Thank you batbinmyheart91, for the review!
I am so terribly sorry for posting Chapter 9 twice, but I must have accidently selected the wrong chapter. Anyway, this is the real chapter 10.
In this chapter, we will see Mia's slightly dark side, just as a little spoiler.
….
Chapter 10
Lumiere melted into the kiss, and gently stroked her cheek with one of his soft hands, while keeping the kiss light and passionate. He broke it softly and slowly "Babette, what was that for?" he whispered.
"It was to say how sorry I am…for everything. I should never have overreacted so much" she replied. Then, the maid began to cry again, and buried her head in the crook of his neck, still sobbing slightly "I was so…stupid" she muttered.
The Frenchman shook his head "Oh ma cheri…" he ran his fingers lightly through her hair "You were not stupid. Mia put those thoughts into your head, and your fears took control of you. Vous n'étiez pas bété du tout" he answered.
Babette smiled, bringing her head back from the crook of his neck "Merci, mon amour" she replied quietly, before suddenly bursting into tears again.
Lumiere chuckled "More tears? I knew that pregnant women could be emotion, but this, mon Dieu, it is ridiculous! I do not believe I will have enough kisses to sooth it!" he teased playfully.
"Even for me?" inquired Babette, batting her eyes at him. She laughed, accepting another kiss from him, a sweet, innocent peck on her lips.
All of a sudden, Emilie's voice came from behind her "Well, mon ami, I see that you two have gotten over your little spat" she said, clearly slightly annoyed.
The maid turned to her and, standing from her bed, replied "Emilie, I overreacted when I ran away and came here. It is no offense to you, but I would like to go home with Lumiere."
Her friend looked him up and down, seemingly assessing him. She had seen lust in the eyes of many men before, but, in Lumiere, she found no trace of such a thing. He was charming, and polite and gentlemanly, but there was one thing she still needed to ask "Do you love her? Promise to take care of her?"
"Until the day I die, mademoiselle" replied the Frenchman honestly.
Emilie turned to Babette "Do you love him, ma petite? Truly?" she inquired.
Her friend nodded "Oui. I most certainly do" she answered.
The showgirl clasped her hands together "Very well then. I cannot keep a loving couple apart, so I will call for a carriage to send you two, as well as monsieur Cogsworth, home" she said.
As soon as she stepped through the castle doors, Babette was greeted by many hugs, questions, and words of relief. She quickly explained her story, and one of the maids said spitefully "I knew Mia was trouble."
The woman herself hid nearby, not daring to reveal herself now that everyone knew her true motives. She would have to keep out of anyone's direct interaction, and it was all Babette's fault. She clenched her fists "That's it! I said that I would get Babette out of the picture one way or another, and it looks like I am going to make a direct attack" she thought.
That night, Babette slept peacefully in her bed, happy to be home. All of a sudden, her sixth sense alerted her to wake up, which she did immediately. Snapping her eyes open, the maid looked around "Who is there?" she whispered, but then she got her answer.
Mia had just entered the room, her hands behind her back "Hello Babette, did I wake you?" she asked sweetly. She approached the bed, lighting the candelabrum on the side table, and smiled at the woman "I truly am sorry I have to do this…but you just wouldn't stay away" she said.
At first, this made no sense to the maid. But then, she noticed the silvery glint of metal, clasped in Mia's hand…a knife. Babette moved quickly to the side, avoiding the knife just as Mia struck with the blade, like a cobra, and sliced the mattress. The blonde growled in frustration "Just hold still…."she smiled meanacingly "It will be over in a minute. You won't feel anything" she said.
The maid shot up from the bed "She must be mad" she thought. However, when their eyes met, she saw that it was not that at all. The look in Mia's eyes was far from that of a crazy woman, but it was the look of a woman who was determined to get what she wanted, to the point of killing.
Mia threw the knife towards her at an alarming speed, and Babette managed to move out of the way again, before the blade was stabbed into the back wall, getting slightly stuck in the wood. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the knife from the wall, putting it in the hip pocket of her nightdress, so that her enemy would not be able to obtain it so easily.
Mia growled in frustration "Give it back!" she demanded, sounding a lot like a small child who was being picked on.
"Not a chance" replied the maid, not taking her eyes from her.
The blonde lunged at her, quickly wrapping her small hands around the young woman's throat. Babette gasped, taking short, shallow breaths to control her breathing. She did not speak, because it would have wasted precious air.
Then, she punched Mia in the stomach as hard as possible. This caused the grip on her neck to disappear, and Babette breathed out quickly and heavily from the shock.
However, Mia had grabbed the blade that had been in her pocket. She held it at the maid's throat "Scream, and I won't hesitate to stab you with this" she snarled.
All of a sudden, Adam burst into the room, and literally threw her away. The knife fell to the ground, the metal clattering on the wooden floors, and Mia stumbled backwards, stunned. Lumiere entered seconds later, and his focus immediately went to Babette "Oh mon amour…" he ran over and embraced her "Are you alright? I was so worried about you. When I saw Mia grab the knife and go to your room, I alerted the prince and princess immediately. I knew I would be putting us both in danger if I came to help you alone" he said.
Then, his attention turned to Mia, and his expression changed completely. It was one of indescribable disgust and hatred, and the low, threatening tone of his voice terrified everyone in the room, even himself "You, however, I was not concerned about in the least…" he walked closer " I swear to God, that I want nothing more than to see you imprisoned for your crimes…" he gripped her arm, roughly pulling her closer "You have set your web of lies so that a woman who is in every way innocent, loses hope to love and trust, and, worst of all, your nearly committed murder against her. For that, Mia, I just…I do not know what to say to that" he sneered venomously. Then, he let her go, and, after giving her one last hateful glare, returned to Babette's side. His mood returned to one of affection, worry and adoration as soon as he laid eyes on her, having finished with his anger.
Silence followed shortly after. All of a sudden, Cogsworth ran into the room, having heard the commotion. Seeing Babette clearly shaken up (close to the point of literally shaking), Lumiere by her side and occasionally glaring furiously at Mia, a knife on the floor, and Mia backed up against a wall, he commented "It seems I missed quite a lot."