Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or any other recognizable things in this fic. The list of things I own is very small and none of them make me any money.

Warning: Contains large amounts of fluff. May contain equal amounts of angst. I have no idea if either of those assessments are accurate. You should definitely read Scheherazade first, if you haven't already. And I've lost control of my life. I think that covers the warnings. Oh, and sorry this is so long. Again. See previous statement about losing control of my life.

For some reason, Anna expected things to go back to the way they were before. Texting and talking when they had the chance, date night when they were both free, and snuggling up together as much as possible on the couch in Anna's living room. In her head, it made sense; go with what worked, live in the moment.

Just because they were going to be more honest with each other didn't mean anything had changed, right?

Rushing out of the restaurant, Anna didn't even bother removing her apron, more concerned with hopping into her vehicle and hitting the road. Elsa was already off work, there was about half an hour left until midnight, and Anna was not going to miss ringing in the New Year the right way. That meant she had better places to be than work but, once again, she was at the mercy of her schedule.

After cranking over her car and sparking a thought to wishing she had auto-start to warm it up quicker, Anna checked the last few texts she received from Elsa. She'd invited the blonde over to her apartment to celebrate, seeing as Kristoff was over at Eugene's yet again, but got caught up in finishing out her shift and hadn't checked the replies.

Instead of the 'sure' or 'yes' or other affirmative response she'd been expecting, the first text was on offer for an alternate meeting place.

The second was an unfamiliar address with some sort of code.

The third offered clarification for the previous text: the address was Elsa's and the code was for the gate.

The fourth was a reminder that it was up to Anna, either way was fine for the blonde.

It might just be easier for Elsa to go to Anna's.

But it was the redhead's decision, ultimately.

With a shake of her head and a fond smile, Anna dialed Elsa's number, figuring a quick phone conversation would be far easier than texting at this point. It was still a little strange to see Elsa unbalanced- she always seemed so exceptionally composed, a trait Anna both envied and admired- but, ever since they parted ways on the morning after Christmas, the blonde had the tendency to be a bit... nervous, for some reason. Unnecessarily so.

"H-hey, Sunshine." Elsa answered the phone quickly, and Anna could just picture her with a shy smile on her lips and a light blush on her cheeks. "Did you... uh-"

"I got your texts, Snowflake." Anna tried to keep the giddy laugh she could feel bubbling up out of her voice. "I wanted to let you know I just got off work, so I'm heading your way. See you in fifteen?"

"Can't wait," the blonde replied dreamily, before adding in a more serious tone. "But please be careful."

"Yes, Ma'am." The redhead ended the call and threw her car into reverse, driving as quickly and safely as she could to Elsa's place. Thankfully, though the neighborhood itself was unfamiliar to Anna, she had a pretty good idea of where it was and it was much closer to the restaurant than her own apartment.

She didn't anticipate road closures, though, and using the GPS in her phone was only partially helpful. Not to mention dodging drunken idiots who ran through the residential streets with wild abandoned. By the time she actually made it to the address Elsa sent her, there were barely two minutes left until midnight.

Once she arrived at the gated apartment complex, Anna punched in the number that accompanied Elsa's text a bit forcefully, her eye on the clock.

The voice she was hoping to hear crackled over the intercom. "Anna?"

"It's me, Snowflake! Let me in; we don't have much time!"

The gate opened painfully slowly and the redhead was tapping her thumbs against the steering wheel impatiently as the clock ticked down. The moment her car could squeeze through, Anna was moving through and heading into the complex. Her head was whipping side-to-side, trying to find the matching apartment number, but she hit the brakes as Elsa came running from one of the buildings. Throwing the vehicle in park, Anna practically kicked her door open and got caught in her seatbelt. Ripping free of the offensive belt, Elsa reached her just as she stood, and she wasted no time in wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. Anna mashed her lips to Elsa's, sighing in relief as arms encircled her shoulders.

She'd barely made it but the rush was totally worth it.

"Happy New Year, Snowflake," Anna said as they parted, her words soft as she gazed into the blonde's shining blue eyes. Elsa pulled away a little too quickly for the redhead's liking but the mischievous twinkle in those eyes kept her from protesting too loudly.

"Park over there." The blonde indicated a marked spot beside a beautiful, sleek, white VW Golf that had Anna cringing. Maybe she hadn't really acknowledged it but this was a relatively high end apartment complex; her poor Mini Cooper probably looked a little shabby next to such a nice vehicle. Before she could voice an objection, though, Elsa was gently pushing her into her driver's seat. "Come on, Sunshine."

"Right, right." Anna grinned like a goofball, pulling into the indicated spot and parking. She was still wearing her apron but Elsa didn't seem to mind, taking her by the hand and leading the way to her apartment on the second floor. The redhead felt a nervous sort of excitement bubbling up as they ascended the stairs; she'd always wondered about the blonde's living arrangements, but it was one of those taboo topics, so she tried not to think about it. It was still something of a shock, reconciling her previous perceptions of the blonde with reality, and as Elsa opened the door to her apartment, that reality pretty much smacked Anna over the head.

Okay, so, yeah, part of her totally expected Elsa's apartment to look like something out of an IKEA catalog, but she had no idea how someone made build-it-yourself furniture look classy. Or modern. Or somehow both at the same time- what, was Elsa secretly an interior designer, too? Anna really wouldn't be surprised.

"10! 9! 8! 7!"

What was surprising was the television, which was playing the countdown from New York City. Why were they only now dropping the ball?

"6! 5! 4!"

"Hey, Els-" The redhead cut off abruptly as her girlfriend guided her back against the closed door, pressing flush against her and trapping her like a hunter cornering her prey.

"3! 2! 1!"

"Your clock is fast, remember?" Elsa briefly explained before closing the distance, pressing their lips together again as the rest of the East Coast rang in the New Year. Anna once again wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, never one to complain about a show of affection and allowing herself to be swept away as Elsa's tongue gently prodded for entrance.

It was well into the new year before they parted, smiling like love drunk fools as they leaned against the apartment door for support.

"Happy New Year, Sunshine." Elsa whispered, placing a feather light kiss on the redhead's nose before drawing back, pulling Anna deeper into the apartment. The redhead finally rid herself of her work apron, slinging it across the arm of the couch before snuggling up beside Elsa.

The blonde, however, had other plans as her deft fingers began undoing Anna's tie, pulling the redhead down until they were lying on the couch. Elsa was the big spoon this time, one arm wrapped securely around Anna's waist while her lips lightly teased her girlfriend's ear and neck, skimming kisses and tiny nips along the sensitive skin.

Anna had to fight down the urge to giggle at the light touches, squirming ever so slightly as the assault continued. The only way to deter the blonde was by turning her head and intercepting Elsa's kisses, which lasted a few more minutes while the TV continued on in the background, completely ignored by both women.

This time, Anna put an end to the affectionate exchange, feeling the familiar tide of arousal rising within her. As much as her body seemed to be totally okay with taking things to the next level, the redhead still had her reservations about... getting intimate with Elsa. They were pretty much restarting their relationship- kinda, seeing as Anna was only now learning things about the blonde that she'd secretly been dying to know- so she really shouldn't be so willing to jump to that stage quite yet.

It was one of those rare times when her willpower was actually strong enough to resist temptation.

"Hey there," Anna said softly, raising a hand to brush a few pale blonde locked behind Elsa's ear. "What's this all about?"

"Hm?" Elsa raised a brow, feigning innocence. "What do you mean?"

"You're being very affectionate." Anna quickly wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist to keep the blonde close even as she drew back slightly. "I'm not complaining!" She ducked in close, placing a chaste kiss on her blushing cheek. "I'm just, ya know, making an observation."

The blonde shrugged. "Maybe I'm just making up for lost time."

Anna pushed herself up with one arm so she could get a better look at her girlfriend and read her body language a little more accurately. "I sense an ulterior motive."

"You're being paranoid," Elsa replied, frowning slightly.

But Anna wasn't buying it; something was off. Out of habit, the redhead glanced around- living with Kristoff, who kept people like Eugene in his circle of friends, had taught her a thing or two about sneak attacks- but found herself doing a double take in the direction of what she could only assume to be the blonde's bedroom.

"Is that a Titanfall poster?" Anna wasn't much of a gamer herself, at least not when it came to the latest and greatest in online multiplayer- give her a group of friends and a Nintendo 64 any day, she could tear up Mario Kart and Golden Eye- but she wasn't completely ignorant to what was relatively popular.

Given the blush Elsa was now sporting, she'd probably found exactly what was making the blonde so nervous. The muttered words only cemented the redhead's suspicions. "I could've sworn I shut that door."

"So, you're a gamer, huh?" She looked down at her girlfriend sporting a lopsided grin.

"I don't think the title is wholly appropriate." Elsa protested, avoiding eye contact while apparently trying to dissolve into the couch. "I play the ones that appeal to me."

"And first person shooters appeal to you?" Anna raised a brow, settling back onto the couch and leaning into Elsa's embrace. "Or are you just a big fan of MMOs in general?"

"The latter," she mumbled in reply, a ghost of a smile flickering across her features. "I like cooperative gameplay that grants me a certain level of anonymity. I started playing as a teen in Norway and it's just... fun." Her gaze darted away. "My mother never approved."

"Well, she was silly. There's nothing wrong with playing video games... though, honestly, I would've pegged you for the type to favor those really involved, story driven RPGs." Anna paused, wracking her brain for a good example. "Like, uh... Final Fantasy, or something." She smiled when Elsa looked away. "Okay, so you like those too. What else?"

Elsa snuck a glance at her, meeting her gaze fully once she confirmed the redhead wasn't teasing her but rather genuinely interested. "You really want to know?"

"Of course!" Anna leaned in for a quick peck on Elsa's cheek, continuing in a slightly subdued volume. "There's nothing about you I don't want to know!"

Elsa stared at her a moment in obvious wonder. Then, she smirked, the look in her eyes exactly like that first day in the coffee shop, cool and confident and sexy and somewhere in the back of her mind Anna felt starstruck with wonder all over again at how such an amazing woman would even pay her the time of day.

"Alright, then. Get up." The blonde pushed her gently. "Come on."

"Okay, okay! So bossy today." Anna laughed, twisting around to set her feet on the floor. Once she was standing, she offered Elsa her hand, helping her girlfriend off the couch and allowing herself to be led towards the room with the poster.

