A/N: Yay updates!

Today marks the official beginning of my spring break, so maybe I'll get another update out within the next week or so. I know updates with this have been extremely sporadic, and I'd like to thank you all for putting up with it.

Also, I wrote the first chapter of the new fic I mentioned in the last chapter. It's up and posted on ffnet and it's called "Fractured". Elsanna, of course. So if you're a fan of my writing, go check it out. Or don't. Whatever is cool.

This chapter isn't necessarily exciting or anything, but I thought it'd be a nice time to calm things down a little for the time being.

Enjoy!

Seeing the dorm so empty was something Elsa was not used to. There was no clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen, and no patter of feet against the hardwood flooring. She didn't hear the shower running, or any noise coming from the television. Absolutely everything was silent, save for the sound of her own breathing as she closed the textbook she was cradling in her lap. Under most circumstances, none of this would bother her. She would find comfort in the stillness of her surroundings and being able to hear a pin if one fell. Being alone was something she hadn't had to do for weeks, and she had adjusted fairly well to being around other people. If it wasn't Rapunzel, Merida, Jasmine, or Aleks, it was always Anna. She always knew that every night when she'd lay her head down for the night, that Anna would be nearby.

Elsa sighed as she placed the textbook on the coffee table in front of her and pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket. The brightly lit screen threatened to scorch her eyes as they took a moment to adjust. Anna had been gone for seven or eight hours at this point, and she was hoping that she would have received a phone call by now. I hope she's okay. She didn't know exactly what she was expecting as she stared at the blank screen of her phone, swiping through different menus just to keep her mind occupied. She managed to keep from crying too hard when Anna left, not wanting to cause a scene in front of everyone. Rapunzel did a fairly good job in consoling and reassuring her in Anna's absence, and it helped. She was too busy the rest of the day to worry about and miss Anna. Classes had taken up most of the day after breakfast. But now that she had time to herself to be alone, it was coming all back to her. That same rabbit hole of self-doubt and anxiety that seemed to be harder and harder to climb out of every time.

It was the knock at the door that slapped her back to her senses. Wiping at her eyes, she went to stand up and answer the door when she found it already swinging open. She instantly clenched the arm of the couch as her mind started racing as what she could use as a weapon, not even noticing the thin layer of frost that started to creep out from under her hands. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as adrenaline started to course.

"Hey, Elsa." Came a familiar voice that Elsa soon recognized as Rapunzel. The only source of light was from her bedroom in the hall, but she was still able to trace Rapunzel's form as she shut the door behind her.

Loosening her grip on the couch and slowly lowering herself back onto it, Elsa tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. "How did yo-"

"The same way I got in this morning." She stated in a cheerful tone as she walked toward the couch and gingerly lowered herself across from Elsa. "I have a master key…card…thing."

"Why d-"

"It's a long story, but I got it from Eugene." Despite the dim lighting, Elsa could barely make out Rapunzel pulling her legs up onto the couch and resting her chin on her knees. "Have you heard anything from Anna yet?" She asked hesitantly, as if she was afraid to stir up any emotions hidden within the blonde.

Shaking her head, Elsa placed her phone onto the coffee table in front of her and let out a soft sigh. "No." She muttered, trying to shake the worries from her mind. Anna was a grown woman and fully capable of taking care of herself, so logically, Elsa knew she had to be fine. But that nagging voice in the back of her head wouldn't leave her be.

"Did I ever tell you about the time her and I played ping pong with two frying pans, a foosball table, a fishing net, and a tennis ball?" Rapunzel asked, breaking the silence.

Elsa chuckled and shook her head. "I've heard about the frying pans, but I don't think she told me that specific story." She adjusted herself onto the couch so that she was facing the woman in front of her. "But wouldn't it be more like tennis than ping pong?"

"Whatever you want to call it, we ended up breaking a couple lamps. I thought my parents would be so furious, but they were actually pretty cool about it." Rapunzel chuckled to herself. "They only asked that we keep the frying pans outside from then on out. Eugene was glad to hear about that new rule after I broke his nose with one at a Christmas party."

