"I love them so much," Nancy gushed, fixing the flowers in her office. Robert had brought Y/n, who was spinning around the room, and Gislaine, who had his gaze intently fixed out the window.

"Really?"

"Usually you send those e-mail cards with the digital flowers. These are exquisite. Where do you find live doves in New York City?"

He glanced at Y/n, still spinning. "Oh, it's a long story..."

"And these?" She took the slips that came with the flowers and held them up excitedly once she read them. "We're going to a ball?"

"You don't have to."

"Are you kidding? It's so romantic. So spontaneous!"

"Good."

"I can't wait."

"Good. Great. And..." He leaned closer to her, whispering, "As far as Y/n's concerned, I'm just trying to help her and Gislaine. Nothing's -"

"You know what?" Nancy put down the slips and stopped messing with the flowers to give him her full attention. "If you say nothing happened, nothing happened. I trust you. And it seems he trusts her, too." She and Robert looked at Gislaine, still by the window. Y/n rushed to him, spinning into his arms. "They're like something out of a fairytale."

"Yeah...so tomorrow night, then."

"This is so unlike you."

Gislaine put her down and rubbed noses, both giggling.

-

"...middle of Times Square with that bus driver who was ambushed earlier today..."

Edward had pressed a button on the remote, fascinated when the television turned on. "It appears this tiny box controls the magic mirror."

"They were dressed all freaky. Then this chipmunk -"

He pressed a button and the channel flipped to some melodramatic soap opera.

"I've always been in love with you."

Nathaniel felt drawn by the program, eyes fixated on it as he watched.

"Don't you have any self-respect?"

"I don't need self-respect. I just need your lips against mine."

Edward changed it again, Nathaniel snapped out of it and begging. "Wait, sire! Go back! Go back, please!" He did and it seemed they had missed nothing of importance.

"How could I love a man who doesn't even like himself? Get away from me, Jerry! You disgust me!"

"I can't help my feelings for you, Angela. It's love that makes me act this crazy."

"This isn't love. This is infatuation."

While Nathaniel's attention was drawn to the television, Pip jumped on Edward's knee, signaling for him to keep quiet. He did the same gesture, showing that he understood, and Pip began again to pantomime.

"Nathaniel likes the way I leap."

Pip grabbed his neck and fell over.

"I'm handsome even when I sleep."

He began to yell in a chipmunk language, getting Nathaniel to turn from his position on the bed. He grabbed him by the tail, Pip flailing around. "Sad little chipmunk. Aw, deranged from exhaustion. Aw..."

Edward empathetically nodded, not noticing Pip's struggle.

"Maybe you'd like to snuggle in a nice little nook for the night, eh?"

-

Nathaniel had pinned Pip up on a clothing hanger in the closet with a Do Not Disturb sign hanging around his neck, beginning to shut the door on him.

"Night-night. Sleep tight..."

-

"I think I need some air, sire," Nathaniel said, grabbing his coat and opening the front door. He stopped, looking back at Edward, who was still glued to the television. "Sire? Do you...like yourself?"

Edward looked back at him in confusion. "What's not to like?"

He nodded, slowly leaving as Edward continuously flipped through the channels.

-

Pip shook the sign off, swaying on the hook. He used more momentum to flip around and leave through the crack Nathaniel had left in the door, sneaking past Edward. He used the hook to open the window and tried to run on all fours, which was impossible with his hands stuck. He instead used the laundry line to swing on, the hanger coming off as he flew off, landing on a lightpost and scurrying down after Nathaniel.

-

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big pizza pie,
That's amore

What was this ugly feeling that sprang forth through love?

Sauce was all over Gislaine's fingers from gripping the pizza so tightly while he watched Robert and Y/n as he showed her what she deemed to be wizardry. Only after showing her again did he take notice, asking only half-serious, "You okay, buddy?"

"What? Oh...oh, yes, I'm fine, I was just...thinking that...this is a very nice place."

"Yeah."

"And we're eating food?"

"Uh...more or less," he replied, taking notice of Gislaine's hands.

"This is a date."

"Yeah! No! No! No, no. People don't usually bring their friends on dates. Or children." They all looked across the room where Morgan was helping a lady fold napkins.

"That's too bad. Morgan's a lovely girl. She's very kind and very sweet."

"Yeah. She's great." He looked back to see Y/n looking at him intently, making him a little uncomfortable. "What?"

"Does she miss her terribly?"

"Who?"

"Her mother."

"Um..." He looked around uncomfortably. "Well, we just..."

