A/N so this is gonna be short.. i just realized that FF wasn't showing my chapter Titles so i'm gonna edit my chapters real quick and put those in! Enjoy!
Chapter XII: When Stars Collide
Two years later
She huffed in annoyance at the tire tracks she had been tracking for miles split into two directions. A group of three sets went Northeast and then there was a single solemn pair of marks that split off and went directly South. It was frustrating, really, having tracked them all this time just to have them split off.
Which do i follow? And what if i choose the wrong one?
A lower voice deep in her conscience told her exactly what would happen.
Stephan dies if you don't pick the right one, you fool!
She thought for a few moments, thinking about the possibilities of which one it could be and, ultimately couldn't come up with a reason not to follow the group.
Maybe they sent off a scout.. That means the rest have to still be going back to their camp.
She strode confidently back to her jeep and got in, turning the key and making the vehicle sputter back to life.
Damn it.. almost outta gas. She thought as she looked at the gauge that was teetering over the 'empty' mark.
She sighed and put it into drive, bringing the lumbering vehicle up to sixty miles an hour and following the multiple tire tracks down the dirt road. She looked ahead, seeing a bad sign.. pavement
Damn it! How am i gonna track them now!? She thought as she pulled up to the 'T' junction with the road. Thankfully, though, there were dirt trails that the tires had left from the wet mud that were heading left. They slowly faded a bit further down the paved road, but it was a start.
Yes! I'm coming Stephan.. just hold in there. Elsa floored the gas pedal and peeled out, going the direction that they pointed.
30 Miles Away, Goran's Camp
Anna woke up on her cot again, uncomfortable and cold in the morning air that permeated the servant's tent. The thin brown blanket that covered her did little to keep the cold from biting at the exposed portions of her freckled skin. Her eyes slowly and groggily opened and looked around the dull interior and other cots occupied by the other servants who were curled up in a tight ball, trying to keep warm. She looked over at the new comer, Steven I think? He had come in a week or two ago when a scavenging patrol had came in from a long ride out.
She sat up, hissing slightly and instinctively reached back to the stinging from the lashes on her back. One or two of them had split open and begun bleeding, but had healed shut recently, giving the grey t shirt she wore a few red lines on it's back. She turned to the side and dangled her feet off the edge, wincing as she went from the bruises and scratches all over her that burned in pain. Only her toes touched the grass floor of the tent while both of her hands gripped the cot to either side of her legs, both tensing and relaxing at random intervals.
Soo.. She mentally sighed, what's the agenda today? Another lashing, or are they just gonna beat me again. She thought, feeling utterly hopeless as her eyes stared blankly at the ground.
"Psst! Anna.. are you okay?" a kind woman's voice came to her ears from her left.
She turned her head and smiled small, seeing it was Gerda, the eldest and sweetest of the servant's. Most of the servants hadn't given a thought to the redhead new-comer when she was brought in back when Anna was only fifteen. She had been starving and the men that brought her in had beaten her nearly into unconsciousness for trying to steal a can of soup. When was shoved into the servants quarters, Gerda was the one who took care of her. She bandaged her wounds and even gave her half of her own daily rations so Anna could gain the weight that had obviously been lost from her body.
"I'll be okay. Thank you, Gerda." Gerda smiled back and got up, hobbling over to sit next to her. "Hows your back?" She asked as she plopped down next to Anna.
"it still kinda hurts.. but it's getting better."
"Do you need me to look at it again? I know Goran whipped you longer than any of us ever had been. More times too." She looked at Anna with pity. "I mean six times?! That's more than i've seen anyone get this kind of treatment."
Anna turned her attention back to the grass that was below her bare feet. "I know." She felt the warm wetness of a tear roll down her cheek. "I think he's hated me ever since i got here. Do you know how many times I've planned out escaping this hell?"
Gerda saw the lone tear streaking down the young girls face. "Oh, i know dear. I know. I was there once a long time ago. But then i realized i wouldn't still be alive if i weren't here. It may look bad from the outside, but we're making it, right?" The elderly woman wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulder.
"But that's just it, Gerda. I don't wanna be here, just 'making it.'" She stood up and turned to face the woman. "I wanna be out there! Free and away from this place and doing whatever i want with whoever i want."
Gerda chuckled,"Quite the ambitious one, aren't you."
