Author's Note: I'm thrilled by the response to the last chapter. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story, and it means the world to hear. I hope you like what all is still to come.

On Monday, I'll be going under the knife again, this time for surgery to my left hand. The recovery last time was pretty quick, but my right hand is already starting to act up again, so I'm not sure what to expect. There shouldn't be any delay for my stories though, I have rough drafts for the next eleven chapters of this.

"Let me show you around town. We didn't do much touristy stuff last time, since I was so busy with work. Come on, we can go wherever you want, and then we have that play tonight." Elsa leaned against the doorframe of the guest bathroom, waiting for Anna to finish getting ready. I know it's earlier for her, but even on West Coast time it's almost ten. How does she sleep in like this?.

"What about Olaf?"

"We can take him with us."

From somewhere down the hall, she heard, "I don't wanna!" Elsa looked around for the kid. Last she'd seen he'd been downstairs with Tiana. She hoped that hadn't gone explosively.

"Why not?" Elsa asked.

"Aunt Tiana said that we were gonna spend the day together."

She blinked. "What?"

"Are you serious?" Anna asked, tossing her hairbrush into her bag. It could clearly wait.

He cocked his head at them. "Yeah, why?"

"Let's go ask Aunt Tiana, all right?" Elsa led him away, Anna following after them. Her makeup was done, though her hair was still a mess. If she's just going to throw it in a ponytail then I guess she's ready enough.

They found Tiana in the living room on her laptop. She'd recently been getting into the stock market. She'd told Elsa that it had seemed so foreign when she was a child that being able to experiment with it however she wanted as an adult was just too much fun to pass up, so Elsa assumed that's what she was doing at the moment. "Tiana?"

"What's up?" She didn't bother looking up from the screen.

"Olaf says he's spending the day with you?" Please don't kill my nephew. I know he insulted your cooking, but I swear he's a good kid.

"Yup."

"Oh." Elsa sat down, waiting for an elaboration that did not seem forthcoming. After a long moment she added, "And what're you going to do?"

Finally glancing up, she smirked at Elsa. "You don't need to worry. I can take some criticism, I don't know what I was thinking serving jalapeno cornbread with gumbo anyway, it just gets rid of any contrast. Some nice french bread to dip in it adds a good crunch and complements the flavors a lot better anyway, or just regular cornbread if you want to stick with the comfort food aesthetic." She does love sticking with the comfort food aesthetic. It's half of her brand.

"Okay. So what are you going to do then?"

"We're going to go exploring!" Olaf answered. That's not an answer.

"You gonna teach him how to pick up women?" Anna asked.

"Please, I'm sure the kid's a natural, knowing his mother." I guess that's not quite flirting. "Olaf and I were talking while you were in the shower. He and I weren't going to that play, and it's about time that I start to bond with my soon to be nephew anyway. We're going to find good food that he'll like."

"I'm not trying anything weird," he added.

"He has complete veto power on anything –"

"What's that mean?"

"Like we said earlier, you can say no to any food I suggest, even once it's already in front of you. I won't pressure him at all." She turned back to Anna. "We're just going to start with food that he already eats or that's basically the same as what he eats."

"That's not much."

He looked wounded. "I eat plenty, Mama."

"I'd love to broaden his horizons eventually, but right now I just need to show him how good the stuff he already likes can be. I know how kids' pallets are, although he seems picky even by those standards."

"I just like what I like!"

"So we're going to go to a bunch of places in New York and I'll show him how good better cooked versions of the food can be, while still avoiding anything too complex for him. Kids prefer much simpler flavors, it's why they love things like McDonald's." She shuddered. "I'm just going to find better versions of that."

Then they'll never leave if he won't even eat the food that's available back home. When kids stop liking fast food and frozen chicken nuggets you're out of luck. Wow, I microwaved so many chicken nuggets for Anna when we were kids. She wouldn't even touch anything more interesting – I was having frozen burritos like a normal eight year old. I guess that's where he gets it from. "All right, that sounds reasonable," Elsa replied.

Pursing her lips, Anna still seemed to be considering this. She was examining Tiana. Elsa hoped that her partner's constant flirtation hadn't given Anna too much cause to distrust her. They were going to be family. "Okay. You two have fun. I guess I'll go be all touristy with my sister." She turned to Elsa, her cheeks faintly coloring. "We'll have a great time, and I've been really excited to see Wicked. I made her watch The Wizard of Oz so much when we were little, and she'd always hold my hand during the flying monkey scenes." She paused, swallowing and staring at the floor. "It'll be fun."

