Art, Life, Imitation

Friends Forever and Always

"Friends... forever and always..." As Anna's lips froze shut and froze solid, she managed to force out four, final words as her vision went totally blue. Even though the past 13 years of her life had been fraught with loneliness and sisterly estrangement, none of it seemed to matter anymore in the split-second Anna had to choose to save her sister's life, even at the cost of her own. I'm sorry I didn't save you sooner...

Was Anna speaking as herself, or as someone else from a lifetime ago...?

In any case, the words still held just as much power now as they did back then, and as cold and bleak as Anna's world had become, inch by inch and second by second, something warm began to radiate out from her chest. It seemed to run through her skin, warming her entire being in a way nothing else could, and then before she knew it, she was mobile again, staring down in Elsa's stunned, teary eyes. Friends forever and always!

Anna and Elsa made sure to make up for the lost time, and by the time they reached the end of their natural born lives, as hard as it was to say goodbye, they could at least say that their lives had been happy and fulfilling. Not perfect all the time, but they'd overcome challenges that they used to think would be barriers and walls standing between them and happiness for their entire lives.

"Friends forever and always?" Anna whispered weakly, hand resting in Elsa's, their fingers intertwined.

"Friends forever and always." Elsa nodded, icy tears sliding down her cheeks. She could feel it within her soul that she would join Anna soon, but until the last of her magic gave out, she had several more years left in her. Anna would be with her for every single one.

ooo

"You better not get too friendly with your new co-star!" Kristin teased as she and her beloved costar took their final bow together.

"Of course not!" Idina laughed back, her tearful eyes meeting Kristin's. "You're my Glinda! The one and only! The first and the last! The original and the official!" They were the original couple, the original dream team, nothing would ever replace that.

"Friends forever and always, right?" Kristin laughed and nodded, finally wiping her eyes as the curtains lowered slowly in front of them.

The moment she said those four, simple words, the theater seemed to fade, everything becoming blurry and distant and muffled, as if she was underwater and swimming farther and farther away from the world she used to know. Voices of the past echoed in her mind. They all sounded distinct, but they all sounded like her. It was a sensation that lasted barely a second, but it left Kristin a little breathless. Her eyes darted over to Idina, and from the way her costar's own eyes were wide and round, Kristin could already tell that Idina had just had "An Experience" too.

"What the heck was that?" Idina asked slowly, giving her costar as shaky laugh as the feeling subsided.

"I have no idea," Kristin replied, shaking her head, still looking a little awed.

Sadly, however, as inseparable and in-synch as Idina and Kristin became, all good things had to end eventually. As with all domestic spats that started out small only to spiral out of control as the relationship deteriorated, neither woman could remember who struck the first blow. All they knew was that the blows kept coming. They stood glaring at one another. They had too much common history to come apart over one little award, yet the award was planted between them, a grotesque icon of their differences. Neither one could retreat, or move forward. It was silly, and they were stuck, and someone needed to break the spell, but all Kristin could do was shake her head.

I can't say I'm surprised. She IS the lead after all. There was nothing but bitterness, envy, and sarcasm in her heart as she glared at Idina and the golden trophy in her hands. Even though Kristin was the more experienced actress of the pair, and even though Elphaba and Glinda were practically equals, just because of the implicit understanding that Elphaba was the true protagonist, Idina was just a hair better of an actress.

"I won this fair and square!" Idina insisted, clutching the trophy tighter. Maybe Kristin never said anything outright, but the implications were clear.

"So much for "friends forever and always", huh, Elphie?" Kristin mocked, but a moment later, she and Idina both winced. The feeling was not as strong as the first time, because there was too much bad blood between them now, but they still both saw and heard flashes and echoes of the past, the far past, lifetimes and worlds away from their own. It happened so fast that they were easily to write it off as nonsense, a temporary insanity that didn't even last half a second, but it shook them to their cores. Neither woman would speak to the other for years.

Almost a decade later, though, Kristin found herself at another award ceremony for her old costar. This time, it was for the Oscars.

"Well, well, well, Snow Queen, all hail," Kristin joked, voice dry and soft as she wandered over to Idina. At long, long last, the ceremony was finally winding down, and even though Idina was still being swarmed by "Frozen" fans of all ages, Kristin had more opportunity to talk to her then than she did at any other point in the ceremony.

For a moment, Idina seemed surprised to see Kristin, of all people, but she quickly reigned in her expression and nodded with polite aloofness.

Ok, Ice Queen, no need to be so cold with me. Kristin's lips twitched in another weak, tiny smile that didn't take long to flicker out and die. But even though she couldn't bring herself to force a laugh at her own, stupid joke—a half-hearted attempt at lessening the tension—the message she was trying to convey was God's honest truth, and it had been on Kristin's mind far before "Let It Go" played its first notes for the very first time.

"Look, I know we've had our fights, but... I've really missed you," the smaller actress finally sighed, forcing herself to just start talking before she lost her nerve like the Cowardly Lion and flung herself out a window. (The Wizard of Oz movie really was a classic, wasn't it?)

"And I'm not just here to bank on your fame, either," she added quickly, sincerely. "I just wish it could be like old times, when it was you and me on stage, hand in hand, heart to heart..." A nostalgic smile spread across Kristin's face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of genuine regret. "I know I messed up and said a lot of things I probably shouldn't have, but... is there any way... I can... make it up to you?"

Kristin barely even dared hope, but then Idina all but dropped her Oscar as she hastily set it down to fling her arms around her old costar. Kristin wasn't the only one with a lot of overdue apologies. By the end of it, though, the two woman were laughing, crying, and embracing.

"Of course I forgive you!" Idina cried as she and Kristin rocked one another back and forth in their embrace. "After all, we're..."

"Friends forever and always!" They laughed as they said their age-old, iconic catchphrase in unison for the first time in far too long.

Just like that very first time, though, the feeling was strong and clear. They felt connected to one another through space and time, in realms just beyond their reach, but still hidden within them. Without a single word, they just knew that no matter where life took them next, they would find their way back to one another in the end somehow. They always did, and they always would.

AN: Just realized I never posted this! This was written back in my original volley of Wicked fics from 2015-ish (though obviously updated and edited today). Thanks to br0ken_h3arted on AO3 for alerting me to that!

Now for the disclaimer, the "fight" between Idina and Kristin was PURELY FICTIOUS FOR THE SAKE OF THIS STORY! There is 0 evidence supporting the theory that Kristin was jealous of Idina for winning a Tony for Wicked, I just needed it to parallel the clashes between Elphaba/Glinda and Elsa-Anna.

I'm also aware that Elsa-Anna doesn't entirely line up since Anna was Kristen Bell, not Kristin Chenoweth (but hey, the names are so close, and they're both blonde haired, blue eyed actresses, so... LOL)