Summary: Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the beast
Rating: T for violence
Picture link: lsayaku. deviantart. c*o*m /art/Hans-X-Seras-Hugs-98992774
Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to Kouta Hirano, artwork belongs to Lsayaku, The Captain belongs to Seras and vice versa.
AN: For Max who requested a Beauty and the Beast chapter, thank you again for the prompt and for being patient.
This will be heavily influenced by the Disney version without being an exact clone, so no musical furniture, but lots of shout outs and references.
It was a short walk from her farm to the village centre; some would think it inconvenient but she enjoyed the few peaceful minutes to just relax and listen to the birds, her blue dress waving in the light breeze.
People had started emerging from their houses, getting chores out of the way or chatting with their neighbors, more than a few paused to look at her.
She tried to ignore the whispers and the stares, she had started to get used to them over the months but still couldn't completely block them out. And hard as she tried not to let it bother her, it was starting to take its toll.
"Good morning," she said to the baker.
"Good morning," he replied, setting down a tray of fresh bread. "Where are you off to today?"
"Just running some errands," he had already turned away from her, "then to the bookstore," she added with a sigh.
"That's nice," he said indifferently.
She brought a loaf and left quickly as he shouted at his wife to hurry up with the baguettes.
The streets were filling up with people gathering to buy and sell; merchants shouting out prices over the buzzing crowd. Well, as much of a crowd as the small village could muster.
Seras stopped to let a horse and carriage pass before crossing the street, glancing at two women who were watching her and whispering; she played with the sleeve of her blouse to look occupied.
She was an oddity to them; a beautiful young woman who lived by herself, who worked hard when she could marry any man she wanted and live an easy life. It made no sense to them.
At nineteen you were either married or engaged, Seras was neither.
For the first few months after her parents died, they just felt sorry for her, but now they were confused and assumed something was wrong with her.
The distance was definitely lonely; she couldn't deny that, there were only a few people she could still call friends.
"Seras!"
She cringed at the voice, forcing a smile as she turned around.
"Hello, Paul," she said.
Paul was easily the most beloved man in the village, handsome, from a wealthy family and charming (at least to most).
Unfortunately, this had given him an ego the size of France.
He approached her with a cocky grin, a sack of dead animals and a rifle slung over his shoulder.
"Have you been hunting?" She asked politely.
"A little," he said, plucking the bread from her basket, tearing off a piece and stuffing it into his mouth before she could stop him.
No one said no to Paul, he was given or took whatever he wanted.
"You should join me at the tavern," he said, still chewing. "They finally finished stuffing that bear I killed, and it's going up this morning."
"I'll see it some other time," she hoped he wouldn't take that as a promise. "Right now I need to go home, there's a lot of work to be done."
He feigned a weary sigh, but she noticed a slight roll of his eyes, "you're a beautiful woman, Seras. You shouldn't be out working in the sun; you should be inside, taking care of the house and children."
"I don't have any children," she pointed out, realizing she had just fallen into a trap.
"And that's where I come in," he grinned.
She laughed politely but it still came out weak.
"No, I mean it," he said, turning serious, "you and me."
Oh, God.
"I'm flattered," she lied, "but I'm not ready to settle down."
He crossed his arms and was just about to say something when a woman called to him from down the street, when he turned around to see who it was Seras seized the opportunity to leave.
"Bye," she said quickly, moving even quicker.
"Think about it!" He shouted after her
She was careful to avoid him as she finished her shopping, only relaxing when she arrived home.
Paul had been pursuing her for a while now, but that was easily the most forward he had ever been.
Maybe she needed to be clearer and firmer if he tried again, make him see that they had no future.
But gently, she didn't like Paul but she didn't want to hurt him.
Once inside she started to put away what she had brought, looking at her new book longingly before putting on the table for later.
There were chores to do first.
She fed and watered the animals, and while they were distracted she cleaned out their stalls, collected eggs from the chickens. Then she milked the cow and groomed the horse, took a water break, then moved to her gardens.
The vegetables weren't doing too well, her plough had broken some time ago and she had tried repair it herself, apparently that had been a bad idea. She needed to get a new one before planting the next crops.
At least the flowers were still thriving, seeing them always cheered her up.
Her mother had planted them when Seras was a baby and she had tended to them dutifully ever since her death.
If only she could get some roses… Her mother had always wanted to grow roses, but they were very hard to get in their area.
Seras stared at the shop keeper in disbelief, how could he not have the plough she needed? His was the only store that sold them.
"None?"
"Not the kind you're looking for," he said, "maybe you can make do with one of these but it'll affect the crops."
She nodded, looking up at the farming tools behind him and going over her options.
"You could try the store in Beaumont," he suggested, "I know they'd have it, but…"
"It's in Beaumont," she finished.
She would have to ride through the forest to get there, and going alone was incredibly unsafe. But if she couldn't grow healthy crops then she wouldn't have food and no way of making money to buy any.
"Hey, boy," she said, holding out a carrot, kissing the horse's nose as he chewed happily.
Jack was her father's prized red stallion and the only horse on the farm, at least until the Benson's mare got a little older and they could breed a few ponies.
She saddled up and left the village just after dawn, her neighbor's would be looking in on the other animals for her, but she still wanted to get there and back as quickly as she could.
There were only a few paths through the mountains and most lead to a town, but it was too dangerous to be wandering around in the woods, taking the quickest path was in her best interest.
She had studied a map before leaving, but now that she was actually travelling, everything looked different. Even when she stopped to double check the map she had no idea where she was.
How old was this thing?
She lost track of time as the day wore on, the forest kept getting darker and colder, shivering she pulled her cloak tightly around her chest.
Finally she found a pond, she stopped to let Jack have a drink and search for her location on the map.
For a few seconds the forest went completely silent, and as soon as Seras realised it, a chorus of howl's filled the air.
Jack started neighing and shaking his head nervously, he had heard wolves before but never this close.
Seras ran to him and grabbed onto his reins, speaking to him softly as she patted his nose. But when the howls started again, much closer this time, he panicked.
The horse reared up, throwing Seras back and onto the hard ground. She scrambled back up, grabbing desperately at the air to try and get hold of his harness, but he was backing away.
"Jack," she called, clicking her fingers.
There was another howl, so close that it made Seras jump, it sounded like the beast was right behind her.
Jack panicked and ran, his rapid footsteps echoing for a moment as he disappeared down the path before leaving her in the silence again.
