I really meant to update this sooner but I've spent so much time reading Tangled fanfic in the last week that I couldn't stop Kristoff merging in to Flynn! Finally got it though! Thanks for all the reviews so far. Just wanted to address one review though – Blayze – I am considering writing a Tangled fic but wanted to keep this one as mostly Anna and Kristoff with Flynn and Rapunzel on the sidelines.

Chapter 5

Kristoff gazed open mouthed at Anna as she entered the room. She was beautiful. Well, he always thought she was beautiful, but tonight she was... something else. He glanced across to the front of the room where the other royals were standing and saw Eugene smirking at him – that guy smirked A LOT- and lowered his gaze to the floor. He couldn't resist looking back up at Anna though, her turquoise dress flattered her, accentuating all the right parts of her. Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He wanted to stride across the room, grab her and kiss her. Take her away from this room, with all these lords and ladies, and tell her exactly how he felt. He wanted to dance with her, in a room on their own, talking freely with her. He loved how animated she got when she talked. He smiled at the thought. Not that he had got much of that lately.

Anna had joined the others at the front by now and the band had started to play the first song. Eugene and Rapunzel had started spinning around the dance floor – was she barefoot? - and others were beginning to follow their lead. Kristoff decided that since he wasn't going to be able to get Anna alone, he might as well man up and ask her dance here and now. He took a deep breath and began walking towards her. He noticed a handsome man walking towards the front and bowing to Anna and Elsa, he began talking to them and they both laughed at something he said. Kristoff frowned. Who was this guy making his princess laugh? The man extended a hand to Anna and she placed hers in his and they began dancing together. Great, Kristoff thought, too slow, Kristoff. Kristoff skulked off to the side of the room and lent up against a pillar, scowling as he watched this guy and Anna, his Anna, twirl around the room. The song soon ended and Anna made a move away from the man. Kristoff saw an opening and made his way towards Anna again. But this time, he was beaten by another handsome man. This one blonder and prettier than the one before him. Anna began dancing with this man and Kristoff slunk off back to his pillar. He saw Eugene looking at him and Kristoff frowned. Eugene jerked his head towards Anna, as if to egg him on, but Kristoff just shrugged and shifted his gaze back to Anna.

He stood there for a long time, watching Anna dance and laugh with different noblemen. He shook his head, looking at the ground. He knew this wasn't his place. He glanced back up at Anna, who had her head thrown back in a laugh, and he almost felt as if she were laughing at him for stupidly believing that this would work. Kristoff skirted around the dancing couples and made his way out of the double doors of the ballroom.

ooo0ooo

Anna looked around the room, her feet throbbing from dancing with all the noblemen, trying to spot Kristoff. She had been hoping to dance with only him this evening but so far he hadn't even approached her to ask. She was bored of politely agreeing to dances with all these men, knowing it was good for Arendelle to make new alliances, and was fed up of hearing her own fake laugh, wondering if they knew that she was bored stiff talking to them. She glanced towards the pillar where she had seen Kristoff during her last dance but he wasn't there. She saw another man, looking much the same as the ones that had come before him, heading towards her with intent in his eyes. She dipped into the crowd of dancers and made her way over to the buffet table. She quickly stuffed a handful of truffles in her mouth, her eyes darting around to make sure no one had seen this very unladylike show, before making her way around the edge of the room, eyes searching for Kristoff. She definitely couldn't see him anywhere, maybe he was dancing with someone else. The thought irritated her and she set off for the dance floor, eyeing every dancing couple, looking for Kristoff. She hadn't realised how many blonde men there were here tonight! She gave a sigh of relief when she was Rapunzel and Eugene dancing together, smiling and laughing. At least, being married and only visitors, they weren't obliged to dance with anyone else and could spend all night with each other. She envied them. She made her way over to them, panting a bit. She tapped Rapunzel on the shoulder and the princess turned to look at her. She immediately burst out laughing and when Eugene looked at her, he started laughing too. Anna stared at them blankly.

"Anna," Rapunzel started, between laughs, "you have chocolate all round your mouth!"

Anna wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, while the Prince and Princess of Corona continued laughing.

"You got it!" Rapunzel told her, her laughter dying down to just a giggle.

"What's up with you, Red?" Eugene asked, raising an eyebrow at the frown on Anna's face.

"Have you guys seen Kristoff?" She asked them, "I definitely saw him during the last dance but now I can't find him anywhere!"

"Yeah, he was here," Eugene said, looking sympathetic, "He left just now, didn't look very happy on his way out either!"

Anna gasped and then dashed away from them. Eugene and Rapunzel gave each other a knowing look as the princess ran out of the ballroom.

ooo0ooo

Kristoff paced back and forth in the library. He couldn't bring himself to go back to his room. Elsa had invited him to this ball and it would be rude of him to leave altogether. He just needed to collect himself before he returned to the ballroom. He looked out of the window, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't get the image of Anna dancing with all those handsome noblemen out of his head. Nor the image of her with her head thrown back at something that one of the many blonde men had said to her. I bet it wasn't even that funny, he thought to himself.

"Get it together, Kristoff!" He told himself, "Just go in there and ask her to dance!"

He paced some more and had picked up some speed, his footsteps echoing loudly in the library.

"It's not that hard," he said to himself out loud, "Just go in, dance with her, sort the feelings bit out later!"

He was really treading fast now, his own loud footsteps covering up the lighter sounding ones that approached the library.

"Kristoff?"

He heard the voice and froze. It was Anna. He turned towards her voice and saw her standing in the door way of the library. She looked flushed and out of breath.

"Anna." He said curtly, with a nod.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, stepping in to the library.

"Thinking... Walking." He told her, with a small smile.

"Walking? In the library?" She frowned but her lips lifted at the corners slightly. It reminded him of Eugene's smirk.

"Yeah, just, you know, back and forth, back and forth." He chuckled. "Shouldn't you be dancing?"

"I've had enough dancing for one night!" She said with a huff. He frowned, that squashed his hopes of having a dance with her. "Why did you leave?"

"I, uh, needed to get some air." He lied.

"In the library?" She asked again, incredulous. "You do realise the library is inside right?"

"Yes, I realise the library is inside, Anna." He snapped. "You do realise that you should be in the ballroom, schmoozing with all the noblemen, right?" He spat the word noblemen and Anna winced at the force with which he said it.

"Is that what this is about, Kristoff? Is that why you left? Because I was dancing with all of those men? I have to do that, Kristoff, it's part of being a princess. Elsa can't do all the socialising on her own. She does the serious talks, I do the dancing."

"It's none of my business who you dance with, Princess." Kristoff turned away from her, looking out the window.

"Kristoff-" She started.

He whirled around towards her and took a few steps forward.

"Anna, please tell Elsa that I'm sorry I couldn't stay all night but I feel a bit unwell. Goodnight, princess."

Kristoff left the room, fast. Anna jogged after him but his legs were longer than his and she couldn't keep up.

"Kristoff, wait!" She called, but it was too late and, not for the first time, she heard a bedroom door slam shut.

Sorry – I know I keep avoiding getting them together but I didn't want it to end just yet. I think the next chapter will probably be the last though. Please review – although you guys are probably getting a little fed up now! Sorry!