Walt Blanchard padded through the silent house, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with being awake before the rest of his family. An early riser from childhood, he did all his best work in the morning. He had always found that getting up early allowed him to properly plan for a successful day. His entire life he had relied on plans, routine and structure. Without a planned course of action, he'd not have been able to succeed in business.

He had worked hard all throughout his life. Growing up the son of a poor Norwegian immigrant, he had watched his father work long hours for mere pittance. Despite the long hours and low pay, the man had been happy. He had provided for his family. They had lived in a modest house, in a poorer suburb which had allowed him to save money. The money he'd saved had gone to putting Walt through school and a good university. His actions had helped teach his young son the value of education, hard work and sacrifice. It had been a simple lesson, but it had stuck with Walt for life.

Through the course of his life, Walt had made mistakes, but he had also learned from them. He had watched his first business fail when he had placed personal relationships over work relationships. As much as he had adored his friend, Nick, the decision to enter into business together had not been a good idea. When the business failed he had lost more than just his livelihood, he had lost his friend.

Despite his mistakes, Walt had not given up. He had worked hard to get back on his feet. He had opened Kingdom Ice Creamery and had watched it grow from a small store into the successful business that it was today. His hard work and determination had paid off and he had achieved success with the business, which had enabled him to provide his own family with a comfortable and happy life.

It had been his and Lillian's dream to raise happy, healthy, and modest children. Together they had always tried to encourage their daughters to work hard, show people respect and to never take their successes for granted. He had great pride in his daughters. They had always been a credit to him and Lillian. Despite the wealth that surrounded them, his daughters had remained down to earth. He recalled when he had offered to purchase a car for Elsa following her graduation from Corona Grammar School. At the time, her classmates had been demanding Mercedes, BMW or Lexus', but Elsa had simply asked for a modest, yet reliable Honda Civic.

Elsa had always been his mini-me. It had been evident early on that she was the more studious of the sisters. She had carried herself with poise even as a young child. As a toddler she used to love accompanying him to work where she'd sit in her little chair and furiously type on her plastic Barbie laptop. Every so often he'd lean over to ask her what she was doing only for her to scold him. "Daddy, I have to get these orders done," she would cry before returning to her work. With her tact, intelligence and diplomatic nature she had managed to impress everyone and had showed signs of being a great leader. It had come to no surprise when the staff he had hired started to point out that Elsa would make a great future CEO. He had agreed, she did have the skills needed and if she wanted to follow in his footsteps then he'd gladly help her achieve them.

He knew that people thought him to be too hard on Elsa. His own wife had often scolded him, saying that he needed to lighten up on her. There was a chance that he was unjustly hard on her, but he could never be sure with Elsa. All through her life, Elsa had been the quieter of his two daughters. She had always been calmer and more rational than her younger, impulsive sister and tended to keep to herself. She had always seemed to prefer to focus her attention on her studies rather than a social life, something that he had been happy to encourage. If Elsa had been unhappy then she had hid it well.

The last few months had come as a shock to him. He had noticed a major change in Elsa's demeanor. She had started spending more time away from the home, engaging with fellow students more and getting moody, which had worried him. His daughter was a kind girl with a generous heart and the thought of anyone betraying her, like Nick had done to him, terrified him. Especially because at the very core, he knew that should the business fail, Elsa would blame herself.

Grabbing his coffee, he took a seat in the large office chair and booted up his computer. The number on the small electronic clock read 6:30am, meaning that he had only thirty more minutes until his family would wake. Normally Elsa would wake first to get herself organised before waking Anna. Once Anna was awake there was no chance for peace. The youngest of his daughters was famous for her loud, happy disposition as well as her slight clumsiness. Therefore, he had only a few minutes in which to concentrate on his morning work.

Logging onto his email account, he skimmed over the emails. As usual there was the normal ones from employees requesting leave as well as order updates and invites to various business events. Amidst the messages stood one from an unknown sender, H. Westergaard. He was about to hit the delete button, sending the message to the depth of the spam folder along with various messages for discounted flights and mens health tablets, when the subject line caught his interest. 'We need to talk about Elsa.'

