Eight months later

Elsa was both calmer and more nervous than she imagined. Since this was her second go-around waiting for Anna to give birth, and since she already knew how to be an aunt, she knew just what to do. She sat in the halls, far more excited than nervous to meet her new niece or nephew.

Joan on the other hand, was far less still. Hence the nervous part.

Elsa could scarcely believe she was here with Joan. Almost eight years ago, Elsa was all alone waiting for her to be born, and so scared about how she'd be around her. And now here Joan was, ready to become a big sister herself – and looking so eager and impatient for it.

It was just yesterday that Kristoff put Joan into her arms, when Elsa was too scared to be scared around her. Now here was this little girl with lighter strawberry colored hair than her mother, a light gray coat, wide eyes, and who could usually stay still more than this.

Here she was about to meet a little sibling – like her aunt did over 28 years ago. When Elsa met a precious little girl who was becoming a mother again right now. It was all so unreal.

"Is the baby here yet?" Joan interrupted, making it real again.

"I told you, your daddy will tell you when," Elsa answered.

"Do you think I can start playing with her tonight?" Joan asked innocently.

"We don't know if it's a her yet," Elsa reminded her. "In any case, newborns can't do much playing. Believe me," she conveyed, remembering how bored she was with Anna in her first few months, before her powers gave them stuff to play with. "It should be about a year before she can really play back."

"Oh," Joan looked disappointed. "What'll I do with her till then?"

"Just….be a big sister," Elsa shared. "Watch out for her. Protect her so nothing and no one ever hurts her. Make her smile when she needs to. Try not to make her cry or feel alone. Make her see she'll always be loved and accepted. Be responsible." When she realized her mistake – and realized she wasn't just talking about the new baby – she corrected, "Whether it's a her or him."

However, that wasn't the detail which suddenly worried Joan.

"I have to do all that?" she gasped. "Why didn't you tell me before? Now it's too late!"

Now Joan was pacing in a far more worried fashion. Elsa had said all the right words, or so she thought – she just waited too long to say them, she supposed. So much for being crisis free before this birth.

"Joan, Mommy and Daddy will technically do most of the work. So will I, when I can," Elsa assured.

"But I gotta do some of it! I've never been responsible before!" Joan reminded her. "I've never watched after anyone! You know Olaf and the Svens play by their own rules!"

"However confusing they might be," Elsa tried to distract her by talking about more fun, super weird things. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done by her.

"Aunt Elsa, I don't know how to protect a baby! I thought I could just play with it!" Joan cringed. "How do I make sure nothing happens to it? How do I be a good big sister?"

Before Elsa looked for a better answer this time – although the last one sounded pretty good already – Joan added one more question. "How did you do it?"

Elsa could have answered it easily. She had over 10 years of experience in being a good big sister to draw from. There was only one problem – they were all when Anna was grown up.

Therein lay a few more problems. By the time they finished piling up, Elsa had no idea how to answer Joan. Or at least sugarcoat any of the answers. Sadly, Joan still looked like she needed a lot of sugarcoating.

Then again, maybe that was part of the problem. Plus sugarcoating and keeping secrets almost destroyed the last big sister relationship in this castle.

Therefore, Elsa stuck with honesty when she told Joan, "You don't want to learn from me."

"Why not? Is there someone else here I can learn from?" Joan briefly looked around.

"You know why I'm not the best big sister. Why I wasn't for 13 years," Elsa called back to.

"Oh, yeah…." Joan remembered. "But that was then! You're great now!"

"Now, when Anna's all grown up. Not when she was a kid," Elsa said. "I was only a big sister to a child for five years. Three and a half, once Anna could do stuff with me. Other than that…..neither of us knows how to take care of a real little sibling. Not for the rest of its life. I'm still learning how to take care of little you!"

Joan had stopped pacing, at least. Yet Elsa knew that was a small victory – one she would probably overshadow now.

