"Elsa? And Ms. O'Hara, I believe. Didn't you quit?" de Ville asked, looking up from her desk and a mountain of paperwork.

"That's what we're here to talk to you about, Ms. de Ville." Elsa shut the door behind them, gesturing toward the seats. It was a risky power move, but she had never been one not to take them when they presented themselves. It probably wasn't the best plan.

She looked them up and down. "Please, call me Carol. You are a partner after all." If her voice could be described as friendly, which would be a stretch, then her expression certainly didn't match it. "So what can I do for the two of you?" As she adjusted in her seat, her sleeve lifted a fraction of an inch to reveal a nicotine patch. Eight years on them and she still hasn't quit? I hadn't noticed them at any of the partner's meetings, I thought she must have by now.

Elsa had been practicing just what to say the whole drive here, which had seemed to only worry Belle as they rode in silence. She cleared her throat.

"I want my job back," Belle stated firmly and with as much conviction as the passionate young lawyer always managed – outside of court, at least. Though I've heard she's started channeling it there as well. "I made a mistake in leaving and I'd like to return. Ms – Elsa was interested in hiring me back – she's a good friend of mine – but she said we needed your approval as managing partner." She makes it sound like I was a lot more certain than I was.

Ms. de Ville's eyes had never left Elsa's throughout Belle's plea. She's probably wondering what my game is. "You left on good terms, and according to your records, which I have right here –" she gestured toward a file in front of her, "you're an exemplary attorney." Belle's face lit up. "However –" Saw that coming. "There is the matter of the fact that we lost a big client just after you left, to the firm you'd joined. I don't suppose you had anything to do with that? You're not an attorney-of-record of that client, you'd certainly be within your rights to have done so." Shit.

"What? I –" Belle hesitated. They'd expected something like this, they'd already discussed it, she just needed to remember the plan, but neither of them had counted on Ms. de Ville being quite so prepared.

Elsa smirked. It was a trap, but not the one it had seemed. "She did."

"I'd like to hear it from her." Those yellow eyes grew all the colder as she finally turned them on Belle. "You want to work here again, you can sell yourself to me without her help."

Elsa willed Belle to understand the change in plan. As much as the idea made her sick, Carol had actually just given them a valuable card to play. Belle may not end up getting her old job back, but if she played it just right, she'd beat Elsa as the youngest partner they'd ever had.

Please get it. She tried to fight back down the bile building in her throat. She wished it was nerves over her friend's predicament, but she knew herself better than that.

Belle took a shaky breath, gripping the arms of the chair and staring down at the desk. Please. With a renewed confidence and the same cocky grin Elsa had worn in hundreds of settlement conferences and depositions, Belle faced Carol head on. "I was an integral part of every case that Romanov and Dokuchitz brought to court." She took another breath, slowing herself, readying for that card. "I can get you their biggest clients, I'm the one they trust." Don't overplay.

"And for proving yourself as a rainmaker, you just want your old job back?" She just really lobbed that one to her, to mix metaphors.

"No." Belle bit her lip, swallowing a lump, her eyes darting away for a fraction of a second. Don't show weakness. She can smell blood. "If I can prove myself like that, then I'd just be wasted as an associate. For that, I want to be a partner."

Elsa could see just how close Belle was to buckling under Carol's gaze. She just had to hope that the bluff was working, since de Ville didn't know her the way Elsa did.

"Hm." The managing partner leaned back in her chair, studying her prey. "Well, if you can do that, then perhaps you are partnership material. Your file certainly suggests otherwise, but I'm curious to see if you've got the stones. You have until the end of the week. Pull it off, and sure, you can be partner. Non-equity."

Holy shit. Belle nodded, clearly not willing to risk words at that point.

"She can do it, Carol," Elsa said, rising from her seat and extending her hand. "It's always a pleasure, I'm sure I'll see you soon when we meet to approve my friend here."

"So long as she does it without your help, of course. She's the one that needs to prove herself. I already know what you can do."

"Of course." Damn it.

The second they closed the door behind them, Belle collapsed against Elsa, shuddering. "What the hell did I just do?" she whispered.

