sultal's quick note: Interactive Story Time Below! Help me write this story! PM me suggestions for pairings at the ball. Instructions below.

Chapter 59: Caught Red Handed

Wart opened the refrigerator. Thin light needled across the dark kitchen. Wart glanced over his shoulder. Then, after a disappointing survey, he decided to try the pantry.

"Boo!"

"Whoa-what! Whoa!"

"Gotcha!"

"Peter!"

Cinderella peeked out of her hiding place. Convinced that all was clear, she marched crossly to where Peter wrestled Wart to the floor. Worriedly, she glanced up the stairwell.

"Boys! Quiet! Hush! If Madame Tremaine hears you – "

"We'll give her Wart!" Pete whispered, pinning Wart's hand behind his back. "Human sacrifice!"

"I can't breath!" Wart laughed, quietly as he could. Freeing a hand, he wrangled with Peter's head. Peter emitted a noise like a dying engine.

"Boys!" Cinderella hissed, stepping over the wrestling match. "Peter! Wart! Cut it out! Just get something to eat and then – "

"Cat!" Wart gasped, chest deflating under Peter's weight.

Cinderella scowled through the darkness. "What?"

"Cat!" Wart rolled urgently, pointing at the refrigerator. "Cat! Cat! Cat!"

Cinderella turned. "Lucifer!"

"Get him!" Peter popped up, stepping on Wart. "Quick! Don't let him tell Lady Tremaine!"

It sounded ridiculous. But, the three charged at Lady Tremaine's fat feline spy. Peter kicked into the air. Cinderella grabbed a broom. Wart threw open the refrigerator door, blasting light into the kitchen.

"There!" Cinderella swung as Lucifer darted under the table. She gasped as three chairs overturned. "Wart! Your side! Your side! By the microwave!"

Wart lunged. Lucifer hissed and zigzagged between Wart's fingers. Wart yelped, snapping his hands back from Lucifer's claws. "Ouch!"

"Here kitty, kitty!" Peter dove. "Come here you mangy – gotcha!"

Puffing and spitting, Lucifer meowed like a banshee. Cinderella and Wart leapt clear of Peter's path as he tumbled head over heels.

"Take him!" Peter yelled. Wildly, he ran around the table holding Lucifer at arms length. Frantically, he threw the cat at Wart. "Here!"

"I don't want him!" Wart stumbled back, tripping over an upturned chair. He kicked at the spitting ball of fuzz and fury. "Just throw him! Throw him!"

"Where?!"

"I don't know! The toilet?"

"Even I think that's gross!"

A headlight blared outside. An engine died.

"Kay!" Wart wrenched himself up. A car door slammed shut. "Peter! Drop Lucifer before we get caught—"

"I'm trying—" Peter swerved, dodging Lucifer's claws "—not to go blind here!"

"Oh!" Cinderella raised her broom. Footsteps padded up the Orphanage walkway. "Wart! Open the window! Peter hold Lucifer still! Ready! Set!"

Keys jingled.

Cinderella swung.

WACK!

"MEEEEEEEE-OWWWWWWWWW!" Lucifer vaulted across the kitchen, out the window, and over the hedge, soaring like a fluffy ballerina.

Cinderella, Wart, and Peter sprinted to the window. They cringed as Lucifer plunged. And landed.

Splat!

Happily, Peter pretended to ring a bell. "Home run!"

The front door creaked.

The three orphans shared a terrified, excited glance. "Hide!"

"What the Devil was that?" Sir Ector wallumped into the kitchen. He gasped. "What the?" The orange bristles on his moustache swished at the terrorized kitchen. "Gad-zooks! What the blue blazes goes on here? Blllllllack magic of the worst kind!"

Peter tilted his head. Cramped with Cinderella and Wart under the kitchen sink Peter puffed his cheeks. Crossing his eyes, he impersonated Sir Ector. Wart covered his smile. Cinderella did the same, but shut the wooden door.

Peter shook his head. Batting away Cinderella's hand, he left the door ajar. This promised to be a great show! Even if he was sitting on a soggy sponge.

"What the Devil!" muttered Sir Ector banging chairs upright. Peter peered out of the crack. Sir Ector was flocked by Lady Tremaine, Kay, and…

Peter frowned. Facilier? Gaston? LeFou? What were they doing in the Orphanage? Together? So late? On a school night? Weird.

Perplexed, Peter looked at Cinderella and Wart. Both shrugged. Peter returned to the crack, wary of Facilier's shadow gliding in circles overhead.

"That darn cat, I'd wager." Kay said, thumping into a chair. His hand was wrapped in a rag. Pouting, Kay picked at the loose strings. "Or them scrawny little orphans. Want me and Gaston to go stick 'em, Dad?"

Gaston and LeFou laughed. Facilier pushed away from the counter.

"Pan's here, isn't he? Orphan? I'd like to find out why he didn't show tonight."

