The barking of their beautiful Samoyed echoed in the yard, and while grey clouds covered the sun above them Marsh was making the best out of the weather. The thought of his paws getting muddy from their yard's grass, his snout wet from catching his favorite ball every time it bounced on the green field of dirt, and his beautiful white coat drenched in mud, was in the back of Elsa's mind. But rather than feeling annoyed there were a calmness and sense of peace. While her office was on the second floor of their cozy home, her desk sat in front of a large window, and wasn't enough to muffle the noises of her excited dog.

Well, more like Anna's dog.

At first, Elsa adopted the small pup for the sole purpose of making Anna happy again. Now, Marsh was family. And one that Anna would always have tagging along.

She sighed, got up from her desk and looked out the window. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her chest was exposed ever so slightly with her collar shirt split open. She rummaged through her pockets to find her phone.

In the background, a flat-screen planted to the wall showed a game of football. Nothing that interested Elsa.

Elsa didn't want to miss a chance to see her sister playing catch with Marsh though. She smiled gently, almost nostalgically. Anna hadn't smiled like that for a long time, and it was just recently that she finally got away from the depression that had been chasing her.

Three years. Three years had gone by, but it wasn't always a smooth transition.

Even moving to Oslo made the girls suffer from homesickness. They argued the moment they had moved in. Anna wanted to go back. Elsa wanted to stay. In the end… they reached an agreement that they would go back only when Anna was better.

No… nothing was better. Anna had just gotten a dual citizenship here, life was peaceful, but peacefulness wasn't enough.

For Elsa… she still had crumbs to pick up. And perhaps, she wasn't used to silence. She needed the noise. She needed the arguments, the fights, the… well, no, it was just a simple 'want' rather than a 'need'.

Just two years ago news came out that Hans would be sentenced to jail for ten years on thirteen counts of sexual abuse and human trafficking. She thought it would be something for them to celebrate, but… it didn't feel as satisfying as it should have been. Everything… should've been dealt with earlier. But it didn't. And Elsa… had to suffer from a damaged reputation - and was still suffering from it.

Anna still hadn't spoken to Meg. It was selfish for Anna to put all the blame on her - but how could Elsa argue with her when Anna had experienced all this trauma? The woman had to brush it off as irrational thinking. She wasn't going to urge Anna to talk - as much as she wanted Anna to forgive her…

Not everyone deserves a second chance, Anna had said. The blonde despised that sentiment - despite the fact that she and Meg had a rough start they came to good terms. Yes, Meg's methods were utterly horrible and different, but the thought behind it all was what counted.

Anna was right though. Not everyone deserves a second chance. Not her father.

How hypocritical. Elsa had always wanted Martha and Anna to make up, but… now, she could see how hard it was to do so. No matter how many scenarios she imagined - of them hugging and lending each other's shoulders to cry on - she couldn't bear to see Anna getting hurt and rejected by the people that loved her most. Not anymore.

She sighed and gazed at her phone. A sudden text message popped up from Meg: "Call me".

Elsa just stared at the two words emptily. They hadn't talked for a while - almost like, every few months, a call would come in for Elsa. If anything… Elsa didn't want to talk to anyone. Sure, the city was big, but adjusting to a foreign place with Anna had been very hard. Getting a job? Even harder. Not being a CEO, rid of all responsibilities, with her bank account only filled with a couple hundred thousand euros… it wasn't something she was used to. She imagined they would be okay without working for a few years - saving up Anna's money, plus her own… but working had always been a distraction for Elsa. A distraction from her father.

Starting her own company from scratch… using loans, getting investors… yes, this was all necessary. Right now, no matter how hard this all was, they were okay.

And since they were okay… what harm could answering Meg do? Elsa called her. Her phone, pressed on her ear, beeped twice before Meg answered. "Hello?"

Elsa blinked. "It's me."

Silence. "It's been a while, Elsa. I thought… you changed your number."

Anything to rid me from the Arendelle name… Except for my number. Elsa gazed up from her feet to the window and Anna playing outside with her dog. "No, I didn't." She paused. "I know why you are calling. I'm sorry. Anna… she is very stubborn about you."

There was an unsettling chuckle from Meg. "It's alright. It's what I expected. Settling in well? The last time I heard from you, you were setting up your company."

"You can say that." She paused. While it had been three years… it didn't seem like they were close friends yet. "How are you finding your new job? Is it going well?"

Meg sighed. "It's going. After everything… things just haven't been the same. I'm making it work."

"Is it hard managing your students?"

"You know how it is. You can't really trust them to do the work on time."

