An abrupt end

Anna looked at the letter in her hand and smiled. Thinking what was best to do with it until she saw her mother, she picked one of the books Elsa had returned earlier that day to save it. She was placing the letter inside, when she heard Marshall's voice coming from the front door and she thought it was the perfect time to thank him.

Even if she had no idea what Marshal had said or done to change Elsa's mind, she believed it was best to show him her gratitude. She was convinced Elsa would still be avoiding her mother's letters if it hadn't been for the mountaineer.

Once the letter was safely placed inside the book, she hurried to the door to greet and thank the man; but, as she was getting closer, she heard Marshall's request. I need Anna's phone number. Anna looked at Kristoff who was walking by her side, and he looked as confused as her by the request.

"She's here if you need to-" Elsa tried to say before she was interrupted by the mountaineer.

"Is she?" He stepped inside the house before Elsa could invite him in. His attitude told Anna something was definitely off. It didn't matter how much Elsa insisted, Marshall always waited for an invitation to set foot inside her house. "Tell her I need to talk to her."

"Marshmallow, are you okay?" asked Elsa, who had sensed something was wrong too.

Marshall ignored Elsa and walked until he was standing in front of Anna. She soon noticed his disarray hair and, more importantly, his frown and tightened fists. He looked nothing like the Marshall she had gotten to know in the past few months, and the sight was truly unsettling. She often referred to him as someone intimidating, but truth was, up until that moment, Anna had never found a reason – beyond his size and serious demeanour – to consider Marshall frightening. Not once had he looked as threatening as he looked right at that moment.

"Anna," Marshall called her attention, bringing her back to reality. "I need Hans' address."

"I'm sorry, what?" She was still very much distracted by his dishevelled appearance to understand coherently what he was saying.

"Hans." His harsh tone showing he not only looked angry, he was in fact raging. "He's your ex-boyfriend, isn't he? I need his address."

"His address?" The last thing she wanted was to anger him further but she was still having a hard time understanding what was going on. His demand didn't make much sense to her. Doesn't he work for his father? Why not ask him? she wondered.

"Yes," he said, little by little losing his patience. "Do you know where he lives?"

"What do you need his address for?" Kristoff asked, standing in front of Anna.

"I just need to know where he lives." Marshall answered the question but didn't pay Kristoff much attention. Any information Anna could provide was more important to him at that moment.

Anna was about to answer when she noticed Elsa's worried expression. Her sister's gaze was fixed on Marshall, as if she was trying to read what was wrong with him. It was clear she had never seen him so mad before, and that increased Anna's curiosity.

Elsa closed the door and quietly walked to his side. "Won't you tell us why?"

He shot her an impatient side-glance. "No. I don't want to talk."

Anna's eyes widened. Never had she imagined Marshall giving Elsa such a cold reply. Something definitely was wrong. The mountaineer could be impatient at times, but Anna had never seen him act that way around Elsa. Not knowing what to do, she shared a quick look with her sister, who was growing more concerned by the minute.

"Calm down, Marshall." warned Kristoff, showing he was not going to tolerate that kind of behaviour. "What the hell happened to you?"

Marshall glared at Kristoff, and for a moment Anna wondered if they had said or done anything to annoy the usual mild-mannered man.

"Marshmallow," Elsa called his attention by gently holding his forearm. "Tell me what's going on, please."

Anna watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore Elsa's request, but to her relief, he answered, "I just need to know where I can find Hans and then I'll be on my way."

"I understand that." She caressed his arm with her thumb, trying to appease him. "I just want to know why… Is everything okay?"

Anna's mouth quirked at the intimate gesture. She was surprised to see Elsa so calm and collected given the situation; it was clear Elsa trusted him more than she let on.

The mountaineer averted his eyes and his frown deepened. He stayed silent looking at the floor, trying hard to avoid Elsa's gaze. He didn't say anything until Elsa tilted her head to lock eyes with him again. "I was fired," he muttered finally.

"What?" Anna and Kristoff asked.

"What happened?" Elsa knew there was a problem. Marshall was Petter's more dedicated and responsible employee. The idea of him being fired didn't make sense, at all.

"My boss thinks I stole money from him." His tightened fists showed how angered he was with the whole ordeal.

"And did you–?" tried to ask Kristoff, but Marshall's murderous look stopped him.

"Of course I didn't!" He barked. "Hans told his father I took the money!"

