Let's try this again. Again because my computer went through an update then died which is the perfect combo for corrupting any open documents and this was open so I was faced with the hashtag of death. LUCKILY, I had the notes squirreled away, they just took a moment to find.

Anyway, the song Amora sings later is a female nightcore cover,

now, let's do this!

...

Unable to sleep, Christina slunk from the dorm with Shade perched on her shoulder. Stuck in the long shadows of the hallway she made no sound, flying down the stairs to the kitchens. Even though she had spent all day baking little test pies and smelt like flour with bits of sugar stuck to her hair despite three showers before bed she baked sweets to ease her frazzled nerves.

"Christina?"

she jumped yelping with surprise.

"Sorry," Shaggy flipped on the lights, "What are you like, doing down here?"

"I can't sleep"

Or get you off my mind, she added silently.

"Funny," he stepped farther into the kitchen, "I can't sleep either, mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all"

"What are you baking?"

"Cupcakes, dark chocolate"

"They sound yummy, may I help?"

"You can make the frosting," she pushed the recipe in front of him, "If you can handle it"

Shaggy smiled, picking up the recipe, "I think I can"

"We'll see"

…...

Duncan, the Dragon Prince, had always slept comfortably all his life. And why not? He feared nothing, so nightmares were unknown to him... until now. He twitched in his sleep as his normally peaceful dream took a foreboding turn...

The campus of Ever After High was shrouded in shifting fog and shadows, the quad that had been so crowded moments ago was now eerily empty and quiet. Always so sure of his strength and power, Duncan now felt uneasy at the...wrongnesshe sensed around him.

"You left us, Duncan", a familiar voice said. "I'm not surprised about the others abandoning us, and who wouldn't want off the Isle. But you left meHow could you do that? After all that we've been to each other~?"

"Who's there?!", Duncan demanded. "Show yourself!"

"But of course, Beloved~."

Out of the mist and shadows stepped a ghost from his past, one that he thought he'd finally left behind for good!

"Amora", he breathed uneasily, backing away as she stepped boldly toward him with a sultry sway to her hips and a lustful smile on her full lips. "No, you can'tbe here!"

"Did you reallythink you could escape me, My Love? You are my Prince, My Betrothed~", she breathed, pressing him against a tree with her...assets.

"Just calling me your 'betrothed' does NOTmake it true!", he hissed.

"You're MINEDuncan~", the succubus cooed. "From the moment I stole your first kiss, you've been mine. No barrier, magical or living will ever change that~". Amora licked her lips and opened her seductive voice in song...

Every breath you take

And every move you make

Every bond you break

Duncan slipped from her grasp to run, as the memory of her and him as children promising they would always be there for each other shot through his mind.

Every step you take

I'll be watching you

Every single day

And every word you say

They're a bit older, other children are braver, they make more friends.

Every game you play

Every night you stay

I'll be watching you

Oh, can't you see you belong to me?

Amora confesses her feelings to Duncan and steals his first kiss-and a taste of his soul and power-on his 13th birthday.

How my poor heart aches

Duncan feels Amora's pain through her song as he remembers rejecting her confession, backing away as 'too weird' from his 'best friend'.

With every step you take?

Every move you make

The pain of his every rejection along with the love and desire she still feels as he runs across the school in his dream

And every vow you break

Amora's insanely intense jealousy when Duncan and Clawdeen began dating!

Every smile you fake

"Amora, you're my oldest and best friend, and you always will be. Can't you just be happy for me?"

Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

Amora paused in her song, as the memory of Duncan bursting in on Amora attempting to kill Clawdeen and all of their friends so she could have him all to herself again flooded his mind; her "It's them or me!" ultimatum that finally ended their friendship when he saved them and broke all ties with her.

Having control of his dream, Amora knew where he was hiding and approached carefully with a lusty grin, picking up the song to continue weaving its spell.

Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace

A vision of him and the others as they left the Isle of the Lost.

I dream at night, I can only see your face

I look around, but it's you I can't replace

Duncan sees visions of Amora tossing and turning in her sleep, and waking visions of his face on the faces of others, her heart aching!

