I do not own Pepe or Penelope
I do own Hope, Sydnee, Sebastian, Harvey, Denis, and Artois. A bunch of lady killers that are Pepe's friends. I don't know what if they should be human or what so I just made them skunks. We'll just say skunks live in France. My mind's a little lazy on what they look, but their attitudes I have down. I may use them again in Sights and Scents later on. This story has violence I admit, but nothing graphic, nobody has brains coming out.
Pool of Danger
"I'm still nervous about meeting your parents," said Penelope as she sat on the edge of a pool table in a club Pepe brought her to. Ever since she told him she had never played pool before he wanted her to know how. Pool had been a small pastime for Pepe, particularly when he was sixteen.
"Don't worry," Pepe said reassuringly for the tenth time that day. He placed the cue ball in the proper place ready to knock the solids and stripes away. "Mom and Dad weell adore you."
"I know that I'm worrying," Penelope continued. "I just want to set a good impression on them. I want them to like me."
"They weell love you!" said Pepe as he leaned over the table to take the shot. He then looked at Penelope sweetly. "They fall een love weeth you zhe same way I deed. Only eet won't be like me, eet weell be as a daughter to parents' relationship."
"Thanks Pep. I still don't think I should play pool. I'll just watch you play."
"No you're not. My wife weell know somezhing about pool and eet won't be zhe type you sweem een."
Penelope waited for Pepe to take aim. Just when she thought he was taking too long…CLACK!
The colored billiard balls went flying in different directions, amazingly two of them, both yellow, went into the pockets. Pepe stood straight and smiled charmingly.
"Zhat takes years of practice!"
Penelope rolled her eyes, but smiled and hoped to play as well as him.
What neither of them knew was that trouble was brewing.
Only the worst yet.
Penelope could not find it easy to use her cue stick. It twitched and moved no matter what she did. Pepe took a shot for her which was very pro. Penelope smiled at him as if asking him to do all the work for her.
"Try again Pen." Said Pepe. He rested his elbow on his cue stick.
"Just get it into the hole," she said. She tilted her head to look closely.
"Eet's called a pocket," said Pepe amusingly. He found it so irresistibly adorable that Penelope never played pool before. It was like watching a child who was trying to play.
Penelope bent forward trying to get the solid blue one in the closets pocket. The 2 on against the small dot of white and blue made her blink confusedly. This was not like playing Go Fish like she had been taught. This needed more balance and focus. Then her cue stick went sideways and she adjusted it again. It might have been ten minutes of her fiddling around, but Pepe had bucketfuls of patience for her. He only watched her with a half-smile.
"Now this time it will work," Penelope mumbled as she slouched forward. Then she couldn't find a comfortable way to move the cue stick forward. She sighed frustrated. She started wishing she had learned this game instead of any other card game. Why did her mother think pool was a dirty game? She would have learned it if not. She found herself sticking out her tongue to concentrate. She narrowed her eyes. What a silly sight she must have felt to her newly-wed husband.
"Keep eet steel." Said Pepe leaning his cue stick against he pool table and he leaned over her.
Penelope felt his warmth over her back and side. His face pressed lightly next to hers. Then his slender built arm reached over hers. Her hand nearly covered by his hand. She felt his warm fingers go on top of her left hand. A quiet clink from their rings meeting was heard. He lowered her right hand a centimeter lower. Penelope looked to him to see his eyes focusing on her target. She followed them back to the stupid little ball. She heaved a sigh and cleared her throat. How awkward it would have been if she was not married to him; two strangers leaning over the table side by side looking like they were a lovesick boyfriend and girlfriend. In fact, the sight if others were paying attention (which they weren't) it would have been a romantic picture.
"Now what?" she asked. She turned her head the little that it could to face him.
"Look where you want zhe ball to go," he said.
Penelope looked and saw the pocket was only a short distance away.
"Now tap eet," commanded Pepe. He moved the cue stick while still covering her hands. The ball moved a little and finally dropped into the pocket.
"See?" she heard him say amidst her joy. "You can do eet."
"Not without you." She whispered and seeing the chance that he was close to her mouth she gave him a kiss that lasted for thirty seconds. "Now I want you to tell me how you got so well at playing pool."
Pepe went to the other side to prepare for a shot.
"I came here when I was seexteen, when you're zhat age everyzhing eez confusing. My voice was changing, I shot up five and half inches and school was a pain. Playing pool helped me to forget about all zhat."
Penelope sat on the edge with one leg crossing over the other.
"Hmmm…I can see why it would help you. It's like a metaphor of knocking out everything bad."
"I would come here when I couldn't stop zhinking about you," said Pepe. "Playing didn't really do any help, I only zhought of you more."
Penelope looked into his eyes to see honestly in them. She felt an urge to fling her arms around him and kiss away all the troubles he had.
Pepe took another turn missing it on purpose for Penelope. When it was her turn she only gazed at him flirtatiously.
