A/n: reviews are much appreciated :)

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," I looked over, cautiously. Her hands were holding tight on her steering wheel, blue eyes… not looking so blue anymore. Anxiety filled her darkened eyes.

I shifted the bouquet of white roses in my arms. "You know, there's always next time," I told her softly. She turned, and her eyes made it seem like I was the one out of my mind. Goodness, how long have we been sitting in here?

Elsa was silent and even then, with those perfect eyes looking straight at me, I couldn't figure out what she was thinking. We'd made it so far and I'd pushed her to her limit-It was a small push, and in the end, she moved forward by herself. And now, she seemed a little hesitant to continue.

Maybe she feared of doing this on her own. Oh Elsa...

The day was silent, grey clouds looming over us, and rain drizzled down lightly. It was quite cold today… especially on a day where Elsa wanted us to see her Pabbie for the first time after three years. Pabbie… it rolled easily on my tongue, as if he was my own grandfather.

Elsa had surely been thinking about having to meet him in a while.

She plopped back against her seat, and breathed, "I have to."

I stood my ground with a frown. "Snowflake, you're not ready," I persisted.

Her knuckles were whiter than snow, shaking and tensing up with every little thought of him. She gazed down in silence, as I took her hand in mine. "I… I haven't seen him for so long." She chuckled. "I've been such an… awful-"

Oh, not this again. When will she realize none of this was her fault?!

I groaned. "Okay, I'm going to stop you right there."

Though, I shouldn't be so surprised. After everything that had happened, Elsa became quite a different woman. That stern, cold... Control freak of a woman was no longer there. She'd melted. A part of me was happy that she'd been thawed, but the other side felt the desperate need to bring that back.

I felt a slight disappointment concealed in my chest. "First of all, don't you dare continue that sentence. And second…" I sighed as she looked at me in the eyes. All vulnerable… helpless. Gods, what am I going to do with you?

Softening my gaze, I let my fingers run through her golden fringes. She leaned into my touch. At least, she wasn't shutting me out again. "... you… we were going through horrible times, okay? I know you have a lot of respect for Pabbie, and I'm sure he'll forgive you for not visiting him for a long time."

Her lips pursed shut, eyebrows crossed with such doubt.

"Right, Elsa?" I urged.

For a moment, she relaxed. Her smile was faint, but it was there. She took my hand and kissed warmly on the back. "You've always been." That's the Elsa I love.

My cheeks flushed pink, her gaze burning into me as if she had the intention to set me ablaze. But somehow, I'd gotten quite used to her… intensity. I swallowed the deep dark thoughts of lust down. Control your libido, Anna!

"Then let's go see Pabbie. Whenever you're ready, Snowflake."

Elsa held my hand tight and took a deep breath. "I don't…"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?" Surely, she wouldn't tell me that we should leave. We'd gotten so far here, she should be proud. Either way, I'd support whatever decision she'd make.

She rubbed her thumb on the back of my palm softly and her head dropped low. "I don't want you to think… that I'm a bad person." The sorrow in her voice! The regret! I was astounded. Appalled. How could she say that?

"Snowflake, when have I ever?" It's terrifying to hear her say that!

Her lips shut tight, and her eyes gazed at me in guilt—it killed me to give me that look. "I'd… never forget what I've done to you."

Seriously!

Oh, but unfortunately, I knew after two years, she'd still think of the time we had that… toxic, unbearable, painful relationship.

Olaf would talk about it to me once in a while, but he would never look this hurt. Besides, he'd gotten his own relationship to talk about anyway. That would be another topic for another day. All there was to say was that he seemed to be quite enjoying his newly found lover.

But Elsa? When was she ever going to learn that I'd forgiven her? It was always dreadful seeing her in this state. I'd given her all of me, my reassurance, my forgiveness… Was this not enough? I couldn't blame her-those nightmares would still haunt her day and night. Yes, those were to blame.

A beat of silence passed before I leaned in and laid a kiss on her cheek. Her skin was ice cold. "I'll always be beside you no matter what, you know that right?"

Looking down to her lap, she swallowed, her lip between her teeth.

