Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I claim to own any characters or concepts related to The Princess and the Frog. This is a nonprofit work of fanfiction.

Hahaha, it's, uh, it's been a while, huh? Oh, gosh. I'm sorry! No excuse whatsoever. Thank you so much, all of you, for being so patient with me. :) And thank you, again, for all your kind words! Thank you.

This story is set after the film.

Girls' Day Out

Charlotte descended upon the kitchen like a tornado touching ground. She brushed past Celeste, nearly overturned Pierre and the pot of crawfish he bore in his arms, and with the expected ladylike grace, she shoved Tremaine out of the way.

"Oh, Tia!" she cried. She fell upon her.

"Lottie?" said Tiana. Her hands fluttered at Charlotte's back, rising, startled, to embrace her. "Lottie, just a minute, I have to--" She slammed the oven door shut and grappled with the dials as Charlotte clung to her.

"I see you have found yourself a new shift," murmured Naveen in passing. Tiana shooed him off.

"Lottie, what are you doing here?"

Charlotte adjusted her hat, drawing the wide, silk-laden brim back from her eyes. "Why, for our morning tête-à-tête, honey. Don't you remember?"

"That was today?" said Tiana. She covered her mouth. "Oh, Lottie, I'm so sorry. We've been so busy here, it must've just slipped my mind."

"Well, that's all right," said Charlotte. She flittered her fingers, dismissive. "But we're going to have to hurry if we want to do some shopping before we catch that matinee."

Tiana held her hands up between them, placating, apologetic. "Lottie, that sounds wonderful, but I really can't."

At her back, Naveen shifted a boiling pot from one burner to another; he voiced a smothered oath. Charlotte's face closed in upon itself: her mouth pursed, her brow drew down, her pug nose scrunched. Tiana reached for her, then half-turned, glancing back to Naveen, then looking to Charlotte. Naveen bent over the stove, his arm folded against his chest. He waved his hand at them.

"Do not worry," he said, "I have mastered the pot. The scalded flesh will heal."

"Run some cold water over your arm," Tiana told him. "The burn ointment's in the--"

"Yes, yes, I know which cabinet holds the burn ointment," he grumped. "I remember."

"Don't use the whole tube this time," Tiana shouted after him.

Charlotte grabbed at Tiana's hands, bringing them together, holding them to her chest. "Tia, you promised," she said. "You gave me your word. You work so hard I hardly ever get to see you. And you must be worn down to the bone. You don't ever get to have any fun. Oh, Tia, please, I haven't seen in you so long!"

"It's been three days," said Tiana, laughing, but Charlotte wasn't at all amused. Her bow mouth wobbled.

"That is a long time," said Naveen, as he fiddled with the ointment. He smiled blindingly. "To go a day without Tiana is unthinkable."

"Settle down, husband," she said.

He crossed his eyes at her, stuck out his tongue. The tube squelched in his hand.

"You promised me you'd take today off," said Charlotte.

"Lottie, look, I'd love to go out shopping with you, more than anything--"

Charlotte preened.

"--but I've got to get the restaurant ready for the afternoon."

Charlotte frowned, her fingers still teasing at her bobbed curls. "Can't it wait?"

"As a matter of fact," said Tiana, "no, it can't. There's too much to do. I have to prep the menu, make sure the floor's set up, double-check the evening reservations--"

Charlotte flapped her hand, airy. "Naveen can handle all that, can't you, Naveen?"

He saluted them with the tube, the skin of his arm slick with the ointment. "I will not let you down, my princess!" he said. "I shall shoulder this responsibility with the proper gravity."

"No offense," said Tiana, "but I really don't think--"

"No offense has been taken," he said generously. "Go! Have fun. Enjoy yourselves. I will hold down the Palace." He leaned forward, his smile small, lopsided, rakish. "After all, have I not learned from the best?"

"Very smooth," she told him.

Charlotte bounced on her toes, her heels clicking upon the floor. She took up Tiana's hand again, held it tightly between her own two hands. "Please, please, please, Tia, honey. Just this once."

Tiana rested her hand on Charlotte's arm, a calming touch. Charlotte smiled, her blue eyes glimmering, the corners wet. The kitchen staff bustled about them, everyone going about their tasks both great and small with the unthinking, practiced grace of the well-trained expert.

"Please," said Charlotte.

"Well," said Tiana, "I suppose they could do without me for one day..."

"Hooray!" shouted Charlotte and she flung her arms about Tiana, dancing her around. "We're going to have ourselves so much fun, Tia, just like we used to."

"Before I took all the fun out of her," said Naveen.

"Just give me a minute to get my things together," Tiana said to Charlotte. "And I want to make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to do."

"We all know what we're doing, ma'am," offered Celeste. "You shouldn't worry about us." Pierre piped up in agreement, nodding; his hat slid down over his eyes.

"So, you see?" said Naveen. "We will survive without you, for a little while."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Tiana. She looked to his arm, where the ointment shone on his skin.

"I shall endeavour not to set myself or anything else on fire," said Naveen, his hand over his heart.

"I found the darlingest little boutique," Charlotte was saying, "the absolutely sweetest little place, Tia, and oh, isn't it so exciting? Just us two girls!"

"A little break might be nice," said Tiana, and after all, how long had it been since she'd gone out with Charlotte, just the two of them? No husbands, no work, no deadlines that needed meeting: just her and Charlotte out on the town.

She locked her arm with Charlotte's, an easy, familiar gesture. The smile Charlotte gave her was the same smile she always gave Tiana: affectionate and a little silly and not quite so perfect as the smile she gave everyone else. Tiana smiled back at her.

"We'd better hurry," she said. "We don't want to miss that matinee."

This story was originally posted at livejournal on 01/22/2010, for livejournal user abarero, who purchased fic from me at help_haiti, a fandom auction to raise donations for Haiti in the wake of the earthquake disaster.