Chapter 19

A/N: Hello hello. I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I did say that this was a side project. I've been busy trying to get ahead with FFA, and writing my submission for the monthly Elsanna fanfic contest. Regardless, I wanted to get one more chapter in before the end of the month. Think of it as, I don't know, a belated birthday gift for Anna?

Things felt...different. Anna felt different. Her job felt different. Spending time with Elsa felt different. The sky felt different. Eating her favorite, affordable breakfast of store-brand cereal felt different. Cleaning toilets felt different. Singing while cleaning said toilets felt different. Everything felt different.

But fortunately, it was all a good different.

Anna bent down to scoop cat poop into her dustpan with a smile on her face. Honeymaren taught her to chew gum while cleaning so that all she can smell through her mask was mint. Well, for the most part at least.

The cats still eyed her wearily, refusing to trust her even after three months. Even though she treated them with love, respect, and was only one of three people that would clean up after them. Maybe her upbeat personality reminded them of the dogs.

Regardless, she was glad to be done with clean-up duty. One last run-through of the building, and she got to go home. Or at least, after that and her daily conversation with Honeymaren.

They hadn't put a label on their relationship yet, but things were going strong with them. Which, right now, is even more than Anna could ask for. With three dates down and a fourth one on the horizon, she felt confident about where they were going. The run throughs were getting quicker as Anna got more confident in her job, everything would be spotless for at least the next two hours.

She put away all her equipment neatly and in their respective cubbies and shelves (that she helped make in her spare time to make the other custodians' lives easier) and washed her hands thoroughly. Because she cared about cleanliness and didn't want to get anyone sick. Or herself. Or Elsa. Okay, so...maybe Elsa would fall under the "anyone" category, but Anna liked putting her in a category all on her own.

Anna couldn't wait to get back to Elsa.

But first things first. She made her way to Honeymaren's office, but before she went inside, she heard her talking to someone. No, not just anyone, she was talking to Yelena.

"Look, she's been one of our consistently best workers ever since she got here. I think Anna deserves it," Honeymaren said, causing Anna's heart to nearly flutter out of her chest. What did she deserve? And did Honeymaren really think she was good at her job? Wait, that shouldn't surprise her, Honeymaren's been saying that for forever.

"I'm not saying she isn't deserving, I'm saying where are we going to find the money," Yelena replied. "We hired a new custodian yesterday, remember?"

Oh, they did? Wait...is her job safe? Anna's certain that it is, but regardless she runs through her head anything she might have done that could make her fireable. Maybe they didn't like the way she cleaned, or maybe she was using too much disinfectant spray. There was of course that one time she was late, but that's only one strike. As far as anyone has told her, Anna hadn't gotten any more strikes. Plus they were talking about good things. Which meant her job was safe. Certainly. Hopefully. Probably.

Honeymaren sighed, "Of course I remember, I just...I want to do something for her, okay?"

"Because?"

"Ugh! It's not just because she's my girlfriend, damn it!"

Wait…

Wait.

Girlfriend?!

Unable to contain her silence any longer, even though she shouldn't have been eavesdropping in the first place, Anna gasped. A bit too loud.

The two woman in the office stopped talking, and Anna hoped that was because time had stopped before she made herself known. But that irrational thought was immediately dashed when Honeymaren said, "Anna? Is that you?"

Knowing that there was no sense in lying, and that the only way out of the shelter was past this door, Anna mentally scolded herself and replied. "Yeah...it's me," she said defeatedly.

"Why don't you just come in here?"

So she did.

Anna looked at them both with an uncomfortable, sheepish smile. She thought about waving hello but figured that would seem too ingenuine. Yelena looked at her with her trademark scowl before having an unspoken conversation with Honeymaren, rolling her eyes, and leaving.

And before Anna could register that (while already trying to register, you know, the other thing), Honeymaren frowned and said, "Bye mom."

Mom?!

Were there any tons of bricks that needed to be dropped on her before she went back home?

The only saving grace, as Anna plopped down onto a seat, was that Honeymaren looked just as mortified as her. The brunette slowly ran her fingers through her hair, her head resting on her desk. After a long, dramatic pause, she let out a groan and bit her lip while looking at her girlfriend, "So...I don't even know where to start."

Anna did. "Yelena's your mom?!"

