AUTHOR'S NOTE – I hope that this story isn't boring so far, because you know you must set up it all and that takes a bit of time for the reader and AHEM the writer. So please enjoy the second chapter to this wonderful Fanfic, and please review and follow if you're hungry for more. So anyway, I don't own the Corpse Bride, characters or story.
Victor watched as the woman made her way down the stairs, the heels of her shoes clicking against the floor. Her elegant stride made Victor go cold, colder than he had ever been before and there was no explanation as to why. The woman reached the bottom of the staircase, her shoes making one final click against the floor as she stopped, her eyes glues to Victor who was still by the piano.
"My, my, you must be…" She started before she was rudely cut off. "This is Victor van Dort, my dear." Lord Barkis said. She looked over at him, his chin still raised as if he were better then everyone in the room. Barkis squinted at the woman and Victor saw, to his shock, that she looked angry with him. Her mouth pressed into a thin line and Barkis chuckled at her, as if her anger amused him.
"I don't believe I was talking to you Lord Barkis, I was talking to Victor. In fact, why don't you give us time to talk." She ordered.
Lord Barkis snickered and raised his chin even higher in the air turning toward Victor. Victor forced a small smile toward the older man and extended his hand. Lord Barkis took it in his own and the two men shook hands
"It was a pleasure meeting you sir." Lord Barkis said before leaving to another room, leaving Victor and the woman alone.
When Barkis left the room, the woman turned her attention back to Victor and smiled slightly. She raised her hand, palm facing the floor, signifying Victor was to cup her fingers in his own hand and bow slightly, kissing the back of her hand gently before letting go but as soon as he felt the warmth of her skin against his, all thoughts flew from his mind and he began to shake with nervousness.
"Such a shaky hand, but steady play finger." She observed.
"Y-yes, I ap-apologize if I wasn't supposed to play…" Victor trailed off.
The girl walked past Victor to the piano and touched a key, letting out a little giggle that made Victor blush. The girl walked back around Victor to face him once again being as he seemed rooted in place.
"I've never been allowed to play; mother says that I'm a lady so I must focus entirely on my soon to be husband." She explained looking sad.
Victor realized that he had no idea what this lovely woman's name was. He smiled and looked back at the piano a plane forming in his mind. He looked back at the woman and saw she had a very similar look on her face that he himself made when looking at the instrument
"I forgot to ask you, what is your name?" Victor questioned
"Victoria." She replied.
He took Victoria's hand and led her to the seat of the piano and sat down beside her. Again he made sure the back of his jacket hung over the back of the seat and he stretched his agile fingers. The tips of his fingers rested on the keys and he closed his eyes. The first note rang through the room calling to him to play more but he opened his eyes and looked at Victoria and saw she was blushing slightly, which caused him to blush in turn.
"W-when, a pianist strikes a key, it's note. The note is w... what make t... the music. What m... makes the song" Victor nervously explained.
Victoria put her hands on the keys of the piano and pressed down on one, a note ringing out which caused her to blush again. Victor smiled slightly a this and trying to force himself to get over his nervousness, he went back to explaining how the instrument and music playing worked.
"Hit these three keys in order, f... from left to right." Victor explained showing her what he meant.
Victoria did what he told her and she began to play the keys in a rhythm. Victor smiled as he watched Victoria's concentration go to the three keys on the board. Slowly, Victor began to play on his end of the piano and a harmony began filling the room like a soft wind blowing through an open window in summer. Victor closed his eyes and imagined the meadow, the soft green grass sweeping up the hills, flowers dancing in a soft breeze. He began to imagine Victoria was running through the meadow with him, sitting beside him beneath a tree in the shade, enjoying the fresh air while the breeze brushed against their faces.
Victoria's hands slid along the piano, the notes getting higher and higher. Victor didn't notice for he was lost in his own little world. The pitch grew louder and softer as the two's hands crossed together. Victor stopped playing and opened his eyes looking toward Victoria, who was smiling.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." Victoria said sheepishly.
"Don't be, it needed a higher pitch anyway." Victor said laughing.
The piano lesson suddenly halted as a loud, vicious voice screamed into the room from the top of the stairs.
"VICTORIA! How dare you! How dare you defy my very order of NEVER going near that drastic instrument! I told you, you DON'T PLAY!" The voice screeched. It sounded like nails being dragged across a chalk board.
Victor looked up and noticed that Victoria had left his side, going to walk up the stairs, not even bothering to look back at him. He heard mumbling from upstairs, but couldn't tell what they were saying. He stood up from the bench and wiped his hands on the back of his pants to make sure there wasn't any dust. He looked up toward the top of the stairs to see Lord Barkis standing there by another man, the one who must have yelled at Victoria. Barkis walked back into the gloom of the house to where ever he had been previously leavening the man to stand there alone.
Victor shook his head surveying the small fat man with a cigar in his mouth that had walked down the stairs. He had to look down at him to see him and took a step back as the man had come a little too close for comfort
"You must be the Van Dort boy, aren't you?" The man asked.
"Y-yes sir." Victor replied.
