"And so, dat is vhy mixing dragon's blood and mermaid's tears in a tall beaker resahlts in a yellow potion, while mixing dem in a short beaker resahlts in a blue potion!" explained Professor Rumplestiltskin. "Howeffer, if you vere to use DRAGON'S tears and MERMAID'S blood-"

"I, uh, think we have enough to work with." yawned Blondie. She forced a smile onto her face as Dexter lowered his MirrorPad. "Thanks, Professor Rumpelstiltskin!"

"Bah!" he replied, as she and Dexter walked out of his classroom. He smiled gleefully. "Don't forget, keeds! Surprise pop qviz tomorrow!" He paused for effect, "OR EEZ THERE? HAH HAH HAH!"

Blondie sighed loudly as the two students left the laughing imp behind. "That was hexcruciatiiiing!" she complained.

"You can say that again." moaned Dexter, walking beside her down the halls of Ever After High. Students were all around them, chatting, hanging out, and retrieving things from their lockers.

"We're gonna put a sleeping spell on the entire school if we run that piece!" griped Blondie. "We need a really GOOD story, something really juicy! Something that'll have the whole campus talking!" She looked really fired up.

Dexter scratched his head. "Yeah, but... like what?"

Blondie's yellow head turned from side to side, her blue eyes roving the halls in an almost predatory manner. There was a story here! She just had to find it!

And then, she saw it. Across the hall, Raven Queen was at her locker, putting in the combination, when Apple White crept up behind her and slipped her pale, slender hands over Raven's violet-colored eyes. Raven looked surprised, but when she turned around and saw it was Apple, she smiled enthusiastically.

"Aha!" said Blondie, biting her lip to suppress a wicked grin. "AHA!"

"Aha what?" asked Dexter.

"Aha THEM, silly!" said Blondie, pointing at the two girls.

Dexter's eyes followed her finger across the hallway. "Apple and... and..." His tongue stumbled a little when he saw the dark-haired girl. "And R-R-Raven? What about them?"

Behind the din of the busy hallway, Apple said something to Raven, who put a hand to her mouth and giggled. Blondie put an enterprising arm around Dexter's shoulders. "Come on Dex, just look at them together! You know what I'm driving at! Don't you think the students of Ever After High deserve to know the TRUE nature of their relationship?"

Dexter rubbed his chin. "Well, it is sorta interesting that the daughter of the Evil Queen and the daughter of Snow White became such good friends... Yeah, I think that would make a good story!"

Blondie stared at boy, dumbfounded, then impatiently tapped on the rim of his glasses. "Friends? Come on, are you sure these goggles are adjusted properly?" She looked back at Raven and Apple and clasped her hands together romantically, giving a girlish sigh. "Can't you see they're... they're...?"

Dexter stared at them blankly. "They're... What?"

Blondie sighed. "Look, never mind, just follow me! I've got a plan!"

…...

In short order, the two students found themselves in the girl's dormitory wing.

"Are, are you sure about this, Blondie? I'm not supposed to be here..." said Dexter, looking around nervously.

"Dex, please. None of the girls mind if you're here!" said Blondie. At first, Dexter liked the sound of that, but the more he thought about it, the less it seemed like a compliment.

Blondie came to a halt outside one of the doors. "Well, here we are!" she said, grinning excitedly. "Raven and Apple's room!"

"R-R-Raven's room?" gulped Dexter. "W-wait, we're not going in there, are we?"

Blondie tried the doorknob. "Are you kidding me? This could be the scoop of a lifetime! Of course we're going in! Curses, it's locked."

She reached up and pulled a sparkling silver hairpin from her golden hair. "Buuuuut, not for long!"

She slotted the pin into the lock and jiggled it a little.

"But, but Blondie!" stammered Dexter, mortified. "This is breaking and entering!"

Blondie laughed as she toyed with the lock. "Pfff! Get fictional, Dexter! Raven and Apple are my FRIENDS! They're happy to welcome me into their home!"

There was a loud click. "Alright! We are IN!" cheered Blondie, putting the pin back in her hair and swinging the door open.

