NOTE: Slight trigger warning for familial physical abuse. It isn't too awful, but there's mention of it and I know that can be upsetting.

My apologies to the long wait for this chapter. URGH, writer's block and Real Life Nonsense! I can now promise with a clear conscience that the next chapters will not take nearly this long to get out, because I have rough drafts of the next couple hammered out. What can I say? I was in the zone!

What's fun is that during the writing of the office-related bits of this chapter, the song "Mission Statement" by Weird Al Yankovic came up in my playlist. It was quite apropos!

Again, sorry about any ridiculousness with the Norwegian: native speakers can PM me and I'll correct what needs correcting!

Jessex

Chapter 14: Integrated Approach

The ticking on the other side of ornate double doors seemed like the din of a thousand sledgehammers pounding into concrete mere inches away. In reality, its source was actually but a single grandfather clock. Far less noteworthy. Either way, it kept a steady accounting of each and every second that passed with the Froilands seated around the dinner table.

At length, two of the servants came through and placed small round puddings in the spots where their dinner dishes had been lying moments before. Elsa stared down into it blandly; lemon custard. There was no dish she found more dull than lemon custard, except perhaps some sort of tofu custard which she hoped never to sample.

"I thought the weather was normally quite dry this time of year."

She nearly dropped her spoon while looking up toward her mother. "Sorry?"

"In Arendopolis." The woman glanced up toward the head of the table at her husband, then back to her daughter. "You implied it's a bit gloomy."

"No, not at all. Just that it was overcast the day I left. It's actually lovely weather there at present. Warmer than here, perhaps, but… yes."

"Ah."

The silence stretched on for another few seconds that felt like a brief eternity. Everyone squirmed in their seats, and Elsa herself tried to ignore the persistent high-pitched whine in her head. This really wasn't far removed from how things had been during her last visit. Why was she even vestigially surprised? Her mother was a bit less judgemental, yes, but by and large nothing had changed. Would there come a day when the Froiland clan could gather around and speak openly? They had already exhausted all of the surface topics: her father's job, her mother's hobbies and social circle. Matters of international importance. Sporting events. The ecological recovery efforts in the Middle East following the nuclear disaster. Now, even the weather had been addressed. It wouldn't be long before...

"Alright," her father begun brusquely. "Let's hear about this snafu of yours that's got you sent back to our doorstep."

Right on schedule. Her mother's glass fell to the table, also in keeping with Elsa's expectations. "Really, Yngve! Don't you have any more tact than that?"

"We know full well he doesn't," Elsa grumbled.

"You're spending too much time focusing on how I've phrased the question and not enough on answering," he accused, brow darkening. "That's a coward's way, avoiding the issue."

"It's an unfeeling boor's way to phrase a simple question in the least diplomatic way possible. Or aren't you used to dealing with diplomats by now, Sir?"

"You're still doing it now. What do you have to hide?"

Elsa shrugged, trying not to let her heart rate increase the blood flowing through her temples. Trying not to sweat through her suit or allow the indignant rage to overtake her tone of voice. "Nothing. It is what my enemies have to hide: that they have tampered with official documents and broken laws. I have had an anonymous complaint filed, and upon my-"

"Pah," he sighed. "So you won't even openly confront the wrongdoers? How can you expect anything to get done at that rate?"

"If I openly confront them, I'll look like an incompetent."

"If the sko fits…"

Elsa's hand slowly curled around the stem of her wine glass. Perhaps her mother had noticed the tension in her knuckles and guessed at the likely outcome. "Now, now, dear. Elsa doesn't tell you how to gallivant around with those fat cats in the cabinet. Why should you tell her how to discipline her own board members? I'm sure she has set things in motion."

"The issue isn't that she's fixing the mistake. It's the mistake. Clearly, she has left herself open to attack, left blind spots in place that were exploited. This is about ensuring that this cannot happen again." All was silent as he chewed his bite of custard before continuing. "That is, unless you give up your capitalist ways and start aspiring to a higher calling."

"Really?" Elsa laughed bitterly. "In all these years, there still has never been a woman Pope. What makes you think I'll be the first?"

