Love Thaws: Melting

Turning Tables

Elsa's head rested on Jack's chest. She woke up like she'd done so many morning before. Everything was dark. She sat up, wincing as she hit her head on something. The ceiling was lower than she remembered. And it was as cold as ice. Elsa rubbed her head, feeling bemused. Her breath caught, and her gut churned. 

She remembered. Though she wished she couldn't. 

Jack. Panic seized her. She hadn't even bothered to make a tourniquet for his leg. She frantically fumbled in the darkness, pressing her fingers to the cold, smooth skin of his neck. She felt his pulse. Her body sagged with relief, and she sighed. She touched the lower area of his pants. It was crusty with scabbed blood, but it didn't feel like there was any more bleeding. Elsa flinched as her mind replayed the horrid memories over and over and over. 

She sat down, with her legs folded underneath her, and pressed her forehead to the cold, hard ground. She could feel the exact area where Hans' lips had touched her own, as if he'd seared her with his mark. Elsa felt filthy. Her eyes brimmed with tears, spilling over whenever she blinked. Elsa cried quietly, so as not to wake Jack. Her tears did nothing to wash away the grime she felt. 

She picked up a fistful of snow and scrubbed her lips. Hard. Until they were raw and stinging. More snow slipped through her fingers. She picked up a new handful and used the snow to scrub her lips until the ball of snow felt more abrasive on her sensitive lips than soft. She pressed her forehead to the ground again. A quiet sob slipped through her lips. She shuddered. What she wouldn't give to have that memory purged from her mind. Another sob escaped.

"Elsa?" His voice was soft, weak even.

She sniffled and tried to quiet herself. "Sorry," she whispered, suppressing more sobs.

She sensed him reaching for her in the dark. Elsa met him halfway. Her fingers entwined with his. With a gentle firmness, he pulled her towards him until her head was resting on his chest again. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead.

Elsa shook her head. "D-don't be. Can you walk?"

She felt him shrug. "I don't know... What were you doing, Elsa?"

"Nothing."

"Elsa."

She buried her head into his warm, strong chest and let out another sob, shuddering. Would those memories haunt her forever? Maybe. Did Hans have any idea how he'd scarred her? Probably. Elsa felt sick again.

Jack wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Shhh..."

She sniffled again as her sobs subsided. "It's nothing."

He kissed her tear-stained cheek. "Fine, we'll talk about it later."

"Can you walk?"

He sighed. "I'm afraid it will start bleeding again if I try to walk... Where are we? What happened? I have a feeling I missed out a lot on the last part."

Elsa wiped her wet cheek with the back of her hand. "I got my powers back," she breathed.

Jack's hand squeezed hers. "You'll learn to control it, Elsa."

"Maybe... Jack, how will we fix your leg?"

"Good, old-fashioned duct tape." She heard the hint of teasing in his tone.