Author's Note: My surgery went really well. My hand is already almost back to working normally, other than not being able to lift anything too heavy. So, without further ado, here's your regular chapter.

"Hey, honey." Anna leaned back in her bed, staring at the image of Moana on her phone.

"Morning. Happy Fourth of July." She was in uniform, sitting in what looked like a hotel room, though Anna couldn't possibly guess which one or where.

"Should I let you go? I forgot you were working today." She reached toward the phone.

"No, it's okay. I have time, just figured I should get dressed before I call 'cause I knew I'd be rushing out by the time we said goodbye. You are not great at keeping me on time for things."

"Me?" Anna placed her hand over her chest, feigning innocence. "When have I ever made you late for anything?"

"How about when we had phone sex for so long that I almost missed my flight – that I was flying. That's damn hard to do."

"I remember no such thing."

"My boss does. I told him my aunt was sick and I was on the phone with her. Had to keep lying about it for a week after that flight out of Albuquerque."

"Clearly you just need to be a better liar."

"Please, you'd have just blurted it out if it'd been you. You can't keep a secret for your life."

I haven't blurted anything out. Okay, I have, but not to her. "I can so!"

She smirked. "Oh yeah, what's the biggest secret you've ever kept?"

I'll have you know I'm in love with my sister. "That's a trick question. Besides, you know the biggest secret is that doctor's trip after you got a little carried away with your chocolate syrup thing. Haven't mentioned that to a soul."

"You tasted amazing. I wasn't thinking."

"I still owe you payback for that."

Her eyes widened. "And how do you intend to do that?"

"Oh, just wait and you least expect it, I'll – um..." She paused, staring off at the far wall of her room. Now I'm on the spot and I have no idea. I'm pretty sure sleeping with my sister would be escalating a bit too far. "I'll make you babysit Olaf?"

"The horror. How ever would I manage? If only I had a bunch of Star Trek games that I could play with him or something. Oh, wait, I do."

She glared at the screen. "Well then, I'll take you up on that. You and Olaf can stay home while I hang out with Giselle or Esmeralda."

"All right. Bring me back a slice of cake."

"I hadn't really decided where I'd go or anything."

"Like you'd go someplace that didn't have cake."

Does baklava count? I don't think my pizza place has cake. "Fine, I'll bring you back cake."

"All right. Then Olaf and I can play some more Birth of the Federation. Sounds like a fun night."

Anna leaned back against the pillow, fighting back a sudden yawn. It was a little after nine, and she was still having trouble adapting to Eastern time. "What time is it there?"

"Like seven. Oh, shit, it's 7:10. I knew I'd end up running late. I love you. Glad we got to have some fun last night. Give Olaf a hug for me and say hi to Elsa and Tiana. I still can't believe you're staying with Tiana, that's just so weird. She's amazing."

"I'll tell her you said that."

Her face turned red. "Do you think she'll remember me?"

Giggling, Anna kicked the phone over. "Get going."

"Fine. Love you, I'll text you when I get there."

"Love you too. Have a safe flight."

The phone clicked as the call ended, and Anna was left staring up at her ceiling in silence. I do love her. I know I do. I just wish Elsa would quit driving me so crazy. I barely talked to her yesterday after I actually fell asleep in her arms on Tuesday. What the hell am I doing here? I should've stayed in Ohio with Moana. Then I'd just be happy and in love instead of – whatever this is. God damn it, why did I keep going so far. I knew it wasn't a date. She was just so sweet and so beautiful and I wasn't at all subtle, she's probably already figured me out. God, what if she knows?

"Mama?" Olaf's voice came from her door. I can worry later.

She opened the door and let him in, sitting beside him on the massive plush bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He yawned, blinking away sleep. "I just heard you talking in here. Was that Aunt Moana?"

"Yeah. She said to give you this." She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him.

He hugged her back, nuzzling against her arm. "Oh, I thought it'd be a present."

"She gave you that Switch game you were playing on the plane, was that not enough?"

"I guess it was," he mumbled.

She spoils my son. "Have you been playing it anymore?"

"Yeah." His petulant look melted into an eager grin. "I just finished one of the stories. It's a lot of fun, but it's a lot of reading."

