Another short chapter; don't sue me. Some meaningless Elsanna fluff mixed with a small amount of plot development for a result of awkward tension between our favorite girls. Anyway, the week from hell has passed, so hopefully there won't be any more week-long delays. On a different note, this was by far the hardest chapter to write and I don't even know why. It is also my least favorite so far. That said, I hope some of you get enjoyment out of it! ;)

Chapter XI

Elsa was waiting for her outside her apartment door when she came back that evening. Upon hearing Anna's approaching footsteps, Elsa looked up and Anna gulped at the look in the older girl's eyes.

Elsa was livid, and Anna was certain it was directed at her.

"Where have you been?" the blonde nearly snarled—or at least it had come across as one to Anna.

"U-Uh… I went back to get my things," Anna managed to get out.

"You went back?" A flame of frustration burning in her eyes as the elder girl rose to her full height. While only a few inches taller than Anna, she now seemed to tower over the redhead. "Do you want to get beaten up again? Do you want to get killed, Anna?"

"No," Anna sighed, not even bothering to try and match the edge in Elsa's voice. She knew it would be in vain. Elsa had a right to be mad. "I just…wanted to get my things."

"You said that already, Anna," Elsa huffed.

The redhead could only shrug her shoulders as she looked to the ground.

"I wasn't seen by anyone," she mumbled finally, deciding leaving out Daniel was for the best.

Elsa didn't say anything back, but Anna saw her feet take a step closer. Anna still looked down at their shoes, too ashamed to face looking at Elsa.

"You didn't even leave a note…"

The sound of utter defeat in the elder's tone finally caused Anna to snap her head up and her heart clenched at what she saw.

Now that Elsa's anger had faded—apparently it had only been serving as a fragile mask—the pain was evident in her blue irises. Pain and fear was everywhere; swimming behind her quickly watering eyes, in her hands which were clenched before her chest tightly, in the contorted worry-lines on her face, on her lips as she worried her bottom lip between perfect teeth.

"Elsa…" Anna whispered. "I didn't-."

"I didn't know where you were!" Elsa interrupted, sounding on the verge of frantic. She rolled her eyes as she chuckled, though Anna could tell it was forced and bitter, "I thought you went back for good! I thought that you…left me."

Anna's eyes widened as she dropped her bag of belongings to quickly grasp Elsa's hands—which she noted were shaking considerably now and Anna's heart shattered even further. She hadn't meant to cause Elsa this much grief.

"Elsa, I'm sorry," Anna told her. Reaching up, she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "You're right, I should've left a note and I'm sorry I didn't. I just… I thought I'd be able to beat you home."

How long had she even been at the Royal's hideout? Anna cursed internally for getting so held up with Daniel.

"You had trouble, didn't you?" Elsa asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. "Please don't lie to me, Anna."

Anna looked away again, but gave Elsa's hands a firm squeeze. "I did," she mumbled. "It was only Daniel, but yeah. He…held me up."

"Did he give you any trouble?"

"No!" She looked back to Elsa with her exclamation. "I mean he was curious as to where I was going, but I swear, Elsa, I didn't tell him anything! I mean, it's probably obvious to everyone I'm with you, but they know nothing beside that! Please don't kick me out!"

Elsa actually smiled at that. "I would never kick you out, Anna," she said.

Meeting the blonde's eyes, Anna blushed. "Are you mad at me?"

"Yes," Elsa answered, but when she saw Anna's face fall, she smiled again. "But I'm more relieved to know you're safe and you were coming back all this time."

"Will you forgive me if I treat you to dinner?" the younger girl asked, smiling shyly.

Elsa quirked a questioning brow, though there was still a smile on her face. "Did you pick a couple wallets on your trip?"

Anna blushed again. "No," she responded. "But I had some spare cash hidden in my room. It can't be anywhere real expensive, but I would…like to buy you dinner."

Elsa wrapped the girl in a hug. "How much do you have?"

"Thirty dollars."

Anna felt Elsa grin against her neck and she shivered.

"I know the perfect place."

XxXxX

An hour later found the girls in a small Italian café, a large pizza placed between them.

"You know, all I seem to eat with you is pizza," Anna quipped as she served herself another slice.

"And you're complaining?" Elsa retorted with a laugh. "Pizza is the food of the gods; it is not to be whined about."

Anna grinned and flicked a piece of crust across the table at Elsa. "Who said I was whining?" she said. "I was just merely stating the facts." She then looked towards the beer in front of Elsa before glancing at her own beverage of Coca-Cola. Anna frowned. "Though if I have to complain about something, it'd be the fact that you're drinking a beer right in front of me."

Elsa just grinned as she raised the beverage to her lips. "Oh, the pain of being underage in public."

Anna crumpled up the wrapper of her straw before flicking it at Elsa.

"Shut up. Just for that I'm drinking all of your beer when we get home."

"Anna, you crazy alcoholic," Elsa mumbled, her grin only widening.

"Hey!" Anna detested with a laugh. "Just for that…!"

Before Elsa could blink, Anna had snatched her beer before quickly downing the rest of it in one swift gulp. She was given back an empty bottle.

"No more beer for you," the younger finished with a devious smirk.

Elsa simply flagged their waitress down and soon enough, a new, ice cold bottle was brought out to her. Keeping an eye trained on Anna now, she made sure her beer was on the far side of the table, out of the feisty redhead's reach.

"Anyway, getting off the subject of alcohol," Elsa started to which Anna simply rolled her eyes, "I've been thinking." The blonde caught the glimmer in Anna's eyes and immediately stopped her. "Don't even think about it," she laughed. "I get enough of that 'did it hurt' crap from Kristoff."

"Fine," Anna huffed with another roll of her eyes. "You've been thinking about what?"