"So are you ready to go, or do you have a checklist you need to go over with Tiana first?" Elsa asked. "We can grab food on the way, I need to show you Oaken's."

"I guess I'm ready. Let me just go grab a hair tie and we can head out. What's Oaken's?"

"You'll find out."

"Bye, Mama! Bye, sensei!"

Anna scooped Olaf up. "We're not leaving for a few more minutes. Aren't you two heading out too?"

"Just let me finish up this trade and we'll head out. Elsa's car is blocking the driveway, so I have to wait on you anyway."

"She said I can have doughnuts."

"Fried food is always the easiest way to a child's heart. And to clog their arteries," Tiana added with a mumble, turning back to the laptop and clicking a few times. That seems a bit hypocritical coming from Miss Beignet.

"What's that mean, mama?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "It's not something you'll have to worry about for a long time."

"Like when I'm seven?"

"Sure. We can talk about it then." She held him out to Elsa, who studied him for a moment before taking the surprisingly heavy child. She so rarely had to hold anything heavier than a stack of law books – which could certainly be heavy enough.

"Uh..." She stared at Olaf, unsure of what to do. Kids are so weird. What's even the point of humans you can't discuss the law with? "So what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A jedi!"

Yeah, I should've known that. "Well, we'll keep working on your training while you're here."

His face lit up. Maybe I'm not too bad at this aunt thing. At least he's a good kid. Maybe I'll come around to it eventually. Tiana seems convinced that I will, I just don't know. If every kid was as easy to deal with as Olaf it wouldn't be quite so scary, at least. Suddenly, his smile vanished and a look of concern sunk Elsa's heart. Scratch that. Kids are too confusing. "I forgot my light saber!"

Oh, that's it? "Tiana, would you grab him one while you're out? And one for me too, he needs someone to fight."

"Sure," she muttered, still focused on the screen.

Anna came back downstairs, looking chipper and adorable in her jeans and t-shirt as her pony tail swished behind her. Elsa had left her own hair down, and was beginning to fear that her several hundred dollar dress may be a bit too nice for touristy things. She could change back into it before the play. "I didn't think this through. Let me go change into something a bit more casual." She handed Olaf back to his mother, prompting a giggle from the child, and dashed upstairs.

When she returned in a skirt and a light cotton blouse, she found everyone up and waiting for her. Tiana smirked. "You look amazing. Now I'm a little sad I'm not going with you. I never get to see you dress down."

Anna's mouth seemed to be hanging open. She nodded. "Yeah. Wow." Shaking her head, she set Olaf down. "Sorry, I just never see you like this. I haven't since we were kids, it took me by surprise, that's all."

Snickering, Elsa smiled at her. "I just don't know what you have in mind, didn't want to get anything on that dress. You do have something nice for tonight, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad I did the laundry at Moana's before we left - I think it'll be great for the play. I'm so excited. I've wanted to see it for years, but I couldn't afford it when they were in town."

Satisfied with that answer, Elsa led the way out to her car, and the two headed out to explore the city. Elsa just wished she had any idea what to show Anna, she really hadn't ever bothered to see the sights much since she'd moved there eight years earlier. Hell, she hadn't even seen Wicked yet.

They arrived at Oaken's just a little after eleven. "Hoo hoo!" the owner called to them. "It's been a few days, Elsa, I'd been growing worried."

Elsa flushed. It's only been three days. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Oaken."

Anna giggled. "I take it you come here a lot."

Avoiding her gaze, Elsa gestured toward the menu. "Their pastries are really good, and they have great hot chocolate, though it is summer right now, so you might not want that."

"I always want hot chocolate."

"All right, Oaken we'll have two hot chocolates. You want a chocolate croissant?"

"Yes!" She could hear the grin in Anna's voice, she didn't even have to face her.

"Then two chocolate croissants as well."

"Another woman after your own heart then?" He chuckled, beginning to make their drinks. "So who is this lovely young lady? At first I thought she was Anastasia." God damn I come here too much. She doesn't look that much like her. It's not weird. Groaning, Elsa pointed at her sister. "This is Anna, my little sister. She's visiting me for the summer."

