I want to start by saying I am so sorry this is so late. I really want this one to go on, but you know how life is sometimes. I hope this kind of makes up for the wait.

Please R+R

Oh my God.

Anna was well aware of the fact that her mouth was hanging open like a fool. Or a floundering fish that had been washed onto the shore. Either way, she knew she looked like an idiot. Especially since Elsa Marx had her eyes locked onto her, boring deep into her soul.

They were dark, blue, and endless, but not angry or annoyed as Anna had seen before. They were, challenging, and dare she say, amused.

What was this woman trying to say to Anna? And how was Anna supposed to react to that?

She thinks she's better than you! She's showing off, showing you up!

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Although the thought wasn't that crazy, and again, that should make her hate the blonde. There was just something about Elsa Marx that made it impossible for Anna to hate her. No matter how many reasons she was starting to find, she was enamored, and continuously perplexed by the ice wielder.

Their eyes stayed locked. Neither wanting to give in to the little power struggle they were having with the other. It was ridiculous. They'd barely ever spoken to each other, and now they were trying to show up the other.

Anna was tempted to demand that captain Verda let her go again, just to show this Elsa Marx that there was way more she could do than punch things.

But soon enough Elsa broke the contact, and Anna smirked to herself, as if she'd won something big. To her, she kind of did. She watched the blonde stride back to her place in the crowd, her chin held high and her jaw locked. Anna could see the muscles in that perfectly defined jawline tensing and relaxing.

She was so busy watching -Leering at!- Elsa that she almost missed captain Verda dismissing them. Anna fumbled for a moment as the crowd of people around her bagan to disperse. Before she knew it Kristoff was in front of her, blocking her view of the blonde turning to leave without a second glance. She again resisted the urge to smack him. It wasn't his fault she was such a creep.

"Please tell me you're as hungry as I am," he was giving her an absolutely desperate look.

Anna took a final look at the blonde's retreating form, "of course I am".

8:15 p.m

Anna was absolutely exhausted, a trend she feared was to be constant during her time at the academy. After their afternoon exercises they'd been given leave to eat before attending an afternoon class. The class that hadn't ended until about an hour ago.

Anna was supposed to be in the shower and readying herself for bed, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Her mind and body was drained. She just needed a moment to relax before returning to normal human activities.

She was lying on her bed, sprawled eagle on her back with her eyes closed tight. She could absolutely fall asleep that way, and she was tempted to. Problem was she smelled terrible, and she still had to study for tomorrow. She was used to working hard, she'd been doing it her entire life, what she wasn't used to was this ridiculous feeling she got whenever she was around the impetuous blonde and the distractions she brought.

Is impetuous even the correct word?

Anna groaned. She really needed to stop talking to herself.

The redhead sat up on her elbows as the door to her shared room opened. Rapunzel had returned from her shower, wrapped in a clean white towel and looking refreshed. She had that impossibly long mess of hair wrapped in a towel on her head. How she got it all in there, Anna would never begin to guess.

The young woman looked incredibly relaxed. Her ivory skin looked soft as silk and glowing as if she'd just returned from a day spa. Wasn't she exhausted? The red-head recalled that the blonde ran just as many laps as she had that day, and here Anna was, covered in sweat and bruises. Anna scowled lightly to herself as Rapunzel began to hum while brushing out her tresses.

"I can see why Elsa would think you were being creepy".

Anna flinched as if the blonde had physically struck her. She had been staring. Apparently being creepy was becoming a trend for her. She felt the blood rush to her face, her mouth opening and closing like a beached fish. She began to protest, a weak 'no' escaping her lips moments before the blonde began to laugh.

"I was only kidding," Rapunzel's eyes were wicked with amusement.

Anna scowled again, crossing her arms and pouting as if she were a child.

'Are you going to pout when a criminal refuses your demands…'

"I was just wondering how you're not as exhausted as I am," Anna mumbled.