Her hand searched the ground until she found a rock just smaller than her fist while she looked around; she saw a gap between two trees and ran for it.
The muscles in her legs burned as she pushed through the forest, tips of the branches scratching at her face and clothes.
Suddenly the trees vanished and she was in the open, out here there was nothing to slow the animals down, they would catch up easily. She could already hear the snarls getting closer.
Outlined by the fading sunlight she saw a castle surrounded by an iron fence, Seras wasted no time thinking and just ran towards it, her heart pounding in her ears so loudly she didn't noticed that heavy footsteps behind her had stopped.
She prayed that it was unlocked as unsteady hands reached out to push the gate, it gave way easily and didn't hesitate to turned around and slam it shut.
As she stood there, gasping for air, she saw the wolves; they had stopped chasing her and were watching from the tree line with their ears low and tails between their legs.
Confused, but feeling safer, she shook the gate a few times to make sure it would stay shut before turning her attention to the castle. As far as she knew there weren't any in this part of the country so she assumed it was abandoned.
The garden surrounding it was long dead; parts of the stone tower were crumbling but the gate was still in good condition.
Maybe seeing inside would help solve the mystery, besides it was getting cold.
"Hello?" Her voice echoed in the enormous dark hall, there were a few lit candles on the walls, but they didn't make the room inviting.
Wrapping her hands around her chest for warmth, she stepped forward cautiously.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but I got lost in the woods and then a pack of wolves started chasing me."
There was no reply.
"Hello?" She tried again.
She walked further inside, peeking into the dark rooms trying to find anyone.
The third room was lit but didn't have people, strangely there was a table decorated with food, her mouth watered and her stomach growled as the smell hit her nose.
She hadn't eaten since midday and the stress had only intensified her hunger.
"Hello?" She called out, "is it alright if I eat something?"
Still nothing.
The food told her that there must be someone in the castle and she didn't want to steal it, but she was so hungry.
If they got angry she would pay them back.
She took a tentative bite of bread. There was some more extravagant looking food, and it was tempting, but it was safer if she only ate the simple foods.
Thankfully it didn't take much to make her full, some bread and fruit. But there was still no sign of anyone.
Had they abandoned their home for some reason? Was there a danger she was unaware of?
If there was it couldn't be much worse than the wolves outside, so she decided to stay the night, settling on a couch near a small fireplace with her cloak as a blanket.
It was surprisingly comfortable and combined with the exhaustion of a long day she fell asleep quickly.
The sound of singing birds woke her the next morning, as she stretched her still sore muscles she noticed the fire was still burning. Someone had kept it alive while she was asleep.
"Hello?" She tried again, wondering if there was even a point, they clearly didn't want to speak to her.
She looked out the window, wondering if there was someone outside.
And there was Jack.
Whoever had watched the fire had probably brought the horse onto the grounds too, which was helpful, but a little strange.
Maybe they wanted her to leave.
She wrapped up some food for the road and quickly walked to the door, turning around to speak to the mystery occupant one last time.
"Thank you for your hospitality," she called. "I'm sorry if I bothered you."
Jack was grazing happily, he was a little dirty from running through the woods but he wasn't hurt. She patted his neck soothingly, unable to be angry at him for being scared.
"It's alright," she cooed, holding up a carrot for him.
He whinnied happily and took the treat while she started looking over the map, even though she was sure the castle wasn't on it.
While she was distracted, Jack wandered off in search of more food, Seras saw him in the corner of her eye before he disappeared behind the corner.
She sighed and went to fetch her roaming pet before she lost him again and gasped at what he had found.
It was a rose bush.
A full, flourishing, rose bush
They were so beautiful, a deep garnet red and fully bloomed. She only dared touch one for a second, afraid one of the petals might fall off; they were soft as silk and smelt divine.
Memories of her mother smiling as she admired her own garden flooded Seras' mind.
Surely they wouldn't miss one; she rationalized, though she still felt guilty as she broke one thornless stem.
Jack started to fuss behind her as she twirled the flower in her fingers.
"What now?" She asked as she turned around.
If she hadn't been frozen with shook she would have tried to run away.
It must have been seven feet tall, standing on its hind legs with snow white fur covering its entire body. The torso and legs were human, the hands only somewhat with finger-like appendages and black claws. A dark green cloak was draped over its broad shoulders with a matching pair of pants but no shoes, exposing paws rather than feet.
The head was entirely animal, the ears, the nose, the muzzle; it was some kind of wolf-man.
She couldn't speak, not that she had any idea what to say.
"You come into my house uninvited, eat my food, sleep under my roof…" it didn't talk out loud, but she heard it in her head.
"And now you desecrate my garden," its lips were pulled back to reveal white fangs bigger than her fingers.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Sorry?" It growled, making her jump back in fright.
It seemed to regret scaring her, covering its teeth and dropping to four legs to come down to her level. Despite her fear, she couldn't help notice how beautiful the bright blue eyes staring at her were.
"I have a little money," she offered, feeling safer but still kept her distance.
"Money is of no use to me," with the guttural edge leaving its tone Seras realised the creature was male.
"I know a little about gardening, maybe I could fix it?" It was the first idea that came to her and she just threw it out hopefully.
The beast paused, thinking for a moment. "Very well, you will stay here and tend to the garden until it's restored."
She looked around at the bleak grounds, "th-the entire garden?"
With soft grunt he nodded.
"But the season's almost over," she protested, "that'll take months."
"And?"
Maybe that was his intention or maybe he simply didn't care, Seras stayed quiet, right now it was in best interest to play along.
"Alright," she agreed.
"Follow me," he ordered.
He led her inside and up the grand staircase she had ignored when she arrived. As they walked down a hall she glanced at the paintings on the walls, some of them looked decades old but were well cared for.
The beast glanced back at her and frowned at her wide, frightened eyes.
Frustrated with himself, he sighed and tried to be nice, "you're free to go anywhere you wish, if you need anything my servants will help you."
"Servants?" She looked around, as if expecting them to appear.
"They should be downstairs," he explained, stopping at a door. "This will be your room."
The bedroom was bigger than most of her house with a gorgeous maroon, gold and white theme and everything impeccably clean and organized.
As she stared in awe, the beast began closing the door.
"Breakfast will be served soon, you will-" He winced at the order, "you are welcome to join us."
She went to the bed first, it was a four poster mahogany with gold curtains and maroon sheets that looked like it would be too big for the gigantic creature who had just left, let alone a petite woman.
