Still not mine

Elsa stood frozen in place as she stared at the bodies at Haugland's feet. Her emotions churned so badly she could hardly tell what she was feeling anymore. The wild swings of the past few days - from fear for her life to the elation of love to the crushing realization of her responsibilities - threatened to drain her, and now it seemed that everything had circled back to the beginning: in the gunsights of a man who was prepared to take her life. Not just hers, but also the lives of Agdar and Kristoff, who had done nothing more than their duty. Haugland was a man of the law, a man that she had trusted, and he had now betrayed not just her, but his country as a whole. And she was helpless to stop him.

Or am I?

Elsa felt the tingling in her palms as ice gathered there and began a quick climb, winding around her fingertips and spreading up to her wrists. A ball of something that was both white-hot and arctic cold seemed to form in her chest, throbbing with an energy that demanded to be released. Could she stop him with this strange power that she had? Bits of Tante Ingrid's stories flashed through her mind, those of ancient queens using icy swords and blasts of winter magic to vanquish their enemies.

Could she take Haugland down with her power? So far she had done nothing with it beyond icing her own home and creating some pretty snow showers. Was she capable of using it as a weapon?

She closed her eyes and some of the energy seemed to pulse down her arms and collect in her hands. Could she channel that energy, shoot it at Haugland? She opened her eyes to see him pick up Eye Patch's gun and point it at Kristoff.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry, Kristoff," Haugland said.

Elsa took a deep breath, preparing to release her magic.

The loud click of a semiautomatic pistol cocking stopped her. Elsa jerked her head toward the sound.

"Drop the pistol!" Anna barked out. She stood at the edge of the room, her own pistol aimed squarely at the rogue agent. "Now! Or I'll blow a huge-ass hole in your skull."

Haugland froze and dropped the gun. Elsa felt some of the energy recede from her hands, and her shoulders sank with relief.

"Both of them," Anna ordered, striding across the room. Haugland quickly dropped his own gun as well. Anna pressed the muzzle of her .45 against the back of the agent's head. "God, I'm so tempted to shoot you anyway, but at least you kept me from having to fight these two gorillas. Now kick those pistols over to your partner."

Haugland kicked the two pistols across the floor to Kristoff, who shoved Haugland's into the waist of his jeans and trained the suppressed one on his former colleague. "Down on the floor, Kai. Now!" he ordered. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Haugland knelt on the floor, hands on his thighs. Anna lowered her pistol and hurried over to Elsa, who threw her arms around her. They just stood there for a moment, clinging to each other.

"Anna," Elsa breathed, shaky with relief. She buried her face in Anna's hair, breathing deeply as the familiar summery scent greeted her again . "Thank God you came back."

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Anna whispered with a strangled laugh. "I leave you alone for a couple of minutes and you manage to attract all kinds of trouble."

"I do seem to have a knack for it," Elsa murmured with a little laugh of her own. "After all, I attracted you."

"God, you're a wiseass."

"I learned it from you." Elsa closed her eyes as Anna's lips brushed her neck, and she gave her a convulsive squeeze. Anna let out a little squeak of pain. Elsa jerked back. "What? What's wrong?"

Anna grimaced. "My arm," she managed.

Elsa let out a little gasp when she saw the gash in the sleeve of the mesh suit. It ran half the length of Anna's upper arm, and fresh blood stained the edges. She reached for it, but Anna pulled away.

"It will be okay, Elsa," she said from between clenched teeth.

Elsa held tight to her hand and started to object, but was interrupted by Kristoff demanding, "Now will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

Agdar got to his feet. "I will, but my proof was on that data card that these boys destroyed. I have a backup copy in a safe place, but it's not immediately available. It will have to wait until we get to the city."

Kristoff nudged Haugland with his foot. "You obviously know what this is all about, Kai. Cooperate with me, and I'll put in a good word. It will help with your sentencing."

Haugland shook his head. "I can't. That would be tantamount to a death sentence."

"Yeah? How's that, considering that Arendelle doesn't have the death penalty?" Kristoff reminded.

"My death sentence won't come from His Majesty's courts," Haugland said. "These people have a much longer reach."

"Then who?" Kristoff demanded. "Who is behind this that everyone is so afraid of?"

"Agent Bjorgman," Agdar said, touching his arm, "I'm sure that these particular gentlemen are waiting to hear about the outcome of all this. They may send more men if they don't hear anything soon. We need to stop that from happening."

Kristoff glared at him. "Why should I trust you? What I should do is call the cops and hold all of you until I can get my people up here. Or just take you and Elsa and him" – he flicked his pistol at Haugland – "back to Headquarters, get my job back and walk away a hero."

"Kristoff, please, I promise we'll explain everything soon," Elsa said. "But we must take care of the men behind these…people." She wrinkled her nose and waved her hand at the dead men.

