Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Black Bear Auto.



Taking in the sight of the piece of junk before me, I let out a semi-relieved sigh. For once, I finally got the chance to see what still had to be done in order to get my poor bike up and running. (Seeing that it seemingly was going to be a slow Saturday and all.) Anyway, the bike honestly didn't look too bad since Marko and Giovanni had begun picking at it whenever they got the chance. Which I was quite thankful for because I could only work a few times a week (after school activities and all,) but I usually got a full day on Saturday's. Regardless, the two gents even went as far as taking all the farrings off and it also looked like they'd changed the oil and took the old battery out. Nice. I smirked to myself and just about got my hands on my prize when another familiar voice joined me.

"So, you're, like, not going to spend time with that pretty lady-friend of yours today?" Petro asked from behind me after clapping his hand on my shoulder.

I snorted and looked over said shoulder at him. Well, I had to look up to eventually see his eyes, but that was whatever. Tall handsome galoot! "It kinda looks like I'm working, no?" I shrugged, keeping my mind on track instead of letting it wander like it wanted to.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not like you can't ask for a day off, Crescent. It's a gorgeous Saturday!" He swept his arms around the partly empty garage before suddenly stopping mid-thought. "Unless...you don't have her number?"

That time I didn't hesitate to smack him upside the head, making him bark out a loud laugh that echoed through the garage. "Of course I have her number! What kind of person do I look like?" I growled, ignoring the not-so-quiet chuckles from the other guys under their hoists and instead, watched him push a hand through his dark, curly hair that instantly came back to wrap around his chiseled face and neck. "And you cannot call me 'Crescent.'" I poked his cheek pointedly. "Everyone at school already does and it gets really old, really fast."

He showed off his lone dimple before asking with a toothy grin, "Well, Cara. What do your friends call you?"

"Anna." I snarked back like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Pfft!" Petro laughed and moved around to inspect my bike with me.

"Feisty-Pants?" I tried. Anything's better than Crescent. Just thinking about the ridiculing way most of my teachers said it made me flex my jaw in annoyance.

"Now you're just making stuff up."

"Am not!" I shouldered him with a playful scowl. "And if you have such a problem with calling me, Anna...by all means, make up your own."

"You got it, Cucciola." He returned my shove to our shoulders with a more gentler, playful one.

I sighed deeply and that time, pushed my own hand through my hair. "And what on earth does that mean, my dearest Petroleum?" Seriously, Elsa calls me all kinds of things and I never- Furrowing my brow curiously, I glanced back at him. "Are you Italian, by chance?"

"Well-" He pretended to think about it, even clicking his tongue in the process. "My dad's name is Giovanni D'Amico. So that'd make me Petro D'Amico and my little sister's name-"

"I get it, I get it!" I couldn't stop my hand from clamping itself over his strong looking mouth. If he made a big deal out of it, I assumed D'Amico was an Italian name. Oy, I need to expand on my continents again. But, this was absolutely perfect though! If Elsa Mariani wouldn't tell me what she was calling me, there was a translator standing right next to me. I grinned mischievously. "What does Gatina mean?" I inwardly face palmed at the way it rolled off my tongue. More like crumbled out of my mouth. Sounds so much better when she says it!

Blue-gray eyes narrowed at me in thought once again while he crossed his arms. "You...mean Gattina?" He asked skeptically. And apparently it sounds better from him too. I kept that to myself though.

"Yes. That." I grumbled before leaning over to try to fix the bent out of shape mirror to no avail. Probably need to replace it.

"Is that what she calls you?" Petro asked after another minute of thoughtfulness.

"Sometimes. Among other things." I mumbled, trying to be nonchalant as I made a quick note about the size of the mirror and began to think about where I could look for one later.

"Then I think it's best that I stay out of it." His chuckle was as silky as his hair, but it made me groan in slight frustration.

"Why not? She doesn't tell me these things and it's starting to drive me crazy." I lamented dramatically before punching his shoulder.