The very image was enough to bring a wide grin across Elsa's face. The thought of her girlfriend and her cousin playing makeshift tabletop games with random items found throughout the house. Anna would often times tell her stories about the things her and Rapunzel would do, and she never got tired of hearing about them. Funny enough, frying pans were involved in pretty much every single one. Elsa had a growing theory that Rapunzel hoarded them, and the thought of her having a closet full of frying pans only widened Elsa's smile. "I don't think Anna ever told be about how you and Eugene met. He seems like a really great guy."

"Oh, he is. And it's an interesting story too. He wasn't always the caring and funny guy you might know him as. He used to be kind of a jerk." She shook her head and waved her hand. "Actually, he was a big jerk. The type of person I can't stand to be around."

"But you ended up engaged to him?" Elsa asked in genuine curiosity.

"Weird how these things work out, right?" Rapunzel asked in response, not expecting an answer as she dropped her knees and crossed her legs. "One night, I couldn't get to sleep for the life of me and I started hearing a lot of rustling and whispers outside of my window. At first I thought it was just a stray dog or something, because we'd get those every now and then. But after a while I started to worry, so I stood up and grabbed a frying pan I kept next to my bed-"

"In case you ever needed to fry up some eggs at three in the morning?" Elsa jested.

"I tried that once. Didn't work out, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, I open up my window and hop out of it and start sneaking around the house. On the back porch were these three guys messing with the back door, and I may have screamed. Two of the guys ran off but the other one just kind of sat there. I eventually composed myself and worked up the courage to confront him, and when I got close enough for the light to turn on, I saw Eugene. He was making this ridiculous face at me and said hi. So I threw the frying pan at him."

Elsa snickered. "I'm sure that wasn't the first time."

"Of course not. I hit him in the knee and ended up dislocating it, so even if he wanted to run he wouldn't have gotten very far. He knew what he had to do and asked me to help him pop it back into place, and I guess I felt bad for hurting him so I helped him. Pretty sure I did more harm than good, but once he was able to hobble around, he asked me out to dinner."

Elsa laughed and smirked in disbelief. "A guy who tried to break into your house asks you out, and you say yes?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "He was cute."

"Isn't that how murders happen? Or date rape?"

"Okay." Rapunzel admitted. "It wasn't the smartest idea in hindsight. But I was lucky and the date actually went pretty well. Like I said, he was a jerk, but he also had a really kind and soft side to him. We saw each other a couple more times and he eventually admitted that he never really had a home growing up. He was an orphan and was tossed around from foster home to foster home."

I guess his childhood wasn't too great either. Being thrown about from home to home, never feeling like you belonged anywhere. Elsa felt sympathy for the man despite never speaking to him before in her life. But the way Rapunzel's face lit up despite the dim lighting as she told her story brought Elsa a kind of happiness knowing that things worked out for the young couple.

"-I mean, how was I supposed to know that's not what you're supposed to do? It's called a blow job!"

Elsa could definitely tell the relation between Rapunzel and Anna.

"Then he started working at the Snuggly Duckling during breaks and the summer and once he started to get a little more stability in his life, he took his schoolwork more seriously and he calmed down a lot. He can still be kind of a jerk sometimes, but he's still getting better. But, he's my jerk and I love him."

Elsa was torn from her thoughts and Rapunzel's story when her phone started to vibrate loudly on the table, breaking the calm demeanor of the room. Her heart dropped as she frantically lunged for her phone, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes when she saw it was Anna. She answered the call and brought her phone up to her ear. "Anna?" She asked, anticipating her girlfriend's voice.

"Hey, beautiful. I'm sorry I couldn't call you earlier, it's been a long day." Anna said, and despite her cheerful sounded tone, Elsa could hear a bit of fatigue in her voice.

"It's fine, I understand." Elsa replied as she switched her phone to her other ear and beamed at Rapunzel. "Did you just land?" She asked, already knowing the answer from the sound of a muffled crowd on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I'm over at baggage claim. Afterward I'll meet Jane at the entrance and probably get a shower and go to bed as soon as possible." There was a bit of static and rumbling as Anna messed with her phone on the other end. "It's like seven in the morning but I plan on sleeping for at least twenty four hours."

Elsa chuckled and didn't notice herself playing with the ends of her braid with her free hand. "Other than being tired, are you okay?"