"Why would Hans say something like that?" Anna had seen the disrespectful way in which Hans treated Elsa and Marshall, but part of her still wanted to believe he was not capable of doing something so despicable.

"Because your ex-boyfriend is a piece of shit! That's why!" A cold hand grabbed his, and Marshall stopped to look at Elsa. She then asked for a better explanation and he complied. "Remember the day you and Anna stopped by? Hans paid me for the things I repaired and to keep his party or reunion, or whatever, a secret. Apparently the money he used for the party and the one he gave me was from the resort's income."

"You've got to be kidding me." Kristoff knew a thing or two about the youngest Westergaard, he knew he was an unscrupulous person. But stealing and making a man lose his job was more than he had ever imagined Hans capable of.

"I fixed everything in a day, kept his stupid reunion a secret, and this is how he pays me! I want to rip his head off!"

Elsa could feel him shake with rage and tried to offer a solution before he completely lost it. "Can't you go back and talk with your boss about this? Explain what happened? Anna and I were there. We saw him."

He shook his head. "Petter kicked me out and wouldn't give me a chance to explain myself." He turned to Anna and asked for a third time. "Anna, I need to find Hans so we can talk. Can you give me his address?"

Now that she understood his problem, Anna couldn't refuse. "He lives in-"

"Don't," Kristoff interrupted her. "I don't think he wants to talk."

"Let her talk, Bjorgman."

"Do you really want to talk to Hans?" Kristoff countered. "By the looks of it, you want to beat the crap out of him."

"He wouldn't do something like that," said Elsa in disbelief. She turned to Marshall for confirmation but he averted his eyes. "Please, tell me you don't want to find Hans just to beat him up," she exclaimed, shocked to realise her brother's suspicions were correct.

It was clear by the way he was avoiding her gaze he wasn't entirely proud of his idea. "Someone needs to teach him a lesson. I don't mind being that person."

"Are you insane?! Hans is your boss's son."

"Petter's no longer my boss."

"You won't get your job back like this!" Elsa let go of his hand before he noticed how cold it was getting. She had remained calm until that point but the idea of Marshall doing something so incredibly stupid irked her.

"I don't want my job back," Marshall admitted. He knew losing his job was going to be a headache in the near future. But at that moment, he couldn't care less about working for the Westergaards again. "I want Hans to admit what he did and clean my name."

"Let's go talk with your boss if that's what you want. Anna and I saw Hans that day," she suggested. "I'm sure there are more people out there who saw him too."

"No," he grunted.

"Marshmallow!"

"I'm not going to beg Petter," he said, raising his voice. "He wanted to believe the word of his lazy-ass son, then fine. But I won't let Hans get away with this."

"Please, think about it for a second," she tried to reason.

"No, Elsa!"

"For heaven's sake, why are you so stubborn?!" Elsa countered in a loud voice, surprising Anna and Kristoff.

"You're one to talk!"

Something told Anna it wasn't the first time they argued about their shared stubbornness, and so she thought it was best to stop them before they said things they could regret. Anna agreed a hundred percent with Elsa, but fighting with an angered Marshall didn't seem smart either. "Guys, calm down. Yelling at each other won't solve anything." Anna said, standing between the two. The way Marshall towered over her made her regret her decision for a moment, but if her sister trusted the mountaineer then she would too.

"Elsa's right. You won't get anything out of beating Hans to a pulp," Kristoff said, trying to talk some sense into him.

"I'll get inner peace," he murmured.

Anna, who had been standing close enough to hear, smiled and whispered back, "I can't argue with that." She then cleared her throat and offered her own opinion, loud enough for everyone to hear, "I agree with Elsa and Kristoff, this is not the right way."

"Will you tell me where he lives?" Marshall asked Anna once again, not caring about her or anyone's opinion.

"No," answered Kristoff. "No, she won't."

"Let her answer herself, Bjorgman." He glared at him once again.

"I won't let Anna become your accomplice." Kristoff looked at Anna, letting her know he was not kidding. "Do you want to kill a man? Do it on your own."

"Fine," said Marshall, turning around and walking towards the door. "I'll find his address some other way."

"Marshall, stop," begged Elsa, stopping him from leaving the house by blocking his path.

"Let me out, Elsa."

"I won't let you go and do something like this."

"Elsa," he said, exasperated. "I won't kill the man. Can you please move?"

She held his hand once again, hoping he would listen. She only wished he didn't notice how freezing her own hands were. "Can I talk to you? Alone."