"Right?" I repeated.

She nodded slowly and unsurely.

"I'll do whatever you say if you just do this one thing for me, is that good?" Bribing? Well, it didn't seem all that bad. Her eyebrows perked up in amusement, eyes rising to meet mine. Oh no. Her fingers slowly laced between mine. Oh, the tiny sparks she made on my skin was unreal.

"'Do whatever I say?'"

Shit. I gulped the large lump of heat down my throat. "Y-Yes?"

Her smile altered to a smirk. "We'll see about that when we get home." She knows I hate her teasing!

"I'm ready," she continued.

As if I didn't hear a word she'd said, I let my voice wander, "A-Alright, let's go. Wait—" Oh? That was easy.

"You've said it. I'll do it." She shrugged her shoulders. Was it really not that big of a deal? Impossible.

"Okay…" This time, I sounded unsure. "We'll go."

The walk through the cemetery was mostly quiet with Elsa holding the umbrella and those roses cradled in my arms. Each step seemed to have gotten slower and heavier somehow.

I looked around, seeing fields of fresh grass and flowers propped before the tombstones.

I turned to Elsa, her blue eyes darkened with fear. She didn't turn to me. Honestly what is she thinking?

My arm slowly hooked around hers. "You okay? You look all tensed up."

Elsa smiled slightly. I doubt it was truly a smile. "I'm fine." She patted her hand against mine.

"Nervous?" Slowly we continued walking at her own pace. How could I ever rush her?

She shrugged. "A bit, yes."

Maybe I should lighten the mood up a little—get her to laugh bit. Ugh, but this wasn't the exactly the kind of place… or situation to be laughing. "You know, that's how it always is… meeting parents or grandparents and telling them that you're dating someone. It's normal, I guess?" I chuckled nervously.

She glanced at me amusingly. "You've met my parents."

"Not your grandparents."

Her eyebrows arched in a questioning manner. "I… don't think any grandparents would oppose…"

"Hey, I'm trying to be funny here, okay? Trying to cheer you up a bit." At least she was grinning.

"Thank you, Anna." She placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "You always know how to make me feel better."

I shrugged, bringing a hand up to brush her hair back. "I try, Snowflake."

We didn't know when we stopped walking, but we were already in front of the tombstone. The black marble splattered with raindrops, flowers wearing away on the ground. I turned to Elsa. Her eyes showed nothing, but a sense of loss, emptiness. Something that needed to fill her void... I wondered what she was thinking at this time.

I turned back to the stone, examining every little speck of details and every word engraved in the front.

In loving memories of

Christian Snow

1937-2008

Short and simple.

We were being too quiet and I could feel the warmth in her hand fading. She squeezed my hand tightly, but I did not mind. It'd been a long day for her, and I'd rather see her smile than to look at me-or anyone for that matter, like that.

"Elsa…" I spoke softly. I tugged on her hand. "Elsa, say something."

She blinked away from her little dreamland. I'd never seen her like this… all dazed and silent. Not for a long time, at least. She forced a smile to me. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "Just take your time, Elsa."

I knew she wouldn't let my hand go, and that was okay. A part of me wanted to speak and say hi to Pabbie, but she'd told me multiple times that she'd say something first. Well, if she had the courage to. She lacked that right now.

Elsa took a deep silent breath, standing nice and regal. "It's been so long," she began. Her soft voice was so soothing, yet there was still a pinch of grief in her voice. Had she really not cried after his death? Well, it wasn't that much of a surprise. She'd been traumatized for too long… too much. Too traumatized to cry.

I pitied her, yet she pitied me…

What a mess, we were.

My eyes were focused on her all this time with caution.

Her smile was small, but at least it was better than nothing. "Pabbie… Look," She squeezed my hand once more and kissed the back of it. "I have a girlfriend. A lovely… caring girlfriend."

I couldn't help but blush. "Hi… we've met. I think."

She chuckled softly. "You should be able to recognize her. Beautiful red hair, teal eyes, adorable freckles." I slowly reached down and placed the bouquet of flowers on the ground. "She's… been the same for all these years, you wouldn't be able to mistake her for anyone else."

