NOTE: Many apologies for the couple of silent months (and the silly April Fools joke, for those of you who still use Tumblr). I really do intend to work on posting more frequently; life simply gets in the way. I hope 2022 has been finding you all well enough despite the state of the world.

CHAPTER SIX

The two of them talked about small things for a while, simply enjoying their time together in each other's company. Moreover, Anna listened to what was going on in Jennifer's life. Nothing too exciting, especially compared to time travel weirdness, but she could tell her girlfriend was glad to be the focus of attention for once in these hectic weeks. She owed her that much.

When they got back to the truck, Anna showed a little more of her appreciation by driving to a shady parking spot she knew of in the now-less-busy shopping district and slipping down into the floorboards to have a little dessert. Both of them enjoyed this immensely. Jen had protested a little at first, given how 'public' it was, but when nobody had walked by after the first few minutes of inner thigh kisses, she relented. The windows fogging up seemed to help ease her worries, too.

"Feel a little more reassured now?" Anna asked with a slight chuckle as they drove to Jennifer's house.

"Yeah," she giggled, smiling and cheeks glowing. "Mmm, you're getting good at that. Don't tell me how you're practicing, though."

"Actually… I'm only practicing on you for now."

"Oh? Elsa's not into that?"

She shrugged one shoulder as she turned the corner, glancing at the cross-streets for other cars. "Well, it's more like she's not ready for it. With us. Too weird in this time and place, and I kinda get it? Even though I would be up for trying it if she changed her mind."

"Yeah. Like, I can understand; for you, it's like, you can remember that girl you met in the 80s, and you're still exactly who you were then. She's had thirty years, and I guess it's different from her point of view. Kinda sad, if you don't think about the mother-daughter thing."

"Yeah," Anna chuckled darkly. "That 'thing'. It's… man, if she had ever come onto me when she was my old mother, I'd just have thrown up. Funny how this Elsa McFly is so different from her that I can find this one hot."

"Well, she kind of is. Objectively speaking," she added when Anna's eyes widened. "Because no matter how many times you ask, no, I'm not into MILFs like you are."

"Hey! I'm not, either! Just… just one MILF," she added with a quiet pout. As Jennifer laughed, she pulled into the spot to park in front of her house.

"Dork." Then she rolled over to pet her thigh. "You sure you don't want me to get you back real quick?"

"Kind of," she admitted with a slight increase in her heart rate. "But, um… maybe not this close to your house. Raincheck? For the weekend?"

"Good plan." They shared a long kiss, and then Punz pulled away, biting her lip with her eyes full of Anna. "And we can hang out, the three of us. It was a little weird at first, but I really did have enough fun that I want to do it again. Okay?"

"I believe you," she assured her. "Later."

By the time Anna entered her home, the smile on her face had diminished a little bit. It was still definitely there, but not quite as bright. Softer.

Elsa noticed as soon as she walked into the kitchen. "Someone had a good talk, then?" she asked, smiling herself. Anna nodded, biting her lip.

"And uh… some other things," she admitted. Elsa's cheeks got a little red, but she didn't comment on it. She instead jumped straight to the topic that was on her mind.

"So… did Jennifer have anything important to say?" she questioned, faux-indifference lacing her voice.

Anna decided she could play that game, as well. "Hmm, I don't know. What counts as important?"

"Hmmm," Elsa said in an equally-affected tone. Then they shared a bemused grin, and Anna broke first, letting out a weak little laugh. "Alright, alright. I suppose it isn't my place to pry."

"Nah, it's okay. Um… she basically said it sounds crazy but she guesses she's okay with it. Like, that's about what I expected, y'know? So… yeah."

Nodding, Elsa put away the jar of jam she had been dolloping on her toast. Then she used the knife she had been spreading it with to cut the toast in half, offering one to Anna. "That's the best we could have expected."

"Yeah." Taking her half-toast, Anna munched it, pleased at the sweet flavour. "Ooh, what is this?"

"Lingonberry. You've had it plenty of times before…" But when she saw the vacant look in Anna's eyes, she let out a dark little snort. "The other Anna has. Of course."

"Sorry, Mom," she said earnestly. "Really. But if it's any consolation… I like it, too?"

