Author's Note: The first chapter of the alternate ending is already up and its conclusion will be the next update. Here's part one of the epilogue. Enjoy.

"You're seriously defending that douche?" Elsa asked, staring across the table at an increasingly awkward Belle, who was already struggling not to get any of her burrito on her dress.

"He's a client. What do you expect?"

"And you're a partner. You don't need to just take whatever case they hand you anymore. Hell, your name's on the fucking wall." Not that I'm jealous.

"You defended him!" she insisted, beans, rice, and chicken falling onto the napkin on her lap.

"Yeah, cause this dick made me." Elsa gestured at the Asshole in question.

"I said I was sorry."

"I'm not sure you ever actually did."

His brows knitted together as he stared at her and then down at his tacos. "I thought I did."

"Yeah, you might've," she admitted. It had been six years since that case, and so much had happened, so it was certainly possible she'd just forgotten.

"Well, I'm sorry either way." His voice was somber, and his eyes showed genuine concern, framed by the increasing grey around his temples.

"It's fine."

"And anyway, he's changed a lot, and he's been trying to do a lot of good," Belle added.

"You think murder is good?" Elsa stared at her friend. "Should I have been worried living with you for those three years?"

"No! And anyway the judge was a homophobe, but he didn't kill him."

"Well, you'll get to finish proving that in just under two hours, but all of the evidence so far has shown that he did it."

"Yeah, because most of it has been submitted by you."

"You're on your last witness. Thompson is gonna have to be pretty damn convincing for it to overcome everything I've presented the jury with so far."

Albert bit into his taco with a crunch, before replying, "we ran over the whole thing last night, I think he'll convince the jury just fine," barely avoiding projecting ground beef onto Elsa's face.

Just in case, she wiped off with her napkin. "Sure, you keep telling yourself that. We'll see how it really goes."

"It's gonna go great, because I'm the best." He smirked, his teeth still giving off their impressive shine. I need to take Olaf to his dentist, he could use it. "Unless you think you really have what it takes to beat the two of us."

"On my own? Yeah, absolutely. With Facilier?" She shrugged. "Yeah."

Belle chuckled. "I think you're going to be surprised."

"Oh come on. You're both amazing lawyers, and I love you immensely, but you just don't have a case. He's the only one that was anywhere near there, he was threatening him just a week before, and he had clear motive – no matter how stupid it was."

"Plenty of people had clear motive," Gaston pointed out.

Nodding, Belle said, "Exactly, and we already showed that with our last few witnesses. There were so many people who wanted him dead, and we even showed all of those letters and emails as evidence."

"Yeah, and we looked through all of those, and none of them held the same threat as the guy who had been saying on his web series for the last few months that someone needed to make him pay, and that he'd love to be the one to do it."

"Sure, and if you wanted to charge him for inciting violence, then you'd have a case."

"His prints were there, and he was witnessed going in!"

"An hour before the murder took place, and he was seen across town fifty minutes later," Albert pointed out.

Gritting her teeth, Elsa stared up at the man. "Oh, come on. You really think that's going to convince anyone? In addition to the fact that that alibi could've easily been faked, it wasn't across town, it was fifteen minutes away. He could've gone back, or he could've just killed him earlier and the time of death could've been half an hour off. Besides, no one actually saw him leave."

"You know, I think you just want him to be guilty." Albert gestured at her with his taco. "Just because he was awful when you defended him doesn't mean he can't change, and it sure as hell doesn't mean that he's a murderer."

"Unlike Belle."

"I'm not!" Her gesticulating sent burrito-filling onto her chest, just past the napkin she'd had here. She glared at Elsa.

"That's on you."

Gaston grinned. "You look like you murdered a burrito."

Her glare shifted over to him instead. "Do you think I have time to get back to the office and change?"

"At lunch time?" Elsa asked. "Maybe if you don't care about finishing your food. There's a good dress shop just by here, I'll help you pick something out."

"You mean you'll pick something that'll make the jury take me less seriously, so you'll win," she chirped back.

"If it comes down to your dress, then clearly you're doing your job, Ms. Partner."

"Fine, I haven't gone dress shopping with you in years, and that sounds amazing."