Furrowing his brows, he clicked to open the email. He read through the brief text where the sender introduced himself as a fellow student who was concerned about Elsa. The message was vague and the sender said little other than they had thought that her family should be aware and had enclosed some photographs. Clicking on the photo's, he felt his jaw clenching as it popped up on the screen. His baby girl was locked in a passionate kiss with none other than Jack Frost, the no-good, trouble-making nephew of Nicholas North.

Angrily, he hit print. He could feel his heart pounding as he pulled the printed images from the printer. Taking a deep breath, he tried telling himself that it was a mistake and his daughter had clearly been accosted by the the boy. However, the fact that the other photo's depicted her seemingly happy to lean on the young man's chest while they appeared deep in conversation, troubled him. Either way, his daughter owed him an explanation

Storming up the stairs, he marched into his bedroom where his wife was pulling her dressing gown on over her pyjamas.

"Did you know about this?" he asked, handing the photographs to his wife.

He heard the loud gasp from Lillian. He watched as her hand moved to cover her mouth while she looked between him and the photo's. "T...that's Elsa," she sputtered. "That boy, that is, he is -"

"North's nephew, Jack Frost," he finished.

"S...she's at her friend's house right?" Lillian stammered, blinking at him. "Lana, she stayed the night with her friend, Lana."

Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled his eldest daughter's number. "She told us that she was staying with Lana, but right now, I'm not so sure," he grunted.

He waited a few seconds until the phone went to voicemail and hit the button to end the call. "She's not answering her phone. Get dressed, we're going to Nicholas North's house. I am going to get to the bottom of this," he said.

Nicholas North let out a loud yawn before slipping the cookie into his mouth. His eyes skimmed the room, making sure that his wife wasn't around to catch him digging into the tasty treat. If she caught him tucking into the treat, she would scold him and force him to replace the tasty cookie with a boring, healthier option.

Slowly, he wandered over to the kettle and flicked the switch on. He always needed at least one coffee before he left the house for work. He reached into the cupboard and pulled a mug out, carefully setting it on the bench. He pulled out the jar of coffee and was just about to spoon it into the mug when the doorbell rang, followed closely by the sound of loud, determined banging. Shaking his head, he put the jar down and shuffled towards the front door.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he moaned. "Hold your horses."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his wife, already dressed for the day, as she made her way down the stairs. Turning to face her, he shrugged. It wasn't often that they had unexpected callers before work. Judging by the way the caller was knocking, he could assume that it was important. Hesitating slightly, he reached out to open the door.

"Walt? Lillian?!" he sputtered, his mouth dropping open at the sight of his former friend and his wife.

"Where are they?" Walt demanded angrily, not bothering to greet him. "Where is Elsa and that no-good nephew of yours?"

Scratching his chin, he stared blankly at Walt. "Jack?" he replied. "What do you want from Jack?"

Walt sighed and dug in his pocket to pull out some folded pieces of papers before handing them over. "I want to know what the hell is the meaning of this?" he stated, pointing at the papers in North's hand. "Your nephew and my daughter have a lot of explaining to do."

Sighing, he stepped back to allow Walt and Lillian Blanchard entry to his home. Slowly, he unfolded the paper. He could feel his wife's hand on her shoulder as she moved to stand beside him. His eyes widened as he focused on the printed images of Jack engaged in a kiss with Walt's eldest daughter, Elsa.

"I can assure you that your daughter is not here," he whispered, looking at Walt. "As for the photo's, I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"Nice try, North, but I know for a fact that Elsa is here. Her damn car is parked right outside your house," Walt hissed.

He nodded. He hadn't noticed any car parked outside his house when he'd arrived home late the previous evening. Although, at the time it had been late and both him and Clara had been tired. He had also been distracted while he'd fumbled with the remote to open the gates. He had not bothered to pay attention to any cars that were in the area. He also had no idea what sort of drive Walt's daughter drove. If Walt was certain that it was, in fact, his daughter's car parked out the front then he had little choice, but to trust him

"Follow me," he said, pointing Walt in the direction of Jack's bedroom.

