WARNING: NSFW. Punzelsanna content (Elsa/Anna/Jennifer Punzel).

NOTE: Wow, did not intend to post this almost exactly one month after the last chapter. But hey, that's kinda fun! I hope you all enjoy Anna's birthday celebration (which, also very coincidentally, happened right after my own). See you with another chapter very soon!


CHAPTER FOURTEEN

John did make the time to stop by the following week. Anna had been out with Punz, but she heard all about it when she got home. That really was the best news she could have expected. She found herself smiling the whole while they were having that conversation, even if it felt a little too early for celebration. But it was a step in the right direction.

Wendy didn't come around until after Christmas break was over and done with. Anna and Punz were already back in classes, and she only heard through a call from her dad that Wendy had stopped by to mend fences, and been highly distressed that she had missed her chance…

Since Elsa was already gone. Just as she had promised, once the holiday was over with, she hopped into the time machine and fast-forwarded another month. Again, from her father, Anna heard that Doc Pabbie had rigged up her phone so that the call would originate from somewhere overseas - a simple matter for anyone who'd heard of a VPN before, much less an actual scientist - and Elsa talked to her eldest daughter that way. Then checked in with John, as well. Then… gone again.

It was sad that Anna didn't get to see her during that visit, but it couldn't be helped. Her mother seemed determined to hold herself to that self-imposed policy that she and Anna had to eventually be closer in age if she was going to let herself enjoy their relationship. So when month after month slipped by, she wasn't surprised not to really hear from her mother.

Until the middle of March. Anna's nineteenth birthday.

Through pure chance, it fell on a Saturday, so she and Punz spent the day together, able to freely ignore the demands of classes. They had planned to see a movie and go out to dinner. And it was nice, it was, but on the drive home Anna couldn't help the little bead of sadness that kept pestering the back of her mind.

It felt… weird, not seeing Elsa on this particular date. Or hearing from her. And while she absolutely appreciated Jennifer and everything they did that day – everything that she had done to make her birthday special, like the incredible girlfriend she was – it was still depressing not to hear from her mother at all, and it weighed on her.

Clearly Punz knew. Anna tried not to drag her down, because she didn't want Punz to think she didn't love spending time with her, but she could still tell when Anna wasn't feeling completely okay. Maybe she had known that if Elsa didn't contact her then Anna would feel down, because when they got back to the dorm, there was a surprise waiting that Anna never would have guessed.

Or rather, wouldn't have guessed all of it. She had hoped – and to a certain degree, expected – they would have the traditional birthday sex at some point in the day. The thought that Punz would take it further than she ever had before didn't even cross Anna's mind. Punz was gorgeous and sweet and so, so receptive. Not passive, just… reactionary.

So when she pushed Anna onto the bed, moving to sit astride her as she pulled her shirt off, it was the most heavenly surprise.

"You're mine tonight," she said, leaning forward to capture Anna's lips in a possessive display of power. The quick view Anna had of the extra-lacy bra was enough to get her heart pumping. Any remaining thoughts of Elsa temporarily slipped beneath the waves of her own arousal.

"What does that mean?" she found herself whispering a short time later, as her own body was shucked of its trappings. "Do you… want me to call you 'master' or something?"

Punz flashed her a dark smile. One Anna could tell was completely pretend, but she appreciated all the same; this girl didn't have a sinister bone in her whole body. "Hmm, I like the sound of that. What about 'Miss Punzel'?"

Though privately, Anna felt weird about that because she used to call Jennifer's mother that sometimes, but she more often called her "Mrs. P" so it wasn't as odd as it could have been. So she simply nodded and whispered, "Miss Punzel, you're trying to seduce me."

"Oh, so now I'm your mom and you're me, huh?" Then she wrinkled her nose briefly. "Wait… that doesn't work, because your mom seduced you, not me. Nevermind, my Graduate metaphor totally fell apart."

"It's okay," Anna laughed. Privately, she thought Punz was a failure as a Dom, but she didn't want her to be a Dom. She wanted to be with her girlfriend - even if that meant playing their roles a little longer, just for fun. So she cleared her throat and started over: "Miss Punzel… what are you going to do to my body?"

Jennifer bit her lip for a long moment, eyes sweeping up and down her half-stripped form. "Mmm… anything I want. And there are a lot of things, little Anna."

"Little?!"

