Hey everybody, hope you haven't been waiting too long. Got a new chapter out just in time. It'll be the last chapter for the intermission, but don't worry, the drama ain't stopping just yet.

Hope you all enjoy!

Ed figured things were starting to get better now, at least on the front with Ghoulia. Obviously not fully repaired, but beginnings were better than nothing. There was also the fact that they did sort-of… well, they were dating.

Yeah, that fact still felt weird to him. Especially after telling Frankie and Rosabella near the tree close to animal center.

"I can't believe locking you in a closet actually worked out for the two of you." Rosabella had figured it was a desperate act, but it was surprisingly effective. And kind of cute to see them being so close to each other. "I honestly expected you two to break out at first opportunity. Again, it wasn't my idea."

"Hey, you were the one complaining about them having a lot of UST before they even started working around here!" Frankie did not want to take the full brunt of the blame. Even if it was her idea. "I just went with the first idea I could find in my magazines. It even worked too! I had so many back-up plans ready too."

"Thank goodness none of it has to see the light of day." Ghoulia drawled as she kept close to Ed, nuzzling into his chest. She figured that the way they got together wasn't ideal… but it was still nice in its own way. "I would also suggest never using the first plan ever again either. This should be an exception that only proves the rule, and you might get charged if you do it against a more litigious person."

"I was ready to break down the door, so," Ed shrugged, Ghoulia's threat having more of an effect on the two. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask about the state of the dragon eggs. Are they going to be okay?"

"Ah, yes. They all should be fine developmentally, though some were definitely 'overheated.' Closer inspection actually showed it was by magic, too." Rosabella looked at the data on her MirrorPhone once again before shutting it off. "That implies somebody snuck in and tried to sabotage the dragon's development. They might have actually tried to speed it up too. I know it's a little soon to ask, but can you all…"

"We'll take a look into what happened. There's a lot of magic users, though, so don't expect any immediate results." Ed shrugged. It was a true statement. They could guess that it was a student, though, judging from what they can tell of Ever After High's records. "And Frankie, I think Jackson has been calling about helping him catch up in Mad Science…"

"Right! I need to go, sorry about this!" Frankie scrambled to get her school stuff off of the ground where she had left it, rushing off to meet the boy. "I'm happy for you two! I'll make sure Spectra doesn't report on it as much as I can!"

"…I'm not the only one that thinks she might have something for Jekyll, right?" Ghoulia raised an eyebrow at everyone. "Maybe we should return the favor sooner rather than later."

"I'll gladly help you if you decide to do that." Rosabella decided that she should leave too and let the two have some privacy. "Make sure to send me a few reports on who could've messed with the incubators. I'd like to have a talk with whoever did it."

"We'll be sure to!" Ed waved off the princess as she headed back to her job, shrugging all the while. "Well, that's one thing dealt with. Why do you think someone would want to mess with the dragon egg so much? It isn't like they'll hatch as adults, right?"

"No. Quite honestly, by the time any dragon would grow big enough to fly, much less support someone's weight, it would take decades of a person's life for it to occur." Ghoulia had researched dragon growth and dragon riding extensively since the issue arose. It just didn't make sense. "It could be possible it was just a twisted plan to make them grow to old age first, but again, that would take quite a while despite the attempt to make the process faster."

"Well, doesn't it mean that it's a good thing it failed then?"

The couple stopped, looking up to find Maddie in the tree above them. Which was par for the course for her, but it wasn't like it wasn't still a surprise.

"Oh, almost forgot; congratulations!" Maddie jumped down, hugging the two briefly as they both blushed. "I figured you'd two would get together at some point. Didn't think this was how it would go, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Just please tell me you didn't bet on how our relationship would develop." Ghoulia figured that was highly likely with their group of friends. "I will start hedging bets on everyone else if you all did."

"We didn't, we swear. We were fairly sure you'd kill us if we did, honestly." Clawdeen stated, followed behind by Double D and Cerise. She did stop before moving to sit down near them. "Okay, we may have had some unofficial ones, but no money was put on the table. Happy?"

"Eh, kinda. I'd be offended if you didn't take that much interest." Ed chuckled as Ghoulia fondly rolled her eyes. He pulled her onto his laps as revenge, giving Double D a questioning look as his girlfriend (still a weird statement) became flustered. "How's everything on your end? Haven't really talked much about…"

"I'm fine. Not completely, of course, but better than before." Double D shrugged awkwardly. He'd feel awkward about it for a while, but he supposed that came with the territory of being more honest. "Cerise's mother is a therapist and I'm going to set up more appointments with her. I-I'd also suggest maybe taking a look. I'm sorry if that's overreaching, but we need to talk about Peach Creek more."

