CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Becky stood back and grimaced when Mark burst into their house the next day, yelling at Glenn. "Where the hell is she?" he bellowed, looking tired and drawn.

"I have no idea, I've already told you that," Glenn said calmly, having already spoken to Mark on the telephone last night and early that same morning.

Mark ran a hand through his hair. "Lizzy said she was coming here!" he said, his eyes going to Becky and then narrowing when she flushed guiltily. "You know where she is!" he accused angrily, taking a step towards her.

Glenn blocked his way with a hand on his shoulder. "Stop right there!"

"Look at her, for crying out loud! She knows where she is!" Mark said, pointing at her.

Glenn turned his head and looked at Becky, frowning when he saw that Mark was right, she did know. He had asked her last night and she had said she had no idea where she was, but now it appeared that she had lied to him. "Becky, do you know?" Becky bit her lip and nodded, looking scared as Mark almost growled at her. Glenn gave him a withering look and then turned back to his fiancée. "Where is she sweetheart?"

"I can't tell you that," she mumbled, torn between her loyalty to Ellie and her worry over her own skin.

"You damn well can!" Mark snapped, straining against Glenn's hold.

"She made me promise not to say," Becky said to him, lifting her chin.

The words made Mark stop pushing and his shoulders slumped. "She didn't want me to find her?" he asked and his face contorted before he got it under control. He sat down in a nearby chair and put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "Oh God, why would she go?"

Becky almost relented when she saw how anguished he appeared to be, but then she remembered what he had said. "Because you called her a slut, because you said you could never love her!"

Mark's head shot up and he frowned. "I did what?"

"You heard me. She was heartbroken!"

"I didn't say anything like that to her!" he said, astounded at the accusation.

"No, not to her, just about her when you were talking on the phone yesterday," Becky said, glaring at him.

Glenn stared at her. "That was when he was speaking to me, but it wasn't about Ellie, it was about his ex-wife."

"Ellie heard what I said and assumed I meant her," Mark said slowly, closing his eyes. "No wonder she left."

Becky stared at Glenn and bit her lip. "I promised I wouldn't tell," she said quietly, worried because she felt sorry for Mark and now she knew he wasn't guilty of those things.

Glenn pulled her into a cuddle and smiled. "I know honey, but isn't it better for her if Mark brings her back? He loves her," he said, looking at his friend and raising one eyebrow.

"Of course I love her!" Mark said, coming to his feet in a rush.

Becky made her mind up and then nodded. "Okay, but you better not hurt her."

"I'm not gonna hurt her, not ever. I just want to bring her home so I can prove to her she's my world," he said softly.

"She's at the cabin," Becky said, sending Glenn an apologetic look.

"Thanks," Mark said, making a dash for the door and not bothering to even say goodbye. He jumped in his truck and drove away from Glenn's house far too fast.

Glenn looked at Becky with a mock frown. "Now then, young lady, let's go and have a little talk about you withholding things from me!"

****

Ellie stepped carefully out into the deep snow and started picking up twigs and small branches that had fallen off the trees. Maybe with these she could light the fire better, because so far she had been having a lot of trouble with it. The snow was nearly a foot deep and the only wood she could collect were the bits that were only partially sticking out of the deep drifts. When she had a good armful she straightened and started making her way back to the cabin, surprised at how far she had come. Her eye was caught by a movement to her left and she swung around when a huge figure emerged from the trees, her breath catching on a gasp when she saw who it was.

"Mark!" she said, her voice barely more than a whisper as she stood there with her mouth hanging open, shocked that he had found her.

He stood still and his eyes ran over her for a few seconds, before returning to hers and pinning her with an angry glare. He didn't look too happy to see her, she thought.

"Dammit, I ought to put you over my knee and paddle the life out of you, you damn pest!" he said, his voice a growl as he frowned across at her. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"

He took a step forward and she took one back, trying to keep a distance between them, because he looked like he was about to erupt. He carried on moving, watching through narrowed eyes as she matched his steps, going in the opposite direction. "In fact, I don't know what I'm waiting for. You've got this coming, girl," he growled, starting to move faster, his intent clear in his eyes.

Ellie dropped the wood and spun around, running as fast as she could through the deep snow and trees. She tripped and went flying, landing in a small snowdrift and getting a mouthful of powdery flakes. But she got up before he could reach her and carried on running, having no idea of where she was going or exactly how she would get away from him. She could hear his heavy footsteps behind her as he pursued her, his stride longer than hers and eating up the distance with ease.

