WARNING: Sensuality.

CHAPTER 6

Anna didn't know when she fell asleep, but it was impossible not to notice when she awoke. There was a warm body next to her, and instinctively, she pressed into it. She let out a soft groan, more out of disappointment that she was waking up than anything else.

And there was an echoing sound from the body. More of a sigh than a moan, and clearly less coherent than the one Anna had let out. But it wasn't entirely removed from the realm of relaxed pleasure.

It only took a few seconds for everything to come crashing back down on Anna with the weight of a monster truck. Punz hated her. Well… maybe not, maybe she could see her way to forgiving her for being such a disgusting deviant. But at the very least, the 'honeymoon' of their relationship was dead, and barely after it began. All because she couldn't seem to resist her own mother.

Speaking of which…

Elsa stirred very slightly beside her, chest rising and falling as she lay sprawled out on the bed, one arm looped around Anna's back. That left her open for her daughter to curl around her in the way she was. She was still dressed in her yoga pants and soft blue blouse, which meant she never got up to change into her nightgown. A small flutter filled Anna's heart.

"Mom," she breathed softly, meaning it. Cherishing that word more than she ever had. Her cheeks bunched with the force of her relief. Even if she had made a mistake in the past, it had led to something so wonderful that she couldn't pretend not to be happy. At least about this part. She had a mother, a proper one… and if that meant she had lost Punz, then… so be it. It would tear her apart inside, but she couldn't undo her actions now.

Again, still softly so as not to wake the slumbering woman, Anna leaned up and pressed her lips gently into her cheek. "Love you."

"Hmmhh," Elsa breathed, face only squirming for the briefest of seconds. All at once, Anna noticed her eyes moving behind the lids; she might have been dreaming. Then she muttered, "Tori…"

That threw her for a loop, and she went completely still. Tori? So her mother was dreaming about her? Or at least, dreaming about the idealised version of her that she saw through the lens of thirty years of nostalgia. She didn't fool herself for a moment that if this modern Elsa met Anna without knowing who she was, she would have been nearly so impressed with her 'radness'. Still… it was oddly thrilling to know she was in someone's dreams, no matter whose.

So she just pressed her face in further, breathing deep. Elsa smelled so good in the morning – like everything that made her her had gathered in the night, making it all the more potent. She didn't want to move away; actually, she was pleasantly surprised when Elsa didn't stir, but moved closer still. It filled Anna with warmth, a feeling that felt strange after the previous night. It filled her with other things, as well, though one particular emotion was glaringly absent: disgust.

No matter what happened, she couldn't ever regret this. And she refused to hate herself, or Elsa, or even Punz, for what had gone down. Of course, it was all her fault: Anna had the information, and thus, the power to do what was right. She hadn't. No one else was to blame. It was so much better to just acknowledge her thoughts and feelings; categorise them under "not good things" and move on because what else was there to do?

She didn't know how long she weathered the sensations. Five minutes, an hour? A long while. But it was so early in the morning that neither her clock nor her phone had gone off yet. She didn't want to roll over and check the time; she wanted to lie like that in her mother's arms.

Of course, there was a small side effect. The scent combined with the warmth, the soft form she was wrapped around that was all too inviting, was starting to awaken her desires. Very slowly over time, but the speed didn't matter; she still ended up at the same place. Turned on by her mother.

But she was going to behave. Just like Elsa had said, having feelings didn't mean she had to do anything about them. Just because Elsa felt incredible, perfectly fitting within her arms, skin having felt so perfect under her lips when she kissed her cheek… then again when she kissed her neck…

Did she have to smell so good?

'No!' she swore at herself, pulling away. 'This is your MOM! Both of you agreed that you're gonna work on this, and you damn well better not undo that while she's not even awake, you freaking perv! Just woman up!'

So Anna made herself behave. Her hand did smooth up and down Elsa's stomach very gently, but she figured that was practically G-rated compared to some of the thoughts swimming around in her mind.

Eventually, one of the pettings made Elsa hum a little louder, and she rolled to face Anna with a smile blossoming on her lips. Even without being quite awake yet, Anna thought it was adorable. Their noses bumped each other slightly. Elsa managed to murmur, "Mornin'", and Anna suppressed a giggle; the morning breath definitely helped to dispel the enchantment. It could have been worse – it could have been her old mother's liquor-laced morning breath. That had been truly atrocious.

