A/N,

It's time for the star of the show to make her bizarre entrance. Have you ever reworked a chapter so many times you feel like you've wrecked it? This one does for me. I've made at least 20 changes since I first wrote it. And I'm still not happy with it.

As a bonus, I've combined the next chapter into this one, marking the longest chapter I've ever submitted to FF. On with the show...

I was just nodding off to a blissful afternoon nap when the door swung open, my heart leapt in to my throat...

"Hi, honey!, I'm home!"

"Aghh!, what are you?!"

"What do you mean, 'What are you?' I'm your girlfriend, silly! Don't you recognize me?"

My God!, what is this thing?, she looked exactly like Anna, yea, that Anna. And I mean, exactly like Anna. What did these crazy aliens do? Why her? She was positively creepy looking in real life, her eyes were the size of cue balls, she had this tiny button of a nose that barely worked as she started to breath heavy.

"Are you real?"

"Of course I'm real, silly, just touch me." She held out her hand to me, but my only instinct was to recoil away from her, then I ran out of space.

"You don't like me?"

"No Anna, I mean,... that is your name, right? It's just the fact that you shouldn't exist."

"You... don't.. want me...then?" Tears were welling up in her eyes, it looks as though I've offended her somehow. But that's just it. I didn't know if she was a robot, or some radically altered human, or even one of them. Her appearance was absolutely shocking, I mean, animated characters shouldn't walk up to you in the flesh. She then burst through the door and took off running. Her white dress flowing behind her. Oh, shit, now what have I done?, guess I better go find her. I do care about her well being, don't I? She's the first 'human' contact I've had on this ship.

I found her down by the lake on a bench drowning in a pool of her own tears. I felt terrible. Oh crap!, this may be some kind of test. Those tricky bastards! They send me the one 'woman' that I couldn't possibly resist falling in love with, then I'm supposed to comfort her and assure her everything is OK. Fine, they win this round. So I took a seat beside her with my hands folded into my lap, I was still leary of touching her.

"Anna, I'm sorry. I don't reject you, but you have to understand, your appearance is very bizarre to me. You're supposed to be a fictional animated character from a movie, you shouldn't be here right now."

"But they made me for you! You are all I have. I can love no other, ever."

"Anna, what did you expect when you walked through my door?"

"I expected you to give me a hug and say, 'I love you!'"

"Anna, it's just not that easy." She was planted with memories, most likely with some of mine. Apparently they were very selective with what they put in there. Maybe they wanted her to grow, and come up with her own individuality. Either way, they did make some mistakes, they certainly misjudged me, now this poor girl is miserable.

But misery is an emotion, and I find it touching she feels so strongly about me, even if it is misguided.

I took her hands and looked into her eyes. My God, her hands were soft, but this was going to take some getting used to. Her pupils were so large that in certain light I could see the veins on her retinas.

Those eyes. I've always had a thing for eyes, I really liked them in the movie, but then everyone else in the film had big eyes. So Elsa and Anna kinda' blended in. As a living being and presented to me in person however, my brain goes with fear. The impossible has happened again, just like this place. I must calm down. See her for what she is. We're on a spaceship, crazy things are going to pop up every now and again. This is flat out insane, but I'm going to give her a chance, no matter what.

"Look, there will come a day when I'll look at you just like this,... and say 'I love you', in fact, I'm certain of it. I cannot help but fall in love with you. But today is not that day."

"I think I understand. I'm kinda' new to this whole being alive thing."

She was like a child, with just enough mental faculties to get her into trouble.

What have I got myself into? I spent a lifetime fantasizing about space travel, and leaving that God-forsaken rock behind. Now I'm on this space ark headed to a fresh, brand new world, charged with building the next Garden of Eden, with the most beautiful yet bizarre woman I've ever laid eyes on, and I still manage to screw it up.

"Why don't we take a walk around the lake, and you can tell me what they planted into that head of yours."