Elsa took another bite of her nachos, confident that it wouldn't besmirch her sky-blue dress, as she wondered just what to expect from their direct. She had a few things planned for cross, but there were a number of tactics that they could attempt, and even as well as she knew her friend, she couldn't be sure of just which one she'd try. Especially since she knew her as well and knew what to expect. Though, she may just be overthinking it.

"We should probably hurry up. You know how long I take to pick out a dress."

"Don't you even think about coming between me and these nachos."

"Fine." She sighed, staring down at her dress. With a shrug, she resumed eating her burrito. It wasn't like it could get any worse.

"How come Facilier didn't want to join us?" Albert asked. "I thought you two were getting along now."

"He's not as terrible as he used to be, but that doesn't make him my friend. I didn't want to bring him along."

"Just seems mean." He sighed.

"I'm sure he's happy just sexually harassing Petey over lunch. He doesn't need to also get to hang out with me."

"I swear he doesn't even notice," Belle said. "I've been there for lunch, and he just – does he not understand?"

"Maybe he likes the attention," Gaston suggested.

Elsa and Belle both firmly shook their heads. "It's definitely not that."

"Yeah, Belle confirmed. "It doesn't matter if you normally would, when it's part of work, it's just – it's gross. I don't know how you put up with it, Elsa."

"Oh, it's easy, I told him that if he tried it again, I'd see just how well my letter opener could castrate him."

Crossing his legs, Gaston gulped down a half-eaten bit of taco. "Oh."

"Should've tried that on you back in the day."

"Yeah, but I was a monster, so I'd have just fired you."

"Would've saved time," she grumbled.

"And you wouldn't have gotten your big buyout if we'd gotten rid of you then."

"True." She stuffed another nacho in her face. "I did like that giant buyout."

"I still hate that it happened." Belle's sympathetic sigh grew annoyed as another burrito chunk landed on her dress. "If Anya just hadn't pulled that, then you'd have made way more as a partner."

"I know. But hey, I love my new job, even if I can't ever be a partner or anything – mostly just because that's not a thing in the DA's office."

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Albert said.

"It's fine. It sure as hell wasn't your two's fault. And it's been five years, I'm okay. Really. You don't need to keep worrying about it, after all this time."

"It just wasn't fair. But I suppose I never would have gotten to go up against you otherwise."

"Though I would've actually gotten to be your co-counsel sometime," Belle said. "And that would've been even better."

"Well, if that's what you want, take a buyout and come work at the DA's office. Amelia finally quit, so we have an opening."

"No thanks!" With her awkward little grin, Belle shook her head. "It's my firm, I definitely can't leave. Especially when I just became name partner."

"Yeah. I know. Can't blame you there."

"I just wish –"

"Stop it. I'm fine. I'm over it." Mostly.

"It still would've been great," Gaston replied. "Now eat up. You two have a dress to buy, and then we can kick your ass in court."

"Well why don't you join us. I think I can stomach my impending loss more if I get to see you in a cute dress."

"I forgot to shave my legs." He sucked on his teeth, holding his hands up as if to say that there was nothing he could do. "Sorry. Otherwise I would."

"I'm sure."

"Just give me enough warning next time. Like, maybe a year. Then I'll definitely do it."

"All right. I'm game for that. How about –" she checked the calendar on her phone, "A year from tomorrow, so August 21st."

"What?" He blinked, staring at her.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Belle said. "I just marked it on my calendar. I'll help him get all prettied up, and then we can go to court. I'm sure we can even go up against you again."

"I look forward to it."

"Now, wait –" his eyes darted between the two of them.

"You said you'd do it," Elsa pointed out.

Belle nodded. "You did."

Groaning, Gaston stuffed the rest of his taco into his mouth. "Fine. Whatever."

"I'll make sure you look so pretty." Belle beamed up at the massive man.

"Great."

Chuckling, Elsa finished off the last of her food and snatched her purse up from her seat. "Well, thanks for dinner. Let's go find that dress."

"Yes!" Belle cheered. "Can I eat in your car?"

"No. The fuck you can't. Not after how much mess you already made. You can eat in your own car."

"But I'd have to drive."

"It's a burrito. You can manage."

