What's up everyone! I'm back with fresh ideas, inspiration and a very large cup of a strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla smoothie!
*Did you die?!*
Unfortunately, yes. But, I lived! (Haha, anyone know that movie reference?) Anyways, did you all miss me? Of course you didn't. I'm so alone. *Tear* Jk, guys, love you all!
And my shoutout goes to two people because, actually, when I looked on my reviews it said 499 with Jewelaria Rosha's was the last one, so...I'm not exactly sure who is the 500th reviewer, but it's either CupcakeMonkey567 or sydvan23. Congrats you two!
And on that note; OMG 500 REVIEWS THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
So, you all remember how I mentioned a Jack Frost humanoid? Well, I'm going to do one again, for *dot dot dot* Kristoff! I will put who it is at the end of the chapter, to add a little dramatic effect;) so check it out when you're done reading and if in all the writing I forget to add it in then just remind me on a review and check again later so that I remember to add it.
And I will stop rambling...now.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Elsa sang the lyrics in her head as they ran past the other police men. She didn't know why, but the tune seemed to calm her down.
It both satisfied and concerned Elsa that the trio failed in getting caught. They did need to get by so that was a plus but one would think that such professionals would notice three teenagers sneaking past them into a possible highly dangerous place.
(Quick A/N: remember when I said a while ago that there would be multiple things in this story that would not happen in real life? Keep that in mind. Now, proceed!)
The three stopped to catch their breath just outside of a window.
"Alright, how do we get in?" Elsa breathed.
"Well, I'm assuming there's a ventilation system-"
"An' forgettin' the fact we're not spies," Merida cut Hiccup off.
"Well, we could..." Hiccup tried to defend but Merida had made an excellent point.
"Aye, tha's wha' I thought. So, we could follow through wi' Hiccup's great idea or we could jus' climb in through the window?" Merida used her foot to crack open the window, and Elsa smiled.
"Per-"
But she was cut off when they heard voices.
"Sorry officers, nothing personal."
A few muffled thuds and then there was silence.
"Wha' was tha'?" Merida whispered, crouching down beside Hiccup and Elsa.
"I don't really want to know," Hiccup responded.
Elsa nodded in agreement, praying that the cover of darkness payed off for them. Sunrise wasn't far, but it was still dark outside.
Just conceal, don't feel.
Sweet dreams are made of this
The lyrics didn't help now as she squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could.
Where are you, Jack?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"H-help," Jack croaked, sitting stiffly in the chair.
His face was no doubt battered and bruised, he could taste blood and it didn't help that he still couldn't see anything.
What was that noise?
Whatever it was, he didn't know how long ago it had been. Maybe minutes, maybe hours, maybe days, he was too confused to tell. He hoped that it hadn't been long.
A sharp sting hit him in the face and he coughed out blood.
Luckily, it was only from biting down on his cheek. For some reason, Kozmotis Black was taking his time.
"You won't get help here," he growled, kicking him in the shin.
Jack cried out in pain, but it hadn't really hurt as much as others.
"Don't be so sure," the same voice called out.
Everything was still fuzzy, and, though he couldn't see, it sure felt like the world was spinning a whole awful lot. But he knew that that voice was familiar. He just couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"Back off," Kozmotis growled.
"I don't think so."
Jack finally blacked out, but he almost wanted to know what would happen.
But, then again, maybe he didn't.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Okay, what do we do now?" Elsa asked, shamelessly panicking.
"Good question," Merida said, seeming to be the only person among them who wasn't deeply concerned beyond their health.
"We can't just sit here. Jack has to be in there. Who knows what's happening?" Elsa shrieked. She pictured Jack all alone, in a room surrounded by a mysterious man voicing his deepest fears...or worse.
How did this even happen, she found herself questioning once again.
She turned to look behind her.
The sun was starting to come up.
Please, Jack, she begged. Please be okay.
She tried to ignore the gut feeling that he wasn't.
Maybe Jack was fine. Maybe...
Oh, who was she kidding. She was worried sick and thinking otherwise did no good whatsoever.
