Hello!
The time is upon us! Okay it's upon me but school's about to start (tomorrow *bites nails*) and I've been busy moving and straightening all those official stuff out xP so I haven't updated for a while *hides* Anyway, I expect to be busy for a bit - you know until I get the hang of things... But I already plan on having a bit of free time here and there ;)
I'm not totally going to disappear on you.. I mean, ffnet only keeps documents for 90 days so I have come back sometime ;)) That sounded better in my head...
Enough of me... Happy Reading!
Set after Sweet Innocence (not that it really matters, not that you need to know.. just thought I'd put that in)
Summary: The children love the book Uncle Lefou got but Gaston is not at all happy about it. And Belle, well, she's very amused by all of this.
Number of years married: 9
Sons: 3
Daughters: 1
~:~ The book ~:~
"Gaston, I don't see the big deal about it," Lefou started over a nice mug of ale in the dining room - much to Gaston's annoyance. That ale was reserved for him! Why did Belle have to give him a mug too? "It's just a book."
The man in red folded his arms over his chest and scrutinized his good friend. "It's just a book?" he repeated with a slight growl. "Lefou, it's not just a book."
Belle set down the pie she had just made in front of them. "Would you men like a slice?" she asked sweetly.
Gaston sent her a glare and she gave a teasing grin. He knew she knew he took this book matter very seriously and he didn't want any interruptions. Especially interruptions of her sweet-smelling apple pie. He narrowed his eyes.
But she wasn't fazed. "Lefou, would you like a slice?" she asked again.
"Oh uh-"
"Lefou, do not lose sight of what we're discussing," he grunted as he watched the other's eyes take in the delicious pie.
"I'm not," he frowned. "Yes, Belle, I'll have a piece."
Her smile widened and Gaston glared hard at her. "Dear, would you like some?" she asked yet again.
"No, I would not," he ground out a bit. "Belle-"
She brushed him off. "I'll only be a moment," she hummed.
He watched her slowly - agonizingly slowly, oh she was doing this on purpose - serve the piece of pie. Then he watched Lefou's eyes go wider at the sight of his slice. He gave a grunt of annoyance. "Lefou, do try to listen-"
"Gastnn, I dn't seevhut the bggdeal is," he repeated this time with a mouthful of pie. "Mhmm, Belle thsthis delithuss."
She smiled and took a seat at the table. "Oh thank you."
Gaston still glared. He looked at Lefou. "The big deal is that this book is... is..."
"Letting their imagination grow?" Belle sufficed.
Lefou pointed to her and nodded as if she had a point.
"Giving them night terrors," Gaston corrected. "Lefou-"
"Oh come now, I don't think it's that bad," he scoffed.
But before he could retort what he really thought of it all, he looked to the insistent tug at his waistcoat.
Julia clutched her doll tightly and Gilbert's hand. Nathaniel stood behind the two, and Gilbert held out the book- the book, the very book Gaston had been growling to Lefou about. "Papa... can you read to us?"
Despite the frustration with an unthinking Lefou and a pie-making wife, he smiled. "Of course, I'll be there in a bit." He watched them scamper off to their room. Then his glare returned and he narrowed his eyes at the other two. "This discussion is not over."
Lefou made a noise though Gaston was pretty sure it was the delicious pie talking.
He emphasized his look to Belle.
She stood from the table and - with her sweet smile again - passed behind him. Her hand brushed the back of his neck affectionately as she walked by. "Of course, my darling. I'll see Lefou off."
He narrowed his eyes again.
"Go read to our children," she said fondly.
And he did. For an hour - their usual bedtime ritual. And all would have been perfectly well, perfectly fine! had Lefou had the decency to not slam the front door behind him. Gaston watched his sons' and daughter's faces change as they took in the abrupt scary sound in the quiet house... After all, the creature in the book just closed the door of a house very much like theirs.
He closed the book. "I think that's enough for tonight," he spoke.
All three looked at him like they didn't want him to go. "J-just a bit more, Papa," Nathaniel piped up.
He chuckled some and shook his head. "No, it's already past your bedtime."
Gilbert clutched the blankets in his fists tightly. "P-Papa..?" he asked in a shaky voice. "C-can y-you...?"
Gaston tried not to sigh audibly. "Of course," he nodded. He went to their wardrobe and opened it, pretended to really look inside of it, then closed it firmly. Then he knelt beside their beds and did so again. He stood from the floor. "Nothing at all, my love. There are no monsters here."
"A-are you sure?" Gilbert asked and Julia nodded, her eyes big and fearful.
He pressed a kiss to Julia and then Gilbert's forehead. "Quite."
But the boy wasn't finished. He caught his papa's face and looked deeply into his eyes. "You'll never be one of those monsters, will you Papa?"
The question caught him off-guard but he recovered quickly. He kissed his son's hands and smiled softly. "Never. Now go to sleep."
"P-Papa...?" Nathaniel asked - and if you brought it up to him years later, he would firmly deny he did no such thing. "Can you stay here for a bit?"
Gaston smiled softly and perched himself on the end of Julia's bed. "I'll be right here," he assured caringly.
Two full hours he sat because Gilbert had trouble falling asleep. Finally, he returned to his own room. He closed the bedroom door and glared at Belle's amused look from behind her own book.
"Everything alright?" she asked semi-seriously.
His lip twitched as he thought of his answer. Then he decided, "I'm gonna kill Lefou."
A bit of Dracula Untold reference ;) and from this film too I suppose
Thank you for reading! Love you all!
-Beth