"I'd love to." And with that I took her hand and we walked along the trail. Creatures of all sorts were out and about, going about their lives without a care. They just had to make sure they had enough to eat. Shelter wasn't a problem, well, at least not now. That would change sometime in the future.

"OK, Anna, start at the beginning. What are your earliest memories?"

"Me and my sister are in our room, and there are pretty colors shining thru the windows. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep. I said something to the effect of wanting to build a snowman?" I just started laughing, she was implanted with my memories from the movie, as if they were real.

"What's so funny?"

"Um, you!, those memories are from the movie that you are based on."

"So all those things never happened?, my parents death?, my sister ignoring me? 'L' something..."

"Elsa, your sisters' name was Elsa."

"We lived in a castle, I was a princess! Elsa became Queen, then something bad happened, but it gets fuzzy after that."

"Ugh,.. yes, that's what you were, in the movie. You are not a real princess, although you certainly look like one." She smiled a bit at the fact that I gave her a complement.

"What was it in a princess movie that you were so attracted to?"

"The answer to that is more mysterious than this ship we're on. I really don't know. I watched it just to see what all the fuss was about. I was really in love with that animation style, and this movie got so much attention.

I started watching it and was just floored, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. About every ten years or so, I see a movie that just wrecks my life, and this was one of them. Olaf told me that this movie was my most dominant thought, and it's true, Frozen was an obsession, and those are very dangerous to one's sanity."

"Olaf, you mean the snowman?, is he here?"

"Sort of, he's a round metal ball that is the go-between for us and the beings who created you."

"So where do I fit into all this?" Now she's asking all the questions. Curiosity, there may be hope for her yet. Curiosity is a sign of intelligence.

"As a character, I was in love with you. You were brave, and impetuous. You had this youthful vivaciousness that was just infectious. You were warm and caring, and just plain irresistible. Your sister struck you with her magic, and you slowly froze to death, and in your last gasp, you sacrificed yourself to save your sister. I just couldn't get over what a powerful statement that was. They must've thought you'd be the perfect mate for me."

"Why can't I remember that?"

"I don't know, it was a big part of why I was so enamored of you. Maybe because the chance of you meeting your sister is near zero, unless some other person on this Ark is as wacko as me."

"Oh, stop it!" Then she hit me in the arm somewhat playfully.

It was all so nuts. I sometimes wonder if I'm dying, and this is just some fantasy my mind is creating to ease the pain of death. I remember getting sucked into the ship, maybe we're just being slowly roasted for some alien banquet, and they just stopped at Earth for some groceries.

"Anything else in there?"

"Yea, going to school, and learning stuff, English, math, history, and... welding?"

"Ha, those are definitely my memories." They used my education to give her the basics, that seemed very resourceful.

"There was something about being put in a closet at recess, and writing stories? Something about a lion?"

"Wow, thanks for dredging that one up, his name was Leo." She let out this adorable little giggle, at least they got that right.

"That was the doing of my seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Stokes. I thought she was a miserable witch for doing that. It took me a few decades to figure out she was just trying to help me, and that she thought I had potential. Most teachers don't care enough to go thru that much effort for just one pupil."

"I see that now." This was just weird. Anna was just an infant, and they needed something to put her together with, so she could function like an adult, but her brain was a scramble of mixed memories. I just hope I don't wake up one morning with her standing over me with a butcher knife just before she plunges it in.

"We should head back, we're not even supposed to be out here yet."

"Are you gonna' follow all the rules, silly?" The impetuous child comes out again.

"Let's go, Anna." I put some forcefulness in my voice, let's she how she responds to that.

"OK, but it's so pretty out here." She kinda' hung her head down, sulking.

"Yes, it is. But we have no idea how our 'benefactors' will react, and I'm not willing to find out."

"I'm getting hungry anyhow, how's about us getting something to eat?"

"I am feeling a bit peckish, great idea." And with that, we headed back to the domicile.

