A/N: I had my first slow dance with a boy on Friday! To celebrate, I wrote a ton!

Chapter 1: We're Here!

Victor walked into the hallway as if it were his own home. Cricket followed a little bit behind him, gazing around in awe.

Mrs. Everglott nudged her pudgy husband and hissed, "Smile, dear."

It took an entire minute for him to smile, during which time a smirk twitched at the corner of Cricket's mouth.

After a while, he said, in a very strange voice, "Well, hello. What a pleasure."

That did it. Cricket broke out into hysterics, turning around and laughing so hard that she fell over onto the floor.

She brought herself up slowly, still giggling, and pointed a shaking finger at Mr. Everglott. "You-that was hilarious!" she said, wiping at her eyes.

By this time, everyone was staring at her. Victor's parents looked confused, Victor looked weirded out, and the Everglotts looked like they wanted nothing better than to kill her. Cricket immediately stopped giggling, straightened up, put a serious look on her face, and said, in an equally weird, deep voice, "Sorry."

Victor smiled a little.

Mrs. Everglott, however, rolled her eyes and said, "Come. The rehearsal shall take place in the sitting room." (A/N: Sitting room?)

The adults walked across the entrance hall and took a left at a hallway. Victor and Cricket hung behind, checking out everything.

Cricket went to the middle of the room and spun around slowly on the spot, looking up at the ceiling and at the walls.

"If these guys are dirt poor, why haven't people, like, repossessed everything?"

Victor didn't answer. He was also looking around. Then his gaze fell upon a piano, and he brightened considerably. "Cricket, look!"

Cricket turned around and followed Victor's gaze. "Shweet, piano. Can you play?"

"Of course! Would you like to watch?"

"Sure, Whatev." Cricket followed Victor, and sat down on the piano bench. Victor tested a note first, then sat down next to her, and began to play.

Cricket watched in awe as Victor's hands flew about the piano keys, seemingly playing a song from memory-or on the spot. She couldn't play piano at all, and she admired anyone who could.

Her ears picked up someone walking about the second floor. Turning around so as not to disturb Victor, she caught Victoria tiptoeing to the stairs. She caught her eye, smiled and waved, mouthing, "Hi!" Victoria returned the grin and waved back.

Cricket carefully picked herself up off the bench (Victor STILL didn't notice) and walked quietly up the stairs to join Victoria.

"Hello. Are you a friend of his?" Victoria asked, nodding toward Victor.

"Mm-hmm. I'm Cricket." Cricket stuck out her hand.

Victoria shook it and curtseyed. "I am Victoria Everglott."

"Nice to meet you," Cricket replied as they walked down the stairs together.

Victoria giggled. "What's his name? He is really good at playing piano."

Cricket flipped back her hair and brought out another cherry lollipop from her pocket. (She has a seemingly endless supply of them as well as a lot of other junk in her pockets.) "His name is Victor."

"Van Dort?"

"You got it." They were now at the bottom of the stairs.

The two stared for a minute at Victor playing. He was hitting a sort of climax in his song.

"We're going to get married…I can't believe it."

"Mmm…."

Victoria quietly walked over to Victor and said, very mellowly, "Hello."

Victor yelled, jumped backward, toppled over the bench, knocked over the bench and a small vase containing a flower, and stopped playing.

Cricket clapped, saying enthusiastically, "Encore! Encore!" She pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her pocket, scribbled a "10" on it, and held it up for the couple to see.

Victoria giggled, and a ghost of a smile flickered on Victor's face.

"Oh," he said quietly, picking up the bench and noticing the flower. "Allow me-"

"No, I've got it," Victoria said, reaching for the flower. Together they picked up the vase and the plant and set it back in its case.

Looking up, they smiled at each other. "I'm, um, Victor," Victor stuttered, holding out his hand. Victoria, taking it, said, "I'm Victoria."

Victor gulped, and pulled at his cravat. (Cravat? I can't remember the movie well, forgive meh!) "Tomorrow, Victoria, we are to be…mm-mm-m-"

Cricket licked her lollipop. "Meep?"

Victor kept stumbling over the letter "m".

Cricket frowned and shrugged. "Muffin? Magazine? Truck?"

Victoria laughed. "Married."

Victor smiled shakily and stopped fumbling with his cravat. "Yes, that."

Victoria gazed longingly at the piano. "I wish I could play. But Mother says it's not ladylike."

Cricket walked over and poked a piano key. "I can't play because I can't remember the notes."

Victor bit his lip. "Well, I suppose I can teach you sometime-"

At that moment, Mrs. Everglott hurried into the room. "What's this?" she cried.

Cricket twirled, and sang, "What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere! What's this? There's white things in the air…"

"In a room alone with one another, AND another woman?" Mrs. Everglott went on, ignoring Cricket's singing. "Despicable! You are already late!"

Victor and Victoria blushed, and Cricket stopped twirling.

Victor and Victoria started to head over, but Cricket stayed put, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm not going unless-woah!" Victor grabbed her arm and gently yanked her over.

Upon entering the room, Pastor Gaswells remarked, "You're late, Master Van Dort."

Cricket grinned and nudged Victor. "Masta of da house!" she whispered.

Victor rolled his eyes, smiled one last time at Cricket,and walked to the front with Victoria. Cricket eyed the Everglott parents suspiciously, then sat down next to Victor's dad, still eyeing them. Then she made the "I'm watching you" sign, narrowing her eyes. The irritable parents sneered and turned to face the front.

A/N: TWO. WHOLE. PAGES! U.U I've never written that much!