Taking a quick glance at her, I found her quite endearing as she talked about my features. She'd always been.

"Anna Smith… she came back for me," Elsa breathed. "And now, I'm here to tell you that we… we are okay."

Oh, we still had a long way to go before we really were 'okay'. We'd seemed to gotten our feelings straightened out, but other than that… Elsa and I had to work through everything else. There were nights that things had gone wrong… but this wasn't anybody's fault.

I began brushing off the wilting flowers off the surface and I knew, she had a proud grin on her face.

"I'm sorry I haven't come by for so long… there's no excuse for this, is there?" she chuckled bitterly. Slowly turning to her, I got up to kiss her cheek.

"Nobody blames you," I told her. She knew that. Her heart… it was too kind.

"I know." She pressed her hand on the cold surface. "I… you should know, Belle and I aren't together, obviously. You've always liked her, but the both of us… we're just not meant to be together."

Hearing her say this was relieving, yet I felt as if a dozen needles had impaled my beating heart. Oh yes, I'd hated her for some time but… it was all because we both cared for the same woman.

Eventually, we became acquainted to each other. I wonder how she had been. We had not talked in a while.

"I…" My beautiful girlfriend started again. "I've done four surgeries. None of them were successful and I-"

"Elsa, can I take some time alone to talk with him?"

Surprised at the question, she gave me a worrying expression. It didn't really matter how she felt right now. Okay, it did, but this was the time to steer clear from everything. It pained me to know that we'd kept all these secrets away for one stupid reason. It'd bring me some kind of relief to talk to him about this at least.

Gods, we weren't those children anymore. We weren't the ones who would get bullied and needing the protection of a friend! Adults! And more specifically, adults that had their life flipped upside down, changing in every way possible. Yet, those children were still a part of us. Vulnerable. Scared. Just… children.

And as that child, I wanted to speak to an old friend about all that we'd gone through. Well, if Elsa would allow it. Of course, she'd do anything for me.

Taking a deep breath, exhaling out, she handed me her umbrella. "I'll take a little walk." She kissed my forehead.

"Thank you."

I stared at her back, as our distance grew further apart. Nothing looked more miserable than to see her by herself… Oh, why did I leave her alone? I'd always been with her all this time and all I could ever see was her vulnerability around me. She needs to learn to be by herself.

Sighing with a deep heave of my chest, I turned back to the black stone.

Oh when was the last time someone visited? Those petals on the ground didn't seem so old… and I doubted Elsa would be the one to come by on her own.

"Hey… Pabbie… Christian… I don't know what I should call you." I chuckled. "Well, I guess I used to call you that too." Silence. The rain seemed to have dimmed down, the grey clouds slowly separating to reveal the sun. I looked up to the sky, and placed my umbrella down. It stopped…

"I should… probably tell you that… Elsa's and I have been through a lot. I mean," I said nervously. "Everything that she has done for me, she thinks that it's the right thing to do. In the end… it really isn't, but you know how it is. When you love someone so much, it doesn't matter what she does… you'll still forgive her right?"

Slowly, I got to the ground, a hand brought up to press against the cold, wet marble. "But hey, I'm here to be a supportive girlfriend. She always feels so lonely… and she gets so scared with all these nightmares, but don't worry. I'm here for her and I know she's stronger than she thinks she is." I smiled slightly when the wind blew as if he was speaking to me. "And I plan on leaving anytime soon—" Not at all. "As a matter of fact… It's been over a year since we've been together… I think it's time that we—"

The sound of footsteps made me pause. I turned to see Elsa coming towards me, her blonde hair wet from the rain. Perhaps, she'd cooled off and relaxed a little. Her smile showed it all.

"Hey," I got up.

She reached for my hand and entwined our fingers together. "I see you've been talking."

"Yeah, a little."

"I came to get you."

I cocked an eyebrow up. "You don't want to speak with your grandfather anymore?"

She turned to the stone in a contemplating manner. "We have plenty of times for that… I think I spoke enough."