Brazenly, she stepped into the room with confidence and disregard befitting the daughter of Goldilocks. Dexter was a bit more hesitant, but with enough poking and prodding from Blondie he finally gave in and stepped over the threshold.

"R-Raven's room." he stammered, unable to believe it. "Whoa."

"Nice, huh?" asked Blondie, looking around. "Hey look, they have a mini-fridge!" She descended upon it and opened it up, pulling out a cold soda like it was hers. "Want one, Dex?"

"Uh, I don't think they'd appreciate it if they found out I came in and took their stuff..." said Dexter.

Blondie looked perplexed by this line of thinking. She opened up her can and took a sip. "That's strange. If they found out I did it, it wouldn't bother them in the least."

Dexter shook his head. "Never mind..."

Blondie shrugged and looked under Apple's bed. "Well, don't just stand there." said Blondie. "Help me find a good spying spot. Hmm, too small... The closet's view is too obstructed..."

"Spying? We're going to spy on them?" asked Dexter. "Blondie, I don't know if I'm comfortable with that."

Blondie rolled her pretty blue eyes. "Come on Dex, we want this story, don't we? Half of being a journalist is spying!"

"What's the other half?"

"Unlocking."

They heard laughter and voices out in the hallway. Blondie immediately recognized them. "Apple and Raven! They're back already!" she hissed.

"Oh man!" whispered Dexter fearfully. "Wh-wh-what do we do?!"

Blondie's eyes fell on a large wardrobe. "Quick! In there!"

The two of them jumped in. It was packed with Apple's dresses, so it wasn't an easy fit, but somehow they managed. Blondie swung the door closed, leaving it open just a crack so they could see. A split second later, Apple and Raven reached the room.

"Huh?" wondered Raven, standing in the doorway. "Why's the door open?"

"That's weird." said Apple.

Blondie and Dexter exchanged a glance.

"Maybe the maid left it open?" guessed Raven. "We locked it, right?"

"Yeah! I watched you do it." said Apple.

Raven thought about it for a second, then entered the room. She looked around, checking to make sure everything was in order. "Yeah, it must have been the maid."

Apple followed, closing the door and locking it behind her. "Strange."

Raven sat down on the edge of her bed and began unlacing her heels. "Sooo, who wants the shower first? I think it was me yesterday."

Apple shook her head. "You go ahead. I can wait!"

Raven looked up at her hopefully. "Seriously? You don't mind?"

"Nahh."

Raven eagerly finished kicking off her heels and stood up. "Hexcellent!" She turned her back to Apple. "Can you unzip me?"

"Sure, Raven!"

Apple's fingers found the zip on the back of Raven's dress and pulled it down. Raven couldn't see Apple's face with her back turned, but from Blondie's vantage point Apple's cheeks were clearly turning a bright pink, and her hands were trembling slightly.

"Aha!" whispered Blondie.

"Ssshh!" replied Dexter.

Raven thanked Apple, and holding up her dress with one hand, she retreated into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of the running shower was heard.

Apple exhaled strenuously once her roommate had gone. Her cheeks were still pink. She raised one of her dainty hands, and brought it to rest over her heart. It must have been beating very hard.

Raven returned a few minutes later, dressed in her pajamas and looking very refreshed. Apple had Raven unzip her as well, but unlike her blonde friend, Raven didn't bat an eye. While Apple took her shower, Raven retrieved a tome from her bookpack, sat down at her desk, put her headphones on, and started on her homework.

"Looks one-sided." whispered Blondie. "Eee! How dramatic! This is SO just right!"

"We're gonna get caught, I know we are... Raven's gonna kill me..." mumbled Dexter.

"We're not gonna get caught! Hush!" scolded Blondie. "I know what I'm doing!"

When Apple finished her shower, she started on her homework as well. Raven finished first, and Apple looked over on her. "Hey, Raven? How did you figure out number 15?"

Raven looked at her sheet. "Fifteen? Oh. That a bi-throne-ial equation. Do you know how to do those?"

Apple scratched her head and looked at the problem. "I thought I did."

Raven laughed and stood up. She crossed the room to Apple's desk and began helping her with the problem, leaning over the blonde girl's shoulder. Apple turned slightly pink again as she listened friend's explanation. Raven made a joke and they both laughed.

