Reminder: In chapter 20, Anna told Rapunzel that Vanessa used to be her best friend and that she knew how it feels to be betrayed.

'Stay with me, my sweet

I know I'm being selfish

But, stay by my side...'

Elsa didn't know what possessed her to cook Chinese food and to find out that it was Anna's favorite was a blessing. From the time she was cooking until when the redhead took her first bite, she had been nervous that she couldn't eat herself. The moment that face brightened up similarly to a child given a candy, her worries were thrown to the back corner of her brain as easily as a forgettable dream.

Anna ate way more than she had seen her do before, and that was the best compliment she ever received that morning.

But since they were done eating, nothing was between them anymore; no food and table to serve as a barricade. Elsa was embarrassed for cooking a feast with Anna in mind and knowing that Rapunzel might've said something offhandedly before breakfast didn't help.

"I'll wash these," Charlotte offered. "You've already done your part."

"You're going to be busy, right?"

"Mama's already here and itching to help out," Senya assured. "I'll gather the ingredients for the cookies and cakes. You girls just put these in the kitchen and tidy up."

"We're going to finish putting up the decorations," Olaf announced. "There're still a few left, but since Alice wanted to help," As if on cue, Alice began squealing excitedly as she left the dining room, "we might not be able to finish until lunch time."

"I'm offended," Kristoff grumbled.

Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Olaf, put your brother in place if he's getting out of hand, please."

"With pleasure," Olaf chuckled darkly and cracked his knuckles.

"You're aware you don't look like a villain, right?" Marshall sneered.

"Looks can be deceiving." The photographer wagged a finger. "Dad was the one who taught me that."

"And I've taught you well," Kai praised. Frederic laughed at the interaction and happily offered a helping hand with decorating.

Everyone dispersed, Kristoff grumbling to himself about how there wasn't anything wrong with being a good father, and left the four high school girls to themselves. Silence surrounded them with unspoken questions hanging in the air. There were many things Elsa wanted to point out, to ask about to each of them, and she didn't know how best to approach it.

"I'll take these to the kitchen." Anna gestured to the plates placed on top of each other. "Do you want me to get towels?"

"No need to. We have a spray over there." Elsa gestured to the left side of the room where said spray was on top of a cupboard. "Alice's place is the only messy one."

The redhead nodded and carried the plates to the kitchen. Elsa watched her disappear around the corner, bit her lower lip, and turned to glare at the brunette who squeaked at the sudden attention.

"W-What?"

"You introduced Anna to your parents as my girlfriend?" Elsa whisper-shouted, not wanting anyone from the other rooms to hear.

"It was meant as a joke!"

Ariel's brows furrowed. "That might not have been a good idea. Anna likes Elsa for real and being called her girlfriend when they're not can't be good for her right now."

"I know," Elsa agreed without delay. Then, Ariel's words caught up with her and a massive blush appeared on her face. "Uhm... what?"

Shaking her head and showing no signs of elaborating, the conservative redhead regarded the now-squirming brunette. "I'm sorry, Rapz. If it's a joke, maybe you can try and assure her that there's nothing behind it?"

"I honestly didn't think Alice was there, and Mama and Papa didn't believe me anyway. They talked to her after that. I know she told them it wasn't true," Rapunzel replied, though the way her voice shook at the end showed that she was taking Ariel's words to heart. "She didn't react badly."

"That's not the point," Elsa said. "I don't want to take advantage of her."

The brunette nibbled on her lower lip and ran a hand through her short hair. After three more strokes, she raised her hands in defeat. "Ugh! Now, I'm starting to worry! Okay, okay. I'll talk to her. Just... I promise I didn't mean any harm."

Elsa and Ariel smiled. "We know."

Maybe it was the ache of her belly from overeating, or the obvious way Mr. and Mrs. Dalton looked at her, or the awkward glances from Elsa, or maybe... maybe she just needed some time to think. Alone.

Whatever the reason was, nobody stopped Anna from stepping out of the dining room when she excused herself to the front porch after finishing the task of bringing the dirty utensils to the kitchen. She was, however, accompanied by Rapunzel.

Something she didn't appreciate.

Ultimately, it was the brunette's fault why everyone thought there was something going on between her and Elsa. Even if Ariel and Marshall willingly put themselves on the spot so that she and Elsa wouldn't be, the damage had been done.

"I'm sorry about earlier."

Anna tensed and glanced at her company from the corner of her eyes. "About?"

"Calling you Elsa's girlfriend. I was only teasing, but I think I went overboard."

There was a crestfallen look on Rapunzel's face. It was surprising because she had always been blunt and direct. Anna had become accustomed to her constant teasing and, at times, brutally honest personality. To hear her apologize for her behavior was kind of unusual.

