Chapter 30

A/N: I apologize in advance.

There are certain moments in life where everything is going so well, where there's literally nothing to complain about, that it almost feels like a dream. Like you're floating in this haze, dancing through life. The sun shines a little brighter, the air feels a little cooler, the colors are just a little more vibrant. Nothing can bring you down, you feel like you can do anything.

These moments are fleeting, you have to grasp them and hold on to them for as long as you can. And right now, Anna had a vise grip on hers.

She twirled around the bakery without a care in the world and somehow still found time to give out orders to her employees, like some ballerina/drill sergeant hybrid. Even the fact that she was running the bakery solo- Rapunzel had come down with the flu or something and couldn't come with- wasn't enough to dampen her spirits.

The bubbly redhead running off four hours of sleep was on cloud nine, and all it took was one talk with Elsa.

Granted, it was through the phone, which didn't provide the same intimacy and honesty as a face-to-face conversation, but she still managed to not only talk to her, but enjoy herself with Elsa in a way that she didn't think possible anymore.

Maybe...maybe this could work out, maybe they could be friends again, maybe they could be close again, maybe…

And even though the paparazzi still hung around outside the bakery, it still didn't dampen her spirits. Anna was overjoyed, and she was about to have more reasons to feel this way. The bakery door opened shortly after the lunch rush while she was crouched behind a display case and whoever opened it made a surprised sound, "My, that is certainly a lot of cameras."

Anna recognized the cheerful, heavily accented voice right away and popped up like a gopher out of its hole. "Oaken?! I can't believe you're here!" She leapt over the counter, surprising herself that she could still do that, and wrapped her arms around his sweater-clad frame as best as she could. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

"It is good to see you too." Oaken replied with a chuckle. "I am glad to see that your bakery is still in good spirits."

"It's in wonderful spirits, we've been doing so well." Anna released her futile bear hug and straightened out her apron. "But why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the school?"

Oaken crossed his arms over his mountainous frame and smiled, his dimples accentuating the warmness. "What is this? I cannot pay a visit to the best bakery in Arendelle on my spare time? The children will do just fine without me, and it has been so long since I have been around the city. I just had to make this my first stop!"

Anna blushed, "Aw shucks, the best? Well just for that, I think someone's got a muffin with their name on it. On the house."

With two blueberry muffins and two cups of coffee in tow, Anna and Oaken sat at one of the tables catching up on each other's lives. Oaken told her about how the school was doing, how they were gearing up for graduation a month from now, and the slight financial snag they hit which he assured they would pull through. Anna told him about how the bakery was doing, the party they got to cater for, and how she felt about the article.

"It's obviously been a huge adjustment, I don't think having all these cameras around will ever not feel so sleazy, but I'm learning to live with it." she said just as she accidentally caught the eye of a paparazzo.

Oaken took a sip from his black coffee, "I am glad to see you are adjusting well. Forgive me for bringing up such gossip, this is quite the regretful situation."

Is it?

"Hmm?"

"Er, I mean uh...is it?" She repeated, realizing that it really wasn't as regretful as it had been before. After all, in some twisted way, the article- and their argument at the festival that gave it its juiciest details- brought Elsa and Anna together again.

"Well I would assume, if it has given you no privacy." Oaken replied, unaware of the conflicting feelings in Anna's mind. "Do you not agree, Anna?"

She fidgeted with her coffee cup, "I...yeah, I do agree with you, but…" She smiled bashfully, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "It's not as bad as you'd think."

"Ooh, does this have to do with why you are in such good spirits?" The mountain man asked, intrigued.

Anna put a hand on her cheek, laughing nervously, "Is it really that to tell?"

"You do tend to wear your emotions on your sleeve, as the old saying goes."

She sighed, "Well I guess since the cat's out of the bag." Acting like she hadn't done so voluntarily. "Do you remember the bake sale? When I ran out of the dining room crying?"

Oaken raised an eyebrow, worried where this was going, "Um...yes?"

