A storm is brewing and Julia is left stranded at the local circus. When Robert picks her up, will Julia get to see another side to the Majestic?
A/N: This is yet another one of my old stories that I am re-uploading from about ten years ago.
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Julia glanced up fearfully at the darkened sky, as she stood at the bus stop. The faint clap of thunder sent a shiver down her spine. Where on earth was Romero?! He had promised to pick her up immediately after acrobatic tryouts had finished. She glanced down at her watch impatiently and tapped her foot. Romero can't have forgotten... right?
Another clap of thunder pulled her attention away from her watch. The sky was darkening quickly. She could see the front of the storm moving in her direction. Panic swept through her. If Romero didn't pick her up now she'd be caught in the path! "Dammit Romero... where are you?" she mumbled urgently under her breath.
Unfortunately Raul wasn't there to keep her company. He had broken a leg during an audition last week and would be unable to perform in this year's show. She was alone and the thought terrified her. She had always been scared of storms since the very day she had been born. She had what the doctors called, Storm Phobia.
A flash of lightning caught her eye and she jumped. Trembling, she stood underneath the shelter of the bus stop. She was going to die. She'd get struck by lightning and die. Or perhaps it would rain so much she'd drown. Her heart quickened its pace. Anxiety was beginning to build. Her attempts to calm herself down failed miserably; in fact it only heightened her state of panic. Tears began to form in her eyes and the sudden urge to break down in tears overwhelmed her. Romero wasn't going to pick her up; most likely he had forgotten.
She had no money on her so catching any form of public transport could be out ruled, nor did she have any credit left on her phone. Hitchhiking was dangerous; she could get raped or worse, killed. Her only option was to stand under the bus shelter and hope the storm caused no harm.
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Robert was driving along the road, listening to some classical music off the Classical Music Top 100 CD which he had purchased that very morning. Usually, he listened to rock and metal, but he decided to listen to something far more calming whilst driving home. He reached a red light and came to abrupt halt. Whilst he waited, he peeked out the window and noticed dark, billowing clouds up ahead. "I hope Enrique turned off the power..." he said aloud, but he knew Enrique hadn't. The boy could not be trusted around electrical appliances.
The lights turned green and he sighed. At least he didn't have to spend ages at the lights. He needed to get home quickly and ensure all power was turned off before the storm hit. He could not afford damage. Robert continued to drive along the long road, eager to get home quickly. He wasn't going to speed of course, but he hoped traffic wouldn't be bad enough to slow him down dramatically. Luck seemed to be on his side though.
He came to another red light. He sighed and looked out the window again, keeping an eye on the storm. His eyes fell on a girl with long brown hair standing by herself at the bus stop. He frowned. Wasn't that Julia from FDynasty? Why was she standing alone? Part of him told him to ignore Julia and get back home to turn the power off, but the other half told him to check if she was alright. He decided to check up on Julia, after all that was the noble thing to do.
He pulled up at the bus stop, winded his window down and stuck his head out the window. The poor girl looked terrified. "Julia, would you like a lift?" he asked.
Julia almost fainted with relief. She didn't know Robert very well, but she knew he was a very noble being. Robert wouldn't rape or murder her. She nodded and ran to his car and quickly hopped inside. Julia shuddered, either from fear, the cold breeze or a combination of both. Robert took off his jacket and offered it to Julia and she accepted his offer gladly. "Why are you standing at the bus stop?" Robert asked.
Julia shuddered again. "I was waiting for Romero to pick me up... but it seems as if he has forgotten," she replied bitterly. "Romero's not exactly the most reliable person, but he's the only one in our team that has a car," she added, drawing her shoulders in together.
"You do not have a license?" Robert asked, carrying on the conversation. Julia was old enough to drive.
She nodded. "I do, but he doesn't trust us on the roads." She rolled her eyes then jumped as another flash of lightning brightened the clouds.
Robert raised an eyebrow. "You do not like storms?"