Sure enough, it was the apartment's master bedroom, and Anna could feel the childlike glee shine through as she looked around. Everything she expected to be there, was: multiple gaming platforms, a wide screen, wall mounted television, a desktop with an obviously custom built CPU, and three bookcases against one wall overflowing with books of varying sizes.

Of course, the Complacency of the Learned books were over on the desk rather than the bookcases, probably because they would take up too much room on the limited shelves. The posters on the walls varied, relating to either video games or CotL and various little bobbles from what Anna could only assumed to be other countries were scattered around the flat surfaces.

There was also a full sized bed with a powder blue comforter tucked into the corner, with a stuffed snowman by the pillow. It was only after seeing the size of the bed in comparison to the room than Anna really noticed how large the blonde's apartment was; heck, it was probably twice the size of the one she shared with Kristoff!

She turned to Elsa, pulling her into a loose embrace, nuzzling into the blonde to buy herself some time. She suspected that whatever she said next would dictate the rest of the night and possibly even longer than that.

She had to choose her words carefully.

"Thank you for sharing this with me," Anna whispered, pressing her lips just beneath her girlfriend's ear.

It took a bit of effort to refrain from doing a happy dance as Elsa relaxed in her arms.

"You're really not mad?"

"Not one little bit," she replied, drawing back so she could rest her forehead against the blonde's. "I told you, Elsa, and I meant it; being with you means more to me than any amount of material wealth." She stole another kiss, lowering her voice slightly as she took Elsa's hands in hers. "There's no price tag on this."

Elsa cracked a wide smile, a light blush coming to her cheeks. Anna had the sneaking suspicion that there was something more to the blonde's nervousness but her stomach decided to speak up at that moment, growling rather loudly. The restaurant had been a bit busy during her shift, so she'd had to skip on dinner.

"S-sorry about that." Anna cringed slightly but was led back into the living room by Elsa.

"I actually picked up your favorite from Tony's earlier." Elsa led her back towards the living room. "Let's heat it up and watch a movie."

"You have something in mind?"

Anna barely kept herself from running into Elsa as the blonde stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide.

"Snowflake?" The redhead furrowed her brows, squeezing the hand still in hers. "Something wrong?"

"I just realized most of the movies I own are in Norwegian," the blonde replied, putting a hand to her forehead and groaning.

"That's fine!" The redhead smiled, taking the lead this time. "Maybe you can teach me some Norwegian while we watch?"

The blonde blinked in surprise, laughing as they returned to the living room. "I can teach you but, for tonight, I think we'll just have to settle for subtitles. Just sit down on the couch and let me set everything up."

"I can help."

"You could, but it's my turn to play the host." Elsa pushed her down onto the couch, gently kissing her forehead before heading towards the kitchen. "So sit, stay, and be a good girl."

"Do I get a treat if I do?" Anna grinned, watching as the blonde left.

Elsa paused before entering the kitchen proper, throwing a smirk and a wink over her shoulder, her voice taking on a sultry tone. "Of course."

Anna was left in the living room alone, blushing as she tried to keep her mind from running away from her into corridors best not traveled.

This woman was going to be the death of her, she swore.

Anna paced in the living room, her hands flitting around uselessly- smoothing out her jeans, straightening her jacket, unbraiding and rebraiding her hair, literally anything and everything that didn't need to be done- as she kept glancing at the clock. Kristoff had left ten minutes ago to head over to Eugene's like they'd agreed and that left the redhead a tad more nervous than usual.

He'd told her- several times, in fact- that she was psyching herself out, that everything would be fine, pointing out how this wasn't their first date and she really had nothing to be worried about. Except, it was their first date of the new year and their first official date since Christmas. To her, the night at Elsa's apartment for New Year's didn't count, even if she did end up spending the night. It was a spur of the moment thing.

More importantly, it was the date- the super special one Anna had originally planned for their first date. In hindsight, she wondered how different things would've been if she'd started their relationship off like this as opposed to the slow and steady build-up but speculation like that wouldn't do her any favors. Especially not when it was so close to Elsa arriving.

She really hoped she didn't screw this up.

Though they'd fallen back into their usual routine, calling each other and spending what days they could together, there was still something lurking in the blonde's eyes that she couldn't place. Some sort of lingering concern, unrelated to Elsa's finances. After some silly, harmless teasing about her apartment, Elsa seemed to accept that Anna didn't bear a grudge for her girlfriend's apparent lack of funds early on in their relationship. Honestly, the redhead hardly considered it something worth noting; she was more relieved than anything to find out the blonde lived quite comfortably. Yet, even after New Year's, something was still bothering the blonde, causing her to be nervous for no obvious reason. At least, not obvious to Anna, and the uncertainty was driving the redhead mad with second guessing herself.

That's why this had to go perfectly. She wanted whatever was bothering Elsa to go away. Completely. Something that would show her girlfriend just how much she cared and a taste of the effort she was ready and willing to put into their relationship.

All she had to do was not screw it up.

The doorbell brought her attention to the door, her resolve suddenly becoming solid as a smile came to her lips. Even if she was ascribing a a significant amount of importance to this date, being able to go on a date with Elsa- with the woman who knew- was still something she was extremely excited about, something new and... well, still a bit unexpected.

With a winning smile, she opened the door, wrapping her arms around Elsa the moment she could and greeting her with a kiss.

"Now who's being 'overly affectionate'?" Elsa teased, laughing with the redhead as they stepped into her apartment. However, before Elsa could shrug off her jean jacket, Anna stopped her. "We're not staying in tonight?"

"Nope!" Anna ducked into the kitchen, grabbing the box she'd set up earlier. She would've preferred something closer to a picnic basket but worked with what was readily available; everything else was already packed up in her car. "C'mon, we're going somewhere special!"

Her girlfriend cocked her head to the side curiously but followed Anna without question. That she trusted her so much filled the redhead's chest with warmth, which spread throughout her body as they loaded up and left. Just before turning onto the street, Anna discreetly sent off a quick text to Kristoff.

Anna drove them to the city limits, near the airport, to a very special place that she'd found during her Freshman year with Kristoff. There was a park built back when the airport first opened, with benches and twenty-five cent telescopes to watch the planes takeoff and land, far enough away for the sound of the engines to be a dull roar and backed by the river that ran between the airport and city. People didn't go there often anymore, seeing as all the scopes were removed a few years back and there wasn't much to do otherwise, but Anna still thought the view was amazing. Judging from Elsa's smile, Anna guessed she agreed as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Here we are!" She announced, pulling the key from the ignition and opened her door, gathering the box and a blanket from the back before leading Elsa over to one of the benches.

Taking her cue, Elsa grabbed the blanket and spread it over the bench's back and seat. The two sat down, digging into the box and pulling out sandwiches Anna had prepared, wrapped in plastic. Anna pulled out a thermos, pouring its content into styrofoam cups for Elsa and herself.

The blonde took one sip before moaning in delight. "Hot chocolate."

Anna smiled, setting the box aside and scooting closer so she and Elsa could sit side-by-side, their arms and thighs touching with every movement. She brushed off Elsa's quirked eyebrow with the excuse that it was a bit chilly outside and they should share warmth.

They ate most of their meal in relative silence, punctuated when one or the other would point out an airplane. Elsa would immediately come up with a story for someone on board- a musician looking for a new start, a mother returning to her family after a long business trip, a tourist setting foot in America for the first time- and the two would laugh over whatever unforeseen complication Anna suggested that would certainly lead to some manner of hilarious hi-jinks. Dessert, of course, was a small chocolate cake Anna picked up from a local bakery.

They sat there for a while, watching the planes and making up stories while the redhead checked her watch every five minutes. When the time was right, Anna got up from the bench, taking Elsa's hand in hers and grabbing the blanket with the other. She relocated them on the other side of the park, on a steep hill that faced the river and city beyond, throwing down the blanket and snuggling up with the blonde as soon as they were reclined on it.

Now Elsa was more than a little suspicious. "Any particular reason we moved?"

Anna grinned, nodding towards the city. "Do you like the view?"

Warily, Elsa turned her gaze to examine the view a little more closely, and Anna couldn't have timed it better if she tried. After only a few seconds of examination, the blonde was turning back towards Anna when something caught her eye.

A white light shot up, exploding into a giant blue, sparkling circle, reflecting off the river's surface as it lazily passed. As it began to fade from the sky, more fireworks exploding in an impromptu display. They were just little bottle rockets- nothing like the professional displays during New Year's or Fourth of July celebrations- but Elsa was smiling wide, watching the display with rapt attention. The sky continued exploding in blue and white, culminating in a pointed star that looked like a snowflake if you looked at it right. How Eugene had found it was beyond Anna but it was entirely worth it for the look Elsa gave her once it faded away.

"That was all for me, huh?" Elsa shifted closer, touching their foreheads together.

Anna puffed out a laugh. "Of course. You're my one and only Snowflake."

The blonde smiled, leaning in the rest of the way to capture Anna's lips in a passionate kiss. The redhead accepted the display of affection with enthusiasm, rolling slightly so she was hovering over Elsa, weight supported on her elbows and knees.

When they finally parted for air, Anna had to blink her world back into focus, half certain she was suffering the effects of oxygen deprivation. However, when she could properly focus on Elsa's beaming smile and lively eyes, the redhead couldn't help the goofy grin splitting her face.

Definitely worth a little lightheadedness.

"Any other surprises planned, Sunshine?"

"Just one," Anna replied, winking as she got to her knees, offering her hand to help the blonde to her feet. Gathering up the blanket, the two walked back up the hill while Anna spoke, keeping her voice soft. "You remember when you asked me about my favorite type of movie?"

"Of course; you said romantic comedies." Elsa answered immediately, quirking her lip into a smirk. "Ones with copious amounts of sap and cheese, if I recall correctly."

"As a matter of fact, you do." They finished climbing the hill and Anna promptly dropped the blanket, pulling Elsa close to her as she set one hand on the blonde's hip. Her other hand was still lightly holding Elsa's in classic dancing position, earning her a pleasantly bemused look from the woman in her arms as she set her other hand on Anna's shoulder, until the light picking of guitar strings filled the night air. "But I also love musicals."

It took a moment for the notes to form a melody and a few seconds longer for Elsa to place a name to it, recognition sparking in her eyes. By that point, a harmony of voices began to sing, softly and slowly like the original recording rather than the dozens upon dozens of covers.

