Chapter 27.

As they excited the airport, Elsa let out a shaky breath in relief. The previous day they had spent several hours walking through a fierce snowstorm while hoping to avoid being captured by Weselton's men. She and Anna had taken down a small amount of his forces and barely avoided getting injured a few times (of course they both had gotten some wounds, but they weren't deep since apparently Elsa's hurricane of ice had been enough to protect them). Then they had traveled to this place called "The Ugly Duckling", where they found a bunch of thugs that apparently were Eugene's friends. They still got out of there as soon as they received their false documentation, just in case. Then they had went to the airport, picked the first flight to Norway (that unfortunately parted at midnight and wasn't even to Oslo, but to a small southern town), spent several hours waiting in increasing amounts of anxiety bordering on panic, hoping no one found them, and then gotten into that damn flying machine (Elsa didn't like it at all) and spent a hard night flying; Elsa freaking out every time they were caught by a turbulence, and Anna trying to calm her down. Of course, they now looked more like animated corpses than human beings. Oh, and the fact that the "Strange summer snow storm" was everywhere in the news wasn't helping to improve Elsa's mood either. So yeah… she just wanted to get into a comfortable bed and forget about everything, but if she only had the back seat of a taxi, she wasn't going to waste it, so she spent the trip to the hotel (which only lasted 15 minutes) sleeping.

Anna, in the other hand, couldn't give in to such luxuries, not only because she had to keep an eye on Elsa, but because she was very anxious about Rapunzel; she hadn't wanted to tell Elsa just yet, because she was enough stressed as it was, but she hadn't been able to communicate with her friend since they had left behind the storm, nor with Eugene. She was afraid they had been captured, but she just hoped they were hiding, or that they had dropped their cellphones or something. She really didn't want anything to happen to them.

Once they arrived to the hotel Elsa only managed to put on some old shirt before falling asleep again, this time on the bed. While Anna's eyes were also closing, she kept trying to call her friends, but no avail. After a while, when she had decided to just give up, her phone rang. She rushed to answer, but then realized it was just Kristoff and a disappointed expression fell upon her features. Still, she picked up.

"Hello?" She said.

"Anna? It's me, Kristoff."

"Oh, Kristoff, hi." Anna tried to sound at least a bit enthusiastic, but failed miserably.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, just a little tired." She shrugged it off. "What's up?"

"I wanted to call you the other day to tell you about something I found, but then this weird thing happened with Sven and I forgot, but yesterday I found out you were discovered by Weselton and… well, I needed to check up on you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a few bruises, slight frostbite and… wait." Anna's brain had been too tired to understand what Kristoff had just said until a few seconds later. "How did you find out?"

"I saw it in the news; a mysterious snowstorm in the middle of summer, conveniently at the state of Lyset. What else could've caused it?"

"Oh, right. Well… uh… what did you want to tell me?"

"Turns out, there was a secret compartment in Hans' car that we hadn't discovered until recently. It had all your information, as well as some registers of your uncle's bank account. I think Weselton had been using them to make sure your uncle wouldn't take Elsa out of the country, but now it may be dangerous; if you use that money, he may be able to find you."

"And you didn't tell me until now?!" Anna all but screamed. She now wasn't feeling sleepy anymore, but pissed off. This could've costed their lives… not to mention, now she really needed to start working; she didn't have a lot of money in her own account.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to, really." Kristoff tried to excuse himself. "But Sven got hurt during a bank robbery and I was very worried about him."

"Oh. Sorry." Anna apologized for her outburst. "I'm really not in my best state of mind."

"I understand. This couldn't have been easy for you."

"No… " Suddenly, Anna's fears and anxieties about Rapunzel came back, and she felt even more downcast.

"What is it?" Kristoff asked obviously detecting a hint of sadness in the redhead's usually joyful voice.

"I-I…" Anna wasn't sure if she should tell Kristoff about Rapunzel, because that'd mean telling him about her powers, but she figured out she needed some help and that she could trust the cop; he was already keeping Elsa's secret after all.—I'm worried about my friend, Rapunzel. We were staying at her house when Weselton's men came for us and I haven't heard anything about her or her husband since the attack.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine. After all, Weselton wanted Elsa, right?"

"Yes… and no. He probably knew about Rapunzel's powers too."

