Author's Note: I'm back! I know it's been forever, so I guess you could say that for the first time in forever, there's another chapter! This chapter was really hard to write for some reason, but I can promise that the next chapter won't take this long. I'd like to give credit to midnight1339, my new beta reader who has helped a lot with this chapter.
So, Anna's family is made up of some Disney characters and some OC's that will probably never show up again. :3
And, Kristoff's siblings names are based on the names of background rock trolls from the movie.
Oh, and I added some cover art, I'm case you noticed. Sooo, yeah.
Now, at long last, THE NEXT CHAPTER OF LOVE WILL THAW!
"Elsa!" I run upstairs, full of delight.
I find her sitting on her bed, reading again. "What is it?" She asks.
"It is official!" I declare, sitting down beside her.
"What is official?" She smirks.
"Your official welcome party is officially on Saturday," I announce. "It's on the calendar in official blue Sharpie."
"My welcome party?" Elsa asks.
I nod. "Remember? We talked about it on your first morning here."
"Um, yeah, I remember," Elsa brushes some hair behind her ear. "But, what-what will we be doing?"
"It's a barbecue outside with the whole family," I answer. "That is, if you like barbeque. Because, we could do something else if you don't-"
"No, no, Anna, it's fine," Elsa interrupts.
"Then, why do sound upset?" I ask.
"I'm not upset," Elsa says. "Just, um, shocked. I haven't had a party in...in years."
"Do you not like parties?" I ask. "It'll just be our closest friends and family. There's nothing to worry about."
Elsa nods, but I can tell that she's still unsure.
"Hey," I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. "They're going to love you, Elsa."
Elsa's eyebrows furrow. "How did you know I was worried about them not liking me?"
"Because I can read minds," I say simply.
Elsa giggles slightly before she returns to her worry. "Though, what if I'm seen as a troublemaker for what I've done?"
"They're going to welcome you with warm arms anyway," I assure her. "Trust me. We're all here for you, Elsa. You're not alone anymore."
Elsa smiles. "Thanks,"
"Anytime," I grin. "Now, come on! Kristoff and his family is coming over for dinner! You can finally meet them!"
In perfect timing, the doorbell rings.
"Oo! That's them!" I squeal.
I grab Elsa by the arm and drag her downstairs.
Kristoff and his family are waiting at the door. "Hi!" I exclaim. I wave my hands in front of Elsa and smile, "This is my sister, Elsa!" Turning my hands to Kristoff's family, I say, "And these are the Bjorgmans! This is Mr. And Mrs. Bjorgman, Mrs. Bjorgman's father, Dr. Pabbie, and then, in age order, are Soren, Gothi, Kristoff, and Hulda!"
Kristoff claps. "Very nice introduction, Anna."
I curtsy. "Why, thank you."
"It's nice to meet you," Elsa smiles, holding out her hand.
Mrs. Bjorgman grabs her hand and pulls her into a hug. Elsa looks shocked for moment, but smiles eventually.
"We're really close, in case you couldn't tell," I tell her.
Pulling away, Mrs. Bjorgman says, "It's great to meet you too, honey. Well, in person, anyway."
"In person?" Elsa looks confused.
"Yeah," I nod. "Mrs. Bjorgman checks on us when we're home alone. She just pokes her head in the door every now and then. Didn't Mama and Papa tell you?"
A look of realization and embarassment crosses her face. "They did, I remember now. They mentioned it when they ran to get flour that first morning, but that morning was so crazy, I completely forgot."
"Don't be embarrassed, Elsa!" Mrs. Bjorgman says. "I'm the one who should be embarassed for never say hi. I just didn't want to interrupt your beautiful piano playing and singing!"
Elsa turns beet red. "Thank you," She mumbles.
"Oh, hello!" Mama walks out of the kitchen. "You're here! Why didn't you tell me, Anna?"
"I was being an introducer, mind you," I tease.
