There was a sizzle, pop, and then the smell of bacon. Ariel's nose twitched at the smell as she woke. As she sat up the blankets fell from her body revealing that once again she had stripped in the middle of the night. She wasn't embarrassed like the first five times it had happened, especially now that her and Elsa were actually dating. They hadn't done anything yet though. Elsa was taking it slow, and Ariel could tell it was for her benefit. The redhead heard shuffling from the kitchen and then the bedroom door opened.

Elsa popped her head into the room " Ariel it's time to wake- Oh you're already up. Breakfast is ready as soon as you're dressed." Color graced Elsa's cheeks as she went back to the kitchen and Ariel smiled. She was happy that her girlfriend was shy, but mostly she loved that she affected Elsa that way. The redhead had been worried after Elsa's ex had come back. Not worried that they would break up, more so over the fact that Elsa might become distant from her after the two had finally gotten so close. But nothing was farther from the truth.

Ariel got up from the bed and skipped over to the Elsa's closet and grabbed a shirt. She threw it on and went out into the kitchen. Elsa was plating the bacon that the redhead had smelled next to a stack of blueberry pancakes that were obviously made from scratch, the story of that told by the mountain of dishes in the sink. She walked up behind Elsa and stood on her toes to kiss the blonde on her cheek.

Elsa looked down at her and smiled. " Hey did you sleep well?" Ariel wrapped her arms around Elsa and buried her face in the blonde's back.

" How can i not with you next to me?" Ariel took a deep breath in, smelling the faint vanilla and peppermint. It was comforting, especially with the fact that she knew her performance was going to be happening soon. She had worked so hard for it and spending time with Elsa had made her all the more determined to shine so that Elsa could see her.

Elsa picked up the two plates from the counter and shifted so she could walk to the living room, slowly pulling Ariel along. " Well how should i know. You sleep so erratically. I mean at one point you were curled up with me the next you were practically sleeping on top of me. I was tempted to do something to you just to wake you up." Ariel let go and blushed scarlet.

" Like what?" Elsa just shrugged as she sank into the oversized couch in front of the TV. " Come on what did you think about Elsa?" Elsa's lips twitched upward into a smirk. She held out the plate of pancakes to Ariel and invited her onto the couch. Ariel crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Come on Elsa tell me." The woman on the couch sighed and set the plates down on the coffee table. She stood up and put her hands on Ariel's hips. Elsa leaned into Ariel and whispered in her ear.

"So many things." The blonde's hands started to wander up Ariel's body going underneath the t-shirt. " I wanted to caress you, to slowly play with your oh so pale skin-" Her hands wandered to the redhead's back " to kiss you all over and-" Elsa's lips moved slowly down the other girl's jaw. She stopped there listening to Ariel's breath as it picked up slightly and in one quick motion pulled her hands out of the shirt and pulled the redhead onto the couch.

Ariel's breath was coming very fast now. The flush from before all over her face going down her neck even a little. " And what?" Elsa stared into her eyes and saw everything that she loved. She stayed there over Ariel staring down. " And what Elsa?" The blonde slowly dipped her head lower coming closer to Ariel before suddenly.

" And tickle you!" Elsa dug her fingers under the shirt and played them up and down the girl's side laughing. Ariel squealed and tried to fight back but from her position couldn't. She was subjected to the onslaught of tickling until she couldn't breath. Elsa pulled away with a smile on her face. She tweaked Ariel's nose and smiled. " Had you going didn't I Red?" The redhead pulled herself upright and crossed her arms.

"That's not fair." The blonde leaned over and planted a kiss on Ariel's forehead. She then grabbed a plate from the coffee table and settled on to the couch.

"Life isn't fair. Now eat your pancakes before they get cold." Ariel reached over and grabbed her plate of food. She pushed the bacon away from the syrup drenched pancakes and then dug in. The two ate in relative silence just enjoying each other's presence. When Ariel finished her food she put the plate back on the table and then she laid her head down in Elsa's lap.

