4. Of Nightmares and School Parties

"Anna, I will walk to school today. I need some fresh air, okay?"

"Okay," the little sister shouted happily from upstairs. "See you at school."

The happy tone was quite different from the scene displayed about two weeks ago. They had argued for hours when Anna had told her that she wanted to go to the school party with Hans, who had asked her out. It had come as a real shock to Elsa that he had asked her out, even more that Anna had accepted. Elsa had always spoken so negatively about him. After a long session of Anna saying 'please' and 'I just want to do something normal once in a while,' Elsa had given up. She had decided to tag along, and since Jasmine was also going, Elsa had somehow convinced herself that it might even be fun. But mostly she wanted to be there to keep an eye on Anna and her suspicious date. Anna had then spent most of the two weeks planning what she should wear and was making a huge fuss about it.

Elsa had different things to worry about. Her nightmares had increased, and she was constanly tired and living on caffeine. Especially this night had been bad, she had woken up three times. She only remembered one thing about the last dream, and that was the feeling of something piercing through her skin everwhere on her body. It had hurt. Really hurt. It felt real somehow.

As the back door closed behind her and she started to cross the bridge into town, Elsa heard footsteps approaching her hastily.

"Crown princess Elsa!" A young man quietly shouted to get in hold with her from her back. She knew at once who he was and turned around immediately at the familiar sound of his voice. The familiar blonde jogged over the street and onto the pedestrain walk to reach her.

"Oh, hello Kristoff."

Kristoff was the strong-built son of the two owners of Arendelle Gardeners, the company which also managed the caretaking of the Arendelle Hills and Graveyard. He worked part-time in the company of his parents, and studied part-time in Arendelle's technical school. Elsa had met the blonde several times in the hills, slowly getting to know him after asking him about the caretaking of the hills and especially the caretaking of that one clearing and stone in the middle of the nearby pineforest. He had liked her interest for his job it had seemed and had gladly shared what he knew. However, he didn't know who actually did the caretaking of the clearing. Then, she had asked him if he could keep her up to date if he saw something 'suspicious' while on job.

"Your highness," he said, fumbling with some garden equiptment in his right hand and carrying a few branches in the other. "I have been meaning to get in hold of you one of these days."

Elsa smiled at the blonde guy. She found him so warmhearted and genuine. His love for the nature around him was not something one could overlook.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"What have you seen?" she asked curiously.

Kristoff handed her a beige gardening glove with decorative yellow flowers covered in dirt and green colouring from the grass. It had been used a lot. "I found this gardening glove at the stone in the clearing today, it was left by a woman I didn't recognize as she was far away from me when she ran away in a hurry. But she looked to be a bit... older. Not our age. Maybe my parents' age or perhaps even a bit older than that."

Elsa looked at the glove. It was one of those any could find in a store for removing the wrong plants in your garden without getting your hands dirty. Anyone could have done it.

"Did you see what colour of hair she had?"

Kristoff shook his head. "A dark shade. She was too far away to tell exactly. But definitely a woman, the hair was long and her body figure, uh - well, curvy." He coughed at he last remark, clearly feeling a bit shy.

Elsa thought it so strange that somebody would want to hide that they took care of a simple gravestone. But then again, to Elsa, it was not simply a gravestone. What it did was terrifying.

"Okay, Kristoff. Thank you so much for the help." Kristoff nodded with a small smile. "I'll keep an eye open if I see more."

Elsa smiled at him. He was a real gentleman, really helpful although a bit awkward at times.

"Thank you."

Elsa would have liked to have asked how he was doing otherwise, but he seemed to be in a hurry and clearly needed to go somewhere. He waved goodbye and she continued the walk to school with many thoughts storming through her head.

Elsa had already been drinking two cups of coffee that morning when she went down to the coffee vending machine in the empty cafeteria before the first classes started. Her heachache was worse than earlier. When she removed her coffee mug, she had a quick dizzy feeling as though the whole world seemed to be spinning around. She then decided to sit down at one of the nearest tables to regain balance.

I can't go to the party tonight. But Anna, with Hans... I can't let that happen either. I need both eyes on them.