"What?"

"We don't talk about it."

"Oh, I'm...sorry, I just...think that a mother is important for a little girl..." she finished.

"No, no. It's okay. It's just... don't talk about it...to Morgan or to anybody."

"Was it sad?"

"Not at first."

"You were in love," she sighed with a smile.

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling at the memory. "Yeah...that was the problem."

Her eyes opened wider, surprised. "How could that be a problem?"

"Because love...the lovey-dovey version that you and Gislaine are high on? It's fantasy. You're in the honeymoon phase. But one day, you have to wake up and...you're in the real world."

"How could I ever leave for the real world?" Y/n reached for Gislaine's hand, putting it atop of his. "I love him."

"And you still will after he leaves."

"Leaves?!"

They looked at each other, Y/n in horror and Gislaine in confusion. "Where am I going?"

"Nowhere, I should hope!"

"I don't...understand, Robert."

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay. It's her I worry about, though." He gestured to Morgan, still folding and talking. "I know she's shy. I know she doesn't have very many friends. I just want her to be strong, you know? To be able to face the world for what it is. That's why I don't encourage the fairytales. I don't want to set her up to believe in this dreams come true nonsense."

"But dreams do come true!" Y/m insisted. "Mine certainly did."

Gislaine took her by the waist and pulled her closer, rubbing noses with her while Robert looked on in amused disgust. "Yeah, well, I forgot who I was talking to."

She looked away from Gislaine to Robert with a gentle smile. "I hope you don't forget. I like talking to you."

Another pain of that horrible feeling washed over Gislaine and he slowly let go of her, a hand messing with his hair as a waiter came over, holding a drink and placing it in front of Y/n. "For the nice lady. From a secret admirer."

"Secrete admirer?" Gislaine repeated, looking from the waiter to his Y/n. "As in somebody who secretly admires her. Who wants to...kiss her?!" He covered his mouth, eyes large, shocked at how scandalously he had spoken while Robert blinked.

"What is it?" Y/n asked, hands around the glass.

"It's an apple martini, miss. Apple mar -"

"Be careful. It's poisonous," Robert cut in. The waiter glared at him and Y/n and Gislaine glanced in suspicion at the glass.

Then Y/n giggled, smirking at Robert. "You're joking."

"Even if I wasn't, you got someone to kiss you."

Gislaine pointed between him and himself, thinking who he was referring to.

"But they'll creep up on you. I'd be careful."

"Oh, I'll just have a sip." She lifted it up, the waiter watching a little too intensely.

"One sip is all it takes..."

The glass was knocked out of her hands by a chipmunk jumping on the table, squeaking away. "Pip!" she exclaimed, jumping up.

Robert jumped as well, him in horror. "Hey, there's a rodent on the table! Can we get some help here?!"

She picked him up, bringing him closer to listen. "Hang on, it's a little hard to understand here...uh-huh...uh-huh..."

"It's chewing her ear off!" somebody screamed.

"A chipmunk!" Morgan exclaimed, running over. Robert held her back, looking on in Gilroy as Y/n brought him up to her ear to listen.

"That thing's loaded with disease!"

"What? No he isn't," Gislaine interested.

"What? Edward? Edward?!" she gasped. "He's here! He's here! Oh, Gislaine, he's here!"

"Duck!" she heard Robert yell and Gislaine was soon pulling her away from a pizza platter. Robert ran over, pushing Gislaine away and holding her face in his hands. "Let me see your face."

"Why?! He wouldn't scratch me!" she insisted indignantly. "Where is he, anyway?"

Morgan pointed at the pizza that was thrown. "The pizza's breathing!"

"Pip?" Before she could look inside, the waiter took the pizza and threw it across the room into the oven, showered with applauses.

"No! No...oh..." she sobbed, throwing herself into Gislaine's arms, who immediately put his arms around her back.

Robert put a hand on her back, holding Morgan with his other arm. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Morgan clung to his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. "Oh, Daddy..."

-

While chaos ensured, Edward continued to watch the television, the station now flipped to a news station. "Tell me Magic Mirror, what is this awful place? Why is everything so difficult? Will I ever find my heart's duet?"

A woman appeared on the screen, holding a microphone. "Preliminary search of the pizza oven did not reveal any rodent remains. This animal's still out there. Joining us is the woman who was attacked by this chipmunk."

He jumped forward when his step-sister came onto the screen, exclaiming, "Y/n!"

"Tell us, how does it feel knowing this dangerous animal is most likely still alive?"