"To be fair, you did have literally everything thrown back into your faces, so you can be excused for not talking to each other." Cerise opened up her lunch box, grabbing the ham sandwich out of it and taking a quick bite. "I almost regret inviting her, though. Ramona caught our parents messing around in dad's office and she hasn't been the same since."

"…Badwolf is your father!" Ghoulia snapped out of her flustered stupor, nearly hitting herself in the forehead at the revelation. "Dear lord, I knew you had plenty of werewolf traits, but I wrote that off because I wanted to be polite! I knew I should've asked sooner."

"Oh thank God, I was hoping you'd get the hint first. Coming clean is a lot harder than letting someone else figure things out." Cerise elbowed Clawdeen, who looked sheepish for a second. "Isn't that right?"

"Hey, you should be happy I figured that out too. It made sure I didn't rat out the Ed's when I learned about them too." Clawdeen grabbed the hooded girl, pulling back said hood a little so she could have easier access to her ear. "Besides, I like seeing those cute little ears. Maddie couldn't let go of them after talking with your mom earlier."

"That's because they're adorable and shouldn't have to be kept hidden as much they are. Also, she didn't stop me either because she seemed relaxed when I rubbed them." Maddie learned into Double D's face, squinting her eyes. "I bet you took full advantage of that when you were the only one that knew."

"I'm almost offended by that accusation. Also, dear lord, please rephrase that if you ever mention it in front of anyone else. It sounds very wrong." Double D only received an accusing finger before Maddie moved to sit between him and Clawdeen, laying against him to set up her tea set in comfort. "…I suppose we do have to broach the next issue soon as well; what do we do with Eddy?"

The question was a good one, especially since they knew how Eddy could be. Considering he didn't react well to the death of someone he hated, it wasn't likely he was going to be cooperative to anything they wanted to do.

A fact Ed and Ghoulia knew already, sharing quick looks before gulping nervously.

"We… actually received word from Raven not that long ago about him. There's been a development." The looks she got from that statement forced her back off. "No one's hurt! They just figured out a few things and we might need to cut to the chase as soon as possible."

"He lashed out at someone again, didn't he?" Cerise received a nod, making her groan. "Of course. Who did he decide to emotionally destroy this time? Apple?"

"Looking into the story structure is my thing, Cerise. Don't look too far ahead." Maddie nudged the girl with her foot, still focusing on making tea. "I'm sure we can smooth over whatever he said or did. It isn't like he fully meant it or anything."

"That isn't actually what we're talking about. He did do that, though, but that'll be resolved later." Ed pulled out his iCoffin, pulling up the chat he had with Raven and handing it over to Clawdeen. "It turns out he's made some plans that we're going to need to stop. And fast."

"I really don't like how that's phrased. I'm not going to see anything too bad in this, right?" The werewolf laughed nervously before actually starting to read. Cerise leaned over too to check it out as well, eyebrow shooting upward. "…Wow. Okay, this is seriously not good. I wasn't prepared for that."

"He's really just- dammit, has he gone completely insane!" Cerise recoiled as she reached the final part. "I mean, good news on that last part, but woah."

"We're thinking that if we can't stop him through logic, appealing to his dealing side would work much better." Ghoulia didn't know if it would work, but they'd come up with a few ideas. "A contract might help things along, but I wouldn't mind second opinions on what we wrote."

"Uh, guys?" Maddie pointed at Double D, who was getting more frantic by the second. "Maybe show him before we decide on doing anything."

Clawdeen handed off the iCoffin to Double D, who grabbed at it and read the chat quickly. He gasped loudly, offense and worry mixing together as he exclaimed-

"You're trying to sign the Book of Legends?!"

"Yeah, what's it to you?!"

Ed winced as he saw the two argue, feeling his shoulders slump at the sight. Raven, Cleo, and Apple just watched it happen with some raised eyebrows.

"I figured you guys weren't told about it, but wow, he really did just make this decision on his own." Raven watched the argument like a tennis match as Double D and Eddy were throwing accusations at each other. "I thought you told him hours ago."

"I did. I think Double D's been storing this so he could let it out." Ed grabbed the back of his friend's neck, pulling him down onto the seat next to them. They'd entered one of the student break rooms to talk and this wasn't the time to argue. "Come on, we need to get through this. Eddy, we wanted to have a talk with you…"

"That's all anyone wants to do these days. If only it was because people thought I was popular." Eddy learned back into his chair, gripping the arm rests. His eyes went over the girls again, giving a rigid smile. "Giving it one last try before you give up? I'm not going to stop signing the book."