The outburst, minor though it was, allowed Anna to see a glimpse beyond the dominant act Punz was putting on; it made her shirk back, just a little; made her eyes slip from where they looked into Anna's. Made her look…

Scared. That really shouldn't have been a surprise to Anna at all. This was so far from the realm that they usually explored – or rather, the realm that Jennifer usually took charge of. If there was any roleplaying to be done, Anna orchestrated the entire affair. Punz was doing this purely to make her happy. Stepping beyond the bounds of her own comfort zone to do something she knew Anna enjoyed.

Anna had to kiss her for that. Then she had to divest Punz of the rest of her clothing just so she could look at her. Of course, it was the lacy red bra that held her attention the most, but she did make sure to appreciate the matching pair of panties that clothed Punz's glorious behind.

It was then that she remembered that Punz was supposed to be in control; how easily she handed it over! As fun as it would be to turn the tables, it was also glaringly obvious that her girlfriend had a plan; so, leaning forward and letting her hands caress the skin of Jennifer's thighs, Anna whispered, "Tell me what you want, Miss Punzel."

The small whimper Punz let out was delicious, but she was quick to regain control. "On the bed. Naked. Now. Right now." Okay, perhaps not as in control as she intended, but that was okay. This was new to the both of them.

But just as Anna was removing her shirt, there came an unwelcome interruption from the door. The worst part wasn't that someone was trying to get in; it was that they were succeeding. At the first thump, Anna had dreaded a stranger either calling out "Sorry!" or someone knocking and asking if they were in. Unfortunately, instead they heard the sound of a key scraping in a lock.

"Shit!" Punz whispered frantically. "The RA!"

At least it wasn't the RA, or anyone else on staff. In the darkened room, they could make out a blonde head peeking through the door, joy dancing in her eyes. Once the door swung a little wider, the eyes turned from amused to shocked.

"OH! O-Oh my GOD!"

"Elsa!" Anna hissed under her breath, trying to pull the sheet over hers and Punz's bodies and failing completely; it was pinned down by her own weight. "What are- did you- maybe KNOCK or something?!"

"Sorry!" she hissed, edging into the room and closing the door behind her. "Girls, I'm very sorry, I didn't- the lights were out, I thought I could surprise you before you got back from… well, from wherever you were!"

"Well consider me surprised!" Anna called out. There was still anger and disbelief in her tone, but that wasn't the only thing; once Anna had stopped trying to cover herself, it was easy to see how pleased she was. Her mother hadn't forgotten her birthday, after all.

"I'll come back in… in an hour?" she asked. It was too dark to make out her expression. Punz just sat atop Anna awkwardly – at least she wasn't facing the door. But even after offering, Elsa made no move to leave. Punz twisted her head a little, just to observe the older woman. Elsa's gaze was glued to Anna – in fact, Punz was certain that if she hadn't been there, Elsa would have stalked forward and done… well, exactly what she had been trying to do.

Hand shaking and voice trembling, she reached out to gently palm one of Anna's breasts. "If that's what Anna wants." God her voice sounded so frail, and it was nearly drowned out by Anna's gasp.

"I really am sorry," Elsa breathed, reaching over to set a couple of things on one of their desks. In the darkness, it was hard to tell what they were. "You can get on with whatever you were doing before, and I'll… catch you another time. Happy birthday, Anna."

The fact that Anna was about to let her go, without chasing after her for once, seemed to light a fire under Punz. Elsa had actually turned the doorknob and pulled it already when she squeaked, "Wait!"

"Hm?"

"Wait, Mrs… Elsa. I, um, I wanted to ask… to ask, um, what are you here for? Just like, because I know you didn't… that this wasn't on purpose, so what were you…"

After a few seconds when there had been no interruption of the sentence, she shrugged and whispered, "You're right, I wasn't trying to... interrput. I was just going to surprise Anna, but I think you have that covered!"

"She does," Anna said in deference to Punz. "But I mean, thank you. Seriously! It's just… y-yeah, we were in the middle of something."

"Of course! I completely understand."

"But you can come back in… an hour or two, and we can go out for ice cream or something like that. Right, Punz?"

But a very thoughtful look was on Punz's face. Not that Anna could see much in the darkness, but she had a feeling Punz was still blushing, and could almost feel her breath coming faster in some kind of panic. It worried her, until she whispered, "Yeah. I mean, you could stay now, too, if you wanted. Anna definitely wants you here, I think."

"No, no, I wouldn't want you two to stop for my sake," Elsa tried to laugh it off. She had stopped moving towards the door though – an invitation for Punz to continue, perhaps, or an indication that she didn't really want to leave, either. Maybe both.

