Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney. I also do not own any part of 'I Just Can't Get Enough' or Depeche Mode. Those rights belong to Depeche Mode.

Author's Note: This is the first chapter of the reworking of What Promise?, so I hope it doesn't disappoint any of you! Unless otherwise specified in the notes, all other chapters are still the same. This rewrite is still in progress, so it may take some time, but I hope it will all be worth it in the end! Also, I'd love to hear some feed back from you guys about how you think it's going. As always, enjoy! :)

Pairings: Drake/Dave, minor Becky/Dave

A content sigh escaped from Dave's lips as he wandered the streets of Manhattan, hand in hand with the girl who had frequented his dreams since the fifth grade.

Becky was perfect in every way possible, from her soft, doe eyes to her graceful demeanor, and best of all, she accepted him just as he was, crotchety mentors and dorky habits included. For the first time in ages, Dave felt at ease, as if things were starting to take shape; his life was truly beginning.

He was happy and though the words felt foreign on his tongue, he was certain they were true.

As if motivated by some unseen force, Dave felt a niggling sense of apprehension well up in the back of his mind. Seconds slowly unwound as the pair advanced, gooseflesh prickling to life on his arms, his gut a twisted and writhing tangle of knots. He tried to shrug it off as a bad case of nerves, but the more he disregarded the sensations, the more they seemed to intensify.

Though he couldn't pinpoint exactly when it began, something was definitely off.

Dave shifted his feet uneasily, blood sluggishly circulating through his legs as his gaze wandered, searching for any distraction to quell his erratic thoughts; it was mere happenstance that the corner of a neon billboard caught his eye. If only he had kept walking, he never would have noticed.

Unfortunately, fate didn't have a history of being kind to him.

Looming above him was the center of his discontent, lips split into a wide grin as if all of this was one big joke, the outline of spades glimmering over his visage; Drake Stone, world famous illusionist and Morganian.

Drake Stone, the one man on the planet that held all of the Prime Merlinian's happiness in the palm of his hand; if he wanted, he could destroy Dave with just the snap of a finger.

Thankfully, Drake didn't strike him as the type to be intentionally cruel; tacky, yes, and a bit more cunning than he would have liked, but never truly malicious. Of course, it was entirely possible that the Morganian was clueless about the amount of leverage he had on him.

With a little more force than strictly necessary, Dave tore his eyes away from the sign and back to the girl at his side, the beat of his pulse a tattoo against his skin.

Somehow, he doubted Becky would enjoy hearing about her boyfriend's secret luncheon escapades, even if they weren't exactly of the consensual variety. Drake hadn't contacted him since that day, and in all likelihood, had probably forgotten all about the entire fiasco.

At least one of them could forget; Dave could feel the heat beginning to swell through him, as images of that day flashed through his mind, undesired, yet impossible to dismiss.

Drake, in a moment of inspired brilliance, decided that it would be amusing to kiss him unaware. Oh, but that wasn't even the grandest part. No, that particular piece de resistance had to be the fact that he publicly proclaimed they were dating, even going so far as to say they were celebrating their anniversary, looking every bit as smug as the cat that ate the canary(or Merlinian, so to speak).

It was a completely absurd, of course; aside from the fact that he was not dating Drake, none of his previous relationships had even lasted a week, never mind months.

Unfortunately, as soon as Drake left the scene of the crime, the waitress bombarded Dave with profuse apologies and went on a long tandem about how she fully supported them to which he could only nod mutely in agreement with, too stunned to do anything else.

It was just all one big joke to Drake; too bad then, that he didn't find the punch line very funny.

In any event, as long as he avoided any and all gourmet establishments (which wouldn't be too difficult as he couldn't afford them in the first place), he could guarantee that Becky would never find out about their little tryst. He could simply write off the whole scenario as causality of humiliation, the event joining a long list of others, never to be seen or thought of again.

Just to err on the side of caution though, Dave made a mental note to avoid the Morganian for the next few centuries.

The last thought weighed heavily on his mind, though it was difficult for him to ascertain why. It was not as though the Morganain had done anything to particularly endear himself to Dave; if he were to hate Drake, many would think him justified. He did, after all, have a hand in almost destroying the world, however inept he may have been in the scheme of things. Still, the mere thought of never seeing him again… well, it seemed unfathomable. Somehow, Drake was a part of his life now too, for better or for worse.

