Hey people! I just wanted to publish a quick oneshot before I go to Rome for a couple of days xD. I'm working on lots of other things at the moment, including the next chapter of Body Shock, a very AU fic and something that is nearly done. Yey! Anyway, let the madness commence.

Disclaimer: I'm Michael Grant. (As soon as I wrote that, my brother came in with a plastic sword and hit me. I take it back. o.O) Okay, I'm not. And if I did, we'd have far more from the Coates Trio.

Flashback set when Drake was a four-year-old.

Drake was standing in the doorway of Diana's room, a smirk on his face. "You were away for a long time, you know. Did you get lost in the Alps?"

Diana glared back at him. "Miss me, Merwin?"

"Nope," answered Drake, popping the "p". "But I know Soren sure did." Diana's gaze flickered as he said this, making Drake laugh. "Your poor little lover boy. Maybe he'll give you a welcome home kiss."

"Like anyone would want to kiss you, Drake," she snarled. "Who was your first love? Computer Jack?"

Drake's eyes widened in alarm, making Diana laugh. "Knew it."

Drake shook his head, only half there. If he was aware of what he was saying, he would have kept his mouth closed. He'd rather have jumped off a bridge than allow her to hear his words. "I think it was… you."

Alicia Merwin was very aware that her son was boisterous, to say the least. He got a little carried away sometimes, resulting in another toddler getting hurt and running back to their mummy, crying. It wasn't really any surprise that they'd been asked to leave three different nurseries in the last eight months.

This time, she promised herself, will be different. No fights, no arguments, just Drake settling in and being happy. The promise would have been more convincing had she not already repeated it to herself so many times that the words had lost all proper meaning.

"Come on, Drake!" she called up the stairs. "It's time to go!" There was a loud thump (what's he broken this time?) and a small yelp before Drake appeared at the top of the stairs, clutching a toy dinosaur and looking sheepish. "Do we have to?"

"It'll be fun, Drake!" Alicia answered, putting some fake cheeriness into her voice. "Come on, honey." Drake grabbed onto the banister and cautiously went down the stairs, one foot at a time. When he reached the bottom, he allowed himself a triumphant smile and looked up expectantly at his mother.

"Nice job, honey," she said, ruffling his messy blond hair, but inside she felt unsure. He had given her a look that was commanding and controlled – an expression that should not have been seen on his face until he was much older. She just shrugged off the doubt and took his hand, ignoring the protests of her four-year-old.

"I want you to play nicely today," she said seriously as she led him across the driveway, their shoes biting the stones. "If you're good, other children will want to be your friends."

"I don't need friends," Drake answered as she lifted him into the black car and strapped him in.

Alicia hoped the surprise didn't show on her face. "You do, Drake. Then you can have fun with them, and – don't do that!"

Drake grinned and lowered the dinosaur. He had been about to hit her "playfully" on the head with it. "Sorry, Mummy."

Mrs Merwin sighed and clambered into the front seat. This time will be different, she reminded herself, before putting the car into reverse and driving to the nursery. In the back of the car, Drake was singing quietly to himself, making his dinosaur eat imaginary people.

Elizabeth Crow ran Toys, Tots and Tumble, the nursery that had welcomed Drake Merwin. She'd faced plenty of difficult kids in her time, but none had made the same impression as this boy. Within five minutes of arriving, he'd thrown Lego bricks at Ella Hicks, and her mother had had to take her home. Alicia Merwin, a pretty woman with hair a shade lighter than Drake's, was sat next to her, a cup of coffee in one hand, insisting that she'd stay "just in case". Meanwhile, Drake was in the time out room.

A small girl toddled up to Elizabeth, her wide eyes indignant.

"Are you alright, Diana?" Elizabeth asked kindly. Diana shook her head angrily.

"I was playing with the horse first, and he stole it off me!" she stabbed a finger at a dark haired boy, who was setting up the horse by the castle.

"Caine!" Elizabeth called. "Give Diana back her horse."

"No!"

Elizabeth marched over to Caine, a smiling Diana in tow. "Give Diana back her horse, Caine."

"I need it!" said Caine beseechingly. "I want it for my kingdom!"

"I had it first!" interrupted Diana.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"Enough!" Elizabeth grabbed Caine and Diana by the arms. "If you can't play nicely, you're both going to the time out room!" The children scowled at her, but were nevertheless taken to the room, where a blond boy was sat, glaring at a snail which had been painted onto the wall opposite.

"If I hear anything more out of you three, they'll be big trouble," she warned.

The three children looked at each other curiously.

Alicia glanced at her watch before standing up and stretching. It was time to go. Seeing as Drake was still in the time out room, the day had been less stressful than usual.

Alicia opened the door and was met by an odd scene.

Drake was holding hands with the girl she'd seen before – Diana, with Caine stood in front of them. A boy she remembered seeing before (was his name Zil?) was also watching.

For a moment, Alicia couldn't speak. Her throat felt like it had closed up. What had the world come to? Drake getting on with someone. What's more, that someone was a girl. She cleared her throat and the three children turned around.

"Wait!" Caine snapped, calling the attention back to himself. "You can't interrupt!" He turned to Diana. "Do you take this man to be your awfully wedded boyfriend?"

"Sure," said Diana, shrugging. Alicia crammed a fist into her mouth in an attempt not to laugh.

"And do you take this woman to be your awfully wedded girlfriend?"

"Yeah!"

"Um, if y'wanna say something, speak now or forever hold your peas."

Zil opened his mouth. "I –"

"Shut up!" snapped Caine, pushing him over. "By the power of the vest in me, I say you're boyfriend and girlfriend. You may kiss the bribe."

Drake clumsily leant forwards and kissed Diana on the lips ("Eeeew!" said Caine) before pulling back, his face a ruby red.

Finally, Alicia decided she should speak. "Drake honey, it's time to go." Drake nodded at his mum, waved at his "girlfriend" and followed Alicia out to the car.

"When I'm big," he announced grandly. "I'm going to marry Diana!"

"You may not want to," said Alicia, fighting the smile off her face.

"Will too!" Drake called, touching a finger to his mouth in thought, as if he could still feel the ghost of Diana's lips.

Drake and Diana exchanged a shock-filled glance. The memory had risen to the surface like a disgusting, boggle-eyed fish.

"That never happened," they agreed at the same time.

Reviews are love. And Dumbledore "would have been happier than anyone to know there's a bit more love in the world." Do you want to make Dumbledore happy? DO YOU? Then review, please! xD

And yes, I imagine that as a very little kid, Drake was just destructive, not psychopathic. Yet. Apparantly, a child normally shows if they are a psychopath at the age of ten, but I always imagine Drake showed signs from a much earlier age. Eight, maybe? Anyway, I'm waffling now. If anyone's still reading, Drake later left that nursery because of his behaviour, as did Caine. Or something.

Yeah. Review!