Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen nor its characters, nor do I own any characters from other Disney works. Disney owns everything - including my heart, soul, and wallet.

Chapter 11 - Some Things Never Change

"Please don't wander too far ahead, girls," Jules called as Elsa and Anna skipped several feet in front of them, laughing brightly. "And do not let go of Anna's hand, little fawn!"

Elsa turned around and gave her mother a smile, "Yes, Mama. Of course!"

Anna was rather small for their age and could easily get lost in a crowded area, but Elsa's platinum blond hair was easy to spot. Whenever they went anywhere, their mother's always told them to stick to each other closely. Not that they'd ever need telling twice, really; they never left each other's side. The girls were headed straight for the carousel located at the mall's center, just below the food court, with their mothers trailing closely behind. Anna's seventh birthday was only a week away and the young girls wanted to buy matching outfits for the party so their mother's brought them to the mall.

Though first, as always, was a ride or two on the carousel. The girls got into line quickly, their mother's joining them once they caught up. The girls were bouncing with excitement, giggling and making a general ruckus.

"We really shouldn't have stopped at Fenton's before coming here," Jules said, looking at Iduna with stern eyes.

"Oh lighten up, love," Iduna said with a laugh. "They would be like this even without all the sugar. Isn't that right, girls?"

The girls weren't paying any attention though as it was their turn to board. They just laughed and ran off to circle the carousel in search of their usual mounts - a mighty reindeer for Anna and a blue horse for Elsa.

"Come on! Come on! Come on, Elsie!" Anna shouted when she saw that their steeds were still available. She ran up to the reindeer and gave him a hearty pat on the side. "Hiya, Sven! I've missed you!"

Anna looked over to see Elsa curtsy to her horse and give it a gentle pat on the nose just as both their mothers found them. Jules and Iduna helped their daughters onto their chosen animals and strapped them in before heading off to stand with the other parents.

"How many times do you think they'll let us go around?" Anna asked the blonde.

"Twice," Elsa said as she waved at their mothers. "Any more than that and you'll surely get sick."

"I will not!"

Elsa turned to Anna and raised her eyebrows with a smirk. Anna always had a penchant for motion sickness. "Yes you would."

"I will not. You'll see! We'll ride it three times; maybe four," she responded. Anna also had a penchant for being stubborn.

Elsa, on the other hand, had a penchant for being correct. Once their second ride was done, their mothers tried to coax them off of the carousel, but Anna insisted she could ride it two more times. After their third ride in a row, Elsa looked over at Anna. She was impressed; Anna usually only made it through two rides on the carousel before a "Code V" situation occurred, but this time, Anna was sitting strong so they rode once more.

"You did it, Anna!" Elsa exclaimed happily. Anna nodded, looking down at the back of Sven's head. "That was four! Did you want to go one more time?"

Anna nodded again, but that made Elsa frown. Anna was being much too quiet for such a milestone. She studied Anna closer and noticed the unusual paleness beneath her freckles, the slight tinged hue to her cheeks, the light sheen of sweat glistening along her brow.

"Anna, are you okay?" The younger of the two girls nodded one more time with her mouth clamped so tightly shut that her lips were a thin, white line. Elsa wasn't buying it. She hopped down from her horse and held out her hand to Anna to help her down. Anna looked at the offered hand, but shook her head and did not look at the blonde. Stubborn as ever. "Come on, Anna. Let's get off and give someone else a turn to ride Sven and Nokk. I think I'm ready to find your birthday outfit now, and I don't think I'll keep my ice cream down if I ride it one more time."

Elsa knew she won immediately when Anna grinned at her gratefully. They both knew that Elsa was fine, but she was pretending for Anna's sake. They walked over to their mothers hand in hand slowly, both Jules and Iduna were sending Anna identical expressions that said both 'my poor little girl' and 'I told you so' in a single glance.

"I didn't want to go another time," Elsa said lightly before either of their mothers could get a word out. The two women shared a knowing look before Iduna pulled out a small bottle of ginger-ale for Anna who took it willingly once it was opened and handed to her. She took a few tentative sips before handing the bottle back to her mother.

