I'm just letting you all know that I created Stella just for this chapter.

Also, Chrono and Marle can't really dance in the actual game.

Chapter Two

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Chrono waited in the dancing area of the fair. Everyone was dancing and singing, but Chrono was sitting in a corner, his stomach in knots. He and Marle had been seeing each other for over a year and a half now and he had really grown to love her very much. He bit his lip as he reached into his pocket, making sure that the little box he was concealing was still there. Inside the box was a ring. "Okay, I'll try this again," he said to himself as he silently cleared his throat. "Marle, I know that it seems a little soon, but I really love you and... Will you marry me?" He nodded. "Yeah! That sounds good enough?" As he stood up to go and greet the girls when they arrived, he heard a femanine voice speak:

"Hi, Chrono."

He turned around and sighed. "Hi, Stella." He wasn't very happy to see her. The girl had been chasing after him ever since they were little kids -- long before he met Marle.

Stella just smiled as she took his hand. "Wanna dance?"

Before he could even answer, Stella had pulled him out onto into the crowd of dancers. Chrono didn't want to look like a complete idiot, so he started dancing with her. In all truth, he was a pretty good dancer. He had even taught Marle a few of his moves and she became really good at it. He remembered the very first time they ever danced together. He had taken her to a dance late one evening. At first, they started out slow. But as the music got faster and they had more fun, the two of them just took over the dance floor! Everyone else watched in awe as they twirled, lifted, and moved their feet to the rythem of the song. Even though it was over a year ago, Chrono remembered it like it was yesterday -- because that was the night he realized just how much he cared about her. After the song had ended and their dance was over, he drew Marle in for a big kiss on the lips!

Unfortunatelly for Chrono at that particular moment, his daydreams got the better of him... And he found himself holding Stella, kissing her at the same time! He abruptly pushed himself away from her. "Uh, Stella... I... I was just--"

"--It's all right, Chrono... I feel the same way." She leaned in and kissed him back.

o O o

Marle and Lucca could not believe what they were staring at. There was Chrono, kissing another girl, in front of everyone!

"Um, okay..." Lucca scratched her head. "I honesty didn't think that Chrono was that kind of guy."

Marle's eyes were practically bugging out of her head, her mouth hanging open. How could he do this to her? She thought he cared about her. She even dared to believe that he might even love her! And she was even going to tell him the truth about herself! She sighed, her teeth clenched. "Lucca, I want you to do something for me."

"What?"

"I want you to promise me that you will never tell Chrono who I really am."

Lucca looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"I was gonna tell him the truth... about me, being Princess Nadia. If I can't even trust him to be faithful to me, then how can I trust him with anything else?"

Lucca patted her on the back. "It's okay... I understand." She made an angry face and stared into the crowd. "CHRONO!"

Chrono jerked his head and saw them, his eyes wide and full of terror.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH STELLA!?" Lucca called out. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ME MARLE'S GUY!"

Marle couldn't bare to look Chrono in the face. Instead, she turned around and ran back into the direction they had come from.

o O o

Marle ran all the way to the back of the town square, where Lucca's inventions were set up on display. One of them, unbeknownst to her, was the machine that controlled the gate key, which was currently set for Guardia Castle. She finally broke down crying. She really did love Chrono. One minute, she was high on cloud nine, and the next, she had hit rock bottom. She couldn't go back to the castle, because she was supposed to be sick and by now, everyone would have realized that she was gone. She couldn't go back to Chrono, because that would make things even worse. She clenched her teeth and raised her fist in the air. "THIS ISN'T FAIR!" She rammed her fist into the buttons of the gate key's controller. A few lights flashed, but she didn't really notice. She realized that she was still holding the gate key in her other hand. She whiped away the tears from her face. "I guess I'll go home and fae the music," she said as she stepped back and pressed the button on the key. The blue portal opened up once more and she jumped inside.

A short time later, Chrono and Lucca ran up to the scene, after Chrono had explained to Lucca what happened. They looked around the area, but there was no sign of Marle. "She probubly used the gate key to go back to the ca -- I mean, home," Lucca said.

Chrono placed a hand on his head. "I blew it... And I didn't even mean to!"

"I'm sure she'll listen if we just explain it to her." Lucca smiled. "Who knows? She might still say yes to marrying -- AAAHHH!"

"What!?" Chrono asked. "What is it?"

Lucca stared at her machine in awe. "The gate key cuorditants have been changed... TO 600 A.D!" She started pacing around the area. "Marle must have messed with the controls before she warped out of here!"

Chrono stared at Lucca with his mouth gapeing open. "HUH!? You mean... my girlfriend might have gone back in time!?"

Lucca thought for a moment. "That could be... Or, she could have just landed somewhere else in the world. I can't say for sure... But, because she had the only gate ket with her, we can't follow her right away. I'll have to make another one."

"Well, get to it!" Chrono shouted. "We've gotta go after her!"

Lucca immediatly ran around, gathering the parts for yet another gate key.