Dancing Through Life

Summary: Amber is in a grumpy mood for whatever reason, and James is determined to cheer her up by any means possible.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Sofia the First!"

A/N: The title is loosely based on a song of the same name from the musical "Wicked." It's just fun and bouncy, which I think easily describes James, of course! Lol. Enjoy!

"Argh!"

James flinched when Amber threw her book bag at the wall, the contents of it spilling out. He opened his mouth to speak, but he thought better of it when she clenched her fists and began storming off down the hallway. "Um…"

"I just can't believe her!" the princess griped as she walked, her fists curled tightly together. "How could she just—ugh!"

Deciding now was best to intervene, before she took out her anger on an unsuspecting servant or something, James ran over and took one of Amber's clenched hands, unfolding it to pull her aside.

"James, let me go!"

He rolled his eyes and put his free hand on his hip as he stared at her pointedly.

She blinked before frowning. "What?"

"Gee, I thought you'd tell me what. Why are you throwing things around and getting all mad?"

Amber looked away. "That's none of your concern, James. Now let go of my hand."

He smirked. "I don't think so." He then proceeded to pull her down the hallway.

"What are you doing?"

"You're too grumpy."

"Excuse me?" She huffed. "You haven't seen 'grumpy,' brother. Keep it up if you want to find out the extent of my 'grumpiness.'"

He grinned toward her as he pulled her up next to him. "You forget, I'm your twin. I've been with you literally since the beginning. And by now I've probably seen 'Grumpy Amber' at least 563 times."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes in annoyance as he dragged her into the ballroom. "Why is my mood any of your business anyway?"

James led her to the center of the room and stopped. "Let's see…because you're my sister and I love you and I want you to be happy? And every time you get mad, something explodes or Desmond passes out…or both…"

She couldn't help the small smile that came to her face at the sarcastic mentioning of the effects of her anger. True, she could be rather scary when she was angry, but still… "I fail to see how you're going to make things better, James."

"That's easy." He grabbed her other hand, unfolding it as he'd done with her other hand, and twirled her around once. "We're going to dance!"

Amber seemed confused as he twirled her a few more times before grasping her hands and simply swaying around the room. "There isn't even any music, James…"

"You want music? I could always sing our—"

"I swear if you sing the Twin Song again, I will fill your cannons with feathers and flowers."

He gaped at her as they continued their slowed form of dancing. "You wouldn't…"

"I have a peacock as a pet and a sister with a garden. I would." She smirked as he pouted. "Forget the music…" She became slightly distant as he twirled her again.

"So what's really going on?" James asked curiously. "Why are you so upset?"

Amber sighed. "It's just… It's Hildegard."

The boy rolled his eyes. "What did she do now?"

"She…ugh, it's just always a competition with her…" She cast her amber eyes down as James blinked in confusion. "If I have a party with a chocolate fountain, she has a party with a chocolate waterfall. If I make a card for someone, she makes one bigger and better—with glitter no less!"

James laughed. "Actually, glitter is evil… You'll spend the next year trying to get random little flecks off your skin or out of your hair. Glitter is sneaky." He smiled when she actually laughed at the comment.

"I guess… But…" She sighed. "Well, I was trying to tell Hildy about getting to sing and talk with the mermaids recently. Oh, but she has met centaurs and all other sorts of magical creatures. I can't compete with her, James. She just—ugh."

The blonde boy stopped their movements and placed his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Amber, life isn't always supposed to be a competition." He smiled when she watched him carefully. "Sure, Hildegard likes to outshine people sometimes—okay, pretty much all the time, but that doesn't mean you have to. Just be Amber."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "If I remember correctly, James, you also seem to enjoy competition and one-upping people too."

He grinned. "Sure! Sometimes. But your whole life shouldn't be about it, right? I mean, have we learned nothing from Sofia?"

Amber giggled and nodded. "I guess you're right…"

"Of course I am." He released her shoulders and instead grabbed her hand. "Better?"

The princess sighed and smiled at him. "Thanks, James. You sure do try to cheer me up a lot lately."

"Hey, it's my job! The way I see it, sometimes you've just got to…dance through life." He winked and twirled her once more before pulling her away. "Come on! Let's go bug Cedric."

Amber grinned as she followed him. "Of course."

The end