Shaking her head, she walked over and pressed her lips to Anna's forehead. "I don't need consolation. Just to get used to it, that's all."

They both ate their toast in relative silence. Anna could have swallowed it in two bites – it really did taste quite good – but she also wanted something to do while Elsa finished hers. She got the impression that her mother hadn't finished sharing what was on her mind.

"So… where'd Dad go?" she finally asked, if only to break the silence. Maybe she was wrong and Elsa didn't have anything on her mind.

"Oh, he's in his study. You know publishers…" she trailed off airily, and she ought to have known that Anna, as a matter of fact, did not know publishers. "Just more deals and books and tours and such. That sort of thing. Never a dull moment."

A thought struck Anna at that moment, and one she was surprised that Elsa hadn't already brought up. "If…" she began softly, "if we did do this, what would you tell John and Wendy?"

Elsa looked down at her hands. "To be honest, that's part of the reason I wanted us both to take some time to consider. This plan would affect the rest of the family so much. It's something to weigh against our desire to be with each other. Kristoff is closer to them than I am, as are you, but I would miss them dearly."

"Almost feels like I should be the one to disappear," Anna said in a would-be offhand voice. But she meant it too much to really succeed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… because I'm the weird one. Everybody else fits in, and here's me, the Anna who never existed. Like, maybe I should just travel back in time to when you were a teenager and hook up with you again."

"You can't."

"Why not?" When Elsa didn't answer, only raised both eyebrows and waited patiently, Anna slumped over the table tiredly. "Oh yeah. I wouldn't be born."

"Yes, that minor detail," Elsa chuckled affectionately as she reached over to tousle her hair. "But I can tell you the younger version of me would have been quite appreciative of the gesture." Then suddenly her arms were wrapped around her daughter, cradling her. "And I can tell you that this version of me is grateful it's not even an option." Elsa paused for a second. "Okay, that sounds really bad, but-"

Whatever 'but' Elsa was going to say didn't end up getting said, because Anna was giggling, pressing herself further into her mother.

"Don't sweat it," she said. "I know what you mean."

Elsa pulled away, her 'serious' face on. "Then I don't want you to fret about… about feeling like you've replaced someone," she said. Her voice was soft but her words were strong and authoritative. "Yes, you're a little different from the Anna I raised. But don't you ever think that's a bad thing, please?"

"I just…" Anna began, before trying again. "I have some of her memories. But it feels like that stuff happened to a different person. I feel like I made her go away, and me being me is what started this entire mess in the first place." Taking a breath, she looked straight into Elsa's eyes. "Even as an alcoholic, you still loved us. You just… needed something else to cope with life, I guess. I can't ask you to give that up. Not for me."

"But I'm not, silly," Elsa said. She was smiling, but it was sort of sad. Like what Anna had said was genuinely upsetting. But which part? "I'm not doing this for you. I mean, yes, you're part of the reason, but the rest is… I'm doing – or rather, I want to do this – because I want to be happy. Can't you see that, sweetheart?"

That made a lot of sense to Anna. Sure, Kristoff and her siblings would be sad to lose her, but Elsa wasn't happy with the current state of her life. Generally okay, of course, but there would always be something missing. And that, more than anything, showed Anna that she really did want to be with her. Barriers notwithstanding.

"Elsa?" she chanced, knowing it might be a slight mistake. "I… I don't know if I can wait thirty years to really be with you. But I'll try. And, um, I love you."

The words made Elsa wince. But it only lasted a second. Then she was smiling again and pulling Anna into a tight hug again, stroking over her hair. Anna thought that was it… until she began to whisper.

"I've now been shown twice just how sweet life could be with you. Once in the past, and once in the future. Just glimpses of how much I want this. It hurts that I can't have it right now, in my present, even though I've already been waiting thirty years. But… if you're willing to wait thirty, I can struggle through the several months of time-skipping. More than willing to do so for you. For us."

Well, that sure put things in perspective. It would actually still have been worse for Elsa in the end; she had thirty years of nothing. Living without the love she wanted most. Thinking about it that way, thirty years of monthly visits was way more appealing.

It was then that Anna came to a decision; and really, it was rather easy. She wouldn't regret giving Elsa this chance, but she'd always regret holding her back and sentencing her to a lifetime of romantic isolation.