"Wise mean say only fools rush in..."

Anna pulled Elsa along, keeping their steps simple- not because she doubted the blonde's ability to dance; she didn't trust her own coordination enough to do anything complicated- and embarrassingly close to simply swaying side-to-side like teens at their first high school dance. Judging by the soft, warm look in Elsa's eyes, she doubted her girlfriend was going to hold it against her.

"...but I can't help falling in love with you."

Elsa released her hand, sliding both of hers around the redhead's neck as she drew their bodies flush together. Anna quickly accepted the change, putting her now empty hand on the blonde's other hip and smiling as their foreheads touched.

"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you."

As her girlfriend's eyes slid closed, Anna stole a glance towards the parking lot, flashing a victorious smile at her group of friends. Kristoff was playing the guitar and singing along with Eugene, his girlfriend Rapunzel, and a few of their college friends who just happened to have pretty good singing voices.

"Like a river flows, surely to the sea, Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be."

Anna slid her hands around to Elsa's back, laying her head on the taller woman's shoulder and reveling in the warmth of her embrace. Sure, the night was starting to get pretty chilly and she would probably start shivering soon, but she really could just stay in this moment forever. Well, maybe not this moment she thought as she tilted her head so she could sing softly into the blonde's ear.

"Take my hand." She smiled as she felt Elsa jump slightly in her arms and relax instantly. "Take my whole life too."

Just like she'd secretly hoped, Elsa joined her on the next line, breath tickling her ear.

"For I can't help falling in love with you."

Yeah, this moment she could live in forever. Absolutely.

As the song continued, neither of them sang, content to simply hum along with the melody and sway gently. It wasn't until a few moments after the song ended, when she heard the side door slid open on Eugene's crappy van, that they stopped, drawing back to look into each other's eyes.

"This is by far the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," Elsa said, her voice thick with emotion as her eyes began to water. Anna raised one hand, brushing her thumb over the blonde's cheek to catch a single tear that slipped out. "Why?"

"Because someone as special as you deserves the effort," Anna replied, smiling. "Because you deserve to hear me say it as often as you want to hear it." She lowered her voice slightly. "And because it's true. I'm falling in love with you, Snowflake."

Some part of her wished she could say the actual phrase- three measly, one syllable words, it shouldn't be difficult- but there was still a bit of hesitance on her part. She'd learned the power of those words around the same time she began to learn how different she was; she'd also learned how those words could absolutely break her if said too early.

And something about her smile, her gentle laugh, and the way she pulled Anna in for a kiss told the redhead that Elsa understood that perfectly. "I'm falling in love with you, too, Sunshine."

Maybe it wasn't the three little words everyone always wanted to hear... but damnit if the fluttering in her chest was any less for it. Her heart, apparently, couldn't tell the difference, and she couldn't bring herself to complain as they quickly gathered the blanket and box, and went back to Anna's apartment, sharing quiet smiles and brief kisses the whole while. They even held hands while Anna drove, and some little voice in the back of her head was extremely proud of how everything turned out. Certainly, this would put to bed any lingering doubts the blonde had.

Right?

"She hates me." Anna bemoaned, sinking further into the couch and drawing her knees up to her chest. Beside her, Kristoff shrugged unhelpfully, tossing some more buttered popcorn into his mouth. "I'm being serious here, Kris!"

"No, you're being over-dramatic." The blond kept his gaze on the TV, which was playing some awful, low budget, stupid horror flick. "She's at work."

"I don't mean just today! She's been acting weird all week." The redhead worried her lip with her teeth, checking her phone again just in case she hadn't heard it go off. "Something's wrong."

"At the expense of coming off like a broken record," Kristoff drawled, lolling his head to the side and squinting at her suspiciously. "Have you tried asking her what's up?"

The redhead furrowed her brow, hugging her legs. "Actually, I did try asking her if everything was okay."

"And?"

"She said everything was fine, nothing to worry about, and she was just tired." Anna sighed, checking her phone again. "But it's not like her to ignore my texts and she's been acting... kinda distant the past few times we've talked."

Kristoff shrugged again. "Maybe she's just really busy. When's your next date?"

"Tomorrow night." She tried ending her reply there. Really, she did, but the words came unbidden. "At least, I think we're still on for tomorrow night. I have the night off from work, and I don't have any coursework, but we usually talk about the place and time beforehand and she hasn't made any effort to do any of that!" The redhead ran a hand through her hair, which was out of her customary twin plaits, and growled. "I don't even know what I did wrong!"

Her best friend shrugged, munching away on the popcorn some more. "Maybe it's her time of the month?"

It took him a moment to notice her withering glare, at which point he put his hands up in surrender.

"Look, if I'm not being helpful, you've got two options for some decent input," Kristoff said, pointing towards her phone. "Either call Rapunzel or call your mom. Heck, you could even call my mom if you want." He spread his hands helplessly. "I'm just saying: this sounds like a distinctly 'chick' issue and I think you need a strictly chick outlook on it." He frowned. "I want to help you, I really do, Feisty Pants. I just don't think I can, okay?"

With a sigh, Anna nodded, retreating to her room with her phone clutched in one hand. As much as she liked Rapunzel, they weren't close enough friends for, ah, full disclosure quite yet.

That left her with one option.

Anna bit her lip, trying to imagine how this conversation was going to go even as the call waited to connect. She just had to stay focused on the issue and shoot her mother down when she, inevitably, started off down one of her tangents. Yeah, she could absolutely do this.

"Anna!" Her mother's voice came over the line. "Hey there, stranger! What's goin' on, what's happenin', how ya doin'?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, sitting on the edge of her bed and laughing in spite of her nervousness. "Hey, Mom. I'm fine, how are you?"

"Uh oh. Something happened." It was a statement, not a question, and there was no denying anything at this point. Her mother wouldn't let it go until she fessed up anyway, and the entire point for this call was to ask advice, so might as well dive into it. "Do you wanna talk about it, Honey?"

"Um, yeah, actually." The redhead sighed, slumping slightly as she began her tale, pulling the phone away from her ear for the various shouts of surprise her mother emitted. Her dad was the quiet, subdued type, but her mom most certainly wasn't. That this was the first time Anna was mentioning her girlfriend to her mother was probably a less than ideal situation but, well, she didn't want to jinx it. She typically told her parents whenever she was dating but none of those relationships had lasted; Elsa was the exception. The way her mother was going on, though, it was as if they'd already gone and eloped. "Mom?"

"I'm still here, Honey, I'm just so happy for you! You've got a girl!" Her mother laughed, sobering up only slightly as she continued. "But seriously, Sweetie, what's wrong? It sounds like everything's going well!"

"I thought so too!" She groaned, flinging herself back onto her bed and staring at the ceiling. "But she's been acting weird, ever since..."

She trailed off and there was a beat of silence.

"You did something big, didn't you?" She could hear the smile on her mother's lips and cringed.

"It was just a date! I mean, yeah, I put a lot of effort into making it special and everything, but that's because I wanted to show her that I care! Now, it's like she's... avoiding me." She shut her eyes tight, running a hand over her face. "I just don't know what I did wrong and she keeps saying she's fine!"

"Hold on, back up a bit, Sweetheart. What exactly did you ask her?"

"What?"

"Anna, dear, think about it." Her mother explained in that patient, motherly tone she'd practically used through every moment of her daughter's teen years. "You said she's the daughter of a CEO, who's basically been trained all her life to take her father's position, right?"

"Yeah."

"Dear, take it from someone who knows: when you talk to someone well versed in business etiquette, you have to take some things literally, just like a contract. What were your exact words?"

Anna furrowed her brows. "I said 'hey, are you alright? You sound stressed' and then she said 'it's nothing really, I haven't been sleeping well'. Then I asked her if she was sure and she said that there was something on her mind but she needed to work through it on her own. I tried asking her about it but she said that it wasn't anything I could help her with, so we talked about silly stuff for the rest of the night."

"And that was when, exactly?"

"Like, a week after our date."

Her mom hummed in acknowledgment. "I think I might see the problem."

"Really?" Anna sat up, a smile on her lips. "How can I fix it? What do I need to do?"

"Nothing different from what you've been doing, Sweetie," her mother replied, causing her smile to drop into a frown. "If my hunch is right, there's nothing you can do except continue being supportive."

"There has to be something." Anna once again pulled her knees up into her chest. "We promised to be honest with each other and she's hiding something. She's been acting so distant-"

"So, continue being there for her, but give her the space she needs. She already shared her lineage with you and, from what you've explained, that's a pretty big step for her, considering she moved across an ocean in order to be free of that identity." Her mother sighed. "Anna, as much as I hate to put it like this, I think the problem is pretty obvious."

"Well, can you explain it to me? I just want to help!"

"Sweetie... have you talked about sex with her yet?"

"No, well, kinda yes- it's a bit complicated, I guess, wait, what?" Anna blinked rapidly. "Where are you going with this?"

"Well, given how well things are going- and that both of you have been more honest with each other than any previous partners- don't you think it's about time for you two to get intimate?"

Anna slowly pulled her phone away from her ear, stared at it a moment, then brought it back. She would've loved to make some sort of coherent reply, preferably an intelligent one, but there was too much going on in her head because of that one question. Part of her was actually taking the question as a valid point while another part was screeching about moving way too fast and how dare her mother try to put any pressure on them while yet another part really just wanted to hang up and call Elsa, not to ask about... that but to retreat to anywhere that wasn't this conversation.

Her mother had the tendency to be unforgivably blunt. Kristoff was well aware of this. The only conclusion she could draw was that he knew exactly what was going on and set her up.

"Honey, look at this from her perspective." There was that patient tone again; she must've guessed her daughter was having trouble processing anything at the moment. "I think you've made it quite clear that you both care about each other, but she met you thinking you were equipped like she is. Now, she might absolutely adore you, but the reality is you're dating a lesbian. She might still be working through reconciling her feelings for you with her sexual orientation."

Anna stared dumbly at nothing before her eyes slid closed, sighing in defeat. It stung how obvious that was and how foolish she was for not at least considering it before. When Elsa had admitted Anna's secret wasn't as secret as the redhead thought, she'd assumed that meant the blonde was entirely okay with it. But her girlfriend had never said as much or made any contact or gestures to suggest she was, aside from a few seductive winks, smirks, and teases.

