AN: I feel as though I've chopped this chapter all to bits and killed every last one of my darlings. I'm still not satisfied with it but I don't think I'm going to be fully satisfied no matter what I do.

I think part of my discontent is that this chapter could have taken several far more interesting routes. I just chose the simplest one so as not to get tied up writing an unnecessarily long story for what was originally supposed to be a oneshot.

Either way, I hope you all enjoy. Thank you so much for the reviews so far! You guys really lit a fire under my ass to get this chapter edited and available to you. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

"Cedric, wake up." Sofia spoke softly as she ran her hand through his hair.

Cedric awoke with a start to the feeling of being touched. His eyes snapped open to see Sofia's face staring down at him with a warm smile. He bolted into a seated position and backed away from the girl. "How the hell did you find me?"

Sofia pulled her hand out from behind her back to display the ring made from the enchanted strand of Cedric's hair. "A location spell."

Cedric's gaze narrowed on the ring, recognizing the spell. "Absconditus aperio... that's old magic. I'm impressed."

"I had some help." Sofia said, taking a seat beside Cedric on the sofa. She held her hand out in his direction and stared at him seriously. "I'm going to need my amulet back now."

"I'm afraid I don't have it, darling." Cedric said, forcing his most appealing smile. "Perhaps you lost it in that hideously ill fitting circus tent you call a nightgown."

"I know you don't mean that, Cedric." Sofia said, inching closer to him. "And I know you have my amulet." She reached up and looped the chain protruding from his collar around her finger, pulling the rest of it out along with the ever important gem.

Cedric bared his teeth at the girl and grabbed her wrist. "Finders keepers. I'm sure you've heard the old adage."

"You didn't find it, you stole it." Sofia replied calmly. "And I could have very easily slipped it from your neck and took it back but I chose to wake you and ask for it back properly."

"Well, that makes you optimistic and an idiot." Cedric chided. "What inside that pretty little head of yours made you think that you could just ask me for something as powerful as the Amulet of Avalor and I would simply hand it over to you?"

"Because it belongs to me." Sofia answered. "And I know you. You're a good person, Cedric. Even if you don't act like it right now."

Cedric rolled his eyes and let out a hearty chuckle. "You must be joking. You clearly don't know me at all if you think that. I've probably been putting you on for years, you imbecile."

"Stop laughing. This isn't a joke." Sofia said, her voice shifting to a much sterner tone. "You're just a teenager. You have no idea about the kind of man you grow up to be or all the great things you accomplish. Cedric, you've saved my life more times than I can count and you did it because you're a good person. It would have been easy for you to let me get hurt and take the amulet for yourself but you never did. You've always protected me."

Cedric snorted and looked down his nose at the girl. "I'm sure it must have benefited me to do so."

"Yes, it did." Sofia admitted. "But I don't think it needs to be said that it benefits a person to protect the people they care about. You and I are friends, Cedric. We have been for a long time. And I know if the adult you could see yourself right now, he wouldn't like it. I know there's good inside you and I know it's been there all along."

Cedric stared down at the princess, her eyes swimming with so much hope. He felt a slight pang in his chest at the sincerity of her gaze before brushing it away with a scoff. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know everything about you, Cedric." Sofia said, raising her hand to cup his cheek before it fell away to just her fingertips against his flesh. "At least, I thought I did. I guess I never realized how fiercely you guarded your heart because at times it seems you wear it on your sleeve. I've never really had to guess what you were feeling about things because it always seemed so obvious. But meeting you... meeting this you has really expanded the way I see you as a person."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked, his brow furrowing.

"I can tell that there's a lot you keep hidden. You bury your serious feelings down inside you because it's easier to do that than face them. You only ever let people see what they need to see, just the tip of all those strong, heavy emotions that you carry around. The truth is, that river of your heart runs deep. If you keep it dammed up you're going to drown in it." Sophia whispered.

Cedric looked the girl over skeptically. "That's pure conjecture. You have no basis for that other than-"

"A little bird told me how thoroughly you hide your heart." Sofia said with a shrug. "Or a big, squawking raven. Whichever you prefer."

"Wormwood." Cedric snipped under his breath. "I should have tied his beak shut as soon as he started prattling on about how everything has changed."

"Wormwood told you?" Sofia asked in slight disbelief. True, the raven had been helping her all evening but she hadn't really thought to question it until that moment. "That actually comes as a big surprise. Wormwood has never been a fan of mine and he's always been an avid supporter of the idea of you taking over the kingdom."

"Oh yes, he mentioned my attempts at usurping the throne and how I had given up on that dream. Said something about me being happier that way." Cedric snickered at the thought. "Just another misunderstanding, I'm sure."

