Author's Note: Since Captain Marvel and Devil May Cry 5 are likely to be occupying my evening, I figured I'd be nice and release the chapter a little early. Hope you all enjoy. It's a good one.


Pulling up to the departures gate of the JFK Airport, Elsa rested her hand on Tiana's thigh. She always hated dropping her off. It was somehow less painful when she just vanished while Elsa was at work, but since she was taking the time off, she couldn't not take her. "You'll actually call this time?" she asked, finding herself more passive aggressive than she meant to be.

Nodding, Tiana bit her lip and blinked back tears. "I will. You're my fiancee, and I'm learning. I won't just leave you high and dry for most of the week. I'll be extraordinarily busy, but I'll do my best to find time. Whenever we're shooting, they work us about 6 am to 6 pm.

"Twelve-hour work days, can't even imagine what's that like." She managed a sardonic grin, she couldn't just not snark at Tiana, that would only make parting more painful.

"I know." She sighed, her gaze falling on the glass walls of the building. "Wanna help me with the bags?"

Elsa nodded and popped the locks on the car. They made their way around to the back, and Tiana wrapped her arms around her before she even had the chance to open the trunk. You and Anna have fun, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Well, I really wasn't planning on doing any of the things you would do with my sister."

"A girl can dream. Seriously though, have fun, I'm so glad that you're getting to spend time with her." She pulled back, wiping a tear from Elsa's cheek that she hadn't even realized she'd shed. "I love you."

"I love you too." Cupping her chin, Elsa pulled Tiana into a kiss, her partner falling against her, the distance between them vanishing. She hated how soon that distance would reassert itself.

When they pulled away, Elsa wiped off a tear from her chin and she was genuinely uncertain which of them it had belonged to. "God, we're sappy. It's just a week. I guess it's just the first time I've ever had to say goodbye to my fiancee."

"Please, you're just annoyed you won't have me there to look after Olaf."

"That's what Belle's for."

"Well, I'm glad I'm so replaceable." She kissed Elsa's cheek and yanked the trunk open, grabbing her bags on her own. "Give Anna a kiss for me. I'll text when I land, and I promise I'll call tonight."

I hate that it took us getting engaged for her to finally care about that, but I'll take it. "All right. Go get in there before your plane takes off. I'll talk to you tonight."

"Until then." As she walked away, dragging her suitcase, she blew a kiss at Elsa.

Elsa climbed back into her car before someone would start honking and did her best to collect herself. I do this like twenty times a year, it's ridiculous how much it still gets to me. There's no way I'm that much of a romantic.

While it was a good deal out of the way, Elsa decided to swing by Oaken's. Anna likely still hadn't eaten, and chocolate was always her preferred method of dealing with her feelings. And lots and lots of alcohol, but it was too early for that and there was a child in the house. It still wasn't exactly close, but the larger of the two establishments was less out of the way, and with its increased options, she could probably find something good for Olaf. We can live off of chocolate croissants, but I'm not doing that to a child.

It was strange not being greeted by her name when she was ordering, but she grabbed eight chocolate croissants – it was all they'd had, she wanted to get a dozen – a few bagels, a slice of chocolate cake, and a ham sandwich. Olaf would have to eat one of them, she hoped. In case she was wrong, she also bought a peanut butter and jelly panini. As much as she loved Oaken's, she had to admit that the bagels looked considerably lacking compared to the ones that Anya had introduced her to, but they were even further out of the way, and she was not missing out on her croissants.

She parked in the garage, next to Tiana's Porsche, navigated her way around their cars with the bag of pastries, and found her way inside, to be overwhelmed by the smell of bacon and pancakes. "Hey, Elsa!" Anna called.

I guess we'll have these later then. She set the bag on the counter as she walked into the kitchen and was leapt upon by Anna, who pulled her into a massive hug. "Hey," Elsa rested a hand on her back.

Anna pulled away, looking at the bag, "You got us breakfast? Damn – darn, I should've asked." She glanced toward her son, who was working his way through two pancakes at the counter.

"It's fine. They'll all still be good later. Does Olaf like ham sandwiches?"

"I don't think he's had them."

"Well, I got him one. So if he doesn't want it later, we can split it."

Anna smiled, glancing at her in an almost dreamy fashion. "Thank you. You're amazing. Let me finish up here." She nodded toward the table. "Everything okay with Tiana?"

"Yeah, dropping her off is always a little emotional, but I think she's really excited to do her show. She hasn't been on TV in at least a week." She took a seat beside Olaf. "How're the pancakes?"