"That's because I saw Elsa the day before, and it...didn't go very well." Even now, despite the outcome, her stomach churned just thinking about that day. "And I thought that was the end of us ever seeing each other again, that there was no hope for us reconciling. But clearly, as you saw from the article, we did see each other again."

Oaken nodded, tiny muffin crumbs fell from his moustache.

"And that seemed like the end of it too, but somehow...somehow things got better. And then one thing lead to another and…" Anna took a sip from her sickeningly sweet coffee. "...we talked last night, on the phone. And it was a good one."

"That is wonderful news, Anna!" Oaken exclaimed with his arms stretched wide, almost knocking over his mug. "Such good feelings all around!"

"They are good feelings, Mr. Oaken, I'm so happy. Gosh I haven't been this happy in…" Anna sighed incredulously, "...in years. Wow."

Yes, she had Rapunzel to save her from that dark first year at Arendelle U, and yes she was able to fulfill her dream of owning a bakery, and yes, having Hannah as a friend doubled her friend count which meant less lonely nights at the apartment, but...somehow even after all that she still felt a nagging emptiness.

It wasn't big, it was like the final piece in a thousand-piece puzzle. And Anna had finally found that piece again.

"I'm just...so happy." She repeated. "So happy that I wanna scream and shout and sing and dance and just…" The redhead squealed and hugged herself, "Have you ever felt like this before, Mr. Oaken?"

Oaken chuckled, the joy all around them was too infectious to be contained, "Oh, to be young and in love again."

"Well let me tell you- wait what did you just say?"

"I said you are young and in love. A delightful feeling, is it not?"

Anna let go of herself and stammered out incomprehensible noises, her face was flushed to the point that she looked sickly, and she had suddenly gotten 30 degrees hotter. "That's...I mean...I can't. Where the heck did you get the idea that I luuu...that I luuu...that I-" She couldn't even say it.

The last time someone insinuated that she was in love- no, still in love- with Elsa was her mom after the festival. And that was through the phone, which meant her mom couldn't see how she'd react. That luxury wasn't available to her now.

"Love." Oaken repeated, seeing her struggle with the word. "I know it is a little hard to believe, but the more you say it, the more it becomes real."

"But I…" What was she going to say? That she didn't want it to be real? That she didn't think Oaken- and by proxy, her mom- was right? That she knew exactly what her feelings were towards the platinum blonde?

Because none of those were true.

After denying her mom, she'd kept her true feelings for Elsa after all these years locked away; and she'd distanced herself from them by, ironically, trying to bridge the gap between the two of them.

However, that gap was now nonexistent, which meant that she had no reason to keep those feelings locked up anymore.

It was a case of Schrodinger's cat, except instead of a cat, it was a box of repressed feelings towards her ex-girlfriend. Until she explored these feelings, opened up the box, she was both uninterested in exploring a relationship with Elsa again, and wanting nothing more in the entire world. She wouldn't know until she opened the box, so maybe it was time to turn the key.

"Is...is that what this is?" She said softly, more to herself than to Oaken. "Do I seriously have feelings for Elsa again?"

"I should not be the one you ask that question, Anna." Oaken stated matter-of-factly. "But if you were to ask me, as you just did, I would say that yes, there is a good chance. The way you speak- and how you glow as you do- of Elsa, I have only seen when employees talk about boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives. It is as if, to them, they are the only person that matters."

Anna gulped, "And you think that's how I talk about Elsa?"

"Yes- well...maybe it could be just excitement from reuniting with an old friend. I sometimes tend to mix those up." Oaken smiled as if that was just a tiny, honest mistake.

"Well which is it?!" She accidentally snapped. "Er, uh...sorry about that. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around this, that's all. Which is it?"

Oaken put up his hands, facing his palms toward the flustered redhead, "No need to say sorry, feelings are a tricky thing to explain. But there is something I think might help you, if you want."