"Oh, and to think I – It's a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I see you share your sister's taste. I hope that you'll enjoy my food just as much as she does." Some liquid marshmallow and whip cream were expertly dumped into the cups before he placed lids on them and set them on the counter so he could retrieve their croissants. "It's on the house. I'm glad you're bringing in more new customers."

Tossing a twenty in the tip jar, Elsa rolled her eyes. "You don't have enough customers to give me as much free stuff as you do."

"My other store is much more successful. I mostly keep this one for the office workers that come through here before work and at lunch."

I guess ten and three aren't quite rush hour for baked goods and coffee. "Well thank you." She led the way to her usual table. As Anna sat opposite her, she was struck again by just how much she really did look like her ex. At least she's not lecturing me? I don't want to think about what it means, but it's still a definite upgrade from Anya and I bitching at each other.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Anna asked, blowing on her cocoa.

Not touching that one. "Legal stuff."

"Oh, right, your law firm is right by here. Want to show me it?" Her chocolate stained teeth showed as she beamed at her.

"We're going to a party there in just a couple days, can I just show you it then? I thought you wanted to see New York."

"I do." She chewed on her lip before taking another sip. "I just want to know more about your life. I haven't gotten to see much of it."

Yeah, that's what happens when I avoid you for most of a decade. I can't believe you still want to know. "I can show you if you want. I was thinking maybe we'd go do the harbour tour though. I've heard good things and you could get some pictures of the Statue of Liberty to show Moana."

She chewed on the croissant as she considered this. "Fine, but you're giving me a tour of your office before the party. I don't care how early we have to go there."

"Do I have to introduce you to all of my coworkers too?"

"Maybe. So what's this party? Have you mentioned it and I've just forgotten?"

Elsa shook her head, breaking off a piece of her own croissant. "No, it's just a Fourth of July thing we do every year."

"Oh, wow, it's already the second."

"Yeah, but I still have you for a whole month, so there's plenty of time for everything."

Anna's eyes widened before she replied, "This summer has been going by so quickly."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you spend a whole week in bed with your girlfriend."

Coughing and spitting out hot chocolate, Anna hid her flushed face. "Elsa!"

She's still so awkward about it. "Hey, it's helped pass the time with Tiana plenty."

Her cheeks darkened further. "Well I hope you and your fiancee had fun."

Elsa stared down at her ring. I still can't believe it. I am doing the right thing, right? I know we've had our issues lately, but she's trying to make me more of a focus, and she's not rushing the whole kids thing. It's going to work out. It's just still so new, that's all. No reason to make anything of it. "Yeah. Of course."

"Can I meet Anastasia?"

Elsa blinked and took a sip of her drink. What could've prompted that? "What about the tour?"

"It doesn't have to be right now. Though I'm not against right now. I just keep hearing about her. I thought maybe I could finally find out who she is. Oaken even said I looked like her – I mean I'm sure he's wrong, there's no way you would date someone who looks like me."

How do you even respond to that? "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

She swallowed, chewing on her lip again. "I just meant it'd be weird. Not that I wouldn't date someone who looked like you, you're beautiful, wait that didn't sound better. I love you?"

"Did someone spike your hot chocolate?"

"That would explain how good it is."

Elsa had to agree with that at least. The hot chocolate was amazing. She took a hefty gulp of it, hoping that it would manage to diminish the strangeness of this conversation. Maybe Anya can show up and yell at me? That'd let her meet her and change the subject. "You're very beautiful, Anna, I don't know what you're going on about."

Staring intently at the floor, Anna did her best to stifle a smile. I had no idea my opinion still meant that much to her. "You really think so?"

"I mean I am your mom, I think I have to think that." I had to do it.

Anna looked crestfallen. "Right. Of course."

Great. That somehow made things even more awkward. "I'm just joking. Of course you're beautiful. Now finish your food, let's go on that tour."

"Right. Okay. Sure, I can do that." She stuffed more of the croissant into her mouth, smearing her face with chocolate. Some things never change. After draining her hot chocolate in record time, she smiled up at Elsa, chocolate rimming her mouth. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I still have to finish my food. Go clean your face off." Maybe I really am still her mom.

While Anna was hidden away in the single bathroom, Elsa decided that she could grant her wish, no matter how terrified she was of it. She pulled out her phone and called Anastasia. "What's up?" she answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Anna's visiting and she found out that I practically hid you from her last time and wants to meet you."

"We were broken up. How is that hiding me?"

"We broke up like a week before she came to visit. I'm not saying I actually hid you, just that it kinda looks that way from her perspective."

