Chapter 44

It's been the same routine for the past seven days for Anna: Wake up. Get ready. Remind Rapunzel that she doesn't need to come in until noon. Get to the bakery. Fix that damn oven again. Clean up and close. Get back to the apartment. Eat dinner. Call Elsa.

And it's always been the same call for the past seven days: Tell each other how their day's been. Do some awkward flirting. Anna asks how the visit with Oaken went. Elsa changes the subject. Anna asks for news about Hans. Elsa changes the subject. Anna asks when they'll see each other again. Elsa- surprise- changes the subject.

Seven days later, and to say that Anna's on edge would be an understatement.

She tried to not take it too personally, and did her best to try and ease Elsa into having a conversation about what was going on, but whenever she got too close to the subject, Elsa would always retreat and talk about something superficial.

As she tapped her fingers impatiently on the patio table outside the bakery, Anna decided that enough was enough.

The patience she used to have was wearing thin, and she was already agitated enough to begin with considering they were on week three of not seeing each other. Her girlfriend was hiding something, and here she thought they were finally done with all this secrecy and lack of communication.

She took a deep breath and called Elsa again, knowing the CEO's schedule well enough to remember that she wasn't in any important meetings right now. It was time to finally get some answers.

Elsa answers after the third ring, "Hey babe, what's going on?"

"Enough is enough, Elsa. I need you to tell me everything."

"I...I'm sorry?"

"You're hiding something from me, I know you are. Maybe it's something to do with the school, or Hans, or work, but there's something you're not telling me. What's going on?"

"Anna that's...that's crazy, why would I ever hide anything from you?"

"Uh you tell me."

"I wouldn't do that to you, I…" Elsa sighed, "There's just a lot of stuff going on at work now, so I don't really wanna talk about it at the end of the day."

"Well if that's true, why couldn't you just tell me that before?" Anna sat up, still rapping her hands on the table. She waved the paparazzi away and gave them a mean look, already picturing herself on the cover of tomorrow's tabloids.

"Because...because I…"

"What is going on Elsa?" She wasn't usually like this, it took a lot to make Anna frustrated, but she didn't like the fact that were was something bothering her girlfriend. Something that she wouldn't even tell her. "Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't want to-" Elsa stopped herself and probably sensed that she had slipped up, because she continued with, "I'm just stressed, that's all."

"You don't want to...what? What don't you want to do? Or what don't you want to tell me?" The truth was that Anna wasn't even that frustrated. She was feeling a lot of things, and although frustration was near the top of the list, it wasn't the only thing.

It was also a mixture of worry, guilt over something that maybe she might have done, and hurt over the fact that after everything they'd been through, Elsa still couldn't talk to her and tell her if something was wrong.

And maybe that wasn't true, but that's what it felt like. Still, frustration was near the top of the list of her emotions and the longer Elsa stalled, the quicker it would be for Anna to reach her boiling point.

"Elsa, please tell me what's going on. I can help you."

"Anna, I…there's something that…"

"What is it? You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know. I know that."

"So tell me. Please."

"...I have to go. I have a board meeting in like 15 minutes, and I need to get ready."

Boiling point.

"No! You are not doing this again. Stop dodging the question Elsa, and tell me what's going on." Anna stood up and walked to the side of the bakery, less daylight and less wandering eyes. "Do you not understand how this makes me feel?! We promised that we would stop doing this to each other, that we'd be open about how we're feeling and what was going on. I can't believe you'd just forget about that."

"What?! Anna I didn't forget about that promise."

"Then why won't you talk to me?! What is so secret that you won't even open up to me about it?" And then she added something, something that she would never say if she was in a right state of mind. But the thing about frustration is that, if left unchecked, it can easily turn into anger. And anger, like an untamed fire, can burn through all of your logic, your reasoning. It can burn through the truth.

"I thought you loved me, Elsa."

There was silence on both ends. She knew the call was still ongoing because she didn't hear a click, but the lack of talking caused Anna's anger to stir even more.

When Elsa finally speaks, it's quiet and lacking any confidence or composure. "Anna...I do love you. I'm sorry for making you doubt that."

"If you were really sorry, you would talk to me."

"I want to tell you, believe me I do. But I...I'm trying to protect you. There's something...something that you can't know."

"And why is that?"

"Because if you did, he-"

Anna's eyes narrow, "He? Is this about Hans? Did he do something? Elsa, just tell me what's going on and we can work through this together."

"No...no I think I've said too much already. Just please trust me. I'm trying here, I really am."

Still no straight answer. Not even confronting her about it head-on would get the words out of Elsa's mouth. Anna can't help but shake the feeling that she's just wasting her time.

"I...I understand if you're upset."

"Upset doesn't even begin to describe it."

"That's fair. I promise that I'll make things right soon, just please try and trust me. I do need to get going though, my meeting's pretty soon."

"Okay."

"I love you."

She doesn't say it back. She just hangs up, takes another breath, pinches the bridge of her nose, and walks back into the bakery.

The meeting doesn't go well.

Or maybe it does. Elsa was too preoccupied to pay much attention. She remembers talking about the acquisition of Oaken's school from Corona, and how the official contract signing will go down next week. She also remembers them making more snide comments about her relationship with Anna...if there even is one anymore.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur. She remembers nothing else but leaving as soon as possible...and the fact that Anna didn't say "I love you" back.

This secret was tearing them apart, but what was she supposed to do? If Hans even suspected that Anna knew what was going on, she'd probably kill her. Murder wasn't something she thought Hans was capable at first, but recent events have shown that she couldn't take that off the table.

But she couldn't keep Anna in the dark either, especially if it meant that the trust- that was already fragile around them to begin with- would be broken.

She grimaced at the shot glass in her hand, even in the murky reflection and the hoodie masking most of her face she could still see the sadness in her eyes. She cursed at herself before tipping the glass over her lips, downing the drink, and sliding it across the counter to the bartender.

As much as she wanted to go past her limit and just drink the pain away, she knew that would only prolong the inevitable. She needed to talk to someone, someone that could bring a fresh perspective and tell her something she didn't know.

Which is how she found herself once again at the Last Stop.

It was fairly quiet tonight, which was a surprise to be sure. But an unwelcoming one. Her conversation might not be muffled enough by the background noise.

As soon as she thought that, however, the jukebox in the corner began filling the whole bar with a thrashing, heavy metal song; and the patron who had read her mind sat right next to her, stopping another glass from reaching her hand.

"Not a chance. I need you to be at least a little bit sober for this." The gravely, baritone voice said next to her.

Elsa groaned and begrudgingly turned towards the man in a flannel and jeans, "That was only my second one, Clyde."

"Yeah well it's also your last one." Mr. Arendelle gestured towards the bartender and gave him back the shot glass and bottle of whiskey. "Now you told me to meet you, and Mr. Westerguard still isn't behind bars, so I have to assume that this is because of him."

"That obvious, huh?" She asked, agitated from both the taking away of her drink and the mention of that bastard again.

"And judging by the look on your face, the redness in your eyes, I take it that also means you didn't listen to me either." He says this like he's disappointed, but his face is nothing but neutral.

"I did...or I-I tried to. I wanted to." Elsa stammered, not committing to either of those answers.

"I told you he was dangerous, unpredictable, and it was only a matter of time when he would lay that aggression out on you. I also told you to defy him, and that when he swung at you then you shouldn't flinch." Again, there is no disappointment or anger in his voice. He's stating this matter-of-factly, he's lecturing her.

Elsa wants to be upset, frustrated, but she knows that he's right. She keeps her body turned towards the bar, but looks at him as he runs a hand through his slicked back hair and continues.

"And the fact that you're sitting here with me, and that you're looking at me like your puppy just died, tells me one thing." He turns the stool so that he's facing Elsa and leans forward, eyes finally showing some sort of emotion: disappointment. "It means that he got to you, Bonnie."

Elsa is unable to meet his gaze for long, she looks down at the dirty ground littered with peanut shells and drink stains. "He did." she replies meekly.

"What did he do?" There's no disappointment in his voice, despite what his face says, it's a question full of concern.

She swallows a lump in her throat and speaks softly enough so that Mr. Arendelle can hear, and no one else. "He... threatened me to stop meddling in his business. He was smart enough not to leave any marks." She wrings her hands and continues, "I tried to defy him just like you said, and think one step ahead, but he's smarter than I thought. Smarter and...just...aggressive. Really, really aggressive."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shakes her head, "No, just...grabbed me, and put a...a knife...to my throat…"

It's too much. Elsa tried her hardest to keep her composure, but reliving the incident proved to be too much for her. The moment just a few days ago is still so fresh in her mind that she swears she can feel Hans' cold breath on her throat.

Mr. Arendelle was never much of a sentimentalist, never been one to hold you or comfort you when you're crying or having a bad day, it's why he's never kept a girlfriend for longer than five months. But when she sees Elsa heaving and crying, he places an arm on her shoulder, rubbing it gently.

It burns, but she doesn't make any effort to shrug it off.

"It's gonna be alright." He says quietly.

"It's not." Elsa replies hoarsely when her body finally gives her a momentary reprieve from the tears. "I'm so scared Adrien, he has...he's watching her."

He doesn't scold her from refusing to use the code names, "Who is he...oh."

"Cameras...watching her. If I say anything, do anything out of line, he'll...kill her." She leans forward until she's crying on to his chest. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help her. I...I don't know what to do."

Mr. Arendelle doesn't respond right away, and Elsa is too distraught to say anything else. They sit there for a while as the bar gradually comes to life around them, more and more patrons have finally made their way inside. It means more eyes on them, but also more noise to drown them out.

It's humiliating feeling this helpless. When you're at the mercy of someone who has overpowered you and threatened you, it breaks you down. And when they still hold that power over you, it becomes so easy to feel hopeless and disgusted at yourself.

Elsa has no plan, no control, and pretty soon- one way or another- she won't have Anna either.

And that, above all else, hurt the most.

After some time, and when the tears finally died down, Mr. Arendelle responds. It's deep, almost a growl, and gets her attention right away.

"Sit up."

She sniffles and sits back up, assuming that he was tired of her ruining his shirt. But he isn't annoyed, or upset. He's serious, almost determined.

"What is this? I did not teach you to become a groveling mess, unable to get herself out of a tough situation. I did not teach you to cower away when things got too hard. I taught you how to be fierce, and take no crap from anyone. I taught you how to be tough, and spit in the face of adversity, no matter what was on the line." He wipes the tears of his flannel and looks back at her with that same intensity. "I taught you how to be Elsa Fucking Andersen."

Elsa wants to respond, but the lump in her throat has returned, and she doesn't want to interrupt Mr. Arendelle.

"And yeah, this probably tops the list of the worst scenarios you've had to face, but if you're telling me that you don't know how to get out of this, then you're not the woman that I entrusted my company to. Mr. Westerguard is just another schoolyard bully waving his daddy's money around because he thinks it'll replace his lack of balls, once you give him a taste of his own medicine he will crack."

He puts his hand back on the bar, "He's fragile, and you have to use that to your advantage. Get in contact with your lady and make things right with her, that's priority number one. Priority number two is for you to become Elsa Andersen again."

"I tried to, I-I have-"

"No, you haven't." He interrupts. "You may think that you did, but the fact that we're having this conversation means you haven't. Become the woman that I entrusted ArenCorp to."

It seems that Mr. Arendelle was just saying to hell with secrecy, and to be honest Elsa was glad.

"You have the greatest mind for this business that I've seen since...well, since me." He says with a smirk. "I've seen you talk down giants and parley with devils. If you say you don't know how to deal with this piece of shit, then you're lying to yourself."

Elsa wipes the excess tears from her eyes and goes to respond with something self-deprecating, but she feels a jolt run down her spine as the words settle in.

He's right.

All this time, she had forgotten who she truly was. She forgot how to be Elsa Andersen, CEO of ArenCorp who brought the company into a golden age that they've stayed in for the past four years. That person was formed because of people like Mr. Arendelle, Kai, and...Anna.

She knew then what she had to do to take down Hans, but just like the genius/apparent lumberjack next to her had said, there was one more priority to take care of before that.

And she had to take care of it tonight.

A/N: I promised that our two lovable main characters would be back this chapter, but I didn't promise it'd be a happy one. It'll turn a corner soon y'all, I think it's about time they stop being put through the ringer.