A snort of derision. "Droll humour. Again, only something those who are unwilling to confront the truth employ as a means of escape. What are you going to do with yourself after this company folds, or ejects you from its board? Open a tea shop? Clean houses? Vidtelemarketing?"

"You're trying to get me to throw my hat into the bloodthirsty ring of politics. I'd sooner clean houses, actually."

"Perhaps you're better suited for that."

That was a true slap in the face. A powerful urge swept over Elsa to stomp outside, detach the marble chode from the statue and use it to beat her father senseless. "Perhaps I am. Perhaps you've done such a piss-poor job of raising me that I'm completely useless. The Great Statsråd Froiland can't even make his daughter into anything more than a window-washer. Quite a feather in your cap!"

His eyes flashed. "Young lady, you will not raise your voice to me in my own household."

"Or what?"

"Or I will not go so easy on you as I did in the foyeur."

It had escalated to threat of physical violence already. Just like old times. Oh, he had never beaten her, not as such. Merely used their training as a tool to correct what he saw as aberrant behaviour. He would not continue to attack or injure her beyond the constraints of their martial art, his sparring always a tiny notch above her current level of study. Of course, her current level was complete mastery and had been for years; he would no longer hold back. And he hadn't in the foyeur, either.

"Now whose words are full of emptiness, Father?"

He did not flinch, but merely folded his arms over his chest. "You will still afford me the respect due both my political status and my position in this family, liten jente."

"Why should I? How has a single thing you've said to me since you walked in that door been respectful? You've never given me any indication that you care about me other than the possible honour I can bring to your coat of arms!"

"What is there to respect?" he growled, hands slamming onto either side of his plate as he shot to his feet. "You shame our house with your predilections, you flee from the problem to another country instead of taking your lumps like the man you ask to be treated as, you come back into my home, speak this way to your own father! And then you ask to be treated with respect? Pokker, is it absurd! I cannot understand you - I have never understood you since the doctors put you into my hands and I did not know what you were!"

There was an audible gasp from both her mother and one of the servants in the doorway to the kitchens. Every drop of Elsa's blood seemed to burn.

"That isn't my fault."

Her mother cleared her throat delicately. "Dear-"

"It is true," he flung back at his wife before turning back to glare evenly at Elsa, eyes blazing with intensity. "From that very moment, you were a mystery to me, and you have never ceased to be. I had hoped that, through proper instruction, I might make a proper Froiland out of you yet. God knows you showed enough promise. Alas, it seems you are what I thought you were from the first day of your life: djevel. A demon."

Even though Elsa had heard him say it twice before in her life, both in similar moments of distress or rage, it never failed to slap into her with the force of a frigid tsunami. Being told she was inhuman, a monster. Something to be feared and remain unexplained rather than a person.

"Yngve," her mother breathed. "Oh, how could you?"

"If I'm a demon," Elsa began low in her throat as she pushed her chair back and slowly rose to her feet, "then what in the bloody nine hells does that make you? Lucifer?"

"That is enough!" he shouted.

"I agree! It is quite enough! Goodnight, Statsråd!"

He was still sputtering as she stormed out and up the stairs, and she heard shouting as she gained the security of the guest room but closed it off with a slam of the door. That was something she did not need to hear further.

It was only a few minutes later when she heard a knock. She ignored it, but when she heard a light clink outside and receding footsteps, she opened it out of sheer curiosity.

A cup of tea sat on a saucer, steaming gently on the air. Martha. She always put a little wedge of lemon on the edge of the saucer, even though she knew Elsa did not take hers with lemon. She sat back down on the edge of her bed, sipped at it restlessly, and then bawled into her hands.

~ o ~

The next morning, she joined her mother for breakfast a few minutes too late to catch her father before he went off to the office. By design, of course. Her mother pretended this to be a nice surprise and blithely chatted about inconsequential things, clearly having been displeased with his behaviour but unwilling to publicly denounce it. That was as much as Elsa expected, so she wasn't terribly let down.