Of course it couldn't be that easy.

"Stop that, Anna." Her mother's voice turned stern. "I can practically hear you pouting over the phone."

"But-"

"It's just a theory right now, but it's something you should consider even if it's not what's bothering her. At the end of the day, whatever is on her mind will stay there until she works through it or until she decides to share it with you. Whining about it does no one any favors." There was a moment of silence before her mother continued. "Are you going to give up?"

"What? No!" Anna stood, beginning to pace her room as her mind raced. "I would never give up on Elsa!" She cringed. "I mean, I did, once, but she..." The redhead paused. "She came back for me. She could've walked away... but she still wanted to be with me." That suddenly struck the redhead hard. If there was any confusion on Elsa's part regarding her sexuality, Elsa still chose to stay with Anna and was relentless in that pursuit. "Mom, I can't just let her go!"

"Good. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

Anna opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself short, ceasing her pacing. She thought about it, replaying the entire relationship in her head at lightning speed to pick out details that would help.

"She fought for me; now, it's my turn."

"That's my girl." Her mother chuckled. "Let me know how it goes."

It took half an hour of brain storming before she had a plan.

The next night, Anna surveyed her apartment as she waited for Elsa to arrive. After getting off the phone with her mother, she quickly set about sending the blonde a message setting up their date. Putting all the responsibility on her girlfriend to make the plans was unfair, especially when she obviously had other things on her plate. Against her impulse, she'd opted for something simple- dinner and a movie at Anna's- and closer to their usual date night.

Whether or not her mother's hunch was correct, she needed to be supportive and patient. She was determined to do whatever she could to keep Elsa's affection, even if that meant backing off a bit. So, tonight was going to be an easy, laid back night together, just enjoying the other's presence.

Also, they were finally going to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. Though she was 'watching' it on Christmas when Elsa quite literally appeared out of nowhere, the two women quickly became wrapped up in each other and their conversation, paying little attention to the television.

She was actually really excited about this.

At the doorbell, Anna smiled reflexively, answering with her usual enthusiasm upon seeing the blonde on the other side.

"Hey, Snowflake! Come on in," Anna said, opening the door wider to admit her girlfriend. "How was work?"

Elsa sighed, offering a small smile as she shrugged out of her jean jacket. Although the blonde was wearing better kept clothing now- a snug fitting T-shirt and skinny jeans- she still wore the jacket Anna had gotten her for Christmas. Anna liked to think she would wear it even if they decided to get dressed up to go out; she definitely wouldn't miss out on the chance to quip about Elsa's fashion sense. "A little rough." She hesitated momentarily, then continued as she hung the jacket on the wall hook. "I never told you what I actually do, did I?"

"You mentioned it was part of your deal with your parents," Anna replied, ducking into the kitchen to grab plates. She'd already had pizza delivered before Elsa arrived and quickly loaded up two plates with slices. Elsa was behind her, grabbing glasses for their drinks as she continued.

"I had initially asked my father to work the lowest level but he decided to move me into management recently, to better prepare me he said." Elsa shook her head. "I've been working as a floor manager for a few weeks now. No one except the store's general manager knows who I am, so everyone's a bit... curious and upset about my sudden promotion. I don't blame them, it's just-"

"You didn't ask for it." Anna finished for her, glancing over her shoulder to catch Elsa's nod. They made their way to the couch, setting the plates and cups on the table and settling themselves down. Anna intentionally left some room between them. "But, it's not like you're bad at it or anything. They'll get used to it eventually."

"Oh, and you know this absolutely?" Elsa chuckled. "I'm still learning."

"I know you well enough, I think. Even if you're still learning, you're making an effort at every turn, and no one's upset that you got promoted, just a little irked that someone who's been there for such a short time was promoted." She picked up a piece, throwing a side long glance at the blonde beside her. "Am I right?"

Elsa bumped their shoulders together, taking a bite of her pizza in lieu of answering. They ate in silence for a few moments before Elsa spoke up. "It's not so bad, though, seeing things from the ground up. I spent my childhood at my father's side, attending board meetings and overseeing a global enterprise. Seeing everything from the opposite side of the pyramid, so to speak, is quite the experience."

"Are you getting ideas for things to change when you takeover?"

Elsa paused, pulling back from her slice of pizza and setting it down. She wiped her hands on a napkin, swiping at her mouth quickly before scooting closer to Anna. Automatically, the redhead leaned closer, accepting the arm wrapping around her shoulders with a wide smile.

"Do you think I should? Take my father's position, I mean."

"If that's what you want to do," Anna replied, snuggling into the blonde's embrace and hoping that it was the right thing to do. She was just being honest- in her words and actions- and she'd be hard pressed to find a situation in which cuddling was something she didn't want to do. "I mean, as long as your heart's in it, you should go for it."

"You know that means I would have to leave America, right?" Elsa dipped her head, lowering her voice slightly. "I've looked at it from nearly every angle and it's just not feasible to run the company from here. Our strongest markets are in Europe and that's where I would be needed."

"That makes sense." Silence prevailed for a few moments before Anna pulled back, furrowing her brows at the clearly hesitant look on Elsa's face. "What?"

"What would that mean for us?" Elsa cleared her throat as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Would we still be... together? Long distance? Would we-"

Anna acted without thinking, gently cupping the blonde's chin and guiding her into a kiss. When they parted, she brushed the blonde's bangs back.

"Hey, Snowflake, listen to me. What we have? This?" She took one of Elsa's hands in hers and thoroughly ignored the part of her mind screeching at her to shut up; whatever was going on hadn't bothered checking in with her brain but it felt right. "Don't let this dictate your life. Don't let me hold you back from what you want." She pressed a soft kiss to the hand in hers. "We've got time on our side, okay? If things between us continue, we'll find a way to make it work." Anna shrugged, considering the thought even as the words left her mouth. "If that means I have to move across an ocean, well, that's something I'm willing to think about. I mean, it's not like I can't find work in another country; I'm pretty sure 'waitress' is a job most places." She paused. "Provided you follow through with teaching me Norwegian, of course."

"Most Europeans speak English, you know."

"Yeah, but I'd rather talk to them in their native language." Anna smiled. "After all, people here expect me to speak English, so, yeah, it's only fair."

"Only fair." Elsa chuckled and shook her head. "You're saying you'll leave your home country for me. What about me?" She frowned. "What can I do for you?"

"Simple: keep being you." Anna winked. "That's enough for me, remember?"

Elsa stared at her hard for a moment, as if gauging her sincerity or perhaps in disbelief; her face was oddly devoid of indication one way or the other. Then she moved, capturing Anna's lips and practically bowling the redhead over. Anna couldn't complain, matching the blonde's passion with equal enthusiasm.

At the first break in their impromptu make-out session, Anna grinned like a fool. "Is this what's been bothering you recently?"

Elsa placed a rather chaste kiss on Anna's nose. "Yes... but, to be honest, it's only half of the issue."

Anna furrowed her brows slightly in confusion before her expression smoothed out. Whatever the other half was, Elsa would tell her when she was ready. Instead of prodding, the redhead ran her hands in soothing motions up and down Elsa's back, allowing her mind to wrap around her own suggestion.

It would actually be pretty cool, moving to Norway or, really, anywhere in Europe. A new culture, a new language, a lot of stuff that seemed really daunting at the moment and made her gut clench in anxiety, sure, but the redhead had never really been adverse to exploring new avenues and such. The more she thought about it, the more Anna liked the prospect, though there certainly were drawbacks, like not seeing her loved ones very often. Maybe she could save up money and fly her parents and Kristoff over to visit every now and then?

Plus, it was just speculation, so she really shouldn't put too much stock into it. At the same time, she was more than a little enamored with the idea of a slightly more solid plan for the future than 'get a degree in something and find a job in the field', which was pretty much what she was running on at the moment. Unlike Elsa, Anna hadn't really thought much about the future or what she would do until her senior year of high school; her parents were supportive but they didn't point her in a set direction, so she was free to find what made her happy.

Which Elsa did very, very well.

Her thoughts were pulled away from musings about the potential future when Elsa sat up, prompting the redhead to belatedly realize the position they'd managed to settle in during their make-out. Elsa was straddling her hips- of course she felt the need to look to confirm that, yes, that was exactly what was happening, and didn't they just fit together so nicely?- and Anna trailed her gaze up to meet the blonde's slowly.

Fuck if Elsa wasn't stunningly beautiful.

This wasn't something that was ever lost on the redhead, of course, but sometimes, it just smacked her out of nowhere and took her breath away. From the form fitting shirt that clung to her curves and chest to those sparkling blue eyes that seemed a shade darker than usual, every detail was searing into her mind as she numbly placed her hands on the blonde's hips.

And then some little voice that should've never seen the light of day decided to note that her stunningly beautiful girlfriend would probably be exceptionally beautiful naked, too, in an intimate setting.

Especially mounted on top of her like this.

Asking 'what can I do for you'.

Christ on a cracker, that would be hot.

And Elsa chose at that moment to lick her lips, placing her hands to either side of Anna's head as she started to lean down to, presumably, continue their make-out session. Which caused her hips to shift, prompting Anna to squeeze those hips in response as a groan tore from her throat. The redhead could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to will herself to behave.

But then Elsa was hovering over her, watching her with those eyes, and in an effort to keep herself calm Anna did the stupid thing and looked down.

How she'd previously missed noticing Elsa's cleavage was beyond the redhead.

But now that she was pretty much staring... damn.

Brain function essentially came to a grinding halt because yep, that was the best she could do.

Damn. Her girlfriend was gorgeous.

If there'd been any doubt that her blood was being rerouted by her traitorous body, that last thought was pretty much the last red flag before both of them noticed.

Elsa's eyes widened slightly, though she appeared to be smirking after the moment of realization passed.

Anna was too busy covering her face with both hands to really gauge the rest of the blonde's reaction, though.

"Sorry." Anna mumbled, not resisting as Elsa pulled her arms away by her wrists. She tentatively met the blonde's gaze, noting the distinct glimmer of mirth hiding behind something else.

"Is this what I do to you?" She smirked, just before grinding down into Anna's hips and there was no stopping the moan that resulted.

It took a moment of concentrated effort to form a response. "If by 'this' you mean turn me into an unintelligible pile of goo, then yes, of course, I'm just a mere mortal in awe of a Goddess, why must you tease me so?"