"Yes! I've stayed in this hellhole long enough! I've been beaten, whipped and chained up," Anna's voice cracked at the last few words. "This is not,"she emphasised the word by forcing her hand down, slapping her outer thigh, "a life i deserve," She said, starting to pace back and forth in front of Gerda. "Or anyone, for that matter. No one deserves to be chained up and beaten and miserable."
"If only a knight in shining armor could come and whisk us away.." Gerda said and then sighed as she got up and faced Anna who was playing with the end of one of her braids.
"If only.." Anna looked back up again with new streaks of tears that ran down her cheeks. She hadn't meant to release them, but they had came anyway.
"oh, dear, don't cry. Yo-"
"Anna!" A low demanding voice interrupted from outside the tent making Anna's eyes dart up to meet Gerda's which were filled with worry. "Go! Before he gets angry!" Gerda said, shooing Anna to go out the tent.
Anna walked out on the green and plush grass heading towards the sound of where the voice had come. A large burly bald man with a grey beard in a white t-shirt and jeans stood in front of a truck, waiting for her with several of his men behind him. "I heard you didn't enjoy our little session yesterday." He showed a sly grin and lifted his head up to look down at her. "Care to elaborate?"
"How about you take a look at my fucking back. Let that explain it for yo-" A crack of a slap went across her face.
"You wanna answer that again? Nicely?"
She looked at him defiantly as she said her next words through gritted teeth. "Fine. How about you please take a look at my fucking back so i don't have to explain it to your pea sized brain." She only had a second of comfort when his fist connected with her other cheek, sending her to the ground. She used her elbow to raise up slightly and stopped there for a moment to catch her breath. Her fiery red hair surrounded her vision as she looked down at the green grass.
"What's wrong? You all outa energy?" Goran said as he leaned down to her level.
"I'm fine." Anna mumbled so low he couldn't hear her.
He grabbed a hold of her hair and jerked her up to her feet. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." He pulled it back further, causing her to groan. "Why don't you say it a little louder."
"I said," she sighed,"I'm fine."
"Good." he released her and smoothed out her shirt that had gotten bits of grass on it. "Now.." He took a few steps back, "how about we answer my question, hmm?" He looked at her expectantly.
She still looked at him as if she were saying she was going to kill him. Then an idea popped in her head. Instead of the scowl she had been wearing, a vicious smile had appeared on her face. "I loved it Goran. Absolutely loved it."
"Perfect. I ju-"
"And I'm sure Francis and Ben over there did, too! In fact,-"
"Alright, Anna, that's eno-"
"Don't all your men have to go through shit around here? They're like us servants!"
"Anna-"
Anna ignored Goran completely, looking behind him to the large group of men who were part of his so-called army. "You guys get the exact same thing we do, do you not?! While this overprivileged motherfucker gets everything you bring-"
Goran looked back towards the men, anger mounting in his face. "Anna!" he screamed at her.
She couldn't care less and didn't budge. "All because he's too much of a pussy to do it himse-" The back of Goran's hand smacked Anna's face, leaving a large red mark on her cheek.
"Shut up!" He picked her up by her neck "You know what your problem is? You just don't know when to stop talking." He threw her to the ground and bent over so she could hear him. "You'd think you would have learned by now." He stood back up and walked away. "Boys! Take care of the loudmouth."
400 Yards Away From Goran's Camp
Elsa looked through a pair of worn binoculars that she had found in the back seat of her jeep over a small dirt hill that overlooked the entire camp. The camp's lights in front of her were hard to miss when she made the final turn and fumbled to turn off her headlights, but just when she did, the vehicle died and rolled to a stop. There goes my way out.. i guess we're just gonna have to improvise from here. She watched through the lenses, seeing several tent's and searchlights moving around the outside at timed intervals. She could do this. I can do this! She psyched herself up mentally while watching the guards patrolling the camp's perimeter.
She got up from her prone position and walked back to the jeep, retrieving her pack and An M4 she had picked up from a soldier a long time ago. He wasn't going to be needing it any time soon. She pulled the strap of her pack over her shoulder and slinging her rifle over her chest. Okay, here we go..
She heard her heartbeat in her ears as she started running towards a jack-knifed truck that was near the camp. The lights just barely reached it and when she got there, panting, she noticed that some of the guards had stopped patrolling and had joined into a group near one of the lights that was moving in front of Elsa. She felt the sweat beading on her forehead in the cool Autumn wind, her muscles burning from the run that she wasn't used to doing.