Grumbling, Belle grabbed her own bag and stood up. "Fine. Well, it's getting late, let's hurry up. Where's the shop?"

Elsa gave her the address, and the two headed out, leaving Gaston to go over his closing, or whatever it was that he did when he was alone. They found a pretty little grey and black dress, that was just modest enough to be appropriate for court, but lacy and frilly enough to suit Belle. Elsa grabbed herself another dress as well, and they took the time to try a few things on. It was a nice time, and had been far too long coming.

"Why did you go to Judge Frollo's office on July 26th?" Belle asked. It was a fair question, since there was no way that we wouldn't lead him through a far worse version of it if he hadn't asked. Now it would just come off as bullying – though, fortunately, Facilier had a certain knack for getting away with that sort of behavior.

"Just like I'd said on my show," Thompson began, tugging at his bright purple collar, "I wanted to talk to him."

"I'm sure plenty of people on the jury don't watch your Youtube show. Maybe give the context."

Fidgeting, he glanced over to the jury box before turning back to Belle. "I'd been talking about him on there for a long while, complaining about his opinion – his dissenting opinion on the Union for Children v. Jameson." They'd gone over it enough times in court already, but Elsa wondered if Belle would have him go over it again. A couple jurors may have been asleep last time – the legal minutiae so often lost them. "I didn't care that all six of the other judges approved of them being able to adopt, if he didn't then he didn't deserve to be on the court. We're people too, damn it!" Not that long ago, you'd have been the one insisting he was right.

"What did you do there?"

"Things got a little heated." He looked genuinely ashamed, it was an impressive act. "We argued for a while – I'm not sure what I expected – but he just told me to get out of his office."

You gonna do it, Belle? "His secretary didn't see you leave; do you have any idea why that might be?" There we go. It had to be a tough decision, but it's better to let him control it than have us do so.

"I don't know," he said. It wasn't much of a defense. "I walked right out the door. She was playing on her phone, it's possible she just wasn't paying attention. Lord knows I wish she was. I wouldn't be here then." He probably still would be. He was definitely the most likely suspect, even excluding that.

"Well, where did you go after?"

"I know it makes me sound trashy, being there in the middle of the day, but I went to The Toolbox, it's a bar. I just wanted to relax, and unwind, and work off some of that tension. Maybe get laid, if I'm being honest, since I am under oath."

Elsa bit her lip. That was perfect. She leaned toward Facilier who pre-emptively responded, "Yeah, I know. It's the farthest one from where he was, and it's not where he lives. It's weird. I'll ask. I think the jury will believe that I know where a gay bar is more than you."

"Hey –"

"If it was a lesbian bar, I'd have you cross him."

"Fine, whatever." It wasn't like he couldn't do it. She'd just been excited to cross him, after all the shit he'd put her through as her client. But, hey, she still had her closing.

She'd missed Belle's question, which wasn't great, but only a few words of his answer. "—home with anyone. I struck out."

"Is there anyone else who can attest to you being there?"

"Just the bartender you already had testify – and my receipt, but you included that too." Right, his receipt from 4:50, when the murder happened some time around 5. That's not suspiciously convenient. But thanks, Belle, probably not the best use of your time, unless you thought that his answer would change, in which case it's still bad. Though, I suppose wanting to remind the jury that there was a witness is good. Come on, you can bring this home, close on a strong one.

"Is there any way that you could've gotten back to Judge Frollo's office, snuck past his secretary, and killed him, all by five?"

There's my girl. It's an easy objection, but I want his lie to bury him. The offended look on his face sold it well. "No! Of course not. I may not have always been the best person, but I'm not a murderer, and I certainly can't teleport." No, you can just slip past secretaries without issue.

"No further questions at this time, your honor." Belle managed to reel in her normal smile for a serious expression when she was at court, but it popped up for a second when she turned to the judge. At least, Elsa was pretty sure it had, her cheek poked out like it normally would, but she didn't have the best vantage point.

"Prosecution, your witness," Judge Vasilovich said.

Facilier confidently strode over to the witness, adjusting his skinny black tie. "So, there's absolutely no way you could've snuck past the secretary?" Strong start. Elsa bit her lip to stop herself from grinning. An evil grin was never a great look for a prosecutor, it worked a lot better on the defense, or when you were trying to get a settlement.

