DISCLAIMER: All of the places and characters in this story belong to Disney and are inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen. No profit is being made from this story. It only serves to (hopefully) entertain.

Rated T for some sensuality and emotional trauma.

-Midnight Rogue-

It was the most beautiful scene. There was Anna, sitting in the meadow and talking about every little musing that flew through her mind. A subtle breeze toyed with the few strands of ginger hair that escaped the confines of her braids, sweeping them across the face that was illuminated by the midday sun.

And Kristoff... well, all he could do was listen intently and stare at her, all with a goofy, lovestruck grin plastered to his face. Fortunately for him, Anna didn't seem to notice, for she was too lost in her blissful chatter. He didn't mind. There was no sweeter sound that that of her voice.

But then it changed. Kristoff thought it was a trick of the senses at first because she was still smiling as she talked. Only now, her voice sounded scared. Her laughs were coming out as screams. He could hear her crying, but no tears fell from her eyes.

"Help!" she begged. "Someone help me, PLEASE!"

Kristoff heard the sounds of struggle, but where was it coming from? She was just sitting there in the grass, just as she'd been since they got there.

"Help, HELP!"

"Anna, what-"

"PLEASE, HELP ME!"

"Anna!"

Crying. Sobbing. But how, how could she sound so upset when she was obviously laughing? It didn't make any sense.

Then, out of nowhere, a loud thud rattled his eardrums. Nothing in the meadow could have made that noise.

"Please... help me... please..."

Kristoff's eyes snapped open, and the vision of Anna in the meadow filtered out to the familiar view of his cabin bedroom. The only light in the room was provided by the moon in the form of a soft, white glow streaming through the tiny window. He rubbed the sweat off his face with his hands and sighed.

What the hell kind of dream was that? Kristoff thought. I'm still hearing it, for goodness sake.

His eyes widened at that last thought. How was he still hearing his dream? Kristoff glanced to his left. To his horror, the spot beside him was vacant.

"Please," Anna sobbed desperately, "help!"

Anna!

"Anna!" he exclaimed, jumping out from beneath the covers and running around the bed toward the sound of her voice. He was both relieved and panicked by the sight of her. At least she was there, safe, and not being attacked by some intruder or worse, but the state she was in... he'd never seen her like that. She was still asleep and clearly having a nightmare. Having apparently fallen off the bed in terror, she was curled up in a ball and clutching the front of her nightgown in a tight fist. Her other hand was flailing around, punching the air as if she were attempting to escape some invisible box. Her face was red and soaked with tears.

"Someone, anyone, please..."

"Anna," he murmured as calmly as he could. "Anna, wake up."

"HELP!"

"Anna, please." He gently touched her shoulder. "It's okay. Wake up, love. Anna, I'm right here."

When she finally opened her eyes, they were terrified, darting around anxiously in a panic. She screamed and continued to cry as she quickly sat up, scooting back into the side of the bed.

"Anna, it's me! It's Kristoff! You're okay," he soothed. He placed his hands on either of her shoulders and gave each a reassuring squeeze. "Sweetheart, you're safe. It's me."

It took a moment, but her eyes met his. Anna's breathing was heavy, uneven, and unable to be caught.

"Kr-Kristoff?" she whispered.

He nodded and smiled. "It's just me, love. You're in the cabin, remember?"

Anna gazed around, taking in the familiar surroundings. She'd woken up here many times, but it had never been like this. She touched her hair, her eyes, her face, and right over her beating heart. She cried even more.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered in unrivaled disbelief. "I'm s-so sorry..."

"Shh," he comforted, wrapping his arms securely around her as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his chest. He rubbed her back as heavy sobs shook her entire frame. "It's okay, Anna. It's okay. You're okay."

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry," he murmured into her hair. "You had a nightmare, but it can't hurt you anymore. You're safe, love. I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Anna wailed into his chest for a long time, clinging to him as if he were her only lifeline, and Kristoff's heart broke with each wretched sob. He'd had his fair share of nightmares over the course of his life, but from what he could recall, he'd never woken up in such a state before. He'd never fought subconscious demons so violently that he tumbled from his bed. He wondered what she'd been dreaming about to cause her to wind up in such a condition. Had this happened to her before? Anna had spent quite a few nights with him in the cabin, but she still spent most of her time in the palace. Did this ever happen when she was alone and had no one to comfort her? His stomach churned at the thought.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she whispered shakily after a while.

