A/N: Yay, new chapter! And, by "get it on", SingleServing, do you mean…:whispers: the "S" word? Oo' HOPEFULLY it won't happen…:cough:

Chapter 1: Tag Along

"So, you're from…the future? Not only that, but another dimension entirely?"

"Yup."

"And…in your world, I'm…not real?"

"Yes."

Victor looked down. "That's strange. You say you don't know how you got here?"

"Not a clue, Frumpy."

Victor snapped his head up again. "Did you just call me Frumpy?"

Cricket smiled warmly. "I believe I did."

"Um…why?"

Cricket stood up, Victor mirroring her. "I call you that because you look and act like a timider version of a friend of mine that goes to my school. His name is Cole, but his nickname is Frumpy. Thus what I just called you."

Victor noticed that Cricket was about as tall as he was, which was an almost impossible feat. "How old are you?" he asked, crossing the room to his desk, where a butterfly sat in a clear glass jar.

"I'm 12 years old. You?"

Victor smiled as he released the butterfly. "Nineteen."

The two watched in silence as the butterfly flew about the room, then out of the open window. Victor's smile disappeared slowly to be replaced with a nervous frown. He seemed to remember something very important.

"I have a wedding rehearsal today! I just know I'm going to mess this up!"

Cricket walked over. "You'll be fine! Do you want me to come with?"

Victor gazed at her sadly. "How will I explain this to my parents?"

"Just explain it to them the way I did. They'll understand."

A woman's voice drifted out from downstairs. "Victor! Hurry up, or we'll be late!"

Victor looked at the ground. "Yes, you may come, Cricket."

Cricket ushered him out of the door, saying kind words of reassurance on the way.

"Oh! So, you're from the future?"

"Yes."

The carriage hobbled down the street as Victor's parents questioned Cricket, who was squashed next to Victor and was perfectly happy where she sat. (Oooh…;-D)

She stuck a cherry lollipop into her mouth as Victor's dad questioned, "So…what do your parents do for a living?"

Cricket made a popping sound as she whipped the lollipop out of her mouth. "My mom works as a marketing director for a bank, and my dad does stuff with, um, computers-small machines, basically. Great jobs, enough to keep us in very high middle class."

Victor's parents were silent as the carriage pulled up to the Everglott's mansion.

Cricket looked up and grabbed Victor's arm. She put on her classic "I-need-to-go-to-the-nuthouse-but-I-won't" look and said, "I'm with you, crazycookie." She twitched for effect.

Victor, looking startled, shook her gently off his arm and said, "Just stay with me, but follow everyone's example, okay?"

Cricket nodded, but her devilishly creative mind was whirring with ideas.

A/N: YES, I know this is on the short side. The problem is…this story will be stopped pretty early. I was tempted to make this the whole wedding rehearsal, but that would mean 3 chapters until blackout. (I KNOW THE MENTION OF BLACKOUT IS GETTING ANNOYING, BEAR WITH ME!) So, therefore, I'm breaking this up as best as possible without it being choppy. Review, please!