"Rapunzel has powers?!" He screamed. "Am I in some kind of X-men movie or something?" This actually made Anna giggle, but she still didn't sound very happy.

"Not really, but Elsa thinks she may be the one Weselton's looking for. It's a long story." She added before he could ask because she really didn't have energy to explain everything.

"Okay… uh…" Kristoff wisely choose not to make questions for now. "In this case it may be convenient to investigate and make sure she wasn't captured. I'll send Sven to Lyset; he has a few days off because of his injury. It's just a scratch, don't worry, he's fine now." He added so Anna wouldn't feel bad about Sven helping them while injured.

"Thanks, that makes me feel better." Anna said truly grateful. "I'll let you know if I know something about Rapunzel."

"Same. And please send me a message with their full names."

"Will do." Anna promised.

"Fine, I'll call you later. Go get some rest; you sound like you need it."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Kristoff answered before hanging up. Anna then proceeded to quickly send him a message with Rapunzel and Eugene's full names and address before putting the phone on her nightstand and then snuggling towards Elsa to finally get some sleep.

When Anna woke up the sunset light was already filtering through the curtains. She blinked a few times trying to get used to the brightness and, when she failed, she tried to retreat behind the sheets again. However, when she did, she noticed something was amiss; she had way too much space for herself. The bed was empty.

Instantly she bolted upright, now completely awake, and almost fell as everything started spinning around. She took a moment clutching firmly at the bedside table before she could regain balance and begin walking towards the bathroom, hoping Elsa was there.

"Elsa?" She said knocking the door. "Are you there?" Unfortunately, there was no answer, and Anna panicked. "Elsa!" She screamed as she got in, but as she feared, her girlfriend wasn't there. She was just about to call the police (yes, she was that worried, but hey, they had just been attacked the previous day, and her nerves were still on edge), when the room door opened and Elsa got in. Anna didn't waste one second before running to the blonde and giving her a crushing hug.

"Hi." Elsa said hugging her back. "I'm glad you're awake. When I left you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up, but I was really hungry, so I went to get something to eat at the vending machine and… Anna?" Suddenly Elsa noticed the redhead had started shaking and that soft whimpers were escaping her mouth. "Anna, are you alright?" She asked frantically, worried that maybe she had been hurt during the storm she had summoned and neither of them had noticed until that moment, but then Anna nodded and the blonde relaxed. Just a little though.

"I-I just…" Anna started but was interrupted by her sobs. "W-when I didn't see you I… I thought you had been found and…" She tightened her grip even more, so Elsa was sure she'd get some bruises, but she didn't protest. "I-I don't want to lose you. I've already lost Rapunzel, and I couldn't bear losing you too."

"Wait…" Elsa took some time to comprehend what her girlfriend had just said. "What do you mean you lost Rapunzel? We just separated but we'll see her again… right?" An uneasy feeling settled in Elsa's stomach and she actually started sweating, anticipating the answer. When Anna shook her head Elsa's world came crashing down.

"I-I didn't wanted to tell you, but I guess you have the right to know." Anna answered between sobs. "She isn't answering her phone, nor is Eugene. I'm afraid something may have happened to them." Now Anna's crying increased in intensity and Elsa felt she may join her… but Anna had always been strong for her, maybe it was her turn to be strong for Anna; she sure looked like she needed someone to fall back on. She still let out a few tears though; Rapunzel had been her only real friend aside from Anna, she was a sweet and wonderful girl, and she loved her so much… she would never forgive herself if something happened to her.

"I'm sorry." Elsa said. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. Weselton should've captured me, not her."

"No!" Anna shouted, startling Elsa, as she pulled back a little. "No." She repeated shaking her head, looking intensely at her eyes. "Never say that again. I could never live without you. I love you Elsa, more than anything, and don't want to ever be apart from you. You understand?" Elsa quickly nodded before Anna again pressed her body against her. "I'm just glad that, despite everything, I still have you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I know it may not be much, coming from a girl that spent most of her life locked in a dark room, but… you're also the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I know." Anna said smiling as she pulled back a little. "And it does mean a lot." She then leaned in and gave Elsa a gentle kiss. The blonde could still taste the salty tears on her girlfriend's lips, but she didn't care; she just wanted to make her feel better. And to feel better herself. So she kissed her back with a bit more enthusiasm, but still keeping it cool, however, Anna answered breaking the kiss. "Listen, as much as I'd like to keep making out with you the rest of the day, and probably the night, because it really makes me feel a lot better, I need to tell you something first. Kristoff called me, he said Weselton has been watching your father's bank account, so he may find us if I retire money from it, so… yeah… we're out of money. We have to get a job or something."

