Chapter IX

The ride was long. I didn't know how long but when I woke up from a dreamless sleep I could see the sun was already rising. I felt lost for a moment; I didn't know where I was, but a gentle hand softly brushing my cheek brought me back to sense. "Good morning, beautiful," whispered Anna in my ear.

"I don't feel very beautiful at the moment." I groaned when the painful reality of my beaten body hit me. Not that I ever felt beautiful to begin with.

"Oh, but you are." She planted a kiss on the top of my head. "Bruised, but beautiful." She tightened her arms around me and I dug my head deeper into the crook of her neck. "How do you feel?" she asked after a few moments. I was in pain, but thanks to Rapunzel's care I wasn't in so much pain as I had expected. She did her job well, and when we settled in the car she offered me painkillers, which I gladly accepted. Though their effect had mostly faded away, I still didn't feel all the cuts and bruises I had.

"It hurts but just a little bit," I answered, not entirely honestly.

"Maybe I could ask for more painkillers?" Anna asked, and before I could argue that it wasn't really necessary, that I didn't want to be a burden, she tapped Rapunzel's shoulder. The brunette turned around and smiled at me. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fi–"

"Could you give her some more painkillers?" Anna interrupted, mid-sentence.

"Yeah, sure!" Rapunzel turned back eagerly to get the small container of pills.

"No, I'm okay, really." I objected.

"No, you are not. Stop being so stubborn. I can see you are in pain." Anna insisted.

"Here." Rapunzel handed her some pills and a bottle of water, so I had no choice other than to accept the offer. I thanked her and swallowed the pill. I leaned back into Anna's embrace, content that she was safe once again. I could feel the painkillers kicking in and my eyelids becoming heavy, so I closed them and rested against Anna's chest, never actually falling asleep. I listened in to her conversation with Rapunzel:

"So, how long till we get to this place?" asked Anna.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." Replied Rapunzel. "Eugene, are we close?"

For a moment I wasn't sure whom Rapunzel was speaking to, but it became clear to me as soon as Flynn's grumpy voice reached my ears.

"'Bout a hundred kilometres to go, and don't call me that in front of strangers." he grumbled.

"Eugene, c'mon, you know I prefer to call you that, and Elsa and Anna are not strangers." She replied. "I spent my five hours long shift driving and talking to Anna while you dozed off in the passenger's seat as soon as we switched sides, and I'm convinced they're fine. Did you know Anna plays piano?" I heard Rapunzel shifting in her seat as she whispered to Anna, loud enough for Flynn to hear her words: "He has a thing for pianos." Anna chuckled and whispered back: "She has a thing for pianos too."

Oh, gods, Anna. Seriously?

I knew that if my face wasn't so bruised my cheeks would have turned dark red in that instant. I realized Anna obviously noticed how my mind drifted away when she played the piano for me during those afternoons we spent in her room.

"See? I told you they aren't that bad." Rapunzel exclaimed happily. Flynn let out a deep sigh.

"Maybe we could play a duet sometime?" Flynn asked, in a much kinder and warmer voice now. I could hear Rapunzel bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands from excitement.

"Oh, yes! I would love to! Wait, you have a piano?" Anna asked.

"Yep," he answered, with a hint of pride in his voice.

"I told you he's a sweetheart. Aren't you, grumpyboy?" Rapunzel teased and I was sure I heard her kissing his cheek.

"How long have you two been together?" Anna asked.

"Hmm, I think it's been more than five years." Rapunzel answered. "We've been together before the whole virus breakout happened, though he was away for a quite long time when it occurred. He was a soldier then, and he was sent to I-don't-know-what-goddam-place, and we never heard from him again. I thought he was dead, since it was impossible to predict who was immune to the virus and who wasn't. Four months after the beginning of the new era he showed up in my hometown and … here we are." Rapunzel chuckled but there was a hint of sadness in her voice. They remained silent for a few moments. Anna leaned her chin on the top of my head and sighed. With my eyes still closed I lifted my hand and caressed her cheek. She held my hand with her own and pressed it closer. Then she pulled it to her lips and covered my palm with many light kisses. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Much better." I answered, this time completely honest for the painkillers were now in their full operational mode. The fact that I was pressed against Anna's warm body with her arms wrapped around me improved my condition even more.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I looked out of the window and observed the landscape that was changing before my eyes. It was a sunny day and snow reflected the sun rays beautifully. I turned to look at the back and saw another car following us. I couldn't resist laughing at the image of Oaken and Peter, who were apparently singing.

