a/n: o boi... "Somebody Else" by the 1975 got me weeping, while writing this

When Anna brought Olaf home that evening, she'd been making dinner. Not great, but she was trying. Elsa wasn't feeling quite well. Though, what mattered was that Olaf was getting something to eat for the evening.

Things were quiet after Olaf had left for the week. Hans had come a lot more often than she'd expected - especially after the argument. If anything… Hans seemed to have grown a lot more closer. A lot more intimate. A lot more… fluffy. She didn't dare to say that it was just to get Elsa in his arms reach, but… it really seemed that way.

If Elsa minded one bit, she would have said something - but she kept quiet like a good girlfriend. No, she just didn't want to think Hans would ever betray her, that's all.

Once Anna had left, all the thoughts that swirled her mind was nothing but whatever that girl would be doing with Meg that night. She shouldn't be thinking about it, she knew. This was the first time Anna had ever hung out with Meg. 'Hung out'. Perhaps, dating would be a suitable word?

The idea disgusted her, and knowing that Anna had always been naive and oblivious at times, was completely nauseating. Which, seemed fitting for this situation.

Meg had always been a great friend and a great teacher to Olaf - but sometimes… Elsa always wondered what was going on inside her head whenever she talked about her ex-wife the next morning Olaf was going to school. She suspected things but Elsa didn't want to believe it.

She had no right to believe or not to believe anything - she wanted Anna to have someone special, and she was going to get someone special tonight.

But was it so wrong to worry? Perhaps. It just wasn't her choice anymore, and yet, here she was… overthinking things.

As much of a hypocrite she was, she only worried that Anna would be used. If she found who she wanted to be with, that's wonderful… but there was just no telling whether Anna would be treated with greatness or not. She had been a great wife - now, she needed a person who would be great to her.

"Olaf, wash up, we're eating dinner now."

The boy was unpacking all his little presents on the couch. "Mkay!"

"Now, baby. Not later, now," she said a bit louder from the kitchen, and a bit more stern.

"Yes, Mom!" He immediately got up to the upstairs' bathroom.

She sighed, setting herself on the dining table, her hands placed on her head. It had been throbbing for hours now - along with the fact that she kept holding in this little nausea she had. "God, please don't throw up… please…"

"Mom?" Ah, Olaf was down already. She picked her head up to see worried littles eyes gazing at her as Olaf sat himself across from her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Mom is fine." The woman began serving his portion of food. "So how was your little stay in Mama's house, hm? You weren't being a naughty boy, were you?"

"No, Mom!" He giggled. "Mama told me lots of bedtime stories when I went to bed. Can I have more mashed potatoes, please?"

Elsa gladly scooped another spoonful. "Oh, did she? No scary stories? But you do hate scary stories," she laughed, "Anything else?"

"Hmm…" He took a bite of his chicken. "She also told me about… what happened."

"What happened?"

"Mhm… about how you love someone else?"

Elsa paused. She did what? They promised each other not to say a goddamn thing. They promised each other to keep their family together - to keep Olaf in a state of happiness. And the way Olaf was looking at her now… was not that happy-go-lucky expression he had a minute ago. She was disappointed, but she understood.

Anna had always been the talkative one, after all.

The woman put her fork and knife down, clenching her jaw tight. "Olaf, you don't think me wrong for loving someone else right?"

He shook his head. "No, why? I-I mean…" He pouted. "I-I like family… Does Mama hate Uncle Hans?"

That was something Elsa was still thinking to herself at times. Sure, there were conflicts between them but nothing couldn't be solved without talking. Maybe some yelling involved but -

Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. They really needed to have a talk after this. "See, you can only love one person. I guess… Mama hates it that I'm being taken away by someone else."

He hummed and nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"Do you understand, honey?"

"Mhm." He grew quiet again. This wasn't the kind of 'understanding' Elsa expected from him. But she didn't have much strength to explain any further - she didn't want to explain any further. She didn't want to lose the only happiness that was Olaf to something so… miserable as their marriage.

"What do you understand?"

Olaf contemplated, scratching his head. "That… people are free to love whoever they want…? Mama told me that too."