"A… job?" Elsa asked slightly worried. She wasn't an expert, but she was pretty sure that getting a job involved going out to the street and interact with people.

"Oh… well, yeah… I mean, I could get a job and try to sustain both of us, but… I'm afraid that wouldn't be enough." Anna gave her an apologetic glance. "Of course I could just work all day long, but then I wouldn't have time to see you, and I guess you wouldn't want that."

"No." Elsa sighed. "I'll help you. Just… please let it be a job that doesn't involve too much interaction." She pleaded.

"Uhm… well…" Anna rubbed her nape nervously. "I was actually wanting to open a little business, like a shop or something. That way we would be together practically all day, but you'd have to interact with the clients."

"Oh." Elsa weighed her options; she really didn't want to interact with strangers, but at the same time the prospect of being with Anna all the time was a very good incentive. "Okay. Just… don't leave alone with the clients."

"Don't worry, I won't." She assured her, knowing well how anxious Elsa could get around others when she wasn't around. "Now, about what we'll sell… maybe Ice-cream? I mean, you could make them in the blink of an eye, so that would save us some time and money. But we could also sell coffee since winter is fast approaching."

"I guess I could do that." Elsa agreed half-heatedly.

"Great!" Anna exclaimed now feeling a little better. "I'll search for a good place to open the business tomorrow morning, but for now… I guess we've both earned a kiss." She added playfully. She was still worried of course, about both Rapunzel and their economic situation, but she guessed she needed some distraction. Thankfully, Elsa was feeling the same, so they started kissing, softly at first, calming, but then more heated until they ended up in bed, Anna over the blonde, trying to let out all the stress and anxiety they felt trough passionate kisses.

The next day Anna was busy, literally running from one place to another trying to find a store for rent that was cheap enough but still looked nice. It took her the whole day, even in a small town like the one they were at, but by the end of the day, she had already picked three and now just needed Elsa's opinion before choosing. Elsa had preferred to stay at the hotel all day, saying she was still a little tired, but Anna guessed she really was grieving Rapunzel, so she didn't pressure her, instead going to pick her up to have lunch together and later in the afternoon to help her decide the store. True to be told Elsa wasn't too enthusiastic about it, but at the end she decided she liked better the smaller, but more homey, store next to the fjord. Anna agreed with her, since it had a beautiful view and normally temperatures were higher near the sea, so that'd help their ice-cream business. Besides, they could also rent the room above the store and live there; it wasn't too fancy or big, but it would suffice. For now.

So Anna finalized the deal with the owner, payed the first month's rent (with what little he had left in her personal account), and the girls spent the next few days working on the place; painting the walls of blue and adorning them with intricate snowflakes (by Elsa's suggestion, of course), buying what was necessary to start the business (only chairs, tables, a cash register and ice cream containers really, since Elsa would be making the ice cream and keeping it cool all day with her powers) and putting it all on place.

After about five days, everything was ready… everything except the owners, of course. Both girls had actually enjoyed the distraction that working on the shop had provided them, since they really didn't want to think about what had happened with Rapunzel because every time they did, they just felt the urge to cry like there was no tomorrow or (in Anna's case) to run, find Weselton somehow and beat the crap out of him, but of course neither option would do any good, so… they'd just have to live with it. Or at least try to. As if this wasn't enough, Elsa was also pretty anxious and scared about having to deal with dozens of strangers every day; Anna had assured her that she'd be the one receiving the payments and taking the orders, but still; being with so many new people really made her anxious.

It was the night before finally opening the shop when everything became just too much for them. They were lying on their new smaller bed so close that there was no real space between their bodies, but they weren't doing anything. They'd usually talk about their impressions throughout the day, Anna would tell Elsa some fun anecdotes, they would laugh and then, after staring lovingly into each other eyes for a while and sharing a tender goodnight kiss, sleep would finally take them. But that day was different; there was so much tension that it could actually be cut with a knife. They were both dwelling on their fears, their concerns and their sorrow, but neither of them would comment anything fearing to upset the other.

