This is the result of me trying to combine all of my ideas into one so here's hoping it doesn't feel too rushed or disconnected.

Summary: The sisters share a meaningful conversation before bed one night.

"You never ask me to build a snowman anymore."

Well, that came out of the blue. It tripped Anna up so much that she missed a beat and ended up yanking at a slight knot in her sister's hair with the brush. Elsa winced — Anna saw that much through the vanity mirror at which they sat — but otherwise didn't complain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Anna was still quick to apologize. "I— well why would I? Ask to build a snowman, I mean."

"I just remember spending so long listening to you… I thought now that I could finally answer, we would. But you haven't asked." There was no mistaking the somber tone that had taken residence in her sister's voice.

But Anna was ready with her own response. "I don't ask because we already have Olaf — the best snowman ever. Why would we need to build another one when we have him?"

A quiet laugh but a bigger, more prominent smile. "I see. Thank you for telling me."

"Of course. I'll tell you anything."

But there was a time when Anna wouldn't be so ready with information, back when—

Anna's selflessness — it was a front. A defense mechanism. She knew that if she focused on other people, then they wouldn't look at her. Scrutinize her and tear her apart. Shatter her cheerful demeanor. Because beneath it all, she was scared. A scared, little girl. Five years old again. When everything went wrong.

"Sometimes I just pretend to be happy."

"What was that?" Elsa asked from behind her desk, putting down her papers.

Kristoff sat up straighter on the couch, jumping in as well. "Pretending to be happy?"

"I uh…" Anna stammered and rose from the couch. She attempted to make a break for the study door but Kristoff blocked her path.

This was it. Everything had finally caught up to Anna. She could hide it no longer — no matter how hard she tried to dodge their questions, she couldn't escape. Because she had finally slipped up and let out the truth. And Elsa and Kristoff had swooped in on her like wild beasts ravaging their prey after days without eating. She felt the room spin and her lung constrict as she felt the world crash down on her — as her cheerful facade cracked and shattered.

Now situated between Elsa and Kristoff on the sofa, Anna trained her eyes on her shoes and willed the tears away, gripping the edge of the upholstery until her knuckles turned white.

"It's okay, Anna," came Elsa's tender voice.

"You can talk to us," Kristoff chimed in.

And Anna could. She knew she could. But not about this. No. She couldn't. She shook her head and closed her eyes, biting her lip as if that would help. Maybe she could blame her tears on the pain and, if she was lucky, she could convince Elsa and Kristoff that the liquid that set fire to her eyes wasn't a result of her deepest insecurities come to light.

But a hand on her left knee and a bigger hand on her right leg had her spilling over.

"I have to be h-happy all of the time…" her voice wavered, she sniffled, and rubbed at her wet cheeks.

"Why would you think that?" Elsa asked.

"Someone has to be. I mean, you have your ice business to worry about," Anna nodded toward Kristoff without looking up, "And you have your ice powers and a whole kingdom to take care of, Elsa… there really isn't enough room for me to be unhappy. And I'm just so glad to have you back Elsa, and to have you, too, Kristoff that I don't want to mess anything up. I want to be happy enough for the three of us."

"That's not how this works," Kristoff said. His hand moved to her cheek and Anna felt a soft cloth absorb her tears. "You're allowed to be upset. You don't have to pretend to be happy."

"And you can come to us," Elsa said. "We'll always make time for you." She took to Anna's other cheek with another handkerchief. Anna sat back on the sofa, eyes still shut, and laid her head on Elsa's shoulder, while taking one of Kristoff's hands in both of hers. Her facade may have dissolved, but she at least had people that she trusted and loved waiting for her on the other side.

Anna met Elsa's eyes through the mirror. She ran the brush through her sister's hair a few more times before admiring the locks of hair that Elsa possessed. "Your hair is just gorgeous, Elsa. You lucky stinker!"

Elsa just chuckled and smiled back. "Only because you did it."

"Oh, you flatter me. Let's switch now." Elsa stood up from the stool with Anna replacing her. It was sudden, but it was noticeable. Her sister's expression had morphed from one of playful teasing to one of somber thoughtfulness. "What's wrong, Elsa?"

"I've been meaning to say something but could never find an appropriate time, but…" Elsa wrung her hands and appeared hesitant, but determined, "We need to talk about last week."

"Oh, Anna... If only there was someone out there who loved you."

Abruptly, her hands slammed down on the dinner table.

"You love me. Don't you Elsa?"

Admittedly, the Queen looked just as surprised — just as confused — as their dinner guests. Heads turned toward Anna, forks and spoons frozen midway between their plates and their mouths. The conversation had been light up until that point, focusing mostly on trade. Then the Southern Isles was mentioned and Anna couldn't stop her mind from wandering…

Oh Anna…

Always quick to solve whatever problems the princess created, Elsa spoke up, rather quickly, "Of course I do," then turned the conversation back to the subject of interest.

"But do you really?"

