Hey guys! Sorry for the delay-I couldn't decide where to go with this! I figure if I get the beginning out of the way, the rest will come easier to me...anyway, long chapter is long. Please leave me a review if you want more! There will be more pairings to come!

Breaking Ever After

One: When the Ball Starts Rolling (It Doesn't Stop)

"I mean, I can't imagine myself being so concerned about who a friend is dating, purely for their sake. But that's just me. I guess I'm just…selfish."

Despite every effort, Kitty's words continued to echo through Apple's mind all through that day and into the night. Thank Ever After Raven was staying with Maddie that night (Apple wasn't sure—the invitation had been in Riddlish—but she thought it might have something to do with an unbirthday party), because Apple wasn't sure she could bring herself to look at her roommate at the moment.

Not that she had any reason to feel this way—clearly Kitty had been entirely off the mark. She was just to cause trouble again, had just been fishing for something, a reaction. Unawares, Apple had provided one, but…wouldn't most people, were they put on the spot with a question like that?

Still…why was she still dwelling on it, even now, hours later, safe (safe being a relative word here—technically, Kitty could pop up at any time, but she tended to respect the privacy of others to an extent) in her own dormitory?

She pulled out her MirrorPhone, hesitated, then dropped it just as quickly. She couldn't talk to Briar about this; what would she even say? Hey, Kitty implied that I was gay for Raven earlier, and even though it's totally not true, I still can't stop thinking about it and maybe imagining what it would be like to kiss my roommate in a totally platonic way of course? She hummed under her breath in frustration before flopping down to stare up at the ceiling.

After a moment, she sat back up and grabbed her phone again, only to place it face-down on the side table. A place for everything and everything in its place, even if her mind was a mess of half-formed thoughts. Then she sighed and lay back down.

What if, just hypothetically, Kitty was right? Would it be so terrible? Instantly about a million other thoughts, mostly fear-fueled, filled her mind, and she stopped that train in its tracks. Clearly destiny-panic wasn't going to get her anywhere.

She changed tactics.

Did she have a problem with homosexuality? She thought back to her conversation with Kitty, back to what the girl had said about Darling. Was Kitty just bluffing about her? She'd been so blasé about it…it was probably the truth. So, did Apple have a problem with Darling?

Of course not. Darling is an incredibly nice girl, and on top of that, she saved my life. Why would the fact that she likes girls change anything?

Absently, Apple found herself wondering if Darling had a crush on any particular girl at the moment. She would make a wonderful partner to any of the damsels; she was intelligent, kind, chivalrous, attractive…far more attractive than Daring, and that smile…

Apple sat up in bed, eyes wide. Surely she hadn't just thought that. Of course Darling was pretty, but surely Apple found Daring far more attractive. After all, he was meant to be her Prince Charming; even if Kitty was right, the kiss with Darling must have been a fluke. Maybe Daring's kiss had just taken a while to take effect…?
But that sounded ridiculous, even to Apple, who was in complete denial-mode.

And did she really find Daring more attractive than his sister…? No, not even that; did she find Daring attractive at all? She'd never really stopped to think about it. He was obviously good-looking, but weren't admitting someone was good-looking and finding them attractive two completely separate things? And then there was finding someone attractive versus being attracted to someone…

Apple shook her head, hard, and rolled onto her stomach, burying her head in a ruby-red pillow and screaming into it in frustration. She even kicked her legs several times, for good measure. This was getting her nowhere! Why couldn't her mind just stay focused on one train of thought for longer than a minute?

But she had, before. That entire day, the whole time she'd been trying to think of anything, anything at all other than Kitty and her wild theory, the only thing she'd been able to think about was Raven. How she wished she could talk to Raven about it, but was afraid it would make things weird. How she wished Raven weren't staying over at Maddie's dorm so they could just talk about whatever, so Raven could distract her with that smile of hers that always made her look so mature (so beautiful).

