Normal POV.
Three days...
It's been three days since Anna left the house to stay with her dad and she spent her time watching movies and eating lots of ice cream because ice cream is good for depression right? Not that she is depressed but all this 'mommy' drama is kinda depressing. After what happened with her birth mother a few days ago, pretending that everything is fine and acting like none of this happened is nearly impossible for the girl. And Hans could see how the secret about her adoption was affecting her, Anna was unusually quiet. She would just lay down in her bed all day while listening to some music instead of going out and doing whatever every teenage girls do during vacation. He tried to get his daughter out of her room to go to the beach like they always do when he comes back from a mission but it seems like his princess would rather cuddle up with him on the couch today. Of course this results with Anna falling asleep in the living room again but Hans choosed not to disturb her and finish watching the movie that was on TV. The beach will have to wait...
A good twenty minutes passed and the movie was nearing the end when Anna started to squirm around. Noticing this, Hans turned his attention to his daughter in time to see her brows furrowing as if something was upsetting her in her sleep. Anna blindly reached a hand up as she turned on her side, making a grabbing gesture. She was mumbling incoherent words and her moves became more wide and desperate. Hans immediately reacted and sat down by her side on the edge of the couch.
" Anna wake up. " He softly whispered, shaking her lightly. " C'mon, you gotta wake up honey. "
The girl responded right away and her eyes slowly opened to find his face a few inches away from hers. " Mama? " She asked groggily.
" No it's dad. "
" Dad? " She blinks, trying to analyse her surrounding. Once she got used to the lights in the room, she realized that the person next to her was Hans who didn't miss the small frown on his daughter's facial features when the reality hit her. " Oh... I thought I heard mom, was I dreaming. "
" Probably. " Hans nodded. " Are you okay? "
" Yeah... " She sat up and stretched her arms. " I'm sorry for the beach, I know you wanted us to spend the day there. "
" Don't worry, we can go another day. "
" Okay. "
He watched her carefully, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. Though deep down, he had a small idea of what was bothering the girl. " You miss her right? " When Anna gave him a questioning look, he rolled his eyes playfully. " Your mom. "
" I miss all of them. " She admitted.
" Do you want to visit them? Or we can call your mom, so you can talk with her. She is going to be so happy to hear you, you know? "
Anna sighed and she adverted her eyes from Hans to look at the wall on her left in a longing manner. If she was being honest, she does miss everyone back at her house with Jack and Olaf and She certainly misses her mother but she didn't know if she was ready to face her yet. Elsa is the one who wanted to keep this secret from her and she has a valid reason. True. Elsa didn't want to lose her but it concerned Anna as well, it was her life after all. Didn't she deserve to know the truth about her story.
" Dad, I'm going for a run. " Anna stood up from the couch.
" Now? "
" I spent too much time inside, maybe I'll stop by the house to see Olaf. "
" Good idea. " Hans smiled at that. Anna brought her brother with them a few times before to watch the football games and knowing how the boy is fond of his big sister, Hans could bet that he will be happy if Anna visits him. " I'll do some work out too and then we can meet somewhere for lunch. "
" Sure. "
" What about this place near the park? It's still your favorite right? "
Anna beamed at that. " Yep. "
" Heh this is the first smile of the day. Next time you're moody, I'll just mention food. "
" Food is life dad. " She winked at him before heading to her room to get her free run.
If I got locked away, if we lost it all today
Tell me honestly... would you still love me the same.
If I showed you my flaws, if I couldn't be strong
Tell me honestly... would you still love me the same
The music blasted through her headphones as she ran down a neighborhood with no specific destination in mind. Anna never runs with a destination already planned, she just runs until she is tired and go back home. This time was no different, she was simply running to channel all the emotions she has suppressed for the last three days. Three days trying to figure herself out and the more she thought about it, the more she thought that she was a puzzle herself. Only Anna was never good at putting the pieces back together and it frustrated her to know that she couldn't figure out her own life. And this only caused her to run faster, missing the car who was pulling into the driveway in front of her. When Anna saw it, she barely had time to react and she ran straight into a trashcan, falling flatly on the pavement.
