Rolling over in bed, with a pillow over her head to block out the sun, Anna reached blindly toward her nightstand to find her phone. On the third attempt, she secured it and pulled it back to her, trying to check the time. She hit the unlock button. Nothing happened. She hit it again. And again. She tried holding it and it started to power up.

Oh fuck. My alarm didn't go off. She tossed the pillow out of bed and ran down the stairs, trying to find anyplace that would actually say the time while her phone booted up. The oven and microwave both said that it was just past seven. We overslept.

She ran upstairs to get Olaf, almost dragging him out of bed. "You have five minutes, get dressed. We have to go."

"Mama?" he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

"My phone died." She checked it again, it had managed to turn on but was already shutting itself down again. She'd charge it at work, it wasn't that important. She knew the way to both schools by heart, and she'd live without having her music for once. "My alarm didn't go off. Just get ready."

She realized that she had to do the same. She didn't have time for makeup, but she couldn't exactly show up to school in her pajamas. She threw on a decent teal blouse and a dark brown skirt. It was the first outfit she found in her drawers, but she felt it worked pretty well together.

Olaf was almost finished getting dressed when she came back. She shoved his shirt over his head and carried him downstairs as he struggled into it. He put his shoes on and they were in the car, heading to his school. He wasn't late, and she would only be a few minutes late. It was 7:16, her class started at 7:30, if she sped the whole way without being stopped, she should be there by 7:40. Traffic wasn't too bad, it was doable.

Two miles from his school, the engine suddenly stopped. Anna stared down at the dash panel. She supposed she deserved this for ignoring the check engine light, but she hadn't wanted to ask Kristoff about it and couldn't afford to take it to a shop. Shit. She pulled over to the side of the road as someone behind her honked and immediately sped off.

She could feel Olaf's eyes on her from the back seat. She turned toward him, and gave the most forced smile she'd ever given. "It'll be okay, Olaf. We're just having a little car trouble."

Her phone still wouldn't turn on, and without an engine she wasn't going to be able to charge it. Fuck. She slammed on the steering wheel, groaning, but immediately tried to compose herself when she realized Olaf was still watching. What the hell am I going to do?

"Don't worry. I just need to –" Damn, I was hoping I'd have figured out how to finish that sentence by the time I got to the end of it. If I had my phone I could call for help, but right now I can't even do that.

"Does this mean we're skipping school?" A hopeful grin spread across his face.

It might. "Of course not. Don't be all excited for that, you love school."

He shrugged. "I guess."

With a heavy sigh, she undid her seat belt and threw open her car door. The early March weather was brisk and unpleasant without a jacket, but she'd manage. She had to flag someone down, see if they could at least call AAA for her, or even better let her use their phone and call for help. "Stay right there, Olaf. I'll be just outside." She grabbed the keys from the ignition and slammed her door, hoping to keep the warm air in the car for her son. Someone might stop for her if she just waited in the car, but she couldn't turn her hazard lights on, and she didn't have time, she needed to grab someone's attention.

She waved at every car that drove by, but other than a few slowing down to stare, no one actually stopped. Anna rubbed her upper arms. The blouse was thin and did little to fight the morning's chill. Her legs kept moving, trying to generate as much heat as she could. She wanted to get back in the car, but even that would barely make a difference. She wished she'd thought to grab a jacket for her and Olaf. She could already see him starting to shiver in the car, though she hoped she was just projecting onto him.

It was almost half an hour before someone finally stopped – a young hippie couple who looked suspiciously like Snow White's parents, but she wasn't sure enough to call them such. Their car smelled strongly of pot, and the peace signs decorating the vehicle completed the image. "Are you all right?" the woman asked.

Anna shivered. "Not really. My phone's dead and my car broke down and my son is late for school and I'm late for work, and please help." At least my pitiful rambliness comes in helpful for once.

She offered a warm smile. "Of course. Would you like to use my phone?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes, please. You're okay with that?"

With a chuckle, she replied, "It doesn't look like you can exactly run off with it. Besides, I'm sure you'd do the same for me." She grabbed a phone from her purse and handed it to Anna. "We have a blanket in the back if you'd like it. It might help you keep warm while you wait."

Anna didn't want to think about where that blanket may have been, but even if it was warm enough that they wouldn't freeze to death, being in the mid forties, she'd still rather their wait be as comfortable as it could be. "If you're sure it's no trouble."

"Of course not. It's falling apart a bit, and I'm sure it kind of smells, but it's clean and warm." She climbed out of the car and walked around to the trunk while Anna called AAA. She had been tempted to call one of her friends, she knew they'd be there for her, but they all would be at work, and she didn't want to make anyone else miss work as well. Besides, she couldn't just abandon her car on the side of the road. "Here you go." She handed her a soft knitted blanket, with quite a few holes in it. It was warm.