Lazily, Jack opened his eyes.

Rolling over to his side, he found Elsa fast asleep. He smiled as he looked over her. She looked so peaceful while asleep. Her long, platinum-blonde hair was splayed out on his pillow like a halo. Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically while she slept. She looked like someone who didn't have a care in the world. Gently, he reached out a finger and lightly stroked at her face. He wanted to wake her, to steal her attention, but he didn't. She needed her rest as much as he did.

After a bit of consideration, they had agreed to take the day off from their studies. He had reasoned that it would give his body more time to heal. The extra hours would also provide them with more time to prepare themselves for confronting Elsa's parents. Luckily, their friends had agreed to provide them with a copy of any notes that they had taken in their lectures. With uni sorted, they had been able to disable the alarm in order to wake at a more respectable time.

Beside him, he felt Elsa stir. Grinning, he propped himself on his elbow and watched as she turned to face him.

"Morning," he greeted, leaning forward to steal a kiss.

"Hi," Elsa whispered, her eyes glancing over his chest and face. "How are you feeling?"

"Not as sore as yesterday," he admitted, reaching over to brush her hair from her face. "The pain seems to be more of a dull ache now. A few more days and I'll be as good as new."

He watched as she nodded and opened her mouth to say something before deciding against it and closing her mouth. He knew that she was worried about the evening ahead, but trying not to show it. He also realised that the sight of his bruised body was unsettling to her and served as a reminder of the damage that Hans had done.

Leaning over, he gently pushed her back so that she was lying on her back. His hand moved to spread her legs before he settled himself between them. He supported his weight on the his elbows so that he didn't crush her. Moving his hand, he gently cupped her chin and tilted her head up to press a kiss to her lips.

Beneath him, he felt Elsa stiffen before she broke the kiss. He watched as her eyes widened while they skimmed over her body.

"Hey, it's okay," he cooed. "Like I said earlier, you can't hurt me."

Biting her lip, she nodded before moving to wrap her arms around his neck. Leaning down, he slid one arm around her waist and pulled her close before capturing her lips in a kiss. He felt her body relaxing as she settled back on the mattress. A few seconds later and her hand was resting on the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. Smirking, he lifted her leg up as he trailed his hand up and down the length of her smooth thigh.

The sound his bedroom door being flung open, startled him. "What the hell?!" screeched a loud voice.

He froze. Beneath him he could feel Elsa stiffen. Quickly, he rolled off her. Shuffling to a sitting position, he found himself staring at Walt Blanchard's reddened face. Behind Walt, he noticed his uncle shaking his head while his aunt and Elsa's mother, Lillian, remained speechless.

"D..Dad, Mum," Elsa stammered, desperately tugging at her dishevelled nightgown. "I..we can e..explain."

"Oh there will be an explanation coming alright," Walt snapped. "Get up, now."

"Jackson," Nick groaned, shaking his head. "What in the world have you done?"

"I think it is fairly obvious what he has done," Walt snapped, turning to face North. "Clearly, he has done your dirty work and tried to corrupt my daughter. It's also obvious that he has been in yet another fight, like a thug."

"My nephew is not a thug," North ranted, glaring at Walt. "I refuse to believe that this is all his fault. Perhaps we should give Jack and your daughter a chance to explain before we jump to any conclusions."

He watched as Walt's jaw clenched while he continued to face North. Slipping out of bed, he moved to stand beside the two older men. "Listen," he said. "If you go downstairs, we will meet you and explain everything. We just need to get dressed first."

"Like hell am I leaving you alone, in your bedroom, with my daughter in her nightgown," Walt spat, his eyes glancing over Jack's shirtless torso.

Gulping, he shuffled back on his feet. Nervously, he ran a hand over the back of his head as he considered his response. Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the sound of Elsa's mother speaking.

"Walt, dear, I think that it's a bit late to be concerned about Elsa being alone with Jack in his room. I mean, we did kind of catch them in here," she reasoned.