I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace

I keep crying baby, baby, please

She catches and embraces him, hooking her shapely leg around his, pressing her impressive assets into his chest, kissing him with lustful passion before he breaks free to her maniacal laughter. Duncan runs, but seems to be going nowhere, and seeing Amora's laughing face at every turn!

Oh, can't you see you belong to me?

How my poor heart aches

With every step you take

Every move you make

And every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

Every move you make

Every step you take

I'll be watching you

I'll be watching you

(Every breath you take)

(Every move you make)

(Every bond you break)

(Every step you take)

I'll be watching you

(Every single day)

(Every word you say)

(Every game you play)

(Every night you stay)

I'll be watching you

(Every move you make)

(Every vow you break)

(Every smile you fake)

(Every claim you stake)

I'll be watching you

(Every single day)

(Every word you say)

(Every game you play)

(Every night you stay)

I'll be watching you

(Every breath you take)

(Every move you make)

(Every bond you break)

(Every step you take)

I'll be watching you

(Every single day)

(Every word you say)

(Every game you play)

(Every night you stay)

I'll be watching you

(Every move you make)

(Every vow you break)

(Every smile you fake)

(Every claim you stake)

I'll be watching you

(Every single day)

(Every word you say)

(Every game you play)

(Every night you stay)

I'll be watching you...

"Run-run, as fast as you can! You CAN'T escape me because you're MY man!", Amora laughed, echoing across the dreamscape as Duncan ran.

...

Duncan sat up with a start finding he'd set the ceiling on fire in his sleep.

"Duncan! Bloody hell, Mate! Put that out before the alarm goes off and wakes the whole school!", Hadrian huffed, grumpy at being awakened by the racket. Then there was an urgent pounding on their door. "Now what?! WHO'S THERE?"

"Open the door, Hook!", Clawdeen growled. "It's ME!"

"Oy. Bloody 'life-mate' link. More trouble than its worth", Hadrian grumbled, opening the door. "Come in."

"Duncan!", Clawdeen rushed to her love, who got the fire out. "What happened?

"Nightmare", he replied, not quite believing it himself.

"Say what?" Clawdeen couldn't believe it. Duncan never had nightmares when he was little. He had a few after he'd had to kill the rogue behemoth Abbadon, at least until he came to terms with it, and had not had any since. He was the bravest, most courageous guy on the Isle. What could possibly give HIM a nightmare? "What was it?"

"It was...Amora", he said dejectedly, pain evident in his voice.

Clawdeen growled. Duncan and Amora had been childhood friends during a time when all their peers feared and avoided them. For a long time, each other was all they had. As they got older, that changed and they got more friends...well, Duncan did. Amora seemed jealous, wanting to keep Duncan to herself. Then when they all entered their teens, the succubus tried to kill all his friends while confessing her "love" to him. He rejected her obsession and saved his friends. But she never stopped trying to make Duncan hers and hers ALONE. "Amora's back on the Isle, Hot-Stuff. She can't mess with you anymore."

"It-it was sssoooo real, Clawdeen", he said with a shivering breath. "I could almost feel her touching me, k-k-kissing me. She said she was coming for me."

"Shhhhhhh, Duncan", Clawdeen soothed, hugging her mate. "She's stuck on the Isle. She can't get through the barrier."

"But can you imagine if she DID somehow escape? Away from the Isle, she'd have her full powers like we do. The full powers of a succubus are no joke..."

"She'll never get her claws in you, Duncan", Clawdeen growled. "I don't care what powers she has. She'll never get loose, and even if she did, I'd gut her if she came after you."

"Yeah, yeah, that's great, you two love-bats", Hadrian drawled sarcastically. "Now can we PLEASE call it a night so's I can get some shut-eye? Or do I have ta make ya both walk the plank?"

...

"Why are you awake at this hour with the Medalion of Morpheus, my Daughter?", Amora heard her father ask her.

"Just reminding my beloved Betrothed that he belongs to ME, Daddy", Amora grinned with lustful anticipation. "Eroding his resolve. I want him weak and vulnerable to me when I arrive."

"That's my Wicked Little Girl", Chernobog grinned. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAA!

...

