~ Chapter Eleven ~

"Well," Anna's father said with a pleasant-yet-strained smile, "I can honesty say, I've never eaten chili next to a celebrity before."

Elsa smiled warmly, a practiced gesture. "I've never eaten chili next to an orthodontist, either. You'll tell me if I get something in my teeth, right?"

The rest of the table laughed, and Anna tried to encourage her stomach to unknot itself further. Things were going well. They had barely started going, but at least they weren't crashing and burning already.

Most of the time between when their guest had informed Mrs. Mayberry that she would take her up on her previously-casual offer of something to eat, and their dinner itself, had been spent on the phone. Both Anna's mom calling her dad to inform them of the change in plans, and Elsa fighting to have her flight rescheduled for the following morning. She had asked if it could be later that night, but it proved impossible. Therefore…

"So where will you be staying?" her father asked. "The Holiday Inn is probably the best we have to offer. In this neck o' the woods, anyway."

"That sounds as good a place as any," Elsa agreed. "I'm not that particular, honest - I just like it to be clean. I feel that's a pretty reasonable request, but believe me, there have been a few rooms…"

"Well, you could stay with us, if you like," Mary said. "Not that we can compete with four-star accommodations, but our continental breakfast might be better than a bowl of cereal or a bagel."

"I like bagels, though!" Elsa said with a genuine smile, stirring her bowl of chili. "But… no, I couldn't impose on you that way."

The father waved a hand. "Oh, it's really no trouble; the den has a pull-out couch. Or Anna's bed has a trundle."

"A… what?" Elsa looked to Anna for an explanation, but it was her mother who answered first.

"A pull-out bed underneath the main bed. And I'm sure Elsa won't want to be cooped up in the same room as Anna. Besides, her floor is a mess."

"Mom!" Anna breathed in alarm.

"Well, it is! Let her stay in a separate room." This time, the line was delivered more pointedly as she glared at her daughter, then turned the gaze around to her husband.

"A-ah," the man sighed with a nervous smile, catching on. "Of course, you're right, dear. No sense cleaning that room when the den is ready."

"Actually, I'd rather stay with Anna," Elsa told them easily, completely oblivious to Anna's eye-daggers being sent in her mother's direction and to what was truly being discussed. "I haven't had a slumber party… oh, since I was probably five or six, I think. Sounds like fun!"

In response to her parents, Anna said, "And I can have my room clean in like, two seconds; it's not that messy." Then, with more emphasis: "I can take care of myself."

"Don't be silly," her mother insisted. "We have the spare room for a reason."

Elsa looked between them all, swallowing the bite she had just taken. "Honestly, I can go to a hotel if it's going to be a problem, really. I don't want to be a nuisance."

"You don't have to do that all the time," she sighed at their guest.

"What? Do what?"

"Be polite. Somehow eat chili without getting any of it anywhere besides your mouth. Do what you think we want you to do. We'd rather get to know the real Elsa than have you put on your best behaviour to impress us."

Elsa and Anna exchanged a glance, and Anna felt like she wanted to crawl under the table and die. How could her mom be this mean to her idol?! But what Elsa did next was laugh and lay her spoon down.

"Look, it's not like I don't have bad habits, but… a very strict father and years of private school kind of made the manners stick. Plus all the business meetings I've been to since my career took off. This is just… I mean, I'm used to it so much that it's automatic, not something I have to 'do', really." Then she looked back to her friend. "Anna knows, she watched me eat those waffles."

"Really, yeah," Anna told them. "She wasn't making a mess there and being polite here; she's just super neat all the time."

"And trust me, I'm far from perfect. Anna knows that, as well." They exchanged a glance of shared memories. "For instance, Snow has told me I snore when I don't use my Breathe Right strips, so if you don't have some… it might be better if we stay in separate rooms."

"My dad has some," Anna laughed. "Trust me, if he didn't, they would be in separate rooms - which my mom would hate, since she's a snuggler."

The mother set her lemonade glass down harder than she had intended. "Anna Josephine, you didn't need to tell her THAT!"

While Anna was snickering and holding her sides, Elsa turned to the patriarch and said, "I would appreciate a strip, if you don't mind? I could pay you back!"

"Pay me for one strip? That's really not necessary," he laughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It's all yours."

"Are you sure?"

~ o ~

The rest of dinner passed easily, and they had a nice, simple dessert of ice cream. Casual conversations about all manner of topics happened, including a few of the stories that Anna had already heard from Elsa before - albeit, a few of them were very mildly edited for content. Not that Elsa had any "dirty" stories; compared to some celebrities, she was practically a relic from the Brady Bunch.