"Okay," she said suddenly. Simply. "Okay, we do it. You do it. I- I want you to."

She squeezed Elsa tighter, the same moment that her mother seemed to want to pull away. When finally Anna did let her go, Elsa didn't move back very far. Just enough that Anna could see the tears welling in her eyes. "Are- are you sure?" Elsa double-checked. "Is- is Jennifer?"

Damn, she looked so small. So… fragile. And that was a word Anna had never associated with this version of Elsa. The drunken one, yes – and she had definitely seen hints of it when Elsa was a teenager. It stood to reason that as an adult, there would still be some weaknesses. It was amazing, the difference between 'knowing' and 'understanding'. Anna knew Elsa loved her. Knew she had for thirty years. But until she saw the vulnerability in her eyes in this moment, she realised that she never really understood. Now she did, and it was breaking her heart.

"I think… we all need to sit down. You and me and Dad and Punz," Anna said softly. "Because… I don't think we can undo this."

Biting her lip, Elsa shook her head. It seemed to be difficult for her to speak. "N-no," she finally managed. "I- um… when- when I spoke to Doc about this, he said…" She took a breath. "He said it's a one-way trip. I couldn't… couldn't ever return here. Anna, is this what you want?"

"It's what you want!" Anna cried softly. "What you've wanted for three decades."

"Yes, but is this what you want, as well? Don't- don't think about me or Jennifer, or your father. What is your heart telling you?"

"My heart's telling me I want to be with you," she answered right away. "And I mean… I do wanna think about Punz and Dad, too. But I know you want the same thing I want, and like, we're the two who matter most when it comes to the two of us. So… so we owe it to ourselves to talk to them."

"Right. And if they can provide us with a reason we haven't already thought of, one way or the other, we will take it under consideration." Her mother let out a long, shaky sigh. "But I think it can wait until Saturday. Give everyone some real time to talk."

Anna couldn't help nodding her own agreement; it was a little more kind of them than springing it on them randomly on a weekday. She only hoped they wouldn't be too upset.

~ o ~

So that was what they did. Saturday afternoon, they invited Jennifer over to discuss the situation — all four of them. Kristoff didn't react very much, since he had already been expecting it, and even Punz only asked a few pointed questions. Seemed she had been thinking a lot since Anna brought it up.

"You really should tell John and Wendy," she pressed very gently. "I mean, they're family. They might not understand, but don't they kinda deserve to know?"

Elsa and Kristoff exchanged a glance. "They… probably wouldn't understand, to be honest. I've raised them to be open-minded individuals, and I think I've succeeded. But this is asking too much."

"We'll think about it, though," Kristoff assured both girls. "There's plenty of time between now and when the plan would go into effect. By then, one of you might have changed your mind, or both of you. No sense in upsetting them so long before it would happen."

"What do you mean?" Punz asked. "Isn't it gonna start like…now?"

Anna looked at Elsa and Kristoff. She was sure they already answered this but couldn't really remember. Elsa and Kristoff looked at each other.

"We…realised it would be best to wait until Anna was in college-"

"That's if I decide to go," Anna interrupted. Elsa nodded once.

"That's something to discuss later," she said. Her words were a promise that, regardless of what happened and what might happen afterward, Anna was still expected to have that conversation. "Perhaps 'after high school' would be better to say at the moment?"

"While Anna's a minor, there's all sorts of issues. Always will be, but after that hurdle is crossed it'll be a little different," Kristoff added. Punz nodded – she seemed happy with that answer.

"Yeah. To be like, brutally honest? There was a high 'yick' factor about all of this and that was a big part of that." Both Anna and Elsa looked a little ashamed of themselves when she brought that up, since Jennifer had been mostly holding her tongue around Elsa on this topic. "It felt like I was supposed to be okay with letting you take advantage of your kid. Which, like… I know that's not what you're trying to do, and not how you both feel, but it's still-"

"Jennifer, you don't need to go on," Kristoff interrupted gently, looking just as uncomfortable as Punz herself did. "Believe me, we all fully understand."

"No, it's alright," Elsa told him, patting his knee. "Maybe she needs to say this, or I need to hear it. God knows she's entitled to a say in things."

