Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

Disclaimer

I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of it's affiliates (except some merchandise and some lovely, lovely autographs!).  That honour belongs to 20th Century Fox Film Productions (and by extension News Corporation), Warner Brothers Film Production, UPN, Kazui Enterprises, Sandollar, Lazy Dave Productions and Mutant Enemy. I make no profits from the writing of or display of this fanfic.

Moral copyright is extended to all original characters and concepts created by me, the author, within the confines of this fanfic.  To the uninitiated this means you must first seek permission before you play with my toys.

A/N

Just a small chapter to begin with and okay, I realise that the French translations are shaky but it's the best I can do with my teeny knowledge of French and a translation dictionary.  It was originally posted with no translation, just a note that there was an all-English version available if people wanted it emailed to them but after some complaints I changed my mind.  The translations will now be marked with a * etc and posted in the text below the actual chapter.

But don't worry, it's not all going to be French the whole way.  That'll gradually disappear after the first two chapters.

Also, fifty points and some virtual chocolate to the first person who can tell me who they think the biker is and be correct (No cheating!)!

Enjoy the fic and please don't forget to read and review.  It gives me a happy! 

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Prologue

Beauty isn't always skin deep.  And ugliness can sometime be found in a heart rather than a face.  Some of the worst books I have ever read have had pretty covers.  I once knew a girl who was a rarity.  She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the out.  And she was beautiful.  She was one of those people that flit briefly through people's life, showing them that they can be so much more than they believe, and then disappearing. 

But she believed that she was unworthy.  She had done a terrible thing and she tended to focus only on that, not the good things she had done before and after it.

It took me a long time, but I found out where she went when she left me.

*           *           *

In a little village in the middle of France, time virtually stood still.  Every day was like the one the one before.  But the village had a secret.  One that only the oldest of the oldest villagers knew.  And then one day she arrived. 

It was a market day, filled with bustling crowds and loud voices like many before it.  But above the noise came the roaring of an engine, which grew ever loader and louder until at last a motorbike came into view.  People scattered before it like sheep as it purred along the street before coming to a halt in front of the fountain in the Main Square.  The townsfolk stared as the rider turned the impressive machine off and stretched.  Suddenly, curves that hadn't been evident before came into play and it became obvious even to the village idiot that the biker was female.

She climbed off the motorcycle and looked around the crowd.

"Bonjour, est-ce que n'importe qui parle Américain?"  She asked haltingly.  *

The crowd muttered and murmured to itself before a young girl pushed herself to the front.

"I do," she said in a heavy French accent.  "My name is Claudette."

"Do you have a mechanic in the village?  My friend's car broke down about five miles away."  The biker asked.

Claudette nodded.  "Down the road and to your left."

"Thanks."  The biker turned and left and the crowd began to disperse.

Five minutes later, the engine of the motorbike fired into life again and the biker left village, a tow-truck in pursuit.

In just a few minutes they were beside a small car, abandoned by the roadside.  The biker peered inside.

"That's weird."  She said."

"Ce qui?" asked the mechanic. **

"My friend has gone.  I told him I'd be back as soon as possible.  Why would he go?  Where would he go?"  The biker said, mainly to herself.

"En français?" 

"Sorry."  The biker apologised as she removed her helmet and opened the car door.

The mechanic gaped as her beauty was revealed.

"Er…Mon ami est allé et je ne sais pas pourquoi ou où."

The mechanic shrugged and then laughed. "Peut-être l'animal l'a pris. " 

"Huh?"  The young woman asked.

"Il est juste une histoire dite pour effrayer nos enfants. Un animal qui vit comme un homme et mange de mauvais enfants."  The mechanic explained.

The biker's brow furrowed as she ran a translation through her mind.  "Je vois. Pouvez-vous remorquer la voiture au village pour moi pour satisfaire?"

"Oui mademoiselle."  The mechanic nodded and then set to work hitching up the car to his tow truck. 

The biker moved away from the scene and looked around at the picturesque scenery.  To her right, a tall forest stood, the branches of its many trees swaying gently in the wind.  Her eyes narrowed and she focused on the forest, rising up onto her tiptoes to get a better look.  There it was again!  Through a small gap in the sea of green the turret of a tower was just visible. 

"Tout le madamoiselle fait."  The mechanic said, breaking into her thoughts.  She turned back to him as he stood, wiping his oily hands on a rag.  "Ne vous inquiétez pas, votre ami vous attend probablement en arrière au village. " 

The biker nodded and replaced her helmet before kick-starting her motorbike.  "You're probably right."  She said over the roar of the engine.  "There isn't a Hellmouth for over a hundred miles.  What kind of trouble could Giles get into?"

It just went to show, Giles reflected.  It didn't matter if you were sat on top of a Hellmouth or not, trouble just happened to the members of the Scooby Gang.

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A/N

Okay, time for the translations!

*    "Hello, does anyone speak American?"  She asked haltingly in French.

**   "What?" asked the mechanic.

"My friend has gone.  I told him I'd be back as soon as possible.  Why would he go?  Where would he go?"  The biker said, mainly to herself.

"In French?"

"Sorry."  The biker apologised as she removed her helmet and opened the car door.

The mechanic gaped as her beauty was revealed.

"Er… My friend has gone and I don't know where or why."

The mechanic shrugged and then laughed. "Maybe the animal has taken him." 

"Huh?"  The young woman asked.

"It's just a story told to scare our children.  An animal that lives like a man and eats bad children."  The mechanic explained.

The biker's brow furrowed as she ran a translation through her mind.  "I see.  Can you tow the car to the village for me please?" 

"Oui mademoiselle."  The mechanic nodded and then set to work hitching up the car to his tow truck.

The biker moved away from the scene and looked around at the picturesque scenery.  To her right, a tall forest stood, the branches of its many trees swaying gently in the wind.  Her eyes narrowed and she focused on the forest, rising up onto her tiptoes to get a better look.  There it was again!  Through a small gap in the sea of green the turret of a tower was just visible. 

"All done madamoiselle." The mechanic said, breaking into her thoughts.  She turned back to him as he stood, wiping his oily hands on a rag.  "Don't worry, your friend is probably waiting for you back at the village."

Oh, and another thing… small purple button to your left.  See it?  Please click on it.  Otherwise I don't know if I should keep bothering or not.  Flames don't worry me.  Honest!