It's a job a few of her friends recommended to her. "Easy work," they had told her. "A lot of fetching coffee and stupid shit like that."

That's what Anna's expecting when she sends in her application to be a personal assistant on the set of some movie being filmed in town. She doesn't expected to get an interview, really; there's bound to be a seemingly endless number of people dying to work on a movie set (especially with Point Park right there in the city), and the other applicants are almost guaranteed to be more invested in the job. Anna's only applying because she'd been laid off a few days before the applications went online.

She can't even name the last movie she actually saw in theaters. That was probably years ago now.

But she isn't about to say no to a job, especially when she has a rent payment looming just around the corner and no steady source of income anymore. The email from someone-or-other's PA's PA requesting her presence for an in-person screening was a godsend for her, and, despite all the shit she may have gotten in college from friends and acquaintances alike, she isn't stupid enough to turn down four to five months of pay, more-qualified and committed applicants be damned.

And that's why she's standing awkwardly outside of a trailer in what had used to be an empty lot while someone-or-other's manager rattles on about what behavior is expected of her if she gets the job. It had never occurred to her that she had applied to be a specific person's "on-site personal assistant" or that there were multiple different PA positions she could have applied for. Part of her wonders, for what feels like the thousandth time, what she's doing here.

Oh, right. Money, she remembers, wincing despite herself.

The manager raises a single eyebrow, but says nothing of it, continuing with his lecture. Anna had zoned out shortly after he started, and even though the balding man looks like he's well-aware of it, it's too late in his speech for her to start now. She just nods every time he pauses, trying to look respectful anyway, and twirls one of her braids absentmindedly.

Her mind doesn't stop wandering until he shoves a clipboard under her nose.

"Please sign here, Miss Hall. It's a confidentiality agreement," the manager tells her, holding out a pen for her to take. She does so hesitantly, signing her name on the line marked with a large, red cross. "Alright, then, it's time to meet Miss Frost. Come along."

He opens the trailer door, and holds it while Anna climbs the small set of stairs to the entrance and steps through the threshold.

The woman seated inside is easily one of the most beautiful people Anna's had the pleasure of meeting, and Anna nearly chokes on her own spit at the sight of her. The manager, who had followed her into the trailer before letting the door swing shut, walks around her and hands the woman the clipboard in his hands.

"Anna Hall?" the woman asks, looking up to meet Anna's eyes and nearly giving her a heart attack in the process. Of course a celebrity would have a lovely voice to go along with her gorgeous face. Some people are just born perfect.

"It's Ah-na, actually," Anna stutters out, certain she's turning pink. "Long 'a'."

"Ah-na?" Elsa repeats, smiling when Anna nods. "That's beautiful name. I'm Elsa Frost. It's a pleasure to meet you," she says, holding out a hand.

Anna steps closer to the other woman, careful not to trip on the trailer's carpet, and takes the hand. "The pleasure's all mine."

The handshake lingers a little longer than Anna's used to, so she snatches her hand back as soon as she feels Elsa's grip on her hand loosen. Linking her hands behind her back, she shakes her hand out, frowning slightly at how it's still tingling from the contact.

"So you want to be my PA," Elsa says, either unaware of or ignoring Anna's stilted behavior.

"Uh, yes!" Anna answers, heart rate picking up in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. "Yes, I want to be your PA."

Elsa just smiles. "Can you tell me why?"

Anna blanches, already kissing this job goodbye. "I, uh… That's, well, uh…" she starts, wracking her brain for a reason that sounds better than "I need a job and I heard this was a pretty easy one."

"You can be honest with me, Anna," Elsa tells her before furrowing her brow. "You don't mind if I call you Anna, do you?"

"Of course not! You can call me anything you want," Anna says, tongue nearly tripping over itself in her hurry to get the sentence out.

"Great. You can call me Elsa, then."

Anna's face heats up at the notion of addressing someone undoubtedly famous so familiarly. "If you insist," she mumbles.

Elsa just smiles larger. "So, why do you want to work for me? Be honest, I won't judge."

"I," Anna starts before sighing and lifting a hand to tug on a braid. "I need a job," she answers honestly. "I got laid off from my last one a few days back, but job hunting takes forever, and I need money to pay for rent and stuff now. This is a guaranteed paycheck for the next six months, and that's better than getting evicted, you know?"

If anything, Elsa's smile just grows at her reason. "Thank you for your help, Kai, but I'd like to talk with Anna alone for a bit," Elsa tells the manager, who simply nods and leaves the trailer. Once the door shuts with a soft click, she turns back to Anna, her smile looking more and more like a smirk. "So you need a job."

"Yes," Anna admits, the predatory glint to Elsa's grin making her fidget in place.

"Well then, I think I have an arrangement that might work for both of us."

Anna frowns at that, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "What do you mean?"

"I'm looking for a personal assistant, but I need help with something beyond that," Elsa says. Anna nods hesitantly, and Elsa continues, "I'm not sure how much you pay attention to tabloids, but the media likes to spread rumors about me and my relationships. Particularly my relationship with Hans Westergard, my co-star."

"So what," Anna cuts in, "you want me to cover for you while you sneak around with another actor?"

Elsa laughs, the sound clear and bright. "Hardly. Hans is a good friend of mine, but that's it. He's a just friend, and frankly, I'm tired of people assuming who I'm dating or that I'm even straight for that matter. So you're going to help me throw the media a curveball." She pauses and adds, almost as an afterthought, "If you want to, that is. I would hate to put you in a position you're uncomfortable with, and I can always find someone else to help me with this."

Anna's certain the expression on her face is nothing short of utter confusion, so she shakes her head in a futile attempt to clear it. "Wait, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"That depends," Elsa replies with a small shrug and a sly grin. "What do you think I'm suggesting?"

"That you," Anna pauses, one hand rubbing at her temple, "you want me to help you fake a relationship to get the media off your back."

"Ding-ding-ding," Elsa sing-songs. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

Hunch aside, Anna did not expect Elsa to be serious, so it floors her to hear that. "Seriously?" Anna asks, voice saturated with disbelief. "You want me to pretend-date you." Elsa nods, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. "There's, like, a million reasons why this won't work."

"I'm not so sure about that," Elsa says. "I've thought about this for a very long time, and I think we could pull it off. If you want to, that is."

"This is crazy," Anna replies, laughing shakily. She hadn't expected to get an interview in the first place, but this is beyond anything she could have imagined. "But I think I'm about to say something even crazier."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Anna says, watching as Elsa's expression shifts from confused to pleased. "You've got a deal; I'll do it."

Elsa laughs, hand daintily covering her mouth, and Anna can't help but hear the relief in it. "You must really need this job."

"Yeah, I really do," Anna replies. "But who knows? Maybe it'll be fun, fake-dating a celebrity."

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Elsa jokes, laughter still coloring her voice.

Anna keeps smiling, somehow immensely pleased with herself for making Elsa happy. "Yeah, I guess we will."

It only takes Anna a few days to memorize Elsa's favorite coffee order, and that's the first sign that taking this job may not be as terrible an idea as Anna was worried it might be. If anything, Elsa's bright smile the first time Anna handed her the styrofoam cup without being asked first is definitely worth it.

The paycheck she gets for standing around half the day is also worth it, but sometimes she has to remind herself that she's doing this for the money and not the fake-relationship she got herself into.

The dating scheme doesn't even start for the first week, though by the time Anna's dismissed for the weekend, she's a little worried that Elsa's been sending her hints and she's just failed to notice any.

That worry is quickly thrown out the window when she gets a text simply reading, Hey come pick me up. I'm staying at the Fairmont.

Which is why Anna finds herself fighting through a sea of paparazzi on a Friday night instead of drinking with her friends. She doesn't really mind being pulled away from the half-assed tequila shots and an endless flow of PBR she isn't even partaking of, and she's not one to turn down a chance to spend time with a gorgeous woman, but damn, if this isn't inconvenient.

By the time she gets to the front doors (she has to show a few haggard doormen her set pass before they let her through), Elsa's already waiting for her, sunglasses on despite the late hour. Elsa greets her with a tight hug, whispering "Play along," into her ear before she pulls away, and takes her arm. Anna just leads her back through the doors, making sure to keep a firm grip on the arm Elsa slipped through hers.

"Where do you want to go?" Anna nearly screams to be heard over the dull roar of the crowd just outside.

"How about your place?" Elsa says back, loudly enough that the paparazzi had to have heard her, and if the increased murmuring is any indication, they did.

Suddenly aware of everyone's attention on her, Anna feels a whole body's worth of blood rush to her face. "Are you sure?"

Elsa smiles back at her briefly before leaning down and whispering in her ear again. "What happened to playing along?" she asks, grin turning wicked at the increased flush to Anna's face.

"S-sorry," Anna chokes out, heart deciding the best place to beat is in her throat instead of her chest. Tightening her grip on the arm wrapped around hers, she tugs Elsa in the direction of her car, doing her best to ignore the probing questions from the crowd.

Not that actually doing so is easy. "Who this hell is this girl?" one voice pierces through the din as the mass of people move to block them.

"My PA," Elsa calls back, grin so evident in her tone, Anna doesn't need to look at her to confirm that it's there. The crowd's increased murmuring makes Anna duck her head down and redouble her efforts to block out what they're saying.

It's a fight to get to the car, and, though she's never really entertained the idea of being famous, Anna decides that nothing could possibly make the sheer lack of privacy and respect for personal space worth it. Cameras flash around them as they walk, and once they reach Anna's beat-up Camry, the paparazzi practically mob the car to keep them from getting in and driving away.

Anna's about to threaten bodily harm to a few, but Elsa grabs her rising fist and smiles at her gratefully before opening the passenger door and shoving her in. She hardly has a second to react before Elsa slips in herself, nudging her to slide over the center console.

"How well do you know the city?" Elsa asks while Anna's still climbing to the driver's side.

"Born and raised," Anna replies, finally settling into the seat.

"Good, because you might want to drive around a bit before going home. Wouldn't want the paparazzi to find out where you live," Elsa tells her with a wink, and the blush that had been draining from Anna's face comes back in full force. Anna just nods and starts the car, honking a few times to scare the people blocking them into getting out of the way.

She takes Elsa's advice once they get on their way and doesn't bother driving anywhere close to Greenfield until after she's sure there's no cars following them. Absentmindedly, she calls out various place names as she drives, pointing them out when they hit red lights. Elsa just nods along as she looks around to see whatever she can in the low light.

By the time they get to Squirrel Hill, Anna's pretty sure that anyone who thought to tail them has long since been left behind, so she keeps on Murray until they hit her neighborhood. She pulls onto her street, and the heavens themselves must be smiling on her because there's a parking spot right outside her apartment.

"You own a house?" Elsa asks as she gets out of Anna's beat-up Camry.

"Not exactly. I rent the first floor," Anna explains, motioning towards the second door on the porch before locking her car. "Maybe one day, though."

Elsa just smiles at her and walks up the path to the porch. "So someone lives on the second floor? Is that ever inconvenient?"

"No, not really," Anna says, following along behind. "They do own a dog that barks at every other animal that walks by, but it's easy enough to ignore after a while." She steps onto the porch and digs her keys out, before yanking open the screen door and sticking her key in the lock. "Well, come on in."

Stepping aside to let Elsa through the door, Anna belatedly realizes she probably should have cleaned earlier. She watches as Elsa takes the place in, eyes scanning over the whole room.

"It's cozy," Elsa says, and Anna feels her shoulders relax.

"Yeah, it's home," Anna replies. "Sorry for the mess, though. I wasn't really expecting company."

Elsa waves a hand dismissively, kicking her shoes off by the door and taking a seat on Anna's ratty, old couch. "Don't worry about it. I didn't exactly give you much warning."

"No, you didn't," Anna laughs, taking a seat on the couch next to the other woman. She's surprised at how easy it is to talk to her, but she doesn't bother to dwell on it. "So what do you want to do now? I've got old movies and ice cream."

Elsa's eyes light up, and Anna knows she's in for a good night.

Anna doesn't actually meet any of the other actors until that following Monday. She's just arrived with Elsa's morning coffee to find Elsa in her trailer with a man with sideburns big enough to see from space.

"Oh, Anna! You're early," Elsa says, smiling warmly at her as she closes the trailer door.