"Technically you did say it."

"Save it for the deposition, counselor. We're seeing Wicked tonight, would you and Belle be up for grabbing dinner around there before the show? Maybe around five or five-thirty?"

Anya called to Belle and they exchanged a few words that Elsa couldn't quite make out. "Sure, is Tiana coming?"

"Believe it or not, she's babysitting."

"You know that's just going to make her more baby crazy, right?"

Elsa blinked. She had not actually considered that. She drained the rest of her hot chocolate, hoping that it could somehow retroactively talk sense into her and prevent this eminent disaster.

"So you didn't realize?"

"I didn't think about it. I was just trying to be a good aunt."

"Well, she posted online that you're engaged, so I'm sure she's already thinking about it plenty."

Her teeth ground together. "She told me she could wait."

"Do you think waiting'll make a difference?"

I have no fucking clue. "Maybe?" The bathroom door slammed shut and Anna trotted over to her, pausing with her mouth half open in greeting when she noticed that she was on the phone. Elsa held up a single finger. "We have to get going."

"Saved by the bell. Sure, I'll go on a weird double date with you and your sister."

"It's only weird because you said that."

"Well I'll take it back when you have a serious conversation with Tiana. Have you even told her that you don't want kids?"

"Yes. I have. We had a long conversation about it two days ago."

Anya sighed. She always thinks I'm in the wrong. I might be, but not for lack of trying at least. "Fine, then I take it back. See you at 5:30. Tori Shin work?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm not eating chicken knees again. I don't care how much Tiana liked it, that was just weird."

"They don't do that if you don't want them to. You do know Tiana actually requested that, right?"

"Fine, but we're only eating human food."

"No argument from me. I haven't had massively overpriced chicken in ages. You're buying?"

How exactly can I argue here? Everyone else is still struggling to pay their rent and mortgages. "Fine, just don't get too drunk."

"I'll consider it. Belle says to tell Anna she says 'hi.'"

"She doesn't know Anna."

Elsa could almost hear her shrugging. "See you then." The phone clicked as the call ended.

"Belle says hi."

Anna stared at her. "The girl from your firm? The one you're mentoring?"

"The one she's replacing. We're having dinner with her and Anastasia."

Her teeth flashed as she grinned ear to ear. "So I get to meet her?"

Is there something I'm missing? "Yes, now let's go on that tour before it's too late to get home and change before dinner and the show."

They left the cafe, with Oaken bidding them farewell, and drove to a dock, having to only wait for about an hour to catch the next tour. Anna seemed oddly focused on Elsa. It was like she couldn't take her eyes off of her, and she seemed so nervous. She was acting like this in Portland too. Is she just scared that I'll up and leave again if she does something wrong? "You know you can relax, right?" Elsa finally asked, as the statue began fading into the distance – or as much as it could when they were still in the city.

Anna's eyes widened, her back straightening as she met Elsa's gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Well that's the opposite of what I mean. You just seem so nervous."

"I'm not."

"Anna –"

"No, I'm fine. You don't need to worry."

"Is something wrong? Did you not want to go on this tour? I should've just shown you the office like you wanted."

She held her hands out, fingers spread wide. "No, no, no. It's nothing like that. This has been amazing. I've loved spending all this time with you. It's all I've wanted."

"So you are just scared I'll leave again."

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. "No. Elsa, please. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just being my weird crazy self. You don't need to worry about it."

"Anna –"

"Look birds!"

Elsa looked. There were a few seagulls flying by. "Yep, those are birds."

"They're cute. I got to pet a chicken when Esmeralda was babysitting Olaf around a month ago. I bet those seagulls are just as soft. And they probably wouldn't peck me."

"A chicken pecked you?"

She sulked. "Yes."

"Aww, I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Anna froze, staring at her. "What?"

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. Nothing. Yeah, the chicken pecked me right here," she pointed at her forearm, "Since you are my mom, you should kiss it and make it better."

"You said it had been a month, if it still hurts then I'm taking you to a hospital."

"I was just joking."

Okay, maybe she is crazy. I'd barely seen her for twelve years, this could just be what Anna is like now. I guess that wouldn't be the worst thing, she's still charming and smart, just really weird. "Esmeralda was your first, right?"

"Uh, yeah. My first everything really, if I really did never love Kristoff."