Anna watched Elsa try to convince Marshall and, by the way Elsa's eyes found hers, she realised the request was not only for him, but also for Kristoff and herself. Thinking it was best to let Elsa try to talk him out of it, she called her boyfriend's attention. "Kristoff, can you help me for a moment?"

"What?"

"Just come with me." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him into the kitchen.

When Anna heard the front door open, she turned around and noticed Elsa giving her a small smile before pushing Marshmallow outside. By the mountaineer's tired sigh, Anna noticed he was not in the right mood for a conversation, but Anna was relieved to see he had at least agreed to it.

"What are we doing here?" asked Kristoff as soon as they stepped inside the kitchen. "That guy is out of his mind right now." Kristoff seemed ready to follow his sister outside but Anna stopped him before he could.

"If there's anyone who can calm the big guy down, that's Elsa." She was sure her sister could placate Marshall. It was only a matter of time until he began to listen. Or so she wanted to believe. "However, in case she can't change his mind…" said Anna as she began putting her things inside her bag. "I'll go to town with him."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going with him," she declared. "He may leave any second so I need you to help me gather all my things."

"You're not going with him." Kristoff stopped her by putting his hand on top of her books. "He's planning to travel all the way to Trolheim just to give someone a beating. He'll probably end up in jail tonight, Anna."

"That's exactly why I'm going with him. He'll find his house one way or another. If I go with him, I'll have forty extra minutes to talk him out of it." She hoped Elsa could do her charm and change his mind before it came to it, though.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kristoff tried to remain calm to convince Anna to give her idea a second thought. "You just said Elsa is the one who knows how to calm him down. What makes you think you'll be able to do it if she can't?"

Anna knew he had a good point. If Marshall didn't listen to Elsa there was only a small chance, he'd listen to her; still, she needed to try. She felt pity for Marshall and the way Hans' family had treated him. "Hans and his family can easily send Marshall to jail for less than a beating — no matter how well-deserved the beating is." She murmured as an afterthought. "There's no-way they'll listen or try to understand Marshmallow's situation. Well, maybe Jonas would, but we can't rely on Jonas alone. It's best to stop Marshall."

"Who is this Jonas again? Wait, no. That doesn't matter, what matters is you travelling with this madman."

"Madman?" Her eyes opened in disbelief. "He was wrongfully fired and accused of a crime he didn't commit. You'd be livid too."

"I guess… But the way he's acting does nothing but make me uncomfortable."

"You know he's a good man, Kristoff."

"I also know he's a temperamental loner."

"So what? Should I stop helping people just because they are somewhat different? Or simply because they make you uncomfortable?" Not giving him enough time to answer her questions, she continued, "What would have happened to Elsa if your parents didn't give her a chance just because she made them uncomfortable?"

Anna noticed his expression change from surprise into a frown, and for a moment she felt truly guilty for using such a cheap trick against him. She waited for an outburst or an answer of some kind, but it never came; so, she continued putting her things away — making sure she took the book and the letter with her too.

Opting to avoid a confrontation, Kristoff let Anna off the hook. He massaged his temples and released a tired sigh. All he had wanted was to spend a quiet night with his sister, and somehow Marshall and Westergaard had managed to ruin it. "I want a peaceful day off for once. Am I asking too much?" he said to no one in particular.

Ignoring her boyfriend, Anna hung her bag on her shoulder and turned towards him once again. "Let's see if Elsa convinced him, maybe all this conversation was for naught." She walked out the room, happy to see Kristoff following close behind. She knew he couldn't deny his curiosity to see if their sister had been successful.

Anna wasn't sure if Elsa had had enough time to change the mountaineer's mind, but truth was she still needed to get home before her father's associates arrived and the sooner they could solve Marshall's problem, the better. She stepped outside just in time to hear one of Elsa's frustrated demands…

"If you would at least listen to me for a second-"

"No," Marshall interrupted. "I said I'm leaving."

To Anna's disappointment, instead of finding a solution, they were no longer listening to each other. No wonder they had quarrelled about their stubbornness before.

Anna was about to suggest going with him, when Elsa tried to stop him one last time. "Marshall…"

"Listen," he said, turning around to face Elsa. "I didn't come here for you to change my mind! Just stop it!"

The man was furious, that much was obvious. Yet Anna felt it was unfair to let the anger get the best of him, especially when her sister was on the receiving end.

"Fine," Elsa answered in a low tone of voice. "Have fun acting like the brute everyone thinks you are."