Taking a deep breath, he watched as Walt's eyes widened. Clenching his jaw, he turned to head towards the door and ushered his wife to follow him. Pausing at the door, he turned to point at Jack and Elsa. "You two had better come downstairs with a damn good explanation," he stated. "Especially, considering that I am going to have to call into work and let them know that I, the CEO, will be late."

Elsa watched as Jack hastily shut the door behind her parents and his aunt and uncle. Once the door was closed, she hopped out of bed and pulled her clothes out of her bag.

"Jack, this is bad," she began, hastily sliding on her clothes. "This is really bad. I don't even know how we are going to get out of this one."

She reached into her overnight bag and pulled out her hairbrush. Quickly, she pulled it through her hair before tying it into a low ponytail. With her hair tied, she turned to face Jack.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled a t-shirt over his chest before he turned to face her. "El, listen to me. It's obvious that someone, my bet is on Hans, spilled the secret a bit earlier than anticipated. However, this could work out to be a blessing in disguise. I mean, we were going to tell them tonight, anyway. The sooner we get this over and done with, the better," he reasoned, reaching down to grip her hand. "Besides, no matter what happens. I love you and we will get through this."

She sighed. Looking down, she caught sight of their connected hands before raising his head to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were fixed on hers. Leaning in, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "It's now or never," she murmured, leading him towards the door.

Together, they made their way downstairs into the lounge room. Her parents and Jack's aunt and uncle were sitting on the couch in an uncomfortable silence. She felt her heart beat racing as the eyes of her parents and Jack's aunt and uncle turned to her and Jack. Instinctively, she stepped closer to Jack. He responded instantly and draped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Explain yourselves," her father order, glaring at her. "Please tell me why it is I had to find out about this...this… thing of yours from an email."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her parents. She felt Jack's grip on her tighten as she recounted their tale. Slowly, she told how they had started out bickering, but had grown closer following the group assignment and Jack's assistance in the Hans situation. She felt a pang of guilt, watching as her mum gasped in response to the news of Hans' treatment of her and Anna. Finishing her story, she told her parents how she had found herself falling for Jack before he had confessed his feelings and asked her on their first date.

"How long?" her father interrupted. "How long has this been going on behind our backs?"

"Just over five months," Jack replied, fixing his gaze on her father. "Happiest time of my life. Although, I've been in love with El for eight years."

"All the time spent away from the house over the past few months," her mum began. "They were to be with Jack?"

She nodded, flicking her head between her parents. "Most of them, yes," she admitted. "Although, there was a lot of truth in me spending time with Lana as well. Lana's boyfriend, Fred, is good friends with Jack. Half the time we spent together was with our friends."

She heard a rough cough and turned to face Nick North. "I...I don't know if I want to know the answer to this, but considering how you were found, I'll ask anyway. I...uh… I take it that the two of you have slept together," he asked.

Blushing, she turned to bury her head on Jack's chest. Her eyes glanced up at his, meeting his gaze and he nodded.

"Yes," Jack mumbled, bowing his head. "We have."

She could hear the loud gasp as the room fell silent. Biting her lip, she shifted her head to survey the room. Her mum was sitting with her mouth open. Jack's aunt had stepped out of the room while she shooed his sister, Emily, away. Nick North was shaking his head and muttering Jack's name. Turning to face her father, she watched as the information sunk in.

"You no good thug!" roared her father, jumping to his feet as he approached Jack. "First you make my daughter cry and stalk her at work. Then you get involved in a fight, which apparently was for her honour and then you use whatever charm or power of persuasion you have over her to...to...steal her innocence. "

She gasped. Stepping in front of Jack, she raised her hands in defeat. "Dad, no!" she cried. "It wasn't like at all. Jack...Jack... he didn't have to persuade me. I fell for him. I chose to be with him, to do things with him. I love him."

"That may be so, Elsa, but I'm telling you now. This thing ends today," he snapped. "I will not allow for this...this mistake to carry on any further."

"Mr Blanchard," Jack began, stepping out from behind her. "I can tell you now. This is no mistake. I love your daughter. Hell, I've been head-over-heels in love with her for eight years. Long before she even gave me the time of day. This is not some infatuation or rebellion. We are not kids with no idea of life or love. We are adults."

