CHAPTER WARNINGS: None (other than incest).

NOTES: Almost done. Two more chapters after this one and it's all over! For a random headcanon I had out of the blue, I sure did carry this far. Guess it's time to just accept that I suck at "short" stories. I'm a book writer now -preens- haha or always have been, I just didn't have much to show for it before other than fanfiction so long no one wants to read them.

Also, here comes a really long response to a reviewer, so you can feel free to skip past that!

TheChronicle: "There's a story on here (with a sequel) called "Anything Her Heart Desires", which has Elsa lusting after Anna, who doesn't share those feelings. That initial disgust creates tension between the sisters, and also affects Elsa's powers (it's canon to "Frozen") to the extent that she freezes the groundwater in Arendelle, causing a drought. Because of this, Anna decides that she needs to allow Elsa to do what she wants for the good of Arendelle, and so gives herself to her sister. When Elsa sees a look of revulsion creep onto Anna's face mid-coitus, and smells alcohol on her, she stops, ashamed that she forced her sister into such an act. Elsa almost commits suicide over all of this, but is just stopped, and finds a "healthier" relationship with a castle servant. The sequel muddies the water concerning the relationship with the characters, but that initial story is an example of what could easily happen in this story; Elsa feels she has to sleep with Anna in order to keep her in her life, no matter her personal feelings on the matter." There's my "evidence". Taking ONLY this paragraph as the description of what Olofa's fic is about, regardless of whether or not your reasoning was to "keep it short" or avoid spoilers, you give the impression that it would be an extremely painful read full of angst, dubious consent, and hatred of themselves and each other. Words like "disgust" and "gives herself"(for the good of Arendelle and not her own desires), "revulsion", "ashamed", "forced", "suicide" - they all draw one's attention immediately, create visceral, negative imagery. Not only that, but "muddies the water" is a phrase that would be used when someone is being at least somewhat coerced (dubcon) or gaslighted. How can you think this doesn't sound negative? Yes, you backpedaled after CA Moore offered a differing take, but that doesn't change that (regardless of intention) your initial mini-review of Olofa's fic paints it as just barely better than noncon. And I do not read noncon.

That said, I bear you no ill will as a person and don't want to drag this out. There's a lot I could say, but in short, I'm asking you as nicely as I can to please keep your reviews shorter and to try not to be so pessimistic, abrasive, or defensive, especially before the story is over. It does not make me feel good, it is not encouraging, and reminds me of another similar experience that significantly decreased the enjoyment of writing my last multi-chapter Elsanna fic for me. It might be hard, but maybe sit on some of those theories until a little bit more is revealed? You yourself have admitted several times that you don't know what's going on in Anna's head because the story is from Elsa's perspective; maybe that should be given more weight than you're currently giving it, instead of giving in to endless unpleasant speculation. Yes, I understand that part of the "fun" of fanfic versus original fiction is the community and discussion, but at this point there's almost more discussion than chapter content! If you don't agree, try going back and seeing how long your reviews are and spend a moment thinking about that. In the meantime, if your next reviews are similar to your previous ones in tone and length, I probably won't respond for the following reasons: because the discussion has not been productive, my half of them is clogging up the chapter documents (and your half is making the review pages longer), and I just don't have the writing time to sacrifice.

Skeiron: AGREED.

~ CHAPTER FIFTEEN ~

The rest of the workday was quite bizarre for Elsa, because Belle wouldn't stop texting her — and then instant messaging when Elsa said her thumbs were getting tired. At least she wasn't making a lot of assumptions the way she had on Friday, and certainly didn't send any more unsolicited "selfies", but neither was it all that comfortable fielding a lot of questions. She also didn't want the link to the website for fetishists that she should sign up for, nor the offers to attend parties with her sister once they had "affirmed their love". It was a little overwhelming, all in all.

As she discovered, Belle considered herself to be pansexual and a "switch", which as she had already figured out, meant she could either be a Dom or sub. Though the Beast was her usual Dom and could be quite possessive, she was free to pursue other "relationships", either serious or merely physical. That set her at ease about why she was being approached; the last thing she wanted was to be blamed for holding a remote and have some burly dominant male breathing down her neck.

Especially when she mostly wanted nothing to do with it! She and Anna had their own large subset of problems. Grateful as she was that her new friend was non-judgmental about that topic, Elsa was her own worst critic so it would only have added insult to injury if she was more cruel. They mostly steered clear of that topic.

