Tiana wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Naveen had assured her it wouldn't be a problem, and… well he was right, no matter how implausible it had seemed an hour ago.

She had spent much longer at Lottie's than she had anticipated, and practically ran the whole way home with a suitcase of clothes for Naveen to change into. An apology was already on her lips when she walked through the door, expecting Naveen to be upset with her for taking so long. Instead Tiana found him in the middle of a card game with her mother. Losing badly from the looks of it.

Naveen quickly changed (and gave Tiana many kisses of thank you in the process. Not that she minded in the least) and they set off for the day. The first stop, Tiana reminded him, would be to the police station.

Though she knew that it had to be done, her stomach was tying itself up in knots. How were they supposed to effectively lie to the police? But how could they tell the truth when even Tiana's own mother hadn't believed their story?

She had never been good at lying, and knew that she would crack under even the slightest pressure from any interrogation they could give. She'd have to pay a fine, and would probably be arrested. There was no way she'd be able to afford bail, and so she'd spend the rest of her life behind bars and oh god her life was over.

Seeming to feel her distress, Naveen had gently pulled her to the side and wrapped his arms around her until she calmed down. "Everything will be alright," he promised. "I know how to handle this."

And now here they were, and Tiana still couldn't believe it.

The police were so utterly charmed by Naveen that they hardly paid any attention to her, or the story he presented to them explaining why he had been missing.

She blinked in surprise as once again Naveen lead them all in another round of laughter, and, she blinked again, was that officer asking for an autograph?

"That wasn't so bad," Naveen said once they left. The police force had been so enamored by Naveen's charms, they even offered to give them an escort around town, but Tiana declined and they quickly made their escape.

Now they were walking hand in hand, Tiana giving him a haphazard tour of the city. "I'm just glad it's over," she replied. "Lying like that… it doesn't sit well."

"Well, luckily we don't have to do it again," Naveen said. "Unless someone besides your mother, or Charlotte, or my parents ask us where we have been all this time." He had meant it as a joke, but Tiana wasn't laughing. He squeezed her hand. "It will be alright, love."

"You told your parents the truth in your letter?" Tiana asked. In truth she was slightly shocked by this. After how difficult it had been explaining everything to her own mother, she had expected him to stretch the truth to his parents.

"They deserve to know what happened," Naveen replied. He had mailed the letter soon after leaving the police station and couldn't shake the feeling that he hadn't explained everything well enough for them to understand. He knew there was nothing he could do to change it now, though, so he tried to push those thoughts away, at least until he had their reply in his hand. "Even if they do not believe it, at least I will know that I tried."

Tiana squeezed his hand. "Do you think they'll believe you?"

Naveen laughed softly. "Honestly? I do not know. We will just have to wait and see."

They paused waiting to cross the street, and Naveen asked, "Tiana, where are we going?"

"Well, I thought we'd stop by Duke's and Cal's, to see if I can get my old jobs back," Tiana explained.

The light changed, allowing them to cross, but when Tiana moved forward, Naveen held her back. "I thought we were going to be working on your restaurant. Aren't we?"

"Well, eventually," Tiana said. She tugged him forward gently, and at last they crossed the street. "But somebody else bought the sugar mill."

She couldn't even bear to think of it. That was the building her Daddy had wanted to turn into their restaurant. The building all her hopes and dreams had depended on. Tiana had a notebook filled with plans, measurements, and budgets all based around that building. Now she'd have to start over.

That's why they were taking the long way to Duke's. It would be too much to endure to walk past it and know it belonged to someone else. Or worse, actually see what changes that someone else had done to it. If it had been torn down, Tiana might actually weep.

"So you have to find a new building?" Naveen asked.

Tiana nodded. "It's gonna take a lot of work to get back to where I was. The sugar mill was the only building that I could reasonably afford, and even then I only had the down payment." She let out a sigh as they turned the corner. "If I keep going at this rate, I'm gonna be a old woman by the time I get my restaurant."

Naveen gave her hand a squeeze. "Well, you do have something that you did not have before."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Now you have me."

"Yes." Tiana kissed his cheek. "Now I have you."

Naveen broke out into a grin. As they turned another corner, he looked around more carefully. "This looks familiar. Did we pass by here before?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Hmm. It really looks familiar." But when would he have been by this area? "I must have walked by here after I first arrived."

"That makes sense," Tiana said. She pointed to the south. "The docks are right over there."

Duke's was in sight now, and Naveen slowed his step, thinking. "This is where you worked, yes? At Duke's?"

Tiana nodded. "It's not the greatest cafe, but they let me make the beignets in addition to being a waitress." She preened. "My beignets were always the best selling thing on the menu, so I'm sure Beuford will give me my job back."

