a/n: oof, so sorry for the very, very late update! i was... procrastinating... .

"Did you finish pack all your stuff? I'll come by if you need help with moving."

"Nope! Nope, I got this -"

Anna grunted as she grabbed her suitcase - more than one was being hauled down every five minutes - down the stairs, and Elsa was staying by the open front door with their little man.

Elsa winced. For such a small body, Anna really got some strength in her. "Here, let me just -"

"It's fine! Everything's okay. See?" She placed the black suitcase right on the first step of the series of stairs. She took in a deep breath, admiring all the luggage that surrounded her. When did I get all these clothes? I'm gonna have to throw some of them out…

Elsa sighed. "You're all ready?"

"Yep. Got my trusty luggage," she chuckled, only to let it fade the moment she knew this situation didn't ask for humor. "Um… I -"

"Anna, in your heart, you already know we need this."

No, I didn't know. She nodded. "Yeah. Definitely. It's alright, I'm over it." God, say that again, but in your head, you idiot.

She didn't need to look up to see all the happiness and… relief on Elsa's face. Sure, she was hiding that joy with a worried expression but… in the end, Anna could see through all of her wife. Gazing down, she noticed Olaf seemingly trying to hide how sad he looked, holding Marshmallow tightly in front of his face.

Anna couldn't help but smile… even if it meant that it was a very, very… bitter. She felt bitter and apologetic.

After all, they planned this together. Olaf picked an apartment for her. And she… well, she picked out the furniture, plus grabbing some from their home - except, there wasn't a 'their' or 'them' anymore. It was all Elsa. She didn't want to move out, but for the sake of everyone's mental and emotional health… this was at least something she had to do. She had to be the sacrificial lamb. She had to be the bigger person.

Yes, perhaps, she was selfish for trying to argue against breaking the marriage, but for the sake of keeping a kind face for their little Olaf… this had to be the best move. How ironic. This is the exact reason why Elsa wanted to break us up.

She sighed, getting on her knees, and booped her son's nose. Still, his anxious expression wasn't going away anytime soon. Anna looked up to Elsa for a little help. Almost pleading.

"Baby, come on. Give Mama a hug, hm?"

Olaf shook his head as the blonde patted his hair. "Mama, where are you going…?"

Anna just didn't know how to answer him. All she did was purse her lips into a tense smile, her hand rubbing on Olaf's shoulder. "Mama will have to leave just for a few moments. Don't worry…" Her eyes met with Elsa's, "I'll be back very soon, okay? Until then, be a good boy?"

Olaf whimpered, shaking his head even more rapidly. "No, Mama stay!"

"Olaf -"

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it! I don't like it!"

Oh no. Anna immediately got up and grabbed her case as soon as Elsa held Olaf tight. She'd never seen Olaf squirm so much… but the sight… the sight was just appalling. Heartbreaking. She gripped onto the handle of her case, clenched her teeth… and hopefully, she wasn't going to cry.

"Baby, I promise you, I'll be back, okay? Just for a few moments. Look, I'll see you after schools, won't I?"

The boy stomped his foot on the ground, tears streaming down his crimson cheeks. "Nooo! No, no, no! Mama, stay!"

"Olaf Jamison Arendelle!" She hadn't even raised her voice in such a long time to her son… but apparently, he didn't care. He dropped Marshmallow, slipped away from Elsa's hold… and he was tugging on her mother's leg tightly.

"M-Mama… Please, Mama, s-stay…"

At that moment, all Anna could feel was her heart-shattering. Her expression darkened, and God… she wished she didn't have to see this. She wanted to weep, really, but she realized… she had to stay strong for her boy. A shaky sigh emerged through his loud cry, and Anna managed to look at Elsa and motioned her to get him off her.

Even then, she knew Elsa was feeling heartbroken too. "Olaf, baby, come on… Mama has to go now." A hand gripped tightly around the boy's stomach, trying to pull him back.

"No, no, no! Mama!"

"Honey -" Immediately, Elsa hugged the boy tightly against her body. "Anna, you better go. Now."

Anna managed to get the chance to free herself from him, grabbing her luggage… listening to his cry for his Mama…

She could hear it as she went outside to put her bags in the back of the car. This should never have happened… and almost seemed like a nightmare that Anna wished she could wake up from. But it just wasn't.

The moment she let out a wet sob, she had the back of her hand against her mouth, head turning to the road. Their son… should never have been able to see his mother as vulnerable. Never.

Anna managed to gather herself together and turned. It was… such a beautiful sight to see the two people she loved most standing outside their house, and their son trying to reach for his Mama.

