WOW! This has been THE chapter that has been in the works for a while, changing, rewording, adding, taking away...I could NOT wait for you all to read this one when it started coming together, but it had to wait its turn.
PLEASE leave reviews on this one! Warning, it is going to get ugly, but keep reading.
Listening to Dracula Untold soundtrack The Silver Tent as I finish this!
Time for some serious Gaston hero time!
"Adam! Cover the back!" Lefou shouted. "He might make a break for the door!"
"Right!" Adam replied. Stanley was perched on his horse, ready to fire if necessary.
Gaston was charging through the formerly vacant structure like a provoked mother bear. He was just about to reach a door that he remembered led down to the bowels of the hideout, when a huge figure blocked him. "Out of my way!" Gaston bellowed.
"Sorry, but the boss cannot be disturbed." Bastien chuckled, smoking his pipe. Gaston held his pistol to Bastien's forehead.
"Feel like dying for Andre Benoit? Do ya? Huh? I can shoot your right now!" Gaston threatened.
"Take it easy, man!" Bastien begged. Gaston scowled, clenched the heavier man by the collar and hurled him aside like a heavy log with barely any effort. He jerked the door open and burst inside.
"Noo! Help me!" Lissa screeched, struggling to wriggle out of Andre's firm hold on her as he dragged her back downstairs. She was still blindfolded and she wildly kicked, trying to hit his shin but missed. "Somebody please help me!"
Gaston heard his sister's cries and doggedly pounded down the steps to get to her. He was coming as quickly as he could. His eyes were narrowed with rage. His veins bulged in fury. His face was crimson. He was not going to fail her this time!
Once they were in the back room, the same room which had been Lissa's prison for the passed three days, Andre locked the door behind them and shoved Lissa aside, making her stumble. She tried to scamper away, but he jerked her roughly by the arm and backed her up inflexibly against the wall. "It'll give me great pleasure to take care of your brother, once he slips from being so distraught with grief. What a lousy loser." He shook his head, then he removed the scarf from around her eyes. "And as for you, my pretty," Andre scornfully sighed, "I'm afraid you are going to have to die!" He was holding his sharp knife blade-which he had been constantly sharpening the passed three days-pressed closely to Lissa's stomach.
"Please...no!" Lissa begged in a whisper, unable to to speak louder. She was trying to guard her abdomen with her tied hands.
"Sorry." Andre shook his head casually. He could have just slit her throat or stabbed her right in the heart. Then it would have been all over! But that would be too easy. He wanted Gaston to be tortured at Lissa's dilemma. No, he wanted to watch her suffer. His plan was to plunge the blade straight through her waist and leave her on the floor, bleeding to death in agony. She would be completely helpless and Gaston wouldn't be able to save her-should he find her-, but would painfully have to watch her just slip away moment by moment, unable to do anything. And that sickly satisfied Andre for his game of sweet revenge.
Andre gripped Lissa's hands, holding them up where she couldn't protect herself. She whimpered frightfully. "It was a gamble and you lost. What a shame." He tsked. He leaned in close to her-much too close!-, about to bring his lips to hers! Lissa screeched and shied away, whimpering. And at the same time, he readied his other hand, about to thrust the knife right into her belly.
Lissa was absolutely terrified, but...she acted quickly to defend herself. "Nnnooo!" She screamed as loudly as she could, and sourly spat in his face, then headbutted him, then drove her knee into his lower middle as hard as she could. Then kicking his shin, she knocked him down and scrambled quickly for the door, screaming for help. But, she wasn't fast enough. Andre grabbed her, and with his fist, he sucker punched her stomach, causing her to instantly drop to the floor, breathless. The man had a punch like a kick of a mule. Her hands instantly went to her pained middle, and she tried to catch her breath. But the next thing she knew, the guy zealously kicked her gut then he was on top of her and before she could regain her sharp breathing, Andre thrust his hands around her throat!
Lissa fought to scream and struggled to pry this madman's fingers from strangling her, but it was no use. He was just too strong. She could barely echo a scream. She choked and gagged, and could feel herself beginning to lose consciousness. There was a deafening bang and a loud, enraged yell in the room, somewhere above her head. Just then, she felt his grip loosen from around her neck! Then he was no longer on top of her. Lissa coughed loudly. Startled, and trying to regain her bearings, she looked up in astonishment.
