Who Won the Fight?

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Chapter 4: Papa

5 Days Later

"Maurice-Welcome!" Gaston said threw a forced smile that looked almost like it hurt, it was so falsely cheerful.

They had fought for four days nonstop over Maurice's impending arrival. The tension had never been as heavy in that house as it was for those four days.

After Belle went upstairs asserting that her father would be coming to live with them whether he liked it or not, Gaston had followed her, shouting all the while that, father or no father, Maurice was a crazy loon, with whom he refused to live under the same roof.

Pounding on the closed bedroom door, he continued to rage, demanding that she let him in (the door wasn't locked but he didn't think to check) yelling that this was his house and she would do as he said!

That shouting match had occupied the first day of battle. By the second, the two were reduced to cold silence and sabotage. Gaston had awoken to an empty plate and a silent wife who refused to acknowledge him. Not one to be outdone, Gaston determined that if she felt she had the right to ignore her wifely duties, he would make her pay.

So Belle had to endure two days with no firewood for cooking, no money for the market, and a husband who had disappeared, returning the morning of the fourth day of war as silent and cruel as the grave.

By that afternoon Belle was in tears, begging Gaston to allow her elderly father to live with them. He had a moment of hesitation, thinking of her condition. He had always been uncomfortable around female tears, but believing that a man needed to keep a strong hand, he refused.

"Woman! Give up!"

Her cries silenced. In a miraculous moment Belle transformed into the 17 year old girl who had sacrificed life and happiness for her beloved father, a woman who would fight to the death for those she loved, and feared no one. She rose from the floor, facing her husband with the burning passion of a woman long oppressed. The caged animal had been backed into a corner with no escape, save through the hunter.

Gaston took a step back from this creature he could not recognize. With a hand raised high in the air as if calling judgement down from above, she marched toward him with the blinded courage of a trapped animal.

"GIVE UP!"

"Belle…"

"SHUT UP! YOU STUPID, IGNORANT, BEAST!"

Never had Gaston been called such things and the shock did, for once in his life, silence him.

"HOW DARE YOU! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? THIS IS MY HOME JUST AS MUCH AS IT IS YOURS AND I WILL HAVE MY FATHER HERE!"

"IT IS MY HOUSE…"

"WHO CLEANS IT? WHO COOKS? WHO RAISES THE CHILDREN? I DO! IF YOU DON'T LET HIM COME HERE I WILL TELL THE WHOLE TOWN THAT YOU THREW YOUR FATHER IN LAW OUT INTO THE STREET, DISGRACING YOUR WIFE!"

Few things, if any, mattered more to Gaston then his reputation. Even so, he highly doubted that the town would judge him for refusing the town lunatic a place in his home. He stared at his wife unblinking, analyzing her resolve. To Belle's eternal shock and gratitude, he relented.

"Very well, bring the lunatic, but I warn you he is your responsibility."

Belle's heart soared. She had won! She opened her mouth to thank him, but was stopped cold by what he said next.

Even Belle had not realized the extent of his vanity. The fact that she had been able to conquer him in such a way left a bitter taste in Gaston's mouth and a hardening in his heart. Turning to her he relayed a warning. Moving until they were a mere breaths width apart he hissed in her ear.

"Don't you dare defy me again, or I will divorce you…and you will never see your children…again."

Yes, the animal had beaten the hunter…but she was the one who had been mortally wounded in the fight.

Gaston would continue on believing nothing had changed between them, except he had regained his place as head of the house. The fool didn't understand the chasm he had created where once only a line stood.

Back in the present,

But this unhappy memory was pushed away as Belle and Gaston welcomed her papa into their "home."

"Merci Gaston." Maurice said with a trusting smile.

Full of joy, Belle showed him the bed in the corner of the main room that she had made up for him. She would have preferred to give him a room of his own, but sadly there was not enough space. Still, she had tried to make this space as pleasant as possible.

"Here you go, Papa. This chest is yours too I hope it is alright."

"It's perfect Belle."

With his job done, Gaston clomped out of the door grabbing his rifle on the way.

Maurice watched him leave with concern.

"Belle, is Gaston unhappy about my being here? I would hate to be an inconvenience."

The elderly man was proud in his own way and was having a very difficult time, feeling ashamed of the reason for his being there, he could not take the knowledge that he was unwelcome as well. It would have made him feel utterly wretched.

With a bright smile Belle waved away her papa's concerns saying that not only was Gaston delighted at Maurice's arrival he was the one to suggest him coming to stay with them.

As relief settled on Maurice Belle wondered how many such little lies she had told him over the years to spare his feelings. She believed it to be worth it and hoped that she was doing the right thing by concealing the truth.