"Who says we have to stop?" Punz shot back. Anna could hear the defensiveness lacing her tone, as much as it was shaking from anxiety, but she was more distracted by the words. And her own arousal. If Punz meant what Anna thought she meant, then…

Swallowing, Anna lifted herself up onto her elbows. She was still naked from the waist up, and the knowledge that both people in the room were aware of that fact… well, it certainly wasn't making her arousal fade.

"Wait, Jen," Anna began. "Do you mean like– we keep going? With Elsa still there?!"

Truth be told, it was something she hadn't considered. This was already weird enough – no need to make it weirder by inviting her girlfriend to have to confront it face-to-face. There was so much 'nope' already for any typical person to handle. But then, if Punz was offering – was okay with doing what she suggested, and Elsa okay with it, as well, then Anna saw no reason to argue. The longer she thought about it, the more appealing it was. But could either of them really be okay with that?

The best part was that even though she had asked a question, Punz didn't feel the need to verbally respond. She knew Anna's body – knew all its little signs and indications. So when she placed her hand on Anna's chest, gently rubbing circles against a pert nipple, it was more than enough of an answer.

Anna groaned and Elsa murmured a heated, "Oh goodness," and stumbled over to the unused bed on the other side of the room, sitting down heavily. As if she had sea legs.

"What's the matter?" Punz said, still sounding somehow both petulant and taunting. "You can't act like you've never seen her like this before."

"It's not that," Elsa assured her in a raspy voice. "Well… it'll sound silly to admit that I felt a little weak in the knees. I really should get up and shut the door, though…"

A thrill of dread shot through Anna's stomach. The door was still very slightly open; just a crack, so anyone walking past wouldn't see much. But they might hear something. After a split second's indecision, she scrambled out of the bed and shot toward it, practically slamming it shut.

"That's one solution," Elsa chuckled, a little amazed at the situation they found themselves in. Anna could relate.

"Good. Now, um… where were we?"

Punz stood from the bed. "I'll make this really easy for you, Anna." For a moment, she was afraid that her girlfriend would move to the door and leave, and that would be that. A horrible conversation to have the next day that would involve a lot of regrets and maybe some shouting.

But instead, she moved to the bed where Elsa sat and plopped down right next to her. Even in the low light, it was easy to see how much she was shaking as she looped her hand around Elsa's waist – prompting the elder woman to let out a quiet yip of pure surprise – then patted her own lap with the other.

"Come get your present, Anna."

The tremble was evident in her voice, too, but it seemed she genuinely wanted to go through with this. After all, she had always thought Jennifer was one of the bravest people she knew - and not because she was never scared. But because she could always push through that fear when it was important. Anna's eyes flickered over to Elsa, who was sitting stock-still as though any motion would send Punz scurrying for the hills.

"Well? Come on, Birthday Girl, it's not gonna wait around forever."

Smirking to herself, Anna finally began moving forward. Punz wasn't very convincing, but it wasn't like she didn't want whatever was going to happen. Her two favourite women were offering her a dream situation; she had to at least see if it would lead anywhere. Straddling Punz's lap, though, she had a brief moment of doubt.

"Wait, was my present this? Or was it… y'know, you?"

As soon as she asked, though, it became obvious that it had been a very stupid question. Punz froze, and her face darkened; this did not seem like a good blush, though. It didn't take a genius to figure out why Punz suddenly seemed so unsure of herself. Anna wasn't sure how to break the spell she cast, but it seemed she didn't have to.

Or rather, she could rely on someone else. Elsa, having been silently watching them for the past few minutes, made a very slow, deliberate motion as she moved her arm around Punz's side. It came to rest between her shoulders and her waist, but the real surprise was the tender, if platonic, peck she placed on Punz's forehead. Here was Mrs McFly, housewife and mother.

"Well, go on. Give her this present you keep talking about." And there was the hint of Elsa, the closeted teenage lesbian with the raging hormones to rival literally anyone of the 80s, who had grown into a cunning cougar over the course of thirty years. The woman Anna loved more than her own mother.

"Jeepers," was all Punz could make herself breathe. Instantly, Elsa withdrew her hand, but a moment later there was a quiet giggle. "S-sorry. I really don't know… I mean, I've barely done this stuff with Anna, let alone…"

"Can't handle the challenge?" Elsa prodded her very gently. Her coy smile made it clear – at least, to Anna – that she was only teasing. Her hand didn't return, and she didn't make any more advances toward the other college girl in the room.