Just sing, Elsa.
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to be used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused
Her little lullaby didn't help. Merida and Hiccup were still peering into the window, and she was sitting down trying to catch her breath.
"Okay, I say we go in," Elsa said shakily.
"Elsa?" Hiccup said, slightly startled by how definite her voice sounded, even though it had wavered.
"Come on," Elsa didn't make eye contact for fear of showing just how afraid she was.
Merida nodded, opening the window and sliding in first.
Elsa followed behind her and Hiccup landed heavily besides them.
"Alright, where do we go from here?" Hiccup asked to seemingly no one.
The only source of light was from the window they had just crawled in, and even then it was dimmed by the rising sun.
"Now would be a good time to have a flashlight," Elsa muttered to herself.
This wasn't a very good plan, heck, it just scraped the bare minimum for 'plan,' but someone, whether it was Jack or not, was in danger, and though they had no idea what they were doing, they had to do something.
"Alright, let's just, close our eyes for a moment. See if we can hear something." Elsa suggested.
They all complied, listening intently, yet fearing what they would hear at the same time.
Picture this, inside of a really dark and mysterious building in darkness with just a few measly rays of light and the knowledge that there could be a missing person hidden somewhere in the building.
Yeah, they were inwardly freaking out.
Somewhere, though, they heard a series of muffled noises.
"Well, I'll say tha's our best bet," Merida announced, and off they went.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
(If you want a total dramatic effect, read this part slowly and concentrate on/think about/imagine everything that is written)
"Why are you here?" Someone called out accusingly.
"Simple, really."
The voice.
Jack fluttered his eyes, suddenly aware of everything. Aware of where he was, aware of how he had gotten here, and very aware of how his body was aching with every breath.
"I'm here for him."
Now that he could think a little more clearly, he could hear that the voice was female. He still couldn't put a face, let alone a name, to it, but he could process this.
"Mine," Kozmotis Black growled to the woman, like a starved dog protecting one single scrap of food.
The woman laughed. "No, mine."
Just the tone of the woman's voice sent shivers down his spine.
He could imagine some very sharp and glaring eyes staring at Kozmotis.
He finally adjusted his eyes. Why was everything so bright?
Wait a minute.
He looked around.
It was a fairly large room.
The floor was hard, possibly cement, and the room was bare. The walls were nothing fancy, but looked strong and durable.
Looked...
Somehow, light had returned to him.
He could see no light fixtures anywhere, so maybe Kozmotis had blocked the windows?
He didn't know, and quite frankly, he didn't really care.
A blur of black and...green? came flashing by him and he would have flinched back had he not been tied to a chair.
"What the..." Jack murmured, but it was hard to focus on anything. Everything was just a blur.
What was happening?
The world was spinning again.
Jack wanted to clutch his head, apply pressure to drown out the thudding, but it couldn't be ignored.
His head was pounding, and all he could hear was an irregular thumping.
He shut his eyes closed, but the darkness didn't help.
Suddenly, all he could see was a green meadow, and Elsa.
But, it wasn't Elsa.
She was younger, happier, less burdened by the world.
It was the Elsa he used to know.
"Come on, Jack!"
This wasn't a memory.
Maybe he was hallucinating?
The younger Elsa giggled, and dashed away, disappearing over a hill.
'Wait' he wanted to call out, but he couldn't move.
He heard Elsa calling his name again, but then he was sucked back into the real world, where nothing made sense.
It took a few minutes later to figure out that the thudding in his ears was his own heartbeat.
He couldn't move suddenly, it was like he couldn't breathe.
Trapped, darkness, cold, panic, pain...
He was sure that he was sitting in the same chair (unwillingly, of course), but it felt like he was tossing and tumbling around.
Then, he was falling, and everything was focused on not falling.
He couldn't focus, there must be something wrong with his head!
Get me out of here! Please!
He screamed in his head, but no one could hear him but himself.
Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!
Nothing.
All of a sudden, for just maybe about three seconds, everything stopped.
