Beauty and the Beast
By Kennie Gajos
In a small sleepy village in the middle of France, two cars pulled up outside an inn. Seven people clambered out of them and milled around, attracting glances from passers-by. One of them, one that the villagers recognised as one of their own, looked carefully around before following the others into the inn.
Claudette joined the others around a large table and gratefully accepted a coke from Xander. Being back in the village brought home just how insular her life had been before she had met Willow and Giles. And now Willow was trapped in an even more insular life with only a hideous and hungry beast for company.
"What are we going to do about the monster?" She asked the group.
They exchanged a glance amongst themselves.
"His name's Thiery." Faith reminded her.
Giles shrugged. "According to Angel, we can't take her away without breaking the contract she made with him."
"Which would involve leaving the Head Watcher behind." Xander pointed out.
"So we can't do anything." Dawn said.
"Unless we see him hurting her in any way, which is when I bring a whole new meaning to the term 'slaying'." Buffy said with a satisfied glint in her eye.
Faith shrugged. "She's says he's five by five."
"Well I reckon she's got that Zurich thingy." Xander said with a scowl.
"You mean Stockholm Syndrome." Giles informed him. "She may have, however, we'll learn more once we're there." He looked at his watch. "We have a few hours until Angel and the others arrive. We could ask around, find out what the other villagers know about Thiery."
"Sounds like a plan." Faith commented.
"We should split into groups." Xander suggested. "We could cover more ground that way. Bags I with someone who speaks French."
"Okay." Buffy agreed. "Faith and Robin, you two go together. Dawn speaks pretty good French, so you go with her Xander. And Giles, Claudette and I will team up. We'll meet back here at seven."
The others agreed and they each went their individual ways.
Buffy, Giles and Claudette stood by the fountain in the centre of the Main Square.
"So where do we start?" Buffy asked Giles.
"Well, uh." Giles thought. "Perhaps we should ask the oldest inhabitant of the village. She may remember some aspects to the story of the beast that the others don't."
Claudette nodded. "That would be my Great-Grandmother." She started walking purposefully away and Buffy and Giles followed her.
Claudette knocked on her Great-Grandmother's door and waited. It always took her a while to answer the door as she wasn't very fast nowadays. The door was opened quicker than she had expected and there stood Claudette's mother.
"Maman!" Claudette cried and hugged her tightly.
"Thank goodness you're here." Claudette's mother told her in French. "I was worried that you would miss her."
"Miss who?" Claudette asked, barely noticing Giles quietly translating her conversation for Buffy's benefit.
Claudette's mother sighed. "It's Grand-mère, she's dying."
Claudette gasped and pushed past her mother into her Great-Grandmother's bedroom, Buffy and Giles following.
A very old and small woman lay in the middle of a double bed, her chest rising up and down with laboured breaths. Claudette knelt down at the side of the bed and took her Great-Grandmother's hand. The old woman turned to look at her.
"Claudette." She whispered.
"I'm here Grand-mère." Claudette told her as her mother came into the room.
The old woman coughed. "It's good. I have something I need to tell you and your mother."
"Don't speak." Claudette's mother told her. "Save your strength."
"What for? I'm dying. We all know that. No, I must tell you… about the monster."
Giles paused in his translating and then quickly continued.
The old woman took a deep breath. "The story of the beast is true. He lives in the castle."
Claudette's mother gasped. "Non!"
"I know." Claudette said.
"How do you know?" Her mother asked.
Claudette shrugged. "I saw him once."
While Claudette's mother gaped, her Great-Grandmother continued. "Many centuries ago a handsome young man lived in the castle. But for all his looks and charm he was a heartless brute. One day an old beggar woman knocked on the castle door and asked for shelter. The man refused and the woman looked into his heart and saw that all it contained was love for himself. She cast a spell on the man." She paused to cough weakly. Claudette held a glass of water out to her and she sipped it. "She turned him into a monster and gave him an enchanted candle. If the candle was to ever go out then he would die. Eventually it would burn out naturally and when that happened he was also die. But there was a condition attached to the spell. If he should ever fall in love and the woman returned his love then the spell would be broken and he would return to himself."