"Oh, you are an adult are you?" her father hissed, turning to glare at Jack. "So what happens? You mutter sweet words to my daughter so she thinks she is in love with you. Then, when the timing is right you move in and steal company secrets to relay to your uncle and boom, my business and all that I have worked for, all that my daughter is working for, is reduced to nothing. A chance to ruin my second business, perhaps."

"Dad!" she shrieked, staring at her father in horror. "Jack would never do anything like that."

"How dare you!" Nick spat, turning to glare at her father. "You dare bring up things from the past. Things that I have told you repeatedly, were not my fault. Now you go accusing my nephew of having less than honourable intentions when you don't even know him!"

She groaned. She watched as her father turned to face Nick North, his face flushed with anger. Letting out a small cry, she felt Jack's arms wrap tightly around her waist as he held her close.

"I don't need, or care to know your nephew," her father snapped. "I think the fact that the last two times I've seen him, he has been bruised from a fight tells me all I need to know. All I care about is ensuring the security of my family, my business and trying to prevent my daughter from having her heart broken."

"Dad!" she cried, wriggling free of Jack's grip. "That time all those months ago, when you saw Jack bruised. He was bruised because he got in a fight with Hans. After Hans had made a threat against Anna and I. He was protecting us and had turned to walk away, but Hans struck from behind like a coward. The bruises you see on him now are from another fight. Admittedly, he did act rashly, but he only did it to protect me. Hans blackmailed me and slapped me and Jack, Jack...he reacted."

"Elsa, go get your things and get in the car," her father ordered, glaring at her. "I am not going to allow you to continue to screw up, or to risk your future for this boy. This thing is over."

"No," she protested, wringing her hands. "It's not over. I love him."

"I beg your pardon!" Walt cautioned, his voice low. "I hardly think you are in a position to act out anymore, Elsa. This...this..phase with the lying and the sneaking around behind our backs, it ends today. No excuses and no further discussions."

She let out a strangled cry and turned to face Jack. She could feel her heart racing as she struggled to find the words to speak. It was at this point in time where she would normally storm out and run to him, to be comforted by Jack, but not today. Today he was right there beside her, looking defeated as their words went ignored by her angered father.

"Walt, please. Maybe we should go home and think things through. You know, wait until we all calm down after the shock," her mother pleaded, reaching over to grip at her husband's hand.

"Mr Blanchard, I can assure you that I have zero interest in hurting your company," Jack stated calmly. "As for hurting El, well, I'd rather hurt myself than hurt her. Everything I do is for her. I lo-"

"Jackson," Nick interrupted, pinching his nose. "I think that it is a good idea for Elsa and her family to go home. It is obvious that they have things to discuss, as do we."

She sighed. Turning to face Jack, she could feel the tears building up in her eyes. Slowly, she made her way to head up the stairs to grab her belongings. Behind her, she could hear the sound of Jack moving to follow her before his uncle called out and stopped him. Once upstairs, she caught a glimpse of Thia North, who gave her a sympathetic smile before ducking back into her room. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she entered Jack's room and grabbed her bag.

Trudging down the stairs, she found her parents standing awkwardly in the entranceway with Jack and his aunt and uncle. Her father's glare was fixed on Jack.

"Elsa, your mother is riding with you," he stated. "As it turns out, we can no longer trust you to tell the truth. I have to go into work. This conversation is a long way from being over. We will deal with this and your punishment later."

Sighing, she nodded. Her eyes fell on Jack as she choked back a tear. Catching Jack's gaze, she leaned forward and boldly pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I love you," she whispered, brushing her hand through his hair before pulling apart.

Jack watched as Elsa was bundled into the passenger seat of her own car while her mother took the keys and climbed behind the wheel. He felt his heart sinking as he noticed the sorrowful expression on her face. She looked defeated.

Throwing caution to the wind, he opened his mouth to tell her that he loved her. He watched as her spirits lifted slightly and she turned to give him a smile before pulling the door shut.

He watched as her mother started her car and pulled away from the kerb.

"Jack" Thia called softly as she moved to stand beside him.