In that moment, it was one of those movie times where everything just stood still, almost painfully in slow motion. And it was like Jack was the only one in real time. He blinked slowly, looking at everything.
Two things burst open at the same time.
Two voices came to him through the fog, each blurry and fuzzy.
The first one yelled out "Freeze!" and the other one was the one that kept ringing in his head, even after it was all over.
"Jack!"
He blinked again, whispering the name that came with the voice; "Elsa..."
That was when the lights went out, and Jack's world was once again pitched into darkness.
...
Cold.
He was cold.
That's all he could think.
It was cold, and it was dark, and he was scared.
A small voice, crooning a word he couldn't make out, kept drifting to him through his daze.
It was a voice he knew, but couldn't name. It wasn't exactly like with the other unknown voice, this voice was exceptionally familiar.
He felt something warm tickle his ear, and he was tempted to brush it away, but his limbs felt like lead.
It was humming...no, singing, he just couldn't make out the words.
The world around him seemed to slowly focus, like a camera in slow motion.
Eventually, he could hear the muted lullaby that was being sung in his ear.
...Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
It was slow, and quiet, and blissfully beautiful.
And utterly familiar.
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something...
Finally, he realized that he was being held up, and whoever was singing to him was simply leaning down and crouching to sing in his ear.
"Jack," the person whispered. "I'm so sorry, Jack, please, just...just wake up, please."
"Jack..."
He cracked open his eyes to find an equally beautiful girl to match the voice holding him and leaning into his chest.
Elsa.
"Hi Elsa."
*A few minutes earlier*
The shuffling got louder the closer they got, and eventually, they heard something rattle against one the walls.
"Oh my gosh!" Elsa exclaimed, jumping.
Hiccup looked like he might have a heart attack any moment and Merida looked ready to tackle a grizzly bear.
Where was Jack?
"Come on," she muttered. "Pull yourself together, girl."
She took a deep and shaky breath before running on.
Lights had flickered on a few minutes back, so they could see where they were going. Unfortunately, that meant so could anyone else.
They hadn't run into anyone yet, but they yearned and dreaded the moment when they would be discovered.
"This is not your fight," someone snapped from somewhere.
The three stopped and froze.
"You made it my fight when you kidnapped that boy!" Another voice- female, this time, shouted back.
"Stay out of it!" The other person roared.
Something crashed, and then there was an uncomfortable silence.
"Why are you here?" The male spat.
"Simple," the female said. She sounded very relaxed, suddenly, like she had everything under control. "I'm here for him."
The shock of the conversation finally came to Elsa, and she shook her head, running to lean her ear against the wall and Merida and Hiccup following suit.
"Mine," the male growled and Elsa shivered as she recognized the voice.
Hiccup noticed Elsa falter, and he gave her a sad smile.
She nodded to show that she was okay.
This person was her captor, the one who had caused her so much mental pain and fear.
Who knows what he could have done to Jack?
"No, mine."
They didn't hear too much, more shuffling noises.
"Wha' do we do?" Merida whispered.
"We have to..." But Hiccup was at a loss for words.
"I don't know," Elsa cried.
Suddenly, everything went silent.
"Come on, on three?" Elsa said.
They nodded in agreement, each placing a hand on the door handle that led into the room.
"One," Hiccup started, nodding briefly.
"Two," Merida added in.
Elsa sighed, and said, "Three."
The door burst open, and another one was open as well, a cloud of black figures jumping through.
"Freeze!" One yelled, but Elsa's eyes were glued elsewhere.
"Jack!" She cried.
Indeed, it was.
But he was tied to a lone chair, slumped over. He was awake, though, but she was guessing not for long.
And he was pretty beaten up. His face was blue and purple, his one eye nearly swollen shut, she couldn't see the other damage but his face was enough.
Elsa was just about to sprint to him, but suddenly, the lights were killed, and everything- everything- was dark.
"Elsa, do you want to build a snowman? Come on let's go and play!"
"Go away, Anna."
"Okay, bye."
"Do you wanna build a snowman? I'm so lonely. All you do is sit in your room."
"Not now, Anna."
