Beauty and the Beast
By Kennie Gajos
A/NHey everyone! Sorry it's been a while but my aunt and my godson both decided that they were going to get seriously ill and go into hospital. And of course it had to be two different hospitals didn't it!! *lol* Oh well, they're both out now and much better… I'm the one that wants to go in for a rest now! I've spent all of my time this week either in college or in a hospital. Time for bed I think! *lol* Anyway, I thought I'd update now because I don't know when I'm going to wake up (next week hopefully) so here it is (well, it's below my notes to specific people anyway) enjoy and please don't forget to review!! (Please?)
Vivid Butterfly: I'm trying to work out a way to fit Blondie Bear into this as I type… I think I may have an inkling of an idea, but I'm going to have to sit down and have some serious words with my plotline to see if it agrees (it's 12 pages long so far!!).
Blondie001: I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic and thank you so much for your lovely comments!
A Watcher: Hi! Lots of reviews! I like lots of reviews. Um, in order then… Have you ever tried riding a motorbike when not in leathers? I don't recommend it, especially if you fall off. Basically the reason Willow's wearing leather is because it's safer not because she gets a kinky kick out of it. Although saying that… *lol* Thiery means 'Ruler of the People' and is of French origin. I'm obsessed with names too. Can you tell? The candle idea was actually incredibly hard to come up with because my head just kept throwing that darn rose at my. But I wanted to be original so I just kept telling it 'no'! I'll try and work in a reference as to which books they are but it won't be for a while I'm afraid. And you should find out what it was she asked Angel in a couple of chapters! Hope you continue to like the story!
Carmen Aurora: Oh darn it, I was actually going for tragic. Too late now, I'll just try and hit comic more often.
Dark Topaz: Witness more! :-D
On with the fic!!
Thiery stared after the retreating redhead for a split second before pursuing her.
"Willow, wait!" He called after her.
Willow sped up, negotiating the twists and turns of the castle with surprising agility. Thiery recognised her direction before she did and tried his hardest to gain on her before she reached the front doors.
"Willow!" He called again.
He lost sight of her just before the Entrance Hall and when he reached it the doors were standing open. He raced through them, not bothering to look around the hall before he did. If he had he would have noticed a suspicious bulge in one of the curtains and a piece of fabric from Willow's clothing peeking out of the side of said curtains.
Willow's head popped out of the curtains and she took off at a run again, grabbing her mobile phone. She put it back again immediately, realising that there was no one she could call who wouldn't immediately race to kill Thiery. And that was most definitely not what she wanted. Despite appearances Thiery was her friend. She heard him in the distance behind her but didn't bother to increase her pace. There was no point, she was getting tired anyway and she might as well save all her energy for that vital last sprint. Living in Sunnydale had long ago taught her that it didn't matter how close the chase got before you made it as long as you made it.
Thiery couldn't believe it, somehow she'd doubled back on him. He increased his speed still further, determined to catch her before she did some serious damage to herself.
But it was too late.
Willow tripped on the uneven dungeon staircase and fell all the way to the bottom.
Thiery's heart plummeted with her. He saw her begin to fall, stretched out a paw to try and catch her and missed by a hairsbreadth. He raced to the foot of the stairs and to her side.
"Willow?" He asked softly, running his paws along her limbs to check for breaks.
Nothing obvious. He smoothed her hair away from her face and revealed a livid bruise on her forehead. He sucked a breath in between his teeth and gingerly picked her up. He cradled her unconscious body to his chest and slowly made his way to her room.
Someone a long way away was talking. To himself. Willow made a effort to concentrate on what they were saying.
"She hurt her head… No I did not hurt her, she fell… down the dungeon stairs… I did not push her, she fell… I was not going to lock her up… she was running… she hit me and ran… no I did not say anything… it was an accident… both… what do I do?"
Her head hurt. A lot. Willow moaned.
"Willow?" Asked the voice.
She moaned again.
"She is awake. I will call you again."
The side of her mattress depressed a little and a furry hand gently smoothed her hair.
"Willow?" The voice asked again. "Are you awake?"
"Mm-hmm." Willow murmured affirmatively.
"Speak to me Willow. Open your eyes."
Willow fluttered her eyelids and hoped that would appease the man. Her head really hurt.
"Open your eyes Willow. For me?"
Willow sighed and forced her eyelids up slightly. Colours burst in upon her retinas forcing the mean men inside her head to switch up from jackhammers to hydraulic drills. Squinting she focused on a familiar face.
"Thiery." She whispered. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
Thiery pulled her covers up higher. "Do not worry. It would take more than that to make me hurt. I was worried for you."
"I'm gonna be fine." Willow informed him. "I'm just gonna sleep for a bit." And with that she slipped into blissful slumber.
It was night-time when Willow awoke again. Her gaze travelled the length of the room, taking in the single candle placed far enough away from the bed so as not to hurt her eyes but close enough to shed adequate light upon the scene and a glass of water left on her bedside table. She smiled at Thiery's thoughtfulness.
The door to her room opened and the object of her thoughts entered, carrying a tray.
He stopped when he saw that she was awake and smiled sheepishly. "I bring food." He told her.
Willow nodded and then swallowed as the pain in her head flared up. She kept perfectly still and it went as quickly as it had flared up. Gently, she pushed herself up against her pillows. Thiery placed the tray on her lap and sat on a chair beside her bed.
Willow waited until he had finished fussing over her and leant back before beginning to eat.
"I was worried about you." She told him.
Thiery smiled at her. "I told you. I am fine. You did not hurt me."
Willow frowned. "No you idiot. When you disappeared on me. I couldn't find you."
"I am sorry." Thiery told her. "I needed to think. I am used to being alone you see."
Willow struggled to conceal her hurt. "Oh. Well. Don't worry. I'll keep well out of your way in the future. You don't need to worry about me intruding on your precious solitude."
"No, no Willow. You misunderstand." Thiery leaned forward. "I like it when you are here. I just needed to think about some things. I am sorry if I scared you, it was not my intention."
Willow stared at him. "If you're sure."
"I am."
"So what were you thinking about?" Willow asked him.
Thiery cast around desperately for an excuse. "Um… er… I'd really rather not say."
Willow looked crushed. "I see."
Searching for inspiration Thiery looked out of Willow's window and into the darkness without. A few white crystals fell lazily out of the sky.
"I… I was thinking about Christmas." Thiery explained.
"Christmas?" Willow looked sceptical.
Thiery rushed into his explanation. "When you told me about it last week I began to think about it. Would you like your friends to come here?"
Willow's eyes lit up. "Yes! Are you sure? It would be fantastic. They'd all have a chance to get to know you and fin out that you're not evil. And we could invite Claudette too and she could see that you're not an ogre! If we start tomorrow then we can get the castle all cleaned and decorated in time."
Thiery smiled at her. "Tomorrow you rest. I will clean. Rest now. We have a busy time in front of us."
Willow smiled her agreement and slipped under the covers while Thiery removed the tray.