Looking a little grateful to the woman for not shutting her down, but still a little hesitant, Punz continued. "Might not count for much, but I am sorry this had to be how things turned out. Like, you being related to each other and having romantic feels. I know you didn't exactly want this."

"Yeah," Anna agreed with her. "We're not saying like, 'Hey, we're mother and daughter and that sounds like a fun thing to try instead of family game night!' It's just… we're already in this situation. Attracted to each other and trying to figure out what to do with that."

"Without either crossing moral hard lines, or sacrificing our own happiness," Elsa put in. "Thank you for being so… uncommonly mature for your age. Anna is, too, but she's also been through a lot that should never happen to anyone of any age. So it's… we're all trying to navigate this minefield as best we can."

"Right." Taking a deep breath, Punz squeezed Anna's hand. "And I'm trying to figure out how she can feel like that for you, and still definitely be my girlfriend… it's hard. But I mean, polyamory is a thing, and we both can kind of give her different things. So like, it's not the Dark Ages, right?"

The other three looked quite stunned by that. Anna blinked and glanced at Elsa, to gauge her reaction, and then back to her girlfriend. It sounded… accurate, but also somewhat felt like an excuse to throw the rulebook out the window. On the other hand, the old rules hadn't served them particularly well the past week or two. Maybe it was time to rethink everything.

"Um…" Anna's eyes turned toward Kristoff. "Dad, if you have any problem with this… you're a part of this family, too. Say something."

Kristoff looked a little surprised at being called out at first. Then he smiled a sad little smile. "I just want my girls to be happy," he said. "I've only ever wanted that. And I don't want to be the cause of any unhappiness…" Then his eyes turned a little brighter, smile a little more sincere. "Maybe I should take up birdwatching again, fall out of a tree, and have my future grandchild save me?"

Anna snorted, lips widening into a grin. It was a little bigger than Kristoff's, but not by much. She could tell he was joking – mostly. The idea of maybe helping him find someone, though…

"I think," he said, voice growing serious once more, "I think that I've had thirty good years with a woman whom I love. I think she's found someone she feels the same for, and I would only cause a lot of pain and sadness if I were to try and stop you. You all know the consequences. And once you're adults, Anna, Jennifer, you'll be making your own decisions anyway, with or without my blessing. So it would be pretty stupid for me to stand in the way of destiny."

The three women looked between themselves, though the confusion written on Anna and Punz's faces wasn't echoed on Elsa's. Instead, she was smiling, eyes shining bright.

"So… yes?" she asked softly. Kristoff's whole demeanour softened.

"Yes."

"That helps. Honestly, hon… it does." They held hands for a moment. The fondness was definitely there, and the love. But it was a very different type of friendship than most married couples enjoyed. And for that reason…

"Okay," Anna sighed defeatedly. "But maybe we really should tell my brother and sister. Like, that's something to think about between now and next summer."

"Yes, it certainly is. Ohhh…" Elsa stretched her arms over her head, looking weary for once. "I'm really not sure why you want to hook up with your old mother in the first place. I'm two steps from the grave."

Snorting, she nudged her with her elbow. "Stop. You look great. Doesn't she look great, Punz?"

"I…" Jennifer shrugged nervously. "I mean, yeah, but this is still kind of an awkward question to answer?"

"You don't have to," Elsa assured her with a chuckle as she patted Kristoff's elbow again. "Anyway, enough serious talk for a while. Let's go out for dinner; my treat."

"Or mine," Kristoff insisted. "Had a pretty hefty advance from my publisher; we can do high-dollar cuisine."

Anna had a very recent memory of eating such cuisine, but she decided not to mention it to the others. It was something for only her and her mother. So instead, she just grinned and piped up, "Sounds great! Let's party!"

~ o ~

They didn't bother getting dressed up, unlike last time. Punz didn't have a change of clothes, for one; for another, they weren't exactly celebrating. Perhaps she and Elsa were, Anna supposed, but some part of her was entirely aware of the fact that this outcome was not her father's – or her girlfriend's – first choice.

Once more, they found themselves in the next town over. It was almost a shame that Dell Valley had no real highlights of its own. That being said, it was nice having a 'special occasion' location. There was a main street full of restaurants, and they just wandered along until they came across something that caught their eye – or, in this case, their nose.