"They're so cute!" praised Blondie, putting her hands on her cheeks. "Cute cute cute! Tell me you're getting this!"

Dexter quickly turned on his MirrorPad. "Er, r-right."

Blondie pointed it at herself. "Hello, Ever After High! this is Blondie Lockes, reporting from Raven Queen's wardrobe with an exclusive exposé! Mirror Mirror: The Shocking True Story of Apple White's and Raven Queen's..." She sighed passionately, "...Forbidden Love!"

Once Apple had her homework all tied down, she put it back in her bookpack. "Thanks for helping me, Raven. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Hey, don't mention it." said Raven cheerfully. "Sooo, we've still got a lot of time until bed. Wanna do something?"

Apple took her MirrorPad off her desk and held it up. "We could watch something on Netwitch!"

"Wicked idea!"

The two roommates popped some popcorn, poured themselves some iced tea from their mini-fridge, and climbed into Raven's bed. Leaning against the headrest, their shoulders touched as they leaned in to look at the screen Raven was swiping her finger across.

"What should we watch?" asked Raven.

"Ooh, look!" pointed Apple. "They already have the new Mytholas Sparks movie!"

Raven sighed. "Apple, we always watch a romance movie." She moved her finger a bit more quickly. "I wanna watch something... like... oh, okay, here we go."

She showed Apple.

"Princess Massacre 6?" read Apple in a nervous voice. She looked at Raven with concern. "Raven, I, I dunno... I don't think I wanna watch a scary movie..."

Raven laughed. "Aw, it won't be scary, it'll be cheesy. We'll be laughing the entire way through it, I guarantee."

Apple wavered. She looked at the screen, then back at Raven. She balled up one of her delicate hands and clasped it demurely over her heart. "You, you don't think it'll give me nightmares?"

Raven gave her a tender, almost motherly smile. She took Apple's other hand in her own. "No way. It'll be fun." she insisted. "You'll thank me later, I swear."

Apple was clearly reassured. Smiling back, she said: "Well... if you say so."

Raven started the movie, and propped the screen up between them. From the opening scene, it became clear to Blondie and Dexter that Apple would probably have nightmares. As the movie went on, her legs slowly migrated from a relaxed, stretched out position, to being worriedly sat on, to being desperately hugged while Apple stared at the screen in wide-eyed terror.

"Pfffhahaha." laughed Raven, as a princess got axed to death. "So fake."

"Heh heh, yeah..." said Apple weakly.

"This is hard to watch." said Blondie.

"I know." agreed Dexter.

Seconds later, a particularly noisy jump scare almost gave Apple a heart attack. When she regained her senses, she realized she was tightly clinging to Raven's arm.

"Nice!" cheered Blondie.

"Uh, Apple?" asked Raven.

"O-oh! Sorry!" said Apple, quickly letting go.

"N-no! It's, uh..." said Raven. "It's okay."

Apple looked surprised. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, if it makes you feel better, go ahead." said Raven.

So Apple snuggled up next to Raven. The movie rolled on, and they watched in silence for a little bit.

"You're really scared, huh? You're trembling." lamented Raven. She reached a comforting arm around Apple's shoulders and Apple turned red yet again. "Sorry. I thought you'd get a kick out of this."

"No, it's okay." said Apple softly. She gave Raven's arm a gentle squeeze. "This helps."

"Juicy! This is juicy, juicy stuff!" whispered Blondie. "Now we just need somebody to make a move, and we'll have a story!"

"What kind of move?" whispered Dexter, continuing to record.

"Just keep that camera on them! I think you'll find out in a moment!" said Blondie excitedly.

The roommates watched the movie in silence for a little bit. Raven stopped making fun of the special effects and Apple stopped being manipulated by the jump scares. They seemed to be more focused on each other's company than the film they were watching, and the atmosphere had grown very intimate.

In the movie, two girls kissed. "Haha, ewww. What do you think about that, Raven? Pretty gross, right?" asked Apple conversationally, testing the waters.

"Wow, smooth." noted Blondie.

