Part 5
Once home, Giselle made a pot of tea and sat down with the two Crystals. "Alright, some things were said that I know no one really meant. Porsha, tell your father what really happened." She poured each of them a cup of the soothing drink.
Porsha nodded. "He didn't fire me, Daddy. He just wants me to switch roles with Rosita. I was so afraid that you'd be mad at me and hate me because I lost the lead. I just want you to be proud of me."
Crystal realized he had said some pretty hateful things towards his own child. She wasn't Moon, she didn't deserve that. "Porsha, honey, I will always be proud of you. I don't think you're a talentless loser. I just don't want anyone else to think that either. You're my baby." They hugged. "Oh well, Moon is gone now. We'll find a better show and you will be the lead."
Porsha shook her head. "I don't want the lead anymore. I was so scared, Daddy. Jumping is easy but acting in front of everybody is not. I shouldn't have taken Rosita's part. It wasn't very nice of me. I'm sorry, Daddy." She yawned.
He nodded. "Well, sounds like you are ready for your bed. Go on, baby." He didn't mind losing the show. He could still host the royal ball in his hotel ballroom. His guests would love it. And he could dance with Giselle. Of course, she could be gone by then. She was still looking for her prince. She was spoken for. He shouldn't be thinking of her that way. He would take Suki and dance with her.
Giselle smiled as she went upstairs. "She's so sweet. I think the lead role was just too much for her right now."
Crystal sighed. "Thank you… I'm sorry. I have trouble with my temper. I didn't mean to frighten you."
She smiled at him. "You're a good man and I know you love your daughter. And I guess it can be good to get angry sometimes… I've never been angry before."
He stood up. "Let me order up some supper. You must be hungry."
He ordered dinner for the two of them and he poured them each a glass of wine. "So, no sign of your prince yet."
She shook her head. "No, but I know he's coming…'' She watched him sipping his drink and mimicked him. 'Do I want him to come?' was the question on her mind.
"Well, push comes to shove, you could always stay here. If you wanted to," he offered. "Porsha likes you and I can make you famous."
Giselle giggled. "I'm not really interested in being famous but Porsha is a sweet girl. Does she miss her terribly?"
"Who?" He asked, caught off-guard by the question. It took a second before he understood the question. "Well, Porsha was barely two when Rosamund died. She doesn't even remember her." He sighed. "That's why I want to give her everything. She's already lost her mother. She should get anything she wants."
She touched his hand compassionately. "That sounds so hard. I never knew my mother either. Or my father for that matter. I was raised by the woodland animals. Of course, they aren't like the animals, the people here. They don't wear clothes for one." She giggled as she ate her slice of pizza.
Suddenly, the dining room doors slammed open and Jerry ran in. "Mr. Crystal! It's Moon! He's taken over the theater and he's putting on his show right now!"
Crystal's eyes became a light with flame. "He's what!"
Giselle touched his arm. "Maybe it's meant to be a surprise for you, James." She suggested, hoping to cool him down. "Let me go see if Porsha knows anything." She went upstairs and knocked on the door. When the wolf didn't answer, she peaked inside. She ran back down. "Porsha's gone. I bet she's at the theater too and they're doing this to surprise you. Isn't that so sweet?"
He growled and tried to stuff his temper down. "Let's go to the theater." He glared at Jerry for interrupting his dinner with Giselle.
In the limousine, Suki sat on Jimmy's right side while Giselle sat opposite. "I bet Porsha came up with this to try and make things right"
Suki watched him interact with her. She was sure that Giselle would end up splattered on the pavement but Jimmy was different around her. She was the first one to tell him off and he didn't seem to mind. He talked to her, not as an employee or business associate but like a person, opening up to her in ways he hadn't done since Rosamund died.
A part of Suki was happy but another smaller part was envious. She had been trying so hard to chip through Crystal's crystalline shell and this strange girl just came and took a sledgehammer to it. And just when she thought he might reciprocate her feelings, he was falling for this strange girl. She needed to go home now.
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Nathaniel sat in the hotel bar, drinking a martini while Pip sat confined in a plastic ball. The image of his queen appeared. "What are you doing!?" She shouted, making him jump.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry… I still have one apple left and he hasn't found her yet," he pleaded for her to understand.
"One! You have one apple left! Once it's gone, that's it! No! You are out of chances. I'm coming there and I will kill the little wretch myself!" Narissa's voice reverberated through the bar, making bottles and glasses shatter.
"Oh pooh!" He cursed lightly.
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Edward watched as the ragtag group of animals prepared for their illicit show. "I have to find Giselle. What if that monster is hurting her?"
Buster nodded. "If I'm right, he'll come and he'll bring her." He was worried about Giselle too but his priority was his troupe and their show. This guy could go get married on his own time.
Edward shook his head. "Well, um, I'm really not the right guy for this. Meena shouldn't be singing with me. She needs to sing with that guy." He pointed from behind the curtain at the elephant in the front row.
Buster looked at the elephant. "But he's not part of our troupe. Can he even sing?"
"I'm not a part of your troupe either. I'm sure he can but he's the one she's in love with. She needs to sing with him." He said again.
"What? In love? How do you know she's in love with him?" The koala asked.
Edward nodded. "The way she swoons every time she sees him or thinks about him. Trust me. Go get him to do the scene."
He scratched his chin. "You're sure about this?" Finally, Buster shrugged and went out to talk to the bull.
Reluctantly, the ice cream vendor agreed and came backstage. He saw Edward. "Really? You want me to take your place?"
Edward nodded. "I have to find my sweet Giselle. And you need to talk to Meena."