She lay there thinking for a while while Elsa finished her food. When Elsa was done Ariel took one of Elsa's hands in her own and brought it to her lips. She kissed each finger delicately and then looked up into Elsa's clear blue eyes. " I love you Elsa." The blonde smiled down and brought Ariel's own hand to reciprocate the action.

" I love you too Red." Ariel pulls her hand from Elsa's and sits up so that she can face her better.

"No I mean it Elsa i love you. And if-" Ariel stopped there and started fidgeting.

"If what Ariel?"

" If you do want to go further, and by further i mean, if you want to have-" Ariel is shushed by a finger on her lips.

"Ariel thank you. I know what you mean. And yes i would like to, but i want our first time to be special. I want it to be all about us with nothing to get in our way."

"But Elsa." The blonde took Ariel into her arms snugly.

"Red i love you more than anything else right now, and i don't want to rush a single moment between us. It's important for me, for us, that we take our time. I want you to be sure Ariel beyond any reasonable doubt that this is what you want."

Ariel pushed back away from Elsa and looked up into her face. " Elsa what do you mean? Of course i want to. I'm not gonna ask for this and, and go away! I'm here because i want to be with you Elsa. I'm not going anywhere and i won't back down. You said without a reasonable doubt well i don't have any doubts." Ariel lifted her hands to Elsa's face and held it. " I haven't had a single doubt since that night that Belle showed up."

"Belle? Honey, Anna is here. She says that you two have plans to go to the library this afternoon."

Belle lifted her eyes from her notes and sighed. She checked the clock on the desk across the room and it read noon.

"I can send her home dear. That is is you're still not up to it?" The words came like a question. Softly Belle knew, because her mother had heard everything from her about that night three weeks ago, and it had been three weeks of Belle turning every one away all over again. Just this time it was harder because she was home and not a million miles away at school. She had immediately signed up for online classes and dove into them. She shut the world away behind a computer screen, communicating only with her online mentor and parents when she had to. She just wanted to forget the world, forget she had ever come home, forget that she had kissed Elsa…

Anna stood at the door to the Masters home waiting for Mrs. Masters to come back to tell her yet again that Belle was not feeling good. Anna knew it was true when Mrs. Masters came from the hallway that lead to Belle's room with a stifled grimace that it was the same result yet again.

"I'm sorry dear. You know what she is going through. I just think she needs a little bit longer."

Anna smiled quickly at Belle's mother and replied. " Its ok. Just tell her to call me if she wants to talk. Bye." Anna turned around and walked back to her truck where Kristoff was waiting patiently while playing on his phone. Anna opened the driver's side door and hopped in. Kristoff looked up from his phone and spoke.

" So has she decided to come play or are we on our own again?" His question was sincere but Anna couldn't help but notice the relief in his voice when he noted that Belle wasn't with her. He had never met Belle and he was socially awkward with anyone but Anna.

" Just the two of us it seems, but i've got an idea." Kristoff's face looked worried. Whenever Anna got an idea in her head he knew it either meant she was up to no good or she was really up to no good.

The afternoon light came through the window pouring into the Venilia's living room as Ariel showed off her costume.

" Ariel i swear you just get more beautiful every day." Ariel's father looked at her as she spun wearing the dress that was going to be used in the ending scene for the play. Ariel stopped and smiled back at him.

"Thanks Dad. I can't believe the play is only a week away." Her father's smile slipped from his face slightly at the mention and Ariel caught his eyes dart away. " You are going to be there right? I mean it was you who pushed me to get the part."

His heavy sigh let her know all she needed to know. He wasn't going to get to see her play, again just like last time. " Honey it's unexpected. They are sending me to New York so that i can seal the deal on a really important merger. I tried to say no but.." His words fell away as he saw tears well in Ariel's eyes. "Baby don't cry i don't get to be there opening night but i'll catch the last showing."

