Holy hell... Thank you for all the insightful and helpful reviews... Really thank you all so much... Thank you Autobot21, TheIronMask, jorholic53, Water Flower 2009, TheLilyReviewer, thor'sgirl, sparklebutt, ramenhairclips, redhoodgirl and Iamthebookthief. 10 reviews... Also thank you to those reviewers who decided to follow and favorite the story JPlease continue this and I'll do my best to push out chapters as fast as possible... You are all lovely...
Angela's eyes widened with a mixture of horror and terror...
"A ball?!" she whispered harshly.
"Yes a ball..." Babette smiled proudly at her own idea... Before she noticed the look of total mortification on Angela's face...
"Mistress are you alright?" she asked nervously...
"Babette... Why on God's earth would I want to throw a ball?" Angela asked silkily, her words drenched in sarcasm.
"I seem to recall you stealing the limelight of every ball you attended as a child... You in you're dancing frock waltzing with..."
"Babette that was ages ago... back when I was... I haven't danced in years... I don't even know if I can still dance..." Angela said sadly as she gestured at herself desperately.
"No harm trying..."
There was an audible groan from Angela who turned away and glared at the mirror as if she expected it to shatter... From where Babette was standing she could almost see the thoughts racing through Angela's head. Fear, insecurity, hope... She quickly averted her eyes when Angela turned back around.
"What if he doesn't want to come... What if he laughs... I can't bear it if he..." Angela stopped. Her voice was soft, almost childlike... Babette smiled sadly... Sometimes she forgot how innocent Angela could be...
"Mistress... You know Beau better than I do... and even I know he would never do such a thing..."
"But..."
"Do you really want this chance to slip you by? Like you said... The rose is wilting faster everyday..." and as if on cue, the enchanted rose flashed bright crimson before another petal fell dramatically off the stalk. Angela clenched her fists... As much as she HATED... Well not hated... but incredibly reluctant to carry out this idea ...She really had no choice in the matter... Besides... a ball with Beau could actually be... enjoyable... Right?
"I don't believe this..." Angela moaned silently... just bewildered at herself...Oh this decision was going to haunt her forever...
"Oh alright... Fine...Go... Go tell the others" she finally snapped.
Babette nodded and made her way to the door...
"Oh and Babette..."
"Yes mistress?"
" I'm only agreeing because I trust you're judgment Babette... Nothing else..."
"Of course Mistress... Of course..." Babette smiled coyly as she turned to leave.
"Oh and if I were trying to impress a man... I wouldn't wear breeches..." the feather duster called slyly over her shoulder...
Beau's stomach rumbled violently as he sleepily made his way to the dining hall.
"Hopefully she doesn't oversleep again..." he grunted as he travelled down the spiraling marble staircase. Angela had this horrific tendency to oversleep and Beau... Beau could never bring himself to start a meal without her...
"I wonder why?" Beau thought curiously...
He never gave much thought on why he doesn't before... but... To be perfectly honest... It was because he wanted to spend every of his waking moment with her... It was strange... Puzzling even... Considering when Beau first met Angela... all he wanted... More than anything in the world was to get the furthest away from her... To escape her horrid castle... But now? The castle with its Gothic Baroque walls and stone gargoyles felt almost welcoming to him... Like he had lived there all his life... And Angela? She was the only person he knew who could a put a genuine smile on his face... She was funny, charming, and intelligent... She had flaws but he didn't care... He really didn't...Angela was his dearest friend and companion... Angela was the only one, who did not see him as an oddball, a screw-up or a prize to be won... Angela just saw him as who he was and still liked him for it... Smiling, he wondered how he could have ever hated her in the first place...
"Growl..." came a deep rumble from Beau's stomach. Causing some of the passing furniture to turn and look at him... Beau smiled sheepishly before continuing on his way patting his stomach fondly...
"Sorry old friend but we know she's worth the wait..." he mumbled before swinging open the huge double doors.
He stopped short in surprise...
Across the table, sitting patiently and reading a book was Angela...
"Angela?"
Hearing Beau's voice, Angela looked up from her book and Beau raised a surprised eyebrow. Her usual tangled mane was... from the looks of it brushed and tidied, revealing its silky magnificence while also being loosely pulled back into a pony tail. No longer was she decked in those large breeches and shirt, she was wearing a pale purple dress consisting of gold linings on both her neckline and waistline, completed with paler purple shoulder sleeves... She looked... She looked...
"Shut your mouth Beau or you'll catch flies in there..." Angela teased.
Beau blinked before quickly snapping his jaw shut. He didn't know she could have looked so... Magnificent...
"New... New dress?" He asked nervously as he approached her.
"Oh this old thing? Unfortunately not... Do you like it though?" she asked... shyly? Beau has never seen Angela acting shy before...
"Yes... It makes you look very... nice." He answered truthfully with a smile.