Then Elsa kissed her gently, and her mind went blank.

It was so soft. The only thing Anna could focus on was the sensation of Elsa's lips, gently kneading against hers. She couldn't say no. It had been easy – well, easier – to deny herself when she hadn't been lip-locked. When kissing her mother was something she could only experience in her imagination. But Elsa leaning forward and claiming her lips…

Anna didn't realise she'd moved until Elsa made a noise. It brought her down to earth – at least enough to realise that they'd moved – that Elsa was now lying more on top of her than next to her. Anna couldn't help herself. Her hips rolled upwards, hands coming to rest at Elsa's back. What had started as soft and gentle was rapidly becoming heated. Elsa's eyes were shut, and she was obviously enjoying the sensations.

Anna couldn't hold back the moan. "Elsa…"

"Mmm, Tori," she breathed. And she wasn't asleep. Maybe she wasn't fully alert yet, but this was no longer a dreaming Elsa who was completely unaware. Lips began to graze down along her neck and Anna let out a soft whimper.

"Wait, we… y-you should…" She should what? She wasn't sure what she had been going to say. Probably that she should wake up. That they should stop this before it got out of hand. She didn't want to, and she couldn't make herself speak, but she knew this wouldn't seem so innocent and kosher once they were both on the same level.

But her mother whispered "Shhh…" Hips were grinding back. It wasn't just Anna now; both sets of hips were moving. "You feel so… so good…"

"Elsa?" No reaction. Warmth was bleeding through from the union of her mother's thighs against one of her own, gliding up and down slightly with her movements. Warmth that matched hers. In the weak rays of sunlight barely peeking through her curtains, she could see golden strands of hair coming loose from Elsa's braid, and her ceiling looking down on her with judgment.

Then she realised her problem: she had been calling her Elsa. Not 'Mom'. But surely that wouldn't make any difference? Or maybe it would when she was this out of it. Her hands smoothed over Elsa's back and up to her shoulders as they shifted against one another, her heart leaping into her throat, trying not to think too much.

"Yes… mmhhh, Tori… don't stop…"

No, she had to think at least one last time before she let her brain go into standby completely. Before she gave herself over to her urges. She owed her mother that much. So she tried an experiment. "M-Mom? I… Mom, are you sure-"

But she didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before her alarm clock went off.

Nothing happened quickly. Elsa seemed reluctant to fully awaken, and Anna couldn't blame her. The lips still pressed against her throat, but they slowed down. Anna squeezed her eyes shut, unable to speak again – that first time had taken all of her self-control. But then Elsa did stop, and she did realise. As soon as that happened, she was jerking up and away, off of Anna. Her arousal was glaringly obvious – Anna could see it, and feel her own. Her anger was equally evident… and pointed.

"To- Anna!" she cried, fighting a blush – this one leaned more towards embarrassment than arousal. The thought made Anna sadder than she would ever admit. "You- how long have you been awake for?"

What could she do? Lie? Say the alarm woke her up? No, Elsa would see right through that. "Elsa…"

"Don't use my name. You're in big trouble, young lady!" Elsa said, frowning. Anna felt her own fury rise.

"Don't use your 'mom' voice on me!" she retorted. "You kissed me!"

"Because I didn't realise who you were," came the terse reply. "And I think you know that!"

Anna snorted and looked away. Hopefully Elsa thought it was her own anger because she actually just felt like crying again and she did not want comfort this time. Not from Elsa. "You used my name. You knew it was me and you still did it. And now you're trying to blame me – not cool." Her voice grew thin and watery at the end. She still couldn't look up.

"I… what was I saying?" Now she looked a little frightened, fighting down panic. Anna felt all her rage leave her; of course she was angry. Of course she was upset that she had woken up doing the one thing she had sworn not to do.

"You… were calling me 'Tori' and asking me not to stop," she sighed, hoping that would be throwing her a bone. At least she hadn't been calling her 'Anna' the whole time.

However, it only seemed to make Elsa feel worse. She ran her fingers through her hair, pacing at the foot of Anna's bed. She clasped her hands a few times, then simply wrapped her arms around her stomach. Much like Anna, and very unlike Jennifer, she didn't seem to be sickened by them getting a little too close again. Only worried.