Unable to resist, she fell back onto the mattress, moaning contently at how soft it was. It was so tempting to just curl up and sleep all day but the beast clearly wanted her downstairs.
The adjoining bathroom was smaller but no less grand, she cleaned herself up and tried to tame her messy hair, pondering about the strange situation she was in.
She would remain cautious about the wolf creature until she was sure whether he was dangerous or not. He hadn't hurt her, but he easily could; for now it was best if she just co-operated.
The sudden knock on her door made her jump.
"Come in," she called, putting a hand over her heart.
A woman in a suit with long purple hair and freckles poked her head in, "hello."
Her happy grin was infectious; Seras found herself smiling back. "Hello, did… he send you here?"
"The Master? No, he told us you were staying here and I thought I'd introduce myself."
The Master?
"Well, I'm Seras," she said, holding out her hand.
"Rip," the woman shook it eagerly, "I'm the head maid."
"So you've been here for awhile?" Maybe she could get some answers.
"My whole life," she said cheerfully, pulling Seras' cloak of her shoulders dutifully. "Oh my, this is all torn up."
She inspected the material closely, "we might be able to save it, but it would just be easier to get a new one."
Before Seras could open her mouth, Rip had made her way to the large cupboard/dresser and was rummaging through it.
"There we are," she pulled out an exquisite looking violet cloak lined with white fur, "much better."
Seras just stared as the older woman held if out for her to take.
"You want me to wear that?"
"Well, not right now, unless you're cold."
"It looks so expensive," and she was already in debt, if she ruined it she would never leave.
"Don't worry; The Master said you were welcome to anything in the room."
She spoke about him so casually.
"What is he?" Seras asked bluntly.
The smile vanished, "we don't have a name for it."
"Was he born like that?"
"He was perfectly normal until he turned thirteen." Her smile came back shakily, "I know he looks scary, but he's a gentle soul."
It seemed like she wanted to say more but stopped herself.
"And…" Seras pushed
"He's never actually hurt anyone, but sometimes he loses his temper and he can't control himself."
She warned, not seeming too concerned. "It's better to just leave him alone if that happens."
"How will I know?"
"Believe me, you'll know."
In a blink the tense mood was gone and she was smiling again.
"Come meet everyone," she said, taking Seras' hand and leading her out the door.
'Everyone' was a group of twenty servant's who were preparing and serving a large breakfast, an older butler with black hair seemed to be in charge, ordering the others around.
But they all stopped to stare at Seras; it felt like being back in the village for a second.
The head butler clapped his hands and it snapped them all back into action. Seras looked questioningly at Rip.
"We don't get visitors," she explained. "Walter?"
The butler turned to them, smiling professionally.
"Walter, this is Seras, Seras this is Walter," Rip introduced, pointing back and forth between them.
"Hello," they both said.
"Can I help?" Seras asked.
"Thank you, but we're almost done."
There was a bit of an awkward silence.
"That's a lot of food," Seras said.
"The Master has a large appetite," Walter explained.
"Where is he?" Rip asked.
"Still upstairs, Schrodinger's looking after him."
"Is she pretty?" The boy asked, running a brush through the thick fur around Hans' neck, trying to get the last knot out.
"Yes," he answered.
"Is that why you're getting dressed up?" Schrodinger grinned cheekily.
"No," Hans replied a little quicker than he had intended.
"Then why?"
Now he hesitated, "I didn't make a good first impression."
Schrodinger huffed at the boring answer, blowing some blonde hair away from his eyes.
"Don't tell her about the curse," Hans told him.
"Why not?"
Most other nobles would simply snap at the boy or tell him 'because I said so,' but Hans was different.
"If she knows she might get scared," he said.
"Ok," Schrodinger accepted, putting down the brush.
That was simplest explanation he could think of, but it was more than that. If Seras knew the details of the curse the mostly likely responses were: a) she would run, not that he would blame her, or b) she would try and make herself to love him like Rip had.
It wasn't something that could be forced; it had to be 'true love.'
He readjusted the freshly cleaned cloak so it sat on his shoulder properly.
"How do I look?" The mirrors in his room had been destroyed a long time ago.
Schrodinger looked him up and down, "like a big furry, wolfman."
Hans grunted unhappily, his stomach churning nervously.
"There you are," Rip said as the pair entered the dining room.
The younger one, dressed in grey short and a white button up shirt, went straight to Seras and took her hand in his, kissing it politely.
"My name is Schrodinger, please to meet you," he smiled, "I'm Hans' younger, better looking cousin."
"I'm Seras Victoria," she smiled at how cute he was, "who is Hans?"
"Oh," the beast shifted on his feet, "that's me."
"You forgot to introduce yourself?" The blonde boy scolded, "how rude."
Schrodinger could actually feel the death stare his cousin was giving him as he turned back to Seras. "Shall we sit?"
"I will eat you," Hans said menacingly as they settled at the table with Rip and Walter, his cousin was the only one who heard it.
The first course was brought out and as everyone started Rip noticed that Hans hadn't moved.
"Master, you're not eating," she said, concerned.
"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, ears flattened against his head.
All the servants looked at each in confusion; they had never heard him say that before.
"Are you alright?" Rip asked.
"Fine," he said in a tone that meant 'drop the subject.'
"So, where are you from?" Schrodinger asked, trying to distract Seras.
"I live in little village south from here," she answered. "At least I think its south, I got a bit lost."
"The woods have gotten quite out of control over the last decade," Walter agreed.
"Almost like magic," Schrodinger said.
Three of the four other people at the table discreetly shot him angry looks.
"Tell us about your village," Rip urged.
"Umm… it's small," she shrugged apologetically. "There's not a lot to tell, I spend most of my time farming."
"By yourself, no husband or-" She jerked in her chair as a clawed foot kicked her.
"No, just me," Seras said, ignoring the strangeness. "Were there any particular flowers you wanted me to plant?"
Hans barely raised his eyes to her, "there should be some papers that say what went where."
"I'll look for them later," Walter said.
After breakfast, Seras was wandering around a little to get familiar with all the rooms when she heard something clanging in the kitchens.
Expecting to find someone cleaning up, and hoping to help out a little, she found Hans with his head in large metal bowl, gulping down whatever was in it.
He must have heard her because his head shot up, staring at her like a startled deer.
"Good to see your appetite came back," she said, trying to ease the tension.