Anna nodded eagerly, wanting to open this box and finally see what was inside.

The gentle giant leaned forward, his eyes growing more serious, yet still reassuring. "Okay, I want you to close your eyes." When Anna did as she was told, he continued. "Now do not open them until I tell you. Right now, I want you to think about your mother."

Brushing off the oddness of the request, Anna thought about her mom. She could picture the slightly shorter brunette smiling in her kitchen cooking up a feast and welcoming her daughter with open arms. They would talk for hours about nothing in particular, and yet everything at the same time, and Anna would savor every bite of the home cooked meal. A certain warmth went through her as she thought about this, along with a twinge of sadness.

"Good, now I want you to think of your best friend."

After a few seconds of conflict, Anna thought about Rapunzel. Although Hannah was an amazing friend, Rapunzel had been around the longest and had helped her through the roughest time of her life. She thought about how she was doing back in the apartment- hopefully the sickness wasn't anything serious and she was busy painting, or reading some book about public speaking, or finally learning how to bake. That last thought made Anna laugh a little.

"Okay, now I want you to think about Elsa."

Oh boy, here we go. For some reason, Anna's mind didn't immediately lock on to one set memory, it raced through the lot of them like a movie on fast-forward. She thought about their first day of English class, then the lacrosse game against Southern Isles, then their big argument that lead to them breaking up, then their other argument at the festival, then to the party with Elsa in that damn dress, and then her thoughts finally stopped at that stolen moment in front of Elsa's car. When Elsa's hand was on top of hers. All those moments were so exhilarating, so...fascinating to think about. They had been through so much together.

"I see...okay, you can open your eyes now."

Anna did as she was told, blinking and shaking her head to remove the bright spots behind her eyes. "So doc, what's the consensus?"

Oaken let out a slight giggle and put up three fingers on his right hand. "Well, when I told you to think about your mother, you smiled. But there was a...sadness to it. Did something happen?"

"No no, it's just that I miss her a lot, that's all." Anna rubbed the back of her neck. "I haven't had much time to visit lately."

He let out a noise of understanding and put down his ring finger, "When I told you to think of your best friend, you looked amused and laughed."

"Haha yeah, I was just thinking of this dumb inside joke between us. See, Rapunzel can't bake very well and…" Anna trailed off, "Ah, it's not important."

He ticked off one more finger and twirled the remaining finger around, "Now this is what is interesting. When I asked you to think about Elsa, do you know what you did?"

Anna shook her head and unconsciously leaned forward.

"You tilted your head, and you sighed."

Her eyes widened, unsure if she heard that right. She sighed? She tilted her head and sighed? How in the world did she not notice that she did the ultimate schoolgirl crush move? "A-are you sure? I'm not usually a head titler, or a sigher." she lied for no good reason.

"Then that should make your answer much clearer, should it not?" Oaken replied knowingly.

"It...I mean…" Oh dang…it did. It really did.

A massive weight dropped into the pit of her stomach, and she felt that terrifying wave of clarity crash over her. Schrodinger's Box of Unresolved Feelings Toward Ex-Girlfriends had finally been opened, and she finally knew the truth.

She was in love with Elsa again.

"Have you seen this yet?" Hannah said, barging into the office waving her phone in the air.

Elsa snapped out of her trance and leaned forward in her chair. "Hannah! What did I say about knocking?" She said a bit too suspiciously. "What if I was in a meeting?"

"Elsa, you've been alone in here for like an hour. Besides, if you were in a meeting, I would have knocked first." The brunette stopped her advance for a second and eyed the CEO carefully, "What were you doing in here anyway?"

She wanted to say that it was none of her business, but she promised to be nicer and more honest with her assistant. "I was...replying to some emails." She lied, not wanting to admit that she'd been trying to figure out what to talk to Anna about in their phone call tonight, and why she agreed to make this a regular thing. But hey, at least she was nice…sort of.

