A/N: Hey guys! So I just want to start this chapter off, by giving a big round of applause to Suzerenma, justdance11, Avril Lambert, and my best friend Demi Brackensick for reviewing! I also want to give a big round of applause to my readers because it means a lot to me that you guys actually take the time to read my story. Oh and I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I actually had this chapter written, and in the Document manager weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to editing it. I had two projects to work on, and on top of that I've been attacked with homework. I hope you guys can forgive me, and don't worry I'm not going to give up on this story! Enjoy chapter 4…
"Jasmine, going dress shopping earlier was the smartest thing we did all day. I'm not really big on the whole princess gowns, and lady like corsets but I really do like the one I picked out. It suit me if you know what I mean," Meg commented as she softly brushed her brownish red colored hair
Jasmine quickly appeared next to Meg, and stared at her own reflection as she put her earrings on "Yeah I suppose you do look really nice in it. And I'm sure Hercules will be speechless when he sees you in it. And if you want to take about a dress that suits you, I think my dress was literally made for me. I mean it fits me perfectly!"
It was a true both girls were wearing marvelous gowns. For her date, Meg decided she'd wear a royal blue colored gown, which hugged her curves perfectly. As for Jasmine- she wore a slender, spaghetti strapped, aquamarine colored dress.
"Anyways it'll be sunset soon so I better head on downstairs. Hercules said he wanted to leave early, and I don't want to keep him waiting. But hey- good luck on your date Jas," she called out to her stepsister as she dashed down the staircase in a hurry.
"See you later!" Jasmine called out to Meg as she twirled in front of the mirror with a smile on her face. She quickly fixed her black hair, into a rather large ponytail which reached down to her waist.
She smiled when she heard Meg's voice from all the way downstairs, "Hey Herc, I'm all good to go!"
Melody sat outside her parent's bedroom with a novel at hand. At first she had sat at the dinner table, trying to read her book. But when she started hearing noises, she assumed that her father had started beating her mother. So Melody ran off to go investigate, and now she was regretting the decision of ever leaving the dinner table.
"He just keeps on going, and going, and going…it feels like it's never going to end. He is never going to stop being a pig," she thought to herself as she placed the novel on the floor. Melody felt as tears started forming in her eyes, and so she tightly hugged her knees close to her chest.
"Don't start rocking, don't start rocking, don't start rock-" Melody's train of thought was cut off by the sound of her mother moaning. She placed her hands over her ear, and was thankfully able to tune the sound out. However soon her father started grunting, and cursing to the top of his lungs. And no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't tune that out.
"I'm getting out of this prison," she inaudibly whispered as she picked herself up from the ground. Melody then jolted towards her bedroom, and before she knew it she was climbing out of her window.
The second her feet touched the ground a confident smirk appeared on her face. She let out a sigh of relief but she still wasn't happy. Melody spun on heel, and dashed towards her boyfriend's house.
"Jim I really need you right now. I just need you to hold me in your arms. All I need right now is to talk to you, to feel you, and most importantly just to be with you," she told herself as she continued to race down the street in a hurry. The young girl pushed past a few strangers, not even caring if she rudely bumped into people and kept on running without an apology.
Soon she arrived at his house, and knocked on his door impatiently "Jim open up! Jim it's me, Melody now open up. Jim come on, I really need to talk to you! Seriously, open the-"
"Don't you think I would if I could?" A masculine voice called out. Immediately Melody looked up, and smiled brightly when she was able to match the familiar voice with the familiar face.
"What did you do this time?" she inquired playfully, chuckling at how he just knew he got in trouble. You see, that's how it worked at the Hawkins resident's. When Miss. Hawkins got into an argument with her son, he locked himself away in his room, and refused to come out.
"Nothing, my mom and I just got into another stupid fight. Um, I'm going to use my bed sheet to make a rope so you can climb up. Make sure you don't slip," Jim whispered before throwing down the rope which he had made, using his bed sheets.