Outside,

Having been shooed out of the house the three small children were entertaining themselves in the shade of a large tree behind the cottage enjoying the fresh spring weather.

Jacqueline sat pleasantly beneath the large oak building a town out of twigs and leaves. As she worked she wondered how long her Grandpa would be staying with them. After a little deliberation she decided that she was happy for his being there, he was nice, if a little strange.

She knew mama was happy grandpa had come but she didn't think papa was. Even at four she was surprised by the fact that her papa had gave into mama on something he had seemed so against.

Giving up on contemplating the reasoning of adults Jacqueline picked up her rag doll and crowned her with a wreath of clover.

The Queen of the Forest bowed to the fish King.

"Welcome your majesty the fish are happy to see you."

All the fish men and women swam out of their houses to see the Queen of the forests in her green crown.

A fox bowed and gave her a scepter.

"Please Madame, the mean tanner will turn us all into hats if you do not save us!"

Using her magic the Queen made a big wall all around the animals' village protecting them from the giant tanner, cobbler, and cook who wanted to hurt them.

"Don't worry animals, I will save you!"

The crowd cheered as the fish brought her bouquets of sea weed and cakes.

"From now on, we only eat CAKE!"

Happy days had returned.

But what is that? A GIANT HAS COME! LOOK OUT EVERYONE, RUN!

A foot came crashing down on the leaf built "kingdom" smashing all the wonderful shops and houses that her imagination had built.

Jacqueline watched spitefully as little Gaston kicked and broke her creations with his big feet! Roaring like a bear he swatted away the dirt clod "Foxes" and flower "Fish People" crushing them. Poor fish people perhaps they would have preferred to be hats?

"RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRHHHHH"

He roared, apparently he was a bear, bent on ruining her fun.

Quickly changing roles the boy became a great hunter (like papa.) Holding up an imaginary bow he shot his sister with the imagined arrow.

"DIE BEAR!" (Apparently she was the bear now.)

Jacqueline watched through narrow eyes as her brother continued on his way leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

Digging her small hands into the dirt she fiercely resisted the urge to attack. Partly because if papa was still inside she would get a beating for hurting her brother (even if it was Gaston's fault for being so awful.) papa never saw it that way. But the main reason she was striving for sainthood was for mama.

Remembering what mama had said about how she loves Gaston and wanted Jacqueline to be kind to him was the primary reason Gaston's face was not currently in the dirt.

Mama had been sad when she had pinched Gaston, and mama was sad a lot. She didn't like seeing mama cry and wanted her to be happy. So she was going to be good, so mama wouldn't cry anymore.

Jacqueline noted that it is very hard to be good.

Determined in her resolve she began the rebuilding of her "Kingdom", but it was not to last.

Gaston had returned and this time he had a follower. Jacques waddled over to his sister making roaring noises in her ear and in the process spitting all over her face. Once again Gaston stomped across the leaves roaring and shooting imaginary arrows.

This time being good proved too difficult.

Leaping to her stubby legs she pushed Gaston away.

"Go Away Gaston!"

Taking Jacques by the arm she jerked him away from where she was playing.

"Go find mama Jacques!"

The baby having no understanding of her words continued to roar, scratching her arm with tiny claws.

Meanwhile Gaston had recovered himself and roughly pushed her from behind laughing when she fell on top of her own "town". Grabbing a twig she swung around and began to chase her brother swishing the twig back and forth violently threw the air making it whistle and trying to make contact with his backside.

The boy had the good sense to run away and began screaming as he led her on a "merry" chase.

The vengeful fury was halted when a man's hand grabbed the collar of her dress, lifting her partially off the ground.

For a moment the four year old's heart stopped in terror. Thinking her father had caught her inflicting justice on her brothers she braced herself, closing her eyes, awaiting the slap that was sure to come.

But instead she felt herself being gently placed back on the ground and heard a shaky old voice speaking kindly. Opening her eyes she saw not the hard face of her father but the old smiling face of grandpa.

"N-Now you must play nicely… your mama is tired and all this yelling will make her anxious." Maurice said smiling warmly at his grandchildren.

Little Gaston ignored him and went back to his games followed by an oblivious Jacques who was too young to care what happened.

Turning to his granddaughter Maurice beamed at the young girl with a smile that to Jacqueline seemed meant just for her.

"Well little mademoiselle, would you come help me unpack hmm? I need some help deciding where to put everything."

The little girl nodded her head as the elderly man took her small baby hand in his old withered one and lead her back inside, humming an odd little tune as they went.

Yes, Jacqueline thought, she was glad that grandpa had come to stay with them, and she hoped he would never leave.