After a quick change in clothing, she checked to make sure her old Bentley was still in the family garage (it was) and made her way to the Bygdøy offices of North Mountain, seeing the squat, welcoming tower for perhaps the third time in person and smiling mildly. It was really a lovely building, despite how much less modern it looked, its diminutive size, and the lack of dock for aircabs. They had not so widely embraced aircabs in Europe as they had in North America, preferring instead to perfect more eco-friendly engines for land vehicles.

The lead man of that branch, an elderly chap by the name of Mr. Porter, was more than happy to show her around and introduce her to a few key faces. Not that she expected to need to remember them for long, but she didn't mind meeting those who represented her hiring policies. One middle-aged woman was someone she remembered meeting a few years previously, which was somehow the most comforting thing that had happened since she arrived in Norway. There were consistencies in life, even if some of them seemed inconsequential.

She followed up by arranging for a meeting of their board to discuss things like "synergy" and how they could more aggressively appeal to the localized market. In other words, establish that she was in charge without compromising the good work they had done thus far. She had a look through their quarterly reports and they were already well on their way to repairing the company's good name in Norway on their own. Perhaps the appearance of the CEO and top shareholder would inspire them to further this momentum, so long as she did nothing to undermine their confidence in themselves. It was quite the balancing act, but one she had done with style and grace on several occasions.

Being that the meeting was to take place the following day, she spent a great deal more time that day assuring Porter that she wouldn't need to oust him from his own office to take on her position, and ploppe herself in the nearest empty room on that floor to his so they might coordinate more easily. She checked the desk drawers for any strange or unpleasant surprises left by its previous tenant, propped her feet up on it, mimed smoking a large Cuban cigar and blowing smoke rings - not that she had the faintest idea of how to do so. Eventually, she grew bored with the room and offered to buy everyone on the floor a simple lunch. This earned her a round of cheers she felt were undeserved; it was only food, after all.

At long last, the day drew to a close. Elsa took in the sights from the window of her luxury automobile as she drove down streets and got herself lost on purpose. Bygdøy's quaint charms never failed to amuse and delight. She considered a trip into Oslo proper but ruled against it; that could wait, especially if she was to be there for a few more weeks yet. Heavens knew how long it would take Yzma to complete development of their secret weapon.

She was nearly home when she remembered he would be there.

Fifteen minutes later found Elsa sitting on one of the docks, legs dangling over the side but too high for her feet to reach the water. Breathing in the bracing air, she shivered slightly and, again, tried to ignore the chirping of her wristphone.

It was Anna. She had seen that much by checking the display. Was Elsa ready to talk to her yet? She was and she wasn't; she desperately wanted to speak to her, just to check in and say everything was okay, ask how she'd been getting along without her. On the other hand, she knew their talking would lead to unpleasant conversations, likely with a side order of shouting. Hadn't there been enough shouting within the past twenty-four hours?

She let it go to voicemail. No message was left.

~ o ~

It was literally scant few minutes before the typically-appointed dinner time in the Froiland household when Elsa walked in the front door, heart heavy and nerves frayed. She really had to find that apartment sooner rather than later.

"Young Miss?"

She spun to her right and found Martha edging out from behind the doorway. "Martha? Goodness, you seem a bit on edge." But the elder woman only beckoned her into the parlour. Curious, she followed her inside, eyes alighting on the wetbar and ancient phonograph before she turned again to whisper, "Okay, what is it? Did the butler poison the master's soup? Ugh, if only..."

"Come off it," she blustered, fidgeting with her hands. "It's… there's been a…"

Elsa rolled her eyes, laying a hand on Martha's shoulder and feeling the stiff, starched fabric beneath her palm. "Out with it, please. Can't be so awful."

"Well, there's a young ginger girl who's come around to see you. Everyone's in the drawing room at present."

"There's… wait."

No. No.

She couldn't possibly. There was no combination of bravado and ignorance that would prompt Anna to do something this reckless.

"Says she's a business associate of yours," Martha went on apologetically, as if merely delivering the news made her personally responsible for the chain of events. "Snowden or something. Either way, her having this address and coming to see you in person instead of at the offices has Master and Mistress in a kerfuffle, I can tell you that. Looks more than a touch suspicious."

