A/N: I plan on updating every Friday, but occasionally I may update in between as well.

Chapter Two

Infuriating. That's how Claude Frollo would describe that girl.

For weeks he found himself visiting Auriel's cell, trying to entice her into some sort of bargain, and also threaten her with a barrage of possible punishments. Though, every time, she declined his offers and threats without a second thought, and he would leave fuming. His temper lashed out at anything and anyone in his path, and he had destroyed almost his entire living quarters by the end of the month due to his fits of rage. She was driving him mad, but he was relentless when it came to getting his way.

On this day in particular, he went about his interrogation from a difficult angle. He had a new plan, one in which he was sure he wouldn't fail, because he intended to lull the girl into trusting him. If he treated her well, he was certain he could get what he wanted without inflicting any pain on her. Normally he wouldn't care to make someone suffer for giving him the runaround, but with her he didn't find it necessary. He would make her surrender her knowledge without brute force. This would be the greatest form of victory of all in his eyes.

"Back again I see." She commented from the corner of her cell as he came into view. In his arms he carried a woven picnic basket, and he had the cool and aloof idiom on his face she had grown accustom to. "Why do you keep trying when you know better?"

"I'm not trying anything." The judge lifted his chin. "I've come to bring you a peace offering."

He sat the basket inside her cell, locking the door back into place once he was done.

"A peace offering?" She scoffed skeptically, glaring at him as she pushed back her hair.

"Just open it."

Cautiously she approached the basket, eying it and him wearily as she opened it. Inside sat an assortment of chocolates and pastries, along with some fresh fruit and cheese. Her mouth started watering at the sight, but she promptly shut the lid and pushed it away. Frollo gawked at her odd behavior, tilting his head as she returned to her corner.

"Is there something wrong?" He was trying his best to maintain his composure.

"How do I know you're not trying to get rid of me?" She lifted a brow. "For all I know, that food could be poisoned."

He straightened himself up, scowling down at her over his pointed nose. "If I wanted to get rid of you, I could think of better ways than this."

"That's exactly what you want me to think." She turned away from him, facing the wall as his anger escalated.

"Can you not be grateful?" He chastised, opening the door to the cell and storming over to where she sat on the floor. "I'm trying to be civil with you, girl, and yet you still choose to disregard my act of kindness."

She was perturbed by his close vicinity to her. She quickly stood and braced herself against the wall for support. Her eyes met his as they glowered unrelentingly at each other in displeasure. They were mere inches apart, and both could practically feel the other against them as they shot daggers. Auriel knew she needed to seal the deal and send the judge retreating to his quarters once more before things got too heated.

"You don't deserve my kindness, judge." She refused to be intimidated as he loomed over her. "And I don't want yours."

Something akin to a growl escaped his lips as he stormed out of the cell, leaving the basket and the girl behind as the door to her metal cage slammed shut. Another tirade was brewing within him as he dashed through the nearly empty halls of the Palace of Justice. He loathed and appreciated her stubbornness all at once, but he didn't understand why. That alone made him livid, and in his rage he grabbed a vase that was perched on a nearby table, flinging it from his grip. It crumbled into unrecognizable fragments as he stood taking a number of heavy breaths.

The only thing that proved to sooth him was his confidence in himself. He was certain she would succumb to his tactics, but being patient had never been his strong suit.

Auriel tugged against the rusted bars of her cell in desperation. She was sick and tired of dealing with Claude Frollo, maybe even more than he was of her, and the days passed excruciatingly slowly. Every night she tried to concoct a way to escape this terrible prison, but it was hard to concentrate over the sound of those being tortured nearby. Their screams were enough to replace her most terrifying nightmares, so that even when she was asleep she was unable to escape them.

She let out a groan as she slumped to the floor, and soon she was intently staring down the basket as the hours trickled by. There was a debate going on within her mind, to eat or not to eat, and the desire to succumb to the temptation was winning. Slowly she reached out her hand, digging into the basket and pulling out a fresh peach. The red and pink skin tickled her palm with it's fine hairs as she allowed herself to sink her teeth into it's tender flesh. The way she saw it, if she died she would at least be free from this wretched place. She took a few moments to see if she would drop dead, and once she realized she was fine, Auriel tore into the remainder of the food without hesitation. It was an almost gluttonous act as she ate more than her fill of treats.

Once finished, she settled herself into her designated sleeping area, the feeling of being full causing her eyelids to droop lethargically. Despite her surroundings, a layer of peace enveloped her, and she allowed herself to completely surrender to her subconscious. To a place where her nightmares would no longer plague her. She silently thanked Judge Frollo for his gift, but it didn't change the fact that he was a pompous bastard.

It was late into the night when the judge found himself outside of Auriel's cell once again. Ever since he met her, he would find himself in the same dream every night, one in which she would smile at him and reach her hand out for his. This unnerved him in a multitude of ways, mostly because he didn't have a habit of dreaming, and suddenly he found himself with her in his nighttime world. That stubbornly arrogant girl. Tonight he found himself wanting answers, and this led him to her cell. Maybe the answer was there with her.

He watched her chest steadily rise and fall as she slept, and she appeared almost innocent to him in this state. Yet, he knew better, she was a criminal and a companion to the gypsies. Almost as far away as you could get from innocence. Even so, he found himself being drawn to her in a way he didn't want or expect.

Gently, he opened the door, wandering over to her side and inspecting her up close. There was a strange feeling in his chest as his eyes ran over the contours of her face, and he noted that even while sleeping she was extremely beautiful. Her breath was coming out in soft sighs, and her dark eyelashes were fanned across her cheeks. Every so often she would move slightly in discomfort, the hard floor not providing any support.

How deceiving looks can be. Frollo thought to himself as he took in the curves along her body. No one could ever predict such sinful behavior from something that looks so angelic.

Suddenly, an idea surged into his mind, and he reached his hand across the distance separating them. His fingers met the warmth of her alluring skin, and he was flooded by a bombardment of emotions as a spark surged through him. It were almost as though he couldn't pull his hand away from her, that he didn't want to break the connection that had just been established, and an unknown craving filled his bones. Thoughts he didn't know he was capable of having or harboring.

He tensed as Auriel's tender voice broke the silence.

"Frollo."

His blood ran cold, and he yanked his hand away as though she had burned him, only to realize she was talking in her sleep.

Repressing a sigh of relief, he lifted himself off the floor as he continued to watch the woman sleep. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she had woken to see him touching her so brazenly, and he was thankful that he didn't have to explain himself. What explanation would he have given? He didn't even know why he had reached out and touched her. It felt like the natural thing to do.

He shook his head in disdain, angry at himself for allowing such a thing to happen with someone like her. She was his prisoner, his pawn to use and dispose as he wished. He could almost feel the eyes of God bearing down on him, condemning him for his poor behavior that could ruin his quest for ridding Paris of it's evils. This could not do, and he was determined to keep it from happening again. He had to maintain his assertiveness if he were to follow through with his plans.

Yet, the sound of his name on her lips burned through him like fire.