"I'm sorry it didn't go better. I know how tough that first breakup can be." Open mouth, insert foot. She knows that I broke up with Elizabeth because of her, I've just made things worse.

Surprisingly, Anna didn't seem to notice. "No, it's okay. She's been an amazing friend. We were a terrible match romantically. We didn't want the same things at all. You and Tiana want the same things, right? I mean, me and Moana totally do, I think. Probably. It's still new. Right, I was saying that Esmeralda has been a great friend. She's even babysat him and Lilo, and you know how tough that can be."

"Lilo really isn't that bad."

"Yeah, that's what Esmeralda said."

Elsa chuckled. "You just have to accept her insanity and then it's all pretty easy from there."

"Well, I'm still working on it. I think Nani is too."

"Nah, you're both experts."

Anna stared at her.

"We babysat. It's easy. Nani, and hell, you, are practically her parents. You're not some new person that she isn't used to and doesn't how to deal with. Face it, you kinda have two kids."

"I'll have to tell Nani we're married then. I wonder how Moana will react." She let out a shaky breath. It was starting to look like she was actually relaxing. Finally.

"I think they both already know. I'd love to hear that conversation though."

"Maybe later." She turned back to the water. This time it didn't seem like she was avoiding anything at least, just staring at the impressively filthy water they were sailing across. "Where did we used to take boats? I remember sitting a lot like this, next to you, our parents on the other side, just staring at the waves, but I can't for the life of me recall where it was. Did we go whale watching or something? I know it happened a few times."

It took a moment for the memory to hit her. "Norway," Elsa breathed. "It was in Kristiansund," her faint accent returned. She hadn't spoken with it since she was at least ten. "We went twice, I think you were four and six when we did it. The second time, our parents actually rented the boat instead of just paying to go out on one. It was beautiful."

"I can kind of remember. The water was so clear. It was nothing like this."

"Yeah." Elsa sighed, thinking back to their childhood. She so rarely bothered with nostalgia. Maybe now that she wasn't mad at Anna – now that she didn't have any reason to avoid it - she could enjoy it a bit more. "You hated the klipfish."

"I stand by it."

"So you remember that?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I remember the salty pain."

Giggling, Elsa pulled her sister to her. She rested Anna's head on her shoulder, holding her close. It had been a long time. "And you wonder where Olaf gets it."

"I was not that bad!"

"Yeah, you kind of were."

She grumbled, but didn't move from her spot until they docked. Elsa had thought she might've fallen asleep, but she immediately leapt to her feet and grabbed her hand, dragging her away. "Let's go."

"Where are we going? We still have another hour or so before we need to head home."

"I want a New York street pretzel. I know they're a thing, and you're going to buy me one. You made me think of salty things and now I'm craving it."

'Salty pain' makes her think of pretzels? "You know what, sure. I haven't had one in years. Wanna split it? We're having a huge dinner and I'd rather not spoil it."

"I suppose, but only because I love you. Otherwise I'd bite you when you tried to steal my pretzel."

As she was dragged down the pier, Elsa smiled to herself. This was the sister she'd missed. She knew she'd been in there somewhere.

It had taken a surprisingly long time to find a place that actually had pretzels. They'd found three nut stands and a hot dog one before they managed to locate their quarry. It was okay, nothing particularly impressive, but seeing just how happy Anna looked eating it with her made it worth it. She had no idea what had finally helped her relax, but whatever it was, she was glad it happened.

Their detour had taken a good hour, so they made it home just in time. Elsa threw on the same black silk dress that she'd been wearing earlier, as she waited for Anna to pick out her clothes. Tiana and Olaf were nowhere to be found. Elsa shot her fiancee a quick message checking in with them and saying that they were going to grab dinner with Anya and Belle, neglecting to mention the place, but she figured that the two were having their fun. Maybe they'd actually find something Olaf could eat.

Elsa had to blink a few times when she saw the woman walking down her stairway. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that her little girl had grown into this woman. She looks like a real adult. She managed not to giggle at her own joke. She didn't want to offend her sister when she was finally loosening up. The dark green skirt, baby blue blouse, and matching flats all brought out her eyes, and with her hair in a bun Elsa hardly recognized her. She'd always been the one to have to do anything with it. If she didn't braid it, then Anna would just leave it in a ponytail. How did she think she was straight?

"How do I look?"

"You look amazing."

Her teeth flashed. "Damn right I do."