"Oh well, mind me," Mama teases back. Then, she calls, "Agdar! The Bjorgmans are here!" She turns back to us and says, "Dinner will be ready soon."
Papa walks in and before he can speak, I exclaim, "Wait! Before anyone goes, since everyone's in the same room, we must discuss Elsa's party!"
"Anna, I have to go finish din-" Mama tries to escape but I interrupt.
"I'll make this quick!" I assure her. "Mama, I've decided that you will take Elsa shopping as a distraction while we decorate. Dr. Pabbie, you will obviously be the doctor in case of emergency and/or freak accident, so be sure to have spare band-aids. As for the rest of you, you are all ordinary guests, so you won't have to do any work. Except you, Kristoff. You're decorating with me whether you like it or not."
Kristoff rolls his eyes at me. "Yes, master. But what if Kristoff finds a sock? Will Kristoff be free from his duties?"
"No," I answer. "Because, one: you're not a house-elf, and two: a house-elf's master must present the elf with clothes, the elf cannot simply find clothing lying about."
"Okay then, Potter-expert," Kristoff chuckles.
"It's common knowledge," I tell him.
"Now, may I go cook?" Mama asks.
I nod and she goes.
"She's right, you know," Elsa says. "The house-elf thing is common knowledge."
Kristoff sighs. "I make one Harry Potter reference and we must get into a debate about it?"
"Yes," I grin.
A few minutes of chatting passes and then, Mama comes out with dinner. We all sit down and once everyone is ready, I raise my soda and announce, "A toast to Elsa, my fantastic new sister!"
"And daughter!" Mama adds.
"And neighbor!" Mrs. Bjorgman chimes in.
Elsa chuckles, blushing once more. "Thank you,"
Everyone (excluding Elsa), raises their glass and exclaims, "To Elsa!"
"Hey!" I rush downstairs and point at Elsa. "What are you still doing here?"
"We were just going," Mama says, picking up her purse. "Calm down!"
"Alright, alright, sorry, but I just can't let her be here while we're decorating," I respond. "It has to be a surprise."
"Why?" Elsa asks.
"Because surprises are fun," I answer. "Now, go, you two! Go have some mother-daughter bonding time while we set up!" I shoo them away.
"We're going! We're going!" Mama laughs.
Not even a minute after they're gone, the Bjorgmans arrive.
"Oh! Kristoff, I'm so excited!" I squeal. "And scared. But mostly excited!"
Kristoff chuckles. "Why would you be scared?"
"I don't really know," I say, grabbing a streamer to tape on the doorframe. "But, I've got butterflies in my stomach. I just really want this to be perfect, you know? I mean, she's meeting her entire family. This is big, Kristoff. Super big."
"Hey, it'll be great no matter what," Kristoff assures, grabbing some tape for me. "Don't you remember what happened at my welcome party?"
I laugh at the memory. "How could I forget? Your mom saw us talking and started teasing that we would get married. Pretty soon, I was wearing a wedding dress made toliet paper and you on your little cousin's oversized, clown bowtie on!"
"According to Mom, we're still officially married by Bjorgman law," Kristoff grins.
"Just call me Anna Bjorgman," I giggle. "Hey, when did you start calling your parents Mom and Dad?"
Kristoff shrugs. "Within a week or so. Why?"
I frown. "Elsa still calls Mama and Papa 'Mr. and Mrs. Andersen.'"
"Well, it's different for her," Kristoff replies. "She knew her parents for eight years, right? I don't have any memory of my birth parents."
"True," I say.
"She'll be ready when she's ready," Kristoff says. "Just give her time."
Not long afterward, the other guests slowly start arriving.
"Anna!" Rapunzel, my cousin, puts her hands on hips when she sees Kristoff and I decorating. "How could you decorate without me?"
"Sorry, Punzie," I giggle.
