Mom was fussing in her sleep again. It had been going on for the last few nights, since our first time together. Now we were entering the early hours of the final day of 2033 and it was still happening.

It always started out the same. I would feel the bed begin to jerk under us. By now, I didn't bother to sleep facing the other way. Closeness wasn't an issue for us anymore. That meant I could often feel her trembling in my arms, the movements jolting me from sleep.

Every night was a little bit different. The night of Christmas Day, there were just strong tremors. The night of Boxing Day, she was sleep talking but every word was entirely incoherent. The next night, silent tears ran down her face. The next, she tried to stay awake until after I fell asleep so I wouldn't see it. Of course, she failed.

This time, I woke to the sound of sniffling. My eyes snapped open to see Mom facing me, arms pulled in close to her body. Her nose was scrunched up, her brow furrowed as her eyes leaked more glistening tears.

"Mom?" I whispered on the off chance she was awake.

She didn't respond to me, but she said something. Sounds of desperation. Just words like no and wait and please. Was this what it was like whenever I had a nightmare?

As her movements became more erratic and the tears flowed more freely, I grew more panicked. "Mom, wake up," I said, nudging her shoulder with my hand. "Mom? Mom!"

She gasped, bolting up in bed and pulling the blanket with her.

"Mom, talk to me," I prompted, looking at her with concern while she desperately tried to catch her breath. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm… fine," she croaked, reaching for the tiny bottle of water on the bedside table with trembling hands. I watched as she gulped down a third of it, the water bulging in her throat before going down the rest of the way.

"You're not fine," I argued. "You've been like this for days. You were never like this before. Please… tell me what's wrong."

"Just dreams," she insisted, forcing a sad smile.

My heart ached seeing her like that and I felt so utterly helpless. "Mom, if the roles were reversed, which they have been on multiple occasions, you would want to know what's going on. So what is going on?"

"I don't want you to worry about me. That's not your job."

"But I've been worried, Mom!"

"I told you I used to get nightmares like you did. They're just something I need to get over."

I inched closer to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my lap. "You also told me that it helped you when you talked about them. So talk to me," I pleaded, tucking my head into the crook of her shoulder.

Mom sighed heavily, her whole body heaving. "I'm nervous about our future together," she admitted. "I want to be with you, sweetheart, I really do, but people… the idea of being with you publicly, doing what we want without fear of judgement… I'm afraid of people not being as accepting as we want them to be. That's what my nightmares have been about. Being forced to be separated from you again."

"I'm sorry, Mom," I apologised. "I get it if I'm moving too fast with everything-"

"No, no, it's not you, I just…" she paused to give me a long kiss, hands stroking my cheeks. I could taste her salty tears on her lips. "I need your confidence, your assurance. I know this is what I want. This is what we both want. My mind is just… adjusting to the idea."

"I don't want to be rushing you," I said worriedly. "Will you just promise to tell me what's on your mind? I don't wanna be left in the dark about these things. If at any point either of us are uncomfortable with anything, we should be open about it."

Mom nodded, her breathing finally levelled. "I'm comfortable with you, here, like this."

"I am too," I said, smiling into her shoulder.

XXX

"Hoo hoo!"

Later that day, Anna and I were greeted by the burly man sitting behind the counter who I assumed was Oaken. He was large and looked like he could be especially intimidating if he was in a bad mood, but thankfully he seemed especially cheerful that day. He and Anna already seemed to have established a good relationship judging from how his face lit up when he saw her. "Anna, it's lovely to see you again."

"Hi, Oaken," she said with a smile. "Is anyone using the sauna today?"

He shook his head. "Smaller rooms are free, ja?"

"I'd like to take my friend here," she replied, wrapping an arm around me. "It'll be her first time."

"Okay, okay, no problem," he said eagerly, typing some things into his keyboard. "Give me one minute."

"Is Andre in?" Anna asked. "I've been thinking about his homemade muffins pretty much every day since our last trip here. I'm about ready to sell my soul for the recipe."

"Oh my gosh, is this the muffin man?" I questioned her. Anna was always raving about the amazing muffins she got whenever she stayed in Norway and I kind of hoped there were some I could try.

"He is. The very man."

