Awww, thanks all for the nice long reviews, they make me all fuzzy inside! And just for that I have a nice long chapter for you, along with another little taste of Donovan! We finally get to finish up Cinderella, YAY! How exciting.

A Simple Bath

"Wake up."

I should really be getting used to this, this is what the third time? But something about this sort of wake-up call is just more and more ineffective every time I hear it. It must be the high pitched voice.

I don't move, I don't even groan.

Maybe if I pretend I died- I hold my breath.

No dice.

"Wake up!" Lexi says. Wow, she is getting annoyed already? Come on, I was as close to a perfect little angel as she is getting here! I can remember all of last night thank you! Quite an accomplishment I think.

Though I think it might be better if I couldn't.

Uhg. I danced with DONOVAN.

I need a bath. I DESPERATELY need a bath. Preferably in some sort of strong corrosive solution.

I sigh and peek out of my eyelids. I don't think she is buying the dead act. I see her blurry figure floating closer to my bed. Just the simple action is threatening, I bet even YOU could guess why.

"If you pinch me, I swear, I will feed you to the steps for breakfast!"

She crosses her arms and sticks out her tongue.

I push myself slowly up.

"So, I made it to the next day, right?" I say finally.

"Yep!" Lexi says taking up an overly cheerful grin.

Can you say bi-polar?

"See what happens when you do what you are supposed to?" she bubbles. I should have been expecting something like that.

"Wow, yeah! Blisters on my feet, soap burns on my hands, everything is sore- I am so glad I did this!" SARCASM.

Lexi chooses to ignore this comment apparently.

"Well, it shouldn't be that much longer, the Prince ought to come some time today and-"

I interrupt her, "Firstly, Donovan is no prince, and second, if I don't get a shower or a bath soon, I think I may just die." Cooties you know, dangerous things.

Lexi just stares at me rather blankly.

"Come on, doesn't Cinderella get a bath occasionally?" I whine.

Lexi mutters something about it not being on the schedule.

"It's settled then!" I say, pretending to be as cheerful as her, "where's the shower?"

"The closest thing I think you can get is the tub downstairs in the kitchen," Lexi mutters.

I smile, "Now was that so hard?"

"You'll have to heat your own water!" Lexi calls as I start hobbling towards the stairs (all the dancing last night did nothing for my balance).

"Why must this curse be so difficult and deny me any modern conveniences?" I say in what might have been a frustrated voice if I hadn't been so grateful just to get the bath at all. My standards are sinking like a stone…

I stumble downstairs.

As I sneak to the kitchen, I take a moment to peek in the dining room. I'm just curious if the steps really do just wait there until I move the story along and bring them breakfast.

Oh breakfast, what a plot point!

But no, they aren't quite as pitiful as I had thought, the room is empty. I quickly stumble through the kitchen and out to the yard. I pull up some tomatoes this time… I mistook them for lame grape bunches… they were small!

Shut up! How am I supposed to know that an unripened tomato looks like a mutant grape? I'm book smart, common sense is NOT a part of the deal.

So they got some green tomatoes with their cold ham. I think I am becoming quite the chef here!

I dump the plates in the dining room and since I didn't bother with milk or cooking or anything else I am so early they aren't even there.

HA! Can't comment on breakfast now, can'ya?

I return gratefully to the kitchen and set about pulling out the bath, which is more like a big metal bucket. And it comes, screeching and protesting all the way as I drag it nearer the fireplace and try to heat some water in another bucket.

I miss the dorm showers.

NEVER thought I'd say that. They're not exactly the prettiest place to clean oneself.

Soon, not as soon as if they'd given me a cursed faucet, but soon enough, I am curled awkwardly in the tub and soaking.

The warm water is soothing to my aching everything.

I consider myself very in shape, but my theory is that you sprout new muscles for cleaning JUST so they can hurt. So while my new "cleaning muscles" start to relax, the warm water and sitting still does very little to soothe my thoughts.

As soon as I close my eyes and try to relax, all of last night comes rushing at me like Lexi with cleaning to enforce. I think I had been trying to block out the last bit of my conversation with Donovan. I try continuing the wonderful idea to ignore it.

Out of mind, out of existence. Or as far as I care.

After all he was OBVIOUSLY just lying, trying to ruin my life, which is nothing new. Anthony doesn't like Jaz, Donovan's just trying to plant the doubt in my head. Trying to get me to think about it and question it, waste hours of my life pondering something which is really just nothing more than a rumor, just because I worry that it might possibly be true. But it couldn't be because it is IMPOSSIBLE for him to tell the truth! Therefore I refuse to think about it. How am I doing so far?

After a while my mind grants me some relief and begins to drift to other things. I start to recall how the troll had been flirting with Adele.

I know what she said, agreeing with my dislike of him, but I am minoring in IGA and I can notice when some one is at the very least flattered, much less interested in someone. I mean when is the last time she probably got compliments from someone? Much less someone… she… considers… good looking.

Oh I can barely believe I even thought that!

But, if nothing else, perhaps that might be a good way to draw some of Donovan's attention away from me (and his attention towards me pretty much results in me being miserable) and give Adele a little reason to smile more often. Or at least until I can figure out how to get out of here.

