Chapter Twenty-Six

A/N: Uh…okay so we're not exactly in Arc Three yet. This is more like a prequel to it, setting up some more stuff and getting some mysteries from Arc Two out of the way. You know, stuff like that. So, let's just call this chapter…I don't know, Arc 2.5? Yeah, that sounds fun. Decimal points are the bee's freaking knees.

I have no idea how to do words, I don't know why the heck you guys are still reading this, honestly.

Anna always dreamed big. Being a professional baker wasn't enough, or rather just making a living doing what she loved wasn't enough. And yeah, maybe it sounded a little selfish, but one day she wanted to own one of those bakeries so famous that people were pressing their faces to the windows hoping to finally get in.

But not like this.

Not when said people were also armed with cameras and fuzzy microphones and asking her the same questions over and over again about her and Elsa. This was no dream, if anything this was a nightmare; but as much as she blinked- or pleaded with Rapunzel to pinch her- she couldn't wake up and start the day over again.

She muscled her way through the press, urged by Rapunzel not to say anything until they got inside where they couldn't be mobbed. The bright flashes that spotted her vision, and the white noise of nosy newspersons, made the ten or so feet from the car to the bakery feel like the final obstacle of some twisted boot camp drill. When they both reached the door and shut it, aging fifty years in the process, Anna finally spoke.

"What…the heck?! Is this what celebrities have to deal with all the time? Is this what Elsa has to deal with all the time?"

Rapunzel shot a death glare at the people outside, and looked back at Anna with a shrug, "I guess so. Man, it must get annoying really fast."

Anna groaned as she walked over to unlock the kitchen, "It's already annoying! I thought coming in early today would help to, you know, get our heads on straight, but I guess that's not happening anytime soon." Camera flashes and questions being squawked at them further validated her point. "I'm guessing we can't just ask them politely to leave? Or call the cops?"

"Best case scenario, they leave for ten minutes and then come back." Rapunzel made sure the front door was unlocked for their employees, wincing when a flash got her in the eye. "Ugh, I knew we should have gotten tinted windows. For gosh sakes you were in like half the article, how could we not expect paparazzi to show up at our door."

"It's not too late. We could get some curtains or duct tape the windows. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. Ooh, or I could find a clown mask and a baseball bat and scare them!" Anna suggested eagerly.

Rapunzel giggled, "As funny as that would be, it'd probably bring more cameras to our door, not less. Looks like we're just gonna have to live with it until people lose interest."

Anna flipped a switch and the bakery mercifully lit up with fluorescent and colored lights, dampening the strain on their eyes from the flashes. "'Zel, I just got outed as Elsa's super-secret-ex-girlfriend, this city's resident-and probably only- celebrity. People aren't gonna lose interest in a very long time."

She frowned as that realization hit her too, along with the fact that even after the cameras stopped literally following her around, she would forever be known in this town as the only woman, heck, the only person the CEO of ArenCorp ever dated. No doubt all kinds of stuff from their time at Arendelle High was being dug up this very second, and people were putting pieces together trying to interpret how it all began and where it went wrong.

Trashy gossip blogs would put up clickbait articles about the "true story" between them both, their old classmates would post all over social media about how they were best friends with Anna and Elsa- even though the two had really only hung out with each other and, rarely, their teammates. Some weirdo was probably hunched over his ancient, clunky laptop writing a story about them, maybe changing the names so he could publish it with some awful romance novel title.

Anna shuddered just thinking about it.

Obviously, when Hannah told her about the article, she didn't want it to get released, but now that it had…well, she was just going to have to live with the consequences.

She squared up her shoulders and hopped on the counter, looking at the Warm Hearts logo on the wall, "But hey, maybe we can make this into a good thing, you know? We wanted this bakery to succeed, and there's no such thing as bad press. People will come to see the harlot who broke Elsa Andersen's heart, maybe they'll stay after realizing she can put their face on a cake."

Rapunzel laughed as she joined her best friend on the counter, "Harlot? Are you sure you're using that word right?"