"Alright, I'm going to have to talk to your mother about this."

"Why?"

"You don't have to worry about it. Come on, tell me more about your adventures at the zoo today." She smiled to get rid of all these stupid thoughts. This anger inside her.

"Oh, so today, I saw this big, big polar bear!"

The last thing Anna ever wanted was to see Olaf ignoring her… and it was true, Olaf didn't ignore her. He acted like everything was normal - as what it should have been if they hadn't told him anything anyway. They didn't regret it - at least, that was what Anna thought with Elsa. But if Elsa ever did regret anything, Anna wouldn't know. That's what started all this, after all.

She made sandwiches when Olaf woke up, and Elsa was laying on the couch, watching the latest news.

The quietness… was all too normal, but Anna was kind of getting used to it. Kind of liking it. Normality in this house was often not present after the divorce. This was their new 'normal' now, she supposed.

The boy was laying with his oldest mother, leaning his head against her chest. And like any normal boy and girl, he had his teddy with him. He shouldn't be napping in the living room, but they both let it go this time.

She grabbed the three plates brimmed with sandwiches. Roasted turkey, tomato, lettuce… and let's not forget the mayonnaise. "Guys, time to eat." She steadied them on the table, watching Elsa wake up the boy.

"Honey, time to get up…"

"Mm…" He rubbed his eyes. It was a good time, he was never one of those kids who whine when being woken up. "What are we eating?"

"I made sandwiches, buddy. Yum, yum. Let's go. Wash up." Anna placed her hands on her hips, watching the kid drop his teddy on the couch and dragged his feet to the bathroom. Elsa was already striding to the kitchen to pour them all glasses of water.

"He's not pouty, at least." Anna sighed in relief and sat herself on the chair.

"That's a good thing," she set three a glasses of water on the table, "it just shows he still loves his mothers through thick and thin."

"Yeah."

Elsa sat next to her, and in the background, they could hear the faucet turning… and Olaf's little voice talking to himself. The blonde chortled lightly. "He's still a kid. And I know that's not what you want to hear, Anna, but it's the truth."

Anna didn't deny it was the truth. She sighed, hearing the boy come down from the stairs, humming to himself a little tune. "Just… whatever happens, let it happen. I don't want us holding back just because he's a kid."

"I know."

"Mama! You made sandwiches!" He stood between them both with the most joyous smile on his face. This was a hundred times better than having to see him weep in his mother's arms before. The smile Anna had was so bittersweet.

"Yeah, buddy. Bet you're hungry too, I think I did a good job." She eyed Elsa's amused expression. "Right, Mom?"

Olaf gasped as he got into his seat across from them. "Right, Mom?!" he repeated with excitement.

"Right, right. We'll be the judge of that, yeah, Olaf?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, go on!" Anna chuckled. "Take the first bite."

The two took their bite and based on their silence - well, Elsa's mostly, while Olaf probably would enjoy anything made by his moms - Anna could already feel pleased with herself. The blonde's eyes widened, a finger placed to her lips as she chewed.

"So? What do you think?"

Olaf just squealed with happiness and took another bite. Elsa, on the other hand…

"Probably needs a bit of mayonnaise -"

"Oh please." Anna rolled her eyes.

The woman laughed, squeezing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I wish you'd make other food as good as this, Anna. I'm proud of you."

"Well, thank you, your majesty." Really, Elsa was being treated like a queen at the moment. She watched proudly and in relief as they both filled their stomach with deliciousness. Even Anna forgot to take her own first bite, but what did it matter if she could see them both eat with joy?

She glanced at Olaf, sitting across from her, his little eyes brightened like stars in the night. But he was quiet - usually. "Olaf, are you enjoying it?"

He nodded. "Mhm. It's good~"

Anna gently wiped the little sauce on the corner of his lips with a napkin. "Take your time, I don't want you choking." She looked at Elsa. "And you certainly seem to enjoy every last bite."

The woman laughed, definitely not looking at her. "How can I not when you made it?"

She shrugged. "I do recall, you definitely threw up a couple of times back then."