Anna fishes her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. True enough, she's a few minutes ahead of time. "Line was shorter than usual," she responds, sounding a bit too much like an excuse even to her own ears. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Elsa says, taking the cup with a gracious smile. "Have you met Hans, yet? He'll be filming with us starting today."

"No, I don't believe we've met yet," the man cuts in before Anna has a chance to answer. He pushes off the wall and takes a step closer to her, hand extended. "Hans Westerguard. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Anna Hall," Anna says, giving his hand a firm shake and his body a once-over. They certainly found attractive actors for this movie. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Hans keeps a hold on her hand and gives her a stunning smile, one that reminds her of teen heartthrobs. "Elsa," he says, eyes never leaving Anna's face, "you never told me you found yourself such a beautiful assistant."

"There's a lot I don't tell you, Hans," Elsa replies lightly, with a small laugh. "Anna dear, how was the rest of your weekend?"

Anna's ears turn bright red at the affectionate term, and she drops Hans' hand like it's burning her. "R-relaxed," she stutters as she sidesteps the man in front of her. "I actually brought something you left at my place." Rooting through her bag, she pulls out a flowy, blue scarf and holds it out.

"'Left at her place'?" Hans questions, and out of the corner of her eye, Anna can see his eyebrows shoot up his forehead. "I can see you two are getting along quite well, though it's unlike you to leave your things around like that."

Elsa takes the scarf, smiling warmly at Anna and resting her hand on Anna's forearm. "I suppose I was just out of sorts," she says, thumb rubbing the bare skin of Anna's arm. "It was so much warmer the next morning, I must have forgotten I'd had it the night before,"

"Oh, you stayed the night? I hope the paparazzi didn't notice that." Hans turns to face the others, his eyebrows lifting a little higher.

"It was just an innocent sleepover. Girl stuff," Elsa replies.

"'Girl stuff'?"

"Movies and ice cream," Anna cuts in. Hans sends her another charming grin, but Anna finds it hard to concentrate on it while Elsa's fingers trace patterns on her skin. "Playing with each other's hair. That kind of thing."

"It was just so late by the time we were done, it would have been terrible to make Anna drive me back to the hotel after," Elsa adds. "We just really hit it off, I guess."

"I can see that," Hans says, reclaiming his spot against the wall. "I'm glad to see you making friends so quickly, Elsa. I know you've struggled with it in the past."

"Anna makes it easy. She's got quite the infectious personality," Elsa responds, sending Anna a wink.

Hans opens his mouth to speak again, but he's interrupted by a pounding on the trailer door. "Ms. Frost, Have you seen Mr. Westerguard? Hair and make-up want him in ten, but he's not in his trailer," a voice calls through the thin walls.

Elsa abruptly drops Anna's arm and nudges her towards the door. Taking the hint, Anna rushes to the door before Hans can leave on his own and pulls it open. "He's not here," she blurts out the second she spots the assistant on the other side, "but if he drops by, I'll be sure to pass along the message."

The assistant looks at her in what she can only assume is surprise. "Oh! Thanks, I'll keep looking, then."

"Yeah, you do that," Anna says hurriedly, closing the door before she's even done with the sentence. When she turns back around, Hans looks thoroughly confused, and Elsa just sends her a thankful smile.

"Do you not want to be seen with me anymore, Elsa?" Hans asks, sounding more bemused than hurt.

"It's not that," Elsa replies with a sigh. "It's just - you hate the rumors too. I don't think you being caught in my trailer on the first day you're here to film is the best idea."

Hans looks to Anna, eyes trailing up and down her form like he's looking at her for the first time. "You get your PA in on it?"

"Perceptive as always, Hans. It'll make everything look more platonic, you know, if she's always around too."

"I suppose I shouldn't be upset about spending time with such a beautiful young woman," Hans says, sending a wink in Anna's direction, and she briefly wonders how a woman like Elsa managed to befriend a man like Hans. "You always did have great taste in women."

Elsa flushes bright red at that comment, launching from her seat to push Hans towards the door. "Alright, that's enough out of you," she says hurriedly, throwing the door open. "Aren't hair and make-up looking for you, anyway?" Hans manages one last mega-watt smile at Anna before Elsa slams the door in his face.

"So that's Hans Westerguard?" Anna asks with a small chuckle, hoping to lighten the suddenly tense mood. "What's up with those sideburns?"

Elsa just laughs, bright and clear with a hand over her mouth. "He insists they make him look good. Something about framing the face."

"Is that what he calls it?" Anna jokes right back, glad to see Elsa's shoulders have dropped from nearly touching her ears.

"You'd be surprised how many women it works on," Elsa replies, smiling lightly as Anna approaches her from the other side of the trailer.

Grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers, Anna gives Elsa a grin of her own. "Well, most women aren't fake-dating someone like you."

Elsa's face turns flaming red, and Anna feels immensely proud of herself to know that she caused it.

The filming picks up after Hans's arrival.

Anna's always been overwhelmingly ambivalent about movies, so watching one come together in front of her is a whole new, fascinating experience. She never realized just how much work goes into every scene, let alone the whole film. Make-up is fixed almost every five minutes it seems, touched up between takes, which can range from two to twenty per scene.

Anna just stands on the side and watches the bustle around her. Compared to now, the first week seems like a vacation.

The crew's dismissed at noon for lunch, and Anna's on the way to her car when she walks past Elsa and a group of the other actors.

"Oh, Anna!" Elsa calls, waving her over. "Come to lunch with us? You know the restaurants around here better than we do."

Anna bites the corner of her lips while she thinks. On one hand, she's sure lunch with so many celebrities is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a nobody like her, but on the other, she was really looking forward to Pamela's on her own.

"Please?" Elsa tries again, pouting just a little.

"Fine, fine," Anna concedes, walking up to the group. "Where were you guys thinking of eating?"

Hans, who Anna hadn't noticed in the group before, speaks up. "We weren't sure, actually. This is the first time a lot of us have been to Pittsburgh. We were hoping you had a suggestion."

Anna looks around the group, noting that most of the cast is with them. "Well, I might know someplace that could fit us all without having to wait for a table…"

She takes them to Hofbrauhaus. And at a good time too, seeing as the accordion guy is playing today. The rest of the group looks around the room in wonder, eying the long wooden tables in the main hall and the electronic sign counting down the days until Oktoberfest.

"What is this place?" someone mutters, in some mixture of confusion and awe, and Anna realizes for the first time that these types are probably more used to fancy L.A. restaurants than ones that try to recreate Germany circa four-hundred years ago.

"Hofbrauhaus," Anna answers. "It's like, Bavarian food. And beer. Lots of beer."

Most of the group turns to her aghast, and Anna wonders briefly if southern California, or wherever these people are from, has a problem with beer. Or lederhosen.

"What do you recommend?" Elsa asks, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Beer, I mean. What kind of beer to do you recommend here?"

"Since when did you like beer?" Hans whispers in Elsa's ear, still loud enough for Anna to catch it over the dull roar of the restaurant, but Elsa just keeps eye contact with Anna, smiling.

"The lager is always a good choice," Anna says, ignoring Hans's comment and grinning to match Elsa's. "But I'm partial to their Hefeweizen."

If anything, Elsa's smile grows. "Then let's sit down. I want to try this Hefewiezen of theirs."

Lunch isn't actually as bad as the cast obviously worried it might be. Once they get over the initial culture shock, Anna has them trying the whole host of Hofbrau's beers, and it doesn't take long for them to start singing along to the in-house band, even if none of them know the language, the lyrics, or the tune.

Elsa keeps next to Anna the whole time, foregoing the singing endeavor to stay at the table and play with Anna's fingers as they drum on the wood.

"What are you doing?" Anna asks, keeping an eye on the cast up at the front. It wouldn't do for one of them to get into trouble and have it come back to her for bringing them here, even if she adamantly believes no one should get in trouble for enjoying Hofbrauhaus or the spirit of Oktoberfest. Maybe she should bring the directors sometime, too.

"Flirting with you," Elsa replies lightly, walking her fingers up Anna's arm and tugging on her shirt sleeve.

"Oh, we're starting already?"

Elsa giggles, dragging her hand back down to play with Anna's fingers again. "I started when you got hired. You're just oblivious, dear."

"M-maybe you should give me a little warning next time?" Anna says, trying to ignore the tingles shooting through her hand and arm.

"'Next time'? How many times are you going to be my PA?"

"Well maybe if you came to Pittsburgh to film more."

Elsa just smiles and lifts Anna's hand, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "With an offer like that, how could I refuse?" she jokes, leaning in a little closer.

Anna's almost certain Elsa's going in for a kiss, but cheering from the front of the hall interrupts them, and the next thing she knows, she's being mobbed by a group of drunken celebrities.

She does end up being scolded for getting a vast majority of the cast drunk on a work day - during their lunch break, no less - but the actors themselves keep shooting her thumbs-ups and high-fiving her, so it's hard for her to take the director's ire seriously.

Plus, Elsa kept holding her hand the whole way back to the set, so it's a little hard for her to regret anything at the moment. Not when the whole trip was so obviously worth it.

Their little dating scheme doesn't go much further until the Friday after the third week of filming. Anna and Elsa keep playfully flirting whenever they're in public, but it's that Friday that Elsa catches Anna on the way to her car and asks her out in front of the whole cast and crew.

Well, more like demands to be taken out, really.

"Huh?" Anna asks, car keys dangling loosely in her hand.

Elsa just smiles her infuriatingly-sweet smile. "I said, you should take me out to dinner tonight. To celebrate getting out early today."

Anna opens and closes her mouth a few times, utterly dumbstruck. "Why am I the one taking you out?" she responds in lieu of an actual answer.

"Because I don't know the restaurants in the area that well," Elsa says, laughing brightly. "It'll be my treat."

Glancing around the set and noticing the sheer number of people watching them, Anna knows she has no choice but to go along with it, as unexpected as it is. Things like this are probably a part of the whole fake-dating deal. "Alright, but I don't think we'll be able to get in anywhere fancy on such short notice."

"That's fine. It doesn't need to be anywhere fancy. Pick me up at six?"

"Actually," Anna says, remember how frustrating the crowd outside the Fairmont was, "we could just leave here together. I'm not going to take you anywhere that would make you need to change, and I can just drop you off at the hotel afterwards."

"If I want to go back to the hotel," Elsa jokes with a wink. "Sounds like a plan to me. I just need to grab my bag, and we can go, alright?"

"Alright," Anna agrees, chancing another glance around the set as Elsa walks back to her trailer. Most of the crew looks at her in surprise, while the cast is torn between bemusement and approval. Hans, who she spots near the trailers, seems to be amongst the former, though he also appears somewhat upset.

"He wanted to ask you out," a voice from behind informs her. "Probably annoyed Frost got there first."

Spinning on her heel, Anna nearly bumps into a burly blond who stands nearly a foot taller than her. "And how do you know this?" she asks, eyeing the man warily.

He crosses his arms and gives her the most deadpan looks she swears she's even seen. "I overheard him telling some of the actors yesterday. He was the one who convinced the director to cut the filming short today."

"Oh," Anna says for lack of a better response. "Thanks for the heads up, uh…"

"Kristoff Bjorgmann," the man fills in for her.

"Right. You're one of the sound guys."

Kristoff looks almost impressed that she recognizes him. "Yeah, and you're the girl who's about to end up in every major tabloid." Anna frowns at that. "Just letting you know. Everyday people like you don't get to hang out with celebrities without other people noticing."

Anna opens her mouth to protest (though what she's not entirely sure), but she's interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Elsa asks, smiling like she hasn't noticed how tense the air is between Anna and Kristoff.

"Yeah, of course," Anna answers, offering her arm for Elsa to take. "Thanks for the help, Mr. Bjorgmann, but I think I can handle it." Kristoff just raises an eyebrow and shrugs, walking off.

Elsa doesn't say anything about Anna's dismissal until they get to the parking lot. "Okay, what was that about?"

Anna rolls her eyes and leads them to where she parked her car that morning. "Nothing. Kristoff just decided to stick his nose in our business."