Hannah frowned, clearly not believing her. "Whatever, just...here, you gotta see this." She rushed over and pushed her phone towards Elsa. The cautious blonde took it, and what she saw on the screen made her blood boil.

It was a video of some news report, her current archnemesis "graced" the screen, and underneath him, in big, bold letters, it said:

Corona International buys out Für 101

"No…" Elsa growled.

"Play the video." Hannah said somberly with her arms crossed.

A perky, young news reporter with a heavily trained smile appeared on the screen, sitting at her generic news table with her hands folded immaculately in front of her.

"Emily Cho from Channel Nine News here with a breaking news report. The iconic fashion company known as Für 101, whose stock has plummeted in recent months amidst a failed investment and troubling reports being released about its founder, Cruella De Vil, has finally found a buyer."

Pictures of Corona International flashed across the screen as she spoke.

"Corona International has agreed to buy out the company's dwindling stock, seemingly as its own initial leap into the fashion industry. This development comes just days after they announced the hiring of their new CEO…"

A magazine cover with Hans tugging at his suit vest and winking at the camera now appeared on the screen, causing Elsa to grip the screen even tighter.

"...Hans Westerguard. In a recent interview with Channel Nine News, Mr. Westerguard had said that his goal is to make Corona International into a worldwide, household name. Could this be the first move of many in achieving that goal? We now go to the outside of their headquarters in Corona, as the CEO is currently holding a press conference."

Corona's sky was gray, a sight that Elsa wasn't used to. During her visits there, the sun was always shining just a little brighter than most places, as if it had deemed Corona it's favorite city. Maybe it was now rethinking that decision.

Hans was standing at a podium, his victorious yet "comforting" smile hid the malice in his eyes. "Ms. De Vil is actually a dear friend of mine, I visited her before all this unfortunate business happened with her and her company, and she gave no indications that she was struggling in any way. It's sad to see what has happened with Für 101, but rest assured that it is in capable hands here at Corona International. We will return the company to its former glory."

Hands rose in the audience of press gathered there, and Hans pointed to one. "Mr. Westerguard, is there any truth to the rumors that you bought Für 101 as your first step in the global expansion of Corona International?"

Hans looked down and smiled sheepishly, which made Elsa want to throw up. "I can't deny that this decision wasn't also made with my own company's future in mind. Having such a historic company such as Für 101 under the Corona banner will no doubt show the rest of the world that I mean what I say. Corona will expand, and everyone will know its name. It will become a bigger success than it already is."

"Mr. Westerguard, Für 101 is in close proximity to ArenCorp, who they've dealt with in the past. And with this buyout- plus your first move as CEO of Corona International being to break off the long-standing partnership between you and ArenCorp- could this be seen as...maybe an act of provocation towards ArenCorp?"

Subconsciously, Elsa moved closer to the screen. Eager, yet at the same time dreading, Hans' response. He laughed as if finding the question ridiculous, "Well you could certainly see it like that, but would it be true? Not in the slightest. I recently met with Ms. Andersen to ensure that there aren't any hard feelings, and to explain why I broke off the partnership. I mean no ill intent towards Ms. Andersen or her company. I simply want to do what's best for Corona, and if that means stepping out of the shadows and making big money moves like this, then so be it."

Elsa bit her tongue to prevent from cursing out the poor phone. The rest of the press conference went the same way, with the reporters eating up every word Hans said, and him spouting out lies that couldn't necessarily be refuted.

She handed the phone back to Hannah, pressed her elbows into her desk, and hid her mouth behind clenched fists. She glared at nothing in particular.

"This...this is bad, right?" Hannah said, worried when Elsa didn't say anything. "I mean this is like his first- well, second- move so maybe it isn't, and we just have to wait this out, but...I dunno, this just seems like a bad thing. Don't you agree, Elsa? ...Elsa?"

Still Elsa said nothing, not because she didn't know what to say, but because she didn't want to say the wrong thing. Behind her eyes was a raging inferno, one that she needed to tame before making her next move, saying her next words.

