Elsa wrung her hands nervously, eyes flitting around the warehouse as she checked, double-checked, and triple-checked that everything was in order. Delicate fingers reached for the phone tucked in the back pocket of her skinny jeans. She scanned over the last text message from Simba.
'B there soon'
"Elsa, relax." Ariel said as she watched her friend begin to pace back and forth.
"She's going to be here any minute. We're not ready yet." The platinum blonde said, more to herself. She hasn't been back for six months. Everything has to be perfect. Except it wasn't.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "We're ready. We've been ready for days. We're all here – except for Kristoff – who I'm sure is driving at least 20 over the limit to get his sorry behind here."
Elsa didn't stop pacing until her phone buzzed. "They're here." She whispered. And Kristoff wasn't.
"Everyone to your places!" Jasmine yelled. All the guests were by their positions but there was an expected last minute scramble for noisemakers. Nami nudged Aurora awake. The poor girl was exhausted from finishing a paper on fashion during the sixteenth century and had fallen asleep in a metal folding chair. Eric and Flynn (who now goes by Eugene) each grabbed a confetti cannon and posted themselves on either side of the warehouse entrance.
Ariel gave Elsa a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "Look, you've been planning this for months. She'll love it." The blonde gave her friend a small smile and nodded.
Anna stepped out of the SUV as Simba fiddled with a large ring of keys. The redhead played with one of her pigtails before turning to examine the steel roll-up door. "So how do we get in?" She asked bouncing excitedly. After an eighteen hour flight, she was eager to stretch her legs and seized the chance to run around in an empty warehouse.
Simba laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "Entrance is this way. We only open the gate for the trucks." He explained as he inserted a bronze key into the lock of a red door. When it swung open, Anna was ushered inside into the pitch black darkness.
"Wait here. I'll get the lights." Simba said as he moved away. How he managed to get around without the assistance of a flashlight, she would never know. Anna could have sworn she had seen his eyes glow like those of a cat on more than one occasion.
The lights flickered on, temporarily blinding the redhead as her eyes adjusted to the brightness.
"SURPRISE!"
A cacophony of high pitched squeals followed. The redhead stood speechless for a moment, staring out at her friends while two loud pops resounded through the room, sprinkling white and turquoise confetti over her hair. Her mouth formed a small o before a grin stretched across her face at the banner that hung over teal covered tables. 'Welcome Back Anna!'
"Guys!" Anna cried, bursting into tears of joy. "You really didn't have to."
"What do you mean? Of course we had to! We haven't seen you since last year!" Adam said as he approached, wrapping her in a bear hug, practically lifting the shorter girl off the ground.
Anna was immediately swarmed by her friends, welcoming her back, giving her hugs, asking about her travels and in some cases, demanding souvenirs. The redhead grinned sheepishly with the mention of gifts but immediately took up the chance to tell stories, describing the shrines of Japan, her hike on the Great Wall of China, and the heat of India. She spoke about the people she met, either locals or those in her travel group, describing customs and imitating quirky mannerisms. Her friends proved to be an excellent audience, asking questions in the right places, goading her on as she rambled about the language, food, and traditions of each country she visited.
Meanwhile, Elsa stood behind the crowd, watching amicably as Anna chatted up a storm. The smile painted over Anna's face immediately dissipated any lingering thoughts the blonde had about inviting all these people to the party. Being the social butterfly, Anna had such a tremendous amount of friends that it was overwhelming at times.
"Okay, okay! Give the girl some room to breathe! She just got off a plane, you know!" Jasmine said as one of Anna's stories came to a close. "There's pizza, cake, soda, and enough junk food to fill a football stadium. Grab a bite before we open up the dance floor!" The dark-haired girl gave Anna a nudge as their friends cleared to satisfy their appetite, revealing the platinum blonde waiting patiently in the background. Jasmine smiled knowingly before leaving the two for some alone time.
"Elsa!" Anna breathed. It had been six months since they laid eyes on each other. Not including Skype and FaceTime, of course. For a second, the redhead forgot her own name. The sight of the blonde in a light blue blouse and white skinny jeans, complete with purple eye shadow and signature braid hanging over her left shoulder, rendered the normally talkative girl speechless. Teal eyes trailed down to Elsa's hips as the blonde sashayed over. Anna gulped. She has got to be doing this on purpose.
"Anna." Elsa's voice was barely above a whisper. She had the time to gather her thoughts when Anna was being bombarded with questions, but all that preparation promptly flew out the window. Sapphire irises roamed over the sprinkle of freckles on the bridge of the redhead's nose. Elsa felt a drum pounding in the distance, the beat quickening as blood coursed through her veins. Even in a T-shirt, cargo pants, and combat boots, the redhead looked amazing. Pupils dilated, her blonde's gaze never left Anna's face for a second.
Stomachs still filled with butterflies, the two finally embraced, each breathing in the others' scent. They clung together desperately, wanting to make up for all those moments they couldn't feel each other through the internet. It didn't matter if anyone was watching. It didn't matter if everyone was watching. For just a moment, they were the only ones in the world.
"I've missed you so much." Elsa said.
"I know. I missed you too." Anna replied.
"You were gone six months too long." The words tumbled out awkwardly and the blonde was sure it could have been better phrased but she was beyond caring. Besides, Anna knew what she meant.
"If we both weren't sober, I would kiss you. Right here, right now." The redhead murmured, knowing how well Elsa was normally against PDA. The exception being when there were magic potions to dissolve inhibitions.
"Kristoff's late with the alcohol." The metal door swung open with a clang. "Speak of the devil." Elsa said as she looked up from the fiery locks at the intruder.
Anna grinned and uncoiled herself from Elsa to skip over to the blond. "Boy, am I glad to see you!" She chirped as she took a bottle of vodka from his brawny arms. Then glancing up at the male's unamused face, the redhead gave him a smile. "You too, Kristoff."
"Welcome back, Feisty Pants." Kristoff said, breaking into a grin before Anna skipped back to Elsa.
"… doesn't compare to Singapore. I think you'll like Kyoto. We should go there in the winter sometime."
Elsa hummed a response as she finished weaving Anna's hair into two loose braids for bed, lest it house a bird overnight.
"I really loved the party today, Els. Thank you." The redhead said, swiveling in her chair in front of the vanity.
The blonde smiled. "I'm glad." She walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers before climbing in. "Will you be sleeping tonight or do you have jetlag?"
Anna flipped off the lights and bounced over to the queen-sized mattress, literally pouncing on top of the blue sheets before snuggling under the duvet. "Jetlag or not, I'm staying with you."
Elsa smiled adoringly over at the redhead before turning off the lamp on her nightstand. In the dark, the two entwined their fingers together.
"So Ariel told me you wanted to get real snowmakers for the party." Anna joked as she stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. (Elsa was originally against the idea of putting them up, deeming them too childish, but relented when she was given the puppy-eye treatment.)
The blonde felt her face burn slightly at the lapse of sensibility. Snowmakers in the heat of a Los Angeles summer was not one of her best ideas. "You're the one who kept mentioning how you missed snow!" She exclaimed, trying to defend herself.
Anna chuckled softly. "Soap bubbles were just as good. It was an amazing party and I was glad to see everyone, though I would have been happy even if it was just you."
"Welcome back, Anna." Elsa said, bringing the redhead's hand to her lips for a kiss.
The redhead sighed contently. "I'm home."