I am sorry, I was just so scatter brained what with snow and Holiday that I uploaded this chapter and left it in Document manager. Then wondered why no one had commented on it! Anyway, sorry it's short and a touch repetitive, but I'm short on time. Prolly won't update next week as a warning. Enjoy the Season!

Yet Another Tower

The morning dawns so much more warm and calm than the night before. I drift slowly out of my sleep, seeing the gentle light only through my eyelids. The sound of just waking birds, that dewy morning smell leaking in through the windows. I take a deep slow breath, reluctant to move from this warm pocket of lovely peacefulness. Who knew the curse could be anything but gaudy? But the birds start up a little louder and my feet itch, so with a yawn I open my eyes and try to stretch.

I say try, because as soon as I move I become most horribly aware of a certain arm around my waist, and certain very NOT frog like body behind me. Oh Grimm, it's just one bad cliché after another. This of course being the scene where the two protagonists, after some sort of situation that forces them to use the same bed, wake up much closer together than they started. Chaos ensues.

However, you see, this cliché is VERY ill placed as we just had a conversation last night about thinking of him as an older brother! The curse has no shame!

So in an effort to foil the curse while I still can, I try very carefully to slip out from under his arm while he is still asleep.

"Where do you think you're going?" I hear just behind me ear.

Foiling goes out the window as I shoot horizontally out of the bed and tumble on the floor.

"Donovan Erebus! Don't you dare laugh at me like that!" I order from my mess on the floor, trying to regain some image of composure.

"You should have seen your face!" he crows, "I have never seen you so red!"

"Give me just a minute and I assure you, I'll have never seen you so blue," I threaten.

He just keeps laughing while I sit glaring on the floor.

"Quite done? Are you sure?" I say bitterly as he calms down.

"I'm sure I could keep laughing if you would prefer," he grins.

"Try and I'll hang you off a roof."

"Should have done it when I was tiny and green! You've got no chance now."

"Oh yeah?" I challenge with a sudden grin, and without further warning I launch a pillow at his face, following behind it and swinging another.

Donovan ducks grabbing his own pillow to block. He dodges another swing and I am promptly rolled off the bed and onto my butt with a squeal.

"Taste my feathers!" he shouts jumping out after me, and I roll to my feet. We circle each other in a mock duel. Then attack again. Now I'm laughing too, and we're both being pummeled, and I stumble all over the carpet. My bad hand throbs just a bit but I am not about to stop. I aim another at his face and he at my knees. I try to stumble away but he chases after me. I grin and swing back around and oh so gracefully tackle him, tumbling about to land with a loud bang. I sit victoriously on top, pinning him down with my pillow.

"Nice try, but I still beat you," I grin, both of us breathing hard.

"Yeah you did, now get off," he laughs, pushing me one handed onto the ground next to him. I land giggling and still gripping my pillow.

We both lay there a few moments, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey," I wave my arm over at his chest, "You still owe me that answer to my question," I remind him.

For some reason in the daylight and laughing and smiling, I don't dread the answer anymore, even if it's not a good one, I'm just curious. He owes it and I will get it.

Donovan stretches his hands behind his head, anxiously rubbing his hair. "Elle," he turns his face to me. "Just give me the in-between time to gather the right words I promise-"

"Ahg," I groan, "Donovan the perfectionist. Really, I don't care if you don't have a good reason any more," I assure him, leaning up on my elbow, "I just... I just want the closure I guess."

"The very instant the next tale starts," he promises with a smile, matching my pose.

I make a face, "Fine," I relent, "but if I have to wheedle this out of you a word more I'll... I'll... I'll be very angry." I try and make an angry face but it is very hard when I am so cheerful, and it only sends Donovan laughing again.

"Now finish the tale!" I say eager to get this one finished and onto the next.

Donovan knows exactly what I mean, "Thank you, lady," he smiles quietly, "You have freed me from my curse, please, will you do me now the last favor of being my wife?"

"You bet!"

And with that the curse takes it's cue and whisks us both out of there.


The now unfortunately familiar familiar feeling of having my breath snatched from my lungs presses down on me as soon as the last remnants of the tale fades. I would curse if I could breathe.

I hear the bloody glitches flying all around me, their hissing almost sounds like laughing. Stupid little beasts.

I flail, not sure what to do. There's no Arbol around this time. That's when I feel the knife in my hand, and so do the glitches. Or the sharp part at least. They scatter away from the blade, though they are so confident by this point that even while I am trying to attack those in front of me, they fly at me from behind. Bumping and scratching the foul little things cackle and hiss as I swing about in a circle, trying to protect myself. How did the knife suddenly show up again? I'm not really sure, but it's here and my cut isn't, I'm just going to take what I can get.

One particularly cocky glitch flies right at my face. See, I've had quite enough of this. I slash violently right at its face. It is surprised to say the least as I catch it right between the eyes, it screams a high pitched hiss as it goes careening off through the others. The glitches back off instantly, their caution suddenly remembered.

Yeah that's right!

The glitches circle me slowly, then faster. They all start swarming on one side of me, and I don't stick around to see what is going to happen next. I have a very bad feeling that I already know. I'd rather not meet up with super glitch again, what with all the normal glitches getting bold and violent.

I have no idea where I am running, or if I am actually getting anywhere, there it just black all around me and glitches behind. No wait! There, is... it's the light! The pinkish light from before! I sprint towards it. Maybe I'll get closer this time, maybe I'll find some sort of protection from the glitches. Maybe trolls will fly. Come on, run faster!

I hear a deep thudding from behind me then a high pitched screaming; I start around. I'm not even sure how it is possible but I start going faster!

I feel a faint resistance then a break and I keep flying towards the glowing pink tower, super glitch right on my heels. My muscles burning in protest.

I hear a screech behind me but I don't take the precious seconds to look back until I hear a furious scratching. There is the familiar beastie scratching about as if trying to dig under a fence. I beam.

"Ha! Too big to even get me now!" I taunt it, breathing hard.

The glitch pauses and looks up at me. I swear it glares at me. Then it starts to dissolve.

And the victory goes to me!

I start to turn leisurely back towards the pink glow when out of the corner of my eye I spot a sort of misty blackness. Smaller glitches.

CURSES!

I start running again. Probably not the safest idea with a huge cursed knife in my hand, but I'm not about to drop the knife or slow to a safer pace.

I am now close enough to the pink tower that I can start to make a lot out. Tall and smooth, with the glow coming from some sort of strangely shaped object at the top.

I hear the thudding behind me again, even faster now. Curses curses curses!

"Elle!" I hear Adele's voice from above me.

"You can get me out of here anytime," I shout. I hear the mocking echoes of my voice from all around.

I turn to check on the super glitch. It is ridiculously unfair how quickly it is gaining ground!

I get within a few hundred meters of the tower now, and I almost stop in surprise. I could swear there is a person at the top. Not only up there, but making the glow-

Whoosh! Suddenly the blackness, the glitches, and the tower are gone and I am standing rather unbalanced in front of Adele and a certain fairy godmother.

I know it's short, you don't need to point it out. Sorry!