Happy Easter everyone! I've got a new chapter for you! I just have to say that I really liked this one. Hope you do too!

Disclaimer: I don't own Spring Awakening, but if anyone has a Genie with a few wishes that they wouldn't mind giving away...

Patience

"This is delicious, Frau Gabor," Wendla said to Melchior's mother.

"I agree, Mother. Even better then usual," Melchior said, taking another bite of the freshly cooked meat and potatoes. Frau Gabor smiled. She was glad to see her son happy, not just because of the meal. She glanced over at Wendla. Frau Gabor knew it had been a good idea to get a little extra meat when she saw Wendla skipping down the road.

"Did you do anything different, Dear?" Herr Gabor asked.

"I may have added a little too much garlic," Frau Gabor said, thinking over all the ingredients she had used.

Herr Gabor smiled. "Maybe you should do that more often," he said, taking another bite.

"What do you think, Moritz?" Wendla asked, looking over at Moritz who only seemed to be picking at the meal.

He looked up at the circle of expecting faces and snapped out of his trace. "Oh, uh, I'm sure t-t-that it's very good, Frau Gabor."

"Moritz, is something wrong?" Frau Gabor asked.

Moritz set down his fork. "Yes. The carpenter."

"What about the carpenter?" Melchior asked.

"He-He-He won't stop going on and on about how h-horrible I am at everything!" Moritz said throwing his arms in the air. "Melchior, remember when he said that he would stop saying things when I started doing them right?" Melchior shook his head, his mouth full of potatoes. "Well, I t-think that I've gotten a lot better then I had when I first started out. I haven't broken anything in a week. I know how almost all of the machines work. I've learned basically everything that I need to about the t-trade. But he won't stop saying how terrible I am at everything I attempt. An-and when I do have something done right, he only scoffs and says, 'About time, Klutz.'"

"That's terrible!" Wendla said.

"I don't think so," Herr Gabor said. Everyone else lifted their heads form their plates. "He's only getting harder on you because you've been his apprentice for a while now. If I had an apprentice that was more…accident prone, I wouldn't encourage him when he started getting better, that would only make him slack more. Do you know what I'm saying, Moritz? The carpenter's only doing it for your own good."

It seemed obvious that Moritz didn't understand, but he still returned his head to its downward position and said, "Yes, Herr Gabor." Frau Gabor looked at everyone at the table; Moritz, completely unwilling to speak up; her husband, proud to have given such good advice; Wendla, obviously concerned about Moritz; and her son, still vigorously eating his meal so as to keep his mouth full of food when it wanted to say something back to his father. It was times like this when she'd like to speak up, but she knew her husband would never allow it. She knew that her son must have felt the same, and she hoped that this thought would keep his mouth closed also.

"How is it for his own good?" Frau Gabor hoped that wasn't the voice she thought it was. She looked over to see her now standing son.

"Son-" Herr Gabor started.

"No, I want you to apologize to Moritz for saying something so…degrading," Melchior said. Frau Gabor could see the passion burning in his eyes. This wasn't going to go away.

"Melchior, he's an apprentice. He's in a degrading position."

"So you think that it's fine to make someone feel worthless when he already have proof that he is?" Melchior set his hands on the table, completely tense. Frau Gabor could see an anger rising in her husband. She had to stop this.

"Melchior, calm down. You've both made your points, but its time for you two to settle down and eat this meal like the Lord intended us to," Frau Gabor said as calm as possible while still showing that this was to be taken as a command. Melchior sat but did not eat. "Moritz, pass the salt please." Moritz, who had been staring at his plate the entire time, looked up and grabbed the salt shaker beside him and passed it to Frau Gabor. "Thank you, Dear."

"Maybe I should be going." Wendla said, beginning to get out of her seat.

"Nonsense, Child. You've only just touched your meal. I invited you for dinner, and I meant the entire dinner-"

"No, my mother will be wondering where I am if I'm not in before the sun sets," Wendla said, pushing in her seat. "Thank you, Herr and Frau Gabor. I really did enjoy the visit." She curtsied and glanced over at a miserable Moritz and a restrained Melchior before making her way out of the room.

"Let me help you to the door," Melchior said, rising and following Wendla.

As soon as they exited the room, Herr Gabor scoffed, "Why did you invite her, Fanny? You'll only be encouraging the thoughts of the boys."

"And what thoughts would those be?" Frau Gabor asked innocently, glancing at a still miserable Moritz who tilted his head slightly upward.

"You know what thoughts I mean. The thoughts that cause more trouble for us and make our name the laughing stalk of this village we're forced to be living in," Herr Gabor said.

"Well, I don't know about 'forced.' I actually enjoy living here. No one said that we had to live here. As I recall, that was your idea," Frau Gabor said. She could see the red appearing in her husbands cheeks; he was always so easy to tease. She couldn't help hiding a smile. "Are you done with your plate, Dear?" She glanced down at his empty plate.

"Yes, thank you," he said, pulling up his handkerchief and wiping his face.

"You too, Moritz?" Moritz looked at his full plate and nodded. Frau Gabor sighed and began thinking of the ingredients she would need for her meat and potatoes stew.

"Frau Gabor, m-may I be excused?" Moritz asked.

"Of course, Dear. Wendla probably hasn't left yet." She glanced up to see a glimpse of Moritz blushing as he left the table.

It wasn't long before Herr Gabor got up as well and went to join his wife with the dishes. "Honestly, Fanny, I have no idea how you can stand this son of yours," he said, drying the dish passed to him. Frau Gabor smiled; they had always had different views on how to raise Melchior.

"It's a little something called patience. I remember you having plenty of it when you would constantly ask for my father's blessing. He turned you down every time until his dying day, remember? He always thought that we weren't old enough," she grinned as she saw a shade of pink fill her husbands cheeks.

And that's the way the cookie crumbles. :) Hope all of you enjoyed it. If you did or didn't, PLEASE express your opinions in a review box. 'Till next time!