"Of course not. I didn't have the time –"

"A no will suffice. So, how'd you sneak past her the first time, then?" Facilier on the other hand, did allow himself a sinister little sneer. He'd earned it.

"I – what?" He swallowed, his eyes wide.

"She didn't see you leave."

"She just missed me. I didn't sneak."

"Of course. And then you left to go to – the farthest gay bar on the island? That's weird."

"I like it."

Facilier shrugged. "I mean, it's all right. The drinks are a little expensive, and it's kinda small, but I go there from time to time. I've never seen you there before."

"I go there often enough."

"Really? That why you went to it, even though there were seventeen gay bars closer to where you were? I counted. A few of them were even on the way to your home."

"Objection!" Gaston bellowed. It was a longshot, but it was a good way to break up the damning testimony.

"Sustained. Ask him an actual question, Facilier."

The jury already heard it, but it was stricken from the record. Re-phrasing it might not be worth it. "Why that bar?"

"I don't know. I just like it. They have good music, the guys there are cute."

"Sure, they are and they do. So do all of the others."

"Objection!" Gaston repeated. "He's testifying."

"Sustained. Stick to questions, or I'll hold you in contempt," Vasilovich bellowed.

Somehow, Facilier managed to hold himself back from a lewd remark. Elsa was honestly impressed. "You really hated Judge Frollo, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. He was a homophobe, that didn't mean I –"

"In how many episodes of your show did you talk about how awful he was?"

"I don't know. Five?"

"Twenty-three. Did you ever call for someone to 'teach him a lesson?'"

Gritting his teeth, Alistair Thompson looked between Facilier and the judge.

"Answer the question."

"Yes," he admitted.

Facilier grinned again, facing the jury, making sure that the point was adequately driven home. "So, did you kill him?"

"Objection!"

"No further questions."

Belle stared at him, chewing on her lip as she tried to make a decision. "I'd like to redirect."

"Of course."

"What were you attempting with those episodes?" I hope she's rehearsed that with him. There's so many ways it could go.

"I simply wanted to make people aware of what he'd done, and just how awful he was. I certainly didn't intend to incite violence, and I never would do it myself." He shuddered, looking like he was about to cry, but couldn't quite force out the tears. So he's not quite that good of an actor. "I don't believe in violence, I'm a therapist."

"No further questions."

Facilier huffed, staring the man down. "So, what did you think it meant when you said someone should teach him a lesson?"

"Well, I just thought that someone needed to talk to him," he insisted, somewhat unconvincingly.

"No further questions."

Judge Vasilovich took a look at the time. "Defense, do you have any more witnesses to call?"

"Nope," Gaston replied.

"All right. We'll adjourn for a quick recess, and then it's time for closing arguments."

"You were doing great up there," Elsa said to Belle, as they all filed out.

Facilier placed his hand over his heart. "Oh, Elsa, you wound me. What of my performance?"

"You did good too, boss." She wasn't sure why, but he absolutely hated being called it, so she adored doing so at any opportunity that didn't make her sound too respectful toward him.

"Thanks, Elsa," Belle said. "You've been amazing this whole trial though. I'm excited to see your closing."

"You might change your mind when you hear it."

"Oh, I'm confident Gaston can handle it."

"Naturally." He grinned, clapping her on the shoulder. "You don't stand a chance, Elsie. I'm sorry, but it's true."

"I didn't know we were in your dreams right now. I'm impressed that we're all wearing clothes."

"Was not doing so an option?" Facilier asked. "Damn, now you tell me. Do you know how long it takes to take off a three-piece suit?"

"Not that much," Gaston said.

"Well, if you insist."

"That's not what I said."

"You're right." Facilier sighed. "I'd have to prosecute myself anyway."

He chuckled. "I'd defend you."

"I appreciate that."

"Want some coffee?" Belle asked. "My treat."

"Sure." Elsa followed after her to the little stand in the lobby. Their coffee wasn't the best, but she needed a constant flow of it to function, and she had a closing to give.

Belle ordered for the two of them and grabbed a handful of sugar packets before handing Elsa's share over. "Here ya go."