Elsa chuckled. "Well, that's extremely flattering."

Anna leaned her head back, pressing into the couch as she tried to rein herself in and focus on something else. When her gaze fell on her girlfriend again, she noticed that the playfulness was being smothered by uncertainty as the blonde gently fingered her braid.

She took a shot in the dark.

"It's okay if it's not mutual, Snowflake." She forced a smile, hoping to lighten the mood in order to settle Elsa's nerves. "That's how it is. Not a lot of people out there are rushing to fuck a freak- ow!"

Anna flinched, rubbing her arm where the blonde had pinched her and trying not to cower under the glare sent her way.

"Don't ever refer to yourself like that again," Elsa said firmly, her gaze softening almost immediately as she reached out to cup the redhead's jaw. "You're not a freak, Sunshine. Not to me- never to me."

Laying one hand over Elsa's, she gave her girlfriend a real smile and nodded her acquiescence. Before she could think better of it, the words tumbled from her mouth. "What about you? Have you had... any, uh, partners?"

Elsa made to pull her hand away but Anna held firm. Whatever the answer was, she wasn't going to be upset; after the talk with her mother, she'd come to terms with the idea that Elsa probably had other partners.

And that she could easily find other partners, but that was her pessimism talking.

The hand not currently being held to Anna's face went back to the blonde's braid as Elsa gazed off to the side.

"Yes, a few, girls from secondary school. Just silly, fumbling attempts, really." Elsa's blush was becoming more prominent as she forced the words out. To be fair, if the majority of her blood supply wasn't focused elsewhere, Anna was pretty sure she'd match her girlfriend in complexion. "Nothing... penetrative. For some reason, men just never appealed to me before." Her eyes widened slightly. "They still don't. Mostly. Wait. I mean-"

Anna nodded as best she could while smothering her amusement, turning her head to press a soft, reassuring kiss into the palm of Elsa's hand.

"Tone it down, Snowflake. Relax. Just breath." She waited a moment, for the blonde to collect herself. Maybe her habit of rambling was rubbing off? "I won't ask of you anything that you aren't ready and willing to do." The redhead smiled as Elsa redirected her gaze, their eyes meeting and setting the blonde at ease. "Yes, I want you- oh dear any and every deity in existence do I want you- and I can't really help the way my body responds to that level of want. But I want you to want me, too-"

"But I do!" Elsa practically whined and leaned over her again, bringing their lips together in a passionate yet all-too-brief kiss. When she continued, the words were set on Anna's lips, warm breath caressing her face. "That's the thing; I want you so badly, Sunshine, I do, I'm just..."

"Nervous? Scared? Confused?" Anna leaned up, planting a chaste kiss on Elsa's lips. "That's okay! I promise. I can wait until you're ready. And even after that, if you'd like."

For a moment, there was only silence, until Elsa settled her weight on top of Anna completely, nuzzling into the redhead's neck. She could hear the relief in her girlfriend's tone as she spoke. "This is okay?"

"Yes," Anna replied, hugging her girlfriend. "You're safe, you're happy, and you're in my arms. This will never not be okay."

Elsa chuckled and the redhead mentally cheered. Crisis averted, as far as she was concerned.

"What did I ever do to deserve someone as amazing as you in my life?"

Anna smiled, running her hands up and down the blonde's back. "I ask myself the same thing every day."

Eventually- after more snuggling and making out and just being too wrapped up in each other altogether- they started the movie. They ended up watching it twice, in fact, and Anna discovered her girlfriend was absolutely enamored with the character of Jack Skellington.

The redhead did her best to hide how amusing she found that little bit of information.

In the break between viewings, Elsa explained her fascination with the Pumpkin King stemmed from how she could relate to his proficiency in his chosen field, growing tired with it, and subsequently finding his excitement again. With the inner workings of the highest echelons of IKEA being a family legacy, Elsa understood completely how the weight of expectation can be too heavy at times for those at the top of the ladder, the need to escape to something new, and the surge of energy that came with rediscovery.

The unintended side effect, of course, being the unintentional parallels between Jack and Sally- his love interest- and their own relationship. On the second viewing, Anna didn't miss how Elsa's arm tightened around her waist every time Sally tried to get Jack's attention or the peppering of kisses that landed behind her ear during Sally's Song, as the poor ragdoll girl lamented for Jack's safety and resigned herself to never being 'the one' for the Pumpkin King.

Meanwhile, there was a little voice in the back of Anna's head finding the idea of Elsa in a form fitting pin stripe suit extremely appealing, because she was apparently a glutton for punishment.

As the film drew to a close the second time, Anna rolled over and showered her girlfriend with affection now that she could reciprocate. They spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other, their passion simmering just below the boiling point. It was almost like Elsa was trying to push her over the edge but, once again, the redhead's self restraint came through.

When the blonde finally settled down enough to doze lightly on her chest, Anna smiled to herself, taking in the details and burning the moment into her memory. Her parents had taught her that, as long as those involved put effort into it and talked things out, a relationship could withstand any test thrown at it. To some extent, she believed that always applied to everyone except her, and her personal history sided with her on that. That was why she'd left Elsa at the ice rink; she didn't truly believe they could just talk it out like most other couples. But they could, they did, and they kept doing that, leading up to this moment.

Anna hugged her girlfriend a little tighter, smiling as Elsa seemed to burrow deeper into her embrace.

She wouldn't dare give this up. Not for anything.

Anna frowned at the wall-to-wall display before her, eyes flitting across each brightly colored piece of paper. Kristoff was a bit further down the aisle, pretending to be engrossed in a motorcycle magazine. He was mainly there for moral support and to help her filter her ideas, because a lifetime of watching movies had given her plenty of ideas for Valentine's Day...

... just not many good ones.

"I think you'd be better off with some macaroni, glue, and construction paper," Kristoff said, hiding behind the magazine the moment Anna's glare landed on him. "Your mom never complained."

"Duly noted." Anna remarked wryly, turning to leave the aisle of Valentine's Day cards behind in favor of the one housing every imaginable size of heart shaped boxes of chocolate. At least there, she couldn't go wrong. "Are cards absolutely necessary?"

"That depends." Kristoff was suddenly at her elbow, the motorcycle magazine forgotten. "If your life was a movie, would you groan or roll your eyes when the movie-Anna showed up with a schmaltzy Hallmark card and presented it to movie-Elsa?"

"If it was schmaltzy, I guess I would have to," Anna replied, shaking her head slightly as she walked to the largest boxes available. It was no secret her girlfriend loved chocolate as much as she did, so all those cute, smaller boxes would absolutely not do. "But if it made movie-Elsa smile and laugh, I think movie-Anna would absolutely melt. Movie-Anna's secret addiction is movie-Elsa's laugh."

"Uh huh." Kristoff sighed. "Would any of the ones you looked at make movie-Elsa laugh?"

"No." The redhead pouted, noting the price on the largest box from one of the higher end chocolate brands. She typically wasn't picky but, seeing as it was a special occasion, the extra money was worth the better quality. "They were all schmaltzy."

"I think we're over-using that word." Kristoff chuckled, jerking his head in the direction of another aisle. "What about a stuffed animal?"

"Like a reindeer?" Anna grinned, shaking her head as they passed it on the way to the registers. "Pass. I have to be really creative with this."

See, that was the problem. There were so many different things she'd seen in movies but- after seeing them done several times- she thought of them as cliche and overdone, even if some still came off as endearing to her. She didn't want Elsa even considering that she had fallen back on some sort of stashed 'Plan B' or something; she wanted to wow the blonde from the get go.

Some part of her was pretty good at pointing out that she was just stressing because this was her first Valentine's Day with a significant other; in previous years, if she did manage to have a relationship in January, it always ended before the big V-day.

Usually after an argument about physical affection- or, rather, sex- but that was to be expected.

Seeing as that wouldn't be the case this year, Anna wanted to give it her all and make it special, put some real effort in because Elsa was worth it.

In hindsight, this would've been a better occasion to use the fireworks thing. Even if Elsa had already called dibs on planning the actual date, she could've worked that in somehow.

As they left the store, Anna turned everything over in her head. Realistically, Elsa would probably be happy with anything Anna got her, but she wasn't using that as an excuse. She didn't want to repeat her Christmas gift and just find something CotL related- she hadn't taken an extended inventory of the blonde's belongings, but she didn't want to chance getting her something she already owned- and she didn't want to pick out something 'traditional', like roses that would wilt within a week. Making something would be great but she was sorting running low on that brand of talent. If only she had something, like writing or drawing or anything like that; she could sing, but-

Wait a minute.

"Hey, Kris." Anna turned, flashing him a grin. "Do you still have Rapunzel's number?"

Thankfully, Rapunzel was more than happy to help and almost refused payment though Anna managed to win the argument in the end. It meant things would be a bit tighter this paycheck but she still had some extra cash leftover from working herself to exhaustion during the Christmas season, so she wasn't overly worried.

What was worrying her: where the heck her clothes were disappearing to.

"Kris, did any of my laundry get mixed in with yours?" The redhead hollered, searching through the living room for lack of elsewhere to look.

"No." He called from the safety of his room while she continued on her warpath. "What's wrong, Feisty Pants; wash your car keys again?"

"That happened once and nearly two years ago at that! Can we please just let it die, already?" Anna huffed, scowling as she plopped down on the couch. "My favorite sweatpants are missing."

"Did you check under your bed?"

"Being serious here, Kris!"

"I don't know what to tell you." He seemed genuinely uninterested in her trivial plight, which meant he likely hadn't hidden them just to mess with her. "I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

Anna groaned, the sound trailing off into a pleased hum as her cellphone began to ring. So, she wouldn't have her favorite sweats to sleep in tonight; she still had the voice of an angel to help her sleep.

"Hey, Snowflake!"

"Evening, Sunshine." Elsa all but grumbled, sounding utterly exhausted.

Anna made a sympathetic noise, retreating to her wreck of a room. "Orientation didn't go so well, huh?"

"I swear, I've never felt this out-of-touch before." The blonde groused. "I'm barely five years older than some of these new employees and yet it's like we're speaking entirely different languages!" She paused. "And I still don't know what a hashtag is! Also, why should I care about who or what is 'trending'? What does that even mean?"