"That's a good thing. It'll just make you a better reader and that'll make school easier. I wish I'd read more in my free time when I was a kid, it would've made college a lot easier." How did I end up as an English teacher? I barely even speak it.

"If I read more will you buy me a book?"

"Sure, what book do you want?" I'll spoil him all he wants if it'll help him get ahead.

He pursed his lips, squinting at her. He was very clearly not prepared for this question. He'd read a few picture books on his own, but she still had to help him out with much more than that. Maybe it was finally time to upgrade him to the real thing. She wondered if Elsa had any of their books from when they were young. I wonder if he'd like Harriet the Spy. I know I loved that as a kid, and I think I had a few Hank the Cowdog and Wishbone books he'd probably like. "Star Wars?"

"Sure, I'll get you a Star Wars book."

"There are really Star Wars books?" His jaw dropped. "I want all of them!"

"If Moana's bookshelf is anything to go by there are Star Trek books too."

"I didn't see them! I would read one!"

"I'll see if I can get her to send you a few."

"Yes! Thank you, Mama."

Well, that was easy. And free. "Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes."

"With a toothbrush and toothpaste or just with your imagination?"

He paused. "I'll go brush my teeth."

Once he'd scampered off, Anna wiped at her eyes. I hope Belle's actually good with kids. She seemed pretty cool, maybe a little in love with my sister, but I'm not one to judge there. At least I've met her, it's better than some random babysitter. She made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and froze when the door opened to reveal Elsa wearing only a towel. Her bedroom door slammed shut as she shoved herself back against it, cowering, her heart beating in her chest. I hope she didn't see me. I must have looked completely insane. Doesn't she have her own bathroom?! "Anna?" Elsa called, confused.

Yep, she saw me. "Sorry, I forgot my, um," she looked around, "Towel."

"There's one in there for you. Tiana was in my bathroom and I needed to get ready, I hope you don't mind."

"No. It's fine." Just open the door and talk to her. She's your sister. You've known each other for years, what exactly are you freaking out about? Of course, she knew the answer to that. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay. I'll be downstairs."

How am I so bad at hiding this? She slowly cracked the door open, peering out into the hallway to find it empty. She tried not to think about the way the towel had clung to Elsa as she went about her morning routine.

The doorbell rang. Elsa and Anna both stared at it from opposite ends of the couch. Elsa was as dressed up as always, wearing a sleek blue dress with a neckline that plunged low enough to give Anna flashbacks to the towel incident earlier. Anna, having only brought the one nice outfit, had settled for her favorite flannel button down and a pair of slacks she'd stolen from Tiana that were a bit too loose on her ass.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Tiana muttered from the counter, where she'd been on her laptop. "I'll get it," she announced as she strode over to the door and it rang a second time.

The show was good, okay? "Hi, Tiana!" Belle emerged from the newly open door and wrapped her arms around the woman. "Have you been doing well? I haven't seen you in ages."

"Yeah, just starting filming for a show next week. I'm glad I got to see Anna before I leave." She opened her mouth to say something more but thought better of it. "Come on in. You can meet Olaf."

She waved at Elsa and Anna. "Hey, guys. Have fun at the party. I went last year, since I still worked there. It was a lot of fun. Other than Mr. Phillip trying to make a move on me after he had a few drinks. Be wary of him, Anna, he's handsy."

Gulping, Anna nodded. Elsa had said how much of a boy's club it was. Is it really that bad? Glad I didn't wear a skirt. "Olaf's upstairs playing some video game. He's a really easy to deal with kid. I don't think he'll give you much trouble. If you get pizza, just make sure it's cheese with no sauce." Tiana grumbled. "He's a really picky eater."

Smiling, Belle nodded as she committed this to memory. "Of course. I used to babysit a bunch when I was in high school and college. There was no way I could refuse when Elsa asked."

"Olaf!" Anna called.

"Coming, mama," he replied. "Just let me save."

A few minutes later he made his way downstairs. Belle knelt down, bringing herself level with his eyes. "Hey, there. I'm Belle, I'm a friend of your aunt. I'm gonna be hanging out with you tonight, does that sound cool?"

