Catchphrases

Summary: Sofia knows all about Cedric's numerous catchphrases, and now she wants one too!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show…or Cedric's catchphrases. :D

A/N: There should be two stories coming out this week: this one and one called "Spirit Within." They're both kind of short, and I apologize for that, but I plan to make up for it soon. I'm still working on the fourth and fifth chapters of "Hostage," which I plan to upload together eventually. Again, I've not abandoned the story; I'm just taking a break from it. :) Enjoy! PS—I do make an indirect reference to one of the Sofia the First episodes in here. If you find it, I award you with a virtual cookie. :D (PS: So people can stop freaking out about the number count, I've added this note in here. It was an accident. Calm down, everyone. Lol)

"Oh, Merlin's Mushrooms!" Cedric whined as yet another experiment backfired, his attempts ending in failure for the third time. "I give up."

Sofia smiled encouragingly and patted his arm. "You'll get it, Mr. Cedric!" She beamed. "After all, if at first you don't succeed—"

"At first? How about second and third?"

She giggled. "It's always the same: try, try again!" She sat back on her stool and swung her feet a few times before casting her eyes up to Cedric again. "I have a question."

"Naturally," he drawled, but a hint of a smile made its way to his face. "What is it, Sofia?"

"Why do you have so many catchphrases?"

Cedric blinked. "What?"

"Yeah! Like 'Merlin's Mushrooms,' "Finnegan's Fungus,' "Neptune's Nettles…' You know, the typical Mr. Cedric expressions." She grinned.

The sorcerer shrugged as he gathered his ingredients to start a new experiment. "I don't know… I suppose they just came about over time."

"I want one," the little princess informed him with a cute smile. "Maybe you can help me!"

"Sofia, a good catchphrase should not be taken lightly. It must mean something to the speaker, but it must also acknowledge a given situation…as well as sound appealing to those around her."

"Really? I had no idea a catchphrase was so serious!" She smiled as he nodded with a smirk. "Okay! How about… 'Cornelia's Cookies!'"

Cedric raised an eyebrow at her.

"Or… 'Guinevere's Gizmos!' OR 'Jumping Jehoshaphat!' Oh, no, wait, someone already came up with that one…"

"Sofia!" He laughed when she directed her attention toward him. "It needs to mean something to you, my dear. Those were…interesting…but they don't really sound like something that has anything to do with you personally. Make it special."

The auburn-haired girl considered his words before grinning mischievously. "If that's the case, then who is Finnegan and why is he concerned about a fungus? It even sounds weird asking about it!"

"Oh, ha-ha. For your information, it had something to do with an incident in sorcery school. However, this is not about me." He concluded his experiment and sighed in relief as nothing else had gone wrong in the process.

"If you say so, Mr. Cedric. Hmm…" After some further consideration, she smiled in excitement. "How about… 'Clover's Carrots!' As in Clover, the bunny who—"

"Who follows you around like a shadow?" He chuckled. "Sounds good. Clover's Carrots it is."

"Yay! I have a catchphrase now!"

Cedric rolled his eyes in humor. "Yes, well, just use it wisely. Overuse may lead to complications." He smiled as she nodded fervently. "Good. Now, since this experiment was successful, how about we get a snack?"

The princess nodded in return before gasping. "Clover's carrots!"

The sorcerer appeared amused now. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

She giggled. "No, Mr. Cedric! You mentioned 'snack' and I forgot to leave Clover some carrots this afternoon…" She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. "Come on! And we can get some fresh pie from the kitchen while we're gone."

Wormwood rolled his eyes from his place on his perch as his master was yet again dragged away from his workshop by his closest friend. "Wormwood's Woes," he mocked, sighing with a shake of his head.

The end