If timed, the lights had probably gone out for a total of four seconds. But in those four seconds, a lot of things happened.
Among them, Elsa recalled every time she had pushed away, not Jack, but Anna.
Her sweet, oblivious Anna. Anna, who never deserved what happened to her.
Strange, how some things seem to find you in the least expected moments. When you're so focused on something else, and suddenly everything that matters, doesn't matter anymore. Everything simply...isn't. The things that matter in life are the simple ones. Like building snowmen in the backyard, or learning a new song on the piano, or playing with your best friend. All of those little moments add up, and when you count your blessings, you might as well count those twice.
When the lights came back on, Elsa rushed to Jack, who had somehow ended up untied and was laying on his back unconscious on the floor.
"Jack!" She screamed as she knelt down.
She gingerly slid her arms around his neck and cradled what she could hold of him in her arms.
"Come on, Jack, wake up." She urged.
He didn't move. She was so panicked that she couldn't stop to think about checking for a pulse.
"Jack, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning down.
Around her, most of the people were surrounding a man dressed in black, who bore a startling resemblance to Pitch.
It must be Kozmotis Black, she figured, and shivered. Pitch had somehow been captured and was pitching a fit between two officers who held him in close confinement.
Elsa shook, staring at Jack.
She couldn't make sense of her emotions, they were too jumbled.
But there was one thing she searched for.
Where are you, tears?
But even though she was terrified yet gratified at the same time, she found that her tears were still bottled up inside of her.
Useless things, really.
But she couldn't worry about them, Jack was here, he was okay- well, no, not okay, but he was alive.
She leaned down to his ear, and sang as quietly as she had ever, practically whispering.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
She broke off and sighed, leaning into Jack's chest, possibly for her comfort more than his.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on the back of her head.
"Hi Elsa," Jack said.
"Jack!" She cried, throwing her arms around him and not caring about his injuries.
He hugged her back.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry-"
"What are you sorry for?" Jack cut her off but she didn't pay him any mind.
"I'm sorry, I'm just glad you're okay. I love you," she said, and suddenly her eyes widened when she realized what she had just said.
Did I really just admit that? Her face was flushed with heat.
She didn't know what she expected from Jack, but it certainly didn't involve him chuckling.
"I love you, too," Jack said quietly, and pulled her down.
It wasn't a very romantic kiss, and it certainly wasn't the best of places. It wasn't long, barely a peck on the lips, but in Elsa's mind, it had to be the best kiss she had ever received.
*A few weeks later, BPAA is about to open their doors for registration and the hospital has just released Jack*
"Come on, I've been here for long enough already!" Jack complained from down the hall.
Elsa laughed. Jack hated the hospital. But, really, he had been extremely lucky that he hadn't had further harm. He didn't have any broken limbs, but he did have a serious concussion and several other injuries that needed to be stitched up.
He walked into the waiting room, his stepfather, Nick, following closely behind and filling out paperwork and questioning him endlessly.
"Be thankful you didn't have anything more serious, it's a miracle you've been here this short of a time," Elsa reminded him, hopping up from the waiting chair and throwing her arms around him.
He softened when he saw her, and smiled, melting gladly into the embrace.
"So, how's my girlfriend?" He smirked when they broke apart.
Elsa glared at him but he didn't miss the fierce blush that had flushed her cheeks.
In fact, their new relationship had started not soon after Jack had found out that he was ready to go home soon. Which, that had been just yesterday.
Elsa had gladly accepted and their friends had all stated 'about time.'
Hiccup, Astrid, Punzie, and Merida had come along, too.
Astrid and Punzie had come and quickly attached to the newly formed group of friends. Astrid and Merida got along quite well, actually.
"He's out!" Hiccup exclaimed, smiling goofily and greeting Jack.
"There's my favorite nerd," Jack grinned.
"Seriously?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrows.
Astrid and Merida laughed.
"Really?" Then, turning to Astrid, "My own girlfriend's not even gonna defend me?"
Astrid stopped laughing long enough to choke out, "It's true."
