Who: Elsa and Anna What: Sister reunion! When: July Where: A cafe Rating: Pg Status: complete!
Elsa had gotten the power restored after her night in the dark, and she hadn’t bothered to start cleaning up the place (or figure out if she was actually going to take the master bedroom. Or unpack as her things arrived). She felt lost, adrift. Her first interviews weren’t for a week, and now she was just left with the thing she’d been putting off.
Anna.
She loved her sister dearly, but she was also afraid that Anna hated her. Or Anna thought she hated her. And any combination of the above, which was in large part Elsa’s fault as she’d rarely reached out.
But maybe a lunch would go well, and Elsa arrived hilariously early, getting a table and nervously fidgeting with her phone.
Anna was absolutely thrilled to see her sister again. It’d been far, far too long since they’d been together--years, even?--though Elsa was still very close in Anna’s heart. She’d never truly let go of her sister, even though they’d been apart for so long. Anna had been through a lot over the last couple of years, and she really wished she’d had her sister by her side.
Anna came to the lunch spot after spending the morning on the set. Her hair was tied up on her head, wet from her shower, and she wasn’t wearing any make-up. She didn’t want to be late for her lunch date with Elsa, so she’d rushed out of the studio after showering off the fake blood and dirt from the morning’s scene.
Elsa chewed on her lip, accepting a water from a waiter and occasionally looking up to see if her sister had arrived. About the fifth time she looked up, she spotted a redhead in a rush and she didn’t even need to look twice to recognize Anna.
It was probably rude to hide under the table, wasn’t it? Elsa set her phone down, then lifted her hand in a wave that felt overly conspicuous. “Anna?”
Anna turned at the sound of her name. God, how long had it been? Far too long. So much had happened in the years since she’d actually seen her sister face to face, she just… she could barely stand it. Tears welled up in her eyes and her nose started to burn. She thought she might burst into tears right then and there thinking about everything Elsa had missed.
But then she broke into a smile. Keep it together, Anna. “Elsa!” She said, and headed straight for her sister’s table. “Hey.”
Elsa didn’t even know all that she had missed. There were important things, like birthdays and funerals, and she knew she’d never be able to make up for those. But Anna’s smile was a little overwhelming and she rubbed her thumbs against the table’s surface. “Hey! Hi. Anna it’s…” Been too long? That sounded crappy and lame and Elsa ran out of words. “Hi.”
Was it okay to hug her?
Anna stood awkwardly for a moment beside the table, not sure if she was supposed to give her sister a hug or what. So she settled into her chair opposite the white-blonde woman. She was still smiling. It was both hopeful and awkward at the same time.
“So! You’re back in Orange County! I’m sorry the manor is such a mess, I haven’t been in there since--” but Anna’s voice cut off. The words Mom and Dad died stuck in her throat.
Elsa chewed on her lip, and folded her hands on the table to keep them from moving around any more. It was so strange to see Anna. Good! But strange. And a lot of that was her fault and her mind kept focusing on that until she counted to ten slowly to calm herself down. “It’s not so bad. Kind of spooky. But not so bad.”
“Good,” Anna said, relieved. She was relieved not only because Elsa said it wasn’t bad, but also because it meant a change of subject. “How long have you been back? Are you back for good?” She asked, leaning in a little.
“Just a couple of days.” Elsa was glad to be off the subject too. It seemed wrong somehow. Like whistling past a graveyard. “But I’m planning to stay. I’m looking for a job. And to… put down roots.”
She looked up, meeting her sister’s eyes. “I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon.”
Anna couldn’t help the excitement that jumped up into her throat when Elsa said she was staying. Anna’s face brightened, too. “Roots are good! Roots are very good.” She said, nodding. “I mean, we can spend more time together if you’re here!”
“You really want that?” Elsa knew it was a stupid question as soon as she’d said it. “I mean…” She sank into her chair. “I don’t know what I mean. I guess I feel like I let myself miss out on… a lot of time with you. I wasn’t sure if you even wanted that anymore.”
Anna felt awkward at that question. Why wouldn’t she want to spend time with her sister? Maybe it was Elsa who didn’t want to spend time with her? No, that was silly. She sat up a little, and the smile on her face faded into a concerned expression.
“Oh, Elsa.” Anna felt emotion bubble up inside her, threatening to well up in her eyes and make her nose burn. “You’re my sister. I’ll always want to spend time with you.”