"We figured that. That's why we decided to go about this a different way." Cleo slammed a piece of paper onto the table in front of them. It looked like it had gone through many different revisions, almost sloppy in handwriting, but it glowed with obvious magic. "We figure since you want to conduct business through deals, it's only fitting we get you to stop with one."

"That is really optimistic of you, Queenie." Eddy squinted at the paper with obvious suspicion. "And what in the world is that? Looks like some of Ed's homework."

"It's a contract." Apple stated it bluntly, rubbing at one of her eyes with clear exhaustion on her face. "You know that. Just- just read it for our sakes. You'll be able to leave quicker if you do."

The room took on an awkward air when the blonde said it, Eddy wilting at the jab. He couldn't say he didn't deserve it, but it was still unexpected coming from her. He did what she asked, picking it up to read it over.

"…This reads a lot more like a bet than a contract." Eddy read over certain lines of it again, trying to find loopholes that either party could exploit. It was airtight for both of their benefits. "You'll let me sign the book if I find a way for it to not kill me first?"

"Specifically, we're saying you need to find a way to do it before we find the Book of Legends. If you find a way to get the magical boost to transfer over to you without major physical, mental, or even spiritual injuries, you'll be allowed to sign it." Cleo racked off the requirements. Eddy had a feeling she'd been the one to write the damn thing. "Ed and Double D will be allowed to help you while being barred from actively sabotaging your experiments into the matter."

Eddy raised an eyebrow. "And the catch?"

"If you don't have a viable way before finding the Book of Legends, then you aren't allowed to sign it. Ever." Raven put emphasis on the last part, nearly rolling her tongue. "You'll also be going to counseling with Red Riding Hood. Not sure how Cerise was able to swing that, but it's a requirement either way."

"Cerise will explain later if you ask. Possibly. That's up to her." Double D received a nod from Raven, turning to Eddy with a glare right afterword. "We'll also be doing group counseling, since apparently our group communication has been very unsatisfactory lately."

"We'll figure that out as we go along too. Might need to make a few adjustments too." Ed tapped his fingers on the chair as Eddy looked at him. "We're just trying to make this fair to you. Even if we don't want you to do this."

Eddy felt something coil in his gut at the admittance, but he didn't give it much thought. Apple was the only one that hadn't listed anything for him.

"Anything you want to add to the list, Princess?" Eddy barely got anything from the disinterested blonde, causing his blood to boil. "Anything about stopping my nicknames? What kind of poison you'd prefer me to use?"

"Sign it or not. That's your only two options. I won't say anything about it either way." Apple got up from her chair suddenly, moving towards the door. She didn't give anyone a second look. "It's your choice. Isn't that what's important?"

There was an awkward silence at that, everyone shifting slightly at the second jab. Eddy flexed his hand, forcing himself not to use a spell to get out of here. This was a fair deal, but…

"I'll add apologizing to Apple for this for you. I can already tell what you're thinking." Eddy summoned a pen sarcastically, signing off on the contract after the little addition. "I… I was a little harsh back during our first talk."

"Understatement. And yes, you are doing that as soon as possible." Raven pulled the contract back with her, putting in the last bit of magic that would make it official. "This deal will have consequences if you try and back out on it. Cleo put some of her best curses on it."

"He'll figure it out if he decides to pull something." Cleo would love to see him try. It was some of her best work, and you don't curse something without wanting to see it come to fruition. "If you do, consider it revenge for lying to me for so long and expecting to get away with it."

"Now that is the first thing I've believed all day." Eddy rolled his eyes, but it was… nice. At least her threatening him was normal. Now he had to just work to make sure he could keep that normal, on the Apple side of things, and the new experiments. "I'm guessing you're not done lecturing me just yet, Sockhead."

"I'm not quitting until the end of the day, no. I should've predicted you'd try and pull something like this, but I figured you'd put more thought into it." Double D said it sarcastically, but it was something he should've expected. "Don't expect to get any results from our experiments right away either. We're taking our time if you're dead set on doing this."

"At least this might be fun?" Ed received incredulous looks from Double D and Eddy, causing him to laugh nervously. "Okay, just trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Didn't work right there."

Another silence, a little less awkward this time. At least until Ed suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, yeah. Did I tell you that I'm dating Ghoulia now?"

"Several times before we got here, Ed."

"You're what?!"

Cleo and Raven watched the funny exchange with a some feeling that things were finally a new normal now once again.

Bloodgood was familiar with the practice of ritual magic, having had to mess with many spells that required some finesse. Most of them were for the very purpose of breaking other spells like the one placed on her dear friend.

