Tiana sat across from Elsa, wearing a light grey suit, offering a warm smile as they looked over the menu. She'd been doing her best to cheer Elsa up after the latest tragedy, she even brought her lunch when her and Gaston were helping out an indigent client who was still trying to figure out what their scam was. Elsa was starting to feel a little better, but it had been a rough couple of weeks. She hated how much her cases had been getting to her of late, but turning your feelings back off was so much more difficult than turning them on.

As much as Tiana had enjoyed the last steakhouse they went to, and Elsa had to admit it had been quite good, Elsa was relieved that Tiana had decided to take her to the far safer Peter Luger. The brisket the previous time had certainly been as quality as its name, but the creamed spinach hush puppies were a little concerning, and she just wanted a good ribeye. Wow we've been going to a lot of steakhouses the last couple months. Did she get tired of trying to cheer me up with pizza?

Tiana shrugged off her jacket, draping it over the chair. "Let me guess what you're getting."

Elsa shrugged. Ribeye was good. She'd get the fillet occasionally, but she wanted something bigger. She'd earned it - she'd managed to finish every single case she had, save for a single court appearance in a couple weeks, and even settled a number of pro bono cases. She would only have to go into the office for the fourth of July party, barring any emergencies.

Tiana sighed. "You're no fun. Fine, enjoy your ribeye, I think I'm going to try their," she paused, her tongue poking out the slightest bit as she looked over the menu. "lamb chops."

"I'm still getting the ribeye, you talked me into their porterhouse last time, and it was amazing, but I want ribeye."

"Fine. Don't be adventurous." She gave Elsa a haughty look.

"There's like ten things on the menu, there's not much room to be adventurous." Not that I wouldn't get the ribeye anyway. I want ribeye.

"I know, I'm just giving you a hard time." Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she set the menu down and took a sip of her wine. "We haven't been here in years, have we?"

Elsa pursed her lips, trying to think of the last time they'd come. "I think it was actually with Anya and her last girlfriend, back when we were friends previously. Wow, it has been a while."

"How many women has she gone through while we've been together?"

"I think just two."

Tiana's eyes narrowed as she stared off, trying to think of any evidence to the contrary. "You're right. It felt like more."

Their waitress arrived, and they both placed their order, along with shrimp cocktails as an appetizer. Elsa had resisted suggesting that they add the lamb chop appetizer to Tiana's lamb chop meal.

"If my father could see me now." Tiana chuckled. "I don't think he'd believe it."

"Why's that?" Elsa asked, leaning back. Of course, as soon as she said it, she knew full well why that was. Tiana didn't mention her father much, save for that one terrifying time where she'd implied she wanted to marry her, but she knew that Tiana had grown up poor. She decided to just let Tiana answer rather than try to take it back.

"Oh, you know. I've just come a long way. Living off of the same pot of gumbo for most of a week was nice and all, but it's very different from going to five-star restaurants just because I felt like going out that night. He always wanted me to pursue my dream, I just don't think he ever expected it to go quite this far. He thought I might end up as a chef at the restaurant I was waiting tables at, that seemed believable to him, maybe even opening up my own restaurant like he and I had always wanted to do together, but certainly not the life I have." She took another sip, raising her eyes to meet Elsa's. "Think he'd be proud of me?"

"I don't think there's anyone in the world who wouldn't be, honey."

She smirked, nodding her head slightly. "I suppose I can't argue with that. I am kinda famous. Did you know you're on a date with a celebrity?"

Elsa placed her hand over her chest, her jaw dropping, "I had no idea. I'll just have to get your autograph. Where do you want to sign?" It wasn't the first time they'd done this. Tiana's celebrity status was occasionally still novel, it had only been the case for around three years.

"Everywhere." Her eyes trailed down Elsa's body, including bits that were hidden by the table – and clothes. "I might have to use my tongue though, my pen's out of ink."

"I'm pretty sure I could get you a new pen."

She shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. It was the last pen in the world."

"I don't think they'll let you sign the check here with your tongue."

"Honestly, they might."

Elsa floundered, losing her pace in their game. Tiana had a point. Even world famous restaurants were typically willing to bend over backward for Tiana. She was generally agreed to be the best chef in the world, by all but a few particularly grumpy – and Elsa had her suspicions, bigoted – journalists. "Fine, you can just sign everything with your tongue, and then you'll be too worn out tonight."