"Right, it was quite fun. Not delicious… but a good experience. Let's not do that again."

Anna smirked and took a bite of her sandwich. Ah, definitely not bad.

"So this morning, you said you overslept?" Elsa's voice completely halted her action. Anna didn't react. She was careful not to… so Elsa wouldn't know. She couldn't know - whatever happened today was heartbreaking enough.

"Yeah." She picked at the lettuce.

"Did Meg bring you home?"

She tensed again. Anna didn't allow her gaze to meet Elsa's - those blue eyes were really staring at her intensely. Why? Why did she care? What made her care so much now when she didn't care months ago? But Anna didn't say that aloud. The redhead rubbed her the bridge of her eyes. Ah, the headaches are really coming back now.

"No, Elsa. I went home by myself, slept early and slept till late." She noticed Olaf's worried eyes on them. "Hey, can we not talk about this -"

"You're getting anxious?"

For fuck's sake. Sometimes, Elsa could really get annoying. Anna completely turned her undivided attention to the woman. The mask that Elsa had on was so unbearably ugly to her. And when Elsa sighed and turned away, Anna just knew… she didn't mean to get all frazzled up. What a joke.

"I'm sorry…" The blonde ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know why I'm questioning you."

Anna didn't answer her.

"She's our friend, Anna -"

"Yes, she's our friend. Please don't think anything else, Elsa." She shouldn't even be lying like this. But with Olaf watching them…

"M-Mama? Are you arguing again…?"

The redhead immediately turned to the boy, her expression immediately softened. "No, no, we're not arguing. Continue eating, okay?"

He turned to his Mom with glistening eyes. "Mom?"

The older woman mirrored her fake fucking smile too. "Go on. After that, you have to do your homework, okay?"

"Okay…"

Elsa's phone on the table started vibrating, and the redhead couldn't help but look over to see who was calling. She wished she didn't. It was Hans. She felt a touch on her shoulder, and immediately, Anna switched her gaze to Elsa's furrowed brows.

"Stay here for a bit, I'm going to answer this call -"

"Hey." She grabbed Elsa's wrist. "What's going on?" Anna thought at least it'd make Elsa drop her guard, but it didn't.

The woman smiled - which, Anna knew was nothing more than a fake. "I'll be back. Just watch Olaf for me."

And like that, Anna watched the woman go upstairs and a small 'hey, sweetie' echoed from the staircase. She sighed, her head tilted down to her hands. She didn't mind Elsa having to say those words in the house like Anna wasn't here… it was just… the fact that Elsa would rather talk to Hans than be with her family broke Anna's heart. Perhaps, it didn't seem this way - and even Anna was a little hypocrite for saying this as she had spent her precious time with Meg - but nothing felt more horrible than to hear her laugh and smile at someone who wasn't her.

"Mama?"

"Hm?" She picked her head up.

Olaf shifted in his seat. "Are you angry?"

"Angry? About what?" She raised an eyebrow.

He pouted and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Mom told me about how you don't like Uncle Hans very much yesterday… is that true?"

Ah. Who could blame him for outing all this? Her smile was tender, yet too broken. "No, that's not… well, a little, yeah."

"Why?"

She didn't want to explain anything else further that Olaf would tell to his mother. "Just know that Uncle Hans and I have very different opinions about each other okay?"

"Does he hate you?"

"I don't know, honey." Enough. That is enough.

"But what if he does?"

"Nothing will happen, and you will still be a good boy." Taking a deep breath, Anna found herself hearing Elsa's voice getting a little louder. She frowned. Without a doubt, she was really just holding herself back from eavesdropping. "Alright, kid, eat your sandwich, I'll check up on Mom, okay?"

"Can I watch cartoon?"

"Yeah, just grab the remote. I'll be back, sweetie." Anna immediately got up from her seat and strode right up to her bedroom - well, near it. The door was closed, but a small gap still showed Elsa in the room. Who was pacing. Anna slowly got nearer, her ear facing the door.