She forced a grin. She hated telling others the truth. Most people just laughed at her fear of storms. "Oh no, it just caught me by surprise, that's all," she said, faking a soft laugh. Would Robert make fun of her to? He didn't seem the type, but she didn't want to risk it. After several minutes of driving, they finally reached Robert's castle. "Your castle?" Julia asked curiously.
Robert nodded. "You did not tell me where you lived so I brought you here instead. You can stay here until the storm passes," he said.
Robert was much nicer than she had thought. "Oh... thanks." Another flash of lightning and Julia screamed and ran towards the main door.
Robert frowned; he suspected Julia was scared of storms, but why would she not admit it? It wasn't something to be ashamed of. "It not something to be ashamed of," Robert said, walking over to the front door where Julia stood trembling. "Johnny is also terrified of storms," he added.
Julia looked up at him surprised. She only realized just how tall he actually was. "Johnny's scared of storms?" she repeated. Johnny definitely didn't seem like the type to be scared of a storm, but then again, neither did she. "I guess you learn something new everyday..." she muttered under her breath.
Robert unlocked his front door and allowed Julia to walk inside first and followed soon after. He closed the door behind him and walked Julia to the living room. Julia was amazed; she knew Robert was rich and lived in a great castle, but seeing it in person was much better. The lights were slightly dim and the air was warm and this was mostly due to the fireplace at the far end of the room. In front of the fireplace were two Italian leather armchairs and one couch which sat in front of the massive plasma screen. Various paintings lined the walls giving colour to the room.
Robert disappeared and reappeared holding some robes in his arms. "Would you like a new robe?" he said, offering her three different coloured robes.
Julia nodded and grabbed the pink robe. "I guess I'll just have a shower then?" she asked hopefully.
Robert shook his head. "Never take a shower in a bad storm."
Julia raised an eyebrow. "How come?"
Robert sighed and explained the situation. "All water pipes are made from metal. Metal is a good conductor, so if lightning strikes an unprotected house, chances are the current will travel through any metal pipes. What's more, the tap water moving in these pipes contains impurities that help the water conduct electrical current." He took in a deep breath and continued. "When you're wet, the natural resistance of your body is cut by half, and the salt and contaminants on your skin decrease your resistance further. So basically, being wet can make the difference between an unpleasant electrical shock and a deadly one."
Julia had almost fallen asleep. What had Robert been saying? Something about pipes and water. "Erm ok, I'll just sit in front of the fire then." Julia walked over to sit in front of the fireplace and was greeted by warmth.
Robert watched her from afar; Julia wasn't the bossy, aggressive girl he had seen on television during the beyblade tournament. In fact, he found himself wondering what she was like as a beyblader. Watching it on television only told him so little. "Julia would you like to have a beybattle with me?" he asked.
Julia was quite shocked. She stood up quickly and turned to face him. "Beybattle?"
Robert nodded. "I saw you beybattle on television last year. You were quite good."
She was stunned. She didn't expect a compliment from Robert. How rare was it for him to compliment outsiders? "Well... thanks," she replied, a tinge of red appearing on her cheeks. Was she blushing? Oh dear god! She was beginning to feel like one of those young pre-teen girls. That wasn't good. Robert's expression remained the same. She remembered his earlier question. "Oh right! Beybattle? I'd love to."
She thought she saw a faint smile from Robert, but she might have been imagining it. Either way, having a beybattle would her mind distracted from the storm raging outside. She dug her hand into her pocket, feeling her fingers touch the surface of her beyblade. Could she beat Robert?
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Entering Robert's personal stadium was like walking into a different country. She expected something big from Robert, but this blew her away. The beydish was just as big as the ones in the world tournament stages, if not even bigger. Statues lined the sides of the walls, men with swords attached to their sides. Behind the statues were paintings of old battlefields. Judging by the paintings she knew Robert was a history buff.