But that wasn't how Punz perceived it. She took the smirk at face value, and frowned over at Elsa for a moment before snapping, "Hey, I might not have a half-century of experience like some old ladies…"

She couldn't help herself. Anna let out a cajoling "ooooooh" in Elsa's direction. Even though she wanted this, and wanted her mother to feel comfortable, she knew that Punz had more rights that night. Also, as the more nervous of the two, she needed the support - and she could show that by dishing it out at her mom.

"Hah!" Elsa burst out, finding it funny instead of insulting. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?"

"Well, you're definitely an elder." However, the banter was enabling Punz to loop her arms a little tighter around Anna. To find her confidence again. "What was it like before cars were invented?"

"Says the girl who isn't old enough to use one," Elsa fired back, still smirking as she let her hand drift down to rest on Anna's rear. It made the redhead let out a shaky sigh, appreciating their touches both independently and as a combined unit.

If Punz had been about to retort that she was, indeed, old enough to drive, it seemed to die on her tongue as Anna's pelvis tilted forward. Her chest was right there, in all its pert and uncovered glory. But she also didn't seem to know exactly what she wanted to do – if she did, then she lacked the courage. Here she was, sat in her underwear with her girlfriend atop her lap, and said girlfriend's mother sitting next to her. It was like a scene from an amateur porno - one that could never come true.

But Anna kept looking at her, all warmed up and clearly eager to get started. It was too late to back out now. Hands sliding up, they cupped Anna's breasts; small globes that fit perfectly in her palms. Anna sighed once more, leaning her head back as her right hand came to rest on Punz's. Her other hand travelled south to meet Elsa's, and she rolled her hips again.

It was, in part, an act. Even with the extra thrill of another person, there was no way she was that sensitive. But it was distracting, and before she knew it, Jennifer was kissing Anna's throat, licking and leaving little red marks. Anna let out a low hum at the sensation.

Fingertips dug into Anna's rear in reaction to the touch. So far, Elsa had mostly been egging the two of them on, but she was also being quite bold simply by not having left when the decision was put to her. Punz even moreso, since she was less experienced and already wasn't quite as comfortable with Anna's other relationship. Understandable as that was. It was interesting to see how they each handled being in this situation with the other present.

By the time she heard a shaky sigh from Punz, she was already practically aching with need from the kisses and light fondling, the other hand clutching down below. When she pulled back to shoot a questioning glance down, her girlfriend looked a little shy.

"Elsa's getting f-fresh," she whispered.

"I was not," Elsa said immediately, frowning over at her.

"You were heading for my ass!"

"No, I was petting your back! I promise you that I wasn't going any further downward than I had." But after a few seconds of stony, red-faced silence from Jennifer, she added, "Do you want me to demonstrate what that would feel like to prove it?"

"NO! No, just… ugh, I'm so bad at this… why can't I relax and just… let things happen? I know in my brain that it's alright for us to both 'play' with Anna together, but like… I still wanna punch you."

At that last word, Anna blinked in shock. "Punz!" But she also inexplicably felt her pulse increase. The idea of either of them fighting for her, claiming her as their own, was both alarming… and a slight turn-on. Not only that, but the fact that Punz had been so brazen with how she felt, that was a good thing – at least to Anna. Even in her arousal-addled mind, she could see that Punz was perhaps not seeing Elsa as "Mrs McFly" nearly as much as she used to.

But the fighting words really weren't getting anyone anywhere, least of all Anna. "Okay, you two," she breathed. The words were directed at both Elsa and Punz, but her gaze was fixed squarely on her girlfriend. She needed the most encouragement, after all. "There's a half-naked, entirely revved-up college girl sitting on your lap. And she really wants to be touched. And unless one of you starts, I suppose she'll just have to take over herself. Which would be a shame, really, because there's two equally gorgeous ladies who are allegedly trying to give her some birthday sex."

As she finished, Anna made sure to smile at Punz. She and Elsa had already played this particular game – the one of give and take – but Punz had yet to gain experience with it. She was as unsure as Elsa was - though in the latter's case, it was because this was so new and she was trying to be respectful of Punz's wishes.

But at the same time, Anna had been serious with her words. When Jennifer still hesitated, she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth at the same moment her hand snaked down. With the way she was straddling Punz, it couldn't have been more obvious what she was doing.

So it ended up that both Punz and Anna said "Oh!" at the same moment. It sounded a bit different, but the feeling expressed was parallel. Anna rocked her hips into her fingers as Punz was startled into silence, watching with wide eyes as her girlfriend began to work on her body.

"You're going to let her get away with that?" Elsa whispered. Cajoling, prompting. It didn't take much longer for Punz to begin kissing down her chest again, for now content to simply assist her girlfriend rather than taking over.

Meanwhile, it seemed Elsa had another tactic in mind to move things along. Her nails raked down Anna's back, causing her to hiss through her teeth and arch her back forward. Suddenly, Jennifer found herself with a mouthful, though she quickly adapted and began to lap and nibble at the erect teat between her lips.

"There we go," Elsa sighed, clearly a little affected by what she was watching but still not quite joining in. Not fully. "I'm sure she's been wanting that for a while now."

Jennifer didn't rise to the challenging words. Just the challenge itself, the needs of her girlfriend that she was determined to sate.

Anna was beyond happy; she felt like crying because it was more than she had ever dared ask for, even in the back of her darkest fantasies. A few times, she had thought about something like this, then reprimanded herself for being "gross"… and here it was coming true. They were both helping her get off at the same time; her heart was overflowing.

That alone meant that it really didn't take long for Anna to reach her finish. One of her fastest, too – though that wasn't including the foreplay, which took a little longer than usual. The sensation of Elsa's fingers scratching into her back and Punz kissing and sucking at her front worked in tandem to set her nerves alight. The final touch was her own fingers, going exactly where she needed them. Where she knew they would have the most influence.

Neither Punz nor Elsa quite knew what to do when she was finished – that much was obvious. Punz kept kissing, though there was no urgency that often came with her either attempting to sate herself or to encourage Anna to go again. And Elsa seemed not to want to give up her small grip on Anna. Of course, it couldn't last. With gentle motions, Anna removed her hand, wiping it on her stomach while her clean one came to cup Punz's cheeks and bring her face up so she could look into her eyes. And…

This kiss felt different, and Anna couldn't quite place why. True, even for her it was a little weird having Elsa right next to them as they made out; Punz probably felt similarly. Anna watched Elsa from the corner of her eye, and wasn't ashamed to admit – at least to herself, privately – that the brief look of want that passed her mother's face was hot.

After all, Elsa had obviously snuck in with her own plans in mind. Now they would just have to be fantasies.

Too soon, Punz had broken the kiss. She let out a little giggle when Anna whined and pressed her head forward, but didn't give in to Anna's wish for another.

"I need a shower," she announced, eyes flicking to Elsa for the briefest of moments before she was staring somewhere between Anna's ear and her chin. "You have some um, catching up to do."

"Maybe we could all shower," Anna purred with wiggling eyebrows. But all she got was a shove, so she popped up from Punz's lap to let her collect some clothes.

"I'll be right back. Have fun!" She looked a little sad, even though she was smiling. Then she was gone.

"I am so sorry," Elsa began immediately, before Anna could even turn around to look at her properly. "Honestly, I saw the lights off, and I didn't think… well, I should have knocked, at least."

"Maybe, yeah. Still… wow, that just happened."

Her mother chuckled a little and stood to cross the room, flicking on the overhead light. "It did. Not something I expected to have enjoyed tonight…"

And to Anna's surprise, it really seemed like it wasn't. Now, she could see that the desk had an expertly-wrapped gift and a chocolate cake in a plastic domed container. Simple, actual birthday trappings. There also seemed to be a plastic grocery bag full of assorted other things.

"You… were you gonna throw me a surprise party?"

"Not much of a party with just the two of us, possibly three. But just a little pleasant shock to your system, yes." Her hand came to rest on the cake. "We could still light candles and let you blow them out, if you like…?"

"Sure," Anna giggled, actually pleased. For some reason, it was nice to see some evidence that Elsa still remembered she was a person and not just a potential future wife, after all the time-hopping.

It was decided – mutually and silently – that they would wait for Punz before doing the cake-thing. But that didn't stop Anna from digging into the grocery bag or unwrapping her present. Inside the box, Elsa had placed another box – and inside that box was a photoframe, and in the frame was a picture Anna hadn't even been aware existed. Tori, in 1985, on stage at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Given her smile and the energy, it was likely when she was playing Bananarama.

"Where-?"

"They put it in the paper the next day. It was really no hassle to travel back and get them to develop another picture for me- or rather, for you."

Anna's fingers trailed over the glass. She looked ridiculous in those clothes, red hair wild; you would have to know it was her not to assume it was a lookalike. But that was the girl Elsa had fallen in love with. That was the beautiful part. "Thank you," she whispered earnestly. "It's… gnarly."

The corner of Elsa's mouth twisted in a smile. "Happy birthday, Anna."

Gently moving to place the picture on her desk, Anna was distracted by the grocery bag. "What have we here?" she asked, more to herself than Elsa.

Party hats and poppers filled its contents, and those terrible little party horns that unravelled as you blew into them. It entertained the both of them for a good ten minutes, and broke some of the tension of the previous moment. At least, until the RA did actually show up and chastised them for being too loud. She looked at Elsa a little longer than necessary, but Anna had a suspicion that it was more because she was unfamiliar than her age. The treatments from the future really had done wonders.

By that stage, a good half hour had passed, and Punz still had not returned. Her showers normally didn't take that long. "She's probably just run into a friend. Always the extrovert, that Jennifer Punzel!" Anna said. Elsa just looked at her. Sighing, Anna slumped. "Yeah, you're right. This is Punz we're talking about…"

"But it's alright. I get you to myself for a little while longer; I don't hate that."

Grinning, Anna kissed her on the cheek, and they snuggled for a moment. But nothing more came of it. She felt a little guilty for having reached her own heights without doing the same for her mother, but Elsa didn't seem particularly wound up. Just glad to spend time with her.

Eventually, Punz did return, looking pink and freshly scrubbed. When they asked what took so long, she cleared her throat and tried to be evasive.

"Oh hey, a cake!" she cried out. "Looks good, too… and the candles look ready to go."

"Did you get off in there?"

Punz didn't answer. Elsa glanced at Anna's amused face, then back to Punz. Finally, she shrugged and said, "It's not like we don't all do it. You had a very good reason to on this occasion, I might add."

"I did," she sighed weakly, glancing at Anna – who had long ago pulled on an oversized tee. "Sorry… y-yeah, I needed to blow off a little steam in there."

"You really could have told me to get lost, though. That way, Anna could have returned the favour instead of you having to run off – or you could have done it with me here, anyway. You're together and have every right-"

"In front of you? N-nah… I'm not ready for… well, for that kinda stuff." By now, she was beet red, but she did keep glancing at Elsa's patient smile. Anna felt her eyes narrowing in suspicion, but she also knew intellectually that she just wasn't used to doing anything "bad" in front of someone she still saw as a parental figure.

And besides, it wasn't like she had any right to be jealous, particularly not of a perceived attraction between Punz and Elsa. One she was probably imagining anyway.

"C'mere," Anna offered, brushing away that silly thought. It was still her birthday for another few hours, and that wasn't nearly enough time to waste any on stupid notions of jealousy.

Punz didn't move forward, though. Anna saw her glance at her own bed, biting her lip, and she knew precisely what was going through her girlfriend's head at this given moment. This called for something bigger.

"Jen… please?" Holding her arms out, Anna tried not to let her bottom lip wobble too much. Didn't want any overkill, after all.

But it had the unintended side effect of making Elsa sit up, ensuring there was an appropriate distance between herself and Anna when she said, "Perhaps I should be going…"

"Don't!" Punz piped up. Only after she said it did she seem to realise what she was saying, and she glanced down toward the floor. "Well… you did come to help Anna celebrate her birthday, and I know you kinda did that part, but like…"

Elsa's smile was definitely of a motherly type. "Very sweet of you to offer, but I can tell what kind of evening you two intended to have. And I've intruded on it enough - even though it's been… interesting."

Anna looked between them for a moment. Elsa wasn't leaving very fast; she seemed to be waiting for Punz to speak. For her part, she seemed to be indecisive; probably because she felt asking Elsa to stay was the right thing to do, but she wasn't used to arguing with "adults".

"You get in bed," she told Jennifer as she stood up. "I'll just be a sec." Then she took Elsa's elbow and steered her toward the door.

"You don't have to throw me out," Elsa giggled. "I have two perfectly good legs."

"They are perfect legs," Anna conceded, and her mother's head dipped in very slight chagrin at the unexpected compliment. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I know it's my birthday, but, um… can we do something nice for Jen?"

"Hm? I mean, if it's what we just did for you, I don't think she's interested in that from my direction."

Waving a hand, she hissed, "Not that! But what if we get her some of that cake and cuddle her? I want her to feel loved; not in the sexy way, just like, that we both really care about her and she's not just the third wheel when you and me are together."

Thoughts were clearly flying back and forth behind her mother's blue eyes. "You really don't think she'd be uncomfortable?" Anna shook her head, and Elsa shrugged one shoulder. "We can try it. I'll feel a little strange about cuddling her, myself, but I think I can fake that I'm not better than she can. And… well, I do really want to make it up to the both of you."

Anna bit her bottom lip. She didn't want Elsa to have to fake it. But maybe that was what they needed right now: a chance to get used to this changing dynamic. When this whole thing began, it wouldn't have been a radical assumption to think that neither Punz nor Elsa expected their own relationship to change this much. In fact, Anna was fairly certain Punz thought they would get along less, if only because, well… her first reaction to the news was to throw up. And now she was actively giving them space.

What did she do to deserve such a wonderful girlfriend?

That question that filled her mind as she walked back over to Punz. She did as she had been told, but she still seemed unsure; she was sitting cross-legged, curling herself up just enough to seem smaller than usual. Like she was the one trying not to intrude. Anna's heart went out to her. She was so good. Nevermind what Anna did to deserve Punz: she didn't. But for whatever reason, Punz had chosen her, and Anna needed to live up to that.

She would do her damndest to try, at any rate.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Anna announced, clapping her hands together once. "We're gonna sit on that bed and watch a movie and eat cake, and you're gonna let us cuddle the shit out of you, okay?"

Her words were fierce, and her tone even moreso. Punz kind of looked like she had been warped into an alternate dimension where everyone had horse-heads. "What?"

"You heard me." When Anna noticed Elsa was already opening up the cake pan, lighting the candles, she let out a self-conscious little laugh. "Oh, we don't still need to do that."

"Of course we do, and I think Jennifer would agree. Right?"

After only a slight hesitation, Punz swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-yeah. It's the only part of this crazy birthday that still looks normal. We have to, Anna - you deserve a real cake and all!"

So Anna let them sing "Happy Birthday" to her, and she made a big deal out of conducting their performance until they all started laughing. Then she blew out her candles and they cut the cake into slices, Elsa insisting that the other two start the cuddling while she served them. The mom coming out in her again. Soon enough, they were all half-lying against the headboard and watching an old classic that Anna had selected.

"Truly one of the greats," Elsa muttered around her bite of cake as the words "The Goonies" appeared on the black screen. "Turn it up."

Punz did, too nervous to eat quite yet. "Um… is it okay to say that I've never seen this?"

"What?!" Anna burst out in so much surprise that her bite fell back into her bowl. "How have we been going out this long and I'm just learning about this now?!"

"Manners, Anna," Elsa chastised as Punz gave a sheepish shrug. Anna rolled her eyes and picked up the piece of cake.

"Lucky we're fixing that, then. This is a classic. And it has the Chinese kid from Indiana Jones – and Josh Brolin way before he was cool, Samwise before he hit the Shire!"

"Just let her watch the movie."

Punz shot Elsa a grateful smile. Then she took a small bite of her cake and settled in against her girlfriend to watch the movie. To Anna, she looked a lot more comfortable than she would have expected. But that was good. It was more than that, really: it was nice.

And it only got nicer. They finished their cake and got cleaned up. Anna ducked out for a "super duper really quick shower," and when she got back, Elsa and Punz were in almost the same position that they had been in when she left. There was a little more distance between them versus with Anna, but honestly, it was hardly noticeable. When Anna returned to her seat, all clean and cool, Punz even moved closer to Elsa to give her room.

Even more wild, they stayed that way. Punz may have curled up against Anna more closely, but Elsa curled up against Punz - and she didn't seem to mind. Even if nothing particularly risque happened at all, it was so heartening to see them growing that comfortable with each other. Maybe this really was going to work out.

For Anna, there was only one disappointment: when the movie ended, and Elsa made to get up.

"Wh- where are you going? Don't- don't you wanna stay here tonight?" Anna asked. Punz looked between the both of them, obviously halfway asleep already. She was awake enough to catch the small look Elsa gave her, and awake enough to do something about it. Putting her hand on the older woman's, she stared at them for a second.

"If-if you wanna stay, that's fine. Don't think you're not allowed… okay?"

"You're a sweetheart, Jennifer. But I really didn't intend on staying the night anyway. You're both tired and there isn't a lot of room." She leaned forward, across Punz, to kiss Anna's cheek and then her lips. "But I hope you had a wonderful birthday, my darling." She kissed Anna once more, and when she drew back, they both noticed something odd.

Punz was staring at them. Well, more precisely, she was staring at Elsa.

"Punz…?"

"Huh?"

"Did you, uh… were you staring at her b-"

"Would you like a kiss, sweetheart?" Elsa to the rescue with her blunt words and soft tone. At least it kept Punz from having to admit that she was checking out her girlfriend's mother's cleavage - even if Anna wasn't entirely sure tha twas the case. Immediately, Punz's face began to darken, and she looked away.

"N-n-nah, that'd be weird for you, probably. I m-mean, you're Anna's mom and her, uh, other girlfriend? Or whatever you would call that. A-and you and I… we're not…" But it seemed the more she stumbled over her words, the more she was making it sound like she really was interested in getting some variety of affection from the older woman. Whether or not that was truly the case, she clamped her lips shut.

So Elsa kissed her cheek. It was still a lot more affectionate than either girl expected, but the lessened level of intimacy compared to Anna's kiss seemed to set Punz at ease a little. She let out a slight sigh, eyes closing until the lips left her face.

"We both care very deeply for Anna," she told her gently as she patted her forearm before standing up. "Which means we should care for each other, as well. I already did before this whole craziness, because I could tell you're a sweet person who deserves her affections. Though I know it's difficult to navigate… well, whatever this has turned into. Doesn't mean I'm not willing to try."

Punz looked like she was going to blush until she melted, so Anna quipped, "I'm pretty lucky to have such hot sisterwives."

"And don't you forget it," Elsa told her in a slightly sharper tone, though she was smiling. They both shared a laugh as she put her shoes back on and gathered her purse. "Happy birthday. And when Jennifer comes back to reality, tell her I said 'goodnight' for me?"

"Uh-huh," Punz just managed to mutter. Anna rolled her eyes.

Once they were alone, she finally did seem to come back to herself. As they turned off the TV and finished getting ready for bed, she asked her, "Punz?"

"What?"

"Are you starting to crush on Elsa?"

"N-no!" she hissed in alarm. "I mean… okay, so she's really hot, and I do like her, but it's not the way I feel about you. Just that… I dunno, I didn't expect any of this, and it's all… hinky."

Sighing, she abandoned her own bed to crawl into Anna's and get it warm for the both of them. They did sleep separately most of the time because the beds were too small to truly accommodate two people, especially with the way they both tended to sprawl out during sleep. However, sometimes creature comfort was more important.

"But I mean, I definitely would rather your mom give me a little cheek-peck than deal with like, jealous fighting or whatever."

"That makes it sound like the lesser of two bad options," Anna pointed out, sliding in next to her girlfriend. Punz didn't say anything at first; only wrapped her arms around Anna and snuggled in.

When she did finally speak, it was to apologise. "Sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Anna asked. There was a laugh in her tone and she lifted a hand to run through Punz's hair. "What's going on? Between this and the Halloween party…" When all she got was a shrug, she pressed on. "Please talk to me…"

Letting out a sigh, Punz pushed her face in closer. "I'm just sorry. I'm probably making this harder for you and Elsa than it has to be."

"What? If anything, you're making it easier! Why would you think that?"

"I just feel like I… get in the way sometimes. So I try to give you space but that always backfires…"

Wrapping her arms and legs as tightly around Punz as she could, she whispered into her hair, "Shhhhh. You are never in the way. Never, you hear me? Just… I mean, I appreciate you giving Elsa and me some alone time, just like I appreciate Elsa ducking out to give us some. But that doesn't mean you're 'in the way'."

"Okay," she finally sighed, even if she was still quite tense. "I'm… I know, and I know you mean that. Just feels that way sometimes, anyway. It's dumb."

"It is dumb. But I get how you feel that way. Even if I hope you can start to feel that we both care about you. It's not like, just me tolerating you, and Elsa wants you gone. She loves you, too - even if it's not like the way I love you."

Snuggling in closer, Jennifer whispered, "I'm just not used to having a mom care about me. On top of her looking more like your big sister now. Like, it's a good feeling; a weird one, but a good one. I just have to get used to it, I guess. This whole thing. But I think… if you're sure you want me around…"

"Double-sure. Triple!" They both giggled a little. "I mean it."

"Okay. I trust you, Anna."

And those were the last whispered words either of them breathed before drifting away to the realm of sleep.

~ o ~

But the notion that Jennifer would always feel a little left out until they did something about it stayed with Anna as she returned to her daily routine. After a few weeks, she began to jot down ideas. It wasn't easy, but the next couple of times Elsa popped her head into Anna's life, she cornered her so they could plot for the future — hard as it was to resist engaging in other activities.

Eventually, summer break came around, and they spent the first couple of weeks doing the beach-themed vacation they had planned on. After that, the initial strategy was to go back to campus and work to help offset costs.

And they did, for a bit. Until one weekend in July…


To Be Continued…