. Jack couldn't take his eyes off what was in his hands. In them was a gun and it was pointed at Pippa. All three girls gasped. Jack could have fainted. Pippa quickly cowered away from the phone that was mere inches from her fingers. "Now," Vincent said in a dangerous whisper. "This is what is going to do. We will carry on being one happy family like we were before. No cops. Just us. Is that clear?"
"We were a happy family until you turned up," Jack said, his fingers curling into fists. "Why don't you just get out?"
"What did you say to me boy?" Vincent practically spat in his face. His rage was taking over.
"I told you to get out," Jack could feel Vincent's dirty, disgusting breath on his face.
"You don't talk to me like that," Vincent hand went across Jack's face. Jack fell to the floor while the girls all gasped again. A rage started to flow inside of him. Vincent started to breath heavily. He had finally lost all control.
Jack didn't even bother to wait for Vincent to reply. Jack took his moment. He had to act now while Vincent was caught off guard. Jack lunged at his father. His father – momentarily confused – fought back. Vincent pushed Jack back and Jack stumbled. Vincent pointed the gun at him but Jack wasn't scared. He grabbed it and forced it up. His father tried to fight against his son but rage was empowering Jack.
Jack was struggling now with trying to get the gun away from his father. His father was tough. Vincent's foot struck Jack in the stomach and Jack doubled over. Jack's father whacked him over the head with the hand that was carrying the gun. The gun forced Jack to the ground once again. Jack quickly got to his feet and managed to land a punch on his father. This caused him to stumble backwards. Jack grabbed the gun. Vincent grabbed the gun too. There was another struggle.
The gun went off.
Twice.
Jack released the gun. Vincent did too. The gun clattered to the floor. Jack looked at his father. He saw his father's eyes bulge. Vincent then collapsed onto the floor. Blood was pouring out of a hole in his chest. Blood poured onto the floorboards and all around Vincent. Vincent gaped and gasped for air.
"Jack, m'boy," Vincent struggled with each world. He grabbed Jack's collar and pulled him in closer so that he could hear every word. "Save me."
Jack didn't know what he should do. Should he call for help? Or let him die? This was the monster of his nightmares but could Jack just do nothing? Vincent's grip soon loosened and Vincent's arm fell to the floor before he could even make a decision. He stopped talking. He even stopped breathing. Jack breathed heavily as he bent down to check his father. He needed to make sure. He checked his pulse. Vincent was gone.
Jack could have celebrated this but he thought it was better that he called the cops. Get this whole mess sorted out.
"Jack!" Elsa's voice suddenly snapped through the air. Her voice sounded distressed. Jack turned around and saw Elsa and his mother kneeling over Pippa. She was on the floor and her eyes were closed.
Jack's heart stopped. Blood was also coming out of her. Elsa was holding a cloth to a wound in her shoulder while his mother was hurriedly dialled 911.
"Is she okay?" Jack quickly dropped to his knees too.
"It looks like she will be," Elsa said. "The bullet went straight through and just pierced her shoulder. I don't know if it's life threatening or not. But she needs a doctor."
At that moment, Jack's mother got off the phone.
"An ambulance is on their way now," she said. "So are the cops."
"As they should," Elsa said.
"What's happening?" Pippa had suddenly stirred. Her eyes slowly opened.
"Just rest," Jack said. "You were shot but help is on the way. Stay calm."
Jack said these last words to himself more than his sister. His hands were trembling. His voice was shaky. He was terrified. He could lose his sister. He couldn't handle that. If something was to happen to his sister, he had no idea what he would do.
When Elsa looked back on this night, it was all a blur to her. The flashing sirens, the screams from Caroline and the guns shots. Oh the gun shots. They caused something to rise within Elsa. That was a memory. A horrible memory. The memory of when her father was shot – by her.
When Pippa was shot, she just reacted. She leapt into action. It was just impulse. But now, after everything seemed to be sorted, she froze. The memory was paralysing her. Jack had led her outside while the police dealt with things inside. The last thing that Elsa remembered before getting in Jack's car to go to the hospital was Vincent's body being lead out in a body bag. Elsa felt no emotion when she saw that. He had gotten what had been coming to him. That she was sure of.