I KNOW I told Adele I would at least try to get out of this stupid curse by just playing along, but you must have figured out by this point, following the rules is not really my style. I'll just have to get creative. And I already have a few ideas… well, one. But it's all I have until I can figure out how to get some more information about the nature of this curse. I am thinking I just sit around long enough, not even TRYING to go through the fairy tale it can't just repeat the fairy tale forever. I just have to find a good fairy tale to hole up in for a while and see what happens!

I think I fall asleep by this point. Just soaking in the lukewarm water and turning into the world's biggest raisin.

"Wake UP! WAKE UP you lazy!!"

I groan, I could have sworn I'd already done this, this morning.

Suddenly I remember where I am. I squeal and curl up as small as I can under the water, curse it curse it curse it curseitcurseit!

I really shouldn't stay up till midnight…

My muscles protest. Great, now I have a crick in my back… and my neck… and my legs… lets not forget the water is freezing cold by this point and I am stark naked.

I HATE THIS CURSE!!

"Hurry up hurry up!" Lexi is absolutely frantic. Geez it's just cleaning… "Come on hurry out and get dressed right now! The prince is here and Christanne is about to cut off her toes!"

I blink confusedly, "Who's Chr-"

"The other step!" Lexi waves her little arms at me.

Ogre poop.

"Close your eyes!" I say, now in almost as much a rush as her. Of all the things to wake up late for-

Lexi scurries out, tossing another "Hurry!" over her shoulder.

I grimace as my body protests to the sudden movement, my water wrinkled skin is not feelin' too great either. I pull my clothes back on, not even bothering to dry off first. This does nothing for my EXTREME discomfort at the moment.

I can only imagine how I must look as I run out of the kitchen, my wet hair slapping my back and sticking to my face, soaking my already damp dress.

Crud, where is Lexi? I don't know where I am supposed to go!

I skid around the floors on my wet little feet checking room after room. Where ARE they? I cleaned the whole downstairs so I know my way around and I swear I have checked EVERY room!

"What are you doing?!" Lexi is suddenly behind me, her braids are even more askew than normal and she looks almost black with all the blood rushing to her face.

"I- where are they?" I say quickly dismissing the question.

"Hurry! Adele can't stall much longer!" Lexi says as she flies down the hall. I am huffing after her, flying down the halls as fast as my malformed feet will carry me. I could swear I already checked this hallway, curse this changing house! Lexi suddenly darts into a room and I skid around the corner as I shout-

"That is my shoe!"

I find myself with three sets of very confused eyes focused on me, and Donovan, who is looking at me like he is planning all the things he can use this black mail for. I can see his fingers just itching, like he wished he had a camera in his hands.

Did I mention what a I mess I must look like? The running and flushed face probably didn't help, not to mention by this point just about everything I am wearing is damp. But at least no one is missing any body parts.

When no one says anything and just keeps staring at me, I start plucking at my dress awkwardly. It continues for a few more seconds and I start to get angry.

"What are you looking at?" I glare around the room.

Well that starts HIM off. He starts laughing and snickering off in his corner. I glare something awful at the malicious elf.

Adele however has the grace to look gratefully at me. And I could be mistaken, but that might be a little gratitude mixed into the steps' blank faces… I am probably just imagining it though.

Not that I don't deserve a little thanks after this amazing save! I just did a lot for them I will remind you!

"Shut up troll face," I resume glaring at Donovan, getting thoroughly tired of his laughing. "You probably have no idea what was just about to happen, Igg!" I say frusteratedly. He probably doesn't either! Other wise he wouldn't be laughing! Or at least he shouldn't be. And if he DOES know and is still laughing, then I underestimated how much of a foul and awful person he can be!

Donovan shuts up and glares at me. Well, I did call him an Igg. (It's not an insult when it's true, so stop looking at me like that, it's not even that much of an insult to human Relizers, but if you call a Fey Realizer an Igg, well, Grimm help you. But curse him, I would take my chances.)

"Please enlighten me, Dairson," Donovan says his voice suddenly like steel (I swear with the way his mood swings I can only to shudder to think how bad it would be if he were a girl.)

"I know your sad little brain has a very difficult time being serious but please, recall the Grimm version of Cinderella," I shoot back.

He pales noticeably, "I see, well then, your shoe?" he holds up the glass slipper I had so graciously NOT broken on the stairs for him. That's more like it, at least he has the sense not to push the subject further.

"Yeah, that's right," I glare at him walking forward, "and not a word about how wrinkly my feet are!" I warn him.

He cracks a smile again, "Wouldn't dream of it your raisiny-ness," he says as I walk over.

Adele catches my eye, smiles, and mouths, "Thank you," at me as I force myself to walk towards Donovan. I shake my head. Oh do they ALL owe me!

Donovan is holding out the slipper like he is actually planning on putting it on my foot, creeper.

I snatch the slipper out of his hand, "I am perfectly capable of putting it on myself" I say as I shove it on my wrinkled up foot. Ha! I did it I finished the fairy tale!

I look up and see Donovan just smiling and shaking his head at me before everything suddenly goes black like some one just turned off the world.

Crap, I hope I don't faint and smack my head again… that is still smarting.