Belle was more relatively normal in the break room during lunch. As it turned out, she really was an avid reader of spy fiction, in addition to fantasy, sci-fi, and murder mysteries. They spent a lot of time comparing the similarities between those and the romance novels Elsa tended to burn through, and she was delighted that Belle didn't deride her tastes as most people would. In spite of her dark bedroom pursuits, she didn't read a lot of smut; said she would rather "act it out". Though Elsa had been assuming her quiet bookish demeanor was a mask to cover her kinky side, perhaps that really was a big part of her personality. Two nerdy peas in a pod.

When Cindy wandered over, they both stiffened, instinctively knowing their topics of conversation would have to get more "vanilla", as Belle put it, but she even found herself enjoying the perky blonde's presence. Belle was forming a habit of teasing her now, which made Cindy nervous, and made Elsa laugh. Funny how she had worked alongside the two women for so many years without really getting to know them.

And she did give the remote back. Belle said she might present her with the option again in a few days, once she had laundered the specially-designed garment that could hold the vibrating apparatus, and Elsa grudgingly did not outright refuse to participate. She still wasn't sure either way, and was dead set against anything deeper than that going on between them, but it had been… interesting. Maybe it would be interesting a second time.

Belle also gave her the card for that psychiatrist she had mentioned. Dr. Delbert Doppler. Very soon after, she preemptively reassured Elsa that she wasn't trying to imply anything specific; merely offering the option should she choose to take it. Grumbling, Elsa made sure it wound up in her briefcase.

However, her pleasant afternoon was interrupted by another difficult conversation. The first text she received from Anna was simple enough, so much that she almost felt relief at first.

What should we do 4 dinner?

Elsa contemplated for a moment. It almost seemed like a trap, it was so simple. They had left things very tense and unresolved, and all she wanted to know was about dinner? Therefore, she kept it short:

What do you want to do for dinner?

Idk anything

How helpful. Rolling her eyes, Elsa responded, Maybe I should just pick something up again… from Tiana's?

That sounds ok

There. Placing her phone back by her mousepad, she turned back to the spreadsheet she had been tweaking beforehand. Of course, that only lasted a few more minutes before her phone vibrated yet again.

Am I a burden?

What? she texted back. She wanted to respond with "no", but she wanted to know how she meant that first.

My brain keeps replaying this morning over & over & all I can think is that u dont want me here

Don't be stupid Anna. I live you. Then she grimaced and sent "love" to correct the incorrect autocorrect.

But I try 2 do everything right, try 2 help w my hippie bullshit and show u my love and it keeps going bad

SO bad

And then u get pissed at me and idk what 2 do differently I just want u 2 be happy istg Im trying tho

Elsa found herself leaning against her elbow on the desk as she stared down at the texts. In the moment, Anna was making her brain feel tired and very little else. Didn't she know she was trying to work? On the other hand, as upset as Anna had been when she left, maybe she hadn't considered that.

Anna I am at work. I said we would discuss this later. But I know you are trying.

I would do anything 4 u, she fired back almost immediately. Ask me 2 jump off a bridge & I'll ask which one

Please don't do that. I will talk to you when I get home. We'll figure everything out. I have to get back to work.

Ok sorry I should have thought of that, ur right

It's fine.

After she sent the final text, she had to stare down at how cold it seemed. Maybe that was why Belle kept insisting she had a little bit of a Dom inside of her. That combined with how she had spoken to her sister while shoving her ass in her face made it highly likely.

But she couldn't worry about that for now; work was calling her. She'd already wasted enough valuable company time on a personal matter, and it wouldn't do for a future manager to make a habit of that.

~ o ~

She decided to make the sacrifice and take off from work half an hour earlier than usual, so that she could be home with dinner sooner. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind was making her feel like she needed to be there, that Anna felt awful and leaving her in a state of awfulness was begging for it to get worse.

As she leaned into Tiana's counter, sighing and checking her phone again to see if Anna had replied, she thought about texting Belle again. But neither did she want to bother her new friend further with the same problem so soon. Besides, she was still vaguely worried she would be the recipient of offensive material that she didn't want to be looking at while in a restaurant.

"Hey, there's my favourite customer!" Tiana said with a big grin as she approached her at the counter. Elsa couldn't suppress a small smirk, despite her mood.

"I bet you say that to all the customers."

The smile slipped a notch, and the momentum she had gained to head back to the other side of the restaurant was quickly snuffed out. "You alright, honey? Your mouth says 'happy' but your eyes say 'miserable'."