"That's social media for you, Elsa. It's a world all its own." Anna settled onto her bed. She recalled their early phone conversations, where questions about the blonde's day at work always boiled down to a phrase, sometimes just a word, before the conversation was diverted to some other topic. She loved being able to hear in greater detail how her girlfriend's day went and help wash away the stress of a bad day.

"I don't know if I can take another day of this. Every time I try to explain something, one of them makes some 'clever' comment and expects me not to notice!" She sighed. "I mean, yes, English is not my primary language, but that doesn't make me tone deaf! Sarcasm typically transcends linguistic limitations!"

"Would you like me to explain it?" The redhead grinned. "It's like, I can tell you a story for a change, about the wide world of Tumblr and Twitter, Instagram and Vine, and all those other online communities. It's a truly mysterious place."

"I get the distinct impression I'd be happier without acknowledging this world's existence." Anna heard another sigh come over the line before Elsa continued, her voice audibly less anxious. "However, if it means I can hear you talk, I'm all ears."

"Are you that fond of my voice, Snowflake?"

"I'm fond of your everything, Sunshine," Elsa replied without missing a beat and Anna felt her heart flutter in her chest, glancing towards the calendar to count the days until Valentine's.

For the first time in memory, she couldn't wait for the holiday.

Valentine's Day was finally here and Anna was ridiculously excited. Elsa had turned the tables, keeping the redhead in the dark regarding every detail except one: she encouraged formal attire. Not a requirement, she'd said, but a suggestion.

That, of course, was the green light for Anna to go all out, breaking out her favorite suit, shirt, and tie for the special night. While the suit's jacket was a bit loose, the pants were flattering and vest she wore with it showed off her curves very well. The vest and tie were both a deep green that brought out the color of her eyes and offset with her fiery hair nicely.

"Hey, you almost ready, Feisty Pants?" Kristoff called, poking his head into her room to check on her.

"Almost." Anna mumbled around the bobby pins in her mouth, squinting slightly as she pinned the last few of her unruly strands down. Rather than her typical braids, she'd chosen an intricate bun her mother had taught her what felt like a lifetime ago for prom. She cheered in front of her mirror, spitting out the remaining pins grabbing her tie. "There! Time check?"

"Half past six," Kristoff replied, wearing a lopsided grin as Anna tied a quick Windsor knot and smoothed down her collar. "You gonna calm down a bit?"

"I am calm! Totally calm!" Anna took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "See? Totally calm."

"Right." He retreated, going back to whatever he was doing before. "You've still got half an hour, right?"

"Being punctual is not a crime, Kristoff!" The redhead shot back as she slid her jacket on, fussing with her cuffs and smoothing the fabric, turning her attention to the mirror to check the overall affect.

Not too masculine, not too feminine- a nice mix of both with a bit of flair thrown in around her eyes in the form of shimmering eye shadow. As a finishing touch, she took her snowflake necklace and put it on over the tie, so the pendant was still visible.

Yeah, this was her absolute best.

She secretly hoped she didn't overdress.

Anna took another deep breath and released it slowly, taking a moment to gather everything up in her arms and look at herself in the mirror again. A baker's dozen of colored roses wrapped up in a bouquet in one hand, a giant heart shaped box of chocolates in the other, and a circular canvas carried slung over one shoulder- yeah, she was ready.

At least, as much as she could be at any rate.

"Alright! I'm ready!" The redhead turned and strode out of her room. "Kris! I'll see you later, okay?"

"You sure about that?"

She could practically hear the suggestive smirk on his lips as she reached the door, rolling her eyes and turning towards the living room to snipe something back at him. What that might've been was lost the moment her gaze fell on a very different blonde from the one she was expecting.

In that moment, all the air rushed out of her lungs as she drank in the sight before her.

Elsa was standing in her living room in a form fitting, low cut, light blue dress with a slit up one side and high heels. She could see the blonde's usual braid worked into a bun of her own, pearl earrings in both ears, and light make-up that make her eyes shine like the jewels they were.

She was a head-turner, even moreso than usual, but for some reason all of that was a footnote to the thing her mind couldn't seem to move past. Elsa was wearing an obviously expensive, custom fitted dress, and heels, and make-up, and earrings, and looking like she was ready to step out on a red carpet somewhere, but Anna's eyes were glued to the final piece of her ensemble: Elsa was also wearing her CotL jacket, the jacket Anna gave her, and made it look amazing over top the formal attire.

And, of course, the sunburst necklace was present as ever.

"Snowflake? Wh- wha- you, here, why?" She blinked rapidly, shaking her head in attempt to regain her mastery over the English language. "D-d-did I, uh-"

"You didn't misunderstand or forget. This is part of our date." Elsa threw a smirk at Kristoff, who had both hands over his mouth in an effort not to laugh at Anna's confusion.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Traitor."

"But for good reason!" He managed before devolving into a serious giggle fit. "Oh God, your face! I wish you could've seen it!"

Anna and Elsa shook their heads, the blonde reaching the doorway and opening it. "After you."

Anna could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, stepping through and heading towards the parking lot after Elsa joined her, leaving Kristoff to his own devices. However, the redhead slowed her gait as they neared it, searching for the blonde's truck and not finding it.

For the second time so far, she felt the gears in her head come to a grinding halt.

But Elsa's hand on her elbow kept her moving forward, guiding her towards a vaguely familiar white VW Golf.

"You have two cars." Anna was half-tempted to smack a hand to her forehead at the obviousness of that statement, suddenly recalling where she'd seen the Golf before.

"My father bought me this as a going away present when I came to America." The blonde explained, walking Anna to the passenger side. "I bought the truck after saving up money and took the bus before that. I didn't want anyone to suspect my background."

Elsa opened the door, helping Anna in without crushing the roses or dropping the chocolates. The redhead was already protecting the canvas carrier with her life, seeing as it was borrowed for the moment.

"It's a nice car." Anna noted, realizing that it was probably rarely driven based on how ridiculously clean the interior was.

Elsa closed the passenger's door and walked around, settling into the driver's seat before turning her attention to the roses, obviously curious. Finally, she shook her head. "I understand red roses are traditionally tied to the holiday-"

"But every color has a meaning." Ana interjected, fighting to keep the smile that threatened to break out to a grin. She wanted to build this up a little. "Would you like me to explain now or wait until later?"

The blonde's lips tugged up into a smirk as she made a show of checking the time. "I would love to hear the explanation now, if that's alright."

"Perfectly," Anna replied, twisting slightly so she faced her girlfriend and setting the box of chocolates in her lap to free up her other hand. "Obviously, red roses are tied to feelings of love and passion. Six of them mean 'I adore you' which I absolutely do." She winked, earning her a stifled giggle from the blonde. She then pointed to each rose as she named the color and meaning, glancing between the bouquet and Elsa's face to gauge her reaction. "Orange means 'you fascinate me', blue means 'you're mysterious', pink means 'you make me happy' or 'thank you', burgundy- which I swear, this one is supposed to be, even though it looks red to me, the florist assured me this was burgundy- means 'you're beautiful', yellow is for 'friendship' because- aside from Kristoff- you are my best friend, and white..." she chuckled, fingering the petals gently. "Reminds me of snow, so it reminds me of you, too. Plus! When red and white roses are together, it means 'we belong together'."

Elsa smiled, obviously touched though she tried to play it off. "Very confident in that, are you?"

Anna shrugged. "I've never felt like this for anyone else, Snowflake. So yes, I am."

Apparently, that was the exact right thing to say. Elsa quickly leaned over and kissed her, keeping it brief so neither would smudge their make-up.

At least, not yet, if the look the blonde shot her immediately after parting was any indication.

"What about the last one?" Elsa squinted at the red rose in the center of the bouquet. While the six Anna had already mentioned were on the outside edges, this one was in the very center, and the blonde put her fingers to the petals with a quirked brow. "It's fake."

"It is, and there are two things that could mean. I leave the interpretation up to you entirely." Anna bit her lip slightly, waiting until Elsa nodded before continuing. "This first is that this bouquet is symbolic of my feelings for you and that those feelings with continue to grow and evolve as time passes, even as each of these roses in the bouquet die, until the last one has lost its beauty."

Elsa laughed. "But, of course, at least one will always remain beautiful."

"Yeah, that's kinda cliche, huh?"

"But no less adorable," the blonde replied, leaning over to deliver another swift kiss. "I rather like it, at any rate. But I'm curious to hear the second meaning."

"Well, the second is that this fake rose is symbolic of the beginning of our relationship. We were both acting under false pretenses to an extent, pretending to be something we weren't." The redhead put her finger on the fake rose's petal, then swept out to touch the others. "But that beginning didn't make the rest of this- our relationship or my feelings towards you any less real." She smiled, meeting Elsa's gaze. "You didn't give up on me when I tried to shut you out. Because of that, all the rest was possible, being here right now is possible. So, this bouquet is my pledge to you, that even if we didn't have the most ideal start to this, what we've built together is so much more beautiful." She reached out, taking Elsa's hand in hers. "And I will never make that mistake again, Snowflake. I know the bouquet of feelings in my heart will grow with every moment I'm graced with your presence, but the only fake rose- the only drop of insincerity- will be the one that started it all. I promise."

"Sunshine." Elsa whispered, pulling Anna in for another kiss that promised to last if it wasn't for a certain someone knocking on Anna's window and jolting them apart.

"Kris." Anna warned the moment the window was down enough for him to hear her clearly but he brushed off her tone.

"You two need to get going. Now." He waved both hands at them. "Go on! Shoo!"

"He's right." Elsa sighed, cranking over the vehicle while Anna discreetly flipped him the bird. His amused look clearly conveyed his thoughts on her reply. "Thank you, Kristoff."

"Keeping you two on track; it's practically my job at this point." The blond turned, heading back towards the apartment as Elsa began to back out of the stall.

Once they were down the road a ways, she reached over and took Anna's free hand in hers, interlacing their fingers.

"For the record, Sunshine." Anna turned, catching the adoration shining clearly in Elsa's eyes even as her girlfriend focused on the road. "I choose both meanings. They're both equally..." she glanced quickly to the redhead "... Anna. And that makes them perfect."

She brought their joined hands to her lips, careful not to leave a lingering mark on Elsa's fair skin. "Careful; any more talk like that and I might get a big head."

Elsa laughed with her before focusing back on the road ahead.

Given their manner of dress, the redhead half expected to pull up to one of the finest restaurants in town but didn't complain when she began to recognize their surroundings. She could tell from the mounting tension in Elsa's hand that the blonde was concerned about her reaction, which was silly; aside from something catastrophic, what could possibly go wrong?