"Probably not." Anna replied, reminding herself to figure out how to put a face on a cake later. They stayed there for a couple minutes, making faces and sticking their tongues out at any paparazzi who got too close, not caring about how that'd make them look in the tabloids. Even despite the intrusion, this was the most peaceful time they'd had in a while.

"Wanna help me get the kitchen ready?" Anna asked, breaking the silence. "You can reorganize the utensils while I make some dough, it'll be just like old times."

Rapunzel smiled as she hopped off the counter and stuck her hand out to help Anna, "You read my mind."

Elsa paid more attention to the specks of lint on her blazer than the armada of paparazzi and news crews outside ArenCorp. She walked with a purpose as the doors closed behind her, dismissing any questions from her employees with succinct answers.

"Ms. Andersen, are we going to do a press conference about the article?"

"That decision will be made by the Board of Directors."

"Ms. Andersen, what are we going to do about all the paparazzi outside?"

"Ignore them. The same thing we've always done."

"Ms. Andersen, what exactly is your relationship with Anna Dawson?"

"…"

Elsa stopped.

As much as she wanted to ignore that question and wait in silence for the elevator doors to open, she couldn't. Because although only one brave soul had asked it, she knew that it was a question everyone had been dying to ask her. And hearing someone say Anna's name like that, mispronounced and with underlying judgment, stirred something inside of her.

Elsa was in front of that employee in an instant, and even though she was a head shorter than him, he shrunk under her penetrating gaze. She spoke softly but severely so that the hushed words cut through the air and were felt by everyone in the building.

"My relationship with Anna Dawson is of no one's concern."

The elevator doors finally opened, and she left the employee to think about what he'd done. Anyone inside the cart got off at the next available floor, no matter how high they still needed to go, and every time the doors opened, the employees backed away and said something about "getting the next one".

Good, Elsa figured, she wanted to revel in the silence just a little while longer.

The 28th floor, which held all the conference rooms, would be deserted as well, save for one room, as was customary for every meeting with the Board of Directors.

She'd spent most of last night in her office running through every possible scenario, every defense she had to make for her actions, and bracing herself for the worst. She only left the building because showing up to the meeting already inside before anyone else, and wearing the same clothes as yesterday, would set a horrible impression.

The elevator doors opened.

The time had come, and contrary to the meeting-that-never-was at the hotel, she didn't hesitate with any step, reach anxiously at the door handle, or get interrupted by a flour-speckled redhead. She was filled with a need to get this over with and hurriedly accept her fate.

As soon as she opened the door, the overwhelming sense of unhappiness and disappointment hit her like a wave of heat from the oven. The five board members, chosen long before she was even an employee at ArenCorp, were all talking amongst themselves; but as soon as she entered, they eyed her in their gray suits and sunken faces- except for one, who had the decency to at least give her a courteous smile and nod at her. Elsa smiled and nodded back.

Mrs. Lynch, a woman with abnormally dark hair caused by excessive amounts of dye, and a personality that made Elsa question why anyone would marry her in the first place, was the first to speak, "Ms. Andersen, it's so nice of you to join us."

Elsa held back a scoff and sat down at the only empty chair at the round table, folding her hands in her lap. "It's nice to see you all here."

"Yes, well we wouldn't have to be here if you'd bothered to show up last week.", said a pear-shaped man with five or so strands of hair on his head. Elsa didn't respond, though she didn't have time to as he continued with his berating comments. "Do you think we enjoyed having to come up with an excuse for your absence?"

"What Mr. Port means to say…" interrupted Mrs. Lang, an Asian woman who was slightly more polite than the previous two, "…is that your absence at the meeting has been a bit of a bother to us all. However, we would have not stressed the importance of this meeting had it not been for…certain information that has come to light." She raised an eyebrow above her horn-rimmed glasses, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about?"

Elsa nodded, even though she knew someone was going to elaborate anyway.

Mr. Lynch, as she expected, was the one to do so, "We had already been skeptical about your recent actions: the cancelling of the annual retreat, wearing that tasteless dress at the biannual, and the firing of the receptionist…Cheyenne, was it?"

"Sheila." Elsa corrected with a frown.

