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A Fable of Fidelities and Fresh Starts (featuring Facebook)

Blurb: When her sister Elsa disappears, running away from home in the middle of the night, Anna leaves university, her boyfriend and her beloved pot plants behind to go find her. Teaming up with a gruff stranger and an estranged childhood friend on the way, Anna starts to learn that her world isn't all she thought it was.

Introduction: A Frozen modern AU fanfic that vaguely follows the plot of the film for the first few chapters before evolving into a life of its own, purely from Anna's POV. Kinda Anna/Hans, most definitely Anna/Kristoff, and underlined by a whole heap of sisterly Anna/Elsa (non-romantic).

Background: I am an English writer, but my fic is set in America. I've tried to use Americanisms but I might well slip up. My beta is British too. Therefore, prepare for English spellings in an America centred fic - centre not center! ;)

Rated T, mostly for language, a little for "other".

Thanks to my beta PeanutButterIceCream for patiently labouring over this fic with me! You're the best!

Chapter One: Somewhere Else

Ring ring. Ring ring.

Anna groaned into her bedspread, pulling her pillow to drown out the persistent noise. It had been ringing forever, waking her rudely from her deep slumber.

(Ring ring. Ring ring.)

A hand grabbed her shoulder and lightly shook her. "Mrrhmmrrfff," she mumbled.

"Do you want me to get that?" a low voice murmured near her ear. She grinned on impulse at the very sheer presence of him, suddenly far more awake than the telephone had made her, and peeked out from beneath her pillow.

"No, I'm up," she said, aiming for bright but hitting syrupy. She sat up in one swift motion, hand automatically finding her head to feel just how bad her bed hair was. Bad. She adjusted the strap of her nightie where it had slipped off her shoulder and looked down at Hans lying next to her. She smiled at the sight. His bed head was nothing more than a charming ruffling of his chestnut hair and his green eyes looked upon her affectionately, immediately discarding any insecurities she might have had about her own morning appearance.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied, with a cute full smile.

How had she been so lucky? She had spent so much of her life alone, but for the company of her parents and the presence of her sister. She had grown up sheltered, homeschooled, living in the middle of nowhere, and the idea of excitement and romance had been such a very distant notion, nothing more than a fairytale really. But then she had turned eighteen and she had told her parents she had wanted to go to university and they had approved. She hadn't gone far, only to the University of Arendelle so she could still drive home easily in her dilapidated little beetle. Not that there was much to drive home for really. Her parents were always busy with their business, though she never doubted their enthusiasm when she stopped by on a weekend to visit, but Elsa was ever non-existent, locked in her room. If they did happen to see each other, passing by in the kitchen or whatever, she'd be polite of course but it was never sisterly and warm. They had been close once when they were children, playing and laughing and being silly as children so often are, but when their teenage years hit that had ended abruptly, only to be replaced by frostiness. Anna had tried so hard, desperate to reclaim the bond they had once shared, but Elsa wasn't interested. Elsa was aloof. And Anna was alone.

But not anymore, she thought grinning down at the handsome man in her bed.

"Anna...the phone," Hans smirked.

"Oh right, the phone!" Anna jumped out of bed, getting her foot tangled in the blankets and hopping while she corrected herself.

Ring ring. -

"Hello!" she practically shouted into the receiver.

"Anna dear." It was her mother, and there was something wrong. Anna knew it instantly from the weariness and the sombre ring of her daughter's name on her lips.

"Mom? What is it? What's happened? Is it Dad? Is he OK?"

"You father's fine sweetheart. He's right here. But it's...Elsa. Is she with you?"

Elsa? Anna hadn't seen her sister for weeks. She remembered it well, the fact that she'd even spoken to her was ingrained into her memory.

"How's college going?"

Anna had started, so surprised to be addressed directly by the older girl that she was momentarily speechless.

"Urr...yeah, it's fine. Great actually, thanks."

"Good." Elsa had smiled at that, that tight lipped but genuine smile Anna saw so rarely. "You look well." And then she had swept out of the kitchen back to the solace of her room leaving her little sister gawking at the empty doorway.