"Oh, I always have the energy for you." Her grin grew lascivious.

Elsa buttered a slice of bread, taking a bite before she resumed flirting. She was famished. "Well, save it for after dinner."

"You're no fun."

"I'm lots of fun."

Tiana paused, grabbing her own slice of bread. "I suppose you are. I guess there are a few reasons I love you."

And what might those be? We sure don't seem to have the same goals anymore. "Oh, do tell." She nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt. She'd been having so many doubts since Tiana brought up marriage and kids. She loved Tiana, she could happily spend her life with her, but Tiana needed to at least be around for it, even before they got into any of those issues. Squeezing her eyes shut, Elsa forced away those thoughts. She loved Tiana. She wasn't going to throw that away just because she was getting cold feet.

Tiana bit into the bread with a satisfying crunch, smirking at her. "Elsa, there's a million reasons I love you. I don't even know who I'd be without you. You've helped me so much, and you made me realize all of the things that I could do. You're the only person I know who's as obsessed with work as I am, and you've been making just as much progress." I wish I was still as obsessed as you are. It'd make you being away all the time a lot easier. "When I think of my future, I can't imagine it without you." Her hand fell to her side and she hesitated, staring into Elsa's eyes. Before she could say whatever she was thinking, however, something else seemed to pop into her mind, her expression shifted, and she looked guilty. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said a few months ago, I doubt you even remember at this point, about not being ready for kids yet, and you're right, I shouldn't have pushed you like that, neither of us have the time for it."

Elsa blinked. Tiana wasn't exactly one for self-reflection most of the time. She was always looking forward. "Really?"

"I know I thought that since you're a partner, you could just take time off to look after them, and," she hesitated, her voice sounding pained, "That was selfish. I want it, but we can wait. I mean, I feel silly bringing this up out of nowhere. I'm sorry, let's forget it and just have a nice dinner. I love you, Elsa."

Elsa swallowed, staring at the woman she loved. She wasn't sure how to handle this. It wasn't like she'd been planning on leaving Tiana, but that had given her a scare. It was clear that Tiana still wanted kids, and Elsa wasn't sure that she ever would. Hell, she wasn't even ready to get married yet, and Tiana seemed to still very much be there, but it was still massive progress. "Thank you. I love you too."

Their shrimp cocktail was brought out, and they fell back into a comfortable conversation. Knowing that Tiana had actually been thinking about things, rather than just assuming that Elsa would go along with her, lightened a load that Elsa hadn't even known she was carrying. It did more for her than even the pro bono work she'd been doing. She dunked a shrimp into the cocktail sauce and ate it in a single bite. "Any idea how long you'll be here when Anna's here?" She knew they'd discussed it before, but she had the worst memory for Tiana's trips. She just tended to assume that she wouldn't be around, and was usually right.

"I thought I told you." She pulled out her phone out to double check. "I leave four days after she gets here, on the fifth, but I'll be back just a week later. I just have to interview a replacement chef for my New Orleans restaurant.

"Oh." She found herself grinning. She was more than a little relieved, she'd expected Tiana to be gone almost the entire time. That relief partially fell away when she realized that she'd have to put up even more with her trying to talk Anna into having a threesome with them. Despite some of the weird thoughts Anya put into my head, I am definitely not up for that. It's just creepy. She forced herself to focus on her date. "That's great. I was worried I wouldn't see you much."

Tiana's hand flew out, gripping hers, pain clear in her eyes. "Honey, no, of course you'll see me. I'm not gone that much. Besides, how could I resist seeing your beautiful sister."

There we go. So that's what's keeping her in town. "Right."

"Elsa?" She squeezed again, softer this time, less frantic, but just as concerned. "I'm just joking."

She'd already said she wasn't. "I know. Just try to keep it in your pants, okay?"

She narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening for a moment. "But we're going to celebrate her birthday, it just seems like we should give her something she can't find anywhere else."

Elsa ignored her, her attention focused on the shrimp.

"I'll behave. It's not like I'd do anything without your blessing anyway."

"Okay." I knew what I was getting into. She tried to drag another girl home with us on our fourth date.