Oaken let out a hearty laugh. "No, unfortunately he's taken Lukas and Oskar out for the day. Plus, our kitchen is all out of flour. How long more are you in town for?"

"A couple more days. We're here for the count down tonight and then we have another two days here before we head home."

"If you stop by tomorrow, I'll be sure there are some fresh out of the oven for you."

Anna squealed. "Can you ask him to make some chocolate ones? They're my absolute favourite."

"If there's good baking chocolate in town, then definitely there will be some. Sofia loves them too."

Just then, a small voice rose from behind the counter and a tiny head popped up from behind him. She let out a string of Norwegian and in the haze of it, I managed to make out 'muffins' and 'pappa' and a word that sounded kind of like 'chocolate'. It was then that she looked up and saw Anna, her face lighting up just like Oaken's had.

"Anna!" she exclaimed excitedly, lunging up to hop over the counter and hug my friend around her waist since that's the highest she could reach.

"Sofia, you've grown so much!" Anna laughed, ruffling the girl's hair. "This is my friend, Rapunzel. She went to school with me in San Fransokyo."

"Hallo!" she greeted, reaching out to shake my hand.

"Sofia, can you show our friends to sauna room six please?"

"Ja, Pappa," she said, immediately taking us by the hands and pulling us towards where I assumed the rooms were.

"Anna, you remember how to use it?" he called after us.

"Yup!" she yelled back right before we rounded a corner.

The entire time, Sofia was excitedly talking to us about… something. Sometimes I found understanding kids to be nearly impossible. They talked too fast, didn't articulate things properly and had the potential of making my head spin. Anna seemed to have no problems with communicating though as she was somehow holding the conversation flawlessly. Maybe it was because she also had a habit of talking like that whenever she got especially excitable, but still, I was impressed.

"Here we are!" Sofia said proudly, grandly gesturing to a wooden door with a large number six on it. She dug through her coat pockets and produced a large key with a metal keychain engraved with the room number. "You can give it back to my pappa when you leave," she instructed, passing it to Anna.

"Thank you Sofia," she said gratefully, ruffling the girl's hair before she sped off back to whatever she was doing. "Ready for your first sauna experience?" Anna asked, jingling the keys at me.

"You know it."

When we entered, the room was set up like the locker rooms back at Willows, but smaller and a lot fancier. The benches were made of light teakwood and the lockers for clothes had fancy locks. There were towels and toiletries provided and the showers allowed for privacy.

"We need to shower first," Anna said, already slipping out of her winter clothes. We both turned around out of respect for each other, but like I said, I trusted her wholly with anything. We'd grown comfortable with the idea of changing in the same room.

Even though Iduna had passed me a pair of crutches, I hadn't used them since Boxing Day. I was fine with walking around with the rubber bandage for support. Mom tried to teach me how to wrap it myself, and I prayed I would remember as I slowly unwrapped it.

After disrobing and having quick showers, we wrapped ourselves in towels and I watched as Anna fiddled with the heat controls.

"How hot are you feeling?"

"Um… how hot is a regular sauna?"

"Sixty five to ninety degrees celsius," she said, squinting at the display.

"What's that in fahrenheit?"

"Sometimes I wish America could just get on the metric system," she grumbled. "The rest of the world is leaving us behind! I think it's a hundred and fifty?"

"That sounds hot."

"Kinda the point of a sauna, Punz."

I smiled. "Alright, let's do it!"

The blast of heat was the first thing to hit me and I found myself instinctually stepping back. It was intense, like I'd suddenly stepped into a desert. Although it was a little jarring at first, I felt myself drawn to it, especially when I thought about how chilly I'd been and how chilly I would be the next few days until we headed home.

Tentatively, I stepped in, the shoes provided by Oaken acting as the only barrier between me and the hot ground. Anna came in after me, plopping herself on one of the wooden benches and sighing with relief. "This is the life."

"You really are a sucker for summer, aren't you?" I chuckled amusedly, sitting down next to her. "Elsa's a winter fan, I flourish in the spring. We just need someone for the fall and we'd have all four seasons covered."