"Don't talk to me, Thia," he warned, turning to storm into the house. "Unless you know how the hell I can fix this mess and change Elsa's dad's opinion of me then I suggest you leave me alone."

"Jack, it will be okay," Thia called. "I promise. Give it time. He will come around and see that you are a great guy. Besides, it's painfully obvious how in love you and Elsa are."

"Will it?" he asked, turning to face his cousin and waving his hands. "Because last time I checked, Walt Blanchard still hates your dad for something that happened before you were born. He still hates him for something that wasn't Uncle Nick's fault."

He watched as she frowned. "I rest my case," he muttered.

Storming inside, he thundered up the stairs and into his room. He slammed the door behind him, not even caring if it was immature and flung himself on the bed. His hands fumbled on the bedside table for his phone. Angrily, he tapped at the screen and composed a text to Elsa. His eyes fell on the image of her and him that he used as a phone background and he smiled.

He had just hit send when someone knocked on his door.

"Thia, go away. I'm not in the mood for one of your 'everything-will-be-okay' talks," he shouted before turning to lie on his side.

"It's not Thia and you don't have a choice. We need to talk, Jackson," boomed his uncle's voice as the door slowly opened

Groaning, he sat up. He watched as his uncle took a seat on the edge of his bed. "I don't want to talk," he muttered.

"Ah, but Jack, you need to. Besides, I do want to talk. I was restrained earlier. I tried not to judge because I can see that you really care for Elsa and she cares for you," North began, scratching his chin. "However, you can not deny that you and Elsa have been deceiving us by carrying on a secret relationship -"

"Wait, how can you dare say Elsa and I deceived you or anyone else?" Jack interrupted, looking at him.

His uncle sighed. "Jackson, please listen," he continued. "Do you know how it felt to open the door this morning to a very angry Walt Blanchard? To have him show me photo's of you and Elsa and tell me that she was here. I told him that she was not here, but he swore her car

was parked outside our house. So, we come to your room and find you and Elsa in a compromising position. I was humiliated, Jack. I had no idea that this was happening in my own home.

He hung his head in shame. He couldn't deny that his uncle had raised a good point. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I really didn't stop to think about how this could affect you and Aunt Clara. I didn't think that we would be caught."

North sighed. "It's okay, we can forgive you. To be honest, I always suspected that you had a crush on her. I've seen the way you have looked at her over the years. I just had no idea how long for, or that she returned your feelings," he chuckled. "Though, I worry for that girl. She is in for quite the long talk when her father gets home. He is not as willing to forgive the follies of youth and young love."

He frowned. Lifting his head, he looked at his uncle. "He doesn't see her, or how his actions affect her. He doesn't see how perfect she is."

"He has good intentions. There is no doubt in my mind of that. Everything he does, he does because he truly believes it to be right," North began, reaching out to grip Jack's shoulder. "However, it is not our place to speculate. Now tell me about you and Elsa."

He sighed. Opening his mouth, he repeated the story of their relationship. He filled his uncle in on how he had fallen for her as a 13-year-old and had always fumbled or made a fool of himself in front of her, or make her angry. He then finished with how it came to be that she had come to see him in a new light and had realised that he genuinely cared for her.

"So, the black eye all those months ago was for Elsa right?" his uncle broke in.

He nodded. "Like Elsa said earlier, it was Hans who made a threat against her and Anna. I tried to walk away, but he attacked from behind and I gave in and fought back," he admitted. "We thought that he had gone away until Monday when he approached her again and slapped her."

"Once again, Jack, you wanted to be the hero. You wanted to protect her," North added. "Only this time it seems that you fell into a dirty trap."

"Yes, I did," he agreed, shaking his head. "The thing is, I knew that I shouldn't have gone looking for a fight. It was just, I got so mad that he not only intimidated her and blackmailed her, but he slapped her. He freaking slapped my girlfriend, the woman I love!"

"You love her?" North asked, his face breaking into a smile as he looked at Jack.

He blushed. "Yes, I do. I love her so much. She really is the most amazing girl...woman, I have ever known. I mean, she's smart, beautiful, caring, funny, sweet, she is perfect," he murmured.

