Wow, guys! 2014 is officially over! On January 2, 2014, a silly teenager thought that she could write a fanfic about her favorite characters.
18 chapters, 370 reviews, 299 followers, 235 favorites, 2 communities, and 47, 899 views later, here we are.
Thank you all for sticking with me for a year. And here's to 2015. May it be just as great or better than 2014. Enjoy.
Elsa's POV
"You have an hour, which frankly seems like too much time, so I have the right to kick you out any point between now and one hour from now. Got it?" Jack, who sits across me on Merida's bed, nods. "Then you should get talking."
He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. He must be thinking of what to say. "Are you hungry?"
I know my face express my complete shock. "What?"
"I know how stupid that sounds, and it's not that I didn't have anything better to say. I just thought maybe you'd be less angry if you weren't hungry," I just look at him. "Plus, I did bring gifts," he clears his throat, "Rapunzel said you didn't get the chance to even taste your pumpkin spice latte, so I assume you didn't eat either. What do you think of half a PB and J and some coffee?" Silence. "I'll even warm it up for you." He looks down at his hands in his lap, waiting for a response.
He does drive a hard bargain. "Okay."
Jack looks u at me, hopeful. "Really?" A small smiles spreads on his face. He jumps up from the bed and grabs the two cups of coffee. "I'll be right back," he tells me leaving the room and into the hallway. There's a microwave at the end of the hallway on every floor since they're banned in the rooms.
It is now that I realize my hair is loose and wet... and tangled. I stand and go back into the bathroom to grab my brush and start untangling it. When Jack comes back, I'm still untangling. He hands me my latte and sits on the floor with his and the sandwich. He pats the spot nest to him on the floor.
Jack is just staring at me. "What?"
"I've never seen you with your hair down."
"So?"
"It's looks nice."
The corners of my mouth lift up slightly, but I force it down and tie my hair up in a messy ponytail. He smiles a little. "Do you want the smaller or bigger half?"
I take a sip of my coffee and sit down across from him. "Surprise me."
Jack hands me a half of the PB and J and takes a bite from his own. "Let me start by telling you I'm sorry."
Sorry? That's how he's going to start this off? "You're sorry?" I demand from him.
His face shows that he realizes he's made a mistake. "That sounded better in my head. I just mean that I'm sorry it had to be like this."
What does that even mean? I arch an eyebrow at him.
He sees this expression and tries to explain himself. "What I mean is that I just, I just wished it could have gone differently on my terms."
On his terms? What does that mean? If he wasn't his terms who's terms was he on? Wait, Elsa. You know exactly who's terms he was on: Peter's. "You were Peter's slave today." It's not so much a question but more of a statement. Guilt is written all over his face. I've hit the nail right on the head. I laugh darkly. "Well, then it all makes sense, doesn't it?" I stand up and start pacing back and forth. "Peter told you to kiss me. How could I have been stupid enough to think anything less?"
Jack stands up and puts his hands in front of him. "No Elsa. It's not like that."
I ignore him, "And then not only do you kiss me because of some petty dare, but you also decided it would be a genius idea to have me chase you around the entire time. You didn't have the decency to tell me you kissed me because of some stupid bet." I stop walking. Jack stands in front if me. "You know what the sad part is? I wanted it to be real. And then Merida had to go and entertain the idea with this false hope. Messed up, isn't it?"
"Elsa, wait," he pleas, but I'm not done yet.
"Why me, Jack? There were tons of girls in that restaurant that Peter could have made you kiss. Why was it me?"
"Just let me explain, please." He puts his arm out, reaching for me.
I pull away and demand, "Why should I listen to anything you have to say? You've been avoiding me all day and decide to come apologize for kissing me because of a stupid bet made you do it to clear your guilty conscious. Now just tell me, how exactly does that prove that I should listen to what you have to say?"
He steps closer to me. "Because you told me I had an hour. And I haven't told you the story yet."