Nodding, Elsa waits for Anna to unlock the doors of her Camry and takes her place in the passenger's seat. "About that. Our 'business' as you put it," she starts hesitantly. Anna smiles at her gently, encouraging her to continue. "Sorry about asking you out so publicly and out of the blue like that. I know we should have talked about it beforehand, but I heard Hans was planning on asking you out today and-"

"Hey, it's fine," Anna says. "I heard about it too, and I don't mind you dropping that one me, really."

Elsa doesn't look convinced, frowning harder than before. "I'm glad I didn't upset you, but that doesn't make it fine. Our relationship right now has a weird power-dynamic anyway, and I don't want you to ever feel like I'm coercing you or forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. You're allowed to tell me 'no' whenever, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," Anna agrees when Elsa looks at her expectantly.

"More than that," Elsa continues, "I want you to tell me 'no' if I ever step out of line or go too far. Even if we're surrounded by people."

"Okay, I will," Anna says, reaching out and grabbing Elsa's hand, as though it will help convince the other woman. "If you want, I can even start initiating things too. I was okay with letting you set the pace, but if you're worried about making me uncomfortable, I can start contributing to this more too."

Cracking a grin and then descending into giggles, Elsa reclaims her hand to cover her mouth. "God, it's like we're an actual couple or something."

Smiling right back, though somewhat lopsidedly, Anna starts her car. "Well that's kinda what we're going for, right?"

"Cut, cut! Take half an hour to dry off; we're doing another take," the director orders. As if on cue, the crew starts buzzing around, turning off the rain machine and getting the cameras back in position.

Anna hops off the chair designated for Elsa, grabbing the towel that some staff member had slung over the back of it before filming started that day. Moving to meet Elsa as she walks off the set, Anna holds the towel out for Elsa to take.

"Thanks," Elsa says, taking the towel and bringing it to her face immediately. "Rain scenes are the worst, let me tell you."

"Is half an hour really enough time to dry off?" Anna asks, taking the towel back when Elsa holds it out to her.

"To dry me off? Yes," Elsa starts, wringing out her hair as she walks towards the trailers. "To dry these clothes? No way in hell. Costuming has a few sets of the same outfit so we can run more than one take at a time."

"That… makes a lot of sense," Anna says, following along. Biting her lip in thought, she walks faster until she's right beside Elsa and reaches out to take the other woman's hand.

Jerking slightly in surprise but not rejecting the hand, Elsa smiles brightly at her as she intertwines their fingers. "Taking the initiative, I see," she jokes, thumb lightly stroking Anna's hand.

Anna just smiles back. "I did say I would start taking charge more. I'm as committed to this as you are. After all, I am getting paid for this."

With a laugh, Elsa pulls her into the trailer and pins her against the door. "Careful who you say that around. People will talk about me corrupting my cute, little PA."

"Maybe this 'cute, little PA' wants to be corrupted," Anna quips back, painfully aware of the way she can feel Elsa's breath on her face from their proximity.

Elsa laughs harder, hand darting up to cover her mouth, and takes a step back. "Oh, well in that case, you can help me out of these clothes," she says with a wink, more playful than sultry. "They're wet and uncomfortable, and I need to be back out there in twenty minutes."

"Tempting offer," Anna says with chuckle, hand tucking her hair behind her ear and face feeling warm, "but I think I should grab you another towel or two instead."

"What are you waiting for, then?" Elsa jokes, fingers already working the buttons of her soaked cardigan, and Anna slips out the trailer door.

There's a table of towels not too far from the trailer bay, so Anna makes a beeline for it, hoping her timing's right to get back when Elsa's decent. Walking just a little faster than her normal gait, she's right about to reach the table when a crewmember backs into her, clipping her and sending her careening towards the ground.

Eyes scrunched and ready for impact, Anna's surprised when, seconds after the initial collision, she doesn't collide with the ground or the table. Peeking one eye open, she catches sight of auburn hair, messy and wet.

"Glad I caught you," Hans says with one of those charming smiles Anna's sure works great on women who aren't fake-dating their extremely attractive bosses.

"Yeah, me too," Anna replies, regaining her balance and untangling herself from Hans' hold. "Thanks for the save."

Hans grabs the towel draped around his shoulders and uses it to rub at his hair, drawing attention to his shirtless state. Anna resolutely keeps her eyes above the neckline. "It was my pleasure," he tells her, that same grin fixed on his face.

Anna laughs nervously, wracking her mind for something decidedly platonic to say, when her phone goes off. "That must be Elsa," she says, biting back a sigh of relief. "I need to get her a towel."

"Duty calls," Hans jokes with good-natured chuckle. "Don't let me keep you, but do me a favor and get free of her long enough for me to buy you a drink, alright?"

"We'll see about that," Anna replies, snatching a towel from the table and rushing back to Elsa's trailer. She nearly knocks the door down in her hurry to get in, panting slightly from her half-jog on the way there.

Elsa quirks an eyebrow at the sight of her, a grin playing on her lips. "Where's the fire?"

"I'll tell you later," Anna says through her heaving breaths, holding the towel out like a trophy. "Dry off now."

"If you say so," Elsa laughs, taking the offered towel. "But I'm expecting full details once this scene is done."

Anna watches as Elsa towels off her hair, the view doing nothing to calm her breathing. "Roger."

"So what did you study in college?" Elsa asks her, rather unexpectedly one day while they're driving back to Anna's after dinner.

Anna chances a glance at her. "What brought this on?" she responds instead of answering.

Elsa hums, still fascinated with the sights of Pittsburgh if the way she keeps looking out the window is any indication. "I just realized I've never asked. I know your favorite color, but not which school you went to."

"You know my favorite color?" Anna asks, putting a hand up in defense when Elsa shoots her a look that says "Of course I do; it's all over your apartment."

"Fine, fine. It's not like it's a secret, anyway," she acquiesces. "I, uh, went to Pitt. Majored in History of Art and Architecture with a certificate in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Department names, not mine."

"That's," Elsa starts, letting out a low whistle, "wow, that must have been a lot of work."

"It's not too bad if you enjoy it," Anna says with a chuckle. "I actually used to dream about working at the Warhol Museum. I mean, the Neoclassical and Romantic periods are my thing, but I've always loved Warhol's work. It's probably just the Pittsburgh camaraderie thing, especially since he was grew up so close to the university. And you know, honestly, I'm not even good at art, but you want a three-thousand-word analysis comparing Gericault and Delacroix and how they influenced later French art, then I'm your girl."

Taking a deep breath and only now realizing that she hadn't breathed once during that whole rant, Anna feels her face heat up. "And that was way more information than you were probably looking for."

"No, not at all," Elsa laughs. "I think that's the most fired-up I've ever seen you. It's fun to see people get so passionate about the things they love."

"You should see me at Pens games," Anna jokes, blush still stubbornly on her face. "Well, what about you? Where'd you go to school?"

"NYU, actually," Elsa admits, eyes averting back out the window in what Anna can only assume is a fit of shyness. "I was a drama major at the Tish School for the Arts. I used to want to do Broadway."

"Really? That's amazing!"

Elsa makes a noise in the back of her throat, something between a chuckle and hum. "It's a lot less glamorous than it sounds."

"A bit like being a movie star?" Anna quips, turning onto her street.

"Oh, trust me. Broadway is infinitely less glamorous than acting in movies," Elsa tells her with a full laugh. "Shows every night and even some afternoons. It takes over your whole life. And New York is so much more stressful than L.A."

"Is it really that bad?"

"I think it's the weather," Elsa says. "It's either too hot and muggy or too cold and windy there, and it drives people mad."

Anna snorts, pulling into an open parking spot a house down from her apartment. "As opposed to L.A., where it's hot all the time."

"You get used to it," Elsa argues. "Though I do miss the snow. I'm a bit sad the filming won't last till winter."

"Ha, if you think winter's here are anything like winters in New York, you have another thing coming," Anna jokes, getting out of the car and waiting for Elsa to do the same before locking the doors. "The potholes are ridiculous and the roads are about as straight as I am."

"Which is to say, not at all."

"Exactly," Anna agrees. She walks up the walkway to her apartment, unlocking and opening the door and holding it for Elsa. "That's how I came out to my parents, actually."

Elsa lets out a noise caught somewhere between an unladylike snort and a giggle, hand quickly moving to cover her mouth. "You didn't."

"I did," Anna says gleefully. "I used to live on Mount Washington, in a real hard neighborhood to get to, and my dad was complaining about all the twists and turns on the road. 'Why can't any of these damned roads be straight!' he yelled, and I said, 'I don't blame them; I'm also having trouble being straight,' and he turned bright red and nearly ran us off the road, he was trying to so hard to assure me that he still loves me."

"No way," Elsa laughs, taking a seat on Anna's couch. "You're making this up."

"Couldn't make it up if I tried," Anna replies before flopping on the couch herself. "After we got to my place, he lectured me about dropping bombs on him like that while he's driving, and then he told me not to tell my mom about it, because they had a bet going about when I was going to come out to them, and I told him too early for him to win."

"Did you listen to him?"

"Yeah, of course, after I got him to promise to give me half his winnings," Anna says. "He said it wasn't about the money so much as being right. Mom found out about a month after she paid him, and she nearly boxed my ears for helping Dad win."

"And then?" Elsa asks, pulling her legs onto the couch and smiling warmly when Anna nudges them until they're resting on her lap.

"She demanded that Dad give her back the money, though she let me keep the part he gave me. Told me that if I'd come clean to her sooner, she would have given me all of her winnings instead of just half."

Elsa laughs again, hand seemingly glued to her lips with the way she keeps it there as she laughs. "What a pity."

"I thought it was too funny to care," Anna admits. "My parents can get pretty crazy."

"They sound like lovely people," Elsa says. "Though I'm not surprised, given they raised someone like you."

Anna feels heat rush to her face, and she ducks her head to hide the blush. "What about you?" Anna asks. "Any funny coming out stories?"

Elsa scoffs and rolls her eyes, the small smile still gracing her lips the only indication the actions are more amused than derisive. "Hardly," she says. "When I told my parents, they treated it like I had just told them the most boring news in the world."

"Really?"

"Yep," Elsa says with a slight nod. "I believe my mother said, verbatim, 'That's great, dear, now finish your dinner before it gets cold.'"

"Really?" Anna asks again, hands idly playing with Elsa's legs.

"Really," Elsa tells her. "I was so nervous, too. It took me weeks to build up the courage to tell them, and they were so nonchalant about it."

Anna laughs incredulously. "But they don't have a problem with it?"

"I don't think so," Elsa says, leg twitching when Anna traces a finger down her ankle. "At least, if they do, they're incredibly good at hiding it."

"Huh. You know, in a way, that story's more entertaining than mine," Anna muses, repeating the motion and laughing when Elsa shoots her a glare. "I've probably heard hundreds of coming out stories, and I've never heard one like that."

"You want to switch parents?" Elsa jokes, poking Anna in the stomach with her foot as payback. "I think I'd take bets over 'Yes, yes, you like girls, but this your father's secret chicken recipe, and it won't do for it get cold.'"

Laughing again - partially from the joke, partially from Elsa getting her in a particularly ticklish part of her body - Anna clutches Elsa's ankle to keep her from digging her big toe into her stomach again. "That depends. How good is your dad's secret chicken recipe? Because my dad can't cook worth shit."

Elsa just grins at her, trying to give Anna's belly another few pokes with her other foot. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to make it for you sometime, and you can decide for yourself."

"Deal," Anna says, desperately trying to defend her stomach from Elsa's feet. "But please stop tickling me, or I might have to kick you off the couch."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Anna asks, hands gripping Elsa's shirt. They're in the trailer, on the futon Elsa likes to take naps on during breaks.

"We need as many people to talk as possible," Elsa replies, fingers fiddling with Anna's belt loops. "The make-up artists couldn't care less about me, but they'll definitely remember that they had to cover up a hickey. And the crew's not going to miss us walking out of the trailer together looking disheveled."

Anna picks at the collar of Elsa's shirt, still hesitant. "No one's going to think we're dating unless the crew believes it. Not when they're the ones who spread all the rumors. Plus, the sooner the rumors start, the sooner Hans will stop breathing down your neck. Now come on," Elsa urges, tilting her head to expose her neck.

"Alright, fine," Anna gives in, leaning in and pressing her lips lightly to Elsa's neck.