When they got to the hospital, Caroline had told them that Pippa had gone into surgery. She had said that the doctors were optimistic that Pippa was going to be fine. Police had wanted to talk to them but Caroline refused to discuss anything until Pippa was fine. They didn't have to wait very long. While they were waiting, Elsa sat on one of the seats that were for people waiting to hear about their loved ones. Jack was pacing. Caroline was in the seat next to her. She was calling people – relatives, Elsa thought. Elsa couldn't manage to do anything but nothing.
She was still in shock from the whole ordeal. The horrible memory was still burning within her. It was stopping her from doing anything. Jack quickly noticed this and hurried over to her. Caroline quickly became distracted by a phone call from Jack and Pippa's grandmother – well it sounded like that to Elsa – so when Jack came to talk to her, she didn't hear a single word of it.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked her.
Elsa paused for a moment. "No, the whole thing just reminds me of what happened to my father. It just bought up a lot of bad memories."
"Understandable," Jack took her hand and smiled at her.
"Are you okay?" Elsa asked him.
Jack took a moment before he spoke. "Yes, I think so. I never loved my father. He was a horrid man who got what was coming to him. I think I can put this behind me and move on with my life."
The minutes ticked by when finally the doctor came out and called their name. Pippa was alright. Elsa felt relief course through her veins. Pippa was okay. She was fine. Elsa kept repeating that to herself as they were led up to Pippa's room. They entered the room and found Pippa awake and sitting up in her bed. She had her arm in a sling and looked quite groggy. The doctor had informed them that the anaesthetic was wearing off. The doctor was quite adamant on not upsetting Pippa while she was trying to recover. They all nodded and the doctor let them all in – despite Elsa not being family (Elsa had no idea how she managed to skate on by).
Pippa looked pleased to see the three of them in the doorway. Caroline instantly went straight to her daughter. Caroline made sure that her daughter was okay before fluffing her pillows.
"Stop fussing mother," Pippa said. "I'm fine."
"You were shot," Caroline said. She still looked highly upset. "I am your mother and thus allowed to fuss"
"Mum is right," Jack said. He sat down on the chair in the room and pulled it closer to his sister. He gripped her leg in an affectionate way. "We were just so scared."
"So scared," Elsa echoed. She sat down on Pippa's bed. "Are you feeling okay? The doctor said that it was an easy fix."
"Thank God," Pippa replied. "At least I'm not in any major danger."
"Which I am so grateful for," Caroline sideways hugged her daughter.
"Ow mum," Pippa said. There was a moment pause. "There is one thing." Pippa turned to Elsa. "What was the business between you and dad?"
Elsa hesitated. She turned to Jack who nodded. Well she thought that she should tell them. After all, because of her their father had been shot dead and Pippa could have been. So for the next few minutes, Elsa spoke. She told them the truth. They deserve the full and honest truth. The news of what really happened to Elsa's father did shock them all. When Elsa finished speaking, there was a moment between the four people in the room. Nobody seemed to know what to say or do. It was a while before someone spoke.
"You go girlfriend," Pippa said.
Elsa did a double take at Pippa's reaction. She was sure that there would be more shouting – possibly a demand from someone for Elsa to leave the room, break up with Jack and never bother them before. The look Pippa was giving her, it was uncanny. However, Caroline had a worrying expression on her face. Maybe she didn't agree with her daughter.
"Well," Caroline said, "that is quite a story."
"Do you hate me?" Elsa asked, fearing the answer.
"No," Caroline said. "I do not condemn killing another person in any case even if the person is a bastard like my dear late ex-husband." Elsa tensed. She was sure that this was the moment that it was all going to come undone. "However," Elsa breathed a sigh of the word. "I do agree that self-protection or the protection of others – especially innocent people – like yourself. You mentioned that you were found not guilty of the crime. That is good enough for me and it should be for everyone else."
Elsa could have kissed her. "So I'm not banished?"
"For protecting yourself from an evil bastard who abused you?" Pippa said. "Not likely. You're preaching to the choir here."
"Thank you," Elsa smiled at the people in the room. "I am glad that we can now move on. Now that our wretched fathers are not able to hurt us anymore and all the secrets are out."
"Amen to that sister," Pippa grinned. "At least your father or our father can't hurt us ever again."
"True," Elsa shrugged.
"What?!" a shriek came from behind them.