Hiccup glowered but Elsa could see the small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Jack draped an arm around Elsa and she smiled up at him.
"Hey, we're gonna meet you at the school. Punzie's dragging me and Merida shopping and Astrid's gotta meet with her family," Hiccup announced, waving goodbye.
Dragging was certainly correct, as Punzie grabbed both Hiccup and Merida by their wrists and ran out.
For such a petite girl she had a strong grip, Elsa had personal experience for when Punzie had taken the girls out last week.
Astrid smiled, and waved goodbye as she walked out, giving Hiccup a charming smirk as Hiccup smirked at her.
"So, to BPAA?" Elsa asked, looking up at Jack.
"Well, I need to make a stop somewhere first but along those lines, yes," Jack smiled, kissing her head and walking off.
Nick had finally finished the papers, so Jack was free to go.
It was a wonder that he had stayed with Jack's family, but Jack was nonetheless grateful. In fact, Jack was pretty sure that Nick knew that Jack's mom had been cheating on him, but he had still stayed.
Jack felt grateful yet guilty when he pieced together that the only reason he was staying was because of him.
Elsa knew that he was still tackling those emotions, and she didn't mention it often.
For now, Nick had been a wonderful improvement to Jack, and hopefully it would stay that way.
Arendelle Hospital was much smaller than the Corona Hospital, but Jack had insisted on staying there. But that meant that they had a long drive ahead of them to Corona.
Elsa had objected to Jack driving, but he had insisted, so he had the keys as they walked out together.
He burst through the doors, shouting, "Freedom!"
Elsa giggled and followed him.
"Come on," he said, opening the door for her.
"Patience, Frost," she scolded halfheartedly.
"I lost my patience about two weeks ago," he smirked.
The drive was long, and Elsa slept most of the way. They stopped once to get some food- 'real food' as Jack called it- but that was it.
"Elsa, come on," Jack gently shook her awake.
"Are we here?" She asked sleepily, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Remember when I said I had to make a stop?"
"Mm hmm."
"Well...it's not as much my stop..."
"Jack?" She asked, opening her eyes.
"...As yours."
"What?"
Elsa looked around, and breathed out shakily when she saw where they were.
Corona hospital.
"I..."
"I know you've been wanting to, and that you were afraid, but she needs to know," Jack said, stabilizing her just by placing a hand on her.
Elsa shut her eyes, but she was wide awake now.
"And you need to tell."
She opened her eyes again.
She nodded slowly. "I...I can do this."
Elsa opened the car door, stepping out.
A small breeze toyed with Elsa's braid as she stumbled forward.
She looked behind her, and Jack was half in, half out of the car.
"You'll be here?" She asked in a small voice.
Jack nodded. "Always."
He got out completely, taking Elsa's trembling hand in his own.
They came to reception, meeting an old lady with a kind face.
"Oh, hello...Jack, was it?"
Jack nodded, smiling. "Hello, Girda, nice to see you again. Is Anna here?"
"She's in her room, she just got back from a date with that nice young man who works in the park coffee shop," Girda smiled, directing the two to the fifteen-year-old's room.
Elsa wanted to raise her eyebrow when the lady had mentioned a date with someone, but it wasn't her place, at least, not now, and Anna was old enough to make her own decisions. She hoped.
Just outside the door, Elsa stopped.
Jack gave her a reassuring smile, and led her on.
She heard a young girl sigh dreamily and giggle, probably at a memory.
That was Anna.
Sure, she had seen her before, but she had been Kate, not Elsa. Anna must hate her, for sure. How could she not? After everything Elsa had done.
Just outside, Jack called out, "Anna?"
Elsa froze.
She couldn't breathe.
And she couldn't do this.
Without a moment to spare, she dashed back down the hall and burst out the doors, running to hide by the car.
A few minutes later, Jack came by and crouched by her.
"I'm sorry. I can't do this," she breathed, leaning her head back.
"It's okay Els. It's as easy as building a snowman," Jack smiled.
She looked at him.
"I told her I have a surprise for her, she's waiting for you just outside the door."
Elsa took deep breaths, but she still felt lightheaded.
