AUTHOR'S NOTE (from original chapter 35, before these two chapters were combined): I LIIIIIIVE! Finals, DONE! Also, this chapter—once again—had to be split in two, because it got too long. I hope to post the next chunk Sunday morning; tomorrow I travel. For those of you who have given me reviews… THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN! I have a LOT more to say, including to "Authors Like Me," but I need more time. I'll stick it with the next chapter. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU I LOVE YOOOOOOU! (This also goes for the people PMing me that I haven't yet responded to; it's been a crazy couple weeks!)

AUTHOR'S NOTE (from original Chapter 36): Hey, everybody! Sorry; I suppose it's Sunday NIGHT, not Sunday morning. But anyway, three things: First off, thank you SO MUCH for the reviews; it REALLY encourages me to keep trying to turn this out, if people are actually enjoying it! Honestly, I still can't believe people are reading this. THANK YOU SO MUCH; YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL AND I LOVE YOU! Secondly, there's been a sudden influx of guest reviews and views… (which I love). Has this been shared on a pinterest board somewhere, or something? If it has, I have no IDEA how to tell. (Halp. I'm still pretty new to fanfic!) Third, for "Authors Like Me" You requested a code word! At first, I was thinking that I'd do something really clever, like write you a little Mathematica program to spit out 100,000 random letter combinations from which you could choose any word that happened to form (a "code" word… get it? A word, from computer code? Ha? Ha ha?), but then it occurred to me: I don't feel like it. (For the record, if you prefer, I could also code it into either C++ or Matlab, both of which I am competent in, and both of which I hate.) So, how about this: As soon as I can, I'll set up a special email for people who can't PM me, so that I can be contacted. Okie-doke?

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual innuendo… like usual. Time to bring in that over-protective brother figure again. ;)

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35: BROKEN, JAGGED EDGES

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Walking through the door into his and Anna's bedroom, Elsa struggled to keep her breathing even, her heart in her throat. This was going to be fine. It was all going to be just fine.

Come ON, Elsa. You can do this, she thought desperately.

Kristoff turned and closed the door, twisting on one of the lamps and walking across the carpet to yank the curtains shut for the evening. The bedroom—Anna's childhood bedroom, because Queen Anna had insisted that the royal suite would always be reserved for her visiting sister—was in the process of being partially turned into a nursery, on the side where Elsa's bed and dresser had once been (before the accident when she was six). Usually, the royal babies would be kept in separate sleeping quarters, but Anna would not hear of it. She wanted the child—or perhaps children, Elsa thought—to be with their parents, from the first moment that they started breathing. And so, it was done.

Or rather, Acting Queen Elsa saw to it that it was done. The Council didn't approve of much of anything that broke tradition, but this was such a tiny, domestic detail that she was able to easily override their opinions.

Just one more thing that Anna didn't need to know about.

King Kristoff pulled up a chair for his sister-in-law, then taking a step back and leaning against the bed, folding his arms over his chest. Elsa, seeing the worry creasing his brow, bit her lip as she sat down. He wasn't any more excited for this conversation than she was.

Well, then. Time for the Queen Face.

Elsa regally drew herself up in the chair, trying to appear calm, silently begging for the air around her to not become spontaneously populated with snowflakes.

"You might as well just say it, Kristoff," she said calmly. "Whatever is on your mind. It's alright."

Please, oh please, do NOT actually tell me what's on your mind.

Kristoff shifted uncomfortably against the edge of the bed, staring at his feet. Elsa pulled in another deep breath.

"And before you start," she added quickly, "I just—alright, I know that the thing under the bed with Jack looks really bad. Alright? But nothing—happened. I mean, nothing bad happened, if that's you're thinking. I promise."

Kristoff let out a sharp bark of laughter, shaking his head. "I wasn't going to ask. But we'll pretend I believe you," Kristoff admitted softly. His smile then faded again. After a few moments, absent-mindedly kicking at the carpet, he bit his lip, looking up into Elsa's face. "I—I just wanted to make sure you're being—careful."

