Chapter 15 - Daddy isn't here to protect you anymore

The morning copper sky extended across the cityscape without a cloud in sight. It was a beautifully chilling winter day and Anna spent it on the balcony of her penthouse hotel suite wrapped up in both of the luxury bathrobes provided for her, along with double duvet from the bed. Staying here had been extravagant and quite frankly in her opinion a waste of good money but Iduna had given her thousands for this endeavour and she had barely spent a penny of it. Even her train tickets were pre-booked to get the cheapest possible rate. For once in her life Anna would be reckless in her spending.

After getting drunk with Hans, again, she quickly realised she had wanted nothing more than to go back to Elsa but after finally biting the bullet and texting her lover there had been no reply.

Elsa was grieving and Anna had no idea how she could help her when she was so unwilling to be helped. She had stayed up half the night in case she called but to Anna's disappointment she hadn't heard a peep from her. Maybe I should have gone back last night.

Anna hadn't entirely forgiven the blonde but now she'd had time to think about it she could sit back and accept Elsa was being irrational. She was in a stressful situation. Ok, so it was partially self-inflicted, but even so, Anna could make some allowances. If only they could sit down and talk like a normal couple. I run away as much as she does.

The buzz from her phone made Anna immediately look down. Her heart raced as she waited the few nanoseconds for the screen to light up. Disappointment twisted her gut as she saw it was Hans and not Elsa. He wanted to meet for breakfast. It wasn't what she had wanted to do this morning but she did owe him for all of his support and somehow being able to sit and talk so openly to someone really helped her sort her head out.

Sure. Meet you at 10. Anna text him back.

Wow, you're actually awake. I'm impressed. See you soon. X

Anna rolled her eyes. She could wake up at a decent hour when she wanted to... Ok, so maybe she couldn't. Worry was the only thing keeping her awake right now. With a deep sigh, she typed up another message to Elsa.

I'm sorry. I hope you're ok. Let's meet today. Call me.

Anna hesitated. Should she put kisses? She had never done before, but after that night at the ball they were definitely more than just friends. That couldn't be disputed anymore.

She added a few just to be safe.

"...and send," she murmured, watching the message fly away on her screen.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Anna's father sat back on the bench they shared in the park. The sun was shining and Elsa felt in that moment like the luckiest girl alive.

"Really beautiful," She agreed, her eyes never leaving Anna's back. Anna and her mother had gone to pick up ice creams, leaving Elsa and her father to wait. Elsa hadn't questioned why they couldn't all go together. It wasn't like they had loads of bags. Their entire luggage from the trip was still in the car. This stop was just a break for Anna's father from the long journey driving, not that they were far from home now. Apparently after every one of their camping trips they stopped here. Come rain or shine they always had an ice cream in the park. Elsa smiled again, grateful to be part of their little tradition.

"You know, Elsa, it's been really nice to have you along for our holiday. You bring out the best in Anna."

Elsa blushed lightly.

"And I know I'm probably-no definitely overstepping some sort of line here, but I really need to tell you that it's ok."

Elsa stiffened. Her mind raced. Was he talking about last night? No one else was there, she was certain. She took a breath convincing herself she was being paranoid.

"Anna's mother was four years younger when I met her and instantly we hit it off. But when you're a teenager it's a big difference. People don't trust you to make your own choices."

And there it was. Confirmation they were talking about the thing Elsa dreaded most. She had barely collected her own thoughts in front of Anna. And now she was having that conversation with Anna's father. Too soon. Her palms grew cold as she glanced around hoping that something, anything could end this conversation.

"I was the older one too. You feel like all of the responsibility is on you." He wasn't stopping. Why wasn't he stopping? Elsa felt a chilly wind brush her cheeks. Not now. Please not now. She was practically begging herself. Her hands clenched into fists as the sky slowly darkened.

"H-How did you know?" Elsa asked the question without thought. She felt stupid the moment she said it. Was she really that obvious? Anna's father let out a small chuckle.

"It wasn't exactly hard to see but Anna has spoken to us about... things."

Anna speaks to you about that stuff? She wanted to shout at him but as her lips opened no noise escaped.

"She's a very honest and open girl. Well, most of the time. She was rather devious about this camping trip. Your parents never would have let you go if they had time to think on it."

That was planned too? Was Anna and her mother walking off to get ice creams planned as well? Elsa's heart was thumping in her chest as she stared straight ahead. At the sight of snowflakes she knew it was time to run.