Before she had gone much further she felt a long arm snake around her waist and hoist her off the ground. She kicked and yelled for him to let her go, but he just gave a grunt and turned back towards the cabin, making his way there with her under his arm, seemingly not bothered by her frantic efforts to escape. In frustration she started throwing insults at him, using all the curses she had heard him use. He still didn't stop, although a couple of the words made his steps falter slightly. When he got her to the cabin he dropped her unceremoniously on the sofa and then locked the door, pocketing the key and standing with his arms folded, glaring at her.

"You want to run those words by me again, or would you prefer just one punishment instead of two?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm considering his furious expression.

"Punishment?" she asked, looking at him warily, remembering the last time he had thought she needed punishing, as he had put it, and that had only been for attempting to run away. Now she had actually done it, it would be far worse.

"Yeah, punishment, I'm sure you haven't forgotten. You already had one coming, but those insults just sealed your fate, honey. So consider this a last request...you got anything else to say?"

"What gives you the right to punish me? What for?"

"One, for running off and making me worry about you. Two, for the things you said outside. That wasn't ladylike and I don't like to hear it, so you won't do it again, understand?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" she said, angry that he was being so high-handed.

"Oh yeah I can, and you can't do anything to stop me," he said, looking smug. His eyes narrowed when he heard her muttering under her breath. "I tell you what, honey, that better not be more of those cuss words because if it is, you'll regret it."

Ellie pulled herself off the sofa and stood with her hands on her hips, giving his glare back in equal measure. "Really? Well then I haven't got anything more to lose have I?" she asked and then proceeded to fling insults at him again, faltering and then stopping when he rushed across the room at her, plucking her off the floor before she could attempt to get away.

Seconds later she found herself laying across his lap with her head hanging down towards the floor, and she realised what he was about to do. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped, realising what a stupid question that was.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he asked grimly before bringing his hand down on her backside in a series of sharp stinging blows.

"Ow! Ow, oh you pig, get off me!" she squealed, wriggling about furiously as she tried to get away from his heavy hands. "That hurts!" Which was the understatement of the year in her opinion. He had huge hands and he sure knew how to use them to the most painful advantage, and she could feel her backside getting red hot from the punishment, this being much harsher than he had been before.

He continued paddling her soft flesh. "It ain't supposed to feel good, and you deserve every damn slap!" he barked at her through gritted teeth as he counted through five more smacks.

By this time Ellie had pretty much stopped struggling and was laying limply on his legs, her eyes full of tears of rage and hurt which she assured herself she would not let fall. But he had other ideas. He carried on a little longer and only stopped when she had finally broken down and was sobbing. He finished and laid his hand over her heated flesh. "You got anything to say now?" he asked her.

"Pig," she muttered, sniffing as one tear ran down her cheek.

"Well, that ain't too bad, honey. At least you ain't cussing anymore," he said, pulling her up and then planting her on his lap and staring at her wet eyes. "I hate seeing tears in your eyes, baby, but I swear to God if you ever put me through that again, this will seem like a picnic to you!"

"Go away," she mumbled, looking at him accusingly as she squirmed about on his lap where her backside was so sore.

"I can't do that," he said, moving her into a more comfortable position and stopping her movements. He watched as her chin quivered and then she gave a small sob. "Don't cry, baby, I hate it when you cry."

"Then don't watch, you big dumb tree! I hate you," she sobbed, and struggled to get off his lap, surprised when he let her go.

He gave her a small smile and watched as she put some distance between them, standing a few feet away and glaring at him. "No, you don't, you love me, otherwise why would you get so upset you had to run away and hide, especially when I didn't actually do anything wrong?" He raised an eyebrow at her and then stood up, slowly approaching her. "How could I possibly say such awful things when I'm so deeply in love with you?"

She had been in the process of backing up, but his words stopped her dead and she stared at him with her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"You heard me, honey. I love you and you love me right back, even if I am a 'big dumb tree'. Go ahead, deny it," he said, looking amused.

"I....but...you...you..." she gasped out and then swallowed as her world started to tilt crazily. She had enough time to give him a look of utter astonishment before her legs folded under her.

Mark rushed forward and caught her before she hit the floor, shocked at how the colour had completely left her face and she had just wilted. He carried her over to the couch and laid her down, kneeling next to it, his hands shakily stroking her hair back from her too-white face. "Ellie? Sweetheart, open your eyes," he urged, one hand cupping her cheek as her eyelids fluttered slowly open. "Are you okay?"

Ellie frowned and tried to remember how she came to be lying on the couch, her eyes widening as the memory returned. "What happened?"

