So…Toni originally had this on her account, but because it was a co-write, I'm putting it on here now that she's doing her fanfic-cleanout. So…yeah, re-enjoy if you've read this before, or enjoy if it's the first time you ever read this!
~XoXo~
The bell rang, signaling the beginning of winter break. Three glorious weeks of no school, and Rochelle Goyle knew just how to spend it. A romantic holiday with her boyfriend, Deuce Gorgon.
And what better than her home country of France, in the most romantic city, Paris?
She figured, after dating Deuce for about 3 months, it would only be appropriate to introduce him to her parents...
After all, he was her first boyfriend...
Deuce packed his school books in his locker and turned to Jackson, one of his best friends.
"What plans have you got for this break?" Deuce asked.
"I was going to go to Gloom Beach with Frankie. You?"
"I don't really have any plans as of right now..." Deuce said as Rochelle came around the corner.
"You will now..." Jackson laughed, patting his friend on the shoulder. "They decide where you go. Not you."
"Dude..." Deuce started to argue with him before he fled.
Rolling his eyes, Deuce chuckled as Rochelle made her way over to him.
"Hey babe..." he said, meeting her halfway and lacing his arm around her shoulder.
"Mon cher..." she laughed, kissing his cheek. "You know how I hate the pet names..."
"Sorry babe... er... Rochelle. So what's your plan for break?"
"Well..." Rochelle smiled. "We have been together for quite some time, no?"
Deuce nodded. "Yeah... we have."
"I was planning to go to my hometown of Paris for the break..." she beamed. "And I was hoping you would come with me... That is, if you do not have your own plans...?"
"I'm free, I'd love to go!" Deuce said excitedly. He had never been to Paris, and it would be great to see Rochelle's home. Rochelle's smile widened and she wrapped her arms around him.
"Merci!" she beamed, before letting out a deep sigh. "Deuce, you will adore Paris... "
"Even better with you..." he replied, making Rochelle roll her eyes playfully.
"You tease..." she giggled.
"I'm serious! I've never been and I'm pretty sure that going with you will make it a million times better..." Deuce leaned in to kiss her, but Clawd shooting down the hallway stopped him.
"Where's the fire?" Deuce asked. Clawd stopped for a moment.
"Draculaura texted me. She wanted to meet me in the..." he took off again, nearly knocking Rochelle over.
Swearing under her breath in French, Rochelle managed to keep her balance.
"You OK?" Deuce inquired, holding her hand tightly.
"You worry too..." she smiled.
"I just don't want you getting hurt. Come on, let's get outta here before someone else comes charging down the hall..."
Deuce took Rochelle's hand and the two walked through the hall... Though their short time together was interrupted, due to the bell ringing for the next class.
"Home Ick..." Deuce said, sighing.
"Dead Languages..." Rochelle replied. The two went their separate ways, but neither stopped thinking of the other.
"You ask him yet?" Venus beamed as Rochelle had caught up with her the second the gargoyle entered the classroom.
"Nosy body..." Rochelle playfully scolded.
"Just tell her already." Robecca said, leaning back in her seat. "She won't shut up about it."
Rolling her eyes and chuckling, Rochelle turned to Venus.
"Oui, I did ask him..." she replied.
Venus squealed.
"What did he say? He said yes, didn't he?"
Before Rochelle could even open her mouth, Venus kept squealing.
"I knew it. Knew he would say yes! Ugh, you two are so lucky. I'm stuck here with my parents."
Playfully rolling her eyes, Rochelle kept her thoughts on Deuce as Venus kept yammering on and on how she wished she was going to Paris, only all alone, how she wasn't the type of ghoul for relationships, but that Rochelle was still lucky. She longed for the bell to ring, though. As soon as class let out, it was off to Paris with Deuce.
"So anyway..." Venus finished. "You two should totally get to know each other better! I mean, like you've told me and Robecca over, what, a hundred times? Paris is the city of love!"
"Oui..." Rochelle murmured, not really paying attention to her friend's rant.
It was true though. The City of Love was just one of the many nicknames Paris had received over the years. Taking her boyfriend there might be the place where she could get her first REAL kiss.
Sure, she'd kissed Deuce before, but it was only a quick peck. Not one of those long lasting ones that leaves you wanting more.
She wanted something magical. Something with a spark...
And a magical place like Paris would be perfect.
Finally, after what had seemed like a lifetime, the bell rang, each and every student filing out faster than the teacher could say a word.
Rochelle caught up with Deuce, explaining quickly that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Not because they had a specific flight, but because she wanted to get to Paris quickly. She wanted the magic even more now that she had thought about it.
Besides...
The longer in Paris, the more romance, right?