"The last showing isn't important!" Ariel screamed. " The opening show is special we get to have family and friend photos. You did this last time! You always say that acting is important for me. That it's what i'm really good at and yet you're never there to see it. It's always about your work with you." Ariel was crying now. She didn't give a rat's ass if he got to see her show. It was the fact that opening night was going to be the night she was going to introduce Elsa to her father. This time not just as a friend but as her girlfriend. She had stressed every day for the last month about when she was going to tell her father that Elsa was more than just her friend. She had finally picked the day, finally had managed to call up every last ounce of courage she had to do this.

" I know sweety. I'm so sorry but this is really a big moment for our company." He started towards her but she turned away from him walking towards her room.

" I don't care!" she yelled back. With tears in her eyes she pulled out her phone and texted her brother. "Can you give me a ride to Elsa's"

"When i get back yea"

"How long?"

"Thirty minutes maybe less. I'm already on my way home"

"Thanks."

Anna pushed the gear shift into park. They were sitting in front of Elsa's work. She looked over at Kristoff who just shook his head. " I'm telling you Anna this is a bad idea. We've both sat down with Elsa and Ariel at our double dates. You've seen the way that they look at each other. What makes you think barging into where she works and telling her all this is going to change anything?"

Anna popped her seatbelt off and turned so that she could look at him straight on. "Because it will and she is my sister. I'm not asking her to dump Ariel and take Belle back. I just think that they both need to sit down and talk. Belle is acting like Elsa did when she left, and Belle is a lot better at staying anti-social than my sister. She's had 3 years of practice remember." Kristoff just shook his head.

" Fine whatever, but just so you know if this goes any direction but good i'm going to say i told you so"

"And get socked in the mouth for it." Kristoff undid his seatbelt and got out of the truck. Anna did the same on the other side. They looked at each other smiled quickly and then took each others hand before going inside.

The two sisters were seated at the Starbucks that was in the same parking lot as the GameStop. Elsa had decided to take her lunch, and sister, out of the store before things got loud. Her sister had a determined look on her face as she had every time she tried to bring up Belle in front of Elsa for the last three weeks. Elsa put her hand over her eyes and sighed.

"I've told you Anna. I'll talk to Belle when she wants to talk, but she has to start it first. I'm not going to coddle her and try to give her false hope."

" I'm not saying you have to take her back just go over there and talk to her. Her mom says she barely eats and all she does is sit in her room on her computer doing those online courses of hers. She is gonna work herself sick if not worse. I'd just feel that much better if you would just talk to her."

Elsa took her hand away from her face and took a drink from her frape. " Look if you can get her to meet me somewhere on neutral ground I'll talk to her, but Ariel is going to be there. I'm not going to leave her out of something so important, especially when it's dealing with Belle. Ariel is stressed out enough as it is with her play starting next week., and i don't want her thinking anything along the lines that i'm cheating on her by meeting up with Belle somewhere."

Anna groaned. The two sisters were way too much alike for her liking. She hated seeing her own stubborn streak show this strongly in her sister. It was making things complicated. " So as long as she agrees to meet both you and Ariel on neutral terms then it's ok?"

Elsa nodded her head. " Ariel and i have talked about this. She also thinks that i need to talk to Belle but she doesn't want us left alone. Three years is a long time and we all know that when she left and never looked back it was her own fault."

Anna couldn't help it her sister was right. " Fine when are you and Ariel both free next?" Elsa grabbed her phone from the table and looked at her calender app. Ariel had created a calendar so that both Elsa and herself knew when the other was free so that they could make the most of their time together. Ariel had even adapted to Elsa's love for videogames and when she played them, Ariel left annotations for Elsa saying all sorts of cute things like " Fight on!" and "Make sure you pose after you win a big fight." Elsa smiled at that and looked through the dates. The next one they were both free was the morning after opening night of Ariel's play.

Elsa had known that she could easily have gotten in for free if she had asked Ariel but she wanted to fully support her girlfriend and had secretly bought a front seat ticket. Ariel hadn't been too happy with her when she found out but Elsa had convinced her it was because she cared so much that she wanted to pay for the ticket.

