Stealing CInderella, Chuck Wicks

"I came to see her daddy, for a sit down man-to-man..."

Connor Stoll was freaking out.

He was going to knock on this door in three...two...one...

Nope. Nopenopenopenopenopenopenope! NOPE!

He couldn't knock on that door to save his life...

Connor was going to meet Nik's dad and he was sure he was going to die.

Lucky for the poor guy, Nik opens the door right as he raises a fist that wouldn't have met the door anyway. She immediately grabs his still-formed fist and judo-flips him into the house. Everyone had heard about how Annabeth and Percy had reunited, so Nik took it upon herself to judo-flip him whenever she hadn't seen him in a while, and afterwards, she always muttered,

"I only flip my boyfriend like that." Her breath was in his face and Connor smiled as he opened one eye.

"Hey babe, I was just, hangin around."

Nik smiles at him and helps him to his feet. "Idiot." she mutters to him before guiding him to the living room. "Wait here. Dad'll be down soon. Good luck." SHe kisses his cheek and heads up the stairs. Halfway up she spins around and points a finger at him, "Don't screw up," then whirls back around and heads up the last few steps.

Connor sighs and glances around the room, it was standard, a couch in front of a TV, a Lay-Z-Boy nearby for the father to kick up his feet and watch the game, The TV hung over the mantle, which, in turn, was over a fireplace. On the mantle were pictures of the Twins through the years, the first was the day they were born, and the last was the two of them laughing on the lawn, Michelle holding a crisp new novel, and Nik with a new, sleek basketball. In between were several different photos. One of the earlier ones was of Nik, all alone, in a Cinderella dress, (though Connor believes he sees a flash of a yellow Belle dress in the upper right corner) curtsying to the camera and blowing a kiss. (Later, when Connor asks, Nik swears it was phase at the age of three and if he ever questions her independence again he won't be able to walk for a week.)

The next photo Connor lays eyes on has both of the twins. Nik and Michelle, riding their first bikes. First real bikes. Nik's bike is a dirt bike, electric blue with black wheels. She's got a fierce, determined look in her eyes, she's standing on her pedals, gazing at the sidewalk before her, already planning on flying down the street with her hair flying behind her. Her first taste of freedom right in front of her. He sees a little clench in her jaw, she's annoyed that she has to pose for a photo instead of riding into the sunset like she'd prefer. Michelle is behind her sister, also standing on her pedals, sticking her tongue out and scrunching her face up at the camera. Her eyes are closed, squinted shut, but Connor can tell she's scared. She'll be venturing into a new world as soon as her mother's done snapping that shot and she'll have to ride off after Nikki. Though, Connor knows Michelle, and he knows that as long as the ice=powered girl has her twin on her side she'll be okay. Michelle's bike is ice blue, like her eyes, and her wheels are a fresh white.

In the next photo, Connor sees what he was expecting, Nik flying down the sidewalk on her bike, long light brown hair whipping in the wind behind her, while Michelle is only slightly farther back. Her grip on her handlebars is making her knuckles white and he sees a fierce gaze in her eyes he'd only ever seen when she was given a challenge. Connor assumes that Michelle took her sister flying ahead of her as a challenge.

The next photo is taken sometime in the same year as the two previous. It's an action shot, the twins jumping on what could only be Nik's bed because of how messy it was. Nik is so high up the camera cuts of the very top of her head, her face is split in a smile and her electric blue eyes sparkle with mischief, the only way Connor had ever seen them sparkle. Next to her is, as always, Michelle, squealing with delight and raising a pillow to smack her sister in the face. The camera blurred the pillow and her hand, but the intent is still clear. The twins wear matching nightshirts, in colors that match their eyes.

At some point while Connor was gazing at the photos, Arthur Kelley had stepped up behind him and looked at the photos with him, after a little while, Mr. Kelley clears his throat. Connor slowly turns to the sound and gazes into the electric blue eyes that reminds him of Nik. Connor realizes the stare is not at him, but directed at the photos on the mantle behind him. It then clicks to him that Mr. Kelley is a grandson of Khione, a son of Zeus, the reason his daughters have ice and electricity powers, respectively. He, too, was a legacy.

"Our family has long been consorts of the gods, son. Dating all the way back to my grandfather. My mother was a child of Khione, whom sought out the god Zeus. They had me, and I, in turn, found love with the goddess Athena, who gave me the beautiful daughter you wish to marry."

Connor gulps, "Uhm, yes, sir. That's right, sir. I do wish to marry your daughter." He sticks his hand out to be shaken, but Mr. Kelley shakes his head.

"I don't do handshakes, son. Secondly, just because I call you "son" does not mean I like you any. You are not good enough for my daughter."

"No one ever will be sir." Connor agrees, "She's quite a woman. "

Mr. Kelley's gaze is at the photos again, and Connor turns to inspect them as well.

The first photo he lays his eyes on are when the twins are about eight, they're running through the sprinklers in t-shirts to match their eyes and jean shorts. Michelle is squealing in delight again, showing off her Popsicle-blue tongue to the camera, while Nik points her purple Popsicle at her as if to say "Un garde!" As if they were to fence. Nik's face is also lit up in delight and COnnor's eyes oblige and do the same. One look at the next picture tells Connor why Mr. Kelley went silent at Connor's comment. The final piture Connor sees that day is Nik, in her Cinderella dress, standing on her father's toes, dancing with him, and gazing into his matching eyes like he's her entire world. To Mr. Kelley, Nikolet would always be the little girl in the photos on the mantle.

"Playing Cinderella, riding her first bike. Bouncin' on the bed and lookin' for a pillow fight. Runnin' through the sprinklers, with a big Popsicle grin. Dancin' with her dad, looking up at him. In her eyes, I'm Prince Charming, but to him I'm just some fella. Ridin' in and stealing Cinderella."

Mr. Kelley pats Connor's shoulder once before calling "Nikki!" and the girl of the same name comes bounding down the stairs. She kisses her dad on the cheek, hugging him and smiling up at him the way she did so long ago in the photos.

"Don't pout, Con-man, you were next anyway." She walks over to him and hugs him.

"So, uh, I've got something to ask you..." Connor holds the velvet box in his jacket pocket. He meets Mr. Kelley's eyes, identical to his daughter's. The father meets his gaze and ever-so-slowly nods. Connor falls to one knee, pulling the box from his pocket. "So, Nikki, you wanna get married?" He opens the box to reveal a beautiful gold band with diamonds in a flower shape, surrounding a topaz gem in the middle. Nik falls on her knees infront of him and holds his face in her warm, soft hands and pecks his mouth.

"Duh."

SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG ALL!

Okay, so I recently went back to public school, meaning I had to return my computer, and couldn't get this written up online for a while. Not to mention that I wasn't in a writing mood until I visited my aunt during Christmas break. So this little guy was recently revised, along with two more, and was therefore posted. I had a drabble in my head the other dayand that's what I posted. SO HERE'S THE PROMISED CONNIK!

Next will be some more Jealous!LeChelle, and after that, some more ConNik. I have puh-lenty of ideas, I just haven't written them up. And yes, all of my ideas are song-inspired. Not necessarily songfics, but song-inspired. There is a difference in my writing. Songfics have all the words, song-inspired fics have some lyrics! Haha! LOOPHOLE! ^.^

So again, sorry for being gone so long! I should have the next two up in a little while. ^.^

-Chelle/OWS