She sipped quietly from the coffee and tried to focus. Since when did Anna meet with the wrong people? She had so many quite marvellous friends, Hans was not one of them. Elsa was afraid it had happened after having spent so much time away from her sister over the last couple of weeks and more time in the Hamada home focusing on homework and trying to distract herself from her worries.

Let me just get this day over with.

After a long lecture that lasted the whole robotics class time, Robert paused to get everyone's attention before setting the class free.

"Today I wanted to inform you that we will be having an excursion three weeks from now."

Elsa blinked. Excursion? They never had excursions.

"It will be a trip for all science classes on senior level. A combined project for robotics, physics, biology, chemistry, and astronomy."

Elsa slowly rested her head in her hands and waited for Robert to finish. She wasn't much for excursions, had never actually been at one.

"Now, we will travel quite a few hours up north to Finnmark County and every class will focus on something different at the Alta-Kautokeino River. As for our class, we will look into the Hydroelectric power station and take a look at some of the technology at work there. In biology, they will look into the salmon fishing, for chemistry it's the toxic heavy metals found in some of the fish there, and so forth. Because the trip will be long, and because the astronomy classes will have to use the night for their research, we will be staying up there overnight in cottages."

Elsa almost fainted at the idea of sharing a room filled with other girls from her class. What would they not think of her strange wakenings in the night? Maybe she could be excused.

"Now, I might as well tell you this now - the trip is mandatory."

She sighed silently. She would have to be 'sick.'

Robert finished his presentation of the trip and excused the class before he went over to Elsa who was packing her stuff together.

"Elsa, can I have a word?"

Elsa nodded quietly.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just a bit tired," she half-lied.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Elsa shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You have done really well in the last assignment. Tadashi told me Hiro has been helping you study."

She nodded and felt her cheeks heating up mysteriously at the mention of the Hamadas.

"I didn't know it was necessary for you, but I can see it has helped since the first assignment you did after the summer was over, so I won't question it more. Don't overload yourself though. You hide it well, but I can tell you are exhausted. It's okay to let things slip once in a while."

Elsa crossed her arms calmly after taking on her backpack. She didn't quite agree with him, but somehow she knew he was right. That was what everyone told her.

"I will try and remember," Elsa assured him.

"Good. Now, are you coming to the party tonight?"

Elsa stared at her nervous self in her mirror for at least a few minutes. She had applied plenty of make-up for this evening, far more than usual. It was a mask. A mask most people would claim was pretty, however Elsa did not. It was a precaution. Without it, she would look like a walking corpse. She was as tired as one would be after surviving a shipwreck, and her head felt as though it would explode. After taking an aspirin, she only felt slightly better.

From the wardrobe she took out a dark green and black dress. It covered her shoulders and knees gracefully, it was a formal and respectable dress for the occasion. It wouldn't draw too much unwanted attention. The only thing about it was that it was a bit too slim for her taste, revealing a bit too much of her figure. She took it on quickly as it was soon about time to leave.

The door opened to her room and Anna listed in quietly, looking at Elsa with a nervous smile from the mirror.

"You look beautiful," Elsa said warmly to her sister while observing her in the mirror as she came closer. Anna was in a green, beautifully decorated dress revealing her summer freckled shoulders and complimenting her beautiful strawberry blonde hair.

"Thank you. You look beautifuller," she blurted out, finally letting her strange shyness go. Elsa chuckled quietly at her childish choice of words. It was one of the things she loved about her sister. She was so honest in her ways, not afraid of saying the first thing coming to her mind. Even if that thing had to do about things Elsa didn't quite find logical. At least she wasn't as constricted as herself.

"I mean, not fuller. You don't look fuller, but more beautiful," she tried again. Elsa grinned, trying to contain herself.

"Thank you."

There was a small silence between them as the sisters looked with pride at one another in the mirror. Anna swallowed and cleared her throat, fumbling with her hands as though she was trying to say something. Elsa decided to take the lead.

"Did you want to say something?"

"Yes, uh - " Anna started, but slowly lost the sentence.

Elsa turned to face her instead of her mirror image, and slowly started to walk towards the door, gesturing for the sister to follow as they had to leave for the party. As the two of them strolled down the hall to the back entrance, Anna tried again.