"Hans, please. Anna's here… I don't want you coming - No, that's not what I meant. You know that. Don't take this out of tangent. I know you're sorry, it's fine. … I got sick, alright, I didn't get pregnant. … I'm fine, thanks for caring. … I know, baby. We're eating lunch right now, you should go grab lunch too. … Good, I'll see you tomorrow, then. I love you."

Anna stood against the wall, a finger to her lips, and glaring eyes staring down at the ground. The jealousy that she'd buried deep down fumed back up again because… to hear her say 'I love you' to someone else was unimaginable.

Elsa opened the door and her eyes widened at the sight of her ex-wife standing by the door. "Anna?" She blinked. "Were you eavesdropping?"

The woman didn't say anything and was just about to go back down with a final glare, but with a grip around her wrist…

"No, don't you dare run away -"

She immediately teared away from her grip, turning around to get right in her face. "Don't you tell me that I'm running away. What did you say? 'I don't want you coming'? What do you mean? He did something -"

"No."

"Don't you pull that bullshit on me." She mumbled between her teeth, eyes full with crimson color of anger. She shouldn't be angry - she had no right to be angry. But if Elsa really wanted everything to be okay, she wouldn't have gone upstairs and be a mouse, just so she could speak to Hans. What, they weren't family anymore? Was Anna a stranger again? Was Anna an embarrassment to her? Or was it Hans that was her embarrassment?

Elsa shook her head, scoffing in disbelief. "And here I thought we were fine today."

"We were."

"Then why? Why are you angry?"

Anna took in a deep shaky breath, and finally, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She crossed her arms, holding herself. No one else would hold her. "I-I'm not angry. I was… scared that you turning your back to me and talking to Hans up here, means that he has done something to you that I don't want to know." She shook her head. "If he ever did anything, I wouldn't -"

"He didn't, Anna." She squeezed Anna's arm in comfort. And then, out came a disappointing sigh. That didn't help this situation at all. "Fine, we got into an argument. Nothing big… but… it was about you. It's always about you."

Anna nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "Me, huh…"

"He thinks I pay more attention to you and Olaf than I do with him. That's just not the case."

Anna sighed. She didn't need to know this. And for whatever reason that Elsa was telling her this… made her feel even worse than she should have felt. Worse as in… feeling bad? No, not for Hans, at least.

"Anna, you need to stop acting so paranoid - it's not who you are."

"Paranoid?" She squinted. "Is that what you really think of me?"

"You screamed at me today, and now this? What else am I going to call it, Anna?"

Anna didn't have time to argue. Elsa was as stubborn as a mule, there was just no getting past her fucking logic. "Look, I'm sorry for… freaking out like that. If you say everything's fine, then it's fine." She smiled tightly, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Good. We have separate love lives, there's no need to worry -"

Lives? "What? What are you talking about?"

"You, Anna." Elsa raised her eyebrows. "You and Meg? Or was I -"

"Elsa, it's not like that, I told you so many times," Anna huffed. And she says I'm paranoid.

"That's… you two are a good fit. I don't blame Meg for liking you."

Anna groaned and started heading down the stairs. "We don't have any interests with each other. You're mistaken."

"That's not what I see..."

"What?"

Elsa's expression turned bitter and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's just go back down."

For the first time, Anna wasn't sure how to approach Meg. The classroom was just at the end of the hallway, where light shined from inside with the accompanying blackness in the hall. If that wasn't bad enough, she decided to send Olaf to school this morning, and leave him in front of the entrance.

Elsa decided to stay home and work in her own little home-office, but… fuck. Now she really had to face Meg, which she really hadn't thought of until now. She merely wanted to distract herself. She didn't know what to expect - but she sure as hell knew this was going to be awkward. Too awkward for their own good.

How could she ever face anyone - let alone, Elsa, anymore? Or her little boy?

What was she supposed to say? Mama cheated on your mother? Mama was lonely? Mama was a coward so she searched for comfort from someone else? What a joke.

She took a deep breath. Get it over with, you idiot. One step at a time... and every step felt heavier than the last. But she managed to get in front of the doorway. Her eyes searched the little classroom - with the usual, kids going on with their playtime with an assistant teacher watching over them - and then, there was Meg. Helping a young girl with her homework.

