Based on characters created by Bill Kelly.
The next morning, Giselle was the first to wake. She got out of the bed, yawning, and went into the bathroom. There, she showered, and a little while later she exited with nothing but a towel covering herself. She walked over to the bedroom window, and opened the curtains. Light flooded the room, casting its rays onto Robert's sleeping face. Immediately he grimaced and turned away from the light, moaning.
"Giselle, don't do that!"
"Why not?" she shot back teasingly. "It's just sun."
Robert sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"
Giselle looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand. It read 7:16. "Morgan's class starts in…is it ten minutes? I'm still not very good with numbers."
Robert pulled back the sheets, and slowly stood out of bed. He stretched, and picked up the clock to see for himself. "Well, that's not too bad. We've got just enough time for breakfast. Come on, I'll wake Morgan."
It was then that he noticed Giselle in her towel. He grinned. "So, what dress are you thinking of making today? I did buy some new curtains for you a few days ago, you know. They're in the closet."
Giselle beamed at him, before rushing over to the closet and yanking it open. Inside she saw all kinds of beautiful designs, including two that stood out the most. One was purple, and the other yellow.
Giselle pulled both out, and compared them side-by-side, smiling. "Robert, these are gorgeous! I love them so much! I'll get started right away!"
And just like that, Giselle pranced into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Robert shook his head, and began to get himself dressed.
* * *
Minutes later, Robert, wearing his trademark black suit with tie, was at the kitchen table with Morgan, who was still a little drowsy. He had poured her cereal and gotten her orange juice, while he had a mug of coffee and toast with honey. Robert was just reading the day's paper, with a half-eaten bit of toast being held in one hand, when he heard movement. Looking up, he saw Giselle, now dressed in an outfit combining both the yellow and purple curtains. Robert grinned as she came forward. Giselle sat at the table next to him, and he pulled her close to him.
"You look great."
Giselle blushed. "Thank you."
Morgan gazed in amazement at Giselle's newest creation. "It's so pretty, Giselle! Where did you get those patterns?"
Giselle gave Robert a fond look, as she answered, "Your father got them. That was very sweet of him."
Robert leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Giselle gave a little giggle, then said, "So, where's my cereal?"
"Oh, right," started Robert, and he quickly got up. He took the cereal box out of the cupboard, poured some into a bowl where Giselle sat, and then fetched the milk. After pouring it, he sat down again. Giselle was now happily eating her breakfast. Her eye then caught the newspaper where Robert had left it on the table.
"Can I look?"
Robert handed it to her. She paused in her eating to read the front page, and her brow furrowed as she panned down. "There was a fire at someone's house. A dog was found dead in a woman's backyard. Three girls disappeared." She set down the paper, and sighed. "This world is so…mean."
Robert regretted giving her the paper. She didn't need to know about those kinds of things. "I know. That's just how it is here. There are bad people and good people. And sometimes you can't always tell one from the other."
"I feel bad for the dog," said Morgan sadly from where she sat. Giselle gave her an I-agree-with-you look, before taking another bite of her cereal. Robert sipped his coffee, while Morgan drank the leftover milk from her bowl. She then said, "I'll get ready for practice, Daddy."
"You do that," Robert answered. He watched as Morgan ran into her room, closing the door behind her. Then, he turned to Giselle. "So, after we drop off Morgan, I was thinking of doing something with you today."
Giselle smiled at him. "Really? Like what?"
"Well," he began, "I would like to take you to Central Park."
"Oh that would be wonderful," exclaimed Giselle. "We haven't been there for some time. I'd love to, Robert."
"Good." Robert mentally patted himself on the back. It was a Saturday, the rain had stopped last night, and it was a beautiful day outside now. He wanted to spend some alone time with Giselle. Once Morgan was at her karate school, they would have until late that evening together.
Just then Morgan reappeared, now in her white karate outfit. Robert stood up, and announced, "Well, shall we go then?" He held his hand out to Giselle, and hoisted her out of her chair. They put on shoes, and then exited the apartment.
* * *
Robert and Giselle sat in the taxi, as it wove its way through the New York streets. They had already dropped off Morgan, and were now on their way to Central Park. The driver of their taxi, an overweight middle-aged fellow, was humming to himself. While Giselle looked out the window, Robert quietly looked into his pocket. Good, it was still there. He felt nervous and confident at the same time. Was this going to work? Would Giselle accept? He didn't know.
