((Hey again, so just a (not-so) quick update. I've uploaded the character designs for two of the OCs in this story. (Link will be on my main profile page.) And I would REALLY appreciate some help with their color schemes. Hair, skin tone, dress colors, eyes, voice actress, etc. :)
Oh, and some sad-ish news. I'm in this theater production every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then I have practices for ANOTHER production every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On top of that, I have school AND a job. So...the only day I "kind of" get off is Wednesday. I have VERY little time to write, you guys! *cries* I'm so sorry, but...updates are going to be very late, and possibly very short. Thankfully, I've been able to get 4 chapters complete before all this chaos rained down. You all are amazing, and I can't thank you enough for the reviews! *huggles*))
Xitan22: Yes...Hades will be coming back! BUT I can't tell you what he's going to be planning yet! Mwah-haha! Just because I'm that evil. And thank you! *blushes* I love Meg and Hercules so much, they're such a cute couple!
asuvsuofa: Aww, thank you! I'm really glad that you suggested I include Persephone in this! But yeah, I'd hate to have to be in Meg's sandals during all that. :( ...You're so sweet, and your support is REALLY appreciated! So thank you again! :)
Laughs4life: Mwah-hahah! I couldn't resist. XD And Hades is so awesome! Well...in a creepy, demented, James Woods kind of way. So yeah, he's probably my favorite Disney villain ever! Hehe, and thank you again! Your reviews and support mean SO much to me! And while I have you here, I read one of your stories. I think it was "The Wrath of Vengeance". Oh. My. Gobbles! You're such a talented writer! And I stayed up 'till 3 in the morning trying to finish reading it. I was not a happy camper waking up the next morning, but...it was well worth it! Keep writing on!
KPFAN3617: You're so sweet, thank you! *smirks like a crazy person* Herc and Meg are amazing for one another, and I just love them so. I hope that once the Christmas production is over, I'll be able to really give you all better updates. Thank you again! :D
Once reaching the villa, Hercules laid the still sleeping Meg on a bed in one of the many guest rooms, and covered her with a warm blanket, tucking her in like a small child in the process. He was still a little dazed about Phil's words, and they buzzed around in his head like a swarm of hornets. He refused to believe such things until Meg told him otherwise. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open after being welcomed by the warm quilt, and she gazed up at Hercules who let out a slightly nervous laugh.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. She returned the chuckle, and shifted into a sitting position to give Hercules some room to sit beside her.
"I fell asleep?" She yawned, putting a hand over her mouth. Being awaken at such unruly hours for the past two years of her enslavement; she had grown accustom to little sleep. And living in a place where you didn't know what time of the day it was, caused pretty confusing sleeping habits. So, she was fairly awake from the short power nap she was given.
Hercules laughed at her confused expression, and pulled her onto his lap, laying his cheek against her forehead. The way she fit in his arms almost caused him to wonder if she was designed to fit there, as if they really were made for one another. "Yeah, you seemed pretty tired...and, since I didn't know where you lived; we just brought you back here." He said, hoping his final words would cause her to open up a bit.
She seemed to tense up, and it almost made him regret saying it, but he needed to know. After a long moment of silence, she finally acknowledged his statement. "Oh?"
Yeah...not what he was looking for, but he expected something like that. He knew her fairly well now, and she wasn't one for spilling her guts; he had to try a little harder. "So...where do you live?" He asked gingerly.
She thought for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say. This was already leaning towards a load of painful questions. But he had every right no know. It surely doesn't make it easier though. "I...w-well. Nowhere now, I guess." She answered not wanting to look at Hercules; she already knew what he was going to say next. "...You lived in the underworld?"
Meg nodded, feeling her throat suddenly go dry. "Yeah."
Her response was awarded with a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Meg shook her head, and wrapped her arms around Herc's neck, feeling the desire to be held tighter.
"It was my own fault I ever ended up there." She whispered back, closing her eyes in hopes that the next question wouldn't cause her to break down. She had a rule-book for herself, and crying in front of someone was not aloud. But she had already broken the most important rule, never fall in love. Her chances weren't that great at the moment.