"Don't be nervous, Anna," Elsa says. A breathy laugh escapes her lips as Anna's tongue slips out to give her skin the slightest of licks. "And make it as messy as you can. It needs to be the most obvious hickey the crew's ever seen."

Slipping her bottom lip between her teeth, Anna takes an unsteady breath and grunts an acknowledgement to Elsa's order. She presses her lips to the smooth expanse of skin harder this time, before parting them to lather the spot with her tongue.

Elsa lets out a gasp, and for a second, Anna's not on a futon in a movie star's trailer, giving a celebrity a hickey. She's on the ratty couch in her apartment, making out with her girlfriend.

Closing her eyes, she gives in to the fantasy, her imagination emboldening her and pushing her to drag her teeth over that same spot on Elsa's neck. Right now, in her mind, Elsa's not Elsa the Celebrity, Actress Extraordinaire; she's just Elsa, Anna's girlfriend, the person Anna most definitely has the right to mark up.

Before long, she's catching Elsa's skin between her teeth and tugging gently until Elsa breathes out a small moan. The sound sends a shiver through Anna's body, and, driven to hear it again, she releases the skin and starts sucking. Pulling away after a few, long seconds, she glances at the once spotless, pale skin through hooded eyes, and smiles at the contrast of the reddening mark on Elsa's fair complexion.

Anna licks her lips and lowers her head, sucking at a new spot on Elsa's neck while Elsa's hands undo her braids and thread through her hair. One new mark leads to two, two to three, and by the time Anna pulls away again, hickeys of all shapes and sizes are scattered all over Elsa's neck.

Elsa's hands are still tangled in her hair, so instead of moving away fully, Anna releases her fistfuls of Elsa's shirt and lifts her hands to cup Elsa's neck, thumbs rubbing the marks dotting the skin there. Leaning down one more time, she angles her head up to press her lips to Elsa's and feels the beginning of a sound rumbling against her palms, but rather than a noise of protest, the only thing that escapes from Elsa's lips is another moan as she parts them for Anna's tongue.

Anna's hands slip away from Elsa's neck and trail down to where the hem of Elsa's shirt meets her pants. Her fingers play with the cloth for a few moments before slipping underneath the soft material and brushing against the smooth skin of Elsa's stomach. Elsa jerks away, as if in surprise, and gasps Anna's name. Anna presses her hands flat against Elsa's abdomen and reclaims her lips, a moan rumbling in the back of her throat when Elsa tugs at her hair.

She's right about to slip her tongue back into Elsa's mouth when a knock at the trailer door interrupts them. They break apart grudgingly, and the hazy, hooded look Elsa gives Anna sends a jolt of electricity straight through her chest and to all of her extremities.

"Miss Frost, make-up and hair want you in ten minutes," the voice of some assistant announces through the closed door, making Anna pull her hands out of Elsa's shirt.

Elsa frees her hands from where they had been thoroughly caught in Anna's hair and looks at herself in the mirror across from the futon. Flexing her neck to get a better look at her neck, she runs a hand down her wrinkled shirt and laughs. "Went a little overboard, don't you think?"

Anna flushes, embarrassed at her apparent lack of control. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Elsa says with a giggle, pressing a quick kiss to Anna's cheek. "It's more convincing than I thought it was going to be."

"You're welcome?" Anna replies uncertainly, checking her own state in the mirror. Her lips are red and swollen and her hair an absolute mess. She raises a hand to run through her tousled locks, but Elsa grabs her wrist to halt her.

"Leave it. We can't have anyone mistaking who I was just making out with," she says with a wink.

With that, she stands and leaves the trailer, pausing only to blow Anna a kiss before leaving her assistant dumbstruck on the futon.

Something about their relationship changes after that day. Anna can't exactly place what it is, but they're more… comfortable around each other, both physically and emotionally. They flirt more too, but it's far more playful and less forced than before. In fact, any obligation she may have felt about flirting is gone, replaced instead with a sense of enjoyment and anticipation.

About a month and a half after the first visit, Elsa ends up at Anna's place again, citing tiredness for the reason she doesn't want to go clubbing with the other actors. Anna, for her part, doesn't particularly care why Elsa's on her couch again; she's just happy to spend some more time with her.

And that's how they end up watching The Lion King at eleven at night again. Or at any rate, how Anna ends up watching The Lion King with Elsa again, and how Elsa ends up tucked under Anna's arm, playing with her phone.

"And… post," Anna hears Elsa mutter under her breath.

"'And post'?" Anna repeats, tearing her eyes away from the movie to look down at the woman cuddled up to her.

Elsa looks up at her innocently and shows Anna the phone in her hands. She's got her Instagram app up, and, at the top of her feed, is a picture of her smiling coyly for the camera, her face snuggled in to Anna's arm, with the bottom half of Anna's profile in the background. The caption reads "No better way to spend a Friday night."

"That's cute," Anna says, a warm feeling rushing to her chest at the small smile that Elsa gives her.

"A hundred and fifty-two people would agree with you," Elsa responds.

Anna laughs, squeezing Elsa a little tighter with the arm she has wrapped around the other woman. "I guess that means I must be right."

"I think you might be," Elsa agrees.

"It's a hundred sixty-three now, so I'd say the odds are in my favor."

Elsa giggles, snuggling back into Anna's embrace. "I'm lucky I found you."

"Oh?" Anna asks, raising her free hand to play with Elsa's pushed-back bangs. "How so?"

"Just this whole fake-relationship thing," Elsa says, a sigh working its way out of her mouth when Anna's fingers delve a little deeper into her hair to scratch her scalp. "I could have gotten anyone to play along, but instead I found someone I genuinely like spending time with."

Anna stops her ministrations to wrap her other arm around Elsa, giving her a somewhat awkward hug while she nuzzles her face into Elsa's hair. "I like spending time with you, too."

"I wasn't expecting to make any friends in Pittsburgh," Elsa admits, twisting in Anna's arms to face her, "but I'm really glad I got to meet you."

"Me, too," Anna replies, trying not to feel so horribly self-conscious about how close Elsa's face is, but her lips keep tingling lightly and she can hardly keep her eyes from drifting down to Elsa's. "I'm gonna miss you when you go back to LA."

"I'll miss you too," Elsa says with a gentle smile, pressing a peck to Anna's cheek before settling back into her embrace like earlier. "So I guess it's a good thing we have a couple more months before that happens, huh?"

Anna just bites her lips to stave off a frown. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Cut, cut! Take ten, everyone! And Westerguard, when you get back on set I expect you to get your act together!" the director shouts. The crew gets moving the second he's finished, running around to get everything ready for the next take.

Anna just sits off on the side, waiting for Elsa to walk over and join her. "What's the deal with Hans?" she asks once Elsa has.

"Didn't you see the new issue of OK!?" Elsa asks in response. Anna shakes her head. "I've got a copy in my trailer if you want to come along."

Even though Anna hasn't seen the issue, she has an idea of what it must be about, given the stares and the murmurs they get as they walk through the set. Kristoff in particular, who she can only spot because of his height and ridiculous blond mop, eyes her with a distinctly knowing look. She has an urge to call out to him, but they reach the trailer before she can, and someone behind them blows a loud wolf whistle.

"That wasn't for us, was it?" Anna asks, only half-jokingly.

Elsa doesn't respond, just glancing over her shoulder before continuing to the small vanity inside. She picks up a magazine and hands it to Anna, before announcing, "I guess we did it, huh?"

Anna takes the magazine, eyes scanning over the cover. It's mostly taken up by a picture of her with a possessive arm wrapped around Elsa's waist, one hand up as though she's blocking something. She realizes a second later that it must be from last Friday, when she picked Elsa up from her hotel and had to battle with the paparazzi again. The headline, positioned near their knees, reads, "Elsa and her PA? Just What Are They to Each Other?"

"Yeah, we did," Anna says, unable to keep from grinning at how crazy it is to be on the cover of a magazine. "But what does this have to do with Hans?"

"Remember how he wanted to ask you out? But I got there first?" Elsa asks, running a hand through her hair. Anna bites the inside of her cheek to keep from telling Elsa to keep from messing up her immaculately styled hair. "He's upset about it. Thinks I'm using you, or something like that." Elsa lets out a humorless laugh. "Well, I guess he wouldn't be wrong."

Anna frowns. "You're not using me, Elsa. You haven't done a thing I didn't already agree to."

"But you wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for our deal," Elsa argues. "Just because you agreed to it doesn't mean I'm not getting way more out of this arrangement than you are. What are you even getting out of this besides a job?"

"A chance to hang out with a really awesome person I would have never met otherwise," Anna says, stomping her foot a little to emphasize her point. "Elsa, I swear, you're not using me, and you shouldn't think that you are just because Hans is upset that I'm not available." Elsa gives her a look, one that says how unconvinced she is by Anna's speech, and Anna huffs, running a hand through her own hair.

"If it's bothering you that much, we can call it off. Say we were just fooling around and none of it meant anything," Anna offers, trying to ignore the way her stomach churns at the thought of giving up on their scheme, of giving up Elsa.

A frown matching Anna's grows on Elsa's face. "No, I..." she pauses, "I don't think we should stop. I just," she sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I've been worried this whole time that I might be forcing you to do things you might not be comfortable with, and I know we talked about this before," she adds when Anna opens her mouth to interject, "but I was still afraid that you didn't feel comfortable telling me to back off. When Hans said that I was using you, I thought that maybe that's what it looks like, and I was the only one too oblivious to notice it."

"Elsa," Anna says, smiling despite herself at just how considerate Elsa is. "Elsa, look at me," she adds when the other woman refuses to look up. "Believe it or not, but I'm having a lot of fun doing this stuff with you. I mean, how many ordinary people like me get to say they dated a celebrity? So you don't have to worry that you're pushing me or overstepping any boundaries, because the last time someone tried to make a move on me I didn't want, I knocked him out."

Elsa laughs, bright and clear and not a bit as tired as she sounded earlier. "I'm glad to hear you can take care of yourself," she says, reaching a hand out for Anna to take.

Anna happily does. "It was during a Pens game. The hockey inspired me," Anna replies, thumb rubbing Elsa's knuckles. "So I'm thinking I make it clear to Hans that he and I wouldn't work, even if you weren't in the picture, so you won't feel guilty about upsetting your friend - and don't even try to deny that's another reason you're feeling shitty about the magazine," she adds when Elsa sends her a look, "and then we get dinner at that Chinese place you like on Squirrel Hill."

"And then another round of The Lion King at yours?"

"Even better: I got my parents to drop off my old VHS of The Lion King 2. We're moving up in the world."

Elsa smiles, and if the warmth blooming in Anna's chest is any indication, it's a sight Anna wants to see for the rest of her life. "It's a deal."

Kristoff catches her a few days later, brandishing some magazine at her like a weapon. "Told you so," he says, handing her the tabloid and crossing his arms in victory.

The headline reads "Hollywood Love Triangle? Hans and Elsa Fight for her PA's Affections!", as the cover displays pictures of Anna interacting with both actors. Barely resisting an eye roll, Anna shoves the magazine back into Kristoff's arms.

"Told me what? All I see is a bullshit story someone made up for money," Anna tells him, already walking away.

"It doesn't matter if it's true or not," Kristoff argues, following behind her. "The media makes up whatever they want, but once they find a target, they'll never leave you alone."

"Why do you even care?" Anna asks. "You hardly even know me."

Jogging ahead and cutting her off, Kristoff draws up to his full height, and Anna has to admit it's more intimidating than she thought it would be. "I've been in this industry for a long time, and I've seen plenty of people jerked around by the media, celebrities and otherwise. I just want to prevent that from happening again if I can."

"Look," Anna says, rubbing a hand over her brow, "I appreciate the concern. Really. I just know what I'm doing, okay?"

Kristoff frowns, looking wholly unconvinced. "Everyone says that."

"Well I actually do. Elsa and I talk a lot, and we worked out the terms of this relationship months ago."

"Right," Kristoff scoffs, "that's why she's totally aware that you're head over heels for her."

That makes Anna freeze, and if Kristoff's smug expression is any indication, he knows it. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Give up the act, Hall. No one's in earshot."