Wart and Cinderella held their breaths. Peter could almost hear his heart panicking. Facilier had invited him to some party in the forest…probably to booze out like usual…but…

Peter paused. He didn't know why he decided not to go. Suddenly, for no reason at all, he thought of that girl. Wendy. Wearing his gym clothes.

Peter shook his head. He smacked his pointy ears. Don't be stupid! he thought, heart roaring back to speed. You're about to get busted!

But he calmed down as Lady Tremaine spoke.

"No. Leave the brats. I'll lock the doors later. It would be vulgar for anyone to see us with these… riff-raff."

Gatson, LeFou, and Facilier curled their lips.

"Changed your tune." Facilier said, slicing out his deck of cards. "Pretty fast from a little while ago, rich lady."

Lady Tremaine's shadow bustled by. Peter backed from the door.

"Don't you address without respect, you filthy little – "

"OWW!"

Peter, Wart, and Cinderella jumped. Wart's head hit the pipe. Cinderella covered his mouth to muffle the outcry. Peter pressed away from the door, chest pounding as Lady Tremaine turned.

"Did you hear that? That noise? What – "

"That was Kay, Tremaine!" Sir Ector growled, waddling to his son. Kay howled as Sir Ector removed the rag. "Hang it all! Bleeding like a stuck pig! And by jove! Look! Look at this!"

A sharp hiss spiraled around the kitchen.

"The Devil take it…" Sir Ector breathed. There was silence. Then, Sir Ector spoke. His voice quavered. "…we….we all better have a look, then. Everyone…rags off."

Peter inched forward. Lady Tremaine's skirts blocked view of Sir Ector and Kay. Slowly, Peter pressed a finger against the door. He leaned forward onto his knees. He looked out the door.

He almost threw up.

Kay, Sir Ector, Lady Tremaine, Gaston, LeFou, and Facilier had all removed gauze from their hands. And across each hand, from the tip of the middle finger down to the wrist was a long, bloody gash.

Cinderella quavered. Wart's mouth dropped. Peter stared, engrossed as Facilier held his bloody palm to the light.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he smiled, rotating his hand. Blood dripped down his arm like a scarlet spider web. "Mark of belonging. And power."

"Hurts like all Hell!" Kay wailed. He slammed his fist into the table. "How am I suppose to hold m' jousting stick?"

"You'll manage." Facilier grinned, lowering his hand. He flicked out a card. A joker stuck to his shinny, red palm. "We all will. You'll see. For we have friends…"

Facilier snapped his fingers. The lights whooshed out.

"…on the other side."

Peter, Cinderella, and Wart froze. They didn't budge until the kitchen was once again empty.

"What was that?" Cinderella whispered. Wart exhaled a frightened breath.

Peter shook his head. "I...I don't know."

There they sat. And there they stayed.

And the clock struck twelve.

sultal's note: Hi all - glad you are liking the story. Also gald that the drama was pleasing ;) Always a pleasure to give Lana a bloody nose.

Ok soooo, I thought we'd make this INTERACTIVE STORY TIME. I am getting ready to write the ball scene in few chapters. And, I've got a lot of..."unattached" characters. You know...characters that are single in the movies. I did some research about crossover shipping, but I thought to myself "sultal...why not make it fun!?"

So...which characters hook ups do you love? If you want, PM me (review if you are a guest) with shippings and character match ups that you like or just want to see! I will look for the most popular ones or the craziest/sweetest ones and try to incorporate as many as I can into the story! I will also give you props for the idea at the end of the chapter.

Obviously...ya cant use Jim, Wendy, Peter, Ariel, Eric, Flynn, Aladdin, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Mulan, Tigerlily, John Darling, and Shang. Taken. I would also prefer the obvious cannon characters to be left out (aka David/Nani, Adam(Beats)/Belle, Pocahontas/John Smith, Cinderella/Prince Charming, Snow White/Prince).

BUUUUUUUUUUUT, remember, this is high school...people date crazy weird during high school so I am open to suggestions. Just give me a little reason why - I'm totally persuasive. So if you REALLY SUPER WANT to see Belle and "some other dude" share a dance, I'm up for a shout out.

Here are some ideas for unattached characters. Go wild.

DUDES: Kuzco, Wart, Thomas (from Pocahontas), Quasimodo, Clopin (from Hunchback), Kocoum, Facilier, Gaston, LeFou, Hans (from Frozen), Terrance/Bobble/Clank(pixie hollow), Yao/Ling/Chein Po (from Mulan), Young MacGuff/Young Macintosh/Young Dingwall (suitors from Brave), Clayton (from Tarzan), Little John.

WOMEN: Charlotte LaBouffe, Alice, Elsa, Merida, any one of Ariel's sister or cousins (Attina, Arista, Adella, Aquata, Alana, Andrina, Coredelia, Lana, Coral, Maris, Marina, Limpet) any one of the pixies (Vidia, Fawn, Iridessa, Silvermist, Rosetta), Anastasia Tremaine, Drizzella Tremaine, Helga/Audrey (from Atlantis).

...and anyone else I forgot! You have maybe 2 days to participate if you want.

have fun.

keep writing.