Sofia sighed at Cedric's reply. He was putting up a front in an effort to ignore the uncomfortable circumstances in front of him. It was time to change tactics and force him to acknowledge the reality of things. "You know, it wasn't just Wormwood who let me know there's more to you than what's on the surface. Your kiss." She said with a shy smile. "It says more than your words ever could."

"My kiss. Yes, of course." A titter escaped Cedric's lips and he gave her a dubious look. "If you came here wanting more heavy petting, my dear, all you need do is ask. I'll gladly oblige."

Sofia shook her head with a small laugh. He was still diverting the conversation away from the more serious issue she wanted to discuss, and doing it quite charmingly, it should be added. But two could easily play at his game and she suspected she might have to if she hoped to make any progress with him. A wide smile spread across her face before she made a move to crawl onto the boy's lap. She raised her hands to clasp his face and stared down at him. "Kiss me, Cedric."

Cedric cocked a curious eyebrow up at the girl now hovering above him. "If you think you're going to distract the amulet away from me-"

"Shh..." Sofia smiled and pressed her finger to Cedric's mouth, mimicking his earlier movements. She shifted her hands to lace into the hair on the back of his head and moved in to kiss him sweetly. She parted her lips and he followed suit, allowing her to attempt something similar to his earlier kiss. She let her tongue dip into his mouth, caressing his own as gently as she could muster. It felt good to kiss him that way; no hint of lustful desire to cloudy up the unabashed affection she had for him.

She felt his hands move to grasp her hips and pull her snugly against him. He was growing within his pants from their simple contact and although it lit a fire inside her to feel his length pressed between her thighs she forged on with her initial intent.

Her hands slipped down his arms to where he held her. She pulled back from the kiss momentarily to rearrange the position of his hold. She moved one hand to rest on her back while she brought the other nearer to her face, kissing it softly as she did so.

Cedric watched the girl, confusion flooding him at her actions. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm showing you how loved you are." She answered breathlessly. She leaned down to nuzzle against him before reclaiming his mouth with her own. He seemed cautious at first but as she continued her ministrations that hesitation seemed to melt away. His arms wrapped around her tighter and he began kissing her back with much more fervor.

Her fingers delved into his hair, using the locks to gently pull him deeper into the kiss they shared. His tongue was at work against hers, seemingly trying to entice something more than just the tenderness she wanted to show him. Despite the weaker part of her wanting to give in she chose to stay the course and keep things benign.

Then she heard something beautiful... he let out a whimper.

She pulled back slowly to look down on him as he heaved for breath and she noticed the distinct pinkness of a blush on his cheeks.

"Damn it all." Cedric groaned, flopping his head back onto the arm of the sofa. "You really do love me, don't you?"

"Very much." Sofia replied with a small smile. "Probably more than you'll ever know."

An irritable grumble fell from Cedric's lips at the girl's words. "You're an absolute idiot. I hope you know that. I don't know what I've done to make you feel that I'm worthy of your love and trust but that isn't the case, I can assure you. You're going to regret loving me one day."

"Maybe." Sofia said with a shrug. "But I doubt it."

Cedric stared up at the girl in silent thought. She was smiling down at him with a genuine look of adoration and he couldn't help but feel it was misplaced. Seeing her look at him like that was making him feel things he didn't want to feel so he tried to change the subject. "You know, it's not fair that you're so pretty and so sweet. It makes it hard to resist you, even in this unsavory night frock you're wearing."

Sofia tried to stifle a giggle at Cedric's words. "Make fun of my nightgown all you want. You weren't complaining about it earlier this evening."

"No, I suppose I wasn't." Cedric said, licking his lips as he eyed the girl up and down. "I'm sure you look ravishing without it."

Sofia felt her face redden at Cedric's words. She knew what he was doing. He was still trying to distract her from the serious conversation at hand but she would have none of it. She shook the thoughts his words sent dancing across her mind and brushed her fingers through his hair. "You don't have to deflect. Not with me."

"Why, my dear princess, whatever do you mean?" Cedric asked with a grin.

Sofia let out a small breath of laughter and made a tsk sound at the boy. "You know what I mean, Cedric."

He blinked up at the girl as she drew in closer, not at all expecting the tiny pecks she began planting all over his face; showering his forehead, cheeks and the tip of his nose in sweet little shows of affection. He froze beneath her, her kisses so gentle. So warm and soft and wonderful. Damn her.

"Are you trying to torture me?" He asked on a murmur, reaching up to clasp her face so she would stop kissing him and make eye contact.