"You can do this, I believe in you, Elsa."
She looked at Jack's heartwarming smile, and how much pain she had caused him. Yet, here he was, comforting her, still simply there even after all that had happened.
She took one more deep breath and stood up.
Jack led her back to the hospital doors before pushing her on ahead.
And there, out in the sunshine, stood a small adolescent girl, with strawberry blonde braided pigtails and facing the other direction.
Elsa stared at her for some time before she finally worked up the courage to do something.
Come on, Elsa. That perfect girl is gone.
"Anna," she choked out before she lost her spirit.
Anna slowly turned around, a smile plastered on her face, before she saw her.
The smile faded away, and a look of disbelief and shock entered her face.
Elsa could read the thoughts going through her mind.
That looks like...
Could it be...?
How?
Is it really her?
"A-Anna," Elsa choked out again.
The breeze picked up again, tossing Anna's braids around.
She was frozen in her position, half turned around, her body still facing the other way, with only her head and especially her eyes turned towards Elsa.
"Anna, I'm sorry, I know that you hate me, and you have every right to, I'm sorry, I just thought that..."
Elsa broke off when Anna slowly walked up to Elsa, approaching her as if she were a dangerous wild animal.
Anna, with wide eyes, took one more step, directly in front of her.
"I-I'm sorry, I thought that you would like to-"
"Elsa," Anna breathed, cutting her off.
Suddenly, something stung. Very badly. Her throat felt like it was burning and her something in her chest was aching.
She bit her lower lip shyly and nodded.
"I knew it," Anna gasped and threw herself forwards- right into her older sister's arms.
Elsa hugged her back, gripping her tightly as if she were her lifeline.
Elsa felt a large warm spot dampen her shoulder, and she knew that Anna was sobbing onto her shoulder.
Something felt funny. It was painful, but at the same time, she felt elated.
She brought a hand up to her face.
It came back...wet.
Her mouth suddenly had a salty tinge to it, and her eyes burned.
Crying, her conscious told her, you're crying.
Elsa gave one laugh, a sudden start that barely sounded like a laugh, but she did.
It didn't take the pain, it didn't take the fear.
It took this; bliss and feeling whole, finding family and who you truly are. It took happiness.
After all this time, Elsa wasn't strong for not crying.
Right here, right now, she was strong for crying.
Elsa sobbed right back onto Anna's shoulders, letting her tears finally cascade down her face.
She was crying, after all these years, for she had finally found something worth it.
Elsa turned her head to see Jack walking cautiously towards them.
Anna raised her head as well, staring at Jack.
Both sisters smiled at each other, then pulled him into a group hug.
It was still far from a perfect world; Jack and Elsa had to go to testify against Kozmotis and Pitch Black soon, Jack was still bruised from the whole endurance and Anna had yet to learn of it. Far from perfect. But she truly believed that there was a better place out there, and that it wasn't far off. But for now, Elsa would remain in their perfectly imperfect world, hugging her family as tightly as she could with no intention of ever letting go.
Oh my gosh! I'm going to cry!
So, just to let you all know, just to bring more sadness, this was the last chapter of The Secret of Katrian Hope. Granted, we still have the epilogue(s) so there's that to look forward to, so yeah.
I will put more heartfelt stuff and news in the A/N at the very, very end of the story, so read there and I will include the TSOKH soundtrack! I made a playlist of it on my Spotify, no shame!
Okay, I feel on a role, so I may even post the first Epilogue today if I get it done. But I will definitely see you all tomorrow, bye!
Normally, I answer reviews but this time, it was only that little A/N so I'll just say to everyone; thank you all so much!
Okay, until the next chapter (epilogue)!
Haha, I almost forgot! Humanoid Kristoff. So, look up Aaron Eckhart, specifically from No Reservations (a movie he's in) and it's creepy how much he looks like Kristoff. So there.
Oh, and if any of you guys want to ask me a question, whether it's about TSOKH or just a random question, feel free to ask me anything on a review or something and I will answer it! (You know, unless it's not FF appropriate...)