Auradon:

"Where did you like, learn to bake?" Shaggy asked, watching Christina flit about the kitchen doing three things at once.

"Mom," Christina replied with a sigh, stopping her work, "She loved to bake but..."

"But?"

"Do you know what they call the Isle of The Lost, Shaggy?"

"Um..." the question caught the prince off guard.

"The Isle Of Leftovers. Didn't you ever wonder what happens to all the garbage? Every week-old magazine, every ripped shirt, and torn jacket, every stale piece of food is loaded onto the barges, ferried to the isle, and dumped on the shore to be scavenged by the residents," Christina was beginning to shake, gripping the counter to keep herself upright, "I've never had a birthday cake that wasn't baked with stale ingredients or covered in a layer of dirt," tears were coming fast, "But, Mom tries every year and every year she says: 'One year you'll have a real birthday party, Butterfly, you'll have a mountain of gifts, the sweetest cake, you'll eat ice cream and see the Moors..."

Shaggy put down what he'd been doing, Christina was shaking so much now he just couldn't leave her that way. So, after only a moment's hesitation, he pulled her into a hug, sliding with her to the floor where he let her cry out all her tears. As the seconds ticked on he slowly came to the realization that this was the longest time Christina had allowed him to touch her or show affection in any way.

"When is your birthday, Christina?" he asked when her sobs had quieted to sniffles.

"May"

"May, what?"

"We don't know, outdated calendars and screwy TVs"

"Like, I think we have a way we can like, find out," Shaggy said with a glance at the work in progress, "But I don't-"

With a wave of her hand, the mess was cleaned, the cupcakes baked, frosted, and packaged in a box tied with a lavender bow on top.

"That works, come with me," Shaggy helped Christina to her feet.

He led her from the kitchens down the shadowed halls making many turns as they went leading her by the hand all the while. By the time they reached the double oak doors of the library, he had his arm around her waist. Pushing open one of the doors with his free hand he guided Christina inside.

She froze just inside the door.

"What's the matter, Christina?"

"I don't think I've ever seen this many books in one place...and they're all intact"

The wonder that filled her eyes was unlike Shaggy had ever seen.

"Come on, the records are upstairs"

Mouth agape still Christina followed Shaggy up the winding staircase, trying to take it all in.

"These are the Ever After records"

the shelf full of golden glowing books shimmered in the pale slivers of moonlight streaming through the window next to the shelf.

"They keep the family lines of every fairy tale being"

"There was a book like this for monster kind, The Grimness Book of Records. My father's family were the keepers but the book was lost when they were placed on the isle"

"No one knows what happened to it?"

"No"

"I'm sorry, Christina"

And, he meant it. Every day that passed he was learning how his parents' actions were a direct result of their fear, their misunderstandings. There was something that had pushed them to that point. Shaggy didn't know what it was or if he'd ever find out but simply having the so-called villain kids around was the first step to the healing. Deciding to return to the matter at hand, he ran his hand along the record books. Christina had to be in there somewhere but he was unsure if it went by first or last name.

Thankfully, the books seemed to know what he was looking for. The right one all but dropped into his hands.

"I don't think I can look," Christina suddenly declared, deciding to look out the window at the night sky instead.

With a small victorious smile, Shaggy read aloud, "Christina Rose Shadowfae Dracula, born May seventeenth"

"I don't believe you," Christina kept her attention on the window.

"Look for yourself"

With a deep breath, she shakily took the book from Shaggy, shocked at how it hummed with a magic he was unaware of. But there, in the middle of the page was her name and birthdate alongside what must have been her as a baby, with stubby horns on her head.

"Like, I think we should celebrate"

"What?"

"Come on, trust me"

Back to the kitchens they went. Christina confusedly watching Shaggy rummage through the freezer.

"What are you doing?"

"Found it!" he ignored her question entirely, pulling a clear plastic bucket from the depths of the freezer, "Now close your eyes and open your mouth"

"Why?"

"Trust me"

"Okay," Christina obliged.

Whatever he fed her in the following moment was sweet, sweeter than anything she'd ever tasted but also extremely cold.

"Mm," she opened her eyes with a grin.