"I'm," Anna can hardly get the words out, her heart's beating so fast, "I'm not…" Kristoff raises an eyebrow, and Anna's filled with the sudden urge to sock him. "I'm not in love with anyone!"

Kristoff just shrugs, that infuriating smile still on his face. "Okay sure, maybe not. But you're close. I'd say give it another week or so, and you'll be long gone."

"And how would you know?"

"Well I suppose you could say I was raised by love experts," Kristoff says as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "And besides that, I have eyes, Red. I can see how hard you're falling for her." Anna huffs, crossing her arms. "Look, I know how you feel. You're what, twenty-three?"

"Twenty-five," she mutters darkly.

"Fine, fine. You're twenty-five, and you're done with all that stupid college shit, and you know how to handle yourself, right?" he starts, his expression infinitely more sympathetic than before. "But whatever you think you're doing right now, you have to realize you're in way deeper than anything you signed up for. It's only a matter of time before the paparazzi finds out where you live or starts hounding you when you try to leave the set, and then you have to ask yourself: was it worth it? Was it worth having a fling with a celebrity that doesn't even love you back?"

Something swells up in Anna at that, a self-righteous heat that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and blood rush to her cheeks. "Listen, mind your own business, alright?" she all but shouts at him. "No one asked you for your help, so keep it to yourself."

With that, she spins on her heel and marches off, ignoring the way Kristoff's bemused expression matches her own surprise at how upset she is. She stomps all the way to Elsa's trailer, practically throwing the door open before walking up to Elsa and pulling her into a hug.

"Is everything alright?" Elsa asks, arms wrapping themselves around Anna's torso despite her obvious confusion.

"Yeah, I just need a hug," Anna replies, squeezing a little tighter than is absolutely necessary.

"Was it Hans?"

Anna sighs, resigning herself to talking about Kristoff even if he's the last person she wants to think about at the moment. "No, it was Kristoff."

Elsa heaves an exaggerated sigh, one hand coming up to play with one of Anna's braids. "Another man for me to compete with? You're just too popular, Anna."

Barking out a laugh, genuine but still too forceful, Anna burrows her face into Elsa's shoulder. "Trust me, Kristoff is not interested in anything other than making my life harder," she says, barely restraining a soft noise of pleasure from slipping through her throat when Elsa's hand moves to thread itself into Anna's hair.

"Hmm, do I need to speak to some people?"

"No, I can handle it. I just need cuddles," Anna says, giving Elsa another squeeze to prove her point.

For her part, Elsa just laughs and awkwardly walks them over to the couch, falling onto it so she lands first. "Alright, I can do that," she says, chuckling more when Anna nuzzles into her neck instead of speaking. "This is probably an easier job than talking to people, anyway."

Anna doesn't bother to respond, choosing to soak in the comfort of being in Elsa's embrace instead. She buries her face in Elsa's shirt, as though that will help her forget Kristoff's words, or better yet, help her ignore the fact that he's right.

It takes her a couple of days before she builds enough courage, but Anna manages to corner Kristoff before the week's over. He'd sent her looks that ranged from pitying to wary every time he saw her since their chat, and she feels like she at least owes him an apology for biting his head off.

"Hey, Kristoff," she calls out, while he's taking apart a boom pole to store for the night. He looks at her like he's been waiting for her to approach him, and that almost makes her turn and walk away. "I want to apologize for how I left things a couple days ago."

"Oh, which part?" Kristoff starts, handing off his work to another sound guy. "The part where you yelled at me and ran off, or the part where you're still in denial about your feelings?"

Biting back the urge to snap at him again, Anna takes a long breath through her nose. "Both," she says, instead of the scathing reply that first came to mind. "And I'd like to add that I'm not so 'in denial', as you so nicely put it. I acknowledge that I," she lowers her voice to a whisper, "have stronger feelings for Elsa than she does for me," she raises it back to normal, "but I've accepted that. And I'm not going to stop seeing her. Might as well take advantage of our time together, right?"

Kristoff frowns at her, and for the first time, she gets the impression that he's a bit like an older brother she never had. "You're just going to hurt yourself worse in the long run, you know," he says, more statement than question.

"It's worth it," Anna replies.

"If you really think so," he sighs, frown still in place. "I'd beg to differ, but I guess I can't stop you."

"No, you can't," Anna agrees, "but thank you for the concern. It's very sweet, actually."

"Sweet enough to make you reconsider?"

Anna laughs, and something about it makes the tension she didn't know she had in her shoulders release. "No, but thanks for trying. I know what I'm doing, and I know that what I'm doing probably isn't the smartest thing ever, but love is stupid. And I'm willing to be stupid if it means I get to be with Elsa as long as I can."

If anything, Kristoff's frown gets deeper. "Let me see your phone," he says, holding his hand out. "Personal phone, none of that business phone bullshit."

"What, why?" Anna asks, fishing out her phone and giving it to him despite her confusion.

"This is probably a terrible idea," Kristoff tells her, tapping away at her phone, "but I'm giving you my number. If you need to talk about anything about this, you can call or text me." Finishing up his work, he hands her phone back.

Anna laughs for the second time, this one more familiar, chiding. "Why do you care so much, Kristoff?"

Kristoff runs a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than usual. "I work in one of the most cutthroat industries in the country; I see people get crushed all the time. I guess I just want to do what I can to stop it from happening, especially to someone who obviously didn't know what they were getting themselves into."

Giving Kristoff's arm an affectionate punch, Anna smiles in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. "Fair enough, big guy. And thanks, really. I do appreciate it."

Kristoff shrugs, smiling back, and Anna walks away, back towards Elsa and the scheme that sank her into the deep end.

Anna's flipping through Elsa's schedule for the upcoming week when a flash and a camera shutter sound distracts her. Terrified for one second that the paparazzi have somehow invaded the set, her head jerks up, ready to chase someone away, but all she sees is Elsa looking far too amused to be innocent.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" she asks, though she already knows the answer.

"Maybe?" Elsa teases back, another shutter sound signalling another picture. "I'm trying to get a good shot for my phone lock screen. That's a couple-y thing to do, right?"

"Yeah, if we're in high school, maybe," Anna retorts.

Another flash. "Maybe I should wait until you fall asleep. Sleeping photos are cute," Elsa says instead, ignoring Anna's comment.

"And kinda creepy," Anna shoots back. Another shutter sound. "Wait, here, let me see."

"Why?"

Anna rolls her eyes at the sudden defensiveness in Elsa's voice. "Oh come on, I'm not gonna delete anything. I was just gonna take a selfie."

"In that case, get over here," Elsa says, waving Anna over. Obeying, Anna gets up from her seat and walks over to where Elsa sits. "C'mon," Elsa goads, patting her lap.

"Really?" Anna asks, raising an eyebrow.

"It'll be cute!" Elsa protests. "I need something I can show the talk show hosts."

Rolling her eyes again, Anna plops down on Elsa's lap, slinging an arm around her shoulder to steady herself. "Happy?"

"Very," Elsa replies, guiding Anna's other arm to link with the first and sliding her own arm around Anna's waist. "Say cheese!" she cheers, planting a kiss on Anna's cheek right before she presses the button, and Anna hardly has time to splutter in surprise before the shutter noise sounds again. Elsa ignores her obvious shock and checks the photo.

"Perfect," she says, a small smile playing on her lips, and Anna can't fight a matching grin from growing on her face. It took Elsa a few days to shake off her sad spell after the magazine release, but it seems she got back on her feet quickly enough.

Not that anyone else really noticed. Elsa's not a critically-acclaimed, much-beloved actress just because of her pretty face, though Anna's sure that doesn't hurt. Regardless, Anna certainly doesn't mind that Elsa's back on board with their dating scheme - it was a strangely painful few days that Elsa refused to get too close to her or let their contact linger any longer than necessary.

"How's it look?" Elsa asks, breaking Anna out of her reverie. She holds her phone out, the unlock menu doing a terrible job of obscuring the image of Elsa kissing Anna's cheek as Anna practically hangs off the other woman, a flushed smile on her face.

"Cute," Anna replies honestly, though some shy side of her balks at the thought of Elsa showing off a photo that makes her looks so obviously enamored with her boss.

"Want to another for your phone?" Elsa offers with a wry grin, shaking her phone as she talks.

Anna nearly snorts, the laugh bubbling out of her chest catches her off guard so much. "What, for my business phone? Provided so nicely by the crew?"

"Yeah sure, why not?" Elsa says, that infernal grin still on her lips. "You still get to keep it for the next two and a half months. Hell, you could probably keep it longer. They usually just throw those phones away when they're done with the movie."

"Good to know," Anna says, pulling the offending object from her back pocket. "This is probably the nicest piece of technology I've touched since college."

Elsa hums, holding her hand out expectantly, and Anna caves and gives her the phone. "Pity they'll stop paying for the plan as soon as filming's done," she muses, snapping a quick selfie, "but I guess you could always just switch to this phone instead paying for your old one." Another snap.

"Oh, you get to take selfies, but I had to take the PDA photo?" Anna complains, laughing when Elsa sends her a wink. "I don't think I can afford a data plan. Last time I checked, I'll be unemployed once this is over."

Another snap. "You better start looking for a new job while you still have the time, then," Elsa says, tapping away on Anna's phone. "Or better yet, move to California. You're probably the best PA I've had."

"You're just saying that because you're getting it on the side," Anna jokes. "And an offer like that better come with housing, because I can't afford Cali on a PA salary."

"Who said it won't?" Elsa asks. "I'd be a terrible girlfriend if I let my partner sleep on the streets."

"Yeah, you would," Anna agrees, heart beating a little too quickly at the thought of moving in with Elsa. "The absolute worst."

Laughing brightly, Elsa hands Anna's phone back and waits for Anna to check it. Anna turns the screen on, instantly smiling when she sees Elsa on the screen winking at her and blowing her a kiss.

"Adorable," Anna says, turning the screen back off and slipping the phone into her pocket. "We're a more functional couple than most couples I know, and we're not even dating."

"That's the secret to success," Elsa jokes back. "Now, let's show those real couples what's what and go on a big, fancy date tonight."

Anna taps her phone through her pocket, willing it to stop burning a hole into her thigh. "Deal, but you're paying this time," she says, smiling despite herself when Elsa laughs.

It's a rare Friday night that Anna and Elsa don't already have plans with each other when she gets a phone call to pick up some drunk actors from some club on the South Side. She's tempted to ask who's calling, but the guy on the other side just tells her "Elsa fucking Frost demanded that we call you."

That's all Anna really needs, though she's not entirely sure why Elsa went clubbing without even mentioning it to Anna once. Not that she's jealous or hurt or anything.

When she gets to the club - Diesel, she notes with an eye roll; she's never particularly liked the place - the actors she was called to collect are already waiting outside, under the watchful eye of a few bouncers. Elsa spots her beat up Camry almost immediately and waves so forcefully, she nearly tips herself over. Parking on the side of the street, Anna steps out of her car, catching a stumbling Elsa who seems more than content to just burrow her nose into crook of Anna's neck.

"Sorry for the trouble," she tells one of the bouncers, who just smiles and waves her off.

"No trouble at all," he responds, and his buddy flips his clipboard around to show the paper clipped onto it, covered in scribbles. "We got autographs."

Anna laughs and herds the actors into her car, glad that she can fit them all inside. She takes them to the Fairmont, and by some stroke of luck, the paparazzi seem to be taking the night off, leaving the entrance completely free. She walks them through the doors and to the elevators, Elsa clinging onto her the whole way.

"Can we go back to your place?" Elsa asks, whispering into Anna's ear in a way that makes her flush and shiver simultaneously.

"Y-yeah, sure," Anna replies, telling herself that the arm she has wrapped around Elsa's waist is only to keep the other woman up.

The drive back to Greenfield is quiet, both on the road and in the car. Elsa leans across the center console to rest her head against Anna's shoulder, and Anna can only tell she's awake from her light humming.

Elsa's resistant to leave the car once they get to Anna's apartment, citing something about being comfy where she is, but Anna manages to get her inside and to the living room before Elsa all but tackles her to the couch.

"Hey, hey, how drunk are you right now?" Anna chides, her affectionate tone making the words soft.

"Enough," Elsa mumbles into Anna's neck, the feeling of her lips against Anna's skin making the younger woman squirm. "Charlotte always teases me about going out with them more."