"I wanted to take you to Tiana's Palace," Elsa suddenly said as the car pulled up to the gate at Elsa's apartment complex.

"Oh, that ritzy Cajun place down by the river?" Anna had passed it enough times to feel her mouth watering at the mention; she'd never had traditional Cajun cooking, but it smelled absolutely divine from the outside. "I hear the food there is amazing!"

"I've heard similar." The blonde nodded absently, using her clicker to open the gate. "Unfortunately, I overheard one of my coworkers talking about how he had reservations there today and-"

Anna squeezed her hand, offering a smile when Elsa glanced over to her. "Snowflake, I get it; you're just a college student to them."

"Still..."

"Shush." The redhead used a slightly firmer tone, softening when Elsa didn't continue. "No matter where we go, I'm the luckiest girl in the world, okay? Besides, given how our last public date at a local hotspot went, I'm totally fine with a fancy night in."

She laughed, not surprised when Elsa didn't join her. Whether or not the blonde noticed, Anna felt it was about time to address the elephant and take the opportunity to laugh it off. It was no small wonder what she'd ever seen in Hans to begin with but his words still stung, reopening wounds that hadn't quite healed just under the surface of her cheery demeanor.

Since their slightly disastrous outing to the ice rink, dates were typically kept to one apartment or the other; honestly, Anna had avoided going out except for school and work for the most part, only venturing out rather recently due to the upcoming holiday. The only big exception was their date at the airport park, which she'd chosen specifically for being deserted more often than not.

Snapping out of her momentary funk- because she wasn't quite as over the ordeal as she liked to think she was- Anna noticed the vehicle was already parked and shut off, Elsa watching her with a shade of concern coloring her expression. The redhead merely shrugged, making to exit the Golf while gathering up her gifts. Except the bouquet; Elsa had taken it into her hands the moment Anna had released her and didn't seem keen on allowing Anna to take it back.

"Since you brought it up." The blonde began tentatively as they walked towards her apartment. "Would you be willing to go ice skating again? In the future?"

Anna giggled, putting the thought of Hans back in the box in the furthest reaches of her mind and focusing instead on the fun they'd had before that point. "You just want to show off some more, don't you?"

"Maybe." Elsa smirked, opening the door and stepping in after Anna, who was a little concerned the blonde had left it unlocked.

"Velcome back, Miss Elsa!"

Anna felt her muscles tense automatically as she took in the darkened interior of Elsa's apartment, looking for the source of the admittedly friendly sounding voice coming from within. As it was, the only lighting was provided by the dozens of candles scattered throughout the entryway and living room. When her eyes finally fell on a mountain of a man striding towards them from the dining room, Anna instinctively stepped in front of Elsa, balling her free hand and preparing for a fight.

"Calm down, Sunshine, he's a friend." Elsa quickly explained, laying a hand on her shoulder and rubbing gently to little effect. "This is Mr. Oaken, my handler, remember?"

"Húskarl." The burly man corrected, a smile on his face as he put his hands up in surrender. "I am meaning no harm, Miss.. erm."

"Anna." The redhead gritted out, taking a deep breath to try settling her racing heart. She vaguely recalled Elsa mentioned her father's long time friend who accompanied the blonde during her 'study abroad', intending to act as something of a babysitter in place of her parents. Of course, the man was wise to Elsa's plan and was more than willing to keep his distance so she was free to do as she pleased. The two actually had playful disagreements about his 'job title' for the moment. "My name's Anna."

"Iz very good, Miss Anna." Mr. Oaken nodded to both of them, taking the long way around to reach the door. "Hvis du trenger noe, kan du ringe meg."

"Jeg vil. Takk, min venn." Elsa nodded, closing the door after the man left and turning back to Anna with a tentative smile. "I apologize; I should've warned you I asked him to watch my apartment while I went to pick you up."

"No, giving me a freakin' heart attack was a much better plan." Anna bit back a little too harshly, sighing the moment the words left her mouth. "I'm sorry, that was rude, but in my defense, I totally thought some mountain man had broken into you apartment and was going to hurt you!"

The two walked further into the apartment, Anna depositing the box of chocolates on the coffee table and leaning the canvas holder against the sofa before quickly wrapping Elsa up in a fierce hug, the gesture as much as an apology as a tactile way of calming the part of her brain that still hadn't accepted the nonexistent danger had passed.

Thankfully, Elsa seemed to understand, pressing a soft kiss against her temple as she carefully held the bouquet away from their bodies to prevent smashing the delicate flowers.

"Everything's okay, Sunshine." Elsa whispered, running her free hand up and down the redhead's back. "We're okay."

"Yeah... we are," Anna replied, drawing back slightly to look around. With all the candles lit, there was just enough light to make out some of the details of the apartment, like the fairly new dining room table set for two, already sporting covered dishes that smelled divine and particularly spicy. A candlelit, private dinner beat a loud restaurant any day, given her company. "The food smells amazing."

"I hope it tastes as good." Elsa broke the hug, taking Anna by the hand and leading her towards the table.

The centerpiece vase held a few lilies that the blonde quickly replaced with the bouquet after shedding the paper surrounding it. While she was doing that, Anna pulled out the blonde's chair and patiently waited to help the blonde out of her jacket, draping it over the seat's back and pushing it in once Elsa had sat down. Shedding her own jacket, Anna took her place sitting beside her, thankful their seating arrangement already had them side-by-side. She wouldn't have liked looking around a bunch of flowers to see her girlfriend.

"Wait, is this food from Tiana's?" Anna's face betrayed her surprise as she lifted the covering on her plate and her mouth instantly salivated. While she couldn't put a name to the dish, it smelled ten times better set in front of her rather than on the wind outside the restaurant. "I didn't know they did carry out."

"With the right attitude, a number of things are possible." Elsa joined their hands on the table, her smile much brighter than the surrounding candles combined. "And it helps to know the owner; we took a business class together and kept in touch."

The food lived up to all the hype Anna had heard- well, for the most part. As it turned out, the redhead was a bit squeamish about eating crawfish with the heads still attached, though she was willing to try them after Elsa kindly beheaded a few for her. Apparently, seeing the eyes and face of a dead sea creature was much less unnerving for the blonde and Anna made a mental note to look up Norwegian and Scandinavian dishes when she got home to prepare herself.

All in all, Anna found her favorite part of the meal was picking off Elsa's plate and attempting to block her attempts to repay the favor. If she wasn't so keen on not ruining Elsa's dress- because, come on, of course she'd have a vested interest in talking the blonde into wearing it again for a later occasion, even if she had to invent one- their playful antics might've erupted to a full blown food fight. As it was, they finished the main course and side dishes while laughing and comparing notes on how much preparation went in to looking their best for the night. Kristoff had been exceptionally helpful at cataloging Anna's progression- much to the redhead's annoyance, now that she was aware- but not the little details.

Once the meal was finished- and before they could move on to the chocolate dessert- Anna got up and retrieved the canvas holder from by the sofa, excited to see Elsa's reaction.

"I commissioned a friend of mine to make this." She explained, pulling the canvas out and handing it to Elsa. "I thought, maybe, you'd like it."

"Oh..." The blonde's eyes widened as she managed to unfurl the canvas enough to see the image. Though the picture was done in Rapunzel's style, there was no mistaking the scene depicted. It was a close up of two figures with the moon and starry night as a backdrop, smiling at each other, one of whom bore a striking resemblance to Jack Skellington except with beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair in a braid over one shoulder while the other looked like Sally except with twin braids. "... wow."

"Yeah." Anna chuckled, nervously fixing her tie. "She's, uh, a really good artist and-"

Whatever she was about to ramble about was cut short when Elsa pulled her in for a kiss, smiling as they parted. "It's amazing. Please, give her my compliments."

"Sure." The redhead nodded, biting her lip nervously. "So... you like it?"

"I love it," Elsa replied distractedly, tracing a finger along the lines of the painting. "Do you think..." Anna gently nudged the blonde, an encouraging smile on her face. "For Halloween, could we dress up as them?"

"Of course! I'll be your Sally any day." The redhead laughed, wrapping her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "I'm kinda dying to see you in a suit, to be honest."

"And I'd like to see you in a dress." Elsa carefully rolled the canvas and set it aside, furrowing her brows when Anna coughed and looked away.

"Dresses aren't always... flattering on me. At least, not tight ones." Anna smoothed out her pants, hoping the candlelight hid her blush. "But, I guess I could wear one for you."

At Elsa's gentle nudge, the redhead turned back, finding herself quite suddenly presented with... a ring box, which the blonde opened before Anna could properly freak out to reveal two nearly identical rings, each set with a unique stone. One was white while the other was yellow, the bands encasing them sleek and decorated with a latticework patterns. Elsa plucked the one with the white stone off the velvet, holding it between them and smiling softly.

"I guess I was running short on originality," she said with a wry smirk. "I still haven't figured out what makes an appropriate gift."

Anna gently closed her hand around Elsa's wrist, careful not to jostle the ring. "It's from you, Snowflake. That's what matters to me, remember?"

The blonde smiled a bit wider, but didn't seem quite at ease. "I realize this may not be an appropriate time but I felt it may be appropriate-"

"If you say 'appropriate' one more time, I'm going to kiss you."

Okay, perhaps that wasn't exactly the most effective threat.

The two of them just blinked at each other for a moment before laughing, exchanging a quick peck anyway.

"What I'm trying to say is: I love you, Anna." Elsa finally managed, her expression softening as the words left her mouth, surprising the redhead beside her. "I've thought more about taking my father's place in the company and what it could mean for us." The blonde gently took Anna's right hand, preparing to slip the ring onto her third finger. "And I know you said not to let our relationship dictate the future, but I don't want to lose you. So this is my promise that, no matter what circumstances or distance may come between us, I want you to continue being part of my world. I love you, Anna."

"I love you, too, Elsa," Anna replied as she blinked back tears. The words felt so right, she wondered how on Earth she'd managed to go so long without saying them. The moment Elsa slipped the promise ring onto her finger, she pulled the blonde into her arms, claiming her lips in a deep kiss. She broke away to nuzzle into the blonde's neck, having pulled her clear from the chair and into Anna's lap. "I love you."