Hans rushed out of the room without saying anything, leaving her standing there, debating for a moment before she decided to follow.
He had retreated to a pantry, trying to wipe the food off his face with clumsy hands.
"Sorry, I didn't mean-"
With a soft warning growl he backed away from her, bumping into the shelves behind him.
"Sorry," she started to leave, not noticing the bag of flour wobbling precariously on one of the higher shelves.
"No, I'm sorry," he said shamefully, making her stop.
There was a loud thump and a surprised yelp as the bag landed on Hans' head, flour exploding in the small room.
Seras poked her head back in and had to clamp her jaw shut to keep from laughing, but an un-ladylike snort escaped.
Hans huffed indignantly and shook lightly, Seras shrieked and jumped back as the powder sprayed onto her face.
There was a pleased chuckle in her head and she frowned playfully, "that's not funny."
"I disagree," Hans said as he emerged from the pantry, trying to wipe the flour off his nose with his forearm.
Seras grabbed a tea towel and cleaned her face, managing to stop herself from laughing this time when Hans sneezed again.
"Bless you," she said, holding the cloth up, "do you want me to…"
He nodded, "please."
Carefully, she wiped the flour away from his nose, worried about him sneezing so close to her.
"Is it in your eyes?"
"A little."
"Hold still," she carefully dabbed around his lovely eyes until she got all of it, "there you go."
She had such a beautiful smile, "thank you, Miss Victoria."
"You can call me Seras," she said, rinsing the tea towel off in the sink.
"Seras," it felt good to say even if it was just in his head.
Something occurred to her, "should I be calling you Master?"
"Please don't," he begged. "I don't even like the other's calling me that."
"So why do they?"
"Propriety. And they've been doing too long."
Fair enough, she'd probably get sick of it too.
"Hans," she smiled.
His ears flicked cutely, she found herself wondering if they were soft.
"Why aren't you scared of me?" He asked, noticing how at ease she was.
"I was when I first saw you."
"I know," he said unhappily.
"But after I spoke to the others and I figured if they weren't afraid of you, then I shouldn't be."
The corners of his mouth lifted, it looked strange.
"Are you smiling?"
"I try not to, my teeth are scary."
"Is that why you didn't want to eat in front of me?"
His ears dropped, "… Yes."
It was one of the reasons, the other was that he ate like an animal; it was not a pretty sight.
This girl was figuring him out too easily, it was a little unnerving.
"Excuse me," Walter said from the doorway. "I found those garden plans."
"Oh, good," Seras took the sheets from him and looked them over. "I should be able to do this, I just need supplies."
"We'll get them tomorrow on the food run," he said, noticing the unhappy look on his Master's face. "There should still be tools in the old gardening shed, though I don't know what condition they're in."
"Oh, I'll go see," Seras volunteered.
Walter was aware of the sulking wolfman watching them as he told the young woman where the shed was.
"What was that look about?" He asked once she had left.
Hans just grunted, rather than prod him Walter just stare expectantly at him until the younger male spoke.
"She'll leave once the garden grows back."
"And this upsets you?" The butler managed to quell a knowing smile.
Hans grunted.
"It sounds like you're smitten, Sir."
Walter didn't flinch as the beast growled at him, unless he was showing in teeth there was nothing to worry about.
"You don't know how to court her, do you?"
His muzzled wrinkled as he frowned, looking away bashfully.
"I could give you some advice," Walter offered.
Hans let out a unhappy grunt that the butler took as a yes.
Seras decided it was best to start early; she was used to getting up at sunrise anyway.
Once she properly inspected the soil she was relieved to find out it would be a fairly simply job, everything looked fine, she just had to plant the seeds.
She hadn't been outside for long when Hans appeared, holding a glass of water carefully in his giant hand.
"Good morning," he said stiffly, ears against his skull.
"Morning," she didn't completely understand his body language, but she assumed the flat ears meant he was uncomfortable or frightened. But why would he be either of those now?
"I brought you some-" He stopped when he saw the canteen she had sitting nearby and let out a sigh that bordered on whining, "never mind."
Before he could leave, Seras walked up to him and took the glass, "thank you."
He did his closed mouth smile, but his ears stayed down.
"Do I make you nervous?" She asked, taking a sip.
"I'm waiting for you to run away, screaming," he admitted.
"If I was going to do that, I would have already," she pointed out.
He nodded, looking around at the freshly disturbed dirt, "do you need help?"
She blinked up at him in surprise, "aren't you a noble?"
He nodded again.
"Are you allowed to work?" She'd never heard of such a thing.
"I can do whatever I want."
"Well, if you want, you can help me pull out the old plants," she turned away to set the glass down. "Some of them might be a bit hard to-"
She didn't bother finishing the sentence when she saw him yank up one of the dead bushes by the roots before tossing it away.
"Alright, you can be in charge of pulling them out," she picked up a rake, "I'll just fix up the dirt."
After a few minutes of Hans ripping plants from the ground and Seras following to fill in the holes he left behind, he tried to start a conversation.
"Do you like… things?"
She stopped raking to stare at him, "what?"
"I don't know," he admitted. God, he was bad at this.
"Are you asking what I like to do?" She guessed.
He nodded thankfully.
"Umm," she tucked some hair behind her ear; it had been a long time since anyone asked her that, "when I have spare time I like to read."
His ears perked up, "what do you like to read?"
"Mystery's, adventure stories…"
"Not love stories?" He was surprised.
"I don't mind some romance, but not if it's the main focus."
There was something eager in his bright eyes, "have you seen the library?"
"You have a library?" She said excitedly.
He was so happy that he accidently showed some teeth when he smiled, "do you want to see?"
She nodded eagerly and he dashed to the front entrance, holding the door open for her.
"What about the garden?" She glanced back at the work they had barely started.
"It's not going anywhere," he shrugged, running ahead.
"Wait up," she laughed, chasing him.
As Seras started overtaking him on the stairs, he sped up and moved in front of her easily. The girl tried to catch up, but he was too quick.
"This isn't fair, you've got longer legs."
"Not my fault," he teased, stopping to look back at her smugly before darting down the hall.
He stopped outside a white double door, shuffling impatiently as she caught up.
Stopping for a few seconds to catch her breath, she scowled playfully at Hans, who just smiled innocently.
"Ready?" He asked, grabbing the door handles.
"Ready."