"I'm Olaf." He held out his hand. He'd hugged his first few sitters. I hope this isn't a bad sign. He has been a little more reclusive of late. I know he says the divorce doesn't bother him, but what if that's why? "Do you like Star Trek?"

She paused, staring at him. "I watched a few episodes with my friends in college. I don't really remember them too well. The ones with Kirk."

"Wanna watch it?"

She shrugged. "Sure, we can do that."

His face lit up and he wrapped his arms around her. That answers that then. Belle patted his back. "You're gonna love it!"

"All right, you kids have fun," Elsa said. "I left some money for food. Thank you so much for doing this, Belle. I'm sure you and Anya had plans."

"She had a client she was dealing with, anyway. It was either sit at home with nothing to do or do this, it's no trouble at all. It's still pretty early though, doesn't the party not start til six?"

"Anna wanted to see the office first."

Right. I forgot about that. "Will there even still be people there? It's almost five on a holiday."

Her teeth bared, Elsa met her gaze. "Yeah, they'll be there. As I'm sure Belle can confirm, we don't give our associates much time off."

"It was my pleasure working eighty-hour weeks for you. I still kind of miss it. I don't even know what to do with the extra freedom I've had now that I'm down to sixty hours. I reread through the entire Harry Potter series last weekend."

How? Elsa swung open the door. "All right, if Anya finishes up, she's welcome to come over. Don't let her eat Olaf."

Belle rolled her eyes. "She'd be far more likely to drain some of your scotch."

Anna's eyes widened. "No drunk babysitting!"

"Don't worry. I'll be responsible." Belle giggled. "Now go have fun. If you see Fifi, tell her I say hi."

Elsa nodded, but Anna was pretty certain she was trying to figure out who Fifi was. She offered Belle a weak smile and said "I'll try," as they headed out.

"You still don't know the associates' names?" Tiana asked as they closed the door behind them.

"I've learned a few, but I don't think we have a Fifi. Maybe she quit too?"

"It's probably a nickname," Anna suggested. "Want me to go inside and ask?"

"I'll text her when we're there."

They took Elsa's BMW, which was again parked in the driveway, and headed to the office. Anna watched the route. So this is the way Elsa goes every morning. She'd taken the back seat, not wanting to have to face Elsa any more than necessary. She knew she'd have to suck it up eventually, but it could wait a little while. She would have to behave the best she could once they were there, she didn't want to exhaust her admittedly small store of restraint before they even made it there.

As Elsa parked in the garage of a massive skyscraper, Anna could barely believe it. She'd expected something reasonable. "This whole place is your office?"

"Just two floors."

"Oh." Okay, that makes sense. I was gonna say – She took a deep breath. This was going to be terrifying. She couldn't let any of Elsa's coworkers know what was going on with her. She'd been far too obvious the other day, and she wasn't willing to put on a repeat performance. She would have to avoid drinking.

As they made their way inside, a few people said hi to Elsa, but everyone dropped everything they were doing to see Tiana. I should have expected this. "I have your cookbook!"

"I loved your guest spot last month!"

"I saw you on The Tonight Show."

Elsa ground her teeth and stared at the throng of people. "Want to leave Tiana to her fans?"

"Is that safe?"

"I can fire them if they pull anything."

Anna blinked, staring up at her sister. It had never occurred to her that she was these people's boss. She had been so excited to meet her coworkers, it was weird to think that a lot of them were her employees. She knew the partner thing was pretty new, but it was strange to think just how far Elsa had come while she was only teaching at a different school. "Yeah, all right."

Elsa grabbed her hand and pulled her through the mob. They parted the second they saw her face. Anna tried very hard not to enjoy holding hands with her big sister too much. Moana. I love Moana. Think about Moana. She wasn't sure that it worked, but it distracted her for long enough that they'd made their way to a back corner of the office, where a few more lawyers sat in cubicles. One glanced up at her. "Did you need something, Ms. Agnarrsen?"

She shook her head. "Just showing my little sister around," she paused for barely a moment, "how's the Bronson case going, Michaels?"

Smiling faintly, he offered a shrug. "Deposition on Monday, we'll see how it goes from there."

She nodded and swept Anna along. "All right, you wanted to meet Thermopolis, her desk is around here somewhere."

