Trying to buy her girlfriend a gift was easier than she thought. Sure, often, Elsa in her leisure times would think about what she should gift Anna in return for her beautiful smile, but it wasn't always something that would last forever. Food, sure. Books… well, Anna didn't particularly enjoy reading books on her off time. A few earrings and piercings here and there… but they were barely noticeable if people only paid close attention. In all honesty, not many of the gifts Elsa would buy her were remotely useful anyway.

During the afternoon that she had finished eating her lunch, having another hour on her own to hang around, Elsa decided to go to a jewelry shop. It was just in time as well when Elsa's boss had increased her pay because of how much she had to offer for the company… even discussing whether she wanted a newer position with a bigger room - one that gave more executive directions for the company. Elsa had to think about.

Still though, with the new paycheck that she had gotten just last week that she had excitedly told Anna about, including the new opportunities - which, not surprisingly, Anna had cried out tears of happiness - Elsa made a… well, a less mindful decision to get Anna a watch. That girl was always late for her classes even when Elsa made sure to call her every time at work to check if she made it.

But that was what made Elsa enjoy so much about her - she had become the sole reason why Elsa didn't always have to focus on work and exhaust herself. Every now and then, during a break, she'd always enjoy the little time that she'd have with Anna, even if it was just a few minutes call, no matter what it was about.

Staring at the selection of watches under the glass display, she sensed a worker walking down behind the aisle to help. Tiffany's usually wasn't too crowded, and there was always some gentle background music from the speakers, but Elsa couldn't help seeing how many workers were looking at her. Especially when there were only a few customers, including her, here.

"Hi there, how can I help you?" announced said worker in a suit.

Elsa continued to scan her eyes through the series of watches. No, that one's too small. That one's black… too much leather… She sighed, having in mind already what she wanted. "Do you have anything that's not too flashy?"

"Well, what are you looking for?"

Elsa clapped her hands together. "Something simple. Steel, perhaps. Let's see… white, maybe?"

The clerk nodded and slowly took out a watch that fit her description from the display. Elsa simply stared at it, even boldly taking it from his hand to examine. "This is stainless steel, not too flashy at all. The dials are fit in gold poudré with diamond set on the case."

Elsa raised her eyebrow curiously, eyeing the man first and then the watch, letting it shine in the light. "Diamond?" Not that she minded. "Let me guess, it's around ten grand."

"Ahh," he chuckled, "close actually. Seven grand."

Elsa squinted and placed the watch on the glass display as if it dirtied her hand. "You're showing me a watch that is worth seven grand and sound so proud when you say it out loud. I thought Tiffany's customer services are always on the customer's side."

"Well, yes, but -"

"Lower the price," Elsa demanded, her face stoic, and she made sure her cold blue eyes never stray away from the worker.

And as if on cue, he quickly stumbled to grab a calculator, punching in numbers and sighed. "The best I could do is five grand, Miss."

Five grand. Five grand, that she could do. It was always fun bargaining with workers, and while she wanted to say yes she'd buy that for that amount, she wasn't the type to give up entirely yet. "Lower."

"But Miss -"

Elsa slowly slid the watch back to him, and was just about to demand him to lower the price to at least four-point five grand… her eyes, as if meeting with the shine of a small reflected light, slowly turned to the display next to the watches, showing dozens of rings paired with each other. For a moment, she stayed silent, and as if automatic, her steps strode towards that display. And as soon as she had caught a glance of a beautiful diamond ring glaring in the light, her expression softened… and all thoughts of any bargaining were abandoned. She hadn't even noticed the worker had taken the ring out of the display to show her directly.

"Does this interest you, ma'am?"

Elsa blinked, prompted away from her dream and looked at the man. Oh, this dream… well, she had been thinking about it lately. There wouldn't be any happier places than with Anna… and during those two years together, having been enduring their ups and downs, still coming back to each other's arms with love, Elsa honestly just… never felt happier.

