This Chapter may bring a little disappointment because I suck at creating arguments and I know this story could have survived without it but it's plot emphases, it has to go somewhere.

By the way, thank you for the reviews, I love writing, I really do and I feel as if I was being rude or selfish when I whined about not getting many reviews last time. You have my most sincere apologies my readers. I just...worry that people will not like the story. I'm a panicky person...

In Which Sophie Leaves

One normally can consider themselves rude to think about someone as much as Sophie did while she was shrinking further and further into the tub, her body curled up and her nose so close to the water she almost drew in water rather then breath if she weren't careful…

Of course she was not thinking thoughts that would cause her mind to wonder into the gutter…but she was certainly thinking about Howl enough to make it feel wrong to be in the bath at the same time.

Look what you've gotten yourself into, Sophie… she thought with a sigh that made a few bubbles gurgle to the surface. Now he is on your mind more then ever…

The dizzying smells of Howl's old hair potions and primping products did not help her mind to wander from the wizard she had been so close to a few moments ago…the lavender smell that overpowered them all was the scent of the strange contents sitting on the edge of the sink, the coloring was of lilac but the smell was as strong as if it were from the very blossoms of the lavender flower. It was a nice smell, but she didn't understand how it was suddenly left on the sink when Howl did not smell of lavender earlier and she never touched his spells or potions unless she had to clean the shelves beneath them. Why was it out?

This thought alone was what helped her edge away from her memorization of the charming coward; she didn't linger on the eyes or the paleness of his skin. Certainly not the way his hair fell, looking so carefree yet so perfect at the same time. Something she was never able to do even if she wanted too. Of course there was a lot of work done to make it this way but even when he climbs out of bed, does his hair not remain somewhat perfect in her eyes?

Oh no…she was thinking about him again…

Sophie submerged herself completely.

"Do you feel better, Sophie?" Markl asked as she came down, her hair was still damp (not good for someone with a cold) but she was gingerly combing her fingers through the strands, ignorant of the sparse drops of water that escaped to the floor.

"A little…I can breathe now, but I think my fever still hasn't gone down enough." She said, bending down when Markl hurried over and checked it in a way similar to Howl's when she first fell ill. But this time she couldn't help but smile at how Markl stood on his toes to reach her forehead securely and compare temperatures.

"You still feel warm…but I guess it's better then before. I guess the lavender helped."

"Did you put that out?" she stared, not recalling seeing Markl in the bathroom at all.

"I put a spell on it to help clear up your nose some more." He said, smiling shyly, "But Howl put it in there for me when he went in with you."

That's why he came in…

"But I suggested the spell since the kid said he felt useless." Calcifer said, leaning out of the grate.

Markl frowned at him, wishing the fire demon didn't have to blab out the truth and rob him of his moment of cunning. But Sophie shook her head slowly at Calcifer with a slight smile as she turned her gaze back to Markl and pulled the apprentice towards her, enveloping him in her arms tightly.

"Thank you for casting the spell, Markl." She said gently, making the child's face flush to a brilliant red. "It really helped me."

"Hey, it was my idea!" Calcifer complained.

"I know, Calcifer." She smiled, "So to repay you for that I will let you have one of the maple logs we kept hidden for you."

"M-Maple!" he flared brilliantly with a wide grin.

To the fire demon a maple log was as sweet as the syrup that came from the tree. He loved his flames licking at every morsel, stripping off remaining bark and diving deep into the pulp of the wood. Oh sweet, sweet maple…

Releasing Markl, Sophie wondered towards her bed but paused, checking back over his shoulder and noticing Markl was giving the log to Calcifer already. She didn't see any other soul present in the room…

"Where is Howl?"

"Mater Howl is in his room." Markl said as he dropped the log into the grate and Calcifer slid onto it greedily. "He must be napping."

"Oh, I see…"

Lowering her eyes, she turned back to her little bed and climbed onto it, shutting the curtains to close out the light and there she sat in darkness combing her fingers through her damp hair again, the water wasn't coming out in droplets any longer so she was safe from dampening her blanket.

Napping already…I should have known.

And another mass of wool…another one…another one…

"This is getting boring…"

Howl extended an index finger and moved his hand counterclockwise, making the wavering image of the sheep pause in mid leap and disappear, followed by the other sheep cluttering his room with their smaller then average bodies.

"I can't sleep." He said bluntly, turning over on his site and staring at the door.