"Thank you so much. I'm on hold right now."

"Take your time."

Anna bit her lip. "Would it be okay if I called work too? I don't want to keep you here all day."

The other door opened up and a skinny man walked out. "If you're on hold, just call them while you're waiting." He handed Anna his own phone. These people were too nice. "Put the other phone on speaker and one of us can grab it if they finally pick up. We just don't want to leave you stuck out here."

Her heart melting from the unexpected overflow of kindness after all of those people had driven right past her, Anna put the phone on speaker and set it on the hood of their car, taking the new phone with a smile she could barely contain. Everyone is always saving me.

The principal's office picked up on the second ring. "Jefferson High school, principal's office," Mrs. Roz, Mr. Bubble's secretary, answered.

"Hi. It's Anna Agnarrsen, probably still on their as Bjorgmann, my car broke down on the way to school, just calling in to let you know."

There was a long pause before she answered, Anna was starting to wonder if she had a good enough signal. "It's eight o'clock."

"My phone was dead. I couldn't call."

"So your phone died and then your car died?"

It's not that unbelievable! "Yes."

She groaned. "We don't have time to find a substitute, when will you be in?"

The hold music continued playing on the other phone. Both of her new friends watched her patiently. "I don't know, I'm waiting on AAA to get me a tow."

"Hurry up. We'll have your classes merge with Mr. Fredricksen's in the mean time." They don't match up that well, we're not doing the same books and most of them aren't even the same year.

"Okay, thank you."

"Get here." She hung up.

"That was fun." She smiled to the waiting couple and called Olaf's school. I'm so glad I actually know these numbers. Kristoff had insisted that we memorize the number for Olaf's school for just such an occasion. I hate it when he's right. "Hello?" she asked. She thought she'd heard someone on the other line, but their voice had been faint.

"Oh, hi, sorry. This is Creston Elementary School, can you hear me now?"

"Yes. Hi, this is Anna Agnarrsen, Olaf's mom, my car broke down, I'm still trying to get him there, but he's going to be a little late. Oh, he's a kindergartener in Ms. Fitzherbert's class."

Anna could hear her typing on the other end of the line. "I don't have an Olaf Agnarrsen in the records."

Like you know how to spell it. "Sorry, it's Olaf Bjorgman."

"Ah, yes, here it is. Mrs. Bjorgman?"

How the hell does she know how to spell that? "Sure." She didn't have the time or energy to fight it. "I'm sorry, I'll get him there as soon as I can."

"Oh, it's quite all right. He's had perfect attendance, these things happen, just stay safe, I'll let his teacher know."

"Thank you so much."

They ended the call and she handed the phone back to its owner just as she heard the other call finally be picked up. Snatching it from the hood of the car, she heard, "Triple A, this is David, how can I help you?"

Finally. She let out a sigh of relief. "Hi, I'm Anna –" she stopped herself, she knew how she was still listed on the card, "Bjorgman, my car broke down on SE Powell and 82nd. I'm right by the Carl's Jr." Great, they're going to think I was out looking for a hooker.

"Of course, Mrs. Bjorgman." She winced. "We should be able to have a tow truck to you in a little under an hour. I've forwarded your information to them, they'll be on their way."

"Oh thank god. Thank you so much."

"Any time, Mrs. Bjorgman. Have a great day."

Anna wrapped the blanket tight around her body and handed the woman back her phone. "Thank you so much."

Her arms wrapped around Anna, pulling her into a somewhat pungeant embrace. "It was our pleasure. Do you want us to wait here with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm okay. Thank you again though."

"All right. Well, I hope your day gets better."

"Sorry this all happened," her husband offered. "You have a great day, okay? Try not to worry, it's all taken care of now. You can keep the blanket."

Anna nodded. They were right. She could relax now. Maybe. "You two have a good day too. You're my heroes." It was only after they left, that Anna realized she'd never learned the identities of her rescuers. I guess I'll find out if they're really her parents at the next PTA meeting. She climbed into the back seat of her car and wrapped the blanket around Olaf and herself, pulling him close. "It'll just be a little longer."

"Then I have to go to school?"

"Yes, Olaf."

He grumbled. "Can we at least go get Carl's Jr?" He smiled up at her eagerly. "I didn't eat breakfast."

She was having a hard time arguing against that. She still didn't want to leave her car here, but they'd be able to see it from inside the building, and could run out if the tow truck arrived or anyone tried to start ripping pieces off of it. "All right," she agreed, shrugging off the blanket and reaching for her purse from the front seat. It wasn't there.

