Of course Riley Alton Spencer was having a party. Why would he give up an opportunity to socialize? But seeing as Matilda was dressed up as the Grinch, showing up at his door was a bad idea.

From the outside it had looked like Alton was having a quiet evening all to himself. But when the man himself opened the door—with his pink hair tucked under a top hat, and silver glasses catching the streetlight—Matilda had realized that this was a mistake.

Soft, piano music floated out with the warm light of his house. Matilda could spy a couple of people in the inner room, milling about with champagne flutes in their hands. Their clothing was as grandiose as the dark three-piece suit Alton was wearing. A red scarf hung tastefully from his shoulders like the stole of a priest.

"No." He said after giving Matilda only one look and slammed the door in her face. At least, that was what would have happened had Matilda not stuck her foot in the door. The thick soled boot mostly protected her but the force of the door closing still hurt and she let out a yelp in pain, "AAOOWW! You asshole!"

"Go away." Alton said, pushing her foot away with his successfully, then slamming the door again. This time it shut with a click.

"Don't you wanna know why I'm here?" She yelled through the door.

"Sebastian has informed me of your intentions."

Did Bas broadcast this to the entire city?

She held her foot in her hands, Santa Clause bag discarded at the steps. She tried to see if she could put her weight on it. Otherwise she would have to call her broom in full view of everyone.

The door opened a smidge, Alton Spencer peeking out, looking a little chastened. "Are you hurt?"

"You're damn right I'm hurt!" Matilda said angrily. In truth, the foot didn't feel that bad, but if Alton Spencer was feeling guilty and she would milk that for all it's worth.

Alton opened the door wide, looking at her carefully.

"Harrison, bring Miss Merryweather in. Take her to the den and make sure she's not permanently injured. Call Dr. Webster if needed." Alton ordered his butler who appeared by his side out of nowhere. Harrison helped Matilda in, grabbing her Santa bag from her and slinging it across his shoulder.

"Wait." Matilda pulled at the back of Alton's coat as he turned to go back to his guests. "I'd like to speak with you."

"What?" He said, already exasperated.

"I'd like to apologize. For wha—"

"Fine, apology accepted." Alton said with a quick, dismissing wave, "Now Harrison make sure she leaves once she's tended to." The man sounded just like Sebastian when he had initially disregarded Matilda's apology. Matilda was starting to see the similarities between the brothers.

"No, wait, if you could just listen to me."

Behind Alton, Ophelia came up in a beautiful white silk dress. "Alton, what is keeping you so long?" Ophelia gave a lazy glance at Matilda. "Is that a caroler? Or have you come up with some strange entertainment for the evening?" With the last statement, she glanced at Matilda again, this time with distaste.

"Not at all, Phee. This is just some misguided woman asking for directions. I am merely helping her with an injured foot."

"Oh you know never to take in strays and charity cases. Let one in and you might as well let them all in."

Wow, I think I preferred her when she was shy and quiet. "Don't worry, Ophelia." Matilda's smile was almost a sneer. "I won't be here for long. I just need to speak with your brother for a moment if you don't mind."

Ophelia didn't recognize her and appeared slightly offended that a strangely dressed person knew her name.

"Do I know you?"

"Not really." Which was both the truth and not the correct answer.

"Ophelia, where did you run off to? We were just about to—" Ophelia stepped aside to reveal a redhead standing behind her. The woman stopped in her tracks when she saw Matilda Merryweather standing in the doorway surrounded by the Spencer siblings and their butler. She was wearing a dark, masculine suit—too loose for her but in effect, looking stylish and editorial—with a maroon tie to finish the look, her red hair all falling to one side like flames.

"Gwendolyn." Matilda, Ophelia and Alton said at the same time. The two Spencer siblings turned to Matilda in surprise. Gwendolyn looked at Matilda with a curious smile.

"I thought I smelled blue. Fancy seeing you here Merryweather." She smiled wide, but like Matilda's, her smile did not reach her eyes.

"I should say I'm surprised but I blame myself for that. I'm guessing Sebastian is here too?"

"Oh yes, he's already in. Shall I call him for you?"

