Within You
Ch 11
Snowgre smiled as they were decorating the Christmas tree in the swamp. He'd been reunited with his brothers.
Fiona, Shrek and Leah had gone Christmas shopping. Carley, Artie, Snowgre, Jonas and Mea had decided to stay behind.
They noticed her in the kitchen eating an apple.
"Is she okay? Is… she normally that shy around new people?" Jonas asked Artie.
"Yes she is." Snowgre heard somebody answer as they came through the front door. It was Leah. She'd came back from shopping.
"Cool! You guys are decorating the Christmas tree. I want to help. Is that okay?" she told them.
"Yeah that would be great! Can we ask you something? Why is Carley so shy around us? We've haven't done anything to her." Mea asked as he hung candy canes on the tree.
Leah bit her lip nervously at that.
"She's shy because she thinks you'll reject her." Leah answered. Artie smiled at the shock on their faces at that.
"We wouldn't reject her! Why would she think that?" Jonas replied startled at Leah's answer.
Snowgre knew she was going to have to explain to them the real reason.
"Come on Artie. Let's leave them alone, okay?" Snowgre said as they went into the kitchen. Carley was making cookies but was nervous.
"You want help?" Snowgre asked. A smile crossed her face.
"Sure. Why aren't you guys finishing up the tree?" she answered.
"Leah's talking to Jonas and Mea." Artie told her.
There was a sad look in her eyes at that.
"I see." She said softly but they noticed she was very quiet. Normally they were joking around or having a flour fight but today… was different.
"She must know what Leah's telling them about. I know… she's different but she's a great friend. Even Leah and the others know that." Snowgre thought as they put the cookies in the oven.
Artie then saw snow flakes falling. Snowgre looked excited at that.
Leah smiled at him.
"He always gets like this every Winter." Mea told her as Snowgre brought out something.
It was a snow board with boosters on it.
"Oh man I can't believe you brought that with you!" Jonas told him.
Snowgre pouted at him.
"It's cool. I enhanced it with rocket boosters so I can catch some serious air!" he replied as he put goggles on.
Fiona watched as Snowgre and the others were outside in the snow but Carley was inside.
Leah was making hot chocolate. She knew her friend was depressed.
"Hey I know you're sad. When I told Jonas and Mea, they were feeling worried.
They thought you didn't like them but I told them that wasn't true.
They understand about you being different. But it's okay.
They... don't see you as a freak or a monster. They see you the way I do along with Snowgre and the others." she told her.
"Yeah I... know. I'm just shy around others, okay?" she told her.
But Snowgre wasn't feeling so hot.
Jonas found him lying in the snow. "You okay man? You don't look so good." he told Snowgre as he and Mea helped him up.
Mea felt his younger brother's head.
It was hot, very hot. Shrek watched as Mea put him into bed.
"He has the cold, doesn't he?" Leah asked him.
"Yeah real bad. Jonas and I only get the mild one but Snowg has it bad." Mea answered. But a few days later they noticed dark blue spots over Snowgre's skin.
"It's ogre pox. We're worried. That's how Dad... left." Jonas said sadly.
Fiona understood.
She then watched as Snowgre fell asleep.
Shrek had heard about Snowgre's father. He'd had both the flu and ogre pox but didn't heal.
He hoped that would never happen to Snowgre. He could see the sadness in Jonas and Mea's eyes as they cooked ramen for Snowgre.
Leah was busy getting ready for her Spring Fling prom at her high school. She came into the living room in a sparkling black dress with matching diamond pumps. Shrek and the others gasped in awe at her.
"Leah... you're so pretty!" Aerie said. Leah blushed at that.
"T-Thanks guys. I hope Snowgre's okay." she replied to them.
Shrek saw a wistful smile on Carley's face as she watched Leah leave. He knew how much she felt for Leah.
"Why don't you go to the prom with her? If you love her?" he asked her softly.
"I would but I'm not a very good dancer in front of others. Besides others would be mean towards Leah if they knew our secret. Plus I wouldn't be able to see the gym in the dark." she replied.
Snowgre had woken up sweating. "Easy buddy. You're under a nasty fever." Jonas told him gently.
"Leah... She's in danger... At the prom... from C-Charming." he answered coughing slightly.
Shrek and Fiona looked worried at that.
Charming smiled as he and Rapunzel showed up outside Leah's high school.
"Don't worry. We can take care of Leah while her guard's down." Charming told Raoybzel as his eyes glowed with chakra.
Leah was about to be crowned Prom Queen when she felt shivers down her spine.
She watched as everything froze in the room except for her.
"What's going on? Who's trying to ruin my night?" she growled angrily.
Her eyes blazed with anger as Charming and Rapunzel appeared.
"Hello Your Majesty. It'll be a shame to destroy you. I wonder if Carley knows how much you love her in return.
A pity she'll never know." Charming cackled...