"You don't have me fooled with that small talk," she said, smirking at me. "How did things go with Arianna? I've been dying to ask you but it's been impossible to get time alone with you on this trip. I guess that's just the downside of travelling with a bunch of other people."

"Things with my mom were… good. They've been good."

"You don't sound so sure," she prompted.

"W-what do you mean?"

"First you hesitated. Now you're stuttering."

"Man, am I really that easy to read?"

"Yes. Now spill it."

I groaned. "I don't know. Things between us are really good. I… really love her."

"With that smile, it's clear you're totally lovestruck." I hadn't realised I was smiling, but apparently I was wearing a sappy grin like some hopeless romantic.

"But I think I'm moving too fast with her."

"Haven't you two already gone all the way?"

"Yeah, but I'm talking about something else."

"What is it?"

"I… I brought up the idea of making our relationship public."

Anna looked at me in surprise, her body already shiny from the sweat. "How?"

"That's the problem. I don't know. I only know that I want to and I think that's what scares her. Should I feel bad that I'm thinking this way?"

Anna thought for a moment. "You shouldn't feel bad for knowing what you want out of this relationship," she finally said. "But you should at least let Arianna know what she's getting into."

I sighed, putting my head in my hands. "I don't even know what to do."

"Okay, who knows about you guys other than me as of now?"

"My mom told your mom," I told her. "Someone in San Fransokyo knows too. Someone who's had a similar relationship with a family member."

"Well, why not ask them what you should do?"

I turned to look at her. "What?"

Anna shrugged. "Who better to ask than someone who's shared similar experiences?"

"I'm basically trying to figure out how to make incest legal. I'm not sure how well that would go over with people."

"But it might go over better if that person is also in a relationship that involves incest."

"Everytime I bring it up with Mom, she steers away from it."

"Maybe she just needs a second opinion. Someone else to help convince her."

"Yeah…" I agreed. "Maybe…"

"Look." Anna nudged me gently with her elbow. "You've already got the relationship thing covered. The next step is to decide what you're going to do with it. It has to be a choice that both of you agree upon, but no matter what, I'll support you. Who knows, I might have myself a lawmaker for a best friend."

"Probably not a law that everyone will be okay with."

"San Fransokyo is quite possibly the most progressive place in the world. We have robots that build buildings for us. There's the occasional religious crazy person-"

"Roz"

"Yeah, people like Roz, but other than that, I'd say you have a pretty good shot."

I sighed. "I really hope so."

XXX

After the sauna, we said goodbye to Sofia and Oaken and headed back to the house. Anna had gone into her room, and once again, I found myself eavesdropping on a private conversation Mom and Iduna were having in the kitchen. Why did it always happen in the kitchen?

"I really love her a lot," Mom was saying as they came in through the backdoor.

"That smile says it all. I haven't seen you talk about anyone this way before. Not even-"

"Don't even say his name," she interrupted. "She's so much more. It's incomparable."

"But…"

"But what?"

"There's something else, isn't there? I can see it in your eyes."

"I.. I don't know..."

"There's clearly something. What is it?"

Mom took a deep breath. "She wants us to bring our relationship out into the public."

"Wow. That's great!"

"No, it's not." My heart sank.

"Why not?"

"Of course it would be amazing if we could, but I have no idea how she'll manage it. I could think of so many ways it could go wrong. So many people could say it's unnatural."

"That's what people said about same-sex relationships. And anyone who deviated from traditional gender binaries." There was a pause. "Why? What's your biggest concern with it?"

Mom hesitated, a slightly uncomfortable gap of silence wavering between them. "I don't want her to be taken away from me again," she said softly, her voice trembling like a wire.

"They can't do that anymore, you know? She's eighteen. You're both legal adults. There's no risk of Rapunzel being taken away by child services or anything."

"How would we even manage it though?" Mom groaned.

"Hey." Iduna's voice was full of determination. "If anyone can figure this out, it's you and Rapunzel."

"I don't know, Iduna-"

"Who managed to claw their way back to success after a terrible man turned her life upside down and separated her from the person she loved most in the world?"

"...me," Mom said hesitantly.

"Who managed to reconnect with her daughter against all odds after seventeen years of separation?"

"Me," she said again, this time a little more confidently.

"And who managed to provide for her daughter despite feeling dreadfully equipped and unprepared?"