He let out another delightful laugh and after rubbing his poor arm, he quickly reached out to stop me from continuing to get my hands dirty. I'd been reaching for the old battery. "Don't worry, she will. Hang in there Cucciola." He told me and then turned me away from the bike to lead me to the garage door. "Now, why don't you take the day off, at my expense-" He held a long finger to my lips to keep me from talking over him, "Yes, it's my day off. I'm only here because I had to bring my dad in, but that's not important. Anyway, we'll swap a different day so you can enjoy your weekend. Yes?"

No wonder he's not dressed for the garage. I only barely saw his favorite autographed UFC shirt (which seemed a bit on the small side because of his muscles) and laid-back blue jeans. Those along with his fine, curly hair and muscles, killer grin...Could he be more attractive? I often wondered why he didn't seem to have a girlfriend. Focus! "Petro." I shook my head free of thoughts, but his hands squeezed my shoulders pointedly.

"Ah, ah, ah. Go, simpatica. We'll trade next weekend." He patted my head like a child.

"Okay, how old are you? Dang, Sistine...buttress." I chuckled disdainfully at the ridiculousness that fell out of my mouth and he joined me.

"Don't hurt yourself now, sweet little puppy."

"Argh!" I punched his arm, causing him to cry out again while my face heated up in a blush. That had to be a bruise by now, but I didn't particularly care. "Shut up." I can see why Elsa punches me all the time, now.

Incognito.

"HUSH!" Kida quickly smashed her hands over mine and Olaf's mouths to keep us from waving around wildly to get the unaware chestnut haired girl's attention. "Frankenteen doesn't know she's here too. Let's wait and see how he handles the surprise." There was almost a wild look in Kida's eyes that was palpable enough to build up the anticipation until adrenaline began to course through our veins. Yet, we stayed firmly huddled behind the booth with our noses pressed to the back of the chair, eyes as focused as a lioness to her prey.

"Ten bucks says he turns into a total klutz when he sees her." I smirked knowingly, watching my clueless friend as he continued to gather the remainder of our food.

"I say he drops all of our delicious shakes." Kida snickered.

"Oh, give the poor guy a break." Olaf reprimanded. "Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway."

"Not to sound mean, but this is Kristoff we're talking about." Kida frowned at our shortest member. "He's not exactly the smoothest operator, this side of Arendelle County."

"Shut up." I growled at them and then forced them to look forward just in time.

Crash!

"Move out!" I shouted, all but shoving Kida into the aisle so we could rush to our suddenly clumsy friend's aid before he did something else stupid. Like stuttering like a fool, chasing the unbroken cups around on the wet floor and then finally cutting his hand on a piece of stray glass. I ought right cringed at the sight of that. Kristoff, you genius!

But before we could get to him, I instantly grabbed shirt collars and slowed Olaf and Kida down as Sen knelt in front of Kristoff first. By the time we actually got there, she had already wrapped his hand in one of the cloth napkins from her table while some other workers came to start cleaning up the mess. Olaf was next to fall on his knees beside the two with wide frantic eyes. Always one for a dramatizations. I chuckled inwardly and waited for his mouth to open while keeping Kida from interrupting like I knew she so badly wanted to.

"Kristoff! Buddy, talk to me. What happened?!" Olaf cried before examining the bandaged hand. "MEDIC!" He shouted at no one in particular, though it did catch the attention of the other half of the people in Johnny Rockets.

"O, s-stop it." Kristoff stammered, darting his eyes back and forth in embarrassment. Even Sen had to bite her lip to keep from giggling out loud at the adorable display. (For her anyway.) For Kida and I...we were trying not to push it further than Olaf already was. I mean, the guy is stuttering like me! It was an amusing thought.

Still. "Seriously, buddy. Do we need to take you to the hospital?" I asked after stopping myself from laughing at him too. They may have gotten a kick of my embarrassing motives from time to time, but the guy was truly injured. Bleeding, even.