"Gods take me," Elsa groaned, slumping against a curio cabinet and pressing a pale hand to her face, trying to take slow and deep breaths but only managing quick and frantic ones. "Gods open up the heavens or the fires of damnation and just take me right now, I don't care which direction I go! It can't be worse than walking into that mess!"

"Then… if I were to venture that you and she…" When Elsa didn't even bother to respond, Martha laughed bitterly. "Apparently, she's taken with you enough to fly all the way across the Atlantic. Might want to keep after her."

"But she can't understand what she's done by coming here! How difficult this is about to be! Do I really need someone in my life who hasn't a shred of forethought?!"

Martha pursed her lips, regarding her former charge. "Can you really afford to pass over someone who cares for you that deeply? Sakes alive, girl, she's in Norway! It's not a Sunday drive!"

Elsa couldn't deal with all those implications right now, both the good and bad. Damage control was the order of the day. "How… long have they been chatting?"

"Perhaps half an hour, likely less."

The call. It had been Anna trying to warn her, to ask her if she wanted to meet somewhere else, perhaps. By ignoring it, she had sealed her own fate. This was the direct consequence of her own cowardice. "Damn it all."

"Go on, then," Martha encouraged her, eyes softening as she took in Elsa's reticence. "Best to get it over and done with if you're going to do it."

"But how would I even proceed? Should I admit what she is to me and risk an incident, or play her off as an 'associate' and start living with lies again? Either choice sounds appalling."

"Just get in there, I should think! They're likely starting to wonder about the noises from the entrance hall and why it hasn't meant you joining them yet!"

Martha was right, of course. Nothing to be done but sort the mess that she had inadvertently created. Nodding to her old friend, she mimed rolling up her sleeves as she took a deep breath and released it, eased open the doors, then walked across the entrance hall and into the drawing room.

There they were, her father in his Seat Of Power with the ornate fireplace to his back, mother in another chair at his side, and Anna herself on the settee she had so recently shared with her mother. While her parents were resplendent in their usual finery, Anna was only saved from looking shabby by the presence of a smart grey sportcoat; otherwise, she was wearing jeans, and her blouse and ballet flats were the same shade of carnation pink. A cooling cup of tea sat on the table nearest her, and Elsa wondered if they had offered her biscuits of any kind.

Also, they were presently in the middle of what had promised to be a healthy and robust awkward silence. Perfect timing, then.

"Ah, there you are at last," her father began gruffly. "We had begun to wonder if a search party was necessary. Surely you can't have needed to stay this late your first day there?"

"Heavens, no," Elsa said easily, as if she actually found him amusing instead of infuriating and worthy of being drawn and quartered. "Just went for a bit of a drive. I haven't been back in so long!" Then she cleared her throat and, almost too dramatically, turned to face Anna. The redhead had the good grace to look slightly abashed at the results of her actions. "I see you've already had the pleasure of Miss Snowman?"

"Delightful woman, yes," her mother laughed. "Said she had things to discuss with you about your… shared futures?"

Oh, there was innuendo there, but it was at least partially veiled. This was what passed for her mother giving her some consideration. In light of that, she cleared her throat and said, "Well, yes. I'm afraid she was one of the early casualties of the Winter Consortium's misdeeds. We've been working in tandem to help undo what damage has been done. Seems the least I can do."

"That's what I was just starting to tell them," Anna piped up, cheeks ever-so-slightly rosy. "And you don't need to worry about Mr. Hall; so far, he's been great!"

"Assumed he would be." Then she gestured to her parents. "Anna Snowman, Yngve and Ivy Froiland, but I suppose they'd have covered that."

"They did." Anna stood and wrung her hands. "Listen… maybe the calls weren't enough notice, I feel like I kind of barged in on your family reunion, here, so maybe I should-"

"No!" Startled with herself, she closed her eyes for a brief moment and laid a hand on Anna's arm - making sure it was friendly without seeming overly affectionate. "No, don't be silly. You're here to see to your future, as my mother put it. But I am a bit surprised you'd fly all the way here instead of setting up a holo-conference."