But she didn't want this anymore. With a final look at her ex-wife, at the house… at her son, she whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you. Both of you."

And knowing that Elsa knew what she was saying, Anna could only see the image of her beautiful love picking Olaf up, kissing him on his wet cheek… and those blue eyes just sparkled. So beautiful, yet so ugly at the same time.

Finally, with one more intake of breath, she left. The echoes of Olaf still crying resonated through her exhausted body and mind.

She didn't realize the sky could be so bright with clouds floating in the air. Didn't even realize the wind tickling her face, blowing her hair could feel so warm. The sound of leaves rustling, falling, hanging to their dear life to tree branches never sounded this magical before. The road that she was walking seemed so long, so far, but she didn't mind it. Someone else was with her. And perhaps, that warmth she was feeling… wasn't from the wind, but from the hand that was holding her own.

She didn't need to look beside her to see Meg staring at her. Smiling. Almost blushing. They seemed like a teenage couple.

A… couple, huh?

"You alright?"

Anna flinched, turning. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. … You?"

Meg took in a deep breath. "I guess I should say that I'm happy. But…"

"What?" Silence. "You feel guilty." Anna knew exactly how she felt.

"I guess -"

"You guess?" The slight confliction Anna felt made her halt on her step, and Meg turned to face her. Anna shook her head in disbelief, their hands unlocking from each other's hold. She hadn't thought that Meg would feel this… conflicted. Hadn't thought that Meg would even be clueless to what Anna wanted. For once… Anna just wanted the truth. "I… You know I just want things to be certain. I don't want a 'guess'." She licked her lips, looking away. "After all this time trying to unlatch myself from this marriage, and you… you managed to pull me away, I don't need an 'I guess', Meg."

A sigh slipped out of the woman, and when Anna expected a hug from her… Meg wouldn't do it. "I know, Anna."

"What now?" She picked her eyes up, raising an eyebrow. "You feel guilty. Guilty for who?"

"For Elsa, beautiful."

Silence. "You don't need to -"

Meg pinched the bridge of her nose. "Deep down, she still cares about you, Anna."

"If she did, I would've still worn that ring." She wrapped her arms around herself. She had never felt so bitter before. Never so angry at the one person that she had fallen in love with. But right now… Elsa just wasn't that person anymore.

"You know…" Meg took a step closer to Anna, eyes gazing down… and Anna felt a squeeze of her fingers around her waist. "I know she didn't want me to tell you this. But she knows, Anna."

"She… knows? What do you mean 'she knows'?"

"The first night that we slept together. She knows." Fuck. Suddenly, Anna felt sick to the stomach. "Anna, she wanted me to take care of you. She was willing to have me… give you the love that she couldn't provide for you. Anna -"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Anna?" She squinted. "Now you don't want to hear it?"

What the hell does she want me to do once I hear it? Anna tried to let go of Meg's hand, but with her fingers wrapped around her wrist tightly immediately, she could only focus her attention on her. As much as she hated… all this guilt trip, all this pity talk… she, at least, had these special feelings for Meg, even if she wasn't sure what they were just yet.

Anna gazed down at the ground, then slowly picked her eyes up. "Fine. So what? What do you want me to do about that?"

The brunette sighed in disbelief. "I don't want you to do anything. Anna, where are you - You're always expecting something to be done. Where is this coming from?"

Taking a deep breath, she pursed her lips in frustration. She had to admit, she wanted to please Elsa so badly that she was willing to do anything. Now? She realized how much of a joke she used to be. She was never doing things for herself… but for Elsa. Anna shook her head. "Nowhere. Look… I know what you're trying to say. And… I get it. You want to fulfill her wish. Aren't you doing that now? Haven't you been doing that the entire time? Or… even before this?"

Meg didn't seem to give her any reaction. And, for Anna, that's fine. She had enough of all this pity party for her. She wished people would just see her as only 'Anna' not… a poor girl who was desperately trying to cling to a marriage that had failed so hard in the first place.

Brown eyes gazed down at the hand that grasped her wrist, and Meg slowly slid her hand down to those fingers with much-needed warmth. "You're right. I have been. I don't hate her, Anna. I… yes, I'm angry that she could leave you behind like this. But -"

"Meg -"

"No, listen to me for a second." Quietness. "But, deep down, even if she doesn't admit it, she still cares a lot about you. And I know you know this."

She did. Does. However, tiredness… strained Anna. But even she had to admit… deep down that old heart, Elsa had to have something warm, something light inside of her. She nodded. "Yeah."