It took Seras a moment to realize her mouth was hanging open as she walked into the spacious room, slowly turning around to take it all in.
The room was bigger than her entire house; the shelves were so high even Hans wouldn't be able to reach the top. And they were packed to the brim with books.
Hans watched her nervously, "what do you think?"
"There's so many," she said quietly, glancing at him. "Have you read all of them?"
He frowned, "how old do you think I am?"
But she wasn't listening; she had closed in on a shelf and was reaching for a book.
"I'm only a few years older than you," he grumbled, walking up behind her and pointing at a book on the shelf above. "Try that one."
She plucked it out and read the cover.
"I know this one," she said fondly, "it's one of my favorites."
"Really?" It was one of his too.
She nodded, "I must have read it a dozen times."
He leaned over her shoulder as she opened to the first page.
Walter was wandering the halls with a tray of food looking for the young master when he saw Rip and Schrodinger standing beside the entrance to the library, peeking in through the barely open doors.
"What are-"
They both quickly turned and silently shushed him by putting fingers over their lips. He placed the tray on a table and approached them quietly.
He stood beside Rip and peered inside, smiling at what he saw.
Seras was sitting on a lounge chair, book on her lap with Hans on the floor beside her (he was too heavy for some of the furniture). They were chatting happily, smiling, they even laughed.
Walter couldn't remember the last time Hans laughed.
He and Rip looked at each other, it was still too early to tell but this was definitely promising.
Weeks passed by and the garden started to thrive, Hans found himself going outside every morning to help Seras, ducking inside when she was thirsty or hungry.
The staff watched them hopefully, seeing sparks of the boy he had been start to return in his smile and in his voice. Even if she couldn't break the curse, maybe he could be happy again.
And then Seras asked if she could go home.
"Oh," Hans said it casually, but the drooping ears gave him away.
"Just for a few days," she assured. "I wasn't supposed to be gone for very long and I need to check on my house."
He was silent for a moment, just staring at the floor miserably before nodding. Tempting as it was, he had no right to make her stay, besides he wanted her to stay with him because she wanted to.
"You'll come back?"
"I promise," and she meant it, she hadn't even left yet and it was painful, "besides, I still need to finish the garden."
She had said that with the intent of cheering him up, but it just made things worse; he made a face like she had just punched him.
"Give me… a week. I need to figure out what to do with my animals. Assuming someone hasn't stolen them."
"I could buy you new ones," Hans offered.
She smiled appreciatively, not accepting or denying.
"Or you could just live here."
That made her freeze up, honestly, she wanted to answer yes, but she wasn't sure she could just abandon her home.
"You don't have to answer now."
Oh, thank God.
"Do you have a map out of the forest?" She wanted to avoid the disaster that was her previous trip.
"There should be one somewhere," he looked around as if expecting it to appear. "If not, we can give you directions."
"Hopefully the wolves will leave us alone this time."
Without hesitating Hans unclasped the gold pin on his cloak, swinging the cloth off his shoulders and wrapping it around her protectively.
"My scent will scare them away," he explained as she put it on.
While it barely reached Hans' hips, it went past Seras' knees, he chuckled at the sight.
She gave him a playful scowl as she wrapped the material around her tightly; it did smell like him, masculine and woodsy.
"Thank you."
She raised her arms tentatively, pausing briefly to give him a chance to stop her, when he didn't she draped them loosely around his neck. He tensed up for a second before relaxing and resting his chin on her shoulder, sighing softly.
"I'll miss you," Seras said, burying her face in the soft mane of fur on his neck.
There was a tiny whine that said I'll miss you too.
Mrs. Benson didn't hide the surprise at her reappearance; the older woman ignored her greeting and just gaped at her for a moment.
"You're alive," she said finally.
"I am," Seras replied.
"We thought… you were gone for months."
"It's a long story," and the one she told wouldn't be true, "I'll explain over tea."
"It'll have to be at my house," the older woman said, "your land was seized by the town."
Seras groaned angrily at herself; she should have known something like this would happen.
"But it hasn't been sold yet," Mrs. Benson promised, pointing towards her barn. "And we have your animals, once they see that you're still alive everything will go back to the way it was."
Seras smiled weakly, suddenly realizing she didn't want to go back to the way things were.
As she rode towards the tavern the stares and whispers were replaced by gawking and outright exclamations.
She was a ghost to them.
Paul and The Mayor were sitting by the fireplace in luxurious leather chairs, laughing loudly until she walked right up to them.
The grey haired man spat a mouthful of beer back into his mug and sputtered, "Miss Victoria…"
"You're alive?" His son finished.
"You took my house?" She wasn't going to waste time on this.
The Mayor stood, trying to look professional, "a misunderstanding, we'll fix it first thing tomorrow."
It would have to do; she could stay at the inn for the night, "alright, thank you."
"Where have you been?" Paul demanded.
She glared at his tone but kept hers calm, "I fell off my horse on my way to Beaumont, when I woke up I was at the doctors. It took some time for me to recover."
"You could have let us know," Paul put his hand on her shoulder, gripping a little tighter than necessary.
"It was none of your business," she pulled away from him roughly. "Now if you'll both excuse me, it's been a long day."
Paul watched her leave with his eyes narrowed.
His father patted him on the back, "don't look so grim, this is wonderful."
"She couldn't spare two minutes to send a raven?" He said, "the police in Beaumont didn't think to let someone know she was hurt? Doesn't that seem odd to you?"
"A tad," his father admitted. "But you don't really have the right to pry; you're not even married yet."
Paul didn't seem to be listening; he just sat back down, wondering what that girl could be hiding.
True to his word, the Mayor found her during breakfast the next morning.
"I really am sorry about this," he said as he sat across from her in the inns near empty dining room.
"It was an easy mistake," she said sympathetically, in a much better mood than she had been the night before. "I was gone a while."
"Still, let me pay for your room," he insisted.
"Oh, you don't need to do that."
"I already did," he held up a hand to stop her protesting. "It's not much, and it would make me feel better."
She was still a little uncomfortable, but accepted it, "that's a lovely gesture."
He smiled gratefully, "besides, you'll be family some day."
"Pardon?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.
"You and Paul…"
Damnit, she was right.
"The wedding," he continued.
That was new.
"What wedding?"
He seemed just as confused as her, "Paul said you accepted his proposal before you left."
"And when did he say that?"
"After you didn't come back," he shook his head, "the boy was so upset."