Buster rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's get in place. It's time!" He ran to the mic and pushed the knobs to dim the lights. The screen reflected a galactic scene. "Attention all creatures great and small, welcome to outer space."
The spaceship lowered down with the planets and constellations. "My name is Captain Rosita and I'm on a mission to find a lost space explorer."
"Captain, I am picking up his signal. He must be on one of these four planets ahead but there's no way to know which one the signal is coming from." Her trusty robot replied.
Rosita nodded. "I'll have to search them all. Take us down."
Down on the ground level, a Canadian lynx in a green hoodie encouraged a gorilla in blue leather. "Go on, big guy. Remember just go with the flow."
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In the middle of the street, the ornate manhole cover glowed an ominous green and the cover burst off, flying through the sky to smack into the advertisement of the blonde horse. The evil sorceress rose out of the sewer, making everyone cower in fear.
Queen Narissa stomped through the streets, freezing the cars, to the hotel bar where Nathaniel was waiting. "Hello, worthless."
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The limousine raced through the streets and Giselle shrieked, grabbing onto Crystal out of fear.
"We'll be at the theater soon, sir," the driver promised.
"I don't want to be at the theater soon! I want to be there now!" Crystal demanded. He looked at Giselle and sighed. "I don't want to miss Porsha." He earned a smile from the young woman.
The limo pulled up to the theater soon and they ran inside. On the first landing after the entrance, a trio of gorillas met them.
"Who are you? Where's my security?" Crystal asked.
The largest gorilla grinned darkly. "We're security now, mate? Are you Giselle?" He asked the girl. "We're here to rescue you."
"Yes, that's me. But I don't need to be rescued. James is just here to see his daughter perform. He's very excited," she explained.
"Giselle!" That voice made her turn to the stage entrance. Edward stood with a big smile of relief. "It's you! I've finally found you!" He raced forward and picked her up in his excitement.
Giselle hugged him. "Edward! You're here! You're here! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Crystal saw the dashing prince and realized this was it. This girl had come and turned his life upside down for a day and now she would leave.
Edward's blue eyes met his own and pulled out his sword. "You! Vile beast, how dare you keep my beautiful princess captive!" He lunged.
James shouted and dove behind the gorillas. "What the!"
"Wait! Edward! Don't! He's my friend!" She got in between Edward and James. "He helped me."
Edward shrugged. "Alright." He sheathed his sword and smiled at Giselle. "I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss and a miss I have begun to miss. Pure and sweet, waiting to complete my love song."
James' mouth fell open. "He sings too."
Giselle nodded at him. "Yeah… it's an Andalasia thing." She realized Edward was waiting for her. "What's wrong?"
"You're not singing," Edward questioned.
She thought about it. "Oh, I'm not. Well, you see… I was thinking. We can't go yet. My new friends are putting on their show and James' daughter Porsha is in it. I want to see her part."
Edward smiled. "Well, I'm happy to sit and enjoy it with you." He smiled and offered his arm.
Giselle nodded and looked at James. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me. I'll never forget you or Porsha, or any of this place."
The white wolf nodded. This really was it. She was going home. Just as he wanted. "I was happy to do it. Feel free to come visit anytime. We can all get together and have dinner…"
Giselle reluctantly let Edward lead her to a seat in the back row. She looked back only once at James.
Suki saw her boss watching the girl go. "She had to go home eventually. I'm happy for her. It's what she wanted." She took his hand. "Let's go see Porsha's part from the catbird seat." They went to join Moon. The koala looked at them with fear. "It's okay. Giselle has gone home with her prince."
Crystal glared at Moon. "You better have Calloway. Or so help me…"
Moon nodded, trembling. "Okay Porsha. Time to show the world what you're really made of."
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Giselle watched Porsha pop out of a crater dressed as the green alien. She smiled and waved at the young wolf. She watched as Edward seemed almost bored. She knew he wanted to go home. She wanted to go home too, right? From this angle, she could see into the control booth. James stood with Suki and Buster.
"You're sad." Edward's voice observed and she looked at him.
"Oh no, I'm fine… I guess we should go…" Sadly, she and Edward headed towards the exit. She needed to go before she gave into temptation. This was where she belonged, with Edward. In Andalasia. Right? "Can you go get my wrap please?"
He nodded and went to retrieve it. She turned to look at the white wolf one more time. "Child?"
She jumped and turned around. "You!" The old hag from the day before stood there. "You sent me here!"
"Oh dear, I've been looking everywhere for you. I was so worried. What a dreadful accident that brought you to this terrible place filled with so much pain," the hag massaged her shoulders comfortingly. Giselle looked back at James. "Ahhh yes, such a terrible fate. Unable to be with the one you love. Forced to be with another, forever and ever." Giselle felt tears in her eyes. "But it doesn't have to be that way, I can stop the hurt. Yes, Granny can make all the pain go away. With this." The old woman held up a shiny, red apple. "This is a magic apple. One bite and all the memories of this place and the people you met will all go away. Like it never happened."
Giselle took the apple and examined it. She didn't even realize this was the third time someone tried offering her an apple. Should she take a bite? Erase all memories of James and Porsha and this place?
"Oh!" The old woman said sharply. "But you must take a bite before the clock strikes twelve." She looked at the clock. It was 11:57.
Giselle nodded and brought the apple to her lips and crunched down on the red flash. Immediately, she knew something was wrong before she fell to the floor, unconscious, dropping the apple so that it started rolling down the stairs, bouncing off pipe and rolling into the control booth, hitting James on the foot. He knelt down and picked it up.
AN: Again, please offer your thoughts. Should Giselle become a wolf or stay a human?