Her heart pounded as she waited for the light to pass and snuck low across the final stretch into camp. As she got closer, however, she realized that the group of guards weren't just talking like she had thought. In the middle of them all, she could see a body on the ground and they were.. beating the person. Elsa's face contorted disgust as she got closer. She looked at the balled up body and saw red hair but also the torn clothes and even spotted a single lash mark on the girl's back. At this point, Elsa didn't think before she reacted when she raised the rifle to bear on the entire group.
In an instant, the world went white as she pulled the trigger. All she saw was red as the entire magazine of thirty rounds was emptied into the bodies. Blood was a constant mist that hung over the spot where they once stood, and flailing limbs were all that were left. The four or five so-called men now lay on the ground either gasping for their final breaths or already gone from the torrent of bullets that peppered their bodies. Elsa held the trigger down, even though the mag was empty and she didn't realize it. Reality finally came back to her and she looked at the clicking sound and, seeing the empty weapon, she replaced it's magazine with a full one and clicked the receiver back into place.
Around her, she heard movement and men yelling, spooked by the gunfire. She didn't pay attention to it, however, and ran directly to the body that was still lying in the center of the slaughter that had just taken place. She slid down onto her knees and quickly grabbed the girl's right arm, put it around her neck and picked her up. Elsa didn't realize that the girl was unconscious until she felt the full weight of her limp body against her a few steps into her impromptu rescue. She stopped mid-pace and looked around for a place to hide.
"It's alright, I've got you." She said to the unconscious girl and frantically scanned around them.
There was a wooden building at the center of the camp that was standing on cinder blocks and wooden blocks at its corners. That'll have to do, Elsa thought as she re-slung the rifle and moved the arm that wasn't holding the redhead under the girl's legs and picked her up, her head lulling onto her chest. That was when she saw the bruises and cuts on the girl's face. There were blood trails running down her nose and even lines where tears had trailed down her cheeks, making Elsa furious that anyone would do this to such a beautiful girl. She ran as fast as she could, not paying mind to the emerging army of men that came from the tents and trucks that made up the camp.
She felt someone's arms surrounding her, keeping her safe. Helping her. Who would help me? I'm just a servant to monsters.. She opened her eyes a tiny amount and felt her cheek rubbing up and down against the soft fabric of a sweatshirt she didn't recognize. She opened her eyes a little more, seeing that she was being carried and the person's long platinum blonde, almost white hair that was draped over their shoulder. she brought her hand up shakily running a hand over it. It felt so surreal, almost like a dream with how soft it was. Then she froze at the knowledge that she basically just caressed whoever was carrying her's breast. She blushed lightly and brought her hand up and over the person's shoulder.
Well, someone's awake.. Elsa thought as she felt a hand run over her messy plait. They finally reached the building and she carefully lowered the girl to the ground, pushing her under the building as she crawled in to lay beside her. She unslung her rifle and prepared for the unexpected. If anyone looks down here, they're dead.
Anna opened her eye's again, looking beside her to a angelic woman, the likes of which she had never seen before. The platinum blonde hair she had seen earlier now in full detail. She laid beside Anna with a rifle pointed out in the direction of lights that peered in and out of their tight-spaced sanctuary.
Her mouth was dry when she tried to speak and instead, only made a mumbling sound. The blonde had heard her, though, and was now looking at her with concern.
"Shhh, you're safe for now." Anna heard as she felt a hand brush a lock of her disheveled hair behind her ear. She felt a single tear run down the length of her nose and drip off to the grass that was under them. The blonde scooted closer and cupped her cheek, wiping away the next one that came with her smooth thumb. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of contact take over her senses. It was the softest hand she had ever felt, and the warmest, too. She didn't want it to ever leave her. But it was gone too soon. Her vision went blurry and she every sound was muffled as she saw the hand retract back to hold the woman's rifle. Anna heard herself whimper at the lost contact, not wanting it to leave her. Her vision blurred to an extent that she could barely make anything out but flashes of yellow light that sporadically came from where the blonde was. Instead of the pounding sound of the rifle's report, she only heard a light thudding as she slipped back into unconsciousness.