~XoXo~
The airport was a mess. There was a sudden snow storm in half the European countries, rearranging the flight times. To make things worse, Rochelle and Deuce had to wait another 4 hours to even check in.
But finally, after 13 and a half hours of waiting, Rochelle and Deuce had FINALLY landed in Paris.
"Luggage then a hotel?" Deuce asked.
"Oui." Rochelle said, exhausted.
The two headed to Baggage Claim, where monsters and normies were gathered around. They waited until everyone had cleared out, but their luggage still didn't come.
"There must be a mistake..." Rochelle murmured, searching the baggage carousel for at least one of their suitcases, but neither of their bags came.
"I can talk to the attendants..." Deuce began, but Rochelle gave him a look.
She headed to the help desk. She would be more help in this aspect seeing as she knew the language. A short while later, she returned to Deuce, an exasperated look on her face.
"Well?" he inquired, as Rochelle looked distraught.
"They did not find anything under our names..." she groaned.
Mumbling under her breath in French, she sat down in the nearby chair.
"They will look..." she continued. "But it could take up to several hours..."
"Let's just get a hotel now. We can have the airport call us when our stuff comes in. At least that way we can rest for a bit." Deuce suggested. Rochelle smiled up at him and nodded.
"Brilliant idea, mon cher..." she said, getting to her feet.
Renting a cab down to the nearest hotel, the two ordered a room, complete with a view of the city and all.
"Least we got lucky..." Deuce laughed as the two of them, entered the elevator, taking it up to the fourth level...
Until it stuck.
Rochelle banged on the elevator door, but it didn't budge. According to the panel on the door, they were stuck just beneath the fourth floor.
"Lift me." Rochelle said, pointing to a hatch at the top. They could use that to get out. Deuce tried to lift Rochelle, but her gargoyle heritage made her too heavy to lift.
"I can't. Don't take this the wrong way, but you aren't exactly a Cleo de Nile..."
"What does that mean?" Rochelle snapped. She was VERY touchy when it came to Deuce's ex.
"I just meant that she's the Daughter of the Mummies. She's the lightest ghoul in school... after Spectra, but that's only because she's a ghost... and you're a gargoyle. You're gonna be heavier..." Deuce saw the glare from Rochelle and he stopped talking.
"Sorry." he muttered, looking down at his spotless Vans.
Sighing deeply, Rochelle looked up at the hatch once more.
"Try once more..." she begged. "Perhaps..."
"Rochelle, I swear I think I pulled something lifting you..." Deuce declared, rubbing his arm. "No offense, I was just..."
"It is fine." she interrupted.
Banging on the door once more, the elevator still didn't budge.
"Maybe you could lift me..." Deuce began. Rochelle looked at him like he was insane.
"You are on the casketball team, non?" Rochelle realized. "Perhaps you could jump and break the hatch... we could call for help..."
"I can try..." he said. He jumped into the air, grabbing the hatch door. As he fell to the ground, it pulled open and his shades fell to the ground, shattering.
Swearing under his breath, Deuce kept his eyes closed.
"Deuce?" Rochelle murmured, leaning down beside him. "I'm sorry..."
"Rochelle, it's fine..." he started.
"It was my idiotic idea." she declared.
"It's fine. They were just sunglasses. I bet I can get them anywhere here. Let's just get up this thing and get to our room." Deuce climbed up the ladder that had slid out from the hatch and waited for Rochelle to follow. He pushed the doors to the fourth floor apart, scaring a basilisk maid that was standing nearby.
"Elevator is stuck." he told the maid, who looked at him confused. Rochelle repeated in French and the maid nodded, hurrying down the stairs.
"Which room is ours?" Deuce asked. Rochelle checked the key card.
"427." she replied. They followed the hotel markers until they found their room.
Slowly sliding the card in the key slot, it stuck.
Raising an eyebrow, Rochelle jostled the doorknob, the door not even budging.
"Sacre-bleu..." she muttered, frustrated that so far this vacation was NOT working out well AT ALL.
"I got it." Deuce said, coming up behind her. He jiggled the key card and the door clicked open.
"Merci." Rochelle replied, following Deuce into the room. The room was nice. There were two large beds and the entire back wall was a window with magnificent curtains. From the window, you could see the entire city with The Eiffel Tower in the distance.
"Things are finally looking up!" Deuce said, walking around the room. He placed a hand on one of the beds, admiring the softness of the sheets.
Rochelle nodded, but she wasn't so sure. So far, the vacation had been terrible and according to travel superstitions, vacations were only as good as the flight...
And the flight did NOT go well...
But then again, she never believed in superstitions and she wasn't going to start... Not now. She knew that things would go well. They had to, for she was with Deuce.