This was meant as a very tiny revenge toward her, to put her on the spot. It worked; Anna grimaced, but recovered and smiled again quickly. "W-well, I dunno. I mean, when you're head of a company, you wind up with a lot of unused vacation days, y'know? And I've never really been to this part of the world before. Just, y'know… since I have a friend in the area, seemed like as good a time as any!"

Elsa smirked slightly, and Anna's eyebrow facing away from her parents arched as if to beg her to help somewhat. That was enough chiding for the unannounced visit; otherwise, she was quite happy to see her and more than ready to get on with shutting up her parents so they could go off somewhere and do what she had been avoiding less than an hour previously. "Well, you're welcome to stay here if you like, or we could give you a ride back to your hotel. Either is fine."

"That's appreciated, but-"

"Have you booked a hotel already?" Ivy interrupted.

"Well… no, but it's-"

"Then you'll stay with us and I won't hear a word against it," she said in that falsely-firm tone she had practised to perfection with her socialite friends. "We've a dozen guest rooms serving no purpose but to keep the servants dusting the furniture within them! Why waste your money?"

Anna looked stricken and in a mild panic. Swallowing, she eyed Elsa, then began, "Please, Mr. and Mrs. Froiland, that's too much - I m-mean, it's very nice of you, but you only just met me today, and I c-couldn't feel okay about-"

"Nonsense," her father stated firmly. "We've already extended a welcome, and you haven't checked into anywhere else yet. The matter is settled."

Instantly, Elsa felt herself bristling. What made him think he got to decide for some complete stranger what she could and couldn't do? Anna wasn't family and she wasn't a child. He really did have an unflappable superiority complex. It was all she could do to prevent her mouth from forming the words "misogynist neanderthal" and ejaculating them into his pompous face.

However, he had made it seem a lot more impossible for Anna to refuse their offer, which pleased Elsa. Regardless of how their impending talks went, it seemed like all would be made easier if they could simply trot down the hall and talk in one person's room or the other's instead of meeting up here or there throughout Bygdøy. Based on this, she'd let his deplorable attitude slide this time. Also, fighting it would only sour the fragile mood.

"Shall I have Birgit fetch your bags from your boot and bring them up?" her mother chimed in.

"From what?" Anna asked, eyebrows knitting. "My boots are in the bags."

"Trunk," Elsa whispered. "Car trunk."

The young exec's blush deepened. "O-oh. Well, sure, if… I mean, if you guys are sure I'm not going to put you out or be in the way!"

"Of course you aren't, dear!" Ivy laughed, grasping Anna's hands as they both rose. "You've been an absolute delight the past few minutes, and I don't anticipate you'll be anything less for the rest of your stay! Make yourself at home!"

"Yes," Yngve blustered. "Coincidentally, how long might that be? I'd like to know for purposes of planning meals. I daresay you haven't developed a liking for lutefisk if you've never been to Norway before, so you can see how that might be pertinent."

"Right! Well, um, I have a return flight planned for Sunday, but I can exchange the ticket if I decide to stay longer."

Ivy released Anna's hands to clap them together in delight. "Splendid! Birgit, see to it! Elsa, why don't you find her a suitable room? Preferably one of the less drafty ones, I should think."

"Certainly, mother." She afforded her father the barest nod, only pausing just long enough to notice the irritated expression on his face before she turned and gestured for Anna to follow her out and upstairs.

"Gosh," Anna breathed as they ascended. "Why didn't you tell me you grew up in a freaking palace?! It's… I don't even have words, it's beautiful!"

"Mmm," she replied noncommittally.

"Um, okay. So about the way I kind of-"

"No, not yet," Elsa said in a pleasant and unconcerned tone but one that was noticeably softer than that of her companion. "Any of that can wait until we're behind a door. Perhaps two."

At those words, Anna's steps faltered once they reached the landing. "Behind… why? Who cares if we talk about… things here?" At least she had caught herself.