The three frosts and Elsa turned around, and to their shock and horror, saw standing in the doorway were Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy, Gogo, Honey, Astrid, Tadashi, Hiccup, even North had shown up – practically everyone who interacted with Elsa and Jack on a daily basis. Elsa guessed that Jack must have called them to let them know what was going on. They must have heard what Pippa had said because their mouths were gaping open.
"Ah," Jack said as he got up from his seat. "How much did you hear?"
"Basically what Pippa just said," Astrid said. "What do you mean by it?"
Pippa shared a sideways glance with her brother. They seemed to have some kind of secret mind reading ability going on.
"Uh," Jack said when he looked back at his friends. It seemed like he was a loss for words. He wasn't the only one – the entire room had been struck dumb.
"You might as well tell them Jack," Caroline said. "They're your friends. They might as well know the truth."
"The truth about what?" Honey asked. Her voice was low and soft. She kept glancing between the Frosts and Elsa.
"The truth about our father," Jack said suddenly. "I never told you the truth and I should have."
"We both should have," Elsa said. She was staring at Astrid. Astrid seemed to be reading Elsa's mind. Did everyone have this secret mind reading power but her?
Elsa and Jack looked at each other and Elsa took in a deep breath. Together, they spoke for a good ten minutes as they relayed their pasts to everyone in the room. Neither one of them left out a single detail. Elsa finally revealed all – her father, her mother, her sister, her friends and that dreaded night. After they both had finally stopped speaking, a silence engulfed the room. Everyone was shocked to the core. Elsa wondered if they would give her the same reaction that the three Frosts had given her.
The silence was sickening. Elsa wished that someone would say something – anything – but no one did. Elsa's tongue was stuck in her throat. Words failed her.
"So," Astrid finally said something, breaking the deadly silence that had captured them all, "those dreams that you've been having – it was your father wasn't it?"
"Yes," Elsa said.
"PTSD," Astrid said quietly.
"Yes," Elsa repeated.
"So that's our stories," Jack suddenly said. "What do you guys think of it?"
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tooth asked. "We could have helped."
"I guess I didn't want you to know," Jack said.
"Mate," Bunnymund gave his friend a sympathetic look, "we are your pals. We will always stand by you."
"I know that," Jack said. "It's just hard to say this kind of stuff. Elsa was one of the only people in the world who I told and that was because she had gone through the same stuff and thus understood my pain. It was hard to bring this up and it's still hard. I guess I do feel glad that you guys do know."
"Well, we are glad you have finally told us," Tooth said. "I understand, this is your story to tell when and if you decide to tell us."
"Thanks," Jack smiled at his friend.
"Elsa," Astrid turned to her, "you should have told us. We could have helped. PTSD is not something someone should go through alone."
"I wasn't alone," Elsa looked at Jack and took his hand. "I have Jack."
"You shot your father?" Gogo was looking at her funny. "You really did? I don't know if I would have had the guts to shoot someone even if it was to protect myself."
"I didn't even think," Elsa said. "I just saw the threat and reacted."
"Like a solider under fire," North said. "I've been there, I've fought in wars before and when you're under fire, you don't even think about it. You just shoot and what's in front of you. I imagine the same thing could be said about your situation."
"I guess," Elsa shrugged again.
"So now you guys know," Jack said. "What do you think about it all?"
They all exchanged glances with each other.
"You should have told us," Hiccup said.
"You should have," echoed Honey.
"But," Gogo said.
"We are glad you have," finished Astrid.
"But we are still mad at you for not telling us," Tooth said, trying and failing to look angry. "However, we know why you didn't."
"We also don't judge you," North stated.
"I love you guys," Jack said.
"Thanks for understanding," Elsa said.
"It's a lot to take in," Astrid said. "We're still processing stuff but I think I speak for everyone when I say, we are behind you all."
"Thanks," Elsa, Jack and Pippa all said in unison.
"Is this a good time?" two policemen – one man and one woman – entered the room. "We just want a statement from all of you."
"Alright then," Caroline said.
"We'll see ya later then," Astrid said.
She along with the rest of their friends left the room. The two members of the police stepped into the room. The women police officer was short and had short grey hair. Her partner was tall when he stood next to her and had ginger hair.
"Hello I am Lieutenant Judy Hopps and this is my partner Detective Nick Wilde of the Burgess Police Force," the female cop said showing her badge while her partner did the same thing. "I understand that a shooting took place at your resident."