"Wanna go for a walk? The airport did say not to expect a call until morning..." Deuce said. He wanted to make the vacation better, and going on a walk in the city of love was the best idea he had.
Smiling wide, Rochelle nodded.
"But of course, mon cher..." she beamed.
"I love it when you speak French..." Deuce laughed, pulling her in close and kissing her forehead. "It's sexy..."
"Once again, you tease..." Rochelle murmured, rolling her eyes playfully.
Deuce smiled and held the hotel door open, letting Rochelle leave the room ahead of him. He followed her out, barely closing the door so that it wouldn't get stuck again.
Rochelle and Deuce took the stairs to the lobby and left, planning to go on a romantic stroll down the streets of Paris. They held hands and admired the shops on the streets. Deuce bought a diamond necklace (and a new pair of sunglasses) while Rochelle admired a stone puppy in a nearby pet shop window while Deuce stored the necklace in his coat pocket.
"It is so chilly." Rochelle said after a while. Deuce gave his coat to Rochelle despite her protests.
"I'll be fine. I'm used to the cold." he said, smiling. Rochelle thanked Deuce and wrapped her arms around herself.
"Ghouls would kill for a gentleman like you, Deuce..." she smiled, standing up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.
Chuckling softly, Deuce wrapped his arm around her and she placed her head on his shoulder, looking up at him lovingly.
Despite them only being together 3 months, for Rochelle, it had felt like she had known him all her unlife.
And for the first time today, she was sure things were going to start looking up from here, but she had thought too soon. They turned a corner, where Rochelle's ex-best friend, Grace Stone, was looking at stone animals.
"Rochelle! Eet has been too long!" Grace cried. Her English was nowhere near as good as Rochelle's, but she was clearly working on it. "And who ees this?" she put a hand on Deuce's cheek and patted it lightly.
"My boyfriend, Deuce Gorgon." Rochelle said simply. She had hated Grace for years now. Grace was the reason Rochelle went to America in the first place. When they were young, Grace had humiliated Rochelle by stealing her boyfriend, and Rochelle couldn't stand to be around anymore. After very careful thought, Rochelle had gone to America to leave Grace forever. Now, she was here, forced to see the ghoul she had learned to hate.
"He is quite handsome..." Grace cooed, tracing Deuce's jawline. "And his eyes..." she squinted to see through the black lenses. "So green..."
"Thanks..." he chuckled.
"The pleasure is all mine, monsieur..." Grace tittered.
Rochelle glared at Grace and took Deuce's hand.
"We were on a walk, mon cher?" she reminded him, tugging his arm slightly.
"Ow... I know, I just thought you might want to see..." he paused, not sure of the other gargoyle's name.
"Gracella Stone, but you may call me Grace..." Grace said elegantly.
"Yeah, Grace..." Deuce finished. Rochelle smiled, but it was all fake and she couldn't help but feel hurt by the single 'ow' that had left Deuce's lips when she tugged his arm.
"Yes, well, it was quite nice to see you, Grace." Rochelle beamed, her smile faker than a vampire's tan.
"Ah, oui..." Grace grinned. "You two shall be on your way. I would hate to be the, how you say, third wheel...?".
"It's not a problem." Deuce said, not noticing the look of dread on his girlfriend's face.
"Deuce, I am sure Grace has things to do...".
"Actually, I am quite free for the night. Eet would be a pleasure to... how does one say? Fang out?" Grace instantly grabbed Deuce's other hand. "I know a place we may visit. Eet has revived much positive feedback from tourist. I am sure Deuce will find it much to his liking!".
"Perhaps." Rochelle said with a smile, though her eyes said something else.
Something else that screamed; "Get your stone cold hands off my boyfriend or I'll knock you off the next building the normies decide to place you on for the next hundred years.".
Grace led them to a garden that Rochelle had never heard of and found the middle easily.
"The last building I lived in, eet had a beautiful view of this garden. And zee best thing..." she moved a large leaf and reveled a large carving of Medusa, Deuce's mother. Deuce let out a small 'woah', letting go of Rochelle's hand to admire it.
"Eet is magnifique, no?" Grace said.
"Totally. Rochelle, check this out. It's so accurate it's scary."
"Oui..." Rochelle sighed, not caring. She was angry with Grace.
"Rochelle, perhaps you can go to the exit? There ees a light switch, but eet is top high for me to reach. You are the taller one, perhaps you can reach?" Grace said.
And Deuce looked so excited by the statue lighting up that Rochelle had to agree.
~XoXo~
While Rochelle was gone, Deuce and Grace sat near the statue, talking about her.
"She's amazing..." Deuce said.
"She ees not all she appears..." Grace said. "When we were small, she humiliated me. She took my boyfriend and made him hate me. Then, she moved away and never saw us again...".