Elsa looked into bright teal eyes that were barely opened as she wiped away a tear that came down her cheek. In that moment, she felt.. something. Something that she had never felt before. But before she could think anything more of it, the sound of men yelling and running around outside of their hiding spot came into focus. She returned her view to down the sights of her rifle and lining them up on the nearest of the goons that she assumed would have the most chance of finding them. She knew it was only a matter of time before they were found. Better to ambush and surprise them than be found and have to surrender. They'd probably kill me anyway. I already killed five of them so.. She squeezed the trigger, setting a round off towards its target and hitting him just above the left eyebrow.
She moved the barrel left and let off another three rounds into a tight group of men that were looking around confused as to where the shots were coming from. The two in front fell immediately as the bullets struck them and only the third stood, dumbstruck when he saw his comrades fall. Elsa wasn't sure if he'd seen where she was, but she didn't care when she pulled the trigger twice more, sending a round in his chest and another into his right eye socket.
After two others had been dispatched, the men had found their hiding spot and began firing at them, sending dirt and grass into Elsa's face. She didn't care about conservation anymore as she let loose with the fully automatic weapon. She held the trigger down, spewing the remaining twenty or so rounds at the men who were firing at her. She slid the empty magazine out and grabbed one of the spares off the back of her bag and jammed it into the well, clicking the button to release the receiver back into place again. She looked over to Anna, who had passed out again. Don't you worry. I'll get you out of here in no time.
She looked back out to the open kill zone and jerked when a round struck the cinder block just next to her, sending shards and bits of cement in her face. She gasped when a hand grasped the end of the barrel, but instead of letting it go, it held tight and pulled. Elsa only did what she thought would make her win. She pulled the trigger and held it down until the hand released. It only took four rounds, but the hand was gone and a new body that had far less of a head now lay in front of their hole, providing extra cover for her and the girl. She propped the weapon on top of the dead man's chest and looked out again.
There was no movement for sometime. Not even wind. There was only silence and the distant whimpering of a woman somewhere deeper in the camp. Elsa turned around and kicked the body away, far enough to where she could climb out. She then brought her rifle out and, when she had made sure the coast was clear, slung it over her shoulder while she got the redhead out from under the building. She resumed her carrying of the girl in her arms and turned to move, but there in front of her stood a behemoth of a man. His grey beard spread apart with a devilish grin. "You've caused quite a disturbance in our little corner of the world." he said as he took a step closer to her. He pulled out a buck knife from a sheath on his belt and showed his yellowed teeth further in a disgustingly joyful smile.
Elsa's face showed nothing but disdain for the man. She could tell something was about to happen and her mind was racing to come up with a solution to keep the girl in her arms as safe and unharmed as possible when a loud grunt followed by a yell came from behind the large man. he turned his attention back to see an elderly woman beating one of his men with a shovel and when he didn't turn around fast enough, he didn't see Elsa had gently placed Anna far enough away, to where she was out of danger and reached behind her to un-holster a small sawed off pump action shotgun. She brought it up and pulled the trigger on first the right henchman of the Greybeard and then the left, giving them both large red pits in their chest filled with lead.
She then turned her attention to the man in the middle. "So i assume you are Goran, right?" She asked, still aiming the weapon at him.
When he didn't answer, she became impatient. "You seem like the douchebag I've been dealing with.. so I'll take that as a yes." She said and soon after, she pulled the trigger, all but severing his right arm off. She did the same to his left and watched as he fell back onto the ground, his shoulders a bundle of minced and shredded flesh.
He screamed in agony, but she didn't pay him any mind when she walked up to him. "This is what you deserve, you prick!" She exclaimed as she kicked one of his sides. Her anger boiled when she thought of the redhead and then Stephan and all the other possible people he had hurt. He was still crying out in pain and barely had the mental capacity to talk over the pain he was feeling.
She looked at him with a burning hatred that she hadn't known was possible, but was there, none the less. She brought the gun up with one hand, and with one final shot, she ended the man's life, splintering his skull into fragments on the ground beneath him.
"Hey," Anna opened her eyes only to stare up at the blonde who had rescued her. "Can you hear me?" She heard the angel's voice ask.
She shook her head 'yes' and tried to sit up, using her elbow to push off of, but only stopped at her elbow. Before she could plop back down onto the ground, however, a pale smooth arm went under her and lifted her up to sit in the grass. "Are you okay?" The feeling came back with the hand that graced over her cheek again. She felt like she couldn't speak, so she nodded instead and brought her own hand up to hold the hand in place.