"And I told you," I take a step back. "that I had the right to end the time you have at any point." I pull open the door. "And I choose now. Conversation over."
"Fine," he tells me. He walks through the doorway and sits down on the carpeted floor of the hallway outside my door. "Then I will sit, right here, outside your door, talking through the crack until you understand."
"Understand what, Jack? That you kissed me because of some redhead, because of some bet? What more is there to understand?"
"Even if Peter wouldn't have made me, I would have kissed you eventually," he blurts out. Jack's face turns red, realizing what he's said, and he looks down at the hands in his lap.
My rage subsides, replaced by shock and confusion. "You-you would have?"
"Of course," he mumbles.
I crouch down next to him. I understand it now. I had been asking why Peter picked me, and here it was my answer, sitting in front of my door, begging me to understand. I may have put one and two together, but I still want to hear him say it. My index finger touches the skin under his chin and lifts it up, so his eyes meet mine. "Why?"
Jack's eyes face scrunches up in thought. "Why wouldn't I?" I'm taken aback by this response. "For one thing, Elsa, you're freaking beautiful. Another, you're personality is just as beautiful as your face. I told you something not even Merida knows within the first month I knew you. You have the biggest heart out of any one I've ever known. And I consider myself lucky to call you a friend. From the first death glare you sent my way when Anna got a detention, I knew."
"You knew what, Jack?"
"I knew that I really liked you." His cheeks are a flaming red. "And then Peter knew because of I don't even know what, and he decided to use it against me because I pissed him off earlier this morning. I'm sorry that you got dragged into all of this. I'm a complete idiot for it, and you have every right to never speak to me again. I understand." Jack begins to stand up. "You can keep the food. Maybe I'll see you in class." He tries to walk away, but I grab is arm and stop him.
"Where do you think you're going?" I ask with a small smirk.
"I'm leaving you alone. It is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"You offered me half of a sandwich. I'm not going to eat the other one, and I am allowed to change my mind, aren't I?"
Jack's eyes fill with a playful gleam, and a smile tugs at the corners. "Elsa Arendelle, are you inviting me into your room?"
"Well, you did get me a PB and J dinner, and you have about half an hour left."
"Well then, we have no time to waste," He gestures dramatically towards the entrance. "Ladies first."
Anna's POV
"I think it's time to head back," Kristoff says, putting the mug down on the table that we're sitting on.
"Aw," I whine. "Do we have to?"
"If you want to get back before curfew? Yes."
"Ok," I jump down from the table we were sitting on. "Let me help you clean up." I grab the two mugs we drank our hot chocolate and am about to take them to the kitchen to wash them when Kristoff stops me.
"I got it," he grabs them from me gently. "Besides, I have something a little bit more fun we could do to clean."
"What's that?" Cleaning and fun? That sounds incredible!
"Well, that ice won't smooth itself out, will it?" He leads me towards two giant doorways near the ice. Kristoff pulls open the doors one at a time, revealing a giant red truck like thing. This thing is massive! "This is the Zamboni."
"Whoa! This thing is a monster!" I gasp. "No! It's like a monster truck on ice! This thing is so cool!"
Kristoff laughs. "Yeah, I guess you could stay that." I can't stop staring at it. It's so shinny and red. I feel Kristoff look at me from the corner of my eye. "Have you ever seen one of these in person."
"Pft, of course I have. Elsa, used to be this amazing figure skater, so like half of my childhood was spent at ice skating rings watching her practice and compete. I've never seen one so up close before, and it's so shiny and really freaking big."
He sends a boyish smile my way, filled with so much mischief. "Do you want to drive it?"
"What? Me drive that... that beast!? No, no, no! I mean it be awesome, but I'd probably crash, and your uncle barely let you use the rink. If I crash your family's zamboni, they're just going to hate me, and they haven't even met me! And that'll be awkward, and I'm already awkward, so it would be double awkward!"