"Oh, it's… don't worry about it."

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't worry about. You're my friend, okay?" When Elsa only looked down at her phone again, she turned back to the scrawny man at the grill. "Ray, I'm takin' five. Watch the counter?"

In no time, they were pushed into the dingy little office behind the kitchen. Elsa had only been in there once before, to help Tiana set up a database system for her desktop. Tiana seated her in the office chair and herself on a stack of cardboard boxes.

"Come on, this isn't necessary to begin with," she complained. "The least I can do is let you use your own chair!"

"Stop with that. You're a guest, and guest gets the chair. Now… do you wanna tell me why you look like your dog died?"

"I don't have a dog." When Tiana only glared, she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's say… I have this… friend."

A loud scoffing noise came from the boxes. "Are you serious with that? You wanna play the 'I have a friend' game? You are a grown ass woman, Elsa; we both are. Just tell me what's up."

"Alright! Wow, are you rude!" Seeing that Tiana wasn't going to back down, she started again. "I wasn't speaking hypothetically on purpose. The friend is that 'grown ass woman' I brought with me the other night."

"Your girlfriend?"

Elsa's gaze darted up quickly. "What? H-how… did you know?"

"Whoa, wait," she said, long, dark eyelashes fluttering in mild uncertainty. "That's twice now that I just meant 'in the friend way', and you overreacted. Two times too many." No response. "Elsa… you can tell me anything, you know that. So if you're-"

"I'd rather you not say it," she sighed, massaging her temples.

"Hey, I got your back, either way. Okay?" A hand fell to Elsa's shoulder, massaging very gently in reassurance. Her voice remained uncertain and surprised. "Wow… I'm not just saying this because of like, homophobia, but you are literally the last person I expected. But I've been wondering about it since the last time we talked, and you sounded kinda… gay-panicky."

Chuckling harshly, she whispered, "I agree with you. I never thought twice about anyone who's not male. Does that make me a homophobe? Because apparently I wasn't actually straight, so I'm trying to understand…"

Her friend clicked her tongue before reaching up to pat her cheek. "Nah, girl. Just… I mean, like most of us, you assume you're straight because society tells us that's what's 'normal'. We got all these Pride parades and sitcoms with gay characters, which is hella great for them, but it's like… what, one gay character per show? One parade out of the whole year? Sets it up to look like being gay is okay, but it's still extra. Still not normal."

"Right." That made a lot of sense to Elsa. She had more or less thought exactly that way, that it was a rarity and that while she might not have been comfortable around gay people, she supported their right to be who they are. Except… now she was turning out to be one of them.

"She cute, though," Tiana muttered in a quieter voice, as if waiting to see how harshly Elsa would react.

"Who? I mean… yes, she is. She's beautiful."

Fanning her face, she said, "Damn, you really are into her! So… I mean, not that I wanna pry before you get to the headlines, but was that what you were worried about? Or is it something else?"

A few seconds passed as she debated spilling everything. Who Anna was to her. Why this was such a big deal in an age where being anything other than heterosexual was becoming increasingly acceptable. But she wasn't sure Tiana would be on board for that.

"I've known her my whole life," she settled upon. "And it makes it weird. And I keep worrying that I'm only interested because… because she's available and interested in me. Wouldn't that make me a bad person if that was the only reason I reciprocated?"

"Is that the only reason?" Tiana asked, eyes wide as she stared at Elsa.

"Well… no, I don't think it is. But I know I'd never have gone after her if I didn't realise she was open to it."

"That's probably more about that gay panic than anything." Elsa nodded. "Damn, that sounds hard to deal with, though."

"She's hard to deal with. Part of the problem is, I think I resent her for trying to change my life so much. Or maybe just changing it, I… I don't know, I'm all mixed up!"

Again, Tiana was soothing her shoulder and neck with a calming hand, and Elsa found her breathing beginning to even out again. She was highly grateful; so far, Belle was good at listening but bad at the comforting aspect, and when Anna touched her she began to feel turned on, so it was nice to have a friend who could merely soothe her in a physical manner.

"Alright, it's okay," Tiana finally said when Elsa seemed more calm. "Now… why don't you tell me what you mean, she's changing your life?"

Deciding to play it safe and avoid mentioning they were sisters, she sighed and said, "She just came back to town to visit me, and this is the first time in a few years. Never stays more than a week, and I haven't seen her on an ongoing basis since high school. So that's… I mean, this time she shows up out of nowhere, not telling me anything in advance, giving me all this life advice and… and turning me gay. It's just a lot to deal with all at once."