"Okay, girls," Jules said. "Where are we going? Bippity Boppity Boutique?"

Both Elsa and Anna began excitedly agreeing to the suggestion, speaking over each other with phrases like 'Yes please please please' and 'oh my goodness yes yes yes.' They quickly linked arms and started skipping their way to the storefront on the other side of the mall. The young girls always enjoyed shopping there as the staff had a way of making their little patrons feel just like perfect princesses.

The mothers, who were closely following behind them, realized a second too late that the skipping was a bad choice. Not three hops later, Anna came to a sudden halt as the twin-braided redhead hunched over and the double scoop of triple fudge ice cream found its way back up. Jules and Iduna went to work quickly, the brunette woman picking up Anna and rubbing comforting circles on her back, and Jules getting the attention of the staff.

"We've got a Code V… Yeah, it's little Anna again… Four cycles… Yeah, I know," the acne-faced teenager running the carousel chuckled into her cellphone. She turned to Jules with a smile once she hung up. "Clean up crew is on the way."

"Thank you, Becca," Jules responded with an apologetic expression before she made her way to Elsa who was waiting patiently on the side as the adults took control of the situation. She could tell that Elsa was tense and she picked her up the same way Iduna had picked up Anna. "What's the matter, little fawn?"

"I should have made us get off the carousel," Elsa said quietly. She had never felt so terrible about being right before. "I knew she'd get sick, but I let her keep riding."

"Don't worry yourself, Elsa," Jules said as she walked them over to where Iduna was standing with Anna, the smaller of which was resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "We all know there's no forcing Anna out of something she's set her mind on, even against better judgement. She'll eventually understand her limits."

Elsa nodded and turned slightly in her mother's arms when they reached the other pair. She mirrored Anna's position and laid her head on Jules' shoulder. "How are you feeling, Anna?"

"Quincy… Queenly?" Anna said with a frown. "What am I trying to say?"

"Queasy?" Elsa suggested with a giggle.

"Yeah," Anna said and winced when she let out a little burp. "Gross… ice cream does not taste good a second time. Not even chocolate ice cream."

The other three all scrunched their noses at the comment, but Elsa also reached into her mother's purse hanging off the same shoulder and pulled out a peppermint. Unwrapping it, Elsa reached out and Anna let her pop it into her mouth.

"Fanks," she said as she sucked on the candy. "I fink I feel be'er."

"Come on, darlings," Iduna said. "Let's get you two back for a nap. We'll come back later."

"Can we ride the carousel again?" Anna asked.

Elsa lifted her head to shake it slowly as she laughed. "What am I ever going to do with you?"

"Elsa, come on! We've got to go or we'll be late and Ariel hates waiting," Anna called up the staircase.

"I'm right here. There's no need to shout," Elsa said and she rounded the corner of the mid-landing.

"Your dad is pulling the car around. He said he'd drop us off on the way to his office," Anna said. Elsa nodded and sat on the bottom stair to put on her impossibly immaculate, white Keds. "How do you keep your shoes so clean?!"

Elsa paused as her eyes darted to Anna's scuffed up Chuck Taylors. She couldn't keep the small smirk off her face. "We've had this conversation before, Anna."

"We have?" Anna asked with a frown.

"I swear you've got a sieve for a memory sometimes," Elsa said with a small shake of her head, tying up her laces. "Third grade. Only a week into school and your new shoes were already all battered up, but mine still looked untouched. I told you it's because I don't run around in the dirt and you said that it's only fun if -"

"You get a little messy," Anna finished with a big smile. She offered Elsa a hand up, which the blonde took. "That's right. I totally forgot about that."

"Some things never change," Elsa responded with a chuckle. They headed out the front door, locking up behind themselves. Elsa went to get in the back seat when Anna stopped her.

"You don't have to sit in the back, Elsa. It's your dad's car. You should sit shotgun. I do when Mama is driving."

"Have you gotten over your motion sickness?" Elsa asked with a single raised eyebrow. Anna just blushed under the scrutiny. She should have guessed Elsa had her reasons. Her thoughtfulness, even after years of separations, was as persistent as the rise and fall of the sun. The older girl sent the younger a knowing smirk. "Just take the front seat, Anna."

