A/N: Hi everyone, sorry this chapter took so long, it was the end of the semester and my personal life got in the way. Especially with that killer cliff-hanger, I promise I won't do that to you guys again. Enjoy!

Poor Kristoff must have been stunned with how the girls were practically running a thousand miles per hour around him. Before he could rebuke, the two had piled him into the truck and were yelling at him to start the ignition already. As he turned the key, only a clicking sound emanated from the engine.

"Are you kidding me!?" Kristoff yelled and smacked the steering wheel, "how could the battery possibly be dead?"

Holly looked ahead to the garage door, which gave her two ideas. "Hey, why do you have your lights on?"

"I don't…oh shit! I left them on all fricking night and day!" He wailed and thumped his head on the horn, "I just paid it off! Now I've gotta buy a new battery!"

"Never mind that, I have an idea," Holly muttered and pulled Anna out of the car with her, leaving Kristoff to glare at her through the windshield. She pulled Anna all the way to the garage door and waited for Anna to catch on. When she didn't, she sighed, "Isn't your parents' car still in the garage?"

Anna bit her lip and nodded, "It is, but it's a standard."

Holly groaned and immediately fished the spare key of the sedan out of her pocket. It would be considered theft, but it was very tempting. Plus, her house was a bit of a ways away, a good enough walk, then they would have to try to sneak an old loud car out of the driveway without Maude and William noticing. After some debate, she cursed her birth givers and tossed the key away.

"Open the door, we're either jumping Kristoff or bunny-hopping the whole way there."

Anna opened the door hesitantly and followed behind Holly to the car. When they reached the driver side, Holly popped the hood open and waited for Kristoff to come with a pair of jumper cables. When the car was hooked up, Holly climbed into the driver's side and started the car. It took a few tries, but eventually they got the battery working.

"Where is it we have to go?" Kristoff asked while frantically waiving them to jump in before the battery tried to die again.

"I'll direct you, it's to an old hiking trail in the foothills off of the regional highway. It's around an hour from here."

"Call the tow truck wherever this beast stops, be it there or on the way," Holly suggested as Kristoff pumped the gas and hauled his truck out of Anna's survey.

/-/

The truck's battery finally gave out around a half-mile away from the parking lot for the hiking trail. Hauling her at full speed, Anna surged forward yelling instructions to Kristoff on where to find them once he was done calling the tow truck. It was in that short spurt to the parking lot that Holly realized how out of shape she really was. You would think after how much time spent lugging hay bales and hours on horseback that you'd be somewhat competent at a short sprint.

Anna eventually skidded to a stop when she saw the hatchback parked underneath a pine tree. Holly had to wonder for a moment why the redhead was staring at the car since she wasn't checking what was inside.

"She must be upset, she hates pine sap mess yet she parked under a huge pine tree, and now her car is covered," Anna noted quietly while observing the congealed droplets on the hood of the car.

"Nothing soap and water can't cure," Holly replied while trying to draw Anna away from the car and back to the present moment, "let's find her."

"Ya, follow me," Anna said and shot off ahead of her. With a groan and sigh, Holly lumbered after her as best she could. She managed to keep the redhead in sight for a little while but soon was just left to follow her footprints in the mud. Wait, why is there so much mud? It hasn't rained in weeks…and why is the mud only on parts of this path?

A thud and yell from further ahead snapped her back from her thoughts and Holly had soon caught up to Anna. She was sprawled out in the mud. If Holly had been going faster, she wouldn't have seen it and also been victim to the culprit: a raised tree root.

"Damn!" Anna cursed and sat up grabbing her ankle.

"How bad is it?" Holly asked kneeling down beside her.

"A good twist if not a sprain," Anna replied through gritted teeth and wiped the mud off her brow, "hurt and dirty, great."

"Shit, can you bear weight?" Holly asked now beginning to panic.

"I can try, help me up," Anna said while struggling to get to her feet. When she was upright, any weight on her ankle made her yelp and require relying on Holly for stability, "it will take us forever to find her with me like this. You'd be better going on ahead."

"Anna, I don't know the way. I can't find her without you."

"Yes, you can. Just follow this trail, take the next right fork, cross the log bridge and you'll climb up to a grassy plateau. We always used to have picnics there when we were kids," Anna winced and eased herself down to sit on the root that caused this dilemma.

"I'm not leaving you by yourself out here," Holly replied looking around the wooded area they were in.

"Anna? Holly?" The voice was distant but it was recognizable enough.

"Kristoff! Over here!"

Soon, the blonde bumbled into view heaving and gasping for air. He said something through breaths but it was too airy for the girls to understand. It wasn't until he managed to point at Anna's outstretched leg that anyone understood what he was asking.

"Oh, I tripped on this root and twisted my ankle," Anna replied while patting a flat stone close to her for him to sit on.

