Author's Note: So now that the battle is over the story's winding down. Only a few more chapters left! Enjoy it while you can.

Elsa and Peri returned to the North Pole several hours later, after helping North, Bunny, Sandy, and several other Guardians safely return the captives. Jack and Frozone met them outside. After the day they had, everyone wanted to stay outside in the cold.

"How's Jamie?" Elsa asked, hugging Jack.

"He'll be fine," Jack said. "I removed the ice, and we took him to the hospital. And we took Sophie back so Mrs. Bennett knows where Jamie is. The doctor said he'll probably go home tomorrow so that we can visit him."

"What about everyone else?" Frozone asked.

"They're fine," Elsa said.

"Elsa used the purple pixie dust," Peri interrupted. "So she could get everyone out in time. But she didn't go crazy like Jack did."

Jack laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah…not sure what happened back there."

"I can't believe you actually licked the ice," Elsa said, laughing.

"Did you see his face after he did?" Peri shrieked.

Even Frozone chuckled. "That was pretty funny."

"But why did it do that?" Jack asked. "It turned me into some hyperactive child."

"Which you kind of already are," Frozone joked.

"Maybe that's it," Peri said suddenly. "Maybe it just amplifies the current mood and personality of whoever is a non-fairy…or even an ordinary fairy who normally isn't a fast flier."

"It definitely made the situation feel even more urgent than it already was," Elsa said. "So I suppose that's a plausible theory."

"But what are the people all going to think?" Frozone asked. "People flying around, children gently floating in the sky, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and a magic portal. Are they going to think it's hallucinations? Drugs? Are they going to straight up believe it?"

"Sandy helped erase some memories and make it seem like a dream," Elsa said.

"And several people are going to be brought back home in a few days, North's plan, so it wouldn't be too suspicious," Peri added.

"SHIELD will find an excellent cover story," Frozone said. "They'll probably take all the credit."

"What happened to Pitch?" Peri asked. "I missed that bit."

"Mirage came down with some kind of gun and froze him in time," Frozone said. "She didn't know exactly how it worked since Syndrome kept it such a big secret, but by golly, that's going to hold him for a very long time. Syndrome may have been a madman, but he was a genius, nobody can argue with that."

"North said they're taking him to a cave somewhere secret," Elsa said. "They want to make sure he'll never get out again."

"So all in all, I think we've done a pretty good job," Jack said. "Let's have a party."

So, this is what a party looks like.

The memory flashed across Elsa's mind, and her mood instantly deflated. Frozone noticed immediately.

"Whoa, what happened? Do you not like parties?"

"Well, I've only been to one in my life, and that was the one where everyone found out I was a monster and froze Arendelle. So…I don't exactly have good memories."

"Well, then," Jack said matter-of-factly. "We'll just have to make some good memories."

"It's not just that, though, is it?" Frozone asked.

"Home," Peri said simply, understanding.

Elsa nodded. "I want to go back. I know now that I can control my powers, and I want to make it up to Anna. But I'm a monster…"

"No, you're not," Jack said, more seriously than she had ever seen him.

"To the people I am," Elsa insisted. "They only saw the bad side of me, and I don't know what they'll do to me if they catch me."

"Just show them your good side," Frozone said. "Be yourself and you'll be fine. But don't you dare go into isolation again. Peri, you stay with her long enough to make sure she doesn't."

"I promise."

"But it may be too late…"

"Don't say that. It's never too late," Jack said.

"No, you don't understand, I can't…"

At that moment the winds whipped around them, stirring the snow up into a frenzy, so hard that they could barely see. Peri was actually lifted into the air, the gale too strong for her to fight. Elsa automatically grabbed hold of her hand as she was carried by screaming, then realized that she, too, was floating away. The winds formed a whirlpool, sucking them in like a portal. The Moon alone shone through the snow.

It is a portal, Elsa realized. "No, not yet! I can't go back yet!"

Jack suddenly understood what was going on. He leaped into the sky after them, grabbing Elsa in a tight hug. Frozone caught his foot and dug into the snow, trying to keep them all grounded.

"Why is this happening now?" Elsa yelled.

"You've done what the Moon needed you to do?" Jack suggested. "It doesn't matter why we can't stop it now."

"But I need more time! I'm not ready yet; I don't have a plan!"

"Make it up as you go along, that's what I do!"

"We haven't even said goodbye!" Peri screamed. She moved herself downwards using Elsa's body and wrapped herself around her legs, holding on for dear life. Elsa used her free hand to grab Jack's.