I'm really getting to be part of Elsa's life again. This is where she works. These are the people that work for her. It's weird, but it's amazing. She found herself looking down at a mousy brown haired woman behind a light wooden desk in a cubicle near the back wall. "Hi," she offered.

"This is my sister, Anna," Elsa explained. "She's joining us for the Fourth of July party, and I promised I'd let her meet a few people before you're all black out drunk."

"Oh no, was I supposed to wait until the party to start drinking?!"

"As long as it doesn't affect the quality of your work I suppose I'm not too concerned. Just don't let it happen in court," Elsa replied.

Anna stared between them, waiting for either to crack a smile. Are they joking? I mean, drinking isn't okay at work, right? Despite what Carl seems to think.

Neither one cracked.

"Okay, that was a joke, right?" Her shoulders sank as she looked between the two. She wanted to be a good sport, but they weren't playing fair.

"Of course," Elsa replied, "We save the office drinking for casual Friday."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Did you set her up for this?"

"She didn't," Mia answered. "I just went for it. Worst case I lose the best job I've ever had, I figured it was worth it."

"We are clearly not assigning you enough work if this is the best job you've ever had."

"Hey, if it'll get me in court some more, I'll happily take the extra work. My last four malpractice cases all settled within a day of me filing them. Come on, I spent all that time working with you, now I just want to actually be out there."

Elsa's predatory grin made Anna's stomach do a few somersaults. "I know the feeling. Once you get past the nervousness, it's just the best thing in the world. Tell you what, I actually have a case that is supposed to go to trial next week. I was going to see if I could pawn it off on Gaston since he doesn't seem to have any work he actually does anymore, but how about I give it to you? I wanted to take this month off unless there was any emergency. It won't be anything too fun, just an auto insurance case, but they've been supremely difficult and I promise it won't be settled before trial."

"I'll take it. It'll be a nice break from my wrongful death cases. What's it about?"

"Vehicular manslaughter by their client who also didn't survive." Elsa gave her a wry grin.

She nodded her head to one side. Is the joke that it's the same thing? I really don't get it. "Still slightly different. Score. Get it to me before the party?"

"Of course."

Anna folded one hand over the other, patiently watching the two. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Who even shows off their sister to their coworkers, anyway? Maybe if I was her girlfriend – nope, stop that. Besides, she didn't even want to show off Tiana.

"Anna, was it?" the woman asked. "I'm Amelia Thermopolis." She extended her hand over the desk. "Your sister is the best lawyer I've ever seen. I'm sure growing up with her must have been really intimidating."

"You can't even imagine," Anna sighed, taking the proffered hand. "Stanford was her safety school."

Mia was demonstrably trying to hold back a laugh. "How am I not surprised?" she managed to spit out, taking a deep breath.

"I was fine with going to it. I had to look after Anna. I mean it wasn't Harvard, but what is."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Well, I went to UC Berkeley."

"How did you even get hired here?" Elsa asked, as snidely as she could manage.

"Oh, are you from California too?" Anna smiled at her. It's a thing I know! It's not a legal term. I can handle this.

"Yeah, I grew up just a little south of San Francisco."

"We're from San Francisco!"

Mia stared at Elsa. "I always kind of assumed she'd descended down from lawyer Asgard fully formed."

"Yeah, she gets that a lot." I can joke with them too. I'm not a complete mess.

"So what do you do, Anna? I assume you didn't go into the law as well?"

Anna shook her head. "I'm a teacher. Currently teaching English at a high school in Portland, Oregon."

"Oh, you like it?"

As much as high school had been a pain in her ass for the last couple years, she couldn't help but smile thinking about how to answer that. "I really do. It's all I've ever wanted. I knew I wasn't as smart or capable as Elsa –"

"You are so."

"I always wanted to teach people, make sure they have the chance to actually grow up to be super geniuses like her, and just look after them. I used to teach first grade, but even now, as much as I complain, it's wonderful just being able to change people's lives." She thought about how much things had changed with Snow, how many students she'd helped. English was far from her calling, but the last six months of it had really improved, ever since she'd asked for some help and sorted her own life out. "Elsa was pretty much the same way, even as a kid she wanted to be a lawyer, you should've seen her practicing closing arguments as a teenager, it was adorable."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "It was for the constitutional law team, and it wasn't closing arguments."