"Oh ok, the tow truck will be there in an hour," Kristoff said as he sat on the rock.

"Now I'm not alone. You can go find her," Anna said and turned to shoo Holly from her seated position.

Holly nipped the edge of her lip and looked down the path through the glen, "you sure?"

"Yes, now go. Find Elsa, she'll be able to bring you back."

"Okay, I'll won't be long," she said before managing to build enough courage and physical strength to pick up again and run to where they thought the blonde would be.

Luckily, Holly remembered Anna's directions clearly enough that she managed to make her way over to the plateau in a decent amount of time. Leaning against her knees, her eyes raked over the expanse of long grass, taking in the view of the small plain and the land around it. She understood why Anna and Elsa and their parents loved to picnic here, it and the view of the woods and fields below was absolutely gorgeous. Despite all this, Elsa was nowhere in sight.

"Elsa!" Holly began to call. The chances of the elusive blonde responding to her weren't good and she knew that, but it didn't stop her from trying. She walked through the sea of grass as gracefully as one could while one's feet were sinking in mud. Cursing, she deviated from the path and was met with hard, dry ground.

That's odd, why is there a line of mud-

Wait.

Impulsively, Holly ran alongside the trail of mud until it gradually turned to water then wet ice as she traveled onward under the summer sun.

Bingo.

"Elsa!" she called one more time as she ran along the trail of ice that was becoming increasingly more solid the fresher it became. Soon, she had crossed the plateau and noticed the trail ending at the base of a large lone oak tree, "Elsa?"

A shuffle of branches and thick green leaves was her only reply. Unsure of what else to do, she began to climb. Luckily for her, Elsa wasn't very high up and was just perched dejectedly on a large limb with a beautiful view of the plateau and the valley below.

"You saw me coming," Holly said quietly when she finally managed to haul herself up on the limb that Elsa was perched on. The girl's only response was a small nod as her legs constricted tighter around the branch below her. Feeling to blame for not being there for her, Holly rested herself against the joint of the tree and began to fidget, "I'm sorry for not being there for you, I understand the pain."

"Why did you come after me?"

Elsa's question stunned Holly for a moment. "Should I not have?"

"I've pushed you away for the past three weeks, yet here you are still running after me. Why?" Her question could be taken as harsh if Holly didn't understand the meaning or ramifications behind it.

"Because I understand now why you did. I'll admit, I was scared and hurt before but I didn't know the extent of what you were going through. I do now, and I understand. Just because there's the odd hiccup in our relationship doesn't mean I don't care."

Holly saw Elsa's form relax ever so slightly as she gently turned to sit side-saddle on the branch, adjusting her gaze from the view of the land to the dirt and fast-melting ice trail at the base of the tree. "I know you do, I don't deserve it though."

"Elsa, you've been through hell and back. I'd hardly say that you're completely at-fault here."

"I should have dealt with Hans differently and I should have been there for Anna instead of reacting the way I always do," she spat but Holly could tell that she directed it totally at herself.

"You can't change the past, Elsa. Anna doesn't resent you and Hans deserved every ounce of what he got," Holly answered soothingly. Thinking back on the incident, it was very risky what she did but it was incredibly satisfying to see him so scared and frustrated, "nobody knows about the ice incident and no one would believe Hans anyway so you're safe from any sort of ostracism."

"Still," Elsa muttered and kept her gaze away from the smaller girl, "it was a grave mistake."

"Elsa," she said and extended a hand to touch her, but quickly dropped it with hesitation. She wished she could go back to the way they were before everything happened. She mentally cursed Hans and Serena for screwing that day up for her and Elsa. All she could see from that memory was the ice and the terror in Elsa's eyes when she woke up and when she last saw her, "Elsa, what was it that terrified you that day?"

Elsa fell silent for a good long moment before fiddling with her braid. Holly could see the memory of it bringing panic to her and she wished she didn't ask. After a few moments, Elsa shifted and turned to face Holly but still wouldn't look at her.

"I had a nightmare that practically replayed my life but in an alternate universe. I struck Anna in the head with my ice powers and she was saved by a troll but I essentially had to live in fear that if it came to light that I would be hated and harmed for it. Luckily, my parents were royalty so I could hide away until they died. I hid for years and at my coronation, Anna said she was going to marry Hans and I lost it. I let off a huge ice display and everyone either feared me or hated me. I had to run away and practically start anew, even Anna looked afraid," Elsa explained tapering off in volume the further into the story she went. Holly could see the emotion behind it as the parallels to her own life were far too close to be comforting.

"Elsa, I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know. You probably just thought Anna's blonde streak was a thing she was born with or a rebellious phase, or that I was just 'painfully shy'."

Holly nipped the side of her lip in guilt at that last part. She originally did think that Elsa was just shy. Hell, she herself was usually shy with new people so it was a natural assumption, and apparently a bad one at that.