The next thing they heard was an older woman's voice coming from behind them. "Phew!" she said, walking up to them. "Sure does take some of the stress out of these old bones.. I can honestly say that i never thought about taking a shovel to one of those arrogant boys." She chuckled as she got to her knees with Elsa and Anna.
She was surprised when old woman sat next to her and chuckled. "We still have to get out of here! The patrols will be back soon and there will be more of them!" She said.
"There are more of you?" Elsa asked, surprise evident on her face.
"Yes, dear! In that tent over there!" she said, pointing towards a long olive green tent at other side of the camp. "Oh, poor Anna." the woman looked down at the redhead with pity which quickly turned to anger. "I'm glad you took those bastards out. They've been doing this sort of thing long enough.."
"Well, now you're free," She looked down at Anna,"and so is she." Elsa smiled genuinely at the older woman"Okay.. uhm.." Elsa thought for a moment until an idea popped in her head. "Where do they keep the gas at?!"
"That truck over there." the lady said pointing to a fuel truck that stood near the road that ran along the camp's perimeter.
Elsa nodded, a polite grin had grown on her face,"Gather everyone up and get them to pile into whatever vehicles you can. Then i want you all to follow me when i get some fuel to my jeep."
She rose up and helped Anna to her feet, holding her opposite shoulder from behind her and the elbow closest to her for support. "in fact, we could just bring the fuel truck along with us. We'll probably need it later." Elsa said. The elder woman looked at her for a moment and then away, and started towards the tent. Moments later, the now-free servants filed out, and crowded into the trucks and other vehicles the Warlord known as Goran had used to run down innocent travelers with. Elsa led the redhead to a truck and helped her in, and then got in herself. The vehicles were now on the road in a column of five vehicles, including the fuel truck. Elsa felt weight of the girls head on her shoulder and she put an arm around her, pulling her warmth closer to her body. I don't even know you, and I'm completely comfortable with you. Is comfort even the feeling i have right now? it feels.. warmer than that. Heavier. She thought as they pulled up to her jeep like she had instructed them to.
After ten minutes of hooking up the fuel line, filling the tank fully and then unhooking the line, they were off, heading directly South.
Two days later, Just outside Old Orleans
The convoy of vehicles came to a stop at a sign just outside the ruins of a city that once had prospered in the height of the once wealthy nation. None of them knew that but the older generations and of course Anna and Elsa who had been educated on the road with whatever textbooks they had. Anna still had her adoptive father's Geography textbook in her bag that she had kept hidden in the camp. I still never finished that thing.. she thought when she remembered putting it in her go-bag before leaving her and Buck's home.
The sign in front of them had once read 'New Orleans' but now the 'New' had been covered with red paint and over it in black spray paint was the word 'Old.'
Elsa looked over in her passenger seat that was now clean, along with the rest of the vehicle, at the quiet, almost asleep redhead. Anna.. She smiled remembering what the elderly woman had said. She's so beautiful. And her name is perfect. The smile turned toothy as she thought to herself. It then fell when she remembered the older woman who knew her. She's probably got family. She mentally sighed. I just hope we will meet again someday..
She turned down an offramp that lead the convoy down into the center of the resurrecting city and into a square where they all stopped. Elsa got out and went to the passenger side. She opened the door and smiled when Anna was staring straight at her. "Hey sleepy head," Elsa studied the younger girls face for any sign of pain. Elsa had cleaned the blood that had dried on Anna's face and she marveled at the perfection that sit in front of her. "How are you feeling?"
Anna winced and groaned lightly when she tried to move and stopped after she had turned her legs to face out of the door. If Elsa moved any further, she would be between them, but neither noticed while Elsa checked on her. "I don't feel so good," was the first thing she said while she brought her arms across her stomach.
Elsa's face turned to concern immediately after she heard the words and placed her hands on both the girl's knees in an attempt to comfort her. "Where does it hurt?"
"Mmm.." she groaned,"Everywhere." Gerda walked over to them and looked over Anna's pained form sitting sideways in the car's seat.
"Are you alright, dear?"
"I'm fine, Gerda. Really! I'm okay."
"As long as you feel okay, the-"
She was interrupted by Elsa who had gasped and was now holding both her hands over her mouth and nose. Tears were visible in her eyes as she walked away from the two and started jogging towards a man that stood still as a stone until Elsa was only feet away. They both clasped eachother's arms in disbelief and then one wrapped their arms around the other and they stayed that way for a long moment. Anna looked at them with a reserved grin, knowing that she probably wasn't ever going to see her blonde savior again because whoever this guy was was going to steal her away. What am i talking about?! I don't even know her name! It's not like i had a chance anyways. She's just too perfect for a person like me.. The smile had dropped and in it's place came a completely neutral expression that didn't show any of her feelings. After a few seconds of silence, she jumped when she heard the angelic voice that she had heard minute's earlier.