"I'm sorry," Anna said preemptively. "But I didn't do this. I woke up, and… and you felt so perfect, but I made myself stay still. A-and then you kinda… rolled on top of me and just… just went for it, and…"

Her mother's hands pressed into her face to hide it. "UGH. God, this is a nightmare. I've been doing so well, why did this have to happen again?"

"AGAIN?!" But when Elsa's eyes widened at her slip, Anna softened her voice. She didn't want to make her mother look like that. Not at all. "S-sorry!"

"No, it's… I'm sorry, Anna." Clearing her throat, she whispered, "There have been… a few close calls these past couple of years. Since realising who you are. Nothing this serious, but I've fallen asleep on the couch after a long day, and you've come to wake me up… and I've whispered 'Tori' or made a weird moan, something like that, and you've laughed at me or said 'gross'. But that hasn't happened in a while." Almost to herself, she added, "I really thought I was past this…"

But Anna had stopped listening. Elsa… her feelings were still there? All this time, Anna had been thinking that Elsa really had gotten over it. That she alone harboured feelings, and only because they were still so fresh. To know that Elsa wanted the same was… well.

Validating.

That didn't mean this whole situation wasn't incredibly stupid and frustrating. So Anna did about the only thing she could think of: say something equally stupid. "We don't… have to be past it."

Elsa jerked her head up. "What?"

Swallowing first, then coughing, Anna tried again. Her voice grew progressively quiet until it was no louder than a whisper. "What if we don't… move past this…" Looking up, she bit her lip. "I don't want to."

"Anna…"

"Look, I've already royally fucked up my life. The only-" she sniffled. "You're the only good thing I've got now…"

For a moment, Elsa did look a little conflicted. Between what and what, that was unclear. But then she took a long, deep breath and forced herself to speak in a mostly-steady tone.

"Of course you have me. Just not in the way you might think you want me, Anna. But please… I hope I've convinced you that just because I'm not interested in revisiting the past-"

"But what about-"

"-that will never mean I don't care about you," she finished stubbornly. "I love you so much, sweetie!"

"But you came onto me!" Anna protested. "Every time! And we have chemistry, you can't deny that after this!"

Her head shook from side to side, teeth digging into her lip. She had stopped pacing, and Anna could tell she was trying to hold her arousal down to a dull roar. Anna was doing the same thing, after all.

"Just… can you understand that just because I feel something, that memories and chemical reactions are making things difficult… I promise you that when I say I just want to be your mother, I'm not lying, I'm not trying to convince myself. I love being who we are to each other! And… y-yes, waking up like this makes things harder, but I'm not giving up. Please try to understand what I'm saying!"

Anna looked at her for a moment. "You- do you just want to be my mother?" she asked softly. "Because… yeah, I love that. Compared to what I had before, you not being a checked-out drunk is a huge difference. But I don't… I don't want you to just be my mother."

Pinching her eyes shut, Elsa raised a hand and pressed her fingertips against her forehead. "But you can't want that," she said, barely more than a whisper.

"But I do," she argued. "And I can't change that and- and if you can't move past this after thirty years, then… then what hope do I have?"

"More!" Elsa cried, on the verge of tears. "You can actually change! You know who I am, you can-"

"What, hide my feelings?" Anna sighed. This was getting nowhere fast. "Look, do you maybe want to have breakfast and talk about this when we're more awake and have some time?"

Defeated, Elsa nodded. "Sure, I'll… I'll go and get breakfast started…"

"Okay. And um… it's gonna be okay. Right?"

"Right." But as her mother eased the door shut, she didn't look terribly sure at all.

~ o ~

A good twenty minutes later, Anna left the bedroom and washed up; used the toilet and got ready to face the day. To face Elsa. There had been something to take care of before she did, and she decided to make sure she gave that activity its proper time frame. Considering what almost happened, maybe it was for the best that she purged the urge.

The more she thought about it, the harder she found it to dislike the idea of actually being with Elsa. Sure, Elsa clearly hated it and hated herself for having such thoughts in the first place, but she also seemed to feel the same burning attraction that Anna felt – despite trying to cover it with layers of psychoanalysis and self-shaming. Anna didn't want that. She wanted to show Elsa that this meant too much to her to sweep it under the rug.

