Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time does not belong to me! All characters and references to the show belong to ABC and Channel 5
Once Upon a Time: Schools Out! The Third One-Chapter 8
The next day found the Dame House to be almost empty, those who usually inhabited it either at their second period classes or elsewhere (Ruby had mentioned some sort of clothes sale at the Mall that she stubbornly tried to persuading her friends to blow off their classes to come to) and Snow White and James had decided to take full advantage of the empty dorm, sitting on the comfy sofa of the living area and reading some books on pregnancy.
At least, that had been the plan...
They had no idea how it happened, but one minuet they'd been sat together and reading about the early stages of labour, and the next the book had fallen to the floor and Snow White was straddling James' lap, her hands flat on his chest as his fingers twined themselves in her long hair and bringing her ruby-red lips to his in a passionate kiss.
Snow White's fingers trailed to James' chest, fiddling with the buttons of his shirt until she exposed the skin of his chest. He moaned when her fingernails lightly scratched his skin, and his hands left her raven locks to gently trailed downwards to her lower back, his almost feather-light touch making Snow White shiver as she plundered his mouth-
Right at that moment, Belle stormed into the Dame House-having just come from her second period Geography class-and flung her bag on the couch with a sound of despair before throwing herself onto the soft cushions. She slouched in the seat as far as she could go, crossed her arms over her chest so tight it was unlikely they would ever unravel, and glared darkly at the silent T.V in front of her.
James and Snow White froze, both of them staring at her and unable to move.
"Uh..." Snow White started tentively "Everything O.k, Belle?"
"No!" Belle replied shortly, not looking around "I went to Gene to beg him to take that damned story back-again!-and he still won't do it!"
"Oh, sweetie..." Snow White sympathised, and Belle snorted.
"He said that he was 'Sorry', but the story had become more popular than he thought and he couldn't afford to retract it, and that there was 'Not really a lot of point when everyone's already seen it!'" she mimicked his voice in a high, childish tone before falling back into a scowl "He's such an arse!" she muttered crossly before lapsing into silence.
"...Um, Belle?" said James, sounding breathless "Are you going to be here long?"
Belle's look became darker "Well excuse me, but the last time I checked this was a free-" she stopped mid-yell when she sat up properly and turned to face the couple, finally seeing the way Snow White and James were wrapped around each-other. Her face blushed scarlet.
"Oh my..." Belle stammered, shooting up from the couch and averting her eyes. She pointed wildly at the couple "For Gods sake! It's 10:30 in the morning, you two!" she squeaked before rushing back out of the dorm.
"Well, this place was empty until you burst in!" James called after her. Snow White rolled her eyes, a guilty giggle bursting forth from her well-kissed lips. She started to comment, but all of a sudden her lips were very busy, and for a brief moment she wondered about suggesting that, maybe, they move to a room that was more private, but all capacity of thought left her mind as James' hands stroked her arms and caressed her back, his lips moving from her's to the porcelain column of her throat-
"Check out what I got!"
Both James and Snow White groaned frustratedly as they were interrupted yet again by the loud arrival of Ruby Lucas, her arms laden with bags that were overflowing with clothes.
"Would you believe that they were having a massive blow-out of shoes and clothes at the mall?!" she beamed "It was so aweso-" like Belle, she also stopped in mid-sentance when she saw how James and Snow White were...positioned. Unlike Belle, she didn't flush scarlet with embarrassment and run out of the room, but rather had a huge, cheeky grin spread right across her face.
"Watcha been doin'?" she asked, giggling.
Rather than answer her, Snow White let her burning forheadhead fall against James' shoulder, a loud groan being the only response she gave.
OUAT
A little while later, when lunch had come around and Snow White was in a more...conversational mood, she and Ruby found themselves together again on the Dame Houses couch, where Ruby brought up an interesting subject.
"So Tiana told me that she saw Regina go into your room yesterday" she said, her voice accusing, and Snow White damned the name of the New Orleans girl "Want to tell me what that was about?"
Snow White shook her head slightly "I don't really want to get into it"
"Why not? Did she threaten you?!" Ruby took on a fiercer tone, suddenly ready to take on the world "Because I swear to God I will kick her ass straight back to Hell-"
"No! Ruby, she didn't threaten me!" Snow White quickly explained "She just wanted to talk to me, that was all!"
Ruby's eyes narrowed. She turned in her seat so that she was facing Snow White properly.
"About what?" she asked "Look, Snow, we both know I'm not going to let this go so just tell me!"
"God...alright!" Snow White beckoned for her to come a little closer so that they wouldn't be overheard "She wanted to talk to me...because she thought she heard someone call me 'Fairest' yesterday"
Ruby pulled away with a loud gasp, her mouth and eyes perfect circles of shock "What?!"
"Ssh!" Snow White silenced her loud shriek, looking around to make sure no-one had heard them "For Gods sake! Anyone could've heard that!"