There were so many things that Anna had taught her - love, fear, comfort… and, especially, Anna taught her what it was like to lose. And although, Elsa hadn't lost anything… she always feared of losing Anna. And that fear was manifested from her own love and care. Ultimately, Elsa wanted to do everything she could to keep Anna in her own arms. Marrying her was one thing, and it was a plus, but all Elsa wanted was to give Anna her heart more than ever.

And while they were still young, knowing that there was no rush on getting married - especially when Anna was still in school and Elsa having her plans to start her own company - what was the harm to get ready early on? They both knew how important they were to each other… and even in the two years they had been together, every day felt like it was their first time being in love.

She took the box that was seating a diamond ring in her hand and swallowed.

"Do you like it, ma'am?"

Elsa looked at the worker, her expression softened warmly before she turned back to be entranced with the ring once more. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is. I'm sure your boyfriend would enjoy buying one?"

That made Elsa giggle, still observing the ring with care. "Girlfriend, actually."

"Ah… my bad. Well, I'm sure your girlfriend would love it very much. t's a very beautiful ring, ma'am, though on a more expensive side."

"Yes, I'm seeing that it is -" Before she could continue, her phone rang in her pocket. Usually, she disliked the fact someone would call her during her break, but knowing that sometimes it was Anna, she would have to answer it every time. Which meant right now. With a smile on her face, she answered, "Hi, babe."

"Is that your girlfriend?" The worker mouthed, prompting Elsa to just wink at him before turning her back towards him, leaning against the display.

"Heyyy, I just got off class. It ended early. Thought I should call you to see if you ate lunch."

"I just ate, don't worry. Are you going straight home? You should get something to eat."

"Yep. I guess I can order take-out once I'm home… unless there are leftovers from yesterday so I can finish that for lunch," Anna yawned.

"Oh, don't go eating leftovers. Have something a bit nicer." She turned back, unable to even take her eyesight off the single jewelry for another second. "I'll come back home a bit earlier to make dinner. And you should take a nap if you're tired, baby."

"Yeah, I should… ooh, you know, I'm kinda craving steak and mashed potatoes. I think we still have a few potatoes in the kitchen, I'll peel them later."

The girl always gets what she wants, huh? "Alright, I'll go buy some steak on the way home."

"Anyway, are you gonna get back to work? I don't wanna bother you for too long."

"Oh, never." She sighed, wishing she could just get to the other side of the phone and hug her girlfriend. Even if it was just for a few hours, Elsa couldn't help but crave wanting to be next to her, talk about nothing, laugh about nothing… and just be together. "I'll see you back home then? Text me if you need anything."

"Yup! Love you."

"I love you too, darling." Without another beat, she didn't even have to wait until Anna had hung up. As much as Elsa wanted to stay on the phone as long as she could with Anna, the redhead would always be the first to hang up every time without hesitation. Which was fantastic in a way because Elsa was never really the type to play 'who can hang up first' like any other typical couples. But in a way, they never really were a typical cute couple. They had matured… and Elsa had been thinking about their future together for a while now.

"Wow, you must love your girlfriend a lot. Been together long?" the worker asked. Right now, she loved for people to pry and ask. Elsa always prided herself with having such a beautiful woman by her side after all, and she always wanted to brag about it.

"Two years actually."

"That's not too long then. You must really love her if you're considering an engagement ring right now."

Elsa nodded, her expression showing nothing gratitude and pride, her eyes glistening with all the fondness and happiness that she would always have with Anna. But as much as she could feel all of that on the surface, deep down… there was also so much hurt and pain. It was nothing she could ever describe, and really, she didn't ever want to describe it. It was hard to imagine a life without Anna now. Couldn't even imagine the torment she would feel when everything that had worked hard to have was gone. Truth be told, every day, Elsa feared all the things that Anna… that Anna would do to herself… to both of them. One slip-up would mean the end of the world, and Elsa couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Ever.

"She's… been through a rough patch," she nodded, feeling her chest tighten, "I love her too much to make her go through so many hardships in life by herself. I can't lose her… so I thought this would make her very happy. It'd make me happy."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. There are always some bumps in a relationship, and yours surely is no different."