The melancholy air that laced through his thoughts ground to a halt as his cell phone began to vibrate, the muffled tune of 'I Just Can't Get Enough' breaking through the static; absentmindedly, he released Becky's hand and fished the phone out of his back pocket, the name 'Martin Gore' blinking on the screen in bright letters.

Think of the Morganian and he will call.

Dave tried to discreetly tuck the phone away, intent on ignoring the call and all the theatrics the illusionist carried with him; if he couldn't deal with him on the best of days, today certainly didn't stand a chance, not while he was on a date with Becky. If only life were that simple though; Dave could feel the prescience of her gaze long before she spoke.

"Dave, aren't you going to get that?" Becky's voice was light and teasing as her fingers playfully tugged at the hem of his sleeve, though a glimmer of concern rippled behind her eyes.

His mind reeled, a thousand different responses flooding in at once and he was left to decipher through the pieces, each excuse that formed more dismal than the last. Though he hated to lie to her, broaching the topic of the truth was simply out of the question. Besides, that was one conversation he could go his entire life without having, thank you very much.

Becky released his sleeve, the corners of her lips slowly curling downwards, any trace of levity vanishing. She crossed her arms over her chest as she regarded her boyfriend, her face shrouded beneath a curtain of sun-washed tresses. Something was definitely troubling Dave, though she couldn't exactly figure out what; he never was one to shy away from a question though.

Whatever the cause was though, it left her feeling uneasy.

"Well? Couldn't it be Balthazar?"

"Becky, I don't even think Balthazar knows how to use a phone." The ghost of a smile brushed across his lips at the image; somehow, he didn't think his mentor always saw eye to eye with modern technology.

"Was it Bennet then?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, her gaze sweeping over his features.

"Bennet! Yeah, of course it was Bennet. He's probably just trying to remind me to get him some antacids again. A diet of pizza and coffee doesn't exactly make for a happy stomach, but I uh, probably shouldn't have mentioned that." Dave felt his cheeks flush as he nervously chuckled, his smile stretched too thin at his own feeble lie.

Becky's eyes hardened; she knew Dave was lying now. She had singlehandedly witnessed Bennet and Dave demolish two extra-large pizzas, neither of them emerging any worse for the wear. If college taught her one thing, it was never to question the steel-gut of a hungry student.

Against her better judgment, she kept her reservations to herself; though she didn't know much about magic or science, she hoped Dave could learn to trust her with his secrets, whatever they may be. Shrugging her shoulders, she wrapped her hand around his, squeezing his palm a little more tightly.

"I guess we should get him some Tums then, before the pharmacy closes."

It took a moment for Dave to process her words, too stunned that she actually believed him; only then did he realize what a conundrum he had worked himself into. On one hand, they could go through with his lie and mill about the pharmacy, spending the remainder of their evening with huffy cashiers and overpriced medication. On the other hand, he could confess the truth to her… but he really didn't want to think about the outcome of that scenario.

"True, true, ordinarily we would have to but um… I asked Balthazar to get them! So yeah, no, nothing to worry about there!"

If he could, Dave would have slapped himself for sounding so moronic, but Becky would definitely know he was lying then. Instead, he offered her an awkward smile, hoping that she wouldn't read too deep between the lines.

Unfortunately for Dave, Becky wasn't so naïve; she came to a full halt, her heels firmly planted on the concrete as she rounded on him. Something was definitely going on, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Dave, are you sure there's nothing you're not telling me?"

Before he even had a chance to respond, a shrill voice pierced through the crowded streets.

"BECKY! Hey Becky, wait up!"

Dave felt his stomach plummet when he turned around, the familiar outline of a chatty brunette emerging through the throngs of people, getting closer to them with every second. Fear outweighed rationality as he grabbed onto Becky's hand, tugging her along after him as he darted down the street, away from his doom in the form of a five foot two waitress.

Only when a stitch began to form in his side did he pause, Becky panting along beside him, sweat blooming across both of their brows.

"Dave, what in the world is going on?"

"I, uh, forgot that Balthazar had to get his, um, back shaved today, so he couldn't go to the pharmacy. So we need to go right now, otherwise the bathroom will be a crime scene when I get back."

"Dave, can't it wait just a bit longer? I haven't seen Penny in ages and I'm sure the bathroom will still be standing when we get back to your apartment." She nudged his shoulder lightly, a coy smile spread across her lips, and all the protests died in his throat.