He felt a hand on a shoulder and glanced up to watch as his uncle stood to his feet. "Well then, Jack. I shall cross my fingers that it works out in your favour. I can see that Elsa is deeply in love with you as well," he said. "I shall leave you to rest now. I do need to go to work."

He nodded and watched as his uncle left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Letting out a loud exhale, he collapsed back on his bed as his thoughts turned to Elsa.

Elsa stared out the window. Her hands were wound tightly around her body. Tension filled the air. She sensed that her mum was desperate to talk to her, but she had remained quiet.

Slowly, the car came to a halt in the driveway of their home. Leaning down, she pressed the button to undo her seatbelt and jumped out the car. She grabbed her overnight bag from its spot on the floor and slung it on her shoulders as she bolted towards the front door. Digging in her bag, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the front door before storming inside.

She heard her mum calling her name, but ignored her. Instead, she raced up the stairs and narrowly avoided colliding with Anna.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna called, turning on her heels to follow her.

"Life," she shot back, throwing her bag on the floor before flinging herself onto the bed. "Life is what's wrong, Anna."

"I'm confused," Anna said, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "Did something happen with Jack?"

She let out a small sob before turning to her side to face Anna. "No, I mean yes, but it's not what you think," she replied. "Hans, he sent the email early. Jack and I woke up. We had already decided to stay home today. We figured that it would give his body more time to recover and we could go over what we had planned to say tonight. Anyway, we wake up this morning and it's all seemingly normal. We were in bed and the next thing you know, Dad and Jack's uncle burst in."

Anna gasped. "Wait, when you say that you were in bed, you weren't doing anything were you?" she whispered.

Blushing, she shook her head. "No, I was in my nightie and Jack was in his pyjama pants. We were lying there, kissing and he had his hand on my thigh and I was just rubbing his back, but that was it," she protested.

The sound of her phone beeping cut through the air. Leaning over, she grabbed her bag and pulled her phone out. Sniffing back a tear, she swiped to view the message from Jack.

"Elsa," her mother's voice called as she leaned against the door frame. "We need to talk."

Raising her head, she blinked back the tears and faced her mother. Her mind raced with smart comebacks, but she said nothing. Instead, she watched as her mother stepped into the room and turned to face Anna.

"Anna, can you give us a few minutes please?" Lillian spoke calmly. "I need to speak with your sister."

Anna nodded. Reaching over, she flung her arms around Elsa's shoulders. "It will work out, I promise," she whispered before turning to leave.

She watched through tear-stained eyes as Anna pulled the door closed behind her. Slowly, she pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest as she stared at the closed door.

"Why, Elsa?" her mum whispered. "Why did this happen? The lies and the sneaking around. Your father and I raised you to be honest, to tell the truth and then we find out that you have been lying to us, sneaking around and withholding information. How could you?"

Taking a deep breath, she stared at her mum. "Are you honestly telling me that you and Dad would have listened?" she asked. "You saw how Dad was back there. He was so full of his own issues with Jack's uncle and his ill-conceived image of who Jack is. He ignored everything that we had to say!"

"Elsa, be fair. You have had your run-ins with Jack in the past. Your father and I wake this morning to discover that you have been lying to us. All the times we thought that you were either attending study groups, or with Lana and it turns out you weren't. We now know that most of those times were spent with him, with Jack," her mother pleaded.

She shook her head. "Exactly! I had a run-in with Jack and we moved on. Both of us were in the wrong and part of the issue was his own nerves around me," she reasoned. "He used to get so nervous around me because of how long he's liked me."

"Elsa, be fair. You held back a lot more than just your relationship," Lillian pointed out. "You also failed to tell us about the way this Hans guy treated both you and Anna. Do you really think we liked hearing that our youngest daughter had vile rumours spread about her, or that our eldest was threatened and physically assaulted by the same man?"

Crossing her arms, Elsa turned to face her. "Jack protected us," she stated. "That's why he was bruised. Everything we told you back at his house is true."