Anna laughs, partly from the way Elsa's tickling her with her lips, partly from the pout in Elsa's voice . "I feel like there's a moral in there about giving in to peer pressure."

"She's not wrong," Elsa argues, pressing her nose even further into Anna's neck. "I never really hung out with my costars before, except for Hans. It's no surprise people thought we were dating."

"So you went out to a club."

"I thought drinking might help. I'm not that good with people, you see," Elsa says, only now removing her face from Anna's neck to look down at her.

Brushing an errant lock out of Elsa's face and tucking it behind one of Elsa's ears, Anna smiles lightly. "Could've fooled me."

"I'm a good actress," Elsa jokes, leaning into Anna's hand as Anna plays with her hair.

"So I've been told," Anna quips back. "C'mon, we should get you some water so tomorrow morning isn't terrible."

Elsa pouts almost instantly at the suggestion. "In a minute. I'm enjoying this."

With a laugh and a tug on Elsa's ear, Anna tries to sit up, only to be pushed back down by the woman on top of her. "You're gonna have a hangover unless we get some water in you," she protests, but Elsa just leans down and presses their lips together.

"It'll be worth it," Elsa whispers against her lips before kissing her again.

Breaking away, Anna puts a hand on Elsa's shoulder, keeping her away long enough to ask, "How much have you had to drink again?"

Elsa frowns and gently removes the hand on her shoulder. "Anna? Please stop talking and let me kiss you."

So Anna does, no matter how sure she is Elsa might regret it in the morning because it's not like she doesn't enjoy kissing Elsa. If anything, she probably enjoys it too much.

They end up making out for the next few minutes, until Elsa decides she'd rather stick her face back into the crook of Anna's neck and go to sleep.

"Why is it so bright in here?"

Anna hears the whine from the kitchen and can hardly keep from laughing. Walking into the living room with two plates of breakfast, she sits herself on the couch, bumping Elsa's legs with her butt.

"It's your fault for sleeping on the couch," Anna chides. "I tried to get you out of the living room, but you just held onto my waist and wouldn't let me get up. The bedroom's got blackout curtains."

"If you're gonna scold me, at least talk quieter," Elsa moans in response, trying to block the light out with one arm and her ears with the other.

"If I stop scolding you, will you eat?" Anna shoots back, nudging one of Elsa's arms. "I've got egg, bacon, toast, and some Advil on the side if you want it."

"Yes, please," Elsa says, pushing herself up to reach for the glass of water and the painkillers Anna had dropped on the table before making breakfast. "You're an angel."

Anna picks up a plate, tucking in while Elsa takes the pills. "Ah, yes, praise me more," she jokes, watching Elsa chug the rest of the water.

"Quiet, you," Elsa mutters, sluggishly grabbing the second plate, "I still have a headache."

Chuckling as silently as possible, Anna presses a kiss to Elsa's temple. "Sorry, babe," she says, finishing up her breakfast and getting up to put her dishes in the kitchen. "When you're done eating, just drop your things in the sink. I put an extra towel in the bathroom, so you can get a shower."

Elsa hums in acknowledgement, still eating while Anna washes the pans. A few moment later, Elsa walks into the kitchen, slipping her plate and fork into the sink around Anna's arms and giving her a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the bathroom.

"Thanks for breakfast," she calls over her shoulder, laughing when Anna swats at her butt with a kitchen towel.

The dishes don't take long to clean, though Anna welcomes the distraction while it lasts. She's still stuck on whether the night before was a mistake or not, whether she should have put her foot down and made Elsa go to bed earlier.

When Elsa gets out of the shower, changed into some clothes Anna put out for her, Anna's still in the kitchen, drying the dishes and still thinking about the night before.

"Oh, let me help," Elsa says, walking into the kitchen, and Anna, breaking out of her thoughts at the sound of Elsa's voice, gives her the best deadpan expression she has.

"Please, my mother would have my hide if she heard I made a guest dry my plates for me," she says, sending Elsa a playful glare when she tries to take the plate from Anna's hands. "Besides, you just got out of the shower, and you're probably still hungover."

Anna doesn't need to look at Elsa to know she's rolling her eyes. "The shower did wonders, thank you. And my alcohol tolerance isn't as bad as you seem to think it is."

"Oh really," Anna starts, bumping Elsa with her hip, "because I seem to remember you hanging off of me last night because you couldn't stand on your own."

Elsa huffs, making another grab for a plate and barely missing. "First of all, my coordination is the first thing to go when I drink." Anna just laughs. "Secondly, I remember last night very clearly."

"Even the part where you refused to drink some water, even though that would have helped the hangover?"

"Yes, well you're very comfortable," Elsa argues, "and a very good kisser." Anna flushes bright red, nearly dropping the silverware in her hands. "And for the record, I stand by what I said last night." She wraps an arm around Anna's waist and presses a long, wet kiss to the spot behind her ear. Anna thinks she's either going to choke or suffocate - or both. Probably both.

"It was totally worth it," Elsa whispers, lips brushing against Anna's ear as she speaks.

"Haha, alright, where's the hidden camera?" Anna splutters once she's found the capacity to speak again. "You don't have to flirt so hard when it's just the two of us."

Elsa just hums, letting go of Anna's waist and taking a step back to push herself up onto the kitchen counter. "Yeah, but I like flirting with you. Your reactions are cute."

"Right, almost giving me a heart attack is cute," Anna says, dropping the now-dry forks into the silverware drawer.

"Maybe not that part," Elsa concedes, "but the blushing? Adorable."

Anna rolls her eyes, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. "Sounds a lot to me like the pot calling the kettle black," she says, giving her hands a final wipe with the kitchen towel and draping it over the oven handle. "Your face lights up just as easy as mine does. And don't deny it, because I've seen it plenty of times."

With a laugh, Elsa gracefully slides off the counter. "It's the fair complexion, dear. Both a blessing and a curse."

"With how hot you are, it's more of a blessing than a curse," Anna mutters, turning to leave the kitchen. She can hear Elsa on her heels, so she doesn't stop until she reaches the couch in the living room.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing," Anna covers, dropping onto the worn-out cushions and giving Elsa an innocent look when she frowns at her in obvious disbelief. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

The previous issue apparently dropped, Elsa looks down at her, a mischievous expression overtaking her features. "How about round two?" she asks, giggling as she watches Anna's head nearly explode from the speed and pressure of the blood rushing to her face. "Kidding, kidding, sorry. How about we get some coffee first, and then decide from there?"

It takes a few seconds for Anna to respond, her mind too cluttered with excess blood and thoughts of kissing Elsa again, but when she finally gets her head back on right, she nods in affirmation and motions for them to get on their way.

They end up stopping by a café on Murray, Elsa in those outrageously large sunglasses Anna's certain attracts more attention than dissuades. By some stroke of luck, however, no one stops or harrasses them, though Anna thinks she catches a few people sneaking photos.

Elsa, however, is either totally oblivious or happy to ignore it, so Anna follows suit.

Afterwards, Elsa playfully demands that Anna take her on a tour of Pitt's campus, and they end up spending two hours just sitting in the grass at Schenley Park, alternately chatting and just enjoying each others' company. Their last stop is the Warhol museum, where Anna's art student mode takes over, and she spend the whole time telling Elsa random stories about Warhol, his art, and art in general.

Stumbling into Anna's apartment six hours after they left it - they had stopped by the Pamela's in Oakland for food partway through - Elsa pulls Anna to the couch, collapsing onto it and taking Anna with her.

"That was a surprisingly productive Saturday," Elsa laughs, and Anna can feel the rumble of her chest from where she lays on top of the other woman, "especially considering how hungover I was this morning."

"Yeah, thank god I get reimbursed for gas money," Anna jokes, biting back a sigh that wants to escape her throat when Elsa tangles a hand into her hair.

"We didn't drive that much," Elsa protests half-heartedly. "Besides, now we've done just about everything I wanted to do in the city."

Anna chuckles breathily, the pleasure from Elsa's ministrations slipping into her voice. "Getting a half-assed tour of UPitt was on your Pittsburgh bucket list?"

"Not quite," Elsa says, her other hand coming up to undo Anna's braids so she can run her hands through her hair better. "My list was more like, 'experience everything important to Anna'."

Blood rushes to Anna's face upon hearing that, heart pounding away at a breakneck pace, and for a moment, Anna wants to pull away so that Elsa won't have a chance feel how intensely her heart is beating. "Why would that matter?" she stutters out instead, unable to think of a good excuse for leaving Elsa's embrace.

"You and Pittsburgh are practically synonymous in my mind," Elsa replies lightly, hands holding a bit more tightly to Anna as though she read her mind. "So I guess getting to know the city as you know it is like getting to know you a little better."

"Pity that I can't do the same for you," Anna says, the soothing feeling of Elsa's fingers in her hair calming her body from its excited state.

"All the more reason to come visit me in L.A." Elsa jokes. "Even if I'm originally from New York."

Anna smiles at the thought of touring L.A. and getting to see Elsa again, but rather than voice those thoughts, she hums contently, eyelids slipping closed. "Like I'll ever have the money to visit a city like Los Angeles."

"I'd pay for everything, of course," Elsa muses, seemingly unaware that the mixture of her fingers scratching at Anna's scalp and her lilting voice are slowly lulling Anna to sleep. "I could fly you out of the premiere of the movie, and you could be my date on the red carpet. The press would lose it."

"Hmm, I'm holding you to this," Anna mutters sleepily. "Can't just make a girl promises like that without going through with them."

Elsa presses a soft kiss to Anna's forehead, letting the girl fall asleep on top of her. "I'll keep every single one, if you want."

Anna doesn't know when she fully falls asleep, but she wakes up in her bed, curled into Elsa's side.

Anna's dosing in Elsa's cast chair, when she feels a pair of hands clamp down on her shoulders. Jumping a solid six inches in the air, she whips around to find Elsa clutching her stomach with one arm while the other hovers over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She tries to fix her best look of annoyance on her face, but between Elsa's gorgeous smile and the melodic sound of her giggles, she can't keep a matching grin from overtaking her lips.

"What's the big deal?" she asks, certain the smile on her face is turning goofier by the second.

"I wanted to surprise you," Elsa says, once she calms down, though it's hard to make out the words through how much she's trying to catch her breath. "Not like that, although that was great."

"Uh huh," Anna says, mildly annoyed that she can't even pretend to be upset with Elsa. This crush will be the death of her. "And how were you going to surprise me?"

Elsa just gives her one of the brightest smiles Anna's ever seen pulls out her phone. Anna catches a glance of her lock screen, that damned picture of them still on it, before Elsa turns the phone to face her.

"With these," Elsa says, and a loud squeal escapes Anna's throat before she has the chance to stop it.

"You didn't," Anna gapes, snatching the phone from Elsa's hand to reread the email on the screen.

"I did."

"How?"

Elsa shrugs nonchalantly. "I got the assistant director's PA to get them for me."

"These are right behind the bench! How much did these cost?"

"That doesn't matter, dear," Elsa says with a light laugh. "But this is only half the surprise."

Anna swears she's going to faint. "There's more?"

"There's more," Elsa confirms. "I had it delivered to my trailer while we were filming."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Anna says, grabbing Elsa's wrist and dragging her off towards the trailer. A few wolf whistles follow them, but Anna can't find it in herself to be embarrassed.

Bursting through the trailer door, Anna's eyes are instantly drawn to a pair of Penguins jerseys folded neatly on the coffee table inside, both bearing the number of her favorite player. Suddenly overcome with emotion, Anna sniffles, eyes burning with developing tears. "Please tell me this is it, because if there's more I might cry."

Elsa chuckles, slipping her wrist from Anna's limp grasp to wrap her arms around Anna's waist and rest her head on her shoulder. "This is it. And I'm glad you like it."

"Why?" Anna chokes out, throat thick.

"I wanted to show my appreciation for all you've done for me these few months," Elsa explains, lifting her head so Anna can turn around in her arms and give her a proper hug. "You've been a great friend, Anna, and one of the best people I've been lucky enough to meet. There's not much time left for me to show you how grateful I've been to have you as my PA, fake-girlfriend, and best friend."