"Whoa, Anna, all you have to do is steer, and I'll be right next to you the entire time, controlling the blades and the different tanks."
"Wait there are blades on that thing? I don't think this is such a great idea."
"It'll be fine. I promise," he extends his open hand for me. "Come on."
This is absolutely crazy! I could just turn around and reject the offer completely. But... No, Anna! No buts! Hey mind, don't tell me what I can't think! Butt! Butt! Butt! BUTT! Wait, we were talking about the other kind of but... Think about it like this: when's the next time someone's going to let us drive a zamboni? Good point, me. I'm taking that hand!
I take hold off his hand and smile. This is going to be awesome. "Okay, but I must warn you, I'm not the best driver, and I don't have a license yet."
"You don't need a license to drive a zamboni," he tells me, leading me into the zamboni's room. He flips on a light switch. "First we have to prepare the machine."
I look down at our joined hands. "That's going to be kind of hard to do with one hand."
Kristoff's face turns bright red, and he clears his throat. "Oh, um, yeah, you're right," he mumbles. "So the first thing you have to do is fill this tank with water." He goes towards the back of the zamboni, where all the controls are, pushes a few buttons, and the back of the zamboni lifts up, revealing a giant bucket, and I mean like freaking huge! Kristoff comes back around and moves towards the wall to grab a hose. He puts the end into the bucket and turns on the water.
It fills up faster than I thought it would, and Kristoff has me wrap up the hose after he turns off the water. "Now we lower it again and raise the conditioner." He pushes more buttons in the front of the zamboni and causes the giant bucket to sink back into the machine and cause this white strip to lift up in the front.
"What does this thing do?"
"That's where the skirt goes," he says, coming back around. "It's a long blade."
"Oh, fun?"
He laughs and grabs this long, heavy looking black strip. I guess that's the blade. I watch as he puts it in place on the conditioner.
"Now what?"
"Now we drive."
"What? Really?" Kristoff nods and leads me to the back of the zamboni.
"Sit down," he says gesturing to the only seat.
"Wait, then where are you going to sit?" I start panicking. "I can't do this! I'll crash, and your family will hate me!"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be there every step of the way."
"Pinky promise?" I ask, extending my pinkie finger.
"Pinkie promise," he says, wrapping his huge pinkie around mine.
I nod. "Okay, I can do this. Just tell me what to do, and I'll cross my fingers and hope I don't crash."
Kristoff hops on the back of the zamboni. "I'll be here to control all of the blades and tanks and brushes. All you have to do is turn the wheel and push down the pedals."
"Pedals and wheel. Got it. Which one makes it, you know," I gesture forward. "Go?"
"The one on your left makes the machine go froward and the one on the left makes it go back it will double as your brake. And just remember that it only moves forward and backward. It's really important the you keep your speed even."
"Speed even. Right."
"You're all set." Deep breaths, Anna. You can do this. "Whenever your ready." Hands, stop your shaking! We got this! Like George Lopez! "Any day now. Whoa!"
This sudden 'whoa' was caused by my nerves completely taking over my foot, and making the zamboni lurch froward suddenly and then my frenzy of panic jerking it to a stop. This jerky, lurchy affect caused Kristoff to fly from his spot on the back of the machine. "Oh my glob! I'm so so so sorry! This was a bad idea! I can't do this," I hop off the seat of the zamboni and run to check if Kristoff is okay.
I kneel down next to him. "Are you okay?"
He slowly sits up and puts his hand on his head. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"No, you're not. You hit your head. Let me see." I move his hands away from his head and take a look. The spot is red and a yellowish color. "You're totally going to have an ugly bruise there." I gently trace my fingers accross it. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine. I have a thick skull." He looks up at me with a shy smile. "Now let's get you back behind that steering wheel."
"Oh, no, no, nope, not gonna do it."
Kristoff stands up. "Wait a second. You made me make a pinkie promise just so you could back out and just say nope?"
