"Alright, Elsa, what's the plan here?"

My reflection in the changing room mirror stared back at me with a pointed look.

"Me?!" My hand flew up to my chest, fingers splayed as I breathed out a strained chuckle. "You think I know what to do? You do realize who we're talking about here, right?"

She frowned at me, eyelids drooping.

"Ugh, I know, I know I need to call them, don't remind me!" I tossed my hands up and turned my back on the mirror as I began to pace in the tiny box of a room. I hugged one arm around my abdomen while I brought the other up so I could bite my thumbnail. "It's just… It's a lot to take in! They won't understand, hell, I don't even understand! I'm supposed to be the good girl! The one that always follows the rules and does as she's told, the one that can do no wrong. They'll…"

I froze mid step as my eyes fell on the heaping pile of alabaster silk, lace and tulle laying in a rumpled pile on the ugly carpet not a few inches from my feet. I winced. "...they'll be so disappointed. Their perfect girl is gone." Sighing, I shook my head and turned back towards my reflection once more, gripping the edges of the mirror. "I can't talk to them right now, I just can't. I should wait. Give them time to cool off and... and to process. Yeah, that'd be better, right? ...right?"

She stared back at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

I scowled. "Oh, you're no help."

"Hoo-hoo!" A sudden knock at the door made me jump as my heart leapt up into my throat. "Everything okay, deary? Who are you talking to in there?"

"Er… fine!" I called out. Was that a tremor in my voice? Dammit, girl, learn to keep your cool. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Everything's fine! And no one! Talking to, that is. I'm talking to no one!" Wait. No. That sounded crazy. "Uh… I mean, talking to myself!" I flinched, slumping back against a wall and lightly banging my head against it. Not much better. "Talking? What talking? There's no talking going on in here!" Cue nervous chuckle.

Smooth.

"Oh? Must be hearing things then. Oh well!" I listened to his retreating footsteps until I couldn't hear them anymore.

Releasing the small breath I'd been holding, I looked myself over in the mirror once more. The price tags were still sticking out of the powder blue sundress and ankle boots I was wearing. They'd just been the first things I'd grabbed on entering this store, I'd hardly even looked at them before running straight back to the dressing rooms. Thankfully, fate or luck or whatever you wanted to call it seemed to have smiled upon me, at least in that second, for they'd turned out to be in my size. Yanking the tags off, I then squinted at my platinum blonde hair in the reflection, still up in the tight, elegant bun from-

I grimaced, quickly shutting down that train of thought as I started yanking out all the bobby pins. After dropping what felt like a million of those wiry little jerks to the floor, the bun loosened and unwound into a thick braid falling down my spine. Sweeping it forward over one shoulder and brushing my bangs back, I then gave myself one last hard look. My skin was even paler than usual, making my faint freckles stand out for once against my face. I took a second to try and slap some color back into my drained cheeks before stabbing an index finger up against the glass, hissing, "Keep it together, you got this."

Blue eyes blinked back at me owlishly.

"...I hope," I muttered, shoulders slumping. But then with renewed resolve, I straightened up once more, cast one last sour look at the giant, fluffy garment discarded on the ground before turning my back on it and marching out of the changing room door.

"Hoo-hoo!"

I jerked back as the cheerful voice pierced the air, what little courage I'd manage to piece together already fluttering away like a frightened bird. Heart pounding in my ears, I looked past the racks and racks of secondhand clothing to the source, a burly, rosy cheeked man standing behind the register counter, waggling his fingers at me as he flashed a warm little smile.

"That looks very nice on you, deary, if I do say so myself," he chirped. "And you're in luck! It's part of our big summer blowout, so it's fifty percent off!"

Ah. Right. Munny. A means of purchasing goods. A thing of which I had very little in that exact moment.

None, in fact.

Not even so much as a credit card.

