Ollo! I managed to produce a chapter, despite my schedule and writers block. Fleur is gone after this. Good riddance! Disclaimer: I own everything! 'sob' I don't. Wish I did. ^^

Chapter 9

Fleur sat in her dressing room and cried. She was sitting in a chair with her head in her hands. "Why? All I want is to get back at that-that wretch! After what she did..." She looked up and faintly remembered what had happened...

After the show, Fleur sat out in the darkening woods, trying to get a way from her master. She wasn't in the mood. For someone so young, she had always been moody. At that moment, she just wanted to be alone. Being surrounded and touch all the time had a strain on her mind and body. The rock she sat on was underneath a tall tree. Fleur briefly looked up into it. She froze as she saw a flash of white. "Hey, brat, I don't like being spied on." Fleur yelled up as she realized it was the Devil's Child girl. She had only just started out as an attraction.

The girl jumped out of the tree and landed soundlessly next to Fleur. It kind of freak her out. "May I see that necklace you wear?" The girl's voice was beautiful and sing-song. It was very quiet, as well.

Fleur was jealous. "No!" She reached into her shirt and pulled out the locket. It was oval with intricate engravings. Opening it, her chest tightened. The picture inside was of a beautiful couple. The man had been scratched out. It was a picture of her parents. She closed it and looked at the girl.

Fleur had never taken in this girls appearance. Except for the full-faced mask she was normal looking. Two blue eyes stared back, haunted by a sadness so intense it was almost unearthly. Long brown hair framed her tiny face.

The girl reached for the necklace. Fleur smacked her hand away. "Go away, freak!" She turned her back to her and fingered the locket with her small fingers. A hand darted past her face and latched onto the chain. "Let go!" Fleur spun around. The girl had a good grip on the chain.

"I just want to see it." Her voice lost its sing-song quality and was replaced with a venomous tone. She looked at it.

Fleur was frozen with fear. 'What was wrong with this one?'

The girl started to cry. With a yell, she yanked the chain off Fleur's neck and threw the locket out in to the darkness.

"No!" Fleur got up and ran towards where the locket had been thrown. She searched. The other girl came up behind her and started to look. "Why?" Fleur started to cry as she asked the girl. "Why did you throw it? Now it's gone!" She raked her fingers through the cold, wet grass. Tears fell down on to her hands as they came quicker. "No..." The girl reached for her, wiping her own tears away.

"I...I am sorry...it reminded me of..." She started bawling and ran off.

Fleur watched her small form disappear into the night. 'I will never forgive her'...

She wiped her face and stood up. "That monster of a woman...Now I've got a ghost! Why me?" Fleur took out her suitcases and started packing. "I don't care anymore. Besides, she had it worse off than me." As she finished, she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down that she quit. "Good riddance!" She left it on the table, picked up her suitcases and bags, and walked out the door, never to return...

}{

Belle sat at her organ. She was randomly playing notes. Her mind drifted back to what had happened earlier. Sighing, she started to play a tune. "Music, your music, it teases at my ears. I turn and it fades away, and you're not here...I always feel no more than halfway real, Til I hear you sing..." As if to answer her call, Charles stepped onto the island from the boat.

"I'm here, my Angel of Music. I come to you, Angel of Music. Hello, mon ange." He walked up to the organ, smiling. "Do you miss my music so much?"

"Yes. When you're not here, I always feel no more than halfway real...You seem happy. What happened? Mademoiselle de Anges fall through the stage?"

Charles sat down next to Belle and put his arms around her. "I can't just be happy to see my wife? But really, I'm happy that you can be Prima Donna, if you want, and we can sing together again, like we did in Don Juan..." He blushed.

Belle giggled. "It's adorable when you get embarrassed." She brushed some hair out of his eyes and kissed him. "I guess it would be nice to be Prima Donna. I think I really got to Fleur earlier." They both laughed.

Charles' smile broadened. "You want to hear something funny about that?"

"What?"

"Firmin and Andre actually planned for you to spook her. It's their plan to get rid of her. Not a very good one but it worked, I suppose."

Belle smacked his arm. "They did? Did you know about it?"

Charles smoothed her cheek with his knuckles. He took her mask off that Belle had been wearing. "No." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

Belle took her hands from the keys, wrapped her arms around his neck, and ran her fingers through Charles' hair.

Charles caressed her face as they continued to kiss. As his finger touched the deformed side of her face, Belle jerked back. "Belle, what's wrong?"

She took her arms away and stood up. "I thought I would be used to it..." A single tear slid down her cheek. Belle put one hand on her stomach and walked towards the alcove. The other hand she used to cover the right side of her face.

Charles got up to follow her, but tripped and fell on his face.

"Charles!" She ran to him a knelt down. "Are you alright, mon ange?" She put a hand on his head.

He took her hand and patted it. "I'm fine." He sat up and brushed his shirt off.

Belle looked at him closer, her face inching towards his. "Anything bruised?"

"The only thing bruised is my dignity. That will heal in time." He smirked. Leaning closer, he gently kissed her lips. His smirked dropped as he pulled away. "Will you heal?" Charles brushed Belle's tears from her face.

Belle moved closer and sat in his lap. With both hands she pushed Charles back down. She positioned herself so that she was sitting on his stomach. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "In time..." Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him deeply...

}{

Rachel sat in her chair, fingering a ribbon on her dress. She threw her hands in the air. "I'm bored! Let's do something, Matt."

Matt and Rachel were sitting in his dressing room, doing nothing.

"If you think of something to do, we'll do it."

Rachel snapped her fingers. "What if we go visit Belle? She's been awful depressed lately."

Matt thought a moment. "I guess...You're right, we should go visit her. Then you two and talk and Charles and I can talk. You know, you should get to talking to Belle about the renovations. Don't want to start too late on them."

"That's true...Well," she said as she stood up, "let's go."

Matt stood up and followed her...

}{

Madame Giry knocked on Fleur's door. "Mademoiselle de Anges, are you in there?" She carefully opened the door. Smiling, she noticed that all Fleur's things were gone and a note of her resignation was left. "Bon voyage, mademoiselle!" She picked up the note and closed the door behind her as she walked out...

Ding dong, Fleur is gone, so so gone, forever gone! I hope everyone likes this chapter. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but you know how it is...I'll try (tearful determination)! R&R!