"Wow. 'Turning you gay', huh? This is some boss ass bitch."

"Well… okay, I understand it doesn't work that way, but it feels like it. Since I presumed myself straight until she came home."

"Yeah, I didn't get any of that from her when she was in here. But, I mean… you can't always tell by looking at people what's going on in their head."

"And we've just started being intimate," she offered, trying not to think too deeply about it before saying it. "So now I have all these regrets, because… I'm not sure I'm okay with it. Both because it's Anna, and because she's a woman. And she's totally fine, this is no big deal to her! S-so that's hard, because it feels like we're not on even footing. I guess."

Tiana sat back, crossing her legs and resting her arms over the one on top. "I get you, I get you. That's… a lot of shit for one woman to handle. Even you, Elsa."

"Like, here." Digging in her purse, she produced her phone, pulling up the texts from Anna. Luckily, she was just listed as "Anna" in her contacts, and none of the messages alluded to their familial relationship. "Maybe you can see what I mean."

For a moment, the room was quiet as her friend read through the conversation. Then she began to tap her chin, rereading it. Elsa hadn't expected her to find it interesting enough to read more than once.

"'Hippie bullshit'?"

"Hm? Oh, that's just… she travels all over the world, picking up all this Eastern medicine and philosophy. Then she wants me to try acupuncture and all this randomness, she's always showing me some new thing she learned here or there. And I'm not always interested, but…" She couldn't help the small smile. "If I'm really being honest with myself now, which I suppose I should…"

"What? Come on, girl," Tiana prodded gently, her own smile echoing Elsa's.

"It's sweet that she wants to share those things with me. Really makes me feel like she views me as an important part of her life. Which is difficult, since she's always leaving, but she was always restless, even when we were kids. I just… try not to take it personally when she disappears again, even though I can't help it."

Tiana squinted across at her, long enough for Elsa to begin squirming. Then she simply stated, "Sounds to me like a little sister."

Elsa's heart skipped over a beat, and her stomach sank. How did she figure it out? Swallowing thickly to keep herself from responding the way she had to "girlfriend", she asked in a shaky voice, "Wh… what do you mean?"

"Look at this." She pointed to the messages again. "She'd jump off a bridge? Wants you to help you be happy? And then what you said about all that trying to impress you with her new voodoo from Asia or whatever… all I can think of is my little sisters trying to show me their new dolls or crayon drawings, and how much of a kick they used to get out of it when I would just say 'That's cool'. All it would take to make their day. They're still like that, even now that we're grown; just with different things, and their reactions are on the down-low instead of their whole face lighting up and jumping up and down."

"I… you…" Elsa glanced at the screen again, looking as if she had never seen a smartphone before. "Is that what it is?"

"I bet you twenty bucks she's a couple years younger than you, right?" When Elsa didn't respond, she nodded smugly. "You can owe me. I'm telling you, she wants you to be proud of her. And it sounds like maybe you got reasons not to be, and I feel you, but at the same time… it's all she needs. In a deep way."

Though she felt immense relief that Tiana hadn't truly guessed they were siblings, Elsa also had something brand new to think about. How could she have missed it? Yes, it was still annoying and self-centered of Anna to always be cajoling her into trying new things, despite knowing it came from a place of love. But this was a whole dimension she had never considered.

Was she proud of Anna? Maybe not. She had never been very approving of her lifestyle choices, the way she squandered her time running around the globe. Though she knew the charity and volunteer work was commendable and important to her, and that she was kept afloat by the organisations that she took on jobs for, she also knew it left Anna with nothing to fall back on professionally. That she had no formal education, no job history that would be presentable to a potential employer. What would she do once she got tired of globetrotting and wanted to settle down? Her way of life was just so alien to Elsa in a way that terrified her.

Then again, maybe she should be proud. Anna did things that benefited people she had never met; there was a certain nobility to that altruism. And despite how snooty she could sound when talking about that aspect of her life, about the things she learned in the wide world, Elsa could begrudgingly admit that a lot of it was pure excitement, not intentional grandstanding. Plus, the effectiveness of the massage clearly showed that Anna was learning things, even if they weren't things she had considered "valuable". So as different from her sister as she was…

"Maybe… I should be less condescending," she finally admitted aloud, stumbling through the fog of her thoughts even as she was speaking them. "And more… I don't know. I think I haven't done a very good job of showing her that I think she's a worthwhile person, I've just been focusing on… um… my feelings, and not wanting her to steamroll over them. Which she does, but it's not on purpose."