Hm. Hopefully, she wasn't trying to avoid what she'd promised. But I guess, this was good enough. We needed to take baby steps. Nodding, I pressed my lips on her cheek. "Not so bad right?"

"It… would've been better if it wasn't raining." She patted her wet hair.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't like a little April shower."

She smiled slightly. "I do. But… we should get going, I haven't eaten all day."

I scoffed. "I could've cooked you something."

"But you didn't," she pouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Fineee, I went for a run so I didn't wake you up for breakfast."

"And you didn't save some for me." Gods this woman! She was acting as if she didn't know how to cook! Well, who could blame her? Balancing between work and spending time with me was hard. How she managed not to faint, was beyond me.

I couldn't resist her, with that pout. "Alright, I'll cook you something when we get home."

"No."

No?

"I… want to go to the beach. I have something for you for your birthday."

"My birthday's in June, Snowflake."

She shrugged, and something told me she was hiding something based on her widening grin. "An early birthday present. I'm positive you'll love it."

"Do I get to guess?"

She hummed in contemplation, "Well… we're not going home for tonight. We're going to our beach house."

I gasped, unable to contain my excitement. That had to be something that we hadn't done for a long time. Oh, Elsa could be such a sweetheart sometimes-but then again, she would spoil me as many times as she could. All she had to say was 'I want to make up the time we haven't had together' and I could no longer refuse.

Her eyes glittered with positivity, and her oozing curiosity.

"Are we going to go on a ride on your yacht? We haven't done that for a while!" I prompted.

She looked at her watch. "Hm. We could, but it's not here and I have something better than being on a yacht. We should get going." She ignored my pout and turned to Pabbie. "I'm sorry… I'll… talk about everything to you when I feel more comfortable."

At that, all I could hear was the vulnerability in her voice. Her eyes! Oh, what could I do to get rid of the hopelessness? I tensed, and readied myself for her waves of emotions. It never came.

Turning to me, she brushed my hair behind my ear. "We'll be okay," she breathed, lips against my forehead and I knew, even before she said that, that we would be. I smiled, and leaned myself into the crook of her neck, my hands holding her waist.

"You're wet," I said.

She chuckled, "I know."

"We should go."

Elsa nodded and pecked me once more. "We should."

Maybe it was because time was passing by too fast, or because we were too busy having our hands and lips caress each other than to drive… but the evening had gotten darker by the time we'd arrived at the beach.

The sun was already setting, lights reflecting off the ocean water. The sky was turning from a different shade of pink to blue, with seagulls flying around the place noisily. There were a few people from afar still on the beach, enjoying the sun while it lasted. Nevertheless, it was quite peaceful for just the two of us.

Hand in hand, we walked through the quiet shore with our feet bare. I hummed a little tune-something that Elsa would recognize immediately.

She gazed at me in surprise, through the starry evening. "You remember the tune."

"I do, not the words, though." I kicked the sands below my feet.

"Elena knows, doesn't she?" she asked. She swung our hands back and forth a little.

"Well…" I felt a fluster creeping up towards me, and the clear light from the sun showed it all. I looked up to see her looking at me with an adorning expression. Oh, Elsa Snow! How was she turning from a tiger to a small adorable kitten in such a short time?

I squeezed her hand tightly. Somehow, her skin felt warmer than usual. "I was hoping you would teach me the words. You do remember right?"

"Of course." She seemed quite confident.

"Hey, you okay?" I questioned, my eyes searching her expression. She showed no discomfort, so what was with the damp palm? She stayed silent at that question, innocent and oblivious of her sweaty hands. Is she having a fever?

I pressed my palm on her forehead.

"Okay, no fever." I stopped walking, tugging her to halt as well.

"Anna, what-"

"Now, tell me what's wrong. You're all sweaty."

"Nothing's wrong," she replied.

"When you say it like that, there is. Now I'm not moving until you tell me. You promised we wouldn't be keeping things away from each other, right?"

I didn't mean to make her feel guilty.

She rubbed her hands together. "Well…" she chuckled, blue eyes glowing brightly as they wandered down to the ground. What in the hell was she acting so meek for? I gazed at her curiously, and I couldn't locate where this was heading to. God forbid if she became ruthless and careless again.