"Anna, I'm not telling you to do anything. But just know, I'm not here to guilt you. Patronize you. I… I like you, Anna." Silently, Meg leaned in, lips gently pressed on her forehead. "You need to know the truth, that's all. You deserve the truth."

And if that really was the truth… Anna didn't want it, but now she had it, and now she wasn't sure what she was going to do with that. On the other hand, she knew she couldn't continue to lock herself up in this bubble she was living in. She was silent though… contemplating. Wondering. I haven't done anything wrong again, have I?

"You're depressed, aren't you?"

Anna felt her arms squeezed around her body, and she could just… smell her wonderful scent. With the warmth mixed in the wind… she could relax in her arms all day. So she shut her eyes, relaxed her muscles, listened to the wind blow. All was well for the moment. And her soft voice sounded, no matter how… how tired she felt. "Yeah. Depressed."

A kiss on the side of her forehead confirmed all the love she could feel for Meg. "I'm here for you. I'll always be there when you need me to be."

"I know -"

The only thing that separated the two from their embrace was the ringing of Anna's phone. She pursed her lips in a tight smile, mirrored by Meg as well… only to have it disappeared when Anna noticed who was calling her.

"Who is it?"

Anna didn't answer her, but the phone. "Hello?"

"Mama?"

Oh, my baby. The redhead couldn't help but smile. "Hey, baby, good afternoon. What's up? Where's Mom?" A sniffle sounded, and Olaf started stuttering a little… which, immediately caught Anna's attention. She scrunched her brows."Olaf, what's going on?"

Meg tilted her head, immediately concerned as well. "Is everything okay?"

"M-Mama, could you come back home, please? Um… I-I don't know… Mom is sick."

"Sick? How sick?"

"Like a cold? A fever? We were at Auntie Tiana's home earlier before!"

"What? A fever all of the sudden?"

"I don't know… she was weird before!"

Anna sighed, running her fingers through her hair. And here, I thought nothing would happen and I could be at peace with someone else… "Alright. Just hang back okay?"

"Mama, I'm scared…"

That almost broke Anna's heart. "Honey, don't be scared. It's alright. It's nothing that a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup can't fix. Alright, I'll go get some medicine for Mom, and I'll be home."

"Hurry!"

"I will, sweetheart." Anna slowly hung up, sighing. She didn't notice the way Meg was smiling, and when she did look up… Anna mirrored her clumsily. "Sorry about that."

Meg took a step back and shook her head. "No, it's alright. Do you want me to drive? Go to a pharmacy?"

She really… Anna sighed. "You know, you don't have to do this for her."

"Oh, I'm not." Meg chuckled. "I'm doing this for you. Look, Olaf's scared, so can you decide quickly before he decides to run off by himself to get his Mom meds?"

Feeling Meg's kiss on her lips as Anna stood by the front entrance of this… warm - no, almost a little cold - house, gave her a little bit of self-denial. A little bit of… truth in her own feelings. She wondered… if she wasn't good enough for Elsa, what would make Meg think that Anna would eventually be good enough for her?

Meg had left a few moments ago, but… even a few moments felt so dragged out. She couldn't possibly stand having to see Elsa, especially, now. But they were wives, they had a wonderful child… and, even if divorced, they both swore an oath to take care of one another - even if those medicines were half bought by… Meg. Her girlfriend? She wasn't sure what term to even use.

Anna gulped, just a foot away from the white door, her key placed against the hole. Slowly, she inserted it and turned the knob. "Olaf?"

"Here!" The little boy emerged from the second-floor bathroom with a wet towel above his head. He gasped, immediately running down the stairs. "Mama!"

The woman instantly smiled, confused, amused… all kinds of emotions came tangling in. She took off her shoes, placed the bag of pills on the counter before picking the boy up in her arms. "Oof, you've grown so heavy. Is Mom feeding you junk?"

"I'm a big boy!"

Anna nodded, immediately taking the wet towel off his head. "Yes, you are. Which explains why you have a towel on your head. Why?"

Olaf looked up in contemplation. "Um… because Mama is hot, and I didn't have any other places to put the towels?" He tilted his head, gasping. "Is that bad? Will I die?! Mama, I'm scared…"

Anna scrunched her brows and slapped the boy's hand lightly. "Hey, do not say that, understand? And no, and no." Oh, he really is growing. "Is Mom in bed?"

"Uh-huh. Huffing and puffing."

"Alright." She put the boy down slowly and rummaged through her bag. "Did you eat?"

"No, but I ate some Poptarts!"

"Okay, that's not food. But bear with me for a few moments, alright? I'll see what I can do with Mom."

"Will you make food?"