Gaston was behind Andre, fiercely holding him back. Actually, holding him up so hard that his feet were off the ground! Gaston had him in a firm headlock, and was pinning his arm back. Lissa scrambled back against the wall. "You touch her again, I will tear you apart!" Gaston hissed in his ear. Andre slinked his boot back behind Gaston's and lurched it forward. Gaston stumbled, but his hold did not penetrate. He roughly pushed Andre into the table, then pounced on him. He slugged his face, hard, then again. Andre forced himself into Gaston, pushing him back, but Gaston was much stronger and twisting his whole body, he flipped Andre over backwards onto the ground. Andre grabbed his boot and yanked him to his knees.
The two men were at each other's throats. Lissa had grabbed Andre's fallen knife and was frightfully trying to cut through the thick rope. Andre socked Gaston in the stomach, then kicked him. He rose to his feet, then kicked Gaston backwards, where he hit his head on the edge of a table and collapsed to the floor on his stomach, dazed and groaning. Andre sneered like a hungry beast licking his lips, and pulled out his pistol from his belt. He leered down at Gaston, who was struggling to focus, his head furiously pounding. "Now I've got you right where I want you." Andre gloated, loading the firearm. Gaston didn't seem to hear him, his forehead was buzzing like a beehive. Andre sharply jabbed Gaston in the side with his boot. Then he did it again, harder. Gaston grimaced, and groaned, like a dying buck. He was sure that one if not two of his ribs were cracked. "This is for my brother, you backstabber!" Andre cheered, carefully aiming the gun from behind, straight at Gaston's liver.
"Nnnooo!" Lissa screamed from behind and thwacked her brother's assailant across the back of the head with all her might, with a rickety chair. The chair broke into pieces, and Andre stumbled to his knees from the heavy blow to the back of his skull. "Gaston!" Lissa dropped next to her brother. "Gaston? Wake up! Come on!" Lissa cried, trying to shake him back to his senses. Andre turned and glared at her, rising to his full height. He still had the gun. Lissa had managed to cut the rope to separate her hands, but they were still coiled up. And in her desperation to save Gaston, she'd instantly forgotten about the knife after she put it into her skirt pocket. Lissa looked up at Andre with fearful but angry eyes. "Don't!" She pleaded, crouching down over Gaston, trying to protect him. "Please don't kill him!"
"Lis...Lis...r...run..." Gaston dazedly whispered, but she didn't hear him.
"What?" Andre glowered. "I thought you understood my feelings. I thought you felt sorry for me."
"When you're hurting, yes. But not when you inflict pain on others for the fun of it!" Lissa hissed.
"So, that's the way you want to play, is it?" Andre curled his lips, slowly making his way to them.
"This isn't a game, you rat!" Lissa retorted back, narrowing her eyes and clutching Gaston. "Why don't you do us all a favor and run like the coward that you are?"
"Ooo. Feisty one, aren't you?" Andre scorned at her. "I always enjoyed a bit of back talk. Shows you're not weak." Then he roughly snatched her up by her arm, and tripped her so she fell back against a chest then onto the floor She tried to straighten up, but he was right in her face, sitting on top of her, pinning her down. "Not as weak as your stupid brother, that is." Andre corrected himself, firmly holding down her free arm. Her other one was stuck under his knee. She squirmed underneath him, but it was useless."You see, you just fired back while your brother tried to schmooze me into letting you go. I'd say you're the smart one. But not smart enough." Lissa shivered. He was holding the muzzle of the gun right down on her stomach-ready to blow her guts to kingdom come-, where she could feel it pressing into her skin.
"A-Andre, d-don't…please!" Lissa begged for her life, struggling to get away. "Don't kill me like this!"
"Oh, please. Enough of the waterfall." Andre huffed. "I thought it would be fun to play around with you, and it was. Until you started stepping out of line. I've been planning this for a very long time, and I will not have it blundered again." He clicked the gun. Lissa whimpered. But the cold words had reached Gaston's ears, and his rage began to clear the ringing in his foggy mind. His blood began to boil and his skin crawled as the adrenaline surged back through his body.
"Pleasant dreams, my little pretty." Andre jeered in a low, foreboding tone.