"Thank you. Last chance to plea out."

"He didn't do it, Elsa."

"How sure are you?"

By the look in her eyes, Elsa doubted it was more than sixty, seventy percent at the most. "I'm confident. And that's why we're going to win."

"Well, I'm absolutely certain that that dickbag killed him, and that we've done more than enough to prove it already. And that's why we'll be the ones winning."

"We'll see." She grinned, taking a sip off her coffee, and immediately regretting the decision. Her eyes shot wide open and she fanned her tongue before blowing repeatedly on the coffee.

"Too hot to drink? Thanks for that, I might've tried it otherwise."

Belle glared, her tongue still out.

"We should head back."

"I'm not waving at my tongue in the middle of court. You can go, I'm gonna go to a drinking fountain."

"You're just a mess today, aren't you?"

"I didn't sleep well."

Elsa stared at her friend, trying to read past her goofy pained expression. "What's been going on?"

"Oh, not like that! I actually went home with this super hot butch girl last night. It was probably a terrible idea given how tired I am, but I'm meeting up with her for drinks tomorrow."

"Think it could be serious?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It was just supposed to be a one night stand, but we had really good chemistry. So, fingers crossed, I guess?"

Elsa threw her arms around her, hugging Belle tight. "That's great. Good luck, I'm really happy for you."

"We could go on a double date sometime."

"Well, I can guarantee it would go better than any of the other times we tried it."

"I still don't know how you two ever managed to be friends – let alone a couple – you just hated each other."

"I sure as hell do now." She may have been over leaving the firm – mostly – but she sure as hell wasn't over Anastasia's betrayal.

"I know. I do too."

"Are you just trying to throw me off before my closing?"

"Of course not." She flashed a playful grin. "I really wasn't though. Now, I'm going to go cool my tongue off, because I can't even drink coffee safely. I'll see you in there."

Elsa blew on her coffee as she headed back. Everyone gradually filed back in, with Belle running back near the last minute. Court was back in session, and it was time for the fun part.

"The facts of this case are quite clear," Elsa proclaimed, looked from one juror to the next, making sure to hold contact with each of them. "Alistair Thompson had been threatening Judge Claude Frollo for months, he went to his office just before the time of his death, and he was never seen exiting. He had the motives, means, and opportunity. As you saw, the coroner testified that he may have killed him then, and as Frollo's secretary, Mrs. Harrington, testified, there's no reason to believe that Thompson couldn't have returned, even if he actually was at The Toolbox at the time the receipt says. He had plenty of time to get back. The estimated time of death was between five, and five thirty, that gives him forty minutes after his receipt to have gotten there and murdered him, before absconding.

"I'm sure plenty of you are sympathetic for him. As I'm sure many of you know, if you were following the tabloids half a decade ago; just like my co-counsel, I'm quite gay. As a mother, Judge Frollo's opinion on my right to adopt greatly offends me, but I wouldn't have killed him for it. Mr. Thompson made a living saying that he would, and that someone should. And then he did."

She allowed that to sink it, glancing over the twelve people again, seeing how that had reached them. It seemed effective. She missed getting to go last.

Elsa returned to her seat, waiting for Gaston to go. She didn't want to let anything interrupt their consideration of those last few words, and Gaston would mess that up. Her words were likely still weaseling their way into their brain, telling them that Thompson had to be guilty. He is guilty, and I've proven it as best I can.

Albert rose, offering a somber glance to her and then to the jury. "Ms. Agnarrsen has my sympathies. I understand how tempting it must be to go for the obvious suspect, but as was made quite clear over the course of this trial, they didn't evaluate other suspects near well enough to ensure that he was the one. Judge Frollo was not an easy man, he's irritated me enough times personally, and I'm just one in a long line of people who would love to have hurt him. I'm not saying that he deserved it, no one deserves that, but there are literally dozens of people who had motive, and who had threatened him routinely. You heard all of the death threats he received, you listened to person after person testify just how badly he had hurt them. Thompson was across town, in a bar, with witnesses. The bartender said that he left around 5:30. There's no way he could've gotten across town and killed Frollo in that time." He said he thought he left then.