"Oh?" Maybe this really is a different woman. Was she hiding in Anna's suitcase? That would explain why it was so heavy.

"I saw how both Moana and you reacted. I think I know this outfit works for me. I'll make sure not to wear it around Tiana."

"Please don't."

"She really has changed, you know."

Elsa nodded. "She has. She's really trying to be the kinda girl you marry." I just hope that she's actually the kind of girl I marry. I hope her trying is enough.

Anna seemed to grow more somber for a moment before her cheery grin reemerged. "So, let's go have some chicken knees."

"No."

"I'm gonna request them special."

"I will stay home."

"You're no fun." She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear only to find that it was absent. Definitely still Anna. "Time to meet Anastasia." Right. Fun.

As they entered the restaurant, replete with its extensive bamboo forest and massive wooden bar, they found Anya and Belle waiting for them just inside. "You're so lucky I managed to make this reservation," Anastasia said by way of greeting.

"Hi," Belle added, jumping to her feet.

Elsa glanced to Anna to see the massive grin she was doing her best to conceal. She's never going to let me live this down. "Hey, Belle. Hey, Anya. This is Anna."

She took in a few breaths to steady herself. Elsa was growing increasingly concerned as to just how much Anna was going to ridicule her for this. I didn't notice at the time, damn it. "Hi!" she squeaked, sounding far far too excited. "It's so great to finally meet you. She's told me almost nothing about you. You look – I mean, I love your suit. Just, wow. Um, hi."

Gritting her teeth, Elsa added, "She's a little excited."

"I can tell," Anya muttered. "So this is the famous Anna."

Belle clasped Anna's hand in her own. "It's great to meet you too. Your sister is amazing, and I've been dying to see you since she mentioned that the two of you were back in touch. It was actually one of my biggest fears when I left our firm was that I wouldn't be able to meet you when you came to visit."

"We could just leave you two alone if you'd like," Anastasia suggested.

"Oh come on, don't pretend you're not excited. I saw all your preening before we left. You've been waiting for this moment for like six years." Belle smirked at her partner. I wonder if she's like this in court now. I'd love to find out sometime, preferably not against her though, she might actually beat me.

Groaning, Anya took a few steps toward Anna, as Belle finally released her. "Elsa had drilled pretty much everything I needed to know about you into me for weeks before you were gonna visit. I don't know if it's all still accurate, but I'm happy to finally meet the woman I had to study for. You mean a lot to your sister, no matter how bad she is at showing it."

"She isn't –"

"I know she's gotten better. I'm trying to believe that. You are here now, and even know that she's gay, so I guess she can really change." She glanced to Elsa, her emotions masked. "I have a billion embarrassing stories about her. Let's see if I can manage to tell you all of them before you have to leave."

Anna's grin only grew. "I want to hear everything. What's the weirdest thing she ever told you?"

"Anya," Elsa growled. I am not having my ex talk to my sister about our sex life.

"Let's get a few drinks in us first."

"But I need to know." Her teeth dug into her lower lip and her eyes scrunched shut. After a few seconds of thinking she opened them again and forced a smile. What the hell is going on with her? "I just missed a lot, and there's no way Elsa will tell me that stuff."

"Have we checked in yet?" Elsa asked, turning toward the maitre d'. "We had a reservation for 5:30. Should be under Romanov."

The tuxedoed man who had patiently waited through their display glanced down at the notebook before him. "Yes. We're ready for you. Come with me."

He led them to a spot at the busy counter that went around the restaurant. Anna dragged Anastasia along with her to the far left seats, cornering the older woman. She clearly had no intention of allowing her interrogation to be interrupted. Fine. Elsa gestured from Belle to the open seat.

"After you."

She took the spot next to her sister. Maybe she could at least prevent a few of the worst things from coming to light. I don't know if I'm more scared of Anya embarrassing me or sharing some of the terrible shit I've done for clients, but I'd rather not deal with either. Belle sat next to her. "So, you two having a good summer?" Elsa attempted.

"Yeah. Business is really up of late. We actually had to hire a paralegal and another lawyer. That company that we definitely didn't steal from you made such a difference."

"I'm glad to hear that. It just kind of sounds like it's the exact opposite of what Anya wanted."

Belle pursed her lips, looking past Elsa's redhead to her own. After a long pause she sighed. "Yeah. I know it's been eating at her. She didn't want work to be her life, she didn't want to represent terrible people, and now she's just doing it all over again, and she doesn't even have a boss to blame it on."