Elsa didn't know why but she felt a bunny like vibe from the women. Maybe it was the face that she was constantly bouncing on her feet or her little nose and big ears. Her partner was giving off a sort of fox vibe himself. Maybe it was longish nose, big ears and his sharp teeth which Elsa saw when he smiled at them.
"Yes," Caroline replied.
"Could you give us your account of what happened that night?" Lieutenant Judy Hopps asked.
With help from Elsa and Jack, Caroline told the story of what happened. They had left out the part of Vincent blackmailing Elsa though. Instead, they just said that Vincent had showed up earlier and made threats and demands before showing up again and made the same threats and demands. Only this time, he had brought a gun. Lieutenant Judy Hopps took every word they said down on a little notepad using what looked like a carrot pen.
"Okay, I think I have everything I need," Lieutenant Judy Hopps popped her notepad and pen away. "Thank you all for your cooperation. It looks like an accidental shooting to me."
"We'll be in touch," Detective Nick Wilde said. "If there is anything else you remember, please, give me a call."
He produced a card and Caroline took it with the promise that she would. The two officers bade their goodbyes leaving the Frosts and Elsa in Pippa's room. Elsa breathed a little easier now. It looked like they believed them and if so, they would leave them alone. This was what she wanted. She didn't want the story looked into anymore. If they did, they may discover the truth to what Vincent discovered prior to his death. This could be the unravelling for everything.
The aftermath of the police investigation ended up concluding that Vincent had been shot accidently by either Jack or Vincent himself – they couldn't determine who it was and Jack, himself, didn't know what had truly had happened that night. Elsa was relieved with what the police had finished their enquiries and had put the matter to rest. Lieutenant Judy Hopps seemed satisfied with the report. However, was this the end of all her worries? There was still the issue that everyone had discovered the final piece of her story. Jack and the others had accepted her past despite learning about their hidden histories. Elsa had been worried about how they would take the news but, to Elsa's surprise, they had accepted Elsa without question. They all knew. Elsa wouldn't have to hide any part of her from them now. No more hiding anything anymore. She could finally be herself around them – although hopefully not as a victim as that was what she hated.
That wasn't all. Both hers and Jack's abuser were now dead. They were gone from the world. They could no longer hurt them or anyone that they love. Elsa's PTSD episodes that had flared up over the last couple of days had calmed down following Vincent's shooting– well for the moment anyway. It was probably because the subject of them no longer had a physical form standing in front of her causing her great woe and shoving a gun in her face. She guessed she would just have to continue with her therapy and maybe that would help as it has been helping in the past. So did that all mean that Elsa could finally put things to rest? That she could just forget about it all? They would still be a part of her no matter what but she could maybe move on with her life especially now she had her friends – including Pippa and Caroline – and Jack standing beside her, encouraging her, aiding her. It was nice to have that. She had never had that in the past. However her past was still hanging over her. Would it haunt her for the rest of her life?
She would just have to finally learn to let it all go.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry again for the wait guys! Kristanna's date sure went well, didn't it? Vincent is now dead, well I'm sure Jack can breath more easily now. Elsa's past has also been revealed (as has Jack's), so everyone finally knows the truth about them both. Vincent's arc may have come to an end but more is to come in this story. I had it pointed out that North has popped up but I'm sure I have introduced him earlier. If not, he is a friend of Jack's family. Also there was a Zootopia cameo which I hoped people enjoyed that. Anyway, please review!
Reviews;
Ash; YEP!
Guess; All goods, you didn't sound harsh to me. Thanks!
TayMaeve; I hoped you liked the Kristanna. Thanks! Updated as requested.
sanaa11; Yep he is and he caused a lot of trouble. I hoped you liked the date.
Starskulls; Omg, thanks so much. Elsa and Anna do meet again but that's a bit away. Sorry for the cliffhanger.
Kimchee2222; So glad you thought so. I am too. Thanks so much!
ZigZag17817; Thanks so much. Sorry about that, just had a lot to deal with so this story took a backseat for a while but yes, am continuing it to the end. Anna and Elsa do meet again but in the future. Thanks again!
.165; Hoped you liked what came next.
Daiharuu; See top of chapter for answer. I hoped that cleared things up for you. Thanks!
AFallenAngel1221; Omg thanks so much. Super happy you think so. Aw, it did? Sorry about that. Haha, so sorry but hopefully this fixes your state of suspense.