It was getting dusty in here, or she was developing allergies. Elsa wiped under her eye and nodded, letting her shoulders relax. She didn’t think things were fixed, but she felt like she was in a better place already. “I’m so sorry I pulled away.”
“It’s okay.” Anna said, reaching across the table for her sister’s hand. “You’re here now.”
Elsa looked at Anna’s hand on hers, then turned hers around so she could squeeze Anna’s. She grinned, trying to blink her eyes dry. “I don’t know why I thought this would be so much harder. I guess I was being kind of stupid.”
“You’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for, Elsa.” Anna returned Elsa’s squeeze. “God, I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve missed you so much.” She released her sister’s hand so she could wipe under her own eyes, pushing away tears. “I have to get back to work this afternoon, but I can come visit you at the house to help warm it up a little.” Anna had ideas about bringing in flowers and fresh linens. She could help clean up the dust and brighten the place for her sister.
“I’d… I’d like that,” Elsa admitted. “I’d like that a whole lot. There’s so much I want to talk to you about, and show you. And things I want you to show me!”
She wanted to know how Anna was doing, who was in her life, were there any boyfriends or girlfriends for her to threaten. The usual things!
“Yes! That sounds great. I’ve got two days free in a few days.” Anna pulled out her cell phone so she could check her schedule. She wanted nothing more than to spend some uninterrupted time with Elsa, to catch up on everything. “Though, I don’t have a whole lot of news. I mean, maybe? I live in this big house I bought with some of the inheritance money. My roommates are va--very important to me.” Anna caught herself, then frowned a little. “Um… I have a boyfriend! His name is Wash. He’s really amazing. And uh… the job. Working on the movie. That’s about everything!”
Watching Anna check her schedule was both a little strange, and also a little cute. Elsa couldn’t place why exactly but it brought a smile to her face and put a warmth in her chest. Maybe it was Anna taking care of herself that did it.
At the mention of a boyfriend, Elsa straightened. “You’ve got a boyfriend?”
It’d been a long time since Anna and Elsa spent time together. Anna had grown up a lot without her sister (even though she’d have preferred for them to grow together!) and since she was so close to herself, she didn’t really notice. But to others on the outside it was probably remarkable.
“Yeah!” Anna’s face lit up like a Christmas tree at the thought of Wash. It was probably obvious how crazy she was about this guy by the look in her eyes and the happiness in her voice. “His name is Wash and we met through my roommate Stefan.”
Anna’s joy at the mention of her boyfriend felt like a stab through Elsa’s heart. She didn’t know if it was because she was jealous (it was) or not. But she knew she had to meet him, and she wasn’t sure how she’d react to him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her sister’s judgement, but she had to make sure he was a good person. “That’s...that’s wonderful!”
But Anna was happy, and she couldn’t ruin that. She just hoped she liked him. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you! I can’t wait for you to meet him. I’m sure he’s going to love you!” Anna was so innocent and naive still. She didn’t even consider that her older sister might be protective of her, or that Elsa might not approve of the “boy”friend who was almost a decade older than Anna was. Sure, if Anna was in her mid thirties and Wash in his mid forties, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. But Anna wasn’t even twenty-three yet. An age gap like that was a little crazy at her age.
“Let’s set up a dinner date! Just the three of us? Or more, if you want to meet all my roommates, too. I just don’t want to overwhelm you.” Anna smiled brightly. Whether she liked it or not, Elsa was going to be a big part of her life.
Elsa hadn’t even dreamed of the dream crazy boyfriend, either. She might not feel like she had the right to judge, but she was going to judge. Just a little.
“Lets stick with you and Wash first,” Elsa said, holding up a hand. “We can ease me into your life a little bit at a time. I don’t want to… steal the lime-light.”
“Okay!” Anna was super excited to introduce Elsa and Wash. They were the most important people in her life, and it was important to her for them to get along. Her phone chimed and she glanced down at it. “Oh… bummer. I really have to go.” She said, pulling a sad face as she looked up at Elsa. She meant it, too--Anna wanted to stay, but they needed her back at the studio. “Can we meet up again soon?”
“I’d love to meet up again soon,” Elsa replied. She reached out to squeeze both of Anna’s hands. “I won’t be a stranger. I promise.”