"Mind if you give me another hand," she said blinking her long eyelashes slowly. Pepe was willing to. Any moment he had to be next to her he seized it. Again it went: his hands over hers, profile against profile, and arm over arm. Penelope scrunched a little under him to breathe his scent only find a pleasant smell blended with it.
"Are you wearing cologne?" she asked holding back giggling. And Pepe's face flushed and somewhat shy told her.
"Well, why can't I smell nice for you every now and zhen?"
Penelope twisted from his grasp to face him. She tilted her head up to him with Pepe still in the same position as he was when guiding her with her aim. Her back hit the smooth table.
"That's sweet," she said. Their noses touched which brought their lips together. Maybe it was because they were newly-weds or they deeply loved each other, but either way the cat and skunk would kiss each other as if they never would again.
It could have lasted longer, but there was public around who still didn't notice the couple. Too busy were they in drink and games.
Penelope kept on allowing Pepe to guide her with each shot that she took as long as Pepe promised to not do mistakes on purpose. Of course he didn't do anymore; as long as he could stay in close contact with Penelope everything was right. Pepe did win and Penelope was happy about that.
"As for the beautiful loser," he said wrapping his arms around her waist. "You get a special date night weeth zhe jaw-dropping Casanova of zhe year." He had a playful smile as she stood on her tip-toes to get near his face.
"Aww," she said sadly. "I was hoping to go weeth my husband." They kissed yet again with such tenderness.
The happy moment was about to be broken. Outside smoking cigarettes and holding onto bottles of beer were some old friend, (if they could be called friends) of Pepe.
Sydney, Sebastian, Harvey, Denis, and Artois were a punch of idiots who waited around for loose women. It was them who offered Pepe cigarettes it was only when he caved in when Penelope left for Orleans in December. Both of them were tough and burly skunks, all with different shades of green eyes.
Sydnee the leader of the pack had two ear piercing in his ears and one nose ring. Sebastian had two tattoos, one of a broken heart and the name Ariane, his mother. Harvey carried a pocket knife in his boot that he used for cutting and slicing bananas and bread. Denis had a huge scar on his neck when a firecracker from Bastille Day whooshed by him. Artois, who should have been a decent man because of his family, had every single name of his girlfriends tattooed on his white chest.
It just so happened that they were outside of the billiard rooms in the alleyway smoking their cigarettes and every few minutes sharing two bottles of beer taking huge chugs. All of them clad in leather and rough boots with their tobacco stained teeth happened to turn to see the lovely couple leaving. Pepe was slipping on Penelope's new denim jacket for her since it was the last day of February. To their surprise it was the girl he was with. She looked nothing like him, but what an attractive specimen she was.
"Looks like Le Pew eez desperate," said Sydnee with a smirk. The five moved towards them near the shadows of night.
"Well, well, well," taunted Artois. He stepped out from the shadows which prompted Pepe to roll his eyes in disgust. "Last time we saw you, you were shoving a cigarette between your teeth and exhaling smoke."
"I quit Artois," said Pepe. He honestly did. Those weeks that Penelope stayed with him he forced himself to toss the addiction and chew on who knows how many pieces of gum.
"Goody-goody," taunted Harvey who leaned against the wall of a boutique. "I knew you wouldn't do eet for long. You've always been a Mama's Boy."
"He can't help eet," said Sydnee with a throaty laugh. "She would smack heez face clean off for doing so. She's a monster."
Penelope felt a little fear of her new in-laws from what she heard, but she had sense to know that they were for sure kidding.
"So were have you been?" asked Denis. "May I ask were you peecked up zhis fatale?"
Sebastian finally spoke up and put a rough hand under Penelope's chin.
"She's a beauty, but I hope you deed not find her on zhe curb."
Pepe let his anger at the group control him and slapped Sebastian's arm hard causing him to retreat his hand.
"Temper," he said. "Watch your temper now."
Pepe can you go?" asked Penelope stepping a pace away from the men. Artois cut her off and inched closer to her.
"What's zhe hurry?" he said. Penelope noticed that the five of them had very deep voices, deeper than Pepe's and it made her feel less than comfortable. She backed up into Pepe and felt relieved of feeling him behind her. His hands clasped her shoulders. Penelope didn't want him to get in a fight, for fear that the gang looked ten times buffer and stronger than him. She hated the though of Pepe getting hurt as much as he hated her getting hurt.
"Back off," said Pepe with a threat in his voice.
"Or what?" grumbled Denis.
"Eet's not like he can actually beat us up boys," hollered Harvey. "Compared to us he's a toothpeeck next to a sold oak tree."
Pepe felt offended and felt a huge urge to just punch Harvey.
"I just don't see how you got her for a girlfriend," said Sydnee. He leaned to Pepe and Penelope could smell his breath which reeked of beer. She coughed weakly. "You must really be desperate for a woman eef you'll go for anyone."
