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The hustle and bustle of the airport was making it particularly difficult for an impatient Anna to keep her mind straight. Kristoff had been away on a research trip in Norway for six months studying reindeer patterns for an educational book he was currently writing.
However, the time that he had been away had put a real damper on Anna’s mood. For the first few weeks, most of her time was spent moping around her apartment in her pajamas with a large bowl of her favorite chocolate ice-cream as she rewatched The Notebook about half a dozen times. However, Anna eventually came to terms with the fact that she could not continue to be in such a state of forlonging, but no matter how much she tried to preserve a happy attitude, most of her nights ended with her weeping over the sheets that still smelled like the woodsy scent of her fiancé.
Elsa, being the amazing and supportive sister that she is, helped her get through some of those nights when the feeling of loneliness became so immense that Anna would call her late into the night asking her to come over instead of having to deal with another feat of insomnia. Together, the sisters would snuggle up close, just as Kristoff would do with her if he were there, singing one another the lullaby their mother had taught them when they were young as Elsa playfully stroked her nose until her eyes grew heavy and she fell into a deep slumber. Eventually, amongst the silence, Elsa would find sleep too.
But now, there would be no more waking up in the middle of the night believing that he would be right there next to her, only to be disappointed when the only thing she did find was a pillow damp from her tears. No more having to irk your older sister into coming over to quell your sadness because you need to feel something familiar and even though it wasn’t the same as him being there, god damn it, it was still better than a soundless, cold, empty room.
“Stop biting your nails.” The sound of Elsa’s chiding voice broke her from her trance. “I know you’re excited to see him and maybe even a tad bit worried about his flight, but there’s nothing to be anxious about; I’m sure everything is running smoothly. His flight left on time and when I checked the weather this morning it called for nothing but clear skies.”
“I know,” Anna sighed. “It’s just that, it’s been six months since I’ve seen him, and before today had seemed so far; but now it’s finally here and all the excitement I’ve cooped up since he’s left is starting to burst through, so the minutes are feeling like hours and I’m trying to find things to keep me occupied so the time goes by faster.” The rise and fall of her shoulders matched that of the heaving of her chest as she tried to catch her breath from her rambling. “Sorry,” she apologized meekly once she was able to recollect herself.
Growing up with Anna had made Elsa become accustomed to her sister’s excessive chatter, that too often than not, made conversations for those who did not know her, unbearable. In fact, Kristoff used to be one of these people, as Elsa remembers Anna’s endless efforts to befriend the huge, lonely, grumpy Senior when she was only a Sophomore in high school. That was over ten years ago. Perhaps, the most surprising thing that became of Anna and Kristoff’s relationship was that Elsa least expected to become close with the burly blonde man. It was beyond the means of a mere friendship, not in a romantic way of course, but he had become like a brother to her. Which was soon gonna become a reality seeing as her sister was now engaged to him.
Anna, who now looked more nervous than a sinner in church, anxiously twisted the ring on her finger.
“Hey,” Elsa interjected Anna’s thoughts. “We still have a while till he arrives. How about we go grab something to eat? I believe I saw a Dairy Queen near the security entrance. We can pick you up, a Brownie Batter blizzard; your favorite.”
Anna smiled up at her sister. “Thanks Elsa. I think that will really help settle my nerves quite a bit.” Anna managed a laugh. “Plus,...Kristoff’s safe return home isn’t the only thing that’s got my stomach in a knot.”
“Oh. Could this possibly be about the little surprise you have tucked away in your purse for him?” Elsa inquired.
Anna nodded meekly in response.
Not too long after Kristoff had left, Anna woke up in a cold empty bed feeling terribly sick. And when she had swung her legs over the bed, she rushed to the bathroom at the speed of light as soon as her feet made contact with the plush carpet. She still remembered the cool feel of porcelain as her hands grasped the seat of the toilet tightly; emptying her stomach of whatever contents it had. At first, she had chosen to ignore it, that was until she had continued to feel like utter crap throughout the day and was brought back to the night before Kristoff left. To put it lightly, the two weren’t gonna see each other for a long while, so Anna made sure to give Kristoff a very memorable and um… intimate goodbye.
Of course, the swell of her belly was evident by now and therefore would not go unnoticed by Kristoff, but even so, Anna still wanted to get something to celebrate - in what she hoped would be - a momentous occasion. Perhaps, her fears, she now realized, were less so about the surprise going wrong, and more about Kristoff not liking the news that came with the surprise itself. She knew it was ridiculous to be distressed over such matters, because Kristoff was a very understanding, caring, and gentle soul, even though it did not seem like it in the eyes of others who did know him. But, Anna knew him. She knew that under all that rough grumpy exterior was someone worthy of love and who gave love freely. So of course he would be delighted to hear that they were gonna have a kid. Right?
Maybe some food would help ease her mind a bit. Plus, she never was one for patience and the airport seats were uncomfortable, and despite the fact that Elsa warned her they were leaving too early and that meant they would be sitting in the terminal for a copious amount of hours; Anna refused to heed her acknowledgment.