"Hm, you look awfully skinny and pale my boy and you don't even seem to have a neck! You're no Barkis, but you are a Van Dort so you must have some values in your pocket, no?" The man asked.
Victor gulped and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. The only thing he could think to do was to shrug and reply.
"I have a few s-savings." Victor regrettably replied.
The small, fat man looked a little surprised. He turned around and started walking toward another room across from them that seemed to be some sort of dining area. He turned his head, his pudgy neck overflowing the collar of his shirt and gestured for Victor to follow him. He had no choice but to follow and with shuffling footsteps he did so, when he entered the room he was taken aback by the complexity of it. He almost bumped into the man he had been following because he had stopped halfway into the room.
"My boy, you are young and my daughter is young, but I'm not wanting someone who is too scatter brained to marry my daughter and have no children. So, I have proclaimed that Barkis is to wed Victoria for the common good of our household." Mr. Everglot explained.
"Oh… I see…" Victor trailed off.
"However! You give up so easy on what seems to be in your favor." Mr. Everglot proclaimed.
"What?" Victor asked.
"Victoria's takes a liking to you Vincent… ahem I mean Victor, so you must prove to her that you are the one to marry her instead of Barkis." Mr. Everglot explained to him.
Victor began to smile and he heard a slow clacking of heels behind him. At first, he thought it was Victoria, but Victoria didn't have hair that looked as if it would hit the ceiling if it was any taller. Instead, what looked like a mythical monster that Victor had read in one of his books entered the room. It was a woman with hair that stood higher than the entrance of the dining area.
"My husband is right! My favor is in Barkis, however Victoria doesn't seem to believe that he will make a fine husband, so she believes you will, purely inconvenient!" The woman shouted.
Victor looked at the two Everglots and tried to smile, however their expressions began to send chills down his back and the hairs on his neck to stand on end. They only glared harder at him and that made the feeling even worse. Thoughts began to circulate through his head about what these people could possibly to do him if he messed up their plans.
'How will I make a better husband than that high class jerk? There's no way, it's hopeless. Well at least Victoria doesn't look like the parents.' Victor thought glancing at the two.
"We all are going over to the church now to practice the vows, there we will determine just who will make the better husband for our Victoria." Mr. Everglot stated.
"Indeed." Mrs. Everglot said.
They both slowly made their way out of the dining area and into the foyer. He saw his parents begin to make their way over to him and he forced a small smile for them.
"Quit smiling so much, you need to be gentlemen like!" His mother said dusting off his shoulders.
"Mother, father, do you think I would make a good husband?" Victor asked.
The two looked a bit shocked and stared at Victor as if trying to process what he had asked. Victor stared at his father, who was shaking and trying to think of what the best thing to say was. Victor glanced over at his mother, who was tapping her foot and staring up at the ceiling.
"I… I think we should just go to the church." Victor said and his parents looked relieved to not have to answer the question.
Victor followed behind everyone else out the door, glancing up and noticing Victoria was being escorted by Lord Barkis, who was smiling and talking despite the fact the young woman on his arm looked uncomfortable. Victor shook his head making it out the front door and over to his family's carriage where Mayhew still sat in the driver's seat.
"Ah, Mr. Victor. How was the stay?" Mayhew asked.
"Fine Mayhew." Victor replied.
"Is there something wrong sir?" Mayhew questioned.
Victor looked at the old carriage driver, who had a pipe in his mouth and was puffing out smoke. He looked into his eyes, but nothing was there but the signs of old age.
"Mayhew, would I make a good husband?" Victor curiously asked.
At first Victor regretted it because Mayhews head began to droop toward the ground, obviously about to fall asleep. Victor sighed and reached for the handle of the carriage to get in when suddenly Mayhew put his hand on his shoulder.
"Oh Mr. Victor, I've been your carriage driver for years now, I've watched you grow into the young man you are now and nothing would compel me more to say, you would." Mayhew said, silent coughs making his voice raspy as he answered.
"Thank you." Victor said before giving Mayhew a pat on the shoulder.
Victor entered the carriage and slowly more positive thoughts began to fill his head and a genuine smile spread across his face. 'Maybe I would make a good husband, after all Victoria is in my favor as I am to her. Maybe, I could be her husband, and she'd be Victoria van Dort…' Victor's thought.
As his parents entered the carriage, he tried to calm his thoughts and slowly the carriage began to move. His mother shouted from inside the carriage for Mayhew to silence the coughs and to put out the pipe. But all Victor could hear was the thought of Victoria with her soft voice saying "I do".
AUTHOR'S NOTE – Wow, that took a little bit of time, because I had to watch the movie A LOT to know how to change it and how to develop the characters… but you don't want to know that, instead GO REVIEW AND FOLLOW, if you're hungry for more. Plus I love feedback. :D Bad or Good ;D. OH BTW, Please I want to make a suggestion, If you have seen the movie, GREAT! If you haven't seen the movie, GREAT AS WELL! This fanfiction so far is just a parody and a remaking of the story to reshape how the character's act and so forth. However, those of you that have watched the movie, REVIEW ABOUT IT, tell me if you like this version better or the movie and if so on both parts, what would you like to the see the most out of the ending? REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, or do nothing! :D