Elsa's eyes widened.

"Careful?" she sputtered, "What do you mean, careful? Of course I'm being careful! Arendelle is still my number one priori—"

"—I meant careful with Jack."

A wave of confusion swept over Elsa's face. Kristoff pulled in a long breath, looking to his feet, and then back into her eyes.

"He's—um," Kristoff muttered, "He's a little—fragile."

Elsa glanced down into her lap, twisting the fabric on her skirt. Having seen Jack's—reaction—to the hug she was devastatingly aware of this fact.

Not that Kristoff needed to know the details.

"I know," she said softly.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and then opened them again, giving his head another shake and calculating his words carefully. "Elsa, I really don't think you—"

"—Three hundred years?"

Kristoff stopped. After a few moments, he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So, he did tell you," he said.

Elsa nodded.

Kristoff swallowed hard, uncrossing his arms and gingerly putting his hands down on the edge of the bed. "He—um—I know that Frost jokes and laughs and tries to flirt with you, but if you get to know him," Kristoff sighed, "There's something—broken—in that guy. Like, something was cracked, deep inside him. A long time ago. He's—he's a broken person, Elsa."

"So am I."

Kristoff straightened up, pushing himself away from the bed and starting to walk towards her. "I'm not talking, you know, a little hurt. I'm talking deep, permanent emotional scarring." Kristoff folded his arms over his chest again, stopping in front of her. "When you—when you stopped believing—that shattered him. I mean, his entire world was—"

"—I know what it did to him."

He scoffed. "Then how can you say that you know what it's like to be broke—"

"—Because I spent most of my childhood, and my entire adolescence, believing that I was a monster?"

Kristoff's eyes widened slightly in shock. Elsa shook her head, pushing herself up out of the chair. Struggling to keep her breathing even, she walked over to a table on the side of the room.

"Here… let me put it this way. Okay?" she quavered.

Kristoff watched as she swirled her hand above the table, a beautiful, simple vase made of ice spiraling into existence. Then, concentrating hard, Elsa focused on the most slender part of its neck, gently gripping its sides.

CRACK!

A jagged fissure shot through the ice, the top of the crystalline vase splintering and separating from its base. With her brother-in-law watching in confusion, Elsa pulled in a deep breath, taking to two pieces of the now-broken vase and turning around to face him again.

"Broken… broken," she said softly, holding up each piece in turn. Elsa then drew herself up, and placed the top half of the vase on its bottom, slightly shifting the ice until it clicked into place like a puzzle piece. "And… not broken!"

She bit her lip, looking up to him with a hopeful expression on her face as she held it out. After a few moments, Kristoff sighed.

"That only works if the two edges are totally aligned, Elsa."

"But that's it exactly," Elsa responded, turning back and placing the vase on the table. She then picked up the top piece again, curling her fingers around the delicate ice. "I know that Jack is broken. He's really broken. Okay? But all of his broken, jagged edges…" her voice trailed off, and she looked back up to Kristoff. "I—I can't help but feel like they match my own."

Elsa smiled weakly, blushing slightly as she looked down to the broken fragment of the vase in her hand. Tossing it gently to herself, she then carefully rejoined it with its base, swirling her hand over the crack and melding the two sections together into a solid piece. Kristoff said nothing, shifting as he leaned against the wall. Elsa pulled in another deep breath.

"See?" she laughed breathily. "That's why… well, why I keep spending all this time with him, even when I'm just doing the work I needed to be doing anyway. And Jack is very smart, for the record. As long as it doesn't distract me from my responsibilities, I feel like our friendship—well, I feel like it's helping both of us. You know?"

"Friendship?" Kristoff stammered suddenly. "This honestly looks like a friendship to you?"

"Well—yes," she replied, a wave of confusion sweeping over her face. "What would you call it?"

"Hmm… well, there's the spending all your time together. And how you keep watching each other. And touching each other. And, oh! Right! How about the continual blushing?" Kristoff scoffed. "Yeah… this is definitely just a friendship, Elsa."