"I just want to say thank you. For coming. It means a lot. I know you don't want to, I know you're doing it for me - "

"Anna, it is okay."

Elsa had to stop her before they met with Kai at the car. Their trusted advisor had insisted on driving them to the school party. He looked at them with a huge smile on his face.

"Dearest Anna, you finally look like a princess of this country."

Anna rolled her eyes kindly and stuck out her tongue at him. She then listed to the side of the car and took a seat in the back. Kai turned to the older sister with a more serious tone in his voice.

"Elsa. You're stunning."

Elsa looked down at herself and felt her cheeks burning. Kai had turned into somewhat of a father figure for the two sisters, and hearing the compliment from him made her feel strangely young and immature.

"Thank you, Kai."

"You are welcome. Now, when we arrive at the party someone has probably spilled that the two of you will be there. There will be a vast amount of media at the entrance. I know you do not like it, and that is okay - but I have one request."

Elsa leaned her head to the side, thinking it was strange of Kai to have any requests that she hadn't come up with. They thought so much alike. Maybe he had come up with some plan of sorts to avoid the media.

"Tonight, when you're at the party inside the school, don't be the crown princess of Norway. Don't be the future queen. Don't be the one we both have worked on to become our future, respectable monarch. Be Elsa. The real one."

Elsa looked at him sceptically. She had no intention of tearing down any of the walls she had surrounded herself with her whole life. It was part of her. And, she reminded herself, she was only at the party to make sure Anna would not be doing anything completely reckless.

"What do you mean?"

Kai sighed at her. "It's okay to have fun once in a while, that's what I mean."

Elsa narrowed her eyes trying to look as though she understood what he meant, however she did not completely.

"I will try," she lied.

When their car drove up to the entrance, Elsa had to groan. Sure enough, the media was there and they were greedily expecting for them to come out of the car. As Kai said goodbye, Anna jumped out in excitement. She had spotted Hans and almost ran to his side, ignoring the camera men following her every move. She ignored them completely (which Elsa came to think was her first time doing that) and the two of them strolled casually up the few stairs and into the school. As they disappeared behind the entrance doors, Elsa took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Immediately a roar of sounds and a horde of people surrounded her.

"Kronprinsesse Elsa!" Crown Princess Elsa!

"Deres højhed, danske nyheder - De har ikke deltaget i en sådan fest i længere tid. Hvad er grunden nu? En kæreste?" Your higness, Danish news - you haven't participated in a party like this for some time. What is the reason now? A boyfriend?

"Kronprinsesse, den unge mannen ved siden av deres søster, er det Hans Vestergaard?" Crown princess, was the young guy next to your sister, Hans Westguard?

Elsa walked up the stairs and slowly towards the entrance without saying anything more than "no comment " to the first reporter. She hated having no privacy. None at all. She didn't know how Anna could stand it, not at all how she could like it sometimes.

"Kronprinsesse Elsa viser endelig sin vilde side!" The crown princess finally shows her wild side!

Something about the last sentence made her turn, and as she turned, the horde of people kept quiet.

"Om I ville være så snill - " Would you be so kind -

She stopped midsentence. Behind the crowd, Elsa spotted the Hamada brothers. Hiro smiled and waved at her, Tadashi kept in the background looking bewildered at her. In fact, he looked like he was in some sort of shock. She wondered what was wrong. His facial expression didn't suit his outfit for the evening. Seeing him wearing a suit and tie was quite different from his ordinary look, but it looked good on him. In fact, it almost looked as good on him as his running t-shirt she saw him in the other day. Elsa had to snap herself out of her strange thoughts as she noticed that the camera men were also looking at the brothers. She had to think quickly. There should be no interaction with the older Hamada brother, as he was a staff member.

She waved at Hiro and gestured for him to come closer. When he came up her, he looked at her confused.

"Hi, Hiro," Elsa said to him friendly. "Let's get inside."

He nodded and took a last glance at Tadashi walking behind the crowd of flashing cameras.

As Elsa opened the door to the school, she asked him the question that was the first to enter her mind. "So... how did Tadashi convince you to come?"