"That's the hazard, isn't it? I don't even know which of the staff I can and can't trust anymore, I've been away so long. Either way, best to be safe."

Neither of them spoke again until after Birgit had found them loitering in the hallway and followed both women into a guest room directly across the hall from the one Elsa had claimed. She stacked the two suitcases on the dresser and left the carry-on in the seat of the small armchair before bowing slightly and backing out of the room, closing the door behind herself.

Regarding each other took up a lot more time than either one expected. It felt as if a lifetime had passed since they last saw each other instead of a pair of days. Elsa felt her palms aching to reach out and caress her smooth apple cheeks, to trace rings around each freckle with her fingertips. How could she want this so much when she hadn't even consciously missed her yet?

"So, can we talk yet?" Anna began in a hushed voice, eyes sliding to point toward the door.

"Better now than before, yes."

"Good." She cleared her throat into a closed fist. "So, um… I'm trying really hard not to be mad about the way you took off."

"Anna, I'm sorry," Elsa breathed, turning to stare down at the perfectly-made bed. "It's really all I can say about my behaviour. It wasn't right, and I have no excuse other than that… I panicked. You and I were in such an odd place, and… I thought perhaps with a bit of space, and a few weeks of time…"

"No, I'm not mad you left, I knew you were going to. And now I see where you were coming from, with it being easier to do things the way you did, but…"

After the silence had reared up to scream in Elsa's ear, she prompted, "But?"

"Did you have to go without saying goodbye? Were you that scared of how I'd react?"

"In a word… yes. You were overwhelmed by our change in relationship, and learning about Ariel, and that's not even thinking about how those bastards had begun targeting you! Sorry, but it seemed smarter to just disappear. Especially since I had to come here regardless."

Anna nodded slightly, eyes still cast down and slightly toward the exit. "So, um… I forgive you? Is that the right thing to say? I don't really blame you as much as I did before, but either way, yeah."

"Thank you. And I don't want you to think I'm not glad you're here, I am, it's… well. Goodnight, then." Fidgeting with her fingers for a moment, Elsa then took a step toward the door-

And found herself tangled in Anna's arms, being pushed backward onto the bed, lips kneading against her own, heated air caressing one cheek. It was so sudden she was responding before she had processed what she was responding to, but then a soft, pliable body was pinning her to the clean sheets and legs were sliding on either side of her own and a jacket was flying across the room and high heels and flats were thumping against the area rug and fingertips were gouging against her scalp as they slid through the hair on the sides of her head until they reached the tight bun atop her crown, but they made quick work of undoing the bun and spilling her hair out over the bed as teeth caught her bottom lip and pressed in until a white-hot pinprick of pain burst through her arousal and-

"Anna!" she gasped.

"Wha…" That was the most articulate her lover could be.

"Wait, wait," Elsa half-laughed, half-gasped as she pushed Anna back. The fear and confusion that began creeping into her expression pained the elder woman, so then she moved one hand up to rest lightly against a freckled neck. "It's… wow, you don't waste any time."

"I missed you," she breathed simply.

"That's all this is? You were lonely?"

A moment passed as Anna thought, also trying to catch her breath. Then she cleared her throat and whispered, "Sorry, I… well, I know how I reacted. About Ariel. And just… all I've been wanting to do since then is this. Y'know, make sure you know that I really, really care about you. That just because I was slightly thrown doesn't mean you're out of my life or anything."

"You did a pretty good job of reassuring me that day, as I recall." When Anna merely blushed a deeper shade, Elsa continued, "And I do understand. Neither of us really expected me to introduce you to an ex-girlfriend so suddenly. I never thought you were ousting me. No worries."

"Mkay. But I did miss you."

"And I you." Elsa allowed her mouth to drift up and brush against Anna's, but tried her best to ignore the yearning groan as she pulled away. "But we have to be very careful how much of this we do. Especially around here."

"What? Why is that?"

With a grimace, Elsa turned her thoughts to less pleasant matters. "My parents disapprove. Of me being the way I am."

"Being… how?" Then she caught on. "Oh, being gay?"