"Th-thanks," I stammered, quickly looking away as I twisted my braid and tried to steady my breathing. Think, think, think… how was I going to get out of this? …I wished Anna were here. She'd know exactly what to do. She was always so much better at this whole… impulsive… thing. For now, I just needed to buy more time to think.

Act normal. I could do that at the very least, right?

Conceal, don't feel. Don't let him know.

"I… think I'll just browse a little more… if you don't mind," I managed to get out, going to the nearest rack and idly thumbing through a few of the outfits on hangers.

"Of course, of course, be my guest," he said, tapping his fingers together happily. "I must say, you were quite the sight when you came bursting in here! It's not everyday someone rushes into my shop dressed in a-"

"Costume party!" I blurted out, my fingers spasming and knocking one of the hangers from the rung, the shirt draped on it crumpling to the carpet. I snatched it up and hastily shoved it back onto the rack. "I just came from a… a costume party, that's all." My hand trembled and I balled it into a fist, hiding it behind my back.

Don't let him in, don't let him see.

"Oh! How delightful, a party! Well, you must have been the belle of the ball, deary!"

I hummed out a soft, curt laugh, my lips pressed into a tight smile. "I just left it back there. In the dressing room. You can have it if you, ah, if you like. I'm not attached to it."

His lips formed a tiny O, but then the smile was already back. "In that case, I'll knock ten percent off your purchase," he proudly held up all ten fingers to emphasize what a deal he was offering. "Sound fair?"

"...sure."

Now how to pay for the other ninety percent?

Forget it. Surprisingly, that was actually the least of my worries at the moment. I had much, much bigger problems to deal with. Like what on earth I was even going to do once I stepped out those automatic doors and back onto the bustling city streets. I had nowhere to go. No one to turn to. No-

I inhaled sharply, my eyes widening and my fingers flying to my temples as my breathing became shallow again.

...where was I even going to sleep tonight?

On the streets? That's a thing some people actually did, right? But how to even pick the right street, a safe street? It's not like the homeless left online reviews with a star rating system on which alleys were primo bunking spots.

...oh dear lord, was I homeless now?

"Focus, Elsa, focus! Get it together," I whispered harshly at myself. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed my new friend behind the cash register giving me a funny look.

Reminder to self: act normal. Normal… you remember how to do that, right?

Okay, breathe in. Breathe out. Let's figure this out, calmly and rationally. Let's start with what city we're in. Oh gosh, what was it called again? I'd only said and heard it a million times in the last few months leading up to this day, but now my mind was drawing a total blank. Started with a T… Twi… something. Twixt… Twisted… Twirling…

Twilight! That was it! Twilight Town.

Wait… Twilight Town? There was something about that name… something from a long time ag-

Ah! Wasn't Twilight Town where she had been from?

...oh wow, it'd been years since I'd even thought of her. Goodness, did she even still live here?

I glanced towards the salesman again. He beamed and wriggled his fingers at me in another tiny wave, "Hoo-hoo!"

I blanched, eyes snapping back down to the hanging clothes before me, heart hammering in my chest.

Dammit, girl, grow a backbone already.

Gulping down my anxiety, I looked to him again, plastering what I hoped could pass for a friendly, if somewhat shaky grin to my face and approaching the register. "Would you, um, would you possibly have a… a White Pages back there, maybe?"

"Of course, deary," he ducked down behind the counter before coming back up, plopping down the massive book in question before me. "Take all the time you need, I'll be right over there." He pointed to a large box in one corner of the store packed high with clothes, probably in need of sorting and price tags. "Just give a shout when you're ready to ring up."

"Thanks," I murmured, watching him walk off before pulling the phone book closer to me and cracking it open somewhere in the middle.

Let's see… last name… it'd been Hewley, right? I began rapidly flipping through the pages until I found the one I was looking for, lightly running my index finger down the column as my eyes scanned.

Hewley, R… Hewley, R… ah-ha, there! Oh fudge, none of the first names had been fully printed, just that damn first initial of R. My lips pursed to one side as I squinted down at the page. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a list. "Excuse me?" I called back to the man and he looked up, a dark turquoise dress folded over one arm and a pair of boots in hand. "Would I be able to use your phone? Er… please?"