She shook her head. "Clearly it isn't. But… I know I can't lose her. She is the one, after all."

He smiled. "And you think marrying her is the right choice?"

"The only and the right choice. Always." She pauses, chuckling. "Right so… yes, I want that watch and I want this ring. Do you do engraving?"

"Yes, we do! We can engrave it right now if you'd like?"

"Fantastic."

"And the price? This ring is 12k, ma'am."

Elsa shook her head as she pulled out her debit card from her wallet. "It's alright. I want it. Love has no price."

It felt like days had passed with each second that ticked by. Anna wasn't used to how quiet the house was, especially after everything that had happened, which, during those hours of being by herself, made her reflect on what she did wrong. In a way, she didn't think she did anything wrong, and it was only for a short while that she thought of that. After all… as Elsa had gone back to her room without the crutches, it made Anna realize, perhaps, Elsa didn't need her as much as Anna thought she did.

And for the time that Anna had tried to preoccupy herself with cleaning up the office for the hours that she had been alone, she couldn't help but think that maybe Elsa was right. In all the ways that Anna could've treated her, she didn't have to treat her like Elsa was chained to her. But if she hadn't done what she had done, Elsa would have been taken away by someone else. The way she smiled… the way she giggled… oh, Anna remembered exactly how she was with Belle… and she remembered how Elsa would always be the one - the only one - that would look this full of joy. Used to, anyway.

Now, Anna rarely saw that sunshine smile and spritely laughter in this household. She missed it. Craved for it. Perhaps, she even regretted treating Elsa like she was her own property.

Standing in the kitchen after having to clean out the office, she was just about to make dinner when her phone rang. It had only been a few days since Idunn had called, so of course, Anna was expecting one soon, and she was right.

"Hello?" Anna greeted, exhaling with exhaustion, her eyes gazing down at the dripping faucet.

"Anna? What's wrong, sweetheart? Everything alright?" Her sweet concerned voice was about to make Anna break down.

She shook her head and chuckled bitterly. "I'm fine, don't worry. Sorry I haven't been messaging."

"Is Elsa causing you trouble? God, that girl…"

"N-No, not at all! She's…" she looked down to the hall where Elsa's bedroom door was closed. "She's fine. She's great actually. We're great. Uh, she's taking a nap right now, but if you want her to talk -"

"Oh, that's alright. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come home to have dinner with us, that's all. There's a wonderful roast chicken in the oven right now. Your favorite~" Idunn singsonged.

Anna could only smile at that. After all, when nobody else cared, Elsa's parents had officially become her wonderful parents as well. "Sure. I'd love to come to dinner."

"Good, good. Then go wake Elsa up and come by in about an hour, alright? Love you, Anna."

"Yeah, I love you too."

As soon as the mother hung up, Anna dropped her head and let out a sigh. Now here was the most difficult part: waking up Elsa after that fight they just had.

She wasn't even sure if Elsa had even slept with how angry she had been before. Still, the woman couldn't hide in her room forever. Looking at the clock, it was about seven already, so it was just in time.

Coming to open Elsa's door, of course, the first time she saw was darkness with the curtains closed and a small lump on the right side of the bed. Breathing in a courageous breath, Anna slowly walked to the bedside and shook Elsa's shoulder.

"Elsa… time to get up," she whispered. "Your mom wants us to come home to eat dinner."

Elsa's eyebrows scrunched together. "Mm…"

Anna shook her a bit harder. "Come on, I know you want to continue sleeping but I don't want you to go hungry. It's already seven."

"Okayyy…" the blonde groaned back like a teenager. She slowly sat up as Anna turned the bedside lights on, observing carefully at the way Elsa yawned and stretched. She must have had such a good dream if, for a few moments, that Elsa looked so in peace. Until she turned to see Anna that her expression had darkened. "Get out."

"Elsa -"

"Get out of my room. We can go to dinner but I don't want to talk to you right now. Get out!"

