Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

Note: No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #9

Two weeks later

"Clopin, are you asleep?" a familiar voice whispered from the doorway of his wagon. He opened his tired eyes and lit a candle.

"Dia, what are you doing here so late at night?" he asked once the young girl's face was revealed. Without a word, she sat down and looked into his deep brown eyes. "Dia, what's wrong?" She didn't reply. Clopin's eyes narrowed. "What did Oliver do?" he asked darkly.

"Nothing. Clopin, what happens when you have to decide between two men who you both have feelings for?" Clopin thought for a moment. I wish Esmeralda were here to straighten this out, he thought to himself.

"I suppose you have to look deep inside yourself and decide which man you can imagine being in a longer relationship with," Clopin said, unsure if this was the right advice to give to an adolescent girl. She smiled.

"I think I've decided already," Diamanta said. Without any warning, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

Clopin woke up in a cold sweat, the dream still echoing in his mind.

It's only a dream, and nothing more, he thought to himself. A knock came to the door. Oh please don't let it be—

"It's Dia!" the muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Clopin sighed and opened the door. He greeted her with a warm smile.

"Bon jour ma chere fille," he said as he helped her inside the wagon.

"Clopin, I'm not a child anymore. I'm seventeen years old."

"Sixteen," he corrected. "You still have the rest of the day until you grow a year older." Diamanta gave him a little half-smile and began to talk about what she came into his wagon for.

"I hear that Gautier's men are looking for our Court of Miracles. Oliver and I were talking, and it might be best if we were to make this place more secret. What if a soldier finds us? It could be the death of all of us!"

"Dia, calm down. We are well hidden. The very last place one of Gautier's men would look is here. Just trust me and everything will be alright." A loud knock came to the door. Before Clopin could reach the doorknob, it swung open. The bartender that helped keep the Court of Miracles a secret was panting and clutching his chest. Clopin and Diamanta heaved him into the wagon and closed the door behind him securely.

"Fred, what's wrong?" Clopin said in a concerned voice.

"Ran," Fred breathed, "through Paris."

"What? Was someone chasing you?" Diamanta asked. Fred, who eventually caught his breath, turned to Clopin.

"Is the girl allowed in here?" he asked as if she weren't sitting in front of him with a glare across her face. Clopin waved his hand carelessly to show it didn't bother him to have someone else listening to him. Fred continued.

"Gautier's gone mad, Clopin! He gave a gypsy a death sentence for simply stealing an apple!"

"What?" Clopin exclaimed. "He can't do that!"

"Doesn't anyone understand he's turning into Frollo?" Diamanta said. Fred clearly didn't like the fact that a woman was included in this conversation. He ignored her and went back to Clopin.

"Any gypsy who is seen outside the Court of Miracles will die. You have to warn them." The wagon door opened. Oliver pulled himself into the wagon.

"Knock first, Oliver," Diamanta said gently.

"Silence, woman. I need you outside now," Diamanta nodded and climbed out of the wagon. She had grown accustomed to his harsh words and paid them no mind. He beckoned her to come into his wagon with him. She pulled herself into it and immediately shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Diamanta asked. "Why did you pull me out of such an important conversation?" Oliver smiled slyly and unexpectedly wrapped an arm around her waist.

Diamanta was growing tired of all these games he played with her. He would pull her out of something important only to lead her to his wagon and play these stupid games. It was exciting for the first few days, but after a while she had grown sick of it. They barely even spoke to each other. She slowly pulled away from him.

"Why don't we just talk for now?" Diamanta suggested. Oliver looked taken aback.

"What would we talk about? Your life is already fulfilled. You have a place to live, and you have me. What else would you ask for?" Diamanta narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you honestly think I'm that simple?" Diamanta asked in a cross voice. Unfortunately, Oliver wasn't able to take the hint that she was angry. He smiled and stroked the inside of her thigh.

"Oh, no. You're very complex."

"You're disgusting," Diamanta said harshly. Suddenly the wagon door opened and Clopin came in, his eyes closed.

"I don't want to know what you're doing right now, but I'll give you two a moment to get dressed," he said.

"You can open your eyes, Clopin, we weren't doing anything," Diamanta said with a small smile.

"We haven't been doing anything at all as far as I'm concerned," Oliver grumbled. Diamanta stared him directly in the eye.

"If you keep this relationship only physical, we won't be doing anything," Diamanta snapped. Clopin stepped out of the wagon, murmuring something about coming in at the wrong time.

"Why can't you just do what your beau tells you to like other women?"

"Because other women are whores! Do you want be to be a whore? You certainly treat me like one!"

"Of course not!"

"Liar!"

"If I wanted you to be like that, I wouldn't love you so damn much!" The whole wagon went silent.

"What did you say?" Diamanta said softly. Oliver took her hands and kissed them.

"I love you."