Anna and Kristoff watched from the top of the stairs Marshall curse under his breath and begin to walk away.

Anna wondered if there was a point in trying to help Marshall herself. He had certainly made up his mind about finding Hans and giving him the beating he deserved, so there wasn't much she could do… Yet, somehow, she couldn't stop feeling bad for the man. She had clearly seen regret and pain written on his face after Elsa's retort. And maybe, just maybe, she could use that to her advantage. She wasn't sure she could change his mind, but at least now she had an idea of what to say to sow doubt in his mind. She only needed to try.

"You still want to go with him, don't you?" asked Kristoff, distracting her from her thoughts. He had noticed the way Anna kept biting her lower lip. Something he only saw her do whenever she was pondering over one of her crazy ideas.

"I know you think I'm crazy. But I need to try something…"

"Anna…" Kristoff tried to stop her, but Anna climbed down the stairs two at a time, and began running in Marshall's direction.

"Anna, stop!"

"I'll call you once I get home," she yelled back, trying to reassure him.

Elsa was still focused on her powers, trying hard to tame them before they could manifest on their own, when she saw Anna run past her and she heard her brother yelling by her side. She had been so absorbed in her argument with Marshmallow she had failed to notice Anna and Kristoff had joined them.

"Where is she going?"

"To try who knows what," he answered. "I've got to go after her. I know you trust Marshall, but he's not thinking straight right now."

Elsa let a long sigh escape her lips. "Would you mind telling me what's wrong with them?"

"I stopped trying to understand people a long time ago," he admitted. "I'll get my keys and go after them. Are you coming with me?"

"I guess I don't have a choice." She wanted to be there for her friend, even though it was hard to stay level-headed when her powers were uncomfortably dancing under her finger tips. "So much for a peaceful evening."


The moment Anna came up with her plan, she had been thinking in a way to help Marshall change his mind. For that reason, she had impulsively run after him. But now that she was in the old rattletrap SUV with the quiet man, she realised she had no idea how to start a conversation with him, making her whole idea almost impossible to achieve. By nature, Marshall was a person of few words and to Anna's dismay — she was only now realising — it was even worse when he was mad.

Anna discreetly looked from the passenger seat in his direction and tried to read his body language. Tightened fists held the steering wheel, as he kept his eyes on the road. And sadly, he was still frowning — even deeper than before. Something told Anna he was doing his best to remain civil, knowing well she was not to blame for his problems; but no matter how hard he tried to hide it, his awful mood made him look like a beast ready to attack whatever crossed his path. And what was worse, said mood was acting like a giant brick wall between them. Impeding Anna from getting close to him and talking things through.

It was only when they were a few kilometres away from the outskirts of the city that Marshall surprised her by starting conversation.

"Where does Hans live?" He was being gentler than when he demanded the information in Elsa's house, so Anna felt confident enough to try and deflect the question.

"You know, I want Hans to learn a lesson too, but I-"

"Are you suggesting I beat the crap out of him in your name too?" he interrupted, not giving Anna enough time to finish her idea.

The seriousness of his answer made Anna worry for a moment, but she tried her best not to get distracted. "Not exactly. I'm not-"

"Should I throw him out a window?"

A shudder ran through her body and she made a mental note to never be on the receiving end of Marshall's wrath. "I'm not sure I agree with your teaching methods. And it is not nice to throw people…"

Marshall waited for her to suggest something since his ideas didn't seem to be of her interest.

Thinking it was best to stop beating around the bush, Anna confessed, "I'm not here to give you any ideas on how to make Hans pay."

"What are you doing here, then?" asked Marshall after letting out a tired sigh.

Testing the waters and his humour, Anna playfully said, "I needed a ride."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" He gripped the steering wheel harder and looked at her. "You said you were going to help me!"

That was clearly a bad idea, Anna thought to herself. But still tried to act tough around him. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

He glared at her and growled before returning his eyes to the road.

Under any other situation, Anna would have laughed at his annoyance, but she didn't want to test how long his patience could last. "I am going to help you. I intend to stop you from doing something you'll regret. I know Hans, you'll end up in prison if you do any of the things you suggested. Hans' family has contacts"

"I won't end up in prison."

"In his father's eyes you're a thief. You don't want Petter to think you're a violent man too," she warned. "He'll make sure you do if he needs to."

"I am not a thief," he clarified with anger. "And I am not violent."