The grimace became more pronounced. "That very thing, yes, thanks."

"In this day and age?! It's not the 1900s anymore, how can they be so old school?"

"They're Froilands. It's what they do best."

Slowly, Anna pulled herself more properly onto the bed and curled her form around Elsa's. "Wow, that's so… and you've been putting up with this all your life, I guess. Sorry. You did tell me they weren't much fun to grow up with."

"They weren't, and for a wide variety of reasons." She stretched her limbs out and then drew Anna in for an embrace, soaking in her warmth and burying her nose in flower-scented ginger hair. "We'll work on them together, shall we?"

"We shall." Anna left a brief kiss on her lips and they both grinned. "Okay, now… you're not mad I flew in without telling you, are you?"

"Would be pretty hypocritical if I were," Elsa admitted, more to herself than to Anna.

"You were, though. Downstairs. But I get it, I surprised you."

Elsa shrugged, nuzzling against the soft cushion of strands beneath her face. "Glad you're here, so that bit hardly matters. I do have to ask how the company will be getting along without you in your absence."

"They'll be fine, Mother," Anna joked. When Elsa coughed uncomfortably, she merely laughed and kissed her again. "Such a grump!"

"I am not a grump! I'm simply… shall we say 'sensitive' about the age issue! Trust me, I am nobody's mother and don't intend to be!"

At those words, Anna's mouth drew into a smirk as she rolled slightly to rest atop the CEO again. "Really? So if I started saying, 'yes, Mommy'..."

"Don't you dare."

"Why not, Mommy? Are you going to spank me?"

Inexplicably, Elsa began to feel her face heating up. This was a mortifying development, but against all reasoning, Anna's silly, childish game had unsettled her. "M-might just do!"

"Ooh," Anna cooed, wriggling from side to side as she sat up atop Elsa's pelvis. "Mommy's getting mad. Might have to put Anna in the corner and get the paddle."

Paddle. This was a nightmare. Not only that, but Elsa found herself getting incredibly turned on, little by little. Not that she could fathom why! Was she truly this wretchedly lascivious? It was barely a pinprick at present but clearly it would increase in intensity very quickly if things were allowed to continue on their present course.

In her parents' guestroom. Moreover, with Anna right on top of her.

"Okay," Elsa half-laughed, half-sighed as she eased Anna to one side and sat up. "This… is not going to happen exactly now."

"But… I don't understand, Mommy."

Leaving a kiss on her forehead - one a touch rougher than she would otherwise have done - Elsa stood and hugged Anna's head to her middle, prompting a surprised little squeak from the younger woman. "Do you have anything more formal to wear in your bags? Nothing to wow the Queen Mum, just something of a 'power lunch' calibre or so."

"Um… I guess?"

Elsa could tell she had wounded Anna's pride by insinuating that her current wardrobe was inadequate, but it couldn't be helped. The reaction from her parents if Anna turned up in a ratty old Ariana Grande t-shirt and cutoffs would be leagues worse. "Put it on - shower first, if you wish - and then come to call and we'll go down to dinner together. They'll be expecting us now you're staying, but a delay is forgivable seeing as you just got here."

Sighing in relief at what she perceived to be the reason for Elsa pulling away, Anna nodded against the flesh of Elsa's stomach. "Family duties, gotcha. And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make waves between you and your parents."

"Normally, I wouldn't care, except while you're actually staying under our roof I'd rather things go as swimmingly as possible." Voice dipping lower, she confided, "Come Sunday, I might just snog you in front of them for a laugh."

It was impossible for Anna not to grin at that notion. Standing, she gave Elsa's hand a brief squeeze and then bent to retrieve Elsa's heels and push them into her arms. "Well, I guess you'd better be on your way so I can freshen up or whatever. Out you go!"

Elsa took one look back as she stepped over the threshold, catching sight of Anna's grin through a crack in the door. Then it was shutting behind her.

Oh, Elsa, she berated herself as she plodded across to her own door. Where and for what frivolous purpose have you been squandering all of your courage?

- To Be Continued -