Deuce's jaw nearly dropped.
"Um..." he chuckled nervously. "Well, she WAS younger.".
Grace shrugged.
"What you speak ees is the truth, but before she went to America, she was, what you may call, snob?".
"Nah, the Rochelle I know isn't like that." Deuce defended.
Grace snorted.
"Believe moi. She is two-face.".
The statue lit up and Grace leaned towards Deuce.
"I am not two-face." she said seductively.
Deuce leaned away from her, but it was too late. Rochelle came around the corner just as Grace slammed her lips against Deuce's.
With a horrified gasp, Rochelle's eyes flooded with tears as she left the gardens, Deuce releasing himself from Grace's grip.
"She ever kiss you like zat?" Grace teased, only to scowl as Deuce left as well.
"Rochelle! Rochelle, it's not what you think!" he called, running after the gargoyle. Rochelle ran faster, turning down a dark alley.
"Go away! You clearly do not want to be with me!" she cried.
"Rochelle, I didn't...".
"I know what I saw." she snapped. She ran off again, but this time, Deuce didn't follow.
Feeling like he had just turned himself to stone, he stood there, upset. He wandered down the streets, totally lost. The only landmark he had was The Eiffel Tower. A cold wind blew over him, and he shivered. Rochelle still had his coat, and the coat...
Still had the necklace.
~XoXo~
Meanwhile, Rochelle had darted from one building top to the next, dashing across them in pure fury.
How could Deuce do this to her?
Cheat on her?
With her ex-friend?
That he had only known for a few minutes?
There was one place she could go to calm down, and that was The Eiffel Tower. It overlooked the city and helped her think more clearly. A cold wind blew across her, and she was glad she had Deuce's coat. She shoved her hands in the pockets until the wind passed, feeling something in the pocket.
"What is...?" she pulled it out, gasping when she saw the necklace.
The necklace was revealed to be a diamond, on a pure gold chain, and engraved on the jewel read; "Paris Holds The Key To My Heart".
It was cheesy, but Rochelle loved every bit of it. Stroking a stone finger against the diamond, she breathed deeply, realizing Deuce must have bought this for her...
But...
She nearly choked on tears.
The only time he could have bought it was before... IT had happened...
She put the necklace on and leapt to the top of The Eiffel Tower. If she ever needed time to think, now was it.
Meanwhile, Deuce was trying to make his way to the same landmark so he could maybe find someone to lead him back to the hotel.
Looking around, he soon saw the tower in the distance.
Sighing in relief, he started running. All he wanted to do was apologize to Rochelle and (hope) she forgave him.
After all, it wasn't his doing...
He could see Rochelle's figure on top of the tower which made him run faster. He threw himself into the elevator that led to the top of the tower and bolted out when it go to the top.
"Rochelle!" he cried, running towards her. She turned around, the necklace he had bought her hanging from her neck.
"Deuce?" she breathed.
"Rochelle, I'm sorry, OK? It wasn't me, it was Grace and I... I had no idea she was going to do it and when she was bad mouthing you, I...".
"Tais-toi!" Rochelle exclaimed, causing Deuce to raise an eyebrow.
He didn't know what exactly it meant in English, but he assumed it meant quiet.
"Rochelle, I'm sorry." he repeated.
He approached her just as the clocks in Paris struck midnight.
"Rochelle..." he whispered.
"For you to do such a thing..." she said.
"I told you. It was Grace. I wouldn't kiss her while I'm with you. I love you too much." He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in. "I love you more than you could ever imagine..." He pressed his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Eyes rolling into the back of her head, Rochelle threw her arms around Deuce's neck and held him tightly, returning the kiss.
Finally.
Her wish was granted.
A true, first REAL kiss with Deuce... and in one of the most romantic places anyone could ever imagine...
This was magical...
"I am sorry. I acted too rashly..." Rochelle whispered.
"It's totally fine." Deuce replied.
Rochelle smiled.
"Now let me see those magnifique green eyes of yours..." she chuckled, taking off his glasses. "Why you hide them is beyond me...".
"You...".
"I know why." she interrupted, with a smile plastered on her face. "Now, embrasse-moi.".
As Deuce raised an eyebrow, Rochelle leaned in close.
"Kiss me, fool." she whisper-giggled.
"My pleasure." he replied, placing yet another magical, passionate and loving kiss among her stone cold lips.
The City Of Love indeed...
~XoXo~
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, WE KNOW, WE KNOW! Too much freakin' cheese! XP WE'RE WORKING ON IT!
Now review! Review plz or we'll have BoBo The Clown come haunt ya! XP ((Yes, that threat's mine, Toni's! MWA-HA-HA))