Anna pointed at her, her other hand beside her mouth. "See what I mean?" she whispered, loudly enough for either of them to hear.

"My school had mock trial instead of con law."

"Mock trial is good too," Elsa replied.

Anna watched her. Thinking of her like that, when she was that awkward, somehow not at all gangly because she hit her entire growth spurt in a single night, teenage girl should bring me back to reality. I should remember that she's my sister, the girl I looked up to since I was five, and should stop wanting to fuck her. I really thought it'd work. Those closing arguments were so cute.

"I need to finish up this case, but if you could get that to me later, I'd really appreciate it. I need court so bad." She turned to Anna, flashing a bright smile at her. "It was great meeting you, Anna. It's nice being reminded that Ms. Superlawyer here was human once too."

Elsa's smirk as they walked away was continuing to do funny things to Anna. She seemed to adore being worshiped almost as much as Tiana. "Party's in about a half hour," she explained. "I could show you my office, maybe introduce you to that Asshole if he's around?"

"Sure," Anna agreed, not bothering to ask who she meant. She'd find out in time.

Unfortunately, Elsa had to spend a while searching through a pile of papers to find the stuff she'd promised Mia, so Anna just got to sit in Elsa's cushy leather chair and take in the view of the city below her, the occasional firework going off despite the ban. So this is what Elsa sees every day. I feel like I'm queen of the world, no wonder Elsa's so confident. Even her office builds up her ego.

"There it is!" Elsa announced, grabbing a massive file the size of the books that Anna's students complained about slightly more than the others. "I'm gonna go take this to her, then we can get going to the party. Sorry that took so long. I let things sort of pile up while I was clearing out all my pending cases."

"It's okay. She really has to go through all of that in a week, though? My students would riot."

She glanced at it. "It's fairly standard. A little under three hundred pages. She'll be fine. She literally asked for it."

Her brows furrowed, but Anna nodded. Lawyers are weird. "All right. I'm going to spin in your chair."

"Have fun. It can get some pretty good speed," she added with a faint smile as she walked out. Now that was a sight Anna would pay to see.

A little before seven, people had started making their way to the roof. Up there, a long table was set up with food and drinks, there was music playing, and around forty people were milling about, talking, dancing, or looking over the city. There were sparse fireworks already going off, though they were a few miles from either of the big shows that night.

"The quality has really gone downhill," Tiana mused, taking a bite of a shrimp cocktail. "Not bad though, just nothing like when I was catering here."

"You're a bit out of our price range," Elsa countered.

"You could afford me."

A man that Anna didn't recognize approached them, carrying a few shrimp and a glass of champagne. "Ms. Agnarrsen, pleased to see you brought Ms. Rose again. Always a pleasure." He held his hand out to her.

Tiana took it. "Mr. Phillip, it's been too long."

"And who's this fetching young lady?"

"That would be my sister," Elsa replied, glaring at the man. "Mind your manners."

"Have I ever not?" He looked genuinely offended, his eyes narrowing as he stared between the two of them. "Well, Ms. Agnarrsen as well then?"

Anna nodded.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your sister is one of our best attorneys, our newest partner, and already making us a fortune."

"Of course, some of us have to actually deal with clients."

His toothy grin surprised Anna. She'd expected that to offend him. "I'll see about it someday, but everyone I gathered when I started here just never leaves me any openings. Maybe when you pull as many whales as I have you won't have to work so much either."

"We all aspire to reach your level of complacency."

His grin only widened. "It gives me the time to plan these parties. Speaking of, I hope you all have fun, I have to make the rounds."

"That was weird," Anna sighed, staring up at her sister.

"I think he's had a few drinks. That was a surprisingly in-depth conversation by his standards."

Tiana shook her head. "How on earth is he still around? Didn't you say he only works around two days a week?"

Elsa shrugged. "Most of the time, but when he has a case he manages it, and the guy both brought in and still brings in a lot of money. He's the only person who's had his name added up there since they started. While I don't intend to let that last, it should tell you a lot about him."