"Anna, please, don't worry about me," he urged. He pulled away slightly, examining her body. "You fell off the bed. Did you hurt yourself? Do you need any ice?"

"No," she mumbled, eyes downcast as she shook her head. A tiny shiver shook through her. "I'm okay."

"Are you cold? Come on, let's get you back under the covers. Can you stand?"

Anna feebly nodded, refusing to look at him as he helped her up. Kristoff held back the blankets for her, and she was still trembling as she slid beneath them; he was fairly certain it had little to do with the chilly temperature. Once he was settled in beside her, he pulled her against him and rubbed small circles against her shaking back.

"I'm so embarrassed," she whimpered. "I never that that would happen h-here... with you..."

"It's happened before?"

Anna nodded. "A few times. It's... it's always the s-same one."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's so stupid," Anna sniffled. "I keep dreaming about when I... when I was frozen..."

Kristoff secured his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Anna..." he breathed. He didn't know what to say.

"When it actually happened, it was like I was really g-gone," Anna wept. "I blacked out until I thawed. But in the dream... Kristoff, I'm still alive. I can't move or talk, but I can see everyone through the ice. I can see you, Elsa... H-Hans." She stumbled over the name of her former fiancee. "And in my head I'm screaming for you all to help me, trying to tell you that I'm still there... I try to fight my way out of the ice, but it's too strong... and you all forget about m-me. Everyone forgets about me. Life goes on and no one remembers or even cares. And I'm just there, cold... alone..."

Her worst fear, he thought grimly. The one thing she still fears.

Kristoff brushed his thumb beneath her eyes, pushing away the tears attempting to roll down her beautiful face. She'd endured far too much and none of it was her fault, but she would never be able to shake that worry. He knew the fear of abandonment would always looming over her, fooling her.

"Anna," he murmured, "I'm so sorry for everything you went through, and I'm sorry it still frightens you. You don't deserve that." He threaded his fingers through the tresses of hair spread across her shoulder. "But know this: when you dream about that, it's all a lie. Your mind is deceiving you, trying to trick you into thinking you're not loved, but that's not true. You are so, so loved."

He felt her grip on him tighten a bit.

"And the nightmare... you'll probably always have it," he admitted. "You won't be able to help that. But for what it's worth, we'll be married soon. You won't have to wake up alone anymore. I'll be here to hold you, okay? I know I'm not much-"

"You're everything," she corrected in a whisper.

"Anna-"

"You are," she affirmed, gazing up at him through her tears. "Kristoff... you came back for me. No one has ever done that before. People have left, but you... Kristoff, you didn't have to come back. You didn't owe me a thing. You could have returned to the mountains and your solitude, but you chose me."

Kristoff smiled and slowly grazed her dampened cheek with the back of his hand.

"It was the easiest decision I ever made," he whispered.

Anna leaned in, lips still quivering as she kissed him. She touched his face with a shaking hand as he cupped her chin. Their caress was tame, but passionate, slow. When they pulled apart, Anna wasn't crying anymore.

"I love you so much," she breathed.

"I love you, too, and I always will." He pulled her into him once more, and she nestled her head against his chest. "Try to sleep now, okay?"

"I usually can't," she wheezed. "Not after that."

"I know, but just try, okay? I'll be right here."

He tenderly combed his fingers through her hair and soon felt her relax against him. Anna's body stopped quivering and he could feel her rigid muscles unwind. It took quite some time, but Kristoff heard the familiar, steady beat of sleepy breaths from his princess. When he shifted his gaze, not daring to move his body on the chance he might wake her, he saw that her eyes were closed and she had indeed fallen into a slumber once more.

Kristoff knew that he, too, should try to sleep again, and he knew his eyes would eventually grow too heavy to keep open, but for now, all he could do was watch Anna. He adored the way her nose twitched every now and then, the way she occasionally huffed, the way she looked so peaceful. It felt so good to know he could help bring her such comfort, and it was moments like these that made him feel worthy.

"I'm right here, Anna," he spoke in a barely audible whisper before sleep took over completely.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :)