NOTE: It occurs to me that people would probably be mortified if they saw how I write. I'm so sporadic, I mean, for Elsannatagteam I'm on their Google Doc, for books I use Scrivener, and for SEEK… I'm using Notepad. Literal, bare bones, no-formatting Windows Notepad. I'm a mess honestly lolllllll

Anyway, last chapter was the start of a big turning point for these two, and it's continuing into this one. Hope you enjoy meeting Mrs. Mayberry!

~ Chapter Ten ~

"Absolutely not."

That was about what Anna had expected. Her mother's auburn hair was pulled back into a bun as she stirred the pot of food on the stove; it smelled like chili, which Anna normally would have died to stay home and eat. But this day was not like any other.

"Mom, please don't say that so fast," Anna begged, following her as she walked into the living room. "Don't get me wrong, this is totally random; I know that! But if you-"

"Then if you knew it was random, you knew what my answer would be," she countered as she began to straighten and fluff pillows needlessly. "This probably isn't even really her - did you think of that?"

Rolling her eyes, Anna said, "I met her before today, you know. Unless she's a clone, I'm pretty damn sure it's the same Elsa."

"Watch your language!" Sighing, she glanced down at the carpet, trying to decide if she should give it a quick vacuum or not. "Is that what you're going to pick up from hanging around her? Swearing? What other bad habits does she have? It's not like I don't hear about what goes on at Hollywood parties, backstage at concerts!"

Under her breath, Anna muttered, "Here comes the KISS story."

"I had backstage passes to KISS when I was in school, and there was all kinds of drunken debauchery going on back there - drugs, and sex, and… I was lucky to-"

"-Get out of there alive," Anna finished for her. "But Mom, I'm not going backstage to a concert! I'm going to a single hotel room - with a pop singer, not a rock star!"

The woman turned to fix her with a flat look. "As if that makes any difference. No, I'm sorry, it's just… I haven't even met this woman, and it's very suspicious to me that she wants to drag my sweet Anna all the way across the Atlantic!"

"Then meet her. I told you, she's right outside - she wanted to come in, but I know how you get about your house."

"What?" Glancing down at the dustrag she was rubbing across the coffee table, she sighed and stopped. "Okay, so you know your own mother. Do you want brownie points for that?"

"Can I redeem those for real brownies?" They both shared a little chuckle. "But can you at least meet her before you say no? I mean, I was kinda saving up for a vacation, anyway… do something fun before I start college."

"Yes, but you were talking about going to Disney, or maybe Montreal, not… how do you not see how very different this is? Especially since you were going to go with Kristoff, not some glammed-up tart from-"

"HEY! You were telling me to watch my language!"

Her mother sighed, standing up and walking over to tuck the dustrag in a most unlikely place: the piano bench. "You're right, I shouldn't pass judgment on her without meeting her. Fine, she can come in - but if I still don't think this is safe, or wise, I hope you'll drop the whole idea."

"Fine. I can't promise that, but I'll try."

"At least you're honest," she muttered as Anna turned toward the screen door. All she did was wave at the car a few times, and then turned back.

Within a minute or two, Elsa was knocking politely. Anna let her in with a slightly nervous smile, and directed her toward the living room.

"Elsa, this is my mom. Mom, this is Elsa Valentine."

"Oh, so you do have a last name," she said, a polite smile in place as she shook her hand.

"I do," Elsa laughed. "Do you have a first name, or can I call you 'Mom'?"

It was already working; the woman laughed. "It's Mary, but thank you. Now, do you mind explaining this whole idea, and why it's happening?"

"No, not at all. It's all my fault; I know it must seem strange…" Then she laughed a little self-consciously. "Well, thinking about it, I'm realising how hard it is to explain without sounding crazy. But the truth is, I've just had a very nice time at the movies with your daughter today; I only meant to kill some time between my flights, but when she turned out to be such excellent company… well…"

"Well?" she prompted. Anna glared at her for being rude, but her mother ignored it.

"You know how sometimes you leave a party, or a brunch or whatever, and you've been having a great time with friends… and you suddenly realise you just hate for it to end so soon? Normally, there's nothing you can do about it, but this time…"

"This time, you have the money to burn to whisk my daughter thousands of miles away."

Elsa winced at the way that had been phrased. "Exactly. Most of my money is tied up in investments or trusts, or charities, and I barely touch the rest of it. If I don't use it on a friend so we can have a fabulous week together, that really will be a waste."

"That all sounds pretty good," Mary Mayberry went on. "Convincing. It just doesn't make any sense why, out of all the famous friends you must have, you'd pick my Anna to drag off to… where was it, Paris?"

"Ibiza," Anna corrected quietly.

"Ibiza," she repeated, putting emphasis on it that made it sound like she was saying "a back alley in Las Vegas".

"Listen," Elsa went on, voice serious. "I know this won't make any sense to you, and I don't expect it to. But quite honestly, I have so many acquaintances, connections, and alliances… but not many true friends. I don't even know if Anna counts as that, not yet. You're right, we're almost total strangers. But if we don't get a chance to hang out - that is, to spend time with each other - then we'll never know, will we?"

"Fine. So come hang out with her after you get back from Ibiza; she'll be here. There's nothing stopping you two from doing that."

"There is, actually; my schedule. Much as you seem to think I waste all my time partying, I actually spend most of it working. After Cannes, I'll be performing in Madison Square Garden, and then I'm on the Late Show. Four concerts in LA… then we're back in the studio for a few weeks, and then I think I'm supposed to be on The View or one of those?"

"What hard work," she laughed. When she noticed Elsa's face grow even more grim, she blinked and followed up with, "Sorry, but if that's how you earn your money, then I'm jealous. Most of us don't have it that easy."

"Don't be jealous. It may look like fun and games, but it takes a lot out of you; I know that's going to sound so privileged, and it is. I'm more lucky than I ever thought I'd be. But honestly, this week is going to be a great one to recharge and relax before I have to dive in head-first, back to work. And I won't get room to breathe again for months." The woman didn't look convinced, so she added, "Every job has its drawbacks, even one as 'cool' as mine."

"If the point is to relax and recharge, then how is bringing along my Anna going to help you? Isn't she just going to be in the way?"

At that, Elsa turned and affixed Anna with a look that could only be described as… pride. "I can't imagine her ever being in the way."

The room was quiet for a moment as the mother glanced between the two girls. Then, with a polite smile, she asked, "Would you excuse the two of us for a moment? You can have a seat anywhere - would you care for something to drink, or maybe to eat?"

"No, thank you," Elsa told her politely, wandering off toward the sofa as Mrs. Mayberry dragged her daughter back into the kitchen.

"Well?" Anna breathed, hoping against hope.

The woman sighed. "Alright, I'll give you that she's well behaved, and doesn't seem to have any ulterior motive. But now I have to wonder… do you?"

Anna felt her heart sinking. Where was she going with a question like that? "What?"

"When you came out to us last year-"

"MOM!"

"-we promised we wouldn't try to treat you any differently," she pushed ahead, holding up a hand to stall her daughter's protests. "And we haven't, I don't think. Certainly put my mind at ease when you were hanging out with Kristoff all the time. But… come on, I shouldn't have to do the math for you. Going off to a strange country, alone, with a woman you've been near-worshiping for the past couple of years?"

The flush that crept into Anna's cheeks was profound, but she pushed ahead through it. "M-mom, I promise this isn't like that. And I know there's no real way to prove it to you, other than… Elsa being straight. So even if you can't believe me that what I want from her is just to be her friend, can you at least remember her dating those Hollywood boys? She's not gay, so she wouldn't be interested even if I was. And I'm not!"

"Aren't you?" she pressed, eyebrows high.

"Not anymore," Anna amended. "I mean… she's incredible, not gonna lie. But I'd much rather be friends with her than… than hang onto that dumb celebrity crush." Then she smirked. "Like you with Freddy Mercury."

Her mother held up a finger. "That was a different time. Besides, he turned out to be gay, so…" Then she rolled her eyes. "I see what you did there. Smart, very smart."

"She must have spent so much time scrolling through Twitter to find me, follow me, and send me a message. I have a followback from THE Elsa, and an opportunity to go visit another country without completely spending all of my savings! And with a girl you admitted is 'well behaved' instead of a bunch of sweaty guys in a hostel! Isn't this, like, a dream come true?"

They both stared at each other. Then the woman said, "Too good to be true. I'd be a lot less opposed to this if it wasn't happening today. You have to admit, that sounds like a frivolous starlet's behaviour, not one of a responsible adult who can look out for my daughter."

"I can look out for myself; I am an adult now."

"Sure you are. I remember how 'adult' everyone was my freshman year of college, and believe me - not very!"

"Yeah, and I remember you said you hit the bong with the best of them. I've never even had more than a sip of champagne at a wedding! Don't I get a little credit for that?"

"Well, of course, but…" The woman pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's the migraine…"

"It's only a week. Not even the whole summer, or even close - and then I'll be back with plenty of time to hang out with my favourite parents."

"What a line," she said with a bark of harsh laughter. Then she sighed, looking around the kitchen and spotting the landline cordless, lying next to her recipe book. "I'm calling your father. Maybe he can talk some sense into you."

"And I'll see if I can talk some sense into him."

They glared at each other, but it was a playful glare. However, they were interrupted by a gentle tinkling from the living room. What on earth was that?

Elsa briefly glanced up when they returned from the kitchen, nearly ten minutes from when they had left. Anna had been able to see her checking her phone when she peeked around the corner occasionally, but she also hadn't left yet. However, she hadn't noticed when she moved from there to the piano, sat down, and began playing a beautiful rendition of a classical tune that she couldn't quite place; something soft, soothing, but with many layers.

"Well? Should I run away before someone throws me out?"

"No, no," the mother breathed, waving a hand as her steps came to a gradual stop. "There's a big difference between you staying in our living room for a few minutes and… well, you know."

"Elsa…" Her friend didn't look up from her hands, and she swallowed. "How… do you know how to…"

"Years of lessons, as with most pianists." The fingers flew over the keys, moving so quickly that some of them seemed like a blur. "I'm a little rusty, though; there just isn't enough opportunity to practice while I'm touring. My father would be furious if he heard this travesty."

Everyone remained quiet until she finished a descending arpeggio with a slight flourish. Afterward, they both clapped, and Elsa seemed more startled than pleased, but pleased all the same, grinning at them and taking an exaggerated bow.

"So you know Liszt," her mom finally chuckled, a broad smile on her face and a tear in her eye. "I won't say that means I'm ready to hand my daughter over to you, but… that was wonderfully played."

"I am sorry," she sighed, standing awkwardly and closing the cover over the keys. "It was a very impulsive invitation, I didn't think it through at all. But please know it wasn't meant as any disrespect, to you or to Anna. I just… really wanted her to come with me."

"Well, I'd like to feel more comfortable allowing that. Time might have changed our minds; if we could at least have gotten to know you a little better than… well, than a few spare minutes right before you leave, and a random recital in my living room." Her expression was firm, but her tone softened. "It's nothing against you personally. Our daughter is very important to us, and so is her happiness - but her safety is our biggest concern. We'd have to know you better before we trust you taking her that far away."

Elsa looked at her pretty evenly. The moment was long, and not comfortable for anyone in the room. Mrs. Mayberry smoothed down the front of her clothes.

"Would that really make a difference? Getting to know me better."

"It would. Quite a bit. I'm sorry."

"Alright." The pop star pulled her phone back out again, wasting no time unlocking her screen and scrolling through her contacts for the airport's number. "Set a fourth place for dinner. I'm staying."

~ To Be Continued ~