As much as he hated doing this to her, Hercules continued forward. "H-How did you...end up, working for Hades?" Her eyes start to water, so she hid her face and tried choking down the sob that was trying to escape. A flood of memories filled her mind. She had tried so hard to lock them away, and just forget them. Hades had even offered Lethe water to help, but if she forgot just how much that jerk, as she liked to call him, had hurt her...she would make the same mistake again.
After collecting her thoughts, she took her face out of Hercules' neck, and quickly wiped away her tears before he could notice. "It was...two years ago-" She began with a slight quiver in her voice. "I-I...I thought I was in love with this man...Adrian was his name. Up to the point of meeting him, my life was a total wreck. My two brothers were killed when I was about six, my mother committed suicide afterwards, and my father was left to raise me and my sisters all by himself. He became depressed, and everything was just-" she paused, and tried to sigh away the pain. She was leaving out a lot of things, and was just trying to get to the point so this conversation would be over. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling him everything either. Mainly the fact that her father was the king of Thebes.
I'm not gonna go into THAT just yet, I'll tell him at a better time.
She thought, pushing the subject aside so she could press forward. "Everything was just falling apart...and as much as my father tried, he still couldn't force himself to forget the past...none of us could."
Hercules was still holding her, and it helped in a sense. But now he was going to know just how broken she was, which made things more uncomfortable. "Then Adrian came waltzing in, and...I finally felt loved again." A sad chuckle then escaped; she didn't even realize tears were trailing down her cheeks. "I mistaked his cocky, smooth-talk for love. That feeling of fake compassion made me so blind. So...I never thought he would-"
The thought of what she was going to say next finally caused her to break. She whimpered, and for once, she didn't care that someone was about to watch her cry. Maybe it was just the fact that she desperately needed to hear Hercules' soothing comforts before she told him of one of her most crushing heart-breaks. An event that caused her to wonder if her heart could ever be put back together...CAN it be put back together? Meg thought as Hercules rocked her, and whispered anything he could possibly say to make her feel better.
His hand cradled the back of her head against his neck, and his other was wrapped around her back to hold her in place. If anyone could fix it, it would be Wonderboy here...but will he still want me after I tell him? This caused another wave of tears she couldn't control, but what she didn't know was that seeing her like this, was nearly breaking Hercules' own heart to pieces. He almost felt responsible for doing this to her.
"Shhh-shh...I-I'm so sorry." He said, his voice shaky, and barely at a whisper. Meg was somehow able to stop when she heard Hercules' apology. Once composing herself a bit, she tried to stop sniffling as she looked up at him. Confusion masked her tear-stained face. Why was he apologizing?
And as if she was made of the finest china, Hercules gently cupped his hands around Meg's face and kissed her tears away. After a moment, a thought came to his mind, and a smile formed across his lips. If anything could make her feel better, it would be lightening the mood. He pulled Meg closer to him again, and devilishly started kissing her cheeks, forehead, nose, and neck.
His smile grew wider when he heard Meg laughing, and as she playfully tried to get away. "Haha ha...Herc?!" This only seemed to entice him; he started tickling her, and she squealed. "...Where do you think you're going, huh Meg?" He asked teasingly, holding her so she couldn't escape.
"No!...Ha haha, W-Wonder-boy?! ...St-Stop it!" She begged through her fit of laughter.
Hercules stopped for a minute so she could catch her breath, and once she had, he pulled her into a kiss. Meg's eyes widened for only a moment before she gave in, and kissed him back. Relief was a very mild way of expressing her feelings just then. All her worries seemed to fade within those few seconds of her spontaneous Wonderboy trying to cheer her up. He wouldn't love her any less because of her past, and she was starting to believe that he could mend her shattered heart, if he hadn't already, that is.
Reluctantly; they slowly parted for air, and stared into one another's eyes. By that time, Hercules noticed just how awkward their position was, and started blushing. Meg was straddling herself across his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and his hands were resting around the upper and lower part of her back. He started stuttering.