"That won't be necessary Miss Pierce." Alton quickly stepped in. "Miss Merryweather only needed a little assistance. Harrison?"

"Right away, Sir." Harrison grabbed Matilda's arm firmly but gently and before anyone could say anything, he led her straight to the door that looked like a regular door to another room but turned out to be the entrance to a lift.

"You have a lift?"

"This is a six story house, what did you expect? That Mr. Spencer takes the stairs all the way up?"

Matilda hadn't expected anything. She didn't live in six story houses. What did she know?

The butler took her up to a small, cozy room that Matilda guessed doubled as an office. A small desk stood at one side, a variety of book cases covered the other three walls. Everything was wood or wood colored. The warm lights gave the room strange shadows and made it appear bigger than it actually was.

Harrison sat her on one of the sofas and placed her nearly empty red bag besides her. The man did not speak. Merely took out a first aid kit from a lower drawer of one of the breakfronts.

"Would you like to remove your shoe yourself or shall I do it?" He asked.

"I'll do it." Matilda held a hand up, feeling embarrassed at the thought of having someone remove her shoe. She yanked off the red Santa boot, fighting the urge to put her foot near her nose to check if it was smelly. She hoped Harrison wouldn't notice if it was.

"Are you a medical professional?" Matilda asked as he checked her foot.

"I am trained to deal with sprains and dislocations."

"Ah. So have you—ow!" Matilda grabbed the cushion in pain as the man tried to move around her foot.

"I would say this is not something to worry about, but you should ice it and take painkillers. However, as you pointed out I am not a doctor, so I would recommend you see someone if it still hurts in the morning." He got a leaf of painkiller tablets from the first aid kit.

"Wait here. I shall get you some ice and water." He carefully mounted her foot on the sofa arm. "Keep this elevated. I will be right back." He left but before exiting the room he called back, "Don't touch anything. I will know."

Matilda made a face to his back then reclined on the couch. The pain in her foot throbbed with each heartbeat. She looked at it, cursing the fact that she had never learned healing spells. Basic spells to comfort through vomit or distress, she knew. But medical spells had not been her mother's forte, and consequently were not hers.

"Aw, did the goody goody godmother hurt her feet?" Gwendolyn cooed from the door. Matilda leaned her head all the way back to see Gwendolyn's upside down form.

"I'm afraid to even ask what you're doing here." Matilda straightened up.

"Take a guess."

"You're messing with fate, Gwendolyn."

"I'm only taking back what is rightfully mine."

Matilda doubted that, "How exactly is Sebastian rightfully yours?" If anything, he's mine.

Gwendolyn sauntered over to the arm chair and crossed her legs elegantly in front of her. She sat like a queen regarding the court jester with amusement.

"Do you know when I met Sebastian I was a voluptuous, short woman? Even my face didn't look like it does now."

"I knew it, you're a shape shifter."

Gwendolyn shrugged. "It comes in handy. "

"Why change. I bet your old look was still pretty."

"It was gorgeous. I had modeled myself after Judy Garland. Gorgeous woman. Highly misunderstood." Gwendolyn said with deep appreciation.

"You had chosen that look for yourself." Matilda realized.

"Yes." Gwendolyn smiled ruefully. "But Sebastian prefers a more... petite looking woman, delicate features."

"I know he doesn't like redheads though."

"The red is mine. I get to keep one thing that is mine. Always." Winnie said defensively.

"Fair enough."

"I never give myself over to men. Too taxing and with very little return. If I don't care much for risks when I make an investment, if at least the return promised is good enough."

"People aren't companies, Win."

"Sure they aren't." She remarked cynically. "I know what you fairy godmothers think. Relationships are fated; happy ever after, right? Well you're wrong. Relationships are hard work. They require sacrifice and commitment. I'll admit, I wasn't sure about Sebastian at first. Everyone shows their best sides in the beginning. But as days go by, it gets harder and harder to keep up the facade and eventually, the relationship falls apart. And who suffers but the girl? The more time you waste on one man, the more you lose. Men lose nothing. They only gain experience on how to fool the next girl for even longer."

"But Sebastian isn't like that. No matter what hoops I threw at him, he jumped straight through them."

