The Invisible (Jelsa)

Chapter XXVII

Elsa was at her wit's end. There was only so long that she could go without Jack at home having to deal with the children before she lost it. She knew Anna was just as ready to brutally murder a child. Jack had decided on his semi-annual 'winterize' trips, as he called them, to take Kristoff and Alfsol for a spin to bond with his 'brother' and newphew.

"Tonight. He comes back tonight." Elsa mouthed to Anna over dinner, where Cham, Rizpah, and Vienna were treating their food more like paint than a well-balanced meal. Anna groaned, half slamming her head into the table.

"And then we are calling a personal messue and letting the men deal with them all tomorrow." She moaned, pointing at her mass of children.

There was a loud bang from the foyer and the loud of men's laughter. Azura looked up form her book, "Dad's home!" She shouted and the whole table went to bedlam. All eighteen children thundered away to meet their father, leaving Anna and Elsa at the table that looked more like a war zone. The two sisters shared twin smiles and giggles.

"Small miracles, huh?" Elsa asked, standing and stretching.

"I feel like I need to sleep for a decade after that! In only two weeks, there's been a broken bone, three cuts, two scraped knees-," Anna began to list.

"Don't forget Rizpah broke that boy's nose, the triplets discovered the joys of an unlocked pantry, and Vienna accidentally spilled ink all over Xanthe's sketchbook." Elsa added to the list. Both woman shuddered. Anna cleaned her hands on a nearby towel, and smiled.

"Shall we meet our husbands from their long and tiring journey?" She asked with faux sympathy.

"Oh yes, they must be exhausted! And all we've done is watch their spawn for the last two weeks." Elsa agreed with a twittered reply.

"Exactly." The sisters arrived in the front hall to see Kristoff and Jack being attacked by children of all sizes.

"Calm down all of you!" Kristoff finally yelled, "If you're all over, how can I give you presents?" A sonic wave seemed to travel through the children who all stopped moving.

"Presents?" Eira squeaked, "From where? Where did you all go?" She asked.

"Darling, where didn't I go?" Jack asked, and threw down a large duffle bag, "Now line up- oldest to youngest to collect your spoils." He ordered, and Kristoff began searching through the bag to give to the first in line- Eloise.

"A gift from a different place for each of you, of course." He added.

"All different. Like snowflakes." Jack chuckled, looking into the mountainous bag of gifts that all the children peered around their older family to see.

"First, for Eloise." Kristoff said, pulling his eldest daughter to him, "A amber necklace from Poland." He said, holding up the smoky orange gem stone on the necklace. Eloise gasped in joy, and lifted her hair for her father to put it on. Even at nineteen, she still acted very much like a fun-loving teenage girl, much like her mother at that age. Of corse, Jack recalled, at nineteen her mother had Alfsol. He couldn't imagine sweet Eloise married off yet.

"Next is for Rin." He said, motioning to her. Eira looked confused.

"You skipped Hiemdall!" She cried. Heimdall looked hard at his father, and he gave him a comforting wink.

"Oh, Heimdall will get his gift later. It's a secret." He assured, motioning for Rin to come forward, "For my Rin, I have gotten you the most expensive and beautiful smelling fragrance set from France." He said, handing over a package of bottle lable 'Eau du parfum' or 'Eau du cologne.'

"Next is Eira. From Spain comes a set of beautiful spanish fans that the flamingo dancers use." Eira grinned and pulled one from the bag. She flashed in in front of her face.