"They're good," he muttered, staring hesitantly at his mother.

"Still not as good as Kristoff's?" she asked.

"I mean –" he paused, staring down at the plate. "I don't know."

Elsa stole a bite from him. They definitely weren't Tiana's, the batter was still a little liquidy in the center, and it was too crispy on the edges. "Make them a little thinner, I think that's the only issue. Then maybe you'll be able to beat that big lug's. I'll steal the rest of his, so he still has room."

She swiped his remaining pancake, receiving a confused look from the boy. "But it's mine."

"Sue me. I can find you a good lawyer."

He slowly grinned, snorting out a little laugh and chomping on a chewy piece of bacon. Anna was never too big on burnt bacon. Our parents worried that it was undercooked when I made it, but it was the only way she'd eat it. I guess he's about the same.

Anna carried out another pancake for Olaf and two more for Elsa. "They're a little thinner this time. They're not burnt, right? They're okay?" She glanced between them, nervously staring at their plates.

Olaf studied the pancake, lifting it gingerly with his fork before tossing some powdered sugar on it and taking a hesitant bite. "No, it's good. Really good."

Elsa drizzled syrup over her own and took a bite of the stack. Olaf was right. It still wasn't the best she'd ever had, but it was a lot fluffier and more consistent, and tasted about as good as pancakes from mix can taste. "It's delicious. Thank you, Anna."

She grinned and went back to work, making some more for herself and for Elsa. Olaf had already hit his limit. She and Elsa made it through three each and casually munched on bacon as Olaf returned to his Switch game – after being reminded to wash his hands.

Elsa rested her elbow on the counter, staring off at the stairs. "He really likes that game."

"I think he might just really like Moana," Anna sighed.

Elsa glanced at her, seeing the unease in her features. "You don't need to worry. Even if she ends up as his stepmother, she'll never replace you. He adores you, Anna."

"I know. That's not what I'm worried about. It's just –" she took a sip of her orange juice, "I don't know. I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm glad that the two of them get along."

"He reminds me so much of you," Elsa mused, still watching where he'd disappeared.

"Really? I remember when I was a kid, I was way worse than him."

"You really weren't. I mean yeah, you acted out some, but that was mostly just to get our parents' attention, and you never did it around me. You were picky, maybe not as quiet, but you were smart and shy, and you absolutely adored everything that you loved, to the point of obsession."

"What do you mean? I didn't spend hours in my room playing video games. I know I played them some, but not like he has been of late. You don't think it's the divorce do you?"

Finally turning to meet her sister, Elsa shook her head. "I recall you spending most of a week playing Final Fantasy when you were around five. Just because you spent it in the living room doesn't change that. You didn't have a TV in your room until you were older."

"That's not the point!"

"I remember a night when you actually fell asleep in front of the TV and then as soon as you woke up you started playing it again. I'd just wrapped a blanket around you on the couch since I couldn't get you to your room." Elsa chewed on a strip of bacon. "It was honestly adorable, but I was so frustrated. Eventually, I just gave up and you let me use the other controller. I never did get to watch that episode of Magic Schoolbus."

Anna narrowed her eyes, meeting Elsa's gaze. "That's not true! I remember, because I needed your help to read it back then. So there's no way I could've played it that much on my own."

"You still managed."

Grumbling, Anna set her orange glass on the counter. "Still wasn't that bad."

"You kinda were. You were such a nerd as a kid."

"I wasn't! I played volleyball and stuff. I was a Girl Scout!"

"Yes, the least nerdy thing imaginable, I'm sorry."

"As long as you can admit it." She held her chin high, proudly maintaining her victory.
Elsa rose from the bar stool and gathered their plates, taking them over to the seat. "We could invite him down here, maybe even all play a game together. Is there a new Street Fighter or Smash Bros? I remember being okay at those."

"Actually, there are. There's a new one of each, though we only have Smash Bros. He's actually not that into fighting games."

"Oh, is there something he'd rather play, then?" Elsa hesitated, looking back to her sister.

"No, he loves Smash Bros, just not other games like it. He absolutely adores Mario. I'm sure he'll have to find a save point, but I'll go ask him."

"All right. I'll go unplug something so we have a spare HDMI port."

Within twenty minutes, they were all playing. They only had two proper controllers, but Olaf volunteered to use the Joy-Cons ones. Anna and Olaf were both holding their own against each other, but Elsa had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She hadn't played anything like it since back when the Nintendo 64 was still relevant. "How do I do that move you did? The one to get back up in the arena."