"Ah," he tsked sadly. "Sorry, deary, it's busted!"

"Oh. A-alright." I frowned back down at the list of names. Now what? Not like I could use a pay phone. Still had that whole munny problem, as in not having any. Did pay phones even still exist? Ugh, so not the thing to be focusing on right now! Maybe... I could ask someone on the street if I could borrow their phone?

My nose scrunched up and I shook my head. No. Hell no. Talk to a stranger? Me? Please. Even talking to this guy here was a major feat for me and he was paid to put up with me.

Sighing, I read over the list again, then blinked. Huh… addresses were included…

I looked to the employee on the opposite end of the store, who was currently faced away from me. Then my gaze flicked back down to the White Pages. Then at the doors leading outside. Back to him. To the book. To the doors. To the book. My eyes widened and my pulse spiked once more.

… I'm not seriously thinking what I think I'm thinking, am I?

"Hey!" he gasped. "What are you-?!"

Apparently I was.

For I'd already snatched the phone book up, clutching its open pages to my chest and pounding my soon-to-be officially shoplifted boots against the carpet as I bolted for the sliding glass doors. I yelled over my shoulder, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I… I'll bring it back! All of it, the book, the clothes, everything, I promise! I just, I need to borrow them, just... just for a bit!"

"Get back here!" He charged after me, somehow suddenly looking ten times bigger and ten times more intimidating.

I squeaked, eyes forward once more as I forced every last ounce of speed out of my legs that they could muster. The doors glided open just enough for me to squeeze through in time and I stumbled outside, staggering into a sharp turn before booking it. Luckily, the sidewalks were crowded and I'd had just enough of a head start. It wasn't long before I managed to lose him, ducking behind the corner of one building. I pressed my back against the wall, panting heavily.

So, so sorry, you oddly super nice yet super terrifying man! But I was really going to return it all, I swear!

I just needed to find her first! Which shouldn't take long, right?

After all, it wasn't like I was going to have to check every name on the list, right?

Answer: yes. I'd had to check all of them.

Every.

Single.

Last.

One.

On the whole goddamn frigging list. And every single last one? Hadn't been her. I didn't even want to think about the sheer number of intercoms I'd buzzed or doors I'd knocked on, each one more nerve-racking than the last as I waited, chest tightening and hands clammy, to hear or see who'd answer. And each one a disappointment. I shuddered as I recalled the last one, still disturbingly fresh in my mind. He'd looked me up and down, given me a smile that'd made my skin crawl and told me while he didn't know anyone by that name, he'd gladly give me a place to sleep tonight and I could call him anything I liked.

And here I'd thought I'd sprinted with everything I had when I'd swiped this phone book, but my legs had proved me wrong in that second when I immediately turned and gave Speedy Gonzales a run for his munny to get away from that creep. Bleh!

Sighing, I glanced back down at the book, cradled close in my arms and still open to the same page. There was only one name left at the bottom of the list. This was it. My last chance.

Looking up again, I hesitantly crept down the hallway inside the apartment building, my eyes shifting from one door to the next, searching for the unit number that matched the address in the phone book. I passed a window, outside of which it was dark save for a few stars sparkling here and there. Night had already fallen. I'd been at this all afternoon. My legs were tired, my feet sore, and I was just about ready to collapse.

"Three seventeen… three eighteen… ah! Here it is, three nineteen!" I stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath before slowly releasing it. Then balancing the White Pages in one hand, I curled the other into a fist, raised it towards the door and-

-stopped just short of it.

For it'd just suddenly struck me...

...what… was I going to do… if this wasn't her either? My hand, still hovering just an inch from the door, began to quake. This… really was it. I had no other options. I couldn't go back. There was no way, just no way. Not even Anna could help me, otherwise I might just drag her down with me. My vision began to blur as I felt a wetness at the corner of my eyes. If… if I-

No. Stop it. Suck it up, hold it back. Just… hold it back.

