A/N: I own nothing, just playing with the characters a little bit.

More… Or Less

Lottie hadn't really considered what Prince Naveen meant when he said "more or less" while she was happily plotting their future. She was too excited by the prospect of finally being a real princess. She had been only too happy to supply the required kiss and the money for her best friend's restaurant if it meant she got her prince. The days that followed had been such a happy daze, with all her dreams coming true, that she had been so oblivious to what was going on around her. She had sometimes seen a faintly distressed look on Tiana's face as she helped with the preparations, but she had assumed that it had to do with the restaurant and left it alone. And if Naveen never seemed as excited as she was, well it was only natural for a man to be somewhat reserved about this kind of thing.

No, she had never really thought much about what he had meant by that confusing statement. The reality hadn't sunk in until much later. Because he had given her so much more, and yet it was so much less than what she had dreamed. He had given her a beautiful palace with servants to cater to her every whim, and a beautiful baby boy to cradle in her arms and coo to sleep. Little Prince Aaron was her sunshine, and she adored him completely. But even then there was no spark to her marriage. Naveen had given her almost everything she had ever wished for; everything except his heart.

Oh, Naveen was a kind and attentive husband, but it was done with the abstract air of one completing a necessary duty. His face held no joy or adoration when he looked at her. The only thing that seemed to make his eyes light up was Aaron. Naveen obviously loved their son dearly, and he delegated a portion of time each day just to spend with Aaron. She wished that he would look at her with such love.

The realization of why he didn't love her had been like a sharp slap to the face. She had insisted on returning to New Orleans for Aaron's second birthday so that her father would have an excuse to throw one of his lavish parties. Naveen had reluctantly agreed, and she whisked her small family back to the Crescent City with dreams of Naveen remembering how she had saved him from being a frog and falling madly in love with her.

Her joy at being home lasted until her father drags them all to Tiana's Place, insisting that they have to see how her best friend has been doing. She went along readily enough, excited to show off her son and hear all the news from Tiana. Looking around, Lottie reflected eagerly that even by royal standards the restaurant was amazing. She was so proud of her friend, and so excited that in a way she was responsible for this. Her thrill lasted until she looked at Naveen, and the expression on his face cut like a knife. All the love and joy she had ever wanted to see on his face was written across his expression like fireworks in a night sky, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at a woman meandering through the tables as though lost, and Lottie realized with a jolt that it was Tiana.

Suddenly everything made sense. She dimly recalled Naveen referring to Tiana as 'his Evangeline' once, but she had dismissed it as irrelevant. Now, seeing the mixture of love and pain in his eyes, she realized that it had more significance than anything she could ever give him. The rest of the evening was agony. She hugged her friend, introduced her son, and tried to pretend that everything was exactly the way she had dreamed it would be. But laying in bed that night she had to admit that if she had known what he meant by 'more or less', she would have made a much different choice.

The End