Her heart leapt into her throat with shock.

"But it is friendship!" she protested.

"Then explain the spontaneous snowfall that broke out over the potatoes when he tried to grab your hand."

Elsa's throat tightened in sudden embarrassment, blood rushing to her face as she fidgeted with her fingers. She then shifted uncomfortably on her feet, leaning against the table.

"You saw that?" she choked.

"Everybody saw that."

Elsa bit her lip again. After a few moments, Kristoff's eyes narrowed, and he drew in a long breath.

"Wait a minute. Frost was just going for your hand," he said carefully, "Um… right?"

"What do you mean? As opposed to what?"

Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, raising a single eyebrow.

Elsa gasped.

"OH MY WORD," she stammered, slapping the edge of the table and gripping it so hard that her knuckles turned white. "MY HAND. YES."

"Just making sure—"

"—How could you even ASK me that?"

"Hey!" Kristoff retorted, "It was under the table, okay? WE sure couldn't see what he was—"

"—So that's what you assume?!"

"No! I assumed he was trying to hold your hand! But just in case he—well, dear sister, I've got to know if I need to add Kill Jack Frost onto my Holiday To-Do List, okay?"

She set her jaw, glaring at him. "And—for the record—the b-blushing might not even really be blushing," Elsa sputtered desperately, changing the subject back. "Jack and I are both just really pale."

"Incorrect. You're translucent." Kristoff shook his head. "Elsa… the reason that I wanted to talk to you was because… well, honestly, I'm worried about you getting romantically involved with Jack Frost. I mean, the stuff at the table. That was entertaining to watch and everything, but in all seriousness, this is…" He paused, pulling in another deep breath before slowly looking back up into his sister-in-law's eyes again. "Elsa… this is… dangerous."

The words hit her like a wall of icy water.

Shifting on her feet again, she looked down, nervously twisting her spike heel into the carpet. After a few moments of silence, she swallowed hard.

"Dangerous?" Elsa choked.

Kristoff nodded. His face was grave, and he sighed.

"I'm worried about you," Kristoff said. "Well—both of you. I mean, I care about you guys, and I don't want either one of you to be heartbroken, but…"

His voice trailed off. Elsa drew herself up.

"But what?" she quavered.

Kristoff pulled in a long breath. "But… um," he stammered, "Elsa—if something goes wrong—I mean, if either one of you loses control—it could potentially be catastrophic. I mean, it could hurt a lot of people. Okay?"

"What are you saying?"

"You realize who this guy is… don't you?"

Elsa looked down, staring at the ground and twisting the edge of her capelet. After a few moments, she gave her head a little shake.

"I know exactly who he is," she said quietly. "He's Jack Frost. He's—he's a legend. I know he is. I mean, you're probably right, if you're thinking he's too good for me, but—"

"—Gaaaaaurgh," Kristoff groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm not thinking about your stupid lack of self-esteem, Elsa! I'm thinking of what could happen, if Jack gets upset again and loses control. I'm thinking of the most violent blizzard that this world has ever seen."

Elsa's eyes widened. Blood rushing to her face, she shifted uncomfortably against the table as her brother-in-law walked towards her, pausing right in front of her and leaning in close to her face.

"That light little snowfall? Back after your coronation?" Kristoff whispered intensely, "That is nothing—nothing—compared to what could happen, if you break that guy's heart. Take that quaint little dusting of yours, multiply it by a thousand, and have THAT happen to the ENTIRE WORLD!"

Elsa bit her lip. Drawing in her breath, she blinked hard, shaking her head slightly again.

"Kristoff," she choked slowly, "You… you can't break the heart of someone that isn't in love with you."

"Oh, you clueless—"

"—And besides," Elsa continued, slightly louder, "Even if Jack did lose control—oh, come on. I don't really imagine that it could be worse than when I—"

"—OH! You don't!"