"This is it," Rapunzel said, and Anna and I scooted to the middle of the car to have a better look through the front window.

A small town war rising before my eyes, surrounded with a wall of bricks and barbed wire. I spotted two guard towers with two men holding sniper rifles in their arms.

"It's like a huge army camp," Anna gasped.

"Nah, that's just how it is in the outside" Flynn said. "It's completely different once you're inside. The walls are just for safety and protection. Not all survivors are exactly … harmless."

"Hans?" I suggested.

"Yes, though he and his people are a whole different dimension of danger; he crushes everyone and everything that crosses his way. We were lucky to build defences quickly enough and turn so many good people to our side, otherwise, I would be telling a whole different story. Or maybe even not even telling any story at all."

I was about to ask something else but we reached the gate. A second later the gates opened and the two cars were allowed inside. It was just like Flynn said: inside the walls the town looked completely normal. There were houses everywhere, some buildings that looked like shops, a town hall, a park ... all in all this was a regular town, except for the walls surrounding it.

What surprised me the most, though, was the fact that there were people in it. Like, a lot of them. I hadn't seen so many people in one place for so long it actually felt it was a bit unnatural. Some of them waved at us and Rapunzel waved back at them, grinning happily.

"How many people live here?" asked Anna.

"There are sixty of us for now." Rapunzel answered and smiled gently. "Sam and Lara, a couple who live in that house over there," she pointed to a small yellow house "will have a baby in about two months."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Anna exclaimed excitedly and clasped her hands. She's so adorable, I thought to myself and smiled.

"Okay, here's our stop," Flynn announced as we stopped in front of a lovely house with big windows. "You'll stay here with us for a while so I can keep an eye on you-ouch! What was that for, Punz?!" he cried when Rapunzel hit his ribs with her elbow and looked at him with a serious expression. He sighed: "Okay, okay, I was just kidding. You'll stay here with us until we prepare another place for you to settle in." The way he said this made me think that he was actually serious about keeping an eye on us. I didn't mind though, I was so grateful for their help and bringing us here.

I was opening the door on my side of the vehicle when Anna's hand tugged gently on my shoulder. "Don't move, I'm going to help you out." I simply nodded at that and waited for Anna to get to the other side of the car. She wrapped my arm around her neck and pulled me up so I was standing on my uninjured leg, then she supported me with her arm around my waist, pressing me tightly to her side.

"Need any help?" asked Rapunzel.

"Thanks, but I've got this," Anna replied.

"Okay, follow me then," said Rapunzel, and we followed her inside the house.

"So, here's the kitchen and there the living room. This side, though," she pointed to the left "is off limits. You'll be staying here." she walked over to the right side of the room. I marvelled at how neat their home was. "This place is really nice," said Anna.

"Yeah, it really is," I added.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel said and flashed us a huge grin. "So, here are the guest rooms. You can have two or you can share one, it doesn't really matter. There are some fresh towels on the beds in case you want to take a bath." She laughed when Anna let out a dreamy sigh. "Oh, speaking of bath, here's the bathroom for guests. Eugene and I have our own." She opened the door which led to the bathroom and turned the light on.

"This is amazing. Thank you, Rapunzel," Anna said as she squeezed Rapunzel's shoulder gently.

"It's okay," said Rapunzel and smiled. "I'll give you two some privacy now. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen."

"Oh, can I ask you for something?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure!"

"Do you have some, um, spare clothes or something?"

Rapunzel looked at our blood soaked clothes and replied quickly. "Of course! I'll go get them, in the meantime you can lay down or something."

I thanked her and she left.

"Pick a room." I said and looked down into Anna's face.

A grin formed on her lips. "I pick bathroom." I laughed at that and shook my head.

"But we need to get towels first."

"Okay, wait here," she said and leaned me against wall. Then she peeked into the rooms and stopped at the third one. "This one." She entered it and disappeared for a few seconds. She returned with a pile of towels in her arms and disappeared again in the bathroom.

"Anna, what are you doing?" I laughed when I heard the water running.

"I'm preparing your bath," she said and reappeared from the bathroom.

I cocked my eyebrow. "My bath?"

"Mhm, you need it more than I do so you're getting it first," she explained and led me into the bathroom. "If you need anything, I'll be outside," said Anna, after releasing me near the tub. She turned around and was about to exit but I stopped her, grabbing her wrist.