Anna just couldn't let it go. Why couldn't she? Why did this matter so much? Hans' voice floated back into her subconscious. "...someone out there who loved you." And it burned. It was branded into her memory with such an intense and fiery feeling it stung her eyes. But then dropped onto her cheeks.

"I-I have to… I'm going to go."

And then she was pushing her chair back, excusing herself from the dinner table. But before she left, before she could rush up to her chambers to bury her embarrassment and shame and… hurt into her pillow, she caught her sister's eyes — caught the shock swimming among icy blue pools of water.

"Oh…" Anna's shoulders slumped with the weight of the incoming conversation. "That." She refused to return her sister's gaze through the mirror, instead closing her eyes and breathing deeply through her nose. The careful fingers that gingerly began to take apart her braids helped calm her steadily rising nerves.

"He still gets to me, too."

Until Elsa spoke.

"What?" The word left her lips but a wispy puff of smoke. Anna met Elsa's eyes. "You too?"

Elsa didn't break concentration as she raked her fingers through Anna's now loose hair. "I hear him sometimes telling me that you're…" a voice crack and an incomplete thought. "I check on you at night from time to time when his voice comes back. I just have to make sure you're okay."

Anna was swift to quell her sister's fear. "Well of course I am."

"But I didn't know that then so I have to make sure now."

A wry chuckle and lost eye contact, "I guess he messed us both up, huh?"

Elsa retrieved the brush from atop the vanity. "I just want you to know that I love you. Always. No matter what. I never got to tell you that before."

A smile graced Anna's features and lifted her aching heart. "Yeah, I-I know, but I guess it helps to hear sometimes. And I'll do more to let you know that I'm okay." Because Anna knew the lie that Hans had told Elsa — she still relived that tearful conversation from time to time — and how her sister's world had stopped. "I'll check in more — and not just before bed. I'll even be more careful."

Elsa snorted. And dropped the brush trying to cover her mouth. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Anna feigned anger; eyebrows furrowing, eyes narrowing, but the smile wouldn't go away. "Oh you."

Elsa reclaimed the brush and returned to Anna's hair. A peaceful silence fell like a fresh blanket of soft snow. Anna closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of the brush working its way through her hair, marveling at how Elsa could untangle her knots with such painless ease.

Said under her breath, "Your hair is beautiful." The statement was probably meant for herself, but Anna heard and couldn't help but comment.

"Oh, come on Elsa! Your hair is the real star. Everyone loves it. It's perfect. You're perfect."

Perfect.

That word had haunted her her entire life. A princess may slip up, but a queen must be perfect.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm even good enough," Elsa blurted out before she could stop herself, instant regret feeling like scorching heat from a flame. Because Anna pounced —

"What?" Anna stood up and turned to face Elsa. "What do you mean?"

Elsa struggled to backtrack. "I-I… never mind that." She could feel the cold as she clenched her hands into fists to fight back against it.

"No," Anna adopted a commanding tone. She took Elsa's hand and led her to the bed. "We need to talk about this."

"Anna, no."

"Elsa…" Anna trailed off and sighed. "I know how hard it can be opening up, but it feels so much better when you do. Why do you wonder if you're good enough? Good enough for what?"

Elsa looked down at her hands. "All my life I was told I had to be perfect. A queen must never make a mistake." Her hands were so pale that they turned red rather easily as she continued to wring them out. Anna placed her own hand over them to stop the action. "When I hear that word, I think about how much I've messed up and how I'll never be perfect and I just wonder sometimes if I'm not good enough and what will happen if I fail. Will… will you leave me? Will everyone just leave me?"

Throughout the confession Anna had taken Elsa in her arms, stroking through her loose strands of hair and wiping away the tears. A whisper, "I will never leave you, Elsa. I promise. And, even though you may not see yourself as this, you are perfect — you're the perfect sister; the best one I could ever ask for. And nothing you could do or say would change my mind about that. Just being yourself makes you perfect to me."

The warm presence enshrouding her in combination with the heartbeat beneath her ear aided in Elsa being able to relax. But the words — her sister's heartfelt words — finally broke that chain and released her from the burden. Anna's approval — that's all she had ever wanted; had ever needed.

The tears kept coming but her cheeks lifted with a smile. A soft whisper turned the smile into a grin — "I love you, Elsa."

"I love you, too, Anna," spoken with all the love that she had been blessed with.

They nestled within the blankets and pillows, with Elsa still in Anna's arms and just felt content. It was moments like these that they had wished for growing up — begged for, pleaded, needed, deserved. Nothing would tear them apart. Not again. Not ever again. They were truly at their strongest when they were together. And when they were together, they were —

Safe and Warm.

Well this is the end. A big thank you to those of you that have made it this far! This was incredibly fun — and sad at times, my bad — to write and I hope you all enjoyed. Frozen II may or may not inspire me to write more, so if it does, that will be its own separate story. We will just have to wait and see. Fingers crossed!

Also shout out to Brightness Davar, SnowQueenOfMyHeart, and maregnbue. You guys are dope and have been my driving influence for most of this story!

Thank you all as we head… Into the Unknown.