"Stole my title by the looks of it?" Elsa muttered back. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it." She tugged Belle to her feet and led her away so that Carol couldn't overhear anything. "I just wish I could help you."

She shook her head. "You've helped enough. If it wasn't for you, I doubt she would've even talked to me. I can do this. I know you still think of me as that inexperienced first-year who could barely look after herself, but I know what I'm doing. I'm a slightly experienced third-year," she added, chuckling.

"Okay. I believe in you," Elsa forced out, as ever surprised to find that the words were true. Belle had grown into an amazing lawyer, and she could do this. "I just know that you're also an awkward dork."

"But it's charming, right? I thought I could use that to my strength."

"It's cute. I'm not sure that that will help get your big fish though."

She groaned. "Damn. I guess I'll have to go with plan B: showing them how I was the one that pulled off basically everything for their cases. Anya is as great a lawyer as she is a terrible person, but no one can research like I can, Elsa. You've said as much enough times that I don't think it's too egotistical to say it. I found every little trick that saved the day, and I can hold my own in court even against Anya. By the time I'm finished wowing them, there won't be a doubt in their mind that I'm the lawyer to go with. Plus, I'll have way more resources to offer them as a partner of one of the biggest firms in New York."

Elsa blinked. Fuck. Even I'm convinced. "All right. I guess you can." Just how much has she grown without my even noticing? "Who're you planning on starting with?"

She smirked. "I don't want Carol to think you helped." Carol? She really is confident. Maybe Anya was actually good for her. I feel like I need a shower just thinking that.

"All right, good luck then. Can I at least get you a coffee or something? You don't have any associates to play gofer for you."

Blushing, Belle nodded. "If you insist, I wouldn't say no to a coffee from that place you love."

"I can do that."

As she turned the key in her ignition, Elsa was hit by just what she was doing. Only a year ago she'd have never believed this turn of fate could be possible. Belle was this pitiful little thing who wasn't even worth the respect of knowing her last name – though she'd never bothered to learn any other associates name at all, so that wasn't saying much. She'd learned her first name solely to disrespect her. Because I was such a great person. Now, she was getting her coffee and trying to help her steal – earn. She was earning it, not stealing it. Earn the title that meant so much to Elsa, even after she'd betrayed the firm by running off to join Anya. She was even letting her stay in her house.

The drive over and the wait between the 'hoo hoo' and the coffee and pastries being handed to her gave her plenty of time to process everything. It still made her feel nauseous, but she wasn't willing to let that stop her. Belle had proven time and again to be a fantastic lawyer, and an even better friend. She would go to bat for her to the other partners, and do whatever else she could to ensure that it happened. Sipping at her coffee on the drive back, another idea hit her. She didn't want to give it voice just yet, she needed to make sure that it was actually a good plan – and she wanted to run it by her girlfriend before anything else.

"Her?" Albert stared at her incredulously over the top of his cheesesteak. Belle had been running off on her own all day, so Elsa had busied herself with her own caseload until lunch. She'd barely been back a day and she already had so much to do.

"Yes, her," Elsa insisted, a hint of anger creeping into her voice. She grabbed some fries from the delivery bag between them, as she met his gaze, her eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because she's become a brilliant attorney and we'd be lucky to have her."

"Yeah, there's no way that's the reason. You'd recruit her for that, sure, but you wouldn't fetch her coffee or anything. What's the real story?"

"She's my friend, and she punched out Anya when she was threatening me and Anna," Elsa admitted. He wasn't wrong, she wouldn't do that for just anyone. "She lost her job over me, the least I can do is help her get this one."

A warm smile softened his features, his teeth glinting in their customary gaudy fashion. "Why didn't you just say so? I love her already."

She shrugged. "It wasn't something I wanted to relive."

"I guess I understand that. I'm just used to being the guy you go to with everything – hell, I'm the one you talked to about your s—about Anna." His eyebrows knitted together and he studied her. "You said she knew. You didn't –"

"I came to you first. I didn't want anyone else to know."

The look of relief on his face would have made her laugh if it hadn't looked quite so fragile. "Good. 'Cause I just – You're kind of – You're my best friend, Elsa. I know I probably don't deserve that title, but I thought I was yours too, and while I'll admit it's childish of me, for a second there I think I was jealous."

Here I was thinking Anya was my best friend. Well, I guess that one's sure out of the running. "You are my best friend, Asshole."

He flashed another grin, still unmarred by the chopped steak and cheese whiz he was eating. "That mean you're gonna let me actually see your girlfriend? I helped hook you two up and I haven't seen her since and I've barely seen you."

"If you'll recall, I hadn't wanted to be hooked up with her at the time."

He snorted, breaking into a cough. "Well, you seem pretty happy with her now. I told you she was the best."

Grinding her teeth together, Elsa had to grant him that, as reluctant as she always was to allow him to believe that he was right about something. "I love her. It's still scary and it feels so wrong, but I do."

"So how about I come over for dinner?"

"Belle's staying with us right now. And Olaf – Anna's kid."

"I'm assuming he lives there."

"Well, yeah." I guess I was still thinking of him as staying with me, and maybe Anna too. Thinking of them as living with me is going to take some getting used to.

"I'm great with kids, and now that I know she hasn't stolen my spot, I'm sure I can be great with Belle too. She doesn't already hate me does she?"

"Probably a little."

He sighed. "Yeah, I deserve worse than that. God, I was the worst."

"It's why I call you 'Asshole.'"

"I know. I'll bring an expensive scotch."

"Then you're invited."

His hearty guffaw was far more endearing than it had any right to be. But then again, he was her best friend, she ought to be at least a little fond of him. "Speaking of her stealing titles…" he began, letting Elsa catch the thread. When she didn't say anything, he added, "You sure you're okay with that?"

Saying something like 'Yeah, of course I am, it's not like it meant that much to me,' was so very tempting, but he'd just pointed out that he was the one she went to with these sorts of things, and it was still bugging her. "Honestly? I feel sick just thinking of it."

"That's nice to hear."

"What?" She glared at him.

"Sometimes I forget that you're almost as big of a dick as I am."

Elsa threw a french fry at him, the greasy chunk of potato hitting his several thousand-dollar jacket.

"You're still the best damn lawyer I've ever met, Ms. Agnarrsen." Gaston winked. "I know how much of an ego that can give you. I remember when I was the best." Elsa resisted soothing his own ego, she wanted to see where he was going. "Being replaced happens, assuming she's even actually better than you and I really doubt that. But your replacement is someone who you helped, and from the sound of it, inspired. I remember when she was a mousey little nobody fawning over that hot shot lawyer I loved making miserable."

"She really did stand out, somehow, didn't she? Everyone seems to know her, even though we all didn't seem to think much of her at the time."

"Well she was involved in almost everyone's cases, and tended to find some precedent that helped add another zero on the end of a settlement or ruling."

"That she did."

"If your pupil surpasses you, that just means you're the best all over again."

"But my associate's my pupil, Anya probably taught Belle more than I did. Maybe I should start training Mia to be a partner." Fuck, as many big clients as she's bringing in, she may well be ready for it.

"Then you can have two impressive partners who took after you to brag about forever."

Thinking of it that way – Belle being another example of her greatness – made her feel so much better that it made her feel worse. Of course I have to soothe my ego. I can't just be happy for my friend. "We really are the worst."

"Hey, we earned these egos."

"Maybe I did."

He glared at her for half a second before bursting out laughing, almost dropping his cheesesteak as he doubled over. "Geeze, Elsie, you've seen me in court. You know full-well that I earned my lackadaisical life of doing whatever the hell I want and still coming home with a big paycheck. When I go to court, I win."

"Like you could've even beaten Facilier without me."

"Oh, you wanna go? I'm sure we can find some clients who would waive conflict."

Elsa bared her teeth, staring down her friend. "As fun as that would be, I'd rather not humiliate you."

"You're welcome to try."

Chuckling, Elsa bit into her sandwich, the provolone and onions having all but melted into the meat as they talked. "Unfortunately, I don't think Carol would approve of our shenanigans, and I need to stay on her good side right now. I guess being beaten by me will just have to stay your secret fantasy."

"Well, the offer stands, if you ever need to eat some humble pie, I'll serve it anytime."

"You already said I was better than you. You're not dragging me into this."

"I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Sure you were."

"Glenmorangie Signet? Around six-thirty?" He asked, taking a sip of the diet soda he'd ordered online. Elsa had given him a hard time about the beverage a few times, but it was one of the few things that had never been able to stir his argumentative nature.

"Better make it seven. I don't know how this much work accumulated. I've been doing some of it on my laptop at home, and I still make calls and do my reading even on vacation. I should not have this much."

"Seven sounds great. I'll bring a tequila too. I know Anna really liked that Casa Dragones I had."

"Are you trying to get her drunk?"

"Just trying to ingratiate myself to my best friend's girlfriend."

Elsa rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from smiling. "I think you already managed that, but she'll love the tequila anyway."

"Maybe I should bring two."

"Now you really are just trying to get her drunk."

He snickered, sipping his soda. "I'll bring extra scotch too."

"Bring wine for Belle. She'll mix it with coke and we can all judge her."

"Well now I just have to."

Finishing her sandwich, Elsa rose to her feet, looking down at the massive man. "You can buy us dinner too if you're bringing everything.'

"Sure. Chinese sound good?'

"Nah, I'm feeling Italian."

"Belle need a kid's meal?"

"Just make sure she has enough breadsticks."

He nodded, as if taking it completely seriously. "I'll rent a pick up then."

It was almost one and she had a deposition to get to. "Where were you when I was moving into my house?" She drained her watery coffee and tossed the cup in his garbage can. "See you tonight." She waved goodbye as she walked out. Time to get back to work.

Belle and Elsa returned to the latter's home to find Anna in the midst of a lightsaber fight with Olaf, going up and down the stairs. He found a new sensei already? Elsa chuckled to herself.

"I have the high ground!" Olaf declared.

"That's my padawan," Elsa announced, pride and mirth mixed equally in her voice.

"Oh, hi Sensei!" he waved with his swordarm.

Anna took the chance to stab him, the plastic blade collapsing.

The look of betrayal on his face as he collapsed, clutching his stomach and dropping his toy, was a little too convincing. "Avenge… Me."

"Hey, ho—Elsa," Anna said, turning to face her.

Belle took the chance to pick up the fallen weapon and stabbed Anna.

"One second." Anna held up a finger before turning around to face Olaf and collapsing against the stair's railing. "You've been avenged," she muttered.

What am I going to do with them? "I think I was supposed to do that."

"I'm your other padawan then," Belle insisted. "So it counts as you avenging him."

"You took another student?!" Olaf asked, shooting upright from his prone position on the stairs. "But what about Lilo?"

"I can have three." Mia would probably go along with it too. She chuckled. "Although that does remind me of a thing. Anna, come let me fix your lightsaber wound."

She hopped up, handing her toy to Olaf. "You can fight Belle."

"But I'm dead."

She chewed on her lip, staring down at him, her eyes narrowed as she considered this predicament. "Well, we can't have that. Force Revive!" She held her hands out at him, palms out, willing her son back to life.

"I don't think that's a thing."

"It is."

"Oh, okay. I'm ready to fight then, Ms. Belle."

As the sound of plastic smacking against plastic filled the house once again, Elsa led Anna over to the kitchen. "What's up?" Anna asked, hopping onto the counter and taking a sip from a bottle of water she'd had waiting for her.

"Well, we cost Belle her place to live, and since she's probably going to end up as a partner –"

"She what? Really? That's amazing! It is amazing, right? I know how much being a partner meant to you. Isn't she kind of young?"

Elsa ground her teeth. Not a sore spot at all. "She is. But that doesn't seem to be stopping her from pulling it off. Most likely, early next week, they'll call an emergency partner meeting and at the very least Albert and I will vote to confirm her, and with Carol's support, it's all but guaranteed."

"Oh. Wow. I don't know who Carol is, but I'm so happy for her. Also when am I gonna see Albert again? I still need to thank him."

I forgot to tell her. I'm too used to living alone – wow, it was accurate, but it's not how I tended to think of myself. "He wanted to come over tonight. Said he'd bring Italian and some more of that tequila you loved."