"Hmm, let me just fix these balloons," Rapunzel starts bunching clusters of balloons in a different order than we already had them. "Rainbow is much more festive." She says, admiring her now-rainbow-clustered balloons. Then, she turns to me. "I am SO excited to meet Elsa! I've been counting down the days 'til we came-"
"It's her!" I cry, spotting Mama's car. "Everyone, c'mon, let's go greet her! But, let's not overwhelm her. But, let's get her!"
The whole family runs over to Elsa as soon as she gets out of the car, saying things like, "Oh, she's like a little snowflake!" And "Welcome!" And "I like your hair!"
Elsa looks from relative to relative, looking flustered. Before I can rescue her, my great grandma says, "Now, now, give the poor girl some space!" She takes Elsa's hand and smiles.
Elsa nervously smiles back. "Hi," She whispers.
"Hi," Great-Grandma says. "I'm your great-grandmother."
"I've never had a living great grandma before," Elsa responds very quietly.
"Yes, I'm pretty old," Great-Grandma jokes.
Elsa looks horrified. "Oh no! I didn't mean it like that!"
Great-Grandma laughs. "I know you didn't, dear. I was joking."
Elsa smirks a bit, blushing.
"You're tall," My five year old cousin, Tommy, says, staring up at Elsa in wonder. "I like you!" He hugs her leg, the highest he can reach.
Rapunzel jumps in for a hug, too, and shouts, "COUSIN HUGS!"
The rest of the cousins and I all hug Elsa. In the midst of the hug, I catch a glimpse of Elsa, who is blushing harder and has tears in her eyes.
"Elsa, are you okay?" I ask, frowning.
Elsa smiles widely. "I've never been better," She answers. "These are tears of happiness."
I smile back, feeling tears of my own.
Eventually, the hug breaks up but I run up to Elsa's side immediately. But, Papa comes up and asks if I can help with grilling the hot dogs. I give a sideways glance toward Elsa. Noticing this, Papa adds, "You can help too if you want, Elsa."
"That's okay," Elsa replies. "I'm going to visit with the relatives."
"You'll be okay on your own?" I ask.
Elsa nods confidently.
I smile and go with Papa.
After I grill a few hot dogs, I turn around to spot Elsa with Great Aunt Polly, looking as if she's very bored but trying not to show it. "Uh-oh," I say.
"What is it?" Papa asks.
"It looks like Aunt Polly is telling one of her infamous cat stories to Elsa," I tell him.
Papa laughs. "She's always been like that, telling her long-winded stories, even when I was your age. Elsa's so polite. I always just told her I was bored and ran off. You can go rescue her."
"Thanks," I chuckle and run over to them.
"...So, when Whiskers died, I got Mr. Cuddlemuffin, a great, big fluffy tabby. Mr. Cuddlemuffin only ate organic cat food, otherwise he'd get sick, but the organic food was $3.25, while the normal food was only 2.50, so that was a definite problem…" Aunt Polly goes on. Elsa nods occasionally, her eyelids drooping.
I tap Elsa on the shoulder. She suddenly straightens up, regaining attention. "Hey Elsa, sorry to interrupt, but I've got something to show you," I say.
"Go ahead, girls," Aunt Polly smiles.
"Thanks," I tell her.
Elsa and I walk away. Once she's out of earshot, Elsa whispers, "Thank you."
"No problem," I whisper. "I know. Aunt Polly's really nice, but she tends to be a bit...tiring, sometimes."
Elsa giggles.
"Hey!" Rapunzel practically attacks Elsa in hug from behind. Letting go, she says, "You and I have not been properly introduced yet. I mean, we hugged earlier, but that was with everyone. Anyway, I'm Rapunzel, as you already know."
"I'm Elsa," Elsa responds.
"I know!" Rapunzel says. "Have you given her an introduction to everyone yet?"
"We can do that together," I reply. "Come on!"
Rapunzel and I each take one of Elsa's arms and lead around the backyard.
"Okay, so, you're already well acquainted with Aunt Polly," I begin. "Hmm...Aha! That's Tommy, the one who hugged you. He's a five year paper airplane genius."
"What do you mean?" Elsa asks.