A few minutes later, the cab stopped. Robert paid the driver, and then he and Giselle made their way into the massive green park. They strolled down a familiar path, next to a lake. Every now and then, other people would notice Giselle's dress and gawk, to which Robert would always glare at them. How could they think she looked odd, when there were people that wore their pants halfway down their rears or had tattoos all over their bodies?
Eventually, they reached a bench, where Robert asked Giselle to sit with him. For a moment they just peacefully sat by each other, holding hands and looking around at the trees. Then, Robert turned Giselle's face, that gorgeous face, to look at his.
"I love you. You know that, yeah?"
Giselle nodded, and said, "And I you, Robert."
He gulped. Here we go, he thought. "Well, then, I was thinking. If we truly love each other, than we should do something very special. Something that will keep us together forever and ever."
He then got down on one knee before Giselle, who was raptly watching him, and slowly pulled a small box from his pants pocket. He opened it, and inside was a silver ring, topped with a small blue diamond. Giselle gasped, and immediately placed it on her hand. Robert looked at her hard, summoning all his courage. "Giselle, will you marry me?"
She sat there, her blue eyes sparkling. Her body seemed to slightly tremble. Then she lunged forward, and hugged Robert. Giselle kissed him on the side of his head, before whispering in his ear, "Yes! Of course, yes! Oh, Robert…"
He stood up, carrying her up with him and lifting her into the air. They twirled around, and then Robert planted her back on the ground. He kissed Giselle, and she clutched his arms. Tears leaked from both of them, tears of happiness. They continued to kiss, and everything else seemed to disappear, as they became each other's world.
* * *
They were now back at the apartment. Robert had let Giselle in first, before following her. They went to the living room couch, and there, Robert told Giselle to wait while he got something. He quickly rushed to the refrigerator, and pulled out a large bottle, sealed with a cork. Robert grabbed two glasses, then returned to the couch, and handed one of them to Giselle. She eyed the bottle curiously. Noticing her expression, Robert explained, "I thought that we should celebrate. And there is no better thing to drink when celebrating than champagne."
"What's that?" asked Giselle.
"Well, it's just…champagne. Something that people drink on special occasions. This is special, isn't it?"
Giselle quickly nodded, and said, "I've never tried sham-pain before. Is it good?"
After removing the cork, Robert poured Giselle a very small amount, while giving himself a full glass. "I guess it depends on one's tastes. I think you'll like it, though. But I gotta warn you; it's pretty strong stuff. You're probably used to juice and milk."
Giselle cautiously raised her glass to her lips, and then, to Robert's shock, downed the small amount immediately. She shuddered, and her eyes watered. "It tastes…good. But it is pretty strong, I guess. Can I have more?"
Robert hesitated. "Are you sure? You actually like it?"
Giselle nodded, before coughing loudly into her shoulder. Robert poured her a normal-sized glass, and Giselle looked at it with a determined expression. Robert really hoped that she wasn't asking for more just to impress him. Giselle drank the whole glass, and for a moment seemed to swoon. But she then shook her head, took a deep breath, and said, "More?"
"Giselle, you don't look too good. We really should stop. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done this-"
"No!" shouted Giselle, a panicked expression on her face. "No, I'm fine! I really want some more! I'm alright, I just need to get used to it!" She then suddenly grabbed the bottle from Robert's glass, and stared at it with loathing. Then, she took a massive swig. Lowering the bottle, she coughed again, before taking another. Robert watched her, and couldn't help being impressed. As Giselle continued drinking, Robert said, "Look, I have to use the bathroom. Don't drink too much of that; it isn't good for you. I'll be right back."
He then walked to the restroom, and after closing the door behind him looked into the mirror above the sink. He sighed. Sometimes he just couldn't decide about Giselle. One moment she seemed so happy and joyful, and the next she was getting an attitude and asking for more champagne. Robert hadn't intended for this to go this far. The idea was to have a glass with her, maybe two, and that would be it. Just a quick little treat.
Suddenly, Robert heard Giselle cry out. It had come from the kitchen. He instantly ripped open the bathroom door, and ran there. He saw Giselle on the floor next to the table. A chair was overturned. Robert quickly rushed to help her up, saying, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Giselle seemed to have difficulty making words. "I…w-was going to the kitchen window for s-some fresh air, but then I-I tripped over t-that chair. I'm so sorry."