"Then say it now!" he yelled urgently.

Tears formed in Elsa's eyes. "How? I don't like goodbyes."

"Say it like we're going to see each other again," Frozone said. "Who knows? We might need you again."

Elsa shook her head. "Nobody needs me," she said so quietly they barely heard her.

"Those kids needed you, don't forget that!" Frozone yelled. "Don't ever forget them, you hear me, girl?"

"Anna needs you, too," Jack reminded her. "Go to her and make things right."

As the storm pulled them farther apart, Elsa nodded. She looked down at Frozone and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you for everything…dad."

Frozone barely managed to smile. With the last of her energy, she pulled back enough to hug Jack for one last time.

"See you later," she gasped.

A blast of air tore them apart; Jack only just managed to grab onto her arm.

"No, don't go!" he pleaded suddenly.

"I can't stop it, Jack! I can't."

"Don't do this to me."

"I don't want to go!"

"But no one else understands."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"What am I going to do?"

"Keep asking the Moon," Elsa said.

Her hand slid further up his arm until only their hands clasped.

"Don't let go," Jack pleaded.

"I can't hold on," she gasped. "It hurts!"

"Elsa, you have to let go," Frozone said. "That's the only way you'll be able to move forward with your life."

"Shut up!" Jack yelled down to him.

But Elsa nodded tearfully. "But he's right."

"No, don't…"

"You're my best friend, Jack Frost. Remember that."

"Don't you dare! Elsa, don't you dare let go!"

Elsa screamed as the winds ripped them apart. Slowly, despite Jack's best efforts, their hands slipped apart. At tremendous speeds, Elsa and Peri were sucked into the vortex.

A second later, they landed, quite dizzy, in the palace, in the exact same spot and position they had left it. There was a tinkling noise directly above them, and Elsa looked up. The chandelier was falling. Unable to scream, Elsa grabbed Peri and ran, not caring which direction. Unfortunately, she was so disoriented she fell to the ground as the chandelier shattered on top of them.

When Elsa woke, it seemed like mere moments since the portal and the chandelier. But then it registered that she was in the dungeons in Arendelle, and she realized it must have been hours.

"Are you alright?" Peri asked. She sat on the floor studying the chains that nearly swallowed her.

"My head feels like it's going to explode. Did it hurt that badly last time?"

"I don't remember," Peri sighed. "We were nearly hit by a car, and then Frozone found us. It seems like so long ago, now."

Elsa rolled over on the wooden plank she had as a bed. "Nope. This isn't happening. I fell asleep in North's workshop and dreamed the whole thing."

"It feels pretty real, though, doesn't it?"

"All my dreams feel real," Elsa said. "That's why I barely slept for ten years."

"Elsa, you have to pull yourself together. You're the only one strong enough to break these chains, and I have a feeling that Hans won't let you go on your own."

"Hans?!" Elsa said, looking over her shoulder.

She vaguely remembered that was why her castle was under attack a few weeks ago. So much had happened in so little time that it felt like months.

"Also, you've got to learn how to stop the snow. I'm not sure how much Arendelle can take."

"What?" Elsa stumbled off the board and strained at her chains, looking out of the window at her frozen kingdom. "Oh no. What have I done?"

"It was an accident," Peri reminded her. "You've changed since then, remember?"

The door to their cell opened before Elsa could reply. It was Hans.

"Queen Elsa," he said, bowing. "And Peri, as I recall. I apologize for the chains and the dungeon. The Duke of Wesselton's men were ready to kill both of you if I hadn't stepped in and offered a compromise. I was about to convince them to let Peri go free…but then we noticed the…um, pardon me…the wings. We weren't quite sure what to make of them…"

"Leave Peri alone," Elsa said. "Where's Anna?"

Hans looked sad. "Anna…has not returned."

Elsa looked back towards the window, trying not to panic.

"If you would just stop the winter, bring back summer. Please."

"Don't you see?" Elsa pleaded desperately. She was tired of nobody understanding her. "I can't."

"Hans, you have to make them let her go," Peri said urgently. "Otherwise, things will only get worse. The only way to fix things is to let her go."

Unsure, Hans nodded. "I will do what I can."

Peri watched him go with cold eyes. As soon as his footsteps receded into the darkness, she turned to Elsa.

"He's not going to let you go. Don't ask me how. I can just tell. You need to break these chains and get us out of here. It's the only way to save Anna."

Elsa gritted her teeth and looked down at her hands. Frost began to form on the outside of the manacles, and her hands grew cold as she worked from the inside. Ever so slowly, she felt them starting to crack.