For once… just having to stare at her made Anna wonder whether… she was supposed to be nervous. No, or rather, why she was nervous. It really wasn't just because she 'cheated'. There was something different she couldn't exactly pinpoint, and really, did not want to.

"Mama!"

Anna gasped at the strong little arms hugging her, and two bright eyes gazed up. "Hey, buddy…" And she didn't ignore the adult eyes that immediately turned after. Meg… was definitely looking at her - or giving her a look. She didn't want to know.

"Heh, are you here to take me home?"

"Well, what else am I going to do here if I'm not?" She ruffled his hair. "Go on, grab your backpack, I'll sign us out."

"Okay!"

"And oh…" With the little courage she had left, Anna watched the woman in apron stride towards her with a clipboard in hand. Her expression… totally stoic. Anna understood - she wouldn't know how to react either. "Um, Olaf, could you go sit in the lunchroom for me again?"

He tilted his head. "Yeah…" Anna didn't doubt the big question mark popped up from the little boy. Though, she was glad he didn't question her a second later.

Finally, Anna was able to look at the teacher in the eye - a fake, clumsily made smile running across her cheeks. "Hi."

"Hey."

"Mama, I'll go down now."

Anna nodded at Olaf. "Yeah, you go, buddy. Be careful of the stairs."

"I will!" Instead, Olaf was just running down the dark hall. Anna would have expected Meg to call out in a stern voice, 'no running in the hall!' but she didn't. What a twist! Just like two nights ago! Ugh.

"Are you… doing alright?" Meg asked, quietly handing her the clipboard.

Anna quickly signed it. Define 'alright', honestly. "I don't know."

Meg was gazing intently. "You still have that bruise on your neck."

Anna widened her eyes, and immediately, she slapped a hand against the place where Meg had been staring at. This was… nothing she expected. She didn't even know that, that night they had it -

The redhead clenched her jaw, looking straight at her. Meg was tall, and Anna wasn't letting her guard down. "Meg, I -"

"No, I'm sorry. I should speak first." She looked around them. "But… I think we should go to a more secluded place."

"Yeah. Yeah, definitely."

Which they ended up doing, and now… just like when Meg had asked her to go for a drink, they decided to speak in the office again. Luckily, nobody was there like always. But Anna wasn't sure what to say - how to say - so she started pacing, a hand placed on her hip and another in her hair.

"You were saying?" Anna decided that was the best sentence that could come out. Not 'how did I get this mark' or 'what the fuck did we do'. None of that. She wasn't that person - not yet.

Meg just stood there, a little… bit in her own world. She clasped her hands together. Her eyes were searching, but for what? Perhaps, acceptance and forgiveness. "First off… I think you know what we did that night. Exactly what we did." A pause, and a shake of a head - possibly, regretting everything. "I don't expect you to understand why. I don't expect anything from you. At all. I just… I wished things would have just ended differently."

Ended differently how? Anna squinted her eyes, shaking her head, confused. "Meg… we fucked."

"And that changes what?"

Anna raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "That changes everything, Meg… my ex-wife questioned me and I had to lie. I have never lied to her ever."

"What do you want me to say, Anna? That I regret what we did?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I don't!"

Anna blinked, her heart skipping a beat. This was unexpected - but perhaps, she should have expected that answer. The way Meg had always… be nice, been touching her… how could she have not known? She was too shocked to even say anything, and she watched Meg run her tender fingers through her dark brown hair.

"God, Anna… I…" She took a deep breath. The silence was absolutely deafening and astounding. "I know I am you and Elsa's kid's teacher. I know that I am just a nobody when it comes to your family - but how do you expect me to react, to look whenever I see and hear you talk about Elsa? I have been you two's friend for nearly two years, and not once have I seen you ever laugh or talk about anything else other than your ex-wife. Do you know how depressing it is? I wanted that night to just be us drinking and having you let everything out - but this -" She unbuttoned the top of her collar shirt, peeled it open… and the bruised and red circular marks on top of her chest, neck, collarbone churned Anna's stomach. "... you did this. And I did that. Willingly."

