Model Beast
By Thomas Mc

Chapter 8 : The Friendship

August 2035

Emily was riding on the tour bus around Hong Kong taking it all in. This city made for a very interesting and exotic background to the advertising campaign she was currently working on. Yesterday had been the photo shoot for the poster part of the campaign, tomorrow would be the video commercial shoot part of the job. Last week had been the Hawaiian shoot for another ad campaign. Next week she would be heading back to New York for the other half of this shoot's ad campaign.

The last few weeks she had found herself increasingly thinking of Devin and the tunnel community he lived in. She was actually looking forward to getting back there and seeing Devin again.

The tour bus had reached the end of the tour and as she exited the bus she was accosted by the paparazzi. She pulled up her hood and, with the help of Danny, her company assigned security guard, pushed her way through them. As she and her guardian made their way toward the relative security of the hotel she thought about how similar Danny, her guardian, was to Devin. They were both big strong and reliable. They both made her feel safe when she was with them. That again brought to mind Devin's tunnels. In Devin's world she could feel free to just be herself and not have to worry about the everyday nuisances of her life, like those pushy talentless amateurs hoping for a big payday with a compromising picture.

Shortly after she got back to her room the limousine came to pick her up for the scheduled night shoot against the city lights. Soon she was posing before the dazzling lights of the city. This was the part of her life she loved most. The beautiful exotic locations, the fascinating people, the beautiful clothes and jewelry, all combined to make her life nearly perfect.

Towards the end of the shoot the photographer started to come-on to her. It was an occupational hazard, and, when she was first getting started, she had more than once acceded to such advances to avoid endangering her career. Now though she wielded enough power in the industry that she could just politely blow him off and not have to worry about it.

After the shoot was over, Emily took out her personal camera, and got a few pictures of the city lights and the people. She had purchased the small camera shortly after the last time she had been in New York. With the company supplied security guard, she slipped away from the shooting crew and the paparazzi and went strolling down the colorful streets of this very unique city. Wherever her work took her, she tried to get out among the local people and experience the place in person. That was another part of her life that she loved.

After about two hours the paparazzi finally caught up to her and she and her security guard made a mad dash for the limousine that he had kept nearby. Once they got her safely back at the hotel, she and her guardian sat in the hotel bar and laughed about the day's adventures. Danny had been new to the job of professional celebrity security guard when she had first started being referred to by the label of 'Supermodel' and she had been one of his first assignments. He had been a bit star struck but she had also been very impressed with him. Since then, she had always requested him whenever she went overseas. She teased him about the fact that he would be appearing in all the tabloids by next week.

Finally she snapped a picture of Danny and headed up to her room. That night she started out thinking about how nice her guardian had been, but before long she found herself comparing him to Devin again. By the time she went to sleep her mind was wholly occupied by Devin.

The next day was video commercial shoots. She had done a pretty good job of memorizing her lines though she did stumble over the odd important sounding chemical names that she was supposed to say like they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. They were able to finish up early and she had most of the afternoon and evening free. She treated her assigned guardian, Danny, to dinner at one of the finer restaurants as a sort of thank-you for watching over her. The rest of her free time she spent in her hotel room with her sketchbook drawing some of the sights that had particularly impressed or moved her.

~ x x x x x ~

As the plane approached its destination, Emily stared out the window at the New York skyline. It was just after sundown and the entire city glittered with a million lights. To her it was a beautiful sight that brought tears to her eyes as the single word 'home' echoed through her mind. Her eyes were drawn to the dark rectangular patch that was Central Park and a lump formed in her throat.

At the airport she caught a taxi and was soon in the apartment she now thought of as home. The living room was half crowded with boxes. Some of them were things she had arranged to have shipped from her Los Angeles apartment. Other boxes contained things her parents had sent from her childhood home and a few of them were items she had shipped here from the places she had been working.

Emily tossed her suitcases onto her bed, quickly changed her clothes into something a bit warmer and left her apartment. She headed out of the building and across the street into the park. Ten minutes later she was approaching the familiar band shell where she could hear a concert of pop music going on. She quickly made her way to the drainage culvert and the secret tunnel entrance.

When she reached the metal grate it was open and a tall hooded figure was standing in the opening waiting for her. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him in a warm hug. "It's so good to see you again, Devin. I've missed you."

Devin returned the hug. "I've missed you too." He replied.