" Ouch! " She groaned in pain and winced through her gritted teeth to suppress a cry. " What the heck! "
The car stopped in front of her and a 'not so unfamiliar' person stepped out, slamming the passenger door in the process and rushed to help her up. " Oh my God, are you okay? "
As soon as Anna looked up, she really started to think that her good star has decided to let her down for the day and have a break.
" Why Jesus, why?"
" Anna? " The person gasped.
" Hello Katherine. " She spoke, emphasizing her birth mother's name. " What a pleasure to almost run into your car today. "
The woman stared dumbfounded at her 'daughter', not expecting to meet her today. Much less in this situation. " Are you hurt? " She finally asked, snapping out of her thoughts.
" I'm fine, thank you very much. " Anna rolled her eyes, annoyed. " What are you doing here anyway? "
" I live here. " katherine gestured the house standing before them where her car was now parked. " I mean this is the place I rent for my stay here. "
Yes her good star was definitely having a break. Not only did she almost run into a car that was her birth mother's but she also had to be in the same neighborhood as this woman. Of all places. Great!
" Well then, I think I'm gonna go now. "
" Anna wait! " Katherine was fast to react and she caught Anna's hand. " You are hurt. " She glanced at her bleeding knee.
" So? "
" I have a first aid kit in my house, let me help you. "
Anna scoffed. " Thanks but no thanks, you're a stranger and I don't know you. What if you decide to kidnap me or worse, kill me. "
" What? why would I do that? "
" You could be a psychopath for all I know and you can sell me to these horrible people who want organs. Or you cou- "
" Okay stop right there. " Katherine cut her off. " That's horrible, I'm not that cruel you know? "
" You left me. " Anna pointed it out with a shrug.
This simple statement literally knocked the woman over and a look that Anna could almost describe as hurt and guilt crossed Katherine's face but the girl was not sorry for what she said. She was simply stating the truth and the truth is supposed to hurt.
" You have a point. " Katherine agreed. " And I'm so sorry. "
" Oh please, cut it out. " Anna sighed, shaking her head. " Why did you come back? "
Katherine raised a brow at her and placed her hands on her hips. " We can stand in the middle of the driveway or you can come with me in the house, let me take care of this bruise and then we can talk about it around a cup of tea. "
" I don't like tea. "
Katherine almost rolled he eyes... almost. But she remembered that the child standing in front of her was also hers and that said child does have a bit of an attitude that reminded her so much of herself. " What do you like then? "
Anna took a moment to think about her options. She didn't want to have anything to do with this woman but the throbbing pain in her right knee was hard to ignore and it finally knocked some sense into her. " Do you have chocolate? "
" That I do. " the woman grinned.
With a tiny bit of reluctance, Anna followed her 'birthmother' towards the house, though not without giving one last kick into the trashcan she has previously knocked into.
Katherine jumped at the loud noise caused by the kick and turned around to give Anna a look. " Did you need to do this? "
" Yes. "
She shook her head. This girl was really something.
" Excuse me? " Hans looked up from his phone to see a new waitress standing in front of him. The other one probably got tired after asking him three times if he finally wanted to order something. " Are you ready to order? "
" Umm she is not here yet. " He told her, checking his watch. Anna was late. " My God, she really likes to make me wait. "
" I get that this is not your first date. " The waitress chuckled.
" My date? "
" She is your date right? "
Hans laughed at that. " I'm just waiting for my daughter. "
" Oh. " The waitress blushed, slightly embarassed. " Sorry I just assumed... I can come back later if you want. "
He nodded and checked his watch again. Where is this girl now? Picking his phone, he dialed Elsa's number, hoping she will answer since Anna wasn't answering hers.
" Hello? "
He grinned when Elsa picked up right away.
" Hey Els, just calling to ask if Anna is still at your house. "
" Anna? " He could hear the surprised tone in her voice. " She is not here. "
" She said she might visit Olaf before she went for a run. We are supposed to meet for lunch but she is late, I thought she was with you. "
" No. Did you call her? "
Hans internally rolled his eyes. " She is not answering. "
" Weird... I will try to call her. " He could hear her moving around as she speaks. " We'll be in touch, call me if you find her. "
" Sure, thanks. "
The line ends.