"I know we want the easy answer. We want to just point a finger, preferably at someone who isn't all that likeable, and maybe is even a minority if we're feeling particularly scapegoaty, but that's not how the legal process has to work. You simply cannot know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that my client did it. And that's because he didn't. Alistair Thompson is an innocent man, and the District Attorney over there has wasted your tax dollars going after him instead of pursuing the real killer. Tell him that he has to go find someone else. Tell him to find the person who really did it. Don't just accept the first person he wanted to blame."

It wasn't a bad closing. Elsa had seen Gaston do better, but that was only because he was an amazing lawyer. This could very easily screw her. After hearing it, she kind of wanted to tar and feather herself and tell her that she had to go find the real culprit. But she already had. She knew the kind of man Thompson was, and the facts didn't lie. He was the killer, and she wouldn't let him get away with it, no matter how awful Frollo had been.

The jury deliberated for over an hour, while Elsa and Facilier fretted in a private room, and the three on the other side no doubt did the same. "He did it, Elsa," Facilier said, doing his best to offer reassurance. "I know how close this case hits to home, but he did it. And the jury knows it. You don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried," she lied.

"Great. Well, since we have the room –" he grinned, catching himself for once. "Maybe it won't be too much longer." He laid back on the table, staring up at the ceiling. "You know, they almost never deliberate this long in my cases."

"That's because you're normally facing public defenders just out of law school. We just faced two name partners from the best law firm in the state – hell, the country."

"You didn't pull any punches because of that, did you?" He squinted at her, one eye shut.

"No. I fought harder than ever. I'm not losing to Gaston."

"Then we don't need to worry." He crossed one leg over the other, tapping out a beat, his eyes closed. "How long of a sentence do you think they'll give him?"

"I'm still worried they'll give him manslaughter. I knew we shouldn't have offered it."

"They won't. He showed too much forethought with that alibi he set up. It's murder 1. He'll get at least twenty-five."

"Well, if you're right, twenty-five. If I'm right, he might get away with ten."

"No way. If they went for manslaughter, he'd still get twenty-five."

Elsa shook her head. "He was surprisingly sympathetic on the stand. They'd give him the minimum, he'll get five years, and then he'll walk."

"No way, he'll –" A knock sounded at the door. "Well, I guess we'll go find out, won't we?"

Elsa felt a knot in her stomach as the jury filed in. It wasn't as terrifying as when she was a defense attorney, but letting guilty people go free was a fear that kept her up at night far more than it had when she was the one doing it. Now she could never know, and if they killed again, it was because she failed in her duty, not because she'd done too good of a job.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, have you reached a unanimous verdict?" Judge Vasilovich asked.

"We have your honor," the forewoman said.

"What say you?"

"On the charge of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, Alistair Thompson, not guilty."

Elsa's heart sank, her eyes going wide. No.

People started to stir around her. Alistair cheered.

"You will keep your decorum until all of the charges are read, or you'll be held in contempt," Vasilovich bellowed, silencing the room without so much as the gavel. "Continue."

"On the charge of murder in the second degree, we find the defendant, not guilty."

Damn, and I was really hoping it was going to change there.

"On the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, we find the defendant, guilty."

She blinked, doing her best to stop her surprised smile. She was right. I should've made a bet with Facilier.

The courtroom erupted again, and this time he did have to use the gavel. Thompson looked ready to rush him when he was being taken off to wait for sentencing, as if murdering a second judge would help his appeal. They'd done it, though. She'd beaten the combined might of her two best friends. She felt pretty good about herself. Possibly even pizza good, but they'd had Motorino's the other night, so maybe Gaby's again.

"Good job, Elsa." Belle sounded sad, and it detracted just a smidgen from Elsa's victory.

"He did it, Belle, I promise."

"I hope you're right. He insisted he was innocent."

"You know you're not supposed to say that."

"It doesn't count if I whisper it."

Elsa chuckled, wrapping an arm around her friend. "You wanna come over? Pizza and scotch – I won't even make fun of you for having wine with coke in it."

Snickering, she shook her head. "Not tonight. I just kinda wanna process it. Probably just gonna have a drink with Gaston and go crash. Sunday though, I'll tell you how my date goes."