She turned to face him. He stood opposite to her, beyblade lifted ready to launch. She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out her beyblade and ripcord. From reports she knew Robert was a highly skilled beyblader. He was Europe's number one blader after all. He would be hard to beat, but she knew she had the skill to take down the mighty Robert.
He looked at her, grinning. "Are you prepared for the battle of your career?"
She smirked in response. "Are you prepared to lose to a girl?" she taunted.
"I have seen you battle on television and I must admit, you are very skilled," he said, grin fading, "but not good enough to defeat me," he added, the grin returning on his face.
Julia remained quiet. Let Robert think her weak. That would give her the advantage and take him by surprise when the time came. "3...2...1... LET IT RIP!" she shouted. She jerked her arm back, releasing her hold on the ripcord. Her blade flew into the dish landing in the centre. Robert's blade joined hers colliding into it immediately.
"Take her down Griffolyon," Robert ordered.
His beyblade tipped to its side and drove into the side of Julia's blade. Julia clenched her jaw, her jade green eyes burning. She was not going to let him beat her. "Thunder Pegasus, show him who is boss!" Her blade reacted upon being commanded. It jumped back, skidded across the dish and moved to the side of the dish before rushing down to slam into Griffolyon. Unfortunately, Griffolyon evaded her attack.
Robert crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes calmly looking to Julia's. "You're a little out of shape Julia," taunted Robert, smirking at the horrified expression on Julia's face. "Are you feeling a little lost without your brother?" he added, pleased with his insult. He knew Julia was strong with her brother, but he also knew she had the potential to be much stronger on her own. She needed the confidence and his insults were designed to help her dig deep. The battle raged on and Julia's beyblade was beginning to slow down.
Julia clenched her jaw tightly and focused her attention on the battle before her. She could battle on her own. Being female did not mean she was weaker. Battling Robert reminded her of the second battle with Tyson and Daichi. She remembered the anticipation before, the tension during and the satisfaction after the battle. Those feelings had long since vanished, but the passion for the sport still remained.
Both boys were confident, but not overly smug. Robert displayed similar traits. She began to wonder it were simply traits men were born with. "You've improved Robert," Julia said calmly, trying to throw him off his game.
"Touche," Robert replied. "Pretty strong for a female," he added, enjoying the brief flash of anger in her eyes.
Julia pointed a finger at Robert. "I'm going to defeat you and become the NEW European champion!" she boasted. "THUNDER PEGASUS!" Julia shouted. A brilliant flash of white light erupted from the bitchip. The light soon faded only to be replaced by a large white horse with bright yellow wings.
"Griffolyon!" Robert shouted. Green light exploded from his bitchip. It faded away revealing a giant bird-lion fusion creature. It flapped its wings and hovered in the air, its sharp eyes staring down at the winged horse.
"ATTACK THUNDER PEGASUS!" she roared.
Thunder Pegasus obeyed Julia's command and charged into Griffolyon. Sparks flew as the blades collided and both bladers could feel a slight tremor beneath their feet. The impact of the blades caused the earth to shake. Robert ignored the look of satisfaction on Julia's face and focused on the battle. She had forgotten one thing. Never become overconfident during a battle because an overconfident blader was more likely to lose concentration as they were too focused on boasting than maintaining control.
Julia's Thunder Pegasus bounced back from Griffolyon and readied itself for another attack. This was the moment to attack. "You may have improved," Robert's trademark smirk crossed his face, "but Julia, you still have a long way to go if you want to be the new European champion. GRIFFOLYON! WING DAGGER!" Griffolyon arched its neck and back and shrieked, bending back its huge wings only to bring them back down with force. Sharp-edged feathers hurtled towards Thunder Pegasus, pelting the horse's skin. It was not long until Julia's blade was thrown out of the dish.
Julia's mouth dropped open and she trembled – actually trembled – as her blade landed beside her feet. "Another defeat..." Julia grumbled as she bent down to pick up her blade. "How did you do it Robert?" she asked, glancing up to look at him. "I was certain you had lost. Your blade was losing power."