Back at Katherine's house, Anna's phone has been ringing non stop and after the fourth time, she eventually got tired of it and switched it to silent. Her dad will have to wait. For now, she had something more important to take care of. So instead her phone kept buzzing in her pocket with the other person at the end of the line waiting impatiently for someone to answer... which Anna didn't. Though after a while, the buzzing also started to bug her and it showed on her face.
" Aren't you going to pick up your phone? " Katherine asked.
" No. " Anna shook her head as she sat at the counter of her kitchen.
" Maybe it's important. "
Biting her lower lip, Anna glanced at the phone on her lap. Her brows furrowed into a frown when she saw the picture on her screen. She thought it was her dad calling her but it was not Hans, much to her surprise.
" Hello? " She answered in annoyance.
" Anna where are you? " Elsa's unmistakable voice screeched in he rear, making her grimace. Not good. " I've been calling you for an hour, why weren't you answering? "
" I'm at the beach with dad, my phone was in the bag. What's wrong with that? "
" I know you're not. "
" I'm telling you, I'm with dad. "
" Don't lie to me young lady, your dad called me because you were supposed to meet him for lunch and you never showed up. Now if you're not with him, where are you? "
Shit! shit! shit! I'm totally busted.
" Well I wasn't with him when he called you but now I am. "
She could hear Elsa sighing loudly at the other end. " So if your dad is with you, you wouldn't mind if I talk with him right? "
Anna's eyes looked up to meet Katherine's light blue eyes, staring back at her with curiosity. " Is everything okay? " The woman asked quietly.
" Who was that? " Elsa asked frantically. She swore she's heard this voice somewhere. " Who is with you Anna? "
The girl gasped loudly. Damn, she has good ears. It's not like Katherine spoke loudly, it seems that her 'mom' has a superpower that gives her the capacity to hear everything loud and clear.
" It's my friend. "
" I thought you were with your dad. "
" No! I mean yes... Yes I am. Uuh I have to go, I'm in a tunnel. " She replied in a blurt.
" There is no tunnel in the area Anna. "
" Stupid. " Anna mumbled, mentally kicking herself for mentioning the tunnel. " Okay, so if you're done... "
" I'm not, you still didn't tell me where you are. Tell me, I'm picking you up. "
" Dad is calling, I gotta go. "
" Wai- "
" Bye! "
" ANNA! "
The line ended.
Katherine who has been listening to the whole conversation raised a brow at the girl. " Did you just lie? "
" Are you going to take care of my knee or should I guess where the first aid kit is? " Anna replied, giving the woman the same raise of brow.
Katherine shook her head and headed for the stairs. She's definitely my kid...
Anna's POV.
When Katherine led me into the comfort of her house, I politely declined her offer to make a quick tour because I wasn't here for a friendly visit. I wasn't even supposed to come here in the first place but here I am anyway. She took me to the living room and this is where she tended to my bruised knee. She was surprisedly careful and soft but I didn't tell her that, why would I?
" Are you done yet? "
" Almost. " She finished wrapping the bandage around my knee and smiled at her work. " There you go. "
" Thanks. " I said, trying to stretch my leg. The pain was gone and I have to admit, now I feel slightly better. No way I'm gonna tell her that either.
" You're welcome. " Katherine gathered everything in her first aid kit bag and brought it back upstairs where she got it from.
In the meanwhile, I took a look at my surrounding. I know I declined her offer to make a tour but my curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't help but wander around the living room a little bit. The house is pretty much clean and there's no sign hinting if she was living with someone or if she lives alone. Doesn't she have a life? Or someone? I wonder if she is single. She is really nothing more than a stranger for me, I know nothing about her except the fact that she gave birth to me. Not that I care about her life anyway.
As I look at the shelf of books, a picture suddenly caught my attention. There are two women, one of them I recognized as katherine but the other looks like an older version of her.