"I'm sorry to spring it on you like this. I know your father has high expectations of you. Anyway, I've rambled enough. Just know you can choose the option that makes you happy. Even if your family doesn't approve you'd always be welcome with us." His gentle words and smile only strengthened Elsa's resolve to run.

"E-excuse me, Mr Summers. I really have to go-" and with that Elsa was on her feet. The storm had arrived. She ran through the park as the wind lashed her face. The snow was heavy now and was settling. She paused only when the muscles in her legs pained her too much to go on. She fell to her knees and touched her cheeks. Frozen tears lined her face. When had she started crying?

"Elsa!" The call jolted her back to reality. She looked up to see Anna's father taking tentative steps towards her. She looked back down at her hands. He knows. He knows you are a monster. You couldn't even keep your attraction to Anna secret. Of course he knows you caused this storm.

"Elsa try to lay yourself flat." The instructions caught her off guard. She looked over at him again in confusion. At the sound of a deep crack it all clicked into place.

Elsa was sat in the middle of the frozen lake.

Get yourself together! She silently berated herself as she looked around. The crack had been the ice. Perhaps if she could concentrate she could reform it.

"Please stay back!" She called to Anna's father, one palm against the sheet of ice below her.

"I'm going to get you back to shore Elsa, don't panic," he told her calmly completely ignoring her. She wanted to scream at him. She could fix this if he just listened. In her frustration the wind buffeted them even more.

Stay calm. Conceal, don't feel. She told herself with clenched teeth. She felt the ice beneath her grow thicker. Good. Maybe Anna's father would be able to play the hero and drag her off of the lake after all.

"Elsa! Dad!" The voice made Elsa's blood run cold. Elsa looked up and through the storm the fiery redhead was charging towards them.

"Anna no, I don't have time-the ice-" Elsa's voice was cut off by a crack. Before her eyes Anna disappeared into the lake. All of Elsa's resolve faltered. The sheet of ice beneath them all shattered.

She closed her eyes as the water submerged her. Everything was still. The icy cold would have been a shock to an ordinary person but Elsa found comfort in it.

Her eyes snapped open when she remembered just what had happened. In the murky water she could barely make out shapes. Acting purely on instinct, she swam. Legs kicked and arms pumped until her muscles burned with pain. She took a breath from the craggy surface and dived again. In her mind she counted: 8 minutes left. She swam deeper knowing a normal person couldn't survive long in these temperatures. Another breath at the surface and she dived again. 5 minutes left. Panic was setting in. Subconsciously she felt a tug of warmth. The sensation was unlike anything she had felt before. Not questioning it, she followed it. The flash of red made her heart skip a beat. She wrapped her arms around Anna's unconscious form and dragged her to the surface. Before she could even work out how she was going to pull her from the lake strong arms heaved them both up.

"We have two here!" She heard a man shout. She was half carried half dragged through the slushy water to the frozen shore. She glanced over to see Anna laid out beside her. Her motionless form made her heart break.

"Anna," she breathed, hand reaching out to take hers. "Stay with me Anna." The last thing Elsa remembered was clutching her friend's frozen hand.

Elsa took deep breaths as she walked through the park. Ever since the incident with Anna's family she had avoided these places; open areas, especially with lakes, it brought back memories she'd rather forget. But here she was regardless, unable to refuse a request from Anna. She looked down at her phone again. 12:34. Anna was four minutes late. This wasn't a surprise however. Anna was rarely on time for anything.

She looked over the message again. Anna had messaged her this morning requesting to meet and merely an hour later she suggested the park. Elsa had considered not showing up but she couldn't avoid her forever. Not only that, Elsa had needed the excuse to see her. Spending the night without Anna had made her realise just how much she missed her. You opened your heart for just a day and now you can't bear to be without her. Nevermind breaking her heart, you're never going to survive this.

Elsa took a seat on the wooden bench and tried to get her thoughts in order. She owed her friend the biggest apology in the world for the outburst yesterday. She had been out of line. Anna had been through this and worse. Sure, the girl didn't have the burden of potentially unleashing her ice magic on the world, but she had lost her family. Elsa held her heart as the reality of it being her own fault came crashing down upon her again. She had tried so hard to move on, to forget but Anna coming back into her life had made everything so vibrant and real again.

How can I ever repent? The guilt weighed heavy.

"Elsa?" Anna's musical voice caught her by surprise. Elsa looked up and gave her a sad smile. It faded as fast as it came at the redhead's dumbfounded expression. "Why are you here? I mean-I'm happy to see you-I just didn't expect to."

Elsa looked down to her phone again to check the message. "You invited me?" It came out as a question. Anna patted herself down as she searched each pocket.