Robert held out his palm, catching his blade in his hand. He dug his hand into his right pocket and placed the blade inside. "You're a good beyblader Julia, but you forget one thing: keep your ego under control. Even the best of bladers can fall to a humble blader," Robert advised. "I know from experience," he added, recalling the battle against Tyson. He was certain that Tyson would fail against him, but he had been wrong. Much to his amazement he had lost to a rookie beyblader. It was a good lesson to have learnt.
Julia grimaced and glanced down at her beyblade. "You're going to have to show me how you escaped my final attack," he said.
Robert smiled. "Of course, after all you will need to be in top shape for the upcoming tournament," he replied.
Julia frowned. "Upcoming tournament?"
"You were not aware of the tournament this year?" Robert replied, surprised. He pocketed his blade and walked to her side, standing directly before her. It was at this moment Julia realized how tall he was. He stood about two heads taller than her. Looking up at him she was drawn to his facial features. Robert was not the type of guy to be considered 'hot'. He didn't have cute dimples, warm eyes or soft edged features... his face was hard, much like a stone.
But yet, she found something attractive about him.
His intense eyes were filled with intelligence and wisdom, his rare smile one of warmth and assurance. He had a caring nature even though it wasn't something he often showed. He kept himself guarded, keeping his emotions behind a stone wall. Julia found herself wondering what hid behind that wall. If she threw vines over the wall, would they find their way through the cracks and pull it down?
Would Robert even let her in that close?
He didn't seem like the type.
But yet here she stood under his roof, standing before him handling a mature discussion. He did not insult her; he did not make her feel inferior. There were many layers to his personality, ones she wanted to explore by peeling them away one by one. She wanted to know who he was. "I want to thank you for everything you've done," she started.
"You do not need to thank me."
There it was. He was selfless. He didn't demand attention twenty-four seven, nor did he want to be praised for his acts. "Please, accept my thanks."
He was taken by surprise by her show of assertiveness. The girl had a complex personality. She was passive when he picked her up, aggressive during the battle and now persistent. "If it pleases you, than I shall accept your show of gratitude."
She smiled. "It makes me glad to hear that," she spoke softly. She continued to stare into his eyes, almost losing herself in them. They were full of mysteries waiting to be discovered. Silence fell between them, both entranced by the other. Julia then broke out of her trance. It dawned on her the storm had ended. "I should probably go." She turned her back to leave, when a strong grip fell on her shoulder.
"You don't have to leave immediately Julia, you may stay as long as you wish."
She tried not to smile. "Thanks for your hospitality Robert, but I'm sure Romero and Raul will be wondering where I am."
His eyes lingered on her, unmoving. "If that is your wish."
Her next movement caught him off guard. It also surprised herself. She moved closer to him, feeling a powerful outburst of affection overcoming her. She instinctively reached out and placed her hands on his cheeks, surprised they were smooth to the touch. She thought he would resist, but he remained steady looking at her.
She swallowed, her heart beating heavily. She slowly lifted herself by standing on her toes, her eyes remaining on his face. She tried to communicate her desire to be with him and hoped he'd understand the passion in her eyes. He stared back, drawing closer to her. Her eyes closed, lips parting slightly in anticipation for the next move.
Warm lips brushed against hers and at that very moment, she felt her overriding passion for him run through her veins. She trembled slightly, but raised her hands above her head, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her tightly as he began to kiss her lips. A soft moan escaped her, but she met his kiss with her own.
They continued to hold each other, until their mouths finally parted, silently staring into each other's eyes. She placed her head against his chest, hearing the beating of his heart. It dawned on her he felt the same way she did. He ran a hand through her hair, planting a gentle kiss on her head then nuzzled his nose against it. "You are welcome to stay."
She grinned. "Then I'll stay if it pleases you."