Buffy and Giles exchanged a glance as the old woman leant back on the pillows.
"It's good to see you again Claudette." She said. "We have missed you."
Claudette smiled at her. "I've missed you too Grand-mère."
The old woman smiled back at her, sighing softly. Her eyelashes lowered and, at peace with herself and the world, she died.
A few hours later Willow and Thiery stood in the Entrance Hall waiting for her friends to arrive. Thiery glanced at Willow, imagining her reaction when he set her free. Would she leave straightaway or when her friends planned to? He hoped she would stay for a while. A knock on the castle doors pulled him from his thoughts and he opened them with another glance at Willow as she stood, bouncing with excitement in the middle of the Entrance Hall.
A small blonde hurricane shot into the castle, dropping two suitcases and zooming over to Willow, pulling her into a hug. She was quickly followed by a procession of people who all did the same.
Thiery closed the door and growled a little in jealousy as he noticed Willow hugging several men. The group turned their attention to him.
"Guys, this is Thiery." Willow introduced him. "Thiery, this is Buffy and Xander and Angel, Fred, Lorne, Faith, Robin, Gunn, Dawn, Wesley, Kennedy, Vi and Mona. You know Claudette and Giles already." She said, pointing to each person in turn.
Thiery looked past the smiles on their faces and saw the mixture of distrust and disgust at his appearance in their eyes. "Hello." He told them. "Welcome to the castle. Willow will show you to your rooms. Please excuse me." He bounded up the stairs to the sanctuary of his room.
Willow watched him go, concerned for her friend. She remembered her other friends and turned her attention back to them.
After dinner the core members of the Scooby Gang pleaded tiredness and went to Buffy's room for a conference, leaving the others with instructions to keep Willow occupied until she decided to go to bed.
"So what do we think of Thiery?" Buffy asked the others, sitting cross-legged against the headboard of her bed.
"He's quiet, that's for sure." Faith said.
"Did he actually say anything at all during dinner?" Dawn asked.
Angel leant against the wall. "Not a word."
"Did anyone actually find anything out about him?" Xander asked.
Faith shrugged. "Nada."
Buffy and Giles looked at each other.
"Actually, we found something out." Buffy said. "Quite a bit in fact."
"It would seem that Thiery used to be human." Giles informed them. "A spoiled and selfish one, but still a human."
Buffy nodded. "Then this witch laid a whammy on him for being mean. Turned him the way he is and gave him as long as a candle burns to live." The others frowned.
"As long as a candle burns?" Dawn asked. "Why isn't he dead already?"
"It depends how long the candle is I guess." Buffy said.
"Or how slowly it burns." Angel commented.
"Anyway, when the candle goes out Thiery will die." Giles explained.
"Yeah, unless someone falls in love with him." Buffy continued. "Then he turns back to a human."
"So what do we reckon? He's trying to get Willow to fall in love with him so he can break the spell?" Faith asked.
Dawn frowned. "But Willow's gay."
Xander suddenly laughed. "I so want to see his face when he finds out!"
Elsewhere in the castle, Kennedy pulled Willow to one side.
"Can we talk?" She saw Willow glance around the crowded room. "In private."
Willow nodded. "Sure." She lead the way out of the room and into the study. "What is it?"
"It's about us." Kennedy said in her forthright way.
Willow nodded, knowing intuitively what was coming next.
"I think we should break up."
"I agree." Willow told her former lover.
"We haven't talked to each other in months and what with you stuck here we'll never see each other and to be honest, my feelings for you have changed. I think of you more as a friend instead of a girlfriend… did you just agree?" Kennedy asked, her brain finally registering what Willow had said.
Willow nodded. "You're right." She smiled. "Is there anyone else?"
"No!" Kennedy said vehemently. Willow looked at her. "Okay." She admitted. "There is someone I like… In that way. But nothing's happened."
"Who is it?" Willow asked.
"Vi."
Willow grinned. "She's cute. I approve."
Kennedy smiled back at her. "So… friends?"
"Friends!" Willow agreed decisively.
Thiery perched on his balcony railings, staring pensively down into the darkened grounds, unaware of the various meetings taking place all over the castle.