Oh, god forbid!

Yes, she looked beautiful. But this was odd! It was once upon a blue moon, would she act this way.

I stood tensely. "W-Well?" My frantic heart could not keep still.

Elsa took a deep intake of breath and stared pleasantly at me. "Do you have your ring?"

I blinked. "Why do you need the…" No way. There was no way.

But I could not deny her from wanting to have it. I let her brush my two braids back and gently take the necklace, where the little stone encased within a metal strung around it. "Here." She handed me the abandoned metal string, but did not let go of my hand.

This time, my heart did stop. My eyes followed between the ring and her back and forth. Back and forth.

No, no, no.

She examined the piece of jewelry. "I've been… meaning to do this for a very a long time now. It's as… gorgeous as ever even after all it'd been through." She turned to me. There was that bold smirk again. "Like you."

This wasn't the time to roll my eyes, but I would have if I wasn't so anxious. The blush on my cheeks intensified. Sure enough, my hands really were getting a bit damp too.

Goodness, what has she done to me?!

Elsa licked her lips, and let her thumb caress the back of my hand. "I… would've much preferred if you didn't stop me right now. You're making me nervous."

I gulped. Oh god. "Elsa, what are you doing?"

"I just… wanted to bring you to a quiet place, tell you how much I love you and…" She twirled the ring in her hand, and slowly, she got down on one knee. I gasped, and my heart was threatening to break loose from its captivity. My eyes immediately watered, and I could not stop the slight sob that slipped out.

Nothing else crossed my mind, other than the image of her on her knee, a hand holding mine, and another raising the ring up to me. Her blue eyes glistened through the sunset, and nothing looked more beautiful than to see them staring brightly back at me.

I had no words, gazing at her in complete bewilderment. I can't believe this!

"You are my best friend, Anna Smith… what more do I need than to have you in my arms? I don't deserve you, and I owe you so much for you've done for me. I… I love you."

"Oh god, Elsa—"

And I can't… I don't know how else to express this love to you other than to…" She looked at the ring. "Than to propose to you. We've… been together for a year, but it seems as if we've been together since… forever. I think it's time that I ask you…"

So this is it. This was where my life would truly begin with her.

"Will you marry me?"

Maybe I'd grown soft over the course of us together, but I started crying immediately. I couldn't answer her, but she was patient. I wept loudly, ducking my head down. As if she found it quite cute, she smiled, sweetly. It was taking me longer than expected to get myself together. A bit embarrassing, to say the least.

Just swallow me up, ground!

"Anna-"

"Yes," I answered, my voice hoarse and barely audible. I took a deep breath, and gathered the trickle of tears that fell. "A million times yes," I emphasized softly. Oh, how could I ever say no to that look?

The beam that glowed from her elastic smile halted my poor heart. How ecstatic she seemed to be.

She slipped the ring onto my finger, and looked up with bright blue eyes. "I was afraid you would-"

I was too impatient to wait for her to say anything she'd like, and tugged her up into my arms. "Oh Elsa, come here…" Please. I wrapped my arms around her neck as she grasped my waist. Our lips met rashly, but still in a very loving manner.

I couldn't figure out where my hands should stay, and finally they managed to pick a spot on her cheeks.

Tears continued to trickle down my cheeks, and slowly I'd calmed down into her grasp. We hadn't had the strength to let go of each other, just yet. Indulging ourselves with our scent, taste, touch… this was paradise. And to be engaged? Gods, it was a dream come true.

It really is.

Slowly, I pulled away and her lips followed for one more, gentle kiss.

Her fingers brushed away the few tears that were left abandoned on my cheeks.

"You're okay… I've got you," she whispered, and sprinkled me with all her love through another kiss. Our forehead pressed together, warmly. I looked up into her eyes.

"You know," I whispered. "I was just thinking about getting married to you, this morning. Dreamt about it once too."

She smiled, relaxingly. "I'm glad I can make that dream come true."

"I love you, Elsa."

"And I love you too, my wonderful… wonderful future wife."

The End