Chapter 52

A/N: I've been rereading this story to look for typos, grammar mistakes, etc. (And there are way too many, yikes), and I just realize that Hans has been the bad guy for 27 chapters so far. Well technically I've planned for him to be the big bad since Chapter One, but like he's been around for a long time.

Anyway we're definitely not at the end yet, though, so just hold on to your butts. It's about to get crazy, especially this chapter.

Yeesh.

"And you're sure that you haven't seen him anywhere near the bakery or ArenCorp?"

"No dice, my cameras aren't picking up anything. Haven't seen him anywhere near The Neighborhood either."

"Do you think he's hiding somewhere?"

"Definitely, it's only a matter of where. For all we know, he might not even be in Arendelle."

"Or at least not close by."

"You sure you didn't hear anything during that phone call? Anything that could help track him down?"

"Nothing I haven't already told you: heavy breathing, scraping metal, and then a loud pop."

"Hmm...alright, I'll keep looking into that and keep you posted."

"Thanks, Flynn. Stay safe out there and make sure to keep an eye on Rapunzel."

"Don't have to tell me twice. ...that sounded a lot less creepy in my head."

Elsa had a lot to think about.

If his bodyguard was here, that had to mean Hans was nearby. Unless he was only here to scout out their location or send a message to Elsa that he was out there somewhere.

So many maybes, so many theories, it was enough to make her head spin.

The elevator doors opened, she felt relieved to be back to a familiar place, a safe haven as of late. Plus there was the added benefit of Anna waiting for her. She'd had a long day, and it was nice to have someone to come "home" to. No, not just someone, the only one she wanted.

What she'd give for this craziness to finally be over so that that dream could become a reality.

First things first, she walked over to Hannah's desk to check for any notes. There were two pages laying next to the computer. Most of the notes were about scheduling meetings and not-so-nice messages from the board. At the end of the second page, there was a large sentence circled and underlined many times:

ANNA FOUND OUT WE HAD SEX, MY BAD. HAVE FUN WITH THAT CONVERSATION.

Uh oh.

Elsa froze, wondering what kind of Anna awaited her behind those double doors.

It wasn't that she was trying to keep this information from Anna, but it hadn't been on her mind. Even when they started rebuilding their relationship. But the way Hannah worded the note implied that her girlfriend wasn't exactly happy finding this out.

And especially from someone that wasn't her.

Regardless, it wasn't as if she could stay out here forever. It was time to face the music, she took a deep breath and opened her door.

It was quiet inside, and empty. Or rather it seemed empty. Everything was exactly how she'd left it, even the bed was left unmade since this morning. Anna, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Anna?" She said cautiously. "Where are you?"

Suddenly there was movement from her desk, the office chair swiveled around and there she was. Anna had her arms crossed, and even from this far Elsa could still see her chilling glare.

"So…Hannah told me something very interesting today." Anna said.

Yeah, this wasn't going to be fun.

"I swear I wasn't trying to keep this from you, it just slipped my mind."

The chair groaned when Anna leaned forward as if it was a third person reacting to this conversation. "It slipped your mind?!"

She knew that this was only a chair and a desk, but it still made her feel powerful. In charge, in control, intimidating. Which was exactly the feeling she wanted to project. "You mean you forgot that you slept with one of my best friends and moved on from our relationship?"

"What? I never moved on, Anna."

Well, that's what it sure sounded like. Anna knew deep down that Elsa didn't mean to keep this a secret, but she also felt justified in her anger. After all, wasn't it not too long ago that they agreed to stop keeping secrets from each other?

"Hannah told me everything, you know. She told me when it started, how many times, and when it ended. I always had my suspicions, but..."

"I know you wanted to hear all that from me, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." She could tell that Elsa was second-guessing every step forward, waiting for her to lash out or walk away.

Anna wasn't going to walk away, and she knew that they were both mature enough for this to not tear them apart, but she was so pissed. At both of them.

Elsa and Hannah knew about this the whole time, and the only reason Hannah even talked about it was because she assumed Elsa had already told her. At the end of their conversation, she told Hannah that it was best if they didn't see each other for a couple of days. Hannah understood.

"Anna you have to believe that I wasn't trying to lie to you, and I didn't mean to keep this a secret."

"Then why did you keep it a secret?"

"I-I…" Elsa stuttered, "I don't know. I really don't."

"Great, that's just great Elsa. Not only did you neglect to tell me this, but you don't even know why you did." Anna leered at her. "Is it because you can't help but lie to me?"

"Of course not!"

"Is it because she was better than me?"

"No!"

"Then why did you even sleep with her?!"

"Because she reminded me of you!"

Anna stopped. She ran one of her hands through her hair and scanned Elsa's eyes. She saw nothing but brutal and guilt-filled honesty in them. "What did you say?" She breathed.

There it was: the final piece of the puzzle that she was withholding from Anna.

She looked down at the floor, unable to meet her girlfriend's accusatory gaze. Her mind went back to that shameful first day: the interview. She personally oversaw the entire internship process, and Hannah was on the shortlist of prospects.

Even though there were potentially better ones, Elsa picked her for the one reason that put her above the rest.

Elsa sighed, "She reminded me of you. When I interviewed her for the position, I just saw you in her eyes and the way she talked and acted. Even once I became CEO I kept her around because it reminded me of what I lost. I figured if I had her, then it would help me make up for losing you."

"You used her."

Elsa winced, not because it was out of line, but because it was undeniably true. "I-I'm a bad person Anna. You're right I did use her, and on some level, Hannah must have known that."