She heard the small chuckle erupt from her roommate, and then the shuffling of feet on the carpet. Anna had her head turned away from the blonde in an attempt to keep her dignity, but when she saw that Rapunzel was approaching, she turned. Rapunzel had gone quiet, her blue eyes locked on Anna as she advanced. There was a sinister gleam in those eyes, as if she were a lioness about to claim her kill.

Anna raised a delicate brow, her heart beat picking up with each step closer. The blonde stopped short of reaching Anna, and then she sank to her knees in front of her. Anna's cheeks heated, her freckles all but disappearing.

It didn't help that the blonde was still covered only by a thin white towel.

Don't look down.

"What are you doing?" the red-head questioned, cheeks heated and voice strained.

Rapunzel didn't answer, instead she began to undo her golden hair, letting its impossible length fall around her delicate shoulders. Her hair was the color of the sun on a summer day, a stark contrast to the winter locks that framed Elsa's bea- Don't start thinking of her now damn-it!

Rapunzel suddenly grasped Anna's left hand, turning it over and examining the appendage. Her small freckled hand was rough with callouses, and small purple bruises dusted her knuckles. Anna watched as the blonde silently began to wrap her injured hand in strands of golden hair. Once the strands were firmly in place Rapunzel began to hum lightly.

Anna was about to ask once more what the blonde was doing, but cut her question off when the hair around her palm began to shine. It started gradually; a small glow that grew into a full shimmer. As quickly as it came, it went, dimming back into honeyed silk.

Anna watched as her roommate began to unravel her hand, bemused and curious as hell. When her hand was free from its restraints she turned it over and over to investigate. Where there once were bruises and rough skin, now was skin soft as silk. Even old scars had disappeared!

Anna looked up at the blonde expectantly, her teal eyes wide and questioning.

"I'm a healer," Rapunzel stated with a simple smile. She stood and returned to brushing out her ridiculous mane.

Anna was bemused, her eyes still scanning the like-new skin.

'Okay, then'

Two weeks.

Two weeks come and go before Anna even knows it. Between classes, physical drills, and captain Verda breathing down her neck, she was exhausted. Every morning she'd wake up at 5.a.m, dress in her cadet uniform, and then hurry to the cafeteria to meet up with Kristoff for breakfast. It had become a bit of a ritual now, and the days seemed to come easier as time progressed.

She had three classes each morning, a fifteen minute break, and then drills for the rest of the afternoon. Each day was spent the same, Anna and Kristoff pushing themselves as hard as they could, Anna obsessing over Elsa Marx, and Kristoff trying to keep her on track.

Yeah, even two weeks into the semester Anna was still hung up on the mysterious blonde.

She hadn't talked to her since their first, awkward, meeting, but the two seemed to have come to a bit of an understanding. Neither was willing to address the other, but neither was willing to let the other show them up. It was like a silent competition that neither of them had really agreed on. Or was opposed to.

Anna would demonstrate and exercise her monstrous strength, amazing everyone around her, and then turn to see the blonde's eyes on her.

She came to expect that now.

Anna would smirk and strut away triumphantly. At least until Elsa would come to demonstrate her ice magic, freezing the air around them until their summer day turned into a winter storm. Elsa would return Anna's smirk, and then turn away as if she'd never set eyes on the red head.

She should be frustrated, angry even, but the look in the blonde's eyes when she quirked those full lips sent chills up and down her spine. Good or bad chills, she hadn't yet figured out.

So when Monday afternoon drills came, Anna was ready. For what, she hadn't decided, but she was ready. She was born ready!

"This afternoon's drills are going to be a little different," Captain Verda announced.

Each and every cadet began to murmur, still standing at attention in their neatly arranged line. Captain Verda raised a brow, and the whispering faded into silence. She had a way of making people shut up without saying a word.

"When on active duty you will be working in pairs, a partner to have your back, aiding each other," she spun to a stop in front of her cadets, scanning the line as she continued, "today we're going to run through simulations, and pairing you up to determine which specials will compliment each other in the field".