"Sorry Anna, I really had to borrow this."

Elsa cringed at the voice. Hans stepped into view behind them waving Anna's phone in one hand. He tossed it back over to Anna who, surprisingly, caught it.

"I wanted to talk to you both. We have a bit of unfinished business to clear up."

Elsa looked Hans in the eye and her stomach twisted. How Anna couldn't see how toxic he was astounded her. She can't see how toxic you are either. Shame overcame her.

"There has clearly been a mistake. I'll leave you to your... whatever this is." Elsa couldn't bring herself to say the word date. She sharply turned to leave when Hans opened the tablet he held in his other hand.

"28th June 2014. A localised blizzard occurred in Vardaros Park. Temperatures plummeted from 23 degrees Celsius to -5 in a record time. By all accounts it was written off as a weather anomaly."

Elsa froze, barely taking a step. He knew. It was at that moment Elsa felt all her strength desert her. How did he know?

"At least that's what the newspapers reported. Mr Arendelle must have called in a lot of favours to keep it so brief. It barely made it into the papers. If they'd really known what had happened it'd have been front page material, for sure."

Elsa turned to face Hans, eyes wet with unshed tears. She knew she was vulnerable and she hated herself for it. Even so her face begged him to stop; begged him for mercy. He smiled back with that slimy, smug, self satisfied grin. His sick elation only seemed to increase as Elsa played right into his hands. The storm around them had started the moment he mentioned the date.

"W-what are you talking about?" Anna's breath caught as she looked between them both bewildered.

"Would you like to tell her? Or shall I?" Hans, in all his generosity handed the floor over to Elsa. She looked at Anna helplessly. Her lips parted but words couldn't escape. She had prepared so much for this moment yet now the time was here she couldn't so much as speak. She was a coward even now when she was forced to face everything.

"Guess it'll be me then. Hans tapped on his tablet. The Summers family were all in the water for a little under 15 minutes. The father drowned. He was a pretty good swimmer too, but freezing water can really shock you. The mother died from hypothermia after being rescued. Funny how there are no records of any injuries from the two girls yet witness reports say they were in the water longer than the mother. A miracle by all accounts."

The tears had fallen from Elsa's cheeks now. The guilt and storm around them was all the evidence Hans would need to validate his claims.

"Except we know better, don't we Elsa? You revealed everything to a person online by the name of 'Snowman267'. Your father was careful. And even after this one slip up you were careful too. You should really have used your father's home wifi. Ironic the heir to the world's biggest computer corporation used an unrestricted network to reveal her darkest secrets."

Elsa realised at that moment that she had used her standard mobile data network. Of course she had done. She always spoke to Olaf on her mobile data. How could she have been so stupid? She had always been paranoid enough to believe her father monitored her internet traffic. It was the only way to escape his keen eyes. And it had completely and totally backfired. Why hadn't she considered espionage? She was naive not to consider her father's enemies. It was all so frustratingly obvious.

Hans tapped a button on his tablet and a video popped up. He set the volume to max. Elsa heard the sound of her sobs from the speaker and her blood ran cold. She fell to her knees in horror. Anna would get the truth from her, even if was recorded four years ago. She closed her eyes tight unable to look at either of them as the conversation unfolded.

"Wow Elsa. Your room is covered in snow,"

A pause.

"Do you want to build a snowman? You'd be on your own, of course. But I could instruct you. I make the best snowmen."

Another pause.

"I've done something terrible."

"Tell me all about it."

"Well... I went on the trip with Anna. It was so perfect. I really think I love her."

Elsa's eyes snapped open to meet Anna's equally as distraught expression. This wasn't how she wanted to tell her. She had spent the past four years denying it. Telling herself she couldn't subject Anna to any of this. And yet here she was, tearing her friend-no, her love, apart.

"But at the lake..." the audio of Elsa's voice hitched between sobs. "Her father was being so kind and understanding. He read me like a book and it terrified me. My father always made me hide everything: my powers, my feelings. I was failing him. But I was being given a choice to step away from him too. I was so afraid. Afraid of what he'd do if he found out about Anna and I. Afraid of what he'd do if I left. Afraid of how I'd keep myself in check without his protection. I needed space. All I wanted was space." A pause. "I ran. And when I realised where I was I was standing on the frozen lake. I had frozen the whole park in a heartbeat. Before I knew it Anna's father was trying to help me off. He knew how dangerous it was but he didn't realise I wasn't the one in danger. My head cleared and I managed to thicken the ice beneath us. It would have been ok. And then-"

Elsa held Anna's teal eyed gaze. The disbelief and betrayal staring back at her was too much to handle but she couldn't look away no matter how much she wanted to.