"You didn't have to do any of this," Anna says, burrowing her face into the crook of Elsa's neck in an attempt to stave off the tears threatening to escape her eyes. "I would have understood if you just said so."

"I know," Elsa mutters soothingly, hands rubbing calming patterns on Anna's back, "but actions speak louder than words, and I know how much you love the Penguins. It'd be a travesty for me to leave without experiencing one of your biggest passions."

Anna laughs wetly, squeezing Elsa closer. "You're too good to me."

"I could say the same," Elsa replies. With a last pat to Anna's back, she pulls away from the hug, hands cupping Anna's face to wipe away any errant tears. "Now, c'mon let's try those jerseys on and make sure I got the right size."

Nodding and smiling wide enough to hurt her cheeks, Anna lets her arms slip away from Elsa's waist. This crush will really be the death of her.

"And cut! That's a wrap, everybody!" the director shouts, and the crew stops whatever they were doing to clap and cheer.

Elsa walks off the set, thanking everyone she passes, until she finds Anna, sitting in her cast chair and clapping bemusedly with everyone else.

"I'm confused," Anna admits as she watches the crew tear down the set. It's only 2:30, and the crew doesn't usually disassemble anything until 5:30 at the earliest.

"We're done with filming," Elsa explains, hand covering Anna's naturally, like a habit. "Now it's on to post-production for a few months, then a press tour, and then it's release time."

"Already?" Anna asks, looking around the set with new eyes. "It's only been five months."

Elsa laughs, the sound more subdued than Anna's used to. "We're ahead of schedule. Very ahead of schedule."

"So what happens now?"

"My manager will book me a flight back to L.A., and we go back to our lives as normal," Elsa says, hand still playing with Anna's fingers.

"Time flies when you're having fun, huh?" Anna jokes, and it isn't until Elsa frowns that she realizes that she's not hiding the sudden drop in her mood well. "Do you know when you're headed back? We still have that game to go to."

"The director's assistant should have contacted my manager a couple days ago, so I have maybe a week? It really depends on how full the flights west are," Elsa explains. The frown is still on her face, and Anna's never quite wished she could act before this moment. Anything to get Elsa to stop looking at her like this. "I'll definitely be around for the game, don't worry about that."

Forcing a grin on her face, Anna takes her other hand and pulls on one of Elsa's belt loops. "I guess there's no way to convince you to stick around for the rest of the month anyway? I'm not sure if I want to go back my boring, old life yet."

"Gonna miss the actor's life?" Elsa quips.

"Almost as much as I'm gonna miss you," Anna answers, revelling in the light blush that grows on Elsa's cheeks.

"I'll miss you, too," Elsa tells her, draping her free arm over Anna's shoulder. "Meeting you was my favorite part of filming this movie."

With a wry smile, Anna gives the belt loop caught in her finger another tug. "Aw, you're making me blush."

"Literally," Elsa quips, and Anna laughs, untangling herself from Elsa's half-embrace to stand.

"Well, it looks like you only have a few more days here, so you better start thinking how you want to spend them now."

"With you," Elsa says, and Anna flushes at how quickly and frankly she answered. "You're the only thing I won't have or be able to get in L.A."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Anna fights the smile that tugs at her lips and the warmth that blooms in her chest. "I'll be right here with you all the way to the airport, if you want," she tells Elsa, losing the battle with her feelings when a bright grin grows on Elsa's face.

"Good. I can't think of a better send-off."

How about one where you don't leave? Anna thinks, feeling her smile droop, but the sheer affection in Elsa's eyes is enough to save her mood. "Me neither," she says instead.

At least she'll be there when it all ends.

The Pens games is, of course, amazing, even with the looming sadness of Elsa's approaching departure.

Anna had forgotten how much fun it is to be in the stands, watching the game in person, since the last time she'd managed to snag a ticket. Student Rush is great, but it did stop being an option once she stopped being a student.

And that's not to mention the seats. Anna's certain she's never experienced a game like this, seeing the action from practically center ice, sitting right behind the Pens bench.

It's so much fun, she hardly pays any mind to the number of phones pointed at her and Elsa. Or at least, she hardly pays any mind until Elsa mentions it.

"This may be the worst scandal of my career," Elsa whispers into Anna's ear, breath tickling her and making her shiver. "What will people say when they see me in this jersey? Supporting the Pens?"

Anna laughs, brushing Elsa's braid out of the way so it won't obscure the name on the back. "Just tell them the truth," Anna says. "Your cute girlfriend got you super into hockey."

Elsa just rolls her eyes before flicking Anna on the forehead. "Excuse me, but I still don't know half the rules."

"Maybe you would if you hadn't stopped listening to me halfway through my explanation to take selfies," Anna chides.

"They were cute selfies. You were in half of them."

"Not denying," Anna says. "Just reminding you that you made this bed, and you're gonna have to sleep in it."

Elsa frowns at her playfully and opens her mouth to retort, but anything she would say is lost to the sudden uproar of the crowd around them. Both women look around in confusion, Anna momentarily worried that Elsa distracted her from watching someone score, but Elsa tugs on her sleeve and point up at the scoreboard.

They're on the large screen hanging above the rink, their image framed by the pink and red kiss cam border.

"Oh no," Anna whimpers, torn between looking at the screen in horror and looking at the crowd in horror. Said crowd, obviously displeased with how little action they're seeing on the screen, cheers harder.

"Should we give them what they want?" Elsa asks, one hand slipping around the back of Anna's neck to draw her attention away from everything around them. The crowd only seems spurred on by the affection.

"And since when have you cared what the crowd wants?" Anna responds.

"Please, Anna," Elsa laughs, "it's my job to please the public." Her hand gives Anna's neck a light squeeze.

Anna has a response on the tip of her tongue, but Elsa's already leaning in and giving Anna the softest kiss she's ever experienced as the crowd around them goes wild. It takes a few seconds for them to break the kiss, and by the time they do, the kiss cam has already moved to a different couple.

"It's your job to act," Anna says quietly, eyes dropping to her lap. It was easy while it lasted, between the flirting and the skinship, to let herself think that Elsa might feel the same way she does, but with only a few days left of Elsa's time in Pittsburgh, Anna is painfully reminded that Elsa is an actress, and a good one, at that.

Elsa still has a hand on the back of her neck, and the feeling of it burns the skin it touches. "Huh?"

"It's your job to act," Anna repeats, louder. "Not to please people."

"What's the difference?" Elsa asks, wry smile playing on her lips. She takes her hand back, and Anna's chest lights afire in pain.

It was so easy to let herself think that Elsa might feel the same way. But Elsa is an actress, and a good one, at that.

And everything they had together was just an act.

Anna's about to excuse herself, the crowded stadium suddenly too much for her, but the speakers start blaring horns to signal a goal scored, and Elsa's grabbing her arm in excitement as the crowd loses it.

"That was Kunitz!" Elsa says, teetering on the edge of her seat like she wants to jump out of it. The stadium is collectively letting out a loud, low cheer ("Kuuuuuun"), and Elsa joins in, picking up on the rituals despite being completely new to the sport.

"You're only cheering because that's the only player you know," Anna accuses jokingly, hoping that her light laugh will clear the pressure in her ribcage.

It doesn't.

"He's the only player I know because he's your favorite," Elsa shoots back, sending Anna a cheeky grin over her shoulder.

"And now you know why he's my favorite," Anna says, glad that Elsa's so involved with the game that she isn't paying attention to Anna.

The players set up for another face-off, and Anna watches them idly, willing herself to at least enjoy herself. This is probably the last quality time she'll get with Elsa before she goes back to L.A.

With a frown, Anna glances at Elsa's back, the other woman still poised to launch from her seat at the next big play, and reaches out to grab Elsa's hand, smiling slightly when Elsa instinctively intertwines their fingers.

It was fun while it lasted, Anna tells herself, resolutely ignoring how she wishes it could last forever.

The drive to the airport is bit more subdued than Anna was expecting, though it's easy to blame that on the early hour and ignore her own somber mood. Glancing at Elsa as she stares blankly out the front windshield, Anna supposes that neither of them are particularly keen on saying goodbye.

The mood only seems to worsen as Anna pulls into the terminal, hopping out of the car first to pop the trunk and grab Elsa's bags. Elsa takes her time getting out of the car, dragging herself out of the seat sluggishly.

"Too early for this, huh?" Anna jokes, placing Elsa's suitcases on the sidewalk.

"You're telling me," Elsa mutters before yawning. "Why Kai had to book me such an early flight, I'll never know."

"At least you'll get back to California at a reasonable time, right?"

"'Reasonable'," Elsa scoffs tiredly. "It'll be eight when I get in. No one who doesn't have to work a desk job is up at eight."

Chuckling as she walks Elsa through the sliding doors and to flight check-in, Anna nudges the exhausted woman with her elbow. "So you can just sleep the day away, then. Get over your jet lag."

"I think I'm just going to sleep on the plane," Elsa says. "How are you so awake anyway?"

I was too anxious about you leaving to get any sleep, Anna thinks, instead answering, out loud, "Coffee. Lots of it."

Elsa glances at her watch, half-moaning when she sees what time it is. "And why would you do that to yourself?"

"Didn't want to crash on the way here," Anna says with a shrug, dragging Elsa's bags through the first class line. "Can you imagine the news reports? 'Elsa Frost killed in tragic car accident by careless PA'."

"Well if I was dead, I wouldn't have to be awake right now," Elsa jokes, tapping her flight information into the check-in kiosk. "God, I'm looking forward to L.A.'s dry heat, though. This humidity does terrible things to my hair."

With a small laugh, Anna loads Elsa's check bag onto the scale. "Says the lady who won People Magazine's 'Sexiest Woman Alive' last year."

"Heard about that, did you?" Elsa laughs. "I thought you didn't keep up with celebrity gossip."

"I did some research after I got hired," Anna admits, shouldering one of Elsa's carry-ons as they head towards security.

Elsa hums lightly, a small smile still on her lips. "That seems so long ago now, doesn't it? But it's only been five months."

"It's been a pretty packed five months," Anna says. They wait at the entrance to the line, security packed despite the early hour. "We did a lot in that time."

"It has. We did," Elsa agrees. "It's a pity that it ended as quickly as it did."

Anna can't fight the frown that tugs at the corner of her lips. "Yeah," she mutters, directing her attention to the small café outside of the security line so Elsa won't be able to see the expression on her face. "It's gonna be weird not having you around."

Elsa, luckily, doesn't seem to notice the shift in her mood, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "I guess that means you'll just have to keep up with my celebrity news," she jokes, bumping her head against Anna's, and they walk like that for a while, head-to-head, each with a bag.

"Well, seeing you in action certainly made me a fan," Anna says. "Not sure if I'll see the movie, though. I'm really not that into rom coms, and I'm not sure about their casting choice for the co-stars."

"Hey!" Elsa protests, taking her arm back to swat at Anna's shoulder. "You better see this movie in theaters. Your name will be in the credits."

Laughing despite her subdued mood, Anna slips an arm around Elsa's waist and pulls her into a half-hug. "I don't know, eleven dollars is a lot of money just to barely catch my names as it goes by in the credits. And that one actress, the blonde one? I hear she was fooling around with her PA. I'm not sure if I want to support someone like that."

"You're such a dork," Elsa says, pulling out her phone to find her boarding pass.

"But I'm your dork," Anna shoots back. "Or, at least, I'm your dork for the next three minutes, and then I'm off payroll."

Elsa laughs, clear and bright, and Anna can already tell she's going to sorely miss the sound. "All that means is I'm going to have a opening for a the position of personal dork. You're always welcome to apply."

"I'll send Kai my application as soon as I get home," Anna quips. There's only a handful of people in line ahead of them, so she fully turns to Elsa for the first time since they entered the line, feeling her stomach drop. "So I guess this is it," she says, smiling because she doesn't want to send Elsa off with anything less.

"Yeah, I guess so," Elsa mutters, walking into Anna's arms when she opens them. "I'm going to miss you, so much."

"Me, too," Anna says into the crook of Elsa's neck, "but I'm glad we had the chance to meet."

When she pulls away, Elsa has tears in her eyes and she lets out a wet chuckle. "Me, too. I'm so glad I met you."