"Hospital? Aw, just rub some dirt in it." Kida slapped his shoulder harshly, but there was still a hint of worry in her big eyes as well.

"Hey, it's no big deal." Sen's...sensual voice smoothed over all the initial clattering in the restaurant, making us pause in whatever it was we were doing at the moment. We all brought our attention to the pretty chestnut haired girl who was too busy smiling in assurance at a clearly blushing Kristoff. "But we should probably clean it. Just in case."

"U-uh, I was going to-" He futily tried to get out of it.

"By all means!" Kida and Olaf chimed in together before practically pushing him into her.

"Infections are no joke." I added without trying to physically force them together like those other smart ones.

"Come on." Sen smiled brightly at the poor guy and then tugged him up so she could lead him to the table she had been sitting at. Kristoff's ears reddened substantially while she dug around in her purse and it was then that I noticed that she was here alone. She's one classy woman. I thought with a proud grin.

A grin that turned to a grimace when she quickly put hand sanitizer on his cut, making him cry out in more surprise than pain.

"OW! What's that supposed to do other than hurt me?" Kristoff scowled, but kept his eyes where Sen was still holding his hand still. Afraid to let her see him so vulnerable

"I'm sorry, Kristoff. I- this is the best I can do for now." She apologized with wide, innocent, honey-colored eyes. Of course, the tone of her sweet voice made him instantly forget about what Pain was so he could be the one to apologize for making such a big deal out of it. And now she's blushing. They were so cute together! A fond smile tugged at my lips and I was suddenly very thankful that Petro had switched weekends with me.

"I've got an idea!" Kida butted in on their little moment and wrapped her arms around their necks almost obnoxiously. "Why don't you join Olaf and I and we'll get some more food? My treat." She smiled very convincingly at them both, but I frowned in confusion.

"Wait a minute." I folded my arms over my chest defensively. "What about me?"

Kida glanced at me before narrowing her eyes knowingly. "You, miss Feisty-Pants, have something to take care of." Jerking her chin to the left, she made me turn to look that way without having to do it herself. A startling flash of platinum blonde presented itself in the window before vanishing like a lightning bolt.

My heart fluttered instantly.

"Yeah. I-I'll see you guys later." I just about dashed out of there, but stopped long enough to give Sen a warm, welcoming smile. And then jabbed my thumb at the still flushed wall of a friend. "Keep an eye on him for me, he tends to try to lash out at Kida every once in awhile. As for Kida...just let her be. Usually, Olaf's a good peacekeeper if you reward him with Twizzlers-"

"Okay, mother." Kida appeared behind me with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "We can handle ourselves."

"I'm just worried about Sen is all." I chuckled, making eye-contact with the pretty girl that returned my smile happily. "She hasn't been exposed to your madness, yet."

"And you're going to miss out on your madness if you don't get out of here." Kida hissed at me and discretely pinched my side.

"R-right. I'll catch up later." I slapped her hand and tried to smile convincingly at the other three before turning to go.

"Wait, where are you going?" Olaf called after me in bewilderment.

"Hush! She's got an appointment." Kida successfully covered for me as I practically sprinted out of Johnny Rockets.

My eyes frantically scanned over the flow of people while my lungs burned with exertion. Where'd you go? Honestly, she could have gone anywhere! I wasn't sure how Elsa Mariani spent her weekends, or where she went in the mall, but that didn't stop me from searching high and low for her.

After clumsily knocking over a couple of mannequins, almost running over a few toddlers, and bumping into more people than I cared to count, I saw another flash in the corner of my eye. Across the way. But that time it looked like she was purposely hiding from someone. Seeing as she discretely glanced over her shoulder and then ducked into a...bar? My eyes widened in surprise and I wasted no time in scrambling to the nearest set of stairs. Fighting descending shoppers proved to be a little difficult but once I managed to crawl back up on the other side with my legs on fire, I sucked it up and sprinted the rest of the way.

"Listen, you. I said that this bar was only for-" The giant boulder of a man growled dangerously and easily loomed over the stunned girl with malice in his rugged features.

