Unwanted Beauty: Chapter Five: In Which there is an Encounter and a Marriage

She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around only it wasn't Thom. She was looking an exact copy of Thom, only a little different. "Oh, ah, I'm sorry…I was looking for someone else." She sputtered, frowning a little. The woman looked her over and Morgan felt another presence looking her over too. She squirmed under the woman's attention.

She took the time to look at the lady, the same violet eyes, the same flame colored hair. And she was stunning, shouldn't have been but she was. She wasn't stunning like Morgan was, but she was still stunning.

"You must be Kallisto." The lady said, there might have been a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and there might not have been, Morgan couldn't be sure, but she didn't like it.

"I prefer Morgan, but my given name was Kallisto." She said, the same not-really-sarcasm lacing her voice. For half of a moment she thought perhaps she had made a mistake as she watched the woman's eyes flicker from mildly intrigued to completely interested. The decision was almost instantaneous, she would not be walked all over again, she was done being used and abused.

"Well then, Morgan, you're the one my son has fallen for. Why do you think that is?" The lady asked, her friends twittered nervously and Morgan stifled a groan, she detested twittering.

"I haven't the slightest idea Lady, he isn't exactly the type to be interested in a girl with no brains. So I suspect that it was my ability to think for myself. But then again I don't know because I am not your son. I'm sure you could ask him." Morgan said, smiling and swaying back and forth, playing up the fact that she was a dumb blond. It was easier to defeat one's enemy if they underestimated you. The redhead frowned.

"I could, but I asked you. What, exactly, are your intentions?" The redhead asked, looking distinctly unpleased. Morgan almost laughed.

"My intentions?" She shrieked, and she noticed they were attracting a wary crowd. "You honestly want to know my intentions? I wasn't intending anything, I was sitting under a highly uncomfortable tree, in the rain, and you're son took me home. I didn't intend to fall in love. I wasn't expecting it, I wasn't intending for him to fall in love with me, I don't do that. But it happened. Did you intend to fall in love with your husband lady?" She asked, her voice angry, she despised playing Spanish inquisition with this woman.

The redhead stared. "No, but I'm not a pretty face, I don't travel across the world seducing men,"

"I've never seduced a man!" Morgan cried, awful flashbacks flitting through her brain. Alfred, he was always there, always around, always looking at her. She couldn't tell her mother, she would just say to scorn him, and keep wiggeling her hips. Alfred, always touching, always making her squirm and feel ill Alfred- She refused to go back there, refused to relive those memories again. "Men are threats, and they only want one thing, I despise all men, except for your son. He has never been a threat, never made me uncomfortable. And if you don't like that, well that's tough for you lady." Morgan said quietly, her voice tight and strained, but thick with passion.

The Lady looked stunned, and then she smirked. "Mama," Thom said as he came to stand next to Morgan. "You're looking marvelous this evening." He said, resting a hand on Morgan's thin shoulder.

"You'll meet me for lunch tomorrow morning." She said before smiling at Morgan and walking across the room. Morgan turned to look at him and dropped her head wearily against his chest.

"I don't think your mother likes me." She said after a few minutes of comfort. He laughed and she grinned as she felt it rumble through his chest.

"She doesn't like any female that comes within ten feet of me. What does it matter?" He asked with a smile. "I like you."

She smiled and he felt the muscles in her face move. "Well I'm glad because I like you too." She said before sighing.

"What is it?" He asked, placing his fingers under her chin and lifting her face so he could see her eyes. Tears clouded her eyes.

"Is this completely irrational? Is it entirely illogical that we can feel this way after a few days together?" She asked, a tear sliding down her cheek, he wiped it away tenderly.

"I don't know Morgan, I just know that you're feeling it to, so I'm not an idiot." He said with a smile.

"Okay then." She said with a smile.

"So," He said with a grin. "Where does that fire come from?" She looked confused.

"What fire?" She asked timidly.

"You just got in an argument with my mother and didn't faint, you also put up a pretty good fight, that's impressive. I thought you were this timid girl, so where'd that fight come from?" He asked with a smile. She shrugged and he laughed as a dance began. "Milady?" She giggled and took the offered hand.

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He understood now that there was something in her past that haunted her, something that wasn't quite right, a wound not completely healed just yet. A something that was hidden beneath the surface, lurking in her past. And it wounded him that she wouldn't confide in him, granted they had known each other for four days now, and he wasn't sure if he would spill his secrets, not that he had any….

He smiled as he looked at her, his Morganne, his Helené, the lover of his soul. Lover of my soul? Neal was right, I do need to go kill something, I'm turning into a sappy man. He grinned and got off of the couch an opened his door, someone was running up the hall. Maybe it's Helené, Morgan, Kallisto…whatever her name is. He thought with a frustrated grin as he opened the door. An angry red-haired, used-to-be beauty stood there, looking extremely intimidating.

"Where is she!" The angry-inside lady asked. Thom winced, hysterical women of any kind were not his cup of tea.

"I'm not trying to be pert, but, where is who?" He asked, backing into his rooms.

"My daughter that's who! Weren't you listening?" The thing screeched, he was not about to call this ball of anger a lady any longer, it was degrading to women.

"Hele-Morg-Kallisto?" He sputtered, still slowly backing into his rooms.

"YES!" She yelled and barged past him into his rooms. She ran about, screaming Kallisto's name the entire time. She must have finally come to the conclusion that she wasn't here.

"Why are you looking for her?" He asked, confused as to why the woman would bother to look for her now. She got a dreamy-eyed look on her face.

"I've made a match for her, she's to meet the Count Rasputin, and marry him in a week. Isn't it wonderful?" She asked with a wicked gleam in her eye before leaving. Thom felt as if he had been magicked in place. Rasputin? She's to marry that dog? She can't, she won't. She'd die if she marries that curr. He was horrified.

A/N: hahaha, Rasputin…Anybody get it? Hehe, sorry this took so long, I've got play rehearsals, and Ap testing coming up, and catching up on missed work from Ukraine…Blah…death and destruction….REVIEW OR I MIGHT FALL OVER DEAD!