"'Fairest?'" Ruby seemed to be having a little trouble hearing her "Again? God, Snow, I am so sorry..."
"It's fine" Snow White shrugged, and then she frowned "But, the weird thing was...I didn't actually know anyone had called me that until Regina told me last night"
Ruby looked suspicious "You think she might be playing some kind of sick joke on you?"
"No" Snow White said immediately "She was way too freaked out for it to be a joke, she really might have heard something..." her frown disappearing, she shifted closer to Ruby, a memory springing up in her mind "You might have heard it though!"
"Me?!"
"Yesterday, when you, me and Ella met up with Belle after fourth period! Apparently that was when Regina heard it. Think, did you hear anything that might've sounded like 'Fairest?'"
Ruby frowned, searching though her brain. But, like Snow White, she hadn't really been paying attention to her surroundings. She shook her head, and Snow White's face fell.
"Damn..."
Tugging on a strand of red-streaked hair nervously, Ruby leaned closer to Snow White, wondering if she would listen to what she had just thought, or if she would just frighten her "Hey, Snow?" Snow White hummed, and Ruby glanced down and then up again tensely "Do you think that...maybe...Regina might...?"
"Might what?" Snow White waited for her to finish, and when Ruby spoke again, her voice had dropped to a whisper:
"Do you think she might be...loosing it again?" Snow White pulled away, a hand coming across to cover her mouth. It hung there for a while, contemplating, and she shook her head as she removed it.
"I don't know" her other hand slid protectively across her belly, where her child was resting "I hope not"
"Hm" Ruby nodded, also looking down at the bump "Do you think we should tell Daniel about this?"
Snow White frowned at her "No. Why?"
Ruby scoffed "Well, his girlfriend might be about to go insane, don't you think he should know?"
"I don't think it's our place to tell him!" Snow White retorted "And besides, what if we're wrong and we just end up pissing her off? Can we really risk that?"
"Do you want to risk the alternative?" Ruby asked darkly, her eyes locking with Snow White's "Snow, think about what happened last time. If she looses it again then you-and your baby!-could be in danger"
Snow White bit her lip, considering. She felt Emma give her a kick "O.k, how about this?" she said "The Fairest thing could just be a one time thing, so we don't tell Daniel, or anyone else about this, unless we have actual proof that she's starting to slip? Agreed?"
"What?! Snow-"
"Agreed?!" Snow White firmly repeated, and Ruby let out a heavy exhale of defeat. She supposed she did have a point...
"Agreed" she said. Snow White then held out her hand, and the two shook on it.
OUAT
In the Stable Eating deli, Regina watched Daniel chat to Maleficent. Well, not so much chat as her talking incessantly about the black stallion she had in her home town while he made agreeing sounds and tried to clear the table. She smiled at him softly, sending him a silent message of sympathy. She nearly burst out laughing when, in return, he sent her a look that begged her to free him.
In an act of kindness, she obliged "Maleficent! Shut-up!"
The blonde glared over at Regina "Excuse me?!"
"You've been babbling about that damned horse for a year and a half!" she smirked, glancing up to see Daniel's grateful look "Shut-up and let my boyfriend do his job!"
Maleficent sucked in a high gasp, glaring viciously at her so-called friend while her lips parted in an insulted O.
"You're such a bitch!" she growled, standing up and grabbing her purple jacket "I did not come here to be insulted!" and with that, she stormed out of the deli, both Daniel and Regina staring after her, one looking faintly surprised, and the other with a devilish smile on her lips.
Daniel turned back to her, a thumb pointed towards the door "Aren't you two friends?"
Regina shrugged "Usually"
Daniel let out a small laugh, shaking his head, mystified. He picked up Maleficent's and Regina's empty plates "Y'know, I can't help but wonder how, despite the crazy way you treat people, you're still the Student Body President!"
"Well" Regina leaned back in her chair, giving him a very teachery look "Having a parent who's really rich and really scary has it's perks"
Daniel made an amused noise and went to dispose of the dirty plates. Regina watched him go, lifting her polystyrene cup she took a sip of her coffee and gave herself a small congratulations on her performance. Had it been anyone else who had made that mistake and she would've snapped at them like a Rottwiler. But it hadn't been his fault, in fact, she was willing to bet that he'd said it without thinking.
But God, how she hated that word! Crazy. For a long time after she got out of the asylum she had been a walking target for that insult, that and Nutcase, Nutter, Loony, Loopy, Mad Cow, and for one brief period, Fruitcake. But all that one did was give her a craving for cake.
But that had been a long time ago. That wasn't her anymore and she had never tried to poison anyone since. She had even been sent to a shrink and was given the all-clear after three months. She wasn't the crazy girl anymore, so she had nothing to worry about.
Other than the fact that, when she had woken up this morning, all of the stuff on her dresser had moved around.