"That's ice cream," Shaggy said with a smile of his own, "Like it?"

"Yes!"

"Want some more?"

"Please?"

"Alright, I'll make you a sundae"

"Sundae?"

"Oh you're going to love this"

…...

Christina woke the next day to Melinda watching her with an impish grin. Sitting up, she found herself in bed, Shade asleep on her pillow but she couldn't recall returning to bed.

"What time is it?"

"Noon, " Melinda laughed.

"Don't we have classes?" Christina yawned, raking a hand through her hair.

"No everyone's busy prepping for the carnival, you shoulda heard Clawdeen and Duncan whispering this morning, they've got something up their sleeves," Melinda said, tossing Christina an apple, "Soooo, what were you doing last night?"

"Don't give me that look"

"What look?"

"I will zap you!" Christina threatened.

"All I know is that Prince Shaggy was at our door at two in the morning with you passed out in his arms...he said something about a sugar crash?"

Christina said nothing, finishing her apple before heading to the shower leaving Melinda to speculate.

…...

Do you know how painful this is? Shaggy is just so sweet but NONE of it is real! when he wakes up from the spell-because I fully plan to give him the antidote after Coronation day is over-He'll wonder where Googie is then when I tell him what I've done he'll never wish to see me again! Even if our families get pardoned I might be sent back to the Isle for my actions! I'll have to live the rest of my life loveless and alone!

I can't bear it!

With each day that passes here, I discover something new. I find myself falling more and more in love with this place. Even the air itself tingles with a magic I've never felt before.

It hurts to know I'm going to lose it all.

...

"I don't think I can keep this up much longer!"

Sugie fell in surprise, "Knock next time, would you?" she begged her older brother as he shut the door, locking it tight.

"Sugie, you like, gotta help me!"

"Help you with what, Shaggy?"

"I like Christina, I really, really like her but she still thinks I'm under a spell"

"Wait, you're saying you-"

"I'm in love with her!"

"And that's bad?" Sugie sat down on the bed, looking curiously at the frantic boy beside her.

"No, I just, I just want her to know that I like, love her but if I like, tell her then she might run away!" Shaggy raked his hands through his hair, "Wouldn't she?"

"Are you really not sure how she feels about you?"

"She's very closed off, Sugie, I think she had to be and she like, doesn't know how to let people in"

"So wait a little longer, Shaggy"

"How much longer?"

"Tell her on Coronation Day, you're bound to know by then if she feels the same"

…...

The day of the carnival dawned sunny with a nice breeze as did every day in Auradon. Christina, still in her nightclothes, stood at the window watching songbirds flutter by.

"Christy," Melinda hopped in from the bathroom, trying to jam a shoe onto her foot, "Aren't you ever going to get dressed? Clawdeen did work on our outfits all night, heck she embroidered your shirt by hand"

There was no response.

"CHRISTINA ROSE SHADOWFAE DRACULA ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

"Something's coming," the hybrid finally turned from the window, solemn.

"You know I hate it when you do that, are you sure you don't have foresight, or spider-sense or something?"

There was a knock at their door.

"I bet you that's Shaggy, now aren't you going to-"

Christina was suddenly dressed and ready to go, looking somewhat, Melinda thought, like a dark princess in the black top with stitched green flames and pleated purple skirt paired with a nice new pair of flats that were painted with dragon wings.

Melinda opened the door to find not only Shaggy but Dalton waiting for them.

Ghost wasted no time in finding Shadow causing Christina to finally laugh.

"You girls look amazing," Shaggy complimented.

"Thanks" Melinda replied finding Christina had fallen inexplicably silent again.

"We passed the others on the way here," Dalton said as he grabbed Melinda's hand, "They'll meet us at the entrance"

"Shall we?" Shaggy asked, offering Christina his arm.

Quiet as ever, Christina accepted, ignoring the strange look Melinda was sending her way.

Just a few more days.

Just a few more days.

...

Okay, ending here because the carnival and family day events deserve their own chapter. A big thank you goes to my friend, DRAGONDAVE45, for their awesome work on the nightmare sequence which I could never have done myself. Hats off to him.

Please, review!