Only one person stands between them and the TSA officer, so Anna musters the little courage she can find beneath the overwhelming sense of sadness churning in her stomach and pushes onto her toes to press a light kiss to Elsa's lips, grinning almost automatically when Elsa returns the pressure. A cough from somewhere behind them reminds them of where they are, and with a cursory glance at the open space in front of them, Anna lets Elsa go.

She watches as Elsa hands the officer her passport and phone, keeping an eye on her as she moves to the line for the body scanner. Once Elsa's on the other side of security, bags back in her possession, she turns around, catching Anna's eye and waving at her. Anna waves back, watching until Elsa's out of sight.

It's only then that she lets herself break down, crying in the airport like she's in some teen drama.

Anna's not entirely sure how she gets home after that. She has vague memories of leaving the airport and finding her car, but the next thing she knows, she's back home, huddled under her covers and face pressed into the pillow that still smells slightly like Elsa from the last time she slept there.

She's not crying anymore, but between her swollen eyes and the dregs of her caffeine high wearing off, she lets herself drift off, hoping that by the time she wakes up, her heart will have stopped pumping pure pain through her veins.

Somehow, she thinks that isn't likely.

It's stupid really, how hung up Anna still is, months after Elsa's departure. They'd decided from the start that their fake relationship would end once Elsa finished filming; there's no reason she should still be so upset Elsa's gone.

Except for the part where she fell in love when she totally should not have.

So it's both a blessing and a curse that Elsa starts doing a lot of promotional work for her new movie just a couple of months after she leaves. Talk show appearances, magazine interviews, photoshoots - all of them give Anna an opportunity to see her, even if she can't actually see her.

Anna refuses to let herself dwell on just how much Elsa has changed her, how she went from someone oblivious to celebrities and their lives to someone desperate to hear more and more about an actress. She ignores how her priorities have flipped, how she spends fewer nights out at clubs or bars and more nights in her apartment, keeping up on Elsa's celebrity gossip.

She buys celebrity magazines almost compulsively now, eating up any information she can about the woman she fake-dated for five months, and, as ridiculous as it is, she budgets for it now, to keep herself from going overboard.

And that's how Anna finds herself watching some vapid, late-night talk show while her friends are out at the bar living up their mid-twenties like she used to. She doesn't care about the jokes or skits that take up the first half-hour of the show, nor does she even know whose show it is, but she is painfully aware that the commercial previews advertised that Elsa would be on the show that day to promote her new movie.

Her phone is buzzing incessantly - her friends, no doubt, insisting that she come join them; she never told them about her deal with Elsa, so they only know what the media knows, and they're worried that she's taking the break-up badly. If only they knew - but the sound doesn't register once she sees a familiar blonde walk on-screen, looking just as beautiful as she did the day Anna saw her off in the airport.

The interview starts off slowly as Elsa and the talk show host chat about how great she looks (Anna doesn't need them to tell her that; she's all too aware already) and the film's plot. In a few minutes, the screen cuts to a scene from the movie, Elsa and Hans holding hands as they run from the rain before stopping under a bus stop overhang to finally confess the feelings they have for each other. The sneak peak stops before the kiss that Anna remembers watching from the sidelines.

That had been so early in their relationship, Anna hadn't even considered being jealous about it. Now, overwhelming relief floods through her once she realizes she won't have to watch it again.

Refocusing on the screen, the audience's applause dies down as Elsa smiles proudly at her work and the host turns back to her.

"Amazing," he says. "You've really grown as an actress since the first time you sat in that chair."

"Thank you," Elsa replies, still smiling graciously. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

The host grins back, like an affectionate uncle. "But a lot has happened in your life beside your acting career, hasn't it?" he asks. "People can not stop talking about that five-month fling you had with your personal assistant. Could you tell us about that?"

Elsa laughs, but to Anna's ears, it sounds nervous. "What do you want to know?"

"How did it happen? Are you still together? That kind of thing. There aren't many details out there."

"Well, I've been trying not to talk about it too much, out of respect for her privacy. No one likes having their lives on display, but Anna's not a celebrity, so she's definitely not used to things like this." Elsa explains, hands fiddling with each other.

"Oh, so her name is Anna?" the host asks, and Elsa winces. Not enough for most people to pick up, but Anna's used to noticing all of Elsa's subtleties.

"Yes, and that's all you're getting about her private life!" Elsa jokes back, the audience chuckling with her.

The host laughs too and takes a quick sip from the mug on his desk. "So how did you start seeing this Anna girl?"

"Well as I'm sure you already know, she was my PA for One Step Closer. We spent a lot of time together, and we just sort of clicked," Elsa says. "I don't think either of us was expecting anything lasting out of it, really, but having her there on set made it one of my favorite movies to film." The audience coos, as if on cue, and Elsa turns to the crowd to smile, embarrassed.

"Wow, it sounds like you really care about her. So are you still dating?"

Elsa shakes her head. "No, we broke up after filming ended, shortly before I left."

"Why is that?" the host asks, pressing for a more-detailed answer, and Anna waits for Elsa to recite one of the reasons they had practiced. They play in her head (long distance is so hard, we always knew it would only last as long as the filming did, we're from different worlds so it would have never lasted), and it's going to kill her to hear Elsa say one out loud.

But Elsa doesn't answer like she's expecting. Rather, she smiles sadly, hands clasped in her lap and no longer fidgeting, and says, "I realized a little too late that I'm in love with her." The audience erupts in chatter, and Anna can feel her throat go dry, exposed to the open air by her hanging jaw. "By the time I figured out how much I need her, I was already on the plane back to California, and she was still on the ground in Pittsburgh."

The host splutters, obviously blindsided by Elsa's answer. Anna doesn't blame the man; she feels the same way. "So what are you going to do?" he asks, slowly regaining his composure.

"I'm not sure what I can do, honestly. She was given a disposable business phone as part of her contract, so I don't have a way to contact her anymore. Besides that, I don't even know if she would want to continue a relationship with me. We were pretty clear when it started that it was only supposed to last as long as I was in town."

"Wow, that's rough," the host says.

"It's hardly ideal," Elsa agrees with a small laugh.

"Well, do you know what I think you should do?" he asks, smiling when Elsa shakes her head. "I think you should book a ticket for the next flight to Pittsburgh, find that girl, and let her know how you feel."

And that's when Anna hears a knock on her door.

Elsa's saying something on the TV still, so it takes all of Anna's willpower to drag herself from her couch to answer the door. Once she gets there, she flings it open, not wasting time to check the peephole first.

"Yeah, what do you want?" she asks, the words dying in her throat as she recognizes the blue eyes staring her down from the porch. "Elsa?"

The name is barely out of her mouth before Elsa steps closer and kisses her hard, hands grabbing her hips to pull her close. Anna reacts instinctively, kissing back without a second thought as her arms wrap themselves around Elsa's shoulders. When they finally break apart, Elsa burrows her face in the crook of Anna's neck, hands sliding off Anna's hips to clasp behind her back.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asks, enjoying the feeling of Elsa's breath on her neck and arms around her waist. Elsa mumbles something into her collarbone, and Anna chuckles both from the tickling sensation of Elsa's lips and the action itself. "No, really, Elsa. Why did you come back here?"

Elsa lifts her head and frowns. "Isn't it obvious?"

Anna laughs, and the sound is foreign to her ears. When was the last time she actually laughed? "Maybe," she says, "but maybe I want to hear you say it."

Elsa's face splits into a huge grin at the sound of Anna's laugh, and she leans down to press her forehead against Anna's. "I love you," she says. "And I was really stupid to not have noticed it sooner."

"Yeah, you are," Anna agrees, the grin on her face stretching from ear to ear, "but I love you anyway."

Chuckling breathlessly, Elsa drops her head to Anna's shoulder and squeezes her waist. "I'm so happy to hear you say that."

"You're not the only one," Anna replies, lifting a hand to stroke Elsa's hair. "Do you want to come inside?"

"Give me a minute. I'm enjoying this."

Anna laughs again, tightening her hold on the woman in her arms. "That's good, but I have idea that I think you'd like even more."

Elsa lifts her head, one eyebrow raised in challenge, so Anna stands on her tiptoes and presses their lips together. When Elsa clutches her waist even tighter, she slips her hands around to grab the front of Elsa's shirt, pulling her as close a possible.

They stand like that for a few moments longer, but when they break apart, Anna yanks Elsa into her apartment and kicks the door closed behind them.

"This Tuesday at three? And there's no way to reschedule that?" Elsa asks, sending Anna an apologetic smile over her shoulder. "No, I understand Kai. Thanks for setting everything up, really. I'll see you tomorrow? Alright, bye." She hangs up, tossing her phone onto the bed with a huff.

"Woah there, watch where you throw that thing!" Anna jokes from her place on the bed, a foot away from Elsa's phone-missile. Elsa gives her a look, the one with the raised eyebrow and set jaw like she doesn't find Anna just about the funniest person in the world. Anna opens her arms in invitation and mild apology. "C'mon, we can always reschedule date time."

Elsa, for all her exasperated looks, accepts the cuddle without hesitation. "We've had this planned for the past three weeks," she complains, nuzzling her head into the crook of Anna's neck. "And I just got back from four months of filming in Europe. Excuse me for wanting some quality time with my girlfriend."

"You're excused," Anna says with a chuckle at Elsa's deadpan expression. "Tuesday's in three days, babe. That's plenty of time for us to make up for the past four months. We're doing it right now."

"Believe it or not, I occasionally like showing my cute girlfriend off to paparazzi sometimes," Elsa protests. "Cuddling is nice, but I'm not about to let those skeeves into the house."

Anna hums, pulling Elsa as close as she can. "Don't tell me this is about that tabloid that came out last month." Elsa just squirms in her arms. "Elsa, you know I don't believe that crap. Hell, I wouldn't have seen it even, if Kristoff hadn't insisted on texting me about it."

"Just because you know better doesn't mean other people do," Elsa says, finally settling down. "I want the paparazzi to know that I have someone that I'm very happy with, and that's not about to change any time soon."

"Ariel Triton?" Anna asks, laughing when Elsa smacks her chest, a little harder than entirely necessary. "Hey," she says, sobering, "let's just move date time to Wednesday. I never look good on Tuesdays, anyway."

"Dork," Elsa accuses, rolling her eyes when Anna sends her a faux-outraged look. "Alright fine, Wednesday date time, but you better make this up to me with amazing sex that night."

Anna scoffs, playing up the offended act as much as she can. "'Make it up to you'?" she asks. "You should be making this up to me, moving date time because you have work."

"Says the girl who couldn't go out with me on Monday because 'the new gallery I helped curate opens Monday night, and I need to spend the whole day being nervous about it.'"

"That is a perfectly good reason, thank you very much," Anna protests, though her façade of ire is no doubt ruined by the laughter coloring her voice.

"You're welcome, dear," Elsa says, pressing a kiss to Anna's temple before snuggling back under Anna's chin. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Tell you what," Anna offers, "you do well at your audition on Tuesday, and I'll give you amazing sex both nights. And maybe in the afternoon too, if you're feeling up to it."

"You're insatiable."

"You were the one who asked," Anna shoots back, mood settling down as she and Elsa sink more and more into each others' embraces. "I love you."

Elsa smiles, absolutely radiant, and Anna can hardly believe that they managed get this far - not that she's about to give it up any time soon.

"I love you, too."

A/N: I'm honestly surprised I managed to finish this. I started writing it back in October/November, and I thought it'd probably be about 10k words. And well, here we are six/seven months later and with an extra 10k words, but hey, at least I can say I actually finished it. And you know, I'm not entirely sure how satisfied I am with it (stewing on things always seems to make people more critical of their work), but I feel like I put too much effort into it to not post it. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy this.

Title's lifted from "The Marsh King's Daughter" by Eisley. The song has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but it's a fun song, and I had it on repeat while writing a lot of this. (While you're at it, you should also look up the Daisy Clark cover of "Girls" by The 1975, the other song I had on repeat while writing this.)

One last thing, all the places mentioned in the story do exist in Pittsburgh (the Chinese restaurant alluded to but not explicitly mentioned is the Rose Tea Cafe on Forbes Ave), so if you happen to find yourselves in Pittsburgh one day, you can definitely check those places out.

Happy reading!