"You want to know what you really have to do? Don't be afraid. Don't let anyone take him or her away for any reason. Don't think the only way to care for a sibling is to keep it away from you. Just….don't be me, and you'll be the best big sister this castle's ever seen," Elsa confessed.

These bouts of self-loathing over the past had been fewer and far between. They probably should have gone away quicker these last 11 years. This really wasn't a good place for them to come back, since this day wasn't about Elsa, or the past.

It was about Anna and Kristoff and Joan and the baby – and how they'd never wind up like her, Anna, Mom and Dad. That's all they had to do.

"I know there's no way you'll make my mistakes. You don't even have powers," Elsa sighed in relief. "I'm sorry I made it sound worse than it is. It's just….you're gonna get to do all the things I never got to do with your mom. I hope you realize what an honor and privilege that is."

"Losing it for that long will always be the worst thing I ever did. The worst thing I ever let happen," Elsa continued. "As long as you don't lose it, you have nothing to be afraid of. Big sisters have been afraid enough around here."

Elsa let out a deep, frosty breath, not ready to see if she got through to Joan or not. She folded her bare hands, hoping Kristoff might come by with news and overshadow this whole stupid rant.

Someone then came and touched her hand when he wasn't looking. But it wasn't Kristoff.

Elsa looked over and saw Joan, as well as her little hand on top of hers. She knew that for Elsa, someone touching her bare hand was still quite a big deal – and a true sign of love. If that's what Joan meant by this, it had to bode well.

"You love Mommy," Joan stated. "I'm gonna love the new baby too."

There was the happy, proud smile Elsa was expecting to have all day.

"I never doubted that," she answered, opening her hand so Joan could slide hers in. She then sat back on the bench and snuggled next to her aunt, like she would when she slept over.

Elsa should have been able to believe this was happening, even after 11 years. Maybe a part of her would never believe it. Having her sister, a brother-in-law, a niece and another baby that might already be here….how could 11 years turn out like this? Especially when nothing happened, save for a boat accident, for 13?

As always, Elsa wouldn't let go of it anyway. She wouldn't let go of Joan, or her new sibling either. If Joan needed help to be a real big sister and stay that way, they would do it together. With the actual parents taking part, of course.

Elsa knew the people, the press and even her own court were wondering if there'd ever be a real heir to the throne. The questions, rumors and downright….uneasy innuendo about why there wasn't one was harder to ignore over the years.

But while she may not have children now, or an official prince or princess to take the throne for her – Joan would always be her first princess. And Elsa couldn't wait to meet her second, or her first prince.

If they were the only little royal family she had…..well, if she could only block out the rest of the world, then absolutely nothing about it would be wrong with her. The fact she was less good at blocking it out now...was something for a much less better day than this one.

About 10 minutes later, that day officially began – even if it was technically sundown. Whenever it was, Kristoff chose right then to come over, causing Elsa and Joan to get up right away.

"What happened?" Elsa asked, looking at Kristoff for signs of trouble. Or signs of gender. Instead of answering her, he bent down to Joan.

"Joan….you and the new baby won't be like your aunt and mommy, I can tell you that," Kristoff clued her in. As Elsa pieced that together, and began to realize what he meant, Kristoff actually spoke plainly and confirmed, "Because you have a little brother."

"A brother?" Joan repeated, as Elsa just gasped.

Well….now Elsa had no idea what to tell Joan to do about this. This was the first royal boy in two generations – the first one of Elsa's lifetime. After having a sister and a niece, she had a boy to look after for the very first time….

Joan got a head start by cheering and hugging her dad. Elsa made up for it with a bigger squeeze moments later.

More than ever, Kristoff was glad he didn't feel the cold from Elsa's hugs. Still, her smile was impossibly warm as she asked, "What's his name?"

"We're going with Christian," Kristoff declared. "Anna wanted something that sounded like Kris in this one."

"Christian…." Joan tried on for size. After repeating it a few more times, she seemed to be on board.