Then they all retired to the living room to watch her father's never-miss crime drama, which Elsa politely indulged - though she did check social media on her phone several times, the same way Anna did (though in her case, almost all of the time was spent texting Kristoff or Rapunzel back and forth, both of them screaming about the selfie she had messaged). Of course, any time someone asked Elsa a question or something more interesting happened on the TV, she was quick to surface from cyberspace; really the picture of the ideal houseguest. Engaged and engaging without being needy for attention.

Once that program ended and they were partway into the news, Elsa had been about to ask a question, when she hid her face. "Oh no…"

"The woman widely considered to be the 'star' of SEEK is set to walk the carpet with Hans Westergaard, star of the upcoming film," the reporter was saying as a shot of Elsa performing on the stage at the Grammys played out, the music itself tuned way down so the report could be heard over it. "Also of note, the new international sensation Gazelle…"

"Well, that sure is you," Anna tried to joke to relieve the tension.

"It sure is," she sighed.

"You don't like all that attention?" Mr. Mayberry asked.

She shrugged, drawing up her knees to her chin. Anna caught her mother's disapproving look at the heels of her sneakers on the cushion, but it was fleeting and she made no remark. "I don't mind it happening, but it makes me feel weird to see it myself. It's hard to explain… kind of like an out-of-body experience, almost."

"Yeah, she never posts selfies on Instagram, either," Anna said, hoping that would somehow confirm she was telling the truth.

"Well, my Anna would know," her mother laughed. "She practically worships at your altar. If I could count the times I've heard her belting out your songs through the washroom d-"

"Mom, come on!"

The deferred embarrassment seemed to set Elsa at ease, and she smiled. "Well, I'm sure she has a lovely singing voice. Not that I've heard it."

"And you never will," Anna groaned.

"Aww, how is that fair? You have a high-definition recording of mine, and I can't even hear you sing one song?"

Perking up, her father said, "You know, I still think we have that old home video of Anna in her second-grade musical…"

"No," she breathed, ducking her head. "No, you do not - I thought I destroyed all the copies!"

"You'll never destroy all the copies! There are dozens left - hundreds!"

Elsa laughed while they chased each other around the room, covering her mouth with her hand. The scene was quite sweet, even if bizarre for her. Then, as they disappeared down the hallway, a sadness stole into her features.

"What, what is it?" Mrs. Mayberry asked her, still laughing slightly.

"Oh, nothing," she said, with another serene smile. "Just… you all look very happy. That's good. Anna deserves that."

The woman's brow furrowed. "Well, you must be upset being away from your parents for this long. I suppose that makes sense."

"As if my father misses me for a minute," she scoffed, looking back at the news. "And my mother's deceased. I'm more chill where I am than I would be at home, believe me."

Though she hadn't meant for it to, such a dark comment brought the conversation to a complete halt. The older woman turned back to the TV, biting her lip thoughtfully.

~ o ~

"…and that's why we're letting you go."

Anna looked confused, looking between her parents as she listened to the water running in the washroom down the hall. "I don't get it. You think she's a crazy party girl and want me to have nothing to do with her, but the minute you find out her mom died, that changes everything? Wouldn't she still be the same person?"

"That is true," her mom went on, squirming. "But this at least answers my big question of why she's inviting you to go with her. She seems… lonely. Very lonely."

"Well… she probably is. Like she said before, she doesn't have a lot of close friends."

Nodding sadly, her father reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm still not crazy about you winging off to parts unknown, but I think I'm willing to give you both the benefit of a doubt. Just don't disappoint me." His other hand came up, finger pointing at her. "You know how we expect you to behave; don't go out drinking, even if it is legal there, and-"

"No drugs!" her mom added. "No joyriding, or parties with people you don't know, or walking home alone at night, or-"

"Guys, guys, I get it," Anna laughed, cheeks bunching up with the force of the largest smile she'd worn since she first saw Elsa on stage in person. "You mean it? You're letting me go with Elsa?!"

They exchanged a weary glance, and her mother just sighed. "She needs you, Anna Jo-jo," her dad put in. "Or needs somebody, and it looks like you're at the red line. Just promise us you'll keep your eyes open, eh?"

It dampened her excitement, but only very slightly. "What? Open for what?"

"That girl barely touched her chili," her mother commented, staring over at the door. "Not even half the bowl was gone, and she didn't add any crackers or shredded cheese, or anything."

"Oh, she's just not a big eater," Anna reassured them - knowing she was slightly hiding the truth. "But I promise, I'll make sure we both take care of ourselves, okay?"

They opened their mouths to speak again, but just then Elsa emerged, yawning and smoothing her hands down the front of Anna's spare pyjamas. "These are so comfortable. Maybe I'll start buying all my clothes secondhand; they're so much better when they're already broken in!"

"Y-yeah," Anna stuttered, trying not to think about Elsa wearing her clothes - and pointedly ignoring her mother's knowing glance. "Anyway, good news - guess what?!"

Though Elsa did ask, "What?" the growing smile on her face said it all. She already knew "what".

~ To Be Continued ~