"Can you stay, please?" I felt a blush was creeping up my neck at the request so I looked down at my toes and tried to hide it. "I mean, I think I'm going to need some help."

A smile spread across her face and she closed the door. When she stepped closer I noticed her freckled cheeks were glowing pink. Gods, she's so cute. I released her wrist as she turned me around to carefully pull off the hoodie. The shirt and my top tank followed and she dropped them on the ground with a gasp.

"Oh my … What did that woman do to you?" she whispered and trailed her fingers along the bruises that covered my neck and shoulders.

"She got a bit too excited," I said shrugging. Then I noticed a mirror on the wall next to me and took a look. I regretted it as soon as I saw my bruised face covered with cuts and open wounds… And my eye. It was completely swollen from the punches it received from that mad woman.

"It's going to heal," said Anna from behind me when she saw where I was looking. "C'mon, let's clean you up."

She continued taking my clothes off until I was standing there almost naked. "May I?" she asked tentatively and tugged at my bra.

I nodded. "You've already seen me naked."

She chuckled nervously and unclasped the bra. I could feel her fingers shaking as she slid it off and threw it next to the other clothes. Then she focused on the last piece of clothing and slid my panties down my legs. After I was rid of any clothing, she held my arms and led me to the bathtub which was slowly filling with water. "I think that's enough," said Anna, and turned off the faucet. She helped me get in the bathtub without falling. The warm sensation took over my body in an instant. "Mmmh, it feels so good," I mumbled as I relaxed completely.

"Look what I found!" exclaimed Anna. "A shampoo!"

"Do you think we can use it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure we can," she said, and pulled a chair closer to the bathtub so she was sitting behind me. She started undoing my messy braid and after she finished I slid down the smooth wall of the tub so I was completely underwater. I stayed there for a few seconds and then re-emerged to the surface.

"I see you're enjoying this," said Anna, laughing.

"Yeah, I really am," I replied. When I felt Anna's fingers massaging my scalp I sighed contently. The sweet scent of the shampoo reached my nostrils.

"Okay now, wash off the foam." Anna said, and I sank back underwater. When I was back on the surface I felt her hands moving lower and rubbing my neck and shoulders. Her touch woke up something in me and I could feel warmth starting to form in my abdomen.

"Am I pressing too hard?" she asked.

"No, it's perfect," I said and closed my eyes. Well, one of my eyes, the other one was already shut.

She hummed softly as her hands descended from my shoulders to my arms and then to my forearms. I could feel her warm breath right next to my ear, and it sent pleasant shivers down my spine. I could barely keep a moan from escaping my throat. She then slid her hands back upwards but this time her hands rested on my collarbones, and she rubbed them softly with her thumbs. The warmth that was now strongly present in my belly started turning into heat as her hands slowly started sliding down on my chest.

"Elsa."

I turned my head at the sound of her voice and my gaze was caught in her eyes, our noses almost touching. I couldn't hold it back and pressed my lips against hers. The kiss was hot, passionate and filled with desire. It turned even hotter when our tongues got involved. When I bit her lower lip, she let out a very enticing moan, and my lips curved into a smile. I moaned into her mouth when I felt her hands cupping my breasts and squeezing them gently.

Knock, knock, knock. "Anna? Elsa? Are you in there?"

We broke the kiss abruptly and Anna gathered herself quickly enough to answer Rapunzel's question. "Yeah, I–we're here."

"I've got you some clothes. I hope they'll fit you. I'll leave them here on the bed."

"Thank you!"

When no other reply came from the other side of the door Anna turned back to me and cleared her throat. "Maybe we should finish cleaning you up … The water is getting cold."

I nodded in agreement.

Anna helped me get to the room she picked for us after I got out of the bath tub and wrapped me in the towels. Then she helped me get dressed. The clothes Rapunzel gave us fit me perfectly. "I'm gonna take a bath now. You try to rest, okay?" She pushed me gently onto the bed, and when I made myself comfortable she leaned closer and kissed my forehead, tips of her hair brushing my face. "I'll join you later."

"Okay," I replied smiling and covered myself with a blanket. I fell asleep a couple of minutes later.

Happy times are here. Enjoy them while they last.

I would like to thank my awesome Beta reader catsmelt for helping me with this chapter and making it a better world of words. :)

And you guys; thank you for sticking with the story and showing it so much support. :D