"The woman who represented Ms. Hawkins didn't want to represent terrible people?"

"Hey, Thompson was worse."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Belle leaned against the counter, staring vaguely at the glossy menu. "I wish I could help her. I know how much it's eating at her."

"But losing her firm would eat at her more."

She nodded. "Exactly."

Leaning back in the short wooden chair, and finding the back stopped far too short to comfortably do so, Elsa blew out a breath. "I could see if my firm would want to absorb her. If she has as many big clients as you make it sound like, it'd probably be worth it, and then Anya could start back as a partner."

Shaking her head, Belle tapped a finger on the bar. "You know her. There's no way she'd do it. This firm means so much to her."

"Yeah, it was supposed to mean freedom, if it doesn't anymore –"

"You can ask her if you want, but she won't want to, and I'm not gonna try to convince her. I love her and she loves this firm."

Elsa flipped through a page in the menu. She hated seeing someone she cared about putting herself through this, but Belle was right – Anya was far too proud for anything else. "So you're saying 'love' already?"

"We've been saying it for ages."

"Oh." I know I'm just going to get the ten skewers, why am I checking anything else? "It took her and I almost a year for that when we were together. Then again, I guess you two don't butt heads nearly as often."

"Yeah, some of us don't have to turn everything into a competition."

"I've been called out by Belle. Truly this is a new low."

Belle stuck her tongue out at her, just as a waitress showed up. "Have you decided on your drinks?"

They ordered a couple bottles of sake and were assured that a chef would be with them soon. "No way," Anna muttered, her jaw dropping as she stared at Anastasia. What did I miss?

"Yep. The judge was flabbergasted, it was so amazing."

Elsa's eyes must have bored a hole into Anya as hard as she was staring. She didn't want to ask, and she couldn't even imagine what story she'd be telling, so she wasn't going to just cut it off. Hell, maybe it even makes me sound good. Stranger things have happened.

"Did she report him?"

"Nah, she'd earned his respect at that point, and won the cases, making the sexist old ass look bad would only make her case's standing shakier." Oh, that. "I think she just loves proving bigots wrong. It's probably why she's friends with Gaston now – can't even start to figure that one out – she did it a bunch in law school too. Mock trial was amazing. One time we had to face off against these spoiled dicks from Yale, who were actually laughing about having to face off against two girls. All these years later, it's still one of my favorite victories." What happened to the embarrassing stories?

She turned back to Belle to find her pouring them each a cup of sake. "Let them have their fun. Anya has answers to years and years of time that Anna missed out on. You'll be able to talk to them later. Besides, we never get to spend any time on our own together, so drink up." This is why we took a taxi.

"Cheers."

"No, it's kanpai!" Belle grinned, holding the tiny clay cup in the air.

"Fine, whatever, kanpai." The two drained their cups and Elsa poured them another.

"So they outed the two of you to the whole class?" Anna asked. "How did Elsa react?"

"She just asked the professor what her grade was on the test."

"Of course she did." Anna glanced over at Elsa, a loving – and only slightly inebriated – smile on her face. "That's why I love her. She doesn't let anything bring her down." Yeah, she doesn't know me. I let plenty bring me down.

"Wanna tell me stories about Anya?" Belle asked.

"Are there any I haven't told you yet?"

"Probably, but all right, how about Anna?"

"Fair's fair."

"Wait, what?" Anna turned back to them. "What was that about me?"

"Oh, Elsa is just going to tell stories about you," Belle chirped, draining another cup. "Though if you have childhood stories about her, this may be the best day of my life."

Anna glanced between Belle and Anastasia, clearly weighing the pros and cons of the two options. Fortunately, she was bought some extra time by the chef finally approaching them. "Sorry about that wait, what can I get started for you?"

Elsa and Anya ordered the skewer sets while Belle and Anna ordered the Omakase. Just once could we not order the same thing? While it cost a fortune, it ensured they'd all have a good variety of food and a more than ample amount. Elsa just hoped they'd have time to make it to the theater. "So, Anna, what was it like having Elsa as your mom?" Belle asked. I should've just started the stories.

Anna shrunk into her chair, her eyebrows knitting as she stared at Belle. "I mean she wasn't really my mom."

"I know, but –"

"I mean, that would just be weird." Her eyes widened. "Cause she's only three years older than me."

"Anna?" Belle asked.