He had been in his room all day and the late evening was upon the castle's windows judging by the cool feel of the curtains. He had is daydreams and flashbacks of pleasant times in the past…most containing Sophie. She was an old woman in a few of them but most of the dreams held her young and fresh along with their stroll through the sky. He could recall how little she meant to him at the time. There was something that drew her to him but he did not think it would grow into something as powerful and as scary as love one day.

Sitting up, he rubbed his face, dropping the hands into his lap as he peered pitifully around the cluttered room devoid of life, devoid of Sophie.

"Oh Sophie, my Sophie…" he sang for a moment then stopped, wrinkling his nose at the horrible lyrics and the way his voice sounded when singing them. Normally he had confidence in his vocals when it came to serenading his way into women's hearts but now…well, he wasn't.

Are you still awake?

"Yes, it's hard to sleep when I am burdened by my own thoughts." Howl thought, Piece of Howl was not exactly the solution to the problem either.

Then check on her. You know you want to see her, that time in the bathroom you came so close to what you could have had…don't let me be the one who she will turn to. I am you but I'm not the real you, Howl.

"I know that. But it's better you do it then I…"

Oh, so that is how you wish it. Then maybe you should just let Prince Justin have her.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Giving her over to me is the same as you handing her over to Prince Justin. It can only be you; you're the one in control now, Howl. Don't let your cowardice be the better of you.

Piece of Howl was right…

Kicking his covers away, Howl climbed out of the bed, still fully clothed since he felt too awkward undressing earlier that day after the incident in the bathroom. He strode across the floor but at the door he paused, calming himself as he reached for the door and opened it, slipping out into the hallway.

If he was going to see her, he had to at least keep up his reputation of being quick and silent. Unnoticeable to any soul…unless of course they caught him off guard.

"Howl?"

He inwardly groaned, peering down the stairs at Sophie's face staring up at his. She was wrapped up in her shawl and one of the dresses he had given her some time after the curse was gone, her hair was slightly wavy from not properly combing it when it was wet and her foot was poised on the bottom step, revealing that she was about to go upstairs.

"Sophie, why are you up?"

She lowered her eyes, "I wanted to see if you were asleep…" she said softly, "I was wondering why you didn't come down again tonight and I was worried…"

"Worried, about me?" he asked, not looking at her as he started to wonder down the stairs, instead he was focusing his attention on the button of his shirt cuff.

"Yes, about you." She said stepping in his way, making the wizard pause on the stairs, he was a full step taller then Sophie, putting more of a difference in height between them much to Sophie's dislike in this kind of situation. "You disappeared without a word."

Howl's face gave into a thoughtful expression and he let go of his cuff and tilted up Sophie's face, his thumb on her chin while it cradled on his hooked fingers.

"It was just a name, my dear Sophie." He said, "Nothing more, have a little faith in me."

"It's not a question of trust, Howl." She said, her voice seemed a bit shaky, giving into a cough but it was not as harsh as it had been earlier that day. "I know this is your house, but the store…no one was there to run the store and—"

"As long as the doors were closed to the public, we had nothing to worry about today." He smiled, "So you can relax."

She was as relaxed as she could be, standing there with her face unable to turn away since Howl's fingers had not yet moved from tilting up her chin. She wondered if she should push them away or if Howl would just lower them on his own. The silence was deafening to her, there was nothing to break it, not a creak in the stairs or a crackle of fire since Calcifer had shrank beneath the logs to sleep, Markl was in his room…there was nothing that made a sound…they were left to the silence and the darkness with the exception of the moonlight creeping through the window pane.

"Well, since there is nothing to worry about…" Sophie eased his hand away, "Then I suppose I should just leave you to it."

"I cam down to see you, Sophie." He said when she rested her foot back onto the floor, the wizard followed by taking up the step that she had just left. "The least you could do was show some gratitude."

"Are you still so vain that you think I should just be eternally grateful to the heavens each time I see your face?" Sophie asked bitterly now since Howl had the gal to rub in how attractive he was.

"Aren't you?"

Wrong answer…

"You haven't used those potions in months! How can you still act like a complete…git?" she asked, balling her hands into fists.

She was taking it the wrong way, wasn't she? Howl was inwardly in a panic, though his face would never allow such a weakness to be revealed. He reached for her but Sophie shook her head and stepped away, he only stepped down onto the floor and persued a little.

"I'm not a git." He said pitifully, "You said so yourself that my black hair looked better then when it was blond."