I angrily swiped at my eyes, blinking several times until they cleared once more. Then squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin, I rapped my knuckles firmly against the door. And I waited.

Everything would work out. It'd all be fine. This would be her. This had to be her.

I heard a click on the other side of the door and my breath hitched. Slowly it creaked open and there, standing in a faded black tank top and sweatpants, was…

...a man.

An admittedly quite pretty man, with his bright blue-green eyes and ashen hair down to his mid back currently pulled back into a loose ponytail.

But still... a man.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Can I help you?"

It wasn't her. Because she was a she, and this before me was very much a he. And she wasn't a he.

...not unless she'd made a very big, very life altering decision…

But no, he looked nothing like her, not even the same eye color. This couldn't be her.

"Uh… hello?" he squinted at me, waving a hand in front of my face and I jerked back, blinking a couple times. "Anyone in there?"

Oh. Right. Talking. That was a thing I should be doing.

I cuddled the book closer to my chest, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "Um, h-hi. Is… Living here, is there a…" I stopped, my mouth going dry.

What was the point of even asking? I already knew the answer he'd give me. It'd be the same answer all the other names on the list had given me. She wasn't here. She wasn't anywhere. It'd been a long shot, I don't even know why I'd gotten my hopes up. She'd probably moved out of town years ago.

I… was all alone with no place to stay.

I felt my eyes start to brim over and my bottom lip quiver.

He blanched. "Oh shit, are you okay?" he asked, an awkward hand stretching out towards me, but immediately halting and wavering, clearly at a complete and utter loss for what to do.

I couldn't hold it back anymore.

The metaphorical dam burst, tears pouring down my cheeks as I sunk down to the ground and buried my face in the pages of the phone book.

I hardly even heard it as he called over his shoulder, voice distraught, "Honey? Could you come out here for a minute? Please?!"

I was going to have to live in a box on the streets. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it'd be a nice box. A box with a view. A deluxe box. A fancy box, with like a Prada or Rolex logo printed on the side.

"What is it? Why are you-" a new voice joined the conversation, cut off by a gasp and a stuttering of footsteps. Then there was a loud, distinctive smack, followed by the man emitting a pained grunt. "What did you do?!"

I was going to have to get a roommate so I wouldn't be lonely in my Rolex box. That roommate would be a cockroach, of course, since I'd be living on the streets. Her name would be Carol.

"Whaddya mean, what did I do?!"

"There's a woman sitting on our welcome mat weeping into a phone book, Riku! I ask again. What. Did. You. Do?!"

Carol would probably hog the shower every morning. Sounds like something Carol would do. Carol always seemed like a selfish hag.

"I didn't do anything! I just opened the door!" Another thwack and another yelp. "What was that one for?!"

"It must have been how you opened the door! You have a very off-putting way of opening doors!"

But then, it was a Rolex box on the street, so it wouldn't be so much a shower as a grimy, gutter puddle. Wouldn't make a difference to Carol though. Ugh, that wretch Carol. Always such a puddle hog.

"How?! How does one be off-putting when opening a goddamn-"

"Shush! What's she saying?"

"No clue, she's just been sobbing incoherent gibberish this whole time."

Crud, had I been saying all that stuff aloud? At least it had been drowned out by all my blubbering, otherwise they would have thought me insane. Well… more insane than they probably already did, what with me being the whackjob wailing uncontrollably on some random strangers' door step.

"Wait… hold up…" the second voice lowered hesitantly. "Is that… you? ...Elsa?"

I stiffened, my eyes snapping open and my head jerking up. Next to the guy now was some chick, her long, messy black hair framing her face as she bent forward slightly for a better look at me, her gold eyes wide and searching.

Was it… really her? Was it…

"...Rayne?" I croaked out, punctuated by a sniffle.