"Wonderful! Pip is my very best friend, and -"

A man Edward did not recognize grabbed her hand, pulling her away. "Y/n, why don't we go home?"

"I wasn't finished," the reporter called after them. "One more question, please."

"What villainy is this? That is NOT Gislaine!"

"Is this unprovoked attack part of some new trend? Is rodent rage on the rise?"

Edward fell to his knees and crawled to the television, wrapping his arms around it. "Magic Mirror, I beg you! Tell me where she is!"

"From 116th and Broadway, I'm Mary Ilene Caselotti."

"116th and Broadway! Thank you, Mirror." He kissed it before getting up and running for the address.

-

Y/n put Morgan to bed that night, Robert watching from the doorway, arms crossed, but not preventing it. Gislaine stood next to him, smiling at his girl and the child.

"My goodness. We sure had a lot of excitement tonight. Were you scared earlier?" she asked Morgan, sitting at her bedside.

"A little bit. But do you think Pip will be okay?"

"Oh, of course he will. He is very brave. I remember this one time when the wolf was being chased by Little Red Riding Hood around his grandmother's house and she had an ax. And if Pip hadn't been walking by to help, I don't know what would've happened."

"I don't really remember that version."

"Well, that's because Red tells it a little differently," she winked.

"Y/n? I heard you talking earlier...why don't I have a mother?"

"Oh..." She looked off, trying to think of how to answer. "Because...well, even in my world, not everyone has a mother. Gislaine doesn't. Neither does Edward. He lost his mother when he was very young."

"But why don't I?" she insisted.

"I...don't know."

Random fairytale music came, making Robert look around in utter confusion before shrugging, giving up trying to make sense of it. Even Morgan seemed fine by the sudden chaos of song.

Y/n:
Your mother and mine...
Your mother and mine
The helping hand that guides you along
Whether you're right
Whether you're wrong

She reached over to stroke her hair out of her face.

Gislaine watched, then looked at Robert, who had his jaw set.

Y/n:
Your mother and mine
Your mother and mine
What makes mothers all that they are?
Might as well ask, "What makes a star?"
Ask your heart to tell you her worth
Your heart will say, "Heaven on Earth"

Gislaine left, Robert watching him for a minute before turning back to Y/n and Morgan.

Y/n:
Another word for divine...
Your mother and mine

"Goodnight, Y/n. And thank you for the nice story and song."

"Goodnight, Morgan." She got up and turned off the light, walking right past Robert, who watched her, looked at Morgan, and shut her door.

-

Y/n had somehow found Morgan's book on women and sat on the bed to read it while Gislaine showered. He came out in a towel, showing his chest and wet hair, darkened and stiff. Y/n, in Robert's bathrobe, looked up and put the book down, eyes drawn to his glistening body, watching drops of water trail down and darken his skin. "Hello, dear."

"Hi...Y/n, you're...you're really good with children...kids..."

"Oh..." She smoothed down the bathrobe and nodded. "Thank you."

"Do you...want children?"

"Children...I had never thought of children...I was always thinking about happily ever after, but...I suppose most women back in Andalasia have children..."

"Well, I just thought I should know. Considering we'll be together forever soon."

"Oh. Oh! We - we will!" She got up and began pacing around. "Everyday...we'll be together. I...I didn't think of...of after forever after..."

"You...don't want to." It came out more as a statement than a question.

"No! I want very much to..." She faced him, awfully close to his semi-nakrd body. "...very much want to be with you. I suppose I just...didn't realize..."

"You'd rather be with Robert."

"..........what."

"Why else would you try to mother Morgan?"

She drew away from him, suddenly disgusted by the man that she loved. "You think I want to be with Robert?! Have you lost your mind?! You said so yourself, he's a good man and would never!"

"You don't just want to be with him." He got up closer, accusingly stating, "You want to kiss him."

She gasped dramatically, a hand on her chest, throwing herself back. "Kiss him?! How...how could you accuse me of such an incredulous action?!"

"Go on. Kiss him. I want to see it."

In one movement, she smacked him hard across the face, his face moving with the action, mouth open. Her hands went to her mouth together in a prayer-position, horrified. "I...I'm so sorry, Gislaine, I didn't..."

He slowly turned his head, her heart breaking when she saw tears in his eyes. "Excuse me." He walked past her, still in a towel, Y/n's hands at her chest while she watched him go.

"Oh dear...oh..."

-

IT'S ONE AM PLEASE ENJOY THIS SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M THROWING SLEEP OUT THE WINDOW FOR NOTHING 😭