"Still a little sore, the seats on the plane didn't really help much. But I'm okay all things considering."

"I'm glad to hear that." Elsa replied softly, looking up at Rapunzel and smiling again. "Hey, listen. Rapunzel is over and I'm probably heading to bed shortly myself-"

"Can you stay on for just a couple minutes longer? I'm sorry, I'm just kind of nervous right now and your voice calms me." Anna pleaded, her voice low and rougher with every word.

A welcome warmth started to spread throughout Elsa's chest, heart quickening as she could feel every beat against her ribcage. "For you? Anything."

Just as Elsa was about to open her mouth to speak again, a knock at the door interrupted her. She was about to stand up to answer it when she saw Rapunzel stop her as she headed toward the door herself. Elsa nodded as she sunk back into the couch. "So, your cousin told me the story of how she met Eugene."

Rapunzel slowly opened the door and twirled around to close it as silently as she could as her eyes adjusted to the lights in the hall. Turning back around to greet whomever knocked, she inwardly groaned as she recognized the figure in front of her. "Hello, Aleks." She greeted with a faux enthusiasm.

Aleks crossed her arms and leaned against the wall in front of the door. "Where's Elsa?" She asked curtly, eying Rapunzel up and down.

"She's talking to Anna right now." Rapunzel replied as she backed up and leaned on the door.

"Why are you here?"

"Elsa is my friend. I came to check up on her. Why are you here?" She asked in response, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"She's my sister. Do I really need a reason?" Aleks answered in a condescending tone with a roll of her eyes and a sigh.

Not really wanting to get into anything with Aleks at the moment, Rapunzel tried her best to brush off the growing anger and anxious feelings in her stomach. "Well, do you think it could wait a moment? It'd be sort of rude to interrupt her right now." She replied in a strained tone.

Aleks eyed at the door, and then back down toward Rapunzel. "Why? What's she doing?" She pushed herself off of the wall, crossed her arms, and took an intimidating step toward the brunette.

Straightening herself and clenching her fists behind her back, Rapunzel shot her glance straight up and into Aleks' eyes. "She's talking to Anna." She muttered, eyes unwavering as her eyebrows came together and the corners of her eyes tensed. Her entire body, for that matter, started to tense. Ready to jump at any moment's notice should Aleks creep slightly past the imaginary line she set between them. From the stories told to her from Merida and Jasmine, things with Aleks always had that chance to go south at the drop of a hat. And whereas her friends were caught unprepared, Rapunzel wouldn't be. She refused to be.

"So, she made it to London safely?"

"Yes."

Aleks caught her gaze for a quick moment before dropping her eyes and gave a small shrug. "Okay, well, I know Elsa was probably worrying about her all day." She dropped back against the wall and leaned her head against it as a small sigh escaped her. "I'll send her a text. I just wanted to know if she'd come with me to this bullshit party Hans' friend is throwing."

Rapunzel's muscles slowly started to loosen as she dropped her shoulders and crossed her ankles. "Okay, I'll let her know."

A slight smile crept across Aleks' face as she pushed herself back off of the wall and met the brunette's gaze. "You're doing me a solid. And despite what you may believe, I don't have a personal problem with you or any of your friends."

Rapunzel was about to open her mouth to respond when Aleks cut her off with a hand gesture.

"You're all actually alright. Breakfast this morning proved that to me." She turned her head to gaze down the hall for a quick moment before snapping back. "I'll catch you around; I need to be headed back. I just wanted to stop by real quick to drop that message to Elsa." She finished as she turned on her heel and began to stride down the hall with a determination in her step that made it impossible to stop her even if Rapunzel tried. Or if she wanted to for that matter.

Opening the door behind her back, Rapunzel backed into the room and turned to find Elsa in the same spot she left her in the dimly lit room, her face illuminated from her phone as she looked down at it with a small grin. "I take it everything is alright?" She asked as she retook her spot on the opposite side of the couch.

Elsa nodded slowly and looked away from her phone and toward the woman in front of her. "She's tired and kind of nervous. But everything is alright." She answered in a low tone, tapping her thumbs on the screen.