"There you are!" I shouted breathlessly, not slowing down until my arms were wrapped protectively around her. Elsa stumbled back with a surprised squeak, but once she recognized me, she didn't hesitate to grip the back of my jacket almost hysterically. "I-I seriously take my eyes off of you for two seconds and then you're already off picking fights with someone three times your size again." I forced out a chuckle before turning her away from the guy so I could apologize. "I'm sorry sir, she's such a-"

"BENJAMIN CRESCENT JR!" The guy suddenly bellowed, making my mouth click shut. What? "Well, his pipsqueak of a daughter, anyway." The huge man stepped into the light and I gasped in shock.

"Oaken Woodsworth?!"

"How are ya, baby Panda?" Oaken placed his hands on his hips languidly. "This sneaky one with you?" His reddish beard shifted into a broad smile before he brought his eyes to Elsa for a quick once-over. At that moment I was sure that I'd be in his arms if Elsa wasn't glued in mine.

"U-um, well, I've been good." I grinned widely at him before patting Elsa on the back soothingly. "And yes. She's with me." I subtly nuzzled my head into her temple, hoping she would take that as a sign that she wasn't in any sort of danger. "What are you doing here, Oak? I thought- the last I heard of you, you were stationed overseas and now I find you working outside of..." looking up to read the sign, I looked back at him with a questioning brow, "A placed called Coyote Ugly? A bar?"

"Hey, a job's a job, Panda." He smirked and then leaned against the wall. "And I retired a few months ago."

Oaken and my dad grew up together, graduated together and then joined the military together right after graduation. My dad was a contracted PFC because he had college credits and Oaken joined as a private and had basically joined because he liked to fight. Dad (being the more thoughtful one) got promoted to lance corporal and Oaken signed up with an open contract, which meant he would later get stuck doing jobs other people didn't like. Simply put: dad was infantry and Oaken was a grunt. Dad was an aircraft mechanic and Oaken ended up in the tank. Regardless, of it all, they were more than thrilled to just be there.

But when my mother had me, my dad instantly retired after his eighth year. Oaken on the other hand stayed in and hadn't made an appearance since his last tour. Which was a few years ago at that. Still, it didn't take away the clear invitation for a fight in the gigantic man's posture. Still the same ole crazy guy dad talks about.

"Oh yes, I am so sorry to hear about Liza-berry by the way." Oaken pushed off the wall so he could come over to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You look a lot like her, Panda." He smiled warmly at me. The three of them had been pretty close and it was only right to see him tear up a bit at losing my mother too. Sweet, sweet Oaken.

"Thanks, Oak." I smiled back before carefully extracting Elsa from myself so I could give him a hug too. Of course when he effortlessly scooped me up and the air began to leave my lungs, I briefly wondered if hugging him was really a good idea or not.

Mercifully, he set me down before holding me at arms length so he could take in my full height. "Okay, enough about that. How old are you, now? How's your dad? Who's this pretty girl? What grade are you?" His questions kept coming and I was quickly losing track of which question really required an answer or not.

Ah, forget it! "I turned seventeen a few weeks ago, my dad's doing much better, this is Elsa Mariani, she's a senior and I'm a junior."

"She yours?"

"Yes- what?' I instantly frowned at him, feeling my face heat up at the very plain way he'd asked it.

"Nothing, Panda. " He chuckled heartily, but then cut his eyes to my companion just as I felt her stiffen uncomfortably.

"Anna, we- I have to go." Elsa's pretty voice held a frantic chill that made me automatically tense up too.

"What's the matter?" I asked in confusion when she visibly debated on taking my hand or running off alone altogether. "Snow Paw?"

"I-I can't let her find me." Elsa then grasped my hand and tried to lead me away.

"Who?" I asked, taking a hesitant step forward. Right after asking, I flexed my jaw before tugging her back and leading her right into the shadows that Oaken had materialized out of not too long ago.