"There you go," Tiana encouraged, petting Elsa's shoulder again. "You can find a way to do both, okay? Be your own woman, but let her know you like the woman she is, too. Just don't give up."

"Yes, I know, you're right. And I'm not going to, no matter how much it feels like I should sometimes." Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands down her face. "Sorry for dumping all this on you, it's… this can't be what you intended to do just before your dinner rush."

"The diner can make it without me for a minute. Blood is thicker than money, girl. And I consider you blood." That got Elsa smiling, and Tiana returned it by patting her arm. "You gonna be okay?"

"I will, thank you. I can't believe you took this so easy, that… I'm… gay? Bisexual? I haven't had enough time to think about it."

Shrugging, Tiana stood and offered Elsa her hand, which she took. "You'll figure it out. You're too smart for your own good sometimes." Then she pulled her into a warm, bracing hug that had Elsa sighing in relief, unshed tears leaking from her eyes at long last. "Shhh, I got you."

All Elsa could do was nod and try not to fall apart again.

~ o ~

On her way home with two boxes of diner food in the passenger's seat, Elsa found herself in high spirits, letting the radio play on. So what if she wanted to make out with her sister, touch her, be with her? At least she had someone she wanted to be with.

And so did Anna. As Belle had pointed out, many people never found their soulmates, so it was a little silly to complain if they come in a package that was less than ideal. Plus Tiana's helping her figure out why Anna was so excitable and pushy also helped to ease her worries about how healthy their relationship was. Maybe they had some things to work on, and she was only reasonably sure they were "in love", but they had always loved one another. This was just another form of showing it.

"Anna?" she called out as she edged inside, balancing the boxes in one hand as she carried her briefcase in the other. "How do you feel about going out tonight after dinner? Maybe I'll let you make me try gelato!" No answer. Maybe she had already gone out; she had her own phone now, and a spare key. "Anna, hello?"

The minute she saw all of the luggage was gone from its corner of the living room, she knew something was wrong. Quickly stashing the food and her briefcase, she searched the entire apartment and didn't see that they had been moved; just removed.

On her third, panicked sweep, she finally saw her laptop on the dining room table, poised near the corner and open, cord running to the wall. Her iPod was hooked up to it. There was also a small bag sitting closeby, one that seemed to be made of burlap or hemp. An ominous feeling began to creep up again, just like the one she had felt before. That Anna was not alright — maybe the very same feeling Anna had felt about her that made her come home in the first place.

Taking a seat, she bumped the mousepad and saw the screen come to life. There was a document open with "Dear Elsa," and the rest was blank. Overlapping with that window, however, was a video file. Already completely sucked in, she played it.

"I think it's recording," her sister's voice said from the speakers. "Okay, good. Hey. Um, it's me. Anna. Y'know, that crazy redhead who just… won't get out of your life."

"Oh no," Elsa breathed. She was barely a few seconds into the video, and she already felt the dread doubling in potency. This wasn't going to be good news. She just knew it.

"So I've been thinking a lot today. About this morning, and last night, and… without, um, getting into a lot of detail, I think you're right. There's just too much of a specific kind of energy resonating between us for objectivity."

"Sexual energy," Elsa almost automatically whispered.

"Yeah," Anna said, as if she were answering Elsa. Her beautiful freckled face looked so flat on the screen, but still shone as much as it could, despite being only a memory. "A-anyway, the best solution sounds to me like I should, um, just go for a while. Not that long! Not as long as before, I swear, but… a while. Let us both get our heads around this and decide what we want. Like, as long as I'm still here, it's gonna be impossible to take a breather and really examine shit."

A huge sigh of relief swept through her, and she shivered as she pressed a hand to her mouth. She had to at least celebrate one good thing. Though Anna seemed like the last type of person who would do anything so drastic as take her own life, that very worst possibility had come to mind, and she felt ready to tackle anything now that it had been dispelled. A silent prayer of thanks fell from her lips as she found herself eternally grateful that Anna was still alive, wherever she was.

But she had missed some of the video. A few taps and she was back to where she left off.

"...really examine shit. So, like, I want you to really focus on that. Your life is going great! Mine is… whatever it is, but it's mine. Part of me still doesn't want to give up the backpacking lifestyle, so maybe this is for the best. I'll get a little more of that out of my system in Brazil, and you can figure out who you are with your new… liberated self." She chuckled, leaning her elbows on the table. "It's been really great seeing your blossom unfurl, watching my big sister find out that she is more than the box she made for herself."