"Why did you say it?"

"I don't know," Rapunzel answered with little confidence. "Maybe I wanted to see your reaction? About Elsa being your girlfriend."

"And? How was it?"

"I'm really sorry, Anna. I only wanted to know if you've thought of that. You do like her, right?"

Anna adjusted herself and was pleased to feel the knot in her stomach beginning to relax. "I think it's more than like now," she whispered. "I don't want her to be my girlfriend, Rapz. Not yet. Not when... when there're so many things going on."

"Do you think she's not ready? Is it because of what she's going through?"

Thoughts began to swirl in Anna's head and she wrung her hands together. She wanted to keep her mouth shut because nobody needed to know how she truly felt about this, but as she kept learning more and more about Elsa and the people around her, she had to admit that it was getting more difficult to keep these thoughts at bay. Having Rapunzel think that she thought Elsa was weak was something she couldn't live with either.

"It's because of what I'm going through."

Only silence was what met her resigned response. For a second, Anna thought that Rapunzel left after her long pause, but the body sitting beside her and patiently waiting for an explanation said otherwise.

"I... can't commit to a relationship. It's not because I think Elsa's not ready. It's because I'm not. I don't want to be with someone because I can never be sure if their feelings for me are real. They can act sweet, say romantic things, and state dreamy promises of forever, but those are things people can do even without meaning them." She lowered her head and whispered, "I don't even know if Elsa feels the same way."

It wasn't a lie. Maybe she had heard Elsa's awkward confession to Gerda, but it was questionable at best. Did Elsa think more about it? Did she find the answer? Her feelings, were they real? Anna didn't want to hope and tried her best to think of the other painful outcome. Even if it wasn't ideal, it would save her the disappointment when Elsa realized that what she felt for her wasn't real.

"If she does?" Rapunzel's eyes softened when Anna failed to hold back a whimper. "Do you want to talk about it? If... If you don't want to, it's fine. But if you want to talk, I can always listen."

"Why? You're not obligated to."

"I already think of you as my friend, Anna, even if we started out wrong. It's not easy sharing, I know. But it's easier than keeping everything inside. You'd be surprised how much talking can lift a weight off your shoulders." The brunette laughed, a faint smile adorning her lips. "It's better than letting it consume you."

Rapunzel was the closest person Anna would readily consider as a friend aside from Elsa, and even then, she had reservations regarding sharing secrets and learning hers. Anna could feel that there was something about the brunette's words that meant more than what was let up, but truthfully speaking, she was far too worried about her own misgivings that she honestly didn't have time to think about someone else's.

Elsa was an exemption.

It was terrible to think that way right after Rapunzel called her a friend, but really, when was the last time Anna ever had one?

"Thanks, Rapz."

Acceptance showed on Rapunzel's face and she patted Anna's shoulder before standing up and removing any visible dirt from her butt. "I'll be inside if you need me."

"Sure."

As soon as she was left alone, Anna wrapped her arms around herself and held her breath for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. She was glad that Rapunzel didn't pry, but she hated how vulnerable she felt after talking about a portion of her own problems.

Rapunzel was the first person outside her family that Anna had ever shared the issue related to Vanessa with even if it was lacking in great detail. Knowing that someone out there knew that she and Vanessa used to be very close? It made her feel exposed, weak, and terrified.

Elsa was wiping along the table and trying to be subtle with her glances towards Ariel. It was only the two of them in the dining room, later to be accompanied by Senya and Charlotte once they'd gathered enough ingredients for the desserts. Despite her worry about what was going on with Rapunzel and Anna at the time, Elsa had to make the most of this solo opportunity with Ariel.

"What is it?"

Elsa squeaked and flushed at the sound that left her. Ariel giggled behind a dainty hand.

When did she gain that confidence?

Clearing her throat, Elsa asked, "W-Were you serious?" Ariel stopped laughing and tilted her head. "About you and Marshall."

"Oh." Ariel rested her palms on the table, her own blush dusting her cheeks. "Yes."

"Wow." Elsa breathed. "Wow, uhm. W-When did that happen?"

"A week before vacation. We've been... dating for a long time."

"How long are we talking about?"

"More than a year."

"What?!" Elsa blurted, taking a deep breath when Ariel winced. "Wasn't he hurting you back then? He was with those people and- I'm sorry, I'm confused."

There was a moment's hesitation before Ariel explained everything that went on during the school years prior to Elsa's arrival. Elsa learned that Ariel knew Marshall's reason for being friends with Vanessa and that he was reluctant to do it, knowing that it was Ariel they were tormenting. As she listened, the guilt during the time she realized why her brother was doing it weighed on her again, but along with it was a clearer understanding of him.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"What?"