Anna clenched her fingers into fists, her eyes widened in hurt and anger, surprised by the sudden change in mood. But, perhaps, it shouldn't have been too much of a shock to know that Elsa was still mad at her. Still, Anna knew doing what she had done was in the past, and she could do nothing else to fix that. Although, she could apologize… admit that she had done wrong, but she was only going to kid herself.

Silently, with tears already coating her pupils, Anna's lips moved to say something, anything, really, but she just couldn't.

"What are you doing?" Elsa started again. "I told you to get out."

Right now, Anna could just feel her whole being trembling. "I just want what's best for you…" she whispered, her head dropping low, and for a short moment, while the tears fell from her face, Anna felt like something had been lifted off her shoulders. A burden. This whole weight. Saying that one sentence was coated in pain and hurt, but it was the truth.

She didn't wait for Elsa to respond as she got out of her room as fast as she could, door slamming shut. And only then when Anna was by herself right in front of Elsa's bedroom, she covered her mouth to prevent her cries from escaping. But she knew she couldn't just always wallow in pain… drowning herself, thinking that Elsa would suddenly wake up and be the sweetheart she always knew.

Soon enough, Anna had wiped her tears away and led herself to the living room, grabbing whatever she needed to the car. It didn't take long for Elsa to get out of her room as well, dressing simply in a shirt and jeans, her hair in her usual braid. But the whole atmosphere between them was just so incredibly dense and incredibly tiring. As Elsa slowly made her way out to the front door with her crutches that laid by her door when she slept, they were both giving each other the silent treatment.

Elsa didn't look at her… and neither did Anna. But that was all they could do to keep calm.

Especially as Anna started the car after trying her best to help Elsa get in, especially when they were driving down the street, the thickened atmosphere never really left between them. Anna knew she should at least say something, but she was afraid that she would get yelled at once again.

In the silence, Anna took a glimpse at her to see that Elsa was looking out at the side window. Say something. Just say it. But she couldn't. For the first time, she really feared Elsa… she really feared what Elsa would say to her. She felt desperate. She felt hopeless. But she knew the very least she could be glad about was the fact that Elsa was still alive, even if different.

So instead of saying anything, she clenched her fingers tightly on the steering wheel, and for the rest of the time, she kept her eyes forward without a single word escaping.

"Oh, darling Anna, I'm so glad to see you." Idunn slowly wrapped her arms around the redhead as soon as the two girls had stepped through the front door. While Anna tried her best to smile, it just seemed more awkward than usual when she knew Elsa was lurking behind her with such a… well, disgruntled look on her face. Like a child even.

The redhead nervously chuckled, soon having to pull away from the embrace. "Yeah, it smells good in there."

Idunn rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course it's going to smell good, it's your favorite. Elsa, come on in, you must be hungry, right? Your father made some delicious chicken soup. Very hearty."

The two entered the house, and while the living space was just huge, nothing felt more like home than to hear jazz music in the background with the smell of delicious aroma wafting in the air. Anna could even hear the boiling pot of soup that was just about ready, looking over to see Agdar stirring the pot. For now, all she wanted to do was ignore Elsa.

"Anna!" Agdar called out from the kitchen. "I'm glad you could come home for dinner. It would be a waste if you decided against it," Anna slowly came up to the man, letting him embrace her just for a moment, "you must be hungry, right? It'll be done soon."

The girl peeked over, and just from the first intake of breath in of the soup, she could feel her whole body getting warmer inside. "Yeah, uh… you need any help?"

"Oh, no, no. Just sit. We already set the tables up. Elsa, darling, are you hungry?!"

Anna turned to see Elsa wandering around the house looking at pictures. Though, while there weren't any with Anna and Elsa together in it, she could see how attentive Elsa was to the details of all the pictures that she was in with her parents and even without her parents.

Elsa slowly turned and nodded. "Yes, father." Yet, Elsa hadn't even met eye contact with Anna along the way.

"Alright, why don't you two go have a seat," Agdar placed his hand on Anna's shoulder, urging her to go be beside his daughter, "It'll be done soon."

"But -"

"Anna, darling," Idunn started, already having to open the oven door and out came the roasted chicken. "Go on, wash your hands. Go sit with Elsa."