"I just want you to feel loved." Sofia whispered against his lips. "To know you are loved and to know that you are a good person. You don't have to try and hide it behind a callous exterior. I can see you, the real you. I love what I see... every imperfect inch of you. I think I always have. I probably always will."

Cedric stared hard at the girl. Her gaze was burrowing into his with such raw emotion. He couldn't look away, or rather, he chose not to. He lifted his head up to claim her lips with his. One careful peck led to another and another before he found himself wrapping her tightly in his embrace. He kept his eyes open to take in all that he could of her face which was regretfully not much given their proximity.

She had to be telling the truth to some extent, he reasoned. He couldn't imagine a princess risking all that she was risking if she didn't feel something for him. Otherwise she could have just called the castle guards for help. She could have had him jailed, executed for his crimes. She could have simply stolen the amulet back and fixed her problem without him even knowing. She could have done everything differently and yet there she was... in his arms.

It was a place where, he was quickly finding, he wanted to keep her.

Nobody had ever given him the courtesy of anything before. Now she was giving him every courtesy she could afford and he deserved none of it. He pulled back from their kiss and looked up at her, a question nagging at the back of his mind. "Whatever did I do in my adult life to be lucky enough to earn your affection?"

Sofia righted herself on the boy's lap and stared down at him as though the answer was already obvious, though she knew he had no recollection of their time together and couldn't possibly understand how she felt. "You're my dearest friend, Cedric. You've always been there for me for as long as we've known each other. Even when you were trying to take over the kingdom my happiness and well being were still more important to you, to the point that you put aside everything else you held dear for my sake. We've been through so much together... if only you could remember that."

Cedric glanced down at the amulet around his neck before looking back up at the princess. "I suppose it would make the decision you're wanting me to make a lot easier if I could recall it all."

"I don't think it would be a tough choice for you to make if you did remember. I wish I had some way to..." Sofia trailed off before her eyes lit up brightly. "Wait, you have a journal in your bedroom!"

"You've been in my bedroom?" Cedric asked with a cocked eyebrow and devious smile. "You're secretly a naughty little imp, aren't you?"

Sofia flushed and waved her hands frantically. "No, it isn't like that! It was only just once to... n-never mind. That doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a book in your bedroom that probably details your entire life here at the castle!"

"And you want me to read it." Cedric said plainly. "You think it will change my mind about wanting the amulet."

"I think it will change your mind about a lot of things." The princess offered with a smile. "What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity." Cedric replied with a snort. "But alright, if you insist."

"Great! Let's go get it!" Sofia chimed happily but as she moved to climb off Cedric's lap she felt him grip her by her hips and pull her back down.

"Ah ah. I like you just where you are, thank you." Cedric gave the princess a quick wink to counter her look of surprise. He then reached into his sleeve to produce his most trusted wand, waving it overhead to summon the book in question. "Acquiro libellus."

Sofia watched as the journal materialized above them and floated down into Cedric's hands, still open to the page it had been earlier. Part of her wanted to read alongside him but she knew that would be betraying the adult Cedric's trust, even if the younger Cedric didn't care. She watched him as he flipped through the pages in disinterest before he tossed the book to the floor. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Too long." Cedric replied. "I can't possibly read it all in one night. Besides, I'd much rather look at you than a slew of boring pages. You're much easier on the eyes."

Sofia gaped, slightly annoyed with the boy despite his flirtations. She reached down and picked the journal back up to force it against him. "You don't have to read the whole thing. Just the entries from the past few years or so. Please, Cedric."

Cedric looked up at the girl and her pleading eyes. He was finding it harder and harder to dismiss her. He let out an annoyed sigh and took the book from the her hands reluctantly. "Fine. But I'll need use of the light from your ring. Keep your hand right here so I can see clearly."

Sofia couldn't help the blush that came to her cheeks when Cedric took her hand delicately in his and placed it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat under her palm, erratic despite the calm, collected look on his face. She wondered if he was always like that even in adulthood; a wild heart shrouded in an indifferent façade. She watched him anxiously over the top of the book as he read but he gave no indication about what he was feeling or thinking. He was expressionless.

Time seemed to creep by slowly and she started to lose track of how long they had been up there. Her anxiousness gave way to contentedness though, watching him as his eyes darted over the pages. There was something so soothing about seeing him disarmed in her presence, especially after he had been so on guard with her earlier.

After what felt like an eternity he lowered the book back to the ground and she looked at him hopefully. "Well?"

"I am fairly certain that I grew up to be an absolute idiot." Cedric replied. "Wormwood said I was happier this way. I don't seem happy at all according to that book. I seem like a bellyaching coward who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him in the ass!"