"But this article has put us in a more difficult position than anything else." Mrs. Lynch presented a copy of the article from her briefcase to accent her point, "If it wasn't clear before, it certainly is now: You have not proven yourself to be the capable CEO we expected you to be."

She squeezed one of the hands in her lap and bit her tongue to keep from giving a snarky response.

"Before we get to our verdict, however, it'd be wise to inform you of the important news you missed at the meeting." Mrs. Lang leered at her. "Which is that Corona International has officially ended its partnership with ArenCorp."

Elsa failed to hide the surprised look on her face, "They did what?!"

The Asian woman nodded, "The new CEO has decided to sever all ties with our company. According to him, it would 'hinder the progress' of Corona under his jurisdiction."

"That coward!" Mr. Port growled, slamming his fist onto the table, "I knew that he would be trouble the second he walked into the room. We all know this is the first move of many in some diabolical scheme to step into our territory. Corona International used to be our greatest ally, and now it's become our greatest threat."

"Calm down, Randall, we don't know that for certain." reassured Mr. Magnus, a gruff man with more hair on his face than his head. "Although I will admit, this is a troublesome development."

Mr. Port waved a fat, shaky finger at him, "Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe it. This man is a tyrant, and a threat to not just ArenCorp, but to the entire business world! Have you people done any research on his background?!"

"Yes, I have." Mrs. Lynch replied, "His business acumen is astounding, and his work for the SIBC has been…questionable, but the results do speak for themselves."

"So, then you know that we need to stop him before it's too late, before he becomes too large of a threat to ArenCorp!"

After a couple more minutes of this bickering, Elsa wondered if they even remembered she was still here. "Okay, I think we all need to just calm down for a second." she said, trying to get everyone back on track. Although, that only succeeded in their pent-up anger towards the new Corona CEO to be directed right at her.

Mr. Magnus scoffed and crossed his arms, "Now the girl wishes to be a part of the meeting."

Elsa frowned and ignored the comment. They had every right to be frustrated at her, but she expected at least some tact.

Regardless, she continued: "It's clear that this new CEO has thrown both of our companies for a loop. I am meeting with him soon, and I hope to get some answers for his motivations and what this means going forward; but for now, I think that it's best for us to figure out our own game plan, prepare for the best and worst-case scenarios."

The board members looked at each other, exchanging unspoken words through the shifting of eyes and the slight changes in their expression. Simultaneously they all looked back at Elsa as if coming to a consensus. Mrs. Lynch was the one to speak on their behalf.

"We have been preparing, but right now that is none of your concern. The only thing you should be concerned about is whether you'restill CEO by the end of this meeting."

Elsa squared her shoulders and bit the inside of her cheek, being ousted from the decisions on how to deal with Corona International was offensive, but it didn't matter as much as figuring out the board's final verdict. She looked at the only board member to have not said a word yet; the serious look on his face told her to brace herself.

Mrs. Lynch cleared her throat, "It's become undoubtedly clear that you have been making far too many decisions based on emotion since becoming the executive head of ArenCorp, and failing to put logic first. This is shown by the video in the article where you lashed out at one of your employees, and all the unprofessional acts you've committed. Even apprehending the criminal all by yourself, and not going to the police in the first place, shows an incompetency and recklessness that is unbefitting of your title."

Elsa wanted to grab the crotchety old woman by her tacky, white button-up shirt and scream that she had no choice, but she was beginning to believe that less and less. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd be in this situation had she just gone to the police right away. She blinked, refusing to let her mind wander on that thought.

"I'm sure even you would agree that all these reasons are grounds for termination, but after careful consideration and strong opposition against that action…" Mrs. Lynch frowned at the silent board member, who gave a polite, yet slightly cocky shrug, "…we have decided that we will let you state your case- defend yourself, if you will- before we tell you our verdict."

Elsa wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but held it in. This was both a positive and negative outcome. They were most likely set on their decision, but if she was getting a chance to change their minds, then she was going to take it. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath.

"I know that my actions lately have been very disappointing, and frankly I'm disappointed in myself."

"As you should be." Mr. Port commented, already interrupting her speech.