And that was what she most dreaded. She heard the chair squeaking against the floor, knowing that it was Elsa who would be sitting down. The fact that she noticed how Elsa's face fell the moment she had sat down… the moment Elsa realized they would be sitting next to each other, it wasn't just the mere sadness that Anna was noticing. It was the complete anger that she had witnessed earlier on today, but all Anna could do was stay silent once again as she sat down next to Elsa.

Awkward… this is awkward…

She looked over to the blonde, but no matter how much she wished to see Elsa doing the same to her, the woman seemed to want none of it.

Luckily, Anna didn't have to sit in silence for long before Elsa's parents joined them both, sharing their dishes together. Perhaps, it was just the silence… or perhaps, it was just the fact that she was sitting next to Elsa, but her appetite wasn't as great as she thought it'd be. Of course, don't get her wrong, Idunn could make the most amazing dinner for her, but the feeling of her heart dropping constantly each second couldn't make that dinner any more delicious.

It wasn't always like this. They were happy. And as much as Anna knew how difficult it was for Elsa to accept who she was, as much as Anna knew how saddened and frustrated Elsa would be, they would never have gone to this length without talking for hours. The pressure that Anna was feeling right now was crushing her, and all she wanted was to make things work… only, she was as helpless as she could ever be.

Perhaps, Idunn and Agdar had already noticed the change in atmosphere, especially with how quiet it had gotten for the past few minutes, how Anna had been staring at her plate, taking slow bites when Anna had always been a fast eater. She didn't want to react to any of it.

"So… how are things between you two?" Anna slowly picked her head up to the mother's chirpy voice. Now I guess I have to react to it. "It does seem like Elsa's been able to walk a lot better huh? Thank you for taking care of her, Anna, we appreciate it so much…"

She looked over to the side to see that Elsa hadn't picked her head up from her plate either. Will she even say anything to me? "Oh, u-uh… it's… it's cool. I mean, it's really nothing. Elsa… Elsa's smart, you already know that. It's no surprise she can probably walk pretty well in the next couple of weeks. I mean… she's already trying to do it without her crutches."

"Oh really?" Agdar raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Elsa, you have to be careful, you know that, right? Have you fallen?"

"No father," was her deadpan tone.

"Have you two been doing alright on your own?" he asked, the two parents turning to either of them for an answer. "I know you two wanted to keep things on your own but -"

"We're fine, don't worry," Anna responded, her cheerful smile just as fake as the words that had come out of her lips. "I'm trying to get back to school again, Elsa's working pretty well with her studies. You don't need to worry, we're just… kinda getting things together."

"Are you sure?" Idunn questioned, "It's stressful, isn't it, for both of you?"

"Um… yeah, but we're working on it together -"

"Maybe if you'd stop controlling me, we'd be more than just good."

The two parents turned to the soft voice that spoke… seeing that Elsa had finally turned to look right up, but Anna didn't dare to look. All she could do… all she knew she had to do was shut the hell up. All the pent-up anger… the frustration… at least now, Anna knew Elsa could let it out in front of her parents.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Idunn started.

Elsa quickly took a deep breath in, still gazing at nowhere but her parents. That was ideal. Anna didn't want to see the anger… and she knew Elsa didn't want to see her own shame. "I know you think you've done what's good for me. But today… I just see control. You don't own me. I may be crippled… but I know my own feelings, and I know when I'm happy and when I'm not."

"Elsa…?" Agdar crossed his brows and then turned to the redhead. "Anna, what's going on? Have you two been having problems?"

"You treat me like I'm not normal… all I wanted was a friend. A friend that I met in the library that you took me to. It was a new start. I was happy. She understood me. She understood what I needed… and you took that away because you didn't think I was ready to make friends?" The blonde finally turned, her expression as hard and angered as it was just hours ago during their argument.

Anna didn't move. Couldn't move. Couldn't even react. She was so consumed by her thoughts… she could barely hear what Elsa was saying, but she understood how much she wronged Elsa. All that blood, sweat, and tears… resulted in all that despair, but what was it all worth?

