Author's Note: Given the responses to the "Hellfire" chapter, I will, in fact, be using it as the starting base for my next story (the other full length story is getting pushed to the backburner and will follow it). I will start the full length story for Dr. Facilier's new scheme as soon as I figure out a title for it.

Song: "I'll Make a Man Out Of You" (For the 2nd time)

Original Movie: Mulan

Naveen and Tiana, semi-romantic, semi-comedic.

"All right," Tiana held the soup ladle in one hand, with both of her hands behind her back, patrolling back and forth like a general trying to encourage his troops. "Tomorrow, gentlemen, is the opening of Tiana's Palace. Which means we're gonna have ourselves a little run through."

Naveen groaned. "And the waiters and waitresses? And the other chef? Why are they not included in this? Why only Louis and I?"

"Just think of yourselves as…ambassadors," Tiana explained. "How I expect you to act and what y'all need to know before we open. You two are the most likely to stay here permanently. Well, Naveen, you're stuck here forever, but as for Louis…well…"

"Oh, you know I'm gonna stay!" Louis nodded enthusiastically and spun his trumpet. "What do I need to know?"

"Remember not to eat the guests."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Y'all know I don't eat humans. No offense, but I heard you taste awful."

"It was a joke," Tiana said with a smile. "All I need from you, Louis, is to lead the band. And to make sure Naveen doesn't spend all of his time here on the stage playing." Louis gave a small salute before wandering off to find the band and start practice. Tiana picked up a pad of paper and pencil from a nearby table. "These are the suggestions people have made for the menu. First off…oh, well that won't do."

"Why? What have they requested?" Naveen asked, peering over his wife's shoulders. "Frog's legs!" He shuddered. "Most certainly not! You were not even thinking of serving those, were you?"

Tiana shook her head. "Of course not. The other requests are…well, mainly just beignets, but also jumbalaya, crawfish, etoufee, po-boys and…King cakes. Musta been a tourist, King cakes are really only made from January sixth to Mardi Gras," she explained when Naveen gave her a puzzled look.

"All right, but I do not serve time in the kitchen, so I still do not understand what you need to tell me," Naveen reiterated.

"Well, for one, you're still going to be working as the maître d', and that means when you're seating people you can't be playing music."

"Yes, yes, I know. We have been over this. And I am to help with the serving and the mincing. This is no problem. You are worrying too much, Tiana. …What are you doing with all of those plates?" As he'd been talking, Tiana had started arranging plates and cups onto three serving platters.

"We're gonna do a little test, see if you're as ready as you think you are. Here you go," she handed him the first tray, then shook her head when he held it with both hands. "No, no. You have to carry all three at once."

"That is not possible!"

"What, you sayin' you ain't strong enough?" she teased.

"Strength is not the issue," Naveen snorted. "But one person simply can not carry three trays and balance all of them. Surely they would spill."

"Perhaps a little demonstration," she suggested, taking the tray back from him. She moved the first tray to the crooks of her arms, balancing it there as she grabbed the other two trays. She walked quickly around the room, stacking one of the trays on top of the other as she reached for the glasses and plates on the third tray and set the tables. Naveen watched, holding his breath as Tiana set every table in the restaurant without tripping or dropping anything. "See? It's not so hard."

"Maybe not," He considered momentarily. "But it seems to me that you have worked as a waitress far longer than I have –uh, done serving, at any rate. I am not a waitress, obviously."

"Won't know until you try," she collected the plates back onto the trays and handed them to Naveen. "We'll start you off with just the plates, since they're more durable than the glasses."

Five hours and twenty broken plates later, Naveen felt like he finally had it under control. While he couldn't balance all three trays at once, he had managed to balance two and Tiana seemed to find that acceptable, at least for now. He still wobbled a bit, much to his annoyance ("How can I be my charming, smooth self if I am tripping over things?" he'd complained), but the past hour he hadn't broken a single dish.

But he had no idea that that was only the start of this trial. Next, water was added to the glasses. It sloshed over the sides, drenching him every few steps. He hadn't quite mastered it when Tiana insisted she add food to his trays.

By the time Tiana finally gave him a break, his formally white suite was stained red in places, he was still wet, there was a crawfish in his hair, he'd sustained a small burn on the top of his hand and possibly worst of all, he felt like a failure. "I do not understand how you did this, day in and day out…and at two jobs! I admire you even more," He admitted, dabbing at one of the stains with a napkin. "I was not very good at this, was I?"

Tiana smiled and kissed him, plucking the crawfish out of his hair right before she leaned in. "Not yet, but you'll get it. We'll start you out slow. I just wanted you to understand what you're getting yourself in for. You really were wonderful."

"Really?"

"Well…no," Tiana admitted. "But that was actually better than my first day. I broke thirty dishes my first day of waitressing, and seventeen the day after. You just need to hit your groove."

"And when does this happen?"

"I'm sure it'll be a few days, at the longest," she assured him, before kissing him again. "In the meantime, maybe you should just do the mincing and play the ukulele for the grand opening…"

Naveen thought it over. "No."

"What? Why not?"

"I have taken the easy way all my life. You taught me better than that, and you deserve for me to work every bit as hard as you do. I do not care how many more dishes I break or how many times I spill food on myself, I will help serve tomorrow."

"That's very sweet," Tiana replied, touched. "But do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure no one gets hurt on all those broken dishes."

Naveen chuckled. "This, I can promise you. Tomorrow night is your night, and it will be glorious. Besides, we are both beautiful enough to distract from a few broken dishes, do you not agree?"

"You are very handsome and charming," Tiana admitted.

"And your food is the most amazing anyone has ever tasted," Naveen added. "That is what matters." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Are you ready?"

"I am a bit nervous," she admitted.

"Well then," Naveen clapped his hands together and rose from his chair before pulling Tiana to her feet as well. "As your husband, I must do my job. I have excellent ways of calming nerves. Perhaps I could show you at our own home?" He pulled her closer to him, his eyes sparkling as he made his suggestion clear.

"I think that may be just what I need."

Author's Note: I know Naveen is usually very graceful, but when you're not used to carrying a lot of things at once, it can be difficult. I just imagine him tripping when he first tries, though I bet he'd improve very quickly. He seems like the fast learning type, given his quick adaptation to being a frog. I hope this chapters relation to the song is clear. ...um, next chapter's gonna be Ray/Evangeline, for a change of pace.