And the door had been locked.
OUAT
Later that day, when classes had ended and the sun was starting to set, Belle walked back to her dorm room that was next to Snow White's, her body and wet hair wrapped in a towel after her shower. She stepped inside her room and started to dry herself off, dressing in pale blue cotton shorts and a baggy grey checked shirt. She then unwrapped her hair and pulled her little black hairbrush through it, feeling around the surface of her ornate wooden dresser for her hairdryer.
Once she had dried out her curls she put the dryer back on the dresser. Fluffing it out, she went over to her desk to write her column for the Daily Mirror. Yep, she was still writing columns for the newsletter despite the fact that her boss was a complete and utter arse. She was thinking of calling her latest installment "Things Are Not Always as They Appear"
But when Belle looked down at her desk properly, she realised that she wasn't going to be able to write her column tonight, for the space at the enter of her desk where her computer usually lay was bare. Her laptop was gone.
And in it's place? A little white carboard rectangle.
"What the hell?!" Belle reached out and picked up the card, and blood started to boil in her veins when she saw the hand drawn top hat on the white cardboard.
Jefferson...turning the card over, she saw that the Hatter had written her a message:
If you want it back, meet me at the Media Building at 8-J
So. The Hatter had taken her lap-top.
Hm.
Belle looked at her alarm clock and checked the time. It was 7:45.
Opening her dresser drawer, she started to pick out some fresh clothes and put them on, if the Hatter was a punctual man-and she assumed he was-she had around fifteen minuets until she was supposed to meet him.
And when she did, she was going to well and truly kick his arse into next week!
OUAT
8:00
Jefferson leaned on the brickwork outside the Media Building, checking his watch before looking around the floodlight lit campus. Belle should be here by now.
It had been a simple matter of getting the lap-top He'd quickly realised that the nice guy act wasn't working on the beauty, so all that was left was for him to play dirty, and so earlier that day he'd sneaked into the Dame House while she was in Geography (slipping past a *ahem* preoccupied Snow White Blanchard and James Nolan) and gone into her room. He'd then taken the lap-top, left the card, and gotten the hell out of there before anyone knew what happened.
All that was left was to play the waiting game.
He checked his watch again. 8:02.
Hm. Wasn't like Belle French to be late.
"If this is your way of trying to convince me you're not a bad guy, you're doing a crap job of it!"
Oh, there she was.
"Well, I had to get your attention somehow!" he responded cheerily, stepping out of the shadows and watching Belle walk towards him, her ballet-flatted feet almost stamping on the concrete and her hair pulled back off her face in a messy ponytail, so that a few trendills flicked across her furious face.
Wow, she looks pissed he thought delightedly as she reached him. Indeed, her face was set in an expression of unguarded anger, her eyes focusing on him as though they wanted to burn him alive, her jaw locked.
"Where's my lap-top, you bastard?" she demanded upon reaching him, and Jefferson laughed lightly, shoving him hands into his jacket pockets.
"Don't worry, it's safe" he informed her.
"Give it back to me! Now!" she ordered, a few more curled tendrils falling into her face.
"Don't worry, I will..." he grinned at her "After you come on a date with me this Saturday"
"What?!"
"Those are the conditions" Jefferson said simply, he started to circle her and Belle's eyes followed him as he continued talking:
"You come out with me on Saturday, let me take you out for...I don't know, a movie? Dinner? I dunno, something nice, and at the end of it I'll give you back your computer, and if you still don't like me by then-"
"Which I won't!" Belle snapped.
"-then I promise" he continued like he hadn't heard her "I will never bother you again!" he stopped in front of her, waiting for her reaction. Belle appeared to be nothing more than very frustrated.
"Saturdays not gonna work for me" she told him testily "I need that lap-top back now!" she stressed, and Jefferson raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on his chest.
"Excuse me, but I do believe this was my deal?"
"I could report you to the Dean, you know!"
"What makes you think he would find it? I live in the Darq House, Belle, I know how to hide things when I need to!"
The young woman glared at him, her arms folding under her chest (which was wrapped in a lovely bright blue coat to ward off the cold) as she exhaled heavily.
"I don't have a choice in this, do I?" she muttered, and Jefferson gasped with a look of hurt that was obviously fake.
"Why of course you have a choice, Belle! You can either come out with me, and spend only another four days without your precious computer. Or, you can fork out for a new one, which I assume will definately take a hit on your Collage tuition fund"
Belle didn't respond to this, keeping her arms crossed so that she didn't slap that smug look right of his face. She kept her eyes fixed on him, considering her choices.
The Hatter watched her, gleeful anticipation evident on his face. His lips spread in a wide, toothy grin:
"So? What's it gonna be?"
So, what do you think Belle's gonna say? Please read and review. Chapters might take a little longer as I'm currently working on another piece of fanfiction (yet to be uploaded) so please bear with me.