Melody smiled as it cascaded down the house, and so she whispered "It really does awe me how fast you're able to make those things. And don't worry about me; you know that I don't have butter fingers."
She gripped on to the bed sheets, and started to carefully climb her way up. At first it seemed as if it would take her forever. However a few minutes later, she found herself sitting on his windowsill.
Melody let out a sigh of relief, happy that she was far away from her home "You have no idea how much I've missed Jim!"
Jim smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and carried her inside "I hate it when we can't see each other."
She placed a simple kiss on his lips, "I hate it too. I honestly wish we could see each other every day but life just doesn't work that way."
He smiled as he ran over to his window, and hastily pulled the rope back inside. Once the rope was completely in the house, he closed the window and closed the curtains. Jim knew that Melody found the darkness romantic, and that's exactly the mood he was trying to go for.
"Nice touch," Melody thought to herself as she licked her lips, enjoying the taste his lips had left off. She felt as her body began to burn with want but reminded herself that she had to keep her hormones in check.
Jim spun on heel, and playfully jumped on the bed "So is everything alright? By this time you're usually having dinner with your family."
Her smile faded a bit as she let out a gloomy sigh, "My mom went to go wake him up but she never came back. At first I thought he was hitting her but when I got closer to the door, their moaning and grunting said otherwise."
"I'm sorry you had to hear that Melody," he sympathized as he placed a warm kiss on her cheek.
Melody felt herself blush as she placed her hand on her cheek, "To be honest with you, I'm just getting used to it. Besides all I really needed was to get out of the house, and come see you. Whenever I'm with you, I always feel a lot…safer."
"Well I like it when you come to visit me. You always make me-" Jim was abruptly cut off when he felt Melody grip on to his shirt, and pull him into a passionate kiss.
Jim Hawkins had light brown hair, and baby blue colored eyes. He wore a casual brown jacket, with a tan t-shirt, and blackish brown colored pants. His hair was parted at the forehead, and he kept his hair neatly tied in a ponytail.
Melody then cut the kiss off for air, and flashed him a warm smile "Sorry but I just really needed that."
Jim shook his head as he licked his lips with the same cocky smile, "You don't need to apologize for kissing me. You don't ever need to apologize for kissing me, Melody."
"Good because I'm about to go it again," she closed her eyes and then pulled him into another kiss. Melody wrapped her arms around his neck, and smiled when she felt him securely wrap his arm around her waist.
Jim broke off the kiss, not sure if he could handle the heat "Did I ever tell you that every time we kiss it literally burns?"
Melody shook her head, blushing at his comment "No but I feel the exact same way. It's a little scary but I think I we can handle it."
He nodded, and gently kissed her forehead "We can handle anything as long as we're together."
She looked at him, and thought to herself "I love you Jim Hawkins."
Instead however Melody rested her head on his shoulder, while he held her fragile body close to his. She allowed silence to take over, and could've sworn she heard his heart beating. Melody smiled because she was pretty sure he could hear hers. She looked up into his eyes while he looked down into hers. That one moment just seemed so perfect, Melody felt…free.
"I need to get her away from all this. I need to get her away from her home, and I need to get her away from all the sadness. But most importantly…I must get her away from her dad," Jim told himself as he started to concoct a plan.
"Blondie, are you here?" Eugene called out as he entered the garden with a smile on his face. By his side was Princess Ariel, and she couldn't look more nervous.
"Eugene, momma and me are over here!" A sweet feminine voice called out from under the gazebo. It was obvious that both Queen Carolina and her daughter were only a few feet away, from where the couple stood.
He looked down at the little red head, "You okay Ariel? You look like you're going to pass out."
"I-it's just that I've never really met another royal on my own. Usually I have Eric by my side but this time it's different. In my kingdom, most of the royals I met just needed an escape from their everyday routines. But the royals here…they really are no better than there stubborn fathers," Ariel whispered as she hugged herself for comfort. The young princess looked down at her feet, hoping that Eugene didn't judge her too much.