Even soaked with sweat, Becky was stunning; besides, there was a chance the waitress had long forgotten about their last encounter. Surely he and Drake couldn't have been the only outlandish guests to grace that establishment, and besides, what were they if not some blip on an otherwise normal workday? The waitress probably had forgotten all about them as soon as her shift had finished.

By the time she reached them, Penny was gasping for air, though it didn't deter the wide smile spread across her lips.

"I thought you guys were trying to ditch me for a minute there! Anyway, who's your friend Becky?"

As Becky and Penny laughed, Dave could see the recognition begin to flicker behind the brunette's eyes, though it was faint, if anything. It was like she was trying to put a face to something she couldn't quite remember, a puzzle piece that didn't just quite fit.

If ever there was ever a time for his lucky rabbit's foot to pull through, now was it's time to shine.

"Well, he's actually a bit more than that." Becky's smile practically radiated from her face as she urged him forward, before wrapping her arm around the crook of elbow. "Penny, this is Dave, my boyfriend."

It seemed like this wasn't something that Penny could compute, her eyes wide as they drifted back and forth between the pair, her bottom lip at odds with her teeth. She mulled over the information until the silence grew awkward, Becky's smile growing more strained with every second that passed; if anything, she thought Penny would be happy for her.

"He's your boyfriend?" Penny finally asked, staring at the pair intensely, her lips curled into a frown. "I could have sworn…"

And just like that, all the pieces fell into place; Penny let out a small gasp before she narrowed her eyes at him, all traces of confusion gone.

"You scumbag!"

Dave closed his eyes and prayed that a vortex would open and swallow him whole; apparently, while magic could destroy an ancient sorceress, it could not prevent Murphy's Law from ruining your relationship.

"Penny, what are you talking about?" Becky asked, confused at her friend's sudden outburst; surely, this had to be some kind of misunderstanding.

If the brunette could hear Becky, she chose to ignore her, all her wrath focused in on the Merlinian.

"How long were you going to keep it a secret from her?" She demanded, practically spitting acid at him, indignant fury rolling off her in waves.

"Keep what a secret Penny?"

Penny threw her head over her shoulder, shooting Dave one final glare, before pointing up at the garish billboard in the distance; Becky's eyes followed her movements, her heart dropping once she saw the outline of the Morganian. Hadn't she seen him before?

"He's cheating on you, with him!"

"He… he's what?" Becky asked weakly, the timbre of her tone trembling with each word that passed her lips.

"I saw them, Becky. They were celebrating their anniversary over at the restaurant that I work at. The one on the boulevard, remember?" Penny's voice seemed to soften once she caught sight of her friend, the pain the other girl was feeling all too familiar; it wouldn't prevent her from telling her the truth though.

Becky felt sick, as though someone had punched her in the gut; she didn't want to believe what her friend was telling her, and yet…

Yet it all made perfect sense; Dave's sudden secrecy, his lies, and the missed calls. She really was an idiot, wasn't she? All this time, she thought he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was trying to protect her from some unspeakable evil, her gallant, if awkward, hero until the end.

Instead, he was just cheating on her.

Becky dropped his arm and turned towards him, needing to hear the truth come from his lips; only then, would her heart allow her to believe it.

"Was that who called Dave?"

"Becky, please, just let me explain…" Dave reached his hand out towards her, only for her to back away; he had no right to touch her, not now.

"Answer the question Dave. Was it him or not?"

Dave ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to quell his harried nerves; this wasn't supposed to happen like this, none of this was supposed to happen.

"Yes, but it's not what you think. It was only a kiss, it-"

Becky slapped his cheek before he could finish, her arm trembling with fury and her eyes blazing with unshed tears.

"Don't call me, okay?"

A final sob caught in her throat before she hurried down the street, furiously wiping at her eyes as she kept her head ducked low, not wanting to attract any attention. Penny didn't even spare him a glance as she ran after her friend, not that it would have mattered; his eyes never strayed once from Becky.

"Please…" He called out, his voice hoarse and thin, a desperate plea to the universe .

Everything seemed to fade away as she drifted off into the distance, his eyes prickling with unshed tears; and just like that, his world came crashing down to his feet.

Author's Extra Note: Martin Gore is a member of Depeche Mode whose hair was dyed in a similar fashion to Drake's at one point in time. In addition, 'I Just Can't Get Enough' is one of Depeche Mode's hit songs. Murphy's Law describes that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I just thought I'd clarify these points in case anyone wasn't familiar with them! :)