"Yes," I say more as a question than a statement.
"No way. You're not going to do that to me and Ned."
I blink. "Ned?"
"That's his name," he replies pointing to the zamboni. "It's not everyday that someone like you takes him out on the ice."
"Someone like me?"
"Someone like you."
I sigh. A pinkie promise is a pinkie promise. "I'd hate to disappoint Ned."
Kristoff smiles. "I knew that'd get you."
I laugh. "We have some ice to make! We could even come up with a name for this! The ice straightners or the ice makers!"
"How about we just do what the name says and then loose the name."
I jump on the seat again. "You're no fun."
Elsa's POV
"You know," Jack says, mouth full of PB and J from his position on Merdia's bed. "I got this sandwich because I had never been there and anyone would play it safe, but this was a great decision."
I nod. "You did good, Frost."
"Now, I'm going to ask what we're both thinking."
"And what's that, Jack?"
He looks at me with a small smile and serious eyes. "Where does this leave us?"
He's right. I have been thinking about this. Now what? "I'm not sure."
"You know that I think you're spectacular and I really like you, so I guess the ball's in your court."
What do I want to happen? Am I willing to take a chance with this guy? It's easier to just keep the subject off of me. "What do you want to happen?"
"If it were up to me," Jack says, lying back on Merida's bed and closing his eyes. "I'd take you out. I would make an official relationship, so I could kiss you whenever I wanted to," he opens one eye and looks up at me. "With your permission of course," his eye closes again. "But judging by your reaction to the one today, I'd say there would be no objection from you." I scoff and throw a pillow at him. He laughs and sits up. "Seriously, Elsa, where do we go from here? I won't rush you into anything, nor will I force you, but I need to know."
"Well," I start. "I haven't killed you for kissing me yet, have I?"
"Come on, Elsa, I know you like me."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I just do."
"Well, I guess if my first kiss had to be with anyone, I'm glad it was you." He smiles at me and his cheeks brighten. "I like you too, Jack."
His smile gets even bigger and he jumps excitedly, throwing a fist into the air. Jack quickly recovers and throws his hands in his pocket, trying to play it off. I laugh at his attempts. "Then Elsa Arendelle, I will have to ask you out on a date."
"Was that your way of asking?"
"Of course not! This is one of the happiest moments of my adolescent life. I'm not planning on blowing this, so when I ask you out it's going to be special, and it could happen at any moment, so expect the unexpected."
"So as of right now you are not asking me out?"
"Nope. When I ask you out, it's going to be absolutely amazing, followed by an even more amazing date. Everything has to be planned out not just in the spur of the moment in your dorm over a pb and j."
"Does it really matter? It's your way of verifying that I will in fact go on a date with you."
"But even that needs to be perfect." He looks at me seriously. "Elsa, you deserve nothing short of perfection, and that's exactly what I promise to give to you. So don't go running off and elope with some guy because you know that I am going to ask you out."
"I don't know if I can wait that long, Jack," I say, teasingly. "Kyle from biology has been giving flirty eyes all week. I just don't know if I can help myself."
"Well, Kyle is a catch. I am no match for him," he mocks, theatrically. He looks at me seriously. "Has he really been looking at you like that?"
"Jack, Kyle spends bio sleeping."
He awkwardly laughs. "Of course. I knew that."
We finish our pb and J halves and coffee, and spend the rest of the hour just talking. When Merida comes back to the room, Jack and me are lying on my bed half asleep and joking about what Kyle and my wedding would look like.
"Well, it would have to be in Vegas for starters. That's the place to elope." Jack says.
"Of course. But who would marry us? Elvis or are you thinking of something else?"
"What the hell?" Merida yells, stunned. "I leave you two alone for an hour, and you decide to plan out your wedding in Vegas!?"
"Merida, Merida, Merida, I tried to convince her to wait, but she wants all this," he gestures to himself. I hit his arm.