Anna let out a long sigh, Elsa waited with bated breath to see what she'd say next, reminding herself that she wasn't the good guy in this conversation. "Did she ever actually know about us?"

She shook her head, "No, but she had her suspicions. The last time we…"

"Slept together."

"Yeah." Elsa felt ashamed for not even being able to say it. "She tried so hard to get me to open up, but I told her we'd never make our relationship too personal. That last night she said that I could trust her and rely on her, but I pushed her away. Just like I pushed you away."

Anna looked so furious at her before, but now...

But now she looked curious, wanting to get as much information as possible. The anger, the fire in her eyes was still there; but her face said otherwise.

Elsa was now standing in the same spot that all her interviewees stood. Where Hannah stood. Where every one of her clients stood. She could understand now why they were so intimidated to meet her.

"She said you guys never got serious. Is that true?" Anna asked, in the same tone of voice she'd also used in those interviews.

"It's true, I don't know for sure if she wanted to but I never did."

"She did," Anna said coldly. "At first she knew exactly what your relationship was, but the more you...spent time together, the more that she found herself actually wanting to be with you."

"Well, I highly doubt she wants that now." Elsa let out a strained laugh. When she saw the frown on Anna's face, she shut back up.

"Is that what you want?"

Elsa blinked, "Of course not! I want you, I've always wanted you. You know that...right?"

Of course Anna knew that. Of course she knew that Elsa was sorry for everything that happened. But it hurt knowing that while she was crying, grieving, refusing to think about being with anyone else...Elsa was.

And yeah, Elsa never got into any actual relationships, but she felt like this was her way of moving on. Her way of forgetting about what they had.

So, she told her that.

"I don't know, Elsa."

"You...don't know?"

This was hurting both of them. Anna could see it in Elsa's eyes: She thought she was losing her. But she couldn't reassure her that that wasn't going to happen. This wouldn't tear their relationship apart, but...it still hurt. And it wouldn't hurt as bad if it hadn't piled onto a weight she had been feeling for a while.

"This makes me think you did move on, like I'm not the only one you've ever wanted. While I was crying over you, and avoiding every guy and girl that tried to get too close to me, you were out here…"

Crap, her voice cracked. She could feel the tears forming. This was the one thing she didn't want to happen.

"...you moved on, Elsa." She continued while her voice threatened to betray her again. "I know you said you didn't, but you did."

"Anna…" Elsa wasn't even trying to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for hurting you. No matter what I did, I could never forget about you or move on. You were always there, always with me, always reminding me of the thing that I tore apart."

"Stop! I-I told you that it wasn't just you, it was us. It was me!"

"It wasn't you! Anna, it was never you."

"Yes it was! I'm the reason you did this." Anna said it like it was this huge revelation, but it was something she'd been wrestling with for so long. It made sense in a way: insecure, stupid, sensitive Anna drove her first love into the hands of another. "I drove you to do this because I wasn't good enough for you!"

There's a hurt look on Elsa's face that makes Anna want to shut up. "You weren't good enough for me? Anna, you were the only one for me!"

It was no longer about who slept with whom, and Anna wasn't even angry with her anymore. She was angry at herself.

Anna slammed her palm down on the table with enough force to startle Elsa, and almost startling herself, "No, stop it! This was all my fault!"

She was useless, that's what she told herself. She wasn't what Elsa wanted, she wasn't good enough for her. All these thoughts, all these insecurities, they began to spill out.

"Maybe if I had tried more, maybe if I'd shown how much I still loved you, maybe then you wouldn't have...I would have…" She buried her face into her hands and began to sob.

It hurts so much.

Anna feels Elsa move towards her and wrap her in her arms, and she doesn't resist. Even when they both fall to the floor. She just buries her face into the guilty blonde's shoulders.

With the last bit of fight she has left, Anna whispered: "Please don't leave me."

Knowing that she'd hurt Anna again filled Elsa with so much dread. When Anna stopped crying, she would fill her with hope this time. She would fix this.

At least Anna didn't push her away when she went to hold her. Right now, she was looking for as many good signs as possible and that was definitely one of them.

When she heard Anna's tears stop, she stroked her shaking girlfriend's hair and said softly: "You did more than enough, my love. You're the reason that we're together now. I'm so sorry for hurting you, and for making you think that I'd moved on from you. I never moved on, now and forever you will always be the one that I want."

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist, holding on tight. "Do you promise?" She asked, throat still recovering.

Elsa got off her knees and sat on the floor, repositioning them so that Anna was practically laying on her lap. She continued to stroke her hair and whisper reassuring words. "I promise. I could never get you off my mind no matter how hard I tried. Knowing that I was the one that shut the door on you made me feel guilty every day. You've always been the brightest part of my life Anna, and you still are."

"And you're mine," Anna said. "So please don't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Anna sniffled, "Thank you."

Just like that, all the unease inside of Elsa washed away. They were going to be okay. After everything they'd been through, all the secrets that threatened to tear them apart, all the people that had kept them from each other, they still came out the other side together.

This moment was so tender and intimate, that it almost made her forget that a psychopath was still trying to hunt them down.

But, again, that was a problem that wouldn't get solved in the next few minutes. They had time, they had tomorrow. Tonight was for them.

4:30 AM

Elsa's woken up by the sound of her phone vibrating. Regretfully she let go of Anna and turned over on the bed, the light from her phone assaulted her tired eyes. She unlocked it to see who in their right mind would be contacting her this late at night.

It was a message. Probably one of the best messages she'd ever gotten.

Flynn: I found him. Call me.