Friendship, or Lack There Of
Disclaimer: These characters are created and owned by Disney.
A/N: I was inspired to write this piece after reading other fanfics. I've noticed the lack of friends Giselle has (in the fics) and thought I could bring one around for her. Every girl needs a girlfriend. This is the prep for her introduction in the next part.
I appreciate all the reviews on my previous pieces! They mean a lot and I'm currently revising the second part to "Some Unknown Feeling". It will be rated M and should (hopefully) be up in the next few days!
Giselle topped off Robert's morning coffee before settling herself down in a chair beside him. Morgan sat across from Giselle, swirling her spoon around in the remnants of milk from her cereal. Robert glanced over at her, "Morgan, if you're done with breakfast, go finish getting ready for school."
"Okay, Daddy," Morgan said, excusing herself before dropping her bowl in the kitchen sink.
Giselle watched the young girl hop down the hallway to her bedroom to ready for the day. She smiled to herself, bringing another frosted shredded wheat cluster to her mouth.
This was the scene of most weekday mornings for the trio. Robert still worked as a divorce lawyer. Though it wasn't his occupation of choice, it wasn't the easiest thing to give up a job and maintain living in New York City. Giselle had taken over Nancy's fashion studio, appropriately renaming it "Andalasia Fashions". As it was her own business, Giselle had the time in the mornings to walk Morgan to school and spend time with the little girl she quickly came to know as her daughter.
Morgan was coming out of her shell more and more each day. She'd made new friends and had become more outgoing. Robert credited Giselle with Morgan's improvements. Ever since she had shown up, Morgan had blossomed. Morgan had been spending more time with her friends and Giselle soon felt a longing for something similar.
She adored Morgan and Robert. There was no doubting that. During the day, she worked in the studio with her animal friends and co-workers. In the afternoon, she had the time to herself. Robert was still at work and Morgan would often end up at a friend's home to play. Giselle would find herself in the park or apartment, alone.
Sitting at the breakfast table, Robert caught Giselle staring into space. He ducked his head slightly, "Giselle?"
Snapped from her moment, she shook her head, ponytail swishing, "Yes, Robert?"
A chuckle escaped him, "Are you alright? You seemed to be in your own little world."
Giselle smiled fondly, placing her hand lightly on his, "Oh yes. I'm just thinking."
"Care to share?" He brought his coffee mug to his lips, swallowing down the black liquid.
"Well," she stood, picking up his cereal bowl and her own, carrying them to the sink, "I've just been thinking about people." She turned on the faucet, running warm water over the dishes.
Robert lifted himself up to bring his now empty coffee mug in the kitchen. "What kind of people?"
"Friends," Giselle said as she shifted her gaze to meet his. "I don't really have any, aside from you and Morgan, of course." She rolled her shoulders in a shrug, "The animals don't talk here. It's not quite the same."
Robert knew there would be an adjustment period after Giselle had decided to stay in New York. He knew it'd be hard for her and didn't know exactly what to expect. He placed a hand on her lower back, "I know all of this must be hard for you, Giselle," he rubbed small circles with his hand, "but it'll come to you. Everything will fall into place."
She turned the water off, content with the cleanliness of the dishes. Giselle braced her hands on the edge of the sink, peering up at Robert with large eyes, "But how long will it take?"
"Give it time," he dropped a kiss to her temple.
She leaned against him briefly before catching the time on the microwave's clock, "You need to get to work!" She pushed him gently, scooting him towards the door with a smile.
Robert glanced at his watch, eyebrows shooting upwards, "You're right!" He hurried down the hall, knocking quickly at Morgan's door. She door opened and the curly haired girl grinned up at her father. He bent down to drop a kiss to her forehead, "Have a good day at school! I'll pick you up from Kendra's at 5 o'clock."
Robert shuffled to the door, taking his briefcase from Giselle and stealing a kiss from her before exiting the apartment.
Giselle smiled to herself, staring at the closed door. She wrapped her arms around herself, stroking at her bare arms. She walked down the hallway, peeking into Morgan's room. "Almost ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm just putting my books in my bag," Morgan smiled over at Giselle. She placed the last of her books in her backpack and tossed the bag over her shoulder.
The pair left the apartment and started off towards Morgan's school.
Morgan's hand was firmly planted in Giselle's walking down 116th St. Morgan was chattering on about Kendra and how her family just got a new puppy. "Oh, you should just see him. He's so little and he plays all the time," Morgan's head was bobbing with each statement.
Giselle simply peered down at her, enthralled in the conversation. There was a moment where Morgan fell silent, seeming to have run out of things to say about the dog. Giselle had noticed the change in Morgan, of her being more comfortable with herself. Morgan had found a new something inside of her and began making new friends.
Giselle decided at this particular moment to take a page out of Morgan's book. If friends weren't going to find Giselle, well, she would just have to find them herself.
"Oh! And Kendra has a turtle too," she tugged at Giselle's hand, "his name is Francis. He doesn't do much."
The school came up around the corner quicker than normal that morning. Giselle dropped to Morgan's height, kissing her on the cheek, "Have a good day."
Morgan threw her arms around Giselle's neck, giving her a quick squeeze. "I'll see you tonight!" Morgan grinned, waving, before dashing off to a waiting Kendra at the bottom of the school's steps.
Giselle watched as the pair hopped up the stairs and disappeared into the school. She sighed lightly and began walking back to the apartment. She needed to gather her things and then head to the studio.
This morning, she decided to take the longer way back to the apartment. It was a beautiful morning; just warm enough to not wear a jacket. She walked along the sidewalk and her mind was taken back to Andalasia. She began to wonder how Nancy had adapted to it there. I bet she loves it, she thought to herself with a soft smile. Nancy was a lovely woman and she knew her animal friends would be happy to have her.
But why was it that Giselle couldn't find friends here? A slight frown fell over her features, brow furrowed and her mouth twisted. She had a good heart and was nothing but nice to everyone. However, all the people just seemed put off by her kindness. Well, I can't very well be awful to everyone, she thought. It just wasn't her nature. She couldn't even begin to imagine being mean or anything other than herself.
She rounded the corner to the apartment building, smoothing her hands over her deep green dress. She slipped into the elevator, alone once again. Giselle leaned against the wall, sighing. The elevator chimed and she strolled out of the doors. She twirled the key on her finger, peering down at the ground. There are so many people here, her cerulean eyes blinked, there's got to be someone who'll talk to me and like me.
Giselle pushed the door to the apartment open, clicking it closed behind her. She made her way around the apartment, gathering her few items in a purse that she'd picked out while shopping with Robert. He'd also gotten her a cell phone. The only thing she'd learned to do was call Robert, which was the only thing she'd needed to do. She picked up her portfolio with her notes and sketches and made her way back to the doorway.
It was coming up on 8:30am when she reached for the doorknob. Little did Giselle know, as she hummed quietly, that just beyond the door there was a collision waiting to happen.