Now the anxiety was taking over again. Elsa leaned in as Anna shrugged. "What can I say? I'm… happy for you. Happy for both of us. I learned a little bit from you, too. Things I thought I was too 'evolved' for, they're still just part of being human. Like… being in love."

"Love?" Elsa rasped. "In love?"

"Yeah, I said it." The face in the screen was definitely redder. "Um… I don't know if that's what we have, because my relationships always had love, and they always fell apart. And I moved on, usually in a geographical sense. That's all I know how to do. But this time… I know it's worth figuring it out. One way or the other."

"No." Shame prickled as she realised she was talking to a recording, but it didn't matter. "No, Anna, don't- please don't go, I need-"

"The bag has a couple of things I promised, and something I didn't. On the necklace, that's a khamsa, a protective hand — of Ishtar, Mary, Venus, Fatima. Varies based on who you ask. The purpose is to shield you from- oh, you don't care about this," she added in a soft chuckle, a warm one. "My hippie bullshit. Just think of it as an Ashkenazi good luck charm. I wanted to give it to you in person before I flew out to Brazil, and I know that wasn't supposed to be for a couple more days, but I knew if I waited…" She trailed off, the video still recording but Anna looking almost frozen as she tried to think her way through the mental knot. "Doesn't seem smart to wait anymore."

"You should have," Elsa breathed, hating the fates for throwing her in this direction. Both of them.

"The important thing is, I don't want you to be mad or sad. I'm not 'running' this time." Her voice was so firm that Elsa had to blink in surprise. "I'll be back soon, I swear, I swear on any deity you want, okay? But for now, this is my path to walk, and you have yours. They will cross again, soon. You can count on that."

Tears were clouding her vision as she watched Anna press a fingertip to her lips, then press it to the camera lens. Elsa found herself touching the screen and then touching her own lips.

"Namaste, Elsa. Love you."

The video stopped. Elsa's heart seized, unable to believe that might be the last she saw of Anna for a long time. It was like being shot in the chest by a stray bullet. Completely unnecessary, but just as fatal.

She tried to call her new cell phone several times, but Anna never picked up. It went to voicemail every time — and she got the standard message about her voicemail box not being set up yet. Then she noticed the iPod again. Unplugging it, she laid it aside as it began to refresh her library, and returned her attention to the bag.

Inside, she found a lengthy braided chain that eventually pulled up a small, golden charm in the shape of a hand with an eye in the middle. Set within it were several stones that glittered and shone; probably not precious, but some were semi-precious, at least. And they were all precious to Elsa. Without having to think about it, she unclasped the chain and strung it around her neck, admiring how it sat upon her blouse, catching the light. She knew she might never take it off again, and didn't want to; the necklace was long enough that it probably wouldn't even be visible under her work clothes, so there was no reason to, anyway.

Then she saw a strand of red hair. A lot of them. Glancing back into the bag, she found there were quite a few in there. What was up with that? She reached in and found that was the only other item in the bag. Bunches of hair…

"OH!" she gasped in recognition. "She really shaved her- oh God, Anna, I thought you were kidding!"

Eyes bleary and smile bemused, Elsa raised the tiny handful of curly hairs up to her nose. The scent still lingered. No doubt that within a week it would evaporate, but in that moment, she could still smell the musk of her Anna on them. That thought was so horribly depressing that she immediately dropped them back into the bag and shoved it away.

This was the thoughtful woman she had forced out of her life. The thoughtful, weird as hell woman who she just so happened to be related to, and was now on her way to Brazil. So many things were left unsaid! Who knew how long it would be before they saw each other again?

Eventually, the iPod flashed up at her for attention, and she looked through the artists. Sure enough, among the very few that had already been in there was Janet Jackson. It looked to be just about every song she'd ever released.

A few minutes of crying later, when she was about to shut the laptop and put it away, she noticed the browser window just behind the other two. Clicking it, she saw what Anna had been looking up: flights to Brazil. Apparently, her credit card still worked, at least, because she had used it to purchase her ticket.

For 7:15.

The time in the corner said "5:51". It had taken her a lot less time than she thought to watch the video and look through the bag. She probably wouldn't even be boarding for another hour.

Elsa was halfway to the door when she ran back to grab the iPod, and another item from her desk drawer. Then there was nothing that was going to come between her and her new mission.

~ To Be Continued ~