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have done those things."

"I'm not blaming you, Elsa. If anything, I want to thank you." Ariel placed a hand on top of hers. "If you didn't stand up against him, I was afraid he'd stay longer with them. I know he and I talk and go on dates, but sometimes, being with people who act hostile every day could transform anyone into one."

Sometimes, Elsa wondered how someone could be this kind or forgiving. Ariel had the right to get angry at her for being the reason why Marshall acted the way he did, but instead, she chose to say 'thank you' for standing up against him. Like this, she reminded Elsa a little bit of Cindy—always looking at the bright side of things.

"Elsa...?"

Feeling a slight dampness on her cheeks, Elsa blinked and quickly retrieved her hand back to hastily wipe her eyes. Worry was etched on the redhead's aquatic eyes, but she was glad there weren't any follow up questions and comforting pats or hugs. It would only make things worse.

Mentally counting to five, Elsa calmed enough to give a watery smile. "He's lucky to have you."

Ariel laughed with reddened cheeks, the tensing of her shoulders leaving. "I think he's luckier to have you. I let him do those things because I thought it was better if I'm the one getting hurt instead of other people. But you? You did everything you could to stop him."

"He doesn't listen to me," she grumbled. "He always finds a reason to prove that he's right."

"Because it's never easy to admit when one is wrong," Ariel explained. "He does listen to you, even if it's not obvious. I know he can be reckless, unreasonable, and extreme, but he has your best interest at heart. That's one of the things I love about him."

Elsa didn't know what to say and chose to say nothing. She knew Marshall worried about her immensely. She also knew he could get extreme. A good example was him telling Anna about her and Cindy. Through it all, she knew that it was only him being a brother. A brother who was trying to catch up to the times they had already lost.

"What are you doing?"

The question startled Elsa, causing her to look at Ariel who was staring at the archway. Elsa followed her gaze and saw Rapunzel standing right there with her head and full attention down the hall. It was a full minute before the brunette looked at them.

"Nothing," the brunette promised as she slowly stepped in. "Sen and Charlotte aren't here yet?"

"Mhm," Ariel answered.

"That must be a lot of ingredients." Rapunzel's grin faltered when her eyes landed on Elsa's piercing gaze. "What?"

"Are you okay? You look... Is something wrong?"

"Nope." Elsa was not convinced and Rapunzel sighed. "I just saw your mom, okay? Passed by her along the hallway. Nothing happened!" She waved her hands when blue eyes widened. "I didn't do anything, a-and..."

"And...?" Ariel pried.

Rapunzel shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing."

"Rapz," Elsa warned.

"It's nothing, I swear! I think..."

"What is i—"

"It's time!" piped in a new voice. The three girls instinctively ran to Senya and Charlotte who stumbled to the dining room with the ingredients on hand to help. "Let's try to finish one before the other and we can start putting them in the oven."

Senya placed little boxes on the table with a huff. "I'm telling you, even if you're a pastry chef, I don't think this will work without a proper tier cake stand," she said, picking up from where they'd left off of their conversation before coming in.

"We won't know until we try," the chef retorted. "And it's always a beauty to experiment."

The musician rolled her eyes and spread out the ingredients, oblivious to the spot she saved her little sister from. Elsa and Ariel glanced at the younger brunette who was happily helping out with measuring cups. Whatever it was that bothered Rapunzel, Elsa only hoped it wasn't something she needed to worry about.

A door swinging pushed Anna to lift her head from her knees, fumbling for a bit and half-wondering what Rapunzel might've forgotten, only to see that it was Mrs. Dalton. They locked eyes for a lengthy period, Anna feeling like a deer caught in the headlights with the way the lady simply looked on with a neutral face.

She suddenly regretted isolating herself from the others.

"Hi," Anna tried through the huge lump in her throat.

A subtle jolt was the initial reaction and the air grew thick.

Mrs. Dalton was cautious as she sat on the chair closest to the door, three spaces away from Anna. "You're dating Elsa?" she asked tentatively. "Alice said you're her girlfriend."

"R-Rapunzel was only teasing. I'm not- Elsa's not my- We're..."

Mrs. Dalton furrowed her brows. "Why would she tease about that?" Anna flinched and was unable to say anything, but that alone was already an answer. "Oh."

A deep blush colored her cheeks. It was one thing to discuss this with Elsa's best friend and brother. But to her mother? It was getting serious fast and Anna didn't know if she was in the correct mindset to keep up with what life carelessly tossed at her.