Elsa continued, "I've had friends. I thought you were my friend. I thought you were there for me. But you don't even consider how I feel… just doing what you thought was best for yourself. Selfishness. I hope your parents are proud of you."

Idunn's eyes immediately widened, and for the first time in a while, the woman banged her fist on the table. "Elsa! Why did you say that?!"

Tears coated the older woman's eyes as she turned to Anna. And those words… those words were just resonating over and over Anna's mind, and while Elsa's mother was crying for her, all Anna felt was shock and guilt. So. Much. Guilt.

She trembled, but she stayed in her seat, eyeing her plate. She clenched her jaw, her fingers on her knees… and over and over again, she felt her own heart shattering like glass. Perhaps, this was a nightmare… and if was, she wanted this to end.

Agdar slowly stood from his seat, eyeing Elsa with such calmness… but even Anna could feel his anger. "Elsa… darling." He shook his head, pinching his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "You can't just say that -"

"It's okay," Anna whispered, finally picking her head up. Her throat was caught in an unescaped sob, but she had to stay strong. "It's fine, guys. It's true. What she said is true. You don't need to defend me. You don't need to say anything. I'm in the wrong."

Idunn's face softened, shaking her head, "Anna, please, I -"

"No, it's okay." She wiped her nose, looking down as she stood from her seat. "I'm just gonna head to the bathroom real quick. Sorry."

Anna didn't even hear Idunn calling her to come back as she raced up the stairs, immediately closing the door. She didn't want to hear it. She needed to be alone… needed the time for herself to think, to just… be herself without any one person to see her being weak and pity her. And just immediately after entering, Anna had collapsed on the ground, curled herself up in a ball and broke down. Tears that she had held back wept like a waterfall, the cries that she tried to hold back sounded against the back of her hand, and every single muscle she had been tensing up had started tingling from massive anxiety.

She didn't care if anyone out there heard her cry. All she had in mind… was Elsa. Not her… but Elsa.

That woman understood her. That woman sympathized with Anna and made her feel so much better if Anna felt alone or felt guilty of something. She would never blame her… because they'd always get through it together. She missed that. All of that.

It took a while, but when she realized the bathroom door had opened, Anna whimpered, trying to back against the corner of the bathroom, not knowing who it was until Idunn had gotten on her knees and held her wrists. "Oh, baby, baby, it's me. It's me. Shh…"

"I-Idun -"

"Shh…" Idunn slowly put her in her arms, like her own mother, patting the redhead's back, her lips pressed against her forehead. "It's okay, it's okay. I"m sorry, Anna. I'm so sorry… She didn't know. I told her everything about your parents. She wants to apologize. She feels sorry, she made a mistake. Okay? It was a huge mistake."

She didn't think she could cry in Idunn's arms, but she did, clutching onto the mother's shirt, her tears leaving stains. What could Anna say? They both knew… the whole family knew how much regret Anna had after her parents died. How much Anna wished to have treated them better… how much Anna thought of them every day for the past two years, unable to get over it for months on end. Elsa knew it all… and now?

Anna shook her head, her shoulders trembling. "That's not her… That's not her… She's not Elsa…"

"Baby, it's her. It's always been her. It'll always be her. Please don't think that."

"She doesn't know me… and I don't know her! I DON'T KNOW HER!" Anna screamed, and she knew pulling away was in vain because Idunn was holding her as tightly as possible. She could scream and she could shout, but she knew Idunn would never even attempt to agree with her. While Elsa couldn't ever be Anna's shoulder to cry on anymore, and while Idunn wasn't always here for her, right now… she was desperate enough to take any sort of comfort from someone that had given life to Anna's favorite person. After all… Idunn did look quite like Elsa.

Clinging onto Idunn didn't give her the sense of comfort and relief that Elsa would often give her, and being held by the mother's arms didn't exactly give her that sense of security either, but Anna, for all those weeks, had no one else to turn to… and finally, just like that, she had to break down.