Right. I was in such a hurry I forgot to grab it. She looked through the arm rest and glove compartment while Olaf watched her in confusion. She managed to scrounge up about six bucks in change and two ones. It wasn't much, but she could at least make sure her son didn't starve. Though this does mean I don't have my driver's license or AAA card, so that's going to take some explaining. "Come on."

She took him by the hand and bought him an order of French toast sticks and milk, along with coffee and a small side of hash browns for herself. She started to freak out when she realized she was seventeen cents short, but she'd missed a quarter when she was counting and just barely had enough. She thanked the guy behind the counter and moved to the side, waiting for their food, while Olaf continued to stare up at her.

"Are we poor?"

Her jaw dropped. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. "Not really." They weren't, they were still ostensibly middle class, even if that wasn't providing terribly well anymore. They had a house, a car – kind of. Plenty of people were far worse off. "It's just a bad day."

"Oh." He stared down at the floor. "I have some money in my piggy bank if you need it?"

She managed not to cry. My son thinks I need him to bail me out. Some mother I am. "That's okay, honey. That's your money, you can do what you want with it."

"Well I want to give it to you." He beamed up at her, the gap in his smile from his recent missing tooth showing clear as day.

She just shook her head. I have the best kid. She managed not to add 'Much better than Lilo.' "It's okay. I just left my purse at home. I'm fine." Mostly.

They had time to finish their food, make it back to their car, and sit under the blanket for a little while, before the tow truck finally arrived. It was surprisingly no hassle, and she didn't even have to show her ID. That was a relief. Unfortunately, once they made it to the shop, she realized that she didn't have a way home. "Can I charge my phone?" she asked.

The mechanic shrugged.

She had at least brought the charger. She hadn't been that forgetful this morning. She would be able to arrange for someone to take them to Olaf's school and then her school, and it would only cost a small fortune. That reminded her of the other pressing issue. "Any idea how much this will be?"

He handed her an estimate and she swallowed. Fuck. "Can I pay when I pick it up?" Her voice shook as she asked the question. There was no way she could manage to get her hands on that much money in time. Great, I just had to blow all my money on food and electricity, like that's important or something.

He shrugged again.

They waited for her phone to charge enough to arrange for the ride. As soon as it could power on again she did so, charging it to one of the credit cards she'd left at home. The car would be there in ten minutes. Twelve minutes later, they piled into the car and made their way to what little remained of their school days.

Before Anna could make it to the exit, Principal Bubbles stopped her. He was a large, intimidating man, and she was not keen on having to deal with this when Nani was going to be waiting outside for her. "Can I help you?" she asked, as warmly as she could manage.

His sneer was unmoved. "Come to my office."

She managed to refrain from showing her dismay. "Of course." He led the way and she typed out a quick message to Nani that she would be late.

"Have a seat," he folded his hands over each other, resting them on the massive desk as he sat behind it.

With a nervous sigh, Anna did as she was told. She felt like she'd just been called to the principal's office. It was amusing, and she almost laughed at it, but managed to almost completely stop herself.

"You've been late a lot recently, today was certainly not an improvement on that."

Oh shit. I'm being fired. "Sir, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

He narrowed his eyes, glaring down at her.

She managed not to cry.

"See that it doesn't. If you're late one more time, this conversation won't be as easy going."

It wasn't until she made it to the parking lot that Anna realized she couldn't have been fired. Right. Tenure is a thing. He was just trying to intimidate me. Right? I'm still in the same school district, I am right? I know what I'm talking about. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes closed, and her hand over her heart. She'd really thought she was going to lose her job.

Nani honked at her. "Get in already!"

With another shaky breath, she joined her friend in the car. Olaf and Lilo were already in the back.

"Principal being a dick?"

Anna nodded.

"I'm sorry." Nani patted her shoulder and pulled on the gearshift, taking them away from the school that seemed to only ever bring Anna pain. "Wanna grab an early dinner? Sounds like you could use it."

She considered that. What she really wanted to do was go home, grab an entire bottle of wine, and take a scaldingly hot bath, but she supposed that children occasionally needed to be provided with food. "Yeah, all right."

It was happy hour at The Observatory, and Nani was both craving garlic fries and paying, so that was where they ended up. Anna's favorite pizza place was only a couple blocks away, and she was the one that had had a rough day, but she didn't have the energy to put up a fight for it. Maybe Nani had a rough day too?

"You doing okay?" Anna asked.

Nani shrugged, stuffing some fries in her mouth. "Work is work. Lilo is a tiny bottle of nitroglicerin, nothing's any worse than usual."