For a moment Sophie's face faltered and her hands lifted a little, one fled to clutch her old shawl closed but the other was half-suspended, reaching for Howl hesitantly. At that time he believed that he was safe with her again, she would forget her words and even ask for forgiveness for calling him a git of all things that he could have been called. But that time didn't come…

"Only because of that?" she asked quietly, a little pained, "You "looked better" to me and you assumed it meant all women so you kept it that way?"

He didn't answer…at that time it was indeed the reason he had it that way. He thought with one woman's opinion as such, all women would see just how attractive he was and hearts would be stolen with ease! But that has changed, oh how it had changed…but he couldn't get it out, instead he said something that was completely wrong for the situation. He tried to be smart…

"Sophie, you're being selfish, I thought it looked better after some thought. Your compliment on it only proved that others would like it as well."

That did not aid the wizard in any way.

"Y-You—" Sophie glared at him, re-clenching her fists at her sides.

Turning around sharply, she started towards the door, Calcifer peering up out of the logs to see what the commotion was and his little eyes widened as the cleaning lady marched down the stairs and seized the doorknob, twisting it sharply to one of the colors then wrenching it open. She cast a look back at him over her shoulder, "I should have left that curse on you…and me." She said, her eyes stinging when she turned away and disappeared out the door, not taking care in shutting it.

"You're just going to let her go like that?" Calcifer asked, rising further out of the logs, his face panicked as he looked towards Howl.

"Howl?" Calcifer inquired.

The former contractor did not answer him, his eyes were cast down on the floor, and they were focusing on the spot where Sophie had been standing. Several things were rushing through Howl's mind all at once, some of them were Piece of Howl trying to catch his attention but he wasn't listening to him. The wizard's mind was running at the speed of light through every part of his mind.

His imagination was picturing him running after Sophie. Logic was rooting him to the floor and saying she would come back in about an hour after she cooled down. Probability said that his beloved would return still upset and he would have to apologize to her in order to make things settle back down. His conscience seemed to be breaking the surface though…Sophie may have been up and about but she was still sick and if the knob was on the color he was afraid it was on…she would be walking out into a chilling cold night belonging to the Kingdom where his worst fear resided…Prince Justin's castle.

"It's so cold…" Sophie mumbled, an unfortunate wind gushed past her; invisible fingers pulled at her shawl and made the hem of her dress keep drifting up and sending cold drafts onto her legs. "I meant to cool down but this is not what I had in mind!"

Why did she have to get so infuriated with him? Sure she meant what she said but Howl did not know any better when it came to upset women…could she blame him for being ignorant to his words?

Closing her eyes, she risked releasing a hand from her shawl and wiped the glistening tears from her face, sniffing with her numbed nose before regaining her grip and continuing back up the streets that seemed to be abandoned with the exception of the intricate automobiles passing her on the street. The lights offered her guidance to little nooks and crannies she could retreat to but none of them offered enough shelter for her to stay at.

Quickening her pace, Sophie lifted her head and peered up ahead of her, hope rising when she saw a good indent between the architecture of a large building that was not the palace but where it lacked in size it equaled in beauty and astonishing appearance. Ducking into the gape and pressing her back to the wall, she shrank down until she was seated and gripping her legs, burying her face in her knees. Her foolishness was catching up with her as she soaked up the brutal reality that she was still sick and sitting out on a stranger's doorstep in the middle of the night.

Had I stayed an old woman…I wouldn't be in this predicament. I would still be living with Howl and Markl without complications. When I go back, Howl will probably laugh at me or ridicule me…

Seeing the wizard's face made her feel both hurt and infuriated.

Not "when" I go back…if I go back…
Something was shining in her eyes…they were closed but still unpleasantly bothered by the illumination making everything appear red before her vision. She didn't even want to risk opening her eyes to see what the cause of the light was.

Sophie shifted a little, expecting to feel stiffness in her limbs and back from her position and the cold but when she managed to move, she had turned over, not only easily, but also in something incredibly soft. Warmth had enveloped her, no trace of her body was chilled and the heat felt pleasant on her limbs. She turned over again and risked opening her eyes, spotting a blur sitting beside her bed.

"Howl?" she asked, starting to push herself up on her elbows but after a few blinks her vision cleared and the person who turned to her was in much better dress then Howl had been when she last saw him…

"Sophie, you're awake." A relieved voice said brightly.

Miss Hatter gasped, sitting upright in the bed.

"P-Prince Justin?"

Oooh...Sophie and Howl had a spat and now Prince Justin turns up out of nowhere. What were the odds of that happening? I hope this chapter was ok...it wasn't exactly one of the best ones...but at least we see a little trouble in paradise.