"Sounds great. Sorry for kicking your ass."

"It's fine, you just did what you were supposed to do. Unlike some people I know, I don't hold a grudge over that kind of stuff."

"Hey, I don't –" Do I? I probably would've a few years ago.

"I'm teasing. There's only one person I can think of who would."

Elsa sucked in a breath. "Yeah, she sure as hell would. She loved her grudges, especially against me."

"Give Anna my love. We should go to that new Japanese place Tiana was mentioning."

"Sure, I'm always up for some sushi."

"I can't wait." She pulled back, smiling up at her.

"Can I come?" Gaston asked.

Facilier stood over them, looking like an awkward third wheel with his hands stuck in his pockets.

"It's a girl's night," Belle said.

"We can all grab drinks on Monday," Elsa said.

Facilier chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that included me."

Elsa stared at him, considering that. He was an absolutely terrible person, and had shown far less capacity to get over it than she or Albert had, but he also had a hell of a singing voice, and she wanted to get him to do a duet with Belle. "Sure, we can go to that karaoke bar you dragged me to after work a couple years ago."

"I think it closed down."

"A different one then."

"Well, you have time to change your mind, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll invite Pan."

"That mean it's a date?"

He gave a wry laugh. "Unfortunately, I think he's firmly stuck with his heterosexuality. I can only appreciate him from afar."

"Maybe do it a bit farther then," Elsa shot back. He was still a massive creep with him.

"I'll consider it." I don't believe that for a second.

Their plans firmly in place, somehow even including that dick, they headed to their various vehicles and their assorted destinations. Elsa had pizza and an Anna to grab.

"Hey, Mom," Olaf muttered, barely looking away from his video game.

"Hey, Padawan."

He groaned, rolling his eyes as he shot something in the game. He'd almost grown out of his Star Wars obsession, and hated that that nickname had stuck around, but she wasn't going to let up on it now. Especially when it annoyed him so much. "I got pizza. You all ready to go to your father's this weekend? Packed and everything – remembered your tooth brush?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. It'll be nice being home with Lilo."

Elsa stared at the kid next to him. "They're literally right there."

"Yeah, but only I'm home right now, it's not the same."

"If that's the case then I should stop packing their lunches. I had no idea they didn't live here."

Lilo glared up at her, their eyes narrowing as they hit the pause button. "You wouldn't dare."

Elsa chuckled. It was probably true, but that didn't mean she had to back down. "No, apparently this isn't your home, even though you lived here for years, and still spend half your time here – so you clearly live here. I just won't pack your bags or pay for your school trips."

"You can pry my Fruit by the Foot from my cold dead fingers!" they shrieked, jumping to their feet and doing their best to meet Elsa's eyes.

"So is this home?"

"Maybe!" they growled back.

"Go wash up for dinner. You can finish your game later."

"Fine!" They stomped off.

"You too, Olaf."

He stood, stretching. "You know that's just how they say 'I love you.'"

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. It really seemed like Lilo should've become less trouble as they grew older. "Where's your Mama?"

"She's upstairs, working on a lesson plan, I think. Because apparently first graders need those." He laughed at his own joke, giving a broad toothy smile.

"Thanks. Go get ready."

"I am!"

"For dinner."

"Oh." He spun on his heel turning toward the bathroom. "Right."

Anna was tucked away at her desk, in their shared office. She didn't even notice Elsa come in, so she took the opportunity to sneak up behind her and wrap her arms around her, kissing down her neck. "Oh, hey, honey," she said, shivering under her touch.

"You don't know it's me."

"Eep, a sexy burglar."

The faintly strawberry scent of Anna's shampoo soothed her. "Your day go okay?"

"Yeah, it was great." She spun in her seat, wrapping her legs around Elsa. "How about yours?"

"Well, I won, and I'm the best. So, pretty great. There's pizza downstairs."

"That the only thing you're hungry for?"

Elsa gave a low chuckle. It definitely wasn't, but with Anna's appetite, she was going to need the energy. "After the kids go to sleep."

"It's Friday. They don't sleep."

"Well then, after they claim they're going to sleep."

"All right." She sighed, pulling back and shutting her laptop. "I guess I can wait that long. Let's go eat."