"It's okay if that was what you assumed, I wouldn't hold it against you," Elsa replied to the look on Holly's face, "I also wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Would I come all the way out here if I didn't?" Holly said worriedly.

"That's true, but I don't want to-"

"Elsa, I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to. I want to make this work and we can work through everything together. Nothing you can do is going to change that."

"I nearly froze your ex-friend, nearly impaled my sister's ex, left you stranded and dropped off the face of the earth for three weeks, then ran away like I always do! Why do you want to keep chasing after me when all I do is cause you heartache?" Elsa cried.

"Because I love you goddammit!" Holly yelled loud enough for it to echo over the plateau. All the anger, hurt, and longing that she had been feeling had finally risen to the surface. You would think after your last instance of releasing every emotion you ever bottled up that you would have learned something. After taking a moment to pause and recollect herself. Holly looked up to see that Elsa was looking at her with an intensity that she didn't quite understand. The two didn't look away until Elsa initiated the separation.

"I'm sorry," Elsa admitted quietly and pulled a leg up to hug close to herself, "I've been the shittiest girlfriend."

Holly's heart sunk at her self-deprecation and instinctively scooted over to be close to her, "you haven't been shitty. You've been through a lot, but you know, you don't have to bear the burden alone."

"I can't dump all this on you."

"There's more than just me. Anna cares about you, in fact she would be with me right now if she didn't twist her ankle on the way up."

"Really?"

"Yes, so you're not alone Elsa. We're all here for you, let us help," Holly said and extended an arm around the taller girl. To feel her lean in for comfort was a nice reminder of the way things were, and the way things could be.

"Thank you," Elsa replied and turned to look at her. There was the gentlest of smile on her face which brought up every inch of hope Holly could have mustered, but it hovered uncertainly in her when Elsa's expression changed, "so how have you been?"

Holly dropped her gaze and gave a little shrug. She didn't want to make Elsa feel worse by telling her what really went on. When she looked back up at her though, she could tell lying would be a waste of time. "Not very good."

"It's my fault isn't it?" Elsa asked after a significant pause.

"No it isn't. I was worried about you but it was more than just that," she said trying to reassure her. When her expression didn't change, she knew she had to further explain, "Pablo died and I was kicked out."

Elsa's eyes widened and her expression changed between angry, shocked, incredulous and settled on sympathetic. "Holly, I'm so sorry. I wish I was there for you."

"Well you are in a way, it all happened pretty recently. You're here now and that's all that matters," Holly replied not letting the emotions form earlier in the day disrupt the moment.

"Where are you going to stay?"

"I was going to crash at Kristoff's," Holly replied.

"I'd say you could stay with us, but Kristoff's is probably better set up for you," Elsa said with a slight hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Could I?" Holly asked hopefully.

"But we don't have a spare bedroom," Elsa stated with a state of dignity. It made Holly smile a bit that Elsa was so proper that no one should sleep on the couch.

"I don't mind. I'd just feel bad inconveniencing Kristoff's family. Plus, I can handle a couch temporarily."

"Temporarily?" Elsa asked quizzically.

"I wouldn't want to take up space. I'd just need somewhere to stay until I can get on my feet financially," Holly answered meekly.

"If you stayed with us, you wouldn't have to worry about that," Elsa replied but when she was met with a confused expression from Holly, she decided to further explain, "I looked through all the financials, the wills and everything and my parents left Anna and me well-off enough to maintain the house for a while. If you wanted to stay with us, you could save up some money and you wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone."

"I wouldn't?" Holly asked quietly.

Elsa just raised her brow and gave her a small look, "when have you ever been in the way?"

"I'm sorry, I don't really know better. I was always an inconvenience at home," Holly replied.

Elsa gave a small angry grumble but quickly shut her eyes and pushed the emotion away. "It's a damn good thing I'll probably never meet them. They'd make lovely ice sculptures in my opinion."

Holly gave a small smile and thought of Maude and William stuck in perfect ice where she could address them and they could never say anything snide again, "I wouldn't complain."

Elsa reached over and nuzzled the top of her head, "thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming after me. I need you around in my life," Elsa answered and extended her arms out to her.

"I need you around too," Holly said and hugged Elsa close and tight. The two of them took a few minutes to just relax in the other's arms and mentally recap. When they parted, Holly gently traced over the light freckles on Elsa's face, "come on, let's go home."

Elsa nodded and followed the smaller girl down the trunk of the oak and out to the grass field. When they were out from under the shadow of the oak tree, both of the paused to admire the view now looking even more fantastic under the colourful sky. As Holly's eyes admired the nature in front of her, Elsa managed to slip an oak branch with acorns and leaves in her hair and weave her arm around Holly's. After a moment of the two admiring each other in comparison to nature's beauty, they set off down the trail, following their long shadows made by the setting sun.