She pulled back from the hug. "How did you know I would be here?" She inquired curiously.

Devin shrugged. "I knew as soon as you arrived in the city. I felt your presence and I knew you were coming."

She looked at him curiously. "You felt me?"

He thought for a moment before he responded. "Just your presence. I didn't start feeling your emotions 'til you were well inside the park." As he spoke he had closed the hidden door and begun walking with her up the storm drain toward the surface.

Emily thought about what he had said then responded. "But I thought that you couldn't sense another's emotions from that far away." She was sure that someone had told her that their special empathic sense was only good for very short distance.

"Normally I can't but I seem to have become very sensitive to your presence and emotions. I was aware of you as soon as you arrived in Manhattan." He became very introspective.

Emily was now remembering some of the things she had learned the last time she had been here. She looked at Devin a bit uncertainly. "Is this . . . ah, is this that bond I heard about?" She wasn't sure how she felt about such a development.

Devin seemed to drag himself out of his distracted state. "Hu? . . . Ah . . . " He shook his head. "No . . . no, it's not the bond. The bond is totally unaffected by distance. It's more like a, aaahh, an enhanced sensitivity to a person you care about." He smiled at her. "I guess this means that I care about you."

Emily could feel a blush rising in her at his response then she became aware that they were outside of the drainage culvert and headed up the embankment. She could clearly hear the music from the band shell. "Devin! Is this safe for you?" She looked around nervously.

Devin glanced around and pulled his hood forward a bit. "It's nearly midnight, it's a new moon and there is no one else near us besides those over at the band shell. I will be able to sense another person's presence well before they can see me. It's safe."

Emily relaxed a bit at his assurance and pulled her hood up in imitation of him. As they walked along they talked about the bond that she had heard about and about the effects it had on the relationships his leonine relatives had with their mates. The conversation ended up centering around his parents and how they had been linked together from the time they first met at the age of ten.

Devin paused a moment looking alert, and then he drew her off the path to the edge of the wooded area. He drew her in close just as two couples came strolling around a corner. As Devin watched them stroll past, Emily was watching his face, barely visible beneath his hood. She saw a softness in his expression combined with a glitter of amusement in his eyes.

She got curious and as the two couples disappeared, she spoke. "What?"

He glanced down at her. "Huh?"

"What were you thinking . . . or is it what you were feeling?" She looked intently into his eyes.

He chuckled. "The lead couple happens to be very much in love." That softness that she had seen returned. "There is something so beautiful about that emotion when it is shared by two people. So few people ever get to experience that feeling yet I get to eavesdrop on it so often, especially among my family." He smiled at her and the amused humor returned to his eyes. "The girl in the second couple is so horny she can barely stand it and the guy she's with is very attracted to her but he's a bit shy and uncertain. I suspect he is going to get a lot more than he expects from his date before the night is over."

She glanced back in the direction the two couples had gone then back at him. "You could tell the difference between sexual desire and love?"

He smiled back at her. "They are very closely related but they are distinctly different emotions. The real magic is when the two emotions coincide. The combination can be . . . explosively beautiful."

As she pondered his words, they continued walking again. He started asking her about what she had been up to lately and she was soon telling him all about her travels since she was last in New York. He eagerly absorbed every detail she would tell him about the places she had been. Sometimes he would ask questions about some of those details. He was also fascinated by her tales of the various local people she met. He showed interest in the fact that she had taken a lot of pictures of her travels.

She realized that they were standing at the edge of the park across the street from her apartment. She glanced up at her building then before she had time to think about it she blurted out. "Would you like to come up to see the pictures I took?"

He looked at her for a moment then responded. "I think I would like that." He glanced around. "You go on ahead and I'll meet you on your balcony."

As she crossed the street she was mumbling to herself. "What am I doing . . . I might as well have asked him up to see my etchings . . . My place is a mess . . . He looks so, so . . . damn sexy . . . He must be aware of what I am feeling . . . I must be out of my mind . . . You've put your foot in it this time, Emily, you shameless tart . . . Oh, God, what will he be expecting?". . .

As soon as she entered her apartment, she hurried over to her balcony to find Devin waiting for her. She drew him into the apartment then retrieved her carry-on from the bedroom and started digging through it for her camera. While digging she pulled out then tossed her sketchbook onto the coffee table. Devin picked it up just as she came up with her camera.