"Okay, I see your point," Mom laughed.

"Arianna, trust me. You girls will be able to figure things out. Rapunzel's a bright kid. I'm sure she'll have tonnes of ideas. And you're a resourceful woman. Whatever you guys end up doing, you'll be able to do it. I know you will."

She sighed. "I really hope so."

It was too late for me to run up the stairs. There was no time as I heard them quickly approaching and if I didn;t act quickly, it would have been clear what I was doing. Thinking fast, I slumped against the armrest of the chair, shutting my eyes and pretending to be asleep. I sensed them coming in and stopping when they spotted me.

"You must keep her up all night," Iduna said jokingly.

"Oh shut up. If anything, it's the other way around." I felt Mom gently prodding my shoulder. "Rapunzel, sweetheart, time to get up."

I groaned, pretending to stir. My hands rubbed my eyes before I opened them to see Mom smiling kindly at me. "Get ready now. It's time to go."

XXX

There was another festival, this time for the English New Year. It seemed like they celebrated everything around there. Food, drink, dancing, singing, no expense was spared when it came to the festivities. The only sad thing was that Mom and I had to be especially careful with how we acted with each other around other people. In small towns, everybody knew everybody, and everybody knew we were related by blood.

Before long, it was time for the New Year countdown, one of the few traditions that seemed to remain constant pretty much worldwide.

"Ten… nine…"

Those who were single or didn't have anyone to share a midnight kiss with huddled up with family members. Rita pulled Iduna and Anna into her arms, the view slightly comical since she was shorter than both of them. Parents picked up toddlers, old friends joined hands.

"Eight… seven…"

I watched as people began to pair up. Pre-established couples came together, while some younger people reached for friends who bore looks of surprise. I noticed Oaken and his husband, Andre, towering over their children, their eyes full of love. Elsa and Honeymaren obviously were lost in each other's arms. Even Ryder came forward with the person I now knew as Reindeer Guy, one of the snowman builders and carollers I saw before. "I wish we could share a kiss like the rest of them," I whispered to Mom wistfully, my spirit a little dampened that the rest of the village knew of our familial relationship.

"Six… five…"

Mom brought her lips against the side of my forehead, her breath warm. "I know, my big girl," she said softly, her tone sounding as sad as I felt. Her lips formed a tight line and she hummed tunelessly, gently stroking my hair. "Actually…"

"Four… three…"

I gasped as Mom took me by the hands and ran, stumbling after her as best as I could. She led me around the side of the village square, passing through the line of evergreen trees where a small path sat dimly lit by the light of the moon. "Mom, where are we going?" I asked, barely two steps behind her.

"Two… one…"

We could still hear the voices of the villagers but I couldn't see any of them anywhere, meaning we were out of their line of sight too. It was a good thing considering what Mom was going to do next.

"Happy new year!"

They yelled when the clock struck midnight. Before I had even processed what was happening, Mom spun me around, pinning me against the trunk of a large tree and kissing me hard. Her gloved hands held my cheeks and the kiss warmed me from the inside out. When her tongue forced her way inside of me to meet mine, I gladly welcomed it, relishing in the warmth it brought. Fireworks erupted, both figuratively and literally. Reds and greens lit up the sky, casting Mom's face in a colourful glow.

"One day, we'll be able to," she whispered when she pulled away. "One day we won't have to hide."

My heart skipped a beat when she said that, especially after the conversations we'd been having those past few days. "Does this mean-"

"I have no idea how we're going to do this," she interrupted, her thumb stroking the curve of my cheek. "And I can't promise you I won't back out entirely. But maybe… maybe there's something to this idea of yours and… and I'm willing to try it out if you tell me what I need to do."

I felt like my cheeks were going to sprain from how much I was smiling. She was saying yes. Or as much of a yes as she could with all the uncertainties still about.

"You still want to do this right?" she asked.

I could only think of one answer, and I firmly gave it to her. "Yes."

A/N - Hello dear reader! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It seems like Iduna's conversation managed to get through to Arianna. How do you think things will work out? The next chapter will go more into Rapunzel's plan to take action so look forward to that, and until then, wear a mask and stay safe.