When she sat down at the table and saw pancakes, with a smiley face drawn on the top one with two pats of butter and a series of half-blueberries as the mouth, she felt her entire argument for them to be together flicker. Maybe Elsa was right. Maybe they should work harder on being mother and daughter… or at least give that aspect of their relationship a little more focus.

"Morning," Elsa said cheerfully, as if this was her first time seeing Anna that day. "How did you sleep?"

"Oh, is that what we're doing? Acting like everything's chill?"

"Well, I thought I'd give it a shot." She set down a cup of coffee at her place, then went back into the kitchen. "In case it's what you wanted."

"Nope," Anna sighed. "But… I think you were right about breakfast. Like, we'll eat for now, and keep things, um… professional. Familial? Whatever." Beginning to pour syrup over her pancakes, she went on, "S-so, um… do you want some help in there?"

"No, no, it's fine. Eat your pancakes, honey."

She returned shortly after, her own plate in her hands. It wasn't nearly as full, and there was no smiley face. The thought made Anna sad. She didn't have long to think on it – let alone comment – because soon Elsa was stuffing her face, glancing at Anna as an invite to do the same. The pancakes really did taste delicious, but it was hard for Anna to truly enjoy them with there being so much already on her mind.

Perhaps it was just that neither of them were especially hungry, either. Anna hadn't had anything to eat since lunch the previous day, and yet it didn't feel like that long. Her appetite had been nonexistent the previous night, and even now she still found it difficult to truly appreciate her food. It seemed Elsa was of a similar mind, because as Anna got up to take her plate to the sink, Elsa followed.

"Anna, I know…" Her mother sighed. "Sorry. I know things are weird right now, but I want you to know that, above everything… I'm your mother, and I love you." Facing away from Elsa as she was, Anna let herself cringe, eyes squeezing shut and biting her lip. So this was what it came down to. "And if you need a day off from school – like a mental health day or whatever – this week, then that is totally understandable."

"Wait, what?"

But Elsa continued. "And I was thinking… I had someone to talk to over the years. Maybe… that wouldn't be such a bad idea for you? IF you need it, of course…"

"You want me to see a shrink?"

"Don't say it like that, Anna," she said firmly. "There's nothing wrong with therapy."

"I'm not going crazy and I don't need my head examined. I'm…" Maybe that wasn't entirely accurate, but she knew she was just a sane person in a difficult situation. Not an insane person.

"Oh? So therapy is only for 'crazy' people? That's good to know."

Anna flinched at the frost that crept into her tone. Only then did she suddenly remember; Elsa had mentioned that she went to therapy, didn't she? That only made sense; she thought she was confusing her daughter with her high school girlfriend, after all. Now she felt awful. "Hey-"

"It's fine," Elsa cut her off before she could speak, and that somehow made Anna feel much worse. She couldn't even get an apology together fast enough. Her hands were busy pre-washing the pan and dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but the set of her shoulders was tight, her movements jerky.

"Mom, I'm sorry." Swallowing hard, she tried again. "I didn't mean it like that, I just… I don't think I need a shri- a therapist. Like, I just love you. So if being in love makes me crazy…"

A long sigh. "I know you think you are, but you can't be. Not with me. I'm not worth that, honestly, even if I weren't your mother. But I am. We can't 'forget' it, we can't work around it. So… so that's just all there is to it."

"Don't." Anna's arms came to wrap around Elsa from behind, head buried between her shoulder blades. "Don't say that about yourself. You can't say that you aren't worth love, not to yourself, and especially not to me." Elsa barked a short, harsh laugh. Anna's tone turned semi-humorous through her faint tears. "Hey I mean, who knows you better than I do? After all, I knew you before even Dad did, and I say you are worth love. So there."

Now it was Elsa's turn to cry quietly, silent tears running down her cheeks and splashing onto her daughter's arms. Anna kept talking, hiccuping through her tears, but her voice holding steady.

"I can go see a therapist if you want… I'd do anything for you. Just… just trust me, okay? Don't do that thing where you think I can't 'handle' any of this, a-and make decisions and shut me out."

They stood there for a while, Anna unwilling to let go immediately. Eventually she did, taking a step back as her hands fell to her sides. After a few moments, after she had finished composing herself, Elsa turned to her.