"Hey," Elsa stopped in front of her.
"Hey, you." Anna smiled nervously. You aren't good enough. You definitely aren't good enough.
Elsa smiled back, but soon, she was looking down with a sad expression. Anna got a bad feeling when she saw it. "The other's are all taking off soon and, well.. so am i."
"Oh." Was all Anna said as she mirrored Elsa and looked down, feeling the same pinprick that Elsa did in her heart. Anna looked up, hurt, but still keeping her composure. "I never got your name by the way."
"Oh, right. I must have forgot." She giggled,"It's Elsa."
God, even her name sounds angelic! "Wow," Anna said without thinking. A bright red blush crept across her freckled cheeks, "Uhh.. You didn't hear that, right?" She winced and clasped her hands together tightly in her lap with embarrassment.
Elsa couldn't help but laugh at the redhead's awkward ways. "Only if you wanted me to." She smiled fondly at Anna.
God, you are so freakin' perfect! Anna giggled nervously while she looked back down and hoped for the blush to dissipate.
"Elsa!" They both heard from behind Elsa. She turned to a short, thinned man with short brown hair and an equally brown beard on his face.
"Hey, Stephan!" She said, turning fully around. "What's up?"
"I just need to talk to you for a second. It's kind of important."
"Okay, I'll be right there." She turned back to Anna, who was watching her expectantly. "I'll be right back, okay?"
Anna's heart fluttered at the reassurance. She only nodded her head that she understood.
She looked down and missed the touch of the smooth, cream white skin that was on her leg. Get a hold of yourself Anna! You just met her! She thought as she watched Elsa and the man talk. When her eyes reached them, she was shocked to see the man staring at her from over Elsa's shoulder while she was talking. His eyes looked as if they were as wide as they could be without falling out of his head.
Wait.. is that...? No, no. It can't be. She died a long time ago. It's just a different girl. Besides, you felt yourself! Her pulse was faint and there was nothing you could do. Get that out of your mind, Stephan! He turned his attention back to Elsa.
"So then i followed them to the camp and then proceeded to save all your butts," Elsa explained to Stephan.
"I'm so proud of you, Elsa. And my goodness," he said stepping back. "You've grown into a stunning young woman."
A light blush came over her face as she thanked him and faded as soon as it had came.
His face went completely serious all of a sudden. "I said i had something important i needed to tell you." Elsa nodded, letting him know she was listening. "Well, I talked to others and they hardly have anything. They'll need me pretty soon when they head out; the ones that aren't staying anyways"
"So-..."
"So, I'm gonna stay with them."
Elsa's face lit up with joy at the news.
"But not you."
"That's gre- wait, what!?" Her expression conveyed the confusion that she felt.
"I talked with the others about you and her," he said nodding at Anna over her shoulder,"and we all agreed." He looked at her with something resembling guilt. "You take her and you go. Don't look back. Go out there n you make a name for yourselves. You won't be anything if you remain here."
Tears welled in Elsa's eyes. "But I-I.. I just found you."
"I know you did, and," he brought her head down onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her," I couldn't be any more proud of you, Elsa." He broke away looking into her eyes that quickly went to the ground. "You survived out there for years, Elsa. Not many can say they've done that. And all you needed was something to work towards." He looked over her shoulder at Anna, "And now you have another." he said and crossed his arms, smiling knowingly at the blonde. "The both of you need to go and live your own lives. We don't want you held down here
Elsa wiped her tears away and sniffled her now runny nose. She straightened her back, knowing she had to not only be strong for herself, but also for Anna. Just her name gave her a warm feeling inside. She looked behind her and saw the redhead had gotten out and was hugging Gerda and had been talked to about the same subject she had been. Elsa turned back to Stephan, who had a solitary tear that ran down his cheek and into his beard.
Elsa gasped and quickly wrapped her arms around him, feeling his back shake and a ticklish kiss on her cheek just before he let go.
"You both take care of eachother." he said.
She nodded, "I will." She said as she started back-stepping. "You take care of these people." He smiled wholeheartedly at her.