"Huh." Anna stared after him. Elsa she could see as being that great, as just showing up and beating out everyone else and making a name for herself – she might not know how it all worked, but she was fairly sure that had to at least be part of the process. She could not see it for him. "Really?" she asked incredulously.

"He's basically the king of class actions. Even managed to beat a tobacco company. That's what set him on the fast track. He annoys the hell out of me, but I won't pretend he isn't a great lawyer."

Anna didn't bother to ask what any of that meant.

"I'm gonna go make nice with a few of my associates. I don't know them well enough to make introductions, so you two try to enjoy the party. I'll be right back." Elsa walked over to a group of young people standing awkwardly at the edge of the party in suits that weren't quite as well-fitted as those of a few of the older attorneys there.

Anna tried very hard not to stare after her. She didn't come close to succeeding, but the valiance of her attempt should not be understated. "Quite a view, isn't it?" A voice next to her asked.

Anna jumped back, looking around to find a tall, heavily muscled man, in a sleek grey suit, standing over her. "Uh, yeah. It's beautiful up here. You can see the whole city."

"Oh, is that you were staring at?" He smirked.

Anna swallowed, looking around for Tiana. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or scared when she found that she was back at the snack bar. At least she didn't overhear that. "I – yeah, I mean, of course. I wasn't, I mean." She offered a weak smile. "Hi."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, shaking his head. "I promise, I'm totally cool with gay people now. I'm actually a friend of hers. I'm Albert, do you know Elsa?"

Lie. Just lie. "Yeah, I'm her sister." She took a deep breath, trying very hard to think of how she'd fucked up this badly. I mean, he's a friend of hers, so if I lied then he'd find out. I wasn't just panicking and doing something stupid. I'm fine. "We'd just been talking, I was just looking after her."

He blinked, his brows knitting together. "Oh?"

"Yes?"

"By staring at her ass?"

I hadn't been. Had I? She tried to think for a minute. She recalled noticing just how well the dress outlined it. "What? I wasn't." She forced out a giggle, trying to play it off as if it was the most absurd thing anyone had ever said.

"Hey, I'm not judging. I had a huge crush on my cousin when I was younger, and I mean, anyone who doesn't find Elsa hot is probably not alive. Don't tell her I said that."

She let out a shaky breath. She wanted to argue with him, to insist that he didn't know what he was talking about. However, she also kinda wanted his advice on the situation. "Let's go grab a drink." She hoped that would buy her time to figure things out, but she had the sinking suspicion that she just wanted to be slightly less sober when she confessed everything.

"Sure. How about instead of the swill we serve up here, we grab some of the much better stuff I have in my office. You share Elsa's taste? I just got a new bottle of scotch in that I'd been wanting to share with her, but I think this would be a worthy cause." He smiled, beckoning for her to follow as he led the way back to the elevator.

Elsa's mentioned him, so I guess I can trust him, just never love the idea of leaving a party with some strange man. "We'll be right back after?"

"Of course. We can talk up here if you want, I just figured you'd prefer the privacy and a better drink."

Biting her lip, Anna nodded. "Okay."

In his office, she sank into a magnificently lush leather chair. "I don't need the nice scotch or anything. Maybe wine?" She considered just what she was about to confess. "Or tequila?"

"I have a bottle of tequila I got on my last trip to Mexico." He opened the liquor cabinet to grab it.

"The kind with the worm?"

"Yup."

She hesitated. Esmeralda would be proud. "Fine." After draining her second glass she met his eyes, still desperate to just turn back. Once he knew, there was no going back from there. "Okay, so maybe you're a little right. I mean, I might've been checking her out, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm madly in love with my sister and have been since I saw her for Christmas."

"I wasn't assuming it did."

"Good."

"Does it?" He offered a warm smile, his teeth almost seeming to sparkle, and took a sip of his own. He seemed to be matching her pace and was on his third glass of tequila.

"Yes."

The glass clanked on the table and he set a massive hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Elsa's an amazing woman, there's nothing wrong with loving her."

Well, that's three people saying that. Only Nani seems to really be against it. Maybe it isn't quite as horrible as it sounds. "Even though she's my sister?"

He shrugged his massive shoulders. "Doesn't change a thing." He finished off the drink before continuing. "Have you told her?"