Her foot nudged Elsa's calf. "Elsa, please, I was just playing around. Anna's already made it clear that she doesn't want that. I'm not gonna do anything more."

Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, Elsa finally turned her attention back to Tiana. "All right. I believe you."

"Are we really buying her a car?"

"It's less than a week of our income to buy her something nice and reliable. I don't want her to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no way to fix it, again. Who knows how long it'll hold together this time. I'd feel much more comfortable with her driving something I know I can trust." Elsa squeezed the napkin in her lap. It had been a few months, but the incident had burned itself into her memory. Anna was barely getting by, she needed to do what she could to help out. This was something reasonable and practical. She just wanted to wait until Anna was there before she told her about it. That way she couldn't make up an excuse and end the call, she'd be trapped for a month until she gave in and accepted the extravagant gesture.

"It's just a bit much for a gift."

"You bought me a ten thousand dollar necklace last year."

"Well yeah," Tiana scoffed, nervously glancing down. "It was really pretty. Just like you."

"I'm just saying, we can buy nice things for the people we love."

"All right. Why don't we just pay for her mortgage then?"

Elsa glared at her. Portland was expensive, a few hundred thousand was actually a bit much to spend on a present, even for them. "I want to have something physical to give her."

"Paperwork is physical."

"I do like paperwork."

"I know you do. Oh, speaking of, would you mind looking over this lease for a restaurant I'm buying out in Hawaii? I think the old owner was a lawyer because I can't make heads or tails of it."

That sufficiently distracted her from their old issue. She preferred court, but Elsa just loved the law. "Yeah, I can do that. You do realize I'm your lawyer, right?"

"But I don't want to bring you on for this purchase, it's just a minor thing."

Chuckling lightly, Elsa shook her head. "Fine, you can just be under the desk while I do it then."

"I'm not sure that will result in your best work, but it is a pretty enjoyable compromise. All right, you have yourself a deal." She held her hand out to Elsa.

Elsa shook the proffered hand. "Not going to sign with your tongue?"

"That's for later."

The waitress returned, holding a heavy platter of their substantial portions. Elsa's mouth watered when she beheld the ribeye. She'd probably had a little too much steak the last few months, but this one looked particularly amazing. She inhaled its aroma, the seasoning mixing perfectly with the natural flavor of the meat.

Tiana seemed to be almost orgasmic over her lamb. Food always seemed to do it for her. Elsa sometimes wondered if it was more of a fetish than just professional curiosity. "It looks heavenly," Tiana moaned.

I think it's a fetish. Maybe that's why she's such a good chef. She literally gets off on it. Tiana could spend all the time she wanted marveling over the culinary marvel of their food, but Elsa was hungry. She forked a heaping bite into her mouth. It almost melted on her tongue. This is a damn good ribeye.

Tiana let out a satisfied moan as she tasted the lamb chop. "I forgot how much I love this place. I wonder who their butcher is. I think my marinade beats their seasoning, but this is just the perfect cut of meat. How's yours?"

"Great." Even after all this time, Elsa was still no gourmet.

"I'm glad. Can I have a bite?"

"Like you weren't going to anyway."

An eager grin spread across her face as she seized a portion of Elsa's beef, savoring the flavor on her tongue. She didn't moan this time, but Elsa had seen similar expressions in more intimate moments. "Their porterhouse is better, seasoning is perfect, and the cut is great, but I think my ribeye is better."

"Then make ribeye when Anna's here. I have been craving it constantly of late. You could make it every day for a week and I'd be okay." Well, maybe the seventh time would be a bit old, but the way Tiana cooks I'm sure she'd manage to keep it fresh each time.

"Not every day, but I just might. That reminds me, I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, we're starting to run low on a few things."

Elsa couldn't recall the last time she had needed to go grocery shopping herself. Tiana had every supply she could ever need shipped to their house regularly. It was a little scary how their cupboards seemed to always remain exactly as full no matter what she did. "You're not just gonna have someone pick them up?"

"I don't trust anyone with this. I need to go to my butcher and find the perfect cut for your sister."

"Tiana," Elsa growled.

"For her birthday dinner, Elsa. That's all, I promise."