On the way back she ran out in front of me to chase some ducks. Well, at least I thought they were ducks. If it walks like a duck, and squawks like a duck, it's a duck. Just ones I've never seen before. She was laughing and giggling the whole time, practically dancing as she moved, she looked so light on her feet, while waving her arms about. She was truly enjoying life. It was easy to see she could make me very happy, a woman like her fulfilled my every fantasy.

But that's just it, that dreaded word fantasy. I had been brought up to crush down every dream I've ever had. "You have to work very hard at a real job, or you'll never amount to anything." My mom always used to say. She was a dream killer. In my youth, I always wanted to learn a musical instrument, but was always told no. "Your brother blew into a horn three times then quit, it was a waste of money." And that was it, I didn't get the chance because of something my brother did decades ago. I wonder if that memory is in her head.

It looks as though I've been given a second lease on life. I hope we have some musicians on board who are teachers, with my rebuilt nervous system, maybe now I can learn to play.

One thing's for sure, we've got time on our hands.

And I'm no longer alone...

After we got back, I went to the replicator and rustled up some sandwiches and some tea. I felt like having some coffee, but at the moment, I didn't want Anna touching the stuff. That girl would be gettin' decaf everything from here on out. Besides, we had plenty of energy, our bodies, and this place, it was just so full of life. The need for artificial stimulants seemed so unnecessary now.

She devoured that sandwich with gusto, like it was the best thing she had ever tasted.

"Is that your first sandwich?"

"It's my first time eating anything." No wonder she ate like that, it would be like a first sexual experience.

"Can I have another?" I had to laugh. Yea, just like sex.

"Yes, you certainly can." My God, she is just so adorable. When she was finished, she laid back on the couch with her feet plopped into my lap. Her tiny, tiny bare feet. They were a bit wider than in the movie, physics being what they are. If they were actually the size they were in the movie, every step would result in a broken bone. Having a full stomach for the first time slowed her up a bit, and she certainly was comfortable with me.

Then I noticed her skin. I really hadn't paid that much attention before. Like a baby's, it was absolutely flawless. I slowly ran my fingers up her leg, it was like velvet. Her DNA had only replicated a few times, and it showed. She was as fresh as newly fallen snow, how could I possibly resist her? By the time I got to her knee, she was practically purring, like a kitten. I had completely lost track of what I was doing, I was just taken aback by her perfection, and I wasn't trying to stimulate her. She wasn't seeing it that way, however. I jerked my hand back once I came to my senses.

"You don't have to stop."

"Yes, I do, Anna."

"But why?, I was enjoying it."

"So was I, but just a little too much. Let's not rush into anything just yet."

"I really don't get you right now, Michael. Don't you find me desirable?"

"Of course I do, but that's the point. I can't help but find you desirable, it's just all too easy. All this stuff has just been handed to me on a silver platter. Life isn't supposed to be this way. It's supposed to be hard, and gritty, Love is supposed to be difficult and challenging. When I touched you, you should have pulled your legs back, smacked my hands, and told me to keep my dick beaters to myself!"

"That's not our reality right now, Michael. We are here,... I'm here, with you. This is our life now, can't you just enjoy it?"

Out of the mouths of babes, she was right. But it just goes against the grain of every fiber of my being. Maybe this conflict is some quality the Masters were looking for, I honestly don't know.

"Yes Anna, you're right, but you are just going to have to be patient, this is not easy for me, and I'm not programmed like you are." I knew as soon as the words left my tongue it was a mistake. She just kicked me and ran upstairs in a huff.

That's the spirit, Anna. I was starting to like her more already. I let her stew in her own juices for a while, then I went upstairs to find her on the front veranda with that frumpy look on her face that's she so famous for.

"Look, Anna, I'm sorry. We are getting off to a rough start. Just please understand this, I've been doin' the loner gig for a long time, and I've wrecked every relationship I've ever had. After a time, I finally threw in the towel, and just gave up. Now all this has happened, and for me, it was in the course of a week. Please just be patient with me, we will find a way to make this work somehow, I promise."