"NO! Please!" Lissa gasped desperately as she could feel the weapon pushed harder into her! But within a split second, Gaston yanked Andre's arm back and swiped the gun out of his grip. Gaston furiously fired it into the ceiling then put it in his belt, then he punched Andre again. He pulled him off and away from his sister and kicked him, sending him on his back onto the table that creaked under his weight. Gaston bared his teeth, unsheathed his own hunting knife and pinning Andre down with his own much heavier weight, he tightly clenched the weapon and readied to stab Andre right in the heart.
"GASTON!" Lissa screeched at him. "DON'T!" She yelled desperately. Gaston glared at her confused. Why did she care about this little punk? He deserved to be killed! It wasn't Andre Lissa was scared for. She didn't give a darn about him, it was her brother. Gaston was enraged, and he was about to throw his life away in anger...again. She'd almost lost him once to murder, but she couldn't lose him again! "G-Gaston, let him go. Please!" Lissa asked him softly.
Gaston gazed at her questioningly, his face dark and threatening. Why was she doing this? He could easily put this little weasel out of his misery right now and be done with him! After all, he'd certainly earned it! Gaston didn't want to show mercy. He wanted to kill Andre! His insides were relentlessly wrestling with each other. His shoulders were still shaking up and down as he breathed heavily. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from Lissa's face. He'd seen that look before, one that he'd hope to never see again! The same look she'd given him that awful night when he'd declared that he would feed Maurice to the wolves so Belle would be his wife. He didn't listen to Lissa that time, with disastrous results! Lissa gazed at him right now, wide-eyed with worry. She was afraid, afraid he would lose it. He strengthened his grip on Andre, weighing his options.
Gaston had a choice to make: he could kill this guy no sweat, but then he would be guilty of murder, or he could let him live and have him legally punished. Legally punishing him sounded too lenient right now! He hated the frightened look on Lissa's face, but...then that terrifying dream of his mother flitted through his mind. Her words had never left him. "You've become a treacherous person." If he took Andre's life, it would only confirm what his precious mother had said about him and Gaston didn't want that!
"G-Gaston, please don't do this!" Lissa begged quietly.
Then another dear, sweet face played before his eyes: Sarah! His wonderful, amazing, gorgeous, sweet little wife. He'd never thought he would find a woman to accept him, faults and all, and truly love him. But Sarah was like an angel sent from heaven. Gaston loved her more than anything else in the world, and he'd do anything for her! He would gladly risk his life to keep her out of danger. It had been a real struggle to accept that she truly loved him, and...what would happen now, if he disappointed her like this? She had told him that as long as he did what was right, she would stand by him all her days. How would Sarah react if she saw him like this now? She would be horrified, let down. He remembered the hurt look on her face when he confessed what he'd done to Andre and his brother. It had sickened him.
He glanced down at Andre, who was cowering in terror and looking up to him with pleading in his pale face. Then Gaston remembered Sarah's powerful words that he would never forget: "I've thought about this very hard. I know that everything you said to me is true. But that was then, and this is now. I didn't know you then, but I know now that you are not the kind of man you used to be!" Gaston would carry that moment with him forever. He was still angry, but suddenly, the desire to kill without conscience melted off of his shoulders. He glared down at his nemesis. Why should he throw his life away over this coward? If Gaston obeyed his impulse by murdering Andre, and...he lost Sarah's heart because of it...he knew, he wouldn't want to live! Still grasping Andre by the coat and scruff of the neck, he slowly lowered his knife and returned it to its sheath. No. Gaston would not forfeit his wife's heart over this punk. He was not worth it!
Gaston, clenching Andre's coat collar, roughly brought him to his feet and glared right in his face. "You are not going to control me." Gaston hissed. "This time, I will not lower myself!" Then he flipped Andre over and threw him hard to the floor. "Go!" Gaston bellowed at him. Andre scrambled backwards on the floor away from him, afraid Gaston would pounce on him and rip his throat out like a tiger. The former army captain certainly looked as if he might!
"Th-thanks, Gaston. I...I..."
"If I ever catch you near my sister again, or find you harming a single hair of her head, I will personally track you down and chain your hands and feet together in shackles." Gaston growled. "I will personally deliver you and see to it that you spend the rest of your rotten existence in the darkest, deepest bowels of the prison. I will make sure you never see the light of day again! Do you hear me?"