Elsa was the first to break the silence.

"Anna?" She said, making said girl turn to look at her, trying to hide her distressed expression. "Would you be mad at me if I told you I'm scared?"

"No, of course not." The redhead promptly answered. "I would never be mad at you for that. I actually think it's understandable." At this Elsa let out a sigh of relief.

"Great, so… do you think we can just… postpone the inauguration? You know, until I feel more prepared?"

"I'm sorry." Anna gave her an apologetic look, but Elsa's face instantly fell. The redhead almost cursed herself, but she knew she could be indulgent in this, so instead she tried to comfort Elsa placing a hand over her soft cheeks. "I wished I could give you more time but… the truth is that… we need the money." Anna admitted. "It is true that we saved a lot by not buying the equipment to make ice cream, but… the remodeling still wasn't cheap at all. If we don't start working now, we may not be able to pay the rent the next month, and then I'd have to get a full time job and we wouldn't see each other."

"I know." Elsa sighed. "I just wished it wasn't like that." At this, Anna decided to give her a small peck on the lips, hoping to bright her mood.

"Me too, but this is reality, and we have to work, whether we feel prepared or not."

"Do you feel ready?" Elsa asked, concerned about her girlfriend's attitude the past few hours; she wasn't her usual cheerful and optimistic self.

"Me? Yeah, of course. I was born ready." Anna answered trying to brush off the topic, but Elsa still was unconvinced.

"You're lying." The blonde say.

"What? No, of course not!" She tried to protest.

"Anna, I can see you are. When you lie, you always bite your lower lip." In that moment the redhead noticed she was doing just that and instantly stopped.

"I do not." She pouted. Elsa sighed at her stubbornness.

"You know? I may not be as mature as most women of my age, but… I can help you." At her sincere (and way more mature than usual) words, Anna's expression became surprised. "I may still be new to this whole 'love' thing, but… I know that people who love each other are supposed to help one another, to support one another, to be strong when the other can't." Elsa paused, lowering her gaze. "All this time you've been strong for me, you've given me everything while expecting little in return. And that isn't fair at all."

"But Elsa, you were hurt, you needed help." She protested.

"I know." The blonde interrupted her. "I know I couldn't have been there for you then, but now that I can… please, let me help you." Elsa's eyes were so intense, so full of love, acceptance and understanding that something inside Anna snapped.

Ever since her parents died she'd tried to be strong, positive, to never cry, never mourn anything and keep going. This was what had kept her alive all these years, this is what had help her cope with someone as broken as Elsa when she first found her, but… no one can be strong forever. Without realizing it Anna had been just burying all her frustration, her fears, her grief, not having the luxury to just fall into someone's arms and let it all out… because until now she had been almost completely alone. Now her best friends' disappearance had just been too much for the redhead and trying to bury it along with everything else had just make her feel worse. It was to the point she felt like collapsing, and she instinctively knew that, if she did, no one would help her stand up again.

But what she hadn't realized is that something had changed. She wasn't alone anymore; she had Elsa. True, before Elsa had had her, but now she could actually count on the blonde for support, for comfort; she could make her feel better when she was feeling down, she could take care of her if she was tired or ill, she could be that one person who would always have her back, the one that'd never leave her.

But this realization was just too much for Anna.

Anna started crying. At first there were only a few tears, slowly dripping from her cheeks, but then, she actually started shaking, and sobbing and whimpering, but this time she didn't have to just hug the pillow, hoping to gain some comfort, no; this time she was held by a pair of welcoming arms, this time she felt gentle hands rubbing her back, caressing her hair. This time, she didn't feel so much cold filtering into her broken heart because there was a warm body pressed against hers, a body of someone who actually cared about her, loved her. This time, she didn't need to deny that Rapunzel was missing, that Eugene was missing, or that this was probably all her fault; she could just accept the facts, feel the pain that came with them, sob as she felt the unbearable wounds and then… then she could let them heal. True, she wouldn't stop being sad, she wouldn't stop being worried, but at least now she knew that, when she felt like she couldn't keep going, there would be someone there to help her through it.