"I' m sure he was," Seras managed not to laugh. "But I never agreed to marry him."
"Then why would he say you did?"
"Maybe you should ask him that," she stood up abruptly, "if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go home."
To her relief, the house was the same as when she'd left, apart from some dust. But it felt bigger somehow, she was suddenly aware of how alone she was and wrapped Hans cloak tightly around her body.
A very impatient knock pulled her away from fond memories; reluctantly she got up to answer the door. Her mood didn't improve when she saw Paul on the other side.
"May I come in?" There something very sinister in his eye.
"No," she said curtly.
"Of course not, that would be inappropriate," he said, sounding quite pleased with himself, "I just came by to tell you something."
He paused, waiting for her to say something to prod him into continuing. When she didn't, he sighed angrily.
"You weren't in Beaumont."
She tried to seem confused, but honestly didn't know if she succeeded. "Wasn't I?"
"I know some people there and I sent a message to them, the doctor said he never saw you."
She kept her face blank, not the reaction he wanted.
"Where were you?" He asked in a very aggressive tone.
"That's none of your business," she said firmly, shutting the door on him.
"We're not done," he said, sticking his boot between the door and frame.
"Yes, we are," she replied firmly.
"I imagine that wherever you were is the same place you got that, very expensive looking, oversized cloak," he continued, starting to pry the door open.
"What's going on?" A small voice asked.
Seras swung the door wide open, "Schrodinger?"
"Hello," he said with a cheerful wave.
"Who the hell are you?" Paul asked.
"Don't talk to him like that," Seras growled.
"My name's Schrodinger," the boy said, instead of his usual smile, he actually glared. "I'm here to see Seras."
"Come in," she said, ushering him through the doorway before addressing Paul. "Sorry, I have a guest."
Slamming the door on him was extremely satisfying.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, turning to the younger blonde. "How did you get here?"
"Looking for you and by horse, I left him in the barn," he said, taking a seat at the table before remembering his manners. "You have a lovely home."
"Thank you."
"I want you to come back to the castle," he got straight to the point.
"I'm going to," she had told him that before leaving.
"No, now," he insisted.
"Why?"
"Hans misses you."
Aww.
"I miss him too," she admitted, patting his hair, "all of you."
"So you'll come back!" He beamed.
Damn his contagious smile, "I will after I figure out what to do with the house."
"Oh, good," he sounded relieved.
"Schrodinger, did you tell him you were leaving?"
"No."
"Did you tell anyone you were leaving?"
"I left a note," he offered weakly.
She sighed irritably, "that's not good enough, you probably scared everyone."
He had the sense to look guilty, but honestly wasn't too worried about them. Hans was so miserable that it was affecting the whole castle; if he could bring Seras back then his cousin would be happy again.
Any punishment they gave him for running off was worth that.
"Do you mind if I take a nap?" He yawned.
But she didn't answer him, she was sure she just heard knocking at the back door.
"Hold on a second." She said.
She opened the door a few inches and peeked outside but couldn't see anyone or anything.
"Who is it?" She called.
"Seras."
Hans emerged from behind the tree line; the hood of his cloak was pulled up to hide his beastly face but his size made him unmistakable.
"Quick, get inside," she didn't waste time on questions and waited until he was in the house before she hugged him.
"I missed you," she said, face pressed against his furry chest so hard she could hear his heart thumping rapidly.
"I… you too," he mumbled, nuzzling the top of her head.
She smiled, knowing what he meant.
"You left the castle?" He hadn't done that in almost a decade.
"I came looking for-" he saw his cousin duck behind a chair and growled furiously, "Schrodinger!"
Somehow managing to look completely innocent, the boy popped back up, "hello."
"Do you have any idea how frightened we were?" He snapped, "poor Rip is a nervous wreck."
"I'll give you two a minute," Seras said, quickly moving out the front door.
"You got here fast," Schrodinger praised.
"Because I was terrified that something had happened to you," Hans yelled. "What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, but you were so sad, I had to do something."
Goddamnit, it was hard to stay mad at that boy.
"Can you punish me later, we have a bigger problem?"
"What?"
"Seras is getting married."
"What?" He said again, sounding hollow.
"I heard about it while I was looking for her house, his name is Paul."
Hans was quiet for a moment, "what's he like?"
"Well, I haven't seen him," Schrodinger scratched his chin thoughtfully, "but the villagers said he's handsome, brave…"
In a rare moment of wisdom, he stopped talking when he saw the devastated look on Hans' face.
"And that's why you have to tell her-"
"Be quiet," Schrodinger winced at the words, not because they were said cruelly, but because of the dead, defeated tone.
"It was before she met you," the boy pointed out, "maybe-"
Hans shook his head.
"I need… to…"
He didn't bother finishing the sentence, he just left.
Schrodinger rushed after Seras, as soon as he was out the door he ran right into her.
"Careful," she said, reaching out to steady him.
"Go after him," Schrodinger said, pointing to the still open back door.
She knew who he was talking about and didn't wait a second to follow.
"Hans?" She found him sitting under a tree, staring blankly at nothing.
"What's wrong?" She asked, quickly noticing his depressed posture and low ears.
"You never said anything about him," he flinched and backed away when she tried to reach out and touch him.
"Who?"
"Paul," the distain in his voice was unhidden.
That did nothing to help her confusion, "what does he have to do with…" she shook her head in bewilderment, "anything?"
"You're marrying him."
If one more person told her that, she was going to hit them.
"No, I'm not," she growled.
His ears shot up hopefully.
"When I didn't come home, they assumed I was dead and Paul started telling people we had gotten engaged because… he's a bastard."
Maybe he had another reason for lying, but that one sounded right.
"It sounds like you dislike him."
"I can't stand him, he's rude and arrogant and-"
Hans was unaware that he was smiling widely; baring those sharp teeth he had been so keen on hiding.
"Were you jealous?" She smiled.
The smile left and he scoffed.
She laughed softly and touched under his chin when she thought of something, "what would you have done if I was marrying him?"
'Besides died of a broken heart?' He said to himself.
He shrugged his massive shoulders, "let you go home; keeping you at the castle would be unfair."
"You're just a big softie, are you?" She teased, even though he could take off her hand and some of her arm with one bite.
"Watch it," he warned in a very unintimidating tone, nudging her hand with his muzzle.
There was a deafening boom and Hans crumbled to the ground with a pained yelp. Seras screamed and reached out for him.