"I can get her number if you like. Yes, I stopped attending sessions a while ago, but I've kept up with her practice… just… just in case."

Elsa smiled weakly. It occurred to Anna that this might be some kind of vindication for her if her daughter went to the same doctor, with the same problem. Perhaps it would help her feel better about the whole thing - that she wasn't alone.

"Thanks El- Mom. And I'm sorry for implying you were crazy. But I meant what I said about you being worth loving, I stand by that."

"I know. I know you didn't mean it, Anna. Just… I didn't raise you to be condescending toward people with mental health issues."

"You didn't raise me at all; your evil twin did." That at least got a weak smile out of her. "So, um… y-yeah, about that. I'll probably keep screwing up things a little, or saying weird stuff. Hopefully you can kind of give me a pass on that, too."

"Of course, Anna. Even when I'm upset with you it doesn't change how much I love you. As a mother," she added stubbornly, and Anna rolled her eyes. "But… I'll remember what you said about me being worth loving. I didn't mean to diminish myself, just to say… well, like I've mentioned before. You and Jennifer could be happy together without the minefield you'd have to navigate with me. And it wouldn't be 'settling', would it?"

To that, Anna did have to nod. "Might not have a chance with her anymore, but… yeah, I know you're right. Maybe not that you aren't 'worth it' but you're right that it'll be smoother sailing with Punz."

"That was all I meant."

"Okay." As they began to finish up the dishes, she went on, "But we're still gonna talk about stuff. Like how ready to go you were this morning."

"Anna…"

"Like, damn, those lesbian instincts are still as powerful as they were back in the eighties…"

Pursing her lips, Elsa flicked a sudsy finger at Anna, landing a little fleck on her cheek. "I knew what I wanted and I aimed to get it. Nothing wrong with that – unless that something turns out to be your own progeny from the future."

"You were good then, and you were good this morning." When Elsa facepalmed, Anna bumped their hips together to jostle her. "Loosen up, Mom. I'm just telling the truth; it was nice."

"It was. A nice that can't happen again…."

Conversation stalled briefly as they both pondered exactly what to say. Eventually, Anna found the silence too stifling, and broke it with a question that had been on her mind since Elsa mentioned it.

"So… you don't mind if I don't go to school today?" she asked softly after a few moments of silence. Elsa half-turned to look at her.

"After the night you had, I'm a little surprised that you didn't try and feign illness to get out of going," Elsa admitted. Her words were said in jest, but honestly, if Anna hadn't been so distracted that morning, she likely would have.

"I just… I don't know if I can face…" she trailed off with a low, wistful sigh. Jennifer. Her friends. School seemed too hard to deal with today. "I just want to spend today getting to know you. The mother I never had. Can… can we do that?" Her voice was very small and very vulnerable. "Please?"

Elsa looked at her for a moment, a smile forming. "If that's what you want."

Anna grinned back, both of her hands came up in front of her chest. "And I promise, no funny business. Hands above the waist."

"You could still do plenty of damage above the waist," her mother tittered, but she was already patting Anna's face and moving over to pick up the cordless phone from its wall-mounted base. "I'll call in and get you out of classes."

"Thanks, Mom."

~ o ~

The call didn't take long, and neither did showering – in Elsa's case – and getting ready for their day. Since she wasn't going to class, Anna opted to wear a cute pale green dress that she found in her closet – one that she doubted she would ever have worn before altering the past, and probably still wouldn't now except for special occasions. Elsa didn't wear anything special, but she still looked very nice in her ankle-length skirt and long-sleeved blouse, the little cardigan on top seeming oddly cute to Anna. That was probably just leftover from their heated morning, though.

First, they simply went for a long walk and chatted about things. Learning about each other. Anna only accidentally flirted once or twice, and Elsa politely ignored it. For the most part, they focused their energy on finding out the differences between the mother-and-daughter pairs that they were familiar with. Minor ones in some cases, but major in others.

Eventually, they stopped for lunch at the Café 80s, which apparently Elsa had been avoiding until then. It was empty, probably due to most people being at school or work, so they could laugh at the hackneyed nostalgia together – especially the waitress writing down their order in a Trapper Keeper today, which was far too cumbersome to be practical. Elsa had a turkey club sandwich while Anna opted for a burger. They split a basket of fries as they talked.