"You can add one more thug to your count," Anna chimed in. "He's out by the hot tub. Not dead, though, just knocked out. He's not going anywhere." She tucked her injured arm against her side, and Elsa winced at her obvious pain.

"Looks like everyone knows what's going on except for me," Kristoff said, clearly frustrated. He looked at Anna, taking in her bloody sleeve and the pistol in her hand. "Miss Aarndahl, you just saved all of our lives. You're probably the most innocent person in this room. What do you think?"

Anna shot Elsa a glance before she replied, "It seems unbelievable, but this goes a whole lot deeper than a corruption case, even corruption on this scale. This is about national survival. I can't say any more about that until Elsa and Agdar are ready to talk about it, but we need to do what Agdar says."

Kristoff just studied her for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, I'm listening. What do you suggest, Erikksen?"

Agdar jerked his head at Haugland. "That we use your friend there to communicate with them."

"And what are we going to tell them?"

"That the operation was a success, except that their men were killed in the ensuing battle. Elsa and I are dead, and the data card was destroyed."

"What about me?" Anna asked.

Agdar gave her a wink. "We'll let you be our wild card. That role seems to suit you. We don't want them to get too comfortable, after all."

"All right, Kai, get up." Kristoff prodded the older agent with his pistol. Haugland got up and Kristoff motioned him into the great room to sit on the couch. "You have a way of contacting these people?"

Haugland said nothing, just looked at his feet.

"Come on, Kai." There was an edge to Kristoff's voice now. "Work with me on this and I'll help you. You were ready to kill all of us, and I shouldn't give a reindeer's ass what happens to you. But I do." He paused and swallowed. "Last chance."

Haugland's mouth tightened in a grim line. He reached into his jacket.

"No, no, no," Kristoff ordered, raising his pistol. "Two fingers. Nice and slow."

Haugland slowly put two fingers into his jacket and came out with his cell phone, which he held up for Kristoff. Then he flexed his big hands nervously as he looked at Agdar. "What exactly do you want me to say?"

Agdar told him. Haugland made the call, and when the line picked up, he said, "This is…" - he looked a bit embarrassed – "Trump Card." He repeated exactly what Agdar had told him, then hung up and looked around. "All right, it's done."

"Did they buy it?" Anna asked.

"I believe so," Haugland answered. "Although you can't always tell with these people."

Anna sagged against Elsa. "Olaf is safe now…"

"Yes, and your cousin too," Elsa said, hugging her tightly. And you. You're safe too, thank God. She stroked Anna's hair. Anna pressed closer, her good arm circling Elsa's waist.

Agdar took a deep breath. "Well, it's bought us some time, at least. We need to get back to the city." He turned and headed for the stairs.

"Hang on," Kristoff ordered. "There's a few things that we have to take care of first. Like the dead bodies over there. And I need to report in." He glared at Haugland. "And get him into a cell."

Haugland shook his head. "Loyalty only goes so far, I see."

"You made your choices, Kai," Kristoff ground out. "You'll go to the dungeons, but you'll live. That's more choice than Persie had."

"We need to leave here right now," Agdar cut in. "When we're out of the area, you can call the police. Once we get back to the city, Elsa needs to go into protective custody - "

"Wait a minute!" Elsa protested. "You said - "

Agdar gave her a look that clearly said not now. Elsa fumed, but was not willing to get into it with him in front of Kristoff and Haugland. She would deal with it when she got him alone.

" - and then I'll sit down with you and your boss and tell you everything I know," Agdar finished. "But we must keep it a secret. Like Anna said, this goes far beyond me and the crimes I've committed. If these people find out we're working with you, we may never get the proof we need to stop them."

"And what do you expect in return for telling us everything?" Kristoff asked.

"For myself? Nothing. If I go to the dungeons, then so be it."

"Agdar, no!" Elsa cried.

Agdar held up his hand, silencing her with a sharp gesture. "I'll accept that. But Elsa must have protection until this whole thing plays out."

He met Elsa's eyes and shook his head slightly. She pressed her lips together as she suddenly understood that if she continued along this path, if she ended up where Agdar expected her to, she would be the person who ultimately decided his fate. A royal pardon. The realization was both heady and frightening.

Kristoff looked back and forth between the two of them, his expression troubled.

"Agent Bjorgman, if you trust me, I will find a way to bring these men to you. Believe me, I have my own scores to settle with them," Agdar said.

"These people, they're the ones that had Persie killed?" Kristoff asked.

Agdar nodded. "Yes."

Anna put in, "Don't forget the asshole out by the hot tub. He's the guy who pulled the trigger at the cabin."

"What?" Kristoff asked. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I was there. I shot him, messed up his arm. He said he wanted payback on me for screwing it up…" Anna's voice trailed off, and she leaned heavily against Elsa.

Elsa frowned; she didn't like the way Anna shivered, or how she seemed to be supporting most of Anna's weight. Was it her adrenaline wearing off, or was Anna's injury worse than she was letting on? "Agdar," she said anxiously, "I think Anna needs a doctor."