"Get away from it," Paul ordered, stepping out from the bushes, the gun in his hands still smoking.
"What have you done?" She hissed, putting her arms around Hans protectively.
"I'm killing that… that thing," he was reloading his gun.
"I'm fine," Hans winced, clutching his bleeding side.
"He's not hurting anyone," Seras pointed out, standing between the two men.
"Seras, don't."
"Maybe not now, but look at it, it's a monster."
Not caring about himself, Hans moved away from Seras and Paul didn't waste a second aiming the gun at his head.
"No!"
Seras grabbed the barrel and forced it to the side, the bullet exploded harmlessly in a tree trunk.
"Get out of my way, woman," Paul hissed.
"I won't let you kill him."
"Why not?" He demanded, starting to lose patience.
She didn't know how he figured it out, what her face did that gave it away, Paul's eyes went wide and he swung the butt of his gun into Seras' jaw.
"You little… with that thing?"
He was stopped dead by a low, dangerous snarl.
With lips pulled back to bare teeth the size of a man's finger, Hans stood up, towering over the other man.
Paul reached for the bullets in his pocket with a shaking hand. It was tempting to just tear the man's fingers off, but Hans managed to resist it and instead he went for the gun,
The hunter jumped back, letting go of the weapon as the beast's teeth clamped down on the barrel, the metal collapsing effortlessly between his jaws.
Hans let the mangled, useless gun drop to the ground, unaware that his blue eyes had turned red.
Seras, not caring about her throbbing jaw, watched anxiously as Hans stalked towards Paul, looking more like an animal than she had ever seen him.
The muscles in his legs were coiled and she knew he was about to strike.
"Hans?" She said gently, approaching them slowly. "Hans, stop."
He stopped moving but growled threateningly, not taking his eyes off the hunter.
"I know you don't want to do this," she said, "you don't want to hurt him, or anyone else."
He stopped growling, but his teeth were still exposed.
"This isn't you," she touched his shoulder.
For a moment he just stared blankly, not moving, not blinking, she wasn't even sure if he was breathing.
Finally, his ears flicked and he back away, head bowed shamefully.
Paul didn't waste a second scrambling away and running off. Seras wouldn't have cared, but he might bring people back with him.
"We need to leave."
Hans nodded, groaning in pain as he started walking.
Even though she couldn't take much of his weight, Seras wrapped his arm over her and supported him until they made it to her back door.
"Schrodinger, I need you to get the red box under the sink in the bathroom."
It took him a few seconds to snap out the shock of seeing his injured cousin, but when he did, he nodded and rushed away.
"Careful," she said, helping Hans to the floor slowly and kneeling beside him. She unclasped his cloak and started wiping the blood away with it, making him flinch.
"Sorry."
The bleeding hadn't slowed down and there was a very good chance the bullet had pierced an organ on the way to his stomach.
Schrodinger came back with the first aid kit; she went through it even though there wasn't much inside that could help them. Not sure what else to do, she pressed the fabric against the wound.
If she could get the doctor to come, maybe they could pay him into keeping quiet.
"Schro," Hans said weakly. "I need to you to go to another room for a minute."
Of course, the boy started to protest, "I'm not leaving you."
"Just for a minute."
"Are you going to die while I'm gone?" He was blinking rapidly to try and stop tears from spilling.
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Obediently, but reluctantly, Schrodinger went back to the bathroom and shut the door.
"Seras?"
"Yes?" She ran her fingers up and down his back, her soft touch soothing some of the pain.
He was dying, he knew it. His stomach was burning in agony and, hard as he tried to fight it, he could feel his body starting to give up. This was it for him; all those years wishing for an end, and it came when he finally happy again.
The higher power's had a sick sense of humor.
"Seras, I love you."
If she didn't say it back, at least his heartbreak wouldn't last long.
She stared at him for a minute, her beautiful face unreadable.
Then she looked angry, "are you just saying that because you think you're dying?"
Not the answer he'd been hoping for, "I'm saying it because it's how I feel."
"Well, your timing's terrible," she rubbed at her eyes before leaning down and pressing his face into the fur under his ear, kissing it softly. "I love you, too."
His slowing heart started beating harder and his body tingled.
"So you have to make it through this," she said quietly, gripping his arm tightly.
"Can I come back yet?" Schrodinger called.
"Help look after him, please," Hans begged. "He's lost too much family."
"Don't talk like that," she scolded.
"I feel…" His eyes went wide and he took a deep breath, "strange."
When no one answered, Schrodinger poked his head out the door fearfully, just in time to watch mist appear from nowhere and start to envelope his cousin's body.
He ran towards them, Seras caught him before he could touch Hans and backed away; holding him tightly until the mist vanished as quickly and inexplicably as it had appeared, leaving a bewildered looking man lying half naked on the floor.
Schrodinger figured it out first, breaking away from Seras and jumping onto the man, laughing blissfully.
"Hans!"
It took a moment for him to figure out what had happened, he sat up slowly and stared down at human legs and feet, the wound on his side miraculously gone. He brought his hands up and flexed his fingers experimentally, looking to Schrodinger to confirm it was real.
The boy grinned and hugged his cousin tightly.
With unsteady feet, Seras approached them, kneeling as Schrodinger stepped back to give them their moment.
He had the same eyes, that beautiful, ice blue.
"Seras," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear him.
She wrapped her shaking arms around him and held on as tightly as she could, burying her face in his neck.
He was more cautious, unsure of his own strength as he held her, nuzzling her hair. It felt so soft against his skin.
"How?" She asked.
"When I was-" he stopped to clear his throat, speaking out loud felt strange. "When I was thirteen, a strange woman came to the castle asking for shelter, she scared me so I told her to leave but she assumed I turned her away because she was ugly."
Wanting to look at her, he pulled back a little without letting her go.
"Suddenly she turned into a beautiful woman, an enchantress or a fairy of some kind, I think. She said that I was cold and cruel and she changed me into… what I was. As she disappeared she said until I could find true love, someone to love me despite my appearance, I would be trapped that way."
"You were just a child; that seems a bit harsh."
He chuckled, sliding his hand up her slim neck and running his fingers through her hair, "maybe it was better for me in the end, and I got to meet you."
Her hand covered his (well, as much as it could, he was still rather large) and she ran her thumb over his knuckles, her heart pounding excitedly as he leaned forward.
He had moved less than an inch before he remembered that his cousin was still watching them.