Hiro chuckled, but looked nervous at her. "He didn't have to convince me."

Elsa noticed a slight vibration in his voice. As the entrance door closed behind them, she saw that he watched her intently. It gave her an uneasy feeling somehow. It almost felt like he was... no. Hiro was too young for that kind of thing. Wasn't he?

The two of them stopped at a stand where she found Robert and the school principal, Belle.

"Could I have your ID please?"

"Hi, Robert," Elsa smiled kindly, brought out her wallet and showed her driver's license.

"Hello, great to see you here."

Robert gestured for her to take out her hand and put on a wristband.

"The wristband is for students over 18," Belle said to Hiro kindly, "It's if they wish to buy wine."

Hiro looked at Elsa sceptically. "You drink alcohol at your school dances here?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. Things at this school really are quite different from the U.S schools. There are restrictions on the quantity of consumption however."

"That's sick," Hiro said with a strange excitement in his voice. Elsa raised her brow. She shouldn't mention that most of the students probably already had been drinking a bit before the party.

"For students over 18," Robert reminded him. "And don't try to fool us or I'll tell your brother."

Hiro rolled his eyes and looked at Robert with playful eyes.

"Ah, the youth nowadays," Robert said sarcastically to the principal. She chuckled at the comment.

Hiro and Elsa walked towards the cafeteria in the basement where the loud music was playing. She thought it crazy that a thirteen-year-old would be permitted to go to a dance like this. Only thirteen. Maybe he was only allowed because of his older brother. When they entered the cafeteria Elsa felt as though she was hit by a large cruise ship. The amount of different loud noises and the heat was unbearable, and Elsa had to support herself at the wall when a dizziness hit her.

"Are you alright?" Hiro asked concerned.

"I'm fine," Elsa insisted, "I have not slept a lot. I'll go take a seat in the café."

"You sure?" Hiro asked.

Elsa nodded. "Jasmine is probably in there. I'll go sit with her." She also thought that Anna was in there with Hans, but she didn't mention it.

"Okay. Do you want me to -"

"I'm fine," Elsa had to say again, now a bit harsh. She cursed at herself for talking like that to a friend. She just didn't want anyone to take care of her. There was no need.

Hiro looked at her strangely. "Okay. I'll go and see if I can find some of the guys from Norwegian class."

Elsa nodded and sighed when he had left. She then towards a hall to the side of the cafeteria, where a few tables were spread around the room and people sat in lazybags talking and laughing with one another. As she entered the hall, people turned their attention towards her and she looked down, avoiding their gaze.

Jasmine walked to her side from a place unknown, her fingers interlocked with a guy Elsa recognized to be her secret boyfriend. The boyfriend with the name she couldn't pronounce, however only spell. Aladdin. There. It wasn't that difficult.

"Hey beautiful," Jasmine smiled. "My... you look paler than usual. How are you doing?"

"I think I need to sit down."

"Sure," Jasmine gestured to the nearest table. She looked incredibly pretty. She was wearing a red shoulder-free dress, it was very flattering for her figure. The same impression of her beauty was evident in Aladdin's eyes as they constantly followed her every move. She thought it incredibly romantic, but had to ignore those thoughts. She knew she couldn't afford that kind of luxury. Not now, anyway.

As Elsa didn't say more when they sat down and instead started to look for Anna, Jasmine started to talk about what had happened to her today. Elsa couldn't quite focus at the conversation, but tried really hard.

" - and then I said that perhaps I didn't want to meet with any of his colleagues' sons and for him to arrange dates for me."

"Did you tell him about Al - I'm sorry, I still don't know how to pronounce your name properly," Elsa apologized to Jasmines boyfriend.

"You can call me Al, no worries," he smiled.

"No, not yet, he needs to get adjusted to the idea," Jasmine answered to Elsa's first question. Elsa felt bad for Jasmine's attempts at convincing her conservative father that she wouldn't agree with his proposals for future matches for her. Elsa had met the little man a couple of times and found him to be really nice and outgoing, however too reluctant to strive from the tradition and culture of his origin. At least that wasn't the case for Elsa. Norway was a liberal country when it came to finding a match for the future monarch. It could be a commoner, a foreigner, a ... she stopped at that thought.