"Of course." Elsa leaned back in her seat, doing her best to make the ribeye las. She wanted to taste it, maybe not quite to the degree Tiana would, but to actually savor each bite and each individual flavor. Maybe she could understand Tiana a bit better that way, but more importantly, it would mean that the steak wouldn't just suddenly be gone when she wanted another bite.

"Honey, I'm serious." She shoved a piece of lamb onto Elsa's plate. "I said I'd stop it; that just came out wrong. I don't want to be with anyone else."

That was a bit hard to believe. Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

Tiana stared up at the ceiling. Elsa could swear she saw a tear in her eye. "Am I really that bad? Fuck, Elsa." She sighed, placing her head in her hands and taking a couple deep breaths before leaning back against her chair. "For years I didn't want to make any time for a relationship. I'd flirt, occasionally have flings, but that was it."

"I know," she muttered.

"I know you know, I'm getting to something. Work was all that mattered to me, but, you know, sometimes I'd want some company, so I became a pretty excessive flirt because that's all it was to me. Then I met you. For the first time in so incredibly long, I met someone who actually made me care about something that wasn't work. I didn't have that many friends growing up, and my father was always working, but he was doing it to help me save up, and to look after me because we both knew that I had a dream that I wanted to accomplish, so that was it for me. My whole life, I was just focused on that one thing. Then I saw you. I'd had attempts at relationships before, but none of them could handle my drive, my long hours, or that they'd always be second fiddle to my real passion. Not only were you able to handle it all, but, I found that you weren't second fiddle, you were absolutely the lead violinist. Maybe you were tied sometimes, I know I acted like it, but I care about you –" she hesitated, trying to force the words out. This was clearly difficult for her. "More than I care about my business."

Elsa found tears welling up in her own eyes. Now I feel awful for just how much I have been resenting her absence. "You'd never told me all that."

"Flirting's a lot easier. I joke, I play, I flirt, and all of my other energy goes into work. You've put up with that for a long time. No one has ever meant to me what you mean to me, Elsa. I love you, with every fiber of my being." Her gaze fell back to her lap and she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll stop."

Elsa choked back a sob, reaching her hand across the table. "I'm sorry."

Her head flew back up, her eyes wide. "No, you don't have to be sorry for anything. I'm the one who's been a complete ass." She reached for Elsa's hand, gripping it tightly, clinging on desperately. "Please say you can forgive me. I promise I'll stop completely, not just Anna, everyone."

"Even Anya?"

"I mean it, Elsa. I'm just not good at being all romantic. I'm trying here because you're absolutely worth it and you deserve it." She shuddered, trying to blink away newly formed tears."

Elsa interlaced her fingers with Tiana's. "Okay. I believe you. Thank you."

Chewing on her lip, Tiana's gaze fell back to her food. "Why do you put up with me?"

"Well, you make really good food."

She snickered, a smile starting to form.

"And you're great in bed."

"I am, aren't I?"

Elsa smiled back, bringing Tiana's hand to her lips. "So, now that we've gotten all emotional, I'm gonna eat my steak before it gets cold."

"That is completely fair." Reluctantly taking her hand back, Tiana shoved a few more

bites worth of lamb onto Elsa's plate. Wow, she must really love me. "The lamb's really good too."

"Isn't it always?" She took a bite. It was absolutely amazing. Her ribeye was still better, but just barely. She swore she'd had it before, but she didn't remember it being this delicious. "Okay, this is damn good."

"Right? I think they may have adjusted the recipe a bit, or maybe it's just their butcher. I seriously want to find him, he's perfect."

"You are obsessed."

"With you. And also with cooking, I can admit that."

Elsa smiled down at her steak, guiding a nice crisp corner piece to her mouth. We really are perfect for each other. We're both terrible at intimacy and completely addicted to our jobs to a point that has to be well past unhealthy. Maybe now that I really understand how much she cares I can handle her absence better. Maybe it won't get to me as much.

"Are you two ladies going to want dessert?" The waitress asked, stirring Elsa from her thoughts.

"Yeah, we'll get the pecan pie," Elsa replied before Tiana had a chance to answer. She knew that her girlfriend could never resist some good comfort food. Tiana's grin showed her that she'd ordered perfectly.