"That may be so, but it doesn't excuse the fact that for the last few months you have lied to us and deceived us. You didn't think that we deserved to know that our daughters had been threatened?" Lillian countered. "Or that both our daughters have been in romantic relationships, but only one had the decency to be honest and upfront about it."

She scoffed. "Like Dad would have allowed me to go out with Jack if he had known. He is so hell-bent on hating Nick North for something that I don't believe was his fault, something that happened in the past. He would never have accepted Jack."

"So, you thought that sneaking around with him behind our backs was the way to go?" Lillian asked. "You thought that was the way to convince us that he's a good guy and that your relationship is legit?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "No," she admitted. "At first we wanted to keep it a secret and see how it went, if it was going to go anywhere. Then, as the weeks passed and our relationship got stronger, we struggled with hiding it. We were actually going to come here tonight to tell you and Dad about us."

"I see…" her mum murmured. "I want you to be honest here. Is the fact that this Hans guy blackmailed you the only reason you planned on revealing the relationship?"

"No," she replied, bowing her head. "We wanted to tell you for a couple of weeks. It's just Anna found out and we had to get her used to the idea. We got so caught up on introducing her to Jack and helping her to see that he's not the lazy, rude, asshole that Dad thinks him to be. The sneaking around was starting to weigh us down."

Her mother gave her a bleak smile. "I should have known that Anna would know. You two have always been close," she muttered. "Has he been here?"

Gulping, she nodded. "Yes, he has stayed the night a few times," she whispered.

"What?!" her mother yelled, throwing her hands up. "Elsa Kim, you mean to tell me that you have had Jack stay the night in our house while your father and I have been only a few feet across the hall?"

"You said you wanted honesty and I'm being honest," she began, wringing her hands. "He's only spent a few nights here, no more than four."

Lillian nodded. "Did you..I mean, were you...active?" she stammered.

Blushing, she buried her head in her hands. "Yes," she squeaked. "Before you ask, I'm on the pill. I'm not planning on falling pregnant anytime soon."

"I knew it! I knew that you were screwing when he was here!" Anna shouted, her disembodied voice carrying through the door.

"Anna," Lillian warned, moving to open the door, "When I asked you to give us space, it did not mean sit against the bedroom door to eavesdrop."

She stifled a laugh, watching as Anna hastily skipped out of sight while muttering her apologies to their mum.

"I'm not breaking up with him, Mum," she stated, turning to face her mother. "I'm sorry if that angers you and Dad, but I can't. I love him too much. He is not only the man I love, he is my best friend and I want to be with him."

Her mother sighed and reached to take her hand. "You need to give us time. You know what your father is like. It will take him some time. I'm still in shock that you could lie to us - "

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know that we should have been honest from the start, but as I said, we wanted to get to know each other more. We just wanted time to work out where it was headed before we dealt with the fact that Dad hates Jack's family."

Her mother let out a loud exhale. "Apology accepted. However, there will be some consequences. You may be 21, but you are still living under our roof and you did break some rules," she warned.

She nodded. Reaching over, she opened her bedside drawer and pulled out a framed photo of her and Jack that Lana had snapped. She smiled briefly at the captured image before placing it on her bedside table.

"You really care about him?" her mum asked, glancing at the photo.

She blushed. "I do. I love him," she vowed, shaking her head. "I never thought that I could love someone like I love him. Jack is...he's different. He is kind, caring, gorgeous, protective. He's also sweet, intelligent, funny and he loves me. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Her mother stood to her feet. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to her forehead. "As I said, there will be a punishment for the lying. That said, I will talk to your father about the relationship and will see what I can do," she stated. "Try and get some sleep."

Nodding, she watched as her mother left the room. Rolling over, she traced her finger over the framed photo. She knew that Jack was optimistic that things would work out in their favour eventually. However, at the moment the only small favour seemed to be that they no longer had to hide their relationship.

A/N- Whew, I think this is the longest chapter I've written. As always thank you for your reviews. I'd like to put out a special thanks to MaliJo who surprised me with a lovely piece of fan art that she drew for the story. I can't tell you how much it made my day to see the gorgeous drawing.