Angela blushed at his reply "Thank you...".
They're awkward but still intimate moment was broken unfortunately... when a crash emanated from the doorway. Both Beau and Angela turned around in surprise to see Cogsworth, Babette, Miss Potts, Chip and Lumiere lying on a heap on the ground.
"Don't mind us! Don't mind us!" Cogsworth said loudly as his eyes met theirs.
"We were only passing by..." Lumiere chuckled nervously.
"We'll leave you two alone now..." Miss Potts said sheepishly while she rushed the others out of the door. While they left, Angela mouthed a silent "thank you" to Babette who proceeded to wink fondly back at her. Rolling her eyes at her nosy servants, Angela took a seat next to a confused Beau as their food was hastily served.
"What was that all about?" he asked suspiciously. Angela shrugged...
" Who knows?"
After breakfast, Angela had insisted on them taking a stroll through the gardens...
"Whatever for?" Beau grumbled still trying to cram two more baguettes onto his plate.
"December starts tomorrow..." Angela pointed out.
"So?"
"So we have very little time before all the birds fly south... Come on..." she cajoled both gently and yet somewhat forcefully pulling Beau off his seat and out of the dining hall.
Ten minutes later, Beau found himself outside in the snow, his palms awkwardly face upwards as Angela scattered crumbs and seeds into them.
He groaned audibly... "Remind me, what is the point of all of this?"
"Feeding birds..." Angela said simply.
"Feeding birds?" Beau mumbled in disbelief.
"You have you're winter customs... I have mine" Angela shot back.
"But..."
"I had a snowball fight with you even when I didn't want to, so you're going to feed birds with me..." Angela said threateningly.
Beau sighed... He never really liked animals so this seemed so underwhelming and pointless compared to snowball fighting. However the look of determination in Angela's eye announced that an argument was out of the question... Also... He might as well anyway... Just to make her happy...
Receiving and encouraging nod from Angela, Beau carefully approached a flock of small robins.
Uncertainly, and not really knowing what to do, he shoved his arm outwards only to cause the birds to fly off... Beau groaned while Angela shook her head in exasperation.
"Gently you dolt... Like this..." she demonstrated by kneeling beside him. GENTLY in one fluid motion, she scattered a few seeds in front of a lone robin. To Beau's surprise, the robin not only went after the feed but actually flew onto Angela's outstretched finger.
Beau watched as Angela stroke the bird gently before raising her arm gracefully to let it fly off. Her paw gently removing itself from his shoulder... Beau eyed her as she made her way to another bunch of robins. Her stride as light as a feather but still so majestic... It was in times like this where he had this strange feeling that she was someone else somehow... Someone trapped in a body too large... too unsuited for her...She had the grace and poise of a dancer, a noble woman even... And it shone through despite her exterior resembling some wild animal, not even meant to stand on two feet but still she manages... She manages so well... It amazed him so much... She amazed him so much...
Angela on the other hand nervously ducked behind a tree. Carefully, she fidgeted with her fingers for a while. Thoughts of the ball and asking Beau to be her escort assaulted her and she bit her lip... She both wanted and didn't want to carry this out... And this left her completely lost on what to do...
"Just do it now and get it over with quickly... Yes, than he might think it is a joke if he rejects... No I can't do that... I have to be subtle... sultry... Attract him like how Babette does with Lumiere... Right like I could ever pull any of that off... But I don't really have a choice in the matter do I?" she sighed before turning back around to look at Beau.
"What if he says no..." she thought sadly as she watched Beau continuously try and eventually succeed at getting a couple of birds into eating out of his hand...
Angela giggled as a whole swarm of birds soon followed suit... It was times like these she really felt like a guardian angel or a higher power was looking out for her... To have sent someone as perfect as Beau... With somewhat newfound determination and purpose, she made her decision...
"Alright I can't waste this opportunity... I shall speak now or forever hold my piece... I will ask him and he will..."
"Angela... You've been staring at me for a whole minute... Is it something on my face or did a bird excrement on me?" came Beau's annoyed yell.
Angela blinked, her previous agenda all but forgotten... Panicking she did the first thing she could think of... She threw a snowball at him...
Yeah I'm taking a leave from Angela's point of view and coming back to Beau... He's starting to fall for Angela to but still isn't aware of it... However to him, she is the friend he always wanted to have because she IS so similar to him and thus understands him... Just think about it... They're both oddballs, they both love books and they are both somewhat screw-ups... Beau because he fails to fit into the mold of what the village expects him to be and Angela... I think you all know why... Angela and her castle is the only place he can really be himself... Yeah and the rest... Is more romance... I thought the original lacked chemistry... They just clicked after one snow scene... Mine has so many awkward situations and I know a couple of you are really looking forward to the ball scene and I'm sorry its taking so long but I really want the romance to be genuine... Anyway, like it? Hate it? Leave reviews and tell me... J