"I never said you were. Though, you were suggesting throwing Hans out a window just now." She cleared her throat when she noticed he wasn't particularly enjoying her comments. "I'm trying to help you see the whole picture here."

Taking a deep breath, Marshall tried to get rid of his anger for a moment. "I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to worry. All I want is Hans to know I won't let him get away with the things he does anymore… I'm not going to murder him," he clarified, with a small laugh.

Anna felt relieved to notice he had let his wall down, at least for just a moment." Marshall, you are too mad to think straight. Things can go out of hand before you realise, and you'll regret it. Why don't you drop me off as soon as we get to the city centre and you return home?"

"I won't return home." He scowled again.

"Beating Hans up won't clean up your name."

"That prick can't live his life doing whatever he pleases. He needs to learn a lesson!"

"Do you really think he'll learn anything from this?" She hated being the one to show Marshall the unfairness of it all, but she needed him to understand he didn't have a chance against him. "He'll play the victim part like he always does. In his father's eyes you would have broken his nose because he exposed you, not because he framed you. You won't get anything from this."

"The arse takes advantage of my good predisposition, steals and lies to his father, and gets me fired," he listed patiently. "Please give one good reason why I shouldn't fight for what I think is right!"

"Fighting, literally speaking, won't solve anything. You'll be responsible for everything that happens."

"Because I'm the brute mountaineer, is that it?"

The bitterness in the way he said brute didn't escape Anna, making her feel truly bad for the man but excited at the same time. Without realising it, he had tackled the topic she had been waiting for. "Well… yes."

"Is that the way everyone sees me?" the sadness in his voice almost made Anna regret her plan. But she had come this far, she had finally been able to get real, long and well-constructed sentences out of him. She couldn't let the opportunity slip. Especially when it meant he could avoid a bigger problem.

"No. Not truly," she declared. "There's one person who has never seen you that way before." Even she had to admit she had had certain reservations towards him at first. "Elsa has always thought the world of you. And earning Elsa's trust is- Well… It's one of the hardest things there is." The corner of her mouth raised, thinking back to those first days she had spent with Elsa, long before they found out they were sisters. It had been a challenge to get her to open up. "I don't know how much you know about her childhood, but trust me when I say she's been to hell and back." The way his eyebrows raised let Anna know he didn't. "It's for that reason she analyses everyone she meets in a careful, almost methodical way. She rarely let people in. Yet, you managed to earn her trust. She must have seen the kind and caring person you are." Thinking it was best to be honest with him, she confessed, "Something the rest of us couldn't do."

"I guess that means you think I'm a rough man…"

"No, I don't," she assured him. "Elsa wouldn't let me believe it — not even for a second. I've got to admit you are intimidating when you're angry, but I know the kind of person you are, thanks to Elsa."

He knitted his brows and kept his eyes on the road, trying to process everything Anna was telling him, but offering no real response.

After a few moments in silence, Anna pushed him a little bit. "Let me ask you, is it worth it?"

"What?" he asked, not looking at her.

"To throw away her trust just to beat Hans up."

"Elsa knows she can trust me," he said sure of himself. "This doesn't change anything."

"No offense, but look at you," said Anna tentatively, knowing he wasn't going to like what she had to say. "You've barged into Elsa's house, demanded I give you Hans' address and yelled at Elsa for trying to change your mind and help you – something incredibly stupid if you ask me."

He looked at her for a fraction of a second before returning his attention to the road. Anna swore she had seen guilt in his eyes. Proving she had been right. Elsa was Marshall's weakness, in a way, and part of her was certain he was going to stop himself just to avoid upsetting Elsa. She only wished it was enough for him to do an u-turn and return home.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" He looked at her. His seriousness showed he actually wanted an answer this time. "Should I let people like Hans walk all over me? Should I accept being treated like garbage?"

"If you had listened to us, you'd have realised we weren't suggesting you forget about this. We're merely asking you not to act without a second thought."

He opened his mouth to contradict Anna but she stopped him. "You were accused and fired unjustly. We know that. But hitting Hans will take away your credibility. Every argument you can come up with will banish."

Sighing in defeat, he admitted, "I guess you're right."

"Yes!" She couldn't stop herself from cheering out loud. "Does that mean you'll go back home?" To her disappointment, her happiness was short-lived.

"No. I still need you to tell me where he lives."