It took a few minutes before Anna finally calmed down, unable to escape from Idunn's embrace, and neither did she want to anyway. She leaned her head against the woman's shoulder, feeling a calming hand circle on her back… feeling her own tears dribble down her wet cheeks. She sniffled, feeling as if she had gotten all of her thoughts and emotions together, and as she was just about to speak, Idunn sighed.

"Anna, would you like to stay here tonight? Agdar could bring Elsa home. I fear you don't want to see her at the moment," her gentle voice offered. Despite wanting to do that, Anna slowly shook her head and pulled away. Between the two of them… right now, it was Anna that had to take care of Elsa, that had to burden all that pain and suffering.

"No, I'm gonna…" she wiped her own tears off her face, knowing full well that her face was completely swollen and red. Though, she was thankful that Idunn was kind enough to come in to comfort her. "Um… thanks, Idunn. I… I think I'm gonna go home with her."

"Are you sure?" Idunn asked worriedly. "Agdar is… telling her about what happened, is that okay? As I said, she didn't know -"

"It's fine," Anna interrupted, slowly standing with the mother. "We'll talk about it on the way home. Thanks for helping out."

"Anna," she sighed, taking the redhead's wrist. "I'm sorry. She may not have been the person you've known - that we've known… but we need to help her out, and you need to understand that."

Unsure if she was still bitter or just didn't feel like having anyone touch her, Anna slowly pulled away from her hold, her own gaze glued to the ground. "I know. Of course I know. Um… let's just head down."

And, of course, heading down the stairs in such a quiet atmosphere got Anna more anxious than ever, especially with Idunn behind her… and the silhouette of Elsa and Agdar's body crept into her view. It seemed like the two hadn't realized Anna had come down as Adgar was still speaking, but it took a moment before two pairs of focused eyes turned around to look at Anna.

The first thing that Anna had caught on was exactly what she expected - an apologetic expression from Elsa. Oddly enough, even though Anna felt a wave of relief that Elsa wasn't mad at anymore, she really didn't Elsa to look at her like that.

Standing by the stairs, she sighed. "Sorry, Adgar… I think it's time for us to leave."

The man stood up with a gentle smile and nodded. "Oh, of course. But you didn't eat much… do you want to have a bit of food to go home with?"

Anna shook her head, her eyes unmoved from Elsa. "It's fine," she replied, almost seemingly disinterested, "I'm not hungry anyway."

Agdar turned to his daughter in concern. "Elsa, do you want to stay here for tonight?" Only then, the blonde had slowly got up from her seat, supporting herself with the crutches. It came to Anna's surprise that Elsa would even consider coming home with Anna after what happened - surely, the girl could see those red swollen skin below Anna's eyes from all that crying - and not at all feeling guilty and needing the space. To be quite honest, it wasn't space that Anna needed between them… but just more togetherness would suffice.

In a blink, Elsa had come to the front door and opened it in silence, and Anna had watched Elsa's pursed lips loosening in a small smile. "Sorry, Mother, Father. I think I should leave with Anna." A small beat passed. "We have a lot to talk about."

It was quite the opposite, really, being in the car together… driving through the night where the sky even began drizzling as well. Streetlights and cars passed them with ease, droplets of rain whipping on the surface of the car, and the silence between them was oddly filled with peace and warmth… and, maybe, it was because Anna had opened up and Elsa had been opened up to, but the anger that Anna had felt… that simple heartbreak was near gone.

Still, even if it was warm, there was a lingering loneliness that Anna was feeling… and when she thought turning on the radio would help her ease her feelings, she knew it could never be enough. With one hand on the steering wheel, her other just laid on her lap, there was a sense of need and longing beside that loneliness to wanting to hold Elsa's hand. And as the car halted in front of the red light, Anna took the chance to look at the blonde to see she had been staring out her passenger window the entirety of the ride.

Her eyes wandered, lowered to the pale tender hands that laid on Elsa's laps. She swallowed, and before she could allow her own stupid reflex take over, Anna managed to look away.