"-Anna was there, running towards us like an idiot. She fell through the ice and my world shattered; the lake shattered. I don't know how I got her out. I held her hand so tightly," Elsa's voice hitched again. "I'm a monster. I killed them." The confession was absolute.

Hans paused the playback. Elsa didn't care. Anna didn't need to hear anymore. It didn't change what she had done. What she could so easily do someone else.

She was gazing at Anna for a response, for judgement. She'd face it all.

Anna wiped her tears away, an expression of hurt and sorrow radiating from every feature. Elsa caught Anna's fist shake and she understood her anger. She deserved to be furious at her. Elsa knew lying to her about this was quite possibly the second, or perhaps third most awful thing she could do to her best friend, right behind committing the act and remaining her friend, no, her lover.

"I need space to think," Anna choked out after a moment. She spun and within a flash she was gone. Elsa didn't follow. She didn't even bother to wipe away her frozen tears.

"Wow, that was better than I could have hoped." Hans gave Elsa a slow clap. He knelt down before her and took her chin in his hand.

"Daddy isn't here to protect you anymore and we still have a lot more to discuss."

Anna fought her way through the blizzard relentlessly. Her body was shaking in anger. How could Elsa have kept this from her? How could Elsa have kept everything from her? The... magic, for lack of a better word, was insane. Anna could understand her hiding that. Hell, she wasn't even sure what to make of it yet. But the circumstances of her parents deaths? She was infuriated. She had spent every day for almost four years wishing to be close to her friend again. Many of those years spent in the Arendelle's care. They all knew. She couldn't come to terms with it.

And just what the hell was Hans doing? Did he know this whole time too? He was her friend. Was it all a lie? Was this all about Elsa the whole time?

The betrayal ran deep. The more she stewed on it the more questions she had.

Am I really so naive?

In true Anna style, she tripped over her feet and landed face down in a pile of snow. She groaned and rolled over.

"Need a hand up?" A familiar voice asked. She wiped the snow and tears away to see Olaf smiling down at her. She instantly knocked his hand away.

"You knew too," her reply was as cold as the weather. His face turned from confusion to one of deep concern.

"What happened, Anna? Elsa wouldn't have told you like this. She wouldn't have risked a storm."

Anna wanted to laugh in spite of herself. Olaf knew Elsa so perfectly well. Anna had known her longer and had been closer to her than anyone else and yet she knew nothing.

"Hans played the audio from when she told you everything. The day my parents-" A sob stopped her from finishing that sentence.

"Hans is here?"

Anna barely caught the look of alarm on Olaf's face through her blurry eyes as he bent down beside her.

"I'm sorry. I truly am. Elsa is sorry too, I know she is. But you need to listen to me. I don't know what Hans' game is but Elsa's in danger. I need you to tell me where she is," he asked her calmly.

Anna blinked and her stomach twisted. The thought of Elsa at the mercy of Hans chilled her. The way he had so cruelly used her purely to get a reaction from Elsa. Had he known about her connection to Elsa from the start?

Elsa knew he was bad news and I ignored her. Anna cursed herself. She was still full of anger but the more she thought about Elsa slumped on her knees broken and alone the more she realised Elsa had been suffering just as much as she had been the past four years. She struggled to blame Elsa. She had pushed her best friend into all of this. Anna had been the one to spring the camping trip on her. Anna had been the one to initiate the kiss. Anna had spoken to her parents. Anna had asked her father to speak to Elsa. She had wanted Elsa to know it'd be ok even if her own family were against them. But she never could have anticipated this. No one could have, not even Elsa. It was an accident. And now you've gone and left her more broken and vulnerable than ever with that psycho. Anna berated herself. It was at that moment she realised the majority of the anger she felt was towards Hans. He used me. She clenched her fists at the betrayal.

"We need to get back to her." Even if it's just so I can get real answers from her and not from Hans. Anna looked up to Olaf who visibly relaxed. He nodded. She took his hand and together they ran.

A/N: I still can't get enough of Frozen on Broadway. It gets better every time I see it. Please book to go if you haven't already. They also have new merch (I bought a lot. I regret nothing).

Soundtrack for this chapter is No Light, No Light by Florence. It's truly perfect for this angst-fest.

And sorry Fly and my guest reviewer, Elsa's dad is very much dead. I very almost rephrased that sentence from Iduna but I couldn't get it right. There will be some resolution, but not for quite a while - we have so much more to get through first. Don't worry though, I won't forget about it (even if you think I have).