Naveen wasn't really sure what beignets were, but if Tiana made them, they were bound to be delicious. "Will you make some for me sometime?"

"I think I can do that."

This was looking very familiar to Naveen now. It was all coming back to him. He remembered playing with the band as they walked down the streets. It had been such fun dancing to the music, and flirting with all the women. All of whom eagerly flirted back… except for one.

Naveen gasped, stopping in his tracks.

"What is it?" Tiana asked.

He looked at Tiana, then at Duke's, then back to Tiana. "O mio deus," he whispered, and burst into laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Tiana asked again.

Naveen was laughing so hard he almost couldn't breath. This was too much. At least he calmed down enough to speak. "The morning of Charlotte's party," he said between laughs. "Do you remember it?"

Tiana raised an eyebrow at him. "Umm, a bit? Why?"

Naveen wiped his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Do you happen to remember seeing a charming handsome man that morning? Here, perhaps? Carrying a ukulele and who gallantly tipped his hat to the most beautiful waitress he had ever seen?"

While he was speaking, Tiana's eyes grew wide. Now it was her turn to gasp. She covered her mouth, unbelieving. "You?"

"Who knew that the best way to get your attention was to become a frog."

The porch swing creaked gently as Naveen absentmindedly rocked back and forth on it. He was deep in thought waiting for Tiana, who had offered to make some iced tea, something that baffled Naveen's mind even now. He'd never thought that tea could be served cold.

That wasn't what he was thinking about though. The day had been harder than either of them had anticipated. Not the general errands, but whenever they ran into someone that knew Tiana, they would have to lie about their relationship. And despite what Tiana had thought, there were a lot of people who knew Tiana.

Naveen could still taste the bitterness of having been introduced as Tiana's friend instead of her husband. It wasn't that he minded being called her friend, because, of course, they were friends. But he was also deeply in love with her, and had married her. For all intents and purposes he was her husband and that's how Naveen wanted to be introduced. There had been so many times where he had just wanted to shout it at the top of his lungs, but he bit his tongue and smiled through it.

Soon, he reminded himself. Soon. As soon as Baba and Ammi replied to his letter, it would all be sorted out. They just had to wait about two weeks for a reply, as Naveen had a feeling they would respond right away. Maybe they would even accompany the reply and could give their blessings in person. Now that would be something.

"What are you smiling about?" Tiana teased. She set down the tray that held a pitcher and two glasses.

"Just thinking about when we can freely admit that we are married to each other," Naveen said, accepting a glass of iced tea when she offered him one.

Tiana's smile faltered as she poured herself a glass. "That was hard today, wasn't it?"

"Yes." He could see her retreating inward, taking the blame for it all on herself. Though Naveen was still feeling rather peevish about the whole thing, he would not let her suffer through it alone. "Come here, princess."

When she settled by his side, Naveen pulled her close and kissed her temple. "It won't always be like this," he reminded her, as he gently rubbed her back.

"I know," Tiana said, resting her head on his shoulder, taking what comfort she could. "But I still hate this."

"Me too." Naveen pressed another kiss to her forehead and began to slowly rock the porch swing back and forth. They sat in silence, holding each other. There was nothing to do but wait, and they both knew it. That didn't make it any easier though.

Except, Naveen knew there was something he needed to do. It wouldn't solve their current problem, far from it. In fact it might make things worse, but it needed to be done. It had been percolating in his mind all day, especially when they were walking around town. Word was already spreading that he was no longer missing, it wouldn't be long before reporters found out. Judging by what he had seen about himself in the newspapers already, there was no guarantee any of it would be accurate, but he did not want Tiana to hear about any of it through gossip and hearsay.

"Tiana, I need to tell you something."

She turned to look at him. "What is it?"

Naveen swallowed, his mouth already dry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "We should always have the truth between us, yes?"

Now Tiana was fully sitting up, giving him her full attention. He missed her warmth, the comfort of her weight resting against him. Naveen was tempted to pull her back into his arms and forget the whole thing. But she nodded and so he continued.

"There is something I have been meaning to tell you for awhile now. And the reason I never mentioned it until now is because, well, when we were frogs it didn't matter. But I still should have told you, especially before we married, and now that we are married and human again it matters very much, and I wanted you to hear it from me, and-"

Tiana placed a finger over his lips, gently shushing him. "What is it, sweetheart?"

Oh how Naveen could have cried just from hearing that pet name. And knowing it might be the last time he heard it from her made his heart break. For she might not love him after hearing what he had to say. But she deserved to know. He owed her that much.

"I need to tell you why I came to New Orleans, and why my parents cut me off."