"That's good."

Nani sighed and grabbed another handful of fries. Lilo and Olaf helped themselves to the oregano fry bread.

"It's spicy," Olaf grumbled, before grabbing another slice. Anna had pulled pork sliders, and it was making her miss her girlfriend. She'd sent her a few texts about the horrors of her morning commute, and Moana had done her best to cheer her up throughout the day, but it just wasn't the same as having her there.

"Did they say how long your car's going to be in the shop for?" Nani asked.

"A billion years!" Lilo insisted.

Anna shook her head. She wanted to bitch about how much it was going to cost her, but she knew that Nani would be inclined to help, and she couldn't put her friend out anymore than she already had. I make more than her, just because I'm terrible with money doesn't mean she should always be coming to my rescue. She's a single mom too. "Probably a week."

"How're you going to get to work in the mean time?"

She shrugged.

Nani bit her lip, trying to come up with a solution. "I can't really help out, I'll already be at work unless you want me to drop you there at like 5:30. Maybe you could ask Esmeralda?"

That was about the best solution Anna had come up with as well. She'd been hoping for something better. They were managing to be friends, and it was surprisingly nice, but riding to work with her ex every morning just felt weird. "Yeah, you're right." Before she could talk herself out of it, she sent a quick explanatory and pleading message to Esmeralda.

Before she even finished her slider she'd already received an "Of course I will. Text me your address and I'll be there at 7:00." That drew a chuckle. She couldn't believe Esmeralda had never learned her address. They were barely even a couple when they split up.

"Good news?" Nani asked, already finishing the last of her fries.

"Yeah. She'll take me."

"Interesting word choice."

"Shut up."

"That's rude," Olaf insisted.

Lilo looked between the two women. "Why is it interesting? I don't understand. Explain it to me!"

Nani patted her head and swiped a piece of fry bread. "Well I'm glad that's settled."

"I wanna know too," Olaf said.

As scary as it all was, Anna was relieve. More than that, she was happy. She had friends she could rely on. Even on her worst day, there were so many people willing to help her out. Even those hippies she may have never met before. The realization steeled her. She could do it, no matter how badly she didn't want to. She was going to ask Elsa for help with the car.

"Hey, Anna."

Her heart absolutely did not skip a beat. She had a girlfriend, damn it, and she was not head over heels in love with her older sister. Maybe just a little. "Hey, Elsa."

"What's up?" She let out a small groan, and Anna could imagine her reclining on the couch. She made sure to add clothes to the image after a moment.

She hesitated. Maybe I should picture her naked after all, isn't that how you get over stage fright? Taking a deep breath, Anna began, "Basically everything went wrong, and now my car needs repairs, and I can't afford it, and I know I shouldn't ask, and you don't have to, and I understand if you can't, but do you think there's maybe, possibly, any way you could loan me the money to have my car fixed? I really need it." She gasped, her nails digging into the cushion of the couch beneath her. That had been even more terrifying than she'd thought it was going to be.

"I'm not loaning you money."

"Oh. Right."

"Let me finish. It's a gift. How much do you need? Two thousand enough? Three? I don't know how much car repairs are. Well, I'm sure that you need money for other stuff too." Elsa laughed. "Wow. You're a single mother and I never stopped to wonder how you're managing to get by on a teacher's salary. I'll send three, make sure you can afford your mortgage. I can't believe I didn't even think to check before. I'm just so used to not worrying about money."

Anna wanted to hate her for her financial ambivalence. She couldn't imagine not worrying about money. Instead, she found herself all but swooning. Maybe she really does feel the same way. She was her knight in shining armor, swooping in to save her from every trouble in the world. "Thank you."

"Any time. I love you, Anna, I'm always here to help. Besides, my house and car are both paid off and I have plenty in savings, I'm sure you need it a lot more than I do."

There may have been more after that, Anna wouldn't have known, all she could focus on was the way Elsa had said 'I love you.' It's just normal sister stuff, right? I'm just reading too much into it because she's literally saving my life. Right? That's all? "I love you too!"

With a chuckle, she heard another groan followed by a yawn. "I wanted to get to bed. I'll transfer the money to you before I do. You still have the same bank account, right?"

Anna nodded, then realized that Elsa was not physically there looking at her and added, "Yes." It's a good thing she's not here, I'm not sure I'd be able to contain myself.

"All right. It'll probably take a few days, but I'm sending it now. You have a good night, Anna."

"You too." Elsa hung up, and Anna clutched the phone to her chest. She thought she was finally getting over this crush. Instead, it seemed to have only grown worse. She was so mind-numbingly, painfully, all encompassingly, ridiculously in love with her big sister.