"Thanks, Elsie," she said sheepishly.

Anna had been correct. Ariel was already waiting for them at the agreed upon location, but she at least wasn't alone. She and Rapunzel were window shopping at a kiosk that was selling lotions and fragrances.

"Sorry, we're a little late," Anna said.

"It's cool. We just got here too," Rapunzel said. "Hey, Elsa! Glad you came out with us."

"Hi, Rapunzel," she responded and turned to Ariel with a nod. "Ariel."

"Elsa," the red haired girl responded with an inexpressive face.

Anna and Rapunzel looked between the two other girls and then to each other warily. It was like watching a game of chicken; each girl almost daring the other to blink. Anna had hoped that after all these years, these two could just let it go, but it seemed that was just wishful thinking. Finally, she couldn't stand the tension anymore.

"Hey! Why did Peter Pan fail flight school?" Anna said with exaggerated excitement. The other three girls just stared at her with wide eyes at the sudden, over exuberant outburst. "Because he couldn't land!"

Silence. Anna scrunched her nose as she replayed what she just said.

"Wait… that can't be right. That's not remotely funny at all. Because he never learned to land? No, that's not it either…"

Anna paused, scratching absently at her head as she went over the joke in her head once more, mumbling it out to herself to find where she went wrong. Suddenly, her three friends started laughing uncontrollably. Well, at least Rapunzel and Ariel were laughing uncontrollably, hunched over and grabbing a stitch in their sides, trying their hardest to take a full breath. Elsa, on the other hand, was hiding her mouth behind one hand. She never really was one to laugh so uninhibitedly, but Anna easily recognized her actions as Elsa's full surrender to the merriment. The broken tension made Anna smile, even if it was at her expense.

"You're the worst joke teller I've ever met," Rapunzel said as she hooked an arm through one of Anna's and started leading the group to the art store. "But it makes you you, and that's one of those things I love."

When they entered the The Paint Chip, Rapunzel immediately went over to the oil paints and Elsa followed her with interest while Anna headed over to the pieces of artwork hung up along the wall for display and sale. Ariel joined her and the two gingers spent a few minutes appreciating the works of several local artists. After looking at a particularly eye catching painting of brightly colored swirling brushstrokes that made Anna, for some reason, feel inexplicably uneasy, she half turned to face her friend.

"I'd appreciate it if you could at least try getting along with Elsa," Anna said quietly as to not attract the attention of the other girls a few aisles away, broaching the touchy subject from earlier. Ariel looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Please, Ariel?"

"Elsa and I have never seen eye to eye," Ariel started.

"That's because, in the deepest ways, you're very similar," Anna said. Ariel's eyebrows furrowed and she opened her mouth to protest angrily, if Anna was reading her expression right, so Anna held up her hand to stop her before she could get started. "You're both kind and caring, you're very protective of those you love, but most of all - you're both stubborn. The most stubborn. So stubborn it's frustrating."

"I am not!" Ariel said in a harsh whisper. "And Elsa and I have nothing in common."

"You're only proving my point here," Anna said, raising an eyebrow. Ariel opened and closed her mouth several times to attempt a rebuttal, but in the end only succeeded at a mildly accurate impression of a guppy out of water. "Look, I love you and I love her. You're my two best friends. I would like to be able to hang out with both of you at the same time, but you're making that difficult with all the glaring and tense silences and the general aura of hatred."

"I have no idea what you're…" Ariel began, but conceded after another pointed look from the other girl. Ariel sighed and turned back to the paintings. "Okay, fine! I'll try to play nice, but she has to too."

"Tutus are for ballerinas," Anna said with a laugh. Ariel rolled her eyes in the dramatic way that only Ariel can. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. Don't worry though, I'll talk to her. Besides… fourth grade was so long ago. Maybe you two can finally bury the hatchet?"

"And waste a perfectly good weapon?"

"Ariel!"

"Okay okay, yeesh," she sighed. Ariel looked at Anna sincerely. "For you, I will try."