"Kristoff, I've seen what he can do! Alright?" she protested. "I mean, we had a snowball fight, and—well, frankly, I felt I was going easy on him. I mean, he wasn't—"

"—Oh, yeah, Frost totally wasn't being gentle with you," Kristoff scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Seeing as you're his delicate little snowflake, and all."

Elsa stopped in shock, her face flushing. After another moment, her eyes narrowed, and she glared into Kristoff's eyes.

"For your information," she said coldly, "There are a lot of things that I can do, that he can't. Well—that he can't yet, at least. Like, we built another ice structure out in the woods. Guess who pulled up the foundation? Me. I make really solid, big buildings. Oh, and how about my snow monsters? He can't do that, either."

"And you know what he's known for? Snowstorms, Elsa. MASSIVE. SNOWSTORMS."

She fell quiet again. Kristoff walked to the other side of the room, where the nursery was being put in, picking up a wooden rod and a piece of sandpaper that were sitting on a pile of wood next to a large crib made out of ice. The rod was going to become part of a wooden crib for the newborn child. Shortly after discovering that Queen Anna was pregnant, she and Anna learned that the Commoner King had something of a fantasy of building his first child's crib by himself. Despite what a sweet idea it was, Elsa had been the one to figure out, after multiple failed attempts, that Kristoff didn't know a thing about woodworking. So, she had made him a prototype out of ice, so that he would have something to work off of.

He was learning.

"I know that you weren't raised by rock trolls like I was," Kristoff said, walking back towards her, "Okay? I know that you didn't grow up being taught about this guy."

"I did plenty of research, though. I happen to know that—"

"—Not the same," he interrupted. Elsa watched as Kristoff tossed the rod to himself, leaning against the bed again as he began to rub the sandpaper up and down its length. "Grandpabbi's mother saw Jack Frost in action, once. In the sky."

Elsa's breath caught. What was that supposed to mean? Had she—had she not seen him in action?

Kristoff sighed, looking down to the rod and shaking his head. Elsa shakily drew herself up, pulling in a deep breath.

"Enlighten me," she said carefully.

Kristoff shook his head and stopped sanding, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"Seeing Jack Frost in action—almost no one ever has," he said, gesturing with the rod.

"Why not?"

Kristoff grinned. "Well," he chuckled, "He's usually surrounded by a blizzard. And is a few thousand feet up."

Elsa felt a little blood rushing to her cheeks at the realization. "Of course," she choked. "But—but Grandpabbi's mother—"

"—Saw him. Right," Kristoff shrugged. "And apparently, it was incredible."

I'm sure he was, Elsa thought. She drew herself up again, her eyes narrowing.

"How so?" she asked carefully.

Kristoff resumed absent-mindedly sanding, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "Grandpabbi said—well, Grandpabbi's mother—she was up in top of the mountains, and she could see the storm forming from its side. Really rare position to be in," he explained. "She said that the entire valley—as far as she could see—was filled with swirling, thrashing storm clouds. She was above the cloudbank, and it was—well, she described it as being a white ocean, all around the mountain."

Elsa said nothing, transfixed. It was just—wow. Really?

Jack could do that?

"And then, this shape shot out of the center of the storm," he continued, "Darting into the upper atmosphere, and then diving back into the clouds. She only saw the shape for a couple seconds, but—well, it was pretty obvious to her, who it was."

"He was controlling the whole thing?" Elsa whispered.

A tiny hint of a smirk tugged at the edge of Kristoff's mouth. He raised his eyebrows, pausing in his sanding for a moment and looking to her.

"He's Jack Frost," Kristoff chuckled. "Remember that whole Spirit of Winter thing? Who do you think was controlling it?"

Elsa's heart fluttered. Feeling blood rushing to her face, she clasped her hands together in her lap, shyly looking down to her wrists. This was the young man that had caught her in the snow? This was the young man that she had kissed on the previous afternoon? This was the young man that—

In her mind's eye, Jack was blushing furiously, perched on the library table and running his fingers through his hair.

I guess I DO have a favorite type of ice.

Elsa bit her lip, blushing harder.