Aside from her parents and the occasional drunken proclamation, Anna hadn't said those words before, especially not to a significant other, feeling there was some sort of taboo given her circumstances.

Elsa changed that. At this point, she really shouldn't be surprise; Elsa seemed to embody change in her life, good change. Really good change.

After a few more moments of just holding her, Anna grabbed the other promise ring from the box and slid it onto Elsa's right ring finger. She interlaced their hands so the rings were side-by-side, smiling at the clear similarities between them and the necklaces both women were wearing.

"White for snow, orange for sunlight?" Anna looked up, slightly confused by the amusement in Elsa's expression.

"Actually, that's a happy coincidence." The blonde tapped on the ring adorning her finger. "This is citrine, one of the birthstones for November."

"Huh, I always thought my birthstone was topaz."

"That's the other one." Elsa shrugged. "I chose citrine because it's said to encourage hope, energy, and warmth, and that's what you do to me, Sunshine." The blonde chuckled as Anna started kissing her neck again. "One of my birthstones is pearl, so I chose that one for your ring."

Anna nodded, a goofy grin on her lips. "A natural beauty, sophisticated, timeless- just like you." She winked. "Good choice."

Anna buried her face in the pale column of Elsa's neck again, hugging the blonde even as she chuckled at Anna's antics. After a few minutes, her gaze fell on the canvas, a slight frown tugging at her lips. In comparison, her gift seemed a bit silly, but Elsa quickly slid a hand under her chin before that train of thought could get very far.

"It's from you, Sunshine. That's what matters."

And they kissed again, losing themselves slightly in the heat of the moment. It was only with reluctance that Elsa got up, taking Anna by the hand and leading her over to the couch. In lieu of watching a movie, the blonde had set aside one of the books from her room.

"I've told you many stories but I've yet to read one with you." Elsa explained, opening to a marked page and pulled the redhead against her, reaching around Anna's waist to hold the book so they could both see it.

Though she might not be as well read as her girlfriend, Anna recognized the title and style well enough. "We're reading one of Shakespeare's plays?"

"I've always been fond of his comedies and it's fairly quick." The blonde's breath ghosted over Anna's ear, sending a delicious shiver down her spine. "Unless you'd prefer the first installment of Complacency of the Learned?"

"I'm tempted to say yes, since that will obviously take longer," Anna cheekily replied, smiling as Elsa softly laughed. "But, I trust your judgment. Which parts do I get to read?"

Elsa hummed in consideration as Anna shifted, grabbing the box of chocolates and balancing it on her stomach, reaching with her right hand to help hold the book and using her left to feed each of them one of the treats. "How about you read for Sebastian, Viola, Sir Toby, Valentine, and Curio, and I'll read the rest?"

"Can we read them in funny voices?"

"Absolutely."

"Deal." Anna snuggled comfortably into Elsa's embrace, feeling ridiculously happy when the blonde- who was quite obviously left handed- used her right hand to mark their spot on the page. It was almost like she was showing off how Anna's birthstone caught the candlelight. "Okay, you've got the first line."

Seeing as she'd only ever read the plays assigned in school- and Twelfth Night was not one of them- Anna didn't catch on to the plot until later in the first act. She was fairly certain Elsa gave her the cross dressing woman's lines in order to tease her but felt a distinct connection to the character regardless and took the jokes in stride. In the end, it was actually a lot of fun reading along with Elsa, though it was hard to breathe at times when they used exceptionally ridiculous voices for some of the side characters, like Malvolio.

Because, seriously: who names their kid Malvolio and expects them to turn out normal?

She also found out where her missing pajamas had been disappearing to when she reluctantly asked Elsa about returning to her apartment. Apparently, she owed Kristoff a good knock on the head and a big hug; he'd snuck Elsa a small tote filled with sleepwear in preparation for Valentine's Day at the blonde's request.

How was it he was only able to keep secrets from her?

"I swear, he's going to get it tomorrow." Anna grumbled, sliding under the covers of Elsa's bed and shuffling back into her embrace, wondering if she needed to re-evaluate his best friend status.

Elsa pressed a kiss behind her ear and rubbed her arm soothingly. "If you'd really rather go home-"

"Nope, too late, I'm comfy." Anna huffed, cracking a smile at Elsa's chuckle and looking over her shoulder to accept a good night kiss and steal one last look at her girlfriend before shutting her eyes.

Even with the make-up gone, Elsa was still the absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Good night, Snowflake."

"Good night, Sunshine," Elsa said, laying her head down as they both started to drift off. Before sleep could take Anna, though, she heard words so soft she thought she imagined them. "I love you."

And again, she felt tears stinging her eyes. "I love you, too."

For her first time celebrating the holiday, Anna had absolutely no complaints about how everything turned out. She ran her thumb along the cool metal encircling her ring finger and started to fall into a pleasant dream.

Then it occurred to her that she totally missed her chance to tease Elsa about wearing her jean jacket with a fancy dress.

She refused to explain to Elsa why she was laughing, resolving to mention it next time, when she was a bit less thunderstruck.

A few days later, Anna was putting the finishing touches on her school work, trying to get caught up before heading out to meet Elsa at the book store. Although the redhead preferred her entertainment in movie form, her girlfriend was interested in a series she'd heard about and Anna was more than happy to tag along, perhaps even pick up a Rosetta Stone or something to help her learn Norwegian. Not that Elsa wasn't an excellent teacher but it would be nice to surprise her by doing some studying on her own.

Setting the papers aside, Anna got up and stretched, cringing as laughter erupted from the living room. It was one of those rare times when Kristoff had their friends over rather than gathering at Eugene's and there was a pool of guilt settling in her gut. She really hadn't spent enough time with them lately.

Gathering her stuff, Anna left her room and waited to text Elsa that she was ready, wanting to at least pop in to say hi to the group currently holding some sort of video game tournament in the living room.

"There's no way that's not pass interference!" Eugene groused. "These refs are blind!"

Kristoff laughed, shaking his head. "You're just being a sore loser."

"I haven't lost yet."

"But you are losing by- oh, ouch." Anna winced, leaning against the back of the couch. "Twenty-eight points? Kris, you're crushing him."

"I'm doing him a favor." The blond grinned, allowing the AI to play his defense while Eugene tried to throw a long bomb. "We turned it into a drinking game. For every seven points you lose by, you take a shot."

"And if you're on the sidelines, shots for every penalty." Aladdin chimed in, sitting on the floor with those who weren't currently playing.

Eugene grumbled as his pass was intercepted. "Yeah, but I only suggested the drinking part to get you guys drunk! I don't need any help in that department! If I wanted to get my ass kicked, I would've challenged you to NHL!"

Before continuing the game, Kristoff paused it and turned a curious look on Anna. "What's up Feisty Pants? Shouldn't you be heading out?"

"Yeah, just wanted to say hi to the gang... and sorry I haven't been able to hang out much recently."

While the others merely nodded sympathetically, some even offering words of encouragement, Eugene turned to look at her, thought creasing his brow. "Speaking of which, I have a question for you."

"Uh, okay. Go ahead."

Kristoff rolled his eyes while Eugene turned to face her. "Okay, so, you're still dating that blonde chick, right?"

"Yeah, and her name is Elsa, by the way." She bit her lip. "Did I forget to mention that?"

"He's just being petty; he won't call her by name until he's properly introduced to her." Rapunzel explained, appearing from the kitchen with four plates of pizza, two of which balanced on her arms.

"Not the point: here's my thing." Eugene accepted one of the plates, taking a big bite of a pizza slice before continuing, talking around the food in his mouth. "You're both women, right? Like, how do you decide who wears the pants in the relationship? Don't get me wrong, I understand how lesbians come in all shapes and sizes and whatnot, but neither of you are really... butch." He squinted, as if looking off into the distance. "I think that's the word I'm looking for... anyway, seriously, how do you figure out who's the decision maker?"

Anna raised a brow, catching Rapunzel's eye roll as she turned back towards her pizza. The rest of the guys seemed to be watching her with caution, as if waiting to see how she'd react. Kristoff, on the other hand, leaned over to Rapunzel with a mischievous smirk.

"Well, it's just like any relationship, really." Anna began, walking around to Eugene's side of the couch, as much to answer Eugene's question as to provide Kristoff with a distraction. "We talk about things and make decisions to benefit both parties; it's not a one-sided exchange, where one of us makes the decisions and the other deals with it. It's definitely a democracy, with both of us taking each other's views and feelings seriously and balancing them with our own. We might have some fun with spontaneity every now and then, but we still try to maintain that balance." She grinned at his unimpressed frown. "But if you're asking who has final veto power, I refer you to the words of wisdom from an ancient king."

"And what words would those be, exactly?"

"Always respect the desires of the woman you love, because if you don't-" she glanced towards Rapunzel "-she'll stab you in the dick."

While most of the guys in the room cringed immediately, Anna shot Rapunzel a wink and received a wry grin in response while Kristoff howled with laughter. Being the only one aside from Anna privy to the irony of the situation, he found it much funnier than the others. Without another word, Anna left the apartment, shooting off a text to Elsa that she was heading to pick the blonde up.

When she got home that night, Anna learned that Rapunzel had taken over for Kristoff shortly after the redhead left. If Kristoff was crushing him with a twenty-eight point lead, Rapunzel absolutely annihilated her boyfriend. Too drunk to go home, Eugene was relegated to the couch, so Anna offered her bed up to Rapunzel and spent the night at Elsa's at the blonde's insistence.

Not that Anna was complaining.

Author's Note: So, I was actually a bit surprised by the positive reviews and favs I got on Scheherazade. To all of you who liked it, thank you very much for your support. (And if you followed, sorry for not merely turning it into a multi-chap fic, but I try to leave the ones I mark 'complete' alone to avoid confusion. Still appreciate you though!) I also noticed a few of your asked about seeing a continuation- specifically meeting the parents- so I sat down to write it, again thinking I could knock it out in 5-6k words. Then I realized I was close to 25k- and not fucking done yet- and decided to make it a trilogy instead. This universe is probably going to be concluded with the next installment, which will again be a separate fic from this one, and will actually include meeting the parents among other shenanigans. Not sure when I'll finish it due to a hectic month and my shoulder still not being 100% but I'm dead set on getting back into things now thanks to some newly acquired motivation. Thanks again for everyone who likes this universe and I hope you enjoyed this continuation. See you in the finale!

(*c