"No, no, it's okay. You just had an accident. I really think we should stop this now, before you drink the whole thing."
Giselle looked at Robert, and very quietly mumbled, "But I did drink the whole thing."
Robert felt like someone had slapped him, hard. "What?!?" He snatched the bottle, and turned it upside down. Only drops fell out. "My God, Giselle, what is wrong with you? I said to be careful with this stuff! We have no idea how you'll react to it! Damn it!"
Giselle began to silently cry. "Robert, please, I'm so sorry, I-"
"Why?" yelled Robert and he grabbed her by her shoulders, not too hard as to hurt her, but firm enough to show he was serious. "Why did you drink it all?"
"Because…because…" She sobbed. "I…though that y-you would be d-disappointed if I d-didn't like it. So I p-pretended to. I wanted you to not think I was…was…too weak… I w-wanted to be strong for you."
Robert sighed heavily. He gently loosened his grip on Giselle's shoulders, before saying in the calmest voice he could manage, "Oh, Giselle, I didn't think that at all. That wasn't what I was doing. This wasn't any kind of test or something like that. I-"
Giselle suddenly buried her face into his chest, hugging him tight. He felt her hot tears soak through his suit. Robert softly held her, letting her cry into him. He felt terrible for losing his temper. "Honey, I didn't mean to yell. Please, don't-"
He noticed that Giselle's whole body was shuddering. Her skin looked pale. She lifted her head, and he saw her face. She had a look of terror. "R-Robert…I feel strange. I-"
Suddenly she wrenched herself from Robert's grasp and fell to her knees. To Robert's horror, Giselle vomited loudly onto the ground next to the couch. "Jesus, Giselle!"
He crouched next to her, and tried to help her stand, but she couldn't move. She was paralyzed with fear. Robert didn't want to have to use force to move her, but she couldn't throw up all over the floor. He had to get her to the bathroom. "Giselle, we have to move! I'm sorry, but you have to-"
She then retched, and another torrent poured from her mouth. Robert finally decided that he couldn't be gentle any longer. He grabbed Giselle around the waist, and yanked her up. He hauled her into the bathroom, and set her down next to the toilet. "Just do it in there, Giselle. Right in there. It's okay, you'll be fine."
She shivered, and then spewed again. Robert couldn't watch. He turned away, tears filling his eyes. How could he have been so stupid, giving Giselle something like champange when her body had no idea how to react to it? She was from a fairy-tale world where everything was simple, including the liquids, he presumed. She couldn't possibly have been ready for this. And now, she was suffering for it. Robert swore, and he heard more retching behind him. He started to walk out of the bathroom, hoping to give Giselle privacy, but then she weakly cried out, "Robert, don't go! Please, help me! It hurts!"
He immediately turned around, back into the bathroom. How could he leave her, when she needed him beside her? Robert couldn't imagine what might be going through Giselle's head right now. All the signs pointed to the conclusion that Giselle had never experienced vomiting before. He knew the feeling of utter hopelessness, that terrible sense that the suffering would never end, that there was no way you could live through this kind of pain, when experiencing your first time. It must be a million times worse for Giselle, because she didn't have the good fortune of living in a world where this happened all the time, thus preparing her for it when it inevitably happened to her.
Robert looked down at Giselle, who was holding her hair up by the back. She was shivering and whimpering. Robert wanted more than anything to hold her close and comfort her, but he knew she wasn't finished yet. Sure enough, a moment later Giselle retched again, and puked one last time into the basin. She just lay there, on her knees, for about a minute, just staring at the gross sludge she had expelled.
Then, Giselle slowly got to her feet, with bile dripping from her lips and nose. Robert rapidly tore some tissue paper off the roll and handed it to her, and she used it to wipe herself off. She blew her nose as well. When she finished, she dropped it into the toilet, where it belonged. Giselle turned to Robert, shuddering, and he embraced her, shushing softly as she wept.
"Robert, I'm so scared. What's happening to me? Why did I do that?"
Robert swallowed hard. "Well, sometimes, if a person eats or drinks something that the body doesn't like, the body throws it back up. It's totally normal, Giselle. It's not you. I take it you've never heard of this in Andalasia?"
She nodded rapidly.
"That makes sense. If that place really were as blissful as you described it to me, then of course there wouldn't be terrible things like vomiting. I guess when you traveled to our world, your body became real, too, and everything that goes with it."
"Has it ever happened to you?"