"He doesn't dodge most problems."

"Except the one about settling down. And I know why he does it."

Matilda's ears perked up, "You do?"

"Many years ago he met a woman who he really loved. I mean really, you know?"

Matilda nodded. She knew.

"I thought maybe that woman had been his true love. It doesn't always work out for them you know? True love doesn't fill the stomach, doesn't pay the bills. And children always come first. Even true love crumbles under the pressures of reality. I thought Sebastian had already gotten and lost his happy ever after. I thought I had a chance with him."

"That still doesn't explain his commitment issues."

"I believe the reason he has trouble settling down is because he's still hung over that woman. I believe he is still in love with her and, because he has never forgotten her, he is unsatisfied with every other woman he dates. And all other women pale in comparison." Matilda looked disappointed. Gwendolyn was wrong about Sebastian. Matilda knew it wasn't another woman, it was Sebastian's past mistakes that made him fearful.

"But she's not his soulmate, so your theory doesn't really hold."

"Yes, I realize I may have been wrong in my assessment. Nonetheless, I still want him, and I can still have him if I try hard enough."

"That's not how the Law of Limits works, Win."

"The Laws of Fate are like the laws of physics, Matilda. Even the law of gravity can be broken under exceptional circumstances."

"And you think you're the exception to the rule?"

"I am exceptional, Merryweather. It's just a matter of people not recognizing it." The woman smirked like a cat.

Matilda looked at Gwendolyn with an expressionless face. "You sound like an evil villain."

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Don't they lose in the end?" Matilda mocked curiosity.

"You've seen too many movies as a child."

"I don't need to rely on movies to know that witches are never the exception, Win. We are always the rule."

"Keep thinking like that, Tilly, and you will always be bound by the rules. I never let rules hold me back. That's why I gave Sebastian my all. That's why I will still give my all. There is no rule that says he absolutely has to end up with that wench. They haven't even known each other that long! He's known me for years."

"You guys only went out for a few months."

"We knew each other quite well before then."

"You joined the company after... Oh. You joined because of him."

"I wanted to be his support, in every way possible. I changed my looks for him, helped him build his career, I even landed the Ryebeck account for him. I was there when he needed something at work and I was there when he needed something at home. True, most of the time he didn't know it was me, I would have looked obsessive if he did."

You think?

"But when he did see me, I was always there, for him. I did everything he asked for. I cooked for him, cleaned for him; I was his fucking maid, Matilda. Our love making was epic, I even did shit I wasn't even into. And I never acted intimidating or controlling, never demanded any thank-yous or appreciation. Never nagged him about anything. I was happy just to give. I gave him everything I had, everything I am!" Gwendolyn did a sharp intake, almost turning blue for lack of breathing. She spoke her next words with a sharp edge, her teeth looking sharper than before; cavernous.

"I have given him my blood, sweat and tears and I have sacrificed more than that bimbo ever will. Do you really think I will just let him go like that? Do you think it's fair that she gets to just waltz in without even putting in half the effort that I did? She doesn't get to spend the rest of her life with him just because fate decided she was good for it. If Sebastian is spending his life with anyone, it is me."

"He doesn't want commitment, Gwen." Matilda reminded.

"That was my mistake. I pushed him too quick. I shouldn't have done that. I recognize my mistake now. But I have changed. I am willing to wait for him, as long as he wants me to."

"He's not available for you anymore, Gwen."

Books from one corner flew off furiously from their shelf, almost hitting Matilda's head. Gwendolyn glared at her with raging eyes.

"Are you insane?! What if Harrison comes back?"

"Oh shush. I put a Suspension spell on the house. Everyone is frozen in place."

"What!" Matilda sat up, putting her foot down as both a statement and a necessity. "Gwen are you insane?"

"Only as insane as a genius who knows how to think ahead. Why do you think Harrison hasn't come over all this time we've been talking?"

Matilda looked at the clock placed in an empty section on the bookcase. The second hand wasn't moving.

"Take it off, Gwendolyn."

"I won't take it off until you assure me you will stay out of my business."