The new version of her mother was fascinating. She had been a lot more focused in college, majoring in business and economics, minoring in literature – probably because of Kristoff and their shared interests. Then she didn't do much with that degree because she was raising a family, but when Anna started school, she began getting part-time jobs to fill her days. That both explained why they were better off financially, and why Elsa seemed more fulfilled than her old mother was.

It also explained why she had aged much better. The bright seventeen-year-old was a little hidden beneath crows feet and experience, but Anna could still see her clearly enough. That alone would have been a vast improvement; add in the fact that Elsa was actually happy with her life… there was simply so much less weight of disappointment and stress crushing her soul.

"So you don't have work today?" she asked around a mouthful of fries. Elsa shook her head.

"I took some time off – emailed them on Sunday morning."

"Oh? Ohh…"

Giving a wry smile, Elsa's head bobbed up and down briefly. "I figured it would be better to be… around… while we dealt with this. I didn't want you to think I thought you less important than some job."

It made sense, in a way. While Anna could understand Elsa perhaps wanting to get away, she also understood that once realising 'the incident' had transpired, Elsa might have guessed she wouldn't be the same Anna. The chance to get to know one another, properly, was a nice one.

They stayed there for hours, catching up. It was a familiar place, and a neutral one. Neither had any doubt about how easily things could escalate. Whenever Anna said anything remotely flirtatious or coy, Elsa's eyes would widen and a blush rise to her cheeks. She would shush Anna, a firm, "Stop," that made little difference because Anna saw the truth: Elsa liked it.

Once the café began to fill up with students, they drove up to Twin Pines Mall, and actually went inside this time. Anna told her mother a few minor details about the experiment, as they were driving through that very parking lot. Given how weird the whole concept was, Elsa took it a lot easier than she had any right to expect, which was a relief.

"Why did you think I would freak out?" Elsa asked her through the changing room door. They'd gone into a random clothing store, and given that the Elsa of Anna's past had rarely taken her daughter shopping - unless it was for "church clothes" that she would only hate, Anna took to it with much more gusto than she usually would at the prospect of trying on clothes. "I've had years to spin theories with your father, after all. He's going to be disappointed that his Stargate theory isn't the winning one."

"Stargate? Geez…" She adjusted the waistband. "But he'd probably love to see the car, I just don't think Doc would let him."

Chuckling, Elsa said, "I understand. He's doing actual science, and a sci-fi fanboy would cramp his style."

"Nah, not that. More like… he wants to keep the secrets under wraps." She emerged, modelling the 'distressed' Paramore tee and the skinny jeans. "Well?"

The blonde head tilted to one side as she considered. "Hmm… suits you. But I thought you didn't like that album."

"Are you kidding? It's amazing!" Then she held up a finger. "Wait… other-Anna didn't like it, probably. Makes sense. I mean, she's clearly a lot less cool than me…"

"Stop," Elsa laughed as Anna went back in to change into something else. "You know… I've been waiting to miss her, since you are not quite her. But I don't. You're exactly her in all the ways that matter."

Halfway through taking off the pants, Anna paused. Did Elsa mean…? No, surely not. Still, when she opened the door, this time wearing a short skirt that showed off the skin of her thighs, Elsa did develop a pretty little blush. It was adorable.

"That's cute," Elsa said, looking at the skirt but not leering.

"You should try one on!" Anna said, twisting in a circle. Elsa chuckled.

"I don't think it will look as good on me as it does on you."

"Psh," Anna scoffed. "Never know until you try. I'm gonna get out of this, and then it's shopping for you."

"That isn't the point of this trip!" Elsa called through the door, though she didn't sound as if she really minded. In no time at all, Anna exited, hanging up the things she wasn't planning on getting on the rack just outside the changing rooms and carrying the keepers over her arm.

"This one could be fun," she said as she grabbed a pink crop top, and Elsa tutted her disapproval. Not of the top in general, as her old mother would have, but just at the idea of it being worth trying on for her. "Ooh, and what about this?"

"My generation invented mesh shirts, Anna. They were a mistake then, and they're a mistake now."

That was to be expected, and she laughed, putting it back. "Okay, okay. Hey, these shorts would look killer!"