"Also, are you Tiana Rose?" Oh great.

The smirk turning into a knowing smile, Tiana nodded. "I am."

"I'm such a huge fan. You gave me the courage to come out to my parents, and to pursue my dreams. Do you think there's any way I could get your autograph?"

Now just watch her try to invite her home. Just because I agreed to it one time. "Sure. I'm glad I could be a good influence, that's always the goal." Well, that was professional.

"Thank you." She held out her notepad.

"What's your name?"

"Tania. I know, it's kinda close to yours." She blushed, hugging herself, as her gaze turned downward. She definitely has a crush.

"Tania, always follow your dreams, your friend, Tiana."

Elsa blinked. That was a hell of a lot more wholesome than Tiana's autographs to gay girls tended to be. If they weren't leaving red-faced, then Tiana didn't seem to see the point in it.

"Thank you so much. I'll tell them it's your birthday so the dessert will be free." She ran off to put the order in.

Tiana shoved the last of her lamb into her mouth before staring at Elsa. She swallowed and set the fork down, quirking her head slightly. "Yes? You've been staring at me since she showed up."

Elsa shook her head. Tiana really was willing to change. "I love you."

Giggling, Tiana's foot brushed against Elsa's thigh. "I love you too."

After a birthday song accompanied by some clapping, they were given a massive slice of pecan pie with a heaping helping of some house-made whip cream. The pair made quick work of the dessert. "I hadn't had their pecan pie before," Tiana mused. "It's really good."

"Oh, so you liked it? I thought there must have been a reason you almost ate my hand when I grabbed a bite."

"There was whip cream on your hand. It looked delicious."

"Oh, we have some whip cream at home, anything else you'd like to lick it off of?" Elsa smirked, the thought of her girlfriend's tongue dragging along her sending some very pleasant images, as well as a warm feeling flowing down from her stomach. She'd had a pretty big dinner, it'd be a shame not to get a workout in.

"Sounds like heaven."

The second Elsa started to look around for her, Tania brought them their check. "Looks like you liked the pie."

"We did," Tiana agreed, smiling chastely at her.

"Well, I'm glad."

Elsa reached for the check, but Tiana immediately snatched it, placing a hundred dollar bill in it. "Let's get out of here," she suggested, as soon as the waitress walked away. Her eyes exploring her body was all the urging Elsa needed.

They sat in traffic for a while, listening to a jazz musician that Tiana had been considering for one of her establishments. It wasn't common, but he'd volunteered, and Tiana had been curious about him. The music was good enough that by the time they arrived back home, they'd both agreed that he was worth the fairly minimal paycheck he'd require.

Walking into the kitchen, Elsa assumed to grab that whip cream, Tiana stopped dead, her back turned to Elsa as her hand dropped to her pocket. "I'd been meaning to do this at dinner, it just never really seemed like the right time."

"Oh?" Elsa asked, leaning against their island. "What is it?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while. I love you, Elsa."

Oh. Elsa swallowed. She didn't mean – did she? I know we've been together for five years, and I guess I don't really see that ever stopping. I love her so much, but this? Do we really still even want the same things? She wants kids, I don't, she wants to keep focusing all of her energy on work, I want us to make more time for each other.

Tiana took in a shaky breath, turning around, not quite able to meet Elsa's eyes. "Being with you has made me the luckiest woman in the world. I love you more than I ever could have imagined, Elsa."

"I love you too, Tiana." She is doing it. Do I really want this? Does she even really want this? I know she thinks it's time to settle down and raise a family, but that's not the same. She said earlier that she thinks we should wait on kids, but I don't think I'll ever come around on that.

Her eyes finally met Elsa's, and Tiana knelt down on one knee before her. Yep, this is happening. Her hand emerged from her pocket, holding a small box. "You're my everything, Elsa. I've made my every other dream come true; please make this last one real for me too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She opened the box, revealing an exquisite diamond adorning a minimalist steel ring. "Will you marry me?"

Elsa froze, her thoughts abandoning her. She found herself tearing up. As much as she'd always told herself that she wasn't the marrying type, that this wasn't what she wanted, in the moment, seeing the woman she loved there, asking that one question, all she could think about was how wonderful it all sounded, how badly she really did want to be with her forever. "Yes."