"TAKE IT OFF, GWEN!" Matilda screamed, eyes wild with her stubborn demand. Gwendolyn gave a surly purse of her lips before relenting. To Matilda's relief, the clocks started moving. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You cannot pull that kind of shit with the others, Gwendolyn."

"Why not?"

"Because the last time someone did, the others noticed. Where the hell do you think Maleficent's curse came from? The Law of Logic has exceptions too, idiot!"

"So? Who cares?"

"I care. I don't want—"

"Here is your..." Harrison trailed off when he saw Gwendolyn in the room. "Ah Miss Pierce. I did not expect to see you here." He brought the ice pack and a glass of water on a silver tray and bowed to present it to Matilda."

"Thank you, Harry." She said, a little on edge by Gwendolyn and her lack of restraint.

"Harrison. Please."

"Your employer will tell you, Harry. That I rarely call people by the name they want me to." Matilda snapped. Gwendolyn smiled, which made Matilda feel even worse.

"As you wish ma'am."

Matilda felt bad for taking her stress out on a man just doing his job. "Sorry. Harrison. Thank you."

He did not respond. Only put the ice pack gently on her foot as she took the tablet.

"There doesn't seem to be much swelling. I think your shoe took most of the hit. However, if you like, I can have a car arranged to take you home."

"No, no. I can get home myself." Matilda thought of her broom tucked away high up in a tree on a lonely sidewalk.

"Are you sure ma'am? It is pretty late."

"Definitely sure."

"Alright. Please let me know when you are ready to leave." The man got up. "I will be right outside."

"Gonna keep an eye on me till I'm gone."

"That is what I have been instructed to do, yes." He went out, closing the door behind him but the shadow from the crack beneath the door let Matilda know he was standing just outside. Matilda talked in a hushed tone.

"Listen to me Gwen, I understand you want Sebastian back. But at least don't use magic to get him." Matilda tried reasoning with the woman. "If you want to win him fair and square, it should be without magic right?"

"Fair and square?" Gwendolyn leaned closer, "That woman had fate on her side and I'm supposed to suppress the only thing I've got going for me?"

"You gotta let Jeff out of your enchantment—"

"Already done. He turned out to be useless."

"And you cannot use another discord spell on Sebastian—"

"Why not? It's the only way to ensure any other spells won't be broken. I can't have him kissing Kat and lifting everything I cast."

"Gwendolyn," Matilda hissed through clenched teeth, "you cannot enchant people! That is not what magic is for."

Gwendolyn surprised her. She moved quickly, grabbing the collar of Matilda's Santa coat. "You listen here, godmother. I have been very considerate to you, given that we are both sisters bound by the same covenant, but that consideration will go no longer. I want Sebastian. He. Is. Mine. You try to get in my way and I will bring out everything I have to fight you. And trust me, you don't want that."

Matilda gulped.

Gwendolyn loosened her grip on Matilda, smoothing out the part of her costume she had bunched up in her fists, "This is a very nice costume, Merryweather. It would be a shame to ruin it. So let us part ways for tonight. You leave." Gwendolyn ordered, "And the next time we meet you can attempt to stop me however you like." She tilted her head with a smile before patting Matilda's cheek in a patronizing manner.

Matilda's hands were shaking when the woman left. Oh what have I gotten myself into?

"Are you ready to leave ma'am?"

Matilda blinked, she couldn't think straight. She had to listen to Gwendolyn and leave. What else could she do? Clearly she was out of her depth with the redhead.

"Ma'am?"

"Yeah, I-uh. I'm going to leave."

"Shall I call you a cab?"

Can I even afford one right now? Matilda mentally recalled how much she had in her pockets right now. Having the ability to take a broom stick helped a lot with her budget but she had spent most of her cash on the gift wrappings and the additional gift for Alton. She didn't want to spend more money on a cab.

"No, I have transport."

"But you did not arrive on a car."

"I parked far away."

"Then let me fetch it for you."

"No, that's okay."

"I insist, although, perhaps you shouldn't be driving with your foot in that condition."

"I'll be fine." Matilda got up, putting away the melting ice pack. She looked at Harrison closely. He was an aging man, still lithe and athletic but the grey hairs on his head showed experience and the way they were slicked back showed grooming. He had wrinkles around his eyes and if he did not have the stony expression, he would have looked like a kindly, old man. Instinct told Matilda the man had a daughter. He was looking at her with the weary expression of a man who knew the ways of women in only how a father could.

"That red bag's for your employer," she told the butler softly. "Please let him know that gift inside is from me."

"I will." Harrison looked at her with concern as she got on her feet. Her foot hadn't hurt all that much initially, but now she could barely stand on it. Matilda winced as she tried to test the foot.

"You see? You are unwell. Allow me to fetch a cab for you, then you can retrieve your car later."

"No, Harrison." Matilda said curtly, but then almost toppled over the man as she tried to leave the room.

"I am calling Master Spencer. Perhaps you can discuss your arrangements with him." The butler set her back down on the sofa. Matilda scrunched up her face angrily, wondering if she could simply teleport and let the Law of Logic do it's thing.

But before she had even thought it, Alton in his ridiculous hat appeared.

"You're still here?" He said, annoyed.

"Isn't it rude to wear hats inside?"

"Isn't it ruder to crash a party you clearly aren't wanted at?"

"Isn't it rudest to—"

Harrison cleared his throat loud enough for Matilda to shut up.

"You are too injured to make your way home?"

"No. Your butler isn't letting me leave."

"I suggested to Miss Merryweather that she should take a cab instead of driving home."

"Driving? I know for a fact that you can't drive." Alton looked at her like she was a criminal. Harrison looked positively betrayed.

"I never said I would be driving. But I can make my way home. Goodbye now." Matilda got up and wobbled her way past Alton. She could hear him huff out a breath.

"How are you getting home?"

"I will fly home, on my broom stick." This was both the genuine answer to the question and the truth.

"Very funny. I will drive you." Alton said as Matilda hobbled past him, onto the hallway.

"Why do you care?" Matilda called back.

"I don't. But it is unsafe, at this time and your injury is my fault so I am responsible." Alton came up behind her and grabbed her arm, wrapping it around his neck. "Lean on me." He ordered, pink tufts of hair escaping form the slightly tilted hat. Matilda focused on the hat, not his face, not his eyes sheathed behind the glasses, not the suppressed guilt on his face.

"That thing is obnoxious." She said.

"It is tasteful."

Matilda smacked it off of his head. Harrison quickly bent over to grab it from the floor. Alton only sighed. Pink clashed awfully with his dark, over the top suit.

"Why not just get me a cab?" She asked when they were going down in the elevator.

"Propriety dictates that I pay for it."

"This isn't the eighteenth century. I can pay for my own stuff."

"It's not about you being a woman. I would have to pay even if you were a man. Driving you home is cheaper."

"Miser."

"An uninvited guest should simply thank, not criticize."

"You should get back to your guests and have Harrison drive me home." Matilda didn't want Alton to see the kind of down trodden place she lived at.

"Harrison is more important to the party than I am. And Miss Pierce already has everyone busy with her magic tricks." Matilda rolled her eyes. "And Ophelia can handle things afterwards till I return."

There was no way out of it. No matter what she argued, Alton was not going to let her go on her own. It was easier just to let him pull out his car from the garage and help her in the passenger seat.

It was strange to see Alton Spencer driving. Matilda had thought he was rich enough to never get behind the wheel.

"You don't have a driver?" She asked.

"It's a waste of money when I can drive myself. Where to?"

"Downtown. We're going to Lower Kinghaven. I would have thought someone like you wouldn't have to worry about money."

Alton blew an impressed whistle, "Even people with money prefer to save it than waste it, Miss Merryweather." Then after a pause he added, "You live far away. Isn't travel expensive without your own car?"

It was, living in the city was grueling but no one cared to accommodate people who had less than normal to live on. Matilda was lucky she had her magic or things would have been really difficult. "It's not that expensive. Us poor people can figure out ways to travel for cheap." Matilda said, thinking Alton could not possibly know of the concept of expense or tricks for living on the cheap.

After a pause Alton said, "Oh yeah? Like what?" His affected accent seemed to have dropped somewhat, "I've lived in this city since I was a child. Never could get around without making a dent in my pocket. Public transport does not come cheap. And the subway doesn't go all the way to the suburbs."

"You guys lived in the lowerside?"

"When my parents were around. After them, we moved to the city and I had to get a bike because it was cheaper."

"Motor bike?"

"Bicycle."

Matilda laughed, "It's hard to imagine you on a bicycle. Take a left at the next corner."

"Why is it hard?"

"I dunno. Just is."

A pause. "So is that get up supposed to be a statement against the capitalist propaganda of Christmas shopping?"

"What? No. I was just trying to be funny."

"By dressing up as the Grinch."

"Yeah I probably didn't think this through." Matilda said regrettably.

"Hmm. Well it's certainly... eye catching." He choked on his laughter.

"Oh you're one to talk. All dressed up like Ebenezer Scrooge."

Alton stopped laughing.

"I'm kidding."

"Ophelia is studying fashion design. She made this suit for me."

"It would look good on the runway," Matilda admitted, "but when have you ever seen someone wear something so outrageous?"

"I have. All the time."

Ah, right. Rich people and their weird clothes. The Hunger Games was right about fashion.

"Where to?"

"Straight ahead."

Matilda bit her lip nervously. She inhaled deeply and with the exhale, blurted out, "I'm sorry I locked you up in the closet."

A beat passed. Alton neither acknowledged nor accepted her apology.

"And I'm sorry... about the things I said. About... Sebastian. I didn't mean them. I don't even know where that came from."

"No, I think you do know." Alton said, tensely.

Matilda curled her fingers into sweaty fists. "It was still mean and unkind and totally unwarranted. You... you didn't deserve that. I'm very sorry."

She waited a breath, then another. Then another.

He turned over to her. "I will accept your apology if you promise never to call me Ry Ry ever again." He said the name with such sincere yet exaggerated distaste that Matilda laughed.

"I promise never to call you that."

"Good."

The rest of the car ride was almost pleasant. They didn't speak much, Matilda only told him when to turn and which street to take when needed. They reached her apartment in relative peace.

"Thank you for dropping me home, Alton."

"Not at all."

Matilda eyed his pink hair then before he could do anything about it, she reached forward and tousled it quickly.

"What are you—"

"There was a bug." She lied. Unseen by Alton, the pink color in his hair lifted like a sparkly mist and dissipated into the air. He looked around for signs of an insect but found none.

"Okay, well, thanks again." Matilda opened the door but stopped half way through, "Oh and, I left your gift in your den. And the inscription doesn't count because I wrote that before we agreed not to call you Ry Ry."

She got out. "Oh and also," she said from the lowered window of the passenger door, "I know I broke my word last time when I said I would turn the other way if I saw you and then I didn't do that at Thanksgiving... but this time I promise, if I see you, I'll turn the other way." It was her way of declaring peace between them. No more bickering, no more fighting. The witch and the ice king would leave each other alone.

Matilda smiled politely, waving goodbye before she hobbled into her apartment building.

Alton returned home, back to his party and his guests. He did not remember how; his mind had been otherwise occupied. Once the guests had left, his servants had retired and his sister had retreated to her room, he went back up to his den to retrieve the red Santa Clause bag Matilda Merryweather had left.

He chuckled to himself when he recalled her all dressed up in green. The nauseous color somehow suited her quite well, he mused.

The gift unwrapped to be a book.

How to Be a Good Person for Dummies.

Alton nearly hurled the thing in the fire place. It was clearly meant as a joke but it fell flat for him. Ugh, that bothersome woman! He thought, irritated. He was about to throw it away but remembered Matilda mentioning something about an inscription. He opened it to the first page.

Dear Ry Ry, I saw this title and immediately thought of you. I hope my gift annoys you as much as I do. Love, Agnes.

Agnes, the name he had ascribed to her back when he had been drunk out of his mind at Malvina's engagement party. Matilda Merryweather did look like an Agnes; a boring, uninspired woman with neither looks nor sense of dressing. A boring old Agnes, indeed.

"How uninspiring," He said to himself as heturned his gift over. He should have thrown it away, but decided against it,placing it behind the books on the book case nearest to his desk, a placewithin arm's reach from his chair.