"You know i will." he said, pulling his blue and white paramedic jacket on.
"I love you." she said stopping near the jeep.
If anything, his smile got wider. "I love you, too"
Anna watched the two talk a small distance in front of her. Then she heard Gerda step up beside her. "Well, while he's got her attention i suppose i should tell you the same." she looked down to the ground and when her eyes came back up, there were tears that streaked down her face. "All of us are going to stay here and see if we can make it." The corners of her mouth wobbled up into a sad smile. "but you're going out there," she turned to look at Elsa who still had her back turned, "with her." She smiled and turned back to Anna and was almost pushed. to the ground when Anna practically leaped on her with a tight' squeezing hug.
"I'm gonna miss you, Gerda." Anna said into her cloth covered shoulder.
"I'll miss you, too, child." She let her tears out.
"Hey," She pulled away and looked at Gerda, "It's what I've been wishing for for a long time and, for the first time in forever, my wish has come true!" she said, pulling away.
"You'll have to look after eachother, no matter how bad it gets out there. But from the looks you gave eachother already, i can tell that won't be a problem." Gerda smirked, making Anna blush and look away in embarrassment.
"Yeah. I just hope that she feels the same way." Anna looked over at Elsa who was hugging the man that she had called Stephan.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. She looked after you ever since Goran's camp and hasn't left your side once. Come to think of it, I haven't been able to get close to you because she was being so greedy with you!"
Anna snickered. "Really? So all this," she motioned at her arms and spots of her legs that were now bandaged,"was all her?"
Gerda nodded 'yes',"Mhmm. I didn't have a hand in any of it."
"Wow. I guess I know she cares about me then." Anna smiled weakly and looked over to her savior. She was done talking to the man and was heading towards the jeep they were at.
"It's time for you to go, dear." Gerda choked a sob. "Oh, I'm going to miss you." She reached her arms out wide, motioning for Anna to give her one last hug before she left.
Anna reached her arms around the woman, tightening them and holding her there for a few moments before they let go.
"Goodbye, Anna," Gerda said just before she let out a sob.
"Gerda, if you keep crying, i'll never be able to leave." She gave the elderly woman a sad smile, telling her she wanted to go, but she cared about her.
"Don't you worry about a poor old woman. You go and make a life for yourselves." She said backing away from the vehicle as Anna stepped back towards it.
"We Will," Anna said, as she stepped back into the jeep and closed the door.
A moment later, Elsa slid into her seat. She looked over at Anna who was smiling expectantly at her. "Are you ready?"
"Mhmm," her smile widened. "Ready when you are."
Elsa shifted the vehicle into gear and sped off down the road that they had come in on.
A Few Hours Later, Somewhere in Northern Tennessee
She looked back over to Anna again, smiling fondly at her peaceful, sleeping form. I don't know what this is I'm feeling towards you, but hopefully, i can work up enough courage to- Oh come on Elsa- She thought as she pressed the gas pedal. -You've taken on the infected, insane people, and even an army and it's warlord! Her chest puffed out in pride and she continued the conversation with her thoughts. I did, didn't I!? I can do this! She slumped slightly in her seat again, self doubt coming out of nowhere, making her face turn into a doubtful expression.
Can't I?
A/N There's a song i listened to while writing this a lot and it really does go with it i think. Its called Bitter Roots by For Today. Give it a listen! no guarantees though cause the band is pretty heavy for most people.. Anywho! So this is The Longest Chapter in the story so far! and yes, i left it whole, because honestly, I love long chapters that can keep me entertained for a long time, so that's what i thought you guys would like. Many of you guys may remember from the beginning of this story that Elsa saved Anna and all that great stuff, so this is a flashback i wanted to incorporate into the story. The next chapter will be in the present, so no more flashbacks for now! I also didn't plan on splitting up the viewpoints, but i hope everything looks alright to you guys..
Hope you guys liked it! and i really am sorry for not updating this story for so long.. i've had writers block with it for a while now.. hopefully that's been disposed of and my brains ready to write because i ship out in October to Syria and i really want to get some good content out to you guys, my awesome readers! As always, fav if you liked it, follow if you wanna get notified when i update and then please Review! I love hearing you guys talk about this.. It makes me really really happy when i read them and i hope you guys n gals will leave one because it just might give me that extra push i need on those nights where i have no clue what to write. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks!
Next up: Harmonization