"Those are short enough to show my ass cheeks! Probably more!" When Anna waggled her eyebrows, she glared. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Just try?" Sighing, Elsa snatched the revealing cutoffs away and put them back… but then took another pair one size larger. "Wow, I thought you'd for sure refuse."

"Trying them on won't hurt. But I want an honest opinion when I get out, not you laughing at me or lying to spare my feelings."

"Roger, chief!" she responded with a quick salute. "Dude, we should hit a shoe store after this…"

There was silence for a few moments as Elsa moved to the changing room to put on the outfit. Then the lock was clicking and she was stepping out.

"So…?" she asked. Her hands were in front of her body, fidgeting, and she was staring more at Anna's chin than her eyes. Obviously nervous, but there was a little hopeful smile.

Anna couldn't focus on that. Not when she had so much else to look at. The Mrs McFly of the past – or rather, the alternate-version of her, had been… frumpy. Turtle necks and business pants to chase away the look of alcoholism. Sometimes just sweatpants, as appalling as that was. There hadn't ever been a time, sans 1985, when Anna had seen so much of her skin.

"Oh. My. God!" Anna squealed. "You look hot!"

With a snort, Elsa closed her eyes. "Yeah, right. You're just saying that because it's me and you have this ill-advised crush."

But Anna shook her head. "I'm not, honest! Like daaaaamn!"

And Elsa truly did look good, in her eyes. Even an objective gaze would say that the clothes suited her, at least. The pink was bright, but not 'bimbo-bright'. And while Elsa had been anxious at first that the shorts would show off too much, it just barely covered enough of her ass not to be pornographic. There was still a jiggle when she walked – but after half a century, that wasn't that surprising.

Anna wouldn't be opposed to having those thighs wrapped around her head. Objectively speaking.

Elsa looked at her, wary. "You actually think it looks that good?" she asked. When Anna nodded again, smiling, she made a decision. "Well… alright, fine. We'll try them out on an unsuspecting public. But now we have to find you an outfit. This is the first day of the rest of our lives, after all."

Anna chuckled as Elsa returned to the stall. That was a really romantic thing to say – but she wasn't going to ruin it by telling Elsa.

When she came back out, she was wearing a short skirt similar to the one Anna had tried on, and a "vintage" Aerosmith shirt – as she put it, "At least this is a band I've heard of." This was a much more youthful outfit than she had worn to the mall, but not quite as provocative as the cutoffs and crop top. A compromise.

"Keep wearing it," Anna urged as she snatched a few more things for herself to try on. "Like, get used to it and see if you can handle the feeling, all that good stuff."

"It's not like I've never worn a short skirt before," she muttered, cheeks a little pink but smiling. "You know that. But… I suppose it has been a while since I tried one this short…"

Anna didn't try on very many other things, only keeping one or two, and changed back into her jeans and plaid shirt and they headed for the checkout. Elsa had forgotten by then that she was wearing the new clothes, but the cashier rang them up from the tags hanging off and Anna re-convinced her not to change back. Her blush only increased, but she relented.

"Shoes, huh?" Elsa sighed as they walked through the mall, eyes darting everywhere. Waiting for a disparaging comment about 'someone her age' wearing clothes like those. "Nothing too expensive. And I'd prefer something tasteful, but I think you want me to get something gaudy."

"We'll shoot for the middle again, okay? But it has to go with this." Her hand flicked out and flipped the back of Elsa's skirt – a little more than she meant to, causing her to hurriedly push her hand against the back of it.

"ANNA!"

"Whoa, Mom, I didn't- sorry! I swear, it barely moved, I wouldn't really flip it all the way up!"

Clearing her throat, she tried to play it off as if she had never reacted. To the rest of the mall, at least. "Anna, please… you can see I'm still getting used to this. A little consideration until I do?"

"You're right… sorry, it wasn't supposed to be a… a thing like that." She squeezed her hand, and Elsa sighed. "Really, I'm not trying to be a brat."

"You've always been a brat," Elsa said, a wry grin beginning to peak out as her embarrassment faded. "Now you're just a very forward brat."

Her smile took out any bite to her words, and Anna couldn't help grinning back. They had made their way to the food court, seeming to have mutually decided to come back another day to keep shopping. It gave them another activity, and something to look forward to.

"Well, as an apology, why don't you let me buy dinner?"

It was Elsa's turn to snort. "With what?" she asked, peering at her daughter. Anna shrugged.