"I'm sure you will get there in time," Elsa reassured both of them. Jasmine smiled at her friend warmly.

"Thanks, sweety," she said happily, resting her hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Now - do you want some wine or something? It's senior year. You should have some fun."

Elsa shook her head. "No thank you, I am good. Have you seen Anna? I cannot find her. I think Hans is with her.

Jasmine looked at Elsa suspiciously. "Hans?"

Elsa nodded. "I... I have to be honest. I don't trust him."

Jasmine looked at her drink first, then at Aladdin, and then lastly at Elsa, her eyes apologetic. "I saw her with him on the dancefloor a couple of minutes ago actually."

Even though it made her a bit dizzy, Elsa stood up, ready to leave in the search for her sister. Jasmine took her hand before she left the table.

"Elsa?"

Jasmine hesitated. "Maybe you should just... leave her be? I mean, I know you don't like the guy, he's flawed. But maybe it is good for her to exp - "

"Not with him," Elsa stopped Jasmine. "I'll go look for them."

Elsa had been walking around without finding her disappearing sister for at least 15 minutes, trying to look like she was having fun at the same time to the people passing by. She had to make polite conversations to the people she crossed paths with, and it was generally difficult to avoid attention and look for Anna. She felt so horrible being at the party, she should be at home, sleeping. It was as though she had to wear a constant, tired mask - but she continually became more and more nervous. Where was Anna?

She found her in a dark corner, Hans's lips pressed against those of her sisters. She wanted to shout at him with the anger she felt spreading in her whole body, to make him stop, but something made her halt in moving any closer to them. She didn't know if it was the last remark of Jasmine's, or if it was simply herself stopping her. She felt awkward, alone and lost, and she didn't know what to do with herself.

Air. She needed air.

The courtyard.

She stormed out of the room, and almost ran dawn the halls out to the courtyard. She found everything here to be quiet, one could only hear a few noises from the cafeteria. The trees in the courtyard were lit with small lamps and there were lanterns hanging down from the coloumns lightening up the first fall evening. It was a really nice place for holding hands or whispering sweet things in your fling's ear at one of the nearby outdoor tables. Only it was getting rather chilly, so nobody was here. Noone except for Elsa.

Elsa sat down and sighed at the nearest table. The cold prickled her skin providing clarity to the otherwise clouded mind. It was truly soothing sitting here. Only the solitude wasn't.

"Elsa?"

Elsa turned her head at the sound of Tadashi's voice.

"What are you doing here by yourself?"

Elsa immediately blushed at the sight of the older Hamada brother carrying a tray with snacks, probably on his way to serve it in the café. Here she was again, sitting by herself. How lonesome she must look like to him, she thought.

"I uh - it's too loud in there. I needed some fresh air."

"Okay," Tadashi said, placing the tray at her table while he turned to stand in front of her. "It does get really crowded in there."

Elsa nodded. She didn't really understand what it was about Tadashi that sometimes made her so shy.

"It surprised me that you came. I thought you wouldn't."

Elsa nodded again. "I did it for my sister, she shouldn't be coming by herself."

Tadashi took a seat next to her with an appropriate distance. His next question left her puzzled.

"Do you ever do anything for your own sake?"

Elsa looked at his brown warm eyes, unsure of what to say.

"I - I don't know. Perhaps it was a mistake coming."

She was confused. She thought it a strange question to ask, but still the question lingered. When was the last time she had done something she truly liked doing? Sometimes she felt like a puppet being controlled by higher powers in society, always trying to do the right thing.

"I am glad you're here though," Tadashi smiled, ending the question he had just started.

Elsa smiled back at him. A few good moments passed without either of them saying much. Elsa surprised herself by being the one to break the comfortable silence.

"I think I should head home. I haven't slept much last night."

Tadashi inspected her with worried eyes. "Are you alright?"

Elsa looked to the ground, somehow feeling her cheeks burn as he had looked so intently at her. "I think I can manage my way home. The only thing is the entrance. The media is still there."