"Ariel, I promise you that you have nothing to worry about. My blondie gets really nervous around other royals to, and Queen Carolina is one of the sweetest people you can meet. Everything will be alright," he reassured her as he firmly placed his hand on her shoulder. It was right there and then that he noticed how petite Ariel was compared to him. The realization made a faint smile appear on his face.
"Is everything alright over there?" Queen Carolina inquired as she stood up from her seat. Suddenly her smile brightened as she exited the gazebo, and ran up to Ariel with opened arms.
Without any hesitation she hugged Ariel, leaving the young red-head bewildered "Oh hello! I didn't think you'd be so happy to see me, you're majesty. Um, you wouldn't happen to be Princess Rapunzel would you?"
The Queen parted from the hug, and slightly laughed "I am so happy you're here Ariel. You have no idea how important it is that you're here. We promise you that we'll make sure your stay here is very comfortable. And as flattered as I am by your question, I am not Princess Rapunzel."
"Momma what's taking so-" Rapunzel haste fully walked out of the gazebo but stopped mid-sentence when she saw Ariel. She didn't recognize the young princess so immediately she started feeling a bit shy.
Ariel let out a deep breath, and tried her hardest to find her courage "Oh hello! I'm Ariel, and I'm assuming you're Rapunzel?"
The young blonde looked up at Ariel, "Nice to meet you Ariel. My momma didn't tell me we were expecting company. But that's okay because I love surprises, and I think you're a wonderful surprise!"
Before Ariel had the chance to speak up, Queen Carolina interrupted "Why don't you two head down to the gazebo, and talk there? I have something I need to attend to but feel free to roam around the palace without me."
"Yeah I think I'm going to head off too. I want to go do some horse riding, but I'll be back later. Goodbye ladies," Eugene told them as he excused himself. He then spun around, and walked back inside the palace. Quickly after him, Queen Carolina also entered the castle.
"Ariel, do you want to continue our conversation elsewhere?" Rapunzel inquired curiously with a slight smile on her face.
Ariel nodded at Rapunzel's offer, "Sure. I mean I'd love too!"
"Great, why don't we go to my favorite room?" The green eyed blonde inquired as she locked arms with Ariel. Suddenly both princesses felt a sense of trust come over them.
"And what room would that be?" Ariel asked as she threw her strawberry red colored hair back.
Rapunzel's eyes got a certain glimmer in them, when she spoke of her favorite room "The library, it's filled with all kinds of books. I like reading in my free time, it's kind of like running away to a different world. Almost like you get to-"
"Go on an adventure," Ariel replied with a bright smile on her face as she finished her Rapunzel's sentence. Both looked into each other's eyes, amazed by the new connection they had found themselves sharing.
"Exactly," she whispered as she led Ariel into the palace. For that one moment all their nervous emotions just dissolved. Little did they know their friendship would eventually be the only thing, keeping two kingdoms from going to war?
"So what is it, you wanted to talk about?" Meg questioned as she finished taking the last bite of her sandwich. She was still rather awed by the beautiful view of the sunset. At the moment the couple had just finished enjoying a pleasant picnic in a flowery meadow, while they watched the sunset from the top of a hill.
"Well you see, I've been thinking…life hasn't been easy recently. The merchants down at the market place are starting to catch on," Hercules explained as he rested his head on her lap. He was lying down on the grass covered floor as she looked down into his eyes.
Meg wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this, "Yeah I guess things have been easier. But we're still able to make ends meet without a problem. No one goes to bed hungry, and no one wakes up hungry. I mean some days we eat more than others but I'm sure it's like that for everyone."
"Yeah but not everyone steals their food," he counter argued with a charming smirk on his face.
She rolled her eyes, wondering why no one could ever accept the role they put themselves in "Yeah but we decided this life was fine. As long as we stay together, everything will work out fine. And besides now that the lost princess is back, the kingdom's economy will be better in no time."