Elsa continued regardless, "And I know that my behavior as of late has been very unbecoming for a CEO, hell, for anyone in this company…but a couple months of infractions should pale in comparison to the years I have given to ArenCorp. Need I remind you that your decision to appoint me as the head of this company was not one you took lightly, and one that you debated on for months." She thought back to the days when she was merely a regional manager, hearing rumor upon rumor about who the new CEO would be.

"When you told me about the promotion, you said you based your final decision on everything I'd already done for ArenCorp. My resume speaks for itself: I have lead this company to its best economic performance in years, we have expanded all the way to the outskirts of Arendelle, and we've secured overseas partnerships under my supervision. And lest we forget, I was a driving force to break away from Yen Sid Incorporated, and be the massive success that we are today."

Elsa shifted in her chair, putting her hands on the table and pointing a finger towards the directors for emphasis, "For the past four- almost five- years, I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this company. I have loved every single bit of it, and I have taken every opportunity I could to learn, and grow, and get to where I am today. You all have the seen the progress I have made, you all have seen how much ArenCorp has grown, and you all entrusted me with the future of this company."

"I promise you this will never happen again. I was…distracted by a personal vendetta of mine, but Mr. Ryder is finally behind bars, and I have no more hang-ups. This will never happen again, I promise you. I just need to be given another chance to prove it."

At some point, it seems, Elsa had left her seat. She closed her eyes and sat back down, letting them think about what she'd said.

Once again the directors looked at each other, shifting their expressions and making short grunts, exchanging some sort of telepathic conversation. If she was ever appointed the head of the Board of Directors, Elsa would make it a rule to voice all your thoughts out loud to keep the person out of the loop from squirming in her seat.

Which she totally wasn't doing right now.

After an eternity, the old guard looked back at Elsa, and the only person not to have spoken yet, pulled back strands of his impossibly thick, brown hair out of his face, and smiled: "Based on your testimony, Ms. Andersen, and from our own conversations we've had about this, we have decided to let you stay on as CEO of ArenCorp."

She tried not to let her stone-face expression change, but she couldn't help the small smile on her lips and the breath of relief she let out through her nose.

Of course the only words he'd say would be the final verdict. Mr. Arendelle was a man of few words, and had a flair for the dramatic. Plus, being the current head of the Board of Directors meant he had final say anyway.

"However, this doesn't mean you're entirely off the hook." Mrs. Lynch added, straightening her shoulders to show that she still had some authority in this decision, "While you will keep your position, we are putting you under probation. One more slip-up like this article, and you can be assured we will not be as merciful as we have been today."

Elsa frowned, but nodded. "I understand, and thank you." It was nice to think about, but she knew she wouldn't be off the hook entirely. Still, all that mattered was that her job was safe…for now.

Mrs. Lang put up a hand, "One more order of business before we adjourn." She pulled out her own copy of the article from her own beige briefcase, "This Anna Dawson character, she owns a bakery that is funded by ArenCorp, and according to the article you two used to be…close."

"Will she, in any way, affect your performance going forward?"

Anna smacked a gob of dough down onto the table, rolling it down with her favorite rolling pin, a present she got from her mom on her 13th birthday- it was painted mint green and although it had a deep crack on the left side, it had stayed resilient throughout the years. She looked back at her business partner who was intently wiping down a mixing bowl with a rag.

"You know, you didn't have to come in with me today." Anna said honestly, "I know you're still…a little gloomy, no one would have blamed you if you took a couple days, maybe a week, to yourself."

Rapunzel momentarily put down the bowl to smile at Anna, though it was meant to be reassuring, her eyes betrayed the pain she still felt. "And stay in the apartment moping around and eating ice cream? Yeah, I think I'd take work over that. Besides, being here is a good distraction for me: the more I work, the less time I have to think about Flynn."

Anna wanted to say more, but seeing Rapunzel's face made her realize she was determined to be here, no matter what. "Well…I guess that's fine, just don't work yourself too hard, okay?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and grinned, "Okay, mom."