" This is your grand-mother. "
" Holy sh-enanigan! " I jumped in fright at Katherine's voice and spun around to find her standing by the stairs with her arms crossed. " Don't do that! "
She chuckled softly and sat down on the couch where I previously sat. " Nice save. "
I shook my head and gestured at the picture. " I guess she is your mom. "
" Yes and this is where you got your name from. "
" Does she live here too? " I asked out of curiosity.
" She is dead. "
Oh...
" I'm sorry. "
" Don't be. " She shrugged as I stood awkwardly in front of her, my eyes automatically darting around the room to avoid looking at her. " You look a lot like my mother but you are nothing like her. She was very tough and intimidating, she liked to have control and make decisions about everything. Maybe this is why we didn't always get along. "
" And you named me after her? " I scoffed.
" I did and believe me or not, I loved my mother even if she was... tough. You were born two weeks after she died. It was a hard time for me and so I named you after her as a reminder. "
I sat down in front of her and crossed my arms. " A reminder you carelessly abandoned on a doorstep, very nice. "
" Anna I wasn't the best person to be around at the time, I was depressed and didn't have enough money to care for a child. I wasn't even able to care for myself properly, how could I take care of you? A baby was a luxury I could not afford. "
" So you left me with my dad. "
Katherine nodded in shame. " Hans gave me his address the first time we met. I didn't know if he would have kept you or not, did I care at the time? Probably not but one thing sure, you were better off without me as a mother. I knew that you couldn't have the life you have now, it was too much for me. "
" So why did you decide to come back now? " I asked again.
" Regrets. " She stated simply.
Well... So, she does have a heart. How impressive!
" Don't you have kids? "
She frowned and shook her head. " I always wanted to have children though. "
" Yeah right, this is why you abandoned me? "
" When you came, it just wasn't the right time. "
Wow is she serious?
I glared at her. " You don't get to choose to be a mother when it's convenient for you, this is not how it works. "
" I know and I am deeply sorry for what I did. I regret it every single day, my plan wasn't to ruin your life Anna. I would have kept you if I had a better life to give you. "
" You didn't want to ruin my life? Our first meeting the other day begs to differ. "
" I'm sorry about that too and I am serious when I say that I didn't want to ruin everything you had before I came here. "
" More like barged in... " I mumbled to myself.
" Only, something has changed. " Her eyes dropped to her lap and she picked at the material of her dress. Perhaps this is where I got this habit from, I do the same thing a lot when something is bothering me.
" What changed? "
A sudden silence took over the room, it was uncomfortable. As I stared at her, a sad expression crossed her face, so I didn't dare speak and Katherine didn't reply either... at least not for a good minute. However when she did, I did not expect what she said.
" Another baby. "
I blinked. " But you said you didn't have children after me. "
" I don't. " She shrugged, lifting her head to look at me again and the look on her face really made me feel bad because now I can see the tears pooling in her eyes. I'm not sure if these are fake tears but I am certain they weren't there before. The Katherine sitting in front of me looks different from the rude woman I met a few days ago, she definitely looks less bitchy. " It doesn't mean I didn't... " She finished.
" What the hell is that supposed to mean? "
Katherine took a deep breath and began to tell me all about her past, I never thought the reason of her come back could be so painful. I wasn't far from crying myself and by the time she was done, I unconsciously reached out to her to give her a hug a she cried. I wanted to comfort her but before I could even speak a word, the loud noise of screeching tires could be heard when a car pulled in front of the house and I was even more shocked to see my mom bursting through the front doors. And God, she was not happy.
The swelling rage Elsa felt when her suspicions about Anna's location were confirmed only increased when she saw how close Katherine was from the girl. What in God's name was Anna doing here? If it wasn't for the tracker of Anna's phone, she would never have found her.
" Mom! " Anna yelped in shock at the sight of her fuming blonde mother.
" What are you doing here? " Katherine didn't waste her time to switch back to the defensive mode.
Elsa stomped up to the woman and snatched Anna's from behind her. " I thought I was clear when I told you to stay away from us. I specifically told you to stay away from MY daughter but you obviously didn't get the tape the first time! " She hissed angrily.
