Author's Note: So here is the first chapter of 'Set Forth LinuxRulz'.
I hope you will enjoy this fanfic as much as you did the first three in this series.

Set Forth LinuxRulz

Chapter One

"I'm bored… be entertaining."

"What? You want me to juggle geese or something?"

"That would be a form of entertainment, so yeah, I'll take it."

"Get lost, Lil." I groaned.

"But I'm bored!" Lil whined loudly in my ear, "Fix it."

"Keep whining in my ear like that and I'll fix you, right and good." I warned her and she backed up a little, though I noticed I was now at perfect kicking range from where she was lying on the couch beside me. Fantastic.

"I'm still bored." She said after awhile.

"Only boring people get bored, Lil." I replied and she kicked me, hard, in the shoulder with her bare foot.

I glared over at her before turning, with little enthusiasm, back to my book because annoyingly I was currently banned from using my laptop because of a particular article I had written for Crackhead right before Christmas.

I pulled a face at my book.

Damn traitors and damn Bill Gates!

I was only speaking the truth! Linux is better than Windows and not simply because it easier to get around but also because you don't need to have so many flipping windows open!

Anyway, to cut a very long, tedious and annoying story short, before Christmas I wrote a harmless, but truthful article for my webzine, proclaiming that Windows sucks (which it does) and that I know only use Linux. Which I did, that is until Mom and Dad confiscated my laptop off me.

They thought that in retaliation to losing all my readers and subscribes because they feared the wrath of Bill Gates, I would actually go and pick a fight with the man himself. Which I admit I was tempted to do, since I'm pretty sure he did have something to do with my Webzine malfunctioning before it was shut down, not quite completely, but with the lack of sponsors, I might as well shut it down forever.

And that's basically the story.

I am not impressed, least of all because I lost my laptop because of it, it was the only thing keeping me sane over here at Grandma's and Pop's Condo in Florida.

Why did Mom and Dad decide to NOT go on their Caribbean vacation? If they had gone, they'd never have found out about my article, well not until they got back at least, and then I would still have my laptop to keep myself (and maybe Lil, just so as to keep her from bugging me, like she's been doing for the past three days) entertained. But nope, they're here too and try to make us all play happy family, except we're not very good at it.

Oh, I don't mean like we fight twenty-four/seven and stuff like that, we just like our space, and our space tends to be pretty large and we like to be left alone in it.

Lil is currently invading mine, because she is, as she's been telling me for the past two hours, bored out of her brains.

Surprising, as this might be, Lil being bored doesn't actually happen very often (Thank God!), but when it does… Oh God! 'Groan'.

"I'm not boring!" Lil growled back at me angrily.

"Then stop saying that you're bored then." I replied, trying to remember why I thought that reading 'The Once and Future King' was a good idea. I'm honestly not a big reader. I mainly stick to Sci-fi which of course, my grandparents have no idea what that is, so of course have no books of that genre in their condo. Though, they aren't completely lost, they have watched Star Wars. Didn't get the plot, of course, but they still watched it, which for them is impressive.

"Why hasn't she called!" I rolled my eyes to the high heavens at this new string of complaints coming out of my sister's mouth

"Don't roll your eyes," another hard kick to my shoulder, "What? It doesn't bother you that your girlfriend hasn't called you?"

I pulled a face at my book.

Of course it bothered me that she hadn't called and that I couldn't call her because the damn Palace operator wouldn't let either Lil or me through. Oddly they didn't seem to believe that they were actually talking to Mia's best friend and boyfriend. Kinda makes you wonder who else has been calling the palace wanting to talk to Mia, if they wouldn't even let us through, even though we had legit proof we were who we said were. But apparently knowing a Princess since she was six years old isn't enough to actually get you through to talk to her.

"Lil, she's a princess of a country," I started with a sigh, "meaning while she's over in the country that she is one day going to rule," I forced myself not shudder at the thought. Not because I think she'll be a bad ruler or anything, actually I think she'll be great at ruling, it just… you have to be a pretty special guy to be with a ruler and honestly, I'm not that special, pretty average actually, so… I shook myself, "meaning she's going to be real busy while she's over there. You know, getting to know her people and government and stuff like that. Not to mention, there's the whole time zone thing. She's like seven hours in front of us or something."

"Fine, but what about all the e-mails I've sent her."

"Doesn't have DSL." I suggested, because I had been wondering the same thing. Between us I think Lil and I have sent Mia, in the past two weeks, just about fifty e-mails, each… which on Grandma's and Pop's old computer and extremely slow dial-up, that's impressive.

"No excuse." Came Lil's grumbled reply.

I just rolled my eyes at the ceiling both trying, and failing, to get through the first chapter of 'The Once and Future King'.

"Please tell me that the pair of you did actually get outside today." Mom said when she and Dad had come back with a load of shopping later that afternoon.

"Oh god!" I started as I shielded my eyes from the burning sun.