Her hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh wow, it really is you!" Brow furrowing now, she tentatively reached for me. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you-"

"Oh my god, Rayne!" I bawled, on my feet in a flash and throwing myself at her. She caught me, stumbling back a step as I threw my free arm around her to clutch at her shoulders while the other still grasped the now thoroughly soggy book between us. "It's you, it really is you! Thank god! I'm so happy! Now I don't have to live in a box with Carol!"

"Um, I'm… happy for you?" she gingerly patted me on the back, glancing to the guy, who merely shrugged. "But… what's wrong? What on earth are you doing here?"

I pulled away, fingers digging into one of her sleeves now as the words started to rush out of me. "I couldn't go through with it! I just couldn't! It was all too much! The music, the chandeliers, the people, the, the… him! Especially him! Because that's all it was going to ever be, was him! Just him! That's it! The end! It's what he wanted, and it's what they wanted but what about me and what I wanted? Oh sure, I thought it was what I wanted at first, but then I started to think about it, really think about it and I didn't know anymore and I just got scared and it just… I didn't, I couldn't... I couldn't do it, I couldn't stay! I had to get out of there, to run, to escape! Anna helped and-" My breath caught in my throat and I folded my fingers against my lips, pressing hard, making my knuckles turn white. "Oh no! All those people! What will they think? What will they say? Wha-" Another pause, this one with a scowl and a shake of my head. "No. No, no, no, I don't care! I don't care what they're going to say, they can take their hoity-toity opinions and shove it up their hoity-toity a-"

"Elsa!" she snapped, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Elsa, Elsa, stop! You're not making any sense! Slow down, breathe! Words generally make more sense when they have spaces between them, you should try it sometime."

I clasped a hand over my mouth, inhaling and exhaling rapidly through my nose.

Her eyelids drooped and she sighed, reaching out to wipe some of my tears away. "Just… come inside and sit down so we can talk."

She took my hand in hers and led me into the apartment, the guy stepping in after and clicking the door shut behind us. The flat was modest, with a little kitchenette off to my left. The living room had blue carpets and sandy colored walls decorated with island paintings and what looked to be some sort of yellow, star-shaped fruit preserved in resin hanging in a glass case. I numbly followed behind her as she gently pulled me towards the nearest couch.

There was a cold hardness that I suddenly became aware of pressing into my palm and I looked down at where Rayne's hand held mine as she tugged me along. That's when I saw it. The plain, elegantly understated little silver band.

Wrapped around her ring finger.

I came to a screeching halt with a gasp, yanking her hand up to my face and forcing a yelp out of her as she stumbled back towards me. "You got married?!"

Scratching her cheek with her free hand, she shrugged. "Uh, well, ye-"

"I didn't know you got married! You!" I dragged her over to the man, shoving the beringed hand in front of his nose. "Did you know she got married?!"

He staggered back a tiny step, his wide eyes darting from me to Rayne and back. Then he tentatively raised his own hand and pointed to the matching band he was wearing. "...sorta the one she's married to."

My eyes were welling up once more. "That's… that's… Congratulations!" I was all but attacking her with another tight hug and she wheezed out an oof. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," she chuckled softly. "Also… kinda have a baby on the way too, actually."

"A baby?!" I tore myself away to gape at her. Then at her stomach. She was hardly even showing. "A baby!" I looked to her husband. "Did you know she has a baby?! In there?!" I pointed at her belly.

He glanced away, scratching the back of his head with the barest hint of a blush and pleased little grin twitching at one corner of his lips. "...sorta the one who put it in there."

"Riku!" Rayne hissed.

"What?!"

With a grumbling huff, she turned her back on him and stomped the rest of the way over to the sofa with me in tow, putting her hands on my shoulders and pushing me down to sit. She then plopped down across from me, using the coffee table as a makeshift bench.