Anna pulled away from Elsa and straightened up, shaking her head. "I'm fine," she insisted. But her wan face and slumped shoulders seemed to say otherwise.

"All the more reason to get out of here now," Agdar said. He turned to Kristoff. "You have a car?" Kristoff nodded. "Good. You can drive us to the airport. I have a charter flight laid on to take us back."

Kristoff turned to Haugland. "Keys," he snapped. Haugland tossed them over. "All right, let's get going." He gestured with his pistol. "Let's go, Kai."

Haugland stood up shakily, his face suddenly pale. He leaned forward, putting one hand on the coffee table to support himself.

"What's wrong?" Kristoff demanded. "Are you all right?"

Haugland moved around the table, but looked wobbly on his feet. One hand slid to his chest. "I've felt better, quite honestly."

His head lolled to the side and his left shoulder drooped. Elsa moved closer, alarmed by his pallid complexion. Anna might not be the only one who needed medical attention. Kristoff started toward him, but he dropped to one knee, his features contorted in pain.

"Oh, God," he moaned, pressing his hand hard against his chest.

"Kai!" Kristoff cried, reaching for him.

He's having a heart attack! Elsa realized as the man slowly sank to the floor, his body twitching.

In hindsight, no one could have predicted Haugland's next move. It was quick. Too quick, it seemed, for a man of his age and bulk. His hand dropped to his ankle, and came back up gripping a snub-nose revolver. The gun was raised and aimed before anyone could react.

All Elsa saw was the dark maw of the gun's muzzle and the flash of it firing before everything went black.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Anna saw everything with crystal clarity: the old agent clutching his chest and going down to one knee, and then the gun, a snub-nosed revolver, coming up in his hand, pointed directly at Elsa.

She saw him pull the trigger, heard the deafening crack of it firing.

But despite the slow-motion quality of the moment, Anna could not move fast enough.

The bullet struck Elsa in the chest. She gasped once and then fell.

"Elsa!" Anna screamed, lunging for her. She caught Elsa just before she hit the floor, ignoring the burning pain that shot through her injured arm. "Elsa! Oh God, Elsa!"

She sank to the floor with Elsa in her arms, her panic escalating when ice spread across the floor from beneath Elsa's body. She was vaguely aware of the muted clap of suppressed gunshots and the thud of a heavy body hitting the floor. But she could only focus on the wet rattle of Elsa's breathing and the whimpers of pain that escaped from her lips along with fine droplets of blood.

"Elsa, Elsa!" Anna ripped at Elsa's sweater, exposing the horrible bloody hole in her chest. "Oh my God, Elsa!"

Agdar dropped to his knees next to her, his face a mask of blank horror. He put his hand on one of Elsa's, then snatched it back with a little hiss. "Anna, she's freezing cold!"

Anna stared at the ice seeping from Elsa's hands. As she watched, the flow slowed to a trickle, and then stopped altogether. She whipped her gaze back to Elsa's face just in time to see her eyes slip closed. Her already fair skin was taking on a sick pallor. Anna hugged her closer. She could almost feel the warmth of life spilling from Elsa with each labored breath. "No, no, no!" she cried.

Kristoff slid up next to them on his knees. "How bad?"

Anna just looked at him in anguish. He tore Elsa's sweater further open and assessed the wound. "Bad," he grimaced. "The hole's right near her heart, and the slug's still in her. We need to get her to a hospital fast."

Anna took several deep breaths, trying to calm down and think. They could call the paramedics, but who knew how long it would take them to get here? And paramedics would mean local cops, which would mean media as well. If there was media, Hans and Weselton would learn about the lie. If Elsa survived, they would come looking for her again. A quick glance at Agdar confirmed that he was thinking the same thing.

They would have to take Elsa to the hospital themselves.

"Your car," she said to Kristoff. "Lights and sirens?"

"What?" he asked.

"Your car has lights and sirens, right?!" she screamed.

"Yes, yes!" he said.

"Go get it, go get it now!" she ordered.

Kristoff jumped up and started to dash from the house. Then he stopped next to Haugland, who was on the floor with two bloody bullet holes in his chest, his eyes open but blank. Kristoff lifted Haugland's NP credentials from his belt, then bolted out the front door.

Anna gathered Elsa closer and tried to stand up, struggling for purchase on Elsa's ice and crying out at the pain in her injured arm. Just when she thought she might drop her, Agdar was there, taking Elsa from her gently. He cradled Elsa against his chest, and they left the house as fast as they could, reaching the front gate just as Kristoff pulled up in the car.

Anna scrambled into the back seat. Agdar laid Elsa across her lap before jumping into the passenger seat beside Kristoff. Kristoff floored the accelerator and roared down the mountain, lights flashing and siren wailing. Anna hugged Elsa against her body, every prayer she'd ever learned spilling from her lips.

*run and hides*