Chapter Three

"So you just...found her. In an alley."

"Eeyup, gave her my sandwich too."

"Anna…"

She sighs, "Kristoff, I couldn't just leave her there. And besides, she followed me out. What was I supposed to do? Push her away?"

Kristoff arrived at Anna's apartment around 10:30, breakfast in tow even though she never asked for any. He was reasonably surprised and cautious about the puppy currently trying to eat his sister's shoelaces. And as they both sat at her kitchen table discussing what to do, Anna realized that she wasn't going to get the uber positive answers she wanted.

Especially when Elsa tried to eat his shoelaces too.

"And you have no idea who the owners are?"

Anna shrugged, "No idea. But I did print out a poster that I was gonna put around town." She slid a paper over to her brother, on it was a blurry picture of the husky because she couldn't sit still for one second, basic information about Elsa's appearance, and Anna's contact information. "She's an adorable puppy, whoever the owner is must be worried sick about them."

He nods and hands the paper back to her, "Well it's good to know you're not thinking of keeping her."

"Uh...what's that supposed to mean?"

Kristoff gestured to her tiny, now fur-infested apartment, "Anna, you can barely took care of yourself. And huskies are a pretty active and needy breed, for gosh sake you're feeding her ham slices out of a cereal bowl!"

"I've had her for one day, dude. Cut me some slack. And she's been doing pretty okay, for now." Anna decides not to tell him about all the times Elsa peed on her carpet. "Besides, it's not like I've had any time to get her stuff. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone."

"Do you know what to get her?" Kristoff questioned.

"Uh...duh, I was researching all of that last night while she was sleeping on my foot- which was adorable, I might add."

"Do you have the money to get her everything?"

Anna opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, and frowned, "Look, I know I didn't think this through beforehand. But it's happening now, and I just...I need your help, okay? Can you please help me?"

Ever since they were kids, Kristoff had always been the more level-headed, if sometimes meaner, person out of them both. When she lost the jacket their parents got her for Christmas, he helped her retrace her steps to find it. When she broke a lamp jumping across their couch, he was there to help hide the evidence. When she was finally old enough to need tampons, he was there to get their mom to do it.

It was a tale as old as time for them: impulsive Anna getting herself into trouble, amazing older brother Kristoff telling her how to get out of it.

And with his experience volunteering at the shelter, he'd have to know what the next right thing was.

Kristoff looked under the table at Elsa, who had made her way back to resting her head on Anna's foot. For such a little ball of energy, she sure tuckered out pretty easily. He had a serious look on his face when he glanced back at his little sister, "Anna, why are you doing this?"

Anna raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"You could have easily just dropped her off at the shelter or called animal control, and be done with this. Instead, you took Elsa back home with you, gave her a bath, fed her, and even sacrificed Jorgenbjorgen to her."

"She needed a toy," Anna reasoned.

His relenting seriousness remained, "Come on, sis. What's this about? I'm gonna help you, but I need to know why you're working this hard for a stray."

It'd be easy to wave off Kristoff's question by saying that it was the right thing to do, that he would do the same thing in her position, but she couldn't do that. It was a question that she had spent all last night thinking about too. She'd only known Elsa for a day, so why was she trying so hard? Why go to these lengths to take care of something when she could barely take care of herself?

Well, it's because…

Anna bent down to scratch the peaceful pup behind her ears, "Because...I need a win, Kristoff, and you of all people should know how much I need that. Everything's been going so wrong lately, and I want to prove to myself that I can do something right. Even if it's taking care of a stray puppy for a few days before I find her owner. And besides, when she followed me out of that alleyway, I...I don't know it just felt like she wanted something to go right for her too. Like maybe I was the first person to show her some kindness and compassion, and she wanted more of that."

It's silent for just a moment as Anna recomposes herself, she hated being too serious for too long.

To accentuate that, she picked Elsa up and cradled the confused husky in her arms. "Plus I mean look at her! Isn't the cutest freaking thing you've ever seen?! She's like a little cupcake!" Elsa's eyes widened at the sudden intrusion of her beauty rest.

"You've met my kids, right?"

"Yeah, and Elsa's cuter. By a huuuuge margin." She scratched Elsa behind the ears before putting her down, and the puppy skittered off to the kitchen to drink from her cereal bowl. "So anyway...yeah, that's why I want to do this."

Kristoff's look is still serious, but it's softened a little bit. He scratches the stubble along his jawline, looking one more time at Elsa before responding. "And you're sure that finding her owner is your top priority. Not keeping her?"

Anna nods, although she'd be lying if she said she hadn't considered it. Especially when Elsa fell asleep last night after nipping at her toes. But no, finding her owners had to be her main focus.

He nods slowly, "Okay, there's a shelter just a couple blocks from your apartment. Go there and see about finding Elsa's owners and to see if she has a microchip on her. While you're doing that, I'll run out and get her everything she'll need to stay here for a week. That's food, a blanket, a water bowl, and some pads- yes, I could smell the pee as soon as I walked in."

Dang it.

"That sounds like a lot of money, for you I mean. Are you sure?"

"Well it's either that, or I can come with you to the shelter where we can just drop Elsa off."

"No!"

Kristoff's eyes widened, and Elsa perked her head up from the sudden outburst. That was...something.

Anna coughed and shook her head, "I mean, um...no, I want to st-stick with this taking care of her thing. For now, temporarily I mean. Just for now. And I-I'll pay you back for whatever it is that you buy."

Her older brother chuckled, "Anna, I've rarely ever seen you this determined in your life. That's all the payment I need."

The redhead let out a happy squeal that rivaled the noise she heard Elsa make yesterday. "Thank youuuu!" she said while patting her brother's hands. "You're not gonna regret this! Me and Elsa are gonna head to the shelter right now!"

She raced to her door and called Elsa over once she opened it.

"Wait, do you have a leash for her?" Kristoff asked.

"A what now?"

Elsa scurried past her legs and right out the open door.

A/N: Shoutout to Fruipit for making me update this out of spite.