How she wished Raven wouldn't smile at Dexter Charming like that, even though it had nothing at all to do with either of their destinies…

How it had felt like someone had reached into her chest and grabbed everything inside it and squeezed when Raven had (oh-so-apologetically) informed her that she was having lunch with Dexter Charming that day…

For the nth time since she had laid down, Apple sat bolt upright, her heart pounding in her chest.

She had to go somewhere—she had to do something, anything to preoccupy her mind because left to its own devices it was going places she was not willing to go.

Grabbing her phone, she clambered (somewhat clumsily) off of her large, plush bed and, stopping just briefly to check herself in the mirror (she was emotionally unstable, not on her death bed, after all, and there was no other excuse for not looking her best) before practically sprinting out of the room.

Watching the usually perfect, composed Apple White practically barreling out of the dormitories was, while deliciously entertaining, almost enough to make Kitty feel slightly guilty.

Almost.

But it wasn't as if she'd been dishonest—if anything, she'd done the poor girl a favor. And really, Apple should have known better than to confide in Kitty, of all people. After all, most people know better than to trust a grinning cat.

"What are you up to, Kitty?"

"Raauwr!"

The shocked cry escaped Kitty's lips before she could stifle it, and she whirled around to find Lizzie's stern gaze on her, arms folded over her chest. Her lips, pursed in suspicion, twitched slightly in amusement at the other girl's outburst. "What the hell, Lizzie?" Kitty spat, her voice slightly sharper than it maybe would have been. While it had led to a rather interesting development, she hadn't forgotten whose fault it was that she'd come across Apple White in the forest to begin with. "I thought you were with Charming."

Lizzie flushed slightly, and Kitty felt something hot rising in her chest, causing her lips to curl at the corners. "Not the entire day, of course," Lizzie replied in that imperious tone of hers. Then the blush faded, and she tilted her head. "Is something wrong, Kitty?"

Kitty made a noise somewhere between a snort and a scoff. "Where'd that come from? I'm perfectly fine."

The brunette frowned, her lips curving downward. "You seem upset," she stated, blunt as ever. "Have I done—"

"No, god, I just said I'm fine, didn't I?" Kitty snapped, cutting the other girl off. Lizzie blinked, straightening slightly and raising her eyebrows at Kitty's tone. Backpedaling quickly when she noticed the confrontational posture, Kitty continued, "And I'm not up to anything, so just go to bed. You know Duchess will murder you if you interrupt her beauty sleep. Or are you staying with Daring tonight? Either way, you should be heading back before you get caught up this late." She turned away from the future Queen of Hearts, fully expecting her to leave. The Wonderlandians at Ever After High weren't exactly known for their deep, personal friendships. They had a special bond with each other, but weren't tied at the hip like most of the other BFFAs, and therefore tended to let things be instead of push them further.

She was therefore fairly shocked when, instead of turning on her heel, Lizzie took a step closer, effectively entering Kitty's personal space. Kitty's mouth twitched reflexively, revealing a small fang for an instant before hiding it again. Despite her apparent disregard for boundaries, she was unused to others invading her own heavily guarded space, and while Lizzie's presence wasn't entirely objectionable (in fact, she smelled rather nice—was that cinnamon?), she was still caught off-guard.

"That's the second little quip you've made about him," Lizzie stated, as if she were commenting on the weather.

"I would have thought you would jump at the chance to talk about your new fling," Kitty replied, sneeringly. "I mean, it must be killing you, being away from him for the first time in days." Her arms were folded over her stomach now, and she was fighting to maintain eye contact. For some reason, she felt as if the moment it broke, she would lose this argument (was it even an argument?).

Lizzie's eyes narrowed, then widened as she pulled her head back, her full lips twitching into an amused smile. "Is that what this is about?" she asked. "You think I'm spending too much time with Daring?"

"Spend your time however you like," Kitty replied shortly, losing the battle for eye contact to that knowing smirk.