She swore that she'd get Milton for this. Legally, of course. She couldn't afford to go to jail right now with so many things going on at her school.

"Is everything good on your end, Giles? You can say something if you're uncomfortable, you know." Bloodgood made sure the glowing pages with the runes were put in the proper sequence in the ritual circle, Giles in the middle of the room in a comfortable chair. "We can save this for another day in case you don't want to deal with the shock now."

"A watched clock never tells the time." Giles stated solemnly, holding a cane tightly in his fingers. He didn't appear happy with the situation but was resigned all the same. "A stopped clock doesn't serve a purpose."

"I actually understood that one. Or not." Bloodgood could only get to her place in the ritual circle, figuring that it would just have to be attempted in order to work. "Alright, I'm going to start. Just… scream if you think something is going wrong. Can't decipher a riddle in the middle of chanting, you know."

The dullahan raised her arms, the magic within the pages reacting as she slowly started chanting something to herself. The circle itself began to glow with a white and gold light going around the room, followed by a few more strands every few seconds. The chanting became louder as the light eventually glowed brighter, rising upward before falling downward into Giles. The man let out a sound as he was knocked out of his chair and hit the ground softly.

"-Dammit, I knew that would happen." Bloodgood groaned, rolling her eyes as she moved over the Giles prone body. She leaned down, grabbing an arm so he could steadily stand on his own two feet. "That's the third time we've had to do this, so it better have worked. Otherwise I will have some strong words with whoever coined the term 'third times the charm."

"I would hope you'd refrain from doing anything just yet. That really hurt, by the way." Giles coughed out, beating at his chest before smiling. "Aw, English. I never thought I'd miss the ability to speak before being cursed like that."

"You're acting like you still aren't planning on getting out of public speaking by pretending you're still cursed." Bloodgood let out a relieved sigh. The process had started to become tiring lately and she hadn't been looking forward to another failure. "I'm surprised you didn't get rid of the curse yourself. You're not a stranger to this type of magic."

"It's not like Milton let me have access to that many resources while he was keeping me under the school. I'm… I'm still surprised he was willing to go that far to stop me." Giles rubbed at his throat, still marveling at the sound of his voice. It was freeing, being able to make sense. "I suppose I should've understood that people make mistakes when desperate, though."

"…You are going to charge him for what happened, right? I know you don't want your brother to rot, but this is easily the worst thing he's ever done." Bloodgood hadn't been well since she learned of his actions. She didn't expect him to fall this far. "He needs to pay for this, otherwise he'll be setting an example for anyone else that follows his values."

"I'll have to figure out what I want to do with him, Nora. My brother is scared, and I think the fact he'll be fired is worse to him than any punitive action." Giles adjusted his glasses as he talked slowly, thinking it over. He might do something anyway to make sure his brother didn't go far. "I think as long as I keep him nearby, he won't do anything rash. Any idea who's replacing him, by the by?"

"No real candidates have been chosen yet, but I have suggested that if you're willing and able, you could accept the job." Bloodgood stated, handing him a packet filled with details. "As much as I hope you take time off, I know you're going to try anyway, so I got these forms for you."

"I appreciate it! I'm not sure if it'll be easy, but I can ask for a few recommendations from some of the teachers if necessary." Giles pulled out a pen with a grin, spinning it as he looked over what he had to sign. "…How many of our plans did you have to put on hold when I vanished? I just need to know for what exactly I need to play my part."

"I've delayed a few, but certain ones I couldn't delay due to the timetable we're working with. Ten years is not as long as many people think." Bloodgood clicked her tongue. "I may have started the Human Integration project sooner than planned. With my own candidates."

Giles paused, giving the dullahan an undecipherable look. He thought over that plan again. "Have I me them yet?"

"Yes. If I remember correctly- and translated your Riddlish right- you thought they were very nice."

Giles kept quiet before he remembered his rescue. "Those boys?"

"Yes."

"…Huh. I honestly wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me about it." Giles chuckled. He'd have to figure out how that boy was replicating magic so well. That was honestly a breakthrough in fantastical science. "I'd appreciate an introduction if you would. Better to keep things going smoothly."

"There's been bumps in the road so far, but I think we'll be just fine." Bloodgood led him out of the ritual room, keeping step. She did believe that, judging by the reports from the girls. "Just have to take this one step at a time."

And those were wise words to live by.

Like I said, drama is still continuing. Sorry if updates are slow. Don't know if I'll take a break from writing for a little bit or not, but maybe I'll get a boost when spring comes around. Feel free to send in idea for AU's or one shot ideas when you can.

I'll see you all next chapter!