Why did I ever think my gloves could back my power? she wondered. Ok, focus. Think about everything you've done. Lancelot, Snowflake, that castle, the statue of Anna, the ambush avalanche, saving those kids, Noah, and Lily…Remember how much Jack, Frozone, and Peri believe in you. Remember how much Frozone cared, remember how much he reminded you of dad…

Tears streamed down her face as she turned the pain into raw power. After awhile, the manacles broke, and she turned to help Peri. It took less time now that her hands were free. Footsteps pounded down the hall, and voices shouted with a sense of urgency. With a definitive snap, Elsa broke the last of the chains and turned towards the wall.

"Hurry, she's getting away!" one of the guards called.

A key rattled in the lock, and the next second Elsa had blown down the wall. Peri only had a moment to realize that it was now in ruins before she realized that Elsa was running away.

"Elsa!" she called, flying after her. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get away!" Elsa said. "I have to come up with a plan, so I don't hurt anyone."

"Did you have a plan in the volcano?"

"Enough with the volcano! I don't want to hear about it; that's not me. That was one time luck."

"No, Elsa," Peri said, flying in front of her and stopping her dead in her tracks. "That is you. Now you have to figure out what to do next."

Elsa looked around in the storm, which was nearly as ferocious as the one that had brought them back to the past only hours before. For her, it was minutes. There was so much snow she didn't even know where she was, only that it was extremely icy. Maybe somewhere on the fjord?

"Elsa!" It was Hans. Somehow he had found her again. "You can't run from this!"

Elsa didn't have the time or the energy to explain anything. A thought crossed her mind that maybe the only way to stop this storm and save Arendelle was to die. It may not be the only way she could, but it might be the only option. But this was something she could not explain in a storm to a man she barely knew while one of her best friends was watching.

"Just take care of my sister," she said simply. In case I can't figure it out within the next few hours.

"Your sister?" Hans said. "She returned from the mountains. She said you hit her with your ice. Her skin was blue; her hair turned white. Your sister is dead…because of you!"

"No…NO!" Els collapsed on the ice.

There was so much pain and emptiness, like when her parents had died all over again. Only, this time, it was worse, because she had overcome her obstacles and become a better person. She was going to make everything right with Anna, and now that chance was gone, all those wasted years haunted her all at once. Around her, everything was still and silent; snowflakes halted in suspended animation, much like Syndrome's ray. Peri ran up to her and knelt beside her, trying in vain to comfort her. But she had no idea what to say and wished Jack was there to help. Elsa heard a sharp metal sound and ever so slightly opened her eyes. In the reflection of the ice, she saw Hans with his sword drawn, approaching her. But at this point, she just didn't care. She wouldn't even try to stop the storm. She'd let Hans do that. She didn't even realize Peri was right next to her, oblivious to their imminent death.

"Noooo!"

A blur appeared out of the corner of her eye, and a voice that sounded like Anna's…She turned and saw that it was Anna. She had blocked the sword, and Hans was lying unconscious on the ground. But Anna was frozen solid, like the ice statue she had built at the North Pole…only she was real and really dead, like Syndrome.

"ANNA!" She got up and cupped her hands around Anna's face. "No, Anna. Please no…"

There was absolutely nothing she could do, and Elsa knew it. Throwing her arms around her sister, she burst into sobs. Peri stood to the side, crying herself and thinking of Tink. She was joined a moment later by a snowman, who she assumed was another of Elsa's creations. A man and a reindeer walked up from the other side. Elsa knew none of this; she only felt Anna's cold body beneath her. She didn't even hear Olaf gasp or Sven snort excitedly. Only when the body beneath her went limp and warm did she look up and see her sister, alive.

"Anna!" She stood and hugged her sister tightly.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, relaxing into the hug she had so desperately wanted for years.

"You sacrificed yourself for me?"

"I love you," Anna said simply.

"An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!" Olaf exclaimed.

"Love will thaw. Love. Of course. Love!"

Elsa raised her hands, and the ice and snow began to melt. She thought of her parents. She remembered how Frozone had cared for her, how Jack had shared her understanding of being alone, and how Peri had always believed in her. She remembered all the fun times they had, despite the danger. But most of all, she thought of Anna, and how much she loved her sister.

Ohana means family. And family means nobody gets left behind…or forgotten.

Never again, Anna. I promise.

The snow and ice had melted away, and the little group stood on the deck of a ship. Elsa breathed a great sigh of relief.

"I knew you could do it," Anna said smiling confidently.