"Is she- Is she happy?" The face of Elsa's mother was pale and her eyes were red-rimmed. It wouldn't take a genius to see that she lacked sleep and proper rest. Anna wanted to believe she knew why that was. Maybe Mrs. Dalton finally realized her mistakes and was regretting everything? It would've been perfect.

But Anna was a skeptic.

"If you mean about me liking her, she's fine with it," she answered with an air of confidence she completely based on the way Elsa's eyes had shone when she gave her that scarf. "If you mean completely happy, no. She still longs for... for you."

Mrs. Dalton involuntary whimpered, her eyes watering. Anna felt a stab in her insides and had to physically restrain herself from looking away. This woman- no. Elsa looked like this woman when she was crying, and it was painful to watch.

"We messed up, didn't we?" Mrs. Dalton's voice broke.

"You did. I can understand why taking care of Cindy was important, but I can't understand why you had to ignore Elsa along the way. Even when Cindy died, it was still about her." Anna bit her lip, contemplating for a second before surrendering to her curiosity. "How can you do that?"

Tiny sniffles were heard from the lady as she tried her best not to cry. Maybe it was her pride. Maybe it was her status as a parent, as someone older and more powerful. Maybe she hadn't cried in front of someone who was years younger than her before, someone who was even younger than her youngest child.

That air of authority, seeing the refusal to give in and admit that this 'child' had a point... It should've annoyed Anna, but it didn't.

"I know I don't know everything that happened because I wasn't there," Anna acknowledged, "but from what I saw back in Arendelle and the things I heard from everyone, I can't help but think it's so unfair. You had a twin. One of them died, but the other one still lives. What are you doing?"

"You do know you're talking to your crush's mother, right?"

"I'm telling you because you are her mother."

Mrs. Dalton's laugh came out wet and strangled, and as simple as that, her mask was ripped off and left her a sobbing mess. "You're something else, Anna. I don't know if you'll believe me, but those are the same questions I asked myself when Elsa was hospitalized. What have I done?"

Anna wanted to believe her. Badly. Because Elsa deserved this freedom. After the years of turmoil, Elsa deserved a break. She had been holding back on being happy and that kind of practice had to stop.

"What kind of mother am I to only see these things when her life was in danger?" Mrs. Dalton's way of speech teetered between Arendellian and Coronian. "Why didn't I see how much we've been hurting her? To think that I... I even left her here alone in the place where Cindy died! I'm a monster!"

Mrs. Dalton was futilely holding back on the sobbing. Her tears seemed to have lives of their own as they simply spilled out.

It left Anna torn.

This woman was Elsa's mother and she was talking to her as if she knew what it must've felt to lose a daughter. Like she had been there to witness everything happen. Maybe she had to stop. Regardless of everything, this woman was an adult that she had to respect and the mother of the girl she... loved. There were limitations.

"You know, it was hard... to make her believe in me. She was afraid to trust me because she thought I only felt this way towards the girl she was trying to live as." Despite the continuous sobs and sniffles of her only company, Anna didn't stop. It was terrible to make Elsa's mother cry, but there she was, doing exactly that. "And when she did, she started doubting herself. She didn't know how to deal with her own feelings. She said that... that she was being selfish."

"W-What?"

Fingers absently curled on the edge of the bench she was sitting on. She remembered that time in Gerda's music room where Elsa told her about her last performance and what happened after that. She remembered the previous day, right outside the restaurant where she gave Elsa her gift. Elsa had uttered a simple question that she hurriedly brushed off, but one that gave Anna an idea of what she truly felt.

[Do I even deserve it?]

"She thought it was selfish of her to be happy when Cindy couldn't be." A pang of pain tugged in Anna's chest at her own admittance. "She felt guilty for being alive."

It was the tipping point.

Mrs. Dalton broke down completely and choked out in the most pained voice Anna had ever heard from her, "Oh, Elsa."

Anna pressed her lips tight and painfully watched the woman cry her heart out. They weren't close enough to permit her reaching out and touching Mrs. Dalton to offer comfort. She wasn't good at comforting people her age, let alone someone significantly older.

Minutes passed and after a self-debate, Anna decided to let loose once in a while and placed a hand on the shoulder of this broken figure. The moment their eyes met, her chest tightened at the exhausted and swollen, tear-stained eyes.

Was she a terrible person? Was this alright? Maybe, maybe not. Anna would probably regret this someday. But there was no turning back.

"Queenie," Anna paused, wavering upon calling Elsa's mother by her name. "I don't want Elsa to get hurt. If I could only feel her pain and alleviate it somehow, I would. But to be honest? That's not my job." A defeated smile pulled at her lips. "There's no way I can replace a parent's love."

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