"Can we go in?" Elsa asked, fully understanding the irony.

"Oh, Anna insisted this time," Kristoff let her know. "She was clear that….nothing like this had a chance to happen again if I didn't make sure." Elsa halfway rolled her eyes, since he at least phrased it well above Joan's level of understanding.

There was only one thing she needed to understand now anyway. It was time for her to meet her little brother. And she wouldn't be going in alone.

Taking Joan's hand first this time, Elsa let Kristoff lead the way as she led Joan with them to Anna's room. When they got to the door, Elsa breathed a nervous, but excited sigh and squeezed Joan's hand as Kristoff opened up.

"Well….nice of you to be on time," Elsa heard Anna say. Then she looked at her on her bed – and she wasn't alone.

Anna's new son was swaddled in a blue blanket, yet Elsa and Joan couldn't get a clear view of his head. Elsa knew who should get the first look, though. "Go on. Go meet your brother," she urged Joan. "We'll be right behind you."

Joan looked on at her father and Elsa, then went forward on her own. When she reached Anna's bed, she climbed up and sat next to her mother. "Are you okay, Mommy?" she asked Anna.

"Once you say hi to your brother, I'll be perfect," Anna told her first born.

Joan went on to take her first look at this Christian person. His little head was still and his eyes were closed, yet Joan carefully reached out to touch him. As if he was a big piece of chocolate that Joan couldn't believe was real.

She stopped just shy of touching his nose when his eyes opened. Unlike Joan's blue-green orbs, Christian's were pure blue. They froze Joan in place as she locked eyes with her brother for the first time.

In the meantime, Elsa took a few steps forward, wanting to get a look at her new nephew. But she also wanted to see what her old niece would do.

The last person in this position….didn't make the best first impression.

A three-year-old Elsa crawled carefully onto her mother's bed, to take a look at her new baby sister. However, she heard her before she really saw her.

The baby's cries nearly made Elsa run away, yet she made herself go forward. At least while her mommy and daddy were watching. Yet when Elsa got to the crying baby and reached out to it, it took her outstretched finger and gave it a squeeze. Too good of a squeeze.

"Ow!" little Elsa took her finger away – before it shot off a few tiny snowflakes away from everyone. "The baby's broke!"

"She's not broken. She's your little sister," Mommy somehow said over all the crying.

"I don't want that one!" Elsa objected. "Can you get another?"

"Even if we do, Anna's staying right here. Forever," Daddy said, somehow able to bend down and touch the baby without getting attacked.

"Aw!" Elsa pouted.

It took about a month, as well as Anna's loving the weird snowflakes that came out of Elsa's hands, for Elsa to stop pouting. It took another 11 months for Elsa to fully regret her first encounter with her.

But on that birthday, and the next four after that, she made sure to give her a better greeting – and a better snowman each time.

Elsa was certainly relieved she gave Joan a much better greeting. And to her greater relief, Joan was doing the same for Christian.

"Hi," she got out. "I'm gonna be your big sister now. Okay?" she asked hopefully.

Perhaps it was cheating and dumb luck that Christian was a quiet child off the bat, unlike Anna. It also likely helped that Joan was almost five years older than Elsa was when Anna was born.

Excuses aside, Joan still had three-year-old Elsa beat – especially when she touched her brother's nose and smiled. Somehow, older Elsa just knew this wasn't the last time big sister Joan would show her up.

But first, Aunt Elsa had to introduce herself next.

Unlike seven years ago, no one had to give her a baby while her eyes were closed. Elsa just came up, held out her arms, and let a teary Anna hand her son over.

Without worry or anything but control, Elsa cradled Christian and welcomed her nephew with a smile. Joan even stood up on the bed, standing next to Elsa to look down at the baby. Just for tonight, no one scolded her for standing on a bed with her shoes on.

Instead, Anna and Kristoff merely watched the two big sisters gaze at their new bundle of joy.