"It burns!" Lil finished for me shrilly as she ducked behind me as if to hide from the sun's rays.

"Yes, yes, the pair of you are a real couple of comedians." Mum said with a heavy sigh as she handed Lil and me a whole heap of shopping bags.

"What's all this for." I asked in bewilderedly into the bags.

"Well someone has a birthday coming up so…" Mom smiled as I started to panic.

"Who's?" I asked, trying to think which one of my numerous cousins it might be.

"Yours, you moron!" Lil said, kicking me behind my knees.

"Ow!"

"Lilly, please don't kick your brother. Michael," Mom gave me one of her tired looks, "your birthday is tomorrow sweetheart, remember?"

I wanted to say no, that I didn't but that would just get me psychoanalysed, so I just nodded, all the while thinking, haven't I already had my birthday before remembering Duh, new year!

I hate having my birthday right at the beginning of the year, because you aren't yet used to the fact that it is, in fact, a new year, you still think it was last year. Or at least I do.

God, where had the year gone?

"I can't believe he forgot his birthday." I heard Mom lament to Dad as we carried all the stuff inside. I heard dad snort as he muttered back, "Wouldn't be the first time." Before he started to chuckle.

"I can't believe you forgot your birthday either." Lil muttered to me as we set everything we were carrying down in Grandma's kitchen, "I mean, how could you? Our birthdays are the one time of year we actually get decent presents!" which is true. Yeah, you might get presents on each of the eight days of Hanukkah, but they tend to pretty crap, mostly just socks. I swear, I have enough socks to last me several life times.

I don't understand why we can't just have Christmas. I mean, for the rest of the year you would never guess that the parental unit were Jewish and yet they insist that we practice on the eight days and nights of Hanukkah. I mean, it's not like Grandma and Pop would care if we celebrated Christmas. Heck, they might even join in, but no, for some reason, Mom and Dad are determined to practice this one Jewish event of the year. I swear, it just to torture us or something.

Seriously, Lil and I have never gotten a Christmas present in all our lives.

Actually, that's not true; we have gotten a couple, but they were all from the same person.

Mia used to (and still does with Lil) give us Christmas presents. Not because she felt sorry for us, for you know, never having experienced a real Christmas before, but simply because she wanted to. She used to get all excited and happy when she gave them to us and got all flustered when we thanked her.

I still have all the presents, both birthday and Christmas and whatever other gifts that she has ever given me over the years, either on display or tucked away somewhere safe in my room.

I'm honestly not mad or really bothered by the fact that she hasn't called me all this break. I understand that she is busy over there and is probably being worked off her feet by that insane grandmother of hers!

Plus, when I went into this, I knew, even before, that our relationship wouldn't be what others would call normal. And not just because of the three year age gap, but you know, her being a Princess and me being basically lower than nobody, it was going to make this difficult and at times, rough, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try, that I wasn't going to work with all my might to make this relationship with her work. I want to be with her and by hell; it was going to take a lot to make me stop wanting to be with her.

And I know that to make this relationship work, I have to be you know, understanding, that there will be times that I won't see her for long stretches, or hear from her. That I'll probably have to come second or third (or stone dead last) to royal duties.

I get all that, I understand. So, throwing a fit, like Lil, it isn't going to help. If anything it'll just frustrate me more, so i can't, I just need to accept the status quo and you know, get on with it.

Even though I do miss her, more than anything.

"Michael?"

"Don't mind him, Grandma. He's off in space thinking about he's girlfriend." I shot Lil an evil look, while the rest of my present family stared at me, slacked jaw. Was it really that shocking for me to have a girlfriend? Seriously? Just because it's been like, three years since my last one. Or is it four? And I guess she didn't really count. I don't think we even got past the second "date".

"Since when?" Pop asked in his direct fashion. He actually looked the least surprised and most amused out of all the adults present.

"Since, oh, sixteen days ago." Lil said, sounding smug.

"You've kept count?" I asked her in disbelief.

"Oh and like you haven't." she replied with a snort. I have, actually, but that's completely beside the point. I'm allowed to, my sister isn't.

"But you've been here for fourteen days!" Mom pointed sounding bewildered.

"So," Lil said looking at mom with a shrug, "he asked her, finally," she gave me a hard, annoyed look, "before we came here. At the dance."

I think Dad clicked on to who we were referring to then or maybe when Lil said 'finally' because he was starting to grin. Mom, Pop and Grandma were still completely lost as to the identity of my girlfriend was, which is amusing because they all know Mia and they love her, honestly, more than they love us. Not that I blame them, because in all seriousness, Mia is far easier to love than Lil or me. And yet, she loves me.

Yeah, still trying to get my head around that one. As happy as I am that she does love me, I'm still trying to understand the 'how' or the 'why' of her loving me.

"It's really kind of obvious who he's girlfriend is, if you really think about." Lil was saying with an amused look.

"It is actually." Dad said with a grin, which meant that of course he knew who she was, which of course irritated Mom.