"Oh sure," he answered. "Loads of times. It's not pleasant, I know. But trust me, honey, it is always temporary. It's completely normal. And I know it feels like you are going to die while it happens, the pain is that intense, but that won't happen. I won't let it."
She shivered as she gripped him. "I know you won't. Just one thing, okay?"
Robert looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "What's that?"
She gave him a weak smile, in spite of how clammy she looked. "I never want to have sham-pain again."
Robert grinned. "Deal."
* * *
It was 4:36 PM. Giselle was now lying in their bed, covered up to her chin. Robert sat on the mattress next to her, placing a wet washcloth on her forehead. Giselle coughed, and Robert took her right hand.
"You just lie here for a while, now. You may be done throwing up, but you still look pretty bad. I don't know how long this will last, so for now I need you to just take it easy. Alright?"
Giselle nodded, and then spoke in a hoarse voice; "Can you please stay with me?"
Robert nodded, and moved over to the other side of the bed. He lay next to her as he kicked off his shoes. "Okay, I'm here. What do you want to talk about?"
Giselle thought for a moment. When she eventually answered, it was in a quiet, nervous voice that gave away her anxiety over asking the question.
"Can you explain what you were talking about last night?"
Robert's eyes bugged out of his head. Oh, Christ, he thought. "Goodness, Giselle, you sure you want to hear this? It's pretty, well, detailed."
"Oh, but ever since you brought it up, I haven't been able to stop wondering what it was! Please, please tell me! It can't be all bad, can it?" Giselle gave him her best pleading look.
Robert laughed. "Okay, okay, you don't need to give me Bambi eyes. I'll tell you."
Giselle looked confused. "What's Bambi?"
Robert rolled his eyes. "Never mind. Just another saying. So," he continued, sitting up and clasping his hands together like a teacher at a desk, "You want to know what I meant by 'birds and bees' huh?"
Giselle nodded.
Robert took a deep breath, and then said slowly, "okay then, well…uh, you know all about kissing. When people love each other very much they kiss, right? Well, if people love each other very, very, VERY much, they do something very…intimate. You following me?"
Giselle nodded again, and gave him an encouraging smile. Robert swallowed hard. "Okay, um, well, I guess before I continue we should backtrack a bit. Before you can understand what I'm talking about, you need to know a little bit about people's bodies. Do you know the one thing men have that girls don't?"
Giselle thought for a moment, before brightly replying, "They don't have these," pointing at her breasts beneath the blanket.
"Right. They usually don't have those. But I'm talking about…something else. It's a body part that we have. It's called…it's called…"
Robert was starting to sweat. This was ridiculous. Giselle was never going to learn anything if he continued this way. "It's located right here." He pointed at his crotch. "You may have noticed sometimes, that men have a lump here, right? Well, that's what I'm talking about."
Giselle was looking at Robert's "lump", processing what he had said. Then she instinctively reached her hand downn and felt her netheregions. "I don't have a lump. Is that normal?"
"Yes, it is. Women don't have that part. They have something else. They have an opening called a...God, this is difficult. Are you keeping up with me, though?"
Giselle looked at him sternly. "Robert, please just get to your point. How can I learn anything at this rate?"
Robert supressed a grin. That was exactly what he had been thinking a moment ago! "Okay, okay, I'll get to the meat of the matter. Girls have an opening that scientists call a vagina."
Robert lay there silently for a moment, watching Giselle's reaction. Of course, since she did not know that this was an uncomfortable word for guys, she didn't seem fazed at all. On the contrary, she seemed delighted. "They call it a vagina? That's a silly word."
Robert let out a weak laugh. "Yeah, I guess it is. Now, men, you see, have something called a…a…penis."
Giselle nodded, and her eyes widened. "What does it look like? What does it do?"
Robert nervously scratched the back of his head. "Um, it's long and thick. It's almost like a pipe. It ends in a small hole, out of which urine comes. You know what urine is, right? When you go to the bathroom and yellow water comes out of your hole, that's urine. A nickname for it is pee. Get me?"
Giselle nodded. This was fascinating!
"Okay, now not only does urine, or pee, come out of the penis, but also a sticky substance called semen. Inside the semen is hundreds upon hundreds of little microscopic seeds we call sperm. These are what make babies."
Giselle looked confused again. "Wait, I thought babies came from the stork. A stork comes from the sky and drops the babies off at their parent's house."