Her teal eyes were covered in tears but none ever streamed down Anna's cheek. She continued to shake her head in disbelief, but her head was as clear as daylight - and she just remembered every single time she kissed the woman - fucking fucked her that night. Her heart, however, was a totaled mess, completely broken… only to be mended from that night like someone had just crumpled it back together with no care.

"Say something, Anna!"

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a choked breath. "For how long?"

"What?"

"How… long have you had these feelings for me?" And finally, taking a courageous breath, Anna stared straight at her. Never had she seen such heartbroken eyes in front of her.

And Meg just looked away, a hand clasping her shirt back together. "For too long. Ever since you divorced Elsa… you were just never yourself. I buried these feelings because I know I could never be as good as her - and you will never stop fighting to take her back. How could you have known? How could I ever fight for you?"

God, Anna didn't know what to say. Hearing this was heart-wrenching enough, and yet… Anna continued to listen like she was some sort of therapist. Instead, she was the one that was in need of a fucking therapist. How could she be so dense to not know Meg's intentions? This was… wrong. So wrong. She wished she could just run, but her feet was stuck in place like glue. "So back there… when we kissed… when I let you take me home, you knew exactly what you were doing."

"I did, and I know I am in the wrong." Her expression darkened. "You have every right to blame me for being cruel… but I only wanted you to see a little glimpse of happiness. Anna, I -"

"No, just… don't say it. I don't want you to say those words." Anna backed up. She was… confused and angry - but not at her anymore, no - just herself. She was so desperate for happiness that this was the end result of temporary happiness. Anna quickly wiped her tears and placed her arms across her chest, eyes searching everywhere but Meg. Her mouth opened and closed but of course, there was just no words. "I love my son very much - I'd do anything for him. I love my ex-wife and I know she can be so stubborn sometimes… but you… I didn't expect this from you. I have a family, Meg." She sniffled, shaking her head. "And I know you were trying to break me from that stupid bond I have with Elsa… but you know I can never give up."

Meg let out a shaky sigh and tried one more time to step closer. Which this time… Anna didn't move back any further. "Did you remember what you told me back there…?"

"What?" Anna was genuinely curious.

"When we were doing what we were doing, you told me how you wished you weren't yourself. How you wanted to not love Elsa but you still do. Do you know how that made me feel? I wanted to get out of that room because I knew you pictured me as her - you wanted to use me to fill that void - and I let you because I wanted to grant you happiness. We were drunk but I couldn't even tell the difference between this and how you acted when you were normal."

Anna said nothing. If that was all true… the guilt she had, had grown even larger - not just for Elsa, but for Meg as well. She used her… and Meg did the same. What, they were even now? Calling it a truce? This wasn't how it was going to work. This certainly didn't relieve her.

"Anna…" She picked her head up. When had Meg gotten so close? A hand firmly squeezed the woman's arm, and she let it. "It's really time that you move on… or try to. Doesn't Elsa want that too?"

It didn't matter what Elsa wanted, it was what her heart wanted… and even her heart didn't know what it desired anymore. Still, in the back of her head, Elsa was just clawing at her like a tiger.

"I just…" She didn't know what to say. "I need to think."

"I know." Her hand slowly slid off her arm. Her eyes were exactly how Anna imagined it to be - dark brown with hurt and guilt. "I'll let you think about this. Whatever this is." And then, there was acceptance. The tight smile that Meg had as she tried to leave wasn't what Anna wanted though. This bitter note just continued to leave a bitter taste in Anna's mouth, and suddenly, she grabbed Meg's wrist.

She didn't know why. The shock in her brown eyes didn't give her an answer either. But she tightened the grip, eyeing her hand.

"Anna…"

"I just… want you to know whatever this is, it isn't bad. Don't get me wrong, I… I'm just confused. Give me some time." Every single word clung onto Anna's throat, and it wasn't easy letting it out. She didn't want to give Meg any hope - and she didn't expect the woman to understand her heart yet. But at least Meg knew to wait.

Meg smiled quite tenderly and her eyes grew soft. "On Saturday there's a little festival a few blocks from here. It'll be fun."

"Yeah, I -"

"I'll wait for you."