Staring into her tequila, she wished she felt more like drinking it. She wanted to just tell him everything, and hated how much easier that was than drowning her fears. How am I so comfortable just telling everyone about my incestuous desires? I barely even needed the second drink, and that's just because he knows Elsa. I even blurted it out to my ex-girlfriend with little prompting. "No. I want to, so absurdly badly, but she's getting married, and I know she doesn't feel the same way."

"Seems to me then that this is the best time to do so."

"Huh?"

"She's getting married. You don't really have another chance unless things go badly, and it's pretty clear from how you act around her that you can't just put it off forever. Maybe she needs to hear it." She could see why Elsa counted him as a friend. He was offering better advice than anyone else she'd asked. Giselle and Esmeralda did little more than egg her on, and Nani just insisted that it was a terrible idea. "I'm not saying she'll drop everything and get together with you, but if it's eating you up so much that you can't even keep it together in public, it's probably worth letting it out."

Now she wanted the drink. She drained the rest of her glass and stared at the bottle. Probably shouldn't get too drunk at Elsa's office, and I'm already about at my limit. "I don't want to mess things up for her and Tiana. And especially since I'm staying here for four more weeks. It would make things too awkward."

"If you think Elsa can't handle something like this, I don't know why you're in love with her. She's mentioned you, a lot. You mean the world to her. Just be honest with her."

Chewing on her lip, she nodded. "Fine, but if she kicks me out, then you have to let me stay at your place."

"Oh no, a beautiful woman in my apartment, the worst possible thing."

"I have a son."

"I'm great with kids." He flashed that same smile.

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"Just do what you think is best. I only want you to know that Elsa won't freak out like you think she will. It might shock her, but she's really not the type to throw away someone important to her over that. Otherwise, she wouldn't be my best friend after all the shit I've pulled." He stood, locking up the bottle of tequila. "Probably shouldn't drink anymore tonight, I'm being open and honest, it's weird."

"She's done it before," Anna muttered, staring at her empty glass.

"Done what?"

"Thrown it all away, just because I hurt her feelings when I moved."

Sighing, he leaned against her chair. "She told me. We drink together a lot, it opens her up, and it's the biggest regret of her life. I promise she's not doing anything like that again."

The tequila glass blurred slightly, and she wiped away a tear, sniffling lightly. "You're right. Thank you."

"It's no problem. Let's get back to the party before your sister thinks I've kidnapped you."

"She'd beat you up."

"She probably could too. The girl's a little scary."

Anna nodded. She really is.

Back at the party, they found Elsa bickering with Tiana over whether the crab puffs actually had crab in them. God, she must be drunk if she's arguing food with Tiana. "Seriously, look at it, that is imitation crab." Tiana insisted.

"You have taught me enough that I can tell the difference. I like sushi and I know what crab tastes like, at least some of it is real."

"Don't let me interrupt," Albert offered, beaming at the two. "I'm never one to stop a cat fight."

"Unfortunately, you didn't set up the kiddie pool full of oil, so that'll have to wait," Tiana replied, still glaring at Elsa. "I'd definitely be up for it though."

"He always forgets that," he opined. "This is why I should be in charge of party planning."

"It's the most important part of any party, save for the spread. He failed on both counts."

Snickering, Elsa finally noticed Anna. "Hey, I was looking for you. I see you found Gaston?"

"You mean Albert?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, it's his last name. I trust you weren't creeping on my little sister?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now if she was straight, I'd reconsider, she is pretty cute."

"I actually know a straight girl that looks like me," Anna mused. "She's taken though." And increasingly less straight if Esmeralda is any sign.

"Why does everyone look like Anna?" Elsa grumbled, seemingly to herself.

"That's fine, I'm terrible at relationships, anyway." He laughed, snatching the now abandoned crab puff from Tiana's plate. "Just saying your sister's hot."

Elsa elbowed him in the stomach. "Creep."

"Little bit."

It surprised Anna to find that being around Elsa wasn't as scary now. She had committed herself to talking to her about it and it made a big difference. Actually doing so would still be terrifying, but maybe now that she could pretend to be a semi-functional human being around her things would be easier. She was so glad she'd talked to him. Now she just needed to get up the nerve to talk to her.