Anna's heart leapt into her throat, this was something she hadn't expected. Not that she was against working with a partner, she had expected that once she was an official officer, but the thought of accidentally hurting one of her peers with her special sent her into a panic. She'd sparred a few times with Kristoff, but she'd never let her strength go in such close proximity of anyone else. He could handle a few bruises now and then, but could anyone else?

"This is going to a long process, we are going to spend the next month pairing and testing your skills as a duo. Once I decide who I believe will best work together, or which two specials I believe will work best, those pairs are going to be working together for the remainder of this course".

Anna gulped. She'd only ever worked with Kristoff when it came to her special, she just hoped her klutzy side didn't rear its ugly head.

"When I call your names, find your partner and wait for further instructions".

Today Anna was partnered with a young man named Donald. He was a squat thing, thin and a bit wispy in Anna's opinion. He had a short crop of dirty blonde hair, and chocolate eyes that radiated a smugness Anna immediately detested. His special was flight, obvious considering the boy sported a pair of large wings, feathers white and dappled in golden honey. They exchanged base greetings, and stood together as the rest of the crowd continued to move into pairs.

Anna let her eyes wander as they waited, curious about who had been partnered for their first day of paired drills. She spotted Kristoff a couple yards away, standing awkwardly next to a spindly red-head with the power to stretch her body to impossible lengths. Anna wondered idly how that would work with Kristoff's special.

I guess we'll find out.

Teal eyes scanned the rest of the group, pairs of students stood together, quiet and not really acknowledging the person next to them. She wasn't too surprised, these were just drills after all.

Once everyone was paired they were led to the back of the facility where a large obstacle course suited for the likes of armed forces stood. Easily a five mile course through the woods that crept at the edge of the compound. Anna had spotted the course on her first day, during her punishment laps, and had been relieved that she hadn't been forced to run the course instead that night. This was high level training that they hadn't touched on yet.

Obstacles were placed only yards apart along the dirt trail, changing from a simple wall climb to beams branching high into the trees at impossible heights. She didn't want to even think about what lie beyond the edge of the woods.

She's trying to kill us.

Anna glanced at her partner. He was smirking, his brown eyes darting up to each new height.

Yeah, this'll be easy for him.

Each pair took a place at the beginning of the course, eyes narrowed in determination and some in anticipation.

Anna gulped, rolling her neck and shoulders to ready her muscles for what was to come.

Just enough to enhance, not enough to destroy.

She repeated this a few more times, her heart beginning to thunder in her chest. Captain Verda was making her way to the front, with a curious fellow following close behind. He carried a large wooden chest in his small arms, almost heaving with the effort it took.

Everyone watched closely, curiously, as the pair took their place in the center of view.

"There are a few things I forgot to mention," the Captain smiled wickedly and motioned for the man to drop his luggage; as he did she bent to open the top.

Anna craned her neck to see what was inside, as did everyone else. What was this woman planning to do to them?

Verda began to pull long chains from the trunk, motioning for the pair in front of her to approach. Anna didn't couldn't remember their names, and at this point she wasn't concerned about it. What she was concerned about was that Captain Verda was now shackling the two together by the ankle, giving them only about a foot of slack in between.

The crowd began to murmur once more, and this time Verda's dark eyes couldn't silence the noise.

"You'll need to work together to complete the course," she began, waving for more to come and receive their new equipment, "you will be given two hours to complete the course, which is a generous amount of time," she snapped a shackle around another ankle, the lock clicking loudly, "pairs that complete the course will be deemed compatible," another snap echoed through the trees beyond, "those that fail to finish will be repaired, and will run the course again".

Anna gulped as Verda placed the rough metal around her right ankle, it was solid, heavy and awkward against her high boots. The weight was nothing to her, but she imagined that others were going to struggle with it. She glanced at Donald who was very obviously uncomfortable with the added weight.