Robert sighed. "Maybe they do in Andalasia, but here it's much more complicated. The penis, basically, expels the semen, which is made up of sperm. That is its most important function. Now, this is where it gets odd for you, Giselle. In order to make a baby, the penis has to…go into the vagina."
He paused again, studying Giselle's facial expressions. She seemed to be slightly shocked and repulsed by this new information. Her next comment made him very nearly laugh aloud.
"Does it…hurt when you do this?"
Robert shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. "No, no, it actually feels great. It's the greatest feelinng your body will ever have. For both men and women. That's why this act is sometimes nicknamed pleasure. But most people call it sex."
"Sex," repeated Giselle.
"Yes, sex. The proper term is sexual intercourse, but it's more common to call it by that."
Giselle thought hard. "Okay, so the…penis goes into my…vagina. The penis shoots out…semen, which carries seeds, and the seeds go inside me? Where do they go once they are in there? Can I feel them?"
"No, you can't feel them moving, but they do move. They travel deeper into your body, until they reach your eggs. Because all girls produce eggs, just in case this happens. The 'seeds', as you called them, go inside the eggs, and this starts the process of growing a baby." At Giselle's astounded look, Robert added, "Yes, the baby grows inside your belly. And eventually, after nine months or so, you push the baby out."
Giselle eyes widened in fear. "You mean, you throw up the baby?!?"
Robert chuckled. "No. You push it out through your vagina. But this is extremely painful. It hurts, a lot. But it's worth it, because if you're successful, you get a beautiful baby. And it depends whether or not it's a boy or girl."
The two lay there, together, in the bed. Giselle stared up at the ceiling, thinking hard. Robert watched her, and was entranced by her wondeful face. Those eyes, that nose, that hair… Even though she was still quite pekid and her eyes were puffy, he could still see the gorgeous woman who had captured his heart. He was also quite proud of himself. That talk was much easier than he had thought it would be. Giselle seemed to understand the basic idea, if not the really deep details.
Giselle then looked at him, and noticed his expression as he gazed at her fondly. "What?"
Robert leaned forward, and kissed her nose. "I just love you, that's all. Are you feeling any better? Do you want me to take this off?"
Giselle nodded, and Robert picked up the damp washcloth. He climbed out of the bed, and walked into the bathroom. There, he doused the cloth in cold water again, and buried his face in it. Giselle called out from the bedroom, "Robert?"
He put down the cloth inside the sink, and quickly returned to the bed. He got back in, and Giselle took his hand. She had a serious look.
"You said that people only do that if they love each other very, very, very mcuh, right? Well, what if other people do that without loving each other?"
Robert sighed. "Giselle, that's one of the crazy things about the world. There are people out there who don't care about feelings; they just want the sex and nothing else. Like I said, having sex feels really good, and some people just can't get enough of that feeling. Some go their entire lives without doing it, because they never meet their true love. So they resort to forcing women, and sometimes men, to make love to them, even if they don't'want to. This is a very serious problem in the world. It's a terrible crime, referred to as rape."
"Rape," repeated Giselle. She seemed to shiver. "That's not a very good-sounding word."
"Exactly," finished Robert.
Giselle looked back at the ceiling, laying her head all the way. Then, very quietly, she whispered, "Do you love me very, very, very much?"
Robert leaned over her, making eye contact. He tried to put as much love in his expression as possible. "I do. And you me?"
Giselle caressed his neck, before giving him a gentle kiss. "I do. I always will. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Robert. Without you, I would have been dead. You saved me. I'll never forget that."
Robert smiled, as he kissed her back. They lay there, their lips intertwined. Then Robert slowly positioned his hand to cup Giselle's left breast. She didn't object. In return, she placed her other hand on his shirt, and slipped through the buttons to touch his hairy chest. Robert felt himself ache with longing, and he deepened their kiss. Giselle firmly grasped his chest hairs as she reacted. She felt Robert clutching her hair too. He then briefly disconnected to whisper, "Do you want to make a a baby?"
Giselle wanted more than anything to see what Robert had told her about. "Yes. Yes, I do. Please."
"Okay then." Robert gave her a mischievous grin. "But you first need to promise me something."
"Alright," she whispered, her chest heaving with anticipation.
"No matter how good it gets, you can't make too much noise. Remember that we're in an apartment. People might find it disturbing, hearing moaning from next door. Understand?"
Giselle flashed him one of her incredible smiles just before pulling him on top of her.
"Deal."