"Kitty…"

The feline-like girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the nearly alien touch of warm fingers against her cheek. She stared at the hand, wide-eyed. Half of her was aching to jerk away, while the other half…wanted to press into the hand, for some reason.

"You could have just said something, you know," Lizzie continued, her voice considerably softer. "You don't have to be so childish about it."

"Childish?!"

"You're jealous."

"I am not!" Kitty nearly screeched the words, her voice breaking. "I've had a perfectly wonderlandiful day without you around to bore it up! In fact, why don't you go ahead and glue yourself to him so I can have fun every once in a while?"

The words, while almost painfully childish, seemed to smack Lizzie right in the chest. The girl took a step backwards, her right hand resting subconsciously against her chest. "So I'm a bore, is that right?" she asked after a moment. "Always getting in the way of your twisted idea of fun?"

"Yes," Kitty hissed, leaning forward, arms laced tightly around herself. "The only reason you came to find me to begin with was to find out what I was 'up to', right?"

"I came out to find you because I was worried about you," Lizzie said, coldly, though her voice shook slightly. "I went to see you at your room and you weren't there, even though it's past midnight. It wasn't until I found you in the same vicinity as Apple running off that I drew that conclusion." She took a deep breath. "But I would hate to get in the way of your fun, so do what you like. I'll go and glue myself to Daring, then, shall I?"

"Be my guest," Kitty sneered, though her eyes felt hot. "Not that it'll make much difference. It might take a few days for people to notice."

There was hurt in Lizzie's eyes now, and Kitty once again had to force herself to meet her gaze. The other girl had always been complete crap at hiding her emotions. It was one of the things Kitty found so adora…annoying about her. "I know you're lying," she finally said, her voice low, and Kitty's heart stopped for an instant. "I don't know why, but you are. About being up to something, and whatever you have against Daring… And if this is how you're going to play your cards…well, I suppose I cannot force you to do otherwise. But for once, Kitty Cheshire, you're going to have to face the consequences of your actions, and I just hope you're ready for that."

She turned on her heel and finally, she was gone.

Kitty glared after her, steadfastly ignoring the rock forming in the back of her throat. "Right, because you're one to talk," she muttered. She kicked at the ground lightly, then harder, and harder, until she ripped a patch of grass right up.

Stupid Lizzie—what did she know? Why would anyone be jealous of her and that...buffoon? How dare she accuse Kitty of all people—and what had she even meant by that? Frustrated and angry and pissed off at the world, Kitty let out a loud growl and stomped on the ground as hard as she could before turning and storming away. Somehow, simply disappearing and reappearing in her dormitory, while infinitely more convenient, didn't feel quite as satisfying and stomping her way across campus.

"Sooo…Kitty Cheshire made some sort of comment—which you took seriously, might I add—and now you can't stop thinking about Raven?"

Briar sounded almost bored, examining her nails as she lay back against her pillows, Apple sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of her. "Well, it was hard not to take her seriously," the blonde replied, though she flushed now, thinking back. Kitty did love to stir up trouble, so why was she letting this affect her so much? "And yes, that is the problem."

Eventually, after much deliberation, she had gone to Briar. Her BFFA always seemed so confident, so in control- surely she would have the perfect explanation and Apple could just forget about this whole business. Besides, she didn't- she couldn't- actually have feelings for Raven, so what was she afraid of?

The pretty brunette glanced up at Apple from beneath thick, curly bangs, one eyebrow cocked. "And this is...abnormal for you?" she continued, slowly. When her BFFA just looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, Briar rolled her eyes. "I mean, really, Apple, when are you not thinking about Raven? If you're not holding her hand, you're looking for her, and when you're not looking for her, you're talking about her, and when you're not talking about her…" The taller girl cut off, shrugging. "I just assumed she was on your mind pretty much all the time, if the way you act is anything to go by."