"You will run the course until you finish within the time given," Captain Verda scanned her crowd, smirking at her handy work, "you will not be permitted to graduate this program without your partner, and you will not do that without finishing together".

The crowd went silent, and Anna could see the worried glances. No one wanted to fail, but no one had expected something like this.

"The use of all specials is permitted, do whatever it takes to finish," and with that Captain Verda ushered her errand boy away and pulled a stopwatch from her pocket. She glanced at it, then back at the crowd, "your time starts now".

"Would you hurry up!"

Anna was getting sick and tired of listening to Donald yell.

His voice is like nails of a fucking chalkboard.

They'd been at this for about 45 minutes now, and didn't have much to show for it. At first Anna believed they might actually get through the course on the first go, at least until they got into the woods. Between Donald yelling, the chain pulling them every which way, and his large wings constantly smacking her in the face, Anna was surprised they'd made it this far.

Pairs were passing them left and right, some struggling, and some working wonderfully together with their specials.

Lucky bastards.

Donald insisted on being in the lead, demanding that Anna do it how he wanted, which meant standing back - as if she could- and letting him attempt to spread his wings. She guessed he kept forgetting they were attached, because he was drug back to the ground multiple times after each attempt to fly.

The redhead had suggested at one point that she carry him on her back, she was strong enough to clear each obstacle with them both, as long as he gave her a small breather every now and again. That idea was shot down almost before she'd finished her thought.

Fine, if he wanted to be that way….

Anna was fed up, they were attempting to scale a short wall that would lead them into the next area of the course. All they had to do was help each other over the barely 6 foot wall and they would be over halfway through the course, but things never seemed to go easy for Anna.

She was tired, sweaty, and annoyed, but being the nice and generous person she was, she opted to let Donald use her as a bit of a step stool.

"I don't need your help, I can climb that thing with or without you," she could tell he was annoyed too, obviously not being able to use his special properly was getting to him.

So here they were, Donald pulling himself up the wall with Anna climbing at his side. They were both about to breach the top when Donald placed his foot on top of hers and pushed himself up and over.

Way before Anna was ready to join him.

They both yelped, each of them falling on either side of the wall, their tethered legs hooked over the top of the wall and keeping them locked by the ankles, upside down, on opposite sides.

Great.

"What the Hell did you do!?" Donald's voice came from the other side.

She'd held her tongue all day, but this was the last straw. There was no way he was going to blame her for this.

"How is this my fault," she yelled back, she felt him jerk on the chain, causing her body to bounce and the back of her head to hit the rough surface.

"If you would have just done what I said in the first place we'd be finished by now," he was yelling nonsense now, and Anna was finished with it. At this point they were an hour and about fifteen minutes into the course, there was no way they were finishing.

Good, I don't want to be paired with this idiot anyway.

So she just crossed her arms and tried to ignore the throbbing in her ankle and the blood rushing to her head. Resigning herself to just hanging there until time was up. Donald was flailing, making the most ridiculous noises behind her and shaking her leg, but nope, she was determined to ignore it all.

She was about to close her eyes and maybe try to nap like a bat - they always looked so comfortable snuggled into their wings - when she caught sight of a pair approaching them.

One she recognized instantly.

Elsa Marx walked carelessly towards them, her partner shuffling rather awkwardly behind her. They looked as if they hadn't done a single obstacle, and Anna would bet money that they hadn't.

From the looks of things the two weren't getting along any better than her and Donald.

Good, serves her right.

Elsa had those perfect eyebrows crinkled ever so slightly; the frustration she felt barley concealed behind her usual blank mask. Anna could see they were speaking, but was unable to hear what they were saying at this distance, especially with all the blood rushing to pool in her skull and Donald screaming like a maniac.

They were about ten feet from each other before Elsa noticed. Her blue eyes found Anna's first, her expression unreadable as the pair approached their classmates. Elsa's partner- Cassandra was it? - stopped in their tracks and eyed her.