"That's all I ask," Anna said as the other two found them. Rapunzel was carrying a large tote of merchandise. "Got everything you need, Zel?"

"And then some," Rapunzel said with a huge smile. "My mom also asked me to pick up some new strings for the guitars. How about we stop at the music store and get that out of the way and then we can have lunch?"

The girls all agreed and made their way across the mall to Sharps and Flats, the resident instrument retailer and repair store. Elsa paused in the entrance of the store as the other three dispersed through the different sections. The sounds of all the customers testing out different instruments assaulted her ears in her favorite way. She zoned in on an older man testing out a drum kit, his beats unknowingly matching the young girl shredding away on an electric guitar on the other side of the room. She heard the jangling of a tambourine that was being shaken mindlessly and her eyes were drawn to the toddler holding it as his mother browsed through the vinyl records. It was a cacophony of sound in the best way possible and it brought a smile to her face.

After taking it all in, Elsa headed to her favorite section at the back of the store. She pushed open the heavy glass door into the wood paneled room designated for acoustic instruments. She admired the wall of hollow body guitars, the small selection of Koa wood ukuleles, the rows of orchestral instruments including her instrument of choice - the cello. What caught her eye most though, was the baby grand piano sitting stage center in the room. Walking over to it, she lifted the fallboard and ran her fingers along the cold surface of the keys. It didn't occur to her how much she missed playing music until this moment.

She rubbed her hands together and stretched her fingers, assessing her mobility today. Elsa admitted to herself - she felt good. Better than she had in a couple weeks. Sitting down on the bench and rolling her shoulders back in practiced fashion, Elsa closed her eyes and let her fingers fly along the ivories. She relished in the perfect sound that the room created as she wove melody, harmony, and rhythm together with her own two hands. As the last note died out, she let out a sigh and a contented smile, but was startled when she heard a quiet clapping coming from behind her.

Anna had seen Elsa enter the closed off area and followed behind her a few paces, allowing Elsa a minute's space. She knew Elsa wasn't really one for crowds, and the mall on a Saturday was teeming with people so she gave her a moment of reprieve. When she saw Elsa sit down at the piano though, she couldn't help but quietly slip in and sneak a listen. Elsa still played piano as beautifully as she remembered. Anna was aware that the blonde loved the cello, preferred it above all other instruments actually, but there was something about the way Elsa's elegant fingers dabbled across the keys that comforted Anna.

"That was beautiful," Anna said after she finished her small applause. She walked over to Elsa and sat next to her on the piano bench. "What composer was it?"

"Chopin," Elsa said with a smile.

"Ah, I should have guessed. He's your favorite."

Elsa nodded and turned back to the keys and started to play quietly; not another piece, she just let her fingers fall to the next notes naturally. Anna watched her hands slowly mull over the keyboard for a few heartbeats.

"You quit the orchestra?" It wasn't really a question, but Elsa nodded anyway. "Why? You obviously miss playing. And it clearly brings your peace and joy."

"It was getting to be too much." A half truth, but Elsa didn't want to tell Anna her secret. At least not here and certainly not today.

"Well, you still have the gift," Anna said. She let the quiet settle between them as Elsa started up another piece. Listening closely and watching the slender hands dance along the black and whites, Anna suddenly felt overcome with sadness though she was unsure why. Then suddenly, like lightning on a dry desert night or the flare as a memory is caught on film, it struck her. The image of a woman who looked so exactly like the teenager seated next to her flashed within her mind's eye, and the tears that she didn't realize were welling up spilled over quietly.

Anna closed her eyes and let the quiet melody wash over her. Memories that she hadn't thought of in a long time played in her head as the song unlocked echoes she'd long ago tucked away. They made her feel safe and comforted, but devastated at the same time. A young lifetime with a second mother flooded her mind like a tidal wave down a river where a dam of self enforced repression once stood. As the final refrain resonated within the pine room around them, Anna wiped her cheeks and turned to Elsa with a smile.

"Debussy. That's Mama Jules' favorite piece," she said.

"I haven't played it in a while," Elsa nodded once more and returned Anna's smile with a small one of her own. "I'd forgotten how lovely it is."

"I miss her," Anna whispered.