Offering a warm smile in response, Rapunzel chuckled and shook her head. "She was so nervous about asking you out for the first time. I thought she was going to explode in a strange mess of confetti and gumdrops." She brought her knees up toward her chest and rested her head on them. "I'm glad she's found someone she actually seems happy to be around."

Placing her phone down on her lap, Elsa readjusted herself on the couch. "What do you mean? She hasn't really told me a whole lot about any past relationships."

"She's had a handful of boyfriends over the years. Some were better than others, obviously. But she always just seemed like she was humoring them. Not really interested in them or enjoying their company." She pursed her lips and shrugged. "One guy tried to kiss her and she punched him in the face."

Elsa's eyes widened as she snorted, which slowly turned into a jovial laugh that broke the stillness of the room. "You're kidding, right?" She managed to get out, wiping the sides of her eyes.

Rapunzel shook her head. "Nope. I swear I saw the guy's face concave in on itself as he fell off of the porch."

"I kind of feel bad for the guy." Elsa admitted through remnants of laughter.

"I don't. He was a genuinely nice guy and everything, but his elevator didn't quite reach the top floor." Rapunzel replied with a small chuckle.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone once bet him three dollars to piss in the Spanish teacher's trash can in the middle of class. And he did it." She explained and shook her head in disgust. "I wasn't there to see it myself, but word travels pretty quickly."

"As much as I absolutely adore hearing about people urinating in trash cans-" Elsa replied sarcastically with a half-hearted chuckle. "Who was at the door?"

Rapunzel had actually nearly forgotten in the middle of her storytelling. Which didn't bother a whole lot, Aleks still wasn't in her good graces. "Your sister." She answered in monotone. "She wanted to know if you'd go to a party Hans' friend is throwing in a couple weeks."

"Really? She knows I'm not one for parties." Elsa answered quietly. She crossed her legs and leaned forward to better involve herself. "She isn't either, really."

Rapunzel shrugged. "Jasmine is big on the party scene on campus, if someone is throwing one soon, she'll know about it."

"I honestly can't see Jasmine as the party type either."

"Neither can I honestly, but she is. Regardless, she'll know and probably end up going anyway. So worst comes to worst, I'm sure she could get you out of there.

Elsa grew silent, and Rapunzel took it as her cue that maybe she'd want to settle down for the night. She promised Anna she'd check on her periodically, and she planned to do that. But, she also didn't want to make Elsa uncomfortable with her presence. The two were friends, of course. But nowhere as close as she is with Anna. With a sigh, she turned her body to lift herself off of the couch. "I'll talk to Jasmine. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Okay. And, Rapunzel?" Elsa asked, raising her head to meet the eyes of the brunette as she turned the handle on the door.

"Yeah?" She responded as she turned her head to face Elsa.

"Thanks for stopping by."

Rapunzel smiled and waved at the blonde as she opened the door and left.

Elsa lay in bed, nonchalantly rubbing the fabric of the sheets between her thumb and finger. The day's events still fresh in her mind from the hectic morning, to the day's classes, to her conversation with Rapunzel. She had a hard time picking specific things to analyze as it felt like her thoughts were racing in a big jumbled mess. Now that she actually had the time to herself to reflect with no interruptions, she wasn't too sure what to feel or think.

Firstly, she missed Anna. That much was painfully obvious, the sheets felt abnormally cold without another body next to her. After spending the past few days in the same bed for the nights, she had grown attached and enjoyed the feeling of sleeping with Anna's body next to her own. But instead of the warmth she had grown accustomed to, the only thing next to her was the cold memory of the past few days. She had decided she'd sleep in Anna's bed for the night; her side was still unmade and unorderly. Elsa had meant to make the bed earlier, but she couldn't find the willpower to change anything.

Just as she felt herself starting to drift off to an uneasy sleep, her eyes were assaulted with a glow that startled her and made her eyes shoot open. She squinted from the dull pain in her eyes as she recognized the small crystal that lay in front of her, pulsing in a radiant light that periodically illuminated the entire room. Feeling a tear coalesce in the corner of her eye, she clutched at the small crystal and brought it close to her chest underneath the sheets. And as she eventually drifted off back to sleep, her thoughts slowed and her mind was clear with only one image: Anna.