"But he-" She protested before letting out a short gasp when I kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Shhh." Holding a finger to her full lips, I nudged her into the corner before crouching lower with her. "Now who are we hiding from?" I whispered.

"Excuse me, sir."

A new voice sounded that made Elsa suddenly grip my forearm tightly.

"Hi." Oaken's voice easily stood out too. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Yes. Have you seen a young girl with hair as white as snow pass by here?" The unknown woman asked breathlessly. "I literally took my eyes off my daughter for one second and now I can't find her and she's not picking up her phone."

"Sounds pretty serious. Did you two have a fight?" Oaken asked curiously. "Because I've never seen a child willingly ditch their parent at the mall of all places. You know, you're the one with the money, anyway." He chuckled, but even from here I could tell she hadn't liked any of his responses. It was like a chilly gust of air coming from out there.

"Do you have a daughter, sir?" She suddenly asked, making me clench my jaw in uncertainty before I leaned over to try to get a look at her.

"...yes. Two daughters and a son." Oaken's happy demeanor began to fade a little and I took comfort in the hand Elsa placed in mine. Not a good thing to ask the man. "And I'll be damned if any of them felt the need to run away from me." Like his wife. I breathed out harshly at that statement.

Oaken's wife had taken his kids with her when they got a divorce, slapped him with child support and no visitation rights. So it was understandable of him to nearly go off on the unsuspecting woman. It didn't help that he was already suspicious of her to begin with before she even opened her mouth.

He had seen Elsa's strong reaction up close and personal.

"I-I'm sorry." The woman said sincerely. From my spot, I could see a lithe figure who was covered under a burgundy beanie, a long brown coat, all along with a white scarf that gently flowed in the breeze. Her skin looked as fair and soft as Elsa's, but from her stance...she seemed a little on the aggressive side. Like she got what she wanted.

"You know, I think I saw her a few- there! Right there, coming out of Johnny Rockets." Oaken had successfully recovered and pointed the woman away.

It took me a second to remember that Kida was at Johnny Rockets and the next thought of that woman catching up to her made me snicker quietly.

"Anna." Elsa whispered my name and then brought her long fingers under my chin so she could turn me around to face her. Our eyes locked then. A lump formed in my throat and in a matter of seconds, the energy around us switched to something I really couldn't decipher. I just knew that our breathing became heavier and when she raised that same hand to brush my hair out of my eyes. Those arctic blues were a burning question that I felt all too happy to answer, regardless that we were obviously huddled together beside the entrance doors of the bar.

I slowly moved forward so I could also trace my fingers over her temple. So pretty. I thought in a daze as concentrated pulses of sudden excitement surged from my belly and warmed through my thumping chest and limbs while I reveled in the hotness of her breath on my face. Elsa was trembling. She was beautiful. I almost eagerly closed in and kissed her full lips softly, allowing myself to feel their warmth, the wetness and then pulled back with a dopey smile. The things she does to me.

There was an unknown emotion that ignited in her icy blues before she instantly swept in, closing the gap between our lips in what I could only describe as hunger. Hungrily. The delicious thought made me easily open into her kiss with a breathless groan as I tasted her, hungry for her velvet tongue and I was inclined to reach my shaky fingers back into her thick locks.

"Hoo-hoo. Big summer blow-out.'' Oaken's very smug voice appeared above us, making us practically jump away from each other with our hearts in our throats.

"Oak!" I whined loudly as a full on blush captivated both of our faces at getting caught right off the bat. I'll never hear the end of this! How stupid can I be? Looking at a stuttering Elsa made another idiotic grin appear on my face. Pretty dang stupid. That's for sure.

A/N: Yeah! Back from a much needed vacation with big comfy beds and endless lights that disappear during the day. Not to mention a place full of cowboys and girls and long showers...and...and then right back to the cold. Greeted by Elsa's finest! -_- joyyy...

Anyway, thank you for reading and such. Stay awesome you fine specimens!

Tootles~