Now Elsa suddenly looked unsure of herself. "Would you…consider going to the police about the Royals?"

Anna froze, a slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. Elsa simply stared her down, waiting for a reply.

"W-Why?"

"I know neither of us want to admit it, but it's there in the back of our minds anyway, and that is that the Royals aren't going to let you go this easily. There's going to be some kind of retaliation. They could come after you again or even come after me in order to get to you. Honestly we're between a rock and a hard place, but I think going to the police would help. You know where their hideout is, Anna, you can help them get captured and sentenced for all of their crimes. Put away, none of them can harm you."

Anna didn't fail to see the logic behind Elsa's reasoning, but that didn't mean she was automatically keen on the idea.

"Wouldn't I…get l-locked up as well?"

Elsa shook her head. "Not necessarily," she replied. "Helping them out like this, they may drop any charges they have against you. Besides, you're a victim now; they can't just brush that off because you were a part of them."

Anna was now looking down unsteadily at the napkin in her lap and Elsa wanted nothing more than to slide into the booth next to her and gather the girl in a hug. Had they not been in public at the moment, she probably would have done just that. Checking to see if anyone could possibly be eavesdropping, Elsa leaned across the table before speaking again.

"What exactly have you done with the Royals, Anna?" she asked. "I know you were there at the convenience store that night and you held up my Starbucks, but that could easily be attributed as coercion. You said you've pickpocketed and shoplifted before, but is there anything else?"

"Just a few burglaries, I guess," Anna answered with a shrug, still refusing to meet Elsa's eyes. "Nothing… Nothing violent, though."

Elsa smiled, though Anna was unaware.

"Well, that's good, actually," the blonde said, kicking her academic brain into gear. "You can easily repay all you've contributed to. If you help with their capture, the police will most likely just have you do some kind of community service to pay back what you've stolen—if they do anything at all."

"I know all the stuff we got from burglaries is at the hideout," Anna spoke up. "Stuff like TVs and jewelry and laptops and whatnot."

She looked at Elsa. "You're saying if I help them—the police—I won't get in trouble?"

Elsa could only smile at the anxiety in the younger girl's voice and she reached across the table to take one of Anna's hands in her own.

"Not like the kind of trouble they'll be in," she responded. "You'd be aiding an investigation, not to mention part of their crime has been committed against you, like I said already."

Giving her hand a squeeze, Elsa just added, "Give it some thought, Anna."

Anna squeezed her hand back. "Okay."

The rest of dinner and the walk back to Elsa's lapsed by in silence. Elsa occasionally stole glances at the redhead to find her deep in thought each time. Once outside the restaurant, Elsa took Anna's hand in hers again as they began the walk home, hoping to reassure the girl that whatever decision she made, Elsa would be by her side through it all.

In all honesty though, Elsa hoped that Anna would choose to go to the police. If anything, it would mean that the police were aware of the attack on Anna and would realize the danger she could still very well be in. Elsa thought it was a good idea to be on the police's good side should anything of this come back to bite them later—as Elsa was sure it would. She knew helping Anna like this was putting herself in harm's way as well, but Elsa knew there was no backing down now. She was just as involved as Anna now, and Elsa had promised the girl that she would be with her until this was over.

Besides, Elsa thought with a small smile as they approached her apartment, she wouldn't have gone anywhere even if she could. She belonged at Anna's side and Anna belonged at hers. It was how they started this whole thing and it was how they would get out.

XxXxX

Anna came to her later that night as Elsa was brushing her teeth for bed. She saw the redhead approach in the mirror and spun to face her. She still looked uncertain, but Elsa took note of the hardened look in her eyes as well.

"I… I want to go the police, Elsa."

Beaming, Elsa wrapped Anna in a hug.

"I think that's the best decision, Anna," she whispered.

Anna's arms came to rest around Elsa's neck as the redhead tucked her head underneath Elsa's chin. She always felt safe in this position. She felt secure. In this embrace, Anna felt even more certain of her decision. She gave Elsa her final affirmation through a gentle squeeze.

"Just…stay with me though all of this?" Anna asked, looking into Elsa's captivating blue hues. "I'm gonna need support."

"I wouldn't leave you, Anna, even if you wanted me to," Elsa responded with a smile before ruffling her hair playfully.

Anna just grinned as she leaned up to place a kiss on Elsa's cheek. "You're the best."

Elsa matched her grin. "I tend to get that from you a lot."

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late."

The girls shared a laugh before Elsa walked Anna out of the bathroom. They came to a halt in the hallway, having to part for bed. They both looked around uncertainly, their eyes landing on everything but each other. There was an unspoken request lingering in the air before them and they were both acutely aware as to what it was, yet neither were brave enough to voice it. They still hadn't really talked about where they were in this relationship with each other, and were afraid this new want would shatter the thin glass they were already treading on. Both made silent vows to themselves that soon they would confront each other with the enigma that was their relationship. They were both fed up with being alone.

"Do you…" Elsa decided to finally speak up, though she knew she was just going to skirt around what she wanted to ask. "Do you want me to sleep out there with you?"

Anna finally looked to Elsa as she shook her head.

"No," she answered.

I want to sleep in your room with you, she thought.

Damn it, why can't I just ask? Elsa berated herself.

"Okay," the blonde said instead. "See you in the morning?"

Anna nodded this time and managed a small smile.

"Yeah."

She watched Anna leave the hallway for the living room before her hand collided with her forehead with a smack. They hadn't had such an awkward exchange since they first met, and they sure as hell hadn't had such a loaded one ever.

But, really, Elsa thought as she closed her door until only a crack remained, how do you invite someone to your bed without it coming across as sexual?

In the end, Elsa just blamed modern society before letting sleep take her. Screw everything to hell for the moment.

Little did she know Anna was having a similar train of thought from her place on the couch.