"No, Mom. Why would she be here? Isn't she, y'know, in her room? Like always?" Anna's brow was furrowed and she let her eyes drift over to her bed to see Hans was inclined, propped up on his elbows, his eyes narrowed in interest. Anna shook her head at him, trying to communicate what she couldn't say but would relay later.

Her mother sighed heavily. "She's gone. She left a note but this morning...she was just...gone." Her voice was breaking, sorrow overwhelming her. It was contagious. Anna felt a bubble swelling in her throat and her mouth turning down.

"It's OK Mom. I'm sure it's fine. She's a grown up. And she's smart. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

There was a loud sob and then a scuffle and then a deep voice.

"Hello Anna, it's your father."

In the background she could hear the muffled whimpers of her mother.

"Hi Dad. What's going on? What did this note say?"

There was a long pause. Anna's already piqued curiosity grew.

"It said..." During the hesitation, Anna assumed he was unfolding the note to read. "Sorry. I have to go. I have to be somewhere else. Somewhere I can be myself. Anna thinks she has found happiness and if you can approve of that... I have to give myself a chance. She didn't say where she was going but we thought...we hoped she might have gone to you. She doesn't really know anyone else."

Anna thinks she's found happiness? What did that mean?

"Sorry. She's not here," Anna managed to say stiffly.

"We're just worried Anna. It's different with you, you've always been more...socially competent and you are so near. We didn't have to worry about you. But Elsa is...unpredictable. We're so worried she's going to get hurt. She doesn't know how to function in the world."

But Anna was still a bit ticked off about the thinks she's happy comment.

"So she just left you? What about the business?! Who's going to do the finances?"

"Ahh, don't you worry about that sweet girl. Your mother and I can cover any extra work. We just want to know your sister is safe."

Anna paused. There was no one else. She knew what she had to do.

"I'll find her Dad."

"Anna, no! You've got classes and homework. You can't just up and leave-"

"No, it's fine," Anna interrupted. "It's my fault she's gone. I need to be the one to go and find her. And I can get people to take notes for me. Hans is in two of my classes, he won't mind. And I can do my homework wherever I am. I think I've got an idea where she might be."

It was her father's turn to sigh heavily but unlike her mother's despair, it was with reluctant acceptance. "And where is that?"

"I don't know for sure, for sure but I...we used to talk when we were kids... I'll keep you updated, I promise."

There was another pause, long and loaded. "OK, but you promise you let us know where you are. And keep safe."

When Anna finally got off the phone, her eyes began to flit around her room, frantically trying to decide what she would need to take with her. Damn Elsa! She's a stinker.

"Anna. What is it? Is it your sister?"

She looked up sharply to find Hans had slipped out of bed and was approaching her with concern. She wasn't so befuddled that she couldn't appreciate the view, his bare torso on display over loose fitting pyjama bottoms. Slender but fit, with firm muscles, the physique of a swimmer. She sighed gratefully as his arms came around her in a comforting hug and rested her head on his shoulder.

"She's disappeared. I think it's because of me."

His hand rubbed soothingly up and down her back.

"How is it because of you?" he asked.

Reluctantly she pushed back so she could look up into his eyes. "Because of this, of us, because I'm happy...for the first time in forever. And I think she's jealous of that. She wanted to find some happiness for herself."

Hans reached up to brush some of her wild, uncontrolled, red hair out of her face. His brow furrowed.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She smiled, grateful for his thoughtfulness, then shook her head. "No. If you could take notes for me in our classes that would be very helpful. I'll text others to get the rest of the notes. And I need you here to water my plants."

He ran a finger down her cheek, so sweet, so caring. "On my honour," he said.

Notes

Kind of a slow start but it's just a jumping off point. Chapters get longer and more action packed from here. Thanks for reading and I hope you stick with me.

Notes about Anna's Facebook profile pic from the fanfic cover art:

So, Elsa and Anna's surname is Queen. The reasons are twofold.

1) I thought for ages about what a good name could be for them, went onto name history & meanings sites but nothing sounded as good as Queen, as basic and no-nonsense as it is.

2) I love Arrow. ;)

Also, I placed Arendelle in Washington cause of the climate, the fact it's on the ocean and the proximity to mountains it seemed like a viable option. I've never been to Washington state so it might be a laughable idea, but, well, there it is :-P