Apple's blush was now bright enough to rival her (apple-themed!) pajamas. "Wh—I do not—I can't possibly…" Briar just watched her with a deadpan expression as she stuttered herself into oblivion. "I mean…she's…we're friends!" she finally exclaimed, clearly at her wits' end. Why had she thought this was a good idea? Briar wasn't freaking out, but at this point, Apple would almost have preferred that. "What's so strange about friends being around each other—talking about each other? I mean…we're friends, Briar!"

The brunette actually snorted, much to Apple's annoyance and perplexity. "Right," she said. "And I don't see you clinging to my arm and looking up at me like I hung the sun in the sky."

She paused, watching the blonde, who was looking entirely lost and confused. Briar's eyes softened and she leaned over the bed, grasping the pale hand tightly in her own and squeezed. "Apple…it's okay." She saw her friend open her mouth to argue, and continued, louder, effectively cutting Apple off at the pass. "Whatever it is, it's okay. It was Kitty, okay? She's been in a hextremely bad mood recently, she probably just wanted to let off some steam by messing someone else up instead of her. And even if she was right…what's so wrong with it?"

Briar chose her words with caution, careful to avoid putting any labels on what she was fairly certain 'it' was. Apple wasn't stupid—even if she didn't know herself, she'd find out, soon enough. The blonde in question was biting her lower lip, looking as if she wanted to believe Briar, to find comfort in her words, but her own fear was stopping her. Briar sighed.

"Raven returned the pages of the book, remember?" she said, watching the top of Apple's head. "So we could choose our own destiny. You're not tied to Daring anymore—or any Charming, though I personally find Darling to be much more bearable." Here she winked at the blonde in an attempt to lighten the mood and to maybe, maybe bring a smile to her BFFA's face.

It worked. Apple's worried expression cracked just slightly as the blonde giggled in a broken-up kind of way that sounded as though she'd been about to start crying. "I think I have to agree with you there," she replied. "Especially with the way Daring's been acting since finding out his kiss couldn't wake me. I can't believe Lizzie's putting up with him, actually."

Briar scoffed, too happy to see her friend's smile to even think about pressing Apple for more juicy details regarding her 'thoughts' about Raven. "I think she feels sorry for him," she said, unkindly. The eldest Charming sibling had been nothing short of unbearable recently, wallowing in self-pity and humiliation—even his hair had lost its bounce. "Though I don't think she's doing him any favors. Any day now Kitty's going to claw his eyes out if he doesn't stop clinging to Lizzie."

Apple giggled again, stronger this time, and Briar grinned, glad to see her friend (mostly) back to herself. She was going to have to have some words with Kitty Cheshire, that was for sure, though more about minding her own damn business until the right time than anything else. Even though Kitty had just pointed out what everyone (at least those closest to Apple and Raven, or 'Rapple', as Maddie Hatter had gleefully dubbed them) had already suspected, Apple needed to come out of the metaphorical closet in her own time, not be kicked out by a conniving kitten. Even if it had been taking, you know, forever.

Briar sighed internally as Apple bounced up onto the pillows to her left and cuddled up into her side. Crisis averted, and really... She may just owe Kitty a 'thank you' if all of this didn't end up blowing up in everyone's collective faces. As Apple's BFFA, Briar knew exactly how deeply invested Apple had been in her story, and in her happily ever after. For a while now, Briar had been seriously considering the possibility that Apple was so focused on her destiny that it had actually made her completely blind to how incredibly gay she really was, let alone for her own fairytale villain. At least now the possibility had crossed the plane of Apple's mind, and, well…they'd see where it went from there.

You'd better hope this works out, Kitty Cheshire, Briar thought to herself as she felt Apple slump against her side, an arm flung loosely over Briar's waist. The blonde had always been a cuddler, ever since they were children. And if it was this bad with her, Briar almost pitied Raven.

Because one way or another, things are going to change, and I know just who to blame if things get messy.

I know. It sucks. I'm sorry. I really tried with it, but...yeah. Sorry again for the delay, and I hope you enjoyed despite the suckishness. Please leave a review if you want me to continue.