"Me too."

"Remember when she tried to teach me to play?" Anna asked, voice suddenly lighter. She couldn't sit in the melancholy any longer. If Anna was good at anything, it was deflecting in times of heightened gloom. Elsa smiled, knowing exactly what the redhead was doing, but didn't comment on it.

"You didn't have enough patience," Elsa said with a chuckle. "And neither did Mama when it came to getting you to sit still long enough to get through one set of scales."

"Eh, music is your thing. I'm more of an art appreciator," Anna responded with a regal wave of her hand. She adopted a snooty, almost high English sort of accent. "You there! Yes, sir, you. Your art. It is quite lovely. I shall pay you handsomely to own it."

And then Anna heard it. The rare, uninhibited laugh. A melody only a fair few were granted access to hear and she froze with a smile on her face as it filled the room designed specifically to reverberate such musical sounds. Where Anna's laughter was boisterous and booming, a rolling thunder of mirth; Elsa's laughter was more like a delicate tune dancing across the keys of a piano. It had been a long time since she'd heard that sound, but she recognized it immediately. Elsa's words were right this morning.

Some things never change.

"Hey, girls," Rapunzel said as she poked her head into the room. Elsa and Anna stopped laughing and turned to look at the brunette. "Ariel is getting a little… hangry. I think it's time to feed the beast before she suddenly sprouts tentacles and tries wreaking havoc all across The Bay."

"Shhh, you're being too noisy," Elsa said in a stern whisper. "Mama is going to hear."

"I know, I know. I'm being quiet," Anna insisted, but started giggling again as soapy water sloshed over the side of the bathtub.

"That's the opposite of quiet."

"Girls! Where are you?" They heard Jules calling through the closed door. Elsa and Anna froze hoping that she'd walk right past the bathroom they were hiding in.

"Arf!"

Busted. The door handle jiggled.

"Girls, what are you doing in there? Unlock the door this instant."

"We're taking a bath, Mama!" Elsa called out. "We got a little muddy outside."

It wasn't a complete lie. They did get muddy as they chased the dog along the garden path. Neither Elsa nor Anna was sure where the dog had come from, but they were determined to find a way to keep it.

"You know you aren't supposed to lock the door during bath time. Open it up right now!" Jules called desperately through the door.

"Arf! Arf!"

Anna quickly put a hand over the dog's mouth. "Shh, Marshmallow. You're going to get us caught"

"Marshmallow?"

"He's just so fluffy!"

"Do you girls have a dog in there?!" Jules' voice came through the door again.

"No!" Elsa said quickly.

"Definitely not, Mama Jules!" Anna backed her up.

"I see." They heard footsteps leading away from the bathroom and they both let out a sigh of relief. Elsa turned the removable shower head back on and started to rinse off the pup when they heard a jingling getting closer. They looked at each other with wide eyes and quickly pulled the curtain closed just as the door swung open to reveal Jules with a ring of keys in her hand.

Jules' eyes swept the scene, taking in the muddy clothes the girls were still wearing, the soapy water coating the floor, the noise of the shower still running, the nervous and guilty expressions on the two little faces staring up at her. Before she could say anything, another loud 'Arf' sounded from the tub. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You two are going to give me white hair."

"How was the day, girls?" Iduna asked as Anna and Elsa slid into the car a couple hours later. After lunch, they had spent a little time shopping and both of them had a few bags of items they'd picked up throughout the day.

"Great!" Anna said as she buckled in. "I got a new jacket. I'm not sure what happened to this one, but I tore the sleeve."

She protracted her left arm across her body to show her mother the tear she'd gotten along the seams of the sleeve on the back of her shoulder. Elsa provided the answer though.

"She got excited in the pet store. They were having an adoption event and she hopped into the little pen set up with a bunch of puppies," Elsa said from the back seat. "They were all over her. The jacket didn't stand a chance."

"What was I supposed to do? They were just all so cute," Anna said, sending her mother a look. It was all wide eyes and pouty bottom lip.

"No."

"What? I didn't ask anything," Anna said with exaggerated innocence.

"Just no."