"She's not my girlfriend!" spat Pepe. He wasn't going to back down from a fight.
The five stared at him with the blankest expressions Penelope had ever seen. Then they say Pepe's ring.
"Oh, tied zhe knot," said Harvey. He showed a sarcastic face. "How romanteec."
"I guess you don't want to share her," said Sydnee. "I would like to try to get under those clothes."
"Zhat's eet!" snapped Pepe. He let go of Penelope. "All of you cockroaches either leave or I weell destroy you!"
"So scared!" "I'm shaking." Chortles rose over him.
"Pep please don't do it!" begged Penelope as she grabbed hold of his wrist.
"You heard her Sugar Leeps," mocked Sydnee with the laughs rising. "Leesteen to your Honey-bun now. You have to grant her highnesses ever command."
"Leave him alone," shouted Penelope. "I don't want him in danger."
"Aww, she protecting you," whimpered Denis. Sydnee eyes Penelope who backed herself up against a wall. He went to her with a maliciously lust in his emerald green eyes.
Penelope in her berry pink tee and blue jeans and Keds actually made an attractive appealing look to Sydney. Sydney was the biggest heart-breaker of all; he never gave mercy to women. In fact one of the women he once had was poor Hope Hathaway, but he didn't impregnate her. If Pepe had known he would have been saddened to know that the girl he once knew as a child had been poisoned by Sydnee. Sydnee now grabbed hold of Penelope roughly which caused her to shriek.
"I'll just take her for an hour Le Pew," said Sydnee. "She'll love me."
Pepe lost it and yanked hold of Sydnee's collar and brought him to the ground. Denis and Harvey rushed upon him causing Pepe to go down. Pepe hit them in the sides and kicked showing such a face of pure hate to them. Before Penelope knew what was completely happening all five were on top of him roughing him up, but Pepe was spitting and punching.
Penelope felt a vengeance rise in her and found herself pounding on Artois. He turned fast on her and shoved her against the wall. Penelope saw the names Jacqueline and Kendra tattooed on his upper chest that showed through his white shirt. She wondered what had happened to them. Artois broke her thoughts by shoving her to the ground roughly and kicked her shin. Penelope screamed in fright. Artois jerked forward down from Pepe grabbing his ankle and yanking him. Artois went back to attacking him. Penelope lay there feeling helpless and afraid at seeing Pepe nearly taken down by the five burly skunks. What if he was killed? They would take her and hurt her. All of them! They all had looked at her with lust.
Sebastian smashed both beer bottles at Pepe's ankles splattering the drink and glass. Pepe didn't feel the pain because it was so quick and thankfully high tops provided protection. Harvey took out his pocket knife with that actual intention. Penelope screamed again which brought Pepe's attention again. Pepe managed to swipe it out of his hand and grab hold of it. He pointed it. It caused the others to freeze. Pepe backed up in front of Penelope. She looked up to see her hero standing over her.
"Eef you want to be alive, zhen go!!" Yelled Pepe.
Four retreated with Harvey gingerly going up to Pepe taking his knife back. Sydnee stared at him.
"You've changed," he said coldly. Then turned and left.
Pepe stood still for ten seconds making sure nobody else was coming back to them. Penelope blinked back her tears and held back sobs from the fight. She was horrified to see him nearly scared.
His grey and blue plaid shirt hidden under his black fleece jacket was scuffed with dirt from the fight. The hem of his jeans covered in beer. He had bruises on his stomach and near invisibly ones on his fingers, but he could feel them. His head ached.
It was an hour later at midnight that the two were at home and Pepe was sitting in bed taking a pill with water to help heal the pain. Penelope made an ice pack for him, but he didn't want it. She had just put it back when she came in and looked at him.
"What' wrong?" he asked as if nothing had happened. Penelope felt tears pour that she couldn't hold back. She sat on the side of the bed and wept.
"Penelope, don't cry," said Pepe gently. He brought her into his arms and rested her head at his neck. Her tears were warm as they leaked onto him. "I'm fine, I promise. I was protecting you."
Penelope smacked his upper arm in anger and then cried again.
"You jerk! I was afraid they would kill you! You put yourself in harm's way!"
"You don't know who zhey are Pen. I've seen what zhey do to make a woman like them. I wasn't going to let zhat happen to you. Never weell I let you get een danger among men who weell take advantage of you."
"Pepe I want you safe! I couldn't bear watching you get beat up."
"I'll only fight eef I have to. I promise. Eef zhey have weapons zhen I weell. I only protected you because I love you."
Pepe kissed her head. Penelope stopped crying and scooted over him to be in the bed.
"I love you Pepe, I don't want to see you hurt." She whispered.
"I know now." He whispered back.
Penelope pulled the covers over her and stayed in his arms. Pepe slipped himself lower down and turned on his side to face her. They both fell asleep with Penelope in the arms of her protector.