"It wouldn't be that scrawny little, well I say little, because the child doesn't look like she's eaten a decent meal in all of her life, girl who used to follow you around everywhere, would it?" Pop asked unexpectedly.

"Mia?" Mom and Grandma asked at the same time, looking at me with wide eyes. I gave a sheepish nod.

Pop gave this sort of satisfied nod before picking up his paper, muttering something like, "Bout ruddy time."

"You and Mia?" Mom asked in something of daze.

"It honestly not that shocking." Lil said. Mom gave her a dry look.

"I know that, I'm just… surprised, that's all."

"That they took so long to get together, I know, we all are." Lil said with a smirk in my direction.

I just glared back at her.

"Isn't she a princess or something now?" Grandma asked, looking curious. Mom, Dad, Lil and I nodded.

"Of Genovia."

"Never heard of it." Grandma and Pop, behind his paper, replied.

"No one really has. Not until Mia's great reveal last October, barely anyone has heard of it."

"Now everyone knows about it." I added, "for obvious reasons."

"Wonder how they managed to keep it all quiet." Pop said behind his paper.

"What?"

"About the girl. How they managed to keep her existence quiet from the rest of the world. Not an easy thing to do now a days."

We all shrugged, 'cause in truth none of us knew what to say in reply to that because none of us knew the answer. And it wasn't like it was something that any of us were ever going to ask Mia or her mom and dad.

I left the kitchen soon after that; completely embarrassed by my mom's and grandmother's excited chatter over my finally having a girlfriend, and that that girlfriend was in fact Mia.

"You just had to tell them didn't you?" I grumbled at Lil as we made our way to the den, where we had spent most of our day, bored out of our minds.

"They were going to find out soon or later." Lil said with a shrug, "just like the rest of the world will." Yeah and I was trying not to think about that.

"Geez, don't look so worried." Lil said giving my arm a poke, "Mia's like gaga over you, she's not going to give a damn what the rest of the flipping world will say."

"Yeah, but I will."

Lil gave me a funny look.

"Why?"

"Because the rest of the world is going to be comparing me to Prince William! Asking why she is with me instead of, you know, being with him or his brother!"

"You mean, beside the fact that he's like seven years older than her." Lil replied, looking a little deadpanned as she gave Pavlov a shove, so that she could sit down on the couch.

"Lil! Not helping." I grumbled in reply.

"I'm serious, though." Lil said, "I honestly don't get what you're so worried about. You love her and she loves you, end of story. It's as simple as that."

I looked at Lil with a worried grin as I sighed, "No, Lil, it really isn't." before deciding that I would go outside and catch some sun by taking Pavlov for a run. Being cooped up in a familiar but not my own space was doing my head in, making me worry about stuff that I wouldn't normally.

So with a wave to my parents and grandparents, I left the condo with Pavlov at my heels, trying clear the worry and doubt from my head.

We hadn't even been on out "first" official date yet and I was already worried that things were going to fail between us.

Great Positive thinking for the New Year, Moscovitz!

Almost as positive as last year!

Great. Just great!

Author's Note: So, that was chapter one. Hope you all enjoyed. We'll be spending about five chapters at Michael and Lil's Grandparents condo, but that's ok, they're fun chapters.
And yes, I'm already playing up Michael's insecurities of not feeling worthy of Mia... actually I think I started playing them up as early as the last couple of chapters in 'CracKing, the First'.
I sort of want it to a reoccurring thing in these fics, slowly building it up until it "boils" over in book 8 (or pre-book 8). I mean, it must have been biting him for awhile for him to do something as drastic as what he does, going over to Japan to build his robotic arm. I sort of wish Meg had let his insecurities show a little more, but I guess, he would have tried to hide them from Mia or when he was with Mia he just didn't think of them, it's when he's away from her that he does, the feeling slowly eating away at him.
Anyway, thanks for reading and you know reviews are much loved.
Disclaimer: Ok, firstly and obviously I am not Meg Cabot. There is a sort 'duh' factor there, but anyway, as you all know I am not Meg, so all characters and themes that are involved in this fic that were in her books are obviously hers, I'm simply borrowing them because I can.
References made: The Once and Future King is an Arthurian book written by T., first published in 1958. I personally don't mind it, but I'm a bit of an Arthurian nut. Anyway, I don't see Michael as a huge reader, besides obviously reading Sci-fi and possibly some fantasy, but otherwise, I think he steers clear of most books, so for him to be reading The Once and Future King is in my mind, him at his most bored and desperate for something, anything to do.
Star Wars, again obviously not mine.
And I'm sorry to anyone who is Jewish who is reading this. If I have made any mistakes about Jewish culture, about Hanukkah and so on, I am truly sorry. I am not Jewish and I actually don't know anyone who is, so all my references to Jewish culture and tradition (few as they are in here) all came from the Internet. Hopefully, I haven't made any terrible error and if I have, please let me know and I will fix it immediately