"Sounds great. I can't have too much though, at least not until Olaf goes to bed."

"Naturally."

"Was that what you wanted to tell me? 'Cause that's sort of a weird preamble for 'Albert's coming over.'"

"Right, no, sorry. Since she's going to have to save up for the buy-in, and we lost her her home, and since it'd make Olaf less suspicious of you staying in my bedroom –"

"You want to invite her to stay here?"

"Not forever!" Elsa insisted. "It's a silly idea."

"It's not. I was thinking the same thing for Nani if she takes that job, it would make things so much simpler. And for Belle I do feel so bad for ruining her relationship – even if Anya absolutely deserved it. I love it. It's a great plan. Just so long as she can keep her hands to herself." Her eyes roved down Elsa's form, admiring how the black dress clung to her. "I'm all for it."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

"She better be."

"Eek!" Belle screamed, her head poking out past the wall as she caught herself. "Maybe fighting on the stairs isn't a great idea."

"Force push!"

She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the ground at the bottom of the stairs.

"Plus, live-in babysitter," Anna pointed out.

"Not sure she'll have that much time for it as a new partner."

"It'll at least allow the occasional date night."

Elsa squeezed her hand and walked over to help up Belle. "You two play nice."

"I'm always nice," Olaf insisted.

She checked the time. It was getting close to seven. "Olaf, go get cleaned up. Dinner should be here soon. Belle, there was something we wanted to talk to you about."

"So, I don't have to get cleaned up?" She smirked up at Elsa.

She rolled her eyes. "Just come on."

"Why do I have to if she doesn't?" Olaf whined.

"Fine. Belle, go wash your hands. Olaf, that means you too."

"Yes, Sensei," they both say.

Can I honestly put up with living with this? With an exasperated groan, Elsa returned to the kitchen, pulling out the stool in front of Anna. She leaned against the gorgeous redhead on the counter as she waited for Belle to finish washing up in the kitchen sink. "You sure about this?"

Anna's fingers ran through her hair, toying idly with her bun. "I think it's a great idea."

"What is?" Belle asked, shutting off the water and hopping up to join Anna.

"You want to tell her?" Anna asked.

Might as well. "How're you liking the guest room?" Elsa asked.

"It's great. That bed is so much more comfortable than Anya's, and I'd just had a twin before."

"How would you like to keep it?"

"The bed?"

Anna chuckled. "The room. Just babysit Olaf sometimes. Elsa said that you'd need to save up a bunch of money for partnership. Like, how much anyway? Will she need it by the end of the week?"

Belle blinked. "I forgot about that."

Elsa cleared her throat. She knew how bad it would sound, especially to Anna. "It's not due until you make equity. So you should be able to save up pretty well in the meantime, we pay our non-equity partners very well. It's how I paid off this mortgage, actually. But it's five hundred thousand."

"Fuck!" Anna shouted.

"I was thinking it was a little lower than that," Belle grumbled. "You'd really let me stay here and save up? I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"It's more of a convenience really." Anna giggled. "It makes it a lot less likely that Olaf will get suspicious. Plus you're like the closest friend I have in town so far, and it'll be great to be able to see you more."

Belle's cheeks colored. "Well then, how can I say no? I'd absolutely love to stay here. As long as you're both sure?"

Elsa nodded. "We are. I know how tough that buy-in can be."

Chuckling and grinning, she threw her arms around the two of them, almost pulling Elsa off of her stool. "You're both the absolute best."

"You are too!" Anna insisted. "I mean you did beat up Anya for me."

"She deserved it."

Before they could fall into rehashing one of the worst nights of Elsa's life, the doorbell rang. "That should be Gaston with the food."

"What?" Belle's smile had completely vanished. "Why?"

Right. I still had to deal with that. I knew I was forgetting something. Work just had me so busy today. "He's gotten a lot better since you left."

"That doesn't excuse the kind of things he used to say!"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked. "He's the one who insisted that I should talk to Elsa about my feelings. He's been nothing but a good friend to both of us."

"I'm sure that fucking asshole was just getting off to it."

"As much as he deserves that, he really has changed. Could you at least try talking to him before you condemn him?" Elsa asked as the doorbell rang again.