"I umm. Ugh, I-I mean, w...we should-" Meg started laughing, and Hercules lowered his head in embarrassment, blushing even brighter than he was before. "Why can't I talk to you without stuttering?!" He thought aloud.
Meg forced herself to stop laughing, and replaced it with a smirk. Lifting his lowered head, she made him look at her as she weaved her fingers through his hair.
"Hey," she cooed. "My Wonderboy wouldn't be complete without that articulate nature of his, now would he?"
When he sighed and lowered his head again, she forced it back up, and smiled brightly at him. "Herc? ...I'm just teasing. I actually think it's really cute when you stutter." She whispered in a low, husky voice. He smiled back and started blushing again; leaning herself forward, Meg kissed him lightly on the lips. Even though it was a brief kiss, it made their hearts flutter none-the-less.
When a thought came to Meg's mind though, her smile faded, and she slowly lowered her hands away from his face. Hercules looked at her with concern in his eyes. "...Meg?" He asked, taking her hands in his own, and forgetting all thoughts about his embarrassing moment.
She hummed a sigh through her nose, and looked up into his eyes. "I still haven't answered your question." He looked genuinely confused. "Wh...What question?"
"I still haven't told you how I ended up...working for Hades." She answered hesitantly. And I don't want to either.
Hercules put a hand to the side of her face, and moved his thumb along her cheek. "Hey...let's just talk about that some other time. I can only take so many bad memories at one time. Okay?" He replied, not wanting to bring her any more sadness.
The corner of her lip turned into a half smile, and she nodded, hugging him gratefully. Hugging her back, he turned his head to kiss her temple. Then once again, he realized they were still in their awkward position. And as much as he liked having Meg so close to him, he knew that if Phil walked in on them like this, he'd have a conniption fit. We'd never hear the end of that.
"We should ugh...pr-probably get some rest." He offered as she pulled away. Meg smirked, and nodded her head once more. "Yeah...you look pretty tired."
She sat up a bit, and Hercules helped her lie back down on her side, covering her with the quilt again. Moving her bangs out of her face, he then kissed her cheek.
"...I love you." Meg whispered, smirking at her own giddiness as she curled up and closed her eyes. She didn't think her smile could grow wider, but it did. "I love you too, Meg."
As Hercules got off the bed, he kissed Meg one last time, and then slowly made his way to the door. Once outside, he smiled at himself, but fear suddenly took hold of his features. Phil was leaning against the hallway wall, and had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up at Hercules. He started stuttering again. "Phil?! I umm, I can explain! I-I...ugh, I mean, you...you saw all that, d-didn't you?" He asked, placing his hands on the back of his neck.
The satyr tried to keep the disappointed look on his face, but he couldn't. A snicker escaped. He pushed himself off the wall, shaking his head in fake disbelief. "I've taught ya way too much, kid-" he chuckled again when Hercules smiled, but masked it with a raised brow as he pointed at him. "I evah catch ya doin' somethin' like that again, and I'll wring your thick neck! ...Or better yet, I'll tell little miss about some of your finest moments durin' high school!"
Hercules laughed again, and put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay...I'll try my best."
Phil playfully started punching Herc's knees. "Hah! You ol' sly dog...I'd be proud of ya if I wasn't so jealous." Picking up the satyr, Hercules noogied his nearly bald head as he headed away from the bedroom door.
Nearing Herc's room across the hall, Phil forced himself out of Herc's hold just before reaching the door. "But don't cha be gettin' any ideas while I'm away, ya hear me?!" Phil warned in all seriousness. Hercules nodded his head and sighed. "Phil, don't worry. I'm not a little kid anymore."
Phil gave him a look. "...Exactly."
"Goodnight Phil." Hercules said opening the door to his room and stepping inside, hoping to get off the subject that was brewing at the moment.
"I'm bein' serious kid, think before ya do anything stupid!" Phil smirked, knowing how to get to him. "...Don't make me get out the birds and the bees book again!" He yelled as loudly as he could.
"Phil?!" Hercules cried. Man I hope Meg didn't hear any of that!
((Mrs. Korinna will be in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day! :D))