Anna pointed at her controller and demonstrated the up-b move for Elsa's Zelda.

They whiled away the day playing it and Mario Kart. By the time they switched games, Elsa had even managed to win a couple of the matches. She had only needed to be on a team for one of those victories. When they started Mario Kart, however, she was actually consistently trouncing both of them, coming in first or second place most games. "You're cheating," Anna insisted, "This is just what driving in New York is like normally."

"It just means I've had practice."

"You can throw shells at people in New York?" Olaf asked, his mouth hanging open.

"It's illegal, but it still happens. Blue shells get you life though."

"Wow."
Anna giggled. "This is why we could just never live in New York. That crack down on shells is absurd."

"Well, that's a shame, I'd love it if you lived here."

Anna's car fell off the course, missing an easy jump.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, my controller wasn't reading," she insisted, clearing her throat.

Fortunately, her controller seemed to work the rest of the day. They played until dinner, when Elsa and Anna were both thrilled to find that Olaf actually liked the plain ham sandwich that Elsa had procured for him. "It's great!"

He enjoyed the PB and J as well, and took half of the slice of cake before asking, "Can I go play more Octopath? I want to beat this boss."

"You have to eat the cake down here," Anna replied. "You're not leaving crumbs in Elsa's guest room."

"Tiana would be upset," Elsa agreed.

He begrudgingly enjoyed his cake at the table and then ran off, grabbing the Switch from its cradle before heading upstairs. Once he was gone, Anna grabbed a second croissant for the two of them. "Do you think we're being bad role models? Having chocolate croissants for dinner, I mean."

"Nah, it gives him something to look forward to in adulthood."

"When you say it like that, being an adult is amazing. I always forget that I could just have chocolate for every meal."

"You're lucky, Tiana would actually kill me if I did. We could heat up one of her meals if you want something more substantial."

Glancing at the fridge, Anna pursed her lips. "I do want that, but right now I really just need all of the chocolate. Let's be bad today. We deserve it, and I definitely need it."

Smiling at her, Elsa asked, "Why, something up?"

Anna hesitantly shook her head. "Not really. I just was hoping we could really talk tonight. I mean we have been, but like, I want to really get deep with you – like, knowing you intimately – I mean better, we've been so surface for like twelve years, I feel like I barely know what's in your head anymore."

"This is gonna require alcohol."

"I'll make margaritas."

"No argument here." Elsa held her hands up in capitulation. "Margaritas and chocolate sounds like the best night."

"I hope it will be." Grinning, Anna found the ingredients and Tiana's extremely expensive and fancy blender. "Giselle says I make the best margaritas."

"What's Esmeralda say? It sounds like she's the better judge from what you've said."

"She says they're not quite as good as Jimmy Buffett's. I'm not sure if she means his restaurants or in person, she refused to specify."

Elsa chuckled, beaming at her sister. "I definitely have to meet her next time I come to town. I'm glad you have such great friends, it's something I'd been rather lacking in for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Anna finished pouring in the tequila and less important ingredients and began mixing their drinks, causing the conversation to pause. When it was finished, Elsa hoped she'd forgotten the topic. "I've met Anya, and Belle, and even Albert. They all care about you so much, and they seem great. How do you not have friends?"

"I do now, but I had kind of let it all fall by the wayside for so long. Work was completely my obsession. Are the drinks done? I hate talking like this sober."

She was promptly handed a massive salt-rimmed glass of the green slurry. "Have a taste."

"Shit." Elsa blinked, licking her lips. "That's amazing."

"And you thought I couldn't cook." She grinned, gesturing toward the living room, where they flopped onto the couch with their overfilled margaritas. Anna took a healthy gulp and looked prepared to say something when she hesitated. "I'm sorry that you were dealing with that."

"It's fine. Honestly, I hadn't even noticed for the longest time. It was just Tiana and work and that was enough for me. Then I finally heard from you, and it reminded me that there was a whole world out there. I'd accomplished almost everything I'd dreamed, I had an even more accomplished partner, but I'd abandoned so much in the process." She swallowed, the drink making the action more pleasant. I hate thinking that I'm the one that abandoned anyone. For so long I knew it was her, but if I'd just talked to her, she wouldn't have been gone from my life. She didn't run off to Portland to get away from me, she did it because she wanted me to have my freedom, my life, and I never even tried to let her know that I wanted her to be part of it.

Anna nervously touched her forearm. "It's not your fault, Elsa. Like you told me, you were working eighty-hour weeks, there's no way you would have had time for everyone. You weren't doing anything intentionally."