"If you need a job -"

"Elsa. I appreciate the concern, but I don't have a Ph.D. on architecture. I'm doing fine here."

"That's good. Anyway… did you want to tell me something?"

The silence on the other end was giving Elsa chills. If anything… it would have to be about what happened since the last call. Her fingers tightened around her phone, eyes darkening with a sense of sternness… and all she could feel was the stress that had burdened her shoulders during those hard times.

"I… I'm not sure how I should tell you this. I suppose it is good news. But it's taken… so, so long…"

She turned when she heard her front door slam shut, and the sound of Marsh barking became even louder.

"Elsa?!" Anna yelled. "Elsa, come and see this! Quick!"

The woman froze, hearing the urgency in Anna's voice. Her priorities were straight, and without a second thought, Elsa answered the brunette back. "Look, we can talk about this later, I have Anna to tend to."

Meg sighed. "You'll find out even without me telling you. Go. We'll talk later."

With that, Elsa found herself walking down the wooden steps, finding the Samoyed brushing pass her as he ran upstairs. "Marsh -" Elsa let out a defeated sigh. "- your paws are dirty…"

Anna was in the living room, a remote in her hand… and just as Elsa stood next to her, those teal eyes, widened and in shock, were stuck to the screen.

"Anna -"

"Look…" She pointed at the screen. In front of them was a broadcasted news report. Elsa turned, the screen showing them both the familiar building that Elsa was the CEO of. The headline…

Agdar Arendelle's Failing Health: Corporate Founder Hospitalized due to Heart Condition

Anna immediately held onto Elsa's hand, another covering her own mouth. "Oh god… Elsa…"

Elsa… just stared. Her heart, pounding loudly just earlier, stopped in its tracks. Everything was still and quiet as they let the reporter speak, but Elsa… couldn't hear any of it. Her ears rung. Neither could the blonde believe it. Neither… could she face the reality.

"Elsa…" Anna slowly turned to her, and the only thing that prompted Elsa to gaze back… was the caress of Anna's hand on her cheek. The realization dawned on her that the moment relief began to crash through them… not because she pitied her father - not because they were going to suffer from a lack of proper closure, but because Elsa didn't care.

The woman looked away, her jaw tightening. "This doesn't concern me."

"What…?" Anna squinted, stepping right in front of her so that Elsa could properly look at her. Unlike Elsa, tears were coated on Anna's eyes. "Concern you…? W-What do you mean?"

The blonde immediately turned the TV off. "I don't need to hear this -"

"He is your father! Our father!"

"He left us," Elsa growled. "Maybe this is what he deserves for deserting us."

She knew Anna wasn't going to take this well. Hearing a shocked scoff from her little sister, seeing her back away, and shake her head, made Elsa realize… this type of reaction was expected. Anna never had a father, and only then when Elsa found her, fell in love her with… Anna had to choose between her father and lover, and she chose the latter.

Elsa couldn't stand the look of Anna's pity face. "Anna… I don't want him crossing over into our lives. I don't want us to feel the way that we did when we left -"

"You do not really think like that, Elsa…" Anna immediately grabbed her hand. For a second, Elsa wanted to pull away, because, in all honesty, she really thought that way. She didn't want what she had ruined by the only man that had separated them in the first place since childhood.

And when Elsa continued to stay silent and stubborn, Anna huffed. The redhead pulled back, stomped to a cabinet in the living room to pull out a drawer. Elsa wasn't quite sure what she was planning on doing, but when her little sister - with her arms lifting the drawer out - all the contents were immediately poured onto the desk.

Elsa just stared at the pile of letters. Many of them had gotten old… many that were still quite recent.

"I didn't want to tell you." Anna placed her hands on her hips. Elsa slowly picked a letter up from the pile, staring at the name of her father, staring at the address that was her home. "I know… how much you hate Papa. I don't blame you for that. And I know how much you don't want to keep in contact with him, but… he's been writing you letters every day. I never got to open them because I thought… I don't know, I hoped you would, one day, reconcile with him."

Elsa just continued to stare at the name of her father - the name that she never wanted to be associated with. There wasn't a thing that Anna could do to make her care for the man that hurt her for so long. She thought she could reconcile with him… but he had already shown his true colors by the time the news came out. "He lost that chance, Anna. You don't know how hard my life as a child was like. How could I love someone who couldn't possibly provide the same love to us?"