Raven hesitated. "You think so?" she asked. They watched a little more. "I dunno. It doesn't bother me. I think if it makes you happy, go for it, you know?"

"Oh!" said Apple, surprised. "Y-yeah, me too! I, er, just said it's gross because they're covered in princess entrails."

"Oh. Right." laughed Raven.

The movie moved on to more killing and maiming, but their thoughts remained on the kissing scene.

"I mean, hex." continued Raven, unprompted. "I could end up dating a girl one day. I don't know."

Apple blushed deeper. "You... you could?"

"Well, sure." said Raven indifferently. "I mean, you never know who you'll fall in love with. I don't feel that way about any girls right NOW... but... I'm still young, you know? Time changes people. I've got no idea what's in store for me."

Apple saw the chance to tease her. "Sure you do. You're going to marry the Good King and poison me, silly." she said, snuggling closer.

Raven rolled her eyes and gave her a tolerant smile. "Yeah, well... forgive me if I leave my options open." She shifted her sitting position slightly and turned her eyes back to the movie. "What about you, Apple?"

Apple looked doubtful, but eventually shrugged. "Eh. You know me. I'll stick with my Prince."

"Of course." said Raven.

A few minutes later, Apple asked. "Raven? If you really aren't interested in following your destiny... marrying the king and all that... then what kind of guy ARE you interested in?"

Raven laughed. "I dunno. I haven't really thought about it. What about you? If you COULDN'T marry your Prince Charming, who would you like to be with?"

Apple thought about it. "I... I dunno. I think..." She rested her head on Raven's shoulder. "Whoever it was, I think I'd still want us to be a big part of each other's destinies."

Now it was Raven's turn to turn red. "Y... yeah?"

"Somebody who I trusted, who I had fun with... Who I really cared about and who I knew cared about me..." said Apple.

And then, the moment of truth. The mood was right. The scene was set. Apple turned her head to the side, and moved to plant a kiss on Raven's neck...

SPLASH. Her last thoughts at that moment were on the iced tea she was holding, which was now all over Raven's pajamas.

"Ack!" cried Raven, surprised.

"Oh!" Apple shouted, jumping off the bed and standing up. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, it's okay..." said Raven distractedly, looking down at the stain. "Quick, can you hand me a towel? I've got some in my wardrobe!"

"Sure! Sure, Raven!" obliged Apple, hurrying over to it.

"Uh oh." said Blondie.

"Oh no! Oh no!" panicked Dexter.

"Sssh! Let me think! Let me think!" shushed Blondie.

Apple threw the door open. There Blondie and Dexter were. She jumped back in surprise, causing Raven to look over.

"Blondie?!" exclaimed Apple.

"D... Dexter?!" shouted Raven, embarrassed.

Blondie couldn't say anything for a moment. She looked around, looked at Apple, looked at Raven, looked for any way out of this situation, any possible excuse she could give to explain this.

She wrapped her arms around Dexter. "Apple, please! Little privacy?!" she demanded.

"Oh!" said Apple, flustered. "S-sorry!"

She quickly closed the wardrobe door. Then, she paused and thought about what she'd just seen.

Once it all sank in, she opened it back up again. "Nice try."

…...

"Oh come on, Dex! Don't be so dramatic!" said Blondie, chasing after him down the hallway.

"I'm not being dramatic, I'm serious!" he replied, stomping away. "Get a new cameraman! From now on I'm staying on the tech side with Humphrey!"

"Your parents are rich, they'll buy you a new MirrorPad!" reasoned Blondie. "For Grimm's sake, your old one is probably still fixable! Apple and Raven's room is only on the third story!"

"It's not just the MirrorPad!" said Dexter hotly, rounding on her. "It's..."

Blondie stopped. "Yessss?"

Over Blondie's shoulders, passed her golden locks, he spotted Raven walking and chatting with Cerise. Just like every other time he saw her since being caught in her room, she noticed him, frowned disdainfully, and turned away.

"It's... it's..." he said hopelessly, heart crying out in agony.

"Well, doesn't sound like you have a good excuse for me." said Blondie brightly, grabbing his arm. "If you think of one, let me know, alright? Until then, I've got a lead on a hot new story!"