Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come

That night, after dinner, which even Bones had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Ezri what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Bones playing the organ that Ezri saw earlier.

Nyota then walked up and smiled.

"I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm." She sang. "You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them."

Everyone then chuckled at the joke and sang out,

Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!

The words don't mean a thing!

Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?

Pavel then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with a twirl of the stick. Hikaru then stood up.

"I…" He began. "Uh…"

Bones then blew a loud note, and that snapped Hikaru to the alert.

"I chased a pole cat up a tree." Hikaru said. "Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him."

Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!

The words don't mean a thing!

Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?

As the music continued, Carol was pestered by that fly again.

"Hey, go away!" She said.

The fly then bothered Pavel who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Carol's nose. She then made to swat it as Pavel gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.

"Why you…" Carol said angrily, and Pavel ended up with a very bad wedgie.

Ezri then danced with each of the kids, except Bones in turn.

Pavel then got on top of Spock with a long cloak.

"Hey watch it!" Spock said. "Don't tickle my nose!"

Pavel made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Pavel as the arms and legs and Spock as the legs. They then walked up to Ezri, and she danced around a little, with Pavel only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Spock.

The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Pavel's feat.

"Uh-oh." Pavel said.

"Duck and cover!" Bones called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.

"Mommy." Pavel squeaked as Spock sneezed, and Pavel flew up into the ceiling and dropped down once Spock brought over some couch cushions to break his fall.

Everyone laughed, and Ezri sat down.

"That was fun." Ezri said with a smile.

"Now it's your turn to do something." Nyota said.

"What should I do?" Ezri asked.

"Tell us a story." Carol said.

"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.

"A true story!" Hikaru said.

"A love story!" Nyota said.

"Well…" Ezri said before she remembered the day she met Robin. "Once there was a princess."

"Was the princess you?" James asked.

"And she fell in love." Ezri said with a nod.

"Was it hard to do?" Spock asked.

"It was very easy." Ezri said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."

"Was he strong and handsome?" James asked puffing out his chest.

"Was he big and tall?" Spock asked as he flew up.

"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Ezri said dreamily.

"Did he say he loved you?" Hikaru asked.

"Did he steal a kiss?" Nyota asked.

"He was so romantic, I could not resist." Ezri sang out.

Everyone except Bones then sat down as Bones leaned against a corner.

Someday, my prince will come.

Someday, we'll meet again.

And away to his castle we'll go,

To be happy forever, I know.

"Hmph." Bones muttered. "Mush."

Nyota then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Bones over to Ezri.

Someday when spring is here,

We'll find our love anew.

Carol was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.

And the birds will sing,

And wedding bells will ring,

Someday when my dreams come true…

Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.

"Oh look at the time." Ezri said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."

"But I'm not sleepy…" Carol said as she yawned.

"Oh yes you are." Ezri said as she picked Carol up.

"No I'm not." Carol said as she made another yawn.

"Now, all of you, go to your room." Ezri said kindly.

"Wait a second." James said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."

"But where will you be sleeping?" Ezri asked.

"Oh, we'll be fine down here." James said.

"In a pig's eye." Bones muttered.

"Hey, stop that!" James said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"

"Oh yeah." They all said as Pavel grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.

"Don't worry about us." Nyota said. "We'll be alright."

"Go right on up." James said.

"Well…" Ezri said. "If you insist. Good night."

"Good night princess." The children said.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Ezri.

"We'll be fine." Spock said.

"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Ezri said as she went inside.

Once Ezri closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.

Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Pavel shrugged and went to sleep on the bench.

()()()()()

In the children's room, Ezri was saying her evening prayers.

"Bless Kurn for saving my life, and please help my sister overcome her anger." Ezri prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Bones find it in her heart to like me. Amen."

Ezri then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.

()()()()()

"Adults!" Bones said as he tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Ezri's soup had been before he felt something poking in his back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."

He tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.

Hikaru was sleeping near a drawer. Nyota was sleeping on top of the drawer. James was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in her mouth too. Spock was sleeping on top of Pavel, but he woke up when Pavel was whimpering like a dog he before Spock poked him in the hind leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.

Bones went back to sleep as he was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Carol did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Bones easily knew what had happened. Carol's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Carol didn't have Bunny, Bones or Nyota would go and get it for her, but Nyota was out like a light, and Bones didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Ezri there, so he just got out of the pot, walked up to Pavel and took his outer shirt. Bones then rolled Pavel's shirt up and put it in Carol's arms, as she slept contentedly while Carol petted Pavel's shirt.

Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Bones hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Sylvia for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.

"Dip the apple in the brew." Sylvia chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."

She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.

"Yes!" Sylvia said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Ezri and make her hunger and savor."

Sylvia then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.

Sylvia chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.

"Have a bit, sweetie!" Sylvia said as she shoved the apple into Korob's face.

"BWAH!" Korob said as he backed away.

"Oh, you know it's not for you." Sylvia said as she tickled Korob's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Ezri. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her Korob congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"

"As soon as that disguise wears off." Korob said before Sylvia starred him down.

"Wait a minute." Sylvia said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"

Sylvia looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Sylvia said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Sylvia said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"

She then walked down a secret stairway.

"Sweet heaven, what's that girl's problem?!" Korob asked as the door closed.

()()()()()

Sylvia then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.

"Thirsty?" Sylvia asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"

Sylvia then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Ezri was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Ezri met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.

In a few days, Sylvia landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Kurn had killed to trick Sylvia. She'd deal with the Klingon and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Ezri would never accept an apple from her.

Aw… Bones has a heart.

Bones: Shut up!