"Enough about me. Let's try this again. Why are you here? Don't get me wrong, sweetie, I'm delighted you're here, but I haven't seen you since we were kids. Tell me what happened, why are you crying?" I opened my mouth and took a deep, deep breath, but then she poked an index finger to my lips, silencing me before I'd even begun. "Hold it. Hmmmm," she narrowed her eyes, pressing her hands together and bringing her fingers up to her mouth. "...let's try more specific questions, shall we? Let's start with where the phone book came from?" she said, carefully removing said item from my grasp and handing it to Riku, who blinked and frowned but took it.

Alright, let's try not to overwhelm her this time. Put a muzzle on the motormouth. Keep it concise. To the point.

"I stole it," I said simply.

"You…" her eyebrows shot up into her bangs before she shook her head. "Okay, why did you steal it?"

"Because the phone was busted."

Her head tipped to one side. "The phone…?"

I nodded earnestly. "These clothes too."

"Those clothes…" her gaze flicked to my sundress and boots before meeting mine again. "...are… also busted?"

"No. Stolen. I stole them too."

"Oh." She and Riku exchanged a glance. "Alright... why?"

My shoulders bobbed. "Because I had no munny."

"Had no…?" her head rocked back at that. "But… but you're you, how could you possibly-" she cut herself off, scrunching up her nose with a sour twist to her lips. "Okay, just… help me out here and walk me through this. What happened? From the beginning."

From the beginning? Really? Well alright, she asked for it.

"We - he and I, that is - knew each other from childhood. Our families were close, so it only made sense that we played together, grew up together, spent time together. Then in high school, we started- well, of course we did, it only made sense, right? Everyone said it made sense and that it was only a matter of time and I figured they were right, so I did. We did."

I shot up from my seat and began pacing, Riku having to stumble back to get out of my way. My words started blurring into each other, tumbling out faster and faster as I wrung my hands together.

"Before I knew it, years had gone by and we were in our senior year of college and he was asking me and I was saying yes. I mean, of course, I said yes. He was him, I was me, his family was his family, my family was my family, it only made sense, right? And oh, my parents would be so thrilled, they liked him so much and sure, I liked him too I guess, so…" I shrugged, flinging my hands up, "...why not?"

Rayne had stood up by now, attempting to interject, "Sweetie, sweetie, calm down," as her fingers snatched for my arm, but I absently evaded as my pacing quickened.

"So we graduated and we planned. Oh my god," I groaned, "so much planning, so many people, I just couldn't, ugh- Luckily mother handled most of it, you'd think she was the one who was- Anyway, it was all falling into place. The musicians, the catering, the cake, the flowers, the dress, the place, the- oh my god, the place! Radiant Garden! What a lovely building, the perfect venue, so gorgeous with all those fountains and leaves and vines and marble, right in the middle of the beautiful city of Twilight Town and- Twilight Town! That's what brought me here, right now, to you! Is I recalled that's where you were from! Remember, you told me, back at our first year of summer camp? You remember camp, right? What was that one counselor's name," I snapped my fingers repeatedly in quick succession, "oh, Anna loved him so much… Olaf! That was it, right? The short, pudgy one with the thinning hair and big nose and adored everything about summer and liked warm hugs and-"

"Elsa!" Rayne grabbed my face, squishing my cheeks together, getting me to stop for a second. "I-"

But one second was all she was going to get.

"Right. Off topic." My expression hardened as I yanked my head free of her grasp and resumed pacing once more. "Back track. Rewind. So. It finally came. The day. You know… The Day. And I was there. I was in the back, by myself, in my dress, in my makeup, thinking this is it. This is what it all comes to. This is my life. My future. Then it hit me." I halted mid step, spinning on my heel to look her in the eye and said dead serious, "He hates dogs."

She blinked once, then twice. "He…?"

"Hates dogs, yes. Oh sure, he claims he's allergic, but I've seen him around dogs before and he hasn't sneezed. Not once. And I love dogs. I've always wanted one. A giant white one bigger than me that's just pure fluff on four legs with floppy ears and a curly tail and I'd name it Marshmallow because how perfect would that be and- Anyway, I realized that was never gonna happen now, not with him hating dogs! And who hates dogs anyway?! They're dogs, Rayne! Dogs!And that's… that's just when it all started falling apart!"