"You fainted. Are you okay?"

"I think so," she mused, attempting to sit up but being held down firmly by his big hands.

"You just stay there and rest a while. Have you been feeling okay?" Mark asked, looking perplexed.

Her eyes shot to his and she bit her lip. "I've been a bit sick lately."
"Sick? I knew it, something's wrong isn't it? Are you ill, baby?" He sounded so worried and he was being so careful when he touched her that she felt tears well in her eyes.

"I'm not ill," she said, her voice shaking because she was worried about his reaction to what she had to tell him. What if he didn't want her anymore? She started crying and then just blurted the words out. "I think I'm pregnant!"

Mark sat silently for a few seconds as though dazed, then his eyes widened. "Pregnant?! How...? Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure. I missed my period," she told him, watching as he lifted her top and spread his hand over her abdomen, his face wearing an expression of awe. He looked thunderstruck.

"You didn't tell me," he said accusingly, his eyes boring into hers.

"I wasn't sure, I'm still not. And anyway, I thought you didn't want me and I didn't want you to feel obligated to me in any way," she said, sniffing and giving a jerky shrug of her shoulders.

"Obligated? For Christ's sake, of course I'd feel obligated. Why on earth is that such a bad thing?" he asked her, shaking his head. "As for not wanting you, well you know different little girl. Who else knows?"

"No-one. I haven't told anyone I even felt sick."

"And you ran off, knowing you might be pregnant, knowing you'd have to face that on your own. Ah, honey why did you leave?"

"I didn't want to hurt you. I wanted you to find someone else and be happy, if you couldn't love me."

Mark closed his eyes and a pained look crossed his face. "The only way you could hurt me honey is by falling off the face of the planet, which is exactly what you did. That really hurt. I've never been so scared in all my life as I was when you were gone and no-one in the house knew where you were. Becky wouldn't tell me, not until today, and she only did it because I told her I loved you."

"I'm sorry," she said, her lips trembling, "I didn't know what else to do."

He hugged her against him, half pulling her off the couch. "Don't you worry about it now, I've got you back, that's all that matters. That and the baby." He pulled back and stared at her. "My God, I'm going to be a father!" A smile slowly spread across his face as he thought about it.

"You don't mind?"

"Mind? I can't believe it, I love it! I'm going to be a father! Oh my God," he suddenly frowned and looked at her with concern. "You fell over when I came after you. Hell, I hit you! Come on, we're going to the doctors, right now!" He pulled her up off the couch and stuffed her into her coat, making sure it was done up properly and then wrapping a blanket around her.

"Mark, I'm fine, honestly..." she began, but he lifted her in his arms and strode out of the door.

"We're making sure that's exactly what you are. Be quiet!" he said when she went to speak again. A few minutes later she was in his truck and being driven at a sensible speed to his doctors, where he paced around nervously while she was examined. He looked up when she came out of the office. "Well?"

"I'm pregnant," she said, her face glowing with pleasure as he picked her up and twirled her around the waiting room.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" he said, laughing suddenly. He put her down and gazed into her eyes. "You've made me so happy, sweetheart. I only hope I can make you as happy."

"You already have. I love you so much and now you've given me a baby," she said, blinking back tears. "I can't believe how much my life has changed in a few short weeks."

"Mine too. I was destined to always be known as the Beast on the mountain, I think," he said, chuckling.

"That's only because people don't know the real you," she whispered, touching his face and smiling. "And I'm glad they don't, because that's just for me."

"Everything I am is just for you, beautiful. You realise they'll be calling us beauty and the beast?" he murmured as he carried her out of the doctor's office, oblivious to the stares of passers-by.

"That's okay," Ellie grinned, still gazing at him as if she couldn't believe he was really hers now. "You know what happened to Beauty and the Beast?"

"What?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow and grinning at how pretty she was.

"They lived happily ever after," she said as he lowered his head and kissed her passionately, sealing their love in front of the whole town.

****

One month later Glenn and Becky became husband and wife, and Mark arranged the ceremony so that he and Ellie could renew their marriage vows, this time meaning every word as it was spoken. His eyes were so full of love when he bent to kiss her that she cried, and the few people in the congregation gave smiles as they saw how much Mark had changed. He placed a hand gently over the slight mound of her belly and smiled with pure joy at what fate had given him. And of course, just like a fairy tale, they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

****Well, come on, how did you expect a fairy tale to end?? I hope you enjoyed it, as it is only my second completed fic to date! But I've enjoyed writing it and want to thank everyone for the great reviews, it kept me going when all I wanted to do was give up!!****