Belle folded her arms over her chest. "Fine," she groaned.

The smell of garlic, cheese, and tomato wafted in as Elsa opened the door, finding an overburdened Albert, struggling to support bags of drinks and food. "Hey there, Elsie. I think I got everything. Mind helping me carry it in?"

"Of course not." Elsa grabbed two of the bags, allowing him to adjust his hold and stop from dropping a bag-full of breadsticks. "You really did it? Are there more in the pickup?"

"I was hoping this would be enough. I can get more." He grinned.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on in. Say hi to Belle and Anna. Olaf is –"

The boy ran into the foyer, looking up at the towering black-haired Frenchman. "Who're you?"

"Hey there, kiddo. It's Olaf, right?"

He nodded, his eyes wide as he stared up at him. Can hardly blame him. I doubt he's even seen anyone bigger than Kristoff before.

"You're big."

Elsa burst out laughing, almost dropping one of the bags of expensive glass bottles. "That was a bit on the nose."

"Not his nose!" Olaf stomped his foot. "All of him!"

"Eat your greens and lots of eggs, and maybe you'll be my size someday too."

His eyes widened even further, looking like they were seconds from just popping out of his head. "What? No. I don't – Mama! This scary guy says I don't have to eat vegetables!"

Laughing hard enough that she had to set the bags down to not risk dropping them, Elsa wiped a tear from her eyes. "Just so you know, Belle remembers you and kind of hates you."

"Yeah. That's what we were expecting. I've been trying to figure out what I should say."

"You settle on anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm guessing 'sorry' won't do?"

"Probably not. No."

"Damn. That was the best I came up with."

"How are we so bad at this? We literally get paid to talk and convince people of things."

"Well no one's paying us right now."

Elsa nodded her head. He had a point. Maybe if there was someone to bill for her time she wouldn't have been so awkward about inviting Belle to stay. "Try offering her the breadsticks first. Maybe that'll help. I once saw her eat an entire basket of them after finishing her dinner."

"Think it'll work?"

"Can't hurt?" She considered that. "Maybe it could. I don't know, it seems worth trying. Did you ever do anything that bad to her? Like worse than me?" She wasn't sure if she meant worse than he'd done to Elsa or worse than she'd done to Belle, but both seemed pretty applicable.

Gaston swallowed, looking like he'd just taken a bit of something several months past its expiration date. "Yeah."

"Let her punch you. She seems pretty willing to forgive people after that." Was I just bitter? I don't blame her for staying with Anya. She was hoping that she just needed some time. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Hell, she can break my nose if it'll help."

"Tell her that."

He nodded, swallowing another lump before holding his head high and striding into the kitchen. "Hi," he managed, meeting Belle's steely gaze.

"Hello, Mr. Gaston." Her voice lacked its usual cheer. The fuck did he do to her?

"I brought you breadsticks. And wine. And some spaghetti Bolognese."

Her eyes fell to the breadsticks before darting back to him. "You can't just buy my forgiveness for everything you did."

"I also brought some Coca-Cola for you."

Her eyes narrowed. "I see Elsa gave you some good advice, but it's not going to work. I'm not that easy."

He nodded, and Elsa could swear she saw tears in his eyes. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but you're incredibly important to my best friend, and I don't want to lose her because of that. I'm sorry for everything I ever did, I'm sure I only even remember half of it, because that was just who I was, and the fact that it wasn't personal seems like it only makes it worse. You were just another woman – another gay woman at that – for me to be cruel and abusive to. I dismissed your work, made lewd remarks about your outfits and your relationship, and made a hostile, disgusting workplace for you. You didn't deserve that, and I regret every second of it."

"Then why?" she asked, blinking away tears of her own.

He shook his head, staring down as he tried to put it into words. "I guess, because I thought of it as a game. I was a bigot, but I didn't even believe half of what I said, I think I was just so used to the environment, and to making associates' lives hell, that it just never occurred to me that I was doing something wrong. No. That's not even true, I absolutely knew it was wrong." He shrugged, sagging before her. "I don't know. I'm so sorry, but that's the God's honest truth. I don't know why I did it. Every reason I can think of is disproven by something else. I guess it's just that I was – am – a monster."