Anna bit down her lip, looking down. "You know," she breathed, "we… both had a very different life before we even met each other. My mother married a man who worked in a factory. She couldn't get a decent job, having me. She dropped out of college because of me. Because Papa left her for your mother. We lived in the same apartment for almost twenty years of our lives. I never had the privileged life that you had - I never had a nice car, I never had enough money, I never had a father. I had to do things… that would keep my family afloat. No matter how much it hurt me, it was necessary. Meeting you and Papa? That was the best thing I've ever had - and you gave me all the things that I've ever wanted. Except for a father, because I chose you. So I want to be selfish again… and I want you to fix whatever we had with Papa."

Each word and each tear that slid down Anna's cheeks, broke Elsa's heart, piece by piece.

Anna immediately came to her, hand caressing on her cheek. Right now, she could see Anna, eye to eye. The heartbreak inside of it… Elsa didn't want to make Anna feel like this ever again. "Look at me, beautiful." She sniffled. "That's our father right there. I know you. You're kind-hearted… soft, and sometimes, I know you can't be honest with yourself because you want to be strong, and that's okay. But for once, Elsa… I know you don't really believe what you said."

Elsa didn't know what to say. It was almost like looking into Anna's eyes would bring out the truth of her own heart.

"Elsa."

The woman blinked, feeling arms hold her tightly, red hair tickling her nose. And just like that, without Anna even saying another word, Elsa… let out a quiet sigh, her fingers covering her mouth. She trembled, her blue eyes, once cold, were gleaming with unshed tears.

All this time, all she could remember were all the bad times, all the arguments she had with her father. All this time, she couldn't even remember the moments where her father truly loved her. Where her father actually said those three sweet words that she yearned for him to say. And within all the bad memories, Elsa… remembered all the times her father would carry her on his shoulders, teach her how to become a successful person… how to be a good sister.

Elsa dropped the letter, her hand clenched to her chest. "Oh my God…" she croaked, letting tears fall down her cheeks. It had been so long… so long since she had cried like a child. Holding Anna like she was being held by her mother. They dropped to the floor, hugging each other, crying out their regrets… and especially, for Elsa, she felt the sorriest for her father. She couldn't deny it anymore - the fact was… she was still looking for her father's acceptance of her.

She clenched onto Anna's shoulder roughly, crying against her neck. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry -"

"Shh… Shh, it's okay… it's okay. Hey," Anna pulled away, smiling wetly. Her thumbs began to wipe away Elsa's precious tears, "Papa would be proud."

She shook her head, gazing down to her lap. "Proud…? Proud of what…? H… He's sick…"

Anna sniffled, mouthing, "I know. It's okay… you have me, don't you?" She gulps. "Elsa… do you want to talk to him?"

The woman wasn't sure. They hadn't talked for years. Elsa had destroyed every single contact with her father… yet, she felt guilty, now, for doing that. Even if it was just a simple talk… knowing that her father was sick, and not knowing how much time he had left in this world, it was the least that Elsa could do. She wiped her own tears away, nodding. "Then… do me one favor."

"Anything. I'll do anything."

"Reconnect with Meg for me." Silence. Elsa knew it. It was something that Anna couldn't do based on how fast her face fell from hope to hopelessness. It felt like they were both on the opposite end of the same spectrum.

With the uncertainty that even Elsa could thoroughly see from Anna, the redhead folded her arms around her chest, eyes avoiding her sister's. It didn't take long for Anna to nod though. "Alright, as long as you do this for me, I'll do anything for you."

That was all Elsa needed. "I just... need you to smile for me," she whispered. "I don't want you to feel any regret anymore."

"I know." Anna tightened the hug. "I, you."

And for a while, they were left alone to do their own thing. Elsa was back in her office, eyeing the familiar phone number that she had once blocked. "Father", the screen said. Almost screaming to her. How odd it was for Elsa to say and hear that word after so long. It almost felt foreign to her.

She faced the window, feeling the overwhelming glow of the sunshine erasing the clouds that once put a blanket over the gleam.

It almost felt like days had passed, but really… only half an hour had gone by. Yet, Elsa hadn't had the guts to tap on the green icon on her screen. What was she supposed to say?

'I'm sorry'?

'Anna and I are doing fine'?

'How's your health'?

There wasn't a single good way to start a conversation. Not with… a stranger. But she was doing this for Anna… and Anna was going to reconcile with Meg for her. A fair trade, indeed… but a really risky trade.

And while she was still trying to figure out a way to talk… Anna was probably in her own room, speaking to Meg because there was no mistake that as soon as she gathered the courage to lower her thumb on the call button, her phone vibrated with a message from Meg. Thank you, it said.

Thank you…

Elsa clenched her jaw. Now… it was her turn.

Taking a deep breath, with a count of three, she called.

"Hello, Agdar Arendelle speaking."

"Hello, Father. It's me, Elsa."