Shaking his head, Kristoff laughed softly, seeing his sister-in-law's expression. He resumed sanding the rod, kicking out his right foot and crossing it over his ankle as he leaned back against the bed.

"Yeah. You are definitely just friends," he muttered, the smile twitching out of the side of his mouth again as he inspected the rod. "Anyway, though—yeah. According to Grandpabbi's mother, the entire storm across the valley was being controlled by a scrawny, laughing guy with white hair and a stick."

"Jack can do that?"

"Who do you think brings kids all the blizzards and the snow days?" Kristoff continued as she looked back up to him, her eyes wide. "That guy is insanely powerful. Grandpabbi's mother said that it was like the entire sky was trying to fight against him, all at once. And Jack Frost just—well, he just casually laughed, and flew around the mountains in the snowstorm until he'd successfully wrestled it into submission."

"That sounds… amazing," Elsa breathed.

A long, awkward silence fell over the room.

"The storm!" Elsa blurted desperately, Kristoff bursting out into hysterical laughter and sinking down against the side of the bed, "I was talking about the storm! You know—like—seeing him making a snowstorm—I—aurgh."

Kristoff had clapped his hand over his eyes, buckling over guffawing and pounding the side of the bed with his fist. After a few moments, he shook his head, pushing himself up again and looking to his sister-in-law. "OOOOOOOOOh, I reeeeeeeally should have just kept my mouth shut," he laughed, gasping for breath. "I was trying to convince you that getting involved with Frost was a bad idea. Clearly, I've had the opposite effect."

"You know exactly what I meant, Kristoff!"

"You have such a crush on him!"

"I do not!"

He smirked, raising his eyebrows. Elsa drew herself up, unsuccessfully trying to fight the blood back away from her face, as Kristoff pushed himself up and started sanding the rod again.

"What, exactly, were you two doing under the bed?" he chuckled.

Elsa crossed her arms over her chest, trying to appear casual as she shifted on her feet.

"Talking," she replied.

Kristoff didn't look convinced.

"And…?" he prompted.

Elsa pressed her lips together, her breath catching. Hiding it, she then quickly shrugged.

"And, I gave him a hug," she added reluctantly.

He stopped sanding the rod.

"Uh… huh," Kristoff said, rolling his eyes.

"Kristoff, it was just a hug."

"Did this hug last for more than ten minutes?"

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again, pulling in a sharp breath and drawing herself up.

"No," she lied.

Kristoff raised his eyebrows.

"You hesitated."

"No, I—no, I didn't!"

Elsa felt her throat harden with embarrassment, a new wave of nausea sweeping over her as Kristoff's sweet smile crooked into a little smirk.

"Basically," he chuckled, "You cuddled with him."

"Wha—I—no!"

"DAWWWW, YOU CUDDLED WID HIM."

"Keep—it—down!" she hissed. "I—am—the Snow Queen! I do NOT—cuddle—with people—"

"Oooh, bud appawently, da Thno Queen WILL cuddle with thumbody if ith Jack FWOST—"

"—Kristoff," Elsa gritted, blushing furiously, "If you say that word—one more time—"

"—Cuddled?"

"—I will have you executed," she finished icily.

Kristoff shook his head, laughing softly under his breath as he resumed sanding. After a few moments passed, the sly little smirk spread across his face again, and he looked up to his sister-in-law.

"Ith Eltha embawwassed of dah snuggles?"

"Auuuuuuuuurgh," Elsa groaned, "Kristoff—we're just—"

"—Just friends?"

"Yes!"

"Really."

Elsa's face flushed, and she looked down, twisting her heel into the carpet. The silence fell again as Kristoff's smile faded. He then sighed, shifting uncomfortably against the edge of the bed and slowly looking back into her eyes.

"You're playing with fire, Elsa," he said softly.

Elsa set her jaw. "Wrong. We're playing with ice," she retorted, drawing herself up. "And, you know what? It's fun. It is really. Really. FUN."

Blushing furiously, she turned away, leaning onto her hands over the table and staring down at the icy vase she'd made a few minutes earlier. She could practically feel Kristoff's gaze on her back as she struggled to keep herself together, a few flurries of snow materializing out of the air around her.