"Y-you're not happy?" Sofia asked, glancing down at the book sadly. Temptation to peek was strong but she pushed it away and turned her gaze to the boy below her. She hesitated on her next words. She knew fully well what the repercussions would be if the boy mistook what she intended to say. "You know, Cedric, the Amulet of Avalor is important to me but I'd gladly let you have it if I thought that it would truly make you happy."

"You just don't think it will." Cedric uttered grumpily.

"No, I don't." Sofia said softly, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know what would make you happy, but I know the amulet isn't it."

"I see." Cedric said, more to himself than the girl still seated on his lap. His hand reached to clasp the amulet and he thumbed over it in thought. "Princess, I have a question for you, purely hypothetical of course. Supposing I gave you your amulet back, what do you imagine would happen? Would you keep me around this way?"

Sofia blinked down at Cedric in shock, the question not at all what she was expecting. "I-I don't know. I mean, I would love to have you around in this way, but-"

"You wouldn't have to change me back, you know. You could keep me like this if you wanted. We could be close again." Cedric offered. "More like how we are now... but closer."

Sofia blushed at the thought, knowing exactly what Cedric meant. They could be lovers if she kept him in his current state. He certainly didn't seem like he would deny her like his adult counterpart did. It was an appealing proposition, there was no denying that, but in the end he wasn't the man she loved and he never would be if she allowed him to remain seventeen. "Cedric, I couldn't keep you like this. We've been through so much together and just reading it in a journal isn't the same as having lived it. I would have to return you to normal."

"I was afraid you would say that." Cedric said with a huff. "You know that's not fair, right? To either of us. If you changed me back things would only go back to how you said they were, where we're not close anymore. I know you don't want that."

"No, I don't." Sofia muttered. "But I would still have to do it. Part of everything I love about you came from your life experiences. I can't take those away from you for selfish reasons. I think the adult version of you would agree with that assessment."

Cedric crossed his arms over his chest, the princess' words not what he was hoping to hear. Still, he suspected she was probably right. She seemed to know him more thoroughly than he knew himself, even after catching a glimpse of his future self in the journal. There was still one question prying at him, however. "Sofia, do you think that I'd remember all of this if you changed me back?"

"Oh, I certainly hope not!" Sofia cried, her eyes widening in horror at the thought. While she felt comfortable confessing her feelings to this younger version of Cedric she was aghast at the idea of his adult counterpart knowing exactly how she felt. If he kept her at arms length before he surely would run screaming from her afterward.

"I would hope that I'd remember." Cedric said with a half-smile. "It would be a shame to let all those sweet kisses go to waste."

Sofia averted a worried gaze from the boy but it snapped back when she felt him lean forward, his hands suddenly at work behind her head. She looked down between them to see, much to her astonishment, that he had replaced the amulet around her neck. "Cedric..."

"Thank you, Sofia." Cedric said. "You could have handled this in so many different ways. You probably should have, honestly. Even now as I sit here I can't help but think I'm an idiot to give you your amulet back. I feel like I should snatch it off your neck so you can't turn me back into my adult self. But then again, you love that version of me. I figure that any person you could feel that strongly for can't be all that bad, can he?" He paused to snicker at his own words and rolled his eyes. "Either that or you're just as big of an idiot as I am."

"You're not an idiot, Cedric." Sofia said, reaching up to cup his cheek with care. "You're a good person. And as happy as I will be to have the adult version of you back I'm going to miss this version of you too. I haven't felt this close to you in a long time."

Cedric cast the girl a crooked smile. "So don't change me back just yet."

"I really shouldn't wait any longer than I already have." Sofia replied. She tried to hide the discouraged tone in her voice but she knew it was evident. "I'm sorry, Cedric."

The boy lulled his head to the side in disappointment but kept the smile on his face, if only for her sake. "Oh alright."

Sofia took a deep breath and raised her hand to clasp the amulet. "I wish that you would become the man I know and love again."

Cedric stared up at Sofia quietly for a long while, her eyes staring right back into his. He didn't feel any different but it was hard to be sure. Maybe his adult self felt relatively the same as his younger self did and there would be no way to tell. "How long will it take?"

"I don't know, honestly." Sofia answered, moving to climb off the boy's lap. "But now that I think about it, I should probably be gone when it happens. I shudder to think what-"

"Stay." Cedric spoke. He reached out to catch the princess' hand and pulled her back down onto him. "Please, Sofia. Stay with me until then."

She knew she shouldn't. She knew the potential for everything to blow up in her face if she stayed behind to lay with him. Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She nodded slowly and rested her head on his chest. His heart was still pounding intensely within him but she found the rapid thumps comforting. She closed her eyes, allowing the sound of his beating heart to carry her off to slumber.