"But I was. I just didn't care about anything else. All I cared about was making partner. Now I'm an equity partner, I have enough money that if I wanted I could never work another day in my life, and hell, I'm even getting married," she stared at the ring on her finger before draining the rest of her drink, "And that's all kinds of confusing, but I have practically everything I ever wanted. I still need to get my name on the wall, but then what? If it wasn't for you dragging me out of that state, I wouldn't be sharing it with anyone."

"You'd still have Tiana," Anna offered.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I would. Though she's also getting married, so that'd be a weird thing to share with her." Elsa managed a slight snort. "Besides, she's not around often enough to share much with." Well fuck, I said it. "I'm gonna go refill my glass. You want more?"

Anna nodded, looking up at her. After a moment, she threw herself to her feet. "No, you sit back down, I'll get it."

Elsa drained half of the drink, earning herself a bit of brain freeze, before she set the glass back down. She stared at it, unsure of what to say. The cat was out of the bag and she so desperately wanted to shove it back in there.

"Her being gone really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Honestly, whenever I get home and she's here, I'm shocked. I know how much her career means to her, and I'd never even consider asking her to give it up, especially after everything I've done for mine, but it's hard knowing you'll always be second place. I'm trying so hard to not make work my only priority, and I don't think she's really doing the same."

Anna wiped at her eyes. "I'm sure she's trying her best."
"Maybe now. We've talked about it a lot, and she swears that she'll be better. Now that we're engaged, she's trying so much harder." Her eyes widened and she grabbed the buzzing phone from the nearby coffee table. There was a message saying 'Just landed. I'll call you later, Love you.' It was better than she'd feared, but it was late enough that she should've called. They weren't even filming until the next day. She typed out a quick reply and set the phone on the armrest. "At least she messaged me."

Nodding, Anna snatched her drink and took a large swallow. "Is that enough?" she asked, her voice quavering.

Elsa stared at her, she wasn't sure how to answer. She honestly didn't know. "Maybe."

Her back stiffened, and she set the glass down with both hands, sitting cross-legged on the couch as she turned to fully face Elsa. "Is this what you want?"

"What, margaritas and chocolate croissants?" She took a bite of her briefly forgotten croissant. "Yes, this is absolutely what I want right now."

A nervous grin met Elsa's gaze. Anna paused, searching for words. "Do you want to marry her?"

Elsa's jaw dropped. She wanted to be offended, to storm off, to at least have a response other than draining the rest of her margarita, but that was all she could offer. She'd been asking herself that a lot of late. When she proposed, all of my doubts vanished, I thought I could really do this, that we could make it work. I'd been so worried before then, but it seemed like she'd addressed all of my concerns, and like she'd really try. And she has been. She hasn't even flirted with Anna, she messaged me when she landed, she's doing everything she should be. It hasn't even been a week. Why am I already doubting so much again?

"Elsa?"

"I'm not sure." Tears streamed down her face as she turned away from Anna. "I don't know anymore. I love her, but we don't want the same things anymore, and I don't know if that'll ever change. I'd already been worried that we wouldn't work out, and now here I am about to commit to her and I am so scared. I've been trying so hard to fight it, but I just don't know. Anna, what the hell do I do?"

When she turned back, she didn't find an answer. Instead, she felt her sister's lips press against hers, before she saw her pull back, teal eyes wide and terrified. "I – I didn't mean to do that." She stood up, staring at the drinks, at Elsa's lips, at the stairs, "I'm so sorry. It's just the margaritas. I wasn't thinking."

"Anna."

"I should go."

Elsa threw herself to her feet, kissing Anna back. Her lips were soft, safe, familiar somehow. The kiss only lasted a moment, but it felt so nice to have some sort of grounding, to have someone there for her, someone who wouldn't just disappear the next minute. It wasn't that she thought it was something she really wanted; she didn't think at all, she only felt wanted, needed, safe, and desperate to ease the fears in Anna's eyes. It was only a kiss, she could give her that.

What the fuck am I doing? She pulled back, staring at Anna. "I have to go." She took another step back, watching Anna's face fall. Abandoning her again. Great. "I just need a minute." She turned around and ran upstairs, collapsing onto her bed. What the hell was that? Why did Anna kiss me? Why did I kiss her back?

She didn't go back downstairs, so she missed Tiana's call, but she didn't hear a word from anyone else. She didn't bother to watch TV or anything, she just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts raced through her mind. She looked back on all of Anna's weird behavior, on everything she'd said, and on the intensity of the two kisses. Is my sister in love with me?