"I tried to be a good mother," Elsa announced. "It wasn't easy, she was a troubled child. She even thought she was straight."

Belle gasped. "I hope you corrected that assumption."

Anna's cheeks colored.

"I did, but it took me far too long. I fear that I failed her." I kinda do actually. If I'd been honest with her from the beginning then maybe she wouldn't have repressed it for so long. I should've just told her about Elizabeth when it happened, I just thought it would be too much for her after we had just lost our parents. Especially with how she was acting out and running off all the time.

"I figured it out myself," Anna grumbled. "Though I'd have certainly appreciated her help." She stared down at her newly empty sake cup and filled it again. I'm glad Tiana isn't here. I wouldn't even blame her for any response to that. "Though, if I'm being honest, it wasn't actually much of a change," Anna added after a long moment, instantly pulling everyone's quizzical stares to her. "Not the gay thing, that was definitely a welcome change, men are gross, I never realized there was a reason I just wasn't that into it, but I mean her being my legal guardian. Not my mom. She was always the one looking after me. Ever since we were kids."

"Our parents did plenty –"

"Not really. I was sad that they were gone, and it was weird not having them around, but it had always been you. I'm a little amazed that I managed to survive without you for as long as I have. I clearly wasn't doing a great job of it." She drained another cup.

"How about you save the sake." I'd rather she not start crying in the middle of the restaurant. I want today to be a great day for her, we're about to go see a play together. "You weren't messing your life up at all." Elsa set her hand on Anna's shoulder and found that Anna promptly leaned into her touch, her cheek brushing her hand. "I'm proud of you."

That smile returned and she stared down at the counter. "Thank you," she murmured quietly, still leaning against her hand.

They managed to avoid any stories quite as dramatic as that one, and the conversation grew more relaxed, with Anna eagerly eating up every detail she could find, even listening to a few of Anya and Belle's recent cases. Their food arrived and was far better than the last time Elsa had been there. The lack of knees just really improves a meal.

They had to rush toward the end and leave the leftovers with Anya and Belle so they could make it to the theater. Tiana would want them, but that's the downside of taking a taxi here. They made it to the theater with just a few minutes to spare, the buzz from the sake beginning to wear off. They were led to their seats and within a short moment the orchestra began to play. Their attention was rapt throughout the production. By the time it was over, they were both ecstatic, chatting away as they waited for their ride. "I loved it!" Anna squealed. "Though I swear that's not how the Scarecrow happened in the books. I don't remember a lot from you reading them to me when we were little but I remember that much."

"Yeah, you're not supposed to take it too literally, I don't think, but it was a lot of fun. I hadn't ever bothered to read any reviews, since I wasn't likely to see it anytime soon, but from the posters I'd always somewhat expected them to get together."

"That was definitely the one shame of the play. They would've been adorable. Glinda was really cute."

"You don't like green girls?"

"Maybe I have a thing for blondes."

Elsa giggled, rolling her eyes. If that was anyone else, I'd think they were flirting with me. Their taxi pulled up, "Elsa?"

"Yeah." She helped Anna to her feet and they made their way home. Apparently Anna had had a pretty full day, as she passed out against Elsa's shoulder five minutes into the drive. Elsa wrapped an arm around her and leaned against the window, watching as her city passed by. As much as she'd always loved New York, it was nice to have an excuse to take advantage of a few of its attractions for once. She'd been so stressed since Tiana proposed, spending this time with Anna may have been the first time she'd relaxed all week. She hoped Tiana and Olaf had half as good of a day. She wasn't sure for whom she was more concerned of the two.

Fortunately, they both seemed in pretty good spirits. Olaf had even eaten a shawarma wrap! Tiana was beside herself with joy. He'd had to remove almost everything from it that was meant to go on it, but it was a start. Elsa led the bleary Anna up to bed and sent Olaf to his own before returning to her soon to be wife. "You had a good day then?" Elsa asked.

"Better now." She pulled Elsa to her. "You tired?"

"Not really."

"Wanna have really quiet sex so we don't have to explain anything awkward to the child in the next room?"

Who could resist that offer? So, Elsa ended an already enjoyable day in an incredibly enjoyable way. As she was drifting off to sleep, she found herself wondering about Anna. She was so glad she'd seemed to stop her odd behavior earlier, but she hoped she'd eventually find out what it'd been about. Fortunately, Elsa had more imminent things to worry about. She just hoped Gaston could behave himself at the party.