"You're not –" Elsa began.

"No matter how much I've changed, it doesn't make up for what I did before. I'm so glad that you've managed to forgive me, Elsa, but it doesn't mean that she has to."

"He's really your best friend?" she asked, finally turning her gaze to Elsa.

She sighed. "Yeah. He is."

She turned back to him, looking him up and down. "And I'm just supposed to believe that this isn't all some trick? That you're not just planning another joke on me, like you did my first year?"

Gaston looked confused. "I don't know how you can believe me. I don't even know what I did to you."

"You – you don't? You really don't remember?"

He shook his head.

"You spent over a week, buttering me up, acting like I was actually a good lawyer – you were the first person there to even praise me – and –" tears streamed down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them away. "After all that, you took all of the credit for the case, and told me that I should find a new job, and that I was the worst lawyer you'd ever seen."

"Oh."

Wow, and I only ever thought it.

"You did?" Anna asked, speaking for the first time since this fight had started. "That doesn't sound like you. I know I don't know you that well, but I just can't –"

"He did!"

"I remember that," he muttered, so quietly that everyone shut up just to listen.

"Wow. You're mean." Olaf grabbed a breadstick from the bag.

"I thought that was a different associate – one who actually did quit. I'd even been considering calling her to apologize, but I didn't want to make it worse. I'm sorry, Belle. You clearly didn't deserve it, but even if you had it wouldn't have been right of me. If I could take it back, I would. If you don't want me here, I can just leave the food and drinks and go home."

Belle stared at him, either unwilling or unable to reply, tears still falling onto her dress.

"If you want to hit me, that's fine. Break my nose, whatever makes you feel even the slightest bit better. I'm sorry."

Her hand balled into a fist, but rather than standing and slugging him, Belle held her fist up and stared at it, looking almost in shock. She turned it over, studying her knuckles. "I don't want to do that again. But I was willing to give Anya all of those chances to prove that she could be better. Maybe I'm taking the wrong lesson from her. You say you've changed, and both Anna and Elsa say so too. I'll give you the chance to prove it. But if you pull even one more thing anywhere near that, I'm writing you up for sexual harassment for everything you ever did."

"That is completely fair."

"Okay." Belle nodded, agreeing with herself.

"Does that mean we can finally eat?" Olaf whined, looking up from his half-eaten breadstick.

"Yeah, it does," Belle confirmed, hopping down from the counter. "I'll set the table."

"I can do that," Albert said. "You three – four – relax and have your drinks. I hope you don't mind sharing your coke with the kid."

"He can't have caffeine this late," Anna said.

Olaf pouted. "It's summer vacation, Mama!"

"Fine, one cup." She gave in quickly. Was that her plan? Huh. If she'd offered him one, he definitely would've begged for a second. That's actually pretty impressive.

"Oh, and Belle, just so you know, I'm voting for you for partner, no matter what."

"Thanks," she muttered, pouring wine and coke into a glass.

Elsa looked to Gaston to see if he'd react, but he, impressively, kept his poker face. He'd already hurt her enough for one lifetime from the sound of it, and they definitely weren't at the point where he could tease her about it. She was, though. "You're such a dork."

"It's good!" she insisted. "Anna, you try it!"

"Don't do it," Elsa said. "I gave in when she offered, and it's exactly as bad as it sounds."

Anna shrugged and took a sip from the cup. She blinked, staring down at it. "This is really good."

Belle stuck her tongue out at the flabbergasted Elsa.

"Can I try some?" Olaf asked.

"No, honey." She poured him a cup of the soda. "You already have your drink."

"Fine," he grumbled, sipping at the cola and grabbing another breadstick as Albert set the table.

Elsa looked out over her dysfunctional little family as they all took their seats. Gaston opened the large family-size containers of different dishes, including spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and chicken alfredo, as well as a smaller bowl with just spaghetti with butter and parmesan for Olaf. "Dig in," he said, and without any more bickering, they did so. Impressively, they seemed to all enjoy their food and their time, and there wasn't so much as another harsh word for the rest of the evening. This may be the least upsetting dinner party I've ever thrown.