Tales of Change

Chapter 5

   The bell rang for fifth period and Neal rushed to science, his favorite class of the day. When he arrived he took his seat at the lab table and set his backpack on the ground patiently awaiting the arrival of his lab partner, Alex.

    It was stupidly cliche, him liking Alex, they were lab partners, and it seemed any teenage romance novel or movie that he'd ever seen contained the guy falling for his smart lab partner and the two living happily ever after. That was why he denied his schoolboy crush on her, it was too cliche to work out, and he didn't want to end up like his mother; begging Rumplestiltskin for a potion to forget the person that he loves so dearly.

    He turned his head and saw her walking into the classroom. Her wavy blonde hair falling just past her shoulders, swaying from side to side as she walked, her crystal blue eyes shining through her thick-rimmed black glasses, a sweater hanging past her knees at its longest, loosely covering her white tank-top and blue jeans.

    "Hey Neal." she said casually, setting down the books that she held in her hands onto the table while sliding onto the stool beside him.
   
    "Well hello there Alex." Neal replied flirtatiously, picking up a beaker and preparing it for the day's experiment.
   
    "Why are you so formal, you're acting like you've been betrothed to me or something." she laughed and he smiled back shyly, working up enough charm and courage to utter the sentence that he had wanted to for a long time.
   
    "I wouldn't be as formal if we were betrothed, but that wouldn't be so bad would it?'
   
"What are you saying Neal?"

"I'm saying that I'd like to go out with you."

"I don't know, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Thomas on a date with the son of Snow White and Prince Charming, plus we are lab partners, that sounds way too much like a story, there must be some law of fate against that."

"If there is I think that fate can stick its rule to my sister and Captain Hook and then come talk to me." Alex laughed and looked affectionately into the prince's eyes.

"So if I were to say yes to this little 'date' where and when would it be and when would I attend it."

"How does tomorrow night, Granny's, I pick you up at seven, sound?"

"I think that you are going to have to convince your father to let you drive his truck for the night." The two smiled and the bell rang, their teacher walking in the classroom and tearing their eyes away from each other and instead drowning them in the different ways to make chemical reactions.
~~~

"I hate Gym." Rose muttered to Leia as they were forced to run laps around the basketball court.

"I am sorry, but I am sure that the only people on planet earth who enjoy Gym are the ones who aspire to be professional athletes, or personal trainers, or gym teachers...if you ask me I'd much rather sit in the corner and paint my nails."

"Or read."

"No, I would not spend free time on books. That is your territory, I'll leave you to it."

"Girls!" they heard Jim the gym teacher shout, "Keep your pace steady or you get ten more laps."
The two shut up and finished their laps, understanding that the man whom was their teacher was once a knight, he'd make them run and climb and do whatever he deemed fit, and chances are, their parents would laugh and say that they needed a bit more exercise.

When they finished their laps they sweatily headed to the water fountain and they quenched their thirst, forcing themselves to return to the court for what seemed like training for a war.
"So when you are in a match you have to be aware of your opponent and their skill at all times." he thrust his fencing sword towards the dummy that he had assembled before him and demonstrated a simple disarmament, knocking the sword from where it sat towards the empty court beside him.

"Leia Jones please report to the front office, Leia Jones please report to the front office." the intercom blared through the gym and shivers shot through Leia's spine as she stood up and started towards the gym door.

~~~

"Okay dear, I promise that this simple, you should be able to do it your first try."

"Don't work me up, I'll just let myself down when fail."

"Sweetheart, don't say that, you are incredibly gifted, you can do this without any difficulty just like you do everything else."

"Okay, I'll try." Regina smiled as Victoria slowly unfolded her fisted hand and willed the rock to move from the table to her hand.

"See." Regina said happily as she lightly squeezed her shoulders, admiring the rock that was set in Victoria's hand, "It took me nearly three weeks to do that one properly."

"That's only because your teacher wasn't as good as mine."

"No, that is because my teacher was far more abusive and terrifying than yours is."

"Abusive?"

"More so than I let on. He needed me to be heartless, and he succeeded at that easily."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," she set the rock back on the table and turned towards her mother, "You have changed, it isn't worth dwelling on the past."

"You're right." Regina glanced down to her watch and sighed, "Though with your mother as she is we have to dwell a little bit. At least one good thing came from that woman. But we have to get going."

"One sec let me go get my jacket."

"Okay, meet me in the car, I want to make this visit as quick as possible, you really are getting too old to be forced into these."
~~~

    "Hey, mom, there is something that I've been meaning to talk to you about." Henry said calmly as he walked into Emma's kitchen.

    "Um, okay sure, hit me."

    "So Grace and I have been together for a while now and I really like her and all."

    "Sweetheart, Regina and I knew you were in love since your first date. You spent four hours dipping strawberries in chocolate and cutting crusts off of sandwiches for your picnic."
   
    "Yeah, but this is a little more serious than a picnic in the park."
   
"Oh.. okay, well what's up?"

"I...uh..I was at the pawn shop the other day and I bought this for her." He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small black box.

"Henry is that a--"

"Ring." He opened it and handed the box to his mother, "Do you think she'll like it?"

"Henry, she'll love it." Emma picked up the ring and examined it closely. "So you're proposing to her?"

"Uh yeah..I was planning on it."

"Did you tell Regina yet?"

"No, I..uh..well I came to you because I was hoping you'd help me with something..."

"Well what do you need help with?"

"Remember how you made really good chocolate covered strawberries?" he paused nervously, scanning Emma for signs of aggravation, "I wanted you to help me make some."

"I suppose I can't say no to a man who is about to get engaged."

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Hey to everyone who is actually still reading!!! I know it has been forever since we last updated but here it is!!!
~Sydsorbet