"No, Merida. It's not me and Jack eloping. It's me and Kyle."
"From biology? I thought he was too much of a drooler for your taste, Elsa. He's always asleep." At this, Jack can't contain his laughter.
He checks the time on his phone. "Better get going. Hiccup should be back soon, and curfew is soon." He gets up from the bed and grabs the garbage from the floor. "Goodnight, ladies." Before the door closes completely, he winks at me, and I smile.
"Are you two okay now?" Merida asks, removing her shoes and tying her hair up in a bun. Merida going to sleep is one of the only times her crazy red hair is up and not loose.
"Yeah, we're okay."
"You sure? Because I could still beat him up if you want."
"No, that's okay. For now, Merida." I pick up my phone from the nightstand. I haven't looked at it since earlier today. There are tons of notifications, but one from Rapunzel catches my eye. It says Anna is out with Kristoff. I check the time on the screen. Only 15 minutes until curfew. I call Anna's phone. No answer. I try Rapunzel's next. On the last ring, she picks up.
"Hello?" she answers.
"Hey, Zel. Is Anna with you?"
"No, she's still not here. Just me. Since Flynn left, I've been trying to get a hold of her, and nothing."
"Oh no." I close my eyes in frustration. "She can't be late. She's going to be in so much trouble."
"I know, Elsa, but give Anna a little more credit. She's still got 15 minutes. She could make it."
"I know. I'm just going to keep trying her phone, okay? I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Night, cousin!"
Anna's POV
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Kristoff says, when we're in the car, driving back.
"No, I guess it was sort of fun."
He smiles. "I, um, wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what's up?"
"Well, my family does this thing every year where a whole bunch of ice skaters put on this big production. Maybe you would, you know, come."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, I want to," I tell him smiling. "It will be so much fun. We could go and hang out and watch people skate around! That's awesome!"
"I was thinking it could be sort of like a d-"
"And we could invite Elsa and Rapunzel and all of them because I bet they'd love it too! And Elsa used to do that kind of thing, maybe she'd be inspired to skate again. Kristoff you're a genius!"
"Yeah, we could all go to Winter Wonderland," he says, sounding kind of disappointed. I must be hearing him wrong.
"I'm going to tell Elsa all about this. She'll be so excited." I pull out my phone to see an incredible amount of notifications mostly from Elsa. I wonder why she wants to get a hold of me. Then, my eyes go to the top of the screen to the time. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no,"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Anna, what's wrong?"
"My curfew is in 15 minutes! There's no way I can make it!"
"Calm down, we'll make it."
"Kristoff, if I'm late, Mr. Meyers is going to make sure I'm in detention for the next year!"
"We'll get there on time, I promise."
I exhale, trying to calm down. "Okay, I trust you, Kristoff. I think it's far fetched and unlikely, but I trust you."
"You should probably call your sister then, she must be freaking out."
"I'll call Elsa and you focus on getting back to Walney as fast as possible. Okay?"
"Okay."
Sorry for that Fault in Our Stars reference. It slipped sort of...
Congrats to OoPoPcAnDyfor correctly guessing Annie's character first.
5sos My favorite member has to be between Michael and Ashton, but Luke's voice is freaking angelic!
Guest I'm sorry! Stay alive! Here's the next chapter!
Lost-Protagonist First of all, love the name! We're twins, and it's kind of awesome :) I'm glad that you love my story. That makes me very happy. I hope that you enjoyed this update.
1BookWorm I'm glad you love this story so much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Randomperson It makes me happy that you actually fangirl over my story. That is truly such an honor. :,)
Bleeding Moon An OC, you say? I could see it. You might be pleased with what is to come :)
maggie98 Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to you too! Anna has to be dense because it makes her character that much greater. Her naive, innocence suits her very well. Annie is the voice of the little stone troll that says, "And by the way I don't see no ring."
BugsBunny I'm glad you like Merida's chatacter so much.