Their choice wasn't Italian this time, but Mediterannean. Anna had no experience with that kind of cuisine, and neither did Punz, but Elsa and Kristoff at least seemed to be somewhat familiar. Chicken and seafood seemed to be the staple. They ordered an appetiser – something called a kalitsounia that just reminded Anna of a quiche made of cheese – before taking a look at the main dishes.

The occasion was almost bittersweet, Anna thought as she looked around the table. It would probably be the last time they did something like this. The thought made her sadder than she thought it would. It also gave her an idea because it didn't have to be the last time.

"Hey, guys…?" she asked softly, putting her menu down. "I was wondering… can we do this again?" Kristoff cocked his head, a gesture for her to continue. "I don't mean like, an expensive dinner. But sometimes, when Elsa comes back… can we just do something as a family?"

There was a pressure behind her eyes because, as much as she wanted Elsa – it was getting to a point where she needed her, in all honesty – she still was very much a teenager. A child who wanted nothing more than her family. Oh, she'd survive if they couldn't, or didn't want to. But it would be painful and hard.

"I don't… I know things will change but I don't want to lose everything…" she added softly to fill the brief silence.

"Of course," Elsa said quietly. Jennifer and her father hadn't commented, waiting for her reaction. "Absolutely no reason we shouldn't."

"That'd be great for you guys, I think," Punz said with a small smile. "Keep things normal as much as you can."

Anna turned to her with a smile of her own. "I meant you, too."

"Huh?"

"You're part of this family now. I mean, I think you are. So this is important to me to like, bring you all together… or is that stupid?"

All three of them were quick to reassure her that they didn't find the idea stupid in the slightest. Even though she couldn't quite disentangle the many voices, she felt an immense sense of relief. They were going to try to be a family, despite this craziness that threatened to tear them apart. It really did make more of a difference than she expected; she felt loved. By all of them.

~ o ~

The dinner went well, and Punz seemed to fit right in. They stayed in the restaurant for a few hours before heading back home. Jennifer didn't stay over that night, but she promised she would again soon – once they were out of earshot. Anna still felt like an embarrassed teenager when she kissed her goodnight on her doorstep.

Once home, she felt a little pang when Elsa and her father went into their room. She wondered what went on in there… were they going to snuggle? Just lay next to each other? Probably talk, a lot. She did hate that she was doing this to everyone, even if she knew in her heart that it was the right thing for her and Elsa.

They were in love. Sometimes it was hard to admit that to herself, but it was real, and it was mutual. Elsa just had that pesky age-gap hangup that she needed to fix, which made Anna sad… but it was beyond their control. Blaming Elsa for approaching this situation with maturity would have been like blaming Anna for not being able to rebuff her advances in 1985. Futile and unfair.

The next day, Kristoff made himself scarce again, clothes shopping for outfits for interviews and book signings. Anna asked if he needed a woman's opinion, but he laughed and reassured her that he had a much better fashion sense now than he did in high school.

"Mom?" she asked once he left after a late breakfast. "How do we… handle this until the summer?"

"As best we can," she answered right away. Proving that it had been on her mind enough that she didn't even need to think about her answer. "Try to keep things familial, and forgive ourselves if we can't."

"And we have to forgive each other," Anna said softly.

Elsa just nodded. It wasn't going to be easy, but then, nothing good in life ever was. And they knew that from the get-go. Even Punz and Kristoff had accepted that, and it was far more than Anna had ever thought possible. The fact that she might be able to keep her girlfriend – her love – while gaining another one…

Punz had brought up polyamory. Perhaps that was something for them to look up — explore. She certainly had, after all. Did that mean that she was interested in it? Only time would tell.

"I guess I better… go get Punz," Anna offered. It really was getting quite late in the morning. Elsa smiled at her.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. And please don't panic. We have time to get comfortable with this idea…"

Anna nodded and smiled back. "I know. Thanks…" She trailed off, not sure what title to use. Elsa seemed to realise.

"Mom. Call me 'mom', at least until you graduate." When Anna didn't say anything, her face softened. "It's for the best… all of this is."

"Yeah… Okay. See ya, Mom."

"Have a good day, Anna."

To Be Continued…