Was I hyperventilating? Pretty sure I was hyperventilating.

"And I just… I suddenly had so many questions! Was this really what I wanted? Why was I doing this? Because it's what he wanted? Because it would please my parents? Because it's what everyone said would happen? Because it made sense? Do I even love him? And it just struck me… no! No, I don't think I do! I don't think I ever did!"

My steps began to falter, the room felt like it was spinning.

"That's when… That's when Anna came to get me, and she took one look at me and she... she just knew! Somehow, she knew! And she didn't even have to say anything, she was already helping me. Before I realized it, she'd managed to jimmy open a window in the back, this really teeny-tiny window, I don't even know how I managed to get through it, big poofy, frilly dress and all, but I did and I just started running and running and-"

Rayne grabbed my hands and jerked me into a staggering stop, shouting, "Elsa!" I looked at her, eyes round and panting, wobbling slightly where I stood. She returned my gaze, brow furrowing and saying gently, "Are you… Were you going to get… Was today supposed to be your… wedding day?"

"I…"

Was it getting darker in here? I was suddenly feeling so tired.

"I…"

I blacked out.

Author's note: HEY! It's ME! I'm BACK! It took me almost a year, but at last! Like a beautiful burning phoenix, I hath arisen from the smoldering ashes to set the land ablaze with my rare pair obsession once more! Many thanks to any of my long time readers (are any of you even still around after all this time? lol) for checking out my new story! And many thanks to any new readers out there who peeked in out of a curiosity - I hope you stick around, there is so much fun in store for this fic :3

Alright, good news, bad news time. First, the bad news... I have no updates for any of my other incomplete fanfics Dx Sorry for any of you still out there waiting patiently on those, I'll get back to them all one day, I swear! (I know, promises, promises... hush!) BUT THE GOOD NEWS: I have this brand spankin' shiny and new fic for you all! And the even BETTER news: This one is actually going to have an ending that you won't have to wait years for! Mark my word, barring an untimely date with my maker, I can GUARANTEE you this fic will have its final chapter posted in a few short months' time! I'll be updating quickly too! Be ready for a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

So in this AU, Elsa is an antisocial emotional basket case and when she loses control of her emotions, instead of unleashing a burst of ice, she unleashes a burst of nervous babbling xD Sorry, no Lea yet this chapter, I feel like there's no harm in telling you all now, he doesn't show up until the end of chapter 3! Please be patient with me for a couple chapters while I do some setup first to get Elsa where she needs to be before the fluffy romcom shenanigans can truly begin. Please just stick it out until the end of chapter 3 and I'm pretty sure you'll be sucked in by then :)

Super big thanks to Daughter of Kyne and ScarletEmperor for being the first lovely peeps to read this new story of mine and be my sanity checkers xD And super-DUPER big special thanks to Daughter of Kyne for (1) being my amazing cheerleader throughout this whole project and whom without her wonderful support, I may never have been able to see this story through to the very end and (2) for letting me use her fantabulous OC, the beautiful and ever stunning Rayne!

Credit for super friggin' cute and super friggin' amazing cover art goes to the super friggin' talented ky-jane! You can find this gorgeous artist over on tumblr and twitter under that username.

Oh, and before I forget - this story is rated T for vulgar language xD Not from Elsa, no, her swear word vocab is basically limited to shoot, crud, fudge and the occasional damn (gasp, my word! How scandelous!). Buuuuut for all of those who know me out there - as well as for all of you who don't yet but are soon to find out - I like to make the beloved Fire Boi not shy away from using rather colorful language himself and he has been known to drop an F-bomb every now and again! You hath been warned!

Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! If you have any friendly feedback, I'd absolutely adore hearing it, please and thank you! Catch you at the next update, lovelies!