"But look at how adorable and sweet Marshmallow is!" Anna exclaimed as she shoved her phone in her mother's face. She'd taken a selfie with the fluffiest corgi baby in the pen.

"That's good," Iduna said. "He'll definitely get adopted then… by someone else."

"Aw, Mama! Please!"

Iduna paused. "Okay."

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise as an audience member in the back seat. She was certain that Mama Ida was never going to cave. Neither her own mother nor her godmother had caved when they'd snuck the original Marshmallow into the house. Anna seemed to think the same thing.

"Wait… really?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes," Iduna clarified. "When you're older and have your own place and own income."

Now that makes more sense, Elsa thought.

Anna pouted for real this time, crossing her arms and glaring out her side window. The entire car ride home was journeyed in silence. When they finally arrived back at the Manor, both teens brought their stuff up to their rooms as Iduna went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After putting away the things she'd bought, Elsa exited her room to head to her study when she paused outside Anna's door. The ginger was lying on her bed, scrolling through the photos of the puppies she'd taken that afternoon.

"I told you not to name him," Elsa said sympathetically, leaning on the open door frame. She was hesitant to enter without expressed permission. She wasn't sure if their friendship was at that point yet.

"I know," Anna said dejectedly, rolling onto her back and putting her phone down. She patted the bed next to her. Elsa took the invitation and sat down. "Sometimes I just can't help myself. I fall so fast."

"All heart. Your head never could keep up with it," Elsa smiled. She looked down at the phone and saw one she'd taken of the new Marshmallow smothering Anna in kisses. "He really is a sweet puppy."

Anna sat up suddenly, startling Elsa. "Let's get a dog!"

"Anna, you already tried this," Elsa frowned. "Mama Ida was pretty clear."

"Yeah, no. I get it. She said when I'm older and have my own place and blah blah blah. Yeah," Anna said, but she was bouncing with excitement. "I meant let's do that! When we're college roommates, let's get a dog!"

Oh, that's right. The plan, Elsa thought. They had discussed it numerous times when they were children. Go to Ahtohallan Prep, graduate, attend their dream school - Arendelle University (where Elsa would study some sort of science and Anna would study… well, something), share an apartment, find their true loves, eventually marry those true loves, have daughters to raise as best friends. Do all those steps together (this was non-negotiable).

Basically - be their mothers.

And thinking about it now made the tightness in Elsa's chest take hold. She took a deep breath and put on a smile though. Now was not the time.

"Definitely, Anna," she said.

"Really?" Anna said, smile so bright the sun should feel ashamed.

"Of course," Elsa said, the anxiety melting away. She adopts the same fake English accent Anna had used earlier in the music store. "Sir Anna the Galant deserves her mighty steed."

"Yay! I'm so excited!" Anna said with a mischievous laugh as if she'd gotten away with something. Then her expression quickly changed as she gave Elsa a serious look that made the blonde wary. "I need to talk to you about getting along with Ariel."

Elsa groaned and laid down with a flop. She sighed and looked up at Anna.

"Fine, but you're going to have to pull out that box of See's chocolates you bought. I could use a -"

"Dark Chocolate Scotch Mallow?" Anna asked.

"You know me too well," Elsa said, smiling.

Some things really never change, Anna thought as she pulled out the white and gold box.

A/N: I had written a different Chapter 11. However, I had, on a whim, included a line in Chapter 10 about the girls going to the mall. I thought it would almost be like cheating you if I didn't include the outing, so I took an extra week to write this out. Not much happens in it, it's mostly just here for fluff and a break of the main part of the story… which, when it resumes next, will get heavy. So I felt like I (and you) could do with the postponement for one more chapter.

If you're interested - Elsa was first playing Etude Op. 10, No 3 by Chopin. Then the piece she plays next (Jules' favorite) is Debussy's Reverie. These are two of my favorite pieces, so I listened to them on repeat while I wrote the scene.

On another note - "Code V" is what Disney staff use at the parks for that exact situation. I'm having some serious Disneyland withdrawals. My Annual Pass hasn't gone unused this long in over 6 years.

Anyway - Stay safe, healthy, and happy, friends! As always - Thanks for reading!