Hans turned to the boy and mimed a circle with his index finger. Schrodinger sighed dramatically and turned around, looking out the window to keep himself entertained.
"There's a bunch of people coming," he said, alarmed at just how many.
"Oh, no," Seras muttered, picturing an angry mob with torches and pitchforks.
She wasn't wrong, though lighting torches during the day seemed a bit unnecessary.
Unless they were going to burn something down.
"What do we do?" Schrodinger asked.
"We leave," Seras said simply, "and go back to the castle. Now."
Even if she came out with a human looking Hans, it wouldn't placate them; they would just claim it was witchcraft.
Which, admittedly, wasn't entirely wrong.
Hans grabbed her hand, "they know you helped me, they'll break in here."
"Which is why we need to leave," she pointed out.
"They might destroy it. You love this house."
She looked around, seeing her parents everywhere, but they were just memories of the past and she had held onto them for too long. It was time to focus on the future.
"Let me just grab a few things," he squeezed her hand encouragingly.
Rip must have been waiting for them because she burst through the front doors, running towards Hans at a descent speed thanks to her long legs.
"Look at you!" She squealed, jumping into his arms. "Look at how tall you are!"
"I better be that tall someday," Schrodinger said.
Walter stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open as he saw what the commotion was about.
The second Seras climbed of her horse, the maid grabbed her, squeezing tight enough to block her airways.
"Thank you," Rip said as Walter came to get a proper look at the new Hans.
Seras wanted to point out that, while she was glad, she hadn't intentionally done anything, but just hugged the older woman back instead.
"You look like your father," Walter noted, clapping him on the shoulder stiffly.
Hans scoffed and pulled the butler into a bear hug, "so formal."
"Part of the job, Sir," he would have hugged the young man, but his arms were pinned to his sides.
"We need to celebrate," Rip decided, "with a big dinner."
Seras looked through the dresses in her cupboard, amazed anyone would allow her to touch them, let alone wear them.
But Rip had demanded that everyone dress up, and wouldn't take no for an answer.
She was eyeing a gorgeous yellow gown when there was a familiar, heavy knock at the door.
"Hello," Hans said, "you look beautiful."
She looked down at the clothes she'd been wearing all day, "I haven't finished getting ready."
"So?"
"You look pretty dashing yourself," she touched the collar of his elegant, white shirt.
"Thank you, though wearing shoes feels strange," he looked bashfully at his boots. "I wanted to speak to you for a minute."
"Are we allowed to be in my room unsupervised?" She wondered out loud.
"I'm a noble; I can do whatever I want," he reminded her.
"Well, Rip should be back in a minute anyway."
"I better be quick then," he looked down at her for a second, as if trying to figure something out.
Without warning her, he effortlessly picked up her up by the waist, Seras grabbed onto his shoulders for balance smiling nervously.
"What are you doing?"
"You're a tiny woman," he placed her on the footstool at the end of her bed; even then she only came up to his nose.
"And you're a tall man," she replied, not letting go of his shoulders.
"I am," he agreed, brow furrowed. "Do you… am I…"
For a minute she wondered if was forgetting how to talk.
"I look different," he finally got out.
"Very."
"Does that bother you?"
"No," she almost laughed at the ridiculous thought, "why would it?"
"I don't know," he said sheepishly, she had fallen in love with another face; he wondered how she felt about this new one.
"Were you worried that I don't like how you look now?"
"A little," he admitted.
He had honestly believed he would never be human again and now that he was, he had no idea what to do or think. Mostly he was terrified of messing up and loosing Seras.
"You're absurdly handsome, but I don't care what you look like," she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, hovering for a moment. "But I wouldn't mind if you grew a beard."
He ran his fingers over his jaw, frowning slightly.
"It was a joke," she said.
"I know, but it's not a bad idea." He had always liked his father's beard.
She noticed that neither had moved away and their faces were only a few inches apart.
"Hans?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you put me on a footstool?"
"I was going to kiss you."
"Oh," she wished she could control her damned blush, "but you didn't."
He quickly rectified that, pressing his lips against hers.
Seras let out small, surprised squeak that almost made him back off, but she tightened her hold on his shoulders to keep him in place.
He cupped her jaw and opened his mouth, she did the same as a shiver went through her entire body and her nails dug into his skin, making him growl softly.
His fingers burrowed into her hair and his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her like he never wanted to let her go.
She hoped he never would.
"Master!" Rip said with a horrified gasp.
He just sighed while Seras hid her face in his shoulder, looking at his friend innocently.
"Don't give me that face, it doesn't work for Schrodinger and it won't work for you," she scolded, pointing down the hall, "go to your room."
"Yes, Mother," he whispered under his breath, dragging his fingers along Seras arm as he walked away.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," he shot Seras a quick smile as he hurried out the door.
"And you," Rip turned on her, "behave yourself."
Seras nodded, still blushing madly and trying not to laugh.
The older woman just sighed, suppressing her own smile. "Did you pick out a dress?"
Feeling like he was being choked, Hans cursed his shirt collar and tried to loosen it, quickly dropping his hand when he saw Walter raise his.
"You'll get used to them," the butler said.
Hans just grunted, feeling like a child again, Schrodinger patted his back sympathetically.
"How are the shoes?" Walter asked.
But Hans wasn't listening or even aware that his caretaker existed, all he could see was Seras at the top of the stairs.
Rip gave Seras a reassuring smile and she began descending the staircase, holding the banister to keep herself balanced on the unfamiliar heels.
The yellow gown was easily the most glamorous thing she had ever worn, it was a little overwhelming and uncomfortable, but the look on Hans face when he saw her made it all worth it.
"Hello," she said as she reached the landing.
He did not reply; he just stared with wide eyed awe.
"Say something," Schrodinger hissed loudly.
"Oh," Hans started, "you look beautiful."
"You said that before," she reminded him, smiling.
"I still mean it."
"Good," she smoothed out her dress sheepishly, "I'm not used to looking so… fancy."
"Hold on," he scrutinized her closely before pulling her into his arms.
"Not the hair!" Rip cried as he ran his hand back and forth over the blonde locks, ruining the impeccable styling.
"Better?" He asked.
"Hold on," she grinned and reached up to do the same to his hair.
Walter threw his hands up in defeat while Schrodinger sniggered.
"Better," Seras said.
The End.
Speaking of Disney, who else saw Frozen? Because it's pretty great.