What was she supposed to do now? Ask for help, or continue to hang there like an unripened fruit attached to an idiot. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. There was no way she was going to ask Elsa for help, that would mean she'd be winning!

Winning what again?

That was just something Anna couldn't let happen. So she crossed her arms tighter, and averted her eyes from the blonde watching her. She could feel the intensity of Elsa's gaze still on her. It was like fire and ice, sending chills down the center of her spine, but igniting a heat in her chest all at once. She just wished the blonde would look away already.

"Do you need some help?" Cassandra's small voice came a moment later.

"No!""Yes!"

Donald and Anna yelled at once. Damn bird boy and his big mouth, can't he see we're trying to win something here.

"C'mon, hurry and get us down, I can't feel my foot anymore!" he was back to yelling and squirming, shaking Anna against the wood in the process.

Elsa looked to be debating whether or not to help for a moment, but was ultimately forced to walk forward as Cassandra approached. She was staring Anna dead in the eye, expression hard and unreadable. It made Anna feel like an animal in a trap, watching as the predator closed in on an easy meal. If she weren't already squirming from the uncomfortable position she was in she'd be squirming under that gaze.

"We should both take a side and try to hoist them both up at once so neither of them fall," Cassandra deduced.

Anna couldn't remember ever hearing the woman talk so much at once. She was a quiet one, usually in the front row of their classes, with dark hair that bobbed to the length of her shoulders. Her eyes were an abnormal shade of yellow-green, and her special….honesty she couldn't remember right now. Elsa was coming to her side, to lift her while Cassandra would lift Donald upright.

Elsa had finally -finally - averted her gaze, choosing instead to focus on Anna's shoulder. The pair was positioned on either side of the wall, stretching their own connection as much as possible to get a good angle.

Anna could feel the weight beginning to lessen on the other end, Donald no doubt trying to just climb the poor woman. But Anna waited, and waited a second more for the help that wasn't coming. This was as close as the two had ever been to each other, Elsa just barely a foot from her, their faces on the same level, but neither wanting to look at the other. The blonde seemed to hesitate, the slight waver in her breath the only indication, before she delicately placed a hand on Anna's back, palm flat in the spot between her shoulders. She placed the other somewhat lower, on the small of Anna's suddenly rigid spine.

You know when you read those incredibly cheesy romance novels, and the woman talks about the electricity that passes between her and her love interest? Well, that was just a ridiculous as Anna had always thought.

And really, she only read those to see what women were always swooning about.

There was no electricity, just a chill that spread from Elsa's palms to every inch of her spine. The skin on her back tingles, and goosebumps spread across her arms as the blonde hefted her upwards. She has to bite the inside of her cheek to contain the fully body shiver. Where was this even coming from? Elsa's hands were warm against the material of Anna's shirt, she could feel the heat of them through the thin fabric, but her body reacted as if she'd jumped into a frozen lake naked.

It was a quick shove, with more strength than Anna would have guessed the blonde had, and she was sitting upright at the top of the wall with Donald. His face was flushed and his hair still stood on end, he was slick with sweat and a scowl that could spoil milk.

Anna swallowed her pride for a moment, they weren't finishing the course today, but she was at least saved from another half hour hanging upside down, the least she could do was thank Elsa.

"Than-" the words died in her throat as she lifted her head, the blonde was already dragging her unwilling partner away, her back stiff and steps quick.

Anna narrowed her eyes on that back. What had she done this time to offend Elsa? She sucked in a deep breath, turning her eyes away and deciding not to stress herself anymore for the day. She was over it.

Donald was perched next to her, surprisingly quiet as she flattened the feathers in his wings.

"You know what?" he started.

Anna sighed, no, she didn't, and she didn't want to know. She turned her head his way, urging him silently to continue.

"That blonde is pretty bitchy," he suddenly grinned, smoothing out more feathers, "but she's pretty hot, right"?

Anna wanted to push him off the wall.