"Maybe you should wait half an hour or so, maybe they will disappear."

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

"It's getting rather cold out here. Do you want to get inside again?"

The cold hadn't bothered her one bit, but as it clearly did for him, she nodded. She stood up and waited for him to get the tray with snacks. They then walked side by side to the door, but as they opened the door to the inside and the heat and loud music attacked her, her head felt like it was struck by lightening and everything went black. The last thing she sensed was her back on the floor.

"Elsa? Oh my god. Please..."

Tadashi didn't know what to do. One moment, she was standing at the doorway just fine, all of a sudden she collapsed on the floor in her absolutely stunning outfit - it felt wrong somehow. He knelt beside her, trying to figure out what he had learned in his firstaid course.

One, secure safety. Noone was around, it wasn't an accident that involved any other people in danger.

Two, evaluate the person. He put his hand over her chest and bent his head down to hers to hear sounds of breathing. Her chest moved and there were small heaves of air. Thank god... she had just fainted. He then looked to see if there were any damage to her head as she fallen down. There wasn't. He sighed relieved.

Three, call for help. Should he call for help? Would she want an ambulance to take her away with all the press? He decided not. He called for Hiro, but the damned kid didn 't answer the phone and it went to voicemail.

"Hiro? The door to the courtyard. It's an emergency."

He called Professor Callaghan. Straight to voicemail. He had probably shut it off. Damn.

He took off his jacket and slid it under her fragile head.

Four, basic first aid. What could he do more than to try an wake her up gently? Could she have a concussion? His right hand stroked her cheek gently, somewhat automatically.

"Elsa?"

There was a small groan and a few blinks. "Elsa, I'm here."

"Tadashi?" She whispered, colour slowly returning to her face.

Her azure blue eyes stared directly into his. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"There is no need for you to be sorry," he whispered just as gently, still stroking her cheek. "You need to get home and have some sleep. But we have to make sure there is no concussion."

Elsa nodded and sat up slowly.

"Is there anyone at your... home, castle, whatever, who can lookout for you? Someone needs to be around." Tadashi felt strange saying those words in the same sentence. Home. Castle.

Elsa was about to nod, but then her eyes narrowed. "I cant go home like this. They will worry too much, I don't want them to. Our housekeeper Gerda is probably sleeping in her own house tonight, and Kai is with her. I told them we'd come home by Taxi. But what I fear more... is the press. They are probably at the castle tonight."

Tadashi felt sorry for her. Her life was so supervised, it would drive him insane to be in her position. He did the only thing he could offer her. His privacy.

"You are coming home with me. We will take the staff entrance, our car is right there. I'll only let Hiro know and I will tell the other staff members I felt sick. Okay?"

Elsa nodded, clearly relieved.

"Can you stand?"

"Aunt Cass? Are you there?"

The Hamada guardian came running down the stairs looking like she just got up from bed, however with a compltely red face indicating that she also had hurried preparing for their guest. "You took her here? Really, Tadashi? This is no place for a princess to sleep."

Tadashi looked to the ground in embaressment. "She just needs a place for tonight."

Elsa left Tadashi's arms, walking slowly towards his aunt. "Cassidy, I'm very grateful for your hospitality. Your home and family have been so very welcoming, and I'm pleased to be here everytime I visit."

Aunt Cass nodded, her cheeks burning by Elsa's sweet remarks.

"She'll take your bed, Tadashi. You'll be sleeping down here."

He nodded slowly and then turned to Elsa. "Come on, I'll show you the room."

Tadashi felt thankful that he had cleaned his room the day before. Had he known he would have Elsa in this very room yesterday, he would have made it shine completely. She walked over to his bed solemnly and sat at the side of it.

"Thank you, for doing this, Tadashi."

Her pure blue eyes stared into his, and in a moment he lost his way in them. He didn't understand what spell she sometimes had him under.

"You're welcome."

He backed away to the door, about to leave.

"Tadashi?" She still looked at him, now shyly. "Could I perhaps borrow something to sleep in?"

Tadashi quietly gulped at the thought of her wearing an old t-shirt of his. What was he thinking? Why did his mind constantly lead him the wrong direction? He had to convince himself for a short moment that he could still say something normal to her, before things got too awkward.