Grabbing a bite to eat and making a quick stop at Dairy Queen, did in fact - as Elsa predicted - kill some time, which ended up leaving about thirty minutes until Kristoff’s plane landed. Of course, that didn’t include the time it would take for him to actually get off the plane itself, but nevertheless, that did not cease the pounding Anna felt in her chest.
When it was announced that Kristoff’s flight had finally landed, Anna clutched the strap to her so tight, her knuckles turned white.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Elsa tried to reassure. “He’s going to be thrilled and together you both will give this baby the best life possible.”
Anna released the tight grip she had on her bag strap to bring her sister into an embrace, “Thanks Elsa,” she sighed, nerves calming a bit.
Elsa wrapped her arms around her sister, comforting her, before Anna’s phone dinged. She opened up her phone revealing her lock screen - a picture of her and Kristoff last Christmas curled up on the couch that Bulda had managed to take while they were sleeping - and a text notification from Kristoff saying that his plane had just pulled up to the gate and how he could not wait to see her, even adding some heart emojis at the end of the sentence.
Mentally preparing herself, Anna took a deep breath and tried to look as calm as possible. However, her stim of rocking back and forth on her feet had come to light. It was something she did when she was unable to control the environment around her and everything felt like it was about to collapse. It was a calming method of sorts, something that made her comfortable. And while she knew she shouldn’t be, she was a bit embarrassed by it. She hated when she started doing it in public, often masking it as much as she could. But sometimes, there was just no hiding it, no matter how hard she tried to oppress it, and boy was she trying right now. Yes, of course, Kristoff knew about it, and of course - like with most of her stims - he did not stray from it, and even advocated for her to not hide it at all; however, she could not stop the feeling that she was embarrassing him. Not only that, but if he saw her stimming as bad as she was now, he would know something is up, and the surprise would be ruined - not that her stomach was an indicator enough.
As she waited, heart beating fast, she finally saw a familiar mop of blonde hair come into view. The large mountain of a man stood near the security entrance, scanning the terminal frantically until brown eyes met blue. Excitement lit up in his face as he began to run over to the petite redhead, trying his best to not run into people in the process to the best of his ability. Blinded by his enthrallment for at last being reunited with the woman he loved so dearly, he picked her up by her waist and spun her in the air, the sound of their laughter filling the room, bringing her in for a deep kiss when her feet hit the ground. It was during this kiss, that Kristoff noticed Anna’s protruding belly because it had kept him from pulling her closer. Every function in his body stopped, as he stood still, eyes wide, a hint of shock plastered on his face as he stared down at her.
Taking notice of his current immobility, she took his large calloused hands in her small ones, placing them on top of the swell of her stomach, smiling up at him with teary eyes. Kristoff remained unresponsive and Anna went to reach for the surprise she had tucked away in her purse. She took out a baby blue cloth with a pattern of brown teddy bears wearing big red bows, and when Anna unfolded it, it turned into a very small-sized footie pajama.
“Welcome home, papa,” Anna choked, trying her best to hold her tears at bay.
Kristoff swallowed the lump in his throat. “You mean you’re-we…”
Anna nodded, understanding what he was trying to say and confirming them. “We’re gonna be parents.” She placed her hand on his cheek, swiping away a tear with the pad of her thumb. He leaned into her touch, removing one of his hands from her belly and grabbing her wrist, his hand swallowing it, as he brought her palm up to his mouth and kissed it. “So um…are you…” Anna took a deep breath recollecting herself before speaking again. “Are you happy? About the baby that is?”
For a moment, Kristoff stared at her, not saying a word; until suddenly she was pulled into a fierce hug as he buried his nose in her hair. “Anna, of course I’m happy!,” he laughed against the top of her head. “This is the best thing that has ever happened to me - well besides you saying ‘yes’ when I asked you to marry me.”
Anna smiled, laughing at herself for worrying so much earlier because she knew there was nothing to have been nervous about. They stayed in their embrace until Kristoff quickly pulled away, his look of delightment replaced with one of dread and worry.
“Oh no! I-I didn’t hurt the baby right?!,” his voice still coated from tears of joy.
“No,” Anna chuckled, taking his face in both her hands. “We’re both fine. Besides,” Anna paused to give him a peck on the lips, “you give the best hugs.” She embraced him once again.
Elsa stared lovingly at the couple, happy that her sister had found someone to spend the rest of her life with. She was convinced there wasn’t anyone else she could approve of more for Anna than Kristoff, and she couldn’t wait to be the aunt of their child.
Kristoff pulled back just a bit to rest his forehead against the very contented Anna’s. “I’ve missed you,” he grinned.
“I missed you too.”
The two of them stayed like that, soaking in the blissfulness of the moment, neither daring nor wanting to end it. But, of course, they knew they would have to at some point, and they would make sure to continue this moment when they got home. So, as to not waste any more time Kristoff threw his duffel bag over his shoulder that he had discarded on the ground earlier, not forgetting to tell Elsa “hello” and bringing her into a tender hug before he took Anna’s hand back in his as they walked towards the sliding doors.