"Y-yes. Sure, Gaston! It won't happen again! I promise!" Andre sputtered, still trying to slink away from the intimidating lawman. "I'll leave her alone. You have my word!"
"Get out, you filthy coward!" Gaston snarled down at him. Andre turned over to get to his feet, but Gaston came up behind him. kicking him in the posterior. "And I never want to see you sniveling face again, you maggot!" Andre burst out the door and fled for his life. But Gaston did not pursue him, as Andre wouldn't get far, because Adam and his little army were waiting for him.
Gaston turned toward Lissa and his constricted face muscles instantly softened as he came to her. His keen eyes flitted over her small, trembling form, scrutinizing for any signs of injury. She looked exhausted and pained, frightened, pale, and thin, but she was proudly smiling up at him for his act of mercy. "Are you all right, darling?" Gaston asked tenderly as he gently touched her face.
"I have never been so happy to see you in my life!" Lissa exclaimed, with tears in her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"I know. Come here." Gaston agreed, pulling her close to himself. "It's all right." Lissa winced, lightly moaning from his tight embrace, but she relished in it more, clasping her arms around his broad, strong frame. "I'm sorry it took us so long to get here!" Gaston untied the coiled rope from her wrists and she exhaled heavily in relief.
"Are you all right?" Lissa asked worriedly.
"Sure." Gaston said casually with a twisted grin, ignoring the pain in his head. "I can take it!" Lissa tried to laugh, but burst out weeping instead. Gaston caught her up in his arms so her feet didn't touch the ground, like a child. He held her close, and panted heavily in relief as she cried into his shoulder. "It's over, Lissa. It's over." He breathed, running his large fingers through her hair.
"I was so afraid he was going to kill you!" She blurted out.
"Shh. It takes more than a little roach to kill me!" Gaston told her cockily. She lightly giggled through her weeping.
"I was so scared you wouldn't find me!"
"Hey, this is Gaston the hunter you're talking about!" Gaston teased. He was deeply grateful for his close friends' massive support and knew in his heart that he couldn't have done it without them. "I don't give up that easily." Lissa clutched him tighter, whimpering. For once, she was too frightened and sad to return his playful sarcasm. "Shh. It's all right. I'm here, Lissie. You're safe now." Gaston whispered tenderly. Right now, she wouldn't feel safe till they were out of here. She felt like a scared little girl. Gaston carefully set her back down on her feet at which she grimaced and moaned.
"Did he hurt you?" Gaston asked firmly, his face growing serious. He noticed that she was very tightly holding her side and gingerly rubbing her throat. With the adrenaline rush dissipated, the gruesome pain was unkindly beginning to truly make its presence known in her ribs and torso. She could barely stand and looked as if she was going to faint any minute.
"Of course he did." She gritted her teeth, hanging her head. She couldn't hide the terrible soreness her body was in. She was still shaking and her stomach really hurt. Gaston's countenance grew dark, but he was relieved to see that at least her face wasn't beaten to a pulp as he'd dreadfully expected! And he didn't see any signs of blood anywhere. Yet she continued to wince and grunt.
"Here, I think I'd better take a look." Gaston said dismally, reaching his hand out to check her ribs. He wanted to be sure she wasn't broken up inside.
"No." Lissa shook her head, stopping his hand.
"Darling, I have to know. Don't lie to me. Is it bad?" Gaston firmly asked with concern.
"Yes." Lissa nodded miserably.
"I need to get you to a doctor right away." Gaston said, removing his heavy brown coat and placing it on her shaking shoulders. "Can you walk?"
"Yes. I think so." Lissa nodded. "I just want out of this horrid place! Please take me home! I just want to go home!"
"Come on. I'm getting you out of here!" Gaston growled, putting his arm around her shoulders and swiftly escorting her to the door. Weak with hunger and the adrenaline wearing off, her legs slipped, feeling like jelly. Gaston quickly scooped her up in his arms bridal-style and marched more briskly. "I've got you." He whispered.
"Thank you." Lissa smiled wearily, leaning her head on his chest.
"Hey, that's what I'm here for." Gaston shrugged.