"He makes these paper airplanes that go really far," I answer excitedly.
As if on cue, Tommy throws an airplane upward. It soars across the street and over a house.
"And, that's his sister, Tessa, who...oh, look. She's texting her boyfriend again," Rapunzel says, feigning surprise. "If you want to separate her from her phone, you'll have to be wearing protective padding."
"And, there's Aunt Ariel!" I continue, pointing to her. "She has a collection of anything and everything. Buttons, cards, money, you name it. But, she's most fascinated with forks. She likes the fact that you can use them as combs."
"You can?" Elsa asks.
"She can." I respond.
"And her husband is Uncle Eric," Rapunzel says. "Wait. Where's Eugene?"
"Who?" Elsa asks.
"He's close friends with Kristoff since they were both at the same orphanage," Rapunzel answers. "Where could he...oh."
Rapunzel spots him rummaging through someone's purse. She smirks and approaches him. "What 'cha doing?"
"What?" Eugene turns around, chuckling guiltily. "Nothing!"
"M-hmm," Rapunzel nods, eyebrow raised. "You do know that's my mom's purse, right?"
"Umm...sorry?" Eugene drops something back into the purse, red-handed.
"I thought you promised a certain blonde to stop pickpocketing when you and the blonde met a few years ago." Rapunzel reminds him.
"I don't see any blondes," Eugene says, looking around. "Only brunette."
Rapunzel smacks Eugene playfully. "That doesn't matter!" She says, then her face suddenly became serious. "Please Eugene. You're a good person. Don't steal."
Eugene looks slightly guilty. "Sorry,"
"Thank you," Rapunzel replies, satisfied. Changing her tone, she says, "So, did you just get here? Oh, you haven't met my new cousin!"
"Yes, the guest of honor," Eugene holds at his hand, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips.
"Oh gosh," Rapunzel says under her breath.
Elsa looks slightly unnerved. "I'm sorry. Do-do I look weird?"
"No," Eugene responds. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just the way you're looking at me," Elsa says.
Rapunzel and I burst into a fit of giggles simultaneously. "He's smoldering!" I tell her.
"What?" Elsa asks, cracking a grin as Eugene's face turns red.
"He's giving you 'the smolder,' I laugh. "He does that when he wants to make a good impression on people, especially girls." I lean over to Elsa's ear and mutter, "You should have seen his smolder when he met Rapunzel."
Elsa giggles and shakes Eugene's hand.
"What were you guys saying?" Eugene questions.
"I heard my name," Rapunzel adds, giving us a suspicious look.
"Oh, nothing," Elsa and I answer in unison.
"You little lovebirds," Elsa mumbles so that only I can hear.
"Eugene!" Kristoff grins, walking over to join us. "Hey!"
"Hey Kristoff!" Eugene responds. "Long time, no see!"
"So, now that everyone is aqquainted, who wants to play Uno?" Rapunzel asks, pulling a deck of cards from her pocket.
I notice Elsa's eyes light up with excitement for a fraction of a second.
"Do you like Uno?" I ask, smiling.
Elsa smirks embarrassedly. "We played it a lot at the orphanage."
"Were you good at it?" I ask.
Elsa shrugs. "I guess. It's mainly luck."
"Hmm, let's play then!" Rapunzel declares.
We all sit down in the grass and she deals out the cards. Rapunzel starts with a yellow seven. Elsa lays down her cards like lightning. As the game goes on, I watch as she relaxes and becomes more comfortable. In no time, she shouts, "Uno!" Glancing down at her "Add 4" cards, she nudges Eugene and says, "Fork it over, Fitzherbert."
I look at my normally soft-spoken sister in disbelief for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Elsa joins in with my laughter. Only, this is different from when she usually laughs. It's not restrained, or her normal polite giggle. It's a loud belly-laugh, full of freedom and pure fun. She throws her head back, shaking with true laughter.
A smile spreads across my face.
Her laugh is one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard.