Who: Anna of Arendelle and Bertram Beckham (Bumblebee) When: Thursday, Oct 30 Where: The Mall What: Stuck in an elevator Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Anna had been craving a particular type of pizza from a particular fast food joint. The only one she knew of was inside this huge mall, with like, 800 stores on a dozen floors, or whatever. She knew that Hans was teaching, and Kate, and Matilda was out of the school. So she left a little note on her desk (as she’d been instructed to do when she had to go get food or use the potty or whatever) and headed out to the mall.
It was a short drive. She took the escalators up to the food court, grabbed a couple of slices of pizza and a soda, then turned around and realized she was lost. Wasn’t sure how to get back down to the parking level. Or… whatever.
So she wandered for a few minutes, until she found an elevator. She climbed in, found that there was only one other person in there. She gave him a smile and then hit the button for the garage.
The doors closed, the music came on, and the elevator started to move.
**
The handsome young blonde man in the elevator would smile at the red-head as she came in, stepping to the side to give her more room. Then, as elevator-protocol demanded, he looked towards the doors, and glanced at the numbers as they counted down.
The elevator jolted and gave a sick-sounding whine, then came to an abrupt halt. The lights flickered, then went off entirely. They would be in complete and total darkness for a full minute before those emergency lights finally flickered to life.
It was a good thing Bee couldn’t shout-- he might have embarrassed himself. But as it was, he backed up a step and put his hands out to touch the walls of the elevator and listened to his heart pound.
**
Even though the handsome blonde couldn't shout, Anna definitely could. She gave a very un-ladylike shriek, and dropped the pizza as she grabbed for the handle on the side of the elevator. Thankfully, she held onto the soda.
Heart thundering, Anna breathed hard in the pitch dark, absolutely terrified. They were surely about to plummet to their deaths. At least she'd had a good life. Sort of.
But then the lights came back on, and Anna looked around. The digital numbers that lit up above the door were off, and the emergency lights made the elevator tinny and golden looking.
"What was that?" She asked aloud, not sure if the guy in there with her would even answer. Then she bent down to pick up the pizza. It was still in the cardboard box, safe even from the fall to the floor.
**
When the lights came back on, Bee let out the breath he’d been holding and would shake his head at her question. He didn’t know. Moving forward, he’d mash the button to open the doors, but it didn’t work. So he pushed the emergency stop in, then pushed it so it would release. Nothing. He’d crouch then, to twist open the little latch on the silver door where the emergency phone was located. It was, of course, red, and he would pull it out and bring it to his ear, then hit the button a few times.
A voice came on the other end.
“911 Emergency.”
Bee stared dumbly at the wall for a second, then turned and held out the phone to the girl in the elevator with him. You talk to her. Here, he’d take your pizza-- his other hand was reaching to offer to hold that pizza.
**
“911 Emergency, are you there?” The voice came through the phone again, more insistent this time.
Anna stared at the blonde guy holding the phone in her direction, both eyebrows raised. Maybe he was panicking. She felt panicky, too. She handed over the drink (it was easier to hold than the pizza box?) and took the receiver from him with a shaky hand.
“Hello?” Anna said into the receiver. She moved to crouch beside him in the dimly lit elevator. “Yes, hi, we’re stuck in an elevator. I don’t know what happened. Are we going to die?”
She sounded calm, but her heart was thundering like a race horse.
“Of course not,” the woman on the other end of the phone spoke gently. “I’ve alerted the authorities to your location. Everything’s going to be fine.”
**
In the silence of the elevator, Bee could hear the woman on the other line clearly and would nod a little when Anna looked over at him. He’d give her a smile and slowly sit down on the ground there.
“I’ll stay on the line with you if you like,” the woman would continue in a soothing tone. “So you won’t be alone.” She didn’t hear any voices in the background, after all, so that must have meant the poor girl was trapped alone in the elevator.
**
Anna shook her head, still holding the receiver to her ear. “I’m not alone,” she said, giving a somewhat relieved smile to the blonde guy who was now sitting opposite her on the floor. She sat down herself, too. “I’m okay. There’s a guy here with me.”
“Do you feel safe?” The woman’s voice came through the phone. “Do you know the gentleman with you, honey?”
Anna gave the blonde guy a look. Was she safe?
After a moment she nodded. “Yes, I feel safe.” Anna said.
There was a long pause.
“Hello?” Anna asked.
“Yes, the emergency crew is working on the situation. They’ve got an estimate on the repairs. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Came the voice through the phone.
Anna blinked. “An hour??” Her eyes went wide. “I have to get back to work!”
“I’m sorry, honey, but the work has to be done before the elevator can be moved to get you safely out. Do you want me to stay on the line?”
Anna frowned deeply--a look that was completely foreign to her features. “No.” She said, and then passed the phone back over to the blonde guy.
**
When he heard the question about her being safe, he smiled some and held up his hands, spreading his fingers as if in surrender. He wasn’t going to harm you, he promised.
His hands fell back to his lap when the conversation continued, tilting his head curiously at her.
When the phone came back to him, he’d slowly hang it up, then bring bright blue eyes back to her, hair falling some into his eyes. Shrugging, he’d then nod towards the pizza. Feel like eating it? If they were going to be here an hour, it wouldn’t be good when they got out!
**
Anna sat down on the opposite side of the elevator and settled down on her tush. She opened the pizza box and started in on her lunch. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled through a mouth full of food. “I’m just starving. I was going to take this back to my boyfriend, but… it’s gonna be cold by the time I get there.”
It was disappointing for sure, but at least they wouldn’t be stuck in there all day.
...right?
**
He hoped not. He stretched out his legs with a smile and shrugged. He was trying to place where he knew her from. He knew her face.. it would come to him, he was sure of it. Where did he know her from...
He’d smile wider as she continued to eat. She must really have been starving!
**
Anna could eat like crazy when she was starving. And she felt it tonight. Really starving. So she didn’t look up much or talk at all while she was cramming the pizza into her face. Any semblance of politeness or ladylikeness were lost out the window as Anna ate. She slowed down when she reached the crust.
Then burped.
At least she tried to hide it behind her hand.
**
Oh, Bee was smiling like a thousand watt light bulb. And when Anna finally did look up, he lifted his hands and made a few gestures-- surely something that would confuse her at first, but then dawn on her. Sign language.
Of course, knowing that she probably had no clue what he was saying, he’d tug out his phone. A small frown found his lips when it wouldn’t connect to the internet, so the notepad it was. He’d type something up, then push to his knees and knee-walk over to her, to plop down beside her-- not close enough to touch, but close enough to be friendly.
Then he showed her the screen: Anna? Rocky Horror Picture Show Anna?
**
Anna had a lecture where someone stood in front and signed while the teacher spoke. An interpreter for a Deaf student in the class. She recognized the Sign Language right away, but had no idea what any of it meant. Possibly that this guy was Deaf?
And then he came closer, and Anna was curious. Not afraid, curious. She put her pizza box and drink cup aside and turned to look down at the phone. ...ohhhhhhhh. Rocky Horror Picture Show. That meant he either saw that post, or was...
She drew out her own phone. No signal. Damn. But she had a notepad program, too, and she typed in a response to show him.
Bertie the Hufflepuff?
**
That’s me! He replied with a pleased smile, nodding just once, in a decisive manner. It’s nice to finally meet you. Even as he showed her that message, he would be holding out his free hand for a shake.
For a moment, he wondered where her boyfriend was. Why wouldn’t he be with her if she was coming out to get pizza? Maybe she was bringing it home for him? That was so nice of her! She seemed like a very nice girl.
**
Anna gave a little laugh and reached forward to shake his hand. She was about to type something to him, and realized she was being silly. She could speak. "It's nice to meet you, too!" She said with a grin, and released his hand.
"Wow, what a small world." Grin. "You, uh, come here often? Oh man, that sounds like a pick up line. I didn't mean it like that!" Nervous laugh.
**
He would smile brightly at her when she got just as flustered as he often did. He’d tap away at his keyboard for a second before showing it to her.
I know you didn’t! You’ve got a boyfriend. As if she needed to be reminded, What’s his name? It was going to be the ‘getting to know you’ game in the elevator today, because really, what else were they going to do? And she seemed so nice over the net! He needed to meet people-- Bee was a social sort of guy.
**
“Hans.” Anna responded, breaking into a bright smile at the mention of him. It was probably more obvious than anything else in the elevator that she was head over heels for Hans. “He works at the fencing school where I work. I mean, he’s a teacher, and I’m just a receptionist. He’s a really good teacher, too,” Anna said, smiling softly.
“What about you? You have a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?” Hey, her sister was gay. She was open-minded.
**
Oh, the smile that came across her face at the mention of her boyfriend’s name made Bee smile, too. It was obvious-- Bee loved seeing people in love. Then she mentioned fencing and his eyebrows went up. Really? He was going to meet a girl at a fencing place, she taught fencing too.
So he’d turn the phone towards her: You know Kate? That was the girl’s name, of course. The one who’d offered to teach him fencing.
But his excited question would have to wait-- she asked if he had a girlfriend.. or boyfriend.. and his cheeks turned a dark shade of pink and he shook his head and blue eyes slid away. Embarrassed.
No, he definitely did not have either one of those.
**
Anna brightened considerably. "Yes! I work with Kate. Kate Bishop? She teaches at the school. But I don't think she likes me." It was true in Anna's mind. She was sure that the older girl really didn't like her.
"Oh. Well, you could. You should someday. I didn't have a boyfriend until earlier this year. Peeta was my first boyfriend ever. And now I'm with Hans, and I couldn't be happier. I bet you'll find someone sooner than you know it."
**
Anna was so nice-- Bee smiled at her and gave a shrug, then pointed at the pizza. Did you mind? He was getting hungry just smelling it. Her poor boyfriend wouldn’t get any, but.. it’d be cold by then, anyway!
Still, it wouldn’t be long before the elevator jumped to life again, the lights returned to normal. They still had a few moments left, though.
**
“Hey, feel free. It was delicious.” Anna grinned brightly, then picked up the remaining piece and held it out to him. She offered up her soda, too, since Anna was that kind of girl. And she lifted her phone to check for service again.
“Still no service. I can’t imagine why I thought that would change.”
**
He’d take the last piece with a smile and a nod. Thank you! It didn’t take him long to make short work of it, and he would lift the soda and shake it a little as if to ask if she was sure-- but Bee would drink it without hesitation once he got the okay, because he was that kind of boy.
When she proclaimed there was still no service, he would smile and shrug and pick up his phone. Flipping through it for a moment, he would pull up a movie-- Toy Story 2-- and would scoot a little closer and draw up a knee so he could balance the phone on its kickstand there.
Any interest in a movie while you waited for rescue, Anna?
**
Anna fiddled with her phone again while he was having his dinner. She frowned. Still no service. But she opened up her silly, phone games and played for a bit, letting him eat and drink in peace. After, of course, giving him a nod to his question about the soda. It’s okay, drain it.
“Hmm? Oh. Ohhhhh… this one makes me cry!” She said, and scooted a little closer to him to sit and watch the movie.
**
Satisfied he’d made a good choice, he’d smile and settle in to watch the movie as well. At least it would make the time go by faster and neither would think about the fact they were in a large coffin dangling thirty feet off the ground.
It’d surely be no time before the authorities arrived and the elevator jerked back to life, the lights coming back on and the elevator beginning to move-- down. Floor thee. Floor two. Floor one. Ground.
The doors would ding open.
**
Anna was a little terrified when the elevator started to move, even though the lights had come on. She gave a yelp and a whimper, then climbed quickly to her feet when the elevator doors opened.
A firefighter was standing at the bottom. Or was it a paramedic? Either way, he started asking Anna all sorts of questions about how she felt, if she was all right, if she was injured. Anna shook her head, climbing slowly from the metal room.
She glanced back to make sure that Bertie was all right.
-
Bertie was smiling some by the time the doors opened and was following behind, holding the pizza box and the empty drink, and shouldering his bag. He hadn’t been too shaken up by the entire experience, and shook his head when the paramedic inquired after if he was injured or not.
Of course, they would want to check them both over, just in case. Bee would allow it, glancing at Anna a few times just to make sure that she was still doing alright.
She looked a little shell shocked.
-
Anna moved to the bench where the paramedic took her temperature and whatever. Blood pressure? That sort of thing. But she refused when he tried to put a blanket around her shoulders. She may have been a little shell shocked, but she didn't need to be babied so much. She wasn't a baby. Damnit.
After finally getting an okay from the paramedic to go, Anna stood up and dusted her jeans off. She turned to Bertie. "Well, thanks. For the um, time. And we should definitely do that movie sometime. Get a big group together and go."
-
He rocked onto his toes a little, tilting his head as she seemed so.. well.. uncertain. Still, he’d smile and nod, then give her a little wave and push his hands into his pockets. It was a nice night, the walk home would be pleasant. And he’d see her again later, he was sure.
Though, he was rethinking Rocky Horror.. she didn’t really seem too keen on it, after all.