" And what are you going to do about it huh? "
" Me? " Elsa looked at her incredulously. " Nothing but the police will surely take care of you. "
" So what are you waiting for? Do it! "
Anna shook her head, slipping her hand from Elsa's grasp. " No, you can't be serious! I don't want anyone to go to jail because of me! "
Elsa looked down at the girl. " Honey, she has been warned. She won't go to jail because of you, she is only responsible for her actions. "
" But mom. "
" Anna... "
" No she didn't force me in, I came here by myself. "
" She could have sent you back with me or your dad. "
Katherine snorted. " Which dad? Hans or the one you married with? "
Elsa narrowed her eyes. " You are- "
" Kate can you just stop a second? you're not helping your case! " Anna told her birthmother. She abruptly threw herself into Elsa's arms, gripping onto her dress for dear life as she looked up with her doe eyes and started pleading. " Please! please give her a chance! "
" No. "
Alright, you left me no choice. Anna thought and started pleading again.
" But mama... please! For me! "
" Why would I do that? "
" How would you feel if you lose a child you know you'll never see again but still have a chance to make it up to someone else? Another child you never got to raise but wish you had? "
This question took Elsa by surprise and she kept looking between Anna and a frowning Katherine. She didn't miss how the color suddenly drained from the woman's face. What is she supposed to understand?
" What are you talking about? "
Katherine waved a hand dismissively. " Forget about it. "
" Now I know why you came back. " Anna said, glancing up at Katherine. " And now I understand you better. "
" Anna what are you talking about? " Elsa asked, confused. She grabbed the girl's shoulders and bent to her level. " What did she tell you? I hope she didn't try to brainwash you."
Another snort. " As if. "
Both Elsa and Anna gave Katherine another look, making the woman roll her eyes. Anna might be hers by blood but she was deeply and truly Elsa's in every other way and this fact hurts more even if she she doesn't show it.
" Fine she is off the hook for now. " Elsa snapped, glaring at Katherine who only glared back. If Elsa can glare at her, so can she. " Anna wait for me in the car please, I need to say a few words to Ms. Dobrah. "
" But- "
Katherine gently nudged the girl, offering a small smile. " Go ahead. "
Elsa watched silently and she couldn't ignore this little feeling of jealousy when Anna complied without arguing, leaving the two women alone in the living room. " I don't know what game you are playing with Anna and what kind of lies you told her to- "
" I know I'm not the greatest mother in the world but I'm not a monster either. I made mistakes too and abandoning Anna is the biggest mistake that I made. But fate made me pay by taking my second and last child from me. "
" You have another child? "
" Had... " Katherine answered simply before turning her back on Elsa, her shoulders shuddering slightly. " Sam was stillborn. "
" Oh no. "
" I lost my son. " She spoke, her voice wavering lightly. " I guess this was fate's way of getting back at me for abandoning Anna and for reminding me that I will never be able to make it up to her... or anyone else. "
Elsa stood there speechless, her heart breaking at the thought of losing her children. Anna and Olaf are her life, without them she is nothing. She never thought that her heart could be aching for this woman but Katherine was a mother also and she knows how a mother can be selfish just to keep her precious little ones safe and sound. She has been selfish too only to keep Anna to herself because of the fear of losing her babygirl. A part of her could understand Katherine's feelings.
" I'm sorry. " She finally spoke, guilt gracing her tone. She might not like this woman but she would never wish something like that happening to her. Not even to her worst enemy.
" My little Sammy is better where he is now anyway... now do me a favor and close the door on your way out. "
With these last words, Katherine made her way up the stairs and left a shocked Elsa behind.
That was unexpected. Now Elsa could also see why Anna suddenly changed, this revelation did change her way of thinking.
Another chapter done! I received your PMs, thank you for being patient. School is overtaking and it's only the first semester, ugh!
You probably recognized the song 'Locked away' by and Adam Levine. I still love this song.
Now that you know why Katherine came back, tell me what you think after this revelation about about her past.
Until next time, peace lovely readers :D