Snowflakes Fall and So Did I

~CHAPTER 80~

~3rd Person~

Pitch sat at his desk, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a picture of Elsa in the other. It was easier than he thought it would be to access the photos taken of her for school picture day. Picture Day was months ago, and the copies he has are his most prized possessions. He has other images of her besides the professional ones. He has the ones taken from his spies. Very unprofessional ones.

Nothing dirty, of course–he'd kill them if they somehow got those pictures. But rather, random instead. Pictures of her at school, walking into her home (but never in her home), and of course, pictures of her hanging out with her friends (and that no good Jack Frost).

It's a shame the boy lived, but from what Pitch has heard, he has forgotten the last four years of his life. He has no memory of Elsa and the two of them being together. He makes Gothel–who still works at the school–tell him every day if there is any update on their relationship. Because, last he checked, they are no longer romantically together but are still friends. They still talk and sit together.

He's not a stupid man, so he knows that Elsa is still in love with Jack. Them being friends must be hard for her. And while he hates that Jack lived and is still involved with Elsa, he tolerates the idea of the boy being friends with her. He wants Elsa to be happy, but there will be limits. Their friendship he will tolerate because it makes her happy, and it makes him happy that no romantic touching of any kind is happening anymore. But should Jack fall back in love with her, well...

There will be complications again.

Pitch will have no choice in emotionally hurting Elsa once more. From his sources, everyone was deeply affected by the death of Jack's mother and younger sister, including Elsa, and while that certainly wasn't his intention for the woman and girl to die, he doesn't feel guilty in the slightest. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tis life.

The door opening gains his attention, and he looks up from Elsa's picture to see the eyes of his sister and occasional bed-mate. "It's about time," He grumbles as he leans back in his seat. "And what have I said about not knocking first?"

Gothel scoffs as she shuts the door and takes a seat in the chair in front of his desk. "Honestly, Pitch, I really don't give a damn. I have a shit ton of stupid papers to grade, and it's stressing me out. Being a teacher is hard. I hate keeping up this ruse. It's torture, and the kids suck. That fat principal and the school board also got questioned by the police earlier today. There was an email that the teachers would be questioned later at different times during their free periods, and guess who got questioned first, because I came to the school at the same time you did? If anything, I should have been questioned last since us both being new teachers should have given the impression that I didn't know you."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been up my ass during our lunch hour," Pitch growls out, "no one would have snitched you out for suspicious behavior."

"It's not suspicious behavior," Gothel corrects, "All the teachers are being questioned, not just me. The cafeteria and cleaning staff are being questioned, too. And it's about you. Our background checks are being looked over again, and we're being asked to submit new ones for further inspection. I don't know how the cops found out about you, but it's only a matter of time–"

"Gothel," Pitch interrupts with a sigh, looking both annoyed and tired, "We have been in the game for decades now. We have taken many different occupations and managed to become bloody teachers. You worrying that we're going to get caught is just a waste of energy. Besides, I don't work there anymore, and it will take them a long time to find this bloody warehouse in the middle of the woods. By the time I have intel of the police on their way, I will already be long gone to the next spot in the shadows. It's already taken them this long to somehow suspect me. But if you want to keep being fearful, then be my guest. I quite like the way fear looks on you."

Gothel rolls her eyes at her brother's odd choice of words, but then again, she's used to him being weird. "Whatever, Pitch. I'm not going to be taken down with you–"

"So what are you planning to do then, hmm?" Pitch interrupts, smirking. "Where will you go where I won't find you? And how on earth are you going to successfully kidnap Rapunzel without my help? Isn't that your dream? To take the child that should have been yours? The child born to the man you love and the woman who stole him from you? When the time is right, that is what I will do with Elsa. The child born of the woman I love and the man who stole her from me. They both will pay, especially Agnarr. But Iduna..." Pitch's eyes soften. "If she is nice, she may have Elsa back. In exchange for herself, of course."

Gothel's eyes widened. "You don't know?"

Pitch's brows furrow in confusion. "Know what?"

Gothel sighs and shakes her head. "God damn it. Well, if you don't know, then I'm not going to be the one who bears the bad news." She gets to her feet but sits right back down when Pitch does the same and slams his hands down on the desk, startling her.

"Yes, the fuck, you are," he growls as he leans over the desk, towering over her. "What is the news?"

Gothel gulps down her fear, her eyes never leaving her brother's. She puts on a brave face and says in a neutral tone (because if she sounds happy, which she is, he'll probably hit her), "Iduna and Agnarr are dead. Died at sea on their way home."

Pitch's face falls in shock, and his eyes are filled with a pain Gothel had only seen once before. When Iduna rejected his feelings all those years ago.

She saw his eyes brim with tears before he straightened his posture and turned around to face the window. He said nothing for a few seconds, trying to compose himself, but his emotions were raging.

He loved Iduna with the force of a hurricane. And he hated her just as equally after she broke his heart. But that never dwindled his love. Because he always knew that if she ever came back to him that he would crumble. And he won't lie to himself...As much as he wanted Elsa to replace Iduna, he knew there was a part of him that had thought about using her as a trade.

But now he can't.

He'll never have Iduna now.

Before, there was a chance that Elsa would be free of him, but now...

Now she won't.

She is all he has now to remind him of the love that got away.

"Leave me," Pitch says in a low voice.

Gothel sighs as she gets to her feet. "Fine. But before I go, I'd like permission to speed up Rapunzel's kidnapping."

Pitch lets out an irritated sigh. "No. She and Elsa will be taken at the same time. That has been the plan ever since we crossed paths with them. Plus, Rapunzel's kidnapping will sadden Elsa, and I will not let that happen."

Gothel laughs. "You're so full of shit. You want her to be happy? You literally tried to kill her boyfriend, and in the end, his sister and mother took the fall instead. You're also planning on kidnapping her, so how on earth will any of that make her happy? Look, I'm all for whatever is going on in your twisted brain, but I'm just trying to be realistic. She's not going to be happy. She's not going to love you. She's not going to be Iduna's replacement. I mean, really, if Iduna didn't love you, neither will Elsa–"

Pitch, in a fit of anger, turns and knocks over everything on his desk in one swift move, causing Gothel to flinch and step back, heart racing immediately. "FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Pitch screams. "I SAID LEAVE ME! GO BEFORE I BRUISE THAT NECK OF YOURS!"

Gothel turns and heads for the door without another word. She loves torturing her brother; she loves getting him to this exact point, but she knows that once he gets to this point that it's best not to poke him any further. She learned that the hard way.

When she's out of his sight, Pitch sits back down in his chair and pinches the bridge of his nose to stop his forming tears. He will not cry. He refuses to cry.

Not when there are plans in order.