Hans was close now. He was close before, but Für 101was less than a two-hour drive from the closest ArenCorp-owned business, which meant the gap had been shortened considerably. With his influence nearby, what would stop the surrounding businesses from not renewing their contracts and signing with Corona instead?

No...no she couldn't think like that. She had to remain defiant, just like Mr. Arendelle told her. Stay undeterred from his actions, and eventually she would win.

This was not a time to mope, or seethe, this was a time to act. Show Hans that he wouldn't take another step near her territory. The businesses near Für 101needed incentive to stay with ArenCorp, and she would give them just that.

"Get my council up here." Elsa finally said, her voice sounding deeper and authoritative than she expected. "I'm calling an emergency meeting."

Hannah nodded without saying a word and paced back to her desk. When she left, Elsa pulled up her email on her computer, smirking slightly despite herself. Just as expected, there was an email from the board members, telling her to do exactly what she'd already asked Hannah to do.

This was going to work, she told herself confidently. She'd beat Hans in this battle, and stay one step ahead. The smile on her face grew just a little wider as she realized, also, that she finally knew what she was gonna talk to Anna about tonight.

Work had been a bit sluggish through the rest of the day once Oaken helped drop that bombshell on Anna, but thankfully she was now home. A bit later than she wanted to since she cleaned up by herself, but she still had a solid hour to rest a little, take a shower, and prepare herself for her phone call with Elsa.

But before any of that, she needed to talk to Rapunzel about everything that happened today. If only to get her head on straight before...wow, was she even fit to talk to Elsa? Especially after finally realizing that she was in love with her?

No, no she made a promise, and no stunning revelation should change that.

Besides, maybe she talks to Rapunzel, and then her best friend supports her and her odd feelings, and then she confessed to Elsa, and then Elsa feels the same way, and they live happily ever after?

That could happen, right?

Right!

Right…

Man, it was amazing how much reality had come crashing down on her so soon. She was still holding on to that fleeting moment at bliss, but her grip had sufficiently weakened as the day went on. Speaking of grip, she finally stopped staring at her front door and turned the knob with her free hand. "I'm home, 'Zel! I brought home some medicine just in case you're still feeling like garbage!" She cried out into her dim apartment.

There was no answer, Rapunzel might have been trying to sleep off the sickness, so maybe she shouldn't be too loud.

Slowly, she closed the door and stepped further into the apartment, determined to now take the quietest shower ever and do all her thinking there. Maybe she would confess to Elsa tonight, or maybe she would just talk to her like everything was fine and her world hadn't just turned upside down. But as she made her way past the living room, she saw Rapunzel sitting underneath the kitchen lights, looking sadly at something in her hand.

"Oh, there you are." Anna said cheerily, trying to lighten the mood. "You feeling any better? I got some flu medicine."

Only now did she realize the unruly state her best friend was in. Her hair lay uncombed and sitting on slumped shoulders. Her face was emotionless, and her nose was a darker red than Anna's cheeks were earlier in the day.

"Rapunzel? What's wrong?" She walked closer to the eerily quiet woman, but stopped as she got a better look at the plastic stick in her hands.

Sensing the hesitation from Anna, Rapunzel finally looked up to show her dark, tired eyes, only achievable through a heavy bout of tears. "This is the fourth test I've taken today…" She said hoarsely. "They've all been positive."

Anna swallowed, a dreadful chill ran down her spine. "Wait...wait so…"

Rapunzel moved her head slightly, the only energy she could muster to form a nod. "Yup, I'm pregnant." And she tried to smile, to keep a brave face despite this shocking development, tried to show that this news wouldn't break her, but that was what finally broke her.

She cried again for the hundredth time that day, throwing the pregnancy test across the table, and burying her face into her palms.

Anna said nothing, she just walked over to her best friend, took her hands away from her face to embrace her, and let Rapunzel sob into her shirt as she muttered "I don't know what to do." over and over again.