"Wait, what?" Anna had been so close, but she guessed her sister was right, he really was stubborn. "Didn't you just said-"

"I changed my mind about beating him up…" He reassured her. "But I need to talk to him, Anna. I've been able to withstand Hans' abuse before - more times than I should have. This time he went too far. I can't let it go. So, please, tell me, where does he live?"

Maybe she needed to trust his word and expect the best outcome. She had been able to make him understand her point of view at least. Now the responsibility of what he did was his alone. "786 Southern St."


Kristoff cursed under his breath when a car blocked his view of Marshall's SUV. He had been following him close behind since they left the mountain, and the last thing he needed was losing him when they were so close to the city. He had no idea where Hans lived, and something told him Anna was not going to be able to change Marshall's mind.

He looked at the passenger's seat wondering if his sister was still awake. Even if he couldn't picture his sister sleeping in that situation, she had been so quiet during their journey he thought it was best to check on her.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She had been looking out the window, not really paying attention to her brother until he spoke. She looked at him and at that moment realised maybe he could help her make up her mind. An idea had been roaming in her head for weeks, and finding out about Marshall being fired only fuelled that idea. "Is it nuts to ask Marshall to work with me?"

"The two of you working together?" If he was honest, Kristoff wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he asked Elsa what was on her mind, but for sure that was not it. "Where did this come from?"

"Marshmallow lost his job," she answered, matter-of-factly. "He's angry right now, but soon he will be down in the dumps. He loves what he does. He put up with Westergaard just because he enjoyed his work and the mountain too much to leave."

"I guess that makes sense... "

"We've always understood each other well," Elsa continued explaining her idea. "He's a good instructor – better than most. And an excellent climber too. I think maybe we could complement each other well."

He could understand her reasoning, still, he was surprised to see Elsa willingly choosing to spend more time than necessary with someone who wasn't part of her family - with someone who didn't know about her powers, to be precise. "I get what you're saying. Yet, I think you shouldn't make rush decisions just to help him, Elsa."

"It's not rushed," she declared, surprising her brother once again. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. The accident made me realise I can't do my job alone anymore."

"I thought you wanted to get a different job this coming season. In one of the resorts." As far as he knew, it was the sole reason she had started studying once again.

The corner of Elsa's mouth turned up as she remembered the conversation with Anna a few weeks back. "Anna may have had something to do with me changing my mind about it… She says I need to be more optimistic and give my business a second chance."

Kristoff offered a small smile in return. He was still amazed by the way Anna kept encouraging Elsa to grow and work on what she loved.

"Do you think continuing to work independently is a good idea?" she asked, still unsure.

"I guess it sounds good."

"What about Marshmallow and I working together?"

He wanted to encourage his sister the way Anna did. He truly did. But he couldn't ignore what Anna was failing to see every time she put ideas into Elsa's head. Her powers. "My only concern is… Are you sure you can do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The two of you will need to be together for hours on end. What will you do about your powers?"

"Keep concealing them, I guess." She shrugged, not giving it much thought. "There isn't much I can do."

"You once told me you couldn't stand the city because suppressing your powers was physically exhausting, didn't you?" He watched her nod her head once. It was clear she didn't feel comfortable talking about it. "Are you sure it won't be hard to conceal them? What about the snow? You don't own a snow gun yet, he'll be suspicious."

"I'm still not sure what to do about that…" Elsa admitted in defeat. Kristoff was certain she had gone over her options several times before talking about it, and by her disappointment it was obvious she hadn't found a solution to that particular problem.

"Just think about it for a little while longer, okay?" he suggested. "Take your time. Try to think what's best for you."

"Maybe you're right…"

Kristoff watched her look out the window once again, and he smiled. By her serious expression she was clearly trying to come up with reasonable excuses for the things she did with her powers on the slope on a daily basis. After all, they were the only reason she had been able to prepare such an amazing place on her own. Without them, things could get harder. But maybe, Marshmallow's help would be enough for them to start a proper ski school together.

But for that to happen, they needed to make sure Marshall didn't kill Hans, or else Elsa would need to find a new colleague to work with.


Okay, that took forever to write.

Sorry for the delay you guys, but this chapter not only took way longer than I imagined, it also came out way too long in the first draft. So long I ended up splitting it into two. This is the first part. Luckily for you, that means I'll be updating chapter 25 sooner than you imagine!

Right now you may be wondering why I included Marshall's problem in the story, but do not worry, this part has a purpose. You'll understand the bigger part in the next chapter and then the rest by the end of the story!