" Not tomorrow but next Wednesday morning. If you can convince Belle and pick the place Ariel and i will be there."

Elsa got off work at four in the afternoon and she walked home. Her lunch with Anna, Kristoff had smartly stayed in the store talking to her employee, had been tiresome. Elsa couldn't remember what number this was for Anna trying to convince her to talk to Belle. Though finally she had said yes. When she got home she knew she was going to have to call Ariel and tell her about their meeting.

Elsa walked thoughtfully as she neared her apartment and looked up just in time to see Eric's red mustang leaving the complex. Elsa picked up her pace at the sight. As she crested the last few steps to her apartment she saw Ariel sitting down crying at her door. When Elsa saw this she dropped her bags and ran to the redhead.

" Oh baby what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Elsa knelt down next to Ariel and put her hand on her partner's shoulder. Ariel looked up at her eyes and cheeks puffy from crying.

"M-m-my D-dad said he w-won't make it to the opening night again." In that moment Elsa understood. Ariel had told her how many opening nights her father had missed. Elsa forgot all about telling Ariel about the meeting with Belle and focused solely on her girlfriend.

"Come on Ariel get up. We can go inside and talk, no scratch that we can have some hot chocolate and cuddle on the couch watching Dr Who, or what ever else you want to watch." Elsa held out her hand as she stood and pulled her whimpering love from the ground when Ariel took her hand.

Elsa picked up her bags and opened the door, the entire time not letting go of Ariel's hand. She dropped her purse on the table next to the door and pulled the redhead into the kitchen. She had seen Ariel upset before but never this stoic, usually the redhead was complaining in a rather energetic voice, but not silent like this. Elsa slowly let go of Ariel's hand and grabbed out two mugs. She then put a k-cup into her coffee machine and hit the button. Elsa turned back to Ariel who eyes were watching her so intently when she spoke.

"Elsa?"

"What is it baby?"

"Can i have the tiny marshmallows instead of the big ones?"

"Of course honey you can have whatever you want." Ariel moved closer to Elsa and grabbed both of her hands. She brought them both to her lips and kissed the blonde's knuckles lightly.

"Anything?" Ariel's eyes stared up into Elsa's with an intensity the blonde recognized. In the few months the two had been together Elsa had seen it a few times but had pushed the redhead away to save her purity, a notion that Elsa knew was archaic, but even still. Elsa noticed something else though. Every other time she had seen Ariel's eyes as intense as this it had been after a makeout session with passions running high, this was different somehow. Ariel wasn't asking for pleasure, she was asking Elsa to show that she belonged somewhere, to someone, and that someone was Elsa.

"Anything." Elsa leaned in untangling her hands from Ariel's and wrapping them around the shorter girl's waist. She brought Ariel's lips to her own. Lightly at first, but slowly harder, intensifying. Her hands worked their way up and down her lover's body. Ariel's own hands moved to Elsa's hair and pulled the two into an even deeper kiss.

She needs me. Ariel thought. She wants me. Elsa's hands slipped underneath the girl's shirt and played across the smooth pale skin she knew. They came up to the clothed breasts and slid under the fabric and her thumb passed lightly over Ariel's pink nipple that she had seen countless times though had abstained from touching, in thought of protecting the one thing she cherished, in trying not to push her love too far. "Elsa" Ariel gasped slightly breaking the kiss.

" Yes?" The blonde pulled back just enough to look into those beautiful eyes.

"I Love You."

"I Love You too."

Elsa's mind flew. It was only that morning that she had told Ariel she wanted to wait for the perfect and here she was ready to strip her girlfriend just a few hours later. This is the perfect moment though Elsa thought to herself. Or as perfect as it will every be. She needs me now more than ever before and if this is what she needs then i'll give her my everything. Elsa pulled Ariel into the bedroom and shut the door.

The rest of the day faded from the two in their embrace and it wasn't until late that they stopped.