"I will as soon as I see how your mother is doing." She went over to the couch and grabbed the remote so Olaf could watch some TV. She didn't need to see how Olaf squealed in excitement when his favorite show came on, so she immediately headed upstairs… slowly peeking into Elsa's room - just to see a huge, flat clump on the side of the bed.

Anna raised an eyebrow. Wow, she's that sick? "Hey. How are you doing? I came by to check on you." She knocked on the open door, immediately catching Elsa's attention.

The blonde could barely even sit up for a second, groaning. A folded towel was placed on her forehead, and a garbage can stood by the bedside. "Ugh, Olaf called you?"

"Yeah." She sounds awfully surprised. But she disregarded that as she head to Elsa's side and sat beside her. "You didn't know? Here, let me see."

Elsa shook her head. "I didn't want you to worry…"

Honestly… this was the first time Anna had ever seen the woman with such bright red colors on her cheeks. And it wasn't even the romantic kind.

The redhead removed the towel, placing her hand on her forehead, and winced. "God, I don't remember a single moment when you'd get a fever like this. What did you even do?"

Elsa groaned, her eyes still shut closed. "I was probably just… stressed out. I kept juggling with all types of things these past few weeks…" A deep breath sounded, and Anna grabbed her a cold bottle of water.

"Here, drink. I'll make you soup in a bit, and have you eat these pills." Though… as she watched Elsa open her eyes, drinking slowly… the only thing she ever wanted to ask was, what kind of stuff she was juggling with to get all sick. Seeing how odd it was for Elsa to be sweaty and red was a rare occasion, but if it meant that would bring them closer - no, we're not that anymore.

"Olaf's been taking care of you? Why didn't you call me earlier?"

Elsa sighed. "We were at Tiana's place. It's fine, it's just a fever. It'll be gone in a few hours."

That's not fair. She scrunched her eyebrows, placing the water on the counter, and another hand ran through her ex-wife's hair to smother it off her face. "You know I worry, that's all -"

"Anna, where is your ring?"

A suffocating pause sounded, and Anna almost pulled her hand away in reflex… but she just… I can't live like this. I can't hide from this. The stare that she received though… how those blue eyes screamed nothing but helplessness, didn't even stir Anna one bit. And when Elsa tried to touch her, the only reflex was to look away… feeling the five fingers squeeze her arm. The one arm… that Meg would hold as well.

"Look," Anna gazed down, her fingers entwining, "I believe you."

"Believe me?"

"I'm… sorry that I yelled at you the other day. I was… frustrated. Angry. At myself, at you… it doesn't matter. I want a life where I don't have to spend the rest of it, chasing after something - someone - that I can't reach anymore. I thought… the first step of moving on would be to take that ring off."

And with Elsa's silence emitting in the room, Anna realized this just wasn't the best time to say all of this. And maybe... what Meg said was right - she knows everything.

Her hand slowly slid down Anna's arm, and she sighed. "I… am glad that you are able to move on."

Is that for the best? But Anna just gave her a tight smile.

"Meg is a nice girl. She will be… ten times better than I was to you. Anna, you will be very happy."

She turned, looking down to see the softness in Elsa's eyes. Surely… this wasn't what Anna expected her to say, but even she wasn't sure she even liked what her own head was thinking. Deep down in her heart, she wanted Elsa to take her back. Was that too impossible? She didn't say anything - and Anna knew… she didn't need to say anything to know how Elsa really felt about her.

Despite how… soft and gentle her words were, it felt cold. Empty. Like she didn't really mean it.

But how could Anna tell her? Assume that she didn't mean it?

Anna nodded. "Yeah." She paused, and a slight part of her heart - one that held Elsa in a special place - broke. "I know… you two talked. I don't want things to be complicated. I still - I still care about you. I always will care about you and Olaf… but you two made me realize I have to move on. Elsa -"

"If there comes a chance that she breaks your heart, I won't ever forgive her."

The redhead stayed silent. Those blue eyes… hardened. All this anger, love, and care… were shown from the moment Elsa said that first word. She was surprised, though, of how much energy Elsa still had left in her to say all this. Really… Anna felt… special.

She smiled, nodding. "Well, I guess now that we got it all out, I'll go down and make you some soup alright?" Without another word, she placed the wet towel on Elsa's forehead, tucking the blonde to her chin.

It had been a long time since she heard Elsa hum with satisfaction, and God, it just gave Anna so much joy to see her smile through her sickness. "Feed Olaf for me, please?" She pouted.

Anna nearly scoffed. "Elsa, I always will. Get some rest, I'll wake you up when food is ready."