"Uhh… the allowance that I don't get?"

"Oh, you get an allowance," Elsa said airily. "You just spend it on other things."

"Oh yeah?" Anna protested. "Like what?"

"Your band, mostly. And you had that summer job at the burger place that didn't go very well." Anna chuckled; she did, indeed, have that job in her own reality. Maybe things weren't so different. "But most of that money went into your truck."

Anna let out a quiet "oh" as they got to the food court. That would make sense. In her old timeline, getting her own vehicle had been such an impossible pipe dream that she just spent the money on a new amp and new strings for her guitar, better microphones. The truck would help with getting them to gigs, if they ever actually got any.

That made her think of something new to ask. "Are we… popular here? Like, or are we just a garage band the same as we were before?"

"You're about the same, I think," Elsa told her with a sweet, motherly smile that made Anna relax. Worked every time. "Polishing your craft. But I still think you should most definitely at least try to attend college before you-"

"Yeah, yeah, Doc already told me about that one," she muttered as they looked around the different storefronts. "Umm… pizza? Tacos, Chinese?"

"Chinese for me. You get what you want, as long as your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach. Then again, you've always had an incredible metabolism."

"I thought you were gonna say I've always had an incredible stomach," Anna winked as she sauntered off. She didn't hear a response, but neither did she expect to.

By the time she arrived at the Chinese takeout booth, the quip had completely vanished from her mind due to a new dilemma. What was Elsa's favourite to eat? They'd never really eaten out in her past life: it was much more affordable to by bulk frozen food. When they had gone out, it had always been Mickey D's or KFC: honest-to-god shitty fast food. Perhaps luckily, the place was one of the 'buy a plate, load it up as much as you want' joints: thus, Anna was able to add all the fried rice and honey pork she wanted. Typical east-meets-west fare. Instead of buying her own plate, too, she just got an extra-large one to share. It was much more economical, plus they could try a wider range of food.

She returned ten minutes later, laden with a plate, a bottle of Coke, and two sets of chopsticks and straws. Elsa was waiting patiently, watching the people as they moved around and went about their lives. It was getting late – late enough that some shops were beginning to pack up and the crowds were thinning.

Elsa must not have been paying attention because she gave a little start when Anna put the tray in the middle of the table. Anna smiled in apology before taking her own seat and handing Elsa the chopsticks.

"I didn't really know what your favourite was so, everything!" Anna found it harder to admit that than she would have liked; despite Elsa technically being her mother, there was still so much she didn't know about the enigmatic woman in front of her. Elsa smiled broadly at Anna and pointed at the giant pile of honey pork occupying nearly a quarter of the plate.

"What's that then, a lucky guess?" Elsa's smile was dazzling and Anna found it hard not to get lost in her eyes. She was finding it harder and harder to think of the beautiful woman in front of her as any relation at all to her, let alone her mother. Her brain just kept jumping back to 1985…

"Well, everyone likes honey," Anna argued with a grin. "It's what they always eat on TV!"

Elsa chuckled at that. "So what are you getting, then?" she asked. Tilting her head, Anna used her own chopsticks to point at the plate.

"I thought we could share. I mean, we had a big breakfast and a late lunch, and honestly I had enough fast food in my past life. I'd much rather share something nice… er, nicer with you."

Her mother smiled at that, looking away. Anna felt her chest swell proudly at the sight. A light pink blush tinted her mother's cheeks, but this time, Elsa did nothing to make Anna stop. It was actually Anna who broke the tension, clearing her throat and picking up a piece of pork with her chopsticks.

"Come on, dig in!"

It tasted pretty good. When it came down to it, it was food court food, after all; nothing especially mind-blowing. But the company was good. They made small talk until the plate was mostly gone; one straw had been lost to the floor, so they were sharing the other one with the soda. Every time Elsa smiled, Anna had no choice but to grin along with her – and she knew the same was true for Elsa.

A thought crossed her mind briefly: this was how a date would go. Shopping and lunch. Flirting and coy looks. Unable to look at Elsa for a moment, irrationally scared the happiness and love would give away the game, she looked away.

The smile dripped from her face, cheeks paling and stomach rolling as her eyes came to rest upon a familiar face.

Jennifer.

TO BE CONTINUED…