"I'm sorry," Elsa started immediately, and as if she wasn't allowing Anna to divert her attention, their eyes slowly met. But why? Staring at Elsa's face right now was going to break Anna more… and it wasn't the same expression she'd always have whenever Elsa was disappointed or frustrated with something. It looked cold… but Anna didn't feel cold. With no smile… with almost no emotions in Elsa's eyes, yet… Anna could still feel the guilt and sympathy that Elsa seemingly tried to emphasize through those two words.

Almost as if… in a way, Anna could see the Elsa that she always longed to have for so long. And at the moment, after those two simple words, of silence… Anna really thought she could go ahead and hold Elsa's hand and tell her that it was alright, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

Still, Anna offered her a small smile and a nod before turning her attention away. Right now, a simple sorry was enough because at least… Anna knew Elsa still had a heart for her.

The moment that they had entered back home, as soon as they had both settled down… as soon as Anna had managed to take a shower, it was still awfully quiet. Without a doubt, they both had a lot in mind, so it was understandable that they still hadn't been talking to each other much. But Anna planned to. Anna planned to just start telling her about the truth… even if it hurt.

With wet hair and her pajamas consisting of a random shirt and shorts, she looked around to see that Elsa was nowhere in sight. Slowly, she strolled into Elsa's bedroom, but it was just as empty… only, she found the blonde sitting on the bed of her bedroom, the lamp turned on. Frozen in front of her own door, Anna stared blankly at the older woman… finding that Elsa's expression softened. "Elsa -"

"Come here, can we talk?" she questioned with a worried arched eyebrow, her hand patting on the comforter. Though Anna wasn't quite used to Elsa initiating these talks, it was almost like she knew she had to sit beside Elsa. Almost like she knew it was her old Elsa doing the talking… and never once did Anna ever question it.

Settling down beside Elsa, they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Elsa broke eye contact, and her hand reached to hold Anna's. At the moment, Anna felt nothing but pure warmth between the two… and even the simple gesture of hand-holding didn't even phase the girl.

"Anna…" she started. "Is there… a reason why you didn't tell me? About your parents?"

So that's what we're starting with huh? The least Anna could do was tell the truth… how she really felt. Sure it was Idunn's plan not to tell her little girl anything, but even Anna felt like it was the best choice in not trying to give Elsa more stress than she already had.

"You just had a lot to go through… I couldn't let another thing bother you."

Seemingly, as Anna continued to stare, she knew Elsa didn't take that as an answer with how stern the woman looked.

"Is that really it?" Elsa shook her head. "Tell me the truth."

The truth. The real truth. But in a way, it was simply too hard to say it. After all, in general, Anna found herself at fault for her parents' death, so how could she tell the truth to someone that had completely forgotten?

Taking a deep breath, Anna chokingly replied, "I used to… really get anxious about talking about them to others." Her fingers wrung into tight fists, even in Elsa's hold as she remembered why she never really did talk about them. Her head lowered to her lap, feeling heavy like a boulder. "I just… everything that I did… I did a lot of bad things in the past. They loved me so much, but I never once appreciated t-them, and by the time I-I realized I was in the wrong, t-they… they're..."

"Anna -"

"T-They're gone." Her stutters turned into quiet sobs, covered by her own hand. And it didn't help when the moment they heard the first wet gasp, Elsa had quickly embraced her. Feeling her warm chest against her face… feeling those hands soothing her back… feeling the soft breathing against her forehead… felt like the most foreign thing in the world. And then at the moment, it felt like everything was okay in the world. Everything.

And while she was hesitant to hold Elsa back, her arms felt the need to reach behind Elsa… her nose brushing against Elsa's soft chest where the woman had placed her on, and with the soft whisper that spelled, 'it's okay, I'm here', Anna managed to let out the loudest sob for them both to hear. To her, even at a moment of just pretend, being right in Elsa's arms was the most real thing, the closest thing to being with her.

a/n: happy F2 day! I hope everyone's enjoying the movie (I haven't watched it yet), and sorry for the long pause on updates, life has kinda shifted, but I was finally able to finish this. Don't come at me with all your rage O_O