"So you just want us all to sit around, and wait for things to get better?" Hercules asked as his smirk faded, and in its place was an upset frown.
Meg let out a sad sigh as she ran her fingers through his orange hair, "Is there anything else we rally can do? I mean that's all we've been doing all these years. What makes now so different from then?"
"Well we're older now. We can make a living, and we can support ourselves. We can get jobs, and find a place to live. Aren't you tired of having to steal?" he asked as he gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
She shook her head, unsure what else to say "I'm fine with stealing. I know it isn't the most moral thing to do but it's not like we have another option. There are no jobs available, the economy isn't exactly in its best shape, and the money we steal- we use for necessities."
"That's not the point Meg," Hercules argued as he picked himself up from the ground. He then sat down in front of her, forcing the two to make direct eye contact.
"Then what is the point, Herc?" she inquired as she hugged herself for comfort. Meg obligated herself to stare into her eyes. Even though she did feel a little uncomfortable about it, the last thing she wanted to do was giving him the impression that she was being dishonest.
"The point is that we don't have to live like this anymore. Heck, we don't even have to stay in Corona. We can both just go, make a run for it, and make a new life someplace else. We can go live in a kingdom that actually have jobs available. We can go to a kingdom where we don't have to steal, or live on the streets in order to survive. We can actually have something better," Hercules clarified with an imploring glimmer in his eyes. He looked so needy; he spoke as if he were a homeless man who begged for money every day, and every night.
"Herc you're not actually suggesting we leave Corona, are you?" she questioned in a shocked tone as she backed away. On some level Meg was rather offended but on another level, her mind kept on going back to her nightmare.
"Well yes, I've been planning this for a long time now. Meg we're not kids anymore so that means there is nothing stopping us. Honestly, what could possibly be holding us back now besides ourselves?" he gave her look that just spelled out 'I'm right-and-you're wrong'.
"Hercules we have lives here, they may not be good ones but they are our lives. Also I can't just abandon Jasmine! When our mother was on her death bed, we promised her that no matter what happened we'd stick together. No matter who came into our lives, that we'd let no one and nothing tear us apart. You just need to respect that Herc," she told him bitterly as she backed away some more. Meg continued to back away but stopped when she felt her back touch the trunk of the apple tree, they sat under.
Hercules scooted closer, and looked at her with a saddened expression "Meg it's not like you'd be completely leaving her alone. She has Aladdin by her side, and he plans on taking her away as well."
"Wait- so now you're telling me that you plan on taking me away from Jasmine, and Aladdin plans on taking Jasmine away from me? And you expect me to be okay with that!" Meg screamed as she felt the anger inside of her begin to boil. Without any reluctance she clenched her fists, and prepared herself to punch him right in the face. However Meg let out a deep breath, and reminded herself that violence would get her nowhere.
"Besides considering how strong he is, I doubt he'll feel a thing. So there's no point throwing a punch if it'll only come back to hurt me," she told herself as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
He realized how he was doing more harm than good, and so he didn't say a word. Instead Hercules slowly got closer to the woman he loved, and gave her a warm smile. He noticed how his smile still wasn't enough to calm her nerves because she still seemed angry, annoyed, and he was picking up a hint of fear.
"Meg, do you love me?" Hercules whispered as he got closer to her. He then he put both his hands against the tree trunk on either side of Meg, keeping her trapped.
She was a bit surprised that he wasn't angry with her, and she was even more shocked by his question "Of course I do. If I didn't then I wouldn't enjoy all the time we spend together, and I wouldn't enjoy feeling your lips against mine. I also wouldn't enjoy falling asleep in your arms at night, and if I didn't then I wouldn't be here right now. But that still doesn't excuse what you want me to do."
"I know it doesn't, and I'm sorry. But since you do love then let me take care of you," he begged as he wrapped her arms around her waist. He held her in his arms for a moment, just allowing her to get used to his touch. And then he pulled her into a warm, passionate kiss.