Devin held up the sketchbook. "May I?" He asked.

Emily shrugged as she sat down on the sofa next to him. He flipped it open to a drawing of a couple sitting at a sidewalk café holding hands in the foreground, with the background dominated by the Eiffel Tower. The next picture was dominated by a camera on a tripod. In the background a group of women were being posed and primped by three others. The background was reproduced in miniature on the screen of the camera.

After a dozen drawings he came across a sketch of a caped and hooded figure before a circular opening. The face in the hood was shrouded in shadow but there were hints of eyes and a catlike mouth there. He looked at her. Emily realized that Devin's arm had ended up across her shoulders just as he came to her drawing of him. She shrugged at his silent inquiry then edged just a little closer to him. She was so very tired and the jet lag was catching up to her. The next picture was of the tower of London.

Devin felt the weight of Emily's head on his shoulder at the same time he felt her consciousness slipping away. He smiled to himself. He would have to put her to bed in just a minute but he couldn't seem to stop gazing at her beautiful drawings. Maybe just a couple more minutes.

~ x x x x x ~

Emily became aware of bright light filtering through her closed eyelids and she was in a half reclined position. Then she became aware of a weight across her shoulders and on her chest just above her left breast. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was on her sofa and to her right side was Devin. Her sketch book was lying open on his lap with his right hand resting on top of it. She looked up to see his head drooping down with his chin resting on his chest, eyes closed.

A quick glance to her left shoulder confirmed that his hand was draped over it and resting just inches above her breast. She looked back at him and was watching his chest rise and fall when she was suddenly hit by the realization. It was daylight outside and Devin was in her apartment. This brought on a moment of panic and Devin stirred in his sleep. She reached over and gently shook his arm. "Devin?" Then his head came up and he opened his eyes looking around in surprise. His eyes finally came to rest on her.

Emily shook her head in dismay. "Devin, what are we going to do? It's daylight out."

Devin thought a moment. He knew that there was no tunnel access to this building (he had already checked) and they were surrounded by four very busy streets. He shrugged. "It seems that I'm stuck here until after dark."

"Oh, Devin, I'm so sorry. This must be terrible, being trapped Above like this."

Devin looked at her a moment, she was genuinely worried about him, and then replied. "It's not so bad . . . but I hate to put you out. You must have other plans for the day."

She glanced around at the mess currently presented by her apartment then shrugged while shaking her head. "Actually I had intended spending the day unpacking and getting this place organized."

Devin grinned back at her. "Well in that case, why don't I help you?" He paused frowning. "But first I should call someone and let them know that I'm safe. My father already knows approximately where I am." He glanced around. "May I use your phone?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You have phones down in the tunnels?"

He chuckled. "No, but we have helpers and most of them have phones and many of them have quick access to Below."

"Oh." She replied as she dug her cell phone from her purse and handed it to him.

He thought a moment then called someone named Aaron. He told Aaron that he was just fine and he would be spending the day helping Emily get moved into her apartment.

The rest of the morning was spent unpacking and organizing. The work went very quickly with Devin's help. She was amused to note that he never hesitated to make use of his very sharp claws as a handy cutting tool. His strength also came in very handy when she wanted to reposition some of the apartment's furnishings.

Devin turned out to be quite knowledgeable when it came to hooking up her audio/video system. Emily was amused at the way he kept referring to things as gizmo's whenever he couldn't immediately dredge up the correct technical term from memory. At one point she heard him muttering something about a mouse when he was trying to sort through the mass of wiring to figure out what cable went where.

By around noon they decided to order pizza for lunch. Devin turned out to have exactly the same tastes as Emily when it came to selecting pizza toppings. Devin retreated to one of the bedrooms while Emily accepted the pizzas from the delivery person. She set the pizzas on the table and, as Devin came out of the bedroom, she turned on her audio system that they had just finished setting up. She searched through the stations till she found one that played old classic pop songs, then she joined Devin at the cleared half of the dining table.

While they ate Emily pulled out her camera and they looked at the pictures she had taken. Devin laughed so hard he choked when they came to a twenty second video, another model had shot, of Emily's rather spectacular wipe-out during a surfing lesson in Hawaii. He was very impressed by her pictures of the Hong Kong lights at night. After they had finished off the meal and seen all the pictures they went back to work on the apartment.

Continued in Part 9

'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.