From somewhere behind her, she heard her brother-in-law let out a long sigh.

"My word, you're in love with him."

Elsa's back stiffened. She didn't respond, gripping the edge of the table and willing the snow flurries to stop. Conceal! She thought desperately.

The flurries began appearing faster.

"Well, if you two are already in this deep, I guess there's nothing that can be done to prevent it," Kristoff started again. "I just hope that you realize how difficult it will be to back out, Elsa."

"There's nothing to back out of."

"Uh-huh. Right. You know," he chuckled bitterly, "When I started calling you guys Winter Bunnies, it was because I just thought you two were sort of cute. You know, how you stuck together like glue, from the moment he showed up. But that little episode at the table—I didn't realize how much you two were already emotionally invested in this. And how bad it could potentially get, if this snowy little love affair turns sour."

"There's nothing to turn sour!" Elsa protested weakly, walking over to the chair again and collapsing into it, "We're friends! Jack would never be interested in me like that—"

"—Elsa—"

"—And even if, by some miracle, he was," she interrupted, "He wouldn't lose control if it didn't work out!"

"Are you sure about that?"

She fell quiet again. He placed the rod and sandpaper on the bed, crossing the room to where she was sitting. Dropping his voice to a whisper, Kristoff then leaned in close to Elsa's face.

"If the Spirit of Winter goes berserk, we are all very dead." Kristoff put his hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Please. Just marry him. Sleep with him—"

"—Oh, now you want me to sleep with him?!"

"Well, Frost is obviously eager enough."

"HOW—"

"—And frankly, I don't even care," Kristoff interrupted, slightly louder. "At this point, I'm a lot more concerned about preventing an emotionally-induced ice age than I am about your virtue."

"Our virtue?!" Elsa sputtered, "WHAT the—! You know that we'd never—"

"—Hey, who's the one getting up close and personal with one of The Guardians under the bed?" he retorted angrily. "You can't help it if he likes you, but—"

"—Kristoff!" Elsa gritted, "NOTHING. HAPPENED."

"If you say so, dear sister. But if you're going to get romantically involved with Jack Frost—oh, don't give me that; you clearly are," he snapped, holding up his hand as Elsa opened her mouth to protest, "You've can't afford to ignore the potential for disaster. I'm begging you, Elsa. Whatever you do, do not break this guy's heart. I just don't want him to get depressed and freeze Europe, alright?"

Elsa set her jaw again, staring into her lap and refusing to meet her brother-in-law's gaze. A hard silence swept over them, and she fidgeted with her skirt, fighting the blood rushing to her face.

After a few more moments, she slapped her hands down onto the arms of the chair, pushing herself onto her feet.

"Thank you for your concern, dear brother," Elsa shook, "But I—Jack and I are friends. Frankly, this is the first real friendship I've ever really had, and I'm not letting it go that easily, no matter what you think of it."

He didn't respond at first, taking a few steps back. Elsa snuck a quick glance at the vase on the table, and then turned away from him, walking for the door.

"You know," Kristoff said softly, "Maybe—maybe you're right."

She paused.

Without turning around, Elsa bit her lip, hearing her brother-in-law's approaching footsteps. Right behind her, he stopped.

"Maybe this—friendship—is actually a good thing. I mean, despite the danger," Kristoff added quickly. "…Maybe it wouldn't be a terrible thing for the Snow Queen to have a little fun in her life."

Another silence fell. Finally, Elsa swallowed hard.

"I know," she choked. "I know that I probably need to have a little fun in my life. It's just that I—"

She stopped abruptly, blushing. As Elsa shook her head, starting to walk towards the door again, Kristoff leapt in front of her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You what?"

Elsa stared at the ground, closing her eyes.

"I just…" her voice trailed off, and Elsa sighed. Then, taking another deep breath, she hesitantly looked up into his gaze again.

"I just think he needs to have a little love," Elsa whispered. "In his."