At first Meg wanted nothing more but to melt in his arms but she quickly remembered, why she was angry in the first place. And so, she pushed him away "Stop that! You're not going to get me to agree to run away with you by making love to me in a meadow. Herc I already have enough to worry about, and now you bring this into my life! I've already lost a mother! The last thing I want is to lose you, or my sister, or even Aladdin!"
"Meg, I'm just trying to give you a better-" Before he had a chance to finish, he was rudely interrupted by Meg. Her eyes were now watery, and she had clenched her fists as if she were ready to punch him. Which she probably was but she had no intention of hurting him, at least not physically.
"I don't want a better life Herc! I never asked for one, and I don't need one. If you're not happy with the life you live now- then go ahead, and run off in search of a new one. But I'm staying by my stepsister, and no one is going to change that. Do you understand or did I stutter?" she spat in a very hostile tone. She didn't care if she was being harsh or nasty, she was furious with him
"Well you know what? Excuse me for actually caring about you! And you know what Meg? I'm not going anywhere because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If I didn't do you honestly believe I'd ask you to run away with me?" Hercules rhetorically asked as he wrathfully narrowed his eyes.
She picked herself up from the ground, and wiped away the tears from her eyes "I need to get back home. I don't have time for these games. If you love me then I love you back, and I'm begging you to just let me be happy. And if you can't do that then I want you out of my life by tomorrow."
Meg took a deep breath, and felt as more tears formed in her eyes. However using the little courage she had left, she walked away from him. She let out a sad sigh, wondering if she had just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Meg brushed the feeling off, and continued walking with her head held high. Even though she felt like her heart had smashed into a million pieces, and her vision was blurry due to her tears- she held her pride high.
"I need to tell Jasmine. I'm not letting anyone separate us, not now and not ever. We promised ma' that we'd stick together, and by god that's what we're doing! Through thick and thin I promise thee, that we'll stick together through night's last gleam," she told herself as she recalled the last words her mother had made both Jasmine, and her say in unison. It was almost disturbing how she could vividly see Jasmine and herself, as they kneeled next to their mother who was already lying on her death bed.
Melody opened her eyes, and immediately sat up as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes "Jim I need to get home. My mother is probably worried sick about me but she'll understand. I just hope my father isn't drunk again."
"Well if he is, you're more than welcome to come back. To be honest with you Melody…I wish you'd spend the night with me," Jim confessed as he let out a tired yawn.
"I know you do, and believe me if I could- I would. But things are complicated at home, and the only reason I stay if for my mother. If she wasn't there, then I'd leave my father for you in a heartbeat but unfortunately my life isn't like that," she explained as she hopped off the bed, allowing her bare feet to touch the wooden floor. Melody then put on her crème colored shoes, and fixed her hair in a messy ponytail.
She pushed a few loose strands behind her ear, letting out a deep breath "I love you Jim."
He looked up at her with wide eyes, and smiled "I love you too Melody. I always will, and I always have."
Melody nodded as she turned around, and sweetly kissed his cheek "Take care handsome. The moment I get the chance I'll come visit you."
"I'll be waiting," he called out suavely. Jim then watched as Melody opened his bedroom window, and then soundlessly made her way on to the roof. He listened as she carefully slid off, and could literally hear as her feet touched the pavement of the sidewalk.
"I finally know how I'm going to get you out of this mess. I finally know how I'm going to get us out of this mess," Jim whispered to himself as he let out a dreamy sigh. He then draped the blanket over himself as he rested his head on the fluffy pillow. He let out another tired yawn, and his eyes slowly closed as he drifted off into a deep slumber.
A/N: Well, I really hoped you guys liked it! Again I have to apologize for the delay, school has been really hectic. If anyone is confused or have questions, just remember that as always all will be revealed sooner or later. You guys are all the best, and I'm so thankful that you guys actually take the time to read my story. And as for my reviewers, you guys make my day- no joke! Anyways until next chapter everyone, thanks for reading…