"Yeah, sure. You can find one in the closet right there."

Tadashi woke up at the sound of Elsa whimpering in her sleep. He could hear it from downstairs and was at once alerted. He quickly came up to her in his room and looked at her with worried eyes. Although her eyes were closed, it was easy to see her distress. Her eyebrows twitched, she was completely pale, she moved from side to side, and she was curled up in fetal position. She was having a nightmare. About what, he didn't know. The few words that came out were Norwegian.

"Nei. Nei. Jeg ber dig." Something with no.

Tadashi started to grow more nervous. Should he wake her with the following risk that she might not have more sleep for the night as she desperately needed or should he force her away from the terrors haunting her? Her brows tensed and her facial expression turned from afraid to hurt. Her whimpers became louder and it sounded as though she was in pain. Real pain. He was sure that the shivers down his spine were a reaction to the situation, however he hadn't noticed how the temperature had actually dropped a few degrees. He couldn't have anymore of it.

He situated himself gently beside her and started to shake her left shoulder gently.

No reaction.

He shook her more.

No reaction.

Her whimpering went on.

"Elsa?"

Tadashi spoke her name softly.

No reaction.

He decided to bring both her hands to his help and shook both shoulders while calling her name, slowly louder.

"Elsa?"

She opened her eyes wearing the expression of a wild cat afraid of taking a shower. She sat up straight with such a hurry and distress that their heads collided with bang.

"Aw!"

Tadashi had to blink a few times before understanding what had happened.

"I am so, so sorry," he could hear himself muster, "you were having a nightmare and - "

"It's okay," Elsa said slowly, her eyes watering a little. "I... thank you."

"Are you OK?"

Elsa nodded and gave a weak smile in false confirmation. "I'm fine."

As she looked at him again, her left shoulder started to feel warmer, and he suddenly came aware of the fact that his hand was still there. He gently pulled it away.

"What was the dream about?"

Revealing his SFIT t-shirt as she drew up her legs and hugged them to her, she answered almost in a whisper: "I can't remember. I never do. They vanish from my memory as soon as I wake... I - I don't know what's the matter with me at the moment."

Tadashi realised only then that her sleep issues had to do with nightmares. He had thought she just couldn't fall asleep in the evenings, that she was too concerned about something. How could one cure nightmares popping up out of the blue? How terrible, he thought, it must be to be haunted like that almost every night. How he wished he could make her worries disappear.

Without thinking about it he took one of her hands in both of his hands. She looked at him, first in surprise, followed by a warm smile that made her freckles come to life as small pecks of happiness. A real, genuine, heartfelt smile. He smiled back. Her wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders freely as he had never seen it before and the whole scent of her in his room, in his clothes, was intoxicating. There was no denying it. He liked her. Too much. Too quickly. Too dangerous. He had fallen for the one person who was not allowed to him for not only one reason, but two. Her position in this country and my position at the school. The whole thought of it made him feel uncomfortable and he had to clear his throat and pulled his hands away slowly.

"So... goodnight?"

Elsa nodded, curving up her lips a little.

"Goodnight."

Tadashi was about to rise from the bed when Elsa held his arm in place.

"Tadashi?" She said it almost out of breath. It was like she was looking for the right words. "Could you - would you mind... staying close?"

Tadashi nodded. "I can sleep on the couch right there. I tend to sleep like a rock." He pointed at the couch six feet away from them. He could sense how much she needed someone close by. He told himself that it was acceptable, in case another nightmare needed to be stopped.

She sighed relieved. "Thank you."

-.-.-.-.-

Hello again. Oh. I can't even start to describe how much I love these two.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in. It's been difficult writing this chapter, it's long, lots of changes of scenes and perspectives - I very much enjoyed it.

To answer question from Guest ... - I update when I can. I know that is not saying much, but I really try and write everyday. Recently it's easier as I've started working again, but I'm moving out of the country in a few days, and I might need two weeks or so to settle. Usually, with the last fanfic I did, I updated every week or so. The chapters are a bit longer in this now though, so it might take a bit more time.