Disclaimer: I own zilch except for the tiny fact that I'm amazing.

Ben's Note of Sheer Awesome: Alrighty! So, I'm amazing, and I've decided to come back and finish up the last few things of the recovery arc. Also, with my new story, Sins of Love, out and taking form, I want to be at a good resting spot for this fic before I do a few things on that one. Who knew I'd be so into writing stuff for this fandom? Anyway, let's go!

Hi KCL! How are you doing? It feels as though we don't talk much anymore. Then again, I keep doing hiatuses, so that makes sense. Anyway, hopefully you like this chapter!

Prompt 34: Losing

Hunter didn't really like the feeling of losing.

Kitty moved a chess piece and smirked. "Checkmate," she said. Hunter grasped his hair. No way. Kitty beat him. He lost…

Then again, it didn't help both Alistair, Alice, and the Cheshire Cat all giving her tips in how to win. They didn't know the real rules to chess, but they knew the concept fair enough to give Kitty the idea. Hunter groaned in defeat, but offer Kitty a smile.

"Alright, you win," he said. "I guess you had to beat me at some point, right?"

"I just figured I had my mom here, along with my boyfriend and his mom, so I figured we could beat you together," Kitty shrugged. "I don't think I would have beaten you otherwise."

Hunter chuckled. "Well, you can officially say you've beaten me," he said. "Try Dexter sometime, Other than Lizzie, he's the best at chess."

Kitty smiled. "I think I will. Thanks for the game Hunter," she said.

"Any time," he shrugged. Kitty and her mom vanished, leaving Alistair, Alice, and Hunter alone. Hunter looked around. "Where did they go off to?" he asked. He soon got his answer when Headmaster Grimm ran into the library with his pants on fire, yelling his head off.

"SH!" the step-sisters hissed.

"My pants are on fire! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!" he shouted. The sisters looked at each other, nodded, and dove under the desk. They came out with welding masks and blow torches. Headmaster Grimm shrieked and bolted out of the library.

"Never mind, question answered," Hunter said, making the group laugh.

"Oh, hey Alistair," Alice said. "I have to go talk to that roommate of Kitty's. Have to make sure that you're being good in her room."

"Mom!" Alistair moaned, making both Alice and Hunter chuckle. Alice walked off, leaving the two boys alone.

"So… Kitty's a nice catch," Hunter said. "I'm glad you two are a thing. Keeps everyone off me and Ashlynn, ya know?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean," he nodded. "Being the hottest couple must not be the nicest thing in the world. If there's a greater couple to rise above you, life must be calmer."

"That it is," Hunter confirmed.

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Alistair said, "Hunter… I wanted to say thank you."

Hunter cocked his head. "For what?" he asked.

"For helping Kitty when she needed it," Alistair said. "We were kind of losing touch from each other and I found it hard to be there for her. You were that rock she had when I wasn't there for her. So for that… thank you."

Hunter shrugged with a proud smile. "It was no problem. Kitty's a great girl. She looked like she needed someone to talk to, so I went over and offered to be her rock."

"Well, thank you for doing it," Alistair smiled.

Headmaster Grimm, meanwhile, bolted into his office and locked the door. His hair was gone and his pants were black and burned. He wasn't going to give in. He was safe inside his office.

"Hey Grimm?"

Oh no…

Headmaster Grimm turned around to see the Cheshire Cat and Kitty Cheshire standing behind him. Both were smirking. "We can teleport," Kitty said.

"I demand you stop this nonsense immediately!" Headmaster Grimm demanded.

"Oh, we will," the Cheshire Cat said. "After you allow Kitty to receive the help she needs."

"I already told Alistair and her no!"

The Cheshire Cat walked up closely to the Headmaster, and evil smile on her face as she got so close her lips were at his ears. "I'm her mother," she said. "I hold a lot more power than Alistair does. One slip… and you will regret it."

"That means…" the Headmaster was about to say.

"Everything," came a new voice. Everyone turned to see Giles walk into the room, a key in hand. "Milton, your words hold nothing against the power of this concerned mother."

"Brother, she's wrong! I know what's best for my students!" the Headmaster boomed.

"But she knows what's best for her daughter," Giles said, shaking his head. "That bond is a lot stronger than your power. Therefore, you must step down and meet what they want."

The Headmaster glared at his brother, then at the Cheshire Cat, then back at his brother. Then he glared at Kitty and sighed. "Very well," he grumbled. "Kitty Cheshire is hereby granted help."

"Splendid," Giles said, sending a smile over to Kitty. "I'll be willing to talk to you for a schedule where you can see me. I work as a makeshift counselor, and I'm kid friendly, unlike my brother. Would that be alright?"

Kitty smiled gratefully. "That sounds purrfect," she said.

Maddie was reading when she heard a knock on her door. Curious, she set the book down and reached the door. She opened it and smiled to see Alice standing there. "Aunt Alice!" Maddie said, hugging the women.

"I'm not your aunt," Alice chuckled.

"You feel like it," Maddie giggled. "What's up? Everything ok? Are you here to embarrass Alistair? That's what the author said, and he's never wrong, nope!"

"Actually, I'm here for something else," Alice said, her happy demeanor falling serious. "It's been over seven years since I saw you last because of the curse. And last time you came to talk to me, you had a crush on my son. My question is this: did you ever lose it?"

Maddie continued to smile at the women she considered her aunt. She loved her like an aunt, since she and her father were close friends. The third person to hold her other than her parents was Aunt Alice. Maddie continued to smile, until after a moment, a tear fell out of her eye. "No."

BN: *cries* What? They don't all have to be exaggerated. Anyway, this was broken down into three sub-plots. One, Alistair wanted to show gratitude to Hunter for being there for Kitty while they were having a rough time. I mean, since Hunter is acting as Kitty's brother, Alistair felt as though he should be grateful to him for that. Two, Kitty, while recovered, still needs an adult to talk to, thus her mom eventually getting Headmaster Grimm to give Kitty what she needs. I also feel Giles was the best one for Kitty, since he can be fun, but also knows how to handle problems of teenagers better than Milton does. Three, to start a sub-plot involving Maddie and the couple. Again, read the title of the fic, and sigh exasperated. Don't worry, Maddie will get a happily ever after. I'm not heartless.

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