Honeymaren looked at her wide-eyed, "I thought you knew!"

"Of course not! I don't just go around asking coworkers who their moms are."

"Ugh crap, I'm so sorry, Anna. I thought it was obvious, I mean I should have told you in the first place but...wow, I suck."

"You don't suck, it just caught me off guard, that's all."

"I genuinely thought that either someone told you, or you would have noticed how similar we looked," Honeymaren explained.

Anna frowned, "You know I don't pick up on things like that. I didn't even know you liked me until-"

"I kissed you?" Honeymaren interrupted.

Anna pouted and looked away, hoping that her blush wasn't too apparent. It's amazing how much that memory still made her flustered, even if they'd had better kisses since then. As quick and unexpected as that first one, it was still her favorite one so far. "Yeah," she muttered in response.

"Well surprise, I do like you. And surprise, Yelena's my mom," Honeymaren giggled and looked a little more at ease, which put the redhead more at ease too surprisingly. There was something about this girl's smile that made Anna feel so comfy and warm every time.

"And surprise...I'm your girlfriend now?" Anna asked.

Honeymaren gave her an apologetic look, slumping back in her seat. "Should I have asked first? I...I don't know, I just kinda blurted it out without thinking."

"N-no it's okay, I...yeah it's okay. I wouldn't mind being your girlfriend. I mean I'd love it! Like it? Ugh, what's a not-so-crazy answer?"

"Anna Muenster, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Anna took more time composing herself than thinking about that question. After all, she'd known her answer since they started dating. "Absolutely."

The smile on her girlfriend's face had a pureness and joy Anna hadn't seen before. It was like she'd just been told the greatest news of her life. "Well I'm glad," Honeymaren replied, playing with the end of her braid, "Because I want to be your girlfriend, too."

"You better," Anna replied, and they both shared a much-needed laugh. "Well, that was...painless."

"Ah you know me, I don't like to beat around the bush. But next time I say something life-altering, I'll make sure to run it by you, okay?"

"What about whatever you and your m...Yelena were talking about?"

Honeymaren hissed in a breath, "Right. That thing. It's...not finalized yet, and I don't wanna jinx it by telling you before it happens. Is that okay?"

"Is it a bad thing?"

"No, not at all."

"Then it's totally okay!"

"Good! Aaaaaaanyway…" Honeymaren walked to the front of her desk, leaning on it while giving Anna a coy look. "I'm off this Friday, and so are you. You wanna do something?"

Anna wouldn't lie and say she hadn't thought about this exact scenario many, many times in her apartment. Of course, in those scenarios there was no one else at the shelter, and she didn't smell like sweat and hand soap. Oh right, Honeymaren was expecting an answer. "What did...you have in mind?"

She tilted her head up, perhaps to see if anyone was near her still-open door. "Hmm...what if I came over to your place? It'd be nice to see Elsa again, and you can't keep your amazing guitar skills from me forever."

Anna gasped, "I'm not hiding it!"

"But you agree that you're amazing?"

"That…" Anna groaned, "You're impossible."

Honeymaren giggled, "What if I come by at 5? We can have dinner, I'll cook for you."

The combination of how intimate they were being, and the way her girlfriend's makeup was really bringing out the beauty in her already gorgeous eyes, and the promise of a free meal, overwhelmed Anna and left her in a state of smitten...ness that she'd never felt before. "That sounds amazing," she said with a dreamy smile.

"Then it's a date," Honeymaren said happily. "Now come on, don't you need to get back to feed Elsa?"

Anna winced, "Oh! Right! Ugh dang it, she's gonna kill me."

"Here let me walk you out."

Anna thought it was a little silly to walk with her five feet towards the door, it wasn't that far of a distance. But then Honeymaren followed her out the door, all the way to the front of the shelter. This was new, and surprisingly exciting. Especially when Honeymaren reached over and held her hand. Step by step, they made her way out of the shelter and towards Anna's car, the farthest they'd ever gone together.

"So, I'll see you Friday?" Honeymaren asked.

Anna opened her door and said, "Of course. I can't wait."

"Good," Honeymaren leaned in to kiss her, a short and sweet one. "And tell Elsa I said hi, okay?"

"Okay."

Her girlfriend walked back into the shelter with a slight bounce in her step, Anna slipped into her car and started the engine.

Yeah...this was a very good different.