"Then please understand me, I can't help but feel this way. It's just like you said, I've been programmed. But it doesn't feel that way. I have memories of you. To me, it feels like I've shared my life with yours, like we were childhood sweethearts. So when you reject me, it's like you're rejecting a lifelong lover, do you understand where I'm coming from now?"

Shit! Why didn't I see this before? This is like Anna knocking on her sisters' door, begging her to come out and play with her. She is experiencing those feelings again, why in the hell didn't I see this? How many times have I seen that damn film? That stuff is in her head somewhere, maybe it's a good idea to go over the whole film and see what she does remember.

"Anna,... come downstairs, there's something I want to share with you."

So I went thru my record collection, pulled the album out and handed it to her.

"Aghhh, it's me!, and Elsa, Sven, and Christopher."

"It's Kristoff!" It took a minute for me to stop laughing.

"Go ahead, put it on."

She knew exactly how to handle the record, and turn everything on. The first song she didn't recognize. But when 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?' came on...

Back to the waterworks.

Side one came to an end, and was clicking in the deadwax. She was unable to move.

"Can you flip it for me?" She was just starring into space. It's amazing how music can affect your recall of memories, even if they are not real.

The record came to an end, and she had just zoned out. I hope this isn't damaging her psyche somehow.

"Do you want to hear the whole story?"

"Yes."

So I recited the whole thing. I knew every line in that movie front to back. Her stunned amazement matched my own, we were on the same wavelength on how we felt about this story. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I don't know. Time will tell.

"So I did all that to save my sister?"

"Yes, Anna, you had to fight very hard for her."

"I sacrificed my own life for love?"

"Exactly, now do you see? You fought to the death for love, and in the end, it was so much more rewarding. And as a bonus, you saving your sister saved Arendelle, you were a hero."

"Hans and I went a little too fast, didn't we?"

"Uh huh, then what happened?"

"He betrayed me, and left me to die."

"What did you learn from that?"

"That maybe taking it slow, like me and Kristoff did will work out better. Wait-what? I had two love interests, kinda' at the same time."

"Yea, Ms. Love Triangle."

"And kids liked that movie?!" She seemed a bit incredulous asking that question.

"I know, right?! I don't think they were getting all the philosophical stuff that movie had to offer."

The fact is, practically no one did. It was just a movie about princesses, and singing. To me it was about sadness, loneliness, death, and sacrifice. About overcoming those things, and the power of love. I had read many peoples opinions about Frozen's simplistic ending, that life is more complicated than that. They're wrong. It is just that simple. Love can cure many things completely. Just learning how to use that power, that's the hard part.

Maybe that's why these aliens picked me. I just saw things differently. I could see through the pretty colors to the raw meaning that a few people saw fit to show, for a few special people to see.

I just had to wonder, why does she remember only certain things? My whole life is probably crammed into that head of hers, yet she can hardly recall any of it. So maybe her brain isn't all silicon chips, and her youth is making things hard to recall. Her thinking process is somewhat strange, but they said they couldn't recreate that, so she thinks like me. Oh, are we in trouble.

"What time is it?"

"About half past late."

"So am I getting the couch?"

"No Anna, I think it'll be fine if you curl up with me."

The fact was this person was not a stranger. She truly was the rib of Adam. In her mind we've always been together, so she had no difficulty treating me like a lover. Or an old friend.

I hadn't slept with anyone for nearly a quarter century and didn't quite know what to expect. She just spooned into me like we had been doing this for years. She was warm, and cuddly. Her lavender scent was the best sleep aid nature ever invented, and I found it pretty easy to fall asleep with her there. But nothing is ever perfect, and I knew that tiny nose of hers would be a health hazard, she was a pervasive snorer...

Tomorrow Olaf and I are going to have a looong talk...