Anna laughed, resisting the urge to throw a blob of bread dough at her friend. It was good to see her in decent spirits, and watching out for herself by staying distracted. Hopefully, being around trustworthy workers, and total strangers just here to get food, would help to lift her spirits some more. Still, she couldn't shake the fact that there were more things that were being left unsaid.

"By the way, you never told me what you and Elsa talked about when you rushed out of the apartment."

Like that.

Immediately, Anna's eyes widened and she looked back down at her workstation, scrambling to find the cutter to cut the dough into pieces, "Oh, uh…you know I-I just, I mean…I maaaaay have invited her to dinner that night."

"Dinner?" Rapunzel repeated. Although she didn't see it, Anna knew it was accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "You mean like on a date?"

Anna's hand slipped and the rolling pin flew out of her hand, knocking over the cutter she couldn't find in the process, "NO! No no no no, not like- I mean, it's….I-I didn't ask her out, I meant like I asked if she wanted to join us for dinner. You know, spaghetti." She walked in front of the table to grab the fallen utensils, sneaking a glance at Rapunzel's amused face as she returned to her workstation.

"Really? You spent ten minutes asking her if she wanted spaghetti? Wow, you really weren't gonna take no for an answer, huh?"

"It's not like that, I- ugh!" Anna gave up pretending to work and smacked her face into her palms, forgetting about the excess flour in her hands. The white powder scattered around and behind her like snow, "Never mind…"

She heard Rapunzel laugh and move closer, "Come on Anna, you know I'm joking. Whatever you two said to each other can be your little secret, I was just a little curious, that's all."

Anna took her face out of her hands and huffed at Rapunzel, a comical amount of flour escaped from her nose and from her mouth as she replied, "It was…interesting, okay? And nice, I guess, when she didn't immediately say something mean to me and demand all the money from our cash register. All I asked her, after she shot down the dinner invite, was to not be a stranger anymore. We've been running into each other a lot recently, and it's not gonna stop any time soon. I-I don't know, I just want to get to know this Elsa. The person that she is now."

"And what did she say when you asked her that?"

"She….said yes."

Rapunzel blinked, and it was her turn for her eyes to grow wide, "Wow. She did?!"

Anna nodded, hardly believing it herself. She thought back to yesterday when this all went down, remembering the vulnerable look on Elsa's face, the private conversation, the lightning reverberating down her spine when Elsa placed her hand on hers.

"Wait, what was that?"

Anna snapped back into reality. "What was what?" she asked innocently.

"You…smiled. And it wasn't like your regular, cutesy, 'I'm Anna, and I like wearing pigtails' smile. You had the whole dreamy, bedroom eyes and everything." Rapunzel's eyes narrowed, but her Cheshire cat grin remained, "Something else happened, didn't it?"

Anna looked left, right, up, and down, and everywhere else that wasn't directly at Rapunzel. "No…" she replied meekly.

"Anna Dawson, what did the two of you do? We didn't leave you alone for that long, what could you possibly-" Rapunzel gasped, "You didn't!"

"WE DID NOT! All we did was…I mean all that happened was…she…may have touched my hand. That was on her arm."

"You held hands?!" Rapunzel said incredulously.

"We were not holding hands, her hand just happened to be on top of mine for like two seconds, that's all. Nothing happened, and it didn't…it didn't mean anything. It was just nice."

"I never asked if it meant anything, but Anna, you haven't smiled like that since you gave that little girl a muffin at the festival. I think a whole lot of something happened, and it meant a heck of a lot. At least to you." Rapunzel put both of her hands on Anna's shoulders, "I like how you're approaching this, it's healthy and adult and all kinds of mature, and I know that at least you're in a better place than you were back in high school, I just don't know much about Elsa. Aside from what you've told me, at least. So, I just need to know one more thing: Do you think she's going to hurt you like she did before?"

Admittedly, this was a worry that Anna had ever since Elsa had agreed to get to know each other again. She definitely didn't want things to end up like they had and send them back spiraling down for four or so more years only to end up in the same place again. She wanted to break this vicious cycle before it even started, but this was a job for two people.

A job, she reckoned, would be done right this time.

"No." Anna replied hopefully, "No, she won't."

"No." Elsa lied, "No, she won't."